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 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE 
 
 OF 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES

 
 THE 
 
 LIFE AND LABOURS 
 
 GEORGE .WASHINGTON WALKER, 
 
 OF HOBAET TOWN, TASMANIA. 
 
 BY JAMES BACKHOUSE AND CHARLES TYLOR. 
 
 " The Power of God is sufficient to sustain and deliver under every circum- 
 stance of life, or else it is different in its character from what I have conceived 
 and proved it to be." Sec page 499. 
 
 LONDON : 
 A. W. BENNETT, 5, BISHOPSGATE STREET WITHOUT. 
 
 YORK: 
 
 THOMAS BRADY, 15, LOW 
 1S02.
 
 -pu 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THIS volume is offered to the Eeader under the con- 
 viction that there is in the Life and Labours of the 
 late George Washington Walker much to interest and 
 instruct the young, as well as to animate the Christian 
 disciple in every period of life. Believing that his character 
 and example would be better brought out by his own records 
 than by any other means, the Editors have done little 
 more than make selections from his papers, which consist 
 chiefly of letters, and a journal kept during his travels with 
 James Backhouse in the Southern Hemisphere. 
 
 In perusing the volume it will be well to keep in 
 remembrance, that as Or. W. Walker was born in 1800, 
 his age runs parallel with the year. It must also be 
 observed that great changes have taken place both in the 
 Australian Colonies and in South Africa since he travelled 
 there. At that time Tasmania was usually called Van 
 Diemens Land, and was a dependency of New South Wales, 
 with a Lieutenant Governor. 
 
 G. W. Walker sometimes refers to the low tone of his 
 health, and it may be well for the reader to be informed, 
 
 I 1.-1 '>/">? 
 
 * * - ^. * >
 
 IV PREFACE. 
 
 that at the time of his commencing his travels, he was the 
 only survivor of a considerable family by a second marriage, 
 and was liable to attacks of illness similar to those he refers 
 to in the journal and letters ; and there is reason to believe, 
 that the constitutional vigour, both of himself and his com- 
 panion, was so much increased by their long travel in the 
 service of the Grospel, as to add more days to their lives than 
 they spent together in this interesting service.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 EARLY LIFE. 
 
 Page. Page. 
 
 Childhood and Apprenticeship . . 1 James Backhouse's Prospect of 
 
 Conversion . 3 foreign labour in the Gospel 12 
 
 Letters to M. and M. Bragg .... 6, 9 J. Backhouse's Vision 12 
 
 Death of Mary Bragg 10 G. W. W.'s letter to J. B. 13 
 
 Temperance Movement 12 Is sent forth hy the Church ... 18 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 VOYAGE TO TASMANIA. 
 
 Chelsea Pensioners 19 Dr. Philip and family . . 25, 27, 28 
 
 Call to the Ministry 20 Mahometan Convert 25 
 
 Effects of Strong Drink 21 Stormy Petrels 29 
 
 Religious service 22, 23, 28, 30 Bush Fires 31 
 
 Whaling 23 Approach to Hobart Town, 32 
 
 Cape Town 24 Land at Hobart Town 32 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 SOJOURN IN HOBART TOWN, VISIT TO THE CLYDE, ETC. 
 
 Visits to Governor Arthur 34, 39, 49 New Norfolk 41 
 
 John Leach 34 Visit to the Clyde district 43 
 
 G. A. Robinson 36 Aborigines 43, 46 
 
 Sealers 37, 38 Native animals 45 
 
 "Elizabeth "Convicts 38,39 Pious Wesleyans 48 
 
 Bridgewater Chain-gang 40 Sabbath School Meeting 52 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 VISIT TO MACQUARIE HARBOUR. 
 
 Transportation System 53 Reformed Prisoners 62, 64, 08 
 
 Prisoners on board the Tamar , , 55 Gospel labours 63, 65, 67, 68 
 
 Port Davcy 56 Detention at the Harbour Bar . . 67 
 
 Entrance of Macquarie Harbour . 67 Dense scrub 69 
 
 The Pennl Settlement 59 Return Voyage . . 70
 
 71 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SOJOURN IN HOBART TOWN, VISIT TO RICHMOND, ETC. 
 
 Page. Page. 
 
 J. Leach and the Wesleyans 72, 73, 79 Wesleyan Band-Meeting 80 
 
 Social Intercourse 74, 76, 79 Missionary Prayer-Meeting 81 
 
 Meetings at the Penitentiary . . 75 Tour through Clarence Plains. 
 
 Climate, &c 76 Richmond, &c 83 
 
 "W. Shoohridge 77 Robert Mather's family 84 
 
 "Wesleyan Prayer-Meeting 78 Francis Cotton and Dr. Story . . 86 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 VISIT TO THE ABORIGINES ON FLINDERS ISLAND. 
 
 Sail in the Charlotte 89 Site of the new Settlement. ... 103 
 
 Port Arthur Settlement 89 Character of the Aborigines 106 
 
 Whalers, Black Swans 91 Religious Meeting 107 
 
 Preservation Island 93 Customs and Ill-treatment of the 
 
 Mutton Birds 94, 111 Aborigines 107, 109 
 
 The Settlement & the Aborigines 97 Voyage to George Town 112 
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 
 THE VAN DIEMENS LAND COMPANY'S 
 SETTLEMENTS, &C. 
 
 Arrival at Launceston 114 Forest Scenes 121,123,127 
 
 Return to George Town 115 Spirit-drinking 122,1-30 
 
 Circular Head 116,120 Hampshire HiUs 124 
 
 Aborigines . . 1 16, 118, 119, 120, 125 St. Valentine's Peak 126 
 
 "Woolnorth, Cape Grim 118 Onesimus 128 
 
 Gospel labours . . 119, 125, 128, 131 Journey to Launceston 129 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 JOURNEY FROM LAUNCESTON TO HOBART TOWN, ETC. 
 
 A Converted Atheist's Testimony 133 Remarks on Transportation .... 142 
 
 Nottman's Road Party 136, 139 Reformed Prisoners 143 
 
 Perth and Norfolk Plains . 136 Settlement of a Meeting for 
 
 Meetings 137 Worship 144 
 
 Journey to Hobart Town . . 139, 141 Archdeacon Broughton 144 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 EASTERN COAST OF TASMANIA, LAUNCESTON, ETC. 
 
 Journey to Oyster Bay 146 Meetings 153, 157 
 
 F. Cotton and Dr. Story 149 Drinking 154,158 
 
 Falmouth to Launceston . . 150, 157 Central districts 166 
 
 John Leach 153 Journey to Hobart Town . . 158, 162
 
 CONTENTS. Vll 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 ESTABLISHENT OF A MONTHLY MEETING, VISITS TO PORT 
 ARTHUR AND FLINDERS ISLAND. 
 
 Page. Page. 
 
 Commencement of a Monthly Port Arthur 167 
 
 Meeting 163,164 New Settlement at Wybalenna 170 
 
 Judicial Swearing 164 Launceston .... 172 
 
 Ascent of Mount Wellington .. 165 Return to Flinders Island 173 
 
 Voyage to Flinders Island, 167 Perilous Voyage to Kelvedon . . 174 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 G. W. WALKER ACKNOWLEDGED AS A MINISTER. FIRST YEARLY 
 MEETING IN TASMANIA, &C. LETTER TO M. BRAGG. 
 
 Journey to Hobart Town . . 17-5, 177 Arrival of D. and C. Wheeler . . 185 
 
 Excursion to Richmond, &c 178 Yearly Meeting 186 
 
 Hobart Town 178, 181, 185 Visit to Port Arthur 186 
 
 Visit to Lauderdale 182 Departure for N. S. Wales 188 
 
 Penitent Prisoner 183 Letter to Margaret Bragg 189 
 
 G.W.W. acknowledged a Minister 184 Engagement relative to Marriage 195 
 
 CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AND NORFOLK ISLAND. 
 
 Voyage to Sydney 197 Religious Labours and Repenting 
 
 Samuel Marsden 197 Prisoners 205 to 208 
 
 Richard Hill 198 Prisoners' Address 208 
 
 Visits 198, 199 Return Voyage to Sydney 209 
 
 Great heat 200 John Leach 211,213,216 
 
 Convicts on Norfolk Island. . . 200 Botany Bay and Aborigines .... 211 
 
 Landing at the Penal Settlement 203 Gabriel Bennett 212, 215 
 
 Major Anderson, Penal Discipline 204 Marsh Fever 214 
 
 CHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 EXCURSION TO WELLINGTON VALLEY, NEW SOUTH WALES; 
 ATTENDANCE OF THE TASMANIA YEARLY MEETING, &0. 
 
 Outfit, Paramatta 217 Mental Distress 228 
 
 Ironed Gangs, Road Parties 218, 219 O'Connell Plains 230 
 
 Drought 218, 227 Spirit Drinking 231 
 
 Aborigines 219,224,228 Death of John Leach 231,234 
 
 Blue Mountains 219 Regcntville 232 
 
 Bathurst 221,229 Anglo-Australians 233 
 
 JohnE. Kcane . 221 Sydney 233 
 
 Fatiguing Journeys . . 223, 224, 227 Voyage to Hobart Town to attend 
 
 Wellington Valley 224 the Yearly Meeting 234 
 
 Return Journey 227 Labours, Return to Sydney .... 236
 
 VU1 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES, MORETON BAY AND THE HUNTER RIVER. 
 
 Page. Page. 
 
 Voyage to Moreton Bay 237 Newcastle, Maitland 246, 250 
 
 Miserable Prisoners 238 Journey up the Hunter Valley .. 246 
 
 Tread Wheel 239 Stockade Punishment 246, 247 
 
 Natural History and Aborigines 24:0 John Burke, George Wyndham 247 
 
 Newcastle 243 St. Helliers, St. Aubin's 248, 249 
 
 Return to Sydney and letter to Port Macquarie 251 
 
 Rachel Priestman 244 Sydney : 252 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 ILLAWARRA, SHOAL HAVEN, PARAMATTA, SYDNEY, ETC. 
 
 Liverpool, Campbell Town .... 253 Vale of the Nepean 261 
 
 Illawarra, Shoal Haven 256 Paramatta, Sydney 264 
 
 Aborigines 257, 259 Remarkable Preservation 266 
 
 Bongbong 259 Botany Bay, La Perouse 267 
 
 Chain Gang 260 Departure from Sydney 2(58 
 
 CHAPTEE XVI.* 
 
 TASMANIA, VICTORIA, SOUTH AND WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 
 
 Voyage to Hobart Town 269 Yearly Meeting, Departure .... 276 
 
 Sir George Arthur, Sir John Melbourne 277 
 
 Franklin 270 Adelaide 278 
 
 Captain Maconochie 271 King George's Sound .... .... 280 
 
 Christian intercourse 273 Swan River, Perth 28 1 
 
 Great Swan Port, and Launceston 274 Freemantle, Spirit Drinking. ... 282 
 
 Recognition of Ministers 274 Treatment of Aborigines . . 283, 288 
 
 CHAPTEE XVII. 
 
 MAURITIUS. 
 
 Voyage 289 Mapou 295 
 
 Hurricane, Port Louis 290 Cemetery, Yamsey 296 
 
 Plaines Wilhelms 291 Omnibus Journey 298 
 
 Condition of the Population 292, 293 Departure from Mauritius 299 
 
 George Clark, Sir George Grey . 294 Madagascar, Cape Colony 300 
 
 CHAPTEE XVIH. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA, CAPE TOWN. 
 
 J. "Williams and the Camden . . 302 Total Abstinence Principles . . . 308 
 
 Simon's Town, R. Jennings 305, 306 Letter to Rachel Priestman .... 309 
 
 Meetings on board the Camden . 306 Outfit for the Interior ..., 311 
 
 Increase of Mahomedanism 307 Leave Cape Town 313 
 
 * From page 273 to page 320, the numbers of the chapters arc a unit in 
 arrear of the correct number.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 Page. 
 
 African travel, Caledon 315 
 
 Leper Institution 316 
 
 Genadenda) 318 
 
 Elim 321 
 
 Zwellendam 322 
 
 Zuuarbraak 323 
 
 JOURNEY FROM CAPE TOWN TO PACALTSDORP. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Jonker's Fontein, Zoar 324 
 
 "Wagon upset 326 
 
 Pacaltsdrop 327 
 
 Dr. and J. Philip 327 
 
 Excursion to the Knysna River 328 
 George and Dysalsdorp 329 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. JOURNEY TO THE KAT RIVER. 
 
 Cradock's Kloof 330 
 
 Hankey, Abolition of Slavery . . 331 
 
 Bethelsdorp, Port Elizabeth 333 
 
 Enon 334 
 
 Uitenhage 3o6 
 
 Grahams Town 337 
 
 Fort Beaufort 338 
 
 Makomo 339 
 
 Philipton 340, 343 
 
 Kat River Hottentots 341 
 
 Shiloh 343 
 
 Penitent Natives 344, 346 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 The Gaffer race 347 
 
 Tyumie 3i8 
 
 Block Drift, C. L. Stretch 349 
 
 Makomo 350 
 
 Knapshope, Missionary trials . . 353 
 
 Notondo 354 
 
 Igquibigha 355 
 
 Sandilli, Buffalo River 356 
 
 Bethel, Incantations 357 
 
 Suffering Journey 359 
 
 CAFFRARIA. 
 
 Butterworth 361 
 
 Clarkebury, Morley 363 
 
 Buntingville 365 
 
 Return Journey 366 
 
 GaceUa's Kraal 367 
 
 Mount Coke 368 
 
 Witchcraft 369 
 
 Wesleyville, Fort Peddie 371 
 
 Caffer Language 372 
 
 Cross the Fish River . . .373 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 JOURNEY THROUGH THE NORTH EAST OF THE CAPE COLONY 
 
 Lower Albany 374 
 
 Restoration by Faith 375 
 
 Good effects of Adversity 376 
 
 Bathurst, Theopolis, Salem ... 377 
 
 Richard Gush 377,378,380 
 
 Meeting with Makmo's People 380 
 Philipton, Letter to R. Priestman 381 
 Applications for Missionaries . . -S83 
 
 Blinkwater 385 
 
 Old Koonap Post 386 
 
 Somerset, Cradock 387 
 
 The Gnu, Manners of the Dutch 388 
 Coleaberg, Letter to M. Bragg . . 390 
 Spirit Drinking, Faithful Bush- 
 man 391 
 
 Philippolis 393
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. PHILIPPOLIS TO THABA BOSSIOU. 
 
 Moshesh 394, 399, 405, 406, 412 Thaba Bossiou 405 
 
 Meetings at Philippolis 395 Moshesh's Speech 408 
 
 Bethulia, Bechuana Huts 396 Drinking, Mokatchani 411 
 
 Beersheba, Basutus 398 Death of Moshesh's Wife 412 
 
 Journey to Morij ah 400 Debate on her Burial 413 
 
 Cannabalism, T. Arbousset .... 403 Interment 415 
 
 CHAFER XXIV. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. THABA BOSSIOU TO PHILIPPOLIS. 
 
 Plaatberg, Lishuani 419 James Allison 429 
 
 Mokwatling 420 Thaba Unchu 431 
 
 Molitsani, Black Forest Station 422 Trading in Spirits 432 
 
 Imparani 424 Incidents of Travel 433 
 
 Remarkable Awakening 426 Bethany 435 
 
 " Daniel the Prophet" 427 Bushmen, Return to Philippolis 436 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. PHILIPPOLIS TO MOTITO, ETC. 
 
 Mixed Tribes 437 Journey to the Kuruman 444 
 
 Scarcity of W ater 438 Motito, Return to the Kuruman 447 
 
 Ramah 439 Desert Journey to Graaf Reinet 450 
 
 Griqua Town 441, 448 Graaf Reinet 452 
 
 Remarkable Awakening 442 Beaufort 453 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. JOURNEY TO GREAT NAMAQUA LAND. 
 
 The Karroo 454, 458 Robben Bai 466 
 
 The Bokkeveld 456 Kok Fontein 467 
 
 The Kamiesbcrg 460 Heat, Orange River 469 
 
 Lily Fountain 461 Discomforts, Nisbett Bath 470 
 
 Illness 462 Korikus . 472 
 
 Komaggas 463 Amse River 473 
 
 Thirst, the Buffela Rivier 464 Afrikaner's Kraal 475 
 
 Religion in the Desert 465 Fruits of the Gospel 476
 
 CONTENTS. XI 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. JOURNEY FROM NAMAQUA LAND TO CAPE 
 TOWN, AND RETURN OF G. W. WALKER TO TASMANIA. 
 
 Page. Page. 
 
 Swimming the Orange River . . 480 The Paarl 495 
 
 Kok Fontcin, Lily Fountain 482 Groene Kloof, D'Urhan 497 
 
 Ebenezer, Heerlogement 484 Stellenbosch 498 
 
 Uitkomst 485, 486 Remarkable Dream 499 
 
 "Wupperthal 485 Cape Town 500 
 
 Letter to Margaret Bragg 486 Penal Settlement 501 
 
 Tulbagh 489 Death of Margaret Bragg 503 
 
 Worcester 490 Parting from J. Backhouse, 
 
 Fransche Hoek 494 Voyage to Hobart Town .... 504 
 
 CHAPTER XXYIII. 
 
 G. W. WALKER SETTLES IN HOBART TOWN. LETTERS, FROM 
 1840 TO 1842. 
 
 Commences Business 506 Yearly Meeting 512 
 
 Exertions and Influence 507 Birth of a Son 613 
 
 Marriage 508 Sacrifices to Principle 514 
 
 Religious Engagement 509 Meetings for worship 515 
 
 Holy Living 510 Parental Meditations 516 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 LETTERS, FROM 1843 TO 1852. 
 
 Penal System 517 Chelsea Pensioners 524 
 
 Pressing Engagements 518 Providential Allotment 525 
 
 Trials of Faith 519 Estimate of Self 52C 
 
 Savings Bank 620 Conversion by Tracts 527 
 
 Pentonville Prisoners 521 High School 528 
 
 Progress of Tectotalism 623 Gold Digging 529 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 LETTERS, CHIEFLY TO HIS SON, FROM 1853 TO 1856. 
 
 School Arrangements 530 Maine Liquor Law 537, 539 
 
 Christian Counsel 531 J. J. Gurney 640 
 
 Reading and Meditation 633 Death of R. Mather 541 
 
 Domestic Difficulties 534 Views of Teaching 542 
 
 School Studies 535 Church Discipline 644, 647 
 
 Scriptural Instruction 536 Loneliness of Ago 545
 
 Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 LETTERS, FROM 1857 TO 1858. LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 
 
 Page. 
 
 J. B. Walker's Return 649 On the Close of Life 553 
 
 Spiritual Comfort 550 Last Sermon 553 
 
 Interest in Education 550 Illness and Death 554 
 
 Ground of Hope 551 Funeral and Character 555 
 
 Views of "Wealth 552 Crowning Mercy 656 
 
 Friendly Counsel ; addressed to the Working Classes, more especially to Newly 
 arrived Emigrants 1 to 12
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 EARLY LIFE. 
 
 GEORGE WASHINGTON WALKER was born in London, 
 on the 19th of the Third Month, 1800. His parents 
 were Unitarians. His mother died when he was very 
 young ; and when he was about five years old, his 
 father removing to Paris, where he had business en- 
 gagements, George was sent to Newcastle-on-Tyne, 
 to be brought up by his grandmother. At ten years 
 of age he received the rite of water baptism from a 
 Unitarian minister, on which occasion he was so 
 sensible of a religious impression as to be melted to 
 tears. He was afterwards confirmed by an Episcopal 
 bishop. He was placed at a school kept by a Wes- 
 leyan, at Barnard Castle, where he associated with a 
 little band of his school-fellows, who were desirous to 
 help one another in their Christian course, and who 
 frequently met together for prayer. 
 
 About the age of fourteen, he was apprenticed at 
 Newcastle, to a professor of religion, who was never- 
 theless a very inconsiderate man. Here he was ex- 
 posed to many temptations ; but his master dying 
 before the expiration of George's apprenticeship, he 
 was, at his own request, transferred to Hadwen 
 Bragg, a draper of that town, well known as an 
 upright, consistent member of the Society of Friends. 
 Hadwen Bragg and his wife, Margaret Bragg, were 
 people of intelligent, kind, and commanding minds, 
 who exercised a watchful, Christian care over all
 
 2 RELIGIOUS IMPRESSIONS. [1820, 
 
 within their sphere ; and in his new home George W. 
 Walker had the privilege of associating with persons 
 of dispositions congenial with his own, and whose 
 example and conversation were very helpful in 
 forming liis character. 
 
 After the decease of Hadwen Bragg, which took 
 place in 1820, his widow invited James Backhouse 
 of York, to Newcastle, for a few days, to assist 
 her in the valuation of the stock of a tenant. This 
 circumstance first brought him into association 
 with George W. Walker, and led to a close 
 friendship between them. George soon opened 
 his mind freely to his friend on his spiritual con- 
 dition. He said that his grandmother had taught 
 him to read a chapter in the Bible every morning 
 before leaving his room, and in the continuance 
 of this practice, he had been convinced that the 
 reproofs for sin which he felt, were the work 
 of the Holy Spirit, as described in the New Tes- 
 tament. It was evident to him that these reproofs 
 could not be of himself, because that which was of 
 himself would naturally run parallel with his own 
 inclination, but these ran counter to it. With this 
 view of the teaching of the Holy Spirit, he saw the 
 consistency of the practice of Friends in sitting down 
 in their Meetings for worship in silence, to direct 
 their attention to the Spirit's teaching ; but he added, 
 that he did not think he could ever believe in the 
 divinity of Jesus Christ, or that a God of mercy 
 would require the death of an innocent person as a 
 sacrifice for the guilty. He was asked by his friend, 
 if the Unitarians did not believe that Christ was a 
 prophet of a peculiar mission ; and that this mission 
 was, to set mankind a perfect example. He said they
 
 CHAP. 1.] CONVERSION. 
 
 did believe this. The next question put to him was, 
 whether they did not believe that this example would 
 have been imperfect if Christ had not sealed his 
 testimony with his blood, seeing so many of his 
 disciples had to seal their testimony with theirs ; and 
 if they did not believe in the historical fact of Christ's 
 death. He replied they did believe in the fact of 
 Christ's death, and that his example would evidently 
 have been imperfect if he had not sealed his own 
 testimony with his own blood. He was then asked, 
 if, seeing by their own admission, that Christ must 
 die a violent death, and that he did so die, he could 
 show what there was inconsistent with the character 
 of God, in placing so great a boon to mankind on 
 Christ's death, as the forgiveness of sins to those 
 who repent and believe in Him. This he admitted 
 was a view of the subject which had not previously 
 come before him, but one on which he must meditate. 
 He was then asked, if he had ever examined con- 
 secutively, the passages of Holy Scripture which treat 
 of the character and offices of Christ, and of his 
 receiving glory, honour and worship along with the 
 Father. He replied he had not, and accepted an 
 invitation to examine them with his friend. On the 
 following First-day evening they commenced the 
 examination, by reading the promise of a deliverer 
 to our first parents, in " the seed of the woman." 
 They read without comment, other passages, through 
 the Old and New Testament, to the end of Revela- 
 tion. The Book was then closed ; a solemn silence 
 ensued, which was followed by the enquiry, if he was 
 satisfied. The answer was, Yes, fully. He had now 
 accepted Christ as his divine Saviour ; he felt that 
 his sins were forgiven for Jesus' sake ; and tho
 
 4 CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLE. [1823. 
 
 comfort of the Holy Ghost prevailed in his heart in 
 an extraordinary degree for many days. 
 
 What has been just related, happened when George 
 W. Walker was about twenty years of age. From 
 this time he commenced a regular attendance of the 
 meetings for worship of Friends ; and keeping his 
 mind open to the teachings of the Holy Spirit, his 
 understanding became enlarged, until he saw the 
 consistency of the principles held by that Christian 
 community with the doctrines of Christ and his 
 Apostles, and adopted them as such under the obliga- 
 tion of religious duty. 
 
 On the expiration of his apprenticeship, he was for 
 some time in business in Newcastle, in the manufac- 
 ture of earthenware. The manner in which he 
 carried his religious principles into business may be 
 seen from the following short passage in a letter 
 which he wrote to his cousin and partner, John 
 Macleod, then on a journey. 
 
 -July 19, 1823. Especially, my dear John, never be induced 
 to say anything or do anything with a view to promote the 
 interests of business, which may yield a moment's compunc- 
 tion at any future period. I believe this is the most ready 
 way even to insure success, and, what is of infinitely more 
 importance, will yield solid permanent peace of mind. 
 
 During one of his business journies he experienced 
 a preservation from imminent danger, and of which 
 he made a memorandum, under date of 23rd of 2nd 
 mo. 1824. 
 
 Left Alnwick about five o'clock, and reached Hawk- 
 hill in safety to tea. An awkward accident happened from
 
 CHAP. 1.] UNITED TO FRIENDS. 5 
 
 my coining in contact with a cart loaded with wood. The 
 wood caught my saddle-bags (one inch farther would have 
 included my leg) and drove the horse back several feet with 
 great violence, so much so that the handle of my hair-brush 
 was thrust through some of my clothes and quite through the 
 saddle-bags. 
 
 The earthenware business did not turn out pro- 
 fitable, and soon after the last date he withdrew from 
 it, with the loss of a considerable portion of his small 
 capital. In the Sixth month, 1824, he removed to 
 Hull, where he obtained a situation, and where in 
 the Second month, 1827, he was received into mem- 
 bership by the Society of Friends. Whilst residing 
 at Hull, he avowed an attachment which had sprung 
 up during his apprenticeship, to Mary, daughter of 
 Hadwen and Margaret Bragg. The attachment was 
 reciprocated ; but very soon, it pleased her Heavenly 
 Father to visit this amiable young woman with 
 illness, and an affection of the sight, which resulted 
 in complete blindness, and was succeeded, when she 
 was thirty years of age, by death. The constancy 
 of George W. Walker's affection for her through the 
 loss of health and sight is shown in some of his letters 
 which have been preserved. 
 
 TO MARGARET BRAGG. 
 
 Hull, 8 mo. 17, 1825. 
 
 Two points of information in thy last are of a 
 nature to remind me, if I have not already been sufficiently 
 instructed, not to build my hopes too much on the outward 
 allotment. The recent illness of dear Mary is a sharp remem- 
 brancer. By what a slight tenure do we hold our greatest 
 blessings, unless faith in the Divine mercy be the ground of 
 our confidence. I have little doubt, anxiety and mental
 
 6 ATTACHMENT TO MARY BRAGG. [1827. 
 
 solicitude have been the latent cause of Mary's indisposition, 
 but I must talk about this with my endeared Mend herself. 
 
 TO MARY BRAGG. 
 
 Hull, 3 mo. 18, 1827. 
 
 Considering the powerful attractions that present, 
 in looking towards Newcastle as a place of residence, and the 
 danger of being unduly biassed, it seemed to need rather a 
 strong confirmation of faith to enable me to move in sim- 
 plicity. This has not been withheld. Under deep humiliation, 
 the evening prior to my leaving Hull for Newcastle on my 
 recent visit, Divine Groodness was pleased to break in upon 
 my soul, with the revival of that encouraging promise, " The 
 Lord shall go before you, and the Glod of Israel shall be your 
 rere-ward." As these words thrilled through my heart I was 
 sweetly comforted and contrited, under the belief the promise 
 would be fulfilled in my experience. And my hope was not 
 disappointed ; it was graciously fulfilled to my humbling ad- 
 miration. The evening of the day on which I sent off the 
 letter expressive of my acceptance of the situation offered, was 
 a time of renewed visitation, such as I have not often ex- 
 perienced in the like degree. What was remarkable, in 
 looking into my Bible, I stumbled on portions of Scripture 
 that had dwelt with peculiar unction on my mind when 
 leaving Newcastle for Hull three years ago. They have been 
 measurably realized already in my experience ; and meeting 
 with them unexpectedly, and applied with renewed power to 
 my heart and understanding, remarkably strengthened my 
 faith. It seemed like entering into covenant anew with the 
 (rod of my life, who has visited me with his mercies all my 
 life long : no tongue can tell, or pen describe, the extent of 
 them. 
 
 The situation here alluded to, was that of assistant 
 to Margaret Bragg, in the management of the business 
 which had devolved upon her by the death of her 
 husband.
 
 CHAP. 1.] , RETURN TO NEWCASTLE. 7 
 
 The next Jetter was addressed to Margaret Bragg 
 in London, whither she had taken her daughter for 
 medical advice. 
 
 Newcastle, 6 mo. 30, 1827. 
 
 As to sight, I encourage the hope which I have 
 all along entertained, that it will eventually be restored ; but 
 my fears have been so painfully excited on the score of general 
 health, that distressing as loss of sight is, it has not formed the 
 most discouraging part of my apprehensions. 
 
 I have abundance of outward comfort, (absent friends 
 excepted) to render me happy in my new situation. New 
 I can hardly term it, it is rather my old one with some 
 variation. The business at Dean Street is more congenial to 
 my taste than any I have yet been engaged in, though the 
 pottery was not an unpleasant occupation. What with the 
 engagements that devolve peculiarly upon me, and the share 
 of customers that fall to my lot, both mind and hands are kept 
 pretty actively engaged. Under recent feelings, I dare say, 
 this has been of great advantage. My attention is necessarily 
 diverted during hours of business from depressing cares, 
 though I think I am wonderfully cheerful considering all 
 things. I have the privilege of enjoying privacy in my own 
 room during leisure hours. This is a peculiar comfort ; what- 
 ever the pleasures of social intercourse may be, it is an 
 inexpressible relief to be occasionally alone. 
 
 TO MARY BRAGG. 
 
 7 mo. 1827. 
 
 It is with deep solicitude, my beloved friend, 
 that accounts of the state of thy health have been received. 
 Let us not murmur, or rather let me not murmur. Affliction 
 is a profitable school ; and if it tends to humble and subdue 
 our spirits, we shall doubtless reap the peaceable fruits of 
 righteousness. Last evening, under the pressure of painful 
 feelings, I thought a little access was mercifully vouchsafed 
 to supplicate at the Divine footstool on thy behalf. Indeed
 
 8 REMARKS ON BLINDNESS. [1827. 
 
 to my mental perception we seemed joint suppliants, in a 
 oneness of spirit which those only can appreciate who have 
 felt its prevalence. What a comfort it is that thou art so 
 tenderly cared for by thy dear relatives, and that able advice 
 is at hand. 
 
 Having written the preceding early this morning, I intended 
 making additions this evening ; but it is just post time, and 
 I have hardly time to tell thee, I was scarcely prepared to 
 receive the information of such a measure being necessary 
 as has been resorted to ; I was always of opinion the com- 
 plaint in the eyes was merely a symptom. It is perhaps 
 better that I am under the necessity of curtailing my remarks, 
 the deciphering of them will not be favourable to thy delicate 
 sight. May I believe that without the medium of letters, 
 we are epistles written in each other's hearts, which neither 
 time nor distance can efface. 
 
 From thy very affectionate friend, 
 
 G. W. W. 
 
 TO MARGARET BRAGG, AT TYNEMOUTH. 
 
 7 mo. 1827. 
 
 We may serve the cause of truth, and promote 
 the good of our fellow-creatures as much possibly by what we 
 endure and suffer, as by our more active enlistment in their 
 service. The sweet odour of a contented and acquiescent mind 
 under the pressure of affliction may redound more to the praise 
 of the Great Author of every good gift, than any other sacrifice 
 we could devise. * * * " His tender mercies are over all 
 his works." The recurrence of this passage, which has often 
 revived in my mind with great sweetness, brings to my 
 recollection an occasion on which it was presented with 
 peculiar force. Ann Bainbridge had to visit the poor old 
 blind woman who plays the organ, and I accompanied her. 
 On entering the asylum I was struck with her deplorable 
 situation and apparently destitute condition ; but whilst com- 
 miserating her, that sweet testimony of the Psalmist occurred 
 to me : " The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are
 
 CHAP. 1.] LETTER TO MARY BRAGG. 9 
 
 over all his works," accompanied with the contriting sense of 
 Omnipresent Goodness, which bowed my soul in reverent 
 adoration, and impressed me with the conviction, that this 
 poor daughter of affliction was not overlooked by the Maker 
 of the Universe ; and so strong was the persuasion, that I 
 could have almost been willing to have exchanged situations 
 with her, to be assured of being equally an object of the 
 Divine regard. 
 
 TO MARY BRAGG. 
 
 Newcastle, 9 mo. 1827. 
 
 I have thought we may possibly be increasing 
 our present sufferings by looking too much into futurity. 
 How true it is, that sufficient for the day is the evil thereof ! 
 The most distressing privation, as it would be, may not even- 
 tually be experienced ; and as we are taught to pray only for 
 " daily bread," for help in our present necessities, we may err 
 in anticipating our trials, especially when not fully assured 
 they will be our lot. If the hope of restored sight continues 
 to afford thee encouragement, it may not be well to struggle 
 against it, but endeavour with humble confidence to believe, 
 that if the reverse is to be experienced, this hope will be taken 
 away, and quiet resignation, and an equally, yea far more 
 consolatory, hope be substituted. Thou has hitherto been 
 favoured to . endure thy lengthened affliction with much 
 patience. May'st thou be encouraged then to trust, that if the 
 surrender of that invaluable blessing, sight, be eventually 
 called for, in the needful time thou wilt receive strength to 
 make the sacrifice even willingly. And though by looking 
 too much at consequences thou mayst be tempted to feel all 
 that is within thee rise up as it were against the severe dis- 
 pensation, endeavour to believe, my dear Mary, that this is 
 only a temptation, and that when the sacrifice is plainly 
 required, by the sacrifice of the will strength will be afforded. 
 My heart seems made very sensible of thy conflicts ; and my 
 very fervent prayers are excited, that thou mayst be vic- 
 torious, that we may both be victorious, in fighting that good 
 fight of faith, in which neither the weapons nor armour are
 
 10 DEATH OF MARY BRAGG. [1828. 
 
 our own but G-od's, and if rightly wielded are invincible. I 
 have thought much of the declaration of Ruth to Naomi, and 
 with my whole heart and soul I can address thee in the same 
 manner. No language of my own can convey a more 
 genuine transcript of my heart as it relates to thee than the 
 16th and 17th verses of the 1st chapter in Ruth, which thy 
 dear mother will read to thee. And gladly would I make 
 thee sensible with what entire affection, 
 
 I am thy sincerely attached friend, 
 
 G. w. w. 
 
 TO MARY BRAGG, AT MIDDLETON-ONE-ROW. 
 
 Newcastle, 9 mo. 18, 1828. 
 
 It is rather mortifying, my beloved Mary, when 
 I had promised myself the satisfaction of seeing thee, to be 
 obliged to have recourse to this mode of communication. * * 
 I took a walk yesterday through scenes on which my mind 
 often lingers with a kind of sad pleasure, the spot we 
 occasionally travelled together on horseback in our early 
 career of friendship. -Thou wast then in the full possession 
 of thy bodily vigour, and wast then most tenderly beloved. 
 How has affliction's stormy hour awaited us since ! Yet I feel 
 it has been the means of cementing our hearts more closely, 
 and rendering us more detached from the selfish considera- 
 tions that are frequent concomitants of love in its common 
 acceptance. 
 
 Mary Bragg did not long survive the date of the 
 last letter. She was seized with apoplexy, probably 
 resulting from the same causes as the blindness she 
 had endured for a year and a half, and expired on 
 the 3rd of the llth month, 1828. G. W. Walker's 
 feelings on this occasion, are best conveyed in his 
 own words, in the following letter.
 
 CHAP. 1.] CHARACTER OF G. W. W. 11 
 
 TO ELEANOR MACLEOD. 
 
 Newcastle, 11 mo. 1828. 
 My dear Aunt ; 
 
 The expression of thy sympathy and affectionate 
 remembrance was soothing and grateful to my feelings. By 
 the request of my dear friend, Margaret Bragg, I send thee 
 a copy of a brief memorial respecting my beloved Mary. As 
 it regards her, I believe the change is unspeakably glorious. 
 But on my own account I cannot but mourn before the Lord 
 as in sackcloth and ashes. I presume not to murmur at his 
 dispensations ; I know they are all ordered in mercy and 
 truth. But to have the delight of my eyes snatched from me 
 just at a time when we had become, if possible, increasingly 
 dear to each other, when I was daily receiving fresh proofs of 
 her affectionate disposition and exalted character, and was led 
 to encourage the pleasing hope, from the great improvement 
 that had taken place in her health, that that blessing might 
 be completely restored ! I am ready to adopt the language 
 of Job, " I am weary of my life." * * * But the same 
 Grod who has followed me with goodness and mercy all my 
 life long, continues to impart to my drooping soul the conso- 
 lations of his love and life-giving presence, and this, when 
 felt, can make hard things easy and bitter things sweet. 
 
 GL W. W. 
 
 After Mary Bragg's death, George W. Walker 
 continued to act as assistant to Margaret Bragg 
 between two and three years longer. One of his 
 shopmates speaking of him, says ; " He was much 
 beloved in the family. He had an innocent cheer- 
 fulness, but was at times reserved, apparently ab- 
 stracted in his own thoughts, which were probably 
 prayerful, as being in the world and not of the 
 world." He was also remarkable for his con- 
 siderate attentions and politeness to all around 
 him. Whilst residing at Newcastle he engaged with
 
 12 TEMPERANCE REFORMATION. [1828. 
 
 ardour in various philanthropic movements, especially 
 in the Temperance reformation. He had long de- 
 plored the mischief produced by the drinking cus- 
 toms so generally prevalent, and when the attempt 
 to combat this gigantic evil by means of association, 
 extended itself, in the year 1828, from Scotland into 
 England, he eagerly seized the occasion. Calling a 
 few of his friends together, their deliberations issued 
 in the formation of a Temperance Society, the pledge 
 of which he was one of the first to sign. 
 
 In 1831 he was called to a wide field of labour in 
 his Divine Master's service. 
 
 James Backhouse of York had, for many years, had 
 an impression on his mind, that it would be required 
 of him to pay a religious visit to some parts of the 
 Southern Hemisphere. In the year 1830, he believed 
 that the time had arrived for the performance of 
 this duty. 
 
 " I therefore," says lie, " laid tlie matter before the meetings 
 for discipline which, according to the good order observed in 
 the Society of Friends were authorized to judge of such a 
 subject. These were the Monthly Meeting of York, the Quar- 
 terly Meeting of Yorkshire, and the Yearly Meeting of the 
 Ministers and Elders of the Society, held in London. These 
 meetings all concurred in the belief tha!: I was called of the 
 Lord to this service, and they gave me certificates of their 
 unity ; the Yearly Meeting of Ministers and Elders never- 
 theless signified its judgment to be, that I should not proceed 
 without a suitable companion. I had settled my affairs before 
 setting out from York, and I remained several weeks in the 
 vicinity of London, waiting for a companion, without one 
 presenting. One evening, after retiring to my bed-room, 
 I had been engaged in earnest prayer, that if it were the will 
 of Grod that I should at this time proceed in the work which 
 I had in prospect, he would be pleased to raise up a companion 
 for me. I retired to rest with this petition on my mind, and
 
 CHAP. 1.] J. BACKHOUSE'S VISION. 13 
 
 awoke in the night under the same feeling. Toward morning, 
 before I was thoroughly awake, I was considering who there 
 were, in various places, who might be suitable for such a 
 service, when the words, ' Now look northward,' were dis- 
 tinctly and powerfully impressed upon my mind ; and in a 
 moment, Newcastle, and my friend George Washington 
 Walker were set before me. Being afraid lest I should 
 be deceived by my imagination, I tried to bring other places 
 and other persons into view ; but it was not in my power 
 to give a similar character to any effort of my own. On 
 awaking fully, such a feeling of heavenly sweetness attended 
 the view of my friend accompanying me, as left no doubt on 
 my mind that he was the person chosen of the Lord. I there- 
 fore wrote to him, simply informing him how I was situated, 
 and encouraging him, if he felt drawn to the service, to give 
 up to the will of the Lord therein." * 
 
 The communication thus made to Gr. W. Walker 
 did not find him unprepared, although the specific 
 proposal which it contained had not previously had 
 any place in his mind. His spirit was deeply bowed 
 under the solemn considerations which it awakened, 
 and he applied himself to know the will of God with 
 that earnestness, humility and teachableness which the 
 occasion required. He found that he could not turn 
 aside from the call, and he made known his willingness 
 to bear his friend company in the following ingenuous 
 and interesting letter. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Tynemouth, 6 mo. 27, 1831. 
 
 My dear Friend, 
 
 The perusal of thy deeply important letter 
 brought me under close exercise of mind ; and earnestly have 
 
 See Narrative of a Visit to the Mauritius and South Africa, by Jamei 
 Backhouse, pp. 638-9.
 
 14 LETTER TO J. BACKHOUSE. 1831.] 
 
 I craved that I may be enabled to move in this affair with a 
 single eye to the glory of Grod and the salvation of my own 
 soul. 
 
 When I wrote thee last, it was under the prevalence of 
 feelings resulting from what I believe was a divine visitation 
 to my soul, and thou wast felt to be inexpressibly near to me in 
 the everlasting covenant of life and peace. At the same time, 
 I had no prospect of any service being about to be required 
 of me ; but I remember feeling, as I have had frequent 
 occasion to do for a long time past, that nothing was too 
 dear to part with in order that I might maintain an interest 
 in a Saviour's love ; and the possibility of falling from that 
 state of grace in which we had felt such precious cementing 
 union in each other's company, appeared to me so awful, that 
 I felt bowed as in the dust before the Divine Majesty. 
 
 The remains of a corrupt nature at work in the secret of 
 my own heart have long been my greatest burden and 
 affliction. Some may be ready to think that I have had 
 some close trials outwardly, but in sincerity I can say, they 
 are comparatively light when put in competition with those 
 originating in a depraved and unregenerate nature. The 
 waves and billows of temptation have gone over me ! But 
 thanks be to Grod for his unspeakable gift, even the transcen- 
 dant gift of a Saviour ! As I write, it seems to be precious 
 beyond tho power of language to set forth. Being brought 
 however into this strait, it has induced a disposition of 
 mind in which the work of sanctification has been so ardently 
 longed for, that I have frequently supplicated^ that that 
 gracious Being who knows the condition of his poor fallen 
 creatures, would in some way, effect the desired work, so as 
 to be conducive to his own glory, and the salvation of my 
 soul. Death has many times appeared to me infinitely 
 preferable to being continued in a course of estrangement 
 from the Fountain of life and peace through the prevalence 
 of sin. 
 
 On the First-day before the receipt of thy communication, 
 the morning meeting was a contriting season to my soul. 
 The question seemed formally put to me, the words even 
 framing themselves in my mind : "Is Jesus Christ precious
 
 CHAP. 1.] MENTAL EXERCISE. 15 
 
 above all things ?" I was then led to make a little review, 
 and self-examination. The advantages of wealth, settlement 
 in life, good name, length of days, and in short, all that 
 is supposed to constitute human happiness, seemed to pass 
 before me ; and under the conviction, that in comparison 
 with the love of my Saviour, they were all lighter than vanity, 
 my heart was sweetly contrited, and I was led to implore his 
 aid, whilst I felt that I could freely give up all claim to these 
 good things of this life, provided that chiefest of blessings was 
 secured to me. The perusal of thy letter then, my dear 
 friend, [on the following day] aifected me ; and whilst I felt 
 a degree of surprise, that so poor a creature as myself should 
 have such a momentous question proposed to him by one of 
 the Lord's servants, as if it were possible that I could be the 
 individual on whom the lot might fall, I felt that the state of 
 my mind was such, that the sacrifice would not appear too 
 great in my estimation, were I sure that the Lord called to 
 such service ; and I could not help conceiving it possible that 
 this dispensation might contain an answer to my prayers, 
 though in a way unlocked for, and that the exercise of faith 
 which it must induce, might be an appointed means for 
 redeeming me more effectually from the spirit of the world 
 and from bondage, than any course I could have marked out 
 for myself. I think I can say that all personal feelings of 
 regard for thee were then laid aside ; and under a deep sense 
 of the awful nature of the service (which, though no doubt 
 greatly subordinate to thy own, will require great circum- 
 spection and consistent walking, in one who offers himself to 
 endeavour to hold up the hands of one of the Lord's servants.) 
 I applied myself to God in prayer, with an intense solicitude 
 that I might interpret his will aright. And I cannot but 
 believe, that through his gracious aid, a state of perfect 
 resignation was attained, in looking at either side of this 
 momentous subject. 
 
 For some days and nights the thing continued thus 
 suspended as in the balance of the sanctuary. Indeed 
 I hardly dared to look to a decision either way ; the awful 
 risk which would be incurred, should I err in interpreting 
 the will of God, was so overpowering. Still I continued
 
 16 SUBMISSION TO THE DIVINE CALL. [1831. 
 
 to feel a great willingness, as to the service presented to my 
 mind, believing it would be a precious harbinger of spiritual 
 blessings ; and my heart was often greatly contrited, and 
 great sweetness covered my spirit. Especially I was affected 
 that so mean a creature as myself, who had done nothing for 
 my Saviour hitherto, but had so often grieved him by my 
 sins, should be called upon to co-operate in so honourable, 
 may I not say, so glorious a service ; for such was the power 
 and unction that attended the prospect, that I could hardly 
 help believing it was indeed a divine call. During the 
 intervals, however, between these precious seasons of access 
 to the Source of all spiritual enjoyment ; under the feeling of 
 poverty and weakness, I would call in question my former 
 persuasion, of the call being divine, and I would make fresh 
 resolutions, that, with (rod's assistance, I would in no wise 
 commit myself, so as in any way to bring condemnation on 
 my soul, but would wait until the matter was made indis- 
 putably clear. 
 
 Thus has the exercise continued to go forward and prevail, 
 and to press with such weight on my mind as to swallow up 
 all other concerns; and I have been enabled, through the 
 power of Divine Grace, to maintain a frame of watchfulness 
 and tenderness, frequently overcome with a sense of the great 
 and unfathomable mercy and goodness of Grod in Christ 
 Jesus, and of how far short we are in our conceptions of his 
 unutterable condescension to his poor fallen creature man, 
 and how prone we are to estimate his glorious attributes by 
 the standard of our own conceptions, vague, and carnal, and 
 foolish, as they too often are. These and similar meditations 
 have taken great hold of my mind, and though they have 
 often deprived me of rest, and even taken away my ordinary 
 appetite for food, such has been their constraining force and 
 sweetness, I would not forego their sanctifying influence for 
 the most refined enjoyments, either of sense or intellect, 
 which this poor transitory life, through the medium of visible 
 things, can afford. And though far short of what I believe 
 to be attainable, never have I been enabled so to live a life 
 of faith as since the prevalence of this exercise ; and each time 
 that it is renewed, the prospect seems to brighten ; and during
 
 CHAP. L] RESIGNATION TO DUTY. 17 
 
 the more immediate manifestations of the Divine Presence, 
 every shadow of doubt seems now to be removed. 
 
 A variety of providences, in which I perceive a Divine 
 Hand, have placed me under circumstances very favourable 
 for a speedy release, and departure from my connections and 
 native land. None of the nearer relations of life are a 
 prevention ; I have very little property to look after ; nothing 
 but what is placed in the hands of others, and needs little 
 care ; so that had I the concurrence of my Monthly Meeting, 
 I dare say a week would set me free of all bonds. 
 
 As the Lord hath enabled me and brought things to my 
 remembrance, I have entered much more into minutite than I 
 at all intended. Let me entreat thee to weigh these things 
 well in the Divine light, which alone can make clearly mani- 
 fest whether our works are wrought in God ; and give me thy 
 judgment, whether I may safely conclude that the thing is 
 indeed of the Lord ; in which case, the response of my soul is, 
 " Let him do what seemeth him good." 
 
 And now my truly beloved friend, and brother in Christ 
 Jesus, our common Saviour, I feel liberty to add, that the 
 prospect of being united with thee, who hast been so instru- 
 mental in the Divine Hand, in turning my poor benighted 
 soul from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto 
 God, the prospect of being united with thee in the service of 
 the Lord, is very delightful ; for the exercises of thy mind 
 have been peculiarly blessed to me from the very first of our 
 acquaintance ; and I trust it is not an improper, nor a 
 mistaken notion, when I think I perceive a sweet propriety 
 in being instrumental, in the Divine Will, in acting towards 
 thee in the capacity of a burden-bearer, yea, to bear up thy 
 hands in the day of battle with the enemies of the Cross of 
 Christ. May we be enabled to trust in the Lord, should such 
 prove our allotment ; then shall we be as Mount Zion that 
 cannot be moved ; and in all things required of us, wo shall 
 come off more than conquerors, through the power of Him who 
 hath loved us with an everlasting love. Let me hear from 
 thee soon. It is possible some one more eligible may have 
 presented, in which case I have too sincere a desire for the 
 prosperity of Zion, and for thy welfare in this momentous 
 
 c
 
 18 SENT FORTH BY THE CHURCH. [1831 
 
 undertaking, not to urge tnee to accept the services of such, if 
 it be according to the will of God. 
 
 I remain, thy Mend, 
 
 GEORGE W. WALKER, 
 
 On the 13th of the Seventh Month, 1831, the church 
 constituting Newcastle Monthly Meeting of Friends, 
 to which George W. Walker belonged, having heard 
 his statement of the call he had thus received to 
 distant missionary service, " laid their hands upon 
 him" for the work. In a circular epistle which they 
 gave him, to be presented wheresoever he should go 7 
 they certify, that " in this, his arduous engagement, he 
 has their near sympathy and cordial concurrence ; " 
 they also express their desire for him and his fellow- 
 messenger, that they may be preserved in the fear of 
 God, daily walking in his counsel, and that through 
 their means, many may be turned from darkness to 
 light, and from the power of Satan unto God ; and 
 they commend them to the protection of the Lord 
 God Omnipotent, through all the outward dangers, 
 and the inward conflicts of spirit, which may be per- 
 mitted ot attend them.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 " VOYAGE TO TASMANIA. 
 
 JAMES BACKHOUSE and GEORGE W. WALKER sailed 
 from London on the Third of the Ninth month, 1831 , 
 in the Science, Captain Saunders, a fine barque of 
 250 tons register. She was laden with stores and 
 merchandize for Hobart Town. The next morning', 
 which was First-day, while the vessel lay at anchor 
 offGravesend, they went to Rochester Meeting, accom- 
 panied by two of their Tottenham friends, George 
 Stacey and Robert Forster, who had gone down to 
 take a final leave of them. " It was," says G. W. 
 Walker, " a memorable meeting, in which the great 
 Head of the Church was pleased to reveal his presence 
 to our unspeakable consolation." 
 
 The Science had on board besides themselves, two 
 cabin passengers, a lady and a gentleman. In the 
 steerage were a number of Chelsea pensioners, who, 
 under an unsuccessful experiment of the Government, 
 and which was not repeated, had commuted their life 
 pensions for an advance of four years' payment. 
 They were a reckless, drunken set, in whose cha- 
 racter, and conduct on board, the two Friends found 
 an earnest of that degraded state of humanity, to 
 which, as a principal part of their mission, they were 
 about to preach the gospel in the Southern Hemi- 
 sphere. The men were rendered far worse than they 
 would otherwise have been by an imprudent regu- 
 lation, which provided for a daily supply of spirits
 
 20 CALL TO THE MINISTRY. [1831. 
 
 to every pensioner. " Surely," says G. W. W. 
 " if Government was fully aware of the evils that 
 result from this daily allowance of spirits, they would 
 substitute some nutritious article of food or beverage. 
 It transforms these poor men into mere brutes. A 
 more offensive, melancholy spectacle of human folly 
 and wickedness can hardly meet the eye than is daily 
 presented to our view, as we regard these infatuated 
 men, "given up to their own hearts' lusts." 
 
 The voyage was of five months duration, and was 
 made for the most part with fair weather, though 
 they encountered some storms, especially in the 
 Indian Ocean. The only port at which they touched 
 was the Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 Early in the course of the voyage, Geo. W. Walker 
 became impressed with the belief, that a commission 
 was given him also to preach the gospel. In a note 
 he says : " A few remarks presented with some weight 
 and clearness to my mind, but through fear and 
 human weakness I suppressed them. My dear com- 
 panion was made sensible of my secret exercise, and 
 encouraged me to faithfulness. My heart was much 
 contrited ; and such was the goodness and mercy of 
 my compassionate Saviour, who can be touched with 
 the feeling of our infirmities, that though I had dis- 
 obeyed the heavenly intimation (as I believe I may 
 call it) the sense of his love was not withdrawn from 
 my soul. O Lord, make thy servant willing to 
 become a fool for Christ's sake, and for the sake of 
 my poor fellow-sinners, that they may come to par- 
 take with myself of the riches of thy mercy, which 
 is unutterable." 
 
 We select some characteristic entries from the cir- 
 cumstantial and descriptive Journal which G. W. W. 
 kept during the voyage.
 
 CHAP. 2.] REFRACTORY PENSIONERS. 21 
 
 9 mo. 8. We have been annoyed by the unruly behaviour 
 of the steerage passengers. One of them seized the captain 
 by the collar, swearing he would throw him overboard. 
 There are many however who appear to be sensible that we 
 have their good at heart. Whilst I was endeavouring to 
 separate two who were fighting, one of the bystanders clasped 
 his arms around my waist and entreated me to let his com- 
 rades take the refractory parties under their management, as 
 he feared I might suffer from their blows. I have been sur- 
 prised however to observe how far these men have been 
 influenced by our interference ; their countenances relaxing 
 into a smile after being excited by demoniacal passions, and 
 they even extending to us their hands at such times as a token 
 of good wilL 
 
 16th. Off the Bay of Biscay, between 300 and 400 
 miles from land. We have had an opportunity of witnessing 
 some of the wonders of creation in the great deep. The 
 porpoises are sporting around us with all the energy that 
 vigorous and happy existence can be supposed to impart. An 
 enormous grampus rose quite out of the water at the stem 
 of the vessel, as if for the purpose of exhibiting to our ad- 
 miring gaze, the power of the Hand that formed its mighty 
 carcase, which appeared to be more than the length of a full- 
 sized ship's boat. 
 
 10 mo. 23. First-day. In the evening, read in the cabin, of 
 the labours of the Moravian Missionaries. The lively faith and 
 devotedness of these exemplary servants of the Lord humbles 
 me deeply, under the consideration of my deficiencies for the 
 engagement in which we are embarked. But however little 
 I may be enabled to do for the truth, let me at least count it 
 a privilege to suffer with those who advocate the cause of the 
 Redeemer. 
 
 25th. Another instance of the mischievous effects of liquor. 
 The second mate and carpenter, having become intoxicated, 
 fought, and the latter is disabled for work. The captain was 
 not aware of the misconduct of the second mate, and of course 
 the night watch was entrusted to him as usual In the
 
 22 EFFECTS OF STRONG DRINK. [1831. 
 
 middle watch the vessel lay so much on her side as to excite 
 the alarm of Frances Hall, our female cabin passenger, who got 
 up and went on deck. There she saw this man lying at his full 
 length asleep, and the helm entrusted to one of the lads, who 
 by holding on with one hand by a cask on the windward side 
 of the vessel, and with the other on the helm, contrived to 
 support himself, the vessel carrying so much sail as to make 
 her incline to a great degree. The captain, who is generally 
 very much on the alert, awoke at this moment, and hastening 
 on deck ordered in some sail ; he afterwards deposed the 
 second mate from office. 
 
 We have often occasion to remark, that in advocating the 
 cause of Temperance, whether by word or practice, there is 
 great necessity to seek to be endued with the meekness of 
 wisdom, combined with firmness, to bear the sneers and taunts 
 of interested opposers, who, though they often would make a 
 fair show in profession, dislike to exercise restraint over their 
 corrupt inclinations. 0, the bitterness that is excited in the 
 minds of some, against those who act but in accordance with 
 the spirit or the letter of Scripture ! 
 
 29th. The captain has concluded to stop the grog of the 
 most disorderly pensioners. 
 
 30th. First-day. Assembled on deck as usual. The first 
 four chapters of John's Grospel were read ; after which J. B. 
 was engaged in testimony and prayer. Captain Saunders 
 took this opportunity of informing those assembled, of his 
 determination respecting the liquor, which excited great 
 dissatisfaction. J. B. and I endeavoured to show the 
 reasonableness of the measure, as the only means the captain 
 had in his power to preserve order on board. Some hours 
 after, we were witness to some disturbance, in consequence of 
 the regulations being put in force. Several came forward in 
 a very mutinous manner, and insisted on having their grog. 
 One in particular endeavoured to excite the others to use 
 force and break open the hatches to obtain the liquor, though 
 he was not one that had been deprived of his allowance. 
 This man advanced on the quarter-deck and collared the 
 captain, but was forced back by the mate and others who
 
 CHAP. 2.] SUSPICIOUS VESSEL. 23 
 
 interfered. The captain at last became so intimidated that 
 he gave up the point, but afterwards put into Cape Town, 
 and rendered up some of the most refractory to the civil 
 authorities there. 
 
 11 mo. 6. First-day. Immediately after breakfast a vessel was 
 in sight, on the larboard bow. She seemed to be steering an 
 opposite course, but suddenly tacked and bore down upon us 
 with a press of sail. As pirates are not uncommon in these 
 seas and the vessel exhibited no colours, the captain deemed 
 it most prudent to make all the sail he could ; and a squall 
 passing over us at the time, he outsailed the stranger, which 
 soon after, stood on an opposite tack, and relieved us from 
 apprehension. 
 
 Bead the 5th, 6th and 7th chapters of John's gospel. 
 J. B. elucidated several passages. My dear companion is 
 much engaged in the exercise of his gift among these poor 
 people ; and notwithstanding the untoward conduct of some, 
 a very solemn feeling frequently overspreads our meetings. 
 A remarkable coincidence has been observable between pas- 
 sages of Scripture that have lately been read in course, and 
 the circumstances of some of the steerage company. It has 
 made way for very free animadversion on particular vices, 
 apparently the besetting sins of many amongst whom our lot 
 is cast. Great plainness of speech has been used in warning 
 them of the evil of their ways, and in exhorting them to 
 repentance and amendment of life, through faith in Christ. 
 
 27th. At an early hour a vessel appeared in sight, which 
 from its movements we judged to be a whaler. There were 
 four boats ahead and astern, and as we approached we could 
 distinctly perceive they were engaged with one or more fish. 
 At intervals the poor whale shot up columns of blood and 
 water, whose vermilion tint we could recognise at a distance 
 of several miles. After exchanging some signals, they 
 invited us to go on board. Captain Saunders caused the 
 boat to be launched, and accompanied by our cabin passen- 
 gers, J. B. and I, with a bundle of tracts in our hands, 
 made for the ship, which lay about a mile and a half off. 
 The vessel proved to be a London whaler, the Borneo,
 
 24 WHALING. [1831. 
 
 Captain Eoss, with thirty-seven men. They had taken 
 nine fish since their departure from home, eight months 
 ago. We were pleased with the general aspect of the vessel 
 and the behaviour of the master, the surgeon and the crew, 
 who were a remarkably fine set of athletic, good looking men. 
 We met with a very polite reception from the captain, who 
 tendered us many civilities. We were in time to witness 
 what to us was quite a novel sight. Having just taken two 
 whales, they were in the act of hauling one of them alongside 
 for the purpose of cutting" up the blubber. It was of the 
 species which furnishes the common train-oil, and measured 
 about forty-five feet from head to tail. The fish was turned 
 on its side, and the second mate made an incision in it with 
 his lance, to gratify our desire for observation. The cuticle 
 is about the thickness of a silk-handkerchief; the skin about 
 half an inch ; beneath is the blubber, from which the oil is 
 obtained. It seemed to be cut with as much ease as butter. 
 From the number of its wounds the animal must have endured 
 considerable suffering before life became extinct. It was 
 pleasant to observe the good-will that prevailed between 
 the captains and those around them, whilst thus casually 
 meeting in the midst of the great Southern Atlantic. 
 
 12 mo. 3. Last evening we saw land. The sight of the 
 African coast, which we had never before looked upon, gave 
 rise to interesting reflections on the past and present state of 
 the inhabitants of this vast continent. It was the coast about 
 Saldanha Bay which was before us, and the contemplation of 
 "the everlasting hills," after thirteen weeks' confinement, was 
 not a little cheering. 
 
 5th. This morning we had the happiness of anchoring in 
 safety in Table Bay, about a mile and a half distant from 
 the town. 
 
 6th. Immediately after breakfast we proceeded to Cape 
 Town. We called first on John Laing, the port surgeon. 
 He was so obliging as to step with us to the London Mis- 
 sionary Society's establishment, where Dr. Philip resides, who 
 received us with the cordiality of a father. We found this 
 devoted servant of Grocl all that we could wish. Few who
 
 CHAP. 2.] CAPE TOWN. 25 
 
 have not known what it is to be immured within the precincts 
 of a ship upwards of three months, without the privilege of 
 thoroughly congenial society beyond that of each other, can 
 , estimate the enjoyment we derived from the society of this 
 interesting man and his amiable partner. The doctor is a 
 man apparently about fifty, tall and rather stout, and of 
 dignified deportment combined with great urbanity. His 
 wife appears somewhat younger, is diminutive in person, and of 
 retiring, unassuming manners ; in every respect, as far as we 
 are capable of judging, a true help-meet, and having the 
 endowment of a meek and quiet spirit. 
 
 Dr. Philip took us to see the Infant Schools. The first we 
 visited was for the children of the poor, many of the slave 
 mothers having some of their progeny there. It was gratifying 
 to observe white and black, and all the intermediate grades of 
 colour indiscriminately seated together. The other Infant 
 School consists of children of the upper class ; the distinction 
 resulting from a higher payment. 
 
 8th. We visited the gaol, in company with Dr. Philip 
 and a gentleman named Beck, who is frequently engaged 
 in preaching to the slaves. In one of the condemned cells 
 was a prisoner whose case excited our deep commiseration. 
 He was under sentence of death, having been convicted of 
 the murder of his wife during a paroxysm of drunkenness. 
 This poor man was a Hottentot, and by profession a Maho- 
 metan ; and in the early part of his confinement, the Mahometan 
 priest, and his own relations, who were of the same persuasion, 
 were very frequent in their visits. Some good Christians also 
 called frequently upon him, and amongst them, Dr. Philip. On 
 one of these occasions, much having passed in former interviews 
 respecting the Christian religion and its peculiar adaptation 
 to the lost condition of man, the doctor requested that at the 
 next interview the prisoner had with the priest, he would 
 propound to him the following question ; Does the religion of 
 Mahomet offer any means by which the burden of past sins 
 can be removed from the conscience ? And if it does, what are 
 those means ? On Dr. P.'s next visit, his first enquiry was, if 
 the question had been put which he proposed for solution.
 
 2& MAHOMETAN CONVERT. [1831. 
 
 The poor man replied, It had ; and that the priest having 
 made the acknowledgment, that the Mahometan religion made 
 no provision for this exigency, the Hottentot had told him, he 
 was determined to renounce a religion which afforded not a 
 single ray of hope to soothe the anguish of his mind. He 
 told the priest, that he was thenceforth a believer in Christ, 
 who could help him in his extremity, and that it was his 
 determination to trust in him alone for salvation. The 
 priest in vain endeavoured to shake his resolution ; and from 
 that time he discontinued his visits. Most of the relations 
 did the same. When we went into the cell where the man 
 was confined, we found him standing upright, having recently 
 been released from his shackles, which were not to be resumed. 
 It was an apt picture, there is reason to believe, of the state 
 of his mind. A variety of questions were put to him by 
 Dr. Philip and my companion, which James Beck interpreted 
 to him. Amongst them were the following ; Are you afraid 
 to die ? No. Why are you not afraid ? Because Christ 
 died for sinners, and I believe he has pardoned my sins. If 
 your life was spared would you return to your former sinful 
 habits ? I should have reason to bless (rod all the rest of my 
 life. Very true ; but if you were permitted to live, would 
 you not be very likely to fall again into sin ? I hope Christ 
 would keep me from sin. Would you prefer to live, supposing 
 you were to fall into your former habits, or would you prefer 
 on these conditions to die now ? I would rather die now. 
 Though he shed no tears, there was an earnest, solemn ex- 
 pression on his countenance, which those who had been in the 
 habit of visiting him, said, had formerly been sullen and 
 ferocious. It denoted fortitude and calm resignation. J. B. 
 spoke to him, alluding to the great mercy of Grod in thus 
 visiting his soul and granting him the sense of pardon. To 
 these remarks he every now and then significantly assented. 
 Before leaving, my companion was constrained to offer sup- 
 plication and thanksgiving on his behalf, and we were much 
 contrited under the feeling that the spirit of prayer was 
 indeed poured forth, and that the object before us was the 
 recipient of divine mercy. The prisoner's brother, who had 
 subjected himself to confinement in order to be near him, and
 
 ClIAP. 2.] DR. PHILIP AND FAMILY. 27 
 
 who was also a Mahometan, has been so impressed with the 
 change that has taken place in his brother's mind, that he also 
 now makes profession of Christianity. 
 
 After tea we had a long and interesting conversation with 
 Jane Philip on some of the peculiar views of Friends. Though 
 there was considerable discussion, the spirit of controversy was 
 carefully avoided. We have felt much unity with this excel- 
 lent family Their sentiments are highly enlightened and 
 refined, and there is an unction attending most of what they 
 say and do, which we feel to be very edifying. Their family 
 devotions partake so largely of that spirit which sanctifies 
 such exercises, that we could very freely unite with them. 
 We desire reverently to acknowledge the goodness of God in 
 thus directing our steps ; feeling that our hearts are refreshed 
 and strengthened for the work that is before us, from having 
 been thrown into the midst of such Mends in a strange land. 
 
 9th. In the evening we attended a meeting of gentlemen 
 convened in consequence of our being in the colony, for the 
 formation of a Temperance Society. Dr. Philip introduced 
 us ; our certificates were read, and a resolution was passed ex- 
 pressive of their good- will, and of the satisfaction they felt at 
 the prospect of oui- visiting them on our return. J. Backhouse 
 then entered into details respecting the progress of the Tem- 
 perance Societies in England and Scotland. I also made a 
 few remarks ; and several gentlemen spoke in favour of the 
 project. 
 
 12th. We returned on shore to the house of Dr. Philip, 
 and accompanied the family to a prayer meeting in the 
 Union chapel, which we believed it right to attend. The 
 meeting opened with singing. A person in the congre- 
 gation, then supplicated, under much of the influence of 
 the spirit of prayer. Dr. Philip read a chapter in the New 
 Testament, and asked J. B. if he felt disposed to offer a 
 word of exhortation. This made way for the expression 
 of what had been previously on his mind, in which, allusion 
 was made to our views on public worship ; these seemed to 
 have much weight with the audience. Dr. P. thou spoke in 
 a very simple and beautiful manner, on the unity that prevails
 
 28 "CHRISTMAS DAY." [1831 
 
 among spiritually-minded Christians, in essentials ; their 
 spirits like drops of water mingling into one ; and expressed 
 his thankfulness for what had been uttered. He then turned 
 to me, and asked me if I had any wish to speak. On which 
 I rose, and in a few words expressed what was with me ; and 
 in so doing I had peace. The Doctor then engaged in prayer, 
 in which my dear companion had also been engaged. A 
 hymn was sung ; the words selected, I suppose, on account of 
 their applicability to our circumstances ; they were excellent, 
 and though I did not join in the singing, if I had done so, 
 I believe I might have said, it was with the spirit and the 
 understanding also. We were refreshed and edified ; many 
 are the prayers that have been put up for us here, both in 
 public and private, and it may be truly said, we are going out 
 once more with the prayers of the church. 
 
 On the 15th we went on board our ship, Dr. P. with his 
 usual kindness accompanying us. Here he once more offered 
 fervent prayers for our preservation ; and we parted under 
 a feeling of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, under 
 which we felt united in the covenant of peace. 
 
 26th. Yesterday being " Christmas-day," and falling on 
 First-day, we read on the quarter-deck, the first two chapters 
 of Luke's Grospel, the most particular account in the sacred 
 record of the birth and incarnation of Jesus Christ. J. B. 
 then quoted several passages from the epistles of John, &c. 
 showing the object for which the Son of Grod was made 
 manifest in the flesh, that He might destroy the works of 
 the Devil ; and that it is as we experience this to be effected 
 in our hearts that we can truly rejoice in Christ's birth, 
 knowing him experimentally to be the Saviour of his people. 
 The last three chapters in the Revelation were then read, 
 which give a lively picture of that heavenly possession which 
 he has secured to his followers through his precious blood. 
 J. B. addressed a suitable exhortation to the audience, with 
 an admonition, to observe the day as unto the Lord, and con- 
 cluded with prayer. In the afternoon we had an unusually 
 good attendance, and the day passed over without our wit- 
 nessing any case of excess in liquor, or other misconduct.
 
 CHAP. 2.] STORMY PETRELS. 29 
 
 1832. 1 mo. 1. Another year has passed ! At times it 
 seems difficult to realize the fact, that we are traversing the 
 Indian Ocean, and professedly enlisted in the service of the 
 great Master and of his church militant. The prospect before 
 us is truly solemn, but our dependence is placed, we humbly 
 trust, on Him who has said, Lo, I am with you alway, even 
 unto the end of the world ! 
 
 16th. A time of much depression. The mind has many 
 alternations of feeling, but the ground of the Christian's hope 
 is immutable, being the Rock of Ages, the same yesterday, 
 to-day and for ever ! 
 
 Many albatrosses and smaller birds are hovering about, 
 indeed we are very seldom without some in sight. 
 
 The Stormy Petrels continue to visit us, though in much 
 smaller numbers than when on the Atlantic. They have often 
 afforded us amusement. They resemble the swallow in size and 
 appearance, and are very adventurous, though so delicate in 
 their structure, making long excursions in quest of food. They 
 subsist on the blubber and other oily substances that float on 
 the surface of the deep, and are furnished with remarkably 
 quick sight and movement, to enable them to descry and 
 secure the minute portions of matter which are tossed about by 
 the curling billows. It is curious to observe their adroitness 
 in detecting the most minute portions of fat thrown from the 
 hand into the wake of the _ vessel. We have repeatedly 
 watched, and could never perceive that they failed to detect 
 them when within a few hundred yards of the place. They 
 appear to stand for a few seconds, as if treading with their 
 little webbed feet on the waves, while securing their prey. If 
 the object of pursuit has sunk, and yet is within their sight, 
 they dive overhead with surprising dexterity, and from never 
 repeating the act, we conclude always make sure of their aim. 
 
 25th. Though from constant occupation in one way or 
 other, time by no means hangs heavily on our hands, very little 
 occurs to vary the monotony of a constant and interminable 
 waste of sea and sky. The idea of sailing half the circum- 
 ference of the globe, at first thought, might seem necessarily 
 to include much variety, but unless you have frequent occasion
 
 30 INTERVIEWS WITH SHIP'S COMPANY. [1832. 
 
 to put into port, it is as much, the reverse as can be conceived. 
 Though we do not entertain gloomy retrospections of our 
 voyage, especially since our visit to the Cape, it will be truly 
 pleasant to take up our abode once more on land, though it be 
 in a land of strangers. 
 
 27th. Yesterday my dear companion mentioned to me his 
 desire to have a private interview with each of the persons on 
 board, for the purpose of communicating religious counsel. In 
 looking towards the termination of our voyage, I had felt a 
 desire to converse with some of those with whom we have 
 been labouring, so that it was a satisfaction to me to acquiesce 
 in the measure, though it seemed a formidable undertaking. 
 Captain Saunders was spoken to on the subject, and readily 
 gave his consent, and promoted our arrangements for carrying 
 it into effect. 
 
 2 mo. 4. Last evening we completed the engagement 
 in which, for some days, we have been closely occupied, 
 having had fifty-two sittings. Prior to entering on it, 
 it was a low time with us, being left to feel our own 
 weakness and poverty ; but the first day's labour brought 
 a large accession of peace ; and in walking the deck together, 
 after having finished the duties of the day, we have had 
 to acknowledge that we do indeed serve the best of Masters. 
 Notwithstanding the interest we have long felt in the spiritual 
 welfare of our shipmates, we find it now greatly increased ; 
 and the opportunity afforded us for gaining an acquaintance 
 with much that lies beneath the surface of human character, 
 leaves a very different impression on our minds from that 
 which had been excited by regarding them in the lump, and 
 under circumstances in which all the evil that, but for associa- 
 tion, might have remained latent, was so drawn out as often 
 to exhibit nothing but a mq,ss of degradation and misery. 
 There are many who seem awakened to a sense of their situa- 
 tion, and who have experienced renewed convictions for sin. 
 One man who, when we first came on board, was amongst the 
 careless, and who was attacked with dropsy, from which he 
 has nearly recovered, has shown a marked change, especially 
 since leaving the Cape. He is a shoe-maker, and is younger
 
 CHAP. 2.] BUSH FIRES. 31 
 
 than most of his comrades, being only about my own age, and 
 has been very industrious in the exercise of his calling. 
 During our sitting with him we were made very sweetly 
 sensible of the Divine Presence, under which our hearts wer,e 
 contrited. We were struck with his humility and ingenuous 
 confession of his sins. Those who have felt the value of an 
 immortal soul will be able to conceive the joy afforded us on 
 the occasion. Two of the sailors afford us ground for encou- 
 raging hope. They are both apprentices. The father of 
 one, a serious man, had discouraged him from going to sea, 
 on the ground of the exposure it would subject him to ; but 
 being resolutely bent on a sea-faring life, he persisted, and by 
 his own confession, soon lost the good impressions that had 
 been once excited in his mind. Both he and the other lad 
 were much broken, and the tendering influence of a Saviour's 
 love was very prevalent during the opportunity we had of 
 giving them counsel. 
 
 This morning at an early hour we came in sight of Port 
 Davey, a few miles from the south western extremity of Yan 
 Diemens Land. 
 
 9th. This morning we passed South Cape, and a brisk breeze 
 springingupwe made rapid progress. In the dusk of the evening 
 we passed Fluted Cape, a huge rock formed of perpendicular 
 basaltic columns. Though the night was extremely dark we 
 did not experience much difficulty in making our way until 
 nearly twelve o'clock, when, as we arrived at the extreme point 
 of Adventure Bay, the whole country along the shore appeared 
 in flames, as far as the eye could reach, while large volumes 
 of smoke rolled like dense clouds above and around us. The 
 land appeared to terminate in an abrupt point beyond which 
 was profound darkness. Captain Saunders was well acquainted 
 with these shores, but the bewildering effect of such an un- 
 common glare of light completely puzzled him, till having 
 run along the coast as far as he considered prudent, he 
 determined to put back ; and though the night was squally, 
 yet the wind happily blowing from the shore, we were able 
 to keep at such a moderate distance from it, as, by means of 
 the vast illumination, not to lose sight of land.
 
 32 ARRIVAL IN TASMANIA. [1832. 
 
 8th. About four in the morning I went on deck, and 
 experienced a very agreable surprise in the change of scene 
 that opened before me. The dawn of day had, to our per- 
 ception at least, extinguished the many fires, though here 
 and there the slowly ascending smoke, curling from the midst 
 of the dense forests, explained to demonstration what, the 
 night before, was mere conjecture. 
 
 As we advanced up the Derwent Biver, on which Hobart 
 Town is situated, the prospect was very enlivening. The 
 trees generally stretched down to the river, excepting where 
 the settlers had fixed their dwellings, which, exciting ideas of 
 snugness and comfort, were a very pleasing variation to the 
 scene. Mount Wellington, which is a few miles to the west 
 of the town, forms a very conspicuous and imposing object, 
 and is seen from a great distance. The effect of the scene 
 altogether, after long confinement within the limits of a vessel, 
 is extremely exhilarating to the animal spirits ; though the 
 consideration of what was before us, and the important object 
 of our visit, tended to preserve our minds in some degree of 
 holy fear, not unmixed with gratitude to our Heavenly Father 
 for having preserved us thus far on our way in perfect health 
 and safety. 
 
 About eight o'clock, A. M. we came to anchor off Hobart 
 Town, having been 158 days on our passage, and having 
 sailed, according to the log-book, about 16,000 miles from the 
 Land's End. May the Lord keep us from falling, and 
 strengthen our hands for every good work, " working in us 
 both to will and to do of his own good pleasure."
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 SOJOURN IN HOBART TOWN, VISIT TO THE CLYDE, ETC. 
 
 ON their arrival at Hobart Town, James Backhouse 
 and George Washington Walker at once commenced 
 that course of Christian labour to which they felt 
 themselves called. This consisted primarily in 
 preaching the gospel everywhere amongst the pri- 
 soners and colonists, both publicly and from house to 
 house ; and in the second place, in inspecting the 
 penal settlements, gaols, schools, and other public 
 institutions, and applying the pure and compre- 
 hensive standard of the Gospel to the spirit and 
 regulations which prevailed in them ; and lastly, in 
 doing all in their power, by private labour and 
 public association, to deliver the Colony from the 
 scourge of Intemperance, under which almost all 
 classes of the inhabitants had groaned from the day 
 when it was first planted. To these must be added, 
 the inculcation of a just and humane conduct towards 
 the residue of the aboriginal inhabitants, and the 
 extension of such care as they themselves were able 
 to bestow for their physical and moral improvement. 
 
 Their first sojourn in Hobart Town was of about 
 three months' duration, in which time they became 
 acquainted with a large number of individuals of 
 various ranks in society, many of them persons of 
 piety and influence. The town then possessed a 
 population of 8,360 ; it now contains about 20,000 
 inhabitants.
 
 34 VISIT TO THE GOVERNOR. [1832. 
 
 Gr. W. Walker's Journal contains the following 
 information : 
 
 1832. 2 mo. 8. Captain "Wilson, to whom the Science is 
 consigned, received us with great kindness, and proposed 
 introducing us to the Governor. Having a letter from his 
 mother, who resides at Plymouth, consigned to my care, we 
 we were glad to avail ourselves of an early opportunity of 
 delivering it. Lieutenant- Governor Arthur received us with 
 great courtesy. After a few remarks we presented the 
 document with which Lord Groderieh, the Secretary of 
 State for the Colonies, had furnished us, and which 
 he read aloud. The general tenor of the communica- 
 tion was to explain the object of our visit to the colony ; 
 viz : for the purpose of promoting the moral and religious 
 welfare, more especially, of the convicts, and desiring him 
 to aid us in the prosecution of our engagement. It was 
 at some length and couched in very agreeable terms. The 
 Governor seemed to enter with interest into the subject, 
 expressing his conviction that punishment was quite unavailing 
 with this description of offenders, as a means of producing 
 reformation, unless a change of heart was experienced. He 
 was ready therefore to hail any accession of labourers who had 
 the moral and religious welfare of the community at heart. 
 The state of the Aborigines also had occupied much of his 
 attention ; and he informed us that an experiment was making 
 with a view to their civilization, about one hundred having 
 been removed to an island to the North East of Yan Diemens 
 Land, through the medium of an individual who has gained 
 an ascendancy over them by kind treatment. 
 
 Captain Wilson took us from thence to an officer's widow 
 who takes in lodgers, and we engaged a neat little parlour 
 and small lodging-room, the former serving also as a lodging- 
 place, with the sofa for a bed-stead. 
 
 9th. We received a visit on board from a young man who left 
 England, from Bradford, a few years since, and with whom many 
 Friends in that neighbourhood are well acquainted. His name 
 is John Leach. He came out as a religious labourer with
 
 CHAP. 3.] MEETING WITH G. ROBSON. 35 
 
 the intention of exercising his calling, which is that of a 
 cabinet-maker, as Paul did his tent-making ; but when he 
 arrived he was so reduced by illness as to appear at the brink 
 of death. He was found in this situation by a worthy Wes- 
 leyan, J. Hiddlestone, who took him to his own house, and 
 with the assistance of his valuable wife, nursed him until he 
 became restored. His labours here, we were informed, have 
 been already signally blessed. 
 
 I had the satisfaction to meet, very unexpectedly, my cousin 
 George Robson, who resides at Hampshire Hills, on the North 
 coast of the Island, but who was in the town on business. 
 Not having heard of my visit to Van Diemen's Land until 
 then, his surprise to see me was not little. He returned 
 with me on board, where we spent the rest of the day, in 
 company with J. Hall, the husband of our female passenger, 
 and several other colonial residents of respectability. 
 
 llth. The town is well built, the houses though low, like 
 those of the Cape, are neat, and not so close together, a great 
 number being surrounded on three sides by garden ground. 
 
 "We had engaged to dine with my cousin, to meet also two 
 other gentlemen. As we were on the way to the Macquarie 
 Hotel, where my cousin lodged, the Governor overtook us in 
 his carriage, and proposed our going to the Government 
 House. He had just been in the field, reviewing the troops. 
 On our arriving at the house, recollecting the following day 
 was the Sabbath, he wished to know if we were desirous of 
 engaging in any religious service, and desired us to let him 
 know if he could facilitate the carrying into execution any 
 plans we might have formed ; concluding with the remark, 
 that he presumed wo did not attend the Church. My com- 
 panion explained to him the views of our Society with regard 
 to ministry, and that we adhered to the injunction of Christ 
 to his ministers, " Freely ye have received freely give ;" and 
 could not engage in formal prayers, which might not accord 
 with the state of our hearts. Before we left, the Governor 
 charged us to speak freely our sentiments on the state of things 
 in the colony, and not to withhold them if we saw what we 
 considered defects, from an idea, that we should bo regarded 
 as spies.
 
 36 G. A. ROBINSON AND ABORIGINES. [1832 
 
 We were nearly an hour behind time at the Macquarie 
 Hotel, but our friends very readily accepted our apology. 
 We had the pleasure of meeting at the table George Augustus 
 Robinson, the indefatigable friend of the natives. We gathered 
 many interesting particulars from him. About three years 
 ago, having become deeply interested for their welfare, he 
 contrived to ingratiate himself with one of the tribes or 
 " mobs," as they are popularly termed, on Brune Island, and 
 he took up his abode with them for several months. Through 
 the ascendancy he acquired over them, he influenced them to 
 act as interpreters for him, and to accompany him in a tour 
 through the Island, in order to hold communication with the 
 residue of the other tribes. Many were the hardships he had 
 to endure, sometimes being reduced, with the parties who 
 accompanied him, to the extremity of want. Most of the 
 tribes were in a state of hostility with one another, so that 
 often, when they fell in with a fresh party, those who accom- 
 panied him, under the influence of fear, deserted him in the 
 moment of danger ; whilst the tribes in general, from the ill- 
 treatment they had received, regarded every white man as 
 their deadly enemy. Nothing short of divine power could 
 have preserved him from destruction ; but moving in faith, he 
 was strengthened to overcome all difficulties, and has been 
 instrumental in inducing nearly a hundred to accompany 
 him to an island where they are out of the reach of their 
 enemies. We endeavoured to encourage him as much as lay 
 in our power, by acquainting him with what had been done 
 in Africa, through the agency of Dr. Philip and others, in 
 ameliorating the condition of the natives ; and we parted 
 from him under the feeling of much sympathy, 
 
 12th. First-day. We received a note from the Governor 
 inviting us to tea, which we thought it right to accept. None 
 were present but his own family. The time was spent in 
 interesting conversation on moral and religious subjects, in 
 which the situation of the Aborigines and the state of the 
 Convicts and of the Colonial population were discussed. My 
 companion was enabled to give much further information 
 respecting the doctrines and practices of our Society, prin- 
 cipally elicited by the Governor's enquiries. About nine, the
 
 CHAP. 3.] EXAMINATION OF SEALERS, 37 
 
 Governor observed that it was the family custom- to assemble 
 for religious purposes at that time, to which he supposed we 
 should not object. On expressing our ready acquiescence, the 
 servants were assembled, and the whole family sat down with 
 becoming order and solemnity. The Bible was then presented 
 by the Governor to my companion, who rather made way for 
 the fulfilment of this duty by the head of the family, but as 
 he continued to extend the book towards him he took it, and 
 read the sixth chapter of John, the mark showing where they 
 had left off. After a short pause my dear friend made some 
 lively remarks on the efficacy of living faith in Christ, the 
 true bread which cometh down from heaven ; and after a 
 further pause he engaged in reverent and appropriate prayer. 
 
 14th. Hearing that a party of sealers were in the town, 
 we called at their place of abode, and left them an invitation to 
 come to our lodgings. They are a class of men who seldom 
 are in the way of receiving religious instruction, living 
 amongst the small islands in Bass's Straits, where they 
 depend on the seal-fishing for subsistence. They are said to 
 have committed frequent outrages on the Aborigines, by 
 forcibly depriving them of their women. The present party 
 had been called up before the Governor on a charge of this 
 kind, and one of them it appeared had adopted one of these 
 women as his wife. The Governor having received very un- 
 favourable accounts of these men with reference to the treat- 
 ment of their offspring, asked the man who was connected 
 with the native female, if he had any children. He answered 
 that he had two, and they being at the door in waiting, the 
 Governor had them called in. The elder was about nine 
 years of age. He was asked if he could say his prayers, to 
 which he replied in the affirmative. The Governor then 
 heard him repeat the Lord's prayer and the Creed, and put a 
 variety of questions to him, in answering which, it appeared 
 that he had correct notions of a Supreme Being and of a 
 future state. A younger child, who was little more than 
 six years old, repeated the Lord's Prayer and the Creed and 
 a hymn, in acquiring which considerable pains must have 
 been used, as he had an impediment in his speech ; and in 
 answering questions put to him respecting a future state, &c.
 
 38 ARRIVAL OF CONVICTS. [1832. 
 
 he showed a measure of acquaintance with these things which 
 the Governor thought his own child at that age had not 
 attained. We thought this a striking instance of the care 
 that is requsite in listening to reports prejudicial to indi- 
 viduals or communities ; the father of these children having 
 been denounced as one of the worst of the company. 
 
 16th. We went on board the Convict ship Elizabeth, which 
 had brought out 260 male convicts. The magistrates were en- 
 gaged in taking down a description of each, as to character, &c. 
 The Surgeon has the command of the prisoners on the voyage 
 and the superintendence of their instruction ; the most de- 
 serving being selected to instruct the others. The berths 
 were clean and free from any unpleasant effluvia. The 
 Governor has invited us to be present on their landing, "when 
 they will be examined by him. 
 
 18th. Received a visit from three of the sealers. It was a 
 satisfactory interview, in which we gave them such counsel as 
 we thought suitable, and especially recommended them to 
 meet together on the Sabbath, if it was but to read the 
 Scriptures ; showing them from the example of our Society, 
 how worship might be engaged in, without the presence of a 
 minister of human ordination, which is too generally through 
 ignorance considered as essential. The men were serious, and 
 grateful for the books and tracts we furnished them with for 
 the use of the community. There are sixteen men, the same 
 number of women, and six children, who live together on Grun- 
 carriage Island in Bass's Straits. Secluded from the rest of 
 society and without the ordinary advantages that fall to the 
 lot of most Englishmen, they are not the less accountable 
 beings : we parted from them with fervent desires for their best 
 welfare, 
 
 19th. First-day. Held our meeting in our parlour alone. 
 My companion engaged in prayer greatly to my comfort. 
 We afterwards went to the house where the sealers lodged, 
 which is a sort of rendezvous for sailors. We found a party 
 assembled, eight or nine in number, who were seated round 
 whilst one of the company was preparing dinner. We dis- 
 tributed more tracts amongst them, and devoted about half
 
 CHAP. 3.] VISIT AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE. 39 
 
 an hour to conversation on religious subjects. They pleaded 
 the irregularity and unsettled nature of a seaman's life as an 
 excuse for inattention to these subjects, a common and fatal 
 delusion among sailors. We reasoned with them on the 
 fallacy of this plea, endeavouring to convince them that a 
 regard for their souls' welfare would greatly add to their 
 temporal as well as future happiness ; but we found little 
 openness or understanding amongst them. 
 
 "We drank tea at Government House, the Governor having 
 previously invited us in a note, wherein he observes, that " the 
 last Sunday evening was passed in a manner so very acceptable 
 to him, that after the labours of the week were terminated, he 
 should be much gratified to enjoy another evening of equal 
 tranquillity," should we be disengaged. With the exception 
 of one young lady, none were present but his own family. 
 The evening was spent very much as the last, J. B. being 
 engaged in the exercise of his gift, the Divine Presence very 
 sweetly accompanying and melting our hearts. It did us 
 good to see the piety of this excellent family, especially of the 
 energetic head of it. What a blessing it must be to the 
 community, even where they are incapable of appreciating 
 the worth of the principles which actuate their excellent 
 Governor. We are glad however to observe, that, generally 
 speaking, his worth is admitted. 
 
 20th. We attended the inspection of the convicts by the 
 Governor. They were drawn up in a line, in the prisoners' 
 barrack-yard, and as each man's name was called over, with 
 his occupation and the person to whom he was about to be 
 assigned, the individual passed in review before the Governor, 
 who made such remarks as circumstances dictated. If the 
 surgeon, who was standing by, gave a favourable report as to 
 behaviour during the voyage, the individual received com- 
 mendation, was encouraged to persevere, and the advantages 
 were pointed out which would result from good behaviour. 
 The boys of whom there were forty-two, received the Governor's 
 marked notice. lie then addressed the whole of the prisoners, 
 reminding them of the grievous offences they had committed 
 against their country, and stated that they were now about to 
 commence a new career in life, which would place them in a
 
 40 GOVERNOR'S ADDRESS TO CONVICTS. [1832. 
 
 situation to redeem their lost character; that they were 
 assigned as servants to a number of respectable men, who 
 would be required to give them their necessary food, clothing 
 and bedding, in return for which they were to give the whole 
 of their labour ; that if after a certain time of service their 
 conduct was deserving, a ticket-of-leave would be granted 
 them, by virtue of which they would be enabled to enjoy the 
 fruits of their labour. If their good conduct continued to be 
 maintained, a conditional pardon would further be accorded 
 them, with the liberty of the colony , and, eventually if still 
 maintaining their character, a free pardon, when they would 
 be restored to all the rights of Englishmen. On the other 
 hand, if they again incurred the penalty of the laws, by a 
 relapse into crime, there was first the watch-house, then the 
 prison, and for further misbehaviour, transportation to a 
 severe penal settlement, and if they still persisted in their 
 wretched course they would terminate their guilty career on 
 the scaffold. The Grovernor then particularly cautioned them 
 against drunkenness, that they should guard against the first 
 temptations to it, and regard the door of the public-house as 
 leading to the prison, and shun it as such. The Governor 
 having completed his examination, my companion asked if he 
 might be allowed to address them. This was readily assented 
 to, and J. B. spoke to them in a very impressive manner, 
 and they listened with profound attention. 
 
 22nd. J. B. had an interview with the Grovernor on the 
 subject of gaining access to the prisons and convict or chain- 
 gangs. It was arranged that we should visit a chain-gang 
 on First-day next, distant about eleven miles, and which has 
 no regular means of religious instruction. 
 
 26th. First-day. A horse and gig with a man-servant on 
 horseback were in attendance this morning, to conduct us to 
 the penal station at Bridgewater. After a delightful ride 
 along t the banks of the Derwent we reached our destination 
 about eleven, and met with a courteous reception from the 
 commandant, lieutenant Croly. The chain-gang consists of 
 about 150 men, who are employed in the construction of piers 
 to project from each side of the river, until the width is so
 
 CHAP. 3.] BRIDGEWATER CHAIN-GANG. 41 
 
 reduced as to admit of communication by a bridge. The men 
 are a party of those who have committed some offence in the 
 colony, and are sentenced to labour here. Their punishment 
 is by no means light. They work in irons, which are attached 
 to both ankles. We proceeded to the prisoners' barrack-yard, 
 where they were drawn up, the Roman Catholics being placed 
 by themselves. A file of soldiers were stationed on an 
 elevated position so as to hear. The eighth chapter of 
 Matthew was read ; a pause ensued ; after which J. B. in 
 forcible and persuasive language, invited these poor criminals, 
 who had been convicted at the bar of an earthly tribunal, to 
 accept the offers of mercy that are held out to the penitent 
 through Jesus Christ, so that knowing their sins to go before- 
 hand to judgment, they might be prepared to stand with 
 acceptance before the bar of their Almighty Judge. After a 
 short pause he supplicated on their behalf. We then dis- 
 tributed tracts, each man being furnished with one or more. 
 Whilst dealing them out, I came to the " History of a pious 
 Negro Servant," and looking up at the man who came next 
 in course, he proved to be a black man, the only one I ob- 
 served in the group. 
 
 27th. Paid a visit to the Government Gardens, distant 
 about a mile and a half from the town. They occupy several 
 acres of sloping ground adjoining the river, with a fine open 
 view. The situation is delightful, being favoured by the 
 fresh breezes from the water. All the plants, vegetables and 
 fruits that grow in our own climate, with perhaps hardly a 
 single exception, attain to greater perfection here. 
 
 3 mo. 3. About two o'clock in the afternoon of the 29th 
 ult. we left Hobart Town for New Norfolk. The road is 
 extremely circuitous, running parallel with the course of the 
 river. We took a considerable number of tracts which we 
 dispensed to persons whom we met on the road, or saw at 
 work in the bush. Owing to this cause of detention we had 
 more than two hours' walk in the dark. Our friends in 
 England may think there is some risk in travelling in a 
 country, the majority of whose inhabitants are convicts. The 
 fact is, that such is the excellence of the system of police, that
 
 42 BUSH JOURNEY. [1832. 
 
 persons may travel here with much greater safety than in 
 most of the populous districts of England. The utter hope- 
 lessness of escaping detection on the commission of crime 
 almost prevents the attempt being made ; for as convicts are 
 not allowed to travel without a pass, it is next to impossible 
 that they should escape the surveillance of the police ; and 
 what is not the least remarkable feature of the system, which 
 is so efficient, is, that the police chiefly consists of convicts. 
 The state of things was very different some years ago ; but 
 this is the fruits of Colonel Arthur's energetic government. 
 
 We visited the hospital and gaol. The former is supported 
 by the Government and is an excellent institution. Dr. Officer 
 who has charge of the establishment bears a very high cha- 
 racter both in a public and private capacity. 
 
 A coach leaves New Norfolk daily for Hobart Town ; but we 
 thought we should be able to do more in promoting the good 
 of others, by walking and calling at some of the cottages 
 and distributing tracts on the way, than by taking our 
 places in the conveyance. When we arrived at Sorell 
 River, we determined to vary our course, and attempt a 
 shorter cut through the " bush," across the hills whose bases 
 we had skirted two days before. At the last house we visited 
 before taking to the bush, we were told that a path was marked 
 through the woods by notches upon the trees ; and we found 
 that with a little attention, and in a few instances by retracing 
 our steps, we could trace it without much difficulty. Towards 
 the end of our journey we got to be quite expert, we thought, 
 in detecting the marks on the trees. Our progress through 
 this, to us untrodden path, powerfully reminded us of the 
 walk of faith, and we beguiled the way by tracing the 
 analogy. Though the track thus traversed was not more 
 than six miles, it occupied between five and six hours. I never 
 before witnessed such scenes of indescribable solitude and 
 gloom; nothing to be seen but mountains rising above 
 mountains, covered with forests that had, many of them, pro- 
 bably never been penetrated by man. We saw few living 
 animals ; but set up a solitary opossum, also a number of 
 beautiful parroquets and cockatoos. In addition to the help 
 we derived from the notched trees, we were each provided with a
 
 CAHP. 3.] VISIT TO THE CLYDE DISTRICT. 43 
 
 pocket compass, otherwise it would have heen unsafe to have 
 attempted the passage. 
 
 5th. We have received several visits from persons who 
 have been connected with the Society of Friends, but who 
 have forfeited their membership. Some of these affect to be 
 Friends, and pass here under the name of Quakers, but would 
 be a disgrace to any religious denomination. We have found 
 it necessary to be very guarded in our conduct towards them, 
 however painful it may be to our feelings to slight their offers 
 of kindness. 
 
 7th. Having determined on paying a visit to George 
 Dixon, an old schoolfellow of James Backhouse's, we left for 
 New Norfolk in the coach. 
 
 9th. After an early breakfast we joined George Dixon 
 and his brother's children, and all set forward, the children 
 riding in a cart driven by one of the men, whilst G. D., J. B. 
 and myself walked before. It was about eight in the evening 
 before we reached Green Yalley, the residence of G. D. the 
 distance from New Norfolk being computed at twenty-seven 
 miles. Agnes Dixon, who is a native of the Island of Lewis, 
 and a notable industrious woman, gave us a most hearty 
 welcome. 
 
 10th. G. Dixon's grant consists of one thousand acres 
 with about a mile of river frontage, the Clyde meandering 
 from one extremity to the other. On all other sides it is 
 bounded by hills covered with wood. 
 
 We "were shown the ruins of a hut which had been burnt 
 down by the Aborigines in 1829. A party of them bent on 
 mischief, surrounded this humble dwelling in which an elderly 
 man resided with a female servant. Having fired the hut 
 they stood round with their spears to prevent the possibility 
 of escape. The old man was burnt to death ; but the woman, 
 after remaining until her clothes were in flames, rushed out 
 in desperation, and threw herself on her knees, imploring 
 mercy. The excited aborigines stood for a moment with their 
 spears couched, as if temporarily restrained by the affecting 
 sight ; their chief beckoned with his hand that they should
 
 44 EXCITED ABORIGINES. [1832. 
 
 forbear to molest one who had thus thrown herself on their 
 mercy. With his own hands he put out the fire that enveloped 
 her, and waving his hand significantly for her to withdraw, 
 permitted her to escape. Before they fired the hut they had 
 speared a female convict servant whom they met returning 
 home. Greorge Dixon appropriated a small hut for the use of 
 the poor woman who escaped and her husband, where very 
 shortly afterwards she gave birth to an infant. One day 
 while nursing her child she heard a noise without, and laying 
 the baby into a corner, she looked out and discovered that the 
 natives were once more about. She gave the alarm. Gr. Dixon 
 was in the barn with two of his men, and they made a rush 
 for the house, but before he could gain the door he received a 
 spear in the hip, which happily did not disable him, and he 
 succeeded in getting into his house. His men were driven 
 back into the barn where they got upon the straw and kept 
 their pursuers at bay, until, it is supposed, the latter were 
 intimidated by the sight of two guns which Gr. Dixon held 
 out of the window, though they were" not loaded. Since that 
 period they have not been seen in the neighbourhood of 
 Grreen Yalley. 
 
 . llth. First-day. We extended religious counsel to the 
 five assigned convicts in Gr. Dixon's employ. There is fre- 
 quently much openness, and sometimes feeling, amongst this 
 class of the community. Many on being first accosted bear 
 the aspect of sternness or defiance, but on hearing the accents 
 of kindness their countenances relax, and they show that their 
 hearts are not insensible, often making free acknowledgment 
 of their faults, which they generally attribute to intemperance 
 in their origin. 
 
 12th. Accompanied by Gr. D. we set out to visit the 
 settlers of the Lower Clyde. A mile and a half from Grreen 
 Valley resides a respectable widow lady, named Burns, who 
 emigrated from Edinburgh, and by her energy and industry 
 has attained to a state of prosperity. We met with a very 
 hearty welcome from her. 
 
 We pursued our walk until we came to Hamilton, which 
 may be said to be a town in embryo. We called on every
 
 CHAP. 3.] NATIVE ANIMALS. 45 
 
 householder in the place, distributing tracts, and here and 
 there imparting brief counsel as there seemed to be an opening. 
 Hamilton is forty-six miles north-west from Hobart Town. 
 
 We set out early on the 13th to visit a few persons who 
 are settled on the Ouse ; and on the 14th, George Dixon 
 accompanying us as guide, we commenced a tour to the 
 district of Upper Clyde or Bothwell. The township consists 
 of about thirty houses or cottages scattered over a tract of 
 ground perfectly level, and extending on both sides of the 
 Clyde. The stream is nearly dried up during the summer 
 season. We had some interesting conversation with the wife 
 of Alexander Reid, who was absent. The sweet influence of 
 that Spirit which unites the hearts of God's children, and 
 which is felt to be the " bond of peace," arose in the course of 
 the interview, under which our hearts were tendered, and the 
 impression left on our minds was such as not readily to be 
 effaced. A. Reid is a magistrate. We reached Or. Dixon's 
 between 7 and 8 o'clock, having walked about thirty-three 
 miles during the two days we have been absent. 
 
 17th. Whilst in this neighbourhood we have repeatedly 
 seen Kangaroos. They are of several species, as the Forest 
 and the Bush Kangaroo, and the Wallaby, but they differ 
 chiefly in size. They are very destructive to the wheat. 
 We have likewise seen the Kangaroo Rat, which is a kind 
 of kangaroo in miniature, being twice the size of a rat. The 
 Bandicoot also resembles a kangaroo, except that its fore 
 and hind legs are of equal length. It is said to be very 
 destructive among the potatoes which it roots up ; it is hardly 
 so large as a rabbit. Opossums are extremely numerous, 
 living in the holes of trees and climbing like squirrels. They 
 consume the leaves and branches, and also commit depreda- 
 tions on the wheat. During our stay at George Dixon's, the 
 shepherd killed twenty opossums in the course of two moon- 
 light nights. They are chased by dogs to the trees, which 
 they ascend by their strong claws, and are then brought down 
 with the gun. They cling with great tenacity, and occasionally 
 make a bound from one branch to another, and they will 
 sometimes suspend themselves by the tail. In nearly all the
 
 46 JACOBINA BURNS. [1832. 
 
 indigenous animals, the females have a pouch for the reception 
 of their young. Birds are very numerous. We have seen 
 Black and White Cockatoos, some of great heauty ; Magpies 
 both black and white ; the Wattle-bird, so called from two 
 excrescences depending from theliead ; the Laughing Jackass, 
 the Minor, and the Crow. The Wood-pigeon is worthy of 
 notice. It is a little larger than the tumbler-pigeon and 
 resembles it in the quickness of its motions. The plumage is 
 brown, but the wing-feathers are tipped with radiant colours 
 resembling gold-bronze, whence it is sometimes called the 
 Bronze- Winged Pigeon. There are many species of Parrots 
 and Parroquets, some of great beauty, but very noisy, making 
 the woods resound with their chattering, in which the Cockatoos 
 keep them company. 
 
 18th. First-day. Walked over to dine with our hospitable 
 friend, Jacobina Burns, After tea, according to their custom, 
 the servants, men and women, and a few soldiers who have 
 for some time been on the estate to protect them from the 
 aborigines, were called in, to have the Scriptures read to them. 
 My companion had a full opportunity for religious labour, 
 which I trust was to the edification of all present. J. Burns 
 is a serious as well as sensible and energetic woman, and has 
 induced a considerable number of her relatives to emigrate 
 from Scotland. They seem one and all to have "been pros- 
 perous, and are for the most part persons of piety. 
 
 19th. We determined on making a circuitous route to 
 New Norfolk, in order to increase the number of our calls. 
 After proceeding about four miles, we came to what may here 
 be styled a village, though consisting of only six or seven 
 houses. It is known by the name of the Hollow Tree. The 
 first house we came to was that of James Murphy, where we 
 saw a woman whose husband was killed about eight years 
 since by the aborigines. She was returning home with him 
 through the bush, when they were assailed by them. The 
 man continued to keep them at bay, whilst his wife fled 
 with her child in her arms, and succeeded in effecting her 
 escape ; but the poor husband fell by their spears. The 
 aboriginal natives are very dexterous in the use of these
 
 CHAP. 3.] INVALID GAXO. 47 
 
 weapons, which are of wood, from nine to twelve feet in 
 length. They throw them with such force and skill, at from 
 fifty to one hundred yards, as rarely to fail in transfixing the 
 object of their aim. They are equally clever in the use of the 
 waddy, which is a piece of wood of a heavy texture about a 
 foot and a half long and an inch and a half thick, nearly 
 round, and rough at the end for the purpose of grasping with 
 more effect. These they hurl with astonishing precision. 
 These are their only offensive weapons. 
 
 About an hour after sunset we reached the Woolpack Inn 
 on Macquarie Plains. 
 
 20th. About two miles before we arrived at Deep Grully, 
 where the huts of an Invalid (rang are situated, we overtook 
 a large party at work on the road. The overseer caused them 
 to be drawn up by the road side, where we had a full oppor- 
 tunity of extending religious counsel to them. At the huts 
 we had an interview of like nature with a further portion, and 
 about a mile before we reached New Norfolk, we held a third 
 meeting with the remainder. These poor men greatly excited 
 our commiseration. Many of them are labouring under 
 debility or indisposition, the result of intemperance, others are 
 cripples or superannuated ; and perhaps it would not be too 
 much to say, that the whole of them, by having been brought 
 into bondage to Satan, are beguiled of their peace, and have 
 little even of earthly comfort to solace them. Surely the 
 way of transgressors is hard ! 
 
 We proceeded by the coach to Hobart Town, and on reaching 
 our lodgings, feelings of gratitude arose towards our Heavenly 
 Father, for preservation during our excursion, in the retrospect 
 of which we were favoured to feel peace. 
 
 Whilst I was at Green Valley, Of. Dixon and I bathed in 
 the river, and in jumping off, I injured my foot against a 
 rock. Having to walk many miles since has so increased the 
 local inflammation as to render it necessary that I should lay 
 up for a time. 
 
 29th. The time set apart this morning for religious purpose 
 was blessed to our minds. Our way being rather shut up for 
 the present with regard to any extended public labour, to feel
 
 48 CLIMATE, ETC. [1832. 
 
 our minds clothed with peace we account a favour. May the 
 Lord be pleased " to go before us," as well as to become our 
 " rere-ward." 
 
 It is a privation to me to be so much'confined to the house, 
 the weather being extremely favourable for going abroad. 
 When we arrived here the harvest was just terminating. It 
 is now seven weeks since, and we have had but three wet 
 days. The climate is delightful : in the house, quite as 
 cool as is pleasant, particularly in the mornings and evenings ; 
 out of doors it is much like our finest days in summer, but 
 rarely so oppressive, a breeze generally setting in from the 
 sea about noon. The air is bland and yet exhilarating, 
 and in the woods aromatic, from the escape of essential oils 
 from decaying vegetable matter : it is remarkably free from 
 humidity. 
 
 4 mo. 5. Nafhaniel Turner and John A. Manton, Wesleyan 
 ministers, paid us a friendly visit this day. We conversed 
 on several subjects of a religious nature, and especially on some 
 doctrinal points, on which we were united in sentiment. These 
 individuals, with William Schofield and John Leach, form a 
 band of faithful labourers, whose indefatigable labours for the 
 spread of the Grospel have been signally blessed, and whom 
 we can sincerely bid, (rod speed. 
 
 10th. During my confinement to the house by my foot, 
 I have read J. J. Grurney's Biblical Notes, which are to my 
 mind extremely conclusive and satisfactory. The essay on those 
 parts of Isaiah vn, vin and ix, which relate to the coming of 
 the Messiah, his divine character and attributes, and the nature 
 and extent of his dominion, is particularly interesting. 
 
 13th. Henry Butcher, a pious drummer of the 63rd regi- 
 ment, now stationed in Van Diemen's Land, called to beg a 
 few tracts. He enlisted when only fourteen, and the eleven 
 years he has been a soldier, he laments have been chiefly 
 spent in wickedness and folly. He is a member of the 
 Wesleyan church, and says he finds his situation very un- 
 favourable for the practice of piety, but he is accustomed to 
 retire into the bush, where he can read his Bible and meditate
 
 CHAP. 3.] PROVIDENTIAL DELIVERANCES. 49 
 
 and pray, unseen by his fellow-mortals, and where he is often 
 made sensible of the love of God. 
 
 5 mo. 2. The Governor has obligingly proposed giving us 
 a passage on board the Tamar, a government brig, about to 
 sail for Macquarie Harbour, which being one of the penal 
 settlements attached to this colony, we are desirous of visiting. 
 
 At a meeting held this day, a Temperance Society was 
 formed, having for its fundamental rule, the total abstinence 
 of its members from ardent spirits, except for medicinal pur- 
 poses. 
 
 4th. Sixth-day. This morning'we held our meeting instead 
 of yesterday. We had only to consult our own convenience 
 in doing so, as these seasons have uniformly been unattended 
 by strangers, though we have had a straggler or two occa- 
 sionally on First-days. 
 
 6th. Our morning meeting was a contriting season to my 
 mind. J. Backhouse was led to supplicate for a blessing on 
 the Governor and his family, whose hearts have been opened 
 towards us ; also to crave the divine blessing during our 
 approaching voyage to the penal settlement, and upon the 
 labours engaged in by others, for the Lord's service. 
 
 We spent the evening at Government House, very much 
 to our satisfaction, having some highly interesting conversation 
 on the views of our Society with respect to war, also on 
 tithes. Governor Arthur gave a mournful picture of the evils 
 of war, especially as to its demoralizing effects on those 
 engaged in it, as a general and almost universal consequence. 
 From this subject the over-ruling Providence of God was 
 adverted to, when he took occasion to mention several very 
 remarkable interpositions of a providential kind between liim 
 and death. Amongst a number of instances I will mention 
 two. He was engaged in a foreign campaign of a rather 
 peculiarly disastrous nature, and on one occasion was un- 
 expectedly requested to act as Judge- Advocate during a court- 
 martial. Though the appointment was an unusual one to 
 him and appeared somewhat singular, he accepted it. The 
 same day an order was received, that the company to which 
 he belonged should advance, but it was arranged tliat he 
 

 
 50 BRADY THE BUSH RANGER. [1832, 
 
 should join his detachment in the latter part of the day, after 
 having discharged his judicial duties. His company was 
 suddenly surprised by the enemy, cut off, and not a single 
 individual survived when the period arrived that he was to 
 have joined them. Another instance was still more re- 
 markable. When Governor Arthur first came to this colony, 
 bush-ranging, that is depredations by runaway convicts, was 
 carried on to an alarming extent. There was a party of daring 
 men, seven or eight in number, who eluded the vigilance of 
 the civil and military power, and by their atrocious deeds 
 struck terror into the hearts of the settlers. At length they 
 were captured and suffered condign punishment, .and since 
 that time bush-ranging has been so effectually suppressed as 
 to cease to be formidable. I had heard the Governor speak 
 of this gang on a former occasion, on which he described the 
 remarkable character of their captain, whose name was Brady. 
 When taken, the Governor questioned him as to his mode of 
 life, and at first he pretended that it was one of great enjoy- 
 ment. " There is no life like the bush, Governor," said this 
 audacious man when thus spoken to on the subject. By and 
 bye, however, he told a different story, and acknowledged that 
 it was one of complete wretchedness. For many weeks before 
 his capture he had not known an hour's undisturbed repose. 
 If he lay down in a place of apparent security he would dream 
 that the officers of justice were upon him, that he was betrayed 
 by his comrades, or harassed by some other tormenting phan- 
 tom of a depraved imagination. When engaged in any 
 project of plunder he was in continual fear that the imprudence 
 of those under his command would lead to their own and his - 
 destruction. In spite of his cautions and remonstrances, if 
 they could elude his vigilance, they would look about for 
 spirits, and carouse and drink until in a state of intoxication. 
 When not occupied in carrying their thieving and murderous 
 projects into effect, from the ungovernable nature of their own 
 tempers and the irritability of their dispositions, they were 
 embroiled in quarrels from morning till night, so that they 
 were truly a torment to each other. Brady was a man of 
 uncommon powers and of a commanding mind, and by his 
 superior skill contrived to wield these heterogeneous materials,
 
 ClIAP. 3.] BIRD THE BUSH RANGER. 51 
 
 and unite them for vile purposes in such a masterly way as to 
 become a terror to the colony. Their hands were imbrued 
 in the blood of many a poor creature who chose to risk his 
 life in the defence of his property. A. very peculiar feature 
 in Brady's character, amidst all his vicissitudes and changes of 
 residence, was his unvarjang attachment to gardening. In 
 all his different haunts and places of seclusion and concealment 
 in the woods, a garden inclosed, and evidently the object of 
 assiduous attention, was a part of his establishment. But 
 I have digressed from the main subject of the Governor's 
 narrative. When this gang were captured and were lying in 
 gaol, prior to undergoing the last sentence of the law, some 
 disclosures were made which reached the Governor's ears and 
 induced him to question one of the party in a matter that 
 related to his own life. The man to whom he addressed 
 himself, and whose name was Bird, was next in command to 
 Brady, and only second to liim in enterprise and ability ; and 
 he readily acknowledged that the life of the Governor had 
 been attempted, and told him that on one occasion he was 
 himself near being the perpetrator of the deed. The Governor 
 informed us that it was a period he had good reason to 
 remember, as the whole town was thrown into a state of 
 excitement from the knowledge that Brady's party were either 
 in the town or its immediate vicinity. On a certain day the 
 Governor was riding to Newtown, which is about three miles 
 from Hobart Town, accompanied by his orderly-man. Whilst 
 they were riding at some distance from each other, going 
 leisurely down the hill, the man suddenly came up with him, 
 riding at a furious rate. On asking his reason for doing so, 
 the orderly-man said he could,^npt help it, the horse took 
 fright at something, though not subject to do so, and became 
 ungovernable, and till that instant lie had not been able to 
 bring him up, " It was at that moment, Sir," said Bird, 
 "that my piece was levelled at your head, and from the- 
 certainty of my aim, I had no reason to doubt that your lif'o 
 was in my hand, when the unexpected intervention of the 
 orderly-man between us defeated my object, until you were 
 out of my roach. I had for some days meditated your life, 
 and had watched porseveringly for an opportunity, which now
 
 52 SABBATH SCHOOL MEETINX3. [1832. 
 
 seemed awarded me almost beyond a doubt of failure, when 
 the unlooked-for occurrence frustrated my design, and but for 
 which, I assure you, you would have been a dead man." 
 
 We dined with William Bedford, the Senior Colonial 
 Chaplain, whose society we value ; and after much pleasant 
 social intercourse with him and his family, we went on board 
 the Tamar to sleep, expecting to sail the next morning. 
 
 8th. Our sleeping cabin is about six and a half feet square, 
 and our berths are one above another in partitions like shelves, 
 where I dare say we shall sleep very comfortably. The Gover- 
 nor has furnished us with a letter to Major Baylee, the Comman- 
 dant at Macquarie Harbour, and has caused us to be supplied 
 with several things from his own garden and refectory,, to 
 render the King's rations of salt provision more agreeable ; 
 he declines permitting us to pay for our passage. In the 
 afternoon we went on shore with John A. Manton, our fellow 
 passenger, who is going to Macquarie Harbour as Missionary, 
 in the place of William Seholfield ; and after taking tea with 
 Nathaniel and Ann Turner and many more of our Wesleyan 
 friends, we were present at a meeting of the teachers of their ' 
 gunday Schools. J. Backhouse reminded the teachers of the 
 importance of engaging in these works of Christian charity, as 
 well as in every religious duty, in humble dependence on 
 divine help. I added a few words, and N. Turner and J. A. 
 Manton made some very appropriate comments ; and after a 
 short hymn had been sung, J. B. gave expression, at the 
 divine footstool, to his feelings of interest on behalf of this 
 assemblage of pious young persons. We were much gratified 
 by spending the last evening prior to our departure in such 
 good company, and in a way so congenial to our wishes.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 VISIT TO MACQUARIE HARBOUR. 
 
 A GENERAL idea of the system of Transportation at 
 the time of our narrative will have been gathered 
 from the Governor's charge to the prisoners of the 
 Elizabeth. It may be helpful to the reader, however, 
 before going further, to state in precise terms the 
 conditions which belonged to the sentence of trans- 
 portation to Tasmania, conditions designed to benefit 
 the free settlers and subserve the interests of the 
 Colony, as well as to work a moral reformation 
 in the convict. The system with all its merits and 
 all its defects belongs now only to the past. It was 
 abandoned a few years since, and no convicts have 
 latterly been sent to Tasmania or New South Wales, 
 or any other Australian colony, except Western 
 Australia. 
 
 Convicts on their arrival in Tasmania were as- 
 signed as servants to the settlers, from whom they 
 received in return for their labour, lodging, food, and 
 coarse clothing, but no money. If they committed 
 offences during their servitude they were punished 
 by imprisonment in the jails or penitentiaries, by 
 flogging, by being sent to labour 011 the public works 
 in a road party or in a chain gang ; or lastly, by 
 being re-transported, as it were, to a penal settlement. 
 The chain gang was a step more severe than the road 
 party, as the prisoners had to work in irons, and 
 wear a more degrading costume, and were guarded
 
 54 CHARACTER OF TRANSPORTATION. [1832. 
 
 by armed soldiers instead of convict overseers. From 
 the wretched character of the huts provided for their 
 lodging, the exposure and hard labour to which they 
 were subjected, and their scanty fare, both these 
 punishments were extremely severe. The penal 
 settlement was reserved for the most hardened offen- 
 ders. The term of servitude for the assigned convict 
 varied according to his sentence of transportation ; 
 if the sentence was for seven years, he had to serve 
 four before he could have a ticket-of-leave for good 
 conduct ; if for fourteen, six ; and eight years, if his 
 sentence was for life. The ticket-of-leave, in a 
 great measure, restored convicts to the condition of 
 free men. They could hire out their labour for wages, 
 or enter into business on their own account ; but they 
 were not allowed to go beyond their own district of 
 the Island, and were obliged to attend public worship 
 once in the week, and a general muster before the 
 magistrates once a month. At the expiration of their 
 term, or earlier, if their conduct was satisfactory, a 
 conditional pardon was granted ; and continued 
 good conduct was sometimes followed by a full 
 pardon, which restored them to all the rights of 
 free men. If the assigned prisoner was convicted of 
 any offence during his term of servitude he forfeited 
 the time that had elapsed, and had to commence 
 anew ; and the first conviction of the ticket-of-leave 
 man exposed its possessor to forfeit it, and to be 
 returned to that state of bondage from which he had 
 been released. In 1834 the number of convicts in 
 Tasmania was about 15,000. 
 
 Macquarie Harbour, the seat, in 1832, of a noted 
 penal settlement, is situated about the middle of the 
 west coast of Tasmania. Though in itself a mag-
 
 CHAP. 4.] VOYAGE TO MACQUARIE HARBOUR. 55 
 
 nificent haven, it is of most difficult access, for wliicli 
 indeed it was chosen, as being more completely 
 isolated from the rest of the world. What with the 
 perilous passage of the bar, the nature of the winds 
 which prevail along that coast, and the dangers of 
 the _shore, it would be difficult to conceive a spot 
 more inaccessible on the habitable globe; and in 
 1833, wearied with the difficulties of the situation, 
 the Government abandoned it, and transferred the 
 settlement to Port Arthur. 
 
 What dangers and delays vessels which frequented 
 Macquarie Harbour had sometimes to encounter, will 
 be seen from Gr. W. Walker's relation of the voyage, 
 which he and his companion made thither in the 
 Tamar, a brig of 130 tons burden. 
 
 5 mo. 9. This afternoon J. Backhouse being on the deck at 
 the moment when the prisoners' hatchway was opened, he took 
 the opportunity of going down and reading a chapter in the 
 Bible to them. They appeared glad to receive his visit. When 
 asked if they preferred any particular part of Scripture, one 
 of them observed that Isaiah was interesting ; and the book 
 opening at the forty-second chapter, that was read, and J. B. 
 made some remarks on its contents. 
 
 At two o'clock this morning we weighed anchor and dropped 
 down the Derwent. The persons on board the Tamar, are 
 J. Burn, the captain, the mate, and a crew of twelve men, eight 
 of whom are or have been convicts, four passengers, viz. David. 
 Hoy, John Allen Manton, J. Backhouse and myself, and 
 eighteen prisoners. The convicts are all in irons, which are 
 fastened round each ankle and connected by a small chain ; 
 but by means of a string suspended from the waist to the centre 
 of the chain, and which lifts it from the ground, they can 
 walk without difficulty. They are confined in the main hold, 
 in a prison, secured by strong bars of wood and iron. All 
 knives and other articles that can facilitate their escape are 
 taken from them, their persons being searched before entering
 
 56 CONDITION OF PRISONERS. [1832. 
 
 the prison, and every other day when at sea. It is necessary 
 to use every precaution. A substitute for a tinder-box has 
 been found on one of the prisoners already, and a small file 
 on another, who had succeeded in releasing himself from his 
 irons. There is a guard of a sergeant and ten soldiers, who 
 keep a strict watch. Five stand every alternate watch, as 
 sentries, three on deck and two below, where they have the 
 prison in sight and a full view of its inmates. They are 
 armed with cutlasses, and pistols loaded with ball, which they 
 carry in their belts ; and some firelocks are kept constantly 
 loaded. Lieutenant Hill, the port-officer, who has" the charge 
 of these arrangements, informed us that the present gang are 
 a very bad set of men. There are among them two of the 
 mutineers who took the Cyprus, about three years ago. 
 
 About noon on the 12th, notwithstanding the weather was 
 boisterous, we had the satisfaction of entering Port Davey. 
 We anchored in a fine basin surrounded by high mountains. 
 Here we are to take in a supply of wood and water, and can 
 rest secure until a favourable wind comes, by which in twenty- 
 four hours we may reach our ulterior destination. 
 
 13th. First-day. This day has afforded several oppor- 
 tunities for imparting religious instruction to the different 
 classes of persons on board. Besides our morning and evening 
 reading in the Scriptures in the cabin, which we have kept up 
 daily, we had a meeting with the soldiers, and the sailors, 
 and another with the convicts. 
 
 The wind continued violent and adverse from this 
 time till the 29th, when Gr. W. W. writes : 
 
 On the 29th, the wind becoming favourable, after a deten- 
 tion of seventeen days in Port Davey, we stood out to sea. 
 Early in the morning of the 31st we descried the high lands 
 in the vicinity of Maequarie Harbour, for which we made 
 sail ; but when within twelve or fourteen miles of our port, 
 the wind changed so that we were obliged to put about, just 
 being able to clear the land. The remainder of that and the 
 succeeding day were spent in endeavouring to make for our 
 desired haven against contrary winds. On the morning of
 
 CHAP. 4.] VOYAGE FROM PORT DAVEY. 57 
 
 Seventh-day, 6 mo. 2, we were again on the point of making 
 the harbour, when the weather suddenly became thick and 
 squally and the land completely obscured ; under these cir- 
 cumstances, from the peculiar and dangerous nature of the 
 coast, the captain durst not proceed, and we once more 
 reluctantly stood out to sea. During that day and night, the 
 wind being from the south, we were driven past our port 
 nearly to the northern extremity of the island. 
 
 On First-day morning, 6 mo. 3, the wind moderated, and 
 by midnight we were enabled to regain our position opposite 
 Macquarie Harbour, which we kept near during the night by 
 tacking to and fro. At break of day we looked out with much 
 solicitude, hoping to see land, but the weather was cloudy, and 
 it was some time before we could know with certainty our 
 situation with respect to the harbour. Until this was ascer- 
 tained, whilst we were advancing towards the shore, it was a 
 time of anxiety, as a mistake might be attended with fatal 
 results. There are few places of more difficult access. There 
 is a party of men stationed to give notice by signals when a 
 vessel is in sight, whether it is safe to approach or otherwise, 
 and a pilot is constantly on the spot to conduct her into the 
 harbour. 
 
 As we approached the Heads or entrance, many an eye was 
 strained to interpret the signal, which we expected every 
 moment to see hoisted ; but we had not been seen. After 
 proceeding as far as was safe, the captain had deter- 
 mined on again going out to sea, and we had actually tacked 
 for the purpose, when, happily, we were observed, and a 
 flag was hoisted, signifying that we might approach. As 
 we advanced and the water became shallower, the waves 
 became more broken and agitated ; the swell of the sea caused 
 the vessel to knock about as if hardly manageable, and the 
 waves broke with a tremendous noise over the rocks. We 
 watched with great anxiety for the pilot, a man being stationed 
 at the mast-head, for we could see but a very short distance 
 from the deck in consequence of the swell. Soon the bout 
 was seen mounting occasionally on the top of a wave, then 
 apparently engulphed in the deep ; and as I witnessed the 
 pilot board our vessel, whilst the boat with six men returned,
 
 58 ENTRANCE OF MACQUARIE HARBOUR. [1832. 
 
 I could not but regard the whole proceeding as a fine specimen 
 of intrepidity, the pilot commencing his instructions when at 
 the distance of a gunshot from the vessel, as he mounted on 
 the top of the wave in his little skiff, built expressly for the 
 purpose of encountering a heavy sea. There is a small portion of 
 the bar about twice the length of the ship, where the waves break 
 with less force than elsewhere. Here we crossed in eleven feet 
 water without touching, which it was expected we should have 
 done, in which case the sea would in all probability have 
 broken completely over the vessel. Through the favour of 
 Providence we thus escaped the danger, for the moment we 
 were across the bar we were in still water. Passing between 
 the rocks called " Hell's Grates," we made a winding course 
 through a succession of shallows into deep water, and proceeded 
 in a direct course to Sarahs Island, on which the settlement is 
 situated. 
 
 During the six days we have been at sea since leaving Port 
 Davey, our situation has often appeared critical from the 
 nature of the coast and the severity of the weather. I never 
 so vividly realized the prospect of death as during this period, 
 and my mind was introduced into very close heart-searching 
 and self-examination as to the ground of my hope, should we be 
 permitted to fall a prey to the deep. What rendered me for 
 a time truly tempest- tossed, was, that my soul could not attain 
 to that degree of assurance and entire resignation to the 
 divine will that I have on former occasions of trial been 
 favoured to attain, although, with gratitude I may acknow- 
 ledge, that I was never left wholly ,to my fears, but had some 
 seasons of consolation that bore up my head above the waves 
 of temptation. How unavailing is every ground of hope at 
 such a time, but that which is built upon the immutable Rock 
 of Ages. If we had nothing to trust to but our own merits, 
 or anything that we have done or are in ourselves, surely the 
 Christian would be of all men most miserable, because whilst 
 he feels the futility of such hopes, the awful realities of another 
 world are more vividly before him, and he would shrink with 
 the more horror from encountering them. But thanks be to 
 God, there is strong consolation to those who have fled for 
 refuge to the hope set before them in the Grospel ; and this
 
 CHAP. 4.] ARRIVAL AT THE PENAL SETTLEMENT. 59 
 
 consolation, through the mercy of (rod, was eventually realized 
 by my soul, and allayed my fears. And though after that, 
 I cannot say I was on all occasions divested of momentary 
 trepidation, yet my soul could confide in living faith on that 
 Almighty Saviour who careth for the least of his children, and 
 can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and in the 
 sweet assurance of whose mercy I could regard the hour of 
 death without dismay. 
 
 Sarahs Island, on which the Penal Settlement is situated, is 
 about two miles in circumference, and about twenty-three 
 miles from the mouth of the harbour. We anchored within 
 a quarter of a mile of the settlement, and in a few minutes the 
 Commandant, Major Baylee, the Commissary, and the Surgeon 
 came on board. \Ve were the first, as the Governor had told us 
 before we left Hobart Town, who had ever volunteered to go 
 to Macquarie Harbour, and before our letter of introduction 
 could be read, the Major invited us to his house. He gave up 
 his own bed to J. Backhouse, and I lodged with J. A. Manton, 
 at the house appropriated to the resident missionary. 
 
 5th. After breakfasting with the Commandant, he walked 
 with us through the Island. One of the chief employments of 
 the convicts is felling timber for the use of the colony. A 
 considerable number are employed in ship and boat-building. 
 A number of brigs, schooners, sloops, &c. from 15 to 130 
 tons burden, with whaling and other boats, have been 
 launched from the dockyard. Besides these leading occu- 
 pations, a variety of handicraft trades are pursued. The ships 
 and boats, it is worthy of note, have been built by prisoners 
 who have received their instruction in the art almost wholly 
 from David Hoy, the master shipwright, only tlireo individuals, 
 during some years that the latter has superintended, having 
 previously been initiated into the art. The men engaged in 
 cutting timber are divided into gangs with an overseer at the 
 head of each. They are stationed on different parts of the main, 
 which, in almost every direction, is covered with forest ; the 
 few open places that are to be seen are found, on a nearer 
 examination, to be overrun with almost impenetrable brush- 
 wood.
 
 60 OCCUPATIONS AND DISCIPLINE. [1832. 
 
 We dined this day with Major Baylee. He is an Irishman, 
 and has much of that openness and cordiality of manner for 
 which his countrymen are noted, and is of warm feelings and 
 a compassionate heart. Former Commandants made themselves 
 hated by their severity, conceiving no doubt that severity was 
 the most effectual means of keeping the prisoners in proper 
 subordination. If we may judge however from the lessened 
 number of offences and consequent punishments, and of attempts 
 to escape from the settlement, what may be termed indulgence 
 is more beneficial in promoting these ends ; although this in- 
 dulgence, in the severe discipline of the place, is little more 
 than lessened severity. Corporal punishment is now more 
 seldom resorted to ; in place of it solitary confinement on 
 bread and water is adopted. Strict attention is paid to the 
 merits and demerits of the prisoners ; those privileges which 
 are at the Commandant's disposal, consisting in promo- 
 tion to offices of greater responsibility or ease, being in- 
 variably dispensed to the deserving, while the best-behaved 
 are recommended to the favour of the Governor at head- 
 quarters, who then issues an order for their return to town, 
 the great object of their wishes next to entire liberty. By this 
 judicious mode of procedure, Major Baylee seems to have 
 effected more in the maintenance of order and discipline than 
 his predecessors, whilst he has gained the confidence of the 
 prisoners. One of them observed to us, when alluding to the 
 treatment they experienced under his command, " There is 
 not a man on the island but would go through fire and water 
 for the Commandant." Several more who were present 
 acquiesced in this expression. The four families of the 
 Commandant, Commissary, Surgeon and Missionary, live on 
 terms of the greatest intimacy, more like members of one 
 large family than anything else. These are the only free 
 persons on the island, with the exception of twO individuals 
 who fill inferior stations, and the soldiers, of whom there are 
 forty. 
 
 6th. After breakfasting with the Major we were shown by 
 him through some of the buildings. The cells for solitary 
 confinement are seven feet by three feet each. We recognized
 
 ClIAP. 4.] * RECKLESSNESS OF PRISONERS. 61 
 
 in one of them a man who had insulted the sergeant during the 
 passage, and who having being appointed constable, was 
 considered peculiarly culpable for becoming a party to in- 
 subordination, and was therefore subjected to a few days 
 solitary confinement. The prisoners are allowed but two 
 meals in the day. * Their breakfast at eight o'clock, consists 
 of porridge, made from flour or oatmeal and water. They 
 have nothing more until six in the evening when their most 
 substantial meal takes place. Their rations are lj Ibs. of 
 bread-meal and one pound of potatoes daily ; and four pounds 
 of salt pork or seven pounds of salt beef weekly. The low 
 scale of rations forms no inconsiderable part of their punish- 
 ment, at least to the majority, though it is quite adequate for 
 the preservation of health. No spirits are allowed, and this is an 
 admirable plan for starving out the depraved appetite for drink, 
 with wliich many are burdened when they arrive. At the 
 same time this very circumstance must highly conduce to the 
 maintenance of sound health. The brawny athletic figures of 
 the greater number, and the clearness of their complexions are 
 striking proofs of the benefits to be derived from an ab- 
 stemious regimen, however irksome it may be to the individual 
 who is subjected to it. f 
 
 There is a small island called Grummet Island, about three- 
 quarters of a mile from the Settlement, and more in the centre 
 of the harbour, where the most refractory are lodged at night, 
 being transported thither in a boat, which is attended by 
 another containing a guard of soldiers. The Commandant 
 caused us to be rowed thither. It is a rocky islet, over which 
 
 * I find that those who choose to divide their rations so as to make throe 
 meals, are allowed to do so. G. W. W. 
 
 t Under a later date G. W. Walker notices the low rate of mortality at the 
 Settlement : From official reports it appears that the deaths are but eight 
 annually with an average of 283 convicts, or in other words, one in 35. In 
 England they arc, I believe, one in 32 ; in Hobart Town one in 23. How are 
 we to account for this difference in favour of M acquarie Harbour, where tho 
 number of casualties is so great that about five out of the eight meet with their 
 death, by accident or in a violent manner ? The solution of this question is not 
 difficult, when wo consider that spirits arc prohibited, and that the prisoners 
 have not the means of obtaining them ; this added to the spare diet and laborious 
 occupations in a mild, though humid climate, accounts for the healthy state of 
 the population. (7 mo. 6.)
 
 62 REFORMED PRISONER. 
 
 the waves break during the north-westerly gales, nearly to its 
 summit. The ground is covered with weeds and rank grass 
 where there is any soil. In whiter it is extremely cold. We 
 went into a fissure of the rock on the southern side called 
 " Murderer's Cave," in consequence of the number who have 
 been murdered there. We were also shown the stains of blood 
 that yet remained on the floor of their large apartment, where 
 a poor fellow-creature met his fate very recently. Such is 
 the weariness of life induced by long confinement and the 
 dreary monotony of the settlement, that murders have been 
 committed avowedly for the purpose of causing the parties 
 concerned to be removed to Hobart Town for trial, so as to 
 afford some change of scene. It is said also to have been an 
 expedient for the same purpose with the hardened and more 
 designing of these wretched men, to prompt others to the 
 commission of murder, that they themselves might be taken 
 thither as witnesses. We were glad to hear that this aceldama 
 had not been much resorted to since the present Commandant 
 came into office. 
 
 We visited an evening school for the prisoners. One of the 
 more assiduous was learning to write with his left hand. He 
 was a man of notoriously bad character, a great swearer and 
 bruiser, but about a year ago, by accident, he burnt his arm 
 so severely as to render amputation necessary. The case was 
 a very critical one, and he narrowly escaped with his life. 
 During his illness, divine grace wrought a change in his 
 heart, and the Commandant describes him as one of the best 
 and most inoffensive men in the Settlement. His countenance 
 is remarkably expressive of " a meek and quiet spirit," and 
 before I was at all acquainted with his history, it attracted my 
 notice. He speaks in terms of great humility and gratitude 
 of the dealings of God with his soul, describing his affliction 
 as the greatest blessing that had ever been conferred on him. 
 
 7th. Shortly after breakfast a boat with six men was in 
 readiness to conduct us to the opposite side of the harbour, to 
 Philip's Island Creek, where a gang is at work felling timber. 
 J. A. Manton was of the party, and we had the men assembled 
 for worship, when much counsel was imparted. They were
 
 CHAP. 4.] HALLIDAY'S ISLAND. 63 
 
 still and attentive. From the nature of the ground, and from 
 having to work much in the water, the labour is of a most 
 arduous and disagreeable kind. 
 
 8th. The day being fine, Major Baylee proposed taking us 
 to another spot on the mainland, on the south" side of the 
 harbour, called Four-niile-point. A small party of men are 
 employed here in burning charcoal. On our way we visited 
 a small islet covered with grass and low shrubs that is 
 used as a burial-place for the prisoners. It is called Halli- 
 day's Island, from the name of the first who was interred 
 there. About seventy persons have been deposited here. 
 The place reminded me of those affecting words of Job ; 
 " There the prisoners rest together." A post is placed 
 at the head of each grave with the initials and date ; some 
 bearing an affecting testimony also to the depravity of our 
 fallen species in the addition of the word " murdered," men- 
 tioning the name of the victim with that of the perpetrator, 
 and the time and place at length. There is something pecu- 
 liarly mournful in the contemplation of this spot, where, under 
 circumstances of peculiar degradation, secluded from those who 
 were once dear to them, as well as from the world at large, 
 and generally after a life of crime and misery, having no hope 
 and without God in the world, these human beings (having 
 also immortal souls) have been, in this furthest corner of the 
 earth, consigned to the dust, that " house appointed for all 
 living." Surely man that is without understanding as to 
 his immortal interests " is like the beasts that perish." 
 
 10th. First-day. We attended three meetings for divine 
 worship, which are the regular services of the Sabbath. The 
 first is held in the large workshop, where the prisoners are 
 required to attend. Singing and prayer, with a select portion of 
 the Scriptures, and a sermon by J. A. Mantou from the words, 
 " The living know that they shall die," were the devotional 
 exercises. J. A. Manton spoke with weight, and I thought, 
 with demonstration and power from on high. My companion 
 also spoke in a measure of gospel authority. After dining 
 with Dr. Dermor, we attended an assembly of the military 
 and officers of the establishment, when J. A. Manton read the
 
 64 BLACK PIHSOXKR. [1832. 
 
 afternoon church service, at the conclusion of which J. Back- 
 house addressed the audience, and afterwards supplicated. 
 After taking tea at the Mission House, we were present at a 
 meeting of those who chose to assemble in the large room of 
 the Penitentiary. Here both J. A. M. and J. B. were again 
 drawn out in testimony and prayer, to our edification and 
 comfort. Though the congregation consisted almost exclu- 
 sively of men who have been banished for their crimes, I could 
 not but secretly rejoice, that there were present those who 
 I believe were living members of the church of Christ, and 
 who by their emotion proclaimed the lively interest they felt 
 in the truths that were declared. 
 
 llth. Major Baylee, Dr. Dermor and wife and the Com- 
 missary joined J. B. and myself at the table of my host at the 
 mission-house, where we spent the latter part of the day in 
 social converse. The doctor's wife takes an interest in the 
 prosperity of the cause of religion here ; she has a numerous 
 family of small children, and no female servant, their only 
 attendant being one of the prisoners. The prisoner whom 
 J. A. Manton has assigned to him as a servant is considered 
 the most valuable domestic on the Island. His name is 
 Thomas Day. His parents were slaves of Spanish Town in 
 Jamaica, and he is of sable complexion, though of intelligent 
 countenance. His owner wanting to dispose of him brought 
 him to Bermuda, where he succeeded in getting on board a 
 ship with the hope of a passage to England. The captain 
 would not receive him however without a certificate of his 
 freedom. Not foiled by this disappointment he bribed a 
 soldier to befriend him by forging the necessary document 
 which he himself dictated. To his great joy the artifice 
 was not detected, and he succeeded in reaching the 
 British shores. He made several voyages as a free man 
 and a sailor, and also filled at one time the station of a 
 gentleman's servant. Falling into bad company, he was 
 induced to violate the law, and was sent to this country. He 
 was transported to Macquarie Harbour where he joined five 
 others in an attempt to escape. The party surprised the 
 pilot at the Heads, and after pillaging him of his property
 
 CHAP. 4.] CONVERSION OF THOMAS DAY. 65 
 
 and his boat, would have put him to death but for the inter- 
 vention of Day, who bj this time began to repent of the 
 undertaking. They put to sea in the boat, but the pilot 
 having released himself from his bonds and obtained assistance, 
 the runaways were pursued, overtaken, and committed to the 
 gaol at Hobart Town. It was here that this poor black, under 
 the daily expectation of being sentenced to expiate his crimes 
 on the scaffold, and conscious that he was unprepared for such 
 a change, was induced to lend an ear to the voice of instruction, 
 and through the instrumentality of a "Wesleyan Missionary 
 named Benjamin Carvosso, became a devout believer in the 
 doctrine of redemption through a Saviour's blood. His 
 accomplices were executed, but in consequence of having 
 saved the life of the pilot, Thomas Day was remanded back 
 to Macquarie Harbour, his life being granted him. From 
 that time, a period of nearly three years, he has been a humble 
 and consistent Christian. These particulars of his history 
 I had from himself ; they are corroborated by others ; and 
 every one speaks of him as a most worthy, industrious and 
 moral man. It does me good to see how cheerfully he moves 
 about his duties. He is up every morning by five, brushing 
 and scrubbing and putting the house in order; but it is 
 especially delightful to contemplate him as a trophy of divine 
 grace, which I trust, shall never be plucked from his Almighty 
 Saviour's hand. 
 
 17th. First-day. We attended three religious meetings as 
 on last First-day, in all of which my companion was engaged 
 in gospel labour, and I hope many were edified. I could not 
 help thinking however, that to the majority, the glad tidings 
 of the gospel were too much as a language unknown. How 
 often do I long for a return of those favoured seasons in which 
 I had the privilege of meeting on these days with numbers of 
 my brethren in religious fellowship, whose lively spiritual 
 exercises drew down more "evident blessings from above, when 
 the presence of the Highest would overshadow our meetings. 
 The meetings at this place are not entirely destitute of 
 life ; but though some faint touches of divine love are ex- 
 perienced in them, it has generally speaking been with me
 
 66 RUNAWAY PRISONERS, [1832. 
 
 a time of poverty and depression, and my best seasons have 
 been rather in private than on public occasions. During these 
 seasons of comparative desertion, the remembrance of my dear 
 Mends is a great comfort, believing we have their sympathy 
 and prayers. 
 
 20th. We went again to Philip's Island Creek, where we 
 had the men, about twenty, assembled, and J. A. M. and J. B. 
 engaged in religious service with them. I found that the 
 representation made to the Commandant after our first visit 
 o this gang had been attended to. Their ration of bread had 
 been increased f Ib. and the one pound of potatoes withheld. 
 This change the men considered advantageous. We saw and 
 conversed with a man who absconded from the settlement 
 some years ago with several others. They took their route 
 along the coast in the direction of Port Davey. On reaching 
 that desolate part they were unable to proceed further, from 
 exhaustion. One perished for want of food. The survivors 
 were found by the crew of a government vessel in a cave, and 
 were thus saved from inevitable destruction. * 
 
 From hence we proceeded to Philip's Island, where we also 
 had a religious opportunity with the men. We had many 
 
 * Under another date ft. W. W. gives the following particulars of the 
 number and fate of runaway convicts, from the formation of the Settlement in 
 1822. In the five years, 138 attempted to effect their escape ; in the second 
 term of four years and a half, the number was thirty-one. Total 1 69. Of these 
 sixty-two * perished in the woods, besides nine who were murdered by their 
 companions and several whose fate was doubtful. Fifty-seven were re-captured 
 and taken back to Mucquarie Harbour. Six only were known to have effected a 
 complete escape. " How irksome," he observes, " must be the discipline which 
 induces them to run such risks to get away from it, when the odds are so 
 fearfully against them. A considerable proportion of those murdered by their 
 companions are supposed to have been devoured by them ; for it is a horrid but 
 undoubted fact that on several occasions, when a party of men have determined 
 on taking to the bush, some unsuspecting simple man has been inveigled into 
 the conspiracy for the express purpose of furnishing food. And when only 
 two or three have been left, the dreadful state of excitement in which they 
 have lived, each watching his opportunity to take advantage of his companions 
 to destroy them, has been described by survivors, as a state of the most complete 
 wretchedness that can be conceived, and affords a melancholy picture indeed 
 of human depravity. (6 mo. 26.) 
 
 * This number should be larger. See Report from the Committee on Trans- 
 portation, 1838.
 
 CHAP 4.] DEPARTURE^FROM THE SETTLEMENT. 67 
 
 good wishes that we might have a prosperous voyage, from 
 the men composing these gangs, who seem grateful for the 
 interest we take in their concerns. Nor was it without feelings 
 of sincere commiseration that we bade them farewell. They 
 have to endure great hardships and have little to contribute 
 to their comfort outwardly, and perhaps still less inwardly. 
 
 In the afternoon we saw our things put on board the Tamar 
 which has received all her cargo, and is to sail to-morrow 
 morning if the wind holds. In the evening we attended the 
 week-day meeting for such prisoners as incline to attend. I 
 thought it a solemn meeting. After it was terminated the 
 books composing the library of which we were the originators 
 were distributed for perusal. Several benevolent persons 
 in Hobart Town have made additions, and there is now 
 a very fair collection. We proceeded to take leave of our 
 friends, particularly the Commissary and Doctor's families. 
 Major Baylee and J. A. Manton proposed accompanying us 
 to the mouth of Macquarie Harbour. 
 
 21st. The vessel got under way at seven A. M. Fourteen 
 prisoners returning to Hobart Town were of the ship's com- 
 pany. We had a delightful sail as far as the anchorage on the 
 inside of the bar. The pilot had joined us some miles up the 
 harbour, but he did not deem it safe to attempt crossing the 
 bar. Major Baylee, J. A. Manton, J. Backhouse and myself 
 accompanied the pilot to his residence, where we were hos- 
 pitably entertained. We parted from our friends with regret. 
 We have felt much unity with J. A. Manton ; and as for the 
 hospitality and friendly offices of the Commandant, they could 
 hardly have been exceeded, and will ever merit our grateful 
 recollection. We returned to the vessel in the pilot's boat. 
 In the course of the afternoon the pilot sounded on the bar 
 and found 8 J feet of water. 
 
 On the 22nd the wind set in from the north-west, 
 and continued stormy and with heavy rain at inter- 
 vals, so as to render it unsafe to attempt crossing the 
 bar, till the 8th of the 7th month. In the mean 
 time the Friends employed themselves in Imparting
 
 68 AWAKENED PRISONERS. [1832. 
 
 religious instruction to the prisoners and others on 
 board the Tamar, and to the prisoners and soldiers 
 at the pilot's station. 
 
 The following are extracts from the notes of 
 Gr. W. Walker during this period. 
 
 26th. I have conversed with some of the prisoners who 
 have become serious, on the subject of their privations, to 
 ascertain how they felt after their minds had become changed 
 and brought under the influence of the gospel. It is pleasing 
 to learn, that it has had the effect of reconciling them to their 
 situation in a remarkable degree, so that some who were con- 
 tinually hankering after liberty, and ever scheming for the 
 purpose of bringing it about, now go about their occupations 
 with light hearts, acknowledging that the service of the Lord is 
 indeed perfect freedom even under the most inauspicious outward 
 circumstances. Several have voluntarily proposed staying on 
 the settlement when they might have been removed to Hobart 
 Town, although before becoming serious they had absconded 
 with that view. Now they feared being placed more in the 
 way of temptation by being transferred to the scene of their 
 former haunts and vicious associations. There are two now 
 on board to whom these remarks are peculiarly applicable. 
 They are living proofs of the truth of ChristV declaration, that 
 " to whom much is forgiven the same loveth much." Their 
 contentment, humility and fervency of spirit is indeed quite 
 instructive. 
 
 7 mo. 1. First-day. "We met twice with the ship's company. 
 In the morning, besides the instructive counsel imparted by 
 J. Backhouse, a young man named Richard Edwards (known 
 here by that name though it is not his real one) made a few 
 remarks with great simplicity and feeling, inviting those 
 around him to partake of those blessings freely offered in the 
 gospel of Christ, of which he was a partaker. It was a great 
 comfort to us to hear such a testimony borne by one under his 
 circumstances. This is one of the individuals to whom I 
 have alluded as preferring to remain on the settlement had 
 Providence opened the way for it.
 
 CHAP. 4.] DEPARTURE FROM MACQUARIE HARBOUR. 69 
 
 On the 3rd we crossed the neck of land which intervenes 
 between our present anchorage and the sea. The land is 
 overgrown with a short brush- wood composed of various kinds 
 of shrubs that in some situations become trees. Where the 
 water had accumlated, the Swamp Tea-tree was abundant, 
 forming a shrub so dense as to be nearly impassable. We 
 forced our way through a short space where a creeping-plant 
 called the Macquarie Harbour Vine had entwined itself in 
 great luxuriance around the young Tea-trees. It bears a 
 small white berry which is but a bad substitute for grapes. 
 Such is the rapidity of its growth that one planted by 
 J. Woolrabe, the commissary, six months ago, in front of 
 his house of one story, has covered the verandah to the height 
 of the roof, extending also the full breadth of the house. It is 
 highly ornamental and very umbrageous. 
 
 8th. First-day. In our morning meeting Richard Edwards 
 again gave expression to a few sentences in the way of 
 exhortation to his fellow-prisoners. He also continued the 
 voice of supplication after J. Backhouse. 
 
 In the afternoon the pilot ordered the anchor to be weighed, 
 and the weather being nearly calm, we were towed round 
 Wellington Head, and dropped anchor in a situation to avail 
 ourselves of the first breeze that might spring up in our favour 
 the following morning. 
 
 9th. The sea having considerably subsided and a light 
 breeze springing up, we got under way, while the pilot's 
 crew towed the vessel ahead; and about four o'clock we 
 reached the bar. There was a heavy swell but the waves did 
 not often break. We were favoured to pass at a very opportune 
 juncture, when the tide was about turning, and in a lull of 
 the sea, so that the soundings were not less than eleven feet. 
 In case of striking, the danger is greater in going out than in 
 coming in, the swell running contrary to the course of the 
 ship, and driving her broadside on the spit or shallow, where 
 the sea continually breaks with a noise not a little appalling. 
 After eighteen days' delay at the mouth of the harbour we 
 stood out to sea, the pilot leaving us as soon as we had cleared 
 the large rock culled the Bung-Borer.
 
 70 ARRIVAL IN IIOBART TOWN. [1832. 
 
 llth. A series of light breezes prevailed during yesterday 
 and urged us onwards with a slow but favourable advance 
 along the coast. After dark the wind blew a steady breeze 
 that enabled us to double South- West Cape before midnight. 
 About ten we were fairly into the Channel and were soon in 
 still water. A couple of Whale-boats came alongside and in- 
 formed us that it was currently reported in Hobart Town that 
 we were lost. About dusk the wind being adverse we came 
 to an anchor eight or nine miles from the extremity of the 
 channel which opens into Storm Bay, having been two days 
 in coming from Macquarie Harbour. 
 
 13th. This morning we arrived in Sullivan's Cove. On 
 landing we received many hearty congratulations from our 
 friends, who had entertained considerable apprehensions for 
 the safety of the vessel. Our hearts were gladdened in meeting 
 once more our many valued acquaintances in this place, and 
 in tracing the providential care that had been exercised on 
 our behalf, prolonging our lives for the prosecution of the 
 work assigned us. We waited on the Governor, who had been 
 very uneasy about us, as we had been seen by some whalers 
 in the commencement of the heavy gale tjiat drove us into 
 Port Davey, and from the nature of the coast, it was reasonably 
 conjectured, that unless we had made that port, not having put 
 back, we must have foundered.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SOJOURN IN HOBART TOWN, VISIT TO RICHMOND, ETC. 
 
 DURING their first sojourn in Hobart Town, James 
 Backhouse and George W. Walker, though they 
 became united in Christian friendship with many 
 pious individuals, found none to join them in their 
 simple, primitive mode of worship. But after their 
 return from Macquarie Harbour, they began to be 
 joined by a few persons of like mind with themselves, 
 whom the ceremonies and services of other religious 
 communities could mot satisfy, and who valued the 
 Headship of Christ in his church, practically carried 
 into effect, and the guidance of his Spirit in worship 
 and ministry, above all human ordinances. Some of 
 the first to unite with them were convicts, from which 
 class, we have already seen, there were raised up in 
 Tasmania, not a few witnesses to the power of divine 
 grace. Others were free settlers or colonists ; and 
 a few belonged to the Society of Friends in England. 
 The number who were thus collected under the pas- 
 toral care of the two Friends was small ; but the 
 little church thus gathered has maintained itself in 
 a respectable condition, and as their fellow-christians 
 of other denominations would readily admit, has 
 rendered good sendee to the Colony. 
 
 The Journal, on their again taking up a temporary 
 abode at Hobart Town, records many particulars of 
 gospel labour and of Christian intercourse with re- 
 ligious individuals.
 
 72 WESLEYANS. [1832. 
 
 1832. 7 mo. 14. Our former landlady's house being full, 
 we have engaged lodgings with Thomas and Sarah Crouch, a 
 young couple, members of the Wesleyan connexion ; they are 
 exemplary persons, who walk in the divine fear, and are 
 teachers in " Sunday Schools." 
 
 The Methodists certainly succeed in drawing out the gifts 
 of their members ; and though their efforts may sometimes 
 lead to a kind of zeal that needs to be tempered by prudence, 
 I feel that some of us, who have readily adopted this sentiment, 
 may have erred still wider from the mark, in our defect of 
 zeal. This is truly applicable to myself. 
 
 15th. First-day. In the afternoon J. Hiddlestone and 
 J. Leach joined us at our meeting. The latter stood up and 
 made some lively remarks on those words of the apostle John, 
 so full of consolation and import ; " God is love." J. Back- 
 house offered vocal thanksgiving for that sense of the Divine 
 Presence which was vouchsafed to our small company, under 
 the feeling of which our hearts were knit together in love. 
 J. Hiddlestone acknowledged that " it had been a gracious 
 season to his soul." 
 
 We believed it best to attend the evening meeting at the 
 Methodist chapel, where J. Leach was to officiate. We were 
 glad we did attend, as it gave us an opportunity of hearing 
 him preach, and publicly advocate the doctrines we approve, 
 and of which his life and conversation appear to be a bright 
 reflection. There are those who, envious at his zeal and 
 success, disparage his labours, and insinuate that his doctrines 
 are unsound. He is however living down evil report. 
 
 19th. We had an opportunity of striving to remove some 
 misconceptions with regard to the proceedings of our Wesleyan 
 friends. Each day that passes, if possible, shows me in a more 
 convincing point of view, the danger we run into in judging of 
 the motives of others, and how liable good men are to mis- 
 interpret one another's actions and motives, and by their harsh 
 strictures and inveterate prejudices, to bring reproach on the 
 cause of Christianity. " Judge not that ye be not judged," 
 should be the watch- word of every Christian. May it at least 
 be mine, remembering that " to his own master" every man 
 must stand or fall.
 
 CHAP. 5.] JOHN LEACH. 73 
 
 20th. We had an interview with our Mend John Leach, 
 who related many interesting faots connected with his labours 
 in the Gospel in this place. On his first settling here from 
 an apprehension of religious duty, his mode of procedure was, 
 to devote two or three days of the week to provide for his 
 maintenance, by working at his business, which is that of a 
 cabinet-maker. The residue of his time was chiefly employed 
 in visiting from house to house, holding discourse with the 
 inmates, and stimulating them to the use of those means which 
 are of divine appointment, for spiritual instruction and edifica- 
 tion ; such as the attendance of public worship, reading the 
 Scriptures, &c. and where there was an opening, engaging in 
 prayer or other gospel labour. Going about in this dis- 
 interested and unostentatious way, he was the instrument in 
 the Divine Hand of turning many to righteousness, numbers 
 of whom remain faithful to this day. The Methodists, with 
 whom he was connected, seeing his usefulness, and with a view 
 to promote it still more effectually, proposed to engage him as 
 a permanent labourer in their church, and in this he ultimately 
 acquiesced. But though I have no doubt they were influenced 
 by the best intentions, I much call in question the advantage 
 they had anticipated being realized. From his own statement, 
 it is probable his labours were as extensively blessed before 
 his permament engagement with the Society as since , and 
 his striking example of disinterestedness and devotion in the 
 cause, is in some degree impaired by hisjicceptance of a salary, 
 however small that may be. It has likewise introduced him 
 into more extensive congregations, for Avhich it is doubtful if he 
 is so well adapted as for those of less extent, from the weakness 
 of his lungs as well as from the character of his gifts. Though 
 I believe no change has taken place in his motives, I cannot 
 but entertain the belief, that had he continued to set forth the 
 same unequivocal example of faith, zeal, and disinterestedness 
 with which he set out, it would have tended in a still greater 
 degree to the furtherance of the Gospel, lie is however not 
 likely to be much longer a labourer in the vineyard, but will 
 in all probability soon bo liberated from all human trammels 
 by death. 
 
 22nd. First-day. Our morning mooting, in which wo were
 
 74 RELIGIOUS DISCUSSION. [1832. 
 
 alone, was a lively season. My dear companion was exercised 
 in fervent prayer, in the course of which he supplicated, that 
 we might be preserved from a sectarian spirit that would seek 
 to gather to a peculiar fold rather than to the universal church 
 of Christ ; and that we might not too strenuously inculcate 
 our peculiar views, as a Society, on those who might be turned 
 from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto 
 God ; but be willing to leave them to the guidance of the 
 Holy Spirit, which, would lead into all truth, and direct them 
 as to what part of the fold of Christ they should associate with. 
 The spirit of grace and supplication was remarkably prevalent, 
 under which our hearts were deeply bowed before the Grod 
 of the spirits of all flesh. 
 
 24th. Took tea with John and Hannah Barret, by whom we 
 were very kindly entertained. They are natives of Yorkshire, 
 who came out some years ago, and are doing well in the world, 
 though temporal pursuits do not exclusively occupy their atten- 
 tion : they are useful members of the Wesleyan connexion. 
 Here we met with Isaac Sherwin of Launceston, who proposed 
 our making his house our home whenever the time might arrive 
 for our paying a visit to that place. Esh Lovell, a leading 
 person among the Methodists, joined us ; and many questions 
 being asked with respect to doctrine and discipline, we had a 
 full opportunity of stating the views and practices of our 
 Society on many important points. Some discussion took 
 place, but unaccompanied by any heat or apparent feeling that 
 one was of Paul and another of Apollos, and that there was 
 accordingly no medium between cold reserve and angry con- 
 troversy. After a portion of the Scriptures had been read, my 
 companion engaged in prayer, in the course of which there 
 were many ejaculations of Amen. This is a practice that 
 prevails here, but not in as great a degree as in some 
 places in England. Though I have had frequent occasion 
 to mark and to respect the piety of those who adopt 
 it, I am decidedly of the opinion, that however the in- 
 dividual's own devotional feelings may be stimulated by 
 these ejaculations, they are not conducive to the edification of 
 others who may be present, but tend to divert from the
 
 CHAP. 5.] CONVERTED PRISONERS. 75 
 
 spirit of prayer, and interrupt that collected frame of mind 
 which is essential to such devotional exercises. 
 
 Three individuals called to converse on religious subjects in 
 the course of the afternoon. One of them has been a seafaring 
 man, and had just buried his wife; he was much dejected, 
 but seemed to derive some encouragement as we conversed 
 with him respecting her latter moments, which were enlivened 
 by the hopes of the gospel. The two others are young men 
 who came out as prisoners, but have adopted the sentiments 
 of the Methodists, and are an ornament to their profession. 
 They are reaping the advantage of their altered conduct, in a 
 temporal, as well as a spiritual sense, having gained the privilege 
 of a ticket-of-leave, by which they secure to themselves the fruits 
 of their own industry. One of them has married a respectable 
 young woman and is doing very well ; the other surprised us 
 with the extent of scriptural knowledge he evinced in conver- 
 sation, though it is but about twelve months since he became 
 a true Christian. We have furnished these young men several 
 times with a few tracts which they distribute among their 
 neighbours and acquaintance, occasionally changing them 
 from one to another. Having tasted the comfort of a 
 religious life, they seem extremely desirous that others should 
 participate in the blessings of the gospel. 
 
 25th. Fifth-day. Our meeting for worship held this fore- 
 noon was a silent one. I had great difficulty in attaining to 
 a settled state of mind, though peculiarly needing a renewal 
 of spiritual strength. I am deeply bowed under a sense of 
 my many deficiencies ; but though I have been a transgressor 
 and a backslider, times without number, from my youth to 
 the present moment, through the mercy of a long-suffering 
 God, I am not forsaken, nor yet without hope of becoming 
 more than conqueror through Christ who hath loved me and 
 given Himself for me, and without whose merits to purchase 
 such grace, I could never have entertained even a hope of 
 salvation. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift ! 
 
 We had a meeting with the prisoners in the Penitentiary, 
 which was crowded. Before we separated, J. B. stated to the 
 audience in a very impressive manner, a commission he had
 
 76 WINTER, MARRIAGE, ETC. [1832. 
 
 received from Robert Wright, the poor man with one arm at 
 Macquarie Harbour, who had desired him " to tell audacious 
 sinners, such as he had been, that though he had sunk into the 
 lowest depths of depravity, he had found mercy through belief 
 in Christ, and enjoyed a peace he had never before dreamt of, 
 and to invite them to become partakers of the same peace, by 
 the exercise of like faith in Christ." The attention of the 
 audience was powerfully rivetted. 
 
 27th. The Seventh month in Van Diemen's Land answers 
 to the First month in England. The middle of this day was 
 warm and pleasant, much like the warm days we have in 
 England in the Fifth month. There were indications around, 
 of the commencement of spring. The trees of the forests do 
 not present a materially different appearance in winter from 
 what they do in the height of summer ; but the young shoots 
 are now apparent. We noticed one species of Eucalyptus in 
 full flower, while the flower-buds only were formed on others. 
 Numbers of Honey-eaters small birds about the size of a 
 wren were hopping from branch to branch in those trees where 
 the flowers were expanding. A sweet honey-like substance 
 is secreted in the cups of the flowers, which these little crea- 
 tures extract, by means of their tongue, which is feathered. 
 Mount Wellington is capped with snow, and is a beautiful and 
 striking object from whatever direction it is viewed; it is 
 almost the only outward remembrancer that it is winter. 
 
 We had the company of some strangers to tea. The con- 
 versation took a turn that led to the discussion of the subject of 
 marriage ; and our views with respect to the importance of 
 such a step being taken in the fear of the Lord, and according 
 to his will, were fully stated. Eichard Davies' Life being 
 at hand, some of the more striking passages connected with 
 his matrimonial engagement were read, which led to further 
 development of our sentiments on this subject.* I afterwards 
 was informed that one of the parties present, a respectable 
 young woman attached to the Methodists, was in danger of 
 forming a connexion that was not approved by her father, 
 
 * An account of the Conviucemeut, &c., of Richard Davies. Fifth Edition 
 London, 1825, p. 38.
 
 CHAP. 5.] WILLIAM SHOOBRIDGE. 77 
 
 with a person who is not of a religious character. I admired 
 the providence by which, I cannot doubt, our conversation 
 was overruled for good. May it have the desired effect. 
 
 28th. Walked to the top of Woodman's Hill, to the^ 
 west of the town, which three months ago was unenclosed. 
 It is now divided into allotments, enclosed by wooden paling ; 
 and streets are marked out at right angles with each other. 
 The stranger's astonishment may be supposed to be not small, 
 when, in surveying the populous town at his feet, with its 
 suburbs branching in various directions, he is told that the 
 whole has sprung up within thirty years, before which time 
 the country was one wide wilderness nothing to be seen but 
 trackless forests on each side of the river. 
 
 29th. At our afternoon meeting we had the company of 
 J. - Hiddlestone, William Shoobridge, &c. W. Shoobridge 
 occasionally speaks in public amongst the Methodists, by 
 whom he is greatly esteemed. Unlike the generality of 
 their local preachers, he believes it best not to bring himself 
 under an obligation to speak at any particular time, but 
 prefers being left to act according to the present apprehension 
 of duty that may attend his mind. He lost his wife and 
 three children on the voyage to this land, and has had to 
 encounter many difficulties in providing for the necessities 
 of his remaining family. He has not omitted to inculcate 
 the principles of religion on their minds ; and he has the 
 satisfaction of seeing his labours blessed ; his cliildren are 
 treading in the steps of their worthy parent ; and his basket 
 and store have been replenished. He lives in a snug little 
 dwelling at no great distance from the town. He has named 
 his abode Providence Cottage, and the lad who was with him 
 this afternoon, Ebenezer, that he might be a standing monu- 
 ment that "hitherto the Lord hath helped him." As ho 
 recounts the dealings of the Lord with him, in terms of 
 adoration and fervent gratitude, the hearer is reminded of the 
 testimony of an experienced servant of God in ancient time, 
 who declared, that though once he was young and now was 
 old, yet had he " not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed 
 begging bread."
 
 78 WESLEYAN PRAYER MEETING. [1832. 
 
 30th. Two converted prisoners called on us for tracts. 
 One of them received his first religious impressions of an 
 abiding character at Macquarie Harbour, and was very useful 
 among his serious associates, in expounding the Scriptures 
 .to them. Since his removal here, having gained a ticket- 
 of-leave for good conduct, his zeal for the good of souls has 
 by no means abated. 
 
 In the evening we thought it right to attend a prayer- 
 meeting, which is held weekly in the Wesleyan chapel. When 
 we reached the spot a person was in the act of prayer, and 
 when he concluded, two verses of a hymn were sung ; another 
 person then engaged in prayer and a hymn* was again sung. 
 In this order I think six persons supplicated ; and though 
 there was a difference as to the degree of liveliness attending 
 the speakers, we thought there was much of the spirit of prayer 
 generally prevalent ; and I may acknowledge I felt my mind 
 strengthened and refreshed. Yet could the Methodists but 
 see the advantage of some intervals of stillness, in order that 
 the true qualification for such services as prayer and thanks- 
 giving might be sought for and recognized, apart from 
 external sources of excitement, I have no doubt these op- 
 portunities would be even more to edification than they 
 are. The time devoted to these exercises is not altogether 
 fixed ; the engagements of the evening are continued as long 
 as life is felt in them. But here also there is a danger of 
 erring ; and it would be much better, I conceive, to separate 
 under the feelings of divine influence, and to endeavour to 
 dwell under them, than to continue devotional exercises until 
 mind and body flag, and the sweet impressions and refresh- 
 ment fail. 
 
 A servant of the Governor was present ; and under the 
 expectation of accompanying the Governor's son to England, 
 he engaged in prayer for a blessing on the people he was 
 about to leave, and was particularly noticed in the supplica- 
 tions of the others. There was something very delightful in 
 witnessing the Christian interest for one another that prevailed 
 on the eve of separation. The Governor has had several 
 pious domestics in his service, and he mentioned to us on one 
 occasion, the singular manner in which he was apprized of the
 
 CHAP. 5.] GOVERNOR'S ALARM, ETC. 79 
 
 piety of one of them. Having been writing until a late 
 hour, after the family had retired, he heard an unusual noise 
 in a distant room of the house. Seizing a poker, and with a 
 light in his hand, he hastened to the spot, and suddenly 
 opening the door of the room, he observed the individual in 
 question on his knees, who was completely taken by surprise. 
 Such had been his fervency and abstraction of mind, that he 
 had forgotten to exercise that command of voice which the 
 hour and situation required. The Governor told him he was 
 glad to find him so profitably engaged, though it had 
 occasioned him some temporary alarm. The next day he 
 took an opportunity of conversing with the man, and was 
 delighted to find him a person of genuine piety. 
 
 31st. The evening was spent greatly to our satisfaction 
 with several of our Wesleyan friends. A great deal of lively 
 discussion took place on various religious topics, which were 
 treated upon with becoming deference to the diversity of 
 opinion which in minor points prevailed amongst us ; and 
 in a way that tended to warm our hearts and unite them 
 in the love of our common Saviour. My companion and 
 N. Turner offered thanksgiving for the harmony that 
 had prevailed, and for the precious union with tho Father 
 and with his Son Christ Jesus, and fellowship one with 
 another, which we had been favoured to feel, though our 
 allotments were in different and widely separated folds of the 
 universal church. 
 
 8 mo. 2. After dinner John Leach looked in upon us, and 
 at the same moment, a prisoner who returned with us from 
 Macquarie Harbour, called in obedience to our request. He 
 has been one of the select band at the Settlement who were 
 endeavouring to tread in the footsteps of the flock of Christ, 
 but, through the deceitfulness of sin, he had let a root of 
 bitterness spring up, which had nearly choked the good seed ; 
 and he had for some time before his departure, ceased to 
 associate with them. It was an interesting opportunity. 
 J. B. and J. L. were engaged in earnest prayer for this poor 
 halting believer, who made a very frank acknowledgment of 
 his sin, and of the misery he has been consequently plunged
 
 80 WESLEYAN BAND-MEETING. [1832. 
 
 into. When they ceased, he uttered a few broken petitions 
 to God whom he had offended, being contrited by divine 
 love and mercy. His aged parents, whom he had left alive 
 in England, seemed to be brought vividly to his remembrance, 
 and he concluded his supplications by craving the divine 
 blessing on their heads. 
 
 4th. Having received several invitations to attend a 
 band-meeting among the Methodists, we conclude to do so. 
 It is held once a fortnight, and is intended to afford an oppor- 
 tunity for the expression of religious experience by members 
 of the different classes. There are here six classes, containing 
 144 members. It is conducted in many respects like a class- 
 meeting. A number of persons, generally in a few words 
 and with apparent sincerity, stated their recent experience in 
 spiritual things, their present feelings of devotedness, gratitude, 
 and earnest desire after further attainments in the way of 
 holiness. Now and then N. Turner extended seasonable 
 counsel. There were frequent ejaculations when the speakers 
 gave indications of spiritual progress having been- made, 
 which I could not but think tended to counteract th"e 
 solemnity that sometimes, if not generally, was felt, to 
 prevail. Near the conclusion J. Backhouse made some in- 
 structive remarks on the importance of a close attention to the 
 operation of the Holy Spirit, who would impart to each, a true 
 sense of their condition ; and encouraged some, who under 
 close temptation, had described their faith as being unusually 
 low, not to be too much cast down when stripped of all their 
 former experience and made to feel their entire helplessness 
 and dependence on divine aid. There was much to favour the 
 belief that the majority of the assembly were hopeful reli- 
 gious characters, and actuated by the true spirit of devotion ; 
 yet I think there is some danger of the inexperienced or 
 confident being led to give expression in these meetings to 
 feelings partly the effect of excitement, and partly orginatin g 
 in a desire not to disappoint the hopes of their pious friends. 
 It may however be urged in reply, that every thing is liable 
 to abuse, and I am not prepared to assert that the answer is 
 not sufficient.
 
 CHAP. 5.] JOHN AYLIFFE. 81 
 
 6th. After taking tea with our kind friends, the Hiddle- 
 stones, we accompanied them to a missionary prayer-meeting, 
 held in the Methodist chapel once a month, to pray for a 
 blessing on the means that are in operation for the spread 
 of the gospel. Nathaniel Turner read extracts from the 
 Missionary Herald, part of which consisted of a communi- 
 cation from John Ayliffe, a missionary in South Africa, who 
 was originally a Spitalfields weaver, in the employment of 
 Peter Bedford. J. Backhouse requested permission to make 
 a few observations, which being readily granted, he very 
 feelingly directed attention to the state of the Aborigines of 
 this land, who are yet unprovided with religious instruction, 
 and recommended those who were concerned for the spiritual 
 welfare of their fellow-creatures, if it was in their power to 
 render them no other aid, to bear them in remembrance in their 
 prayers. He also alluded to the advantages of faithfulness to 
 God in our respective stations in life, and of a close attention to 
 individual duty, as pointed out to us by the Holy Spirit, who is 
 often pleased to make use of persons from the lowest walks of 
 life, to fulfil his gracious designs in connection with the sal- 
 vation of man, citing the example of the apostles, some of 
 whom were poor fishermen, and especially dwelling on that 
 of John Ayliffe, of whose labours they had just heard, 
 who, though a poor weaver, by yielding his will to divine 
 direction, had become a useful minister in the church of 
 Christ. I am sincerely glad we were at the meeting ; the 
 service of my dear companion was well received, several ex- 
 pressing to me their satisfaction with it. 
 
 7th. We held a meeting with the female prisoners at the 
 " Factory." Before the termination I believed it my place 
 to express a few words, pointing to the only means by which 
 we can become cleansed from our unrighteousness. 
 
 8th. Attended the Committee of the Temperance Society, 
 whoso operations will now, I trust, bo carried forward witli 
 spirit. We are provided with a book, having been put on the 
 committee, and hope to get the names of such as are friendly 
 to the principles of the institution, in those districts of the 
 Island which may not be accessible to others ; tliis wo shall
 
 82 SELF-DELUSION". [1832, 
 
 have a good opportunity of doing in the course of our pedes- 
 trian tours. 
 
 9th. Part of the day has been spent in packing up OUT 
 necessary items, to be sent with a stock of books and tracts by 
 sea to Launceston. Our minds have for some days been drawn 
 toward that place. It was relieving to me when my dear com- 
 panion disclosed to me his views on this subject ; and our united 
 conclusion with reference to it, left a sense of sweetness and 
 peace on my mind. May we be enabled to move in the fear 
 of the Lord, and in everything we undertake, be actuated by 
 a single desire for the promotion of his glory I 
 
 10th. For two days past the weather has been more severe 
 than we have before seen it. This morning the ground was 
 covered with snow. 
 
 llth. We were visited by a young man who was in the 
 service of a London house, as traveller, and became connected 
 in some swindling transactions, with one who lately suffered at 
 the gallows, and for which this man was sent out here for seven 
 years. This unhappy man professes to trace a series of narrow 
 escapes from death to a providential care exerted on his behalf; 
 and yet, on talking to him on the necessity of knowing the 
 blood of Jesus to cleanse him from all sin, and of that new 
 birth unto righteousness, which our Saviour declared must be 
 witnessed before any man can enter the kingdom of heaven, 
 he described himself as one that had " never been a great 
 sinner ! " I thought whilst sitting by him and reviewing my 
 own sins, I never saw in a more convincing light, that it is 
 not by works of righteousness that we are saved, but by the 
 washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Gfhost, 
 which God hath shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ 
 our Saviour, and that those who take any other ground are 
 indeed in a dark state. I felt it my duty to be very faithful 
 with this young man on the subject. 
 
 Before James Backhouse and George W. Walker 
 visited Launceston, two objects intervened to engage 
 their attention. The one was a tour amongst the
 
 CHAP. 5.] CLARENCE AND MUDDY PLAINS. 83 
 
 settlers on Clarence and Muddy Plains, and north- 
 wards as far as Richmond and Sorell ; the other 
 a visit to the Aborigines, in their new location on 
 Flinders Island. 
 
 Many of the colonists on Clarence and Muddy 
 Plains, which lie on the shore of the Derwent oppo- 
 site to Hobart Town, had been among the original 
 settlers on Norfolk Island, and had removed to this 
 part of Tasmania when that Island became a penal 
 settlement. Several of these were enslaved by vicious 
 habits, and were indifferent to their own spiritual 
 welfare ; but other settlers in this part of the Colony, 
 possessed much Christian experience, and some of 
 them were persons of wealth and influence. 
 
 J. B. and G. "W. W. crossed the Derwent in one of 
 the small boats which then plied between Hobart 
 Town and Kangaroo Point, and on the 16th pro- 
 ceeded over the sands of Ralph's Bay to the house of 
 Robert Mather, on Muddy Plains. 
 
 16th. Muddy Plains is a peninsula united to the main 
 land by a very narrow neck, not more than a quarter of a 
 mile across. R. M. was not at home. He is in the habit of 
 reading a part of the Church Sendee and a sermon on First- 
 days. Having a family of his owa and nine or ten servants, 
 and no chapel or church being near, he invites his neighbours 
 to attend. 
 
 18th. Returned to Robert Mather's. Here we met with 
 a truly Christian and hospitable reception. After dinner 
 R. M. was so kind as to dispatch messengers to the sur- 
 rounding settlers, to inform them of an intended meeting for 
 worship on his premises on the ensuing day. We spout' tho 
 evening very agreeably with him and his family, lie lias 
 four children ; his daughter Sarah is a remarkable proof of 
 the advantages that accrue to the cliildron of pious parents, 
 from their influence aud example. Her mother was the
 
 84 ROBERT MATHER AND FAMILY. [1832. 
 
 daughter of the late Joseph Benson, who, as an author, a man 
 of exalted piety, and a minister, was held in a more than 
 common degree of estimation. The late Ann Mather was 
 much of an invalid, and for many years before her death, 
 which took place ahout a year ago, was confined to the house. 
 Under her pious instructions her children have grown up, but 
 more particularly her daughter, all that a parent could well 
 wish them to be. 
 
 19th. First-day. We sat down in number short of thirty 
 persons, which, under the circumstances, passed for a large 
 congregation. My companion was enabled to labour faith- 
 fully with the people, turning them to the grace of (rod 
 revealed in the heart, by which they would be enabled to see 
 themselves as they really are in the sight of God, who cannot 
 be deceived. He adverted very feelingly to the baneful 
 practice of drinking spirits ; and turned attention to the use of 
 those means of edification which are of divine appointment, such 
 as prayer, the reading of the Scriptures, and attendance of 
 public worship. I hope some would be aroused from the 
 spiritual lethargy in which it is to be feared too many in this 
 neighbourhood have been living. The meeting being ended, 
 Robert Mather gave notice of his intention to open a Sunday 
 School for the children of his neighbours, promising, with 
 the help of his family, to instruct them in reading to the best 
 of his power. 
 
 To this mention of the family of Robert Mather, 
 it may be added, that he had been a hosier in Sun 
 Street, Bishopsgate Street, London, and that he 
 emigrated with several other families of Wesleyans, 
 in the hope of spreading the Gospel in Van Diemens 
 Land ; and that he took with him a copy of Barclay's 
 Apology, which had been given him in London, and 
 was one of a number of books that had been taken 
 from Edmund Fry, on a demand for church-rates. 
 After James Backhouse and George W. Walker's 
 visit, R. M. and some of liis family began to read
 
 CHAP. 5.] DEGRADED NOBLEMAN. 85 
 
 the Apology, and when the Friends subsequently 
 visited Muddy Plains, they found some of the Mathers, 
 to a considerable degree, prepared to unite with them 
 in Christian profession. Joseph Benson was a coad- 
 jutor of John Wesley : his Life contains a remarkable 
 account of his daughter Ann Mather's restoration 
 from a paralyzed state, by the divine blessing on 
 prayer and faith.* 
 
 27th. We breakfasted with Wm. T. Parramore, the police 
 magistrate of Richmond, and were joined afterwards by 
 John H. Butcher, also a magistrate of the district, who had 
 volunteered to conduct us to the houses of a few of the 
 neighbouring settlers. Our extreme limit was between five 
 and six miles beyond Richmond. We dined with Francis 
 Smith, an intelligent man of property, from Lindfield in 
 Sussex, who emigrated to this colony three or four years ago. 
 His wife is a native of St. Domingo, where he resided many 
 years, and was the confidential friend and private secretary of 
 the Emperor, Petion. His estate is one of the finest we have 
 seen, both for situation and soil ; from an elevated position 
 it resembles a gentleman's park. 
 
 Parting with our hospitable friend Francis Smith, we pur- 
 sued our walk back to Richmond, calling at a few houses on 
 the way. At one of the houses in this neighbourhood, there 
 is a person in the capacity of a servant, a prisoner, who is the 
 son of an English Marquis. My informant knew him when.in 
 England. The last place in which he met with him there, was 
 a ball-room, where his rank rendered him a person of con- 
 sideration. His first interview with him in this land, was in 
 consequence of some offence which had subjected the prisoner to 
 be brougfit before him as a magistrate, and punished. What 
 was the surprise of the magistrate (who told me the circumstance) 
 to see the individual whom he had once addressed as " my 
 Lord," standing before him a prisoner at the bar. Ho took 
 an early opportunity of conversing with him in private, and 
 learned, that ho and some of his bottle companions had 
 
 See also the Wt-ult-yan Methodist Magazine for April, 1836.
 
 86 F. COTTON AND DR. STORY. [1832. 
 
 robbed a fish-pond, in a frolic, but being apprehended and 
 convicted, tranportation for fourteen years was the penalty. 
 But there is great cause to presume that he had become in 
 other respects an utterly degraded and miserable man. After 
 the expiration of his term of strict servitude, he committed a 
 second crime, for which he was again sentenced ; and he is now 
 serving out the period of his bondage with a settler, who has 
 much difficulty in managing him, in consequence of his 
 drunkenness. The gentleman who narrated these particulars, 
 met with another convict, whom he had last seen at a hunting 
 party, but who, having taken to gambling and become a spend- 
 thrift, to help his finances, resorted to forgery, which resulted 
 in transportation to Van Diemens Land. How melancholy 
 to see persons thus throw away the advantages of birth, edu- 
 cation and character, and finally sink into degradation and 
 vice ! 
 
 The Friends returned to Hobart Town on the 
 3rd of the Ninth Month. Gr. W. Walker's journal 
 proceeds : 
 
 9 mo. 5. Francis Cotton of Great Swan Port, Oyster Bay, 
 called to see us. He is a young man for whom we feel much 
 interested ; he retains a strong attachment to the principles 
 of the Society of Friends, and is connected in his farming 
 pursuits with Dr. Story, the son of the late Greorge Story, 
 who was a remarkable man, and a minister among the 
 Methodists, and of whom a Memoir is extant. 
 
 6th. "We had some interesting converse with Richard 
 Edwards, who seems to be deepening in religious experience, 
 and in some points not comprehended by the wisdom of this 
 world, sees beyond many of his contemporaries. How desira- 
 ble to receive the kingdom of God as a little child ! 
 
 llth We called on the Governor, to request his permission 
 to visit Flinders Island, where the Aborigines are maintained ; 
 he readily granted our request. He had offered before to 
 give us a passage in the Charlotte cutter, but we were then 
 on the eve of our excursion to Sorell, &c. and. did not see our
 
 CHAP. 5.] PROPOSED MEETING. 87 
 
 way clear to put that by. The cutter has been detained by 
 causes that have intervened, but is now likely to sail in a 
 week or ten days, when we propose embarking in her. 
 
 18th. Called on a person who was once a member of 
 "Westminster meeting. He left his native land as a convict 
 about forty-two years since. He is uniformly spoken of as a 
 sober, moral man ; and that he should have remained such for 
 forty-two years, without the advantages of religious fellow- 
 ship, is much in his favour, and is probably what few have 
 done who have been exposed to similar temptations. He ex- 
 pressed much willingness to meet with us for divine worship, 
 on First-days, We also called on Thomas Squire, a member 
 of Hertford Montlily Meeting, who left England about three 
 years ago for the Swan River. He is also desirous to join us 
 in our meetings. 
 
 23rd. First-day We had a larger attendance at the 
 meeting for worship held at our lodgings than we have had on 
 any former occasion ; eighteen persons being present in the 
 forenoon, and in the afternoon, nineteen. 
 
 25th. Superintended the removal of our things on board 
 the Charlotte cutter. The mate J. Thornloe, a young man 
 from Doncaster, in Yorkshire, and who is to command the 
 vessel this voyage, has, with much civility, vacated one of the 
 berths, that we might both be accommodated, he himself 
 sleeping on the floor of the cabin.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 VISIT TO THE ABORIGINES ON FLINDERS ISLAND. 
 
 THE original inhabitants of Tasmania were of the 
 Negro race. They were few in number, and were 
 destitute of all traces of civilization, living on roots, 
 shell-fish and wild animals, and finding shelter in the 
 thicker parts of the forests, or in huts of the rudest 
 description. The first English settlers, at the com- 
 mencement of this century, instead of conciliating 
 the natives by kindness, rendered themselves a ter- 
 ror to them by their inconsiderate conduct, and the 
 natives in return, aroused to suspicion and hostility, 
 attempted to drive the intruders from their shores. 
 This led the Lieutenant Governor, Colonel Arthur, 
 about 1828, to organize a military expedition, the 
 object of which was, by means of a " cordon " drawn 
 across the island, to drive them into Tasman's penin- 
 sula, at the south-east corner of it. The attempt was 
 completely abortive, and would never have been 
 made if the nature of the country had been at all ac- 
 curately kown ; it being impossible that such a line 
 of operations could be maintained over the rugged 
 mountains and through the impenetrable forests, 
 which cover a large part of the island. After an ex- 
 penditure of some 27,000, the scheme was aban- 
 doned. It was then that the exertions of one man, 
 based on motives of humanity, effected what the 
 whole Colony had in vain tried to achieve by force.
 
 ClIAr. 6.] PENAL SETTLEMENT OF TORT ARTHUR. 89 
 
 This man was George Augustus Robinson, an 
 outline of whose self-sacrificing conduct has already 
 been given : we shall meet again with him in the 
 course of our history. 
 
 Flinders Island, to which he removed the remnant 
 of the helpless people whom he rescued from destruc- 
 tion, lies a little off the north coast of Tasmania, 
 towards the east, and is separated from it by Banks' s 
 Straits. The course by which it was to be reached, 
 therefore, after sailing down the Derwent and 
 through Storm Bay, was round Cape Pillar, (the 
 south-eastern point of Tasmania) and up the eastern 
 coast. 
 
 The cutter Charlotte weighed anchor on the 26th 
 of the Ninth month, 1832. 
 
 The shores in some places, on each side of Storm Bay, says 
 Gr. W. Walker, are composed of basaltic rock, often resembling 
 the crumbling ruins of some antiquated castle. During the 
 night we attempted to beat round Cape Pillar, but the wind 
 blowing fresh ahead we made so little way, that J. Thornloe 
 determined on putting into Port Arthur, to make also some 
 alteration in the anchor-stock, which was otherwise useless. 
 
 9 mo. 27. My companion and myself have suffered much 
 from sickness : the smallness of the vessel renders the motion 
 very annoying. We reached Port Arthur about mid-day. 
 The Commandant, Lieutenant Gibbins, received us politely, 
 and invited us to partake of refreshment and walk with him 
 through the place. Port Arthur is a Penal Settlement, similar 
 to that at Macquarie Harbour, but has been established only 
 two years. The houses, or rather huts, are on rising ground, 
 ascending from the shores. The surrounding hills are clothed 
 with forests wherever the eye can penetrate. There are about 
 250 convicts, who are employed in felling and sawing timber, 
 and in various other kinds of labour. Tliis Settlement will in 
 all probability supersede that of Macquario Harbour; the 
 Penal Settlement on Maria Island also, is in course of aban- 
 donment. Every man hero, is allowed a small allotment of
 
 90 WHALING. [1832. 
 
 ground, if lie chooses to cultivate it ; and this is made to stand 
 in lieu of vegetables, which are not included in the rations. 
 This privilege is thought to have a beneficial effect, in keeping 
 the men out of mischief, and inducing habits of industry. 
 Another indulgence has been productive of salutary effects in 
 inciting to good conduct. Those who behave in a way to 
 deserve it, are allowed a little tea and sugar ; and such is the 
 influence it has had, that out of eighty who have earned it, 
 not a single instance of forfeiture has been known. 
 
 At five o'clock we rejoined the Charlotte, which proceeded 
 on her voyage with a light breeze ; but she made little advance 
 before it fell calm, and we were obliged to cast anchor in the 
 midst of Stewart's Bay. 
 
 28th. At an early hour we weighed anchor, but there was 
 so little wind that it was only by the aid of our boat's crew 
 and oars that we avoided drifting on the rocks. In the course 
 of the day we doubled Cape Pillar. This Cape as well as the 
 adjacent one, Cape Baoul, is basaltic, and -of a singular and 
 imposing form. The perpendicular column from which it 
 derives its name, is visible from a great distance. Towards 
 dusk we observed for the first time, large flocks of Mutton-birds, 
 a species of sea-fowl that frequents these shores. 
 
 29th. By continued tacking we succeeded in reaching 
 Spring Bay by midnight. The light afforded by a party of 
 men who were boiling blubber at a whaling station, served as 
 a beacon to guide us during the dark hours of night. Yast 
 flocks of Mutton-birds have again been in sight. Grannets 
 are also numerous. It is curious to mark their manoeuvres 
 while in quest of prey. Soaring along in the air, at the height 
 of two or three times the ship's mast, they at length observe 
 some unhappy fish that approaches the surface, when down 
 they drop head foremost into the sea, with all the apparent 
 weight and velocity of a stone ; and it is said they rarely miss 
 securing their prey, but it is difficult to ascertain the truth 
 of this from the deck of a vessel. 
 
 30th. Captain Kelly, owner of the brig Penelope, now 
 lying in Spring Bay with a whaling party, breakfasted on 
 board the Charlotte. He is a landowner, but at certain seasons 
 superintends about twenty men who are engaged in whaling
 
 CHAP. 0.] BLACK SWANS. 91 
 
 on his account. By his varied pursuits he has realized con- 
 siderable property ; yet the occupation of whaling seems 
 congenial to his taste. There is so much of the spirit of 
 adventure and of excitement in the pursuit, that some men of 
 ardent minds seem perfectly reconciled to the hardships it 
 involves ; but it appears to me to be a life little removed from 
 barbarism, and greatly opposed to the cultivation of moral 
 and religious excellence. The mind that likes the employ- 
 ment for the high excitement it occasionally affords, will 
 generally be indisposed for serious reflection. Indeed such a 
 state of mind is, I think, nearly allied to the pursuit of 
 gambling. As for the subordinate gratifications of a whaler's 
 life, these, I fear, are too generally only those of animal nature 
 in its lowest exhibitions. Need we wonder then that amongst 
 tliis class of men are to be found some of the most depraved of 
 their species. 
 
 At four A. M. a breeze sprung up from the south-east, which 
 enabled us to prosecute our voyage. 
 
 10 mo. 1. Decided indications of stormy weather deter- 
 mined J. Thornloe on making for shelter, and we entered the 
 passage between Schouten Island and Freycinet's Peninsula, 
 and anchored securely behind the extremity of the latter. 
 Two of our men are sick, and we are imperfectly manned. 
 Few of the men on the Government vessels have been brought 
 up to the sea : besides the mate we have but one efficient 
 sailor on board. 
 
 J. Backhouse and myself accompanied a party who went 
 on shore for water, which is obtained from a lagoon that 
 runs behind the sand-hills. Here we had an opportunity of 
 seeing the Black Swans that frequent the Island. Several, 
 which had been swimming on the lake, rose on our approach, 
 and after making a few majestic flights around the heads of 
 the intruders on their secluded haunts, disappeared. In the 
 afternoon a party of soldiers whom we have with us, suc- 
 ceeded in disabling one of these noble birds, so that it could 
 only elude its pursuers by swimming. We could hoar its 
 piteous cry long before it came in sight, as it approached 
 the extremity of the water, which terminates in a very narrow
 
 92 DANGEROUS CALM. [1832. 
 
 point, where we happened to be ; here the means of escape 
 being cut off, a shot soon placed it beyond the reach of pain. 
 
 6th. On the 2nd I went on shore with J. Thornloe, and 
 accompanied him to the head of the lagoon, to see the man- 
 ner in which the swans construct their nests. They generally 
 choose a situation where they can swim to them, and which 
 is cut off from all communication with the shore, for they are 
 very timid birds. The nest is placed on a cluster of rushes, 
 and is composed of dried grass or rushes piled in great quan- 
 tities, until it assumes the form, and nearly the size, of a 
 hay-cock ; the top is obtuse, and so slightly concave that the 
 eggs may be seen when twenty or thirty yards from the nest. 
 "We met with several, but they had all been visited by the 
 men, who had despoiled them of their eggs. The flesh of the 
 bird when prepared in the form of a sea-pie, though strong and 
 rather oily, we found preferable to salt meat. 
 
 On the 3rd before we could make our exit from Schouten's 
 Passage we were becalmed, A strong current ran between 
 the shores, and it was with difficulty we avoided drifting 
 against the rocks. We generally connect the idea of danger 
 at sea with the prevalence of wind, but we here met with a 
 proof of the risk that may be incurred by the absence of wind. 
 For twelve hours we were drifting about in a state of painful 
 suspense ; nor was it until two o'clock in the morning that the 
 wind arose and dispelled our fears. 
 
 On the 4th we came in sight of St. Patrick's Head. On 
 the 5th we were enveloped in a dense fog. About noon this 
 day, the 6th, the weather cleared up, and we were able to 
 descry St. Helen's Point. 
 
 7th In the course of last night we passed successively 
 the Bay of Fires, Eddystone Point and King Greorge's Eocks ; 
 and about one o'clock, reached a place of anchorage under the 
 lea of the larger of the two Swan Islands, nearly opposite to 
 Cape Portland, the north-eastern extremity of Van Diemens 
 Land. Whilst anchored here we had a religious meeting 
 with the ship's company. Generally speaking, there is ex- 
 treme indisposition to everything that looks like seriousness.
 
 CHAP. 6.] PRESERVATION ISLAND. 93 
 
 The daily allowance of spirits no doubt contributes to produce 
 this recklessness of mind. We have frequent conversations 
 with the men on this subject ; but from their replies and 
 significant glances, it may easily be seen that they are at a 
 loss to conceive how anything can be better than grog. If 
 they commit any act of disobedience their grog is stopped ; 
 if they perform any extra service, grog is the common reward. 
 Thus the very discipline to which they are subjected, and the 
 tacit acknowledgment of its value made by their officers, tend 
 to enhance it in their estimation. The most efficient seaman 
 on board next to the mate, is a prisoner, who speaks in terms 
 of great respect of J. J. Gurney, whose notice he experienced 
 when at school at Norwich. 
 
 Towards the latter part of the day, the tide being favorable, 
 with a tolerably fair wind, but blowing very fresh, and the 
 sea like a boiling cauldron, we made a slant across the straits 
 to Preservation Island. On the north side of Swan Island 
 we observed the wreck of the Brenda, a fine brig, that was 
 stranded on the rocks a few months ago, through the culpable 
 conduct (according to common report) of the chief officers, 
 who were intoxicated. The navigation is very hazardous in 
 the Straits ; the tide runs with the rapidity of a mill race, and 
 the numerous islands, rocks and shoals, greatly increase the 
 danger of shipwreck. 
 
 8th. The wind is directly contrary, and wo have remained 
 this day in port. My companion and I went on shore and 
 visited the hut of James Manro, an old sealer, who has lived 
 twelve years on Preservation Island. He is an elderly man, 
 and has the character of being one of the best conducted men 
 who inhabit the Straits. The island is exclusively occupied 
 by himself and a black woman who lives witli him, and whom 
 he says he has brought up from a cliild of eight years old, her 
 father having been shot by Europeans. The hut they inhabit 
 is of homely construction, and a garden is attached to it. 
 Three sealers from Gun-carriage Island had put into the 
 harbour, and were temporary residents with Munro. Each 
 of these men had a black woman whom ho considers his wife, 
 though they are not married. One of the women had a cliild
 
 94 SEALERS AND ABORIGINES. [1832- 
 
 with her. Their appearance was unprepossessing, their coun- 
 tenances being downcast and fallen. We presented each of 
 them with a coloured handkerchief as a token of good will, 
 which they seemed pleased with. To the men we made a 
 small present of tobacco. The whole party were assembled in 
 Munro's hut, where my companion addressed them on the 
 importance of giving attention to their eternal interests. He 
 also engaged in vocal prayer. We subsequently conversed 
 with them on the nature of their connection with the Abori- 
 ginal females ; we reminded them that such connections were 
 sinful in the sight of Grod, and disreputable among men, and 
 . that if they continued to live together, it was their duty to 
 marry. One of the men spoke on behalf of himself and his 
 companions to this effect ; that their residence in the Straits 
 was only of a temporary nature, and that should they connect 
 themselves with the women by marriage, they would be 
 compelled to take them away with them when the period of 
 their departure arrived ; in plain terms avowing, that they 
 held these poor women in bondage to suit their own purposes, 
 but did not choose to acknowledge any other ties than those 
 of convenience or inclination. The men listened respectfully 
 to what we had to say, but our expostulations did not seem to 
 make much impression upon them. 
 
 Preservation Island is the resort of great quantities of 
 Mutton-birds. Haunts of this kind are called by the inhabi- 
 tants of the Straits, " Rookeries." There are Mutton-bird 
 rookeries, and Penguin and Albatross rookeries, and even Seal 
 rookeries. The Mutton-birds are a species of petrel, in size re- 
 sembling a wood pigeon ; they are valuable both as food, and 
 on account of their feathers ; their eggs are not quite equal in 
 flavour to a hen's egg. The periods at which they visit the 
 islands in Bass's Straits are very accurately known. Their 
 first appearance is on or about the 20th of the 9th month, 
 when the object of their visit appears to be the preparation of 
 their nests prior to incubation. About the 8th of the 1 J.th 
 month they disappear for a fortnight, when they again visit 
 their haunts in numbers that far exceed all calculation. At 
 this period they begin the work of incubation. Each couple 
 of birds occupies a hole in the earth, which they have previously
 
 CHAP. 6.] MUTTON-BIRDS. 95 
 
 excavated, choosing generally a sandy soil for the purpose. 
 The hole is about two feet deep, and much like a rabbit's ; 
 and at the extremity a single egg is deposited. The female 
 is occupied for a month in hatching this egg. About the 8th 
 of the 5th month, the young are able to fly, and the birds take 
 their final departure from the island in vast bodies. From 
 the length of their pinions they cannot rise from the ground 
 unless it be steep and smooth. Accordingly at the dawn of 
 day the birds may be seen walking over the grass and among 
 the scrub, making their way to the edge of the shore, from 
 which they can throw themselves, and thus give free play to 
 their wings. During the day they are unceasingly on the 
 wing, or skimming the surface of the waves in quest of food. 
 At evening they return in a body to their nests, when 
 the air resounds with their querulous note, and the traveller 
 who visits their rookeries is liable to tread on the birds at 
 almost every step. The nests are so numerous also, that he is 
 continually breaking through into their holes, up to the knees. 
 The common method of taking them is to knock them on the 
 head with a stick. It is not prudent to introduce the hands 
 into their holes as they bite severely ; they are indeed very 
 pugnacious, and will fight with one another till one of the 
 combatants is killed. It is common to employ a dog for the 
 purpose of drawing them out ; but the Aboriginal women, 
 who are very expert in all matters of this nature, use a stick 
 with a hook, which they introduce into the nest, and draw out 
 the birds. When wanted in larger quantities, for the sake of 
 their feathers, a wholesale plan of taking them is resorted to. 
 A pit is dug near the sea-shore, six or eight feet square, and 
 half that depth. A hedge of shrubs or sticks is formed in two 
 lines, enclosing a great number of the, holes, and converging 
 towards the pit. A similar hedge is erected on the far side 
 of the pit to hide the view of the ocean. A few men take 
 their station at the end of the enclosure furthest from the 
 excavation, and when the birds sally forth in the morning, 
 they urge them onwards towards the pit. Being unable to 
 rifle among the grass and scrub that surrounds them, they 
 tumble into the pit one after another, and are suffocated. 
 Immense numbers annually meet their death in tliis way,
 
 96 NECKLACES OF THE ABORIGINES. [1832. 
 
 frequently on the same spot of ground ; and yet the birds are 
 said to _show no sensible diminution. Those which survive 
 are not scared away, and those which have been killed appear 
 not to be missed. Twenty birds well picked will furnish one 
 pound of feathers ; and between two and three tons of these 
 have been sold by sealers at the east end of Bass's Straits, 
 in one season. The price of feathers at Hobart Town is six- 
 pence per pound ; they are used for beds, but are said to have 
 an oily and unpleasant smell. 
 
 When we were about to step into the boat, one of the black 
 women presented each of us with a string of shells formed 
 into a very ornamental necklace. These necklaces are 
 generally worn by both male and female Aborigines. The 
 shell is of a spiral form, varying in size from that of a pea to 
 a horse-bean. When perfect as to natural condition, they are 
 not remarkable for beauty, but as they become divested of 
 their outward coating they exhibit variegated colours of con- 
 siderable brilliancy. The Aborigines prepare them for use by 
 burning grass over wood embers, and holding the shells in 
 the smoke, when the action of the pyroligneous acid removes 
 the thin coating from the shell. 
 
 9th. At day-break we got under way, and a boat was sent 
 on shore for Munro, our pilot. He and his woman, Jumbo, 
 who was to accompany him, after some delay came on board. 
 We regretted to observe that the latter was intoxicated. The 
 man himself, though the worse for liquor, was able to take 
 the helm, the mate keeping a most vigilant watch. The 
 tide runs through this passage with astonishing rapidity 
 in particular spots, the water becoming violently agitated 
 as if in a storm, while a few yards distant the sea is 
 comparatively smooth. Munro having a perfect knowledge 
 of the soundings, currents, sunken rocks, &c. we got clear 
 of all these dangers, and were favoured to bring up in safety, 
 under Green Island, about two o'clock in the afternoon. 
 This place of anchorage is about three miles from the settle- 
 ment on Flinders, but the intervening space is so full of 
 rocks and shoals that it is the nearest approach that can be 
 made except by boats. We had been there but a very short 
 time before the Commandant, Ensign William J. Darling,
 
 CHAP. 6.] ABORIGINES ON FLINDERS ISLAND. 97 
 
 came on board, in a small punt, rowed by himself, and capable 
 of containing but one person. He is quite a young man, little 
 more than of age, tall, and of agreeable countenance and pre- 
 possessing manners. 
 
 We landed on a fine sandy beach. Many of the Aborigines 
 were on the shore : they did not press forward to gaze as is 
 common with Europeans. We went up to them and shook 
 hands with several. They looked healthy and cheerful, not- 
 withstanding the straitness of provisions from which they 
 had suffered; and their countenances exhibited none of 
 that marked ferocity which has been ascribed to them. They 
 are lodged in three rude dwellings, called " Break- winds," 
 which are merely sloping roofs reaching to the ground, formed 
 of boughs, and closed at the ends. They are surrounded on 
 three sides by a fence of boughs. There are forty four men, 
 twenty nine women, and five children, on the establishment. 
 
 The Aborigines of Van Diemens Land are rather below the 
 average stature of Englishmen. Both sexes are stout, and 
 their limbs well proportioned. They walk remarkably erect, 
 assuming a dignified mien, and in all their movements ex- 
 hibit agility and ease. Their complexion is very dark, almost 
 black ; a few are of a lighter hue, approaching to the colour 
 of copper ; the soles of their feet are as light as those of Euro- 
 peans who go without shoes ; the palms of their hands are also 
 much lighter than their bodies. There is considerable variety 
 of features among them ; generally thick lips and flat distended 
 nostrils are the characteristics of the race. Many of their 
 countenances are pleasing, and very few of them forbidding. 
 Their hair is uniformly black and woolly, like the African 
 negroes, whom, in most respects, they nearly resemble. In 
 their savage state, the men let their hair grow and ornament 
 it, as they conceive, with grease and red ochre ; the women 
 shave their heads ; and neither sex wear any article of clothing ; 
 but they are fond of besmearing their bodies with grease and 
 ochre, which enables them to bear with more ease the expo- 
 sure to the weather. They make incisions on their persons, 
 particularly the thighs, arms, and breasts. This is done with 
 a sharp flint, so as generally to form longitudinal lines parallel 
 to each other. The wounds are kept open by artificial moans 
 
 H
 
 98 COOKERY OF THE ABORIGINES, [1832, 
 
 until proud flesh is formed, and a lasting protuberant scar 
 produced. These marks are rendered more numerous by 
 a custom which prevails among them, of lacerating any part 
 of their bodies affected with pain ; this they suppose to be pro- 
 ductive of relief. The bones of deceased relatives, which some 
 of them wear about their persons as tokens of remembrance, are 
 frequently tied on the affected limb, for the same purpose. 
 
 We were present on the evening of our arrival when supper 
 was served out to the natives. The meal consisted of biscuit, 
 boiled rice and tea; of the latter they are immoderately fond ; 
 the sweeter the better. I was surprised and pleased at the 
 decorum with which each advanced in succession and received 
 the allotted portion. We afterwards followed them to their 
 Lreakwinds, where the roasting of mutton-birds was going 
 forward ; these forming a part of their supper. The plan 
 they adopt in cooking them is, to throw the bird on the fire 
 until all the feathers are singed off, when it is withdrawn and 
 gutted. When several are prepared in this manner, they are 
 spitted on a stick between two and three feet in length, one 
 end of which is run into the ground, while the other enables 
 the person who is standing by to turn the birds, or give them 
 such a direction towards the fire as ensures their being properly 
 ccoked. A choice part was separated from one of the birds 
 and presented for our acceptance, which in courtesy we could 
 not decline, as nothing pleases these children of nature more 
 than to accept, and appear gratified, with that which is offered 
 by them. 
 
 As soon as it was dark, preparations were made for a 
 " Corrobberry" or dance, for joy at the arrival of the cutter. 
 These are seasons of great excitement, attended with much 
 exertion. The men have not yet been prevailed upon to 
 retain their clothing ; this is uniformly dispensed with ; but 
 the women, who occasionally join in the dance, make no 
 alteration in their adopted dress. A fire of sticks, or boughs 
 that make a lively blaze, was made, around which the men 
 formed a circle, and began a kind of song, consisting of ex- 
 pressions frequently repeated, and uttered in a drawling 
 monotone. The subjects of these songs are various ; some- 
 vinies the pursuits of hunting and the enumeration of the
 
 CHAP. 6.] DANCING OF THE ABORIGINES. 99 
 
 animals that become a prey to their dexterity and -prowess ; 
 at other times the feats of war, and their sanguinary con- 
 flicts with adverse tribes. A very Common description, 
 relates to the habits of animals, such as the Emu and Kan- 
 garoo ; and since they have become acquainted with Europeans, 
 to the Horse, the Cow, &c. They accompany the words with 
 significant gestures and actions. Thus in the emu-dance, by 
 bending forward an arm over the fire and making a movement 
 with their hands, like the motion of a bird's head, they 
 imitate that animal in its peculiar habits. In the Horse-dance 
 they lay hold of each other's loins, one following another, and 
 imitate the prancing motions of the animal, whilst a woman 
 stands by and imitates the driver, by gently tapping them 
 with a stick, as they pass before her. They have also the 
 Thunder-and-lightning-dance, in which they stamp with their 
 feet and whirl round the fire, to represent the noise and 
 swiftness of these dread phenomena. A very frequent 
 manoauvre during most of their " corrobberries" is, to leap 
 from the ground whilst running in a circle round the fire, and 
 in descending, to turn their faces to it, crouching at the same 
 time to the ground on their haunches, and striking the earth 
 with their hands. The exercise attendant on these diversions 
 is often very violent, occasioning individuals to drop out of 
 the ring, bathed in perspiration, until they have recovered. 
 The good-humour they exhibit throughout the amusement, 
 which generally lasts for some hours, often till midnight, is 
 remarkable, considering the excitement that prevails. Some- 
 times one will jostle against another, and perhaps occasion a fall 
 to both, which is sure to be succeeded by a general laugh. 
 Though their exhibition in a state of nudity must neces- 
 sarily offend the eye of a European, there is not the slightest 
 action or gesture that would offend the modesty of the most 
 scrupulous. 
 
 10th. We were kindly accommodated with lodgings in a 
 weather-boarded hut. The people are extremely fond of their 
 dogs, which lie up and down among them when reclining 
 around their fires, and learn to be as good-tempered towards 
 strangers as themselves, which is far from being the general
 
 100 COMMANDANT AND ABORIGINES. [1832. 
 
 character of the dogs in the colony. An increased acquain- 
 tance with the Aborigines only confirms us in the favourable 
 opinion we had formed of them. They appear to be a very 
 sociable people, and act remarkably in concert. The occupa- 
 tion of one is generally the occupation of all, whether in their 
 amusements or engagements of a graver nature. If a stranger 
 accosts them in their own language, or by any other means 
 affords them gratification, they express their pleasure by a 
 simultaneous shout, so universal that one would imagine they 
 were actuated by the heart of one man. Through the influence 
 of the Commandant, the people have conformed to many 
 regulations that conduce to their comfort and welfare. At 
 first it was very difficult to induce them to take care of their 
 eating utensils. Their only vessel, when living in the bush, 
 being a mutton-fish-shell, to drink from, or something as 
 simple, which was cast away when the purpose was effected, 
 they were apt to do the same with things that were adapted 
 for permanent use. But this disposition to carelessness has 
 been corrected. A very general taste for the habits of civilized 
 life is prevalent amongst them ; and articles of European 
 costume are highly valued. The men are very anxious to be 
 furnished with trousers, which few are yet in possession of. 
 Some yellow trousers were sent for their use ; but these being 
 of the kind worn only by prisoners in the colony, they shewed 
 an aversion to wear them, evidently considering it a degra- 
 dation. 
 
 In the course of the evening we visited the Break- winds. 
 The inmates were reclining around the fires, which are made 
 along the centres of these huts. We felt some reluctance to 
 disturb them, but they readily roused up on our entrance, as 
 soon as they saw that it was the stranger white men, who 
 had come to see them. The bare earth serves them for a 
 bed ; each couple, as well as the single persons, is allowed a 
 blanket. At the suggestion of Archibald Maclachlan, the 
 surgeon, they sung two of their songs. The first was sung by 
 the chief of the Port Dalrymple tribe. I observed that the 
 same words were repeated many times in succession, accom- 
 panied by many impassioned gestures, and so much exertion 
 of breath as was almost painful to witness. Occasionally he
 
 CHAP. 6.] SINGING, HUNTING, ETC. 101 
 
 gave a short sigh, as if his breath was spent, in which the rest 
 united with one accord. The shout that succeeded allowed 
 the performer a moment's pause, when he resumed the song 
 with great animation. A great deal of character was displayed 
 in the course of this exhibition, the chief often becoming 
 highly excited, pointing significantly with his finger, and 
 shewing remarkable expression in his countenance, as if the 
 subject of the song was one of a most important nature, the 
 people meanwhile listening with profound attention. A short 
 time after the chief had concluded, the women began a song 
 in chorus, which showed a greater knowledge of music ; and 
 I was very much surprised to hear some sing tenor, while 
 others sang treble, which to those who know anything of 
 music will appear strange, because the power of doing so 
 denotes some advancement in the art. It was a hunting song, 
 enumerating the animals that the young married woman is 
 wont to chase. 
 
 The tribes now show little appearance of jealousy. Many 
 when in the bush, were in a state of hostility ; but their ani- 
 mosities are merged in the general feeling of good will that 
 seems to pervade the Settlement. If there is any thing that 
 betrays the remembrance of former feuds, it is with reference 
 to hunting. They shew some reluctance to hunt together, if 
 the tribes that compose the party have once been at warfare, 
 unless the Commandant or Surgeon be with them, when his 
 influence is considered a sufficient guarantee against harm. 
 They seem to be aware that these are times of high excitement, 
 when they might be off their guard, and 4 'quarrels might ensue. 
 Two men of the Western or Port Dalrymple tribe exhibited 
 before us the manner in which quarrels are decided amongst 
 them ; or it may be described as the mode of giving vent to 
 those feelings of irritation which, among Englishmen, would 
 terminate in a pugilistic encounter. The parties approach 
 one another fiice to face, and folding their arms across their 
 breasts shake their heads (which occasionally come in contact) 
 in each others faces, uttering at the same time the most 
 vociferous and angry expressions, until one or other of them 
 is exhausted, or his feelings of anger subside. This custom is 
 called by them " Growling," and from the specimen afforded
 
 102 QUARRELS OF THE ABORIGINES. [1832. 
 
 us by the Western lads, will not probably issue in anything 
 worse than a bloody lip or nose. Quarrels are rare among 
 the Aborigines of the Settlement, but some of their tokens of 
 displeasure when they do occur are very odd and unaccount- 
 able. One of the men differed with his wife, because she had 
 broken a bottle, or some other article which he highly prized. 
 Instead of shewing his displeasure by taking a stick and 
 retaliating on the offender, he arose and cut deliberately the 
 feet of seven women who happened to be lying near him 
 asleep, but offered no kind of violence to Ms wife. After this 
 burst of rage, his anger was appeased, and they became recon- 
 ciled. The Aborigines on occasions of this sort, do not 
 generally shew a disposition to retaliate on the person who 
 thus wreaks his vengeance on them ; they rather endeavour 
 to get out of the way. This circumstance however came to 
 the Commandant's ears, and he thought proper to notice it, 
 and inflict some punishment on the man who thus injured so 
 many innocent women. He caused him to be brought before 
 him, and made him to understand that he was much displeased ; 
 and as the women through his misconduct, were unable 
 to bring their quantum of water from the well, the offender 
 was required to bring all the water himself. Without 
 saying a word or making the least difficulty, the man set aboiit 
 his task, which he soon completed, and there the whole affair 
 ended. A quarrel originating in one of their superstitious 
 customs fell out thus : A married woman had selected a 
 certain tree, according to their practice when in the bush, 
 which tree, in such case, is considered the representative 
 of the person who makes choice of it, and is regarded as their 
 inviolable property, at all times to be held sacred. Through 
 some accident this tree, which had been selected by Room- 
 tyenna, was pulled down or mutilated by a party of her 
 countrymen, which she so violently resented that, snatching 
 up a firebrand, she ran in amongst them and dealt her blows 
 very freely around. Her husband, who was of the party, at 
 length struck her on the head, and drew blood ; on which 
 Roomtyenna desisted, but was greatly displeased, as may be 
 supposed, with her consort. When he saw that she bled, he 
 was apparently as disconcerted as she was, and would have
 
 CHAP. 6.] LOVE STORY. 103 
 
 gladly made it up, for they are a remarkably affectionate 
 couple, and in most things shew a more than ordinary 
 degree of intelligence ; but it was some time before Jackey 
 (Trygoomypoonaneh) could regain the smiles of his wife, who 
 for the rest of the day was quite in a pet, though he certainly 
 evinced much sorrow at the event. 
 
 Last evening we had the whole of the Aborigines, men 
 women and children, drawn up in front of the huts, and 
 beginning with the chiefs and the wives, we presented each 
 with a cotton handkerchief, which they were allowed to select 
 for themselves from among a variety of patterns, of a gay 
 description, that we brought with us. This trifling gift 
 seemed to be valued far beyond its intrinsic worth. The 
 acknowledgment of " Tank you tir " was made by all ; it has 
 become an established form of politeness on being presented 
 with any thing. In a very little time the heads and necks 
 of the larger number were decorated with their new articles of 
 dress. 
 
 12th. After breakfast we set off to visit the site of the 
 intended new Settlement. A person has recently been em- 
 ployed to survey the island, which is about 130 miles in 
 circumference ; and the spot alluded to, which by the sealers 
 had been previously named Pea-jacket Point, has been fixed 
 upon as the most eligible for the purpose. Our party 
 consisted of the Commandant, four native men, two of their 
 wives, and ourselves. The history of the attachment that 
 led to the union of one of these couples is of a some- 
 what romantic nature. Pannehrooneh had long felt an 
 affection for Pellonnymyna, but no persuasions of his 
 could induce her to become his wife. One day they were 
 crossing a river, along with many more of their countrymen, 
 when Pellonnymyna was suddenly seized with an attack of 
 illness and became unable to support herself. The faithful 
 lover was at her side. Seizing her in his arms he bore her to 
 a place of safety, and during her indisposition, wliich was 
 tedious, he nursed her with the greatest attention, and most 
 affectionate assiduity. She at length recovered, when, over- 
 come with gratitude she declared, that none but Paimehrooneh
 
 104 JOURNEY WITH ABORIGINES. [1832. 
 
 should be her husband ; and from that time they have become 
 united by the most inviolable attachment. 
 
 The natives carried our bush apparatus, consisting of one 
 of our water-proof covers, a wallaby-skin coverlet, an iron 
 kettle, a few tin pannakins, some damper, (a species of cake 
 made of flour and water baked in wood ashes,) a little cheese 
 and a fowl. Thus equipped we proceeded along the fine level 
 beach that extends about five miles north of the Settlement, 
 until it is intersected by a river. The tide being high, it 
 became necessary to wait until it ebbed before the river could 
 be waded. We employed the interval in partaking of a 
 repast. The Aborigines looked out for a spot under the 
 cover of some trees. Some wood was then collected, and 
 a fire kindled. They undertook to be our cooks, and pre- 
 pared such game as had been taken by the way, which 
 consisted only of a Bandicoot, and a couple of Kangaroo 
 Eats. A duck's nest with more than a dozen eggs had 
 not escaped their vigilant eyes. We had no reason to 
 complain of our dinner ; and the happy countenances of the 
 original proprietors of the woods, who were securely sitting 
 around us, and at least, in the estimation of their white fellow 
 travellers, occupied the rank of fellow creatures, was a sight 
 more than equivalent to the best dessert that the island from 
 whence they came could have produced. 
 
 The nature of the road was such, that we often made but 
 slow progress ; and by the time the shades of evening drew 
 on, we were five miles from Pea-Jaeket Point, though it is 
 but about fifteen miles, from where we set out. As it is 
 almost impracticable to travel in these parts in the dark, there 
 was no alternative but to seek again for a suitable spot to 
 encamp for the night. We determined on a spot shel- 
 tered by wood, adjoining to the fresh water which was 
 afforded by a lagoon or swamp. The Aborigines soon 
 raised a fire. Two slender trees were then fixed upon 
 at a convenient distance from each other, in the forks of 
 which a third stripped of its branches was laid across. A 
 number of boughs and branches of trees were then laid 
 obliquely against this support, which in the course of a few 
 minutes, by dint of our united exertions, formed a tolerable
 
 CHAP. 6.] NEW SETTLEMENT OF THE ABORIGINES. 105 
 
 "break-wind. Having finished supper, we composed ourselves 
 jo rest, making the best use we could of the wallaby rug ; 
 while the Aborigines crept under their blankets and laid them- 
 selves down on either side of us, where they slept soundly 
 until daybreak. The novelty of the situation, and perhaps 
 still more the feeling of chill, which want of more covering 
 occasioned, prevented me from obtaining much repose. 
 
 13th. At sunrise we resumed our journey ; the day was 
 however gloomy and unpropitious, and before we reached 
 Pea-Jacket, rain began to descend. For some distance before 
 we reached the spot, the richness of the soil and verdure of 
 the grass that clothed the fine, open plain that lay before 
 us, convinced us that, in these respects, the situation looked 
 forward to as the site of the new Settlement, was greatly 
 superior to that of the old one. A party of our Aboriginal 
 attendants had struck into the woods by the way, in order to 
 hunt Wallaby ; just as we reached Pea-Jacket they returned, 
 bearing one of these animals on the back of the foremost. 
 It is rather bulkier than the hare, especially in the hind 
 quarters, but is of about the same length ; and is a small 
 species of Kangaroo. We tasted it at breakfast, where I had 
 the honour to be presented with the tail, which is considered 
 by the Aborigines a dainty ; it is fat, but not so gross as the 
 tail of a sheep. An old soldier has been stationed here, with 
 one or two men to assist him in the erection of some huts for 
 the future establishment. Two of these have been completed ; 
 they are constructed of turf and wattles lined with grass, and 
 are superior to any in the old settlement. An acre of ground 
 has been fenced in, and cultivated as a garden. There is a 
 considerable tract of land around covered with good pasturage, 
 and more with wood upon it. 
 
 At eleven o'clock we commenced our return. The day was 
 very wet and boisterous : about midway we stopped to dry 
 our clothes and to take some tea. The male Aborigines 
 adopted a ready method with regard to their wet clothes, 
 by stripping themselves, and holding their garments to the 
 fire until dry. They are not fond of travelling in the wet, 
 nor will they do so but in cases of necessity. They shew the
 
 106 CHARACTER OF THE ABORIGINES. [1832. 
 
 \ 
 
 same reluctance to travelling in the dark. As soon as it T .g 
 dusk they take care to admonish you that it is time to rest , 
 and I was surprised to remark their susceptibility of fatigue 
 in going long distances. It does not appear that in their wild 
 state, they have been in the habit of making long, or forced 
 marches. 
 
 This short excursion has given us a further opportunity of 
 estimating the character of the Aborigines ; and the favourable 
 opinion we had previously entertained of their dispositions, 
 and especially of the capabilities they evince for improvement, 
 is more than ever confirmed. There is nothing servile or 
 abject in their conduct when they are not under the in- 
 fluence of fear. We are perpetually reminded that in their 
 taste for amusements, and, in some respects in their capacities, 
 they are children. But in many things that occur within the 
 range of their knowledge and acquirements, they shew a 
 quickness of perception, and powers of reflection, that prove 
 them to be far from deficient in intellect. 
 
 This being First-day, the people of the Settlement were 
 assembled in a break-wind, called the Chapel, where "W. J. 
 Darling, in the summer season, reads prayers. A number of 
 the Aborigines expressed a wish to attend, though from their 
 ignorance of the language they could not understand more 
 than a word here and there. From anything I have been 
 able to learn, they do not seem to have any notion of a 
 superior and beneficent Being, who rules the world. They 
 have some indistinct ideas of an evil spirit, whom they style 
 " the devil," especially when talking with Europeans, but of 
 whom there is reason to believe they have had original notions, 
 and for whom they have an appropriate name in their own 
 language. All diseases and casualties are attributed to the 
 agency of this malevolent power, who also is thought to 
 preside over the elements, especially in the phenomena of 
 thunder and lightning, of which they are accordingly much 
 afraid. An idea is becoming prevalent among them which 
 looks like the recognition of a state of being after death, but 
 there is little doubt that it has had its origin in their in- 
 tercourse with Europeans. It is professed to be believed by
 
 ClIAP. 6.] MEETING AT THE SETTLEMENT. 107 
 
 some of them, that they are transformed after death into white 
 men, and that they return under this renewed form to an 
 island in the Straits, where there is abundance of game, and 
 where they have the pleasure of again hunting, and subsisting 
 upon such animals as they killed in the chase during their 
 life-time. The want of knowledge of their language renders 
 the information that can be gathered on these interesting 
 subjects very vague. 
 
 During the meeting, the Aborigines, of whom there were 
 many of both sexes, sat on the ground with great decorum ; and 
 when prayer was engaged in, many were noticed turning their 
 faces to the wall, in imitation, no doubt, of those around them. 
 J. Backhouse read the first three chapters of the Epistle to 
 the Romans, and subsequently addressed the audience in a 
 lively appeal. He drew a parallel between the situation of 
 the Jews in relation to the Romans, and that of the Christian 
 part of the audience (by profession) to the untaught blacks 
 around them. He showed the great privileges of the former 
 over the latter, but that they involved a proportionate measure 
 of responsibility. He then forcibly applied the. words of the 
 apostle, in the 17th and following verses of the 2nd chapter, 
 to those who had heard the glad tidings of the Grospel, showing 
 that, as was the case with those who professed circumcision 
 yet were breakers of the law, their circumcision was 
 made uncircumcision, so the mere profession of the nominal 
 Christian, who was living in opposition to the precepts of 
 Christianity, would avail him nothing, but rather add to his 
 condemnation. That it was necessary that the fruits of our faith 
 should show themselves in a consistent life, otherwise the state 
 of the poor heathen would be preferable, who though they 
 knew not the law, did by nature things contained in the law, 
 and were accepted according to their measure of obedience to 
 the light possessed. An interval of silence ensued, when 
 J. B. in prayer, made a feeling allusion to the poor blacks 
 who were present, in the petition that they might soon be 
 made acquainted with the consoling doctrines of the Gospel. 
 About twenty Europeans were present. 
 
 With regard to form of government, very little seems to have 
 existed among the Aborigines. Few of the mobs consisting
 
 108 ABSENCE AND DEATH. [183 
 
 of more persons than might be included in one large family, 
 the influence of the Chief, who is generally in years, has 
 probably been of the parental kind. The people at the Settle- 
 ment call their chiefs by the appellation of Father, and speak 
 of the members of their own tribes as Brothers and Sisters. 
 When a separation for a long period has happened, on meeting 
 again, they show all the attachment of relatives. A singular 
 circumstance is connected with this. Great dislike is shown 
 to allusions to the absent, whether the separation be caused 
 by difference of situation or death. If the name of the 
 individual who is merely absent by distance be mentioned, it 
 is customary with them, when with Europeans, to signify their 
 dissatisfaction by signs, as if they considered it unpropitious. 
 I am assured that for those who are removed by death, they 
 are in the habit of setting apart a certain portion of the day 
 to indulge in lamentation ; near relatives are said to keep 
 up the practice for months after the decease of their com- 
 panions. 
 
 I have before had occasion to notice that many of the 
 native women are in possession of sealers. Some have been 
 forcibly carried off, it is believed, without reference to their 
 inclinations, and sometimes accompanied by circumstances of 
 extreme cruelty towards the men who were their natural 
 associates and rightful owners. The testimony of several of 
 the women who have lived with sealers, but have either run 
 away or been removed at their own desire, confirms the reports 
 as to the ill-treatment they have experienced from these men. 
 We put some questions to these poor creatures last evening, 
 and especially to one named Boatswain, which from the 
 answers they drew forth may throw some light upon the 
 subject. When we asked her, if the sealers beat their women, 
 she answered " Very much." She was requested to describe 
 the manner in which they were beaten ; and she went through 
 several pantomimic exhibitions, in which she gave us to under- 
 stand, that she had been tied up and flogged in the way that 
 is common among prisoners who are offenders, whilst she 
 uttered many piteous exclamations indicative of the severity of 
 the punishment. Another mode of chastisement she described 
 as being practiced, was, to beat them on the back and legs
 
 CHAP. 6.] ILL-TREATMENT BY SEALERS. 
 
 with a large stick, and while she represented herself as under- 
 going this punishment, she seemed to sink to the ground, 
 exclaiming several times, " Oh I will clean the mutton-birds 
 better," until at last she was quite spent through exhaustion. 
 The other women who were present corroborated these state- 
 ments ; and one and all, when the question was put to them, 
 declared they would not return to the sealers. These defenceless 
 women were exceedingly useful to their tyrannical masters, 
 not only from their skill in hunting (for the native women are 
 generally the best hunters) but in plucking mutton-bird 
 feathers, and in menial offices. During a great part of the 
 year, much of their means of subsistence was made to depend 
 on their women, whilst the sealers were thus enabled to lounge 
 in .idleness. There are circumstances which struck me as en- 
 titling the testimony of these poor women to implicit credit. 
 There had evidently been no pains taken to break them of 
 their savage customs. They have not been treated as com- 
 panions or they would have learned more English. They 
 have not learnt to practice stricter morality, and no religious 
 principles have been instilled into their minds : this was out 
 of the question. Except that they can handle a knife and 
 fork better, and are dexterous in rowing a boat, I could hardly 
 point out any advancement in civilization beyond the mass of 
 the natives of the Settlement. A further proof of the veracity 
 of their statements is, that they excepted one or two sealers 
 from the charge of beating their women. There exists among 
 all the aboriginal tribes a remarkable scarcity of females. At 
 the Settlement, little more than one third of the whole number 
 are females, whilst among those who are yet in the bush, the 
 disproportion is said to be much greater. 
 
 16th. A very effectual mode of exciting a taste for civilized 
 habits among the Aborigines has been adopted by the Com- 
 mandant, at the expense of his own personal comfort, and at 
 some sacrifice of money. He has a number of men and 
 women daily at his table, generally at breakfast or tea. They 
 come in as visitors, being invited in from the outside, where 
 they stand about the door in expectation of being thus noticed. 
 They sit on stools at the table, and use knives and forks, and 
 they learn to Imow the value of European articles of food, for
 
 110 IMPROVEMENTS AND CUSTOMS. [1832. 
 
 which they evince a decided preference. They are insensibly, 
 but certainty, acquiring civilized habits, and are beginning to 
 look forward to the time when they shall occupy huta of their 
 own, sleep on beds, sit on chairs, and eat their victuals off 
 tables. The Commandant takes care to keep up these expec- 
 tations by telling them, that then he shall frequently be their 
 visitor. The promise of little gardens to grow their own po- 
 tatoes, their favourite vegetable, is also highly pleasing to 
 them. At breakfast this morning a more than usually large 
 number were present, under the expectation that it would be 
 the day of the departure of the white visitors. We had the 
 pleasure of serving out tea from a large kettle, and of cutting 
 bread for them, whilst "W. J. Darling was making arrangements 
 to accompany the Charlotte in her voyage to the Hunter 
 Islands, at the west end of the Straits. Like all persons in a 
 savage state the natives eat more than would be convenient to 
 most Europeans. In their wild condition they would be subject 
 to scarcity of food, which being succeeded by the return of 
 abundance, would induce them to fill themselves to reple- 
 tion. They eat almost every animal that inhabits the woods. 
 A custom prevails among them for which I can assign no 
 reason, nor do they seem able themselves to give any. Some 
 will eat only the male of a particular species, others only the 
 female, and I am assured by those who know well their habits, 
 that they would rather starve than infringe this rule. The 
 morning we arrived at Pea- Jacket, a wallaby was taken by 
 Tommy, at a time when meat was by no means plentiful ; he 
 however gave the whole of it away, nor could I induce him to 
 taste it. It was a male, and the only answer I could get 
 from him was, he never eat the male of that animal. The 
 rest of the party partook of it. Butter or food that is fat or 
 greasy, they show at first an aversion to ; the animals that 
 inhabit the forest, especially the kangaroo and wallaby, are 
 generally lean. 
 
 They presented us at various times with the strings of shells 
 used as necklaces. Some of their necklaces were formed of 
 Kangaroo sinews, one twisted round another, so as to resemble 
 braid and then dyed with red ochre, their favourite colour. 
 One woman went a distance of some miles into the bush, to
 
 CHAP. 6.] GREEN ISLAND. Ill 
 
 procure us a sample of the fern-tree stem, the inside of which 
 is eaten by them. Another went, at the mere expression of 
 a wish to see the fern-root in the state they use it, and 
 obtained a considerable quantity and prepared it, I dare say, 
 thinking we wished to eat it. In these things they afforded 
 us evidence that they are far from being insensible to kindness, 
 but are susceptible, on the contrary, of some of the best feelings 
 of the heart. . 
 
 The wind being fair and the Commandant having completed 
 his arrangements, we prepared to go on board the Charlotte. 
 We went into the break- winds of the Aborigines to take leave, 
 shaking hands, and presenting each with a smallpiece of tobacco 
 as a token of goodwill at parting ; and whatever might be their 
 feelings, on our part, it was not without regret that we separated 
 from them, probably to meet no more. 
 
 16th. "We left Flinders Island in the boat, and soon 
 reached the Charlotte. We had not been long on board before 
 a boat's crew went on shore on Green Island, to obtain some 
 mutton-birds. The opportunity was favourable for gratifying 
 our curiosity by landing on the island. It does not appear 
 to exceed three or four miles in circumference, and is covered 
 with long grass, nettles, a shrubby orache, &c. In making a 
 cut across the island, we had to return through a part so thickly 
 covered with these plants that it required very laborious exer- 
 tion to pass through them. By this time the sun had set, and 
 the mutton-birds were making for their nests in all directions. 
 The " rookery " is on the south side of the island, in the very 
 heart of the scrub, which affords a cover for their burrows ; and 
 the birds were so numerous, that, besides great numbers over 
 my head, I was continually treading on them as I forced my 
 way onwards. It was an hour or more before they got all 
 quietly settled in their nests, and during that interval, there 
 was a constant cawing or scolding noise kept up. The men 
 who came on shore had in the mean time obtained four or five 
 dozen of birds by setting their dogs to bring them out of their 
 holes, whilst they stood by to knock them on the head. 
 
 17th. W. J. Darling reached the vessel this morning. 
 He brought with him three male aborigines and Jumbo, who
 
 112 VOYAGE TO GEORGE TOWN. [1S3'2. 
 
 may be useful in conciliating the blacks who have recently 
 been brought in by Or. A. Robinson, and are now on one of 
 the Hunter Islands. 
 
 18th. The night has been very stormy ; the gale was 
 tremendous, only short of that we experienced in Port Davey. 
 The wind moderated as the day advanced, though still 
 contrary, and we took another turn on Green Island. In the 
 course of our walk we fell in with a large black snake. I was 
 a little in advance of my companion when I came suddenly 
 upon it, but not so as to disturb the reptile. I beckoned to 
 J. Backhouse, who approached it cautiously, and with a few 
 strokes of a waddy on the back, the creature was despatched. 
 It was from five to six feet in length, and of a slaty-black 
 colour. We examined its mouth, and could perceive the fangs, 
 which were small for so large a snake. Jumbo had a sister 
 who died from the bite of a snake of this species. 
 
 19th. The weather having moderated, and the wind 
 favouring for a slant across to Preservation, the cutter was 
 got under way, and a few hours brought us abreast of that 
 Island, where J. Munro was put ashore. At dusk the wind 
 blew fresh from the north-east, and by ten it was a heavy 
 gale. 
 
 20th. We had a miserable night ; but at sunrise, the wind 
 having abated, some sail was set, and we soon had the satis- 
 faction of entering the harbour at George Town.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 BASS'S STRAITS AND THE VAN DIEMENS LAND COMPANY'S 
 SETTLEMENTS. 
 
 TASMANIA is rather smaller than Ireland. A large 
 part of it is high mountain country ; and the settled 
 districts, for the most part, surround the two capitals, 
 Hobart Town and Launceston, and extend along 
 the banks of the Derwent and Tamar and their 
 tributaries, meeting in a narrow belt in the centre of 
 the island. Out of its eighty or ninety thousand 
 inhabitants, the number is small who are not 
 located in the above named districts. On the north- 
 east, and the west and south-west, are large tracts of 
 country almost untrodden, and in general, covered 
 with the densest evergreen forest. In the tour upon 
 which James Backhouse and George W. Walker 
 entered, after their voyage to Flinders Island, and 
 which was undertaken chiefly for the purpose of 
 visiting the settlements of the Van Diemens Land 
 Company, they skirted much of this unexplored 
 region, where man had but just commenced the task 
 of subduing nature to his service ; and their admira- 
 tion was continually excited by the magnificent 
 growth of the timber trees, far exceeding all the 
 pride of European forests. The Van Diemens Land 
 Company were the pioneers in this quarter. Their 
 locations occupied several spots, inland and on the 
 coast, along the north-west part of the island. The 
 raising of sheep and larger cattle, and the felling 
 
 i
 
 114 GEORGE TOWN AND LAUNCESTON. [1832. 
 
 of timber, were the branches of industry chiefly 
 pursued by them ; and the labourers they employed 
 were partly assigned convicts, and partly indentured 
 servants, imported from England at the Company's 
 expense. Many of these, as sawyers or shepherds, 
 led a very solitary life, living in huts, and separated 
 from one another by long distances. They were 
 generally beyond the reach of public worship, and 
 destitute of the means of religious instruction ; and 
 the two missionaries found it to be a part of their 
 vocation to visit them in their exile, and unfold to 
 them the hopes and obligations of the Gospel. 
 
 The last chapter left the travellers safely arrived 
 at George Town, a place of two or three hundred 
 inhabitants, at the mouth of the estuary called the 
 Tamar, and on their way to Launceston, which, at the 
 time of their visit, contained about 2,000 inhabitants, 
 but has of late years increased to upwards of 9,000. 
 It has latterly been in a more flourishing condition 
 than Hobart Town, being more advantageously 
 situated for commerce with the populous colonies of 
 Victoria and South Australia. 
 
 On the 20th of the 10th month, the Charlotte cutter 
 continued her course up the Tamar. 
 
 The voyage, to resume George W. Walker's narrative, 
 was very pleasant, the day being fine, and the banks of the 
 river remarkably winding and picturesque. On arriving at 
 Launceston, we were very hospitably received by Isaac Sherwin 
 and his wife, and had the pleasure of meeting with Charles 
 Price, the Independent minister, and his wife, who were also 
 their guests. We enjoyed the company of these worthy 
 persons greatly. 
 
 21st. First-day. We rose with grateful hearts, that through 
 the mercy of a gracious Providence, our lot was once more
 
 CHAP. 7.] P. A. MULGRAVE, G. ROBSON, ETC. 115 
 
 cast amongst Christian friends, after being preserved from the 
 dangers that attend a voyage on the deep. I called on my 
 cousins, Henry and Jane Robson, who are on a visit to their 
 uncle, P. A. Mulgrave, the chief police magistrate. I here 
 met with a very kind letter from my cousin Mary Robson, 
 of the Hampshire Hills, containing a pressing invitation to 
 visit them ; this we have some thoughts of doing, along with 
 the other establishments of the Yan Diemens Land Com- 
 pany. My cousin George Robson is principal superintendent 
 at the Hampshire Hills. 
 
 22nd. We walked before breakfast to the banks of the 
 North Esk, to view the Rapids of that river, just before it 
 loses itself in the Tamar. Pent up between basaltic cliffs, 
 the stream rushes down a series of shelves with irresistible 
 impetuosity. The Rapids extend from a quarter to half a 
 mile up the river, which, in one place, forms a natural basin, 
 on the rocky borders of which, are a variety of native 
 shrubs in full flower, and conspicuous for their beauty and 
 fragrance. 
 
 After breakfasting with P. A. Mulgrave, and hearing that 
 that the Charlotte had received orders to drop down the river, 
 we hastened to the jetty, where a boat was in waiting to 
 take us on board. At the ebb tide the vessel came to 
 anchor, and the party of the natives going on shore, with the 
 mate, the pilot, and a passenger, we joined them. Their 
 object was to obtain Kangaroos ; our's to see the country, and 
 relieve ourselves from the monotony of ship-board. Many 
 Kangaroos were seen, but none caught, the advanced hour 
 of the day not rendering it prudent to follow them far into 
 the interior. On returning to the shore to rejoin the vessel, 
 we met with W. J. Darling, who, during our absence, had 
 arrived. He invited us to stay on shore and take tea 
 with him at the only habitation that was to be seen, and 
 which happened to be an inn. Whilst partaking of our 
 meal, some settlers who reside in the vicinity, called to 
 take refreshment. An animated discussion took place on 
 the subject of slaver}'. One of the strangers displayed 
 ingenuity as a disputant, along with a good deal of sophistry ;
 
 116 CIRCULAR HEAD. [1832. 
 
 and though the argument was conducted with good-humour, 
 I believe each left off only the more riveted to his own 
 opinions. It was ten o'clock when we returned on board ; 
 but the retrospect was not such as to occasion regret. Perhaps 
 to have thrown in our mite, in contributing to raise the tone 
 of conversation, under circumstances in which it frequently 
 assumes but a low standard, helped to remind those present, 
 that if constrained to visit public-houses, such seasons need 
 not necessarily be the occasions of evil. 
 
 Stormy weather prevailed during the next six or 
 seven days, part of which time was spent by the two 
 Friends at George Town, and part in beating about 
 the Straits. It was not until the 30th that the cutter 
 arrived at the next point in her voyage, viz. Circular 
 Head, a remarkable promontory on the north coast, 
 about eighty miles west of George Town. Cape 
 Grim, on which is the Settlement of Woolnorth, lies 
 about forty miles further west, and forms the north- 
 western angle of Tasmania. 
 
 10 mo. 30. At three o'clock, A. M. the cutter anchored in 
 the East Bay of Circular Head. A boat came alongside to 
 inform those concerned, that Q-. A. Robinson was there. The 
 crew, two of whom were sailors, came on board, leaving a 
 Sydney black and an aboriginal female of this island, in 
 the boat. This female lived with a sealer named Kelly, 
 who had also another woman of the same description, by 
 whom he had had one child. We were struck with the 
 gloomy expression of the woman in the boat, so different 
 from that of the Aborigines we had on board. Jumbo spoke 
 to her, but she showed no disposition to converse, though 
 they were of the same tribe. She was invited on board, to 
 partake of some soup. Before she returned to the boat, 
 W. J. Darling sent for her into the cabin, and asked her, if 
 she would like to go to the settlement on Flinders, to which 
 she answered, No. He reminded her that he had the power 
 to take her from Kelly, if she chose to join her countrymen,
 
 CHAP. 7.J BLACK DELIVERED FROM THE SEALERS. 117 
 
 and he said the sealers should not hurt her. Upon this declara- 
 tion the countenance of the poor creature underwent a sur- 
 prising change. She acknowledged that she would like to 
 go, and that fear had induced her to express a contrary 
 desire. Being asked why she would not converse with 
 Jumbo, she said she durst not, having been strictly forbidden 
 to do so by the sealers. Inquiry was made if the sealers beat 
 her, to which she answered, Yes, plenty. With a stick ? No, 
 with a rope. From this moment, this woman, whom the 
 sealers had named Jackey, laughed and talked as gaily as the 
 rest of her nation. It is but justice however to state, 
 that she was better dressed, and more cleanly and decent 
 than any woman we had before seen belonging to sealers. 
 GK A. Robinson came on board. He had left the Aborigines on 
 one of the Hunter Islands, under the care of Anthony Cottrell, 
 a young man appointed by the Government to co-operate 
 with him in his mission. 
 
 ' 31st. W. J. Darling and my companion went on shore at 
 a very early hour this morning, to arrange with GK A. Robinson 
 respecting the movements of the cutter, which it seemed de- 
 sirable should lose no time in proceeding to the Hunter 
 Islands, to bring away the Aborigines. While they were 
 gone, a strong breeze set in from the east, and increased to 
 a gale, and the heavy sea that rolls into the bay rendered 
 our situation so precarious, that J. Thornloe found it necessary 
 to prepare for sea, to avoid drifting from our anchors to a 
 lee shore. In attempting to heave the large bower anchor 
 the windlass was unshipped, and before many minutes had 
 elapsed, a violent jerk of the ship snapped the chain-cable. 
 Sail was hoisted with all possible dispatch, and by the prompt 
 exertion of all hands, we succeeded in getting clear of the 
 land. Whilst beating to and fro, a boat came alongside with 
 Edward Curr and my companions, who ran some risk in their 
 attempt to regain the cutter. Edward Curr informing the 
 mate that there was safe anchorage on the other side of the 
 Bluff, we made the best of our way thither, and soon after 
 came to anchor, not however without a narrow escape from 
 shipwreck on a reef, the mate being unacquainted with this
 
 118 NUMBER OF ABORIGINES. [1832. 
 
 part of the Straits. The Fanny, a small cutter belonging to 
 the Company, had availed herself of the same place of shelter, 
 which enabled J. Thornloe to ascertain the right spot in 
 which to anchor. 
 
 The Fanny was about to sail for Cape Grim, and it was 
 proposed that we should take our passage nfher ; and that, at 
 the same time, the captain of the Fanny should pilot the Char- 
 lotte to a secure place of anchorage, under the West Hunter, 
 which he had to pass, and thus the aims of the respective 
 parties would be promoted, the "West Hunter being the spot 
 on which the Aborigines were placed under A. Cottrell. We 
 accordingly transferred our luggage from the one vessel to the 
 other ; the Fanny and Charlotte hoisted sail, and with a fair 
 wind steered for the Hunters, the former leading the way. 
 The East and West Hunters are two considerable islands 
 lying at the western end of Bass's Straits. There are a 
 number of other islands between these and King's Island, the 
 largest of the islands at this end of the Straits. By the dusk 
 of the evening both vessels came to anchor between the West 
 Hunter and Stack Island, the Charlotte having reached her 
 ultimate destination. 
 
 11 mo. 1. At an early hour we took our departure, waving 
 a parting adieu to our friends on board the Charlotte ; and 
 after a couple of hours' sail through an intricate passage, 
 anchored off the jetty at Woolnorth. We brought a letter of 
 introduction to the Superintendent, Samuel Beeves, from 
 whom, and his wife, we met with a hospitable reception. 
 They have nine interesting children. 
 
 9th. A boat arrived this day from Circular Head, con- 
 taining Anthony Cottrell and a few friendly Aborigines. 
 They are to proceed along the west coast, towards Macquarie 
 Harbour, where GK A. Eobinson is to meet them, he having 
 gone to Hobart Town to see his family. It is supposed that there 
 are only the remains of four tribes, at large, in the Island, 
 and that these four tribes do not include more than a hundred 
 individuals. The number of the Aborigines now in existence 
 in the bush, and at Flinders Island, appears not to exceed 
 230 ; and it does not seem probable, that the whole of the
 
 CHAP 7.] TREFOIL ISLAND AND TIDE-RIPPLE. 119 
 
 aboriginal population, from the time of the landing of Euro- 
 peans, has ever, at one time, much exceeded five or six 
 hundred.* 
 
 W. J. Darling has succeeded in obtaining two more women, 
 who had lived with sealers, besides the other woman belonging 
 to Kelly, with the child. Jumbo called one of these her sister, 
 having belonged to the same mob as herself. I witnessed the 
 joy she evinced on hearing that this woman was in the neigh- 
 bourhood. A. Cottrell informed me that their first interview 
 was very affecting. Neither spoke for some time, but throwing 
 their^anns round each other's necks, they remained in that atti- 
 tude, the tears trickling down their cheeks, until at length, these 
 first emotions having somewhat subsided, they began to talk 
 and laugh, and exhibit all the demonstrations of extravagant 
 joy. I confess I like to advert to the proofs of natural affec- 
 tion which this people so abundantly display, as I think there 
 is great hope that with such materials to work upon, in a 
 moral and religious point of view, much may be effected. 
 
 10th We accompanied Samuel Beeves, and the captain of 
 the Fanny and a few men, to Trefoil Island. It belongs to the 
 Van Diemens Land Company, and is remarkable as one of 
 the finest sheep-runs of the colony. J. Backhouse and myself 
 made the circuit of the island. The pasture much more nearly 
 resembles the English than is generally the case.f 
 
 llth First-day. Our congregation was increased by the 
 addition of A. Cottrell's boats' crew, and a few of the 
 Aborigines of his party, who sat with great decorum during 
 the meeting. My companion was enabled to set forth the 
 doctrines of the gospel in a clear and persuasive manner. 
 The retrospect of this last religious opportunity with the 
 
 * J. Backhouse says 700 to a 1000 ; other writers mako them more numerous. 
 
 t The Tide-ripple occasioned by the meeting of two currents, during the ebb 
 and flow of the tide, between Trefoil Island and the main land is too strong to 
 allow a boat to pass, and is probably quite equal to that of the Malstrom, ou tho 
 coast of Norway, which is not a whirlpool, but a tide-ripple, agreeing in 
 appearance with its name, which signifies Mill-stream. There are several other 
 violent tide-ripples in Bass's Straits ; but at the complete ebb and flood, the 
 agitation of tho water ceases, and then boats can pass ; this is also the case a 
 the Malstrom. J. B.
 
 120 BURNING THE DEAD. [1832. 
 
 people of Woolnorth affords me great satisfaction, May our 
 hearts be affected with gratitude to Him who can alone qualify 
 for every good work ! 
 
 We learned from A. Cottrell some further particulars res- 
 pecting the aboriginal race. The western tribes appear to 
 have been generally in the practice of burning their dead. 
 The body is placed in an upright posture on logs of wood, 
 which are also piled around it till the superstructure assumes 
 a conical form. The pile is then fired, and occasionally 
 replenished with fuel, till the remains are consumed to ashes ; 
 these are carefully collected by the relatives of the deceased, 
 and are tied up in a piece of kangaroo skin, and worn about 
 their persons, not only as tokens of remembrance, but as a 
 charm against disease and accident. It is common for the 
 survivors to besmear their faces with the ashes of the deceased. 
 Those who labour under the complaint of which they died, 
 resort to the same practice as a means of cure. It 'is also 
 customary to sing a dirge every morning for a considerable 
 time after the death of their friends. The chief relative takes 
 the most prominent part on these occasions ; but it is not 
 confined to relatives, many others join in the lamentation, 
 and exhibit all the symptoms of unfeigned sorrow. A sin- 
 gular idea prevails among them, that no one fairly dies till the 
 sun sets. If the parties are dead in point of fact, survivors 
 profess to regard the symptoms as mere indications that life 
 will depart as soon as the sun goes down, and until that period 
 do not treat them as dead. 
 
 13th. We parted with feelings of regret from our kind 
 friends Samuel and Charlotte Beeves and their interesting 
 family, who had become endeared to us by their amiable dis- 
 positions and kindness. It was some time after dark before 
 the Fanny anchored at Circular Head. The vessel had been 
 descried from the settlement, and this enabled Edward Curr 
 to provide for our convenience ; and he obligingly appropiated 
 for our reception, a couple of rooms in a cottage near to his 
 own residence ; his house being small. 
 
 15th. We joined our host in a ride into the country in the 
 possession of the Van Dieman's Land Company. They have
 
 CHAP. 7.] CIRCULAR HEAD FOREST, SPONGE, ETC. 121 
 
 20,000 acres, in this grant ; the best portion of it is included in 
 the peninsula formed by East and West Bay. On the eastern 
 side is a remarkable bluff, from which the designation of Circular 
 Head derives its origin. In form it resembles a plum-cake, the 
 basaltic rock of which it is composed, presenting a circular and 
 nearly perpendicular front. After riding across the peninsula, 
 we proceeded beyond the neck, to a sawyer's station, about 
 eight miles from the settlement. We penetrated from the 
 huts a short distance into the forest, and then tying our horses 
 to branches of trees, advanced on foot to a creek or stream, 
 which formed the limit of our excursion. Here we saw one of 
 the grandest exhibitions we have yet met with in the vegetable 
 world. The timber grows to an amazing size, 200 feet being 
 a common height for trees of the Stringy-Bark Eucalyptus, 
 which is the predominating tree : but there are many other 
 kinds, which add to the beauty and variety of the foliage. 
 Amongst these are a great number of Fern-trees, from ten to 
 twenty feet in height, verdant in the extreme, and in 
 form resembling the plumes that are used to decorate hearses. 
 The soil is of the richest possible description, a red loam, like 
 clay in appearance, but perfectly friable, and of a great depth. 
 Biding through the bush, and amongst forests, with decayed 
 timber strewed about in every direction, is quite a novel 
 exercise to us. 
 
 From conversation of a very interesting nature on religious 
 subjects this day, I feel, more than ever, convinced, that the 
 simple, unadorned doctrines of the Scriptures, are of a nature 
 to recommend themselves to the consciences of reasonable and 
 reflecting men all the world over, and that, as religion is ex- 
 hibited to mankind in its proper garb, divested of all human 
 additions, it will become increasingly attractive, and will 
 command yet more respect and veneration than it has here- 
 tofore done. 
 
 21st. We made the circuit of the peninsula on foot. From 
 the neck of the peninsula to West Point, the shore is flat, and 
 there is a fine level beach stretching in sand-flats into the sea. 
 From West Point to Circular Head the shore is rocky. The 
 most remarkable feature of tliis part of the coast is the pro- 
 digious quantity of sponge that is cast up, of which largo
 
 122 SPIRIT-RATIONS, DUELLING, ETC. [1832. 
 
 embankments are formed for some miles. Some of the 
 varieties are exceedingly beautiful. 
 
 23rd. "We have had many conversations with the men and 
 officers of this establishment, on the evils of spirit-drinking, 
 and have distributed a number of tracts on this, as well as on 
 religious subjects. I was glad to learn from Elizabeth Curr, 
 that two of the men who have been notorious for their excess 
 in the use of strong drink, have refused to accept a dram 
 offered as the reward for some service gratuitously rendered. 
 They alleged as their reason for this almost unprecedented 
 species of self-denial, their conviction of the evils of spirit 
 drinking, and their determination to abstain in future. 
 Edward Curr attributes much of the misconduct of the inden- 
 tured servants to a most injudicious^regulation, adopted in the 
 Company's vessels, that every man and woman should be 
 allowed a gill of spirits as a daily ration, on their voyage 
 from England. The consequence has been, that those who 
 have not gone on board confirmed drunkards, have been 
 almost certainly rendered so. Even the men themselves trace 
 the formation of the habit to this origin, and feelingly 
 deplore it. 
 
 It is a pleasure to observe, that the assigned servants and 
 prisoners in the Company's service are comfortably provided 
 for. We have several times been in their huts. Several here 
 and at Woolnorth were agrarian incendiaries, a class of men 
 who make excellent farming men and orderly servants. They 
 pride themselves on being a superior order of prisoners, and 
 they support the claim by their conduct. 
 
 27th. In the evening, at Edward Curr's, the conversation 
 turned on attending places of public amusement, and on con- 
 forming to the false notions of honour inculcated by the world, 
 in the practices of war and duelling, which we, as a Society of 
 Christians disclaim. I seldom am present at discussions of 
 this sort, but the futility of the arguments brought forward in 
 defence of these practices, by men, in other respects, of reason 
 and reflection, confirm me, if possible, more immoveably, in 
 the conviction, that they are contrary to the spirit of Chris- 
 tianity and to the dictates of enlightened reason.
 
 CHAP. 7.] DEPARTURE FROM CIRCULAR HEAD. 123 
 
 12 mo. 17. On Fifth-day morning we left Circular Head, 
 which will long be impressed on our recollection from the kind- 
 ness we experienced there, and the many pleasing associations 
 which will be connected with it. Our luggage had been sent 
 forward by the Fanny to Emu Bay, the seaport for the 
 Hampshire Hills, whither it would be sent on pack-horses. 
 Our party consisted of three men, besides Edward Curr and 
 ourselves. Two horses which had been in the service of the 
 expedition under GK A. Robinson, came in opportunely for 
 our use. A blanket and some other articles of convenience, 
 in addition to provisions, were strapped on each horse. Thus 
 equipped we bent our course along the beach, in the direction 
 of the Black River. In passing from Rocky Cape to Table 
 Cape we skirted a number of steep hills, and crossed several 
 which were too precipitous to be traversed in any other way 
 than on foot, taking care to keep a-head of the horse, lest he 
 should roll over the person who held him. The day was 
 drawing near to a close when we descended a very steep 
 declivity, before passing Table Cape, in order to encamp for 
 the night. At the foot of the descent was a small tract of 
 level grassy land, surrounded on three sides by hills of equal 
 steepness with that we had descended, and on the fourth by the 
 sea. Here we encamped under the spreading branches of a 
 large Honeysuckle Tree, and composed ourselves to rest. 
 
 La the morning, at a tolerably early hour, we began to 
 ascend the hill which lay between us and our path, which 
 it cost both men and horses no little exertion to regain. We 
 staid about an hour at Emu Bay, which is fifty-five miles 
 from Circular Head by land, and forty by water. 
 
 The road to the Hampshire Hills, which are a little more 
 than twenty miles from the Bay, runs through the forest, 
 which consists principally of White Gum and Stringy Bark, 
 with many other trees and shrubs interspersed. It is not 
 easy to convey to those who have seen only English forests, 
 a correct picture of an Australian one. The amazing height 
 of the trees, which is not unfrequently from 180, to over 
 200 feet; the peculiar colour of their foliage and stems, which in 
 many different species of Eucalyptus are of bluish grey ; and 
 the sombre hue of the evergreens, so different from the verdure
 
 124 HAMPSHIRE HILLS. [1832. 
 
 of the deciduous trees of England, give to these forests an air 
 of gloomy grandeur, which inspires a sort of awe that is neither 
 easy to define nor describe. 
 
 A road, in Van Dieman's Land, generally means, that the 
 trees have been felled and drawn aside, so as to admit the 
 passage of a bullock cart. A large proportion of the way here 
 was one continued slough. My horse was so jaded that I was 
 obliged to alight when between six and seven miles from the 
 Hills, and make the best of my way on foot, often wading up 
 to the knees in mud. 
 
 It was a great comfort to me to find my relations, George 
 and Mary Robson, with their seven children, well ; and in the 
 pleasure which I derived from their society, and the kind 
 attentions we received from them, the fatigues of our journey 
 were almost forgotten. 
 
 On Seventh day I felt the effects of my recent exertion a 
 good deal, which showed itself in a slight degree of fever. 
 I joined my companion, however, and Dr. Milligan, with some 
 of the dear children, in a walk over the grounds around the 
 Settlement. 
 
 This is the most extensive of the Company's grants, com- 
 prising 10,000 acres, at the Hampshire Hills, and 150,000 at 
 the Surrey Hills. The residence of the Superintendent and 
 the huts of the men are situated on the summit of a rising 
 ground, which forms part of an amphitheatre of hills, con verging 
 to a common centre of level plain. A number of ravines, 
 through which streams of limpid water wind their course, until 
 they empty themselves into the river Emu, that meanders 
 through the plain, greatly enhance the beauty of the spot. 
 In each ravine, Sassafras, Myrtle and other evergreens, exhibit 
 a great variety of hue and foliage, and give a richness and 
 colouring to the landscape that could hardly be improved by 
 the intervention of art. 
 
 19th. We rode with Dr. Milligan to Chilton, where the 
 Company has a sheep and cattle run, and here we joined 
 George Robson and Edward Curr. It is a land of pleasant 
 streams. We slept at Chilton. There are eight men on the 
 place, the majority of whom are assigned servants. One of
 
 CHAP. 7.] BLACK MAN SHOT. 125 
 
 these, named Searle, was employed a year and a half ago at 
 another sheep-run, called the Race-Course, at the time when 
 the Aborigines were troublesome. After he had done his 
 work in the hut, he had lain down to take a nap, but 
 awoke in a state of alarm, having dreamed that he was 
 attacked by the natives. Looking out at a small aperture 
 in the wall, he perceived one of the Aborigines stealing softly 
 towards the hut, and occasionally looking back and beckoning 
 to several others who were at the edge of the forest, to follow 
 him. It was but a few days before, that one of the men had 
 been attacked in his hut ; and after the hut had been literally 
 pulled down over his ears, he was killed. Under the impulse 
 of fear, and the excitement of the moment, Searle levelled his 
 gun at the poor savage, and brought him dead to the ground. 
 The rest immediately decamped. Since this unhappy circum- 
 stance, which, however, according to common opinion, and 
 that also of the Blacks themselves, was one of "justifiable 
 homicide," Searle has been subject to great depression of 
 spirits.* 
 
 25th. This being Christmas-day (so called) the people 
 of the establishment assembled in a barn. I read a por- 
 tion of the Old and New Testament, where the prediction 
 and subsequent fulfilment of the prophecy of our Saviour's 
 birth are recorded. J. Backhouse spoke impressively on the 
 importance of knowing Christ as a Saviour ; .his office being 
 to " save his people from their sins," as was declared by the 
 angel. He also addressed, in a strain of encouragement, 
 those who, with a sincere desire to become what the Lord 
 would have them to be, were sensible of the corruption 
 remaining in their own hearts, and exhorted them to 
 place their entire reliance for deliverance on our compas- 
 sionate Saviour. Prayer was then offered for the continuance 
 of divine mercy. 
 
 1833. 1 mo. 1. On the 27th we rode to Chilton. The 
 following morning being fine, we went on horseback to 
 
 * The hostility of the Blacks in this neighbourhood was connected with an 
 outrage upon them by some Whites, who shot some of them while peacefully 
 resting in one of their own huts.
 
 126 ST. VALENTINES PEAK. [1833. 
 
 Long Lea, where some of the shepherds occupy a hut. From 
 thfs place we proceeded to St. Valentines Peak, on foot. 
 It is said to be 3,200 feet high. At the foot of the 
 mountain the forest becomes more dense, and it requires 
 some exertion to force a way among the young timber and to 
 scramble over the fallen trees. About half way up, the 
 ground is free from timber, in place of which, it is covered 
 with coarse grass and brushwood, with large projections 
 of rock at frequent intervals. Several springs rise in the 
 upper region of the mountain, and trickle down its rugged 
 sides. On approaching the summit the rocks become 
 more numerous and precipitous, until every species of vege- 
 tation ceases, except a few shrubs, and a little rank grass 
 with lichens and moss. The rocks at the summit form 
 two conical hills, which constitute the apex of the peak ; they 
 are thrown together in large masses, as if they had been 
 forced from their original bed by some convulsion of nature. 
 From the summit there is a very commanding view. On 
 every hand, for twenty or thirty miles, little is to be seen 
 but forests and mountains. Not one solitary hut is to be 
 recognized, to remind the beholder of the cheerful haunts of 
 man, so that the mind is ready to recoil at the dreary prospect. 
 Whilst ascending the Peak two large eagles soared above our 
 heads, for such a length of time, that we were ready to think 
 they meditated attacking a little dog which accompanied the 
 party. We refurned by nearly the same route by which we 
 had ascended, and passed the night at Chilton, where Dr. 
 Milligan, J. Backhouse and myself concluded to remain over 
 the next day, to hold a meeting with the men there and at 
 Weybridge. 
 
 In the course of the morning we rode to an out-station, 
 where three men reside, and attend to a flock of about 
 800 sheep. It is called the Race-course. Only one of the 
 men was at home. With him we had a good deal of serious 
 conversation, during which he acknowledged that he had had 
 superior advantages to most of his class (he was a prisoner), 
 but had abused them, and that he deserved all the suffering he 
 had brought on himself. " The spirit of a man will sustain his 
 infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear ?"
 
 CHAP. 7.] FOREST FIRES, ETC. 127 
 
 Yesterday the, 31st, we walked with Dr. Milligan to 
 a conical hill covered with fern, to which we set fire in 
 several places, as well as to the long grass in the vi- 
 cinity. When the herbage is thus burned, the fresh shoots 
 that spring up being tender, are acceptable to the cattle. 
 There are few of the open tracts that have not been fired : 
 were it not for this expedient there would not be half the 
 herbage there is on the Island. When there has been a 
 long interval of dry weather, the fire frequently extends 
 into the forest, and it is not uncommon, in some parts 
 of Van Diemens Land, to see tracts that were recently 
 forest, strewed with dead logs and partially consumed 
 branches of trees. As these moulder away and become 
 blended with the ashes, a vegetable mould is formed, which 
 gives birth to valuable herbage, and in the course of years 
 the forest becomes converted into a plain. On the contrary, 
 the seeds of trees are blown from the adjacent forests to the 
 plains, and young trees may, in many places, be seen springing 
 up, which if not checked by the hand of cultivation or by fire, 
 will ultimately transform the open plain into a forest. 
 
 10th. Fifth-day We had a meeting with the men last 
 First-day, in the barn, as on former occasions. This morning 
 we had a season of quiet retirement, being the day on which 
 we usually hold what we continue to call, our Week-day 
 Meeting. 
 
 16th. I accompanied my cousin George Robson to Emu 
 Bay. There is a place near, called Pigeon Hill, which 
 is remarkable for the number of tall, slender White Gum 
 Trees. Few of them appear to exceed three or four feet in 
 diameter, though 200 feet in height ; the trunks are smooth, 
 perfectly straight, in general without a branch lower than 
 120 feet, and growing more than commonly dense. They 
 look like forests of masts. Emu Bay is a dreary spot ; but 
 Theophilus Bolger, the storekeeper, is a proof of what has long 
 been my settled conviction, that if the mind be kept actively 
 and innocently engaged, and the hands diligently employed, 
 no situation need be intolerable.
 
 128 ONESIMUS. [1833. 
 
 20th. First-day. On meeting the people, we com- 
 menced, as we have uniformly done here, by reading a 
 portion of Scripture, as a means of fixing the attention of the 
 audience. The part selected was the epistle to the Colossians. 
 After an interval of silence, J. Backhouse proceeded to show 
 from the example of Onesimus, that the Grospel is adapted 
 to every situation in life, and to circumstances apparently the 
 most untoward. Onesimus, it is supposed, was a slave, who 
 had absconded from his master's service, after having robbed 
 him of his property. Having fled to Home, a city of idolaters, 
 his conversion was effected through the preaching of a despised 
 prisoner in chains ; and his piety became such as to warrant 
 the Apostle in writing an exculpatory and commendatory 
 letter to his master, desiring him to take the offender once 
 more into his service, and promising to repay whatsoever he 
 owed, with his own hand. From this remarkable case, those 
 who felt themselves placed under circumstances, outwardly 
 unfavourable to the cultivation of piety, might derive encou- 
 ragement. Their situation could hardly be worse than that 
 of Onesimus, in the midst of an idolatrous people, and at a 
 time when Christianity was everywhere spoken against ; and 
 though they might be ready to adopt the language, " Can the 
 Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots ?" it should 
 ever be remembered, that the power of our Almighty Saviour 
 is unlimited, and that whatever we shall ask the Father in the 
 name of the Son, it shall be done unto us. J. B. drew a lively 
 picture of the effects of a living faith in the power and good- 
 ness of Grod, by whom, through the mediation of his beloved 
 Son, the Holy Spirit is sent into our hearts, whereby we 
 are enabled to cry, Abba, Father ! He also pointed out how 
 this faith inspires the heart with heavenly love, prompting to 
 good works, and affording solid peace to the mind, and thus 
 increasing our happiness a hundred fold in this life, as well 
 as furnishing a well grounded hope of eternal happiness in 
 the world to come. 
 
 22nd. We had a solemn season this morning, after the 
 Scriptures were read, in which my companion was engaged to 
 ask a blessing on our beloved friends, from whom we were
 
 CHAP. 7.] JOURNEY. SKOW. 129 
 
 about to part, as well as on ourselves ; nor were the absent 
 forgotten. 
 
 We were accompanied in our journey toward Launceston, 
 by Dr. Milligan and my cousin George Robson. The former 
 to be our guide to beyond the rivers Forth and Mersey. An 
 assigned servant attended us as groom. We were supplied 
 with a plentiful stock of provisions and necessaries such as are 
 required in the bush, as we expected to pass some nights on the 
 road, the distance to Launceston being 120 miles. We rode 
 to Chilton before night. The weather has been extremely 
 wet and cold ; though I rode in my cloak I found it difficult 
 to keep myself warm, and yet it is in the height of summer, 
 a month past midsummer day. 
 
 23rd. At the Race-course we parted with my cousin George 
 Robson, whose duties called him to Chilton. When we 
 arrived at Burleigh, the mountains around were crowned with 
 snow, recently fallen. The country is a continued series of 
 hills and dales of great beauty. 
 
 24th. We rose nearly with the sun, and pursued our 
 journey, through forests and over mountains and marshes, to 
 a spot by the side of a rivulet, where we encamped for the 
 night. 
 
 28th. On Sixth-day morning we re-mounted, and began 
 to descend a very steep hill that terminated at the River 
 Forth. Some miles to the left is a deep ravine, through which 
 the Forth rushes, and falls over a descent of some hundred 
 feet. This is called, the Forth's Gateway. When the river 
 is swollen it 1s impassable. Happily, the waters had so far 
 subsided as to allow of our fording it. We now had to 
 ascend Gad's Hill, of which we had heard much, as the most 
 difficult part of our journey, next to crossing the Mersey. 
 The hill is nine miles over, that is five to Emu Plains, which 
 are on the summit, and four from thence to the Mersey. Both 
 in climbing and descending we left the horses to shift for 
 themselves, except that we had to urge them on occasionally, 
 as the steepness of the road intimidated them. No traces 
 of human beings are to be met with off the lino of the road, 
 or rather, track, which we often found considerable difficulty
 
 130 RIVERS. FOREST ON FIRE. [1833. 
 
 in detecting. On arriving at the Mersey, we halted for half 
 an hour to let our horses breathe, and to give them a little 
 damper, of which they are very fond. The Mersey is a fine 
 river ; but it proved so deep that all the horses had to swim in 
 crossing it. A few yards below the ford there is* a rapid, where, 
 if the horse should lose his feet and be carried over, both he 
 and his rider would be dashed to pieces. We all however 
 got safe across, for which we had reason to be reverently 
 thankful to Him who holds our lives in his hand. With 
 invigorated spirits, we renewed our journey, over a hilly 
 tract of forest country, until we reached Circular Pond 
 Marshes, where we had fixed to spend the night. We set 
 about collecting wood for a fire, and branches and poles 
 for the erection of a breakwind. Dr. Milligan set fire to 
 the long grass, to avoid the risk of being burnt out of our 
 encampment during the night, an accident which is liable 
 to happen where the ground is not clear of combustible ma- 
 terials. Contrary however to design, the flames spread so 
 rapidly on all sides, that we were like to have been sur- 
 rounded by them ; and it was with much difficulty we 
 succeeded in beating them back, by means of boughs, so as to 
 cut off communication. At length the fire spread into the 
 forest, in the direction of the wind, and the flames ascended, 
 with vast clouds of smoke, the fire also running up the trees, 
 and causing a vast conflagration that illuminated the forest for 
 miles. Many of the trees, partially burnt through by former 
 fires, fell with a noise like thunder. 
 
 In the morning we entered upon a fine tract of pasture 
 land, called the Western Marshes, and arriving soon after at 
 the first inhabited hut, parted with our kind friend and con- 
 ductor, Joseph Milligan, who intended returning to Circular 
 Pond Marshes that night. The road had now become so 
 marked by traffic that we could not mistake it, and the 
 distance to Westbury, where we meant to lodge, was only 
 twenty miles. 
 
 Al'Deloraine Bridge we had occasion to call at the door of 
 John Devlin, who keeps a public house, to pay him some money 
 we were entrusted with. One of the men who recently left 
 the Company's service at the Hampshire Hills, having earned
 
 CHAP. 7.] I>RUNKENNESS. 131 
 
 eighteen pounds, by hard labour, stopped at this house, from 
 which he did not issue until he had spent the whole. A 
 person who had been his companion in the journey toward 
 Launceston, and had to return, found him here on his way 
 back ; and the besotted man, as his best alternative, re- 
 turned with him and engaged himself for another year 
 to the Company. This brief history corresponds in its 
 leading features with that of nearly all who engage themselves 
 in the service of the Company, as sawyers and splitters, fen- 
 cers, &c. I could hardly help regarding the landlord as being 
 as great a delinquent as his late drunken guest. 
 
 From the time of our entering upon the settled districts, we 
 were forcibly reminded of the change in the climate, by the 
 dusty roads. The wheat is ripe in many places, whilst at the 
 Surrey Hills it is only just coming into ear. We reached 
 Westbury as it became dark, and called on Lieutenant Ball, 
 with whom we had formed some acquaintance when in Hobart 
 Town. "We spent the remainder of the evening with him 
 and his amiable wife, who, as well as himself, is a person of 
 piety. It was a comfort to see so young a couple openly 
 avowing their sentiments with respect to religion, by calling 
 in the servants, morning and evening, reading the Scriptures 
 to them, and engaging in prayer. Lieut. Ball kindly un- 
 dertook to send information to the settlers in the immediate 
 vicinity, of our wish to have a meeting on the Sabbath. 
 
 At three o'clock on First-day the people assembled under 
 the verandah of Lieutenant Ball's house. My companion 
 was engaged in testimony and prayer, in a way calculated 
 to arouse the careless and encourage the honest-hearted. 
 
 The inn where we lodged was a tolerably comfortable one ; 
 but unsettled in consequence of a change of landlords. The 
 person who is going out, is a striking illustration of a truth we 
 are naturally slow in admitting, that " the love of money is 
 the root of all evil." When he and his wife and children 
 first settled in the township, they were considered respectable. 
 Unhappily, the temptation to take strong drink, and the 
 facilities for indulging in the propensity, have been such as to 
 overcome his wife's resolution, and this, as was to be exacted, 
 has introduced wretchedness and disorder into the family.
 
 INFATUATION, [1833, 
 
 Yet such is the infatuation of the man, and his love of filthy 
 lucre, that he is about to take a house in a more public situa- 
 tion, where, in all probability, the ruin of himself and his 
 family will be consummated. And it is consistent with our 
 ideas of the retributive justice of Him by whom actions are 
 weighed, that their sin should recoil on the heads of such 
 as thus traffic in that which so destroys the souls of men. 
 
 Between seven and eight in the evening, we arrived 
 at the South Esk, which we forded, the waters being hardly 
 knee deep. In consequence however of our getting off 
 the main road, it was nearly eleven o'clock before we reached 
 Launceston.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 JOURNEY FROM LAUNCESTON TO HOBART TOWN, AND THE 
 OPENING OF FRIENDS' MEETING FOR WORSHIP THERE. 
 
 ON returning to Launceston, James Backhouse and 
 George Washington Walker resumed their gospel 
 labours in the settled districts of the Island. Soon 
 after their arrival in the Colony, the former relates, 
 that as he meditated on the commission he had re- 
 ceived many years before, to visit this part of the 
 world, and inquired in spirit of the Lord how they 
 should proceed, the words were impressed with au- 
 thority upon his mind, " Go through the breadth of 
 the land." * They accordingly proceeded to extend 
 to the neighbourhood of Launceston and the rest of 
 the colonized portion of the Island, that house-to- 
 house visitation which is peculiarly adapted to the 
 religious condition of a newly settled country, and 
 which, with occasional meetings for worship and for 
 the promotion of Temperance, accompanied by the 
 circulation of books and tracts, formed their chief 
 occupation during the remainder of their joint 
 sojourn in Tasmania. 
 
 We have a pleasing testimony to the manner in 
 which they performed their mission, at least among 
 the working men, in the Autobiography of one of 
 these, the scene of whose narrative, although he 
 conceals the place, seems to have been in some part 
 
 See J. B.'i Visit to the Australian Colonies, pp. 30, 31.
 
 134 CONVERTED ATHEIST*S TESTIMONY. [1833. 
 
 of Tasmania. His employment was that of felling 
 and sawing timber in the wilds of the great forests. 
 
 A few words regarding the state of the society by 
 which he was surrounded, and which may serve as 
 a sample of the moral nature of the ground upon 
 which the two Friends were called to labour, may 
 properly precede his account of their doctrine and 
 manner of life. Speaking of the place which re- 
 ligion held among his comrades, he says : " Very few 
 cherished any religious thoughts, and those who did 
 said nothing about them. Those who had none 
 were the chief orators on the subject, and they of 
 course would suffer nothing like an expression of 
 pious sentiments to pass without malignant jeers." 
 The intemperate habits of his comrades, as might 
 be expected, he paints in strong colours. " I re- 
 member once," he says, " when a scene of intem- 
 perance had been going on from Saturday evening 
 to the Tuesday morning, going away resolutely 
 from it, and lying down by myself nearly all the 
 rest of the day in the shade of the thick brush, half 
 a mile off, where I was beyond even the sound of 
 voices. I could not get the man who was tempora- 
 rily working with me to leave off drinking and go 
 to sleep and become fit for his work." " The most 
 furious quarrels used to take place, sticks and palings 
 were resorted to, even axes were sometimes lifted." 
 
 At the time now under consideration the author 
 was an unbeliever in the hopes and promises of the 
 Gospel, and after pourtraying his own spiritual state, 
 with the many doubts and questionings by which he 
 was distracted, he proceeds thus : 
 
 Two missionaries appeared in the part, and staying a while 
 at the various settlers' houses, visited all the huts of working
 
 CHAP. 8.] PRISONERS' ESTIMATION OF j. B. & o. w. w. 135 
 
 men throughout the neighbourhood. They were said to be 
 Quakers. Their manners were bland and conciliatory in a 
 high degree, so that they were a great deal better received 
 than was to have been expected ; and the books on religious 
 topics which they distributed were accepted and read. I 
 imagine, though, that in their rambles they must have met 
 with many codes of morality equally surprising and shocking 
 to them. In general, however, I believe that they reported 
 their entertainment among us to have been very courteous 
 and hospitable. Such was certainly intended to be the case. 
 Their presence and aim were soon rumoured among all hands ; 
 and the usual discussion took place as to the estimation in 
 which they were to be held, and how they were to be treated. 
 But their manner of executing their office disarmed any 
 enmity that it might be naturally calculated to create, and 
 only a very few of the most ignorant and worthless dissented 
 from the general verdict that was given, that they should be 
 received civilly, and welcomed to the best there was in the 
 huts. It was very sagaciously observed by a sort of inter- 
 mediate class, that there could be no harm in listening to 
 them ; everybody could do as they liked afterwards about 
 believing them. By another class, and that by far the most 
 numerous, they were no sooner seen and conversed with, than 
 it was acknowledged that their objects and character were in 
 the highest degree excellent and consistent. It was readily 
 admitted that there was nothing fanatical about them. They 
 were looked upon as extraordinarily successful in the practice 
 of that religious life which is so commonly heard of so little 
 seen. Whether their labours were of any avail or not I never 
 heard. I believe they went away not dissatisfied with their 
 reception generally.* 
 
 On arriving at Launceston, James Backhouse and 
 and George W. Walker again became inmates under 
 the hospitable roof of Isaac Shervvin ; and after 
 
 A Converted Atheist's testimony to the truth of Christianity, being the 
 Autobiography of Alexander Harris. Fourth edition, 1862. pp. 78, 80, 81, 
 182, 183.
 
 136 NOTTMAN'S ROAD-PARTY. [1833. 
 
 spending a short time there, proceeded with their 
 visits in the interior. 
 
 2 mo. 5. Having arranged our concerns prior to visiting 
 the settled districts, we concluded to make an excursion in the 
 direction of Perth, and Norfolk Plains, before leaving for 
 Hobart Town. We set off on foot in the course of the 
 morning. Nearly five miles from Launceston is a gang of 
 convicts, called Nottman's Road-party. They are about 130 in 
 number, consisting of men who through misconduct have been 
 turned in from persons to whom they were assigned. Their 
 situation is felt to be no slight punishment, and we are in- 
 formed that more abscond from this gang than from any other 
 in the colony. Their huts are of the rudest description, their 
 work is laborious ; and they are exposed to the vicissitudes 
 of the weather, with nothing beyond the mere necessaries of 
 life ; many are in chains. We distributed tracts among 
 them for which they seemed thankful ; several recognized us 
 as having spoken to them in other parts of the colony. We 
 reached Perth in the evening, and crossing the ferry, repaired 
 to the house of P. A. Mulgrave, who has recently removed 
 to the banks of the South Esk, With him and my cousins, 
 Henry and Jane Eobson, we spent the evening, discussing 
 some important topics of a religious nature, 
 
 6th. We paid visits to the inhabitants of the vicinity, to 
 invite them to a meeting for worship on the ensuing sabbath. 
 Looking into a blacksmith's shop where a number of working 
 men were about, we informed them of the meeting and gave 
 them some tracts. In doing this we met with one of 
 those persons who are described by an inspired penman as 
 " fools that make a mock of sin." We reminded him of the 
 period when he would have to give an account of his actions 
 to the Judge of quick and dead. We have not met with 
 another individual in the colony who has showed equal reck- 
 
 7th. Made a circuit of about seven miles, calling at houses 
 and cottages. Several of the owners were in humble life ; they 
 received our tracts and invitation to attend the meeting
 
 CHAP. 8.] PERTH AND NORFOLK PLAINS. 137 
 
 courteously and with apparent thankfulness. The day was 
 excessively hot, and my feet were so blistered, I suppose from 
 the heat of the ground, that to have walked much further 
 would have been hardly practicable. 
 
 10th. First-day, The family by whom we had been enter- 
 tained at Perth accompanied us to the building on the opposite 
 side of the South Esk, where public worship is usually engaged 
 in. A considerable congregation, consisting ^of most of the 
 families to whom we had extended a personal invitation, with 
 many others, both bond and free, attended. My companion 
 had an open time for labour in the gospel ; and solemnity and 
 true devotion were sensibly felt. The meeting being over, we 
 took leave of our many kind friends, and returned through the 
 bush, to Norfolk Plains, now called Longford. As we drew 
 near the spot, a number of vehicles filled with well-dressed 
 people drove by, or came up to the place of rendezvous, 
 affording a pleasant indication of openness to receive the 
 message of gospel love from strangers. 
 
 14th. This morning we returned to Launceston. On 
 inquiring at the post-office we had the satisfaction to find a 
 packet of letters. Through one of J. B.'s correspondents we 
 are informed that our dear friend, Daniel Wheeler, expects 
 to visit the islands of the South Pacific and these colonies, 
 a circumstance that affords us much encouragement, and has 
 filled our minds with deep and lively interest. 
 
 In the evening we attended a prayer-meeting that has been 
 established by a few pious individuals professing with the 
 Wesleyans. After some time of solemn silence, during which 
 the presence of the great Master of Assemblies was sensibly 
 felt, my companion was engaged in pointing out, from the 
 example of the Israelites, the necessity of ceasing from de- 
 pendence on man ; that it was frequently the experience of 
 the children of God that the most effectual mode of putting 
 their enemies to flight was to "stand still and see the salva- 
 tion of God." 
 
 17th. First-day. We called on the Presbyterian minister, 
 Anderson, and he was so obliging as to give notice at the
 
 138 MEETING AT LAUSCESTON. [1833. 
 
 conclusion of his own services, that we proposed holding a 
 public meeting for worship the same evening. The meeting 
 was a favoured one. J. Backhouse was enabled to set forth 
 many important gospel truths in clear and persuasive lan- 
 guage, especially showing the danger of taking up with mere 
 profession without corresponding practice. A very pertinent 
 caution was extended against a carping, censorious spirit, that 
 would regard narrowly the mote in a brother's eye, but over- 
 look the beam in our own. The people were admonished, 
 instead of declaiming against the faults of a neighbour and 
 holding them up to public animadversion, to take the party 
 aside and expostulate with him in private, by which both 
 parties would be much more edified. This subject opened 
 the way for some remarks on the exercise of those spiritual 
 gifts enumerated by the apostle, that are communicated to the 
 church, and are divided to every man severally as the Lord 
 will ; a measure of the Spirit being given to every man to 
 profit withal. That since the ministry had become a monopoly, 
 and one person in a parish or in a congregation, was expected 
 exclusively to preach the Gospel, it had led those who might 
 otherwise have improved their spiritual gifts by exercise, to 
 neglect them ; the consequence of which was, that more was 
 expected from ministers than is compatible with the spiritual 
 endowments of almost any individual. That the apostle Paul 
 declared, that all might speak or prophesy one by one, that 
 all might learn and all might be comforted ; and that we 
 were to wait upon our respective gifts. One of the persons 
 who had attended the Presbyterian minister's service in the 
 forenoon, remarked that J. Backhouse's observations coincided 
 very strikingly with what had been urged by the former, 
 particularly with regard to the emptiness of mere profession, 
 and to indulging in a censorious disposition. This is a 
 prevalent evil in the colony, and the tone of the public press 
 tends to increase this baneful habit. Some of the newspapers 
 indulge in a strain of acrimony and personal invective that is 
 not often equalled in England. And when a spirit of this 
 nature gains ground in a Christian community, it will eat as 
 doth a canker, and render the Christian character and profes- 
 sion unsound to the core.
 
 CHAP. 8.] MEETING WITH A ROAD PARTY. 139 
 
 20th. This morning we were pleasantly surprised in 
 receiving a call from John Leach. He had made a voyage 
 to Greorge Town ; hut the sea-air heing too cold for hi a delicate 
 state, he was compelled to remove to Launceston. 
 
 21st. Forwarded hy the mail-cart that runs between this 
 place and Hohart Town, several parcels of hooks and tracts, 
 to meet us at different places on the road, and made arrange- 
 ments for a meeting this evening with Nottman's road-party, 
 and for one on First-day morning at Campbell Town, forty-two 
 miles from hence, and another in the afternoon at Boss, a 
 stage further. 
 
 In the afternoon we took leave of our kind friends, Isaac 
 and Catherine Sherwin, from whom we have received much 
 disinterested attention, and hy the appointed hour, reached 
 the huts of the road-party. The men had just come in 
 from work. It is a hard life they lead, aud very little do 
 they enjoy to sweeten the portion of daily toil assigned them. 
 The superintendent gave us to understand, that disbelief in a 
 future state of reward or punishment is very prevalent 
 amongst them. Many also resign themselves to a kind of 
 despair. It is one of the grand adversary's most successful 
 insinuations, to persuade those who have fallen into degradation 
 and misery by yielding to his temptations, that it is in vain 
 to try to do better, that their case is altogether below hope ; 
 and thus, poor infatuated men become more and more en- 
 tangled in his snares, and are rendered the unresisting victims 
 of his devices. My companion addressed them feelingly, and 
 afterwards engaged in prayer ; the men were very attentive, 
 and I would gladly indulge the thought that some benighted 
 mind might receive a ray of light, through the word preached, 
 or that some of those who had drunk the bitter dregs of 
 discouragement, might once more lift up their heads in hope, 
 at the glad tidings of the gospel. We spent the evening at 
 Theodore Bartley's, where we had a very comforting religious 
 opportunity before we retired for the night. 
 
 22nd. Rose at five, and reached Perth in time for breakfast. 
 In the course of our walk we met a number of travellers on 
 horseback, to whom wo gave tracts and more or less of counsel 
 with respect to their religious interests.
 
 140 PERTH, CAMPBELL TOWN AND ROSS. [1833. 
 
 On our way from Perth we called on Jane Youll, the 
 clergyman's widow, with whose piety and tenderness on 
 religious subjects we were deeply interested. Some minds 
 seem to have been profitably affected by the recent meeting 
 we had at Perth, and to have laid what they heard to 
 heart. May we not hope that a little seed is now and then 
 sown by the way, that may bring forth fruit to the glory of 
 the Great Husbandman ? 
 
 "We reached the Eagle Inn at an early hour in the evening, 
 having come twenty miles. In a marshy-looking spot, 
 by the road-side, where the water was however dried up, 
 we noticed a vast number of young frogs, very diminutive, 
 which had the power of climbing up the long rushes to the 
 height of six feet or more, and precipitating themselves from 
 one to the other, in the manner that squirrels throw them- 
 selves from branch to branch. 
 
 At Campbell Town and Ross we had large congregations, 
 and I trust many were seriously impressed. A considerable 
 number of tracts were distributed and received with ex- 
 pressions of good- will from both high and low. We went 
 home with Greorge Parramore and his daughter Martha. 
 It was a comfort to spend a little time with these excellent 
 people. Gr. P. is an old man of patriarchal appearance ; 
 his placid yet cheerful countenance beaming from amid his 
 silvery locks, and his plain costume and general deportment, 
 forcibly reminded us of some of our Friends, who drawing to 
 the close of a well-spent life, continue to exhibit greenness 
 in old age. 
 
 25th. We left at an early hour for Mona Yale, the 
 residence of William Kermode, a gentleman of great in- 
 dependence and intelligence, by whom we were very kindly 
 received. 
 
 26th. Called on William Pike's family, at Jericho. This 
 is one of the most interesting families in the colony, for every- 
 thing that is lovely and of good report. William Pike is 
 officially appointed lecturer and catechist, in the absence of a 
 regular chaplain. They have five daughters who tread in the 
 hallowed steps of their parents. We were shown into the
 
 CHAP. 8.] JERICHO, GREEN PONDS, ETC. 141 
 
 room of the invalid mother. She was thrown from a gig 
 and much injured. When suffering the most excruciating 
 pain, she meekly said, that then she was enabled to under- 
 stand more fully than before, some of the sufferings of her 
 Saviour ; remarking, that if she experienced such an agony of 
 pain from a comparatively trivial accident, what must his 
 Bufferings have been when both his hands and feet were nailed 
 to the cross. Since the occurrence of the accident, she seems 
 to have been fulfilling the injunction of the apostle, " Rejoice 
 evermore and in everything give thanks." 
 
 Arrived at Green Ponds, in the evening. Accosting some 
 men whom we met in the dark, in order to give them 
 tracts, we found that one of them was a constable, in con- 
 nection with a large convict gang, stationed at Constitution 
 Hill, which we had just passed. We made an appointment 
 with him to meet the party the following morning. The 
 gang comprises about 120 men. 
 
 27th. The men being assembled, my companion addressed 
 them at considerable length, and engaged in prayer. In the 
 evening we reached Hobart Town, having passed a number 
 of prisoners in the service of the Government, at work upon 
 the road. There seemed a degree of openness to receive 
 religious counsel in several of them, of which we were glad 
 to avail ourselves, in pressing upon their attention the object 
 of all suffering ; that it is designed by our Heavenly Father 
 for our good ; even that which is brought on ourselves as the 
 just punishment of our sins, is designed by him to turn us 
 from them. 
 
 On arriving in Hobart Town, we found that Thomas and 
 Sarah Crouch had removed to a more commodious house in 
 Bathurst Street, and being disposed to take us in, upon the 
 old terms, we were sincerely glad to make their house our 
 home. The distance from Launceston to Hobart Town is 
 121 miles, which we have been six days in accomplishing. 
 We would gratefully recognize the intervertion of an over- 
 ruling Providence, who has made our way in a strange land, 
 more easy than we could have anticipated, opening the hearts 
 of the people to receive the truths of the gospel, and we 
 reverently believe, condescending to order our steps.
 
 142 PENAL DISCIPLINE. [1833. 
 
 Resuming their residence at Hobart Town, George 
 W. Walker makes the following remarks. 
 
 3 mo. 3. The evening was spent with the Lieutenant- 
 Governor and his family. I was sorry to hear that the Home 
 Government in its deliberations on the subject of Penal Discip- 
 line, as connected with these colonies, continues to act upon 
 some assumed data, which I feel convinced are erroneous as it 
 regards this Island. The Government, and many of our 
 philanthropists in England, appear to be much in the dark 
 with regard to the true state of the penal discipline of this 
 Colony. They assume that transportation is no punishment, 
 than which nothing can be more erroneous, and that it is not 
 effective as a means of correcting the vicious habits of the 
 convicts, which is almost equally the reverse of the truth. 
 But if the system pursued was even less of a punishment than 
 it is, it appears to me, that we have no right to add to its 
 severity on the ground of retaliation or vengeance, because 
 such is contrary to the divine law ; and still less have they 
 who disregard this obligation, any reason to advocate a system 
 of severity from any beneficial influence that it exerts over 
 the community. By a decree that is immutable, sin, whatever 
 may be its nature, is visited with suffering. " There is no 
 peace, saith my God, to the wicked ; " and it doubtless is 
 right to hold up to view, the punishments to which trans- 
 gressors subject themselves by the breach of human laws; 
 because in placing them under that discipline which includes 
 restraint from the facility to do evil, and in using the means 
 for effecting the reformation of the offender, punishment, that is 
 a measure of positive suffering, is an invariable consequence. 
 But it is because suffering is an integral part of this discipline 
 that it may allowably be held up in the shape of warning, 
 and not that the punishment of the offender is to be the 
 expiation for his crime, or that it is to be inflicted as the 
 vengeance of an offended community. This is taking upon 
 ourselves the divine prerogative : " Vengeance is mine, I will 
 repay, saith the Lord." The peculiar excellence of the penal 
 system adopted in this colony is, that it is founded upon the 
 principle, that all men wish to promote their happiness in
 
 CHAP. 8.] PENAL DISCIPLINE. 14<3 
 
 the present state of existence, but that temptation either 
 induces them to forego future comfort for the sake of present 
 enjoyment, or blinds their understandings as to the most sure 
 means of securing happiness. This system therefore provides, 
 that the offender be placed under circumstances in which he is 
 restrained from doing evil, whilst by amended conduct he has it 
 in his power greatly to mitigate his sufferings. A door of hope 
 is thus opened, of which thousands avail themselves, and be- 
 come improved characters, so as to be at least good members of 
 society in a negative sense. And many in this state, being placed 
 in a condition of mind more accessible to moral arguments, 
 especially the arguments of the gospel, become thoroughly 
 reformed. To these transportation has indeed been the dawn 
 of a new era, and they bless the day in which they were sent 
 from their native land. Those who do not become improved, 
 are generally, those whose minds had become thoroughly de- 
 praved before they left England ; they had been too long pent 
 up in goals and hulks, those pest-houses of every moral evil. 
 To these transportation must be a dreadful punishment [and 
 these are they who come most under the notice of magistrates 
 and others in authority in the Colony.] 
 
 5th. Four young men called, all of whom are reformed 
 characters, but were formerly sentenced a second time for 
 bad conduct, and have been at Macquarie Harbour. We 
 supplied them with tracts, which they lend from house to 
 house. 
 
 8th. Two men formerly prisoners, but now consistent 
 Christians, and free by servitude, called upon us for tracts. 
 One of them was seen fighting on the Newtown race-course 
 only two years ago, but is now a member of the Wesleyan 
 Church, and is a man of much fervency of spirit. He has 
 maintained a consistent course for eighteen months. The 
 other was much such another before John Loach came to the 
 colony ; his labours were instrumental in turning him from 
 the path that leads to destruction. 
 
 9th. Several more callers; among them was William 
 Butcher, the pious drummer alluded to at page 48 of 
 this journal. He is very useful in the regiment to
 
 144 SETTLEMENT OF A MEETING FOR WORSHIP. [1833. 
 
 which he belongs, in distributing tracts. Some he changes 
 weekly, others he will slip into an open window of an officer's 
 room or of the mess-room. He has met with a good deal of 
 persecution, but hitherto the grace of Grod has been sufficient 
 to enable him to maintain his ground, and doubtless will do so, 
 so long as he trusts to it, and not to his own strength. 
 
 12th. William Butcher and John Kendall, who are pious 
 soldiers, visited us this morning : my companion was exercised 
 so much on their account as to engage in prayer. Before we 
 rose from our knees, the former prayed with a fluency, 
 appropriateness and fervour that surprised me not a little ; 
 the latter also offered a few simple petitions ; he was much 
 tendered during the time my companion was supplicating. 
 We heartly desire that they may be preserved faithful in their 
 allegiance, and valiant in the cause of the great Captain of 
 our Salvation. 
 
 28th. A few of the persons professing with Friends met to 
 consider about holding a regular meeting for worship. The 
 sentiment was unanimous, that a meeting should be regularly 
 held, and it was concluded that a room used as a school-room 
 should be looked at as probably a suitable place. There was so 
 much peaceful feeling prevalent during our deliberations as to 
 satisfy my mind that the projected arrangement is a right 
 step. My companion engaged in solemn prayer before the 
 meeting separated. 
 
 30th. We had an interview with Archdeacon' Broughton, 
 who is at the head of the ecclesiastical establishments of this 
 Colony and New South Wales, and is paying a general visit 
 to this part of his diocese. He appears to be a spiritually- 
 minded man. Though devoted to his own church, he admit- 
 ted that it was probable something might be learned from the 
 example of most other Christian communities, and informed 
 us he was then perusing some of J. J. Gurney's publications, 
 which had been lent him by the Lieutenant-governor, with 
 the view of affording him information respecting our prin- 
 ciples. He professes himself an advocate for every-one 
 strenuously maintaining his own views of Christian doctrine 
 and practice, and likewise of church-government and
 
 CHAP. 8.] ARCHDEACON BROUGHTON. 145 
 
 discipline ; without merging into a popular sort of liberality, 
 as it is called, that in its wish to exercise charity towards 
 others, would admit the idea, in effect, that it matters not 
 what we are in profession provided we are but sincere ; but 
 which, he is of opinion, is injurious to the interests of the 
 universal church. We could not but cordially acquiesce in 
 this sentiment, and believe with him, that thus zealously to 
 stand forward in defence of the views we have adopted, 
 believing them to be scriptural, and the nearest approximation 
 to the truth, by no means necessarily involves any breach of 
 true charity toward those who differ from us. 
 
 31st. First-day. Considering the weak and infant state 
 of those who intend to meet after the manner of Friends, 
 and that religious instruction is only second in impor- 
 tance to religious worship, we have thought the afternoons 
 of the Sabbath might, with advantage, be devoted to reading 
 the Scriptures, and works recognised by the Society as illus- 
 trative of its principles ; we therefore commenced with such a 
 reading meeting this afternoon. 
 
 4 mo. 7. First-day. Our meetings were held in the 
 school-room in the outskirts of the town. In reviewing this 
 day's engagements, which include the first attempt at an 
 organized meeting for worship in a public way, we feel there 
 is reason to thank God and take courage.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 EASTERN COAST OF TASMANIA, LAUNCESTON, ETC. 
 
 NEXT to the districts which have been described 
 as settled parts of Tasmania, the work of reclaiming 
 the wilderness has nowhere gone on more pros- 
 perously than on that portion of the eastern coast 
 which forms the shore of Oyster Bay. Besides the 
 desire to extend to the settlers along this coast the 
 same message of gospel love which they had delivered 
 elsewhere, J. Backhouse and Gr. W. Walker were 
 attracted to the spot as the residence of Francis 
 Cotton, with whom they had formed a friendship 
 based on identity of religious principle. The road 
 across the country from Hobart Town to Francis 
 Cotton's residence was at that time in a very un- 
 formed state, in many places it was a mere track, very 
 difficult for a stranger to follow. George W. Walker 
 thus describes the journey. 
 
 4 mo. 8. We took leave of our kind friends T. and S. Crouch, 
 whose house has now become quite a home to us, and set out 
 on a journey along the eastern coast, making Launceston our 
 ultimate destination. Having received a message from the 
 Lieutenant- Governor, we called upon him in passing, being 
 in pedestrian trim. He read to us a communication from 
 Lord Groderich, in which he was commissioned to thank James 
 Backhouse, for his interesting letter respecting the Chelsea 
 Pensioners who came out in the Science. 
 
 Having concluded our interview with the Governor, we 
 proceeded on our way, and had just time to reach Richmond 
 before dark. On entering the township, we met Thomas
 
 CHAP. 9.] PRISONER'S CONFESSION. 147 
 
 Preston, one of the pensioners of the Science. It was satis- 
 factory to see him looking clean and respectahle. He informed 
 us that another of the pensioners had recently hanged himself. 
 J. Backhouse had cautioned this man on the voyage, against 
 indulging his vicious propensities to drink and commit ex- 
 cesses, under the belief, that should he persist in so doing, 
 mental aberration would be the result. 
 
 9th. Breakfasted with our friends W. T. and T. Parra- 
 more. "W. T. P. kindly sent a constable with us, as guide through 
 a part of the bush. We had a great deal of satisfactory converse 
 with this man ; desires having been raised in his mind after 
 a better state than he had yet experienced. Our road lay 
 through a long and dreary pass, between two ranges of hills, 
 very rough and stony, and clothed with forest. We only saw 
 two huts between Richmond and the White Marsh, a dis- 
 tance of fourteen miles. We stopped a short time at a stock- 
 hut belonging to a settler with whom we had become acquainted, 
 where an interesting looking young man waited upon us. We 
 put some questions to him for the purpose of eliciting his 
 feelings with respect to his condition as a prisoner. He 
 assured us that a young man in the prime of life, could not 
 be in a lonely place like that in which he was placed, and 
 deprived of the power of doing anything for himself, without 
 feeling it a great hardship. On reminding him, that it rested 
 with himself to amend his condition, he admitted that by 
 good behaviour the prospect certainly afforded him some hope 
 of securing a ticket-of-leave ; but he shook his head as he 
 alluded to the long period of dreary servitude that must first 
 elapse, even were his conduct the most favourable. He re- 
 marked, that had he known, when in England, what he now 
 knew by painful experience, he would have taken good care 
 never to give occasion to be sent out to the colony. We tried 
 to encourage him, and particularly pointed out the use he 
 should make of his experience, which had been so dearly 
 purchased. 
 
 Having emerged from between the hills, we now passed 
 over an undulating country covered with wood. Occasionally 
 we crossed some steep hills, and a tract called Prosser's
 
 148 OYSTER BAY. [1833. 
 
 Plains, of many thousand acres of fine level land, very 
 fertile. Crossing Prosser's River, we arrived at the house 
 of the district constable, Richard Crocker, where we had 
 appointed to meet Francis Cotton the day following. Here 
 we were made welcome by R. C. and his wife, and had a 
 religious opportunity in the family before we retired to the 
 respective " shake-downs," provided for our accommodation 
 on the floor. 
 
 10th. The night was excessively windy. I thought some- 
 times we were in danger of having the frail house that covered 
 us, blown about our ears ; but the gracious superintendence of 
 Him who neither slumbers nor sleeps, caused us to repose in 
 safety, and enabled us to rise with invigorated frames, and 
 renovated spirits, to resume the engagements of our varied 
 calling. 
 
 We had just parted from our host, who civilly set us a few 
 miles on our way, when we descried Francis Cotton a few 
 yards before us. This was just as we were entering a pass 
 through the hills, which from its awkwardness and difficulty, 
 consisting of fragments of rock and loose stones, that con- 
 stitute the only road, is ironically called Paradise. 
 
 llth. We reached the dwelling of Lieutenant Hawkins, 
 who with his wife, received us with the utmost kindness, and 
 we had much interesting discourse with them during the 
 remainder of the day. They take a great interest about their 
 assigned servants. 
 
 12th. Being earnestly pressed to stay over this day, and 
 the morning being extremely wet, we acquiesced in this 
 arrangement, and in the forenoon had a religious oppor- 
 tunity with the assigned servants in the establishment. 
 
 13th. Reached F. Cotton's before it was quite dark. Anna 
 Maria Cotton and the children received us gladly, as did Dr. 
 Story, who is a resident in the family, and a partner with 
 F. Cotton in his concerns. Dr. S. holds a situation under Grovern- 
 ment, as commissariat store-keeper at Waterloo Point, now called 
 Swansea, and as district-surgeon of Oyster Bay. Being of retired 
 and studious habits, and taking an interest in the education
 
 CHAP. 9.] F. COTTON AND DR. STORY. 149 
 
 of the children, he is a valuable accession to the family. 
 F. Cotton and he have been associated, almost from infancy ; 
 and though in many respects they are of very different 
 dispositions and qualifications, they are a mutual assistance, 
 and live together on terms of great cordiality and friend- 
 ship ; and the rest of the family are hardly less attached to 
 the doctor. Dr. Greorge Fordyce Story is the only surviving 
 descendant of the late Greorge Story, a minister among the 
 Wesleyans, deservedly esteemed for his piety, and the right 
 application of his vigorous understanding. 
 
 14th. First-day. We had two meetings for public worship 
 in F. Cotton's dining-room. F. C. assembles his men twice 
 on the Sabbath, and reads the Scriptures to them, and devotes 
 a portion of the day with his own family, to united worship, 
 according to the manner of Friends. It is a source of heart- 
 felt pleasure to remark the pains taken to bring up the 
 children in the fear of the Lord, and to inculcate religious 
 principles upon their youthful minds. 
 
 F. Cotton's grant consists of 1,500 acres, for. the most 
 part covered with timber. The estate is backed by hills, 
 and has a large frontage of sea coast. The house is 
 agreeably situated, commanding a fine view of the sea and of 
 the opposite shores of Oyster Bay. In front a tract of level 
 land has been enclosed and tasteftilly laid out as a garden, &c. 
 The house is of two stories, weather-boarded, and plastered 
 within, with a wing on each side of brick, one story high ; 
 the whole structure being more durable and complete than 
 any other weather-boarded house we have noticed. To effect 
 all the improvements, great exertion has not been wanting, 
 and few families have within themselves a greater share of 
 comfort. 
 
 23rd. Dr. Story accompanied us to Waterloo Point, about 
 five miles distant, where we had arranged for a meeting. 
 Nearly the whole of the inhabitants were present, amounting 
 to about thirty persons. Among them were Major Lord, and 
 upwards of a dozen soldiers. My companion was greatly 
 assisted to preach the word of life, with demonstration of the 
 Spirit and with power. Few meetings of late have afforded
 
 150 GREAT SWAN PORT. [1833. 
 
 me more peaceful retrospect, or excited more devout gratitude 
 to Him who strengthens for every good word and work. 
 
 24th. We had a select religious interview with Francis 
 and Anna Maria Cotton. My companion was led to address 
 them in the language of encouragement, expressing his belief 
 that it was the Lord's design to raise up a people in this land 
 to hear a testimony to the purity and spirituality of the 
 
 26th. Having breakfasted and had a solemn religious 
 opportunity after reading, we took leave of our friends F. 
 and A. M. Cotton and their interesting family, and, accom- 
 panied by Dr. Story, who volunteered to go with us to the 
 termination of our first day's journey, we resumed our 
 pilgrimage. 
 
 From the 26th to the 29th they visited the houses 
 of the colonists scattered round the head of Great 
 Swan Port, who besides welcoming them with true 
 colonial hospitality, received in the most friendly 
 manner the gospel message they had to deliver. 
 From the house of the last of these, William Lyne, 
 they started on the 30th for a long march over an 
 unpeopled region to a small settlement on the coast, 
 called Falmouth, the residence of David Stead, a 
 Friend whom they desired to see. Francis Cotton, 
 who had joined them two days before, was of the 
 party, 
 
 30th. The prospect of a long day's march made us rise by 
 four o'clock, for the purpose of making a start before daylight. 
 It was so extremely dark, that it was not without considerable 
 difficulty we made our way, often through the trackless 
 bush, and over fallen trees. We could only follow one 
 another by sounds ; but we had guides who were well ac- 
 quainted with the country. It was about nine o'clock before 
 we reached the coast : here we parted with our friendly con- 
 ductors, the Lynes, whom we could with difficulty induce to
 
 CHAP. 9.] DAVID STEAD. 151 
 
 share our provisions, though before they could reach home, 
 they would have walked two and twenty miles. 
 
 By the time it was dark we reached the location of Dr. 
 Henderson, where David Stead resides. Our principal object 
 in coming round by .the coast was to see D. S. He is a mem- 
 ber of Edinburgh Two-months Meeting, and has been about 
 three years in the colony. He was glad to see us, and kindly 
 accommodated us in the best way he could, J. Backhouse 
 sleeping in his hammock, I under a kangaroo rug, and 
 F. Cotton in an adjoining house, belonging to a neighbour, 
 the only settler between this place and Greorge River, twenty 
 miles distant. 
 
 5 mo. 1. David Stead is much respected for his integrity 
 and exemplary conduct He is exposed to much hardship 
 and privation ; he expresses himself however, in terms of 
 contentment, is fond of the country, likes his occupation, and 
 only seems to regret the want of a little more society. In 
 the evening we assembled in one of the huts, with the men of 
 the place, twenty-four persons, exclusive of our own party, 
 when J. Backhouse was enabled to labour in the gospel much 
 to our satisfaction, being clear, forcible and persuasive, his lan- 
 guage well adapted to the understanding of persons of little 
 cultivation, such as were a large proportion of the audience. 
 
 2nd. We left Falmouth, and crossed a high tier of moun- 
 tains that separate the coast from the Break-o'day Plains, a 
 fine tract of level land, communicating with St. Paul's Plains. 
 We took up our abode with Michael Bates, D. Stead's partner, 
 and had a meeting with his people and his neighbours ; the 
 hut was pretty well filled. To our great comfort, Francis 
 Cotton was strengthened to bear a lively testimony to the 
 truth as it is in Jesus. 
 
 3rd. Proceeded up the Plains to the Lower Farm, where 
 we were constrained to halt by a friendly young woman, the 
 wife of the overseer, who, notwithstanding she had several 
 young children to look after, in a very few minutes baked a 
 eake and prepared us tea. 
 
 4th. Reached Major Grey's. The walk is through a very- 
 beautiful valley; Ben Lomond with its craggy gummit
 
 MAJOR GRAY. [1833. 
 
 forming a striking object on the left, and the St. Paul's range 
 bounding the view to the right. Major Grey's house is in 
 the township of Avoca ; his brother, Captain Grey's, is not 
 far distant, and is beautifully situated on the northern bank 
 of the South Esk, We found Major Grey and his lady very 
 intelligent and serious ; the former is an active magistrate. 
 They have a large family of young children who are a very 
 promising group. Their excellent mother is a pattern both 
 as regards her domestic duties and piety. 
 
 5th. First-day. The people mustered in the parlour and 
 adjoining hall, when my companion had an open time of 
 religious labour. We proceeded up the St. Paul's Plains to 
 Captain Patrick Hepburn's, where we arrived in time to have 
 a meeting in the evening. The servants were seated round 
 the dim'ng-room on planks. Francis Cotton was the first to 
 break silence, with the short but important declaration, " God 
 is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in 
 spirit and in truth." J. Backhouse enlarged on this and 
 other points, concluding the meeting with prayer. 
 
 7th. We had an interesting religious season in the family 
 last evening, and this morning had much serious conversation 
 with Captain Hepburn, on the dissipating effect of music, 
 where it is much indulged in, as is the case in this Colony. 
 We parted here with our friend F. Cotton, to whom we have 
 felt much united in Christian fellowship, having witnessed 
 with lively interest, the exercises of his mind, under the 
 baptising power of the Holy Spirit. J. Backhouse and 
 myself returned to Major Grey's, and had some very interesting 
 conversation with the Major and his wife. They have both 
 lived to see the vanity of all earthly pursuits, and have been 
 led to flee for refuge to the hope set before them in the Gospel, 
 which hope they acknowledge to have felt as an anchor to the 
 soul. The Major accompanied us to Ensign Adamson's 
 cottage, where we spent a couple of hours in conversation, 
 especially on the principles of the Temperance Society. En- 
 sign Adamson declared his conviction that nineteen out of 
 twenty of the offences for which the soldiery are punished, are 
 the result of spirit-drinking : he said he had seriously thought
 
 CHAP. 9.] JOHN BATMAN, ABORIGINES, ETC. 
 
 of petitioning at head quarters, that the daily allowance of 
 this pernicious beverage might be withdrawn. 
 
 8th. We arrived at the house of John Batman, an opulent 
 settler, who, just before the commencement of the campaign 
 against the Aborigines, was employed by the Government to 
 capture some of the natives. His instructions were to take 
 them alive, and if possible without injuring them, but to let 
 none escape. According to his own statement, he and his 
 party shot about thirty of these poor creatures and captured 
 eleven more. The latter form the party that have been so 
 successfully employed in keeping up a friendly communication 
 with the different tribes scattered over the Island, and John 
 Batman has become one of their warmest friends. 
 
 Stopping at the houses of several settlers in the 
 districts of Ben Lomond, Paterson's Plains, &c. and 
 holding meetings with their inmates, James Back- 
 house and George W. Walker arrived at Launceston 
 on the evening of the 13th. 
 
 5 mo. 16. John Leach called. His health has mate- 
 rially improved, and his labours have been proportionably 
 extended. He now visits Nottman's gang twice in the week, 
 and usually preaches twice on First-days, in a room that has 
 been quite inadequate for the size of the congregation. The 
 Governor, who lately paid a visit to Launceston, has offered 
 him a regular stipend, if he would devote himself exclusively 
 to the prisoners ; but though he has no present means of 
 subsistence, his engagement with the Wesleyans being ter- 
 minated, he does not feel at liberty to place himself under 
 any obligation, by which his usefulness among the little band 
 of Wesleyans may be hindered. He has therefore declined. 
 I was glad to hear that the Archdeacon had seen him, and had 
 noticed with approbation his disinterested labours. 
 
 19th. First-day. We held a meeting in the Court-house 
 which was very much crowded. My companion was led to 
 comment on the nature of that worship, which, whatever might 
 be its attendant circumstances, would alone be acceptable to
 
 154 WEATHER, ETC. f!833. 
 
 God. He stated the essential doctrines of the gospel, their 
 practical influence on those who receive them, and how the 
 heart becomes prepared to offer spiritual sacrifices, acceptable 
 to God, through Jesus Christ. Several expressed their satisfac- 
 tion with what had been declared. The chief police magistrate 
 signified his surprise, having always regarded the Society of 
 Friends as holding Unitarian sentiments ; he fully acquiesced 
 in the soundness of the doctrines he had heard preached, and 
 said he should be glad to hear them reiterated as often as 
 he had the opportunity. 
 
 21st. "We have just heard of the death of the innkeeper's 
 wife, of whom mention is made at page 131. She and 
 her husband had been out visiting, and had partaken of 
 liquor. The next morning her husband was out of the 
 house for some time, and on his return found her dead. 
 During his absence she had taken such a quantity of spirits 
 that suffocation ensued. 
 
 28th. The weather has become very wet, after a season of 
 sharp frost. During the prevalence of frosty weather, Laun- 
 ceston is enveloped in dense fog in the early morning. The 
 tops of the adjacent hills are often in clear sunshine, whilst 
 the town below is concealed in a cloud, from which a steeple 
 or windmill rears its head. These fogs rarely continue 
 through the day. As soon as the sun is a little above the 
 horizon, the mist begins to dissolve, and when once the sun 
 begins to shine, whatever may have been the severity of the 
 previous night, a pleasant warmth is infused into the atmos- 
 phere. 
 
 6 mo. 5. "We took tea with a gentleman from Ireland, 
 where, during a period when political animosities ran high, 
 he became obnoxious to the ruling powers, and for some 
 trivial offence, in which he was thought to have been unjustly 
 implicated, was sent to this colony. Here he has conducted 
 himself with the strictest propriety, and is one of the very few 
 who, under his circumstances, are admitted into good society. 
 
 James Backhouse and George W. Walker set out
 
 CHAP. 9.] j. c. SUTHERLAND. 155 
 
 on the llth, for an excursion into the neighbour- 
 hood of Norfolk Plains. They spent about three 
 weeks in this tour, in which, as before, they were 
 well received and hospitably entertained by the 
 Settlers. Many of these were men of thrift and 
 intelligence, who appreciated their society, and 
 whose best feelings responded to the religious coun- 
 sel which they were constrained in the love of Christ 
 to extend. Some of the most interesting of the visits 
 were those to Andrew Gatenby and his neighbour, 
 J. C. Sutherland, and to a Ladies' school, an excel- 
 lent establishment, which has, no- doubt, contributed 
 its share in giving to the upper class of society in Tas- 
 mania, that refinement for which it is distinguished. 
 
 6 mo. 15. Andrew Gatenby's was our next place of call. 
 A. GK was from home, but we were made very welcome by 
 his wife and children, of whom there are seven. Finding it 
 would be agreeable to the family that we should hold a 
 meeting for worship the following morning, in their large 
 kitchen, invitation was sent to the surrounding settlers. 
 
 16th. First-day. We formed a pretty numerous assembly, 
 and the opportunity was solemn and instructive. Through 
 the earnest invitation of J. C. Sutherland, who is a magistrate, 
 and coroner for the district, we repaired to his house after 
 dinner, about two miles distant. J. C. S. was originally a 
 writer to the Signet, in Edinburgh ; his wife and sister are 
 natives of Newcastle, and were highly pleased to hear of 
 their acquaintance, with respect to many of whom I was able 
 to give information. In the course of the evening the servants 
 were called in, a chapter in the Bible was read, and my com- 
 panion had some instructive counsel to impart. His labours 
 were highly acceptable. J. C. Sutherland had road Barclay's 
 Apology, and appears to have a high value for the principles 
 it advocates ; he is particularly impressed with the excellence 
 of silent worship.
 
 156 ANDREW GATENBY. [1833. 
 
 17th. Returned to A. Gatenby's in time for dinner, after 
 which the worthy old man reached his home, thus allowing 
 us an opportunity of forming an acquaintance with him. He 
 and his family resided some twenty years ago at Horscarr, 
 near Whitby, where they had for their neighbour a member 
 of our Society, to whom A. G. frequently alluded, as " his old 
 friend Willy Puckrin," adding, that he was the best friend 
 he ever had. A. Gatenby is a man of slender education, but 
 possesses naturally a clear judgment, and a sound under- 
 standing in common affairs, with industrious habits. He is 
 possessed of about 10,000 acres of land, and has lately erected 
 an excellent stone mansion, such as there are very few in the 
 colony. The materials were chiefly prepared by the old man 
 and his sons, four in number, who assist him in the manage- 
 ment of his farm. He made offers to the Government to 
 erect a church ; and they were willing to apportion a small 
 piece of land for the purpose ; but they would only do so 
 on condition that the right of presentation should be in the 
 Crown : this did not accord with the ideas of the shrewd old 
 gentleman, who chose to retain the power of at least insuring 
 the inculcation of doctrines he approved, according to the 
 ancient Yorkshire adage, to use his own words, " That they 
 that pay the piper should have the right to choose the tune." 
 We availed ourselves of the opportunity for explaining the 
 views which the Scriptures inculcate with regard to the free 
 exercise of Gk>spel ministry, the simplicity of worship, and 
 some other doctrines that are too generally misinterpreted or 
 abused. The whole of this family, as well as three of another, 
 who were present, signed the declaration of the Temperance 
 Society. The Gatenbys have resolutely acted on its principles 
 during their residence in the colony, to which they no doubt 
 in some measure owe their prosperity. 
 
 18th. It was dark by the time we reached Ellinthorpe Hall, 
 the residence of George Carr Clarke, whose father resided at 
 Ellinthorpe Hall, near Boroughbridge, Yorkshire. We were 
 received with much kindness by this gentleman and his wife. 
 The latter conducts a boarding school for young ladies, which 
 is the largest private establishment of the kind, and the most 
 popular in the island. There are about forty pupils.
 
 CHAP. 9.] ELLINTHORPE SCHOOL. 157 
 
 19th. We had much interesting discourse with the wife of 
 GK C. Clarke, and were gratified to find so conscientious and 
 intelligent a person at the head of such an establishment. Her 
 husband is quite independent ; but she continues the school 
 from a sense of duty, and to gratify the wishes of her benevo- 
 lent heart, by rearing and educating a number of children who 
 have been deprived of the means of a liberal education, but 
 whose birth might have seemed to entitle them to it. Several 
 are orphans or motherless, and at present, one-fourth of the 
 school are educated at a very reduced expense, or altogether 
 gratuitously. We had a religious interview with the children, 
 whom my companion feelingly addressed, concluding by sup- 
 plication on their behalf. 
 
 J. B. and G. W. W. returned to Launceston on 
 the 1st of the Seventh month. G. W. W. thus 
 records his reflections on the accomplishment of this 
 and the preceding tour. 
 
 We have been much favoured with respect to the weather 
 during our recent excursions, made in the depth of winter ; 
 this season having been as remarkable for the absence of rain as 
 the former was for the abundance of it. We would gratefully 
 acknowledge the over-ruling Providence, by which we were 
 led to make some tedious voyages to the out-stations of the 
 colony during the last winter, in its most dreary season ; and 
 in this, we can hardly say we have been detained a single day 
 hitherto in our pedestrian expeditions; although from the 
 liability of the streams to be flooded, detention for weeks 
 during the rainy season is of frequent occurrence. During 
 the twenty days we have been last absent, we have had 
 twenty-four religious opportunities with families or assem- 
 blages of the people, in a compass of about 140 miles. 
 
 7 mo. 7. First-day. The Presbyterian minister being con- 
 fined to the house, we availed ourselves of the opportunity to 
 invite the inhabitants to meet with us at the Court-house, 
 where he generally officiates. J. Backhouse had to impart 
 much searching doctrine. The folly of depending upon man,
 
 158 LAUNCESTON. A. DAVY. [1833, 
 
 though endowed with ministerial gifts, was pointed out, in 
 the anomalous procedure of Christians in slighting the in- 
 junction, " not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together," 
 because their minister was unable to meet with them. It was 
 shown that the promise of the Saviour to be in the midst of the 
 two or three who assemble in his name, did not render it at 
 all imperative for a minister to be present ; and that to 
 disobey the command because he was necessarily absent, 
 looked as if men met to wait upon their fellow-creatures, 
 rather than on Him whom they call their Lord and Master. 
 
 12th. I had much serious conversation with Abraham 
 Davy, a young man professing with Friends, whose mind 
 is increasingly brought under the power of religion. As 
 works of love are the genuine fruits of living faith, I am 
 glad in being enabled to record some fruit of this kind with 
 regard to him. The wife of the person with whom he 
 lodges having become addicted to dram-drinking, rendered 
 his situation so uncomfortable that he had come to the reso- 
 lution of seeking other quarters. Before removing however, 
 he considered that he ought to spare no pains in endeavouring 
 to convince the poor woman of her sin, and to prevail upon 
 her to break off from the destructive habit. He read several 
 tracts to her, and used all the arguments he could think of to 
 awaken her to a sense of her danger ; and at length she be- 
 came thoroughly convinced that nothing but total abstinence 
 would save her from temporal and eternal destruction, and 
 under this conviction determined to join the Temperance 
 Society. She has now acted for some weeks rigidly in accor- 
 dance with its rules ; and as a proof of her sincerity and 
 good will to the cause she sent a dollar by A. Davy, on the 
 evening the society was organized, as a contribution to its 
 funds. 
 
 Leaving Launceston once more, our travellers 
 again turned their faces southward, and commenced 
 another itinerary through the settled districts, to 
 Hobart Town, varying the route at several points, 
 and spending much time in some localities, where 
 the attraction of gospel love was strongest.
 
 CHAP. 9.] SNAKE BANKS. 159 
 
 7 mo. 17. A walk of eight miles brought us to the door 
 of Captain William Wood, of the Snake-banks. We were 
 politely invited to partake of dinner, and on our subsequent 
 mention of proceeding, the offer of beds was with like hos- 
 pitality extended. We informed Captain Wood of our usual 
 practice of assembling the family and neighbours when agree- 
 able to our host ; and though he seemed a little taken by 
 surprise, remarking that he was of the Church of England, 
 and did not trouble himself much about the opinions of those 
 of a different persuasion, a little explanation made way in his 
 mind for a cheerful acquiescence in the arrangement. A 
 company of at least forty were mustered ; and my dear com- 
 panion was strengthened to preach the gospel in a measure of 
 life and authority, which I believe wrought conviction in 
 many minds. Our host several times afterwards referred to 
 the occasion, as affording him much satisfaction, adding that 
 it would be well if all the sermons which were preached were 
 as plain, intelligible, and practical. 
 
 19th. Nothing can well exceed the beauty of some of the 
 farms on the western bank of the South Esk. The ground 
 gently undulating, with beautiful groups of Casuarina and 
 Acacia, the limpid waters of the river fertilizing while they 
 adorn the scene, along with verdant shrubs that grow upon the 
 margin, give a luxuriance to the landscape which is enhanced 
 by the distant view of Ben-Lomond, with its craggy summit, 
 and the intervening hills crowned with wood. 
 
 20th. We left for J. M'Leod's at Meadow Bank. He 
 had received my letter, and with prompt attention, had ex- 
 tended a general invitation to the inhabitants for ten or 
 twelve miles round, to meet with us on the Sabbath, at 
 Campbell Town. 
 
 21st. First-day. We found a very large audience assem- 
 bled. Several had come from a distance of twelve and even 
 fourteen miles, a proof of the avidity of the people to hear the 
 gospel preached. They seemed solemnly impressed, while the 
 great principles of the gospel were sot forth in a manner intel- 
 ligible to the meanest capacity. We wore invited to dine with 
 John Leake, police magistrate, who resides about two miles
 
 160 MEETINGS, EAGLES, ETC. [1833. 
 
 from the town, or rather township, for the site does not contain 
 more than about a dozen houses. We had a religious oppor- 
 tunity after dinner ; and after tea returned to J. M'Leod's, to 
 meet a few of the neighbours who again assembled to hear the 
 gospel. This is a day to be remembered, in which divine help 
 was graciously vouchsafed to my companion, enabling him to 
 labour for the edification of the people, and I humbly hope 
 the exaltation of the truth. And though I am an unprofitable 
 servant, not deserving to be named with those who thus boldly 
 advocate the cause of Christ, the comfort resulting from such 
 labour is in measure reflected on my own mind. 
 
 8 mo. 1. Salt Pan Plains. Though eagles are very 
 numerous in most parts of the colony, we noticed a larger 
 number together hovering for their prey on these plains than 
 anywhere else. They are a great annoyance to the farmers, 
 who say they also lose many lambs from the crows, which are 
 
 very bold and rapacious. 
 
 
 21st. On the way to Green Yalley we met with a prisoner 
 
 in a solitary hut, and talked with him respecting the state of his 
 soul. He feelingly acknowledged having slighted instruction 
 and turned his back on reproof, and that now, he was reaping 
 the bitter fruits of his folly : his mind seemed brought under 
 strong convictions ; and we left him under a melting sense of 
 the mercy and long-suffering of Grod, and the value of the 
 remedy provided in the gospel for penitent sinners, even the 
 blood of Jesus, which cleanseth from all sin. 
 
 23rd. After much lively conversation on religious topics, 
 at John Young's, with those to whom the truth is precious, 
 we separated from this interesting family under a feeling of 
 the unity of spirit which is the bond of peace. Ellen 
 Young is much devoted to her children, and is indeed a 
 pattern to mothers, training them up in the nurture and 
 admonition of the Lord. What an inestimable blessing is a 
 pious mother ! Surely it transcends every earthly gift ! 
 
 28th. As we approached Richard Barker's, five miles from 
 Allen Yale, we met Thomas Terry, a young man we became 
 acquainted with when here eighteen months ago. He readily
 
 CHAP. 9.] BACK SETTLEMENT, NEW NORFOLK. 161 
 
 undertook to extend notice of our intention to assemble for 
 worship at R. Barker's that evening. B. B. and his wife 
 received us kindly ; and by the time we had got a cup of tea, 
 our willing young friend returned with a large party, who 
 were anxious to hear the gospel tidings proclaimed. 
 
 29th. Richard Barker has a taste for botany, and derived 
 great enjoyment from the superior knowledge of my com- 
 panion, who was able to name for him many native plants and 
 shrubs. Considering the general intelligence and information 
 that prevails amongst the respectable portion of the com- 
 munity in this colony, it is remarkable how few exhibit any 
 knowledge of this interesting science. With such a wide 
 field as the hills and valleys of Van Diemens Land, it is 
 quite to be regretted. 
 
 9 mo. 8. First-day New Norfolk. Dr. Officer undertook 
 the task of giving information to the inhabitants at the " Back 
 Settlement "4^8 it is called. His labours in going from house 
 to house and using his personal influence to induce attendance 
 were signally efficacious. I dare say not much short of 200 
 persons were collected, of a class too, who generally attend no 
 place of worship from one year's end to the other. John 
 Leach was once so bold as to tell some of these, that if the devil 
 had a favourite spot on the whole earth, it was this Back Settle- 
 ment. Though my companion did not tell them so in these 
 words, the fruits of " the spirit that now worketh in the 
 children of disobedience " were so clearly get forth, that his 
 worshippers might read their own picture as in a mirror ; and 
 faithfully were they warned to flee from the wrath to come. 
 Encouragement was held out to the most abandoned of 
 sinners, to approach the footstool of divine mercy, while the 
 day of visitation lasted. At five o'clock we had a meeting in 
 the hospital. The invalids remained in one apartment, whilst 
 about seventy of the inhabitants from the town and neigh- 
 bourhood sat in the adjoining one. J. Backhouse stood by 
 the door between, and thus preached to two distinct congre- 
 gations. The meeting was a very impressive one. Some 
 religious counsel, accompanied by prayer in the family of Dr. 
 Officer, after the Scriptures had been read, concluded the services 
 
 M
 
 162 HOBART TOWN. A. BAINBRIDGE. [1833. 
 
 of this day. It is truly a cause for devout gratitude to the 
 Grod of all consolation, to feel that strength is imparted pro- 
 portionate to the necessities of the day. Generally the people 
 seem to be in the state that requires the first principles of the 
 gospel to be preached, and not unfrequently is an acknow- 
 ledgment made to their truth. 
 
 9th. We reached Hobart Town, and again took up our 
 quarters with our old friends T. and S. Crouch. Knowing the 
 universal hospitality of the settlers in Van Diemens Land, 
 we left Launceston with only twenty-five shillings between 
 us, which we found sufficient, although we have been upwards 
 of eight weeks on the road. We expended the last penny 
 for a roll. The kind-hearted woman who sold it would spread 
 some butter upon it, and it served us for a dinner, so that we 
 had literally just enough. 
 
 A letter from Rachel Priestman, conveys the aifecting 
 intelligence of the removal of my valued friend Ann Bain- 
 bridge. I feel that I have lost a sympathizing friend and 
 counsellor, one possessed of the heart of the Grood Samaritan ; 
 and there are many who will unite with me in the feeling 
 of sincere sorrow. Ours is not a sorrow however, without 
 hope. I doubt not it has been said to the happy spirit of 
 our dear departed friend, " Inasmuch as ye did it unto one 
 of the least of these my brethren, ye did it unto me ; enter 
 thou into the joy of thy Lord."
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF A MONTHLY MEETING OP FRIENDS AT 
 
 HOBART TOWN, VISIT TO PORT ARTHUR, AND SECOND VOYAGE 
 
 TO FLINDERS ISLAND. 
 
 THE meeting which was opened in Hobart Town 
 was the first meeting of Friends settled in the 
 Southern Hemisphere. When it became sufficiently 
 settled, in accordance with the good order which 
 flows from the principles of the New Testament, 
 the two Friends who had watched over the infant 
 association, thought . it incumbent upon them to 
 introduce a bond of church-fellowship, and the 
 means of exercising church-discipline. Accordingly 
 a Monthly Meeting was organised, which embraced 
 also the family at Kelvedon, and those who became 
 united to the Society in other parts of the Island. 
 This took place very soon after the return of James 
 Backhouse and George W. Walker from their 
 itinerary across the Island, as related in the last 
 chapter. 
 
 9 mo. 11. Richard Edwards, whom I shall in future call 
 by his proper name of Abraham Charles Flower, took tea 
 with us. He continues in a hopeful frame of mind ; I trust 
 growing in grace and in the knowledge of God and our Lord 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 13th. The number of callers is a great interruption to our 
 pursuits. This kind of intercourse may however be an in- 
 tegral part of our religious service. 
 
 20th. Thomas Squire and Ann Pollard mot with J. Back- 
 house and myself, for the purpose of entering some minutes
 
 164 JUDICIAL SWEARING. [1833. 
 
 on record, with respect to those who are attached to the 
 principles of Friends in Hobart Town. It might be styled 
 the embryo of a meeting for discipline. The minutes in- 
 cluded a notice of the meetings that had been established 
 for worship and religious instruction ; the persons who claim 
 membership in the Island, as well as those who have for- 
 merly been connected with the Society, and remain attached 
 to its principles ; likewise those who appear to be convinced 
 of our principles, and who attend our meetings. It was 
 agreed to commence a week-day meeting, on Fifth-days, 
 at six o'clock. My companion supplicated for the divine 
 blessing. 
 
 10 mo. 12. A circumstance has occurred this week in the 
 Supreme Court, which has excited considerable interest in 
 the public mind, and in which we have largely participated. 
 A respectable young woman, a member of the Independent 
 Church, being subpoenaed as a witness in a case of breach of 
 promise of marriage, publicly refused, on conscientious grounds, 
 to take an oath. The Judge asked her if she was a Quaker. 
 The young woman could not urge this plea. The Judge in- 
 timated that it was necessary she should state her reasons for 
 declining- to take the oath. This she did in a firm though 
 respectful and very able manner, grounding her objection on 
 the express prohibition of Christ, " Swear not at all." The 
 court expressed a wish that she should withdraw with her 
 friends to reconsider the subject and the consequences of 
 her continued refusal. This she did, but she was not to be 
 turned from her purpose. When the affair had reached this 
 crisis, and there seemed no alternative but committing the 
 young woman to prison, the Court was relieved by the 
 defendant's attorney withdrawing her evidence. * 
 
 23rd. We held a meeting for discipline at our lodgings. 
 It was concluded to hold these meetings in future in the place 
 
 * The absurd law which considered a conscientious objection to break the 
 command of Christ " Contempt of Court," has been repealed ; but by still re- 
 quiring evidence to be given on oath when the witness does not object, the 
 Government has not washed its hands from the sin of acting in contravention of 
 the plain command of Christ against swearing. J. B.
 
 CHAP. 10.] MOUNT WELLINGTON. 165 
 
 where we assemble for worship, on the first Sixth-day of every 
 month, the designation to be Hobart Town Monthly Meeting 
 of Friends. 
 
 25th. We have often thought it would be interesting to 
 ascend Mount Wellington ;" and having been closely engaged 
 in writing of late, and a day of more than common exercise 
 promising to be beneficial to our health, we set apart this day 
 for the purpose. A man in the employment of Dr. Ross, and 
 two from the Government garden, accompanied us. 
 
 We left the town about six in the morning, and ascended 
 by a circuitous path through the dense forests that clothe the 
 base and sides of the mountain. Emerging from the forest 
 within about half a mile of the summit, we came upon huge 
 masses of basaltic rock, thrown together so as to form a rough 
 natural causeway, to traverse which was tedious as well as 
 arduous. In several places the mountain presents a precipitous 
 front, composed of blocks of basalt of immense magnitude. 
 The mountain is 4240 feet high, and the ascent is computed 
 to be eight miles. A large portion of the summit is boggy 
 and interspersed with pools or streams of water, and loose 
 fragments of basaltic rock. We ascended another elevation 
 two or three miles beyond, commanding a splendid panoramic 
 view of probably one half of the Island. The numerous bays 
 and islands had all the distinctness of a map spread before 
 us. The whole country appeared to be one continued series 
 of mountains covered with dense timber ; the cultivated parts 
 being scarcely discernable. We descended by a different 
 route, and with no little labour made our way through the 
 scrub, or scrambled over it. It was after sunset ere we got 
 to a track, and about eight o'clock when we reached our 
 lodgings. 
 
 10 mo. 11. Some differences having arisen between the 
 Missionary at Flinders Island and the Commandant, the 
 Lieutenant Governor is solicitous that we should revisit the 
 settlement, and W. J. Darling having himself expressed a 
 similar desire, after serious consideration, and reference to the 
 Divine will, we believe it will most conduce to our peace
 
 166 FLINDERS ISLAND. [1833. 
 
 to acquiesce in the proposal. The Shamrock, cutter, is 
 preparing to transfer a party of Aborigines to Flinders, 
 whom GK A. Robinson has just brought in from the west 
 side of this island. It is probable we may accompany them. 
 
 20th. We had an audience with the Lieutenant Governor, 
 who furnished us with a letter explaining the nature of our 
 mission and the character of the dispute between the Com- 
 mandant and the Missionary. 
 
 IN the interval which had elapsed since their 
 former visit to Flinders Island, the condition of the 
 Aborigines had undergone a great change for the 
 better. They had been removed to the new location, 
 the name of which had been changed from Pea- 
 Jacket Point, to the more euphonious native ap- 
 pellation Wybalenna, which signifies Black Men's 
 Houses. Their new habitations contained a number 
 of European comforts, and the people had made 
 good progress in the arts of domestic life. Several 
 parties of natives had been added to the Settlement ; 
 but the mortality which had prevailed there had 
 probably more than counterbalanced the increase 
 from without. 
 
 The efforts made by the two Friends to restore 
 harmonious action between the officers of the estab- 
 lishment were not without success, so far as regarded 
 the feelings of the two parties towards each other ; 
 but the Lieutenant-Governor, acting upon intelli- 
 gence received subsequently to the departure of the 
 Shamrock from Hobart Town, considered it necessary 
 that the missionary should be recalled. Before 
 James Backhouse and George W. Walker returned 
 from their mission, they received from the Governor 
 the following acknowledgment of their services as 
 peace-makers.
 
 CHAP. 10.] VOYAGE, ABORIGINES, ETC. 167 
 
 " I am directed," wrote the Colonial Secretary, "to 
 express to you the high sense which the Lieutenant- 
 Governor entertains of the valuable services which 
 you have rendered to the Government ; and his 
 Excellency's thanks for the information you have 
 afforded. I am to state, your desire to conciliate, 
 as well as your success are striking proofs of the 
 spirit by which you have been actuated." 
 
 The Shamrock sailed on the 22nd of the Eleventh 
 Month. 
 
 The Aborigines came on board at an early hour, and we 
 dropped down the river with the tide ; but after beating about 
 the greater part of the day with an adverse wind, came to 
 anchor in the mouth of D'Entrecasteaux Channel. 
 
 23rd. The poor Aborigines are to be commiserated, having 
 to sleep on the deck during these damp, cold nights. When 
 the vessel gets to Port Arthur, and discharges her cargo, 
 they will have a portion of the hold for sleeping in. This 
 party of natives appears to be as uncultivated as any we have 
 encountered ; but they are quiet and tractable. The only 
 man among them has a black beard and mustache, and a 
 countenance strikingly Jewish. I never contemplate his 
 visage long together but I am forcibly reminded of the 
 descendants of Abraham. They are all excessively fond of 
 their dogs, hugging them like children, carrying them in 
 their bosoms and allowing them to lick their faces. 
 
 24th. Very little of external comfort this day. The rain 
 descended in torrents, insinuating itself into the crevices 
 between the planks of the deck, until it was difficult to get a 
 spot to sit in where the wet did not drip. In the evening 
 the weather cleared up, and the wind changing, we stood out 
 to sea, 
 
 25th. We were received at Port Arthur with much courtesy 
 by Captain Charles -O'Hara Booth, the Commandant. We 
 were shown by him through the establishment, in which 
 many alterations have taken place ; and he accompanied us
 
 168 CAPTAIN BOOTH. [1833. 
 
 to the summit of a high hill, about three miles distant, which 
 overlooks the greater part of the peninsula. This is intended 
 as a signal station, and as a position to observe the motions 
 of runaways. It is densely wooded. * 
 
 26th. Accompanied by Captain Booth we proceeded to 
 Eagle Hawk Neck, a very narrow isthmus connecting Tas- 
 man's peninsula with the main land. After being rowed to 
 the head of Long Bay, we walked the remainder of the way. 
 The distance from the Settlement is about fifteen miles. A 
 party of from twenty to thirty military are stationed at the 
 Neck, whose chief duty is to intercept runaways. The irk- 
 someness of the discipline at Port Arthur is such, that during 
 the eight months Captain Booth has commanded there, nearly 
 fifty prisoners have absconded, with the hope of evading the 
 vigilance of the guards, and escaping beyond the Neck to the 
 Main ; not one has however succeeded, though some have re- 
 mained for weeks in the bush, subsisting on roots, berries, or 
 game ; even snakes have been resorted to, to eke out a misera- 
 ble existence, until at last, hunger has obliged the runaways 
 to give themselves up. But generally, a few days suffice, and 
 they are either retaken by the constables, who are placed at 
 intervals all over the peninsula, or hunger constrains them to 
 return, when a severe punishment is the certain result of their 
 temerity. It is expected the alertness shown in cutting off 
 escape, and the severity pursued towards those who make 
 the attempt, will at last, discourage all efforts of the kind. 
 The Neck is about 120 yards in width at high water. In 
 the centre is placed the guard-house, on a rising ground. A 
 sentinel on each side paces to and fro, whose employment it is 
 to be on the look-out for strangers : when any are seen an 
 alarm is immediately given to the party of military. In 
 advance of the sentinels is a body of very persevering watch- 
 dogs, nine in number ; chained at intervals, so as to form a 
 
 * There are trees of enormous magnitude on this hill, but we had not with us 
 the means of measuring them. In a publication in 18o9, entitled "The 
 Experience of Forty Years in Tasmania, by Hugh M. Hull, Esq." This 
 gentleman says " In some of the southern parts of Tasmanii, the Blue Gum 
 [Eucalyptus globulus] grows to the height of 350 feet, and 100 feet in girth. 
 The Rev. T. J. Ewing mentions one 102 feet round. One on my father's estate, 
 about five miles from Hobart Town, is 330 feet high, and 86 feet round." J. B,
 
 CHAP. 10.] PORT ARTHUR. 169 
 
 barrier right across the neck. Nothing can escape their 
 vigilance ; they give notice of the approach of footsteps long 
 before the party emerges from the bush. In addition are the 
 same number of lamps, which are kept burning during the 
 night. 
 
 27th. We spent the forepart of the day at the Mission- 
 house, and had the pleasure of conversing with our old 
 acquaintance Thomas Day, the man of colour, mentioned at 
 page 64, who, I trust, is holding on his way in well-doing. 
 
 In the afternoon we had a meeting with the prisoners, 
 between four and five hundred in number, in the place in 
 which they usually assemble. The Commandant and officers 
 of the establishment were present, and two or three strangers 
 from the Indiana, which put into Safety Cove, the night 
 before, from stress of weather. J. Backhouse was engaged in 
 gospel labour, under evident divine anointing for the service, 
 to the great comfort of my mind, and I trust edification to 
 many. 
 
 28th. The Government are more than ever desirous to 
 make this penal settlement one of extreme severity, and most 
 irksome restraint to those who are determinately hardened 
 characters, depriving them of every indulgence, and even 
 comfort, beyond what is merely essential to health, and 
 enforcing the most persevering drudgery. This method was 
 tried for some time at Macquarie Harbour, but there is not 
 the least reason to believe it was attended with success. 
 However, the system now adopted at Port Arthur, notwith- 
 standing its severity, leaves a door open for the deserving, 
 or those who evince a disposition to conform to the regulations 
 of the establishment. 
 
 At a later hour in the evening we took leave of the 
 Commandant, and resumed our berths on board the cutter, 
 which had completed her repairs, and now only waited for a 
 fair wind. 
 
 29th. A light breeze'enabled us to proceed a little way 
 up Stewart's Harbour, when the wind changing, we were 
 obliged to drop anchor in Safety Cove. We saw some of the 
 aboriginal women dive for fish. They appear to be half am- 
 phibious, such is their dexterity in the water, and what is
 
 170 DIVING OF ABORIGINES. [1833. 
 
 singular, they appear to float with their heads in an upright 
 position above water, without any effort, and this in the midst 
 of kelp and other seaweed that would terrify the generality of 
 skilful swimmers. They put aside the weed with their hands, 
 or lift it over their heads as it becomes wrapt round them, and 
 fearlessly dive, head foremost, into the midst of it, passing the 
 branches of kelp through their hands as a sailor would a rope ; 
 until, as they continue to descend, a crayfish arrests their 
 sight, when seizing it by the back, they ascend promptly to 
 the surface, where they readily disengage themselves from the 
 kelp and weed, and throw the prey to their companions on 
 shore, Sometimes they put their heads a little below the 
 surface, and look along the bottom until they descry a shell- 
 fish, when in a moment their heels appear above the surface, 
 and diving to the bottom, their prey is secured. The men 
 are said to be far inferior to the women in diving, as they 
 consider it the province of the females to procure fish. The 
 Aborigines are excessively fond of shell-fish. 
 
 12 mo. 1. I was comforted in reading the Scriptures and 
 Butler's Analogy. The latter has afforded me many a 
 pleasing and profitable subject of meditation during the 
 voyage. 
 
 2nd. We brought up under Green Island, our old place 
 of anchorage. It was not long before a violent squall of 
 wind caused the vessel to drag her anchor, and she went on 
 shore. Happily the ground was mud and sand so that she 
 sustained no injury. The Aborigines shewed the most lively 
 signs of pleasure on seeing the flocks of Mutton-birds that 
 hovered about Green Island. They were put ashore and 
 were soon in quest of their favorite game. 
 
 3rd. We passed an uncomfortable night. When morning 
 came, the weather continuing very boisterous, J. Backhouse 
 and I proceeded to the Settlement, being put upon Flinders 
 Island by the boat. W. J. Darling appeared much pleased 
 to see us, and hardly less so, our sable friends, some of whom 
 recognised us with a simultaneous shout that brought out 
 from the huts men, women, children and dogs ; some shouting, 
 others screaming out a salutation in their own language,
 
 CHAP. 10.] GRASS-TREES. 171 
 
 while the dogs barked with all their might. The warmth 
 with which they hailed the return of their old friends would 
 not have disgraced our own countrymen. 
 
 5th. The arrival of a fresh party of blacks has produced a 
 good deal of excitement at Wybalenna, which shews itself 
 in the constant corrobberrying that is kept up. The Com- 
 mandant, J. Backhouse and myself, walked to-day in an 
 easterly direction, crossing the range of hills at the back of 
 the settlement to some plains, the principal vegetation of 
 which is the Xanthorrhea aborea, or Great Grass-tree, which 
 is very fine on this island. The flower stems are from four 
 to ten feet in length : the foliage like a head of spreading 
 rushes, surmounting a trunk six or eight feet high. 
 
 7th. Yesterday we distributed some cotton handkerchiefs 
 amongst the Aborigines, which several of the women imme- 
 diately commenced hemming. The proportion of males and 
 females is now very nearly alike here, so that the greater 
 number are associated as husband and wife. 
 
 8th. First-day. The Aborigines were all drawn up in 
 front of their huts, according to their usual custom on this 
 day, in order to be examined by the Commandant. The men 
 were arrayed in linen jackets and trousers, very white and 
 clean, the result of the industry of the females. The women 
 had on checked linen and cotton bed-gowns, of such material 
 as is used for furniture-hanging ; underneath they wore a 
 stuff petticoat with a sort of corset attached. The bright 
 colours of the cotton handkerchiefs with which we had 
 presented both sexes increased the lively and tidy appear- 
 ance of the whole group. 
 
 9th. Thomas and Louisa Wilkinson have acted with 
 uniform kindness towards the Aborigines, and do not shrink 
 from trouble in order to win them over to their benevolent 
 designs. 
 
 Provisions being required for the settlement, the 
 Shamrock was to proceed to Launceston for stores, 
 whenever the wind should be favourable. This
 
 172 LAUNCESTON. [1833. 
 
 happened on the 10th, and J. B. and Gr. W. W. re- 
 solved to accompany her. They arrived off George 
 Town the next day, and proceeded on the following 
 one to Launceston. 
 
 13th. Launceston. My cousin Q-eorge Robson called, and 
 I rode out with him to Boyden Hill, where he now resides- 
 I feel it a privilege, for which I desire to be grateful, that I 
 have again been enabled to share the society of my relations. 
 
 16th. We held a conference with four persons, in measure 
 convinced of Friends' principles, and encouraged them to 
 persevere in obedience to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 19th. I saw our worthy friend John Leach to-day. He 
 has broken a small blood-vessel, which, with his old complaint, 
 has brought him to death's door. Whenever the summons 
 may 'come, I believe it will be well with him. I could not 
 but feel my spirit invigorated and sweetly refreshed as I took 
 leave of him, 
 
 20th. After breakfast I took leave of my dear relatives. 
 We previously read a portion of scripture, and I felt at 
 liberty to engage in prayer, for the blessing of the Most High 
 on parents and children. It was a solemn yet peaceful 
 parting ; and my heart was made to rejoice for the feeling 
 that attended my own mind, and which I believe was par- 
 ticipated in by others present. My companion has been busily 
 employed in disposing of some wool for the Aborigines, which 
 has come off the sheep at Wybalenna, killed for their use, 
 and in procuring with the proceeds a variety of little articles 
 calculated to be useful to them. Several of the inhabitants 
 also contributed things out of their stores as an encourage- 
 ment and stimulus to their industry. Knives, scissors, needles, 
 thimbles, combs, jews-harps, irons, and a variety of other 
 things have thus been collected, in return for which the neck- 
 laces of shells, spears and waddies have been distributed, 
 where it was thought any value was attached to them as the 
 production of aboriginal skill. 
 
 22nd. First-day. A fair wind sprang up at an early hour 
 this morning, which brought us rapidly down the Tamar.
 
 CHAP. 10.] ASHORE ON GREEN ISLAND. 173 
 
 The weather for nearly a week was so unfavourable 
 that they did not reach Flinders Island until the 
 30th, when they landed near the old Settlement, in 
 consequence of a heavy sea ; but they arrived at 
 Wybalenna the same evening. 
 
 1834. 1 mo. 1. Another year is gone, and we are yet 
 within the limits of this Colony. This is different from what 
 we once anticipated ; yet such appears to be the appointment 
 of the Great Master, and as such I desire it not otherwise 
 than as it is. 
 
 3rd. We had the pleasure of distributing a number of 
 things to the Aborigines. Every man and woman was 
 presented with a knife ; and some who have exhibited the 
 greatest readiness in attending to the wishes of those who 
 are placed over them, had additional presents. 
 
 5th. Last night I had a smart attack of bilious cholera, 
 which has left me weak, but not seriously indisposed. 
 
 The Shamrock finally quitted Flinders Island on 
 the 5th, the Captain having instructions to put the 
 two friends on shore at Kelvedon, on his return 
 voyage to Hobart Town. She had not been long at 
 sea, in the dangerous passage of the Straits, when 
 she encountered a heavy gale, and on the 8th again 
 was driven ashore on Green Island. 
 
 She brought up on soft calcareous rocks, covered with 
 sea-weed. The granite rocks were within a few yards of 
 where we struck, and had we gone on them, the vessel would 
 in all probability have been utterly disabled. As it was, 
 the cutter thumped fearfully, and we thought at the time, that 
 her destruction was inevitable. 
 
 9th. After a night of anxiety and suspense, the morning 
 showed us more clearly the nature of our position. The 
 vessel drifted further in as the tide flowed, so as nearly to 
 touch the formidable rocks of granite. At low- water she was
 
 174 ARRIVAL IX OYSTER BAY. [18') L 
 
 left quite dry, and upon examination, to our great joy, ap- 
 peared to have sustained no further injury than having 
 a little of the copper rubbed off, and the rudder-trunk 
 rather broken. The rudder had been unshipped on the 
 vessel first striking. From the violence of the gale the 
 prospect was very gloomy. But He who alone can say to 
 the winds, Peace, be still, was pleased to answer our secret 
 prayers, and conspicuously to interpose for our deliverance. 
 As the tide advanced, and the cutter was beginning to float, 
 a dense black cloud passed over, bringing with it a heavy 
 rain, which effectually quieted the sea. The wind also 
 abated, and shifted, so that under these concurring favourable 
 circumstances, the vessel was worked off into deep water. 
 
 10th After a most refreshing night's repose, we were 
 favoured with a fair wind that wafted us rapidly along, so 
 that by evening we were abreast of St. Patrick's Head, when 
 the wind died away ; and by midnight it became adverse. 
 
 12th. We were put ashore in Oyster Bay. Francis Cotton 
 and several of the family were on the beach, anxiously awaiting 
 our arrival. We were not a little thankful at being per- 
 mitted to see a favourable termination to this stormy and 
 protracted voyage. 
 
 * The Aborigines of Tasmania remained at the Settlement on Flinders 
 Island several years, under the care of the Government. Their habits in their 
 original state were extremely uncongenial to increase, so that there were 
 scarcely any young children among them- Those who had attained to 
 maturity rapidly decreased from natural causes When much reduced in 
 number they were removed to Oyster Cove ; thirty miles from Hobart Town. 
 Here they were well supplied with food, clothing and tobacco, and pursued their 
 favourite occupations of hunting and fishing. In 1859 they were reduced to 
 five old men and nine old women, and in 1861, these had dwindled down to six 
 individuals. Thus the race of the ancient inhabitants of Tasmania may hence- 
 forth be numbered with the host of extinct tribes, which the diffusion of other 
 and stronger nations, and the disregard by them of the rights of man, combined 
 with other causes, have blotted out from the face of the earth.
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 CONTINUED LABOURS IN THE GOSPEL. GEORGE W. WALKER 
 ACKNOWLEDGED AS A MINISTER. FIRST YEARLY MEETING 
 IN TASMANIA. LETTER TO MARGARET BRAGG. 
 
 JAMES BACKHOUSE and George Washington Walker 
 remained a few weeks at Kelvedon, holding religious 
 meetings and making calls upon the settlers in the 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 2 mo. 17. GK W. Walker writes, We parted from the 
 family of Francis Cotton, in order to proceed on our visit to 
 the remaining portions of the interior. Our meetings for 
 worship as well as the daily Scripture readings with this 
 family have often proved seasons of edification. It is not 
 easy to express how much our sojourn with them has united 
 us hi the bonds of Christian love and fellowship. 
 
 19th We crossed the tiers, or high ranges of hills, between 
 Oyster Bay and the Eastern Marshes. The only pass is 
 along the ridge of a natural causeway that intersects a gully 
 or ravine of great depth. It is known by the name of the 
 Saddle. 
 
 The Eastern Marshes is a level tract, a large portion of 
 which is laid under water during the rainy months. It was 
 once heavily timbered, but as in most other places of a similar 
 nature throughout the eastern side of the Island, the trees 
 are dead or dying. Wherever cattle have been introduced 
 the forests have become thinned, probably from the destruc- 
 tion of the underwood, thus exposing the roots of the trees 
 which shoot along the surface, to the action of the sun ; hence 
 the drought of summer proves their destruction. Hundreds 
 and even thousands of acres may be seen, with the trees dead. 
 Few scenes convey a more striking picture of desolation.
 
 176 FOREST JOURNEY. [1834. 
 
 Passing through Oatlands they travelled southward 
 through Jericho, Green Ponds and Brighton, to the 
 Carlton near the borders of Forestier's Peninsula. 
 
 3 mo. 13. Crossing the tiers between Jerusalem and Green 
 Ponds, we made a timely start, and steered chiefly by 
 compass : we passed through deep, rocky gullies, where the 
 fire had recently burned, destroying the foliage and verdure, 
 while the smoke from fallen trees, not thoroughly consumed, 
 and the ashes up to our shoe tops were very stifling. We 
 also passed through some thick scrub where we could make 
 but very slow progress. On reaching the summit of the hills, 
 we found ourselves much in the position we expected. It 
 often happens that from the tops of the mountains nothing 
 is to be seen for trees. One can hardly conceive any- 
 thing more disappointing than after having with great toil 
 ascended some weary hill, where the traveller made sure of 
 ascertaining his relative position, to find himself shut out 
 from the sight of every other thing by forest. Intimately as 
 we thought we were acquainted with the nature of the coun- 
 try, the number of ravines we had to cross far exceeded our 
 anticipations. At last we emerged from between two rocky 
 hills, immediately opposite the house of an elderly person 
 we particularly wished to visit. We could not have made 
 a more direct course for Green Ponds. We met with so 
 kind a reception from the old man, and way seemed to 
 open so unexpectedly for holding a meeting that evening, 
 that we consented to pass the night at his house. 
 
 15th. Our host is one of the first who arrived in this 
 colony, being one of Collins's party, who landed about 
 thirty years ago. He is a native of Derbyshire, and came to 
 the island a prisoner, and is one of the very few " old hands " 
 who having regained his liberty, and conducted himself well, 
 is thriving. He has upwards of 5000 acres of excellent sheep 
 pasture, has built himself a brick house of two stories, and is 
 considered a man of opulence. But he has not stopped here 
 like many. Having had no advantages as to education in his 
 youth, he has learned to read and write in his mature years.
 
 CHAP, il.] MONTHLY MEETING. 177 
 
 Much of his time is now spent in reading his Bible. He was 
 greatly interested in hearing the simple, unvarnished doctrines 
 of the gospel, as professed by our Society, and acknowledged 
 they were the truth. 
 
 18th. -New Norfolk. After breakfast we repaired to the 
 house of Dr. Officer, where we met with the usual kind 
 welcome from him and his amiable wife. In the afternoon 
 we walked through the Hospital, which contains very nearly 
 its Ml complement of patients, about 200. An admirable 
 institution. 
 
 26th. We prepared to leave our kind Mends Dr. and 
 Jemima Officer, to whom we feel more united every successive 
 visit. The hearts of many in this place have been opened 
 towards us in a more than common degree; in this we 
 reverently, and with gratitude, acknowledge the Divine Hand; 
 
 They arrived again at Hobart Town on the 27th, 
 and were occupied with various engagements in and 
 about the town, and with another journey to Great 
 Swan Port and a visit to Port Arthur, until their 
 departure for Sydney, which took place in the 
 Twelfth month. 
 
 4 mo. 4. Our Monthly Meeting fell in course this evening. 
 Dr. Story, A. M. Cotton and her children, and Abraham 
 Davy, requested to be considered as members. As my com- 
 panion and I had had an opportunity of becoming intimately 
 acquainted with the parties, and the remoteness of their situa- 
 tion, made a visit by appointment to be all but impracticable, 
 it was concluded, on the strength of our information, to accede 
 to their request. The time of assembling on Fifth-days was 
 altered to ten o'clock in the forenoon, in accordance with 
 the ancient practice of Friends, who have derived an obvious 
 benefit from thus devoting a portion of the best part of the day 
 to the service of Him who alone has the power to bless, 
 both temporally and spiritually. 
 
 12th. Crossed the Derwent to Kangaroo Point, and walked 
 to Clarence Plains. Went forward to Muddy Plains the
 
 178 REFOKMEE, PRISONER, ETC. [1834, 
 
 same afternoon, and took up our quarters at Robert Mather's, 
 where we had a religious interview with the assigned servants. 
 
 14th. After breakfasting with William T. andThirzaParra- 
 more at Richmond, we proceeded to the Grass Tree Hill, 
 where a large party of prisoners is employed in the formation 
 of a new line of road, and with whom we had a religious in- 
 terview. The road had been cut through the steep side of 
 the hill, and part of the men sat along the edge of the upper 
 bank that overhnmg the road, while others arranged them- 
 selves on the level underneath, forming a novel spectacle in 
 connection with the wild scenery. 
 
 We reached Kangaroo Point in the afternoon, in time to 
 cross the Derwent by the steam-packet which now plies be- 
 tween that place and Hobart Town. 
 
 27th. By a minute of our last Monthly Meeting it was 
 concluded that any religious instruction through the medium 
 of public reading should be communicated at the conclusion 
 of our afternoon meetings, which in future will be held exclu- 
 sively for divine worship. 
 
 30th. We received a visit from our old Macquarie Har- 
 bour acquaintance, Benjamin Smith, who continues to hold 
 on his way in well-doing. His master being gone to Eng- 
 land, he has charge of the house, the very house which he 
 once entered to plunder ! Such are the transformations 
 effected by the power of Divine grace. 
 
 5 mo 19. I accompanied J. Backhouse and T. J. Crouch 
 on a visit to John Johnson, an old man who lives near 
 Glenorchy, about seven miles out of town.* 
 
 28th. At the Orphan School yesterday we had the plea- 
 sure of remarking five or six Aboriginal youths. The master 
 informs me that with some exceptions these children are not 
 inferior in capacity to European children. 
 
 6 mo. 5. Monthly Meeting. A. C. Flower and Francis 
 Cotton were recorded as ministers in unity with Friends. 
 
 * See Tract No. 61. of the York Friends' Tract Society, entitled Old Johnson 
 the Reformed Poacher.
 
 CHAP. 11.] WESLEYAN CHAPEL. 179 
 
 4. 
 
 The Mends of Great Swan Port have agreed that the Monthly 
 Meetings shall be held alternately there, and at Hobart Town. 
 
 15th. First-day was an exercising day. After our 
 morning meeting the mind of A. C. Flower became mnch 
 interested on account of three miserable men who were to be 
 executed the following morning. Thomas Bannister the 
 Sheriff walked down to the goal with us, and we had a reli- 
 gious interview with them. They all acknowledged their 
 guilt and were very thankful for our visit ; one in particular 
 was tender, the tears stealing down his cheeks as we encou- 
 raged them to throw themselves unreservedly on the mercy 
 of God in Christ Jesus. 
 
 At six in the evening we repaired to the Wesleyan Chapel, 
 which had been granted us to hold a meeting in, to which a 
 general invitation had been given. The house was much 
 crowded. The pulpit being commodious, accommodated 
 J. Backhouse, A. C. Flower, and myself. I suppose such a 
 circumstance as a person having been a prisoner occupying a 
 pulpit in this land was never before heard of. We had a 
 season of solemn silence of about an hour's duration, when 
 A. C. F. quoted the expressions of Christ ; " My sheep hear 
 my voice," &c. adding a few remarks tending to turn the 
 attention of the people from the teaching of man, to the voice 
 of the Good Shepherd, who continues to teach his people 
 himself. My companion almost immediately followed, com- 
 mencing with the remarkable testimony of an apostle ; " The 
 wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord," on which matter continued to open 
 for about three-quarters of an hour, with a considerable degree, 
 I believe, of baptising power to the people. The minister, 
 Nathaniel Turner, was much pleased that he could fully 
 unite with the doctrines preached, and said that the labours 
 of my companion were blessed to him individually. 
 
 At various times, from their visit to Macquario 
 Harbour, James Backhouse and George W. Walker 
 had, at the Governor's request, presented him with 
 Reports on the state of the convicts, as well as of
 
 180 PENAL DISCIPLINE. [1834. 
 
 some other classes of the inhabitants. The last of 
 these papers Bears the date at which we are now 
 arrived (6 mo. 19,) and is of a comprehensive cha- 
 racter, exhibiting the general state of the prisoner 
 population, and of the colony, and treating on the 
 question of Penal Discipline. It points out amongst 
 other things, the defective state of the gaols and 
 road-gangs, as to system, classification and religious 
 instruction, the abuses which attended the system of 
 assignment, and the deplorable consequences which 
 were the result of cruel and degrading modes of 
 punishment. Some of the remarks on the last 
 mentioned head have a value exclusive of their con- 
 nection with Australian transportation, and may 
 perhaps to the minds of some of our readers cast a 
 new light on the subject of Punishment, a subject 
 which must increasingly occupy public attention, 
 and on which mankind in general have much to 
 learn. 
 
 " It would not appear that the prevention of crime is to be 
 expected in any great degree from the dread of punishment ; 
 but rather from counteracting the causes that lead to the 
 commission of crime. By extending the means of education ; 
 by discouraging the sale and use of ardent spirits; by 
 removing juvenile thieves as well as older adepts ; by stimu- 
 lating magistrates to suppress houses of ill-fame, and to 
 remove profligate women from the streets ; by promoting 
 a due observance of the Sabbath ; by discountenancing every 
 species of gaming ; and by remedying those evils by which 
 the labouring poor are oppressed in their wages ;. the prin- 
 cipal avenues to vice would be closed, and the benefit would 
 be incalculable in the prevention of crime." 
 
 " Most prisoners have a dread of flagellation, and of road- 
 parties and chain-gangs, till they have once suffered such 
 punishments; after this the generality of them exhibit a
 
 CHAP. 11.] DEGRADING PUNISHMENTS. 181 
 
 decided deterioration of character. Flagellation especially 
 is degrading and excites revengeful feelings. It is worthy 
 of notice that this punishment, under the law of Moses, was 
 limited to ' forty stripes save one,' because of its degrading 
 nature (See Deuteronomy xxv. 3 ; ) and yet that dispensation 
 was one of a less merciful character than the Gospel; and 
 no precept of the latter in any way justifies the infliction 
 of flagellation at all, much less allows of its extended ad- 
 ministration. This was the correction administered from the 
 cradle to the grave in the semi-barbarous ages, but the pro- 
 gress of civilization and Christianity has corrected the error in 
 many quarters, and we doubt not will ere long, universally 
 stamp it as barbarous and unchristian, as well as inefficient." 
 " The practice of sentencing men to work in chains as a 
 punishment, apart from the mere purposes of restraint, 
 appears to be contrary to sound principles of penal discipline. 
 It is calculated to increase desperation of character ; it is a 
 part of that system of abstract vengeance which man is not 
 authorised to inflict upon his fellow-man." 
 
 6 mo. 20. Had an interview with the inmates of the Female 
 Penitentiary. My companion had much instructive counsel 
 to communicate, to which I thought it right to make some 
 addition, which yielded peaceful retrospect. 
 
 22nd. First-day. Sarah B. Mather accompanied us to 
 our meetings, which were owned by the great Master of 
 assemblies. My dear companion was much helped to set 
 forth the true liberty of the gospel, which allows of no dis- 
 tinction of persons in the exercise of spiritual gifts, all, 
 whether male or female, bond or free, having a right according 
 to true gospel order, to exercise them to the glory of Him 
 who dispenses to every one severally as he will. A. C. Flower 
 and myself also had something to communicate in the fore- 
 noon. Several strangers were present ; and one, an elderly 
 female, said she had found it good to be there and that she 
 should often come. At the time of family reading in the 
 evening several of our little company spoke in testimony, and 
 Sarah Crouch knelt down in prayer. It was a season of re- 
 newed visitation. The mercies of the Lord experienced this
 
 182 MEETINGS AT R. MATHER'S. [1834. 
 
 day are deserving of grateful commemoration ; they are 
 indeed marvellous. 
 
 30th. Robert Mather came to town to-day. He informs 
 us that he and his daughter have thought it their duty to 
 make an alteration in their mode of conducting divine 
 worship, and that yesterday, they sat down in silence, after 
 the manner of Friends, with their assigned servants, to 
 whom R. M. explained the change that had taken place in 
 his views. He also read a portion of Scripture and part of a 
 tract. Several of the men expressed their satisfaction at the 
 change that had been made. 
 
 7 mo. 3. Fifth-day. N. Q. accompanied us to meeting 
 there is a great deal of indiscreet zeal about this young man 
 which needs correcting. I was led to admire the efficiency 
 of that Power which enabled A. 0. Flower, without knowing 
 the circumstances, or even the person of this young man, to 
 speak to his state in a remarkable manner. 
 
 18th. Having concluded to pay a visit to Lauderdale, we 
 crossed to Kangaroo Point. J. Backhouse and R. Mather 
 went round by the Hollow Tree to inform the family of the 
 Romneys of our intention to hold a meeting at Robert 
 Mather's the following First-day. Samuel and I took the 
 road through Clarence Plains. Dr. Desailly informed me that 
 his wife had been anxious to know whether we should hold 
 any more meetings in the neighbourhood. She and her 
 family travelled about nine miles in a cart to that which was 
 held some time ago at the Hollow Tree. Those who have so 
 much interest as to press through difficulties of this kind, are 
 not in general sent empty away. 
 
 20th. First-day proved so wet and stormy that we hardly 
 expected any persons would be present at meeting besides the 
 family. About a dozen however attended from a distance. 
 In the evening we again assembled, many having zeal enough 
 to come a second time. We were both engaged in testimony 
 as well as Robert Mather. Under a deep exercise, I thought 
 it my duty to bow the knee at the Divine footstool near the 
 tjlose of the meeting.
 
 CHAP. 11.] PENITENT PRISONER. 183 
 
 21st. J. B. and E. M. and myself walked over to Hugh 
 Germain's, to see his wife, who had been prevented by indis- 
 position from attending with her husband the previous day. 
 The former appears to have been reached by the power of 
 truth. Mary Germain also, does not seem at all the less 
 inclined to attend the meetings at Robert Mather's in con- 
 sequence of the alteration that has taken place in the 
 manner of conducting them. We spent the remainder of 
 the day with our friends at Lauderdale, tasting the sweets 
 of religious fellowship in a measure of that unity of the 
 Spirit which is the bond of peace. The change which has 
 taken place in the minds of parent and children, and which 
 has been gradually progressing, in a great measure unknown 
 one to another, has tended greatly to cement and endear 
 them to each other. It is the Lord's doing and is mar- 
 vellous in our eyes. 
 
 28th. Took tea with William and Susannah Rayner and 
 their family. The organization of a society professing Friends' 
 principles has afforded W. Rayner peculiar satisfaction. He 
 is much affected when alluding to the mercy of a long- 
 suffering Creator and Redeemer, in visiting his family and 
 himself with " the dayspring from on high," in his old age. 
 
 29th. Some weeks ago we received a letter from a young 
 man, a prisoner in assigned service in the interior. To this 
 my companion replied. This day we have had another 
 highly satisfactory communication from the same individual. 
 He was once a member of our religious society. After ex- 
 pressing his thankfulness for the letter sent him, and his 
 determination to join the Temperance Society, he adds : " I 
 may say strong drink was the first of my going astray. This 
 led me into company by which it increased on me, together 
 with going to places of amusement, and caused me to neglect 
 my business ; so at last, I became a thief. I have now come 
 through the Lord's assistance to forsake such abominations. 
 I have followed your kind advice respecting silent waiting 
 before the Lord, in which I have been higlily favoured at 
 times, seated on an old fallen tree, under a rock, at the back 
 of a hill, where the trampling of feet is seldom hoard." After
 
 184 MONTHLY MEETING. [1834. 
 
 giving us his name and his parents' residence, on the supposi- 
 tion that we were about to leave for England, he adds : " When 
 you get home please do call and see them. Tell them 
 you have heard from their undutiful son ; tell them where 
 I am, and that I hope they will forgive the many evils I am 
 guilty of against them. Give my dear love to them ; I love 
 them dearly, though I am so distant from them, and I am 
 sorry I behaved so wickedly towards them. 0, had I taken 
 their pious advice, I should not be as I now am. But I am 
 thankful the Lord has been so merciful towards me, both at 
 the hulks, on the voyage, and in this colony. He has placed 
 me in a very comfortable situation ; I have a good master 
 and mistress ; they behave extremely kind ; and I have no 
 doubt that I shall do well yet in this country with the Lord's 
 assistance. The ' Gruide to True Peace,' I shall be obliged to 
 you for, or any other book. A Bible would be a very great 
 treasure to me, for it is very seldom I can get the loan of 
 one. I understand there are some individuals in town who 
 are convinced of the truth as professed by the Society of 
 Friends. I should like, if you thought proper, for you to 
 recommend me to their notice and love, as I have a great 
 desire once more to join the Society, for it is the only one 
 my conscience would allow me to join. Tell the young men 
 at home how strong drink, and what the world calls pleasure, 
 bring destruction and misery upon both soul and body." 
 
 8 mo. 7. Our Monthly Meeting was held this day. In 
 the meeting for worship the spirit of prayer pervaded the 
 minds of many present, under the constraining influence of 
 which J. Backhouse, A. C. Flower and myself were engaged 
 to supplicate at the footstool of divine grace. F. Cotton 
 expressed a few words in lively testimony. This opportunity 
 was one of much comfort to many. The meeting for discipline 
 was also graciously owned by the overshadowing of the Divine 
 presence. It was concluded to hold the First Annual Con- 
 ference'or Yearly Meeting, in the Tenth Month. The long 
 residence of J. Backhouse and myself in this place, and our 
 connection with the society that has sprung up here, having 
 given us a right of membership in this meeting, Friends 
 ^hought it right to take into consideration my communications
 
 CHAP. 11.] KELVEDON. 185 
 
 in meetings; and a minute was made expressing their 
 unity with my services, and approval of my continuance with 
 J. Backhouse as his companion in the work to which he has 
 believed himself called. 
 
 10th. First-day. We held a meeting in the Court-house, 
 It was numerously attended. The time of silence which 
 lasted upwards of an hour was a solemn, edifying season to 
 the spiritually minded. Francis Cotton broke silence with 
 a few sentences in prayer ; A. C. Flower followed in a short 
 but lively testimony, and J. Backhouse at greater length ; 
 then a short communication from myself, with a few valedic- 
 tory words from F. Cotton ; J. Backhouse concluded the 
 meeting with supplication. It lasted nearly three hours, and 
 was a relieving meeting to many. 
 
 On the 22nd of this month our two Mends again 
 left Hobart Town, and taking Lauderdale and Pros' 
 ser's Plains in the way, attended the Monthly 
 Meeting which fell in course at Kelvedon early in 
 the Ninth month. They made religious visits to 
 the settlers around Kelvedon, accompanied by Dr. 
 Story. At the house of George Meredith of Bel- 
 mont, they received the interesting tidings of the 
 arrival of Daniel and Charles Wheeler, on their way 
 to Tahiti ; and they had soon the pleasure of meeting 
 these beloved friends in Hobart Town. 
 
 9 mo. 28. First-day Our dear friend Daniel Wheeler, was 
 engaged in the exercise of his gift, setting forth the excellence 
 of Christian humility^ which he described as the brightest 
 jewel in a Christian's crown." His communication was 
 accompanied with life and power. Several who came to our 
 meetings occasionally, have become constant in their atten-r 
 dance since we left town. 
 
 29th. I accompanied J. Backhouse and Francis Cotton to 
 Glenorchy, to pay poor old Johnson a visit. He is apparently 
 drawing near to his long home ; and is full of gratitude and
 
 186 YEARLY MEETING. [1834. 
 
 praise for what the Lord has done for his sold. Formerly he 
 used to be haunted with evil thoughts, and such a degree of 
 fear from conscious guilt, that he dreaded to be alone, and 
 used to draw the clothes over his head when in bed. Now 
 that he has come to his Saviour, he says he has such delightful 
 thoughts that it is pleasant to him to be alone. Before we 
 left, supplication was put up on his behalf, and we handed him 
 some of those little comforts that alleviate the bed of pain. 
 It is pleasing to observe how he attributes every little succour 
 of this kind, directly to the all bountiful hand of Providence. 
 
 10 mo. 2. At our Monthly Meeting, Sarah Benson Mather 
 and her brother Robert A. Mather, were admitted as mem- 
 bers. 
 
 3rd. After a solemn season of worship, our Yearly Meeting 
 commenced its sittings. Francis Cotton was appointed Clerk. 
 J. Backhouse made a brief report of our religious labours in 
 the colony, informed Friends of the continuance of the prospect 
 to visit New South Wales and South Africa, and made a 
 feeling acknowledgment of the goodness of Him who called 
 us forth, and has been pleased to go before us, making a way 
 where there seemed no way. After confirming J. B.'s report, 
 it became my duty to spread before the meeting my continued 
 prospect of service as his companion, and to request its sanction 
 in the form of a certificate. The meeting feeling unity with 
 my concern, a certificate was ordered to be prepared. 
 
 9th.^The Yearly Meeting concluded its sittings, and broke 
 up under feelings of reverent thankfulness for the sense of the 
 Lord's presence, and for the good feeling and unity that had 
 consequently prevailed. 
 
 11 mo. 14. The Governor has long urged us to repeat our 
 visit to Port Arthur ; but not feeling it a duty, we have, until 
 the present moment, declined. Now, it seems as if it might be 
 required of us to visit that Settlement prior to our departure 
 for Sydney. 
 
 17th. At three o'clock, p. M. J. Backhouse and myself em- 
 barked in a government whale boat for Port Arthur. Before 
 the day closed we reached Ralph's Bay Neck, where the boat 
 had to be dragged across the Neck into Frederick Henry
 
 CHAP. 11.] PORT ARTHUR. 187 
 
 Bay. This plan is often resorted to, as it saves a great deal 
 of rowing. 
 
 18th. "We reached the head of Norfolk Bay about six in 
 the evening, having been rowed about thirty miles. The 
 nine miles we had to walk before we made Port Arthur 
 . occupied us more than three hours, the road being hardly 
 discernible. 
 
 19th. There are now 885 prisoners at Port Arthur. Among 
 the new erections is a Penitentiary, not yet completed, for 
 more efficiently carrying the punishment of solitary confine- 
 ment into effect. Ranges of cells are preparing that will 
 contain about eighty men. Some will be compelled to labour 
 during the day, and be lodged in the solitary cells at night, 
 which is considered a severe punishment, but is much more 
 beneficial than continued solitary confinement. Under the 
 latter the men become greatly emaciated. We were shown a 
 man who had been sentenced to it for thirty days, and had 
 undergone about half the term. He was greatly reduced, and 
 walked with difficulty. Another, in answer to an inquiry, 
 said he could eat more bread than was allowed him; but 
 in general they have little appetite, lying down the greater 
 portion of the time. On returning to labour, these men are 
 peculiarly liable to disease, especially the scurvy, which is 
 lamentably prevalent since the gardens were abolished, and 
 vegetables form no part of the rations. Dysentery is also 
 very prevalent. The hospital is full of patients. The Settle- 
 ment was begun in 1830, since which period thirty-six deaths 
 have occurred, twenty-six of them during the present year. I 
 fear the results of the present rigid system are not sufficiently 
 considered by the Home Government, in their anxiety to make 
 the penal discipline of the colonies dreaded, under the idea 
 that it will operate as as a prevention to crime in England. 
 Such an anticipation I cannot but regard as fallacioiis, at 
 least as to any extensive influence that such a fear will have 
 on the demoralized portion of the community. 
 
 20th. Paid a visit to the Boys' establishment at Point 
 Puer, which has been in operation nearly twelve months, and 
 is a very interesting experiment.
 
 188 DEPARTURE FROM TASMANIA. [1834. 
 
 22nd. We had a comfortable meeting with the prisoners 
 employed in the coal-pit, at Sloping Main, the sense of 
 divine goodness and mercy being felt in a more than usual 
 degree, as we sat with them in silence ; and there seemed 
 some openness to receive the gospel message that was sounded 
 by us both. The weather being favourable, we reached 
 Ralph's Bay Neck by mid-day, in time to dine with our 
 friends at Lauderdale, where I spent the following day. 
 
 24th. Had a precious parting opportunity in R. Mather's 
 family, not expecting to meet again for a long season. Under 
 an humbling sense of the great need we have of divine help 
 to enable us to walk worthy of our high vocation, I ventured 
 to supplicate for this aid, which is freely offered for Christ's 
 sake. 
 
 27th. Hobart Town. Our meeting was a hard exercising 
 season to my mind, till towards the conclusion, when the 
 words arose with sweetness, " Truly God is good to Israel, 
 even to such as are of a clean heart." 
 
 Having now nearly accomplished their mission of 
 Christian love to the people of Tasmania, amongst 
 whom they had gone in and out, preaching the gos- 
 pel for nearly three years, James Backhouse and 
 George W. Walker prepared to depart to New South 
 Wales, the next of the English Settlements in the 
 Southern Ocean which they believed themselves 
 called to visit. At the same time Daniel and Charles 
 Wheeler were about to continue their voyage, inten- 
 ding to make Sydney their next halting-place, and 
 their two friends took passage with them. 
 
 12 mo. 11. After taking leave of many of our dear friends 
 and brethren, at T. J. Crouch's, we repaired to the house of 
 the Rural Dean, Philip Palmer, where a number of our mu- 
 tual acquaintance had been invited to meet us, and we had 
 a parting interview with them, after which we went on board 
 the Henry Freeling.
 
 CHAP. 11.] LETTER TO MARGARET BRAGG. 189 
 
 Before we close the relation of George W. Walker's 
 first sojourn in Tasmania, it is necessary to notice 
 the new direction which had latterly been given to 
 his thoughts and affections, and the change which 
 had begun to take place in his ulterior prospects. 
 James Backhouse's proposal that he should be his 
 companion in his gospel journeyings, had been the 
 means of diverting him from commercial occupations 
 in England to a missionary life on the other side of 
 the globe ; and the view which now opened before 
 him, led to his fixing his abode in the island in 
 which he had laboured so diligently, and as the 
 sequel proved, severed him from his native country 
 for the remainder of his pilgrimage. On this im- 
 portant subject he wrote to his honoured friend 
 Margaret Bragg; and with the simplicity which 
 belonged to his transparent character, sent a mirror 
 of his mind in which she might see the development 
 of his new position and every shade of feeling faith- 
 fully reflected. 
 
 TO MARGARET BRAGG. 
 
 Hobart Town, 11 mo. 10, 1834. 
 My endeared Friend, 
 
 Often I feel that it would be a comfort to 
 have thee near, to solicit thy counsel, and derive instruction 
 from thy experience and example. But these are privileges 
 of which I have been for so long a time deprived, that 
 I ought to have learned to dispense with them, without even 
 the temptation to murmur. I am greatly favoured in having 
 in my beloved companion, one to whom I can freely unbosom 
 myself, and I constantly avail myself of the privilege, except 
 it be with regard to those secret exercises of soul before the 
 Lord which cannot always be described to others, nor are they 
 at all times intelligible to ourselves. The Lord only knoweth
 
 LETTER TO MARGARET BRAGG. [1834. 
 
 all the hidden workings of the heart ; and enables those who are 
 concerned to walk in his fear, to distinguish between the 
 things which serve Him and those which serve him not. 
 
 In the journal that will accompany this, is contained some 
 account of the proceedings of the First Yearly Meeting in 
 Yan Diemens Land. The company of our dear friend Daniel 
 Wheeler and his son, has been hardly less providential than 
 comforting on this occasion, and was a coincidence we had 
 not at all anticipated. I have also sent thee a copy of the 
 certificate furnished me by the Yearly Meeting. I feel the 
 responsibility under which it places me, to be great ; yet, 
 when I thought of proposing some alteration in the mode of 
 wording that document, shrinking from the part that states 
 my apprehension of duty to remain with James Backhouse, 
 in th'e new station in which my friends have made me formally 
 to appear, I durst not act upon these suggestions, remem- 
 bering with some degree of encouragement, the words of the 
 Apostle ; " We have the sentence of death in ourselves, that 
 we should not trust in ourselves, but in Him who raiseth the 
 dead ; " who " calleth the things that are not as though they 
 were :" and again, " Our sufficiency is not of ourselves, but 
 of GU." 
 
 There is another subject that has greatly exercised my 
 mind of late, fearing lest I should in any way be beguiled by 
 an unwearied and subtle adversary, on a point that bears so 
 intimately on the present and eternal welfare, not only of 
 myself, but of others, and especially on my own future religious 
 services, seeing that the Lord has called me to be a labourer 
 in his vineyard. 
 
 Tn the course of my journal, I have frequently had 
 occasion to mention the visits of my companion and my- 
 self to the family of Robert Mather, of Lauderdale. A 
 variety of circumstances, wholly independent of our planning, 
 have thrown Sarah Benson Mather and myself much into one 
 another's company. The Christian interest I felt in her 
 religious welfare, rendered this to me far from unpleasant ; 
 and I have reason to believe, that through the Divine blessing, 
 it has been made to conduce, in measure, to her establishment 
 in the truth of the Gospel. Beyond those feelings which a
 
 CHAP. 11.] LETTER TO MARGARET BRAGG. 191 
 
 Christian interest in each other, as members of the same body, 
 of which Christ is the living Head, might inspire, I am 
 certain till; within a very recent period nothing was felt 
 by me. It was not until S. B. M's last visit to Hobart 
 Town, in order to attend the Yearly Meeting, that the idea 
 ever seriously entered my mind, that these feelings were 
 ripening into an attachment, differing in its specific features 
 from, though not by any means incompatible with, the pure 
 friendship I have described ; and that a growing interest was 
 felt that needed to be strictly scrutinized, and the mind of 
 the Lord known, ere it was suffered to assume the character 
 of decided personal affection. It was at the moment of 
 separation, when it appeared uncertain whether we might see 
 one another again, that these considerations became the most 
 forcible, and I thought it safe to mention incidentally, some 
 circumstances connected with my own history, by which dear 
 S. was made more fully acquainted with the extreme uncer- 
 tainty attendant on my future destination and prospects, than 
 she was probably aware of before. 
 
 After her departure, my mind was closely exercised before 
 the Lord, lest I should move in any way out of his fear, in 
 suffering such an attachment to gain ground in my heart. 
 For some days, so fervent was the exercise, that I felt often, 
 an agony of solicitude that I might be preserved from every 
 snare, and from indulging the least thought of a connexion, 
 that had not the clear stamp of Divine approbation upon it. 
 During the prevalence of this intense exercise, I had no com- 
 fort but in turning my mind wholly away from the subject ; 
 my strength consisted in looking in faith towards the Lord, 
 believing that he would show me his will, as I waited for 
 direction ; and in feeling a willingness to banish it from my 
 mind, should such appear to be the will of Him who has a 
 right to reign supreme in my heart. At length, in rather an 
 unlocked for moment, a measure of the love of God flowed 
 into my soul, and an unusual feeling of liberty and sweetness 
 attended my spirit, as it was turned towards my friend, with 
 an ability to supplicate for her and myself with uncommon 
 fervour, that we might be dedicated wholly to the Lord's 
 sen-ice, should it be our lot to be united ; and, that union and
 
 192 LETTER TO MARGARET BRAGG. [1834. 
 
 fellowship in his love might be the basis of our affection, and 
 the desire to please and serve Him the spring and motive of 
 our actions. I could not but regard these experiences as a 
 satisfactory evidence, that the admission of sentiments of 
 affection towards my now increasingly endeared friend, while 
 kept in due subjection, was not wrong. Still I feared to 
 acquaint her with my sentiments, not knowing but it might 
 be required of me to bear my burden in secret, for a time. 
 
 A few days after this Francis Cotton came from Lauder- 
 dale, where he and his wife had been staying on a short visit ; 
 and being about to return, invited my companion and me to 
 return with him, and sit their meeting at Lauderdale on the 
 following day, which was First-day. My companion declined, 
 observing, that that need not hinder me. After an hour or 
 two's deliberation, and looking to the Lord, a little faith 
 sprung up, that it might not be wrong for me to accompany 
 F. C. Nothing transpired during this visit, in connection 
 with S. B. M. further than that my impression became con- 
 firmed, that the feeling of affectionate interest was reciprocal. 
 Were it not for this conviction, I should hardly think of 
 prosecuting the subject so far at present as to divulge it to 
 any one, until our return to Van Diemens Land, not even to 
 S. B. M. herself, lest the long absence that is likely to inter- 
 vene before I can offer her my hand, should increase her 
 mental trials, without any really beneficial result. But as 
 the case now is, I feel I might occasion a serious wound, in 
 leaving the country without disclosing my sentiments, unless 
 the will of the Lord should appear to require me thus to act. 
 
 Since the occurrence of these circumstances I have made 
 my dear companion J. B. acquainted with the whole subject. 
 I was surprised to find that he had anticipated such a result, 
 and had accordingly made it a matter of serious consideration ; 
 but had felt no uneasiness in looking towards the ultimate 
 consequences of it. He has since named it to our friend 
 Daniel Wheeler, who it seems had also had a similar impres- 
 sion, as to the probable result of our acquaintance. His 
 feelings on the subject were much in accordance with those of 
 J. B. and both seem to think it may be one of those providen- 
 tial over-rulings, by which my residence may be fixed in this
 
 CHAP. 11.] LETTER TO MARGARET BRAGG. 193 
 
 land ; and that the little church that has been gathered, may 
 be strengthened thereby. For my own part, I leave it with 
 the Lord. If he be pleased to grant me and the companion 
 of my choice, the blessing of his favour and life-giving pre- 
 sence, this would make even the desert, and waste howling 
 wilderness a home, and a pleasant abode. But without this 
 transcendent boon, happiness is not to be realized in the most 
 apparently desirable spot on the face of the earth, though it 
 were fruitful as the Land of Promise, and adorned as the Gar- 
 den of Eden. Yet were I to decide from present inclination, 
 nothing but regard to my health, or the urgent wish of her 
 whom I hope to make my wife, or above all, the revealed will 
 of the Most High, would lead me to fix my residence here. I 
 have too strong attractions in England to be induced to look 
 towards any other home. The affection I shall ever cherish for 
 thee, my endeared and tried friend, has led me to be thus ex- 
 plicit on a subject that is very near to my heart. 
 
 I will now anticipate some suggestions that have most 
 likely presented to thy mind. First ; it may occur to thee, 
 what can George do towards a connexion in marriage, under 
 his present circumstances ? It must be long before this could 
 take place, unless he abandon his present calling ; and surely 
 he does not meditate such a step as this. Again, if he was 
 liberated by Him who called him forth to labour in the Gos- 
 pel, how is he to maintain a wife ? My answer in brief is ; 
 If the Lord's leadings be attended to, and he be implicitly 
 followed, he can make a way where there may seem no way. 
 He can open the hearts of my friends in England, to enable 
 me to commence in some way of business for myself, as some 
 of them have already offered to do, in times gone by ; and 
 should it be in this land, I should have a better prospect of 
 success than falls to the lot of most men. But even if none 
 felt disposed to assist me, I do not fear being able to earn an 
 honest livelihood. With regard to the first mentioned diffi- 
 culty, as I have already had occasion to observe to J. B. 
 there is nothing I more dread than taking myself out of the 
 Lord's hands ; for I am not my own, I am bought with a 
 price ; even the precious blood of Him who died for me. 
 Nor can I leave the vocation whereunto I am called, till He 
 
 o
 
 194 LETTER TO MARGARET BRAGG. [1834. 
 
 be pleased to release me. I look therefore only at the pros- 
 pect which seomed the probable one when I embarked with 
 my companion in this service, that of continuing with him to 
 the end of it ; unless any unforeseen provision or occurrence 
 should supersede the necessity. And whatever may be our 
 future allotment, the peace of dear S. and myself must ever 
 depend on obedience to manifested duty. If the Lord calls 
 for either of us to surrender ourselves to his service, whatever 
 may be the length of time, and we acquiesce in it as his will, 
 he can give us strength and ability to bear the trial. The 
 great matter for us, now and ever, to attend to, is, to move 
 in the light. When this is withheld, and the way is not plain, 
 we must " stand still." We must not seek to please ourselves. 
 If in the progress of our attachment towards its consumma- 
 tion, in every successive step, we " walk by this rule, and 
 mind the same thing," herein is safety. The consequences 
 we may leave to Him who seeth the end from the beginning. 
 
 Ihiring the progress of the affair, my mind, thou mayest be 
 sure, has often been turned to the recollection of our beloved 
 Mary, now entered upon her everlasting rest. Be assured, 
 the attachment which I have avowed is very far from being 
 calculated to obliterate from my heart those hallowed feelings 
 in which the memory of our mutually beloved one, must 
 ever be enshrined. No ! these clash not in the least with 
 the sentiments I have avowed with respect to the living. 
 Though the objects on which they have been successively 
 concentrated are distinct : in both cases they have derived their 
 chief character and strength, I thankfully believe, from being 
 founded on some degree of fellowship with the immutable, 
 inexhaustible, Fountain of light and life and love. Here, as 
 in their proper Centre, all militant and glorified spirits may 
 meet and harmonize in endless unity. 
 
 25th. We have twice been guests at Lauderdale since 
 the former date of my letter. We lodged there one night by 
 necessity, in going to Port Arthur, and I spent two nights 
 there optionally, in returning. Whilst at Port Arthur, a 
 little light sprung forth in looking towards a return to Lauder- 
 dale, which increased so much on the way back, as to enable 
 me to determine on staying there over the following day,
 
 CHAP. 11.] ENGAGEMENT RELATIVE TO MARUIAGE. 195 
 
 which was First-day, for the purpose of breaking the matter 
 in relation to S. B. M. to her father. He acted with great 
 propriety. He stated his sentiments, exactly coinciding with 
 my own, with respect to the need there was for caution, 
 especially as I was circumstanced. Yet with regard to his 
 daughter, if I saw my way clear to broach the subject to her, 
 he would leave me at liberty to do so ; she was of sufficient age 
 and understanding, and had sufficient of right principle, to 
 judge for herself. I therefore opened the subject to S. the 
 same evening. With her characteristic discreetness, she 
 heard me patiently, but said very little in reply. The 
 following morning, I told her that I would be far from 
 hastening her decision, so as to render it superficial or pre- 
 mature ; but that when her mind was made up, and she could 
 give me an answer, as before the Lord, it would certainly be 
 relieving to my mind. She frankly avowed, " that in looking 
 towards the Lord, with a view towards accepting the tender 
 of my affections, she had felt nothing but peace." From 
 that moment we were entirely in one another's confidence. 
 The return of dear S.'s affection I receive as a boon from 
 the Lord, whom we both most ardently desire to reverence 
 and serve in all that we do ; and my heart overflows with 
 gratitude. During our meeting for worship, the subject that 
 had thus occupied me had no undue place ; but my mind was 
 exercised on behalf of those present, and I was enabled to 
 cast off my burden by expression, in wliieh I was favoured 
 with heavenly help. Many sweet seasons of religious fellow- 
 sliip, under a lively sense of Divine goodness and mercy, we 
 experienced together, during my visit, on this occasion, to the 
 family. On First-day night, after having had some previous 
 fear lest inordinate affection should have any place in my 
 heart, I awoke towards morning, with a sweet sense of divine 
 goodness on my mind, which so pervaded my whole soul as 
 to swallow up every other feeling, and excite living aspirations 
 of praise to the God of my life, who has so marvellously con- 
 descended to lead me in the way I should go ; and who, as I 
 continue to cling to him, I believe will still guide mo with 
 his counsel, and afterwards, I humbly trust, for my dear
 
 196 LETTER TO MARGARET BRAGG. [1835. 
 
 Redeemer's sake, receive me into glory. Praise be to his 
 excellent Name for ever. 
 
 1 mo. 20. 1835. Sydney Cove. I was favoured to enjoy a 
 good deal of my dear S.'s company during the last fortnight 
 we were in Van Diemens Land. Indeed the way has been 
 wonderfully made for our association, without an effort on our 
 own part. A more intimate acquaintance has tended to 
 deepen our attachment, and consequently has rendered the 
 trial of separation the more acute. But I have great comfort 
 in believing that the Lord is her helper and keeper. 
 
 Thy much attached Friend, 
 
 G-EORGE W. WALKER.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AND NORFOLK ISLAND. 
 
 JAMES BACKHOUSE and George Washington Walker 
 sailed from Hobart Town, along with their friends 
 Daniel and Charles Wheeler, on board the Henry 
 Freeling, on the 12th of the 12th month 1834, and 
 arrived at Sydney, on the 20th. Near the end of 
 the voyage, off the coast of New South Wales, 
 they were in imminent danger of running upon a 
 rocky shore ; they escaped by the alarm being 
 given just before it was too late. " A few minutes, 
 perhaps seconds, says Gr. W. Walker, and the Henry 
 Freeling would have been a wreck ; but the Omnipo- 
 tent arm that has interposed many times for our 
 deliverance, warded off the blow, and in mercy 
 prolonged our lives, that they may be dedicated 
 anew to his service." 
 
 They remained at Sydney nearly two months, 
 lodging on board the Henry Freeling, and culti- 
 vating religious intercourse by social and public 
 means, with various classes of the inhabitants. 
 
 12 mo. 30. GK W. Walker writes : We had the pleasure of 
 a visit from that good old man, Samuel Marsden, the oldest 
 colonial Chaplain. He has fulfilled the duties of that station 
 with exemplary faithfulness, through much opposition and 
 great discouragement, for upwards of forty years. He is a 
 man of great simplicity of manners, and fervent piety and 
 zeal, lie is called the father of the Church Missions in this 
 part of the world, in consequence of the very active part he 
 has taken in their establishment,, especially those in New
 
 198 RICHARD HILL. VISITS. [1835. 
 
 Zealand. To this place lie has made repeated voyages ; and he 
 has gone amongst the natives fearlessly, at times when it was 
 considered a great exposure to personal risk ; he has also had 
 the satisfaction of witnessing the progress of this mission, 
 which is, I suppose, the most successful that is conducted 
 under the auspices of the Church of England.* 
 
 1835. 1 mo. 5. Breakfasted with Richard Hill, one of 
 the colonial chaplains; a clear-headed man, calculated to 
 take the lead in whatever he undertakes. Persons so en- 
 dowed, who do not step beyond their proper limits, are not 
 deserving the character which is affixed to them by superfi- 
 cial or envious observers, of loving to bear rule. They na- 
 turally rise to their proper level, which is above that of 
 the throng. And there may be as much humility in their 
 being willing to occupy such positions, and be subjected to 
 the imputation of assumption, as in others, with fewer en- 
 dowments, retaining those which are less commanding. 
 
 14th. Paid a visit to the Sheriff, Thomas Macquoid, where 
 there was a party of gaily dressed persons of the higher class. 
 The style and fashionable character of the party was far from 
 according with my inclinations. We know not, however, 
 what end may be answered by submitting to such visits. The 
 invitations, we have reason to believe, are extended to us in 
 good will ; and we have hitherto believed it to be our duty 
 to accept them. The absurd custom of turning night into 
 day may be ranked among the minor difficulties: it was 
 nearly eight before we sat down to dinner. The only ex- 
 tenuation that can be made in favour of such a custom is, that 
 persons whose business is in the town, can by this means 
 return home to dine with their families. Six o'clock is the 
 general dinner hour here, among the genteel class, as was the 
 case in Hobart Town. 
 
 27th. On Sixth-day our old acquaintance, Capt. Saunders, 
 came on board to inquire after us ; we were pleased to see 
 him once more, after his having had a hairs-breadth escape in 
 the Science, which was lost off Cape Horn. He has just 
 
 * See Memoirs of the Life of Samuel Marsden, published by the Religious 
 Tract Society.
 
 CHAP. 12.] VISIT TO G. ALLEN. 199 
 
 arrived, after a favourable voyage from England, in the 
 Elizabeth Taylorson, of which he is in command, and which 
 is now lying in the harbour here. 
 
 By the kind arrangement of Greorge Allen, a gentleman in 
 the law, his barouche conveyed my three companions and 
 myself, this afternoon, to his residence, which is two or three 
 miles out of town, and delightfully situated on the shore of 
 the bay to the west. Here we were associated with a large 
 party of various religious denominations ; and Gr. Allen, 
 with his characteristic humour, had hoisted the union-jack 
 as an indication of his friendly feeling towards all. Our 
 party included many Independents, Wesleyans and others. 
 John Hart, Captain of the Henry Porcher, recently arrived 
 with convicts, was also there. I found we had been at school 
 together, and he was able to tell me many particulars 
 respecting my schoolfellows that were interesting to me. 
 Before we parted, J. Backhouse proposed reading a portion 
 of Scripture, as a religious service in which all could unite. 
 This was readily acceded to, and the First Epistle to the 
 Thessalonians was read. When concluded William Jarrett 
 invited one or two in succession who sat near him to engage 
 in vocal prayer, with which however they did not comply, 
 he then himself gave expression in that line at considerable 
 length. After some little interval of silence, J. Backhouse 
 felt a liberty to express his sentiments on the passage that 
 had been read, viz. "Pray without ceasing;" showing the 
 importance of constantly cultivating the spirit of prayer, which 
 need not be limited to time, place, or occupation, but might 
 be maintained in the devout heart under every changing cir- 
 cumstance of life, so as literally to fulfil the injunction of the 
 apostle, which it was impossible to do, if by the words, " pray 
 without ceasing," vocal prayer had been intended. At the 
 same time he intimated, that it was far from his intention to 
 discourage any from giving vocal utterance to the sincere 
 breathings of the soul, when the constraining influence of the 
 Holy Spirit is felt. It was near midnight before George 
 Allen's coachman set us down at the jetty, where the Henry 
 Freeling's boat waited for us ; yet we could not regret our 
 visit being prolonged by so satisfactory a parting season. Our
 
 200 GREAT HEAT. [1835. 
 
 host seemed much pleased, and kindly pressed us to spend 
 some days with him on our return. 
 
 29th. This day was the hottest we have experienced. The 
 thermometer between one and two o'clock was at 104 F. in 
 the shade ; and it is stated in the newspapers that during one 
 period of the day, it stood at 110. On going out of the 
 house, the wind met the face as if from the mouth of an oven. 
 About seven in the evening it suddenly changed, setting in 
 with great violence from the southward, and raising immense 
 clouds of sand and dust, which insinuated themselves into the 
 houses, and covered every article of furniture, in spite of 
 closely shut doors and windows. At the same time the ther- 
 mometer fell nearly thirty degrees. It is wonderful how 
 instantaneous the change is. The transition which I have 
 described is, I am informed, invariably experienced after these 
 excessively hot days. 
 
 One of the first objects* which James Backhouse and 
 George W. Walker desired to effect, was a visit to 
 the penal settlement on Norfolk Island. This small 
 green spot on the wide bosom of the ocean, nearly 
 a thousand miles east of Sydney, is one of the love- 
 liest of those many lovely isles with which the South 
 Pacific is adorned. This is its character by nature ; 
 but by the guilt and misery of man its name has be- 
 come infamous, being associated with the blackest 
 crimes, and almost every form of suffering and des- 
 pair. It was chosen as the prison of re-transporta- 
 tion for hardened offenders among the convicts of 
 New South Wales, for which purpose its remote posi- 
 tion, and the uncertainty and danger of its landing- 
 place, rendered it eligible. It continued to be de- 
 voted exclusively to this object till some years after 
 the visit of our friends ; when it was abandoned by 
 the government as a penal settlement ; the prisoners 
 were removed, and the simple race of Pitcairn
 
 CHAP. 12.] NORFOLK ISLAND. 201 
 
 Islanders, the descendants of the survivors of the crew 
 of the Bounty, were brought thither in their place. 
 The darkest days of Norfolk Island, in the severity 
 of the penal discipline and the recklessness of the 
 convicts, seem to have occurred a short time before 
 the Friends visited it. One or two statements of 
 evidence belonging to the year 1834, or thereabouts, 
 will show the depth of misery and darkness into 
 which our fellow men and fellow subjects had fallen. 
 It was Macquarie Harbour over again, with an extra 
 shade of darkness super-added. 
 
 Judge Burton, of the New South Wales bench, said, 
 " It wrung his heart and drew tears from his eyes, 
 when a Norfolk Island convict brought before him 
 for sentence observed, l Let a man be what he will 
 when he comes here, he will soon be as bad as the 
 rest ; a man's heart is taken from him, and there is 
 given him the heart of a beast.' ' 
 
 Dr. Ullathorne, Roman Catholic priest at Sydney, 
 in his evidence before the Transportation Committee, 
 mentioned, as a proof of uncommon depravity, the 
 perverted style of language which was in use at this 
 Settlement. A prisoner he said, in conversing with 
 him respecting another individual, called him, a good 
 man ; " I suspected, "he continues, "that he did not 
 mean what he said ; and on asking an explanation, 
 he apologized and said, it was the habitual language 
 of the place, that a bad man was called a good man, 
 and a man who was ready to perform his duty was 
 generally called a bad man. There was quite a 
 vocabulary of terms of that kind, which seemed to 
 have been invented to adapt themselves to the com- 
 plete subversion of the human heart. " The craving 
 desire for any event, not excepting death itself,
 
 202 HORROR OF NORFOLK ISLAND. [1835. 
 
 which should be the means of their deliverance 
 from the Island, was even greater than in the con- 
 victs of Macquarie Harbour. The same witness 
 was sent from Sydney to perform the last offices of 
 his church, to a number of the Roman Catholic 
 portion of the men who were under sentence of death 
 for a mutiny, and to convey to eleven of the con- 
 demned, the tidings of their reprieve. He thus de- 
 scribes his interview with the objects of his two-fold 
 mission : " On my arrival at Norfolk Island, I im- 
 mediately proceeded, although it was late at night, 
 to the gaol, the Commandant having intimated to 
 me that only five days could be allowed for prepara- 
 tion ; and he furnished me with a list of the thirteen 
 who were to die, the rest having been reprieved. 
 Upon entering I witnessed a scene such as I never 
 witnessed in my life before. They were not aware 
 that any of them were reprieved. I said a few 
 words to induce them to resignation, and then stated 
 the names of those who were to die ; and it is a re- 
 markable fact, that as I mentioned the names of 
 those men who were to die, they one after the other 
 dropped on their knees, and thanked Grod that they 
 were to be delivered from that horrible place; whilst 
 the others remained standing mute. It was the 
 most horrible scene I ever witnessed." Lastly Sir 
 Francis Forbes mentions the case of several of the 
 men cutting the heads of their fellow-prisoners with 
 a hoe while at work, with a certainty of being de- 
 tected, and an equal certainty of being executed, 
 stating they knew they should be hanged, but it was 
 better than being where they were.* 
 
 The means of access to Norfolk Island readily 
 
 * Report from the Committee of the House of Commons, on Transportation, 
 1838, p. 1622.
 
 CHAP. 12.] LANDING ON NORFOLK ISLAND. 203 
 
 presented themselves. Daniel Wheeler's course from 
 Sydney, which was directed towards the numerous 
 groups of islands in the Pacific which he was about to 
 visit, ledhim almost in a direct line past it; and James 
 Backhouse and George W. Walker obtained leave of 
 the Governor, Sir Richard Bourke, for the Henry 
 Freeling to anchor off the Settlement and set them on 
 shore, depending for their return on the government 
 ships which made periodical voyages to and from 
 Sydney. 
 
 The Henry Freeling left Sydney on the 13th of 
 the Second month, and had a tedious passage of 
 nineteen days to Norfolk Island. The two parties 
 of missionaries, whose tracks over the wide surface 
 of the globe, had for a while, to their mutual com- 
 fort, run together, were here obliged to separate. 
 Daniel and Charles Wheeler pursued their course to 
 Tahiti, in the little vessel which under the divine 
 pilotage had carried them through many storms and 
 perils ; and James Backhouse and George W. Walker 
 landed at the Penal Settlement. The approach to 
 the Island is tlirough a small opening in a reef which 
 fronts it to the south, and over which the sea breaks 
 with almost ceaseless fury. The other parts of the 
 coast are precipitous. 
 
 The difficulty, Bays George W. Walker, is much increased 
 by having to make an abrupt turn after passing through the 
 opening. By the time the second surf overtook us, pouring 
 in upon our backs, we were close abreast of the reef, and in 
 aiming to make a timely turn, the man with the steer oar, 
 in avoiding Scylla ran upon Charybdis, the sea as it rolled 
 onward leaving the nose of the boat fixed in the edge of the 
 reef, where for some moments I could not but feel that we 
 were poised as between life and death. Happily, by pushing 
 with the oars, helped by the swell of the ocean, we slid off
 
 204 MAJOR ANDERSON. [1835. 
 
 into deep water. In a few minutes we once more set foot on 
 firm ground, feeling that our deliverance was of the Lord, who 
 is " mightier than the noise of many waters." 
 
 The Commandant, Major Anderson, gave us a hearty 
 welcome. We became his guests ; and his valuable wife vied 
 with her husband in rendering us the kindest attention. She 
 is a native of Newcastle. Major Anderson himself is a 
 Scotchman, and the youngest and least in stature, of twelve 
 brothers, though he is six feet two inches high. He entered 
 the 78th Highland regiment, when fifteen years of age, and 
 has seen a great deal of active warfare, during his long 
 military career, having been twenty-five times personally 
 engaged in general action. Though such a life must be very 
 unfavourable for the development of the milder virtues, some 
 of these shine rather conspicuously in him ; indeed he appears 
 to possess as large a 'share of the milk of human kindness, 
 and of the social domestic character, as falls to the lot of most 
 men ; and these traits are evidently the result, not merely of 
 a naturally good disposition, but of Christian principle. 
 
 3 mo. 5. The coast of Norfolk Island is abrupt and 
 craggy; the interior, a continued series of steep hills and 
 narrow winding valleys, fertilized by rills of excellent fresh 
 water. The whole island is coveredwith a rich reddish loam. 
 The wood is principally of low growth, nearly all evergreen, 
 and so matted and intertwined with climbing plants as to be 
 almost impervious to the sun. On the hills, the Norfolk 
 Island Pines raise their towering heads from the dense under- 
 wood beneath, like so many spires. Some of them attain 
 to 180 feet in height. 
 
 12th. The Commandant, in pursuance of the instructions 
 he has received from head-quarters, and evidently in accordance 
 with his own desires for the religious instruction of the people 
 under his charge, grants us the liberty of access to the 
 prisoners whenever we may think it expedient to collect them. 
 
 17th. The prisoners are not allowed to mend their own 
 shoes, because the Government does not Choose to risk the 
 tools required for such a purpose in the hands of men of their 
 description. Such indeed is the caution of the Government in
 
 CHAP. 12.] RESTRICTIONS AND DRUDGERY. 205 
 
 this respect, that they are not allowed knives and forks to take 
 their victuals with, but are restricted to a spoon. This regu- 
 lation has only been adopted since the discovery of a plot, 
 about twelve months ago, for capturing the Island, by the 
 destruction of all the free persons on the Settlement. 
 
 19th. We met a working party at the Mill, which at this 
 season is for the most part off, for want of water. A number 
 of men are kept constantly turning hand-mills of steel, 
 which grind the Indian corn necessary for the consumption 
 of the Settlement. This is one of the most laborious kinds 
 of occupation ; the men engaged in it generally strip to the 
 skin. I observe that many work in this manner in the 
 open fields, as they are under the scorching rays of an almost 
 vertical sun ; and their skin becomes of a hue approaching to 
 that of negroes. It is only some of the prisoners who can 
 endure this exposure. 
 
 From the Mill we proceeded to Longridge, where we 
 assembled a large body of agricultural labourers ; and in 
 extending such religious counsel as appeared required, I felt 
 sensible of heavenly help in a more than common degree. 
 
 20th. There is a man in the hospital who professes to 
 derive much consolation from trusting in the merits of his 
 Redeemer. He comes from Madely Wood, and says he 
 remembers John and Mary Fletcher, whom he has often 
 seen. He was apprenticed to a shoemaker, but had been 
 much indulged by his parents, and work was irksome to 
 hipi. He used frequently to absent himself from his master's 
 service for short periods, and idle away his time, whenever he 
 could do it with impunity. As idleness is generally the 
 precursor of other vices, he soon became a prey to such, and 
 on one occasion, when sent by his master to receive an account 
 of about 30, he absconded with the money, being instigated 
 to do so by his mistress's brother, who was such another as 
 himself. He was prosecuted by his employer and sent to 
 New South Wales, from whence he was sent to Norfolk 
 Island for being found at large before the expiration of his 
 sentence. In the immediate prospect of death he appears to 
 be aroused to a sense of his awful situation. But there must
 
 206 DEATH-BED REPENTANCES. [1835. 
 
 necessarily be a degree of doubt connected with the professions 
 of a man under such circumstances, whose faith has not had 
 the opportunity of proving itself by works, in time of health. 
 I remember a piece of information Samuel Marsden imparted 
 to us in regard to death-bed repentances, which struck me as 
 very awful. It was, that amidst a considerable number of 
 prisoners whose cases came under his observation, and who, 
 in the prospect of death, appeared to be really penitent, but 
 who did not eventually suffer death, he did not know of one 
 solitary instance in which the subsequent life of the individual 
 proved his sincerity ; every one relapsed into evil. 
 
 24th. We walked some miles into the bush, where we 
 had religious interviews with four gangs in succession. On 
 occasions of this kind, we usually read a portion of Scripture ; 
 and during the pause which succeeds, we generally have an 
 impression of duty to communicate more or less of religious 
 counsel. A fallen tree, or a wheelbarrow, serves the speakers 
 for a pulpit. The mea are always very attentive, and 
 apparently, thankful for the interest shown in their spiritual 
 welfare ; this is evinced by expression, and still more, by a 
 great readiness to afford us every little attention in their 
 power. How few and hardened are the hearts of those who 
 are insensible to kindness ! 
 
 28th. We breakfasted at Longridge with the family of 
 Archibald Macleod, and had a religious season after breakfast, 
 A. M. and his son John afterwards conducted us to a distant 
 part of the Island, in the rear of Mount Pitt, where I was 
 shown some beautiful specimens of the palm, or cabbage-tree, 
 as it is called here. The central part of the base of leaves is 
 fit to be eaten, either raw or boiled. In taste it is not unlike a 
 hazel-nut when not very ripe. The coast on the north 
 west side of the Island is composed of basaltic cliffs of 
 columnar structure ; and here as well as in other parts, is 
 in general inaccessible. We saw the ruins of some huts 
 which had belonged to the original Norfolk Island settlers, 
 most of whom, on abandoning the Island at the instance of 
 the government, in order that it might be converted into a 
 penal settlement, removed to Van Diemens Land. The 
 Island is probably indebted to them for the abundance of
 
 CHAP. 12.] REPENTING PRISONERS. 207 
 
 wild fruits that are to be met with, particularly the lemon 
 and guava, the fruits of which are to be obtained almost all 
 the year round. A few years ago, orange-trees are said to 
 have been numerous, but to have been destroyed that the 
 prisoners might be debarred the luxury. The order extended 
 also to the destruction of the guava and lemon trees, but 
 the extermination of these was a work too great to be 
 effected, and the project was happily abandoned. To these 
 fruits the prisoners have frequent access, and they are a great 
 means of excluding scurvy from the settlement, which is 
 hardly known here. I do not know that a community of an 
 equal number of men in any part of the world could be pro- 
 duced, evincing more general indications of health than the 
 prisoners on Norfolk Island. 
 
 4 mo. 15. Had a meeting with a congregation of volun- 
 tary worshippers or hearers, as on former occasions. A man 
 addressed himself to me after we separated ; being excited, 
 according to his statement, to a consideration of his sinful state, 
 since our recent visit, and especially having derived much com- 
 fort from some remarks that had been made in the meeting 
 which had just taken place, by which he felt encouraged to 
 persevere in his applications to the Throne of Grace. He 
 bewailed in an affecting manner his proneness to evil, having 
 been, as he says, one of the vilest on the Island, and foremost 
 in every thing bad. I encouraged him to persevere ; and it 
 was a comfort to Temark those appearances of humility and 
 contrition that are the usual accompaniments of an honest 
 exercise of soul before the Lord. 
 
 21st. We had a religious interview with between two 
 and tliree hundred on the farm at Longridge. Two men re- 
 mained to converse with me on their state of mind. One of 
 them was a Roman Catholic, but he now disclaims their doc- 
 trines, especially one he long believed in, that the priest had 
 power to absolve from sins. He now feels the burden of 
 sin heavy on his mind, and under the conviction that he 
 will have to answer for them at the day of Divine Justice, is 
 earnest to have the load removed. Like others who have not 
 had many advantages of education, divine instruction is often
 
 208 CONTRITION. [1835. 
 
 sealed upon his mind in dreams, some alarming, and some of 
 an encouraging and consolatory nature. Through infinite 
 goodness our communications appear to have been helpful to 
 him ; both of the men are very grateful. I cautioned them 
 against leaning on us, or on any other human beings. 
 
 22nd. We had some further converse with the man men- 
 tioned before. His stony heart has become a heart of flesh. 
 With much simplicity he told us, that formerly, he could undergo 
 the most severe punishment without shedding a tear ; nay, he 
 could not have wept though he had desired to do so. Now, 
 while thinking of his past sins, and of the mercy of Him who 
 died for him, and who has followed him to this remote corner of 
 the earth, his tears flowed like a fountain. He feels his own 
 weakness, which is a hopeful symptom, as it drives him to the 
 Fountain of strength, to seek grace to enable him to bear up 
 against the temptations that beset him. He has been greatly 
 carried away by a violent and irascible temper, which has even 
 lead him to commit murder. He still finds this one of his greatest 
 besetments, and says, that, at times, when he has resolved 
 that he will stand more on the watch, and especially that he 
 will keep the door of his lips, immediately temptation comes, 
 as if the snare had been laid to prove him in the very weakest 
 part, and unless he walk off, or turn his back on it, he 
 would be altogether carried away by it. 
 
 29th. We met about fifty prisoners deputed by the Pro- 
 testant portion, to present us with an address on the occasion 
 of our departure. We would gladly have excused ourselves, 
 but found we could not do so without seeming to slight their 
 intended kindness. On arriving at the Chapel, one of their 
 number, an Overseer, stood forward and read the following 
 address. 
 
 "Norfolk Island, 29th April, 1836. 
 
 " Gentlemen, 
 
 " We, the prisoners of the crown, embracing the 
 tenets of the Protestant faith, cannot, from pure motives of 
 unfeigned gratitude, allow you to quit this Island, without 
 thus publicly expressing our sentiments, for your unwearied
 
 CHAP. 12.] PRISONERS' ADDRESS. 209 
 
 zeal and attention to our best interests, since you came 
 amongst us, viz. the salvation of our immortal souls. 
 
 " Permit us to implore, that you would convey to Major 
 Anderson our Commandant, the deep sense we entertain of 
 his great anxiety since he assumed the command, for our well- 
 being, here and hereafter. 
 
 " That a kind Providence may conduct you both in safety, 
 through the trackless deep, to the haven where you would 
 wish to be, is 
 
 " Q-entlemen, 
 
 " The ardent wish of 
 
 " This Congregation." 
 
 " To Messrs. Backhouse and "Walker, 
 
 Members of the Society of Friends." 
 
 "We expressed the comfort it afforded us, to find that they 
 were not insensible to the importance of the subjects we had 
 set before them ; and reminding them, that it was God who 
 had put it into our hearts to come and see them, in the love 
 of the Gospel, and that therefore to Him the praise ought to 
 be ascribed, we bade them farewell in the Lord. 
 
 The Isabella is expected to sail this afternoon. The weather 
 is fine and promising : indeed the climate of this island has 
 been very congenial to my feelings. The thermometer has 
 ranged from about 74 to 80. In the depth of winter it 
 seldom or never falls below 65, and in summer it is equally 
 rare for it to exceed the pleasant temperature of 80. 
 
 The return voyage to Sydney was not more speedy 
 or less wearisome than the voyage out had been ; 
 stormy seas producing sickness and discomfort, and 
 adverse winds disappointing the hopes of the voyagers 
 when they were within a short distance of land. We 
 transcribe two records from the journal written 
 during the voyage.
 
 210 FAREWELL TO NORFOLK ISLAND. [1835. 
 
 5 mo. 8. We have ten prisoners on board, whose penal 
 sentences to Norfolk Island have expired. One of these 
 presented us a few days ago with the following lines, which 
 exhibit, I believe, the universal feelings with regard to banish- 
 ment to the Island. 
 
 " Gentle bark thou'lt soon restore me 
 To Australia's shores again ; 
 Happy omens fast break o'er me, 
 In a soft and pleasing train. 
 My heart I feel enraptured stronger 
 Than e'er I felt before I fell ; 
 The restless couch I know no longer ; 
 Isle of Mis'ry Fare thee well ! 
 
 "Joy and comfort smile around me: 
 How reversed 'twas whence I came ; 
 There restraint, compulsion bound me, 
 Pierced with anguish, care and shame : 
 Now towards that shore I hasten, 
 Where love, peace and plenty dwell : 
 Me no more thy soil shall chasten ; 
 Isle of Mis'ry Fare thee well ! 
 
 "Friends who have so long bewail'd me, 
 Kind, will me again receive ; 
 Tho' my fetter'd spirits failed me, 
 !N"ow unshackled they'll retrieve. 
 Faster yet thy shore recedeth ; 
 Swift the clouds of woe dispel ; 
 My heart no more for freedom bleedeth ; 
 Isle of Mis'ry Fare thee well." 
 
 12th. In the fore part of this day there was a fine steady 
 breeze ; but about three o'clock a dense mass of clouds began 
 to rise from the south, and in one short hour, from a clear 
 blue sky, the whole hemisphere became overspread as with 
 a black curtain, portending, as it approached, a fearful 
 storm. The blast soon followed, bringing with it torrents 
 of rain. The lightning extended in sheets of crimson, from 
 side to side of the horizon, while a stream of white, forked
 
 CltAP. 12.] BOTANY BAY. 
 
 lightning, occasionally darting through the brilliant mass, 
 rendered it doubly awful and resplendent. Each flash was 
 accompanied by peals of thunder, which at last became so 
 loud that the man at the wheel started. The storm though 
 awfully portentous, lasted however but a few hours, and at 
 ten o'clock, when I retired to my berth, the heavens were again 
 beautifully serene, the moon shone brightly, and there was 
 not sufficient wind to fill the sails, or keep the vessel steady. 
 
 The Isabella landed her passengers at Sydney on 
 the 20th, and the two Friends having work before 
 them likely to occupy them for several weeks, hired 
 a lodging in the town. 
 
 6 mo. 1. Soon after our return from Norfolk Island, we 
 found that our valued friend John Leach had been some 
 Weeks resident in this colony, having been obliged to seek 
 a more genial climate. The effect of sojourn in a warmer 
 region has been decidedly beneficial, and he is now antici- 
 pating the early arrival of his wife. He is at the house 
 of George Allen, in whose family he is nursed with much 
 assiduity and Christian sympathy. We walked out to see 
 him to-day, and had a good deal of conversation about 
 Norfolk Island. Such a field of labour would be strikingly 
 adapted to his qualifications and gifts, if way were to open. 
 But the present state of his health precludes all thought of 
 active labour in the line of ministry. 
 
 9th. We started at an early hour for Cook's River, the resi- 
 dence of Joshua Thorp, once a member of the Society of Friends. 
 It is distant about seven miles from Sydney. The country 
 reminded us of many parts of Van Diemens Land, only 
 now and then a plant or shrub peculiar to a warmer climate, 
 reminded us that a wide space of sea and laud intervened 
 between us and that interesting island. The estuary of Botany 
 Bay, rendered famous as the first landing place of Capkiin 
 Cook and Sir Joseph Banks, extends several miles into the 
 interior. Cook's River is an inconsiderable stream, except for 
 a few miles from the head of the bay. While taking a
 
 212 NATIVE FISHING. [1835 
 
 walk along its banks, in company with Joshua Thorp and 
 some of his children, we fell in with a party of Aborigines, 
 consisting of three men and two women, Several of them 
 spoke English with tolerable fluency. One man in particular 
 one would hardly have known from his accent to have been 
 of any other nation than our own. He told us he had been 
 instructed at W. P. Crook's school for some time, until he 
 was discharged for his rough manners, which did not comport 
 with the discipline of an English school. A canoe was near, 
 made fast to the shore. It was composed of a single sheet of 
 bark rendered pliable by heat, drawn together at the ends, 
 and firmly bound, a few transverse sticks being introduced to 
 prevent the sides from collapsing. It is capable of holding 
 two persons, who must however remain very stationary, as 
 the edge is nearly level with the water. We saw one of the 
 men spear fish from it. The spear, eight or nine feet long, 
 has four sharp sticks, about two feet long, bound on the 
 end, the points forming a square of two or three inches. 
 The man was on his knees in the boat, which he impelled 
 with two short paddles. Retaining one paddle in his left hand, 
 with which occasionally, he dexterously changed the position 
 of the canoe, without producing a ripple on the surface, he 
 grasped the spear in his right hand, keeping the point im- 
 mersed a little in the water, and glancing his piercing eye 
 along the bottom till he detected his prey, when the stroke 
 was generally successful. Twice, out of three darts I saw him 
 make, he brought up a fish. 
 
 12th. During a conference with Grabriel Bennett at our 
 lodgings this evening, he informed me that he had first been 
 brought under serious impressions at Cork, by associating 
 with Friends of that place, and reading their writings. He 
 was then a member and officer of an Orange Club. On one 
 occasion, after his -mind had been brought under some con- 
 viction, he was required at one of their meetings to officiate 
 as chaplain, it being usual with them to open the business 
 with a form of prayer. His heart smote him as soon as he 
 took the book into his hands, and it was not without much 
 trembling that he got through ; but he determined that he
 
 CHAP. 12.] G. BENNETT. 213 
 
 never would undertake such a service again. The next day 
 he resigned his membership in the Orange Lodge, and from 
 that time attended the meetings of Friends. His heart 
 seems overflowing with humble gratitude to God for having 
 condescended to visit him with a sense of his love in Christ 
 Jesus, which he says he has been made more sensible of in 
 our little retired meetings here, than at any former period. 
 He rejoices in being weaned from dependence on human 
 teaching. If the rightly anointed ministers of Christ have 
 anything to communicate, their ministrations, he sayg, are 
 generally blessed to him; but if they have not, the Lord 
 himself is his teacher, and he teacheth to profit. 
 
 16th. Julia Leach has arrived. J. Backhouse having 
 mentioned the circumstances under which her husband is 
 placed, to the Colonial Secretary, Alexander McLeay, he has 
 interested himself in the subject, thinking that so valuable a 
 life should if possible be prolonged, and that his labours 
 would be highly useful among the prisoners on Norfolk Island. 
 
 17th. We were not a little pleased to receive a note in- 
 forming us of the appointment of J. Leach to Norfolk Island, 
 and that a passage had been ordered for him in the " Governor 
 Phillip" which is on the eve of sailing. This was most 
 welcome news to J. Leach ; an arrangement in which he 
 gratefully recognises a special Providence. His affairs had 
 just arrived at a crisis, and there seemed no other alternative 
 but that of dependence on his friends. George Allen had 
 invited him to return to his house, and bring his wife with 
 him ; but J. L. had declined, observing, that he did not see 
 the way clear. 
 
 18th. Attended our week-day meeting in course, which 
 was to me a refreshing, heavenly season. Well might an 
 apostle exclaim, " Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable 
 gift." I could enter into the spirit of these words, in a degree 
 of heartfelt experience of the inestimable value of the grace 
 that is dispensed to us tlirough Christ Jesus our Lord, and 
 which, as we bow under its holy influence, is " able to build us 
 up and to give us an inheritance among all those who are 
 sanctified."
 
 VOCIFEROUS PREACHING. [1853. 
 
 19th. This day was entirely devoted to the service 
 of J. Leach, his strength not being equal to making- the 
 needful arrangements for the voyage. His wife also having 
 suffered much during the voyage from Hobart Town, is 
 unequal to much exertion. It is pleasant to remark how 
 the hearts of many strangers are opened towards him. 
 When I requested Ambrose Foss the chemist to make out his 
 bill for medicines, which would have amounted to some 
 pounds, he generously made J. Leach a present of them. 
 Dr. Smith, the medical man who has attended him for some 
 months with much feeling and assiduity, has acted in like 
 manner. When I called on him with his afflicted patient, the 
 doctor gave him some excellent counsel with regard to his 
 manner of preaching, cautioning him against using undue 
 vociferation, by which there is every reason to suppose he has 
 increased his malady. Dr. Smith reminded him, that the 
 influences of the Holy Spirit, though melting and persua- 
 sive in their effects on the mind, are, notwithstanding, 
 gentle, comparable to the still small voice, and that communi- 
 cations in the line of ministry delivered under this influence, 
 so far from being rendered more impressive by impassioned 
 utterance, are decidedly weakened thereby. J. L. is more 
 disposed to act in accordance with such suggestions, even were 
 his physical energies different, than was once the case. 
 
 During their travels in Tasmania, James Backhouse 
 and George W. Walker had enjoyed a large share of 
 health. The latter, especially, though less robust 
 than his companion, had seldom known an inter- 
 ruption to his duties from indisposition. But in 
 passing over the Botany Bay Swamps at an un- 
 favourable time, he contracted a low fever, 
 
 7 mo. 11. He writes ; For some days past I have been 
 visited with indisposition, which my companion thinks is a 
 slight attack of miasmal fever. It is most prevalent during 
 the night, inducing extreme wakefulness, and occasionally, 
 violent excitement of the whole nervous system, accompanied
 
 CHAP. 12.] SWEARING, ETC. REPROVED. 215 
 
 with an indescribable feeling of horror or distress of mind, 
 without any apparent cause. 
 
 Under the same date he relates the following rare 
 example of justice in dealing with the Aborigines. 
 
 In the Sydney Herald, of the 6th instant it is mentioned, 
 that J. Batman, with the assistance of three Sydney Blacks 
 whom we saw at his house, has purchased from a native tribe, 
 in the vicinity of Port Phillip, a tract of land of about 500,000 
 acres. The payment consisted in part of 100 blankets, toma- 
 hawks, knives, flour, &c. and it was agreed, that a certain 
 quantity of food, clothing, and arms were to be paid each 
 year, to the amount of about 200 sterling. This novel ex- 
 ample of equitable arrangement with the aboriginal possessors 
 of the soil, will be hailed with satisfaction by every friend 
 of humanity. 
 
 8 mo. 12. We are making arrangements for a journey 
 into the interior. Perhaps this journey, with the divine 
 blessing, may conduce to the re-establishment of our health. 
 J. Backhouse has been indisposed ; and since the feverish 
 symptoms left me, I have had much nervous irritability to 
 contend with ; and it is only the last two or three nights, for 
 a month past, that I have had a regular night's rest, 
 
 Gabriel Bennett has just called; this reminds me of a 
 circumstance that occurred a week or two ago. Gabriel is 
 principal shopman to a shoemaker in the town, who is in a 
 large way of business. When behind the counter the other 
 day, an officer came in to make some purchase, in the course 
 of which, he swore and made profane use of the name of the 
 Bedeemer. Gabriel, shocked and pained at the expression, 
 almost involuntarily held up his hand, and mildly and solemnly 
 said : " Oh, don't use that name lightly ; it is all thou wilt 
 have to trust to in a day that is coming." The officer felt the 
 justice of the reproof, and observed ; " Well I know I should 
 not curse." Some days afterwards Gabriel had occasion to 
 call on the same officer on his master's account. The officer 
 referred to the circumstance which had occurred in the shop, 
 and remarked ; " I have thought a good deal of your reproof,
 
 216 L. E. THRELKELD. [1835. 
 
 not merely on account of its propriety, but also as evincing a 
 degree of moral courage not common with persons in your 
 station of life, towards those whom they may esteem their 
 superiors. I would encourage you to go on in the faithful 
 discharge of your duty ; I am sure you will meet with a re- 
 ward. I hope never to forget your admonition." 
 
 14th. We had the company of Lancelot E. Threlkeld to 
 breakfast, with whom we had much interchange of sentiment 
 on the mission to the Aborigines, in which he is engaged, and 
 in which his heart seems deeply interested. In his Austra- 
 lian Grammar, Translations of Scripture, &c. he has given 
 proof that his labours have not been in vain. 
 
 15th. By a letter from Julia Leach, it appears that they 
 reached Norfolk Island on the 3rd of 7th month, after a 
 rather stormy passage. She writes under much discourage- 
 ment, and says, " My poor husband gets thinner and worse ; 
 I feel my greatest trial is coining. Pray for me, my friends, 
 that this afflictive dispensation may be abundantly sanctified, 
 and that I may be able to do for him all he will so much 
 require." 
 
 23rd. First-day. Fifteen persons were present at our 
 morning meeting, and nearly the like number in the latter 
 part of the day. In the morning I was followed by J. Back- 
 house in testimony. Amelia Brown gave utterance in the 
 evening to a few simple remarks, on which J. B. enlarged in an 
 instructive manner. I fear I did not come away quite clear. 
 Though the exercises of our minds may be very similar, so as 
 to appear like repetition of what has gone before, yet it may 
 be sometimes required by our unerring Teacher, that out of 
 the mouths of two or three witnesses every word should be 
 established. 
 
 26th. Took a long walk. The day was remarkably hot 
 for the season, which is equivalent to the Second month in 
 England. The thermometer, which was 60 in my lodging 
 room in the morning, rose to 84 in the shade.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 EXCURSION TO WELLINGTON VALLEY, NEW SOUTH WALES J 
 ATTENDANCE OF THE TASMANIA YEARLY MEETING. 
 
 Having made the needful arrangements, James 
 Backhouse and George W. Walker undertook an 
 excursion into the interior as far as Wellington 
 Valley. This place is situated upwards of 200 
 miles west-north-west of Sydney, and was then the 
 seat of a mission for the instruction of the natives. 
 The road thither lay through one of the most settled 
 districts of the Colony ; and in going and returning, 
 many occasions presented themselves for gospel ser- 
 vice. Under date of 9 mo. 2, G. W. Walker says : 
 
 We take but little with us, and find our wardrobes and 
 travelling apparatus carry most easily in the form of a 
 small parcel with a leathern strap to hold by. In this coun- 
 try travellers are frequently stripped of their property by 
 bush-rangers, so we take very little money, but draw small 
 cheques on our friends in Sydney ; this is a common mode with 
 persons travelling in the interior. At 4 o'clock p. M. we em- 
 barked in the steam-packet which plies daily between Sydney 
 and Paramatta, twenty two miles distant by water. 
 
 3rd. Paramatta contains between 3000 and 4000 inhabi- 
 tants. The mansion occupied by the Governor is on a rising 
 ground overlooking the town. We called upon him in com- 
 pany with Samuel Marsden. He was preparing to mount 
 his horse, to proceed some ten or twelve miles to Tarburn 
 Creek, where the Government have it in contemplation to
 
 218 PARAMATTA. DROUGHT. [1835. 
 
 erect a lunatic asylum. After a short conversation we pro- 
 posed to retire, but the Governor expressed a wish that we 
 should accompany him. When D. Wheeler and J. Back- 
 house visited him in the early part of the year, they presented 
 him with a Description of the Retreat, &c. by which he was 
 aware that to J. B. at least, the object was one of peculiar 
 interest. A carriage was therefore provided for us, the 
 Governor and his aide-de-camp preceding us on horseback. 
 The proposed site apppeared in most respects very eligible. 
 Having completed the survey we returned to Paramatta, 
 where we joined the Governor's family to dinner. 
 
 5th. Rose at five, having appointed a meeting with be- 
 tween two and three hundred prisoners, comprising several 
 ironed gangs who work in the neighbourhood. They had 
 just finished breakfast. They have but two meals in the 
 day. We had a satisfactory season of religious labour with 
 these poor men, among whom there seemed some entrance 
 for religious counsel. We could not but believe that the 
 offer of Divine mercy is still extended to many, if not all of 
 these wanderers; and the longsuffering and goodness of 
 God, who continues to follow the rebellious by the reproofs of 
 his Spirit, dispensed through the mediation of Christ, was 
 largely set forth. 
 
 We left Paramatta about eight, accompanied by a native 
 Black, named Johnny, who carried our parcels for us, and 
 acted as guide to the house of Charles Marsden. The coun- 
 try through which we passed bore striking marks of long 
 drought, not a vestige of verdure was to be seen in situations 
 where, at this season of the year, the grass is usually abun- 
 dant. There has been no rain that deserves mentioning for 
 nearly ten months. All the rivulets and " creeks," as the 
 smaller rivers are usually designated, are dried up. In some 
 situations the cattle have to go many miles for water, and 
 they are universally " lean and ill-favoured," apparently on 
 the brink of starvation for want of fodder. The stock of 
 artificial grasses is not abundant here as in Great Britain ; 
 the generality of the English grasses are incapable of sus- 
 taining the long droughts of this country.
 
 CHAP. 13.] CHARLES MARSDEN. 219 
 
 We arrived in the afternoon at the residence of Charles 
 Marsden, son of Samuel Marsden, who holds one of the finest 
 farms perhaps in the Colony. The soil is rich, and watered 
 by the South Creek, which here forms a chain of ponds, or 
 lagoons, that are never dry. Encamped on the margin of 
 these inexhaustible reservoirs, was a group of the Aborigines, 
 to which Johnny belongs. He married a half-caste girl, who 
 had been educated at a Government School for half-caste and 
 aboriginal children. As the girls arrived at maturity the 
 Government offered a piece of land to such of them as should 
 marry their countrymen. Unhappily, not to say unjustly, 
 the land thus appropriated was a piece of the worst that could 
 have been? selected. The result was inevitable. After 
 struggling for some time, and with greater perseverance and 
 success than could have reasonably been anticipated, the 
 Blacks were obliged to revert to their former mode of life. 
 Some however raised crops of wheat. One man in particular 
 became possessed of a stack of wheat of which he hoped to 
 make a good return. But wheat happened that year to be 
 abundant, a price was hardly to be obtained, and the Com- 
 missariat officer who was to have purchased it, forgot his 
 promise to do so. The poor Black was grievously disappointed ; 
 and to crown his troubles he fell ill. He sent for a gentleman 
 of known humanity, to consult him how he should secure his 
 property to his family ; and this gentleman told me that he 
 was never witness to a more judicious partition by a dying 
 man. He remarked however, as contrary to his notions of 
 propriety, that the man did not propose leaving anything 
 to his wife. His answer was that he did not think she deserved 
 anything ; for as soon as he became ill she left him to help 
 himself as he could, and had taken up with another man. 
 
 Soon after leaving Paramatta the ascent of the 
 Blue Mountains begins. Several gangs of convicts 
 were at work upon the high road which leads over 
 this formidable range of lulls into the interior. 
 
 9th. The prisoners lodge in small caravans, capable of 
 containing sixteen at a time, which are moved from one place
 
 220 BLUE MOUNTAINS. [1835. 
 
 to another upon small wooden wheels. Here they are locked 
 in, at six in the evening, after having partaken of their prin- 
 cipal meal : there is just room for them to lie down side by 
 side. From hence they are not liberated until sunrise, when 
 they are turned out to breakfast. This close confinement 
 often proves prejudicial to the health of the men. We came 
 up to the station where Lieutenant Campbell, the Commanding 
 Officer of the Gangs in this neighbourhood, resides. He 
 walked with us to where the men were forming a new line 
 of road. We had an interview with them which was very 
 satisfactory, exciting gratitude to our gracious Helper, who 
 only can prepare the hearts of the hearers, or give mouth and 
 wisdom to the speakers. 
 
 After many miles of ascent we came to Blackheath, which 
 is on the highest summit of the Blue Mountains that the 
 road crosses. The cold which had gradually increased 
 as we ascended, here became excessive. But the house, which 
 is kept by Andrew Gardner, a Scotchman, is well furnished 
 with good beds and plenty of warm bedding, and we were 
 made as comfortable as we could have reasonably anticipated 
 in these inhospitable regions, where there is not another in- 
 habitant nearer than six miles. It is supposed to be at the 
 altitude of from 4000 to 5000 feet above the level of the sea. 
 Only last First-day we were informed the windows of the 
 house were literally blocked up with snow ! But a few days 
 previous, we were breathing an atmosphere of 84 Fahrenheit, 
 in the shade. + 
 
 10th. Six or seven miles beyond Blackheath is a re- 
 markable pass or saddle, forming a natural causeway, leading 
 from one mountain to another. It is called the Victoria 
 Pass. A road-party is at work there, the causeway having 
 been widened by art, and battlements erected on either 
 side to give firmness and durability to the road. On both 
 sides is an immense ravine, the sides of which, next the pass, 
 are rocky and nearly perpendicular, and from the summit 
 there is a fine opening, exhibiting to the southward, a vast 
 hollow beneath, of dense forest, terminated by high moun- 
 tains. The formation of the road, which after crossing Mount
 
 CHAP. 13.] powEfc OF THE GOSPEL. 221 
 
 Victoria, descends gradually into the vale of Clwydd, is a 
 work of great magnitude, and probably would not have been 
 attempted for centuries to come in a country having only the 
 population of New South Wales, had it not been for the aid 
 of convict labour. It connects the fertile districts of Bathurst, 
 Wellington, and others that are extremely productive, with 
 those on the eastern side of the Mountains, and consequently 
 augments the wealth and resources of the Colony to a degree 
 not easily calculated. 
 
 We had an interview with the road-party. We have not 
 often met with prisoners who seemed less disposed to receive 
 religious counsel ; but the labour bestowed had at least this 
 good effect, that it seemed for the time to have chained down 
 the evil that had but too seldom been brought into subjec* 
 tion, and we parted much better friends than we met, and 
 under feelings, I have no doubt, of mutual good- will. The 
 effect of the peaceable Grospel of Christ remains the same, and 
 its tendency will ever be, to bring down the high and lofty 
 and ferocious nature in man, and in proportion, to exalt 
 the lowly, meek, loving and peaceable disposition, which is 
 not of man, but which is brought forth in man, as he is made 
 subject to the government of Christ. 
 
 12th. Before descending to the plains of Bathurst, we 
 had an extensive view of the country, which bears some 
 resemblance to an English landscape. It is almost destitute 
 of trees and shrubs, and produces abundance of Kangaroo 
 grass. A number of thriving establishments are scattered 
 over the plains ; and under certain aspects, bounded by hills, 
 and studded with farms on the lower grounds, it reminds 
 one of Cleveland in Yorkshire. 
 
 At Batlihurst G. W. Walker was laid by for a 
 short time with a severe cold : he accepted the 
 pressing invitation of Jolin E. Keane, the Epis- 
 copal clergyman of the place, to lodge in his house. 
 To the intercourse which was occassioned by this 
 circumstance we owe, perhaps, the admirable portrait
 
 222 J. E. HEANE, [1835. 
 
 of a pastor, which G. W. W. has left us, in the 
 description he has given of his host. 
 
 15th. The parsonage may be regarded as a general rendez- 
 vous, where every settler in the neighbourhood is sure of 
 meeting with a welcome. The frankness and cheerfulness 
 of J. E. Keane's manners, and the kindness of his disposition, 
 render him peculiarly an object of esteem with the youthful 
 part of his acquaintance ; and these qualities combined with 
 a certain natural facetiousness, cause rebuke, or plain 
 counsel, to be well received from him, in instances where, 
 had it been given by one of more grave or austere 
 manners, it would have proved repulsive. His heart is so 
 evidently interested in the religious welfare of the people he 
 is placed over, that no one can doubt the sincerity of his in- 
 tentions. His zeal is beyond that of most who hold similar 
 situations. On the First-day of the week, besides his morning 
 service in the public place of worship, he meets four other 
 congregations, viz : at the Hospital, the Jail, the Female 
 Penitentiary, and with the Military, and the prisoners working 
 in the service of the Government. One day in the week is set 
 apart for visiting the estabishments of settlers, who, from the 
 the remoteness of their situation or other causes, do not send 
 their assigned servants to the place of public worship. In 
 these visits the formulary of the Episcopal Church is generally 
 dispensed with, and a chapter or two in the Bible substituted, 
 making way for familiar exposition or exhortation, as duty 
 may prescribe. J. E. Keane preaches extemporaneously; 
 believing it his duty to trust to Divine direction and help in 
 these exercises. 
 
 In the course of this day J. E. Keane officiated at the 
 interment of a poor prisoner, who had given decided evidence 
 of genuine repentance, and faith in a crucified Redeemer, 
 through which he was enabled to regard his approaching 
 change with a hope beaming with immortality. The pious 
 minister exclaimed several times during the day, that he felt 
 he had lost a brother. 
 
 On the 16th the Friends went forward to the house
 
 CHAP. 13.] FATIGUING JOURNEY. 223 
 
 of John Glasson, at Newton, twenty-six miles, where, 
 in J. G.'s absence, they were entertained by his 
 wife, and his partner, George Hawk. 
 
 17th. George Hawk kindly rose at a very early hour 
 and prepared us breakfast, and then conducted us about 
 seven miles through the untracked bush, till we regained the 
 main track to Wellington. The company of this young man 
 afforded us comfort, and our hearts were warmed towards one 
 another in the love of the Gospel, as we talked by the way, of 
 the things which belong to salvation. Our road lay through 
 an undulating and thinly wooded country. Nine miles beyond 
 Summer Hill, when beginning to be faint for want of water, 
 we came very opportunely upon a small pool, the residue of 
 what had once been a stream, which enabled us to prepare some 
 tea and make our dinner. The day had by this time become 
 excessively hot, and it was thirteen miles before we arrived 
 at the banks of the Molong. Never before had I suffered so 
 much for want of water : I think I could not have walked 
 much further let the consequences have been what they might. 
 A pannakinof tea however restored me, and enabled me to walk 
 the remaining six miles, to Samuel Marsden's stock-station, at 
 Molong. It was an hour and a half after sunset ere we reached 
 the overseer's house. He was from home, but his people were 
 attentive, and we were comfortably accommodated for the 
 night. My companion had three or four of the assigned 
 servants in, and after reading to them, addressed them ; but 
 I was so disposed to faint that I was obliged to sit on the door 
 step. We had walked to-day, as nearly as we could calculate, 
 thirty-eight miles. 
 
 18th. I rose much recruited by the night's repose, and we 
 resumed our journey. We had not proceeded many miles 
 before we fell in with a shepherd sitting upon a log a short dis- 
 tance from the road side, whom we presented with a tract. 
 Sitting down on the same log, we pointed him to the grace of 
 God which brings salvation, and which hath appeared unto all 
 men, being made known in the hearts of all. This poor un- 
 lettered prisoner observed, that ho had been many years in the
 
 224 WELLINGTON VALLEY. [1835. 
 
 Colony, but had never yet met with any to direct his atten- 
 tion to the grace of God in his own heart; but that he 
 hoped to be more attentive to it in future, for he felt what 
 was said to be true, as it corresponded with his own ex- 
 perience. The man's heart seemed to be touched with the 
 power of Truth, and he parted from us under sensible 
 emotion. 
 
 We did not reach James Smith's hut, at Newry, till 
 several hours after sunset, and when a good deal fatigued, 
 having come about thirty-three miles. Eight miles lower 
 down the Bell River is the settlement of Wellington Valley ; 
 but the distance was too great to be attempted that night. 
 The overseer and an assigned servant were very civil, and 
 gave us the best their circumstances afforded. The bed being 
 fitted for one person only, its dimensions were eked out, I after- 
 wards discovered, with an old blanket, which had been the 
 covering of an aboriginal youth. After trying in vain to sleep 
 amid filth and vermin, with my coat placed under my head for 
 a pillow, I was fain to betake myself to the chimney-nook, 
 where I sat until an advanced hour of the morning, when, the 
 fuel being exhausted, the united effects of faintness, cold and 
 fatigue, obliged me to resume a recumbent posture ; and a 
 couple of hours sleep once more partially restored me to 
 vigour. 
 
 They found the Missionary Settlement occupying 
 the centre of a beautiful valley, bounded by low 
 wooded hills. John C. S. Handt, and the wife of his 
 fellow-missionary, William Watson (who was absent) 
 received them with great kindness. These missionaries 
 had under their care a very small number of the native 
 population, and had been able to effect very little in 
 reclaiming them from their barbarous mode of life. 
 They gave a shocking representation of their de- 
 graded state, which our travellers were able to 
 confirm by their own observation. These poor 
 heathens were addicted to every sort of vice and
 
 CHAP. 13.] WELLINGTON VALLEY. 225 
 
 abomination. The women were much less numerous 
 than the men, and while some of the latter had 
 three or four wives, many were unable to obtain a 
 partner. Diseases both native and European " beat 
 them out like a flail," and with the very small number 
 of their children, and other causes of decay, were 
 rapidly obliterating themTfrom the face of the country. 
 Like other tribes which live by hunting, it seemed 
 impossible to overcome their wandering inclina- 
 tion. Sometimes a party of the youth would present 
 themselves at the mission house to be instructed in 
 reading and good manners ; they would eat vora- 
 ciously of the provisions set before them, smoke as 
 much tobacco as they could get, and receive a little 
 instruction. In a few weeks this mode of life 
 became too monotonous and wearisome to be borne 
 by them, and with one accord they would take 
 French leave of their instructors, and walk off into the 
 bush, perhaps never to return. If ennui did not drive 
 them away, something would occur which operated 
 as a signal for their departure. While the friends 
 were at the Settlement, one of the boys took offence 
 at being refused a new tobacco pipe, though he had 
 had one only a few days before ; and he and his 
 comrades all immediately decamped. Previous to 
 their visit there had been a larger number in atten- 
 dance ; but a man belonging to the same tribe died, 
 and the majority, according to their custom, took to 
 the bush, in order to dissipate the gloom produced by 
 the occurrence. They manifest extreme impatience 
 on any mention of death, or of any subject that re- 
 minds them of it ; " plainly demonstrating " as G. W. 
 Walker observes, " that the natural man," whether 
 in his barbarous, or more civilized state, is from his
 
 220 DEGRADED ABORIGINES. [1835. 
 
 " carnal mind, at enmity with God." The missionaries 
 could not point out a single instance in which the 
 gospel had been received by the Aborigines under 
 their care. In natural affection they were lamentably 
 deficient, forsaking their sick and infirm, and neg- 
 lecting their young children, and not unfrequently 
 destroying their new-born offspring. Of this dread- 
 ful practice GK W. Walker relates one instance out 
 of many. 
 
 A black girl, who had been about twelve months in the 
 service of William and Ann Watson, and of whom they had 
 entertained hopes that light was beginning to dawn in her 
 benighted mind, grievously disappointed them by going off 
 into the bush. She became the inmate of a stock-keeper's 
 hut, where, in course of time, she gave birth to an infant. 
 The fact becoming known, and one of the missionaries sus- 
 pecting what had been the fate of the infant, questioned 
 her as to what she had done with it. She acknowledged 
 she had destroyed it. He expostulated with her on the 
 iniquity of the act, and particularly, in her wlio had been 
 taught better ; but she affected to make light of the matter 
 and turned it off with, a laugh. Addressing himself to 
 another woman who stood by, with the hope that she would 
 condemn the act, she treated the affair in the same indifferent 
 manner, adding, " It was not a pretty baby, and therefore 
 she killed it." 
 
 There is however, Gr. W. W. adds, a prejudice 
 amongst the Aborigines against half-caste children ; 
 and he considers that this feeling may have its origin 
 in the known immorality that has given them birth. 
 Doubtless much of the difficulty which their Christian 
 instructors had to encounter in their efforts to 
 reclaim the native tribes, was due to the evil example 
 and influence of the degraded white population with
 
 CHAP. 13.] KANGAROO BAY. 227 
 
 which the natives came into contact, especially that 
 of the prisoner stock-keepers. 
 
 23rd. Rain commenced in the early part of the day, and 
 fell copiously till near sunset. It will be the means of averting 
 a great deal of distress. It has been difficult to transfer 
 provisions and other goods from Sydney to these parts, for 
 want of sustenance necessary to support the bullocks drawing 
 the drays over the mountains. We saw many of these lying 
 dead by the road-side in the course of our journey. The charge 
 of carriage is now twenty shillings per cwt. from Sydney to 
 Bathurst , and twenty-five more from Bathurst to Wellington 
 Valley ; this is about fivepence for every pound weight, though 
 the whole distance is not 250 miles. 
 
 The two Friends quitted Wellington Valley on the 
 29th, and retraced their s,teps that day as far as 
 Molong. 
 
 During the last few miles it became wet, and the road 
 consequently heavy, so that by the time we arrived at Moloiig 
 we were greatly fatigued, and on getting into the house, I 
 suffered a good deal from cramp in my limbs, until artificial 
 heat restored me to ease. I have not often been made more 
 sensible of the watchful care and superintendence of our 
 Almighty Helper, than when laid upon my bed, and relieved 
 from the almost intolerable pain. Yet I could not but 
 regard what had occurred as a gentle though well deserved 
 rebuke, for attempting more than our physical strength was 
 quite equal to ; but had we not reached Molong, a night in 
 the wet bush might have been attended with serious con- 
 sequences. 
 
 30th. We started about one o'clock for a beautiful valley 
 that lies off from the direct road. Being shut in by the 
 surrounding hills so as to form a kind of natural amphitheatre, 
 it has been designated Kangaroo Bay. There is a fine farm 
 here. The overseer and his wife gave us a hearty welcome, 
 remarking that they had heard of us, and had been expressing
 
 228 MENTAL CONFLICT. [1835. 
 
 to one another their apprehension, that from their situation, 
 out of the direct line of road, we should not pay them a visit. 
 "We had an open time of religious service here with the 
 numerous servants. 
 
 12 mo. 1. We left at an early hour, and were directed 
 on our road for several miles by two lively black youths, who 
 are clothed and fed by the persons with whom we had lodged 
 the previous night, in return for attention bestowed on the 
 cattle, in which these lads can make themselves very useful. 
 When we were within six or seven miles of Grlasson's, my 
 dear companion having sprained one of his legs, began to 
 find walking so painful that he was almost unable to proceed. 
 Just at this juncture a man named William Thorn, who lived 
 close to the place to which we were going, came up on horse- 
 back^, leading another horse saddled and bridled, which he 
 eflered to. J. B. and which proved a most opportune relief. 
 
 2nd. We had the company, of Richard Keyes on this. day r s 
 journey to Bathurst, which was but twenty-six miles'. He 
 kindly shared with me in the use of his horse, while J. B, 
 took on W. Thorn's, his leg continumgp to need rest. We 
 arrived at the hospitable dwelling of our friends John and 
 Mary Keane about eight in the evening. 
 
 Mental distress, even with the servants of the 
 Lord, is often the result of nervous exhaustion from 
 fatigue or other causes. This was the probable cause 
 of the seasons, of temporary depression sometimes 
 endured by GL W. Walker, and one of which is 
 recorded in the following memorandum. 
 
 Tn the course of my journey to-day, as on many former 
 occasions, my mind was sensible of the Lord's presence, com- 
 forting and contriting my heart ; but last night, after retiring 
 to rest, I lay for several hours awake, painfully discouraged 
 in the prospect of the future, which I could hardly forbear 
 dwelling upon. I tried to look to the Lord, and to cast 
 my care upon him, but my faith was low, I seemed beset with
 
 CHAP. 13,] O'CONNELL PLAINS, 229 
 
 buffetings and temptations, from within and from without ; 
 wanting in many qualifications for usefulness, though called 
 to labour for the good of my fellow-creatures ; and fearing, 
 that instead of exalting the cause of Truth, I was but bringing 
 it into disrepute. After much conflict with these feelings, my 
 soul at last derived some comfort from the consideration, that 
 it is " through much tribulation " we must " enter the king- 
 dom of Q-od." And though this has abounded, yea from 
 the days of my youth, afflictions known only to God and my 
 own soul have often been my portion ; yet if the Lord will be 
 pleased for my dear Redeemer's sake, to grant me the least 
 place in his Kingdom, surely I shall not have occasion to say 
 they have been too many. Thus my tossed mind experienced 
 a little relief, and after giving free vent to my feelings, under 
 renewed hope and confidence in a faithful Creator, I fell 
 
 The Friends remained at Bathurst until the 9th, 
 visiting the colonists and the public Institutions, and 
 assisting in the formation of a Bible and a Tem- 
 perance Association. They also held two meetings 
 for worship at the school-house, the latter of which 
 " was spent chiefly in silent waiting before the 
 Lord." 
 
 9th. We left Bathurst in company with John Street of 
 Woodlands, a Magistrate, who lives about seven miles off, 
 on the road to O'Connell Plains. 
 
 10th. The evening was spent in conversation with J. and 
 M. Street, on religious subjects, in which they take a great 
 interest. Especially they were interested in our explanations 
 of the principles and discipline of our religious society, evincing 
 a more than common aptness in apprehending their spirituality, 
 simplicity and admirable adaptation to promote the temporal 
 as well as eternal happiness of mankind. J. Street did not 
 hesitate to acknowledge it as his conviction, that they 
 would ultimately prevail in the world, if not supersede all
 
 230 PRINCIPLES OF FRIENDS. [1835. 
 
 others, from their strict accordance with the Scriptures, and 
 their adaptation to common sense. Nor was his intelligent 
 wife at all less interested, or less full in the expression of her 
 approval. We meet with a great many who will almost 
 acknowledge as much, and who, under the momentary in- 
 fluence of conviction, confess to the truth as it is in Jesus ; but 
 few indeed are willing to take up the cross, or to make a 
 covenant with the Lord by sacrifice. The cross still remains 
 to be the great stumbling block in the way of a hearty 
 reception of the truth in the love of it. It is so with the 
 unregenerate world ; it is so with many professing Christians ; 
 and it is so with many who are called Friends : I know it to 
 have been so with myself. 
 
 llth. First-day. Notice had been given this day week of 
 our wish to meet the people of O'Connell Plains. Our host 
 and his partner accompanied us to the meeting. We had 
 reason to be thankful for Divine help ; the gospel message 
 being proclaimed in a degree, I trust, of right authority, 
 and making its way to the hearts of some of the people, par- 
 ticularly those with whom we had been for some days 
 associated. They had never been at a Friends' meeting 
 before, which is the case with a great many of those who con- 
 stitute our assemblies at such meetings, but they viewed our 
 proceedings, and the order of the Meeting as so simple (so 
 spiritual was M. S.'s expression), that in connection with the 
 doctrines promulgated, the order, as well as blessed power of 
 the Truth, was I trust, exalted. 
 
 13th. We proceeded on foot with Henry Hughes, to 
 Cox's River, where we were welcomed by Josiah Betts. The 
 distance was not more than twenty miles, but the road being 
 very rough and hilly and the day hot, we all felt a good deal 
 fatigued. At several places at which we called, we were 
 regaled with milk, which is most abundant now that the 
 pastures have been refreshed with rain. At one humble 
 cottage the mistress apologized that she could not offer us a 
 glass of grog ! It is asserted that there is hardly a single 
 liouse or hut belonging to the lower description of settlers
 
 CHAP. 13.] SPIRIT DRINKING. 231 
 
 from the Nepean River to Bathurst, where grog may not be 
 obtained " upon the sly," 
 
 Henry Hughes had two young pointers with him, which 
 attacked a number of snakes among the brushwood con- 
 tiguous to the road. In the compass of little more than a 
 mile they destroyed four, the largest of which was five and a 
 half feet by measurement. The dogs showed considerable 
 dexterity in dealing with these venomous reptiles. One 
 rivetted the attention of the snake by his vociferous barking, 
 keeping at a short but secure distance, while the other seized 
 the reptile by the back, gave it a sudden and violent shake, 
 BO as to give it no chance of taking hold of him with its 
 fangs, and then threw it down, taking his turn to bark and 
 afford his watchful companion the opportunity of acting the 
 same part as he had done. In this way they worried the 
 snake alternately, until some of us coming up with sticks, 
 despatched it. These reptiles are so fatal in their bite, that 
 I always feel as if I rendered the public a service in 
 destroying one. 
 
 At the Twenty-mile Hollow, where there is a miserable 
 hovel adjoining a public house which we had declined en- 
 tering some weeks before, from the wretched appearance of the 
 place, a poor woman, a few days ago, hanged herself. She was 
 a drunkard, and the husband who is believed to be one of 
 those who sold grog on the sly, is now in custody on the 
 charge of having been accessory to his wife's death by assisting 
 her to put the rope round her neck ! Such are some of the 
 fruits of spirit drinking and spirit selling ! What a wonderful 
 delusion mankind have been under, in supposing that the use 
 of ardent spirits, which uniformly entails misery in one shape 
 or other, should be necessary to health and comfort. Many, 
 there can be no doubt, are willingly deceived, their appetites 
 being enlisted against their judgment, which cannot but be 
 partially enlightened in the present day ; but they shut their 
 eyes against further light, and thus pave the way for their own 
 destruction. 
 
 16th. Penrith. A parcel of tracts and some letters awaited 
 our arrival, in which the decease of our valued and long
 
 232 CHRISTIAN JEW. [1835. 
 
 afflicted friend John Leach is mentioned. The news had just 
 arrived from Norfolk Island, but no particulars are commu- 
 nicated, further than that he peacefully departed on the 17th of 
 last month. 
 
 The Post Office is also the Police Office, and the Bench 
 being then engaged in trying some prisoners, we were formally 
 introduced to some of the Magistrates by Captain England, 
 with whom we had become acquainted on a former occasion. 
 Sir John Jamieson showed us much civility, and invited us to 
 take up our abode at Regentville, his elegant mansion. We 
 returned to the ~[~n-n to lodge. Jacob Josephson, a Jew profes- 
 sing Christianity, the father-in-law of the landlord, and to 
 whom the house belongs, called upon us, and signified his 
 wish that we would consider ourselves free guests at his cost 
 while in his son's house. We stated the manner in which 
 our current expenses were defrayed, and that his liberality 
 was not absolutely needed ; but his remark was, that he was a 
 Christian, and his heart was interested in the spread of the 
 Gospel ; that his circumstances however, were not such as to 
 qualify him to travel about and labour for the good of others, 
 but as this was the work to which we were called, it afforded 
 him pleasure to be able to contribute to our necessities. We 
 accordingly became his guests, and much attention we re- 
 ceived both from himself and the other members of the 
 family, 
 
 19th. At nine o'clock we repaired to Regentville to break- 
 fast. The house is furnished in a style much on a par, 
 I should suppose, with the most opulent of our English gentry 
 or nobility. The vineyard behind the house occupies fifteen 
 acres, and contains according to the statement of the owner, 
 between 30 and 40,000 vines, including upwards of 200 
 varieties. The vine is becoming an object of serious attention 
 with many of the most prosperous colonists, in the hope of 
 ultimately being able to manufacture wines that may prove 
 profitable for export. 
 
 21st. Proceeded to Windsor, a township containing about 
 1400 inhabitants, and very pleasantly situated on the banks 
 of the Hawkesbury, twelve' miles from Penrith. There are
 
 CHAP. 13.] AUSTRALIANS. 233 
 
 several small townships on the Hawkesbuiy, rendering this a 
 very populous part of the Colony. The bulk of the population 
 are native born whites. 
 
 26th. Walked to Wilberforce, where we had a meeting 
 with seventy or eighty of the inhabitants. Few of the 
 houses are furnished with glass in the windows, a large 
 wooden shutter being generally used as a substitute. The 
 people appear to occupy but a low grade in civiliza- 
 tion. The native-born youths are generally characterized 
 by similarity of external features ; they are in person tall 
 and slender, though inheriting a very fair portion of mus- 
 cular strength. They are generally fair in complexion, 
 with light flaxen hair, which assumes a brown tint as they 
 advance to maturity, but seldom becomes dark ; the eyes are 
 blue, or grey, and the teeth inferior in regularity and white- 
 ness to those of Europeans, which may partly be occasioned 
 by the excessive use of animal food. This may also account 
 for their rapid decay. Want of cleanliness, I fear, has also 
 something to do with it. In regard to mental endowments, 
 especially among those employed in agriculture, there is the 
 greatest falling off. A great number are unable to read, and 
 from their limited intercourse, except with persons who are, 
 or who have been prisoners, and who must be supposed to be 
 of inferior morals, and of consequently degraded intellect, the 
 tone both of morals and general intelligence is greatly inferior 
 to those of our British youth. 
 
 30th. Arrived in safety at Sydney. On the way my 
 heart was frequently contrited in the retrospect of our recent 
 journey, under the persuasion that the Lord has condescended 
 to be with us, to bless, aid and preserve us, for Christ's sake, 
 through whom alone we receive every blessing. To Him, 
 the Great Head of the Church in all ages and dispensations, 
 be the praise, who is God over all blessed for ever. Amen ! 
 
 11 mo. 1. First-day. We met in the new Meeting- 
 llouse. From twenty to thirty persons wore present on each 
 occasion, including those who regularly assemble with us for 
 worship. In the evening the Colonial Secretary, Alexander
 
 234 LAST MOMENTS OF J. LEACH. [1835. 
 
 M'Leay, with his eldest son and daughter attended. Both 
 were silent meetings, except a few words expressed by Thomas 
 Brown. The portion of the second chapter of Isaiah was 
 much before my mind during both seasons, especially the 
 concluding words ; " Cease ye from man whose breath is in 
 his nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of ? " and 
 though I had not at all contemplated such a thing as both 
 meetings being held in silence throughout, such occurrences 
 being rare with us when strangers are present, yet I could 
 not but look back on the testimony the Lord had enabled us 
 to bear to the excellence of waiting upon him in silence, to 
 know his will when to speak and when to forbear, with heartfelt 
 thankfulness ; believing that in this way, though humiliating 
 to flesh and blood to appear as fools in the eyes of our fellow 
 creatures, the Lord has sealed instruction both upon our own 
 minds and those of others. 
 
 2nd. "We called to see Julia Leach who has just arrived 
 from Norfolk Island. John Leach's last moments were spent 
 almost in silence, his weakness being such as to render speaking 
 a great effort. His mind was preserved peaceful to the end, 
 trusting in the mercy of Grod in Christ Jesus our Lord, which 
 proved as an anchor to his soul in the hour of extremity. 
 
 As the time drew near for holding the Yearly 
 Meeting at Hobart Town, James Backhouse and Gr. 
 W. Walker felt their minds turned toward the at- 
 tendance of that meeting, and the renewal of Christian 
 intercourse with some in Tasmania, to whom they 
 had in times past ministered in the gospel. They 
 sailed from Sydney in the Eleventh month. At the 
 outset of the voyage they had another escape from 
 those perils by the sea by which they had been so 
 often endangered ; the vessel narrowly missing being 
 thrown upon the rocks of Port Jackson. 
 
 During their absence from Hobart Town, which 
 had extended to nearly twelve months, more than one
 
 CHAP. 13.] WILLIAM BUTTERS. 235 
 
 of the little company with whom they had been accus- 
 tomed to meet in religious fellowship, had turned 
 aside, wanting faith to endure in the way of the 
 cross. Two or three fresh names had been added to 
 the roll of members, and several had begun to take 
 a part in the ministry of the gospel. George W. 
 Walker has a short notice of the first meeting they 
 attended. 
 
 11 mo. 22. First-day. We assembled for worship in the 
 school-room. Fourteen were present in the morning and 
 rather more in the afternoon. Much close counsel and 
 warning was conveyed. 
 
 Two or three other short passages from the Journal 
 during this visit may be here transcribed. 
 
 23rd. In the afternoon I crossed theDerwent and proceeded 
 on foot to Lauderdale, intending to spend a few days with 
 llobert Mather's family. I had the pleasure of finding 
 8. B. Mather and her brothers, who were at home, in good 
 health. 
 
 24th. William Butters passed the night with us on the 
 way to Port Arthur. He gives a pleasing account of the 
 state of that Settlement. Several cases of awakening have 
 occurred among the adults since our last visit there, and among 
 the boys at Point Puer, many are anxiously enquiring, " What 
 must we do to be saved ? " And some have realized a measure 
 of that joy and peace which is the result of practical faith in 
 the dear Son of God as the propitiation for sin. 
 
 27th. In the evening we had the company of Robert 
 Mather, whose affairs have detained him in town for some 
 days. The school of affliction has been abundantly blessed to 
 tliis family, and has been made productive of a peace and joy 
 far beyond that resulting from the increase of corn and wine. 
 
 The Yearly Meeting, unlike that of the year
 
 236 TASMANIA YEARLY MEETING, ETC. [1836. 
 
 before, was a season of considerable depression and 
 heaviness. In concluding his notes of the various 
 sittings, Gr. W. W. says, " We have often had to 
 feel that when the Lord withdraws the consolations 
 of his presence, poverty and humiliation are our 
 portion ; yet we would be far from regarding this as 
 a token that his merciful regard is withdrawn, but 
 rather as a new stimulus to look more perseveringly 
 and singly unto Him, through Christ our Holy 
 Redeemer and Advocate." 
 
 After this Yearly Meeting, J. Backhouse and 
 Gr. W. Walker took a journey in the eastern district 
 on horseback, visiting again their Mends at Kelve- 
 don, Launceston and several other places, and re- 
 turning to Hobart Town ; where they hired a larger 
 room, for a meeting-place for the persons professing 
 with them. They sailed again for Sydney on the 
 llth of the 1st month 1836, and arrived therein 
 safety, on the 21st.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. MORETON BAY, AND THE HUNTER 
 RIVER DISTRICT. 
 
 SOON after their return to Sydney, J Backhouse 
 and G. W. Walker commenced a course of visits to 
 the more populous districts of the Colony, lying 
 beyond the limits of the capital, and of the central re- 
 gion of the interior, which they had already traversed. 
 
 Their first excursion was a voyage to the Penal 
 Settlement of Moreton Bay at Brisbane, the focus of 
 the present colony of Queensland, and which lies 
 about 500 miles to the north of Sydney. 
 
 General Bourke, the Governor of New South Wales, 
 and Alex. M'Leay, the Colonial Secretary, showed 
 great kindness to the two Friends, and encouraged 
 them in various ways in the prosecution of their mis- 
 sionary labours. 
 
 George Washington Walker writes : 
 
 3 mo. 22. Last evening we received an official communica- 
 tion, purporting that a passage and rations had been ordered 
 us, on board the Government Schooner, Isabella, with infor- 
 mation that the Captain had instructions to land us at Port 
 Macquarie on our return from Moreton Bay, agreeably to our 
 request, wind and weather permitting. Port Macquarie is a 
 place about 200 miles north of Sydney, where the Govern- 
 ment has a penal settlement for educated convicts, or Specials ; 
 and where some settlers are also located. 
 
 25th. [On board the Isabella.] I accompanied J. Back- 
 house in a visit to the Prisoners, who are closely confined
 
 238 MISERABLE PRISONERS. [1836. 
 
 below. They present a very miserable spectacle. The 
 mere heat and closeness of the place are quite sufficient 
 to render them ill, independent of the motion ; and the 
 smell is so offensive to persons coming out of the open air, 
 that it was with some difficulty we could support it, though 
 we were enabled both to read to them, and subsequently to 
 express what was required of us. 
 
 Lightning was very vivid after sunset, especially in the 
 South and South East ; a line of light fleecy clouds skirted 
 the horizon ; and being illuminated with hardly any inter- 
 mission, by the coruscations of light behind them, they 
 presented the appearance of curling smoke, merging at inter- 
 vals into a pale lambent flame, which darted from one point 
 of the horizon to another in rapid succession. The effect 
 was very fine. Lightning is a frequent phenomenon in New 
 South Wales, much more so than in Yan Diemens Land, 
 or any other part of the world I have visited. 
 
 26th. We had another religious interview with the pri- 
 soners, whose situation is indeed deplorable ; forty-one human 
 beings are here linked together by a long chain passed over that 
 which each wears from ankle to ankle, and they are confined 
 to a space in the hold, measuring eighteen feet one way and 
 sixteen the other, in a nearly tropical climate, at the hottest 
 season of the year, without anything to recline upon beyond 
 the bare boards ; with no water or other convenience for 
 washing ; and from the manner in which they are linked 
 together, with very little room to change their position. 
 Their emaciated, pallid countenances, bear sufficient evidence 
 to their sufferings. Such a state of things must have a 
 very debasing effect on the mind, as well as an injurious 
 effect on the body ; and the former injury will probably be 
 the more permanent of the two. 
 
 Proceeding up Moreton Bay, they were put on 
 shore on the 29th, and were courteously welcomed 
 by the Commandant of the Settlement, Captain 
 Foster Fyans. The number of prisoners was about 
 400, of whom eighty were women.
 
 CHAP. 14.] TREAD WHEEL. 
 
 29th. Went into the yard where the chain gang, con- 
 sisting of twenty-five men, were at work on the tread- wheel. 
 These are so employed because the power is wanted, not 
 because it is a part of their sentence ; therefore they are 
 not so hard worked as if they had subjected themselves to 
 this species of discipline as an extra punishment. In that 
 case they work from sunrise to sunset, with a rest of three 
 hours in the middle of the day, in the hot weather, and 
 two hours during the cooler months. There is also a relief 
 of four men, sixteen being constantly on the wheel, which, 
 of course, affords each man an interval of periodical rest, 
 throughout the day, of one-fifth of the whole time, or of 
 one quarter of an hour's rest after every hour of labour. 
 The exertion requisite to keep this up is excessive. I am 
 told the steps of the wheel are sometimes literally wet with 
 the perspiration that drops from the partially naked men ; 
 for they generally strip to the waist. It necessarily bears 
 hardest upon those who have been least accustomed to the 
 labour, particularly the men who are the heaviest in person. 
 The Constable who was superintending, told me that the 
 wheel performed 160 revolutions before each man's turn of 
 rest came, which multiplied by 24, the number of steps in the 
 wheel, gives 3840 times each man must lift his feet in con- 
 tinued succession. Any one who has tried the effect of 
 ascending a hundred steps at a time, may form some idea of 
 the excessive exertion this kind of labour involves, though, 
 doubtless, something must be abated on account of the weight 
 with which the men rest with their arms or hands on the 
 cross rail. 
 
 31st. We dined to-day with Stephen Owen, the commis- 
 sariat officer of the Settlement, who is a son of the late John 
 Owen, Secretary of the Bible Society, and treads in the steps 
 of his worthy parent, as a man of piety. 
 
 After thoroughly inspecting the Settlement and 
 its dependencies, and having frequent religious ser- 
 vice with the various classes of its population, they 
 left Brisbane town on the llth of the 4th mo. The
 
 240 MORETON BAY. [183(>. 
 
 vessel however being unable, in consequence of 
 adverse weather, to clear the bar at the entrance 
 of the harbour, they were detained for nearly a 
 week at Amity Point. During this compulsory 
 sojourn they made several interesting observations 
 in Natural History, and some in relation to the 
 Aboriginal tribes. 
 
 llth. On our way to the Isabella we observed immense 
 shoals of a small fish, called here, Mullet, which were crowding 
 into the bay, darkening the waters by the ripple they pro- 
 duced when pursued by sharks, porpoises, &c. The vast 
 numbers of Mullet that were to be seen jumping nearly up- 
 right out of the water, as they tried to escape the devouring 
 jaws of their pursuers, had a very diverting effect, not being 
 closely connected in our minds with the cause, and suggested 
 to one of our party the humourous idea of a fish-corrobberry. 
 Among the numerous sea-fowl which we observed winging 
 their way either solitarily, or in flocks, or fishing by wading 
 on the soft mud flats, was the Pelican. We saw a flock of 
 these noble birds standing in a row on the edge of a sand- 
 bank, to the number of probably eighty or a hundred. 
 
 12th. Our object in coming over to Moreton Island was 
 for the Pilot and boat's crew to drag for fish. After the tide 
 had receded, leaving considerable pools or lakes, the men 
 dragged in these places and obtained abundance of Mullet. 
 Among them were several Toad-fish, a spotted flabby fish, 
 short and thick in proportion to its length, which might be 
 four to six inches, and exceedingly poisonous in its properties. 
 Taking one of these fish into my hand to examine it, it 
 gradually, but quickly inflated itself with air, till it became 
 hard like a bladder distended, and nearly round. A sort of 
 explosion of air then took place through the gills, and the 
 fish resumed its original dimensions. This singular process 
 it several times repeated. The southern end of Moreton 
 Island, where we landed, is sandy and low ; extensive sand- 
 flats run out from the shore on the side next the main
 
 CHAY. 14.] ABORIGINES. 241 
 
 ocean. The sands were covered in many places with an im- 
 mense number of small crabs, about the size of a walnut, with 
 their claws extended as in crawling. As we approached thej 
 seemed conscious of danger, filing off with wonderful order, 
 forming as it were so many distinct batalions, till the in- 
 truders passed by. I suppose that many acres were covered 
 with them, and in many places they moved in such dense 
 bodies that more could not have occupied the same space 
 without mounting upon one another's backs. Where the 
 sand was soft, they sometimes worked their way into it by a 
 side- wise or circular movement, though in advancing they 
 do not make the side- wise movement of the English crabs. 
 The motion of these singular little animals in such amazing 
 quantities on the sand, occasioned a sound much like the fall 
 of a heavy shower of haiL 
 
 A party of Aborigines were on Moreton Island at the time 
 we were there ; and a man called Doggery came over with us 
 in the boat, in order to join his wife and children, who lie 
 said were among them. This man went into the bush and 
 gathered some pale, spottetl berries, about the size of currants, 
 which he brought to me, giving me to understand by his 
 gestures that they were good to be eaten. I tasted them and 
 found them very palatable, having a sweetish flavour. It is 
 a low bush on which they grow, whose leaves are very small, 
 and have a delightfully aromatic smell when rubbed between 
 the hands. My companion informed me that the botanical 
 name is Myrtus tenuifolia. It is very abundant both on 
 Moreton and Amity Islands, and is about the best tasted 
 indigenous fruit I have met with in either colony. 
 
 13th. On our return to the huts, a number of men and 
 boys began to corrobberry. Their dances bore a strong resem- 
 blance to those of Van Diemens Land, except that they made 
 use of branches of trees, which they held over their heads and 
 flourished about, to give additional effect to their movements, 
 aud that their steps were regulated by the striking of two 
 boomerings against each other, to which they danced or 
 rather stamped with their feet, keeping exact time.
 
 242 WEAPONS. [1836. 
 
 The Blacks of Moreton Bay make nets of very re- 
 spectable character for enclosing many fish at a time. 
 Like other tribes in New South Wales, in hunting 
 and fighting, they use spears which are often formed 
 of one single rod ; but in some parts, the spears are 
 made of long reeds, tipped with sharp pointed pieces 
 of hard wood. They project their spears by means 
 of a throwing stick, about two feet long, with a hook 
 at the end. This hook they apply to the end of the 
 spear, which is rested on the throwing stick and laid 
 backward. In projecting the spear, the throwing 
 stick is retained in the hand by means of a widened 
 portion at the end opposite to the hook. When the 
 spear is thrown at a man, he will generally avoid it 
 by a slight inclination of his body, or if it fall low, 
 by lifting a leg, without moving from the spot. They 
 also use clubs, and the weapon called the Boomering ; 
 the last is about two feet long and made of a flattish 
 curved piece of heavy wood. This they throw into 
 the air, in the direction of the object at which it is 
 aimed, and which it reaches having a rapidly rota- 
 ting motion of a very destructive character. If it 
 miss the object, or be diverted in its course by a 
 shield, it will pass off to a great distance and return 
 sometimes even to the feet of the thrower. Occa- 
 sionally it is thrown so as to spin along the ground, 
 striking it at intervals till it reaches the line of the 
 head of the person at whom it is projected, and on 
 whom it would inflict a fatal injury if not warded 
 off by the shield, which is here of an oval form, and 
 made of wood. 
 
 While at Amity Point, the Friends had a painful 
 opportunity of witnessing the dexterity of the 
 Aborigines in using and evading these weapons,
 
 CHAP. 14.] NEWCASTLE. 243 
 
 in a fight that occurred among them ; but while 
 thus engaged, and encouraged by the bystanders, 
 by the women as much as the men, a shoal of Mullet, 
 made their appearance, and drew off the abettors : 
 when these were gone the rage of the combatants 
 declined ; and they ceased to fight and went also 
 after the fish. 
 
 At Amity Point the Aborigines had a little village 
 of huts made of bark, in form something like the 
 tent of a wagon, but scarcely larger than was neces- 
 sary for sleeping in. The same company took up a 
 temporary abode in various places, as fish, berries, 
 roots or seeds were in season for food in these 
 localities. 
 
 On the 17th the Isabella crossed the bar and 
 resumed her voyage ; but as the weather did not 
 permit of her entering Port Macquarie, the Friends 
 were obliged to defer a visit to that settlement till a 
 future time. Their provisions failing before they 
 could reach Sydney, the Captain made for New- 
 castle, the port of the Hunter River, to the south 
 of Port Macquarie. The wind blew a gale, and 
 on standing in for the harbour, from whence a 
 pilot is taken on board to conduct vessels up the 
 channel which is narrow and intricate, a signal was 
 made from the shore, that the tide had begun to 
 ebb, and that the vessel could not get in that day. 
 The Isabella therefore beat off ; but on referring to 
 the tables, it was found that the tide would yet flow 
 for several hours, and as the risk was great in taking 
 to the open sea, and they thought a mistake might 
 have occurred, they bore up again for the harbour. 
 They fired a second gun and signalled, that the 
 vessel belonged to the Government. This was
 
 244 TRAINING FOR MINISTRY. [1836. 
 
 answered by a flag being hoisted at the signal staff 
 to show that they might enter, and quickly after- 
 wards by a second, indicating that the pilot had left 
 the shore to board the vessel. 
 
 The storm continuing, James Backhouse and 
 George "W. Walker were detained for about a week 
 in the neighbourhood of Newcastle, which was 
 then only a small village, owing its name to a 
 coal-pit close by, from which the Colony was supplied. 
 They employed a part of the time in visiting Lan- 
 celot E. Threlkeld, at a missionary establishment, a 
 few miles to the so\ith of the village. This institution 
 seems to have been more promising of success than 
 the mission at Wellington Valley, owing partly to 
 L. E. Threlkeld' s superior knowledge of the native 
 language. 
 
 On the 2nd of the 5th month they pursued their 
 voyage in the Ceres, to Sydney, where they re- 
 mained several weeks. 
 
 The letter from which the following extract is 
 taken was addressed by Gr. W. W. to Rachel Priest- 
 man, daughter of Margaret Bragg. 
 
 Sydney, 5 mo. 6, 1836. 
 
 We have just returned from a voyage to Moreton 
 Bay, our furthest northern limit. We are both in the enjoy- 
 ment of a fair portion of health, and on the whole, are able to 
 endure fatigue as well perhaps, as at any period since we parted 
 from our homes and their comforts. Our hearts are often filled 
 with gratitude to our Almighty Deliverer and Helper, our 
 never failing Friend, for these and many other undeserved 
 blessings. What, indeed, can we render unto the Lord for 
 all his benefits ? 
 
 We received a call this morning from a Missionary. Persons 
 are too often educated for the Ministry, or for Missionaries, with
 
 CHAP. 14.] MEETINGS IN SYDNEY. 245 
 
 merely general desires to benefit their fellow-creatures, but 
 without letting their exercises mature, so as to assume a specific 
 direction ; or, placing themselves under the direction of com- 
 munities of men who practically disregard individual intima- 
 tions of duty, they are turned aside from the course that 
 would otherwise have been marked out for them by the great 
 Head of the Church ; and the result is often either total 
 failure or diminished usefulness, and still more frequently 
 interminable cares and perplexities. Besides, in judging of 
 the fitness of an appointment and of its accordance with the 
 Divine Will, how liable is the mind to be biassed by con- 
 siderations of a secondary nature, when a man has no other 
 probable means of subsistence, and has a wife and chil- 
 dren to maintain. How happy are we as a religious body, 
 in being exempt from such trammels, in having taken 
 the example of the Apostles and early believers as our model, 
 and the voice of the true Shepherd and Bishop of souls as 
 our guide. 
 
 G. W. WALKER. 
 
 5 mo. 15. First-day. My companion had acceptable ser- 
 vice in both meetings. In the latter he rose with the words 
 addressed to the good king Hezekiah by the Prophet Isaiah, 
 "Set thy house in order for thou shalt die and not live ;" 
 from which he was led to comment on the great uncertainty 
 of life, and the necessity there is for maintaining the watch. 
 It was a memorable season to my mind, a more than common 
 sense of that love being experienced which casteth out fear. 
 
 6 mo. 12. First-day. About one hundred persons attended 
 our meeting by invitation in the forenoon. It was a hard 
 exercising meeting, and the spring of Gospel ministry did not 
 flow freely ; there were about thirty present in the afternoon, 
 but the meeting was held altogether in silence. It is to be 
 feared that the attention of the people is most exclusively 
 directed to the instrumentality of man, and that there is very 
 little apprehension of the real nature of that worship which is 
 acceptable unto the Father, and must be performed in spirit 
 and in truth. After a day of more than commonly painful
 
 246 MAITLAND. [1836. 
 
 exercise, my mind was much comforted in a time of silent 
 retirement in the evening, so that I was enabled in some 
 measure to rejoice in the midst of tribulation, and to remem- 
 ber with encouragement that the " trying of our faith worketh 
 patience," the sincere desire being raised that patience might 
 have its "perfect work." 
 
 J. Backhouse and G. W. Walker proceeded by 
 steamer to Newcastle on the 14th of the Sixth Month, 
 and the next day to Morpeth, the port of the embryo 
 town of Maitland. After spending a few days at 
 Maitland, the Friends ascended on foot the fertile 
 valley of the Hunter, which they found sprinkled 
 with the homesteads of thriving settlers. They 
 visited many of these, and were daily engaged in 
 the public or private labour of the Gospel, including, 
 on several occasions, preaching to Chain-gangs. 
 
 6 mo. 18. Maitland. We visited the Ironed Grang Stockade, 
 which consists of four moveable huts on wheels, calculated to 
 lodge twenty men each. They are 7| feet wide, 14 feet long, 
 and rather more than 6 feet high, which allows of barely 
 1| foot space for each prisoner, as they lie side by side on 
 shelves ; they are necessarily very crowded, as they can hardly 
 avoid actually touching one another. Most of the moveable 
 huts or cages we have previously inspected have been about 
 9 feet in width. Confinement to these places during the 
 hours the prisoners are not at work or at meals, must involve 
 considerable suffering. Occasionally the huts are surrounded 
 with a high paling, whence comes the term of Stockade. The 
 rations are the same as at other places, 1 Ib. of fresh meat 
 and 1 Ib. of wheaten flour made into bread for dinner, and 
 \ Ib. of maize meal made into hasty pudding for breakfast and 
 supper. No vegetables are allowed, but the men are generally 
 healthy. One man cooks for the whole, and they depute a 
 man from among themselves to superintend the distribution 
 of the messes. The prisoner on whom this office devolved 
 was chained to a post, lest he should take advantage of his
 
 CHAP. 14.] HARPER'S HILL. 247 
 
 greater liberty. The whole of the prisoners in the stockade 
 work in chains, which is a part of their sentence. 
 
 19th. The attendance at the meeting was considerable, 
 perhaps the largest assemblage of people ever seen at Mait- 
 land. We were enabled to bear our testimony to the value 
 of those doctrines in which we have most surely believed, and 
 to urge upon our hearers the necessity of attention to the 
 convictions of the Holy Spirit, which lighteth every man that 
 cometh into the world. 
 
 21st. Harper's Hill. John Bourke, though of the Roman 
 Catholic persuasion, did not object to our having a religious 
 interview with his family and servants, and we had them 
 mustered accordingly, in his parlour. In the ability afforded 
 we declared to them the way of life. 
 
 22nd. The wife of our host prepared us an early breakfast, 
 and with the benediction of her husband, whose heart was 
 opened towards us, we left these hospitable strangers, and 
 repaired to the stockade. Here we had the soldiers assembled 
 and addressed them on the most important subjects. They 
 heard us seriously and attentively ; but too generally, this 
 class of men present a less hopeful appearance, if possible, than 
 the prisoners. This stockade is under good management. 
 The caravans or moveable boxes form, along with the huts, &c. 
 of the military, a square, enclosing a neat grass-plot, inter- 
 sected with walks. Lamps are placed at regular intervals, 
 as an additional precaution against the escape of the prisoners, 
 which indeed is a very rare occurrence from stockades, owing 
 to the very close restraint under which they are placed. 
 Were I a prisoner and had my choice between a Stockade 
 and a Penal Settlement, I should decidedly prefer the latter, 
 save that sentences to the latter generally involve a longer term 
 of probation. 
 
 From hence, accompanied by Sergeant Evans, we walked five 
 miles to the residence of George Wyndham, who is of a high 
 family in England, and a magistrate in the Colony, and to 
 whom we had a letter of introduction from the Colonial Secre- 
 tary. We spent the remainder of the day with this interesting
 
 248 ST. HELLIEKS. [1836. 
 
 fomily, and had a meeting with the assigned servants, &c. 
 who are numerous, their master also being present. Our 
 visit here seemed productive of much interest, mutually ; our 
 host acknowledging that he was not prepared to find the 
 views of the Grospel, as entertained by Friends, so thoroughly 
 scriptural as he then found them to be, nor were we quite 
 prepared to expect that these views would have been so readily 
 apprehended and cordially recognized by one occupying the 
 position of OUT enlightened host. He has a thorough acquain- 
 tance with Scriptural truth, and is, I would trust, not far from 
 the kingdom of Grod. 
 
 Leaving the Hunter the travellers struck off to the 
 northward and arrived on the 25th at St. Helliers. 
 
 On the way we were overtaken by one of Colonel 
 Dumaresq's shepherd's, Patrick Sloway, an Irishman. No 
 convicts are sent direct from Ireland to Van Diemens Land, 
 hence no Irish but those who are convicted in England 
 find their way to that colony : this accounts for the 
 great preponderance of Irish in New South Wales. We 
 had some serious conversation with this shepherd, who now 
 acted as our guide, it having become quite dark. Colonel 
 Dumaresq has taken considerable pains in bringing out the 
 wives and families of the deserving among his assigned 
 servants, indeed of all who acquire the indulgence of a tickct- 
 of-leave ; this measure has a very ameliorating effect on all the 
 parties concerned, and were it to be more generally adopted, 
 would be productive of most beneficial results. 
 
 26th. Between the intervals devoted to public worship we 
 accompanied Adam S. Wightman, Colonel Dumaresq's super- 
 intendent, in a visit which he pays weekly to the cottages of 
 the assigned servants, to see that order prevails throughout 
 the establishment. Each married couple have a cottage to 
 themselves, and in none, more than three or four single men 
 are allowed to live together. The cottages are mostly built of 
 logs, but they are tolerably compact, externally neat, and 
 uniform, forming a row with open spaces between, and each
 
 CHAP. 14.] ST. AUBINS. 249 
 
 dwelling being surrounded with railing, enclosing half an 
 acre of ground, which extends backwards from the house. 
 The gardens are bounded by a creek that is never dry. 
 
 18th. I omitted to remark, when speaking of the St. 
 Hellier's Establishment, that spirits have been banished from 
 the place, none being issued to the men under any circum- 
 stances ; and the Superintendent informed us, that since this 
 arrangement has been adopted, a very material change for 
 the better has been observable. Now and then a man will 
 become elated with wine, which is still issued in part pay- 
 ment of wages to free men. But when spirits were issued, 
 drunkenness, we were informed, prevailed to a frightful de- 
 gree. It is a great evil that the Government allows Settlers 
 to issue wine or spirits to the labouring men, to the amount of 
 one third of their wages ; thus every one who chooses to in- 
 dulge can draw as. much as will enable him to get intoxicated. 
 This liberty only extends to New South Wales. In Yan 
 Diemens Liand, none who do not hold a license are allowed 
 to pay their men in wine or spirits under a heavy penalty, 
 and thereby drunkenness is certainly less actively promoted. 
 
 At St. Aubin's, we had a satisfactory religious interview 
 with Captain Dumaresq's Establishment, in the barn ; and 
 though the weather was bitterly cold, the surrounding hills 
 being covered with snow, and the plain with hoar frost, he 
 and his wife attended. Opportunities for imparting religious 
 instruction are always best in the morning, as the frame is 
 then most free from fatigue, and the mind participates in the 
 vigour of the body. But it is very rarely that we have the 
 opportunity of assembling the servants of farming establish- 
 ments until the labours of the day are over. 
 
 A few miles beyond St. Aubin's commences the 
 Liverpool Range of mountains, the natural boundary 
 of the district. From this spot J. 13. and G. W. W. 
 retraced their steps to the Hunter. 
 
 7 mo. 2. (On the Wollombi, a tributary of the Hunter). 
 For several days past I have been a good deal oppressed with
 
 250 HUNTER DISTRICT. [1836. 
 
 a cold, and this morning the frost was so intense, the pools 
 being covered with ice, that we found it advisable to take a 
 walk of three or four miles for the mere purpose of gaining 
 warmth by exercise, before assembling the Bridge Party, the 
 overseer of whom had agreed to keep them in their huts until 
 we should visit them. On our return they were assembled 
 in the hut, and we had a full and satisfactory season of labour 
 with them. 
 
 4th. We returned to Greorge Wyndham's, and spent a 
 very agreeable evening with him in free conversation on 
 religious subjects. 
 
 6th. Took the most direct route to Maitland. In recurring 
 to our recent excursion up the Hunter, I have not taken much 
 notice of the country. So nearly does it resemble many parts 
 of Van Diemens Land, as well as some other parts of New 
 South Wales, that, in many places, if a person conversant 
 with them all was set down, he would feel puzzled for some 
 time to know which Colony he was in, or in what particular 
 district of either, unless he had a very accurate acquaintance 
 with the botany of both. The land on the borders of the 
 Hunter is generally of a very rich description, the soil a 
 vegetable, black loam, which has in some places been densely 
 clothed with timber and brushwood, but these have for the 
 most part been removed by the indefatigable hand of industry. 
 
 On the llth they went on board the Ceres, and 
 were put on shore at Raymond's Terrace, midway 
 between the Green Hills and Newcastle, wishing to 
 call on an elderly man in assigned service there, 
 who had been a member of the Society of Friends, 
 and retained a strong attachment to their principles. 
 Gr. W. W. says of him. 
 
 From the testimony of the overseer we learned that he had 
 so established his character as to be treated as a confidential 
 servant. We had a meeting with the assigned servants, at 
 the conclusion of which he made a feeling allusion to the
 
 CHAP. 14.] PORT MACQUARIE. 251 
 
 solemnity of the occasion, and signified to his fellow-servants 
 his deep conviction that a diligent attention to the subjects 
 that had been inculcated would contribute to their present 
 and everlasting happiness. 
 
 12th. The wanderer from the fold above alluded to accom- 
 panied us some miles ; and at parting we had a solemn 
 season, as we extended some counsel, in a few words, under 
 the renewed feeling of the love of our Heavenly Father, 
 which would gather all into the garner of rest and peace. 
 
 J. B. and G. W. W. next proceeded to Port 
 Stephens, and making a small circuit to the north- 
 ward, returned on the 21st to Maitland ; whence 
 they passed down the river in a steamer to New- 
 castle. Here they spent several days in gospel labour 
 and on the 30th, taking a steamer, which called for 
 coals, they sailed northwards to Port Macquarie. 
 
 In the immediate neighbourhood of this place, 
 which had once been exclusively a penal settlement, 
 they found much to engage their attention ; and they 
 made from thence a short tour into the interior. 
 
 8 mo. 5. Port Macquarie. The meeting was far from 
 numerously attended ; I do not think there were thirty 
 persons present. Towards the conclusion John Cross, the 
 Episcopal minister, testified his approval of what had been 
 expressed, and said he regarded our visit to the Settlement as 
 an answer to his prayers, that the Lord would be pleased 
 to stir up the people to a more earnest consideration of their 
 eternal interests. 
 
 7th. The chief article of growth in these parts is Maize, for 
 which the climate and soil are peculiarly adapted. The 
 plains are bounded by hills in almost every direction, which 
 draw down genial showers on the fertile soil. The Sugar 
 Cane and Tobacco also thrive well.
 
 252 ARRIVAL AT SYDNEY. [1836. 
 
 On the 15th they re-embarked, and the wind 
 being favourable, they arrived at Sydney the same 
 evening . 
 
 8 mo. 2 1 . First-day. Elizabeth Parker and her son William 
 came over this morning from the head of North Harbour, 
 eleven miles, in an open boat, to attend meeting. J. Back- 
 house had a few words of lively comment to offer in the 
 meeting, on the declaration of the Redeemer, " Blessed are 
 they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall 
 be filled." 
 
 27th. Within the last few days a number of sudden deaths 
 have occurred in Sydney, nearly all of which have been 
 traceable to spirit drinking. During the week two young 
 men have been received into the asylum, having become 
 objects of public charity from the same cause. 
 
 9 mo. 1. We assembled in the evening to hear the life of 
 William Dewsbury read. What an animating illustration 
 was he of the efficacy of our Christian principles. It is for 
 want of the same disinterestedness and devotedness of heart 
 that many of us do not shine as lights in the world, and 
 that we do not participate in an equally striking degree in 
 the unsearchable riches of Christ.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 NEW SOUTH WALES. ILLAWARRA, SHOAL HAVEN, PARAMATTA, 
 SYDNEY, ETC. 
 
 THE only thickly settled portion of the Colony 
 which the Friends had not yet explored was the 
 district south of the capital, and after a few days 
 sojourn in Sydney, they bent their steps in that 
 direction. On the 13th of the Ninth Month they 
 went by the coach to Liverpool, a town of some 
 importance for New South Wales, containing at that 
 time 500 inhabitants. 
 
 9 mo. 16. We breakfasted "with Thomas Moore and his wife, 
 the oldest inhabitants in Liverpool, having been the first to 
 locate themselves in what was then a wilderness. Thomas 
 Moore is a magistrate and an active promoter by his influence 
 and example, of the welfare of the community. After reading 
 the Scriptures my companion had some appropriate counsel to 
 offer, under the renewed feeling of gospel love, which was 
 well received. 
 
 From Liverpool the next stage was to Campbell- 
 Town, a village in the midst of beautiful English-like 
 scenery, but composed of miserable houses. They 
 found the town-jail a dreadful dungeon, such as it 
 would be difficult to match in despotic and even 
 barbarous countries. 
 
 17th. The Lock-up or jail is underground, beneath the 
 Police-office, or Court-house, and was originally designed for
 
 254 LIVERPOOL JAIL. [1836. 
 
 a wine cellar. The descent is by stone steps, into an area 
 which communicates with the open day by an aperture at the 
 top. Between this area and the wards of the prison is a wall, 
 under which there is access through arches to the doors of the 
 prison, and which contributes sadly to the exclusion of the 
 air. The cells consist of one large ward for all male prisoners 
 not sentenced to solitary confinement, and five solitary cells. 
 The former has only two small windows opening into the 
 passage between it and the arched wall, consequently ad- 
 mitting little either of light or air. A lamp enabled us to 
 explore this dungeon. There are four small air-holes on the 
 opposite side or end of the apartment towards the road, but so 
 small as to admit of very little air and less light. When 
 many men are confined there, the stench issuing through the 
 crevices of the roof, which forms the floor of the Police-office 
 above, has been so intolerable, at times, when a Court has 
 been sitting, that the Magistrates have been driven from the 
 room. What then must have been the state of the poor 
 creatures below ! We have been informed that as many as 
 sixty men have on an occasion of emergency been incarcerated 
 here at once, and that some have fainted from the excessive 
 heat and want of wholesome air : and had they not been 
 taken into the open air for recovery, there is every reason 
 to suppose they would have died from suffocation. It 
 forcibly reminded me of the Black Hole at Calcutta, of which 
 I have read a description, not supposing I should see any 
 prison in the British dominions, used in the present day, 
 bearing so close a resemblance. I measured the large ward ; 
 its dimensions were 20 J by 12 J feet and 8 feet in height. 
 
 18th. First-day. After breakfasting at the inn, we called 
 on C. B. by whose bedside we sat for an hour or more, 
 endeavouring to stay our minds on the great Object of 
 all true worship ; this proved as an introduction to some 
 religious counsel to the young man then stretched on the bed 
 of sickness. The meeting in the Police Office took place at 
 three, when about thirty persons attended, chiefly of the 
 upper class of the inhabitants. A great many persons were
 
 CHAP. 15.] THOUGHTLESSNESS. 255 
 
 abroad, the day being fine, but the public-houses seemed to 
 be the sources of attraction, the multitude being 
 
 "Too busy, or too gay to wait 
 On the sad theme, their everlasting state." 
 
 The general indifference that is exhibited towards that which 
 should be emphatically the " one thing needful," is indeed 
 truly mournful. It is to be feared too many verify the poet's 
 succeeding description of those who, neglecting the salvation 
 of the soul. 
 
 Sport for a day, and perish in a night, 
 The foam upon the waters not so light." 
 
 Passing through Appin they came to the house of 
 Eliza Broughton. 
 
 She is the widow of the late Commissary Broughton who 
 left a large family, the greater number of whom fill influential 
 stations in various parts of the Colony. We had previously 
 become acquainted with E. B. and we met with a cordial 
 reception. 
 
 From Appin their course lay by the coast, through' 
 Wollongong and the district of Illawarra, as far as 
 Shoal Haven. 
 
 20th. Archer Broughton, a fine young man, the eldest son 
 of Eliza Broughton, accompanied us some miles, to put us upon a 
 cross road which would lead us to Wollongong. He is of an 
 inquiring mind, and we had some conversation with him as 
 we walked by the way, which left an impression on our minds 
 that we thought it would have been worth coming thus far to 
 realize. I was reminded of the time when I first met with 
 my friend J. Backhouse, at which remarkable period, I trust 
 without undue confidence, I may say, to the praise of Divine 
 Grace, I was favoured to receive the Truth in the love of it. 
 rarting from our youthful friend under feelings of lively 
 Christian interest, we pursued our journey through a sandy 
 ban-en tract, yielding low shrubs interspersed with stunted
 
 256 SHOAL HAVEN. [1836. 
 
 Gum and other forest trees. This continued for about eighteen 
 or twenty miles, until we came upon a high mountain range 
 of basaltic formation, capped with sandstone, which runs nearly 
 parallel with the coast so uninterruptedly that a pass has not 
 been found for a wheeled conveyance. The district of Ulawarra 
 comprises a belt of land between the mountains and the sea, 
 remarkable for its fertility and the salubrity of its climate. 
 Descending the mountain by a precipitous rocky track that 
 winds through an exceedingly dense forest, we reached the 
 coast, more wearied from the nature of the road than the 
 length of the way, which was somewhat less than thirty 
 miles. We were entertained with great hospitality by Charles 
 Throsby Smith and his wife, who is a daughter of Eliza 
 Broughton. 
 
 27th. We had a native as a guide. Many parts of the 
 road were very heavy and awkward to traverse, lying through 
 dense forests, where, from the extreme -richness of the soil, 
 it was nearly knee deep in mud. On these occasions we 
 had to take to the Bush where the nettles were very trouble- 
 some, striking against our hands and unless great care was 
 observed, against our faces, producing blisters immediately. 
 The leaves of the Tree-nettles, of which there are three species, 
 sting very severely. Those of the largest, Urtica gigas, 
 measure twelve inches in length and nearly as much in 
 width, and the trunk of the full grown tree, is sometimes as 
 much as twenty feet in circumference. 
 
 28th. We reached the house of Alexander Berry, at 
 Colomgatta, a little after dark, and though we had no other 
 introduction than the mention of our names, we met with a 
 hearty welcome. 
 
 10 mo. 2. First day. A large proportion of the people 
 from the other side of the Shoal Haven Eiver, assembled 
 with those at Colomgatta and places adjacent, under the 
 verandah of A. Berry's house, with whom we had a -fall 
 opportunity of religious labour. My companion was largely 
 engaged both in testimony and prayer, and the people by 
 their reverent deportment afforded evidence of being seriously 
 impressed.
 
 CHAP. 15.] MONTHLY MUSTERS. 257 
 
 From Shoal Haven their course led inland to 
 Bongbong. 
 
 3rd. We took leave of our hospitable friends the Benys, 
 and attended by two Blacks whom we had engaged to show 
 us the way across the mountains, we re-commenced our walk. 
 The distance, which was forty miles, requiring us to stop a 
 night on the road, and the country being wild and unfrequented 
 through which we had to pass, A. Berry had liberally fur- 
 nished us with provisions. Seven miles from Colomgatta we 
 stopped at a Saw Mill that has been lately erected. It is 
 conducted by an Overseer named Paterson, a Scotchman, 
 with a wife and family. They seemed such respectable 
 persons, and evinced so much Christian good- will towards us, 
 that we were easily prevailed upon to stop for an hour, while 
 the hospitable matron regaled us and our Blacks with tea, 
 the usual beverage set before travellers in the bush, and always 
 the most acceptable to us. We were much pleased in observing 
 the pains taken by the parents to impart to their numerous 
 children the advantages of education, of which they seemed to 
 have been liberal partakers themselves. The father had con- 
 structed the Saw Mill himself ; he had previously been a great 
 sufferer by the want of principle in others which actuates many 
 in this part of the world, and by which he had been involved in 
 litigation and loss, in endeavouring to realize the fruits of his 
 own industry. 
 
 After leaving the Saw Mill, we ascended a steep hill that 
 may be about a thousand feet in elevation, and then 
 gradually descended into a level country, extending on both 
 sides of the Kangaroo River. Some time before sunset we 
 reached the stock station of a person named Brooks, where we 
 were civilly offered such accommodation in the form of shake- 
 downs as the hut afforded. The Overseer, a ticket-of-leave 
 man, was absent at the monthly muster held at Bongbong. 
 The regulation which requires this attendance is often the 
 occasion of serious evils, the men at these musters sometimes 
 indulging in riot and dissipation, which often terminate in their 
 committing some offence by which they subject themselves 
 to privation of their Ticket, or to still greater punishment. Wo
 
 258 ABORIGINES. [1836. 
 
 learned when at Bongbong a day or two after, that this was 
 likely to be the result in the present instance, the man being 
 then in prison for an aggravated offence committed under 
 the influence of intoxication, and for which he was liable to 
 be sent to a chain-gang. We had a religious interview in 
 the evening with the few men who were inmates of the hut. 
 A large party of Aborigines, of several tribes, were encamped 
 within a few yards of the place ; they could not number 
 much fewer than 150. The Kangaroo Ground Blacks con- 
 stitute a numerous tribe, and these had been joined by the 
 Bongbong and Shoal Haven tribes, and by some of those 
 from The Five Islands near Wollongong. One of our guides, 
 whose name is Lewis, was from this tribe, and with two others 
 had been employed by John Batman, at whose house we met 
 with him when last in Van Diemens Land. He had been to 
 see the people of his own tribe, and having come round by 
 Shoal Haven, on his way to Bongbong, we fell in with him 
 there, or rather he challenged us, and reminded us of having 
 been at our meeting held at J. Batman's ; and we subsequently 
 engaged him to conduct us to Bongbong. Lewis cuts quite a 
 figure among his countrymen in these parts, who all appear to 
 regard him as a sort of chief; being attired in an officer's 
 surtout and trousers, no doubt contributes to produce this im- 
 pression. 
 
 4th. The night was so boisterous that I was ready to fear 
 the hut would be blown down. Several times, the door which 
 was without a fastening blew wide open. The recollection of 
 so many Aborigines being encamped on the spot, and that 
 this circumstance did not excite even a momentary feeling 
 of apprehension, affords a sufficient proof of confidence in 
 the peaceable character of this people in this part of the 
 country. 
 
 In resuming our march, in addition to our guides, Lewis 
 and Sam, and our old guide Tommy, who had deserted us on 
 a former occasion, we had the company of eight others, who 
 volunteered to escort us to Bongbong, a distance of about 
 twenty-three miles. After proceeding three or four miles we 
 began to ascend a very steep mountain range that cuts off 
 the coast from the interior. From the summit of this range
 
 CHAP. 15.] SUPERSTITIONS. 259 
 
 to Bongbong, sixteen miles, the country is nearly a continuous 
 level. Ten miles from tin's place is a stream called the 
 Waterfall, in consequence of its being precipitated, a quarter 
 of a mile from the road, over the face of a perpendicular cliff, 
 said to be at least 600 feet high. We halted for half an hour 
 at this stream, and divided among thirteen persons the pro- 
 visions that had been furnished for three, but on so liberal a 
 scale, that on being equally divided they afforded a tolerable 
 lunch for all. 
 
 The Blacks on the coast, particularly in Ulawarra, appear 
 to be little in danger of starving, as in addition to the casual 
 aid they receive from Settlers in return for their services 
 (among which I may enumerate the killing of game with 
 guns, in which they are exceedingly expert) they have 
 in the heart of the Cabbage-palm tree, an inexhaustible 
 resource, and shell-fish abound along the coast. They 
 are extremely fond of whale blubber, and about Shoal 
 Haven eat it, we are told, with avidity. It is a pretty 
 well ascertained fact that the Shoal Haven tribe believe 
 in the transmigration of souls. They have an idea that the 
 souls of their departed Chiefs occupy the bodies of porpoises, 
 and scrupulously avoid injuring these creatures. They have 
 been known to set up a grievous wail, especially the women, 
 when a porpoise has been shot by a European, after he had 
 been vehemently dissuaded from his purpose by the Abori- 
 gines. Every where the Aboriginal race is fast diminishing ; 
 and unless means are taken of an effective kind to rescue 
 them from their present debased and wretched condition, as 
 colonization advances, the original inhabitants of the Austra- 
 lian wilds will be no more. 
 
 6th. We called at the farms of John White and George 
 B. Barton, two considerable settlers. We had a letter of 
 introduction to the latter from Alexander Berry, who had 
 been at the pains of preparing several documents of this 
 description, with the friendly motive of facilitating our move- 
 ments ; but our way has hitherto been so made for us that 
 we have hardly needed this kind of introduction. I have no 
 reason to apprehend we could either have used the Christian 
 freedom we have done, in introducing ourselves, though often
 
 260 MARULAN CHAIN GANG. [1836. 
 
 entire strangers to the parties, or that our visits would have 
 been so well received, had we been acting on any other than 
 the simple gospel principle inculcated by our Divine Master, 
 " Freely ye have received, freely give ; " at the same time 
 exercising the Christian liberty of " eating such things as are 
 given us." 
 
 7th. "We made a pretty early start, having about 
 twenty-three miles to walk to GfouTburn. The Chain- 
 gang at Marulan were waiting for us as we passed, and 
 were drawn up in front of the huts while we addressed 
 them. It was a relieving season of labour to my mind, 
 though outwardly, they seemed almost as little hopeful as 
 any body of Prisoners we have met with. This Stockade 
 being remote from the town, the most incorrigible offenders 
 are sent to it, and the discipline is proportionally rigid. 
 Lieutenant Bentley informed us that in a gang consisting of 
 seventy men, 260 cases of flagellation have occurred during 
 the short space of sixteen months. One man had received 
 900 lashes ! The present conduct of the men composing this 
 gang is considerably improved, and the punishments are now 
 much less frequent. It is obvious that in speaking of this 
 kind of discipline as in any degree effective, it can only be 
 with reference to its restraining influence on hardened offen- 
 ders, a mere negative good. As for reformation by the aid of 
 the lash, it is out of the question. The situation of these 
 wretched men is indeed sufficiently discouraging ; little seems 
 to be done for their religious instruction beyond the mere 
 reading of the Episcopal Church prayers to them once a week. 
 It does not appear that they are even visited by the Chaplain 
 of the district. We were much struck with the marked mal- 
 conformation of the heads of a great many of these men. 
 Though depravity was strikingly depicted in the countenances 
 of the majority, defective intellect (whether it were cause or 
 effect, I do not undertake to determine) was as evidently con- 
 spicuous in many, if not in most. We have repeatedly had 
 occasion to remark this coincidence with respect to convicts 
 generally, but this was a more than commonly striking illus- 
 tration of the fact.
 
 CHAP. 15.] SHEEP MURRAIN. 261 
 
 8th.- There are settlers or squatters, (that is unauthorized 
 occupiers of Crown lands) beyond the Colonial boundaries as 
 far as Menaro Plains and Twofold Bay ; and there is every 
 reason to expect that this summer a direct communication will 
 be opened between these parts and Port Phillip, which is now so 
 much a place of attraction to emigrants. So soon as this is 
 the case, there will be a continued chain of settlements 
 holding intercourse with one another, from Sydney, or I 
 might have said from Moreton Bay, along the eastern, and 
 part of the southern, and western coast of New Holland. 
 It is indeed surprising how, in less than fifty years, the 
 British population have overrun the larger proportion of this 
 vast territory ; and continuing to extend their encroachments 
 on the unoccupied lands, it is reasonable to presume that in 
 fifty years more, most of the available land, on the coast at 
 least, will be appropriated. 
 
 Returning from this the extreme point of their 
 journey, the Friends took an inland course, re- 
 visiting Bongbong, and then following the beau- 
 tiful vale of the Nepean river, and coming out on 
 the western throughfare at Penrith. 
 
 10th. Captain Rossi's establishment is beautifully situated 
 on the "Wollondilly, and is one of the finest estates in the 
 neighbourhood. We were conducted thither by a decent 
 Welshman, an assigned servant, in whom there seemed some 
 capacity to apprehend gospel truth, as well as some disposition 
 to walk according to it ; his master spoke of him as a very 
 exemplary servant and a pious man. Such instances are rare 
 in this land, among prisoners, and the reason that they are 
 fewer than in the other colony may be, that there is less pains 
 taken for their instruction. Captain Rossi received us in a 
 very friendly manner. He is a large sheep-holder, and was 
 a great sufferer by the disease that prevailed among the flocks 
 last year. He lost about 3000 sheep, nearly one-half of his 
 flock. The manner in which he bore the loss was exemplary. 
 Sending for his manager, he asked him if ho thought any 
 precautionary or corrective measure could have been adopted
 
 262 DILIGENT MINISTER. [1836. 
 
 which they had omitted, that would have averted the evil. 
 The answer being given decidedly in the negative, he ob- 
 served : " Then as it is not a thing resulting from our 
 neglect or mismanagement, but is obviously a visitation of 
 Divine Providence, instead of murmuring we ought cheerfully 
 to acquiesce." 
 
 16th. The meetings at Bongbong and Sutton Forest took 
 place as proposed. Only twenty persons were present at the 
 former ; there might be sixty or seventy at the latter. Neither 
 occasion was remarkable for the free flow of gospel ministry, 
 though that in the afternoon was the more satisfactory. 
 There is a deplorable absence of spiritual-mindedness among 
 those who profess the Christian name in these parts, and the 
 absence of all attention to religious subjects is by far too 
 generally descriptive of the state of the population, especially 
 the lower classes. 
 
 17th. We made Captain Sturt's residence at Mittagong, 
 where we halted for the remainder of the day and night. 
 This intelligent traveller is well known to the public, as the 
 author of an account of an exploratory expedition into the 
 interior, a few years ago, in which he was accompanied by 
 Greorge M'Leay. During the whole journey, and notwith- 
 standing that they fell in with a great many new tribes of 
 Aborigines, quite unacquainted with Europeans, they were 
 able to avoid all open rupture with them. Once or twice 
 they were placed in considerable jeopardy, but by their 
 prudence and forbearance, combined with resolute courage, 
 they succeeded in conciliating the good- will of the Blacks. 
 
 22nd. We spent the remainder of the day with Thomas 
 Hassall ; his wife is the eldest daughter of Samuel Marsden, 
 and is strikingly like her father. At half-past six we repaired 
 to the place of meeting, where between forty and fifty persons 
 assembled. Considering the day (the last in the week) and 
 the hour, and that a large proportion of the families in the 
 neighbourhood were suffering from Influenza, it was quite as 
 numerous as we anticipated. Though the thermometer was 
 at 86 where we sat, it was an open time of gospel labour.
 
 CHAP. 15.] WINBOURNE, REGENTVILLE, ETC. 263 
 
 There seemed some access to the minds of the people, which 
 made the work less laborious than it often is. I hope the 
 labours of Thomas Hassall, who is a sincerely pious and 
 zealous clergyman, are not in vain. Few men are held in 
 such general estimation, and probably few or none of the 
 Colonial Chaplains exert themselves more for the good of 
 their parishioners. He administers both to their temporal 
 and spiritual wants, often acting as their medical adviser. 
 
 23rd. We dined at Henry T. Shadforth's ; and after 
 dinner the servants were assembled in the dining-room. We 
 had a good meeting, inasmuch as, amidst much of human 
 infirmity and tendency to drowsiness from the heat of the 
 weather and exercise out of doors, the Lord was with us, 
 enabling us to rise superior to bodily infirmities, and to 
 proclaim the glad tidings of salvation through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 At Winbourne we met with a kind reception from Greorge 
 Cox and his family. Arrangements had been made for a 
 meeting at his brother Edward Cox's, two miles distant. 
 Here again we had a relieving meeting ; though having to 
 communicate some close counsel, reminding our hearers of 
 the infinite importance of building on that foundation than 
 which none other can be laid, which is Christ Jesus ; that it 
 is they who hear his words and do them, who will be 
 found to have built upon this foundation, while they who do 
 them not, will prove to have been building on the sand, 
 whatever may have been their profession. Some reference 
 was also made to the importance of building that only, which 
 would endure the test of fire ; not confounding things un- 
 important or which might be even contrary to the Divine 
 will, with those things that are really essential, and are as 
 gold, silver and precious stones. 
 
 24th. The tract called Mulgoa, so named from a creek 
 which joins the Nepean River near llegentville, the residence 
 of Sir John Jamieson, is a very interesting portion of the 
 country. The land has been cleared to a great extent by 
 the proprietors, and patches of trees have been left at suitable 
 intervals, with so much judgment, that it has all the
 
 264 PARRAMATTA AND SYDNEY. [1836. 
 
 appearance of an English park. The rich cultivated lands 
 bordering on the Nepean River forcibly remind the beholder 
 of the waving corn fields and fertile meadows of an English 
 landscape. No portion of the Colony we have visited bears 
 stronger evidence of labour and capital judiciously applied, 
 and its inhabitants include some of the most respectable as 
 well as most opulent settlers in the country. 
 
 25th. We reached Paramatta, and repaired to the residence 
 of Hannibal M' Arthur, one of the most elegant mansions in 
 the country. Its owner is a member of the Legislative 
 Council. He received us in the most hospitable manner, and 
 we spent the evening with the family and their guests. I had 
 some serious conversation with a portion of the company on 
 Music, which is practised in this colony to a more than ordinary 
 extent, and is one of the means resorted to, I have no doubt, 
 to dispel those serious feelings and convictions, which if 
 cherished would convert from love of the world and its 
 transitory pleasures, to love of Him, whose knocks at the door 
 of the heart are, it is to be feared, in numberless instances, 
 drowned in the tones of the piano. 
 
 27th. Sydney. In looking back on the journey, I feel 
 that it is incumbent on me to bear a testimony to Almighty 
 Goodness. I left Sydney under feelings of great depression, 
 which continued for some time after we had commenced our 
 journey. Never did I feel more sensibly that without Divine 
 help, I could indeed " do nothing ; " and I often sat the 
 meetings without taking much or even any part in the vocal 
 labour. But I may say, better was the end than the be- 
 ginning, and, hitherto the Lord hath helped me ; for which 
 I desire to ascribe the praise to the Lord, who is a Bock and 
 Refuge to all who put their trust in him. 
 
 Their last sojourn in Sydney occupied more than 
 four months. In the course of it they were minded 
 once more to proclaim the gospel to all classes of 
 the community ; and for this purpose they held 
 meetings with the wretched prisoners in the jails
 
 CHAP. 15.] PUBLIC MEETINGS. 265 
 
 the hulks and the chain-gangs about the town, and 
 with the weary inhabitants of the hospitals, and the 
 free population of every rank; and that none might be 
 omitted in the comprehensive message of the love of 
 God with which they were entrusted, they gave 
 notice for the meetings at every house throughout 
 the town. In order moreover to fasten the nail 
 which, by their instrumentality, might find an 
 entrance in any man's conscience, and that the 
 great truth they had so often to insist upon, 
 that " the Son of God was manifested to destroy 
 the works of the Devil," might be the better 
 kept in remembrance, they published two Christian 
 addresses ; one to the free, the other to the prisoner 
 population of the Colony, which were very exten- 
 sively circulated, and met a friendly reception from 
 many thinking persons of various professions.* 
 
 11 mo. 13. Speaking of some of the meetings 
 which have been alluded to, G. W. Walker says : 
 
 Those who are led to sympathise with the states of the 
 inhabitants of this place must be content to be baptized for 
 the dead ; but if tlirough our instrumentality a single soul be 
 raised from a state of death in trespasses and sins, into new- 
 ness of life, it will be a rich compensation for our suffering. 
 
 12 mo. 21. On the 18th we had two public meetings, 
 which concluded this part of our service ; they were among 
 the most satisfactory we have had. In general the current of 
 gospel ministry has not flowed freely, or seemed to have much 
 
 * For these Addresses see Appendix to a Visit to the Australian Colonies, by 
 James Backhouse. The Address to the Prisoner Population produced a reply 
 in the form of an excellent letter from a Convict, which the Catechist found 
 in his Bible a few days after the reading of the Address to the prisoners on Goat 
 Island, and which ho forwarded to J. B. and G. W. W. This letter is printed 
 as a tract, No. 14 of the York Series.
 
 266 REMARKABLE PRESERVATION. [1837. 
 
 entrance. However, several instances have come to our 
 knowledge, of persons having been deeply impressed on these 
 occasions, and some have expressed to us their satisfaction at 
 having been present. 
 
 The young man whose deliverance from drowning 
 is related in the following entry, was one of a family, 
 who sometimes came eleven miles by water to attend 
 the meetings at Sydney, as noticed at page 252. 
 
 1837. 1 mo 11. On the evening of the 8th, Thomas Parker, 
 about one and twenty years of age, was coming from North 
 Harbour to Sydney, in a boat belonging to a man who had 
 been collecting shells to "burn for lime, and who was also in the 
 boat. When in the midst of Port Jackson, the boat was 
 upset by a squall ; no help was near, and the two men were a 
 mile and a half from Middle Head, the nearest point of 
 land ; they had therefore no alternative for saving their lives, 
 but by swimming. The shell-gatherer was esteemed the 
 better swimmer of the two. They swam in company for 
 about a quarter of a mile, when the owner of the boat called 
 to Thomas Parker to pray for him, that his resolution might 
 not fail, for he began to despair of saving his life. Presently 
 he sank in deep water to rise no more. Thomas not a little 
 discouraged, continued however to gain upon the shore. He 
 says that if he had been asked before the accident occurred, if 
 he could swim half a mile, he should at once have answered, 
 No. However on this occasion his resolution held out, his 
 mind being earnest in prayer to the Almighty to strengthen 
 him. As he was thus looking to the Lord and drew near to 
 a bold bluff called the Middle Head, he remembered having 
 heard the remark made, that only one person of the many 
 who had attempted to land there, had been saved ; the 
 violence of the surf having proved their destruction. He 
 accordingly did not attempt the shore in that direction ; but 
 though very nearly exhausted, was strengthened to round the 
 point, and to reach the lee shore in smooth water, so as to 
 land with ease. He was however obliged to he for a long 
 time on the beach, before he was sufficiently recovered to
 
 CHAP. 15.] LA PEROUSE'S MONUMENT. 267 
 
 walk to a house, where he got assistance and spent the night. 
 I hope the effect of this hair-breadth escape will not be lost 
 upon the young man's mind ; it was a very providential one. 
 
 In one of their excursions the Friends visited the 
 column erected to the memory of the great French 
 Navigator, La Perouse. 
 
 1 mo. 28. "We walked to Botany Bay, to visit James 
 Christy Phelps and his fatally. On our way we called 
 on Simeon Lord and his family; and between his house 
 and that belonging to J. C. Phelps, had nearly got 
 swamped, in attempting to cross a marsh that had been burnt 
 down during the summer. The surface was encrusted with 
 ashes that would sustain our weight in many places, but as 
 we approached the centre, through the midst of which a drain 
 had been cut, the surface broke through and we sank up to 
 our knees in a hollow with water at the bottom. We succeeded 
 in getting over, but the exertion brought on so much pain at 
 my chest, that it cost me nearly a sleepless night. 
 
 The next morning we repaired to Botany Bay Heads in 
 order to call on David Gtoodsir. We walked with him to a 
 spot near the sea, where on the rising ground a short distance 
 from the Heads, stands a pillar in commemoration of the 
 celebrated navigator La Perouse ; this being the last place he 
 visited, of which any certain knowledge could be traced. The 
 column stands on a rock, and is enclosed with a low stone 
 wall. On the opposite sides of the pedestal are inscriptions 
 in- French and English. 
 
 A la Mdmoire 
 
 de 
 Monsieur de la Perouse 
 
 Cette Terro 
 
 Qu'il viata en MDCCLXXXVIII ; 
 
 Eat la derniere d'ou a fait parvcnir 
 
 de sea Nouvelks. 
 
 Edge" au Nom de la France 
 
 Par les soins do M. M. De Bougainville et Ducampicr 
 
 Commandant la Fr6gato La Thetis, ct La Corvette L'Esperancc 
 
 En relache au Port Jackson 
 
 En MDCCCXXV.
 
 268 FINAL DEPARTURE FROM SYDNEY. [1837. 
 
 It has been ascertained that the two vessels with La 
 Perouse and his companions were wrecked off the island of 
 Mannicola in the Pacific Ocean, and that none survived 
 so as to have communication with Europeans. 
 
 30th. This day was rendered memorable by the arrival in 
 safety of our beloved friends Daniel and Charles Wheeler, in 
 the Henry Freeling. They both enjoy better health than 
 when they left ; the former in particular, we think, looks 
 even younger than he did two years ago, when leaving this 
 place. 
 
 James Backhouse and G. W. Walker finally left 
 Sydney on the 12th of the Third Month, 1837, two 
 years and a quarter from the time of their first 
 landing. They now sailed for Hobart Town on 
 board the Francis Freeling, a barque of 190 tons. 
 This vessel, like the Henry Freeling in which Daniel 
 and Charles Wheeler visited the South Sea Islands, 
 was an English Post-office Packet, before the use of 
 steamers in that department.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 TASMANIA, VICTORIA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AND WESTERN 
 AUSTRALIA. 
 
 THE vessel in which James Backhouse and George 
 W. Walker sailed from Sydney to Hobart Town was 
 old and crazy, and the weather was very tempestuous. 
 After being a week at sea she was obliged to run 
 into Jervis Bay, not having made a hundred miles 
 of her voyage ; and when she again attempted to 
 make sail, she encountered another violent storm. 
 During the time of shelter in Jervis Bay, George 
 W. Walker writes as under in his diary. 
 
 3 mo. 19. This day I entered my thirty-eighth year. It 
 is drawing towards six years since I left my friends and my 
 home. May my God condescend to be with me, and hide 
 me as in the hollow of his Almighty hand, enabling me 
 cheerfully to submit to all that he may see meet to appoint ; 
 knowing that these light afflictions which are but for a 
 moment, are designed to work out for us a far more exceeding 
 and eternal weight of glory ; while we look not at the things 
 which are seen, but at those which are not seen ; for the 
 things which are seen are but temporal, while those which 
 are not seen are eternal. 
 
 They reached Hobart Town in safety, on the first 
 of the Fourth Month, where they found Robert' 
 Mather and his family in the occupation of a small
 
 270 SIR GEORGE ARTHUR. [1837. 
 
 but neat shop in a good situation. The state of the 
 little meeting over which they had so long watched 
 was encouraging, as will be seen from the following 
 extracts from the diary. 
 
 4 mo. 2. First-day. Between twenty and thirty persons 
 were present at both meetings. The manner in which the 
 members and regular attenders of meetings have pressed 
 through difficulties, to wait upon God and worship him 
 in spirit and in truth, is very exemplary. Both meetings 
 were to me lively and edifying ; it was a great comfort to 
 be furnished with some evidence that this little, and perhaps 
 despised company, are owned by Him, who, though .he 
 dwelleth in the high and holy place, has declared, that to 
 such will he look as are poor and of a contrite spirit, and 
 tremble at his word. 
 
 13th. Our meeting for worship was a remarkable season; 
 Divine power contriting the hearts of many, and constraining 
 some to proclaim the goodness and long-suffering of Grod, 
 and to invite the souls that were yet estranged from him, 
 to return, repent and live. 
 
 Since their last visit, Colonel Arthur had been 
 succeeded as Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony, by 
 Sir John Franklin. They had heard of this change 
 at Sydney, and George W. Walker addressed a letter 
 to Colonel Arthur before he left, expressive of his 
 Christian interest on behalf of himself and his 
 family. On his return to England, Colonel 
 Arthur was knighted, and appointed Governor of 
 Canada. In 1841 he was made a Baronet, and 
 promoted to be Governor of Bombay, an office 
 which he filled till 1846, when he resigned on account 
 of ill-health and returned to England, where he 
 died in 1854. Sir John Franklin is well known as 
 the Arctic discoverer, whose untimely end was so
 
 CHAP. 16.] SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. 271 
 
 long shrouded in mystery, and who was so long and 
 perseveringly sought for by both English and Ameri- 
 can enterprise. He had with him in Tasmania as his 
 private secretary, Captain Maconochie, the humane 
 reformer of penal discipline, especially in our trans- 
 portation system. The new Governor treated the 
 two Friends with great courtesy, and opened his house 
 to them with the same cordiality as his predecessor 
 had done. George W. Walker thus describes an 
 evening spent at Government House. 
 
 4 mo. 22. At half past six we repaired to Government 
 House, to dine with Sir John and Lady Franklin. Captain 
 Maconochie with his wife and large family, principally of 
 daughters, and a few others, were present. The Gover- 
 nor, as well as Lady Franklin, is particularly affahle, apparently 
 seeking to please and accommodate himself to all, so far as 
 he can do so without compromising his character and proper 
 dignity ; and this disposition, in conjunction with an honest 
 straightforward manner in matters of business, has had the 
 effect of conciliating the favourable opinion of the public 
 almost universally. After dinner we were ushered into the 
 drawing-room, where the junior members of the two families, 
 of Sir J. Franklin and Captain Maconochie, were seated round 
 a large table, employed in several ways with the needle, 
 books, &c. The absence of all ostentation or display, and the 
 exhibition of social and domestic comfort in the family which 
 ranks highest in the land, struck me as particularly pleasing. 
 At nine o'clock the domestics were assembled in the drawing 
 room, while Sir John Franklin read a portion from the 
 New Testament and a form of prayer. The whole was con- 
 ducted with great decorum, especially on the part of the 
 Governor, who appeared to feel what he read. I had much 
 discourse with Captain Maconochie on the penal discipline of 
 these colonies ; and it was not a little gratifying to remark 
 his deep interest in this subject, and the pains he must have 
 taken to possess himself of the information ho has acquired,
 
 272 CAPTAIN MACONOCHIE. [1837. 
 
 and by which he has arrived at conclusions equally just and 
 comprehensive. 
 
 The knowledge and experience of the transporta- 
 tion system which James Backhouse and George 
 W. Walker had acquired were very useful to Captain 
 Maconochie, in the Report which he drew up on the 
 subject. This Report, preceded by a dispatch from 
 Sir John Franklin, and followed by a number of 
 other documents, was printed in the Papers of the 
 House of Commons on Convict Discipline in Van 
 Diemens Land, in 1838. One of the notes to the 
 Report (G. pp. 21 to 27) contains the information 
 derived from J. B. and G. W. W. and commences 
 thus. " The well-known and highly respected 
 Quakers, James Backhouse and G. Washington 
 Walker, who have been above five years in the 
 Penal Settlements, observing closely the operation 
 of their existing constitution, not only cordially agree 
 with the views which I have here attempted to ex- 
 plain regarding it, but also with those I entertain for 
 its amelioration. They have accordingly given me 
 a testimony to this effect, which I subjoin, and also 
 placed their manuscript journals and reports in my 
 hands, that I may select whatever passages I may 
 find in them to my purpose. I feel extremely in- 
 debted for this kindness, and avail myself of it gladly." 
 The testimony referred to in approbation of Captain 
 Maconochie's system, commends it, as " bringing 
 moral principles to bear upon the prisoner popula- 
 tion for the promotion of their own reform," and as 
 " promising to act upon the moral character and 
 well-being of the free inhabitants." 
 
 The experiments which were made on Norfolk 
 Island and elsewhere, of the Mark System, which
 
 CHAP. 15.] OLD JOHNSON. 273 
 
 was a part of Captain Maconochie's scheme, were 
 considered by some who expected more than was 
 reasonable, to be unsuccessful, and seem to have 
 thrown upon his humane principles a shade of dis- 
 credit which they did not deserve. He continued 
 his exertions for the amelioration of Penal Discipline 
 until his death, which took place in 1861. 
 
 Of the intercourse which James Backhouse and 
 George W. Walker held with their Christian ac- 
 quaintance of more humble condition, during this 
 sojourn two instances may be given. 
 
 4 mo. 14. Accompanied by J. Backhouse and J. B. Mather, 
 I walked to the residence of poor old Johnson. We found him 
 materially altered, his strength having greatly declined, and 
 his voice being so weak and faltering that it was with difficulty 
 we could understand him. Though assaulted at times by the 
 buffetings of Satan, he said he had been enabled to hold fast 
 his confidence in the goodness of that gracious Saviour who 
 had followed him unto hoar hairs, and who he believed would 
 receive him into a heavenly mansion prepared for him, so 
 soon as the work was accomplished ; adding, that he felt he 
 had done with the world. In answer to the question whether 
 his mind was sensible of Divine comfort and consolation, he 
 remarked in the significant manner that is peculiar to him, 
 that at seasons, " he felt as if heaven itself had broken over 
 his head." 
 
 21st. The evening was spent with William Giblin and his 
 wife ; the latter keeps a school for girls, which ranks among 
 the most respectable in the town. In addition to them and 
 their sister, we had the company of an interesting man who has 
 lately become the subject of religious convictions. Wo staid 
 till rather a late hour conversing on subjects of deep im- 
 portance, feeling an unusual degree of liberty to answer the 
 enquiries put to us, and to inform them on several points 
 wherein Friends differ from the rest of the religious com- 
 munity. Like the disciples whose hearts burned within them
 
 274 RECOGNITION OF MINISTERS. [1837. 
 
 as they journeyed to Emmaus, an evidence was afforded us 
 that the Lord Jesus was present, warming our hearts, and 
 opening them to understand the truths that are recorded 
 in the Holy Scriptures. 
 
 In the Fifth month they made a tour through 
 the Island, along the track which had now become 
 familiar to them, attending the Monthly Meeting, at 
 Great Swan Port, and halting for a short time at 
 Launceston. They were accompanied by Abraham 
 Davy. At Kelvedon they were refreshed in spirit 
 with the family at that place, and in the course of the 
 circuit they had much interesting intercourse with 
 old friends whom they found holding on their way in 
 the walk of faith. The company of Friends at 
 Launceston had not increased ; but a great improve- 
 ment had taken place in that town in the profession 
 of religion and the attendance at public worship. 
 
 On the 24th, says Gr. W. Walker, Taking leave of our 
 valued friends Isaac and Catherine Sherwin, we mounted our 
 horses, once more setting our faces in the direction of Hobart 
 Town, it being the fourth time and probably the last, we shall 
 traverse the road together. 
 
 At the Monthly Meeting which took place the day 
 after their return to Hobart Town, Anna Maria Cotton 
 and Sarah Benson Mather were accepted by the church 
 as Ministers of the Gospel, after a season of solemn 
 waiting upon the Lord for his direction ; and at the 
 next Monthly Meeting, which was held at Kelvedon, 
 and at which our two Friends were also present, the 
 same recognition was made regarding Joseph Benson 
 Mather and Doctor Story. 
 
 In the Eighth month, Daniel and Charles Wheeler, 
 having completed their visit to Sydney, came to
 
 CHAP. 15.] UNITARIANISM. 27o 
 
 Hobart Town, and joined James Backhouse and 
 George W. Walker in the work of the Gospel during 
 the remainder of their residence in the Island. The 
 latter were anxiously awaiting the arrival of some 
 vessel to convey them to Port Phillip, a passage 
 to which at that time was not often made. No vessel 
 however came, and as they still found occupation in 
 the service of the Gospel, and apprehended that it 
 might be a part of their duty to be present at the next 
 Annual Meeting, the time for holding which had been 
 brought forward to the Tenth month, they resolved 
 to defer their departure until the " right opening" 
 should present itself. 
 
 One incident which deeply interested George 
 W. Walker during this interval, was the change of 
 mind produced in one who like himself had been a 
 Unitarian. Under date of 9 mo. 13, he says : 
 
 We had an interesting visit yesterday from T. P. whose 
 mind appears to be under deep conviction, and whose 
 Unitarian sentiments have proportionally given way. The 
 heart that is made to see its bitterness, and the need it really 
 has of a Saviour, will not long rest its hopes on such a sandy 
 foundation as Unitarianism. Such at least is my belief, and 
 my acquaintance with T. P. and observation of the progress 
 of truth in his mind, confirms me in this conclusion. 
 
 Before they quitted the Colony, John Johnson 
 was released from his state of suffering. He had 
 many times uttered the wish that J. B. and G. W. W. 
 might be near at the time of his departure. They 
 often visited him together, and found him " waiting 
 with an animating hope for his appointed change." 
 On two occasions, not long before the close, they read 
 to him the 102nd and the 31st Psalms, and tho lust
 
 276 DEPARTURE FROM TASMANIA. [1837. 
 
 time they saw him, the 26th of 9th ma. on enquiring 
 how he felt r he gently squeezed their hands and 
 replied, through his kind attendant who alone could 
 understand him, that he should soon be happy. The 
 same evening, after they were gone, he requested that 
 the 31st Psalm might be read again, and before it 
 was finished his spirit had returned unto Him who 
 gave it. 
 
 The Yearly Meeting commenced on the Sixth of 
 the Tenth Month. In the first sitting, G. W. W. says, 
 " Many of us were sensible of the overshadowing of 
 Divine Power, bringing our minds under much 
 solemnity, and imparting encouragement and refresh- 
 ment." And at the conclusion of the sittings, he 
 speaks again, of " the sensible presence of Heavenly 
 Good, and of the lively feeling of the gracious help 
 that had been rendered to the little company thus 
 met together for the maintenance of Gospel order." 
 Only three members attended from the country, and 
 the number who composed the meeting in its several 
 sittings varied from fourteen to seventeen. 
 
 On the Third of the Eleventh month, James 
 Backhouse and George W. Walker once more bade 
 farewell to Hobart Town, and embarked in the 
 Eudora for Port Phillip. To the former this was a 
 final leavetaking from a land, the scene of years 
 of labour, watching and prayer, where his Christian 
 sympathy and affection, as well as those of his com- 
 panion, had taken deep root. To George W. Walker 
 and to the faithful heart from which he once more 
 tore himself, the separation, which was to embrace 
 a wearisome wandering over the wilds of Southern 
 Africa, was much wider and more painful than the 
 voyages to New South Wales had been ; yet they
 
 CHAP. 15.] ARRIVAL AT MELBOURNE. 277 
 
 both bore the trial with patience and cheerfulness, in 
 child-like confidence committing their future to Him, 
 in whose name and in subjection to whose will, they 
 first pledged their troth to each other. " It was late 
 in the afternoon," says G. W. W. " before the signal 
 gun from the Eudora announced her readiness for sea. 
 Though painful to nature to part from those whom 
 affection, friendship and religious fellowship have 
 endeared to us, it was proved in our experience and 
 in theirs, that it is the Lord's prerogative to render 
 hard things, comparatively easy, and bitter things 
 sweet ; and He was graciously near to bear up our 
 minds above the things that are seen, and to enable 
 us to look beyond." At the same time that James 
 Backhouse and George W. Walker sailed for Port 
 Phillip, Daniel Wheeler and his son engaged their 
 passage for England in the Lloyds. 
 
 The Eudora made an easy voyage, coasting Tas- 
 mania on the east, and came to anchor in Port 
 Phillip on the tenth of the month. On the eleventh 
 the two Friends arrived at Melbourne. George 
 W. Walker's description of this new settlement con- 
 trasts in a striking manner with its present popula- 
 tion and importance, as the capital of Victoria. It 
 now contains 108,224 inhabitants, and the neigh- 
 bouring town of Gelong numbers between thirty and 
 forty thousand. " Melbourne is pleasantly situated 
 on a gently rising ground that slopes down to the 
 margin of the river. The town, or village as it 
 might with greater propriety be called, is of little 
 more than twelve months standing, yet it already 
 consists of nearly a hundred buildings, chiefly 
 weather-board cottages, and a few rude, turf huts 
 erected for the temporary accommodation of the first
 
 278 SOUTH AUSTRALIA. [1837. 
 
 settlers." They held a meeting for worship at Mel- 
 bourne, of which G. W. W. says. 
 
 From thirty to forty persons attended. I have seldom felt 
 more stripped than in going to the meeting ; but whilst sitting 
 in silence, and during the time my companion was on his 
 feet, I was comforted under some sense of the great Master's 
 presence, under the continued feeling of which, I had to take 
 part in the labour, and it proved a relieving opportunity. 
 
 They spent much time at the Aborigines Mission 
 House, conducted by George and Mary Langhorne 
 under the direction of the Government at Sydney. 
 Twelve youths were boarded in the house, and in- 
 structed in reading and useful labour. The adult 
 natives were also regarded, and made use of as 
 citizens, sixteen of the most active and intelligent 
 having been organized by the police magistrate at 
 Port Phillip as a field police. They were clad in 
 European costume, were well armed, and under the 
 command of an active European, who was ex- 
 ceedingly partial to the race, they were said to be 
 very useful in suppressing disturbances between their 
 own countrymen and the Whites, and in capturing 
 runaways. 
 
 On the 18th the Eudora again weighed anchor, 
 and the two Friends pursued their voyage in her to 
 the Gulf of St. Vincent. " On the eastern side of 
 which," says G. W. W., " is Adelaide, the new 
 South Australian settlement." Here they were most 
 kindly received by their friends John Barton Hack, 
 and his wife. The embryo town of Adelaide about 
 seven miles from Port Adelaide, was at that time 
 much frequented by the black population. 
 
 12 mo. 12. During the rainy weather, the Aborigines 
 seemed very glad to avail themselves of the shelter which
 
 CHAP. 15.] KING GEORGE'S SOUND. 279 
 
 the European dwellings afforded. A number, little short of 
 a score, slept for two nights as well as the greater part of the 
 day, under J. B. Hack's verandah in front of the house. 
 Among them was an aged woman, quite blind, whom, it was 
 pleasing to remark, the others assisted as she had need of 
 their offices. Here, as at Port Phillip, the native costume ia 
 a Kaross made of Kangaroo or Opossum skin, the fur turned 
 inwards, and a rude pattern scratched on the smooth surface 
 of the skin. It is worn over the shoulders, reaching to the 
 calf of the leg, and is tied by the corners across the breast. 
 There is a root with a flower resembling a Dandelion which 
 is extensively used here and in other parts of Australia. The 
 settlers say, that when baked it eats not unlike candied sugar. 
 When the Blacks are about to hail the arrival of a friendly 
 tribe or to make a grand corrobberry, they collect several 
 bushels of this root, which constitutes their best vegetable 
 food. Though the Aborigines of these parts are a meagre, 
 ill-conditioned race, inferior as regards appearance to those of 
 several other districts of Australia, they have a fair proportion 
 of children among them ; and hitherto, I trust, their moral 
 state has not been rendered worse by their collision with 
 Europeans. A fine opening offers for the labours of a right- 
 minded missionary, nothing in the way of instruction having 
 yet been attempted. 
 
 On the 13th of the 12th month the travellers again 
 embarked in the Eudora, feeling bound before they 
 quitted the Australian world, to preach the Gospel 
 to the English settlers at King George's Sound 
 and the Swan River. It was now nearly mid- 
 summer, and in the early part of the voyage they 
 suffered much from the heat of the weather. Under 
 date of 12 mo. 14, G. W. W. says : 
 
 This day was the most oppressive I ever experienced. We 
 all suffered much on board ship, a constant and insatiable 
 thirst being kept up ; the thermometer at 102 in the after- 
 cabin. Musquitoes and sand-flies were a source of annoyance 
 night and day, but worst in tho night.
 
 280 ABORIGINES. [1837. 
 
 On the 25th they entered King George's Sound, and 
 landed at the Settlement of Albany, the population 
 of which did not exceed 150 persons. ^ 
 
 The mountains on the main land, says GK W. Walker, 
 and the islands within, and contiguous to the Sound, are of 
 granite, and are bold and rugged in their outline. Some of them 
 resemble the granite formations of Sehouten Island and Oyster 
 Bay, Van Diemens Land. After being accustomed to the 
 fertile tracts of South Australia and Port Phillip, one cannot 
 but be struck with the contrast, accompanied by regret that a 
 spot more propitious for a population, which must after all 
 derive most of their resources from the soil, could not have 
 been selected. 
 
 28th. How the inhabitants contrive to support themselves 
 it is not easy to conceive. They seem to be almost wholly 
 dependent upon foreign supplies through vessels touching at 
 the port. Yet to such vessels there can be little inducement, 
 as they cannot be furnished with any other necessaries than 
 wood and water ; and often there is not an arrival for months 
 together. Vegetables will grow well on the little patches of 
 sandy peat soil contiguous to the Settlement, but so little are 
 these attended to, that the last vessel which touched here on 
 her way from England to Sydney, in consequence of having 
 scurvy on board, could hardly obtain vegetables at^any price. 
 Bread is not to be bought in Albany. We were much 
 interested with the great variety of showy plants, though this 
 is a sure indication in Australia of a sandy indifferent soil. It 
 was the more striking to us who had seen nothing of the 
 intermediate changes from St. Vincent's Grulf to the Sound, a 
 space of more than twenty degrees. Every plant, with few 
 exceptions, though usually of like genus to those in the 
 eastern portions of New Holland, was of a different species. 
 
 We met a number of Aboriginal women and their children, 
 who seemed fully aware that we were strangers. The day 
 we landed a party of thirty or forty males greeted our arrival 
 by shouts and animated gestures as the boat was hauling 
 upon the beach ; their hair and faces shone with grease and
 
 CHAP. 15.] WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 281 
 
 red ochre. It is much to be regretted that during a 
 peaceable intercourse with them of between five and six 
 years, no attempt has been made to instruct or civilize them 
 on any systematic plan. 
 
 After two days' tarriance at Albany, they pro- 
 ceeded in the Eudora to the more populous though 
 even more barren territory of the Swan River, on 
 the western coast of Australia. On the 29th George 
 W. Walker writes : 
 
 It is eight weeks to-day since we left Hobart Town, and 
 two from the time of our departure from Adelaide. During 
 the latter interval, we have sailed over nearly 2000 miles of 
 ocean. Thus a gracious Providence has blessed us with a 
 speedy and prosperous voyage, and has brought us almost 
 within sight of our next port. May we cherish a grateful 
 disposition for these and other numberless mercies. We saw 
 several Flying-fish this morning. I observed one, about the 
 size of a herring, after flying about a couple of hundred yards 
 at a height of six or eight feet above the water, make a short 
 turn round and take a contrary direction. At half-past seven 
 we came to anchor in (rage's Roads, opposite to the town of 
 Freemantle, at the mouth of Melville Water. The river is 
 inaccessible to vessels, owing to a ridge of rocks, over which 
 the sea breaks almost continually. 
 
 30th. In the afternoon we proceeded up Melville Water 
 in a passage-boat to Perth, the capital of the Colony, to 
 present our introductory letters to Sir James Stirling, the 
 Governor. 
 
 31st. First-day. We held a meeting in the Court House 
 at Perth. About 200 persons were present ; the population is 
 estimated at 600. My companion was occupied in testimony 
 during the greater part of the time, concluding with prayer. 
 I trust many were seriously impressed, though it was too 
 obvious that few apprehended the nature of that pure, spiritual 
 worship, wliich is to be performed in silence. We spent the 
 evening at Sir J. Stirling's. Lady Stirling is suffering from a
 
 282 SPIRIT DRINKING. [1838. 
 
 serious accident by fire, in which she narrowly escaped with 
 her life. Both she and the Governor are persons of engaging 
 manners, and independently of some political objections to 
 Sir James, are in very general estimation among the 
 colonists. 
 
 1838. 1 mo. 1. We walked from Perth to Freemantle. 
 The distance is computed at twelve miles, but being diverted 
 from the direct course by the sinuosities of the river, we made 
 it much more. The sterility of the country between Free- 
 mantle and Perth can hardly be exceeded. It is a loose sand, 
 yielding hardly any grass, and nothing but trees and shrubs. 
 Near the coast is a limestone formation, but as an advance is 
 made into the interior, granite prevails, which appears to be 
 the case as far as the Darling Range, that runs parallel with 
 the coast at a distance of from fifteen to twenty miles. The 
 whole of this considerable tract, for many miles, excepting 
 only some narrow strips on the margin of the Swan and 
 Canning rivers, is almost as poor as is to be met with.* It 
 was described in the charts that were first published, as con- 
 sisting of " undulating grassy hills ! " It much more properly 
 deserves the designation given to it by one of the first 
 emigrants, now in Yan Diemens Land : " Bless you, Sir," 
 said he, " it's a heart-breaking country." 
 
 In this, as in all the other Colonies, James Back- 
 house and his companion found the curse of spirit- 
 drinking blighting the thrift and the morals of the 
 settlers. In none was there a more rampant ex- 
 hibition of it than at the Swan River. 
 
 1 mo. 3. In Freemantle there are four public-houses to a 
 population of about 200 souls, while there is but one baker's 
 shop. In Perth there are seven spirit-shops, but only four 
 bakers. The first rate merchants descend so low as to retail 
 spirits at their general stores, and yet they maintain their 
 respectability. 
 
 * The Swan and Canning Elvers flow into the head of Melville Water, at 
 Perth. The Colony formerly called Swan River and including King George's 
 Sound is now called Western Australia.
 
 CHAP. 15.] THE ABORIGINES. 283 
 
 J. B. and Gr. W. W. pursued their usual course 
 towards enlightening the public mind on the evils of 
 spirit drinking, by Meetings, conversation &c. A 
 Temperance Society was organised but without much 
 promise of general support. 
 
 10th. We proceeded to Perth in Eeid's passage boat. The 
 sea breeze sets in about noon, soon after which the boat starts 
 with a fair wind, which generally lasts all the way. It 
 returns in the morning by the aid of the land breeze which 
 prevails during the night and forepart of the day. The 
 salubrity and delightful temperature of the climate of Swan 
 River can hardly be surpassed ; though in the estimation of 
 some it is rather too hot. 
 
 They held several meetings for worship at Free- 
 mantle and Perth, and at Guildford (a township 
 higher up the Swan River), and although the service 
 was laborious, they were cheered with the hope that 
 it was not entirely without fruit. 
 
 We shall conclude the account of their visit to this 
 the last of the Australian Colonies, by some passages 
 from the diary, regarding the state and treatment of 
 the Aborigines. 
 
 29th. The Aborigines are very numerous in these parts, 
 consisting of various tribes, which are in the habit of congre- 
 gating together at Perth, from a distance of sixty or seventy 
 miles round. They are in general, a fine race, some of them, 
 both men and women, far from unpleasing, and they appear 
 to be no way deficient in mental capacity. They are much 
 about the dwellings of the Whites, for whom they perform little 
 offices, receiving victuals in return ; yet from such opportunities 
 as I had of judging, they are but indifferently paid, and in a 
 proportion, decidedly inferior to white men ; which, if it be 
 so, is a great injustice. I shall not readily forget the ex- 
 pression of dissatisfaction, both by word and gesture, of a
 
 284 DEATH OF DOBBIN. [1838. 
 
 white man who saw me give sixpence to a black youth, who 
 had assisted me to carry my luggage, though the sum would 
 have been considered little enough had the poor fellow's skin 
 been of a different colour. 
 
 The tribes on the Swan, and throughout Western Australia, 
 are in a state of frequent warfare, and their contests are more 
 sanguinary than in many other parts of New Holland. On 
 the 26th, as we were coming up the river, we saw the Free- 
 mantle Blacks returning from Perth, where, the day before, 
 they and the Perth natives had had an affray with the Murray 
 Tribe, from the eastward. Many of them were evidently 
 wounded, by the way in which they halted in walking. On 
 arriving at Perth, we learned that one of the Perth men, 
 named Dobbin by the whites, had been killed, and sixteen 
 had received one or more spear wounds. When they receive 
 a spear through their limbs, they break off the end of the 
 spear and draw it out short, otherwise the spear being barbed 
 could not be extricated. The ordinary fighting spears are 
 barbed with wood ; but when it is determined to destroy any 
 one, which is often the case prior to the engagement, a spear 
 barbed with pieces of broken glass is used, the point being 
 serrated so as to produce a gash that is almost incurable. An 
 ordinary spear wound, though it be quite through the limb, 
 heals with surprising quickness, and seems to yield no 
 other inconvenience than causing the party to walk a little 
 lame for a few days. 
 
 The death of pooy Dobbin had been previously decided 
 upon, and he fell pierced by thirty-six spears, some of which 
 we were assured, were thrown by his own tribe, and one by 
 his own brother ! The origin of this man's death is to be 
 traced to the following circumstances. About two years ago, 
 a man residing a short distance out of Perth, had a 
 bag of flour stolen from his premises by an Aborigine. 
 Seeing two black youths the same night on which the robbery 
 was committed, lying in the bush near his premises, and 
 suspecting them of the offence, the man unjustifiably discharged 
 his piece at them, and one of them was mortally wounded. 
 After lingering for two or three days he expired, but not
 
 CHAP. 15.] DESTRUCTIVE CUSTOM. 285 
 
 
 
 until he had enjoined upon his countrymen to revenge his 
 death by killing Dobbin, who, it came out, was the real 
 offender, he having stolen the flour. This charge was shortly 
 after acted upon by the destruction of a nephew of Dobbin's ; 
 for it is a common mode of retaliation among the Aborigines to 
 kill a relative, often the women or children of the party toward 
 whom they harbour animosity. Soon after this, another of 
 Dobbin's connections was cut off. In this way no less than 
 six or seven individuals have been successively cut off, before 
 the actual culprit has been made the victim of their wrath. 
 The Blacks, as was to be expected, were also much incensed 
 against the man, and threatened to take his life the first 
 opportunity ; and a complaint being preferred against him 
 in consequence of his unjustifiable conduct, which became 
 generally known, he was thrown into prison to undergo his 
 trial for the offence. He was ultimately liberated on the 
 ground that he had committed the outrage under the influence 
 of excitement, without the deliberate intention of killing an 
 innocent person ; but as the Aborigines were bent upon 
 revenge, he left that part of the Colony. 
 
 Another strange custom prevails among the people. When 
 an Aborigine dies a natural death, one of the tribe to which 
 he belonged takes an early opportunity of sacrificing one of 
 an adjacent tribe ; the victim thus offered as it were to the 
 manes of the deceased, is generally one that has not been 
 guilty of any particular offence. The tribe to which he or 
 she belongs then takes up the matter in a similar way, and 
 makes reprisals on an adjacent tribe, but not the tribe by 
 which their own deceased member was destroyed. Thus it 
 runs from one tribe to another through a long series. 
 
 The number of Aborigines who occasionally visit Perth is 
 computed at about a thousand. Perhaps in no district of 
 New Holland where there are European inhabitants, is the 
 Aboriginal population equally numerous. They have been 
 very troublesome to the Settlers of Swan River ; and from 
 first to last have cut off a number of white persons. Had 
 proper efforts been made for their amelioration, or had a 
 system of equitable and enlightened policy been adopted to
 
 286 OUTRAGES OF THE ABORIGINES. [1838, 
 
 secure to them those benefits which they have a right to 
 expect in return for the occupation of their land, it is 
 reasonable to suppose that this would not have been the case. 
 Though the Colonial Government has generally acted with 
 commendable lenity towards the Blacks, only one so far as I 
 am aware, having been put to death under the sentence of 
 the law, the settlers have in many instances taken the law 
 into their own hands, and this has been generally winked at 
 by the Government. To these injuries may often be traced 
 the outrages of the Aborigines upon the Whites. This 
 was strikingly illustrated in the case of two unfortunate men 
 who, without provocation on their part, were murdered by 
 the Blacks. It is well known that when provisions fall in 
 the way of these people, and the opportunity is favourable 
 for escaping detection, the temptation to steal is stronger 
 than they can always resist. About eighteen months ago, a 
 settler taking advantage of this natural weakness in a set of 
 poor hungry Blacks, had the cruelty to set a snare for the 
 purpose of entrapping them. He placed a quantity of flour in a 
 loft used as a store, which was over the barn, and ordered one 
 of his servants to conceal himself with his gun among the straw, 
 and if any of them entered with the intention of stealing, he 
 was to fire at them, adding with a significant laugh, that he 
 need not kill the culprit but only wound him. The man and 
 some others of his servants then concealed themselves outside 
 the premises and waited the event. Unhappily the bait took. 
 The Aborigines on their approach, seeing no one about, and 
 the door of the store being open, one of them ventured to 
 explore the interior. It might have been to seek for hens' 
 eggs of which they are fond. But seeing the flour, he lifted 
 a portion of it, and was in the act of carrying it away, when 
 the man in the straw who had watched his movements, dis- 
 charged his piece and wounded him severely in the neck. 
 Surprised and terrified, he jumped from the loft to the ground 
 and ran for his life. The master and other servants hearing 
 the discharge of the gun, emerged from their concealment 
 and pursued their victim, who soon fell to the ground faint 
 with terror and loss of blood. The master then cried out, 
 " Give him a shot of mercy." But they found they were out
 
 CHAP. 15.] OUTRAGES UPON THE ABORIGINES. 287 
 
 of ball ; so one of their number was despatched to the barracks 
 which were about half a mile from the spot ; and on his 
 return, the gun was again charged, the work of death con- 
 summated, and before the remains were cold, they were con- 
 signed to the earth. The person who related to me these 
 particulars, happened to be on a journey into that part of the 
 Colony, and was in the house of the murderer when he re- 
 turned from his exploit. His wife who was anxiously waiting 
 the return of her husband, having heard the shots and fearing 
 for his life, eagerly enquired of him what had occurred. With 
 a laugh he described what he had been about, when she ex- 
 pressed her surprise that he could laugh at having imbrued 
 his hands in the blood of a fellow creature. The circumstance 
 became publicly known ; yet strange to say, it does not appear 
 that any judicial enquiry was made into the affair, and the 
 murderers escaped with impunity. It was this which gave occa- 
 sion to the Aborigines to retaliate by the murder of the two 
 white men a day or two afterwards. But their blood must be 
 laid at the door of the white murderers. 
 
 Another instance in which the life of a female Black was 
 wantonly sacrificed, under circumstances yet more revolting, 
 happened about six weeks prior to our arrival at Swan River, 
 and was related to me by a person to be relied upon, and 
 corroborated by another individual who was himself a resi- 
 dent near the spot where it occurred. A young man, com- 
 panion of the person whose barbarity I have just described, 
 went into the Bush, accompanied by his servant, a man of 
 colour, and attended also by two Aborigines, a man and his 
 wife, whom he took with him for the purpose of tracking the 
 game, being desirous of shooting Kangaroos. After they 
 had been out some time without falling in with game, the 
 young man began to be dissatisfied, and charged the 
 Aborigines with deceiving him. At last some movement on 
 their part provoking Him, though they had protested they 
 were tracing the footsteps of the Kangaroos, of which they 
 had tried to convince him by occular proof, ho deliberately 
 lifted his double-barrelled gun and shot the woman dead. 
 The husband amazed and terrified at what had happened,
 
 288 DEPARTURE FROM AUSTRALIA. [1838. 
 
 took to his heels, when the young man fired after him and 
 wounded him ; but he ultimately escaped, though considerably 
 injured. The murderer on his return made the matter a sub- 
 ject of boast, and describing what had occurred to some soldiers, 
 one of them in the true spirit of a barbarian, went to the spot, 
 cut off the woman's ears, and fixed them upon the walls of a 
 house, as a sort of trophy. It does not appear that any 
 judicial notice was taken of this case, although it was one 
 of public notoriety. 
 
 The Friends left Western Australia on the 12th 
 of the 2nd month, having embarked in the Aber- 
 crombie for Mauritius.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 MAURITIUS. 
 
 The voyage -from Western Australia to Mauritius 
 occupied rather more than three weeks. The weather 
 was mostly favourable, but towards the latter part 
 the vessel was driven out of her course to the north- 
 ward by a hurricane. G. W. Walker's journal 
 contains the following records of the voyage and of 
 their sojourn on that interesting Island. 
 
 2 mo. 17. Scudding before a fair wind with all sail set. 
 The weather is beautifully fine, the temperature genial, being 
 just on the verge of the tropics. This is but the fifth day 
 since we left port, and we have already sailed about 1000 
 miles. The distance to Mauritius is computed at 3600. 
 I have done little but read since I came on board, not having 
 been sufficiently seasoned hitherto to write much. I am en- 
 gaged in the perusal of Foxe's Book of Martyrs, which has 
 afforded me much painful interest. What a monster does 
 man become when under the domination of religious bigotry ! 
 How do the tender sensibilities even of his human nature 
 become extinguished, and the man becomes transformed into 
 the fiend ! 
 
 18th. The passengers, captain and mate, and one of the 
 sailors assembled on the quarter-deck, this being the First- 
 day of the week. We read the 8th chapter of Matthew and 
 the 107th Psalm, and after some intervals of silence, we both 
 addressed the audience. The sailors appear to be generally 
 indisposed for anything like serious reflection, which, con- 
 sidering their extremely profane language and intemperate
 
 290 HURRICANE. [1838. 
 
 habits, one cannot much wonder at. I have seldom known 
 them so generally decline being present on occasions of this 
 kind as in the present instance. 
 
 3 mo. 1. Was ushered in with stormy weather which 
 increased as the day advanced. The gale was at its height 
 about two o'clock, with an awful sea running mountains high, 
 but happily for us, well astern of the vessel. It was necessary 
 however to deviate two points from our right course in order 
 to keep well before it. The fore-top-gallant sail was taken 
 in, the mast struck, and the vessel put under storm canvas. 
 At two o'clock a heavy sea poured upon the quarter-deck, 
 deluging the after-cabin and most of the passengers. At ten 
 o'clock P. M. two or three of the passengers ventured on deck 
 to get a little air, the cabins being intolerably close, from 
 every thing being necessarily battened down. I was just 
 putting my head out of the Companion-door to take a last 
 look at the night, when a heavy sea struck the vessel in 
 mid-ships, and curling as it came, descended like a huge 
 torrent as far as the wheel, which it just missed, but drenching 
 every body on the deck and nearly washing the Steward 
 overboard. It then poured down the Companion-steps with 
 a noise like thunder, causing no little consternation among 
 our female passengers, one of whom was drenched from head 
 to foot. The weight of water was such that the vessel lurched 
 and staggered under it, as though hardly able to rise from 
 the super-incumbent pressure. 
 
 7th. Land was visible at daylight. As we approached 
 Mauritius we could not but be struck with the bold and 
 grotesque outline of the mountains that intersect its central 
 portion in several distinct ranges ; that immediately over- 
 hanging Port Louis, the Capital, and of which the celebrated 
 bluff called " Peter Botte " constitutes a part, is peculiarly 
 grand and romantic. The verdure of the lower lands along 
 the coasts, clothed with young sugar canes, and the exuberant 
 vegetation of a tropical clime, presented a striking contrast 
 to the appearance of the countries we have so long been 
 Conversant with ; the Australian forests being as remarkable 
 for their sombre hues as those of the tropics are for their
 
 CHAP. 16.] PLAINES WILHELMS. 291 
 
 richness and verdure. The shipping, the size and number of 
 the buildings composing the town, the forts which command 
 the Port, and the artificial means that have been resorted to 
 for the improvement of the harbour, all contribute to remind 
 the stranger that this Colony is a place of great commerce 
 and of wealth. We went on shore in search of lodgings but 
 were unsuccessful ; board and lodging are difficult to be met 
 with here. 
 
 8th. Called on Edward Chapman who is a merchant here. 
 By his recommendation we took up our quarters at the only 
 Hotel which bears the character, or indeed the internal aspect 
 of respectability. Veiy few of the people speak English, so 
 that we are under the necessity of bringing the little know- 
 ledge we possess of French into requisition ; even that little 
 we find of great use. It is not only the language of daily 
 intercourse and of business, but it is the official medium of 
 communication, all the Courts of law conducting their busi- 
 ness in it. In the evening we accompanied Edward Chap- 
 man to his residence on Plaines Wilhelms, which is seven 
 miles from the town, at a considerably higher elevation above 
 the sea, consequently in a more salubrious climate. Many of 
 the more opulent inhabitants have country residences, in this 
 neighbourhood. Hardly two miles from Port Louis the road 
 crosses the Grande Hiviere, a fine stream from which the 
 town is supplied, by an acqueduct terminating in pipes laid 
 to the houses. The river is fed by the mountain streams 
 which flow through a succession of deep ravines that wind 
 their sinuous course from the highest parts of the Island, and 
 the sides of which are clothed with all the wild profusion of 
 tropical vegetation. The road from Port Louis to Plaiiies 
 Wilhelms, is in many places, lined with groves of Mangoes 
 and Tamarinds, in others with Acacia and the Agave. The 
 Date, Cocoa-nut, and other Palm Trees are also numerous. 
 
 llth. First-day. E. Chapman read a portion of Scripture 
 along with a form of prayer before breakfast. Subsequently 
 the family again assembled, when the Liturgy of the Church 
 of England was read aloud, and my companion afterwards 
 expressed something in the line of exhortation. In the course
 
 292 PIOUS OFFICERS. [1838. 
 
 of the day we had much serious conversation with our host, 
 on religious subjects, in which we had an opportunity of 
 explaining our views of the nature of worship. In the after- 
 noon we had a quiet walk with our friendly host, along 
 the margin of a beautiful ravine, which forms, at its base, 
 the bed of the Grande Riviere. The sides of this ravine are 
 rocky and steep, offering a covert for maroons or runaway 
 slaves, who in former times were very numerous, and who are 
 still a cause of disquietude to the inhabitants. It is to be 
 presumed that many of them have been the victims of oppres- 
 sion ; and as such they are more deserving of commiseration 
 than of blame. For though slavery is said to have been 
 exhibited here in its mildest form, from the effects that are 
 yet visible, I cannot but believe that it has been " a bitter 
 draught." The labouring population consists of three classes, 
 viz. the Apprentices, Emancipated Blacks (including the slaves 
 belonging to the Ofovernment at the time of the abolition of 
 slavery), and the Free Indian labourers. The different 
 classes are easily distinguished by their costume, the appren- 
 tices not being allowed to wear shoes ! and the light graceful 
 costume of the Indians, and their turbans especially, readily 
 marking them as Orientals. The Salaam of the East has 
 been adopted as a general mode of salutation among the 
 working people. 
 
 13th. We breakfasted with Lieutenant Turner, a pious 
 officer in the Engineers. It is a striking circumstance in 
 connection with the state of religion in the army, that so large 
 a proportion of the officers who are pious, should be of the 
 Royal Engineers, as a sprinkling of this corps is attached to 
 every regiment, and they thus, in reality, become the mis- 
 sionaries of the army. Lieutenant Turner observed that 
 he was personally acquainted with forty officers of his own 
 corps who are decidedly religious characters. 
 
 The forlorn condition of the peasant population, 
 neglected and still oppressed, though slavery had 
 received its death-blow, the gross laxity of morals, 
 and the vanity and superstition which infected all
 
 CHAP. 16.] MORAL DEGRADATION. 293 
 
 classes of the inhabitants, deeply stirred the .rninds 
 of the two misionaries. A few facts will show into 
 what a depth of ignorance and moral depravity the 
 island was plunged. Out of upwards of 60,000 
 apprentices it was said not more than a dozen could 
 read. Nine-tenths of the population, Negroes, Free 
 Creoles and Europeans all included, were believed 
 to be living in concubinage. The " free " Indian 
 labourers, an importation from Hindostan, were so 
 barbarously robbed of their liberty, that if they 
 desired to lodge a complaint against their masters, 
 they were obliged to lie in* the common gaol until 
 the master was at leisure to answer to the summons. 
 As might be expected the First day of the week 
 was almost utterly disregarded as a day of worship 
 and rest. On this point our diarist says : 
 
 3 mo. 18. The First day of the week is generally observed 
 as a day of festivity, when the French inhabitants particularly, 
 see company and mix with their friends. Hence they are not 
 disposed to forego the services of their domestics on that day, 
 even for a couple of hours. A great many of the shops are 
 kept open, and the sound of the hammer is every where heard, 
 carpenters, shoemakers and other arti/ans, pursuing their 
 usual avocations. It is therefore no cause of surprise that 
 places of worship and sabbath schools should have few 
 attenders, 
 
 Even in this moral waste, J. B. and G. W. W 
 found some good men, with whom their hearts were 
 knit in Christian friendship. One, an officer, has 
 been already mentioned ; a second was John Le 
 Brun, a valuable Dissenting Minister ; and another 
 was George Clark, many of whose relations were 
 Friends.
 
 294 MICO SCHOOL. [1838. 
 
 3 mo. 19. We spent the evening with George and Jane 
 Clark, along with several other Christian Mends. GK C. is 
 the conductor of the Mico Normal School, and is also a 
 laborious minister, rendering his religious services gratui- 
 tously.* His attention is especially directed to the Creole 
 population in the country, in the vicinity of the Mico School 
 at Mapou, which he visits once a week. Though professing 
 with the Methodists, as they have no organized society here, 
 he moves altogether on independent grounds, by which, if I 
 am not mistaken, his usefulness is increased. Proclaiming 
 the gospel message from genuine concern for the eternal 
 welfare of others, receiving neither fee nor reward of any kind 
 but the consciousness of having sought to' discharge his ~duty, 
 his zeal and disinterestedness are unequivocal. His father is 
 a valuable Friend living at Southampton, and he himself is 
 attached to the principles of Friends, and acknowledges that 
 he now understands and appreciates them to a much greater 
 degree than formerly. Jane Clark is associated with her 
 husband in the management of the school, which is for both 
 sexes. 
 
 Later on, J. B. and G. W. W. became acquainted 
 with Lieutenant Grey, now, Sir George Grey, 
 Governor of New Zealand, who was then on his 
 way home from Australia, 
 
 5 mo. 25. We spent the evening with the family of the 
 Colonial Secretary, where we had the pleasure of meeting 
 Lieutenant George Grey, a principal officer in the exploratory 
 expedition to the western coast of Australia, which has just 
 returned in safety. Whilst traversing the wilds of Australia 
 the mind of this young man was deeply interested on the 
 most important subjects, and we were favoured with an 
 
 * The Mico Charity had its origin in the bequest of a wife, for the ransom of 
 her hushand, who was a captive at Algiers, with remainder for the relief of 
 Christians in bondage to the Moors. There being no object for its application, 
 the legacy accumulated, and was nearly being lost, when an Act of Parliament 
 decreed its appropriation for the benefit of Negro Apprentices emerging from 
 Slavery.
 
 CHAP. 16.] MAPOU. 295 
 
 opportunity of answering his serious inquiries ; his attention 
 having been directed to some of those Christian doctrines and 
 practices which are almost exclusively upheld by the Society 
 of Friends. 
 
 In such a state of things as existed in Mauritius it 
 was not to be expected that J. Backhouse and 
 G. W. Walker should meet with much encourage- 
 ment in their Christian labours. However they held 
 many small meetings for worship, and visited the 
 schools, jails and other public institutions, in the 
 capital and elsewhere. The Island is so small that 
 no spot is much more than thirty miles from Port 
 Laouis ; and they several times crossed to the opposite 
 coast, and as far as Mapou and Poudre d'Or to 
 the North-East, and Mahebourg to the South-East. 
 The following is a notice of one of their religious 
 meetings. 
 
 3 mo. 25. First-day. Mapou. A congregation of free 
 people of colour assembled in the School House, and formed 
 a very interesting and attentive audience. It was impossible 
 to regard these poor people, just beginning, we may hope, to 
 emerge from darkness, without powerful emotion, not merely 
 on their own account, but also with reference to the class 
 below them, the apprentices. At present, though many of 
 them are not more than one or two removes from slavery, 
 they look down with sovereign contempt on that unfortunate 
 class. After George Clark had gone through his usual reli- 
 gious labour with his attentive audience, we addressed them, 
 under the feeling of lively interest in their welfare, being 
 sensible of a solemn influence over the assembly. They 
 afterwards seemed pleased to shake hands with us, and ex- 
 pressed a hope that we should visit them again. 
 
 There are in Mauritius two tombs of historical 
 interest. The one is at Pamplemousscs, a village 
 which lies a few miles from Port Louis on the north.
 
 296 CEMETERY. [1838. 
 
 i 
 
 This tomb, which our friends could not spare time to 
 visit, is erected in remembrance of Paul and Virginia, 
 two real though humble personages, whose names 
 St. Pierre has embalmed in his romantic story. The 
 other is the grave of Harriet Newell, the American 
 Missionary, in the cemetery of Port Louis, where 
 G. W. Walker was unable to distinguish it in the 
 crowd of sepulchres which stand so thick together 
 that access to them is difficult. It was an unkindly 
 spot for her husband to consign these loved remains 
 to, where " the inscriptions bear little evidence that 
 either the survivors or deceased partook of the hope 
 full of immortality ;" and where " reference is made 
 to death as an eternal sleep, but seldom as the portal 
 to a state of bliss." 
 
 -On the 31st of the Third Month, having taken 
 their passage in the Shepherdess for the Cape of 
 Good Hope, and seen their luggage stowed away and 
 their berths set in order, the Friends went on board, 
 expecting to see no more of Mauritius. But to 
 their surprise when the Captain came on board he 
 informed them that they could not sail with him, as 
 the principal shippers had protested against the 
 ship's touching at the Cape, as likely to prove a de- 
 tention. This was a disappointment for the moment, 
 and the rain descending in torrents made the return 
 on shore, with a large quantity of luggage, no small 
 trial of temper. George Clark stood their friend in 
 this exigency, helped them to repack, procured carts 
 to convey the boxes, and took them to his own house, 
 where they remained during the continuance of their 
 sojourn in the Island. 
 
 On the 3rd of the 4th mo. on their return from a 
 drive into the country, they encountered an Indian 
 procession.
 
 CHAP. 16.] YAMSEY. 297 
 
 We could hardly advance for the crowd of people assembled 
 in a part of Port Louis called Malabar- town, to witness a sort 
 of religious ceremony among the East Indians, called a 
 Yamsey. Several men, nearly naked and variously decorated 
 with paint, and others with towering caps on their heads, 
 reminding one of a fool's-cap, danced and performed various 
 antics, as they carried on high above the crowd, four or five 
 large structures resembling meat-safes, and which are in fact 
 called here " Grardes-mangers." The ceremony is performed 
 once in a year, or as -some say once in eleven months, and 
 lasts for eleven days. At a certain season the Indians repair 
 to the river side, where one of their number dives, and what- 
 ever he first lays his hands upon is brought up, and regarded 
 either as a god, or at least with superstitious reverence during 
 the remainder of the year. Begging constitutes a part of the 
 ceremony during these exhibitions, and such is the ignorance 
 and dark superstition of many who call themselves Catholics, 
 that it is quite a prevalent custom to make the Yamsey an 
 oifering. A barn-door cock is among the most common ; 
 some offer a tin hand, others money, probably proportioning 
 the oblation to the importance of the thijig they desire ; for 
 the idea is prevalent that by so doing the wish of their hearts 
 is likely to be secured ! For some time before the annual 
 feast of the Yamsey occurs, the tinmen are kept busily em- 
 ployed, and when it takes place there is quite a general 
 mortality among the fowls. The exhibition reminded me of 
 the amusements of children, except that it is a painful indica- 
 tion of a state of things, perhaps not unaptly described in the 
 words of the prophet ; that " darkness covers the earth and 
 grow darkness the people," and therefore exciting corres- 
 ponding emotions of sorrow in the mind. 
 
 Their detention on the Island lasted till the 27th 
 of the Fifth Month, - during which time they were 
 engaged in collecting information on the state of the 
 apprentices and Indians, and in making visits in 
 the Capital and in the country. 
 
 4 mo. 30. Wo returned to Port Louis in the Omnibus
 
 298 OMNIBUS JOURNEY. [1838. 
 
 which had conveyed us to Mahebourg. The passengers on 
 these occasions are generally of a motley description, con- 
 sisting of White and Coloured, bond and free. On our way to 
 Mahebourg one of the passengers was a young man an appren- 
 tice, who according to the standing regulation, was without 
 shoes, but in other respects was gaily dressed in a blue 
 cloth jacket and trousers, a white shirt with a couple of 
 gold brooches attached to the breast, and a silver chain 
 round his neck, to which was suspended an elegant gold 
 watch. It was curious to observe the air of contempt with 
 which some of the passengers at first appeared to regard him. 
 He was however the most lively and loquacious person in the 
 carriage, and literally obliged the rest to answer his inter- 
 rogations and join in the laugh at his lively sallies. He 
 appeared to act as footman to a female of colour with a child, 
 to whom he seemed to belong, but might occupy on the estate 
 the office of a " Sucrier," (the person who has the charge of 
 the sugar-house) who I am told is not unfrequently an appren- 
 tice, and enjoys greater privileges than the rest of that class. 
 With the garb, unhappily, he did not fully support the 
 manners of a gentleman, as an occasional application to a 
 shabby snuff-box sufficiently indicated, from which he furnished 
 his mouth with a pinch. I say his mouth, for the practice is 
 universal here, among the labouring classes, to put the snuff 
 into the mouth, generally rubbing it upon the gums of the 
 lower row of teeth, where it remains deposited. It is but 
 rarely that apprentices can support this kind of appearance, 
 for though many of them, particularly the mechanics and 
 those who follow occupations in Port Louis, earn considerable 
 wages, the greatest proportion, indeed sometimes the whole, is 
 monopolized by the master of the apprentice, who lets him out 
 for hire. The Omnibus being very full and the hills numerous 
 and steep, we gladly got out occasionally and walked. There 
 was but one passenger who in a few instances followed our 
 example ; indeed our readiness to alight seemed to be quite a 
 matter of surprise, if not amusement to our fellow-passengers. 
 The reluctance to use their limbs, if by any means they can 
 command an ass, or a mule, or some sort of conveyance, is 
 quite characteristic of the Creoles. There is too little con-
 
 CHAP. 16.] DEPARTURE FROM MAURITIUS. 299 
 
 sideration in this respect for either horses or men ; the latter 
 being too much used as beasts of burden. Some years ago 
 the palanquin was the principal mode of conveyance, but it is 
 now nearly superseded by carriages of various kinds, horses, 
 mules, and asses ; this is owing in great measure to the im- 
 provement that has been made in the roads, since the Island 
 came into the possession of the English. The want of con- 
 sideration for the feelings of others is now exhibited in another 
 way. It is very common to see a young and vigorous man 
 on horseback, followed by a servant on foot, for the mere pur- 
 pose apparently of carrying his master's umbrella or parasol ; 
 the servant meanwhile having to keep up with all the paces 
 of the horse. Another frequent custom is to make the ser- 
 vant who is an attendant on a carriage run behind, and he 
 has to keep up with it as it rolls along at the briskest pace. 
 It is also usual to make a footman carry the portmanteau of 
 a person on horseback during a journey. Oppressive as these 
 tilings would appear to Englishmen, and doubtless they must 
 be measurably so to all, the Blacks 'do not appear to suffer 
 from the exertion as one might expect. 
 
 5 mo. 27. First-day. After attending the morning 
 " service " at J. Le Brun's Chapel, where my companion 
 was briefly engaged in testimony at the conclusion, and 
 partaking subsequently of a light repast with our valued 
 friend Jane Clark and her interesting little girl, who wept 
 aloud at the prospect of our departure, we proceeded on board 
 the Olivia, which we found getting under way. It was just 
 two months since we debarked from the Shepherdess. The 
 interval spent in Mauritius has enabled us to acquaint 
 ourselves more intimately with the existing state of tilings, 
 and though from the comparatively short period we have been 
 on the Island, and our imperfect acquaintance with the French 
 language, the information we have gained must necessarily 
 bo incomplete, we may indulge the hope that it will subserve 
 the general interests of humanity in connection with other 
 sources of evidence. 
 
 28th. At sunset we were abreast of the Isle of Bourbon, a 
 French Colonv, distant one hundred miles from Mauritius.
 
 300 BOURBON AND MADAGASCAR. [1838. 
 
 It appeared to be twenty miles distant from the vessel. We 
 had a pretty good view of the outline of the mountains? 
 which attain to much greater elevation, though they are less 
 regular in form than those of the Mauritius. There is a 
 Volcano at Bourbon, the smoke of which we could see very 
 distinctly, issuing from the crater at a great elevation : though 
 it is said to have been very active of late, we could observe 
 no appearance of flame. 
 
 6 mo. 4. The island of Madagascar was in sight this 
 morning at sunrise, about fifteen or twenty leagues distant. 
 The tops of several considerable mountains were visible. One 
 cannot look upon this vast island, and think of its numerous 
 inhabitants now suffering the bitterness of religious persecu- 
 tion, without a feeling of deep solicitude for their welfare. 
 Surely light will ultimately prevail over heathenish darkness, 
 and the time arrive when every man shall sit under his own 
 fig tree, none rising up to make him afraid. May it be 
 hastened in the Lord's time ! 
 
 21st The land about Mossel Bay in the Cape Colony was 
 in sight. 
 
 24th. First-day, being fine we assembled on deck for reli- 
 gious purposes. The crew though in general orderly, still 
 exhibit much indifference on religious subjects, declining with 
 one or two exceptions, to attend on these occasions. How 
 does the veil of sin and unbelief obscure the right perception 
 of eternal things ! Almighty power can alone dispel it : this 
 veil is done away in Christ.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. CAPE TOWN. 
 
 On the 27th of the Sixth Month, 1838, the Olivia 
 anchored in Table Bay, at the Cape of Good Hopq, 
 opposite to Cape Town, having been thirty-one days 
 on the passage from Mauritius. James Backhouse 
 and George W. Walker took up their quarters at a 
 boarding house kept by a pious widow. They 
 remained in Cape Town and its vicinity upwards of 
 three months. During the early part of this time 
 they had the pleasure of frequent intercourse with 
 the South Sea missionary, John Williams, who 
 arrived in the Camden, with a large party of 
 younger missionaries. Much of the latter portion 
 of the time was occupied in preparing for a long 
 journey into the interior, in which they visited 
 all the Missionary Stations of every denomination 
 then in existence in South Africa. Their travels 
 extended beyond the limits of the Colony to within 
 a few day's journey of Port Natal on the East, to 
 Motito on the North, and across the Orange River 
 into Great Namaqua Land on the West. 
 
 6 mo. 27. We called at the Post Office, where a con- 
 siderable packet of letters awaited us. Among mine, besides 
 one from Van Diemens Land, were four from my dear friend 
 Rachel Priestman, and one from George Richardson. These 
 communications from my beloved friends, from whom I have 
 been for nearly two years without receiving direct intelli- 
 gence, afforded me much comfort. Bless the Lord, O my
 
 302 SOUTH SEA MISSIONARIES. [1838. 
 
 soul, and forget not all his benefits, who continues to crown 
 me with loving-kindness and tender mercies. I feel that I 
 am far from having attained to that degree of simple trust in 
 the Lord which shuts out the fear of evil tidings from afar ; 
 but he has in great mercy been better to me than all my 
 fears. 
 
 7 mo. 2. Attended a meeting in the Union Chapel, held 
 monthly in promotion of missions. The occasion was ren- 
 dered peculiarly interesting by the presence of John Williams, 
 who, with a number of young men about to enter on Mis- 
 sionary labour, has put into Simon's Bay, on his way to the 
 South Sea Islands. The Camden has had a fine passage. 
 She is devoted exclusively to missionary enterprise ; and it 
 struck me as a particularly interesting feature in connection 
 with the means raised for her outfit, that persons among the 
 nobility and in the higher walks of life have shown their good 
 will to the cause by contributing. After John Williams's 
 interesting communications, my companion addressed the 
 meeting, giving some account of the state of the Aboriginal 
 population of Australia and Yan Diemens Land, and the 
 means in operation for their benefit. Dr. Philip spoke in 
 conclusion. 
 
 4th. At breakfast this morning, there were a number of 
 the Missionary party from the Camden. Conversation turning 
 upon the anticipated Burmese war, in allusion to a comment 
 by a military officer from India, one of the Missionaries (who 
 I subsequently discovered does not occupy the station of a 
 Minister) launched out into what I could not but regard as a 
 gratuitous apology for defensive war, no one having made 
 the least reference to the subject. The time and circum- 
 stances did not admit of going into the subject at much 
 length. But in answer to the remark, that " defensive war 
 could not be dispensed with," I referred to Pennsylvania, 
 where so long as the government was vested in William 
 Penn, it had been dispensed with; adding, that as the 
 Scriptures foretold a period when war should be learned no 
 more, we must infer that before that period should arrive, 
 a different sentiment from that which had been advanced
 
 CHAP. 17.] FIRST-DAY SCHOOLS. 303 
 
 must prevail and be acted upon, or it was difficult to con- 
 ceive how the prophecy was to be fulfilled. To this assent 
 was given, and the conversation dropped. 
 
 6th. Attended a meeting convened this evening in Dr. 
 Philip's chapel, for the promotion of First-day Schools. The 
 evening however being wet and the attendance consequently 
 small, the business of the meeting was deferred ; but at the 
 request of Dr. Philip, John Williams deli vered an address on 
 "the love of Christ," in which a good deal of ingenuity and 
 felicity of expression was to be observed, in illustration of 
 many excellent sentiments. Many were delighted with the 
 eloquence and brilliancy of the remarks, and I hope that 
 some were also edified ; but I confess the few simple petitions 
 that were afterwards put up, apparently under the fresh 
 feeling of spiritual need, by the worthy speaker, were attended 
 with more evidence to my own mind, of the hallowed Influence 
 of that Power which alone can render words efficacious to the 
 hearer, than the eloquent address that preceded them. The 
 love of Christ is indeed an inexhaustible theme, which neither 
 the tongue of men nor even of angels can ever adequately 
 express ; but though in measure demonstrable to the under- 
 standing, it must be felt to be rightly understood. And I 
 apprehend that a very few words, with little of human 
 learning or ingenuity, but expressed under the fresh feeling 
 of the love of God shed abroad in the heart, tend more to 
 his glory, than the elaborate efforts of human memory and 
 understanding ; though I am far from asserting that where 
 these are used with a sincere aim to benefit our fellow-creatures, 
 they are not measurably blessed. 
 
 9th. In the evening, attended the meeting in the Union 
 Chapel, adjourned from the 6th instant. The place was filled 
 with people, among whom were most if not all the Missionaries 
 and their wives. John "Williams was one of those who 
 addressed the audience, in addition to Dr. Philip, J. Backhouse 
 and myself. His account of the liberality of Newcastle and 
 Darlington Friends, in furnisliing him with a press and types 
 for the use of the Mission, had a beneficial effect, by stimu- 
 lating others to contribute towards an object of great
 
 304 MISSIONARY LABOUR. [1838. 
 
 importance, which J. Williams introduced to the notice of the 
 Meeting. I refer to the establishment of Infant Schools in 
 the Pacific. Ehenezer Buchanan, one of three talented young 
 men, brothers, who have been actively engaged as Infant 
 School Teachers in Cape Town, having volunteered his 
 services in this useful work, a few friends to the cause had 
 determined on raising at least a part of the means necessary 
 for the undertaking. And when the Meeting was made 
 acquainted with the amount of the deficiency, it was im- 
 mediately made up by subscription. 
 
 I was pleased to observe in J. Williams' description of the 
 effects of missions in the South Seas, a guarded manner of 
 expression, united to an unaffected simplicity, which I feel 
 assured will commend the cause much more than any over- 
 drawn statements, whether occasioned by the enthusiasm 
 of the moment or other causes. He pointed out the 
 present occupations of the people as contra-distinguished 
 from their former idolatrous and corrupt practices ; and at 
 the same time that he guarded his hearers from concluding 
 that all who professed Christianity were deep Christians, or 
 Christians at all, he demonstratively proved that a great 
 and a noble work had been effected through the instru- 
 mentality of Missions, both in the suppression of a mass 
 of the most appalling evil, and in the substitution of moral 
 elements which can hardly fail to be productive of infinite 
 good. In addressing a few remarks to the young men, 
 more especially those who are going out under the auspices 
 of J. Williams, I thought it my place to state the Scriptural 
 truth on the subject of war, and my conviction that a faithful 
 attention to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, which guides 
 into all truth, would lead to the universal admission of its 
 contrariety with the whole spirit and letter of the Grospel ; 
 and to press upon those who were about to engage in the 
 work of Christian instruction, the importance of upholding a 
 perfect standard, both of opinion and practice. It was 
 pleasing to find that the individual whom I have elsewhere 
 referred to as having advocated the lawfulness of defensive 
 war, had not taken my remarks amiss, but on the contrary, 
 after the meeting, took me by the hand and thanked me in a
 
 CHAP. 17.] INFANT SCHOOLS. 305 
 
 Christian manner for the counsel that had been imparted, 
 assuring me the subject should have his renewed and deep 
 consideration. 
 
 10th. In company with Dr. Philip, John Williams, and 
 one or two other missionaries, my companion and I visited 
 four Infant Schools, in which some hundreds of children of 
 both sexes, and of all ranks and shades of complexion, are 
 training to habits of virtue and usefulness. There are in 
 Cape Town several other Infant Schools, as well as many for 
 the instruction of children of more advanced years. I must 
 briefly allude to one on the British and Foreign system, 
 where nearly one hundred children, who were very recently 
 running about utterly neglected in the streets, are reaping 
 the benefits of daily instruction under a converted Jew. 
 
 15th. First-day. We held two meetings in the School-room 
 in Long Street. In the morning about fifty people attended; 
 in the evening more than three times that number. My dear 
 companion had much acceptable service in both, and notice 
 was given at the conclusion, of our intention to meet for public 
 worship every First-day during our stay in Cape Town. 
 
 16th. According to arrangement we started in com- 
 pany with Dr. Philip, J. Williams, Jane Philip, George 
 Greig, and some young people, for Simon's Town, dis- 
 tant about twenty-three miles, and where the Camden 
 lay at anchor. We got in at an early hour in the 
 afternoon, and soon found out the residence of Richard 
 Jennings, from whom we had received a pleasant letter. 
 Some years ago he and his family were burnt out of their 
 house, and lost the whole of their little property, escaping 
 themselves with difficulty. The Wesleyan school in Capo 
 Town, which B. J. superintended, being shortly afterwards 
 given up, he took to the business of candle-making, and with 
 his wife and children, removed to Simon's Town, where they 
 are doing well. He is strongly attached to the views of 
 Friends, and is generally regarded as more of a Quaker than 
 a Wesleyan. Our visit afforded both Richard and Mary 
 Jennings much pleasure : they have but a small house, and 
 have set out with the determination to forego what would
 
 306 VISIT ON BOARD THE CAMDEN. [1838. 
 
 otherwise be suitable conveniences and comforts, until they 
 can pay for them, a rule that is worthy of general adoption. 
 The evening was divided between them and our Missionary 
 friends, whom we visited at their temporary lodgings. 
 
 17th. Paid a very interesting visit on board the Camden, 
 to the Missionaries and their families, with whom we break- 
 fasted. After the Scriptures had been read, Dr. Philip 
 engaged in solemn prayer. There was much in his devout 
 petitions which a ministering Friend would probably have 
 embodied in the language of exhortation : his weighty 
 utterance called to mind the temptations and besetments 
 to which the hearers as missionaries are peculiarly ex- 
 posed, and it included the deep exercise and appropriate 
 petitions of a father in the Church, to which we ould say, 
 Amen. A solemn sense of Divine power was present on 
 the occasion, contriting many hearts. It was comforting 
 to take leave of these worthy persons so greatly devoted 
 to the cause in which they are embarked, under circum- 
 stances so grateful to our feelings; and though many of 
 them are yet inexperienced, I sincerely hope they will all 
 receive a blessing from on high. 
 
 19th. After breakfasting with Richard and Mary Jennings 
 we started on foot to return to Cape Town, the wagon 
 having returned on the 17th. R. J. accompanied us some 
 miles of the way. We separated under lively feelings of 
 mutual interest. We have been much gratified with our 
 visit ; Mary Jennings is a true help-meet to her husband ; 
 and though their circumstances are humble, they are so 
 concerned to walk in the divine fear as to command the 
 respect of their neighbours, thus verifying the fulfilment of 
 the promise, " Them that honour me I will honour." 
 
 We made several calls at the houses of colonists as we 
 journeyed along, in order to leave tracts. At one of an 
 humble character, occupied by a man in the police, whose 
 wife was standing at the door, we stopped in consequence of 
 an invitation to walk in and see one of the children who was 
 sick. He was a youth of twelve years of age, who had been a 
 drummer, and whose days appeared to be numbered. While
 
 CHAP. 17.] CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION SOCIETY. 307 
 
 speaking to the poor lad there seemed a little opening for 
 addressing the parents, and ultimately engaging with them 
 and their children in prayer. It felt to me as a brook by the 
 way ; the family did not appear to make any profession of 
 religion, but affliction had softened their hearts. 
 
 20th. Had some conversation with Dr. Philip as to the 
 best mode of travelling in the interior, in the prospect of 
 visiting some of the missionary institutions. We have long 
 had this engagement before us, and it now begins to assume 
 a specific character. 
 
 8 mo. 7. Attended this- evening a meeting of the South 
 African Christian Instruction Society ; and took part, along 
 with Dr. Philip and others, in the proceedings, which were of 
 a very interesting character. The " Report " stated that 
 Mahomedanism is greatly on the increase in Cape Town and 
 this was confirmed by several of the speakers. Dr. Philip, 
 in a heart-stirring address, clearly traced the cause of this to 
 the inconsistent conduct of professed Christians, who, in 
 respect of the treatment of slaves have displayed less humanity 
 than the followers of the false prophet. No wonder that now 
 when these poor people are escaping from the relentless grasp 
 of such professors of Christianity, they should show their 
 preference for a system that is not associated in their minds 
 with such bitter fruits. 
 
 The symptoms of impaired health which had 
 shown themselves in George W. Walker while in 
 New South Wales, re-appeared during his tarriance 
 at Cape Town. He speaks of suffering from pain in 
 the chest and irregular action of the heart. " I find 
 he says (8 mo. 15) that I cannot sit and write as I 
 used to do ; exercise and release from mental appli- 
 cation have become essential to me in a much greater 
 degree than formerly.''* On this remark it may bo 
 observed that during their travels, no inconsiderable 
 portion of his time had been employed in writing.
 
 308 CORRESPONDENCE OF G. W. WALKER. [1838. 
 
 He was an excellent penman, and was accustomed 
 to make fair copies, often two or three, for various 
 purposes, of the Reports, Addresses, and other papers 
 which J. Backhouse and he prepared from time to 
 time. He maintained also a pretty large corres- 
 pondence ; and his voluminous Journal was kept up 
 with great regularity and completeness ; between 
 twelve and thirteen hundred large pages, very 
 closely written and in a clear and beautiful hand, 
 attest his accuracy and diligence. The journal, 
 though addressed to Margaret Bragg, was intended 
 by him for the use of his friends generally in 
 England. It is therefore not surprising that it should 
 disclose less of his spiritual life and of the under-cur- 
 rent of his affections and cogitations, than we should 
 like to be acquainted with. A few of his private 
 letters have been preserved, which occasionally afford 
 a little insight into what was passing in his mind, 
 apart from the noble and engrossing object of his 
 journey. In reference to the first passage in the 
 following extract from a letter, it will be borne in 
 mind that when J. Backhouse, and G. W. Walker 
 left England, the principle of the Temperance Asso- 
 ciations consisted in abstinence from spirits and in the 
 moderate use of other intoxicating drinks ; but the 
 friends of the cause, finding this platform, too nar- 
 row, soon adopted the more thorough and effective 
 principle of total abstinence from all alcoholic 
 beverages. The new position of the Society re- 
 commended itself at once to Gr. W. Walker and his 
 companion, who began to act upon it from the time 
 of their arrival in Africa. *"
 
 CHAP. 17.] LETTER TO R. PRIESTMAN. 309 
 
 TO RACHEL PRIESTMAN. 
 
 Cape Town, 8 mo. 28, 1838. 
 
 I have thought a good deal about thy comments 
 relative to even the moderate occasional use of wine, and have 
 concluded to abandon it altogether. I have to thank thee for 
 bringing the subject so closely before me ; for I really did 
 not see in quite so striking a light as I now do, that it is 
 desirable to be able to say that we neither touch, taste nor 
 handle a thing, which, whilst not usually needful for health, 
 is so powerful an engine of evil in the hands of the unwearied 
 enemy of man. J. B. and I are now both acting upon the 
 principle of total abstinence ; and although it does not require 
 us to make any very material change from previous practice, 
 it certainly gives us a materially augmented influence over 
 others in discouraging the use of stimulating drinks. 
 
 I thank my God, that he has taught me, and those also who 
 are likely to be connected with me, to be content with a little ; 
 and I have an humble trust that the little that is absolutely 
 needful will not be withheld, and that I shall be strengthened 
 to earn it in the right time and way, and under such circum- 
 stances as not to debar me from any service the Lord may call 
 for at my hands. I have great occasion to put my whole trust 
 in the Lord ; and of late, blessed be his name, my ability to 
 trust him for time and for eternity has been increased, so that 
 at times all fear as to the future has been suppressed. He 
 has been with my dear Companion and myself during now 
 nearly seven years, in a very special manner, whilst seeking to 
 serve him in the line of allotted duty ; and though in my own 
 case, his multiplied mercies have been too often requited 
 with ingratitude and unbelief, the faithfulness of my covenant- 
 keeping God has been so proved to me, that as I write, and 
 often of late, I have thought and hoped I should never 
 distrust him again. he is worthy to be trusted, feared 
 and adored, yea and loved ! 
 
 We are now entering upon a new and wide field of labour. 
 It is in all probability the last stage of our travels together 
 on this extended engagement. We have had our trials, our
 
 310 PROJECTED JOURNEY. [1838. 
 
 temptations, and our buffetings ; but my faith is strong that the 
 grace of God is sufficient, and will carry us through, to the 
 praise of his own name. The labourers are many in this 
 part of the world, compared with those parts we have recently 
 visited, especially as regards missionary efforts. The schools 
 are also numerous ; a very desirable auxiliary means of doing 
 good, more particularly when we consider the character of 
 the major part of the population, just emerging from slavery, 
 or from heathenism, or both. 
 
 The time seems to be a little nearer than it once looked, 
 for seeing my dear friends again face to face, such of us 
 as may be spared to meet. Should this be our lot, to 
 me it would indeed be pleasant. But we are short-sighted 
 creatures, and know not what a day may bring forth. We 
 have a long journey before us, many difficulties, perhaps 
 some dangers ; and the inscription that attaches to all terrene 
 objects and pursuits, awaits even ours, though the higher 
 interests of another world may be blended with our move- 
 ments, that they are mutable and uncertain, as regards 
 man, though known to Him who seeth the end from the 
 beginning. 
 
 G. W. WALKER. 
 
 9 mo. 1. H. J. Venable, an American Missionary, de- 
 voted the forenoon to our service, in pointing out the various 
 missionary stations, most of which he has visited, whilst I 
 coloured the different spots on the map, varying the hues to 
 render them easy to refer to on the journey. We have 
 references to twenty-seven stations occupied by the London 
 Missionary Society, twenty-five by the Wesleyan Methodists, 
 seven by the French missionaries, seven by the Moravians, 
 five by the missionaries of the Glasgow Society, and three by 
 those from Berlin ; in all seventy-one. 
 
 9th. First-day. When we sat down at meeting I felt 
 low both in body and mind ; but the gracious presence of the 
 Comforter of his people was felt in such a way as to impart, 
 I thought, new vigour to both. What a blessing that the 
 privilege is not dependent upon numbers. How ought we to
 
 CHAP. 17.] BOOKS, ETC. 311 
 
 be encouraged in fervent, patient waiting upon the Lord, yet 
 how prone are we to grow weary of the exercise ! 
 
 26th. My companion has received a box of books. Among 
 many interesting late publications is a copy of dear Hannah 
 Kilham's Life, which I anticipate much gratification in 
 perusing, and not the less so for being the gift of my 
 much- valued friend Elizabeth Robson, who with many more 
 of my loved brethren and sisters is often brought to my 
 remembrance with sweetness. 
 
 We have had several interviews with J. H. Schmelen, a 
 simple-hearted missionary, an elderly German, who is in town 
 with his wife and family, to obtain the customary annual 
 supplies ; having come with a wagon and two spans of oxen 
 about four hundred miles, from Little Namaqua Land, where 
 he is stationed. He has inspected our outfit and has pro- 
 nounced the arrangements good. 
 
 The outfit for an African journey is a work of 
 magnitude, and J. B. and Gr. W. W. Lad been em- 
 ployed for several weeks in making preparation for 
 their's. First a wagon had to be built, and fitted up 
 almost like a house or a ship, for all the requisitions 
 of daily life ; then two spans or teams of fourteen 
 oxen in each, were purchased, at four pounds a head. 
 A cow was also procured, for a supply of milk for the 
 two friends and their attendants, the travellers having 
 resolved to take no intoxicating liquors, nor to allow 
 any to be used, so far as they could prevent it. They 
 also took a horse, adding afterwards more of these 
 useful animals as the occasion arose. The company or 
 household of the wagon consisted of an Irish driver, 
 who spoke Dutch fluently ; a cook and washerman, 
 who was also by trade a tailor ; a Hottentot "leader," 
 whose business it was to guide occasionally the fore- 
 most pair of oxen by a thong passed round their 
 horns ; and lastly, a man of colour, well acquainted
 
 312 WAGON OUTFIT. [1838. 
 
 with the road and thoroughly at home in the "bush," 
 to act as guide and herdsman. From Gr. W. Walker's 
 minute description of the wagon, we extract so much 
 as to give some notion of its make and capabilities. 
 It was thirteen feet long, inside measurement, and 
 three wide at the bottom. It was furnished with 
 three large chests ; one in front supplying a seat for 
 the driver and leader of the oxen, one behind this 
 was occupied in the same way by the two friends, 
 and one behind, which was lined with tin, and served 
 to keep biscuits and rusks in, for occasions when 
 bread might not be obtainable. Boxes were also 
 arranged on the floor of the wagon, and lashed to it 
 with staples. On these were laid the bedding and 
 clothes, and the stores for immediate use. All was 
 so arranged as to avoid injury in case of an over- 
 turn. The wagon was tented with sail-cloth, well 
 painted, stretched over an Indian matting, upon an 
 arched frame of split bamboo ; and over the painted 
 cloth was a cover of sail-cloth as a protection from the 
 sun. On each side of the body of the wagon was also 
 a box for the tin and pewter wares ; behind was a 
 chest and painted bag for the goods of the attendants, 
 and underneath a " trap," for the cooking-pots, &c. 
 also two four-gallon casks for water, let into iron 
 cramps. In addition they were provided with a 
 large sheet of canvass which was easily attached 
 by loops to either side of the wagon, and being 
 pegged tight to the ground, formed a tent for the 
 attendants, in wet, cold or heat. 
 
 They took with them a large supply of books and 
 tracts in Dutch. Amongst the latter, two were 
 especially useful, The Mother at Home, and one
 
 CHAP. 17.] DUTCH TRACTS. 313 
 
 written by themselves, entitled Salvation by Jesus 
 Christ.* G. W. W. says : 
 
 We feel it a cause for thankfulness, that, cut off as we are 
 in great measure from communication with the Dutch, we 
 have the means of putting into their hands a tract that directs 
 the reader to what may be regarded as the essential doctrines 
 of the Gospel, showing at the same time their practical 
 application. As most of the Dutch can read, it may through 
 the Divine blessing prove as a seed that may not be unpro- 
 ductive of fruit. 
 
 They started for the journey on the 27th of the 
 Ninth Month. " Everything says the journal being 
 at last in readiness, the wagon with us and our 
 people moved forward, and we soon turned our backs 
 upon Cape Town." 
 
 * No. 47 of the York, and 75 of the London series of Friends' tracts.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 JOURNEY FROM CAPE TOWN TO PACALTSDORP. 
 
 THE Colony of the Cape of Good Hope, which 
 occupies the southern extremity of Africa, consists 
 of a succession of terraces rising from the sea on the 
 south, to the basin of the Orange River on the 
 north. They are intersected by numerous ravines 
 or beds of torrents, many of which contain little or 
 no water during the summer months. The last or 
 highest terrace, at the foot of the Nieuwveld Bergen, 
 is called the Great Karroo, and is an extremely 
 barren and desolate tract of country. The boundary 
 of the Colony on the west is the Atlantic Ocean ; on 
 the east, at the time of the visit of our Friends, it 
 was the Great Fish River, now it is the Great Kei 
 River. The population consists of many races, 
 amongst which the most numerous are the Hottentots, 
 the Dutch Boors, * and the English Settlers. 
 
 The road which the Friends took in the long 
 journey they now commenced, lay directly east 
 through the Colony. The first day's journey carried 
 them to the Zwarte Rivier, where they "outspanned" 
 for the night. " Before retiring to rest," says G. W. 
 W. " we read a portion of the Scriptures with our 
 people, and felt that we had renewed cause of 
 
 * The word Boor in the Cape CoJony signifies an occupier of his own land, 
 and is nearly synonymous with Yeoman, in England.
 
 CHAP. 18.] JOURNEY TO CALEDON. 315 
 
 thankfulness to Him who dispenses temporal as 
 well as spiritual blessings, for the favourable cir- 
 cumstances under which we were commencing this 
 arduous journey." 
 
 Before reaching Caledon, they had a little ex- 
 perience of the toils and inconveniences of African 
 travel. 
 
 10 mo. 2. Being encamped near to several farms, it be- 
 came necessary to tie up the oxen to prevent their straying 
 upon the corn-lands. They require some training before 
 they will submit, and it cost our people an obstinate battle 
 with the unruly ones on this first occasion ; and their tugs 
 during the night causing continual jerks to the wagon were a 
 serious interruption to rest. 
 
 A great deal of our time is taken up with packing 
 and unpacking, getting at the stores for daily use, as well as 
 at our clothes and other things. So that instead of having a 
 good deal of time for writing and reading, as we hoped 
 would be the case, when not actually travelling, we find 
 some difficulty in making a few rough notes in our 
 journals ; and when the day's journey is at an end, 
 the tedious mode of conveyance, exposure to the air, and 
 fatigue, for we walk a good deal, make us so heavy that had 
 we even the time at our command, we should find it difficult 
 to keep our eyes open. Before retiring however, we read with 
 our people, and endeavour, as there is a liberty felt, to impart 
 religious instruction to them, of which they stand much in 
 need. We read in the Dutch Testament with a view to gain 
 further acquaintance with the language ; but it is no easy 
 matter to bend the mind to any studious engagement. 
 
 3rd. Caledon. A numerous congregation assembled, chiefly 
 of Dutch. After some pains to find an interpreter, my com- 
 panion attempted to speak to the people through a youth of 
 about twelve years, but it did not succeed, lie then turned 
 to the Dutch- tract, " The Way of Salvation by Jesus Christ," 
 of which wo had circulated many on the road, and commenced
 
 316 LEPER INSTITUTION. ["1838. 
 
 reading it aloud, and the people became solid and still. 
 We read in turns, and though I dare say it was in a bungling 
 manner, yet having made the pronunciation of the language 
 our first object, I believe we got through so as to be tolerably 
 understood. I subsequently addressed the English, of whom 
 there were about a score present ; J. B. following in sup- 
 plication. 
 
 At Caledon they made several diversions from, the 
 main route ; one the south-west, to the Government 
 Hospital for Lepers, called Hemel en Aarde ; another 
 to the north, to Genadendal ; and a third to the 
 south-east, to the distant missionary station of 
 Elim. 
 
 5th. Hemel en Aarde. The care of the Institution de- 
 volves on the Moravian Missionary, Johannes Fritsch. He 
 and his wife received us kindly ; they are advanced in years, 
 and we felt sympathy with them in their arduous and painful 
 duties, as well as with the afflicted objects of their care. 
 Happily the former have the comforts of religion to support 
 them : as regards the religious state of the lepers, there does 
 not appear to be much to encourage. There are seventy-nine 
 adult patients and five children : all except two are Hottentots ; 
 one of these is more scrofulous than leprous. This dreadful 
 malady differs from that referred to in the Scriptures, not 
 affecting the colour of the skin generally, but only the diseased 
 parts, which are most frequently the hands and feet. These 
 become diseased, until they come off at the joints : there is a 
 general debility of the constitution, rendering the patient liable 
 to affections of the chest, which generally terminate life. "We 
 were pleasantly impressed with the resignation of one old 
 woman, who held up her withered arms, reduced to mere 
 stumps, and cheerfully remarked that it was the Almighty 
 Grod who had been pleased to deprive her of her limbs ; her 
 tone and manner implying submission to the Divine Will. 
 
 There is a meeting held every evening, when all who 
 are of bodily ability attend. We attended, and J. Fritsch
 
 CHAP. 18.] " SACRAMENT." 317 
 
 interpreted what my companion had to communicate. I sub- 
 sequently bent the knee in supplication. A very solemn feeling 
 prevailed, and I was peculiarly impressed with a sense of the 
 compassion of an infinite and all- wise Creator being extended 
 towards the least of his creatures ; and though he gives not 
 account of his matters to presumptuous inquirers, surely he 
 seals the conviction upon the minds of his humble dependent 
 children, that he "afflicts not willingly nor grieves the 
 children of men," and that his mercy and goodness extend 
 to all his works. 
 
 6th. At an early hour we left Hemel en Aarde. Break- 
 fasted at J. P. Marrees, from whence several of the family 
 were leaving to attend the administration of what is termed 
 the Nachtmaal or Sacrament, on the following day at Caledon. 
 The Boors scrupulously observe these occasions. It would be 
 quite a scandal if even irreligious persons were to absent them- 
 selves ; and it is to be feared that this scrupulosity and occa- 
 sional attendance at the stated place of worship, are too often 
 all that constitute their religion, being made to stand in the 
 place of "judgment, mercy and truth." 
 
 Several English gentlemen in this neighbourhood are 
 making great improvements on the estates they have pur- 
 chased, especially by introducing Merino sheep. Many of 
 the original Dutch farmers have left ; indeed it seems as if 
 the Dutch receded before the British wherever the latter gain 
 a footing. It is to be regretted that so little cordiality exists 
 between them. 
 
 7th. Caledon. We counted more than fifty wagons 
 encamped about the village, some of whose owners came from 
 as much as a hundred miles distant, to be present at the 
 administration of the bread and wine. It takes place once 
 a quarter. 
 
 8th. Made several efforts to procure a couple of additional 
 horses, in which we had many painful proofs of the want of 
 principle that characterize the Dutch inhabitants of Caledon. 
 
 The schoolmaster and another Englishman fur- 
 nished them with horses, and they rode out to the
 
 318 GENADENDAL. [1838. 
 
 celebrated missionary station of Grenadendal, distant 
 twenty-two miles from Caledon. Gr. W. W. thus 
 depicts the principal features of this moral and in- 
 dustrial oasis, the work of the Moravian Missionaries. 
 
 Q-enadendal is situated at the ' foot of a range of moun- 
 tains, and is near the gorge of a principal branch of the 
 Zondereind River, which so far answers to its designation 
 (Without end) as never to fail the inhabitants of the plain. 
 Its waters being led off into many sluices and streams, render 
 the soil amazingly productive, by irrigation. We put up our 
 horses at a house of entertainment kept by some decent 
 Hottentots, where food and lodging are afforded, but neither 
 wine nor spirits. There is no such thing as a canteen in the 
 place, though it contains 1500 inhabitants. Britain ! 
 Britain ! take a lesson from these sons of Africa, and furnish 
 at least an instance, of one among thy numerous villages, 
 containing a like number of people, without the nuisance of a 
 house licensed to poison the health and morals of the Queen's 
 subjects. 
 
 We lost little time in calling upon Hans Peter Halbeck, 
 whom we found both pious and intelligent, and who introduced 
 us to the rest of the Missionaries, seven in number, with their 
 wives, and one widow. They act upon the primitive plan of 
 taking their meals together, and are supported out of the 
 common fond without having separate salaries. Several 
 manufactures are conducted under their superintendence, most 
 of them having been taught mechanical trades. So well are 
 the secular concerns of the Institution managed, that not only 
 are its own current expenses defrayed, but it contributes 
 materially to the support of the other establishments belonging 
 to the Brethren. We were introduced to the family at supper, 
 and were much pleased with their Christian simplicity and 
 unaffected piety; and were reminded of one of the social 
 meetings of Friends, at a Quarterly or Monthly Meeting. We 
 were invited to partake at their table during our stay, and were 
 treated with much cordiality, particularly by H. P. Halbeck, 
 who is one of the three persons constituting the Board of
 
 CHAP. 18.] MORAVIAN MISSION. 319 
 
 Missions in Africa: he also fills the office of bishop. He 
 speaks English fluently. 
 
 9th. Exclusive of the teachers, the inmates are all Hot- 
 tentots. They are allowed to purchase the little allotments 
 of ground appropriated to each family. These they have the 
 power of selling again, but only to the inhabitants of the 
 village. By this means an exclusively Hottentot population 
 is maintained. 600 of the 1500, are members of the Moravian 
 Church, and nearly one half are children. The people are 
 maintained by the produce of their land, by mechanical trades, 
 and by going out to service among the neighbouring farmers. 
 They live in cottages, about 260 in number, which are built 
 of mud or of unburnt brick, and form streets, much like an 
 English village. Each house having a garden in the rear, 
 and often a vine spreading its branches in front, the place 
 has a rural and pleasing aspect. When a Hottentot goes 
 out to work among the Boors, he generally leaves his family 
 behind, but where the distance is too great, and the absence 
 likely to be protracted, he takes his wife and children with 
 him. When this occurs, and it is common at all the mis- 
 sionary settlements, it operates as a great drawback upon him 
 and his family. They are cut off from regular religious 
 instruction, and are very apt to relax in their general 
 conduct, especially in regard to strong drink, this being 
 supplied by the farmers as an incitement to exertion, from a 
 mistaken idea of its efficacy in imparting strength. 
 
 Gtenadendal has become famous for the manufacture of 
 knives ; and a common clasp-knife known to be of genuine 
 Genadendal make, will bring nearly double the price of one 
 imported from England. I say genuine, for to the shame of 
 some house in England, which has become aware of this 
 circumstance, an imitation not easy to distinguish except by 
 its inferior durability, has been sent out, and sold at an under 
 rate. Four forges are kept constantly going, chiefly in the 
 manufacture of knives. There are also wheel- wrighte, wagon- 
 makers, joiners, shoemakers and tanners. In connection 
 with the latter is a bark-mill ; and there is also a flour-mill, 
 both of which are worked by water, which here never fails.
 
 320 CHRISTIAN JiOTTENTOTS. [1838. 
 
 There are six schools. The Infant School, superintended 
 by a youthful Hottentot, assisted by H. P. Halbeck's 
 daughter, numbers 150 children. The young man was an 
 orphan whom H. P. H. took under his peculiar care ; and he 
 has such a decided talent for infant school teaching, that it 
 would, we were assured, be a matter of no little difficulty to 
 supply his place. He has also the charge out of school-hours, 
 of ten young Hottentots training for schoolmasters; this 
 number being supported for the purpose by the liberality of 
 a German prince. 
 
 On the whole, the order, morality, and propriety of conduct 
 displayed by the inhabitants of Q-enadendal, probably entitle 
 it to the character of a Christian community more than any 
 place we have visited since leaving England. 
 
 We succeeded in purchasing a horse adapted to our wanis, 
 of an old Hottentot, for which we gave five guineas. Whilst 
 we were looking at the animal, and before we had ascertained 
 the price, a Dutchman from Caledon was overheard to say to 
 the owner, " These are English, you can get a good price for 
 your horse." To which the Hottentot replied, " How can 
 I ask the gentlemen more than it is worth ?" The Dutch- 
 man was one of the parties who had attempted to impose 
 upon us in horse-hire. 
 
 We were present at the evening devotions, in the course of 
 which my dear companion addressed a few remarks to the 
 people, H. P. Halbeck kindly interpreting. H. P. H. is 
 remarkable as a linguist ; I understand he can speak fluently 
 in twelve languages ; and with this attainment he combines 
 a mass of general knowledge, such as only few possess, and 
 which renders him a very pleasant and instructive companion. 
 
 10th. We took a light repast with this large Christian 
 family, at their first period of assembling, viz. half-past five. 
 Frequently while in their company our minds were sweetly 
 attracted towards them in Christian fellowship ; and on this 
 occasion, when about to separate from these dear people, we 
 were afresh impressed with the sense of our Heavenly Father's 
 love, under which I believed it right to supplicate for a 
 blessing on these Christian labourers and their children, and
 
 CHAP. 19.] ELIM. 321 
 
 on the people over whom they are placed as overseers, and 
 that the work of the Lord might prosper among them. 
 
 The Friends arrived the same night at Elim, after 
 a long day's journey. 
 
 " There is little," says Gr. W. Walker, "that is prepossessing 
 as you approach this settlement, which is also one of the 
 Moravian Institutions. Like Genadendal, though in even a 
 greater degree, it is indebted to an inexhaustible stream of 
 fresh water ; this, in Africa, converts the desert itself as into 
 the garden of Eden. We met with a cordial reception from 
 the two excellent men and their partners who are stationed 
 there, and who appear to be models of Christian simplicity and 
 openness. Neither party was acquainted with the language 
 of the other, but our hearts spoke in a language that was 
 intelligible to one another." 
 
 J. B. and G. W. W. returned to Caledon on the 
 llth, and resumed their journey to the eastward. 
 
 14th. First-day, and the first sabbath we have spent in the 
 wilderness. It was a peaceful and quiet day, as far as the 
 necessary movements about the wagon would admit. These, 
 something like those of a ship, cannot be altogether dispensed 
 with. I read a good deal in the Scriptures ; and in the Life of 
 H. Kilham, with whose sweet, lively comments on a variety 
 of subjects I felt much unity, accompanied with an earnest 
 desire, that her bright example of dedication might operate as 
 an incitement to press after the things that are lovely and of 
 good report. Whilst holding our evening reading with 
 the people, my mind felt much clothed with the spirit of 
 supplication ; and my companion knelt down and gave ex- 
 pression to prayer for preservation, and to praise for past 
 mercies, in a way that was congenial to my best feelings. 
 How precious is unity on such occasions ! 
 
 15th. Again took the road. Left tracts as usual at such 
 of the farm-houses as we passed. At one of those near 
 Droogboom, where one of our people inquired if we could be
 
 322 ZWELLENDAM. [1838. 
 
 accommodated with a little fresh meat and bread, he was 
 asked if it was for Dr. Philip, with the assurance, that if it 
 was for the Doctor, he should starve before he should be 
 furnished with such necessaries. There is a great spirit of 
 enmity against this worthy man, because of the part he has 
 taken in defending the cause of the oppressed, and in pro- 
 moting equity and righteousness in the earth. He is one of 
 those who may " leap for joy," his name being " cast out as 
 evil for the Son of Man's sake." 
 
 The 17th brought us to the banks of the Breede River. 
 There is a punt here, on which the wagon and ten oxen 
 crossed. The remaining cattle being urged into the river by 
 the whip, swam over in fine style, all landing safely on the 
 opposite brink. But the ascent from the river is sandy 
 and steep ; and our oxen being tired, they could not raise the 
 wagon from its first landing place until we partially unloaded 
 It ; we borrowed additional gear, spanned in twenty bullocks, 
 and it then moved up the bank against all impediments. 
 
 18th. Zwellendam. The bullocks were spanned out 
 about a mile on the further side of the town. "We received 
 a visit from Harry Rivers, the Civil Commissioner, accom- 
 panied by William Robertson, the pious minister of the 
 Dutch church, of whose Christian charity and zeal we had 
 already heard much. To both of these persons we had been 
 furnished with letters of introduction ; but they did not wait 
 for these, but on hearing of our arrival, came to invite us to 
 their houses. We returned with them in H. Rivers's carriage, 
 in which we were introduced to his wife, who had come with 
 her husband to prevail upon us to make their house our 
 quarters whilst in the neighbourhood. Though realizing 
 every outward comfort which an influential station in society 
 can command, our friendly host and his wife furnish a 
 striking illustration of the uncertainty of all human enjoy- 
 ments. But two weeks have elapsed since the receipt of 
 intelligence, that their youngest son, a fine youth just entering 
 upon the career of life, had fallen a victim to an epidemic 
 fever at Madras, thus blighting the hopes of his fond parents, 
 and plunging them into the depths of affliction. His mother,
 
 CHA!>. 19.] ZUURBRAAK. 323 
 
 especially, had not recovered from the blow. The interest 
 she and her husband felt about us was permitted however to 
 divert her mind a little from this all-engrossing object, and she 
 took part in the serious conversation of the evening. In 
 sympathizing with them under their bereavement, and 
 offering such considerations as we were enabled to suggest 
 for their consolation, their minds were softened, and I trust, 
 in measure, strengthened to bow in reverence to the will of 
 Him who gave, and whose right it is to take away. 
 
 19th. Some years ago a great awakening took place in this 
 neighbourhood, it is said without any very obvious means. 
 According to the expression of the worthy Minister, " The 
 breath of the Spirit, and the power of God passed over them." 
 In the evening we met a considerable company in a large 
 school-room. William Robertson interpreted for us into 
 Dutch ; and he proved a very satisfactory interpreter ; his 
 own mind was evidently gathered to the subject, as well as 
 the minds of many in the audience. Some of these expressed 
 to him in strong terms, the comfort they had derived from 
 the meeting : and W. R. himself observed, that it had 
 afforded him great satisfaction to hear the great and solemn 
 truths which he had habitually preached, inculcated through 
 the medium of strangers from a distant land. 
 
 On the 20th, they proceeded to Zuurbraak, a 
 village station of the London Missionary Society. 
 Here, saya G. W. Walker, 
 
 We became the guests of Henry Helm and his wife. The 
 wife of William Anderson of Pacaltsdorp, and the wife 
 of Thomas Melville of Dysal's Kraal, were likewise guests 
 of the Helms, being on their way home from Cape Town, 
 where they had been purchasing their annual supply of stores. 
 These managing women are in the habit of undertaking these 
 long journeys, and they seem to think nothing of them. 
 
 21st. First-day. Henry Helm readily made way for the 
 expression of our religious concern on behalf of his flock, and 
 kindly consented to be our interpreter. The meeting in the
 
 324 ZOAK. [1838. 
 
 forenoon was attended by several hundreds of Hottentots. 
 We each had a good deal to communicate ; and I may grate- 
 fully acknowledge, for my own part, under a more than 
 common feeling of Divine authority. My dear companion 
 sat down with the very text that was resting upon my mind 
 to begin, with. In the afternoon the greater portion of the 
 congregation assembled as an adult school, many even of the 
 aged being present, and all diligently employed in learning to 
 read the Scriptures. The children were collected in a separate 
 building. It was a deeply interesting sight, to view so many 
 hundreds of our fellow-creatures thus engaged. The people 
 again met in the evening, and were addressed by Henry Helm ; 
 my companion adding some pertinent comments on the neces- 
 sity of singing " with the spirit and the understanding also," 
 in order to render such exercises acceptable to the Supreme 
 Being. This counsel seemed peculiarly needed, for the 
 Hottentots, particularly the females, are very fond of singing, 
 and their voices are sweet and harmonious ; but it is to be 
 feared, for want of the savour of life accompanying the words 
 of some of the singers, their singing was but as " the sounding 
 brass or the tinkling cymbal." [Some of them were said by the 
 Missionary to have become envious of each other's voices.] 
 
 From Zuurbraak they proceeded to Jonker's Fon- 
 tein, where they were hospitably received by Andres 
 P. Van Wyk. From this place they made an excur- 
 sion on Horseback over the Little Karroo, a barren 
 country, sixty-four miles, to Zoar, a small station 
 of the South African Missionary Society. It is a 
 spot greatly favoured by nature, a garden at the foot 
 of the Zwartebergen or Black Mountains. 
 
 It is hardly possible, says GK W. W. to conceive a greater 
 contrast to the desert just traversed : after having been 
 riding for several hours under a burning sun, and though 
 parched with thirst, meeting with nothing but a pool of filthy 
 water at which one could barely moisten the palate, one is 
 enabled to appreciate the force and beauty of the Scripture
 
 CHAP. 19.] JONKERS FONTEIN. 325 
 
 metaphors, such as, " Rivers in dry places," and " Springs in 
 the desert." 
 
 From Zoar they returned to Jonkers Fontein, 
 where, says Gr. W. Walker, on the 27th. 
 
 We were invited to spend the evening with the family 
 of A. P. Van Wyk. Several neighbouring farmers were 
 there, who had come to attend the meeting on the fol- 
 lowing day. Had a solemn religious season with all who 
 were present, including the family and servants of our kind- 
 hearted host, in which we had some interesting service. 
 
 28th. First-day. Met twice for Divine worship. On hoth 
 occasions we had an open time of labour, some of the parties 
 being persons of religious experience. Most of the Dutch in 
 these parts exhibit in greater or less measure the salutary effects 
 of the labours of their pious minister. A farmer of French 
 extraction who was present seemed delighted to hear a few 
 sentences in his mother tongue. We were glad to have it in 
 our power to put into his hands Barclay's Apology in that 
 language, with which he appeared greatly pleased ; he seemed 
 hardly to know how sufficiently to evince his gratitude. 
 
 29th. Took leave of the friendly family of Van Wyk. 
 When shaking hands with the members of the household, 
 I extended this parting salutation to a person of colour. The 
 man who had acted as interpreter, took me aside, and 
 observed, that as I was probably unacquainted with the habits 
 of the people amongst whom we were travelling, he would 
 venture as a friend to recommend me not to give my hand to 
 coloured persons, unless I knew well the feelings of the parties 
 who might be present. In the family we were then with, it 
 would be tolerated, they being pious, and being able to 
 appreciate our motives ; but in many quarters it would be 
 likely to shut up our way. I thanked him for his friendly 
 advice, but explained to him that in acting as I had done, I 
 conceived a high principle was involved ; that as a messenger of 
 peace and good-will towards mankind, called forth by Him 
 who is no respecter of persons, I could not, in order to 
 meet the prejudices of any, act towards my fellow-creatures
 
 326 WAGON UPSET. [1838. 
 
 whose skin might differ in colour from my own, as though 
 I counted them of an inferior race. 
 
 31st. Rose long before daylight. The heat is so excessive 
 about noon that it is necessary to take the coolest part of the 
 day for travelling. The Boors generally travel by night ; 
 but to do this, two things are requisite, great experience in 
 driving over a hilly country, and a thorough acquaintance 
 with the road ; neither of which we nor our people possess in 
 sufficient degree. A little before halting this evening, in 
 descending a hill, one of the arms of the hinder axle-tree 
 grazed against a stone so as to sustain an injury that required 
 repair. The nearest blacksmith was upwards of a day's 
 journey in advance. 
 
 11 mo. 2.- Made the blacksmith's residence, which is on 
 a branch of the Grouritz River. Whilst here Dr. Philip and 
 his- wife came up in their travelling wagon, the Doctor 
 being on a tour to the various Stations connected with the 
 London Missionary Society. 
 
 6th. Proved a day of disaster. During the night rain had 
 fallen, which, in some places, had rendered the ground 
 slippery ; and in descending a steep hill, at the bottom of 
 which is the river Ghiayang, the vehicle slipped broadside 
 down the steepest, part of the declivity into a deep rut, and 
 there overturned. In a couple of hours, assisted by a 
 friendly Dutchman, it was once more upon its wheels, 
 repacked and ready for a start. On proceeding down 
 the hill, a crack was heard, and just as the wagon was 
 entering the river, the bullocks and fore wheels being in 
 the water, down it came again, the hinder axle-tree having 
 given way. The water being shallow where we entered 
 the river, it did not injure the stores, books, &c. but as 
 rain was then falling heavily and there was a prospect of 
 the river rising, all hands fell to work, and the luggage 
 was carried through the water to the opposite side. After this 
 was effected, my companion rode to Pacaltsdorp, to procure 
 assistance, whilst I arranged the things under the tent-cover, 
 which formed our temporary habitation for the night.
 
 CHAP. 19.] PACALTSDORP. 327 
 
 Towards sunset J. Backhouse returned, having arranged 
 for the removal of the wagon and its contents to the mis- 
 sionary settlement, the following morning. 
 
 7th. It rained heavily all the night. In the course of the 
 forenoon a Hottentot wagon-maker arrived with a wagon and 
 oxen and a number of people, and we and our chattels were 
 soon transferred to the settlement. William Anderson and his 
 wife and family received us in the kindest manner, appro- 
 priating a room for the reception of our luggage, and af- 
 fording every requisite help. The transition from the cold 
 and wet of the previous day and night to the snug habita- 
 tion and the agreeable society of ^our new and interesting 
 acquaintance, rendered additionally attractive by the pre- 
 sence of Dr. and J. Philip, was, it will readily be conceived, 
 congenial to both bodily and mental feelings. 
 
 8th. Pacaltsdorp is a considerable village, and like the 
 similar institution of Zuurbraak, is an original Hotte'ntot 
 settlement, and with the land attached to it, constitutes 
 one of the few places that have not been wrested from this 
 suffering people by the Colonists. Nevertheless the encroach- 
 ments of the Boors in former years, and the forcible manner 
 in which they impressed the Hottentots into their service, 
 rendered their situation far from an enviable one. When 
 Pacalt, the first missionary who settled among them, arrived 
 on the spot, he found them living in a state of great destitu- 
 tion. He and the missionaries that succeeded him have stood 
 in the gap between them and oppression ; and under their 
 auspices, through the Divine blessing upon their exertions, a 
 very different state of things has been brought about, and the 
 village has assumed a very improved aspect. 
 
 Dr. and J. Philip left in the course of the afternoon to 
 prosecute their journey to Hankey. It was a heart-stirring 
 sight to witness the feeling displayed towards these worthy 
 persons, by the grateful people who have been so essentially 
 benefited by Dr. P's. exertions. I trust there are kindred 
 spirits, even in Africa, who feel a lively interest in the welfare 
 of the whole human race. But it is not every good man who 
 possesses the moral courage and mentul qualifications requisite
 
 328 KNYSNA. [1838 
 
 for such services as have devolved upon Dr. P. or who, under 
 similar circumstances of trial to those he has had to endure, 
 would have displayed equal firmness and ability. 
 
 9th. For a series of years this place has been nearly 
 destitute of rain, which has not fallen during the space of 
 more than four years in such quantity as to make the rivulets 
 run, or to fill the tanks with water. The only spring that 
 has not failed is so limited that it is not sufficient even for 
 drinking and culinary purposes : and as regards the washing 
 of clothes, the Hottentots are under the necessity, of carrying 
 them four miles to the Ghiayang River. The dryness of the 
 climate and absence of the means of irrigation have occasioned 
 considerable distress among the people, who have sown so 
 often in their gardens and fields without reaping a crop, that 
 they have almost ceased to sow at all, and many have had 
 considerable difficulty in subsisting. 
 
 From Pacaltsdorp the Friends occupied a few days 
 in an excursion along the coast to the Knysna River. 
 The change in the nature of the country was great. 
 GK W. W. says, 
 
 The country here assumes a very different appearance, the 
 hills being much more abrupt, and many of them thickly 
 clothed with forest. This is a district in which Elephants, 
 Buffaloes, Leopards, and other animals of a rare description 
 within the precincts of the Colony are yet to be found. 
 When the day closed, we remarked for the first time that 
 singular insect, the fire-fly, whose luminous flight, like a 
 bright spark floating for a few seconds in the air, generally 
 among the branches of trees or in the vicinity of bushes, and 
 then fading from the sight, gave peculiar interest to the soft 
 stilness of an African summer's evening, reminding us afresh 
 that we were in a foreign clime, 
 
 "The land where the orange and citron grows, 
 
 And the fire-flies glance through the myrtle boughs." 
 
 Pursued our journey through a country checquered with 
 hill and dale, and abundantly watered by rills that descend 
 from the mountains.
 
 CHAP. 19.] GEORGE. 329 
 
 J. B. and G. W. W. passed again through 
 Pacaltsdorp on the 14th, and proceeded the next 
 day to George, the chief town in the county of that 
 name. Here they had a meeting in the Dutch place 
 of worship. 
 
 16th. The place of meeting was so crowded that many 
 had to stand in the aisles. My dear companion was twice 
 engaged in testimony before I felt at liberty to rise. Both 
 of us had to deal very plainly on some points of Christian 
 doctrine and practice, quoting largely from Scripture, as it 
 was brought to our remembrance, in a measure of the 
 quickening power of Truth. Upon the subject of spirit- 
 drinking and the use of intoxicating liquors we also had 
 to make some plain statements ; pressing upon those who 
 dealt in them, the responsibility that it involved, in which 
 the moderate consumer, who gives respectability to their use, 
 is also implicated. We understood afterwards that notwith- 
 standing our plain speaking, it was well received. 
 
 Here they diverged again from the main road to 
 visit Dy sal's Kraal, now called Dysalsdorp ; a new 
 missionary station lying at some distance to the 
 north, and where they had an interesting meeting 
 with a large number of Apprentices. They returned 
 to Pacaltsdorp on the 19th.
 
 CHAPTER XX. * 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 JOURNEY FROM PACALTSDORP TO THE KAT RIVER. 
 
 THE repairs of their wagon being completed, 
 J. Backhouse and Gr. W. Walker resumed their jour- 
 ney eastward, along what was then the main line of 
 road, and which crossed the Outeiiiquas Mountains. 
 They hired four Hottentots and eighteen well-trained 
 oxen to effect this adventurous part of the journey ; 
 and on the 20th of the llth month they bade Fare- 
 well to their friends at Pacaltsdorp and travelled to 
 the foot of the Cradocks Kloof. 
 
 21st. We made the ascent of the mountain, which 
 occupied about five hours, the distance being about six miles. 
 Frequently the wagon was in such a critical position that I 
 almost despaired of its safety. The descent though much 
 shorter, was perhaps even more difficult than the ascent. At 
 one spot the road runs within a few inches of a precipice, 
 and there is an exceedingly sharp turn at the place. These 
 obstacles were overcome by locking both wheels, some men 
 also holding on by bullock thongs, while others attended at 
 the head of the team : the oxen being allowed only to move 
 a few steps at once, and the chains being shifted but a few 
 spokes of the wheels at a time, the wagon was gradually 
 lowered to the next level. 
 
 25th. First-day, was literally a day of rest to both body and 
 mind. My dear companion and myself, besides having several 
 
 * By an oversight the numbers of the Chapters, from page 273 to 320, are a 
 unit in arrear of the correct number.
 
 CHAP. 20.] HANKEY. 331 
 
 religious seasons with our people, sat down together twice in 
 quiet, to feel after the presence of Him who is to be found in 
 the desert as readily as in the crowded city. We had visits 
 from several parties of Fingoes, a people who have been 
 driven from their own country bordering on Port Natal, 
 through the predatory habits of their restless neighbours, the 
 warlike Zulus. Cattle are their chief stay; but they are 
 losing them in great numbers by disease. They appear to 
 be an athletic race, and the countenances of several of them are 
 far from unpleasing. 
 
 12 mo. 1. The approach to Hankey bore striking 
 evidence of the serious effects of drought. It might be 
 truly said, " The whole earth languisheth." But we had 
 not been long out-spanned, near the doc* of the mission 
 house, before a genial rain began to descend; a memo- 
 rable coincidence with the great event of this day, on 
 which a new era commences- in this Colony, slavery 
 being henceforth abolished, we trust, for ever ! We 
 became the guests of the intelligent and pious missionaries, 
 Edward Williams and his wife, who were just leaving 
 the chapel as we arrived, and where there had been a 
 meeting of the manumitted Apprentices. We were just 
 in time to witness the mutual congratulations between 
 them and the worthy Missionary, as they came to his 
 dwelling to shake hands with him. A considerable number 
 had come from a distance to attend a meeting convened 
 specially, to return thanks to the Most High for the precious 
 boon of Liberty. It was a sight that could not be witnessed 
 unmoved. At a meeting for worship the same evening, my 
 dear companion and I had a full opportunity of addressing 
 some hundreds of Apprentices and Hottentots. The words of 
 the Psalmist, " This is the day which the Lord hath made ; 
 we will be glad and rejoice in it," were much on my mind ; 
 and with these I rose, and was led to trace the agency of 
 God in effecting the great object for which those present 
 were met to return thanks, and which had been brought 
 about by the power of the Gospel of Christ, The necessity of 
 gratitude, being evinced by walking in the fear of the Lord,
 
 332 ABOLITION OF SLAVERY. [1838. 
 
 was inculcated ; and the nature and blessed fruits of god- 
 liness were adverted to. In the midst of rejoicing, all were 
 cautioned against excess of any kind ; the apostolic injunction, 
 " Let your moderation be known unto all men," was cited, 
 and it was shown, that by bringing forth the fruits of 
 righteousness, the glory of God and the welfare of man 
 would be promoted. It was a season that will not soon be 
 forgotten. 
 
 2nd. First-day. In the morning the labour devolved 
 upon J. B.,and chiefly upon me in the evening. Not less 
 than from 400 to 500 people were present. Words would 
 very inadequately express our feelings as we contemplated 
 this portion of the human family, whom the Lord has been 
 pleased to regard in their low estate. For the oppression of 
 the poor and the sighing of the needy He hath arisen. 
 
 3rd. In the evening about 400 Hottentots and Appren- 
 tices sat down to tea in the chapel, whom we addressed on 
 the benefit of abstinence from all intoxicating liquors. The 
 chapel was set out with tables, the men occupying one side, 
 and the women the other. The order and propriety of behaviour 
 would have been creditable to any assembly of the working 
 classes of England. About 130 names were added to the 
 Society, which now numbers 230 members on the principle of 
 Total Abstinence. Not happening to have been in the way 
 of formally subscribing our own names, we subscribed to the 
 declaration on this interesting occasion. Several of the 
 Hottentots and Apprentices addressed the meeting : I was 
 struck with their fluency of speech and self-possession. 
 
 5th. We left Hankey, accompanied by E. and J. Williams, 
 E/Read, J. Kelly, and a large company of Hottentots, among 
 whom were many of the school children, who brought us forth 
 with singing. The subject of song was the blessed period 
 to which many of them in faith could look forward, when the 
 redeemed of the Lord should meet " to part no more ; " and 
 in the warmth of their hearts, they thus testified a grateful 
 feeling towards those whom they regarded as Christian friends.
 
 CHAP. 20.] BETHELSDORP. 333 
 
 After travelling together for about a couple of miles there 
 was a general halt, and we had an impressive parting season 
 as we addressed a few words to them from the front of the 
 wagon. 
 
 6th. Stopped the night on the banks of a small stream. 
 The growl of a leopard was repeatedly heard, and the print 
 of its feet was seen this morning at a short distance from the 
 wagon. The horses kept near the vehicle, and quietly grazed, 
 aware, it would seem, that this was a sufficient protection. 
 
 7th. The state of the roads is a striking proof of want of 
 energy in the inhabitants. There are very few of the difficult 
 places that might not be rendered comparatively easy and 
 safe by the labour of a dozen men for a few hours. Yet from 
 month to month, and from year to year, these spots remain 
 unimproved, to the great hinderance of travellers. 
 
 On the 8th the Friends arrived at Bethelsdorp, a 
 station of the London Missionary Society, and one of 
 the oldest in South Africa. They found it in a declin- 
 ing state, owing to the effects of long continued 
 drought, the late Caffer war, and strong drink. " We 
 met," says Gr. W. W. " with an open reception from 
 James and Sarah Kitchingman, in whose family 
 Thomas Merrington, the pious and intelligent school- 
 master, is an inmate." 
 
 From hence they rode out on two occasions to Port 
 Elizabeth or Algoa Bay, the great place of export 
 and import for the Eastern districts of the Colony, 
 where they had good service both in preaching the 
 gospel and inculcating the practice of temperance. 
 
 The next place where they halted was Uitenhage, 
 a small town eleven miles beyond Bethelsdorp. 
 Here they again diverged from the main route to 
 visit Enon, forty miles to the northward.
 
 334 ENON. [1838. 
 
 20th. Left the wagon at an early hour, to proceed on 
 horseback to Enon, one of the Moravian Missionary Stations. 
 It was past nine at night when we got to the Settlement, our 
 horses being very much jaded, though the last two hours we 
 travelled only at a foot's pace. We learned from a Hottentot 
 whom we met on the way, that lions resorted to this part of the 
 country ; and on reaching our destination, we found that in 
 the course of the previous fortnight, three had been killed 
 within a few paces of the road on which we had travelled in 
 the dark, and on the preceding day, a fourth had been 
 wounded. We met with a Christian welcome from the open- 
 hearted Missionaries and their wives, whose names are Adam 
 and Magdalene Halter, and William and Sophia Stoltz. 
 
 21st. The village of Enon is situated on the Wit, or 
 White River. For the last three years rain has not fallen 
 in sufficient quantity to make the water run, and of latter 
 time the drought has been such, that the large pools in the 
 bed of the river have generally dried up. There are sites of 
 numerous gardens visible from the Settlement, that formerly 
 belonged to a body of Gaffers, about a hundred in number, 
 who were located on a hill in the vicinity, but whose huts 
 were burnt by the Boors, by order of those in authority, it is 
 said, at the outbreak of the first Gaffer war. It was observed 
 by a serious Boor, in reference to the remarkable change in 
 the climate, " that the rains of heaven have been withheld 
 ever since the Gaffers were burnt out."* Enon was a 
 nourishing settlement prior to the drought, and contained 
 500 Hottentot inhabitants, but the general dearth has driven 
 away four-fifths of the people to seek a subsistence elsewhere. 
 It is mournful to see the houses, many of them of a sub- 
 stantial kind, deserted of their inmates, and fast going to 
 decay. It was cause of regret to us, to find that the 
 principles of non-resistance, enforced by the Eedeemer 
 himself, and so faithfully maintained by the Moravians, in 
 common with Friends, during the Irish Eebellion, are not 
 
 * This remark showed the Boor's sense of the injustice done to the Gaffers ; 
 but the drought extended far beyond the country in, which they were treated in 
 a manner so repugnant to Christianity and to common sense.
 
 CHAP. 20.] WILD BEASTS. 335 
 
 preserved inviolate by the United Brethren of this country. 
 At most of their Institutions the inhabitants have taken an 
 active part in the Gaffer war ; and from Enon alone about 
 fifty young men joined the army. It does not appear that 
 this departure from the example of the European Moravians 
 brings the parties under Church censure. The same laxity 
 of practice obtains in regard to Oaths. Yet both these anti- 
 christian customs are deprecated by the Missionaries ; and as 
 regards their individual practice, are avoided. 
 
 We walked with Adam Halter, to a hill in the neighbour- 
 hood, from whence there is an extensive view; in spite 
 of the effects of drought, the landscape is still imposing. 
 A. H. is possessed of a fund of anecdote, and the time 
 passed rapidly over as he detailed the trials and providential 
 interpositions experienced at the Settlement during the event- 
 ful period of the war. Spots were also pointed out where 
 encounters had taken place between the inhabitants and 
 wild beasts ; and some wonderful instances of the skill of the 
 Hottentots in tracing the spoor, or track, both of men and of 
 the beasts of the forest, were narrated by our entertaining con- 
 ductor, whose retentive memory, and the strain of simple 
 fervent piety that accompanied his communications, pleasantly 
 beguiled the way, and made us forget that there was no 
 tangible fence between us and the haunts of the animals 
 whose habits he was describing, nor any absolute security 
 against our coming upon the lair of a lion or a leopard. 
 Leopards are numerous, and from their prowling cat-like 
 habits are formidable antagonists. A colleague of A. Halter's 
 named Smidt, now engaged in religious labour in Europe, 
 had a singular adventure with a leopard, in which his self- 
 devotion in attempting to save the life of a fellow-creature 
 had nearly cost him his own. He and a Hottentot were 
 tracing the spoor of a hyena (called in Africa a wolf), which 
 had committed some depredation. They happened to come 
 upon the traces of a leopard, and agreed to follow them out. 
 As the Hottentot was proceeding in advance of his com- 
 panion, the leopard, which had been concealed in the branches 
 of a low tree, suddenly sprang upon him, fastening its claws
 
 336 EFFECTS OF WAR. [1838. 
 
 in his face. Smidt came to the assistance of the man ; 
 but as the animal and he maintained the struggle for mastery, 
 Smidt found it impossible to fire at the one without im- 
 minent risk of shooting the other. No time was to be lost. 
 Smidt accordingly threw down his gun, and defending one 
 arm in the best way he could from the teeth of the animal, 
 thrust it well back into its mouth; with the other he 
 grasped the shoulder of the leopard so as to prevent its rising 
 upon him. The fury of the animal now became directed 
 against himself, while the Hottentot, though liberated from the 
 grasp of the leopard, was incapable of rendering assistance, from 
 the blood streaming down his face in such a way as to blind 
 him. Their united shouts however brought to the spot some 
 other Hottentots, and by the assistance of these the creature 
 was despatched. Smidt's arm was so roughly dealt with by 
 the teeth of the leopard, that the issue was for some time very 
 doubtful. Elephants and Buffaloes are in the neighbourhood 
 of Enon. Four of the former were seen behind a contiguous 
 hill, to-day. Snakes are numerous in most parts of the 
 Colony. A lad died the day previous to our arrival, from 
 the bite of one. Cases of mortality from this cause appear to 
 be more common here than in Australia, though I have not 
 seen more snakes here in proportion to the time we have been 
 in the Country. 
 
 22nd. The missionaries of Enon complain bitterly of the 
 consequences of the late war, which has affected both the 
 temporal and spiritual prosperity of the Mission, particularly 
 in the demoralization of the younger portion of both sexes. 
 The men have sufferred by their service in the army ; and 
 the young women have in many instances been corrupted by 
 the dissolute habits of the officers, as well as of others holding 
 official stations, many of whom affect notwithstanding, to 
 hold the coloured classes in contempt. The anti-christian 
 practices and influence of heathen Europeans are fearful 
 counteracting means to the religious labours of missionaries. 
 
 23rd. First-day. Yesterday we returned to Uitenhage. 
 We attended at the Chapel in which the coloured people 
 assemble, in the forenoon. They are chiefly Hottentots and
 
 CHAP. 20.] GRAHAMS .TOWN. 337 
 
 liberated Apprentices, of whom some hundreds were present ; 
 and the respectable appearance they presented in regard to 
 costume and deportment, was such as to give us a very 
 favourable impression as to their advancement in some of the 
 essential parts of civilization. A congregation of the operative 
 classes at home I think could hardly exhibit more indications 
 of decency and comfort. John Gr. Messer, of the London Mis- 
 sionary Society, who has charge of this interesting congrega- 
 tion, made way for our addressing the people. In the evening 
 when the audience was still more numerous, I suppose about 
 400, a coloured man interpreted for us into the Dutch lan- 
 guage, with remarkable ease and propriety. 
 
 On the 24th they resumed their journey, and on 
 the 29th reached Grahams Town, the capital of the 
 Eastern side of the Colony. 
 
 26th. Passed through a bushy country called the Addo 
 Bosch; and ascended to higher land, called the Quagga 
 Flats. It was sadly destitute of water, the only pool we 
 came near being vigilantly guarded by the servants of the 
 proprietor of an adjoining farm. The master was from home, 
 and though we had permission to take what water we required 
 for drinking, this indulgence could not be extended to the 
 oxen, which could get no water that night. 
 
 28th. Passed the night on an open grassy plain, near to 
 a spring a short distance from the road. Half a mile further 
 along is a canteen kept by an Englishman. I am sorry to 
 say, to the discredit of my countrymen, that Englishmen are 
 almost universally the proprietors of these establishments in 
 South Africa. 
 
 29th. Last night was raw and cold, and our people suf- 
 fered much. To-day was as oppressively hot. We fell in 
 with a young man returning from beyond the Orange River 
 with a large herd of bullocks, of whom we purchased a span 
 of fourteen, our old ones being so nearly worn out that some 
 months' rest will be requisite to enable them to proceed. We 
 arrived at Grahams Town the same afternoon, whore we took
 
 338 FORT UEAU*'oftT. [1839- 
 
 up our quarters with "William Wright, pursuant to his friendly 
 invitation. Grahams Town is an English looking place, most 
 of the inhabitants being British ; but a stranger is led to query 
 what could be the inducement for fixing upon such an ineli- 
 gible spot as tho site of the eastern capital. 
 
 1839. 1 mo. 1. We sat conversing till near midnight 
 with a few pious Wesleyans, among whom was Richard 
 Crush, who is in principle much more of a Friend than a 
 Wesleyan. He is an acquaintance of our kind friend Richard 
 Barrett, who presented him with some of the writings of 
 Friends at the time of his emigrating to this country nearly 
 twenty years ago. 
 
 6th. First-day. After some vocal service in W. Wright's 
 family, we went to the jail with Thomas Parker and Daniel 
 Roberts, who are in the habit of labouring each returning 
 Sabbath with the prisoners. After we had addressed tho 
 prisoners, who were assembled in the large yard, Thomas 
 Barker acting as our interpreter, a Bechuana, charged 
 with sheep-stealing, an inmate of the Hospital, rose and 
 spoke to his fellow-prisoners, commencing by the acknow- 
 ledgment of his own crime and the justice of his punishment, 
 and pleading with them on the same grounds as he felt to be 
 applicable to himself, to turn their hearts to the Lord, whose 
 grace was yet striving with them. After speaking for some 
 time in Dutch, he addressed them in the Sichuana, his 
 native language. 
 
 J. Backhouse and G. W. Walker had good 
 service in Grahams Town in preaching the Gospel. 
 They continued their journey on the 8th, shaping 
 their course northward to Fort Beaufort, where they 
 arrived on the llth. Under this date the Journal 
 continues ; 
 
 We derived pleasure in becoming acquainted during our 
 short stay at this place with Wallace and Ann Hewitson, 
 formerly of Ipswich, and known to some of our friends in
 
 CHAP. 20.] CAFFER COSTUMES. 339 
 
 England. In consequence of the sanguinary proceedings of 
 the Zulu Chief, Dingaan, W. Hewitson has recently returned 
 from Port Natal, where he was a missionary. In the after- 
 noon he conducted us to the kraal of the Gaffer Chief, 
 Makomo. This chief is living on a small farm, on the 
 colonial side of the boundary, and which was presented to 
 him by the authorities subsequently to the late war. He has 
 erected a cottage upon it, and seems to be attached to the 
 spot, making it his chief residence. This was an important 
 day, Makomo's son having taken a Tambookie wife, according 
 to the national custom, which requires that the great or lawful 
 wife shall be of another nation. Makomo was reclining in a 
 tent with several of his family about him, among whom were 
 three or four of his wives, the bridegroom and bride, and a few 
 of his Amapakati, or counsellors. They all came out on our 
 approach being announced ; but as we had no interpreter 
 with us, we found it difficult to maintain conversation, which 
 we had to do through the medium of one of the Chief's wives, 
 who having lived in a missionary's family, understood a little 
 English. The people were milking the numerous herds of the 
 Chief, the sun having set ; and some of the new milk was cour- 
 teously handed us in a basket, formed of the leaves of a sedgy 
 looking plant, which the women put together with so much 
 ingenuity as to make vessels completely water-tight. Makomo 
 was in Beaufort this morning, when he was dressed like a 
 European, with a camlet cloak. He was now in the national 
 costume of a Chief, with a leopard-skin kaross thrown round 
 him. The dress of the female attendants was very imposing ; 
 it consisted of a kaross neatly made of bullock hide, prepared 
 so as to bo pliant ; this is done by scraping the smooth side 
 of the skins until they are thin, and tanning them in a way 
 peculiar to themselves. These karosses much resemble 
 cloaks ; but instead of a hood there is a long pendent 
 piece of skin, about three inches wide, of the same material, 
 reaching to the heels, and thickly set with buttons from top 
 to bottom. On festive occasions like the present, the CafFer 
 women wear a towering cap, square at the top, in front of 
 which are two rows of white beads. Both the kaross and cap 
 ore coloured with red, or brown clay ; and the outside being
 
 340 PHILIP-TON. [1839. 
 
 prepared so as to have a sort of nap on the surface, gives the 
 former much the appearance of a brown frieze cloak. The 
 effect is altogether graceful ; and in walking, I question if the 
 Empress of all the Russias presents a more dignified mien 
 than these children of nature. One of Makomo's counsellors 
 accompanied us back to the wagon, to receive a small present 
 of tobacco for the Chief, and a handkerchief for each of his 
 wives. Makomo has the aspect, as well as character, of a man 
 of intelligence. 
 
 Whilst J. B. and Gr. W. W. were with Makomo 
 the wagon continued its way northward ; it being 
 their intention to visit the Missionary Stations of 
 Philipton and Shiloh. 
 
 12th. The wagon was outspanned for the night on the 
 banks of the Blinkwater, one of the five or six branches that 
 unite and form the Kat River. There are here several small 
 settlements or kraals of Grona Hottentots. Some of them 
 are pious ; a few of these are the fruits of the labours of 
 a missionary named Williams, who though he laboured but 
 for a short period in these parts, appears to have been 
 singularly successful in bringing souls to Christ. Yesterday 
 we visited this good man's grave, four or five miles from 
 Beaufort, and near the road side. 
 
 After travelling through the Poort or Pass, the road to 
 Philipton winds among hills, and through valleys presenting 
 a very fertile appearance. The towering mountains of the 
 Winterberg and the kloofs, or ravines, are thickly clothed 
 with forest. The Settlements in the valleys are composed 
 of Hottentots, who occupy allotments, of from twelve to twenty 
 acres each. The generality of them have a neat cottage 
 with a considerable portion of the land in cultivation, and 
 enclosed with a sufficient fence, a feature that is by no means 
 a uniform attendant of farms in the occupation of the white 
 inhabitants. The shades of evening were drawing on as we 
 approached Philipton. Richard Birt and Joseph Read met 
 us on horseback, having heard that we were on the road.
 
 CHAP. 20.] MISSIONARY MEETING. 341 
 
 We received a hearty welcome from James Bead and his 
 family. The wagon was drawn up at a short distance from 
 their door. Though their house is a mere cottage, the comfort 
 and order that prevail constitute it a happy abode. The eldest 
 son, James, is associated with his father as a missionary ; 
 Joseph, the second son, has charge of the school for older 
 children at Philipton ; Anna, one of the daughters, has the 
 superintendance of the Infant School, being assisted by her 
 sisters in this interesting employment. Another daughter is 
 at present organizing the Infant School at Hankey. 
 
 13th. In the course of the day Jan Tzatzoe arrived for 
 the purpose of being present at a Missionary Meeting, to be 
 held on the morrow. This Cafier Chief is a Catechist, at the 
 Buffalo River. Many will recollect him, as the companion of 
 Dr. Philip and the Hottentot chief, Andrew Stoffels, when they 
 visited England some years ago. Tzatzoe is a man of unas- 
 suming manners, and though much noticed in England, it 
 does not appear to have destroyed his humility. 
 
 14th. The anniversary meeting of the Kat Eiver Auxiliary 
 to the London Missionary Society was held, and a vast con- 
 course of Hottentots were present. We were requested to 
 preside, but thought it best to decline. The chair was oc- 
 cupied by a Hottentot, who acts also as Chairman of the 
 Committee. Many of the Hottentots addressed the meeting, 
 in addition to several missionaries and others, including our- 
 selves. Not understanding much of the Dutch language 
 lessened the interest of the meeting to me ; yet merely as a 
 looker on, and as contrasting the present piety and intelli- 
 gence of many of the coloured race with the abject and igno- 
 rant condition in which they were, less than half a century 
 ago, I found it a heart-stirring sight. A very lively Tem- 
 perance Meeting was held the same evening. Upwards of 
 800 Hottentots, of the Kat River have signed the abstinence 
 pledge. To the credit of the community, not a canteen is to 
 be found within it ; as at their own request, one of the con- 
 ditions of tenure of their allotments is, that no house for the 
 sale of ardent spirits or other intoxicating liquors shall be 
 opened on them under any pretext, from henceforth and for
 
 342 KAT RIVER. [1839. 
 
 ever ! The committee, missionaries, and a few strangers, 
 including ourselves, sat down to a late dinner provided in a 
 booth. The majority of the company were Hottentots ; and 
 after the cloth was removed, several of them made remarks 
 on subjects of local interest, and pertinent to the occasion. 
 The necessity of not hiding their lights under a bushel, but of 
 holding themselves in readiness to be made instrumental in 
 the Divine Hand in carrying the knowledge of the Gospel to 
 their heathen neighbours of the Bushman, Fingo and other 
 tribes, was much dwelt upon. The peculiar feeling of interest 
 on behalf of the hitherto greatly neglected Bushmen may 
 have partly originated in the circumstance of some of their 
 most active members tracing their descent from that people. 
 I was pleased at the reference made by the speakers to their 
 children, expressive of their conviction that they should 
 dedicate them to the Lord's service ; and that if this was done 
 in sincerity and the spirit of prayer, and pains taken to train 
 them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, it was 
 reasonable to believe that some of their hearts would be 
 turned to the state of their heathen countrymen, and they 
 would be prepared to become the Lord's messengers. 
 
 17th. A party was formed to pay a visit to one of the 
 Kat Biver districts, called Beadsdale, where many Hottentot 
 families are located. It is a beautiful winding valley. 
 Several of the most populous villages are situated on the 
 margins of the purling streams that meander through this 
 fertile tract. Barley, Maize and Caifer Corn are the chief 
 produce ; pumpkins and potatoes are also successfully cul- 
 tivated. The entire population of the Kat Biver is between 
 3000 and 4000. Parties of Fingoes are located in many parts 
 of the district, and exhibit proofs of their industrious habits. 
 Their huts are of hemispherical or bee-hive form, like those of 
 the Gaffers. Most of the best places of location, such as the 
 borders of streams, being appropriated by the Hottentots, the 
 patches of cultivation belonging to the Fingoes may often be 
 seen far up the slopes of the hills, and generally on the skirt 
 of a forest or bush. 
 
 21st. James Bead, who had been at Blinkwater, brought
 
 CHAP. 20.] SHILOH. 343 
 
 us a message from Makomo, who is desirous of a farther 
 interview. It probably originates in his having been apprised 
 that we are of the same religious denomination as the Friends 
 at Birmingham, who have sent him a handsome present of 
 ploughs and other agricultural implements. 
 
 23rd. We set out for Shiloh, being accompanied by James 
 Bead, junior, and Richard Birt, with a Hottentot guide. 
 The road crosses the mountain range at the back of Philip- 
 ton A party of Hottentot wood-cutters from Shiloh were 
 pursuing their calling at a spot three-fourths of the way up 
 the mountain. On reaching the summit of considerable hill, a 
 troop of nineteen Quaggas galloped off, the first we had seen 
 in their native haunts. They are timid animals, starting 
 off at the approach of man, but stopping at intervals and 
 looking back to see if they are" pursued. A Hyena which 
 we saw at a distance also made a precipitate retreat. After 
 a tedious succession of mountain and dale, a spacious plain 
 burst upon the view, bounded on all sides by mountains, two 
 of which from their elevation and figure are very conspicuous. 
 These formed the distant back-ground to Shiloh, which lay 
 before us, six or seven miles, towards the centre of the plain. 
 We reached the residence of the Missionaries, before sunset. 
 They received us kindly, and the wife of one of them imme- 
 diately set about preparing some refreshment. Their names 
 are William C. Genth and Adolphus Bonatz. A. Bonatz has 
 lately become a widower, having lost his valuable wife, and 
 has hardly recovered from the shock ; but it is one of the 
 arrangements connected with the Moravian Society, that 
 each Missionary should be provided with a wife, and in 
 accordance with this regulation, the Brethren at home have 
 already selected a person whom they deem a suitable com- 
 panion for their bereaved brother, and she is on her way 
 hither for the purpose of being united to him. 
 
 The Friends returned to Philipton on the 25th. 
 Under this date the Journal says, 
 
 On this Settlement alohe, there are no loss than twenty- 
 seven widows and forty-two fatherless children, who have
 
 344 PHILIPTON. [1839. 
 
 to be maintained by the exertions of thirty-two families which 
 are in a situation to assist their poor neighbours. What a 
 grievious clog is this upon their industry ! Many of the 
 widows and orphans have been made such by war. This is 
 very much the situation of other settlements of Hottentots, 
 particularly of Missionary Institutions. There is such a 
 community of feeling among the Hottentots that they will 
 divide the last morsel with the brother who is in need. This 
 national trait even becomes a fault.; their readiness to 
 distribute to others being exercised in many instances 
 without discretion. The custom of sharing things in 
 common has become so engrafted into their social habits, 
 that if a Hottentot gets a pound of tea or a supply of 
 coffee from town, it is often a sufficient excuse for his 
 neighbours to congregate at his house, until the entire stock 
 is consumed. 
 
 30th. In the afternoon J. Backhouse and myself were 
 present at a meeting held weekly at Philipton, for the in- 
 struction of persons who have recently come under religious 
 convictions. Thirty-five were present, some of whom had 
 walked a distance of twenty miles to attend ; several were 
 females. Various questions were put by J. Bead and two 
 native deacons, to elicit the views and state of mind of the 
 parties. The space in front of several was literally wet 
 with tears ; and however needful it may be to make some 
 allowance for easily excited feelings, in minds unaccustomed 
 to much restraint, yet I was impressed with the conviction 
 that a real work of Divine Grace was going forward in the 
 greater number. The simple acknowledgments of these poor 
 penitents, uttered in great brokenness and abasement in the 
 review of their past lives, were very affecting. A Fingo 
 woman, in answer to some interrogations of J. Read, stated 
 that she was a native of the country bordering upon Natal, 
 from whence, having lost her parents and all her relations by 
 war, she had made her way when a girl to the Colony. She 
 was asked if she did not regret having left her own people. 
 She admitted that she felt much for them ; but added, that 
 had she not left them she should probably never have heard
 
 CHAP. 20.] PENITENTS. 345 
 
 of a Saviour, and that having got a sight of the wickedness 
 of her heart, she longed to know him as her Deliverer. 
 While she spoke the tears streamed down her cheeks, and she 
 continually removed them by means of aji instrument formed 
 somewhat like a flattened spoon, that was slung round her 
 neck, and which appeared intended to supply the place of a 
 handkerchief. A Hottentot of robust form, and harsh though 
 subdued expression, was asked what had been the occasion of 
 awakening him to a sense of his condition as a sinner. He 
 answered that he had been brought up at Zuurbraak, but 
 though he had heard the gospel preached there, he under- 
 stood nothing of its power. He at length gave way to sin 
 and crime, for which he was committed to prison, and there, 
 when separated from his connections, in the day of his dis- 
 tress, the Lord had met with him and showed to him the 
 state of his heart. He then bewailed his sinful condition, 
 and signified that he could rest satisfied with nothing short 
 of reconciliation to his offended God, through the merits of 
 Jesus Christ, whose blood he believed could blot out his 
 sins. The strong man was bowed ; and while thus laying 
 open the secrets of his heart, he became almost choked with 
 emotion. The deacons, as well as J. Bead, spoke to the 
 penitents, striving to encourage them and to stimulate their 
 faith in the willingness of God to save them both from the guilt 
 and dominion of sin, through faith in the Eedeemer. One 
 remark I was struck with : it was addressed by a deacon to 
 one of the women to whom he was pointing out the necessity 
 of a change of heart. He said, "She must undergo a 
 thorough renovation like the slang (serpent) which sheds 
 its old skin and comes forth in a new and beautiful dress : 
 she must be divested of the filthy rags of her own righteous- 
 ness, and must come forth with the robes of Christ's 
 righteousness." The natives of Africa like those of the 
 East, abound in metaphor ; and they are often very happy 
 in their illustrations. 
 
 2 mo. 3. First-day. My dear companion and I had a very 
 interesting meeting tliis morning with the Caffer and Fingo 
 congregation, augmented by accessions of Caflers from Blink- 
 water, and Tambookies from Shiloh. The Caffors generally
 
 346 PENITENTIAL EMOTION. [1839 
 
 assemble in the Infant School, but on the present occasion the 
 place was much too small, and we had to repair to the river 
 side, " where prayer was wont to be made," under the shade 
 of a large spreading tree. Here we addressed the people at 
 some length, the Pingo interpreter afterwards engaging in 
 prayer. It was affecting to see the sturdy men as well as the 
 women brought down to weep aloud, some literally "roaring by 
 reason of the disquietness of their hearts," but I am quite 
 of the mind that their giving vent to feeling in this 
 way is by no means calculated to deepen conviction, and it was 
 satisfactory to observe that the more experienced strove to quiet 
 those who were thus overcome, urging them to exercise self- 
 restraint. The meeting was terminated by singing a hymn 
 originally composed by a Gaffer in his native tongue.* The 
 Author was a remarkable instance of Divine grace, prior to 
 the outward knowledge of Christianity. When J. Read and 
 the late missionary Williams were travelling in Caffraria, this 
 man followed the wagon several days in order to converse with 
 them. From his own description of the state of his mind, the 
 Missionaries were satisfied that he had undergone a change of 
 heart, and had become a worshipper of the living G-od, though 
 not having any direct knowledge of the Christian dispen- 
 sation. They preached to him the doctrine of a crucified 
 Saviour ; and he received the truth in the love of it, and 
 joined a Missionary Institution, where he proved him- 
 self a faithful follower of the Lord Jesus, and became 
 exceedingly useful to the Mission. After having long been 
 loved and honoured by all who knew him, he died some 
 years ago, finishing his course with joy in the full faith 
 and hope of a Christian. 
 
 * See a Tribute for the Negro by Wilson Armistead, page 459.
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. CAFFRARIA. 
 
 THE Gaffers inhabit the country to the north-east 
 of Cape Colony, as far as Natal. They are a tall 
 athletic race of black men, with curly hair and features 
 often approaching to a European or Asiatic model. 
 Some of their national customs seem to connect them 
 with the descendants of Ishmael, or with people who 
 have imitated Ishmaelitish practices. They consist 
 chiefly of three tribes, the Amaponda, Amakosa, and 
 Amatemba or Tamboukies ; to which some add the 
 Zulus. Their country is diversified with hills and 
 ravines, forest and bush. In some parts the numerous 
 villages and cultivated patches of ground, with the 
 flocks and herds on the pastures, give it a smiling air 
 of peace and plenty ; but the travellers found some of 
 the fairest districts desolated by the War of 1836 or 
 by the intestine feuds which perpetually rage among 
 the native tribes. There are many Missionary 
 Stations in Cafferland, and James Backhouse and 
 G. W. Walker found that a visit to these could be 
 made most quickly and easily on horseback: the 
 wagon was therefore left at Philipton till their 
 return. Their course through the extra-colonial 
 country was nearly parallel with the sea-coast, at 
 from fifty to 100 miles inland ; and in returning they 
 descended at the Kei and Fish rivers nearly to the 
 shore of the Ocean.
 
 348 TYUMIE. [1839. 
 
 2 mo. 5. In the afternoon we commenced our journey. 
 J. Read and his son accompanied us some miles on the road 
 to Tyumie, our destination for the night. The kloofs or valleys 
 of the mountains are clothed with wood, but those through 
 which we wound our way are studded with the cottages of 
 the Hottentots, and being at this time covered with verdure, 
 and diversified by patches of cultivation, they awakened 
 many pleasing impressions connected with the improving 
 condition of the inhabitants. As we crossed the high ridge of 
 hills that forms the boundary between the Colony and 
 Caffraria, the day was declining, and we had to grope our 
 way down a descent of some miles to Tyumie. William 
 and Mary Chalmers, of the Glasgow Missionary Society, 
 welcomed us with Christian cordiality. 
 
 6th. We visited the family of James Weir, formerly an 
 assistant to W. Chalmers ; and he being from home, we 
 spent a part of the evening with his wife and mother, 
 who are pious persons. The latter was a very active 
 woman during the period of her connection with the church 
 in Glasgow, of which Dr. Chalmers is the pastor. She is one 
 of the few women out of the pale of our own Society, who 
 have thought it their place to teach and exhort, and way 
 appears to have been made for her labours by the eminent 
 minister above named. She still retains much of her energy 
 of mind. We had some interesting conversation with her 
 respecting the anti-scriptural restraint imposed on women 
 regarding ministry, by the constitution and discipline of 
 most Christian Churches, with reference to which her views 
 seem to accord with those entertained by Friends. 
 
 7th. We were present at the morning meeting for worship 
 held at sunrise in the Chapel. My dear companion and 
 myself had service therein, Wm. Chalmers interpreting. It 
 was a time of peculiar solemnity. Before parting we dined 
 with W. and M. Chalmers, and had a sweet contriting season, 
 in which we had to impart the language of encouragement to 
 them, and to petition for the continued extension of the 
 Divine blessing on them and the people who form the special 
 objects of their care. I observed Mary Chalmers talking with
 
 CHAP. 21.] BLOCK DRIFT. 349 
 
 one of the Gaffers on the preceding day, for she has acquired 
 the language ; and though I could not understand the con- 
 versation, it was evident by the tears that stole down the 
 cheeks of the sturdy Gaffer, that her words found their way 
 to his heart and produced conviction. Among the un- 
 awakened natives tears are accounted a mark of weakness, 
 and subject the individual who is thus overcome by his 
 feelings, to the contempt of his fellows. But it is generally 
 one of the first effects of Divine Power to take away the 
 stony heart and substitute the heart of flesh. William 
 Chalmers accompanied us to Block Drift in Tyumie Vale, the 
 residence of Charles Lennox Stretch, the Diplomatic Agent 
 of the Graika Tribes of Amakosa Gaffers. We made a circuit, 
 in order to visit Tyalie, one of the Chiefs, a son of the late 
 Graika. We found him in his hut, which was distinguished 
 from the rest by its larger dimensions, surrounded by his 
 counsellors. He came out to afford us an interview. Our 
 conductor explained to him the object of our visit to the 
 country, which he acknowledged was good ; and he signified 
 that we were henceforward under his protection. In reference 
 to our views respecting war which were briefly communicated, 
 he remarked, that it was evident we were men of peace, and 
 came among them as friends, for we carried no guns in our 
 hands but samboks (whips). We expressed our 'satisfaction 
 at seeing his people dwelling in peace, cultivating the land, 
 and rearing cattle, because we desired the present and eternal 
 happiness of our fellow-creatures, which such pursuits were 
 calculated to promote, rather than war which was inimical to 
 both. Reference was made to the blessings which the Grospel 
 confers on a nation, and the example of our own country was 
 adduced as a proof ; and some description was given of the 
 state in which our forefathers were found prior to its intro- 
 duction. Tyalie received the remarks courteously, and in- 
 timated that he had heard of these things from Tzatzoe. 
 There was little appearance however of interest in his mind 
 on the subject of religion, or of openness to listen to counsel 
 of a religious nature. 
 
 10th. First-day. Block Drift. We had an opportunity in 
 the afternoon of giving full expression to our feelings of
 
 350 C. L. STRETCH. [1839. 
 
 Christian interest on behalf of the natives, a considerable 
 number of whom assembled under a tree. As I was walking 
 out in the evening, I was accosted by one of the Gaffer herds- 
 men who had not been present at the meeting, and who asked 
 me to tell him " the word " I had been speaking to his 
 countrymen. On repeating a little of what had been spoken, 
 he observed, that " they were good words and while the mis- 
 sionaries were talking to them about these things, it was 
 pleasant to listen to them ; but that the devil was in their 
 hearts and he took the words out of their hearts." I told 
 him many of us had known this by experience to be true, and 
 therefore we felt the necessity of exhorting one another, and 
 keeping the word in remembrance both by conversing about 
 it when we felt its importance, and by reading it in the 
 Bible, until the power of God prevailed in the heart, and 
 it became changed and no longer loved sin. 
 
 llth. At one period spirits were brought into Caffraria ; 
 they are now strictly prohibited, and all traffic in intoxi- 
 cating liquors renders the offender liable to confiscation of 
 property. On a recent occasion 0. L. Stretch had to inter- 
 pose his authority in a case of the kind, in which the agent of 
 a merchant in the Colony had received warning to avoid 
 traffic in spirits, of which he was supposed to be guilty. 
 Being afterwards detected, he was sent a prisoner into the 
 Colony, the Diplomatic Agent forwarding a letter to the 
 man's employer, who sent another man to take charge of the 
 property of which C. L. Stretch had meantime held possession. 
 By this excellent arrangement a stop has been put to a 
 practice that would have deluged the country with a torrent 
 of iniquity. 
 
 This morning Makomo and several of his wives and at- 
 tendants came over from Blinkwater. Probably Makomo 
 entertained some notion that we were visiting the country in 
 an official capacity, as almost the first subject that he broached 
 was his dispossession of the Kat Eiverj, on which he feels very 
 keenly. We told him we were not prepared to defend every 
 action that our countrymen or the British Government had 
 done ; but with respect to the territory in question, it was
 
 CHAP. 21.] MAKOMO. 351 
 
 now densely peopled with Hottentots, and to make any new 
 arrangements in regard to the occupation of the land would be 
 attended with much injustice to its present possessors, and he 
 might be quite assured the British Government would not 
 now make any change. He asked, " How would you like 
 me to take off your shoe ?" We explained to him the object 
 of our visit to his country ; that we were but private indi- 
 viduals seeking to discharge our duty to God and to our 
 fellow creatures, and had no power with the Government to 
 arbitrate betwixt him and them. But we had the power of 
 telling our countrymen at home what wo knew of the state of 
 the nations we visited ; that if there was anything that 
 needed correction the people must lift up their voice to have 
 it corrected. In this way good men fought with their pens, 
 not with their swords. "We then explained our views and 
 practice in regard to war, and that though some Christians 
 used the sword, we did not look upon such as strictly following 
 the commands of Christ, who had forbidden the use of the 
 sword, and had taught that mankind were to love their 
 enemies. Makomo replied, that it was good for us to try 
 to do good to all mankind, not to Gaffers or one particular 
 nation only. He thought it right that the slaves should have 
 their liberty. He hoped that the Almighty would preserve us 
 in safety to the end of our journey, and restore us to our 
 country. Makomo dined with us at C. L. Stretch's table. 
 When a suitable occasion offered I took him aside and spoke 
 to him plainly on the subject of his intemperance, which has 
 much increased of late, and is said to be very much promoted 
 by his association with some Military Officers at Fort Beaufort, 
 who take a pleasure in plying him with the bottle. The 
 Chief seemed to feel what was said, and would have been glad 
 to have got a little from under the weight of it, by throwing 
 the responsibility upon others. There was a good deal of force 
 in some of his remarks. " Why " he asked, " does the Govern- 
 ment open Canteens ? If spirits are so bad, the Queen should 
 prohibit the manufacture, and not allow her subjects to sell 
 them." " The British," he observed, "had taught the Gaffers 
 to drink, and it was the British Government that should put 
 a stop to the sale of the liquor. It was not allowed to be sold
 
 352 IRRIGATION. [1839. 
 
 in Cafferland. Why had not they been told the evil of 
 drinking ardent spirits?" I reminded him that the Mis- 
 sionaries had always condemned drunkenness ; for God had 
 declared that no drunkard should inherit the kingdom of 
 Heaven. " Where did Grod say so ?" asked the Chief. I said, 
 In the Bible. But Grod had also told him this in his own 
 heart. I was sure he had been condemned for this sin in the 
 secret of his own heart. It was God's voice, God's Spirit, that 
 thus reproved him : it was not my wish to condemn him, any 
 further than Grod condemned Mm, but in love to his soul to 
 warn him. God had put it into my heart to speak to him on 
 the subject. He was Chief of a numerous people, who looked 
 up to him for example and instruction. I wished to see him 
 respected, and a blessing to his people, which he could only be, 
 as he walked in the fear of God. He made little reply : we 
 shook hands, and I left him to his own reflections. Charles 
 Brownlee was our interpreter. We learn from James Bead 
 that there was a time when Makomo was under serious im- 
 pressions, and when, if spoken to about his eternal welfare, 
 he was much contrited. But the indulgence of this sad 
 propensity is calculated to harden his heart, and there is 
 little doubt it has rendered him much more obtuse to religious 
 convictions. 
 
 We walked to see a great work in which C. L. Stretch is 
 engaged ; leading out the water of the Tyumie, at a higher 
 level, so as, when the project is completed, to throw at least a 
 thousand acres under irrigation. The distance the water will 
 have to be carried by means of " sloets," or ditches is three 
 miles. In some places it is fourteen feet deep, and the 
 Gaffers have proved themselves no contemptible workmen, the 
 soil having been ejected at a single throw. C. L. Stretch is 
 known among the Gaffers by the honorable appellation of 
 Xololizwa, Lover of Peace. 
 
 12th. We accompanied Richard Birt to the kraal of 
 Botma, a chief of the Gaika family. We addressed him on 
 the importance of religious subjects. He very politely 
 thanked us in a short speech. He is very tall, upwards 
 of six feet, and his commanding person, when dressed in a
 
 CHAP. 21.] KNAPSHOPE. 353 
 
 full suit of black cloth, with an easy, graceful carriage, gave 
 him quite the appearance of a gentleman. Our whole party, 
 consisting of C. L. Stretch, R. and E. Birt, J. B. and myself, 
 partook of some refreshment, on mats spread on the floor of 
 the hut, along with Botma and one of his wives, a daughter, 
 and one or two of his Amapakati. 
 
 Having engaged a Gaffer named Hendrik Nooka as inter- 
 preter and guide, recommended by C. L. Stretch, we took 
 leave of our friends at Block Drift and proceeded to Knapshope 
 on the Keiskamma, where Frederick Kayzer is stationed. 
 Here we also met with John Ludwig Doehne, whose wife had 
 been staying at Knapshope, and who had come from the in- 
 terior in consequence of the death of their infant. 
 
 14th. The interment of L. Doehne's infant took place this 
 forenoon. There is something peculiarly affecting in the 
 circumstance of the missionary family which loses one of its 
 members by death, surrounded by heathens and separated 
 from all the dearest connections of life. Yet as I stood by 
 the grave of the innocent child, so soon snatched as it had 
 been from a mother's tender care, I thought of the gracious 
 superintendence of Him who neither slumbers nor sleeps, 
 who is the never failing refuge of those who put their trust 
 in him. And the consideration that not a sparrow falls to 
 the ground without the permission of their Heavenly Father, 
 and the feeling of divine love in their hearts, can bear up the 
 spirits of the pious missionary and his family, and doubtless 
 does not unfrequently enable them to rejoice, even in the 
 midst of tribulation. Many however are the trials and dis- 
 couragements of the faithful labourer in a heathen land. The 
 education of his children is a matter that often furnishes 
 occasion for solicitude. F. Q-. and M. C. Kayzer have several 
 children, and their oldest daughter is now of an age to send 
 to school. But it is not all whose circumstances admit of 
 their sending their children from home, and it often happens 
 that there is no suitable establishment in the country where 
 the missionary sojourns. In such case he must either keep 
 them at home in a state of exclusion from general society, 
 where their minds would expand and their best feelings bo
 
 354 NOTONDO. f!839. 
 
 strengthened by intercourse beyond the circle of their own 
 fireside, or he must send them to Europe, just at an age when 
 the opening faculties of the mind peculiarly need the fostering 
 care of a parent. What a trial is here for pious and 
 affectionate parents to have to commit their children to the 
 care of strangers under circumstances that frequently involve 
 separation for life. It is moving to hear the references of 
 missionaries who have been thus bereft of their children, to 
 these objects of their tender solicitude. The lighting up of 
 the countenance, succeeded by the trickling of the silent tear, 
 especially down the cheek of the mother, are continued 
 reminiscences to their friends of the strength and perpetuity 
 of parental affection. 
 
 15th. In the course of the morning we walked with 
 F. Gr. Kayzer to Notondo's Kraal. The Gaffer population 
 is numerous in these parts, and many of the people greeted 
 us as we passed their huts. There is an openness of manner, 
 and an appearance of good-nature observable in the coun- 
 tenances of the natives, that bespeaks them anything but 
 a ferocious people, though their habits in many respects 
 may be barbarous. Notondo, though a great-grandmother, 
 is still a person of interesting countenance, and does not 
 seem aged. The Gaffer women, like all the natives of low 
 latitudes, marry very young. There is an expression of intelli- 
 gence in her countenance, and a refinement in her manners, 
 that bespeak her a woman above the ordinary rank as well in 
 mind as station. She seemed pleased at our having called to 
 see her, especially on being informed through our conductor, 
 that we were of the same religious body as the persons who 
 had made her son a handsome present. She was surrounded 
 by female attendants, but did not affect any sort of state. 
 Notondo is a pretty regular attendant on public worship, and 
 frequently visits the Missionary's family, with whom she is on 
 very good terms. At these times she is dressed in European 
 costume, and is then invited to sit at table ; but it is a rule 
 adopted pretty generally by the missionaries, that even chiefs 
 shall not receive this mark of respect unless attired in the 
 garb of civilization. When they appear in the kaross they
 
 CHAP. 21.] F. G. KAYZER. 355 
 
 have to sit in the kitchen, or outside the dwelling. The Gaffer 
 costume is often far from affording a sufficient covering to 
 accord with European ideas of delicacy. 
 
 We were pleased with the Christian simplicity and devoted- 
 ness of F. G. Kayzer and his worthy helpmeet, and were 
 struck with their manner of bringing up their numerous 
 offspring, who are trained in the use of four languages, 
 viz. Dutch, German, English and Caffer. When it is con- 
 sidered how much easier it is to acquire a language in youth 
 than at more advanced periods of life, the advantage of 
 teaching their children to speak those languages with which 
 they themselves are familiar, is apparent ; and it does not 
 involve so much additional trouble as might be imagined. 
 I was impressed likewise with the advantage of the plan 
 adopted at seasons of family reading. Before commencing 
 to read the Scriptures, F. G. Kayzer questions the children 
 as to the contents of the chapter last read in course, by which 
 means a habit of attention is induced, and scriptural truths 
 are fixed on the memory. 
 
 After dinner we proceeded to Igquibigha, a few miles 
 distant, and were kindly welcomed by Robert Nevin, of the 
 Glasgow Missionary Society. 
 
 In his diary of their sojourn at this place, George 
 W. Walker speaks of the abominations of heathenism 
 as practiced by the Gaffers before the Missionaries 
 went amongst them. After describing some of these, 
 he remarks : 
 
 It is necessary that these things, however revolting, should 
 be made known, that the state of the heathen should not be 
 regarded by any as a state of comparative innocence, but 
 that being exposed in its naked deformity, all who desire 
 the welfare of their fellow creatures may be put upon con- 
 sidering what is the part they ought to take in spreading the 
 knowledge of the gospel, which can alone remedy the moral 
 diseases of our fallen race. 
 
 On the 18th, he continues, We left Igquibigha for 
 Bums Hill, II. Nevin giving us his company. On the roai
 
 356 SUTU AND SANDILLI, [1839, 
 
 there is a fine view of the Amatola Hills, celebrated as the 
 seat of the late war. These mountains afforded the natives a 
 secure retreat from their pursuers, whose cavalry could not 
 follow them into the natural fastnesses with which they 
 abound. Hither also the Gaffers drove their cattle, concealing 
 them amidst the tliickets, and in general eluding detection. 
 The natural obstacles the country presents to the march of an 
 invader were made the best use of by their intelligent chief 
 Makomo, so as very much to baffle the attempts of Sir 
 Benjamin D'Urban to effect their complete subjugation. 
 Burns Hill is occupied by James Laing, a Glasgow mis- 
 sionary, and his artizan assistant, Alexander M'Diarmid. 
 
 19th. We visited the kraal of Gaika's widow, or great 
 wife, Sutu. We found her reclining on a mat spread on the 
 floor, surrounded by her attendants who were stretched with 
 like indolence on the ground. Though not personally 
 unfriendly to the Missionaries, she is inimical to the self- 
 denying precepts of the religion of Christ, and is in mind and 
 disposition a true Gaffer. 
 
 20th. We saw the young chief Sandilli, the successor of 
 Gaika, whose minority is nearly expired. He is tall and of 
 an open agreeable countenance, but of little promise in regard 
 to mental power, and is lame, one leg being shorter than the 
 other. We made him and his sister who is an interesting 
 looking young woman, small presents, and spoke to them on 
 the advantages of learning to read and write, and of listening 
 to the instruction of the missionaries. 
 
 Bode to the next Missionary Station called Pirie, where 
 J. Ross of the Glasgow Society is engaged in religious labour. 
 There are forty kraals within a circuit of five miles. 
 
 21st. Proceeded to the Buffalo River, where, at King 
 William's Town, there is a London Missionary Station, at 
 which we were kindly welcomed by John Brownlee and his 
 family. 
 
 22nd. We left the Buffalo River, for Bethel, twenty- 
 six miles distant. We met several Gaffers on horseback 
 and with guns. One of them we recognized as a person
 
 CHAP. 21.] J. L, DOEHNE. 357 
 
 of rank, from his leopard skin kaross. It proved to be the 
 Chief, Umhala ; Gacella and he divide the authority over 
 the Amokosa. We briefly explained to him the object of 
 our travelling through his country, and he was pleased to 
 pronounce it " good." It was pleasant to reach the snug 
 dwelling of our friend J. L. Doehne, who was expecting 
 us. Bethel is situated on the Kabousi, whose waters never 
 fail ; and the missionary is indebted for his well chosen posi- 
 tion, with abundance of grass, wood and water, to the judicious 
 counsel of Gacella, among whose people he is labouring. 
 
 28th, Gacella is one of the most intelligent of his class, 
 and appears to be more alive to the improvement of his peo- 
 ple than almost any of his cotemporaries. He has shown his 
 respect and deference for the Missionary, by placing at his 
 disposal all the land that is capable of being brought under 
 irrigation in the vicinity of the Settlement. J. L. Doehne is 
 not slack in denouncing evil, whether in Chief or people. On 
 one occasion he was so plain in reproving Gacella for some 
 impropriety of a moral kind, that the Chief took umbrage, and 
 in the warmth of his feelings, told him to remember that he 
 was the Chief. The Missionary no way daunted, mildly ob- 
 served that he was well aware of that, but that he was the 
 Chiefs Missionary, and if he omitted, to warn him when he 
 did that which was contrary to the will of God, he should 
 fail in the discharge of his duty. The next day Gacolla had 
 the candour to send for him, and acknowledge that he had 
 been in tho wrong, and that the missionary had only dis- 
 charged his duty. 
 
 J. L. Doehne had the satisfaction of averting a war that 
 was pending between Umhala and Gacella, not very long 
 since. In the course of the negociation, he was witness to a 
 singular piece of superstition, prior to the observance of which 
 no hostilities can be engaged in. War being determined on, 
 the Chief and his warriors assemble at the Great Place or 
 Chiefs Kraal, dressed in full war costume, which consists of 
 the two wings of the Blue Crane, bound to the forehead in 
 ail erect position, with a bundle of assegais in the hand. The 
 " Doctor," who on this as on most other important occasions
 
 358 WAR INCANTATIONS. BUTTERWORTH. [1839. 
 
 acts a very conspicuous part, is decorated in a most gro- 
 tesque manner to prepare him for going through his farce. 
 First he binds a leopard's skin round his loins, and another 
 round his breast; a quagga's tail is wrapped round each 
 arm in such a way as to make the hair stand erect ; and a 
 hyena's skin, including the head, ears, &c. is attached to 
 his head. His whole body is then decorated with the skins 
 of wild beasts, the tails all hanging downwards, till the 
 man is twice his ordinary bulk. His face is painted with 
 red and white spots, upon a groundwork of black. Thus 
 equipped he repairs to the kraal, and commences his opera- 
 tions. In the centre of the Cattle Kraal (which is a circular 
 enclosure of thorn-bushes, and is the sanctum sanctorum 
 of the Gaffers), a large iron pot is placed on the fire, into 
 which is put a quantity of roots without water. "When these 
 begin to burn and the smoke to rise, the Chief and fighting 
 men make a short excursion beyond the kraal, during which 
 they carefully abstain from any act of violence. On their re- 
 turn, the Chief approaches the Cattle Kraal in a contrary 
 direction to the wind, and in such a position as that his person 
 shall become enveloped in smoke ; and afterwards the war- 
 riors advance in like manner ; they also dip their assagai 
 heads into the smoke as it ascends from the pot. The Doc- 
 tor then goes round and round them, uttering his pretended 
 incantations, and using a variety of gestures and strange con- 
 tortions, during the course of which he becomes wrought up 
 to such a pitch of excitement that every muscle of his frame 
 seems to be in motion. The assumed effect of all this is to 
 render every warrior invincible, as well as invulnerable, to 
 strengthen every limb and give efficacy to every weapon. 
 The Doctor causes two upright poles to be driven into the 
 ground in the centre of the Chief's Kraal ; to the top of these 
 are suspended three falcons ; and it is believed by the con- 
 tending parties on either side, that whoever approaches from 
 the ranks of the hostile party, so as to come within sight of 
 these birds, will infallibly die. 
 
 The next station beyond Bethel was Butterworth, 
 belonging to the Wesleyans. They found the
 
 CHAP. 21.] HUNGRY DETENTION. 359 
 
 country between, verdant - and beautiful after the 
 rains which had laterly fallen in abundance. From 
 the same cause the Kei River, which they had to 
 cross, had overflowed ; and their detention on its 
 banks obliged them to undergo a long and painful 
 fast. 
 
 3 mo. 1 We descended to the river by a very precipitous 
 and rocky path. On reaching the brink we found the waters 
 overflowing to a degree that forbad all idea of crossing that 
 day ; and as we had no wish to re-ascend the formidable 
 acclivity, it was concluded patiently to wait till the following 
 morning, with the hope that by that time the waters would 
 have sufficiently subsided to admit of crossing. We now found 
 the disadvantage of having refused our good friend J. L. 
 Decline's offer of provision for the way, for we had anticipated 
 reaching our destination the same night. Happily we had 
 had a hearty drink of sour milk before noon, at the kraal 
 where a guide had been obtained, so that we were not so 
 badly off, though having to go supperless to bed. There 
 were some old huts left by Gaffers : these were repaired a little 
 by our people, who also spread a few rushes on the floor, and 
 here we passed the night. 
 
 2nd. At dawn of day, our attendants, Hendrik Nooka 
 and Habul Matroos, waded some distance into the river, 
 but found it unsafe to proceed. Under these circum- 
 stances we deemed it most prudent to send Hendrik back 
 to the nearest Gaffer kraal, to obtain assistance from persons 
 who knew the ground, and to procure a supply of milk ; for 
 we all began to feel the pinchings of hunger. We tried 
 meanwhile a little gum from the Acacias or Uornbooms ; but 
 either that or something else made me very unwell, so that 
 I found it not easy to move from the spot where I had rested 
 during the night. The gum issues from the excoriated bark 
 of these bushes after rain. About two P. M. Hendrik 
 returned, bringing with him three stout young Gaffers, whom 
 their Gliief, Umbone, had sent to assist us, with a message of 
 friendly rebuke for not having spent the previous night at his
 
 360 CAFFER HOSPITALITY. [1839. 
 
 kraal, where, he said, we should have been heartily welcome. 
 A very acceptable present of two large baskets of thick milk 
 accompanied this friendly embassy. The young men tried 
 several places in the river without venturing to proceed ; but 
 at last determined on making the passage a little lower down, 
 where the waters spread themselves, and there is a little island 
 in the centre of the river. Here one of them succeeded in 
 getting to the opposite bank, partly by means of a strong 
 stick, and partly by swimming ; he then tried with a horse, 
 and we all followed, the stream just admitting of the animals 
 keeping their feet, though with considerable risk. We dis- 
 missed our willing helpers, rewarding them to their content, 
 and sending also a present that we knew would be acceptable 
 to their Chief. We then resumed our route over a series of 
 rough stony hills, not a little thankful to Grod, for the pre- 
 servation from injury we had experienced, and for being 
 brought thus far on our desired route. It was now evening, 
 and the direction necessary to be taken to regain the usual 
 track, was circuitous, so that there was no possibility of 
 reaching Butterworth that night. Not being acquainted 
 with the country we got out of the right course among some 
 steep and rocky hills, with which this part abounds ; so that 
 it was not without much toil, leading our horses nearly all 
 the way, that we at last made the open part of a natural 
 basin, surrounded by an amphitheatre of hills, where we had 
 seen some Caifer kraals from the heights. But the shades of 
 night having now come over us, and a considerable copse of 
 dense bush lying between us and the kraals, which were on 
 the other side of the valley, we should have hardly succeeded 
 in reaching the spot, had not a friendly native, who cast up 
 just at this juncture, lent us his aid. By his assistance we soon 
 reached one of the kraals and experienced a hospitable reception 
 from the Headman, who assigned us a hut in which to bestow 
 ourselves and luggage. But the night being serene and 
 mild, we much preferred the open air, for the heat would 
 have rendered the ulterior almost insupportable. A basket of 
 sweet milk, fresh from the cow was brought us ; and shortly 
 afterwards a huge basket, the largest I had seen as a drinking 
 vessel, containing probably three gallons of thick milk. The
 
 CHAP. 21.] BUTTERWORTH. 361 
 
 young man who brought it, the nephew of our host, first 
 lifted it to his mouth, and the Headman having seated him- 
 self beside us to hear a little of the news, also partook, to 
 assure the strangers that there was nothing deleterious in the 
 beverage. The contents of the basket were then placed 
 at our disposal ; and after all had freely partaken, the 
 sweet milk was put into the emptied basket, that a repast 
 might be ready for use on starting early the next morning. 
 The natives do not milk the first thing in the morning, 
 but generally at ten or eleven o'clock, and again at 
 sunset. By letting the cattle feed in the morning before 
 milking, it is supposed a more copious quantity of milk is 
 obtained. The thick milk is prepared in large sacks made of 
 bullock hide. A portion of the contents, generally about a 
 third, is left in the bag after each meal ; it is then filled up 
 with sweet milk, and about an hour subsequently, the contents, 
 after being well shaken, are fit for use and are a wholesome 
 and nutritious beverage. The Gaffers and Fingoes, whose 
 chief food it is, are remarkably healthy and athletic. The 
 Headman was very conversable, and through the medium of 
 Hendrik Nooka, addressed to us a variety of questions con- 
 cerning English customs and modes of living. In answering 
 these we endeavoured to communicate a little instruction in 
 things natural and spiritual ; but with respect to the latter it 
 is not very easy to make such as have had no previous 
 instruction apprehend the most commonly received and plainest 
 truths of Christianity. Yet accustomed as Friends are, to 
 appeal to every man's own experience of the first workings of 
 the Divine Spirit on the mind, producing some measure of 
 conviction of sin and condemnation for it, they have a great 
 advantage over many, who in dealing with the dark and 
 ignorant, address them in a more refined and abstract way. 
 
 3rd. Hose before the sun and saddled up, proposing to 
 reach Biitterworth early. Before taking leave of our hospitable . 
 entertainer, we presented him with a knife, handkercliief &. 
 with which he was much pleased. We arrived at Butterworth 
 before eleven having ridden twenty-seven miles. The mis- 
 sionary was absent at the district meeting in Grahams Town.
 
 362 JOHN AYLIFFE. [1839. 
 
 William Macdowal Fynn, tlie Diplomatic Agent to the Ama- 
 temba, conducted the devotional exercises, and preached to the 
 people in Dutch, a native translating it sentence by sentence 
 into Gaffer. My dear companion also spoke to them, W. M. 
 Fynn turning it into Dutch, and the native teacher again into 
 his own tongue. In the afternoon one of the native teachers 
 preached, and also engaged in supplication, I thought with 
 much weight and evidence of right feeling. My own way 
 opened for communication in testimony. The congregation 
 was small ; the people having generally left these parts and 
 retired to the upper districts of the Kei, for fear of being sur- 
 prised by the Amaponda tribe. 
 
 4th. A considerable portion of this day was spent in the 
 company of William M. Fynn. He has lately returned from 
 the country of the Amaponda, where he has been mediating 
 as a peace-maker, and has brought back an elephant's tooth as 
 a pledge from N'Cpai, the chief of the Fitcani, (who are allies 
 of the Amaponda), that he will not resume hostilities against 
 the Tambookies unless fresh provocation is received. This 
 Chief has long been the terror of the Gaffer tribes ; yet from 
 what we hear, he does not seem to be devoid either of sense 
 or feeling. Among the favourable points in his character may 
 be mentioned, his earnest solicitude for a missionary ; he says, 
 that if a missionary would but come and teach his people, it 
 should be seen that he would no more go out on plundering 
 expeditions as in times past, " he and his warriors would then 
 sit still." 
 
 John Ayliife, a very useful and esteemed labourer of the 
 Wesleyan Body was the founder of this Mission. The people 
 still refer to him in terms of affection, and desire his return ; 
 and his son passing this way lately, they were ready to lay 
 hands on him, and retain him as a hostage, with the view of 
 inducing his father to return. It is strange that the Wesleyans 
 should so pertinaciously adhere to the itinerating system in a 
 country like this, where the state of society is so extremely 
 different from that of England. The inconveniences of 
 frequent removals are very great, and do not appear to be 
 counterbalanced by any corresponding benefit.
 
 CHAP. 21.] RUMOURS OF WAR. 363 
 
 5th. We left Butterworth for the next Missionary Staton, 
 called Clarkebury, also belonging to the Wesleyans. It is 
 forty-five miles from the one to the other, over a fine, open, 
 grassy country, capable of sustaining a numerous population, 
 but now is converted by wars into a land nearly without in- 
 habitants. The relics of the native huts are visible in many 
 places, and the corn and pumpkins have sprung up in 
 many of the deserted gardens, but no one is there to reap 
 the crops. 
 
 6th. The Catechists are generally elected from the Assis- 
 tant Artisans, and in point of utility and devotedness are 
 (names aside) Missionaries. They have no voice however in 
 the direction of the mission affairs, which rests exclusively 
 with the missionaries and the District Meeting. They are 
 not even allowed to be present at the deliberative meetings in 
 promotion of the general interests of the mission ; a restriction 
 which appears to be neither consistent with Christian liberty, 
 nor charity, nor with the interests of the mission itself. We 
 had a satisfactory religious interview with the people on the 
 Station this evening, in which Joseph Warner, the catechist 
 interpreted for us. After the meeting one of the people who 
 had been present remarked to J. W. that he perceived there 
 were different modes of worshipping God, but the word was 
 the same. 
 
 7th. Proceeded to Morley, the next station, fifty miles 
 distant. Information had been just received of an expedition 
 of the Fitcani and Amaponda being on its way to attack some 
 of the people close to the Morley station, and putting the people 
 of Morley on their guard, lest their cattle should become a 
 prey. Attacks of this nature are generally made at the dawn 
 of day ; few therefore went to rest that night, even the 
 catechist thinking it best to sit up and be prepared for what- 
 ever exigency might occur ; and though we were too wearied 
 with our day's journey not to avail ourselves of repose, we felt, 
 in committing ourselves to the omnipotent care of the ever- 
 wukoful Shepherd of Israel, that it was far from improbable 
 we might be aroused from our sleep by the shout of war.
 
 364 MISSIONARY STATIONS. [1839. 
 
 8th. The morning star appeared, followed by the cheering 
 light of a returning day, without the dreaded arrival of Faku's 
 warriors, and hopes were entertained that the report might 
 be without foundation, especially when it was remembered 
 how often such rumours had ended in nought. For this is 
 proverbially a land in which wars, and still more the rumours 
 of wars, prevail. The Amaponda and Fitcani do not carry a 
 bundle of assagais to hurl at the foe as do the Amakosa and 
 Amatemba, but use one or two only, of shorter length, and 
 adapted for close combat. This is one reason that has 
 inspired them with a more than ordinary dread of their 
 northern antagonists. To render themselves more independent 
 of fire which betrays the approach of an army, the Amaponda, 
 since their union with the Fitcani, have inured themselves 
 to eat raw flesh in imitation of their new allies. 
 
 The missionary stations throughout Caffraria, are the re- 
 sort of the destitute, the maimed, the halt, the blind, and the 
 oppressed. Here, while the hand of mercy is judiciously 
 extended for their relief, and their hearts are softened by 
 kindness and affliction, they are peculiarly sensible to the 
 benign influences of the gospel. Nowhere more conspicuously 
 than at the missionary stations does the " quality of mercy " 
 prove itself to be indeed " blessed." When a Gaffer has taken 
 shelter " under the kaross " of the missionary, thenceforward 
 he feels he is on comparatively firm ground. The Stations are 
 literally " cities of refuge." The chiefs regard the people 
 attached to them as very much out of the pale of their juris- 
 diction. There is consequently a judicial power vested in the 
 missionaries ; indeed they may have to exercise the part both 
 of judge and jury, and to punish the offender (fines of cattle 
 are the common penalty) ; and great discretion is required on 
 their part not to give undue offence. Missionaries seem 
 forced into a position of this sort, whether they will or not ; 
 and the power is maintained with various degrees of authority 
 dependent on their talents and temperaments, the character 
 of the neighbouring chief and minor contingencies. 
 
 9th. No further tidings of the Fitcani having reached the 
 settlement, we determined to proceed in the direction of
 
 CHAP. 21.] BUNTINGVILLE. 365 
 
 Buntingville in the Amaponda country, which is forty-two 
 miles north of Morley, and the most remote of the missionary 
 stations in Caflraria. Philip Amm, the catechist, kindly ac- 
 companied us to the opposite bank of the Umtata. After 
 leaving this river, the richness of the vegetation increases, so 
 as, if possible, to surpass the beautiful district round Morley. 
 But alas ! not an inhabitant is to be seen. The grass was 
 higher than we were on horseback ; but no flocks or herds 
 fatten on these luxuriant pastures. The wickedness of man 
 has been permitted to defeat the gracious designs of the 
 Creator, who gave the earth to produce corn for the sustenance 
 of man and grass for the cattle, and by the fertility with which 
 he has crowned this part of the globe, proves how contrary it 
 is to his will that his creatures should perish for lack of food. 
 About half way we met four of Faku's warriors whom we 
 could distinguish by their curiously wrought chaplets of hair, 
 which they form into rings, leaving the space in the centre 
 bare. Faku's residence is on the bank of the Umzinivooboo, 
 thirty miles further north than Buntingville ; N'Cpai and the 
 Fitcani, or Amahoash, lie a day's journey to the east of the 
 same river. It was nearly two hours after dark ere we reached 
 Buntingville, and we were very much fatigued ; but every 
 needful attention was shown us by Thomas Wakeford, the 
 assistant artizan, and his wife. 
 
 1 1th. The Gaffers have a great fear of the dead ; and 
 their superstitious notions connected with the touching of a 
 corpse are such, that in cases of mortality even of near 
 relatives they will hardly afford any assistance. After death 
 the hut of the deceased is burned along with the kaross and 
 other personal attire. It may have been from this circum- 
 stance that the barbarous custom originated of removing the 
 dying into the bush and abandoning them to the wild beasts. 
 Since the establishment of missions this horrid practice has 
 been gradually falling into disuse. 
 
 The travellers had now reached the extreme point 
 of their journey into Cafferland, having travelled con- 
 siderably more than half way between the boundary
 
 366 MORLEY AND CLARKEBURY. [1839. 
 
 of the Colony and Port Natal. In their return they 
 retraced their steps as far as Butterworth, from which 
 station they made a loop ride to the southward, 
 crossing the Kei River not far from its mouth, and 
 coming again into their former track at Bethel. A 
 little before reaching Bethel, they stopped at the 
 Kraal of the chief Gacella, of whom mention has 
 been made. 
 
 12th. After a solemn religious season with T. Wakeford's 
 family, we left to return to Morley. In crossing the 
 Umgaziana we turned aside a few paces to see a waterfall. 
 The bed of the river at this spot is formed by a series of 
 rocks, like so many huge steps, over which the water is 
 precipitated into a large and tranquil basin. Down the valley 
 a number of woody and abrupt cliffs jut out one beyond 
 another till they fade away in the distance. We reached the 
 Umtata about five, p. M. where we found our kind Mend 
 P. A mm. awaiting our arrival with relays of horses. Under 
 his convoy we were favoured to reach Morley in safety by 
 sunset. 
 
 15th. We left Morley and arrived at Clarkebury a little 
 after dark. 
 
 17th. Attended the morning and afternoon religious 
 meetings of the Gaffers, in the former of which Joseph 
 Warner and my companion addressed the people ; in the 
 latter the labour devolved upon me. The change in some 
 who have received the gospel at this station, has given 
 occasion for a striking comment : " The power of the gospel 
 is indeed wonderful," said one, " there is such a one who 
 used to be a pest to our community ; so violent and quarrel- 
 some was he that no one could live with him in peace ; but 
 now that he has received the grace of Gfod into his heart he 
 is one of the best and most orderly in the place." 
 
 After a solemn religious season with Joseph Warner and 
 his family, we left for Butterworth, where we arrived the 
 same evening.
 
 CHAP. 21.] GACELLA. 367 
 
 20th. Between Butterworth and the Kei the Gaffer kraals 
 were numerous, and we met several parties of young men 
 riding on oxen at a brisk pace, on their way to some adjacent 
 scene of festivity. Running races with oxen is a favourite 
 pastime with the people ; the Chiefs taking great pleasure in 
 displaying on such occasions the finest of their cattle, and 
 vying with one another for the victory. We reached Fort 
 Warden, one of the military posts now abandoned. Here 
 are two traders, or agents of merchants in Albany, who are 
 supplied by the latter with commodities which they exchange 
 with the natives for gum and raw hides. We were civilly 
 accommodated by one of these traders with a lodging on a 
 large piece of duffle, spread out on the clay floor, which made 
 a very tolerable bed ; and the other, his neighbour, sent us 
 some eggs. Some idea may be formed of the quantity of 
 gum collected, from the fact that I. King, with whom we 
 lodged, and who has been but four months in the place, has 
 in that interval received about 23,000 Ibs. in exchange for 
 tobacco, buttons, and beads, with a few other more useful 
 articles. The other trader cannot have received much less, 
 as he has in the same time despatched seven wagon loads to 
 Graham's Town. 
 
 21st. We called at Gracella's kraal, where we found the 
 Chief sitting in the midst of his people eating with them the 
 sweet cane, which is raised in most parts of Caffraria. It is not 
 the sugar-cane, but a little resembles the Gaffer corn, having a 
 spreading seedy head. Gacella on being apprised who we were, 
 having heard of us through Ludwig Doehne, immediately threw 
 around him his kaross, formed of a beautiful Leopard's skin, 
 and approached to greet us and shake hands. As he signified 
 his intention of following us to the mission station the same 
 evening, the better to afford opportunity for conversation, we 
 made but a short stay and proceeded to Bethel. Gacella 
 made his appearance shortly after our arrival, and partook of 
 some refreshment with us at J. L. Doehne's table, when some 
 conversation passed in which we expressed our views respecting 
 peace, and our satisfaction at the conduct of the Chief in 
 accepting the mediation of the Missionary between him and
 
 368 MOU3JT COKE. [1839. 
 
 Umhala. Gracella appears to have a great desire that his 
 people should improve in their condition by the increased 
 cultivation of the land and the acquisition of useful arts ; and 
 in allusion to the agricultural implements presented to 
 Makomo, of which he had been informed, he broadly in- 
 timated that it would be very acceptable to himself to receive 
 a similar present. 
 
 Pursuing their return journey from Bethel, they 
 halted again at the Buffalo River, from whence they 
 diverged southwards to Mount Coke, Wesleyville 
 and some other stations of the Wesleyans, 
 
 23. Mount Coke. R. and A. Tainton are the oldest of 
 the catechists at the Gaffer "Wesleyan Stations. At the breaking 
 out of the last war they were living at Buntingville, and the 
 missionary at that Institution, being alarmed for his personal 
 safety was preparing to leave the country, and to take them 
 with him. To this they were very much averse, believing 
 that it was in the divine ordering that they had come there, 
 and feeling no wish to leave till they were assured it was 
 their duty. Being subject however to the direction of the 
 missionary, they had no alternative but to submit. With 
 heavy hearts they set about packing up their things to accom- 
 pany him. Faku, the Chief, was very much opposed to their 
 departure, promising to afford them every protection in his 
 power if they would remain. Nothing however could induce 
 the missionary to stay. But whilst things were in progress, the 
 Chief happened to be made acquainted with the feelings of 
 B. and A. Tainton on the subject, and he determined to put 
 a veto, as Chief, on their departure, and declared that they 
 should not go. The missionary set off attended by many of 
 the reputed converts. These ultimately joined the British, 
 and took part in the war, in the course of which the strong 
 temptation to plunder induced them to run great risks, and 
 all were cut off excepting two. R. and A. Tainton continued 
 to labour among the Amaponda, and were separated from all 
 communication with the Colony for more than twelve months, 
 . so that they could not renew their supplies. Faku used fre- 
 quently to enquire if there was anything they needed which
 
 CHAP. 21.] WITCHCRAFT. 369 
 
 his country could afford, but they always declined his assistance 
 being anxious to preserve their independence ; and such was 
 the watchful Providence displayed on their behalf, that as 
 their stock of provisions got low, the natives always brought 
 fowls, or corn, or something that they were willing to barter for 
 articles still in R. and A. Tainton's possession, so that though 
 they had a numerous family, and at this period A. Tainton 
 gave birth to another baby, they never knew what it was to 
 want. The child was named Cherith, because of the analogy 
 they traced in their own experience to the circumstances of the 
 Prophet Elijah, who was fed by ravens as he dwelt by the 
 brook Cherith. B. and A. Tainton had used considerable 
 pains to get the natives at Bunting ville into some way of 
 earning a little money. For this object the cultivation of 
 Cayenne Pepper was encouraged, and it had been found to 
 answer so far, that the people had raised as much as had 
 brought a return of upwards of twenty pounds, a large 
 sum in those parts ; and they had an offer of ready pur- 
 chasers at Grahams Town, for as much as they could grow. 
 But 11. Tainton was called away to another Station ; the 
 project which once promised so fairly to succeed was aban- 
 doned ; and all that we could learn when at this Station, in 
 reference to it, was, that some one had once tried to raise 
 Cayenne for sale, and that there were two or three of the 
 bushes still remaining. 
 
 24th. Mount Coke is said to have been a flourishing 
 Missionary Station before the war. Some time after the 
 restoration of peace, the place was resumed by the Wes- 
 leyaus, but it has not yet attained to its former prosperity. 
 The faith of the people in this neighbourhood in regard to 
 witchcraft was materially shaken by a remarkable exposure of 
 the duplicity of one of their Doctors, that took place on the 
 station a short time since. One of the natives had fallen 
 sick, and it was determined by his relatives that a witch- 
 doctor should bo sent for to find out the person who had 
 bewitched the sick man. The Doctor arrived in the evening, 
 and it being later than suited his convenience, ho gave notice 
 that he should not go into the affair till the following morning. 
 
 b
 
 370 IMPOSTURE EXPOSED. [1839. 
 
 A hut was assigned him as a lodging for the night. A young 
 man who had been an attendant on missionary instruction, 
 and who had often heard the witch Doctors denounced as a 
 set of impostors, took it into his head to watch the one in 
 question. He placed himself in his own hut which commanded 
 a view of the Doctor's, without himself being observed. In 
 the dead of the night his curiosity was greatly excited by 
 observing the Doctor steal out of his lodging, and go to an 
 adjoining calf-kraal, and there after creating some commotion 
 among the calves, stoop down for some time as if busied with 
 something on the ground. He then returned to his hut. In 
 the morning the Doctor commenced his operations, and after 
 the usual mummeries had been gone through, he fixed upon 
 the owner of the calf-kraal which he had visited in the night, 
 as the guilty person, and charged him before the people as 
 the cause of the sick man's malady. The unfortunate accused 
 protested his innocence ; but in vain ; he was told by the 
 Doctor that it was useless, to deny that he had be- 
 witcjied the invalid, for that he (the Doctor) should pro- 
 duce the very materials that had been used for the purpose, 
 which would be found on the premises of the offender, 
 who well knew that he had there secreted them. Upon this, 
 proceeding to the calf-kraal, he scratched up the soil, and 
 produced a bit of skin, in which some hair was rolled up, 
 which he displayed before the people as the bewitching 
 stuff. The guilt of the party thus charged was proved 
 beyond all doubt in the view of these poor credulous people, 
 and all were clamorous that he should forthwith be punished. 
 All this time the young man had remained quiet, waiting 
 to see the issue ; and now that the guilt of the accused 
 party was considered to be established, and punishment was 
 likely to be summarily inflicted, he thought it was time to 
 interpose. He accordingly stated the doubts which had 
 induced him to watch, and also what he had seen ; and he 
 suggested that the hut occupied by the Doctor, as well as 
 his person, should be examined, in order to discover if there 
 was anything that corresponded with the bit of skin that 
 had been buried in the earth. The search was immediately 
 instituted, and an old bag was found, from which a piece
 
 CHAP. 21.] FORT PEDDIE. 371 
 
 had been cut out exactly corresponding with that containing 
 the hair. The young man then recommended that the 
 calves' tails should be examined, and one was discovered 
 which had evidently had a tuft of hair recently subtracted 
 from it ; and on comparing it with the hair that was said to 
 have been used in bewitching the sick man, it exactly corres- 
 ponded in colour. Thus was the Doctor exposed and confuted 
 in the face of the people, so that he was glad to take to his 
 heels to evade their wrath, for scarcely could they refrain 
 from laying violent hands upon him. He was stripped of 
 all his cattle, and obliged to leave the neighbourhood, while 
 the fame of this exposure has had a great influence in 
 opening the eyes of the people in regard to these impostors. 
 
 Another instance of heathenish imposture is re- 
 corded by G. W. Walker, in which Ann Tainton 
 proved to the people that one of the witch doctresses 
 who pretended to suck Indian Corn out of the side 
 of a man afflicted with acute pain, had swallowed a 
 piece of green tobacco leaf and the Indian Corn 
 upon it, and this enabled her to bring up the Indian 
 Corn in small quantities at a time from her stomach. 
 
 "We left Mount Coke in the course of the forenoon and 
 proceeded to Wesleyville where John Ayliffe * is labouring as 
 a missionary, though at the present moment attending the 
 District Meeting in Graham's Town. We were hospitably 
 entertained by the assistant artizan, Charles Gxubb. 
 
 From Wesleyville the course of the travellers lay 
 westward to the boundary of the Colony. 
 
 27th. Proceeded twenty-five miles, to Fort Peddie, another 
 station of the Wesleyans. 
 
 28th. Fort Peddie is occupied as a military post by the 
 colonial forces for the protection of the Fingoes. There is no 
 
 See a mention of this good man at page 81 and 362.
 
 372 CAPPER LANGUAGE. [1839. 
 
 canteen hero, and the Government has commendably discon- 
 tinued the issuing of licenses for the retail sale of liquor in all 
 the towns along the boundary of the Colony. A sergeant is 
 however allowed to dispose of a certain proportion of wine to 
 the soldiers. The present Governor, Sir George Napier, has 
 also issued a very, sensible proclamation, encouraging the 
 magistrates to exercise their prerogative of withholding 
 licenses, unless the inhabitants unite with the application in 
 maintaining that they are absolutely necessary. We were 
 the guests of Richard Walker the catechist. 
 
 29th. Tliis morning we had an interesting religious 
 meeting with the Fingoes, who attended in considerable 
 numbers; and one in the evening, which was attended by 
 many of the military and other Europeans, to whom we 
 endeavoured to set forth the advantages of abstinence from 
 all intoxicating drinks. My dear companion was subsequently 
 concerned to make some very weighty remarks on prayer, as 
 a necessary means of strengthening the resolution and 
 enabling us to take up the cross in whatever particular it 
 might be required of us, concluding by himself engaging in 
 that exercise. 
 
 30th. After we retired to rest last night a very heavy 
 thunder-storm passed over, so near and loud, and accompanied 
 by such exceedingly vivid lightning, as to make it very 
 awful, and forcibly to impress us with the conviction that 
 man is indeed but as a moth before the power of that Almighty 
 Being who alone can control the elements. The day was 
 wet ; yet cleared up a little towards evening so as to admit of 
 our riding twelve miles to Newton Dale, the last of the 
 Mission Stations we visited in Caffraria. We were kindly 
 received by the Wesleyan Missionary William B. Boyce. 
 
 4 mo. 1. The student of the Gaffer language is much 
 indebted to William B. Boyce, as the discoverer of the most 
 singular feature in its construction the use of the euphonic 
 letter, which enters into the very genius of 'the language, and 
 which for a long time, not being comprehended, presented an 
 insuperable difficulty in its acquirement, and threw a sort of
 
 CHAP. 21.] FISH RIVER BUSH. 373 
 
 mystery over this now confessedly beautiful and symphonious 
 tongue. This remarkable discovery is particularly unfolded 
 in a grammar he has recently published. 
 
 4 mo. 2. We crossed the Fish River at a fording-place, 
 called the Lower Cafler Drift, an exceedingly awkward one 
 after a flood, as in the present instance, in consequence of the 
 deep deposit of mud. On the Colonial side we saw the recent 
 traces of the Hippopotamus, whose huge feet had left holes in 
 the mud where it was stiff, nearly the size of the rim of my hat. 
 The Rhinoceros, Elephant, and Buffalo, still inhabit the 
 dense cover of the Fish liiver Bush, and of late years the Lion 
 has resumed his position in these quarters, probably owing 
 if) most persons crossing the river by some of the upper fords, 
 on account of the greater facilities they present
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 JOURNEY THROUGH THE NORTH EASTERN DISTRICT OF THE 
 CAPE COLONY. 
 
 IN journeying from the Great Fish River to 
 Grahams Town, James Backhouse and George 
 W. Walker made a detour to visit Bathurst and 
 some other places in Lower Albany. From Gra- 
 hams Town their course was northward, passing 
 over the same ground they had travelled upon before, 
 as far as Philipton on the Kat River, where they 
 again took up their wagon, and whence they pur- 
 sued their course through Somerset, to the northern 
 boundary of the Colony. 
 
 We resume the Journal after the passage of the 
 Great Fish River. 
 
 4 mo. 2. After ascending a considerable hill by a road 
 that winds through the intricate mazes of the Fish River 
 Bush, we came to more open country, where we off-saddled 
 for an hour by the ruins of an old military post. Whilst par- 
 taking of some refreshment our guide announced the approach 
 of two persons on horseback, who proved to be Richard Gush 
 of Salem, and Greorge Barnes, a local preacher among the 
 Wesleyans, on their way to meet us. The former had re- 
 quested that as we drew near the Colony, we would send 
 him word, as he should like to accompany us through those 
 parts of Albany that lie between the boundary and his 
 residence, with the inhabitants of which district he is in- 
 timately acquainted.
 
 CHAP. 22.] RESTORATION BY FAITH. 375 
 
 3rd. We proceeded to Clumber, calling on William Grrade- 
 well and Richard Hulley, two industrious settlers, who are 
 bringing up their children with regard to an inheritance that 
 is enduring. The last mentioned, with much simplicity, 
 related the following singular circumstances in his own ex- 
 perience. He had been with a convivial party, not being at 
 that time an awakened character, and had given way to 
 excesses. Groing shortly after to obtain some honey for a sick 
 acquaintance, he climbed a tree in which was a bee's nest, 
 and a branch gave way with him, so that he was precipitated 
 to the ground. Two of his ribs were broken, and he was 
 otherwise much injured, so as to bring on high fever, and 
 ultimately tetanus or lock-jaw. He was lying on his bed one 
 night, having been for nearly a fortnight without sleep, and 
 fully anticipating death to be very near, when his mind 
 became awfully impressed with the danger he was in, both as 
 regarded soul and body, feeling assured that if- he died in no 
 better condition, his soul would be lost for ever. Under deep 
 convictions for sin, he contrived to roll himself out of bed, 
 and getting upon his knees, prayed to Grod in an agony of 
 distress, to look down upon him with mercy. While thus en- 
 gaged he thought a voice spoke intelligibly to his spiritual 
 ear, aaying, Persevere; and as he maintained for some 
 time this earnest exercise before the Lord, he felt himself 
 cured of his lock-jaw and of his injuries. Overcome with 
 joy and hardly daring to believe his senses, he turned 
 himself round and round, and felt his ribs with his hands, 
 until assured that he was effectually healed ; when he again 
 got into bed, and with a heart overflowing with gratitude 
 and the tears streaming down his cheeks, lay praising Grod, 
 who by his wonderful power had wrought such a deliverance. 
 All this time he remained under great excitement, and had 
 no disposition to sleep ; but as he was looking to the Lord 
 and praising him for his mercy, the same voice that had be- 
 fore spoken to him inciting him to persevere in prayer, now 
 sounded in his ears the words, Peace be still ; upon which he 
 felt a capacity to stay his mind in quietness and reverent 
 thankfulness upon God, and fell into a sound sleep, which 
 lasted till morning. On awaking he arose, dressed himself,
 
 376 EFFECTS OF ADVERSITY. [1839. 
 
 and went about his usual avocations in perfect health, and 
 with a mind renewed and changed, determining thenceforth 
 that he would serve his Redeemer in righteousness ; and from 
 that period he has maintained a consistent Christian course. 
 
 The settlers in this neighbourhood are chiefly from Not- 
 tingham, and emigrated in 1819. They have had many 
 serious drawbacks to their prosperity. Being imperfectly 
 acquainted with the climate, they placed their dependence 
 chiefly on wheat crops, which were cut off for several years 
 in succession, and many families were reduced to great dis- 
 tress. It was at length discovered that the soil was more 
 adapted for pastoral pursuits than for those of agriculture, 
 and that farms of a hundred acres were inadequate to sustain 
 any considerable number of cattle. In time repeated failures 
 drove many to their tools, and by following the mechanical 
 callings they had formerly pursued in England they gradually 
 improved in their circumstances ; others managed to get 
 sufficient land to answer for grazing cattle. Several devas- 
 tating floods about this period also augmented the general 
 distress ; and last and not least, the Gaffer war laid waste 
 the fair prospects of many a family that had weathered these 
 and other vicissitudes. These afflictive dispensations seem to 
 have operated as means in the hand of the Lord to bring many 
 to a nearer acquaintance with himself, who before were much 
 estranged from everything that was good. A very general 
 awakening took place a year and a half ago, about the same 
 time that a similar work was going forward in Grahams 
 Town. One thing is worthy of note in connection with this 
 work. It was not so much by the ministers, or those who 
 were looked upon as leading men, as by the local preachers 
 and subordinate labourers. The worthy Schoolmaster of 
 Clumber, Thomas Peel, was one of the first whose labours 
 were conspicuously blessed. The concern spread until hun- 
 dreds were excited to the earnest enquiry, "What shall 
 I do to be saved ?" and many honestly persevering, remain 
 to this day, established in the faith which is in Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 4th. At Ebenezer, we took up our quarters at James 
 Usher's, where we spent a very interesting evening, feeling a
 
 CHAP. 22.] BATHURST. 377 
 
 more than common freedom to converse on religious subjects 
 with this simple-hearted family. James Usher is a special 
 monument of mercy, having been at one period much 
 addicted to intemperance, from which snare he is now 
 happily delivered. The sense of the Great Master's presence 
 was remarkably prevalent during our visit. 
 
 5th. "We proceeded to the town of Bathurst, where we 
 arrived before dusk. 
 
 6th. The morning was fine and a numerous congregation 
 assembled in the Wesleyan Chapel. It proved a comforting 
 season, in which we had open labour in testimony, and we 
 have reason to believe it was a time of renewed visitation to 
 some. Bathurst is noted for the beauty of its situation, and 
 in every respect it seems better adapted for the Capital of the 
 eastern side of the Colony than Grahams Town. "We left in 
 the afternoon for Theopolis, where we were welcomed by 
 Thomas Merrington. The people of this station are chiefly 
 Hottentots, but there are also Bechuanas and Fingoes. 
 
 8th. The Bechuanas and Fingoes inhabit bee-hive or 
 hemispherical huts, much like those of the Gaffers. These 
 people are happily not addicted to Intemperance, seldom 
 using strong drink. The Hottentots affect to regard the 
 Bechuanas and Fingoes with contempt, because they are of 
 darker complexion. 
 
 9th. We left Theopolis to proceed to Salem, having 
 agreed to become the guests of Richard Gush. The distance 
 between the two places is about twenty-five miles. Salem 
 is a pretty village, altogether English in regard to the style 
 of buildings, as well as its inhabitants, who are mostly 
 "Wesleyans. R. Gush's house is pleasantly situated, a little 
 out of the village, on a rising ground, in a largo garden, 
 which he successfully cultivates. 
 
 10th. "We left Salem for Grahams Town, where we 
 resumed our quarters at our kind friend William Wright's. 
 
 llth. Wo spent the evening at William Shaw's, where 
 wo mot a number of missionaries belonging to various 
 Stations wo have visited, and who are about to leave town
 
 378 GRAHAMS TOWN. [1839. 
 
 after having attended the District Meeting. Several topics 
 of interest connected with the state of the Missions, 
 Frontier Policy, Infant Schools, &c. were discussed. We 
 were glad to find that William Shaw's attention is strongly 
 turned to the importance of Infant Schools, and that he pur- 
 poses establishing them at the Missionary Stations when he 
 can obtain suitable teachers. During our visit to this portion 
 of the Colony, we have heard much respecting the present 
 Frontier System and its working, particularly in relation to 
 the Gaffer Tribes. We have never been convinced by any 
 thing we have heard, though complaints against it are 
 numerous, that it is otherwise than equitable in its main 
 features. As it has occurred to us that the defects in the 
 detail admit of an easy remedy, we have conceived it our duty 
 to address the Governor on the subject. 
 
 14th. First-day. We were present at the morning religious 
 service of the Wesleyans at Salem, though we took no active 
 part. The reading of the Episcopal Liturgy occupied a con- 
 siderable portion of the time, and must be very burdensome to 
 the spiritually minded among the audience, if I may judge from 
 my own feelings. James Cameron, the minister, extended 
 an invitation at our request to the people to meet with us in 
 the afternoon, in the same place. This meeting was attended 
 by about 200, with whom we laboured in gospel love. In the 
 evening, R. Crush and his wife giving us their company, it 
 was a time of refreshment, under the feeling that the Great 
 Master himself was present. Though no vocal expression was 
 made, I could not but contrast the profitable nature of silent 
 waiting to receive the teaching of Christ himself, with the 
 comparatively dry exercises which we were witnesses to in the 
 morning. 
 
 16th. The Anniversary of the Salem Bible Society was 
 held in the Chapel. Several missionaries and others, were 
 present, who adjourned with ourselves after the meeting to 
 W. H. Matthews's to tea. Here we had the opportunity of 
 offering our sentiments on the subject of total abstinence 
 from intoxicating liquors, one that has very few supporters 
 in this part. James Cameron and Richard Gush are nearly
 
 CHAP. 22.] SALEM. 379 
 
 alone among those who stand forward as religious characters, 
 and they were cheered by receiving a little support in a 
 cause that, according to their respective means, and especially 
 by their own consistent example, they have boldly advocated. 
 
 18th. Accompanied by James Cameron and Richard Crush's 
 son Joseph, we made a circuit on horseback of about twenty- 
 four miles, and held a meeting at the house of a person named 
 Norman, where the Wesleyans occasionally have religious 
 service. The afternoon was wet but we were favoured 
 to have a refreshing meeting. In returning to Salem, my 
 horse fell with me when going at a brisk canter, and with 
 such violence as to turn completely head over heels ; but 
 through the mercy of God, I was hardly conscious of being 
 bruised. We took tea with W. H. Matthews and afterwards 
 attended a meeting appointed at our wish in the "Wesleyan 
 Chapel. The evening being excessively wet, the number was 
 not great, yet our gracious Lord condescended to own with 
 his life-giving presence the few met together in his name, and 
 to extend his gracious help to my dear companion and 
 myself in labouring for the promotion of the Truth. 
 
 20th. Was again spent at Salem. In the afternoon we 
 walked with Richard (rush to a ravine where there is a cave 
 that has once been the resort of Bushmen ; it is difficult of 
 access, and very much concealed among the rocks. Numerous 
 figures of men with bows and arrows in their hands are traced 
 on the sides of the cave. They are in general unnaturally 
 elongated, yet evince some ingenuity. It is remarkable that 
 though accounted the lowest of the tribes of South Africa, 
 as to civilization and intellect, the Bushmen are supposed 
 to be the only people who have shown any taste for either 
 drawing or music. 
 
 24th. Grahams Town. J. B. and myself addressed an 
 audience on the advantages of total abstinence. William 
 Shaw afterwards made remarks on what had been expressed, 
 and admitted that the subject claimed their serious con- 
 sideration. I should be glad to see the Wesleyans as a body, 
 and their ministers especially, coming forward as advocates
 
 380 FORT BEAUFORT. [1839. 
 
 for total abstinence. I have been painfully impressed with 
 the belief that there is among Christian teachers as well as 
 among the people, too much looking one upon another, 
 instead of making the enquiry in this, and other matters of 
 importance, " What is my individual duty before Grod ?" As 
 we must stand or fall to one Great Master, how important it 
 is that we should all look to him, and seek to please him in 
 the first place, not too much consider what this or that 
 man does, who will not be able to answer for our deficiencies. 
 
 26th. Having arranged our affairs, we prepared to resume 
 our journey, to join our people and wagon at the Kat River. 
 We had a solemn parting at William Wright's, from whom 
 and his family we have received much kindness. We were 
 accompanied out of town by Richard Crush* and his son 
 Joseph, William Shaw and William Impey. 
 
 27th. We reached Fort Beaufort this afternoon. 
 
 28th. First-day. Believing it to be in the way of our 
 duty to seek a religious interview with Makomo's people, who 
 live near Blinkwater, about nine miles from this place, we 
 repaired thither this forenoon, and had the satisfaction of 
 meeting with Jan Tzatzoe and James Read, Jun. We had 
 an interesting season of religious labour, first with the people 
 at large, Makomo and his wives and children being also 
 present, and afterwards with a more select little company of 
 fifteen recently awakened Gaffers. The company assembled 
 under the canopy of some umbrageous trees, in the dry bed 
 of a branch of the Kat River. Here we were surrounded 
 with a most attentive audience of nearly 200, Gaffers, Fingoes, 
 Gronas and Hottentots, though the Gaffers were by far the 
 most numerous. They exhibited every variety of costume 
 from a greasy kaross to the fashionable surtout, or neat 
 printed gown. We returned to Beaufort by a horse track 
 that winds through the hills on the Caffiraria side of the Kat 
 River, and forms a most romantic ride, rendered increasingly 
 
 * For an interesting account of this good man, and especially of his faithful 
 practice of Gospel principles in relation to war, see a tract, No. 69, of the York 
 Friends' Tract Association, entitled, The life of Richard Gush, the African 
 Emigrant.
 
 CHAP. 22.] LETTER TO R. PRIESTMAN. 381 
 
 interesting by groups of native huts interspersed among the 
 hills, with plots of cultivation contiguous, and which, with 
 the cattle browsing on the slopes of the mountains, give 
 rise to ideas of rural simplicity, peace, and abundance. 
 
 30th. Being clear of Beaufort we mounted our horses and 
 went forward to Block Drift. 
 
 5 mo. 1. "We stayed an hour or two at Tyumie, and 
 arrived at Philipton in the evening, where we were again 
 received into the hospitable family of our cordial friends, the 
 Beads, and had the satisfaction of finding all well that related 
 to our establishment. 
 
 When James Backhouse and Gr. W. Walker were 
 at Cape Town, the latter, as we have seen, entertained 
 the prospect of revisiting England before he settled 
 down in Tasmania. As his future course however 
 assumed a more determinate shape in his mind, he 
 gradually abandoned this intention, and resolved, as 
 soon as his joint labours with James Backhouse should 
 cease, to proceed at once to Hobart Town with 
 the view of commencing business there. This change 
 in his plans is alluded to in a letter from Philipton 
 written at this time, in which he also takes a general 
 review of their late journey into Cain-aria. 
 
 TO RACHEL PRIESTMAN. 
 
 Fhilipton, Kat Eiver, 5 mo. 4, 1839. 
 
 It was grateful to me to learn that thy beloved 
 mother and your numerous family circle are in the enjoyment 
 of health. Thy dear mother is often the subject of my 
 thoughts and very often of my dreams. Frequently do I 
 seem in this way to live over again the days that are gone by, 
 and very vividly are some of you who are living, and not less 
 so others who are in heaven, brought to my remembrance. 
 But it becomes more and more doubtful whether any of my 
 surviving friends in England may see me again. Should it
 
 382 WANT OF INFANT SCHOOLS. [1839. 
 
 prove so, I must console myself with the reflection that in a 
 few years all must part. 0, that we may he permitted to 
 meet in Heaven where parting and sorrow and change will be 
 unknown, unless it he the delightful transition from one degree 
 of happiness to another. 
 
 There are eighteen missionary stations in Caflraria, nine of 
 which are connected with the Wesleyan body. Only one of 
 the Wesleyan missionaries happened to be at home, the rest 
 being at Grahams Town, attending their annual District 
 Meeting. Though this was in some respects contrary to what 
 we should have desired, yet as it was not of our planning and 
 could not be ordered otherwise on our part, we doubt not all 
 will prove for the best. It afforded us the opportunity of 
 becoming more intimately acquainted with a highly useful 
 and pious set of men who have originally been employed as 
 artisans, and most of whom were local preachers, but who 
 having in some instances gained a thorough knowledge of the 
 language, and in others made themselves useful in the work of 
 evangelizing the heathen, are now designated by the Society, 
 Catechists, although the name does not alter the character 
 of their services. Though not formally ordained like the 
 Missionary, and consequently not receiving nearly so liberal 
 a provision for his temporal wants, the Catechist, in my 
 judgment, most nearly approaches to the example of a 
 primitive missionary. The apostle Paul, when settled down 
 at a place, laboured with his own hands to " minister to his 
 necessities and to those who were with him ; " in which he 
 also declared he had set his fellow-believers an example that 
 " so labouring they ought to support the. weak." It may 
 however be requisite in the liberty which the gospel allows, 
 that some should devote their whole time to the work ; only I 
 do not see anything to warrant such a distinction, as that an 
 unmarried man shall have perhaps twice as much as one who 
 has a wife and numerous family, and whose time is also wholly 
 occupied in the same cause, with merely this difference, that he 
 works with his hands for the general good. 
 
 It is to be regretted that the Infant School system has not 
 yet been introduced into Caffraria. One reason alleged is the 
 next to impossibility of obtaining suitable instructors. What
 
 CHAP. 22.] APPLICATION FOR MISSIONARIES. 383 
 
 a field for energy, talent and philanthropy ! I have often 
 thought were I twenty years younger I would turn my 
 attention to it ; but the day for this is past ! At Tyumie a 
 young man, a Gaffer, who had been taught by W. Chalmers 
 to read, came to him about a year ago and said, that if he 
 was in possession of some printed lessons, he thought he 
 could collect a few of the children of his kraal, and teach 
 them to read. "W. C. gladly supplied him. The young man, 
 though not acknowledging himself a Christian, was sincere. 
 With his own hands he built a hut after the European fashion, 
 as a school-house ; and when we were there he had little short 
 of thirty scholars, several of whom could read fluently in the 
 New Testament. 
 
 Thy affectionate friend, 
 
 G. W. WALKER. 
 
 6th. We were present by invitation at a meeting of the 
 assembled Church, teachers and people, met to receive the 
 applications of several Chiefs for missionaries ; and also to 
 deliberate upon the establishment of a Mission among the 
 Bushmen. James Bead, Jun. had lately visited some Bush- 
 men, who, under a Chief named Madoor, were situated near 
 the head of a branch of the White Kei River. The 
 Chief and his people are anxious to have religious in- 
 structors among them. The former professes to have doubted 
 whether he and his people were members of the human family, 
 until Makallemma, a humane and intelligent Fingo Chief, 
 treated him with kindness ; this led him, he says, to think 
 that he also was a man. Makallemma is himself solicitous 
 for a missionary, and was one of the applicants on the present 
 occasion, having come expressly for the purpose ; as had also 
 Kallaghal, a Tambookie Chief from the White Kei, and 
 Gubba a Counsellor of Rile, another Chief of the Tarn- 
 bookies. The fifth and last was a Hottentot, a member of the 
 Church, on behalf of a Mantatee Chief named Daman, who 
 with forty men and eighty women, besides children, is living 
 near the Winterberg. The Hottentot had fallen in with 
 Daman and his group, and made known to them some of the
 
 384 TEMPERANCE MEETING. [1839. 
 
 great truths of Christianity. Some time afterwards a mes- 
 senger came from the Mantatee Chief to intreat that he would 
 return and tell them more concerning "the word of Grod," for, to 
 use his own expression, " they could no longer do without it." 
 It was decided to send six Hottentots to the Bushmen to 
 instruct them in Christianity and civilization, particularly in 
 the cultivation of the ground, with which these poor creatures 
 seem to be altogether unacquainted. Some of the members 
 present urged the propriety of sending a larger number, that 
 they might be better able to defend themselves from aggres- 
 sion. James Bead, Jun. decidedly opposed this, and was 
 supported by his father, and they argued the non-necessity of 
 providing means of defence on such an errand, from our 
 example, who had visited so many different nations, and had 
 carried no arms, the Arm of the Lord proving a sufficient 
 defence. This opened the way for me to refer them to the 
 precepts of the Divine Master himself, who when he sent 
 forth his disciples, two and two, said unto them : " Behold 
 I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves ; be ye 
 therefore wise (or cautious) as serpents and harmless as 
 doves : " as well as for a practical illustration of the efficacy 
 of pacific principles, to the history of our Society, especially 
 in Ireland and America. J. Backhouse supported the same 
 view by a variety of appropriate illustrations and arguments, 
 demonstrating that the use of carnal weapons is opposed to 
 the letter and spirit of the Grospel. James Bead, Jun. has 
 lately read Dymond's Essays, which have so opened his eyes 
 that he says, he could not conscientiously oppose force to 
 force, even were his life in danger. He thinks a copy of this 
 work should be in the hands of every missionary. 
 
 7th. ATI interesting Temperance Meeting was held, at 
 which a large number of adult Hottentots and about 450 
 children were present. Many animated speeches illustrating 
 the evils of drinking intoxicating liquors, and the benefits of 
 total abstinence were made by the Hottentots. They speak 
 feelingly on the subject, as many have tried each plan, and 
 while they have proved the baneful influence of the one, they 
 are now enjoying the happy effects of the other.
 
 CHAP. 22.] BLINKWATER. 385 
 
 9th. Preparatory to leaving Philip ton we had a solemn 
 parting season with the family of our valued host, in which 
 we Were permitted to experience afresh the evidence of Divine 
 Goodness, as has often been our lot while under this roof. 
 We now take to the wagon once more. A large proportion 
 of J. Bead's family walked with us about a mile on the way, 
 with a number of the people, particularly the children of the 
 schools, who sung hymns. The firing of some guns by the 
 men we would gladly have dispensed with. These poor peo- 
 ple show signs of affection and lively sensibility towards such 
 as take an interest in their Welfare ; they have minds very 
 susceptible of generous emotions. 
 
 10th. On reaching Blinkwater it Was discovered that the 
 hinder axle-tree had been injured, and that it would be 
 necessary to replace it. 
 
 12th- First-day. Being wet but few of Makomo's people 
 were present. The Gaffers are much afraid of rain, be- 
 cause of its injurious effect on their karosses, which become 
 stiff and unyielding after exposure to Wet. When obliged to 
 go abroad in the rain it is common to lay aside the kaross 
 altogether, when of course there is increased liability to suffer 
 from cold ; and the natives of Africa cannot endure cold like 
 Europeans. We had some satisfactory service with such 
 G-onas, Hottentots, and such other natives as reside in the imme- 
 diate neighbourhood, whom we addressed through the medium 
 of James Head, as our interpreter into Dutch, and old Hans 
 Nooka, who turned it into Gaffer. The latter is a tried and 
 zealous disciple. Before meeting I felt unusually low and 
 stripped of all spiritual good ; but whilst assembled, a little 
 matter presenting for expression, and being communicated 
 with simplicity, in the grain of faith, the mountain was as it 
 were removed, and the latter end of the day proved better 
 than the beginning. I was afresh reminded that in a 
 spiritual sense it remains to be a truth, that they who preach 
 the gospel shall live of the gospel. 
 
 13th. Walking along the banks of the Kat lliver, which 
 is here a considerable stream, I was amused at the dexterous 
 movements of the monkeys, which display their agility iu a
 
 386 PARTING FROM THE CAFFERS. [1839. 
 
 surprising manner, skipping from one bough to another and 
 swinging by their hands. 
 
 Assembled the people and read to them in the evening, 
 accompanied with a few sentences from J. Backhouse in 
 broken Dutch, which were promptly translated into Gaffer by 
 Hans Nooka. The good old man has so much experimental 
 understanding of religion, that though an idea be but imper- 
 fectly expressed, he readily apprehends the meaning, and 
 communicates it in his own way with facility. 
 
 15th, When the oxen were collected and about to be 
 in-spanned, Hans Nooka informed us that a number of people 
 were assembled in an adjoining building, being desirous that 
 we should have a parting religious opportunity with them. 
 We felt best satisfied to go and read a chapter in the Dutch 
 Bible to them, Hans interpreting it, and we managed to- 
 express by means of broken Dutch, and a reference to Scripture 
 passages, our feelings of Christian interest on their 'behalf r 
 which they appeared fully to apprehend. Great solemnity 
 was felt while sitting with these simple-hearted Christians, 
 particularly during the time of silence. Several of them were 
 broken and tendered in spirit, we could not but believe, 
 through the precious influence of that Power by which the 
 living in Israel are all baptized as into one body and made to 
 drink into one Spirit. 
 
 We seem now to be entering upon a new field of labour 
 having probably done with the eastern coast and district of 
 the Colony, 
 
 16th. Were under the necessity of halting at an old 
 military Settlement called the Old Koonap Post, about half a 
 mile from the river of the same name. A Dutch farmer 
 named Bota, is living with his family in the vacated houses 
 of the military, and he civilly promoted our out-spanning and 
 occupying one of the buildings, the night promising to be 
 very inclement. We had some conversation with the family, 
 whom we found infected with the Port Natal mania, a dis- 
 position to emigrate from the Colony without any very well- 
 defined or sufficient reason. We gave them some tracts, and 
 explained to them as well as we could our object in travelling,
 
 CHAP. 22.] SOMERSET. 
 
 endeavouring to turn their attention to that Holy Spirit 
 which would give stability to their principles of action, as 
 well as peace to their souls. There was a pleasant degree of 
 openness about these poor people, and a willingness to listen, 
 that made us feel the more for their forlorn situation. They 
 showed their good will towards us by supplying us with milk, 
 and inviting us to take coffee with them ; this is a common 
 token of civility to all who call in upon the Dutch farmers. 
 
 17th. The weather was so piercingly cold that we could 
 hardly keep ourselves tolerably warm, though riding in warm 
 duffle garments. While at Blinkwater, we had been wearing 
 White drill, and notwithstanding, felt the heat exceedingly 
 oppressive. Such are the vicissitudes of the African climate. 
 Being struck with the appearance of a small library suspended 
 on hanging shelves to the wall of the hut of H. Hijnsj a native 
 schoolmaster at Blinkwater^ I took up one of the books, which 
 proved to be a Greek Lexicon. Some of the Hottentot 
 schoolmasters are studying Greek under James Read, Jun. 
 
 19th. First-day. *Bode into Somerset, which is a pretty 
 village at the foot of the Bosch-berg, and is inhabited chiefly 
 by persons of Dutch origin. The indisposition of the Dutch 
 to change their religious views is remarkable, considering how 
 large a proportion appear to hold their opinions traditionally, 
 rather than from conviction. They are almost exclusively 
 attached to the Dutch Reformed and Lutheran Creed, and 
 OMOa of adoption of a different profession are almost un- 
 known. 
 
 After spending a few days at Somerset, the tra- 
 vellers proceeded to Cradock, a small place and much 
 neglected. They encamped outside the village, and 
 were put to great inconvenience by the straying of 
 their oxen, which, after three days search, were found 
 twenty miles from their place of encampment. 
 
 On the 3rd of 6th mo. they continued their journey, 
 Out-spanned near a location occupied by a friendly coloured
 
 388 MANNERS OF THE DUTCH. [1839. 
 
 man, who furnished us with some milk and some spring- 
 bok venison. The Spring-boks are shot by the Dutch 
 farmers and brought into Cradock for sale, and in such 
 abundance that we heard of their having been sold as low as 
 lOd. each, A rixdollar, Is. 6d., is the common price. 
 
 6th. Riding in advance of our party, I observed an 
 animal which from its menacing attitudes I at first took to be 
 a buffalo. It however proved to be the Gnu or Wilde beest, as 
 it is generally termed in the Colony, It is rather smaller than 
 an ox ; its movements on the approach of a stranger, have a 
 very formidable aspect, though it never attacks unless 
 wounded or provoked. Gnus are generally in troops of from 
 half a dozen to a score, and on the approach of human beings, 
 after looking earnestly at the intruders, the whole troop start 
 off at a gallop, every now and then wheeling about, tearing 1 
 up the ground with their hoofs, until they are enveloped in 
 clouds of dust, and tossing up their horns and lashing their 
 white tails as if greatly infuriated. These demonstration* 
 of displeasure are an instinctive effort to intimidate their 
 enemies, and are frequently exhibited in all their variety 
 without their moving many yards from the spot where they are 
 grazing : but if the party advances, they take to flight, and 
 it is only a fleet horse that can come up with them. The 
 farmers are very expert in riding them down till sufficiently 
 near for a ball to take effect, when they shoot them with 
 remarkable precision of aim. Their families now almost 
 subsist on the flesh of these and the Springboks, both of 
 which are excellent food. 
 
 We called to salute the family of a boor living on the Little 
 Brak River. The mistress presented a graphic picture of 
 Dutch manners. She was sitting in the open air, in an easy 
 chair, a short distance from the door of her dwelling, directing 
 some culinary operations going on in a large oven ; her 
 coloured servants being about her, along with other members 
 of the family. She had her feet upon a chafing-dish (called 
 here a Komfoor) filled with charcoal. She appeared to be 
 one of the more opulent sort, judging from the general aspect 
 of the establishment. She had on shoes but no stockings. 
 On accosting her, she greeted us courteously, and rising from
 
 CHAP, 22.] COLESBERG, 389 
 
 her chair invited us into the house with the usual salutation 
 of, Komt binnen (Come in). We had hardly got seated, 
 before a cup of nice tea was handed us, and meantime 
 the usual interrogations were put and answered ; such as our 
 names, age, place of abode, whither going, object in travelling, 
 nature of our business or calling, if married, and the number of 
 children. If these questions are answered in good humour, or 
 the information is given in anticipation of the wish of the host, 
 the stranger may calculate upon the hospitality and kind 
 offices of the Dutch. Nor are the questions put with any 
 intention of rudeness; these things being common among 
 themselves, and not unfrequently originating in the want of 
 general information, or of other topics that shall form a 
 suitable introduction to further acquaintance. We find this 
 disposition to hear very convenient in connection with the 
 main object we have in view, as it affords the opportunity of 
 explaining our motives in travelling, and of referring to 
 matters of Christian doctrine and practice, which are pretty 
 sure to command the respectful attention of a Boor's family. 
 For however such may have departed from simple Christianity, 
 and have substituted formality and mere profession in its 
 place, there is an almost universal feeling of respect towards 
 its professors. The children of this hospitable old lady, 
 thirteen in number, were all clean and very decently dressed, 
 but the comfort that pervaded the establishment was in 
 striking contrast with the condition of the coloured servants, 
 whose appearance indicated great neglect. 
 
 8th. The bullocks strayed so far during the night that it 
 was one o'clock ere they were in-spanned. These casualties 
 are an exercise to patience inseparable from African travelling. 
 Nor is it the detention alone that excites uneasiness. The 
 consciousness of being dependent on the safe return of the 
 oxen for progress through the vast wilderness, and that there 
 is no enclosure to bound their wanderings, produces a feeling 
 not easy to describe ; the painful part of which is only al- 
 layed by the confidence that even in these things there is a 
 controlling Power which makes all things subservient to the 
 ultimate weal of those who put their trust in Him. 
 
 13th. We arrived at Colesberg, a poor-looking place,
 
 390 LETTER TO M. BRAGG. [1839. 
 
 surrounded by hills of loose fragments of basalt. Made 
 inquiry respecting stores, particularly Hour ; the only kind we 
 could hear of, one shilling per Ib, was asked. We deter 
 mined on trusting to rice and such corn as could be obtained 
 beyond the Colony, where Gaffer Corn is generally to be had 
 at a moderate price. The rust and the scarcity of last harvest 
 have caused wheat thus to rise. The boors however are 
 much more moderate in their demands than the merchants ; 
 and to their credit there are individuals who will not demand 
 more than a fixed moderate price for their annual surplus of 
 wheat, however scarce it may be, on the ground, that bread 
 is the staff of life, and that it would be sinful to exact a high 
 price. 
 
 TO MARGARET BRAGG. 
 
 Colesberg, 6 mo. 14, 1839. 
 
 My dear Friend, 
 
 I am writing at the front of the wagon with a 
 skin kaross wrapped about me. The winter season in these 
 latitudes is nearly perpetual sunshine ; yet the weather is 
 extremely cold. The district we have traversed from Somerset 
 is so destitute of grass that it has been very difficult to keep 
 up the oxen in sufficient vigour. The poor animals have 
 frequently strayed to a distance in search of pasture. Often 
 there is not a blade of grass to be seen, yet the low and 
 stunted bushes seem to afford sustenance to the cattle and 
 sheep. The quantity of game that derive subsistence from 
 tjie brushwood and rigid herbage is beyond all calculation. 
 Tens and hundreds of thousands of Spring-boks and Blesr 
 boks, or other species of the Antelope tribe, are daily seen 
 browzing at a little distance from the road. 
 
 Since leaving the Kat River we have turned our attention 
 more than ever to the study of Dutch, in which we now and 
 then venture to make a few comments to our people. My 
 companion has made greater advance than myself, chiefly I 
 think, through persevering in reading the Scriptures exclu- 
 sively in that language, during our tour through Caffraria. 
 
 This lengthened engagement does look something like 
 drawing to a close, and my mind as thou mayst suppose, now
 
 CHAP. 22.] COLESBERG. 391 
 
 and then looks towards my dear Mends in England. But 
 the expense of a visit to England precludes the thought of it, 
 unless in the way of religious duty, however desirable it 
 might be. 
 
 Farewell, my beloved friend. May the Lord be thy keeper 
 and thy everlasting portion, is the prayer of 
 
 Thy affectionate Friend, 
 
 G. W. WALKER. 
 
 17th. We had a Temperance Meeting in the evening. 
 There are no canteens in Colesberg, but spirits and wine are 
 sold there wholesale ; and they are obtained at a very low 
 price of the farmers, many of whom manufacture them for 
 sale. The absence of canteens has led to the adoption of 
 eau-de-eologne as a stimulant. One man was present at the 
 meeting who in sixteen days consumed more than a hundred 
 bottles of this powerful spirit, the price of each bottle being 
 Is. 6d. How dreadfully morbid must be the appetite that 
 prompts to such an expedient ! Some reference made in the 
 meeting to the practice of auctioneers in plying the bidders 
 with spirits as a means of blinding their judgment, excited 
 considerable amusement ; a sale having taken place only a 
 day or two previously, at which sixty dollars had been given 
 for some bags of rice that were worth only forty, through the 
 bewildering influence of this mocker of reason, strong drink. 
 
 Under date of the 14th, Gr. W. W. had referred to 
 the conduct of a colonial trader, who beat his man- 
 servant unmercifully on the soles of his feet, and left 
 him to perish in the depth of winter by the roadside. 
 The master had been arrested by the Field-cornet, 
 and was then waiting his trial. 
 
 I have, he says, recorded the cruelty of a Dutchman towards 
 his coloured servant, and the prejudices which prevail against 
 the coloured class generally. It is pleasant to instance a 
 case of a very contrary nature. There is a Boor in this 
 neighbourhood, between whom and his Bushman servant a
 
 393 FAITHFUL BUSHMAN. [1839. 
 
 mutual attachment subsists, which has been elicited and 
 strengthened by peculiar circumstances. The Bushman was 
 in the service of another Boor, and having received some 
 provocation from his master, in a fit of desperation shot 
 one of his horses and decamped. Being pursued by the 
 Boor he threw himself on the protection of his present 
 employer, who hid him on .his premises, and when the 
 exasperated Boor insisted on the Bushman being brought 
 out that he might be shot, he refused to give him up. Thus 
 the Bushman escaped ; and he eventually became a shepherd 
 in the employ of his deliverer. Not long afterwards his 
 new master was out in the field and was attacked by a lion, 
 which had got him down, when his perilous situation was 
 observed by the Bushman, who, having no arms at hand, 
 took off his kaross in an instant, and boldly going up to the 
 lion, flapped it in his face, and so intiinidated the creature by 
 this unexpected salute, that it retreated, and the master's life 
 was saved. Subsequently the Bushman was himself nearly 
 being destroyed by a lion, when the sudden appearance of his 
 master with a gun, who shot the lion, proved the means of 
 rescuing the faithful servant in turn from the jaws of the 
 devourer. The Bushman has been now nearly thirty years 
 in the farmer's employ, and has been allowed to rear a flock 
 of sheep on his own account, which have so increased that 
 tkey are supposed to be worth 1000. 
 
 18th. Accompanied by F. Rawstorne, the Civil Commis-r 
 sioner, we visited the Jail. There are four cells, one for tried, 
 another for untried prisoners, and the two others, strange to 
 say, for witnesses in criminal cases, to make sure of their 
 appearance when required. This is certainly a stretch of 
 authority, but I do not think it is regarded as a great hardship 
 by the class on whom it chiefly bears, who are such as have 
 no fixed dwelling-place, and whose habits are of such a kind 
 as to render their appearance at the time appointed doubtful 
 The practice I understand prevails throughout the Colony, 
 When the sessions are remote, say several months, it may be 
 a very great hardship, and it is also a heavy tax on the 
 (joyernment. The police force of this district is very small,
 
 CHAP. 22 ] PHILIPPOLIS. 393 
 
 only the jailer and two constables, exclusive of the field 
 cornets, of whom there are eight. 
 
 19th. After breakfasting with F. Rawstorne and his family, 
 from whom we have received many attentions, we mounted 
 our horses to join the wagon which had started an hour or 
 two earlier. "We reached the banks of the Orange River the 
 same afternoon : it was low and we crossed without difficulty 
 at the fording-place called Bota's drift. The river in breadth, 
 the character of its bed, and the quantity of water, reminded 
 us of the Tees. In the summer the stream is swollen by the 
 melting of the snows on the mountains to the east, and by 
 the heavy thunder-rains. 
 
 20th. We are now in the territory of Adam Kok, the 
 Griqua Chief, who lives at Philippolis. Whilst out-spanned 
 at mid-day, a tradesman belonging to Colesberg came up, 
 from whom we learnt that five wagons had been swept away 
 from the banks of the Zwarktops River near Uitenhage, 
 by a sudden inundation in the night, causing the death of 
 fifteen persons. Great caution should be used in not out- 
 spanning too near dry water courses in Africa. We have 
 aimed at precaution in this way, but were outspanned five 
 days, we have reason to believe, on the identical spot where 
 this catastrophe occurred. 
 
 21st. We rode on before the wagon to Philippolis, and 
 arranged with Gottlob Schreiner, one of the Missionaries of the 
 London Society, for its accommodation, not expecting to want 
 it for some weeks. We became the guests of the other mis- 
 sionary, Theophilus Atkinson, from whom and from his 
 wife we received much kind attention.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 JOURNEY FROM PHILIPPOLIS TO THABA BOSSIOU. 
 
 AFTER having some service in the gospel with the 
 Griqua population at Philippolis, the Friends set out 
 on a long journey to the north-east, extending to the 
 foot of the Quathlamba Mountains, which separate 
 this elevated country from that of Natal. A large 
 part of the territory which they travelled over is 
 inhabited by the Bechuana tribes ; and in it is in- 
 cluded the district in which many of the Emigrant 
 Boors are now settled as an independent govern- 
 ment, and in which they have not only harrassed 
 the native inhabitants, but have also attacked some 
 of the missionary stations. 
 
 The Bechuana tribes are governed by various 
 chiefs, but the first of these in power, as well as the 
 most remarkable in character, is Moshesh, chief 
 of that branch of the Bechuanas called Basutus. 
 This man was perhaps the most extraordinary African 
 with whom the colonists of the Cape were ever 
 brought into contact. To the self-respect and genius 
 for government of an old Roman, he joins the elo- 
 quence of a Greek. He has eagerly availed himself 
 of European arts and ideas, and welcomed the arrival 
 of the missionaries as the best boon which could be 
 conferred on his people. He even appears to have 
 received their testimony to the truth of Christianity 
 in the love of it, but his conduct at times has been
 
 CHAP. 23.] PHILIPPOLIS. 395 
 
 vacillating, and his progress in the way of the cross 
 has been less rapid and certain than the missionaries 
 had hoped for. 
 
 We now continue the extracts from Gr. W. Walker's 
 Journal. 
 
 6 mo. 23. First-day. Philippolis. The attendance at the 
 seasons of public worship, was considerable. Many came the 
 day before, in their wagons, bringing their families with 
 them. My dear companion and I were both engaged in 
 ministering to them at some length in the forenoon, Theo- 
 philus Atkinson, one of the missionaries, kindly interpreting 
 for us into Dutch. I was sensible of best help as I was led 
 to set forth the nature and excellence of the wisdom that is 
 from above, as distinguished from that which is from beneath, 
 and the corresponding fruits of each. 
 
 24th. A meeting was held with the inhabitants this 
 evening, in promotion of Temperance. We addressed them 
 on the advantage of total abstinence ; and several of the Grri- 
 quas spoke, much to the purpose. Tobacco and snuff were 
 also denounced ; and a society was organized on the principle 
 of abstinence from these, and from all intoxicating drinks. 
 The Bechuana interpreter, who is a deacon in the church, 
 was one who determined on giving up snuff, to which his 
 countrymen are much addicted, but not much to smoking ; 
 his wife also united with him. On their return home after 
 the meeting, they destroyed their stock of snuff, throwing it 
 and their snuff boxes into the fire ; they then both knelt down, 
 and the husband supplicated that their resolution might be 
 strengthened to adhere to their determination. A resolution 
 so entered upon is likely to be kept. About seventy signed 
 the total abstinence pledge. 
 
 25th. We dined with our friends the Schreiners, for whom 
 as well as for the other missionary family, we feel much 
 Christian interest. The former are living in a habitation 
 which would be regarded as untenable in England, and is 
 certainly not sufficient as a shelter, to enable delicate persons 
 such as Rebecca Schreiner to retain health.
 
 396 BETHULIA. [1839. 
 
 29th. It was ten o'clock before we were fairly on the road. 
 G-ottlob Schreiner and his Bechuana Interpreter, our man 
 Boesak, J. Backhouse and myself, comprised the party. The 
 distance from Philippolis to Bethulia is forty-two miles, and 
 it was three hours after sunset before we arrived. 
 
 30th. First-day. The mission at Bethulia is connected 
 with the Paris Missionary Society. Owing to the prevalence 
 of measles the congregation which assembled for worship did 
 not exceed one hundred; several were neatly dressed in 
 articles of European clothing. In the morning Samuel 
 Holland preached to the people in their own tongue, which 
 he speaks fluently ; and afterwards interpreted for my dear 
 companion ; performing the same friendly office for me in the 
 afternoon. S. Holland and J. P. Pellissier speak English ; 
 and their wives are both from Great Britain. This rendered 
 our social intercourse agreeable, and I hope it was not un- 
 profitable. 
 
 7 mo. 1. I felt grateful for an opportunity of inculcating 
 among our dear missionary friends the pacific doctrines of 
 the Gospel, which are not so fully recognised by this useful 
 class of labourers, as we could desire. Sound views on this 
 subject are of great importance, in connection with the 
 evangelization of the heathen, who are generally much 
 addicted to war. I was ably seconded by my dear companion, 
 and I hope it may be as a nail fastened in a sure place. The 
 Bechuanas of these parts are of three distinct tribes, viz. : 
 Basutu, Baralong and Batlapee. They all speak the Sichuana 
 language. There are three kinds of huts in common use 
 among them. The primitive Basutu hut is of irregular form, 
 the frame-work being composed of long sticks arched and 
 well thatched over with reeds, and plastered inside and out 
 with clay or cow-dung. The door is very low, the more 
 readily to exclude enemies or beasts of prey. A second kind 
 is much like that common among the Gaffers. A third and more 
 complete habitation is much used by the Baralongs, and has a 
 very neat and grotto-like appearance. It is circular and the 
 walls are of mud, with upright posts which project beyond 
 the wall and support the thatched roof. A sort of verandah
 
 CHAP. 23.] BECHUAXA HUTS. 397 
 
 is thus formed ; and in many instances the spaces between 
 the uprights are built up with clay, so as to present a compact 
 outer wall, the space between this and the hut itself forming 
 a passage that extends round the building, and adds not a 
 little to its warmth and security. By exclusion from the 
 sun's rays it is also cool in summer. The huts that have 
 double walls have generally an interstice left between the 
 inner wall and the roof, to admit of air and light. It is 
 customary to have a fence either of reeds or of a bushy spinous 
 asparagus, which extends quite round the hut, in some cases, 
 but in others encloses merely a circular area in front of the 
 door. The fence is made with great attention to neatness 
 and uniformity. The reeds being higher than the stature of 
 a man and bound together with much care, make a remark- 
 ably tasteful fence ; and within the enclosure is generally a 
 fireplace, consisting of a layer of clay formed into a shallow, 
 bowl-like shape, the edge of which is nearly level with the 
 ground into which it is inserted. Inside the fence, as well as 
 within the hut, is always clean swept. One or two of the 
 strong uprights, which help to support the roof of the hut, 
 and occupy a central position, have a number of pegs pro- 
 jecting from them, upon which are hung karosses or other 
 articles in use, comprising the wardrobe of the owner, as well 
 as milk-sacks, skin-bags, and other utensils. Earthen jars- 
 which contain the reserve stock of corn, also form a part of 
 the furniture ; and a few skins for sleeping on occupy the 
 place of a carpet. The floor is of beaten clay, and smooth. 
 Thus the interior of a Bechuana's dwelling presents a speci- 
 men of ingenuity and comfort, that proves him to be con- 
 siderably advanced in civilization, in comparison with many 
 other native tribes of Africa. The kaross in use among these 
 people is much superior to that worn by the Gaffers, and is 
 composed of a dozen or more skins of one of the smaller 
 animals, sewed very neatly together with sinews, and worn 
 as a mantle, so as completely to envelope the body. 
 
 Bethulia stands on the verge of a vast plain, through which 
 the Gariep or Orange River meanders. The view from a 
 basaltic hill overhanging the Station is very fine. Imme- 
 diately at one's feet are the huts of the people, scattered in
 
 398 BEERSHEBA. [1839. 
 
 groups over the plain : and lying along the skirts of a stony 
 range, through the centre of the wide and level tract beyond, 
 may be traced a line of verdure marking the windings of the 
 Q-ariep ; and a Jbeautiful amphitheatre of far distant moun- 
 tains forms the back-ground of this extended picture. 
 
 2nd. Rose between three and four o'clock, and by half- 
 past seven were on our way to Beersheba, accompanied by 
 Samuel Rolland and Gr. Schreiner, with our respective atten- 
 dants, and anticipating a smart day's ride, the distance being 
 fifty-four miles. We arrived a little after sunset, and were 
 hospitably entertained by the wife of Thomas Maeder r the 
 Assistant Artizan, a German, who was then at Cape Town 
 superintending the publication of the G-ospels of Mark and 
 John in the Sichuana tongue. 
 
 3rd. We spent a part of the forenoon in going through 
 the settlement, visiting the Basutus, in their huts. The 
 proofs of industry observable are very gratifying. Their huts 
 are erected on the sloping side of a hill, overlooking the 
 mission premises, and a very extensive and open country 
 beyond. The nearly total absence of wood gives the country 
 a bare and sterile appearance, and the grass, which is abun- 
 dant in this quarter, is so dried up with the sun, that there is 
 little appearance of verdure at this season. The ordinary 
 fuel is cow-dung, which is collected dry, and piled up in 
 heaps for use. It was pleasant to remark how very generally 
 the people were employed. They seem an open-hearted, 
 social race, very fond of being noticed, and of shaking hands, 
 which were promptly extended whenever they came towards 
 the missionary or ourselves. It was interesting to observe 
 the cordial feeling that prevailed between the missionary and 
 the natives. A conciliatory, condescending manner on the 
 part of the former, willing to share in their objects of interest, 
 even in matters not strictly religious, I am persuaded is 
 attended with very happy effects. Even with many good 
 men in the station of missionaries, and yet more among 
 ministers, I cannot but believe there is too much of distance, 
 and often, perhaps almost unconsciously to themselves, an
 
 CHAP. 23.] BASUTUS. 399 
 
 assumed dignity of office that renders religion as reflected in 
 them, much less attractive than it otherwise would be. 
 
 The Basutus are an ingenious race ; besides the earthen- 
 ware vessels, they make bowls for water and milk, out of solid 
 wood. Their work in iron is also ingenious ; they manufac- 
 ture a species of hoe or mattock with which they turn up the 
 soil, assagai heads, a sort of knife, two kinds of needles, and a 
 variety of other articles. One of the needles is a good deal 
 like a common packing needle, but has two eyes. It is 
 used for stitching with the flexible grass, in making the 
 large baskets for holding corn, and by having a second eye 
 through which the grass is also passed, the end is more 
 securely retained. In the cultivation of the soil the men assist 
 the women, this service not devolving so exclusively upon the 
 weaker sex as among the Gaffers. We had a very interesting 
 meeting with nearly three hundred of the people. My 
 dear companion and I addressed them at some length, and 
 there was evidence of an ear being open in many to receive 
 the important truths. Eighty individuals have been received 
 into church membership, but in addition to these, there are 
 240 catechumens, who constitute a very interesting and 
 hopeful class : a considerable period of probation and prepara- 
 tory instruction is required, a commendable care being exer- 
 cised not to admit persons into membership on insufficient 
 grounds, and thus lower the standard of Christianity. The 
 consequence of this caution is pleasingly apparent in the 
 general stability of the members. The mission has been 
 established about four years, and only three members have 
 acted inconsistently, so as to be suspended from their privi- 
 leges. The whole of the members sit in judgment with 
 the missionaries, on the cases of application for membership, 
 as well as on cases of delinquency. 
 
 The principal chief of the Bechuana tribes in these parts 
 is Moshesh, whose residence is at Thaba Bossiou, seventy 
 miles distant from Beersheba. There are a great many 
 inferior chiefs, several of whom are allied by blood to 
 Moshesh ; others are refugees who have settled down with 
 their people in the country over which he claims territorial 
 right ; and to these he wisely affords every encouragement, so
 
 400 DEDICATION. [1839. 
 
 long as they conduct themselves peaceably. The generous 
 character of this remarkable man has on one or two occasions 
 been imposed upon, yet in such a way as to eventually draw 
 down signal punishment upon the offenders. 
 
 The Bechuanas believe in the immortality of the soul, though 
 their notions of a Supreme Being appear to be exceedingly 
 obscure. Traces of the doctrine of propitiatory sacrifice are 
 also to be found amongst them ; there is reason to conjecture 
 that clearer views on this subject, and approximating more 
 nearly to the doctrine of the Patriarchs, have at one period 
 prevailed among them, and that in this and in their degree 
 of civilisation they have degenerated. 
 
 4th. In the secular affairs of the mission, erection of 
 buildings &c. the services of F. Maeder are very valuable ; 
 he is a striking example of disinterestedness and dedication to 
 the cause of the Redeemer ; his talents 'as an architect and 
 man of science, qualifying him to have attained to eminence 
 in his profession. But all the flattering prospects of a fleeting 
 world have been renounced by this estimable man, to occupy 
 the position of an artizan assistant to the French mission ; 
 thus evincing that he seeks for a treasure in the heavens that 
 faileth not. 
 
 5th. We parted from our kind friends S. Holland and 
 Gr. Schreiner, and engaged a petty chief named Kaile as our 
 guide on the way to Morijah. A ride of two hours brought us 
 to our resting-place for the night. We off-saddled under 
 shelter of a hill, on the slope of which was a goat kraal ; and 
 stretched our tarpaulin on the bare earth, with saddle 
 bags, &c. against the stone fence of the kraal, to serve as 
 pillows, for the night. A hut was close by, in which were 
 several Bechuanas who civilly supplied us with boiled Caffer- 
 corn and thick milk. The milk had to be drunk out of a 
 bambous or wooden vessel, which accommodated the inmates 
 of the hut as well as ourselves ; but though our fare was 
 simple, and partaken of in more than usually rough style, 
 hunger made it sweet, and seldom have I eaten a meal with 
 more relish. It was a privilege to lie down with thankful 
 hearts to Him who still vouchsafed to watch over us for good,
 
 CHAP. 23.] CONTENTMENT. 401 
 
 and had thus spread a table for us in the wilderness, for the 
 refreshment of the frail body. It was a clear, starlight, and 
 frosty night, but with the aid of a fire at our feet, we managed 
 to keep pretty warm. The thermometer was about 34 within 
 the influence of the fire on the spot where we slept, and the 
 surrounding country was white with hoar frost. 
 
 6th. This part of the land was some years ago much over- 
 run with lions. The herdsmen still carry their arms to the 
 field, which consist of a short assagai, or spear, and a shield : 
 the shaft of a second spear is bound round thickly with black 
 Ostrich feathers, and is used to produce a martial effect in 
 war. But the herdsmen make it of great utility, by training 
 the cattle to browze near the spot where it is stuck in the 
 ground ; so that they can leave the herd for a few hours, and 
 feel sure that the cattle will not stray far in their absence. 
 Most of the ride to-day was through a beautiful grassy 
 country. As the shades of evening drew on, we came in 
 sight of some Bechuana kraals, and were compelled to halt 
 at the first we could reach, in consequence of some of the 
 horses being knocked up. We were introduced to the Chief, 
 who appropriated for our accommodation the area in front of 
 a hut, the door of which was plastered up, as the hut had 
 been converted into a depository for corn. This space served 
 as a good shelter from the wind ; and as I sat upon a stone on 
 the clean swept ground, and felt the genial influence from the 
 fire, with a repast before us quite sufficient to satisfy the hunger 
 of our whole party, I was forcibly struck with the arbitrary 
 nature of what we call comfort, and how much it is estimated 
 by previous contrast of circumstances. An hour or two before, 
 when the horses were jaded and no habitation was in sight, 
 there seemed every reason to expect that we should have to 
 lie down for the night upon the open plain, without shelter 
 or fire, and with no great abundance of food, and be liable, 
 moreover, to the visits of beasts of prey. 
 
 7th. Two hours, brisk riding brought us to Morijah. In 
 these elevated parts of Africa, which are probably five to six 
 thousand feet above the level of the sea, the harvest is late 
 compared with that of the lower country, where it was at its 
 
 d
 
 402 MORIJAH. [1839 s . 
 
 height from three to four months ago. Here it is just gathered 
 in, and the large baskets as tall as their owners were standing 
 outside the huts of the natives, filled to the brim with corn. 
 Morijah is another of the Paris Stations. We were received 
 with great openness by Thomas Arbousset, the missionary, 
 who speaks English with tolerable fluency. At the conclusion 
 of the afternoon service a chief was married who had put away 
 his other wives, retaining the one to whom he had been the 
 longest united. Two chiefs, sons of Moshesh, are living at this 
 station. The younger is a Christian, as well as his wife. On a 
 certain occasion this young man on entering his hut took offence 
 at the absence of his wife, who had gone to the wife of the 
 missionary to learn how to make up some clothes for their 
 children ; but as the husband happened to require her assis- 
 tance, he got out of humour, and on her return, in his excited 
 feelings, gave her a push which threw her down. Immediately 
 afterwards he felt smitten in his conscience, sensible that he had 
 acted in a manner unbecoming a kind husband, and a Chris- 
 tian : he accordingly repaired to the Missionary, and bitterly 
 condemned his own conduct. I need not add that through 
 the Missionary's mediation a reconciliation was speedily 
 effected between the parties. It is very interesting to see 
 such conscientiousness and humility in a young convert, 
 brought up from infancy among a people by whom the female 
 sex are too much placed on a, level with the beasts of burden. 
 
 8th. The day was very wet and stormy, heavy falls of 
 snow occuring at intervals, and the hills in the vicinity being 
 thickly clad with this ensign of winter. The situation of 
 Morijah is peculiar. The villages, three in number, stand 
 on the sloping base of sandstone-hills of great elevation ; the 
 mountains forming a sort of bay, within which the huts 
 are erected. The inhabitants amount to 1500 ; but there are 
 other kraals within a few miles, so as to admit of about 4000 
 souls being brought under the influence of religious instruc- 
 tion. One substantial good which has been effected is the 
 perpetuation of peace, a state of things little known in these 
 parts prior to the establishment of Christian missions. The 
 various conflicting tribes continually preying upon one
 
 CHAP. 23.] CANNIBALISM, 403 
 
 another, there was no opportunity left for the cultivation of 
 the soil. Famine was therefore a frequent accompaniment of 
 the internal wars that laid waste this fine country ; and many 
 of the wretched people, driven to desperation by hunger, even 
 lived upon the bodies of their fellow-men ; at first, of such as 
 were slain in battle, but afterwards, when custom had recon- 
 ciled them to this horrid fare, a more systematic mode was 
 adopted. Such as became cannibals associated in bands, and 
 living in the mountains rendered themselves more terrible 
 than all other enemies, making frequent descents by night, 
 surrounding the kraals, and destroying the miserable inmates 
 that they might feed upon them. Many of these cannibals 
 are now settled down peaceably at the Mission Stations. 
 
 In a note upon this subject, under a later date, 
 G. W. W. relates an anecdote which he heard from 
 one of the French missionaries. 
 
 When the practice of eating human flesh was resorted to, 
 it was not without some struggle of conscience on the part 
 of individuals. One of these, an elderly man, called his 
 children about him, and addressing himself to them and others 
 of the people then suffering from extreme hunger, he said : 
 " To eat the flesh of my fellow-creatures is wrong, even 
 though impelled by hunger. You are young, and your lives 
 are of value to you. I am an old man, and according to the 
 course of nature my days are nearly ended. I will not 
 prolong my life by such means ; I prefer to die." From 
 that period he resisted all solicitation to break his determina- 
 tion, and submitted to starvation. 
 
 On the 9th the Friends left Morijah accompanied 
 by Thomas Arbousset. Since their visit this mission 
 has flourished remarkably. To the spiritual views 
 of Christianity preached by them, and the dis- 
 tribution of the tract, Salvation by Jesus Christ. 
 T. Arbousset attributes a deep religious revival winch
 
 404 SHIPWRECK. [1839, 
 
 took place among the people. Out of a church of 
 400 members, no fewer than 135 are now evangelists, 
 going forth among their heathen neighbours, or 
 pouring out their hearts in prayer and praise in the 
 congregation at home. Two or three years ago the 
 mission was attacked by the Boors, who burned the 
 mission buildings, laid waste the Settlement, and 
 killed several of the people. But such was the 
 progress Christian principle had made among them, 
 that they were ready to make any sacrifices rather 
 than go to war ; they bore the loss of their possesions 
 and the burning of their houses with patience and 
 cheerfulness. " Well Jeremiah, how are you getting 
 on ? " asked the missionary of an aged man, who, 
 like himself had fled for safety to the wilderness, 
 " O very well thank you, I have lost all ; but " 
 (looking up to heaven) " I have Jesus Christ there.'* 
 During the course of 1860, after having laboured in 
 the missionary work for nearly thirty years, Thomas 
 Arbousset left Africa to re- visit his native land, ac- 
 companied by his wife and six daughters whom he 
 could not leave amidst those hostile deserts. On the 
 13th of the 9th month, the vessel in which they sailed 
 came in sight of Cornwall ; the next morning she 
 struck upon the Seven Stones,, and was wrecked. 
 The father and his six children, with the other pas- 
 sengers and the crew were all saved ; but the wife be- 
 came entangled in the rigging, and went down with 
 the vessel, in sight of the afflicted children : the poor 
 husband did not know that she was missing until all 
 was over. The survivors were taken to Falmouth, 
 where they were hospitably entertained, and their 
 immediate necessities supplied ; and afterwards, as 
 had been done on the destruction of the Settlement
 
 CHAP, 23.] MOSHESH. 405 
 
 by the Boors, a sum of money was raised and pre- 
 sented to the Missionary.* 
 
 9th. We proceeded through a romantic country, skirting 
 the Quathlamba or Wittebergen (White Mountains), so 
 named from the snow with which the summits are frequently 
 covered. The distance from Morijah to Thaba Bossiou, 
 another of the French Missionary Stations, is twenty-four 
 miles. We found Eugene and Sarah Casalis under affliction 
 from the loss of their little one by measles, from which the 
 mother and another of her children were slowly recovering. 
 We arrived in time to be present at the interment. Moshesh 
 the Basutu Chief was also present, and spent some time sub- 
 sequently with the family and ourselves in the house. We 
 soon discovered that the report we had received of his superior 
 endowments had not been exaggerated. The many interro- 
 gations he addressed to us respecting the countries and people 
 we had visited, and his shrewd observations, shewed him to 
 be a man of reflection, as well as thirsting for information, 
 He is of dark complexion, like the rest of his countrymen, 
 approaching to black, but he has not much of their cast of 
 countenance, his features being rounder ; he is a little marked 
 with the small-pox ; his eye and manner are full of energy 
 and vivacity. He is a little above middle stature, and was 
 dressed as an English gentleman. His wardrobe is said to 
 contain not less than fifty changes of apparel, from the kaross, 
 which constitutes the national costume, to the newest and 
 most elegant surtout from Bond Street. He was exceedingly 
 desirous of having a Missionary, prior to the arrival of the 
 French Brethren, and had accordingly commenced a journey 
 to the Colony in order to buy one with oxen (the current coin 
 of the interior) of which he and his attendants drove a 
 thousand before them. Unhappily he was intercepted on the 
 way by some marauding Korannas, who plundered him of his 
 cattle, and so compelled him to return. The circumstance 
 however reached the ears of Dr. Philip, through a Grriqua, 
 one of the elders of the Philippolis church, and the Doctor 
 
 See, The Friend for 18M. Vol. xviii pp. 203, 209, 227.
 
 406 TIIABA BOSSIOU. [1839. 
 
 recommended the French Brethren, who were at the moment 
 looking round for a field wherein to commence their missionary 
 labours, to visit Moshesh. 
 
 The Basutus show a wonderful zeal in learning to read, 
 and thirty have acquired the art by taking their lessons home 
 with them and conning them over whenever they had an hour 
 to spare. E. Casalis, not having an adequate supply of 
 printed lessons, was driven to the expedient of writing out a 
 few to gratify the importunity of his pupils, and so many 
 have been supplied with these writen lessons that they can 
 decipher writing as readily as printed books. Moshesh himself 
 is giving his attention to reading, and has nearly mastered 
 the art, 
 
 10th. We ascended Thaba Bossiou (the Mountain of 
 Darkness). It is of sand-stone, and stands detached from the 
 range of the Wittebergen, so as to present a precipitous front 
 on all sides, having four or five narrow pathways to the 
 summit. Two of them are capable of being ascended 
 by cattle ; one of these natural causeways is formed of a 
 bed of lava or basalt, which has issued from the crest of the 
 mountain, opening itself a way through the sand-stone 
 that now stands like walls on each side of it. It presents a 
 tolerably uniform though sfeep ascent for the people and 
 cattle that occupy the grassy flat on the top. This natural 
 fortress is the residence of Moshesh and his people to the 
 number of about 1500, who are divided into five kraals, each 
 having its fountain of water. The height of the mountain 
 from the base is 400 feet, though probably nearly 7000 feet 
 above the level of the sea. This place of security was taken 
 by Moshesh when war devastated the land, in the troublous 
 times to which I have already alluded ; and he succeeded in 
 retaining the greater portion of his cattle, at a time when this 
 kind of property was constantly changing hands, as the con- 
 flicting tribes became a prey to one another. He recom- 
 mended to his people that the herd should be defended in 
 common, as the national stock ; but his prudent counsel not 
 being acted upon, the people were generally despoiled of 
 their herds, and were themselves greatly dispersed and re- 
 duced in number. The energetic chief however maintained
 
 CHAP. 23.] INVASION. 407 
 
 his position successfully ; and since peace has returned, the 
 natives have gathered to him and continue to increase, so that 
 within a few miles of Thaba Bossiou there are at least 8000, 
 who are accessible to the frequent visits of the missionaries, 
 In times of alarm signals are made from a great distance, on 
 the first approach of danger, and the cattle for many miles 
 round are driven to the top of Thaba Bossiou, which has 
 hitherto been impregnable to the assaults of enemies. The 
 turbulent chief Moselekatsi, who with his band of lawless 
 Zulus has been the scourge of the interior, as well as his 
 blood-thirsty cotemporary Dingaan, once sent a commando 
 against Moshesh, which endeavoured to force a way up the 
 mountain. They were repulsed with loss, the Basutus hurling 
 stones and other missiles down upon the assailants, who were 
 at last reduced to the most dreadful extremity from hunger. 
 In their strait they supplicated Moshesh for a few cattle. He 
 refused, sending back for answer that they and their captain 
 were such thieves and murderers, that if they were determined 
 to earn their subsistence by such lawless means they must 
 bear the consequences. The request probably originated in 
 a knowledge of the generous character of Moshesh, who is 
 said on two other occasions to have afforded relief to his 
 enemies when in distress from famine. 
 
 It takes thirty minutes brisk walking to go round the 
 summit of Thaba Bossiou. There is from the top a mag- 
 nificent prospect : the curling smoke of numerous kraals 
 may be seen rising in every direction ; their inhabitants are all 
 subjects of the Chief. Moshesh is building a substantial 
 stone house, having employed two of our countrymen in this 
 undertaking, for which they are to receive forty oxen. 
 According to the custom of his country, the Chief is a 
 polygamist, having at least twenty wives, but there is reason 
 to believe he is convinced of the sinfulness of polygamy, and 
 notwithstanding the sacrifice it will involve (for the number 
 of wives a chief has is a criterion of his power) he has deter- 
 mined to renounce it. While pointing out to one of the 
 missionaries the interior arrangements of his new dwelling, 
 he remarked ; " You see I have made accommodation for only 
 one wife." Should he act according to his conviction in
 
 408 GRINDING CORX. [1839. 
 
 this particular, I should expect him to become a decided 
 Christian ; it may be said that his Christianity hinges on 
 this point, it being as the right hand that must be cut 
 off and cast from him. "We saw several huts of a superior 
 kind, in which the Chief disposes of his stores, as well as 
 resides with his family. He himself had just finished dressing, 
 and a smart active young man, a half-caste, his valet-de- 
 chambre, was putting by some clothes in trunks. Some of 
 the women about the huts were employed in bruising corn to 
 make bread. A flat stone with a smooth surface made to 
 decline a little downwards, is placed on the ground, and the 
 woman on her knees works a rounded stone so as to grind 
 the corn and let the meal pass over the edge at the further 
 extremity. A group of men were busy, inside a circular 
 enclosure, constructing the large baskets in which the corn is 
 stowed away. The people assembled in the enclosure to 
 afford us an opportunity of addressing them, the basket- 
 makers and others laying aside their occupations, and all 
 listening with respectful attention. My companion and 
 I having expressed what, was upon our minds, E. Casalis 
 and T. Arbousset made a brief addition ; after which Moshesh, 
 who was seated by us on a stool somewhat elevated, arose and 
 addressed his people as follows. The Chiefs named by him, 
 Mokatchani, his own father, who was not present, and Makare, 
 are the heads of the unbelieving party, and have shown bitter 
 opposition to Christianity. 
 
 " Rejoice ye, Makare and Mokatchani ! Ye rulers of cities, 
 rejoice ! We have all reason to rejoice because of the news 
 we have heard. There are a great many sayings among 
 men ; some of these are true and others are false. The false 
 have remained with us and multiplied ; therefore we ought 
 to pick up carefully the truths that we hear, lest they should 
 be lost among the rubbish of lies. We are told that we 
 have all been created by one Being, and that we all spring 
 from one man. Sin entered man's heart when he ate of 
 the forbidden fruit, and we have inherited sin from him. 
 These men say they have sinned; and that which is sin 
 in them is sin in us, because we came from one stock, and 
 their heart and our heart is one thing. Thou Makare hast
 
 CHAP. 23.] MOSHESH'S SPEECH. 409 
 
 heard these words, and them say'st they are lies ! You 
 that are grown in years are the great men to us, because 
 (rod placed us in you, therefore we look up to you. If 
 these words do not conquer, the fault will lie with you. You 
 say you will not believe what you do not understand. Look 
 at an egg. If a man break it, there comes out of it only a 
 yellow and watery substance. But if it be placed under the 
 wing of a fowl, a living thing comes forth of it. Who can 
 understand this ? Whoever knew how the heat of the hen 
 produced the chicken in the egg ? Who put the chicken 
 there ? It is incomprehensible to us. Yet we do not deny 
 the fact. Let us do like the hen. Let us give these truths 
 a place in our hearts, as the hen does the egg under her 
 wings, and if we take the same pains, something new will 
 come of them." 
 
 Then turning for a moment to Eugene Casalis, he said : 
 
 " These men are come from afar ; and as they can stay but 
 a very short time with us, I wish you would write their names 
 in a book, and the things they have told us." He then re- 
 sumed his address to the people. 
 
 " We had heard of the Antipodes, but we turned it into a 
 fable, thinking it was an invention to amuse children. Now 
 we see men who have come from thence. They have told us 
 everything about that country. Now, whilst we see, the people 
 of that country are in the dark ! These men say that we have 
 been loved by God. We have plenty of food and covering. 
 The people of the Antipodes ; what do you think they eat ? 
 Oxen ? They have none. Sheep ? They have none. Their 
 only food is birds, wild animals, fish, insects, and roots. Ajnd 
 with what do you think they clothe themselves ? With cloth r* 
 They have none. With skins? They have none. There 
 remains for them only the feathers of birds. Their life is the 
 Bushman's. We see that Q-od has indeed loved us ; though 
 you say God has not loved us, because he has given less to us 
 than to the Whites. And now God has increased our riches 
 by giving us missionaries, which we must be thankful for. 
 
 " I speak to you men ! You have heard that there are men 
 of other nations who despise labour, and think that it is only 
 the lot of women to work ; that it is below the dignity of a
 
 410 COUNSEL TO THE MEN. [1839. 
 
 man to put his hands to a tool. These Mends have praised 
 your hands because they were employed in -making baskets ; 
 they have praised the needle which you use in that work. It 
 is right that man should assist woman. When man was 
 created, after having looked round him, he found no creature 
 to make him complete. Then Grod, who knew the wants of 
 man, extracted woman out of him. I am angry with you 
 men. You assist the females in many things, but not as 
 much as you ought. I am angry with you, because I see 
 your wives lying in the huts with disease [the measles] and 
 fear prevents you from entering to give them the assistance 
 they need. Let me no longer observe this neglect. I speak 
 to you, children ! You must also assist your parents. These 
 truths are written in a book. It is your duty to learn to 
 read, that you may get knowledge, and help your parents 
 with the instruction you shall find therein. I am angry with 
 you ; you are a parcel of lazy fellows." 
 
 It will be observed that the Chief makes reference to 
 matters of which we had informed him in conversation the 
 previous day. He spoke with much energy, and without any 
 hesitation. E. Casalis and T. Arbousset gave us his words 
 as nearly as they could be rendered into English. Not more 
 than 150 people were present, owing to the extensive sickness 
 that prevailed. 
 
 After this interesting opportunity, we again repaired to the 
 habitation of the Chief, who had ordered some fowls to be 
 roasted for his visitors ; but we preferred partaking of Caffer- 
 meal bread warm from the pot, which with thick milk, was a 
 delicious repast after ascending the mountain, preaching, and 
 long fasting. Among the subjects of counsel which we had 
 thought it our duty to touch upon in speaking to the natives 
 was the use of beer. To this many of them are greatly 
 addicted, and it is observed by the missionaries that this class 
 is by far the most unhopeful of any, and generally most 
 opposed to Christianity, especially the older men. These 
 become gross and plethoric like the porter-drinkers of 
 England. The nutritive properties of the beer, when prepared 
 in a certain way, and the malt [or meal] allowed to remain 
 in it, is capable of supporting life with a very small addition
 
 CHAP. 23.] MOKATCHANI. 411 
 
 of animal food, always however producing, more or less, the 
 deleterious consequences I have described. Moshesh observed 
 after the meeting, in reference to what had passed on this 
 subject : " The drunkards have got it to-day." The sagacity 
 of this extraordinary man is displayed in his scrupulous ab- 
 stinence from this hurtful beverage. When questioned as to 
 the grounds of his abstemiousness, he remarked : " Were I to 
 drink beer I should be talking folly before my people." 
 What a lesson for many of our princes and senators ! The 
 father and grandfather of Moshesh have abstained in like 
 manner. 
 
 Before descending the mountain we paid a visit to Mokat- 
 chani, the aged father of the chief, whom we found sitting on 
 the ground enjoying the mid-day sun, with two or three 
 natives, one of whom was preparing him snuff, by grinding 
 the tobacco between two stones. He was pleased at being 
 noticed, and one of the missionaries made some remarks 
 calculated to lessen his antipathy to Christianity, which has 
 decidedly abated of late. Some time ago a sister of one of 
 the converts died of the measles, and her brother gained 
 permission of Moshesh to have the remains interred according 
 to the mode adopted by the missionaries. But the circumstance 
 gave great offence to the bigoted old man, who sent a messenger 
 to Moshesh, requesting that he would put to death the man 
 who had dared to act so counter to the usages of their fore- 
 fathers. There were others not less exasperated ; but the 
 Christian party have too decidedly the countenance and 
 support of the Chief to be under much apprehension on this 
 account. The power of Moshesh is very considerable, for 
 most of the people hold their cattle from him, since their 
 losses in the war as before related. On the rallying of the 
 dispersed parties under his standard, he supplied the needy 
 with milch cows, the produce in stock being his, while the peo- 
 ple live upon the milk. A very large number therefore stand 
 in a similar relation to their chief to what the Egyptians did 
 about the conclusion of the years of famine, towards Pharoah. 
 He is computed to have 20,000 milch cows, and 400 horses, 
 being one of the most wealthy of the native chiefs in the 
 interior. Yet he aims to support his influence by superior
 
 412 DEATH OF MOSHESIl's WIFE. [1839. 
 
 knowledge, and by reasoning with his people, rather than by 
 the exertion of arbitrary power. The Chief -having expressed 
 a wish that we would stay over the following day, that an 
 opportunity might be afforded for the leading objectors to 
 Christianity to bring forward " their strong reasons," we 
 thought it our duty to accede to the request. Moshesh says 
 of himself, in arguing with his people : " I know that I am 
 no Christian ; there are inconsistencies in my conduct that 
 render me undeserving of the name : I have however striven 
 long enough against my convictions ; I must acknowledge 
 that the missionaries have reason and truth on their side." 
 He remarked to one of the missionaries a short time ago : 
 " We knew much of what you tell us before we ever saw a 
 white man. We knew that it was wrong to lie, and'steal, 
 and to commit other bad actions ; only we had not the Book. 
 We knew nothing about Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and 
 that it was our duty to observe the Sabbath ; these things we 
 were wholly ignorant about." 
 
 From the mission-house there are twenty-three kraals in 
 sight, including nearly 3000 inhabitants ; so there is ample 
 scope for religious labour ; and a hopeful field it is. 
 
 llth. An unlooked-for event gave a new turn to the 
 engagements of this day. A messenger arrived from Moshesh 
 as we were seated at the breakfast table, to say that he was 
 plunged into affliction through the death of one of his favourite 
 wives, under circumstances peculiarly distressing. This young 
 woman, ever since an attack of the measles, had been labouring 
 under despondency, which the loss of a baby a few days since 
 had materially aggravated. Fearful of the consequences 
 Moshesh had instructed two of her attendants to watch her 
 narrowly ; but in the night, her guardians having incon- 
 siderately left her for a few moments to obtain food, sne 
 rushed to the edge of the mountain, and threw herself down 
 a precipice 150 feet high, at a spot formerly used as a place 
 of execution for criminals. The Chief requested the mis- 
 sionaries and ourselves to pay him a visit at an early period. 
 It was accordingly arranged that Thomas Arbousset, who was 
 just about leaving for Morijah, should go round by Moshesh's
 
 CHAP. 23.] DISCUSSION ON BURIAL. 413 
 
 residence, and that he should strongly recommend the Inter- 
 ment of the deceased in the manner adopted by the Christians 
 of the Settlement. It was agreed that we should proceed up 
 the mountain in the afternoon, in order to testify our sym- 
 pathy for the afflicted Chief, and to second the recommenda- 
 tion of our friend. An urgent message was however received 
 from the Chief shortly afterwards, stating that he wanted 
 immediate help, as he was contending as it were single 
 handed against a host ; his people having collected the cattle 
 and made the accustomed preparations for the interment 
 according to their ancient heathen usages. I happened to be 
 absent when the messenger came. E. Casalis and C. Gosse- 
 lin along with my companion, proceeded at once to the spot, 
 leaving word for me to follow. On reaching the scene of 
 altercation, a singular spectacle presented itself. Foremost 
 stood the Chief, supported on the right and left by a few of 
 his immediate dependents, and by E. Casalis and J. Back- 
 house. Around, in groups, were some hundreds of the people ; 
 some sitting in a pensive attitude, with their heads leaning 
 upon their hands ; others standing, and by their countenances 
 indicating dissatisfaction or the reverse, according to their 
 respective feelings : a few of those who were seated nearest to 
 the Chief, by their lowering eye-brows, and pouting lips, 
 plainly evinced that they were highly displeased with the 
 turn that aifairs were taking, yet by their sullen deportment 
 they appeared to despair of carrying the day by further oppo- 
 sition. In the back-ground were the cattle collected in great 
 number around one of the stone cattle kraals, the wall of 
 which had been broken down to admit the corpse, which 
 according to the national custom should have been interred 
 within the kraal ; a little to one side was a group at- 
 tending to the remains of the deceased, which had been 
 prepared for sepulture. Around in the distance, were 
 magnificent mountains of every variety of hue, their 
 summits for the most part capped with snow. My 
 dear companion was concluding some remarks on the 
 subject in debate, E. Casalis having preceded him. He 
 had scarcely ended, when Moshesh gave orders for the exca- 
 vation of a grave for the reception of his wife's remains
 
 414 MOSHESH'S RESOLUTION. [1839. 
 
 the following morning, determined that they should be 
 buried according to the mode adopted by the missionaries. 
 Prior to my arrival, Moshesh had addressed his unbelieving 
 subjects in a most ingenious and able manner ; and challenged 
 them to prove that they had better reasons for their mode of 
 burial, than the missionary had for his. Some of them mut- 
 tered that they would speak their minds after the missionaries 
 had withdrawn. " What " said the chief, " is that the way 
 to meet an antagonist ? If you can convince them and us 
 that you have reason on your side, then we will acknowledge 
 we are conquered, and you shall have your own way ; but as 
 you have nothing to say, you acknowledge that you are con- 
 quered, and I am determined that I will have mine." The 
 steps by which this triumph has been attained bear the marks 
 of Divine ordering. First, in the interment according to the 
 Christian mode, of one of the people, which afforded Moshesh 
 the opportunity of breaking through their corrupt customs by 
 the agency of another ; then the death of the missionary's 
 child, only ten days afterwards, and his attendance at the 
 funeral, when the decent proprieties of a Christian burial were 
 contrasted with the heathen rites and revelries on such occa- 
 sions ; and lastly the decease of a member of his own family, 
 calling upon him to act decidedly upon his now matured 
 convictions. I have elsewhere observed that cattle are slain 
 at the interment of the dead, when feasting and revelry 
 succeed ; and we may readily suppose that a custom which 
 puts meat into the mouths of the multitude will be popular, 
 until more enlightened sentiments gain place in their minds. 
 On our descent from the mountain we had an opportunity 
 of seeing a Bechuana smith at work. The tools and forge 
 exhibit ingenuity in the contrivance, as the workman did skill 
 in their use. It was amusing to observe the air of consequence 
 this native blacksmith assumed in the handling of his rude 
 instruments, cutting numerous capers as he wielded the sledge 
 hammer, in which he exhibited very considerable adroitness. 
 The Basutus smelt their own ore, which is obtained in the 
 neighbourhood of Thaba Bossiou. They also work in brass, 
 which as far as I can ascertain, comes from the Colony. 
 
 12th. Early in the forenoon we ascended Thaba Bossiou
 
 CHAP. 23.] BURIAL OP MOSHESK'S WIFE. 415 
 
 once more ; and found Moshesh and his people prepared to 
 proceed with the interment. The remains of his deceased 
 wife were tied up in a new kaross, well bound round with 
 strips of bullock hide. "Wood is so scarce in this country that 
 coffins are not easily procured. After the corpse had been 
 lifted, Moshesh, the Missionaries and ourselves, and a great 
 concourse of natives, followed in quiet procession to the place 
 of interment ; where several new made graves marked it as 
 the repository of the dead. The arrangements were so well 
 ordered by C. Gosselin that nothing occurred to interrupt 
 the solemn quiet that prevailed. The remains being placed 
 over the grave, the natives assembled around to the number of 
 six or seven hundred, most of whom sat down on the ground 
 whilst E. Casalis, J. Backhouse and I addressed them, at 
 considerable length. It was a memorable season ; the solem- 
 nity that came over this large assembly was effectual in 
 chaining down, for a time at least, the powers of darkness ; 
 and the power of God was raised into a measure of dominion 
 in many minds, even in some who might be ignorant of 
 the origin of that which brought them under feelings of 
 solemnity. Not a finger of opposition was lifted up, nor a 
 word spoken to interrupt the universal quiet. The people 
 listened with the deepest attention ; and great liberty was felt 
 to proclaim to them the doctrine of repentance toward God and 
 faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ, while all were invited to 
 listen to the voice that spoke through this solemn event, warning 
 each to be ready, as none could be sure that it might not be 
 his turn next to appear before the Judge of quick and dead. 
 After "seeing the corpse let down into the grave, and the 
 earth thrown over it, a couple of stones being placed at the 
 head and foot of the mound, the people quietly dispersed to 
 their homes. Moshesh followed us to E. Casalis's, where we 
 dined and had a solemn religious opportunity with our 
 excellent missionary friends and the Chief, in wliich I believed 
 it my place to give expression to the fervent desires of 
 my heart for them, as well as for the people, in vocal suppli- 
 cation. We then mounted our horses which had been 
 brought to the door, and proceeded on our journey. Moshesh 
 took leave of us with much feeling, using these words : " I have
 
 41 G PARTING FROM MOSHESH. [1839. 
 
 many things to give up yet, which I cannot do in my own 
 strength ; you must pray for me that I may have strength 
 given me." 
 
 Although the hope entertained by G. W. Walker 
 that Moshesh would become a very decided Christian 
 can hardly be said to have been realized, and the 
 Missionaries have sometimes had to lament the want 
 of a more shining and consistent example on his part, 
 his subsequent history shows that the Gospel has 
 had his respect and love. He put in practice his 
 purpose of sending away his wives, retaining only 
 one as his lawful consort. He also persevered in the 
 same wise course of national policy with which he 
 commenced. In 1852 the Cape Government, to its 
 great disgrace, declared war against him. He made 
 every exertion to avoid fighting, but General Cath- 
 cart and his advisers were bent on war. A battle 
 was fought on the Berean Mountains " the most of a 
 pitched battle the English ever had at the Cape ; " 
 in which the victory, if such it was, was very indeci- 
 sive. The good sense and magnanimity of the 
 Bechuana Chief induced him to propose peace, which 
 General Cathcart was very ready to accept. 
 
 # % For further and very interesting particulars of the career 
 and character of Moshesh, the reader is referred to the 
 "Basutos; or Twenty- three years in South Africa, by 
 E. Casalis:" Nisbet, 1861. One paragraph we must allow 
 ourselves the pleasure of extracting. Speaking of the effect of 
 Scripture truth in the Basutus, the author says : " These 
 mysteries of infinite wisdom were especially striking to the 
 superior understanding of Moshesh. He particularly admired 
 the account of the Creation, the Decalogue, and the 13th 
 Chap, of I. Corinthians, which he called ' The poetry of love.' 
 The history of Joseph threw him into ecstacies of delight 
 and admiration. He related it one day, in my presence, to
 
 CHAP. 23.] MOSHESH. 417 
 
 one of his allies who had come to visit him. In the ardour of 
 the recital he appeared to forget what was passing around 
 him, and indulged in a pantomime which was striking in its 
 correctness of representation. The stranger, seized with as- 
 tonishment, fixed his eyes on him, his countenance reflecting, 
 like a mirror, all the impressions produced on that of the 
 narrator. What would I not have given at that moment to 
 be able to paint ! " pp. 113, 114. 
 
 The Chief's love of the Gospel was not extinguished 
 by the unchristian conduct of Europeans who pro- 
 fessed it. In 1854 the Provisional Government of 
 the Orange River Territory invited him to a friendly 
 dinner. In a speech which he delivered on that 
 occasion he said : " My coming among you with 
 Moroko may satisfy you that I am anxious to live 
 at peace with you and him. And although I have 
 no right to teach you, I however earnestly desire 
 that drunkenness may not prevail either among 
 Blacks or Whites, and that you may establish your 
 government in the fear of God and of his command- 
 ments." * In 1860, when Prince Alfred made his 
 progress round the Colony, Moshesh came out to 
 meet him at Aliwal North, accompanied by 4000 
 mounted Basutu. He is still living, and we are sorry 
 to observe that the troubles of his rule are not yet at 
 an end, but that war still threatens his country and 
 people. 
 
 See Edinburgh Review, Vol. 100, Art. Kafir Wars and Cape Policy.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 JOURNEY FROM THABA BOSSIOU TO PHILIPPOLIS. 
 
 ON leaving Thaba Bossiou J. Backhouse and 
 Gr. W. Walker pursued their journey, visiting in- 
 teresting fields of Missionary labour occupied by 
 the Wesleyan, the Paris and the Berlin Missionary 
 Societies. Under date of 7 mo. 12, Gr. "W. Walker 
 continues his narrative : 
 
 We proceeded through one of the finest tracts of grassy 
 country we have seen on this side the Orange River, studded 
 with Basutu kraals. The people were just gathering in the 
 last of their corn crops. This may be regarded as the granary 
 of the interior ; Griquas, Emigrant Boors, and the distant 
 tribes of Bechuanas resorting hither in times of scarcity. The 
 Barolongs more particularly, from their trading habits, make 
 it their frequent resort, exchanging sheep or goats for the grain 
 which they transport on pack-oxen ; and after conveying it per- 
 haps for hundreds of miles, almost starving themselves mean- 
 while rather than diminish its bulk, they barter it for sheep 
 or cattle so as to leave themselves a handsome profit. We 
 re-crossed the Caledon, a few miles from Plaatberg, where we 
 arrived a little after sunset. We are now beyond the bounds 
 of ordinary measurement by artificial means, whether of time 
 or space. If the natives are asked the distance to any place, 
 they look upward and point to the spot the sun will have 
 reached in the heavens by the time the traveller is likely to 
 reach his destination. Of course time and distance are most 
 indefinite things under such circumstances ; and the miscal- 
 culations that are unavoidably made, often remind us how 
 much we are indebted to civilization and the many-handed
 
 CHAP. 24.] PI.AATBKRG AND LISHUANI. 419 
 
 arts, for the ordinary conveniences of life. The Wesleyans 
 have a catechist stationed at Plaatberg, Thomas H. Sephton, 
 to whose house we proceeded, and who, with his notable wife, 
 gave us a truly Christian welcome. 
 
 13th. The population of this place, estimated at 600, are 
 chiefly Bastaards. The settlement of Plaatberg originated 
 in the migration of a large body of natives under the auspices 
 of the Wesleyan missionary Archbell, from the neighbour- 
 hood of the Yaal, or Yellow River. Moshesh afforded them 
 encouragement to locate in his territory ; but the dissensions 
 of fhe Bastaards among themselves have several times ren- 
 dered it necessary to call him in as arbitrator. On one occasion 
 when he thought the chief was wanting in the display of 
 proper firmness, he reproached him with his pusillanimity. 
 " When I speak," said Moshesh, " the mountains tremble ! " 
 
 It does not require a great effort to live in this land, where 
 corn will grow without irrigation. Such is the productiveness 
 of the soil in the more favoured spots that T. H. Sephton's 
 father sowed, last season, 4 oz. of seven-eared wheat which 
 yielded a return of 225 Ibs. or a thousand fold, exclusive of 
 what was consumed by the birds, and that which fell to the 
 ground, and which has produced this year a self-sown crop. 
 Were the people endowed with but a moderate portion of 
 energy and application they might soon realize a state of 
 prosperity. 
 
 15th. We went forward to Lishuani, the next station of 
 the Wesleyans, and distant twenty-four miles. Our ride lay 
 through a tract once much frequented by lions. Two or 
 three years ago a Bechuana was pursuing his way along the 
 dry course of a river called the Lion River, near Plaatberg, 
 and being intent on the spoor of some game, did not observe 
 that he was himself followed by a lion. The day being cold, 
 for it was mid- winter, the man had his kaross drawn partly 
 over his head, and just as he was descending towards the 
 river's level the lion sprung at him, and fastened its clnws 
 upon the karoaa. When once the fatal spring is made, the 
 instinct of the lion is said to be to close his eyes while upon 
 his prey, to which circumstance the Bechuana was probably
 
 420 MOKWATLrlNG. [1839. 
 
 indebted for his life ; for in the scuffle he slipped out from 
 the kaross, and got away unperceived by the lion, escaping 
 with little other injury than the fright. A farmer's wagon 
 happening to pass that way, a few hours after the occurrence, 
 the man returned with it to the spot, and recovered his kaross, 
 which the lion had left also unhurt. 
 
 We became the guests of Greorge Bingham, whom we had 
 met in Grahams Town, and who had recently been united in 
 marriage to a young woman of Cape Town. 
 
 16th. The people resident on this station are Grriquas : 
 they occupy matje huts,* and are some grades behind even the 
 Bastaards in civilization. The larger number of the men 
 were absent, with their neighbours from Plaatberg, on a 
 hunting expedition. Their conduct on this occasion was 
 a striking illustration of the want of consideration and reck- 
 lessness of their race. The measles were just entering among 
 their families at the time the hunt was proposed, and there 
 was no other probability than that their wives and children 
 would have the disease during their absence ; yet they left 
 the poor women and children to shift for themselves, some of 
 them having little or nothing to subsist on ; and even took 
 the wagons, without which fuel could hardly be obtained by 
 those left behind. The men, as we subsequently learned, all 
 had the measles themselves while on the expedition, which 
 occupied many weeks ; and after their recovery were very 
 poorly compensated by the quantity of game captured. They 
 lost moreover a cow and some horses by lions, equivalent in 
 value to one half of all the game taken. 
 
 17th. We were kindly accompanied by Gr. and S. Bingham 
 in the ride to Mokwatling, another of the French Missionary 
 stations, distant about eight miles from Lishuani. Here we 
 were cordially welcomed by the amiable missionary Francis 
 Daumas, who, with his exemplary wife, a true help-meet, are 
 settled among the people called Batauw or Batuung, which 
 term signifies, The People of the Lion. There are about 4,000 
 people within the range of missionary visits here. In all the 
 
 * Matje Huts are formed of mats of rushes fastened side by side, and thrown 
 over a hemispherical frame of sticks.
 
 CHAP. 24.] CONVERT BOUND. 421 
 
 improvements observable among the different sections of the 
 Bechuana nation, whether Basutu, Barolong, Batlapi, or 
 Batauw, the individuals who have come under religious con- 
 victions take the lead. 
 
 18th. The open manner and condescending deportment 
 of the Missionary and his wife are calculated to win the con- 
 fidence of the people ; and we were struck with the many 
 indications afforded of the hold they have gained on the affec- 
 iiona of the natives. Eliza Daumas received her education at 
 Locle, under that estimable woman, M. A. Calame, and is a 
 pleasing illustration of the success attendant on her instruc- 
 tions. 
 
 The convictions of the newly awakened are often very 
 strong, and so affect their outward deportment, that it has, in 
 some cases, subjected them to the suspicion among their 
 superstitious countrymen, of being bewitched. An instance 
 of this occurred lately in the neighbourhood of Mokwatling. 
 A young man who had become awakened to a sense of his 
 lost condition through sin, and of the necessity of a Saviour, 
 not satisfied with fervent prayer on his own account, was 
 importunate with his countrymen on the same subjects ; and 
 getting up one night began to exhort those around him to 
 seek reconciliation with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 His associates who had little knowledge and less feeling on 
 these subjects, concluded that he was bewitched, and to prevent 
 him from doing them an injury, they bound him securely with 
 thongs of bullock hide and kept him without food. In vain 
 was it that he implored them to set him free, protesting that it 
 was only out of love to their souls that he pleaded with them in 
 the way he had done, and that to do any of them an injury 
 was far from his intention. It was not till the expiration of 
 five days that they liberated him, when he managed to crawl 
 to Mokwatling and make the circumstance known to Francis 
 Daumas : he was in a most pitiable plight from having been 
 so long bound, as well as from privation of food. He even- 
 tually recovered, and is now one of the few who have been 
 admitted as members of the church.
 
 Jjf MOIJTSAXI. [1839. 
 
 From Mokwatling the two Friends, accompanied 
 by F. Daumas, made a tour to the northward, to 
 visit the Koranna Missionary Station of the Black 
 Forest (now called Mirametsu). On the way they 
 saw the celebrated chief Molitsaiii, once the terror 
 of the land, but then much reduced in power, and 
 softened in spirit by adversity. 
 
 19th. We found Molitsani, says the Journal, dealing out 
 portions of an ox to his people. He presently joined us at 
 his own hut, where he received us with openness and even 
 courtesy. Nothing in his appearance would lead one to 
 suppose he had been a man of blood. He is of remarkably 
 fine figure, and decidedly prepossessing. We sat down 
 together within the beautifully neat reed fence that sur- 
 rounded the entrance to his hut. He caused his people to 
 assemble within the enclosure, until it was as closely packed 
 as they could well stow themselves, while numbers of them 
 stood outside ; and we had a satisfactory opportunity of 
 recommending the peaceable, ennobling doctrines of the 
 Grospel, and of demonstrating the blessings both temporal 
 and eternal, which result to nations and individuals from 
 their practical reception. 
 
 We then proceeded to the recently formed station of 
 Korannas at Black Forest. We witnessed many of the 
 devastating effects of former wars, in the broken down cattle 
 kraals and deserted locations of the natives. The country 
 here becomes increasingly level, the few hills being scattered 
 over a wide expanse. The plain to the northward of the 
 Mokwatling mountain range presents one unbroken level as 
 far as the eye can reach. We found Eli Wiggil, the Cate- 
 chist, busily engaged in erecting a dwelling for his family. 
 He is a practical mechanic, and has everything to prepare 
 with his own hands ; the wood had to be brought from the 
 upper part of the mountain, without carriage or bullocks, and 
 cut up with no other tool than a hand-saw. The Korannas 
 derive their designation from a leader in ancient times named 
 Koran. They are true Hottentots, and are the descendants
 
 CHAP. 24 ] K.ORAXNAS. 423 
 
 of the identical tribe to whom the country of the Cape 
 belonged, at the time the Dutch first took possession of it, 
 in 1650. The encroachments of the Whites obliged them 
 to take refuge in a land thus remote from the country of their 
 ancestors, in order to retain their liberty and the possession 
 of their herds. They are a pastoral race, and live in matje 
 huts. The Koranna requires but a couple of hours to take to 
 pieces his domicile, and pack it up on the back of an ox, 
 with all his goods and chattels, and perhaps two or three 
 of the youngest children ; he and his family are then ready 
 to proceed in any direction that convenience or caprice may 
 dictate. 
 
 Such of the people as could be assembled were collected 
 under a tree, to which a rustic pulpit had been attached, 
 and we had the privilege of addressing them according 
 to present sense of duty. They were reminded of the 
 patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who while leading 
 a pastoral life, were sincere and dedicated worshippers of 
 the living God. E. Wiggil interpreted what we said into 
 Dutch, and an old and pious Griqua again interpreted into 
 Koranna, the dialect of this tribe of Hottentots. Of all 
 the dialects of Southern Africa the Hottentot is the most 
 grating to the ear, as well as inarticulate by the tongue of a 
 European, in consequence of the numerous gutterals and clicks, 
 of which there are several differing from one another. Among 
 the clicks are two that are used by us, not, it is true in 
 words, but as sounds to which a meaning is attached : the 
 one to urge forward horses, the other when we indicate vexa- 
 tion mixed with surprise at petty troubles. In the Hottentot 
 language there are few words that have not one or more of 
 these uncouth clicks ; and when these are associated with deep 
 gutterals, it seems to need great exertion, even by a native, 
 to produce the discordant sound. I have heard but of two 
 missionaries who have learned to speak the language. 
 
 The party returned to Mokwatling the same day, 
 and on the morrow J. Backhouse and G. W. Walker 
 rode forward to the extreme point of this journey,
 
 424 IMPARANI. [1839. 
 
 the Wesleyan Station of Imparani, among the Man- 
 tatees, fifty miles further east. 
 
 20th. Soon after leaving Mokwatling, the high range of 
 the Quathlamba came into sight, capped with snow, and very 
 steep. The emigrant Farmers cross this range on their way 
 to Natal, by a pass which they call the Drakenberg, the only 
 one that admits of the passage of wagons. The natives 
 make a short cut by a footpath that takes them in four 
 days from Imparani to Natal. Our ride was through a nearly 
 continuous plain. Our attention was arrested by a phenome- 
 non which we frequently afterwards noticed, and which is 
 probably dependent on electric attraction. Spiral columns 
 of dust, perhaps 150 or 200 feet in height, were to be seen 
 moving along the surface of the earth. Seldom were there 
 less than a dozen or more of these " whirlwinds of the south " 
 in sight at one time, though at wide intervals apart, and in 
 various directions. Within about eight miles of Imparani we 
 descended by a narrow and very steep path to a beautiful 
 grassy plain, environed by hills. On the sides of those which 
 we skirted were numerous kraals of natives, but so embosomed 
 among the rocks, that a stranger might approach within a 
 few yards before being aware that a human habitation was 
 near. These inhabitants of the rock have resorted hither to 
 avoid surprise by an enemy : their " place of defence " is 
 literally " the munitions of rocks." Imparani is situated 
 under a sandstone-range, very similarly to the station of 
 Lishuani. The buildings are of a superior order, and present 
 an imposing appearance. The catechist, James Allison, 
 received us with the cordiality of a Christian brother. 
 
 21st. Everything here appears to be done with system, 
 and furnishes proof of the energy and industry of the 
 zealous superintendent. Here, as at other missionary 
 settlements, the measles are rife ; consequently few of 
 the people attended public worship. With these my dear 
 companion and myself had a full opportunity of religious 
 labour. The Chief, Sikonyela, was present. We were also 
 at a prayer meeting of the natives, in which several were 
 engaged. Among them was a sister of the Chief, who has
 
 CHAP. 24.] MANTATEES. 425 
 
 become a member of the church, though once a great 
 drunkard. Whilst she was pouring out her petitions at the 
 Throne of Grace, the contriting influence of Divine power was 
 to my mind very perceptibly present. We accompanied 
 J. Allison to a native hut, where a woman was lying ill of the 
 measles, which seemed likely to prove fatal. It was affecting, 
 and yet cheering, to hear her testify to the power of Divine 
 Grace, as her support in the hour of extremity. On a question 
 put by J. Allison, as to how she felt ; she replied, that though 
 her body was very weak and ill, her soul was strong in the 
 Lord, confiding in her Saviour. Sixteen of the young men, 
 members of the church, go out into the neighbouring villages 
 on the afternoons of First-days, and declare to their country- 
 men what they have experienced of the power of religion. 
 
 22nd. The Mantatees are a numerous people, supposed to 
 be at least 25,000 strong. They derive their present designation 
 from Mantatees, the mother of Sikonyela, and are a section 
 of the Bechuana nation ; but in consequence of some political 
 convulsion they left their original location, which was some 
 hundred miles further north, more than a century ago. 
 They are the only people we have visited on this side the 
 Orange River who continue to send out expeditions for 
 plunder. This is chiefly owing to the irresolute character 
 of the Chief, who suffers himself to be over-ruled by a few 
 lawless spirits. The continuance of this iniquitous practice 
 has frequently placed the mission in great jeopardy ; and 
 some of the dangers that impended have been averted in a 
 manner that can only be ascribed to the immediate inter- 
 position of Divine Providence. 
 
 G. W. W. relates at length a tragical affair of the 
 Zulu Chief Dingaan, Sikonyela, and the Boors, 
 which at one time threatened to overthrow the 
 mission, but which, through the wise, Christian 
 conduct of J. Allison, issued in its becoming more 
 extensively useful. 
 
 Very shortly after these occurrences, he continues, it pleased 
 the Most High to bestow a signal blessing upon this part of
 
 426 AWAKENING. [1839. 
 
 his vineyard. A remarkable awakening took place, which 
 proved a rich compensation to J. Allison for all his toils and 
 anxieties during a series of years, in which little fruit had 
 been witnessed. Some time previously, a man and his wife, 
 of Mozambique extraction, named Abraham and Sarah, who 
 had been slaves, and who had escaped from the service of 
 an emigrant Boor, had been received into the service of 
 the Mission. Neither the husband nor the wife was pious 
 when they entered the service ; but they had not been 
 long with the Catechist, before the woman became much dis- 
 tressed under the feeling of her lost condition. Such was 
 the depth of her conviction for sin, and the intensity of her 
 anxiety regarding her soul, that she nearly sunk under the 
 load of mental solicitude, and her husband and many others 
 stood around her, expecting that every moment would be her 
 last. The cause of her illness was generally known,and excited 
 universal interest. At this moment it pleased Him who wills 
 not the death of a sinner, to shed a further ray of Divine light 
 upon the mind of this contrite woman, and to give her a 
 sense of his pardoning mercy through the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 Then was her heart filled with joy and her tongue with 
 praises ; and to the wonder of all, she became restored to her 
 wonted health, as well as invested with the " spirit of love 
 and of a sound mind." She became earnest in exciting those 
 whose attention had been thus roused, and who queried what 
 these things could mean, to taste for themselves and see that 
 the Lord is gracious. Many listened to the message, thus 
 feelingly proclaimed, and a desire after acquaintance with 
 Divine truth became extensively prevalent, and continued to 
 spread, until a large proportion of the people in the immediate 
 vicinity of the station were shaken from their sleep of death ; 
 and the hills and rocks were made to resound with the cries of 
 these poor supplicants, as they implored in broken accents that 
 mercy from on high, which they felt they needed. The 
 Chapel was crowded daily, the people resorting thither in 
 season and out of season, with the anxious enquiry, What 
 must I do to be saved ? J. Allison's account of this re- 
 markable period is very striking, especially as regards its 
 influence on his own mind. Frequently, when assembled
 
 CHAP. 24.] YOUNG PROPHET. 427 
 
 with the people, and the chapel filled with penitents, he was 
 made sensible of the immediate presence of Divine power to 
 an awful degree. At such times there would be little display 
 of excitement among the people, beyond the copious effusion 
 of tears, with which the ground was not unfrequently watered, 
 but one and all present seemed more or less subjects of this 
 hallowed visitation. It is believed that 150 were decidedly 
 under conviction at one time ; out of whom about eighty have 
 stood their ground, and are now admitted as Members. 
 
 The fame of J. Allison's conduct in the affair of Sikonyela 
 with the Boors has opened the way for Christian Missions in 
 a new direction. An embassage has lately arrived from the 
 Baraputse, to request that a missionary might be sent to 
 them. These people are located to the E. N. E. of Irn- 
 parani, and are supposed to be 50,000 strong. It took 
 the embassage, consisting of about a dozen persons, ten days 
 on foot to travel the distance, in the course of which they had 
 to pass some unfriendly tribes whom they evaded by journeying 
 in the night. They crossed nine considerable rivers, all of 
 which are impassable for wagons during the wet season, and 
 each of which contains the Alligator and the Hippopotamus. 
 
 Among the Christian converts at Imparani, " Daniel, the 
 Prophet," as he is commonly designated, is worthy of mention, 
 on account of his influence in predisposing the Mantatees for 
 the reception of a missionary. Daniel, who has hardly yet 
 attained to maturity, was a herdsman, the common employ- 
 ment of lads of his age. When out with his charge, he one 
 day had a sort of waking vision, which so impressed his mind 
 that he communicated it to the Chief and the people of the 
 tribe. According to subsequent descriptions, given in answer 
 to J. Allison's interrogations, the youth seems to have had 
 the circumstances represented to his view as in a mirror, for 
 he pointed to a shining teaboard that was on the table, and 
 signified that what he saw was in a small compass, and as though 
 depicted like the figures on the face of the teaboard. He in- 
 formed the Chief, that in his vision he had seen a body of brown 
 men, who made an attack on the tribe, with fire, and took 
 away their cattle, describing also the attire of the people who 
 should thus overpower them. As was to be expected, the
 
 428 PREDICTIONS. [1&39. 
 
 Chief treated the lad's communication with contempt, and he 
 became the subject of ridicule among the people, who were 
 hardly restrained from binding him as a person bewitched. 
 Before many months had elapsed, the Korannas, a people 
 exactly corresponding with the description given by Daniel, 
 made an incursion upon the Mantatees, whose cattle they 
 succeeded in bearing off in considerable numbers. They were 
 strangers to the Mantatees, and were armed 'with guns, with 
 which the latter were at that time unacquainted. Daniel was 
 now looked upon as a true prophet, and was regarded with 
 superstitious wonder. Even the Chief treated him with 
 respect, and proposed that he should live with him and be his 
 prophet. But this the lad declined, as well as the offer of 
 maintenance, alleging that he had not the power of seeing 
 these things at will, and might never see the like again. 
 After some time, however, Daniel had a second vision, which 
 he again made known to his tribe. He stated that he had seen 
 some white men come among them, but different from the 
 last, being men of peace ; that they brought good news, and 
 that through them the national stock of cattle would increase. 
 He stated his belief that these things would come to pass, as 
 in the former instance. Soon afterwards, the Wesleyans, 
 aware of the marauding propensities of this tribe, and having 
 settled the people under their care at several Stations in the 
 neighbourhood, came to the conclusion that unless a mis- 
 sionary was placed with the Mantatees there would be no 
 peace. William Shaw, the Superintendent of the Missions, 
 consequently sought an interview with Sikonyella on the 
 subject, which resulted in the establishment of James Allison 
 among the Mantatees, as their religious Teacher. But it is 
 generally admitted that the previous intimations of Daniel 
 had a considerable influence in preparing the way for the 
 reception of the Missionary. Daniel attached himself to 
 him, and became a member of his household, but still 
 showed no particular predilection for Christianity. A few 
 months prior to the remarkable visitation, to which reference 
 has been made, J. Allison made a journey to Grahams 
 Town, accompanied by Daniel, who assisted about the wagon. 
 While they were in town, Daniel said he had had another
 
 CHAP. 24.] PARENTAL AFFECTION. 429 
 
 vision : " That the Almighty would pour out of his Spirit 
 upon the tribe, and there would be a great gathering to 
 Him." J. Allison did not attach importance to it at the 
 time ; but on his return, when the awakening took place, he 
 remembered the prediction, and the more so when Daniel 
 himself became one of the first converts to Christianity. He 
 has been truly exemplary ever since ; and on his admission into 
 the church by the rite of water-baptism, he was, in reference 
 to his gift, named Daniel. 
 
 23rd. It does not appear that Infanticide has any place 
 among this people. Indeed, on the contrary, I am told that 
 parental affection is strongly exhibited in various ways. If 
 a child has but a pain in his head, it is said the father will 
 give himself incredible trouble, to procure some root, or other 
 nostrum, that he thinks will afford relief. And the mothers 
 will submit to great inconvenience, and even suffering, for 
 their children's benefit. It is pleasing to observe some bright 
 gleams amid the too general darkness and depravity. 
 
 From Imparani the Friends retraced their steps as 
 far as Mokwatling, from which station they returned 
 to Philippolis by nearly a direct route. 
 
 We left, says Or. "W. Walker, in company with our kind 
 friend J. Allison, who set us about half way to Umpukani. 
 As we passed through the kraal where Mantatees, the mother 
 of Sikonyela resides, we stopped to pay her a visit. She still 
 looks but a young, or at least a middle-aged woman, and her 
 features are by no means unpleasing ; but it is to be feared 
 she is far from being so good as she looks. She issaid to 
 have been a great encourager of war.* 
 
 * Soon after the visit of J. Backhouse and G. W. Walker to Imparani, the 
 only child of Sikonyela's favourite wife died of the measles. Numerous witch 
 doctors were at once assembled, and were busy night and day with their 
 diabolical incantations. They fixed on a young man named Lekwara, a member 
 of the mission church as the author of the child's death, and included the mother 
 of the young man as a party to the crime : both she and her son were soon put 
 to death under circumstances of the greatest cruelty. From this time the 
 Mantatecs seemed smitten with a consuming curse. Woe followed after woe 
 like the waves of the sea until they ceased to exist as a nation. 
 
 James Allison with his wife removed to Thaba Unchu and thence to Lishuani ;
 
 430 JAMES ALLISON. [1839. 
 
 24th. We returned to Mokwatling, and were concerned 
 to find our valued friend, Francis Daumas, confined to his 
 bed from an attack of rheumatic fever, having taken cold, on 
 the occasion of our visit to Black Forest. 
 
 26th. We parted from our valued friends, with whom we 
 could not but deeply sympathize, under the prospect of the 
 tedious illness of F. Daumas ; at whose bedside we had a 
 sweet religious season. We then proceeded on our way to 
 Thaba Unchu, the next Missionary Station, distant forty-five 
 
 and they afterwards proceeded with ten families of the native members of the 
 church at Imparani, as assistants, to Lotiti, the residence of the king of the 
 Baraputsi or Amaswazi. They had not been long here before they found that 
 the wish of this king to have a missionary was more political than religious ; 
 and he so involved himself in war as to occasion his country to be laid waste by 
 fire and the sword. J. Allison anticipating this, had made provision fora 
 retreat into the Natal Colony, whither, with his adherents, he now went. 
 Previously, thirty more converts had been added to the believers in Christ. The 
 whole company, including children now amounted to about oO^. They arrived 
 in Natal in 1846, and formed a station named Indalen, on a Government grant 
 of land. Here their labours were also blessed of the Lord. The " people were 
 poor but full of love to Christ, whose word was extensively proclaimed by them 
 throughout the Colony, and many more were added to the Lord ; " among the 
 successful labourers, were Abraham and Martha mentioned at page 426. 
 
 The Wesleyan Mission in Natal not entering into J. Allison's views, he left 
 them in 1857 ; and with the consent of his people, purchased 6300 acres of fine 
 land on his own personal responsibility, for 1300. On this beautiful spot, near 
 to Pietermaritzbura:, a regular township was laid out in allotments of half an 
 acre each, and called Edendale. These allotments were sold to the native con- 
 verts at seven shillings and sixpence each, with freehold titles ; and the estate is 
 now paid for and the people are settled upon it. The toils of these circumstances, 
 and the attendant privations, broke down the health of Jas. Allison's wife and 
 impaired his own strength, so that they were no longer equal to the responsi- 
 bilities of the heads of a mission village ; they therefore withdrew from their post ; 
 and at the wish of the people, again transferred this charge to the Wesleyans. 
 The population at this time amounted to 800 souls James Allison now found 
 another door of gospel labour open before him, in the conversational teaching of 
 the Zulus passing backwards and forwards through the city of Pietermaritzburg ; 
 and here his labours have also been blessed by his good Lord and Master. Here, 
 as in the case of the purchase of the land, he depended on his own pecuniary 
 resources, having devoted himself and his substance to the Lord. Between 
 1st mo. 1861 and 2nd mo. 1862, he had religious conversations with 2824 
 persons ; and he says. This blessed work is just what my soul delights in : 
 it enables you to grapple so advantageously with the unrenewed heart of man, 
 and shows so beautifully the adaptation of divine truth to fallen human nature 
 under every possible diversity.
 
 CHAP. 24.] THABA UNCHU. 431 
 
 miles. The country through which we passed was increasingly 
 open and level. The inhabitants seemed to be few, until 
 nearing the settlement, which we were favoured to reach in 
 safety, before the sun went down ; here we were welcomed by 
 Richard Giddy, the indefatigable Wesleyan Missionary, in 
 whose house we took up our quarters. 
 
 27th. This is by far the most populous village we have 
 yet visited on this side of the Orange River, and may be 
 called the Metropolis of the country. The number of 
 people is about 9,000, occupying 2,000 huts, all probably 
 within the compass of a square mile. Within a few miles 
 are several smaller villages, which contain about 2,000 more 
 inhabitants. This Mission is the result of the persevering 
 labours of our worthy friend Thomas L. Hodgson, and his 
 coadjutor, Broadbent, who, after wandering about for several 
 years with the nucleus of the present population, at the period 
 when from the unsettled state of the country, they were often 
 like partridges hunted upon the mountains, enduring manifold 
 privations and dangers,* at length induced the late Chief, 
 Sifunello, to settle down at the Station of Old Plaatberg. At 
 this period they consisted of but twenty-three families, but 
 these became a rallying point for the rest of the tribe ; and 
 at the time of the migration under the Missionary, Archbell, 
 no less than 8,000 Barolongs removed to the present site of 
 Thaba Unchu ; so that the very existence of the people may 
 be attributed to the exertions of the Missionaries. Richard 
 Giddy, having been instructed in the art of printing, has set 
 up a press which he works himself, and from which the wants 
 of the contiguous Institutions in connection with the Wes- 
 leyan Body are supplied. The principal Chief of the Baro- 
 longs, Maroko, is not a professed Christian, yet in many 
 respects he shows himself concerned for the moral welfare of 
 his people. It is to be regarded in the light of a special 
 Providence that this Chief and Moshesh are both favourable 
 to Christianity, and disposed to promote peace and good order 
 in the land. There is reason to think that their influence on 
 
 For an interesting account of their wanderings and privations, see Memoir* 
 of Mrs. Ann Hodgson ; published by J. Mason, London. 1836.
 
 432 TRADING IN SPIRITS. [1839. 
 
 the emigrant farmers, who are numerous on the banks of 
 the Modder River, hardly a day's ride from Thaba Unohu, is 
 decidedly salutary, in preventing their interference with the 
 liberty of the native inhabitants of the land. Maroko, whose 
 people from their local position are subject to frequent inter- 
 course with the farmers, has lately shewn his determination 
 to suppress evil, in a way that is worthy of being followed by 
 legislators who lay claim to greater civilization. The farmers 
 had been in the habit of visiting Thaba Unchu for the purpose 
 of barter, and frequently introduced spirits among the people, 
 by which their habits were in danger of becoming speedily 
 corrupted. In addition to this the Boors would often infringe 
 on the duties of the Sabbath, coming on that day and out- 
 spanning at the Settlement, for mere secular purposes, and 
 contrary to the regulations of the place. Maroko has in con- 
 sequence issued two proclamations which he has got printed in 
 Dutch as well as in Sichuana, prohibiting these practices, and 
 threatening confiscation of the property of such as shall be 
 detected in the sale of ardent spirits at the Settlement. A 
 farmer lately visited the place with his wagon, and was 
 strongly suspected of having bartered away spirits contrary 
 to the new regulation. On being questioned he flatly denied 
 it. Maroko however caused the wagon to be searched, when 
 the proofs of his guilt were but too evident, and the offender 
 had the mortification not only of being convicted as a liar 
 before the people, but of having his wagon forfeited. He 
 was a good deal alarmed, and as the matter had been carried 
 so far as to convince others who might be disposed to set the 
 laws on this subject at defiance, that it could not be done with 
 impunity, Richard Giddy suggested to the Chief, that as it 
 was a first offence, it would perhaps be better not to push 
 matters to an extremity. The Boor was therefore required 
 to ask pardon for the offence, and solemnly to promise that 
 he would not be guilty of a second misdemeanour of the kind. 
 These humiliating conditions he readily submitted to, in 
 order to become re-possessed of his wagon ; and so the matter 
 terminated. 
 
 29th. Having completed our arrangements for continuing 
 the journey, we bade our kind missionary friends, farewell ;
 
 CHAP. 24.] HOSPITABLE DUTCHMAN. 433 
 
 and accompanied by a guide, and a young man named 
 Betram, we once more mounted. Our guide proved to be 
 unaccustomed to horseback, and in his efforts to hold his seat 
 he every now and then run the horse quite off the road ; the 
 also took us so far about, that though the ride should not 
 have exceeded ten or twelve miles, it was after sunset ere 
 we reached our lodging place. This was the temporary 
 location of two traders, one an Englishman, the other a 
 young Dutchman, who, with his family, was occupying a 
 rude, hartebeest hut, whilst a quantity of cattle he had 
 received in exchange for his commodities were benefiting 
 by the fine pasturage of the neighbourhood.* Several 
 other persons had also halted here with their wagons. With 
 some of these and the young Dutch couple we had some 
 satisfactory religious service, after being hospitably enter- 
 tained by the latter, who were also at the pains of erecting 
 a tent for our accommodation. Our religious season being 
 terminated, we retired to our quarters, cheered by the open 
 door thus unexpectedly set before us, to proclaim the glad 
 tidings of salvation to this little sequestered group. 
 
 30th. The night was excessively stormy, rain falling at 
 intervals, accompanied by heavy gusts of wind. Towards the 
 middle of the day, the weather cleared up a little, and we 
 prepared for a start, when a new difficulty arose. Our guide 
 shook his head, declaring it was " al te koud," (far too cold) 
 and positively refused to go further. We accordingly allowed 
 him to return to the Settlement, concluding to proceed by 
 ourselves the following day ; the weather threatening for snow, 
 and the day being now too far advanced to go forward under 
 these circumstances, as we had yet sixty miles to ride before 
 we could reach Bethany. 
 
 31st. Being detained by the straying of the horses, it was 
 half-past ten before we got off. Having gained all the in- 
 formation we could respecting the road, we mounted, my 
 companion and myself having each three horses to manage, 
 
 A Hartebeest hut, is of a rude oblong form, and constructed of rough 
 materials ; it is so called from a fancied resemblance in form to a reposing 
 Hartebeest. 
 
 f
 
 ACCEPTABLE LODGINGS. [183&. 
 
 and one of these a pack horse. The country wa& very level, 
 and the tracks good, but the inhabitants being extremely few, 
 there was little opportunity for inquiring our way when at a 
 loss. We saw more of the larger game to day than in former 
 parts of our journey, particularly Hartebeest and Gnu j of the 
 former, seldom less than from one to two hundred were in 
 sight at once ; and whilst we were off-saddled, the Gnus lay 
 down within gun shot of us, a degree of tameness probably 
 attributable to the scarcity of inhabitants. Up to the time of 
 halting, the horses had led pretty well, but on resuming 
 our ride an unruly one which I was leading troubled 
 us; starting off, he escaped, and the others following 
 him, we had a hard gallop before regaining them. Night 
 began to draw on, and for some hours we had seen no 
 human being, nor any signs of a habitation, which made 
 us somewhat thoughtful how the road was to be ascertained, 
 for we were approaching- a part of the country where we 
 ought to turn off from the direct track. It was almost dark 
 when we discerned something like the outline of a hut, a 
 couple of hundred yards from the track, which proved to be 
 the hartebeest dwelling of an emigrant Boor. On halting at 
 the door, to make enquiry of the man respecting our course, 
 his wife came out, and immediately observing it was " al te 
 laat * (far too late) to proceed, proposed that we should rest 
 there for the night. This kind offer we did not Ijesitate long 
 in accepting, for we were more than two hours from Bethany, 
 and our finding the road in the dark was extremely pro- 
 blematical. The interior of the dwelling was very rudely 
 furnished ; a square bedstead, such as is common among the 
 poorer class, having a net- work of bullock thongs in place 
 of cordage, two or three stools covered in like manner, 
 with a few wagon chests, forming the table, was the only 
 furniture it contained. The table was soon spread with such 
 fare as the poor people had to offer, and being set before us 
 with a hearty welcome, was more grateful than the most 
 costly viands where this is wanting. The clothing of the 
 family consisted for the most part of leather. "We soon 
 found that our new acquaintance were not indifferent to the 
 things of most importance ; and amid numerous privations
 
 CHAP. '24.] BETHANY. 435 
 
 and hardships, the absence of a place of worship, and of 
 religious instruction, as well as schooling for their children, 
 were the only things dwelt upon as causes of lamentation. 
 After some communication on religious subjects, we lay down 
 on the floor, enveloped in our karosses, the parents and 
 children occupying the other end of the hut. Gratitude was 
 the covering of our minds as we considered how much preferable 
 this humble shelter was, to a lodging in the open wilderness, 
 subject to the dismal howlings of nocturnal animals. 
 
 8 mo. 1. We suffered from cold during the night ; 
 my blanket was quite wet with the condensation of my 
 breath when I arose in the "morning, and the ground was 
 white with frost. Whilst my dear companion and the youth- 
 ful son of our host were out after the horses, an opportunity 
 for enlarging upon some subjects that had been touched upon 
 the previous evening presented, in conversation with the Boor 
 and his wife. The latter showed much religious sensibility. 
 Tears came into her eyes, and there was a readiness to appre- 
 hend the real nature of religion, and a quickness in referring 
 to the passages of Scripture, which I found occasion to cite as 
 I went along. 
 
 The horses being brought up, we took leave of our friendly 
 host and his family, who bestowed on us their blessing ; and 
 accompanied by their eldest son, who was to show us the 
 way, we resumed our journey. When we came to see the 
 difficulties we should have had to encounter in distinguishing 
 the road among many that turned off in other directions, we 
 could not but recognize the gracious care that had ordered 
 our steps the previous evening. We reached Bethany early 
 in the forenoon, where we found Carl Wuras, whom we 
 had become acquainted with when at Colesberg. His wife 
 had retured home, with her baby ; and she with the rest of 
 the Mission family, shewed us much kind attention. The 
 Institution is conducted under the auspices of the Berlin 
 Society. 
 
 2nd. The Missionaries have to labour under many dis- 
 couragements from the roving unsettled habits of the Ko- 
 rannas, and their great want of energy. We rode with some
 
 436 BVSHMEX. [1839. 
 
 of the Missionaries to visit a few of the Kraals situated in the 
 neighbourhood. The natives occupy matje-huts, as elsewhere ; 
 the interior of these is very filthy, and their persons are not 
 less so. There is a Bushman's Kraal, near to Bethany, which 
 we also visited in the course of our ride. Since the acquain- 
 tance of these people with the Missionaries they have shewn 
 a willingness to give their services as shepherds and herds- 
 men, for a compensation in goats ; and by these means they 
 have now acquired a small flock. Before this they lived 
 exclusively on game, and such wild roots as are edible ; and 
 these still constitute their principal means of subsistence. 
 They destroy the game by means of poisoned arrows, discharged 
 from remarkably small bows. The poison is prepared from 
 various plants, particularly some of the species of Euphorbia, 
 which emit an acrid milky juice : by evaporation the juice is 
 reduced ta a consistency like bird-lime, and this is smeared 
 over the points of the arrows. These Bushmen are a puny race, 
 diminutive beyond any I have seen, and meagre and sickly in 
 aspect. They are partially covered with skins ; their dwellings 
 are seldom more than mere breakwinds. The situation of this 
 kraal was such as they commonly select for their locations, 
 being literally " in the tops of the ragged rocks." 
 
 5th. We resumed our journey this morning, having about 
 seventy miles to ride to Philippolis. It was some time after 
 dark when we reached the house of Theophilus Atkinson, 
 where we again received a welcome. Thus another stage of 
 our travels, and one that has been productive of more than 
 usual interest in affording proofs of the advantages of mis- 
 sionary labour and influence, has been peacefully accomplished. 
 The good hand of the Lord has been with us amid some 
 difficulties and dangers, and perils in the wilderness ; he has 
 opened the way before us, and has given us a place, we believe, 
 in the hearts of our brethren of different religious denomi- 
 nations, with whom, as well as with many of the people, we 
 have been permitted to feel unity of spirit. What shall 
 we render unto our gracious Helper for all his unmerited 
 benefits ? May heart-felt praise be ascribed to his excellent 
 name, from his unworthy creatures ! ;
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 JOURNEY FROM PHILIPPOLIS TO MOTITO AND RETURN 
 TO THE COLONY. 
 
 OWING to the long occupation of the Cape Colony 
 by the Dutch, some of the tribes as at present existing 
 on its borders are of mixed origin. The chief of 
 these are the Griquas and Bastaards ; both are of the 
 Hottentot stock, but the former possess more of 
 native blood and lineaments than the latter, who 
 trace their descent more recently and directly from 
 the Dutch. James Backhouse and G. W. Walker 
 had already, as we have seen, fallen in with portions 
 of these tribes ; they now came more frequently into 
 contact with them. In this part of their travels, 
 they also met several times small parties of Bosjes- 
 men, or Bushmen. This singular people forms one 
 division of the Hottentot family ; the other divisions 
 are the Hottentots of the Colony, the Korannas, 
 and the Namaquas. All these possess nearly the 
 same physical characteristics, and the same manners 
 and customs ; but whilst the other tribes live by 
 the rivers and on the wide pastures, the Bushmen 
 have taken refuge in the barren wastes and moun- 
 tain ravines, and are emphatically the " children of 
 the desert."* 
 
 After their return from the Bechuana country, the 
 Friends spent a few weeks at the interesting station 
 
 * Sec Moffat's Missionary Labours.
 
 438 PHILIPPOLIS. [1839. 
 
 of Philippolis. On leaving that place they travelled 
 north-west, to Grriqua Town, from whence they pur- 
 sued their way northward into the interior, as far as 
 the missionary station of Motito near to Old Latakoo. 
 Returning southward they again passed through 
 Griqua Town and traversed the intervening desert 
 country to Graaf Reinet. 
 
 On the 22nd of the 8th month, G. W. W. writes 
 at Philippolis : 
 
 We had a meeting convened to afford us the opportunity of 
 giving the people some counsel on a variety of points. Among 
 the subjects touched upon were, cleanliness, industry, the 
 use of beads, insufficient apparel and dwellings, the evils of 
 frequent migration, neglect of the fountains, by which much 
 of the water runs to waste, and the impolicy of letting their 
 lands to the Boors. Our comments, made in much plain- 
 ness, though I trust in a Christian spirit, appeared to be 
 received in good part. 
 
 28th. Having repacked the wagon, and collected all the 
 oxen and horses, we once more resumed our journey, taking 
 the nearest road to Gxiqua Town. The route is remarkably 
 destitute of watering places, and yet there seemed every 
 probability that we should have to proceed without any one 
 to show us the way, or direct us to the fountains. It was but 
 as we were on the point of starting, that a young man named 
 Hans Gaffer, a Grriqua, offered his services, which we most 
 gladly accepted, and considered as a merciful provision on 
 the part of Him to whom we look, under every difficulty, and 
 who has never failed us in the hour of need. 
 
 30th. Not knowing when we should meet with water we 
 were debarred the comfort of washing. How imperfectly do 
 we appreciate every day blessings, until temporary privation 
 of them teaches us their value ! Our little company were 
 now as intent upon the look out for water as though they 
 accounted it the choicest of beverages. The oxen were in 
 more need of it than ourselves, having been very inadequately
 
 CHAP. 25.] SCARCITY OF WATER. 439 
 
 supplied the previous night. We continued our course 
 through a miserable looking country, thinly strewed with low 
 stunted bushes and with no grass. We were obliged to rest a 
 short time at noon, and dole out the contents of the casks by 
 measure. After having travelled about eighteen miles, we 
 stopped for the night near the dry course of an occasional 
 stream, hoping to find water in some pool at no great distance ; 
 but after a vain search, were obliged to fell back upon our 
 little remaining stock in the casks. 
 
 31st. We used the last drop of water for breakfast. But 
 afterwards our herdsman had the happiness to find a pool at 
 which we replenished our stock. The cattle are more clever in 
 tracing the water than we. It is wonderful to remark the in- 
 stinct they display in this respect. When loosed from the yokes, 
 if not driven in any particular direction, the sagacious animals 
 may be seen snuffing up the air as they turn their heads to 
 all points of the compass. One or two of those which gene- 
 rally take the lead will then determine the course of the whole 
 herd ; and they follow one another deliberately, in single file, 
 but with an apparent confidence that they will not be dis- 
 appointed in their search. The result is that in general they 
 make a pretty direct course to the nearest water if it be to the 
 windward, though there may be but a single pool for many 
 miles. While preparing to start, two Bushmen made their 
 appearance, and shewed their readiness to assist by catching the 
 horses, and other little offices of good- will, which we had the 
 means of repaying in a manner acceptable to these children of 
 the desert, by the present of a little Caflfer-corn. It is curious 
 how they will start into view, and close at hand, when they 
 see those whom they think they may approach with safety, 
 where, from the situation it would be supposed nothing so 
 conspicuous as a human being could possibly have escaped 
 observation. In the evening we arrived at the oldr Mission 
 Station of Ilamah, a short distance from the Orange lliver, 
 where the people living hereabouts are now located. 
 
 9 mo. 1. First-day. We walked down to the huts of the 
 natives. The Field Cornet succeeded in collecting between 
 thirty and forty of the people, principally females, to whom
 
 440 GRIQUA CONGREGATION. [1839. 
 
 we first read a chapter out of the Dutch Bible, and then 
 addressed a few remarks, to which they gave serious atten- 
 tion. Though the outward circumstances of these poor 
 people were of a nature to give the impression that their con- 
 dition in every respect was low, there was a considerable 
 feeling of solemnity as we sat together in the Field Cornet's 
 hut. The remainder of the day was spent in reading with 
 our people, and in silent retirement before the Lord. 
 
 4th. We came to Kameel Doom Fontein. Here we 
 first observed the Giraffe Thorn, a beautiful species of Acacia 
 that often rises with a bare trunk in a somewhat upright 
 form, to the height of twelve or eighteen feet, surmounted 
 with a flat crest of light and graceful foliage. It is quite the 
 pride of the vegetable world in these parts. 
 
 5th. Our herdman reported that a lion roared during the 
 night, the first sensible evidence we have had of the proximity 
 of these animals, though we have traversed so many districts 
 where they are occasionally seen. 
 
 6th. The weather has been increasing in warmth since 
 we left Philippolis, and to-day was oppressively hot. The 
 leader of the oxen lay down quite faint with exhaustion as 
 we stopped to rest at mid-day within sight of the Yaal 
 River. 
 
 7th. We extended an invitation to the people to meet us 
 for religious purposes the following day, having made ar- 
 rangements to that effect with Dirk Kok, a native Grriqua 
 Teacher. 
 
 8th. First-day. We rode some miles up the river to the 
 place where the meeting for worship is usually held. My 
 dear companion had the chief service, and it was very pleasing 
 to observe so many attentive listeners with their Bibles in 
 their hands, occasionally turning to the passages which he 
 had himself to refer to in a Bible, to assist him in the ex- 
 pression of his exercise on their behalf; at least thirty persons, 
 principally females, made use of the Bible in the way described. 
 The assembly might number about 200, most of whom were 
 decently clad in European garments and presented a very 
 tidy appearance, highly gratifying to witness, the more so as
 
 CHAP. 25.] GRIQUA TOWN. 441 
 
 it was unlocked for in a situation so remote from the Mis- 
 sionary Settlement. We had numerous applications for books 
 of a religious kind, and several of the parties walked to the 
 wagon in order to obtain some ; but our stock of Dutch books 
 being very limited, it was not in our power fully to supply 
 the demand. 
 
 10th. A tedious day's travel over a sharp stony track, 
 that proved exceedingly injurious to the feet of both horses 
 and oxen, brought us to Spuig-slang Fontein, where there 
 are one or two families of Bushmen located. The spring was 
 so nearly dried up that our people had to dig and clear away 
 stones and rubbish in order to obtain a little water for the 
 cattle. 
 
 llth. The fountain presented an animated scene this 
 morning, from the vast number of birds, particularly pigeons 
 and a small species of partridge, that hovered about its pre- 
 cincts, this being the only water, scanty as it is in quantity, 
 for many miles round. A wearisome journey of seven hours 
 brought us to Grriqua Town. We were cordially received by 
 Isaac Hughes, in whose comfortable dwelling we took up our 
 quarters, a kind invitation to visit him having been sent to 
 us at Philippolis. 
 
 12th. Griqua Town is one of the principal Stations of the 
 London Missionary Society ; but many of the dwellings are 
 deserted in consequence of the long continued drought having 
 nearly dried up the spring which at one time flowed in a 
 copious and unceasing stream. The Settlement owes much 
 of its progress to the judicious Chief, Andries Waterboer : 
 many of the Bechuanas have become attached to it. A 
 considerable number of this people had been taken captive by 
 the Bergenaars,* and were held by them in bondage and 
 treated with great cruelty. Waterboer, moved with com- 
 passion at their wretched condition, determined on effecting 
 their rescue. Taking a strong body of Griquas, he made a 
 sudden descent upon the freebooters, who were at that time 
 located in the vicinity of Philippolis, and succeeded in rescuing 
 
 * This is another of the half-caste tribes ; they derive their name from their 
 residence in the mountain fastncsscu.
 
 442 REMARKABLE AWAKENING. [1839. 
 
 the Bechuana captives from their grasp. Since then these 
 grateful people have attached themselves to the generous 
 chief, and have been allowed to establish themselves as a 
 distinct village, adjoining to Grriqua Town, where they have 
 increased in number. 
 
 It is a coincidence worthy of notice, that the remarkable 
 awakening that has lately taken place, and by which some 
 hundreds have been added to the Grriqua Town Church 
 in the course of two or three years, dates its origin from 
 the instrumentality, indirectly, of these very people. For 
 some time they continued to follow their corrupt heathen 
 customs, and were noted for their gross superstition and 
 darkness. The Missionaries however regularly visited them. 
 But one day their principal man, was present at public 
 worship, when he became so alive to the realities of another 
 world, the sinfulness of sin, and the awful consequences that 
 await the impenitent, as to be completely overpowered. Under 
 the force of his convictions, he groaned aloud, and fell to the 
 ground. Ashamed of his want of self-command he sought to 
 leave the assembly, but the conflict of his mind had so para- 
 lysed him, that with difficulty he managed to crawl out of the 
 house upon his hands and knees. This remarkable visitation 
 did not end in excitement. Like most of the principal men 
 of his nation, he was a polygamist, "and had no less than 
 fifteen wives. The following day he called them together, 
 and addressed them, in a very feeling manner, telling them that 
 he had lived long enough in sin, and must now therefore 
 dismiss them all to their relatives, with the exception of the 
 one to whom he had been longest united. He assured the 
 others that he did not act in this way from any lessened regard 
 towards them, and he at once proceeded to apportion to each of 
 the discarded women a certain number of cattle for her main- 
 tenance. 
 
 The decided conduct of this Christian penitent excited 
 a great sensation amongst his countrymen, not only those 
 immediately about him, but also those that dwelt at a 
 distance. The fame of it reached the people of Motibi, who 
 had been driven from their own location far northward, to the 
 banks of the Yaal River. It became the common subject of
 
 CHAP. 25.] EARLY INSTRUCTION. 443 
 
 enquiry in the tribe : What is the gospel ? What can it be 
 that has caused this man to act in so strange a manner ? 
 Amongst those whose curiosity was powerfully excited were a 
 few young men, who in very early life had been at the school 
 belonging to the Station at the Kuruman. What they had 
 there learned had long since been practically forgotten, and 
 they were heathens like the rest of their tribe. They recol- 
 lected however a little of what they had committed to memory 
 when children, and they now strove to assist one another in 
 bringing to mind as much as they could, that they might solve 
 the problem as to the motives Christianity furnishes for conduct 
 so unaccountable. Not satisfied however with what they could 
 collect from this source, they determined to make a journey to 
 Griqua Town that they might ascertain from the missionaries 
 themselves the real nature of the doctrines that had wrought 
 such unusual effects. They accordingly visited the Institution 
 and remained several weeks, attending the school daily, and 
 receiving the great truths of Christianity with an avidity, 
 comparable to that with which the thirsty land drinks in the 
 genial shower. Leaving one or two of their company under a 
 further course of instruction, the rest returned home and 
 communicated what they had learnt to their countrymen. 
 Their report induced others to visit the Institution, who 
 showed their sincerity by bringing with them the means of 
 subsistence. Several were received as members, and the work 
 continued to make progress, until as has been said some 
 hundreds have been effectually turned to the Lord. 
 
 14th. We have unpacked the wagon, and removed the 
 contents into Isaac Hughes's house, reserving only a few 
 things for our journey to the Kuruman and Motito, which we 
 contemplate entering upon next week. 
 
 15th. First-day. Attended the general assembly for public 
 worship, after breakfast. Waterboer, who had just returned 
 from a visit to the Colony, addressed the people with con- 
 siderable energy and fluency, in the Dutch language ; after 
 which my dear companion gave expression to the exercise 
 of his mind, in the same tongue. The Bechuanas assembled 
 again in the afternoon. Jan Fortuiu, a native teacher, 
 exhorted the people iu Sichuana, their vernacular tongue,
 
 444 DANIEL'S KUIL. [1839. 
 
 and ray dear companion made some addition in Dutch, 
 which was rendered into Sichuana by the before mentioned 
 speaker. 
 
 16th. We succeeded in hiring a fresh span of oxen to 
 convey us to Motito and back. Our own oxen and horses 
 were placed in a situation where there is grass, though the 
 season is too early yet for it to be very nutritious. 
 
 17th. We commenced the journey to the Kuruman, distant 
 from Griqua Town 120 miles. 
 
 18th. The oxen were in-spanned before sunset. The 
 weather proved cold, almost beyond endurance. The Griqua 
 who acted as driver, instead of descending from the box 
 and taking to his feet, as a European would have done, 
 persisted in retaining his seat until the whip was ready to 
 drop from his hands. He suffered severely for his apathy, 
 in a way which rendered it necessary to administer very 
 active medicine. We had hardly composed ourselves to rest 
 for the night, when the groans of our own driver, J. Hays, 
 aroused us. He was suffering from violent spasms at the 
 stomach. Whilst J. B. prepared him some medicine, I got 
 a little water heated, and filling a stone bottle, applied it 
 to the affected parts, which with my companion's remedies, 
 soon relieved the sufferer. 
 
 19th. We reached Daniel's Kuil, an out station of the 
 Gxiquas, who are living for the most part in matje-huts. The 
 schoolmistress, Sina Bergover, is a pious energetic woman, 
 who in addition to the superintendence of a school numbering 
 from forty to sixty children, exercises her spiritual gifts and 
 frequently adds a word of exhortation in the assemblies. 
 We had a religious interview with such of the people as 
 could be got together. There were present a hunting party, 
 who had been four days' journey to the eastward, and were 
 on their return to Griqua Town, having filled three wagons 
 with the flesh and skins of the Cameleopard, Eland and Gnu. 
 
 20th. On attempting to inspan the bullocks early in 
 the afternoon, three or four of those most unaccustomed 
 to the yoke succeeded in running off three several times,
 
 CHAP. 25.] ALARM FROM LIONS. 445 
 
 and once to the distance of six miles ; and when brought 
 up the last time, both the refractory animals themselves, and 
 two horses, which had been ridden by the men in pursuit, 
 were so thoroughly jaded, as to render further journeying 
 that day quite impracticable. 
 
 21st. In the course of the day we saw some Ostriches, a 
 herd of the Harte-beests, and a few solitary Antelopes of 
 the species called Duker, which is accustomed to conceal 
 itself among the bushes. Near to this place, Roger Edwards, 
 one of the Missionaries at the Kuruman, had rather a serious 
 adventure with Lions. He was on a journey from the 
 Colony, whither he had been on a visit of business, and wishing 
 to rejoin his family, had pushed on in the night. Just as the 
 moon was descending below the horizon, he suddenly con- 
 cluded to stop. He was attended by a single Hottentot who, 
 in addition to the horses they rode, led a mare, which had a 
 foal that ran by her side. On alighting, they placed their 
 saddles under a bush, and knee-haltering the horses, turned 
 them adrift to feed. As R. Edwards lay down on the ground 
 to rest, he became very uneasy in his mind, and could not 
 divest himself of an impression that danger was near. Never- 
 theless, after committing himself and his companion to the 
 protection of the Almighty, he sought repose ; but sleep 
 fled from his eyes. In this wakeful state, with his attention 
 peculiarly alive to any interruption of the profound silence 
 that reigned in this region of solitude, he heard the scream 
 of one of the horses ; and presently he heard the roar of a 
 lion. At the same moment the horses approached, fleeing in 
 the direction of the very bush where he and his attendant were 
 resting, until within a short distance of the spot, when they 
 turned off along the main road towards the Kuruman, with 
 the lions closely in pursuit. Roger Edwards looking earnestly 
 in the direction of the moon's last receding rays, saw distinctly 
 a large lion at but a short distance off, and as if it were dubious 
 whether to follow its companions after the horses, or to come 
 forward to where human prey awaited it. The Missionary 
 literally quaked for fear, being ready to give himself up for 
 lost, for he had no human means of defence, but he cried in 
 secret unto the Lord. To his great relief the lion presently
 
 446 KURUMA*. [1839. 
 
 took off after its fellows. Overcome with fatigue, the 
 travellers, in spite of their fears, fell sound asleep under the 
 bush, where they reposed unmolested till the "break of day. 
 They then traced the footsteps of the horses along the road 
 homewards. It appeared from the spoor of the lions, that 
 five had been in pursuit. The two horses made their escape, 
 without being injured ; but the mare fell a prey to the lions, 
 and the foal keeping by its mother, as it was supposed, 
 received a wound in its neck, but it also got clear off, and 
 survived its rough treatment. 
 
 22nd. First-day. "We arrived at Konings Fontein in the 
 afternoon. The remainder of the day was devoted to reading 
 with our people, and religious retirement. The continued 
 display of the Lord's mercies, in shielding us from dangers, 
 and renewing our spiritual strength from season to season, 
 excited heart-felt gratitude, and inspired us with holy confi- 
 dence in Him who is the Arm of our strength, and Rock of 
 our salvation. 
 
 23rd. We arrived at the Missionary Settlement of the 
 Kuruman, or New Lattakoo, a little after sunset ; and received 
 a cordial welcome from Roger Edwards and his wife. His 
 colleague, Robert Moffat, was on a visit to England, for the 
 purpose of getting the Sichuana version of the New Testament 
 through the press. We had the pleasure of becoming 
 acquainted also with Robert Hamilton, one of the earliest 
 labourers in these parts, whose long life has been devoted to 
 the work of Christian instruction among the heathen in South 
 Africa. He is still a laborious minister, though in advanced 
 years ; much of his time being occupied in itinerating among 
 the natives who live at a distance from the Settlement. The 
 population of this Settlement consists for the most part of 
 Batlapees and Baharootsi. It presents a series of substan- 
 tially built, neat cottages, inhabited by the mission families ; 
 along with a chapel, capable of containing about 1500 people, 
 the largest and best structure of the kind on this side the 
 Orange River. The prosperity of the Settlement is in great 
 measure dependent upon the ample supply of water, which 
 issues from a cavern in the lime-stone at a spot about two
 
 CHAP. 25.] MOTITO. 447 
 
 miles distant. It is the largest spring we have seen in Africa, 
 unless it be the one at Uitenhage. 
 
 25th. Beached Motito as the shades of evening were 
 closing over us. This is one of the Paris Society's Stations, 
 where two families are residing, namely, Prosper Lemue and 
 his wife Eleanore, and Jean Lauga, the assistant missionary, 
 and Grraciette, his wife. These amiahle persons received us 
 with all the cordiality of brethren. The wife of P. Lemue 
 is a sister of Eliza Daumas. 
 
 26th. The inhabitants of Motito consist of Barolongs, 
 Batlapees, and a few Batlari. From their contiguity to 
 land abounding with game, they are addicted to hunting. 
 Agriculture is in considerable measure neglected. To these 
 causes may perhaps be traced the lower degree of civilization 
 in the people as well as a certain aspect of wildness, or un- 
 couthness of features, that is apparent among them. We had 
 a religious meeting which several hundreds attended, and 
 which was to satisfaction. 
 
 On the 27th we took leave of the interesting missionaries ; 
 and on the 28th arrived again at the Kuruman. 
 
 29th. First-day. A congregation of about 400 natives 
 assembled morning and afternoon in the spacious church. 
 My dear companion had a satisfactory season of labour in 
 testimony in the morning, and myself in a similar way in the 
 afternoon. Several of the people shook hands with us and 
 expressed thankfulness for our visit, as though the word 
 spoken had found an entrance in their hearts. 
 
 30th. The Kuruman Mission, as well as that at Motito, is 
 very important, constituting the focus as it were, of a dense 
 population, and the stepping stone, or key to the remoter 
 regions of the interior. The morning was employed in making 
 preparations for our return to Griqua Town. Our hired oxen 
 being in but poor plight for the journey back, R. Edwards 
 kindly sent a man with us, with a fresh span of oxen. After 
 dinner we took a final leave of the Missionary family, and 
 accompanied by K. Edwards, proceeded to the fountain, whose 
 cavernous source we explored while the oxen were out-spanned
 
 KOSI FONTEIN. [1839. 
 
 that they might drink, as we did not expect to meet with 
 water until the following night. 
 
 10 mo. 2. Kosi Fontein. We here obtained a fresh supply 
 of milk, in exchange for a few buttons. A flock of sheep, not 
 large but in good condition, probably weighing forty-five to 
 fifty pounds each, were brought to the wagon and offered for 
 sale. One of these we purchased for a common handkerchief 
 worth 7d. or 8d. in England ; and the owner of the sheep 
 would gladly have bartered his whole flock on the same terms : 
 we thought the price he affixed so small that we made an 
 addition of some buttons. At the Kuruman a sheep is worth 
 considerably more, about three rixdollars (4s. 6d.) ; but this 
 part of the country is little traversed by traders. 
 
 4th. At Ongeluk Fontein we found a fresh span of oxen 
 which had been considerately sent forward by Isaac Hughes, 
 who had heard of the indifferent character of those we had 
 hired. This aid proved most seasonable as but for it there 
 was little probability of reaching our destination by the close 
 of the week. This day was the most sultry we had expe- 
 rienced during the season. At two P. M. the Thermometer 
 stood at 96 inside the wagon. 
 
 5th. We reached Grriqua Town in the evening, where we 
 were welcomed by our kind friends I. and E, Hughes, in 
 whose comfortable and well regulated house we once more 
 took up our lodging. 
 
 6th. At ten the general meeting for public worship took 
 place. There could not be less than 500 present. The cus- 
 tomary devotional exercises of singing, prayer, and reading 
 the Scriptures being gone through, a short address was de- 
 livered by Jan Fortuin. Way was then made for my own 
 exercise ; and I was led to comment at some length on the 
 necessity of taking up the cross of Christ, in order to be his 
 disciples, rising with the words : " Let not the wise man glory 
 in his wisdom, but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he 
 understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord." I was 
 sensible of a precious feeling of solemnity whilst thus engaged, 
 although having to communicate through several interpreters
 
 CHAP. 25.] CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 449 
 
 does not tend to add waight to what is expressed, but rather 
 to subtract from it. On the present occasion each sentence 
 was repeated in four distinct languages, viz : English, Dutch, 
 Sichuana, and Hottentot. The meeting being ended, the 
 members of the church assembled to decide upon the cases of 
 twenty individuals who presented themselves as candidates 
 for membership. Each name was submitted to the church 
 for approval, and the voice of the assembly being unanimous 
 in favour of their reception, I. Hughes formally recognized 
 them as members, by extending to each the right hand of 
 fellowship. 
 
 7th. A general meeting of members and enquirers was 
 convened in the forenoon, at which we were invited to be 
 present ; and we had religious labour that yielded peace in 
 the retrospect. Several Korannas who had come from the 
 vicinity of the Orange River, made an affecting acknowledg- 
 ment of the loss they were sensible they had sustained in not 
 giving up earlier to the service of their Creator. One, an 
 elderly man and a Chief, observed, that the gospel was 
 preached in his hearing at an early period of his life, but he 
 slighted the gracious offer of salvation. At that time he was 
 a great man in his own estimation, much looked up to, and 
 feeling rich and full, he rejected the doctrine of the cross ; 
 but now that he was becoming aged and infirm, he was made 
 to feel his own poverty, sinfulness and need, and that nothing 
 was so worthy of man's pursuit or confidence, as the assurance of 
 an interest in a Saviour's love. He concluded with expressing 
 his determination, by Divine help, thenceforth to make this 
 his portion, trusting that though now, to his lasting regret, 
 he could only offer the remnant of his days, mercy was still 
 held out for his acceptance, and that it was not absolutely too 
 late to serve the Lord. This aged chief, in describing his 
 own painful experience, traced the melancholy history of 
 thousands, who slight the visitations of heavenly grace in 
 their youth and prime, and alas ! too often, do not awake 
 from their sleep even in old age, until death arrests them in 
 their course to destruction, and proves to thorn a king of 
 terrors. 
 
 g
 
 450 DROUGHT. [1839. 
 
 8th. The whole of an extensive flat contiguous to Griqua 
 Town, and skirting the low hills to the westward, was once a 
 great field of waving corn, watered by a copious stream 
 that flowed through the middle of it. This large flat, 
 as well as the gardens of the inhabitants, is now become a 
 dreary waste ; the gardens are no more, the enclosures are 
 broken down, and the fruit trees are dead from the drought. 
 There is reason to suppose that water might be obtained 
 by sinking wells ; but to carry a measure of this kind into 
 effect requires both enterprise and capital, beside other 
 facilities, that are not yet sufficiently realized by the 
 Griquas. The Griquas are however the most prepared of 
 any of the tribes for such an experiment ; and none seem 
 to be more entirely dependent on the fountains, or to receive 
 less certain supplies of rain than they do. 
 
 Having got every thing in readiness for resuming our 
 journey, we took leave of our valued missionary friends, 
 whose kind attentions we shall long remember. 
 
 13th. First-day. Beads Drift. The day was spent in 
 reading with our people ; and in waiting upon the most High. 
 While thus employed, my mind was peculiarly sensible of 
 Divine consolation, the Lord Jesus being felt to be un- 
 speakably precious. Yet the view of my own vileness, misery 
 and need, in myself, out of Him who is our life, made my eyes 
 run down with tears of deep humiliation. How emphatically 
 true it is, that we " are saved by grace, through faith, and that 
 not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any 
 man should boast." Yet are we " God's workmanship, created 
 in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before 
 ordained that we should walk in them." Good works are easy 
 and natural, so to speak, to that new nature which is of God's 
 creation ; they are therefore not man's own works, nor is the 
 glory of them due to him, but to God, who worketh in man to 
 will and to do of his own good pleasure. Sin only is natural to 
 man in his fallen and unreiiewed state ; therefore guilt and 
 shame are his only portion in himself. 
 
 15th. Ostriches and Harte-beests continue to show them- 
 selves ; and since crossing the Gariep we have repeatedly
 
 CHAP. 25.] MIRAGE. 451 
 
 come upon flocks of the Pintado, or Gruinea fowl. They run 
 with astonishing rapidity, but are extremely shy. We ob- 
 served large flocks of them repairing, from a distance of some 
 miles, to the stream to drink, traversing that distance on foot, 
 when most of the feathered race would have taken to their 
 wings. 
 
 19th. We reached Leeuw Fontein, the residence of 
 Philippus de Prie, where we halted for the night. 
 
 20th. First-day. Way opened for some religious service 
 in P. de Prie's family ; it was satisfactory to observe them 
 recognizing the First day of the week. The day was partly 
 occupied with reading, and in silent waiting upon the Lord, 
 which was attended with comfort to my mind, amid much 
 that within the last few days had tended to depress. 
 
 21st. Four hours from Leeuw Fontein is Wolve Kraal, 
 which we have been warned against stopping at for the night, 
 numerous lions having been seen in the immediate vicinity 
 only the day before. A party had killed three of these 
 animals, one of which was shot off the body of an unfortunate 
 Hottentot, whom it had disabled, but who was not eventually 
 much injured. We have repeatedly noticed, in the course of 
 our travels through the interior, that optical illusion called 
 the Mirage, occasioned as I suppose by the refraction of the 
 sun's rays on the surface of the earth. It was unusually 
 conspicuous to day. The distant hills appeared in numerous 
 directions, like islands standing in the midst of a lake, their 
 sloping bases terminating abruptly, and their apparent eleva- 
 tion being also greatly magnified. 
 
 22nd. The day before yesterday, at four p. M. the tempera- 
 ture was 96 in the wagon. This morning, an hour after sun- 
 rise, it was 36. To this circumstance, under the overruling 
 providence of Him, who by the intervention of natural causes 
 as well as by miraculous interposition, can stop the mouths 
 of lions, I attribute our exemption from molestation by these 
 animals. The cold was so intense during the night, and the 
 sudden transition made it to be felt so keenly, that it was not 
 likely any beasts of prey would stir from their dens.
 
 454 GRAAF REINET. [1839. 
 
 23rd. We encamped on the edge of a vast plain where 
 there were many pools of water, which, with the young grass 
 that was everywhere springing up after the late rains, attracted 
 thousands of spring-boks. As the wagon approached, these 
 graceful creatures, which had whitened the plain as far as the 
 eye could reach, began to move off, the foremost ranks pressing 
 on those behind with a gradually accelerating motion until 
 the retreat became general and uniform, comparable to the 
 undulating waves of the sea. At length not a straggler was 
 to be seen in the foreground, nor anything but a whitish 
 indistinguishable mass in the remote distance. 
 
 25th. The lofty mountains compassing the Sneeuwberg 
 range burst upon us, the Tafelberg, a conspicuous tabular- 
 topped mountain, lying considerably nearer on the right. The 
 day was tolerably warm, but a bleak westerly wind set in after 
 dark, from the piercing influence of which it was as much as 
 we could do to defend ourselves. 
 
 11 mo. 1. Rode into Gxaaf Reinet, and met with a truly 
 kind reception from Andrew Murray, the minister of the 
 Dutch Reformed Church. 
 
 2nd. The town of Grraaf Reinet is one of the prettiest 
 I have seen. It is surrounded by an amphitheatre of high 
 hills, whose abrupt sides and peaks terminate the view from 
 every street. The houses are built in Dutch style, which 
 gives an appearance of antiquity and respectability to the 
 place. They are whitewashed, and the gardens between 
 them are enclosed by quince and pomegranate hedges ; and 
 in every street are rows of lemon and oleander trees, which 
 afford a delightful shade, and regale the senses of the traveller. 
 The water from the river, which nearly environs the town, 
 is led through the streets in deep channels, which irrigate the 
 gardens and give coolness to the air. The principal draw- 
 back to the advantages of the place is indeed its great heat, 
 the sun's rays being reflected from the mountains to a degree, 
 that were it not for these artificial alleviations, would be 
 almost insupportable. 
 
 3rd. First-day. We were present at the public services 
 of the Dutch church, in their commodious building, where
 
 CHAP. 25.] IRRELIGIOUS ENGLISHMEN. 453 
 
 from 1,000 to 1,200 persons were assembled. A. Murray 
 preached with earnestness and fervour. We afterwards at- 
 tended a meeting of about one hundred young people, for 
 reading the Scriptures and catechetical instruction, whom I 
 had to address on the importance of early dedication to the 
 Lord, and of attending to the restraining and constraining 
 influences of his grace, through which they would become 
 wise in the things which pertain to true peace. At three we 
 met the English congregation. It is lamentable to observe 
 how many of our countrymen who emigrate are either irre- 
 ligious when they arrive in the colonies, or seem to forget the 
 little religion they once possessed. We had to deal plainly 
 with those who assembled with us on this occasion, and incul- 
 cate the necessity of self-examination as to what constitutes 
 our treasure, the Redeemer having declared, that where the 
 treasure is there will the heart be also. Several hundreds 
 both white and coloured assembled in the chapel the same 
 evening, when we had farther service. Though the weight 
 of the exercise devolved upon J. B. I had to press on the 
 youth the vast importance of an early surrender of heart to 
 the Lord, for want of which the evil propensities of our nature 
 often ripen into habits, that in after life, involve us in much 
 conflict and suffering, if ever they become eradicated. The 
 residue of the evening was spent in conversation with Andrew 
 and Maria Murray : supplication closed the day in a measure 
 of peace. 
 
 At Graaf-Reinet the travellers struck off westward 
 to Beaufort, and entered upon that elevated terrace 
 of desert land of which mention has already been 
 made, called the Great Karroo. They arrived at 
 Beaufort on the 19th, and encamped outside the 
 village, near to one of the two fine springs that 
 supply the place with water.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 JOURNEY TO GREAT NAMAQUA LAND. 
 
 ONE more of those districts of South Africa into 
 which Christianity had been introduced by missionary 
 labour, yet remained for James Backhouse and 
 Greorge Washington Walker to visit. This was 
 Namaqua Land. The country which they traversed 
 to reach it was more desert than any they had yet 
 crossed ; the daily journeys were more wearisome ; 
 and the heat was almost insupportable. Seldom 
 however in all their travels were their Christian 
 sympathy and gospel labours more warmly welcomed, 
 than by the missionaries and their little companies 
 of converts in the far scattered stations near the west 
 coast. Before leaving Beaufort they enquired of 
 some traders in what state they would find this for- 
 midable region, and received for answer that it was 
 " fine, all blossoming." " My heart," says James 
 Backhouse," sank at the expression, for I concluded 
 that the blossoming was that of the Mesembryanthe- 
 mums, which, though gay indeed to look upon, I 
 knew would afford nothing for our poor cattle. Often 
 afterwards I was ready to exclaim, If this be fine, 
 what can the Karroo be when it is poor !" * 
 
 11 mo. 28. Towards evening, writes Of. W. Walker, being 
 thoroughly equipped, the stores all stowed away in the wagon, 
 
 * Visit to the Mauritius and South Africa, p 495.
 
 CHAP. 26.] RELIGIOUS DESTITUTION. 455 
 
 and the water casks filled, we bade our kind friends farewell, 
 and making a few miles that night, halted at the first watering 
 place. 
 
 12 mo. 1. First-da y. We read a portion of Scripture 
 with the family of W. Bezuidenhout, and had some service 
 of a religious nature, both in testimony and conversation. 
 Our object in travelling, certificates, the views of our Society 
 respecting worship, &c. were successively explained and dis- 
 cussed, and seemed to afford interest, as these subjects very 
 generally do among the Dutch. This man had been at 
 Natal, whither he emigrated with his family ; but the 
 skirmishes between the Dutch and the Zulus had been fre- 
 quent, and all his wife's male relations being cut off by 
 war, and his own cattle and sheep continually diminishing, 
 he came to the conclusion that it was time to return. He 
 showed us a plume of feathers taken from the head of one 
 of the Zulu chiefs, who had been slain in the contest. He 
 admitted that there was much want of harmony among the 
 emigrants, and whilst every man did that which seemed 
 to be right in his own eyes, this seldom appeared good in 
 the eyes of his neighbour. 
 
 We walked about midday to the summit of an adjoining 
 hill, from which there was an extensive prospect of the 
 country we had to traverse. Its aspect was truly inhos- 
 pitable ; yet under the watchful superintendence of a 
 merciful Providence we felt that there was no cause for 
 discouragement. 
 
 10th. Shortly before coming to Titus Fontein, we passed 
 a Hottentot kraal, where about a score of men, women and 
 children were located, not one of whom could read. The 
 women had their faces coloured with red ochre, the usual 
 badge of barbarism. From Beaufort to the Kamiesberg, a 
 distance of from four to five hundred miles, the coloured 
 people, even those in the service of the farmers, are, it may 
 be said, wholly destitute of religious instruction, although 
 living among a professedly Christian population. And it 
 is yet more lamentable to think that the latter are in a great 
 degree neglectful of their own religious interests. But few
 
 456 BOKKEVELD. [1839. 
 
 can attend the public worship of their church more than 
 once a quarter, and the distance they live from the residence 
 of their minister, renders it wholly impracticable that he 
 should visit the bulk of his parishioners oftener than once a 
 year. From what we have observed, we should suppose that 
 the daily reading of the Holy Scriptures, and other means of 
 edification, are very generally neglected. Our service among 
 these people has been to direct them to the manifestation of 
 divine grace in their own hearts, by which Christ's teaching 
 is known, who is ever near to instruct those who seek him 
 in faith and sincerity, and who is the availing High Priest 
 and Bishop of souls, to all who are the children of (rod 
 through faith in him, however much secluded from Christian 
 society. It has often afforded us comfort, that the tract en- 
 titled, Salvation by Jesus Christ, which we have circulated so 
 extensively among the Dutch, while it does not undervalue 
 human instrumentality, directs mankind chiefly to Christ 
 himself as a present Saviour, and to the word of his grace, 
 which is able to build up believers, and give them " an in- 
 heritance among all them that are sanctified." 
 
 18th. A change in the aspect of the country is apparent 
 on entering the Bokkeveld, the vegetation affording evidence 
 of a moister climate. I killed to-day a small serpent, about 
 eighteen inches in length, having a skin of beautifully 
 diversified colours, and two small fleshy protuberances on 
 the back part of the head, from which it is called the 
 Horned Snake, It is the second of the kind I have destroyed 
 within a few days : the bite is said to be deadly. 
 
 19th. Williams River. The road takes a considerable 
 sweep to avoid the river, and feeling disposed for brisk exer- 
 cise, I told my companion I would make a short cut through 
 the bush, and meet the wagon in advance, not supposing that 
 it would be out of sight for many minutes together. It 
 might then be between four and five o'clock. The ground 
 I had to pass over proved much more broken than I had 
 anticipated, being also covered with dense bush, and twice 
 I had to cross a deep ravine through which the river took its 
 course. After proceeding much further than I apprehended
 
 CHAP. 26.] PERPLEXITY. 457 
 
 would have brought me into the wagon track, I began to 
 suspect that it made a circuit round a rugged hill that lay 
 immediately before me, which I accordingly crossed ; but still 
 not intersecting the road, I crossed another hill, and a third, 
 but could discern no road. The sun was now just sinking 
 below the horizon, and the thought that if I proceeded much 
 further and should fall in with no habitation, I might 
 have to pass the night in the bush, was by no means 
 agreeable. Not yet convinced, however, that the road was 
 not still in advance, I pressed on, quickening my pace and 
 forcing my way through the impediments of mazy bush 
 and fragments of rock, that seemed to increase as I became 
 solicitous to make good speed. Having traversed another 
 considerable hill, and taking a survey from the summit before 
 descending, I saw a deep ravine, through which several roads 
 crossed in different directions, and beyond these, at the further 
 extremity of the hollow, which was, I found, a kind of natural 
 basin, I thought I perceived some appearance of cultivated 
 ground. It was now nearly dark, though star-light, but 
 I succeeded without much difficulty in reaching the spot, and 
 it proved to be the location of a Boor, whose civil wife, a 
 half-caste woman, informed me to my no small astonishment, 
 that I had crossed the road. She sent an elderly Hottentot 
 with me as guide, after I had presented her with a tract or 
 two, which she gratefully received, telling me that her father 
 was an Englishman, and that Jan Fortuin, the teacher at 
 Griqua Town, was her uncle. Under the direction of my 
 wiling conductor, I rejoined the wagon before it was quite 
 ten o'clock, and was glad to relieve my dear companion from 
 suspense, who had considerately sent J. Hays with a led 
 horse in the hope of overtaking me on the road. We sent a 
 book back to the Boor's wife, and making a small present to 
 my Hottentot guide, and giving him a plentiful supper with 
 our people, he returned home in very good humour. 
 
 20th. We went on in the evening to the location of Jan 
 Vander Westhuis, the last farming establishment on the 
 Onder, or Further Bokkeveld. This district may be re- 
 garded as the granary of the whole line of country we have
 
 458 KOKER BOOM. [1839. 
 
 traversed for the last two or three weeks. Its greater 
 fertility is dependent on its soil, as well as on the humidity 
 of the climate, which from its elevation draws down a con- 
 siderable quantity of rain, and thereby supersedes the 
 necessity of irrigation. The soil is however very poor and 
 the crops are meagre and stunted, but produce a tolerably 
 good ear. The Bokkeveld is famed for its breed of hardy 
 horses. For some days we have been cheered by the many 
 indications of approach to the western coast, after our long 
 and tedious travel through the heart of the vast interior. 
 
 Before descending from the Bokkeveld, we considered it 
 prudent to engage the services of a Hottentot guide, over 
 another desolate Karroo, where, from the very few watering 
 places, and peculiarly desert naturS of the country, which 
 is nearly destitute of inhabitants, whether man or beast, 
 an error in regard to the road might be attended with 
 serious consequences, particularly in the already weak state 
 of our bullocks. 
 
 21st. We descended by a steep and rocky pass. From the 
 edge of the mountains there is a very extensive view. The 
 face of the country now assumed an aspect of sterility, the 
 vegetation consisting chiefly of Mesembryanthemums, Euphor- 
 bias, and other plants, the stems of which are thick and fleshy, 
 enabling them to resist long the influence of drought, and 
 some of them containing an acrid and poisonous juice. Aloes 
 were numerous ; and that singular looking tree, the Koker 
 Boom or Tree Aloe, occasionally reared its head on the 
 sides of the mountains. The Bushmen make the Koker, 
 or quiver, in which they carry their arrows from the 
 branches of this tree. After a short rest at the foot of 
 the mountain, to afford the cattle time to breathe, but 
 where there was not a drop of water to assuage their thirst, 
 we pursued our dreary ride across the vast plain that lay 
 extended before us. Four and a half hours from the last 
 resting place, brought us to the Karroo Doom, or Hantam 
 River, contiguous to the fording place of which is a spring 
 of water called Stink Fontein, strongly impregnated with 
 minerals that give it a peculiarly offensive smell. But before
 
 CHAP. 26.] SIGHT OF THE ATLANTIC. 459 
 
 reaching the river we had nearly lost one of our shaft bul- 
 locks, an excellent docile creature that we had obtained by ex- 
 change at the Kat River, and which, with its comrade, having 
 been accustomed to feed exclusively on grass, ill sustains 
 the change to bush fare. The poor animal dropped from 
 exhaustion, but shortly revived so far as to get upon its feet, 
 and crawl to the river, which was but a short distance off. 
 The banks of this stream, present a perfect oasis in the 
 desert, various trees and shrubs adorning its margin, and 
 plants and herbage congenial to cattle. The young reeds, 
 in particular, were here abundant, and were browzed with 
 avidity by the oxen. 
 
 22nd. First-day. The water of the river is so salt that we 
 were compelled to use that of the Fountain, which though 
 less saline, is all but intolerable both as regards smell and 
 taste. In all our travels we have met with nothing to equal 
 it for offensiveness. What is to be done, however, when the 
 only alternative is that or none ! We spent a peaceful day, 
 in reading, meditation and waiting in quiet upon Him who 
 is the confidence of his people unto the utmost bounds of 
 the earth. Our two Bechuana youths spend their leisure 
 in reading the Scriptures and singing hymns, which they 
 make their relaxation and amusement, both on First and 
 other days. 
 
 27th. We are now in a wild and mountainous country, 
 the high peaks of the Kamiesberg lying a little to the north- 
 
 WQSt. 
 
 29th. In the afternoon my dear companion and I walked 
 to the summit of a granite hill, from which we could see 
 the western coast washed by the great Atlantic, which looked 
 like a plate of burnished gold from the illumination of the 
 sun's rays. It appeared to be forty or fifty miles distant in 
 a direct line. The country between this and Clan William 
 is exceedingly hilly ; one or two spots of cultivation, marking 
 the locations of farmers, were the only interruptions to the 
 continuous dreary waste that met the eye in every direction. 
 
 30th. Travelled five hours, and outspanned, purposing
 
 460 ASCENT OF THE KAMIESBERG. [1840. 
 
 to ascend the Kamiesberg in the morning, the steep ac- 
 clivity of which, immediately before us, is sufficiently 
 formidable to contemplate, considering the state of our 
 bullocks. Poor old Oppennann, the ailing one before re- 
 ferred to, we were obliged to leave at Twee Fontein, and 
 his companion in the shafts is not likely to get up the 
 hill. We made several attempts to hire a span to help us 
 to Lily Fountain, but without success. Everybody's cattle 
 are low in condition from the effects of the long continued 
 drought, from which they have hardly had sufficient time 
 to rally since the rains fell. 
 
 31st. The ascent of the Kamiesberg occupied about an 
 hour and a quarter ; that is, the first great hill, for a large 
 part of the distance between this and Lily Fountain is up 
 hill. The bullocks did their part to a wonder, notwithstanding 
 the steepness of the aclivity, and that the road was alter- 
 nately composed of rugged material and heavy sand. From 
 their state of discipline and admirable training, our oxen are 
 fitted to perform a task of this sort with only half the labour 
 that teams less practised would require. The tired one, 
 though among the best when in vigour, we were compelled 
 to leave behind : he looked wistfully after his com- 
 panions as they began to move forward, and by a vigorous 
 effort reached the foot of the steepest acclivity, but he could 
 proceed no farther, and being left in the neighbourhood of 
 water and grass, he would be able on rallying to shift for 
 himself. We passed a place called Rond Fontein, from 
 whence we had a fine view of the Atlantic. We are now in 
 a granite country, the soil of which is productive, contrasted 
 with the dreary, sterile Bokkeveld Karroo, which we have 
 lately traaversed. We staid the night by the side of alimpid 
 stream, whose gurgling noise was as music in our ears. 
 
 1840. 1 mo 1. We have entered upon a new year ! 
 Should it be my lot to survive it, may I have less to record 
 against myself than I have in reference to the one gone by. 
 But though shame and humiliation are in many respects my 
 portion in the retrospect, I do hope a little experience has 
 been gained that will not be without profit. The mercies of
 
 CHAP. 26.] ARRIVAL AT LILY FOUNTAIN. 461 
 
 my God have been great. Thus far has he brought my dear 
 companion and myself in safety, having watched over us and 
 preserved us as in the hollow of his hand ; and in numberless 
 ways has he condescended to help and to bless us ; for which 
 may his great name be praised ! 
 
 Towards sunset we arrived at Lily Fountain. This is one 
 of the oldest Missionary stations of the Wesleyan Society, and 
 was founded by Barnabas Shaw nearly twenty years back, 
 for the benefit of the Namaqua Hottentots. The present 
 Missionary is Joseph Jackson, who with his active wife, gave 
 us a Christian welcome to their habitation. From J. Jackson 
 we learned that Edward Cook, the Missionary attached to the 
 Nisbett Bath Station, and his assistant, Joseph Tindall, "lately 
 appointed from Cape Town, were then but a few hours' ride 
 from the place, with their wives and families, on their journey 
 to Great Namaqua Land, where E. Cook has already been 
 for some years most usefully engaged. A messenger was 
 immediately despatched to apprise them that we proposed 
 riding over the following morning, to confer with them about 
 the best mode of joining them in at Nisbett Bath, under 
 the apprehension that it was required of us to visit their 
 station. Our wagon is drawn up a short distance from the 
 Mission House, in the expectation that it will have to 
 remain there for some weeks ; and arrangements have been 
 made for the accommodation of our people. 
 
 2nd. We accompanied Joseph Jackson on horseback to 
 the spot where the missionaries on their way to Nisbett 
 Bath were outspanned, a distance of fifteen miles from 
 Lily Fountain ; and having consulted with Edward Cook as 
 to the best route and mode of travelling, ancf enjoyed a 
 few hours' social intercourse with him and J. Tindall and 
 their families, we returned to the Station the same evening. 
 
 The inhabitants of Lily Fountain are the lineal descen- 
 dants of the Aboriginal tribe of Little Namaquas, and 
 occupy this portion of Africa as their natural inheritance. 
 The successive encroachments of persons who have imposed 
 on the Colonial Government, have however narrowed them 
 up within a small compass, and would have speedily ejected
 
 402 CONGREGATION AT LILY FOUNTAIN. [1840. 
 
 them altogether, had not timely exertion been made in their 
 behalf, which resulted in securing to them by a grant of 
 Lord Charles Somerset, the location which they now occupy. 
 
 3rd. I was far from well, and remained much in the 
 house, making arrangements for the journey into Great 
 Namaqua Land. 
 
 5th. First-day. We both had service in testimony ; my 
 dear companion in the morning and myself in the afternoon. 
 From three to four hundred persons might be present. A great 
 many are away in search of better pasture for their cattle. 
 "We had also a comforting season in Joseph Jackson's family, 
 in which we were favoured to feel the precious influence of 
 Divine love softening and contriting our hearts. 
 
 7th. I was confined to the house with a settled acute pain 
 in my chest, which medicine has not yet been successful in 
 removing. t - 
 
 9th. The prospect of such a journey, the most arduous of 
 any we have yet had to encouter, and at the very hottest 
 season of the year, in my present state, seemed certainly 
 formidable; still neither my dear companion nor myself 
 felt warranted in deferring the attempt. For the first two or 
 three days we were likely to be among the Boors, where 
 we should be able to obtain lodgings for the night. Arrange- 
 ments were accordingly made for a start imediately after 
 dinner. Beside the guide, William Sneeuwe, who is a member 
 of the church, we took with us Seberioe, for his general use- 
 fulness, especially in regard to horses, and his superior know- 
 ledge of Dutch, which is spoken by many of the Namaquas. 
 The horses were ten in number, a spare horse being requisite 
 for each rider, and a couple for alternately conveying the 
 pack. We took with us provisions to last for a week, and a 
 little copper kettle to boil our tea or coffee, which, with four 
 tin cans fitting into the kettle, comprised the bulk of our 
 travelling apparatus ; not excluding however those very essen- 
 tial accompaniments, karosses, which were to form our beds 
 and bedding. 
 
 10th. Invigorated by a night's rest, I ventured to proceed. 
 We rested twice for an hour or two, once where no water was
 
 CHAP. 26.] KOMAGGAS. 463 
 
 to be had, and where the thermometer was 126, as we reclined 
 on the ground under the partial shade of a doom boom. 
 
 llth. We traversed a rugged foot-path across the moun- 
 tains where we had to drive the horses before us. On arriving 
 at the foot, the Settlement of Komaggas burst upon our view, 
 situated on the verge of a large plain bordering upon the sea, 
 which is thirty to forty miles distant. The houses belonging 
 to the mission are placed near the gorge of a valley, from 
 whence a stream of water issues from a spring. A small 
 windmill in brisk operation had a pretty effect, and gave rise 
 to agreeable associations. We had previously learned that 
 John Hendrick Schmelen, the Missionary of this Station, was 
 from home, having gone with some of the people to the sea- 
 side to fish. His daughters cordially welcomed us to their 
 father's house, as did also their aunt, who immediately com- 
 menced exertions for our accommodation and refreshment. 
 
 12th. First-day. The pain in my left side remains fixed 
 and acute, and is excruciating when I draw a long breath, 
 but is not accompanied with fever ; we hope therefore that it 
 may not be of serious consequence. * 
 
 13th. J. H. Schmelen has been instrumental in accom- 
 plishing a great work, in the translation of the New Testament 
 into the Namaqua language. I heard one of his daughters 
 reading it aloud to some of the people who were gathered 
 around her under the verandah in front of the Mission House. 
 
 14th The continued pain at my chest, loss of voice and 
 general indisposition, introduced me into sore conflict of 
 mind, not knowing how it might issue. To proceed on the 
 journey in this state looked almost like presumption ; and to 
 let my companion go alone, which he was willing to do, I 
 could not make up my mind to. In this strait the Lord was 
 gracious to my supplications, and inspired me with renewed 
 confidence ; the words of the Psalmist being brought to my 
 remembrance, and applied with power, so as to remove all 
 doubts : " I shall not die but live, and declare the works of 
 the Lord ; the Lord hath chastened me sore, but he hath not 
 given me over unto death." These encouraging promises
 
 464 ILLNESS OF G. W. WALKER. [1840. 
 
 enabled me to look forward unhesitatingly towards resuming 
 the journey in a day or two ; and from that time I began to 
 amend, and my heart was filled with songs of praise to my 
 God, who had thus graciously looked upon me in the day of 
 my distress. It was concluded for us to accompany a man 
 who was on his way to the coast, where J. H. Schmelen and 
 his people were fishing, in order to obtain an interview with 
 this worthy missionary, whom we were loth to leave the 
 country without seeing, and who was only two days' journey 
 distant from the Station. 
 
 15th. We left Komaggas at an early hour, being pro- 
 vided with everything in the power of our kind friends to 
 furnish, that could contribute to our comfort on the journey. 
 Off-saddled in the dry bed of a water-course. The water oozed 
 very slowly into a pit dug in the sand, but was so salt as to be 
 scarcely usable. A number of horses were standing around, 
 and could hardly be kept at a distance till ours drank, except 
 by continually pelting them with stones. We observed a mare 
 with a foal, scraping with her fore foot in the sand, until she 
 got to the level of the svater, which barely collected in sufficient 
 quantity to satisfy their thirst. Two hours further over heavy 
 sand is the Buffels River. Here a decent woman kindly 
 supplied us with thick milk, and with water in tolerable 
 quantity, though somewhat brackish. I could not have 
 believed that so large a quantity of liquid would have been 
 needed to recruit exhausted nature, as we consumed during 
 the two hours we rested ; it did not amount to less than a 
 gallon each. The few people on the place were collected, and 
 we addressed them in Dutch, William Sneeuwe interpreting 
 what was said into the native dialect, a task for which we 
 find him peculiarly well qualified, not only from his familiar 
 acquaintance with both languages, but from his religious ex- 
 perience, and knowledge of the Scriptures. This little season 
 of religious service among the sojourn ers in the wilderness 
 afforded us peaceful retrospect. The Buffels River here forms 
 the boundary of the Colony. We off saddled about ten p. M. 
 near the foot of a hill, where there was a good supply of 
 young grass, and soon composed ourselves to rest on the
 
 CHAP. 26.] RELIGION IN THE WILDERNESS. 465 
 
 sandy ground, using the saddle-bags for pillows, and forgetting 
 all weariness in refreshing sleep. 
 
 16th. I have much cause to he encouraged, as well as 
 reverently thankful, for the steady improvement in my 
 health, which has not been retarded by the exertion of yes- 
 terday. It has literally been with me according to my faith. 
 Rode briskly 3^ hours till we arrived at Oog Grawep, where 
 there was a spring in the midst of sandy hillocks. An elderly 
 Hottentot, named Jona Engelbrecht, was stationed here, in 
 charge of some cattle belonging to the Missionary. He civilly 
 vacated his matje hut for our accommodation, into which we 
 gladly retreated from the rays of a meridian sun. I nearly 
 fainted, but was revived by the setting in of the sea-breeze, 
 and a cup of coffee prepared for me by my kind companion. 
 The old man proved to be a very interesting example of the 
 efficacy of religion in sustaining the mind and imparting 
 solid consolation, when cut off from society. My dear com- 
 panion preached to him, and he signified his assent to the 
 truth of what was said. He told us that when alone in the 
 wilderness he had often felt something stirring in his heart 
 giving him a sense of his sinful condition, and making him 
 tremble at the consequences. On becoming acquainted with 
 the missionary and receiving the doctrines of the gospel, he 
 gave up his heart to the Lord, and was made a partaker of 
 that peace which is the portion of the true believer. Thus 
 he could set to his seal, that what had been declared to him 
 was the truth, because he had felt it in his own experience. 
 His Bible and hymn book were his constant companions, and 
 they bore the marks of having been diligently perused. 
 
 The ride from Oog Grawep to the sea-side occupied us many 
 hours, so that it was long after dark before we reached the 
 encampment of the fishing party. A thick mist, with a strong 
 cold wind, having set in from the sea, and the increasingly 
 heavy sand rendering it impracticable to ride fast, we now 
 sufferred nearly as much from cold as we did in the morning 
 from heat. We found J. H. Schmelen and his wife, with 
 several of the people encamped on the sea shore ; and they 
 gladly furnished us with the best accommodation afforded 
 
 h
 
 466 COAST OF LITTLE NAMAQUA LAND. [1840. 
 
 by their tent, which was pitched along side the wagon. Several 
 days had passed over without success in fishing, but on the 
 day of our arrival they had taken a draught sufficient to 
 fill the four wagons they had brought with them. 
 
 18th. The coast about Robben Bai is girt with numerous 
 mounds of sand, the accumulation of ages ; these stretch back- 
 wards toward the mountains, for ten or twelve miles, forming a 
 barrier against the encroachments of the Atlantic. Myriads 
 of sea-fowl resort to the reefs that run along the shore. Here 
 we saw the graceful Flamingo, with its beautiful crimson 
 wings, which are only fully seen when the bird is flying. 
 Throwing its long taper legs with its head and neck nearly 
 into a line with its body, it presents a singular appearance in 
 outline, resembling a hooked stick with a pair of wings to it. 
 When it is on the ground the plumage is rosy pink. The 
 Ibis with curved bill and black and white plumage, was also 
 numerous. Numbers of wild geese, ducks, curlews, mews, 
 petrels, &c. flying to and fro along the shore, swimming on 
 the smooth surface of the water within the reefs, or perched 
 in rows on the rocks, give an animated aspect to the coast. 
 There is a small company of Hottentots living here. These 
 people are noted for their harmless, peaceable disposition ; 
 their subsistence is almost exclusively on fish, which they 
 take with the line and hook. They appear to be more than 
 commonly athletic, probably from their exposed and hardy 
 life. 
 
 19th. First-day. Both seasons of religious labour were 
 to satisfaction, our hearts being opened towards the little 
 company in a degree that called forth grateful acknowledg- 
 ment, and a door of utterance being given us though in a 
 tongue different from our own. It is interesting to observe the 
 unostentatious piety as well as fervent zeal of the worthy 
 Missionary, and the respect and affection that are entertained 
 towards him. He seems to be blessed with a very suitable 
 help-meet, one who does with her might whatsoever she puts 
 her hands to, though but of feeble frame, and subject to 
 frequent indisposition. 
 
 20th. We left for Oog Grawep. We were to stop about
 
 CHAP. 26.] j. H. SCHMELEN. 467 
 
 half way till the wagons came up, when we were all to dine 
 together. But falling in with three horses which we had left 
 on the road, and which had been three days without water, it 
 became necessary to proceed to Oog Grrawep on their account, 
 as they were incapable of feeding without first having water. On 
 arriving at the Fountain, the old man was gone. It was one 
 o'clock in the morning before the first wagon of the fishing- 
 party arrived, and somewhat later when J. H. Schmelen 
 reached the place ; we hailed his arrival with the feelings 
 of persons half famished with hunger and cold, he bringing 
 the food in his wagon. 
 
 21st. We finally parted from our valued missionary 
 friends, whose kindness was great in supplying us with pro- 
 visions for the way. We were well satisfied in having thus 
 turned a little out of the direct path, so as to admit of the 
 intercourse we had enjoyed together. Before dark two of our 
 horses became so completely knocked up, whilst we were 
 still far from water, that they was no alternative but to 
 leave them. After four hours of weary travel, we made 
 Muishond Fontein, the desired place of sojourn for the night. 
 Here water was obtained for the horses ; and a civil old 
 Hottentot, who with his family were the only inhabitants of 
 the place, furnished us with milk. 
 
 22nd. The Hottentot who resides here, is an example of in- 
 dustry such as one only occasionally meets with in this country. 
 The heat being oppressive, 96 in the shade, and there being 
 no shelter, he set to work with one of his children, and 
 erected for us a booth. He brought us milk, collected fuel, 
 and helped us and our people with indefatigable perseverance. 
 His family subsist by the produce of a few cows and a small 
 plot of ground on which they rear pumpkins. The old man 
 also makes tobacco pipes from a greenish stone, found in these 
 parts, and much sought after for the purpose. On more than 
 one occasion during our sojourn here, an opportunity was 
 afforded of imparting religious counsel to these poor people. 
 
 23rd. Rode to the Missionary Station at.Kok Fontein. 
 We were compelled however to leave two of our jaded 
 horses at Uitkyk Fontein. One of them had carried
 
 468 MICHAEL WIMMER. [1840, 
 
 me safely many hundreds of miles, and parting with 
 it, felt like parting with an old and faithful servant. Kok 
 Fontein has been for many years the central residence of 
 Michael Wimmer, an aged and devoted missionary, a large 
 portion of whose life has been spent among the Namaquas. 
 The district of M. Wimmer's itinerating labours goes by the 
 general term of Steinkopf, which is also applied to a small 
 Settlement little more than an hour's ride from Kok Fon- 
 tein. M. Wimmer and the larger part of his family were 
 absent at the Buffels River, where a number of the people 
 were sojourning for the sake of the pasturage. His daughters 
 kindly provided for our accommodation. 
 
 25th. Many of the people from the surrounding neigh- 
 bourhood came this evening to be present at the public 
 worship on the following day. Their costume and deport- 
 ment are, in not a few instances, quite equal to those of the 
 Colonial farmers, and this is combined with a natural in- 
 dependence, which has not been lost by collision with the 
 colony, or by subjection to the oppression commonly atten- 
 dant on such collision. Most of them have little locations of 
 their own, beside the fountains which have descended to them 
 from their ancestors. A few have wagons and oxen ; nearly 
 all are in possession of horses, and on these and oxen they 
 visit one another. 
 
 26th. First-day. Some of the inhabitants from Steinkopf 
 and other places, were present at the three seasons of public 
 worship. We had interesting service in them all, a re- 
 markable sense of the Divine Presence being at times ex- 
 perienced, to our great comfort. In the evening I ventured 
 for the first time to approach the Divine footstool in prayer, 
 in the Dutch language. 
 
 28th. Ingris Fontein. We purchased a sheep at Kok 
 Fontein, the flesh of which being dried, after being cut 
 into thin strips, we were enabled to keep for a week, 
 when otherwise it would have been spoiled in a single day. 
 The heat had now become very great. In a cavern among 
 the rocks, where the sun scarcely had any entrance, the mer- 
 cury at two P. M. rose to 103. I tried it on the ground,
 
 CHAP. 26.] FORDING THE ORANGE RIVER. 469 
 
 placing the thermometer on the kaross on which I had been 
 reclining, and a portion of which was exposed to the sun's 
 rays, when it rose with almost instantaneous rapidity to 
 137, and I was obliged hastily to remove it lest it should 
 burst the bulb. Re-mounting we ascended some steep hills 
 of sand which flank the mountains, running parallel with the 
 Orange River. On reaching the summit of the mountains 
 we continued to wind among them till we came upon the 
 spoor of wagons, which led through a valley to the river a 
 little above the Lower Drift. 
 
 29th. The bed of the Orange River is here formed of large 
 irregular stones, extending far beyond the present watermark, 
 which makes it difficult of access. Beyond these are sand 
 hilk covered with willows and other indigenous trees. At 
 the back of this natural wood, we resumed our ride, along 
 a narrow path, on the south side of the stream. Calling 
 at the huts of some natives, where we were hospitably 
 supplied with thick milk, we had the satisfaction of learning 
 that the river was "dead light," in other words, shallow, 
 and that the Missionaries and their wagons had passed 
 through it, some days before, without having been subjected 
 to the tedious process of swimming. In this case the wagons 
 are taken to pieces, and each wheel and distinct portion 
 has to be taken across, in succession, upon small rafts. On 
 arriving at the Drift, two of the men first tried by wading, 
 assisted by long sticks, and then reported that it was 
 fordable. We followed into the stream in the direction of 
 a small island on wliich grass and several umbrageous trees 
 were growing. We sat down in their shade while the horses 
 grazed. Grass is scarce on the margins of the river. We 
 were favoured to reach the opposite shore in safety, truly 
 thankful to have surmounted the difficulty which the fording 
 of this formidable stream is wont to present. 
 
 We pursued our way a short distance up the river, where 
 we remained for several hours under the shade of a tree. 
 The heat exceeded anytliing we had previously experienced : 
 In the most effectual shade that we could command, the 
 mercury stood at 112. Bathing was delightfully refreshing ; 
 I should* suppose that the temperature of the water under
 
 470 TRAVELLING DISCOMFORTS. [1840. 
 
 some shady trees was 90. The banks are thickly set with 
 a tree called by the Hottentots, Rozyntje Boem, because 
 of its yielding, in great profusion, small fruit, of which 
 they are exceedingly fond, in taste something like inferior 
 little raisins. When mixed with milk, and consumed 
 after about an hour's standing, so as to admit of slight 
 fermentation, it is delicious. We saddled up at half-past 
 four and pursued our ride along the dry sandy bed of the 
 Droog Rivier, which constitutes the road to Nisbett Bath. 
 Both William Sneeuwe and myself were much overcome with 
 the excessive heat ; one of the best horses also fell tired, and 
 we were obliged to leave him. As the night advanced we all 
 rallied a little, and a short rest at the end of three hours, and 
 a cup of tea, so invigorated us that we went a good two hours 
 further, turning aside up a small rocky ravine, to a fine 
 spring of water, in the vicinity of which we lay down to 
 rest. 
 
 30th. The comfort of our little party was much inter- 
 rupted by the swarms of Moschettoes that hovered round the 
 spring. For my own part I could not get a wink of sleep, 
 the time that should have been thus occupied being spent in 
 battling with these troublesome insects. Descending again 
 into the bed of the Droog Eivier, we opened upon a more 
 level country. Two hours' and a half brisk ride brought us 
 to Loris Fontein, where there were some flocks of the natives 
 enjoying the fine grass that grows on these plains. We 
 intended to have rested here till the heat of the day had 
 somewhat subsided, but were fairly driven away by swarms 
 of ticks, which had been dropped from the sheep, when 
 seeking shelter under the trees, and which crawling upon 
 our persons and packages, compelled us to brave the heat of 
 the now meridian sun. Our Hottentot guide drew up under 
 a tree, ready to faint ; but rallying a little, we managed to 
 go forward, the shade at this time of day from such trees as 
 were in our path being so imperfect that whilst we were in 
 motion the sun's rays were less oppressive than when we 
 were at rest. We were truly glad to reach Nisbett Bath, 
 where we had the satisfaction of meeting our Wesleyan 
 friends from whom we parted near Lily Fountain.
 
 CHAP. 26.] AMERAL AND THE LION. 471 
 
 31st. Last evening we were introduced to Ameral, a 
 Namaqua Chief, descended on his father's side from a Dutch 
 colonist. He resides on the borders of the Damara Country, 
 and is extremely anxious to obtain a missionary. Chiefly 
 with this motive, he has completed a journey to Cape Town, a 
 distance of nearly 1000 miles. The subject has so far met 
 with the concurrence of the Wesley ans, that E. Cook is 
 instructed to proceed to the Chief's residence on a journey of 
 observation. As an instance of extraordinary resolution, 
 combined with strong fraternal affection, I may mention a 
 circumstance that had nearly cost this Chief his life. He and 
 his brothers and others of the tribe were hunting in a part of 
 the country were lions were numerous, and several of the 
 party had fallen a prey to them. The last who was attacked 
 was Ameral's brother, who in a disabled state, was in the 
 grasp of one these terrible creatures. Ameral snapped his piece 
 several times at the lion, but unhappily it would not go off. 
 Desperate at seeing the animal tearing his brother, he threw 
 down his gun, and seized the lion by the mane from behind. 
 In the scuffle that ensued, the lion grasped the arm of the 
 Chief, and was on the point of destroying him, when a well 
 directed fire from one of his attendants laid the monster 
 prostrate at their feet. The Chiefs arm was dreadfully 
 mangled in the encounter, the elbow joint fractured in such 
 a way that it was impossible it could be of service to him ; 
 but his people by a happy exercise of ingenuity, set it at 
 such an angle with his head as to allow of access by the hand 
 to his mouth ; so that though the arm is perfectly stiff he can 
 make considerable use of it. 
 
 Nearly the whole population are now scattered over the 
 country, having availed themselves of the temporary absence 
 of the Missionary, to lead out their flocks and herds to distant 
 spots, where the feed is better than that contiguous to the 
 Station. By an excellent regulation, intended to check un- 
 profitable visiting and idle dependence upon one another, 
 which are prominent evils among the Hottentot tribes, no 
 person is allowed to remain longer than a week on the Station 
 as a visitor, unless he brings with him the moans of subsistence.
 
 472 NISBETT BATH. [1840. 
 
 2 mo. 1. I rose before the sun, and had a dip in the warm 
 spring from which this Station derives its name ; it was de- 
 lightfully refreshing. The depth is barely sufficient to admit 
 of complete immersion ; the temperature 105. The spot is 
 more than commonly destitute of vegetation, the fountain 
 bubbling up amid granite rocks, with patches of saline 
 plants, the soil being encrusted in many places with saline 
 particles. There are numerous small springs, extending 
 over a space of perhaps a quarter of a mile, which are of 
 various gradations of saltness and temperature. The largest 
 and most copious spring is of pure and excellent water. 
 
 2nd. First-day. The congregation which assembled to day 
 did not exceed a score of persons exclusive of young children. 
 In the forenoon it seemed my place to address them in Dutch, 
 William Sneeuwe interpreting into Namaqua. J. Backhouse 
 was engaged in like manner in the afternoon. We had 
 further service in an interesting religious interview with the 
 two Mission families in the course of the evening, and we were 
 comforted together in the grateful commemoration of multiplied 
 mercies vouchsafed to us by the all-bountiful Master whom 
 we are solicitous to serve. 
 
 4th. We left Nisbett Bath at eleven p. M. The heat during 
 the day is so great at this season, that in conformity with the 
 custom of the country, it was concluded that we should travel 
 by night. One of the pack horses, being young and unaccus- 
 tomed to this kind of service, proved very unruly, and before 
 we had proceeded many hundred yards, broke away, and 
 taking off at full gallop dislodged the pack, and did so much 
 damage as obliged us to turn back. 
 
 5th. At one A. M. we again commenced our journey, an 
 extra guard being put upon the refractory horse, which 
 E. Cook now took under his own management. Two elderly 
 but active Namaqua females formed an addition to the party, 
 riding with remarkable boldness on spirited horses ; and when 
 we drew up after 3J hours' ride, in order to halt for an hour, 
 they continued on to Korikus, where we came up with them 
 early in the forenoon, being 3| hours further. Here we saw the 
 wife and family of the Chief, Abraham Christian, also Ameral
 
 CHAP. 26.] NAMAQUA HOTTENTOTS. 473 
 
 and his people, who were on their road home. These and 
 about fifty more natives assembled under the spreading 
 branches of a Camel Thorn, while my dear companion and 
 myself were privileged, under what we believed to be a measure 
 of the authority that is not at our command, to preach to 
 them the glad tidings of salvation. Jan Ortman, our 
 attendant, interpreted for us ; we feel it no little cause for 
 thankfulness, that our acquaintance with the Dutch, imperfect 
 as it is, enables us to express ourselves intelligibly, thus 
 opening the way for declaring unto the people as we pass 
 along, "the unsearchable riches of Christ." We rode until 
 our guide could no longer distinguish the land-marks, so as to 
 shape a correct course through the vast waste that now had 
 to be traversed. The night was excessively dark, and we 
 were compelled to halt. 
 
 6th. The only human being we saw to-day on the solitary 
 waste was a Namaqua shepherd driving some cattle and goats. 
 Biding briskly for three and a half hours, we entered a ravine 
 that soon brought us, by a rough and very gradual descent, 
 to Xammas, on the Amse River, where a considerable body 
 of natives were located, living in mat huts. The people 
 collected under the shade of the trees that clothe the margin 
 of the river, to afford us the opportunity of addressing them 
 on subjects of eternal moment, which was done by E. Cook, 
 J. Tindall, and ourselves. The Namaquas are an open- 
 hearted and hospitable people. Wherever we come, men 
 and women come forward and shake hands, with the accus- 
 tomed salutation of " Goed dag," i. e. Good day, which they 
 have adopted from the Dutch. They likewise supply us with 
 milk, and in other ways testify their good will, when they 
 cannot be sure that they will receive any thing in re- 
 turn. Towards evening we re-mounted,' and keeping 
 along the banks of the Amse River, reached another little 
 settlement of natives. Though the hour was late, being 
 long after dark, they were invited to assemble, and a few 
 words of religious counsel were imparted to them, by E. Cook, 
 J. 13. and myself. To many of those poor people the Gospel 
 message was new, their dwelling place lying out of the route
 
 474 BAND OF ARMED MEN. [1840. 
 
 of the Missionaries. The interview being terminated, we 
 lay down on a sand bank, a little above the level of the 
 river, where we passed the night. 
 
 7th. It is sometimes a matter of wonder to me, how little 
 the fear, or even the thought of wild beasts, such as the lion 
 and leopard, enters the mind of the traveller through the wilds 
 of Africa. We lie down and compose ourselves to rest with 
 scarcely more apprehension than if no such creatures existed. 
 Doubtless this is partly induced by the constant presence of 
 the danger. I cannot but regard it as a special providence, 
 an evidence of the gracious care and protection of Israel's 
 Shepherd, that not one of these animals on any occasion has 
 been permitted to annoy us, or been seen to cross our path. We 
 saw nine full grown Ostriches together this afternoon. Quaggas 
 and Zebras were also numerous. The natives take them in 
 pitfalls, in the centre of which a stake is driven ; the mouth 
 is then covered over with light branches of trees over which 
 is laid soil or sand. These traps being placed directly in the 
 track to the water holes, makes it necessary to ride with caution 
 along the margins of the rivers, particularly when travelling by 
 night. Whilst we were cantering briskly over an extensive 
 plain, we descried a party of men descending from the brow 
 of an acclivity in the distance. They were armed with guns 
 and assagais, and on a nearer approach turned out to be a 
 company of natives, with pack-oxen, on their way to a distant 
 part of the interior. We exchanged the salutation of peace 
 with them ; and also furnished the leader, a man of mixed 
 blood, with a tract. Happily since the missionaries have 
 again gained a footing in the land, the approach of a tra- 
 velling band of this sort excites little apprehension. 
 
 8th. Upper. Drift. The country we have passed through 
 from'Xammas has probably never before been tracked by 
 Europeans. We rested here under the partial shade of some 
 trees on the dry bed of the river, though unable to sleep 
 for the hordes of sand-flies, and the excessive heat. The 
 luxury of a tepid bath in a shallow pool in which were 
 abundance of little fishes, was exceedingly grateful ; and 
 above all, the refreshment of tea, which has a most restorative
 
 CHAP. 26.] TITUS AFRIKANER. 475 
 
 effect in this sultry climate. But for it and coffee, I hardly 
 know how we could have got through this arduous journey. 
 Thus our toils and trials of a secondary order, as well as those 
 of a more serious nature, are tempered by the merciful pro- 
 visions of a compassionate and all-bountiful Creator, from 
 whom cometh every good gift, whether it be the comparatively 
 little or the great. Our course lay over very rough and stony 
 hills, among which we were not only in danger of breaking 
 the horses' knees, as well as our own necks, but the guide had 
 considerable difficulty in tracing the right course to Afrikaner's 
 Kraal, or Jerusalem. 
 
 No sooner was it known in the Settlement that E. Cook 
 had arrived, accompanied by some Christian friends, one of 
 whom was to be their Assistant Missionary, than a general ex- 
 citement prevailed among the people, whose hearty greetings 
 and demonstrations of satisfaction indicated the warm feeling 
 that subsists between them and their worthy Missionary. 
 We were presently visited by David Afrikaner and his brother 
 Titus, half brothers of the pious chief Christian Afrikaner, 
 whose life has been published by the Religious Tract Society. 
 The huts of the Settlement are embosomed among Rozyntje 
 trees, which here grow to a large size and are very umbra- 
 geous. Under one of the largest of these we took up our 
 abode ; some of the women immediately commencing to put up 
 poles, over which mats were spread to shelter us from the wind ; 
 while others brought sweet and thick milk for the refreshment 
 of the strangers. The scene was one of no small interest. The 
 spangled heavens were seen through the spreading foliage of 
 the majestic trees, and reflected again on the surface of a sheet of 
 water that lay immediately in the foreground, and around were 
 the cheerful countenances of groups of natives who flocked to 
 greet the new-comers, illuminated by the light of a blazing 
 fire, kindled for our accommodation. But there was a fea- 
 ture of moral sublimity to which the circumstances of our 
 visit gave rise, that transcended all the rest. At the period 
 when the Afrikaners and Bundelzwarts were at war, Titus 
 Afrikaner was the terror of his opponents. He had repeatedly 
 gained the victory in the contests between his tribe and the 
 Bundolzwarts, until the last battle in which the two tribes
 
 476 AFRIKANER'S KRAAL. [1840. 
 
 were engaged. On this occasion Jan Ortman, our attendant, 
 headed the Bundelzwarts, and succeeded in driving Titus and 
 his followers from the field. This was the last occasion on 
 which the two leaders had met. Now, how changed was the 
 scene ! Both had become followers of the lowly Saviour, men 
 of peace, and members of the same church ; and sitting down 
 together, after having cordially saluted each other, they con- 
 versed respecting the mighty change that had taken place in 
 them through the omnipotent agency of Divine Grace, by 
 which every spark of animosity and hatred had been extin- 
 guished. Titus Afrikaner was long after his brother David 
 in the reception of the gospel, and was a source of trouble 
 and concern to him ; at that period he was as noted for his 
 dauntless and lion-like spirit, as he now is for his religious 
 sensibility and tenderness. He is often so contrited at the 
 remembrance of his sins, that he cannot restrain his tears, 
 but weeps aloud like a child. He says of himself in reference 
 to this weakness, as he considers it, "I once had a man's 
 heart, but now I am become a very woman." 
 
 9th. First-day. The natives assembled twice under the 
 canopy of a spreading tree, to worship Him who fills heaven 
 and earth, and is ever ready to accept the offerings of the 
 broken and contrite heart. In the forenoon meeting the 
 labour devolved exclusively on J. Backhouse and myself ; in 
 the evening E. Cook and J. Tindall addressed the people, 
 who on both occasions amounted to about 200. In the 
 afternoon the members of the Church met in two separate 
 classes, one superintended by E. Cook and the other by 
 J. Tindall. My dear companion attended the latter and I 
 the former. In reciting their Christian experience I could 
 not but apprehend the converts laid too much stress on human 
 instrumentality, and leaned to an unprofitable degree on their 
 Missionary. I had to extend some counsel on this subject, 
 and I thought the remarks of E. Cook, partly in reference to 
 the same subject, judicious and pertinent. David Afrikaner 
 acted as our interpreter, his own mind being evidently under 
 a deep feeling of the importance of the subjects he had to 
 communicate. He himself several times in the course of the
 
 CHAP. 26.] DAVID AFRIKANER. 477 
 
 day engaged in prayer, with much fervour and solemnity. 
 During the times of public worship, I observed several indi- 
 viduals walking up and down at some distance from the place 
 of assembling, weeping and bemoaning themselves. On 
 enquiry I found these were persons under conviction, who 
 being unable to restrain their feelings, had, in accordance 
 with the recommendation of the missionary, withdrawn from 
 *the congregation, that the attention of others might not be 
 diverted. 
 
 When E. Cook -first visited this Station, a preparatory work 
 was already begun through the instrumentality of David 
 Afrikaner. After the withdrawal of the London Society's 
 Missionaries from this field, the government of the tribe 
 devolved upon Jager Afrikaner, a son of the good old Chief, 
 Christian, who had become aged and decrepit. After Chris- 
 tian's decease, Jager fell from his profession of Christianity, and 
 even before that event, expeditions for the purposes of plunder 
 had been engaged in, with his sanction and that of Titus, who 
 had not then come at all under the influence of religion. 
 These predatory incursions were chiefly directed against the 
 Damaras, but in time the tribe became involved in war with 
 other tribes of the Namaquas. Throughout this interval, in 
 which the fear of the Lord was cast off by the rulers of the 
 tribe, David Afrikaner maintained his consistency as a Chris- 
 tian, bearing a faithful testimony against the evils that 
 prevailed, particularly the plundering of the Damaras. Under 
 the direction of Jager, the tribe had removed to a spot 
 fourteen days' journey further north, probably with a view 
 to be nearer the scene of their iniquitous exploits. All this 
 time David had been exerting a salutary influence over his 
 countrymen ; and when he at last came to the determination 
 of separating wholly from the unchristian portion of the tribe, 
 and of resuming the old station at Jerusalem, a considerable 
 number of the people withdrew along with him, and they 
 now constitute the bulk of the population. Though David 
 continued to do his best according to his ability, in extending 
 instruction to his people, yet he ardently desired to have a 
 missionary who should be better qualified than himself. He 
 hoard of the establishment of a mission by the "Wesleyans
 
 478 DESTRUCTION OF DAKKA PLANTS. [1840. 
 
 among the Bundelzwarts, and would have made a journey 
 thither but feared to come into collision with that tribe, lest they 
 should not discriminate, but deal with him as an enemy. To 
 obviate this difficulty he hit upon an expedient that is strongly 
 characteristic of the energy and determination for which he is 
 remarkable. Having in his possession a letter of some Dutch 
 Farmer, addressed to some member of his family, he resolved to 
 teach himself the art of writing ; and with no other means of 
 instruction than could be gained from this humble document, 
 he succeeded so well as to write in a manner intelligible to the 
 missionaries at Lily Fountain, setting forth his wishes in warm 
 language, and earnestly desiring that a missionary might be 
 appointed to his station. Although scarcely twelve months 
 have elapsed since the first missionary visit was paid to the 
 Settlement, sixty individuals have already been admitted into 
 church membership. So white was the field to harvest ! 
 
 10th. There are a few gardens at Jerusalem, but the 
 fountain is insufficient to admit of extensive irrigation. 
 Pumpkins, a little Indian Corn, and tobacco are principally 
 grown. Dakka, a noxious weed used in Africa as a sub- 
 stitute for tobacco, and possessing even more powerfully 
 narcotic properties, was grown by some of the less exemplary 
 inhabitants ; among others by old Titus. But as soon as his 
 heart became touched with the love of his Saviour, he repaired 
 to his garden, tore up the Dakka plants and destroyed them, 
 stamping the seeds to pieces, that he might no longer be 
 accessory in promoting the use of a thing so prolific of evil.
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 JOURNEY FROM NAMAQUA LAND TO CAPE TOWN, AND RETURN 
 OF G. W. WALKER TO TASMANIA. 
 
 AFRIKANERS KRAAL was the farthest point to which 
 James Backhouse and George W. Walker travelled 
 on the western side of South Africa. On leaving 
 this spot they set their faces towards Cape Town. 
 The distance was great and the hardships of the 
 way were many ; but the spring of gospel love to- 
 wards the inhabitants, whether white or coloured, 
 continued to rise in their hearts, and the sensible 
 presence of their Lord crowned their ministrations 
 with undiminished power and supported them under 
 every trial of flesh and spirit. 
 
 They returned to Nisbett Bath by as direct a 
 course as they could find, steering through the night 
 by the stars. 
 
 Under date of 2 mo. 16, G. W. W. writes, We have felt 
 deeply interested in the state of this Mission, and in the 
 devoted men and their wives who are engaged in it. Wo 
 think they have reason to be encouraged in the measure of 
 blessing that has already attended their labours. 
 
 17th. The time having arrived for our final departure 
 from Nisbett Bath, two expert swimmers were engaged to 
 assist us across the river. We left the Settlement amid 
 many good wishes from the natives. Edward and Mary 
 Cook accompanied us a short way on horseback, and
 
 480 PARTING FROM E. AND M. COOK. [1840. 
 
 when they turned about and we finally parted, it was 
 under feelings of lively interest and regard.* 
 
 At mid-day we halted in the bed of the Droog River, where 
 we lay down for the purpose of obtaining repose. Here there 
 are springs as salt as brine, and innumerable tracks of the 
 Quagga, or Wild Ass, which resorts hither to drink. Beauti- 
 fully descriptive are the words addressed by the Most High to 
 Job, in asserting the wisdom and power that characterize the 
 inimitable works of creation : " Who hath sent out the wild 
 ass free ? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass ? whose 
 house I have made the wilderness, and the salt places (margin) 
 his dwellings. He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither 
 regardeth he the crying of the driver. The range of the 
 mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green 
 thing."f 
 
 18th. A few hours' ride brought us to the Orange River, 
 which proved to be flooded, and the stream flowing with 
 great impetuosity. The 'people immediately began their 
 preparations for swimming. Two logs of dry willow were 
 found. A wooden peg was driven firmly into each, at 
 about one-third of the distance from the thicker end, and 
 across these were laid transversely a few stout sticks, the 
 whole being lashed together. To raise the platform end of the 
 raft, as well as to increase its buoyancy, dry sticks and reeds 
 were fastened upon it. The saddle-bags and other luggage 
 was divided into convenient portions, and one of these 
 bundles, enclosed in a mackintosh tarpaulin, was secured upon 
 the float. Two men then launched it into the stream, and 
 guiding it forward with their hands into deep water, swam on 
 either side, holding on by the pegs. Though they started con- 
 siderably higher up the stream than our place of encampment, 
 the force of the current carried them to the lower end of 
 the island in the centre of the river, where they landed. 
 Then drawing the raft up the further side of the island they 
 
 * For some account of Edward Cook, who might well he styled the Apostle 
 of Namaqua Land, see a small volume entitled the Modern Missionary, 
 published by Thomas Kaye, Liverpool. 1849. 
 
 t The Quagga is not the "Wild Ass of Scripture, hut is in nature and habits so 
 similar, as to make the quotation from Job very appropriate.
 
 CHAP. 27.] SWIMMING THE ORANGE RIVER. 481 
 
 made a second launch from the higher end, and though swept 
 far below the landing-place, they ultimately got footing on 
 the opposite shore, and pushing the raft before them in shallow 
 water, landed their first burden in safety under a tree. Two 
 trips of this kind were performed, when it became my turn to 
 buffet the stream. A slight alteration was made in the raft, 
 to allow me to swim between the logs. In this way we 
 swam three abreast, and were favoured to reach the other 
 shore without accident, though the current was so strong as 
 to force us sometimes over the tops of submerged bushes, and at 
 others over rocks. I suffered no material injury, though 
 somewhat exhausted. From first to last the passage occupied 
 about half an hour. I soon had the satisfaction of hailing 
 the arrival of my companion. It was now near sunset, and 
 the men having to return to the other side, where they had 
 deposited their clothes, and having already made four trips, it 
 was concluded that nothing further should be attempted that 
 night. My companion and myself therefore prepared to lodge 
 by ourselves on the river's bank. The principal thing wanting 
 to complete our outward comfort, was some warm tea, 
 the kettle being with the people on the opposite side ; but to 
 make up for this, we raised a large fire, as well to warm our- 
 selves as to keep off leopards and other nocturnal animals. 
 Gratitude was the clothing of our minds as we lay down to 
 repose under a tree. 
 
 19th. As soon as the sun was well up, the swimmers 
 resumed their arduous task, which occupied them till evening, 
 by which time all our people and luggage were got safely 
 across. The horses swam over without difficulty. The 
 swimmers earned their wages well ; these according to their 
 
 own proposition were to be a striped cotton shirt each, worth 
 in the Colony 2s. 3d. ; but considering the nature of the ser- 
 vice, and the number of times they had had to cross, we made 
 an addition of some articles of clothing which we could well 
 spare. Having settled with these men, we saddled up and 
 proceeded along the course of the river, till we reached a 
 kraal of natives, towards whom wo felt i dobt of Christian 
 love. Although they had composed themselves to rest they
 
 482 M. WIMMEK. [1840. 
 
 readily assembled, and we addressed them on the most mo- 
 mentous of all subjects that can occupy the attention of 
 mortal beings. An open-hearted old woman who furnished 
 us cheerfully with milk on a former occasion, supplied us 
 again, and was rewarded with a cotton handkerchief. This 
 poor woman said, as I was bidding her farewell, " Sir, I am a 
 poor lifeless creature ; you must pray for me." I reminded 
 her that her compassionate Heavenly Father would, for 
 Christ's sake, listen to the feeblest petitions put up to him, 
 and that therefore she must take care to pray for herself. 
 
 22nd. We arrived again at Kok Fontein. Here we had 
 the satisfaction of meeting Michael Wimmer. He is seventy- 
 six years of age and has been twice married, on both occasions 
 to persons of Hottentot extraction. 
 
 23rd. First Day. The people assembled four times during 
 the day for religious purposes ; my companion and myself 
 were largely engaged in declaring among them the truths of 
 the everlasting Gospel, under a precious solemnity that over- 
 spread the assembly. The good old man, M. Wimmer, also 
 preached with much fervour. 
 
 26th. A tedious ride brought us once more to Lily Foun- 
 tain, where we again became sojourners under the hospitable 
 roof of Joseph Jackson. My mind has been filled with thank- 
 fulness in the retrospect of the past journey, in which we have 
 travelled through a proverbially olry and thirsty land, and 
 during the very hottest season of the whole year ; yet without 
 injury of a permanent kind to any of the party. Many are 
 the opportunities the Lord has graciously afforded us of 
 declaring his love and faithfulness, accompanied by a com- 
 forting evidence that his mercy overshadowed us. As regards 
 myself, I have especial cause to render the tribute of praise, 
 having been raised up almost (to my own view) from the gates 
 of death, and marvellously strengthened for the work assigned 
 me. In riding along to-day, although conscious of often 
 having fallen behind in the discharge of my duty, and caused 
 the sentence of death to be inscribed against me, yet a sweet 
 sense of divine mercy and loving-kindness has pervaded my 
 mind, and continues with me. What can I render unto the
 
 CHAP. 27.] OLD AILSEY. 483 
 
 Lord for all his benefits ? May it be the sacrifice of un- 
 reserved obedience, which shall be acceptable to Him, through 
 Jesus Christ ! 
 
 3 mo. 3. We were present at a missionary prayer meeting 
 and had something to communicate, encouraging all to culti- 
 vate a feeling of interest in the spiritual welfare of their 
 fellow-creatures, and illustrating from our own observation, 
 the incalculable benefits that result to nations, as well as to in- 
 dividuals, from the reception of the Gospel. Several of the 
 Hottentots engaged in prayer. Among this number was an 
 elderly woman who goes by the name of Old Ailsey. She 
 lived in former years at Kok Fontein, and is one of the fruits 
 of Michael Wimmer's labours, and has long been eminent for 
 fervency of spirit and zeal in the cause of her Great Master. 
 
 4th. Good old Ailsey, as well as several others, called to 
 take leave of us. It was very interesting to hear her allusion 
 to M. Wimmer, whom she denominated her father. With the 
 characteristic force of expression, for which the Hottentot 
 race are noted, she says, Mr. Wimmer screwed the truth 
 into her heart. William Sneeuwe, our late guide, her son-in- 
 law, is hardly less indebted to M. Winimer than herself. 
 
 Having set their wagon in order, and stored it for 
 another and last march, the Friends bade farewell 
 to Lily Fountain. They parted from J. and M. A. 
 Jackson and their family Avith feelings of affection 
 and gratitude. 
 
 These kind friends, says G. W. Walker, have been greatly 
 helpful to us in many ways. Indeed the openness and 
 liberal feeling that have been displayed towards us by our 
 Christian friends the Missionaries, wherever we have come, 
 will, I trust, have a lasting place in our remembrance. 
 
 7th. Indoorn Fontein. This was the hottest day we have 
 experienced. The mercury at two p. M. stood at 116 in the 
 most shaded part of the wagon. The birds drooped, with 
 their bills open as if gasping for breath, and all animated
 
 484 EBENEZER. [1840. 
 
 nature participated in the effect of the scorching air, which 
 meeting the face produced a sensation like the gust from 
 a furnace. 
 
 13th. The Olifant River is a fine deep stream, flowing 
 through a sandy, poor country. In swimming the horses 
 across we had the mortification of losing the best of the lot. 
 "We crossed in a small boat, and repaired to Ebenezer, a Station 
 of the Rhenish Missionary Society, where we received a cordial 
 reception from GK Terlinden and John S. Hahn. 
 
 15th. First-day. My companion addressed the people in 
 the forenoon, and I in the afternoon. The evening was spent 
 agreeably, I believe I may say, profitably, with our missionary 
 friends, who were interested in hearing of the results of mis- 
 sionary labour in other parts, in the success of which they 
 rejoiced, though the labourers were not of their own country 
 or of the Society to which they belong. This is a disposition 
 truly Christian and amiable, and which needs to be more 
 cherished both among missionaries in some quarters, and the 
 Christian community generally. 
 
 18th. We were under the necessity of travelling nearly 
 the whole night to get to water, which we obtained at last at 
 the Heerelogement, where there is a sand-stone cave, scarcely 
 a gun shot from the fountain. A large and majestic Melk- 
 boem, a species of Fig, is attached by its long and powerful 
 roots to the face of the rock, at the further extremity of the 
 cave, and numerous pendulous nests of the weaver-bird are 
 suspended from the lower branches. These graceful and 
 most ingenious nests are constructed of grass, and are nearly 
 spherical in form, with a cylindrical appendage of some inches 
 in length, by which the bird enters. The sides of the cave, 
 which are smooth, are inscribed with hundreds of the initials of 
 travellers who have visited the spot. The earliest date I ob- 
 served is 1712, and under the initials is the figure of an 
 elephant, a reminiscence that these animals then had their 
 haunts in this district. Among the host of names I remarked 
 that of the French Naturalist, " F. Vaillant, 1783." 
 
 20th. Arrived at Uitkomst, where we were received with 
 every demonstration of hospitality, by the good old Maria
 
 CHAP. 27/] WUPPERTHAL. 485 
 
 Van Zyl. It was quite unnecessary to convey a message 
 from her husband, whom we had met with, that she was to 
 get us whatever we wanted, for she exhibited as much con- 
 sideration and kindness, not only towards ourselves but to 
 our servants, coloured as well as white, as though we had 
 been her children. After partaking of a substantial breakfast 
 prepared by her own hands, we proceeded to arrange for an 
 excursion to Clan William, and Wupperthal Station. At- 
 tended by Siberioe we ascended the rocky path to the summit 
 of the mountain range at the back of Uitkomst, leading the 
 horses up the precipitous steep, that may not unaptly be 
 termed one of nature's staircases. The situation of Clan 
 William is remarkably beautiful, but the extreme heat of the 
 place renders it unhealthy. We were cordially welcomed by 
 the friendly schoolmaster J. Evans. 
 
 21st. At sunrise we pursued our route over the Cedar 
 Bergen. It was three hours after sunset when we reached 
 Wupperthal. The families of the missionaries had retired to 
 rest, but they soon appeared to welcome their visitors, and 
 administer to our comfort. 
 
 22nd. First-day. A hundred or more Hottentots assembled 
 in the forenoon, with whom it was my lot to labour, my 
 concern being chiefly for the careless and impenitent, who 
 were warned and earnestly invited to come to Christ, through 
 submission to the invitations of his Spirit. 
 
 23rd. The Hottentots of this Station are chiefly engaged 
 in felling timber on the mountains. A large tannery and a 
 flour mill are conducted with success by the missionaries. The 
 luxuriant state of the vegetation, and the beauty of this 
 enchanting spot, embosomed among lofty mountains, exceed 
 my powers of description. The neat chapel, the cottages of 
 the mission families, and other buildings, the orchard and 
 gardens, contribute to the embellishments of the place, which 
 to my mind furnishes the beau ideal of a Missionary Institu- 
 tion. An excellent road has been formed to Wupperthal, but 
 even with this the Settlement is difficult of approach. The 
 Cedar Mountains are so named from a useful species of timber, 
 the Cedar of the Colony, which grows not in dense masses, or
 
 486 I7ITKOMST. [1840. 
 
 forests, but thinly scattered over the slopes, and frequently pro- 
 jecting its verdant crest above the summit of the craggy steeps. 
 About 200 people live at the Settlement ; the rest, from 
 the nature of their employment, are continually moving 
 from one place to another, wherever the wood is most plentiful. 
 This evening we were present at the interment of one of 
 the people. The occasion furnished opportunity for some 
 religious labour, in which we were sensible of Divine help, 
 and which proved to be our concluding service in this place. 
 
 24th. Left Wupperthal to return to Clan William, where 
 we arrived in the evening. 
 
 28th. We took leave of our kind host, J. Evans, and 
 his wife. As there are seldom any lodgings to be had in 
 the towns or villages, even where canteens exist, travellers 
 are liable to great inconvenience ; and when relieved from 
 this difficulty by the disinterested offices of such as are " not 
 forgetful to entertain strangers," they can appreciate such 
 genuine hospitality. Leaving Clan William before sunrise, 
 we reached Uitkomst again early the same day. Our generous 
 friends, the Yan Zyls, insisted on our becoming guests 
 at their table during our further stay. 
 
 29th. First-day. The family were assembled twice in the 
 course of the day for religious purposes. The good old 
 woman, Maria Christina Yan Zyl, with others of her family, 
 have taught several of the coloured servants and their chil- 
 dren to read the Scriptures. We had vocal service of a very 
 satisfactory nature. 
 
 The narrative must here be interrupted to insert a 
 letter from George W. Walker to Margaret Bragg, 
 written during the tarriance of the two Friends under 
 the hospitable roof of H. Van Zyl. 
 
 Uitkomst, 3 mo. 30, 1840. 
 MY ENDEARED FRIEND. 
 
 From the tenour of my last, thou wilt have 
 become apprised that I still apprehend it will be right for 
 me to proceed to Yan Diemens Land on the completion of my
 
 CHAP. 27.] LETTER TO M. BRAGG, 487 
 
 religious engagement with J. Backhouse, which now seems 
 to be fast drawing to a close. Thou mayst be assured this 
 view, as a requisition of duty, has neither been lightly taken 
 up, nor entertained without considerable emotion of a con- 
 flicting nature. For, strong as is the call in that quarter, 
 claims almost equally urgent would direct my steps where 
 my affections and early attachments have so long been accus- 
 tomed to centre. But a variety of considerations have driven 
 me to endeavour as much as possible to lay aside my own 
 reasonings on this important matter, and simply to consider 
 which of the two movements will yield most peace. 
 
 Five and a half years have rolled away since I first dis- 
 closed my attachment to my friend S. B. Mather ; and 
 nothing but the unwavering conviction, that in so doing, 
 I moved in the Divine fear, and that the step has been in 
 many ways conspicuously followed by the Divine blessing, 
 could have reconciled me to the protracted suspense in 
 which we have been placed, which has far exceeded what we 
 either of us contemplated. So long as this has been conse- 
 quent on obedience to higher claims of duty, we have both 
 endeavoured cheerfully to make the sacrifice. It must not be 
 supposed however, that the surrender of our wills has involved 
 no struggle. I must say in regard to S. B. Mather, that she has 
 all along acted in a truly Christian spirit of self-renuncia- 
 tion. Yet I feel that should the call not be imperative to 
 return to England first, it would be unjustifiable in me need- 
 lessly to prolong the period of our separation. My days are 
 swiftly passing over. I am now forty years of age, and 
 have yet to make provision for our needful wants. There is 
 another consideration that has much weight with me. I cannot 
 but be apprehensive that her present position; as well as the 
 continual postponement of my return, are having an un- 
 favourable effect on her health. It is a saying that holds 
 good in experience, and rests on high authority, that " Hope 
 deferred maketh the heart sick." And though the Christian 
 may bend to the will of Heaven, and tlirough the strength that 
 is not his own, may rise above the feelings of nature, and keep 
 them in subjugation, yet the conflict has a wearing effect on the 
 frail tenement. I feel therefore best satisfied to look towards
 
 488 LETTER TO M. BRAGG. [1840. 
 
 an immediate return to Yan Diemens Land, though in doing 
 so, I must do violence to feelings which have seemed to gather 
 strength as the consideration of this important subject has 
 been brought home to me, and Newcastle and all my beloved 
 connections and friends have again and again passed in review 
 before me. 
 
 This conclusion however has been far from affording grounds 
 for very sanguine anticipations as to the future. The prospect 
 of returning to Van Diemens Land with no specific means of 
 engaging in business, has sometimes lain as a dead weight on 
 my spirits. Yet I have had a secret trust that a way would open 
 for needful provision ; and while too many have their trust 
 placed on sublunary things, and from the abundance with 
 which they have been favoured, have been led to depend on 
 these for comfort, till they have forgotten the Lord their 
 Maker, and the Redeemer who died for them, a degree of 
 exultation has sometimes been felt, that I had none but the 
 Lord to look to ; and the promise has been sweetly sealed 
 upon my spirit ; " They that trust in the Lord shall never be 
 confounded." Thou mayst readily conceive then, that the 
 renewal of thy generous proposal, under circumstances in 
 which I no longer hesitate to avail myself of the proffered 
 aid, called forth reverent gratitude to the Lord, and towards 
 those who have come forward in so affectionate and congenial 
 a spirit. Without assistance I could not commence business 
 on my own' account ; and to enter a situation would not only 
 be uncongenial, but would materially cramp my movements, 
 should the Lord be pleased to make any further use of so 
 utterly unworthy an instrument. 
 
 With wonted and filial regard, believe me 
 
 Thy affectionate Friend, 
 
 GTEO. W. WALKER. 
 
 4 mo. 3. In the daily assemblies for worship with this 
 family we have had some very interesting service. The 
 covering of our minds has been more marked with solemnity, 
 and there has been a greater liberty to communicate and 
 aptitude to receive, than is often the experience when sitting
 
 CHAP. 27.] TULBAGH. 489 
 
 with the families of the Dutch. The cleanliness and comfort 
 that pervades this establishment likewise reminds one that 
 the love of what is good has an elevating effect on the external 
 condition. We left Uitkomst this afternoon. 
 
 12th. Rimhooghte. In the evening our host brought 
 with him two ministers and some members of the Dutch 
 Reformed Church, who sat down before the door smoking 
 their pipes. We introduced ourselves to the group, and 
 explained to them the nature and objects of our journey ; 
 but the frigid reception they gave us soon made us conclude 
 that our company was anything but welcome ; and we with- 
 drew with heavy hearts, that so little cordiality should obtain 
 among Christians, though of different persuasions. 
 
 13th. Occupied in preparing for a journey on horseback 
 to some towns that lie out of the direct route to the Cape, 
 it being intended to let the wagon proceed to the Paarl, there 
 to await our arrival. 
 
 14th. Called at two farm-houses to salute the inmates 
 and leave tracts. Some openness was felt to converse on 
 religious topics with an elderly female, who, when allusion 
 was made to the peaceful death-bed of a young person, said 
 with tears in her eyes ; " What indeed is this world and all 
 that it can afford, in comparison with a peaceful mind, pre- 
 pared for its final change ! " Continuing our course to 
 Tulbagh, we crossed a mountain range, leading our horses 
 up a steep and rocky ascent, from which a fine view presented 
 of the country we had traversed for the last week. 
 
 15th. Tulbagh is a pretty village consisting of two streets 
 running parallel with each other. The houses are substantial, 
 and being situated wide apart with a considerable extent of 
 garden ground between them, they cover a good deal of 
 space, and give an air of respectability to the place, that is 
 rather characteristic of the villages of the Colony. 
 
 17th. We left Tulbagh and directed our course towards 
 Worcester, forty-two miles distant. The country we passed 
 through to-day is counted the garden of South Africa, and 
 consists of a fertile plain, fifty or sixty miles in length, and
 
 490 AWAKENING BY FRIGHT. [1840. 
 
 eight or ten in breadth. This gently undulating tract is 
 strewed with farm houses, chiefly of the better sort. The 
 neatly white-washed houses of the Boors, embosomed among 
 Orange-groves, orchards and gardens, enclosed by quince 
 hedges, present a lively contrast to the rugged mountains at 
 whose base they are situated. On arriving at Worcester, we 
 were kindly received by Hendrick Kiilpmann, one of the 
 Rhenish Society's Missionaries. The awakening of the few 
 coloured persons who are members of this church, originated 
 in a singular circumstance. About two years ago a large 
 meteoric stone fell upon a neighbouring mountain, in sight of a 
 number of people, and occasioned great consternation, from 
 an apprehension that the day of judgment was at hand. One 
 woman was greatly terrified lest she should be cut off in her 
 sins, and under strong convictions knelt down and supplicated 
 that space might be afforded her to repent. She continued 
 in this exercise for some hours and was joined by several 
 others. A child of one of these " praying people " besought 
 H. Kiilpmann that he would go and see his mother, who, 
 the child said, " was talking with Grod." On H. K's arriving 
 at the spot, he learned what had occurred, and improved the 
 occasion by pointing the people to " the Lamb of Grod that 
 taketh away the sin of the world." Several from that time 
 became awakened, and the effect thus produced has not been 
 transient, but the good work is still advancing. Dr. Truter, 
 the Civil Commissioner of the district, accompanied us to the 
 Chapel this evening, where a meeting had been appointed 
 at our request. A large congregation, consisting of white 
 and coloured, and including a considerable proportion of the 
 principal inhabitants of the town, had ^already assembled.' 
 The house became so full that many could not get seats. A 
 remarkable degree of solemnity spread over the meeting, and 
 a few minutes after taking my seat, I felt liberty to stand up 
 and proclaim the Gk>spel Message, under a precious sense of 
 Divine help. I was followed by my dear companion, who 
 also had a favoured and open time of labour. Many hearts, 
 as well as our own, were, I believe, contrited under the 
 feeling of a Saviour's love ; and among the visited coloured 
 people, who felt particularly near to us in spirit, a number
 
 CHAP. 27.] WORCESTER. 491 
 
 came to the house at the termination of the meeting, and 
 shook hands with us, and with tears running down their 
 cheeks, bore testimony to the power that had graciously 
 operated upon their hearts. 
 
 19th. First-day. The people assembled twice in the 
 Chapel, and a select company repaired to the Mission 
 House after the evening meeting, with whom we had 
 interesting service. The weight of the labour rested with 
 my dear companion ; but I was helped to cast off a 
 burden that had been maturing on my mind, which I had 
 felt no previous freedom to discharge, though a chair had 
 been placed for me at the head of the room, in the afternoon 
 meeting, with the expectation, no doubt, that I would address 
 the assembly. There seems little capacity in many of our 
 Christian friends to understand how it is, that " our times are 
 not always ready." To disappoint the expectations of the 
 multitude in this way, though not in my own will or 
 choice, is a part of the cross that has not unfrequently fallen 
 to my lot. 
 
 20th. We had a numerously attended meeting this evening, 
 which we had appointed, to give some counsel on the use of 
 strong drink. Both of us addressed the assembly. My dear 
 companion was greatly helped to plead faithfully with the 
 people, and to set before them some subjects that it is probable 
 they never had heard so unreservedly treated in their lives. 
 Yet there was an openness to receive what was urged, at least 
 on the part of some. After concluding his remarks on Total 
 Abstinence, J. B. commented on the necessity there was for 
 the White inhabitants, to consider seriously their ways, in 
 order that they might discover what the Lord's controversy 
 was against, now that his judgments were abroad in the earth. 
 He reminded the audience of the nature of these judgments. 
 During the prevalence of the measles, which had swept off 
 multitudes of the inhabitants, there was an unparalled season 
 of drought, obliging many of the farmers to abandon their 
 dwellings, and seek water and pasture in remote districts. 
 Bread had become so scarce that wheat was fifteen to seven- 
 teen shillings and sixpence per English bushel. Disease had
 
 492 JUDGMENTS OF THE LORD. [1840. 
 
 swept off many thousands of sheep and cattle : the distemper 
 among horses had occasioned the death of no less than 8000 
 of these useful animals in one season, according to the official 
 returns. A spirit of disaffection and unsettlement had taken 
 possession of the Dutch Colonists, inducing multitudes to sell 
 for a mere trifle, the farms on which they had resided all their 
 days, to go into a strange land, in search of, it would be difficult 
 to say, what ; and where hundreds had come to a violent and 
 untimely end. And now, as if the hand of the Lord was still 
 outstretched over this unhappy land, the small-pox had broken 
 out in the capital of the colony, and had already hurried 
 many to the bar of eternal judgment, both among White and 
 Black, and was rapidly spreading into the interior. Such a 
 succession of afflictive dispensations ought to arrest the atten- 
 tion of the most thoughtless, and excite an enquiry as to what 
 might be the cause. J. B. expressed his own conviction, that 
 the unwillingness of the inhabitants to liberate their slaves, 
 and the spirit of oppression that still lurked in the breasts of 
 many, though the power of retaining human beings in 
 bondage was at an end, was the prominent cause that the 
 blessings of the Most High were partially withheld, and 
 judgments were dispensed in their stead. He hoped the eyes 
 of the inhabitants of the land might be opened to discern 
 their true interests, as he trusted was already the case with a 
 few, and that turning their hearts to the Lord, love to him 
 and to their fellow-creatures, might supersede every opposite 
 principle. On returning to the house a number of the people 
 came to shake hands, and take leave of us. Some of them were 
 much affected ; one woman in particular, who had been power- 
 fully reached at the meeting on Seventh-day evening, excited 
 a deep feeling of interest on her behalf. She is described 
 by the Missionaries as the most devoted of the converts 
 Unhappily she has a drunken husband. My mind was much 
 exercised on their behalf, and I felt freedom to tell her, that 
 I had known an enlargement of heart while supplicating for 
 them both, and was encouraged to hope that the Lord would 
 be with her in her affliction, as she persevered in prayer and 
 lively faith in the power of her Redeemer to help and to
 
 CHAP. 27.] NATIVE AGENCY. 493 
 
 save ; and that the desire of her heart would eventually be 
 granted her in the conversion of her husband. 
 
 21st. "We parted from our missionary friends under feelings 
 of Christian esteem. J. F. Butler, the younger missionary, 
 is of high talents and a fervent spirit. He is destined for 
 Wiipperthal, and has received special instructions to encourage 
 the exercise of spiritual gifts among native converts. I hail 
 with satisfaction these and other indications that the Mis- 
 sionary Societies at home are more and more alive to the 
 importance of this description of agency in the promotion of 
 the gospel, for I am persuaded that it is through the agency 
 of native teachers that we are to look for the greatest results. 
 Missionaries from Europe may be used as moving springs in 
 the first instance, and for a few years, but it is from among 
 the people themselves that the wheels of any extensive system 
 of moral machinery must be supplied. 
 
 J. F. Butler rode with us some miles, to introduce us to 
 Jacobus De Wet, where we were to spend the night. We 
 found him and his wife, pious and friendly people. Indeed 
 we had been but a short time in the house before their 
 deportment towards their coloured servants, as well as to 
 ourselves, would have led us to infer that they were under 
 the influence of religious principle. There was a kindness in 
 their manner, distinguished from familiarity, that is but 
 rarely witnessed in this land in the treatment of domestics. 
 One of their servants, a woman of colour, had been awakened 
 to religious thoughtfulness, and had very recently attained to 
 peace in believing. During our stay under their roof, oppor- 
 tunity was afforded for serious conversation, which caused the 
 hours to pass away swiftly. An orphan niece was under a 
 precious visitation, and anxiously seeking the pearl of great 
 price ; I had much liberty in directing her attention to 
 some important practical truths, which she drank in with 
 avidity. Her mind had evidently experienced the drawings 
 of the Father's love, yet she seemed not to be aware of the 
 source from whence these feeling arose, nor to have confidence 
 in their tendency so as to yield unreservedly to their hallowed 
 influence.
 
 494 FRANSCHE HOEK. [1840. 
 
 22nd. We crossed the mountains by the pass of the Fransche 
 Hoek and descended into the charming valley which bears that 
 name. It is bounded on all sides but one by mountains, and 
 is one of the most picturesque spots in the Colony. It was 
 the retreat of a number of French Refugees, who fled from 
 persecution, I believe, about the period of the Revocation of 
 the Edict of Nantes. 
 
 23rd. The usual assembly of the coloured class falling in 
 course this evening, we attended at the chapel, and had some 
 satisfactory service with about thirty of them, who collected 
 in spite of the weather, and with whom we found it a privilege 
 to meet. We had further service in the family of D. Hugot, 
 field-cornet, with whom we lodged. A comforting sense of 
 the Divine Presence was felt as we read the Scriptures 
 with them, and spoke a little regarding heavenly things, 
 
 24th. The advantages of a liberal system of education are 
 too little appreciated throughout the Colony. Jacob Verhaag, 
 the minister of the chapel, was anxious that the children 
 should be taught Geography, but on consulting the parents 
 that he might have their concurrence, he could persuade only 
 two of them to consent to it : the rest alleged that it was 
 perfectly unnecessary, and could be of no use to the children. 
 There is a great dearth of books among the Dutch, and a 
 corresponding distaste for reading and the improvement of 
 the mind. The Bible is often the only book in the house, or 
 if there are a few others, they are mostly of ancient date, and 
 of a theological kind, by approved authors. A modern book, 
 or one by an unknown author, is apt to be regarded with 
 great distrust, if it be not altogether rejected, on the pre- 
 sumption that it may contain heterodox sentiments. A pious 
 lady told me that when travelling through the interior on a 
 recent excursion, she presented a young Dutchman with a tract, 
 which for some time he resolutely declined accepting, alleging 
 it might do him harm. At last, being overcome by her assu- 
 rances that it would have quite the contrary effect, he turned 
 round to several coloured persons who were spectators, and 
 holding up the tract to their view, appealed to them
 
 CHAP. 27.] PAARL. 495 
 
 saying ; " If it be injurious, you are witnesses that the tract 
 was given me by this woman." 
 
 25th. We proceeded to the Paarl. It is one of the largest 
 villages of the interior, and though containing not more than 
 1500 inhabitants, covers a considerable extent of ground. 
 Here we found our wagon and people, who had arrived some 
 days before us; we were kindly received and helped by 
 Greorge Barker, of the London Missionary Society. 
 
 26th. First-day. We applied to the trustees of the chapel, 
 but could not remove their prejudices so as to induce them to 
 grant us the use of the place for the accommodation of their 
 own countrymen, with whom we desired to have a religious 
 interview. No objection, however, was made to our meeting 
 the coloured people there, with whom we had satisfactory 
 seasons of religious labour. 
 
 28th. Leaving our wagon to follow by the direct route to 
 Stellenbosch, we rode to Wagon-maker's Valley, where there 
 is a considerable population, both white and coloured ; the 
 former being chiefly of French extraction, as are a large pro- 
 portion of the inhabitants of the Paarl. 
 
 29th. Notice being sent round to the inhabitants, we were 
 favoured with two successive interviews with the white and 
 coloured population. They were pretty open seasons of 
 religious labour ; and I had special cause for thankfulness, 
 that though in the morning I was so indisposed as scarcely to 
 be able to raise my voice above a whisper, I was strengthened 
 in the latter part of the day, to take part in the vocal labour. 
 How often has the promise been fulfilled in my experience ; 
 " As thy days so shall thy strength be," as regards even 
 bodily strength for the day's work. 
 
 The pious persons of this district, as well as of the Paarl, 
 are said to be chiefly aged people, many of them the fruits 
 under the Divine Hand of a devoted labourer named Van Zulg. 
 It is a general remark that there is little or no appearance of 
 piety among the youth, a circumstance that is attributed to 
 the little labour that is bestowed on the people by the present 
 minister of the Dutch Church. The prevalence of slavery, 
 and the strong feelings of opposition, that have obtained
 
 496 MALMSBURY. [1840. 
 
 pre-eminently in this part of the Colony against the eman- 
 cipation of the coloured classes, must also have had a blighting 
 influence on everything noble and praiseworthy, whether in 
 practice or principle. 
 
 30th. We again resumed our journey and rode to the 
 village of Malmsbury, or Zwartland. Here is a Dutch 
 place of worship and a resident minister. We had a few 
 lines of introduction to the Clerk of the Peace, a civil Dutch- 
 man, who was disposed to accommodate us for the night ; but 
 his dwelling being very small he exerted himself to procure a 
 lodging for us elsewhere. For a long time it seemed very 
 doubtful whether any could regard us with sufficient compla- 
 cency to harbour us for a single night. The parties who at 
 last accommodated us are named De Villiers ; they would 
 receive no remuneration. 
 
 5 mo. 1. We applied to the schoolmaster for the loan of 
 the school-house to hold a meeting in ; he referred us to the 
 colonial surgeon, an Englishman, as being on the school 
 commission ; but he again referred us to one of the Elders of 
 the Church, as having more to do with the matter than himself. 
 This man however seemed as little disposed to take the respon- 
 sibilty on himself as the others, and we had once more to 
 apply to the schoolmaster. At length we prevailed on each 
 of the three parties to say that he had no objection to the 
 school-room being used for the occasion, and thus the 
 difficulty was at last obviated. We accordingly gave notice 
 of a meeting for the white inhabitants, and another for the 
 coloured. But on repairing to the school-house at the time 
 appointed, and waiting there two hours and a half, no one 
 came beside the clerk of the peace and the schoolmaster. To 
 these we fully explained the nature of our visit, as well as that 
 our object in soliciting an interview with the people was merely 
 to discharge an apprehended duty before God, and in love to 
 their souls j but as they would not receive us, we could only 
 convey to them the expression of our Christian interest on 
 their behalf through the medium of some tracts, a few of 
 which we left for distribution. Feeling then clear of the place, 
 we mounted our horses, and directed our course to the
 
 CHAP. 27.] GROENE KLOOF. 497 
 
 Moravian Settlement of Grroene Kloof, which lay next in 
 course. On arriving at the Settlement we were shown into a 
 comfortable lodging room, and refreshment was speedily 
 provided for us, one of the Brethren kindly attending upon 
 us, to see that we wanted for nothing. This is the treatment 
 that all strangers receive who pass this way. 
 
 2nd. We were introduced to the Mission family this 
 morning. There are four Missionaries and their wives sta- 
 tioned here. One of these couples, C. Frederick and Cornelia 
 Franke, we had already seen at (xenadendal ; and we were 
 recognized and welcomed warmly by them as old acquaintances. 
 This is a large Settlement containing about one thousand in- 
 habitants, mostly Hottentots. 
 
 3rd. First-day. The meeting in the evening was numer- 
 ously attended, being designed for all who would give us their 
 company. It was supposed that about 600 persons were 
 present. "We were sensible of heavenly help in an encouraging 
 degree. Both of us were engaged in testimony at considerable 
 length : and a word of counsel in regard to the use of intoxi- 
 cating drinks was also extended, which the Missionaries gave 
 us to understand was seasonable. 
 
 4th. "We parted from our missionary friends under feelings 
 of Christian affection, the hearts of these dear people being 
 much opened towards us. We pursued our journey to the 
 village of D'Urban, over a heavy sandy country, which how- 
 ever yields a considerable quantity of corn. Here is a Dutch 
 place of worship, and a minister of the Reformed Church, 
 whom we knew by name ; and having no introduction to any 
 one in the place, we concluded to call upon him, and explain 
 the object of our visit. He was at dinner, and could not be 
 seen ; but sent us information through his servant where wo 
 might apply for a lodging. We repaired to the house, but 
 the owner pleaded incapacity to receive us. We then tried 
 others ; explaining our situation, the distance we had ridden, 
 during the day, that our poor horses had no forage, and the 
 length of the way to Stellenbosch ; and offering at the sarno 
 time to pay for our accommodation. But we could induce no 
 one to relent ; and at length, after spending two hours in 
 
 k
 
 498 STELLEXBOSCH.. [1840. 
 
 fruitless attempts to obtain lodgings, we were compelled to 
 remount, though with heavy hearts, and direct our steps 
 towards Stellenbosch. A coloured man civilly walked with 
 us some distance out of the town, to put us on the right road. 
 It was one o'clock in the morning when we arrived at the 
 house of our friend Edward Edwards, the "Wesleyan Mis- 
 sionary. Here we met with a truly Christian reception, 
 himself and his amiable wife rising from their beds and pre- 
 paring us quickly some warm tea, with which our spirits were 
 revived, and our benumbed limbs warmed ; for such was the 
 cold of the night, that we could only keep ourselves from 
 being chilled, by leading the horses. We soon forgot all 
 our troubles in refreshing sleep. And here I cannot forbear 
 referring to the watchful care that has been displayed towards 
 us during our wanderings, for a period of very nearly nine 
 years ; so that the record of inhospitable treatment is quite 
 a new incident in our journals. And now when our travels 
 are drawing to a close, it seems as if it were permitted 
 that we we should be thus reminded, that it is not through 
 any management of our own, or because of the objects of 
 our visit having any necessary tendency to open our way 
 to the extent in which it has been opened, that our path 
 has been made so easy. Far from it ; nothing but the 
 providential guidance, and interposition of the great Shepherd 
 of Israel, who neither slumbers nor sleeps, and who can turn 
 the hearts of his creatures at his will, could account for 
 it. Not only persons of different religious persuasion and 
 country, but even of different coloiir and language, have 
 treated us as friends and brothers. It is the Lord's doing, 
 and has been marvellous in our eyes. 
 
 5th. Stellenbosch is a large and handsome village, con- 
 taining about 3000 inhabitants. The streets are wide, and 
 planted with rows of stately oaks by the water that descends 
 from the neighbouring mountains which is plentifully diffused 
 through the place. A principal part of the fruit and vege- 
 tables that supply Cape Town, are furnished from this 
 neighbourhood. Many of the coloured people are doing well, 
 and occupy commodious dwellings, of a kind that would be 
 considered respectable in England. Our people and wagon
 
 CHAP. 27.] REMARKABLE DREAM. 499 
 
 arrived this afternoon. Two of the oxen have died since our 
 departure from the Berg-Eiver ; the rest are so far restored, 
 as to be capable, we expect, of performing the few remaining 
 miles between this and the Cape. Several times within the 
 last few days our hearts have been cheered by the sight of 
 Table Mountain. 
 
 9th. We inspected the jail. The Superintendant is a 
 pious Scotchman ; he states that the number of offences is 
 greatly reduced since the emancipation of the slaves. 
 
 llth. Our gracious Master's condescension, in owning our 
 concluding labours on this long and arduous journey, has 
 afforded us solid comfort, and enabled us to look forward 
 with peace and thankfulness to our direct return to Cape 
 Town. What can we render to Him for all his benefits ! 
 My mind has also received a further accession of comfort 
 from a dream I had last night, which though in itself 
 apparently trivial, has left a sweet and vivid impression. 
 I thought I was in company with my dear companion 
 J. Backhouse, when he gave utterance to his cogitations thus, 
 as though he was thinking aloud, and referring, as I appre- 
 hended at the time, to my proposed settlement in Van Die- 
 mens Land : " Many persons think this is a critical period with 
 George Walker, but I cannot say that I have any fear on 
 the subject." I thought I responded to this observation by 
 saying : " The power of God is sufficient to sustain and 
 deliver under every circumstance of life, or else it is different 
 in its character from what I have conceived and proved it to 
 be." I seemed to be then left alone ; when my heart was 
 drawn out in ardent prayer to God, in the course of which a 
 sweet assurance was felt that the Lord would keep me, and by 
 his holy disciplining hand would preserve me in his fear. At 
 this juncture, when my mind was beset with many fears lest 
 the cares of business, in which I am likely soon to be again 
 involved, should bo the means of turning me aside, this little 
 incident has proved consoling ; as I cannot doubt as to the 
 source from whence it came. 
 
 We left Stellenbosch this morning on horseback, leaving 
 our people to proceed with the wagon at leisure. E. Edwards
 
 500 RETURN TO CAPE TOWN. [1840. 
 
 rode with us as far as Klip Fontein. A number of persons, 
 chiefly people of colour, assemble here regularly for devotional 
 purposes ; and when it happens that no minister is present, they 
 engage in such religious exercises as they feel themselves 
 equal to, and thus endeavour to promote one another's good. 
 We had a religious interview with nearly a score ; the day 
 being wet prevented a more numerous attendance. Many 
 hereabouts are also sick with the small-pox. I had some 
 conversation with a pious member of the little church, who 
 spoke of their meeting the previous day, at which no minister 
 had been present, as having been peculiarly blessed to her 
 Boul. How much it is to be desired that in situations where 
 Christian professors have not the regular visits of a minister, 
 they would, notwithstanding, meet together to wait upon the 
 Most High. It is too often lost sight of, that the Fountain 
 of light and life and wisdom and strength, is not open 
 exclusively to ministers, but to all, and that through looking 
 so continually to the cisterns of human instrumentality, there 
 is often a failure in partaking of that full amount of refreshment 
 which might be enjoyed. 
 
 James Backhouse and George W. Walker arrived 
 at Cape Town the same evening. In a letter written 
 before lie left for Hobart Town the latter says : u We 
 have visited every Missionary Station, amounting to 
 eighty, and also every town and village in the^Colony, 
 and have traversed in the wagon or on horseback 
 more than 6000 miles. Many are the proofs of pro- 
 tecting Providence which we have received in this 
 and our former engagements ; and great occasion 
 have we to say with reverent gratitude ; Hitherto 
 the Lord hath helped us. He has also given us to 
 see much good doing in various parts of his univer- 
 sal vineyard, which has often gladdened our hearts." 
 
 The two Friends remained upwards of four months 
 at Cape Town. One of the duties which most 
 engaged their attention during this period, was the
 
 CHAP. 27.] ROBBEN ISLAND. 501 
 
 establishment of a school for the instruction of poor 
 coloured children, which was founded at the instance 
 and by means of the contributions of Friends 
 in England. They engaged Richard and Mary 
 Jennings as Master and Mistress, an office for which 
 this worthy couple, whom they had last seen at 
 Simon's Town, had long been preparing.* 
 
 Some other objects and engagements which occu- 
 pied them during this interval are described in the 
 following extracts from the journal. 
 
 5 mo. 15. "We were much struck to-day, in passing the 
 burial ground of the Malays, with the vast increase of graves 
 within the last eighteen months. This is due to the united 
 effects of measles and small-pox, the latter of which is still 
 raging in the town. 
 
 6 mo. 14. First-day. We sat down by ourselves to wait 
 upon the Most High in the forenoon, at our own lodgings. It 
 was a time of renewal of strength. In the afternoon we held 
 a meeting with the prisoners in the jail, which was owned by 
 the overshadowing of Divine mercy and goodness, as we 
 laboured with these poor outcasts of society. 
 
 18th. We have completed the essay of an address in 
 which we have been occupied for some days. It is entitled : 
 " A few words of Christian counsel to the White Inhabitants 
 of Southern Africa." 
 
 26th. Completed the fair copy of " A Christian Exhorta- 
 tion to the Coloured Inhabitants of South Africa." 
 
 7 mo. 1. Having made arrangements for a visit to the 
 Penal Settlement on Bobben Island, we left about mid-day, 
 accompanied by Richard Haddy, a Wesleyan Missionary, in 
 a boat belonging to the Settlement. The distance being 
 eleven miles from Cape Town, into the centre of Table Bay, 
 
 * R. Jennings died in 1848. A short narrative of his life is published by the 
 York Friend's Tract Association. Mary Jounings died in 18(il. The school is 
 still usefully continued.
 
 502 ADDRESS TO THE WHITE INHABITANTS. [1840. 
 
 and the vicissitudes of the weather being considerable, the 
 voyage is often hazardous. A considerable covering of sand 
 has been deposited on the Island by the sea, as well as vast 
 quantities of shells. The latter are converted into an article 
 of profit by the Government, the prisoners being employed 
 in burning them into lime. There are at present 130 prisoners, 
 of whom about three-fourths are persons of colour, born in the 
 country. The establishment is under the direction of an able 
 military officer, Captain R. Wolfe, who has been nearly seven 
 years in charge of the place ; he is peculiarly fitted for the 
 office, uniting the qualities of humanity, energy, and dis- 
 cretion, with thoughtfulness respecting his own and the 
 people's religious welfare. We had two religious meetings 
 with the prisoners this evening. 
 
 10th. We have been occupied lately in preparing Some 
 Observations to the Missionaries labouring in South Africa, 
 which we this day put into the hands of the printer. 
 
 9 mo. 29. We received a note from George Barker of the 
 Paarl, to whom we had sent a quantity of the Address to 
 the White Inhabitants. Aware of the prejudices of the 
 farmers, and fearing that the plain counsel contained in the 
 tract might not be well received, he one evening sent his son 
 with a copy to every house. He had five returned;* but 
 some of the Dutch acknowledged that the counsel was needed, 
 and expressed themselves favourably toward the writers. 
 
 9 mo. 1. To day for the first time I felt a liberty to make 
 enquiry after a passage to Hobart Town. I could not but 
 view it as a providential circumstance, that the barque 
 Hamilton Boss, a vessel every way eligible for the voyage, 
 has commenced loading for that port, and is likely to sail in 
 a cotTple of weeks. On consulting with my beloved com- 
 panion, and maturely considering the matter, I believed it 
 best to engage a berth in her. 
 
 2nd. In the evening we attended a meeting of the Tem- 
 perance Society in connection with the Twenty-fifth Regiment, 
 
 * For this Address, and the other pamphlets referred to in this volume, see 
 Appendix to a Narrative of a Visit to the Mauritius and South Africa, and 
 to a Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies, by James Backhouse.
 
 CHAP. 27.] DEATH OF M. BRAGG. 503 
 
 to which we had been specially invited by a deputation. The 
 Society has made encouraging progress since we last attended 
 one of the meetings. 
 
 3rd. It is nine years this day since we left the St. 
 Catherine's Docks, during which period my dear companion 
 and I have hardly been a day separated. The time seems 
 now drawing near a when our separation outwardly will be 
 both long and wide. 
 
 On the 5th, by a letter to James Backhouse, I became 
 apprised of the decease of my much beloved friend Margaret 
 Bragg. The stroke has been keenly felt, although the bit- 
 terness of separation had been in measure already sustained, 
 in coming to the determination to return direct to Van 
 Diemeiis Land. I felt assured that I should never see 
 this beloved friend more. And now that this apprehension 
 is thus speedily verified, I mourn not for the disembodied 
 spirit, which I feel sweetly assured is singing the song of 
 the redeemed ; but on account of the Church, the dear sur- 
 viving family, and for myself. No, it is not for this revereel 
 friend and elder, worthy as she was of double honour, and 
 of lasting remembrance, that our tears flow. Her's is a 
 glorious transition from the pains and conflicts of time to 
 the fruition of joy in the presence of Him, at whose right 
 hand are fulness of bliss, and pleasures for evermore. And 
 blessed be God, who has granted me the blessing of her 
 friendship and example, and according to my measure, the 
 comforts of religious fellowship, in which we have often taken 
 sweet counsel together ! 
 
 14th. This evening we had a solemn religious meeting 
 with the congregation assembling in Dr. Philip's Chapel, 
 in which we were both largely engaged in testimony. 
 Though it was a season of deep probation and mental 
 conflict, I was nevertheless sensible of best help, which was 
 cause for reverent thankfulness. Our communications ap- 
 peared also, from subsequent comments, to have been well 
 received. Such comments, even from experienced Cliristians, 
 are often far from judicious, but though spoken in commen- 
 dation, they have a tendency to humble those who are
 
 501 DEPARTURE FROM CAPE TOWN. [1840. 
 
 sensible how little there is to glory in before the Lord, except 
 in regard to infirmities. 
 
 22nd. Was the last day I spent on shore at the Cape. My 
 luggage had for the most part been previously put on board, 
 so that I had little more to do, than to take leave of my 
 friends. My dear companion, J. Backhouse, and myself were 
 favoured with a comfortable sense of our Heavenly Father's 
 love, as we sat together in the morning, when the solemn 
 petition was put up for one another's preservation. It was a 
 heart-tendering season, in which we could bid one another 
 farewell in the Lord, under the persuasion that the same 
 gracious Power which first brought us together, and which 
 sustained us amid outward dangers as well as inward conflicts, 
 enabling us to labour together in harmony as regarded 
 word and doctrine, now required us to part, probably not to 
 meet again in the flesh. I cannot but feel deeply conscious 
 that had I been as watchful and faithful as I ought, I might 
 have been much more helpful to my dear friend than I have 
 been. Feelings however of mutual love, and of desire for each 
 other's best welfare swallowed up all others at this solemn 
 moment. J. Backhouse accompanied me on board, where he 
 kindly remained for some time, along with Richard] Jennings, 
 who was also helpful in assisting him to arrange the things 
 in my cabin ; and we then finally separated, the Captain 
 intending to put to sea that evening. 
 
 The Hamilton Ross made a favourable voyage to 
 Hobart Town, of forty-five days. Gr. W. W. and 
 his fellow passenger however suffered much from the 
 cold. The crew were an untoward set of men, little 
 disposed to receive religious counsel ; but the Captain 
 was a man of thoughtful and exemplary character, 
 who was in the daily habit of reading the Scrip- 
 tures, and who showed that he possessed the power 
 of self-control under circumstances trying to temper 
 and patience. At G. W. W.'s suggestion he gave 
 up the use of spirits and the day preceding their
 
 CHAP. 27.] J. BACKHOUSE'S RETURN. 505 
 
 arrival in port he remarked, that he more than ever 
 saw that the great business of man's life should be 
 to prepare for another and never ending existence. 
 
 James Backhouse remained at Cape Town between 
 two and three months after George W. Walker's 
 departure. He left for England in the 12th month, 
 and arrived in London on the 15th of the 2nd month, 
 1841, not without experiencing new deliverances 
 from the perils of the deep, and fresh cause to praise 
 the Lord who had kept him and his companion 
 through so many years of toil and danger, safe in 
 the hollow of his hand.
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 G. W. W. SETTLES IN HOBART TOWN, AND COMMENCES 
 BUSINESS. LETTERS, FROM 1840 TO 1842. 
 
 THE change to George Washington Walker from 
 the life of a travelling missionary to that of a trades- 
 man residing in a town was great ; but he had long 
 been looking forward to the settled occupations of 
 commercial and domestic life, and he had the support 
 of believing that his lot in this respect was appointed 
 by his good Lord and Master. 
 
 He commenced business with but a small capital ; 
 but his friends in England were not slow in advancing 
 what was required to give him a fair start ; and he re- 
 garded their help not only as a proof of their friend- 
 ship, but as a direct blessing from the hand of his Hea- 
 venly Father. Nevertheless, the effort required to 
 establish a new business, the claims of philanthropy, 
 and the desire to pay off as soon as possible the loans 
 he had received, weighed heavily upon him, and 
 his letters for a while disclose a state of mental and 
 physical pressure, in which he had to lament that his 
 spiritual life had scarcely room to grow, and that his 
 strength was too much engrossed with temporal 
 affairs. Yet through all he was enabled to keep 
 uppermost those heavenly things which had now 
 long been most dear to him. His Almighty Saviour 
 who had loved him and given himself for him, suffered 
 not the force of the stream to carry him off his feet, 
 but brought him safely through all his trials.
 
 CHAP. 28.] CHARACTER. 507 
 
 Exercising himself in daily watchfulness and prayer, 
 he was enabled to fulfil his ministry in the Gospel, 
 and under the eye of the Chief Shepherd, to 
 feed the little flock to which he belonged ; and 
 continuing to manifest the same Christian interest on 
 behalf of the inhabitants of Tasmania which he had 
 so long evinced in company with James Backhouse, 
 his exertions for their benefit increased until he came 
 to occupy a wide sphere of influence for good. In 
 reference to this subject his friends say of him : 
 11 From the very general visit from house to house, 
 made to the inhabitants of this colony by James 
 Backhouse and George W. Walker, an extensive 
 circle of acquaintance was formed, which led to our 
 dear friend becoming, from the time of his settling 
 amongst us, a public character. In the various 
 questions which agitated the Colony he manifested 
 much prudence in the part which he took in them ; 
 nor did he shrink from maintaining that line of pro- 
 cedure which he believed to be for the benefit of the 
 community. In some instances his intentions were 
 misunderstood by a few, who nevertheless, we be- 
 lieve, highly esteemed his religious and philanthropic 
 character." * 
 
 Whatever he undertook, whether of secular business 
 or in matters of a higher kind, " he did it with his 
 might." It is true that a distrust of his own powers 
 was an ingredient in his mental composition ; 
 but when he had taken his resolution, and the 
 moment of action arrived, he showed himself capa- 
 ble of grappling with his work with great energy and 
 perseverance. 
 
 In one of his pedestrian journeys with James 
 
 " Testimony of Ilobart Town Monthly Meeting. London. E. Marsh : 1860.
 
 508 MARRIAGE. [1840. 
 
 Backhouse in New South Wales, they called on a 
 gentleman who had studied phrenology, and who, 
 on examining Gr. W. Walker's head, exclaimed, 
 What a miserable man you would be, you have such 
 an excess of caution, if you had not likewise so large 
 a development of combativeness. 
 
 He was essentially a man of action, but it is in- 
 teresting to observe how mindful he was of the claims 
 of intellectual cultivation. His efforts for the pro- 
 motion of education in its higher stages, as well as 
 for the multitude, are an evidence of this ; as is also 
 his advice to his son. As a father he comes before 
 us in a very pleasing character ; the spring of pater- 
 nal love rose strong in him, and the sympathising 
 and judicious counsel contained in his letters to his 
 son deserve the attention of others who occupy the 
 same responsible relation. 
 
 Gr. W. Walker's marriage was accomplished soon 
 after his return to Hobart Town. He writes : 
 
 On the 15th of the 12th mo. with the approval of Friends, 
 according to the good order of the discipline established 
 amongst us, my friend Sarah Benson Mather and myself 
 were united in marriage. The meeting was numerously 
 attended, and among those who were present were a number 
 of the upper class of society, who evinced a lively interest in 
 the proceedings. It was owned by the presence of the great 
 Master of assemblies, and several weighty testimonies were 
 borne to the sufficiency of the grace that comes by Jesus 
 Christ, to direct in matters temporal as well as spiritual ; and 
 under the ever varying circumstances of life, to establish on 
 the Eock of Ages. We had a heart-tendering religious 
 opportuity at the house of my father-in-law, where we spent 
 the remainder of the day. 
 
 Expecting it would be some weeks, if not months, before 
 communications from England would enable me to commence
 
 CHAP. 28.] STATE OF HEALTH, ETC. 509 
 
 business, I availed myself of the interval to take my wife into 
 the country, where we paid visits to our friends at Kelvedon, 
 to Esther Dixon at the Isis, and to my relatives near Laun- 
 ceston. In the course of this excursion, I united with my 
 brother-in-law, Joseph B. Mather, in a religious visit to the 
 persons professing with us in the northern and central por- 
 tions of the Island, during a part of which we had the company 
 of my dear wife. I felt much united with J. B. M. whose 
 religious communications, though seldom long, were lively, 
 and were often the means of opening my way. We returned 
 to town on 12th 'of the 2nd month, 1841 ; since which time 
 my wife and I have remained with my father-in-law, waiting 
 till the spot is decided upon where my business is to be 
 carried on. 
 
 George W. Walker kept no journal after his travels 
 with James Backhouse were over ; the information 
 we have respecting him subsequently, is chiefly from 
 letters which have been entrusted to us by his corres- 
 pondents, or of which he himself kept copies. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 Skelton Castle, near Campbell Town, 12 mo. 29, 1840. 
 
 By a letter written five or six weeks ago thou 
 wouldst learn that I arrived at Hobart Town after a pros- 
 perous voyage. I found dear Sarah, though looking more 
 aged and careworn, yet enjoying a fair share of health. 
 Shortly after despatching the letter to thee, I was attacked by 
 my old affection at the heart, but with such aggravated 
 symptoms as rendered it necessary to ask counsel of 
 I)r. Learmoth. The remedies he resorted to produced such 
 decided relief that he is now disposed to conclude organic 
 disease has not actually taken place, or if at all, in a very 
 slight degree. When I first consulted him I could not ascend 
 the gentlest acclivity without much uneasiness and irregular 
 action of the heart ; yet in little more than a week I could 
 walk up the steepest hills without inconvenience.
 
 510 BUSINESS ANTICIPATIONS. [1841. 
 
 TO JAMES. BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 4 mo. 13, 1841. 
 
 By the time we returned to town I supposed 
 my goods would have arrived, and that I should be in a 
 situation to commence business. But it has proved other- 
 wise ; unavoidable delays have occured in England, and 
 I find that the Affiance, in which my goods are shipped, did 
 not leave London till the latter part of the llth month, and 
 though daily expected is not yet arrived. Notwithstanding 
 the kind helps I have received, I shall find difficulty in 
 raising sufficient capital to send to England for the purpose 
 of renewing my stock, as I shall have to lie out of my money 
 for little short of twelve months. I do not see how I can do 
 otherwise for some time to come, than purchase goods here at 
 a disadvantage. However I am not aiming at great things, 
 and if only favoured to make a living without being harassed 
 in pecuniary matters I hope to be content. I have a prudent 
 industrious wife, truly affectionate, and dedicated in heart to 
 the Lord's service, for which blessing I cannot be too thankful. 
 Our faith and patience have been exercised by the delay to 
 which I have alluded, but I trust all will turn out for the 
 best. My health is wonderfully recruited; Sarah is also 
 better than prior to our union. 
 
 TO ESTHER DIXON. 
 
 Hobart To\vn, 7 mo- 7, 1841. 
 
 My situation is an unenviable one ; beset with the cares 
 of providing things honest before men, and including many 
 perplexities to which for some years I have not been subject. 
 Nothing but the grace of God in Christ Jesus can enable me in 
 such a position, to live above the world. To do this however 
 continues to be my aim. Would that I more fully lived up 
 to the spirit of the apostolic injunction, of setting my affections 
 on things above, and not on things beneath. 
 
 We expect to move into our new house in a week or so. 
 The shop is nearly finished, so that about the same period I 
 may probably commence business.
 
 CHAP. 28.] BUSINESS CARES. 511 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 7 mo. 7, 1841. 
 
 I rejoice with thee and thy dear relatives and 
 friends, in the fulfilment of the long cherished hope of your 
 meeting again, and in thankfulness to the Author of all our 
 mercies. Thy return will, I trust, be made a blessing to thy 
 dear children. Oh, that they may be thereby stimulated to 
 devote the prime of their days to the service of that gracious 
 Being, who has been as a buckler and shield to their father 
 in every strait and danger, and who is the exceeding great 
 reward of all who love and serve him ! 
 
 I was struck with the coincidence of our experience in 
 vocal exercise. For many weeks my lips were all but sealed 
 in our meetings. While from home I was somewhat enlarged, 
 dear Joseph, and a few times my beloved S. generally opening 
 my way. Since my return to Hobart Town I have not 
 ^infrequently been exercised in this way, and have been 
 sensible of the overshadowing of Heavenly Good, which has 
 been as bread to the hungry soul. 
 
 10 mo 1. I have much to tell thee. Thy acceptable letter 
 was a comfort to me in the midst of many anxious cares, which, 
 were I not supported by an unseen hand, would be like to 
 overwhelm me. The prayer of my heart before commencing 
 bu." iness was, that a quiet path might be allotted me, in which 
 a livelihood might be earned without the mind being engrossed, 
 or cause existing for painful solicitude about the result. But 
 alas ! at present things wear a very different aspect ; and my 
 position is often like that of the Psalmist, when he cried, " My 
 heart is overwhelmed ; lead me to the Rock that is higher 
 than I." In temporals and spirituals my faith is deeply 
 tried, and the enemy of my soul takes advantage of my con- 
 stitutional tendency to despond, to aggravate my trials. 
 Again however, and again, I renew the struggle, and with 
 all the feeble ability afforded, cast my burdens on the Lord, 
 trusting that he will yet sustain me. 
 
 The shop was opened about the commencement of the 8th 
 month, and having only Samuel B. Mather and a porter for 
 the first seven or eight weeks, thou mayst conclude how busy
 
 512 YEARLY MEETING. [1841. 
 
 I have been. What now weighs me down and fills me with 
 solicitude is the heavy responsibility of my present position. 
 It is so much the practice of the trade in Hobart Town to 
 deal in a variety of goods, a little indeed of every thing, that 
 the difficulties to a beginner far exceed what I had anticipated. 
 I have had to purchase to a considerable amount of the 
 merchants here ; and though I have practised the most rigid 
 economy in house and shop, and have purchased but a part 
 of the things I am daily asked for, I have incurred an amount 
 of responsibility which makes me sad when I think of it. My 
 receipts have not yet answered my reasonable expectations- 
 Yet when I look back, I know not how I could have done 
 differently. Not keeping laces and some other highly fancy 
 goods that are much sought after, is a drawback. Yet was 
 I well assorted in things I can conscientiously keep, I believe 
 I could command a business that would yield me a com- 
 fortable maintenance. With all my additions to the goods 
 I imported direct, more than half my customers go away 
 unserved; and this is unavoidable till I can get into full 
 stock, and receive regular supplies of the newest things from 
 England. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 12 mo. 21, 1841. 
 
 Our annual meeting terminated on the 7th 
 inst. The last sitting was a memorable season. Nearly all 
 had to feel in an unusual degree the burden of their own 
 helplessness and need ; but after a time it pleased the Lord 
 to lift up the light of his countenance upon us, and many 
 had to acknowledge that they felt their strength remarkably 
 renewed in Him who is the salvation of his people to the 
 uttermost ends of the earth. 
 
 I feel a little more encouraged than when I wrote, my 
 business having regularly increased each successive month, 
 though business in the town in general has by no means 
 improved in the same ratio. My trade is almost exclusively 
 a ready money one, which is greatly in my favour. 
 
 I must not omit to tell thee of the treasure that has been
 
 CHAP. 28.] PUBLIC DUTIES. 513 
 
 given me, my dear Sarah having given birth to a son, on the 
 14th of the 10th month. We have given him the name of 
 James Backhouse. I do not in general like two names, but 
 I did not know how to make the separation in the present 
 instance. I hope he will be a credit to the name. 
 
 TO JOSIAH FOSTER. 
 
 . Hobart Town, 2 mo. 20, 1842. 
 
 The state of those in profession with us in New 
 South Wales has for some time been a cause of solicitude to 
 us. This concern has so far ripened in the mind of our dear 
 friend Francis Cotton, that he has laid before the Monthly 
 Meeting a proposal of visiting Sydney, a part of the service 
 contemplated being to establish a Meeting for Discipline in 
 connection with Hobart Town Monthly Meeting of Friends. 
 My heart will go with him, but I feel the will to accompany 
 him will be accepted, in my case, for the deed ; the needful 
 provision for the wants of this life requiring my assiduous 
 application to business. The present state of the commerical 
 world here, and the general depression in trade and the 
 agricultural interest, render it a peculiarly anxious time for 
 one commencing. Crave for me, my friend, that whilst 
 giving proper attention to the lawful concerns of this transitory 
 life, they may be held in subordination to those of higher 
 moment. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Ilobart Town 6 mo. 4, 1842. 
 
 I am pressed beyond measure with engage- 
 ments ; and now that during the winter months, business 
 slackens, duties of a more public kind seem to multiply upon 
 me. Two institutions in which I have believed it my duty 
 to take an active part, in addition to the concerns of our own 
 Society, have claimed much of my time of late ; and thou art 
 aware that the few who are willing to put their shoulders to 
 the wheel, in the career of moral advancement, in this place, 
 are not likoly to find their official appointments sinecures. 
 
 The spring of the ministry lias for some time been but low 
 amongst us. I fear it is our own fault. I have been greatly 
 
 1
 
 514 SACRIFICES TO PRINCIPLE. " [1842. 
 
 discouraged for my own part, apprehending the cares of the 
 world, though uncongenial and burdensome, may choke the 
 word so as to render it unfruitful. 
 
 I should esteem myself among the happiest of men if per- 
 mitted but to pay my way without bringing reproach on the 
 cause of Christ, at the same time realizing food and raiment 
 for my family. Considering how many sources of profit 
 I am shut out from in my own line of business, I certainly 
 have reason to be encouraged at the amount of custom that 
 has fallen to me. If favoured to act so as to secure a peaceful 
 conscience, the sacrifices made for that object cannot be pro- 
 ductive of eventual loss, in the proper sense of the word. 
 Yet very often they involve no small trial to our grain 
 of faith. This is the case with me at present. Even 
 my advocacy of the principles of Teetotalism, by placing me 
 in opposition to many powerful interests and prejudices, is 
 greatly injurious to my business. But what then ? I had 
 better sacrifice a measure of pecuniary interest, than principle. 
 
 It was not until the commencement of this year, that a few 
 arrivals from England, of young men friendly to Total 
 Abstinence, enabled us to organize a Society, though I have 
 rigidly adhered to the principle since settling in Van Diemens 
 Land. The Committee meets once a fortnight at our house, 
 and we have public meetings every other week. But the 
 lukewarmness and indifference of too many even high pro- 
 fessors ! Not a minister in the whole town has joined us. 
 It has been my lot to preside at most of the meetings, and 
 had not my nerves become somewhat steeled to the influence 
 of extraneous causes of excitement, the office would be a 
 trying one. The last public meeting was held in the Infant 
 School, and the interruption offered by persons, chiefly under 
 the influence of liquor, was such, that it became necessary to 
 dismiss the assembly before the business was well completed. 
 About half a dozen decided inebriates, and three or four of 
 very notorious character, have joined our ranks. It is de- 
 lightful to contemplate the comfort and peace thus introduced 
 into their families ; and to these first fruits which Grod has 
 given us, we can thankfully point as the most conclusive 
 answer to the sneers of opposers, as well as to the cavils and
 
 CHAP. 28.] RELIGIOUS PROGRESS. 515 
 
 scruples of a vast majority of Christian professors. We have 
 formed a " Society for the suppression of vice." The protec- 
 tion of female emigrants, and the adoption of measures to 
 facilitate their obtaining situations immediately on their 
 arrival, will be objects of the institution. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 11 mo. 6, 1842. 
 
 Never was there perhaps a more interesting 
 period during our connection with this colony and the little 
 church that has been raised up in it, than the present. The 
 books and tracts which thou sent us were particularly 
 acceptable. Several of our members are zealous tract dis- 
 tributors ; and one of my young men goes twice every 
 First-day to the Hospital and other places, as well as on 
 board the vessels in the harbour. One thoughtful man, a 
 sailor, was arrested by the tracts, and became a pretty regular 
 frequenter of our meetings during his stay in port ; and we 
 have had other evidences of good having been effected. 
 
 The contributions towards the purchase of the premises in 
 Murray Street where Friends meet for worship, is a pleasing 
 record of the generous interest taken by our dear brethren 
 in the prosperity of the cause in these parts. 
 
 On the 18th of 8th month, the union that had for some 
 time been in contemplation between my father-in-law, Robert 
 Mather, and Esther Dixon, was satisfactorily accomplished. 
 It is truly gratifying to see them so united and happy, and 
 it is quite a comfort to have Esther Mather amongst us. 
 
 Our meetings for worship during the last twelve months 
 have been on the increase, and on various occasions, amid 
 much to be deplored in the way of short-comings amongst 
 those composing them, have been very graciously owned by 
 the great and good Shepherd. Frequently on First-day 
 mornings our little Meeting House is nearly filled ; and this 
 day week the mouths of six of us were successively opened in 
 harmonious labour. 
 
 13th. Since writing thus far, I have received thy letter 
 of 6th mo. 27th, which was very welcome. Thy atten- 
 tion o my temporal concerns is truly kind, and relieves me
 
 516 PARENTAL MEDITATIONS. [1842. 
 
 from a degree of perplexity, from which, humanly speaking, 
 I could not have extricated myself. In this, as well as in 
 the truly kind interest taken by my old friend Greorge Bening^ 
 ton in my concerns, I see a Divine Hand, for whose interference 
 in my behalf my heart is bowed in thankfulness. Oh ! the 
 solicitude that I have been plunged into, in consequence of 
 the trying position in which I have been placed, but from 
 which I do now see an avenue of escape. In this as in many 
 other important passages of my life, the Lord, who has mar- 
 vellously appeared for my deliverance, has brought me to a 
 point from whence I have been made to see that none but 
 Himself could rescue me. The conviction of upright intention 
 and secret humble trust in his providence, has sustained me 
 when ready to be overwhelmed. I remember when in Africa 
 having a clear impression that there would be difficulties in 
 connection with my business, but which would be made sub- 
 servient to higher purposes than the concerns merely of time, 
 even in tending to preserve me in the Divine fear. The 
 recollection of this view, in connection with the dream I had 
 when at Stellenbosch, has often helped to keep alive the grain 
 of faith. 
 
 My health has been maintained wonderfully. At this 
 moment I am better than I have been for two years past, 
 perhaps mainly attributable to the bracing effects of regular 
 bathing in the sea. My wife's health also is pretty good. 
 Children are, it is declared, an " heritage from the Lord." 
 In regard to my precious little J. B. I have felt it so. But 
 they are a great charge and involve solemn responsibilities. 
 How are the yearnings of a father's heart excited over his 
 offspring, that they may become of the number of the Lord's 
 children, and dedicated to his service from their youth. In 
 heart we have consecrated the child to Him, from, I may say, 
 the hour of his birth, when my mind was sweetly affected and 
 lifted up to his great Creator on his behalf. I can now much 
 more fully appreciate the force of those similies representing 
 the love of the Most High towards his children, as tran- 
 scending that of a parent towards his offspring. How tender, 
 how fervent is the latter ! Yet finite cannot be placed in com- 
 parison with infinite.
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 LETTERS -FROM 1843 TO 1852. 
 
 TO GEORGE BENINGTON. 
 
 Hobart Town, 9 mo. 5, 1844. 
 
 There is a great deal of distress in Hobart 
 Town, many are even without bread. This is partly conse- 
 quent on the depressed state of trade, and partly on the great 
 number of prisoners, who, by a change in the Penal System, 
 bring their labour into the market in succesful competition 
 with the free labourers and mechanics.* I do not think it 
 potable for the present system, called the Probation System, 
 long to continue. It is any thing but what was suggested 
 by Captain Maconochie, who has been accounted by many 
 
 * To render more intelligible this and some other allusions in the letters, to 
 changes in the system of Transportation, it may be needful to state the following 
 facts. In 1840, urged by the strenuous remonstrances of the Colony, the 
 Government, by an Order in Council, put a stop to transportation to New South 
 Wales. The whole body of newly exiled convicts was consequently thrown upon 
 Tasmania. In 1841, or soon afterwards, an order was issued that the Settlers 
 who employed convicts, should pay the full value of their services to the 
 Government This new law was productive of great inconvenience, so that in 
 1845, there were 12,000 convicts in the Island on the hands of the Authorities, 
 of whom more than 3000, having passed through their term of probation, 
 were entitled to hire themselves out to labour, but were unable to obtain 
 masters. Meanwhile a new scheme of Transportation was projected. The 
 convicted offender who was sentenced to a long term of punishment, was, 
 under this system, to serve, first, a year of probationary discipline in one of 
 the "Separate" prisons, Pentonville or Millbank, next, a three years' term of 
 hard labour in an " Associated" prison, as Portland or Dartmoor, and lastly to 
 be "exiled " to Tasmania, there to commence anew his civil life, freed from the 
 severe hardships and degrading conditions of the old transported convicts. But 
 almost before any time had been allowed for the trial of this plan, Tasmania, 
 like ita sister colony of New South Wales, protested so energetically against 
 being made any longer a sink for the refuse of the mother-country, that the 
 Home Government also abandoned transportation to that colony under every 
 form.
 
 518 SYMPATHY WITH THE POOR. [1844. 
 
 as the originator of it. The prevalent distress occasions the 
 claims on public bounty to be the more numerous just at the 
 moment when most persons' means are reduced. We have 
 taken into our own family a little girl whose mother died 
 eighteen months ago ; a pious, worthy woman. The father is 
 unable to obtain employment, and is moreover reduced by 
 sickness to a low state in every sense; himself also a pious and 
 industrious man. I should find it very convenient to have 
 a heavier purse. Scarcely a case of distress of an aggravated 
 kind occurs but what an appeal is made to me as a well 
 known Friend : it is impossible, were I ever so inclined, to 
 turn a deaf ear to the wants of those around me. What a 
 blessing teetotalism has proved to hundreds in this town ! 
 It has quite changed the social and moral aspect of scores of 
 families, once wretched and degraded. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 10 mo. 13, 1844. 
 
 When I think of the long intervals that have 
 transpired of latter time between my letters to thee, it affects 
 me with a degree of sadness, that any thing should have 
 operated as an obstacle to our constant intercourse. But it 
 is indeed difficult to bear up against the current of daily and 
 pressing engagements, and abstract the mind from the things 
 which immediately surround us, so as to hold converse with 
 those, however dear, who are remote. There are numberless 
 occasions on which I would gladly turn to thee for counsel and 
 sympathy, as my long-proved friend and endeared companion ; 
 but the recollection of the vast distance that now intervenes, 
 is painfully forced upon me, and I am taught hereby to look 
 upon myself as one now especially needing help and direction 
 from above. For I feel as though I was cut off from all my 
 former sources of human help ; and few, very few are there 
 here, to whom I can turn ; most, even of the right-minded 
 amongst us, being my juniors. But in my various straits, 
 and even extremities, I have through infinite love and mercy 
 not been utterly forsaken, though for my many sins and 
 backslidings, the Lord hath not left me altogether un- 
 punished. Often have I had a long season of drought, so
 
 CHAP. 29.] TRIALS OF FAITH. 519 
 
 as scarcely to know my exact state, ready to say, " Is the 
 Lord's mercy clean gone for ever ?" Often so low as to be 
 but a little removed from despair ; to which the pressure 
 of pecuniary difficulties has not a little contributed ; the 
 enemy suggesting that it was the just reward of my im- 
 perfect obedience and service in the Lord's house. I fear 
 this and other things have operated to close my mouth 
 more than has been meet, in our public assemblies. Indeed 
 the spring of the ministry with others as well as myself, 
 seems all but dried up : and this is very discouraging, because 
 it implies an unhealthy state of things, either individually 
 or collectively. As is to be expected, it has caused those who 
 were not really smitten with a love to the truth, to draw 
 back, and our gatherings are sensibly diminished in point of 
 numbers. 
 
 TO GEORGE BENINGTON. 
 
 Hobart Town, 11 mo. 18, 1844. 
 
 \ Thy dear Mary's illness must indeed have been 
 
 an engrossing source of tender solicitude. Yet what a favour 
 that the dear sufferer should be so borne above all doubts and 
 fears as to confide her all into the hands of an Almighty 
 Saviour ! Such a state is worth the abandonment of every 
 thing this world can afford. I seem to appreciate more highly 
 such an attainment, as I have of later time felt more painfully 
 the burden of earthly cares. Not a day passes over my head, 
 but I am made to reflect on the vanity of all that comes not 
 from above, or that leads not to our proper centre and rest. 
 I cannot describe all that passes in my mind ; but I have had 
 to lay down my pen to give vent to a flood of tears, while the 
 desire of a deeply tried one rests on my mind : "0 that 
 I had wings like a dove, for then would I fly away and be 
 at rest." This however is not the portion allotted me ; nor, 
 after all, have I reason to, nor will I, by holy help, oust away 
 the shield of faith, but rather cultivate the feeling of thank- 
 fulness for "mercies past, and humbly hope for more."
 
 520 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SAVINGS BANK. [1845. 
 
 TO GEORGE BENINGTON. 
 
 Hobart Town, 1 mo. 31, 1845. 
 
 One can scarcely realize the strength and depth 
 of attachment until something like separation, real or 
 threatened, attends us. For the first time since we were 
 married, which is now more than four years, my wife is 
 absent from me with my eldest and youngest child. She 
 is staying with Esther Mather and her father, in the country, 
 having been long in rather a low state of health, very 
 much I apprehend from too close adherence to domestic 
 duties. 
 
 I have undertaken rather a responsible post since I last 
 wrote. I have for some time past been of the mind that few 
 things would tend more even to the moral welfare of our 
 working classes here, who have been notorious for their reck- 
 lessness and prodigality, than the establishment of a Savings 
 Bank, especially now that hundreds, nay thousands, are 
 discontinuing their visits to the public house, and begin to 
 find that money remains in their pockets after having provided 
 for essential wants. I have induced between twenty and 
 thirty of the most influential inhabitants in the town and 
 country, to become trustees. But in effecting this, I have 
 had to accept the office of Manager, gratuitously, for six 
 months ; the deposits to be received on my own premises. 
 
 TO CHARLES BRAGG. 
 
 Hobart Town, 1 mo. 31, 184o. 
 
 There is so much to do for others as well as on 
 one's own account, that the day seems generally too short for 
 the day's work. Many a time do I sigh and think, Will it 
 be always thus ? I know not how it may be with thee, dear 
 Charles, but as one advances in years, time seems to urge his 
 flight more rapidly. I suppose the more complete occupation 
 of the mind, so as to leave few opportunities for noting the 
 lapse of time, is the real solution of the mystery. Happy is 
 it for those who amidst the constant whirl of human affairs, 
 in accordance with the principle and practice of Friends,
 
 CHAP. 29.] TOTAL ABSTINENCE PRINCIPLES. 521 
 
 retire from the dream of life every-day life and awake to 
 the realities of the life that is beyond the things that are 
 seen and are temporal. It is such an inestimable privilege 
 that I long for more opportunities for seclusion ; yet they fly 
 from me, and I find it difficult not to abridge those already 
 enjoyed. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 4 mo. 10, 1845. 
 
 The Temperance Tracts from our friend 
 B. D. Alexander were very opportune. We are making good 
 progress here. Many hundred members have been added to 
 our ranks since the year came in. Considerably more than a 
 hundred have signed at my shop during that time. The 
 good that is effected by the adoption of Total Abstinence 
 principles among the working classes is incalculable. It has 
 wrought a complete change in the circumstances, character 
 and prospects of, I believe I may say, hundreds in this town. 
 Our Suppression of Vioe, or Magdalene Society, has fallen 
 through for want of pecuniary support. But the labour and 
 money bestowed have not been in vain, if only in the 
 reformation of one young woman, mentioned in the Report 
 I sent thee. 
 
 Thou wilt be glad to know that I am a little relieved from 
 my load of pecuniary responsibility, having turned the corner 
 in this respect, as I humbly trust it may prove. 
 
 The Pentonville men are decidedly the most hopeful set 
 I have seen land here. A pleasing instance occurred, shewing 
 the temper of the men. A party of more than a score were 
 proceeding from the depot, under the direction of a constable 
 of this place. On their way the latter informed them, that if 
 they wished to have a glass, they might indulge themselves, 
 as he would say nothing about it. They one and all replied, 
 that it was their determination not to enter a public-house. 
 The unprincipled constable, not content with this noble 
 rebuff, observed that that need not prevent them from having 
 a glass, for he would go into the house and procure it for 
 them, which he accordingly did. Their integrity however 
 remained firm, though thus severely put to the proof; not a
 
 522 RELIGIOUS SERVICE. [1845. 
 
 man could be prevailed upon to taste ! I felt my mind much 
 attracted towards them, and was comforted in holding a 
 religious meeting with them, for which they were very grate- 
 ful. Who would believe it, that the constable who acted 
 so base a part, and who, one would naturally conclude would 
 be instantly discharged, is still in the station ! The men 
 whose expectations were raised that they would find ready 
 employment at good wages on arriving here, are, in con- 
 siderable numbers, breaking stones upon the highway, an 
 employment which thou art aware is here associated with the 
 lowest degradation and punishment. Perhaps this may be 
 better than allowing them to remain in idleness. Those 
 interested in the experiment of the Separate System, as carried 
 into effect at the Pentonville Prison and consummated here, 
 must not be disappointed if it does not realize all their 
 anticipations. 
 
 TO GEORGE BENINGTON. 
 
 Hobart Town, 4 mo. 29, 1846. 
 
 In the midst of abundance of secular pursuits, 
 I am favoured to turn with peaceful retrospect to an engage- 
 ment of a more profitable kind, which has been occupying 
 Dr. Story and myself for some time past. I refer to the 
 visiting of the families comprising Hobart Town Monthly 
 Meeting, as well as the persons who attend our meetings for 
 worship who are not members. My dear companion and I 
 have laboured together in much harmony ; and though we 
 have, I dare say, both felt in a humiliating degree, our own 
 feebleness, the gracious Master has condescended to accompany 
 us with his presence. My heart has yearned to be more 
 engaged in his work, and the way has unexpectedly opened 
 for this little act of dedication, for which I feel engaged to 
 praise Him who is worthy of all praise. 
 
 TO GEORGE BENINGTON. 
 
 Hobart Town, 8 mo. 9, 1845. 
 
 A good deal of my time is taken up with the 
 Savings Bank affairs, having to attend closely to the progress 
 of an Act to regulate such Institutions, now before the 
 Legislative Counsel. I have been giving evidence before a
 
 CHAP. 29.] PROGRESS OF TEETOTALISM. 
 
 Committee of the Council, and in other ways it has cost me a 
 good deal of thought and attention. 
 
 The Total Abstinence cause makes steady progress. I have 
 presided at two meetings within the last month, held in 
 Dissenting Chapels, where Ministers and others of nearly 
 every denomination publicly advocated the cause. This is a 
 marked change indeed when we revert to the period when 
 every place of worship in the town was closed against us ; 
 and not unfrequently, the riotous conduct of opponents sub- 
 jected the adherents of Teetotalism to personal risk. At the 
 last of the meetings to which I have alluded, at which it is 
 supposed at least a thousand persons were present, six 
 ministers stood forth in public advocacy of the cause. 
 
 TO R. RUTHERFOORD AND BROTHER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 11 mo. 27, 1845. 
 
 I have felt much for our dear friends, Dr. and 
 Jane Philip, under their late bereavement.* Truly the ways 
 of the Most High are not our ways ; yet though he giveth 
 not account of his matters to frail man, the believing soul can 
 confide in his unerring wisdom and faithfulness, from an 
 inward as well as a recorded assurance, that the Judge of all 
 the earth will do right. And yet my heart bleeds for my 
 bereaved friends, as I write ; and I would desire not to be 
 steeled against sympathy with my suffering brethren, more 
 particularly such as are of the household of faith. 
 
 TO J. BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 12 mo. 30, 1845. 
 
 Since my last our Annual Meeting has been 
 held in course. We have had to feel in an unusual degree 
 our own weakness and deficiencies. But while dwelling 
 under a covering as it were of sackcloth and ashes, it pleased 
 the great Head of the Church to impart a measure of comfort 
 to us through the receipt of a feeling epistle from the Meeting 
 for Sufferings in London, which revived our drooping minds. 
 
 * The drowning of a son and nephew, by the upsetting of a boat, at Hankey.
 
 524 GREAT OBJECT OF LIFE. [1846. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 2 mo. 9, 1846. 
 
 Several of our old drunken acquaintances among 
 the Pensioners are now in the hospital, but the greater portion 
 are gone ; numbers having already ended their days there. 
 The last, Melon, whom thou wilt recollect, died miserably. 
 The specimens of old soldiers which these men afford, are a 
 sufficient proof of the character of war, and its of tendency to 
 degrade and corrupt human nature, itself already corrupt, 
 proclaiming it to be Satan's School, wherein he trains men 
 to perdition. 
 
 TO GEORGE BENINGTON. 
 
 Hobart Town, 5 mo. 15, 1846. 
 
 The large amount of public business that 
 devolves upon me, added to the oversight of my own 
 business, and the claims of my increasing family, keeps me 
 so employed that I have no idle moments. Yet I have of 
 late felt much less of that which tends to distraction than was 
 the case some time since. Whether the way may further 
 open for a lessened share of worldly business, accompanied 
 with a greater fitness for service in that work which above all 
 others is truly honourable and glorious, is yet to be proved. 
 Sometimes a grain of faith attends, that it may be so ; and 
 my mind is often exceedingly tendered as the thought is 
 presented to me, as it is at this time, while writing to thee, 
 under the humiliating feeling that I have indeed been an 
 unprofitable servant ; and I only wonder the great Master 
 has so long borne with my haltings and deficiencies, and has 
 not, long since, laid me aside. The prayer of my heart is, 
 that all his holy will may be accomplished concerning me, 
 and that I may henceforth live more and more to his glory, 
 which in truth is the only ultimate object worth living for. 
 
 TO JOSIAH FORSTER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 7 mo. 20, 1846. 
 
 In addition to the ordinary claims of a retail 
 business, I have other demands on my time as duties that
 
 CHAP. 29.] PROVIDENTIAL ALLOTMENT. 525 
 
 must be discharged. I have often admired the leadings of a 
 merciful Providence not only in regard to my present allot- 
 ment and position in this distant land, but also in reference 
 to the very locality, the identical spot where I am fixed. I 
 remember that it was a subject of earnest exercise before the 
 Lord, which of the two places that offered at the period I was 
 about to commence business, was the right one ; and well do 
 I also remember the clear evidence that was afforded in favour 
 of my present abode. The situation is prominent and central, 
 and has been valuable, not merely in enabling me to command 
 a moderate share of business, but also to promote more exten- 
 sively several objects of public utility, to which my mind has 
 been bound. There are three Institutions particularly to 
 which this remark applies; the Total Abstinence Society, 
 nearly 400 of whose members signed the pledge on my 
 premises during last year ; the Bible Society, whose Depot is 
 at my shop ; and the Savings Bank, which had I not been 
 in a position to offer my premises, I think would scarcely yet 
 have been in existence, and of which I am for the present, 
 and I fear for some little time to come am likely to be, 
 Managing Trustee. Yet while counting it an unmerited 
 favour to be made in any way an instrument of usefulness to 
 my fellow-creatures, I feel that I have cause for deep humilia- 
 tion, in that I have not been counted worthy to be made more 
 frequently and extensively useful in that work which I still 
 count the most honourable and glorious, that of proclaiming 
 the gospel message. Compared with this weighty and 
 hallowed service, I count my present engagements as those 
 of a "hewer of wood and drawer of water," though still 
 requiring to be honestly discharged, until the Lord be 
 pleased, if ever, to prefer me more exclusively than has 
 latterly been my lot, to a higher calling. The spring of the 
 ministry seems to be almost shut up among us, most of our 
 meetings being held in silence ; and I cannot but fear that 
 the right and fervent exercise is not maintained as it ought to 
 Ve. Sometimes I fear the fault lies with us who have been 
 measurably anointed for this engagement. Yet if there was 
 a door effectually opened, and a capacity to profit by vocal 
 instrumentality in greater measure, surely it would not be
 
 P DIVINE FAVOUR. [184G. 
 
 thus ; and I query whether the cause does not lie fully as 
 much with the hearers. Thus we are in a low spot. May 
 we be brought down as into the valley of humiliation, that 
 our souls may receive a fresh dispensation of the waters of 
 life, and bring forth abundantly more fruit to the praise of 
 the great Husbandman. 
 
 TO G. BENINGTON. 
 
 Hobart Town, 12 mo. 4, 1846. 
 
 Our Yearly Meeting commenced yesterday by 
 an opening Meeting for worship, which though held in silence 
 was remarkably owned by the contriting, cementing influence 
 of Divine Power, giving us to feel its sufficiency and our own 
 helplessness, saying in effect to the dependent soul, " The 
 Lord will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." Un- 
 speakable favour, to know the Lord to be our strength ! 
 May it be fully realized throughout our deliberations for the 
 welfare of the little church, over which the Lord has made 
 some of us measurably overseers. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 2 mo. 18, 1847. 
 
 Thy last found me at Kelvedon, where I spent 
 about three weeks with a view to recruit my health. Without 
 any very definite complaint, I seldom feel altogether well. 
 Dr. Officer says what I require is rest for the brain, and 
 I believe he is right. With natural endowments probably 
 below rather than aoove mediocrity, and naturally also having 
 an unusually low measure of animal spirits, the energies I can 
 command are constantly taxed to the utmost, arising from 
 the peculiar and somewhat prominent position in which, 
 as a Friend, and as one willing to lend a helping hand to 
 what is good, I am placed. I long for quiet and rest, but 
 they fly from me ; and the feeling of having more to do than I 
 can accomplish is often a truly painful one. But I am 
 seeking as much as possible to sit loose from every thing that 
 is not an imperative duty, that I may have more time for the
 
 CHAP. 29.] CONVERSION BY TRACTS. 527 
 
 training and culture of my dear children, and for gathering 
 an accession of strength to my own mind. 
 
 The Savings Bank is prospering. In two years we have 
 had upwards of 1500 depositors, who have brought more than 
 20,000 to the Bank, which considering the depressed state 
 of the Colony, is a great deal. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 5 mo. 6, 1848. 
 
 I have been getting rather low in Friends' 
 Tracts, in regard to variety. It is not very often that one 
 becomes cognizant of the good done by these little messengers, 
 but an instance came to my knowledge a few weeks ago, of an 
 encouraging nature. The facts came out incidentally, through 
 the subject of them making some enquiry of me, as Manager 
 of the Savings Bank, as to a loan of a small sum to complete 
 the purchase of a piece of land. He told me that he had 
 100 in hand, which he had saved towards the purchase, 
 observing that he had to thank Teetotalism for it. I thought 
 I knew the man's face ; and upon his asking me if I recollected 
 giving him a bundle of tracts several years ago, I had an 
 indistinct recollection of the circumstance. He was then, it 
 appears, going to labour in a remote part of the Bush, where 
 he saw very few human beings ; and having occassioually a 
 little leisure, he set to work to read his tracts. He was 
 much struck with the religious ones, and for the first time in 
 his life, began to perceive that there was " a something 
 in religion," to use his own words, " that he had not before 
 imagined." He began to see himself as he really was, a 
 fallen sinful, creature ; and having no one to whom to seek 
 for counsel or instruction, he used to go about bewailing his 
 sad condition. At length he got a somewhat clear view of 
 the mercy of God in Christ Jesus ; and was enabled to rejoice 
 under a sense of the removal of that weight of condemnation 
 which had previously attended him, and in the place thereof 
 to experience peace and joy in believing. " And now," said 
 he " blessed be God, I have to thank him for something more 
 than Teetotalism." The abridgement of the Life of George
 
 528 HI on SCHOOL. [1849. 
 
 Fox was the tract which afforded him the most instruction 
 and comfort. I have since had an opportunity of ascertaining 
 the character of the man from more than one serious person 
 at the Huon Settlement, where he resides, and I find that he 
 is exemplary in his walk, and is considered to be a man of a 
 decidedly renovated heart. 
 
 We have lately associated ourselves for the establishment 
 of a High School for the instruction of the youth of the 
 Colony in the higher departments of learning. We have a 
 capital of 5,000 raised in 25 shares. It is managed by a 
 Council of nine, and is characterized by very unsectarian 
 principles, the council being composed of three Episcopalians, 
 two Presbyterians, two Independents, one Wesley an, and one 
 Friend (the writer). To secure competent masters, as well 
 as the erection of a handsome and commodious building, we 
 are now addressing ourselves. With regard to the former, or 
 at least a Head Classical Master, we have deputed several 
 gentlemen, having property in the Colony and resident in 
 London, to make an engagement on our behalf, the successful 
 candidate for the office to be recommended as a fit person by 
 the Council of the London University. 
 
 Our little Meeting increases by the increase of our families. 
 We muster on First-day mornings not far short of fifty. A 
 large number of these are however children. 
 
 TO HENRY FORBES. 
 
 Hobart Town, 1 mo. 16, 1849. 
 
 Thy friendly communication reached me in 
 course, and it was grateful to me to renew intercourse in this 
 way with an old and valued friend, the one too from whose 
 influence I have to date my first serious thoughts on the 
 subject of Temperance Societies. I have many times had 
 occasion to remember, and also to comment in public upon 
 the sentiment thou gavest expression to in thy note to me on 
 the subject ; that " the cause of temperance was the cause of 
 Grod." Nearly twenty years of observation and experience 
 have only confirmed me in the conviction of its truth. Like 
 thyself, however, I am surrounded at this moment by the 
 pressing claims of business to which I must turn.
 
 CHAP. 29.] GOLD DIGGING. 529 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 8 mo. 15, 1849. 
 
 Various considerations would have prompted 
 me long ago to have given up the Linen Drapery business. 
 It is only recently that I have seen my way clearly in this 
 respect, and it is no little relief to me to be able to say that 
 I have relinquished that branch with all its more objectionable 
 features that have also been burdensome, and shall in future 
 confine myself to the Woollen Drapery, Men's Mercery and 
 hats, a business which will involve scarcely more than a third 
 of the capital, and incomparably less risk as well as consequent 
 solicitude. This change has subjected me to great loss in a 
 pecuniary sense, but I trust it will be gain in many other 
 respects. 
 
 Thou wouldst hear through other channels that Thomas 
 Mason has lately accompanied Gr. F. Story to South Australia 
 on a visit of Grospel love to Friends there. To those who 
 could appreciate the value of such labours, the service of our 
 Friends was very acceptable. 
 
 TO JOSIAH FORSTER. 
 
 Hobart Town. 2 mo. 27, 1852. 
 
 I fear the discovery of gold in such proximity 
 to our Colony will not help our moral and religious condition. 
 And should it be discovered on this island, the result will be 
 still more formidable. Already the steady, industrious habits 
 of our free population have been seriously interrupted ; num- 
 bers leaving their wives and families unprotected for months, 
 while they go to " the diggings." I know many instances 
 where the wives have been led astray, and the families sub- 
 jected to distress and misery. To the young men, even when 
 moderately successful, I fear the unsettling effect will be most 
 pernicious. Upon the whole, to nine-tenths of the thousands 
 who have thrown up their ordinary pursuits, to search after 
 gold, with the hope of realizing a sudden fortune, I quite 
 believe it will bo a sad delusion ; fatal to their best interests 
 and true happiness. 
 
 m
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 LETTERS, CHIEFLY TO HIS SON AT SCHOOL, 1853 TO 1856. 
 
 TO ROBERT FORSTER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 1 mo. 28, 1853. 
 
 I have recently come to the conclusion that it will 
 be best to gend my oldest boy, James Backhouse, now turned 
 eleven years of age, to England, to complete his education. 
 He has been two years at the High School, but I am not 
 satisfied with the progress he is making ; but more than all, 
 I desire that he may be brought under wholesome moral dis- 
 cipline, and be surrounded by better influences. There is 
 a forwardness and self-sufficiency too prevalent among the 
 youth of this Colony that I am very desirous he should not 
 be inoculated with; and the attention of his mother and 
 myself being too much diverted by other cares and pursuits, 
 inevitable under our present circumstances, I dread the effect 
 of the uncongenial influences by which he is surrounded. 
 What I have to ask of thee, therefore, and it is a great deal 
 to ask, is, that thou, with thy dear brother Josiah, and our 
 mutually dear friend James Backhouse, will be pleased to 
 confer a little together, and decide for me which will be the 
 best school to place him at. My own predilections lean to 
 John Ford's, at York. I wish James to receive as liberal an 
 education as the institutions under the management of Friends 
 can impart. I am also very anxious that he should be made 
 thoroughly acquainted with the Scriptures, by an enlightened 
 and critical course of study, although I am fully sensible 
 that this will do little for him unless they are opened to his 
 spiritual understanding by Him who alone has the key of 
 David. At York there are kind friends to whom his father 
 is known, more especially my beloved friend J. B. who would 
 look a little more closely after him than in another locality.
 
 CHAP. 30.] CHRISTIAN COUNSEL. 531 
 
 TO HIS SON, JAMES B. WALKER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 3 mo. 6, 1853. 
 
 It is now a month since thou left us, and it seems 
 time that a few lines were penned to meet thee as early as 
 may be after setting foot on British ground. Thou mayst be 
 assured thou hast been the almost constant companion of our 
 thoughts ; and many a secret petition has been put up, that a 
 gracious (rod would be pleased to take thee into his special 
 keeping, and order thy steps aright. Thou hast now no 
 earthly parent to unbosom thyself to ; but I am not without 
 a hope that thou hast by this time realized more than at any 
 former period of thy short life, thy dependence on that 
 Almighty Being, " in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are 
 all thy ways. " Cherish the glow of gratitude in thy heart, that 
 thou hast such a Caretaker ever at hand, ready to aid thee in 
 everything that is good and praiseworthy, as well as to shield 
 thee from that which is evil, especially from the evil tendencies 
 of thy own fallen nature, which thou wilt find to be the chief 
 plague of thy life, until subdued by the effectual working of 
 his grace. Accustom thyself to the delightful exercise of 
 casting thyself unreservedly on the holy keeping and care of 
 thy God and Saviour. Doubt no more of his love and good 
 will* than thou dost of thy own existence ; and the more of 
 evil that thou disooverest in thy heart, so far from letting it 
 hinder thee from addressing thyself to God in prayer, make 
 such discovery a motive and an occasion for being more im- 
 portunate with him therein. His good Spirit is ever near, 
 reproving thee when thou dost wrong, but affording thee a 
 secret sense of approval when thou dost well. Words cannot 
 convey to thee an adequate estimate of the value of attending 
 to its monitions. This is the first time I ever addressed thee, 
 my dear boy, my first-born, on paper ; therefore it may not 
 be unfitting that I should thus give expression to a father's 
 chief concern. I may sum it up in the words of one, 
 who, after having experienced the depths of adversity, was 
 blessed with unexampled prosperity, and must therefore have 
 proved what life in this world is, and what is of most account. 
 His estimate is comprised in his most emphatic language to
 
 532 NOTICE OF ILLNESS. [1853. 
 
 his son and successor in the kingdom : " And thou Solomon 
 my son, know thou the (rod of thy father, and serve him 
 with a perfect heart and with a willing mind ; for the Lord 
 seareheth all hearts and understandeth all the imaginations 
 of the thoughts : if thou seek him he will be found of thee ; 
 but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever." 
 
 Thy dear Mother unites with me, and the children, in most 
 affectionate desires for thy preservation on every hand. 
 
 TO J. B. WALKER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 6 mo. 11, 1853, 
 
 Life is at all times very uncertain, but I have 
 been forcibly reminded of its peculiar uncertainty since I last 
 wrote to thee. Last Third-day week I went to bed in usual 
 health, and was attacked in my sleep with a convulsion ; con- 
 sciousness was suspended, and almost every muscle of my 
 frame was in motion. The following night I had a much 
 more formidable attack of the same nature, by which I have 
 been much enfeebled, but am now, I am thankful to say, 
 as well as usual. I receive this affliction as from the 
 immediate hand of my Heavenly Father, who has, I believe, 
 in " very faithfulness afflicted me," to draw me nearer to 
 himself. Since this has occurred I have felt more keenly, that 
 whatever may occur, the wide globe is between us ; and the 
 separation is truly painful. The only thing that reconciles 
 me to the arrangement is, that I have reason to believe it is 
 in right ordering, having been made by thy parents for thy 
 good, although doing violence to their own feelings. 
 
 Thy dear mother, brothers and sisters all unite with me in 
 love and best wishes for thy welfare. 
 
 TO J. B. WALKER. 
 
 7 mo. 21, 1853. 
 
 From the oldest in the family down to the little 
 ones thou art a constant theme, and many are the inquiries, 
 When shall we hear from James ? As the time approaches 
 when we expect to hear tidings of the Wellington, our interest 
 seems to increase, if it were possible.
 
 CHAP. 30.] READING AND MEDITATON. 533 
 
 I hope thou dost not forget to seek aid and guidance daily 
 from thy Heavenly Parent ; may it be many times offcener 
 than the day. Be not diverted from reading thy portion of 
 Scripture, at least every morning ; and devote a few minutes 
 to quiet or introversion of mind, endeavouring to realize the 
 sense of God's presence, which calms the mind, fills it with 
 good thoughts and purposes, and sweetly invigorates it for 
 the discharge of its daily duties. But no words can convey 
 the preciousness of this experience ; it must be felt to be 
 understood. 
 
 TO JOSIAH FOKSTER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 8 mo 13, 1853. 
 
 I have really more upon my hands than I can 
 get through, and am in a manner compelled to let corres- 
 pondence stand over, in which both inclination and duty 
 prompt me to engage. The sense of my deficiency in this 
 respect, especially towards my beloved friends in the North of 
 England, preys on my mind, and I quite believe, in con- 
 junction with other causes, conspired to bring on a serious 
 attack of illness, some three months ago. The Lord has 
 however in mercy continued to me the capacity to pursue my 
 wonted duties, however imperfectly, yet with little diminished 
 capability, which I do esteem a favour, both on my own 
 account and for the sake of my dear wife and little ones, who 
 greatly need a father's help. We have had great reason to 
 mark the goodness and tender dealing of our Heavenly 
 Father with us. The children, now seven in number, are 
 all healthy as relates both to body and mind, whilst around 
 us, on every hand, sickness and mortality have been making 
 fearful ravages. At no period in the history of the Colony 
 has the mortality among children been so rife. Scarlet fever 
 and Influenza among children and youth, Apoplexy, Paralysis 
 and Epilepsy among adults ; all probably traceable in some 
 measure to atmospheric influences ; such at least is the opinion 
 of some of our medical men. 
 
 Our dear friends, Robert Lindsey and Frederick Mackie, 
 are now in New Zealand. Their visit here has been a very 
 groat comfort to my mind, and I believe to many others. It
 
 534 EFFECT OF GOLD DISCOVERT. [1853. 
 
 was a privilege of which. I deem myself unworthy, to have 
 them under my roof. 
 
 The present is not a favourable time for growth in either 
 piety or morality. The sudden acquisition of wealth which 
 has occured to many, consequent on the gold discoveries, has 
 had a tendency to draw the minds of the people outwards, 
 and fix them yet more on sublunary things. The coincidence 
 of the general sickness with the extraordinary excitement, is 
 not a little striking. 
 
 The Home Government has at length yielded to the earnest 
 remonstrances of nearly a whole community, and has abolished 
 Transportation. It had become a daily increasing evil, of 
 frightful magnitude, felt in every domestic establishment, in 
 the corruption of servants, and in the reflex influence produced 
 on all within the sphere of its contagion. 
 
 The salutation that lives in my heart towards all my dear 
 brethren and sisters is ; Grace, mercy and peace be with all 
 those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity ! 
 
 TO J. B. WALKER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 10 mo. 24, 1853. 
 
 Thy dear mother gave birth to a little girl on 
 the 15th of last month, whom we have named Margaret 
 Bragg, after my dear and venerated friend, long since entered 
 into her rest. 
 
 I had hoped thy dear mother would have written to 
 thee, but thou hast no idea of the difficulties she has to 
 encounter with regard to servants. For months we have been 
 without a kitchen-maid, and for some time we were also 
 without a housemaid, and could only now and then procure a 
 charwoman as a favour at four shillings a day ! This state 
 of things renders thy poor mother a perfect slave. But the 
 name of her loved absent one is constantly on her lips, seldom 
 unaccompanied by the glistening tear of maternal affection. 
 
 I long to know what are thy studies ; how far they are 
 congenial ; what are thy recreations ; who are thy most inti- 
 mate associates ; and a hundred matters that it is in vain to 
 attempt putting on paper. The Lord be with thee and
 
 CHAP. 30.] SCHOOL STUDIES. 535 
 
 prosper thee, and keep thee from evil on the right hand and 
 on the left, is the prayer of 
 
 Thy affectionate Father, 
 
 GTEO. W. WALKEK. 
 
 TO JOHN FORD. 
 
 Hobart Town, 11 mo. 8, 1853. 
 
 In writing to my son James for the first time 
 since hearing of his entrance upon school duties, I feel reluctant 
 to let the occasion pass without addressing a few lines to thee. 
 As far as he progressed here, I sought to lay the basis of 
 a liberal education, which I should much desire to have 
 followed out. Having displayed some aptitude for classical 
 studies, I should be glad that he was made a proficient in his 
 knowledge of the Latin tongue ; I also favour his acqui- 
 sition of Greek, if found practicable. - I am of opinion (with 
 all deference to Jonathan Dymond, who is so generally sound 
 in his conclusions) that the study of the classics is highly 
 disciplinary and strengthening to the mind, and well calculated 
 to form habits of patient application and study, habits that 
 will be greatly needed in the acquisition of all other branches 
 of knowledge. This is apart from the intrinsic value of 
 classical attainments. But while I desire that James should 
 be a good Latin scholar, I am not less solicitous that he 
 should acquire the elements of scientific knowledge, as well 
 as a fair share of those attainments that are introductory to a 
 commercial life. And if consistent with the routine of the 
 school, I am desirous that he should gain some acquaintance 
 with Natural History. I think thou wilt agree with me, 
 that it is highly desirable to initiate in the minds of young 
 persons, a taste for inquiry into the works of creation. It 
 is calculated in after life to supply an unfailing source of 
 profitable contemplation, as well as of innocent and healthful 
 recreation, tending to exclude lower and debasing pursuits, 
 by creating a distaste for them. 
 
 I trust thou wilt gather that whatsoever degree of im- 
 portance I may attach to intellectual improvement, my 
 chief concern is, that his moral and religious principles may
 
 536 SCRIPTURAL INSTRUCTION. [1854. 
 
 be fostered and matured. It is in furtherance of this para- 
 mount object that we have been made willing to yield him 
 to other hands than our own for a few years, and we feel 
 a pleasing confidence that this will be a chief aim in the 
 economy of thy school. I presume that a systematic course 
 of Scriptural instruction is an essential element in the 
 routine of school duties, and I sincerely desire that my dear 
 boy may avail himself of this most valuable knowledge to 
 the utmost of his power ; so that he may be thoroughly 
 acquainted with the Scriptural grounds of his profession as 
 a Friend, and be enabled " to render a reason of the hope 
 that may be in him, with meekness and fear." 
 
 TO J. B. WALKER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 6 mo. 29, 1854. 
 
 Thy last letter, and still more that from thy 
 valued master, John Ford, was a great relief to us, as from 
 their joint contents we were assured of thy improved state of 
 health. It would appear that the damp of the English 
 climate is more trying to thee than the mere cold. 
 
 Society is in some respects in a progressing state here. The 
 spirit of enterprise has received a stimulus by the recent tide 
 of prosperity that has visited these Colonies. This is evidenced 
 by the new undertakings that are on the way ; all of them 
 with more or less prospect of success. I have mentioned 
 the Immigration Society. The Government furnishes 
 Bounty Tickets for each adult emigrant. Thus great 
 facilities will be placed in the way of all who choose by 
 emigration to improve their circumstances ; and it is few 
 of the working classes who are not earning more than 
 average wages, who would not greatly advance their 
 interests by emigrating. But while in these matters we 
 are going ahead, in others there has been a decided retro- 
 gression, and that in respect of things wherein the interests 
 of the community are more deeply concerned than in any 
 mere matter of pounds, shillings and pence. Idleness, 
 reckless prodigality, and intemperance have fearfully in- 
 creased; and a general impression is becoming prevalent, 
 that some very stringent measures are called for to give a
 
 CHAP. 30.] MAINE LIQUOR LAW. 537 
 
 check to the drinking habits of the people. While legis- 
 lators are meditating half and half measures, a large pro- 
 portion of the people, including many of the victims and 
 devotees to drink, are for the introduction of the Maine 
 Liquor Law ; a League for the attaiment of this object has 
 been organized at Melbourne, and a permanent agent en- 
 gaged for the advocacy of the measure. The people in 
 Hobart Town have also taken the initiative, and we have 
 invited the agent to pay us a visit, in furtherance of the 
 object. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE 
 
 Hampden Road, Hobart Town, 7 mo. 15, 1854. 
 
 I have thought of thee often with deep interest, 
 as engaged on gospel service in the bleak regions of Norway ; 
 yet though outwardly chilly, warmed by the rays of the Sun 
 of Righteousness, its inhabitants, we learn, are remarkably 
 prepared for the reception of the gospel message. I have 
 sometimes thought what a privilege it would be to accompany 
 thee once more on a like errand ; I think too I should be better 
 prepared now to appreciate such a privilege. But these are 
 idle dreams. Scarcely less so perhaps than those which 
 present during the visions of the night, wherein I often fancy 
 I am engaged with thee in holding meetings, and addressing 
 the people. But alas ! I am now but an earth-worm, beset 
 with worldly cares and solicitudes, from which however, my 
 gracious Lord does at seasons enable me to rise in aspirations 
 after a better inheritance, giving me to feel that in his presence 
 there is life, whatever may be the nature of our avocations, that 
 there is " mercy in every place, sufficient to reconcile me to 
 my lot." I have had very encouraging proofs that the Lord 
 careth for me. lie has been pleased to improve my outward 
 circumstances so as to relieve me from solicitude, which I do 
 account a great favour. The arrangement with regard to our 
 dear boy, committed in some degree to thy watchful superin- 
 tendence, is, I tliink I may gratefully say, all that we can 
 wish. I have been greatly cheered by a communication from 
 our valued friend John Ford. I was quite delighted with
 
 538 INFLUENCE OF AGE. [1854. 
 
 the insight given me by his letter into the system adopted, 
 both in a moral and religious, as well as physical and intel- 
 lectual point of view. We are not satisfied with our means 
 of education for our boys here. There are many drawbacks 
 in the rearing of children in these Colonies, more particularly 
 in the present disjointed state of society, consequent on the 
 discovery of the gold-fields. And the number of children 
 belonging to Hobart Town Monthly Meeting in proportion 
 to adults is a remarkable feature in our history. 
 
 Thou wilt be aware that I have given up my retail business. 
 Since I have determined on this arrangement, I have directed 
 my efforts towards the reduction of my business pursuits ; 
 but it will require some time before I can realize effectual 
 relief. If possible, I wish to confine myself exclusively to the 
 Savings Bank, the duties of which are not arduous, nor the 
 hours long. My health has been very good. My sight 
 however is not what it was ; I am now wholly dependent on 
 spectacles by candle-light. I am in my fifty-fifth year ; yet 
 when things are well with me, especially when the light of 
 the Divine Countenance cheers, I feel much of the vivacity 
 and elasticity of spirits attendant upon early manhood, if not 
 upon youth. I can scarcely realize the fact that I am now 
 looked to, and in some instances leaned upon, as an old and 
 experienced man. 
 
 TO J. B. WALKER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 9 mo. 14, 1854. 
 
 We look so wistfully for thy letters, and there 
 are such general exclamations of pleasure when they arrive, 
 that we can sympathise with thee in thy pleasures and in thy 
 disappointments from this source, and are desirous to make 
 the latter few in number. We were much gratified by thy 
 letter dated 4 mo. 27. The views of the premises in which 
 thou art resident were very acceptable, as we seem to picture 
 the very apartment in which our dear James is nightly 
 slumbering. I trust we do feel humble thankfulness that 
 thou art so comfortably cared for. We are reminded of the 
 prevalence, and of the possible proximity even, of the sad
 
 CHAP. 30.] WARLIKE INDICATIONS. 539 
 
 war to which thou alludest, the Government having raised a 
 battery and mounted some guns on the open ground between 
 our intended dwelling and Government House. Another 
 battery is constructed in the Domain, and a third very near 
 the Flag Staff. With a military Governor, and many 
 officials who advocate war, and some of whom follow the 
 profession of arms, we could hardly anticpate less than that 
 some show of defence should be attempted. But unless we 
 are protected by Almighty Power, I apprehend this town 
 would be very much at the mercy of any hostile squadron 
 that might present itself in our harbour. 
 
 Whilst the Emperor of the Russians is battling for enlarged 
 dominion we have entered upon a different contest. The 
 friends to Total Abstinence are bent upon the introduction of 
 an enactment similar to the Maine Liquor Law. Petitions 
 have been numerously signed from both the male and female 
 inhabitants and the older children, such as could write their 
 own names. The womens' petition was nine yards long, 
 and contained upwards of 4100 names. The mens' petition 
 was signed by 3057 persons. The children, before com- 
 mitting theirs to the hands of John Gleddon, assembled in the 
 afternoon, and were addressed in a pleasing and instructive 
 manner by that gentlemen, and were afterwards regaled with 
 tea and cake. The public press is as yet not in our favour, 
 and scarcely condescends to notice our proceedings, except to 
 denounce them as absurd and impracticable. They will 
 have to alter their tone before long or I am much mistaken ; 
 more than 7000 adults, chiefly from Hobart Town alone, is 
 a pretty demonstrative proof that the subject has gained a 
 hold of the public mind. A petition for closing public 
 houses on the First-day of the week, which has also been 
 prepared, and is now in course of signature, is a measure 
 which, I am not without hope, will be almost immediately 
 adopted. The other will be a work of time. 
 
 TO J. B. WALKER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 11 mo 8, 1854. 
 
 Be very careful whom thou makest choice of for 
 companions. It is scarcely possible to avoid being influenced
 
 540 CHOICE OF COMPANIONS. [1854. 
 
 by the example of our associates. To choose the wise and 
 the good for our companions is therefore to fortify our own 
 good resolutions and habits. that thou mayst be preserved 
 in simplicity as regards evil, whilst sedulously cultivating an 
 acquaintance with all that is seemly and of good report ! 
 Remember, it is easy to learn, but very difficult to forget. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 12 mo. 23, 1854. 
 
 It is very grateful to me to be remembered by 
 the dear Mends thou namest. I often recollect with lively 
 interest the pleasant hours I have spent in the houses of Isabel 
 Casson and Esther Priestman : my recollections of our now 
 aged friends, John and Mabel Hipsley, are also very sweet. 
 My love is to them, with, I trust I may say, much of its early 
 freshness, for the truth's sake. Many changes have taken 
 place since thou first visited me in Hull. Who would have 
 thought of my ever having to address thee from the Antipodes ? 
 
 TO J. B. WALKER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 12 mo. 29, 1854. 
 
 In reading the extremely interesting life of 
 Joseph John Ghirney, I was struck with his resolution and 
 practice as to penmanship. Like nearly all that he undertook, 
 he did it well. I would commend the work to thy perusal, 
 especially the early portion descriptive of his early habits and 
 studies : there is much to encourage a youthful student in 
 habits of application and industry. By these means, coupled 
 with an upright aim, how much did he eifect during his 
 useful and well-spent life ! 
 
 The health of thy dear aged grandfather, I am concerned 
 to say, has for some time been in a precarious state. The 
 powers of nature are apparently failing, prior to the breaking 
 up of the frail earthly tenement, but we consolingly believe 
 that if the earthly house were dissolved, a house not made 
 with hands, eternal in the heavens, is, through the efficacy of 
 redeeming love, prepared for him. There is much to soothe 
 his dying pillow ; with his children and children's children
 
 CHAP. 30.] DEATHBED OF R. MATHER. 541 
 
 around him, all of the former, I believe it may be said, 
 walking in the way that leads to life, and the latter, a 
 numerous group, to say the least, hopeful and promising ; 
 and his faithful wife administering to his comfort by every 
 means in her power. He constantly inquires after thee, and 
 his countenance always brightens when he is told that there 
 are tidings from his absent grandson. 
 
 It will be well to consult thy excellent master as to the 
 best mode of applying thy leisure hours, so as to make them 
 in the greatest degree profitable. I trust that no minor 
 pursuits will cause thee to neglect thy Bible. Give it thy 
 daily and careful perusal. A little well digested, and read in 
 the spirit of prayer and dependence on Almighty God for 
 help to understand and strength to put in practice, is vastly 
 preferable to skimming over many pages at one time. I hope 
 my precious boy will not think his father is too prone to 
 sermonize. Now is a most important period of thy life, one 
 pregnant with the most serious consequences for good or for 
 evil, as it is improved or otherwise ; and I cannot well indulge 
 in mere chit-chat while these considerations are present with 
 me. May the Lord give thee wisdom, even heavenly wisdom, 
 and inspire thee with a love for what is truly good, virtuous, 
 pure and of good report ; then thou wilt know by happy ex- 
 perience that the kingdom of God is witliin us. 
 
 TO J. B. WALKER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 4 mo. 4. 1855. 
 
 Thy last letter dated 1 mo. 1, by the Ocean 
 Chief, came to hand on the 26th ult. ; a memorable day ; for 
 on the evening of that day thy dear grandfather peacefully 
 departed. About a fortnight previous to his decease the dear 
 invalid took to his bed, and his sufferings, which were often 
 considerable, gradually increased, until nature sunk under the 
 disease. It was very instructive to witness his patience, 
 fortitude and unwavering trust in his God and Saviour, whose 
 presence supported and cheered him while passing through 
 the valley of the shadow of death, so that the language of 
 praise and thanksgiving often dwelt on his lips. On the day 
 of his death, during a paroxysm of pain, he said, " I know
 
 542 VIEWS OF TEACHING. [1855 
 
 that my Redeemer liveth." Shortly after making use of 
 these expressions, his countenance .beamed with delight and 
 his hands and eyes were upraised, as if permitted a foretaste 
 of the joys that awaited his redeemed spirit. His close was 
 remarkably calm, the last breath which marked the transition 
 of the immortal spirit from time to eternity, being scarcely 
 perceptible, and leaving the features unruffled and serene. 
 Thou wast not forgotten by him. In referring to thee some 
 time before his decease he feelingly remarked, " I shall never 
 see him again." 
 
 There is a subject of great importance adverted to in our 
 dear friend James Backhouse's letter. It is with reference to 
 thy future avocation. Before thou left home I expressed a 
 willingness, if thou thyself felt the inclination, that thou 
 shouldst aim at qualifying thyself as a Teacher of youth. I 
 have long been of opinion that to a rightly disposed, con- 
 scientious mind, there is no occupation which is more accep- 
 table to Gk>d or beneficial to man, than that of rearing and 
 training the tender mind of youth ; to teach it in fact how to 
 live for time and for eternity. This is what tuition, my dear 
 James, properly involves to the Christian Teacher, and to 
 fulfil such an office faithfully and perseveringly is indeed 
 worthy of the ambition of man. In so doing he becomes 
 a co-worker with God, and wields a power highly in- 
 fluential for good, and which entitles him to rank with 
 the truly wise and great, to whom the prophet Daniel refers 
 in his sublime prediction : " They that be wise (or as it is in 
 the marginal reading They that be teachers) shall shine as the 
 firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars 
 for ever and ever." But thou wilt see, my dear James, that 
 much, almost everything, depends upon the bent of the mind, 
 and the taste and love for the vocation on the higher grounds 
 to which I have referred, in connection with those attainments 
 which give facility in imparting knowledge, and which, when 
 combined with these higher motives, qualify their possessor, 
 so as to render him truly a benefactor to his species. Unless 
 then thou thyself inclinest to the calling, believing that it will 
 be congenial to thy tastes-, dispositions and best feelings, and 
 feelest also strengthened to come to a solemn determination,
 
 CHAP. 30.] FRIENDLY COUNSEL. 543 
 
 as in the presence of Almighty God, and in absolute depen- 
 dence upon his help and blessing, to devote thyself, heart and 
 soul, to his service in this way, I would rather that thou 
 didst not engage in it. But with this, there is no higher 
 calling to which, in my estimation, as thy loving father, thou 
 couldst possibly be promoted. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 5 mo. 30, 1855. 
 
 I notice with deep interest the removal by 
 death of many of my old and much loved friends. In dear 
 Eachel Priestman I have lost a tenderly interested friend, 
 one who felt to me much as a sister. 
 
 I send thee a copy of some " Friendly Counsel" I have 
 addressed to the Working Classes and which I have reason 
 to believe has been well received. Among others who have 
 expressed approval, the late Governor, Sir W. Denison, ad- 
 dressed a friendly note to me on its publication, in which he 
 says: " I quite go with you in every thing that you say ;" and 
 again : " Would I could hope that our labouring population 
 were in a state to profit by the lesson thus taught." * 
 Farewell my endeared friend, and may the Lord be with thee 
 in time and in eternity. 
 
 TO J. B. WALKEK. 
 
 Hobart Town 5 mo. 31, 1855. 
 
 The indications of progress afforded by thy varied 
 productions are very satisfactory, and in connexion with thy 
 position in the classes, may well yield thee encouragement. 
 Cultivate, my dear child, a feeling of thankfulness to the 
 Great Giver of every good gift, both for the faculties by 
 which knowledge is attained, and the appliances which his 
 providence has furnished for its acquisition. The recollection 
 of who it is that " teacheth man knowledge " will tend to 
 keep thee humble, not taking glory to thyself, or indulging 
 in self complacency, but thankfully acknowledging the un- 
 deserved and munificent gifts of the all bounteous Donor. 
 
 This tract though addressed particularly to the working classes and newly 
 arrived emigrants, has in it so much of a sermon for all the world, that it ia in- 
 troduced at the conclusion of this volume.
 
 544 CHURCH DISCIPLINE. [1855. 
 
 TO J. B. WALKER. 
 
 Macquarie Street, Hobart Town, 9 mo. 19, 1855. 
 
 I sent thee a paper, the Courier, by which thou 
 wouldst see I have had to wash my hands of participation in 
 the Patriotic Fund movement, at the risk of being very un- 
 popular ; at a time too when the Publicans were threatening 
 to tar and feather two or three of us, who have taken a 
 prominent part in the agitation by which " Sunday trafficking " 
 in strong drinks, has happily been put an end to in our 
 adopted country. I have not however yet been honoured in 
 the way hinted at, of which I am by no means ambitious. 
 I have adopted a new method of silently advocating the 
 cause, by exhibiting some of the most striking prints and 
 placards, depicting the evils of intemperance and the con- 
 trasted benefits of total abstinence, in the office window of 
 the Savings Bank. I am just now making even the moderate 
 drinkers tremble, at the graphic illustrations afforded by the 
 Delevan or Mammoth plates, of the injuries which even 
 these may sustain by indulgence in daily potations. 
 
 TO J B. WALKER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 12 mo. 14, 1855. 
 
 I have no doubt thou wouldst be much interested 
 in thy attendance of Leeds Quarterly Meeting. That meeting 
 was the first I ever attended as a meeting of discipline. A 
 memorable meeting it was. I was particularly struck, and 
 not a little affected, with the beautiful exhibition of order, 
 discriminating judgment and harmonious deliberation, it 
 afforded. It made me "more than ever enamoured with the 
 principles I had so recently adopted, and which were identified 
 with so truly admirable a system of church discipline. 
 
 What a favour it is to have the mental vision enlightened 
 on the subject of war ! Surely it is no trivial thing to be 
 kept clear of the spirit, and free from all participatiop in 
 warlike measures and principles. Deep humiliation, rather 
 than rejoicing evidenced by illumimations and by bell-ringing, 
 would be becoming the occasion of the late victory at Sebas- 
 topol. But this kind of folly has been abundantly prevalent
 
 CHAP. 30.] PARENTAL SOLICITUDE. 54<5 
 
 here. The night before last there was a general illumination 
 in Hobart Town, in which, of course, Friends could not take 
 part ; and considering the exposed nature of our premises, 
 I thought we escaped to a wonder, in having only six squares 
 of glass broken. 
 
 The old name of Van Diemens Land is become obsolete, 
 and has been replaced by the more euphonious one of 
 " Tasmania," which I see thou hast already adopted. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 2 mo. 9, 1856. 
 
 Thou wilt often find thyself, as I do, among 
 those who are looked upon as the aged, with whom wisdom 
 should dwell, and who are consequently referred to for 
 counsel and direction ; and as our contemporaries drop 
 off one after another, a feeling something like loneliness, as 
 respects the companions of our youth and early manhood, 
 comes over the mind ; and as one is reminded of the solemn 
 truth, that the goodliness of man is but as the flower of the 
 grass, which passeth away, longings are increasingly felt, that 
 while the outward man perishes the inward man may be 
 renewed from day to day, that we may be ready when the 
 solemn summons arrives, to join the just of all generations who 
 have gone before. " I have seen an end of all perfection," 
 said the Psalmist, " but thy commandment is exceeding 
 broad." The truth is still very precious to my soul ; yet my 
 path is often a very tribulated one, and at times tears are 
 given me to drink in great measure, both for myself and 
 others. that these comparatively light afflictions, which 
 are but for a moment, may work out for us that more exceeding 
 and eternal weight of glory, which we aspire after, however 
 undeserving we may feel ! 
 
 The dear children are a source of much solicitude. Would 
 that I could see more decided indications of the love of their 
 Saviour. And where these indications are wanting, the feeling 
 of responsibility is very serious and solemn, and of fear, lest 
 even while carrying out our well-meant endeavours we should 
 be causing a stumbling block to any of the little ones, either 
 
 u
 
 546 SYMPATHY. [1856. 
 
 by undue indulgence on the one hand, or severity on the 
 other. Though old in years I often feel but as a child, 
 and am ready to exclaim : " Who is sufficient for these 
 things ?" It is the Lord alone who can effectually help. 
 
 TO J. B. WALKER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 6 mo. 21. 1856. 
 
 Thine of 2 mo. 18 was a great relief to us, as 
 we had looked forward with some apprehension to thy taking 
 the measles. To be assured that thou hadst got so nicely 
 through them filled our hearts with thankfulness to the 
 Author of all our mercies. We feel not a little grateful also 
 to those kind friends who have so tenderly cared for our 
 beloved boy. Our dear friends, James and Elizabeth Back- 
 house, have manifested their wonted kindness, which we do 
 not fail to appreciate. After reading thy letter recounting 
 all the particulars of thy illness, I went into the house to read 
 it to thy mother, but I could not proceed further than the 
 paragraph in allusion to the parents of poor little Bewley, 
 whose trying lot it was to arrive just four hours too late to 
 see their only son alive. The contrast between their ex- 
 perience as parents and our own, filled my heart with emotions 
 too big for utterance, and for a time we could only mingle 
 our tears, under feelings of sympathy for the bereaved, and 
 of deep prostration of soul before the Lord, for his unmerited 
 yet numberless mercies towards ourselves. 
 
 Thy dear mother and myself took tea last evening with 
 our friends Frederick and Rachel Mackie, who are now settled 
 in their own dwelling, where F. M. will also carry on his 
 school. I trust the undertaking will be owned of the Most 
 High, and prove a blessing to the children committed to 
 his care. 
 
 TO JOHN FORD. 
 
 Hobart Town, 7 mo. 28, 1856. 
 
 Thy letter of 4 mo. 23 arrived a few days since. 
 I must acknowledge its contents took us a little by surprise. 
 For having been led to suppose (as much perhaps by inference
 
 CHAP. 30.] VIEW OF A CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 547 
 
 as by any thing direct) that James himself cherished the wish 
 to become a Teacher, and had, prospectively at least, com- 
 mitted himself to the work of tuition, I had not entertained an 
 idea that any reference to the subject on my part, any re- 
 capitulation as it were of the sacrifices and responsibilities it 
 would involve, would have the effect of unsettling him. It 
 was far from my intention to shake his resolution, or to give a 
 bias to his view of those bearings of the question of which 
 he ought not to be ignorant. With these feelings the 
 prospect thy letter unfolded of his possible early return, 
 however delightful to dwell upon, could not fail to take us 
 by surprise. For a time we seemed scarcely able to realize 
 the possibility that our precious child may shortly be on 
 his Way home. And however we may rejoice in being 
 permitted to witness his return in safety, and now fully 
 soever we may acquiesce in the movement, as being in the 
 Lord's ordering, I think we shall probably share with thee 
 in something like a feeling of disappointment. 
 
 The search of our friend, for " wheat among which are no 
 tares," as thou hast most significantly expressed it, is I fully 
 believe, vain, yet he is not singular in yielding to the illusion. 
 Those who have been carried away by it, have, as far as my 
 observation has extended, not profited by the search. Nor 
 do they rightly appreciate, I think, the nature and objects of 
 a Christian church. Its very constitution, and the necessity 
 for such an organization baing recognized by the Divine 
 appointment, imply weakness and liability to go astray on 
 the part of its members. Were no tares to spring up among 
 the wheat, why the necessity for a church ? I should be very 
 much disposed to doubt whether those who fall into this snare 
 are sufficiently sensible of their own weakness, " that they 
 also are compassed with infirmity," to cherish in an adequate 
 degree that most divine and blessed attribute of the Redeemer, 
 " compassion for the ignorant and on them that are out of the 
 way." Had not this shone forth conspicuously in Him, 
 where would have been our ground for confidence or even 
 hope?
 
 548 F. AND R. MACKIE. [1856. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town 9 mo. 20, 1856. 
 
 I quite concur in the propriety of thy and 
 John Ford's decision with respect to our dear boy. Unless 
 his own mind decidedly leaned towards the course once con- 
 templated of training for a teacher, his return home is the 
 safer and more prudent course. 
 
 10 mo. 11. It is a great satisfaction to us to have the 
 valuable services of our dear friend F. Mackie as instructor of 
 the sons of Friends. This arrangement has been in operation 
 about three months, with the promise of highly beneficial 
 results, and he and his valued wife have, by the desire of 
 Friends, undertaken to take the girls also under their tuition. 
 This will to me be a relief, inasmuch as they are consistent in 
 their adherence to the views of Friends, and certainly to my 
 own. Whatever modifications the views of some may have 
 undergone with regard to " dress and address," I have found 
 the way of the cross in these things, little as they may be 
 accounted, profitable and safe ; and although they may involve 
 some peculiarity and even singularity, I believe that when in 
 contact with a community where large sacrifices are made to 
 the idol of dress, they would prove a safe-guard and a salutary 
 restraint upon the dear children ; and in reference to things 
 that extend far beyond the limits of dress and address, I have 
 no unity with that spirit which would make the path wider 
 for the children than that which has been trodden, and proved 
 to be salutary by the parents.
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 LETTERS 1857, 1858. LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 
 
 JAMES B. WALKER'S return home, although a 
 disappointment to his father, was, as the sequel 
 proved, a very timely step. Within less than two 
 years George W. Walker's useful course came to 
 a close ; and the presence of his eldest son not 
 only supported and comforted his bereaved mother, 
 but was in a high degree useful in connection with 
 the temporal affairs of the family. The managers of 
 the Savings Bank shewed their high regard for the 
 memory of their lamented Actuary, by immediately 
 appointing his son to a place of trust in the insti- 
 tution. 
 
 A few letters, written during this concluding 
 period of George W. Walker's life, attest his un- 
 abated interest in the welfare of his fellow-men, and 
 his increasing ripeness for the harvest day which was 
 so soon to overtake him. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 1 mo. 10, 1857. 
 
 I fancy I have less of mental vigour than some 
 years ago. There are times when I feel as if I could not put 
 two ideas together, and perhaps, generally, my infirmity is a 
 paucity of ideas, even more than the want of power of ex- 
 pressing them. But it is a precious experience, to feel the 
 enlivening influence of the love of God shed abroad in the 
 heart ; this gives contentment under the lose of all things,
 
 550 INTEREST IN EDUCATION. [1858. 
 
 which if they leave not us, we must leave before many 
 years are over. This sweetens what is in many respects a 
 tribulated path. I realize these feelings however far too 
 seldom. Yet in looking, as I often do, far oftener than the 
 day, towards the end of all things, my heart is comforted in 
 the hope, that through the efficacy of a Saviour's mediation 
 and unmerited love, when flesh and heart fail, the Lord will 
 be the strength of my heart and my portion for ever. 
 
 TO JOSIAH FORSTER. 
 
 Hobart Town, 1 mo. 13, 1858, 
 
 The Board of Education, of which I am a 
 member, has about fifty schools in operation on this side of 
 the Colony, numbering nearly 2500 children in attendance. 
 The schools are conducted on the non-denominational prin^ 
 ciple, under a modification of the Irish system. But it is 
 but too common a cause of complaint almost everywhere, 
 that the people themselves do not sufficiently appreciate the 
 value of instruction, or they would be more willing to pay 
 for it, and thus hold out adequate inducements to competent 
 teachers to enter upon the office. The cost of the children is 
 about 3, per head, to the Government, of which, not quite 
 one-fourth is contributed by the parents. This is far too 
 little in a country where even the day labourer can earn five 
 shillings per diem. 
 
 Thou kindly makest reference to my son James. I have 
 every reason to be well satisfied with his progress, and with the 
 character of the instruction he received at J. Ford's. He is 
 now in one of our principal merchants' offices. I only regret 
 that circumstances are not so favourable for following out his 
 previous courses of study as I could desire. We have now 
 nine children, truly a formidable family. With regard to 
 temporal concerns, they are still an object of some solicitude, 
 through the vicissitudes of the commercial world here. But 
 amidst all my ups and downs, temporal and spiritual, the 
 Lord has been good. Truly I have been cast upon Him 
 from my birth ; He is my (rod from the day of my nativity, 
 and I can at times realize the assurance, to my unspeakable
 
 CHAP. 31.] GROUND OF HOPE. 551 
 
 comfort, that he will graciously continue to be my guide, even 
 until death ; and that through the riches of his unspeakable 
 mercy in Christ, and not for any merits of my own (for in his 
 sight shame and confusion of face are the frequent clothing of 
 my spirit,) he will be my sufficient " portion forever ! " My 
 spirit is contrited in the retrospect of what he has done for 
 me, and how little I have done for Him, who has loved me 
 and washed me in his own precious blood ; this is the sole 
 ground of my hope. 
 
 My dear wife is only delicate, the cares of her numerous 
 progeny being too much for her physical strength. She 
 unites with me in love and Christian esteem. 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 4 mo. 9, 1858. 
 
 Whether I shall continue the woollen drapery 
 business or not, I have not yet decided. It is no disposition 
 to gam wealth that has led me to resume the retail business. 
 It has been the force of circumstances that has compelled me. 
 I would never encourage a child of mine to follow the linen 
 drapery, as it is pursued here. It is bad enough in England, 
 but here a person must keep every variety of fashion, every 
 thing that panders to the vitiated taste for finery and display. 
 Our dear Hobert Lindsey has entered upon a very wide 
 and arduous service. His visit to the remote parts of the 
 vineyard will be the means of gladdening and strengthening 
 many hearts, if it partake of the character of his travels in 
 these parts. It is a somewhat singular coincidence, that his 
 valued companion Frederick Mackio should have been led to 
 settle down under circumstances so analogous to my own ; 
 and that we should be now members of the same meeting. 
 
 TO ELIZABETH WALKER, NEWCASTLE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 6 mo. 7, 1858. 
 My dear Sister, 
 
 I scarcely expected to see thy hand-writing 
 any more. It is pleasant to think, that although we have
 
 552 VIEWS OF WEALTH. [1858. 
 
 Lad but little of one another's society, that which we have 
 been privileged with, has never been marred by anything of 
 a discordant nature. Nothing but love and good will have 
 prevailed ; and now that the great globe itself is between us, 
 it is pleasant indeed to believe that we are as living epistles 
 written on each other's hearts. It was satisfactory to learn 
 that notwithstanding the infirmities of advanced age, thou art 
 not subject to much pain. When it may please the Almighty 
 to call thee hence, may a hope of immortality, based on the 
 Rock of Ages, Christ Jesus, be thine, enabling thee to trust 
 in Him with humble confidence, and to say with the royal 
 Psalmist, " Though I walk through the valley of the shadow 
 of death, I will fear no evil ; for thou art with me ; thy rod 
 and thy staff they comfort me."* 
 
 TO JAMES BACKHOUSE. 
 
 Hobart Town, 6 mo. 12, 1858. 
 
 The way is now pretty clear for my getting 
 out of the retail trade before long. In having my means 
 reduced I find I am only experiencing a trial that many 
 others are subjected to. I cannot say that beyond the 
 solicitude that I may be able to pay every one his due, this 
 has caused me any real inquietude. Above most men I have 
 the least reason to mistrust the goodness of our Heavenly 
 Father, upon whom I have been cast from my birth, and 
 who has never failed me in the hour of need. Praised be his 
 name ! I have long been convinced that much treasure laid 
 up for children, who we cannot be sure will make a good use of 
 it, is not a thing that should be coveted by the true Christian. 
 Certainly where it is withheld it should cause no repining. 
 While the means, to those whom we may leave behind, of 
 supplying present necessities, is to be accounted a great 
 blessing, much beyond is often an injury or a curse ; and the 
 prospect of such abundance is peculiarly apt to have an 
 injurious influence on our children, destructive of humility 
 and dependance on a superintending Providence. These 
 
 * Elizabeth Walker, who was G. W. "VV.'s half sister, and the last suryivor of 
 B. numerous family, died in 1861, at the age of 86 years.
 
 CHAP. 31.] REFLECTIONS OX THE CLOSE OF LIFE. 553 
 
 considerations, which have long been deeply rooted in my 
 niind, have a wonderful effect in reconciling me to that state 
 wherein, "having food and raiment" accommodated to that 
 sphere in which I am necessitated to move, I hope I shall 
 " be content." I feel it often a trial not to be able to dispense 
 as liberally to others as I could wish, yet still I give a little 
 that I may not lose the habit of giving, as thou used to observe, 
 should be the care of those in limited circumstances. 
 
 My dear Sarah, and James, join me in love to thee 
 and thine. Indeed all our children participate in the 
 feeling, though thou art only known by most of them through 
 the constant references of their parents to one who will never 
 cease to be dear to them. Alas ! my once many intimate 
 Mends are becoming fewer and fewer. The time is hastening 
 when we too shall follow. for an increased ability to 
 work while it is day, so as to know our calling and election 
 to be made sure ! Blessed be (rod, we have still an Advocate 
 at the right hand of the Father, who is touched with the 
 feeling of our infirmities, or I, for one, should often have 
 despaired ! May he perfect that which concerneth us, and 
 make us meet for an inheritance with the saints in light. 
 
 Farewell my very dear friend ; and believe me to remain, 
 as ever, thy affectionate friend, 
 
 GEO. W. WALKER. 
 
 Towards the close of the year George W. Walker's 
 health declined ; but he was not confined to the house 
 until within about a fortnight of his decease. On the 
 16th of the First month, 1859, which was a First-day, 
 he occupied his usual seat in the meeting for worship, 
 and preached from the words of the Psalmist ; 
 11 Happy is lie that hath the God of Jacob for his 
 help, whose hope is in the Lord his God." In the 
 evening of the same day, though much more unwell, 
 he conducted the family reading, and was again 
 impressively engaged in ministry, principally on the 
 subject of the Christian's faith, lamenting " the sad
 
 554 ILLNESS AND DEATH. [1859. 
 
 condition of those who pass through life without this 
 precious faith." 
 
 After this his strength failed rapidly, and his 
 sufferings became acute. Being at one time in 
 agonising pain, he broke forth into earnest prayer 
 for Divine aid, and said, " O that He would be 
 pleased to say, It is enough ; that He who has led 
 me and fed me all my life long, would continue to 
 be with me. Now also that I am old and grey- 
 headed, God, forsake me not ! " He also prayed for 
 others by name. At a subsequent period, observing 
 the distress of his dear wife, he begged her not to be 
 cast down, remarking that he did not apprehend the 
 affliction was unto death, but for the glory of God. 
 After a time he seemed much better, and said that 
 should he recover, he hoped he should prove his faith 
 by his works more than he had yet done. 
 
 His revival was however very transient, and it 
 soon became evident that the hand of death was upon 
 him. Paralysis came on, so that it was difficult for 
 him to converse ; yet he made cheerful remarks such 
 as, "I see you have come to help me in my ex- 
 tremity;" "It is pleasant to see goodly faces, 
 especially when we know they are in the way of 
 good." Addressing his wife, he spoke of his brother- 
 in-law, Joseph B. Mather, who had been very ill, 
 and who he thought understood his feelings, which 
 he described, " as though the last flickering of life 
 was passing away." 
 
 He spent the last few days mostly in a state of 
 unconsciousness. A short time before he expired, 
 opening his eyes, he made an ineffectual attempt at 
 utterance ; and then quietly fell asleep, on the First
 
 CHAP. 31.] FUNERAL AND MINISTRY. 555 
 
 of the Second month, 1859, being in the 59th year 
 of his age. 
 
 His funeral, which took place on the 4th, was 
 attended by a deputation from the Municipal Corpo- 
 ration, by ministers of several denominations, by the 
 representatives of various philanthropic Societies, 
 and by a large number of his fellow-citizens. " At 
 the grave," says a correspondent of the Hobart Town 
 Advertiser, " prayer was offered, and short addresses 
 by Friends, after a solemn pause. The service was 
 very affecting ; and pervading the vast assemblage 
 were sentiments of affectionate sympathy with the 
 bereaved, and of chastened sorrow at the dispen- 
 sation by which one so estimable and so useful has 
 been taken from our midst." 
 
 Testimonials, full of esteem for the deceased and 
 of sympathy with the bereaved family, were issued 
 by the benevolent associations with which he was 
 the most nearly identified and connected. 
 
 The Friends of his own Monthly Meeting have a 
 lively recollection of G. W. Walker's example in the 
 various relations of life. Regarding his ministry, 
 they say ; " We believe it has been blessed to this 
 little company. His addresses were characterized 
 by great humility and simplicity, reaching to the 
 witness for truth in the hearts of his hearers ; and 
 his deportment was at all times weighty and in- 
 structive. He was often deeply exercised on behalf 
 of the rising generation, earnestly desiring that 
 they might become faithful testimony-bearers in the 
 church, prepared to occupy the places of those who 
 may be removed from amongst us." " In conver- 
 sation," they continue, " he was cheerful and
 
 556 CONCLUSION. [1859. 
 
 edifying, and in the social circle he had the gift of 
 conveying much religious instruction, so that few 
 could leave his company without being benefited 
 by the brightness of his religious character. The 
 habitual tendency of his thoughts was heavenward. 
 His manners were marked by true Christian courtesy; 
 and possessing a sensitive mind, he was especially 
 considerate of the feelings of others." " In his 
 association with those who were not of our religious 
 Society, he was careful to uphold his position as a 
 Friend. His consistent maintenance of our various 
 testimonies has made his example of much value to 
 us ; nor did his faithfulness in these particulars cause 
 him to be less esteemed by his fellow-townsmen. 
 The following sentiments, written by him many 
 years ago, not only continued to be entertained by 
 him, but were deepened by increased experience. 
 ' Intimate and frequent intercourse with serious per- 
 sons of other religious denominations has, I believe, 
 not diminished my value for what is estimable 
 beyond the pale of our own Society ; but it has, if 
 possible, more than ever confirmed me in the con- 
 viction, that the principles and practice of consistent 
 Friends are in accordance with the Gospel of Christ. 
 That, through the matchless mercy of our God, my 
 understanding should have been enlightened to per- 
 ceive the excellence and beauty of the truth as it is 
 in Jesus, and that at this time my heart should be 
 bound, as I trust it is, more than ever to his testi- 
 monies, I esteem the crowning mercy of my life.' " * 
 
 * See the Testimony of Hobart Town Monthly Meeting. E. Marsh, London, 1860
 
 FRIENDLY COUNSEL; 
 
 ADDRESSED TO THE WORKING CLASSES, MORE ESPECIALLY 
 TO NEWLY ARRIVED EMIGRANTS. 
 
 BY QEOKGE WASHINGTON WALKEB. 
 
 PERMIT an old Colonist, one who is himself an emigrant, and feela 
 a lively interest in your welfare, to address to you a few words of 
 friendly counsel. 
 
 Many of you have recently left the land of your birth, and are 
 entering upon an untrodden path, in which there is much that is 
 strange to you. It is like beginning the world anew. How impor- 
 tant is a right beginning ! Strangers, in a strange land, you may 
 know none to whom you can look with implicit confidence for counsel. 
 It is the more needful, then, that you be true to yourselves, and study 
 well your own interests. For the furtherance of this object, and to 
 assist you in arriving at right conclusions, the following hints are 
 submitted for your consideration. Should they appear to you to 
 accord with the dictates of common sense, and with your own con- 
 victions of what is right and is even incumbent on persons circum- 
 stanced as you are, and thus strengthen your resolution to carry 
 them out in practice, the aim of the writer in thus addressing you 
 will be accomplished. 
 
 Some of the subjects referred to, though they may seem of trifling 
 import, yet have an intimate bearing on your temporal interests, and 
 therefore may not be out of place in an address that is designed to 
 promote your present as well as your everlasting well-being. 
 
 It may seem almost unnecessary to remind you, that having to live 
 by the fruit of your own exertions, it is highly important to economise 
 your means. It is rather for the purpose of suggesting a mode by 
 which you may do so with the greatest advantage, that the subject 
 is adverted to, and of reminding you, that by placing your money in 
 the Savings Bank, it will not only be kept in safety, but you will 
 be less under the temptation to spend it than if it were to remain in 
 your own keeping. Besides, every pound thus invested will bear 
 interest, and increase, even without any addition to it on your part.
 
 Z FRIENDLY COUNSEL. 
 
 But you may reasonably hope with care and industry you will be 
 enabled to add to your store ; and that at a future period, after having 
 gained experience in the Colony, you will be better prepared for 
 turning it to good account. 
 
 Remember also, that as time is equivalent to money, it is important 
 not to lose a day that you can help in entering upon regular employ- 
 ment. A long voyage is unfavourable to the cultivation of indus- 
 trious habits ; the sooner these are resumed, therefore, the better. 
 When usefully employed, you will not be likely to form unprofitable 
 connections, which are often a snare to new-comers. You will find 
 it your interest to make few acquaintances, particularly in the outset. 
 Beware of shipmates, or others, who would encourage you to in- 
 dulge in pleasure and dissipation. A man's character is estimated 
 in great measure by the company he keeps ; and yours is of the utmost 
 importance to you. There are few places where character, if de- 
 serving, is more highly appreciated than in this Colony ; it generally 
 commands a premium. 
 
 Flee the public-house, as you would the road to ruin ; and shun 
 those persons, however warm their professions of friendship, who 
 would entice you to drink ; look upon them as themselves deluded, 
 if not as plotting your ruin by seeking to accomplish their own 
 selfish ends at your expense. Strong drink is the principal means 
 by which multitudes in this land have their prospects blighted, and 
 ultimately become ruined in mind and body, as well as in estate. The 
 danger is no less real when presented under the guise of a "socia 
 glass," by a so called friend, at the door or in the bar-room of a public- 
 house. Parley not with temptation. However inviting the intoxica- 
 ting cup may seem in the commencement, " at the last it biteth like 
 a serpent and stingeth like an adder." " Wine is a mocker, strong 
 drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." 
 Many in these colonies have signed the pledge to abstain from all in- 
 toxicating drinks, and find themselves great gainers, not only in 
 health and circumstances, but in various other ways. If you have 
 not already done so, you cannot do better than follow their example. 
 
 Labour at the present juncture is highly remunerative, and most 
 persons are disposed to give fair, acd even liberal wages. Be not, 
 however, extravagant in your expectations, or unreasonable in your 
 demands, for this would only tend to militate against your own in- 
 terests. There are other considerations also, besides the rate of 
 wages, that in entering into an engagement, should be taken into 
 account ; such as the character of your employer, and the probable 
 permanence or otherwise of the situation, as well as others more or 
 less obvious. The respectability of a master is in some degree
 
 FRIENDLY COUNSEL. 3 
 
 reflected on his dependants, so long as they conduct themselves with 
 propriety ; and when a change of place becomes necessary, to have 
 served a respectable master, especially if for a lengthened period, will 
 always be found valuable as an introduction to other and more 
 advantageous employment. 
 
 Guard against a roving and unsettled turn of mind, which often 
 terminates in confirmed fickleness and instability of character in the 
 persons who give way to it. You will meet with many such in 
 these colonies. As a general rule, you will find they illustrate the 
 truth of the old adage, " The rolling stone gathers no moss." 
 
 Those of you who are mechanics, farming men, or even day- 
 labourers, have now a fair opportunity of earning, not only a com- 
 fortable livelihood, but of laying something by for the permanent 
 improvement of your condition. A very few years of industry and 
 economy will secure to you the means of purchasing a piece of 
 ground and rearing a cottage and garden of your own. 
 
 But the fair prospect before you may easily be marred. Let none 
 deceive themselves by supposing that these colonies, in a general 
 way, present any short cut to independence, or royal road to wealth 
 any surer path, in fact, than that which Divine Providence has every 
 where marked out as the condition of success ; viz. a persevering 
 course of honest industry, combined with prudence and economy. 
 False notions on this head may induce conduct similar to that of the 
 dog in the fable, who let go a present and substantial good to grasp 
 at a shadow. 
 
 Among other temptations to abandon industrious pursuits 
 although when persevered in these are all but certain of success the 
 Gold-fields will be represented to you, especially by the fickle and 
 inconstant, as the shortest road to independence. But ponder well 
 before you commit yourselves to such a step consider the possible, 
 nay probable, consequences, before relinquishing a present and safo 
 means of livelihood for one that is precarious, remote, and attended 
 with many risks. 
 
 It is true that some do obtain gold, and a few in considerable 
 quantity. But for one who is thus successful, how many hun- 
 dreds have failed ? The good fortune, as it is termed, of the few is 
 trumpeted forth by a thousand tongues, and far and near is made the 
 subject of comment, while 'we hear little of the numbers who realise 
 only their labour and expenses for their pains ; for losses and failure 
 are not grateful topics, especially with those by whom they are en- 
 countered. But those who are wise argue from the rule, and not from 
 the exception. It is computed that the average amount of each gold- 
 digger's earnings is far below the wages of an ordinary day-labourer.
 
 4 FRIENDLY COUNSEL. 
 
 The chances, so to speak, are therefore against you, looking at the thing 
 in a rational point of view ; and no other is worthy of sensible men. 
 
 But could you be certain of obtaining gold, yet there are many 
 drawbacks that require to be taken into account. Besides the cost 
 of outfit and other expenses, which are considerable, there are the 
 risks of accidents and disease, as well as of personal outrage ; and 
 in proportion to your reputed success, whether real or not, will be your 
 exposure to the attacks of lawless violence. Many a poor wanderer 
 has met with an untimely end from one or other of these causes, or has 
 been entombed alive while delving in the earth for the precious metal. 
 
 In the estimation of the thoughtful and the right-minded, there 
 is yet another and more imminent risk, that ought to have much 
 weight with them ; and it is one to which the successful are more 
 peculiarly exposed. 
 
 Gold-digging is a lottery in which there are, it is true, seme prizes, 
 but many more blanks . Hence the occupation of the gold-digger is 
 nearly allied to that of the gambler ; and as in all games of hazard 
 where there is much at stake, its essential tendency is to induce 
 recklessness and general deterioration of character. So frequently 
 has this been the result, that no small proportion of the more success- 
 ful adventurers have been rendered not only worse citizens, but poorer 
 men, than if they had never visited the gold-fields. The reckless 
 and improvident habits they have there acquired have soon stripped 
 them of their gains. They have meanwhile lost the relish, and in 
 some degree the capacity, for the healthful, and in the end, more 
 gainful pursuits of regular industry ; and as regards all that consti- 
 tutes men good and useful members of society, in every sense of the 
 word, they are losers. There is little doubt that this is one of the 
 worst features of gold-digging. 
 
 To those, likewise, who have left families in their eager pursuit 
 after gold, it has in numerous cases proved the cause of irreparable 
 injury. Gold, were it acquired, would be but a poor compensation 
 for the loss of domestic happiness, attended as it has too often been 
 with the ruin of wives or daughters, the sad consequence of 
 temporary abandonment by their natural protectors. 
 
 Now, no human prudence or foresight can secure exemption from 
 these evils, or others that might be enumerated. How needful then, 
 before embarking in so hazardous an undertaking, to count the 
 possible cost of "hastening to be rich," through which, even from 
 ancient time, men have involved themselves in " temptation and a 
 snare," that have ultimately been the means of " drowning them in 
 destruction and perdition."
 
 FRIENDLY COUNSEL. 
 
 And now for a few words of homely counsel to such, of you as are 
 of the female sex, in reference to matters that may be deemed in- 
 significant, yet on which much of your future usefulness and success 
 may depend. 
 
 Life is for the most part made up of little incidents of daily and 
 hourly occurrence, in which we have to take part, and which tend 
 more to the formation of character, and to stamp it with the impress 
 of usefulness or worthlessness of good or of evil than actions of a 
 more imposing kind, but of rarer occurrence. Let none therefore 
 despise " the day of small things." 
 
 Domestic service will probably be the vocation of most of you ; 
 and a faithful and efficient domestic is both a useful and estimable 
 member of society. May all be careful when in service to earn this 
 character, and having once earned it, to maintain it. It may soon 
 be acquired by pains-taking and an honest determination to do what 
 is right, at all times and under all circumstances, whether under the 
 eye of a master or mistress or not. Scorn mere eye-service, as 
 pitiful and degrading. 
 
 Whatever you take in hand, be it little or much, aim to do it 
 well. There is truth in the saying, that, " a thing well done is 
 twice done," that is, it saves a second doing, which might other- 
 wise be necessary. And never take it amiss when shown how it 
 might have been better done. Rather be grateful to the master or 
 mistress who will be at the pains of instructing you. 
 
 Another means of increasing the value of your services, and of 
 gaining the approval of your employers which all should be anxious 
 to secure is to do things in the way that accords with their wishes, 
 rather than your own. This is no more than a master or mistress 
 has a right to expect, and what you would probablj require were you 
 in their place. Yet many an otherwise good servant fails to give the 
 satisfaction she might, from an anxiet}-, if not determination, to do 
 things in her own way, rather than in that prescribed to her. 
 
 Have a special regard to cleanliness. Few things contribute more 
 to health and comfort, and, next to honesty, perhaps nothing speaks 
 more forcibly in a young woman's favour. The trite saying that 
 " Cleanliness is next to Godliness," is not without a meaning. A 
 neat and cleanly person, as well as a well-ordered house, or even 
 kitchen, bespeaks, in some degree, a well-ordered mind. And hero 
 it may be observed, that method, or, in other words, an orderly, 
 systematic way of going about 5*our work, will materially tend to 
 the promotion of cleanliness. It is no uncommon thing to sue 
 persons, for want of method, make nearly as much litter and dirt 
 
 o
 
 6 FRIENDLY COUNSEL. 
 
 while professing to clean up, as they remove out of the way, thus 
 causing themselves interminable labour. 
 
 Again, in matters that require to be done daily or weekly, have a 
 fixed time for doing them, and be regular and punctual in their 
 performance. Have, as far as practicable, a time for everything, 
 and do everything in its right time ; whilst adhering no less rigidly 
 to the good old maxim, " A place for everything, and everything 
 in its place." 
 
 It cannot be too strongly impressed upon your minds that habits 
 of order, punctuality and cleanliness, and, in short, every qualifi- 
 cation that contributes to make what we call, a good servant, is not 
 merely valuable to a master or mistress. They are of incomparably 
 more advantage to their possessor. These habits, once acquired, 
 accompany a young woman through life. They form a part of 
 herself, and invest her with a character of superiority ; and wherever 
 she may be situated, or whatever may be her occupation, they will 
 materially add to her usefulness and worth : and should it become 
 her lot to change her condition, (and none are more likely, and to 
 change it for the better, too,) and she should have to manage a 
 family of her own, she will be still better prepared to appreciate their 
 value, as she will prove in her own experience, how greatly they con- 
 tribute to the right and effective management of a household. 
 
 And now, though last in the order of mention, yet first in im- 
 portance, nay, far before every other consideration, may all be 
 concerned to seek the blessing of Almighty God in what they under- 
 take. The hints that have been offered for your guidance in the 
 preceding pages, comprise little more than the suggestions of worldly 
 prudence ; but as " Wisdom dwells with prudence," and " the 
 fear of the Lord, that is wisdom," so an adherence to the course 
 that has been recommended to you will be found to harmonize with 
 the precepts and requirements of Religion. And without religion, 
 what is man? and what is the value of all for which he toils, 
 even his most boasted acquisitions? Though he hoard up gold 
 and "make it his hope, and say to the fine gold, thou art my 
 confidence," surely with its owner, it will speedily pass away. 
 " Having brought nothing into this world, it is certain he can 
 cany nothing out." And, "what is a man profited if he shall 
 gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? Or what shall a 
 man give in exchange for his soul ? " This is an awful con- 
 sideration, which, if it influence us aright, wiil make the present 
 life assume importance chiefly in its relation to the future, 
 'that endless state of being in which "every man shall be rewarded 
 according' to his works," and how solemn the thought, that "the
 
 FRIENDLY COUNSEL. 7 
 
 eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the 
 good;" that he scrutinizes motives as well as actions. "Man 
 looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on 
 the heart." " We must all appear before the judgment-seat of 
 Christ, that we may receive the things done in the body accor- 
 ding to that we have done, whether it be good or bad." Seeing, 
 therefore, that none can "escape the righteous judgment of God," 
 well might the Apostle add, "Knowing, therefore, the terror of 
 the Lord, we persuade men." Surely "it is a fearful thing to 
 fall into the hands of the living God." 
 
 " The redemption of the soul is precious," precious beyond 
 what words can convey. It is the great work in which we ought 
 all to be chiefly concerned, so as to be prepared to stand with accep- 
 tance before the judgment seat of Christ. What then is the 
 counsel of Him who shall be our judge, in reference to this all- 
 important matter ? " This is the work of God, that ye believe 
 on Him whom He hath sent." Again, "He that believeth on 
 me hath everlasting life." "If ye believe not that I am He, ye 
 shall die in your sins ; " and " if ye die in your sins, whither I go 
 ye cannot come." " I am the resurrection and the life : he that 
 believeth in me, though he were dead, jet shall he live ; and 
 whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." 
 
 Faith in Christ, therefore, the faith of " the operation of God," 
 a living, operative faith, influencing the heart and life in such 
 manner as to change the one and reform the other, a " believing 
 with the heart unto righteousness," is the condition of admittance 
 into " the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 
 
 How needful the injunction of an Apostle, "Examine yourselves 
 whether ye be in the faith, prove your ownselves ; know ye not 
 your ownselves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be repro- 
 bates." " For," says the same inspired writer, in another place, 
 "If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the god of 
 this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest 
 the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, 
 should shine unto them. For God, who commanded the light to 
 shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of 
 the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face [or appearance] of 
 Jesus Christ." 
 
 In accordance with prophecy, " in due time, Christ died for the 
 ungodly ; and " unto every one of us is given grace, according to 
 the measure of the gift of Christ." " He ascended up on high, he 
 led captivity captive, and received gifts for men; yea, for the 
 rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them." " The
 
 FRIENDLY COUNSEL. 
 
 grace of God, that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men, 
 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should 
 live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world ; looking 
 for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, 
 and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who g?ve himself for us, that he 
 might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar 
 people, zealous of good works." 
 
 To listen to and obey the teachings of this unerring Teacher 
 this Wonderful Counsellor, who by his grace first " convinces us 
 of sin," and as we are willing and obedient, " guides us into all 
 truth," and enables us to " to fulfil all righteousness," is the 
 essence, then, of Christianity, the sum and substance of the 
 religion of Christ, which thus resolves itself into a thing so simple 
 and intelligible, that the most unlettered and ignorant in the 
 wisdom of this world, the veriest babe in the school of Christ, may 
 readily comprehend it so far, at least, as is necessary to salvation. 
 
 It was probably the contemplation of this sublime truth that 
 drew from our holy Eedecmer those memorable words; "I thank 
 thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, because thou hast hid 
 these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them 
 unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." 
 Yes, to believe in, to love and follow the Saviour, " not in word and 
 in tongue only, but in deed and truth," is the religion of Christ. 
 "Without this, all that bears the name of religion is mere profession, 
 shadow without substance, and but " as sounding brass, or a 
 tinkling cymbal." If these things be really so and the Scriptures, 
 as cited above, have been allowed to speak for themselves how 
 important, it is that we should not merely read the plain directions they 
 contain, and assent to them with the understanding, but that we 
 should reduce them to practice; as said our blessed Redeemer, " If 
 ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." Otherwise, 
 although nominally his followers, we may be in no better position 
 than were the Jews, with whom he expostulated in the following 
 language ; " Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have 
 eternal life, and they are they which testify of me ; and ye will not 
 come unto me that ye might have life." " No man cometh unto mo 
 except the Father, which hath sent me, draw him." It is by the 
 operation of God's grace on the hearts of men that he draws them 
 unto the Son ; hence, it is termed, " the grace that brings salvation." 
 For, "there is none other name under heaven given among 
 men whereby we must be saved, but the name of Jesus 
 Christ." And further, we are instructed, that " by grace we are 
 l, through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of
 
 FRIENDLY COUNSEL. 9 
 
 God ;" and that " unto every one of us is given grace, according to 
 the measure of the gift of Christ." 
 
 How diligently, then, should we cherish that inward sense of 
 right and wrong, those gentle whispers ami heartfelt convictions 
 which the grace of God secretly inspires. This grace addresses 
 itself to the conscience, it may be at times, in a still, small voice, 
 yet it is a voice that is not only intelligible, but authoritative : it is 
 as " a word behind us saying, ' This is the way, walk ye in it,' when 
 we turn to the right hand, and when we turn to the left," in 
 other words, when we deviate from the path of rectitude. 
 
 What an unspeakable mercy, that God has not left himself without 
 a witness, no, not even in the breasts of the rebellious children 
 of men. How frequently are these convinced of sin in their own 
 bosoms, by Him who is, emphatically " the faithful and true 
 "Witness ; " and although by long resistance to his strivings, and by 
 turning a deaf ear to his reproofs, it is possible to become hardened 
 and insensible thereto for the Almighty hath declared that " his 
 spirit shall not always strive with man," yet great is his for- 
 bearance and long-suffering towards his erring creatures. Often for 
 a long period does his Spirit " reprove man, and set his sins in order 
 before him," even while sinning with a high hand, " and drawing 
 iniquity as with a cart-rope;" and, whilst the day of merciful 
 visitation is thus lengthened, many times it is found by the dis- 
 obedient, to be indeed, " hard to kick against the pricks;" and if 
 these repent not, nor " turn unto him from whom they have deeply 
 revolted," "the word that he hath spoken" thus often in their 
 hearts, "the same shall judge them in the last day," and great will 
 be their condemnation. 
 
 But happy, thrice happy, are those who, while " Christ knocks 
 at the door " of their hearts, close in with the gracious offers of his 
 mercy, and through unfeigned " repentance towards God, and faith 
 towards tbe Lord Jesus Christ," evidenced by corresponding fruits, 
 come to be " accepted in Him the Beloved." 
 
 The Holy Scriptures, those precious records of divine truth, are 
 chiefly to be valued in that they point to " Him of whom Moses in 
 the law and the prophets did write." He himself bore this testi- 
 mony ; " They are they which testify of me." Christ declared 
 himself to be "the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh 
 unto the Father but by me," again, " My sheep hear my voice, and 
 I know them, and they follow me." 
 
 We need not long be in doubt whether we have como unto 
 Christ ; whether we " have heard him, and have been taught by 
 him as the truth is in JCSUB ; " whether " when our hearts were
 
 1.0 FRIENDLY COUNSEL. 
 
 overwhelmed," we have been "led to the Rock that ia higher than 
 we ;" whether " we are still without Christ, being aliens from the 
 commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, 
 having no hope, and without God in the world," or are " now no 
 more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, 
 and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the 
 Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner- 
 stone." For, " whoso falleth on this stone shall be broken," said 
 " the Shepherd of Israel." The " stony hearts " of these have been 
 taken away, and " hearts of flesh," have been given unto them ; 
 and henceforth, from the depths of these humbled and grateful 
 hearts, ascend " spiritual sacrifices, acceptable unto God by Jesus 
 Christ," even "the sacrifices of a broken spirit and a cor trite heart." 
 These have been taught in the school of Christ, the deeply humilia- 
 ting lesson of their own depravity ; that they inherit a fallen nature, 
 prone to evil. " They know that in themselves," that is in 
 their fleshly and fallen nature, " dwelleth no good thing." 
 That even when the " evil heart of unbelief," " the veil that 
 is spread over all nations, and which more or less darkens 
 all hearts, " but which is done away in Christ," has been partially 
 taken away, and they would fain have done good, evil has too 
 often been present with them ; until, in the depth of their distress, 
 in the very anguish of their souls, they have been led to cry out, 
 possibly in the words of the Apostle, " 0, wretched man that I am ! 
 who shall deliver me from the body of this death ?" Or, with poor 
 self-confident Peter, " Lord save me." Then it has probably 
 been, that the spirit or grace of Christ, known in their earlier 
 experience only as a Reprover, convincing them of sin, but whose 
 prerogative it is to " receive of the things of Christ," and to show 
 them unto the needy soul, has set before their spiritual view 
 " Christ crucified." The ministry of reconciliation has been pro- 
 claimed unto them. " Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away 
 the sin of the world." "They look on Him whom they have 
 pierced," and "whose Spirit they have grieved;" and "believing 
 in his Name," the gracious language has been sounded in their inmost 
 souls by the Comforter, whom Christ promised should be sent in his 
 name ; " Now are ye clean through the word that I have spoken unto 
 you." Henceforward these are "lively stones" in God's spiritual 
 house ; " they are of his husbandry, and his building." " They wor- 
 ship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no 
 confidence in the flesh." 
 
 "Whatever may be the measure of attainment in Christian ex- 
 perience, or the precise spiritual process by which the work of
 
 FRIENDLY COUNSEL. 11 
 
 regeneration so far as completed, may have been effected ; for "there 
 are differences of administrations, but the same Lord, and there are 
 diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in 
 all," and therefore the work is susceptible of endless modification, 
 as Infinite Wisdom may see meet, according to the diversified mental 
 constitution and ever varying circumstances of man ; yet the heart- 
 felt acknowledgment of these redeemed souls will ever be one and 
 the same ; " Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but 
 according to his mercy he saveth us, by the washing of regeneration 
 and renewing of the Holy Ghost." Their own righteousness " will be 
 but as filthy rags;" and though "careful to maintain good 
 works," the most unequivocal evidence of a living and genuine 
 faith, their sole ground of hope and of trust before God, will be in 
 the free and unmerited mercy of God in Christ Jesus. 
 
 Many, however, are the secret conflicts and fiery baptisms of these 
 visited souls ; as the Lord's refining hand is again and again turned 
 upon them for their further purification, for the removal of " the 
 dross and the tin," and " purifying the silver," before the great 
 work of redemption be perfected. For " Zion shall be redeemed 
 with judgment, and her converts with righteousness." When " the 
 Lord cometh to his temple " (the temple of the heart), " he is like a 
 refiner's fire and like fuller's soap ;" and until the work of purifica- 
 tion is completed, he is known as a " consuming fire " a?ainst all that 
 opposes his righteous sway in the hearts of his children. But " His 
 people are made willing in the day of his power," and the work goes 
 forward. The first appearance of Divine grace, although comparable 
 to the " grain of mustard seed," or " the least of all seeds," progresses 
 and becomes a great tree. " The little leaven," being allowed to 
 operate, " the whole lump becomes leavened." " The righteous hold 
 on their way, and they that have clean hands grow stronger and 
 stronger;" and "though many are the afflictions of the righteous," 
 (arising too often from the plague of their own hearts), yet " the 
 Lord delivereth them out of them all." They are " made even more 
 than conquerors through Him who loved them," and who is able 
 finally, to " bruise Satan under their feet." Thus, " the trial of their 
 faith being much more precious than of gold that perishcth, though it 
 be tried with fire, will be found unto praise and honour and glory at 
 the appearing of Jesus Christ ; whom having not seen they love, in 
 whom, though now they see him not, yet believing, they, rejoice, 
 with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of their 
 faith, even the salvation of their souls." 
 
 It is to be hoped that there arc some amongst you who are no 
 strangers to these things, but who can testify to the fact, that the
 
 12 FRIENDLY COUNSEL. 
 
 Christian "followeth not cunningly devised fables," some who 
 have proved in their own experience " that God is no respecter of 
 persons," but that " he chooseth the poor of this world, rich in faith, 
 and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love 
 him." The heart of the writer would cordially salute such, in the. 
 love of the Gospel, desiring that grace, mercy, and peace may be 
 multiplied unto them. 
 
 But to such as are unconcerned on the momentous subject of their 
 soul's redemption, it may be asked ; Is not the salvation that is 
 freely offered through Christ worth a diligent enquiry and earnest 
 search after? Is it of so little moment that any of us should "put 
 it from us and count ourselves unworthy of eternal life ? " "0, how 
 shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation ?" Trifle no longer. 
 " This night thy soul may be required of thee." Be aroused from 
 your lethargy. " Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, 
 and Christ shall give thee light." " He is the true light which 
 lighteth every man that cometh into the world." " He hath shewed 
 thee, man ! what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, 
 but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy 
 God." " Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids, 
 until thou hast found a place for the Lord, a habitation for the 
 mighty God of Jacob." The habitation in which He delighteth to 
 dwell, is the sanctified and renewed hearts of the children of men, 
 which are his temple, made up of living stones : " For, ye are the 
 temple of the living God," as God hath said, " I will dwell in them 
 and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my 
 people ; wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, 
 and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be 
 a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the 
 Lord Almighty." 
 
 Slight not these " exceeding great and precious promises," which 
 are made to the poor and illiterate of this world equally with the 
 rich and more educated. "Flee for refuge to lay hold of the hope 
 set before you in the Gospel ; " you will find it an anchor unto the 
 soul. 0, taste and see for yourselves, that the Lord is good ! and 
 prove, by happy experience, that " Godliness is profitable unto all 
 things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is 
 to come." 
 
 Thomas Brady, Printer, 15 Low Ousegate York.
 
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