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LII3RARY 
 
 OF TIIK 
 
 University of California. 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 Mrs. SARAH P. WALSWORTH. 
 
 Received October, 1894. 
 ^Accessions No. S^^/^f. Class No. 
 
Wiivbrsity; 
 
t ■ ;;i J 
 
 NEW YORK M.W. 0O0D. BRICK CHURCH CHAPE.L. 
 
MEMOIRS 
 
 THE LIFE 
 
 REV, JOHN WILLIAMS, 
 
 MISSIONARY TO POLYNESIA. 
 
 BY EBENEZER PROUT, 
 M 
 
 OF HALSTEAD. 
 
 jFirst Shuerfcan HWtfott. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY M. W. DODD 
 
 ANDOVER . 
 
 ALLEN, MORRILL AND WARDWELL. 
 
 1843. 
 
 'UHIVBftSITl] 
 
SV2,£>7Z- 
 
 syztf 
 
 andover: 
 
 ALLEN, MORRILL AND WARDWELL, 
 PRINTERS. 
 
TBte 
 
 & Ml I 
 
 CE. 
 
 It is with sincere satisfaction that the author is at length 
 enabled to present to the public the following memoir. Had 
 the long delay which has occurred in its appearance resulted 
 from his own negligence, the pain which he has suffered in 
 consequence would have been a severe, if not a sufficient 
 punishment. But of such a charge he is perfectly guiltless. 
 For his own relief, and for the success of his undertaking, he 
 was most anxious that the volume should have been com- 
 pleted at a much earlier period ; but as he was far more so- 
 licitous that it should not be published in an unfinished state, 
 he was induced to await, in the first instance, the arrival of 
 documents from the South Sea Islands, and subsequently, the 
 return of Mrs. Williams to this country ; and the issue has 
 satisfied him, that in resisting the strong temptation to go to 
 press, he did well. Thus he has been enabled to enrich 
 some parts of his volume, to complete others, and accurately 
 to trace his admirable friend through almost every interesting 
 scene of his diversified and instructive history. 
 
 Reluctantly as the author ventures to make a personal 
 reference, he may be pardoned for saying in his own justifi- 
 cation, when he consented to compile the following sheets, 
 he did so with extreme reluctance, and unfeigned self-distrust. 
 Anxious as he was that a history of his friend should be pre- 
 pared which, while it preserved the memory of his benevolent 
 deeds and presented the image of his admirable character, 
 would perpetuate his influence and promote the objects for 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 which he lived and died, he did not presume so unduly to es- 
 timate his own qualifications, as to deem himself competent 
 for such an undertaking. Indeed, its difficulties and respon- 
 sibility were so full in his view, that he sincerely shunned the 
 task, and resisted the urgent applications made to him, until 
 his position became so painful as to render a resolute adher- 
 ence to his own inclinations incompatible with higher claims. 
 Whether in at length yielding to the opinions and importu- 
 nity of others he acted wisely, is a question which it is now 
 too late, at least for him to discuss. To those, however, who 
 are disposed to condemn his presumption, he may be permit- 
 ted to say, that throughout the work, his conscious inade- 
 quacy has constrained him to endeavor, by care and diligence, 
 to supply his own deficiencies, and to do " what he could " 
 to meet public expectation. Nor is he without the hope that 
 the mass of new and deeply interesting matter which the fol- 
 lowing sheets contain, will so far concentrate the reader's 
 attention upon the portrait, as to induce him to overlook 
 what may be false in the coloring, or faulty in the drapery. 
 
 In the preparation of these memoirs, the author has been 
 most anxious to avoid the unnecessary repetition of facts with 
 which the public have become familiar through the medium 
 of " The Missionary Enterprises ; " but, as much of that in- 
 teresting volume is auto-biography, this was not always either 
 possible or proper. Wherever, indeed, a simple reference to 
 its pages appeared to be sufficient, nothing more has been 
 inserted ; and when, in order to perfect the narrative or to 
 illustrate the character, it has been requisite to traverse the 
 same ground, the reader has been conducted over it by an 
 untrodden path, where new objects have been brought into 
 view, or those which were previously known presented in 
 new combinations. But while a few quotations were una- 
 voidable, and they are but few, the author is free to confess 
 that he has found the difficulties arising from Mr. Williams's 
 own work far less than he anticipated, and the materials for 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 illustrating the long and important periods which are unno- 
 ticed in " the Narrative," so voluminous and interesting, as 
 to remove all temptation to fill his pages with extracts from a 
 previous publication. 
 
 In fulfilling his engagement, the author has been greatly 
 indebted to several valued friends for the communication of 
 intelligence, and for the use of correspondence ; and more 
 especially to the Rev. W. Ellis, the Rev. C Pitman, the Rev. 
 A. Buzacott, the Rev. G. Pritchard, the Rev. A. W. Murray, 
 and the Rev. W. Gill, to whom he now tenders his very grateful 
 acknowledgments. But his weightiest obligations arise from 
 the services rendered by the esteemed relatives of Mr. Wil- 
 liams, and by the Directors of the London Missionary So- 
 ciety, to whose books and papers unrestricted access has 
 been most generously granted to him, and from whose offi- 
 cers he has received throughout every assistance which kind- 
 ness could prompt. 
 
 If in perusing the following sheets, any reader should think 
 that the language of commendation has been employed too 
 freely, or that a veil has been thrown over the spots and 
 shadows which are incident to human nature even in its no- 
 blest forms of earthly excellence, the author would assure 
 them, that while aware of the blinding influence of the warm 
 and partial friendship with which while living he regarded 
 his lamented brother, and which in depth and force has been 
 greatly increased by the perusal of his private correspondence, 
 and the more perfect knowledge of his character thus obtain- 
 ed, he can confidently affirm, that he has suppressed nothing 
 which biographical fidelity demanded, and has, he believes, 
 fairly noticed the imperfections of a man of whom, however, 
 it could be most truly said, that " e'en his failings leaned to 
 virtue's side." 
 
 As throughout this work, the writer's object has been not 
 only to trace the history of an individual, but to show the 
 immeasurable importance and surpassing glory of the prin- 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 ciples by which he was governed, and of the objects at 
 which he aimed, it is his ardent hope, that through the 
 divine blessing, the humble production which he now pre- 
 sents to the friends of the Redeemer, will, by the exam- 
 ple which it exhibits and the triumphs it records, augment 
 their interest in the cause of missions ; that cause of God 
 and of man for which John Williams rejoiced to live, and in 
 which he was ready to die. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Page. 
 from MR. williams's birth until his departure for 
 
 THE SOUTH SEAS 1 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 FROM HIS DEPARTURE UNTIL THE TERMINATION OF HIS 
 
 FIRST YEAR'S RESIDENCE AT RAIATEA 30 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF HIS SECOND YEAR'S LA- 
 BORS AT RAIATEA UNTIL THE CLOSE OF 1822 . . 67 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 FROM HIS FIRST, UNTIL HIS SECOND MISSIONARY VOYAGE 
 
 TO THE HERVEY ISLANDS 115 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 FROM HIS SECOND VOYAGE TO THE HERVEY ISLANDS UN- 
 TIL HIS FIRST MISSIONARY ENTERPRISE TO SAMOA 164 
 
Vlll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FROM HIS FIRST, UNTIL HIS SECOND VOYAGE TO SAMOA 207 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 FROM HIS SECOND VOYAGE TO SAMOA UNTIL HIS DE- 
 PARTURE FOR ENGLAND 240 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 FROM HIS ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND UNTIL HIS RETURN TO 
 
 THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 273 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 FROM HIS DEPARTURE IN THE CAMDEN UNTIL HIS DEATH 344 
 

 /* . ©" 
 
 THE LIFE OF 
 
 REV, JOHN WILLIAMS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FROM MR. WILLIAMS'S BIRTH, UNTIL HIS DEPARTURE 
 FOR THE SOUTH SEAS. 
 
 Parentage — Early Religious Impressions — Education — Apprentice- 
 ship — Mechanical Skill — Irreligion — Conversion — Christian Pro- 
 fession — Useful Labors — Rise of Missionary Zeal — Influence of 
 Rev. Matthew Wilks — Reception by the London Missionary Soci- 
 ety — Destination — Reasons for Early Departure — Marriage — Ordi- 
 nation — Embarkation for the South Seas — Letters from Gravesend. 
 
 The history of the last fifty years, filled up as that period has 
 been with memorable and momentous events, will, " in ages 
 to come," be chiefly regarded as the era of modern missions : 
 and it may be confidently predicted that, in comparison with 
 these movements of Christian philanthropy, not one of the 
 great political changes which have recently imprinted their 
 own character upon the sentiments and institutions of socie- 
 ty, will, to anything like the same extent, so powerfully and 
 permanently influence future generations. Whatever, there- 
 fore, may have contributed to such a result must deserve a 
 record ; and more especially, the proceedings of those hon- 
 ored men to whom the sacred impulse owed its origin, or its 
 increase. To the former class belong "the Fathers and 
 Founders" of our religious societies. They have now found 
 their rest, and personally are no more seen. But their influ- 
 ence is still felt ; " their works do follow them ;" their names 
 will be long embalmed in the affections of the church ; and 
 others, entering into their labors, have caught their mantle, 
 
LIFE OF THE 
 
 and devoted the dew of their youth, and the vigor of their 
 days to the prosecution of the same great designs. Amongst 
 these, we must claim an honorable position for him whose 
 eventful and important history will be found in the following 
 pages. Few individuals have done more than he for the fur- 
 therance of the Gospel, and sacred as well as fragrant will be 
 his memory and his name. 
 
 John Williams was the descendant of a pious ancestry. 
 The parents of both his father and his mother were servants 
 of God. His maternal grandfather, James Maidmeet, Esq., 
 of the firm of Maidmeet and Neale, St. Paul's Churchyard, 
 was a constant hearer, and an intimate friend of the Rev. 
 William Romaine. So close, indeed, was the connexion be- 
 tween these excellent men, that, for many years, Mr. Ro- 
 maine paid a weekly visit to Mr. Maidmeet's house, for the 
 purpose of conducting a religious service with his family. 
 At these sacred exercises, Miss Maidmeet, the mother of the 
 subject of these memoirs, was accustomed to be present ; but 
 she then discovered no evidences of that sincere piety for 
 which subsequently she became distinguished. On the con- 
 trary, her aversion to spiritual religion, although suppressed, 
 was decided ; and often, in after years, she confessed with 
 sorrow, that, had it been permitted, when Mr. Romaine paid 
 his accustomed visits to her father's house, she would have 
 gladly escaped from the uncongenial element, by which, at 
 these seasons, she was surrounded. But, however unprom- 
 ising, this period of Miss Maidmeet's life was not without its 
 influence upon her mind and character. Indirectly yet pow- 
 erfully, her father's sentiments, and her pastor's ministrations 
 controlled her subsequent course. Thus early, she had learned 
 to distinguish between ethical and evangelical preaching, and 
 to attach higher importance to the full and faithful proclama- 
 tion of the Gospel, than to forms, or names, or merely eccle- 
 siastical peculiarities. When, therefore, after her marriage 
 to Mr. Williams, she had removed from her father's house to 
 Oxford, one of her first objects was to ascertain where she 
 might listen to the same truths which had been so luminously 
 expounded by Mr. Romaine. With this view, Mrs. Williams 
 first frequented her parish church ; but not finding there the 
 object of her search, she extended her inquiries farther, and 
 thus visited in succession the different churches of the cele- 
 brated city in which her habitation had been fixed. As she 
 was attached to the Establishment, and all her early associa- 
 
RE V . J. WILLIAMS. 6 
 
 tions were in favor of its forms, she had no desire to desert 
 its communion. But to this step she was at length driven 
 by what she deemed imperious necessity. 
 
 At that time, the doctrines of Romaine were under inter- 
 dict at Oxford, and the preaching of its clergy presented few 
 points of correspondence with that which Mrs. Williams had 
 been taught to receive and revere as " the truth." Having 
 become convinced of this, and finding that evangelical senti- 
 ments were preached by the Dissenters, she at length, with 
 reluctance, withdrew from the Establishment, and became an 
 attendant upon the ministry of the late Mr. Hinton, for many 
 years a valued and successful laborer in that city. And 
 most important were the results of this decision. In a short 
 time, the truths to which she listened were applied by the 
 Holy Spirit with power to her heart, and gave a new form to 
 her character. From hence, therefore, may be dated the 
 commencement of that course of consistent piety, the influ- 
 ence of which upon herself and her son will appear in the 
 following pages. 
 
 Soon after this, commercial considerations induced Mr. 
 Williams to remove from Oxford to the neighborhood of 
 London, and fix his residence at Tottenham High Cross. 
 Here, on the 29th of June, 1796, the subject of this memoir 
 was born ; and here he passed the period of childhood. Lit- 
 tle is known respecting his education. The principal, if not 
 the only seminary in which he was taught was conducted by 
 the late Messrs. Gregory, of Lower Edmonton. But writing 
 and arithmetic formed the staple of their tuition. Of the clas- 
 sics he learned but little, and to still rarer attainments he was 
 an entire stranger. His destination was commercial, and 
 the instructions which he received were considered to corre- 
 spond with it. His mind, however, was always active, and 
 he excelled many who pursued with him the circumscribed 
 limits of the same educational course. He was remarkably 
 observant, and frequently evinced, even thus early, a restless 
 desire to investigate many subjects which were not taught at 
 school. Those who resided under the same roof with him, 
 have frequently since then recurred with interest to different 
 occasions, in which he eagerly sought the assistance, and 
 sometimes tasked the attention of others in the pursuit of his 
 object. 
 
 But although at this period, the youth gave sufficient evi- 
 dence of an active and penetrating mind, there were then no 
 
4 LIFE OF THE 
 
 remarkable developments of intellectual capacity. Nor does 
 it appear that he exhibited any indications of that mechanical 
 genius for which he was afterwards distinguished. By his 
 family, however, he was considered, what, in familiar phrase, 
 would be called " a handy lad," and as his disposition was 
 most affectionate and compliant, he was the factotum of his 
 sisters, whose little commissions he was ever ready to execute, 
 and whose comfort he was most anxious to promote. " John 
 can do it," or " John will do it," were words which they now 
 well remember to have often passed from their lips during the 
 period of their juvenile enjoyments. And enjoyments they 
 were. In few families has there subsisted a larger amount 
 of the elements of domestic bliss, and thus there grew up be- 
 tween the members of this united household that warm, it 
 may be said intense regard, which they continued to cherish 
 for each other in after life. 
 
 But although the early mental training of the future mis- 
 sionary was imperfect, he enjoyed the far more important 
 privilege of a religious education. This was conducted by 
 his mother, who, unhappily, did not, at that time, enjoy the 
 co-operation of a partner like-minded with herself. Hers, 
 therefore, was no ordinary task. Even when both parents 
 concur, so numerous and formidable are the difficulties of 
 bringing up a child in the nurture and admonition of the 
 Lord, that all who appreciate them will deeply feel their own 
 insufficiency. But how much more laborious and discourag- 
 ing is this great work, when, as in the present instance, the 
 mother is left to perform it alone. But Mrs. Williams was 
 well prepared, both by nature and grace, for the arduous un- 
 dertaking. Her maternal affection, mild firmness, and con- 
 sistent piety, secured for her a complete ascendency over the 
 minds of her children, who ever regarded their mother with 
 mingled love and reverence. She had, therefore, little diffi- 
 culty in obtaining their acquiescence in the plans she had 
 formed, one of which was to conduct them every morning 
 and evening to her chamber for instruction and prayer. 
 There, with a simplicity and freedom, to which, in after 
 years, her son was accustomed to refer with grateful plea- 
 sure, she gave expression to her pious solicitude for the salva- 
 tion of her family ; and thus impressions were made upon 
 their susceptible minds which subsequent scenes and occupa- 
 tions were unable altogether to efface. At first, indeed, she 
 did not reap where she had sown ; and the early bud of prom- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. O 
 
 ise was blighted ere any fruit appeared. But her prayers 
 and labors had gone up before God " as a memorial," and 
 He, who is not unrighteous to forget such cries and tears as 
 hers, at length gave her the desire of her heart. Surely such 
 a case should supply a healthy and holy stimulus to other pa- 
 rents circumstanced like Mrs. Williams. Many, doubtless, 
 were her anxieties, as she surveyed her rising family, and 
 remembered that a father's influence, although not actively 
 hostile, was yet unfavorable to the object she so earnestly de- 
 sired ; and could we recover the records of her mental histo- 
 ry, we should find there sufficient indications of her depres- 
 sion, discouragements and fears. But even had it been other- 
 wise, had faith and hope always sustained her spirit while 
 pursuing this solitary course of parental duty, we may con- 
 fidently affirm that, even in her brightest hours, she did not 
 anticipate, (who could?) what success, what honor what 
 joy, would ultimately reward her pious toil. Little thought 
 she, when her children were clustering around her knees, 
 and hanging upon her lips, that she was then forming the 
 character of the future apostle of Polynesia, — and performing 
 a service for which distant tribes and future generations 
 would revere her name. 
 
 The efforts of the mother, and the ministrations of the late 
 Mr. Fowler, of Tottenham, to whose place of worship she 
 was accustomed to lead her children, and by whom her infant 
 son was dedicated to God in baptism, proved throughout the 
 youth of Mr. Williams, a preservation from open immorality. 
 Indeed, for some time, these means appeared to exert a direct 
 and decidedly religious influence upon his mind. This was 
 evident in his uniform and scrupulous regard to truth. From 
 his earliest years, he feared and abhorred a lie. But his con- 
 stant observance of private devotion supplied still more direct 
 evidence of his seriousness, and naturally awakened in the 
 anxious bosom of his mother the hope that her labor had 
 not been in vain in the Lord. This feeling was fostered on 
 finding a paper upon which her son, then at school, had 
 written for his own use the following prayers and hymns,* 
 which are valuable as an illustration of his mental, as well as 
 of his spiritual history at this period. 
 
 * These prayers and hymns the author is assured, by the sister of 
 his friend, were his own composition. 
 
 .1* 
 
LIFE OF THE 
 
 THE MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 I thank thee, O Lord ! for the life which thou hast given me, and 
 which thou art still preserving. Thou hast watched over me while 
 I have been asleep, and hast permitted me to see the light of another 
 day. Oh ! forgive me whatever I have thought, whatever I have 
 said, and whatever I have done amiss in time past ; and keep me from 
 displeasing thee in time to come. Do good, O Lord ! to my friends 
 and relations ; teach me how to love thee ; teach me how to pray as 
 I ought, and as I get older, may 1 get wiser and better ; fit me for 
 doing thy will here on earth, and fit me for heaven, that happy place 
 where thou art, and to thee be all the praise for ever. Amen. 
 
 THE EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 O Lord ! I thank thee for thy goodness to me through all the day, 
 for the light of the sun, for the food which I have eaten, for the 
 clothes that I have worn, and for the air which I have breathed ; but 
 pardon, O Lord ! all my sins, my thoughtlessness, my forgetfulness 
 of thee ; and all my wrong words and actions, remember them not 
 against me. O Lord ! help me to think of thee oftener, to under- 
 stand the instructions that are given me, and to obey my parents, and 
 to love those who are set over me. Be with me through the night, 
 and grant me that rest which is needful for my health. Hear my 
 prayers, and answer in mercy. Amen. 
 
 THE MORNING HYMN. 
 
 Soon as the sun ascends the sky, 
 His light and heat to shed ; 
 
 I would not any longer lie, 
 And slumber in my bed. 
 
 With open eyes and gladsome heart, 
 
 I welcome in the day ; 
 1 throw my bed-clothes all apart, 
 
 And rise, and kneel, and pray. 
 
 For when the little birds unite, 
 Their morning song to raise ; 
 
 So little boys should take delight, 
 Their Maker too to praise. 
 
 He gave the little bird his wings, 
 On which he mounts the sky ; 
 
 He taught him all the notes he sings, 
 And built his nest on high. 
 
 He gave me life, and to prolong 
 The life my God affords, 
 
REV. J . WILLIAMS. 
 
 He taught my mind to think, and tongue 
 To tell my thoughts in words. 
 
 For this, my kind preserver ! thou 
 Shall hear my frequent praise ; 
 
 To thee I'll daily learn to bow, 
 And give my youngest days. 
 
 THE EVENING HYMN. 
 
 The sun that lately filled the skies, 
 
 With all his sparkling rays ; 
 Now hides his glories from our eyes, 
 
 And night comes on apace. 
 
 And now to him who made the sun, 
 
 And taught him when to rise, 
 Who showed him in what course to run 
 
 Across the glaring skies ; 
 
 Who gave the gentle moon to cheer 
 
 The still and gloomy night ; 
 Like a large pearl 'mong diamonds clear, 
 
 She looks and sheds her light. 
 
 To him, Oh ! let my willing tongue 
 
 Send up the grateful strain ; 
 And let my heart join in the song, 
 
 Or all my praise is vain. 
 
 His name, just learnt, his name I love, 
 
 How sweet it is to know, 
 That God, who made the world above, 
 
 Made me and all below. 
 
 Asleep, awake, that he sustains, 
 
 And feeds my tender frame. 
 He sends the blood through all my veins, 
 
 I live and move in him. 
 
 Now grant, my Maker ! from this hour, 
 
 More and more knowledge still ; 
 And since I've learnt thy name and power, 
 
 Oh ! let me know thy will. 
 
 When the time arrived at which it was necessary to deter- 
 mine upon their son's future course, and the parents were 
 willing to consult his wishes on the subject, it did not appear 
 that the youth had any predilections. The disposition which 
 
8 LIFE OF THE 
 
 he manifested was a willingness to enter upon that engage- 
 ment which they might prefer, with the confidence that he 
 should not fail fully to realize their expectations. This was 
 a happy neutrality, and it was productive of the most impor- 
 tant results. Had he chosen it, he might have selected an 
 employment far more calculated than that which was decided 
 upon to expand his intellect, and conduct him to eminence. 
 But although, in a different occupation, his mind might have 
 acquired habits and information generally accounted superior 
 to the attainments which he actually made, it was impossible 
 that he could have filled any station, or directed his attention 
 to any branch of knowledge, better adapted to fit him for that 
 important sphere in which he was destined to labor. Had 
 his future life been as well known then as it is now, a more 
 appropriate selection could not have been made. This some 
 may regard as a happy casualty ; but Mr. Williams himself 
 more correctly ascribed it to the foreknowledge and wisdom 
 of a superintending Providence. 
 
 But while both parents were anxious that their son should 
 fill a respectable situation, Mrs. Williams had secretly resol- 
 ved that his spiritual interests should not be sacrificed to any 
 secular advantage, and that, above all things, it was desirable 
 to place him with a family who feared God. This feeling 
 had its influence, and led to an arrangement with Mr. Enoch 
 Tonkin, a furnishing ironmonger, then residing in the City 
 Road, London, and who, with Mrs. Tonkin, was known to 
 Mrs. Williams, and esteemed for their consistent piety. And 
 she had her reward ; as this determination not only introdu- 
 ced her child into a business peculiarly adapted to his talents, 
 and eminently useful to himself and others in after years, but 
 formed an important link in the chain of causes which issued 
 in his conversion : for the friend to whom he often referred 
 as the instrument of leading him from the tavern to the Tab- 
 ernacle, on the memorable night when he was first effectually 
 convinced of the worth of the soul, was the amiable woman 
 in whose family he became an inmate. 
 
 The indenture of John Williams's apprenticeship, which 
 was for seven years, bears date March 27th, 1810. By this 
 instrument, Mr. Tonkin engaged to teach him the commer- 
 cial part of the business only, and to exempt him from its 
 more laborious and merely mechanical departments. His 
 station was to be, not at the forge or the bench, but behind 
 the counter and the desk, that he might there become famil- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 9 
 
 iar with the value of the various articles which were kept on 
 sale. As it was not supposed that, in after life, he would re- 
 quire that practical knowledge which could be obtained only 
 in the manufactory, his position in the shop was deemed suf- 
 ficient to furnish him with all the information he would need, 
 to enable him, at the termination of his apprenticeship, to 
 commence business for himself. But this arrangement, al- 
 though kindly meant, was happily frustrated. Having soon 
 acquired a competent acquaintance with his own department, 
 the young apprentice felt a strong desire of knowing more, 
 and it was not long before it became evident to those who 
 were with him, that the implements and processes of the 
 workshop presented to his eye attractions far superior to those 
 of the finished and polished wares which furnished the win- 
 dows, and glittered on the shelf. Frequently did the mem- 
 bers of Mr. Tonkin's family mark with a kindly smile the 
 manifest pleasure with which " John" left the counter and 
 loitered near the workmen, eagerly watching every stroke of 
 the hammar and every movement of the hand ; and not a lit- 
 tle were they amused to find that when, at the accustomed 
 hour for meals, the men had left the shop, he had stolen into 
 their place, and was occupying some deserted bench, or busi- 
 ly blowing at the forge, for the purpose of bringing his previ- 
 ous observations to a practical test. This course was often 
 repeated, and, in this way, he taught himself, in a surprising- 
 ly short time, to form and finish many of the common arti- 
 cles belonging to the trade. 
 
 All this Mr. Tonkin observed in silence, and, as his ap- 
 prentice neglected nothing in his own department, he wisely 
 and kindly permitted him to pursue a course so evidently 
 congenial with his feelings. Thus, in mere shreds of time, 
 and without any direct superintendence, he at length became 
 a skilful workman, and was able to finish more perfectly than 
 many whose whole lives had been devoted to the attainment, 
 several of the most complex and difficult processes of the 
 manufacture in metals. So beautifully indeed did he " turn 
 out" his work, that, at length, Mr. Tonkin found it for his 
 own interest to request him to execute orders in which great 
 delicacy and exactness were required. 
 
 Impelled by the same desire to exercise his mechanical 
 skill, he frequently volunteered his services for employments 
 out of doors, which others, placed as he was in a situation 
 superior to that of the laboring apprentice or journeyman, 
 
10 LIFE OP THE 
 
 would have deemed a degradation. But he never seemed 
 more happy than when he had obtained permission to hang a 
 bell, or execute some similar commission. At such times 
 the family were accustomed to watch his movements with 
 peculiar interest, and to smile to each other as they saw him 
 adjust his working apron, and with a basket of tools slung 
 across his shoulder, sally forth, with as light a step and as 
 cheerful a countenance, as if he had been the happiest being 
 in the world. 
 
 These characteristics may appear to some trivial, but it is 
 not difficult to discern in them the evidence of a superior 
 mind, and their bearing upon Mr. Williams's future useful- 
 ness. While, however, he was thus diligent in business, he 
 was not fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. His disposition, 
 indeed, was peculiarly amiable, his moral habits strictly cor- 
 rect, and his uniform deportment such as to secure the con- 
 fidence and esteem of those with whom he resided. So en- 
 tirely did Mr. Tonkin rely upon his prudence and fidelity, 
 that, during a considerable part of his apprenticeship, the 
 chief management of the business was entrusted to him. But, 
 although John Williams was an upright and estimable youth, 
 " one thing he yet lacked." His amiable spirit and strict 
 integrity had neither their origin nor their support in pure 
 and undefiled religion. The promise of his early years had 
 not been realized. Those blossoms, which in childhood 
 awakened the hope of his mother, did not set. With " godly 
 jealousy," she marked the progress of his mind, and perceiv- 
 ed with pain the decay of those serious impressions which 
 she had once beheld with so much hope and joy. Under 
 these circumstances, she could do little more than continue 
 to commend her child to God, and when, on the Sabbath-day, 
 he visited his family, to improve the opportunity for restoring 
 those thoughts and feelings, the traces of which were now 
 becoming every year more illegible. But these efforts ap- 
 peared to be in vain. Amidst all that was affectionate and 
 respectful to herself, Mrs. Williams saw but too clearly that 
 " his heart was not right with God." One obvious indica- 
 tion of this was his growing disregard to the Sabbath and its 
 sacred services. To gratify his pious parent, indeed, and in 
 conformity with early habit, he still frequented the sanctuary ; 
 but it was now easy to discern that his attendance there was 
 only a heartless compliance with an irksome custom, — a re- 
 straint from which he gladly escaped whenever invited to 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 11 
 
 more congenial engagements, or removed from the observa- 
 tion of her, whom he could never willingly distress. Refer- 
 ring afterwards to this period, he writes, " My course, though 
 not outwardly immoral, was very wicked. I was regardless 
 of the holy Sabbath : a lover of pleasure more than a lover of 
 God." And to this he adds, what his mother did not even 
 suspect, but a feature too frequently associated with that al- 
 ready described, " I often scoffed at the name of Christ and 
 his religion, and totally neglected those things which alone 
 can afford solid consolation." 
 
 None who knew the " simplicity and godly sincerity" 
 which characterized Mr. Williams, will ascribe the preced- 
 ing quotations to that mean and hateful form of vanity, which 
 may be termed " voluntary humility ;" neither can any doubt 
 the accuracy of a declaration, which, like this, describes his 
 personal consciousness : — a point upon which he was the only 
 competent witness. But there may be some who are unable 
 to reconcile this dark delineation of his mental state with the 
 portrait previously presented. How a youth adorned by such 
 moral excellencies could be so destitute of religious feeling, 
 they will be unable to conceive. This is not the place to 
 discuss the question, how far ordinary virtues may differ from 
 sterling piety ; nor to attempt any analysis of the strange 
 compound which constitutes some characters, in which the 
 fair and the good of social morality co-exist with deep-seated 
 aversion to true godliness. It is, however, an unquestionable 
 fact, founded alike upon Scripture testimony, and upon such 
 examples as that of the subject of this memoir, that many of 
 the graces which prepare men for the intercourse and friend- 
 ship of the world, like the rich mosses and hardy rock plants 
 which often hide and adorn the shapeless and mouldering 
 ruin, and draw their life and luxuriance from the elements of 
 decay, may cluster around the exterior of a character, which 
 is essentially depraved and spiritually dead. 
 
 These strange, though obvious phenomena in our moral 
 history, it becomes every one to investigate in all their bear- 
 ings. But there is one aspect in which the distinction be- 
 tween morality and piety most strikingly presents itself, in 
 considering the character and usefulness of John Williams. 
 Whatever value pertained to his principles prior to his con- 
 version, and however they might have prepared him honora- 
 bly to fulfil the ordinary obligations of domestic and social 
 life, no one will imagine that, without the addition of some 
 
12 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 new and nobler impulse, these would have originated that 
 high and holy enterprise, to which he afterwards devoted his 
 days. All the merely natural springs of benevolent activity 
 would have never constrained him to " forsake father and 
 mother, brethren and sisters," the enjoyments and endear- 
 ments of home, and the prospect of pecuniary gain, that he 
 might labor and die in raising the degraded heathen to the 
 possession of social and the enjoyment of spiritual happiness. 
 The source of this momentous movement must be traced to 
 a far higher origin. It was " of God." It was the result, 
 and the bright evidence of a change wrought upon his mind 
 and character by the energy of Divine truth and Almighty 
 grace. It was thus accounted for by himself, and every other 
 explanation is as unsatisfactory as it is unscriptural. Most 
 presumptuous, indeed, would it be to ascribe any effects to 
 special Divine agency for which ordinary causes might satis- 
 factorily account ; but to reject such an explanation, when 
 facts require and revelation warrants it, would be equally un- 
 philosophical and unwise. 
 
 The circumstances which attended the conversion of Mr. 
 Williams have been often detailed by himself and others. 
 He had entered his eighteenth year when this momentous 
 transformation of his mind and character was produced. At 
 that period, he appeared to be rapidly sinking down into a 
 state of settled " hardness and impenitence of heart." His 
 pious mother and Christian friends looked on with sorrow 
 and solicitude ; and these feelings were augmented by the 
 discovery that he had become the associate of several irreli- 
 gious young men, and had recently more than ever disre- 
 garded the Sabbath, and forsaken the sanctuary. His posi- 
 tion now was most perilous ; and even his mother's entreaties 
 had become too feeble to restrain him from pursuits so calcu- 
 lated to counteract her efforts and blast her hopes. But 
 prayer was made by her on his behalf continually, and God 
 regarded the cry of his handmaid. The circumstances under 
 which he did this must be briefly described. 
 
 In conformity with what had now become a common prac- 
 tice, John Williams had engaged to spend a Sabbath evening 
 with several of his young associates at a tea-garden near his 
 master's residence, or, more correctly, at a tavern connected 
 with one of those scenes of Sabbath desecration and sensual 
 indulgence. This appointment was made for the 30th of 
 January, 18 J 4 ; a date which Mr. Williams carefully record- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 13 
 
 ed, and one that is now engraven on monuments more dura- 
 ble than marble. But, happily, his giddy companions did 
 not keep their time, and this simple circumstance was the 
 occasion of his conversion. Had the others been as punctual 
 as himself, there is every probability that that evening would 
 have been passed in the tavern. But, providentially, while 
 he was sauntering near the place of meeting, greatly annoyed 
 by their delay, and by the observation of others who knew 
 his face, and were hastening to the house of God, Mrs. Ton- 
 kin came by, and, on discerning his features by the light of 
 a lamp, inquired the reason of his remaining there. This he 
 frankly avowed ; and, at the same time, expressed great vex- 
 ation at his disappointment ; when, with affectionate earnest- 
 ness, this pious friend endeavored to dissuade him from his 
 purpose, and to induce him to accompany her to the Taber- 
 nacle. And, at length, although with considerable reluc- 
 tance, he yielded to her importunity. This, however, as he 
 afterwards confessed, was done rather from a feeling of mor- 
 tification, than from any sense of the superior claims of the 
 Sabbath and the sanctuary. Such a state of mind was any- 
 thing but favorable to the serious consideration of sacred sub- 
 jects ; and few ever entered the house of God less prepared 
 to profit by its services. The Rev. Timothy East, of Bir- 
 mingham, occupied the pulpit that evening ; and preached 
 from the weighty question, " 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 solemn 
 inquiry was pressed home by the preacher with all that point 
 and energy which characterize his addresses ; and " the word 
 came with power and with the demonstration of the Holy 
 Spirit" upon the mind of his youthful auditor. This was a 
 night to be remembered by Mr. Williams, and it was remem- 
 bered with a vividness and an interest which his subsequent 
 references to it clearly evince. Speaking of it from the same 
 pulpit, at the valedictory service held just before his second 
 departure from this country, he said, " It is now twenty-four 
 years ago, since, as a stripling youth, a kind female friend 
 invited me to come into this place of worship. I have the 
 door in my view at this moment at which I entered, and I 
 have all the circumstances of that important era in my histo- 
 ry vividly impressed upon my mind ; and I have in my eye 
 at this instant, the particular spot on which I took my seat. 
 I have also a distinct impression of the powerful sermon that 
 2 
 
14 LIFE OF THE 
 
 was that evening preached by the excellent Mr. East, now of 
 Birmingham ; and God was pleased, in his gracious provi- 
 dence, to influence my mind at that time so powerfully, that 
 I forsook all my worldly companions." Nor was this the on- 
 ly effect. " From that hour," he wrote subsequently, " my 
 blind eyes were opened, and I beheld wondrous things out 
 of God's law. I diligently attended the means of grace. I 
 saw that beauty and reality in religion which I had never 
 seen before. My love to it and delight in it increased ; and 
 I may add, in the language of the apostle, that I " grew in 
 grace, and in the knowledge of my Lord and Saviour Jesus 
 Christ." 
 
 By such signs, it soon became evident that God had 
 wrought a marvellous change in his soul. " Old things had 
 passed away : all things had become new." His seat in the 
 sanctuary was no longer vacant, and his attendance there 
 had ceased to be a form. From this time his desire for 
 scriptural knowledge and spiritual blessings prompted him 
 to seek them " by all means." He now heard and read Di- 
 vine truth with the utmost avidity ; and the numerous notes 
 of sermons to which he listened at the Tabernacle, still pre- 
 served, attest the diligence with which he then labored to 
 store his mind with sacred truths. It was a most important 
 circumstance for him, and for many whom he was honored 
 to instruct, that Mr. Williams's earliest religious connexion 
 was formed with a pastor and a people, whose influence was 
 peculiarly adapted to act beneficially upon his character. 
 The instructive and pungent preaching of the venerable man 
 who then presided over the congregation, together with the 
 wisdom, energy and zeal which characterized his general 
 proceedings, could not fail to impart a right bias and a pow- 
 erful stimulus to an active and susceptible mind. And these 
 effects were realized by Mr. Williams, and abundantly man- 
 ifested in his future proceedings. 
 
 Great decision of character was displayed by the young 
 disciple from the hour when he first learned " the worth of 
 the soul." His convictions were converted at once into prac- 
 tical principles ; and his early piety was marked by the same 
 simplicity and firmness which distinguished and dignified his 
 more matured experience. At no period did he deem reli- 
 gion a matter of barren sentiment or mere feeling. In his 
 esteem, it was the solemn business of man, and as such he 
 pursued its objects and fulfilled its obligations. And by the 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 15 
 
 adoption of these views, he was preserved from the uncer- 
 tainty and distress which frequently keep the anxious inqui- 
 rer for months or years in the twilight of the day of salvation, 
 and was soon induced to declare himself a follower of Christ, 
 by joining his disciples, and with them, commemorating his 
 death. This important step, however, was not taken until 
 September, 1814, nor without much deliberation and prayer. 
 His venerable pastor gave him a cordial welcome into the 
 visible fellowship of the saints ; and from this time until his 
 departure for the South Seas, he maintained, with honor, the 
 profession he had made, and omitted no opportunity of unit- 
 ing with his Christian brethren around the table of the Lord. 
 What endeared these solemn meetings still more to his heart, 
 was the presence of his mother, who had, previously, con- 
 nected herself with the Tabernacle society. " Many a time," 
 he wrote several years afterwards, " have my dear mother 
 and myself surrounded that table, and enjoyed there seasons 
 of refreshment and profit. And there, too, have I used the 
 language, which I now repeat, ' Lord, I commit my body, 
 my soul, and my all into thine hands. Do with me what 
 seemeth good in thy sight.' " 
 
 But at this time there was another society at the Taberna- 
 cle, specially designed for the improvement of serious young 
 men, and called, " The Youths' Class." Of this class Mr. 
 Williams became a member ; and as its influence upon his 
 character was important, the following sketch of its proceed- 
 ings, from the pen of the Rev. Mr. Browne, late of Limerick, 
 who was admitted both into the church and the class at the 
 same time with his early friend, will find here an appropriate 
 place. 
 
 " It consisted of about thirty members. We met at eight 
 o'clock every Monday evening. The meetings were opened 
 and closed with singing and prayer. After the opening 
 prayer, a subject, which had been chosen at the former meet- 
 ing, was then considered. The members, in turn, proposed 
 a subject, but it was at the discretion of our president, (Mr. 
 Barrett,) whether the subject proposed should remain for 
 consideration. The utmost care was taken to avoid a mere 
 controversial spirit; and when the discussion closed, our 
 superintendent always in a very able manner, gave us a sum- 
 mary view of all that had been advanced, pointing out our 
 errors, and confirming what seemed to be agreeable to the 
 oracles of God. 
 
16 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 " Every eighteenth Monday was devoted to special prayer, 
 when four or five of our number would engage in supplica- 
 ting the Divine blessing j and once a quarter there was an 
 examination, when our president proposed to each member 
 such questions as served to put us upon a careful examina- 
 tion of ourselves as to the state of religion in our souls, 
 and at the same time, to enable us to ascertain the pro- 
 gress we had made in Divine knowledge during the quar- 
 ter. Our venerable pastor would occasionally come into our 
 meetings, say a few appropriate words, and then depart smil- 
 ing upon us all. The advantag.es to be derived from such 
 meetings any where must be evident, but especially in Lon- 
 don, amidst the occupations and snares which encompassed 
 us. Our minds had always some important subject to dwell 
 upon, and our leisure was usually employed in preparing for 
 the approaching meeting, which was looked forward to as a 
 season of real mental refreshment. This I may say, with 
 very few additional advantages, was the college where Wil- 
 liams and several others received those sound and enlarged 
 views of Scripture doctrine and practical Christianity, which 
 eminently fitted him to go forth to the heathen as an ambas- 
 sador of Jesus Christ. Williams was one of our most regu- 
 lar attendants, and it rarely happened that he had not a paper 
 to read on the subject for consideration." 
 
 But self-improvement was not the exclusive object to which 
 the attention of the future missionary was devoted. While 
 receiving instruction, he became, by the natural operation of 
 his religious principles and affections, anxious to impart it. 
 There were several useful societies then in active operation 
 at the Tabernacle, with most of which he connected himself 
 subsequently ; but his first step in the splendid course of 
 Christian benevolence which he was permitted to pursue, was 
 to become a teacher in the Sabbath-school. Having under- 
 taken this important work, he performed it with steadiness 
 and delight ; and soon won the affections of his pupils and 
 the esteem of his fellow-laborers. Thus also he formed some 
 of those habits which prepared him to cultivate a wider 
 sphere. In this school he delivered his first public addresses, 
 and by these essays he became emboldened to appear before 
 larger assemblies. Nor were his early efforts to honor Christ 
 unfruitful. A letter now before the writer of these notices, 
 from a young person then connected with the school, ascribes 
 to one of them, her conversion to God. 
 
REV. J . WILLIAMS . 
 
 17 
 
 In addition to the Sabbath-school, there were societies at 
 the Tabernacle for visiting the sick, instructing the inmates 
 of a poor house and alms house, and distributing religious 
 tracts. " Williams," says Mr. Browne, " had his heart and 
 soul in all these, and was a general favorite. There was so 
 much unaffected piety, sweetness of disposition, and readiness 
 to engage in whatever was good, that all loved him. He was 
 one of those that were always found at their post, and seldom 
 or ever deserted the Tabernacle, great as the inducements 
 frequently were to wander to other places to hear celebrated 
 preachers." 
 
 In this steady and useful course of unostentatious labor, 
 John Williams had been engaged for about twelve months, 
 when wider scenes of spiritual destitution than those imme- 
 diately beneath his eye began to interest his thoughts, and 
 to awaken the desires which subsequently determined the 
 character of his future life. The cause to which this impor- 
 tant circumstance in his history must be ascribed is not un- 
 known. At the time it occurred, in the autumn of 1815, the 
 Tabernacle Auxiliary to the London Missionary Society was 
 in the zenith of its prosperity, and was maintaining, with 
 holy emulation, an active contest for supremacy with the kin- 
 dred institution at Tottenham Court Chapel. Impelled by 
 the same feelings which had contributed to the formation of 
 the Parent Institution, and which had been quickened by the 
 recent success of the African and South Sea Missions, the 
 Rev. Matthew Wilks employed every means which he could 
 devise to multiply its friends and augment its resources. 
 Amongst other plans then in operation waf that of a quarter- 
 ly missionary meeting, conducted in a similar manner with 
 the annual meetings of other auxiliaries, and designed to dif- 
 fuse information and stimulate effort : — Mr. Wilks wisely in- 
 ferring, that the better his people understood the principles 
 and watched the proceedings of the Society, the more liberally 
 they would sustain it. And his calculations were confirmed. 
 Instead of being weary of these frequently recurring convoca- 
 tions, the appetite grew by what it fed upon, and the congre- 
 gation anticipated their return with constantly augmenting 
 interest. As a natural consequence, the missionary spirit, 
 with its manifold and inestimable benefits, was widely diffused 
 throughout the large multitude that habitually filled the Tab- 
 ernacle, and the auxiliary there attained a proud pre-eminence 
 over all similar institutions in the metropolis. Had the saga- 
 2* 
 
18 LIFE OF THE 
 
 cious and venerable pastor of that favored people sympathized 
 with the false fears of some who imagined that such frequent 
 meetings would satiate the mind and defeat their own object, 
 very different results would have been witnessed. To men- 
 tion no other loss, it is highly probable that, under ministra- 
 tions and management less instinct with missionary ardour, 
 John Williams would have lived and died in his native land ; 
 for it was at one of these quarterly meetings, and by the fervid 
 appeal of his beloved pastor, that the sacred fire was kindled in 
 his soul. " At the time," he writes, " I took but little notice 
 of it ; but afterwards, the desire was occasionally very strong 
 for many months. My heart was frequently with the poor 
 heathen. Finding this to be the case, I made it a subject of 
 serious prayer to God that he would totally eradicate and 
 banish the desire, if it was not consistent with his holy mind and 
 will ; but that, if it was consistent, he would increase my know- 
 ledge with the desire. I than examined my motives, and found 
 that a sense of the value of an immortal soul, — the thousands 
 that were daily passing from time into eternity, and a convic- 
 tion of the debt of love I owe to God for his goodness, in 
 making me savingly acquainted with the things which belong 
 to my everlasting peace, were the considerations by which 
 my desire was created." These statements were made to 
 the Directors in connexion with the offer of his services. And 
 the singleness of purpose which dictated them is equally ob- 
 vious in the sentences by which they were prefaced. " In 
 offering the following representation for your perusal, I have 
 endeavored to be as frank and plain as possible. If this, 
 and the account which the Rev. Mr. Wilks can give of me, 
 should not meet with your conscientious approbation, I hope, 
 pray and trust that you will, on no account, for the sake of 
 my soul, offer me the least encouragement." 
 
 The steps which led to this application to the Society were 
 few and simple. After hiding in his heart for several months 
 a desire which could not be repressed, he disclosed it confi- 
 dentially to a few of his immediate connexions and more inti- 
 mate friends, and was at length emboldened to seek an inter- 
 view on the subject with his pastor. His reception was en- 
 couraging. Few men could " discern spirits" more readily 
 then Mr. Wilks ; and while sarcastic and severe to those 
 whose assumptions and appearance were unsustained by cor- 
 responding excellencies, he was full of generous love and 
 undisguised kindness towards all whose character bore the 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 19 
 
 imprint of goodness and truth. These features he at once 
 discovered through the transparent frankness of John Wil- 
 liams's communications, and he therefore received him with 
 paternal affection, and readily proffered to him his best assist- 
 ance and advice. By subsequent communications, Mr. 
 Wilks became as satisfied of the mental, as he had previously 
 been of the spiritual fitness of the young applicant, and thus 
 commenced a friendship which, like that subsisting between 
 Paul and Timothy, was unaffected by the distance of their 
 spheres of labor, or by the disparity of their years. 
 
 In addition to his other labors, Mr. Wilks was accustomed 
 at this time to impart gratuitous instruction at his own house 
 to a class of young men who were anticipating the work of 
 the Christian ministry ; and, soon after ascertaining the state 
 of this youthful disciple's mind, he invited him to join it. 
 Most fully aware of his educational deficiencies, he gladly 
 acceded to the proposal of his kind friend and pastor, and 
 from this time, devoted, with the utmost ardor, all the lei- 
 sure he could command to the course of reading and other 
 mental exercises which his venerable tutor prescribed. Hap- 
 pily, the nature of his situation, and the kindness of the family 
 with whom he resided, afforded him many facilities for the 
 prosecution of his studies. In a short time, his rapid im- 
 provement fully satisfied Mr. Wilks of his capabilities, and 
 induced that excellent man to encourage the early tender of 
 his services to the London Missionary Society. Under the 
 sanction of one in whose wisdom he felt the fullest confidence, 
 and anxious to be more entirely employed in the service of 
 God, Mr. Williams applied to the Directors, in July, 1816; 
 and having successfully passed the usual examination, he was 
 unanimously received as a missionary. 
 
 Mr. William's immature age, and imperfect education, at 
 the time of his reception by the Society, clearly indicated the 
 propriety of additional instruction, ere he was entrusted with 
 the responsible charge of a missionary station. Years of 
 mental discipline would have been amply repaid, had the 
 Directors determined to give their youthful agent such a 
 preparation for his work. But from this advantage he was 
 excluded by a vote to send him forth at the earliest period, 
 in consequence of which there was an interval of but months, 
 instead of years, between his reception and his departure. 
 This was deeply to be regretted, but yet, under the circum- 
 stances, it will scarcely be condemned. 
 
 v 
 
20 LIFE OF THE 
 
 At the time when John Williams connected himself with 
 the Society, the Directors were pressed with urgent applica- 
 tion for missionaries from different parts of the world; but 
 especially from Southern Africa, and the long barren, but 
 then fruit-bearing isles of the South Seas ; and, as their agents 
 were quite unequal to the demands made upon them, the 
 Directors were painfully perplexed, as they .are at the present 
 day, by the consequences of their success. There was, how- 
 ever, this difference between the two periods ; now money, 
 then men, constituted the difficulty. And this difficulty was 
 especially felt in the Georgian and Society Islands, where 
 the necessities and demands of the half-enlightened, but high- 
 ly-excited people, were consuming the almost exhausted en- 
 ergies of the few missionaries who had continued with them 
 until the prayers of the church had been answered, and their 
 own severe and depressing labors blessed with a large re- 
 ward. Never before had the cry been heard, " Come over 
 and help us," with feelings of deeper concern than when it 
 came from those lovely isles ; for never had men been less 
 prepared to follow up success with vigor than were the Di- 
 rectors, when they heard that Tahiti had renounced her idols, 
 and received the word of God. Under these circumstances, 
 both for their brethren's sake and for their work's sake, they 
 were anxious to thrust forth more laborers into the rich and 
 ripening harvest ; and who that considers the peculiarity of 
 their position, will condemn their conduct ? They had no 
 alternative but that of leaving their few, toil-worn laborers 
 at Tahiti, to faint under the burden and heat of the bright 
 day that had dawned upon them, and in doing so, either to 
 permit a people emerging from the darkness of ages to remain 
 but half-enlightened, if not to relapse into superstition, or else 
 to send forth additional agents, some of whom were but par- 
 tially furnished for the work. This, although acknowledged 
 to be an evil, appeared to the Directors the least of the two 
 between which they were compelled to choose. At that pe- 
 riod, moreover, they had not learned so fully as since, the 
 vast importance of well educated missionaries, even for those 
 stations which, to a superficial observer, might appear to re- 
 quire men of but humble abilities and acquirements. This 
 conclusion is now generally received, and no one can urge 
 against it the subsequent success of John Williams. His 
 was a bright exception to the general rule, and one in which 
 the absence of educational advantages was compensated by 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 21 
 
 unusual activity of mind, fertility of resources, and a plodding 
 perseverance which could not be diverted from its chosen 
 course. 
 
 When Mr. Williams was accepted by the Society, he was 
 still an apprentice ; and, as the Directors had determined to 
 send him to the South Seas as early as possible, and were 
 anxious that he should improve to the utmost the short inter- 
 val before his embarkation, an effort was made to induce Mr. 
 Tonkin to release him from the seven additional months 
 which he had still to serve. This attempt proved successful ; 
 and he had no sooner obtained his release than he applied 
 himself, with the most earnest assiduity, to the acquisition of 
 useful knowledge. While thus engaged, his valued friend 
 and pastor continued to direct his reading, and in other ways 
 to render him assistance. But although Mr. Williams thirst- 
 ed for literary and theological knowledge, and devoted to its 
 acquisition his best hours and energies, he at the same time 
 availed himself of the opportunity, afforded by his continuance 
 in London, of visiting manufactories and inspecting processes, 
 an acquaintance with which, he believed, would be valuable 
 in his future labors. In pursuing this plan, he might have 
 been influenced in part by the pleasure which he always de- 
 rived from observing the contrivances and results of mechani- 
 cal skill ; but in thus giving his attention to the useful arts, 
 Mr. Williams only acted in accordance with views of the mis- 
 sionary work which gave their own character to his subse- 
 quent proceedings, and contributed most essentially to those 
 great ends to which he had consecrated his life. Thus early, 
 he had sketched for himself a well-defined outline of what he 
 should do and design as a missionary. It was his fixed pur- 
 pose, in subordination to the leading objects of his mission, 
 to introduce amongst the people as extensively as possible, 
 the arts and comforts of civilized society. Ample evidence 
 of this will appear in the sequel, but the following extract 
 from a speech addressed by him to the Tabernacle Auxiliary 
 contains the germinant principles from which have arisen the 
 flourishing and fruitful plants which have been since propaga- 
 ted, and are now adorning with their rich luxuriance, so 
 many of the groups and islands of the Southern Pacific. 
 
 After establishing the claims of Christian missions on the 
 ground of their highest and ultimate object, the speaker thus 
 proceeded : " But whilst we are communicating to them sav- 
 ing knowledge, which is our grand and principal design, the 
 
22 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 commercial interests of this nation will be greatly promoted. 
 For the Missionary Society manifest their wisdom, by send- 
 ing out to the heathen Christian mechanics, who not only 
 teach the poor creatures the way to heaven, but also instruct 
 them in different branches of business. In consequence of 
 this, some places to which missionaries have been sent will, 
 beyond all doubt, and in a very short time, begin to traffic 
 with Europe. Then they will apply to our merchants for 
 goods, and where will they get supplied, but by applying to 
 our manufacturers ? and how will they again produce the ar- 
 ticles, but by employing artizans to make them? Thus we 
 see that the nation at large is interested, and that every one, 
 who is concerned to promote the commercial welfare of his 
 country, is bound to exert himself on behalf of the missiona- 
 ry cause." These were inferences abundantly established 
 by his future course, and upon the ground of which he boldly 
 took his stand, when, after years of honorable toil and un- 
 precedented success, he was permitted again to plead not on- 
 ly before the church, but before the statesmen, nobles, and 
 merchants of Britain, the claims of Christian missions. 
 
 During this busy period of preparation, Mr. Williams re- 
 mitted none of his useful labors in the Sabbath-school, and 
 other species of benevolent activity. But in addition to these 
 engagements, he now began in a more public character, to 
 preach to his countrymen those " unsearchable riches of 
 Christ," which he was about to convey to the heathen. The 
 outlines of these early pulpit exercises left amongst his papers, 
 are marked by no very striking features. They are lucid 
 exhibitions of the cardinal truths of revelation, presented with 
 their Scripture proofs, and in a style which bears the impress 
 of much seriousness and zeal. These discourses were de- 
 livered at the Tabernacle, and from other metropolitan pul- 
 pits, and were heard with acceptance, especially by the peo- 
 ple to whom his character and manner of life were best 
 known, and from amongst whom he reaped his first fruits as 
 a minister of Jesus Christ. 
 
 At this period it was Mr. Williams's happiness to form an 
 acquaintance with that devoted and invaluable friend to whom 
 he and the heathen were afterwards so deeply indebted. Miss 
 Mary Chauner had, with a beloved sister now in heaven, 
 been for some time members of the society at the Taberna- 
 cle, when Mr. Williams joined it, and was highly esteemed, 
 not for charms and graces which lie upon the surface and 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 23 
 
 captivate as soon as they are seen, but for " the ornament of 
 a meek and quiet spirit," as well as for the sterling excellen- 
 cies which had uniformly appeared in her conduct and char- 
 acter. Mr. Williams knew her virtues, and as they were 
 fellow-laborers in the same walks of usefulness, he enjoyed 
 opportunities of observation and intercourse which satisfied 
 him that, beneath her placid manner and apparent timidity, 
 there existed a strength of principle and a glowing zeal for 
 God, which eminently qualified her for the service upon 
 which he was about to enter. This induced him to follow 
 without hesitation the impulses of his heart, and the result 
 abundantly confirmed his convictions and justified his choice, 
 In Christian heroism she proved the equal of her intrepid 
 husband, and in patient endurance his superior. It is not 
 flattery, but simple justice to say that she was in all points 
 worthy of the honored man to whose happiness and success 
 she so largely contributed ; and in no part of his life was the 
 kindness of Divine Providence more manifest than in the 
 circumstances which led to their happy union. This was 
 solemnized on the 29th of October, 1816, and it was a day 
 which not only Mr. Williams had reason to remember with 
 gratitude, but also many thousands of Polynesian females, 
 whom the love and labors of his devoted partner raised from 
 degradation to comfort, from the rudeness and vile indul- 
 gences of savage, to the manifold enjoyments of civilized 
 life, and from pagan darkness to evangelical light. 
 
 Prior to this important step, the Directors had determined 
 that Mr. Williams and his brethren, who were appointed to 
 the same mission, should leave for their destination during 
 either that or the following month of November ; and in an- 
 ticipation of their early departure, and that of several other 
 missionaries, a public service for their solemn designation to 
 this work was held at Surry Chapel, on the 30th of Septem- 
 ber. The occasion was one of peculiar interest. Nine mis- 
 sionaries were to be set apart to the noble enterprise ; and 
 both their number and the encouraging circumstances under 
 which they were going forth to their distant spheres of labor, 
 awakened feelings which had in many lain dormant since the 
 capture of the Duff. It was not surprising, therefore, that 
 an immense congregation should have crowded the capacious 
 sanctuary in which this hallowed scene was about to be wit- 
 nessed, nor that its proceedings should still live in the memo- 
 ry of some who were Spectators of those solemnities. Five 
 
24 LIFE OP THE 
 
 of the missionaries to be ordained were destined to enter the 
 great and effectual door which Divine Providence had then 
 opened in South Africa. Their names are well known. The 
 last and the youngest of them was a meet companion for 
 his brother Williams, who was also the junior of the brethren 
 destined for the South Seas. The African missionaries were 
 Messrs. John Taylor, James Kitchingman, Evan Evans, 
 John Brownlee, and Robert Moffatt. The brethren for Ta- 
 hiti and its adjacent islands were Messrs. David Darling, 
 George Piatt, Robert Bourne, and John Williams. The en- 
 gagements of the day were commenced by prayer. This was 
 presented by the late Mr. Rayson, then of Wakefield, but 
 subsequently of Tonbridge Chapel, London. Dr. Leifchild, 
 then of Kensington, delivered an introductory discourse, and 
 proposed to the missionaries the usual questions.* To these 
 inquiries satisfactory answers were returned, and, when it is 
 remembered that in this way nine young men testified, in the 
 midst of the church and in the face of the world, that they 
 loved the souls and desired the salvation of the heathen above 
 kindred and country, we need not wonder that " the numer- 
 ous audience appeared to be deeply affected."f These re- 
 plies having been concluded, the Rev. George Burder and 
 John Angel James stood forward, and in the name of the So- 
 ciety, presented a Bible to each of the brethren, as a token 
 of regard, the bond of their union, the basis of their efforts, 
 and the pledge of their support. " I shall never forget," said 
 Mr. Williams, many years after this interesting scene, " the 
 impression produced upon my mind by the solemn manner 
 in which our beloved brother Mr. James of Birmingham put 
 the Bible into my hand. With all the affection for which 
 he is distinguished, and with all the power and impressiveness 
 of his manner, he said, ' Go, my beloved brother, and with 
 the ability which God has given you, be faithful in season 
 and out of season, in proclaiming the precious truths which 
 
 * For the information of some readers, it may be necessary to state, 
 that the questions usually proposed on such occasions are designed to 
 elicit a public testimony from the candidates for ordination, on the 
 following points : — The grounds of their belief that they have become 
 the subjects of personal religion ; the views they hold of Scripture 
 doctrine and duty ; the motives which have induced them to engage 
 in the missionary service, and the manner in which they design to 
 exercise their ministry amongst the heathen. 
 
 t Vide Evangelical Magazine, vol. 24, p. 454. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 25 
 
 that volume contains ;' and then good Dr. Waugh, with hea- 
 ven beaming on his benevolent countenance, and the big 
 tear of affection glistening in his intelligent eye, speaking to 
 me upon my youthful appearance, said, ' Go, my dear young 
 brother, and if your tongue cleave to the roof of your mouth, 
 let it be with telling poor sinners of the love of Jesus Christ ; 
 and if your arms drop from your shoulders, let it be with 
 knocking at men's hearts to gain admittance for him there.' " 
 After the presentation of the Bibles, this venerated man of- 
 fered prayer for the missionaries and their wives, to whom 
 two charges containing counsels and encouragements were 
 then addressed by the late Dr. Winter and the Rev. John 
 Campbell. Singing and supplication closed and sanctified 
 the solemn service. 
 
 Only a few weeks intervened between this memorable 
 meeting and Mr. Williams's departure. But he did not mur- 
 mur at the decision of the Directors to send him forth so 
 soon, for he knew and approved the reasons by which they 
 had been influenced, and sympathized deeply in the feelings 
 with which they contemplated the South Sea Mission. He 
 therefore cheerfully relinquished the advantages which a 
 longer stay in England might have secured for him, and ap- 
 plied himself, with all the ardor of his character, to the ne- 
 cessary preparation for the anticipated voyage. While thus 
 engaged, he was greatly animated by the refreshing intelli- 
 gence which every communication from the South Seas then 
 contained, and which opened before his sanguine and devo- 
 ted spirit prospects the most promising. After " a night of 
 toil," the memorable and monitory history of which will con- 
 tinue to instruct and encourage the church to the end of 
 time, the morning had broke upon Tahiti and the surround- 
 ing isles. Far and near " the marvellous light" had awaken- 
 ed the slumbering people, and Pomare, with other chiefs, 
 like the lofty summits of their own mountains at the dawn of 
 day, were amongst the first to receive and reflect the beams 
 of the Sun of Righteousness. Suddenly the few faithful men 
 who, amidst discouragements and dangers seldom paralleled, 
 had for years maintained their post, were called to exchange 
 tears for toils, sorrows for songs of salvation. And " they 
 were like them that dream. Then was their mouth filled 
 with laughter, and their tongue with singing : then said they 
 among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for 
 them. The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we 
 3 
 
26 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 are glad." But pressed as they were, out of measure and 
 beyond strength, sadness was mingled with this joy at the 
 paucity of laborers, as compared with the demands of the 
 people. From youth and age, from chiefs and districts and 
 islands, there had arisen a strong and simultaneous cry for 
 instruction. Schools were crowded as soon as they were 
 commenced, and the habitations of the Missionaries, from 
 dawn until night, and often from night again until dawn, 
 were flooded with the rising and almost rushing tide of anx- 
 ious inquirers. Exhausted, the devoted brethren sent home 
 for help ; and no time was lost by the Directors in respond- 
 ing to their appeal. In January, 1816, they had sent Messrs. 
 Ellis and Threlkeld, who were followed, in July, by Messrs. 
 Orsmond and Barff; but still every fresh communication 
 convinced them that this supply was inadequate, and there- 
 fore four other brethren were now added to the number. 
 Such were the circumstances under which John Williams 
 prepared to say, " My native land, adieu ;" and what circum- 
 stances could have been more calculated to soften the pain 
 of separation, or more congenial with a spirit which, like his, 
 lived in an element of cheerfulness and hope ? 
 
 But, exulting as he did in the bright visions of the future, 
 the young Missionary was not insensible to the charms and 
 claims of kindred and home ; and, as the parting hour ap- 
 proached, he keenly felt its pangs. He was most tenderly 
 attached to the members of his own family, and in a peculiar 
 manner to his mother. To leave her without the expectation 
 of a reunion upon earth, was a thought he could not entertain 
 without tears, and which he was obliged to dismiss as much 
 as possible from his mind. But his chief anxiety was on her 
 own account. He knew the depth of her affection ; and al- 
 though she had been constrained by her Christian principles 
 to give up her son to the service of the Saviour, he perceived 
 the struggle between her maternal emotions and higher senti- 
 ments, and he was anxiously concerned to prepare her mind 
 for the separation. As the period approached, he devoted 
 his utmost attention to his beloved parents and friends, and 
 had considerately engaged his venerable pastor to remain 
 with them during the day of embarkation. That day was 
 fixed for the 17th of November, 1816; but on its arrival, he 
 was rejoiced to find that his mother's faith and firmness were 
 equal to the demand upon them, and so evident as to draw 
 the remark from their kind comforter, Mr. Wilks, that he 
 found she had no need of him. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 
 
 27 
 
 As a passage direct to the South Seas could not be procu- 
 red, Mr. and Mrs. Williams, with their missionary brethren 
 and sisters, embarked in " The Harriet," Captain Jones, for 
 Sydney. So long as he remained in the bosom of his family, 
 the youthful Missionary was almost unmanned by the thought 
 of separation ; but he was no sooner released from the em- 
 braces of his mother and sisters, than his elastic spirit regain- 
 ed its accustomed tone of vigor and vivacity. This appears 
 in his letters from Gravesend, where the Harriet was for a 
 few days detained. The first of these is a bright mirror of 
 his mind, and contains predictions which have since received 
 an abundant accomplishment. " Do not, my beloved friends, 
 sorrow as those who have no hope. I am full of hope. I 
 hope to be useful a few years abroad. I then hope to revisit 
 my native land, and to see you again ; and I hope to be use- 
 ful at home ; and, last of all, I hope to enjoy your society, in 
 a perfect and glorified state, at God's right hand. I hope, 
 moreover, that God will make this his dispensation a blessing 
 to you all, and that each will have reason to praise him for 
 having thus dealt with us. I hope, again, that the seamen 
 with whom we sail will be profited by our efforts. In a word, 
 my hope centres here, that Christ Jesus may be glorified in 
 the salvation of many souls through my instrumentality. 
 This is your hope also, and ought to be your consolation. 
 Abraham did not repent offering his son a sacrifice, neither 
 will you repent sparing me a few short years from your sight, 
 for so glorious and infinitely important a work." 
 
 In a subsequent letter, from the same place, he describes 
 the delight with which the sight of the sea and the shipping 
 had inspired him, and the comfort he had begun to enjoy on 
 board the Harriet. This, however, he had, in a great degree, 
 created for himself. Although never prone to undue self- 
 indulgence, he had been accustomed to domestic comfort, 
 and could not be happy without it. This feeling proved of 
 great practical importance in his missionary proceedings ; 
 and to it, the inhabitants of Raiatea, Rarotonga, the Samoan 
 and other islands, owe much of their present civilization. 
 On this account, as well as for its own sake, the following 
 characteristic sketch will be read with interest. " As soon 
 as we came on board," he writes to his sister, " we set to work 
 at our cabins, put them in very nice order, made our beds, 
 hung up our looking glasses, drove hooks and nails in vari- 
 ous places for our hats and coats, fixed our cabin lamps, laid 
 
28 LIFE OF THE 
 
 down our little bits of carpet, and now it looks very comfort- 
 able indeed ; so much so, that Mary was determined to sleep 
 on board. Having read and prayed together, we retired to 
 rest ; and though it was a boisterous night, we slept as com- 
 fortable and undisturbed as possible. At Mr. Kent's* this 
 morning, I was asked what it was o'clock, and felt for my 
 watch. I said, ' I cannot tell, for I have left my watch at 
 home.' Mr. Kent smiled, and said, that he was glad we found 
 it so already ; and we do find it so, for it really is very com- 
 fortable. I hope you are all well, and in a few days will be 
 as happy as I am." 
 
 Those who are acquainted with the state of a ship at the 
 commencement of a long voyage, and ere the stowage has 
 been completed, will be the best qualified to appreciate the 
 preceding extract ; but all may discover in it the features of 
 a mind too energetic to be impeded, and too cheerful to be 
 depressed by circumstances. In one sense, it could not 
 be said of him, that " the mind is its own place." The pow- 
 er of abstraction and self-seclusion he did not possess. He 
 could not live amidst the solitary musings and ideal creations 
 which isolate the soul from all surrounding scenes, and con- 
 stitute its society and home. But yet his mind could con- 
 struct for itself a place, in which the materials of happiness 
 and the means of improvement were derived from sources 
 which few besides himself would have discovered. In some 
 respects he was as independent as any one of his outward 
 position. The even and happy current of his spirit might 
 be always discovered, by his cheerful words and friendly ac- 
 tions, as we trace the fertilizing stream by the fringe of vege- 
 tation which adorns its banks. And from this perpetual 
 flow of kindness, he not only derived personal peace, but dif- 
 fused it amongst those around him. To minister to the com- 
 fort of others was his delight. And this was done in a man- 
 ner so free and cordial, as to satisfy those whom he served, 
 that he remembered the words of the Lord Jesus, how he 
 said, " It is more blessed to give than to receive." Frequent- 
 ly, when apologies have been offered for giving him trouble, 
 he has replied, " Trouble is in the mind, and nothing can be 
 a trouble which we ourselves do not consider so." But al- 
 though his own amiable and equal temper diffused within 
 and around him a delightful influence, and made him as in- 
 
 * The late excellent Independent Minister at Gravesend. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 29 
 
 dependent as most of unfavorable circumstances, he was not 
 satisfied to settle down in any position which he was able to 
 improve ; and whether in the ship or on the shore, in Britain 
 or Polynesia, his natural love of comfort and order prompted 
 the desire which his talents enabled him to gratify. The 
 same feelings which induced him to arrange so neatly his 
 cabin in the Harriet originated many other means of com- 
 fort, both for himself and for the people amongst whom he 
 labored. 
 
 3* 
 
30 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 FROM MR. WILLIAMS'S DEPARTURE, UNTIL THE TER- 
 MINATION OF HIS FIRST YEAR'S RESIDENCE AT 
 RA1ATEA. 
 
 Feelings and Occupations on the Voyage — Arrival at Rio de Janeiro — 
 Scenery, Slavery, and Superstition — Proceeds to Van Dieman's 
 Land — Detention and Engagements at Sydney — Visits New Zea- 
 land — Arrival at Eimeo — First Impressions and Employments — 
 Birth of a Son — Mission to the Society Islands — Short Residence 
 at Huahine — Domestic Contrivances and Comforts — "Arrivals" 
 from Raiatea — Removal to that Island — Scene of future Labor — Its 
 Local, Political and Religious Importance — Preparation of the Peo- 
 ple — Native Customs, Sabbath Observance, and Moral Condition — 
 Acquisition of the Language — Early Encouragements and Difficul- 
 ties — Commencement of a Missionary Settlement — Correspondence 
 — Erection of Mission House — Its Scite, Arrangements, and Furni- 
 ture — Principle of Missionary's Proceedings — Various Occupations 
 — Death of Mrs. Orsmond — Progress of the Buildings — Attachment 
 and Improvement of the People — Incipient Legislation — Charges 
 of Political Interference against the Missionaries — The Printing 
 Press and the School — Thirst for Knowledge — Formation of a Mis- 
 sionary Auxiliary — Native Speeches — Estimate of the first year's 
 Labors at Raiatea. 
 
 A first sea-voyage brings with it privations and pleasures 
 peculiar to itself. But whether the influence of the one or of 
 the other shall predominate, depends far less upon the cir- 
 cumstances of the voyage, than upon the character of the 
 voyager. By many minds it is contemplated with anxiety, 
 and associated only with danger and distress ; but to others, 
 the broad deep sea, that 
 
 " glorious mirror where the Almighty's form 
 Glasses itself in tempests," 
 
 presents various scenes and objects of interest, which amply 
 compensate for the temporary privations they sustain, while 
 traversing its bosom. To this class Mr. Williams belonged. 
 The buoyant spirit with which, as we have seen, he com- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 31 
 
 menced the voyage, retained its elastic energy unrelaxed and 
 unimpaired to its termination. His letters clearly prove that 
 all the novelties which met his eye ministered to his enjoy- 
 ment. The sharks and sea birds, the falling on the deck of a 
 fugitive flying fish, the occasional shipping of a heavy sea, 
 the distant view of Palma and Teneriffe, the crossing of the 
 line with the absurdities of Neptune and his demigods, con- 
 tributed their full share to his gratification. But he was still 
 more deeply interested in the structure of the vessel in which 
 he sailed. Until now, he had never inspected a ship ; but he 
 had not been long on board the Harriet, when her hull, and 
 spars, and sails, and rigging were subjected to a searching 
 examination, which imprinted upon his memory a series of 
 sketches in naval architecture, which were subsequently 
 turned to profitable account. Thus happy and occupied, the 
 time glided rapidly by, and, after a remarkably fine passage, 
 interrupted by neither storm nor calm, the Harriet entered 
 the harbor of Rio Janeiro on the 29th of December. This 
 auspicious voyage Mr. Williams thus reviewed, in a letter to 
 his family written at its close. " We cannot sufficiently ac- 
 knowledge the singular kindness of God to us. In his hands 
 the winds and the waves have been most propitious. The 
 excessive heat has been moderated by cooling gales. We 
 have had an abundant supply of every necessary. The worship 
 of God has been regularly maintained, except on the Sabbath 
 we were working into harbor. Surely the Lord has heard 
 prayer, for all on board say there was scarcely ever such a 
 passage known : six thousand miles in five weeks ! We have 
 just held a prayer meeting to return God thanks." 
 
 The splendid scenery of Rio filled the youthful visitor with 
 delight. His imagination and his heart were kindled by the 
 new and noble objects which rose up on every hand around 
 him. But these first impressions were soon supplanted and 
 effaced by others ; for whilst admiring the position of the 
 town, and the heights towering above it clothed and crowned 
 with the luxuriant vegetation of the tropics, he found that the 
 rich productions of the soil alone flourished there, and that 
 nothing was free, save the birds of brilliant plume and the 
 insects of every hue which sported in the sun. It was the 
 land of the slave, and the dark haunt of superstition. The 
 body and the mind were alike fettered. Cowled priests and 
 clanking chains were to be seen and heard on every hand. 
 And the consequences were but too obvious. While all be- 
 
32 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 side was loveliness, " Man was vile." This was sufficient to 
 destroy the interest with which the young Missionary first 
 surveyed the scene, and to fill his soul with loathing and dis- 
 tress. 
 
 And could he have felt otherwise 1 The reader may judge 
 from the following description. " About three miles off the 
 harbor, a boat full of slaves passed us, all naked with the 
 exception of a piece of cloth around their loins. On Mon- 
 day, we went on shore, and almost the first thing we beheld 
 was a gang of eight or ten slaves chained together. We 
 rowed up to the landing place, and there again to our aston- 
 ishment we saw more of these poor blacks : all slaves ! As 
 we passed through the town, the number of slaves surprised 
 us, for we saw few besides ; and after walking about for a 
 short time, we returned to the ship with hearts not a little 
 affected by what we had seen. Having occasion to go on 
 shore again, we passed through the slave-market. O ! it is 
 shocking beyond description to behold the poor creatures. 
 They are kept in open places, like our potato-shops in Lon- 
 don, and about twenty of them together. They differ in their 
 ages from ten years to fifty, and were sitting on forms. One 
 shop we passed was full of these poor creatures, who, though 
 their countenances betokened heartfelt sorrow, were singing 
 and clapping their hands and feet. This they are com- 
 pelled to do in order to escape the whip of their attendant. 
 We saw some with very heavy irons around their body and 
 legs — others with an iron ring around their necks, with up- 
 right pieces of iron on each side, and a projecting piece, like 
 a fork, behind. Thus are our fellow-creatures treated in this 
 idolatrous place. When I came home, I could not help 
 weeping bitterly at the very affecting sight I had that day 
 witnessed." 
 
 At Rio, Mr. and Mrs. Williams found their future fellow- 
 laborers, Mr. and Mrs. Threlkeld, who had proceeded thus 
 far on their way to the islands with Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, but 
 were prevented, by the illness of Mrs. Threlkeld and their 
 babe, from prosecuting the voyage. But restored health now 
 enabled them to embark in the Harriet, which, after re- 
 maining here three weeks, sailed for Van Dieman's Land. 
 At Hobart's Town, they were unexpectedly detained five 
 weeks, and did not, therefore, reach Sydney until the 12th of 
 May, 1817. Here they were joined by Mr. and Mrs. Barff, 
 who for some months had been anxiously waiting for an op- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 33 
 
 portunity of reaching Tahiti, and who, with themselves, were 
 compelled to remain at the colony until the following Sep- 
 tember, when the missionary band proceeded in " The Ac- 
 tive " for their much-desired destination. During this un- 
 willing residence at Sydney, the brethren received very kind 
 attentions from Governor Macquaire, and from the late Rev. 
 S. Marsden, and were constantly engaged in useful labors. 
 On the eve of their departure, Sept. 2, 1817, Mr. Williams 
 writes, " We long to reach Tahiti. We hear that the word 
 of the Lord is prospering wonderfully there. Our enemies, 
 and even infidels, say that nothing but a miracle could have 
 wrought such a change. Since we came here, I have 
 preached very frequently, and I trust not totally in vain." 
 
 While at Sydney, Mr. Williams formed the friendship of 
 the Rev. S. Leigh, a laborious minister of the Wesleyan body, 
 and subsequently a missionary at New Zealand, who, in a 
 spontaneous and generous tribute of Christian affection and 
 condolence, thus refers, in a letter to the Directors, to this 
 period of their devoted agent's history. " My acquaintance 
 with him commenced in New South Wales, in 1817, when he 
 was on his way to Tahiti. He then frequently preached for 
 me in Sydney, and in different parts of the colony. During 
 this period it may be truly said, that in him sanctity, dili- 
 gence, and holy zeal in the missionary work were eminently 
 apparent ; and his subsequent visits to the colony, so far as 
 my observation extended, were marked by growing devoted- 
 ness to the glorious cause in which he was engaged." 
 
 The Active, with her precious freight, sailed from Sydney 
 on the 4th of September, and eight days afterwards came in 
 sight of New Zealand. But while steering for the island, 
 and expecting in a few hours to reach anchorage, a heavy 
 gale, the first which they had encountered, drove them three 
 hundred miles to the leeward of their course ; nor were they 
 able to recover their lost ground, until the nineteenth day af- 
 ter leaving Sydney, when, to their great joy, they cast an- 
 chor in the Bay of Islands. 
 
 Here Mr. Williams first came in contact with that widely 
 scattered race, to whom his future labors proved of such in- 
 calculable benefit. But the contact was rather too close to 
 be agreeable, for no sooner was the vessel moored, than 
 swarms of half-naked and filthy savages covered her decks, 
 and clung to her sides and rigging, and, to testify their friend- 
 ship, pressed around the missionaries to rub noses, after the 
 
34 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 most approved fashion of Polynesia. The voyagers would 
 gladly have escaped from such a pressing welcome, had they 
 deemed it prudent. But the circumstances of the people at 
 this period accounted for these demonstrations, and induced 
 their visitors to reciprocate them. The Church Missionary 
 Society had, some time before, sent a band of devoted men to 
 this people, who, after labors and trials of no ordinary severity, 
 were just then beginning to witness a favorable movement 
 amongst them. Of this, Mr. Williams had heard in the col- 
 ony, and, although a stranger, he anticipated much pleasure 
 from intercourse with these agents of a sister society. Nor 
 was he disappointed. Before the natives had finished their 
 salutations, the brethren came on board ; and, with all the 
 warmth of kindred hearts, welcomed the strangers to the 
 island, and invited them to their house. The invitation was 
 readily accepted ; and, while the Active was undergoing re- 
 pair, her passengers found a happy home, and enjoyed much 
 delightful intercourse on shore. Here they lost sight of the 
 different pales which, alas ! do not enclose, but separate the 
 flock of Christ in more favored lands. They met, and con- 
 versed, and loved as brethren. Such exemplifications of fra- 
 ternal affection were alike honorable to themselves, and to 
 that benign system by which they were so quickly and so 
 closely united. But it is a painful reflection, that the evi- 
 dences of esteem amongst the servants of God of different de- 
 nominations are so rare as to awaken surprise, and must be 
 sought for, rather upon heathen than upon British shores. 
 
 Having spent nineteen days thus pleasantly at New Zea- 
 land, the brethren sailed for their destination ; and after a 
 favorable passage, on the 16th of November, 1817, Tahiti, 
 the object of their ardent desire, was descried in the distance. 
 " Our hearts," Mr. Williams writes, " leaped for joy at the 
 sight of the long-wished-for land." On the following day, 
 exactly twelve months after their embarkation, they landed at 
 Eimeo, where the missionaries were then residing. 
 
 Most of the visitors to these islands who preceded Mr. 
 Williams have described the wonder and delight with which, 
 for the first time, they beheld the bold and beautiful objects 
 which here present themselves to the eye. And he was not 
 insensible to the charms of such scenery. Practical as he 
 was, and far more conversant with mechanics than poetry, 
 there are passages in his writings which prove that he did not 
 survey the fairy lands amidst which he labored without emo- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 35 
 
 tion. But on reaching Eimeo, graver topics absorbed his 
 mind. He had gone there, not as an observer, but as a mis- 
 sionary ; and his thoughts and feelings were therefore soon 
 engaged upon the work before him. The following extracts 
 from the letter announcing his arrival, will show the objects 
 in which he was most deeply interested — " On the 17th of 
 November, we landed at Eimeo. Soon after landing, we 
 went into the chapel, and were much pleased with its neat 
 and clean appearance. The building is constructed of round 
 white sticks, placed about two inches apart. In shape, it re- 
 sembles a hay-stack. The thatching, which looks very neat, 
 is made of long narrow leaves, and it lasts about six years. 
 In the middle of the chapel, on one side, there was a little 
 desk for the preacher. The whole had been done by the na- 
 tives. 
 
 " In the evening we heard the praises of God rise in the 
 Tahitian tongue, from various dwellings around our resi- 
 dence. The inhabitants were engaged in family prayer, 
 which is observed throughout the islands. We retired to rest 
 with hearts thankful for what our eyes had seen and our ears 
 had heard." 
 
 They landed on the Monday ; and on the Wednesday fol- 
 lowing embraced the opportunity of attending the native ser- 
 vice in the chapel. " Here," writes Mr. Williams, " my 
 eyes beheld seven or eight hundred people, who, not five 
 years ago, were worshipping idols, and wallowing in the 
 most dreadful wickedness, now praying to and praising our 
 Lord and God. Surely, thought I, the work is done, there is 
 no need of us. Though there are hundreds in these islands 
 who do not know our Lord and Saviour, they are as eager to 
 learn as the miser is to get money. I hope and pray that they 
 will obtain, with an increase of knowledge, a change of heart. 
 It was pleasing to see so many fine looking females, dressed 
 in white native cloth, and their heads decorated with white 
 flowers, and cocoa nut leaves plaited in the shape of the front 
 of a cottage bonnet, surrounding the preacher who occupied 
 the centre of the place." In a similar strain he wrote to the 
 Directors — " When we arrived at the islands we were much 
 struck with the attention which the people paid while the 
 Gospel was preached. Our hearts were much affected. It 
 rejoiced us to hear them sing the praises of Jesus, and to see 
 them bow the knee in prayer to him. We could not help 
 contrasting what they are with what they were when the DurT 
 
36 LIFE OF THE 
 
 first visited their shores, and we asked ourselves the question 
 — Can these be the people who murdered their own children, 
 for whom they have now the greatest affection ? Are these 
 the people who once offered human sacrifices to appease the 
 anger of their deities ? Behold they are pleading the blood 
 of Jesus for the pardon of their sin. 
 
 " The state of the mission is very gratifying and calls 
 loudly for thankfulness. From what we knew of the former 
 condition of the people, we were really astonished, on our 
 first landing, at the great and glorious change which has 
 taken place : a complete change from idolatry to Christianity, 
 and we trust there are some, though there are not many, really 
 converted to God. 
 
 " On the Sabbath morning after our arrival, we went and 
 stood outside their place of worship, and heard one of the na- 
 tives engage in prayer. He began by addressing God as the 
 God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, thanking him for hearing 
 their prayers and sending them missionaries, and for bringing 
 their wives and their little ones safely over the mighty ocean. 
 He next prayed that we might soon attain their language, so 
 that we might be able to teach them the word of God ; adding 
 many other suitable petitions, which gave us much pleasure, 
 warmed our hearts, and excited in us feelings of gratitude 
 and praise." 
 
 But these favorable impressions required some correction ; 
 and after more intercourse with the brethren, and a closer in- 
 spection of the people, Mr. Williams found that the work of 
 God, instead of being finished, had been only began. To- 
 gether with much outward respect for religious services, and 
 a very general desire for instruction, many of the abomina- 
 tions and delusions of their heathen state were still prevalent. 
 A few, indeed, appeared to have experienced a spiritual reno- 
 vation ; but the mass of the people were under the dominion 
 of divers lusts and pleasures. And this was deeply deplored 
 by their teachers, who, amidst the general excitement, beheld 
 much to damp their ardor and depress their hearts. But de- 
 fective as the state of the people was, when compared with 
 what the missionaries desired, their condition, as contrasted 
 with what it had been, evinced a marvellous change, and to 
 an ardent spirit, like that of Mr. Williams, presented the 
 promise of great future prosperity. The correction, therefore, 
 which his earliest impressions received, did not depress him. 
 On the contrary, the more he saw the firmer was his convic- 
 tion that he should not labor in vain. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 37 
 
 The young missionary soon found ample employment at 
 Eimeo. Amongst other occupations, he was here called, for 
 the first time, to assist in building a ship. Prior to the arri- 
 val of the Active, the missionaries, anxious to possess the 
 means of communication with the surrounding islands, and 
 to serve Pomare, who proposed to open a trade with New 
 South Wales, had made an attempt to build a small vessel. 
 But the difficulty of the undertaking, and apprehensions that a 
 gainful commerce with the colony could not be carried on, 
 had induced them to abandon their work ; and it is probable 
 that their labor would have been lost, had not their energetic 
 young brethren proposed to complete it. Of those with whom 
 the purpose originated, Mr. Williams was not the last nor the 
 least. " A day or two after our arrival," he writes, " we held 
 a meeting respecting the vessel, and resolved to finish her 
 forthwith. We set to work immediately, every man to his post. 
 My department was the iron work. The others did the wood, 
 and in eight or ten days, she was ready to be launched. A 
 great concourse of natives was gathered to see this extraordi- 
 nary spectacle. Pomare was requested to name the vessel as 
 she went off. To effect this, we passed ropes across her 
 stern, which were pulled by from two to three hundred natives 
 on either side. No sooner was the signal given, than the men 
 at the ropes began to pull most furiously ; and at the same 
 moment, Pomare, who stood on the left hand side of the ves- 
 sel, threw the bottle of wine against her bow. This so startled 
 those who held the ropes on the side of the ship where the 
 king stood, that they lost their hold ; and, as those on the op- 
 posite side continued to pull, she gave a lurch and fell upon 
 her side. The natives immediately raised the lamentation, 
 ant te pahi e ! (O ! the poor ship !) and were dreadfully dis- 
 couraged. Pomare had always maintained that she could 
 never be launched, but must be broken in pieces when we 
 should attempt it ; and now he went away exclaiming that his 
 word had come true. But not discouraged, we set to work 
 again, and by the afternoon had raised her upon the stocks, 
 and prepared every thing for a second attempt on the Monday, 
 as it was Saturday when she fell. Monday arrived. We drove 
 in the wedges, placed a cable round her stern, stationed the 
 natives as before, and had the satisfaction to see her go off 
 beautifully, amidst the shouts of the people. While this was 
 passing, there was an old warrior, called by the natives a ta- 
 atafaa ito ito, (i. e. a man who puts life and energy into them 
 4 
 
38 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 during a battle,) who stood on a little eminence, exerting him- 
 self to animate the men at the ropes. I was near him, and he 
 did in reality ' put life into them.' His action was most in- 
 spiriting. There seemed not a fibre of his frame which he 
 did not exert ; and from merely looking at the old man, I felt 
 as though I was in the very act of pulling." 
 
 Mr. Williams remained some months at Eimeo, where his 
 time was fully occupied in assisting the missionaries, and ac- 
 quiring the language. During this period, on the 7th of Janu- 
 ary, 1818, Mrs. Williams gave birth to her first child, who 
 was shortly afterwards dedicated to God in baptism by the 
 name of John Chauner. This event called forth from the 
 parents many expressions of gratitude and gladness. But 
 they rejoiced with trembling. Surrounded as they now were 
 with scenes and sounds calculated to convey contamination 
 through every avenue to a susceptible mind, they foresaw 
 the difficulties in the way of forming the character of their 
 little one for life and immortality. Even in professedly Chris- 
 tian lands, the intercourse and pursuits of general society too 
 frequently counteract the plans and efforts, which appear best 
 adapted to secure the young from their baleful influence; 
 but these impediments are few and feeble compared with 
 those with which missionary parents must contend. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Williams were painfully alive to their new responsibili- 
 ties ; and in announcing to Mrs. Chauner the birth of their 
 son, they write, " You can participate with us, dear mother, 
 in our new feelings. You know what anxious cares these 
 dear little treasures bring with them, cares such as none but 
 parents know. But you are not aware of the temptations to 
 which they are exposed here ; wickedness which makes our 
 hearts shrink and tremble. We earnestly entreat your 
 prayers, that we may have guidance and grace to train up our 
 little one in the fear of the Lord." It is a pleasing fact that 
 he who awakened these emotions of pious and parental so- 
 licitude was preserved from the moral pollutions amidst 
 which his early years were passed, and that he is now engaged 
 amidst the same scenes, opening commercial channels for 
 native produce and British manufactures, and preaching the 
 unsearchable riches of Christ. 
 
 While at Eimeo, Mr. Williams became acquainted with 
 several chiefs of the Leeward group, who some time before 
 had left their own islands, to assist Pomare in regaining the 
 sovereignty of Tahiti. It was during their stay here, that the 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 6\f 
 
 Gospel first awakened the attention of the people ; and as 
 these visitors participated in the common feeling, and had be- 
 come extremely anxious to receive instruction, they now pre- 
 ferred a voluntary exile and many privations with this advan- 
 tage, above all the power and possession of their own islands 
 without it. Their conduct and circumstances naturally drew 
 upon them the special attention of the brethren ; and, after 
 due consideration, it was resolved, that a new mission should 
 be immediately commenced in the group from which these 
 chiefs came, and by whom the proposal was received with 
 great joy. In accordance with this decision, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, and Mr. and Mrs. Ors- 
 mond, accompanied by Mr. Davies as their interpreter, 
 and several chiefs, left Eimeo on the 18th of June, and, on 
 the 20th, this interesting company landed at Huahine, the 
 most windward of the Society Islands. Their reception here 
 was exceedingly cheering. The people greeted with a 
 hearty welcome their long expatriated chiefs, and discovered 
 still greater joy, when told the character and object of their 
 missionary companions. Every proof was given by the na- 
 tives of sincere satisfaction at this unexpected arrival. A good 
 native house was soon assigned for the residence of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Williams, and they had scarcely taken possession of it, 
 when the people brought to them a hot baked pig, and a large 
 bowl of yams. " We then," writes Mrs. Williams, " made 
 some tea, and ate a very hearty meal. 
 
 " Our next business was to fit up a lodging for the night, 
 which was done by putting a piece of native cloth across one 
 end of a very large house. Here we slept as soundly as if 
 we had been in a palace. The next day we removed to a 
 neat little oval house, and fitted it up with native cloth as 
 comfortably as we could. As usual, my dear John made lime, 
 and plastered the floors. In a few days, the principal chief 
 of the island sent each of us nine pigs, with a roll of native 
 cloth, and all kinds of their fruit. I wish you could taste 
 some of our bread fruit, and arrow root cakes. I dare say 
 you frequently talk of us, and wonder what we have to eat. 
 I will tell you as nearly as I can. There are plenty of fowls 
 here, and we dress them in a variety of ways. Sometimes we 
 have fresh pork, and occasionally we kill a sucking pig, and 
 get it cooked as well as you can in England, who have large 
 kitchen fires. Our method is to run a long stick through it, 
 and to let the ends rest on two fork sticks, and, having kin- 
 
40 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 died a fire behind, a native sits to tarn and baste it, until it is 
 well done. We have also had some roast and boiled beef. 
 I only wish we had a cow, and I should then be able to make 
 butter, but we get plenty of milk for our tea, as we have five 
 goats." This extract supplies an appropriate commentary up- 
 on the following sentence, written just afterwards by Mr. Wil- 
 liams. " My dear Mary is a famous cook. I am sure I don't 
 know what a poor man would do by himself in such a place 
 as this." 
 
 The arrival of the missionaries at Huahine was soon known 
 throughout the group ; and visitors from all the other islands, 
 some prompted by curiosity, and others by more worthy mo- 
 tives, came in haste to see them. But of these " arrivals," 
 the most important and interesting was Tamatoa, the king of 
 Raiatea, who, accompanied by all his principal chiefs, had 
 left home for the sole purpose of inducing one or more of the 
 missionaries to reside amongst his people. The station and 
 evident sincerity of Tamatoa, and his compatriots who formed 
 this embassy, induced the brethren to entertain their proposal. 
 But there were other considerations from which it derived 
 additional weight ; especially the position, history, and exist- 
 ing circumstances of the island ; and these had considerable 
 influence in determining Mr. Williams's preference for this 
 sphere of labor. 
 
 Raiatea (the Ulitea of Capt. Cook) is the largest and most 
 central island of the Society group. Its circumference is 
 nearly fifty miles, and it stands within a noble reef which en- 
 girdles both it and Tahaa, a smaller island about six miles 
 from its northern shore. Through this reef there are nume- 
 rous inlets, wide and deep enough to admit ships of any bur- 
 then ; and within, there is a splendid lagoon, with safe and 
 commodious anchorage. This island is not only the largest, 
 but the most lofty of the group. With the exception of a belt 
 of rich cultivable soil which skirts the shore, and a few fertile 
 glens and valleys, it consists of huge mountain masses, rising 
 abruptly, in some cases to the height of two thousand feet above 
 the level of the sea. Its scenery is less soft and more sombre 
 than that of its sister isles ; and as the visitor approaches it, 
 and especially while too distant to discern the wild and rich 
 luxuriance that clothes its lowlands, and crowns even its 
 rocks with life and loveliness, Raiatea presents an aspect of 
 frowning majesty. In this respect it differs widely from 
 Huahine, which, whenever seen, and whether the view be 
 
REV 
 
 WILLIAMS. 41 
 
 near or distant, wears the form of smiling beauty. But the 
 unfavorable impressions received on approaching Raiatea are 
 entirely dissipated, as soon as the stranger lands upon its 
 shores. Here, around, above, beneath, verdure and beauty 
 fill the eye and refresh the heart, and the visitor finds himself 
 upon a lovely island, well watered every where by streams 
 leaping from the rocks, irrigating the numerous glens and 
 valleys which intersect the mountains, and, in their course, 
 feeding the roots of innumerable bread fruit trees, bananas, 
 plantains, and other precious productions of that fruitful 
 clime. 
 
 The population of Raiatea, at this period, was about thir- 
 teen hundred : a number considerably below Capt. Cook's 
 estimate. But there is no reason for supposing that the great 
 circumnavigator had very materially erred in his computation, 
 for the missionaries subsequently ascertained, that diseases, 
 superstition and war had made similar havock here as in 
 other islands, whose thousands had been swept away by these 
 fell destroyers. 
 
 But although the population was limited, the political influ- 
 ence of Raiatea predominated over that of the adjacent 
 islands. For ages, its monarchs had been lords paramount of 
 both the Society and Georgian groups : a supremacy which 
 was regularly acknowledged by tribute. Indeed, up to the pe- 
 riod at which the Gospel was introduced, the principal chiefs, 
 and among them Tamatoa, received divine honors as well as 
 civil allegiance, and had been worshipped as gods. 
 
 But the circumstance which more than any other recom- 
 mended Raiatea as a sphere of missionary operations was its. 
 influence upon the long-prevailing and wide-spread supersti- 
 tions of Polynesia. From time immemorial, this island had 
 been the focus and source of the abominable idolatries, which 
 had darkened, demoralized and destroyed the inhabitants of 
 its own and the surrounding shores. Here were to be found 
 the types of the manifold usages, even the most debasing and 
 cruel, which had become the customs of the race ; here were 
 the archives of their religious legends; the temple and altar 
 of Oro, the Mars and Moloch of the South Seas ; and this 
 had been the theatre of more sanguinary deeds than were to 
 be found in the dark records of all the other islands around it. 
 Hither hecatombs of human victims had been brought from 
 near and distant shores to be offered in the blood-stained ma- 
 rai of Opoa. What Christian soldier would not have felt the 
 4* 
 
42 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 spirit-stirring prospect of assaulting such a citadel of his own 
 and of his great Captain's foe, and preferred a post in these 
 high places of the field beyond all other positions? 
 
 But in addition to these inducements to try whether the 
 power of the Gospel could not free a people, thus firmly man- 
 acled, from the fetters of darkness, the missionaries were 
 much influenced in yielding to the entreaty of the Raiateans, 
 by the extremely interesting circumstances in which they 
 were then placed. Two years previously, a small vessel, hav- 
 ing on board Mr. Wilson, Pomare and nineteen Tahitians, 
 was driven by a violent gale from her anchorage at Eimeo 
 down to Raiatea, where they were received with the most 
 cordial hospitality, and continued three months. And these 
 proved bright months for the people. Until then, they had 
 " sat in darkness," and nothing had disturbed the dense and 
 dreadful gloom in which they dwelt. But now, "the day 
 dawned." Encouraged by their friendliness, Mr. Wilson 
 opened his commission, and 1 " preached unto them Jesus." 
 Many, indeed, disregarded his message ; but there were some 
 who became convinced of their former follies, and in whom 
 an irrepressible desire of further knowledge was thus created. 
 Amongst these, were Tamatoa and a few other chiefs, who 
 .proved their sincerity by at once abandoning many practices 
 which they and their progenitors had observed with supersti- 
 tious care ; so that when their teacher and his associates had 
 returned to Tahiti, they left behind them many good effects 
 of their visit. This was evident soon after, when Tamatoa 
 .and others, who were favorable to Christianity, resolved to 
 erect a sanctuary, observe the Sabbath, and statedly meet to- 
 gether for the purpose of mutual instruction in the truths and 
 duties which they had severally learned. These facts were 
 known when Tamatoa came over to Huahine for the purpose 
 of soliciting a teacher, and they deeply affected the mind of 
 Mr. Williams, and greatly interested him on behalf of a peo- 
 ple, so anxious to improve and increase their religious know- 
 ledge. His first impulse prompted the exclamation, " Here 
 am I, send me;" but, in courtesy to his senior brethren, the 
 post of honor was previously offered to them. As soon, how- 
 ever, as they declined it, Messrs. Williams and Threlkeld 
 eagerly responded to the invitation, and went forth to Raiatea, 
 just as Paul and Silas went over into Macedonia, " assuredly 
 gathering that the Lord had called them there to preach the 
 Gospel." This important movement in the history of Mr. 
 Williams occurred on the 11th of September, 1818. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 43 
 
 The reception which the missionaries met with on reach- 
 ing Raiatea was extremely gratifying. " As soon as we 
 landed," writes Mr. Williams, " they made a feast for us, con- 
 sisting of five large hogs for myself, five for Mrs. Williams, 
 and one for our little Johnny. The same provision was made 
 for Mr. Threlkeld. Besides ' the feeding,' they brought us a 
 roll of cloth, and about twenty crates of yams, taro, cocoa 
 nuts, mountain plantains and bananas. These crates were a 
 foot deep and three feet square. Several persons of conse- 
 quence were with us, and the place was a complete market. 
 Visitors are considered strangers until they are fed, when they 
 become taata tabu, * neighbors.' 
 
 " While getting our things on shore, I passed a house in 
 which they were eating, when my man slipped in, and having 
 snatched some food out of the hand of a person who was eat- 
 ing it, came out again without saying a word. I asked him 
 why he did so, and whether the man from whom he had taken 
 the food was not angry '? He said ' No, it was a custom 
 among them.' And we now see it frequently. A man is eat- 
 ing his food, and another comes up, wrenches it out of his 
 hand, and walks away without exchanging a syllable. When 
 any of them come from other islands, or from distant parts of 
 the same island, they walk into any house they like, look 
 about them, and, without consulting the owner, say to one 
 another, ' This is good. We'll stay here.' 
 
 " It is very delightful to see them on Sabbath morning, 
 dressed very neatly, and going to the house of prayer. After 
 the service, they return to their homes, and eat what had been 
 prepared on the previous day. After the meal they again go 
 to chapel. I assure you, that you would be delighted to ob- 
 serve the attention of many to the word of God. I have just 
 now had some interesting conversation with the king and 
 queen, and two sensible men who came to see my dear 
 mother's likeness. They began by asking whether you did 
 not all cry when we came away, and if you did not stop us. 
 I told them that you would not have let us come, had it not 
 been from compassion for them, and had we not come to teach 
 them the word of God. They then inquired who sent me, and 
 how I came to think of visiting them. I told them that the 
 thought grew in my mind, and I hoped God put it there. 
 They wished to know whether I should ever go home again. 
 I told them I should very much like to do so, and if it was as 
 near as Tahiti, I could go and return to them ; but if I went 
 to England, I should perhaps never get back again." 
 
44 LIFE OP THE 
 
 But pleasing as was their reception, and promising as 
 were many of the appearances around them, the missionaries 
 soon perceived that the moral state of the people was to the 
 lowest degree debased and discouraging. " Their customs," 
 they write, " are abominable ;" too abominable, indeed, to 
 allow of the insertion of the passages which allude to them in 
 these pages. " Their idleness seems inveterate. When we 
 tell them of the necessity of working, they laugh at us, and 
 many will not come near us, ' because,' they say, < we are 
 troublesome in telling them of their indolence.' They often 
 suffer hunger rather than trouble themselves to cook their 
 food. All the inhabitants have now made a profession of 
 Christianity. It is the national religion, and as such, it is 
 adopted by the people. In a word, they are a nation of Anti- 
 nomians." 
 
 But in addition to the indolence and immorality of the peo- 
 ple, the missionaries soon discovered other impediments to 
 their usefulness, the removal of which appeared to them as 
 essential as it was difficult. Of these, the scattered state of 
 the population was amongst the most obvious and formidable. 
 Instead of being grouped together in settlements, where a 
 goodly number might be instructed at the same time, they 
 were widely dispersed over the island, and were generally re- 
 siding in families upon the kaignas, or farms, from which 
 they derived their subsistence. As the island is mountainous, 
 the paths were necessarily difficult, and frequently impassable. 
 Much time and labor were therefore requisite to traverse the 
 rocky ridges which separate the valleys, and to cross the bays 
 which deeply indent the coast ; and it was at once evident to 
 the brethren, that so long as the natives were thus scattered, 
 their best efforts would be rewarded with but very partial 
 success. But how to obviate this difficulty, how to induce a 
 people whose habits were formed, and whose temporal com- 
 fort appeared to them so closely connected with the continu- 
 ance of the established system, to abandon their patrimonial 
 dwellings ; how to create in them such an estimate of mental 
 and spiritual blessings, and such a desire to possess them, as 
 should prevail over their local attachments, and temporary 
 convenience, were problems which it required more than or- 
 dinary discernment, vigor and perseverance to work out. 
 But yet the missionaries clearly perceived that, however dif- 
 ficult it might be to introduce a new system, and whatever 
 dangers might attend it, the bold attempt must be made, or 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 45 
 
 their mission fail. They therefore convened a general meet- 
 ing of the inhabitants, and candidly laid the whole case be- 
 fore them ; and, with such success, that after a long discus- 
 sion of the difficulties and advantages of the proposed change, 
 it was unanimously resolved to form one general settlement 
 for the whole island. 
 
 But while preparing to carry out this purpose, and erect- 
 ing the scaffold upon which he intended to labor, Mr. Wil- 
 liams was constantly occupied in the more spiritual duties of 
 his office. By great diligence, he had acquired a sufficient 
 acquaintance with the language while at Tahiti and Huahine, 
 to be enabled to preach intelligibly as soon as he reached 
 Raiatea. The method by which he made this rapid profi- 
 ciency was his own. Instead of remaining at home, poring 
 over translations and glossaries, or depending upon the as- 
 sistance of his senior brethren, he constantly mingled with 
 the natives, " hearing and asking them questions," and thus 
 acquired, as he considered with great ease, not merely the 
 signification of words and phrases, but, what was quite as 
 requisite, the correct accentuation of the language. Whether 
 this plan would be the most successful in all cases may ad- 
 mit of doubt ; but there can be none respecting its suitable- 
 ness to Mr. Williams, one remarkable characteristic of whose 
 mind was the power of exact and minute observation. His 
 memory, indeed, was tenacious, but this alone will not ac- 
 count for the rapidity with which he mastered the Tahitian. 
 Many with the retentive faculty equally strong, would have 
 failed to make the same progress. This, in his case, must 
 be ascribed rather to an extremely accurate perception, of 
 which his memory was merely the bright mirror, retaining 
 and reflecting the very images of things seen and heard, than 
 to the memory itself. Accustomed to mark, not merely the 
 genera] outline, or the broad surface of surrounding objects, 
 but their distinctive peculiarities, and less obvious, but most 
 interesting features, he was enabled to present more graphic 
 delineations, and to report conversations with greater accu- 
 racy than most men ; and the same faculty to which his 
 speeches and his writings owe their great charm, enabled him 
 to distinguish, with comparative ease, those nicer shades of 
 difference in sense and sound, which a foreigner generally 
 discerns and acquires with difficulty, but which are abso- 
 lutely essential to the proper and impressive utterance of any 
 language. 
 
46 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 But, however explained, the fact is unquestionable that Mr. 
 Williams preached his first sermon in the native tongue at 
 Huahine, on the 4th of September, just ten months from the 
 time of his reaching Eimeo. This progress was unprece- 
 dented, and sucli as to call forth strong expressions of sur- 
 prise from the elder brethren, some of whom, on hearing him 
 preach, affirmed that he had done as much in ten months as 
 might have reasonably absorbed three years. Thus enabled 
 to open his commission, he preached thrice each week at 
 Raiatea from the commencement of his sojourn there, and 
 was rejoiced to find that the natives easily understood him. 
 In a letter to his mother, written shortly after his settlement 
 in the island, he thus refers to his own ministry. " You pray, 
 my dearly beloved mother, that ' your boy may be enabled to 
 preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to the perishing 
 heathen.' Your prayer is heard, my dear mother, and an- 
 swered. I am now actively engaged in preaching Christ. 
 O ! that I may have grace to preach him, and him alone ; 
 to be faithful unto death. I have made great progress in the 
 language, for which I desire to be very grateful, and to as- 
 cribe the praise to him who is both mouth and wisdom. I 
 hope that your son may prove a crown of rejoicing to you. 
 I now shed the tear of affection, my dear mother, while I 
 think that I cannot indulge any very strong expectation of 
 seeing my beloved mother again in the flesh, but I do enter- 
 tain ' a good hope through grace' of meeting you, where the 
 ravishing hand of death will never cause the briny tear of 
 sorrow to roll down the cheek. Press on, my dear mother, 
 be of good courage, and remember that, although you have 
 given up me, it is to him who gave himself for you." 
 
 In a similar strain of affection and piety, he wrote again 
 shortly afterwards to the same endeared relative. " My dear 
 mother speaks of her feelings at parting. This brings that 
 trying season all fresh to my memory. I assure you it cost 
 me many an anxious hour before that affecting scene occur- 
 red, and my sorrow has often been renewed since then, when 
 reflecting upon the feelings of my dearest parents. I fre- 
 quently recal the parting words of my dear aunt Tomes, 
 ' Recollect, my dear boy, whatever sufferings you are called 
 to endure, it is not for yourself, but for Jesus, who has done 
 and suffered for you infinitely more than you can possibly do 
 or suffer for him.' In hours of solitude, and when my soul 
 has been cast down within me, this thought has afforded me 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 47 
 
 the strongest consolation, and turned my mourning into joy. 
 My dearest parents, grieve not at my absence, for I am en- 
 gaged in the best of services, for the best of masters, and 
 upon the best of terms ; but rather rejoice in having a child 
 upon whom the Lord has conferred this honor. Do not per- 
 sons of the world deem themselves honored by having a 
 member of their family in the employment of an illustrious 
 man, and should not you rejoice that I am serving the King 
 of Kings 1 But, although I speak thus, do not think I have 
 lost all affection. No, no ! I frequently think of you all with 
 feelings which I am obliged to suppress, and, were it not for 
 the happiness I find in the work of the Lord, and the fervent 
 desire I feel to be honored in winning souls to him, I am sure 
 I should soon see you again. Not the gold of Ophir, or the 
 luxuries of the East would keep me from those whom I so 
 ardently love. But I have this consolation, that the natives, 
 from the king to the lowest of them, appear attached to me, 
 that I am in the path of duty and usefulness, doing the work 
 for which I left my native land, and those by whom I am 
 tenderly beloved, and what greater support than this can be 
 enjoyed by a missionary ?" 
 
 Soon after the resolution of the chiefs and people to locate 
 themselves near their missionaries, they selected a site called 
 Vaoaara, on the leeward side of the island, for their future 
 settlement. Here a temporary chapel and school-house were 
 soon erected, and active efforts employed for clearing the 
 ground from the bush with which it was overgrown, and 
 commencing their own habitations. From the first, Tamatoa 
 and his queen entered most cordially into the objects and 
 plans of their teachers. " When Mr. Threlkeld and I," 
 writes Mr. Williams, " came down from Huahine to settle at 
 Raiatea, I asked the queen, whether we could obtain a cer- 
 tain piece of ground (pointing out the place) on which to 
 erect a house 1 She replied, in a cheerful tone, ' Look for- 
 ward ! look backward ! look on this side, and on that ! look 
 all around, for it is all yours, and wherever you say, there it 
 shall be. 5 Shortly afterwards, some natives expressed their 
 dissatisfaction at our not having settled at the king's former 
 residence, and I asked Tamatoa what he wished, and whether 
 he desired to dwell there. His reply was, ' This is my wish, 
 that your settling among us may be lasting, that I may be 
 close to you, to hear and understand the word of God.' ' 
 
 Having selected a convenient plot of ground, Mr. Williams 
 
48 LIFE OP THE 
 
 resolved to erect upon it a dwelling-house in the English style, 
 and in all respects superior to any building ever seen, or even 
 imagined by the people around him. To this he was incited, 
 not merely by a desire to obtain for himself and his family a 
 commodious and respectable residence, but by the hope of 
 elevating the standard and awakening the emulation of those 
 whom he was anxious to benefit. Before this time, the best 
 native houses consisted of but one apartment, which was used 
 by the whole family, and for all domestic purposes. This was 
 covered with a thatched roof, but open at the sides, and car- 
 peted with dry, and too frequently, dirty grass. Mr. Williams 
 perceived the unfitness of such abodes for the purposes he had 
 in view. He knew that domestic comfort, social morality and 
 spiritual religion could never flourish, unless the degraded 
 habits, inseparable from such a mode of living, were first 
 destroyed. He therefore resolved to show the people a more 
 excellent way. " It was my determination," he writes, " when 
 I left England, to have as respectable a dwelling-house as I 
 could erect ; for the missionary does not go to barbarize him- 
 self, but to elevate the heathen ; not to sink himself to their 
 standard, but to raise them to his." 
 
 Prompted by this enlightened and truly benevolent motive, 
 Mr. Williams prepared the plan, and commenced the erection 
 of his new and noble dwelling-house. And this was an un- 
 dertaking in which most of the labor necessarily devolved 
 upon himself. The natives, indeed, readily assisted in pro- 
 curing the materials and placing them according to his direc- 
 tion ; but all beyond what the most ordinary assistance could 
 render, was done by his own hands. Yet although obliged to 
 execute the work of many different artizans, whose divided 
 labor and united skill are commonly considered essential to 
 such an undertaking, he, relying solely upon his own re- 
 sources, soon beheld, with pride and pleasure, his future 
 home rising up before him. The natives saw it too, and were 
 lavish in their expressions of astonishment and admiration. 
 The house was sixty feet by thirty, and consisted of three 
 front and four back rooms. French sashes, shaded with a 
 green verandah and Venetian blinds, gave an air of elegance 
 to the sitting-rooms, which commanded a splendid view of the 
 harbor. The frame-work of the building was wood, but the 
 walls, both within and without, were wattled, and plastered 
 with coral lime. From this time Mr. Williams made not 
 only a whitewash, but a grey and orange coloring with which 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 49 
 
 he adorned the interior. On either sideand in front, he had 
 enclosed a spacious garden, which was tastily laid out in 
 grass-plots, gravel-paths, and flower-beds, where there flour- 
 ished a variety of ornamental shrubs and plants, some of them 
 indigenous, and others exotics introduced by himself and his 
 brethren. Immediately behind the house, there was an en- 
 closed poultry-yard, well stocked with turkeys, fowls, and 
 English and Muscovy ducks ; while beyond this, lay a large 
 kitchen-garden, which supplied their table with several British 
 roots and vegetables, including cabbages, beans, peas, cu- 
 cumbers, pumpkins, onions, and pot-herbs. At a later date, 
 the bleating of goats and the lowing of oxen on the hills indi- 
 cated that still more important additions had been made to 
 their domestic comfort. 
 
 The furniture was in keeping with the house, and discov- 
 ered in the Missionary an equal amount of taste and skill. 
 Tables, chairs, sofas and bedsteads, with turned and polished 
 legs and pillars, quite in English style, and carpeted floors 
 gave to the interior of this dwelling an appearance, equally 
 inviting to the European visitor, and surprising to the natives. 
 Mr. Williams augured much good from the excitement which 
 these novelties would produce in the too sluggish intellects 
 around him, and was soon rejoiced to see that their imitative 
 propensities had been so powerfully called into useful exercise 
 by his example, as effectually to overcome their indolence. 
 
 Such a prodigious undertaking, for an individual so cir- 
 cumstanced as Mr. Williams, necessarily absorbed a large 
 amount of time. But his own dwelling was not the only one 
 to which his attention was given. Every day, and through- 
 out almost every hour of the day, he was beset with applicants, 
 who wished him to tell them, or show them, or do for them 
 something to which they were unequal. These visits, how- 
 ever, he encouraged, because they tended to further his great 
 design. Amidst such occupations, it might be supposed, that 
 other and still more important services were either suspended, 
 or slightly performed. But it was far otherwise. At no time 
 was he more thoroughly devoted to the spiritual duties of his 
 office : as the reader will perceive when he has perused the 
 following extracts from his letters. 
 
 The first is to his family. " I'll tell you," he says, " how 
 
 I spend my time. Mondays, (with the exception of the first 
 
 in the month,) Tuesdays and Thursdays, I give to the house, 
 
 having, without any assistance from the natives who do only 
 
 5 
 
50 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 the roof and the thatch, to make the doors, windows, floors, 
 walls, partitions, etc. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, I 
 devote to the study of my discourses. Beside these and other 
 engagements, I attend the school daily, so that my time is 
 fully occupied." 
 
 But the following passages describe more fully his feelings 
 and circumstances at this interesting period — 
 
 " The people attend the chapel constantly. Many of them are 
 very attentive, and seem desirous that the word may reach their 
 hearts. Although there are no striking conversions, or peculiar 
 awakenings, there are some in whose souls we hope the work of God 
 is progressing. The natives, with a very few exceptions, come reg- 
 ularly to school. They all maintain family worship, and very many 
 pray privately morning and evening. But with most of them ' one 
 thing is yet lacking.' They do not appear to be properly convinced 
 of sin, and to feel their need of a Saviour. Their conduct to ourselves 
 is kind and encouraging. They manifest great affection, and are 
 very agreeable to every thing we propose. Both chiefs and people 
 ask our advice upon almost every subject, and when they disagree, 
 they generally bring their little differences to us that we may adjust 
 them. This we endeavor to do as amicably as possible. There are 
 frequent disputes between husbands and wives, and as neither of my 
 brethren will undertake to settle them, they are commonly brought to 
 me, and hitherto I have generally been a successful mediator. 
 
 " We are about to establish a Missionary Society here ; one has 
 been formed at Tahiti, and another in Huahine, and ours would have 
 been ere now ; but as this settlement is new, and there were but two 
 or three shabby old houses when we came to it, all the people had to 
 erect new houses and to plant food, and could not until now have 
 contributed much to such an object. 
 
 " It is our intention, moreover, to erect a new chapel, and to have 
 it wattled, plastered, and floored. When this is finished, and the 
 other buildings now in hand, the station will range along the sea- 
 beach about a mile and a half, or two miles, and will present a very 
 pretty appearance. At present, we have only opened one small place 
 of worship, in addition to that which we commonly use ; but we are 
 about to open another at Tahaa, an island ten miles from our settle- 
 ment. The station itself, however, is twice that distance ; but, as 
 this island and ours are enclosed in one reef, we can reach it by sea, 
 and intend to visit it every week. Doors of usefulness are opening 
 to us on the one hand, and death is speaking to us on the other, so 
 that we must be active while it is day. 
 
 " With regard to our religious proceedings we are employed in the 
 following manner. At six o'clock on the Sabbath morning, we hold 
 a prayer- meeting, when two of the natives engage in prayer, and the 
 missionary gives an address. At nine o'clock, the bell rings for the 
 regular service, when the natives, dressed very neatly, attend, and 
 many of them appear anxious to understand the word of life. Our 
 congregation usually consists of from 500 to 700, but frequently it 
 amounts to from 1000 to 1500. At eleven, we meet in rotation at 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 51 
 
 each other's houses for worship in English. At one o'clock, a cate- 
 chetical exercise is conducted with the people. At four, we hold 
 another regular service in the Tahitian. The brethren then take tea 
 together, and spend the Sabbath evening in singing, prayer, and read- 
 ing a course of lectures for mutual improvement. Every first Sab- 
 bath in the month, we celebrate the soul-reviving ordinance of the 
 Lord's supper, and frequently do 1 reflect with a degree of holy long- 
 ing upon the happy seasons I have passed at the Tabernacle with my 
 dear mother. Not indeed because we are destitute of times of refresh- 
 ing from the presence of the Lord ; for here, as well as in England, 
 we find him faithful who hath said, ' Lo, I am with you always, even 
 unto the end of the world,' and his presence with the soul supplies 
 every deficiency, and enables it to go on its way rejoicing. 
 
 " We have a noon daily school which is well attended ; and on 
 Monday evening, we meet the people for the purpose of hearing and 
 answering their questions. Some of these questions are shrewd, and 
 some of course are simple. At the last meeting of this kind, one ask- 
 ed, ' who the Scribes were and whether they were secretaries to an 
 Auxiliary Missionary Society?' Another native inquired, 'Our 
 teachers, how can we obtain this faaroo mau, or true faith, you were 
 speaking of? We earnestly desire, but cannot get it. Were it lock- 
 ed up in your boxes, they would soon be broken open.' On another 
 occasion, a native complained of the prevalence of evil thoughts in 
 his mind, and of the attempt of the evil spirit to make them grow 
 there ; and observed that when he went to pray in the bush on the 
 preceding day, just before he knelt down, a multitude of evil thoughts 
 rushed into his mind, and he said within himself, ' If Satan would 
 approach me in the likeness of man, 1 would fight with him and stone 
 him to death.' ' Now,' added he, ' our teachers, is this a good thought 
 or a bad thought ? tell me that we all may know.' 
 
 " On Wednesday afternoon, likewise, we have service again in the 
 Tahitian ; and on Thursday evening we take tea together, and speak 
 in rotation on given subjects for our mutual edification. The topics 
 are generally, such as — What are the best means of keeping religion 
 alive in the soul — What are the evidences of growth in grace — The 
 nature and importance of self-examination — The heavenly state, etc, 
 These seasons of social religion we find very profitable, and all we want 
 is a little more Christian society ; but if enjoyed, perhaps it might be 
 at the expense of the peace and unity which now prevail amongst us. 
 All the time I can spare I employ in teaching the natives useful arts, 
 which I consider a very important part of my missionary labor. 
 
 " My work is my delight. In it I desire to spend and to be spent. 
 I think and hope, that I have no other desire in my soul than to be the 
 means of winning sinners to Christ. My anxiety is that my tongue 
 may be ever engaged in proclaiming his salvation, and that my hands 
 and actions may be always pointing to his cross. I can now speak as 
 fluently in the language as in my native tongue, and would preach 
 five Tahitian sermons for any brother who would preach one for me 
 in English when it comes to my turn. 
 
 " Our sitting-room is about 20 feet by 15, and every evening is 
 generally filled with persons who come to obtain information ; to pro- 
 pose difficulties, or to ask, advice. Questions about the proper method 
 of prayer are frequently put to us. Though this is Saturday evening, 
 
52 LIPEOFTHE 
 
 when we profess to exclude inquirers, there have been ten or twelve in, 
 and one of whom was anxious to know whether it was right, when he 
 went into the busli to pray, to say, ' O Jehovah, give me thy word in 
 my heart— all thy word, and cover it up there that it may not be for- 
 gotten by me.' " 
 
 In the midst of these various and useful labors, the mission 
 family suffered a visitation, always afflictive, but peculiarly so 
 in circumstances like theirs. At the close of the year 1818, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Orsmond came to reside for a short period at 
 Raiatea, that Mrs. O., then anticipating the hour of maternal 
 solicitude, might enjoy the medical assistance of Mr. Threl- 
 keld. " But the Lord," writes Mr. Williams, " took her to 
 himself. It was a trying season to us all, but especially to 
 our bereaved brother, who is called to lament the loss of one, 
 in whom affection and piety were sweetly combined. But he 
 has borne the severe affliction with that patience and resigna- 
 tion which become the servant of God ; and he is sustained 
 by the thought, that his loss is her gain. Her death was 
 sudden and unexpected ; but she frequently said, that she 
 should not survive the trying hour. But she mentioned her 
 impressions with the greatest serenity, and was evidently wil- 
 ling to ' depart and be with Christ.' " 
 
 In their written instructions to Mr. Williams on leaving 
 England, the Directors gave him the following wise recom- 
 mendations : "It will be some time before you are able to 
 preach with fluency in the language of the people, but you 
 may be immediately useful in agriculture and other arts of 
 civilization. Next to the communication of the Gospel, (which 
 must ever be considered as the first and chief object,) our 
 wish is that you study and endeavor to promote their civiliza- 
 tion. The grand bane of the natives has been idleness. It 
 will be a great blessing to them to engage them in some use- 
 ful employment. Use your best endeavors to discover how 
 this may be done ; by what means the natural productions of 
 the earth, cherished by human art, may be turned to some 
 good account ; and while made to afford employment to the 
 people, may become an article of profitable commerce, en- 
 abling them to support the Gospel among themselves, and to 
 send its blessings to other islands. Hitherto, we greatly la- 
 ment, that little or nothing of this nature has been done. We 
 earnestly recommend it to you to study how it may be done 
 in future. At the same time, our wish is, that no such por- 
 tion of your time and attention may be occupied in secular 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 53 
 
 matters, as to abridge your efforts for the salvation of the 
 people. But, with prudent management, we trust that both 
 these objects may be pursued together." 
 
 It has been already seen how fully Mr. Williams had im- 
 bibed the spirit of these instructions, and how eminently he 
 was prepared to carry them out. No man, indeed, knew bet- 
 ter than he the value of industry, and of the useful arts to the 
 people amongst whom he lived ; and no one ever labored 
 more faithfully or successfully for their advancement. In 
 farther illustration of this part of his conduct, a few other 
 facts, in addition to those contained in the preceding pages, 
 may here be given. 
 
 In a letter addressed to his friends at the Tabernacle, and 
 dated August 31, 1819, after describing his newly-erected 
 house, and the reason which induced him to build it on a 
 scale and in a style so very superior to any habitation ever seen 
 by the natives, he adds, 
 
 " It is a great advantage to me that I am able to turn my hand to 
 anything, and indeed it is very desirable that every missionary, sent 
 to an uncivilized part of the world, should possess mechanical quali- 
 fications, as well as a missionary spirit. 
 
 " We have not only instructed the natives as to the improvement of 
 their houses, but also in sawing timber, carpentering, smith's work, 
 and, among other things, in boat-building. Brother Threlkeld has 
 now in hand a very large boat, on which only the natives are em- 
 ployed. Requiring a larger boat than that which I built at Eimeo, that 
 1 may visit Tahaa, I have completed one sixteen feet long. The for- 
 mer, which was wide and heavy, required five men; in the latter, I 
 can proceed to Tahaa with only two, or even one. My new boat, 
 which is of a very pretty shape, has scarcely a nail in it. I have tied 
 the ribs in, and all the planks, with a very strong cinet, a cord which 
 the natives make, and with which they lash their canoes. They are 
 very much pleased with it, and have resolved, when they have finished 
 their houses, to begin boats of a similar construction for themselves. 
 They had concluded that they could not succeed without nails ; but 
 now they perceive that this is possible, and they say, l Ua maitai adura^ 
 * It is now well with us,' as every one can now get a boat who chooses, 
 and is not lazy. 
 
 " We have established, in our little way, a Society for the Encour- 
 agement of Arts and Sciences. The first reward or encouragement was 
 from brother Threlkeld. Brother Orsmond and I have proposed to 
 give fifty nails each to the man who begins first to build his boat. An 
 old chief is now gone to cut the keel for one which he is to build in 
 my yard ; and he is to have one hundred and fifty nails to fasten the 
 ends of the planks on the gunwale, and to use in any other place 
 where the cinet does not bind sufficiently tight. Thus, while we are 
 actively engaged in promoting the eternal interests of the natives, we 
 
 5* 
 
54 LIFE OF THE 
 
 are not forgetful of their temporal, remembering the injunction, ' not 
 slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.' " 
 
 Mr. Williams's communications to the Directors and his 
 family contain other information of a similar kind. From a 
 letter, dated Sept. 5, J 819, he thus reports the progress of the 
 Mission : 
 
 "When we came to this place, there were only two native habita- 
 tions, and it was difficult to walk along the beach for the bushes. But 
 the former wilderness is now an open, clear, and pleasant place, with 
 a range of houses extending nearly two miles along the sea-beach, in 
 which reside about a thousand of the natives. We earnestly desire to 
 see the moral wilderness present the same improved appearance. The 
 king, who, we are happy to say, is one of the most consistent charac- 
 ters, resides very near to us. He is a very constant attendant both at 
 the chapel and the schools. He will probably be one of the first whom 
 we shall baptize in the islands. We are happy in being able to state 
 that his behavior is circumspect, and that he is very active in sup- 
 pressing crime. 
 
 " We are glad to be able to inform you, that many have built them- 
 selves very neat little houses, and are now living in them with their 
 wives and families. The king, through seeing ours, and by our ad- 
 vice, has had a house erected near to us. It contains four rooms, 
 wattled, and plastered inside and out, and floored. He is the first na- 
 tive on these islands that ever had such a house ; but many others are 
 now following his example. Thus, while teaching them the things 
 which belong to their eternal peace, we do not forget their temporal 
 improvement, and desire to remember the connexion between being 
 fervent in spirit, and diligent in business. 
 
 " We have been constantly exhorting the people to abandon their 
 pernicious custom of living several families together in one dwelling, 
 and have advised their separation. Several have complied with our 
 request, and before six months more have elapsed, it is probable that 
 there will not be less than twenty houses, wattled, plastered, with 
 boarded floors, and divided into separate rooms for meals and sleeping. 
 Thus you see that, although our station was the last formed, it is the 
 first in these things. We think it a great object gained, that many of 
 the natives, with their wives and children, are now living separately, 
 in neat habitations of their own, and that the people have been in- 
 duced to engage in preparing such habitations. 
 
 " We have opened a neat little place of worship at Tahna, in a dis- 
 trict called Tivaa, and there is another erected, which we intend to 
 open shortly, and visit regularly, in the district of Patio, where we 
 expect a congregation of five hundred or six hundred persons. We 
 intend, likewise, to place two of our most intelligent and consistent 
 Raiateans over the school, to which we shall ourselves pay particular 
 attention on our visits. We are all much pleased with the prospect of 
 usefulness which the new station presents to our view. 
 
 " Since we came here, there has been a rumor of war ; but, on in- 
 quiry, we are happy to find that it originated only with some evil-dis- 
 posed persons, who would create a war if possible. The chiefs them- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 55 
 
 selves entertained no such desire. Instead of this, we rejoice to say, 
 peace seems permanently established. Kings, priests, and people are 
 professedly enlisted under the banner of the Prince of Peace. O that 
 we could say, he ruled in all their hearts. 
 
 " Upon the whole, our prospects are indeed very encouraging, and, 
 we doubt not, if blessed with faith, patience and perseverance, we 
 shall be made very useful. We shall give every possible attention to 
 the instruction of the natives in useful arts, and shall urge them to 
 works of industry, to which we ourselves devote as much time as we 
 can spare ; and perhaps the advocates of civilization would not be less 
 pleased than the friends of evangelization, could they look upon these 
 remote shores, and upon a portion of the natives diligently employed 
 in various useful arts ; some sawing, some carpentering, some boat- 
 building, some as blacksmiths, some as plasterers, etc. They have 
 lately constructed two long bridges, which would do credit to any 
 country village in England. But we cannot, we dare not, devote our 
 time to temporal concerns, when it is at the expense of the eternal in- 
 terests of those whom we came to instruct." 
 
 These rapid changes in the circumstances and habits of 
 the people were not less surprising than valuable, as all will 
 admit, who consider their character, prior to the residence of 
 the missionaries among them. Extremely indolent, save when 
 excited by pleasure or passion ; the subjects of few artificial 
 wants, and dwelling in a relaxing and luxurious climate, 
 which, in a great degree, relieved them from labor, by sup- 
 plying, either spontaneously, or with but little cultivation, 
 their necessary food, motives of more than ordinary power 
 were requisite to arouse them to vigorous and persevering ex- 
 ertion. Walking in the steps, and adopting the customs of 
 their ancestors whose dwelling-places they inherited, it was 
 not to be expected that to gratify strangers, or from the hope 
 of benefits which they were unable to appreciate, they would 
 readily change their manner of life. And such a voluntary 
 transition was the less probable, from the congeniality of those 
 habits which they were required to relinquish with their 
 strongest natural propensities. To pluck and eat the ripe 
 fruits of their generous clime, or to slumber in the deep shade 
 of the luxuriant trees upon which they clustered ; to fish or 
 sport within the placid waters of their lagoon ; to ride in tri- 
 umph upon the crested wave ; to race, wrestle, and recite 
 their traditions ; or at evening, to mingle in the wild frolic, 
 or the favorite dance, were among the chief occupations and 
 enjoyments of their life, except, when inflamed by revenge or 
 stimulated by fear, they girded themselves for the battle. 
 What a task to induce them to exchange such a state, for the 
 
56 LIFE OF THE 
 
 patient and continuous labor of acquiring knowledge, and 
 forming habits, the importance of which they could but 
 dimly discern ! 
 
 But this was accomplished ; and by the only means ade- 
 quate to so great an effect. While presenting every secular 
 motive which the natives could understand to excite them to 
 labor, the missionaries knew well that the force of all such 
 considerations as their personal and domestic comfort, would, 
 if urged alone, be insufficient to overcome the habits and 
 propensities by which they were opposed. But their reliance 
 was not in these. It was in the Gospel. This they deemed 
 "the mighty power of God" for promoting the civilization no 
 less than the salvation . of the people ; and proceeded upon 
 the belief, which the result of the experiment fully confirmed, 
 that the transformation of the rude and lawless community 
 around them could only be effected by the manifestation of 
 evangelical truth. Proceeding upon this conviction, and 
 while the new settlement was advancing, and the natural 
 waste upon which it was founded assumed each day addi- 
 tional features of interest, the missionaries labored without 
 ceasing, in the sanctuary, the school and the dwelling-house, 
 to quicken the intellect and arouse the conscience of the peo- 
 ple, by imparting to them the revelation of God. His char- 
 acter, works and designs ; man's original and fallen condi- 
 tion ; his duties and his destiny ; the person, advent, death, 
 mediation and redemption of Jesus Christ ; the nature and 
 necessity of faith in him ; the new birth, with its cause and 
 evidences ; the sublime realities of the final judgment, and 
 the eternal states of all the dead, were the themes by which 
 they sought to engage the minds, and mould the characters 
 of their interesting charge. And ere we can correctly un- 
 derstand the social changes which rewarded their labors, or 
 form a just estimate of the labors themselves, we must con- 
 nect those passages in their correspondence which detail 
 them, with others which describe their more spiritual engage- 
 ments. It was upon these that Mr. Williams depended, and 
 to them he ascribed the advancing civilization of the people. 
 " The process of instruction," he writes, " under which they 
 have been brought, the new wants and desires created by the 
 supply of knowledge, the excitement produced by a series of 
 discoveries, many of which were so wonderful and sublime, 
 that they could not fail both to quicken and enlarge their 
 faculties, and, above all, the elevating power of vital religion 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 57 
 
 have made them mentally, as well as spiritually, new crea- 
 tures in Christ Jesus." 
 
 At this early period of the mission, there were many im- 
 portant changes, which the brethren did not venture to pro- 
 pose, but for which, however, they endeavored to prepare the 
 people. Amongst other anticipated improvements, the mis- 
 sionaries greatly desired the adoption of a code of laws, and 
 the establishment of an efficient executive. Hitherto, the 
 despotism of the chiefs and the priests, with the fearful com- 
 binations, called Arcoi societies, had subjected the people to 
 much painful oppression. And as such a state was directly 
 opposed to the equal justice and universal love which the 
 Gospel inculcates, it was evident to the missionaries, that, 
 either this lawless condition must cease, or their labors be in 
 vain. But as it was expected that those whose powers would 
 be restrained by any innovation upon the existing system 
 would strenuously resist it, and as the people generally were 
 unprepared for the change, the missionaries did no more than 
 describe, at their social meetings for conversation and inqui- 
 ry, such of the legal institutions of Britain, and so much of 
 her jurisprudence as the natives were able to understand. 
 At the same time, without pressing the subject, they pointed 
 out many of the benefits to all classes, which the enactment 
 of laws and the existence of magistrates would secure, if these 
 were introduced into Raiatea. But all this was done with 
 caution, and only as the people " were able to bear it :" for 
 their teachers were fully aware that the despotic prerogatives 
 of those in power were deemed by themselves, and regarded 
 by the natives as a part of an unquestionable and inalienable 
 inheritance, transmitted to them by their fathers ; and they 
 therefore feared that too full a disclosure of principles and 
 practices so opposite to those which prevailed — too clear a 
 statement of the relative position and respective rights of the 
 governors and the governed might arouse the fears, excite the 
 cupidity, and thus ensure the opposition of those whose co- 
 operation was necessary to their success. But by this pru- 
 dent course, they rapidly and fully accomplished their design ; 
 and, ere they had resided a year at Raiatea, they were re- 
 joiced to perceive, that the chiefs had embraced some of the 
 most important principles of righteous government, and were 
 prepared to make them the basis of their future proceedings. 
 
 " We were not a little gratified," they write under the date of Sep- 
 tember, 1819, " a short time since, to see with what spirit the kings 
 
58 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 and chiefs exerted themselves in order to regulate the affairs of the 
 people. They first held a meeting, at which they requested us to be 
 present. The king addressed the people, and said, ' Let us try and 
 form our conduct by the word which we learn from our teachers, and 
 by the word of God which we read every day. Stop ! our wicked- 
 ness is very great. Remember, it is I who am speaking. If the son 
 of any king is wicked, and deserves to die, he shall die. If any king 
 is worthy of death, he shall die ; and if I am worthy of death, I will 
 die also. Let all the people remember that the man who deserves to 
 die, shall die. We will observe the voice of our teachers, for God 
 hath sent them. Take care, all of you, lest he be angry ; for if he be 
 angry, he will take our teachers away, and we shall again be in dark- 
 ness.' He then inquired of us what course must be pursued in order 
 to prevent the man from casting away his wife, or the wife her hus- 
 band. He was informed, that when the evil heart was cast away, 
 they would cast away all evil practices. He was likewise furnished 
 with a register, in which the names of all married persons were to be 
 entered ; and it was prescribed, that all who intended marriage should 
 go to the king and make their intentions known, after which they 
 should be entered in the register. All this was the spontaneous effu- 
 sion of their own minds, resulting partly from a murder, which had 
 been committed by a chief of one of the neighboring islands, and part- 
 ly from our earnest endeavors, on several preceding Sabbaths, to con- 
 vince the people of the wickedness of their practices. 
 
 " The day after the meeting at which we had been present, the 
 chiefs assembled by themselves, when they summoned nearly twenty 
 females to appear, who had lately cast away their husbands, and con- 
 strained them to re-unite, saying, ' If you will not, give back the word 
 of God which you learn ; you cannot want that ; you had better go 
 and serve the devil again. Let not this land be stained with sin.' 
 We believe the greater part of those whom the chiefs re-united are 
 now living very comfortably together." 
 
 This incipient movement of the chiefs towards an impro- 
 ved state of society, and the circumstances in which it origi- 
 nated, may serve to indicate the kind of influence exerted by 
 the missionaries over the political proceedings of the people. 
 That influence was unquestionably great. But was it legiti- 
 mate ? This, indeed, some have denied ; and the charge of 
 obtrusive and oppressive interference with the customs and 
 wishes of the natives has been boldly brought against their 
 teachers. It has even been asserted, that the only civil 
 change effected in the islands was the transfer of despotic 
 authority from the chief to the missionary. A grave accusa- 
 tion undoubtedly ; and one, therefore, for which none but 
 proofs the most specific and decisive should obtain the least 
 degree of credit. But no valid evidence of this and similar 
 charges has ever been adduced. If received, it must be up- 
 on the single ground of the competence, candor and upright- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 59 
 
 ness of the originators. But are they worthy of this confi- 
 dence ? Does their character or their conduct stand out free 
 from all suspicion ? Who are these accusers of the brethren 1 
 With but few exceptions, they are either seamen, or other in- 
 terested persons, whose attempts to defraud and demoralize 
 the natives have been frustrated by the vigilance and influ- 
 ence of the missionary ; and who, chafed and mortified, have 
 retired from scenes which they would have polluted, and from 
 a people whom they would have plundered, under the influ- 
 ence of burning and disappointed passion. There have been 
 some others, indeed, to whom this description will not apply ; 
 but who, destitute of sympathy with the religious character 
 and spiritual objects of the missionaries, and without ade- 
 quate opportunity for ascertaining their principles and inves- 
 tigating their proceedings, have, with criminal facility, receiv- 
 ed and reported the unfounded opinions of their enemies : opin- 
 ions, which a lengthened residence amongst the people, the 
 power of communicating with them in their own tongue, and a 
 more accurate acquaintance with their previous history and ex- 
 isting circumstances would have speedily corrected. But, even 
 were these witnesses themselves more worthy of regard, had 
 they honestly endeavored to know the truth, and been free 
 from that animus which they so strongly discover, still their 
 charges would have no claim upon our belief. Their very 
 vagueness would alone be sufficient to invalidate them. For, 
 with few exceptions, they are not advanced against indivi- 
 duals, but against the whole body of devoted men, who labor 
 in the South Seas. In general, it is " the missionaries" who 
 are the objects of vituperation. But who can meet, and what 
 candid mind would entertain such an accusation ? And in 
 most cases, moreover, not only are the names of the accused 
 withheld, but all those particulars of their alleged oppressions, 
 which are necessary to enable them to rebut the charges. 
 Who but men of the same class as the accusers would listen 
 to such accusations ? 
 
 But while the charge of undue interference can, in the ab- 
 sence of all particulars, only be repelled by. a firm denial, it 
 may be admitted that circumstances, like that which has just 
 been detailed, may serve, in some degree, to account for the 
 false impressions which have been so hastily received, and so 
 eagerly propagated against the missionaries, by partial or un- 
 friendly visitors. A candid consideration of the case, how- 
 ever, would generally show that what, to a superficial ob- 
 
m 
 
 60 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 server, might seem an unwarrantable encroachment upon the 
 province of others, has been nothing more than the unavoid- 
 able and beneficial result of mental and moral superiority. 
 By this means, indeed, the missionary has obtained great per- 
 sonal and political influence. It has been by his knowledge, 
 his sincere and disinterested regard to the welfare of the peo- 
 ple, and his earnest labors for their salvation. He has in- 
 structed — not imposed upon them ; convinced — not coerced 
 them. It has been, not by the dominancy of his own will, 
 nor by undue endeavors to control theirs, that all classes have 
 been induced to exchange their former usages for better ; but 
 by the force of truth, the perception of right, the hope of ad- 
 vantage, and the fear of God. 
 
 It is perfectly true, indeed, that, at Raiatea, the missiona- 
 ries were important agents in originating and maturing those 
 political improvements, of which the commencement has been 
 described. But let it be remembered, that no measure be- 
 came law which the people themselves did not cordially ap- 
 prove and adopt. Thus, for example, in the restrictions 
 which were placed upon the intercourse of seamen with the 
 shore, and to which most of the charges against the missiona- 
 ries as political meddlers may be traced, nothing was done by 
 the chiefs merely from deference to their desires. But even 
 had it been otherwise, had the teachers employed their ut- 
 most personal influence to obtain regulations which they 
 deemed essential to their main object, who would have con- 
 demned them 1 Having left their homes, and devoted their lives 
 to promote the social and spiritual regeneration of the heathen, 
 is it surprising that they should have earnestly desired to pro- 
 tect the objects of their benevolent concern from contaminat- 
 ing intercourse with immoral visitors ; and would they have 
 improperly interfered, had they recommended the chiefs to 
 subject such intercourse to suitable control ? 
 
 To the rapid improvement effected at Raiatea during the 
 first year's residence of the missionaries on that island, it 
 must not be overlooked that the printing press contributed its 
 due share. That mighty instrument for good or for evil had 
 been set up at Huahine by Mr. Ellis, who, with devoted zeal 
 and labor, thus furnished himself and his brethren with addi- 
 tional means for carrying forward their good work. From 
 this source, eight hundred copies of the Gospel by Luke, and 
 a supply of elementary books early found their way to Raia- 
 tea, and were distributed by the missionaries amongst nume- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 61 
 
 rous and eager applicants. This gift had a most important 
 influence upon the people. It increased their desire for edu- 
 cation, and augmented the attendance at school. Indeed, al- 
 most every adult was now a scholar ; and during the hours of 
 instruction, other engagements were suspended, and the va- 
 rious scenes of busy occupation throughout the settlement 
 forsaken. The companies convened for tuition formed a 
 strange assemblage. Chiefs and raatiras, hoary men and lisp- 
 ing children, the mother with her suckling at the breast, and 
 the once cruel priests of Oro, whose hands, now holding the 
 primer or the Gospel, had been often stained with the blood 
 of human sacrifices, were seen sitting upon the same form, 
 spelling the same words, and mutually availing themselves of 
 each other's aid. Even the king and queen were scholars. 
 " Both of them," writes Mr. Williams, " read well, and fre- 
 quently give appropriate answers to the questions we propose 
 on the verses repeated." 
 
 "Our school," he adds, "is divided into seven classes, 
 and to each of these native monitors are appointed. One of 
 us always takes the seventh class, which read the Gospel of 
 Luke and Scripture history. We explain each verse as it is 
 read, that the people may understand it. The school has 
 been so full, that one of the brethren has been obliged to 
 teach outside." So general, indeed, has been the attendance 
 of adults, that an exception awakened surprise. A native on 
 his way to school saw a man sitting in his house. Struck by 
 a circumstance so unusual at that hour, he stopped and thus 
 addressed him — " My friend, why do you not go to school, 
 the bell has rung some time since V "lam discouraged," 
 replied the man, " for I am still learning in the B Aba. I 
 shall never be able to read the Gospel of Luke, and think 
 therefore of stopping at home, and not going to school any 
 more." The other immediately said, " That is a bait of the 
 devil. When you go a fishing, you put on the bait so as to 
 hide the hook, and the fish thinks not that he shall be pierced 
 by it, should he seize the bait. The devil has a fish-hook in 
 that evil thought of yours. Therefore have nothing to do 
 with it, but let us both go immediately and learn." The 
 man arose, and accompanied his friendly monitor to the 
 school. 
 
 But while the timely supply of books stimulated the natives 
 to frequent the school, the effect of this attendance was soon 
 felt in their increased demand for these new-found treasures. 
 6 
 
(J'4 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 " The people," writes their missionary, " call loudly for books, 
 and to obtain them they spare no time. Many have made 
 considerable progress in learning, can repeat the multiplica- 
 tion table readily, and work the most difficult sums in long 
 division and reduction, without a mistake. Towards their 
 teachers, they evince the most affectionate attachment." 
 
 These were results without a parallel. Within a period, 
 which would be generally deemed no more than sufficient to 
 gain a footing amongst such a people, a surprising advance 
 had been made in their education, civilization and moral im- 
 provement. But the influence of the missionaries even thus 
 early extended beyond the island in which they labored. 
 " God," they write, " has not only enabled us to tell of Jesus, 
 but he has conducted us into a field ready for the harvest, and 
 one which demands our most vigorous exertions. Not only 
 does Raiatea call for our labors, but the adjacent islands. 
 We need more time, more strength, and more zeal ; for the 
 natives, on every hand, are calling aloud for our assistance. 
 Preaching tours have been made around Borabora, and when 
 we consider that until lately a teacher has never been settled 
 among them, the attention of the people is far greater than 
 we could have expected." 
 
 This auspicious year, however, did not close until it was 
 crowned by the formation of an Auxiliary Missionary Society. 
 Similar societies had been established at Tahiti and at Hua- 
 hine, and the Raiateans were not satisfied with being, in this 
 respect, behind their neighbors. But the missionaries deemed 
 it wise not to press them too early on the subject. " We 
 were anxious," they observe, " that the natives should take 
 the lead, lest they should ultimately say, that the Gospel was 
 a tax upon their benevolence." But they required no stimu- 
 lus. Knowing the feelings of their teachers, and having be- 
 fore them the example of two other islands, they resolved 
 forthwith to form a society. A day was accordingly fixed, 
 the chapel enlarged for the occasion, and preparations for the 
 expected multitude were made upon an extended scale. 
 
 At an early hour of the appointed day, the place of worship 
 was thronged ; and so intense was the desire to be present, 
 that some, who had been confined to their habitations for 
 years, were on that day brought into the assembly. One of 
 the natives, on seeing these borne by their friends to the sanc- 
 tuary, cried aloud, " This is a day of rising from the dead. 
 See ! here are sick, the lame, the blind, all coming out to- 
 
REV 
 
 WILLIAMS. 63 
 
 day !" But long before the hour of service, it had become 
 evident that the chapel would not contain the congregation ; 
 and, no sooner was this ascertained, than a general cry was 
 raised, " Take out the sides of the house that we may all see 
 our teachers, and hear their voice." And in a short time, 
 this was actually done, and nothing was to be seen of the for- 
 mer walls except the pillars which supported the roof. Sing- 
 ing, prayer, and an explanatory address opened the proceed- 
 ings ; and it was then moved by Mr. Williams, that an Aux- 
 iliary Missionary Society should be formed, with Tamatoa as 
 its president. When Mr. Threlkeld had seconded the pro- 
 posal, he requested all who approved of it to hold up their 
 hand. In an instant a forest of naked arms was raised high 
 in the air, a spectacle which the brethren beheld with the 
 liveliest emotions, while contrasting it with the savage and 
 sanguinary deeds, which those very hands had often perpe- 
 trated in the former days of their ignorance. After this, the 
 missionaries left the natives to conduct the remaining busi- 
 ness of the meeting; and as their " little speeches " will 
 serve to illustrate the benefits which they had thus early re- 
 ceived from their laborious instructors, a few of them may 
 be fitly inserted here. 
 
 The assembly was first addressed by the royal chairman, 
 Tamatoa, who, with great warmth of feeling, said, 
 
 " Remember what you used to do for your lying gods. You used 
 to give them all your time, your strength, your property, and even 
 your lives. Then you had nothing of your own : it was all the evil 
 spirit's. If you had a canoe, or mats, or pigs, or cloth, or food, it all 
 belonged to them. What a great work had you then to do in build- 
 ing marais ; your property was all consumed in the worship of the 
 gods. But note, all our property is our own, and here are our teachers 
 in the midst of us. God sent them. He is of great compassion. And 
 they left their own land to come here. Now our eyes are open, and 
 we see it is all false, zdlparaupoke — word and work which end in death. 
 Let us do what we learn. Let us take pity upon other lands. Let us 
 give property willingly,* with our whole heart, to send them mission- 
 
 * The conduct of this chief corresponded with his recommendation. 
 He was amongst the most attached friends and liberal supporters of 
 missions ; and both by example and precept endeavored to induce his 
 people to aid in their promotion. On one occasion, as Mr. Williams 
 was passing near his house, he saw Tamatoa and his queen sitting 
 outside, preparing arrow-root. On observing them thus engaged, Mr. 
 W. stopped, and expressed his surprise. "Why are you doing this," 
 asked the Missionary, " when you have so many servants who could 
 '* Oh," replied the king, with a pleasing smile, " we 
 
64 LIFE OF THE 
 
 aries. It is but a little work for the true God. But if you do not give, 
 do not suppose you will be punished or killed, as you would have 
 been formerly. Let every one do what he pleases." 
 
 He then exhorted them to diligence in seeking their own 
 salvation, and thus concluded his address. 
 
 " Let us not assist in sending the Gospel to other lands, and then, 
 by our wickedness, drive it away from our own. Remember, there 
 were many drowned who helped to build the ark. Take care, lest 
 after sending the Gospel to others, you die in your own sins. Let us 
 not be like the scaffolding, which' is useful in building the house, but 
 is afterwards thrown into the fire. If we are not true believers, God 
 will reject us, and we shall be cast into the fire of hell." 
 
 As soon as Tamatoa had resumed his seat, Puna, a native 
 of very consistent character, arose to nominate a secretary for 
 one of the districts, and then said, 
 
 " Friends, I have a little question. In your thoughts, what is it 
 that makes the heavy ships sail ? I think it is the wind. If there 
 were no wind the ships would stay in one place ; but while there is 
 wind, we know the ships can sail. Now, I think the money of the 
 great Missionary Society is like the wind. If there had been none, 
 no ship would have come here with missionaries. If there is no 
 property, how can missionaries be sent to other countries — how can 
 the ships sail ? Let us then give what we can." 
 
 Tuahine, one of the cleverest men in the settlement, then 
 stood up, and said, 
 
 " Friends, kings, chiefs, and all of you : we have heard much 
 speech to-day ; do not be tired ; I also have a little to say. Whence 
 come the great waters ? Is it not from the small streams that flow in- 
 to them ? I have been thinking that the Missionary Society in Britain 
 is like the great water, and that such little societies as ours are like 
 the little streams. Let there be many little streams. Let not ours be 
 dry. Let missionaries be sent to every land. We are far better off 
 now than we used to be. We do not now sleep with our cartridges 
 under our heads, our guns by our sides, and our hearts in fear. Our 
 children are not now strangled, nor our brothers killed for sacrifices 
 to the lying spirit. It is because of the good work of God. He sent 
 his word and missionaries to teach us ; and we hope there are some 
 who have already believed." 
 
 Officers for the various districts were then proposed, after 
 
 are preparing our subscription to the Missionary Society." "But 
 why not let some of your people do it for you ?" " No," he rejoined, 
 " we would not give that to God upon which we bestowed no labor, 
 but would rather prepare it with our own hands, and then we can say, 
 as David did, ' Of our own proper good have we given unto thee.' 
 
REV, J. WILLIAMS. 65 
 
 which a general permission was given to any who were dis- 
 posed to address the meeting. Upon this, Waver, an indi- 
 vidual whom the missionaries regarded as a converted man, 
 rose and said, 
 
 " We are now become a Missionary Society ; and, we are to give 
 our property, that the word of God may be carried to all lands ; but 
 let us ask, Is it in our hearts ? Has it taken root there ? If not, how 
 can we pity others ? We must give our property with love to those 
 who are sitting in the shades of death." 
 
 Panmoana then said, 
 
 " It would be well if all the world knew the word of God as well 
 as we know it — if all could read it as well as we read it — if all could 
 hear it every Sabbath as we hear it — if all would bow the knee to Je- 
 sus — if all knew him as the only sacrifice for sin. Then there would 
 be no war. We are to give our property that other lands may know 
 the true God and his word, that they may have teachers. It is not to 
 be given to the false gods as we used to do. Let us be diligent, and 
 spend our strength in this good work." 
 
 Another observed, 
 
 " Friends, there are some amongst us who have been pierced with 
 balls. Now let our guns be rotten with rust; and if we are pierced, 
 let it be with the word of God. Let us have no more cannon balls ; 
 but let the word of God be the ball we shoot to other lands." 
 
 The sketch that has now been given of the commencement 
 of the mission at Raiatea, while it shows that there was much 
 to reward the toil and nourish the hopes of Mr. Williams and 
 his brethren, must be viewed with discrimination. Apart 
 from this, it will convey an incorrect idea of the state of the 
 people. With them it was but the dawn of day. What had 
 been done was chiefly valuable as the earnest of better things. 
 Upon the mind of a casual or distant observer, indeed, the 
 chapel, the school, the neatly-formed and snow-white cottages, 
 surrounded with gardens and shaded by luxuriant trees, the 
 busy stir of the men, engaged in different useful arts, and of 
 the women, learning to imitate the dress of their female 
 teachers, their anxiety for instruction, their affection for the 
 missionaries, their observance of the Sabbath, their orderly 
 appearance in the sanctuary, and addresses, like those just 
 inserted, at their public meetings, would probably produce 
 too exalted an estimate of their actual condition. But the 
 truth is that, amidst ali these striking indications of improve- 
 6* 
 
66 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 ment, the people, with some interesting exceptions, were still 
 sitting in darkness. Their Christianity at this period was 
 little better than a national and nominal distinction from the 
 pagan inhabitants of other islands, assumed by many with a 
 very partial knowledge of its principles, and with no experi- 
 ence of its power. Even family worship, so generally ob- 
 served, was, with the mass, a mere form. " In this," re- 
 marked the missionaries, " as in every other part of the world 
 where Christianity has obtained an entrance, the number who 
 profess is far greater than of those who feel the power of relig- 
 ion. While therefore we admire the astonishing effects of the 
 Divine control, in constraining the natives to abolish, with ab- 
 horrence, their cruel and bloody rites, their senseless and dis- 
 gusting ceremonies, we cannot but weep over those who are 
 not only unacquainted with repentance unto life, but who 
 evince unconcern about the salvation of their souls." From ' 
 this and similar notices contained in the letters of the mission- 
 aries, it is abundantly evident that they still considered them- 
 selves amongst an unrenewed people. The winter indeed had 
 in some measure passed, and vernal influences were beginning 
 to cover the previous desolation with the buds and bloom of 
 returning life ; but it was to the future that the laborers were 
 looking for the fruits of their toil. And as we note the cheering 
 signs of spring, — the lengthening days, the brightening sun, 
 the early flowers, the opening leaves, the crops, the garden 
 and the field, so did the missionaries look upon the state of 
 Raiatea. Although, like the spring-time of the year, it yielded 
 little fruit, it was full of promise. It told them that the sum- 
 mer was nigh — that the harvest would come. It gave them, 
 indeed, little beside hope ; but that animating principle was 
 awakened and sustained by all the events which had marked 
 their early history, and by all the changes which now ap- 
 peared before their eyes. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 67 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF MR. WILLIAMS'S SE» 
 COND YEAR AT RA1ATEA, UNTIL THE TERMINA- 
 TION OF THE YEAR 1822. 
 
 Mr. Williams's State of Mind at this Period — His Purposes and Plang 
 — Erection of Chapel — Introduction of Law — Trial by Jury — Choice 
 of Executive — Province and Proceedings of the Missionaries — 
 Criminal Justice at Raiatea — Cultivation of Sugar — Progress of the 
 Arts — Mr. Williams's Inventive Power — Mental Improvement of 
 the People — Native Conspiracies and Providential Deliverance — 
 Illness of Mrs. Williams — First Missionary Anniversary — Speeches 
 — Chapel opened — Mr. Williams's Desire to leave Raiatea — Letter 
 to the Directors — His Additional Employment and Returning Sat- 
 isfaction — School Festival — Preaching in Polynesia — Mr. Wil- 
 liams's Popularity — His Public Ministrations and Pastoral Visits — 
 Becomes Content with his Sphere of Labor — Influence of the Ar- 
 rival of Auuru, and of the Mission to Ruautu — His Ingenuous Can- 
 dor—Requests a Missionary Ship — Cheering Results of Sec- 
 ond Missionary Anniversary — Formation of a Christian Church 
 — Mr. Williams's Ecclesiastical Principles — Commencement of 
 " The Raiatean Church Society" — Personal Affliction — Painful 
 Prospect of Removal — Love and Grief of the Natives— Power of 
 Prayer— Unexpected Relief— Death of his Mother— His Filial Af- 
 fection — Letter to his Family — Character of his Father — Letter to 
 Him — This the Means of his Conversion — Spiritual Prosperity at 
 Raiatea — His Malady Returns — Voyage to Sydney — Objects Con- 
 templated — Mission to Aitutake — Purchase of a Ship — His Dis- 
 couragement, Determination, and Success — His Secular Engage- 
 ments at Sydney — Their Influence upon his Mind — The Charac- 
 teristics of his Piety— His Evangelical Designs — His True Catho- 
 licism — Sails from the Colony — Calls at New Zealand — Dreadful 
 Spectacles — His Dangers and Deliverance — Welcome^ Greeting 
 from the Raiateans — Letter from Tamatoa — Account of his Home- 
 ward Voyage — Visit of Messrs. Tyerman and Rennet — Their Re- 
 port of Raiatea — Additional Illustrations of its Prosperity — Renew- 
 ed Afflictions, and their Removal — Bright Close of the Year 1822. 
 
 Mr. Williams's temperament was singularly sanguine. He 
 loved the light. He reposed in the sunshine. Bright visions 
 of the future, and often as bold as they were bright, were 
 continually rising up before him ; and upon these he delight- 
 
68 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 ed to gaze. Nor did he, even for a moment, doubt the prac- 
 ticability of his schemes. He was always confident that his 
 fond imaginings might be converted into glorious realities. 
 Difficulties which others would have deemed formidable, he 
 could scarcely discern. No man, either in the walks of secu- 
 lar duty or benevolent enterprise, ever exemplified or estab- 
 lished the motto more fully, " Expect great things and at- 
 tempt them." And this was the natural consequence of his 
 character and history. With a firm faith in God, he posses- 
 sed unusual self-reliance, and almost endless resources, which 
 could scarcely fail to widen, beyond the reach of ordinary 
 expectation, the range of his desires, and contributed not a 
 little to their accomplishment. Had his previous history been 
 barren of results ; had all his efforts hitherto proved vain, 
 these causes alone would have kept him " steadfast, immove- 
 able, always abounding in the work of the Lord." But this 
 was not the case. Far otherwise. God had granted to him 
 success, and that beyond his largest calculations. And he 
 felt its influence. It confirmed his hopes ; it braced his arm ; 
 it lightened his labors ; it prompted him to new and nobler 
 enterprises. 
 
 But sanguine as was Mr. Williams's temperament, it sel- 
 dom led him astray. His schemes were not Utopian : his an- 
 ticipations were not extravagant. Had his imagination been 
 as active as his desires and his zeal, these results would have 
 followed. But in this faculty he was deficient. Hence his 
 plans were founded upon a solid basis. They were not the 
 dreams of fancy, but the sober results of thought : calcula- 
 tions, not creations. His desires and designs were ever reg- 
 ulated by a clear discernment and a solid judgment : often 
 bold indeed, but not adventurous : sanguine, but not specu- 
 lative. Seldom have ardor and discretion appeared in more 
 happy or harmonious combination. 
 
 These statements will receive ample confirmation as we 
 track the course of this devoted laborer ; but even thus early 
 in his history, the features of character adverted to are clear- 
 ly evinced. Animated by the signal tokens of the Divine 
 favor which cheered his first year's residence at Raiatea, 
 Mr. Williams had now formed the deliberate purpose of en- 
 deavoring, by every means, to cultivate to the highest point 
 the restricted sphere within which he labored ; and, if possi- 
 ble, through the grace of God, to make that comparatively 
 small community a great people in all that really " exalteth 
 a nation." 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 
 
 " My desire is," he writes, " to do all I can in the cause of 
 my blessed Master, whose I am and whom I serve. Our 
 sphere here is rather contracted ; but we will do what we 
 can ; for we know that ( a man is accepted according to what 
 he hath, and not according to what he hath not.' But our 
 desires are not so contracted as our spheres ; for our hearts 
 comprehend all the ends of the earth." 
 
 In this spirit, the subject of these memoirs commenced his 
 second year's residence at Raiatea. This was a good augury 
 for the future. And it proved a year of deep interest to him, 
 and of vast importance to the people. Amongst the primary 
 objects proposed, was the erection of a house for God ; and 
 this he resolved to build on a scale and in a style worthy of 
 its important design. Although the chapel hitherto occupied 
 was, for a temporary place, commodious, it did not corres- 
 pond, in his view, either in its dimensions or its architecture, 
 with what the service of the Most High required. As soon, 
 therefore, as the natives had prepared their own dwellings, at 
 the close of the year 1819, the missionaries laid the founda- 
 tion of a new and nobler edifice. 
 
 The work was carried forward with great spirit. There 
 was no lack of materials, or of labor. The chiefs and the 
 people indeed could not, like " the chief of the fathers, and 
 the princes of the tribes of Israel," in the days of Solomon, 
 contribute " for the service of the house of God, of gold five 
 thousand talents, and ten thousand drams of silver, or of 
 brass, or of iron, or of precious stone ;" but " they rejoiced 
 for that they offered willingly" the wealth of their island, and 
 the labor of their hands. The result was that, early in the 
 spring of 1820, the work was finished. 
 
 As the erection of a structure, on so large a scale, and of 
 such incalculable importance, formed an era in the history of 
 the Raiatean mission, and strikingly illustrates the character 
 of the devoted man, to whose energy and genius it must be 
 mainly ascribed, a concise description of it will here be given. 
 The dimensions of the whole building were 191 feet by 44 ; 
 but as a part of it was partitioned off for a court-house, the 
 disproportion between the length and breadth was thus redu- 
 ced by nearly 40 feet. The sides were formed, and the roof 
 supported by numerous strong pillars, and the spaces between 
 them were wattled and plastered. Considerable labor had 
 been bestowed upon the interior, which was floored and pew- 
 ed in a style far superior to that of any other sanctuary in the 
 
70 LIFEOPTHE 
 
 South Seas. The pulpit and the reading desk were as orna- 
 mental as the missionaries could make them, and for the first 
 time in the South Sea Islands, provision was now made for 
 an evening service. Nor was there one of the many novel- 
 ties in this Polynesian cathedral, which created so strong a 
 sensation in the visitors, as the chandeliers. These were the 
 turned and carved work of " the chief artificer," and very 
 strikingly did they display his skill. Their only fault was 
 that, for a time, they drew towards themselves the eyes and 
 minds, which ought to have been fixed upon the preacher 
 and his message. On the first occasion of their being used, 
 the people, as they entered the place, were unable to restrain 
 their feelings. But most of them 'could only exclaim, Aue 
 Birittanue e! " O England, O England." Both then, and 
 at other times, they designated England, " a fenua marau 
 ore," " the land whose customs had no end." 
 
 This capacious building was opened for Divine service on 
 the eleventh of May, 1820, when more than 2,400 persons 
 assembled within its walls. This was a memorable day ; but 
 that which followed was only second to it in importance. 
 Then for the first time, a code of laws was given to Raiatea. 
 
 The reader will recollect, that prior to this, the chiefs had 
 made an incipient movement in this direction ; and it may 
 be added that, since the subject first occupied their attention, 
 their consultations with each other, and with their missiona- 
 ries, had been earnest and frequent. In this way, their know- 
 ledge of the principles of righteous government, as laid down 
 in the Scriptures, and embodied in the best institutions of our 
 own country, had been augmented, and they were now pre- 
 pared, in accordance with the example of Tahiti and Huahine, 
 to resolve that passion, cupidity and caprice should be no 
 longer the only rule, and the ultimate reason of their judicial 
 proceedings ; but that henceforth an established code should 
 secure equally to all their property, their liberty, and their 
 life. 
 
 The provisions of this code were few and simple. Except- 
 ing for murder and treason, it did not authorize capital pun- 
 ishments. Its severest penalty was hard labor upon the roads 
 or public works, by which award the legislators hoped to 
 secure the twofold benefit of preventing crime, and promo- 
 ting civilization. As, however, the laws of Raiatea agree in 
 their main features with those previously adopted in Huahine, 
 and which, with suitable comments, will be found in the Rev. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 71 
 
 W. Ellis's valuable " Researches," their insertion here is un- 
 necessary. 
 
 But, although there was a general correspondence between 
 all the Polynesian codes, that which was now introduced into 
 Raiatea possessed one peculiarity. It gave to the people trial 
 by jury. Subsequently, this safeguard of justice and liberty 
 has been thrown around other communities in the South 
 Seas ; but Raiatea claims the honor of its introduction. As, 
 however, this was the boldest innovation yet attempted, and 
 more calculated than any other enactment to subvert the sys- 
 tem of despotic rule, which for ages had made the weak a 
 prey of the strong, the preliminary proceedings required, on 
 the part of the missionaries, more than ordinary prudence. 
 This was especially necessary in dealing with the chiefs who, 
 up to a very recent period, had deemed their lawless preroga- 
 tives natural rights, and who were not unaware that the new 
 mode of jurisdiction would transfer a considerable portion of 
 authority from themselves to the people. But, relying upon 
 the influence they had obtained, and having convinced the 
 most powerful chiefs that the general good would be promot- 
 ed by the change, they now confidently moved towards their 
 object. 
 
 Their main dependence, however, was upon one man, 
 Tamatoa. Had he been hostile, or even neutral, the attempt 
 must have failed. But, happily, this intelligent chief threw 
 his great influence into the right scale; and, as the mission- 
 aries believed, and his subsequent conduct proved, from an 
 enlightened appreciation of the proposed improvement, and 
 with the deliberate determination henceforth to rule in the 
 fear of the Lord. This act of the once imperious heathen 
 was a source of great encouragement to the brethren, not 
 merely from its bearing upon the progress of society, but also 
 from the marvellous change it discovered in the character of 
 one who had been dreaded, not only as a despot, but as a 
 deity, and whose insatiable love of power would, a short time 
 before, have urged him to retain every prerogative with the 
 most jealous tenacity, and to resist the very smallest innova- 
 tion even unto blood. 
 
 The new code was publicly adopted on the twelfth of May, 
 at a general meeting of the chiefs and people. The proceed- 
 ings of the day were marked by great simplicity, and were, 
 of course, free from the forms, many of them obsolete and 
 unintelligible, which often encumber and mystify the legisla- 
 
72 LIFE OP THE 
 
 tive and judicial transactions of more advanced communities. 
 But all was done with a deliberation and gravity suitable to 
 the importance of the occasion. The proposed laws were 
 read seriatim, and each of them was separately discussed. 
 Ample opportunity was afforded to any one present to recom- 
 mend, or object to the several clauses in the code ; and not 
 until all who felt disposed to speak had delivered their senti- 
 ments, was the subject of deliberation submitted to the assem- 
 bly. Their decision was then received by the holding up of 
 the hand, and in this way all the laws were passed with per- 
 fect unanimity. On the same occasion, the principal chiefs 
 of Tahaa, Borabora and Maupiti, who had come to Raiatea 
 for the purpose of attending this meeting, and that of the pre- 
 ceding day, gave in their solemn adhesion to the new code, 
 and publicly pledged themselves to make it the basis of their 
 future government. 
 
 The appointment of an impartial and an efficient executive, 
 was the next subject upon which the missionaries were called 
 to give their advice ; and they were well aware that general 
 respect for the new laws, and the success of this important 
 movement would depend upon nothing so much as upon the 
 selection of a magistracy, whose wisdom and impartiality 
 would secure the confidence of all classes. But where to 
 find, or how to single out such officers, was, in their circum- 
 stances, no easy task. On some accounts, in this infant state 
 of the community, it might have seemed advisable to entrust 
 the administration of the code to the principal chiefs, as some 
 compensation for the powers of which it had deprived them ; 
 but this suggestion was met by the consideration, that those 
 who had been accustomed to oppress were not the most fit to 
 govern. At length, as under all circumstances the least haz- 
 ardous experiment, the brethren resolved to throw the entire 
 responsibility of selection upon the people themselves. They, 
 accordingly, recommended them to select one supreme, and 
 several subordinate, judges from any class ; but, at the same 
 time, expounding the principles upon which the selection 
 should be made. This advice was followed, and with the 
 best results. Pahi, a brother of Tamatoa, and deemed by the 
 missionaries the most suitable man in the island for the office, 
 was chosen chief judge. 
 
 In these interesting transactions, nothing was done except 
 with the free and full concurrence of the natives ; but all 
 must perceive, that alone, they would never have originated 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 73 
 
 any such improvements in their sowal and political condition. 
 These, therefore, must be ascribed to the missionaries : and, 
 however parties may differ in their judgment, as to the pro- 
 priety of political interference on the part of ministers of reli- 
 gion in a more advanced state of society, where a wide dis- 
 tinction is supposed to exist between the sacred and the civil ; 
 none, it is presumed, will question the propriety of such in- 
 terference by the devoted men at Raiatea. The simple facts 
 of the case contain their own justification. Both the change 
 itself, and the missionary agency which produced it, were 
 necessary, not merely to the well-being of society, but to their 
 success as servants of Jesus Christ. The free spirit of the 
 Gospel which they preached, and its principles of justice and 
 love could not be made to coalesce with the despotic usages 
 of the ehiefs, and the oppressed condition of the people. 
 The missionaries were therefore compelled, for their work's 
 sake, to interfere. Nor was this interference necessary only 
 at the commencement of the new social system. For some 
 time after its introduction, they were obliged to watch the 
 workings of their well-constructed machinery, to sit with the 
 judges on the judicial bench, and to afford the inexperienced 
 executive the benefit of their counsels. An amusing proof 
 of the necessity of their presence occurred at the very first 
 trial by jury. The evidence against the accused party had 
 been heard, together with his defence, when the judge,- no 
 doubt fully satisfied in his own mind of the prisoner's guilt, 
 was proceeding forthwith to pass sentence upon him, in com- 
 plete oblivion of the new law, and of the twelve honest jurors 
 who had been impanelled to try him. But though on this, 
 and on one or two other occasions, missionary interference 
 was requisite at first ; after a little practice, all parties under- 
 stood their province, and became orderly in their proceed- 
 ings. 
 
 The mode of dealing with an accused person was simple 
 and prompt. As in this country, an information was first 
 laid against him before a magistrate, who then authorized 
 his apprehension. As soon as he was taken into custody, he 
 was tied to a tree. But he was not kept long in this durance, 
 for the judge, the jury, and the king, (the latter being gene- 
 rally present on these occasions, although not officially en- 
 gaged,) were immediately summoned to the court-house; 
 and a bell-man went through the settlement to announce the 
 pending trial, and to invite the people to assemble. In about 
 7 
 
74 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 an hour after the capture the proceedings commenced. The 
 witnesses were than heard, but not sworn. No oaths were 
 administered on any occasion, but a false affirmation was 
 severely punished. If the prisoner was condemned, the 
 judge then read, with great solemnity, the law relating to his 
 crime, and awarded the punishment, which was inflicted 
 immediately. Thus, a man, if guilty, felt at once the supre- 
 macy and power of the law ; but if innocent, his captivity 
 was short, and his character promptly cleared. The whole 
 proceeding was marked by its wisdom and energy. 
 
 During this year, Mr. Williams directed his attention to 
 the cultivation of the sugar-cane, which is an indigenous 
 growth of the islands, and to other means of stimulating the 
 industry, and improving the condition of the little community 
 around him. But this part of his proceedings will be best 
 described by himself. 
 
 " The people," he writes, " are now busily employed in the erec- 
 tion of their houses. We frequently go round from house to house, 
 and note particularly the progress they are making. Those who are 
 lazy, we chide ; and, of course, encourage others who have been in- 
 dustrious. And we take care not to let them know when we are 
 coming; for if they did, some of them would clean out their houses, 
 put cloth round their beds, and fresh grass on the floors prior to our 
 arrival ; but as we wish to catch them exactly as they are, we go in 
 our little canoe beyond the boundaries of the settlement, and return 
 on foot, beginning at the farther end of it. It is, however, soon 
 known, and the people are at once in a great bustle preparing their 
 habitations for our inspection. This, however, is a useful stimulus, 
 and produces good effects. There are, at present, between fifty and 
 sixty houses plastered and plastering, and many others ready for the 
 plaster, which is considerably more than in all the islands beside from 
 Mahiti down to Maupiti. The houses, generally speaking, are low 
 and small, like neat little cottages ; but upon the whole, they are very 
 good, and do the natives great credit. 
 
 " We have lately made a sugar-mill with three large rollers to it of 
 the aito. The manual labor was done principally by the natives. My 
 part was to mark out the work, which is rather complicated, and turn 
 the rollers. This was rather a difficult job, and 1 was obliged to have 
 recourse to a little ingenuity ; for the rollers were so large and heavy, 
 that it was impossible to turn them with a foot or wheel-lathe, so I 
 put a grindstone handle at each end, with two men to turn them ; and 
 thus we made them work as regular and well as the large concern 
 which Mr. Gyles brought out to Tahiti. As soon as I am disengaged, 
 we are going to make water- works to it. 
 
 "We now do but little of the laborious part of such things. The 
 natives have learned to work very well indeed, and some of them 
 can saw, and edge, and plane better than I can ; but any part that re- 
 quires particular care, or in which great exactness is necessary, such 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 75 
 
 as turning spindles, rollers, etc., I am obliged to do myself. Perhaps 
 you will wonder how we can do such things, having never before 
 seen anything of the kind. I think that a person, having tolerably 
 good mechanical genius, and a book that will give him general out- 
 fines will be able to accomplish almost anything (not extraordinarily 
 complicated) that he sets his mind to. We are going to attempt a 
 large clock and wooden smith's bellows almost immediately. Our 
 various little works of this kind, our boats and our houses have given 
 the natives many new and important ideas. These they readily re- 
 ceive and act upon, and it is with delight I observe them engaged in 
 the different branches of carpentering, some box-making, some bed- 
 stead-making, some making very neat sofas (which we have lately 
 taught them) with turned legs and looking very respectable indeed, 
 some, again, lime-burning, some sawing, some boat-building, some 
 working at the forge, and some sugar-boiling; while the women are 
 equally busy in making gowns, plaiting bark, and working neat bon- 
 nets—all the effect of the Gospel. My dear wife has taught numbers 
 to work well. Indeed it has been her employment ever since she 
 landed. She has taught them to make very respectable bonnets, of 
 native materials, which the ladies in England would not despise. 
 
 " I have lately taught a native to bind books, which he can now do 
 very well. I have sent you some specimens of his workmanship. 
 He has no machine of any kind, and yet he binds all our Gospels, 
 etc. as they are printed. Many other natives are learning ; but this 
 man, at present, excels them all. He is clever, and we think of mak- 
 ing him foreman of our sugar- works. We have already made good 
 sugar, a small sample of which I send to the Directors, who will per- 
 mit you to see it. But you must not suppose that I am going to turn 
 sugar merchant. All we are doing is done entirely for the benefit of 
 the natives, and we are using every method and stimulus in our pow- 
 er to introduce the sugar manufacture among them, as it will be to 
 them a staple commodity." 
 
 But while rapidly advancing in the knowledge of useful 
 arts, and in the usages of well-ordered communities, the 
 mental and moral improvement of the people was no less ob- 
 vious. The schools were regularly conducted by the mission- 
 aries; but as, during the day, the people were busily em- 
 ployed on their provision grounds, or in other necessary la- 
 bors, the time of instruction for the adults was from six until 
 eight o'clock in the morning. " Our schools," Mr. Williams 
 states, " are kept up with great spirit. Brother Threlkeld 
 takes the children, and I the adults. He has lately intro- 
 duced the Lancasterian system, which pleases the children 
 very much. I catechize the adults every morning. From 
 one to two hundred of them can read fluently. It is very 
 pleasing, indeed affecting, to see the poor old people, some 
 gray-headed, some hump-backed, some worn down with age, 
 trudging to the school every morning and laboring hard at 
 
76 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 their b a ba ; most of whom would have been hung up a3 
 sacrifices in the maraes, if the Lord had not had mercy upon 
 them, and sent to them this ' blessed Gospel.' " 
 
 The foregoing particulars will enable the reader to esti- 
 mate Mr. Williams's " manner of life " at this early stage of 
 his course. But his personal and missionary history during 
 this period would be incomplete without the facts which are 
 supplied by the following extracts from a letter to his parents, 
 dated Raiatea, June twenty-fourth, 1820 : — " Since my last, 
 we have had to sing of mercy and of judgment. The Lord 
 has appeared for us in many instances, and as often as I 
 think of the singular deliverances we have experienced, I de- 
 sire that gratitude may inspire my soul, and that all my powers 
 may be devoted to him who delivers his servants out of the 
 mouth of the lion and of the bear. Recently, several strenu- 
 ous efforts have been made here by some of the natives to 
 kindle the flames of war ; but happily, Jesus, the Prince of 
 Peace, whose mission to our earth was a mission of peace, 
 and whose Gospel is the proclamation of peace, has frus- 
 trated these endeavors, and brought their wicked counsels to 
 nought. 
 
 " We have recently paid a visit to the island of Borabora, 
 which lies about twenty miles to the leeward of Raiatea. 
 The natives received us very gladly. We took with us for 
 distribution about a hundred copies of the Gospel of Matthew, 
 which we have lately translated. These were sought with 
 great eagerness ; some climbing the trees in order that we 
 might see and hear them. Both the chiefs and people treated 
 us with every mark of kindness and respect. Our little house 
 was filled from morning until night, and we spent all our 
 time in explaining passages of Scripture, and answering their 
 questions upon almost every subject you can conceive of. 
 We preached to them every day, and opened one place of 
 worship. When we returned, to save us six or seven hours' 
 rowing, the natives carried us in our boat across an island 
 about a quarter of a mile wide, and from their shoulders 
 launched us upon the main ocean." 
 
 But while Mr. Williams was enjoying the affection of the 
 immense majority of the people, there were a few by whom 
 his person and proceedings were watched with an evil eye. 
 This will surprise no one who considers his early success, 
 and the strength of those passions and propensities against 
 the free gratification of which his early labors had raised such 
 
REV 
 
 WILLIAMS. 77 
 
 formidable barriers. The marvel, indeed, is not that a few, 
 but that many, did not seek his life. Contrasted with the 
 treatment received by the missionaries at Tahiti, Tongatabu, 
 New Zealand and the Marquesas ; treatment for which their 
 doctrine and manner of life may fully account, the peaceful 
 circumstances of Mr. Williams were most remarkable. And 
 although to those who knew the man, his gentleness, kind- 
 ness and familiarity ; and to others who view his labors of 
 love solely through the medium of his writings, it may seem 
 strange that one so worthy of nothing but esteem could have 
 been the object of deadly hate, yet it will not be thought so, 
 when the previous condition and character of the Raiateans 
 are carefully considered. For there were individuals amongst 
 them who still hated the light, and this will explain the fol- 
 lowing disclosure. 
 
 " Shortly after our return from Borabora, a circumstance occurred, 
 by which we were much alarmed and grieved. As Mr. Threlkeld 
 was preaching, one Sabbath afternoon, four young men, quite intoxi- 
 cated, came reeling into the chapel. They had just before broken 
 open Mr. Orsmond's house, rifled his chests, and drank all the spirits 
 they could find ; Mr. O. being in the colony, and his servants at the 
 place of worship. As it was the Sabbath, the chiefs came to our 
 house immediately after the service, and asked us whether they 
 might bind them; and, as these people when intoxicated, are dread- 
 fully mischievous, we advised them to do so. At that time, I had a 
 very active, hard- working little man, whom we called Jem. We 
 thought he had behaved very strangely during the day, but we had 
 no suspicion of any evil intention, until the conclusion of the service, 
 when he called me out, and disclosed the design of these wicked 
 men. Upon further investigation, we found that we had been placed 
 in a very critical and alarming position, and that a plan had long 
 been formed, of which Jem was privy, and to which probably he was 
 a party, for robbing my house, and murdering me and the chiefs. 
 Jem says, he told them that they might go by themselves if they 
 chose, but he would not show them anything, for I was a good mas- 
 ter, and behaved kindly towards him. It was singular, as there was 
 a rumor of war, that we took this man to sleep in the house and 
 keep watch ; and, though we heard him go in and out, and walk 
 about the house very much during the night, we did not entertain 
 the least suspicion of danger. When the plan was ripe for execution, 
 two of the conspirators came to our house while we were at dinner, 
 and sought admittance ; but providentially, the door was locked. 
 They were very urgent to be allowed to enter, and spoke insultingly 
 to the servants because they did not open the door, and my wife, an- 
 noyed by their conduct, said to me, ' Why don't you get up and send 
 those people away?' and, in general, I should certainly not have 
 hesitated ; whether, however, 1 was reading or thinking, 1 don't 
 know, but, instead of rising from my seat, I merely called to the peo- 
 ple in the kitchen to know who was at the door, and to tell them not 
 7* 
 
78 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 to open it on account of their obstinacy. Upon hearing this, they 
 both went away. As it was affirmed that they came with a murder- 
 ous purpose, 1 was thus providentially preserved. Just before this, 
 another plan* had been laid to murder me and seize my boat whilst on 
 my way to Tahaa, where I had opened a chapel, which 1 visited as 
 often as I could. But their hand was holden, and their counsel 
 brought to nothing, by that gracious Providence whose ' eye is upon 
 the righteous.' Do not let these things make you anxious on our ac- 
 count. We must expect that the strong man armed will not yield up 
 his ancient and large possessions without a struggle, and such occur- 
 rences only supply additional proof that his territories are in danger, 
 and his strongholds nearly overthrown. Let us remember that 
 Christ's kingdom must rise, and Satan's kingdom must fall, and Je- 
 sus, we may be assured, will protect those who are faithful in his 
 cause." 
 
 Mrs. Williams was much alarmed by these discoveries, 
 and, shortly afterwards, was prematurely delivered of her 
 second child. " But on the following day," Mr. W. writes, 
 " our joy was turned into mourning, at the dear babe's unex- 
 pected death. My dear wife herself was extremely ill, for 
 three weeks after her confinement, and I was much afraid 
 that I should have lost her ; but through the kind and con- 
 stant attention of my respected brother Threlkeld, and by the 
 mercy of God, she is now recovered." 
 
 Soon after the opening of the new chapel, the first annual 
 meeting of the Raiatean Auxiliary Missionary Society was 
 held there. The contributions for the year were eleven 
 thousand bamboos of cocoa-nut oil, which, after deducting 
 freight and expenses, were worth to the Society nearly £500. 
 This munificent offering to the missionary cause was per- 
 fectly spontaneous ; and it was most surprising, when the cir- 
 cumstances of the people are considered, as the year ending 
 May, 1820, had been to them a year of unprecedented toil 
 and outlay in the erection of the chapel, and the completion 
 of the settlement. But, at the same time, the missionary sub- 
 scription list must not be taken as a safe guage of the spirit- 
 ual state of the Raiateans. Many of them, there was reason 
 to fear, were induced to contribute by vanity, and emulation, 
 and self-righteousness. But some were actuated by better 
 principles. As evidence of this, Mr. Williams transmitted to 
 his friends the native speeches delivered at the annual meet- 
 ing ; and the following short selections will convey a general 
 idea, and supply some further indications of the beneficial in- 
 fluence of missionary labors. 
 
 * Vide Missionary Enterprises, page 128. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 79 
 
 After Pahi, the secretary, had read the report, he said, 
 
 " My heart was rejoiced while I was reading the report. A thou- 
 sand bamboos from one district ! Fourteen hundred from another ! 
 Well done, my friends ! Let us not be weary, or lazy, but let us 
 double our diligence. We are constantly praying, ' Let thy word 
 grow }' but if we do not use the means, how can the word grow ? 
 What would you think of a man whose canoe was fast on the beach, 
 and who kneeled down, and prayed to God that his canoe might reach 
 the sea ? Would you not call him a foolish man, and desire him to 
 stand up and drag his canoe ? And shall not we act as foolish a part, 
 if we pray, and do not use the means for making the word of God to 
 grow. Prayer and the means must go together, and then we may ex- 
 pect that all will know the word of God." 
 
 Fenuapeho, the president of the Tahaa Society, said, 
 
 " You have given your property. Perhaps some of you gave it from 
 custom, and some of you grudgingly, and, if so, God will not be 
 pleased; but, if you gave it with your hearts, you may pray with pro- 
 priety that God would not take away your teachers, and that he will 
 send his word to every land." 
 
 To this another added that, 
 
 " A little property given, with the heart, becomes big property in the 
 sight of God." 
 
 Tairo said, 
 
 " Let us now hold fast the word of God, and die with it in our 
 hands." 
 
 " My friends," added another, "let us all rejoice together. We 
 have become one great family this day. Hitherto we have lived as 
 strangers, and with evil dispositions towards each other, and we are 
 reduced to a very few by regarding Satan's parau ; (word or customs) 
 but now we are wen. God saw the great crookedness of this land, 
 and sent his word to make it straight. He saw the great ruggedness 
 of this land, and sent his word to make it smooth. Oh ! those who 
 have died cannot now partake of our joys. Let us rejoice, and be 
 diligent." 
 
 A chief, named Padu, began his address by saying, that 
 formerly the place on which they stood was sacred, and not a 
 person dared to venture upon it ; but that now, those foolish 
 customs had fallen, and they were all assembled there to 
 serve Jehovah, adding, 
 
 " When evil grows in any place, (alluding to a district in which 
 some persons had been disposed to war,) let us not take the spear and 
 the gun, but let us quench the evil with the light of God's word." 
 
80 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 "Angels," said Uaeva, "are rejoicing at our meeting to-day; and 
 the ministers in England, with the good people there, will rejoice 
 when they hear of our meeting this day. But let us not think that 
 giving our property will save our souls. There is but one way of sal- 
 vation, and but one Saviour, Christ Jesus." 
 
 Tamatoa's truly native speech on this occasion deeply in- 
 terested Mr. Williams, and will be found in his own pub- 
 lished narrative.* But all the sentiments expressed on this 
 occasion evinced the growing intelligence of the people. 
 Their speeches were not the mere empty echoes of his words, 
 but the declaration of thoughts which had been received, di- 
 gested and assimilated by their own minds. If there had been 
 no other proof of this, the truly native and original methods 
 employed in their illustration would have been sufficient. 
 But it was not from solitary addresses that Mr. Williams esti- 
 mated the progress of the people. Numerous other signs 
 proved that that " word which giveth understanding to the 
 simple" had now found an entrance into many of their minds. 
 Having, from the commencement, succeeded in awakening 
 their attention to the Divine message, its power to supplant 
 the gross and abominable superstitions which had previously 
 degraded them was becoming every day more obvious, while 
 their conduct to the missionaries supplied pleasing indication 
 that they appreciated their motives, and highly esteemed their 
 labors. 
 
 The eventful month (May, 1820) during which the chapel 
 was opened, the laws established and the annual meeting of 
 the Missionary Auxiliary held was closed and crowned by the 
 first administration in the island of Christian baptism. This 
 took place on the last Sabbath in May, on which occasion 
 many parents, including some of the principal chiefs, with 
 their households, altogether seventy individuals, received the 
 initiatory rite. "The candidates," Mr. Williams writes, 
 " were seated in front of the pulpit. I preached in the morn- 
 ing, and brother Threlkeld in the afternoon. Great attention 
 and apparent seriousness pervaded the assembly, while we 
 were addressing the people, and administering the ordinance. 
 The adults retained their native names, when these were not 
 improper ; but new names, principally Scripture names, were 
 given to the children. The principles upon which we bap- 
 tized them are those stated by Mr. Gratheed in his letter on 
 external religious institutions. We admit all who appear cor- 
 
 * Vide Missionary Enterprises, page 229. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 81 
 
 dially to receive the Gospel, who regularly attend Divine or- 
 dinances, and in whose conduct there is nothing immoral." 
 
 The preceding details may naturally lead the reader to 
 suppose that Mr. Williams at this time must have been per- 
 fectly satisfied both with the sphere and the success of his 
 labors. But, surprising as it may seem, this was not his 
 feeling. On the contrary, he considered his toil hitherto 
 comparatively unproductive, and the limits by which he was 
 confined much too narrow. The truth is, his soul was too 
 large for his station. He longed, with a desire which almost 
 amounted to impatience, to accomplish far more for God and 
 the heathen, than he could at Raiatea. This unsettled him, 
 and this alone. He felt shackled, and, for a moment, he 
 strove to burst his bonds asunder. Like his Divine Master, 
 he loved the whole world, and he longed to exert his influence 
 over a field more commensurate with his benevolent desires. 
 Impelled by these motives, he requested the Directors to re- 
 move him. Indeed, he had well-nigh departed without await- 
 ing their concurrence. But his state of mind at this time 
 will be best learned from the subjoined extracts from a letter 
 to the Directors, which bears date July 7, 1820 ; and, what- 
 ever may be thought of the estimate which Mr. Williams had 
 formed of his previous engagements, or of the propriety of his 
 request, all will admire the noble zeal and Christian philan- 
 thropy which breathe and burn in the following passages. 
 
 " Brethren, I have given myself wholly to the Lord, and desire to 
 spend my entire life in his service. I have not another desire in my 
 soul, but to live and to die in the work of my Saviour. But I regret 
 that I ever came to these islands ; and now earnestly entreat that you 
 will consider seriously, and with an unbiassed judgment, the request 
 which, for the reasons subjoined, I am about to make. I request, then, 
 a removal ; and the reasons which induce me to do so are the follow- 
 ing. 
 
 " In the first place — the small population of this island, and the 
 comparatively lazy life I am now living. I read in your publications 
 of the thousands, tens of thousands, yea hundreds of thousands who 
 are crying, ' Come over and help us;' whilst, here, from the local 
 situation and circumstances of these islands, there must of necessity 
 be two or three families at every station, and in an entirely uncivil- 
 ized country even more would be desirable. Now, in these islands, 
 our settlements, generally speaking, consist of from 600 to 1000 per- 
 sons, and our congregations about the same ; and there are at Hua- 
 hine three missionaries, and three at Raiatea. But you may say, 
 * Why not go to another part of the island ?' And my reply is, that 
 there is not another part, where we could raise a congregation of 
 twenty persons. They live in a straggling manner, very inconvenient 
 
82 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 for itinerating labors ; three or four families in one bay, and another 
 little group five or six miles further on ; and we informed you, in a 
 former letter, that we had collected nearly all the people of the island 
 around us. Neither is the population likely to increase much, for the 
 deaths every year more than keep pace with the births. About the 
 months of April and May, the influenza prevails through the islands, 
 and carries off the natives very rapidly. Last April, we buried three 
 or four daily, for many days in succession. Such a scene of mortality 
 I had never witnessed. It was much more severe this year than last. 
 I have stood during several days in succession, and addressed the 
 people between three and four open graves. 
 
 " I have been reading your review of Mr. Ne well's little work, in 
 which he computes that, if 30,000 missionaries were sent out, it would 
 only be one missionary to about 10,000 or 12,000 at most ; and when 
 I read these accounts my spirit, as it were, leaves my body in idleness 
 (or almost so) in Raiatea, and is flying amongst one tribe of thousands 
 and another tribe of millions, witnessing their awful state of ignorance, 
 and telling them, in imagination, of a Saviour's dying love. But af- 
 ter this imaginary range, my soul returns dejected to her solitary work 
 in Raiatea. I had conceived a notion, and I think I saw it in some of 
 your publications, that there were 34,000 inhabitants on these islands, 
 and this idea alone influenced me in coming to the leeward group, 
 and separating from my much-esteemed brethren, Piatt, Bourne, and 
 Darling, with whom I came from England. 1 found this, and so did 
 my dear wife, a great trial, for I am happy to say that, both between 
 our wives and ourselves, there has ever existed, and still exists a 
 very strong attachment. But as I understood there was only 5000 or 
 6000 inhabitants in Tahiti, with eight or nine missionaries, I naturally 
 expected to find about 28,000 persons in the six leeward islands, and 
 was quite angry with my brethren, Piatt, etc., for staying to wind- 
 ward, when there were so many missionaries to so few people. But 
 behold ! after two years' travelling about in these leeward islands, I 
 am concerned to say that I can find not more, or very few more than 
 about 4000 inhabitants. I know that one soul is of infinite value. 
 But how does the merchant act who goes in search of goodly pearls ? 
 Supposing that he knows where there is one pearl, which would pay 
 him for the trouble of searching and procuring it, and at the same 
 time, of another spot, where there were thousands of equal value, to 
 which place would he direct his way ? Of course to the latter. Let 
 us not, then, act a more inconsiderate part than those who seek after 
 earthly riches. 
 
 " Another reason for which I most sincerely request a removal to 
 some other station is, that here there is no prospect whatever of our 
 dear children becoming useful members of the church, and of society. 
 In another part of the world, the children of missionaries might be 
 employed in preaching the Gospel to the heathen, or in some other 
 honorable and useful engagement. There are many places where 
 there is abundance of work for missionaries, and where their children, 
 too, may be employed for ages to come in the same work, while such 
 as were not fitted for missionary labors may become useful members 
 of civil society. To such a place I would go with the utmost cheer- 
 fulness, and with a determination never to stir from thence, till God, 
 by his last messenger, should call me to himself. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 83 
 
 ct My mind, with that of my dear wife, has lately been exercised 
 with a severe trial, having lost our last babe ; and no doubt 1 should 
 have lost my dear wife also, had it not been for the kind assiduity and 
 skill of my respected brother Threlkeld. We have now but one child, 
 and this also is a reason why at present, and with comparatively little 
 difficulty, we could remove, and why I request your decisive answer 
 by the earliest opportunity. 
 
 " I have another reason for this. I have now youth in my favor, 
 being only twenty- four years of age. I have therefore no doubt but 
 that I might soon acquire a new language, as without knoAving a word 
 of this ere I arrived, I preached in it, before I had been eleven months 
 in the island, six of which I was daily employed at the forge, and the 
 other five removing from Eimeo to Huahine, and from Huahine to. 
 Raiatea. This encourages me to hope that the acquisition of any lan- 
 guage would not, at present, be a great difficulty ; but should I re- 
 main here until the age of thirty or upwards, and then remove, 1 
 should not possess the aptitude I now possess, and the attainment 
 would form a serious obstacle. 
 
 " I humbly submit to you these reasons, as the ground upon which 
 I request a removal to another station, and entreat a decisive answer 
 by the very next opportunity you have of sending. I wish to do 
 nothing rashly. I make it a matter of constant prayer to God that he 
 would lead and guide me in the way wherein he would have me to go. 
 I desire still to acknowledge him in all my ways, believing that he 
 who has hitherto directed, will continue to direct my steps. Should a 
 vessel touch here on her way to England, and you should unexpect- 
 edly see me in the missionary rooms, with what reception should I 
 meet ? I think that some of the Directors would rejoice ; but those 
 few who are so enthusiastically fond of these barren mountains would 
 of course be displeased, and perhaps ready to allege that some un- 
 christian principle was the ground of my conduct. Be that as it may, 
 brethren, I am not determined that I shall not venture, should the 
 opportunity offer, and, after mature deliberation and prayer, I deem it 
 the path of duty. And should your united opinion be against me, I 
 must beg you will exercise your clemency and Christian kindness to 
 one who assures you, that he is influenced by no other motive what- 
 ever than an earnest desire of being more extensively useful in the 
 cause of our common Redeemer." 
 
 Whether Mr. Williams would not have acted unwisely, and 
 in violation of engagements which he was bound to respect, 
 had he, for the reasons specified, precipitately relinquished 
 his post, without the sanction of the Directors, is a question 
 which scarcely admits of dispute. And there can be no doubt, 
 but that the estimate he had formed of the sphere of his labor, 
 and of his own usefulness in it, was much below the truth. 
 But whilst few would have justified his hasty abandonment of 
 a people amongst whom there appeared so many indications 
 of the Divine presence and approval, all must admire the in- 
 genuous simplicity, manly frankness, and glowing zeal which 
 
84 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 characterize his request, and the communication in which it 
 is conveyed. While, therefore, we question his conclusion, 
 without altogether denying the general force of the reasons 
 upon which it is founded, we must commend the holy impulse 
 under which he acted, and the godly sincerity which guided 
 his pen. 
 
 Five months only had passed after Mr. Williams's com- 
 plaint of insufficient employment, when the departure of Mr. 
 Orsmond to Borabora, who, with some interruptions, had re- 
 sided at Raiatea until the close of 1820, devolved the duties 
 of the mission upon Messrs. Threlkeld and Williams, and the 
 latter had therefore less reason than before to lament his " la- 
 zy life." 
 
 This addition to his labors, and the signs of prosperity 
 which surrounded him, appear to have changed his feelings, 
 and to have fully reconciled him to his circumstances. And 
 well they might ; for the settlement, at the commencement of 
 1821, presented both to the eye and to the mind, a spectacle 
 of surpassing interest. The schools and the house of God 
 were diligently attended; the people were making rapid ad- 
 vances in the arts of civilized life, and there were some upon 
 whose renovated characters the missionaries could trace the 
 impress of the Divine image. But while old plans were care- 
 fully worked, the brethren, not satisfied with these alone, 
 were continually bringing into operation some new methods 
 of improvement. One of these, and it proved most impor- 
 tant, was a periodical meeting for public conference on the 
 best methods of cultivating the mind, keeping the heart, and 
 promoting general prosperity. 
 
 In the afternoon of the day on which the first of these con- 
 ferences was conducted, and with a view to give additional 
 encouragement to education, the school children were pub- 
 licly examined, addressed and rewarded, and then conducted 
 to an island, about sixty feet in diameter, and four feet above 
 the sea level, which had been raised by their own hands. 
 Here, a suitable dinner had been prepared for them, and the 
 remainder of the day was occupied with speeches, singing 
 and supplication. 
 
 " Under any circumstances," observes Mr. Williams, " the 
 sight of 300 children taught to read the word of God would 
 have been a deeply interesting spectacle ; but how much more, 
 in circumstances like ours. For while gazing upon them, 
 we could not but recollect, that, had it not been for the bles- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 85 
 
 sed Gospel, the greater part of them would have been mur- 
 dered ere they had breathed the vital air, by the merciless 
 hands of those who gave them birth. Most women above 
 thirty years of age have been guilty of this horrible crime. I 
 know a woman, poor creature, she is now on her death-bed, 
 who has had fifteen children, every one of which became vic- 
 tims of her cruelty as soon as they were born. Happily for 
 her, she is now the subject of true repentance. She was 
 amongst the first we baptized ; and since that time, she has 
 maintained great consistency of conduct, and love for spirit- 
 ual things. Although her afflictions are complicated, and 
 her sufferings severe, she told me that she dare not murmur, 
 because the goodness of God has been so very great in spar- 
 ing her to hear of Jesus. ' Now/ she said, ' she did not fear 
 death ; for, although her sins were very great, she trusted in 
 Jesus, and believed that he loved her.' " 
 
 Of Mr. Williams as a preacher in the native tongue, nothing 
 is known, except from the testimony of his brethren, and the 
 results of his labors. The hearers in the South Seas, like 
 those of Britain, have their favorite preachers ; and, although 
 they do not turn their ears from -the truth, even when its ut- 
 terance or illustration is not exactly to their taste, and are 
 never guilty of the extreme fastidiousness and morbid sensi- 
 bility which are frequently found elsewhere, they can never- 
 theless evince a preference. The fact is, that human nature 
 is the same under all skies, and the laws of the mind remain 
 unaffected by the color of the skin. Hence, those points in 
 thought and style, those just sentiments and solid reasons, 
 those familiar illustrations and graphic delineations, those 
 bursts of passion and appeals to the heart; the soft, the bold, 
 the forcible, the true, the tender, which amongst civilized 
 men make their own way to the understanding and the affec- 
 tions, exert a similar power, whenever the mind is fairly 
 brought within their reach. Now, in some of these methods 
 of arresting and impressing an audience, Mr. Williams ex- 
 celled. His sermons were ingenious, pointed, and replete 
 with facts and illustrations which the natives could fully ap- 
 preciate. They were also warm both in sentiment and de- 
 livery, and very idiomatic in style. For these reasons he was 
 decidedly and universally popular. The writer was assured 
 by Mr. Pritchard, that whenever he preached at Tahiti, and 
 he was often asked to do so on special occasions, his name 
 was sure to attract a large audience. 
 
86 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 Mr. Williams's early ministrations at Raiatea were neces- 
 sarily restricted within those limits, which the people of his 
 charge, as yet but " babes in knowledge," were " able to 
 bear." But he did not confine his pulpit exercises to first 
 principles. As far as possible, he endeavored to " lead on" 
 his flock towards a comprehensive acquaintance with the 
 Scriptures ; and to sustain and reward their attention both by 
 the solidity and the variety of his discourses. At a period in 
 their mental history, when it might have been supposed that 
 the Raiateans could only receive " the elements of the doc- 
 trine of Christ," the missionaries found that they could prof- 
 itably bring things " new " as well as old, out of the treasury 
 of those unsearchable riches with which they were entrusted ; 
 and, therefore, instead of unprepared and declamatory itera- 
 tions of the same things, Mr. Williams "gave himself to 
 study," and " sought out acceptable words." During this 
 year, he preached two series of sermons : one on the Old 
 Testament types, and the other on the epistles to the seven 
 churches of Asia. And his care and labor were amply re- 
 paid by the interest and improvement of the people. At the 
 same period, his time was much engrossed in translating dif- 
 ferent books of Scripture. But the following extracts will 
 show that the claims of the pulpit and of the press did not ab- 
 stract his attention from the careful superintendance of the 
 settlement, and the spiritual condition of its several families. 
 
 " May 15th, 1821. This day we paid our general visit to 
 the houses of the baptized. Those who are diligent meet 
 with our encouragement and praise. We point out the advan- 
 tages they derive from following our advice, and they begin 
 to be convinced that we seek not theirs but them. On the 
 other hand, indolence and negligence meet with a severe re- 
 buke. None escape our notice, or pass without suitable ani- 
 madversion ; for, at a separate and special meeting, we after- 
 wards read over the names of the owners of the houses we 
 visited, together with the remarks we made on the spot; 
 which fails not to stir them up to activity. This practice has 
 been productive of good effects. Our meetings with this class 
 afford us much pleasure from the animated addresses which 
 the natives sometimes deliver. On such occasions we gladly 
 sit in silence to hear their native eloquence, and frequently 
 feel our affections stirred by their simple and artless decla- 
 mation." 
 
 We have marked the feelings with which Mr. Williams 
 
REV 
 
 WILLIAMS. 87 
 
 surveyed his sphere of labor, and the ardor with which he 
 longed to burst forth from Raiatea upon a wider field. And 
 he who hath promised to fulfil the desire of those that fear him, 
 did not long withhold his servant from the honor which he 
 sought : for scarcely a year had elapsed, after he had re- 
 quested a removal, when the prospect of additional occupa- 
 tion and far-extended usefulness was suddenly opened before 
 him, and he found himself most unexpectedly introduced by 
 Divine Providence into that career of evangelical enterprise, 
 for which he was so pre-eminently qualified, and in which he 
 found such signal success. From this time, he viewed Raia- 
 tea as no longer the circle, but merely the centre, of his la- 
 bors. This reconciled him to his station, and set his anxieties 
 at rest. So great, indeed, was the change thus produced in 
 his feelings, that, in a letter to the Directors, written shortly 
 afterwards, he fully revokes his previous request. "We 
 have now," he says, " no desire to leave; and, as our station 
 is assuming rather an unexpected importance, I am resolved 
 to stay, unless compelled to abandon it." 
 
 The event which caused this revolution in Mr. Williams's 
 mind, was the arrival at Raiatea of Auuru, a chief of Rurutu, 
 who, with thirty of his people, had fled from his island to 
 escape a desolating pestilence then raging there, and had 
 been most mercifully driven upon the shores of Raiatea. The 
 readers of the " Missionary Enterprises " will readily recall 
 the interesting details of this visit. It will be remembered, 
 that, after spending three months at Raiatea, in the acquisi- 
 tion of knowledge, the chief returned to his island, accompa- 
 nied by his own people, some Raiateans, and two native 
 teachers, the " light in his hand," without which he refused 
 to revisit his dark land. It will also be recollected that, in a 
 few weeks, the Raiateans returned in triumph, bearing with 
 them " the gods many" of Rurutu. 
 
 This speedy and complete success revolutionized Mr. Wil- 
 liams's views of his own position. He saw in it a providential 
 intimation of the course to which he was now called, and 
 surveyed the rejected idols of Rurutu as the sure pledges of 
 future triumphs. It is, indeed, difficult to estimate the full 
 effect of this occurrence upon his subsequent history, but it 
 was very great, and not unlike the influence exerted upon an 
 army by a successful, though, perhaps, in itself an insignifi- 
 cant rencontre with the enemy at the opening of a campaign. 
 It was the prestige of victory. From this time, his thoughts 
 
88 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 were more than ever drawn off from the scenes which sur- 
 rounded him, to dark and distant lands. In the full confi- 
 dence of being able to win them for Christ, he had resolved, 
 if God would permit him, to carry thither his Gospel. This 
 determination, indeed, had been almost formed, whilst Auuru 
 was at Raiatea, and the visit of that chief acted upon Mr. 
 Williams's mind, as the vision of the man of Macedonia did 
 upon the mind of the apostle. He was especially interested 
 in' the geographical information communicated by this stran- 
 ger, and listened with thrilling emotions to the names and de- 
 scription of islands in the South hitherto unknown, and 
 amongst others, of Rarotonga. 
 
 This intelligence fired his zeal ; — that subsequently receiv- 
 ed from Rurutu confirmed his confidence ; and both com- 
 bined to suggest, for the first time, the project of a missiona- 
 ry ship ; a scheme which soon seized most tenaciously upon 
 his ardent mind, and finally wrought out its own accomplish- 
 ment. A thought so interesting, and in his estimation, so 
 important, could not be hid. Indeed, there was no reserve 
 in his nature. The cautious prudence of those who scarcely 
 seem to believe that " there is a time to speak ;" whose chief 
 care is to conceal, and whose morbid dread of saying aught 
 which might involve them in controversy, or expose them to 
 censure, would, if universal, dry up the sources of confidence, 
 and paralyze the freedom of intercourse, was his utter aver- 
 sion. " Did you ever," he has often said, " know one of 
 these pre-eminently prudent men accomplish anything great 
 or good '?" But it must not, from this, be supposed, that he 
 erred in the opposite extreme of incautious volubility. He 
 could keep secrets, though he never wished for secrets to 
 keep. He could be reserved, but he was far more ready to 
 communicate. And in reference to missionary aims and 
 projects, he always spoke and wrote with transparent candor 
 and ingenuous freedom. This will afterwards appear more 
 fully ; but it is evident in the following passage of a letter to 
 the Directors, which possesses the additional interest of being 
 the first in which mention is made of a missionary ship. 
 
 " To visit and keep up frequent intercourse with fhe adja- 
 cent islands, we only want a fine schooner of about twenty or 
 twenty-five tons. If you would send out one, it would be of 
 great advantage, and I suppose would not be very expensive. 
 It should be considered the Society's property, and for the 
 use of the whole of the missionaries. But one particular sta- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 89 
 
 tion should be its home, and the missionaries of that station 
 should be expected to look after it. Raiatea would be as 
 suitable as any place ; but you must not suspect me of pre- 
 ferring Raiatea, because it is our station. It is the most 
 central island, and any of the brethren in the leeward group 
 could have it at any time with ease. I have been attending 
 to navigation for the purpose of teaching the natives." 
 
 But the visit of Auuru, and the mission to Rurutu, were 
 not the only circumstances which served, at this period, to 
 strengthen Mr. Williams's attachment to Raiatea. This 
 feeling was confirmed by the general prosperity of the settle- 
 ment ; and especially by the animating anniversary of the 
 Auxiliary Missionary Society, which was held in May. The 
 speeches then delivered by the natives were full of just sen- 
 timent, and instinct with spirit and life in the cause of Gos- 
 pel propagation. But the evidences of their zeal were more 
 substantial than words ; for the contributions were sufficient 
 to freight a vessel ; and, when sold in this country, yielded 
 to the parent institution the munificent sum of £\ ,800 ! Be- 
 sides these subscriptions, the people, on hearing of the recep- 
 tion of their brethren at Rurutu, unanimously resolved to 
 support them. Nor were these signs of prosperity confined 
 to Raiatea. Throughout the leeward group there were simi- 
 lar indications of the progress of society, and the blessing of 
 God. Mr. Orsmond had fixed his residence at Borabora, 
 and was laboring amidst the most auspicious appearances. 
 " And the people of Tahaa," writes Mr. Williams, " are 
 forming a new settlement on that part of the island which 
 lies nearest to ours. We have marked out the order, lines, 
 etc. On the day I went over to select the site of a new 
 chapel, I preached under a fine old tree, close to a very large 
 marae. We intend to visit it frequently." 
 
 About the same time, but the exact date is unknown, the 
 brethren formed a Christian church at Raiatea ; a most im- 
 portant stage gained in the progress of the mission, but one 
 of which they have supplied few particulars. The following 
 sentence from a letter of Mr. Williams is the only reference 
 to this transaction, which can be found in his correspondence. 
 " Our church is formed upon Independent principles." This 
 allusion, however, although so brief, throws much clear light 
 upon the ecclesiastical sentiments which he then entertained, 
 and proves that these , had been either modified or matured 
 since the time of his membership with the Tabernacle socie- 
 8* 
 
90 LIFE OF THE 
 
 ty, whose principles, when he stood connected with it, were 
 certainly not " Independent." Through what process his 
 mind had reached these principles is not known ; but, doubt- 
 less, one reason which recommended their application to Rai- 
 atea was their perfect adaptation to its circumstances. In- 
 deed, it is difficult to conceive how the missionaries, situated 
 as they were, could then have adopted any other " church 
 principles," in the formation and government of a Christian 
 society. This will appear on the bare statement of them in 
 doing which, however, the object will be rather to explain 
 than to vindicate this part of Mr. Williams's transactions. 
 
 The " Independent principles," according to which the 
 Raiatean church was framed, are few and simple. They are 
 — that every such society should seek as close a conformity 
 as may be attained to the model of the churches founded by 
 the apostles, and that, consequently, it should be neither a 
 national, a provincial, or a promiscuous assemblage ; but a 
 voluntary, select, and spiritual fraternity, composed of true 
 believers, who, irrespective of minor differences, influenced 
 by a common faith, united in " the bonds of love," and desir- 
 ing closer fellowship, " come together," and " receive each 
 other as Christ also has received them to the glory of God." 
 The ends to be contemplated by this union are mutual edifi- 
 cation ; the maintenance of Divine worship ; the public pro- 
 fession of their faith in Christ, and their fidelity to him ; the 
 remembrance and showing forth of his death in the sacred 
 supper ; and the universal diffusion of his Gospel. For the 
 furtherance of these designs, it is maintained that two classes 
 of church officers, and but two, are either authorized or ne- 
 cessary ; viz. bishops or pastors, to take the spiritual over- 
 sight of the flock, and deacons, to aid the pastors, and relieve 
 them from the secular cares of the society. To secure a suc- 
 cession of faithful men for these offices, it is believed that they 
 should be " looked out," and chosen by the free suffrages of 
 the church members, who, with all the imperfections which 
 attach to them equally with, though not beyond others, pos- 
 sess those spiritual endowments which are essential to a just 
 estimate of spiritual character, and who, in this and in all 
 other points of self-government, are amenable to the judg- 
 ment of but " one Master, even Christ;" and hence claim, 
 in all spiritual affairs, the right and privilege of perfect inde- 
 pendence* of all external authority, whether civil or ecclesi- 
 
 * This term has been much misunderstood and misrepresented ; and 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 91 
 
 astical, whether that of individuals or communities, of hostile 
 sects or sister societies. At the same time, it is contended, 
 that these separate societies, as they are not schismatic, 
 should not be sectarian ; — that the door of each church should 
 be as widely opened as the gate of heaven, and that brotherly 
 love, Christian communion, and cordial co-operation in every 
 good word and work should be maintained amongst each 
 other, and all the followers of their common Lord. These 
 were the " Independent principles" which Mr. Williams pre- 
 ferred, and upon which he proceeded in forming the church 
 at Raiatea. 
 
 The church thus formed was, at its origin, very small. 
 The following extract from a letter to the Directors, written 
 on the spot by Messrs. Tyerman and Bennet, to whose visit 
 subsequent reference will be made, may serve to illustrate the 
 preceding remarks, and to exhibit the character of this infant 
 society. " About two months previous to our arrival, a few 
 of the baptized made application to the missionaries to be 
 formed into a Christian church, and to have the ordinance 
 of the Lord's supper administered to them. Being, in the 
 estimation of the missionaries, pious and worthy characters, 
 their request was complied with, and they were formed into 
 a church, deacons were appointed, and the Lord's supper 
 was administered. At the time we left the station, thirty 
 persons, among whom were the king and queen, constituted 
 the communicants. These persons were not admitted because 
 of their dignity; but on the ground of their piety alone. 
 Rank here has no influence in matters of religion. A con- 
 siderable number more are in a promising state." 
 
 The same principles were applied by the missionaries to 
 other objects. "As the Auxiliary Missionary Society," 
 writes Mr. Williams, " was open to all, and presided over by 
 the king, we deemed it prudent and apostolical to have a col- 
 lection made for the furtherance of the Gospel, by a society 
 entirely unconnected with the state ; the concerns of which 
 we earnestly strive to keep completely separate from our 
 spiritual affairs, and are determined, whatever may be the 
 consequences, steadily to proceed upon the Divine principle, 
 ' My kingdom is not of this world.' We, therefore, first held 
 
 it may, therefore, be proper to add, that the societies to which it is 
 usually applied do not claim to be independent in any but their spir- 
 itual affairs, and only of men who are as fallible and accountable to 
 God as themselves. 
 
 |UFI71Pv3IT7 
 
92 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 a meeting with the deacons alone, and informed them, that 
 it was the duty of every church to aid in the support of mis- 
 sionaries, and that it would be right in them to form a socie- 
 ty for that purpose, to which every member of the church 
 might belong ; but that the amount to be subscribed by each 
 individual must be determined by themselves, cautioning 
 them not to give so much at first, that they would be unable 
 to continue it ; and, on the other hand, not to give so little, 
 as to render it contemptible in the estimation of British Chris- 
 tians. The deacons entered entirely into our views, called a 
 meeting of the church, and after a few native speeches, the 
 society was established. 
 
 " To distinguish this society from the other, which was 
 under the patronage of Tamatoa, it is called, Te Societi 
 Ecalesia i Raiatea — ' The Church Society in Raiatea.' It 
 was agreed that every member should subscribe annually 
 three measures of arrow-root ; but, in the event of its not 
 proving a good article for commerce, that some other prop- 
 erty should be substituted. Thus we have the pleasure of 
 handing to you their first subscription, which amounts to 
 1050 measures of arrow-root. Each measure will weigh six 
 pounds or more, and the total amount is nearly three tons. 
 We feel happy in being able thus honorable to meet part of 
 the expenses of the parent Society, consistently with the de- 
 sire we have ever cherished, and in accordance with apostol- 
 ic rule and primitive practice." 
 
 But while rejoicing in the results of his labor, and pro- 
 jecting plans of still greater usefulness, Mr. Williams was 
 suddenly visited by a malady, which, for a time, threatened 
 to terminate his stay at Raiatea. His attached fellow-labor- 
 er, Mr. Threlkeld, to whose medical knowledge the mission 
 families had been much indebted, employed every means he 
 could devise to prevent a separation so painful to himself, 
 and so injurious to the people, whom they were mutually 
 laboring to elevate and bless. But all the resources of the 
 healing art which he could command proved unavailing ; and 
 he, therefore, earnestly recommended his afflicted brother to 
 proceed without delay to his native land. Mr. Williams 
 clearly perceived the wisdom of this advice ; and, after much 
 reflection and prayer, he gave his consent. But the prospect 
 of leaving the now endeared sphere of his labor was peculiar- 
 ly painful, and his consent was not obtained without a severe 
 struggle. A few months before, he would have readily ac- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 93 
 
 quiesced in this suggestion ; but now, he did it with extreme 
 reluctance. This change of feeling was the natural conse- 
 quence of his improved circumstances, of the progress of the 
 Redeemer's cause around him, of the growing attachment of 
 the people, and, still more, of the success of the mission to 
 Rurutu, and the hope thus created of opening the door of 
 faith to the inhabitants Of numerous other islands in the 
 South Pacific. Most unwillingly, therefore, did he deter- 
 mine to depart, and only because, in the opinion of all, duty 
 demanded the sacrifice. 
 
 As soon as Mr. Williams had formed the purpose of leav- 
 ing Raiatea, he convened the church, and communicated to 
 them his design. 
 
 " Poor things," he writes, " when they heard it, they were almost 
 panic-struck. Many immediately burst into tears, and I was so much 
 affected myself, that I could scarcely speak to them. I exhorted them 
 to more than ordinary prayer, assured them that, with the Lord 
 nothing was impossible, that the prayer of the righteous ever had 
 availed, and ever would avail much with him ; and as it was now my 
 earnest desire to continue amongst them, and their earnest desire that 
 I should, I besought them to cease not to pray that the Lord would 
 remove the affliction. 1 sat down, and a solemn silence of several 
 minutes ensued. At length, one of the deacons arose, and in a very 
 feeling and affectionate manner, exhorted the people to be instant in 
 prayer that the Lord would remove this affliction, and continue me 
 amongst them. On the next, and for many successive days, the peo- 
 ple continued coming to my house, weeping, and saying they could 
 neither eat, drink, nor sleep ; very many of whom, we know, ex- 
 pressed the true feelings of their hearts. The poor old king, Tamatoa, 
 (who is now by my side writing a letter to the Directors, which he is 
 about to send with a girdle which has been the death of many a poor 
 creature) came frequently, and requested me not to think of going, 
 and by no means to leave them, asking whether I had no compassion. 
 One day, he came in a great bustle, and said, ' Viriamu, I have been 
 thinking you are a strange man. Jesus did not take care of his body. 
 He did not even shrink from death ; and now you are afflicted, you 
 are going to leave us.' 1 told him that his ideas were incorrect, for it 
 required the life, health, and strength of a missionary to effect that for 
 which Jesus died, etc. The old gentleman replied, Oia mau aiu, etc. 
 — * I am mistaken, but the heart is coveting you, therefore I am think- 
 ing of one thing and thinking of another thing to prevent you from 
 going.' 
 
 " While I am upon this subject, I will give you two or three figures 
 which the natives used at our Friday evening meetings, relating to my 
 leaving them. ' I have been grieving,' said one of them, ' at the 
 thought that our teacher is going from us. At present, we are like a 
 house supported by two strong middle posts : and, if one of them is 
 taken away, the house w.ill become weak, and be shaken about by the 
 strong winds.' ' I have been thinking,' said another, ' that we are 
 
94 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 now like a person with two eyes, but one is going to be taken out. 
 Will it not be very painful to have the eye taken out, and will the man 
 be able to see so well with one eye as with two ?' " 
 
 These manifestations of love, and the evidence they sup- 
 plied that his labors were appreciated, as well as useful, 
 bound Mr. Williams more firmly than ever to the Raiateans, 
 and constrained him, with renewed importunity, to pray that 
 God would prevent the dreaded separation. And together 
 with his own supplications, those of the church came up con- 
 tinually before the throne. In private, as well as in public, 
 " prayer was made for him without ceasing." " And the 
 Lord hearkened and heard." His promise was once more 
 fulfilled, that " the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the 
 Lord shall raise him up." Most unexpectedly and rapidly, the 
 threatening malady began to decline, and that without medi- 
 cine, or other human means, all of which had been previ- 
 ously tried in vain. This was enough ; and Mr. Williams at 
 once abandoned all thought of departure. His spirit revived 
 with returning health ; and nothing on the subject was now 
 heard throughout the settlement, but the congratulations and 
 thanksgivings of the natives. 
 
 But this season of rejoicing to Mr. Williams was short ; 
 and just as one cloud which had darkened his horizon was 
 dispersed, another suddenly cast its shadow upon his path, 
 and again involved him in grief and gloom. Indeed, he had 
 scarcely regained his own health, when he received the intel- 
 ligence of his mother's death. 
 
 This event took place rather suddenly on the 23rd of De- 
 cember, 1819, and the heavy tidings weighed him down with 
 sorrow. Those whose estimate of Mr. Williams has been 
 formed solely from the published records of his missionary la- 
 bors, must have received an imperfect, if not an erroneous 
 impression of his character. The calculation, energy, en- 
 terprise, and endurance, which his own narrative discovers, 
 present only the more bold and manly features of his mind. 
 But with these, there were blended a gentleness and tender- 
 ness, a susceptibility, quickness, and warmth of affection, 
 which, to those who intimately knew him, rendered this 
 courageous and lion-hearted man as much an object of love 
 as of admiration. But while kind to all, and more than ordi- 
 narily attached to his personal friends, his fraternal and filial 
 feelings were peculiarly ardent. And to his mother he was 
 especially devoted. Her memory, her name, her letters, her 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 95 
 
 picture, seldom failed to fill his heart with emotion, and his 
 eyes with tears. Upon her his fondest feelings had been fixed 
 from childhood ; and when summoned by his principles and 
 his Saviour, to forsake his native land, nothing caused him so 
 much sorrow as separating from his beloved mother. Of this 
 attachment, the following passionate burst of feeling, written 
 on the receipt of the intelligence of her death, will furnish 
 sufficient evidence : 
 
 " Raiatea, June 29, 1821. 
 
 " My dear Father, Brothers, and Sisters, 
 
 " 1 now sit down, in much sorrow and distress, to acknowledge the 
 receipt of that most afflicting and very unexpected intelligence, the 
 death of ray valuable, beloved, and most excellent mother. Oh that 
 I could have been at her bed-side to receive her parting blessing ! My 
 heart is filled with grief, and my eyes with tears. Our poor dear, 
 dear and precious mother is now no more ! You seem to me now 
 like a ship tossed about in a tempest without a pilot. She is gone ! 
 No more will her devoted lips be employed in telling her affectionate, 
 dutiful, and weeping children of a Saviour's dying love ; but although 
 she is dead, she yet speaketh to us in the brightest of bright examples 
 which she has left behind — she speaks to us in a language which 
 nothing can erase, and which time will never impair. Never, no 
 never while we live, shall we remember our dearest, most excellent 
 of mothers, without emotions of soul which words cannot describe. 
 O thou brightest of examples, thou lover of Christ, thou most affec- 
 tionate and beloved of mothers ! May thy Saviour, with whom thou 
 art now spending a blissful eternity, enable us, thy affectionate and 
 weeping children, to walk in thy steps ! Then we shall meet again, 
 and sorrow will never again fill our hearts, and tears will never again 
 bedew our cheeks in lamenting thy loss. O mother ! mother ! where 
 art thou ? Methinks I hear thee say, • I am happy, I am happy, I am 
 with Jesus ! Cease, my children, cease to weep. Dry those tears 
 which flow so copiously from your eyes. Love Christ ; obey his pre- 
 cepts ; then we shall meet again in a more congenial clime, to enjoy 
 each other's company where sorrow and sighing shall cease, and 
 everlasting joy shall be upon our heads.' Yes ! O yes ! my dearest 
 mother, we cannot, no ! we will not, we dare not sorrow as those who 
 have no hope ; but Rachel must weep. Even our Jesus himself did 
 not refuse the tear of affection, whilst his beloved friend lay in the 
 silent grave ; and can we withhold this tribute from one we so much 
 loved ? No ! it is impossible. Oh ! that my head were waters, and 
 my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for my 
 precious mother. O my mother ! my mother ! I picture to myself 
 the heart-rending scene of my mother in her last moments. I see you 
 all collected, waiting and watching, with the most trembling anxiety, 
 till at length she faints, and sinks, and falls asleep in Jesus. I see 
 her celestial, heaven-born spirit conducted by ministering angels to 
 join the holy, happy company of those, who have washed their robes, 
 and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. I see my poor af- 
 
96 LIFE OF THE 
 
 flicted father return, with a soul laden with most anxious concern, 
 and no one has voice, strength, or courage, to make known the mel- 
 ancholy event, but he learns it from the silence, and the tears of his 
 afflicted family. Oh ! that 1 had been with you on that awful night 
 to have joined with my poor dear father, and my beloved brothers and 
 sisters, in giving vent to our acute emotions, and testifying the sin- 
 cerity and ardor of our affection for our beloved, excellent, and la- 
 mented mother. 
 
 " But I cannot proceed. My dear mother is no more. Oh ! she 's 
 gone, she 's gone, never, never to return to us again. Pardon me, 
 my dearest father and beloved brothers and sisters, for I am opening 
 again the deep and smarting wound in your bosoms, which 1 hope the 
 lenient hand of time has partially healed. My dear sisters say they 
 wish I had been there, I should have taught them resignation and 
 submission. I hope, my dearest friends, that 1 feel the force of that 
 expression, ' It is the Lord's doing,' and know that all events are un- 
 der his most special direction, and are designed to accomplish some 
 important ends. But the possession of grace does not eradicate or 
 weaken our natural affections, though it affords them great support, 
 by enabling its possessor to look forward, with joyful anticipation, to 
 the blissful period, when their kindred spirits will be re-united. En- 
 joying this sweet assurance, his tears are dried, his sorrows soothed, 
 and his grief, in some measure, assuaged. Had our dear and valua- 
 ble mother been destitute of that piety for which we so much love 
 her, then, my dearest brothers and sisters, how bitter would have been 
 our reflections, what pain and anguish of soul we should experience ; 
 but now (O Jesus, it is to thy love and mercy we are indebted) we 
 possess the firmest assurance that ' all her sorrows are left below, and 
 earth exchanged for heaven.' We know that she is now in the reali- 
 zation of all the happiness which a created nature can enjoy. Shall 
 we then wish her return ? No ! we dare not. But not to feel bitter- 
 ly for one we so much loved, not to give vent to the ardor of our af- 
 fection for so kind and excellent a mother, would require the hard- 
 est and most unfeeling heart, which none of us possess. 
 
 " My dearest mother's portrait is an inestimable treasure. The 
 large one hangs in our bed-room ; but, since I have heard of her de- 
 cease, I can hardly bear to look at it. I am endeavoring to overcome 
 my feelings, and let it continue to hang there, as a faithful monitor to 
 remind me frequently of her bright example, but I fear I must put it 
 away. Our precious mother ! our dearest mother ! * * * 
 
 "I think my dear mother's love to the house of her God cannot fail 
 to make an impression upon each of our minds, which time will not 
 efface, and should tend to kindle in each of our breasts a similar re- 
 gard for that sacred place. Nothing, we know, deterred her. Rain, 
 cold, wind, could not keep her from the place where prayer was wont 
 to be made, not even on that fatal foggy night. But now, my dear 
 brothers and sisters, no more will her inviting voice request you to 
 accompany her to that source of her comfort. Permit me, then, to 
 supply her place, in beseeching you to let her example have even a 
 greater influence than her words. Count every opportunity valuable, 
 and embrace it with eagerness — peradventure the Lord has blessings 
 in store for us as a family. 
 
 " Another thought that has occupied my mind is, that we shall see 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 97 
 
 our dear mother again ; and I have no doubt of our mutual recogni- 
 tion. Now, if we are found in Jesus, with what extatic joy will our 
 beloved parent join with the redeemed of the Lord, in welcoming her 
 children into the regions of the blessed, to go no more out, to part no 
 more for ever. Oh that this may be our happy portion ! Should 
 either you or I (for think not too highly of me, more than you ought 
 to think) be found at last enemies of Jesus, with what anguish (if it 
 could be felt by the blessed) would our dear mother behold her chil- 
 dren torn from her embrace, and banished — 
 
 4 Where the deep gulf is fix'd between, 
 And everlasting shuts the scene.' 
 
 " My dear brothers and sisters, I have now two earnest requests to 
 make, the freedom of which I know your good sense and kind feeling 
 will excuse. The first is, that you will continue to live in the affec- 
 tions of each other. Mutual love we have enjoyed from our infancy ; 
 and, in our little disputes, a word from our dearest mother settled all ; 
 but now that her voice is no longer heard, should circumstances of 
 the kind arise, suppress your feelings, and be at peace among your- 
 selves. 
 
 " The other request I would make refers to our dear and only sur- 
 viving parent, our beloved father. His feelings must be very acute. 
 I most sincerely sympathize with him, and feel confident that he will 
 receive from you the utmost kindness. I intend to write to him sep- 
 arately ; but I have written this first, thinking, that, when I had thus 
 given vent to the acuteness of my feelings, I should be able to write 
 with more ease and less interruption. 
 
 " In all. my former letters, my dear mother's name was found, but 
 now there must be a gaping space. O my mother, my mother, my 
 much-loved mother ! 
 
 " With a heart full of sorrow, and eyes melting in tears, I conclude, 
 my dear father, brothers and sisters, 
 
 " Your's very sincerely and affectionately, 
 
 " J. Williams." 
 
 It is possible that, in the judgment of some readers, passa- 
 ges of the preceding letter ought to have been suppressed. 
 And it is still more probable, that the compiler may be cen- 
 sured for inserting that which follows. Doubts on these 
 points have not been absent from his own mind ; and he is 
 fully aware that his decision to publish such private expres- 
 sions of sentiment and feeling, may be deemed a conclusive 
 indication of the want of discretion. In self-vindication, 
 however, the biographer may state, that whilst his friend's 
 communications are filled with proofs of devotedness to God, 
 and, as a laborious and successful missionary, must place his 
 image at full length, and in bold relief, before the reader, they 
 are not rich in that kind of domestic incident and personal 
 reference, which is essential to a perfect portrait. This de- 
 9 
 
98 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 ficiency, at least to some extent, the preceding letter will sup- 
 ply. It completely unveils the writer's heart, and contains 
 the undisguised effusion of that filial affection which formed 
 so marked a feature of his mind. So far, therefore, it ex- 
 hibits the man, and belongs to his biography. But whatever 
 may be thought of its passionate apostrophes and iterations, 
 all will be ready to exclaim, " Would that every child had 
 such a mother, and every mother such a child !" The let- 
 ter which follows, while it also exhibits the mental features of 
 Mr. Williams, is inserted for another reason. It was blessed 
 to the conversion of his own father : and the belief that he to 
 whom it was addressed would not have objected to its publi- 
 cation, has determined the biographer not to withhold what is 
 so characteristic of the writer. Lest, however, any false im- 
 pression should be received from the counsels which this 
 epistle contains, it may be proper to premise, that, up to the 
 period of his pious partner's death, Mr. Williams had dis- 
 covered no evidences of personal religion. Whilst regularly 
 frequenting the house of God with his family, manifesting 
 great interest in their temporal welfare, and never discounte- 
 nancing the efforts of their mother to lead them in the way 
 wherein they should go, " one thing he yet lacked." As a 
 man and as a parent, he possessed many excellencies, which 
 won the regard of his family and his friends ; but his social 
 feelings proved a snare to his soul, and, in the son's estima- 
 tion, opposed a serious obstacle to his salvation. Under this 
 conviction, and learning from the letters of his sisters that their 
 father was deeply affected by his bereavement, Mr. Williams 
 resolved, with respect, affection, and fidelity, to make one 
 earnest effort to break the deadly spell, by which his beloved 
 parent was bound. And the attempt was not in vain. The 
 following letter found its way into his father's heart. From 
 the time of its reception " the snare was broken ;" the asso- 
 ciates of other days were forsaken, and a change was indi- 
 cated by signs so marked as to satisfy the pious members of 
 his family, that " he had passed from death unto life." In this 
 altered and happy state, he subsequently lived and died ; bles- 
 sing God for the child to whose letter he ascribed his spirit- 
 ual renovation. When on his death-bed, in 1827, Mr. Nott 
 called to bid the family farewell, prior to his return to the 
 South Seas. Mr. Williams was then too ill to say much ,* but, 
 on being asked by the venerable missionary, " What message 
 shall I take to your son ?" his reply was, " Tell him, oh tell 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 99 
 
 him, that the father is saved through the son's instrumental- 
 ity !" 
 
 " Raiatea, June 29th, 1821. 
 " My dear afflicted Father, 
 
 "1 have just finished a letter to you all, which has fully engaged 
 my powers, and which 1 was obliged to summon up all my courage 
 and strength in order to write. And now that 1 sit down to address 
 you, all the painful and distressing scenes rush again, with irresistible 
 force, into my mind, and I am obliged to resume the courage and 
 strength I have just laid aside ; for the tender feelings of my heart 
 are aroused more in writing, than in thinking about the loss of one 
 whom we all so tenderly loved. In vain do 1 attempt to offer conso- 
 lation to you, my dear father, while my own heart is bleeding with 
 pain ; and you know that the wound is deep and complicated, and 
 requires a powerful remedy. But shall we not mingle our tears of 
 mutual regret : you for your invaluable wife, and I for the most ex- 
 cellent of mothers ? It was your sad letter that first conveyed to us 
 the afflicting intelligence. We had read one or two of dear mother's 
 before we opened yours, not apprehending any evil tidings ; and this 
 I took into my hand with the most pleasurable anticipations. But the 
 first few lines disclosed the heart-rending truth. I read ' Your mother 
 is no more,' and I ceased to read. How shall I describe our feelings ? 
 We were looking over our box of presents with such joy. Our dear 
 little John was by our side, and we were giving him his playthings, 
 and telling him who sent this, and who sent that ; but we wondered 
 that we could not find one from his poor dear grandmother, — till the 
 sad truth came out. Oh, what a shock, so unexpected, so severe ! 
 But, blessed be God, we sorrow not as those who have no hope. We 
 know, that ' blessed are the dead that die in the Lord ;' and I feel as- 
 sured, that my dear mother is now ' bathing her weary soul in seas of 
 heavenly rest, where not a wave of trouble rolls across her peaceful 
 breast.' 
 
 " Most sincerely do I sympathize with you, my dear father, and 
 would direct you to look up to him, who is able to do exceeding 
 abundantly above all that you can ask, for strength and support. You 
 know, my dear father, that all events are under his special direction, 
 and are designed to answer some gracious and important end ; for the 
 Lord employs various means for the salvation of sinners. ' He is 
 rich in mercy ;' and, doubtless, you feel the greatness of his mercy in 
 sparing you so long. ' Surely if the Lord were pleased to kill you, 
 he would not have showed you all these things.' He has employed 
 various means for bringing you to himself. He has visited you with 
 great trials, and favored you with great blessings. He has encouraged 
 you by the most gracious invitations, and, at times, impressed you 
 with the most solemn convictions. He has granted you length of days 
 beyond thousands ; blessed you with a most pious and excellent wife ; 
 spared her to you long, — yea, very long, that you, by her pious, holy 
 conversation, or by her more strikingly pious example, should be con- 
 strained to turn unto the Lord. And now he tries, as it were, his last 
 resource, and snatches the best and most excellent of companions from 
 your embrace. O my father, despise not the riches of his goodness, 
 
100 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 and forbearance, and long-suffering, knowing that the goodness of the 
 Lord ought, and is designed by God himself, to lead you to repent- 
 ance. 1 would encourage you, by all his promises, by the examples 
 furnished in his word, by the compassion of Christ, and by all the 
 cleansing, meritorious effects of his precious blood, to seek most ear- 
 nestly that forgiveness which, to the praise and glory of his grace, he 
 delights to extend even to the chief of sinners. * * * 
 
 " And now allow me, my dear father, to offer a few remarks, which 
 I feel confident you will receive as tokens of the sincere affection of 
 your beloved son, whom God has removed to this distant land; 
 and I pray and beseech you to give them that due attention which 
 your own good sense will see they demand. First then — ' Bring forth 
 fruits meet for repentance;' for, whatever your feelings and profes- 
 sions may be, no one will think much of your sincerity, unless your 
 conduct is ' such as becometh the Gospel of Christ.' In the second 
 place, do let me beseech you, as your dutiful and affectionate son, 
 never again to enter a tavern. It is a place where the sacred spark of 
 love can never be fanned into a flame. It is a place which has ever 
 been your enemy. It is a fountain of misery. It has brought you and 
 kept you upon the brink of perdition even to old age ; and, if you do 
 not forsake it, all your good impressions will be like the morning 
 cloud. If you really desire to obtain salvation, 1 would advise you, 
 as your very first step, to determine, in the strength of the Lord, never 
 to enter again into that hurtful place. A thousand plausible objections 
 will be raised in your mind, by the enemy of your soul, to induce you 
 to continue a practice of which he knows so well the advantage. Your 
 old companions will revilingly ask, ' Where 's Williams ?' ' Oh,' will 
 another reply, ' he 's become religious !' Glorious truth ! Let them 
 sneer, so that they do not sneer you out of your soul and your Sa- 
 viour. Thirdly, let me recommend you to seek new companions. 
 Of course I would not advise you to treat any one with disrespect, 
 yet carefully avoid them as intimates and friends, and seek frequent 
 converse with pious men. In the fourth place, embrace every oppor- 
 tunity of hearing the word of God, and of attending the various meet- 
 ings of religious societies, etc. This will fill up your time in an in- 
 teresting and profitable manner ; and not only so, but it will tend to 
 estrange your mind and affections from former companions and pur- 
 suits, and to rivet them upon subjects which will afford you that solid 
 pleasure, which you never enjoyed before. I need not tell you to 
 make the Bible your constant companion, and to read other good books. 
 Doddridge's Rise and Progress, and good old Mr. Mason's little works, 
 etc., will afford their mite in strengthening and encouraging you. 
 Above all, 1 must direct you to the Christian's spiritual treasury, — a 
 throne of grace, and oh ! that the Holy Spirit may help your infirmi- 
 ties, and teach you how to pray as you ought, by making intercession 
 within you. 
 
 " My dear father, I assure you that this letter is the result of pure 
 affection, and a most sincere desire to promote in you a work of grace, 
 which I hope God in his mercy has begun. Whatever it contains 
 that commends itself to your judgment, do attend to it. As you 
 value your soul, and dread an eternal separation from my dearest 
 mother, and her Saviour, attend to it, and may God of his mercy ex- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 101 
 
 ercise the riches of his grace in giving to each of us a place at his 
 right hand. 
 
 a With sincere affection, I remain, 
 " Your dutiful son, 
 
 "John Williams." 
 
 But " weeping did not hinder sowing ;" and whilst mourn- 
 ing for his mother, Mr. Williams was occupied with labors 
 and surrounded by objects which ministered abundantly to 
 his consolation. " Our congregation," he writes, " is large, 
 and, generally speaking, very attentive. We have now bap- 
 tized 268 adults, and 202 children. Every time we adminis- 
 ter this ordinance, it creates much interest, and produces, 
 amongst the people, a kind of spiritual revival. The admin- 
 istration has been attended with very beneficial effects to 
 many." 
 
 But his history at this period was a chequered condition. 
 Lights and shadows chased each other over the scene of his 
 labors, and his mind became, in quick succession, the seat 
 of joys and sorrows, hopes and fears. No sooner had he 
 emerged from one dark dispensation, than his opening pros- 
 pects were suddenly overcast by another. Thus, at the pres- 
 ent time, while rejoicing in the ripening fruits of his labors, 
 the return of his previous malady seemed to say to him, 
 " One soweth, but another reapeth ;" and, full of hope for 
 Raiatea, he was again compelled to entertain the unwelcome 
 topic of returning to England. But, most providentially, 
 while his thoughts were thus anxiously exercised, a vessel 
 bound for Sydney touched at the settlement, and, as the 
 captain consented to take them, Mr. and Mrs. Williams 
 resolved to visit the colony, hoping there to obtain such med- 
 ical advice as would supersede the necessity of their return- 
 ing to England. But this was not their only motive for un- 
 dertaking the voyage. Besides health, Mr. Williams had 
 two other objects in view, which he hoped thus to accom- 
 plish. In the first place, he resolved on his way to convey 
 teachers to Aitutake. Of this island he had learned some- 
 thing from Auuru, and here the captain agreed to call. And, 
 in the second place, he designed, while at Sydney, to advance 
 and consolidate the civilization of the Society Isles, by estab- 
 lishing a regular communication between them and the 
 colony, and opening a market there for native produce. 
 These objects he expected to secure by the appointment of 
 an agent, and the purchase of a ship; means which had ap- 
 9* 
 
102 LIFE OF THE 
 
 peared to him for some time essential to the permanence of 
 those industrious habits, and to the progress of that social 
 renovation, for which he and his brethren had so successfully 
 labored. " We are fully convinced," they write to the Direc- 
 tors, " that had this people the means of bartering their 
 produce, none would outstrip them in industry. Of this we 
 have now ocular demonstration. From the arii to the chil- 
 dren, all are employed. We rejoice in their activity, and are 
 resolved to encourage it, and to point out the best means of 
 rendering their labors so useful to themselves, as to give a 
 permanence to their newly acquired habits." 
 
 Full of these beneficent projects, Mr. Williams, accompa- 
 nied by two native teachers, whom the church had chosen 
 for this service, sailed for Aitutake, where they arrived on 
 the 26th of October, 1821. Their reception was most en- 
 couraging ; and, after explaining the object of his visit to the 
 wild and wondering crowd of savages, who clamorously sur- 
 rounded the vessel, Mr. W. committed the teachers to the 
 care of the chiefs, who gave him a pledge that they would 
 protect and supply them. 
 
 On reaching Sydney, the first object which engaged his 
 attention, after obtaining medical advice, was a ship ; for, 
 venture what he might, a ship he was resolved to have. In 
 this unusual proposal, however, the Society's agent, the late 
 Rev. S. Marsden, refused to participate; but, although dis- 
 couraged, Mr Williams was determined. He was even pre- 
 pared, if necessary, to incur the entire responsibility. This, 
 it must be allowed, was a bold decision. It required the 
 knowledge of a class of transactions remote from the ordinary 
 range of a missionary's observation, and usually deemed in- 
 compatible with his sacred calling. It, moreover, exposed 
 him to suspicion, odium, and loss. But he was too energet- 
 ic, independent, and enterprising to heed the contingent evils 
 of an act which his judgment and conscience commended. 
 All his calculations were based upon other principles, and 
 directed to higher objects, then those of timid, shrinking, 
 and, not unfrequently, selfish prudence. And if, in thus 
 deviating from the beaten track, he did in this, or any similar 
 movement adventure too far, his conduct may nevertheless 
 be commended with safety. In this line of things, few will 
 be tempted to follow him. Such speculators in ships and 
 commerce are rare. But while prepared, on this occasion, 
 to act alone, he was not permitted to do so ; for as soon as 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 103 
 
 Mr. Marsden discovered that the purpose of his ardent broth- 
 er was formed ; and convinced, as that estimable man was, 
 of the excellence of his aim, and the generosity of his heart, 
 he relented, and proposed, on the part of the Society, to 
 share with him the responsibility of the purchase. Instantly, 
 Mr. Williams, who on his mother's death inherited some 
 property, closed with the offer, and thus speaks of it at the 
 time, in a letter to the Directors. " Whatever the sum may 
 be, whether <£500 or ,£1000, I have, rather than not accom- 
 plish the object, agreed to advance." A vessel was soon 
 purchased. She was a new schooner of from eighty to 
 ninety tons, called " The Endeavor," which name, however 
 suitable, was changed by the natives for another deemed by 
 themselves still more appropriate, Te Matamua, " The Be- 
 ginning." 
 
 But this was not the only transaction in Sydney, which in- 
 volved Mr. Williams in serious pecuniary liabilities. Exper- 
 iments which he had made in the islands, had satisfied him 
 that sugar and tobacco, if extensively cultivated, and properly 
 prepared for the market, would prove articles of lucrative 
 commerce; and, although he had acquired considerable 
 knowledge of the best methods of cultivation, he possessed 
 neither the time nor the inclination to pursue these beneficial 
 objects beyond that point which would leave him ample op- 
 portunity for the performance of his other numerous and 
 more important duties. He, therefore, engaged a Mr. Scott 
 to undertake this department for three years, at a salary of 
 <£150, a sum which he readily guaranteed. 
 
 Nor were minor means of civilization and comfort over- 
 looked. Writing to the Directors from Sydney, Jan. 30, 
 1822, he says, "You will perhaps be surprised to hear of 
 our progress in civil, as well as in religious matters. I do 
 pray that you will afford us every necessary encouragement 
 and assistance. I am taking with me to the islands, clothes 
 for the women, shoes, stockings, tea-kettles, tea-cups and 
 saucers, and tea, of which the natives are very fond, and 
 which, I hope, may prove an additional stimulus to the cul- 
 tivation of sugar. And, moreover, when they have tea, they 
 will want tea-cups, and a table to place them on, and seats to 
 sit upon. Thus we hope, in a short time, that European 
 customs will be wholly established in the leeward islands." 
 
 Sir Thomas Brisbane, then governor of New South Wales, 
 perceived the beneficial tendency of the measures devised by 
 
104 LIFE OF THE 
 
 Mr. Williams for promoting the civilization of the South Sea 
 Islands, and, in a manner honorable both to his wisdom and 
 his kindness, he invited the missionary to his house, gave 
 him the promise of assistance and encouragement, and, on 
 his departure, presented him with several cows, calves, and 
 sheep, for the chiefs and missionaries of the leeward group. 
 Two ensigns and two chapel-bells were added to the dona- 
 tion. 
 
 Some possibly may imagine that, amidst these various sec- 
 ular occupations, the tone of Mr. Williams's piety must have 
 suffered. But those who consider the principles which gov- 
 erned, and the motives which prompted his proceedings, will 
 not fall into this error. These have already appeared, and 
 will be presented more fully in his correspondence, from 
 which it is most evident, that his secular avocations were not 
 conducted in a secular spirit ; but were the result of the same 
 benevolence and devotedness, by which, at the first, he was 
 constrained to present himself as a living sacrifice in the ser- 
 vice of God and of man. His religion, like his general char- 
 acter, was simple, transparent, uniform, manly, and practical. 
 It presented none of the varied hues and misty light of senti- 
 mentalism. Revealed, like the sun, by its own bright ema- 
 nations, it had " the witness in itself." He loved God, and he 
 knew this" by the spirit which God had given him." He 
 did not doubt his acceptance, simply because he could not. 
 Conscious, indeed, of manifold sins and infirmities, he was 
 equally conscious of the presence and prevalence of new 
 principles and spiritual affections. His tastes, motives, and 
 desires satisfied him that his soul had been sanctified. His 
 piety possessed a self-evidencing power. Nor was it less ob- 
 vious to others than to himself. Its spring, indeed, was " hid- 
 den and divine." But to discover its existence, or to ascer- 
 tain its character, it was not necessary to dig deep into the 
 recesses of his soul. By its own energy and fulness, the 
 " living water" forced its way into the light, and then, flow- 
 ing forth in a gentle and translucent stream, demonstrating, 
 by the life and loveliness which marked its progress, the pure 
 and sacred source from whence it came. Hence, however 
 diversified the effects of his religion, and however secular an 
 aspect some of these might wear, they could all be traced to 
 the same cause ; just as the river, which not only sustains 
 vegetation, but at the same time attracts the inhabitants of a 
 province to its shores, and gives rise to the busy marts and 
 crowded cities in which they dwell. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 105 
 
 These remarks will show that the personal religion of Mr. 
 Williams, while including the essential excellencies which 
 have adorned the character of other devoted men, was happi- 
 ly free from adjuncts which, in some instances, have disfig- 
 ured or disguised the work of God. It was the result of 
 knowledge, principle, and emotion, which maintained in his 
 mind a beautiful harmony, and, by their combined influence, 
 preserved him from the opposite extremes of an irrational en- 
 thusiasm, and a cold formality. His piety was warm, but not 
 wavering. It did not consist in, nor was it evidenced by, a 
 succession of fluctuating feelings. His hope and joy never 
 rose and fell with the barometer. His faith was settled and 
 grounded upon that word of the Lord which endureth for- 
 ever ; and he reposed with too much simplicity upon his im- 
 mutable Redeemer, to be soon troubled or shaken in his 
 mind. He knew that passing clouds do not obliterate, but 
 merely obscure the sun : that behind those dark emanations 
 from a lower sphere, the orb of day was still "shining on" 
 with undiminished glory. He was too well instructed, to 
 ascribe to the Divine displeasure those mental states which 
 are merely the sad consequences of misapprehension or dis- 
 ease ; and he was far too much occupied and interested in 
 the work of the Lord, to indulge in melancholy musings, or 
 to watch and record, with minute particularity, the evanes- 
 cent imaginings of a morbid mind. Had he kept a diurnal 
 register of his spiritual variations, it would have been found 
 that his chief element was happiness, and that he was far too 
 active to be hypochondriacal. In truth, his thoughts were 
 directed with such concentration towards the end for which 
 Christ died, and he was so entirely devoted to their promo- 
 tion, that brooding fear and dark despondency could not 
 find even a lodging in his heart. Instead of dwelling in dark- 
 ness, his religious affections were continually exercised and 
 expanded in the light and heat of cheerful obedience. This 
 explains the unquestionable fact, that his soul enjoyed spirit- 
 ual health, even when pressed with secular cares ; and that, 
 in circumstances and occupations which would have proved 
 hurtful to many, he was preserved ; just as the possessor of a 
 robust constitution may dwell amidst the poisoned atmosphere 
 of a fever hospital, proof against the malaria with which he 
 is constantly coming in contact through every organ, and at 
 every pore. 
 
 The predominating feeling of Mr. Williams, at this busy 
 
106 LIFE OF THE 
 
 period, was the same as he had previously manifested ; — an 
 irrepressible desire to glorify God by the propagation of the 
 Gospel. This was the central object around which his 
 thoughts and movements perpetually revolved, but in con- 
 stantly widening circles. The following paragraph of a let- 
 ter, written from Sydney to the Directors, will show what 
 was in his heart. "lam about to take my voyage home with 
 Capt. Henry, who has kindly promised, at my request, to call 
 at the following islands : Chatham Island, which I believe is 
 large, and is about 42° South. The natives are a mild peo- 
 ple, speaking the Tahitian, and very numerous, but little 
 known; Rurutu, Tubuai, Raivavae, and Opara. Perhaps 
 we may also visit Pitcairn's Island, and the Marquesas. I 
 shall endeavor to get a chief or two from as many of these 
 islands as I can; and when I reach Tahiti, consult with my 
 brethren about supplying them with native missionaries. I 
 am getting spelling-books and catechisms printed for the pur- 
 pose of leaving at these islands." This benevolent design, 
 however, was prevented, and Mr. Williams unwillingly de- 
 tained at Sydney so long, that Capt. Henry was unable to ful- 
 fil his promise. The preceding extracts, however, will show 
 " what was in his heart." 
 
 But the following passage, while exhibiting the same state 
 of mind, derives a peculiar interest from the circumstance, 
 that it contains the first sketch which Mr. Williams traced of 
 that scheme of Christian benevolence, which subsequently en- 
 gaged so large a portion of his thoughts and labors, and in 
 the accomplishment of which he so nobly fell. " When," he 
 writes, " I began to fear that I might fail to obtain a vessel 
 for the chiefs, I had nearly resolved to come to England for 
 the purpose of proposing, that the Church, the London, and 
 the Methodist Societies should jointly fit out a vessel to visit 
 the various islands of the South Seas. 
 
 " My recommendation would have been, that one mission- 
 ary from each Society should thus go to New Caledonia, 
 New Guinea, the New Hebrides, the Navigator's Islands, 
 Tongatabu, the Marquesas, etc. (all large places and nume- 
 rously inhabited) to ascertain the practibility of forming mis- 
 sionary stations on these islands. At the close of this voyage, 
 a report might be made by each missionary, and a mutual 
 agreement entered into by the Societies for the occupation 
 of the different groups. Thus : — those contiguous to New 
 Zealand, and speaking the New Zealand tongue, the Church 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 107 
 
 Missionary Society might consider their charge. Tongatabu 
 and the adjacent islands in which that language is used, 
 might be undertaken by the Wesleyans ; whilst the Marque- 
 sas, Chatham Islands, and others, where Tahitian is the com- 
 mon tongue, might fall to our share. The expense of such a 
 voyage to each Society would be comparatively trifling, and 
 great good might result from it ; and a person speaking the 
 Tahitian would be able, more or less, to converse with all 
 the South Sea Islanders. I thought, therefore, that mission- 
 aries might return with me, to whom I could teach the lan- 
 guage, and thus prepare them to enter upon the work as soon 
 as they arrived. At the Marquesas, from what I hear, I 
 think a great and effectual door for the Gospel is now open- 
 ed, and that the people are desirous of obtaining missionaries. 
 But I beg leave to submit to you these observations, though 
 at present, as we have obtained a vessel, and have to arrange 
 its concerns with the natives, and establish the sugar and to- 
 bacco works, our efforts will be required at Raiatea. But 
 we must branch out to the right and to the left ; for how can 
 we, in justice to the heathen world, especially to the sur- 
 rounding islands, confine the labors of so many missionaries 
 to so few people ?" 
 
 At length, on the 23rd of April, rejoicing in the renovation 
 of his beloved partner's health, in the mitigation of his own 
 malady, and in the additional means he had obtained for pro- 
 moting the welfare of the people, Mr. Williams sailed from 
 Sydney, and proceeded first to New Zealand, from whence 
 he wrote to his family the following letter. 
 
 " Bay of Islands, April 23, 1822. 
 " My Dear Friends, 
 " The intention of this hasty letter is to prevent your anxiety on 
 our account. The Westmoreland in which we visited the colony, 
 has returned to the islands for oil, etc., with which she will proceed 
 to England. When she left Sydney, we fully expected to follow her 
 in a week or ten days ; and wrote to that effect to the deputation* and 
 the brethren ; but, contrary to our anticipations, we were detained 
 there nearly two months, and have been wind-bound here three weeks 
 longer. As we intended to call at several islands on our return 
 voyage, the brethren will conclude that we are either taken or lost ; 
 and, should the Westmoreland leave the islands before our arrival, 1 
 fear they may write to you by her expressing their doubts of our safe- 
 
 * Messrs. Tyerman arid Bennet, who reached Tahiti shortly before 
 Mr. Williams's departure. 
 
108 LIFE OF THE 
 
 ty. I therefore seize this opportunity of informing you that we are 
 lying at anchor here, riding out a gale of wind. 
 
 M Since we came to New Zealand, many very distressing circum- 
 stances have occurred. I went on shore the other day, and saw the 
 head of a once powerful chief, named Henakee, with whose party 
 Shungee had gone to war. He was a very fine and noble look- 
 ing man, and his head is in a perfect state of preservation. The hair, 
 whiskers, eye-brows, beard, etc., are just as they were when he was 
 alive. It is said that he received four balls before he fell, and that he 
 had no sooner fallen than Shungee (the same who was in England) 
 and another chief, called King George, ran up to him, severed his 
 head from the body, and with revengeful glee caught and drank his 
 blood. O ! how horrible. Lord ! what is man that thou art mindful 
 of him ? But not satiated with his death and his blood, these dreadful 
 monsters cut him in pieces, roasted his flesh, and devoured it as a most 
 delicious meal. The large canoes are now returning from the war, 
 some of them with human heads fixed at the head and stern. One of our 
 seamen when on shore saw ten of these heads preserved either as spoils 
 of victory, or to sell to Christians for muskets and powder to enable 
 them the more effectually to execute their deeds of blood. O ! that 
 the Lord would send more missionaries to New Zealand. I never 
 was in a place so well adapted for the itinerating labors of devoted 
 men. The land is full of inhabitants, settled in small villages, a mile 
 or two apart. Mr. Leigh, of the Wesleyan Society, is here with his 
 good wife. They are excellent people. How wa3 it you did not find 
 him out when he was in England ? 
 
 " We have now been at New Zealand three times ; and, as their 
 language is in some respects similar to the Tahitian, I can converse 
 with them very well. 1 have had many conversations with them on 
 religion. All that is wanted in New Zealand, I think, is active exer- 
 tion. Good enterprising missionaries might, with the blessing of God, 
 turn the lion-like New Zealander into the humble and peaceful Chris- 
 tian. They appear very kind to us, and very fond of me. They wish 
 me to stay with them. John is a great favorite. But I must not omit 
 to tell you the merciful interposition of Providence on our behalf. 
 When we made the North Cape of New Zealand, Mr. Henry, fearing 
 he would not be able to obtain sufficient supplies at the Bay of Islands, 
 as so many whalers had recently been there, stood in for the shore. 
 The natives in great numbers soon crowded our deck ; but, although 
 they were very troublesome, we did not apprehend any danger, until 
 Mr. Henry and Mrs. Williams wanted to go below, but were opposed 
 by a chief, who had seated himself in the hatchway. I was going 
 over to them, when one of the Tahitians pushed him out of the way. 
 Immediately he sprang up, turned white with rage, drew a knife, and 
 threatened to stab the Tahitian, who ran behind the companion of the 
 vessel, and, having found a sword, made a stand. There they stood, 
 keeping each other at bay, the New Zealander saying, ' Kill me, kill 
 me.' They were, however, separated without bloodshed. Soon after 
 this, it fell a calm ; we were but a few miles from the shore, and a 
 great number of natives were on board. These, under the pretence 
 of bringing hogs and potatoes, had sent their canoes away, and in a 
 few hours we saw eight or nine of them, all well manned with twenty 
 or thirty natives, making for our ship. We all thought that this had 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 
 
 109 
 
 a suspicious appearance, as there were no women or children among 
 them. Mr. Henry therefore had all the muskets brought upon deck, 
 loaded the two guns, with great difficulty turned all the natives out 
 of the vessel, and then hailed the canoes, which were coming with 
 great celerity, threatening to fire on them if they came any nearer. 
 At this they lay to, and held a consultation, the result of which was, 
 if we may judge from their subsequent actions, to capture the vessel 
 if they could, for they all kept, for a considerable time, within about 
 a hundred yards of the vessel. As we were well armed, it is probable 
 that the attempt, had it been made, would have proved unsuccessful ; 
 yet it was a distressing situation to be placed in, and we dreaded the 
 danger of being becalmed there all night. While in this state of anx- 
 iety, expecting every moment to be attacked, I retired to my berth, 
 and looked up to our 'present help in time of trouble.' When I re- 
 turned from my berth to the cabin, to my great joy, Mr. Henry came 
 down, and said a breeze was springing up. And so it proved ; for in 
 less than half an hour, our anxious fears were turned into songs of de- 
 liverance. Oh ! for more holy confidence in God ! 
 
 " But now I must tell you something more about ourselves. My 
 dear Mary is well when in harbor, but very ill and helpless at sea. 
 We are very happy indeed in the anticipation of the joyful day when 
 we shall re-enter our peaceful habitation on the shores of Raiatea. 
 How glad our poor people will be to see us ; and we as glad to see 
 them ! Mr. and Mrs. Henry are very kind to us. We have family 
 worship morning and evening, and service on the Sabbath. One thing 
 we lament, that, in consequence of our detention, we shall be unable 
 to call at all the places we intended. We shall, however, touch at 
 Rurutu, and at other islands, if possible. 
 
 u I am, my dearest friends, etc. 
 
 « J. W 
 
 They sailed from New Zealand on the 28th of April ; and, 
 after calling at Rurutu, arrived at Raiatea on the 6th of June. 
 On reaching their home, Mr. and Mrs. Williams were greeted 
 by the chiefs and people with the strongest manifestations of 
 affection and delight, and resumed their much-loved labors 
 with renewed ardor and hope. But Mr. Williams was distres- 
 sed to learn, that, during his absence, a dangerous conspiracy 
 had been formed by a few persons disaffected towards the ex- 
 isting government, and headed by a chief whose object was 
 to supplant Tamatoa. Providentially, however, the design 
 was discovered and frustrated before it was matured. Ten of 
 the conspirators, who were taken in arms, after having been 
 tried by a jury, were condemned to die ; but, at the interces- 
 sion of Mr. Threlkeld, the capital punishment was commuted 
 for hard labor in chains for life. This mitigation of the pen- 
 alty, through the exertion of the missionary, had a happy in- 
 fluence upon the whole of the disaffected party, and did much 
 10 
 
110 LIFE OF THE 
 
 to conciliate their favor towards the servants and religion of 
 Jesus. 
 
 But another circumstance which confirmed the confidence 
 of all classes in their teachers, was the arrival of " the En- 
 deavor," and of Mr. Scott. Tamatoa was especially grate- 
 ful ; and, without the knowledge of the missionaries, sponta- 
 neously addressed the following epistle to the Directors of the 
 Society. 
 
 » Raiatea, July 9th, 1822. 
 " Dear Friends, 
 
 u May you have health and peace, brethren, through Jesus Christ 
 our true Lord. 
 
 " This is my speech to you, brethren. Don't think of your money, 
 that it is lost. We are collecting property to purchase the money that 
 has been consumed ; and when sufficient property is collected, we will 
 return the money to you to whom the money belongs. Don't think 
 that the debt won't be liquidated. It will truly. We will seek the 
 means of payment. Don't you say, ' But we did not collect property 
 to purchase ships.' A ship is good ; for by its means, useful property 
 will come to our lands, and our bodies be covered with decent cloth. 
 But this is another use of the ship, when we compassionate the little 
 lands near to us, and desire to send two from among us to those lands 
 to teach them the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the good word of the king- 
 dom. Behold ! two of our number here are gone to Rurutu ; and at 
 Aitutaki are two others belonging to us. They are teaching the word 
 of God to those two lands that did not know the name of Jesus Christ, 
 and they are showing to them the path of salvation. We have re- 
 ceived all the deceitful lying gods from Rurutu. They are now in our 
 possession, and the Rurutuans are worshipping Jesus Christ, the true 
 God. 
 
 M My heart is rejoicing greatly that you sent missionaries to our 
 dark land, and we now know the true God. We are subscribing our 
 little property to the Missionary Society, for the causing to grow of the 
 word of God. This is another good thing of our ship. When we de- 
 sire to see their faces again [i. e. the native missionaries gone forth 
 from them] or to send little properties to them, we have the means. 
 Letters will also reach them, by which they will hear and know the 
 good word we are hearing ; and, by means of this ship, they will learn 
 from us all the good customs, and how to act My heart is much 
 pleased that you lent your money, by which means our ship is ob- 
 tained and our bodies will be benefited. 
 
 " May you have health and peace in your dwelling at Birittane, 
 through Jesus Christ. Tamatoa, King of Raiatea." 
 
 The following letter was the first which Mr. Williams ad- 
 dressed to the Directors after his return — 
 
 " Raiatea, July 14, 1822. 
 " Rev. and Dear Sirs, 
 " I take this opportunity of dropping a hasty line, for the purpose 
 of informing you of our safe arrival at Raiatea. I trust the objec t of 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. Ill 
 
 my voyage will meet with your approbation, as the advantages ac- 
 cruing from it to the leeward islands must be great. 
 
 " We intended to have touched at several islands on our way, but 
 failed. We could not reach Chatham island, owing to our long de- 
 tention in the colony, and the unfavorable state of the wind after we 
 left New Zealand. But we visited Rurutu, where we found the two 
 native teachers with their families well, and were much delighted 
 with the progress they had made. They have erected an excellent 
 place of worship, plastered, floored, and comfortably pewed, with a 
 pulpit, and singing desk, after the model of our large chapel at Raia- 
 lea. As soon as we entered the chapel, Mr. Henry said to me, ' Now 
 you must give them a sermon ;' when 1 ascended the pulpit, gave out 
 a hymn, read, prayed, and addressed them from ' Blessed are your 
 eyes, for they see,' etc. They were very attentive, and looked ex- 
 tremely neat, clean, and respectable. All the women had bonnets, 
 and the men hats. They have made great progress. Many of them 
 can read fluently in the Gospels. They were much delighted at see- 
 ing me, for they had postponed their May meeting in the expectation 
 of my arrival. The two native teachers had taught them to prepare 
 cocoa-nut oil and arrow-root ; and, in return, the people had erected 
 for them two plastered dwellings, and treated them with great kind- 
 ness. I left with them 500 catechisms, and 500 spelling-books, of 
 which they were much in want. Besides these, 1 gave them a his- 
 tory of Joseph, and a Scripture catechism which I had written for them 
 during the voyage, together with eight chapters of Daniel which I had 
 translated at the same time. I left the island much gratified with what 
 I had witnessed, and very thankful at beholding with my own eyes 
 what God had wrought. 
 
 " Our vessel has arrived in safety. She is now at Borabora and 
 Maupiti, preparing her cargo. We expect her daily, when, if cir- 
 cumstances permit, brother Threlkeld intends to visit Rurutu ; if not, 
 I shall avail myself of the opportunity. We have not yet heard from 
 Aitutaki ; but every time the vessel goes to the colony, as it is in her 
 course, she will touch there. Mr. Nott has gone to Raivavae, Tu 
 buai, etc." 
 
 In the following October, Mr. Williams and his fellow-la- 
 borer were refreshed by the visit of Messrs. Tyerman and 
 Bennet, the deputation from the Society. He had seen them 
 for a short time at Tahiti, just before his voyage to the col- 
 ony, and, during his absence, they had called at his station ; 
 but they had now come to remain there for a longer period. 
 This period was spent by the deputation in the careful exam- 
 ination of the state of the mission, and in assisting the mis- 
 sionaries, whose correspondence contains no reference to their 
 visit which is not conceived in the spirit of sincere esteem 
 for their persons and gratitude for their co-operation. Nor 
 were the visitors less gratified with their residence at Raiatea 
 and its results. The following extracts, from their report on 
 the state of the mission, will show what impressions it pro- 
 duced upon their minds — 
 
112 LIFE OF THE 
 
 " It has afforded us," they write, " great pleasure, to witness the 
 affection and confidence in which the missionaries and their pious 
 wives are held. Their opinions are regarded as oracles. They are 
 consulted on all occasions and on all subjects ; and a very long ac- 
 quaintance with the accuracy of their judgments, and their disinter- 
 ested motives, has secured to them the entire confidence of the king, 
 the chiefs, and the people ; and they are worthy of the confidence 
 and good opinion which they enjoy. 
 
 " Our satisfaction in attending the schools for the children and 
 adults, and the various meetings for religious conversation, has been 
 very great. At these meetings, the king and queen attend with re- 
 markable constancy, read in their turn, and answer such questions as 
 are proposed to them, with a docility and simplicity which are sur- 
 prising ; and we are happy to add, with an intelligence and serious- 
 ness which are edifying. * * * * 
 
 " Our meetings for public worship in the large and handsome 
 chapel on Lord's-days and on other days have been extremely grati- 
 fying, both from the great numbers who have attended, the very qui- 
 et, orderly, and attentive manner in which the people have joined in 
 public worship, and the edifying truths which have been faithfully 
 and affectionately set before them by our brethren. It was with 
 much satisfaction we were present at the baptism of 150 persons in 
 one day ; with the church, which consists of fifty members, we had 
 the pleasure of sitting down at the Lord's table. 
 
 " To conclude — the condition of the whole settlement is such as to 
 afford the most convincing proof, that the exertions of the missiona- 
 ries have been remarkably owned of God, and that the preaching of 
 the Gospel is the most direct, certain, and efficient means of promot- 
 ing both religion and civilization. Had nothing more been done by 
 your exertions than what our eyes have beheld in this island only, 
 they would have been abundantly compensated." 
 
 The following extracts from Mr. Williams's letters, written 
 during the visit of the deputation, will fill up the outline drawn 
 by their report — 
 
 " The people," he remarks, u appear to increase in knowledge, and 
 improve in moral excellence ; while we have reason to be thankful 
 for the disposition which they discover towards ourselves. They look 
 up to us as their guides and friends, not only in their spiritual, but 
 also in their temporal concerns ; and they will not perform a single 
 act of the least consequence, without previously acquainting us with 
 it, and asking our advice. When we first arrived, we were regarded 
 with suspicion ; but now, speaking generally, every man in the island 
 considers us his friends. We desire to be grateful and faithful, and 
 pray God to be with us, and to hasten the coming of his glorious 
 kingdom. 
 
 " With respect to civilization, we feel a pleasure in saying that the 
 natives are doing all we can reasonably expect, and every person is 
 now daily and busily employed from morning till night. At present, 
 there is a range of three miles along the sea-beach studded with little 
 plastered and white-washed cottages, with their own schooner lying 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS 
 
 113 
 
 at anchor near them. All this forms such a contrast to the view we 
 had here but three years ago, when, excepting three hovels, all was 
 wilderness, that we cannot but be thankful ; and when we consider 
 all things, exceedingly thankful for what God has wrought. 
 
 "In a temporal point of view, we have everything we can possibly 
 desire to make us happy. We have a good house, plenty of ground, 
 an abundant supply of the productions of the island, cows, ducks, 
 geese, turkeys, pigeons, fowls, etc., and a regular communication 
 with the colony. But above all these things, we have the hearts and 
 affections of the people, and the prospect of great usefulness in our 
 Saviour's cause." 
 
 Under date of November 13th, 1822, Mr. Williams informs 
 the Directors that " the Endeavor " was then nearly ready for 
 sea with a cargo, the proceeds of which and of another cargo 
 which the people were preparing would, he believed, complete 
 the purchase-money of the ship. " Everything," he adds, " is 
 succeeding beyond our most sanguine expectations. The na- 
 tives have prepared from 120 to 150 large plantations, and I 
 am perfecting myself in the art of curing tobacco, and boiling 
 sugar. The people have also learned to boil salt, three or 
 four tons of which they have recently prepared. You would 
 be delighted to survey the scene of industry which our island 
 presents. Even the women are employed in cultivating little 
 patches of tobacco, in order to purchase European clothing, 
 and we are most anxious to introduce these articles without 
 expense to the Society." 
 
 But while rejoicing in the results of their labors, Mr. and 
 Williams were again visited by affliction. " We are 
 grieved to say," write the deputation, " that such is their 
 indisposition, that we fear they will be obliged to remove im- 
 mediately to a colder climate. In case of such an event, the 
 loss which this mission will sustain will be very great." It 
 was not, however, so much on his own account, although he 
 was still a sufferer, as on account of his afflicted partner, that 
 Mr. Williams now meditated this important step. In the au- 
 tumn of 1822, she had given birth to her second still-born 
 child, which was followed by a severe illness, to which he 
 thus feelingly refers — 
 
 " My dear Mary was tolerably well after her confinement, until the 
 third or fourth day, when she was taken very ill, but was, through 
 Divine mercy, restored. But she had not long recovered when a 
 second and severer attack of fever again laid her low, and brought her 
 to the verge of death. Every minute we feared would be the last. 
 Oh ! my dear friends, you know not the agonies I endured on her ac- 
 
 10* 
 
114 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 count for five weeks ; but the Lord has been better to me than my 
 fears, and has kindly heard our unworthy supplications. Dear Mr. 
 and Mrs. Threlkeld's kindness to us, in all our trials, will ever be re- 
 membered by us with gratitude. 
 
 " It is the decided opinion of our brethren and of the deputation, 
 that we had better remove to England, or to some other station, but 
 we shall endeavor to remain a few months longer, as the natives have 
 very large plantations of tobacco and sugar, and 1 wish to see them 
 established. Our more directly missionary work is also prospering. 
 Our congregations are large and attentive, and everything that can 
 afford satisfaction to a missionary's heart is enjoyed by us, except 
 health. Had we but that blessing, our cup would run over. But we 
 are in the Lord's hands. Perhaps he has a greater work for us to do 
 elsewhere. We desire to say, 'Thy will be done.' But the very 
 thought of leaving a people so much attached to us, and to whom we 
 are so much attached, with a prospect of so great usefulness, is a sore 
 trial. I have just now returned from our questioning meeting. A 
 good little man said to me, ' You desired us to prav for you, that God 
 would make the way plain before you, that you might know clearly 
 his will. I have been praying, not that God would make your way 
 plain, but that he would hedge it up. Is mine a right prayer ?' Had 
 I time, 1 would give you some pleasing information respecting Owhy- 
 hee. Brother Ellis's visit to that island is full of interest. It appears 
 that the population is immensely great. One hundred and fifty thou- 
 sand is considered a low estimate. What a field for missionary labor ! 
 Oh ! for health and strength — not to give to the vanities of the world 
 — not to amass the riches of the East — but to spend and to be spent 
 among the perishing heathen. May God give it. I think we want 
 this only that we may devote it to his service. His cause lies near 
 our hearts." 
 
 The strong interest which Mr. Williams now felt in Raia- 
 tea, and the hope of bearing the Gospel to the surrounding 
 groups, induced him still to linger on these shores, and to 
 postpone from week to week the decision to which he seemed 
 by circumstances to be shut up. While, however, in this state 
 of suspense, prayer was again offered and heard, and Mrs. 
 Williams's strength so far restored as to warrant her continu- 
 ance at Raiatea. This happy change, which occurred at the 
 close of 1822, formed a suitable introduction to the bright 
 and eventful period of Mr. Williams's history which immedi- 
 ately succeeded it, and which will be described in the follow- 
 ing chapter. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 115 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 FROM MR. WILLIAMS'S FIRST UNTIL HIS SECOND 
 MISSIONARY VOYAGE TO THE HERVEY ISLANDS. 
 
 Influence of Success upon Mr. Williams — Sails for Hervey Islands 
 — Written Counsels to Native Teachers — Animating Scene at Ai- 
 tutaki — Its Contrast with his Previous Reception — Unsuccessful 
 Search for Rarotonga — Proceeds to Mangaia, Atiu, and other Is- 
 lands — Rarotonga Discovered — Feelings of its Discoverer — Mr. 
 Williams's Claims to this Title Established — Inauspicious Com- 
 mencement of the Mission — Debasement of the Natives — State of 
 Raiatea after Mr. Williams's Return — His Appeal to the Directors 
 for the Means of Farther Evangelization — Voyage to Rurutu and 
 Rimatara — Projected Missionary Enterprise — Commerce with Syd- 
 ney Destroyed — Departure of the Native Schooner — Discourage- 
 ment of the People — Depression of the Missionaries — Letters to 
 the Directors — Renewed Application for a Ship — Useful Plans at 
 Raiatea — Spiritual Progress of the People — Resolution to form a 
 New Settlement — Its Reasons and Results — Death of Mrs. Threl- 
 keld — Effect upon the Natives — Her Funeral and Character — Pros- 
 perity of the Mission — Mr. Threlkeld leaves Raiatea — Extracts 
 from Mr. Williams's Journal — Letter to the Rev. Matthew Wilks 
 — State of Mind Discovered in his Correspondence — Surrounding 
 Circumstances — Means of Evangelization Obtained — Mr. Wil- 
 liams's Disappointment and its Effects upon Raiatea — Charges 
 Alleged against Mr. Williams — Their Refutation — Erection and 
 Opening of a New Sanctuary — Mr. Williams's Catechetical Ex- 
 aminations — Mr. and Mrs. Pitman Arrive — Their First Impressions 
 — Mr. Williams's Impassioned Address to the Directors — His Nov- 
 el and Benevolent Devices — Knowledge Attained by the Natives 
 — Doctrinal Discussion — General Position of Affairs — Preparation 
 for Second voyage to the Hervey Islands. 
 
 No previous period in Mr. Williams's history was so im- 
 portant in its results as that upon which he now entered ; for 
 it was during the year 1823 that he commenced those " mis- 
 sionary enterprises," which conferred upon so many other 
 islands of the South Pacific the same inestimable blessings 
 which were possessed by Raiatea. Ever since his intercourse 
 with Auuru, he had cherished an ardent desire to visit the 
 island of which he had heard so much from that chief; and 
 subsequent successes served to quicken this desire. He was 
 
116 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 especially encouraged by what he had seen at Rurutu, and 
 more recently heard from Aitutaki. At this Island, the En- 
 deavor had touched on her way from Sydney, and had 
 brought to Raiateaamost cheering report from the teachers; 
 one of whom, Papeiha, sent to Mr. Williams an interesting 
 narrative of their proceedings, accompanied by the following 
 message from the chiefs — " Tell Viriamu, that, if he will vis- 
 it us, we will burn our idols, destroy our maraes, and receive 
 the word of the true God." This was sufficient to fire his 
 zeal ; but that zeal was increased by the intelligence that 
 there were at Aitutaki several natives of Rarotonga, the island 
 of which he had heard so much from Auuru ; that these had 
 embraced the Gospel, and that now they were most anxious 
 to convey it to their own land. These good tidings affected 
 him deeply ; and, as Tamatoa and the chiefs generously of- 
 fered the use of their vessel, and it was probable that a voyage 
 to the more temperate climate of the South would recruit the 
 enervated frame of his suffering partner, he resolved to en- 
 ter the path of promise thus opened, and, if possible, to carry 
 Christianity to all the Hervey Islands. The interval between 
 the purpose and its performance was short; and on the 4th 
 of July, 1823, accompanied by Mr. Bourne and six native 
 teachers, who had been solemnly ordained to the work on 
 the evening preceding their departure, " the Endeavor" sailed 
 for Aitutaki. 
 
 During the voyage, Mr. Williams drew up a series of coun- 
 sels for the teachers ; and, as they perspicuously exhibit the 
 principles of his own procedure, and present, in a lucid and 
 lovely form, some well marked features of his mind, a trans- 
 lation of them may be suitably inserted in these pages. 
 
 The following version is almost literal ; a circumstance 
 which will account for its polynesianisms. 
 
 " At sea, on board the Schooner Endeavor, 
 July 6th, 1823. 
 " Dear brethren, 
 " May you have salvation, through Jesus Christ, in doing the work 
 for which you were chosen by the church at Raiatea. This is to you 
 a new work, and I therefore think it right to give you some advice 
 how to act when you arrive at the land to which God shall lead you. 
 Twenties, perhaps, will be the difficulties and perplexities with which 
 you will meet at the commencement; but be not cast down. Re- 
 member what Jesus said to his disciples — he says the same to you — 
 "Lo! lam with }'ou always, even to the end of the world." He 
 will never cast you off ; he will never forsake you. His word, t oo, 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 117 
 
 will grow. This cannot be prevented. You yourselves know the 
 power of his word, in casting down Satan's kingdom at Raiatea, and 
 in all the islands adjacent. Peradventure the word of God may not 
 grow speedily in the land to which you are going ; but do not be dis- 
 couraged. If God is pleased to try your faith and patience, it is with 
 himself. In all his doings, he cannot err. Should you be exercised, 
 remember the missionaries in your own islands. Long was their la- 
 bor and patience before the word of God grew. Should it be the 
 same with you, think well upon all the good promises relative to the 
 growth of the word of God. Think of the death of Jesus, and reflect 
 that the natives of the islands to which you go are purchased with 
 his blood. Remember, too, what the power of Jesus has effected at 
 Raiatea and Rurutu, and even in your own hearts, and do not give 
 way to discouragement. 
 
 " Work well, and pray much, for prayer is ' power with God.' You, 
 perhaps, will witness again all the evil and filthy customs which you 
 yourselves have thrown away. Your hearts will be filled with praise 
 to God that he has opened your eyes ; and when you behold the hea- 
 then, remember, that as you and your islands were conquered by the 
 good gospel of Jesus Christ, so also will they be. 
 
 These are some instructions as to how you should act — 
 
 I. With respect to yourselves. 
 
 1. Pay good regard to your own hearts. Let not your faith be- 
 come slack. Strictly regard private prayer, and such conversation 
 among yourselves as will keep your hearts alive. Should not the 
 heathen pay speedy attention to the Sabbath, do you regard it as a 
 day in which to seek strength from God. Great strength is required 
 in the good work in which you are engaged. You have no mission- 
 ary near you to quicken you and to exhort you. You have none of 
 your brethren near you to watch over you, and to speak comfortably 
 to you. Satan will take advantage of this, and with great power will 
 he try your hearts ; for he knows that you have none of these props 
 to support you. We ourselves have felt their loss. How should you 
 act? Thus — the streams being dried, go to the fountain of living 
 waters, even Jesus. Keep near to him, continually recollecting what 
 he said, " Separate from me, nothing is possible with you." We will 
 not cease to pray that your hearts may be kept by the Holy Spirit, 
 that your faith may increase, that you may be steadfast, and that pros- 
 perity may attend your labors. 
 
 2. As it regards outward appearances. You have become like a city 
 built upon a hill. Many are the eyes looking at you. The church at 
 Raiatea, and every one of your brethren in all those islands, our eyes, 
 and those of all the missionaries, the eyes of the great Society in Lon- 
 don, and of believers in England, but, above all, the eyes of Jesus our 
 Lord are directed towards you. The eyes both of heaven and hell are 
 looking at you ; and you should especially regard those of the heathen 
 among whom you dwell. They will watch you with ruts' eyes, to find 
 little crooked places in your conduct. Therefore, be particularly cir- 
 cumspect in your conduct. Beware of showing the least anxiety after 
 their property. Beware of pride of heart. Do not treat them with 
 contempt, but compassionate them, remembering who hath made you 
 to differ. 
 
 Beware of little differences among yourselves. Should anything 
 
118 LIFEOFTHE 
 
 of the kind occur, let friendly talk always settle it, and never let the 
 heathen see such an evil. All that you desire to establish among the 
 heathen, do yourselves ; and what you desire to cast down amongst 
 them, do not you retain. * * * * 
 
 3. Beware of envy, and of thinking evil one of another. Dear 
 friends, this is our special charge to you and to your wives. Envy 
 and evil-thinking are amongst the worst things that could arise, and 
 the end of them cannot be known. These are things greatly desired 
 by Satan. It is armor in which he trusts, and by which he gains ad- 
 vantage. Never let one speak evil of another to the heathen. If 
 teachers are one, nothing will be difficult to them ; but the word of 
 God and the good of the people will rapidly increase ; but if they pull 
 contrary ways, nothing can go on well. Dear friends, listen espe- 
 cially to this. Be one in your words, be one in your actions, be one in 
 your hearts. If at any time you are at a loss how to act, and have 
 different thoughts upon a subject, leave it a short time, pray to God 
 for direction, and then converse again. If you still remain of differ- 
 ent opinions, let one give in, and when we visit you, we will settle it. 
 You have been looking at us (Mr. Threlkeld and myself) a long time, 
 and as far as we have followed Christ, do you follow us. Let not one 
 exalt himself and abase his brother ; for God will surely abase that 
 man who endeavors to abase his brother. 
 
 II. As it respects your work. 
 
 1. Remember that this work is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 It is not to prosper by the strength of man. The Holy Spirit must do 
 the work. Without him, it will not grow. This is the first word we 
 wish you especially to remember. 
 
 2. You will teach the adults and the children. You will preach to 
 the people. You will baptize and administer the ordinance of the 
 Lord's supper. This is the work for which you are set apart. These 
 are the principal doctrines you should teach : — the creation of all 
 things by God ; man's goodness before he fell ; the effects of that fall ; 
 the great compassion of God in providing for us a sacrifice ; the death 
 and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only source of for- 
 giveness and justification before God ; the wickedness and weakness 
 of the hearts of all men ; the necessity of the Holy Spirit to change 
 and make good the heart. These and other doctrines of the Cate- 
 chism you should preach and teach. But teach only that which you 
 well understand. That which is difficult do not attempt to explain. 
 Do not let the whole of your discourses be directed against the evil 
 spirit;* but exalt our Lord Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Tell fully 
 of his great compassion to us, and of the efficacy of his blood to cleanse 
 and save the soul. This is the subject for your discourses : Jesus. 
 Let them be like those of the apostles and prophets : do not shun to 
 proclaim Christ. He is our friend, our way, our refuge, our food, our 
 Mediator, our Saviour. Do not confine your preaching to the Sab- 
 bath. At every great meeting of the heathen, at all their feasts, go 
 into the midst of "them, and preach the Gospel. When the prophets 
 begin their declamations, when the priests deliver their harangues, 
 do you speak the good word. Propose questions in the presence of 
 
 * A common designation among the natives of the whole system of 
 idolatry. 
 
RE V 
 
 WILLIAMS. 119 
 
 them all, and they will soon be confounded. Remember well your 
 work. Give to it your hands, your mouths, your bodies, your souls ; 
 and God will bless your labors. 
 
 3. With respect to baptism. If God grant our desire, you will have 
 to baptize ; but do not be hasty. Let a little time elapse, and be dili- 
 gent in observing. When any persons cast away their idols, establish 
 a meeting similar to ours on Friday, and then explain the origin, the 
 object, and the requirements of baptism. 
 
 4. With respect to the feast of Jesus. Attend yourselves to this. 
 By no means let fall the remembrance of his death ; and when the 
 season arrives that some believers wish to join you, receive them. 
 But be not hasty. Do not admit any because they are chiefs, or possess 
 influence. Do not look at the outside only. The persons you admit 
 should be those whose general conduct is without crooks, whose re- 
 pentance is sincere, and who, you have reason to believe, are sincere 
 believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Such only should you receive 
 into the church. 
 
 You will, probably, be questioned upon subjects which may perplex 
 you. This, perhaps, may be one. What is a convert to do, who, in 
 his idolatrous state, had two wives ? Let him put away one, if it is 
 agreeable to the wife to leave him ; if not, let him retain both ; but to 
 put one away is by far the best. This you should diligently promote, 
 but only by persuasion, and never by threatening. But, in case of the 
 death of one of the wives, he commits sin if he take a second. Per- 
 haps this may be accomplished when laws are established. You can 
 advise the chiefs to make a law to that effect, and those who have 
 more than one wife, to set a good example to the people. A woman 
 having two husbands must put away one ; but upon this point we will 
 converse with you, and write to you more fully. As soon as possible, 
 however, introduce the marriage ceremony. 
 
 " Do not be in haste to propose laws. You can make known to the 
 chiefs all that has taken place at our islands, and leave it to them to 
 desire and propose the same. Everything is good in its season. Chil- 
 dren are not fed with hard food. 
 
 " In all the minor customs you introduce, beware of attaching to 
 them any idea of sacredness ; for the hearts of the natives turn easily 
 to that. All their lesser evil customs, such as going naked, cutting 
 and scratching themselves in seasons of grief, tatooing their bodies, 
 eating raw fish, etc., you will endeavor to cast down; but the greater 
 evils will require your first efforts, and then the smaller. 
 
 " In your temporal concerns be diligent. A lazy missionary is both 
 an ugly and a useless being. Have good houses yourselves, and all 
 the little concerns with them, let them be good also. In this respect 
 set an example to the people. Teach them all you know — to build 
 houses, to do carpentering work, to plaster, and to make bedsteads 
 and seats, to make oil and arrow-root. One of you knows well how 
 to boil sugar, and others of you can turn wood, and cure tobacco. 
 Teach them these things also, that they may become diligent, and 
 maybe benefited by you, both in body and soul. Your wives also, 
 let them teach the women to sew, to make bonnets, mats, cloth, etc., 
 that they may appear decent. 
 
 " Perhaps in the land to which you go, there may be two parties > 
 and perhaps, if two of you reside with one party, the other will be 
 
120 
 
 LIFE OP THE 
 
 jealous. It will then be best to separate ; and, if after a short time, 
 you can persuade the people to unite, it will be well ; but if they are 
 obstinate, give way to them, and after you have obtained more in- 
 fluence, propose it again. Should you altogether fail, never mind. 
 Erect two settlements, but in all large meetings, as in May, and at 
 the opening of chapels, unite. You must regard well everything that 
 will promote union. Form a Missionary Society ; but do not be in 
 haste, lest they should say a desire of property has brought you 
 among them. When you form it, do not form it in connection with 
 the government of the land, but like that at Raiatea. Perhaps one of 
 us may visit you before either that or the feast of Jesus takes place ; 
 but, if not, and you think the people prepared, do not delay. If you 
 obtain idols, burn some (but not the best) before their face, lest in 
 case of sickness or other evil, they should think that the gods still in 
 existence inflicted it. The remainder send to Raiatea as a rejoicing 
 to us, and we will send them to England as a rejoicing 1 to them. 
 
 " Be not in haste to introduce evening meetings. If you should in- 
 troduce them, let it be one evening in the week only, lest evil should 
 ensue. 
 
 " Speak yourselves and teach the people the language of Raiatea, 
 that they may be able to understand the books we send to them. 
 
 " This is all I have to say. Take good heed to your own hearts. 
 We will not cease to pray for you, that it may be well with you, that 
 prosperity may attend your labors. Write to us for any little proper- 
 ty you may want, and we will seek it ; we will not cast you off. We 
 do not intend to have more than six or eight teachers, that we may 
 be able to supply their wants. You will have frequent communica- 
 tion by means of the little vessel ; and if at any time any one of you 
 wishes to come home and see your friends, and tell us how it is with 
 you, come; do not hesitate ; we shall be glad to see you. The ship 
 will visit you shortly with a number of books. Have singleness of 
 heart to Jesus and his Gospel. Search his word and pray to him 
 that he will not leave nor forsake you. 
 
 " May you have health and peace through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 "John Williams." 
 
 On the 9th of July, they arrived at Aitutaki, and were soon 
 surrounded by canoes ; not now, however, as on their former 
 visit, filled with those whom Mr. Williams then designated 
 " the wildest people he ever saw ;" but with a comparatively 
 civilized and nominally Christian race, exulting in the fact, 
 and exhibiting the evidences of their improved condition. 
 From previous intelligence, Mr. Williams had expected to 
 find them prepared to abandon their paganism ; " but to our 
 astonishment," he writes, " the work was done before we ar- 
 rived." And the reader may sympathize in this astonish- 
 ment, if he will turn to the page of his narrative,* which de- 
 scribes the strange and stirring scene which then surrounded 
 
 * Missionary Enterprises, p. 58. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 121 
 
 him. But the influence of this visit was not confined to the 
 moment, or to the locality. No one new better than Mr. 
 Williams how to reason and generalize on missionary sub- 
 jects; and, from what he now saw and heard at Aitutaki, he 
 drew conclusions, the far reaching consequences of which 
 will appear in the sequel. In the first place, it confirmed all 
 the hopes which he had previously founded upon native 
 agency. Here was a demonstration of its adaption and ef- 
 ficiency. " I commended the teachers," he writes in his 
 journal, " for the good example they had set to the people. 
 Their own habitation was well built, and nicely divided into 
 five rooms. Posts for houses on a similar plan were collect- 
 ed in every direction. Many houses are finished, and many 
 more in progress. Bedsteads have been made, and encircled 
 with white cloth in imitation of their teachers. My heart 
 rejoiced much at witnessing this scene. Little did I expect, 
 when 1 first landed, to behold such things in so short a time. 
 The two teachers, eighteen months ago, were surrounded by 
 savages. But Christ must be exalted : the heathen must be 
 saved : Satan's empire must fall, and be rooted up from its 
 foundation." But another important result of this early mis- 
 sionary voyage was the strength it gave to Mr, Williams's 
 purpose, and the stimulus it supplied to his zeal, in the noble 
 work upon which he had now embarked. And it is interest- 
 ing to observe how each movement propelled him forward 
 with augmented force, and in a constantly accelerating pro- 
 gress. Raiatea was the starting point of that noble and apos- 
 tolic career to which his future days were devoted, while Ru- 
 rutu may be deemed its first, and Aitutaki its second stage. 
 From thence, the reach and rapidity of his efforts increased, 
 and his benevolent desires bore him forward through the Her- 
 vey group to Samoa, and still onward to the savage shore 
 upon which he fell. As, therefore, we follow him in his lat- 
 ter and larger enterprises, we should not overlook the influ- 
 ence exerted upon these by the evangelization of the two 
 islands which awakened his earliest solicitude. From this 
 time, he was satisfied that, under God, he could command 
 success; and, on the spot, he placed the following record of 
 his feelings upon the pages of his Journal. " I hope for great 
 things; pray for great things, and confidently expect great 
 things to result from these labors." 
 
 "At Aitutaki," writes Mr. Williams, in closino- the account of a 
 11 
 
122 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 visit, the particulars of which need not be repeated, " we spent two 
 most gratifying days and witnessed the most joyful scene that could 
 present themselves to the eye of a Christian missionary. When I 
 first saw this people, they were stealing everything they could — ends 
 of rope, iron, and even some fish which we had°purchased of them 
 just before ; and nothing could have been more wild and savage than 
 their appearance. Some of their faces were painted white, red, yel- 
 low, or black. Both men and women were dancing and shouting like 
 mad people. But now, nothing of this kind is to be seen, and nothing 
 was stolen except one small piece of iron.* 
 
 " After taking an affectionate leave of the teachers, and commend- 
 ing them to God, we departed. What solid satisfaction it affords, 
 what peace of mind is enjoyed, in leaving the work of God in the 
 hands of those who are well qualified to conduct it ; and whose only 
 aim is the temporal and eternal welfare of the people among whom 
 they labor. But while well pleased with the prospect of usefulness 
 before them, as we went towards the beach, we were much disgusted 
 at seeing some females, who had cut themselves shockingly. The 
 blood was streaming from their heads, faces, breasts, arms, and legs, 
 while their cries and shrieks and howlings were dreadful. On asking 
 them why they did this, they replied, that they were grieving at the 
 departure of their friends. We endeavored to make them understand 
 that such conduct was exceedingly disgusting, and quite inconsistent 
 with a profession of Christianity ; but it has been so common, that 
 there probably is not a woman in the island whose breasts and arms 
 are not scarred from this barbarous custom. The old chief who ac- 
 companied us behaved very well. Every friend he met he embrac- 
 ed ; and, after giving his friend's nose a hearty rub with his own, he 
 walked on, quite unconcerned at the hidious cries they set up. The 
 people loaded us with all the kinds of food which their island pro- 
 duces." 
 
 At Aitutaki, Mr. Williams saw the natives of Rarotonga, 
 of whom he had previously heard ; and, as he was anxious to 
 discover their island, and place teachers there, he set sail in 
 the direction in which it was said to lie, taking with him the 
 Rarotongans and Papeiha, who had nobly offered himself as 
 a pioneer to his brethren. 
 
 But their first search for Rarotonga proved unsuccessful ; 
 and they, therefore, directed their course to Mangaia. Here 
 
 * " The island," he writes, " is plentifully supplied with fruits of 
 various kinds ; but there are no quadrupeds except rats, and they are 
 as plentiful as flies on a summer's day. While we were there con- 
 versing with a company who were seated on the ground, taking their 
 meals, a rat came up to obtain his share of the food, when a man took 
 him by the tail, flung him away, and continued his feast. Presently 
 more came up on the same errand. Immediately, he took one of 
 them between his fingers and gave it a pinch, and tossed it away, 
 saying to us, ' See ! it is dead.' Of the others, he took no more no- 
 tice than we should of flies." 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 
 
 123 
 
 they found the natives in the same rude state as when Capt. 
 Cook discovered their island. Having attempted, but in 
 vain, to open a friendly communication with them, the devo- 
 ted Papeiha swam on shore, and induced a chief to receive 
 teachers ; but these had no sooner landed, than they were 
 seized, pillaged, stripped, and placed in extreme peril. Hap- 
 pily, they were rescued from the savages; but all farther 
 attempt to introduce the Gospel to Mangaia was, for the 
 present, abandoned. They then proceeded to Atiu. Here 
 a different reception awaited them ; and both at this island, 
 and at Mauke and Mitiaro, remarkable success rewarded 
 their efforts.* 
 
 But however gratifying these results, there yet remained 
 one object unaccomplished, upon which Mr. Williams had 
 set his heart : — the discovery of Rarotonga. And he was 
 not the man to be satisfied with partial success, or to be dis- 
 couraged by an occasional disappointment. Hitherto, he 
 had failed in nothing which he had determined to accom- 
 plish. Every plan pursued at Raiatea, and every enterprise 
 to other islands, had prospered greatly. Nor had he one 
 moment's doubt as to the ultimate discovery in which, for a 
 time, he had been baffled. And in this confidence he re- 
 newed the attempt. The method by which he ascertained 
 the bearings of the island, and the reward of his persever- 
 ance, are well known. 
 
 After five days' unavailing search, and when within half 
 an hour of the time at which, by the captain's earnest entrea- 
 ty, he had consented to abandon his object, the clouds which 
 had veiled the island were dispersed, and the majestic moun- 
 tains of Rarotonga stood revealed before him. Never did 
 weather-beaten sailor here the life-inspiring cry, " Land a- 
 head," with a thrill of deeper delight, than did Mr. Williams 
 at this interesting moment ; and never was the joy of dis- 
 covery more rational or pure than his. " The transition of 
 feeling," he observed, " was so instantaneous and so great, 
 that, although a number of years have intervened, I have not 
 forgotten the sensations which that announcement occa- 
 sioned." 
 
 The importance of this discovery is now so well known, as 
 to render any description of it here unnecessary. It will 
 suffice to say that Rarotonga is the finest and most populous 
 
 * Missionary Enterprises, p. 83. 
 
124 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 island of the Hervey group ; and, had no higher considera- 
 tions affected him, Mr. Williams might naturally have felt 
 some satisfaction at being its discoverer. But his was not 
 the pleasure of a merely successful navigator. Although 
 anxious to enlarge the boundary of geographical knowledge, 
 and to open piofitable intercourse between civilized and 
 savage men, it was not as the promoter of science, or as the 
 pioneer of commerce, but as the messenger of mercy, and as 
 the minister of Christ, that he sought and saw Rarotonga. 
 Had it not been for the furtherance of the Gospel, and of 
 those sublime objects which that Gospel contemplates, the 
 honor of this discovery would not have been his. 
 
 And who will not sympathize with the sacred and sublime 
 satisfaction with which the devoted Missionary stood gazing 
 from the prow of his little bark upon this new-discovered 
 land ? Often, since the visit of Auuru, had the object which 
 then met his eye fired his imagination and filled his heart ; 
 and often, while listening, as he was wont to do, and not in 
 vain, to the tales and traditions of the loquacious natives, 
 when rowing on the sea, or reclining in the shade, had the 
 name of Rarotonga, (for in many a legend that name was 
 found) fed his ardent desire to visit its secluded inhabitants, 
 and strengthened his purpose, should God ever grant him the 
 opportunity, to go in quest of this interesting isle. And now 
 his prayers were heard, his hopes realized. Rarotonga, the 
 long-desired Rarotonga, was before him ! His purpose and 
 perseverance had received their righteous reward ; and he 
 regarded the island, not only as found, but as won for Christ, 
 in whose name he made the discovery, and claimed the pos- 
 session. Other navigators, indeed, had made far more im- 
 portant discoveries. Anson, Byron, Wallis, Cook, and many 
 others, had triumphantly traversed the same bright ocean, 
 rejoicing in their successes ; but how different the emotions 
 felt by them, as they surveyed its lovely isles, and those ex- 
 perienced by the humble Missionary. Nor was his rejoicing 
 vain. This was no barren discovery. It brought wealth to 
 Rarotonga, and glory to God. Had its coral strand been 
 strewed with sapphires, and its mountains masses of solid 
 gold, had fleets conveyed thither the diamonds of Golconda, 
 and the precious things of the East, the people would still 
 have been poor, compared with what they became after the 
 messenger of mercy had brought to their shores treasures of 
 heavenly wisdom, " the unsearchable riches of Christ." It 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 125 
 
 is well known that the lovely land, for the discovery of which 
 this servant of God had long planned and prayed, and which 
 he had resolved not to leave unknown and unblessed, soon 
 became, and still continues, one of the moral wonders of the 
 world. Shortly afterwards, the Rarotongans received Chris- 
 tianity ; and from henceforth its devoted discoverer watched 
 over and provided for it with almost paternal solicitude ; and 
 at every visit, and no visits were paid more readily, he was 
 gladdened by sights and sounds, which demonstrated the 
 favor of God, and the progress of the Gospel. And still, 
 amidst the rewards of " the faithful servant," he remembers 
 the name, and is reaping the fruits of Rarotonga. 
 
 Before resuming the narrative, it may be proper to men- 
 tion that by some Mr. Williams's claim to this discovery has 
 been disputed. Now, if it is merely meant to affirm that 
 other vessels had touched at Rarotonga prior to the Endeav- 
 or, the fact will be readily allowed. Indeed, this is stated by 
 Mr. Williams himself, in his own publication, where he has 
 described the impressions produced upon the natives by the 
 appearance of one of them, supposed to have been the Boun- 
 ty. He had also, but subsequently, obtained some particu- 
 lars of another and most disastrous visit, during which, the 
 natives, almost maddened by the licentious and oppressive 
 conduct of the crew, had risen upon some of them who were 
 on shore, and satiated their savage vengeance ; while those 
 on board, happy to escape from the infuriated natives, slipped 
 the cable, and stood out to sea ; leaving in their haste a piece 
 of chain, which proved invaluable to Mr. Williams in build- 
 ing the Messenger of Peace. A detailed account of this oc- 
 currence was prepared for the Missionary Enterprises, but 
 was omitted, with many other paragraphs, solely from the 
 want of space. But, although other visitors had preceded 
 him at Rarotonga, this does not invalidate Mr. Williams's 
 title to be its discoverer, because, at the time of its discovery, 
 he was ignorant not only of the fact, but of the bearings of 
 the island, and of everything in relation to it, except what he 
 had gathered from the descriptions or traditions of natives. 
 Had superior means of information been accessible, he would 
 have gladly availed himself of them, and foregone the merit 
 of a new discovery. 
 
 It was not without apprehension that the Missionary ad- 
 venturer opened intercourse with the Rarotongans, whom 
 the Aitutakeans described in the darkest colors as most 
 11* 
 
126 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 treacherous and ferocious cannibals. But, although there 
 was reason to fear that these representations were correct, 
 he still hoped, through the natives who had accompanied 
 him, and one of whom was the king's cousin, to obtain for 
 the teachers a favorable introduction. This hope having 
 been confirmed by the manners and promises of the king 
 himself, a landing was effected ; but their first night on shore 
 was one of danger and distress, and, in the morning, they 
 hastened back to the ship with a sad tale of woe, but grate- 
 ful for their preservation and escape, which, under God, they 
 owed to Tepaiza, Makea's cousin, whose devoted zeal for 
 their safety was only equalled by her dauntless heroism. 
 During the perilous night, this courageous woman never 
 quitted her female friends ; but, at the imminent risk of her 
 own life, resisted, with entreaties, and tears, and even force, 
 the vile attempts of her degraded and savage countrymen. 
 "It is cruel," she cried, "it is cruel to treat them thus. 
 They have taught me, and treated me with the greatest kind- 
 ness, and brought me back to Rarotonga. Had it not been 
 for the word of God, I should have died at Aitutaki. You 
 would never have seen my face again, nor I yours." But it 
 is unnecessary to furnish farther details of this most unpropi- 
 tious commencement of the Rarotongan mission. Indeed, 
 these, as preserved from the lips of the sufferers in the jour- 
 nal of Mr. Williams, could not be published. They describe 
 scenes of demoralization insufferably disgusting and abomi- 
 nable, and ought only to be referred to or remembered for 
 the evidence they supply of the remarkable transition through 
 which this people subsequently passed. That transition may 
 be truly termed " marvellous." Natural laws, and merely 
 human influence will not supply its explanation. Here the 
 political economist, the metaphysician, the philanthropist will 
 find their causes and systems insufficient. For changes so 
 radical, so extensive, and so speedy, the influence of higher 
 agencies can alone account. In the presence of the once 
 debased, false and cannibal, but now gentle, merciful and 
 sanctified men of Rarotonga, human wisdom stands silent 
 and abased. The only true philosophy of missions is found 
 in the Gospel. Here is given an adequate cause for effects 
 such as this people exhibited. While wondering at these 
 changes, the voice of the sacred oracle is heard, saying, 
 " This is the finger of God ;" " Not by might, nor by power ; 
 but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts." 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 127 
 
 The indomitable Papeiha having offered to remain at Raro- 
 tonga alone, provided a colleague were sent to him, the En- 
 deavor bore away for Raiatea : and, after five weeks' ab- 
 sence, re-entered the harbor decorated with the idol-trophies 
 of their moral victory at Aitutaki. 
 
 " Rejoicing as one that findeth great spoil," Mr. Williams 
 now resumed his ordinary engagements ; and the spirit in 
 which this was done is breathed forth in the following extract, 
 from a letter written, just after his return, to his father — " I 
 bless God that my heart is as much alive to missionary work 
 as it was the first day I set my foot on these shores ;' and in 
 this work of my Lord and Saviour I desire to live and to die. 
 My highest ambition, dear father, is to be faithful to my work, 
 faithful to souls, and faithful to Christ ; in a word, to be abun- 
 dantly and extensively useful. Our own station flourishes, 
 and the people improve. I am fully occupied. I have lately 
 made several lathes and a loom ; and am intending to try to 
 weave cloth. I am hoping we shall succeed, as the people 
 have many grasses and barks of which they make cord, etc. 
 My dear Mary is a good spinstress, and knows how to dress 
 flax. But of course our principal attention is devoted to their 
 spiritual improvement ; although I have no great opinion of 
 the missionary's labors who would neglect those minor mat- 
 ters. Our congregation is as large as ever, and all our meet- 
 ings equally well attended. The members of our church are 
 now between fifty and sixty ; our baptized about 600, and 
 our congregation generally 1000. The communicants are 
 walking worthy of their profession. We have not been called 
 to exclude one since we administered the ordinance." 
 
 But while cheerfully pursuing the " even," though elevated 
 " tenor " of his accustomed course at Raiatea, who can won- 
 der that the discoveries and successes of his recent voyage 
 should have so fed his already burning zeal, and awakened 
 the hope of still wider and nobler conquests, as to constrain 
 him thus to address the Directors 1 " It is our duty to visit 
 surrounding islands. You have fourteen or fifteen missiona- 
 ries in these islands, missionaries enough to convert all the 
 islands of the South Seas, and every one of these within a 
 thousand miles of us ought now to be under instruction. Six 
 good active missionaries, united in heart, mind, and plan, 
 could effect more, if you would afford them the means, than 
 you either think or expect. A missionary was never designed 
 by Jesus Christ to gather a congregation of a hundred or two 
 
128 LIFE OF THE 
 
 natives, and sit down at his ease, as contented as if every sin- 
 ner was converted, while thousands around him, and but a 
 few miles off, are eating each other's flesh, and drinking each 
 other's blood, living and dying without the Gospel. Upon this 
 subject it is my full determination to have some decided con- 
 versation with the deputation. For my own part, I cannot 
 content myself within the narrow limits of a single reef; and, 
 if means are not afforded, a continent would to me be infi- 
 nitely preferable ; for there, if you cannot ride, you can walk ; 
 but to these isolated islands a ship must carry you." In an- 
 other letter he adds, " Did you know the state of the sur- 
 rounding islands, how ripe they are for the reception of the 
 Gospel, you would sell the very gods out of your museum, if 
 it were necessary, to carry the glad tidings of salvation to 
 those now sitting in darkness." 
 
 Influenced by these enlightened principles and truly Chris- 
 tian feelings, Mr. Williams, soon after his return from Raro- 
 tonga, projected and performed another voyage, the particu- 
 lars of which have not been published, and will be found in 
 the following letter — 
 
 To the Directors of the London Missionary Society. 
 
 Raiatea, Nov. 20, 1823. 
 " Dear Brethren in Christ, 
 
 " The following account of a visit to the islands of Rurutu and Ri- 
 matara, though short, will interest you, as it shows that the Gospel of 
 Christ in these islands is like the leaven in the parable of our Lord, 
 diffusing, with amazing rapidity, its sacred influence through the 
 whole of the numerous islands in the South Seas ; and the only, — I 
 say again, the only human means that seems necessary to complete 
 the overthrow of Satan's kingdom in the South Pacific Ocean, is that 
 of going from island to island. Teachers are ready, waiting and wish- 
 ing to go ; the various islands that have heard a report of the Gospel 
 and its effects are desirous of instruction, and God himself is waiting 
 to be gracious in blessing our labors, as the late accounts we sent 
 home will testify. In addition to this, we now hasten to increase the 
 joy of those who rejoice with us in the prosperity of Christ's king- 
 dom. 
 
 " On the 10th of October, I left Raiatea for the purpose of visiting 
 our station at Rurutu, and that in connexion with the church at Po- 
 ropora. After a tedious voyage of six days, 1 arrived at Rurutu, and 
 was happy to find the teachers and their wives well, and to receive a 
 very hearty welcome from the inhabitants of that beautiful island. 
 We reached it on a Friday, the day on which the teachers meet the 
 baptized. When all were assembled in their neat and excellent chapel, 
 I desired Mahamene to conduct the service as usual, without any re- 
 gard to my being present. He did so; and I was much delighted. 
 He commenced by reading a hymn, which the congregation sang 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 129 
 
 with much spirit. After reading the Scriptures, and prayer, he took 
 out his text book, and read the following passage : ' Therefore we ought 
 to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at 
 any time we should Jet them slip.' The address, though not methodical, 
 was much to the purpose, and delivered with energy and feeling. He 
 then said, ' If any one has a word of exhortation, let him speak." Three 
 natives successively addressed the meeting. Each of them quoted 
 several passages of Scripture in the course of their addresses. The 
 first speaker founded his remarks upon ' We are all children of the light, 
 and not of the darkness,' and exhorted all to walk as children of the 
 light. Another spoke on prayer, and invited all to praise God that 
 he had heard their prayers, and brought his servant among them. 
 The third compared the happiness of their present with the misery of 
 their former state, and warned them against being contented with 
 nominal Christianity. Their remarks were pertinent, and were de- 
 livered with a warmth and animation, which I did not think the Ru- 
 rutuans possessed. After this, I gave them a short address, expressed 
 my joy at meeting them again, and exhorted them to go forward in 
 every good word and work ; and then concluded with prayer. 
 
 " The day following, 1 went through the settlement. They have 
 several houses plastered, and many more in hand. I was grieved to 
 hear that there had been another fatal disease among the few remain- 
 ing inhabitants of this fruitful island, forty-eight persons having fallen 
 victims to it, including the king. He has left a young son, and his 
 death has occasioned another division. One party of chiefs wished 
 Auuru to have the regency ; but the majority chose the late king's 
 uncle. Auuru and his party determined therefore to form a new set- 
 tlement on the opposite side of the island, which they had done about 
 seven or eight months before my arrival. Puna, one of our teachers, 
 had joined Auuru, and Mahamene remained at the original settlement. 
 I did not think it advisable to attempt a reunion of these parties, as I 
 was not there a sufficient time to know the different influences which 
 exist in the island, and the probable effect of such a proceeding. They 
 expressed a desire to remain as they were, and I therefore explained 
 to the teachers the advantages that might result from the separation, 
 provided they were cautious in the management of their stations. Thus 
 they might prove a stimulus to each other, and should there be a holy 
 emulation, life and activity might result from it ; but if, on the con- 
 trary, an evil, envious, party spirit was manifested by them, it would 
 very soon be imbibed by the people. 
 
 " They had formed a missionary society, and had collected 400 bam- 
 boos of oil for their first year's subscription. 
 
 M On the following Sabbath, I administered the Lord's Supper for 
 the first time at Rurutu. There were sixteen communicants ; and 
 both the narration of their religious experience, and their replies to my 
 questions were simple, pleasing and satisfactory. All of them avowed 
 their implicit belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, and their dependence 
 upon him alone for salvation. I addressed them in the morning from 
 our Saviour's words, ' Do this in remembrance of me ;' Puna and Ma- 
 hamene conducting the devotional parts of the service. In the after- 
 noon, I preached from Hebrews ix. 11. 
 
 " After taking an affectionate leave, we returned to our vessel late 
 in the evening, and set sail for Rimatara. As soon as we were near 
 
130 LIFE OF THE 
 
 the land, which was about 12 o'clock the next day, two canoes came 
 off to inquire who we were, etc. From them we were rejoiced to hear 
 that the people had embraced the Gospel, had built a large chapel, 
 and were waiting the arrival of Mr. Orsmond to open it ; he having 
 been there before to settle the native teachers. We got on shore as 
 speedily as possible ; but it was rather a dangerous attempt, as we had 
 to go through a very heavy sea. The teachers and people expressed 
 much pleasure at being visited. We walked up to the settlement, 
 where all the inhabitants have been collected. Their houses are very 
 miserable ones, far inferior to any we have seen in other islands. I 
 speak of the original native houses. Quite unexpectedly, however, a 
 fine large chapel presented itself "to view, which does the teachers 
 much credit. It is a building upwards of sixty feet by thirty, well 
 floored, and plastered, and with a very neat pulpit. The workmanship 
 is as good as in any chapel in our own islands. We had service in it 
 for the first time. Faurava read and prayed, and J preached from, 
 ' Go into all the world,' etc. The women and female children were 
 decently dressed in white cloth, and I believe every one wore a bon- 
 net. All were very attentive ; the old men with their beards, which, 
 for want of razors or scissors were very long, as well as the young 
 people. They were between 200 and 300 in number. The natives 
 appeared to be living together in the greatest unity, and expressed 
 much attachment to their teachers ; whilst those good men seemed 
 quite at home in their work. They have 130 children in the school, 
 but are much at a loss for spelling books. All the adults are under in- 
 struction, but for the want of books they learn by rote. The children 
 are taught by means of sand boards. I left with them forty or fifty 
 copies of the Acts of the Apostles. They had formed a missionary 
 society. I was much pleased with all 1 heard and saw at Rimatara. 
 The station is in as prosperous a state as can reasonably be expected, 
 and I trust the blessing of God will continue to rest upon it ; but the 
 want of means for visiting our out-stations frequently is a serious 
 drawback from their prosperity." 
 
 The two voyages, of which a brief account has now been 
 given, were made in the native schooner ; and, although she 
 was too small for the purpose, Mr. Williams, regardless of the 
 inconvenience and peril to which he might expose himself, 
 had resolved to employ her in a more distant expedition to 
 the Navigators and other islands, which, with an ardor allied 
 to impatience, he desired to evangelize. But just as this pur- 
 pose had been formed, it was frustrated by the painful intelli- 
 gence that their commerce to the colony, and, with it, the 
 hope of retaining their vessel was destroyed. Through the 
 intervention of some interested merchants at Sydney, the 
 governor had been persuaded to impose a prohibitory duty 
 upon South Sea tobacco, and to make other fiscal regulations 
 which materially reduced the value of all Polynesian produce. 
 This severe and unexpected check to the newly-created in- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 131 
 
 dustry and enterprise of the leeward islands, burst like a tor- 
 nado upon their inhabitants, and proved a source of extreme 
 embarrassment and distress to Mr. Williams. Not only did 
 it contravene his benevolent plans for the social improvement 
 of the natives, and deprive him of the means of more extended 
 usefulness, but it involved him in serious pecuniary responsi- 
 bility, from which he could not now expect to extricate him- 
 self without loss. To complete the calamity, and consum- 
 mate his own disappointment, Mr. Williams at the same time 
 received a letter from the Directors, in which the speculation 
 was condemned, and his conduct censured. But his spirit, 
 though bowed down, was not broken. Thus beset with dif- 
 ficulties, he summoned a meeting of the chiefs to whom the 
 Enterprise belonged ; and, after ingenuously explaining to 
 them the exact position of affairs, it was resolved to send her 
 immediately to Sydney, laden with the most marketable pro- 
 duce they could collect, with an order to sell both ship and 
 cargo. Great as was the trial of parting with a vessel in 
 which he had already done much missionary work, and by 
 which he expected to accomplish still more, and keenly as he 
 felt the censure of the Directors, he was comforted and cheer- 
 ed by the conduct of the chiefs and people, who clearly un- 
 derstood the whole case, and neither attributed the failure to 
 their missionary, nor evinced towards him the least diminution 
 of confidence and esteem. Their resolution was promptly 
 carried into effect, and, with sadness, Mr. Williams saw 
 the ship, which had been associated in his mind with his 
 brightest visions of the future, and whose image, as she lay 
 "sleeping in her own shadow" within the placid lagoon, 
 heightened inconceivably in his esteem the loveliness of the 
 surrounding landscape, unfurl her sails, and for the last time 
 pass the reef of Raiatea. " Satan knows well," he exclaimed 
 in a letter to the Directors, " that this ship was the most fatal 
 weapon ever formed against his interests in the great South 
 Sea; and, therefore, as soon as he felt the effects of its first 
 blow, he has wrested it out of our hands." 
 
 Mr. Williams's correspondence at this period is principally 
 filled with this, to him, painfully interesting topic. In refer- 
 ence to the censure of the Directors he thus writes : — 
 
 " I am sorry that my conduct meets your disapprobation, and ac- 
 knowledge the justice of all you say respecting a missionary entang- 
 ling himself with the affairs of this life. But the benefit of others, 
 not my own, was the sole object I had in view. Yet, should I get 
 
132 
 
 LIFE OP THE 
 
 free from this perplexity, I shall in future avoid any similar entangle- 
 ment. But although I have thus expressed myself, do not conclude 
 that there is no need of a vessel in the islands. Even as a means of 
 preventing other vessels from trading with the people, it is invaluable ; 
 for, with few exceptions, they are the very arks of Satan. For my 
 own part, provided the Raiateans could keep the Endeavor, 1 should 
 deeply regret to see another ship enter the harbor. The perplexity, 
 the sin, the desolation they occasioned is not a matter of small mo- 
 ment to those who desire the spiritual welfare of the people. We 
 have great reason to fear such consequences, as soon as we are de- 
 pendent upon other vessels for supplies. To this must be added the 
 importance of visiting our out-stations, and introducing the Gospel 
 into other islands." 
 
 In another letter, both the missionaries thus feelingly refer 
 to the same subject : — 
 
 " The poor natives have had enough to try them, both as it regards 
 their confidence in us and their own disposition. We should not, 
 however, have obtruded this topic again upon your attention, but for 
 the effect which the loss of the vessel has had in checking the spread 
 of the Gospel ; our missionary labors in other islands being now pre- 
 vented by our not having the means of visiting them. Both the na- 
 tives and ourselves fondly hoped to have made the vessel subservient 
 to such a laudable purpose. What our various out-posts' are to do, 
 we know not ; for unless a vessel is obtained, we cannot visit them ; 
 and unless our society or some other procure a vessel for this purpose, 
 the work of God will not be half done in these seas. The harvest is 
 truly ripe, and every island waits to submit to the sceptre of Christ, 
 and unless Christians in England devise plans, provide the means, 
 and continue those exertions which God has begun so abundantly to 
 bless in these islands, it is not unreasonable to suppose that the King 
 will take the talent from them, and give it to other servants who 
 have proved more faithful to their trust. 
 
 " By recent communications, we hear that several of the islands, 
 lately visited in the chiefs' schooner, have partially embraced Chris- 
 tianity, and are only waiting for a visit from missionaries in order to 
 embrace it fully. But, alas ! alas ! the vessel must be sold, and there 
 is no missionary ship to visit them, nor merchandize to tempt others 
 to approach their shores. Nothing but the love of Christ and of souls 
 can secure this, by tempting the spiritual merchants to purchase a 
 vessel, load her with messengers of peace, and keep her afloat in the 
 Redeemer's cause. How beautiful would a British flag appear on 
 such a vessel as this ! Men, brethren, and fathers, think of the jeop- 
 ardy to which native teachers must be exposed, — think of the impos- 
 sibility of increasing their number, — think of the errors into which 
 the people may run who are instructed by the living voice alone, and 
 have not in their hands the written word of God ! One of us, long 
 ere this, would have resided amongst those islands ; but we could 
 not, dare not sacrifice our lives, and those of our dear partners and 
 little ones, without the prospect of permanent good, as we should 
 have done in removing beyond the reach of civilized man, and the 
 means of temporal support. Think not of the expense of such a ves- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 133 
 
 sel. Remember the gods are to be her cargo, and your reward. 
 Twice has the Lord God sent you these from hence arid from other 
 islands, and your eyes shall see yet greater things. Summon up all 
 your eloquence to plead with British Christians for a vessel to take 
 possession of the numerous islands in these seas for the sovereignty 
 of the only Potentate. Separately considered, and compared with 
 other spheres, no one of these islands is worthy of the sacrifice of life 
 and property devoted to it; but the whole of them, considered collec- 
 tively, are worthy of your utmost efforts, and demand, as the first-born 
 of your society, a proportionate inheritance." 
 
 This, however, like former appeals on the same subject, 
 drew back no response. In the existing circumstances of the 
 Society, the sum required could not be spared for such an 
 object, and a special appeal to the public was then deemed 
 inexpedient. It required Mr. Williams's own voice to make 
 this with success. 
 
 Prevented from accomplishing his more enlarged scheme* 
 of Christian mercy, he now devoted himself with renewed 
 energy to the welfare of Raiatea. Amongst other useful de- 
 vices, the missionaries resolved to set apart the first day of the 
 year 18*24 for religious services and public meetings. It was 
 more especially intended to make this a day for the profitable 
 review of the past, and a new starting point in the race of so- 
 cial and spiritual improvement. Accordingly, all ordinary en- 
 gagements were suspended ; and, after the more directly sa- 
 cred exercises of the closet and the sanctuary, the remaining 
 hours were passed in temperate festivity and social intercourse. 
 This part of the arrangements was made upon a scale and in a 
 manner peculiar to Raiatea. Upon a wide and elevated pier, 
 which had been erected for the more safe and convenient 
 landing or lading of goods, there were ranged four hundred 
 tables loaded with food, on either side of which the people 
 had seated themselves upon sofas of their own manufacture, 
 " and did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart." 
 At the close of their repast, which consisted of every provision 
 and delicacy which their island produced, the more impor- 
 tant business of the day was commenced by prayer. This was 
 followed by a great number of short and serious speeches full 
 of pointed exhortations to steadfastness and improvement in the 
 ways of God. Tamatoa concluded this part of the engage- 
 ments by expressing his approbation of the diligence of the 
 people, and then added, " But let not our professions be like 
 the bamboo, which, when lighted, blazes most furiously, but 
 leaves no firebrand nor charcoal behind for future use ! Let 
 12 
 
134 LIFE OF THE 
 
 not our zeal be like this, kindled in a moment, giving a great 
 light for a season, and expiring leaving nothing behind." 
 
 Mr. Williams was never more at home than on such occa- 
 sions. Living himself in the element of spiritual health and 
 cheerful piety, it was his delight to cherish and diffuse these 
 blessings amongst all around him. And he knew well how to 
 connect the serious with the social ; and, without diverging 
 one step from the course of ministerial consistency, or ever 
 casting aside his sacred vestments, to call forth the smile of 
 gladness, and to convince the observer that between religion 
 and gloom there was no natural alliance. On the present oc- 
 casion, it will be easily believed that he contributed not a 
 little to the interest and profit of the large assembly. Refer- 
 ring to it, he thus writes — " The day was spent much to the 
 satisfaction of all. The number of tables covered with food 
 of various descriptions was large, but there was no wine, no 
 spirits. The juice of the cocoa-nut was their only beverage. 
 Pine apples and bananas formed the dessert. No one was 
 drunken, no one disorderly, but all appeared to be earnest in 
 stirring up each other in the service -oi the Lord. There was 
 sociality without voluptuousness — religion without gloom." 
 
 This meeting and other means of improvement were pro- 
 ductive of good fruits. " Since the commencement of this 
 year," writes the Missionary, u we have had to be thankful ; 
 for not a week has passed but many who were most aban- 
 doned have offered themselves for baptism ; and from two to 
 three hundred have thus made a profession of their belief in 
 Christianity. 
 
 " The Lord's supper is well attended. Every celebration of 
 that soul-reviving feast brings fresh applicants. We feel a 
 pleasure in being able conscientiously to report favorably of 
 their Christian progress as a body. If it be said that our sta- 
 tion has not had the temptation to drunkenness which others 
 unfortunately have had, we can reply that Satan made an ef- 
 fort in the General Gates, Captain Biggs, of America, which 
 vessel came laden with spirits ; but, after a vain attempt to 
 sell and give away his distilled destruction at this island, he 
 succeeded only so far as to decoy on board two or three 
 women, with whom he cut his cable, and made all sail out 
 to sea." 
 
 But although the people had been happy and advancing 
 since their residence at Vaoaara, a series of unforeseen disas- 
 ters had gradually prepared them for a change ; and at length, 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 135 
 
 at the opening of the year 1824, the resolution was taken to 
 abandon that settlement. This purpose, however, was not 
 lightly formed. It was the result of long and anxious delib- 
 eration, and was ultimately almost forced upon them by their 
 peculiar circumstances. When this position was first selected, 
 the missionaries were not aware of its peculiar disadvantages. 
 But these they had since learned by painful experience. To 
 the eye, indeed, the lovely settlement, as it stretched along a 
 rich selvage of land at the base of a lofty mountain, and com- 
 manded some of the best anchorage within the reef, appeared 
 peculiarly eligible. But the people had not resided there 
 long before the heavy blasts of wind, and the desolating tor- 
 rents which burst upon them from the mountains, and had 
 repeatedly destroyed or damaged their work, convinced them 
 of the contrary. Still hoping to be able to defend their houses 
 and plantations from these rude assailants, they patiently pros- 
 ecuted their labors ; but every year brought with it new ca- 
 lamities. Torrents and tornadoes laid waste their dwellings ; 
 and, in addition to these visitations from the land, the sea al- 
 so, on several recent occasions, had risen to an unusual 
 height, and made alarming encroachments upon the shore. 
 Thus the property of the people was wasted, the beauty of the 
 settlement marred, and their bridges, including some that 
 were strongly built of hewn coral, and of which they were 
 very proud, swept away. For a time, these evils were deemed 
 less than those attending a removal. They were therefore 
 endured. But at length, finding all defensive measures una- 
 vailing, the desire to abandon Vaoaara became universal. A 
 general meeting was accordingly convened, the subject fully 
 canvassed, and the resolution unanimously passed to remove 
 to the windward side of the island. 
 
 Although this resolution did not originate with the mis- 
 sionaries, it received their cordial concurrence. In common 
 with their flock, they had suffered severely from the moun- 
 tains and the sea. But they felt far less for themselves than 
 for the people ; and, most of all, they dreaded the depressing 
 effect of repeated and serious losses and discouragements up- 
 on their habits and improvement. But there was another 
 motive by which the brethren were secretly influenced in re- 
 commending a removal. From the commencement of the 
 mission, they had proceeded upon the conviction that the 
 labors of the hand and the culture of the mind were so closely 
 connected, as to preclude the hope of maturing the fruits of 
 
136 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 righteousness amongst an indolent community. This had 
 been their chief inducement for instructing the natives in so 
 many useful arts. And experience had confirmed their calcu- 
 lations. Secular labors had yielded some spiritual increase. 
 By counteracting the natural inertness of the natives, and by 
 quickening into vigorous exercise their sluggish intellect, they 
 had prepared the way for scriptural truth. The value of these 
 labors was every day more obvious ; and, in proportion as the 
 missionaries became acquainted with the native character, the 
 conviction had grown upon them, that, without a constant 
 stimulus to labor, their minds would stagnate, and their cir- 
 cumstances retrograde. Of this they had marked with con- 
 cern some premonitory signs, shortly after the failure of their 
 commerce and the departure of the ship ; and, from that time, 
 they had clearly perceived the necessity of devising new 
 means for preventing a relapse into their former supine state. 
 When, therefore, it was proposed to commence another set- 
 tlement, they instantly perceived its advantages; and, in the 
 full assurance that its salutary influence upon all classes 
 would prove much more than a compensation for its attend- 
 ant toil and temporary privations, they consented to it without 
 a moment's hesitation. 
 
 Soon after this resolution had been formed, the chiefs and 
 missionaries made a careful survey of the coast, and finally 
 selected, as the most eligible spot, a district on the windward 
 side, and at the northern extremity of the island, called Utu- 
 maoro. This district was both extensive and fertile ; it lay 
 immediately opposite to an opening in the reef called the Ava- 
 piti, or double entrance, and then appeared, what it ulti- 
 mately proved to be, an admirable locality for a missionary 
 settlement. As soon as the site had been selected, a nume- 
 rous band of natives removed thither ; and having erected 
 temporary huts on the beach, they began to clear the ground 
 and collect materials. And this they did in good earnest. 
 Nothing now was heard in that previous solitude, but the 
 hum of busy industry, and nothing seen but the signs of life 
 and energy. From various points in the adjacent mountains 
 there resounded, from dawn till night, the heavy strokes of 
 the woodman's axe, and here and there, through the thick 
 foliage, trains of natives could be descried dragging through 
 the rugged channels of the mountain torrent, with infinite la- 
 bor and no less noise, the trunks of the giants of the forest, 
 which had fallen by their hands. A different scene presented 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 137 
 
 itself along the coral strand. Here were to be seen the 
 swarthy natives perched upon the masses of hoary rock which 
 projected from the cliffs, and which they were either prepar- 
 ing to blast, or endeavoring to disengage ; and at no distant 
 intervals, the neighboring hills which never, since the un- 
 dated period when they were forced up from the depths of the 
 ocean, had reflected any sounds save those of the wild sea 
 fowl, or the bursting wave, now reverberated with unwonted 
 echoes : nature's loud applauses of man's meritorious toil. 
 In truth, the very scenery seemed instinct with the same ani- 
 mation which inspired the people. From such a spot, it was 
 not to be supposed that Mr. Williams could be long absent. 
 He was, indeed, its presiding genius ; and, although nothing 
 was neglected at Vaoaara, where the mass of the population 
 still resided, he was frequently rowed round in his boat to the 
 opposite shore. 
 
 The happy consequences of this movement soon appeared, 
 the fruit rapidly ripened, and the ennui and depression which 
 were previously creeping over the community, speedily gave 
 way to energy and hope. All entered zealously upon these 
 new labors ; and the missionaries beheld with delight, in the 
 resolute spirit and cheerful countenances of the people, all of 
 whom seemed directed by a common impulse towards a 
 common object, the happy effects of their busy occupations. 
 Public spirit and private emulation contributed to general and 
 individual advantage. Their teachers had planned, and they 
 were resolved to prepare a settlement which should far sur- 
 pass, not only in its situation, but in its arrangements and 
 erections, that which they were about to vacate ; and, at the 
 same time, there was much friendly strife amongst them, who 
 should build the best house, finish it in the best style, and fill 
 it with the best furniture ; — a useful rivalry which Mr. Wil- 
 liams had endeavored to awaken, and which he did his ut- 
 most to encourage. And it will be readily believed that, 
 amidst this excitement and exertion, no one moved in an ele- 
 ment more congenial with his nature than he. In meeting the 
 demands of the people, and carrying out his own plans of im- 
 provement, he found ample scope for those endowments, by 
 which he was so peculiarly prepared for that part of the mis- 
 sionary field which Providence had called him to cultivate. 
 
 But while all classes were rejoicing in the prospects of the 
 mission, and the brethren were reaping the reward of their 
 toil, the bright scene around them became overcast, and the 
 12* 
 
138 LIFE OF THE 
 
 mission families were unnxpectedly plunged into distress, by 
 the sudden death of Mrs. Threlkeld. This was a dreadful 
 stroke to her bereaved partner, but his sorrows were shared 
 by others. Throughout their interesting connexion at Raia- 
 tea, she had maintained with Mr. and Mrs. Williams the closest 
 friendship ; and no plan was proposed for promoting the so- 
 cial or spiritual welfare of the native females in which she 
 was not ready to co-operate. And by her fellow-laborers she 
 was greatly esteemed, both for her work's sake, and for her 
 own. This, with the effect produced upon themselves and 
 upon the natives by this mournful event, will best appear 
 from the following communication to the Directors. 
 
 Raiatea, June 2, 1824. 
 " Very dear Brethren, 
 
 " It is with unfeigned sorrow we inform you of the decease of dear 
 Mrs. Threlkeld. On the 7th of March, 1824, she fell asleep in Jesus. 
 It was to us an unexpected event, and has filled our hearts with grief; 
 hut we sorrow not as those who have no hope ; our loss is her gain ; 
 she is with her Lord and our Lord, rejoicing with joy unspeakable 
 and full of glory. 
 
 " Mrs. Threlkeld had been afflicted at seasons with tic doloureux 
 for a considerable time. With this exception, she generally enjoyed 
 an excellent state of health, till a month or two previous to her de- 
 parture ; but it was not until a week before her decease that she 
 was confined to her bed. * * On the Friday before her 
 death, she felt herself fainting, and sent hastily for Mr. Threlkeld. 
 When she came to herself, she said, ' My dear, I thought I was dy- 
 ing. It is very hard to think of parting with you, and the dear chil- 
 dren : but when the trial comes, the Lord Jesus will give me strength 
 to say ' Thy will be done.' On the Sabbath she appeared to revive, 
 and hopes were entertained of her recovery, and we left her about ten 
 o'clock at night, expecting to find her better in the morning; but as 
 we were closing an earthly Sabbath, she commenced a heavenly. 
 About an hour and a half after our departure we were sent for, and 
 found her in an apoplectic fit; and, had it not been for the crying of 
 one of the dear children, she would have closed her eyes in death 
 without any one being present. Mr. T. had been to her bed-side a 
 few minutes before, and thought she was in a comfortable sleep. 
 Judge then of his feelings when, on opening the curtains, he beheld 
 the chief object of his earthly affections in the agonies, shall 1 say, of 
 death ? No ! she had no agonies, no pangs. She fell asleep in Jesus. 
 Every means of recovery proved in vain. Her spirit had quitted the 
 clay tabernacle for ' a house not made with hands, eternal in the heav- 
 ens.' Brother T.'s anxiety in his professional capacity having ceased, 
 the affection of a husband for a most excellent wife resumed its seat 
 in full force. He felt his situation, bereft of a help meet for him in- 
 deed, left a widower with four babes, one of them an infant at the 
 breast, in a foreign land, thousands of miles from home, friends and 
 country. But the Lord graciously supported him, and enabled him 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 139 
 
 to say, even in the paroxysms of his grief, ' The Lord gave and the 
 Lord hath taken away ; blessed be the name of the Lord.' 
 
 " I can testify, from what my eyes have seen as well as from my 
 own experience, that the Lord is a very present and powerful help in 
 time of trouble ; that his promises are, if possible, more peculiarly 
 precious here than in England, where you are surrounded by nume- 
 rous friends. Is it because we have comparatively no other source of 
 consolation, that the Lord affords his more immediate support to his 
 faithful servants in a distant land ? 
 
 " As soon as the painful news spread abroad, the king, chiefs, dea- 
 cons, and most of the principal persons, came to sympathize with 
 brother T. They sat up with us the whole of the night, and endeav- 
 ored to administer all the consolation in their power. The conversa- 
 tion of many, while it afforded great comfort to the wounded spirit, 
 evinced that they were no strangers to the source of a Christian's joy, 
 and the objects of his hope, and that they ' had not received the grace 
 of God in vain.' Surely it was a sight of no mean interest to behold 
 the people mingling their tears with ours, and returning into our bo- 
 soms the consolations we had ministered to them. All the females 
 were desirous of seeing the body, and dropping the tear of affection 
 over one from whom they had derived so many advantages. Several 
 of them were thus gratified. 
 
 " In the morning preparations were made for interment. Even 
 Abraham's dead must be buried out of his sight. The people exerted 
 themselves to the utmost to testify their esteem, and made a very de- 
 cent vault by the side of the late Mrs. Orsmond, and our two babes. 
 Everything was ready by three o'clock on Monday afternoon. The 
 children looked for the last time upon their dear mother, cold in the 
 arms of death. The coffin was scfewed down, and we were preparing 
 for the funeral, when a heavy rain obliged us to postpone it to the fol- 
 lowing morning. The body was then carried by the deacons of the 
 church, preceded by the chiefs, and followed by Mr. Threlkeld and 
 his children, Mr. and Mrs. Bourne, Mrs. Williams and myself, and 
 the congregation. Mr. Bourne gave out a hymn and prayed. I then 
 addressed the congregation from Acts ix. 39 : ' Then Peter arose and 
 went with them. When he was come they brought him into the up- 
 per chamber ; and all the widows stood by him weeping, and showing 
 the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.' 
 After this broiher T. himself addressed a few words to the people, and 
 I concluded with prayer. All appeared deeply affected, and gave free 
 vent to their sorrows. We endeavored to improve the event in seve- 
 ral discourses. 
 
 " Mrs. Threlkeld was thirty -four or thirty-five years of age. She 
 was, what every missionary's wife ought to be who goes to an unciv- 
 ilized part, not only a Mary but a Martha, having her household af- 
 fairs in good order, her table comfortably spread, her husband and 
 children well provided for ; thus adorning the doctrine of Christ her 
 Saviour, and effectually preaching by her example to her own sex 
 what they ought to be, and what they ought to do. In all the severe 
 afflictions of my dear Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Threlkeld has shown her 
 attachment by the kindest assiduity, and the most affectionate atten- 
 tions. She is gone to repeive her reward from him who will not suf- 
 fer a cup of cold w T ater given in the name of a disciple to pass unno- 
 ticed." 
 
140 LIFE OP THE 
 
 During this chequered period of " labor and sorrow," and 
 while many of the people were necessarily drawn off from the 
 old to the new settlement, it would not have been surprising 
 had there been a remission of some of their educational and 
 religious exercises. But there was none. The various 
 streams of knowledge continued to flow on smoothly and 
 steadily in their ordinary channels. All the classes, schools, 
 and public services were maintained with perfect regularity, 
 and the utmost care was taken to prevent the busy occupa- 
 tions of the hand from encroaching upon the time set apart 
 for the improvement of the mind. In accomplishing this ob- 
 ject, however, the brethren had great difficulties to surmount ; 
 but they were determined to surmount them, and they did so. 
 The best effects followed this steady adherence to established 
 plans ; and one of these, which especially gratified Mr. Wil- 
 liams, was the spirit evinced at the missionary anniversary in 
 May, and the liberal contributions, amounting to ten tons of 
 oil, with other produce, which were then reported. Nor was 
 lie less cheered by the appearance and examination of the 
 children on the following day, when 600 of them partook of 
 their annual feast. " Would one quarter of these," he asks, 
 have been in existence, if the Gospel had not been brought to 
 these islands ? No ! the hands of their mothers would have 
 been imbrued in their blood." 
 
 Shortly after this, Mr. Threlkeld sailed for England. Both 
 the brethren, who were much attached to each other, and had, 
 from the commencement of the mission, labored together with 
 unabated confidence and undisturbed harmony, felt the sepa- 
 ration to be painful. But as the decision of Mr. Threlkeld 
 was deemed wise, Mr. Williams assented to it, and readily 
 engaged to sustain the undivided labors of the station. And 
 it soon appeared that he was fully equal to the task. Some 
 idea of the course of his daily duties at this time, and of the 
 quiet energy with which he discharged them, may be formed 
 from the following short notes from his own pen. 
 
 " On the 7th of June, the week after our dear brother left us, we 
 removed to our new settlement. My principal employment for the 
 first two months was marking out the different portions of land, path- 
 ways, etc. ; during which time the people were employed in erecting 
 fences, clearing their grounds, and building their temporary resi- 
 dences. Every person in the settlement has a portion of garden ground 
 attached to his house. We have not counted their fences, but suppose 
 them to exceed three hundred. I thought it absolutely necessary to 
 commence the plantations, to prevent their being obliged to visit their 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 141 
 
 lands. For the first three months, they were much engaged' in erect- 
 ing the temporary chapel. 
 
 "August 20 — This day we interred one of our church members, of 
 whom we entertained a good opinion, and hope to meet him at the 
 right hand of Jesus, as the fruit of our labors. A few days before his 
 death, he exerted all his strength, and came to the ordinance of the 
 Lord's Supper, where he fainted away, but recovered sufficiently to 
 eat and drink with us for the last time, in this world of sin and sorrow. 
 This is the second member we have buried, and we hope that both of 
 them are now rejoicing in heaven. 
 
 " September 7 — We had a meeting of the chiefs and people to con- 
 sider the general affairs of the settlement, and the best plan for our 
 future proceedings. 1 wished that, as the fences were finished, our 
 chapel should be commenced ; but it was the unanimous desire that 
 our house and the king's should first be erected, and this was decided 
 upon. 
 
 " September 27 — This day the people commenced our new house. 
 
 " October 26 — Received a letter from brother Ellis, saying that he 
 and Mrs. Ellis were at Huahine, on their way to America and Eng- 
 land, and urging us to come up and see them, which we shall do if we 
 have time and opportunity. 
 
 " We have had one large meeting since we came to our new settle- 
 ment, at which many excellent speeches were delivered. 
 
 " November 1 — We have commenced our schools again, but I am 
 sorry to say they are not well attended, in consequence of the great 
 scarcity that has recently been experienced in, I believe, all the isl- 
 ands. 
 
 " November 21 — I have to-day baptized thirty-four persons, some of 
 whom have lately come to reside amongst us. Our number of bap- 
 tized is now about 900. 
 
 " December 4 — Received letters from the deputation and Mr. Threl- 
 keld, containing the intelligence that my boat, which was sent to Ta- 
 hiti in March last, and never returned, having drifted a distance of 
 600 miles, reached Atiu, where the Lord, who is never at a loss for 
 means to accomplish his gracious designs, had a work for them to do. 
 
 " 1 will now give you a short account of the state of the church. 
 We are in number about 150, seventy of whom have been admitted 
 since our arrival here. Applications for admission are so numerous, 
 that we might easily increase the number three-fold, but find it very 
 necessary to act with the greatest caution. The services have been 
 tolerably well attended, and our out-stations are prospering. Auuru, 
 the chief of Rurutu, has returned to Raiatea in ' the Haweis,' bringing 
 with him a native to be instructed in the following things : — sugar 
 boiling, the construction of a sugar-mill, salt boiling, the manufacture 
 of tobacco, turning and the manufacture of lathes. 1 have taken the 
 young man in hand and set him to work, and hope to have taught him 
 these things in six or eight months. The chief delivered a very in- 
 teresting address last Friday, which was listened to by all with fixed 
 attention." 
 
 In a letter, dated November 8th, written to his sister Mrs. 
 Kuck, from Huahine, during a visit to his beloved friends Mr. 
 
142 LIFE OF THE 
 
 and Mrs. Ellis, Mr. Williams thus concisely describes his own 
 feelings and circumstances : — 
 
 " We are much delighted with our new settlement. The people 
 have been busily employed, and our new house is nearly finished. 
 The spiritual concerns of the station are prospering 1 . We are happy 
 in ourselves, happy in our work — that work prospers in our hands. 
 I have completed the translation of Daniel, Ruth, and Esther, which 
 are nearly through the press, and have Genesis and Samuel now in 
 hand. We shall shortly commence our new place of worship." 
 
 But the following epistle to his revered friend, the Rev. 
 Matthew Wilks, still more fully exhibits the position and pro- 
 ceedings of Mr. Williams at this period : — 
 
 " Raiatea, January 29th, 1825. 
 « Dear Mr. Wilks, 
 
 " I determined when in England, and sitting by your own fire-side, 
 never to write to you, until I had something good to communicate, as 
 you lashed some good lady for writing to you from abroad a long let- 
 ter about nothing. 1 bless God that he has enabled me to communi- 
 cate to you once and again that which you say is as cold water to a 
 thirsty soul. As I have yet other good tidings, I once more take up 
 my pen to address you. You must pardon all inaccuracies and ex- 
 cuse all digressions, though I know you will not allow excuses for 
 want of time, etc., but if I had you by my side for one day, I should 
 not need to offer the half of an apology. But to the point. I received 
 from you a very kind and affectionate letter, for which I am much 
 obliged. It arrived on a Thursday, and on Friday I read it to our 
 large congregation, with extracts from publications, which afforded 
 them much interest. I am happy that my letters gave you pleasure. 
 You say, they smell a little of the cask : be it so, if the cask retain a 
 sweet and sacred flavor. You once called me a toad, — now you 
 make me a cask; but 1 am content if the gem be found in my head. 
 I have nothing whereof to boast. As a sinner, a worthless sinner, 1 
 prostrate myself at the foot of the cross ; and as a servant of Jesus 
 Christ, I have not wherein to glory, save in that he has been gra- 
 ciously pleased to acknowledge and bless my labors. 
 
 " For the sake of avoiding repetition, as I must seize intervals for 
 writing, 1 will divide my letter into sections. The first shall relate to 
 ourselves; the second to the church, congregation, etc. ; the third to 
 the settlement ; and the fourth to our out-stations. You have, no 
 doubt, heard, with concern, of the precarious state of our health. 
 Mine, I am happy to inform you, is of late much improved ; but my 
 dear wife is still very poorly. This is a great trial to us ; but in every 
 other respect, we enjoy a greater share of happiness than usually falls 
 to the lot of man. . We are happy in each other, happy in our work, 
 and, with trifling exceptions, happy in the people among whom we 
 labor. Our daily employment is as follows : — Every morning, Satur- 
 day excepted, at school from six o'clock to eight. Monday evening, 
 we have conversation meetings; Wednesday evening, preaching; 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 143 
 
 Friday evening, we have a full meeting of the members and the bap- 
 tized, when, after singing, prayer, and a short exhortation, the natives 
 speak. At this meeting, every inconsistency of conduct is boldly at- 
 tacked, the unruly are exhorted, etc. This is an invaluable meeting. 
 On Saturday, the judicial proceedings of the week are settled, which 
 generally occupy two or three hours. In all cases of importance, I 
 like to attend to give advice, prevent injustice, etc. On Sabbath days, 
 you know, perhaps, that we are fully employed. The natives, at six 
 o'clock, hold a prayer-meeting. At nine o'clock we have regular ser- 
 vice. After this, Mrs. Williams reads aloud some interesting work for 
 our own spiritual edification, except any vessels are here, when I al- 
 ways preach in English. At one o'clock, the bell rings again, when 
 we have a kind of catechetical service on the sermon preached in the 
 forenoon. In the afternoon, there is another regular service, when I 
 preach on subjects proposed by the natives. To explain this, I may 
 just state that the baptized are divided into thirty classes, each of 
 which, in rotation, names a subject for the following Sabbath. The 
 last was the parable of the vine and its branches. (15th John.) 
 
 " You will say, perhaps, that this is nothing more than common 
 employment, and not half what could be done. True ; but you must 
 recollect that a missionary in the South Seas is obliged to be a doctor 
 of laws, physic, and divinity; for, since brother Threlkeld has left, 
 attending the sick has become an additional duty. One comes in, 
 and says, 'Come and mark the division of this district;' another, 
 • Come and settle this difference ; ' another, ' Come and show me 
 where to build my house ; ' another, * Come and mark out my win- 
 dows ; ' another, ' Come and point out the direction of this pathway ; ' 
 another, ' Come and bleed this man ; ' another, * Come and sharpen 
 this saw; ' whilst another comes in the perplexity of her heart, and 
 another in the intensity of her desire. These occupations, together 
 with church-meetings, meetings for business, my own work, and pub- 
 lic work, which I generally have in hand, pretty well fill up the day. 
 Sometimes we steal an hour for a walk in the afternoon, or a sail in 
 the boat ; and at other times, we spend an hour with a class at one of 
 the little feasts, which they have among themselves. You would be 
 delighted with some of these. A great chief has just come in; in- 
 deed, I am now talking with him while I write. He has been trouble- 
 some lately, and using his endeavors to unhinge the minds of the 
 people. Last Saturday, they invited me to one of their feasts, (which 
 they always do) and he was present. There was an abundance of 
 everything which the islands afford, and we were seated upon sofas, 
 eating off tables. After our repast, conversation commenced, which 
 is, I may say, invariably of a spiritual character, and tending to 
 strengthen the bonds of their mutual attachment, and promote their 
 edification. Just before I left, I spoke pointedly to the chief on the 
 advantages of union and co-operation, which 1 illustrated by stating, 
 that twenty men might easily draw a heavy log from the mountain to 
 the sea, if all pulled at one rope and at one end ; but that, if a rope 
 were fastened to either end, and ten men pulled one way and ten the 
 other, they would never get the log to the sea. He said, ' No ; ' when 
 1 immediately applied it to himself, and to his recent conduct. After 
 1 left, it appears that they had much conversation on the subject, and 
 he has now come to confess his error and his sin, and promises in fu- 
 ture to unite heart and hand as formerly. 
 
144 LIFE OP THE 
 
 " There are two visits I have not mentioned. The one is on Satur- 
 day afternoon, when, with one or more of the deacons, I walk through 
 the settlement, to see whether the pathways are swept, the houses 
 clean, etc. The other visit is paid about once a month, when a dea- 
 con and myself enter every house, to make observations and inquiries 
 respecting its condition, the industry of its inmates, and the state of 
 their plantations. My object is to incite them to habits of cleanliness 
 and activity ; but I am not very hard upon them now, as at present 
 we have so much work in hand. 
 
 " My dear Mrs. Williams has obtained a tolerable proficiency in the 
 language, and holds a meeting with about twenty or more of the most 
 pious natives, which she conducts much to my satisfaction. They 
 read a chapter verse by verse, and converse upon it. They then de- 
 liver their sentiments upon a topic proposed the previous week. An- 
 other work of my good wife is amongst the poor old women, the lame, 
 the blind, and the deaf. These she has formed into a class, which 
 she meets twice a week. She has induced them all to procure bon- 
 nets, which she has trimmed for them, and those who had no decent 
 clothes, she has clad. A seat in the chapel is set apart for them. 
 They are about forty in number. 
 
 " When this class was first formed, Mrs. Williams made a large 
 feast for them. On this occasion, the speeches of the poor old women 
 were simple and affecting. I will give you a few of them : 'We 
 were as dead, now we are come to life ;' ' We were old and decrepid, 
 now we are young again ;' ' We were despised and neglected, now 
 we are sought out by our elder sister, and eating what our ancestors 
 never saw or heard of, — English food ' (the allusion was to some rice 
 and treacle) ' in the house of the Oromedua ;' ' We were dirty and 
 ragged, now we have good cloth, and even coverings for our heads;' 
 ' We thought our days were past, and that we should never come back 
 again into the world ; we were laid aside as castaways, but now we 
 are beginning to live again. It is good we lived to see these days. 
 To the word and compassion of God are we indebted.' They now 
 have frequent feasts, at which I generally call, and spend half an hour 
 with the old people. The plan originated with Mrs. Williams, and 
 the management is entirely her own. 
 
 "We have lately had our new house built. Mrs. Williams's class 
 of old people wanted to know what part they could do to it. At 
 length they divided themselves into two classes, and made two fine 
 large mats, one for the sitting, the other for the best room. Besides 
 attending to these, she is continually employed cutting out gowns, 
 teaching the females to sew, etc., and she is an excellent house-wife. 
 Mr. Wilks would be delighted to see even the very floors of our habi- 
 tation. Come in who will, we have always a comfortable table to 
 spread before them ; and, as I have no reason to inquire, ' What shall 
 I eat, what shall I drink, or wherewithal shall I be clothed ?' every- 
 thing being admirably provided, 1 can, with undivided attention, ap- 
 ply myself to the various duties I am called to discharge. 
 
 " Our house, which is just finished, is a very excellent one indeed. 
 It is sixty feet long, and thirty wide, and divided into three rooms in 
 front and five behind. As all is frame- work, it will last for years. 
 Our doors are panneled, and the plastering and flooring is well done. 
 In front we have folding doors down to the ground, and a fine deep 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 145 
 
 Veranda. It is situated at the foot of a hill, and commands a fine 
 view of the settlement at Tahaa. Around the house, we have fenced 
 in about an acre of ground, which grows every production of the isl- 
 and. At the back of the house is our plantation for yams, and in the 
 front a neat bathing-house. A fine spring feeds a stream of water that 
 runs through the centre of our garden, and enables us to irrigate our 
 taro beds at pleasure. But enough of this : — though I write these 
 particulars to you because from you I received an especial charge to 
 be an example to the natives in all these things. 
 
 " I must now refer to our church and congregation. The former is 
 increasing greatly ; and, although our discipline is decidedly of the 
 strictest order, we have not had reason to separate one from our com- 
 munion since we came here. I will state our terms of admission as 
 briefly as possible. Moral conduct is indispensable. The slightest 
 immorality separates even from the recognized body of the baptized, 
 and, of course, from the still stricter fellowship of the church. A 
 busy-body or a mischief-maker would be included in those who walk 
 disorderly, and be rejected. We also expect diligence in attending 
 the means of grace, combined with a knowledge of the way of salva- 
 tion, including the death of Jesus Christ as the only atonement ; the 
 condemned state of sinners without an interest in that atonement; 
 and the necessity of faith in the merits and mediation of Christ, evi- 
 denced by hatred to sin and love to holiness in its genuine fruits. It 
 has been exceedingly difficult to drive them from dependence on works 
 as a ground of acceptance with God. Some few have employed arti- 
 fice to obtain admittance ; but we are generally able to detect such. 
 From this circumstance and for other reasons, 1 am decided in my 
 opinion, that the present state of the islands is such as to require the 
 strictest discipline ; but, after all that we can do, I cannot write to you 
 in glowing terms of the piety of the people. There is a lamentable 
 want of some features, which we should desire to see ; and, notwith- 
 standing the general profession of religion, and the great attention 
 paid to externals, we have often anxious doubts and fears respecting 
 them. We too much resemble the beautiful form of Adam, as it 
 came from the hand of God before he breathed into it the breath of life. 
 We want more of the life-giving Spirit's influence breathed upon us, 
 to infuse the vital principle into our souls. Blessed be God that so 
 strong a conviction prevails in England of the necessity of the Spirit's 
 influence, and so many thousands pour out incessantly their ardent 
 prayers for that inestimable bestowment. This is a favorable omen. 
 Surely such prayers will not be unanswered. ' Awake, O north wind, 
 and come thou south ; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof 
 may flow forth.' But, blessed be God, though I thus write, there are 
 some lovely exceptions. Yet ' much would be more,' you know, all 
 the world over. 
 
 "Our congregation is both large and generally very attentive. 
 There are some that discover an indifference, which inflicts a wound 
 in my heart. The schools are also pretty well attended, but we are 
 obliged to keep our shoulder to the wheel." 
 
 The writer then gives a succinct history of the new settle- 
 13 
 
146 LIFE OF THE 
 
 ment, which has already been supplied from other sources, 
 and adds : — 
 
 " Our present station is from three to four miles in length, and ev- 
 ery individual has from one half to three quarters of an acre of ground 
 attached to his house. The settlement, of course, has its inconveni- 
 ences; but its advantages greatly preponderate. It is by far more 
 healthy than our former station ; we have always a fine cooling sea 
 breeze ; every one has his portion of land ; and it stands in a position 
 about equidistant from the principal districts into which the island is 
 divided. The greatest inconvenience is felt in one or two localities, 
 where there are no runs of water in dry seasons ; but as we can get 
 excellent water anywhere by digging from four to ten feet, we sup- 
 ply this deficiency by erecting pumps. Our new station will far sur- 
 pass our old, in all respects, except in the two beautiful streams of 
 water which ran through it ; but even this will have its advantages : 
 for now, instead of common bathing-places, there will be a private 
 bathing-house within each inclosure, many of which are already built. 
 There will be one broad common pathway throughout the settlement, 
 as nearly straight as we can make it. On either side of this stand the 
 houses, each of which has a small garden before it, with a walk down 
 the centre, communicating with the general pathway. 
 
 " But you will tell me 1 am building castles in the air ; a second 
 tower which will cause confusion of tongues. To this I can safely 
 say no. If life and health are spared, with the blessing of God, we 
 shall soon effect all that we intend. The people are of one mind and 
 one heart, and are bent on doing what I desire, and are pleased with 
 the plans I propose. Had you been present at the meeting convened 
 to settle the dimensions, etc., of our chapel, the animation glowing in 
 their countenances, the unanimity prevailing in their speeches, would 
 have caused you to say, 'This people will effect great things.' Not 
 indeed but what they frequently promise more than they perform, yet 
 I do not think I ever saw them better pleased or satisfied, or more 
 bent upon anything, than they now are upon having a comfortable 
 and respectable settlement. 
 
 " I told you before that the baptized were divided into classes each 
 consisting of from twenty to thirty persons, (i. e. about ten house- 
 holds) and that they frequently meet for social and religious im- 
 provement at what we call feasts. To facilitate these meetings, 
 which have proved very useful, and to prevent the inconvenience of 
 carrying tables, sofas, etc., from one dwelling to another, they are 
 now erecting, at regular intervals throughout the settlement, houses 
 for this purpose. To show you the readiness with which they will 
 adopt my plans, and abandon their own, I will mention a little cir- 
 cumstance which has recently occurred. The natives had fixed the 
 frame of one of these houses, and then came to request me to go and 
 look at it. As soon as 1 saw it, I told them that it was a low, insig- 
 nificant, bad house, and advised them to pull it down, throw aside the 
 posts, obtain new ones, and build a larger and more substantial edi- 
 fice. About a week afterwards I was requested to visit the spot 
 again, when I was delighted to find that they had obtained new posts, 
 and were building just such a house as I had recommended ; and 
 though, after this, when 1 came to mark out the doors and windows, 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 147 
 
 they were obliged to alter almost every part, they did it without a 
 murmur, and as cheerfully as an affectionate child would run to exe- 
 cute the wishes of its father. As this is the first house of the kind 
 that will be finished, I have promised them hinges and nails for the 
 doors, which my good friends at Birmingham, through Mr. East, have 
 supplied in great abundance. Besides this, I shall give them paint. 
 My object in so doing is — that if this house is well made, every man 
 in the settlement will aim at the same excellence, and not be content 
 without it. We have only to make anything popular, and we can then 
 effect it. 
 
 " The next point on which I promised you some information is the 
 present condition of our out-stations. From Rurutu we have lately 
 received glad tidings, and the chief has come again, with a native 
 whom we are instructing in many useful arts. As soon as he came, 
 I set him to work, and though he has been here but six or eight 
 weeks, he can make a good panneled door. He is now learning to 
 turn. From Aitutaki and Rarotonga we have obtained the most 
 pleasing information by the return of my boat's crew, who we sup- 
 posed were lost. Poor fellows ! they were for seven weeks reduced 
 to dreadful extremities, but yet maintained family worship night and 
 morning, and, while it lasted, cooked their food on Saturday for the 
 Sabbath, which day they spent in the sacred exercises of singing, 
 reading and praying. They were compelled at length to eat the husk 
 of the cocoa nut soaked in oil, and upon this they subsisted for some 
 time, until, almost in a state of starvation, they reached Atiu, and 
 God sent them there just at the period when their presence was re- 
 quired to aid the teachers, and turn the people from their idolatries. 
 By them we have heard also from Aitutaki, where now * lions and 
 beasts of savage name put on the nature of the lamb,' and the lovely 
 little island exhibits a fine settlement stretching along the beach, 
 which is lined with pretty little white cottages, having a fine large 
 chapel in the centre. This interesting station 1 shall nourish as a 
 father does his own offspring. We have there a fine spirited native 
 teacher, named Paumoana. These things afford great encouragement, 
 and constrain me to ask, ' What am I, or what is my father's house, 
 that I should have been brought hitherto ?' 
 
 u From Rarotonga our men have brought us the most pleasing 
 news, with ocular demonstration of the triumphs of the ' mighty Gos- 
 pel.' All idolatry is abolished in this populous island. They have 
 erected a chapel 106 fathoms in length ! Perhaps you may say I have 
 made a mistake, but I have not. It is upwards of 600 feet long, and 
 all the people cannot get into it. It is crowded within and without. 
 The messengers brought with them a few idols ; but they say a house 
 nearly full is waiting my arrival. Here is a fine field, ripe in the full- 
 est sense of the word — '■white to the harvest.' How short a time for 
 accomplishing such great things ! What encouragement for all to 
 work while it is called to-day ; for what greater encouragement can 
 be given to the spiritual merchant than continued gain ? Dear Sir, 
 spend your latest breath in advocating the cause of Christ among the 
 heathen. 
 
 " We propose to make. our annual visit in a few months, when I 
 intend to seek for two islands to the westward of Rimatara, called 
 Rutai and Tuauai. I am now much employed in translating Samuel, 
 
148 LIFE OP THE 
 
 and writing sermons and skeletons for the chief of Rurutu to take 
 back with hiin. 
 
 " I remain, etc., 
 
 " John Williams." 
 
 At no part of his life were Mr. Williams's missionary qual- 
 ifications developed more fully than at the opening of the 
 year 1825. At that time, it devolved upon him singly to 
 direct the proceedings of the people, and to discharge the 
 duties of the station. But in doing this, he reaped an abun- 
 dant reward, both in his work and from it. Indeed, he 
 had never before found so much to repay, and so little to 
 impede his exertions. The current of prosperity flowed on 
 with constantly accelerating force through ever-widening and 
 deepening channels, and abundantly refreshed the eye and 
 the heart of the devoted Missionary. Never so buoyant as 
 when pressed with weighty labors,, he was now surrounded 
 by precisely those circumstances in which his energetic 
 spirit found a suitable sphere, the freest scope, and its richest 
 enjoyment. And it was now that the best and fairest fea- 
 tures of his character were most conspicuous. This may be 
 discovered in his communications ; all of which, at this peri- 
 od, like those just inserted, present images of surrounding 
 scenes, as true as they were beautiful ; while the sacred prin- 
 ciples and spiritual excellencies which sustained his efforts, 
 although rarely seen above the surface, or protruded upon his 
 correspondents by any direct references to personal experi- 
 ence, were yet distinctly revealed through the same lucid 
 medium ; just like the tranquil and transparent waters of the 
 lagoon, which not only reflected the bright hues of heaven, 
 and the rich vegetation which fringed its shores, but at the 
 same time enabled the eye to penetrate its crystal depths, 
 and distinctly discern the coral forests which flourished 
 there. 
 
 Writing to the Directors, February 2nd, 1825, he thus 
 expresses his feelings : — " Our difficulties, as it respects food, 
 are now overcome. Many plantations already yield their 
 fruit, and are richly repaying the laborer for his toil. I 
 plucked the first ripe pumpkin in our garden last week. It 
 weighed 110 pounds. I have not heard a murmur from one 
 end of the settlement to the other for some time. A general 
 satisfaction prevails, which I hope will continue. With one 
 mind and one heart, we commenced our new chapel last 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 149 
 
 Monday, which all wished to finish by May. Many new 
 houses are in hand since I wrote, which are carried on with 
 spirit. If the union, attachment and industry, now manifest, 
 continue, we shall soon have our new settlement in every 
 respect superior to our old one." 
 
 But the brightest feature of this busy scene, and that which 
 yielded Mr. Williams the most solid satisfaction, was the 
 progress of the people in knowledge and piety. Never be- 
 fore had the means of instruction yielded a larger increase, 
 or the worship of God been observed with deeper serious- 
 ness ; another evidence, were it demanded, that his secular 
 avocations were not conducted in a secular spirit, and that 
 his plans for promoting the temporal welfare of the people, 
 as they had been formed in subordination to higher objects, 
 were sanctioned by the God whom he served. " I beheld," 
 he writes, * with admiring gratitude, the work of the Lord 
 amongst us ; and desire, with the deepest humility, to ascribe 
 all to the praise and glory of his grace. I am thankful that 
 I can write with truth in the most exalted terms of the dili- 
 gence, union, and attachment of our people. At present, 
 certainly, a most excellent spirit prevails, very generally, yea, 
 universally, which I pray God to continue amongst us. 
 Dear Mary, I am sorry to say, has but a poor state of health ; 
 but, with this exception, we are really happy in ourselves, 
 our work, and our people, who manifest the most cordial 
 attachment ; and everything is prospering at home and abroad. 
 Oh ! what cause for gratitude and devotedness to the gra- 
 cious Master we serve." 
 
 All Mr. Williams's letters, about this time, were replete 
 with details substantially the same as those furnished in the 
 preceding pages; and they indicate most delightfully the 
 sacred satisfaction with which he surveyed the fair scene 
 then rising up around him. But much as he rejoiced in the 
 social and spiritual progress of Raiatea, he was still more 
 elated by the intelligence received at this auspicious season 
 from Rurutu, Atiu, Aitutaki, and Rarotonga; and which 
 not only supplied new demonstrations of the power of the 
 Gospel, but, by showing the efficiency of the humble agents 
 who had been selected for this service, gave additional im- 
 pulse to his benevolent desires, and confirmed the conviction 
 previously entertained, that could he command the means of 
 reaching their shores, he might plant the tree of life by simi- 
 lar hands upon all the islands of the South Pacific Ocean. 
 13* 
 
150 LIFE OF THE 
 
 The signal success, however, which crowned these evangeli- 
 cal efforts, must, to a great degree, be ascribed to the circum- 
 stance, that the agents employed possessed, in addition to 
 decided piety, an amount of useful knowledge and mechani- 
 cal skill, which secured for them, from the very first, an 
 ascendancy over their untutored brethren, and which stamped 
 upon their earliest labors a value apprehended and apprecia- 
 ble by all. And this was an object which Mr. Williams 
 always kept in view when selecting natives for such a ser- 
 vice. 
 
 This intelligence from the south revived with augmented 
 strength Mr. Williams's long cherished desire to possess a 
 missionary ship ; and, as his esteemed coadjutors in the lee- 
 ward islands warmly seconded the movement, a formal com- 
 munication on the subject was made to the deputation shortly 
 before their departure. The result was that Messrs. Tyer- 
 man and Bennet recommended the Directors to authorize the 
 missionaries to charter a vessel for a limited period annually, 
 a recommendation in which the board concurred; and, 
 although a hired ship and a short annual voyage came far 
 below his desires, Mr. Williams greatly rejoiced in the decis- 
 ion of the Directors, and at once resolved to make the utmost 
 of it. As might have been expected, the first visit determin- 
 ed upon was to the Hervey Islands ; and, in the autumn of 
 1825, " the Haweis" was chartered for this purpose. As 
 Messrs. Williams and Bourne had visited the group in 1823, 
 it was deemed proper by their brethren that one of them 
 should now undertake the service. Both were willing. Mr. 
 Williams was even anxious to go, and most naturally, for the 
 Rarotongans had sent to him a special invitation to their 
 island, accompanied by the promise, that on his arrival, they 
 would cast all their rejected idols at his feet. But besides 
 this, he wished to avail himself of the opportunity of search- 
 ing for other islands, with the names of which he had been 
 long familiar. But the lot fell upon his more favored brother ; 
 and, subsequently, he had satisfactory reasons for concluding 
 that " the whole disposing thereof was of the Lord." Raiatea 
 required his presence ; for, although much had been done at 
 the new settlement, much remained unfinished, in the com- 
 pletion of which his superintendence was essential. 
 
 Although few missionaries have deserved censure less, it is 
 not surprising, considering the influence which Mr. Williams 
 had now acquired at Raiatea, and the extent to which his 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 151 
 
 presence and labors there counteracted the vicious propensi- 
 ties of disaffected natives and immoral visitors, that by some 
 his conduct should have been misrepresented and his charac- 
 ter maligned. This, in general, would not have caused him 
 a moment's uneasiness. Aware of the principles and animus 
 of his calumniators, of the utter falsehood of their accusa- 
 tions, and of the limited currency which these could obtain 
 in the islands, he would probably have never written a line 
 on the subject, had he not been informed that some commu- 
 nication affecting his character had, unknown to himself, and 
 evidently from unworthy motives, been made by the Tahitian 
 consul to the British government. This drew from him the 
 following letter to the Directors, which is valuable, not only 
 as a vindication of himself from the particular charges to 
 which it refers, but still more so for the light it throws upon 
 the principles which regulated his own proceedings, and for 
 the evidence it supplies of the value of missionary supervi- 
 sion over the judicial proceedings of a people just emerging 
 from barbarism. The insertion of this document here is 
 rendered the more necessary by the circumstance that the 
 calumnies for which it accounts have been since reproduced, 
 in a new garb, just as if the transactions so dishonestly per- 
 verted, and so long disposed of, were previously unknown, 
 and had but recently occurred. 
 
 " The first charge," writes Mr. Williams, " which is brought 
 
 against me relates to the ;* and I assure you I feel a peculiar 
 
 delicacy in mentioning this subject, lest I should injure Captain ; 
 
 but 1 am under the necessity of* laying before you a plain and faithful 
 statement of the case, because it has been reported to the British con- 
 sul at Tahiti, that the natives fastened ropes to the stern of the ship, 
 and either did, or attempted to drag her on shore. Now the circum- 
 stances of the case were these : — While the was here, it was dis- 
 covered that three women were on board ; but by what means they 
 came there was unknown. The king, Tamatoa, wrote several letters, 
 and sent messengers to the Captain, who took little notice of them. 
 At last, however, two natives were permitted to search for the women 
 in the hold ; but it was a mere farce to send them for such a purpose 
 into the hold of a large vessel. The search therefore was vain, and 
 all pacific measures taken by the king had proved useless. Things 
 
 continued in this unsatisfactory state up to the time when the 
 
 was about to sail. She weighed anchor; but, as it blew a gale of 
 wind, she failed in her attempt to clear the harbor. As soon, how- 
 ever, as the people saw that their women were to be carried off, they 
 were exceedingly exasperated. The whole settlement was in a fer- 
 ment, and the king and chiefs convened a meeting, at which I was 
 
 * For obvious reasons the names are omitted by the compiler. 
 
152 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 requested to be present. At this meeting two propositions were dis- 
 cussed : — the first was, to seize the boats, when they came on shore 
 in the evening, and detain the crews until the women were given up ; 
 and the second, to board the vessel, secure the sailors, and search out 
 the women. After considerable altercation on the subject, they ap- 
 pealed to me for my opinion. I advised them, on no account, to car- 
 ry either of the propositions into effect, as very serious consequences 
 would follow — lives be lost, and their reputation stained. On the 
 contrary, I suggested that the king should write again to the Cap- 
 tain, protesting against the capture of the women, and informing him 
 that if he took them away, he and his chiefs would write to the Brit- 
 ish government on the subject. I' also engaged to write to the same 
 effect to the owner of the vessel. Very general approbation was ex- 
 pressed at this proposal, and it was adopted. On the following morn- 
 ing, however, numbers of the natives flocked on board the vessel, en- 
 tirely unknown to me ; and, as I had occasion to see the Captain, 1 
 went off shortly after, and to my utter astonishment found the decks 
 crowded. 1 said to Captain , ' Why did you admit so many na- 
 tives on board ?' He said, ' I suppose there is no danger ;' and hav- 
 ing answered that there was none, I requested him to go with me be- 
 low. When he had got into the state cabin, I related minutely what 
 had taken place on shore, and the advice I had given to the people. 
 He assured me that he was extremely sorry, that he knew not that 
 the females were on board, and that, if they were, he would send 
 them back that night, and requested me to use my influence in clear- 
 ing the ship of the people. 1 then called down the king, who was 
 waiting on deck, and acquainted him with what had passed, and re- 
 quested that he would order every one on shore immediately, which 
 was done. The women were given up, and a polite note sent with 
 them from the Captain. I certainly think that my going on board at 
 the time was a very providential occurrence. 
 
 " Another report has been circulated from the same quarter, that 
 we have the Inquisition here — that noses and ears are cut off, eyes 
 plucked out, and other cruelties practised. These reports it is, I sup- 
 pose, quite unnecessary for me to contradict. A greater degree of 
 religious liberty is not possessed by any persons on earth than is now 
 enjoyed by the Raiateans, and a person more attached to the cause of 
 religious liberty than myself is not to be found. There has not been 
 a public meeting held, a person judged, or a punishment inflicted, 
 since the mission was established, with which I am not acquainted ; 
 and 1 positively affirm that never has anything of the kind taken 
 place. It is true, indeed, that a proposal was made to cut off the ears 
 of the women who went on board the ; and my consent was ask- 
 ed. This of course 1 refused: but I did consent to the shaving of 
 their heads. A short time since, some of the people endeavored to 
 extort a confession from an old offender, by using what the sailors 
 call 'a Scotch winch,' which is made by passing a rope round two 
 posts, placing the culprit in the middle of the rope, and then twisting 
 it with sticks. As soon as I heard of this, I remonstrated with them 
 on the impropriety of such methods. They said that it was a very 
 quick and effectual way, and seemed much pleased at having discov- 
 ered it. But I was firm, and insisted that it should not be repeated ; 
 and it has not been. This was the only mode of torture ever used 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 153 
 
 at Raiatea ; no one was hurt by it, and when 1 condemned it, it was 
 laid aside." 
 
 The spirit of the people and the state of the settlement 
 continued to present, down to the close of the year 1825, the 
 same animating features which had cheered its commence- 
 ment. Acting upon the wise principles which guided him in 
 forming the first station, Mr. Williams endeavored, no less by 
 his own example than by suitable exhortation, to induce the 
 people to build their habitations and arrange their gardens in 
 a superior style. But his chief anxiety now centered in the 
 rising sanctuary, which he had resolved to erect upon a plan, 
 and to execute in a manner, far surpassing any edifice yet 
 seen in those islands. But to the accomplishment of this ob- 
 ject nearly twelve months were devoted. This far exceeded 
 the period proposed ; but the delay was occasioned by the 
 extent of the work, and the numerous additions made to the 
 original design. The dimensions of the building were 145 
 feet by 40. Every part of it was substantial ; the floors and 
 plastering were superior to anything of the kind yet attempt- 
 ed, and the front presented the novel, and, to the natives, im- 
 posing spectacle of two handsome folding-doors, and nine 
 windows arched and glazed. The interior was exceedingly 
 neat and commodious. It was furnished throughout with 
 pews and benches, all of which were free. But the pulpit 
 was Mr. Williams's chefd'ceuvre. This was an octagon with 
 concave corners, and it was placed in the centre of a spacious 
 pew of corresponding form. Both within and without, paint, 
 which Mr. Williams had purchased from ships at a high 
 price, was plentifully used to preserve and beautify the build- 
 ing. Of course, in the new departments of painter and gla- 
 zier, his talents were again called into requisition. 
 
 The position occupied by the chapel was conspicuous and 
 commanding. It stood preeminent among the various other 
 structures around it ; at once the sign and centre of that 
 great moral transformation which had been effected by the 
 Gospel. As it was the first edifice which could be descried 
 in the distance, and the most imposing in the settlement, it 
 proclaimed with silent, but impressive significance to every 
 vessel that approached the island, and to every stranger who 
 trod those shores, that what was there beheld of industry, or- 
 der, civilization, and enjoyment, were the precious fruits and 
 glorious achievements of Christianity. 
 
 On the 8th of February, 1826, this noble building was 
 
154 LIFE OP THE 
 
 opened for Divine service ; and a large influx of visitors from 
 the surrounding islands united with the Raiateans, in the so- 
 lemnities and festivity of the day. The sermons, which were 
 preached by Messrs. Bourne and Williams to an immense 
 multitude, appeared to produce upon the minds of many a 
 deep and salutary impression. One very gratifying circum- 
 stance referred to on this occasion was, that, during the erec- 
 tion of the material temple, many " living stones " had been 
 added to the " spiritual house." For some time past the 
 church had received accessions to its number at every church- 
 meeting ; and at no former period of Mr. Williams's labors 
 did God give more powerful testimony to his own word. In 
 November, 1825, he writes, " Our church is considerably on 
 the increase ;" and five months after that, he makes a similar 
 statement, and adds, " The outward conduct of our mem- 
 bers is, generally speaking, very consistent. Since the forma- 
 tion of the church, we have had reason to separate only two 
 or three individuals from our communion ; yet we are as 
 vigilant as possible, and do not spare an individual whose in- 
 consistency has been established, though doubtless there is a 
 great deal of secret sin with which we are unacquainted. 
 The people continue to show us much attachment, and are 
 very diligent in attending the means of instruction. Every 
 sermon they hear furnishes a subject for public conversation. 
 This evening I have catechized three classes on sermons 
 which they heard seven or eight months since, and every one 
 was enabled to repeat some part, either a general division or 
 a subdivision, or a practical observation, or a sentiment. In 
 the same public way I examine their progress in reading. 
 This is absolutely necessary, as in all the islands they com- 
 mit so much Scripture to memory, from merely hearing it, 
 that unless frequently and carefully examined, they will re- 
 peat chapter after chapter so correctly, and appear to read 
 with such fluency, as completely to deceive any one. Some 
 whom I have lately detected in this have been severely chided, 
 and are now put upon a new plan which compels them to 
 learn to read. This has caused a great stir, and now they 
 have book in hand night and day. My dear Mrs. Williams 
 continues her meetings with the females, and they are of 
 great advantage. It is also with pleasure I inform you that I 
 have completed the translation of the Hebrews and Revela- 
 tion. The first Epistle to the Corinthians will, I hope, be 
 finished by the latter end of May." 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 155 
 
 From the day of its discovery, Rarotonga had shared 
 largely in Mr. Williams's thoughts and anxieties; and, al- 
 though he felt considerable confidence in the native teachers 
 whom he had left there, especially Papeiha, he was well 
 aware that, without European missionaries, the advances of 
 the people in knowledge, civilization and piety would be com- 
 paratively slow and superficial. Under these impressions, he 
 had applied to the Directors soon after its discovery for an ef- 
 ficient laborer ; and, as the deputation seconded this applica- 
 tion, Mr. and Mrs. Pitman were immediately appointed to 
 this new station, and reached Tahiti at the close of 1825. 
 Great was the joy with which Mr. Williams received the in- 
 telligence of their arrival, and he lost no time in giving these 
 fellow-laborers a cordial welcome to the South Seas. With 
 this view, he went immediately to Tahiti ; and shortly after- 
 wards, Mr. and Mrs. P. became inmates of his own family. 
 The first impressions which these strangers received of Ra- 
 iatea and its missionary will be best conveyed to the reader 
 in Mr. Pitman's own words. 
 
 " My acquaintance with our beloved brother," he writes 
 to the author, from Rarotonga, May 19, 1841, " commenced 
 in December, 1825, when, hearing of our arrival at Tahiti, 
 he came to fetch us to remain with him at Raiatea until an 
 opportunity offered of proceeding to our destination. During 
 our residence under his roof, we were treated as part of his 
 family, and most cheerfully did he assist us in everything 
 connected with the great work to which we had devoted our 
 lives. Raiatea was then in its glory, and our souls rejoiced 
 to see the triumphs of the Gospel in that island. Here we 
 were witnesses of the indefatigable labors of our beloved 
 brother, whose whole soul was engaged in the missionary en- 
 terprise. Often, as you may suppose, our conversation turn- 
 ed on the all-important topic of the world's salvation. It was 
 only to start the subject, and a fire was kindled in his heart 
 not easily extinguished. I think I may safely say, nothing 
 occupied more of his thoughts than how he, in conjunction 
 with his brethren, could extend the knowledge of Christ and 
 him crucified to the numerous islands which stud the bosom 
 of the Southern Pacific. Various were his attempts, plans 
 and contrivances, to get a vessel suited to the purpose of vis- 
 iting the islands where he lost his life. ' It appears to me,' 
 said he, ' Pitimani,* to dwell among this handful of people, 
 
 * " He always spoke to me by Tahitianizing my name." 
 
156 LIFE OP THE 
 
 and to confine one's time, talents, and energies to this con- 
 tracted spot, to be throwing one's life away. I cannot en- 
 dure the thought. Tens of thousands perishing in islands not 
 very remote, and to be confined to a solitary island with a 
 few hundred inhabitants ! It grieves me to my very soul. 
 Something must be done ; and if the London Missionary So- 
 ciety cannot do it, it must be sought elsewhere. Had I a 
 ship at my command, not an island in the Pacific but should 
 (God permitting) be visited, and teachers sent to direct the 
 wandering feet of the heathen to happiness — to heaven.' His 
 ardent soul winged its way from island to island, and only 
 wished for means to carry the bread of life to their perishing 
 inhabitants. It was in vain to raise objections. The thing 
 was so clear to his own mind, that he could not for a moment 
 doubt its practicability. He was the very man for the work. 
 His desire was ultimately obtained by the building of the 
 Messenger of Peace at Rarotonga." 
 
 The ardent zeal of Mr. Williams, which so early im- 
 pressed the mind of Mr. Pitman, found no repose, but merely 
 excitement, in his previous successes. Greatly as he rejoiced 
 in what had been done, he was far more deeply affected by 
 what remained undone. This state of mind frequently 
 amounted to uneasiness and anxiety. The dissatisfaction 
 which led him at an earlier stage of his labors to request a 
 removal from Raiatea frequently returned upon him ; and 
 rarely did his thoughts traverse the ocean, and light on dis- 
 tant but still degraded lands, without reviving his former feel- 
 ings. He well knew the cause of the restriction which he 
 deplored ; and, in calmer moments, could not withhold his 
 approbation from the prudential course of the Directors ; but, 
 at other times, and while contemplating the subject through 
 the medium of his own glowing zeal, he could scarcely re- 
 strain his indignation against the economy which, in order to 
 save a few hundreds of pounds annually, would allow the 
 myriads of the heathen, to whom he was anxious to convey 
 the Gospel, to sit and die in darkness. This urged him to 
 write frequently and freely on the great theme of Christian 
 evangelization; and few of his letters are without a reference 
 to the prevailing desire of his heart. Thus, in August, 1826, 
 he writes to the Directors. 
 
 " We have received your communication approving the 
 arrangement made with the deputation for visiting the out- 
 stations ; but it must be recollected that the sum placed at 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 157 
 
 our disposal was intended for a voyage to the Hervey Islands, 
 Rurutu, etc. But new stations will entail new expenses ; 
 and I would enforce on the minds of the Directors the ne- 
 cessity of extending. Here are missionaries laboring within 
 narrow spheres, with thousands on every side waiting ready 
 to receive the Gospel. Fifty native teachers might be ob- 
 tained from our churches. With a trifling additional expense 
 of £500 to =£700 a year, our labors might be extended ten- 
 fold. The Marquesas, Navigators', New Hebrides, New 
 Caledonia, New Guinea, etc., could all be obtained by us. 
 Why cramp us, with all the means, but money, at our com- 
 mand ? Of the islands we have visited, Rurutu, Aitutaki, 
 Rarotonga, etc., it may almost be said, i We came, we saw, 
 we conquered.' And if such success has attended us at those 
 islands, is it not reasonable to expect similar successes at 
 other places ? The general method is, for masters to urge 
 their servants to duty : it is the reverse here. We have to 
 urge you." 
 
 Referring to the same topic, he thus expressed himself in 
 a letter to Mr. Ellis of the same date. " I have written to 
 Mr. Hankey, showing how desirable it is to extend our means 
 of usefulness. We could supply fifty native teachers from 
 our various churches, and extend our labors ten-fold if we 
 had the opportunity. How are we cramped !" 
 
 But anxious as Mr. Williams was to widen the range of his 
 exertions, he was unable to do so until the following year. 
 In the mean time, however, Raiatea reaped the fruit of his 
 continued labors, and was additionally benefited by the valua- 
 ble aid of Mr. and Mrs. Pitman, who relieved him of the su- 
 perintendence of the children's school, and thus enabled him 
 to introduce other plans of usefulness. And this was neces- 
 sary ; for, as the settlement advanced, and the demand for 
 labor was proportionably diminished, its vigilant superinten- 
 dent perceived the importance of devising new expedients to 
 stimulate the industry, and improve the circumstances of the 
 people. With this view, he resolved to learn, that he might 
 be able to teach, the manufacture of rope. Preparatory to 
 this, however, it was requisite to find a substitute for flax, 
 which, though indigenous in New Zealand and some other 
 islands, did not grow at Raiatea. But this was soon discov- 
 ered in the fibrous husk of the cocoa nut, and the stalks of the 
 banana, which proved, after proper preparation, an excellent 
 material for the purpose. Having, therefore, made a winch, 
 14 
 
158 LIFE OF THE 
 
 and other necessary machinery, he soon succeeded ; and as 
 the rope and cordage thus prepared were readily purchased 
 by masters of vessels, and brought an ample remuneration for 
 labor, he was not a little gratified by the result of his experi- 
 ment. How Mr. Williams acquired this knowledge, and 
 constructed the apparatus, we are not informed. The only 
 explanation of this, and similar transactions, must be sought 
 in the inventive power and endless expedients of his active 
 and devoted mind. 
 
 The subjoined letter, written in November, 1826, to his 
 family, presents, with other information, another phase of this 
 remarkable man's labors at Raiatea, and at the same time, 
 will make the reader more familiar with the habits of thought 
 and the amount of Scripture truth prevalent amongst the peo- 
 ple of his charge. Whether discussions, like those of which 
 he has here furnished a specimen, were the best adapted 
 method of instruction for a people in their immature state of 
 knowledge, the reader must judge for himself. If, however, 
 in adopting such a plan, Mr. Williams erred, that error will 
 not be harshly condemned. 
 
 " I have much to say to you, but I scarcely know what to write, 
 for several reasons; especially because there is danger of saying too 
 much, or saying too little. In the first place, I may tell you that we 
 purpose going, for a few months, to Rarotonga, to assist Mr. and Mrs. 
 Pitman in forming a settlement, and arranging the affairs of tbe sta- 
 tion, etc. They are two right-minded missionaries, but weak and 
 delicate. You will be pleased to hear, that we have sent home from 
 our Missionary Society at Raiatea nearly £300. The children's sub- 
 scriptions, for this year only, amounted to £30. The total sent in is 
 for two years. In addition to this, we support our six native teachers 
 at the out-stations. I am inclined to think, that few of your English 
 churches excel us in this respect. 
 
 " I will now give you an account of a meeting which we held last 
 night. It is a specimen of numerous other meetings of the same kind 
 which I have held with the people. The subject of conversation last 
 night was the Divinity of Jesus Christ. The meetings are always 
 opened by prayer. I preside, as a matter of course ; — state the sub- 
 ject for consideration ; — occasionally propose a question, start an ob- 
 jection, or throw out a remark, as circumstances may dictate. The 
 following is an accurate report of what passed last evening : — 
 
 " ' I firmly believe,' said the first speaker, ' that Jesus Christ is God 
 as well as man.' 4 Are you not mistaken ?' was the reply ; ' was not 
 Jesus man and man only ?' ' I believe,' rejoined the first, ' that Je- 
 sus was really man, for he had both the body and soul of man ; but 
 he was God as well as man, for he took on himself the form of man. 
 If he had been only man, he could not have died for sinners.' ' Is 
 not that a proof,' asked another, ' that he is not God ? If God, why 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 159 
 
 die ?' First speaker : ' His dying only proves him to be man ; hi3 
 rising again proves him to be God.' l And if,' added another, * he 
 was only man, why so much ado about his death ? Many have died 
 cruel deaths ; Paul was beheaded, and Peter was crucified, but there 
 is not so much said about their deaths.' ' Ah but,' rejoined another, 
 ' lately Tuihe died among us, and there was a great ado about his 
 death : — what he said, and how happily he died.' ' But stop,' cried 
 one, ' did the sun hide himself in darkness at Tuihe's death, — did the 
 rocks rend at Tuihe's death, — did any exclaim at Tuihe's death, Tru- 
 ly this was the Son of GodV ' But did not Jesus eat food when on 
 earth, and will God eat food ?' « I say,' was the answer, ' he was 
 man as well as God, — therefore did he eat food.' ' Give us some 
 other proof that he was God,' said another. • The various miracles 
 that he wrought,' was the reply. ' But did not Peter and all the 
 apostles work miracles ?' ' Yes, but they did their miracles with bor- 
 rowed power ; and, when they returned, did they not tell Jesus that 
 they did all in his name, and not in their own ; and even that they 
 had cast out devils in his name ?' Another said, ' Is not the star that 
 led the wise men from the East a proof of the Divinity of Jesus ?' 
 « But, if really God, would he have been laid in a manger ?' ' Yes,' 
 said another, 'for did he not humble himself, and lay aside his glory 
 as God ? If he had come in his glory, would not man have exceed- 
 ingly feared ? We know what Moses said.' Another added, ' When 
 Jesus was baptized by John, did not God say from heaven, This is 
 my beloved Son, — did not the Spirit descend upon him, — did not the 
 heavens open ? and what is all this, but proof that he was really God ?' 
 4 But have not others been spoken to from heaven ?' ' Who — who ?' 
 « Paul was addressed from heaven, — Peter was addressed from hea- 
 ven.' • True, but did God say to Paul, Thou art my beloved Son f 
 Another, ' Could any man feed five thousand with a few loaves and 
 fishes ?' Another, ' Angels attended at the birth of Christ : a great 
 company.' ' Angels attended also about John.' ' An angel brought 
 the message to Zacharias, but angels did not attend at his birth, and 
 sing, Glory to God, etc. Another, ' If he had been only man, he 
 would have been in the cave to the present day.' * Don't you know 
 that his disciples stole him away ?' ' Was he stolen ?— that 's a lame 
 tale. If the soldiers were asleep, how could they know he was sto- 
 len ?' • Well, how can you prove that he is gone to heaven ? was he 
 not seen on earth after he rose ? did he not ask meat of his disciples, 
 and converse with them ?' ' Stop, friend,' one replied, ' is it general 
 with dying men to rise again, and go about and ask meat, and con- 
 verse with their friends ?' • You talked about miracles ; does not our 
 missionary cure the lame, the halt, and the blind ?' Answer, * How 
 many people did Jesus bleed, — to whom did he give medicine ? Our 
 missionary cures by giving medicine ; Jesus did so by his voice only.' 
 * Stay, did not Jesus mix clay with spittle, and anoint the eyes of the 
 blind ?' « But is that medicine ? You take clay, or sand, or coral, 
 and anoint the eyes of Taeva, (a blind man,) and see what a miracle 
 you will make of it.' ' Is it a Godlike action to pray ? is there not 
 something un-godlike in praying ?' ' For you, the prayerless, did he 
 pray.' ' How is it that he took other people's corn on the Sabbath- 
 day ?' ' Don't you know that he is Lord of all, — made the sea, and 
 all that is in it, — the earth, and all that is in it ; besides, they were 
 
160 LIFE OF THE 
 
 hungry, and God loves mercy better than sacrifice.' * If he is Lord 
 of all, why beg water of the woman of Samaria?' (Here the thread 
 of the debate was lost for a short time.) 
 
 " Another said, ' he believed he was God, because he said, / and 
 my father are one; and, 7 am Jilpha and Omega; and because the 
 Father addressed him, saying, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and 
 ever ; a sceptre of righteousness, ,' etc. 
 
 " Another believed it, because he fully satisfied the justice of God ; 
 and, when cast off by his father on the cross, yet bore the weight of 
 man's guilt by himself. • He is also,' added this native, ' to judge the 
 world, and must therefore be God.' 
 
 " Another said, ' He himself has promised, Where two or three are 
 met in my name, there am I in the midst of them; and, I icill be with 
 you always, even unto the end of the world. Now how can he fulfil 
 these promises? While we are gathered here to worship and pray, 
 others are gathered in distant lands, some in Britain ; and how can he 
 be with them all if he is not God?' •' 
 
 " [n this account," Mr. Williams adds, " I have given you a fair 
 specimen of these meetings. It is not a selection of the best ; but 
 one which came in course last night, and I thought it would be in- 
 teresting to you. 
 
 " All the other concerns of the station go on as usual. I have just 
 returned from a very fine feast of the children, full four hundred of 
 whom were present. It was occasioned by opening the new school- 
 house. The children walked in procession, with banners, etc. All 
 the girls wore bonnets, and the greater number of them were in 
 mourning for the king's brother, who died lately very happy. Many 
 of them had little gowns, shawls, etc. I never saw the children look 
 so well before. I preached to them, after which they were publicly 
 examined. 
 
 " I have received good news from Rurutu. Mr. Stutchbury will 
 give you an account of what he saw there. I am sorry to say, that 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bourne are about to leave us in consequence of Mrs. 
 B's state of health. Mr. and Mrs. Piatt are at Borabora. We are 
 going to spend a few days with them soon. We are also going to the 
 opening of the chapel at Huahine, which is nearly finished. After 
 this we propose taking a trip to Rurutu and Rarotonga : so you see, 
 we shall be wanderers for a while, but it is all on sacred ground ; all 
 in the midst of the harvest, where there is plenty of work. 
 
 " I'll give your husbands, my dear sisters, a Raiatean cure for a 
 scolding wife. I have a young man at work for me, who is a very 
 good-tempered and a very droll fellow. His wife is very fond of 
 him ; but is, at times, troubled with a terrible itching under the 
 tongue ; and while this lasts, scold she must. The young man listens 
 to the effusions of her anger very patiently, and while she is scolding, 
 he quietly opens the New Testament, and begins to read it aloud. 
 At this, the wife storms out, ' Why does this fellow read the Word of 
 God?' and the husband calmly replies, ' To calm your troubled spirit, 
 my dear, and to support me against the vollies of your wrath, lest my 
 ange should be kindled too.' The loving wife soon perceives that 
 it is of no use for her to scold, so she embraces her husband, smiles 
 at her own folly, and promises in future to regulate her tongue. 
 
 " You must tell my dear father, that our hands are full of the best 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 161 
 
 of work. 1 hope, and trust, and pray, that he is walking worthy of 
 his profession, and honoring his gracious Lord. It is my sincere de- 
 sire and constant prayer, that he and my dear brothers may be brought 
 into Christ's fold. This was also the earnest supplication of our 
 dearest, excellent, and best of mothers ; and, as • the effectual fervent 
 prayer of the righteous availeth much,' who can tell how far it may 
 avail for them? Let us, dear sisters, use our utmost efforts, that the 
 summit of her desires while she was on earth may be accomplished. 
 Oh what a privilege, if a father, mother, and a whole family of sons 
 and daughters, were all washed in the same precious blood !" 
 
 To the details furnished in the preceding letter, it will be 
 necessary only to add the following extracts, in order to com- 
 plete the history of this part of Mr. Williams's life : — 
 
 " It is now ten years since we parted with friends whom we re- 
 member with peculiar affection ; but no regret is felt, that so long a 
 time has been passed in the service of such a Master. On the contra- 
 ry, some pleasure is experienced, when we reflect that we have not 
 labored in vain. The concerns of our station are going on as usual. 
 From four to ten persons are added monthly to our church, and the 
 conduct of the members generally is all that we can expect. 
 
 " We have recently been visited with a dreadful epidemic. Nine 
 or ten people have died. Seven or eight of them, we have reason to 
 believe, died in the Lord. Three were triumphing in Christ Jesus. 
 This has, I trust, been productive of good effects amongst us. One 
 of them, whom I visited several times, was strong in faith, and died 
 rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God. He requested that no 
 means might be used to detain him on earth, as he desired to depart 
 and be with Jesus. He died commending his wife and children to 
 God and to the word of his grace." 
 
 To this Mrs. Williams adds : — 
 
 "My dear John is fully employed. All his spare time is devoted 
 to translating the Scriptures. Several of our people have died. My 
 dear John attended the sick night and day, and was the means of re- 
 covering a great many. 
 
 " Since I last wrote we have been favored with another sweet little 
 boy. We have called him Samuel, and pray that he may be a Sam- 
 uel indeed. He is now* eight months old. Our dear John is at 
 school at Eimeo. This is his second year. It is a great sacrifice to 
 part with him ; but, as it is for his future benefit, we have committed 
 him to the care of the great Preserver. 
 
 " Mr, and Mrs. Pitman are still with us; but they are preparing to 
 leave for Rarotonga, and my dear John proposes that we shall accom- 
 pany them, and assist in the formation of their station. Neither of 
 them enjoys good health, and to enter upon so large a field without 
 assistance would be very trying. They have been with us twelve 
 months, and we feel quite attached to them." 
 
 * November 28, 1826. 
 14* 
 
162 LIFE OF THE 
 
 Some time elapsed, however, after Mr. Williams had form- 
 ed the purpose of accompanying Mr. and Mrs. Pitman, ere 
 they could procure a passage. But the interval was fully oc- 
 cupied, not only with his own charge, but with that of the 
 station at Tahaa, which had been placed under his care by 
 Mr. Bourne, who, compelled by the serious illness of Mrs. B., 
 had left on a visit to the colony. At length, however, in 
 April, 1827, a vessel was engaged, and preparations made for 
 their departure. But this was attended with serious difficul- 
 ties. When Mr. Williams formed the purpose, it was with 
 the confident expectation that his esteemed brother at Tahaa 
 would, to some extent, supply his place ; but, as Mr. Bourne 
 had now sailed, and no other missionary could be induced to 
 leave his own station, Mr. Williams was compelled to entrust 
 the people to the care of Tuahine, a deacon of the church, 
 and a tried and trustworthy man. It was, however, a diffi- 
 cult and responsible position for a native; and, although the 
 individual selected was most suitable for the purpose, the ex- 
 periment was confessedly hazardous. And Mr. Williams 
 knew this. He was well aware that, however efficient such 
 agents may be while under the superintendence of European 
 missionaries, they were generally incompetent to a post which 
 required much wisdom, firmness, and self-reliance. But as 
 there appeared no alternative between leaving Raiatea with 
 a native pastor, and neglecting a long desired opportunity for 
 conveying to other islands the treasures of the Gospel ; and 
 as, moreover, he expected to re-occupy his place in three or 
 four months, he deemed the path of duty plain. 
 
 Some, indeed, might have thought otherwise, and have 
 concluded that Mr. Williams's success at Raiatea should 
 have bound him to the spot. But upon his mind this success 
 produced the very opposite effect. The beneficial changes 
 which had been already effected by his agency were, in his 
 view, merely the first-fruits of a rich harvest yet to be gather- 
 ed out of the ample, but uncultivated fields around him. 
 What God had wrought by him at Raiatea, only confirmed 
 his confidence in the power of the Gospel, and fed his zeal 
 for its wider dissemination. So long, indeed, as causes 
 which he could not control restricted his labors, he deemed 
 his position providential ; and, although he often looked with 
 hope and desire across the blue waves which determined the 
 bounds of his habitation, he nevertheless continued to culti- 
 vate the enclosure around him with diligence and delight. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 163 
 
 At the same time, his ruling passion was constantly prompt- 
 ing him to make an effort to open other doors of faith to the 
 heathen ; and no means were neglected, which were calcula- 
 ted to contribute to the fulfilment of his desire. This was 
 a state of mind which he never sought to conceal, or deemed 
 it necessary to defend ; and its beneficial effects are to be 
 traced throughout the subsequent stages of his history. 
 
164 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 FROM MR. WILLIAMS'S SECOND VOYAGE TO THE 
 HERVEY ISLANDS UNTIL HIS DEPARTURE FOR 
 SAMOA. 
 
 Messrs. Williams and Pitman arrive off Rarotonga — Mr. Williams's 
 Imminent Danger in Landing — Reception by the People — Removal 
 of Settlement — Ludicrous jScene — Early Engagements — Acquisi- 
 tion of the Dialect — Its Peculiarities — Laudable Conduct of the 
 Avaruans — Mr. Williams Accompanies them to their Former Resi- 
 dence — His Object and Plans — The Nature and Importance of his 
 Influence — Unwilling Detention at Rarotonga — Its Beneficial Re- 
 sults — "Messenger of Peace" Built — Evidences of Genius, and Il- 
 lustrations of Character thus supplied — Feelings with which Mr. 
 W. regarded his Vessel — Trials — Kindness of the Natives — Arrival 
 of Mr. and Mrs. Buzacott — Mr. W .{leaves Rarotonga — Hopes Cher- 
 ished and Scene Exhibited at his Departure — Arrives at Tahiti — 
 Letters — Privations and Endurance while at Rarotonga — Returns 
 to Raiatea — Death of his Father — Domestic Trial— Missionary An- 
 niversaries — Their Importance — Interest Imparted to them by Mr. 
 W. — Narrative of a Missionary Voyage by a Deacon to the Out 
 Stations — Mr. W. Sails for Rurutu — Letter to the Directors De- 
 scribing the Events and Results of this Visit — Remarks — Arrival 
 of Ships of War at Raiatea — Reflections upon such Occurrences — 
 The Satellite — Vincennes — Seringapatum — Letter to Rev. Mr. 
 Ellis — To Mrs. Kuck — Hurricane — Return of "The Messenger of 
 Peace" — Prospect of the Samoan Voyage. 
 
 Having hastily completed their preparations for the voyage, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Williams and Mr. and Mrs. Pitman sailed from 
 Raiatea, on the 26th of April ; and on the 5th of May, reach* 
 ed Rarotonga. But the sea was so tempestuous, that they 
 did not attempt to land until the following day, when Mr. 
 Williams experienced one of those perils and preservations, 
 so many of which marked his subsequent history. "It is 
 now," writes Mr. Pitman, " fourteen years, on the 5th of the 
 present month, (May, 1841), that he and I, with our fami- 
 lies, first stepped on Rarotonga : a day never to be forgotten, 
 but which almost proved fatal to him. The sea was running 
 tremendously high ; and, in the act of handing over his infant 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 165 
 
 son, Samuel, he put his foot upon the gunwale of our boat, 
 waiting the rising of the wave to catch hold of his son, when 
 he was impelled forward with violence towards the side of the 
 ship, with the child in his arms. My dear wife, perceiving 
 his danger, caught hold of the skirt of his coat, and, with all 
 her might, pulled him and his son into the boat, or they must 
 have both been crushed to death. Mrs. Williams sitting in 
 the bottom of the boat with her face covered, did not perceive 
 the danger, which may be regarded as a providential circum- 
 stance, for had she seen it, and made an effort to rescue him, 
 I see no possibility of saving the boat from being upset." 
 
 The report of Mr. Williams's arrival off the island had 
 been widely spread on the day previous to his landing, and 
 had attracted to the beach an immense assemblage anxious 
 to see and welcome the man who first brought to them the 
 Gospel. As soon, therefore, as they leaped on shore, they 
 were surrounded by the multitude, who would not permit 
 them to pass, without having severally exchanged the English 
 mode of salutation ; and as with this new custom, they had, 
 unfortunately for their visitors, received the opinion, that the 
 strength of the squeeze, and the violence of the shake, were 
 the orthodox standards of sincerity, Mr. Williams's hand at 
 least was in no danger, for some time afterwards, of losing the 
 impression. 
 
 " On the Wednesday after our arrival," Mr. Pitman writes, 
 " we attended service at the chapel, which was completely 
 crowded. Tiberio, the native teacher, preached. To me it 
 was a pleasing sight. To witness so large a building, 
 crowded with people who but recently were pagans, now lis- 
 tening to the word of God from the lips of a native teacher of 
 another island, produced feelings not easily described. Who 
 could fail to exclaim, ' What hath God wrought !' Who could 
 restrain the prayer, ' O thou great head of the church, begin 
 and carry on thy regenerating, sanctifying work in the hearts 
 of this long neglected people V " 
 
 In the following week, in conformity with a resolution 
 passed prior to the arrival of the missionaries, the people all 
 removed from Avarua to Gnatangeia, another district a few 
 miles distant. The ludicrous scene then witnessed greatly 
 delighted Mr. Williams, than whom few men were more 
 keenly alive to the humorous ; and surely if ever there was 
 " a time to laugh," it 'was when, from the elevation of " Her- 
 culean shoulders delighted with their occupation," he saw 
 
166 LIFE OF THE 
 
 hundreds of natives, full of glee and gladness, wading through 
 roads almost impassable, " one carrying the tea-kettle, another 
 the frying-pan, some a box, others a bed-post ;" many of them 
 holding their precious burdens high in the air, to challenge 
 universal admiration ; and the king himself specially enam- 
 ored with an article of earthenware not to be described, and 
 bearing it with an air of supreme satisfaction, and without the 
 smallest damage to his royal dignity, by the side of the mis- 
 sionary. Thus did this motley, and matchless multitude pur- 
 sue their journey ; until, exhausted with talking and laughter, 
 Mr. W. found himself well disposed to seek repose, as soon 
 as they had reached their destination. But, on the next morn- 
 ing, serious occupation became the order of the day. No 
 time was lost. No sooner had he found a fulcrum for his lever, 
 than he began to exert it in elevating the people. He knew 
 not how soon he might leave them, and, therefore, resolved 
 to do his utmost without delay. 
 
 In accordance with this determination, a public meeting 
 was forthwith convened, when it was resolved that their first 
 and best endeavors should be devoted to the erection of a 
 house for God. No tedious forms or useless discussions in- 
 tervened between the purpose and the performance ; for, on 
 the next day, the whole settlement was in motion ; and, with- 
 in a week, sufficient timber for the building had been hewn, 
 and brought to the spot. " It produced," says Mr. Pitman, 
 "pleasing sensations in my mind to see such numbers of 
 people, laboring for so good a purpose, with their chiefs at 
 their head. While we were fixing the rafters, the chiefs ex- 
 pressed a wish that two of their varua kinos, (evil spirits) 
 might be stripped of their cloth to wrap around, or ornament 
 them. To this we agreed ; and, as the natives were bringing 
 the ' evil spirits ' from their deserted settlement, I said to one 
 of the chiefs, ' Behold the gods you formerly worshipped !' 
 ' Yes,' he replied, ' we were in darkness then.' Surely the 
 prince of darkness must have gnashed his teeth at such a 
 sight !" 
 
 In seven weeks from its commencement, the chapel was 
 completed. It was substantially built, and very commodi- 
 ous. " And the work," writes Mr. Pitman, " was finished 
 in a manner far superior to anything I could have expected, 
 considering that five years ago the people of this island knew 
 not the use of axe or plane, but were rude, uncivilized beings." 
 
 While the chapel was being erected, Mr. Williams not on- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 167 
 
 ly wrought with his own hands, but, by conversing with the 
 people, speedily acquired their dialect. This, indeed, was 
 radically the same as the Tahitian, with which he was nearly 
 as familiar as a native ; but its peculiarities were numerous, 
 and its pronunciation difficult. This, of course, at first ren- 
 dered intercourse unsatisfactory, and preaching, to some ex- 
 tent, unintelligible. It also prevented the Rarotongans from 
 learning to read with ease, as all the books they then pos- 
 sessed were in Tahitian. One or two examples of the differ- 
 ence between the dialects, may serve to show the preliminary 
 difficulty which Mr. Williams was compelled to master at this 
 period. 
 
 The Tahitian words abounded with breaks, which are sup- 
 plied in the Rarotongan with k and gn. Thus, mcC a, the 
 Tahitian for " food," becomes ma-gna in the Rarotongan ; 
 and maV tai, " good," is converted into maitaki. As, more- 
 over, the natives of the Hervey Islands cannot articulate the h 
 and thef, these letters never occur in their own tongue ; and 
 the difference thus caused between many Tahitian words, 
 and their synonymes in Rarotongan, will appear in the two fol- 
 lowing examples : — The Tahitian for " humble " is ha! aha' a. 
 Here are two A's to be dropped, and two hiatuses to be sup- 
 plied ; and when this is done, the word is transformed into 
 akaaka. By observing the same rules, and substituting a for/, 
 fdi becomes in the Rarotongan, aaki. And these peculiari- 
 ties were rendered the more difficult to a foreigner, from their 
 remarkable pronunciation. But such impediments did not 
 long hinder Mr. Williams from the attainment of his object. 
 By the force of a mind more than usually ardent, and by 
 means of unremitting application, " in a short time," writes 
 his fellow-laborer, " he was able to preach to the people ;" 
 and as it was found extremely difficult to teach them to read 
 the Tahitian books, he prepared others, and translated the 
 Gospel by John, and the Epistle to the Galatians in their own 
 tongue. 
 
 As soon as the chapel was completed, Messrs. Williams 
 and Pitman distributed the baptized, and those who were can- 
 didates for baptism, into twenty-three classes ; each contain- 
 ing from twenty-five to twenty-eight households. Two of the 
 most serious and intelligent natives were appointed over each 
 class, to secure their regular attendance upon the catechetical 
 instructions of the missionaries. In these and numerous 
 other labors of love, Mr. Williams was occupied nearly three 
 
168 LIFE OF THE 
 
 months at Gnatangeia ; and, during this brief but busy pe- 
 riod, a large chapel had been erected, and several plans for 
 the social and spiritual improvement of the people brought 
 into operation. And these useful efforts were gratefully re- 
 garded and properly appreciated by the natives. This was 
 strikingly seen in one circumstance. It will be remembered, 
 that shortly after Mr. Williams's arrival at Avarua, he re- 
 moved, with the inhabitants of that district, to Gnatangeia. 
 Here the Avaruans had remained for nearly three months ; 
 but as no food could be obtained, except from their own farms, 
 they were compelled frequently to revisit them ; and thus, so 
 serious an amount of time and labor was consumed, that no- 
 thing but extreme anxiety to be near the missionaries would 
 have detained these visitors a week at Gnatangeia. But greatly 
 as they felt the disadvantages of their position, they endured 
 them without a murmur, until the chapel had been completed, 
 and the other buildings were far advanced. At length, how- 
 ever, they began to express their anxiety to return, and to 
 discover some signs of impatience ; but, even now, they would 
 not decide upon a course which they so ardently desired, ex- 
 cept on the condition, that Mr. Williams, for whose person 
 they had already conceived a strong attachment, and the 
 value of whose assistance was self-evident, would accompany 
 them, and effect as much for their own settlement as he had 
 done for Gnatangeia. A wish so natural from a people so 
 deserving, was not to be disregarded ; and, as Mr. Pitman 
 had now mastered the language sufficiently to be able to carry 
 on the course of instruction so auspiciously commenced, Mr. 
 Williams acceded to their solicitation. The announcement 
 of his determination diffused the highest delight amongst the 
 Avaruans ; and it was so obviously equitable, that their breth- 
 ren, much as they desired to retain him, could not complain 
 of his removal. Accordingly, on the 30th of July, he left 
 Gnatangeia, and from this time, until his departure, continued 
 to reside at Avarua. 
 
 On returning to the old settlement, everything was found 
 in the utmost disorder. The houses were dilapidated ; the 
 fences destroyed ; the fields and gardens overgrown. But, 
 directed by the skill, and quickened by the example of their 
 energetic superintendent, the Avaruans soon restored their 
 dwellings ; cleared, enclosed, and cultivated their land ; pre- 
 pared the house of God for worship ; and thus commenced 
 that rapid and remarkable course of improvement, which has 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 
 
 conducted this people to their present most interesting, and, 
 in both a social and religious point of view, very advanced 
 position. 
 
 The powerful lever which raised the Rarotongans to the 
 elevation they soon attained, was the same by which Mr. Wil- 
 liams had wrought so effectually at Raiatea. It was " the 
 mighty Gospel." " This," he writes to the Directors, " has 
 been preached to the people here almost daily ever since our 
 arrival, and their attention is very great. Immediately after 
 each service, our house is crowded with inquirers." Such 
 excitement was just the state of mind which he had en- 
 deavored to produce; and, availing himself of it, he began to 
 clear the moral waste of the thick growth of evils which had 
 so long infested it, and to prepare the way for improvement 
 upon a large scale. One of his early attempts was to con- 
 vince all classes of the pernicious character and consequences 
 of many of their social customs, which he boldly recommend- 
 ed them to abandon. But the establishment of laws, and 
 their attendant liberties, the beneficial results of which he had 
 seen elsewhere, was the object which he deemed, next to the 
 promulgation of the Gospel, of primary importance to the 
 progress of society. With this design, he translated the Ra- 
 iatean code, and, in conversation with the chiefs, explained 
 to them its provisions, their justice, and their utility. In this 
 way he made so strong an impression upon many, in favor of 
 the proposed innovation, that he ventured to recommend the 
 adoption of the entire code. And the result proved that he 
 had not miscalculated his influence. All to whom his views 
 were communicated, acquiesced in them, and became the 
 voluntary agents of their own social renovation. But the ad- 
 vance thus made must not be ascribed to any very enlightened 
 or elevated apprehensions on the part of those who promoted 
 it. Few of them fully appreciated its character, or foresaw 
 all its consequences. There were, indeed, individuals who 
 gave an intelligent assent to the change ; but attachment to 
 the missionary, and confidence in his wisdom, exerted a much 
 more powerful influence upon their decision, than any other 
 motives. And when the previous circumstances of the peo- 
 ple are considered, and it is recollected that the supremacy of 
 law would divest the chiefs of their most valued prerogatives, 
 abolish polygamy, protect property, destroy despotism, and 
 punish with heavy penalties crimes which had grown into 
 customs, it must awaken wonder that any stranger could, in 
 
 15 
 
170 LIFE OF THE 
 
 so short a time, and by. moral means alone, have acquired 
 sufficient influence to effect so extensive a revolution. And 
 what may reasonably increase our surprise, is the circum- 
 stance that, unlike the majority of great and sudden changes, 
 this should have proved so permanent, that the code of Wil- 
 liams continues to be the law of Rarotonga. 
 
 This event does more than demonstrate the efficiency and 
 value of Christian missions. It connects itself closely with 
 the history of the man, through whose agency this great 
 social improvement was effected. It has been seen in previ- 
 ous portions of his life, but in none more clearly than during 
 his stay at Rarotonga, that He who sent forth John Williams 
 to Polynesia, had peculiarly qualified him to exert a benefi- 
 cial influence over its untutored tribes. At first, indeed, 
 none of them could appreciate the sublime inducements 
 which had drawn him to their secluded shores ; nor did they 
 discern the noblest features of his character. But there 
 were other excellencies in Mr. Williams, which, though not 
 merely superficial, presented themselves so obviously upon 
 the surface of his procedure, as at once to interest those with 
 whom he came in contact. His simplicity, cheerfulness, and 
 courtesy, his pleasant words and useful deeds, won immedi- 
 ately upon all classes, and sufficed, from the very commence- 
 ment of his labors, to secure their compliance with his sug- 
 gestions, long before his ultimate and spiritual designs could 
 be properly understood. And this personal influence was 
 the fulcrum upon which he placed his lever. Nor were the 
 methods by which he maintained and increased his useful 
 power less to be admired than his motives. Although he 
 relied firmly upon the public proclamation of Divine truth, 
 and " so spake that a great multitude believed," he effected 
 as much, and, in the early stages of a mission, even more, by 
 private, than by pulpit instruction. Both from principle and 
 inclination, he cultivated the most unreserved and familiar 
 intercourse with the natives, and omitted few opportunities 
 of conveying to them important information. Often, while 
 working with his hands, did an inquisitive and wondering 
 crowd watch his movements, and hang upon his lips ; and 
 much as they were interested in what they saw, they were 
 frequently even more so by what they heard. But, although 
 through the busy hours of the day, Mr. Williams was thus 
 occupied, with scarcely a moment's remission, his chosen 
 time for conversation was when the shadows of evening com- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 171 
 
 pelled him to suspend his more active engagements. Then, 
 sometimes on the shore, at others in the garden, but more 
 generally within his dwelling, he continued to teach the cap- 
 tivated listeners, who, without evincing a sign of weariness, 
 would often remain until midnight, or beyond it, while he 
 answered their inquiries, resolved their difficulties, and stored 
 their minds with various knowledge. It was at these seasons, 
 and by such methods, that he confirmed his own influence, 
 and prepared both chiefs and people for the important chan- 
 ges which he was anxious to introduce. 
 
 But, however usefully employed, Mr. Williams had not 
 been long at Avarua, before he began to think with some 
 anxiety of Raiatea. When he left that island, it will be 
 recollected that he intended, within a short time, to resume 
 his labors there. But this design was frustrated; for no 
 opportunity to return had as yet been presented. He who 
 has " fixed the bounds of our habitations" detained him at 
 Rarotonga. Month succeeded to month, but not a ship ap- 
 proached its shores. With constantly increasing anxiety did 
 the eye of the Missionary, as each morning dawned, and often 
 through the day, sweep the horizon in quest of a sail. But 
 every search only brought disappointment. The secluded 
 spot which detained him a prisoner, was then scarcely known, 
 and seldom visited, and these considerations, together with 
 hope long deferred, at length destroyed all expectation of 
 obtaining a passage to Raiatea. But it was well for Raro- 
 tonga, and for other lands of darkness, that it was not 4< ac- 
 cording to his mind ;" for, had he been permitted to return, 
 the probability is, that " The Messenger of Peace" would 
 never have been built, and that his design to convey the Gos- 
 pel to more distant shores must have remained unaccom- 
 plished. At length, however, a ship did arrive, but, happily, 
 she came too late, for he had now advanced far in building 
 a vessel for himself. All, therefore, that he could do, was 
 to forward by her, the following hastily-written letter to his 
 friend Mr. Ellis. 
 
 " Rarotonga, Nov. 22, 1827. 
 
 " Very Dear Brother Ellis, 
 
 " A whaler, bound for America, has unexpectedly called, and is off 
 again immediately; but thinking that this may reach you, before I 
 can write from the Society Islands, I hastily take up my pen to thank 
 you for your very kind and interesting epistle. 
 
 " We have now been at Rarotonga seven months ; and, since we 
 arrived here, I have been fully employed. We have erected a large 
 
172 LIFE OF THE 
 
 and superior place of worship, and I have translated the laws, with 
 modifications and additions. These have now been established ; and 
 peace and good-will prevail throughout the island. I have also pre- 
 pared a very long account of the island, gods, introduction of Chris- 
 tianity, etc., and have translated the Epistles to the Hebrews and 
 Galatians, with the Gospel by John. These 1 shall send home by 
 the first opportunity, with my grammars of the Tahitian and of the 
 Rarotongan, which contain remarks on the New Zealand. 
 
 "In consequence of the very numerous inconveniences of visiting 
 in other vessels, I had determined, on my return to Raiatea, to build 
 a small vessel for this purpose ; but Makea and the other chiefs re- 
 quested me to build her here. This I have done. She is built en- 
 tirely of tamanu, and about fifty or sixty tons, quite sharp. We have 
 been three months about her, and intend to launch her next week, 
 and start for Raiatea. I call her "The Messenger of Peace." My 
 first projected voyage is to take not less than twelve native teachers 
 to different islands, go to the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, etc. Jf 
 you can incline the Directors to give me copper for her, I shall be 
 obliged. * * You will be pleased to hear of the gradual progress of the 
 work at Rarotonga. The females are vastly improved, and Scriptu- 
 ral knowledge is spreading fast. I have not time to give you any 
 particulars, as the captain is walking up and down waiting for the 
 letter. I am very happy indeed to hear that you are so usefully 
 employed at home. Mrs. W. and myself are deeply grieved at the 
 severe and protracted sufferings of dear Mrs. Ellis. We continually 
 remember you at a throne of grace. Oh ! how sincerely do I regret 
 your absence, how gladly would I labor with you anywhere. 
 
 " Tinomana, who is the king of all the south-west district, was one 
 of the first to destroy his idols. His attachment to the word is very 
 great, and his conduct altogether consistent. The attention of the 
 people to preaching is remarkable. Our congregation on the Sabbath 
 is seldom less than 2000. When we were all together at the new 
 settlement, I have seen assembled between 4000 and 5000. I will 
 write very fully by the next opportunity. 
 
 " Believe me, etc., 
 
 "J. Williams." 
 
 The building of" The Messenger of Peace," referred to in 
 the preceding letter, was one of the most remarkable inci- 
 dents in the life of Mr. Williams, and supplies illustrations 
 of his character too important to be overlooked. In many 
 other points, his course at Rarotonga corresponded with that 
 which he pursued at Raiatea. But the triumph over diffi- 
 culties, which was achieved while constructing this ship, had 
 no parallel in his previous history. It has been frequently 
 said that his own " Narrative of Missionary Enterprises," is 
 invested with all the romantic interest which belongs to the 
 fictitious " Adventures of Robinson Crusoe," with the addi- 
 tional power derived from its truth. But it must be confessed 
 that the portion of this work which describes the building of 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 173 
 
 his ship, possesses a fascination altogether peculiar. It stands 
 alone, not only amidst the sober records of fact, but even 
 amongst the creations of fancy. Defoe never ascribed to the 
 hero of his romance any achievement so wonderful. The 
 imagination of that graphic delineator was chastened and 
 controlled by too sound a judgment, and he paid too strict 
 a regard to the semblance of truth, to venture to disturb the 
 credulity of his readers by any invention so improbable. It 
 is not, therefore, surprising that some scepticism should have 
 been manifested on the subject, and that, on rising from the 
 perusal of this marvellous tale, individuals should have ex- 
 claimed — " How can these things be ?" Mr. Williams him- 
 self met with such doubters while in this country. When din- 
 ing on one occasion with a party of naval gentlemen, some of 
 whom were in high rank and station, a captain present turned 
 to him, and, with all the frankness which characterizes and 
 commends his class, said, " Well, Mr. Williams, I and seve- 
 ral of my naval friends have read your book ; and, if you will 
 allow me to be candid, I may tell you, that we can receive it 
 all except that story about the building of a ship ; but this 
 really exceeds our belief." "lam very glad, Sir," replied 
 Mr. W., " that you have expressed your doubt novv, because 
 
 here is Captain , who was at Raiatea shortly after ' The 
 
 Messenger of Peace' arrived there, and to whom therefore I 
 shall refer you for information respecting her." The honor- 
 able and estimable officer to whom this appeal was made, then 
 described the vessel, and gave such details respecting her as 
 entirely removed the incredulity of the inquirer, and deeply 
 interested the whole company. 
 
 Clearly as the matchless contrivances which enabled Mr. 
 Williams to accomplish his object exhibit his genius and en- 
 ergy, there was nothing, throughout the progress of the work, 
 so remarkable as its original conception. This was entirely 
 his own, and it indicates a consciousness of power and re- 
 sources, which few other men could have entertained without 
 exposing themselves to the charge of insufferable conceit and 
 folly. For who, save himself, would have deemed such a 
 work, in such a situation, possible ? Had we seen him at 
 Rarotonga, and, without knowing the man, heard him avow 
 his design, who would not have condemned it as one of the 
 wildest and most impracticable dreams that had ever beguiled 
 a disordered imagination? For what was it? It was to 
 build a ship without the knowledge of the art, without the 
 15* 
 
174 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 implements essential to the undertaking, without the aid 
 of a single artificer, and even without the requisite mate- 
 rials. When he formed this purpose, he did it with the full 
 foreknowledge that, in order to its accomplishment, he would 
 be compelled not only to invent some things, but almost to 
 create others, (for may not his new combinations truly bear 
 this name ?) and all this, moreover, by the aid of a people 
 whom it would be necessary to teach, before he could employ. 
 What, then, must have been the skill and self-reliance of the 
 man who, in these unfavorable circumstances, could form 
 and execute the design which he has thus described? — " Af- 
 ter some deliberation, I determined to attempt to build a ves- 
 sel ; and although I knew little of ship-building, had scarcely 
 any tools to work with, and the natives were wholly unac- 
 quainted with mechanical arts, I succeeded, in about three 
 months, in completing a vessel between seventy and eighty 
 tons burden." 
 
 Of the various expedients by which Mr. Williams supplied 
 the deficiencies and surmounted the difficulties of his position, 
 that which, perhaps, has been regarded with the most lively 
 interest was his novel substitute for a pair of bellows. This 
 contrivance was perfectly original. It was not, however, a 
 happy guess, but the result of reasoning. " It struck me," he 
 observes, " that as a pump threw water, a machine construct- 
 ed upon the same principle must, of necessity, throw wind." 
 Acting, therefore, upon this new suggestion, he constructed 
 his new " air-pump." But although to him this contrivance 
 was new, he subsequently ascertained that he was not its sole 
 inventor ; for, during a missionary tour in our manufacturing 
 districts, he discovered with surprise and delight a similar 
 machine in use there, and learned that it was deemed supe- 
 rior to the bellows. The history of this " wind instrument" 
 he was unable to trace : but its adoption, as an improvement 
 upon the ordinary mode, by those who could command the best 
 contrivances of mechanical skill, was sufficient evidence of 
 his inventive power. 
 
 But the exemplification of Mr. Williams's genius will be 
 found, not so much in any single invention, as in the circum- 
 stance, that it proved equal to every exigency, and enabled 
 him to answer every demand. "None but a Williams," 
 writes Mr. Pitman, " would have attempted such a thing as 
 to commence building a vessel, and not have wherewith to 
 build her. I have often been amazed to astonishment to see 
 with what coolness he met the difficulties as they successively 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 175 
 
 arose in his undertaking." The cordage, the sails, the sub- 
 stitutes for nails, oakum, pitch and paint, the anchors and 
 pintles of the rudder, made from a pick-axe, an adze and a 
 hoe, are all striking illustrations of this remark. Nor should 
 the fact be overlooked that, within the same limited period, 
 Mr. Williams constructed the lathe which turned the sheaves 
 of the blocks, the machinery which spun the ropes and cor- 
 dage, the forge and its furniture, as well as all the numerous 
 smaller tools required by himself and his native assistants in 
 this remarkable undertaking. 
 
 Of the extraordinary skill which he had discovered, in 
 bringing his work to a successful termination, he could not 
 have been unaware at the time ; but yet it is worthy of re- 
 mark, as characteristic of the man, that the subjoined short 
 extract, from a letter written to Mr. Ellis a few weeks after 
 "The Messenger of Peace" had been launched, contains the 
 only reference to this memorable achievement which can be 
 found in Mr. Williams's correspondence : — " I have built a 
 little vessel of between sixty and seventy tons for missionary 
 purposes. She was not four months in hand, from the time 
 we cut the keel until she was in the water. I had everything 
 to make, my bellows, forge, lathe, and all the iron work, out 
 of old axes, iron hoops, etc. ; but I cannot enlarge on my nu- 
 merous manoeuvres to overcome difficulties, though they 
 would be interesting to you no doubt. Suffice it to say she 
 is finished !" Nor during his stay in this country, would 
 "the ship story" have been so frequently repeated, had he 
 not discovered its interest by the acclamation with which it 
 was everywhere hailed. To him it appeared little more than 
 a cheerful tale ; and the writer of these pages can testify that, 
 had he been allowed to pursue his own plan, the " Missiona- 
 ry Enterprises" would have contained nothing beyond a brief 
 and passing notice of this transaction, instead of the full and 
 interesting narrative by which its pages are now enriched. 
 
 These comments, however, would be incomplete, were the 
 circumstances in which "The Messenger of Peace" origi- 
 nated, and the motives of her builder passed over in silence. 
 His desire to return to Raiatea, without doubt, had its influ- 
 ence upon this undertaking. But this desire was not the pri- 
 mary or the most powerful cause. That cause must be sought 
 in principles and purposes far higher than those of temporary 
 convenience, or personal gratification. Many previous pa- 
 ges of this volume have been illuminated by the intense glow 
 
176 LIFE OP THE 
 
 of sacred zeal for the wider triumphs of Christian truth which 
 fired Mr. Williams's soul, fell in M words that burn" from his 
 lips, and radiated its light throughout his correspondence. 
 But until now, his ardent hope had been deferred, and his 
 various efforts for the realization of his grand object vain. 
 The Directors were unwilling, and he was unable, to provide 
 the means by which to reach those distant lands, in whose 
 evangelization he felt so deep an interest. Often before he 
 had left Raiatea, had his mind been kept on the stretch, 
 while considering the various devices which appeared to 
 promise the end he desired ; and more than once he had en- 
 tertained the project of building a ship. Of this Mrs. Wil- 
 liams was aware ; and knowing as she did that difficulties 
 could rarely frustrate a design upon which his soul had been 
 once centered, and suffering severely at the time from dis- 
 ease, she expressed to him her fixed aversion to a voyage so 
 long and perilous as that which he proposed to undertake. 
 To resist the wishes of one so greatly beloved, upon a point 
 of so much importance to her happiness and health, would 
 have done violence both to his convictions and his feelings. 
 He, therefore, yielded to her request ; deferred the subject 
 until a more propitious season, and endeavored to chastise his 
 ardor into submission. But while at Rarotonga, this difficul- 
 ty was removed. By an act of Christian principle, as noble 
 as her previous resistance was natural, Mrs. Williams most 
 unexpectedly, and without solicitation, gave her frank and 
 generous consent to the enterprise which, although he had 
 been long silent respecting it, she well knew largely occupied 
 her husband's thoughts, and was like a fire shut up in his 
 heart. At once he exclaimed — " This is the finger of God !" 
 The strong current of his zeal, hitherto pent up, now flowed 
 forth in an unobstructed channel ; and by the sudden remov- 
 al of a force which had so long repressed his efforts, his elas- 
 tic powers rose with almost preternatual energy high above 
 their ordinary level. 
 
 In this state of mind, Mr. Williams did not lose much time 
 in deliberation. Convinced that the only means of reaching 
 the distant islands of the west was to build a ship, he resolved 
 to make the attempt. Hence it is evident that in his Chris- 
 tian devotedness this work originated. And by the same sa- 
 cred impulse he was sustained and borne onward to its ac- 
 complishment. Had his zeal been less ardent, the unparal- 
 leled difficulties of his position would have either deterred 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 177 
 
 him from undertaking the work, or left his mind without that 
 high pressure which was essential to enable him in so short a 
 time to bring it to a completion. " The Messenger of Peace," 
 therefore, was no less the evidence of his fervid piety than of 
 his matchless skill. 
 
 With what feelings Mr. Williams surveyed his ship after he 
 had finished her, we may learn from his letters. These con- 
 tain copious references to the subject, but they are all in 
 one strain. The only paragraph in which he distinctly al- 
 ludes to the marvellous means by which he had attained his 
 object, has been cited ; in all the others, he speaks singly of 
 the end which so largely engaged his heart. And these are 
 full of the fresh and forcible utterances of sacred joy, and 
 triumph, and hope. And how natural was this, now that 
 the bright, but hitherto illusory vision of other lands visited 
 and conquered for Christ, which had so often kindled and 
 captivated his heart, was about to be realized. A missionary 
 ship had been obtained, and she was his own. " My ship," 
 he writes to Mr. Ellis, immediately after leaving Rarotonga, 
 " is about to convey Mr. Pritchard and Simpson to the Mar- 
 quesas ; after which, I purpose taking a thorough route, and 
 carrying as many teachers as I can get, down through all the 
 Navigators', Figis, New Hebrides, New Caledonia, etc. I 
 trust that, having the means now in our hands, we shall speed- 
 ily extend our missions far and wide, and that you will soon 
 hear of a change in the Navigators'. The Lord has blessed 
 our labors in every direction ; and I trust that what has been 
 done is only an earnest of what will be done, and as the first 
 drops of abundance in rain. I shall write to the Directors, 
 and to Messrs. James and East for their assistance. My 
 hands, my head, and my heart are more full of missionary 
 work than ever. My grasp is great and extensive, and the 
 prospect of success encouraging. I'll get help from my breth- 
 ren, if I can ; if not, nothing shall deter me ; I will work 
 single-handed. If Pritchard does not succeed at the Marque- 
 sas, which I fear will not be the case, he will accompany me. 
 He is a warm, open-hearted, fine fellow. We have heard 
 that Mrs. Ellis is recovering. Is it possible? How delight- 
 ed should I be, were you to come out again." 
 
 In a similar strain, — a strain which indicates most pleas- 
 ingly the singleness of his purpose, no less than the ardor of 
 his zeal, — he thus writes to the Directors : — " I now propose 
 to visit all the islands between this and New Caledonia, and 
 
178 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 to carry as many native teachers as we can ; and I earnestly 
 solicit your aid, by sending articles suitable for my voyage, 
 and which are specified below. I hope and trust you will 
 attend immediately to our request. The field is large — the 
 opportunity favorable. I have employed a captain, who is 
 well acquainted with the people of the different islands. I 
 hope that, on no account, the opportunity will be neglected. 
 The prospect of usefulness is great, and the expense trifling. 
 I shall set my people to work immediately in preparing mats, 
 cloth, bonnets, etc., for the expedition, and you will be the 
 only cause of delay. Excuse the freedom with which I write, 
 but the importance of the subject demands it. My head, 
 my hands, and, I trust, my heart, are fuller than ever of mis- 
 sionary work. The Lord has blessed us hitherto in every 
 direction whither we have turned. I have the pleasure of 
 looking round upon ten thousand people to whom the Lord 
 has been pleased to communicate his Gospel, through my in- 
 strumentality ; but I am not content yet. I wish to do more, 
 much more ; and now have, by real hard labor, and a good 
 deal of expense, obtained the means in my own hands, to ac- 
 complish an object which has been near my heart for many 
 years. My dear Mrs. Williams was, for some time, one ob- 
 stacle in rny way, and the expense was another ; as no ves- 
 sel would go the round I proposed, under .£400 or <£500. 
 But I have removed the latter difficulty, and God has in- 
 clined the heart of rny dear wife to remove the former. Thus, 
 every difficulty has disappeared, and we now only wait for 
 supplies to enable us to go forth to the work." 
 
 But clouds will arise on the brightest sky ; and Mr. Wil- 
 liams was called while at Rarotonga, amidst manifest tokens 
 for good, to suffer a series of trials which painfully oppressed 
 his mind. The first of these was a dreadful pestilence which, 
 not long after his arrival, swept over the island with fatal ef- 
 fect. This the missionaries did their utmost to counteract ; 
 but as they were ignorant of the seat of the malady, or the 
 means of cure, their efforts were productive of but partial 
 benefit; and in a short time, their little stock of medicines 
 was exhausted. Still, however, the people flocked to them ; 
 but all they could do was to direct the sufferers to the Great 
 Physician ; and to survey, with unavailing sorrow and silent 
 submission, the dead and dying around them. About the 
 same time, the evil tidings reached Mr. Williams, that the 
 teachers at Rurutu had disagreed, and created a prejudice 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 179 
 
 there against the Gospel, which rendered their removal neces- 
 sary. His afflictions were further augmented by the intelli- 
 gence, that four boats, two of which belonged to himself, had 
 been driven out of their course, in returning from Aitutaki ; 
 and it was feared, from the state of the wind at the time, that 
 their crews, amounting to seventy-six souls, must have per- 
 ished. Raiatea was also a cause of deep and increasing anx- 
 iety. He had now been severed from his flock much longer 
 than was anticipated ; and, although God had greatly pros- 
 pered him at Rarotonga, he was much concerned for his own 
 interesting charge. This concern was increased by the in- 
 formation received towards the termination of his exile, that 
 Tuahine, the valuable deacon whom he left as his locum te- 
 nens, had died ; that subsequently the people had disagreed, 
 and that, in consequence, the affairs of the settlement had 
 become deranged. On these accounts, he now ardently de- 
 sired to return to Raiatea, and the more so, as Mrs. Williams 
 was suffering severely from the great privations she had been 
 compelled to endure, where flour, and other kinds of Euro- 
 pean food to which she had been accustomed, could not be 
 procured. Under these circumstances, he writes to the Di- 
 rectors from this island, but the letter is without a date : — 
 " My grief is great, and my perplexity still greater." 
 
 But the termination of these trials was at hand. When 
 " The Messenger of Peace " was launched, hope and de- 
 liverance visited the exiled family. After an experimental trip 
 to Aitutaki, the interesting narrative of which has been al- 
 ready published, and which satisfied Mr. Williams that his 
 rudely-built vessel was sea-worthy, he returned to Rarotonga, 
 where a smiling welcome awaited him. Without the most 
 distant intimation of their purpose, the affectionate natives 
 had resolved to convert the plot of ground in front of his 
 dwelling, upon which he had built his ship, into a garden ; so 
 that on reaching the shore, he beheld with amazement this 
 evidence of their considerate regard to his person and his 
 comfort : for they had literally " not left a chip against which 
 he could strike his foot." " And the kind people," he remarks, 
 " appeared amply rewarded by observing the pleasure which 
 their work afforded • us." And were these the same beings 
 who, five years before, stripped, plundered, and would have 
 murdered the teachers 1 Was it possible that such a people 
 could ever have been treacherous, fierce, cruel, and cannibal? 
 Yes ! they were the same. But oh ! how changed ! What 
 
 f UH I V B ,-R SI T Y i 
 
180 LIFE OF THE 
 
 an evidence of the benign influence and transforming power 
 of the Gospel ! 
 
 Shortly after Mr. Williams's return, in February, 1828, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Buzacott arrived at Rarotonga. By this op- 
 portune event, Mr. Williams's path was cleared of the only 
 remaining difficulty in the way of his return to Raiatea ; for 
 he could now leave the infant society at Avarua, with the full 
 assurance that the fruits of his labors there would be fostered 
 and matured, by the care and culture of his successor. Hav- 
 ing, therefore, superintended the erection of a new mission- 
 house, and strengthened his ship by the free use of iron, 
 brought by Mr. Buzacott, he bade farewell to Rarotonga. 
 The frame of mind in which he departed, is thus described 
 by Mr. Pitman : — " When we accompanied him to the sea- 
 shore, he took me and my wife by the hand, saying, * Piti- 
 mani ! The Lord be with you both. In three months expect 
 to see me again, with thirty native missionaries, to commence 
 the work of evangelization among the groups of islands which 
 have not yet been visited with the blessings of the Gospel.' 
 When I intimated that he was too sanguine, he replied, 
 * They are to be obtained. You will see !' " But the feel- 
 ings of the Rarotongans, equally with his own, imparted pe- 
 culiar interest to this farewell scene. " Williams," observes 
 Mr. Pitman, " was possessed of a peculiar talent, which at 
 once won upon the natives, whether chiefs or common people. 
 Hence his visits were always hailed with delight. Men, wo- 
 men, and children, would run to greet his arrival." Nor less 
 strongly did they evince their attachment on his departure. 
 " For more than a month prior to this, little groups would 
 collect in the cool of the evening ; and when sitting around 
 the trunk of some tree of gigantic growth, or beneath the 
 shade of a stately banana, would sing, in plaintive tones, the 
 stanzas they had composed to express their sorrow at our an- 
 ticipated separation."* 
 
 In a letter to his family, Mr. Williams adds : — "The peo- 
 ple have made evident improvement. Their progress in 
 knowledge was very great ; the attention of many remarka- 
 ble, and their inquiries constant. From the day of our land- 
 ing until we left, the kindness they manifested could scarce- 
 ly be exceeded, and their expressions of attachment were 
 manifold. Indeed, I do not know that I was ever more af- 
 fected than in leaving them. We had to press our way 
 
 * Missionary Enterprises, p. 164. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 181 
 
 through a crowd, every one eager to shake hands, and catch 
 a parting glance. The moon was shining ; it was beautiful- 
 ly calm ; and, as our boat pushed off from the shore, they 
 struck up a little song, in their monotonous way, (which is a 
 pleasing melancholy,) in which all joined. This they con- 
 tinued, until our boat was out of sight ; and, as the sound, 
 interrupted only by the beat of the oars, was wafted over the 
 waters, and died away in the distance, the effect was so over- 
 whelming, that not one in the boat could refrain from tears." 
 Would that all the voyagers and visitors to these lovely abodes 
 had left them as did Williams ! But few have received, be- 
 cause few have deserved, such a farewell tribute. Too often, 
 indeed, and too justly, has the stranger departed amidst the 
 execrations of the people, leaving behind him no other traces 
 of his presence, but scenes of desolation and purposes of re- 
 venge. But Williams, as Mr. Pitman truly states, " won" 
 upon the natives ; and none, not even the most degraded, 
 could dwell a year in his society, and fail to love him. His 
 spirit, his speech, his character, compelled regard. And the 
 Rarotongans felt this power. Their love to their Missionary 
 was to a great extent a personal attachment. Many of them, 
 indeed, highly valued his labors ; but it was esteem for the 
 man, more than their appreciation of his services, which con- 
 strained them, on his departure, to pour forth their hearts in 
 benedictions and tears. 
 
 Amongst those who had manifested the most devoted at- 
 tachment, was Makea ; and, having been satisfied, on his 
 former voyage to Aitutaki, that he might safely entrust him- 
 self to Mr. Williams ; and being anxious to receive further 
 instruction in the Gospel, and to observe its effects in other 
 lands, he requested permission to visit Raiatea. This was 
 readily granted ; and, after a voyage of fourteen days, " The 
 Messenger of Peace" reached Tahiti. In a letter to the Di- 
 rectors, written from that island, and dated April 26th, 1828, 
 Mr. Williams thus refers to his previous engagements : — " 1 
 am happy to inform you of my safe arrival from Rarotonga, 
 in our own little vessel. I took a voyage in her to Aitutaki, 
 before I finally left Rarotonga, and am glad to be able to com- 
 municate pleasing intelligence respecting the state of the mis- 
 sion there, both as it regards the people and their progress. 
 Many of them can now read fluently. They have formed a 
 Missionary Auxiliary, and have subscribed 270 hogs, which I 
 shall dispose of for the Society at the earliest opportunity. 
 16 
 
182 LIFE OF THE 
 
 As hogs are very inconvenient articles, they (the subscribers) 
 having to feed them, perhaps a year or two after they are 
 subscribed, and the sacred animals all this time breaking 
 down the fences, and destroying the people's food, it was de- 
 termined not to subscribe hogs again ; and, as the island pro- 
 duces neither arrow-root nor cocoa-nuts, I made a rope ma- 
 chine for them during my stay there, and taught them to make 
 rope, which they are to contribute this year for the purposes 
 of the Society, and for the purchase of books. Several hun- 
 dreds of these I distributed. Their eagerness to obtain them 
 was very great, and their diligence in learning equally so. In 
 writing at the same date to his family, he adds : — " We have 
 brought up Makea, the King ofRarotonga. He is a fine, 
 noble-countenanced man. He behaved with the greatest 
 kindness to us throughout our stay. He will be with us at 
 our May meeting at Raiatea. I have also brought two im- 
 mense idols, which we shall exhibit at the same time. My 
 dear Mary is near her confinement. She is very delicate, 
 but I trust all will be well. The Rarotonga people much 
 wished her to be confined there, that their land might be hon- 
 ored with the birth of one of our children. We have, not- 
 withstanding the kindness of the natives, often been in want 
 while at Rarotonga; having had neither tea, sugar, flour, 
 rice, or fowls, for some months, and being obliged to make 
 our own salt and soap." 
 
 " Mr. Pritchard," he adds, " has been to Raiatea in my 
 absence, and has brought back most cheering intelligence of 
 the state of my people. A little vessel went into the harbor 
 one Sabbath morning. The people hoped that she had 
 brought us back, and sent off a canoe with a deputation to 
 bid us welcome. Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard say they wish we 
 had been there to see their gestures, and hear their expres- 
 sions of joy at the prospect of seeing us again, and then, to 
 have observed their fallen countenances, when they found we 
 were not come. They had hoisted flags to welcome us ; but 
 when they found we were not there, they hauled them down 
 again. I mention these things, because I know it will grati- 
 fy you to find that we are living in the affections of our peo- 
 ple." 
 
 The passing allusion to their privations at Rarotonga, con- 
 tained in the preceding letter, will convey but a very inade- 
 quate idea of their extent. They were much more severe, 
 and in their injurious effect upon his delicate and self-deny- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 1 83 
 
 ing partner, far more serious, than such slight references 
 would lead the reader to suppose. Accustomed as they had 
 been at Raiatea to European food, it was not without diffi- 
 culty, nor even without danger, that they conformed to the 
 diet of the natives. But of this Mr. Williams would never 
 have complained, had he suffered alone. Of personal priva- 
 tions he thought little, and said less. Although from his 
 childhood he had been accustomed to domestic comforts, and 
 knew how to provide and enjoy them, as was evident from 
 the manner in which he had stocked his garden and poultry- 
 yard at Raiatea, he could be content with the simplest pro- 
 visions ; and for a man so healthy and laborious, his tempe- 
 rance at the table was remarkable. Even when most active- 
 ly engaged, he frequently manifested his indifference to food, 
 and often would have rather prosecuted work in which he 
 was interested, than submit to the interruption of the cus- 
 tomary meals. Thus, when building his vessel, he could with 
 difficulty be drawn from the scene of his delightful occupa- 
 tions ; and, although he frequently continued from dawn un- 
 til dark toiling at the bench or the forge, even through the 
 sultry hours of noon, when the natives had slunk under the 
 shadow of the trees, he was well satisfied with the humble 
 fare of a single bread-fruit and a draught of water. 
 
 From the time of his arrival at Tahiti, the projected voy- 
 age to the west almost engrossed Mr. Williams's thoughts ; 
 and, had he yielded to the first impulse of his zeal, he would 
 probably have sailed forthwith to Samoa. But, although 
 anxious to visit other islands, Raiatea deeply interested his 
 heart, and he therefore determined, previously to his depar- 
 ture, to devote several months to its welfare. At the same 
 time he sent to the Directors and private friends in England 
 an urgent request for various useful articles suitable for pre- 
 sents and barter ; and agreed with his brethren to allow 
 " The Messenger of Peace" in the interval to undertake a 
 voyage to the Marquesas. 
 
 Having made these arrangements at Tahiti, he returned to 
 Raiatea, at which island he arrived on the 26th of April, 1828, 
 exactly twelve months from the time of his departure. The 
 subjoined paragraphs of a letter to his family, written shortly 
 afterwards, describe the circumstances by which he was then 
 surrounded, and the state of mind in which he resumed his 
 labors : — 
 
 u On reaching Raiatea, we met with a most hearty welcome from 
 
184 LIFE OF THE 
 
 the people, and happily arrived in time to prevent any mischief from 
 their divisions and quarrels. They have not, however, got on with 
 their houses so fast as 1 could have wished, and have allowed their 
 fences to go into decay ; but those are trifling circumstances, com- 
 pared with the grand object. A few months will restore things to 
 order again. There have been false prophets and deceivers bringing 
 new doctrines, and pretending to visions and revelations, arisen 
 amongst the people of other islands, and they have gained many pro- 
 selytes in some of them ; but, to my joy, although the two ringlead- 
 ers were sent down to Raiatea, they did not succeed in gaining over 
 an individual from us. 
 
 " As Mr. Bourne does not return, the station at Tahaa devolves on 
 me, and, in all probability, we sball reside a month there, and a month 
 at Raiatea alternately. These two stations, with the care of our out- 
 stations, translations, schools, meetings, etc. will occupy my time ful- 
 ly. But I like plenty of work, and this is all of a good kind. One of 
 :ny fears before I left England was, that I should not have enough to 
 do. But this is not the case at present ; and if I cannot find suffi- 
 cient employment at home, there are hundreds of islands, and thou- 
 sands of poor islanders perishing for lack of knowledge. 
 
 " You all press us to return home. To see you would afford us 
 very great satisfaction, but [ must wait until I can unite profit with 
 pleasure. If by a visit to England, I could effect any great good, 
 such as superintending the printing of the Scriptures, etc., I should 
 feel a stronger inclination to come. We are all engaged in correcting 
 and preparing a complete edition of the New Testament in Tahitian, 
 and I am also getting on with the New Testament in Rarotongan. I 
 have also before me the projected voyage round the different groups ; 
 and at present Raiatea, Tahaa, and the out-stations, are upon my 
 hands." 
 
 On his return from Rarotonga, Mr. Williams received the 
 painful intelligence of the decease of his beloved father ; but 
 his grief was soothed by the delightful assurance, that he had 
 died in the Lord. 
 
 " What reason," he writes, " dear sisters, to be grateful, and how 
 ought we to rejoice, that we have now a mother and a father in heav- 
 en, and one called at the eleventh hour, and ' snatched as a brand 
 from the burning.' How ought we to strive that we may be there al- 
 so ! How extatic will be their joy in giving us a welcome ! Dear 
 brothers and sisters, let us all consider heaven as our home. Our 
 grandfather, our father, our dear mother, our brother are there ; what 
 other home have we ? Let us bend our steps that way, and * follow 
 them who through faith and patience are now inheriting the promises.' 
 1 was not surprised to hear of the death of our dear father. It is what 
 I have expected ; and while one sheds the tear of affection over the 
 memory of a kind and loving parent, I would be very grateful that 
 both our dear father and mother were preserved to us so long, and 
 that a kind Providence has enabled us to make our dear father com- 
 fortable at the close of his days. We must soon follow our beloved 
 parents. Our children will be growing up to take our places, as we 
 have taken theirs. May our end be the same !" 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 185 
 
 The privations sustained by Mrs. Williams at Rarotonga, 
 were a source of great suffering to her after her return to Ra- 
 iatea, when she was again called to pass through a season of 
 domestic solicitude, and to weep over another babe, removed 
 from her first fond embrace to the grave. This trial, and the 
 subsequent illness of his afflicted partner, affected Mr. Wil- 
 liams deeply ; but nothing could withdraw him from his work, 
 and it was in this that he found his sweetest solace and 
 strongest support. At the present period especially, various 
 duties pressed upon him, the most important of which was to 
 prepare for the usual May meetings. 
 
 A missionary anniversary was deemed by all the devoted 
 laborers in the South Seas a season, not merely of stirring 
 interest, but of solemn importance ; and by no member of 
 this honorable band was it estimated more highly than by the 
 subject of these memoirs. From the first, and now for many 
 years, he had marked with sacred satisfaction the effect of 
 these " high days " upon the people of his charge. He had 
 perceived that, by the information thus communicated, and 
 the healthful excitement then produced, the natives had made 
 much progress in valuable knowledge, had become more 
 sensible of their religious obligations, and had learned to 
 cherish the sentiments, and cultivate the habits of an en- 
 larged and self-denying liberality. But others beside his own 
 flock shared in the blessed fruits thus annually matured at 
 Raiatea. Many islands previously involved in midnight gloom 
 had received light from these centres of Christian influence, 
 and rarely had a missionary meeting been convened, the ef- 
 fect of which was not transmitted beyond the previous circle 
 of evangelical effort. 
 
 All this was clearly discerned by Mr. Williams, and no 
 man more diligently employed this means of usefulness. 
 From the first dawning of a new day upon Raiatea, he had 
 labored to convince the people of the correlative duties of 
 receiving and imparting the Gospel: and no method was 
 neglected calculated to interest them in an object so dear to 
 his heart. When, therefore, a Christian church had been 
 formed, its members were carefully taught that the diffusion 
 of the blessings of 'which they themselves had become the 
 partakers, was one leading object of their union, and the 
 consequence of this course was soon obvious. The people 
 caught the spirit of their teacher, and the Raiatean church, 
 from its origin, was truly apostolical. Merely " to sit under 
 16* 
 
186 LIFE OF THE 
 
 their own vine and under their own fig tree," " to eat the fat, 
 and drink the sweet, and send nothing to those for whom no 
 such portion had been prepared ;" — to deem their position 
 and privileges ends rather than means; — to confine their 
 anxieties and efforts within the narrow limits of their own 
 interests and enjoyments, were never the sentiments or aim 
 of these simple-hearted, and well-instructed believers. Led on 
 by the inspiring exhortations and fine example of their beloved 
 teacher, they were willing to labor and to contribute; and 
 they did both with matchless munificence. Having freely 
 received, there was in them, what Paul so strongly commen- 
 ded in the churches of Macedonia, a " forwardness" to give. 
 Promptly and generously did they meet each claim, and 
 respond to every call in this Divine enterprise. No refresh- 
 ment, no joy appeared to equal that derived from the intelli- 
 gence of missionary triumphs ; and when there arose from 
 amongst them any who were " willing to hazard their lives 
 for the name of the Lord Jesus," they spontaneously came 
 forth, and tendered to their brethren the promise of their 
 prayers, and the pledge of their support. 
 
 It was both natural and wise in Mr. Williams to watch 
 over, and cherish with constant care these noble aims and 
 efforts of his flock. Hence, at the recurrence of every anni- 
 versary of their auxiliary, he was most anxious that; nothing 
 should be omitted, which might render those sacred festivities 
 more interesting or influential. And this was a service for 
 which he was qualified in no ordinary degree. Not only was 
 he a remarkable accurate observer, but an equally diligent 
 collector. Few objects or occurrences escaped him ; and, 
 knowing perfectly what would interest and impress the native 
 mind, his speeches at these missionary services, were rich in 
 striking facts and graphic, telling illustrations, which secured 
 the attention of his audience, and impressed upon them im- 
 portant sentiments. This made him popular in the islands, 
 as it did subsequently in his own country. But although 
 every May meeting was peculiarly attractive to the people, 
 and regarded as their chief annual festival, more than ordi- 
 nary pleasure was anticipated from that which was to be held 
 shortly after Mr. Williams's return ; when, it was well 
 known, he would recite the history of his recent labors. 
 This expectation was not confined to the Raiateans, but 
 shared by the inhabitants of the whole group ; and the conse- 
 quence was, the influx of a large multitude from Tahaa, 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 187 
 
 Borobora, and Huahine. Never before had the settlement 
 and the harbor presented a spectacle so animating. " No 
 less," writes Mr. Williams, " than eight or ten large decked 
 boats, or rather small vessels from fifteen to twenty-five tons 
 each, were lying off the wharf at the same time ; and my 
 ' Messenger of Peace,' as commodore, anchored in the midst 
 of them. At the meeting, we exhibited two immense idols 
 which I brought up from Rarotonga. The king also, with 
 the others who had accompanied him, spoke in their own 
 dialect, which excited an uncommon degree of interest. 
 Their addresses were judicious and excellent. The four 
 churches at Huahine, Borobora, Tahaa, and Raiatea, have 
 entered most cheerfully into my proposition for extending 
 our labors by native agency ; and, as my brethren Barff and 
 Piatt cordially unite in it, I hope in a few months to be out 
 on an important voyage down among the large groups which 
 lie about a thousand miles to the westward." 
 
 After the missionary anniversary, Mr. Williams resumed 
 his ordinary engagements at Raiatea with his usual cheerful- 
 ness and diligence, and in a very short time, the disorders 
 occasioned by his long absence, which were, however, but 
 slight, were rectified ; the course of instruction returned to 
 its former channel ; and all classes, rejoicing in the presence 
 of their long-tried and beloved teacher, were ready to pro- 
 mote with renovated vigor his plans, and their own improve- 
 ment. One of his proposals, a consequence of the annual 
 meeting, was to send a deacon of the church in a small 
 schooner, or rather a schooner-rigged boat of his own, on a 
 visit to the out-stations. This was the first time a native had 
 been entrusted with so responsible a commission ; but Mr. 
 Williams had confidence in the individual chosen, and the 
 church manifested a lively interest in the expedition. The 
 voyage was accordingly made, and the following letter to the 
 Rev. W. Orme contains an outline of its history : — 
 
 " Borobora, August 19, 1828. 
 u Reverend and Dear Sir, 
 " As my small vessel has just returned from the Hervey Islands, 1 
 hasten to send you the intelligence she has brought. She first touch- 
 ed at Rarotonga, where she landed Mr. Pitman's goods, with the sup- 
 plies for the mission. The king also, and his party landed in health, 
 laden with the presents which he had received from Raiatea, Hua- 
 hine, etc., amidst the joyful salutations, and loud acclamations of his 
 subjects. After leaving Rarotonga, they steered for Aitutaki, with 
 the intention of carrying the people of Manuae back to their own is- 
 
188 LIFE OF THE 
 
 land ; but, as I do not remember to have written any particulars of 
 that island in my former letters, I may state that Manua? consists of 
 two small islands, situated about fifty miles E. S. E. of Aitutaki. 
 The Gospel was introduded there by two Rurutuans and two Amer- 
 icans,* who, on their way from Rurutu to Rimatara, were cast, at 
 
 * The Americans referred to were seamen, who had been wrecked 
 in the Falcon, and who, on leaving Rurutu, took with them a com- 
 pass, quadrant, etc., and which, when their boat was stranded at 
 Manuas, they saved from the wreck. The inhabitants of this island 
 were few, but fierce. Just before this time, they had speared six na- 
 tives of Aitutaki, who had been cast upon their shores : and, shortly 
 after the arrival of these new visitors, they approached them with the 
 same murderous design. But their hand was holden. As they had 
 never before beheld a white face, they concluded that the Americans 
 must be gods ; and instantly ran away from the spot ; and flung their 
 missiles into the bush. After a while, they saw their error, and 
 again resolved upon the destruction of these strangers. But a sec- 
 ond time, they were deterred by the sight of the compass, which 
 they doubted not was a powerful divinity. The sailors, perceiving 
 this, kept it constantly in their midst, and thus were again preserved. 
 One of the Americans had a looking-glass. This, also, the islanders 
 supposed to be a guardian god, and, for a considerable time, none of 
 them would dare to approach it. At length, one of the chiefs, after 
 many solicitations, was induced to take it in his hand. First, he 
 looked on one side, and then rapidly peeped round to the other, anx- 
 ious to grasp the god ; but, foiled in every attempt, and, concluding 
 that the figure he beheld intended only to tantalize him, he became 
 angry, and grinned most horrible. These grimaces were, of course, 
 reflected by the faithful mirror, which aggravated the evil, and in- 
 censed the native to a still greater degree. He now grew more furi- 
 ous, and expressed his feelings by yet more monstrous distortions of 
 the countenance ; but as the glass continued to return each compli- 
 ment in kind, the indignation of the savage became uncontrollable. 
 He gnashed his teeth, stamped, clenched his fist, exhausted the na- 
 tive vocabulary of abuse, and at length, as the strange spectre still 
 defied him, he aimed at it a determined blow, which shivered the 
 glass, and cut his hand. He, however, was satisfied that he had de- 
 stroyed the stranger's deity, and naturally inferred that now he might 
 easily destroy the strangers themselves. But, happily, some other 
 natives had grown familiar with these visitors, and one of them be- 
 gan to learn to read from the Acts of the Apostles, and other books 
 saved from the wreck. Others soon followed this example, and, in a 
 short time, the Rurutuans had gained so complete an ascendancy 
 over their minds, that one of them consented to burn his god. A fire 
 was soon kindled, and the people assembled to observe the effect of 
 the impious temerity of this presumptuous man. All expected that 
 vengeance would not suffer him to live. Nor was he himself fully 
 convinced of the safety of the experiment, but stood for some time 
 with the idol in his hand, and evincing the utmost dread. Urged, 
 however, by the exciting words of the Rurutuans, he at last raised 
 his trembling arm, flung the idol into the flame, and then stood mute 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 189 
 
 midnight, upon the reef of Manuae. Having subsequently built a ca- 
 noe, and reached Aitutaki, and represented the case there, the native 
 teachers fitted out two large canoes for the purpose of fetching 
 all the Manuseans to Aitutaki. One canoe arrived safe, and brought 
 back the people of Manure; the other upset; and, after being eight 
 or ten days at sea, and losing ten people, she returned to Aitutaki, 
 with the miserable emancipated remnant of her poor suffering crew. 
 When I was at Aitutaki, I found the people of Manuae there anxious 
 to go back to their own island ; but, as I could not take them, I prom- 
 ised that, on my return to Raiatea, I would send my vessel down to 
 convey them back with a teacher from Aitutaki. Thrice before I 
 arrived, they had made the attempt in their own ill-constructed ca- 
 noes, and the last time narrowly escaped with their lives. I strictly 
 charged them not to put to sea again, as they would most certainly 
 be lost ; and our vessel went with the full intention of taking them 
 back; but their impatience had prevailed over my remonstrance ; and, 
 contrary to the efforts of the teachers, they had a fourth time ven- 
 tured to sea. The consequence was, they missed their island, three 
 or four of them reached Atui, but all the Aitutakians who accompa- 
 nied them perished. 
 
 After remaining three or four days at Aitutaki, the vessel sailed for 
 Atui, etc. The teachers at the former place write, that they have in 
 hand a considerable quantity of sinet subscribed to the Missionary 
 Society, and rope received in payment for books, besides the hogs. 
 They also inform me, that the lathe I made them is actively employ- 
 ed in turning useful things. The congregation also wrote to the 
 church at Raiatea, pressing them to diligence, as their eyes were di- 
 rected to them from whom they had received the Gospel. 
 
 " After two days' sail, they reached Atui. Here they found the 
 four teachers with their wives and families in good health, and the 
 people behaving towards them with the greatest kindness, and pay- 
 ing the strictest attention to their instructions. This was very grat- 
 ifying, as the poor teachers have, from the beginning, suffered much, 
 and had very narrow escapes for their lives; but the Lord has pre- 
 served them, and blessed their perseverance. They are, however, 
 too many for this island ; and two of them will be removed to other 
 stations. They have written a letter to the church at Borobora, stat- 
 ing their prosperity, 
 
 " From Atui, they proceeded to Mitiaro. Here they also found the 
 teachers well, and the people attentive to their instructions. But, 
 though the missionaries are treated with the greatest kindness by the 
 people, the soil of the island is so unproductive, that they are obliged 
 to eat the stalks and stumps of the banana, mixed with a kind of red 
 earth. Our people had an abundance of food on board the schooner, 
 and the teachers begged from them the stalks of the plantains. Now 
 
 and motionless, with his body bending forward, and his eyeballs as 
 if about to start from" their sockets, gazing upon the burning block 
 as though he expected it to rush forth and destroy him. Soon, as in 
 similar cases, impunity inspired boldness ; others followed this exam- 
 ple ; the reign of the false deities had terminated at Manure ; a Chris- 
 tian sanctuary arose upon the site of a pagan temple ; the shipwreck- 
 ed strangers became teachers, and the natives, nominal Christians. 
 
190 LIFE OF THE 
 
 that we know this, we shall send them down an ample supply 
 every time the vessel can touch there. 
 
 " At Mitioro, they received very painful news from Mangaia. A 
 vessel that came from that island informed the teachers of Davida's 
 (the native missionary at Mangaia) distressing situation. The prin- 
 cipal chief still continues hostile to the Gospel. He has killed ten 
 adults, and ten young persons of his own party, who had embraced 
 Christianity ; but, notwithstanding, new converts aie still flocking in. 
 A captain, whose name the natives say is Williamu, or Williams, be- 
 haved with the greatest kindness to Davida and his adherents. He 
 even went himself, accompanied by his wife, who was on board, to 
 the hostile chief, to try to induce him to alter his conduct. The 
 chief stripped part of the cloths off both himself and his wife, to which 
 the captain made no resistance, but, on the contrary, returned to the 
 vessel and sent him presents, with a friendly invitation to behave 
 kindly to Davida, and to embrace the truth. He, moreover, offered 
 to convey the teachers to another island ; but the chief and his party 
 who had embraced the Gospel, were so urgent in requesting Davida 
 to stay, and assured him so confidently that, while one of them re- 
 mained to preserve him, his life should not be taken, that he declined 
 accepting this kind offer. I regret that I do not certainly know the 
 name either of he captain or the vessel. Such disinterested kind- 
 ness deserves honorable mention. Davida, at present, goes into a 
 cave 'in the rocks to sleep at night, and comes out to his people in 
 the morning. All this, however, we only know by report, as a gale 
 set in from the southward after they started for Mangaia, and pre- 
 vented their reaching that island. The two teachers at Mitiaro are 
 very desirous of going to assist Davida, and we think of removing 
 one from Mauke to Mitiaro, and of taking both from Mitiaro to Man- 
 gaia. 
 
 " After leaving Mitiaro, the vessel went to Mauke, found both 
 the teachers well, and the work going on. Most of the people can 
 read. They have comfortable places of worship, and plastered dwell- 
 ings at the different stations. 
 
 " Having made another ineffectual attempt to reach Mangaia, they 
 bore away for Rurutu, where they found the teachers well, and the 
 people in as good a state as formerly. They are anxiously expecting 
 me there ; and, finding that I was not in the vessel, they have sent 
 one of their own deacons to Raiatea, on purpose to fetch me ; so that 
 1 am now about to take a voyage to Rurutu. They have had a fine 
 place of worship finished two years, waiting for me to go and open it. 
 
 * I have not time to say much about my own stations, Raiatea and 
 Tahaa. They are holding on well at present. I beseech an interest 
 in your prayers. 
 
 •' I remain, etc., 
 
 "J. Williams." 
 
 From this time, until the close of the year 1828, Mr. Wil- 
 liams continued at Raiatea; and as he believed that he might 
 now fulfil a promise made long before to visit Rurutu, he re- 
 solved to sail for that island. The subjoined letter, written 
 to the Directors shortly after his return, contains the particu- 
 lars of this voyage. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 191 
 
 " Raiatea, January 26, 182;). 
 " Dear Fathers and Brethren, 
 
 u Having just returned from a visit to Rurutu and Rimatara, 1 
 hasten to inform you of the particulars. By the return of my boat, 
 an account of which I wrote to you, the teachers at Rurutu sent one 
 of their deacons to request that 1 would come and open their chapel, 
 and settle their perplexing difficulties. We started on the 20th De- 
 cember, taking with us Tamatoa, the king, one of the deacons, and 
 twenty or thirty of the under chiefs from Raiatea and Tahaa. 
 
 "After a week's passage, we arrived safely at Rurutu ; and, as we 
 had considerable difficulty in settling the differences, between the 
 teachers and the people, I shall give you a particular account of what 
 passed, without concealing anything, that you may form a correct 
 idea of the nature of some of our work in visiting out-stations. 
 
 "We landed on the 30th, and received a cordial welcome from the 
 teacher, Mahamene, and his people. After taking refreshment, we 
 went to see the new chapel. It is an excellent building, far superior 
 to anything of the kind in the islands. It is about sixty or seventy 
 feet long, by forty wide. The ridge pole is supported by two large 
 pillars of the aito wood. It is surprising how so few people could 
 have prepared such heavy trees. The out-posts which form the walls, 
 are also of this heavy wood. Every other post is kneed, the knee 
 neatly finished, extending five feet up the post, and trunneled down 
 to the joists which receive the floor. The pillar in the centre has four 
 knees, each neatly finished. The thatching is extremely well done, 
 so close that it takes 500 reeds of thatching to reach from the wall 
 plate to the ridge pole. The pulpit is octagon, well made, standing 
 on one pillar, colored very neatly, partly with paint, and partly with 
 native produce. To the night of steps there is a hand-rail, the balus- 
 trades of which are made of warriors' spears, as was the case in the 
 former chapel. The doors are folding, with gothic tops, well-made, 
 panneled and colored. The windows are painted, and the walls 
 white-washed ; the posts forming the walls, placed about three feet 
 apart, and about nine inches wide, are colored to resemble mahogany. 
 The seats are covered with white cloth, and the floor carpeted with a 
 shining black cloth, which they manufacture. The whole building 
 does great credit to their judgment and industry. 
 
 " After viewing the chapel, and several well-finished houses, we 
 conversed about opening the chapel. The people inquired, whether 
 we would have a regular feast prepared for the occasion. I replied that, 
 on many accounts, I would prefer a common meal, and that on the 
 following day, 1 would open the chapel. After this conversation, we 
 walked across the mountains about three miles, to the settlement on 
 the south side, under the charge of Puna. Here we had service in 
 the afternoon, and 1 preached to them from Titus ii. 11, 12, ' For the 
 grace of God, which bringeth salvation, teacheth us to deny ungodli- 
 ness,' etc. I was much pleased with the spirit with which they sang, 
 young and old united. Spent the evening agreeably with Puna, and 
 a few of the most intelligent natives, conversing on different portions 
 of Scripture, especially on the Epistle to the Hebrews, Epistles of 
 John, etc. ; these being the last portions of Scripture they had re- 
 ceived. 
 
192 LIFE OP THE 
 
 " Thursday, January 1st. The bell rang for school, which I at- 
 tended, and was well pleased at the fluency with which the peo- 
 ple read, and the promptitude with which they answered my ques- 
 tions on the verses of Scripture. Puna deserves praise for his diligence 
 in teaching the people to read and understand the word of God. I 
 think there are no adults that cannot read. If any, they are few. 
 
 " As we returned from the school, a messenger came running out 
 of breath, with a request from the king and chiefs of Raiatea that we 
 would order Puna to leave the island, as they had been informed by 
 some people of the other settlement, that he was unworthy of my 
 countenance. I replied, that they had not exercised much prudence 
 in making so hasty a request, having only heard one side of the ques- 
 tion ; and that I had determined to call a public meeting, and tho- 
 roughly investigate the matter. 
 
 " In the forenoon, there was a feast in the house, which the people 
 had fitted up for that purpose. There were two rows of sofas and ta- 
 bles, capable of dining about 150 persons. Puna and his wife at- 
 tended, but were much cast down, having heard of what was going 
 on at the other settlement. After some lively speaking, we conclud- 
 ed with prayer, when one of the principal persons asked me whether 
 it was true that I intended to take their teacher from them. I told 
 him not to be hasty in listening to anything which had been re- 
 ported, and that I had determined to call a public meeting for the pur- 
 pose of settling their disputes. Having walked round Puna's settle- 
 ment, we returned to that on the north side, the whole of the people 
 accompanying us. We arrived at sun-down, and spent the evening 
 with Mahamene and his wife, and a few chiefs, in general conversa- 
 tion. 
 
 "Friday morning. The people were busy in preparing food, kill- 
 ing hogs, etc. Those not engaged met early, and read a chapter or 
 two in the Hebrews, and did this as fluently as their brethren at Pu- 
 na's station. At ten o'clock, we entered the chapel, taking care to 
 avoid the too common practice of allowing the king to enter first. 
 This is a heathen custom founded upon superstitious notions. They 
 look on the place of worship, as they did on their maraes and canoes, 
 as very sacred, and imagine that the king must enter first, to re- 
 move the great sacredness, before other persons dare go in. To rem- 
 edy this objectionable custom, and yet shew the king and chiefs all due 
 respect, 1 requested that the people might go in, and take their seats, 
 and proposed that the king, the chiefs, the native teachers, and my- 
 self, should then walk in procession after them. Another point of 
 contention which we succeeded in removing was, who should occupy 
 the king's seat, which was considered more sacred than any other 
 part of the chapel. I requested Tamatoa to take his seat among the 
 people, and some of the under chiefs to occupy the part deemed so 
 sacred. As Tamatoa was of higher rank than any of them, and was 
 not particular where he sat, we naturally concluded that his example 
 would dissolve the charm, and silence all objections. 
 
 " When the people were assembled, I preached to them from Hag- 
 gai i. 8. After the service, we partook of our food sitting on the 
 ground, which had been covered with clean grass. There were not 
 more than twenty-five hogs served up, with a proportionate quantity 
 of vegetables. Many speeches were delivered during the dinner, 
 both by the Rurutuans and the Raiateans. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 193 
 
 " At half-past one o'clock, the bell rang for the general meeting, 
 which I had appointed for adjusting their disputes. I opened the 
 meeting by exhorting them to state their differences mildly, and in a 
 good spirit, as the object was not to aggravate, but conciliate. I had 
 no sooner spoken, than a native belonging to Mahamene's settlement 
 arose, and addressing myself, Tamatoa, the deacon, and the chiefs of 
 Raiatea by name, requested that we would remove Puna from the 
 island. I replied that we were ready to hear any reasons for this wish, 
 which they had to advance, and then to judge what was proper to be 
 done. Upon this, a chief on Puna's side arose, and said they were 
 ready to meet the charges against their teacher, one by one, but he 
 thought these should be kept separate from their political differences. 
 The charges were then laid, and we were much pleased with the 
 spirited and manly way in which they were refuted, and the caution 
 they discovered in not recriminating, although they had abundant 
 provocation. 
 
 " The first charge was, that Puna had harbored in his settlement 
 those who had violated the law, and had refused to give them up to 
 be judged. But no sooner was this asserted, than a chief, on Puna's 
 side, thus addressed the accuser : — ' Let us settle this charge first. 
 Let us go to the root of it. Tamatoa, Viriamu, Raiateans, listen to 
 the truth ! And this is the truth. A young man at this settlement 
 was judged and punished. After this, he left this settlement, joined 
 us, professed repentance, and after some time, was admitted into the 
 meetings of the baptized. The people of Mahamene's settlement 
 were angry ; and some of them went to his land, cut down his trees, 
 and destroyed his food. When he found out who had done it, he 
 went to their plantations and did the same. Then the people of Ma- 
 hamene's settlement held a meeting, and sent the judges, like so 
 many savages, to seize the man, and bring him away by force to be 
 judged. Puna inquired what the young man had done ; and when 
 he had heard, he asked the judges whether they had tried the people 
 of their own settlement, who first destroyed this young man's food. 
 They said, « No.' Then said Puna, ' I will not give him up, till you 
 have first judged your own people.' Now, Tamatoa, Viriamu, and 
 chiefs, this is the ground on which they charge Puna with supporting 
 bad people. We leave you to judge between us. Our law is very 
 strict. No one escapes with us who is found guilty.' 
 
 • This sensible answer silenced the accuser ; when another arose, 
 and made a great noise, scolding the former speaker for being so soon 
 silenced. He spoke for some time ; and by his charges, brought up 
 several to answer him ; all of whom were anxious to speak. With 
 great difficulty, we obtained silence, when we found that the second 
 charge was, that Puna had prepared for war, and armed his people 
 against those of the other settlement. This accusation was also an- 
 swered by a speaker on Puna's side, with much ancient action and 
 good sense. At one time addressing us, and then turning to the ac- 
 cuser, he said, ' Would you like to be burned to ashes ? would you 
 like your wife and children to be consumed with fire ? would you not 
 be in agony at such a scene ? would you like your property to be 
 seized, your house destroyed, and yourself driven to the mountains ? 
 They threatened to burn our teacher's house, and destroy his proper- 
 ty, and the people prepared to resist them. But Puna forbad them.' 
 17 
 
194 LIFE OF THE 
 
 On inquiry farther, we found this to have been the fact. Puna, hear- 
 ing that hostile intentions had been formed by the opposite settle- 
 ment, insisted on abandoning everything rather than fight. This 
 they did, and took refuge in the mountains, resolving to flee from 
 district to district, until their pursuers were wearied out. But when 
 the hostile party came, and found the settlement deserted, and the 
 property left to their mercy, they relented, and returned, without 
 taking or injuring a thing. A day or two afterwards, Puna and his 
 people came back to their dwellings. After hearing this, we were 
 confirmed in our good opinion of Puna. 
 
 " Having settled the personal disputes, we now resolved, if possible, 
 to adjust their political differences. Accordingly, early on Saturday 
 morning, we collected all the chiefs, and told them, that, as the teach- 
 ers had now agreed to bury their differences, we hoped that they 
 would settle theirs, before we left the island. At once, a great con- 
 tention arose, and there was much vehement speaking. The dispu- 
 ted point was this ; — The party under Puna's instruction were con- 
 quered by the other party, some time before they received the Gos- 
 §el. Prior to this conquest, however, they had always been indepen- 
 ent ; and, since Christianity had introduced peace among them, 
 they could not see why they should not be independent again. They 
 therefore refused to acknowledge the authority of the young king, to 
 whose government they had before paid tribute. Finding that no 
 adjustment could be made while the parties were together, we re- 
 quested them all to withdraw, that we might consider in private what 
 to advise. Having taken all the circumstances into the account, we 
 thought it would be just, and best for Puna's party to acknowledge 
 the young king. We, accordingly, sent a message to them, giving 
 this as our advice ; and requested that they would converse over it, 
 and in two hours we would wait on them for their reply. At the time 
 fixed, we met them, when, after many interrogations and explana- 
 tions, they agreed to our proposal. 1 then went home, and drew up 
 several articles, as the basis of their future union, with which all par- 
 ties were satisfied. 
 
 " After this, we held a church-meeting preparatory to the adminis- 
 tration of the Lord's supper on the following Sabbath. The two 
 churches united on the occasion. We exhorted them to mutual love 
 and unity. Thus ended the week. 
 
 " On Sabbath morning, I preached to them on the necessity of the 
 blood and Spirit of Christ, on John i. 5, 6; and then administered the 
 Lord's supper to about eighty communicants. After a short meal, 
 we re-assembled in the chapel, and questioned the people upon what 
 they had heard in the morning. The remainder of the time, until the 
 afternoon service began, we spent in reading and explaining the 
 Scriptures, and answering the questions of the people. In the after- 
 noon, 1 preached again from 1 Cor. x. 4, and, in the evening, the 
 house was crowded until a late hour ; and I was principally employed 
 in replying to questions, partly on the discourses of the day, and part- 
 ly on passages of Scripture, which they did not understand. 
 
 "Early on Monday morning, we held another public meeting, when 
 I read what had been agreed to, and gave a copy of it to the princi- 
 pal judge of each station. This concluded the unpleasant business. 
 " On the Thursday evening, we were all seated in Mahamene's 
 
REV. J. WILLIAM 
 
 195 
 
 house, when suddenly a chief arose, and thus addressed me in the 
 most simple, but solemn form : — ' I am Philip, sent by the king and 
 chiefs of Tubuai to ask you to give us teachers from Raiatea, and 
 take Tubuai under your charge. I have been waiting here for you 
 more than two years ; and during this time the raging diseases of 
 Tubuai have swept off my wife and two children. 1 am bearing it 
 patiently, as [ hope to effect an object that will be good for my land. 
 The people are dying, and our land will soon be desolate, and we 
 know not how to prevent its depopulation, but by placing it under 
 your care. We saw the prosperity of Rurutu, and we wished the 
 same for our own island.' I consented to take the chief to Tahiti, and 
 to endeavor to accomplish his desire. 
 
 " Having received presents of food, and shaken hands with all the 
 people, on Monday, January 5th, 1830, we took our departure for 
 Rimatara, with the chief from Tubuai, and a Rurutuan, who was go- 
 ing to Raiatea, to learn what he could from the people." 
 
 After calling at Rimatara, where Mr. Williams found a 
 state of things highly encouraging, he reached Raiatea just 
 five weeks from the time of his departure, and gladly resum- 
 ed his accustomed labors. 
 
 These pages are not the place for lengthened comments 
 upon missionary transactions. But there are two topics in 
 the preceding letter which deserve a moment's consideration. 
 In the first place, it supplies another exemplification of the 
 kind of political interference, for which Mr. Williams has 
 been censured. Here was an infant community, divided 
 and distracted by difficulties which they were unable to ad- 
 just, and which greatly impeded their progress in civil and 
 religious improvement. The Missionary arrives; views their 
 contention with concern ; acquaints himself with its cause ; 
 tenders his advice ; offers his mediation ; heals the breach ; 
 harmonizes conflicting interests and feelings : and then re- 
 tires, with the blessing of the peace-maker resting upon him. 
 This was the kind of political interference, which some have 
 so loudly condemned. But does such conduct require 
 any defence ? Could a wise and benevolent man, in similar 
 circumstances, have adopted a different course ? Would it 
 have become Mr. Williams, on the ground of repudiating 
 politics as beyond his jurisdiction, and from a false and fool- 
 ish fear of stepping over the boundary line of his own pecu- 
 liar province, to hare permitted these evils, because they were 
 political, to have wrought out their ruinous effects upon the 
 minds, the morals, and the salvation of the people? He was 
 not the man to be deterred by such narrow prejudices and 
 unfounded apprehensions, from the employment of his influ- 
 
196 LIFE OF THE 
 
 ence in circumstances like those which existed at Rurutu. Had 
 he so acted, he would have been unworthy of a commission from 
 that " God, who is the Author of peace, and the Lover of con- 
 cord." No man, indeed, knew better than he, or conformed 
 more closely to the rule, that " to preach and teach Jesus 
 Christ," should be, with the missionary, " first, last, and 
 midst," and that, unless evangelical instructions accompanied 
 other means for the benefit of the people, it would be impos- 
 sible to promote their progress, either in temporal or spiritual 
 improvement. But, at the same time, his views of the mis- 
 sionary's vocation were large and liberal ; and, from the com- 
 mencement of his useful career, he had resolved to obey the 
 injunction, " Withhold not thy hand from any good." His 
 motto was, " By all means ;" and whatever tended to remove 
 an evil, or impart a benefit, whether legal, political, or relig- 
 ious, he regarded as within his province, and deemed him- 
 self no less a servant of Christ at the blacksmith's forge, on 
 the magistrate's bench, or in the political meeting, than when 
 declaring from the pulpit the revelations of heaven. Of this, 
 his conduct at Rurutu supplies both an example and a justi- 
 fication. 
 
 In the following pages, many evidences will appear of the 
 extent to which the fame of Mr. Williams had spread amongst 
 those who had never seen his face. But few proofs of this 
 could be more affecting than that contained in the conduct 
 and speech of Philip, the chief of Tubuai. Here was a man, 
 commissioned by his people to visit Rurutu for the sole pur- 
 pose of inducing Mr. Williams, then expected at that island, 
 to send them a teacher. While anxiously awaiting his arri- 
 val, the heavy tidings reached him that a dire disease was 
 desolating his land; that his wife was dead, and that two of 
 his children had followed their mother to the grave. But 
 nothing would draw him from that spot, until he had seen 
 the far-famed missionary, and secured his object. But ere 
 this could be done, weeks and months of disappointment pass 
 by, until two full years have elapsed. Yet, as if rooted to this 
 strange soil, nothing could remove him from Rurutu. " I 
 have been bearing it all patiently," said he, " as I hope to ef- 
 fect an object that will be good to my land." What must 
 have been the estimate which this half-enlightened islander 
 had formed of the blessings conveyed to other people by him 
 who had been so fitly designated " the Apostle of Polynesia?" 
 
 The most important incidents which occurred at Raiatea, 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 197 
 
 in the interval between this and Mr. Williams's first western 
 voyage, were three visits from ships of war. The arrival of 
 vessels in the South Sea Islands had been too frequently the 
 occasion of demoralization to the natives, and of injury to 
 the progress of the Gospel, not to be regarded by the mis- 
 sionaries with anxiety and alarm. And, although Raiatea 
 had suffered less from this cause than some other islands, 
 Mr. Williams justly feared that, if a crew of reckless and 
 dissolute seamen were permitted by their officers, as had 
 been the case in a few instances, to pour themselves, without 
 restraint, upon that peaceful shore, like a rushing and re- 
 sistless torrent from the mountains, it might become im- 
 possible, even for himself and his steady coadjutor Tamatoa, 
 to raise an effectual barrier against their desolating influence. 
 Hence, the appearance of a large ship naturally awakened 
 his apprehensions, and those of all around him who were 
 the friends of social order and undefiled religion. And, hap- 
 pily, there was now a numerous body of pious and thoughtful 
 natives, who, although not insensible to the secular benefits 
 which the visiting of shipping might confer upon their rising 
 community, would have most readily relinquished all these, 
 rather than strengthen the hands of the wicked, or expose 
 the undecided to temptation. 
 
 But how melancholy is the fact that such fears should, in 
 any degree, be well founded ! How humiliating, that the 
 seamen of Britain, her bulwark and her boast, should become 
 among the heathen her dishonor and reproach ; that their ap- 
 pearance should not be dreaded less by her self-denying mis- 
 sionaries, than by her often-vanquished foes ; and that their 
 visits to those sacred scenes, upon which the eye of heaven, 
 and the hopes of the church are fixed, should threaten conse- 
 quences more feared by the man of God, than the deadly epi- 
 demic, the devastating tornado, or the wild onslaught of sav- 
 age hordes ! But, melancholy as the fact may be, it is a fact ; 
 and often, when a gallant ship has majestically entered the 
 harbor of a missionary settlement, and cast her anchor there, 
 the devoted laborer on that distant shore, instead of gazing 
 with patriotic delight upon the flag of his beloved country, as 
 it floated in the breeze ; instead of rejoicing at the sight of 
 British features and the sound of British voices, and giving 
 to each stranger, as he sprang on shore, the warm and wel- 
 come salutation, would have received these visitors with 
 scarcely less of apprehension, had they come from a hostile 
 17* 
 
198 LIFE OF THE 
 
 land, and with a murderous intent. In this case, the foe 
 might, indeed, have poured a broadside upon the shore, have 
 levelled the buildings, destroyed the plantations, and driven 
 the natives to their hills ; but worse, far worse evils have fol- 
 lowed the visit of the friend. With alcohol, profanity, and 
 vice, he has laid waste the moral enclosure; and, after doing 
 his utmost to neutralize the labors of many toilsome years, 
 has " abandoned the ruin he has wrought," only to calumni- 
 ate curse and the missionary, whose presence prevented his 
 accomplishing more. 
 
 Of these evils, Mr. Williams had been a witness shortly be- 
 fore this time, at Borobora ; where a captain, taking advan- 
 tage of the temporary absence of the missionary, conveyed 
 on shore large quantities of ardent spirits. The result may 
 be imagined. In a short time, the previously peaceful and 
 orderly settlement was transformed into a scene of fearful 
 confusion, and the pious portion of the people, at their wit's 
 ends, denouncing and deploring the evil, but were unable to 
 arrest it. In their extremity, they sent to entreat Mr. Wil- 
 liams to come to their aid — a request with which he prompt- 
 ly complied — and his presence stayed the plague. Such an 
 occurrence created in his mind, most reasonably, some fears 
 for his own flock ; and, when about to be exposed to a simi- 
 lar temptation, he regarded them with godly jealousy. 
 
 But whatever dread was generally felt when ships approach- 
 ed these shores, Mr. Williams had few reasons for regret, 
 and many causes of congratulation at the result of three im- 
 portant visits of this kind, which were paid to Raiatea, dur- 
 ing the years 1829 and 1830. Partly in consequence of his 
 own incessant vigilance, partly from the preventive arrange- 
 ment of the chiefs, and the co-operation of a large and influ- 
 ential body of the people, and partly from the conduct of the 
 gentlemen in command, the morals of the natives suffered 
 far less from their intercourse with the seamen than might 
 have been apprehended ; while the proceedings of their su- 
 periors tended to promote, not impede, the success of the 
 missionary. 
 
 The "Satellite," Capt. Laws, was the first of these arri- 
 vals at Raiatea ; and Mr. Williams, in a letter to the Direc- 
 tors, dated March 23rd, 1829, thus describes the occasion of 
 her visit, and the conduct of her commander. " Last year, 
 a suspicious little vessel arrived here from New South Wales, 
 and the crew stated, that they had been wrecked in 73° 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 199 
 
 north ! ! There were sixteen hands on board : all Irishmen. 
 Not one of them had the appearance of a sailor. I taxed them 
 with being convicts from the colony ; and I thought it proper 
 to apprise his Excellency, the Governor, of the circumstance. 
 In consequence of my communication, he has sent the Satel- 
 lite, sloop of war, to apprehend the culprits. Capt. Laws has 
 shone us great kindness, and has furnished us with port reg- 
 ulations, and other important documents. He kindly attend- 
 ed an examination of our school, and distributed handsome 
 presents to teachers and children. He has expressed himself 
 well pleased with my exertions for the temporal benefit of the 
 people." 
 
 Soon after the Satellite had sailed, the U. S. ship " Vin- 
 cennes," Capt. Finch, entered the harbor. From both the 
 Captain and the officers Mr. Williams received the most en- 
 couraging attention, which, with some other particulars, will 
 appear in the following statements* of the Rev. C. S. Stewart, 
 the chaplain : — 
 
 ** We are in the midst of another varied and beautiful panorama. 
 The ship lies within a short distance of the shore, which is richly 
 edged with groves and single trees, and a fine under-growth of the 
 banana, sugar cane, and various shrubbery, surrounding and over- 
 hanging the white cottages of the inhabitants. These stand thickly, 
 in regular lines, along a single street two miles or more in length. 
 
 " Our arrival attracted little attention ; not a canoe came off, nor 
 did any collection of persons on the shore, or other appearance, indi- 
 cate the childish excitement usual among uncivilized people, on such 
 occasions. 
 
 " The landing is on a substantially laid quay of coral, where we 
 met an intelligent lad of twelve years, the son of the Rev. Mr. Wil- 
 liams, the Missionary of the station. He informed us that his father 
 was at the chapel, delivering a customary weekly lecture ; and, on 
 directing our walk up the street, we met and returned with him to the 
 mission-house, and were introduced to Mrs. Williams and her family. 
 Their establishment is more neat and rural, and more comfortable in 
 its whole arrangement, than any we have before seen. 
 
 " The house is large and convenient, having three pleasant rooms 
 in front, opening by large folding doors on a veranda extending the 
 entire length of the building, and commands, across an enclosure filled 
 with shrubbery, fruit and flowers, a fine prospect of the ocean. 
 Everything around looked neat and prosperous ; and on taking a walk 
 through the village, we found the same features marked, in a greater 
 or less degree, on the habitations and appearances of the people eve- 
 rywhere. 
 
 " September 5, 1829. — To-day has been the Sabbath on shore. The 
 chapel here, like all we saw at the windward group, is large, well- 
 
 * Visit to the South Seas. 
 
200 LIFE OF THE 
 
 built, and a noble edifice for such a people. The number assembled 
 to-day amounted to about eleven hundred ; all well and neatly clad, 
 and exhibiting in their whole appearance and manner of attending the 
 service, every characteristic of civilization, respectability, and piety, 
 found in any common congregation in the United States. But for 
 the color of the audience, indeed, it would have been difficult for any 
 one to believe himself worshipping with those, who, till within a few 
 years, had been lost in all the gross vice, licentiousness, and wildness 
 of paganism. The sight was at once delightful and affecting. 
 
 11 Captain Finch and a dozen of the officers attended the chapel in 
 the morning. Arrangements had been made to take the band ashore, 
 to play a few pieces of sacred music, at intervals in the service. The 
 exercises began, as on shipboard, with the Portuguese hymn. I was 
 fearful that the novelty might occasion some confusion ; but it did not 
 in the least. There was not the slightest unbecoming excitement ; 
 not even among the children, who took their seats together, as they 
 entered in long procession from the Sabbath-school. 
 
 " It was the day of communion ; and after the general congrega- 
 tion had been dismissed, about three hundred of both sexes, and of a 
 variety of ages, with solemnity, and seemingly deep interest, partook 
 of the emblems of the broken body, and shed blood of Him who gave 
 his life a ransom for many. Much as the sincerity and piety of the 
 church members in the islands have been doubted by the calumnia- 
 tors of missions, from all I have observed and known, and from all 
 passing before me on this occasion, I was led to the fervent prayer, 
 that I might myself at last, be equally worthy, with many of these, of 
 a seat at the marriage supper of the Lamb. 
 
 " Mr. Stribling and myself spent the evening with Mr. and Mrs. 
 Williams. This we invariably do ; and never without being deeply 
 impressed by hearing, in the stillness of the night, the melody of the 
 native hymn falling on the ear in various directions, from the little 
 cottages of the islanders, as they engage in their evening devotions. 
 Family worship, consisting of the reading of a portion of Scripture, 
 of a hymn, and of prayer, is generally practised." 
 
 " September 8th. — At the request of the queen, the band was sent 
 on shore for an hour or two in the afternoon, and a kind of concert or 
 oratorio given in the chapel. The entertainment seemed highly grati- 
 fying to all ; and as it had been a kind of gala day, rockets and fire- 
 works were let off on board ship in the evening, a novelty to all on 
 shore except the Tahitians." 
 
 Such conduct naturally produced a most favorable impres- 
 sion upon the Raiateans, and with sorrow they saw the Vin- 
 cennes unfurl her sails, and leave their harbor. 
 
 H. M. S. " Seringapatam," commanded by the Hon. Cap- 
 tain Waldegrave, the last of these arrivals, reached Raiatea a 
 few days before the Messenger of Peace commenced her first 
 voyage to the Navigators' Islands, and the readers of the 
 " Missionary Enterprises," will recollect that, during her stay, 
 the captain and officers attended the anniversary of the mis- 
 sionary auxiliary, and afterwards catechized for three hours 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 201 
 
 several of the natives on the reasons of their belief in Chris- 
 tianity. On both occasions, Mr. Williams did his utmost to 
 enable these gentlemen to come into close contact with the 
 native mind, and to place them in a position to judge of the 
 character and attainments of the people, not from his testi- 
 mony, but from their own observation. And the plan adopted 
 proved successful. The remarkable and characteristic con- 
 versation, an outline of which was preserved on the spot, and 
 published in the " Narrative," entirely removed the scepti- 
 cism in which it originated, and drew from the visitors high 
 but well-merited commendations of the labors of the mission- 
 ary. Nor were the favorable impressions produced by this 
 visit, soon effaced from the mind of Captain Waldegrave. 
 Since his return to England, that gentleman has repeatedly 
 borne his testimony to the success and value of missionary 
 exertions. It may also be stated here that before the portion 
 of the Missionary Enterprises which relates to Captain Wal- 
 degrave was sent to press, Mr. Williams submitted the man- 
 uscript to his inspection, unwilling to publish it until his con- 
 firmation and consent had been obtained. Of his visit, the 
 Missionary ever retained a grateful recollection, and rarely 
 afterwards mentioned his name without commending the 
 wisdom, kindness and dignity with which he acted on this 
 occasion. Would that all the visitors to our missionary settle- 
 ments had left behind them a similar impression ! 
 
 The preceding notice of the visit of the Seringapatam has 
 a little anticipated the course of the narrative. This event 
 occurred in May, 1830 ; but the following extracts from a 
 letter to the Rev. W. Ellis, dated November 27, 1829, must 
 be inserted here to show what were Mr. Williams's engage- 
 ments and anticipations, while awaiting the arrival of supplies 
 from England to enable him to go forth on his errand of mer- 
 cy to other lands : 
 
 " Dear Brother, 
 " Captain Stavers of the Tuscan has just called here on his way 
 home, and I gladly embrace the opportunity of writing. I have just 
 been looking over again your file of letters. This we frequently do, 
 and always with interest. 1 fear my communications do not afford 
 you equal pleasure. We have not so much information to communi- 
 cate as you have. Your journies are numerous, and your society va- 
 ried. It is very encouraging to hear of the lively interest which per- 
 sons of rank take in our labors, and to learn the favorable state of the 
 public mind in reference to missionary enterprises. Surely ' the set 
 time is come !' 
 
202 LIFE OP THE 
 
 " We are under the greatest obligation to you for your continued 
 exertions on our behalf, and we think of them with pleasure. I 
 wrote some time since to Mr. East, and his congregation, acknowl- 
 edging the receipt of the casks of iron-mongery, etc. Tamatoa vahine 
 also wrote to Mrs. Glover, and Tamatoa lane, sent to thank her for her 
 kind present of a writing desk. The old king has it, and is very proud 
 of it.* 
 
 * The following is a translation of Tamatoa's letter to Mrs. G. 
 u Dear Friend Mrs. Glover, 
 
 " May you have health and salvation through Jesus Christ our Sa- 
 viour ! I have received the neat writing desk you sent for me. My 
 heart is much pleased that you sent me this present. I am rejoicing 
 greatly, and praising God that you and other friends think of me ; but 
 my greatest joy and greatest cause for praise is that 1 know 
 the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the merits of his death, for which 
 I am indebted to the compassion of the believers in Britain ; through 
 their prayers 1 am become a human being, and I now know the 
 goodness of his word. You know that I was formerly a heathen ; 
 now I know the blessedness of the Gospel of Jesus, our common 
 Lord. My dwelling is now comfortable ; it is now well with my 
 land ; it is now well with my people ; all this is from the goodness of 
 the Gospel of Jesus, which is come to my land. All our former evil 
 customs are totally abolished. 1 myself was formerly in Satan's hand ; 
 I was his property ; I worshipped idols, and was a faithful servant of 
 his. Now 1 am seized by Jesus, and am as a brand plucked out of 
 the burning. Your prayers and your compassion have brought to me 
 a knowledge of the love of Jesus Christ our Saviour. I was former- 
 ly a heathen, now I am a brother to all who believe in the Lord Jesus. 
 I was formerly an idiot ; now my understanding has returned unto 
 me. To the compassion of British Christians I am indebted ; they 
 prayed, and Jesus heard their prayers, and brought a missionary to 
 my land, to teach me and my people the way of salvation. To that 
 am I indebted for the respectable appearance of my land, and even of 
 my own body. Formerly I slept like the pigs ; now I sleep on a bed- 
 stead like a human being. Formerly I ate bad food, [alluding per- 
 haps to their heathen state.] Now I know the sweetness of the Gos- 
 pel of Jesus. My praise is great towards God, that he has revealed 
 his great compassion to me ; to your prayers and kindness am I in- 
 debted for the knowledge of Jesus our Saviour, and his love to us. 
 
 "If you, (Christians,) had not thought of me, I should not have 
 known the Gospel of Jesus, and his compassion to sinners. I should 
 have been still ignorant of the way of salvation ; now 1 know the 
 preciousness of the Word and blood of Jesus. 
 
 " My heart is wondering at the goodness of God, in causing the 
 thought to grow in the heart of the Missionary Society to show com- 
 passion to us, who were in darkness, and in the shadow of death. 
 You did show true kindness J and now we know Jesus and his pre- 
 cious word. 
 
 " Although your face should not see my face, and although my face 
 should not see your face in this world, may we both meet at the right 
 hand of our Lord Jesus at the Judgment day ; may we both sit at the 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 203 
 
 " I have been extremely busy in getting the Rarotongan works 
 through the press, and I am happy to inform you, that we have suc- 
 ceeded. I have forwarded to you a few copies of each, as specimens 
 of the language. Mr. Barff has exerted both his strength and his 
 skill in effecting this object. 
 
 " You are aware that the Tahaa station is now on my hands ; but 
 I cannot attend to it so well as I could wish. I can seldom get over 
 above once in three weeks or a month. The people hold on as well 
 as we can possibly expect. At Raiatea, we are much as usual, but 
 the people do not appear so kind, neither are they so attentive as 
 formerly.* 1 find great difficulty in inducing them to proceed with 
 their houses, and keep up the fences. I fear if we leave them, they 
 will retrograde fast. I have rebuilt our old boat, and made a com- 
 fortable little vessel of her of forty tons. 
 
 " We are preparing for my long intended voyage, and have accepted 
 five or six missionaries from our church only : eleven or twelve offer- 
 ed themselves. Several of our people grieved much that their friends 
 would not give them up. Mr. Barff accompanies me. 
 
 M Mr. Henry * has just returned from the island we are about to 
 visit, and has given us great encouragement to proceed as soon as 
 possible. At Tongatabu the Wesleyan Missionaries are making great 
 progress. A vast number have embraced Christianity, and are ex- 
 ceedingly diligent in attending the schools and other means of instruc- 
 tion. Their slates are dangling in their hands go where they will, 
 and books are their constant companions. They have heard that I 
 am coming down, and have expressed a great desire that we should 
 call there. This we intend to do. 
 
 " You will recollect having heard that my old boat has had another 
 drift from Rarotonga to Tongatabu, and that the natives of Aitutaki 
 while down there went through the group, giving accounts of the 
 introduction of Christianity into the Society Islands, their own island, 
 and others, and advising and exhorting the people to embrace it. 
 This has had a very good effect, and Captain Henry informs me that, 
 
 right hand of our Lord, and unite in praising him there ! This is my 
 earnest desire in God. Now my sister in the faith of Jesus Christ, 
 pray to Jesus our Lord to give me much of his Holy Spirit to make 
 good my evil heart. 
 
 " 1 have sent you a copy of Daniel, Esther, and Ruth, which our 
 minister, Mr. Williams, has translated into the language of Raiatea ; 
 please to accept it as a keepsake from me, and also a mat. 
 
 " May you have health and salvation, my sister in Jesus Christ our 
 Lord, and may the Lord reward you with health and salvation. 
 
 " Tamatoa, King of Raiatea." 
 
 * In a letter to his family of the same date, Mr. Williams thug 
 refers to this subject : — " We have not been so kindly treated of late 
 by the natives, having had to purchase everything ; but yesterday, of 
 their own accord, they convened a meeting, at which 1 understand 
 they acknowledged how wrong they had been in allowing us to pay 
 for everything, and this morning, they have begun to supply us as 
 before." 
 
 t Son of the missionary of that name. 
 
204 LIFE OF THE 
 
 in many of the islands, their first inquiry is, ' Have you Oromeduas 
 for us ?' In three islands they are exceedingly anxious, and in one a 
 chapel has been actually erected by a chief, who accompanied Mr. 
 Henry on his return voyage, and applied to Mr. Barff for missiona- 
 ries. Mr. Barff assured him that we were coming down to his island, 
 and that he should not be forgotten. It appears that all he knows 
 concerning the chapel he has built and plastered is, that it is a house 
 for the true God, and that, when the teachers come, he will learn 
 how to worship him. This will appear to you who are well acquain- 
 ted with the natives, as singularly propitious. I regard it as a deci- 
 ded interposition of Providence in preparing our way. The people, 
 however, are desperately savage, and remarkably treacherous. We 
 shall require all imaginable prudence and precaution ; and having 
 done our utmost to protect ourselves, we must then trust to him for 
 deliverance, in whose cause we jeopard our lives. Mr. Henry had a 
 boat's crew massacred with singular brutality. Two indeed escaped 
 much wounded, but the rest were either killed on the spot, or died 
 afterwards. In another instance, they were purchasing turtle shell ; 
 and, as soon as they saw that all the property they had brought was 
 expended, they let fly a volley of poisoned arrows at the crew. Prov- 
 identially no one was struck. Their canoes are of the swiftest class. 
 They carry two and even three hundred warriors, stand as high out 
 of the water as a vessel of seventy or eighty tons, and are as long or 
 longer. It is my intention to have boarding nettings and other means 
 of defence. 
 
 "Another interesting illustration of an overruling Providence has 
 recently occurred. You may have heard that, when we were at 
 Rarotonga, I sent a small boat to Aitutaki, to fetch my large one, 
 which I supposed to be there, not knowing, at the time, that she had 
 drifted away to Tongatabu. The boat arrived safe at Aitutaki, and 
 when Mataitai vahine, the wife of the native teacher in that island, 
 heard that Mrs. Williams was at Rarotonga, she determined to come 
 up and see her. Accordingly she set off in a large boat, built at Aitu- 
 taki, with about thirty persons on board, in company with my small 
 boat, but, instead of reaching Rarotonga, they were drifted out of 
 their course, and were supposed to have been lost. But this day, I 
 have heard that my man is on board an American whaler, and that 
 Mataitai and her party had reached some savage island to the west- 
 ward, and are now diligently employed in teaching the people. I shall 
 endeavor by all possible means to find them, and sincerely hope I 
 shall succeed. 
 
 " A singular sect has sprung up in some of the islands. They 
 are called haraharan. They are making a culled edition of the New 
 Testament. They are most numerous at Tahiti There are some 
 at Huahine and Maupiti, but none, that I am aware of, at Borabora. 
 I am sorry to say that Mrs. Williams has been very unwell for some 
 time past, and, unless her health is improved on my return, we shall 
 be obliged to remove for a season. Your last letter inspired the hope 
 of seeing you here at the end of 1829, or in the beginning of 1830. 
 Although you are so usefully employed at home, we sincerely desire 
 to have you with us again. 
 
 " I remain, etc., 
 
 "J. Williams." 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 205 
 
 A few days after writing the above letter, Mr. Williams, in 
 company with Mrs. W., and their two sons, and Mr. and Mrs. 
 Barff and their family, went to Tahiti. The principal object 
 of this visit was to convey the children to the school. From 
 this island he thus wrote to his sister Mrs. Kuck : — 
 
 " Tahiti, January 30, 1830. 
 " My dear Sister, 
 
 " You will be concerned to hear that my dear Mary is still very 
 unwell. We came here shortly after writing our last letter to you, 
 after a voyage of five days, during which we had the charming vari- 
 ety of dead calms, light breezes, and a heavy gale. "We have now 
 been at Tahiti nearly a month, visiting our brethren at their different 
 stations, by all of whom we have been treated with the greatest kind- 
 ness. I think we have now seen all our friends in this island, except 
 Mr. Darling, to whose house we shall go after the Sabbath to spend 
 three or four days. We shall then cross over to Eimeo, to visit Mr. 
 Orsmond, who is about to join us again in the leeward islands. 
 From his house, we shall go to Mr. Simpson's, who also resides at 
 Eimeo. Messrs. Simpson and Pritchard, you may recollect, came 
 out nearly at the same time. They are intimate friends, and excel- 
 lent missionaries. Mrs. Simpson is anxious that Mary shall stay with 
 her, while Mr. Barff* and myself are absent on our intended voyage. 
 As Mr. Piatt is expected back with the Messenger of Peace in a week 
 or two, we hope, should nothing unforeseen prevent, to depart in 
 little more than a month. We have about twelve or fourteen teach- 
 ers ready. 
 
 " We have heard that a vessel has been wrecked in Algoa Bay, 
 having on board large quantities of missionary goods. Happily, we 
 are not in want of many things, except saddles — one gentleman's and 
 one lady's, which you will oblige us by sending as soon as possible. 
 If collars are worn, not dog collars, but collars for ladies, you are 
 requested to send two or three, or any thing else to wear about the 
 neck, provided it be in fashion, even should this be the case with 
 soldier's belts, or horse collars. I have had the great misfortune to 
 fall headlong into the sea, sprawling like a great crab, and by so 
 doing, I have spoiled the excellent watch which Mr. Kuck sent me. 
 However, a carpenter living at Tahaa, and myself, will be able to 
 repair it between us. 
 
 " Believe me, etc., 
 
 "J. Williams." 
 
 Mr. Williams returned to Raiatea early in February, and 
 shortly afterwards, the Society Islands were visited with a 
 fearful hurricane, which uprooted large numbers of the trees, 
 destroyed several houses, and carried away a portion of their 
 noble chapel. But he was never more himself than when 
 circumstances demanded an unusual amount of skill and 
 labor; and, under his superintendence, the people soon re- 
 paired their sanctuary, and rebuilt their fallen habitations. 
 
 18 
 
206 LIFE OF THE 
 
 While thus employed, on the 25th of February, 1830, the 
 Messenger of Peace was descried in the distance making to- 
 wards the island ; and, in the evening, she anchored within 
 the reef: having, since her expedition to the Marquesas, com- 
 pleted a highly gratifying visit to the Hervey Islands. On 
 the following day, the people assembled to hear from Mr. Piatt 
 a narrative of her voyage, which they received with many 
 demonstrations of gladness ; for at several of the stations at 
 which he had called, native teachers from Raiatea were use- 
 fully laboring. But no one of the audience was so deeply 
 interested in the details supplied by his esteemed fellow la- 
 borer, as Mr. Williams. To him every island of the Hervey 
 group was well known ; and for the welfare of the inhabi- 
 tants he cherished an ardent solicitude. And the glad tidings 
 thus brought were as opportune as they were cheering, and 
 formed an appropriate introduction to the new and more ad- 
 venturous expedition which he had so long planned, and the 
 period for accomplishing which had now arrived. This im- 
 portant movement of his eventful life will be described in 
 the succeeding chapter. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 207 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FROM MR. WILLIAMS'S FIRST, UNTIL HIS SECOND 
 VOYAGE TO SAMOA. 
 
 Termination of Mr. Williams's settled Residence at Raiatea — Feel- 
 ings with which he anticipated his Voyage to the West — Depart- 
 ure — Mr. Williams at Mangaia, Atui, Rarotonga, and Aitutaki — 
 Influence of these Visits upon his Mind — Arrives at Savage Island 
 — Unsuccessful Attempt and Questionable Expedient — Important 
 Events at Tongatabu — Proceeds to Lefuga — Reaches Savaii — First 
 Impressions — Favorable Moment of his Arrival — Intercourse with 
 the Natives — Welcome at Sapapalii — Rescued from Death — Land- 
 ing and Reception — Characteristics of the Samoans — Native Por- 
 traits — Their Religious Peculiarities — Auspicious Settlement of 
 the Teachers — Use made by Mr. W. of the Influence of the Chiefs 
 — His Estimate of this visit — His views of a Particular Providence 
 — These confirmed by the Events of this Voyage — Reflections — 
 Returns to Rarotonga — Happy Transformation — Welcome to Ra- 
 iatea — Illness of Mrs. Williams, and prospects of returning to Eng- 
 land — Protest of the People — Returning Health and renewed La- 
 bors — Previous Arrangements for employing The Messenger of 
 Peace — These cancelled by the Directors — Mr. Williams's Remarks 
 — Severe Trial at Raiatea — Dispute with Tahaa — Preparations for 
 War — Death of Tamatoa— Part taken by Mr. Williams — Attempt- 
 ed Assassination — Hostilities suspended — Anxiety at the Prospect of 
 Leaving — Revisits Rarotonga — The Scenery which most delighted 
 him — Visit to the surrounding Isles — Severe Afflictions — Sympathy 
 of the Natives — Important Occupations — Voyage to Tahiti — Dis- 
 tressing Scene at Raiatea — Conveys Food to Rarotonga — Domes- 
 tic Circumstances, and cheering Anticipations. 
 
 Raiatea — to the shores of which the eyes of the reader have 
 been so frequently directed, and amidst whose smiling scenes 
 of social and spiritual prosperity, the reflecting Christian will 
 not have lingered in vain, must, from this time, cease to fill 
 the central position in Mr. Williams's history. For more 
 than eleven years, deducting the periods passed at Sydney 
 and Rarotonga, this favored and fruitful isle had been cheered 
 by his presence, and blessed with his labors. But, hencefor- 
 ward, we are to follow him into other and wider fields of ex- 
 ertion ; for, although he returned to Raiatea, he did so rath- 
 
208 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 er as a visitor than as a resident. At this point, his stated 
 and steady superintendence ceased. And it is a subject of 
 congratulation, that it did not terminate earlier. Had not 
 the Great Head of the church frustrated the designs of his 
 servant, and hedged up his way, he would undoubtedly have 
 engaged in his Missionary Enterprises, ere the experiment so 
 auspiciously commenced at Raiatea, could have been con- 
 ducted to such a successful issue ; and in that case, the fruit 
 which his care and toil had brought to maturity, would have 
 fallen unripe to the ground. But, happily, he labored there 
 long enough to demonstrate, by the most conclusive eviden- 
 ces, the leading objects, the essential features, and the incal- 
 culable value of Christian Missions ; and it is difficult to 
 conceive that a candid mind could consider the history of 
 this island, without admitting their importance and obliga- 
 tion. What proofs are there here of the sanction, presence, 
 and power of God ! What a fulfilment of his promises to the 
 faithful steward, and the devoted laborer ! What encourag- 
 ing evidence that the Gospel has lost none of that efficacy to 
 elevate, sanctify, and save the world, which was exerted in its 
 earliest and widest triumphs ! How amply does the case of 
 Raiatea illustrate the excellency of this divinely appointed 
 means, and its perfect adaptation to the wants and woes of 
 our fallen nature ! Here we may see its influence, not mere- 
 ly upon individuals, but upon a community. By this single 
 experiment, even had it stood alone, we might have been sat- 
 isfied that the Gospel was a social, no less than a personal 
 blessing. Here we see that the missionary is the true philan- 
 thropist, and Christianity the best civilizer. 
 
 But these truths will receive further confirmation in the 
 following pages ; and, as we trace the course of the adventu- 
 rous Missionary through new scenes of self-denying and suc- 
 cessful toil, we shall again be constrained " to glorify God in 
 him." We have repeatedly seen with what feelings he had 
 contemplated the voyage for which he has now prepared. 
 Through years of disappointment and depression, far more 
 than sufficient to sicken the heart and subdue the energy of 
 ordinary men, he had clung to his fondly-cherished scheme, 
 with an unrelaxing tenacity of purpose which strikingly indi- 
 cated its sacred origin. Ordinary causes will not account 
 for such constancy. However powerfully some minds might 
 have been captivated by the prospect of a voyage amongst the 
 emerald isles of the Pacific, by the desire of intercourse with 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 209 
 
 their rude inhabitants, or by the expectation of either adding 
 to the library, a description of their persons, their customs, 
 and their abodes, or to the cabinet, the plants, shells, and co- 
 rals which strew their shores, Mr. Williams did not belong 
 to this class. And willing as he ever was, to enrich the store 
 of general knowledge, and to furnish facts and specimens 
 which might gratify the curious, or assist the scientific, his 
 main design was immeasurably superior. It was as an am- 
 bassador of mercy, " to show unto men the way of salvation," 
 that he launched forth on these distant voyages. All his in- 
 terest centered in the soul, and in that everlasting Gospel 
 which revealed its destiny, its danger, and its deliverance. 
 To enlighten, to rescue, to bless those who were " ready to 
 perish," constituted the exciting causes of his enthusiasm ; 
 and the ardent desire, not of seeing, but of saving men, and 
 that alone, drew him from Raiatea, as it had previously drawn 
 him from his native land. Anything less firm than Christian 
 principle, and less fervent than Christian love and zeal, 
 would long ere this have yielded to discouragement. 
 
 And the time had now come when his devotedness was to re- 
 ceive its due reward. " The Messenger of Peace," was 
 speedily equipped ; and although the supplies from England 
 had not arrived, Mr. Williams was so weary of delay, and so 
 confident of success, that he resolved no longer to postpone 
 his important enterprise, for which service several pious na- 
 tives had been solemnly set apart, and in which his beloved 
 and devoted brother, Mr. Barff, had gladly consented to ac- 
 company him : a companionship which not only cheered the 
 heart of Mr. Williams, but tended very materially to promote 
 the great object of the expedition. And it must be to that 
 truly amiable man and most faithful Missionary no small con- 
 solation, that he contributed his full share to the success of 
 this important enterprise. The preparations being completed, 
 on the 24th of May, 1830, they weighed anchor, " and with 
 excited feelings," writes Mr. Williams, " we cleared the har- 
 bor." What those " exciting feelings" must have been may 
 be readily imagined, when we consider his ardent tempera- 
 ment and previous history. 
 
 Had no narrative .of this voyage appeared, it would have 
 been requisite and interesting to trace upon these pages, with 
 some particularity, the successive stages of the Missionary's 
 course, and to linger with him on those once savage, but now 
 happy shores, to which he conveyed the light and treasure of 
 18* 
 
210 LIFE OF THE 
 
 the Gospel. But this would require the frequent repetition of 
 facts with which the readers of the Missionary Enterprises 
 are familiar : and, therefore, all that will be attempted here 
 is merely to sketch such an outline as may preserve unbroken 
 the thread of his history, and to interweave with it those un- 
 published portions of his journal and correspondence, which 
 best develope the motives which actuated, and the results 
 which crowned his labors. 
 
 As but a slight divergence from the direct course to Samoa 
 would enable him to visit the out-stations, the Messenger of 
 Peace, in the first place, steered for Mangaia. From this 
 island, the brethren intended to take with them a native 
 teacher and his wife, whom Mr. Piatt, had placed there a 
 short time previously. But soon after reaching this station, 
 they were compelled, by the improvement and importunity of 
 the natives, to relinquish this design. Indeed, the scene 
 which gladdened them on landing, was alone sufficient evi- 
 dence of the great usefulness of Faaruea and his devoted 
 partner ; but the value of their labors became still more man- 
 ifest after their intercourse with the natives, and when con- 
 trasting their present appearance and behavior with their pre- 
 vious degradation and violence. The few days during which 
 Mr. Williams continued at Mangaia, were profitable spent ; 
 but the most useful part of his occupations was the inter- 
 course he had with the heathen party, then powerful in the 
 island, which softened their asperity towards their Christian 
 brethren, and prepared the way for the entire subversion of 
 idolatry throughout the island, which followed soon after. 
 At the same time, stimulated by the eloquent representations 
 and entreaties of the wife of Faaruea, he succeeded in obtain- 
 ing for the native females a liberation from the servile work 
 to which, during "the reign of dark hearts," they had been 
 doomed by their lordly oppressors. 
 
 At Atui, the island next visited, a delightful reception 
 awaited them. Here they beheld a scene the most peaceful 
 and prosperous. The teachers were happy ; the people uni- 
 ted ; good order and civilization prevalent, and the work of 
 the Lord advancing. They had, sometime before, erected a 
 new chapel, which had been opened for public worship by 
 Mr. Piatt ; but so delighted had these simple-hearted islanders 
 been with the services on that occasion, and so anxious were 
 they for the renewal of the pleasure, that Messrs. Williams 
 and BarfF were induced by their importunity to " re-open" the 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 211 
 
 place, although it had never been closed. As the chiefs of 
 Mitiaro and Mauke were then staying at Atui, having come 
 there to honor by their presence the marriage of Romatane, 
 the brethren had no rest either by night or by day. The 
 people and their visitors were determined to derive from them 
 as much knowledge as they could ; and, when their questions 
 were exhausted, they compelled them to sing. 
 
 Nothing of peculiar interest occurred during their visits to 
 Mitiaro and Mauke; but a scene of deep affliction presented 
 itself on their arrival at Rarotonga, where a fearful disease, 
 then at its height, was spreading death and desolation through 
 that once smiling land. Many of the houses were left with- 
 out an inhabitant ; all their former inmates having gone to 
 the grave ; and, wherever Mr. Williams directed his steps, 
 he was saluted either with the sounds of lamentation, or by 
 " walking skeletons," who, having heard of his approach, 
 strained their little strength, and crawled to the pathway, 
 that they might once more see his face and seize his hand. 
 Yet, amidst this dark and dreary spectacle, he was cheered 
 by the appearance of many incipient evidences of that spiritu- 
 al prosperity which Rarotonga was so soon to enjoy. 
 
 The stay of the voyagers at Rarotonga was short. Re- 
 luctant as they were to leave their friends and their flock in 
 the depths of affliction, duty demanded it. They, therefore, 
 proceeded to Aitutaki, intending to add two others who had 
 been left by Mr. Piatt at that island, to the band of native 
 teachers destined for Samoa. But this object could not be 
 accomplished. As at Mangaia, so here, the natives had 
 formed so strong an attachment to their missionaries, and had 
 become so sensible of the value of their labors, that they en- 
 treated, with the most passionate earnestness, that they might 
 not be removed. For a time Messrs. Williams and BarfF 
 persisted in their purpose ; but their firmness at length 
 yielded to the importunity of the people. To supply the de- 
 ficiency occasioned by the continuance of the teachers here, 
 and at Mangaia, two missionary assistants were selected from 
 the church at Aitutaki, and set apart for this service. In 
 reference to this arrangement, Mr. Williams justly remarked 
 to the Directors, that " while we are anxious to extend our 
 labors, we think the original stations demand our first care, 
 and that it is not advisable to widen our field at the expense 
 of those spots which are already brought under cultivation." 
 During their short sojourn at this island, Mr. Williams did 
 
212 LIFE OF THE 
 
 his utmost to encourage the teachers and instruct the people, 
 his intercourse with whom led him to form a high estimate of 
 the diligence of all classes. And there was one circumstance 
 which afforded him peculiar pleasure; for he here beheld the 
 successful imitation, not only of his own labors, but also of 
 the methods of Mrs. Williams, whose useful plans of instruct- 
 ing the females, and forming the aged women into a separate 
 class, were producing fruits amongst the mothers and daugh- 
 ters of Aitutaki, similar to those which were seen atRaiatea; 
 and he experienced greater delight in communicating this in- 
 telligence to his beloved partner than in referring to the evi- 
 dences of his own efficiency. Nor was he less surprised than 
 gratified when the native treasurer of their Missionary Aux- 
 iliary placed in his hands the sum of ,£103 in " money pur- 
 chased," by his own suggestion at a former visit, with the 
 pigs and produce which they had subscribed for the spread 
 of the Gospel. 
 
 Greatly cheered by such evidences of God's approval, ad- 
 miring the wonders which his hand had wrought in making 
 these " gentiles obedient in word and deed ;" and followed 
 by their warmest benedictions, the missionaries steered from 
 hence to Savage Island. Here, however, a very different re- 
 ception awaited them. Destitute of means and motives for 
 improving their condition ; secluded from intercourse with 
 beings more enlightened than themselves ; and influenced 
 solely by the supposed interests or desired enjoyments of the 
 passing hour, the inhabitants of this spot showed, not only 
 what the heathen are, but what they have been through ages 
 past, and must remain for ages to come, unless some active 
 regenerating principle is introduced into their midst, and 
 their minds are enlightened, and acted upon by truths, which 
 lie far beyond the limits of that narrow circle around which 
 with unvarying uniformity their thoughts revolve. Hence at 
 the time of Mr. Williams's visit, they presented the same as- 
 pect as their wild and ferocious ancestors when discovered by 
 Capt. Cook, who was so impressed with their savage mien, 
 that he affixed to their island the descriptive epithet by which 
 it is still known. 
 
 It was with extreme difficulty that a native could be in- 
 ticed on board ; and appearances were not such as to induce 
 Mr. Williams to venture on shore. Though a stranger to 
 pusillanimity, his courage was always tempered with caution. 
 He shunned the point of danger for the same reasons which 
 

 REV. J. WILLIAMS. 213 
 
 led him to the post of duty ; and he knew the character of 
 the people too well to trust himself within their power, where 
 the Gospel was unknown, without clear evidence of their pa- 
 cific disposition. The fatal landing at Erromanga may ap- 
 pear an exception : but even this, when carefully considered, 
 will be found to have been no deviation from his usual course 
 of prudent forethought. 
 
 On the day after their arrival off this island, the two na- 
 tives of Aitutaki effected a landing ; but soon after, they 
 were happy to make a hasty retreat from this abode of fero- 
 cious men. Still intent upon their object, and convinced that 
 closer intercourse would win the confidence of the natives, an 
 expedient was adopted which, however benevolent in its de- 
 sign, can scarcely admit of a justification, and led to no use- 
 ful result. " Seeing no other way of commencing the work," 
 Mr. Williams writes at the termination of the voyage, " we 
 resolved to entice two natives on board, and having taught 
 them some things and treated them kindly, to carry them back 
 with a good report to their own people. They are now with 
 us at Raiatea, and are shortly going back with presents from 
 ourselves and people. They are much tamed in their man- 
 ners. One of them is learning to read ; but the other, who is 
 a king's son, considers himself sacred. Perhaps we may send 
 a single man with them ; but they think his life will be in 
 danger, not from their party, but from others with whom their 
 wars are incessant. I fear we shall find difficulty in com- 
 mencing a mission at this island." It is worthy of remark 
 that this was the only instance in which Mr. Williams, al- 
 though unreflectingly, did evil that good might come, and 
 the issue was not such as to induce him to repeat the experi- 
 ment. 
 
 From Savage Island, the Messenger of Peace proceeded to 
 Tongatabu ; and while here, two events occurred which ma- 
 terially affected Mr. Williams's subsequent proceedings. The 
 first of these was the unexpected meeting with Fauea, a 
 Samoan chief, who accompanied the missionaries to his own 
 island, and proved an invaluable auxiliary to them in the in- 
 troduction of the Gospel into the whole group. But this was 
 not the only important consequence of Mr. Williams's visit to 
 the Friendly Islands. It will be remembered that from the 
 first, he had determined to convey teachers both to the Navi- 
 gators' and the New Hebrides ; and with this purpose he com- 
 menced the voyage. But while at Tongatabu, Mr. Samuel 
 
214 LIFE OF THE 
 
 Henry, whom happily he met there, convinced him that he 
 could not safely proceed farther westward than Samoa, as the 
 inhabitants of the New Hebrides (under which description, 
 as it subsequently appeared, he specially referred to the peo- 
 ple of Erromanga) were then exceedingly exasperated against 
 Europeans. This induced him to relinquish the design : a 
 remarkable circumstance, when considered in connexion with 
 his subsequent history and tragical end. What might have 
 been the result, had he prosecuted his original plan, none of 
 course can divine ; but when we consider, on the one hand, 
 that injuries, the most wanton and wicked, had just before 
 been inflicted upon the Erromangans by British and Ameri- 
 can visitors, which had almost goaded them to madness, and 
 on the other, how calculated was the kindness of the Samo- 
 ans, from whose group he would have sailed direct to their 
 shores, to lull all suspicion, strengthen his confidence, and 
 thus to throw him off his guard, it cannot be deemed an im- 
 probable conjecture, that, but for the intelligence received 
 from Mr. Henry, Mr. Williams would have then placed him- 
 self within the power of the very people, who, when at length 
 he carried his benevolent project into effect, and in retalia- 
 tion for wrongs perpetrated so long before, wreaked their 
 vengeance upon his innocent head. In this way, the latter 
 and most useful years of his life might have been cut off, and 
 much of that valuable influence, which his now venerated 
 name and well-known history are destined to exert in favor 
 of the noblest objects of human pursuit, would have been lost 
 to the church and the world. 
 
 During their stay at Tongatabu, the brethren were intro- 
 duced to a chief from the Fijis then about to return to that 
 group, who entreated that the two teachers destined for his 
 people, might accompany him ; and as Capt. Lawler and 
 Mr. Henry generously offered to convey them, the request 
 was complied with. " And," writes Mr. Williams from Rai- 
 atea, " I have just seen Capt. Lawler, who informs me that 
 the teachers were very kindly received, but that the king 
 would not embrace Christianity, until he had called together 
 and consulted the chiefs of the different islands. I also 
 learned from Captain L., that the people are engaged in 
 erecting an immense marae, which has thrice given way. 
 This they now attribute to the superior power of the new 
 God." 
 
 Mr. Williams continued at the Friendly Islands a fortnight 
 
RE V. J . WI LLIAMS 
 
 215 
 
 in the most fraternal intercourse with Messrs. Turner and 
 Cross, and manifesting that real " catholic Christianity," for 
 which he was ever distinguished- On the present occasion 
 this was shown, not merely in the reciprocation of fraternal 
 sentiment and friendly offices with the devoted agents of a 
 sister society, nor in the unfeigned joy with which he survey- 
 ed the pleasing scene of their successful labor, but still more 
 in the readiness with which he relinquished to them the 
 charge of the Friendly and Fiji groups, although a mission 
 had been commenced at the former, and projected for the 
 latter, some time before their arrival. Messrs. Turner and 
 Cross, however, on the other hand, and in the same excellent 
 spirit, cordially concurred in the proposal that the London 
 Missionary Society should supply teachers to the Samoas. 
 But kindly feelings were not confined to the missionaries. 
 The people generally shared in them, and seemed to vie with 
 each other, and even with their instructors, in demonstrations 
 of regard to these visitors. Tupou, the king, was amongst 
 the most distinguished for his liberality. Not only did he 
 hospitably entertain all the native teachers during their stay, 
 but loaded them with presents on their departure. How in- 
 teresting to mark these various effects of the same benign 
 religion ! Here were the love of the brethren, hospitality to 
 strangers, and friendship to the ministers of Christ, beauti- 
 fully blended, like the buds, the blossoms, and the fruit in 
 different stages of its growth, from its first formation, to its 
 full maturity, which, in that genial clime, might be frequent- 
 ly seen clustering upon the same luxuriant boughs. 
 
 Accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Cross, the voyagers pro- 
 ceeded to Lefuga, another station of the Wesleyan Society ; 
 but twice, they had to thread their course through an intricate 
 and dangerous navigation, where sandbanks, reefs, sunken 
 rocks, and small islands threatened their destruction almost 
 every moment, and kept them from their destination two days. 
 But the warm welcome of Mr. Thomas, the missionary, soon 
 made them forget the perils of the way. While at Lefuga, 
 Mr. Williams met with Finau, the fierce and untractable 
 chief of the Vavau Islands; but he could not be induced to 
 revoke a decree, which he had promulgated, that no one of 
 his subjects should, on pain of death, embrace the Gospel. 
 They therefore abandoned their design, which was done the 
 more readily, as Mr. Thomas engaged to seize the earliest 
 opportunity of introducing Christianity into the territory of 
 
216 LIFE OF THE 
 
 this inveterate heathen ; an object which he expected to ac- 
 complish by the agency of several pious natives, who had ex- 
 patriated themselves; and having literally " left houses and 
 land, wife and children, for Christ's sake and the Gospel's," 
 were cheerfully enduring exile and privations at Lefuga, that 
 they might there serve God, and learn his word. Mr. Wil- 
 liams's stay at this island was short; but long enough to en- 
 able him to form a sincere friendship with another faithful 
 servant of the same Master, of whom he thus writes to the 
 Directors : — " We were delighted to observe the pleasing 
 prospects that were opening before Mr. Thomas. He and 
 Mrs. Thomas appear to be much engaged in their work; 
 indeed, this is the case with all the missionaries. We were 
 as affectionately received by them, and as much at home in 
 their company, as with our immediate brethren." 
 
 Sickness and storms detained them seven days at sea, af- 
 ter leaving Lefuga ; but at the expiration of that time, Mr. 
 Williams saw with joy the land which had so long and so 
 largely engaged his thoughts. This proved to be Savaii, the 
 most extensive and imposing island of the SamoarTgroup, 
 whose towering mountains were descried at the distance of 
 from sixty to seventy miles. As they neared the island, and 
 coasted along the leeward shore in quest of anchorage, Mr. 
 Williams was much impressed with its magnitude and mag- 
 nificence. Having formed a comparatively low estimate of 
 the group, he was not prepared for the revelation then before 
 him ; and he surveyed it with mingled feelings of surprise 
 and delight. " To our astonishment," he writes to Mr. Ellis, 
 " we found two of the islands larger than Tahiti;" and, af- 
 ter a still wider survey, he came to the conclusion, that, with 
 the exception of the Sandwich Islands, the Samoan was the 
 largest and most populous group in the Pacific, which had 
 then been visited by missionaries. 
 
 As soon as the Messenger of Peace approached Savaii, she 
 was surrounded by canoes, which brought the important in- 
 telligence, that Tamafaigna, a despot who united the supreme 
 spiritual, with great political power, and whose boundless 
 sway presented a most formidable barrier to the introduction 
 of the Gospel, had just been slain. They were also informed, 
 that a successor had not been chosen, and would not be for 
 some days. Mr. Williams regarded this event as not only 
 auspicious, but providential. At no moment could he have 
 reached his destination so favorable to his object as this : and, 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 217 
 
 cheered by the evidence it supplied of the gracious guidance 
 of God, he resolved to improve it to the utmost, and to exert 
 himself for the destruction of a tyranny so injurious. With 
 this purpose, and with the full confidence of success, he steer- 
 ed for Sapapalii, the residence of the principal chief, Malie- 
 toa ; but a contrary wind compelled them to anchor in a bay, 
 which appeared to promise a quiet haven. Here, the won- 
 der of the natives at what they saw and heard ; their delight 
 at the prospect of receiving teachers, and the zeal of Fauea 
 and his wife, who while on board and when on shore, were 
 incessantly and eloquently proclaiming to their countrymen, 
 the high praises of the missionaries, and the excellence of 
 their religion, deeply interested and greatly cheered the voy- 
 agers. 
 
 But their stay at this place was short ; for, just after they 
 had landed, the vessel began to drag her anchor ; and, al- 
 though exhausted by their previous labors, they were compel- 
 led to renew them, and pursue their voyage. Early on the 
 following morning, they reached Sapapalii. Malietoa, its 
 principal chief, was then with his warriors at Upolu ; but his 
 brother, Tamalelangi, with a multitude of natives, immediate- 
 ly boarded the vessel, and, having learned her errand, he 
 manifested great delight, and instantly despatched a messen- 
 ger for his brother. The chiefs and others had brought off 
 articles of barter : but, on hearing who the visitors were, they 
 unladed their canoes, and, having covered the deck with pigs « 
 and produce, resolutely refused any remuneration. Such 
 conduct naturally inspired the confidence of the missionaries 
 in the promise of Tamalelangi, and induced them to allow 
 the native teachers to land, and remain for a night on shore. 
 The result, Mr. Williams thus describes in his journal : — 
 
 "Wednesday, August 21. — This day we have seen the accomplish- 
 ment of our desires, and obtained a full reward for all our anxiety and 
 toil. In the morning, the teachers returned to the vessel, accompa- 
 nied by the chiefs, and about fifty canoes. They give the most fa- 
 vorable account of their reception. The fine young chief, perceiving 
 some alarm on board, occasioned by the throng of natives, immediate- 
 ly ordered that only one canoe should come alongside at a time. In 
 about two hours, the eight teachers, five women, and ten children, 
 with their bedsteads, boxes, and other property, were out of the ves- 
 sel : the teachers highly delighted with their prospects, and the poor 
 heathen no less so. One thing affected us much. The two largest 
 islands of the group, Upolu and Savaii, are only ten miles apart. 
 Between the people of these two islands war was raging when we 
 arrived; and they were actually fighting on the shore of Upolu, while 
 
 19 
 
218 LIFE OF THE 
 
 we were landing the teachers on the opposite shore of Savaii ; in- 
 deed, the houses and plantations were blazing at the very moment." 
 
 In the afternoon of this day, Malietoa arrived, and, " hav- 
 ing heard of the lotu," gave his visitors a most cordial wel- 
 come. The brethren embraced the opportunity of persuad- 
 ing the chief to terminate the war, but in vain. All that 
 Malietoa would promise was, that this conflict should be his 
 last. During this interview, Mr. Williams was again most 
 mercifully rescued from death ; for the chief had, unperceiv- 
 ed, taken up a loaded blunderbuss, and would, in another in- 
 stant, have undesignedly lodged its contents in the body of 
 the Missionary, had not the captain providentially entered the 
 cabin at the moment he was about to pull the trigger, and 
 wrenched the destructive weapon from his hand. 
 
 The landing and reception of Messrs. Barff and Williams 
 on the following day was highly gratifying. As the sun had 
 set ere they could reach the shore, the kind people had kin- 
 dled a blazing beacon, and supplied themselves with torches to 
 guide the visitors. An immense crowd covered the beach, 
 and, with their flaming brands, formed a guard of honor to 
 the house of Malietoa, whither the brethren were borne in 
 triumph, " sprawling," to use Mr. Williams's own words, " at 
 full length upon their extended arms and hands." But " the 
 majority had enough to do to gaze upon the wonderful stran- 
 gers, and for this purpose, had climbed the cocoa-nut and 
 other trees, upon the trunks and branches of which they were 
 seen in clusters by the red glare of the fire and torches, peep- 
 ing with glistening eyes and wondering look from amongst 
 the rich, dark foliage which surrounded them." A song in 
 honor of " the two great English chiefs" was speedily com- 
 posed, set to music, and, with the accompaniment of all man- 
 ner of native instruments and dancing, sung in full chorus by 
 the people. 
 
 The information obtained on the voyage, from Fauea, 
 had prepared Mr. Williams for intercourse with a people, 
 who, although belonging to the same widely scattered race, 
 inhabiting the different groups and islands of the South Pa- 
 cific, which he had previously visited, were distinguished 
 from them all by many peculiarities. And he had not been 
 long amongst them before he had verified and increased the 
 knowledge already gained. In language and in their leading 
 physical features, he at once perceived that they were Poly- 
 nesian Asiatics ; but in form, the men were neither so tall 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 219 
 
 nor so muscular, and the females were not so beautiful, as the 
 Tahitians and Friendly Islanders. But the inferiority of the 
 men in height and bulk, was fully compensated by their grace 
 and agility. Of all the Polynesians whom he had seen, Mr. 
 Williams pronounced the Samoan the most symmetric in 
 form and the most polished in manners. And of this they 
 were themselves aware, and no means were neglected, which 
 could, in their estimation, set off or enhance their personal 
 attractions. The toilet was a shrine before which the gen- 
 tlemen, no less than the ladies, daily offered incense to their 
 own vanity. A pair of portraits from the pencil of Mr. Wil- 
 liams, sketched from life upon his journal, will enable the 
 reader to form his own idea of the people amongst whom he 
 had now arrived. " Picture to yourself a fine well-grown In- 
 dian, with a dark, sparkling eye, a smooth skin, glistening 
 from the head to the hips with sweet-scented oil, and taste- 
 fully tatooed from the hips to the knees ; with a bandage of 
 red leaves, oiled and shining also, a head-dress of the nautilus 
 shell, and a string of small white shells around each arm, 
 and you have a Samoan gentleman in full dress ; and, thus 
 dressed, he thinks as much of himself, and the ladies think 
 as much of him, as would be the case with an English beau 
 fitted out in the highest style of fashion. A Samoan lady, 
 in full dress for a ball, wears a beautifully white silky look- 
 ing mat around her loins, with one corner tucked up, a wreath 
 of sweet-smelling flowers around her head, a row or two of 
 large blue beads about her neck ; her skin shining with scent- 
 ed oil, and the upper part of her person deeply tinged with 
 turmeric rouge. The ladies spend a considerable time in 
 preparing for company, as much so, perhaps, as their more 
 enlightened sisters in Christian and civilized lands, and two 
 or three ' lady's maids' will be required to assist in these dec- 
 orations. They are not tatooed like the men, but many of 
 them are spotted all over." 
 
 But while these and other peculiarities in their persons, 
 dress, habitations, arrangements, and occupations, interested 
 Mr. Williams, his attention was most powerfully arrested by 
 the marked religious distinctions which separated the Samo- 
 ans from all the other- islanders with whom he had hitherto 
 come into contact. Here he found none of the temples, idols, 
 altars, priests and sacrifices, which abounded elsewhere; 
 and, although prevalent superstitions were equally gross, they 
 were less demoralizing and cruel. It was also obvious to his 
 
220 LIFE OF THE 
 
 mind that idolatry had not so firm a hold upon their affections 
 as it had upon many other sections of the same race ; a cir- 
 cumstance which, with the absence of the more palpable 
 symbols of idolatry, had obtained for them from other island- 
 ers the epithet "godless." But this was most inapplicable; 
 for if they did not worship idols of wood and of stone, they 
 deified and reverenced many of the beasts, and birds, and 
 fish, and creeping things, by which they were surrounded. 
 Prevalent, however, as this practice was, the absence of an 
 interested, sanguinary and powerful priesthood was a feature 
 of their condition which Mr. Williams deemed peculiarly 
 favorable to his object. 
 
 The following two days were fraught with interest and im- 
 portance. During that time, the purpose of his visit was se- 
 cured. While the people, generally, were prepared to re- 
 ceive the teachers, no barrier against it was raised by the 
 chiefs. On the contrary, Malietoa, won by the representa- 
 tions of Fauea, and by the arguments and persuasions of the 
 missionaries, acceded to their wishes, and gave a public 
 pledge to protect the men, and learn the message now brought 
 to his shores. Mr. Williams, therefore, deemed Savaii as 
 won for the Saviour. A wide and effectual door was here 
 opened for his Gospel ; and a disposition evinced by all class- 
 es, which justified the hope that they would soon and univer- 
 sally receive it. " We remained on shore," he writes to the 
 Directors, " three days and two nights, during which time, 
 although probably no European had been on shore before, we 
 were treated with the utmost respect and kindness. A com- 
 modious building was given up by the chiefs, for our people 
 to teach and worship in, with four good dwellings for them- 
 selves." And when they returned to the ship, nothing could 
 exceed the expressions of regard which they received from 
 the people, all of whom escorted them to the shore, and rent 
 the air with the cry, " Great is our affection for you, English 
 chiefs." 
 
 For the details of this short, but most momentous visit, the 
 reader must turn once more to the Missionary Enterprises. 
 There is, however, one occurrence, to which a reference may 
 be made, on account of the light which it throws upon the 
 principles of Mr. Williams. While at Savaii, Materau, the pow- 
 erful chief of Manono, came to him to solicit a teacher ; and, as 
 an inducement for Mr. Williams to comply with his request, 
 declared that he would " make his people place themselves 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 221 
 
 under his instruction." " I thought it advisable," adds Mr. 
 W., " at once to tell him that he must not force them, contra- 
 ry to their own wishes ; but, having set them an example him- 
 self, and exhorted them to follow it, then to leave them to 
 their own convictions and inclinations ; but the employment 
 of any kind of coercion to induce men to become Christians 
 was contrary to the principles of our religion." This passage 
 contains the rule upon which he invariably proceeded ; it 
 shows the sense in which he understood the prophetic decla- 
 ration that " kings should be the nursing fathers" of the 
 church, and it supplies an answer to all who have charged 
 him with employing the power of the chiefs to compel their 
 people to profess the Gospel. 
 
 Having conveyed Matetau to his own island, whither they 
 were followed by Malietoa, who was returning to the war, 
 (accompanied by his young and beautiful bride, newly pur- 
 chased with the axes and other presents received from Mr. 
 Williams, but whom he could not yet trust out of his sight, 
 lest she should run away, and he be compelled to repurchase 
 her,) the brethren, delighted and encouraged by the results 
 of their enterprise, bade farewell to Samoa, under promise of 
 revisiting this interesting people in nine or ten months. 
 
 Such was the commencement of the Samoan mission. It 
 could not have been more auspicious. " Of all the missions 
 we have attempted," he wrote to the Directors, " none were 
 ever begun under such pleasing circumstances, or presented 
 a prospect of such speedy and complete success." But 
 great as this was, what had been accomplished scarcely ex- 
 ceeded his expectations. He went forth on this errand of 
 mercy, confident that he should succeed. Few men ever 
 reposed more simple or sincere reliance upon the presence 
 and power of Him who said, " Lo, I am with you always, even 
 to the end of the world;" and that Master whom he honored 
 by his confidence, and served with devotedness, said to him, 
 " be it unto thee according to thy faith." 
 
 But Mr. Williams contemplated the circumstances which 
 prepared for the introduction of the Gospel into Samoa, not 
 merely as propitious, but as providential. Throughout his 
 life, the doctrine of Divine superintendence was one of his 
 firmest supports and most powerful stimulus. His philosophy 
 on this subject was drawn from the word of God. There was 
 no passage of the sacred volume upon which, when in Eng- 
 land, he dilated with more frequency and copiousness, or to 
 19* 
 
222 LIFE OF THE 
 
 ths illustration of which he could bring a greater variety of 
 striking facts from his own eventful history, than Mark xvi. 
 20, " And they went forth and preached everywhere, the 
 Lord working w\th them." " Is it possible," he asks, " to re- 
 flect upon the manner in which Mrs. Williams gave her con- 
 sent to this enterprise, — to our meeting with the chief at 
 Tongatabu, — to the death of Tamafaigna, — and to other 
 striking particulars, without exclaiming, ' Here is something 
 more than accident. This is the finger of God V " These 
 first impressions were not merely confirmed, but deepened, 
 by Mr. Williams's second visit to Samoa. At the conclusion 
 of the journal of that voyage, he thus writes : — 
 
 " It is impossible to reflect upon our first voyage to Samoa, and not 
 discover the hand of God. At that time, we were entirely ignorant 
 of the state of the islands, the character of the people, the influence of 
 the chiefs, the feelings of different parties, the relative importance of 
 the various districts, and other points of great moment to a missiona- 
 ry, about to commence a mission, and upon a knowledge of which 
 his success materially depends. Our deficiency, however, was re- 
 markably supplied by our meeting with Fauea, at Tongatabu; and 
 the result was, that had we then possessed the knowledge we have 
 since obtained, we could not have selected a better place for the com- 
 mencement of the mission, than that to which we were undesignedly 
 conducted. Looking back upon the circumstances, it appears to me 
 that, with my present information, out of the numerous stations where 
 the mission might have been commenced, there was one which pos- 
 sessed advantages far above all the rest ; and it was that to which we 
 were directed. This was not the result of any wisdom or foresight of 
 our own." 
 
 To what cause, then, it may be asked, must this be ascri- 
 bed ? Was it a mere casual coincidence 1 Is it possible to 
 question the fact that this was the Lord's doing ? Some, in- 
 deed, may answer, " It is possible ;" for it is a favorite dog- 
 ma with many, that while it is consistent with all proper con- 
 ceptions of the character and supremacy of the Creator, to 
 suppose that he exercises a general superintendence over hu- 
 man affairs, the doctrine of a particular Providence derogates 
 from his dignity, and cannot be made to harmonize with the 
 undeviating uniformity of the established laws of matter and 
 mind. This is not the place for lengthy discussions, or 
 it might be easily shown that this theory is most inconsistent 
 with Divine revelation, — that it is opposed to all correct views 
 of God's natural and moral perfections, — that, when sifted, it 
 will be found to exclude " the Creator of the ends of the 
 earth" from the world which he has made, — that it gives an 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 223 
 
 independent power to matter and mind, which it is, in the 
 very nature of things, impossible for any created thing to pos- 
 sess, — that by denying the possibility of Divine influence upon 
 the heart, it excludes the hope of renovation and recovery 
 from their present degradation to the whole race of Adam ; 
 and, moreover, that it most unphilosophically maintains the 
 self-destructive doctrine that communities can be governed 
 except through the agency of individuals. But we must 
 waive the general question. There is, however, one topic 
 connected with the subject, which the history of Mr. Wil- 
 liams will not permit us to pass over. That history illus- 
 trates, in a very clear and interesting form, the manner in 
 which Divine regard to a community, and the particular and 
 providential guidance of an individual, may act consentane- 
 ously ; and shows how vitally the one is sometimes interwo- 
 ven with the other. Surely it is impossible to conceive of 
 any event within the ordinary range of human affairs, by 
 which the beneficent Creator could have more signally dis- 
 covered his kindness to the long-benighted inhabitants of Sa- 
 moa, than by making them partakers of his own revelation. 
 And, if there be such a thing as Providence at all, this change 
 in the condition of a people, the most important which could be 
 experienced, must have been providential. Nothing, there- 
 fore, had occurred to the Samoans, or to their ancestors, so 
 momentous as that visit of the man of God which has just 
 been described ; and he who admits that the introduction of 
 the Gospel amongst them was an evidence of general Divine 
 superintendence, cannot surely deny that the movements 
 which preceded, the circumstance which promoted, and the 
 agency which accomplished this object, must also have been 
 under the same control. Now, as it is evident that all the 
 blessed changes which date their origin to this memorable 
 period may be traced to Mr. Williams, it becomes equally 
 evident that the well-being of a nation for ages to come be- 
 came closely connected with the mental state, and voluntary 
 movements of one man. If, then, an unseen hand had not 
 influenced his mind, and guided his steps, there was nothing 
 extraordinary, nothing providential, in the evangelization of 
 Samoa ; but, if it be allowed that this change, so vast in it- 
 self, so interesting in its character, so momentous and even 
 infinite in its results, was a part of God's general providence, 
 (and to deny this consistently, the doctrine of Divine super- 
 intendence should be denied altogether,) then it must follow, 
 
224 LIFE OF THE 
 
 that he whose human agency effected it, was the child, the 
 care, the instrument of that providence, and, consequently, 
 that its special and general operations so concur and co-ope- 
 rate, that the one doctrine cannot be maintained, apart from 
 the other. 
 
 It is in this light that Mr. Williams contemplated the de- 
 sires of his heart, and the events of his history. He was 
 convinced that both were of God. But while he thus deem- 
 ed himself the charge and the agent of a wise and watchful 
 Providence, he was too humble and intelligent to ascribe this 
 to any personal merit. Firm as was his confidence, it had 
 no alliance to enthusiasm, or self-esteem. The basis upon 
 which it reposed was the office he held ; the commission he 
 carried ; the supplications he had presented : the desires and 
 designs which had filled his heart and constrained his efforts ; 
 the connexion of his work with the purposes of God and the 
 death of Christ, and the promises of the inspired word. He 
 believed that Divine Providence ever had moved and ever 
 would move in harmony with the ends contemplated by the 
 Gospel, and with a special design to its wide diffusion ; and 
 as evidences of this, he regarded many of the incidents of 
 his own life. But in order to the maintenance of this opin- 
 ion, and to the realization of its full influence upon his heart 
 and his hand, Mr. Williams felt himself under no kind of 
 necessity for supposing, that in his case, God ever suspended 
 or superseded his own established laws. His was not a faith 
 in the miraculous interpositions, but in the moral government 
 of the Most High. He could conceive the truth, although he 
 might not fully comprehend all that it includes or implies, 
 that the omniscient God, who had established the laws of 
 matter, (a term which can mean nothing except it be that 
 according to these modes he intends to operate,) from the 
 beginning, foresaw and adjusted their force, application and 
 results, so as to secure their harmonious co-operation with the 
 free exercise, and various movements of mind, and so to com- 
 bine and control both, as to secure his own wise, holy, and 
 benevolent designs. But while the faith of Mr. Williams re- 
 posed in the presence and superintendence of Him, who is 
 " wonderful in counsel and excellent in working," was not 
 such as to expose him to the infidel taunt, — 
 
 " When the loose mountain trembles from on high, 
 Shall gravitation cease, if thou go by ?" 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 225 
 
 neither did it exert so imperceptible an influence, as to in- 
 duce him to suspend his judgment upon a doctrine divinely 
 revealed, until the question had been fully answered, " How 
 can these things be V* and every mystery resolved in the 
 complex and comprehensive movements of Him, whose 
 " ways are past finding out." 
 
 These remarks would not have been introduced here, had 
 no objections been made to the frequent references to Divine 
 Providence, which occur in the writings of this honored 
 Missionary. Nor can the subject be dismissed without ob- 
 serving, that the history of no individual, since the apostles' 
 days, has disposed more fully than his of the difficulty alleged 
 and magnified by Deists, and too frequently confessed and 
 feared by believers, of reconciling the prevalence of supersti- 
 tion, and the partial spread of Christianity, with the destruc- 
 tive influence of the one, and the Divine origin of the other. 
 " If," it has been asked, " the Bible be a revelation from 
 heaven,- and the knowledge of its contents essential to the 
 welfare of mankind, how can you explain the fact that its 
 Author, whose goodness and power all must acknowledge, 
 should have suffered successive generations, and countless 
 multitudes, to have died without a knowledge of its con- 
 tents ?" This objection, as applied exclusively to Christiani- 
 ty, may be fairly met on the ground that it might be urged 
 with equal force against the doctrines of natural religion, the 
 principles of common morality, the sound deductions and im- 
 portant discoveries of philosophy, and, indeed, against every 
 truth which has not been universally received. But to reply 
 more directly to this objection, we have only to say that God 
 no longer works by miracles, but by the agency of man in 
 the diffusion of that Gospel ; that in order to its universal 
 spread, he has made every provision, supplied every direction, 
 and presented every motive which is adapted to further his 
 beneficent design ; and that, if those who are entrusted with 
 this great commission prove unfaithful, the consequences of 
 unfaithfulness in this, as in other things, will naturally and 
 necessarily follow. What greater mystery is there in the 
 partial dissemination of this Divine bestowment, than in the 
 limited influence of various other agencies which would pro- 
 mote the happiness of individuals and communities f The 
 simple truth is, that the Gospel has not been conveyed to dis- 
 tant lands — its light and power have not become universal, 
 simply because the spirit of Williams has not been the per- 
 
226 LIFE OF THE 
 
 vading, predominant spirit of all who profess and call them- 
 selves Christians. Had "many run to and fro," as he did, 
 " knowledge must have been increased ;" " regions beyond" 
 and remote would in succession have " heard, and feared, 
 and turned unto the Lord ," the Gospel would have been in 
 effect what it is in spirit and design, " for man," universal 
 man. Thus " the knowledge of the Lord would," ere now, 
 " have covered the earth." The whole mystery, then, is 
 found, not in the dispensations of God, but in the ungrateful, 
 unfeeling, unfaithful conduct of those to whom he entrusted 
 his Gospel. 
 
 Samoa, now so blessed with evangelical light and Divine 
 influence, would have remained in darkness, had not the de- 
 voted Missionary carried the torch of truth into the midst of 
 its inhabitants. And would there then have been any mys- 
 tery in its moral and spiritual condition ? Surely not ! For 
 how could they believe on him of whom they had not heard ? 
 and how could they hear without a preacher V This would 
 have been the true solution of the difficulty in their case, as 
 it still is in that of every untaught nation under heaven. If, 
 therefore, the church of God, instead of attempting to dispose 
 of such objections by abstract argument, were but baptized 
 with the spirit of the Apostle of Polynesia, and would but go 
 forth themselves, or by their agents, everywhere preaching 
 the word, they would soon silence objectors, and more effec- 
 tually than by theory or reasoning, " vindicate the ways of 
 God to man " 
 
 Having been prevented by calms and contrary winds from 
 reaching Savage Island, where they intended to land the two 
 natives, whom they had detained on their outward voyage, 
 they bore away for Rarotonga. Here they were rejoiced to 
 find that the direful disease, which at their previous visit was 
 desolating the island, was stayed : and the contrast between 
 its present and its former state was felt the more, because it 
 harmonized so fully with the cheerful and happy emotions 
 which now animated their hearts. Mr. Buzacott has thus 
 described the altered circumstances of the people. " The 
 disease which prevailed when Messrs. Williams and BarfF 
 touched here in June, had subsided on their return. So 
 prevalent was it at that time, that the beach, which had been 
 formerly lined with thousands to welcome Mr. W., had on it 
 only a few children, and a few adults, whose death-like coun- 
 tenances indicated the awful judgment which then prevailed ; 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 227 
 
 but, on their return, numbers were enabled to greet them 
 with gladness, while their joy at meeting formed a most pleas- 
 ing contrast to the deep sorrow reciprocally experienced on 
 their former visit. It has delighted us much to hear such 
 pleasing accounts from our brethren. A wide field is now 
 opened ; may it soon be covered with laborers." Mr. Pitman, 
 referring to the same period, adds that, " when Mr. Williams 
 related with what readiness native teachers had been received 
 by the chiefs, and their great desire for foreign missionaries, 
 he was overjoyed, and begged of me and my respected col- 
 league, the Rev. A. Buzacott, if possible, to procure native 
 assistants to accompany him on his next voyage." 
 
 Drawn by the claims and attractions of home, the brethren 
 remained but a short time at Mangaia, Rurutu, Tahiti, and 
 Huahine, on the beginning of September, they again cast an- 
 chor within the reef of Raiatea. 
 
 Few voyages were ever less noticed, or more important, 
 than that which they had now completed. Many gallant 
 ships, and richly laden fleets, were traversing the ocean, 
 while the Messenger of Peace pursued her way to Samoa; 
 but how few were laden with a freight so precious, or bound 
 upon an embassy so momentous. The memorials of her voy- 
 age had no place amongst the maritime transactions of the 
 day ; and, by many, would have been deemed unworthy of a 
 page, even in the most ephemeral productions of the press ; 
 but their record was on high, enrolled amidst the brightest 
 events of the age, and destined to endure, when the mere voy- 
 ages of discovery, the schemes of commerce, the triumphs of 
 conquest, and the annals of nations, will all be " forgotten as 
 a dream." Had the career of John Williams terminated at 
 this single enterprise, his honored name would have long been 
 venerated on earth, and " great would have been his reward 
 in heaven." 
 
 The welcome back to Raiatea was warm and grateful. 
 Never had the unfeigned love and great joy of his flock been 
 more abundantly manifested. Like children clustering round 
 a beloved father, did groups of natives encircle him, both at 
 home, and when occupied in the settlement, anxious to hear, 
 once and again, what God had wrought by him amongst the 
 heathen. 
 
 But, while rejoicing in the work which he had now re- 
 sumed, and cheered by the harmony and energy of the people, 
 disease again assailed his beloved partner. In a short time, 
 
228 LIFE OF THE 
 
 the intolerable feefee had reduced her so low, that the neces- 
 sity of speedily removing from Raiatea, was once more forced 
 upon his attention. Mrs. Williams, indeed, was too generous 
 and self-denying to urge this course upon her devoted hus- 
 band. She knew that he had promised to revisit Samoa, and 
 that, prior to their embarkation for England, it was most im- 
 portant that the Rarotongan Testament should be prepared 
 for the press ; and she was most unwilling to depart until 
 these designs had been completed. But, on the other hand, 
 he sympathized too deeply in her sufferings, and felt too great 
 a dread of the consequences, to allow any public claim to 
 supercede the prior duty which he owed to the beloved and 
 laborious partner of his days. He had, therefore, resolved to 
 depart. " Should Mrs. Williams continue so unwell," he 
 writes, " it will be impossible for me to revisit Rarotonga and 
 Samoa. My full determination is to impose upon her no lon- 
 ger. Perhaps, I might effect as much by going to England 
 immediately, as by waiting ten or twelve months ; though I 
 could not do it with such satisfaction to my own mind. I be- 
 lieve I am blamed by many, and thought unkind in having 
 remained so long. They consider that the strength of her 
 constitution is gone. Most earnestly do I wish that there 
 was some one on the spot to take Raiatea. It would be a 
 great relief to my mind." 
 
 To prepare his way for the important step upon which he 
 had decided, " we held a meeting," he writes, " of the people 
 of our charge, at which we requested them to give us up en- 
 tirely, and to invite some other missionary to come and re- 
 side among them ; but both the Raiateans and Tahaans were 
 urgent in their entreaties that we would not think of leaving ; 
 they protested against our going, and even threatened to 
 break up the ship, that came to take us away. All the wo- 
 men in a body, with the queen at their head, waited upon 
 Mrs. Williams to beseech her to relinquish the idea." This 
 importunity greatly affected Mr. Williams, and drew from 
 him a conditional promise, which the mitigation of Mrs. Wil- 
 liams's disease just afterwards enabled him to perform. " I 
 am happy to say," he writes to his sister, Mrs. Kuck, " that 
 my dear Mary is better ; and that we have determined to re- 
 main, and both complete the translation, and visit the out- 
 stations, before returning to England. We have now recom- 
 menced all our minute labors, erected a new school-house, 
 regulated both the adults' and the children's schools, and are 
 going on again with life, hope, and spirit." 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 229 
 
 But, although Mr. Williams thus resumed his ordinary en- 
 gagements for a time, he had not relinquished the intention 
 of visiting his native land. Indeed, he was daily preparing 
 for this, by carefully revising his part of the Rarotongan Tes- 
 tament, and had formed the purpose, as soon as possible, of 
 going down to the Hervey Islands, and from thence to Samoa. 
 
 " These are our present plans," he writes to W. A. Hankey, Esq., 
 " and should nothing unforeseen occur, you may expect us in Eng- 
 land about twelve months after receiving this. You may depend 
 upon it, I should exert myself to the utmost to render our unavoidable 
 visit as beneficial as possible to our missions in the South Seas." 
 
 " We were sincerely happy," he adds, "to hear of the arrival of 
 our respected friend Mr. Bennet, and of the livelv interest which the 
 best of all causes has awakened in our beloved land. Missionary 
 zeal, indeed, appears to burn in the hearts of many of our country- 
 men. I am also thankful for the manner in which you are pleased to 
 express approbation of my labors, as it respects the vessel. 1 feel 
 a delicacy in speaking on the subject myself, but may be allowed to 
 say that the building of that vessel has proved of incalculable advan- 
 tage. 
 
 " Several young men, whom I have had in my employ for years, 
 have become really clever. One has lately been to Huahine, and 
 rebuilt Mahine's small schooner, and has done it remarkably well ; 
 having put in the beams, knees, deck, etc. in a regular way, so that 
 no one but an experienced builder could tell that it had not been 
 done by an English shipwright. Two others are being built : one, a 
 fine little vessel of forty tons, for Tamatoa. The natives have framed 
 her entirely themselves. She is a very handsome model, well fitted, 
 and firmly put together. All the wood and iron work has been pre- 
 pared by their own hands. The king's quay is like a little dock-yard. 
 Mr. Hunter has a fine little vessel of fifty tons. The king's stands 
 next; and then, a large new schooner, built at Tubuai, but brought 
 down here to be finished. Two men, whom I taught smith's work, 
 were employed to go to Tubuai, to make the iron work for this vessel, 
 at the rate of ten dollars per month. I have sent two chairs, as spe- 
 cimens of the Rarotongan workmanship, to my sister, Mrs. Kuck, 
 and have requested her to forward one to you, which I hope you will 
 do me the favor to accept." 
 
 Shortly after this letter was written, Mr. Williams was 
 called to pass through the most painful period of his resi- 
 dence at Raiatea. Prior to the introduction of Christianity, 
 this and the other leeward islands had been conquered by a 
 warlike chief of Tahaa, named Tapoa. This man was a 
 bigoted idolater, and was preparing to invade Tahiti soon 
 after Pomare had burned his idols, when his design was frustra- 
 ted by death. The government of Tahaa then passed into the 
 hands of Fenuapeho, a chief of less ferocious character than 
 his predecessor, but strongly attached to the ancient supersti- 
 20 
 
230 LIFE OF THE 
 
 tions. Fenuapeho had not long possessed the ruling power 
 of Tahaa, when the Gospel was introduced into Raiatea, and 
 he had heard that Tamatoa had renounced the idols, and 
 destroyed the great Oro. Highly incensed at this daring 
 impiety, the chief resolved to avenge the god; and, with a 
 formidable band of warriors, made a descent upon Raiatea. 
 The Raiateans were inferior, both in numbers and in cour- 
 age, to their disciplined and redoubtable assailants. But 
 what they lacked of power and prowess, was supplied by pru- 
 dence and prayer. By a well concerted movement, a chosen 
 band broke forth suddenly from ambush, while the forces of 
 Tahaa were landing, and presented to the invaders so bold a 
 front, that they were panic-struck, and fled in the utmost 
 confusion. The chief and many of his followers were cap- 
 tured, and expected no quarter ; but, contrary to all the 
 usages of heathen warfare, their lives were spared ; and, when 
 Fenuapeho was conducted as a prisoner into the presence of 
 Tamatoa, and expected to be assailed with every expression 
 of savage exultation by the victorious chief, and then felled 
 to his feet by the club, to his utter amazement, Tamatoa re- 
 ceived him with kindness, frankly forgave the unprovoked 
 invasion, and restored the captive his liberty and his govern- 
 ment. The moral influence of this generous forbearance 
 was most important. The victory, so easily won by the few 
 over the many, and the use of it made by the conquerors, 
 impressed the Tahaans with the superiority of a religion, 
 which could produce such fruits ; and constrained both the 
 chiefs and his soldiers, at a public festival on the following 
 day, to adjure their gods for ever. From this time, Fenua- 
 peho became a stedfast professor of the Gospel ; and, until 
 his death, he zealously co-operated with the missionaries in 
 their efforts to elevate and evangelize his people. The depu- 
 tation speak of him in 1823 as " a pious and amiable man/' 
 and add, " He is the most active and industrious individual 
 on the island. We have seen him at work, clearing the 
 ground, with the perspiration running down his body in 
 streams." 
 
 But unhappily for the peace of the Society Islands, this 
 worthy man was, during the year 1831, lost at sea, and was 
 succeeded in the government by Tapoa, a grandson of the 
 famous old warrior of that name. Inheriting the ambitious 
 spirit of his ancestor, the new chief of Tahaa was soon sur- 
 rounded by disaffected persons from the different islands, and 
 
REV, J. WILLIAMS. 231 
 
 induced to claim as his hereditary right the sovereignty of 
 Raiatea, in which he was supported by many of the Borabo- 
 rans. This demand immediately excited all the inhabitants 
 of the group, and especially the Raiateans, who now found 
 themselves in the distressing predicament of either submit- 
 ting to what they deemed a cruel usurpation, or preparing 
 for that desolating scourge — war ; which had now so long 
 been excluded from their lovely and tranquil shores. Impel- 
 led by their principles, their interest, and their habits, for they 
 had long since converted their spears into pulpit balusters or 
 other uses as peaceful, and were raised into a position where 
 they could gain nothing, but might lose much, by warfare, 
 they would have gladly abstained from a contest with their 
 brethren. Tamatoa, now old and grey-headed, who, though 
 he had, like David, been a man of blood, fervently desired 
 that the peaceful reign of Jesus should be permanently estab- 
 lished in the land, viewed the gathering tempest with trepi- 
 dation, and was bowed down with distress as he surveyed 
 the position of affairs, and the perils which threatened his 
 people. But in the midst of the confusion God took him 
 " where the wicked cease from troubling, and where the 
 weary are at rest." This event, however, by augmenting the 
 difficulties of the one party, and emboldening the proceedings 
 of the other, served to hasten the dreaded crisis, and it was 
 now expected on all hands that hostilities would shortly com- 
 mence. 
 
 It may be easily imagined with what concern Mr. Wil- 
 liams contemplated the impending evil; and he was soon 
 convinced that he could not, consistently, be either silent or 
 neutral. Indeed, had he desired to stand aloof from the con- 
 tending parties, it would have been impossible. The king, 
 the chiefs, and a large body of the natives, naturally turned 
 to him in their extremity, as the tried friend and prudent coun- 
 sellor, upon whose wisdom and fidelity they had so long been 
 accustomed to rely. And could he, as their missionary, or as 
 the friend of order and peace, have withheld his aid 1 He 
 thought not ; and therefore assiduously labored to frustrate 
 the designs of the wicked, and to still the tumult of the peo- 
 ple. With this view, his first endeavor was to dissuade Tapoa 
 from commencing the struggle upon which he had resolved ; 
 but, having failed with him, and being unable to discover any 
 middle course between resistance and submission, he encour- 
 aged the Raiateans to stand firmly on the defensive. For 
 
LIFE OF THE 
 
 this, therefore, they prepared themselves, being fully persuad- 
 ed that, dreadful as the evils of a conflict might be, they 
 would be less than the consequences of the tyranny of Tapoa. 
 
 The decided part taken by Mr. Williams in this painful 
 contest, naturally drew upon him the bitterest hostility of 
 Tapoa's partizans, and had, on "one occasion, well nigh cost 
 him his life ; for an exasperated native had actually levelled a 
 loaded musket at his person, and, in another second, would 
 have fired, had not a friendly by-stander instantly sprang 
 upon the assassin, and wrested the deadly weapon from his 
 hand. The following extract, from a letter, written July 10th, 
 1831, will sufficiently indicate the perturbed state of Mr. Wil- 
 liams's mind at this anxious period. "It is with the deepest 
 sorrow that I inform you of the present agitated state of all 
 the leeward islands. We have been upon the point of war 
 for the last two or three months, and in all probability, it will 
 soon burst forth. I am equally sorry to add, that our good 
 old king is removed from us by death. The intense excite- 
 ment produced by the present distressing events was too much 
 for his aged frame, preyed upon his spirits, and shortened his 
 days. He died very happily. Almost his last words were, 
 ' Beware, lest the Gospel be driven from our islands.' He 
 was buried last Wednesday. We shall feel his loss much." 
 
 After the death of Tamatoa, Mr. Williams continued to 
 labor to prevent hostilities ; and, with this design, went to 
 Tahiti to induce some chiefs from that island to visit Raiatea, 
 and act as mediators between the disputants. During his ab- 
 sence, however, the crisis came, and some blood was shed ; 
 but, happily, the Tahitian chiefs appeared just in time to pre- 
 vent a genera] engagement, and shortly afterwards effected a 
 nominal reconciliation. 
 
 Mr. Williams, who throughout this anxious period had 
 been desirous of commencing his last voyage to the out-sta- 
 tions, and completing his preparations for returning to Eng- 
 land, but who would not leave the ship in a storm, conceived 
 that he might now vacate his post for a few months ; and, 
 therefore, after making the best arrangements in his power 
 for the maintenance of Divine worship, and other means of 
 improvement, he sailed, in September, for Rarotonga. This 
 was, unquestionably, a perilous movement for the people ; 
 and, although he trusted that the pacification just effected 
 might be permanent, he knew too well the importance of his 
 presence, and the dangers which threatened his beloved flock, 
 
REV 
 
 WILLIAMS. 233 
 
 not to deplore the necessity under which he felt himself com- 
 pelled to leave them. Amongst other reasons, the debilitated 
 state to which Mrs. Williams had been reduced by repeated 
 relapses, seemed to demand an immediate change of air and 
 scene ; and, moreover, the time had now come when he had 
 pledged himself to the Samoan chiefs and teachers to revisit 
 them : a pledge, the non-fulfilment of which might shake the 
 confidence of the people, compromise the safety of the teach- 
 ers, and destroy a work so full of promise. It was, however, 
 a source of satisfaction that he did not abandon the people 
 amongst whom he labored so long, without some missionary 
 superintendence. The Directors, aware of Mr. Williams's 
 important engagements in extending the field of missionary 
 enterprise, and anxious to preserve the fruits which he had 
 brought to such maturity, had, in the previous year, most con- 
 siderately appointed Mr. Smith to Tahaa, with the design 
 that, during the absence of Mr. Williams, he might connect 
 Raiatea with the station more immediately under his charge. 
 In the spring of 1831, Mr. and Mrs. Smith arrived, and took 
 up their residence with Mr. Williams ; and although, at the 
 time of leaving for Rarotonga, his young brother had not 
 mastered the language, he was satisfied that his presence and 
 aid would prove of considerable service to the people. 
 
 On reaching Rarotonga, the scene which greeted him was 
 inexpressibly refreshing. On every hand, there were signs 
 of progress and prosperity. At Avarua, a new and noble 
 chapel, commodious school-rooms, and numerous neat habi- 
 tations, all erected since his former visit, and most of them 
 shaded with the rich foliage of trees, filled his eyes, and feast- 
 ed his mind with objects, upon which it was ever his delight 
 to gaze. In such scenery, Mr. Williams beheld the visible 
 evidences of the efficacy of those means which the missiona- 
 ries were employing, and it kindled in his bosom pleasure 
 allied to enthusiasm. His taste, like his general character, 
 was practical. He contemplated the scenes by which he was 
 continually surrounded, not with the eye of a sentimentalist, 
 or a poet, but through the medium of those desires and de- 
 signs which ever modified his judgments and governed his 
 proceedings. Not that he was insensible to the glorious vis- 
 ions which rose up before him from the placid waters of the 
 Pacific. The survey of 
 20* 
 
234 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 Isles rich with fruits, and redolent with flowers, 
 And beautiful as earth's primeval bowers," * 
 
 often filled his soul with sacred pleasure, and drew his 
 thoughts from earth to heaven. But still he sought for some- 
 thing more than the mountain and the dell, the forest and the 
 stream, the crested wave and coral strand. He sighed to see 
 the forms and features of moral loveliness and spiritual life 
 blending with and beautifying the natural landscape. With- 
 out these bright lights, the subject was too sombre to affect 
 him with other emotions than those of sadness and solicitude. 
 Hence, his journals and correspondence contain but few 
 sketches of the spots which he visited, unless they presented 
 signs of religious improvement and advancing civilization. If 
 these stood in the foreground, the picture instantly imprinted 
 its own image upon his memory and his heart. It was when 
 the coral cliff and the azure sea were covered, not with naked 
 and vociferous savages, but with a multitude " clothed and in 
 their right mind ;" when the rich productions of their soil and 
 climate embowered the house of prayer, the dwelling of the 
 missionary, and the quiet homes of industry and religion, that 
 " every prospect pleased." Then, nature seemed instinct 
 with new and nobler life, and clothed in her most attractive 
 attire ; then, to use his own expressive words, " the toa and 
 the casuarina trees reared their stately heads, as through 
 their graceful foilage the snow-white buildings presented them- 
 selves." 
 
 In the spirit of devout gratitude, Mr. Williams selected for 
 his first text, " The Lord hath done great things for us, 
 whereof we are glad ;" a passage which fitly expressed the 
 emotions awakened by the scene which now surrounded him. 
 But before entering upon the work which was more fully to 
 engage his attention during his stay at Rarotonga, it was 
 deemed desirable that, in company with Mr. Buzacott and 
 Makea, he should visit the various out-stations of the Hervey 
 group. Having first called at Mangaia, they proceeded 
 to Atui, where the life of Mr. Williams was again placed 
 in jeopardy while attempting to land upon the reef, and 
 where he must have perished, had not the natives rushed 
 to his rescue, and seized him when sinking a second time in 
 
 * " Polynesia ; or Missionary Toils and Triumphs in the South 
 Seas:" — a volume in which piety and poetry appear in their natural 
 alliance doing homage to the Gospel. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 235 
 
 deep water. Both here and at Mangaia, Mauke, Mitiaro, 
 and Aitutaki, he improved his short sojourn to the utmost by 
 rendering to the teachers and their flocks that mental and 
 manual assistance which he knew so well how to combine. 
 At all these islands he had now become a well known and 
 most welcome visitor. No event would have given the na- 
 tives greater pleasure. An angel of light, had he descended 
 upon these shores, might have awakened more wonder, but 
 would not have diffused more joy. " I was much delighted," 
 writes Mr. Buzacott to the author, " to see how he was eve- 
 rywhere received." And who can wonder at this 1 The 
 frank and friendly spirit which he discovered towards the peo- 
 ple, the familiar manner in which he mingled amongst and 
 conversed with them, the transparent benevolence which sat 
 enthroned in his soul and regulated his actions, " the law of 
 kindness in his tongue," his readiness to answer every ques- 
 tion, and comply with every request, the cheerfulness which 
 shone, and the humor which smiled in his countenance — 
 these naturally won their hearts. " The natives," writes Mr. 
 Buzacott, " clung around him. He seemed to be one of 
 them." But they had a more substantial reason than personal 
 attachment for hailing his arrival with gladness. For his 
 visits were never barren. It was with him as much a matter 
 of choice as of obligation — his delight no less than his duty, 
 " to do good and communicate." At all times and in all sit- 
 uations, he was " a workman." Indolence had for him no 
 charms. Had he coasted around these lovely isles as a mere 
 spectator, or trodden their shores to gain knowledge rather 
 than to give it, he would have been unhappy. But this was 
 not his errand, nor his aim. Hence, wherever he travelled, 
 he went preaching Christ and his cross, as God's salvation to 
 the ends of the earth, and he left behind him information, 
 books, mechanical improvements, additional means for pro- 
 moting civilization and Christianity, and not seldom impres- 
 sions upon the minds and characters of the people, " graven 
 as with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever." These 
 various blessings, like a broad stream of sacred light, marked 
 his beneficent course through those realms of pagan darkness, 
 towards which, constrained by the love of Christ, he so fre- 
 quently turned. 
 
 On returning to Rarotonga, Mr. Williams applied himself 
 with vigor to the work of translation. But unexpected trials 
 soon drew off his attention from this object, and absorbed 
 
236 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 much of his time during the remainder of the year. The 
 first of these was the discovery of a plot to restore tatooing 
 and other pagan practices, which had now been universally 
 abandoned. But this was met by prompt and prudent resis- 
 tance ; and as the most influential chiefs, the judges, and a 
 large majority of the people, correctly estimated the blessfngs 
 conferred upon them by Christianity, and clearly discerned 
 the baseness of those motives in which the desire of a change 
 had originated, they cordially co-operated with the teachers, 
 and soon induced the leaders of the movement to relinquish 
 their design. 
 
 About a fortnight after this, a desolating hurricane swept 
 over the island, levelling all the public buildings, and about a 
 thousand dwelling-houses, uprooting a great number of trees, 
 and carrying the Messenger of Peace several hundred yards 
 inland. The particalars of this appalling visitation were 
 deeply engraven upon Mr. Williams's memory, and have been 
 fully described by his own pen.* The merciful and almost 
 miraculous escape of his beloved wife, both during the storm 
 and in her subsequent premature and dangerous confinement, 
 called forth his unfeigned gratitude to the Great Deliverer. 
 For a considerable time after giving birth to a still-born babe, 
 Mrs. Williams's life was almost extinct; but, by the free use 
 of the strongest stimulants, she at length revived, to the inex- 
 pressible relief of her agonizing partner. The conduct of 
 the natives on this occasion furnished evidence of their sym- 
 pathy and affection, which, in some degree, ministered con- 
 solation to the sufferers. As soon as Makea heard of their 
 affliction, he, with a long retinue of his people, came over 
 from Gnatangeia, to condole with them. And " no individu- 
 al came empty-handed ; some brought mats, others pieces of 
 cloth, and others articles of food, which they presented as an 
 expression of their sympathy. A few of the principal wo- 
 men went in to see Mrs. Williams, laid their little presents at 
 her feet, and wept over her according to their custom." 
 Not being willing to be outdone in the manifestation of their 
 attachment, " the chief and people of Mr. Pitman's station," 
 writes Mr. Williams, " undertook to return on my behalf the 
 compliment which Makea and his party had paid to me. 
 About 300 pigs were killed for the occasion, some of which 
 were very large, and all of them baked whole. The vegeta- 
 
 * Vide Missionary Enterprises, p. 383. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 237 
 
 ble food was not proportionate in quantity ; nearly all having 
 been destroyed by the hurricane. The whole of this was 
 presented in my name to Makea. 
 
 As soon as the storm had subsided, a public meeting was 
 convened, when the first thing resolved upon was to build a 
 temporary sanctuary. This was soon accomplished; and 
 during the three succeeding months, while the people were 
 restoring their houses, Mr. Williams devoted his chief atten- 
 tion to the translation. But food had now become so scarce, 
 and the prospect so gloomy, that to prevent a famine, which 
 otherwise appeared to be inevitable, he resolved to procure 
 provisions from Tahiti ; and having repaired the Messenger 
 of Peace, (no easy task after the damage she had sustained 
 from the storm,) in July, accompanied by Mr. Buzacott, he 
 took his departure. 
 
 But painful intelligence awaited him at Tahiti. Here he 
 learned that the pacification between the chiefs of the lee- 
 ward islands, concluded prior to his departure, had been but 
 of short duration — that so long as the presence and power of 
 the Tahitian mediators held the disputants in awe, peace was 
 preserved ; but that no sooner had the armed intervention 
 withdrawn, than, like angry clouds, which although riven and 
 kept asunder for a time by the force of the tempest, return in 
 denser masses and fiercer array as soon as the gale moderates, 
 so had it been at Raiatea. War, with its attendant crimes 
 and calamities, had now spread desolation through the fair 
 scene in which he had so long and so successfully labored. 
 No time was lost after receiving these heavy tidings- With- 
 out delay, Mr. Williams hastened to the spot ; and on reach- 
 ing it, the spectacle which met his eye filled his soul with 
 anguish. But his own feelings, the state of the people, and 
 the effect of his visit, will best appear in the following pas- 
 sage of a letter written just afterwards to his sister. 
 
 " Here I found that a sad battle had been fought, in which the Ra- 
 iateans were victorious. They certainly had justice on their side, and 
 acted throughout the affair worthy of their profession as Christians. 
 They treated their enemies with kindness, and, after the conflict, no 
 prisoner was injured. The attack was made upon them in the night, 
 with all the fury which fanaticism inspires ; but it was promptly re- 
 sisted and repelled. But there were other causes of lamentation be- 
 side the war. In consequence of this, of the death of good old Tama- 
 toa, of the bad conduct of his son who succeeds him, and of my long 
 absence, the people had begun to distil and drink native spirits, so that 
 on my arrival, the laws were suspended, the means ofgrace thinly 
 attended, and the whole fabric of society shaken to its foundations. 
 
233 LIFE OF THE 
 
 By great and persevering exertion, J succeeded in rectifying many of 
 these evils. The stills were destroyed, the laws re-established, the 
 church reformed, and all things placed on a footing which bids fair to 
 restore prosperity. Had 1 been able to stay another month, I could 
 have done much more, but I must be thankful for what has been ef- 
 fected." 
 
 Before this visit, Mr. Williams had become a determined 
 enemy to the use of ardent spirits, and what he now beheld 
 confirmed and increased his aversion to the potent poison of 
 body and soul. Having satisfied himself by the experience of 
 many laborious years, that such stimulants were not essen- 
 tial to health or energy ; and, having seen at Borabora and 
 Raiatea their fatal influence in frustrating the objects which 
 he most ardently desired, he could not, in after years, be in- 
 duced to make terms with what he deemed and denounced 
 as a " fell destroyer." Hence, while he resided in these is- 
 lands, and after his return to this country, both in public and 
 in private, he avowed his convictions ; and when asked for 
 reasons, he referred to the circumstance just narrated, and to 
 others of a similar complexion which had come within his 
 notice. On this subject, as on so many others, his judgment 
 was biassed, some may think blinded, by his benevolence. 
 He was the friend of abstinence from such beverages, solely 
 because he accounted their use inimical to human happiness, 
 and an impediment to the Gospel of Christ. This, however, 
 is not the place to discuss the question, but simply to state 
 the fact. 
 
 Having obtained at Tahiti a supply of flour and other food, 
 with some horses, asses, and horned cattle, animals hitherto 
 unknown at Rarotonga, Messrs. Williams and Buzacott re- 
 turned to that island at the end of September, after an ab- 
 sence of ten weeks. His domestic circumstances and mis- 
 sionary plans, at this period, are described in the following 
 extracts from a letter to his sister, dated from Rarotonga, 
 September, 30, 1832. 
 
 " 1 fear I shall not be able to write to you so long a letter as I could 
 wish; but I know that what I write will be welcome. It is now a 
 considerable time since we heard from you. Perhaps you have re- 
 frained from writing, on the supposition that, ere this, we should have 
 been in England, or at least on our way there. We feel much for 
 you, and know how great your disappointment will be, at not seeing 
 us by Capt. Stavers ; but we cannot possibly accompany him, on ac- 
 count of our dear Maiy. She is, 1 am happy to inform you, much 
 better ; but as, were we to leave now, she would be confined on the 
 voyage, it is, of course, absolutely necessary for us to remain. We 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 239 
 
 have received very kind attentions from Mr. and Mrs. Pitman, and 
 Mr. and Mrs. Buzacott, with whom we have now been residing near- 
 ly twelve months. Our boys are both well. John is very active. 
 The early part of the day is devoted to his lessons, and during the 
 remainder, he works. He has an excellent mechanical genius, and 
 has made very superior boxes for his mother, Mrs. Buzacott, and 
 Mrs. Pitman. These he has veneered with different kinds of wood, 
 so that they are very handsome affairs. He is now making a dress- 
 ing-case for me. His ambition is to be a carpenter, and he thinks, 
 poor lad, that a knowledge of the useful arts will exalt him in public 
 estimation as much in England as it does here. Samuel makes good 
 progress in knowledge. His dear mother devotes much attention to 
 him, and it is not in vain. He is as sedate as a little judge. You will 
 like him much. He is a general favorite. 
 
 " I am now on the eve of my departure for the Navigators', and ex- 
 pect to be absent about eight weeks. We have received encouraging 
 reports from these islands by a whaler. The captain invited a chief 
 to dine with him, and when all was ready, the captain began to eat, 
 and desired the chief to do so without having asked a blessing. The 
 chief, however, sat still for a time, and then told the captain, that he 
 and his people had become Christians, and were taught to pray before 
 eating. I trust that I shall find that a blessing has followed our la- 
 bors in that extensive and beautiful group." 
 
 And he did find it so ; nor was he permitted to leave the 
 islands until this long desired reward had crowned the trials 
 and labors of many years. But the closing part of his histo- 
 ry, prior to his return to England, must occupy another 
 chapter. 
 
240 LIFE OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 FROM MR. WILLIAMS'S SECOND VOYAGE TO SAMOA, 
 UNTIL HIS RETURN TO ENGLAND. 
 
 Mr. Williams's Perseverance — its Results and Rewards — auspicious 
 Departure for Samoa — arrives at Manua— cheering Welcome and 
 Intelligence — reaches Savaii — Sermons and Congregation — Im- 
 provement of the Natives — Teachers' Narrative — Malietoa's Strat- 
 agem — Mr. Williams's Occupations — his great influence — its Cause 
 and Contrast with that of other Visitors — Departs for Savaii — 
 Reaches Manono — Tour of that Island — forcible Detention of a 
 Passenger — Danger of Shipwreck — Incidents at Apia — Arrives at 
 Keppel s Island — Interview with Puna's Widow — Intercourse with 
 the People — Native Game-J-Reaches Tongatabu — Native Feast — 
 Progress and Power of the Gospel — a Tonga Wedding — Visit to a 
 High Priest — the Printing Press — Estimate of Wesleyan Missiona- 
 ries — Returns to Rarotonga — Mr. Williams's State of Mind — At- 
 tractions of Polynesia — Singleness of Heart — Resumption of Ordi- 
 nary Labors — Estimate of Life — Leaves for Tahiti — Distressing 
 State of that Mission — conveys Mr. Armitage to Rarotonga — 
 Voyage to the Out-stations — Preparation for leaving the Islands — 
 Perplexity — Attachment to Raiatea — Mournful Condition, and 
 Manifest Affection of his Former Flock — Embarkation — Arrival in 
 England. 
 
 Perseverance, worthily directed, and steadily maintained, 
 has uniformly commanded respect, and not seldom, admira- 
 tion. Even when the object has been of secondary impor- 
 tance, praise has rarely been withheld from the man who has 
 pursued it with unfaltering energy. But praise has risen 
 into plaudits and poeans, which have resounded through em- 
 pires, and have been repeated in successive ages, when the 
 purpose has been as noble as the perseverance. How often, 
 in history and poetry, has the course of Columbus, as, through 
 years of self-denial, misrepresentation, disappointment, and 
 toil, he made his way from court to court, and from kingdom 
 to kingdom — from Genoa to Portugal, to Venice, to Spain — 
 been held forth for universal commendation. Who that is 
 capable of appreciating the moral sublimity of such a mind, 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 241 
 
 has not done homage to Newton, as from the most familiar 
 facts of daily observation, he patiently climbed the loftiest 
 heights of science, securing each step of his adventurous 
 course as he proceeded, nor ever pausing in his upward move- 
 ment, until his demonstrations had landed him upon the high- 
 est point which genius had yet attained, and presented at a 
 single survey the harmonious movements of the vast universe 1 
 " What heart that feels for others' woes," has not gazed, 
 with sacred emotion, upon the noblest monument beneath 
 the ample dome of our metropolitan cathedral, and felt his 
 patriotism, his philanthropy, and his piety glow, while com- 
 muning in spirit with the breathing bust of Howard ; or 
 while tracing upon its sculptured pedestal the sufferer, and 
 the scene which he lived only to bless, he has remembered 
 the indomitable endurance, the self-sacrificing zeal, by which 
 he sought and secured his design ? 
 
 From an association, or comparison with such men, the 
 subject of these memoirs would have instinctively shrunk. 
 And little did he imagine, when unostentatiously prosecuting 
 the aims of his divine philanthropy, that his name and theirs 
 would ever stand upon the same page. But he was worthy. 
 The illustrations of persevering goodness which history pre- 
 sents, may, indeed, be invested with more splendor; but 
 never has this virtue risen to a higher eminence, or exerted 
 its power with more undeviating uniformity, than in the case 
 of John Williams. No mind, no movements, could have 
 been more steady or sustained than his. From the hour 
 when the grand conception of conveying God's revelation to 
 untaught myriads, and of covering the isles which cluster the 
 Western Pacific with its heavenly light, took full possession 
 of his soul ; from the moment the possibility appeared, and 
 the purpose was formed, of preaching Christ where as yet 
 " he had not been named," this servant of the Lord never re- 
 linquished his determination, nor paused in his progress to- 
 wards its accomplishment. Having resolved that, God per- 
 mitting, " the people who sat in darkness should see a great 
 light," henceforth his plans, proceedings, and prayers were 
 distinguished by a unity and concentration, which continued 
 unbroken throughout his future course. Like Paul, the no- 
 blest of merely human exemplifications of this sublime virtue, 
 his character and his life bore the inscription, " One thing I 
 
 And this perseverance wrought out its own reward. Long, 
 
242 LIFE OF THE 
 
 indeed, did the object of his ardent desire elude his grasp. 
 Years of toil and trial rolled by; and, as they passed, seemed 
 to say, " The time is not yet." The repeated failure of 
 health; the difficulties, almost insuperable, of procuring a 
 vessel ; the departure of " The Endeavor," when after much 
 labor and many disappointments, he had, as he then supposed, 
 secured the means of accomplishing what was in his heart, 
 were surely sufficient discouragements. Most men, after 
 such a series of depressing circumstances, would have aban- 
 doned the design in despair. But not John Williams. He 
 did not, he would not, he could not relinquish so fond a hope. 
 The spring tide of his zeal was not thus to be restrained. 
 Each refluent wave seemed but to make way for the wider 
 reach of that which succeeded. Higher and yet higher rose 
 the swelling waters, until every obstacle was surmounted, or 
 swept away. If, indeed, for a brief moment, his spirit was 
 cast down, neither his energy nor his expectations were de- 
 stroyed. " Steady to his purpose," not a syllable in his cor- 
 respondence indicates a faltering of determination, the waver- 
 ing of hope, the slightest vacillation of desire, or the least de- 
 cline of ardor in reference to this the one central, absorbing 
 and ultimate object of his life, his soul, his all. And what 
 was the result? " Verily he had his reward." One stage 
 succeeded to another, each introducing him to wider fields of 
 usefulness : and thus he continued to progress in his services 
 and his success, gathering strength and gaining triumphs as 
 he advanced, until the Master whom he served said, "It is 
 enough;" " Well done good and faithful servant; enter thou 
 into the joy of thy Lord." 
 
 His previous voyages had amply confirmed the calculations 
 and repaid the toil of this patient laborer. But that upon 
 which he was now to embark was destined to bring a still 
 larger return. And of this he appeared to possess a present- 
 iment. Never more himself than when preparing for a mis- 
 sionary enterprise, his spirit on the present occasion rose 
 above its natural level, and so influenced those around him 
 that all appeared as if moved by a common impulse, and in 
 perfect sympathy with him and with each other. The whole 
 settlement was in motion ; every individual seemed anxious 
 to further his design; and, thus assisted, on the 11th of Oc- 
 tober, 1832, only a few days after his return from Tahiti, 
 the preparations were completed, and the Messenger of 
 Peace, bearing Mr. Williams, Makea, and a native teacher, 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 243 
 
 called Teava, once more cleared the harbor, amidst the 
 shouts and supplications of the swarthy multitude who throng- 
 ed the shore. 
 
 Many of the important incidents of this voyage have already 
 appeared ; and their publication must once more restrain the 
 pen of the biographer. But while needless repetition will be 
 avoided, this part of Mr. Williams's history will be enlarged 
 and enriched by extracts from his journal, which will com- 
 plete the sketch given in the Missionary Enterprises, and 
 supply many facts hitherto unknown. 
 
 Mr. Williams was so deeply impressed with the necessity 
 of devoting all the time he could command to Samoa, (for he 
 designed to make a missionary survey of the entire group,) 
 that he did not, as on his former voyage, diverge from the 
 direct course. And every circumstance now appeared to 
 favor his enterprise. On shore, he beheld a multitude of 
 sympathizing, supplicating friends, " who united," he writes, 
 " in kind expressions towards ourselves, and prayer to God 
 that he would prosper our way." On board, all was energy 
 and cheerfulness. " Makea was in high spirits." No gloom 
 shaded a single countenance ; no tears mingled with the briny 
 deep, save those of Teava and his wife, " who wept much at 
 parting from their family, and leaving their land." Nor did 
 other objects above, around, and beneath them, withhold their 
 influences from this happy scene. The heavens, the air, and 
 the ocean seemed to smile in sympathy with the general joy. 
 It was one of the fairest of those auspicious seasons which 
 frequently visit the South Pacific ocean, and render a voyage 
 over its placid waters one of the richest of earthly luxuries. 
 The sky was cloudless, the breeze light but favorable, and 
 the bright bosom of the ocean was broken only by gentle un- 
 dulations, or slightly crested waves which scattered the sun- 
 beams from their glassy surface, and diffused the animation 
 and freshness of life throughout the scene. All nature seem- 
 ed to invite the voyager to launch out upon his mission, and 
 to say: — 
 
 " Go forth — ambassador from God to man ! 
 To darkened isles proclaim redemption's plan !" 
 
 And the continuance of this voyage was in harmony with 
 its commencement. All things favored them ; and after a 
 delightful sail of 800 miles, during which they " had not 
 shifted rope or sail," on Wednesday, October 17th, they sighted 
 
244 LIFE OF THE 
 
 Manua, the most easterly island of the Samoan group. As he 
 did not visit this island on his former voyage, and it was 250 
 miles from the residence of the teachers, Mr. Williams little 
 expected to hear and see so much to gladden his heart. But 
 his first visitors were nominal Christians ; and " We are 
 sons of the word," were the earliest salutations which broke 
 upon his ear in the Samoan language. This delightful sur- 
 prise was heightened by the information, that large numbers 
 of the inhabitants of Savaii and Upolu had embraced the Gos- 
 pel. Here also he found several natives of Raivavae, who, 
 many years before, had been drifted from their island ; but, 
 having brought with them a knowledge of the religion of Je- 
 sus, they had erected a chapel, had chosen a teacher, and 
 were maintaining the worship of God, and singing the songs 
 of Zion in this strange land. 
 
 As they pursued their course, numerous visitors confirmed 
 their first impressions, and convinced Mr. Williams that a 
 mighty work had already been effected throughout Samoa, 
 and from almost every settlement he passed, chiefs arrived 
 who evinced an earnest desire for instruction and teachers. 
 
 Having called at Orosegna, Ofu, and Manono, and at the 
 last island introduced Teava to its chief, Matetau, whose joy 
 at this arrival was unbounded, they proceeded to Savaii. 
 Here everything conspired to welcome him. The teachers 
 shouted and wept for joy; and Mr. Williams beheld a people 
 prepared of the Lord, many of whom had renounced their su- 
 perstitions, and many more were only awaiting the return of 
 " the great chief Viriamu," to follow their example. Though 
 Malietoa was absent, Mr. Williams at once opened his com- 
 mission from his favorite text, " the faithful saying, worthy of 
 of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to 
 save sinners." About 500 were present. 
 
 " And though accustomed," he writes, " to grotesque exhibitions, 
 the congregation this morning presented a ruder appearance than any 
 I had seen before. Some of the chiefs had beautifully fine mats sus- 
 pended from their shoulders, or girt around their waist. Others had 
 thrown around their person a piece of native cloth ; but in such a 
 way as to make it rather an encumbrance than a covering. But the 
 head-dress was the most amusing part of their adornment. The hair 
 of some, which was very long, and stiffened with grease and powder, 
 stood erect like the bristles of a hedgehog ; that oi others, which was 
 equally long, was bushy and frizzled, and made their heads appear an 
 enormous size ; others again had twisted it into a towering top-knot 
 upon the crown of their heads ; and a few allowed it to flow loosely 
 over their shoulders. The ladies were equally fanciful in their deco- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 245 
 
 rations ; but they added another to the various devices of the men, 
 some of them having shorn their heads bare, excepting one spot on 
 the left temple, from which a tuft of hair was allowed to grow to a 
 great length ; and, this being twisted into a queue, dangled, as they 
 imagined, gracefully down the cheek. Their tawny skin shone with 
 a profusion of scented oil, and a preparation of tumeric, which was 
 laid on so thickly upon their faces and breasts, as to give them an 
 orange tinge, which, in their view, constituted the very perfection of 
 beauty. Although it was difficult to repress a smile, it was impossi- 
 ble to view them without deep interest, as a people just emerging 
 from the darkness of ages into 'the light of life.' In the afternoon, 
 I preached again, and felt much. Here was a congregation of nearly 
 1000 persons anxious to know the ' joyful sound.' " 
 
 The speeches of the natives, and especially of Malietoa, 
 who had now returned, which were delivered at the close of 
 the service, deepened the favorable impressions which Mr. 
 Williams had previously received of the state of society at 
 Savaii. And the vast change which had been effected in 
 the condition of the people since his former visit, naturally 
 made him anxious to learn its history from the lips of the 
 native teachers. This, in accordance with his usual custom, 
 he carefully recorded, a practice to which we are indebted 
 for many of the most interesting facts in the annals of mis- 
 sions. Some parts of the teachers' narrative are already 
 known ; but these are only detached fragments of one of the 
 most remarkable moral revolutions ever wrought amongst the 
 heathen. Other portions equally interesting were omitted 
 from the Missionary Enterprises from the want of space ; 
 and of these a condensed sketch will now be given. This 
 sketch, it may be allowed, is not immediately connected with 
 Mr. Williams's movements ; nor is it, speaking strictly a part 
 of his personal history. But as the originator and the founder 
 of the Samoan mission, as the honored individual who con- 
 veyed the Gospel and its teachers to these dark shores, and 
 there secured for both a welcome and a home, the following 
 incidents sustain a relation to his life, sufficiently close and 
 important to warrant their preservation in these pages. To 
 say the least, they illustrate the extent of his influence, and 
 the value of his previous voyage to this extensive group. 
 For what occurred subsequently to this was but the stream 
 from a fountain which he opened ; the rays from a light 
 which he had brought to this land. For these reasons, the 
 following outline cannot be deemed irrelevant to the leading 
 purpose of this narrative ; but even should it be considered 
 by some a digression, the biographer is satisfied that the bye 
 
 til 
 
246 LIFE OF THE 
 
 way into which he is about to deviate will present so many 
 objects to interest the eye and the heart, so many points of 
 light and shade which would have been lost by keeping the 
 more direct road ; and will, moreover, bring out to view 
 scenes which so forcibly illustrate the degraded state of the 
 heathen on the one hand, and the mighty influence of the 
 Gospel on the other, as amply to repay the perusal, and to 
 demonstrate the necessity and the success of those voyages of 
 Christian compassion, for which, through all coming ages, 
 the name of Williams will be pronounced with love and ven- 
 eration by the inhabitants of Samoa : — 
 
 TEACHERS' NARRATIVE. 
 
 The commencement of the teachers' residence at Sapapalii was 
 overcast and threatening. At that time, a distressing disease pre- 
 vailed throughout the settlement, which, shortly after they had be- 
 gun, compelled them all to suspend their labors ; and some of them 
 suffered so severely, that death was expected to close their course. 
 What enhanced their distress was, the absence of their friends Malie- 
 toa and Tuiano, who, with all that could handle a spear, had gone to 
 the seat of war at Upolu ; and, to complete their suffering, some of 
 the few natives who remained in the settlement, attributed to them 
 the prevailing epidemic, and endeavored to persuade the rest to leave 
 them alone to perish. But, although they were now in one of" the 
 dark places of the earth, full of the habitations of cruelty," they were 
 neither forsaken nor friendless. Even in savage lands, woman has 
 often proved true to the generous instincts of her nature, and prompt 
 to pity and relieve. This was realized by the suffering teachers. As 
 the angel which shed the light of day through the dark dungeon, and 
 the midnight gloom in which Peter was immured, so, on present oc- 
 casion, when unable to assist each other, or even to help themselves, 
 did Pagan " sisters of charity" assiduously and tenderly watch over 
 them. And by these friends in adversity, all their necessities were 
 cheerfully supplied, and through their kind ministrations and the 
 blessing of God, health and energy returned. 
 
 This cloudy morning, however, was of short continuance ; and it 
 proved but the hazy opening of a bright and glorious day for Savaii. 
 Before his departure, Tuiano had professed his belief in Christianity ; 
 and, on bidding the teachers farewell, he left it as his last and most 
 earnest request, that they would not cease, during his absence, to pray 
 that Jehovah might preserve him in the day of battle. On the return 
 of the warriors, he more openly avowed his attachment to the truth ; 
 and was almost immediately joined by Mariota, the king's son, who, 
 with his father's consent, went to reside with the teachers. These 
 important adhesions attracted general attention, and eminently fa- 
 cilitated the good work. But there was another circumstance which 
 prepared the people for the peace-preserving doctrine of the Gospel. 
 Although, in the recent conflict, Malietoa was successful, the struggle 
 had proved most severe and sanguinary ; and his victory had been 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 247 
 
 dearly purchased with the blood of many of his bravest warriors. 
 When, therefore, the conquerors returned, they brought with them, 
 not merely the spoils of their enemies, but the mutilated heads of 
 their own fathers, and brothers, and friends. And thus the day of 
 triumph was turned into mourning. Instead of the shout of exulta- 
 tion, nothing, said the teachers, was heard throughout the settlement, 
 but the wild howlings and bitter imprecations of the people : sounds 
 with which they had once been familiar in their own land, but which 
 had long been silenced there, and succeeded by the sigh of penitence, 
 the voice of joy, and the songs of salvation. Full of sorrow and sym- 
 pathy, they now labored most assiduously to improve this season of 
 bereavement and lamentation, by contrasting, both in private and 
 public, the pacific spirit and design of the Gospel, with the demon 
 passions and destructive power of savage warfare. Nor did they la- 
 bor in vain. In a short time, very general attention was awakened 
 to their instructions ; so much so, indeed, that the largest building in 
 the settlement would not contain the multitude who were anxious to 
 hear, and many of whom thronged around the doors and windows, 
 with open mouths and outstretched necks, eager to catch some of the 
 statements which fell from the teachers' lips. 
 
 But in the midst of these auspicious appearances, Malietoa resum- 
 ed the war, and, together with a large body of his people, departed 
 for Upolu. But thither, it was resolved by the teachers, that three of 
 their brethren should follow them ; and Taia, Moia, and Boti, readily 
 undertook the service. Their journey, however, was protracted by 
 the anxiety of the people, in several of the villages through which 
 they passed, to hear " the new word," the fame of which had already 
 reached their secluded dwellings ; and when at length the brethren 
 arrived at the seat of war, though welcomed by Malietoa, they found 
 both the chief and his army too warmly engaged in besieging the 
 people of Ana in one of their mountain fortresses, and too much an- 
 noyed by the surprises and sallies of the enemy, to listen calmly to 
 their exhortations. But, although their main object was thus frus- 
 trated, they here met with another chief of Savaii, who eagerly at- 
 tended to their communications ; and, after a time, told them « that a 
 desire had now grown in his heart to know the word of Jehovah;" 
 and that, if they would engage to visit his settlement, he would re- 
 turn to his family at once, and hold a fitiligna (or conference) with 
 them on the subject : a proposal with which the teachers, of course, 
 readily complied. 
 
 As all efforts to induce Malietoa to terminate the contest had prov- 
 ed unavailing, the three brethren returned to Savaii, where they were 
 soon followed by a messenger from the chief whom they had met at 
 Upolu, bearing the cheering intelligence, that he and his people were 
 now waiting to hear from their lips the truth of the Gospel, and wish- 
 ed them to come " in haste." The teachers scarcely needed the latter 
 part of the chiefs exhortation ; for they were in as much haste to im- 
 part, as he to receive the" message of mercy. Three of them, therefore, 
 immediately set out for the settlement; where they were most warm- 
 ly welcomed by the chief and a wondering multitude of nearly a 
 thousand natives. No time was now lost. A public meeting was 
 convened ; and, after the usual salutations, the chief turned to the 
 teachers, and said, " Have you brought a fish-spear ?" Surprised at 
 
248 LIFE OF THE 
 
 this strange inquiry, they replied, " No ! why do you ask for that ?" 
 " I want it," he answered, " to spear an eel. This is my etu. I will 
 kill, cook, and eat it. I have resolved to become iotu" (or Christian.) 
 He then added, that he would afterwards spear and eat a fowl, as the 
 spirit of his god was supposed to reside in that also. And these bold 
 designs were no sooner formed than executed. Standing forth from 
 the midst of his family, and from the superstitious and shuddering 
 multitude which had gathered around him, he struck a spear into the 
 sacred fish, and thus defied the power, and burst the spell which had 
 long bound himself and his people in spiritual captivity. He then 
 killed a fowl, and proceeded to cook and eat both the former objects 
 of his dread and adoration. And during all these proceedings he 
 acted alone. Not a native supported or sympathized with him ; and 
 no one save himself partook of the meal. The teachers, however, 
 stood by to sustain and encourage their courageous convert ; and 
 surveyed with sacred satisfaction this novel and impressive scene. 
 Not so the people. In their esteem, the experiment was pregnant 
 with danger, and they looked on with horror ; but " when they saw 
 no harm come to him, they also changed their minds," and followed 
 his example. After this, the teachers had ample employment in re- 
 cording the names, and offering prayer on the behalf of the numbers, 
 who now avowed their belief in Christianity. 
 
 At the expiration of a fortnight from the time of their return, the 
 teachers revisited this interesting people, and had the satisfaction of 
 adding many other names to those who had previously renounced 
 their Paganism. Returning in their canoe to Sapapalii, full of bope for 
 the future prosperity of their labors at the settlement, which they had 
 just left, they beheld, on suddenly doubling a promontory, the moun- 
 tain in which the warriors of Ana had, for nine months, defied the 
 combined forces of their enemies, on a blaze ; and, when they reach- 
 ed their home, they were informed that these brave defenders of their 
 country had at last been vanquished by the perseverance and superior 
 numbers of Malietoa and Matetau. The intelligence naturally awak- 
 ened their compassion for the discomforted party ; but this was over- 
 borne by gratitude and joy at the termination of a contest which had 
 so long and so greatly distressed their minds, and obstructed their la- 
 bors. For many months prior to this, few days passed in which some 
 dead or dying warriors were not brought home from the seat of war- 
 fare ; and, whenever this occurred, the scene filled them with dis- 
 tress. The settlement rang with the loud and frantic lamentations of 
 those who were related to the slain. The females were especially 
 vociferous; — running about in the wildest manner, cutting their 
 heads, faces and breasts with sharp stones and shark's teeth ; and then, 
 smeared with their own blood, they stood over the mutilated bodies of 
 their friends, and, with the most savage features and gesticulations, 
 imprecated vengeance upon the men by whose hands they had fallen. 
 At these seasons, even those who had so kindly soothed and supplied 
 them in their sufferings, seemed to the teachers to have been trans- 
 formed from friends and females into fiends ; and, accustomed as 
 they had been, from their childhood, to the frightful exhibitions of 
 heathen fury, their own spirits had now sat so long at the feet of Je- 
 sus, that they could not endure the spectacle before them. 
 
 But, greatly as these exhibitions affected the teachers, the conclud- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 249 
 
 ing act of this dreadful drama far exceeded in horror anything wit- 
 nessed during its progress. A long train of prisoners graced the tri- 
 umphal return of the victors; and, as yet untaught in the merciful 
 religion of the Bible, they had resolved, in their usual method, to take 
 vengeance upon their enemies. With this view, they kindled seve- 
 ral immense fires, and then, with every expression of diabolical de- 
 light, flung men, women, and children into the flames. The afflicted 
 teachers wept, intreated, remonstrated, threatened ; but in vain. 
 Frantic with rage and revenge, they heeded not the intercessions of 
 the missionaries, and only replied that they did it because " great 
 was their anger at losing so many of their relatives." When the 
 teachers turned from the infuriated people to their chiefs, these seem- 
 ed more willing to interpose, but pleaded their inability. And in 
 the case of some, this plea was probably sincere. The only circum- 
 stance in this dark season which alleviated the distress of the mis- 
 sionaries, was the conduct of Malietoa, who, although he did not pre- 
 vent, would not participate in this savage vengeance. On the con- 
 trary, he regarded the admonitions of his instructors, and acted con- 
 sistently with his new profession, so far as to spare all who placed 
 themselves under his special protection. This unwonted forbearance 
 proved most useful. Not only did it obtain for the chief, and for 
 those under whose influence he acted, high repute with the vanquish- 
 ed party, who soon heard of it at Upolu, but, after the paroxysms of 
 their rage subsided, even the cruel conquerors themselves, who had 
 gloated over the blood and ashes of their captives, confessed the supe- 
 riority of Malietoa's conduct, and the worth of that religion to whose 
 influence it was universally ascribed. 
 
 From this time, the day began to brighten ; and the sad and heart- 
 sickening scenes of heathenism, which the teachers had witnessed 
 through many months of labor and sorrow, now gave place to others 
 which as strikingly illustrate the humanizing and elevating influence 
 of that benign system, which brings " peace on earth, and good will 
 to men." Strange transition ! but, forthwith, and by the hands so 
 recently red with their brother's blood, and almost upon the burning 
 ashes of their murdered captives, the foundation of a Christian sanc- 
 tuary was laid. The newly -awakened zeal of the builders, and the 
 many voluntary agents engaged, made "light work" of the erection; 
 while both their activity and its object exerted a reflex and most ben- 
 eficial influence upon their own minds. But other circumstances fa- 
 vored the progress of the Gospel. One of these was a tour made by 
 Malietoa and a large train of attendants, through the island. The de- 
 sign of this royal visitation was selfish and political ; but, as the chief and 
 his suite proclaimed, wherever they went, the wonderful truths which 
 they had recently learned, avowed their belief in the new religion, 
 observed the Sabbath as a sacred day, and labored with new-born zeal 
 to make proselytes, the journey added many to the number of nomi- 
 nal adherents to Christianity, and was still more useful in preparing 
 the way for competent teachers. 
 
 The chapel was finished, and the day of opening fixed, shortly after 
 Malietoa's return. But prior to this, Malietoa and his sons,* renoun- 
 
 * For particulars, vide Missionary Enterprises, p. 433. 
 
250 LIFE OF THE 
 
 ced their superstitions ; and their example was soon followed by their 
 wives and children. This, with the determination to drown Papo* 
 the god of war, and the only object resembling an idol which was 
 found in Samoa, created an immense excitement throughout the is- 
 lands, and materially contributed to the furtherance of the Gospel. 
 The fame of the teachers now spread far and wide. Additions were 
 made almost daily to the Christian party ; and a few weeks past, dur- 
 ing which chiefs and other visitors from a distance did not make their 
 appearance at Sapapalii, anxious, like the Athenians, to know what 
 these things meant. Many, after the first interview, renewed their 
 visits at regular intervals ; and, having extracted from the teachers as 
 much knowledge as they could retain, they returned to their districts, 
 like the bee laden with its gathered sweets, to deposit their precious 
 store in the awakened and wondering minds of their brethren. In this 
 way, the elements of sacred truth were conveyed to parts of the island 
 far remote from Sapapalii. But there were other districts, accessible 
 to the more direct exertions of the teachers, which they were accus- 
 tomed frequently to visit. One of these, called Malava, presented a 
 region of great spiritual promise. Here the visitors were always wel- 
 comed with the marks of warmest affection, while the doctrines of the 
 cross were heard with deep interest ; and, after a time, Boti, between 
 whom and the people there had grown up something of the feelings 
 engendered by the pastoral relationship, when sustained under favor- 
 able circumstances, consented at their earnest request to reside 
 amongst them. But this step proved a source of sorrow as well as of 
 joy to both the teacher and the taught. In this settlement, there 
 were three chiefs, whose "heads," to use the native description, 
 " were of equal height;" but it was only one of these, Tangaloa, who 
 submitted to be instructed. Both the others discovered a very differ- 
 ent state of mind; and, relying upon their superiority in physical 
 force, and influenced by inveterate superstition, they conspired to put 
 down these desecrators of the ancient and established system, to drive 
 the Christian teacher from the settlement, and to extinguish the in- 
 trusive light which had so greatly disturbed their slumbers. Intent 
 upon these designs, they sent to warn Tangaloa that, unless Boti was 
 removed, and the worship of the spirits resumed, they would extermi- 
 nate both him and his. When, however, he received their message, 
 he stood unmoved; evinced no fear ; and, although inferior in forces 
 to the unholy league formed against him, he returned this bold and 
 admirable reply : — " Go and tell the chiefs," said he to the messenger, 
 " that I will not send away Boti. I hinder not them from worshipping 
 the spirits. Why do they forbid me to worship Jehovah ? • I wish not 
 to fight. I shall not move from my house to attack them. But, if 
 they begin, I will pray for the help of Jehovah, and resist them with 
 all my strength." 
 
 This firm decision, however, only infuriated the heathen ; who, 
 unable to convince, like other persecutors, now prepared to crush this 
 noble-minded man. Nor was Tangaloa idle. Gathering his people 
 
 * This interesting relic was saved from " drowning " by the teach- 
 ers ; by them presented to Mr. Williams, and by him given to the 
 author. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 251 
 
 around him, he explained to them his position ; furnished those who 
 were destitute with arms; exhorted all to pray, and to be courageous ; 
 and declared his determination to die rather than relinquish the word 
 of Jehovah. At the same time, he sent to Sapapalii a request, with 
 which they immediately complied, that all the teachers would hasten 
 to his district to aid him with their counsels and supplications. Hav- 
 ing heard his statement, and fearing the consequences of farther resist- 
 ance, these prudent counsellors recommended that Boti should return 
 with them, and remain at Sapapalii, until the threatened outburst of 
 heathen madness had spent itself, or subsided. This proposal, how- 
 ver, did not please the chief; and he frankly told these men of peace 
 that theirs was not good advice, and that, if followed, it would only 
 embolden his oppressors. He, therefore, refused to relinquish his mis- 
 sionary, and resolved to stand on his right. Perceiving that his pur- 
 pose was inflexible, they abandoned the hopeless attempt of dissuasion, 
 and spent the remainder of that day, and the whole of the succeeding 
 night, in exhortation and prayer. A scene more unique or impres- 
 sive has been rarely witnessed. As the people expected every mo- 
 ment the furious onset of the enemy, all the warriors of the district 
 were clad in the wild military costume of the country, and were 
 armed, some with clubs, others with bows, and others with slings and 
 spears ; and, while thus presenting to the eye a spectacle the most 
 alien from the design of Christianity, and not unfrequently expressing, 
 in tone and gesture, the untamed ferocity of their natures, they stood, 
 or knelt before the Lord in the attitude of devotion. 
 
 But most unexpectedly their foes did not appear ; and on the fol- 
 lowing morning, it was announced that the heathen forces had sud- 
 denly disbanded. This intelligence, however, diffused but a short- 
 lived joy amongst the people of Tangaloa ; for it was soon evident 
 that their enemies had not relinquished their intention, but only de- 
 ferred its execution until they could obtain some better pretext than 
 the presence of Boti, for such an unprovoked aggression. But this 
 they soon found. In order to propitiate their insulted deities, and to 
 purify their polluted land, these two " worshippers of the spirits " is- 
 sued a decree that, in honor of the gods, a series of special services 
 should, for two months, be observed throughout the settlement ; and, 
 amongst other regulations, it was enjoined that, on an appointed 
 night, unbroken darkness should prevail, and no light be kindled up- 
 on pain of death. This mandate was sent to Tangaloa, with a per- 
 emptory message that he and his people must obey it. But he, main- 
 taining the same manly bearing, and asserting once more the right of 
 private judgment, thus replied : " Tell the chiefs, that I have ceased 
 to serve the spirits, and that 1 shall not observe one night more than 
 another in their honor. Now," he added, " that I am become a man 
 of Jehovah, his word alone, as far as 1 know it, shall guide and gov- 
 ern me." 
 
 The fiery feelings which this message enkindled in the heathen, 
 were fed by the intelligence that the Christians had desecrated the 
 sacred shell, in calling the people together at the hour of public wor- 
 ship. While affairs were in this state, and the night of trial was 
 drawing nigh, the teachers of Sapapalii, unsolicited, came again to 
 recommend Tangaloa to comply with this requisition, rather than en- 
 gage in war. The chief, however, was still averse to pacific measures, 
 
LIFE OF THE 
 
 upon such terms. But, at length, the persuasions of his visitors, and 
 the known wish of Maliatoa, bent his sturdy purpose. The night 
 came. Darkness reigned throughout that part of the land. Numer- 
 ous spies groped their way into every portion of Tangaloa's district ; 
 but, for a considerable time, not a spark could be discerned, and these 
 emissaries were just about to abandon their search in despair, when, 
 urged by a craving desire before which wiser men have sometimes 
 fallen, a native was detected in kindling fire to light his pipe. This 
 was enough. The decree was disobeyed ; the spirits dishonored ; and 
 when, in haste, the bearer of the intelligence brought it to his mas- 
 ters, the shout of savage glee and the cry of vengeance rang through 
 the gloom with which the heathen were surrounded. As soon as the 
 morning dawned, preparations were made for the assault ; and the 
 multitude, incensed and thirsting for blood, were about to hurl them- 
 selves upon their sacrilegious brethren. But their rage was vain. Up 
 to this time, Maliatoa, although a sympathizer, had not been, for po- 
 litical reasons, a supporter of Tangaloa. Seeing, however, the spirit 
 of the heathen, and the desolating storm which was about to burst 
 upon those who, like himself, had done no more than renounce their 
 heathenism, he terminated his neutrality, and stood forward as their 
 shield. This turned the balance of power, destroyed the hope of the 
 assailants, dismantled the last fortress of superstition in that part of 
 the island, and left Tangaloa and Boti in peaceful possession of their 
 liberties and their religion. 
 
 Shortly after this, Mr. Williams arrived, an event in which 
 all rejoiced exceedingly, but no one more so than Malietoa. 
 As however the vessel was in the open sea, and no safe pas- 
 sage through the reef could be found, the shrewd chief infer- 
 red that, unless she could be securely moored, he would be 
 unable to detain his visitor long at Sapapalii : a privilege 
 which he was most anxious to enjoy. Having therefore en- 
 deavored, but in vain, to persuade him to attempt to bring 
 her into the lagoon, Malietoa resolved to take the pilotage 
 into his own hands : a stratagem which might have proved 
 serious, had it not been discovered in time. With this design, 
 therefore, very early in the morning, a large fleet of canoes 
 put off, avowedly to find anchorage ; but instead of seeking 
 this, they all made direct for the ship. Mr. Williams hear- 
 ing of their strange adventure, immediately went off after 
 them ; and to his great surprise, on nearing the Messenger of 
 Peace, he saw the crew under arms, and parading the deck, 
 as if anticipating an instant attack. The canoes also, like 
 inferior beasts kept at bay by an enraged lion, were paddling 
 at a respectful distance from the vessel. Amazed and alarm- 
 ed, Mr. Williams sprang on board, and upon asking the rea- 
 son for all these defensive preparations, the captain informed 
 him that the natives had crowded the deck, and clamorously 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 253 
 
 demanded that the vessel should be taken within the reef, 
 and that from the determination they had evinced, he had 
 inferred that their design must be evil. He had, therefore, 
 armed his men, swept the decks, and commanded the canoes 
 to keep at a distance. In a moment, Mr. Williams saw 
 through the affair; burst into a loud laugh; ordered the 
 sailors to lay aside their instruments of death ; and invited the 
 natives on board, who now came in crowds clambering over the 
 sides of the ship, capering about her deck, and gracing every 
 part of her rigging with their half naked forms : all being 
 well pleased with this change in their relative position. 
 
 All the incidents and intercourse of the few days passed at 
 Savaii * bear the same features which had marked the pre- 
 ceding visits of this servant of God to other lands of dark- 
 ness. By the careful and profitable occupation of every hour, 
 he made his short sojourn most productive. While preach- 
 ing Christ to the people, and unfolding, as he was ever wont 
 to do in such circumstances, the elementary principles and 
 distinguishing peculiarities of the Gospel, he perfected the 
 knowledge of the teachers in several useful arts, and excited 
 in the people a strong desire for further information. But 
 whilst his labors were thus beneficially directed, his kindness, 
 gentleness, and affability, by engaging the affections, and 
 confirming the confidence of all parties in the benevolent 
 purpose of his visit, as well as by augmenting the influence 
 of the native missionaries, did as much as, or perhaps even 
 more than his direct efforts to advance the evangelical objects 
 which had brought him so far. Savage as these Samoans 
 had been and still were, they saw his goodness, and were 
 attracted and subdued by it. To this cause, much of his 
 success in this and other early visits to half awakened com- 
 munities must be ascribed. His influence was personal, rath- 
 er than official; he was loved for his own more than for his 
 work's sake : a most important circumstance, however ; for 
 long ere the natives received, or recognized him as a mes- 
 senger of God, or even began to appreciate his more spiritual 
 labors as a minister of Christ, they rejoiced in him as their 
 benefactor, their friend. He was fond of the proverb, and 
 often quoted it, " Kindness is the key to the human heart." 
 And no man had perceived its influence, or exerted its cap- 
 tivating power, more than he. Upon a large scale, he had 
 
 Vide Missionary Enterprises, chaps, xxv. and xxvi. 
 
 22 
 
254 LIFE OF THE 
 
 tried this universal instrument, and it had instantly opened 
 to him the hearts, and arms, and homes of thousands, pre- 
 viously inaccessible to civilized man. Many voyagers, im- 
 pelled by other motives than those of benevolence, and gov- 
 erned by other laws than that of love had sought admission 
 to the same shores. Presuming upon their superior civiliza- 
 tion, their skill, their bribes, or their strength ; and appealing 
 rather to the cupidity, the fears, the wonder, or the simplicity 
 of the natives than to their reason, their gratitude, and their 
 affection, they had rarely left behind them convictions and 
 impressions, upon which their successors could rely even for 
 personal safety. Shrewd observers of those selfish, crafty, 
 and sensual aims, of which they possess so accurate a guage 
 in their own characters, it has been but seldom that the na- 
 tives have misjudged the motives of such visitors ; motives 
 which never commanded the respect, nor secured the confi- 
 dence even of untaught savages. Hence the intercourse 
 between them and civilized men in the South Seas, at the 
 very best, has left these islanders, as suspicious, as crafty, as 
 selfish, as treacherous as they were before ; and, in instances 
 not a few, it has rendered them more perfect adepts in all the 
 arts of concealment, craft, and circumvention. How often 
 was this seen, and how universally believed, by those who 
 navigated these seas prior to the labors of Christian mission- 
 aries. Where was the commander who, at that time, unwit- 
 tingly trusted himself or his property within the power of a 
 savage people ? He knew well how specious and delusive 
 were the fairest appearances of friendliness, which they fre- 
 quently assumed ; he was satisfied that, under the semblance 
 of much affability, and the assumed shouts and gestures of 
 glee and gladness, which greeted him when he approached 
 these shores, there often lay concealed selfish desires and 
 dark designs, which like the volcanic fires which smoulder 
 and work beneath the vine-clad hills, the luxuriant valleys, 
 the placid and gleaming lakes, and the general aspect of soft 
 enjoyment and deep repose in an Italian landscape, would, if 
 a vent were found, flame forth in active and desolating fury. 
 Of this the evidences were sufficiently numerous and admon- 
 itory to show that the key to these islands had not then been 
 found. But where the merchant and the discoverer had fail- 
 ed, the missionary proved successful. And no one of the 
 honored band had accomplished more, " by love unfeigned," 
 than he who now conciliated the esteem of the people of Sa- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 255 
 
 moa for the native teachers, and prepared their minds to lis- 
 ten to the gospel. 
 
 Amongst other expressions of regard, received by Mr. 
 Williams during his stay at Sapapalii, one was from the mai- 
 tai, or ladies, who wished to perform " a heavenly dance" in 
 his honor before he left them. Fearing, however, that the 
 exercise would not accord with its name, he declined the 
 proferred compliment. But they would not take his denial ; 
 and, in the evening, the large public building was crowded 
 by the elite of the settlement, who, for hours, sang and ca- 
 pered in praise of Viriamu. Overhearing the frequent repe- 
 tition of his name in their songs, Mr. Williams subsequently 
 procured two or three of them, of which the following trans- 
 lations will convey some idea; — 
 
 " Let us talk of Viriamu. 
 Let cocoa-nuts grow for him in peace for months. 
 When strong the east wind blows, our thoughts forget him not. 
 Let us greatly love the Christian land of the great white chief. 
 All maio* are we now, for we have all one God. 
 No food is sacred now. All kinds offish we catch and eat : 
 Even the sting-ray." 
 
 " The birds are crying for Viriamu. 
 
 His ship has sailed another way. 
 
 The birds are crying for Viriamu. 
 
 Long time is he in coming. 
 Will he ever come again ? 
 Will he ever come again ? 
 
 Tired are we of the taunts of the insolent Samoans. 
 
 ' Who knows,' say they, ' that white chief's land ? ' 
 
 Now our land is sacred made, and evil practices have ceased. 
 
 How we feel for the lotu ? Come ! let us sleep and dream of Vi- 
 riamu. 
 
 Pistaulau t has risen. Tautua t has also risen. 
 
 But the war-star has ceased to rise. 
 
 For Sulueleelet and the king have embraced the sacred word. 
 
 And war has become an evil thing." 
 
 Under the date of Friday, October 26, Mr. Williams thus writes in 
 his journal. " Having accomplished our object here, we prepare*! 
 this morning to go over to Manono. 1, therefore, convened the chiefs 
 and Malietoa. I again questioned him respecting his future purpose 
 when he repeated, in the most emphatic manner, his full determina- 
 tion to hold fast the religion he had professed, and said, that his de. 
 sire for the word of Jehovah was very great indeed, — that it was ma. 
 
 * Malo was the name given to those who were victorious in war, 
 and is the opposite of valval^ the conquered. 
 
 t Names of stars. + The king's daughter. 
 
256 LIFE OF THE 
 
 nao tasi lava, ' one true whole desire;' that his intention was to live 
 and die a christian, and that he wished much for the salvation of his 
 soul. He said, moreover, that he would never fight again, unless peo- 
 ple came to his place to kill him. His words were, ' I have cast away- 
 war ; I have trodden it under foot ; I am sick and surfeited of war ; 
 I have no wish ever to fight again.' - 
 
 ." Having made those arrangements which we deemed important, 
 we prepared to leave for Manono and Upolu. Malietoa, three of his 
 wives, Tuiano, Riromaiava, and other chiefs, accompanied us, so that 
 we had a ship-full. The people manifested a great deal of feeling at 
 parting ; and, as I passed through their ranks, they kissed my hands 
 and importunately intreated me to bring Mrs. Williams and my chil- 
 dren, and to come and live with them, and teach them the word of 
 salvation." 
 
 On the following morning, they reached Manono, brought off Ma- 
 tetau, and effected a reconciliation between him and Malietoa. " Du- 
 ring our short stay," Mr. Williams proceeds, " 1 took a walk half 
 round the island, and was treated with great respect by the chiefs of 
 the villages through which I passed. In one village, the chief and 
 many of the people had embraced Christianity. He invited me into 
 his house, and then placed all the lotu, or Christians, near me. They 
 had built a chapel, and were very anxious to make me a present, 
 which I declined. Another chief, who also invited me into his house, 
 had not become a Christian. I told him that I had brought a teach- 
 er, who would reside with Matetau, and teach all Manono. I then 
 pointed out the nature and value of Christianity ; asked what objec- 
 tions he had to it; and invited him to follow the example of Malietoa, 
 Matetau, and others. He smiled significantly, and said, in a kind and 
 confidential tone, ' Perhaps I shall soon.' On returning from this 
 little excursion, I found that Mr. Stevens * was in trouble ; for the 
 chief with whom he was residing refused to allow him to leave. On 
 hearing this, I went to the chief; and, on my way met his son, who 
 said that Pea, his father, would not let Mr. Stevens go. On reach- 
 ing the settlement, 1 was invited into the government house, when 
 the old chief came in, seated himself by my side, saluted me with 
 great respect, and said, he hoped that 1 would not be angry with him 
 for detaining the doctor, but his only object was that he might teach 
 them, and conduct their worship on the Sabbath. They had formed 
 a great attachment for him, he added, because he read to them the 
 word of Jehovah. Pea said that he himself had not yet embraced 
 Christianity, but that his son had, and many of his people ; and he 
 very much wished to have a teacher." 
 
 Having effected one main purpose of his visit, the reconciliation of 
 the two chiefs, Mr. Williams returned to the vessel, when the teach- 
 er, Teava, was confided to the care of Matetau. " As soon," writes 
 Mr. Williams, " as his little property was placed in the canoe, we all 
 united in prayer to God for him and his wife, on the ship's deck, and 
 then bade them farewell in the name of the Lord. 
 
 " Having heard that Puna, the native teacher of Rurutu, who had 
 been drifted away a long time ago from that island, was at Niua, I de- 
 
 * The surgeon of the Oldham, who had left that vessel at Samoa. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 257 
 
 termined to go in quest of him. On arriving off Aborima, we narrow- 
 ly escaped shipwreck ; for, just as we were weathering the point, the 
 wind failed us, and, in a short time, our vessel was whirled by a strong 
 and eddying current within a few yards of some frightful rocks, 
 against which the sea was breaking with fearful violence. But, while 
 in this perilous position, a light breeze came most providentially to 
 our relief; and, in a few minutes, we were out of danger. I there- 
 fore returned, when we stood away for Savaii, and succeeded in 
 reaching a bay, called Satupaitea. Early next morning, I went on 
 shore. The settlement contains about a thousand persons, all of 
 whom, at my request, assembled in the government house, where 1 
 addressed them. On the following day, we ran again for Upolu ; 
 and, by carrying a press of sail, we reached Apia about sun-set. But, 
 just before dark, we were boarded by Riromaiava, Malietoa's eldest 
 son, who consented to accompany us on shore. 
 
 *• As soon as we had dropped anchor, we were surrounded by canoes, 
 from which the natives came up the sides of our little ship, until she 
 was almost deluged with them. Silence was then commanded ; and, 
 when it was obtained, Riromaiava gave orders to his duulaafale, or 
 orator, to tell the people who I was, whence I came, and what 1 
 wanted. He then commanded his spokesman to proclaim to the star- 
 ing and wondering crowd, that Malietoa, his father, had given me his 
 name ; and, consequently, that all the respect due to him must be 
 shown to me. This was followed by a strict charge to steal nothing 
 whatever from the ship, but that all should immediately bring off to 
 us pigs, and bread fruit and yams. The remainder of the day was 
 spent on shore in profitable intercourse with the natives. 
 
 On the following morning, Punipunielo, the chief of Apia, publicly 
 embraced Christianity ; and this circumstance, together with the far- 
 spread fame of Mr. Williams, drew chiefs and natives from all parts 
 of the neighborhood. Under the date of November 2, the following 
 paragraphs occur in his journal. 
 
 "The chief from the inland settlement, whom I visited yesterday, 
 sent a messenger to request my presence, as he was now ready to be- 
 come a Christian. Tangaloa, also, the Christian chief from Vailele, 
 brought me a present of pigs and produce, and pressed me much to 
 visit his people. Soon after this, another chief, from a settlement 
 four miles distant, came, and was very urgent with me to go with 
 him, and pleaded his suit on the ground that ' he had long wished to 
 become a Christian, but had no one to make him so. 
 
 " Having obtained wood and water with a tolerable supply of pro- 
 visions, I made presents to the various chiefs, and bade them farewell. 
 On landing at the district of Riromaiava, 1 found that I had to walk 
 two miles to his settlement. On reaching it, I was invited to the 
 government house. Here I was requested to take my seat upon a 
 beautiful new mat, and was immediately surrounded by all the chiefs. 
 Soon after we had seated ourselves, a fine stately young woman en- 
 tered the house, and was introduced to me by the name of Maria, as 
 Malietoa's eldest, handsomest, and favorite daughter. She expressed 
 her sorrow at not having seen me before ; and assigned as a reason 
 that, at the time of my visit to Samoa, her husband was fighting 
 against her father, and that she was with him in the fort. ' But,' she 
 added, • we were conquered ; and, since then, I have been over to 
 
 22* 
 
253 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 Sapapalii, and spent much time with the teachers, who have taught 
 me the lotu, and I am learning it still.' After this, the people of the 
 settlement were collected, and I addressed them, and having made 
 presents to Riromaiava and his sister, I bade them farewell. They 
 all, however, accompanied me to the boat, and lamented that my stay 
 with them was so short. 1 reached the vessel at sun-down, when we 
 made all sail for Ninu tabu tabu, or Keppel's Island, in search of Puna." 
 " Tuesday, November 6. — Early this morning, we were close in 
 with Keppel's Island ; and ascertained from a canoe that Puna was 
 dead, but that his wife and family were still residing on shore. Hav- 
 ing sent a note to her, to enquire whether we might land safely, and 
 received her reply, 1 went on shore. She came, with her two child- 
 ren, to meet me, and when she saw me, she clung around my legs 
 and wept for a long while. She was much changed in appearance, 
 which she ascribed to her troubles, and the loss of her husband. It 
 was pleasing, however, to learn that their wanderings on the wide 
 ocean had been wisely directed by Him who gives the winds their 
 commission, for the furtherance of the Gospel on this distant island ; 
 as well as to hear that Puna had proved faithful unto death, and died 
 exhorting the people to believe in the Lord Jesus." 
 
 Shortly after Mr. Williams had landed on Keppel's Island, 
 a young man introduced himself as the faifekau, or teacher. 
 His appearance was prepossessing, and his dress good. He 
 was clad in a white shirt, and a black waistcoat, and called 
 himself Samuel. From him Mr. Williams learned that about 
 half the inhabitants, the whole of whom did not exceed 500, 
 were now professing Christianity, amongst whom was one of 
 the chiefs sons ; the other remaining a devoted idolater. In 
 company with this visitor, Mr. Williams Walked inland to see 
 the chapel, which he found to be a large native house former- 
 ly used for their games and dances. 
 
 " As we were proceeding," he writes, " our attention w T as attracted 
 by a singularly hollow roaring, which was blended with clattering of 
 sticks. This 1 found on inquiry to proceed from a party of faka 
 devolo, or devil's people, who were dancing. On reaching the place 
 of their wild performance, we saw about forty men, ranged in two 
 lines, and facing each other as in a country dance. Most of them had 
 a stick between two and three feet long in each hand ; but a few, at 
 regular intervals, held instead a long switch. Their appearance was 
 most singular and savage. Some were completely besmeared with 
 charcoal and oil, which rendered them, not only black, but shin- 
 ing characters in the exhibition. Others were fantastically touched 
 off with the same pigment, having a broad ring round each eye, a 
 large circular patch on each cheek, and another on the forehead, 
 whilst the other parts of the body were adorned with rings, stripes, 
 and daubs of various size and device. A few, to give greater variety 
 to these embellishments, had interspersed them with streaks of lime, 
 which gave their skin some resemblance to the coat of the zebra. 
 Thus equipped in their ball-dress, they commenced their capers, 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 259 
 
 which consisted of a wonderful variety of evolutions ; and, at the 
 same time, striking each others' sticks in numerous attitudes, over 
 their heads, under their thighs, now leaping high in the air, then 
 squatting on the ground. At one time, they would simultaneously 
 spring a surprising height, and bring their sticks in contact ; anon 
 they would face each other, and, then, in the twinkling of an eye, 
 they would be back to back, or side by side. During all these pro- 
 digious feats of agility, their sticks beat time most admirably to their 
 hoarse, gruff, hollow voices. 1 could not obtain the song they sang 
 on this occasion ; but was informed that it consisted of a call upon the 
 gods to bring back their chief Maatu, who had gone to sea about 
 three months ago, and had not been heard of since. The perform- 
 ance lasted about a quarter of an hour, when with the perspiration 
 streaming off their bodies, they were compelled to desist for want of 
 breath. 
 
 " Having exchanged presents and held conversation with the 
 chiefs, accompanied by the wife and children of Puna, 1 returned to 
 the ship." On their return voyage the Messenger of Peace sprung a 
 leak, which caused Mr. Williams great disquietude, and exposed them 
 all to serious peril. At length, after calling at Vavau, on the 22nd 
 of November they reached Tongatabu. 
 
 " As soon as we landed, the king, Tupou, sent a messenger to in- 
 vite Makea to his house. There he was received in true Tonga style, 
 and in a manner befitting his rank. Having reached Tupou's resi- 
 dence, he was requested to seat himself by the king's side, who was 
 attended by two matabooles, or orators. We sat with our faces to- 
 wards the under chiefs, who formed a semicircle outside. A baked 
 pig, some kava root, and a basket of yams, were then placed before 
 the king. This done, one of the orators said in a loud voice, 
 * Thanks for the kava,' ' Thanks for the large pig,' « Thanks for the 
 oven of yams,' • Thanks for the labor.' These • thanks ' were re- 
 peated several times ; but, whether they were intended to be expressed 
 for Makea, or as a hint to him on the duty of gratitude, did not appear ; 
 but, as soon as this ceremony was ended, the pig and yams, with a 
 warm welcome to Tonga, were presented to the king. One of the 
 orators then requested the people to prepare the kava, which they did 
 in the usual most disgusting way by mastication, filling a wooden 
 bowl with the expressed liquor. This being done, the orator first took 
 care of himself, and with a loud voice, proclaimed his own great name, 
 and invited himself to partake of the delicious beverage. He then 
 shouted the name of his royal master, who immediately clapped his 
 hand:3, as a sign of assent and approbation, and after this, did the hon- 
 ors of the bowl. A bumper was next prepared for Makea; and this 
 1 dainty dish ' was then ' set before the king.' " Mr. Williams stood 
 forth in dignity on this occasion : but, not being particularly partial to 
 the nauseous draught, he passed it back to the mataboole, who, like 
 other tipplers, had no objection to a second potation. " As soon as 
 the ceremony was over," Mr. W. writes, " seeing the ease with which 
 the Tonga people chew this hard root, and fond of trying experiments, 
 I cut a small piece out of the heart, and began to masticate it. I was, 
 however, soon glad to desist; it was so extremely bitter, and produced 
 such a great flow of saliva. This gave the natives the laugh against 
 
260 REV. J. WILLIAMS. 
 
 me ; and they said, ' These papalangis are clever at most things, but 
 not at chewing kava.' " 
 
 On the following Sabbath, Mr. W. attended the native service at 
 the chapel, which was a spacious and substantial building, but desti- 
 tute of pews and other comforts, to which he had been accustomed in 
 the Society Islands. About six hundred persons attended ; and some 
 of the females were clad in European garments. 
 
 Early in the week, the vessel was hove down, and the leak discov- 
 ered and stopped. This work was kindly superintended by Captain 
 Henry, and Captain Deanes, of the Elizabeth who arrived at Tonga- 
 tabu the day after Mr. Williams. 
 
 While the vessel was in hand, Mr. Williams was much engaged in 
 conversation with his brethren, and gathering information respecting 
 the mission. "The prospects," he thought, " were cheering. The 
 king appears firm to his profession ; and it is hoped that his wife is 
 sincerely pious. She is a great favorite with the mission families, and 
 deservedly so, for the diligence and devotedness with which she seeks 
 her own improvement, and that of her sex. Visiting the schools, 
 copying the Scriptures translated by the missionaries, but not yet 
 printed, attending the sick, and training her own young family, are 
 now the daily employment of a woman, who, but a short time ago, 
 was an untutored heathen. The stedfastness of her husband is also 
 very encouraging. One circumstance may serve to show his charac- 
 ter. Under the old system, a chief, named Ata, held an office which 
 obliged him to supply all the wants of Tupou and his household ; but, 
 since the king has professed Christianity, this chief, who is an invet- 
 erate heathen, has almost entirely ceased to send the requisite pro- 
 vision. To this loss, both of property and dignity, however, the king 
 calmly submits ; and says now he has become a Christian, he would 
 rather be injured than avenged, and that he will wait in the hope of 
 brighter days. 
 
 " Wednesday, Nov. 28. We attended service this afternoon ; after 
 which Mr. Cross married a young couple. Both were dressed in the 
 highest style of Tonga fashion. The lady's adornment, however, 
 was peculiarly awkward and inconvenient. It consisted of a vast 
 quantity of native cloth, rolled many times round her body. Her bo- 
 som was uncovered ; but, below the waist, she was such a prodigious 
 bulk, so unwieldy and unmanageable, that, when she sat down, she 
 was obliged to lean back, and have a person to support her behind. 
 Had this supporter withdrawn his hands, she must have fallen back- 
 ward, and rolled, like a bale of cloth, on the floor. To complete her 
 beauty, she had besmeared her face and neck so profusely with cocoa- 
 nut oil, that it almost made my eyes water to look at her. The breth- 
 ren have translated and adapted part of the Church of England mar- 
 riage service. 
 
 " Thursday, Nov. 29. To-day I walked to Maofagna, the residence 
 of Fakafenna, who is both the chief of this district, and the high-priest 
 of the island. This man has hitherto resisted all the efforts of the 
 missionaries to detach him from his superstitions. On reaching the 
 district, I was conducted to a large spot enclosed by a reed fence. This 
 was a sacred cemetery, filled with the sepulchres of chiefs and heroes 
 of Tonga, over each of which there stood a small house. On enter- 
 ing some of these, 1 found the graves strewed with beautiful white 
 
EV. J. WILLIAMS 
 
 261 
 
 sand, and quite free from weeds. A number of noble trees were in- 
 terspersed among the tombs, the thick foliage of which threw a grate- 
 ful, though in such a scene, a somewhat gloomy shade upon our 
 path. As I sauntered through this abode of death, I saw no living 
 creature, and heard no sound save that of the wind murmuring 
 amongst the leaves, and the occasional scream of the vampire bat, 
 numbers of which hang from the branches and tops of the lofty toa 
 trees. These seemed to have selected the spot, as if conscious of the 
 security which the presence of departed power and greatness would 
 afford them. 
 
 " Emerging from this dreary place, I passed on to the residence of 
 the priest. On reaching it, I found that he was from home ; but I 
 saw his six ladies, who were busily engaged in printing a piece of 
 native cloth, fifteen or twenty yards long, and four wide. This was 
 done with colors prepared from the juices of trees. My presence nat- 
 urally awakened some interest ; and they were curious to know who 
 I was, and whence 1 came. After conversing with them a short time, 
 they asked me for some tobacco, of which the natives are excessively 
 fond ; and, knowing this, i had put a small quantity in my pocket, 
 and was, therefore, enabled to gratify them. While thus engaged, I 
 learned that Fakafenna had returned, and was in his canoe-house at a 
 short distance. On reaching the spot, he requested me to be seated, 
 and to partake of some food and kava which had just been prepared. 
 When all was ready, 1 inquired whether it would be agreeable to him 
 that I should ask a blessing. He replied that it was ' good, very 
 good.' He now began to inquire of my Rarotonga attendant who I was ; 
 and he, native like, would not permit me to appear small in the eyes 
 of mine host, but stated that I was a very gre&tfaifekau, and had car- 
 ried the lolu to a number of islands, all of which he named. The 
 crafty chief did not fail to turn this high wrought description to his 
 own advantage ; and, having begun by complimenting me upon my 
 greatness, he added, ' But how rich you must be ! how unlike the 
 Tonga chiefs, who are all majiva !' very poor. He then asked what 
 was made at the various islands I had visited. I told him mats, cloth, 
 and nets. * O' he replied, 'that's the very thing J want. Have you 
 a net to spare ?' 1 was pleased with the ingenuity of the beggar, and 
 told him that 1 had a net, and would send him one. Apparently anx- 
 ious to make the most of his new acquaintance, he added, ' No, I will 
 come for it ;' but, inferring that, if he came for the net, he would want 
 something else, I insisted on sparing him the trouble. I had a pair 
 of scissors in my pocket, of which 1 made him a present. 
 
 " When I spoke to him about embracing Christianity, he dexter- 
 ously evaded the subject; but, on being pressed for his sentiments, 
 he said that the new religion was very good, and that perhaps, after 
 a little time, he should become a Christian. 'But,' he wisely added, 
 ' 1 do not approve of being forced. When the desire grows in my 
 heart, I will follow the example of others of my own accord, and re- 
 nounce the gods of Tonga.' 
 
 " On returning to the settlement, I dined with my esteemed friends, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Moon ; and, after dinner, went to his printing office. 
 The press is a noble piece of machinery, and little do the natives 
 know what that wonderful production of human skill is now accom- 
 plishing for them and their posterity. One, however, who is acquaint- 
 
262 LIFE OF THE 
 
 ed with its value in civilized lands cannot but feel a sacred pleasure at 
 seeing this mighty engine of human improvement at work on hea- 
 then shores." 
 
 The Messenger of Peace having been made seaworthy, Mr. Wil- 
 liams prepared to leave the scene in which he had spent nearly a 
 fortnight, the result of which upon his own mind he thus describes : 
 " Upon the whole, 1 think the brethren have great reason to be en- 
 couraged at what God has accomplished by them ; and the Society 
 with which they are connected has cause to rejoice that they have 
 such men to prosecute their designs. Would that twenty more of the 
 same devoted spirit may speedily arrive to strengthen their hands, 
 and to prosecute the work of God among the cannibals of Fiji, who 
 are degraded beyond description, and numerous as the sands upon 
 the sea-shore. Although we belong to different sections of the church, 
 we preach the same Jesus, and point to the same heaven ; and so 
 long as the poor heathen are taught the way of salvation, of what 
 consideration is it by whom that knowledge is conveyed ? Christ is 
 made known ; the soul is saved ; and God is glorified. May his spe- 
 cial blessing rest upon the devoted laborers of Tongatabu ! I shall 
 always feel a lively interest in the work of the Lord here, and reflect, 
 with pleasure, upon the intercourse 1 had with my devoted breth- 
 
 On the 5th of December, Mr. Williams sailed from Ton- 
 gatabu ; and early in January, 1833, he reached Rarotonga, 
 after an absence of fifteen weeks. No reader of these pages, 
 nor any individual acquainted with the present spiritual con- 
 dition of the Samoans, will require further evidence of the 
 incalculable importance of the two voyages thus terminated. 
 Mr. Williams's own estimate is as low as truth would permit, 
 when he wrote to his friend Mr. Ellis, " Though great and 
 extensive success has attended our labors, it should be clear- 
 ly understood that this is little more than securing a renun- 
 ciation of heathenism, and a strong desire to be taught the 
 Christian religion. But thus a great and effectual door has 
 been opened ; the fallow ground has been broken up, and a 
 people prepared of the Lord." So deeply, indeed, was he 
 impressed with the necessity of improving this promising state 
 of society, that urgent as the reasons were for his return to 
 England, on finding the health of Mrs. Williams restored by 
 her residence at Rarotonga, his purpose was once more shak- 
 en, and the powerful attractions presented by the work in 
 which was all his delight had nearly detained him longer in 
 Polynesia. 
 
 " We refrain at present," he writes to Mr. Ellis, " from coming to 
 a final determination respecting our future movements. What an 
 extensive field opens as we proceed westward ; islands thickly scat- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 263 
 
 tered over the Pacific, so that the ocean is still teeming with hun- 
 dreds of thousands, who have never heard of the gospel of salvation. 
 I should like well to take a kind of missionary voyage of observation 
 through the whole of these extensive and thickly peopled groups ; 
 but this is an undertaking that would require means beyond my own 
 narrow resources. Already I have done perhaps too much on my 
 own responsibilities. Should we ever return to England, possibly I 
 may propose a plan to the Directors for efFecting this, or else select a 
 number of religious friends for this purpose. We have heard a re- 
 port of a serious diminution in the funds of our Society. I trust it is 
 not the case, as the Lord's work is not yet done. The field is large, 
 and it is still overgrown with the thorns, and briars, and poisonous 
 trees of Pagan superstition. Now this field must be cleared, and 
 planted, and converted into a " garden of the Lord ;" and who is to 
 do it ? If British Christians grow tired, who will have the temerity 
 to enter the field, after the zeal and courage of God's servants have 
 yielded?" 
 
 And were these feelings thus expressed enthusiastic or ex- 
 cessive ? Were not the scenes through which he had so re- 
 cently travelled sufficient to kindle into ardor even the most 
 frigid bosom 1 And who can wonder at their influence upon 
 John Williams, than whom no man ever rejoiced with a joy 
 more unfeigned in the diffusion of truth amongst the heathen ? 
 Home, truly, had its attractions. His thoughts and affections 
 often glanced across the blue waves to the scenes and friends 
 of his youth. But more attractive far to him were the service 
 of Christ, and the salvation of men. In Britian, indeed, 
 there were many whom he tenderly loved, and the mention 
 of whose names had often filled his soul with emotion. But 
 in Polynesia, there were more, — teeming multitudes, — his 
 neighbors, his " brethren of mankind," unenlightened and 
 perishing, whose case he commiserated, whose claims he 
 felt, and whose sighs and cries, as " groaning and travailing 
 in pain together," they " waited" with " outstretched neck," 
 and uplifted hands for the day of their deliverance, entered 
 his heart; and the stirrings of compassion, and the pressure 
 of obligation, and the zeal for God, and the love of Christ, 
 which first constrained him to visit these shores, were still 
 strong within him ; stronger than friendship, or nature, or 
 death. For " the Gospel's sake," he was now as ready as he 
 ever had been " to spend and to be spent." In his view, 
 " the work of Christ," not only surpassed all other claims, 
 but absorbed them all. It was not merely a single element 
 in his calculations and designs, one of many objects equally 
 interesting ; but it filled the whole sphere of his vision, and 
 
m 
 
 264 LIFE OF THE 
 
 formed a circle of attraction beyond the line of which his 
 thoughts and affections seldom travelled. Strictly speaking, 
 his mind had no distinct departments of thought, in which 
 secular and spiritual interests maintained a separate existence, 
 and exerted an independent control. " His own things" 
 were so interwoven, so identified with the things of others 
 in the texture of his mental operations, as to be separable 
 only in thought and theory. They were like the light, whose 
 various rays are blended into one bright manifestation. It is 
 not, indeed, maintained that there was no admixture of evil 
 with his excellencies. He himself would have more strongly 
 than any one have repelled a thought so vain. But as far as 
 the productions of his pen, and the proceedings of his life, 
 enabled an impartial spectator to judge of " the hidden things 
 of his heart," it may be safely affirmed that he ever appeared 
 to think, to plan, to purpose, to labor, and to pray, as if he 
 felt that he had no interests separate from those of Jesus 
 Christ, no desires which the full and successful occupation 
 in his Master's service would not satisfy. If ever the prayer, 
 " Unite my heart to fear thy name," was fulfilled, it was ful- 
 filled in him. " Whose I am and whom I serve ;" " For me to 
 live is Christ ;" describe the features of his character, and de- 
 clare the tenor of his life. 
 
 This singleness of aim and fixedness of heart, which, 
 although the objects he designed to secure before his embar- 
 kation for England had been nearly accomplished, still 
 detained him a lingerer amongst the scenes of his labor, and 
 within reach of the objects of his compassion, was the source 
 and the secret of his personal eminence; and, the next to 
 the providence and grace of God, the key to his whole his- 
 tory. Had his self-consecration been less entire, he would 
 have passed his days comparatively unnoticed and unknown, 
 amongst that numerous class of Christians, whose negative 
 virtues and religious mediocrity present so little to distin- 
 guish them from each other, or to attract any special atten- 
 tion toward the low level upon which they stand. But his 
 missionary ardor placed him in a position where he could 
 not be hid. This made him as a light upon a hill; as 
 a pillar in the house of the Lord. For it was this which 
 moulded his character, and clothed it in vestments " all 
 glorious to behold." It was this which moved his heart, 
 his lips, his hands ; which kept him abiding and abounding 
 in the Lord's work ; which preserved him from faintness, 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 265 
 
 fear, and falling ; which made him faithful ; and by which, 
 God being his helper, he was enabled both " to deserve" and 
 to " command success." As in the ordinances of heaven 
 and earth, one simple law accounts for innumerable pheno- 
 mena, their order, uniformity, permanence, and power, so is 
 it frequently in the movements and manifestations of mind. 
 John Williams became what he was, indeed, " by the grace 
 of God." This was the primary source, the first cause 
 of the excellencies which he possessed in common with other 
 servants of Christ. But we have not to seek so much the 
 points of agreement between him and others, as the points 
 of difference. Whilst with all who followed the Saviour he 
 differed from the world, — the question remains, why did he 
 differ even from the church? Others, indeed, had grace, 
 but he had received " more grace." The explanation is 
 found in his singular and superior devotedness. This was 
 the immediate cause to which we must trace the main fea- 
 tures of his successful course. It was this which combined 
 and concentrated all his energies and efforts upon one grand 
 and worthy object. It was this which gave, not only a right 
 direction to his movements, but an amount of power which 
 a mind divided or less devoted, would have been unable to 
 command. This, moreover, not only dignified the meanest, 
 sanctified to noblest use the most common, and cast a supe- 
 rior lustre around the rarest and noblest of his endowments, 
 but it secured for them all a full and faithful appropriation 
 to the one great end of life. Had, therefore, Mr. Williams 
 been less perfectly prepared by his mental and physical 
 peculiarities for the sphere which he filled, with self-dedica- 
 tion such as his, although with far inferior qualifications, he 
 must have accomplished great things for God. 
 
 No sooner had Mr. Williams once more seated himself 
 down at Rarotonga than he began to work. Labor was 
 to him the best refreshment, and the most invigorating rest. 
 Both by nature and principle, a necessity to be active was 
 laid upon him. Rarely could he take up the lamentation, 
 " I have lost a day ! " But as before at Rarotonga, so now, 
 his plans were broken in upon, and his efforts impeded, by 
 unforeseen events. Only a short time after his return, 
 another destructive hurricane swept, like some mighty and 
 malignant spirit, over the island, levelling the buildings and 
 uprooting the trees. But this trial was succeeded by a 
 mercy, which, after so many disappointments, neither he nor 
 23 
 
266 LIFE OF THE 
 
 Mrs. Williams had dared to anticipate, and their previous 
 sorrow was turned into joy " that a man-child was born into 
 the world." This happy event was ascribed, partly to the 
 improved state of Mrs. Williams's health, and partly to the 
 skill of Mr. Stevens, the surgeon of the Oldham, whom 
 Mr. Williams had providentially brought with him from 
 Savaii. 
 
 It is unnecessary to trace Mr. Williams's history minutely 
 through the succeeding months of his stay at Rarotonga. 
 His time was principally engrossed with the translation, 
 which he and the brethren* brought to a close ere his de- 
 parture. He also rendered constant and considerable assist- 
 ance in the ordinary labors of the station, in the pulpit, the 
 school, and the private dwelling. During the same time, 
 the chapels both at Arorangi and Avarua were rebuilt, new 
 and noble mission premises erected, and the Messenger 
 of Peace thoroughly repaired. In all these useful engage- 
 ments, it is scarcely necessary to say, he largely shared. 
 Whilst in the midst of these various labors, he took a part in 
 the formation of a Christian church, and was much refreshed 
 by the evidences of genuine piety, which were presented by 
 the little fraternity who thus openly separated- themselves 
 from the world around them. And just after this event, he 
 was still more rejoiced at the evidences of religious concern 
 which appeared amongst the people generally, and the proof 
 thus afforded that the Spirit of God was moving over this 
 valley of vision. This incipient revival was the more inte- 
 resting to Mr. Williams, because it could be traced to the 
 instrumentality of the few disciples who had so recently 
 professed their faith in Christ. When formed into a church, 
 these converted natives had been distinctly told by their 
 missionaries, that to sow as well as to reap, to labor as well 
 as to enjoy, were amongst the primary and principal designs 
 of their association. And these counsels were not lost. 
 
 * The parts of this important work performed by these three hon- 
 ored laborers were as follow : — Mr. Williams translated the Gospel 
 by John, and the Epistles of Paul to the Romans, the Second to 
 the Corinthians, to the Galatians, and to the Hebrews, with those 
 of James, Peter, and Jude, and the Revelation. Mr. Pitman's part 
 was the Gospels by Mark and Luke, the Epistles to the Ephesians, 
 Colossians, Thessalonians, Philemon, Timothy, and Titus, with the 
 Three Epistles of John. Mr. Buzacott translated the Gospel by 
 Matthew, and the First Epistle to the Corinthians, 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 267 
 
 Without an exception, and in the spirit of cheerful and 
 devoted obedience to the Lord's commands, they pledged 
 themselves to each other to visit all their unbelieving coun- 
 trymen around them, and to employ their best efforts to 
 awaken the attention of each individual to the great subject 
 of personal religion. And thus, if not " mightily," yet, to a 
 most encouraging extent, " the word of the Lord grew and 
 prevailed ; " and it is worthy of remark, that the superior 
 usefulness of many missionaries, and the rapid increase 
 of some of the churches formed of regenerated heathen, 
 as compared with many congregations at home, in which 
 a solitary pastor, with two or three devoted brethren, labor 
 almost alone, may be mainly ascribed to the fact that, not 
 a few, but many, and in some instances all, that profess the 
 name of Jesus, proclaim that name to their unconverted 
 brethren. 
 
 Mr. Williams, expecting soon to see them, and having 
 few opportunities of forwarding his communications, wrote 
 but one letter to his friends during his detention at Raro- 
 tonga. That letter contains a succinct history of his Samoan 
 voyage, and thus concludes : " How long it is since last we 
 saw each other ! How many and how great have been the 
 changes which have filled up the interval ! Parents dead, 
 brothers and sisters married, a new race of relatives growing 
 up, some of them towards manhood, and we ourselves passing 
 the meridian of life. Ah ! how soon will all be 'as a tale 
 that is told ; ' how soon will the place that now knows us, 
 know us no more ; and although, to ourselves, we may seem 
 of so much importance, we shall slip off the stage unmissed, 
 and be as though to the world we had never been." Such 
 was his estimate of " this vain life ; " and such the humble 
 view he entertained of his own invaluable labors. 
 
 As soon as Mr. Williams had formed the purpose of re- 
 turning to England, he resolved to dispose of the Messenger 
 of Peace, and therefore sent her to Tahiti, with a request 
 that in the event of their obtaining a purchaser, the brethren 
 would charter another vessel to bring up himself and his 
 family in April. But as the time appointed had passed, and 
 no ship appeared, he began to think seriously of building 
 another ; and probably would have done so de novo, had not 
 an American, then in the island, previously made an unsuc- 
 cessful attempt ; and being unable to finish the work which 
 he had begun, he very gladly transferred the undertaking for 
 
LIFE OF THE 
 
 a compensation to Mr. Williams, who speedily completed 
 the vessel, and sailed in her with his family to Tahiti. 
 
 The separation, however, was painful to all parties. 
 Mr. Williams loved not only the missionaries and the natives, 
 but the very island; and, although he hoped to revisit it, 
 the day seemed distant when he should again behold its 
 wood-clad hills, and now happy shores. But the separation 
 was not only sorrowful to him. "Mr. Williams," writes 
 Mr. Buzacott, in his journal, under the date of July 18th, 
 1833, " is now ready for sea. We feel much at the thought 
 of their leaving. We have had the pleasure of their society 
 for the last twenty-one months ; and this has been a privi- 
 lege indeed ! " 
 
 On reaching Tahiti, Mr. Williams found the brethren in 
 great perplexity and distress from the recent importation 
 of a large quantity of ardent spirits, and its disastrous 
 effects. But shortly after his arrival, at a general meeting 
 of the missionaries, it was resolved that Temperance Socie- 
 ties should forthwith be formed, as, in their circumstances, 
 the most safe and suitable means for preserving the natives 
 from this strong and perilous temptation. And this was 
 done. " The brethren," Mr. Williams writes, " returned to 
 their stations, to endeavor to carry into effect the plans 
 agreed upon. The good chief of Papara, Tati, with his 
 people, entered into the proposition of their teacher, Mr. 
 Davies ; and, in a very short time, the Papara Temperance 
 Society numbered 360 members. The vacant seats in the 
 chapel soon began to fill; the schools were again well at- 
 tended ; attention to religion revived ; and the happy state 
 of things, which existed prior to the introduction of ardent 
 spirits, re-appeared. This gave the people so much delight, 
 that they called a meeting of the inhabitants of their popu- 
 lous district and agreed among themselves that they would 
 not trade with any vessel or boat that should bring ardent 
 spirits to their snores." The chiefs and people of other 
 districts followed this example, and with similar results. 
 
 At Eimeo, Mr. Williams found Mr. Armitage, whom the 
 Directors had sent out with the beneficent design of in- 
 structing the natives in the art of weaving ; but, as the 
 inhabitants of the Georgian and Society Isles were enabled 
 to obtain British manufactures from the numerous ships 
 which touched there, in exchange for the productions of their 
 soil, the inducement to labor for the same object was insuf- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 269 
 
 fi cient ; and Mr. Williams perceiving this, proposed to re 
 move him to Rarotonga, where there would be little compe 
 tition, and the people would appreciate his skill. As an 
 inducement, and with the hope of promoting the welfare 
 of an island so dear, he offered to defer his own voyage to 
 England, until he had conveyed Mr. Armitage to Rarotonga : 
 an offer which was readily accepted by the worthy artizan. 
 Leaving, therefore, his beloved partner and family with his 
 friends Mr. and Mrs. Barff, at Huahine, he once more bent 
 his course to the west ; and, with a view to render the voy- 
 age still more useful, he proposed to visit Atui, and other 
 island's, which lay in their way. But shortly after they had 
 landed on Atui, a heavy gale drove the vessel to sea ; and 
 they were imprisoned in this isolated spot for more than 
 three weeks, not, however, without benefit to its inhabitants ; 
 and, on the 14th of October, they reached Rarotonga. 
 
 The re-appearance of their firm friend, after what was 
 deemed his final farewell, was as gratifying to all parties as it 
 was unexpected : missionaries, chiefs, and people, appeared 
 to appreciate the generous motive which had brought him 
 once more to their shores ; and all united in giving Mr. 
 Armitage a hearty welcome, and the strongest assurances 
 of encouragement and support. 
 
 Mr. Williams's stay at Rarotonga was short ; but although 
 anxious to embark for England, he could not resist the im- 
 pulse, now that they were again within his reach, of paying 
 one more farewell visit to the surrounding isles. Like 
 a fond father who, after tearing himself from the midst 
 of a beloved family, still lingers near the abode which holds 
 the dear objects of his strongest regard, and, impelled by 
 urgent affection, returns to renew the warm embrace, and to 
 repeat the parting blessing, did this man of God revisit 
 Mangaia, and other scenes, for whose welfare he felt more 
 than a parental concern. But to these shores we cannot 
 again follow him. It must suffice to say, that the events 
 of this voyage were so important, as to satisfy his own mind 
 that this also, like other movements of his history, was 
 "of God."* 
 
 As soon as he had returned from the Hervey Islands, Mr. 
 Williams began in earnest to prepare for his long intended 
 departure. But this was one of the very few engagements 
 
 * Missionary Enterprises, p. 250. 
 
 23* 
 
270 LIFE OF THE 
 
 of his life in which his heart was not found. Various 
 reasons, and some powerful feelings, made him still hesi- 
 tate; and often he appeared to doubt whether the voice 
 of God was not still saying, " Tarry ye here." Amongst the 
 strongest of these inducements, was Raiatea. Changed, in- 
 deed, was its aspect now, as contrasted with that which it 
 wore in the bright days of its prosperity. Its bloom and 
 beauty had faded, its spiritual health declined, its moral 
 influence had withered, IchabocL was written upon many 
 of the scenes of its former life and loveliness, and the glory 
 had departed from its shores. But although so changed, it 
 was still Raiatea — still the object of his youthful love — the 
 sphere of his early labors — the field where he had gathered 
 his first ripe fruits. With this spot, a thousand tender recol- 
 lections were associated ; and it was the spiritual birth-place 
 of not a few who had been " his joy on earth/' and would be 
 " his crown" in heaven. But all these pleasant thoughts 
 of past days only deepened the gloom which he experienced 
 at this visit. He that after years of absence from the home 
 of his childhood, " where every object pleased," has returned 
 to the lovely scene of former endearments and cheerfulness, 
 and has found the dwelling in which he smiled away his 
 happiest years, deserted, its inmates dead, its windows dark- 
 ened, its walls decaying, and has cast a sorrowful glance 
 over the garden where he gambolled, then so fresh and fra- 
 grant, but now repulsive and scarcely to be recognized, its 
 fences so moss-grown and broken, its paths so strewed with 
 seared leaves and dank herbage, its beds, in other days gay 
 with summer's brightest flowers, but now choked with clus- 
 tering weeds, its green alcove a faded ruin, and many of its 
 choicest trees fruitless or fallen, may form some idea of the 
 depressing melancholy which stole over the spirit of Wil- 
 liams, as he sauntered through the settlement, and contrasted 
 its once cheerful, busy, and advancing state, with the sad 
 signs of decay which were now spread around him. But 
 still, " the house was not left desolate." Many, indeed, 
 of its once happy inhabitants had " fallen by strong drink," 
 or had been driven like chaff before the whirlwind of civil 
 conflict. But amidst much to distress, there was not a little 
 to console. Trees of righteousness, their branches bending 
 with clusters of ripe fruit, were still flourishing, and all the 
 enclosures had not been broken down. " Faithful among 
 the faithless," at least one hundred and twenty members 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 271 
 
 of the church, through a season of searching trial, had been 
 kept from temptation, and enabled to hold fast their integrity. 
 These gathered around their former pastor as soon as he 
 landed on their shores, to welcome him with smiles and 
 tears, and to implore him to dwell once more in their midst. 
 And even of those who had fallen, there were many in whose 
 breasts his presence revived the feelings of better days ; and 
 who, although ashamed to encounter the glance of his com- 
 passionate eye, showed their attachment by hovering near 
 the place of his dwelling, and stealing again into the sanc- 
 tuary, where his voice was once more to be heard. In these 
 and many similar instances it was easy to see the remaining 
 traces of other and happier seasons. Although sin and 
 circumstances had severed the Missionary and his flock, the 
 marks of their former close connexion had not been oblit- 
 erated. Like cliffs which some great convulsion had torn 
 asunder, but in which the lines and points of their former 
 junction still appear, although the elements had long acted 
 upon their surface, and the deep sea rolled between, so was 
 it with the sorrowing Missionary, and his scattered flock. 
 Their connexion had been too close not to leave behind it, 
 even upon the minds of those whose conduct had been most 
 at variance with such a relationship, the ineffaceable evi- 
 dences of its past existence. 
 
 The following incident, extracted from Mr. Williams's 
 own narrative, will sufficiently illustrate the preceding re- 
 marks, and serve to account for the struggle through which he 
 was called to pass, ere he could finally sever himself from 
 Raiatea. It occurred a few weeks before his embarkation 
 for England : — 
 
 " A short time subsequent to my arrival, f found that a meeting 
 had been convened, which 1 was requested to attend. 1 knew not 
 its object until the king's speaker arose, and told me that they had 
 met to request me to abandon my intention of visiting England. Af- 
 ter many interesting addresses, a chief stood up, and with great grav- 
 ity said, ' Mr. Williams, I have been reading to day what Paul wrote 
 to the Philippians, ' I am in a strait between two, having a desire to 
 depart and be with Christ which is far better : nevertheless to abide 
 in the flesh is more needful for you.' Now we all know that you 
 must wish to see your friends, and visit your native country, after so 
 long an absence. This is very reasonable. But don't you think, if 
 Paul was willing to stay even out of heaven to do good to Christians 
 on earth, that you ought to forego the pleasure of visiting England to 
 do good to us ?' This was a touching appeal ; and feeling it deeply, 
 I replied by expressing my pleasure at receiving this proof of their 
 
 ;*■ 
 
 QH1V JSJW.OA J. X 
 
272 LIFE OP THE 
 
 affection J and promised, on revisiting Tahiti, to consult Mrs. W. ; 
 and, if we could not remain ourselves, to persuade one of our brother 
 missionaries to reside with them until our return. I had no sooner 
 made this declaration, than another arose, and, after thanking me for 
 promising to endeavor to find a substitute, exclaimed, ' But although 
 we have ten thousand instructors in. Christ, we have not many fath- 
 ers ; for, in Christ Jesus, you have begotten us through the Gos- 
 pel.' " 
 
 So shaken was Mr. Williams by this and other manifesta- 
 tions of attachment, and by the desire to do more for the 
 people ere he finally left them, that he had almost relinquish- 
 ed the design of returning to England ; and formed the con- 
 elusion that, if the means of conveyance did not present it- 
 self within a short and specified time, he should consider that 
 Providence did not further his purpose, and that duty requir- 
 ed him to abandon it. But before the expiration of the pre- 
 scribed period, the " Sir Andrew Hammond," Capt Cuthell, 
 a homeward-bound whaler, touched at Tahiti ; and the ocean 
 soon rolled between him and Raiatea. The voyage, which 
 was via Cape Horn, was marked by no features of peculiar 
 interest. Upon the health of Mrs. Williams, it exerted a very 
 salutary effect ; and the time was fully occupied by her de- 
 voted companion in a new revision of the Rarotongan Testa- 
 ment, and in the preparation of other works for the islands, 
 which he hoped to carry back in print to their inhabitants. 
 These useful labors lightened the tedium of the passage ; 
 but still, he was most happy and thankful to their gracious 
 Preserver, when, on the 12th of June, 1834, after nearly 
 eighteen years' absence, the white cliffs of his beloved and 
 native land once more greeted and gladdened his eyes. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 273 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 FROM MR. WILLIAMS'S ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND UNTIL 
 HIS RETURN TO THE SOUTH SEAS. 
 
 Change of Scene — Circumstances which had preceded Mr. Williams's 
 Arrival in England — Disadvantages under which he commenced 
 his Public Engagements — Meetings at Coventry and Birmingham 
 — The Character of his Addresses — Sketch of a Sermon — Plans for 
 the Prosperity of the South Sea Mission — Printing of the Raroton- 
 ga New Testament, and other Translations— Appeal at the Annual 
 Meeting of the London Missionary Society — Extracts from Cor- 
 respondence — Various Occupations — Commencement of the "Mis- 
 sionary Enterprises" — Mr. Williams's Difficulties and Determina- 
 tion — Sustained Interest with which he Repeated the Details of his 
 Personal History — Its Causes — Labors in Yorkshire, Devonshire, 
 and Scotland — Specimen of his Addresses — Effort to Establish a 
 Polynesian College — Meeting at Liverpool — Varied and Interest- 
 ing Intelligence received from the South Sea Islands — Completion 
 of the "Missionary Enterprises" — Mr. Williams's Anticipations of 
 its Success — Its Circulation amongst the Nobility — Letters to the 
 Duchess of Kent and Lord Brougham — Numerous Replies — Ap- 
 peal to Literary and Scientific Institutions — Intercourse with the 
 Aristocracy — Rapid and Unprecedented Sale of the Narrative — Its 
 Influence — The Manner in which it was Reviewed — Estimate of the 
 Work — Mr. Williams at Home — His Effort to obtain a Missionary 
 Ship — Application to Government — Extracts from Correspondence 
 — Ultimatum of the Government— Appeal to the Public— Prompt 
 and Liberal Response — Purchase of the Camden — Interesting Inci- 
 dents—Arrival and Engagement of Captain Morgan — Mr. Wil- 
 liams's Increasing Popularity — Instances of Liberality — Address to 
 Merchants, etc. — Petition to the Corporation of London — Grounds 
 of this Application — Appearance before the Common Council — In- 
 terest Awakened by his Address — The Result — Providential Inter- 
 position — Christian Affection and Generosity — Marriage of his Son 
 — Arrangement for his Departure — Valedictory Services — Parting 
 Struggles — Memorable Morning — Voyage to Gravesend — Final 
 Farewell. 
 
 In the preceding pages, the subject of these memoirs has 
 been chiefly seen in but one aspect. Widely as the scenes, 
 through which we have accompanied him, differ from each 
 other, and various as are the incidents which diversify them, 
 
274 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 hitherto we have contemplated Mr. Williams principally as 
 the devoted and enterprising laborer in the missionary field. 
 But we have now to follow him into new and untrodden 
 paths. Instead of visiting hordes of savage men, or standing 
 up to announce the elementary -truths of the gospel to rude 
 or but half-enlightened multitudes, over whom his mental as- 
 cendency was great and manifest, he was called to plead the 
 cause of missions before well-instructed assemblies, and from 
 some of the most commanding positions in Britain. And he 
 fully appreciated the change in his circumstances. Often 
 before he left Polynesia, and with still stronger solicitude dur- 
 ing his voyage to England, had his mind rested upon the fu- 
 ture, and rarely without mingled emotions of pain and plea- 
 sure, of confidence and concern. While, on the one hand, 
 he felt assured that the intelligence of which he was the bear- 
 er, would, if but fairly laid before the christian public, com- 
 mand their attention, rejoice their hearts, and impart a new 
 impulse to their efforts for the world's evangelization, the 
 self-reliance, which in other situations had raised him above 
 the most formidable difficulties, or carried him triumphantly 
 through them, now almost forsook him ; and he surveyed his 
 new sphere of duty " with fear and with much trembling." 
 His native tongue was now far less familiar to him than that 
 in which he had so long preached, and he was haunted with 
 the apprehension that he should seriously violate the deco- 
 rum of polished society, or offend " ears polite," by his blun- 
 ders and barbarisms. It was, therefore, with extreme diffi- 
 dence that he commenced his new career ; and the self-dis- 
 trust which disturbed him was clearly shown in some of his 
 earliest efforts. But he soon began to feel his ground. The 
 deep interest which his communications awakened, and the 
 kindness by which he was received by those who heard him, 
 restored his confidence. His fears, like the mists of morning 
 which disappear before the first rays of the rising sun, were 
 soon scattered, and he pursued his course of successful advo- 
 cacy, " as a strong man to run a race." From this time, his 
 influence was felt through ever-widening circles, and his la- 
 bors with their results became nearly as important in Britain 
 as they had previously been in Polynesia. 
 
 Few men were ever less indebted to circumstances for their 
 popularity or success than was Mr. Williams. No herald 
 had preceded him, no concurrence of favoring causes had 
 prepared his way. Prior to his arrival in this country, his his- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 275 
 
 tory and name were known to but few. The Directors, indeed, 
 were acquainted with his character, and had formed a high es- 
 timate of his devoted labors ; and, occasionally, the periodicals 
 of the London Missionary Society had been enriched with 
 extracts from his letters. But these valuable communications 
 were either too brief, or had appeared at intervals too distant, 
 to produce any very distinct or enduring impressions. 
 
 Nor was the period of his arrival in England the most fa- 
 vorable to Mr. Williams's personal influence. Had he re- 
 turned a few years earlier, the intense and general interest 
 then felt in the South Sea mission, would alone have secured 
 for any laborer from that fruitful field much popular favor. 
 But that period had passed. The bright dawn of day which 
 succeeded the " night of toil" through which the laborers at 
 Tahiti and the surrounding isles so long " watched for the 
 morning," had now become overcast. Heavy and portentous 
 clouds had gathered above the scenes, then so fair and full of 
 promise. To a melancholy extent the designs of the mission- 
 aries had been counteracted, and many of the fruits of their 
 previous and patient labors destroyed, by the successful ef- 
 forts of civilized men to teach and tempt the natives to use 
 strong drink. Hence, for some time anterior to Mr. Wil- 
 liams's return, those missionary periodicals, whose pages had 
 been so irradiated with intelligence of unequalled interest 
 from these interesting isles, had been occupied with the more 
 pleasing accounts of other missions. The few extracts from 
 the correspondence of the brethren at Tahiti were of a very 
 mixed character ; and, although throughout the fierce trial, 
 the faithful laborers were surrounded by a numerous band of 
 pious natives, whose firmness and affection cheered their 
 hearts and sustained their hands, they were too much dis- 
 couraged by the defection of others, to write in any strains 
 but those of despondency and distress. It is true that, prior 
 to his departure, Mr. Williams was permitted to witness the 
 signs of returning reason and sobriety. Many of the fallen 
 had been reclaimed, strong barriers raised against the fierce 
 and fiery flood had stayed its progress, and the blessed influ- 
 ences of Christianity, which for a time had been resisted, 
 were rapidly regaining their former sway over the minds and 
 the habits of the infatuated people. But although he was the 
 bearer of some good tidings from these quarters, so much 
 mischief had been done, that he owed but little of his success 
 to the previous prosperity of the South Sea mission ; and the 
 
276 LIFE OF THE 
 
 fact that he revived, to its full extent, the interest which had 
 so far declined, is sufficient evidence of the weight and worth 
 of his communications. 
 
 The returned missionary had passed but a short period in 
 delightful intercourse with his beloved family, when the ami- 
 able, laborious, and irresistible Home Secretary of the Socie- 
 ty, in whose service he had labored, drew him forth from his 
 seclusion to tell the Christian public the stirring tale of his 
 toils and triumphs; and, as many to whom in private he had 
 narrated some of the incidents of his history, had cheered hirti 
 by the assurance that these facts would be heard in public 
 with the deepest interest, and hailed by the friends of missions 
 with the liveliest gratitude, he consented to make a tour 
 as a deputation from the Society. But his hope of success 
 was not founded upon mere testimony. He was assured that 
 what he had to communicate would tell with power upon 
 Christian people. " If I can only," he often said, " gain 
 the ear of the public, I know that I possess facts which must 
 interest them." But of his ability to do this, he was doubt- 
 ful. The following passage from a letter to his sister, Mrs. 
 Williams, dated August the 7th, 1834, will show the feelings 
 with which he commenced his public c ourse as a missiona- 
 ry advocate. " I have now so much work before me, that I 
 tremble at the prospect. My desire is to do the Lord's work 
 well, but I fear lest I should not be able. Wherever I go, the 
 people appear to depend so much upon me for the interest of 
 their meetings, that I feel a weight of responsibility, which 
 I can scarcely sustain. The Lord, however, has hitherto as- 
 sisted and supported me, and I trust that I may be able to 
 meet the expectation of his people. I pray that I may go in 
 the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ." ' 
 
 Coventry was the first place of importance, at which Mr. 
 Williams " declared what God had wrought amongst the Gen- 
 tiles," through his agency. And here he had good reason 
 for encouragement. His statements were heard with deep 
 interest, and his spirit was refreshed by intercourse with the 
 brethren, especially with " good old Mr. Jerrard," one of the 
 missionaries captured in the Duff, " whom," he writes to his 
 beloved fellow-laborer, Mr. Pritchard, " Messrs. Wilson and 
 Davies know well, as he was with them in captivity." At 
 Birmingham, to which town he next proceeded, his name had 
 been better known, through his correspondence with Messrs. 
 James and East, than in any other locality ; and thither also 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 277 
 
 a good report of his addresses at Coventry had preceded him. 
 The day of the meeting was unpropitious ; but notwithstand- 
 ing, the large chapel in Carr's Lane was thronged, and the 
 congregation deeply interested by his speech — the delivery 
 of which occupied two hours. He himself was much exci- 
 ted ; for his associations with Birmingham were peculiar, and 
 his obligations to its pastors and their people great. He, 
 therefore, began his address by saying that " had he been pri- 
 vileged to attend but one meeting in England, he should have 
 selected that before which he then appeared, in preference to 
 every other. Birmingham," he added, " has to me attrac- 
 tions and attachments which no other place possesses. From 
 one of its ministers I received my. first religious impressions;" 
 and then turning to the Rev. T. East, he proceeded, " Yes, 
 Sir, to you, under God, I am indebted for all that I am, and 
 for all that I have been able to effect ! From the beloved 
 minister of the sanctnary, in which we are assembled, I re- 
 ceived my Bible and the solemn charge to preach its glorious 
 revelations to the heathen. And, Sir," (turning to Mr. 
 James,) " according to the ability which God has given me, 
 I have preached the doctrine of salvation by faith in a cruci- 
 fied Redeemer. Another special claim which Birmingham 
 has upon me is the generosity with which at different times 
 benevolent friends have sent me abundant supplies of iron- 
 mongery, by which I was enabled to make my way with great- 
 er facility into heathen lands. For these gifts, I now most 
 gratefully tender my acknowledgements. But the last, though 
 not the least, claim which Birmingham presents, is that she 
 has sent forth two admirable men, whom I deem it an honor 
 to call my brother missionaries : Henry Nott and George 
 Pritchard." 
 
 After this exordium, Mr. Williams gave a history of the 
 introduction of ardent spirits into the islands, with the bene- 
 ficial operation of Temperance Societies ; contrasted the 
 character and conduct of the captains, who too commonly 
 visited the scene of their labors, with the proceedings of men 
 like Capt. Waldegrave and Capt. Laws; described the pre- 
 valence and forms of infanticide prior to the introduction of 
 Christianity ; and gave a sketch of the missions to the Hervey 
 Islands and Samoa. At the conclusion of his speech, Mr. 
 James, who had elicited from him in private an account of 
 the marvellous means by which he had built the Messenger 
 of Peace, requested him to describe the process in public. In 
 
 24 
 
278 LIFE OF THE 
 
 the evening he was engaged to preach for Mr. East, who ex- 
 pressed a wish that he would give from the pulpit an outline 
 of his personal history. " But I did not like," he writes to a 
 friend, " to say so much about myself, and, therefore, did no 
 more than describe the manner in which I was brought by 
 his preaching to a knowledge of the truth." Having thus 
 introduced himself, he selected as the basis of his discourse 
 1 Cor. ii. 2, and proceeded to illustrate the following topics : 
 — Firstly, the doctrines preached by the missionaries ; sec- 
 ondly, the condition of the people to whom these doctrines 
 were taught, as it appeared from the deities they adored, the 
 services they presented, the heaven they anticipated, and the 
 means by which they expected to attain it; and, thirdly, the 
 success with which this preaching had been attended amongst 
 such a people. This sermon was throughout a series of strik- 
 ing facts, most suitably selected and admirably adapted to 
 sustain the leading point of the discourse ; and it conducted 
 the hearers by several steps to this grand demonstration, that 
 the Gospel was the only system suited to the spiritual necessi- 
 ties of mankind, and sufficiently powerful to elevate, sanctify, 
 and save the heathen. 
 
 These particulars show that, guided by the clear discern- 
 ment and good sense which he largely possessed, Mr. Wil- 
 liams had thus early ascertained " the line of things" within 
 which it became him to labor, and the class of topics and 
 methods of illustration, which were best adapted to interest 
 and influence a public audience. In the following sentence 
 from a letter to one of his fellow-laborers, he has supplied the 
 rule of his own procedure, and the secret of his great success 
 as a missionary advocate : — " Should you," he writes, " or 
 any of your brethren come to England, furnish yourselves, 
 not so much with well got-up sermons, as with important and 
 impressive facts." Upon this principle he generally proceed- 
 ed. But, at first, he found it extremely difficult to select 
 from the almost boundless stores of information which he had 
 acquired during his long residence in Polynesia ; and at one 
 or two of his earlier engagements, his choice of topics was 
 not the best. Many subjects, connected with the condition 
 of the tribes amongst whom he had labored, appeared to him 
 peculiarly interesting, and well adapted to awaken Christian 
 compassion on their behalf, which were not the most suitable 
 for a mixed assembly. This was the case with the mythology 
 and traditions of the islanders, whom his instrumentality had 
 
REV 
 
 WILLIAMS. 279 
 
 drawn from the shadowy regions of a vagrant and demoraliz- 
 ing fancy into the broad and bright daylight of Divine truth. 
 Having stored his memory with a multifarious mass of such 
 curious lore, and believing that no facts could more fully il- 
 lustrate the deluded and degraded state of the heathen, on a 
 few occasions he drew from these stores more freely than 
 was necessary or expedient. At one place to which the wri- 
 ter accompanied him, he occupied in this way much of the 
 time, and thus failed to make the most desirable impression 
 upon his audience. But this early error was soon corrected. 
 He speedily discovered what was most impressive ; and, as 
 no man ever sought with purer motives, or received with 
 greater kindness, the friendly suggestions of his brethren, he 
 learned, in a short time, so to speak as seldom to fail. 
 
 But while facts formed the staple of Mr. Williams's ser- 
 mons and speeches, and he rarely traversed the region of 
 mere sentiment, it must not be supposed that his addresses 
 were nothing more than a rude mass of unassorted materials. 
 Order was a natural and very obvious feature of his mind. 
 This the reader must have often remarked from the time 
 when he arranged so neatly his cabin on board the Harriet 
 at Gravesend,* and especially during his residence at Raia- 
 tea. And it was as obvious in his addresses as in his habits 
 and habitation. The facts he narrated were almost invari- 
 ably adduced either in illustration of some important state- 
 ment, in proof of some leading position, or as an incitement 
 to zeal and effort. The simplicity of his aim, and his sin- 
 cere desire to impress his auditors with the pitiable condition 
 of the degraded heathen, or to demonstrate the value of" the 
 mighty Gospel," as the only means of their deliverance, 
 naturally suggested the most suitable selection, and the best 
 arrangement. Hence the unity as well as variety which 
 marked his sermons and speeches. These were not mere 
 strings of isolated incidents, but chains of closely connected 
 truths with their appropriate illustrations ; they did not, like 
 the camera obscura, throw down before the observer's eye 
 a multitude of objects which, although interesting, were 
 evanescent, but they resembled a lens, both in the sim- 
 plicity and the power' with which they collected the rays 
 of light into a focus to illuminate a principle, or to shine 
 upon the heart. And the same earnest desire to make 
 
 *Vide, p. 27. 
 
280 LIFE OF THE 
 
 definite and durable impressions in favor of Christian mis- 
 sions, kept him from long digressions. With rare excep- 
 tions, his statements were not incidentally, but immedi- 
 ately applicable to his object. Few men ever spoke more 
 ad rem. His practical tact -and business habits were in 
 this way as evident on the platform and in the pulpit, 
 as they had been elsewhere. And the direct relation sub- 
 sisting between facts and principles, which were invariably 
 connected in his addresses, gave to both a point and a power 
 not usually attained even by the clearest and closest abstract 
 demonstrations. 
 
 The sketch already given of the speeches and sermon 
 delivered at Birmingham, will enable the reader to form his 
 own judgment upon these topics. And, as it is believed 
 that much of Mr. Williams's power, (for power it was and 
 such as few have been able to command,) resulted from the 
 wisdom with which he selected and arranged his numerous 
 illustrations of heathen society and missionary success, it 
 may not be improper to present another brief outline of one 
 of his discourses, as an exemplification of these features 
 of his public engagements. This outline is chosen, not as 
 the choicest, but as the fairest specimen of the class of pro- 
 ductions to which it belongs. Only one or two of the facts, 
 however, with which this sermon is filled will be adduced, 
 because the others have been already published : — 
 
 The text was Psalm lxxiv. 20. " The dark places of the earth art 
 full of the habitations of cruelty.'" After a very brief personal exor- 
 dium, the preacher announced the following topics for discussion. — 
 I. To illustrate the fact, that large portions of the earth are subjected 
 to the deepest darkness. II. To show the cruelties which arc perpe- 
 trated where this darkness prevails. III. To point out the obligation 
 of Christians to dispel this darkness, and, to prevent these cruelties by 
 the dissemination of the Gospel. The first topic is introduced, by 
 supposing that a district of our own land was in a state of perfect and 
 perpetual darkness; that over its vales and hills, its fields and rivers, 
 the orb of day never arose, and that not a solitary beam of light had 
 visited its dreary dwellings ; and then the preacher asked, with what 
 emotions should we hear of the condition of its inhabitants ? « Trans- 
 fer then,' he proceeds, ' your ideas from an English county, thus 
 deprived of natural light, to islands, countries, and mighty continents 
 of our world, where moral darkness reigns without one single ray 
 from the Sun of righteousness. Of this condition, to a considerable 
 extent, I have been an eye-witness. Three things appear to me 
 essential in order to salvation, — a knowledge of God, of ourselves, 
 and of Jesus Christ as mediator. Now, the heathen are grossly 
 ignorant upon all these subjects, and substitute for sacred truth the 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 281 
 
 most absurd and impious notions with which the father of lies could 
 inspire them. ' They know not God.' Is not this proved by the 
 almost universal fact, that they have changed the glory of the incor- 
 ruptible God into an image like unto corruptible men, and four-footed 
 beasts, and creeping things? In various islands which I have visited, 
 snakes, lizards, rats, dogs, birds, sharks, eels, and numerous other 
 creatures, had been the only deities of their ancestors, and were the 
 objects of their own adoration. And to these gods they ascribe the 
 most impure acts, and the most malevolent affections. It was the 
 general belief that they were never so well pleased as when their 
 altars were stained with human blood, or as when the bodies of human 
 victims were hung from the branches of the trees of their sacred 
 groves. O my Christian friends, how much do you enjoy ! Your 
 living hours are irradiated with scriptural views of God, and your 
 dying moments cheered with the prospect of his glory. But no such 
 pleasures are known to those who inhabit the dark places of the 
 earth. * * Equally ignorant are they of the loorks of God, as of God 
 himself. The heavens they believed were formerly flat on the earth, 
 and that men were obliged to crawl, until one of their ancestors 
 conceived and executed the mighty purpose of lifting them to a more 
 convenient place in which, by several successive and most laborious 
 efforts, he was at length successful. While thus toiling beneath his 
 ponderous (load, a multitude of dragon-flies were employed in severing 
 with their wings the chords which bound the heavens to the earth.' 
 The preacher then proceeds to illustrate the same sentiment, by 
 adverting to the Polynesian traditions respecting the creation of 
 all things, and the causes of natural phenomena, and passes on 
 to prove. 
 
 ** Secondly, That the heathen are ignorant of themselves. The 
 natives of the various islands which bestud the vast Pacific, have no 
 knowledge of their own origin. Upon this subject, their ideas are 
 too absurd to be mentioned from this place. The nearest approach 
 to the truth on this subject, which they appear to have attained, was 
 the tradition that Taaroa formed the first man of sand. But their 
 accounts on this point were confused and contradictory ; and none 
 of them had the faintest conception of the truth, that • man became 
 a living soul.' Their ideas of sin were fearfully defective. Crimes, 
 of which we can scarcely think without pollution, were commonly 
 practised with unconcern. They work all manner of uncleanness 
 with greediness, and the greatest adept in wickedness is often most 
 esteemed. Equally ignorant are they of human accountability. 
 They know nothing of themselves as guilty before God, and have no 
 anticipation of the final judgment." Having shown that, though 
 aware of some distinction between the body and the soul, and pos- 
 sessing a glimmering conception of a future state, the light which 
 was in them was darkness, he proceeds by similar illustrations, to 
 establish the next position. 
 
 Thirdly, That they were' ignorant of the toay of salvation by a. Me- 
 diator. "True," he says, "they offered sacrifice; but for what? 
 Not for the violation of God's law. No atonement was ever made or 
 asked for lying, for theft, for adultery, for murder. These had no 
 place in their catalogue of crimes. But it was when sacred food had 
 been eaten, when the marais were overgrown with weeds, or were 
 
 24* 
 
282 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 suffered to fall into decay, when some tabu had been broken, or some 
 impious rat had formed its nest in the cloth which enveloped the 
 god, that storms, lightning, or pestilence, avenged the insulted deity. 
 And how were these atoned ? By offering pigs, of which the priests 
 knew how to dispose. This, then, is their dark state in life and in 
 death. ' They feed upon ashes ; a deceived heart has turned them 
 aside ; they cannot deliver their own soul, or say. Is there not a lie in 
 my right hand t ' Christians ! are they not objects lor your deepest 
 commiseration ? " 
 
 II. To show the cruelties which are perpetrated where this darkness 
 prevails, the preacher commences by the observation, that cruelty 
 appears in the text to have been personified, and presented as a 
 mighty monster, reigning triumphant, and possessing habitations 
 throughout the earth, and excluding mercy from the homes and 
 hosorns of men. Having assured his audience that the illustrations 
 he was about to present of this fearful fact were not adduced to 
 harrow up their feelings, but to increase their gratitude, call forth 
 their compassion, and " constrain every individual to exert himself to 
 •the utmost in forwarding so good, so holy, and so benevolent an 
 object as the propagation of the Gospel," he first refers to the preva- 
 lence of infanticide. " Can a woman," he asks, "forget her sucking 
 child?" This question he answers by many harrowing details, and 
 concludes with the following dreadful illustration. " We had a ser- 
 vant living with us for fifteen years, whose business it was for- 
 merly to destroy infants. She informed me that her general method 
 of accomplishing her object, was to break their little fingers and 
 toes; and, if that did not kill them, to seize them by the throat. 
 The last instance in which she exercised her cruel calling was after 
 many persons in the island had embraced Christianity ; but she told 
 me that it was with the utmost difficulty she could destroy the little 
 innocent.* For a considerable time the dear babe struggled in her 
 arms in agony, and appeared as if determined, against all her efforts, 
 not to die. It was a fine, beautiful girl ; and the unhappy instru- 
 ment of its death said to me that, though a long period had passed 
 sincp she perpetrated the crime, the image of the dying babe, as 
 it then writhed in her arms, continued to haunt her both awake 
 and asleep." 
 
 Human sacrifice was the next topic adduced in illustration of 
 heathen cruelty ; and having presented evidence of the prevalence 
 of this custom, the preacher presses home his subject by the fol- 
 lowing appeal. "Thus in a moment was the wife and the family 
 thrown into consternation, and agonizing grief. You who are wives, 
 and tenderly attached to your husbands, would you not suffer the 
 greatest anguish and horror were the dear partners of your joys thus 
 torn from your embraces, and slain by cruel assassins before your 
 eyes ? You that are children, and are blessed with fathers in whom 
 you delight, and to whom you look up with all the ardor of youthful 
 affection, how would you feel were that dear friend suddenly seized 
 in your midst, dragged from his home, or speared before your eyes? 
 And do not for a moment imagine, my dear hearers, that because 
 these wives, and sons and daughters, are of a different color from 
 yourselves, that they are without natural affection. ' God hath made 
 of one Mood <ill that dwell upon the earth.' Sometimes, whole districts 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 283 
 
 were devoted to sacrifice. But the Gospel has delivered them. 
 About a thousand Rarotongans lived in the mountains to avoid 
 destruction, until I had the unspeakable happiness of introducing 
 Christianity into their island. But now they and their pious chief 
 are dwelling in a most beautiful plain at a little distance fiom the 
 sea-shore, in a settlement almost a mile in extent, consisting of white 
 cottages on either side of a noble chapel, which I assisted in opening 
 the day before 1 left." 
 
 War was the last topic, from which illustrations were drawn to 
 sustain his position ; and, after other facts, known to the readers 
 of the Missionary Enterprises, had been adduced, Mr. Williams 
 closed this part of the discourse by the following statement : — 
 u I was, on one occasion, at an island when a number of canoes were 
 returning from a sanguinary battle. The body of each canoe was 
 filled with captives destined to be slaughtered and eaten, while 
 around the fore and aft parts, which were raised several feet above 
 the centre, there were strung by the hair the heads of the slain. On 
 landing, a chief first took one of these heads by the hair ; and holding 
 it up to the spectators, he stated whose it was, and then expatiated 
 upon the valor with which he had been encountered and overcome. 
 Then he took a second, and a third ; but as soon as he held up the 
 fourth, and said — ' This is the head of the great chief,' mentioning 
 the name, the daughter, who was present as a captive, no sooner 
 beheld the bloody features, and heard the familiar name of her mur- 
 dered father, than she gave a dreadful shriek, and fell senseless 
 to the ground. But I forbear ; enough surely has been said to 
 show that ' the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations 
 of cruelty.' " 
 
 III. The obligation to remove these evils by the dissemination of the 
 Gospel was shown ; — by the condition of the heathen; — by the design 
 of Christ, as declared when he said that other sheep he mast, bring 
 in; —by the commission given to his church; — by the fact that to vs 
 are committed the oracles of God; — by the considerations that if 
 Christians do not, others will not evangelize the heathen; — that while 
 toe are deliberating they are dying; — that great success has already 
 crowned missionary labors; — and that the heathen are waiting to 
 receive the xcord, of life. To the illustration of the last two topics 
 under this division, Mr. Williams again brought forward the facts 
 of his own history, and concluded by the inquiry, " Can y u employ 
 your talents in a better cause, or devote yourselves to the service 
 of a better master ? " 
 
 This outline may suffice to show that Mr. Williams's 
 success was not the effect of adventurous attractions, but the 
 result of statements which few could hear without emotion, 
 and of arguments which none could resist without sin. And 
 it was not surprising that he should soon acquire extraor- 
 dinary popularity. Within a short time from his landing, 
 the inquiry, — "Have you heard Mr. Williams the mis- 
 sionary?" was frequently made by those who felt an interest 
 in the great subject of evangelization, and applications so 
 
.. 
 
 284 LIFE OP THE 
 
 numerous began to pour in upon himself and the officers 
 of the Society, as to exclude all hope of rest or leisure. 
 After his Birmingham visit, he preached and spoke at several 
 places in the counties of Stafford, Warwick, and North- 
 ampton, and everywhere attracted crowds, who listened to 
 him with astonishment and delight. But it is unnecessary 
 to trace his course through its successive stages. His public 
 engagements for the Society with which he was connected 
 necessarily resembled each other in their most remarkable 
 features. Ere the close of 1834, he had been engaged at 
 Liverpool and several other important provincial towns ; and 
 had also pleaded the missionary cause from many of the 
 most influential pulpits in the metropolis. 
 
 But almost absorbing as these public engagements were, 
 Mr. Williams found opportunities for promoting by other 
 means the prosperity of the South Sea Mission. Very soon 
 after his arrival in England, he submitted to the Directors a 
 series of suggestions, which, after various conferences with 
 him on the subject, they approved. Of these the most im- 
 portant were, to establish a self-supporting Theological Col- 
 lege at Rarotonga, for the education of native missionaries ; 
 to commence a school at Tahiti, in which the chiefs' sons 
 and others might obtain a superior education, and which 
 might also accomplish the valuable purpose of a normal 
 institution for the training of native schoolmasters; and to 
 place at his disposal the means of strengthening existing mis- 
 sions, and of conveying the Gospel far beyond the point at 
 which it had hitherto been spread. 
 
 One of the objects in which he felt the earliest and deep- 
 est interest on reaching England, was the printing of the Ra- 
 rotonga New Testament. This translation of the oracles of 
 God into the language of a people whose island he had dis- 
 covered, and to whom he first conveyed the Gospel, he justly 
 deemed a peculiar treasure. To obtain it, he and his brethren 
 had labored long and hard ; and now he ardently desired to 
 be enabled to convey back the printed Scriptures to their 
 shores, and to crown his former gifts with this inestimable 
 boon. He, therefore, laid his MS. before the committee of 
 the British and Foreign Bible Society, by whom a select num- 
 ber of their body was appointed to confer with him on the 
 subject The following account of this interview is given in 
 a letter to Mr. Nott, dated January 24th, 1835 : — 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 285 
 
 " The Bible Society are printing our Rarotonga translation. I had 
 to meet, the editorial committee, composed of Dr. this, and Dr. that, 
 who subjected me to a close examination respecting the merits of the 
 work. I told them that it corresponded closely with the Tahitian, but 
 that every verse had been compared with the Greek original. They 
 seemed surprised that any of us should understand Greek ; but 1 re- 
 plied that some of the missionaries had received a classical education, 
 and that others by dint of perseverance had acquired sufficient know- 
 ledge of the language to discover, by the use of a good critical ap- 
 paratus, the sense of the sacred writings. I said, moreover, that I con- 
 ceived that the excellence of a translation did not depend merely up- 
 on an acquaintance with the language from which it was translated, 
 but also with that into which it was rendered ; that we possessed the 
 latter, and, with the aid of the numerous commentators, it was not 
 difficult to convey the sense of nearly every passage of the New Tes- 
 tament. They next inquired what helps we had. I told them Mack- 
 night, Doddridge, Poole, Campbell, Haweis, Guyse, Owen, and 
 others ; when they admitted that we possessed many facilities. We 
 then went into the orthography of the language, when I stated our 
 principles. They asked what authorities we had followed ; Forster, 
 Cooke, Humboldt, Marsden, or others ? I told them that we had fol- 
 lowed no authority, that we better understood the language than those 
 whose names had been mentioned, and that I had never read anything 
 on the subject, except what had been written by missionaries, that 
 was worthy of the least regard." 
 
 But Mr. Williams, though much occupied in superintend- 
 ing the press, was engaged in other literary labors besides 
 that of revising the sheets of the Rarotongan Testament. 
 Early in the year 1835, his mind, and time, and tongue were 
 incessantly engaged in useful occupations ; but his spirit was 
 never more buoyant, and he had rarely felt more cheerful and 
 happy. The following short extract from a letter dated May, 
 1835, will exhibit both his employments and his state of mind 
 at this period : — " The superintending the press is very labo- 
 rious work. I have, however, 10,000 tracts of various kinds 
 completed. The Journies of the Israelites, Bunyan's Pil- 
 grim, and other works are in hand. I am also fully engaged 
 in public. Within the last two months I have preached and 
 spoken between sixty and seventy times. I trust great things 
 may be accomplished for the mission, a deeper interest 
 awakened in the South Sea Islands, and the means obtained 
 of extending our labors as far as New Guinea. You and my 
 dear brethren must excuse the haste and imperfections of this 
 communication. I have scarcely a day disengaged for the 
 whole year." 
 
 At the annual meeting of the society, Mr. Williams was 
 requested to " rehearse what God had done by him, and how 
 
236 LIFE OF THE 
 
 he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles." But the 
 time and endurance of the vast assembly had been so far ex- 
 hausted when he rose to address it, that he restricted himself 
 to a very brief statement of the purpose of his visit to this 
 country, and to the proposal of the following expansive 
 scheme of Christian benevolence. The truly catholic views 
 now developed had, as the reader will remember, been his 
 fixed sentiments for many years, and they strikingly illustrate 
 that " enlargedness of heart," and purely missionary zeal 
 which so peculiarly characterized the man. He had his set- 
 tled opinions upon the points of difference between himself 
 and the other religious bodies of whom he speaks, and some 
 of these he held most tenaciously. He was a decided Dis- 
 senter, a conscientious Independent, and a firm Psedobaptist ; 
 but his soul was too much alive to the glory of Christ and 
 the salvation of the heathen, to permit for an instant the sub- 
 jects upon which he could not concur with his Christian 
 brethren, to separate him from them, or prevent him from 
 cordially uniting in every plan by which the servants of 
 Christ might make known " the common salvation." In this 
 respect his views and feelings peculiarly fitted him for con- 
 nexion with a Society, whose fundamental principle it is to 
 send the glorious Gospel of the blessed God to the heathen, 
 apart from the forms of church polity which distinguish dif- 
 ferent sections of Christians. After the enumeration of other 
 purposes, which he expected to secure on his return to Poly- 
 nesia, he thus proceeds : — 
 
 "All the important objects which have been enumerated will, I 
 hope, be accomplished. But 1 have another proposition to make of 
 still greater magnitude. It is that Christians of all denominations 
 should forthwith unite in a plan to bring under culture every group 
 and every island of importance that remains unevangelized in the 
 South Pacific Ocean." Having enumerated the islands into which 
 the Gospel had been introduced, and those which remained in dark- 
 ness, he then proceeded, " Now suppose our Wesleyan brethren were 
 to bring the energy of their system, which in many respects is so well 
 adapted to missionary work, to bear upon the Figi group, mighty as 
 the difficulties are, they would doubtless soon yield to the mightier 
 power of the Gospel. The Wesleyan Society has sent out one labor- 
 er into this field. I hope sincerely that they will see the necessity of 
 sending out immediately six or eight more. To this group, the Ro- 
 man Catholics have already sent two missionaries ; but, touching at 
 the Gambiers on their way, and finding the natives somewhat pre- 
 pared by the labors of our native missionaries, they remained there, 
 and sent back immediately to South America for others to go to the 
 Figis. Another inducement is that we have native missionaries there. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 287 
 
 From them a very interesting letter has been received, which I should 
 have read, had time been afforded. Thus you see the work is begun, 
 and I can assure our Wesleyan brethren, that I, and I believe all my 
 esteemed brethren, would feel an equal pleasure in preparing the way 
 for missionaries from their Society, as from that with which we are 
 more closely connected. Suppose we were next to call upon our 
 friends in Scotland to take their part in this great work. We know 
 they would readily respond to the invitation, tor, although their coun- 
 try is cold, their hearts are warm in the missionary cause. Suppose, 
 too, we were to look over the walls of the establishment, shake hand8 
 with our brethren inside, and invite them also to share in the toils of 
 conflict, and divide the spoils of victory. Our Baptist brethren we 
 should also wish to see occupying one of the groups ; and then, Sir, 
 if we still want aid, let us invite our American brethren to the work ; 
 they are giants in the missionary cause. 
 
 " Now, sir, where is the difficulty ? As to myself, I am thoroughly 
 convinced of its practicability. We are like so many husbandmen, 
 each having our own modes of cultivation, but all sowing the same 
 1 incorruptible seed.' The object of all husbandmen, whatever be 
 their modes of cultivation, is a harvest. All Christian societies wish 
 to gather a harvest of immortal spirits, redeemed and sanctified, into 
 the garner of our heavenly Master. Where then is the difficulty? 
 Our societies need only apportion the work amongst themselves, de- 
 termine to form six more effective missions, and all the interesting 
 groups in that extended ocean would be blessed with the light of Di- 
 vine truth. The Christian public would cordially approve the de- 
 sign, would support it by their purses, and ensure success by their 
 prayers." 
 
 Having during this month of sacred festivity spoken at 
 the annual meetings of the Bible, Wesleyan Missionary, 
 Religious Tract, Christian Instruction, and other kindred so- 
 cieties, Mr. Williams resumed his labors in the country, a 
 brief sketch of which will be found in the following passage 
 of a letter to Mr. Pritchard, dated, Devonshire, Sept. 1, 1835. 
 
 " You will perhaps be disappointed at my speech at our own anni- 
 versary. From one of the other brethren, you will hear the reason 
 why I said no more on that occasion ; and to another of them I will 
 send an account of the Manchester meeting. Upwards of £3000 was 
 collected there ! I am now in Sidmouth, and attended a public meet- 
 ing last night in the assembly room. This is a very laborious work. 
 I preached thrice on the Sabbath, spoke on Monday evening, and 
 again last night. I am now going to a public breakfast. At eleven 
 o'clock, 1 am to be six miles hence to speak at a Bible meeting ; and, 
 in the evening, I am to attend a third meeting. I am almost worn 
 out. I have not had one Sabbath disengaged since my arrival. The 
 Directors have agreed to allow an annual visit to New South Wales; 
 and, in all probability we shall return in a nice 150-ton ship of our 
 own, that will be entirely devoted to missionary purposes. A high 
 school, and many other objects, are at present kept in abeyance. We 
 have had many consultations respecting these things ; but I have 
 been travelling so much, 1 have not had time to meet the Directors 
 
288 LIFE OP THE 
 
 on any subject whatever for the last seven months. 1 have now ran 
 away from Cornwall ; but they have sent letters that 1 must go there. 
 I expect to be at their meeting on Tuesday, and stay through the 
 week. After this, I go for six or eight weeks into Scotland, and 
 from tlience to Hampshire. This will occupy me up to Christmas. I 
 shall then lie by all the winter, which is until the 1st of February. It 
 is impossible to evade such engagements. 1 fear it will be twelve or 
 eighteen months before we can return, as I must prepare other books, 
 get my voyages printed, etc. Be assured that all the success which 
 has hitherto attended me, and all the kindness of friends, has not in 
 the least abated my affection for any of you, or for the mission in 
 which I have so long labored ; and nothing ever will. I pray that 
 God may grant me his gracious assistance in my future proceedings." 
 
 The reference in the preceeding extract to Mr. Williams's 
 intention of printing his missionary voyages naturally brings 
 that subject under notice. Having been importuned by num- 
 erous friends upon whose judgment he could rely, he resolved, 
 as early as possible, to publish the most important events of 
 his personal history. With a view to this object, he repeat- 
 edly endeavored to obtain a temporary release from public 
 engagements ; and the officers of the Society were most wil- 
 ling to meet his wishes. But their united efforts were vain. 
 So numerous and urgent were the importunities of ministers 
 and missionary auxiliaries in various parts of the country, 
 that he found it impossible, except by a stern resistance, the 
 most contrary to his character, to resist appeals, prompted as 
 these were by the kindest feelings, and the purest motives. 
 He, therefore, yielded to successive solicitations, hoping, and 
 almost resolving, that each one should be the last, until eigh- 
 teen months had passed, ere he could even begin this impor- 
 tant, and to him most difficult undertaking. At length, how- 
 ever, finding that the pressure for his services were increased 
 rather than diminished by all his previous compliances, and 
 that, without some breathing time, he would be compelled to 
 relinquish his design, the Directors kindly stood between him 
 and his host of applicants; and, at the close of 1835, he ob- 
 tained a brief respite. But this was barely sufficient to ena- 
 ble him to do more than form the plan of his future publica- 
 tion. Others were not parties to the agreement between him- 
 self and the Society ; and he soon found the well meant at- 
 tentions of private friendship, and the numerous applications 
 to preach or to speak, nearly as distracting as those which 
 had previously reached him through official channels. In 
 these circumstances, his amiable facility of disposition was 
 indulged almost to a fault, and he wanted the heroic but ne- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 2W9 
 
 cessary resolution to resist his unmerciful besiegers. But he 
 could do most things more easily than refuse a request, with- 
 stand the solicitation of Christian kindness, or say " No " to 
 any urgent appeal for his assistance at missionary services. 
 Yet amidst these distractions, he began and prosecuted a 
 work, now classed amongst the choicest literary treasures of 
 the church. Excepting a few detached days spent at the 
 house of a friend, nothing but broken fragments, and many 
 of them mere fractions of time could be secured for his ob- 
 ject. Seldom, while at home, could Mr. Williams command 
 a single hour of uninterrupted leisure. Visitors from town 
 and country, or communications which required an immedi- 
 ate reply, were continually calling him from the work he had 
 in hand. No one but an eye-witness can conceive of the tri- 
 als of temper to which, under these circumstances, he was 
 subjected by inconsiderate intruders ; and, had he not been 
 one of the most amiable of human beings, (and those who 
 knew him well will not deem this description overdone,) their 
 calls, often most unnecessary and inconsiderate, would have 
 kept his mind in a state of fretfulness and fermentation, and 
 thus have utterly unfitted him for literary labor. But the wri- 
 ter can testify, and what he now states is in the character of 
 an observer, that, although frequently pained by the loss of 
 time to him so peculiarly precious, his temper was unruffled 
 by these sad interruptions. No visitor, however unwelcome, 
 was ever met but with a smile. His kindness and courtesy 
 at these seasons shone forth with peculiar brightness. He 
 had not the heart to give intruders a significant hint that it 
 was time to retire ; and often, when they had withdrawn, he 
 has resumed his work with a smiling countenance, and ob- 
 served, "Well, I do hope that these good people will allow 
 us to get through some day." 
 
 Under these circumstances, it may be deemed surprising 
 that his narrative should have been composed at all : and still 
 more so that it should have been completed in less time than 
 is usually expended in the preparation of volumes of the same 
 extent. But this may be explained. In the first place, the 
 materials of the work were already familiar to its author, and 
 many of its facts had been repeatedly used in his public ad- 
 dresses. But this would have availed him little, had not his 
 diligence been remarkable, and the facility with which he 
 could resume his work after interruption, and improve the 
 shortest periods of time, been such as few possess. His jour- 
 25 
 
290 LIFE OF THE 
 
 nals also afforded him assistance ; but only a small portion 
 was copied from thence ; the far greater part was either sup- 
 plied from memory, or entirely re-written. 
 
 The previous history of this remarkable man has shown the 
 reader that his early education was defective, and that his oc- 
 cupations subsequently to his departure from England were 
 not such as to supply the deficiency, or form the habit of cor- 
 rect composition. Of this he was fully sensible, and it is 
 probable that he would never have prepared the Missionary 
 Enterprises, had the revision, as well as the supply of the ma- 
 terials of the volume rested solely with himself. But neither 
 time, nor previous occupations, permitted him to do much be- 
 yond throwing off in haste the rough sketch, or the unfinished 
 outline. Had he attempted more, it is probable that he 
 would have accomplished nothing. Yet, although biographi- 
 cal fidelity demands the acknowledgment that assistance was 
 given, it must not be supposed that it was such as to render 
 the question of authorship in the least degree doubtful. In 
 its main features and most essential elements, in fact, in 
 everything which constitutes a claim to such an appropria- 
 tion, the volume was, what it professes to be, his own. Such 
 a statement would have been withheld, as altogether irrele- 
 vant and gratuitous, had it not been called for by rumors 
 which required correction. 
 
 Early in 1836, after the brief and broken remission already 
 referred to, Mr. Williams was again on the wing ; and, from 
 that time until his departure, few weeks passed, in which he 
 did not fulfil five, or more frequently six public engagements. 
 On each of these occasions, he seldom spoke for less time 
 than an hour, and generally much longer ; and although often 
 weary, he seldom complained. These addresses, it cannot be 
 supposed, differed very materially from each other. During 
 his earlier visits, he studied variety much more than subse- 
 quently ; and his reason for the change was, that he had dis- 
 covered which of his numerous descriptions and anecdotes 
 awakened the liveliest interest, and more effectively promoted 
 his design. His memory, indeed, was an almost exhausted 
 mine of precious ore ; and, when the occasion demanded, he 
 could break into new veins of thought, and produce before his 
 hearers glittering gems of missionary intelligence, which un- 
 til then, had never seen the light. But there were some por- 
 tions of his history which he rarely omitted, because he had 
 often tested their worth, and observed their influence. And 
 
RE V . J . WILLI A MS . 
 
 291 
 
 he was too wise, and too much concerned to produce useful 
 impressions, to abstain from these valuable repetitions, merely 
 to avoid the charge of sameness, or to secure for his state- 
 ments the praise of novelty. 
 
 It may be supposed by those who never heard him, that 
 the plan thus pursued by Mr. Williams must have acted in- 
 judiciously upon his own spirit, and have impaired the effect 
 of his narratives ; and this would appear the more probable, 
 when it is added that there was as little variety in his words, 
 as in the incidents themselves, which he employed on most 
 public occasions. He exhibited the same facts in the same 
 form ; the figure seldom changed its drapery, or its adorn- 
 ments. This was the result, not of design, but of habit ; and 
 although some may suppose that it must have been unfavora- 
 ble to impression, it was not so. To the close of his course 
 of incessant public speaking in this country, he appeared to 
 experience the same freshness of feeling, and to regard the 
 scenes of missionary travel and occupation which he describ- 
 ed, with the same glowing interest as at the first. And in all 
 this there was nothing assumed. He was what he appeared 
 to be. He felt fully as much as his manner seemed to indi- 
 cate. He never did act a part, and never could. Most truly 
 could he appropriate the words, " To say the same things un- 
 to you to me indeed is not grievous." He loved to tell his 
 own tale of toils and triumphs, and every recital called up 
 afresh his strongest and most sacred emotions. Frequently 
 has he entered an assembly unstrung and almost worn down 
 by the exhausting efforts of many previous days ; but no 
 sooner has he began to tell how God, by his providence and 
 grace, opened a door of faith to the Gentiles, than he has 
 lost his lassitude, and his elastic spirit has risen at once " to 
 the height of the great argument." 
 
 Many causes contributed to the maintenance of this state 
 of mind in Mr. Williams. One of these was his rooted con- 
 viction, that no facts could demonstrate more completely than 
 those which he detailed, the providence of God, and the 
 power of the Gospel ; and every review of the scenes in 
 which " the hand of the Lord hath wrought" with him, re- 
 kindled his ardor, and refreshed his heart : and no man per- 
 haps, of all who heard him, knew so well, or perceived so 
 clearly as he, the surpassing value of the events which he de- 
 scribed. He had beheld the scenes of former desolation, in 
 which the people whom his labors had blessed previously 
 
292 LIFE OF THE 
 
 dwelt. These were vividly present to his mind, and formed 
 to his eye a dark back-ground, which made the fair and at- 
 tractive sketches of missionary success which he pourtrayed, 
 to stand in bold relief, and bright array. Every renovated 
 spot, every Christian settlement in those islands amongst 
 which he had voyaged and labored, lived in his memory. He 
 saw their neat, white, shaded habitations stretching along the 
 coral shore ; their sanctuary rising above them ; the school ; 
 the home of the Missionary, which he had often sat to tell of 
 Jesus; and the swarthy natives engaged in various useful la- 
 bors, or learning truths whereby they might be saved ; and, 
 whenever he recurred to this more than enchanted ground, a 
 change came over his spirit, he seemed again to hear the wel- 
 come greeting of the grateful islanders, to observe with joy 
 their advancing civilization and religious prosperity, and to 
 realize afresh the very feeling which had gladdened his heart, 
 when he actually stood in their midst. And the extent and 
 accuracy of these impressions enabled him more adequately 
 than others to estimate the value of missionary effort. It was 
 indeed his calm conviction that, since the age of miracles, no 
 events had displayed more than those which he described, the 
 might and mercy of Jehovah ; and, persuaded that every care- 
 ful and Christian inquirer would, when he knew the truth, 
 arrive at the same conclusion, he spake with sustained ani- 
 mation, and undiminished interest. Had his narrations pos- 
 sessed but little sterling worth, or had their successful delivery 
 depended upon the extrinsic attractions of style or address, 
 he could not have repeated them without weariness and satiety. 
 So much friction would have soon worn ofT their gloss and 
 tinsel ; and both unatural effort and unusual skill would have 
 been requisite to have procured for them so general a cur- 
 rency. But believing that his facts strikingly discovered the 
 grace of God, established the truth of his promises, and must 
 silence all objections to Christian missions, he was never 
 weary of repeating them, for reasons similar to those which 
 sustained the interest of the first messengers of the Gospel, 
 when acting out the determination to know nothing among 
 men, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified. These general 
 causes concurred with the special interest he felt in the South 
 Sea Mission, and his anxiety to awaken a corresponding feel- 
 ing in others. For many years his aim had been the same ; — 
 to evangelize every island of the Pacific. This, we have 
 seen, was the central object, and master principle of his soul. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 293 
 
 And all the glowing zeal with which he regarded this splen- 
 did project of Christian beneficence, infused itself into the 
 various representations, often as they were repeated, by which 
 he sought to secure his design. Had his speeches consisted 
 merely of abstract statement, eloquent illustration, or pleasant 
 tales ; had he, like an ordinary voyager, described the scenes 
 through which he had passed, with no higher purpose than 
 that of present gratification, the effect upon his own mind 
 would have been essentially different. But, as every fact was, 
 in his view, an incontrovertable proof of the Divine origin and 
 unutterable importance of those blessings which his soul was 
 burning to extend, he continued to feel with undiminished 
 force, and to repeat with sustained interest, the wonderful in- 
 cidents of his missionary life. To these explanations, it may 
 be added, that Mr. Williams, except through inadvertence, or 
 by express desire, rarely related the same things twice to the 
 same people. And as he well knew with what wonder and 
 delight his communications were heard for the first time, he 
 naturally sympathized with the feelings which he was pro- 
 ducing, and which, by their reaction upon himself, made him 
 a participant in the general excitement. 
 
 The effect of Mr. W illiams's missionary advocacy, though 
 a distinct topic, is closely related to that which has now been 
 noticed. This cause also contributed to sustain the tone and 
 spring of his own mind. So striking were the evidences con- 
 tinually brought before him in conference, correspondence, 
 and contributions, of the power of his addresses, that he could 
 scarcely doubt, whenever he stood up in a large assembly, 
 that he should again exert a similar beneficial influence. At 
 public meetings, the interest with which he was heard was 
 expressed by the usual noisy acclamations. These, however, 
 were not the best proofs of his power. There were a few oc- 
 casions, in which every recognized rule, and every feeling of 
 decorum, demanded silence, when the people were moved by 
 his breath " as the trees of the wood are moved by the wind ;" 
 and the deeply affected audience were compelled to give ex- 
 pression to emotions which could not endure restraint. An 
 instance of this occurred at Bristol, and has been wisely 
 placed on record by the Rev. Dr. Campbell.* " The fact," 
 he truly observes, " was as honorable as it was remarkable, 
 and there is no danger of its becoming a precedent. As an 
 
 * Missionary Farewell, p. 55, 
 25* 
 
294 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 eye and ear witness, I speak, having stood in the same pulpit 
 in the Bristol Tabernacle, when this event occurred. When 
 in the course of his sermon, he was detailing modestly and 
 fervently the wonderful works of providence and grace, in 
 connexion with his personal history and agency in the islands 
 of the South, so stupendous were the events detailed, so sur- 
 prising the changes wrought, so evidently and gloriously was 
 the arm of the Lord displayed throughout, that the vast as- 
 sembly, filled with delight and admiration, became unable to 
 resist the overpowering excess of their emotions, and, in 
 an instant, broke forth into a simultaneous burst of approba- 
 tion !" 
 
 But scenes of this description, however striking and mem- 
 orable, did not present a stronger demonstration of the power 
 with which Mr. Williams spake, than other evidences, less 
 marked and memorable by their rarity, but not less worthy of 
 record. Wherever he went, it may be safely said, that he 
 left the missionary feeling more fervent than he found it, and 
 was frequently the instrument of not only increasing the 
 amount of contributions to this cause, but the number of its 
 contributors ; and not a few, at the date of his visit to differ- 
 ent parts of the kingdom, first enrolled themselves as support- 
 ers of Christian missions. Many proofs of these remarks 
 will appear in the sequel, but the following extracts of letters 
 to the Rev. J. Arundel, will indicate the ordinary effects of 
 his public engagements. 
 
 Writing from Cheadle, August 23, 1834, he says, " A very con- 
 siderable interest is excited in this neighborhood. 1 preached last 
 night at Tean, and, although no collection was announced, such was 
 the feeling awakened, that many persons came forward who were 
 anxious to contribute. I have partly promised to attend missionary 
 meetings both at Cheadle and Tean, for the people are awakened to 
 the importance of the subject. I am truly thankful that my services 
 meet with so much acceptance, and sincerely pray that the Lord may 
 smile upon all our efforts to promote his glory among the heathen." 
 " York, June 13, 1835. You will be gratified at hearing that we 
 have had most delightful meetings at Hull. We enjoyed much 
 of the presence of God, and a sweet spirit of deep piety pervaded 
 all the meetings. The collections, I am told, surpass those of pre- 
 ceding years. This circumstance fills the hearts of the friends with 
 delight, for they expected a considerable falling off, owing to numer- 
 ous failures during the last month amongst the Hull merchants, 
 several of whom were supporters of the missionary cause. At the 
 breakfast, Mr. Stratten made an allusion to Mrs. Williams, when, 
 immediately, the kind ladies requested that a bonnet might be passed 
 round, and, in a few minutes, £20 were thrown into it. Such an 
 
REV. J . WILLIAMS. 295 
 
 unexpected expression of kindness produced in our minds very 
 powerful impressions. After this, a gentleman proposed that £200 
 per annum should be raised for the support of two missionaries at the 
 Navigators, and offered £20, if nine others would unite with him. 
 It was thought prudent by our chairman to check the impetuosity 
 of the proceeding. Mr. Binney made some very judicious remarks 
 on the subject, and it was ultimately agreed that, in addition to their 
 usual contributions, a sum should be subscribed for supporting one 
 missionary and his wife, and a committee of gentlemen was appointed 
 to carry the resolution into effect. The ladies requested that Mrs. 
 Williams would remain a day or two with them, that she might meet 
 them for familiar conversation in reference to the mission, and I have 
 no doubt but that, in consequence, some more efficient aid will be 
 rendered to the good cause. It has been a most delightful season, 
 and 1 trust that fruit will be produced to the glory of our Master. 
 At Beverley and Market Weighton also, a similar spirit pervaded our 
 meetings." Writing from Devonshire, in the August following, he 
 says, u 1 have had hard work in this county, but I am thankful to 
 find that an excellent impression has been produced. I hope it will 
 be lasting, and the results answerable. I am now at Totness, on my 
 way to Ashburton, where 1 expect to preach to-morrow. 1 have 
 enjoyed the felicity of a ride in a cart this morning, and was only 
 four hours travelling twelve miles ! I am to re-embark at three 
 o'clock, and to enjoy three hours more of jolting. We have had 
 good meetings." 
 
 But of all the missionary journies which Mr. Williams undertook, 
 none awakened greater anxiety, or produced a better influence than 
 that to Scotland, in October and November, 1835. He thus writes 
 from Glasgow, November 9th. " It is with feelings of gratitude 
 I inform you, that a very considerable interest has been excited in all 
 the places we have as yet visited. An unusual excitement has been 
 produced in Glasgow. We had a crowded meeting ; and, in addi- 
 tion to the collection at the doors, which was good, upwards of £100 
 was given at the table, and £30, or more, have been sent in this 
 morning. Amongst other things, a gold watch was put into the 
 plate. The people have called for another meeting to-night, which 
 is to be held in Mr. Ewing's chapel. I expect that both Mr. Ewing's 
 and Dr. Wardlaw's congregations will undertake to provide, educate, 
 equip, and support a missionary each, and bear the expense of the 
 voyage, if you will send him out. In that case, I should wish that 
 our Society should take the New Hebrides, and the Secession 
 Church, New Caledonia. Perhaps you will think that I am getting 
 on at too rapid a rate, but since I have been in Glasgow and its 
 neighborhood, 1 am convinced of its practicability. A lady has just 
 sent £20, with a letter, stating that she will subscribe £10 annually, 
 if nine others will make it £100." 
 
 In a similar strain, he again refers to the proceedings at Glasgow, 
 in a letter dated Kilmarnock, Nov. 14th. " At an adjourned meet- 
 ing, which the friends at Glasgow would have, Mr. Ewing's large 
 chapel was crowded to excess. On this occasion, as on the Sabbath 
 evening, many were unable to get in. At the close of the meeting, 
 several additional subscriptions were presented. Dr. Wardlaw an- 
 nounced, that he had received during the day about £80 from mem- 
 
296 LIFE OP THE 
 
 bers of his congregation, for the purpose of supporting a missionary 
 in connexion with our Society. Dr. Heugh stated that, in addition 
 to what they were already doing, a few of his people had sent in 
 their names for £50 per annum for another missionary in the South 
 Seas. Mr. Ewing said, that his congregation intended to do the 
 same, and Mr. King made a similar statement. Dr. Mitchell's 
 brother, who was our chairman, stated that they had just paid off 
 £2000 debt upon their chapel, but that this week, they should hold 
 a meeting, and would not be behind their brethren in the good work. 
 By the plan proposed, I think a more lively interest will be taken by 
 each congregation in the missionary work, and an enlarged standard 
 of contribution introduced. This has been shown at Glasgow, where 
 several who subscribed but one guinea have raised the sum to ten. 
 Drs. Heugh, Wardlaw, and others, think that if I could visit churches 
 and congregations, as well as attend public meetings, a vast number 
 might be induced to adopt the same plan. 
 
 " I am now at Kilmarnock. The meeting this evening was an- 
 nounced to be held in the Independent meeting-house ; but, from 
 the interest excited last night, it is thought to be far too small. The 
 drummers are going round the town to inform the people that it will 
 be held elsewhere." 
 
 At the close of his northern tour, Mr. Williams thus reviews the 
 important engagements which had for several weeks so fully absorbed 
 his time, " I am now at Dumfries, and expect to conclude my 
 engagements in Scotland on Wednesday, (Dec. 2nd,) at Annan. 
 I am happy to inform you, that my second visit to Glasgow, not only 
 sustained, but deepened the interest excited by the first, so that on 
 Friday night, my eighth or ninth public engagement in that city, 
 Dr. Kidson's place of worship would not contain the crowd who 
 sought admittance. These numerous services, however, in one 
 place, are something like a run upon a bank ; but, happily, I have 
 hitherto found my resources unfailing, although I did not repeat the 
 same things on any occasion except one, and that at the request 
 of the people ; and at the conclusion of the meetings, I had still 
 4 stock in hand.' I desire to be truly humble and thankful. I went 
 to Glasgow with some such feelings as those with which Paul went 
 to Corinth, • in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling,' over- 
 awed by the names of the truly great and good men in whose places 
 1 was to officiate, and in whose presence I was to preach. But God 
 has given me support ; and I have had those whom I so much feared, 
 following me night after night." 
 
 During this visit, to Scotland, Mr. Williams was invited 
 to confer with several influential ministers of the United 
 Secession Church on the subject of forming a mission in the 
 South Seas, which that important body could supply and 
 support; and he engaged, as soon as practicable, to place 
 native teachers on New Caledonia, who should prepare the 
 way for missionaries sent by themselves. To cover the 
 expenses of this introductory visit, ,£300 was placed at Mr. 
 Williams's disposal; and, although this design was unac- 
 
REV 
 
 WILLIAMS. 297 
 
 complished when he fell a sacrifice on his way to its shores, 
 a mission has now been auspiciously commenced at New 
 Caledonia ; and it is hoped, that the same honored brethren 
 will regard that important isle as the chosen sphere of their 
 missionary labors, and will speedily see there the accom- 
 plishment of their benevolent designs. 
 
 The preceding extracts sufficiently indicate the ordinary 
 impressions produced by Mr. Williams's public addresses. 
 It is, therefore, unnecessary to multiply them. Nor would 
 it be allowable to fill these pages with lengthened quotations 
 from the addresses themselves. But a single specimen of his 
 platform style and a brief reference to his elocution are 
 requisite to complete this part of his history, and to enable 
 those who never heard his voice to form a more definite 
 conception of the means by which effects so important were 
 produced. The address, from which we select the following 
 passages, opens with a theme upon which Mr. Williams 
 always spoke con amort : the operation of Divine Provi- 
 dence in preparing the way and promoting the spread of the 
 Gospel. This topic was illustrated first from the history 
 of the early Christian preachers, and then from the discovery 
 of the most important groups of the South Sea Islands, just 
 prior to the time when British Christians were awakening 
 to a sense of their obligation to diffuse evangelical light : 
 thus rendering commercial enterprise and scientific research 
 undesignedly subservient to the purposes of Divine benevo- 
 lence. After describing the interesting circumstances which 
 marked the formation of the Tahitian mission, and the intro- 
 duction of Christianity into Raiatea, he thus proceeds : — 
 
 " I will now briefly notice a few of the advantages which have 
 been conferred upon that people by missionary labors. And I think 
 I cannot do this better than by giving an account of one of their 
 missionary meetings at which I was present. It was on one of those 
 cloudless mornings so frequent in the Pacific, just when the sun was 
 gilding the eastern sky with his rising glory, that the people were 
 assembling in multitudes to supplicate the Divine blessing upon the 
 proceedings of the day. A day thus commenced could not be other- 
 wise than interesting. At midday, a multitude, not less numerous 
 than that I have the honor of addressing,* assembled ; and not hav- 
 ing a house large enough to contain them, we adjourned to an adjoin- 
 ing grove of cocoa-nut trees. Picture to your imagination, Sir, 
 a multitude thus assembled, shielded from the piercing rays of a 
 
 * This was addressed to a crowded audience at Exeter Hall. 
 
298 LIFE OF THE 
 
 tropical sun, by the entwining plumes of the cocoa-nut tree, whose 
 tall cylindrical trunks gave it the appearance of a sublime rustic 
 cathedral, reared by the hand of an Almighty architect. The king, 
 with his consort and family, surrounded by the chiefs and nobles, 
 dressed in their splendid native costume, were seated near to our 
 esteemed brother, Nott, who was standing upon a tub ; for we are not 
 particular whether on a tub or in a pulpit, if we may but tell the 
 simple but wonderful story of God's having loved the world. Mr. 
 Nott had addressed the people about half an hour, when the king 
 said, Mir a e JYoti, « Mr. Nott, that will do : leave off.' Mr. Nott 
 proceeded a few minutes longer with his address, when Pomare 
 repeated the injunction, ' That will do : let me speak now.' Mr. 
 Nott received the admonition ; when the king arose, and, in a most 
 powerful address, contrasted the advantages of their present condition 
 with their former heathenish state. He told them to whom they 
 were indebted for these blessings, and showed how the people of 
 England raised funds to spread the Gospel over heathen countries ; 
 and then concladed by saying, • We have no money, but we have 
 pigs, cocoa-nuts, and arrow-root, with which we can buy money ; 
 and I propose that we should form a society, which we may call The 
 Tahitian Society for causing the Word of God to grow. All who agree 
 in this proposition will hold up their hands.' In a moment, a forest 
 of naked arms was extended in the air, — arms that had scarcely ever 
 been lifted up before, except to inflict the blow of death upon some 
 devoted enemy. The people then returned to their homes to carry 
 into execution the proposition of the chief; but I must state that the 
 chief impressed it earnestly, I might say six times, that it must be 
 entirely voluntary. They immediately commenced making cocoa-nut 
 oil; and, in a short time, a ship-load was sent to England, which was 
 sold, after all expenses were paid, for the sum of £1400 ; and this 
 being the first cargo imported into this country from those islands, 
 His Majesty was graciously pleased to remit the duty upon it, which 
 increased its value by £400. It is thus I desire to see kings become 
 nursing fathers and queens nursing mothers to the church. I would 
 just remark that this chieftain, some years ago, was one of the most 
 savage despots upon the face of the earth ; and, had it not been for 
 a cloud that was very distressingly shed over his closing years, he 
 would have been one of the most illustrious monuments of the power 
 of the Gospel the world ever beheld. It may be interesting to some 
 to know that, in his dying moments, he gave three specific charges : 
 1st, to maintain the laws : — 2nd, to be kind to the missionaries : — 
 3rd, to lay fast hold on the Gospel." 
 
 The speaker then appealed to philanthropists, merchants, ship- 
 owners, and British seamen, in behalf of an institution to which they 
 were so heavily indebted : and, having presented a copy of the 
 recently printed Rarotonga New Testament to the chairman, and 
 referred to his own discovery of that island, he thus closed his 
 address. " I found the people in whose language this book is now 
 printed, all heathens; I left them all Christians. I found them with 
 idols and maraes. These 1 left in ruins, but their place was supplied 
 by three spacious and substantial places of Christian worship, in one 
 of which a congregation of 3000 assembles every Sabbath day. 
 I found them without a written language ; I left them reading in 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 
 
 their own tongue the wonderful works of God ; and the last intelli- 
 gence I have received informs me that, in one of the schools, there 
 were 1034 children on the morning the letter was written. 
 
 " In conclusion, I would observe that the work of the Society in 
 the South Seas is not yet completed. There are still a number 
 of large islands unblessed with the Gospel, and I trust the Society 
 will not cease its labors, until every island upon which the tropical 
 sun darts his piercing rays, shall be cheered and illumined still more 
 by the possession of the light of Divine truth ; till their verdant 
 valleys, ever-green hills, and cloud-capped mountains shall be ren- 
 dered still more interesting by the overspreading influence of the 
 best ever-green of all — the everlasting Gospel ; nor until the world, 
 in its length and its breadth, instead of being a theatre on which men 
 should prepare themselves by crime for eternal condemnation, should 
 become one universal temple to the living God, in which the chil- 
 dren of men should learn the anthem of the blest above, and be made 
 meet to unite with myriads of redeemed spirits in celebrating the 
 jubilee of a ransomed world." 
 
 Mr. Williams's appearance, voice, and action, were in 
 admirable keeping with his character and communications. 
 His form and face while quiescent might have impressed 
 a stranger with the belief that his delivery would be dull and 
 sombre. But these first and false impressions were soon 
 corrected. No sooner had he commenced his tale, than the 
 tones of his voice, and the mild glow of his countenance, 
 showed the existence of central heat and vital action. His 
 utterance was altogether free from any offensive mannerism. 
 Its most obvious peculiarity was a singular kind of abrupt- 
 ness, or rather a short method of articulating words and 
 dividing sentences, which had most probably been acquired 
 from his familiarity with the Tahitian, which, although 
 abounding in vowel and liquid sounds, is full of breaks. 
 Those who remember his pronunciation of the name "Aitu- 
 taki," will readily recall this marked, though not disagreeable 
 singularity. His voice itself was full and sonorous. In 
 compass it was equal to the largest public assembly he was 
 called to address, and it was never requisite for him to strain 
 it. His action was sparing, and though not graceful, it 
 detracted nothing from the weight of his addresses, and 
 showed by its very negligence that his mind was intent upon 
 something better. Speaking generally, it may be said that 
 throughout his elocution nature prevailed. It was without 
 art or effort, and was characterized by manly strength and 
 dignified simplicity. Although grave, Mr. W. was far from 
 being heavy, and while temperate, he was never tame. His 
 address was indeed more equable than an elocutionist would 
 
300 LIFE OF THE 
 
 have approved, but it was too instinct with spirit and life 
 to be monotonous. There was as much evidence of the 
 prevalence of a vital influence in his tones and gestures, 
 as there is of the sun's genial power in the springing crops 
 and bursting bud. And there was no one but saw his sin- 
 cerity. All perceived that his object was to convey impres- 
 sions and transfuse feelings from his own mind into the 
 minds of his auditors. In the facts narrated and the obliga- 
 tions enforced, he himself felt the deepest interest, and this 
 shone through his inartificial and transparent delivery. To 
 this his earnest desire to convince and persuade imparted its 
 own spirit ; and the animation thus inspired was not a flick- 
 ering light on the surface, but a fire radiating from the soul ; 
 the animation of sentiment more than of sound ; of a smiling 
 garden rather than of a noisy factory. Hence, though never 
 vehement, he was never dull. Sweeping bursts of passion, 
 indeed, were not accordant with his nature. In the serene 
 and sunny region of his mind, the thunder-cloud was seldom 
 seen, and storms were never heard. His speech rather 
 resembled the translucent and gentle stream, ruffled by the 
 refreshing breeze and broken by interposing rocks, than the 
 crested and bursting billow. A censor might readily have 
 shown that some of his gestures and intonations violated 
 oratorical rules, but nothing could prove more certainly his 
 freedom from all that was worthy of grave censure, than the 
 fact that those who heard him were too much interested in 
 his communications to criticise the vehicle in which they 
 were conveyed. And, indeed, throughout, his elocution was 
 more remarkable for the absence of striking blemishes than 
 for the presence of unusual beauties. It was the natural 
 manner of a man who had a weighty business in hand, and 
 who was anxious to conduct that business to a successful 
 termination. Every one knew and felt his aim, and so clear 
 was the impress of truth on his narrations, so bright the 
 beamings of benevolence in his countenance, so sound and 
 simple his speech, so self-evidencing the arguments which he 
 employed, that the sceptical were silenced, the reflecting 
 satisfied, foes to missions converted into friends, and its 
 friends excited to increased zeal ; and while the thoughtless 
 were captivated and the young delighted with his stirring 
 tales, the senator and the merchant were convinced that the 
 welfare of civilized and of savage men were associated ; and 
 that patriotism and policy, no less than Christianity and 
 benevolence, required the support of missions. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 301 
 
 The warm welcome with which Mr. Williams was greeted 
 whenever he appeared in public, and the generous response 
 already made to his appeals, encouraged the hope that the 
 pecuniary difficulties which had hitherto prevented the 
 Directors from acceding to those proposals for extending the 
 sphere and increasing the efficiency of the South Sea Mis- 
 sion, which he laid before them shortly after his arrival in 
 England, might be removed by his own exertions. Sus- 
 tained by their approval, he therefore began to present to the 
 public some of the plans, by which he designed permanently 
 to benefit the missions, and widely to diffuse the Gospel 
 in the South Seas. All, however, did not sanction these 
 schemes. While commending his zeal, some cordial sup- 
 porters of the Society questioned the wisdom, and others 
 predicted the failure of the objects upon which he had set 
 his heart. But the result proved that he had not in this, any 
 more than in his former efforts to bless the inhabitants 
 of Polynesia, miscalculated his power, or allowed his fervid 
 zeal to over-rate the generosity of the Christian public. 
 And although his most important design, the obtaining 
 of a missionary ship, was deferred, for reasons which will 
 shortly appear, appeals for a college and a high school were 
 early made, and in a short time, and with little effort on his 
 part, the spontaneous and munificent offerings which were 
 placed at his disposal exceeded the amount required, and 
 clearly discovered the estimate in which his character was 
 held. Of this, the subjoined letter, dated Liverpool, August 
 20, 1836, will present a single, though by no means a sin- 
 gular illustration. 
 
 ' I thank you exceedingly for the information given to me of the 
 
 benefit derived from my discourse at . I can assure you that 
 
 the information, pleasing as it is r has caused me to humble myself 
 before God. Wherever I go, a blessing seems to attend me, and 
 1 have such a sense of my own unworthiness that I cannot hear 
 of the effects of my labors without feeling the immensity of my obli- 
 gations to Him who is thus smiling upon them in every part of the 
 world. I take it as an earnest that God has still a great work for me 
 to do, and I hope that my future life will be more than ever conse- 
 crated to his service. 
 
 " Our meetings at Liverpool have been of the most gratifying 
 description. The Caifre chief and the converted Hottentot excited 
 considerable interest. It was near ten o'clock before I was called 
 upon to speak. However, I was graciously assisted ; and, although 
 when I arose the people were rather restless, after the first few sen- 
 tences they sat down, and listened with interest till nearly eleven 
 
 26 
 
302 LIFE OF THE 
 
 o'clock. It is supposed that full two thousand people were present. 
 At the conclusion of the meeting, one Quaker gentleman gave £1000 ; 
 another £100 ; another gentleman £150 ; besides several other sums 
 of different amounts. In the course ol my address at the breakfast 
 meeting, I spoke of the importance of native agency, and stated that, 
 on my return to the South Seas, one of my first efforts would be to 
 establish a college for the education of our native missionaries, and 
 gave some little outline of my plan, and said that I should want 
 a hundred pounds or so to set me going. A Quaker friend arose, 
 and said he hoped I should not leave the room before 1 was assured 
 that the hundred pounds were ready, and, in about three m'nutes, 
 £123 were presented to me, besides £50 per annum by one gentle- 
 man for carrying on the great work by native agency. Thus you 
 see, my dear friend, what God is doing by me. Pray that I 
 may be kept humble, preserved from all evil, and made faithful 
 unto death." 
 
 As additional means of advancing his object, and drawing 
 the attention of literary and scientific men to the value 
 of missionary labors in the South Seas, Mr. "Williams deliv- 
 ered two or three lectures at several of the principal towns 
 in the country, on the geography, formation, natural history, 
 traditions, usages, government, language, and social state 
 of the islands. The project was well conceived; and, so far 
 as he had the opportunity of executing it, which, in conse- 
 quence of the pressure of other engagements, was but lim- 
 ited, the result fully justified his anticipations. At Bristol, 
 Bath, Manchester, Sheffield, and elsewhere, these lectures 
 were listened to with great interest, and liberal sums were 
 obtained from those who heard them, every farthing of which 
 was devoted to missionary designs. 
 
 During the remainder of the year 1836, and until the 
 spring of 1837, Mr. Williams's life presented but few features 
 which materially differ from those already described. To 
 his home, he was almost a stranger; and, consequently, at 
 this period, his history is marked by few features of domestic 
 interest. To him, indeed, it was a lamentation that he could 
 devote so little time to those whom he most tenderly loved ; 
 but, constrained by the noblest motives, he submitted without 
 complaint to this privation. While thus occupied in plead- 
 ing for missions, he was cheered not merely by the Christian 
 kindness of those whom he visited, but by the reception of 
 numerous, and many of them most satisfactory letters from 
 his brethren in the South Seas. And, as the scenes and suc- 
 cesses which some of these communications describe were 
 closely connected with Mr. Williams's previous labors, a few 
 brief extracts will not be inappropriate in this place. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 303 
 
 From Raiatea, the accounts were of a mixed character. 
 Shortly after Mr. and Mrs. Williams had sailed for England, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Loxton arrived there, and commenced their 
 labors under the most pleasing auspices. But, in three 
 months from their arrival, this devoted missionary was num- 
 bered with the dead ; and Raiatea once more left destitute. 
 For a time, after this serious loss, the state of things was far 
 from satisfactory. The younger Tamatoadid not walk in the 
 steps of his excellent parent, and his excesses relaxed the 
 bonds of society, and g ive sanction to vice. But later intel- 
 ligence was more gratifying. " Tamatoa," writes Mr. Simp- 
 son, " has become quite a different man, and is zealous for 
 the execution of the laws. Peace prevails throughout the 
 islands." "I was at Rahtea," adds Mr. Barff* "four 
 months last year at different times. Ardent spirits are now 
 abolished. Raiatea and Tahaa are rising fast to their former 
 standing; and will, I doubt not, be more stedfast than be- 
 fore " 
 
 From Samoa the intelligence was still more satisfactory. 
 In 1834, not long after Mr. Williams's departure, Messrs. 
 Barff and Buzacott had paid a visit to that group, and trans- 
 mitted a journal which delightfully proved the progress which 
 Christianity was making amongst its inhabitants, and ful- 
 filled the prophetic declaration, " The isles shall wait for thy 
 law." This, with the appointment of six European mission- 
 aries for these important islands, and their gratifying recep- 
 tion, created in Mr. Williams the most sacred delight. 
 
 Nor was he less refreshed by the communications from 
 Rarotonga. These presented much to gratify, nothing to 
 discourage him. The following passages were, amongst 
 others, read and repeated with peculiar emotion. 
 
 In December 1834, Mr. Buzacolt writes: "I am happy to inform 
 you that the rel gious excitement which commenced while you were 
 with U3 continues ; and, though we have been disappointed in some 
 instances, yet, in rainy respects, our most sanguine expectations have 
 been more than realized. We have formed a new church at Arorangi. 
 All the members continue stedfast, and their zeal in endeavoring to 
 do others good is delightful. Seven candidates now stand proposed 
 for church fellowship." .Shortly after this, Jan. 1835, Mr. Pitman 
 says, " During the last six months, we have had great accessions to 
 our classes here, and things are wearing a more pleasing aspect than 
 I have ever seen. This, dear brother, is a cause of mutual joy. We 
 
 March 15, 1836. 
 
304 LIFE OF THE 
 
 have also had additions to our church, — six now stand proposed for 
 admission. We have a great many inquirers, who appear to have 
 been impressed under the word in our ' troublous times.' Then, we 
 were sowing in tears ; now, we are reaping with joy. Our school con- 
 tinues to prosper. We have frequently above 1000 children in atten- 
 dance here, and at Titakaveka nearly 500. The change at our out- 
 station is truly astonishing. In every department of labor, we are 
 much encouraged. There is a great spirit of inquiry amongst chiefs 
 and people, and many profess to be seriously impressed under the 
 word. Our chapels are crowded to excess. We have not, 1 should 
 think, far short of 3000 in the house of God every Sabbath morning. 
 Tupe (the judge) is still very active. He is of great assistance to me. 
 He has but little, very little to do in his official capacity ; but he is 
 useful in our classes, and much respected. Some of our school lads 
 have joined the classes, and I do hope that a few are seeking the Lord 
 in sincerity." 
 
 But in addition to the pleasure derived from the general 
 prosperity of this, to him most interesting people, Mr. Wil- 
 liams felt especial satisfaction in being able to transmit to 
 them the Gospels, and several useful works which had been 
 printed under his revision in this country ; and in return to 
 receive the following acknowledgments : — 
 
 " It is impossible," writes Mr. Pitman, " to describe the joy which 
 your letter afforded us, more especially as it was accompanied with 
 such a treasure as the Gospels, tracts, slates, etc. A thousand thanks 
 to you dear brother, for your unremitted exertions to Supply the crav- 
 ing desires of this people. Oh ! it would have filled your soul with 
 delight to have seen with what extasy this best of boons was received 
 by them. In whatever part of the island we travel, we see those who 
 have been so fortunate as to procure the Gospels, carrying them in 
 their hands. In all their journies, whatever else they may omit, they 
 never forget their book. Now we begin to taste the sweets of our 
 past toils and trials. No sooner is a book in their dialect placed in 
 their hands than numbers of them can immediately read it. I trust 
 the reading of this portion of God's word will be blessed to hundreds 
 of the people. When I read in your interesting letter, that we may 
 soon expect 5000 New Testaments in the Rarotongan dialect, I can 
 hardly believe it a reality. I have read and repeated the contents of 
 your letter to the people. They are highly delighted. We shall 
 welcome these books to Rarotonga with more joy than boxes of gold 
 and silver. Had you accomplished in England nothing more than 
 this, you would have rendered the cause of the Redeemer an incalcu- 
 lable service. The tracts are truly valuable. The moment they were 
 put into the hands of the children, down they sat, and commenced 
 reading ; and those who had not succeeded in getting one would 
 crowd around to listen to its contents. When I go into the schools 
 all eyes are fixed upon me to see if 1 had not a bundle of books under 
 my arm. Some, who were absentees when 1 made the distribution, 
 follow me wherever 1 go, begging hard for a book. You would have 
 been pleased to have seen the amazement of the first into whose hands 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 306 
 
 1 put the Gospels. Pa is reading day and night. Poor Tupe cannot 
 mike out much, as his eyes begin to fail ; but his wife and all his 
 children can read, and, while at home, he gives them no rest from 
 read.ng. This is quite a new era in our mission. Never was there 
 such a prospect of usefulness. The Lord is raising up native assist- 
 ants, and two or three who have lately applied for church-fellowship 
 profess to have been convinced of sin by the discourses of Maratu. 
 There is still a very great spirit of inquiry and concern. You say it 
 will be twelve months ere you return. I am not sorry for that. Glad 
 as we should be to see you, we would willingly spare you a year or 
 tw j longer, to prepare such useful works for th.s people. 
 
 Mr. Buzacott adds : — 
 
 " I cannot wish you a greater earthly reward than to come and see 
 some of your books distributed amongst the Rarotongans, and to per- 
 ceive how many of them prize these gifts as an inestimable treasure. 
 
 Amidst the pressure of his public engagements, and by the 
 most sedulous economy and improvement of time, Mr. Wil- 
 liams was enabled, early in 1827, to place the first sheets of 
 his narrative in the printer's hands ; and the writer is enabled 
 to describe, from personal observation, the state of mind with 
 which he adventured upon the uncertain sea of authorship. 
 To mere literary ambition he was an entire stranger ; and its 
 absence preserved him from the restless and painful anxiety 
 respecting the critical judgments which might be pronounced, 
 or the general estimate formed of the mere execution of his 
 volume. At the same time, he was naturally solicitous that 
 wh it he had written might be favorably received, and widely 
 circulated. And he believed that this would be the result. 
 The same strong confidence which had prompted him to un- 
 dertake, and had enabled him to accomplish, so many other 
 difficult achievements, was still apparent. Conscious of a sin- 
 cere desire to promote the cause of God by this publication, 
 he undertook it without the slightest misgiving. And he 
 never dreamed of a failure. Indeed his own anticipations, 
 though fully realized, far exceeded those of his friends. He 
 believed that his book would not merely command a large cir- 
 culation, but make an unprecedented impression in favor of 
 missions. Often during its preparation would he say, " I am 
 sure that if we can but get the public to consider these facts, 
 they must tell; 11 and once and again he repeated his convic- 
 tion that, if he could induce men of rank and science, with 
 the merchants and ship-owners of Britain to ponder over its 
 pages, they would no longer occupy neutral ground in the 
 26* 
 
306 LIFE OF THE 
 
 great contest with heathenism. Nor was he less assured of 
 gaining their attention than of rewarding it when it had been 
 drawn to the subject. He was strongly impressed with the 
 belief that they were not in general hostile to missions ; that 
 their apparent indifference was simply the result of inatten- 
 tion, and that such inattention was the natural consequence 
 of the omission of suitable means for bringing the subject 
 fairly under their consideration. How to accomplish this de- 
 sirable object was with him a question of deep interest, and 
 one upon which he frequently conversed ; but that it might 
 be done, that it ought to be done, and that he would at least 
 attempt it, were points upon which his opinions were formed 
 some time prior to the publication of his volume. 
 
 Those who did not know the " simplicity and godly sin- 
 cerity " of John Williams's character, might suppose that the 
 anticipations in which he thus indulged were merely the vain 
 presentiments of a sanguine and speculative mind. But all 
 who were privileged with his friendship, will require no evi- 
 dence in disproof of such unfounded imaginations. His con- 
 fidence rested upon a widely different basis. It was pro- 
 duced by a just estimate of the information which he could 
 supply, by extensive observation of the influence which it had 
 already exerted, and by the assurance, not of flattering, but 
 of faithful friends. 
 
 In April, 1837, the volume, by which Mr. Williams hoped 
 to accomplish more for the missionary cause than he had 
 previously effected, was issued from the press. It was 
 entitled u A Narrative of Missionary Enterprises in the 
 South Sea Islands, with Remarks upon the Natural History 
 of the Islands, Origin, Languages, Traditions, and Usages 
 of the Inhabitants." It was dedicated by permission to the 
 king, and was first published in a handsome octavo at the 
 price of twelve shillings. Prior to this, he had, in a great 
 measure, matured the plan by which he proposed to push its 
 circulation into those circles where hitherto little interest 
 had been awakened in the most important movement of our 
 age. In the anticipation of this attempt, the appeal to mer- 
 chants, ship-owners, philosophers, nobles, and statesmen, 
 with which the volume is closed, as well as a portion of the 
 preface, were specially prepared, and he resolved forthwith 
 to present a copy to several of the individuals most distin- 
 guished by their station or attainments, accompanied by 
 a letter, calling their attention to the facts which it con- 
 
EV. J. WILLIAMS. 
 
 307 
 
 tained, and to some important conclusions founded upon 
 them. But as the object he had in view was not private, he 
 deemed it proper, in the first instance, to solicit the advice 
 and co-operation of the Directors of the Society, and imme- 
 diately on the publication of his volume, addressed the fol- 
 lowing request to the Rev. J. Arundel : — 
 
 " Will you do me the favor of presenting the accompanying copy 
 of the Missionary Narrative to the chairman of the board, and also 
 of submitting the following proposition to the consideration of the 
 Directors ? 
 
 " It has been a matter of deep regret that so few of our nobility 
 and gentry have evinced any interest in the cause of missions, and 
 also that so few attempts have been made to bring the great work 
 under their notice. Were it not that I am about to leave England, 
 I should submit some plans for the purpose of attempting to effect 
 this important object. But as this will not be possible, I would beg 
 to propose that a number of noblemen be selected, say a hundred, and 
 that I be allowed to send to each a copy of the ' Missionary Enter- 
 prises,' with a respectful letter from myself, inviting their attention 
 to the great work. 
 
 " I am fully aware that the proposition is novel, but I think the 
 experiment is worthy of a trial. It can do no harm ; it may do much 
 good ; and, if it succeed but in one instance, I should regard it with 
 pleasure. And even should it fail altogether, I would fail in a great 
 and good object, rather than not attempt its accomplishment, for 
 the Master whom we serve will say, ' It is well that it was in 
 thine heart.' 
 
 " Should this proposition meet with the approbation of the Direc- 
 tors, I shall feel happy in consulting with the Secretaries, or with 
 any other gentleman whom the board may appoint." 
 
 The Directors fully concurred in the proposal of their 
 zealous Missionary ; and, having ordered a hundred copies of 
 the work, placed fifty of them at his disposal for the purpose 
 of distribution. Thus sanctioned, he lost no time in execu- 
 ting the novel project ; and, having obtained a list of the 
 names of noblemen and others, whose public position or 
 private excellence warranted the expectation that they would 
 give its pages a perusal, and consider the subject thus, in 
 many cases for the first time, submitted to their attention, he 
 transmitted to each of them a copy. 
 
 The letters which, accompanied these volumes, besides 
 containing a concise explanation of the leading objects, and 
 a general reference to the great success of the South Sea 
 Missions, called more particular regard to some specific as- 
 pect of the evangelical enterprise, in which the individuals 
 addressed would be most likely, from their station, habits of 
 
308 LIFE OP THE 
 
 life, or the class of subjects which had principally occupied 
 their attention, to feel a peculiar interest. Numerous copies 
 of these communications are now lying before the writer ; 
 and did the limits of this volume permit, most of them might 
 be inserted, as evidence of the admirable skill with which he, 
 whose life had been passed amidst savage or semi-civilized 
 people, could adapt himself to altered circumstances, and 
 reach the minds of men most exalted by their position or 
 powers, with as much ease as he had previously wrought 
 upon the untutored tribes of Polynesia. But although a great 
 number of these letters cannot be admitted, the following 
 specimens will sufficiently indicate their general character, 
 and account for the respectful, and, in many instances, mu- 
 nificent response with which they were honored. 
 
 To Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent. 
 " May it please your Royal Highness, 
 
 " In requesting your Royal Highness to accept the accompanying 
 copy of my ' Missionary Enterprises,' i avail myself of the oppor- 
 tunity of begging permission to be allowed also to present one to your 
 august daughter, the Princess Victoria. I beg to assure your Royal 
 Highness, that I have no object in view, but to bring the great work 
 in which I have been engaged, under the notice of your Royal High- 
 ness and the Princess ; for it must impart joy to every benevolent 
 mind to know that, by the blessing of God upon the religious efforts 
 of British Christians, upwards of three hundred thousand of deplor- 
 ably ignorant and savage barbarians, inhabiting the beautiful isles 
 of the Pacific, have been delivered from a dark, debasing, and san- 
 guinary idolatry, and are now enjoying the civilizing influence, the 
 domestic happiness, and the spiritual blessings, which Christianity 
 imparts. In the island of Rarotonga, which I discovered in 1623, 
 there are upwards of three thousand children under Christian instruc- 
 tion daily ; not a vestige of idolatry remains ; their language has 
 been reduced to system, and the Scriptures, with other books, have 
 been translated. But this is only one of nearly a hundred islands to 
 which similar blessings have been conveyed, the particulars of which 
 will be found in the accompanying volumes. The useful arts also 
 have been introduced; British manufactures are now sold to a very 
 great extent ; and the shipping and crews of our country find harbors 
 and homes. 
 
 " I feel that 1 have to cast myself upon the indulgent kindness 
 of your Royal Highness for the liberty I have thus taken ; but I beg 
 again to assure your Royal Highness that I am prompted only by a 
 desire to brinor the great enterprise of mercy, which is now cured 
 on in the world with so much success, under the notice of your Royal 
 Highness ; for I am persuaded that a want of information alone pre- 
 vents royal personages and the nobility from countenancing and sup- 
 porting efforts, which must commend themselves to every reflecting 
 and benevolent mind. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 309 
 
 " May I be permitted to beg that your Royal Highness will allow 
 your beloved and august daughter to honor the volume with a perusal. 
 1 flatter myself that it will afford both interest and information, and 
 I am not aware that there is a sentence in the volume, to which a 
 pious and intelligent mind can object. 
 
 " i have the honor to be, etc. 
 
 " J. Williams." 
 
 To Lord Brougham. 
 " My Lord, 
 
 " In taking the liberty of requesting your Lordship to accept a copy 
 of a work I have recently published, I would beg most respectfully 
 and most earnestly to call your attention to the subject of which it 
 treats. I cannot expect that your Lordship will find time to peruse 
 the volume, but, by glancing at the chapter of contents, and referring 
 to one or two parts, your Lordship will perceive that the power of 
 Christianity to tame the most ferocious, and to elevate the most de- 
 graded portions of the human family, is fully established. 
 
 " It must have been apparent to your Lordship's reflecting mind, 
 that Christian missions are destined to exert a vast and powerful 
 influence upon the civil, intellectual, and moral interests of our 
 world. That your Lordship is aware how much the abolition of 
 cursed slavery has been accelerated by the missionary enterprise is 
 evident by your Lordship's noble and imperishable defence of the 
 missionary Smith ; while the amazing movement of mind in British 
 India consequent upon the diffusion of knowledge ; the altered posi- 
 tion of the tribes of South Africa, by being recognized as a free 
 people ; together with the conversion and subsequent civilization 
 of three hundred thousand pagan savages, in the isles of the Pacific, 
 are effects too great and striking to allow your Lordship's mind to 
 regard the cause in which they originated as unimportant either to 
 the philanthropist, the merchant, or the statesman. As a warm and 
 undeviating friend of education, it will be gratifying to your Lordship 
 to know that, in one small island of the Pacific, we have upwards 
 of three thousand children under instruction, and that this is only one 
 island out of nearly a hundred, to which the blessings of civilization 
 and Christianity have been conveyed. That so few of the nobility 
 and gentry countenance and assist in this work of mercy is a matter 
 of deep surprise and regret. I am not aware, my Lord, that there is 
 a single tribe of the human family that is indebted to the nobility 
 of England for its intellectual or moral elevation. I think, my Lord, 
 that this must arise from the circumstance that the subject has not 
 been brought properly under their notice. My Lord, I venerate sci- 
 ence ; but the voyages of Parry, Ross, and all their predecessors, to 
 all benevolent purposes, have been ' the baseless fabric of a vision,' 
 for they have left the wretched Esquimaux as ignorant and wretched 
 as they found them ; whereas the efforts of Christian enterprise 
 create a superstructure upon which the eye of benevolence can gaze 
 with delight, and which will be as enduring as eternity. This super- 
 structure is the overthrow of dark and debasing idolatries, the trans- 
 lation of the sacred Scriptures into languages previously unwritten, 
 and the personal and social elevation of whole communities. High, 
 
310 LIFE OF THE 
 
 my Lord, as you stand in public estimation, to countenance openly 
 and liberally the cause for which I plead, would add to your eleva- 
 tion ; and, splendid as your talents are, it would add to their lustre ; 
 for the conquests of benevolence over human misery, and tlie tri- 
 umphs of truth over error and superstition, are of such a character, 
 that to be instrumental in any way in effecting them, confers greater 
 dignity upon the highest rank, and throws a halo around the most 
 brilliant talents. 
 
 " I feel, my Lord, that 1 am taking a great liberty, but I am encour- 
 aged by the conviction, that I am addressing an individual who will 
 candidly consider the claims of truth. 
 
 " I have the honor to be, etc., 
 
 " J. Williams." 
 
 " P. S. May I be allowed to add, that there is a large nation of 
 Polynesian negroes inhabiting nearly three hundred island.-;, of which 
 but little is known, except that the islands are numerous and beau- 
 tiful, and that the inhabitants are several millions in number, and 
 exceedingly savage ; and that these islands, and several millions 
 of the family of man, remain a blank and a Hut in the world of com- 
 merce, of science, and of humanity. I purpose, my Lord, leaving 
 England again with a design to attempt the introduction cf Chris- 
 tianity, with all its train of blessing?!, among the people. Should the 
 benevolent project commend itself to your Lordship's approbation, 
 I should feel honored by a communication from your Lordship." 
 
 The result of these appeals is well known. Numerous 
 replies expressed the high approval with which Mr. Wil- 
 liams's volume had been read; some of the distinguished per- 
 sons requested an interview, and others transmitted a hand- 
 some donation. The following answers, selected from many 
 of a similar character, will sufficiently show the wisdom and 
 importance of the step which he had taken. But the influ- 
 ence of this part of his endeavors to promote the cause of God, 
 was not confined to the class whom he had addressed. Very 
 many in other walks of life were induced in consequence to 
 consider the subject, and the previous friends of missions, 
 with the devoted Missionary himself, derived much additional 
 stimulus from this successful effort to interest the wealthy and 
 the noble in the sacred cause of the world's evangelization. 
 For these reasons, the novel movement demands a prominent 
 place in the records of Mr. Williams's life, and the following 
 letters may be strictly considered as a part of his personal 
 history. Most of the names are suppressed ; for, although 
 these would add considerably to the interest of the commu- 
 nications, as all the writers are known and honored, the 
 insertion of their titles will suffice to accomplish the object 
 in view, and anything beyond this, in what were merely 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 311 
 
 private communications, would be unauthorized and unwar- 
 rantable. They are arranged in the order of their dates. 
 
 From Sir Herbert Taylor, Bart. 
 
 " Sir Herbert Taylor presents his compliments to the Rev. J. Wil- 
 liams, and begs to acquaint him, in reply to his letter of the 29th ult., 
 that, if he will send his work to him at St. James's Palace, he will 
 take the earliest opportunity of presenting it to his Majesty. 
 
 « Windsor Castle, May 1, 1837." 
 
 " Sir Herbert Taylor presents his compliments to the Rev. J. Wil- 
 liams, and has had the honor to receive and to submit his note of the 
 10th instant to the king, also to present to his Majesty the accompa- 
 nying volume, containing the interesting narrative of the Missionary 
 Enterprises, and his translation of the Testament into the language 
 of one of the islands in the Pacific Ocean, which he discovered in 
 1823. They have been very graciously received by the king, who 
 ordered Sir Herbert Taylor to thank the Rev. J. Williams for them, 
 and his Majesty was much gratified by the information communi- 
 cated with respect to the actual enlightened state of those islands 
 in general. 
 
 " Windsor Castle, May 14th, 1837." 
 
 From Sir John Conroy, Bart. 
 
 " Sir John Conroy is commanded by the Duchess of Kent, to 
 acquaint the Rev. Mr. Williams that the two books his attention led 
 him to send her and the Princess Victoria, were received by their 
 Royal Highnesses with great interest. 
 
 " Kensington Palace, 3rd June, 1837." 
 
 From Capt. Lord . 
 
 "Sir, 
 " 1 beg you to accept my thanks for the present of your work on 
 the South Sea Islands ; it is an interesting subject, and I will take 
 every opportunity of mentioning its value and truth to persons who 
 I think take an interest in missionary undertakings in that quarter 
 of the world. I am happy to say your book had been mentioned to 
 me by two persons whose opinions ] value, before J had the pleasure 
 of receiving it : they spoke highly of its merits. Allow me to sub- 
 scribe myself, 
 
 "Your obliged and faithful servant.' 
 
 From the Hon. Capt. — . 
 
 " My dear Sir, 
 
 " Pray allow me to tl\ank you most sincerely for the honor and 
 
 obligation you have conferred upon me by presenting a copy of your 
 
 deeply interesting and most valuable account of your Missionary 
 
 Enterprises. Having carefully read it through, T have lent the work 
 
 to the Countess of , who will show it to her father, the 
 
 Bishop of , to her husband's father, the Marquis of , 
 
 and to other influential persons of high character. That, you may be 
 
312 LIFE OF THE 
 
 blessed with the utmost success, and that you may return again to 
 your native land in health, is the hearty prayer of 
 
 " Your admirer and very faithful friend." 
 
 From the Bishop of . 
 
 " Rev. Sir, 
 
 " Permit me to return my best thanks for the handsome volume 
 you have sent me upon that highly interesting subject, the progress 
 of the Gospel in the islands of the South Seas ; which, without exag- 
 geration, we may term the most striking work of Divine grace since 
 the apostolic times. 1 cannot but think you privileged in being 
 allowed, not only to witness such a work, but to bear a large part in 
 it ; and I trust that, in your return to that sphere of Christian enter- 
 prise, you will be permitted to carry into execution the two important 
 objects which remain to be accomplished, in order to give complete- 
 ness and permanency (as far as human measures can avail) to the 
 establishment of Christianity throughout the islands. 1 am much 
 pleased (though I little expected it) by the thought that my name 
 (or at least my title) will become known in Polynesia through the 
 medium of 'the Sinner's Friend.' 
 
 " I beg to assure you of my sincere prayers for a Divine blessing 
 upon your self-denying labors, and remain, Rev. Sir, 
 
 " Your faithful and obliged servant." 
 
 From the Earl of . 
 
 " Dear Sir, 
 " I have already thanked you for sending me a copy of your work, 
 but must now thank you, as I hope I heartily thanked God, for the 
 interesting information. 1 can truly say 1 have never read any ac- 
 count more likely to gain support for the cause of missions. I feel, 
 therefore, most anxious to promote its circulation, and shall feel much 
 obliged to you, if you would direct your publisher to send twenty 
 copies to the address undermentioned. I will send him or you 
 a cheque for the amount, and intend selling the books for the benefit 
 of the London Missionary Society. 
 
 " With the earnest wish that God may continue to bless your 
 labors amongst those interesting islanders, 
 
 " I am, dear Sir, very sincerely yours." 
 
 From the Earl of . 
 
 " Dear Sir, 
 ' 1 feel truly obliged to you for your valuable present of the Nar- 
 rative of your missionary labors. The very interesting account which 
 I had the pleasure of hearing from your lips at the meeting of the 
 Bible Society to which you allude, induces me to anticipate much 
 gratification and profit from the perusal of your volume, and I will 
 not fail to recommend it to the perusal of my friends. 
 
 " Wishing you ample success in the very arduous service upon 
 which you are about to enter, 
 
 " 1 am, dear Sir," etc. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 313 
 
 From the Duke of . 
 
 " Sir, 
 " I would not write to thank you for the very interesting book you 
 have sent me till 1 had finished its perusal ; it has given me a great 
 wish to have the pleasure of seeing you when I return to London in 
 about a fortnight. 
 
 " I have the honor to be," etc. etc. 
 
 From Lord . 
 
 " Sir, 
 
 " I beg to acknowledge your letter, and to return my best thanks 
 for the valuable present which accompanied it, of a work which 1 had 
 perused with great interest and pleasure. 
 
 " It is indeed, a wonderful work which Divine providence is car- 
 rying on in the conversion of the islanders of the South Seas ; and 
 I cannot but share your surprise and regret at the little attention 
 bestowed on it, and indeed on missionary exertions in general, by 
 a large proportion of Christians ; and indeed I am sensible how 
 much cause we all have to humble ourselves for our want of zeal for 
 the salvation of our fellow creatures. I hope that your publication, 
 which I shall always be happy to recommend as far as may be in my 
 power, may be made an instrument in removing this apathy, and that 
 the Divine blessing will ever attend the pious labors you are about to 
 undertake in a new field of exertion. 
 
 M Believe me, Sir, your faithful friend and servant." 
 
 From the Marquis of . 
 
 " Sir, 
 " I have this day, on returning to London, found your kind note 
 and valuable present, a work which had been already recommended 
 to me, and which I was about to purchase. I take the liberty of en- 
 closing an order for ten pounds as a trifling mark of the interest 
 I take in the great and good objects you have in view. 
 
 " That the promise contained in the last chapter of the prophecy 
 of Daniel may be your gracious reward is the sincere prayer of, 
 
 " Sir," etc. 
 
 From Sir , Bart. 
 
 " Sir, 
 " I was much gratified on my return to London to receive your 
 letter and the book which you have so kindly sent me. 
 
 " I have seldom been more interested than in reading the few first 
 chapters. I have been unable to complete the perusal, but 1 will not 
 longer delay thanking you for it. 
 
 " I enclose a very trifling subscription on behalf of the missionary 
 enterprises in that part of the world. I only regret that, having con- 
 tributed largely to analogous objects recently, I cannot send more. 
 
 " I am, Sir," etc. 
 
 From the Duke of . 
 
 ■ Sir, 
 " Allow me to request that you will present fifty pounds to the 
 London Missionary Society with my name as a subscriber, and that 
 27 
 
314 LIFE OF THE 
 
 you will accept the remaining ten pounds in return for the interesting 
 book I received from you. 
 
 " Believe me, Sir, 
 
 " Your sincere humble servant." 
 
 From the Duchess of - 
 
 " The Duchess of presents her compliments to Mr. Wil- 
 liams, and is much obliged to him for his work upon the Missionary 
 Enterprise in the South Sea Islands, which she will, as well as the 
 Duke, peruse with real interest. 
 
 " The Duchess cordially unites with Mr. Williams in his earnest 
 prayers, that our beloved Queen's reign may be pre-eminently distin- 
 guished by the dissemination of Christian principles, and the increase 
 of Christian practice." 
 
 From Lord . 
 
 " Sir, 
 
 " I have very many apologies to make to you for not having sooner 
 thanked you for your letter of May 25th, and for the highly inte- 
 resting work which accompanied it ; but I trust you will ascribe my 
 silence to its real cause — an incessant and overwhelming pressure 
 of public business — and not to any indifference to the matters to 
 which your letter and book related. 
 
 " I shall not fail to avail myself of the first leisure moments to 
 peruse your work ; and I am glad to learn that you propose to under- 
 take another expedition with a view to teach Christianity to the 
 inhabitants of Polynesia. If I can be in any way serviceable to you 
 in so praiseworthy an enterprise, I shall be exceedingly glad. 
 
 " I have the honor to be," etc. 
 
 From the Duke of ■ 
 
 " The Duke of has been much gratified in reading the 
 
 detailed report by the Rev. Mr. Williams, of the successful progress 
 which he and his brother missionaries have made towards civilizing 
 the numerous islanders of the South Pacific Ocean. The Duke has 
 directed that the sum of £50 may be paid to the Rev. Mr. Williams, 
 to be applied solely to the education of those natives that may be 
 enabled to comprehend the mild doctrine, and to reap the blessed 
 benefits of Christianity." 
 
 From the Duke of ■ 
 
 " My dear Sir, 
 " 1 have to thank you for your letter, and the interesting account 
 of the proceedings in the city. I wished very much to go to hear 
 your farewell sermon, but I have so bad a cold that it will not be in 
 my power to do so. Have the goodness to let me know where the 
 ship is stationed, as, if my cold leaves me, it will give me great 
 pleasure to pay you a visit on board next week. 
 
 "Believe me, dear Sir," etc. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 
 
 From Sir , Bart. 
 
 315 
 
 " My dear Mr. Williams, 
 
 " Lady and I are desirous of offering a trifling contribution 
 
 to your means of usefulness in Polynesia, and we beg that you will 
 kindly spend ten guineas for us in any way that you may think most 
 conducive to that object. I enclose a draft for that sum. 
 
 " We are called, in the providence of God, to occupy ourselves in 
 another sphere ; one which, though involving much responsibility, 
 must be considered far more humble in a Christian point of view than 
 that of the missionary, who is honored as the earliest ambassador 
 of Christ to the heathen ; and we wish to assure you of the deep 
 interest we take in your welfare, and that we pray the Almighty to 
 bless and prosper you. 
 
 " If it please God to bring you back to England, we still hope that 
 we may see you at our home, and that you may tell our poor villagers 
 how the word of salvation has been spread through the islands of the 
 South Seas. I need not add, that it would give to us great pleasure, 
 if at any time you are able to write to us. 
 
 " Some of my neighbors, and I believe some of my tenants, went 
 
 over to when you were there. They, as well as many others 
 
 who are interested in missionary exertions, would be much gratified, 
 if I am able occasionally to give them some account of you in your 
 distant home. 
 
 " I am, my dear Mr. Williams," etc. 
 
 Other valuable letters have been omitted from these pages, 
 some of which have been already published ; and the writer 
 feels himself precluded from the description of incidents and 
 interviews arising out of this correspondence, which would 
 lose much of their interest from the absence of names, and 
 might be deemed ol too private a nature for publication. It 
 may be said, however, in general terms, that the introduc- 
 tions thus obtained were improved by the faithful Missionary, 
 not merely for the promotion of his evangelical designs, but 
 for the personal and spiritual advantage of some high in rank, 
 whose previous confidence and kindness encouraged him 
 to address them on the subject of personal religion. One 
 of these epistles — and it is a most wise and faithful appeal — 
 is now before the writer ; and he is happy to add, that in 
 thus seeking the eternal welfare of individuals, whose station 
 in society too frequently deprives them of such offices of 
 Christian friendship, Mr. Williams's efforts were correctly 
 appreciated, and most kindly received. 
 
 Mr. Williams did not confine the distribution of his 
 volume to distinguished individuals, but he also presented 
 copies to the Royal Geographical, the Geological, and other 
 scientific and literary societies, accompanied by appropriate 
 
316 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 letters. The following reply must suffice to show the man- 
 ner in which these communications were received. 
 
 " Royal Geographical Society, 
 » August 4th, 1837. 
 « Sir, * 
 
 " I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 
 3d inst. accompanying your work entitled " A Narrative of Missionary 
 Enterprises in the South Sea Islands," and I am desired by the Coun- 
 cil of this Society to return you their best thanks for this valuable ad- 
 dition to our library. 
 
 " Independently of the gratifying results detailed in your volume, 
 of the persevering and praiseworthy labors of missionaries in spread- 
 ing the blessings of Christianity and civilization throughout that vast 
 extent of islands, your work affords us much geographical information 
 peculiarly acceptable to this Society, as the notice of Rarotonga, etc., 
 and the other two groups of islands to which you allude. Your offer 
 to correspond with the Society on subjects in which we are much in- 
 terested, during your intended visit to the Pacific Ocean, is gladly ac- 
 cepted by the Council. 
 
 " During your stay in England, if any books or maps in the Soci- 
 ety's possession would be useful to you for reference, I beg you will 
 consider them at your service. I may, perhaps, especially point out 
 Admiral Kausenstern's Chart of the Pacific, as containing all the 
 most recent discoveries in that quarter. 
 
 " With every assurance of respect and esteem, 
 « I am, Sir, 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 " John Washington. 
 " Rev. J. Williams." 
 
 The influence of this unprecedented movement upon Mr. 
 Williams himself, was highly beneficial. His signal success 
 in these well-designed efforts, fed his previous confidence, 
 that the God whom he served would enable him to do yet 
 greater things. More firmly than ever did he cleave to the 
 conviction that much, very much, which by many would be 
 deemed Utopian, was easily practicable for promoting the 
 cause of missions. His faith and hope appeared to rise with 
 renewed and redoubled energy, and his mind was now teem- 
 ing with projects and purposes with which few could fully 
 sympathize. One of these was the application subsequently 
 made to the corporation of London ; but there were many 
 other plans which the want of time alone prevented him 
 from at least attempting to execute. 
 
 The interval between the publication of the Missionary 
 Enterprises and the departure of Mr. Williams, was too limi- 
 ted to permit him to embrace all the opportunities which 
 were offered, of beneficial intercourse with many in the high- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 317 
 
 er classes of society ; but it was sufficient to enable him to 
 bring the great and absorbing subject of the world's evan- 
 gelization under the attention of no small number, by whom 
 it had not previously been considered, and to obtain introduc- 
 tions to circles of rank and intelligence where, until then, 
 the missionary character had been little known. In many a 
 noble mansion and select party, was it his privilege to present 
 the facts and claims of Christian missions. The writer can 
 speak from Mr. Williams's own testimony, and from that of 
 eye-witnesses that, for several successive hours, he has, in 
 these new and interesting circumstances, concentrated the 
 attention of large companies by the attractive force of his 
 communications. For his own person, these interviews nev- 
 er failed to secure admiration and love. The perfect natural- 
 ness of his speech and manner ; the ease, gentleness, and 
 simplicity, so much in keeping with his history and his office, 
 which marked his communications; his evident desire to 
 instruct and interest; the readiness and fulness with which 
 he replied to every inquiry ; and the glow of benevolence 
 which lit up his countenance, when Polynesia was his theme, 
 concurred with the various incidents he detailed, to attract 
 towards himself no small measure of esteem. One distin- 
 guished individual, at whose mansion Mr. Williams was in- 
 vited to meet a large and brilliant party, assured the author, 
 that it was the opinion of himself and others that, apart from 
 the false forms, he possessed all the finish of the most refined 
 courtesy, and that, unconsciously, and without design, he 
 was a perfect gentleman. Another, a nobleman of the high- 
 est standing, in a letter to the author written shortly after Mr. 
 Williams's departure, stated that he should ever consider it 
 one of the greatest privileges and highest honors of his life to 
 have formed the acquaintance of that honored Missionary. 
 But although he set its just value upon the esteem of others, 
 he would have derived but little satisfaction from these inter- 
 views, had they merely enlarged the circle of his friendship. 
 This, however, was not the case. Their full effect, indeed, 
 it is impossible to estimate. In many instances, this was at 
 once obvious; and, in others, valuable fruits were subse- 
 quently reaped. But Had the classes with whom he was thus 
 brought into contact, received no favorable impressions from 
 his statements, the influence of such interviews would still 
 have been great. Many, from the attention thus drawn to 
 the subject of "missions, became their supporters, and not a 
 27* 
 
313 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 few, attracted by a name which had in consequence become 
 so popular, and who probably, but for the favor with which 
 Mr. Wiliiams had been received in the upper circles of so- 
 ciety, would have never heard a missionary, were found 
 amongst the multitudes who flocked to hear him. 
 
 The fifty copies of the Missionary Enterprises, which were 
 placed by the Directors at Mr. Williams's disposal, were soon 
 disposed of; but their good effect prevented him from stop- 
 ping short at this point, and induced him to prosecute the 
 plan at his own cost, and on a wider scale. And this he did 
 with a lavish generosity, which although it very seriously di- 
 minished the profits of the work, appeared only to increase 
 by exercise. Rarely did he omit an opportunity of making 
 this present, when he thought it would draw the attention of 
 an individual to the subject of missions, who had not before 
 been numbered amongst its supporters. It is difficult to cal- 
 culate the number of copies thus dispersed, but it was very 
 considerable. But of all the volumes which Christian zeal 
 or private friendship prompted him to present, there was one 
 to which he gave, and others will readily accord, the pre-emi- 
 nence. It was bound and embossed in the richest style ; and 
 upon the fly-leaf it contained the following beautiful, just, and 
 tender tribute to the beloved and devoted partner of his sor- 
 rows and his joys : — 
 
 " My Dearest Mary, 
 
 " More than twenty eventful years have rolled away since we 
 were united in the closest and dearest earthly bonds, during which 
 time we have circumnavigated the globe, we have experienced many 
 trials and privations, while we have been honored to communicate 
 the best of blessings to multitudes of our fellow-creatures. 
 
 "I present this faithful record of our mutual labors and successes, 
 as a testimony of my unabated affection; and I sincerely pray that, if 
 we are spared twenty years longer, the retrospect may afford equal, if 
 not greater cause for grateful satisfaction. 
 
 " John Williams. 
 
 " July 1st, 1837." 
 
 The popularity of Mr. Williams as a speaker, and the title 
 under which his work was announced, had, prior to its pub- 
 lication, awakened a degree of expectation which no ordinary 
 production could have realized. Indeed, had not the Mis- 
 sionary Enterprises possessed surpassing interest, it would 
 have been a failure ; or, at least, by falling somewhat below 
 the general anticipation, it would most probably have been 
 unduly depreciated. But, however extravagant the anticipa- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 319 
 
 tions of many, disappointment was felt by none. A warm 
 and general expression of delight hailed its appearance. From 
 the pulpit and the platform, from the ministers and the peri- 
 odicals of different Christian denominations, from literary as 
 well as religious reviewers, from the mitre and the coro- 
 net, there went forth a united and decisive verdict in its favor. 
 And this was a sentence which the public soon confirmed. 
 Of the first impression, in octavo, there were sold, from 
 April 1837 to September 1838, 7500 copies. A new edi- 
 tion was then printed in post octavo, which commanded a 
 sale of 6000. But, great as this circulation was, the price 
 had hitherto prevented many from obtaining it ; and it was 
 resolved, in order to bring its valuable contents within the 
 reach of all orders of society, to stereotype the work, and 
 publish it unabridged at two shillings and sixpence. This 
 cheap edition appeared in April, 1840, and since that time, 
 24,000 copies have been sold ; making a total of all sizes, in 
 five years, of 38,000. And there is still a steady demand for 
 the work, and a new issue of the post octavo has been re- 
 cently called for. Besides an American edition, the work 
 was translated into Dutch, and is well known in the colonies. 
 It is scarcely necessary to say that this success was unprece- 
 dented. No missionary work had secured for itself so wide 
 a circulation, and few books of any description of the same 
 size, and during the same period, had commanded so large a 
 sale. To estimate its usefulness is of course impossible. 
 Upon how many minds it has left impressions as indelible as 
 they are important, " the day will declare ;" or to what an 
 extent it has fed missionary ardor, and promoted missionary 
 efforts, human intelligence cannot compute. And with such 
 a record before it of God's doings among the people, what 
 cause has the church for adoration that, through a succession 
 of perils, probably unparalleled since the apostolic age, He 
 preserved His servant, until he had put in a permanent form, 
 and published to the world, a narrative which would confirm 
 the faith, excite the praise, and sustain the efforts of the faith- 
 ful, (may it not be said ?) " so long as the moon endureth." 
 
 It may be added that, although the Missionary Enterprises 
 had been preceded by Ellis's Researches, Tyerman and Ben- 
 net's Journal, and other similar productions, and cannot 
 therefore claim the character of an original conception, its 
 success revived and increased the public interest in the im- 
 portant class of productions to which it belongs, and exerted 
 
320 LIFE OF THE 
 
 no feeble influence in drawing other honored laborers to em- 
 ploy their pen with the same important design. That the 
 valuable volumes of Medhurst, Campbell, and Moffat, with- 
 out which no library is complete, would not have been pro- 
 duced, had not Williams prepared the way, cannot be affirm- 
 ed ; but it is certain that to his volume, the reading public is 
 indebted for the stirring interest of " Maritime Discovery 
 and Christian Missions," and for the forcible eloquence of 
 "The Martyr of Erromanga." 
 
 There was one interesting feature in almost every review 
 of the Missionary Enterprises, which deserves a passing 
 notice. It appeared as if the transparent simplicity and 
 sacred interest of its contents had disarmed criticism, and 
 that those who sat in the censor's chair were unable to de- 
 scend from the elevation to which its details had conducted 
 them, to attempt the detection of blemishes, or to adjudge its 
 merits by the ordinary canons and established standard of 
 literary excellence. Many seem to have written under the 
 impression of the sentiment, first expressed by one of the 
 most eminent dignitaries of the establishment, and often re- 
 peated as singularly just, that the volume contains a history 
 of Gospel propagation, unequalled by any similar narrative 
 since the Acts of the Apostles. The consequence was, to di- 
 vest criticism of all its severity. With scarcely an exception, 
 the reviewers drank into the spirit of the work, and were com- 
 pelled, like the ancient British sovereign, to leave their chair 
 of state, and lay aside their sceptre of power, that they might 
 give place to the rising tide of admiration, and to the irresis- 
 tible conviction that, in the production upon which they pon- 
 dered, there was a record of facts and feelings too sacred for 
 the exercise of cold investigation, or mere critical acumen. 
 As though they trod on holy ground, and were looking upon 
 pages allied in character to Luke's inspired history, extracts 
 and eulogy, instead of dissection and discussion, formed the 
 staple of their critiques : a circumstance as honorable to them- 
 selves, as it was to the book they so warmly praised. 
 
 It cannot be expected that the task which the able arbiters 
 of literary excellence declined, would be attempted in these pa- 
 ges.' The work of Mr. Williams is now too well known, to re- 
 quire any description or analysis. It is, what it professes to be, 
 a narrative of personal labors, and it contains what its author 
 promised, " a permanent record of facts, to which history 
 can furnish but few parallels." In connexion with this leading 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 321 
 
 design, it was the writer's object to compress the largest 
 amount of valuable imformation, which could be compre- 
 hended in a single volume, resolved that the staple of the 
 work should be what all would justly expect from the pen of 
 a missionary; but he also felt that it was important, for the, 
 sake of his main design, to introduce some topics which, 
 although closely related to his leading subject, were not 
 essentially connected with it. His remarks upon the islands, 
 their classification, origin, aspect, and productions, and upon 
 the social state, mental peculiarities, dialects, traditions, and 
 usages of their inhabitants, with numerous other subjects of 
 secondary interest, were intended to invest his more impor- 
 tant theme with a rich and flowing drapery, attractive to the 
 eye of some who would not otherwise have looked upon his 
 pages. But as this part of his plan was subordinate, the 
 space devoted to these topics was proportionably small. Had 
 his days been prolonged, and his return to this country per- 
 mitted, it is probable that he would have attempted more in 
 this way, and might have been enabled to communicate to 
 men of science, information that would have interested them 
 in the work of missions ; and prior to his embarkation, he 
 had given so much attention to different branches of natural 
 history, to geology, and to botany, as to prepare himself to 
 observe and record facts, the communication of which might 
 induce the scientific to step over the boundary of their own 
 peculiar province, into the wider and more sacred sphere of 
 Christian beneficence. Whether his design would have been 
 accomplished or not, cannot be determined, but it was cer- 
 tainly " in his heart;" and, had he been permitted again to 
 tread upon British ground, he would have made an effort to 
 draw the sacred circle of missionary influence around some 
 important associations, from which all religious questions are 
 systematically excluded. 
 
 The writer of these memoirs is not unaware of the impor- 
 tance of domestic incident to the full illustration of character. 
 And it is possible that some readers, wearied with accom- 
 panying the devoted Missionary over the high ground of his 
 public life, would be .happy to descend with him to a lower 
 level, and to be led aside from these scenes of general obser- 
 vation, to commune with him in the retirement of the closet, 
 or in the repose of the family. But few materials exist which 
 enable his biographer to gratify a desire so natural. That 
 Mr. Williams was " a devout man," need scarcely be stated. 
 
322 LIFE OF THE 
 
 His character and conduct evidence this. All who are ac- 
 customed to trace effects to their causes, will be satisfied that, 
 had he not enjoyed frequent and familiar intercourse with 
 truth and immortality, with himself and God, his spirit would 
 have lost its strength and spring, and the source which fed 
 his devotedness, and refreshed his heart amidst his manifold 
 labors, would have been dried up. But this is a part of his 
 proceedings known from evidence more certain than infer- 
 ence. Mr. Williams was a man of prayer. He knew the 
 privilege of drawing nigh unto God, and he relied upon the 
 power thus given to him. Habitually an early riser, even 
 when most pressed by exhausting engagements, he was ena- 
 bled to give hours to devotion, which are two frequently 
 spent in useless slumber ; and it is needless to say of such a 
 man, that no day was commenced for whose duties he did 
 not thus prepare. Neither his principles nor his preference, 
 permitted him to curtail the hour of prayer, that he might 
 give more time to public engagements. In the family, his 
 devotions were marked by their extreme simplicity, and un- 
 affected seriousness. They were remarkably comprehensive ; 
 but as direct and concise ; full of grateful review, and fervent 
 petition, but free from all vain repetitions, and apparently ut- 
 tered, as if the injunction was ever before his eyes, " God is 
 in heaven and thou upon earth ; therefore let thy words be 
 few." 
 
 When at home, Mr. Williams was at home. Devotedly 
 attached to his most estimable partner, and their amiable 
 family, nothing would have drawn him from them, but the 
 claims of public duty ; and whenever he could consistently 
 release himself from these claims, he hastened to enjoy the 
 luxury, to him as great as it was rare, of spending some 
 hours in their midst. Nor was he insensible to the ties and 
 obligations of private friendship. Rarely, when he could 
 command an unbroken evening, did he omit to invite a few 
 of those with whom he was most intimate, to join their family 
 circle. These, however, were not set parties, but social 
 meetings, and, in few situations, was his courteous and 
 amiable disposition more apparent. His obvious aim was to 
 make intercourse both instructive and pleasurable; and in 
 this he never failed. Usually, missionary scenes and occu- 
 pations became the leading topics of conversation; and it 
 was delightful to trace upon his bright and benevolent coun- 
 tenance the satisfaction which he enjoyed, when he had been 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 323 
 
 successful in gratifying his friends. Very frequently on these 
 occasions, the curiosities which he had brought from the 
 islands were drawn from their hiding places, and the various 
 contents of several cases covered the table or the floor. 
 A singular medley of idols, dresses, ornaments, domestic 
 utensils, implements of industry, and weapons of war, formed 
 so many subjects of remark ; and not unfrequently, Mr. 
 Williams arrayed his own portly person in the native tiputa 
 and mat, fixed a spear by his side, and adorned his head 
 with the towering cap of many colors, worn on high days by 
 the chiefs ; and, as he marched up and down his parlor, he 
 was as happy as any one of the guests whose cheerful mirth 
 he had thus excited. To this exhibition, he would add 
 explanations of each relic ; naming and sometimes describing 
 the island from which he obtained it ; the past history and 
 present state of its inhabitants ; the use of the object, or the 
 customs connected with it; and various other interesting 
 particulars. In general, these interesting statements were 
 crowned by a donation of some curiosity which had awakened 
 special interest ; and that his visitors might taste, as well as 
 see the good things of Polynesia, jars of native preserves, 
 either of the banana or some other Polynesian fruit, were 
 opened for their gratification. How many hours of almost 
 sacred, though now of melancholy interest, seasons which 
 they fondly hoped to renew with their devoted friend on 
 earth, will these brief references recall to those who were 
 amongst his favored guests at Bedford Square. 
 
 After the publication of the Missionary Enterprises, and 
 the anniversary meetings in May, Mr. Williams again went 
 into the country, as a deputation from the Society. But as 
 the period at which he expected to leave this country was 
 approaching, and he had not secured all the objects by which 
 he hoped to benefit Polynesia, his thoughts were much occu- 
 pied in considering the ways and means by which this might 
 be accomplished. The following extract from a letter to the 
 author, dated July 1, 1837, exhibits the state of his mind, 
 and the course of his proceedings at this time in relation to 
 these objects. 
 
 " Since the May meetings I have been bustled about most unac- 
 countably. On Wednesday last, I returned from Manchester, and on 
 Thursday, went to Dunmow, where I rather anticipated the pleasure 
 of seeing you. Our meetings at Manchester were most delightful ; 
 and the collections exceeded those of last year. There were £1225 
 
324 LIFE OP THE 
 
 contributed at the breakfast meeting. I lodged with the excellent 
 Isaac Crewdson, and he presented me with £90, of which £25 is 
 for the college ;. £25 for the ship ; and £40 for printing a translation 
 of Baxter's Saint's Rest, abridged by himself. 
 
 "The Dunottar Castle arrived a few days ago, and the letters 
 received are most gratifying. Raiatea is again in a flourishing state : 
 indeed, this is the case with all the islands. We shall now begin to 
 think about returning. We intend to get a ship, but have not yet 
 determined upon a plan. At Dunmow it Was proposed that thirty 
 gentlemen should contribute £100 each, and purchase a ship to be 
 called " The Essex." This, 1 think, might be practicable, but I did 
 not press it. If it be decided upon, it will be set on foot at Col- 
 chester. Mr. Chaplin and other gentlemen offered to commence at 
 Dunmow. I think it would be an excellent plan to have a ship, 
 which could not only take us out, but leave the African missionaries 
 at the Cape, call at Madagascar and Batavia, and thence proceed to 
 Tahiti. We could take in a variety of edible roots, trees, plants, and 
 other useful articles from Java, together with silk-worms, bees, &c, 
 which would be invaluable in the islands. But my plan at present is 
 scarcely matured. On arriving at the islands, I could land the mis- 
 sionaries and proceed on the voyage to New Guinea. 
 
 " I was forty-one the day before yesterday. Getting old !" 
 
 Shortly after the meeting at Dunmow, Mr. Williams went 
 to Colchester, where it was hoped that some plan for pro- 
 curing a ship would have been suggested. But for this 
 purpose the visit was in vain, and Essex lost the honor 
 of providing a missionary ship. It was at this period that 
 Mr. Williams conceived the bold design of petitioning the 
 government on the subject, and brought it before the Direc- 
 tors of the Society. But as many of them disapproved of the 
 principle, which such an application would appear to au- 
 thorize, the Board wisely withheld its sanction. There were 
 also some of his personal friends, who considered that the 
 government could not equitably apply public property for 
 such a purpose. But Mr. Williams thought otherwise. He 
 intended to found the request not upon religious but upon 
 national grounds ; and he conceived that the benefits con- 
 ferred by missions upon British shipping and commerce was 
 a basis sufficiently broad upon which to rest his appeal. 
 Acting, therefore, upon his own responsibility, and encour- 
 aged by some influential members and supporters of the min- 
 istry, he formally addressed Lord Melbourne, Lord Minto, 
 Lord Glenelg, and several other influential personages. 
 
 The correspondence thus opened continued for many 
 months : — a delay peculiarly trying to Mr. Williams's ardent 
 mind. But it was attended by several important advantages, 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 325 
 
 and proved the means, not only of bringing him into personal 
 contact with several public men, but of greatly interesting 
 them, and others who kindly sanctioned and sought to pro- 
 mote his wishes, in the object at which he aimed. To the 
 Duke of Devonshire, Sir Edward Parry, and other eminent 
 individuals, Mr. Williams deemed himself under great obli- 
 gations. 
 
 While these communications were passing, Mr. Williams's 
 time was incessantly occupied in journies, visits, and public 
 meetings. Some notice of these will be found in the fol- 
 lowing extracts. The first is to the author, and dated Sep- 
 tember 10th, 1837. 
 
 " Since I saw you, I have been to Manchester, where 1 gave my 
 lectures and attended a number of meetings, &c, and on my return 
 
 from Manchester, I spent two days at the Duke of 's. John 
 
 was staying there more than a fortnight, and received great attentions 
 from the Duke. I think I gave you, when I was at Halstead, an 
 
 account of my interview with him at ; and of his having 
 
 sent me a cheque for £60, — £50 for the Society, and £10 for myself. 
 
 During my stay at several interesting incidents occurred. * * 
 
 He told me that he had taken my book with him to , where 
 
 Lord had read it with very much interest; that now the 
 
 Earl and Countess of have it, and then it is to go to Lord and 
 
 Lady . He sincerely hopes that I may succeed in obtaining 
 
 the ship for which I have applied to the Queen through Lord Glenelg, 
 and wrote three letters to influential personages to induce them to 
 assist in the accomplishment of the object. I think you would ap- 
 prove of the grounds I have taken, and of the document I have pre- 
 sented. I rest my application upon purely national grounds ; and 
 have distinctly pointed out the advantages which must result from 
 my intended voyage, to commerce, science, the shipping interests 
 of this country, &c. I have had two interviews with Lord Glenelg, 
 and am to see him again this week. Six missionaries are ready to 
 accompany us. 
 
 " The book, 1 am thankful to say, is nearly out of print, so that we 
 have gone to press again with another thousand." 
 
 " London, December 6th, 1837. 
 
 " My Dear , 
 
 " As I intend to fill this sheet as full as I can, I must say a little 
 upon several subjects, which, I think, will afford you interest. The 
 first is the circulation of the Narrative. The fourth thousand was 
 out eight or ten days ago ; and it is now nearly sold, so that we shall 
 have to employ the printer again immediately. The great effect it is 
 producing is highly gratifying. Scarcely a day passes, but some 
 communications respecting it are received. A day or two since, 
 a gentleman, a perfect stranger, called upon a minister at Clapham, 
 and asked him if he knew Mr. Williams. ' Oh yes !' replied the min- 
 ister. The gentleman then said that he had been reading the book, 
 
 28 
 
326 LIFE OF THE 
 
 and was so overpowered with interest and astonishment, that he must 
 do something for him. The minister informed him that they were 
 just making up a box of useful articles for Mr. Williams, and would 
 be glad of his contribution. The gentleman said that he would do it 
 cheerfully ; but that that was not enough. He, therefore, sent a large 
 contribution to the box, and a cheque for £20 for our mission. A few 
 days before this, a gentleman came into the Mission House, and said 
 that he had been reading the Narrative, and was determined to hear 
 and see me somewhere. He learned where I was to preach on the 
 following day, and came to give me ten guineas for himself, and ten 
 guineas for his wife. They both likewise became annual subscribers. 
 My intercourse with a great number of noblemen has been interesting 
 
 and important. I was to have dined with Lord to day, but 
 
 just before the time appointed, the Hon. Mrs. , his sister, called 
 
 to say that his lordship had received Her Majesty's commands to dine 
 with her, so that my visit is deferred for a few days. I feel confi- 
 dence in writing thus to you and Mr. , for 1 know you will not 
 
 think that I am elated by being thus honored. I feel grateful to God 
 that he has been pleased to use me as his instrument in awakening 
 so influential a portion of the community to the great and momentous 
 duty of extending the knowledge of the Gospel. You, perhaps, have 
 heard that I have requested of Her Majesty's government a small 
 ship. Lord Glenelg, Lord Minto, and many others, are favorable to 
 the object, and went so far as to name the vessel, — the ' Musquito,' 
 lying at Plymouth ; but 1 now fear I shall not get her. 
 
 " Our letters from abroad are most interesting. One has just been 
 received from Tahiti, from the native Secretary of the Missionary 
 Society. I will give you a translation of it. 
 
 " < Nov. 9th, 1836. 
 " « Dear Friend, 
 " ' There is the money from the Society in Tahiti for causing the 
 Word of God to grow ! The amount of the money is 479 dollars. 
 It has been contributed to sustain the Parent Society in sending mis- 
 sionaries to every country, that the name of Jehovah may be praised 
 from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same. When 
 this money reaches you, write me a little letter to let me know that 
 it is safely lodged in the hollow of your hand. 
 
 " Signed, ' Paofai.' 
 
 " ' Secretary.' 
 " ' To the man who holds the money.' " 
 
 Prior to the date of the preceding letter, on the 17th 
 of October, Mr. Williams had consented, in connexion with 
 Dr. Philip and Mr. Mead, to unite in a public valedictory 
 service, assured that, if the government did not grant him 
 a vessel, the numerous friends of missions would promptly do 
 so. The service was a deeply interesting one, and the senti- 
 ments expressed by Mr. Williams, in reply to an admirable 
 address by the Rev. John Blackburn, were worthy of himself, 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 327 
 
 and of the occasion. From this time he began to feel most 
 impatient for the ultimatum of Her Majesty's ministers, 
 which, however, was not received for two months afterwards, 
 when the following letter from Sir George Grey was put into 
 his hands : — 
 
 " Downing Street, Dec. 18, 1837. 
 « Dear Sir, 
 
 " I have communicated to Lord Glenelg your letter to me of the 
 16th instant, with the note which 1 have just received from you, and 
 his lordship desires me to state that, with the strongest disposition to 
 meet your wishes, and to further your plans for the benefit of the 
 inhabitants of the numerous islands amongst whom you have already 
 exerted so salutary an influence, he very much regrets that difficulties 
 have arisen, which he did not anticipate, when he first gave you 
 reason to hope that a ship could be placed at your disposal by the 
 government. Lord Glenelg finds that this ship cannot be taken by 
 the Admiralty, without the express authority of Her Majesty con- 
 veyed through one of the secretaries of state ; and as no precedent 
 exists for such an authority being given, except in a case in which 
 public service is the main, if not the exclusive object, he apprehends 
 that he might not be held justified in advising Her Majesty to signify 
 her pleasure to this effect. His lordship fully appreciates the value 
 of the service which you have already rendered to the interests of this 
 country, in your intercourse with the natives of those islands; but 
 the grant of a ship by the Admiralty for the purpose of extending this 
 intercourse, would probably lead to similar applications, with which 
 it would be extremely inconvenient to comply, but which it would be 
 difficult to refuse after a precedent had once been established. 
 
 " Under these circumstances, Lord Glenelg fears that he must con- 
 sider the objections which have been raised as insuperable ; a decision 
 which he has been most reluctant to adopt, and which he would have 
 gladly avoided, had it been open to him, after the fullest considera- 
 tion, to take a course in accordance with his own feelings, and with 
 the strong interest which he takes in the success of your benevolent 
 undertaking. " I am, dear Sir, 
 
 " Yours very faithfully, 
 
 " Rev. J. Williams. " G. Grey. 
 
 " P. S. Lord Glenelg desires me to add that he should be glad to 
 explain to you more fully the nature of the difficulties which present 
 themselves in this case, if you could do him the favor to call on him 
 at this office to-morrow about one o'clock." 
 
 For this wise decision Mr. Williams was prepared by pre- 
 vious intercourse and correspondence ; and he subsequently 
 saw, in one instance at least, that failure was better than 
 success. Clearly as such a grant would have indicated the 
 favorable feeling of the government towards missions, which, 
 however, was sufficiently shown by their anxiety to meet his 
 
328 LIFE OF THE 
 
 wishes, and the hesitation with which they decided against 
 them, many warmly attached to him and his object would 
 have been grieved by an act, which, in their view, would 
 have been an unfaithful appropriation of national property. 
 He, indeed, while holding the same general views respecting 
 the proper province of civil rulers, and deprecating any direct 
 or official support to religious objects, considered the ground 
 of his application sufficiently national and unsectarian to per- 
 mit him consistently to make this application ; but whether 
 right or wrong in these opinions, he had abundant reason for 
 concluding that the refusal was a result far more conducive 
 than any other could have been to his important design. In 
 a very short time, he found how little he required government 
 aid, and with what confidence he might rely upon the volun- 
 tary offerings of the friends of Christ and missions ; and an 
 additional cause for rejoicing was, that the means to which 
 he was thus shut up, enabled him to attain his object, not 
 only without offence, but so as to heighten the interest of the 
 religious public in the enterprise for which he was preparing, 
 and to draw forth the warmest sympathies and fervent suppli- 
 cations, no less than the generous support, of a large number 
 of the British Israel. 
 
 The sanction of the Directors, most prudently withheld 
 from Mr. Williams's previous attempt, was now cordially 
 given to an " Appeal for the Purchase of a Missionary Ship ;" 
 a paper dated December 27, 1827, signed by the Secretaries, 
 and speedily circulated through different parts of the country. 
 Indeed, many of them headed the subscription list, which in 
 a short time amounted to nearly <£1500, and satisfied Mr. 
 Williams that he had every thing to hope from the large- 
 hearted and open-handed friends of Christian missions. The 
 " Appeal" from the Society was accompanied with another 
 from himself; but, not satisfied with the pen and the post, he 
 put forth all his personal energy ; and with the ardor which 
 inspired him whenever he was preparing for a great mis- 
 sionary enterprise, he preached, and pleaded, and travelled, 
 until, in a very short time, a sufficient sum was secured to 
 justify the purchase of a ship. While making inquiries on 
 the subject, a letter from G. F. Angas, Esq., directed his 
 attention to " The Camden," as in all respects suited to his 
 purpose, and, after a careful investigation, she was purchased 
 for .£1600 ; a sum, however, which did not exceed the half 
 of what was required for her repairs and outfit. But, al- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 329 
 
 though the requisite amount had not yet been raised, Mr. 
 Williams felt that he had no reason to shrink from pecuniary 
 responsibility. Through various channels, contributions were 
 poured into his lap, and numerous invitations were received 
 to preach for this special object. Seldom, since the collec- 
 tions were made for the poor saints in Judea, has the spirit 
 of Christian liberality been shown more promptly. Of this, 
 the reader may judge from the subjoined communications. 
 " You will be pleased," Mr. Williams writes to Mr. Arundel, 
 " to hear that I obtained at Manchester £400, and might 
 have had twice that sum had I required it." To the author, 
 writing from London, Feb. 19, he adds, " My visits to Liver- 
 pool, Manchester, and Birmingham, were most interesting 
 and productive. One gentleman at Birmingham, an entire 
 stranger to me, brought to me £100, and said that, if I 
 required two or even three hundred, it should be readily 
 given. It was a delightful illustration of the blessed influ- 
 ence which the Narrative is exerting in the country. The 
 ship is a most beautiful model. She will cost altogether 
 about £2600 ; and I am happy to tell you that I have about 
 £2400 already contributed. Thus God has graciously ex- 
 ceeded our expectations. I should like very much that you 
 should come up and see the Camden. I will most gladly 
 pay the expenses of the journey. I shall be proud to do it. 
 You must come." 
 
 The letter from which the preceding passages are extracted 
 contains some other particulars of interest, which occurred at 
 this period, and may be suitably inserted in this place. 
 
 " I should have answered your letter immediately on receiving it, 
 had I been able to obtain a single half hour for the purpose, but J 
 certainly never was more fully employed in my life than I have been 
 for the last month or six weeks. 
 
 " You are aware of my interview with Earl Fitzwilliam, but you 
 are not probably acquainted with all the interesting particulars. Mr. 
 Cooper, the Earl's head gardener, was originally a missionary in the 
 Duff when she was captured. He still retains his consistency as a 
 Christian and a dissenter, and maintains his love to the missionary 
 cause. Mr. Cooper came to Chatsworth, when John was staying 
 there, and Mr. Paxton said to him, ' Allow me to introduce to you an 
 interesting young friend, Mr. John Willjams.' * Ah,' replied the old 
 gentleman, * I have just been reading an interesting book written by 
 a Mr. Williams of the South Seas,' and he then proceeded to tell 
 them about the building of the ship, &c. John and Mr. Paxton were, 
 of course, much amused ; and, observing this, he asked the cause. 
 * Why,' said Mr. Paxton, 'this is his son.' The old gentleman was 
 
 28* 
 
330 LIFE OF THE 
 
 much delighted, and in a few days sent me a box of seeds, and a letter 
 requesting me to write him a note, if it were but two lines. I imme- 
 diately sent him a copy of the Enterprises, and recollecting your 
 naming Earl Fitzwilliam, I thought it would be an excellent oppor- 
 tunity of sending to him. I did so ; and, at the expiration of a week 
 or two, 1 received the following letter.* 
 
 *' To the questions of his lordship 1 replied in a letter of eight 
 -closely written pages of foolscap paper ; and, about a fortnight after 
 this, I received a note from his lordship requesting me to call upon 
 him at Halkin Street. I did so, and, after three hours' interesting 
 conversation, in the course of which his lordship sent for Lord Mor- 
 peth, and several times expressed his delight, he desired me to call at 
 his bankers, where he had empowered me to receive £300, half of 
 which was for the ship, and the other half to be equally divided be- 
 tween the London, Church, and Wesleyan Missionary Societies. 
 
 " At this interview, hearing that I was going again to Chatsworth, 
 he requested me to visit Wentworth House. I did this. It is a 
 noble mansion ; but unfortunately the family was from home. I 
 therefore stayed but a short time, during which 1 received every pos- 
 sible attention from the steward, &c. From Wentworth, accom- 
 panied by Mrs. Williams, I went to Chatsworth. His grace shewed 
 us every possible respect. To show you the excellent feeling of the 
 Duke, I will mention an incident. 1 wrote to say that Mrs. Williams 
 and I were coming. My letter arrived on the Tuesday, and we were 
 expected on the Thursday. On the receipt of my letter, the Duke 
 said to Mr. Paxton, ' Send to London immediately to John, and let 
 him meet his father and mother here. The surprise will afford them 
 delight.' On Mr. Paxton's saying that there was not time, he ex- 
 pressed his regret. He has purchased a very handsome gold watch 
 for John. Thus God has honored us. 
 
 " I do not now regret the detention which I have experienced. 
 Not only has it brought me into contact with the members of govern- 
 ment and with noblemen, whom otherwise I should not have known, 
 but it is amply compensated by my obtaining Capt. Morgan's ser- 
 vices. This is a delightful circumstance." 
 
 And it was in Mr. Williams's esteem as providential as it 
 was unexpected and gratifying. For many years, this most 
 excellent man had been known and esteemed by the South 
 Sea missionaries for his devoted piety. His vessel was called 
 by the natives " the praying ship ;" and both by them and 
 their teachers, her arrival was always hailed with gladness. 
 As characteristic of the man, it may be mentioned that, on 
 one occasion, while in England, and when about to return to 
 the South Seas, he proposed to his officers and crew to raise 
 a sum, with which to purchase useful articles, which they 
 might present to the missionaries, as a token of their esteem ; 
 and <£30 were contributed for this purpose. Frequently, 
 
 *Vide Missionary's Farewell. 
 
REV 
 
 WILLIAMS. 331 
 
 after the Camden had been purchased, Mr. Williams had 
 said that, of all the men he knew, he should prefer Captain 
 Morgan, as her commander. And the feeling was mutual ; 
 for that valuable officer, having heard in the South Seas that 
 a missionary ship was in contemplation, wrote from thence 
 to offer his services, if circumstances would permit of the 
 engagement. But nothing appeared more improbable when 
 this letter arrived, as the Camden was then purchased, and 
 he did not expect to be at liberty in less than two years. 
 Shut out therefore from all hope in this quarter, Mr. Williams 
 had opened a communication with another captain, and the 
 engagement was nearly closed, when, at the beginning of a 
 week in February, he went to visit Sir Culling Smith, intend- 
 ing to return on the following Thursday, at which time he 
 had engaged to give the applicant a final answer. The 
 urgency of Sir Culling' s kindness, however, detained him at 
 Bedwell another day ; and that morning's post brought a letter 
 from his son, with this unexpected announcement — " Capt. 
 Morgan has just arrived, having been wrecked on the north 
 coast of New Holland ! He is willing to take the Camden." 
 Mutual joy filled their hearts, when, on returning to London, 
 Mr. Williams and Captain Morgan met. The arrangements 
 were immediately made, and frequently did both these hon- 
 ored men refer to the circumstances now narrated, as signal 
 evidence of the Divine regard. The pious captain subse- 
 quently assured the writer, and he said it with marked emo- 
 tion, that he deemed his command of the Camden the highest 
 honor and the greatest privilege which God could have con- 
 ferred upon him. 
 
 From this time until his departure, Mr. Williams became 
 more than ever an object of interest. Demonstrations of af- 
 fection for his person, and of sympathy with his design, were 
 spontaneously presented by numerous individuals of the 
 higher classes. But, gratifying as these were, the number 
 of anonymous " friends" to his noble enterprise, whose kind 
 letters, with their enclosures, or accompanying presents, sup- 
 plied practical proof that they were what they had designated 
 themselves, proved still more gratifying. Yet of all who 
 contributed to the missionary ship, or who discovered their 
 interest in the man whom it was destined to convey, no class 
 ministered more to his enjoyment at this period than the 
 poor. Amongst other instances of this, the writer remembers 
 well the lively interest with which Mr. Williams related to 
 
332 LIFE OF THE 
 
 him the following simple incident. Not long before his 
 departure, he had been attending a public meeting a few 
 miles from town ; and being obliged to return that night, 
 a fly had been ordered to take him home. As the journey 
 was rather long for so late an hour, he intended to have given 
 the owner of the vehicle some extra remuneration. But to 
 his great surprise, when he alighted at his door and inquired 
 the fare, the poor man replied, — " O Sir, I shall take nothing 
 from you. I have been to the meeting to-night and heard 
 you speak, and I think it an honor to have had you in my 
 fly." Most gratifying, however, as this was, Mr. Williams 
 would by no means consent to deprive the driver of his well- 
 earned reward ; and he, therefore, pressed him to receive 
 payment. But it was in vain. When the money was held 
 out, he fell back ; and, as Mr. Williams followed him, still 
 holding his purse, to escape any further importunity, he 
 sprung upon his box, and, again saying that he had been 
 well paid by what he heard, he smacked his whip, and drove 
 off, leaving Mr. Williams standing near his house, smiling 
 but almost disposed to weep, at this delightful evidence that 
 " the common people heard him gladly." 
 
 It would be invidious and unjust to make selections from 
 the numerous liberal contributers to the expedition ; and to 
 insert them all is impossible. But no act of kindness, and 
 no sum subscribed, impressed Mr. Williams more deeply, or 
 awakened livelier gratitude, than the generous conduct of J. 
 Fletcher, Esq., the ship-builder, by whom the Camden was 
 repaired ; and who, instead of charging about .£400, the 
 amount justly due to him, sent a letter to say that he felt 
 much pleasure in giving it all to the cause of the Redeemer. 
 
 But Mr. Williams's appeal was not confined to the ship 
 merely, nor directed only to those who felt a religious inter- 
 est in the South Sea mission. Knowing as he did that the 
 labors of himself and his brethen had proved most beneficial 
 to the commerce of this country, and believing that, if the 
 facts which established this position were but fairly presented 
 before them, many British merchants and ship-owners would 
 readily range themselves amongst the friends of evangeliza- 
 tion, he fowarded to several influential firms in the metropo- 
 lis a copy of the Enterprises, and an application for their aid. 
 But while he considered that Christian missions had a claim 
 upon all who were interested in our foreign trade, he was con- 
 vinced that he could appeal, with irresistible force, to the 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 333 
 
 South Sea merchants, whose ships and property, formerly so 
 exposed, had been rendered secure by missionary labors. To 
 this class, therefore, he addressed himself; and, aided by one 
 of their own body, several handsome donations rewarded the 
 effort, which Mr. Williams valued, not so much for their own 
 sake, as for the evidence they supplied that new and favora- 
 ble feelings had been awakened towards his great object in 
 many not previously known as its supporters. Had his stay 
 in England been protracted, he would have pursued this 
 course much farther ; and judging from his early essays, it 
 was his firm belief that numerous bodies of efficient friends 
 might thus be won over to the sacred cause, while new shafts 
 might be sunk into veins and beds of precious ore, which no 
 effort had hitherto been made to reach, but from whence im- 
 mense treasures might be raised, and ample resources made 
 available for the work of the Lord. 
 
 But of all the efforts which Mr. Williams made beyond 
 the ordinary and beaten track of missionary advocacy, the 
 boldest and most memorable was his petition to the Cor- 
 poration of London, which, had the opportunity been afforded, 
 he would have followed up by similar applications to the lead- 
 ing municipal bodies of Great Britain. But while all were 
 constrained to admire the man, who in such a case nobly ad- 
 ventured upon a course so novel, the propriety of the step, 
 like that of his appeal to the government for a ship, was not 
 so universally acknowledged as the purity of his motives, and 
 the excellence of his aim. It was considered by not a few, 
 that this application rested upon unsound principles, and 
 could not be granted without the misappropriation of corpo- 
 rate property. But of this Mr. Williams was not convinced. 
 While as strongly as any he disapproved of the abstraction of 
 public funds from the particular objects and general interests 
 which they were exclusively designed to promote, he con- 
 tended that these very purposes had been secured by missions, 
 and would be advanced still farther by the expedition upon 
 which he was embarking ; while, moreover, he maintained 
 that the secular benefits thus conferred upon a commercial 
 community, were sufficiently distinct from the spiritual, to 
 permit the trustees of public money to assist a missionary en- 
 terprise such as he contemplated, not only without diverting 
 a fraction from its acknowledged design, but so as to secure 
 that design more directly and extensively than could have 
 been done by any different appropriation. How far he judg- 
 
334 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 ed correctly in this case, will perhaps continue to be, as it was 
 at the time, a point of doubtful disputation. If he erred, he 
 did so under the strong conviction that his course did not 
 compromise his own consistency, or deviate from the strict 
 line of social equity and Christian law. Had he suspected 
 this, he would have instantly foregone all possible advantages, 
 which could only be purchased at so costly a sacrifice. 
 
 This application was made on the 15th of March, 1838, in 
 the usual form of a petition to the aldermen and common 
 council ; and Mr. Williams appeared at the Guildhall in its 
 support. The scene was one of singular interest. It was a 
 new conjunction in the moral world. Bodies, which had un- 
 til that day moved in orbits so widely apart as missionaries 
 and municipals, were thus brought together ; and for the first 
 time an attempt was made to demonstrate that at different 
 points they crossed each other's track, and throughout their 
 whole course exerted a mutual and mighty influence. And 
 whether sympathizing with his design or not, no one could 
 have seen the Missionary on that memorable day, standing 
 up before the assembled representatives of the most enlight- 
 ened, opulent, and powerful city beneath the sun, and heard 
 him demonstrate the position that merchandize and missions, 
 commerce and Christianity, sustained to each other the clos- 
 est and most beneficial relationship, without being affected 
 and impressed. 
 
 The writer accompanied Mr. Williams on that occasion ; 
 and, although free to confess that he did not cordially concur 
 in this important movement of his friend, it was impossible 
 for him not to feel a deep interest in the scene. The hall 
 was well filled with members of the court of aldermen and of 
 common council, and the truth of a remark in one of the 
 daily papers, that " a great deal of interest was excited in the 
 court by a petition from the Rev. J. Williams, and by the 
 presence of that gentleman," was evident from the numerous 
 spectators who had been attracted to the spot by the novelty 
 of the occasion. Prior, however, to the reading of Mr. Wil- 
 liams's petition, another was presented from certain inhabi- 
 tants of some unimportant street, bitterly complaining of 
 grievances, and earnestly imploring their redress ; and it was 
 supported by a speaker who, if voice and magniloquence 
 could have moved the municipals, would have carried his 
 point by storm. But whether the assembled representatives 
 were indifferent to the state of the narrow thoroughfare, or 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 335 
 
 were unable to appreciate the mighty eloquence of the mod- 
 ern Tertullus who pleaded before them, cannot be determined ; 
 but certainly, during his harangue, the court presented an 
 appearance not the most orderly or dignified for a deliberative 
 assembly. But nothing could have been more striking than 
 the change which came over them as soon as Mr. Williams 
 commenced his address. The storm was instantly hushed. 
 Confusion gave place to perfect stillness and general atten- 
 tion. A few sentences only had fallen from his lips, when 
 all present seemed impressed by the simple dignity of his de- 
 meanor, and the important facts which he was advancing. 
 Throughout his speech, every eye appeared to be turned to- 
 wards him, and nothing interrupted the general silence, but 
 the loud cheers with which his narratives and appeals were 
 received. No man in that hall ever commanded a more re- 
 spectful hearing ; and the expressions of interest, and the 
 smile of approbation upon the countenances of his auditors, 
 indicated the power with which he spoke. It was certainly 
 a proud position, and a marked triumph for the humble Mis- 
 sionary. 
 
 His petition, and the speech which supported it, presented 
 no features that will be new to the readers of his Missionary 
 Enterprises. It will therefore, be needless to insert them on 
 these pages, and only requisite to add that he commenced 
 both by a general reference to the effect of his previous labors, 
 and to the fact that a ship had been purchased to convey 
 similar blessings, with those already conferred upon many is- 
 lands, to the still unenlightened groups of Polynesia ; and 
 then argued that, as the civilization of their inhabitants would 
 entail immense advantages upon them, and indirectly upon 
 the country by whose benevolent agencies it had been secured, 
 the court might consistently testify its approbation of this be- 
 nevolent expedition by contributing to its support. This 
 prayer Mr. W. sustained by showing in detail the advantages 
 thus accruing to British commerce, to geographical know- 
 ledge, and to the shipping interests. 
 
 At the conclusion of this appeal, it was proposed, amidst 
 the loud cheers of the court, that the petition be referred 
 (the usual course) to' the coal, corn, and finance committee; 
 and the motion was supported by the speeches of several 
 members of the common hall in very strong terms of eulogy 
 and approval. It was now evident that the impression made 
 was most favorable ; and that, though not in form, in reality, 
 
336 LIFE OF THE 
 
 Mr. Williams's object was gained. This appeared not merely 
 from the manner in which those who favored it were cheered, 
 but from the decided disapprobation with which one common 
 councilman was heard, who opposed the motion ; and, when 
 the Lord Mayor submitted the motion, it was carried by an 
 immense majority, and its adoption followed by a loud burst 
 of applause. It may be added, as an interesting indication of 
 the interest which Mr. Williams had awakened, that, during 
 the debate, three donations from unknown members of the 
 corporation were placed in his hand. The subsequent pro- 
 ceedings of the corporation will appear from the following ex- 
 tract of a letter from Mr. W. to a friend. 
 
 " I met the committee yesterday ; and, after having been inter- 
 rogated about an hour, I was requested to withdraw, and, in about 
 five minutes afterwards, was recalled to the committee room ; when 
 the chairman rose, and said that he had the high gratification to in- 
 form me that the committee had resolved unanimously to recommend 
 to the court that five hundred pounds should be given to the great 
 expedition upon which I am embarking ! But the money is as no- 
 thing compared with the interest that has been created, and the infor- 
 mation that has been communicated. Many, who scarcely before had 
 heard of missions, have thus been interested in a high degree. So 
 greatly has God prospered this novel undertaking ! Some of my 
 friends smiled at the idea of my going to the court of common council 
 to plead the cause of missions ; but 1 felt that, if it did no good, it 
 could not possibly do any harm, and that, if no pecuniary aid were 
 obtained, it would give me an opportunity of imparting important 
 information. But God has exceeded all my anticipations, and I trust 
 that his gracious blessing will still rest upon us." 
 
 This munificent grant raised the contributions to nearly 
 ,£4000 ; and being now relieved from every pecuniary bur- 
 den, Mr. Williams was free to prepare for his departure. 
 And all circumstances seemed to cheer him onward. Every 
 object for which he had visited his native land had been fully 
 realized ; he had been honored and successful beyond his 
 most sanguine anticipations; and difficulties which, at one 
 period, appeared, like heavy and threatening clouds, to be 
 gathering in the distance, had been swept away, and left his 
 path bright with the evidences of Divine approbation. This 
 was remarkably the case in reference to his beloved partner. 
 Her shattered constitution seemed for a time to present an 
 almost insuperable objection to her return to a climate, in 
 which she despaired of ever being enabled to resume the 
 work wherein she once delighted. Most anxious as she was 
 to cherish the holy zeal, and aid the noble efforts of her hon- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 337 
 
 ored husband, the painful mementos of her past toils and 
 trials, the distressing effects of which she daily experienced, 
 naturally induced both of them to dread another similar 
 ordeal. And these consequences of the past were unhappily 
 increased by the injurious prescription of a medical tyro, 
 which left Mrs. Williams in a state of greater unfitness for 
 the voyage, than when she first reached this country. It 
 need not be added that this apparently untoward circum- 
 stance often filled Mr. Williams with anxious feelings, and 
 created no little perplexity. But, as often as his thoughts 
 troubled him, he stayed himself upon God, and conceived 
 that, if He designed that he should again go forth to the 
 heathen, his way would be made plain. And so it was. 
 A very short time before it became necessary for him to form 
 his final decision, and most unexpectedly to all their friends, 
 the health of Mrs. Williams returned, and with it the energy 
 of her mind. At once the dread of revisiting the warmer 
 climate from which she had so long suffered departed, and 
 she began to anticipate with pleasure what had previously 
 filled her with dismay. She herself contemplated the change 
 in her feelings with surprise; and often mentioned it as 
 an evidence of the Divine favor, and an indication of 
 the course of duty. Mr. Williams regarded it in the same 
 light, and " assuredly gathering that the Lord had now 
 called him" to go forth to this service, " he thanked God and 
 took courage." 
 
 These feelings were fostered by the proofs of Christian 
 love and liberality which he was now continually receiving. 
 Letters, poetry, and presents were poured in upon him from 
 many warm hearts and generous hands ; and scarcely was 
 the Camden repaired, when she was stored with presents 
 of provisions and luxuries, such as rarely fall to the lot of 
 those " who go down to the sea in ships." The kind people 
 appeared to be determined that, whatever privations the mis- 
 sion families might endure after reaching the scenes of their 
 labor, they should lack no good thing by the way. And 
 many of these gifts came, not from the more affluent friends 
 of the expedition, who, like Sir Culling Smith, had liberally 
 stocked the pens and coops on the deck with some of the 
 best sheep and poultry which his estate could furnish ; but 
 from tradesmen, and individuals in the humbler walks of life, 
 who were forward in contributing to the same design. The 
 conduct of the pilot who came to solicit the privilege of gra- 
 29 
 
338 LIFE OF THE 
 
 tuitously conducting the Camden out of port, (the regular 
 charge for which was from £20 to c£25,) and of a pious 
 man who obtained his living by supplying ships with fil- 
 tered water, and who, after carrying off twenty tons to the 
 Camden, refused all remuneration, saying, "I know what 
 this ship is going for, and I too will have the pleasure of 
 giving a cup of cold water," greatly interested and affected 
 Mr. Williams. 
 
 To enhance his happiness at this time, his eldest son was 
 united in marriage to Miss Caroline Nichols, daughter of Mr. 
 Nichols, of Linton ; a connexion which was as gratifying to 
 Mr. Williams, as it has proved conducive to the happiness 
 of his son, and beneficial to the natives of Samoa. 
 
 Anxious to give the numerous contributors to the Camden 
 an opportunity of inspecting her, she was open to visitors for 
 several days prior to the 9th of April, when she left the West 
 India Docks, and was towed down the river to Gravesend, 
 where she awaited the arrival of her precious freight. But 
 more important arrangements had been made to render the 
 parting scene at once improving and delightful. On the 
 evening of the 4th of April, a public valedictory service was 
 held at the Tabernacle, Moorfields, which, for interest and 
 impressiveness, has been rarely surpassed. Long before the 
 doors were opened, many had anxiously gathered around 
 them ; and at an early hour, a dense mass thronged the capa- 
 cious sanctuary ; a spot endeared to the church by many 
 sacred associations, and especially to the beloved Missionary, 
 upon whom the interest of that service was concentrated, as 
 the scene of his spiritual renovation. At six o'clock, William 
 Bateman, Esq., president of the board of Directors, took the 
 chair ; and, after Kelly's beautiful hymn, — " Who are those 
 that go with gladness?" had been sung, and prayer pre- 
 sented by the Rev. Dr. J. P. Smith, addresses were delivered 
 by the Rev. W. Ellis, Rev. J. Clayton, and the Rev. J. Camp- 
 bell, minister of the congregation, who, in his own name and 
 in that of his flock, presented several valuable books to Mr. 
 and Mrs. Williams, as the expression of their regard ; when 
 Mr. Williams publicly bade the Society and Christian friends 
 present a solemn farewell. Singing, and prayer offered by 
 the Rev. George Clayton, closed this impressive service. 
 
 To the wise determination of securing a full and accurate 
 report of this meeting, the public are indebted for the inte- 
 resting little volume, entitled, " The Missionary's Farewell ;" 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 339 
 
 and this work has obtained so wide a circulation, as to pre- 
 clude the necessity of a more extended notice here of a scene 
 which it so graphically describes. All, therefore, that will 
 be done is to extract from its pages a few sentences from 
 Mr. Williams's last words, as indicative of the state of mind 
 in which he contemplated the duties and the perils of his 
 adventurous voyage. 
 
 " I am fully aware of the dangers to which we shall be exposed' 
 The people at some islands which we purpose visiting are particularly 
 savage. But we recollect how we have been preserved ; we recollect 
 the gracious declaration that the arm of the Lord is not shortened, 
 that it cannot save, neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear Thus 
 encouraged, we shall go forward ; should God in his providence so 
 arrange it that we fall in the conflict, there is still a sweet consolation 
 to the mind." Having referred to a celebrated actor, who assigned 
 as his reason for retiring from his public performance, that he felt that 
 there must be a gap between the stage and death, Mr. Williams 
 added, — " Now the missionary wants no gap between his work and 
 his death ; therefore, should God call us to suffer in his cause, we 
 trust that we shall have grace to bow with submission to his will, 
 knowing that others will be raised up in his providence to carry into 
 effect that work which we have been employed to commence. * * 
 
 " I should like to speak with all Christian modesty. Whatever 
 infirmity may cleave to us, — and there is infirmity cleaving to human 
 purposes and undertakings of every kind, — yet I do sincerely hope 
 and trust that the eye is single, that the motive is simple, and that 
 the only desire is, to go and carry the glad tidings of salvation to 
 those who are destroyed for lack of knowledge. 
 
 " My dear friends, 1 am fully aware of the feelings of which my 
 brethren and myself are conscious at the present moment. We know 
 how to appreciate the endearments of civilized society ; we know how 
 to appreciate the entwinings of affectionate relatives ; and we know 
 that we are tearing away all the sympathies which bind heart to 
 heart. We have gazed upon it all; we have taken it into consid- 
 eration. I have looked at the violent storms to which we may be 
 exposed, at the ferocity of the savages among whom we are going ; 
 and having viewed it all, I have just placed the object in view in the 
 opposite scale, and fixing the eye of the mind intently upon the 
 greatness and sublimity of that, I trust I can say in the face of all 
 difficulties and dangers — ' None of these things move me, neither count 
 I my life dear unto myself so that I may finish my course with joy, 
 and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the 
 Gospel of the grace of God.' " 
 
 On the Sabbath evening, April 8th, Mr. Williams and 
 several of the brethren about to accompany him, united with 
 the church at Barbican Chapel in the celebration of the 
 Lord's death , and, on the following day, at a full meeting 
 of the board of the Society, they were once more commended 
 
340 LIFE OF THE 
 
 to the care and blessing of God. These were seasons of 
 solemn interest to the mind of Mr. Williams. Deeply did he 
 feel his need of such frequent and fervent petitions. An 
 unusual weight of responsibility was placed upon him by 
 God's providence; and, tremblingly alive to the importance 
 of his position, he valued, at no ordinary sum, the supplica- 
 tions of the saints. But, during these last days of his sojourn 
 in England, Mr. Williams was called to pass through other 
 scenes more tender and trying than those now described. 
 In again leaving his native land, he was about to separate 
 from many, for whose persons he cherished the warmest 
 affection, and from whose society no motives save those 
 which religion inspires, would have severed him. Amongst 
 these were his sisters, whose sorrows at the prospect of re- 
 newed separation from a brother so beloved, could not fail to 
 awaken corresponding emotions in him. But by far the most 
 painful trial through which he had to pass, was to sever him- 
 self from his son, whose cries and tears filled the father's 
 heart with distress, such as parents only can appreciate or 
 understand. 
 
 The 11th of April, 1838, was selected as the day of their 
 departure ; and both as a public testimony of regard to their 
 honored Missionary, and for the gratification of numerous 
 friends of Mr. and Mrs. Williams and of their associates, the 
 Directors engaged the City of Canterbury steamer to convey 
 them to the Camden. Tickets were issued for four hundred, 
 and admirable arrangements made for their comfort. Long 
 before the hour of departure, the wharves and eastern parapet 
 of London bridge were thronged with spectators attracted to 
 the spot by the interest of that hour, and anxious to catch a 
 parting glance of the beloved Missionary. But while these 
 preparations were being made, Mr. Williams was passing 
 through a far different scene, and was compelled to endure 
 no ordinary degree of sorrow. Surrounded by friends to 
 whom he was most tenderly attached, it required no common 
 measure of self-control to enable him to read the 46th Psalm, 
 and, while interrupted by the heavy sighs and frequent sobs 
 of those in whose sorrows he so fully shared and sympathized, 
 to commend himself and them to the favor and protection 
 of the Lord. No sooner, however, had his feelings found 
 free vent in tears and supplications, and he found himself 
 released from the fond embraces of his beloved relatives, than 
 his spirit resumed its wonted cheerfulness, and, on arriving 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 341 
 
 at the spot where so many were waiting to receive and honor 
 him, his countenance was again lit up with animation, and 
 his mind recovered its natural tone. Nor could he well feel 
 otherwise than happy at such a scene, though it was a season 
 of separation, and, in some of its aspects, an occasion of sor- 
 row. The morning was one of the brightest of early spring ; 
 everything above and around was adapted to produce delight j 
 and, on reaching the vessel, the plaudits from those on board, 
 and a still greater number on shore, carried with them such 
 an assurance of love and confidence, as might well neutralize 
 the pang of separation, and awaken the warmest sentiments 
 of gratitude and joy. And Mr. Williams was fully aware 
 that many of the select company, by which he was now 
 greeted, were the excellent of the earth, whose esteem and 
 approbation it was amongst his highest privileges to enjoy. 
 Rarely before had an individual attracted towards himself 
 such an amount of Christian love, sacred sympathy, and 
 intense interest. 
 
 Many incidents imparted additional animation to the part- 
 ing scene. At the suggestion of some friends, as soon as the 
 steamer began to move, Mr. Williams ascended a platform, 
 and signified to those on shore that he duly estimated the 
 feelings which had brought them to that spot. In an instant, 
 the waving of hands and handkerchiefs, accompanied with 
 some audible cheers, but by still more general signs of sor- 
 row which were not to be concealed, indicated the sincerity 
 with which the gathered multitude said, — " Fare thee well ;" 
 and, at the same moment, many on board were dissolved in 
 tears at the affecting spectacle. But sadness was not the 
 leading feature of that separation. Few seemed disposed to 
 look gloomily upon a scene so bright ; and, perhaps, not one 
 permitted the dark suspicion to depress their spirit, "that 
 they should see his face no more." Had the tragic issue 
 of the enterprise thus happily commenced been but dimly 
 discerned ; had coming events cast their shadow before them, 
 the gladness of that day would have been turned into mourn- 
 ing. But this was graciously concealed. To the eye of 
 hope, the future was as bright as the present ; not a cloud 
 darkened the horizon,' and all seemed to anticipate the day 
 when they would hear of fresh triumphs which he would be 
 honored to win for the truth and grace of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 While the steamer was pursuing her course down the 
 river, and in accordance with a previous arrangement, Mr. 
 29* 
 
342 LIFE OF THE 
 
 and Mrs. Williams occupied a part of the vessel where each 
 of the friends on board could exchange with them some part- 
 ing expressions of Christian regard ; and it required no com- 
 mon strength to enable them to bear the warm pressure of the 
 hand, and the fervent benedictions of the lips, often accom- 
 panied by tears and looks which indicated the sorrow and 
 esteem felt at separation, from so many attached friends. 
 But during all this time, their parental feelings were sub- 
 jected to a trial far more severe than any other to which they 
 were called, by the presence of the son from whom they were 
 to be severed, and whose grief was so poignant and irrepres- 
 sible, and created such emotions in those present, that all 
 appeared to desire, both for the sake of the child and his 
 parents, that the hour of departure had passed. And on this 
 account it was to many a relief, when the announcement 
 was made that Gravesend was in sight, and that the Camden 
 was descried. 
 
 But while the thoughts and affections of the majority pre- 
 sent were chiefly centred upon Mr. and Mrs. Williams, others 
 on board shared in their sympathies and regard. Their eldest 
 son, Mr. John Williams, Jun., and his devoted partner, were 
 going forth on the same embassy, and with corresponding 
 objects, although not in connexion with the Society. The 
 other brethren and sisters, sixteen in number, were destined 
 for the following posts of labor. Mr. and Mrs. Charter for 
 Raiatea, Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph, and 
 Mr. Johnson for Tahiti ; Mr. and Mrs. Gill, and Mr. and 
 Mrs. Royle, for Rarotonga; Mr. and Mrs. Day, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Stair, for Samoa; and Mr. Thompson for the Mar- 
 quesas. 
 
 Shortly after the City of Canterbury came alongside the 
 Camden, and the missionaries had separated themselves from 
 their friends, all on board the two vessels united in a devo- 
 tional service, which the Rev. J. Arundel commenced by 
 reading a hymn* composed by Master E. R. Conder, for the 
 occasion. Those who were in the Camden felt most fully 
 the tenderness of the scene at this moment. All there were 
 oppressed with sorrow or sympathy ; and scarcely a head was 
 raised or an eye tearless, while the sweet and touching strains 
 of" Shirland" conveyed " o'er the waters soft and clear" the 
 language of love and devotion. Then, as in the days of Ezra, 
 
 * Vide Missionary's Farewell, p. 119. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 343 
 
 " many wept with a loud voice ; and many shouted aloud for 
 joy." At the conclusion of the hymn, the Rev. T. Jackson, 
 of Stock well, the oldest director of the Society present, of- 
 fered an appropriate prayer to " the God of the sea and of the 
 dry land ;" after which the Rev. Dr. Fletcher gave out the 
 psalm, " From all that dwell below the skies," &c, with 
 which the service was closed. The Camden then unfurled 
 her sails ; and the wind being fair, she commenced her dis- 
 tant and important voyage. The City of Canterbury accom- 
 panied her for a few miles ; and the expressions of affection 
 were, during this time, repeatedly exchanged by those on 
 board each vessel, nor did they cease after they had parted, 
 until persons could not be distinguished in the distance, and 
 the farewell signals no longer discerned. 
 
 p' Of IHR 
 
 
344 LIFE OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 FROM MR. WILLIAMS'S SECOND DEPARTURE FROM 
 ENGLAND UNTIL HIS DEATH. 
 
 Design of the Voyage now commenced — With what Feelings Con- 
 templated by Mr. Williams — Cheerful Sail down the Channel — 
 Detention at Dartmouth — Farewell to England — Occupations dur- 
 ing the Voyage — Christian Fellowship — A Funeral at Sea — Cross- 
 ing the Line — Arrival at the Cape of Good Hope — Mr. Williams's 
 Services and Success at Cape Town — Gratifying Reception at 
 Sydney — Interest Awakened — Kindness and Liberality of the 
 Friends of Missions — Interesting Intercourse and Important Infor- 
 mation — Public Embarkation for the Islands — Unexpected Meet- 
 ing — Arrival at Tutuila — Early Visitors — Estimate of Christianity 
 by the Converted Samoans — Fulfilment of Native Prophecy — 
 Intercourse with Amoamo — Scene at Leone — Delightful Voyage 
 along the Coast of Upolu — Incidents at Apia — Mr. Williams's 
 Engagements — His Estimate of the Samoan Mission — Illustra- 
 tions — Labors of the Missionaries — Tribute to Capt. Morgan — • 
 Death of Rev. J. Barnden — Mr. Williams Resolves to Remain at 
 Upolu — Remarkable Selection of a Place of Residence — Reasons 
 of his Choice — Gratitude and Joy of the Natives — Removal of Pro- 
 perty — Erection of Dwelling-House — Surprise and Jealousy of the 
 Heathen — Calamities Averted by the Influence of his Name — 
 Employment — Magic Lantern — Visit to Rarotonga — Reception — 
 Makea — Distribution of the New Testament — The Chief's House — 
 Preparations for Commencing a College — Unexpected Detention — 
 Mr. Williams at Tahiti — Conduct of the French — Visits to Eimeo, 
 Huahine, Raiatea, Borabora, Mauke, and Atiu — Large Accession to 
 the Church — Merciful Deliverance — Return to Rarotonga — Anima- 
 ting Scenes — Departure for Samoa with Native Teachers — Their 
 Preparation for the Work — Visit to Aitutaki — Encouraging Inci- 
 dents at Manua — Missionary Meeting at Manono — Mr. Williams's 
 Numerous Visitors — Regulations — Results— Fears of the Heathen — 
 Singular Conversion — Formation of a Christian Church — Mr. 
 Williams's Stated Engagements — Return of the Camden — Arrival 
 of American Expedition — Preparations for Western Voyage — Last 
 Sabbath at Samoa — State of Mr. Williams's Mind — Affecting 
 Visit — The Camden Sails — Arrival at Rotumah — Intercourse with 
 the Natives — Description of the Island — Settlement of Teachers — 
 Mr. Williams's Feelings on the Voyage to the New Hebrides — 
 Favorable Reception at Fatuna-~-Last Entry in his Journal — At- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 345 
 
 tempt to Account for its Remarkable Phraseology — Arrival at 
 Tanna — Auspicious Commencement of a Mission on that Island — 
 Mr. Williams's Hopes and Fears — Landing at Erromanga — Death — 
 Reflections — The Camden Reaches Sydney — Recovery of the Re- 
 mains of Messrs. Williams and Harris — Effect of the Tidings at 
 Samoa — Native Sorrow and Sympathy — Funeral — Distress of the 
 Rarotongans — Monuments — Arrival of the Intelligence in Eng- 
 land — Manifestations of Regard and Sorrow — Brief Sketch of Mr. 
 Williams's Character — Recollections and Impressions of the Rev. 
 W. Ellis — Conclusion. 
 
 Eighteen years had passed since Mr. Williams formed the 
 first conception of that important embassy upon which he 
 had now embarked. If the reader will turn to the notices of 
 his reluctant residence at Sydney in 1822, he will find there 
 its outline sketched by his own pen. And every page of 
 his subsequent history shows that this was not a mere brilliant 
 illusion, originating in youthful ardor and unreflecting zeal, 
 which delay and disappointment would moderate, if not de- 
 stroy ; but a project wisely formed, and well founded upon 
 calculations which experience would confirm, and principles 
 which time would only mature. Already in the successes of 
 former years, his " patient continuance in well doing " had 
 wrought for him a large reward ; and no man had ever more 
 reason than he to " rejoice in his own works ; but these pre- 
 vious conquests from the enemy were in his esteem little 
 more than the outworks of a mighty citadel, which he burned 
 with ardor to enter and overthrow. Not, indeed, that he ex- 
 pected by the voyage now commenced to accomplish all that 
 was in his heart. He went primarily to survey the field and 
 prepare the way for future laborers, and obtain an entrance, 
 not for the missionaries of a single society, but of every insti- 
 tution willing to take its part in the evangelization of Poly- 
 nesia ; and had his life been spared and his design accom- 
 plished, every Christian body in Britain would have been in- 
 vited to enter the field and gather the fruits of his noble en- 
 terprise. 
 
 It will not be supposed that in undertaking a voyage so 
 onerous and hazardous, Mr. Williams was a stranger to anx- 
 ious thought and painful forebodings. Although sustained 
 by faith in God, by the results of former and similar labors, 
 by the full conviction that he sincerely desired and designed 
 to do the will and spread the glory of his Divine Master, and 
 by the assurance that the effectual fervent prayers of many 
 righteous would follow him through his adventurous course, 
 
346 LIFE OF THE 
 
 he was nevertheless weighed down, at times, by an oppres- 
 sive sense of the responsibility of his position. These feel- 
 ings, however, were but passing clouds, which shaded a path 
 usually bright, and neither his piety nor his natural tempera- 
 ment permitted him long to walk in darkness. This was 
 very apparent soon after the painful hour of separation had 
 passed, and the Camden with her canvass filled was pursuing 
 her course. From that time his spirit rose with elastic en- 
 ergy, and retained its buoyancy during the progress down the 
 Channel. This will appear from the following extracts. 
 
 " Five o'clock, April 12. 1 hasten to inform you that we are now 
 leaving Deal. A boat-load of kind friends has just come off to bid us 
 farewell. Last night we anchored about fifteen miles beyond Mar- 
 gate, and after we had met together in the large cabin for worship, the 
 men held another meeting for prayer amongst themselves, and we 
 were all delighted with the pious feivor which breathed in their sup- 
 plications, and were surprised at the appropriateness and fluency with 
 which one of them expressed himself." " We are gliding down the 
 Channel most delightfully with a fine breeze and a smooth sea. The 
 bleeting of the sheep, the quacking of the ducks, the crowing of the 
 cocks, and the singing of John's canaries, make us think that we are 
 still on shore, though 1 cannot persuade our sea-sick folks that such 
 is the case. The vessel is the most perfect we could have obtained. 
 There is a prospect of great happiness on board." " Off the Isle of 
 Wight, April 13, 1838. Our vessel is gliding splendidly past every 
 ship she sees, even those double her size. The weather is beautiful, 
 and the wind veering round just as we require it. I hope, my dear 
 sisters, that you will be so entirely reconciled as to rejoice in our depar- 
 ture. You see the hand of God ; you see the blessing of Goa ; you know 
 it to be the cause of God. The captain and mates are everything we 
 could wish. Most of the crew, we hope, are decidedly pious." 
 
 These pleasing circumstances exerted a delightful influ- 
 ence upon Mr. Williams's mind, and throughout the first 
 three days of the voyage his spirits were unusually high. His 
 admiration of the Camden was unbounded, and he entered 
 with all the ardor of a racer into every trial of her qualities 
 with the various vessels pursuing the same course, and watch- 
 ed her progress with undisguised delight as she neared some 
 that were ahead, or distanced others that were astern. Thus 
 prosperously did they pursue their voyage until Saturday 
 night, when a heavy and contrary wind compelled the captain 
 to seek shelter in Dartmouth roads. It was Sabbath after- 
 noon when they came to anchor, and Mr. Williams immedi- 
 ately landed and preached for Rev. Mr. Stenner, who with 
 his hospitable flock manifested the utmost delight at this un- 
 
REV 
 
 WILLIAMS. 347 
 
 expected apparition, and most cordially opened their hearts 
 and houses to all the missionaries. " The friends at Dart- 
 mouth," writes Mr. Williams, " have loaded us with kind- 
 ness," and those friends will not soon forget the public meet- 
 ing on the Monday, and the valedictory service on the Wed- 
 nesday evenings, during which their beloved visitor was de- 
 tained amongst them. The wind having become fair, early 
 on the morning of the 19th of April, the Camden again weigh- 
 ed anchor, and at six o'clock, p. m. Mr. Williams looked for 
 the last time upon the dim shores of his native land. 
 
 As soon as the brethren had sufficiently recovered from the 
 effects of a first essay upon the unstable billows, plans were 
 formed for the profitable employment of their time, and it was 
 agreed that every day at ten and two o'clock they should 
 meet Mr. Williams for instruction in the Tahitian and Raro- 
 tongan. Shortly after this, on the 3rd of May, the missiona- 
 ries, the captain, mates, and other members of the ship's com- 
 pany, altogether twenty-six persons, formed themselves into a 
 Christian church, and on the following Sabbath evening uni- 
 ted in commemorating the Lord's death. This was a season 
 of peculiar interest to the brethren, and it was rendered 
 deeply solemn by the circumstance, that death had that day 
 removed from their midst a poor Marquesan whom they were 
 conveying to his native shores. 
 
 On the following morning, the last melancholy duty of 
 committing the body to the deep was performed, and none 
 but those who have witnessed the scene, can fully realize the 
 solemnity of a funeral at sea. " At half past ten," writes Mr. 
 Gill to his brother, " we all were assembled on deck, and the 
 service commenced by singing the hymn, ' Oft as the bell 
 with solemn toll,' etc., (the ship bell had been tolling for the 
 previous quarter of an hour,) Mr. Williams gave an address, 
 after which the remains of the poor Marquesan were com- 
 mitted to the deep, until the sea, with the solid ground, shall 
 at the voice of the archangel give up its dead. We were all 
 deeply affected." 
 
 On the following Thursday they crossed the line ; but in- 
 stead of the follies usually practised by seamen when making 
 this transit, the day was dedicated to devotion. All the crew 
 were released from labor, and " at eleven o'clock," writes 
 Mr. Gill, " we met on deck, when Mr. Williams gave us a 
 most excellent address from Psalm cvii. 23, 24." The evening 
 was set apart for special thanksgiving and prayer. From 
 
343 LIFE OF THE 
 
 this time nothing occurred to diversify the daily engagements 
 of the missionary band until the fourth of June, when they 
 spoke with an American whaler, by which Mr. Williams 
 wrote a hurried note to his sister, Mrs. Kuck, in which he 
 says — " We are now in lat. 25 south, 30 west longitude, hav- 
 ing had a most delightful run of six weeks, and we hope to be 
 at the Cape in two or three more. We are all very happy." 
 
 On the first of July, the Camden entered Simon's Bay. 
 " As soon as we had cast anchor," writes Mr. Gill, " the lieu- 
 tenant of a ship of war lying here came off to us, to make 
 sundry inquiries. When the captain told him that our cargo 
 was missionaries and Bibles, he smiled, and evidently could 
 not understand it. As soon as convenient, we unitedly 
 bowed ourselves before the throne of our God to acknowledge 
 the goodness and mercy which had so signally followed us." 
 Mr. Williams landed with some of the brethren, and as it was 
 the Sabbath, he readily accepted an invitation to proclaim in 
 the Wesley an chapel, and for the first time on African shores, 
 the same glorious truths which he was conveying to Polynesia. 
 But his engagements during his stay at the Cape, with other 
 particulars of interest, will be best conveyed in his own lan- 
 guage. The following extract is from a letter to the author, 
 dated July 14, 1838 :— 
 
 " You will be gratified to learn that, after a most delightful passage 
 often weeks from Dartmouth, during the whole of which we did not 
 experience a storm and enjoyed every comfort, we safely reached this 
 place. On our way we sighted Madeira, and had a splendid view of 
 TenerifFe. We sailed close by it, and the scene would have enchant- 
 ed you. The Peak is the summit of one stupendous mountain of 
 which the island consists, and is occasionally enveloped in clouds. 
 It was so when we glided by it ; but as the wind was strong and the 
 weather clear, we saw it to great advantage. It was first surrounded 
 by a belt of clouds, above which it towered a considerable height, and 
 this beautiful appearance was presented several times, as one mass of 
 clouds were dispersed and another succeeded them. I have been 
 busily employed on the voyage, in teaching my brethren the language, 
 in writing, in Tahitian, the history of some of the martyrs, etc." To 
 another friend and his sisters, he adds other particulars of the voyage 
 and its termination : — " Most of the sailors being pious, we did not 
 hear an oath from one of them throughout the passage, and instead 
 of songs, they amuse themselves with singing hymns. Our captain 
 is an eminently pious man, and does all in his power to make his pas- 
 sengers happy. Dear Mary never suffered so little on any voyage as 
 on this, and Willy has been as happy as possible. His mother gives 
 him a good mark for his lessons, and with the money thus obtained 
 he bought an omnibus with ' Baker, Whitechapel, Mile End,' upon 
 it. 1 can assure you that this being almost the first article we set our 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 349 
 
 eyes upon in Cape Town, it brought Bedford Square and Denmark 
 Street so vividly to our minds, that the tear of affection was standing 
 in the eye before we were sensible of it. Scarcely a day passes but 
 we think of you all, and speak of you all with unabated love. * * Af- 
 ter reaching Simon's Bay, I had to travel about twenty-two miles to 
 Cape Town. For fourteen miles this road is pretty good, but the 
 other part is across bays and sands from which horses and vehicles 
 have sometimes to be dug out. At one place you reach an extensive 
 sandy plain covered with heath, where there stands a small public- 
 house with the sign of * The Gentle Shepherd of Salisbury Plain,' 
 and the odd fellow who keeps it has placed on the sign-board two 
 verses as odd as himself, which begin thus : — 
 
 " ' Multum in parvo. Pro bono publico ; 
 
 Entertainment for man and beast all of a row.' " 
 
 " At Cape Town," Mr. Williams writes to the Rev. W. Ellis, 
 " I was most kindly welcomed by that long-tried and invaluable ser- 
 vant of the Society, Dr. Philip, and his devoted wife. In the evening 
 of the same day, I gave an address at the missionary prayer meeting, 
 where I was introduced to Messrs. James Backhouse and George 
 Walker, two excellent gentlemen of the Society of Friends, who 
 have been upon a religious visit to New South Wales, &c. and have 
 been, we think, the instrument of very much good. On the follow- 
 ing day I hired wagons drawn by eight horses each to bring the party 
 from Simon's Town. On Wednesday evening, we held a Tempe- 
 rance Meeting, which was numerously attended, and at which con- 
 siderable interest was excited in reference to our missions. On 
 Sabbath evening I preached to a very crowded audience ; Dr. Philip 
 having addressed to us a most excellent discourse in the morning. 
 During the week, I visited many of the infant schools, and was 
 exceedingly delighted ; but solely grieved that no one of our number 
 knew a system so admirably adapted to the present circumstances 
 of the South Sea Missions. I was therefore most anxious to obtain a 
 teacher, but Dr. Philip thought there was little prospect of success, 
 and we were about to relinquish the hope, when, on Monday morn- 
 ing, one of the most efficient masters in Cape Town came and offered 
 his services. I consulted with Dr. Philip and my brethren, who con- 
 sidered that I should engage him, and 1 have done so for five years. 
 His name is Mr. Ebenezer Buchanan." " The Cape Town friends," 
 Mr. W. adds to the author, " have expressed so lively an interest in 
 the introduction of this invaluable system into the islands, that they 
 have contributed £100 to provide the necessary apparatus, and cover 
 the expenses of conveying Mr. and Mrs. B. to their destination. 
 Two merchants went round and collected £40. At a meeting of 
 Sunday School Teachers, which was numerously attended, I men- 
 tioned the circumstance, and £10 more was contributed ; and I have 
 had colonels, captains, invalids from India, and other persons of dis- 
 tinction, call upon me to tender their donations. There is a beautiful 
 place about half-way between Simon's Bay and Cape Town, called 
 Wynberg, where many pious gentry reside, who wished me to come 
 there and hold a meeting. This I did, and they gave me £30." 
 
 This cheering reception, and the pleasure which Mr. 
 30 
 
350 LIFE OF THE 
 
 Williams derived from the society of Dr. Philip and other 
 excellent friends, would have detained him longer at the 
 Cape, had not duty constrained him to depart, which he did 
 on the 19th of July. As the wind was fair, the Camden 
 soon cleared Simon's Bay, and in a few hours was rapidly 
 pursuing her course to Sydney. 
 
 On the 10th of September, after suffering severely from a 
 gale off St. Paul's, they entered Sydney harbor, and were 
 received in a manner the most gratifying. 
 
 "On reaching Sydney," Mr. Williams writes to the Directors, 
 " our old friends Messrs. Bourne and Crook, with many others, gave 
 us a hearty welcome, and received us into their houses." Here, 
 however, he was detained much longer than he desired. But the 
 time was not lost. " I have been endeavoring," he writes, October 
 7th, " to excite interest in the missionary cause, and our first meeting 
 was held last evening. The late Colonial Secretary, Alexander 
 M'Leay, Esq., took the chair, and the place was crowded to excess 
 by a most respectable audience. No collection had been intended, as 
 the meeting was only preparatory to the formation of an auxiliary to 
 the London Missionary Society. One friend, however, rose and said 
 that he would give £50 per annum for five years ! another gave a 
 donation of £50 ; two others of £10, and four of £5 ; and this, I 
 trust, is only a commencement of the work. We are to hold another 
 meeting next Wednesday evening, when the Auxiliary is to be 
 formed ; but as neither the Independent nor Baptist chapel is large 
 enough, Dr. Lang has kindly lent us the Scotch kirk." The ad- 
 journed meeting served to deepen the impression previously made by 
 Mr. Williams's addresses. " The place," remarks Mr. Gill, " was 
 crowded to excess, and all appeared to be deeply interested in the 
 engagement. His Excellency, the Governor of New South Wales, 
 was present, and to him Mr. Williams presented a fine copy of the 
 Rarotongan Testament." Referring to these pleasing occurrences, 
 Mr. Williams thus writes to Sir Culling Eardley Smith : " The 
 efforts I have made to excite an interest here in the cause of Christ 
 among the heathen, have been greatly blessed : so much so, that an 
 efficient Australian Auxiliary has been formed, and upwards of £500 
 donations and subscriptions have been jilready received. His Excel- 
 lency the Governor, Sir G. Gipps, attended our meeting, and set 
 down his name for £20. I have had the honor of dining twice or 
 thrice with his excellency, and he takes a lively interest in the great 
 work in which I am engaged. One gentleman set down his name 
 for £50 per annum for five years. Thus is God smiling upon my 
 labors." In a letter to Mr. Snow, he adds, "The books [Missionary 
 Enterprises] we brought out are all gone ; and if we had a hundred 
 more we could have sold them." 
 
 Such success was sufficiently encouraging to Mr. Williams, but his 
 happiness, during this delightful sojourn, was much increased by the 
 intelligence brought at the same time from the South Seas. Under 
 date October 5th, he writes, " A vessel arrived from the islands yes- 
 terday, and I have this afternoon seen the captain, who gives a most 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 351 
 
 delightful account of the state of the islands, especially Rarotonga 
 and the Navigators. He states that it is of no use to take muskets 
 and powder to that group ; that nothing is demanded by the people 
 but books, missionaries, pens, ink, slates, and paper ; and that the 
 work is going on with unprecedented success. The missionaries are 
 much beloved by the people." And this testimony was confirmed by 
 Captain Bethune, of H. M. S. Conway, who had recently returned 
 from the islands ; and at the second public meeting, and in the pres- 
 ence of the governor, "he gave," writes Mr. Williams, "a most 
 delightful account of what he saw." " Here also," he adds, in a letter 
 to the author, " I met the expedition, which is going to Fort Essing- 
 ton, in New Holland, to form a new settlement. Sir Gordon Bremer 
 had the command of it, but it is ultimately to be under the command 
 of Captain M' Arthur, who is a most exemplary Christian. From all 
 the gentlemen connected with this expedition, 1 received attentions 
 and valuable information ; but especially from Captain M'Arthur, 
 who was exceedingly urgent that 1 would visit Port Essington, and 
 form a mission in the vicinity. For my encouragement, he not only 
 promised every assistance, but gave the following piece of singular, 
 encouraging, and valuable information : that in the Arafura sea, 
 which is just through Torres Straits, there is an island called Kissa, 
 where the inhabitants are all Christians, and where they have large 
 places of worship, with native schoolmasters and ministers ; that they 
 have had no intercourse with Europeans for fifty years, until lately ; 
 that they are exceedingly anxious for missionaries ; and that, as they 
 are constantly trading with New Guinea, this may afford an auspicious 
 opening to that island. Mr. Earle, a gentleman of the expedition, 
 gave me a most interesting manuscript, containing a full account 
 of the island. It appears that about seventy years ago a Dutch mis- 
 sionary labored amongst the people with great diligence, and that the 
 existing state of things is the fruit of his toil. I long to be able to 
 commence my great voyage." 
 
 But there were other circumstances of a widely different character, 
 which contributed to animate him in the prosecution of his noble 
 enterprise, especially the condition of the Australian aborigines, and 
 the proceedings of the Catholic priests. In a letter to his son Samuel, 
 dated October 20, he thus refers to the former pitiable class. " We 
 formed another society last night, which is an auxiliary to the Abo- 
 rigines Protection Society ; for the stock-keepers up the country kill 
 the poor natives most sadly. I cannot stay to give you the particu- 
 lars, but I am sorely grieved to tell you that the poor aborigines are 
 as ignorant, wretched, and degraded as they were when the English 
 first took possession of their country fifty years ago. This shows us 
 that it is not mere intercourse with civilized society that can convert 
 and elevate the heathen, but the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ." 
 " With regard to the Catholics," he writes to Mr. Snow, " you will 
 be grieved to hear that the priests are making a most desperate effort 
 to establish Popery in the islands. I have heard that a French frigate 
 is gone to the Gambier Islands with fifty priests on board. What 
 a call is this for exertion on the part of British Christians ; and how 
 ought the friends of Christ of all denominations to unite hand 
 and heart in opposing that despicable and destructive system. The 
 popish bishop confirmed about three hundred Irish convicts, last Sab- 
 bath day." 
 
352 LIFE OF THE 
 
 But however important his stay in Sydney, Mr. Williams 
 was most anxious to embark for his more distant destination, 
 and it was therefore with great joy that, on the 17th of Octo- 
 ber, the vessel for which they had been waiting entered the 
 harbor. Preparations were immediately made for proceed- 
 ing onwards to the islands; and on the following Tuesday 
 evening, (October 23,) the missionary band, in connexion 
 with three Wesley an brethren and their wives, who were 
 about to sail in another vessel for the Fijis, were publicly and 
 specially commended to the care of the Most High. " This," 
 writes Mr. Gill, " was a truly interesting service. The chapel 
 was crowded to excess. The kindness of the friends here is 
 past all description. The separation is quite a second leav- 
 ing England, and to complete it they are going to engage 
 a steamer to convey us to the Head, seven miles down the 
 stream, when we embark. This is kindness indeed." 
 
 This proposal was carried into effect on the following 
 Thursday, (October 25,) and the scene then witnessed was 
 a striking evidence of the intense interest which had been 
 awakened. The following extract from the interesting 
 journal of Mr. Gill, contains some particulars of the embar- 
 kation. 
 
 " This morning, at half past nine o'clock, crowds were collected at 
 the government jetty, where the Australian steamer was to take up 
 her passengers. At ten o'clock, she came alongside, and was soon 
 completely filled. We were detained .about an hour, during which 
 we engaged a native of Rarotonga, a lad about twelve or fourteen 
 years of age, to go on with us to the island. He appeared truly 
 pleased ; having been brought to Sydney by a merchant who told 
 him that he should get back to his island in a day or two. He cried 
 
 with joy at the anticipation of seeing his medua vaine mother. 
 
 A little after eleven o'clock we proceeded down the stream. As we 
 left the shores of Sydney, Mr. Saunders gave out the hymn, — ' Jesus 
 at thy command,' &c. At ten o'clock we came alongside of ' the 
 Letitia.' Another hymn was then sung, and Mr. M'Kenny offered 
 prayer, after which the Wesleyan brethren embarked on board the 
 Letitia, which lay about ten minutes' sail from the open sea. As we 
 were leaving them, we sang — ' Ye messengers of Christ,' &c. A 
 little before two o'clock we came alongside of the Camden. But it is 
 impossible to describe the scene which we then witnessed. I must 
 leave you to supply yourselves from your recollection of the 11th 
 of April last. As the steamer left us, the friends, as well as their 
 feelings would permit, sang the Christian's parting hymn : — 
 
 " ' Blest be the tie that binds 
 
 Our hearts in Christian love,' &c. 
 
 " After sailing round the Camden, and giving us three cheers, they 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 353 
 
 bade us farewell and returned, and in less than an hour we were 
 again at sea with a favorable wind." 
 
 No event demanding particular notice occurred until 
 November 16, when they joined company with an American 
 whaler, and enjoyed much pleasant intercourse with Captain 
 Biggs, her commander. Amongst her crew they were sur- 
 prised to find a native of Savage Island. 
 
 "The captain," writes Mr. W. to his son Samuel, " lowered his 
 boat and came alongside, bringing the savage with him. And you 
 would have been much amused, had you seen him sit and stare at the 
 missionaries' wives. Our cow was in the long boat, and we took 
 him there to see her. Immediately he got a sight of her, he sprang 
 back, set up a shout, and gazed intensely for five minutes, every now 
 and then uttering an exclamation of astonishment. It was some time 
 before I could make him understand, but at length I told him that my 
 name was Williams, when he immediately began talking about Uea 
 and Niumanga,* and informed me that Uea was killed in the war, 
 and that Niumanga was at Manua, having made his escape. I in- 
 tend to call at Manua, and take him and some teachers to Savage 
 Island ; so, my dear Sam, you must remember them and me in your 
 prayers." 
 
 " This youth," adds Mr. Gill, " was very desirous to stay, but the 
 captain would not part with him. Captain Biggs told us that the 
 native police is in efficient operation, and gave us the following illus- 
 tration. It is appointed that two policemen shall watch over every 
 sailor that lands ; and one evening fifteen sailors came on shore, and 
 went to a house where they hoped, as they termed it, to enjoy them- 
 selves; but to their great mortification, they were followed by thirty 
 policemen, who kept them in good order." 
 
 After a pleasant voyage, on the 23rd of November, they 
 came in sight of Tutuila, and on the following morning the 
 Camden entered and anchored in the sheltered and lovely 
 harbor of Pangopango. 
 
 "The scenery," observes Mr. Gill, "is beautiful beyond descrip- 
 tion. * * The natives who came on board were quite overcome with 
 surprise, when we told them that ours was a missionary ship, and 
 that we had Mr. Williams with us." "The very first man," Mr. 
 Williams writes to the author, " who stepped on board the Camden 
 was the powerful chief who killed Tamafaigna. He is still a heathen 
 and a wicked man. I talked seriously to him; but whether any 
 beneficial impression was produced, time will tell. A few minutes 
 after, four or five young men, whose appearance formed a perfect 
 contrast to that of the chief, came on board, and lifting their hats 
 from their heads, saluted me very respectfully by saying, in the na- 
 
 * The two natives taken on board the Messenger of Peace. Vide 
 Missionary Enterprises, p. 296. 
 
 30* 
 
354 LIFE OF THE 
 
 tive language, ' Good indeed are God's arrangements. He has heard 
 our prayers, and brought you back at last.' They proved to be mem- 
 bers of the recently formed church, and during our stay we were de- 
 lighted with the piety of their conduct. Presently Moana, the chief 
 of the Marquesas, came alongside. You may recollect him. He was 
 in England, and came out with the brethren in the Dunottar Castle. 
 At length, Mr. Murray came. He is very tall, and thin, and pale ; 
 we were all distressed at seeing him. But he informed us that he 
 was in tolerably good health. He and his brethren, we found, had 
 endured great privations, but he spoke of them as a true missionary 
 of Jesus Christ, who had learned 'to endure hardships as a good 
 soldier.' As soon as he came, all hands were called aft, and we 
 joined on our quarter deck, with one heart and one soul, in presenting 
 our united praises to God for his gracious and protecting goodness. 
 On going on shore, we found most of the people professing Christians. 
 They appeared to be exceedingly kind to Mr. and Mrs. Murray. We 
 were present at their usual Friday meeting, when several excellent 
 speeches were delivered by the natives, who congratulated themselves 
 and thanked God on our safe arrival. Most of the brethren said a few 
 words, which were interpreted by Mr. Murray. On Sabbath, we 
 united with the infant church in the ordinance of the Lord's supper. 
 They are all interesting characters. The place is romantic and beau- 
 tiful in the extreme ; and a settlement might be formed here which 
 would not be surpassed in the whole Pacific Ocean." 
 
 During the meeting on Friday, referred to by Mr. Williams, " I was 
 much affected," writes Mr. Gill, " by the conduct of one of the wives 
 of a native teacher from Rarotonga. As soon as Mr. W. told her who 
 of our number were for our land, she took firm hold of Mrs. Royle's 
 hand and Elizabeth's in one of her own, and in the other held Mr. 
 R.'s and mine, and welcomed us with an expression of great affec- 
 tion. On the following day, we were all summoned to a meeting 
 of the chiefs, who had a good supply of pigs and fruit to present to 
 us. After we had received the presents, with a speech from the prin- 
 cipal chief, Mr. W. told them that he would give them something in 
 return, but immediately he and his attendants exclaimed against it, 
 saying, — ' The introduction of the Light of the Gospel is more than a 
 compensation.' " After several natives had made their " little 
 speeches," a very old chief arose, and said that many years ago a 
 chief in a neighboring village delivered this prophecy — " That the 
 worship of the spirits would cease throughout Samoa, — that a great 
 white chief would come from beyond the distant horizon, who would 
 overthrow their religion, and that all this would happen very shortly 
 after his death." " That old man," he added, " died just before the 
 lotu was brought to our land," and then turning from the assembly, 
 fixing his eyes intently upon Mr. Williams, and pointing to him as he 
 sat in their midst, he said, in a most expressive tone, — " See ! the 
 prophecy is fulfilled. This is the great white chief who was to come 
 from beyond the distant horizon ; this is he who has overturned the 
 worship of the spirits ! " He then proceeded to show how completely 
 the prediction had been verified, and concluded with an earnest 
 exhortation to all to embrace the word of God. 
 
 "On Monday morning," Mr. Williams proceeds, " we sailed for 
 Leone, which is about sixteen miles from Pangopango. Here I 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 355 
 
 recognized, and pointed out to my brethren, the place where our boat 
 lay to on her oars at our former visit ; the trees under which the 
 Christians sat, and Amoamo, the chief who waded into the water, and 
 who, I am truly happy to say, is, 1 believe, a decided Christian." 
 
 Shortly after their arrival, Amoamo came on board the 
 Camden, and during his short stay, Mr. Williams showed to 
 him the plate which represented the scene at his first visit. 
 On seeing it, his astonishment was excessive. For some time, 
 he stood motionless as a statue gazing upon the picture with 
 a look of incredulity, and then lifting up his hands, he broke 
 forth into the exclamation, " Yes ! it is so truly. That is 
 I myself; there are my people," and for a considerable time, 
 did nothing but express his admiration of the picture, and 
 of those wonderful papalangis who could represent on paper 
 things which their eyes had never beheld. 
 
 " Poor Barnden," writes Mr. W., " was much attached to him, and 
 his kindness to the missionary was great and unvarying. When it 
 was determined that Mr. B. should remove for a season to assist in 
 putting up the press, &c, the poor chief's heart seemed ready to 
 burst; he cried for days like a child." "Poor fellow," writes Mr. 
 Gill, " I shall never forget him. Mr. W. endeavored to comfort him 
 by the assurance that he should have another missionary in a few 
 months, but he refused to be comforted, saying, — ' You promised me 
 a missionary when we were heathens, and now we have had him 
 a little while, and have cast off heathenism, what can we do without 
 him ? Shall we go back again to darkness ? ' " 
 
 At a short distance from the landing-place, and on the site of the 
 little original chapel, there stood a half-finished house of prayer 100 
 feet long. " A class of feelings scarcely describable," writes Mr. 
 Williams, " rushed into my mind at the sight of this large chapel, 
 capable of containing 1500 people, and finding the entire population 
 under instruction." As soon as the missionary party landed, they 
 were unexpectedly invited to a dinner in native style, consisting of a 
 pig baked whole. " We sat down on the stones," writes Mr. Gill, 
 " and each took a leaf as a substitute for a plate, and ate as much as 
 we pleased, but none seemed to relish it so much as Mr. Williams." 
 
 " Having taken Mr. Barnden on board," Mr. W. proceeds, " we 
 steered for Apia, the harbor in Upolu, where Mr. Mills is stationed ; 
 and as we sailed along the coast of that noble island, at a distance 
 of every few miles we recognized large places of worship, white as 
 snow, smiling a welcome to us through the dark rich foliage in which 
 they were embowered. , We entered the harbor at eight o'clock, and 
 soon received a hearty welcome from Mr. Mills." "We were soon 
 surrounded by natives," adds Mr. Gill, " who were rejoiced at being 
 told that ours was a lotu pae, a religious ship, and that we had brought 
 Mr. Williams." 
 
 "Messengers," Mr. Williams proceeds, "were immediately sent to 
 convene missionaries, chiefs, and native teachers, and in the mean- 
 
356 LIFE OF THE 
 
 time I obtained the use of a large house, and with the assistance of 
 some of my brethren, set to work, and divided it into apartments to 
 accommodate the missionaries on shore while the Camden was un- 
 loading. In about a week, those who were summoned assembled, 
 and a great meeting was held, at which the stations of the three 
 brethren were fixed. Mr. Stair, the printer, is settled at Falelatai, 
 the settlement of the interesting young chief spoken of in the Narra- 
 tive, (page 451,) called Riromaiava. He is now a powerful preacher. 
 Mr. Heath calls him the Whitefield of Samoa." Amongst other 
 arrangements, it was agreed that Mr. Macdonald should remove from 
 his station to another, where his labors were most urgently required ; 
 but not a native would render the slightest assistance in conveying 
 his goods to the Camden, and the reason they assigned was that it 
 should never be said they helped a missionary to leave them." 
 
 While the brethren were being located at their respective 
 stations, Mr. Williams improved the season by holding inter- 
 course with the natives, and in making observations upon 
 their spiritual condition. His estimate, with some of the 
 incidents which marked this portion of his history, will be 
 found in the following extracts. 
 
 " I must now tell you something about the state of the mission. 
 And in the first place, the numbers who have renounced heathenism 
 are very great. It is supposed that the whole group contains a popu- 
 lation of sixty or seventy thousand, and of these about fifty thousand 
 are under instruction. The desire for missionaries is intense and uni- 
 versal. Chiefs from all quarters came, some one hundred others two 
 hundred miles, and pleaded with us in the most urgent manner, and, 
 if we had had twenty instead of three, all would have been readily 
 disposed of. Your heart would have ached, had you seen the down- 
 cast dejected looks of those who were unsuccessful. Since my 
 arrival, I have attended the opening of three or four places of wor- 
 ship, each of which will contain from twelve to eighteen hundred 
 persons, and there are eight or ten of these places in Upolu, besides 
 other smaller ones. The natives have got into a method of killing an 
 immense number of pigs when they open their chapels. At one 
 place there were seven hundred killed; and at another, where the 
 population did not exceed sixteen hundred, they slaughtered thirteen 
 hundred and seventy ! We hope shortly to improve upon this sys- 
 tem, and to induce them to save their pigs to buy clothes. The en- 
 tire cessation of their sanguinary wars is another interesting feature 
 of their condition. When Matetau, a chief mentioned in the Mis- 
 sionary Enterprises, became really converted,* he called together his 
 friends and relations ; and having a large stock of muskets, clubs, 
 &c, he distributed them all, not reserving even one for himself; and 
 then holding up the Gospel of Matthew, he said to them, — » This is 
 the only weapon with which 1 will ever fight again.' He had been 
 a great warrior. The multitude who can read would surprise you. 
 
 * He is now a deacon of a Christian church. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 357 
 
 The Tahitians made very great progress, and were rapid in acquiring 
 the art of reading ; but the Samoans far surpass them. It is but a 
 few years ago that this language was unwritten, and now the Gospel 
 of St. Matthew is translated, and many elementary works are in print, 
 thousands of which are in the hands of the people, and they read 
 them with fluency and interest. At most of the houses in the island, 
 family prayer is conducted, and at the dawn of day, you are awoke 
 by the voice of prayer and praise. A short time since, Mrs. Mills 
 went into the house of her servants one evening, and found them 
 sitting in the dark. Inquiring why they did so, they replied that 
 they had but a small portion of oil, and as they did not know when 
 they should get any more, they sat in the dark that they might use 
 their oil at family prayer, and be able to read the Scriptures." 
 
 "To give you an idea of the extent of the brethren's labors," Mr. 
 W. writes to the Directors, " I would just describe Mr. Heath's station. 
 Besides Manono, he has to superintend twelve or fourteen thousand 
 people scattered in villages along a line of coast of seventy miles in 
 length ; and the other brethren have stations of equal extent, and 
 having no horses, they are compelled to walk a great deal, which is 
 wearing them out fast. 1 have much pleasure in stating my convic- 
 tion that a band of more devoted, laborious, and talented missionaries, 
 is rarely to be met with. * * Of our truly beloved and excellent cap- 
 tain, I cannot speak in too high terms. He has gained the affections 
 of every one on board. As a man he is mild, amiable, and obliging 
 in the extreme ; as a captain he is the most skilful of any with whom 
 1 ever sailed. In danger, he is calm and collected, prudent but deci- 
 sive ; and as a navigator, although he has not enjoyed the advantages 
 of a good education, he is so correct, that we have not been out a 
 mile in our reckoning in making any land since we left England. 
 As a Christian, he is ' a holy man of God.' " 
 
 The scene which surrounded Mr. Williams at Samoa, 
 could not fail to awaken in his heart peculiar emotions. 
 Here he beheld, with gratitude, wonder, and delight, the 
 blessed results of his former labors, and reaped the large 
 reward of those two voyages of Christian beneficence, by 
 which he laid the broad and deep foundation of the noble 
 superstructure now rising up before him. But amidst his 
 exultation, and only five weeks after their arrival, the mission 
 was deprived of one of its most efficient laborers, the Rev. 
 J. Barnden, who was drowned while bathing. The loss in 
 such circumstances was severely felt by the missionaries, all 
 of whom justly and highly esteemed their devoted brother, 
 but no one suffered more severely than Mr. Williams. " We 
 all loved him much," he writes, " he was an invaluable mis- 
 sionary." It devolved upon Mr. Williams to take a principal 
 part at the funeral of this excellent man. The event deeply 
 impressed him at the time ; so deeply that, on returning to 
 his own house, his emotions overcame him, and he said to 
 
358 
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 his family, with a solemnity almost prophetic, — " 1, perhaps, 
 shall be the next." 
 
 Mr. Williams's primary intention was to have obtained 
 a residence for his beloved partner, amidst their numerous 
 and attached friends at Rarotoriga, and during his western 
 voyage to have made that island his head-quarters. But the 
 state of society at Samoa, the conviction that his occasional 
 visits there would be more productive than at any other 
 group, the urgency of the missionaries and their nocks, and 
 the desire of Mrs. Williams to dwell amongst a people so 
 prepared of the Lord, induced him to make Upolu his future 
 home. In addition to these motives, Mr. Williams writes 
 that " the chiefs and inhabitants of a large district came to 
 my son, and begged of him to dwell with them, promising to 
 render him every assistance in their power. Considering it 
 an eligible situation for promoting his objects, and a place 
 presenting a wide scope for missionary labors, we determined 
 upon taking up our abode there." In a letter to his son 
 Samuel he has supplied other most interesting particulars 
 of this movement : — 
 
 " But I think I hear you say," he writes, " what about my mother ? 
 Where is she ? Tell me something about her. She is at Fasetootai, 
 and John and Carry are with her. The people of that district were 
 conquered during the late war, and were all driven from their lands ; 
 but since the introduction of Christianity, they have been allowed to 
 return to their respective villages. The people came and begged so 
 hard, and pleaded so forcibly, that your dear mother was moved with 
 compassion for them, and agreed to go and settle thare. The young 
 chiefs are two as fine men as any you ever saw, and referring to the 
 benefits of Christianity, one of them said, — ' Had it not been for the 
 Gospel, we should never again have set one foot upon the land of our 
 fathers. But now, here we are, and we can dry our beautiful mats 
 in the sun without fearing the hands of the plunderer ; we can plant 
 our food without being afraid of having it forcibly taken from us ; and 
 we can lie down and sleep in peace at night without dreading the 
 murderous club of the warrior. Oh ! what a good thing the religion 
 of Jesus Christ is !' Tears were in his eyes while he spoke, and he 
 could scarcely give utterance to his words. And then he added — 
 1 We only want one thing more, and that is that a missionary would 
 come and live amongst us ; and if you would come, we should never 
 cease rejoicing.' All the women too came to your dear mother and 
 Carry, and the chiefs went to John. Thinking that, upon the whole, 
 it was a suitable place for all our purposes, we consented ; and the 
 people were so delighted that they put up a house sixty feet long and 
 thirty wide for us in one day ! The district is a very remarkable one. 
 At the back of our house is the large mountain which was in flames 
 when I first came. (Missionary Enterprises, p. 333.) A few paces 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 359 
 
 from the house are the large black patches where the fires were 
 kindled in which the bodies of the victims were burnt; and a short 
 distance farther, is the spot where Tamafaigna was killed ; so that 
 the situation is invested with much interest. There are 3000 or 4000 
 people in the district, whose instruction will afford to your dear 
 mother and Carry plenty of employment." 
 
 Prior to this, Mr. Williams's temporary home was at Apia, 
 nor did he contemplate a removal to Fasetootai, until, in their 
 way to a more distant part of Upolu, he and his family called 
 at this settlement. It was during this short sojourn of a few 
 hours that their future residence was fixed. But it was 
 rather fixed for them than by them. The importunity of the 
 people, and the eligibility of their district, had indeed favor- 
 ably disposed Mr. W. towards the locality, and without giving 
 his assent, he merely intimated as much to the beseeching 
 chiefs and clamorous crowd who followed him. But this 
 was a sufficient warrant for them, and without awaiting a 
 more definite reply, and acting upon the conviction that 
 delays are dangerous, as soon as he had given them a word 
 of encouragement, about five hundred natives started for 
 Apia, a distance of twenty miles; and although without 
 authority, they had no sooner reached the spot, than they 
 sought out and seized every package upon which they saw 
 the letter a W;" and having satisfied themselves that they 
 possessed all, without waiting for refreshment or rest, they 
 began their retreat in Samoan style, which is always in single 
 file, and thus forming a lengthened train along the shore, 
 they pursued their course shouting, laughing, and when the 
 burden was not too heavy to prevent it, jumping and dancing 
 with delight. Songs also were composed for the occasion, 
 the chorus of which was : — 
 
 " Williamu is coming, is coming, is coming. 
 He is bringing the lotu to Fasetootai." 
 
 It is an interesting supplement to this incident that, although 
 the property was distributed through several villages, and in 
 scores of houses, and the temptation to dishonesty was pecu- 
 liarly strong, not a solitary article was stolen. 
 
 The scene witnessed on the day of the erection of the mis- 
 sion premises, was not less characteristic than that exhibited 
 during the removal from Apia. The house consisted of sev- 
 eral rooms, and was built according to a plan of Mr. Williams. 
 Every native capable of rendering assistance on this occasion 
 most cheerfully did so ; all acting under the direction of their 
 
360 LIFE OF THE 
 
 chiefs. Some were in the mountains felling the trees, and 
 lopping off their branches ; others were laboriously digging 
 holes for the main pillars of the house, or fixing them in their 
 proper positions ; and another large band was appointed to 
 bring the trees, from which nothing but the branches had 
 been removed, and some of which were very large, to the 
 spot where they were required. These masses of timber 
 were carried upon the shoulders of the natives, about two 
 hundred being assigned to each tree ; and while these were 
 staggering under their burden, another native, selected on ac- 
 count of his agility, and the readiness with which he com- 
 posed songs and music suitable to the occasion, acted as mas- 
 ter of the ceremonies, and did his utmost to strengthen and 
 stimulate his brethren. At one time he would dart before 
 them, or wheel round the log shouting as he ran ; and at 
 another he would leap upon it, and dance along between the 
 heads and shoulders of the bearers ; and, while in this eleva- 
 ted position, commence a solo, of which the following is a 
 sample ; — 
 
 " This log is for the house of our teacher — Williamu. 
 He the good word has brought to our land. 
 He is coming to live at Fasetootai." 
 
 And instantly as the last line was uttered, it was caught up 
 and repeated in chorus several times by the whole band at 
 the highest pitch of their voices. Nor was the singing con- 
 fined to a single company. All the different parties had their 
 fugleman, and at every stage of their work, some new stanza 
 would be composed and sung in celebration of their own 
 achievements, or of their missionary's arrival. 
 
 But the joy of these natives was not unalloyed. As soon 
 as it was known that Mr. Williams had fixed his abode in the 
 conquered district of Ana, and amongst its vanquished in- 
 habitants, it awakened almost universal surprise. How so 
 great a man as he could deign to dwell with this subdued and 
 despised people was a mystery which few could fathom. And 
 some did not scruple to tell him, that they deemed his choice 
 no proof of his discernment, and derogatory to his dignity. 
 But for all this Mr. Williams was prepared ; for he knew well 
 the contempt and contumely with which the vanquished were 
 commonly treated by their victors. This, indeed, had been 
 suffered with more than ordinary severity by the brave but 
 now beaten people at Ana ; and as their subjection had been 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 361 
 
 dearly purchased by the combined forces of the othc dis- 
 tricts, in revenge, their settlement had been given up as a 
 prey to all. Hence, if a party were passing either by land or 
 by sea, they would almost invariably levy contributions upon 
 this oppressed people, who well knew that resistance would 
 only bring destruction. To such grievous injustice were 
 they continually subjected from their heathen fellow-country- 
 men, many of whom delighted to add insult to injury, that 
 even the children of the conquerors would enter the district, 
 and command the chiefs to climb the cocoa-nut trees, procure 
 them food, or perform other servile offices ; and it was at 
 their peril that they disobeyed these imperious urchins. 
 Christianity, indeed, had, prior to Mr. Williams's residence, 
 partially thrown her shield over them, and greatly improved 
 their circumstances ; but still a contemptuous feeling was 
 widely prevalent, ewspecially amongst the heathen. But their 
 depressed position, only supplied an additional inducement to 
 Mr. Williams to settle amongst them ; and he was well aware 
 that such a decision would create surprise. Had the evil 
 consequences, however, ended here, they would have been 
 comparatively harmless. But, unhappily, some heathen chiefs, 
 moved with envy, burning with vengeance, and resolved to 
 humble this favored people, during Mr. W.'s temporary ab- 
 sence, made a descent, with many hundreds of their warriors, 
 upon the settlement. Mercifully for the people, whose de- 
 struction otherwise appeared to have been inevitable, Mr. 
 John Williams heard that a fleet of war canoes, crowded 
 with armed men, was approaching the shore, and, hastening 
 to the beach, arrived there just as their prows grounded. For 
 a considerable time, the infuriated chieftain rejected his pa- 
 cific persuasives, and said to him, " Young gentleman, son of 
 Williamu, if it was not you, you would be dead in a moment ;" 
 but after much effort, the sturdy warrior began to relent, and 
 at length consented to abandon his design, " because the son 
 of Williamu had interceded for the people." 
 
 Shortly afterwards, another party landed, and according to 
 the custom, demanded food ; but the people, deeming them- 
 selves now delivered from subjection by the residence of the 
 missionary, refused to ' supply it, and the requisitionists de- 
 parted empty. Incensed, however, at this disappointment, 
 they resolved to take vengeance on their return ; but this de- 
 sign also was frustrated by a similar intervention. Mr. John 
 Williams met them, just as they were about to lay waste 
 31 
 
362 LIFE OF THE 
 
 some of the villages of the settlement ; and on hearing who 
 he was, they said that they loved the name he bore too much 
 to oppose his wishes, and allowed him to conduct them 
 through the settlement, and back to their canoes in peace. 
 
 Mr. Williams's stay at Samoa was much longer than he 
 had proposed ; and although anxious to visit Rarotonga and 
 other islands, he had deferred his departure in expectation of 
 the arrival of a vessel, which was bringing the goods of the 
 missionaries from Sydney. The time, however, was not lost, 
 but filled up in useful visits and labors, and public discourses, 
 attendance at the schools, instruction in mechanical arts and 
 evening meetings for conversation, which were productive of 
 many good fruits. The people, grateful for the condescen- 
 sion of Mr. Williams in residing amongst them, were most 
 ready to do or learn whatever he prescribed. But there was 
 no method of instruction more popular than the magic lan- 
 tern, a powerful and perfect instrument presented to him by 
 the late Thos. Walker, Esq. ; and as the circumstances un- 
 der which it was given are characteristic of Mr. Williams, 
 they may be briefly described. While on a visit to that ex- 
 cellent man, Mr. Walker said to him, " I want to make you 
 a present : what shall it be ? " Thanking him for the kind 
 intention, Mr. Williams replied, that as the Romish priests 
 were on their way to the islands with electrifying machines, 
 and other philosophical apparatus, by which they expected to 
 impress the natives with their preternatural power, he thought 
 he might legitimately, if it were necessary, turn their wea- 
 pons against themselves ; and as he intended, on the voyage, 
 to translate Fox's Martyrology, he should like to illustrate it 
 by the magic lantern. The idea pleased Mr. Walker, who 
 procured for him a large instrument, and in addition to nu- 
 merous other slides on Scripture, English, and natural history, 
 ordered a series to be well executed from the best plates in 
 the Martyrologist's work representing the tortures and deaths 
 of the faithful confessors of Protestant Christianity. The 
 following reference, in a letter to his son, will show the use 
 which Mr. Williams made of this valuable present, with the 
 results. " I may here inform you of the prodigious interest 
 the exhibition of the magic lantern produces. At the natural 
 history slides they are delighted ; the kings of England af- 
 forded them still greater pleasure ; but the Scripture pieces 
 are those which exc te the deepest interest. The first time 
 I exhibited it, was at Mr. Murray's station ; and then the 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 363 
 
 birth of Christ, Simeon taking the Saviour in his arms, and 
 the flight into Egypt, indeed, all that had a reference to the 
 Saviour, excited prodigious interest ; but when the plate of 
 the crucifixion was exhibited, there was a general sobbing, 
 their feelings were overcome, and they gave vent to them in 
 tears. This is a very valuable present, and I shall ever feel 
 obliged to good Mr. Walker for it." 
 
 While waiting for the Elizabeth from Sydney, Mr. Wil- 
 liams returned with Mr. Murray to Tutuila. " I determined 
 also," he writes, " to go to Manua, as that people were at war, 
 and had sent to say that, if I would visit them, they would 
 make peace and embrace the Gospel. But a heavy gale of 
 wind prevented me from reaching it." At length, as the ex- 
 pected vessel had not appeared, it was resolved that they 
 would wait no longer, and on the 17th of January, 1839, 
 they directed their course to Rarotonga, and on Monday, the 
 4th of February, the Camden dropped anchor off Avarua. 
 
 " As we passed Mr. Pitman's station,'' writes Mr. Gill, " we hoisted 
 our colors and fired a salute. A few natives came off in canoes, and 
 having hailed Mr. Williams and the missionary ship with feelings of 
 inexpressible delight, returned to communicate the news to their 
 friends on shore. About half an hour after, we reached Avarua. 
 Here also we fired a salute, and were soon visited by Davida, the son 
 of the chief, Makea. He is one of the largest men I have ever seen ; 
 but he says he is only a little boy compared with his father. Mr. 
 Buzacott soon came off, and it was indeed affecting to see him and 
 Mr. Williams embrace. They are much attached to each other, and 
 must of necessity meet with peculiar feelings." " We had long been 
 anxiously expecting his arrival,"' Mr. Buzacott writes to the author, 
 " and when our patience was nearly exhausted, a brig was seen oft' 
 the island with strange colors flying, and the natives immediately 
 said, — ' It is Williamu ! ' As soon as she had dropped anchor, I has- 
 tened off to welcome our beloved brother's return to a place to which 
 he ever felt so peculiarly attached. I will not attempt to describe 
 my feelings on witnessing such a cargo of missionaries and Testa- 
 ments, and especially on finding that some of them were to remain 
 and assist us in this group. As the morning was unfavorable, they 
 could not all land immediately, and therefore taking our letters from 
 dear absent friends, only Mr. W., and Messrs. Johnson, Stevens, and 
 Charter, accompanied me to the shore. By this time, the beach was 
 completely lined with natives, their countenances expressive of the 
 greatest joy, anxiously waiting to give Williamu a hearty welcome, 
 and it was a considerable time ere we could squeeze our way through 
 the crowd, who appeared very happy in again shaking hands with 
 their old friend. When he came to Makea they fondly embraced 
 each other, while Mr. Williams exclaimed, — ' O Makea, how kind 
 are God's dealings to us in sparing us thus far, and permitting us to 
 meet again.' Little did those two attached friends consider that their 
 
364 LIFE OP THE 
 
 race was so nearly run, and that they were so soon to have a far more 
 joyful meeting in their Father's kingdom. Makea died on the 19th 
 of October, and Mr. Williams was cut off on the 20th of November." 
 In a letter to a friend, written just before his own death, Mr. Williams 
 thus refers to this excellent man. " The good chief Makea is gone. 
 He was invaluable while he lived. " His influence and power, great 
 as it was, was given to God. He died most happy. I never knew 
 a chief I loved so much, or thought so highly of. He will be a great 
 loss to the mission ; but I am happy to inform you that his son David 
 is treading in his steps." 
 
 Soon after they had landed at Avarua, Mr. Pitman arrived, 
 and referring to this period, he writes, " Mr. W.'s joy in 
 again treading the shores of Rarotonga was exceedingly 
 great. He clasped us in his arms with all that brotherly 
 affection and kindness for which, you know, he was so emi- 
 nently distinguished, and he briefly related to us his great 
 labors in England ; but nothing seemed to give him greater 
 satisfaction than having been successful in obtaining a vessel 
 for the important work he had so long in contemplation. In 
 imagination, he quickly passed from island to island, and 
 from group to group ; and cherished the hope that, ere long, 
 he should see with his own eyes native or foreign agents 
 occupying them all." 
 
 Mr, Williams's first effort after landing was to get on shore 
 the five thousand Rarotongan New Testaments which he had 
 brought with him, and to obtain which the natives were 
 manifesting their anxious desire. The manner in which they 
 were received will be best described in his own words. 
 
 " I could fill my sheet with relating many delightful circumstances 
 about dear Rarotonga, the truly affectionate manner in which the 
 people welcomed me again amongst them, and how they scolded me 
 for not bringing John and Mrs. Williams. The eagerness with which 
 they received the Testaments would have cheered your heart, could 
 you have been an eye-witness of the scene. The countenance of a 
 successful applicant glistened with delight, while he held up his 
 treasure to public view; others hugged the book; many kissed it; 
 some sprang away like a dart, and did not stop till they entered their 
 own dwellings, and exhibited their treasure to their wives and chil- 
 dren ; while others jumped and capered about like persons half frantic 
 with joy. Many came with tears in their eyes, begging and beseech- 
 ing that they might have one ; and if Mr. Buzacott said, ' You cannot 
 read,' the reply was, * But my son or my daughter can, and I can 
 hear and understand them.' One woman came and said that she had 
 been doing but two things the whole of the night; the one was to 
 cry, and the other to scold her husband, because he had nothing with 
 which to pay for a Testament for her. You will recollect that none 
 are given away. Those who had money to pay for them were first 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 365 
 
 supplied, (the price was 3s.,) and in a few days nearly £20 were 
 brought into Mr. B.'s hands. The next were those who had dried 
 bananas, or nuts to pay for them; these my dear John was to pur- 
 chase at the price of a book, and find a market for them where he 
 could. The third class supplied were those on trust ; and when some 
 came whose character was such as to cause a little hesitation, their 
 appeals were pointed and affecting. ' Do let me have a Testament ; 
 do let me have the good word of God; perhaps by reading it my 
 heart may be made better.' Others who could not read, and were 
 slack in their attendance at school, would plead and promise to do 
 better. ' We did not know,' said they, ' that our eyes would ever 
 have beheld such a sight as this in Rarotonga ; we shall neither eat, 
 drink, nor sleep, if you do not give us the good word of God.' These 
 are but faint representations of never-to-be-forgotten scenes which 
 occurred at this delightful island." 
 
 Together with other brethren, Mr. Williams accepted the invita- 
 tion of Makea to occupy his house during his stay at Rarotonga, some 
 apartments in which were called by his name. This was a noble 
 building. "It may indeed," remarks Mr. Gill, "be called a South 
 Sea palace. It is two stories high, and has ten bed-rooms, and a large 
 hall." " It is fitted up," adds Mr. Williams, "with very respectable 
 sofas and chairs, beds and bedsteads, entirely of native manufacture. 
 While a guest here, every minute attention that would have been 
 shown at an inn was paid to me by the chief's wife and domestics. 
 If I left a pair of stockings, or any other article of wearing apparel, in 
 the bed-room, it was immediately washed, ironed, and placed ready 
 for me when I wanted it again. A bowl of water, soap, and towels 
 were always provided, and thinking the counterpane of my bed not 
 good enough, they made a very nice new one. I mention these 
 things to show you what progress has been made at this charming 
 island." 
 
 The first days spent by Mr. Williams at Rarotonga were 
 fully occupied in meeting with the brethren and the natives, 
 and in making arrangements for the establishment of a col- 
 lege to educate pious and intelligent young men for mis- 
 sionary work, in which, besides theological truth, they were 
 to be taught the English language and mechanical arts. 
 Over this important institution, Mr. Buzacott consented to 
 preside. Mr. W.'s intercourse with the people need not be 
 minutely described. In addition to public ministrations, he 
 visited the different stations, and excited peculiar interest by 
 his narrative of the proceedings in England, and the perse- 
 cutions at Madagascar, as well as by the exhibition of his 
 magic lantern. 
 
 " After remaining here about a week," writes Mr. Buzacott, " hav- 
 ing got through our most important business, Mr. W. and the mis- 
 sionaries intended for the Tahitian group prepared for their departure, 
 and sent their clothes on board, intending to depart on the morrow. 
 
 31* 
 
366 LIFE OF THE 
 
 During the night, however, the wind increased much, and next 
 morning no vessel was to be seen. Our friends were rather awk- 
 wardly situated, not having a change left on shore, but none more so 
 than Mr. Williams, who, in consequence of his size, could not so 
 easily be suited. He, however, made no difficulty of it ; but having 
 obtained some dungaree of Mrs. B ,-he set several of the natives to 
 work, and was soon fitted. 1 mention this to show how easily he 
 could accommodate himself to circumstances. The time of the Cam- 
 den's absence was a season of great anxiety to the ardent mind of our 
 dear brother, who, at one time, would be projecting the building of a 
 boat to visit Aitutaki or Mangaia, but was persuaded to wait awhile. At 
 length, on the 5th of March, the Camden returned, and on the fol- 
 lowing day Mr. W. departed for Tahiti." 
 
 " On arriving at Tahiti," he writes, " 1 was most cordially wel- 
 comed by missionaries and people, but everywhere the cry was, 
 ' Why have you left Mrs. Williams ? ' At a meeting of the brethren, 
 they all cordially approved of the purchase of the Camden, the 
 arrangements respecting her, the confiding her to my care, &c; in- 
 deed resolutions to this effect were passed at every station. Mr. 
 Johnson was appointed to Papara, and the queen and chiefs were 
 delighted with the prospect of having a good education imparted to 
 their children." 
 
 The only point of peculiar interest which occupied Mr. 
 Williams's attention, during his short stay at Tahiti, is stated 
 in the following extract from a letter to Mr. Kuck. 
 
 " You will doubtless see by the papers the cruel and oppressive 
 conduct of the French. A sixty-gun frigate has been sent here to 
 chastise the queen and people of Tahiti for not receiving the Roman 
 Catholic priests, and the captain demanded two thousand dollars to 
 be paid in twenty-four hours, or threatened to carry devastation and 
 death to every island in the queen's dominion ; and Mr. Pritchard, 
 assisted by some merchants here, paid the money and saved the lives 
 of the people. The French had only heard one side of the question, 
 and would not hear any statements in defence, but demanded four 
 things within the twenty-four hours — two thousand dollars, a letter 
 of apology to the French king, a salute of twenty-one guns, and the 
 hoisting of the French flag." 
 
 His long detention at Rarotonga made Mr. Williams anx- 
 ious to leave Tahiti. Writing from this island, he says, — " I 
 shall have been four months away, instead of two, and poor 
 dear Mrs. W. will be in considerable trouble about me. 
 I feel very much for her." But ere he could reach Samoa, 
 it was necessary for the Camden to call at other islands, for 
 which they had either missionaries or communications. In 
 this voyage, Mr. Williams was accompanied by his attached 
 friend and invaluable fellow laborer, Mr. Pritchard, but the 
 visits then paid were too short to enable the brethren to 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 367 
 
 accomplish much for the people. The following brief sketch 
 will embrace the leading incidents of this part of Mr. Wil- 
 liams's proceedings. The Camden left Tahiti on the 26th 
 of March, to visit the various islands of the group. At 
 Eimeo Mr. Simpson received them with great cordiality, and 
 at an early hour on the following day the people were con- 
 vened to hear from Mr. Williams an account of his engage- 
 ments in England, and the objects he expected to accomplish 
 for the inhabitants of Western Polynesia. A similar state- 
 ment was subsequently repeated at Huahine, Raiatea, Bora- 
 bora, and other islands, and in every place was heard with 
 the most lively interest. Shortly after the meeting at Eimeo, 
 the Camden sailed for Huahine, and on the following Friday, 
 (March 29,) she was towed into Fare harbor. The full moon 
 was shining at the time ; and as it was a dead calm, the 
 shore and the sea presented a scene of peculiar brilliancy, 
 and no sound but the beat of the oars broke in upon its 
 solemn stillness. On landing, Mr. Williams was warmly 
 welcomed by his valued friend and former fellow-laborer, Mr. 
 Barff, and was rejoiced to learn that the mission was pre- 
 senting many signs of temporal and spiritual prosperity. Mr. 
 Pritchard speaks of the services of the succeeding Sabbath, 
 when Mr. Williams preached in the morning, and in the 
 afternoon narrated his own recent history, as highly interest- 
 ing. On the following day, he and Mr. Barff were called to 
 the last sad offices over the infant of Mr. and Mrs. Charter, 
 which had terminated its brief existence below, on the pre- 
 vious morning. 
 
 "Next day," writes Mr. Pritchard, to whose journal the author is 
 greatly indebted, " we went to open a little chapel at Maiva, a village 
 three or four miles from Fare harbor. The spot in which this little 
 sanctuary stands, is one of deep interest. There numerous human 
 sacrifices were offered, and there they worshipped the gods which 
 their own hands had made. But their heathen temple is now con- 
 verted into a house for Jehovah, and their false deities are exchanged 
 for the only living and true God. This house of prayer stands upon 
 the margin of a beautiful lake, and is surrounded with various trees 
 of ancient growth, and of rich foliage, which were formerly sacred to 
 the gods. On our arrival, we found an immense quantity of food 
 prepared for the visitors." At the close of this service, the missionary 
 band returned to the harbor, and sailed for Raiatea, where they landed 
 at eleven o'clock on the following day. It may be readily believed 
 that the feelings of Mr. Williams were peculiar in surveying a scene 
 associated with so many pleasing and painful recollections ; and he 
 saw much there to produce sadness. Still he writes of his former 
 residence in a cheerful tone. "Raiatea," he says, "is improving. 
 
363 LIFE OF THE 
 
 Mr. Piatt's principal trouble is, that the young people do not come 
 forward to join the church, and the houses of the natives are inferior; 
 but they have been very busily occupied in building large decked 
 boats, thirty or forty of which are on the stocks and finished, which 
 may in a measure account for the state of their dwellings. One thing 
 has pleased me much, which is, that the young chiefs, formerly so 
 wild, are now steady, respectable, and devoting themselves to the 
 advancement of education and religion. This is particularly the case 
 with Tefaatau, Tamatoa, and Tapoa. Tahitoe may be added to their 
 number. Mr. Piatt has just finished his new house, and is going on 
 diligently in his work." Their stay at Raiatea was short, but fully 
 occupied. In the afternoon of the day of their arrival, the people 
 were convened and addressed by Mr. Williams ; a meeting for busi- 
 ness engaged them in the evening, and on the following morning, the 
 people of Raiatea and Tahaa met the missionaries to determine upon 
 plans for their future improvement. On Friday, they again sailed ; 
 but so hasty a stay at a spot so endeared would not have satisfied its 
 former missionary, had he not designed to repeat his visit shortly, 
 and remain much longer with the people ; a purpose, however, which 
 he did not live to perform. 
 
 " On leaving Raiatea," Mr. W. proceeds, " we sailed for Borabora, 
 which we found in a most interesting and flourishing state. Tapoa 
 is a thoroughly good chief. Here are excellent schools superintended 
 by himself. He also preaches most effective sermons. To this island 
 we conveyed Mr, and Mrs. Rogerson, and I think no missionaries 
 ever settled with brighter prospects of comfort and usefulness. The 
 people of Papara gave them up with great reluctance. I had to visit 
 them repeatedly, and to hold meetings, before they would yield." 
 At this island, the brethren remained until the following Monday ; 
 and on the Sabbath, Mr. Williams presided at the Lord's table, and 
 awakened here, as at other stations, great interest. Their next visit 
 was to Mauke, but the Camden did not reach it until the following 
 Saturday, and their stay, though interesting, was short. 
 
 When the Sabbath dawned, the voyagers found themselves off Atiu. 
 And their arrival proved most opportune and beneficial. " The 
 people," writes Mr. Williams, " were just upon the point of war ; for 
 a worthless Englishman had succeeded in ingratiating himself into 
 the favor of one of the chiefs, and in bidding defiance to the laws. 
 But the other chief being determined to uphold the laws, matters had 
 run so high, that powder had been procured, and the run-away sailor 
 was employed in casting bullets. Mr. Pritchard, who took the oppor- 
 tunity of visiting the islands in his capacity as consul, called him to 
 account, and removed him from the place." " The teachers having 
 told us," adds Mr. P., "that there were many anxious to join the 
 church, we met more than forty candidates, who, after giving very 
 satisfactory answers to our questions, were received into communion. 
 Their clear and correct views of the way of salvation, and of the doc- 
 trines of the Gospel, do great credit to the native teachers." After 
 public worship, the visitors exhorted the people to preserve peace, 
 when they replied that, " as the foreigner was going away, there was 
 now no fear of war." In leaving this island, Mr. Williams was. again 
 rescued from a watery grave. Owing to some mismanagement, the 
 canoe which conveyed him and a son of Mr. Barff, was upset ; but, 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 3W 
 
 happily, the receding wave carried them some distance from the reef, 
 otherwise, they would have been dashed upon it. Providentially, the 
 ship's boat was near, and took them up. u This," adds Mr. Pritchard, 
 "is the seventh time in which Mr. Williams has been thus upset in 
 visiting these islands, and the second at this identical place." After 
 a vain effort to reach Mangaia, on the 17th of April the brethren 
 landed at Rarotonga. " Here," writes Mr. Williams, " I was de- 
 lighted to find dear, good Buzacott agate, as they say in Lancashire, 
 with the institution, and that he had already eleven fine young men 
 under his care. Mr. and Mrs. Royle had also assisted him in estab- 
 lishing an infant and an English school ; and during my short ab- 
 sence, the children had learned to sing in English, " Oh, that will be 
 joyful," &c, and I was astonished to hear them go through that 
 hymn. " In the evening," Mr. Pritchard adds, " we had a very inte- 
 resting service in the chapel, for the people to take leave of four 
 of their fellow-communicants, who were about to carry the Gospel to 
 the heathen, and to commend them to the protection and blessing of 
 God. It was truly affecting to see the feeling which was manifested 
 by them in taking leave of each other. The whole day was one of no 
 ordinary interest. One of these teachers with his wife was from Mr. 
 Buzacott's church, the others from Mr. Pitman's, who thus writes 
 respecting them : — " Both by myself and Mr. B. they were told what 
 might be the probable result of landing amongst savages, viz., the loss 
 of life. ' Content,' replied the worthy men, ' it is the cause of God. 
 He will shield us from harm ; if not, we cannot die in a work more 
 
 florious.' One of them added, 'Teacher, look at these scars ! These 
 got in heathen wars. I was marked out and sought for as a sacri- 
 fice ; but eluded my pursuers by secreting myself in the mountains. 
 Often have 1 wondered how I escaped ; but now it is all plain — the 
 love of God through Christ my Saviour. Cheerfully, therefore, will 
 I devote that life to him who has redeemed me with his blood. Had 
 I died when sought for, my soul had perished.' " From Rarotonga, 
 the Camden steered for Aitutaki, which they reached on the Sabbath 
 morning, just after the close of the service ; but the people proposed 
 to reassemble immediately. " After the service," observes Mr. P., 
 " all, or nearly all, came to shake hands with us. It is no trifling 
 business to shake hands with more than a thousand people, yet any 
 one not getting a shake would consider himself as deprived of a privi- 
 lege which all are anxious to enjoy. This ceremony being over, we 
 went to the teacher's house, where we had a good dinner in European 
 style. It was gratifying to see a clean white cotton table-cloth, with 
 knives and forks, plates, tumblers, &c. Our dinner consisted of cold 
 fish and bread-fruit, and a very nice pudding made of bread-fruit, 
 cocoa-nut, &c The teacher, in apologizing for not having a better 
 dinner, said, ' If you had sent us a note to say you were coming, we 
 would have provided for you ; but as it is the Sabbath, we can only 
 offer you what we had prepared for ourselves.' Soon after dinner, 
 we again assembled in the chapel, when twenty-five candidates were 
 admitted into church fellowship, and the ordinance of the Lord's 
 supper was administered." 
 
 Having completed these visits, the Camden again sailed 
 for Samoa, and on the 26th of April, sighted Manua. On 
 
370 LIFE OF THE 
 
 reaching the settlement, some natives came off to them, and 
 from these they learned that peace was restored, and that 
 a native teacher, who had been sent to them by another native 
 teacher, was laboring amongst them with success. Thus 
 were the circles of Christian influence spreading from new 
 centres. But although the station was so occupied, as the 
 native teachers from Rarotonga (" two fine young men and 
 women," writes Capt. Morgan) " were appointed to this 
 island, it was thought well not to change their destination, 
 and on landing they were cordially welcomed by their prede- 
 cessor, whose preparatory work, and knowledge of the lan- 
 guage, would greatly facilitate their future labors." 
 
 " We were much pleased," observes Mr. Pritchard, " with the 
 meek and mild appearance of the Samoan teacher and his wife. 
 Christianity has effected such a change in them as to make them 
 differ greatly from the heathen around them. Their little property 
 having been landed, those who profess to worship the true God were 
 assembled and addressed by Mr. Williams, from Luke xix. 9, ' This 
 day is salvation come unto this house.' " Leaving Manua, the 
 brethren proceeded to Tutuila, and on the 27th of April, landed at the 
 missionary settlement. Mr. Murray, his family, and a large number 
 of the natives, were suffering severely from a prevalent epidemic ; but 
 Mr. Williams preached, " and on the following day," writes Mr. 
 Pritchard, " a native came to inform us that three persons at a certain 
 house wished to abandon their heathenism. We went immediately 
 to the place, and found an old man, who had been a very troublesome 
 character, his wife, and his son, a fine looking lad about fifteen years 
 of age. The old man was ill, and had found by sad experience, that 
 there was nothing in heathenism to support him in affliction, and pre- 
 pare him for death. He and his family had been coolly deliberating 
 upon the step they were now about to take. It was truly affecting to 
 hear the old man, who had grown grey in the service of Satan, now 
 solemnly declaring that henceforth he and his would serve the Lord. 
 By the side of this aged chief, sat one of his daughters, who had long 
 made a profession of Christianity. We were struck with the diffe- 
 rence of her appearance from that of those around her. She was 
 better clad, and her countenance was modest, placid, and thoughtful. 
 She was evidently the subject of no ordinary feelings while listening 
 to her aged father declaring himself on the Lord's side." 
 
 Early on the 2nd of May, the Camden reached Upolu, and 
 Mr. Williams hastened to relieve the fears of his beloved and 
 anxious partner at Fasetootai, where he was shortly after 
 followed by Mr. Pritchard, and by Mr. Cunningham, who 
 had accompanied them from Rarotonga. Early in the ensu- 
 ing week, Mr. and Mrs. W., with their visitors, crossed to 
 Manono, to be present at a missionary meeting ; and 
 
 " On Wednesday morning," writes Mr. Pritchard, " we went to the 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 371 
 
 Malai, a find open space where the natives had been accustomed to 
 hold all their political meetings. Soon after our arrival, Mr. Heath's 
 school was marched forward two and two, and as they entered the 
 open space, commenced singing their little hymns. The children 
 being seated, Mr. Buchanan set them all to work in such a way as 
 greatly to interest the spectators The little creatures themselves 
 seemed exceedingly delighted while shouting, clapping their hands, 
 and going through the various manoeuvres of the infant school sys- 
 tem. The children having concluded their exercises, Mr. Hardie 
 engaged in prayer, Mr. Heath stated the arrangements for the day, 
 and Mr. Williams gave an account of his voyage to Tahiti and the 
 various islands he had lately visited, and showed that the cause was 
 advancing. The old chief, dressed in red feathers, then spoke and 
 contrasted their present state with their former. Malietoa was the 
 next speaker, and he gave an account of Mr. Williams's first coming, 
 and their subsequent labors ; and concluded by stating that he was 
 willing to act according to whatever advice and council Mr. W. 
 might give." Mr. Pritchard and other speakers concluded the meet- 
 ing, and he closes his sketch by saying — " Could the motley group, 
 which composed our May meeting, have been removed to Exeter 
 Hall, the speakers might remain silent on the platform ; for the sight 
 of these South Sea islanders, lately converted to the Christian faith 
 by the instrumentality of missionaries, would produce on the minds 
 of the British public impressions far more powerful than could be 
 made by the most elaborate and eloquent addresses. 
 
 " On Thursday morning we assembled in Mr. Heath's chapel, and 
 the members of the different churches united with the missionaries in 
 commemorating the Saviour's death. At the close of the service, two 
 adults and two children were baptized. The man and woman were 
 both young, and their countenances were peculiarly interesting. The 
 effect produced by the Gospel even in their external appearance is 
 truly astonishing. It was extremely gratifying to see an old man, 
 (Matetau,) who had grown grey in the service of Satan, and who, by 
 his dexterity in using the club and the spear, had been famed as 
 a great warrior, now holding the office of deacon, and assisting at the 
 celebration of the Lord's supper." 
 
 After this the party returned to Upolu, and on the the 18th 
 of May, Mr. Pritchard bade a last farewell to the beloved 
 brother, who from this time until his final departure remained 
 at Samoa, and, with the exception of the period occupied in 
 two tours through Upolu and Savaii, resided at Fasetootai. 
 But most of the features of this portion of his history so 
 closely resemble others already sketched, as to render circum- 
 stantial description unnecessary. In his visits he was every- 
 where warmly welcomed, and both the heathen and the 
 Christian chiefs addressed him as " Tama," their father; and 
 soon after his return, he was followed by multitudes, who 
 came to hear his voice, or gaze upon the many novelties he 
 had brought to their land. Frequently, hundreds during a 
 
372 LIFE OF THE 
 
 single day honored him with their company ; and while some 
 filled the rooms to which access was permitted, others stood 
 or sat without, waiting their time of admission. So numerous 
 were these visitors, that Mr. Williams computed, that within 
 a few weeks, nearly the whole population of the group had 
 graced his levees. And he knew how to turn such visits to 
 good account. Although it was not " ordered " that every 
 guest should appear in a " court dress," some dress was made 
 indispensible, and the consequence was that many who would 
 have been quite satisfied with a coating of red ochre and oil, 
 clothed themselves for the first time in decent apparel. But 
 the stimulus thus given to civilization was the least important 
 result of these visits. As a different congregation, and fre- 
 quently a large one, was thus assembled daily, Mr. W. 
 seized the favorable occasion for imparting instruction, and 
 producing religious impressions, and not a few returned from 
 Sapapalii to their own districts, with correct views and deep 
 convictions of the value of Christianity. These effects, how- 
 ever, were not produced so much by formal addresses as by 
 familiar intercourse. During the same time, he was much 
 occupied in building a chapel and an infant school, and in 
 preparing to erect a Samoan college ; and it was principally 
 while thus laboring that he taught the truths of the Gospel to 
 the gazing and gaping crowd by whom he was constantly sur- 
 rounded. All, however, were not disposed to listen to the 
 glad sound most commonly on his tongue. Many came to 
 see only, not to hear ; for it was a general impression amongst 
 the heathen that, if they once heard Williamu preach, they 
 would be unable to resist his arguments, and compelled to 
 abandon their superstitions. Hence several of the visiting 
 parties most cautiously shunned the school-room and the 
 chapel, and seemed anxious to avoid immediate contact with 
 the Missionary. But in these efforts they were not always 
 successful ; for although resolved when they came, to retain 
 their spirit-worship, they saw enough to satisfy them of the 
 superiority of the new system, and returned with the resolu- 
 tion of adopting it. There was one very singular instance of 
 outward conversion, which occurred at this time. One day 
 some heathens, while walking around the dwelling-house, 
 and carefully observing every part of it, espied a lad cleaning 
 the table knives in a shed, and were so enamoured of the 
 shining blades that they could not resist the temptation of ap- 
 propriating some of them to their own use. Having, there- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 373 
 
 fore, drawn off the attention of the youth, and unnoticed by 
 him, stolen four of these knives, they decamped in great haste 
 to their canoe, and set sail for Savaii. But on the voyage, 
 the wind became too strong for their fragile bark, and more 
 alarmed by the voice of conscience than of the storm, which 
 they deemed a punishment for robbing the Missionary, they 
 held a council, and resolved as their only means of deliver- 
 ance, to rid themselves of their ill-gotten booty. Accordingly, 
 but with much reluctance, they treated the knives as the 
 shipmen treated the prophet, and on arriving at Savaii, pro- 
 ceeded direct to the native teacher's house, confessed what 
 they had done, and declared their desire henceforth to be- 
 come " sons of the word." 
 
 These numerous visitors were much interested in the man- 
 ual labors, and filled with amazement at the mechanical skill 
 of Mr. Williams, — feelings which he knew both how to ex- 
 cite and how to improve. Several of the native residents, 
 and amongst them one of the chiefs, soon acquired considera- 
 ble knowledge in the useful arts ; and many of the casual so- 
 journers did not leave without some valuable acquisition. 
 
 During his residence at Fasetootai, Mr. Williams formed 
 there a Christian church, and felt no ordinary satisfaction in 
 partaking, with this little flock of converted Samoans, of the 
 memorials of the Saviour's death, upon the very spot on which, 
 ten years before, they were shedding each other's blood. His 
 directly spiritual labors at this period were numerous. The 
 Sabbath was fully occupied in the schools, public services, 
 and examinations. But each day brought its claims. At the 
 rising of the sun every morning, he attended the adult's 
 school, and after breakfast the children's. At noon, the na- 
 tives invariably indulge in a siesta, and from the close of the 
 children's school until the afternoon, when he again met the 
 adults, Mr. Williams was ordinarily occupied in manual labor. 
 As soon as the shadows of evening compelled him to dismiss 
 his scholars, he returned to his house, which, from that time 
 until a late hour, was densely crowded with natives who came 
 to hear and ask questions. In addition to these ordinary 
 labors, for each day there was some special duty. On Mon- 
 day afternoon, he held a general catechetical meeting with 
 the people. After the children's school on Tuesday, the na- 
 tive teachers of the surrounding district came to his house for 
 instruction. On Wednesday he preached. On Thursday he 
 again met the teachers, heard the texts they intended to ex- 
 32 
 
374 LIFE OF THE 
 
 plain on the following Sabbath, with the illustrations they pro- 
 posed to employ, and took the opportunity of correcting their 
 mistakes, and enriching their minds. Friday evening was 
 devoted to a meeting for prayer and exhortation, in which 
 some of the pious natives took a part, and which were fre- 
 quently seasons of solemn interest and great spiritual improve- 
 ment. On the Saturday, the people were too busy in prepar- 
 ing their dwellings, clothes, and food, for the Sabbath, to at- 
 tend any but the ordinary instructions of the Missionary. 
 Generally, nothing was cooked on the Sabbath ; but this rule 
 was not enforced. Some of the natives preferred to cook 
 their food early on the morning of the sacred day, and as this 
 did not prevent their attendance at the school and the sanc- 
 tuary, Mr. Williams did not discourage the practice. 
 
 In these various and valuable occupations, did this man of 
 God pass his time at Upolu, until the 26th of October, when 
 the Camden returned, bringing Mr. and Mrs. Pratt, and Mr. 
 Harris, his future fellow-sufferer. This estimable man had vis- 
 ited the islands in search of health, and having become deeply 
 interested in the welfare of the people, was about to return to 
 England, and offer himself to the Society for missionary ser- 
 vice. He was much esteemed for his piety and devotedness, 
 and gave the promise of being an efficient laborer. 
 
 Just prior to the arrival of the Camden, an American ex- 
 pedition for scientific purposes visited Samoa, with the offi- 
 cers of which, especially with Commodore Wilks and Captain 
 Hudson, Mr. W. had much interesting intercourse. About 
 the same time, a general meeting of the native teachers was 
 convened, to ascertain who amongst them were willing to 
 leave their land for the islands to which Mr. Williams was 
 proceeding; "and we had the unspeakable satisfaction," 
 writes Mr. W., of witnessing no less than thirty of the best 
 instructed and most approved among them, offer themselves 
 for this service." Of these, twelve were subsequently set 
 apart in a deeply interesting service, which was succeeded 
 by another not less so, in which many of the brethren, the 
 teachers, and the natives, altogether about 150, united in the 
 commemoration of the Lord's death. 
 
 November 3rd, 1839, was the last Sabbath which Mr. Wil- 
 liams spent at Samoa, and it was a day of deep and solemn in- 
 terest to himself and the people. Often on previous occasions, 
 when preaching to his flock, he had witnessed scenes which 
 filled his soul with hope and gladness, and while unfolding 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 375 
 
 the Gospel, he had seen the whole assembly, and it was al- 
 ways large, moved by a common feeling, bowed down as un- 
 der the weight of deep impression, and melted into tears. But 
 his farewell address appeared to fall with greater power upon 
 their hearts, than any which he had ever delivered. His own 
 mind at the time was unusually solemn. And there were dif- 
 erent causes which contributed to render it so. For many 
 previous weeks, and in the anticipation of what he designated 
 " his great voyage," he appeared to realize with peculiar 
 power the responsibility resting upon him, and sometimes 
 with a poignant and painful sense of his personal inadequacy. 
 Often did he express his fear that, through his deficiency in 
 wisdom or devotedness, the noble enterprise might fail, and 
 the high expectation of British Christians end in disappoint- 
 ment. But other thoughts served to sadden his mind, and to 
 cast an unwonted seriousness over his intercourse, as the pe- 
 riod of his departure drew near. As if the Master whom he 
 served was specially preparing him for his final hour, the 
 brevity, uncertainty, and value of life were amongst the 
 themes which most deeply interested his thoughts. So fre- 
 quently, and with such evident emotion, did he refer to these 
 topics in his discourses, his prayers, and his conversation, as 
 to attract the especial notice of his beloved partner and fam- 
 ily. But on no former occasion had these considerations ap- 
 peared to impress his mind so deeply, as when concluding 
 his public labors at Upolu. The remarkable passage from 
 which he then preached was Acts xx. 36 — 38, but the part of 
 it upon which he dilated most fully was this ; — " And they 
 all wept sore, and fell upon PauVs neck and kissed him ; sor- 
 rowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they 
 should see his face no more" These touching references, 
 and the tears of the natives, acted so powerfully upon his ten- 
 der spirit, that for a considerable time the place was a Bo- 
 chim ; pastor and people wept together, and nothing but 
 sighs and sobs were to be heard throughout the assembly. 
 Had the text been uttered by a spirit from the invisible world, 
 and the dread scene on Erromanga's shore been then reveal- 
 ed to their view, the affectionate people could scarcely have 
 felt more solemnly or' mourned more bitterly, than on that 
 memorable day. Their sorrows tended to deepen those of 
 their departing friend, and it was with pain that Mrs. Williams 
 remarked the depression under which he labored. This to 
 him was an unwonted state of mind. Formerly, when sepa- 
 
376 LIFE OF THE 
 
 rating from his family on similar embassies of mercy, no sad- 
 ness sat upon his countenance, and no feelings prevailed in 
 his heart but those of hope and animation. But now the 
 scene was changed. As if " coming events had already 
 cast their shadow before them," and he felt its oppressive 
 gloom creeping over him, he went forth dejected and weep- 
 ing. Never before had his family seen him thus, and they 
 " wondered and held their peace." In the evening of this 
 last Sabbath at Samoa, some of the brethren met at the house 
 of their beloved friend, to commend him and his enterprise 
 to " the God of the sea and of the dry land," and at midnight, 
 he embraced his beloved partner and children, and bade 
 them all a last and long farewell. It was one of Mrs. Wil- 
 liams's latest and most earnest entreaties that he would not 
 land at Erromanga. 
 
 Proceeding from Fasetootai to Apia, on the following 
 morning Mr. Williams preached on board " the Vincennes," 
 and attended a meeting of the officers of the American expe- 
 dition and the Samoan chiefs. In the evening, " while sit- 
 ting in our house," writes Mr. Mills, " talking over our plans, 
 a blind chief, who is an intelligent and good man, entered. 
 He said, ' Teacher Williams, I am a blind man, but 1 have a 
 great desire to go with you to the dark lands. Perhaps my 
 being blind will make them pity me, and not kill me, and 
 whilst / can talk to them, and tell them about Jesus, my boy' 
 (placing his hand on the head of his son, an interesting 
 youth,) ' can read and write, and so we can teach these 
 things.' I never," adds Mr. Mills, " saw Mr. Williams 
 more deeply affected." 
 
 On the following morning the Camden commenced her 
 voyage, but as Mr. Williams kept a circumstantial journal of 
 the closing days of his life, their history will be supplied 
 from his own pen. After calling at two stations in Savaii, 
 they bent their course to Rotuma. 
 
 "As Rotuma," writes Mr. W., " is an island very much frequented 
 by shipping, especially whale ships, natives from almost every island 
 within the compass of their wide range occasionally find their way 
 thither. It having occurred to me that possibly we might succeed in 
 finding there some, either from the Hebrides or New Caledonia, I 
 determined to call on our way to the westward. A native also of 
 Rotuma, named Friday, who had been some time under instruction 
 at Samoa, was very anxious to return with teachers to his super- 
 stitious and benighted countrymen ; and whether we ultimately deter- 
 mined to place teachers there or not, I conceived that considerable 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 377 
 
 good might arise from the efforts of Friday, to produce in the minds 
 of his countrymen a favorable disposition towards missionaries when- 
 ever they should arrive. On Tuesday morning, November 12th, at 
 daylight, the island was in sight. The distance from Samoa is about 
 (300 miles, which we had run in a little better than three days. 
 
 " When we were within about five miles of the island, a canoe 
 approached us with four men in it ; and we imagined that the natives 
 were clad in red shirts, but coming nearer, we perceived that their 
 bodies were smeared over with a thick coat of turmeric and oil. On 
 coming alongside, one of their number called out in very good Eng- 
 lish, ' Back your mainyard, and give me a rope for my canoe.' Leap- 
 ing on board, he inquired what ship it was, and was informed that it 
 was a missionary ship. ' Where's the captain ? where's the mis- 
 sionary ? ' he inquired. He then presented us with something tied 
 up in a small piece of native cloth, which, upon untying, we found to 
 contain certificates given by several masters of vessels, stating that 
 they had found Tokoniua exceedingly useful in procuring supplies 
 for their vessels, and that he was a chief in whom confidence might 
 be placed. We proceeded immediately to inquire of him whether 
 there were any New Hebrides or Caledonia people on Rotuma ; to 
 which he replied, that many of their people had been to the former 
 place, upon a sandal wood expedition, some years ago, and lost their 
 lives there, but none of the inhabitants of those islands came to Ro- 
 tuma. As he informed us that there were both Samoans and Tahi- 
 tians on shore, we proposed to send a message for them to come off 
 immediately, as we should be able to obtain more information from 
 them than from the broken English of our knowing little friend Toko- 
 niua. Captain Morgan suggested that I should write to them, upon 
 hearing which he exclaimed, ' Oh, they no understand English,' 
 when the captain informed him that 1 should write in their own 
 tongue, which led to an explanation of our character and objects. 
 The letter being finished, the canoe was despatched, and the chief 
 having requested permission to remain on board, he continued with 
 us, and conducted the ship to a bay where she could ply on and off 
 in comparatively smooth water. Shortly after the first canoe, a 
 second arrived. The chief was a taller and finer man than Tokoniua, 
 but by no means equal to those of other islands. His name is Fusi- 
 paoa. On reaching the deck, he recognized Capt. Morgan, who had 
 visited the island some two or three years ago, in the Duke of York, 
 and exclaimed in very good English, * Captain Morgan, how do you 
 do ? me very glad to see you ; where's Duke of York ? ' Captain 
 Morgan informed him of her wreck, and of the death of a fine Ro- 
 tuma lad he took away, who was unfortunately killed by the black 
 natives on the coast of New Holland, after the wreck of the Duke 
 of York. Finding this chief of higher rank and greater importance 
 than the first who boarded us, we stated our objects to him. More- 
 over, Captain Morgan reminded him of his request to him when he 
 formerly visited their island. To this he replied that he would go on 
 shore and consult with the king, ' and if the king say very good, oh 
 then missionary very good ; if king say missionary very good, then 
 him be very good.' On having our objects fully explained to him, 
 Fusipaoa left the vessel, saying that he would send a messenger over 
 to the other side of the island immediately, to ascertain the senti- 
 32* 
 
378 LIFE OF THE 
 
 merits of the principal chief upon the subject of placing native mis* 
 sionaries upon Rotuma. The cool reserve manifested by this chief, 
 and his evident disappointment when he ascertained who we were, 
 convinced us that no ordinary efforts had been used to prejudice hi9 
 mind against missionaries. On reaching the bay in which the town 
 of Fusipaoa is situated, we determined upon going on shore. We 
 met, on the beach, three white men, one of* whom wanted to trade for 
 the vessel. Another said, he would do any thing we wanted by way 
 of 'linguisting.' The third, as soon as he ascertained who we were, 
 walked off. From an old man named Gray, who had been upon the 
 island some twelve years, we learned, that there were only about 
 twenty-three run-away sailors infesting this island ; that some time 
 ago there were as many as sixty or seventy ! On approaching the 
 town, the chief Fusipaoa met us, and said, that he had sent to the 
 San, or principal chief, who lived about four miles away, and that he 
 expected him soon. This town or village, like all the others we vis- 
 ited, is built upon a sandy belt, with which it is girt nearly round. 
 It runs generally about a quarter of a mile wide, and is raised a few 
 feet above the sea on the one side, and the lowland attached to the 
 base of the mountains on the other. The dwellings are small and 
 low, thatched with cocoa-nut leaves, which are far inferior in appear- 
 ance to the pandanus or palm leaf of Tahiti, and the tautolo or sugar- 
 cane leaf of Samoa. They are entirely enclosed with cocoa-nut-leaf 
 mats, while ingress and egress is obtained through two trap- doors, 
 which are suspended from the top, and are lifted up like a hanging 
 shutter. These, with the sides of the houses, are so low, that I could 
 not get in by crawling, but had to lie nearly flat down before I could 
 effect an entrance. The rafters, and indeed the whole of the interior, 
 corresponds with its exterior, as rough in workmanship as anything 
 I have seen in the whole Pacific Ocean. Thus, while there has been 
 great intercourse with this island and European shipping for upwards 
 of twenty years, and at times, as many as a hundred white men living 
 at once on its snores, not a single trace of improvement is apparent in 
 the houses or habits of this people. The only thing that attracted our 
 attention in this settlement was their burying-place. Here there was 
 a house rather superior to the others in appearance. It was raised on 
 a bed of sand with stone edging. Gray opened two of these trap- 
 doors, when to our surprise we beheld, not only neat clean mats 
 spread on the floor, and white cowrie with glittering mother-of-pearl 
 decorating both the posts and rafters of the house, but a writing desk, 
 three American chairs varnished yellow, a cup and saucer, tumbler, 
 wine glass, two framed paintings of ships, besides several handker- 
 chiefs, and other articles of European manufacture. On inquiring 
 respecting them, we found that a child belonging to a principal chief 
 had been interred there, and that these things were presented to his 
 manes. On returning into the village, we found that the king had 
 not come, neither had the messenger returned. But the four Tahi- 
 tians and two Samoans were waiting for us. The Tahitians, I was 
 sorry to find, were living without the fear of God before their eyes, 
 and aiding the heathen in their heathen amusements. I had some 
 serious conversation with them, when they promised to assist the 
 native missionaries all in their power, should I resolve upon leaving 
 them. The Samoans were heathens, but promised to unite immedi- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 379 
 
 ately with their countrymen in worshipping the true God. We also 
 learned with much satisfaction, that a native of Aitutaki, in conjunc- 
 tion with some New Zealanders, had erected a chapel, that they kept 
 sacred the Sabbath, and were using their efforts to induce the heathen 
 to become worshippers of Jehovah, but that their efforts hitherto had 
 been unsuccessful. On returning towards the beach where our boat 
 landed, we observed the instruments of death and destruction in 
 a very contemptible position : two six-pound cannons with their car- 
 riages perched upon a small rude stone pavement, covered over with 
 a few cocoa-nut leaves. Upon inquiry, we learned that they had 
 been purchased from shipping, and that there were a considerable 
 number on the island. Finding that the king had not come, I deter- 
 mined to take the Tahitians on board, make them a few presents, and 
 give them a supply of books, by which time we hoped that the chief 
 might have either arrived or sent a message. This not being the 
 case, and evening approaching, we determined to abandon at present 
 our intention of placing teachers at Rotuma, and arrange with the 
 Wesley an committee as to which of the Societies should occupy the 
 island. With this intention, we took leave of this cool uncivil people, 
 and got into the boat. While in the act of pushing off, our little 
 friend Tokoniua came running out of breath, and cried out, ' Back 
 astern there.' This imperative order having been obeyed, he stepped 
 into the boat, and having seated himself, gave another command, 
 ' Pull away now boys.' Not being accustomed to have the reins 
 of government taken thus unceremoniously out of our hands, we in- 
 quired what he wanted ; to which he replied, ' I want my missionary.' 
 We informed him, that we understood that the king was not desirous 
 of having missionaries on his island, and we were therefore about to 
 sail to islands larger and more populous than theirs, and where we 
 hoped they would be well received. In reply he said, ' I no mind 
 the king ; he king his own town ; me and my brother chief, we got 
 town too ; the king no come speak my town, I no go speak his town. 
 Suppose king no like missionary, me like him.' I replied that we 
 were very anxious to get away, as we had a long distance to go, and 
 many islands to call at, and appealed to Captain Morgan. As soon 
 as he heard me appeal to the Captain, he attacked him with a warmth 
 and earnestness which opened the hearts of all in the boat. ' You 
 very kind man, I know, Captain Morgan ; what you say Captain ? 
 You no give me missionary ? Only one night, Captain, then I get 
 my missionary, and you go. What you say Captain ? Now what 
 you say ? ' It appeared that our friend Tokoniua had been to the 
 town in which he was second in rank, and had held a consultation 
 with his brother chief and the people, and he had hastened back to 
 secure the missionary ; for he exclaimed, ' 1 afraid I come, boat gone, 
 and 1 no get my missionary.' This circumstance induced us to alter 
 our determination ; and taking our loquacious but sensible little friend 
 on board, we stood off for the night. The poor lad Friday cried bit- 
 terly when he found I was not intending to leave a missionary at his 
 island. He was exceedingly anxious that we should proceed at once 
 to his settlement, and land the teachers there ; but we found, as in 
 Samoa, that there is a victorious and a conquered party, and the van- 
 quished are subject to insult and oppression of every kind from their 
 imperious brethren : consequently they are not in a situation to afford 
 
380 LIFE OF THE 
 
 protection to the persons or property of any entrusted to their care. 
 The friends and family of poor Friday were, unfortunately, of this 
 party, so that I did not deem it prudent to commence operations un- 
 der such circumstances. During the evening, we had an opportunity 
 of obtaining considerable information as to the language, traditions, 
 and other particulars relative to the island of Rotuma, which 1 shall 
 record elsewhere. 
 
 " Early this morning, 13th, we rounded the S. E. point of the 
 island, in the hope of finding a smoother sea in order to facilitate our 
 intercourse with the shore. The boat being lowered, two teachers, 
 Leitana from Falefa, and Tau from Sanapu, both Manono men, took 
 an affectionate leave of their brethren, placed their bundles in the 
 boat, and then stepped in themselves. On approaching the shore, we 
 found a tolerably good boat entrance, but no harbor, anchorage, or 
 shelter for a ship. The town was large, for the houses stretched for 
 two miles at least along the beach. On being introduced to the prin- 
 cipal chief of the town, he informed us that a message had been sent 
 all round the island by the king, desiring that the teachers might not 
 be allowed to remain ; to which he had returned answer, that if they 
 came he would receive them and treat them kindly, but leave their 
 religion with themselves. They might, therefore, remain, and he 
 would give them the house in which we were then seated as a resi- 
 dence, until they could get one finished for themselves. After making 
 the chiefs and their wives some trifling presents, we prepared to take 
 our leave, and expressed our intention to the chief to engage in prayer 
 with our friends before we parted. This he begged we would not do 
 in his house, for he was afraid lest the spirits should be enraged with 
 him, and wreak their vengeance upon his children. We informed 
 him he had nothing to fear, for the power of Jehovah was infinitely 
 superior to that of his Aitu or spirits, and he would protect all who 
 put their trust in him. He replied, that he did not fear for himself, 
 his anxieties were about his children. Perceiving his feelings upon 
 this subject, we waived our intention, but said a few words of encour- 
 agement to our brethren, commending them to God in our hearts, 
 and took our departure. Just as we were about leaving, we heard 
 that there was a lad from Erromanga residing at the other side of the 
 island. This being one of the New Hebrides group, we determined, 
 if possible, to get him, and for this purpose prevailed, by a few little 
 presents, upon our friend Tokoniua and his brother to accompany us 
 to the town where he was residing, which we found to be on the 
 N. W. side of the island, not far from the place from which we started 
 last night. Having made almost an entire circuit of the island, we 
 landed at the town about four o'clock in the afternoon, but unfortu- 
 nately did not succeed in getting sight of the lad ; for as soon as our 
 intention was known, the people, 1 presume, not liking to part with 
 him, secreted him in the bush. This was certainly a great disap- 
 pointment, but having made the effort ' we have done what we could' 
 to the accomplishment of an object, which would apparently have 
 facilitated our intercourse with the tribes we were about to visit. 
 The people of this town are a little more civil than those of the first 
 we visited. Reaching the vessel by sun-set, we steered our course 
 with a fine breeze for the New Hebrides. Thus terminated our first 
 intercourse with the inhabitants of Rotuma." 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 381 
 
 The state of Mr. Williams's mind, during the voyage from 
 Rotuma to the New Hebrides, will appear in the following 
 passages of a letter written to a friend on Saturday, November 
 16th, four days prior to that upon which he fell. After refer- 
 ring to the death of Makea, he proceeds : — 
 
 " Thus, my dear friend, we live in a dying world ; perhaps this 
 may not reach England before your happy spirit will quit its tene- 
 ment of clay, and unite with that of my departed friend Makea, in 
 praising and loving the Saviour, who redeemed you both by his 
 blood. Ere long some friend will communicate to surviving relatives 
 and connexions the information of our death. The grand concern 
 should be to live in a constant state of preparation. This I find 
 a difficult matter, from the demand incessantly made upon my ener- 
 gies both of body and mind ; but I find great comfort from the con- 
 sideration that many, very many of God's people pray for me, and 
 also that all is spent in the best of all causes. * * Oh ! what a luxury 
 it is to do good ! What sound philosophy there is in the Bible ! 
 What a knowledge it displays of sanctified human nature, when it 
 asserts, ' It is more blessed to give than to receive ! ' * * 
 
 " I have just heard dear Captain Morgan say, that we are sixty 
 miles off the Hebrides, so that we shall be there early to-morrow 
 morning. This evening we are to have a special prayer-meeting. 
 Oh ! how much depends upon the efforts of to-morrow. Will the 
 savages receive us or not f Perhaps at this moment, you or some 
 other kind friend may be wrestling with God for us. I am all 
 anxiety ; but desire prudence, and faithfulness in the management 
 of the attempt to impart the Gospel to these benighted people, and 
 leave the event with God. 1 brought twelve missionaries with me; 
 two have settled at a beautiful island called Rotuma ; the ten I have 
 are for the New Hebrides and New Caledonia. The approaching 
 week is to me the most important of my life. 
 
 The following entries, during this and the two succeeding 
 days, contain most probably the last records of Mr. Wil- 
 liams's pen. 
 
 " Saturday, November 16. As we expected to make Fatuna on the 
 following morning, we set apart this evening as a special prayer- 
 meeting, that God would graciously protect our persons, and open 
 a way for the introduction of his word among the barbarous tribes we 
 were about to visit. 
 
 *« On Sabbath day, early in the morning, we were close in with the 
 island. It appeared to be one large, high, rugged mountain, with, in 
 many places, perpendicular cliffs reaching to the sea. No low land 
 presented itself in any direction, so that we began to doubt whether 
 or not the island was inhabited. On nearing the coast, however, we 
 discovered cultivated patches on the sides of the hills, and little low 
 huts were discerned. At length we perceived two canoes approaching 
 us, in one of which were four men. They were tolerably well made 
 and good looking. Their complexion is not black like that of the 
 
382 LIFE OF THE 
 
 negro, neither brown like that of the other South Sea islanders, but 
 of a sooty color. Their faces were thickly smeared with a red pig- 
 ment, and a long white feather was stuck in the back of the head. 
 The lobe of the ear was pierced andrendered large by the repeated 
 introduction of a piece of wood, until it was sufficiently extended to 
 receive a piece of an inch or more in diameter. Into this hole a num- 
 ber of tortoise-shell rings, from two to six or eight, were introduced by 
 way of ornament. The cartilage also of the nose is pierced, and 
 many we perceived, by being stretched too much, were broken. We 
 could not induce any of them to leave the canoe and trust themselves 
 onboard our vessel ; although we enticed them by presents of looking- 
 glasses, scissors, fish-hooks, and other trifling articles. They not 
 being inclined to venture among us, we determined to visit them. 
 Accordingly our boat was lowered, and they shouted for us to come 
 on shore, saying that there were yams, taro, and other vegetables. 
 On approaching the shore, a man sprung from his canoe into our boat, 
 and stated that he was an ariki, or chief, and wished to go on board. 
 At first we understood that he was a chief at Tanna, and wished us to 
 convey him home, but this arose from our inquiries about Tanna, and 
 they have a method of repeating almost every word you utter, if they 
 do not understand you, and yielding assent to it. We accordingly 
 returned to the vessel, rejoicing that we had succeeded in getting 
 such a person to accompany us. On reaching the vessel we put on 
 him a red shirt, and fastened a piece of cloth round him, in which 
 new and gay apparel he strutted about the decks, and shouted most 
 lustily in admiration of himself. At length sea-sickness, that annihi- 
 later of human distinctions, brought him to sit down as tamely and 
 quietly as a helpless infant. When we spoke to him, he looked up 
 piteously, and exclaimed, — " I'm helpless. I'm dead." We obtained 
 a considerable deal of information from him, and were truly thankful 
 to find, that by a mixture of the Samoan and Rarotongan dialects, 
 we could interchange our ideas tolerably well. Towards evening he 
 began to get very restless, and begged hard to be put on shore. We 
 therefore stood in again with the ship, and getting into smooth water, 
 he recovered, and we found him an intelligent, communicative man. 
 We endeavored to explain to him the object of our visit, and asked 
 him if he would like to have any person placed on his island. To 
 which he replied, that they would give him yams, taro, and sugar- 
 cane. On preparing to return, we gave him a looking-glass, a knife, 
 some fish-hooks, and other articles. The glass delighted him exceed- 
 ingly. As soon as he caught a glimpse of his own countenance, he 
 danced with surprise, and shouted a song very similar to that of sai- 
 lors when heaving anchor or hauling a rope. On reaching the shore, 
 we were entirely surrounded with natives, who behaved with great 
 civility towards us, and appeared entirely without arms. They chat- 
 tered away at a great rate to our friend, who was decorated in the red 
 shirt, and who, in return, spoke highly to them of the kindness his 
 wealthy friends had shown him ; and among other trifles he took up 
 a little pig we had given him, and exhibited it to public view. Being 
 about to take our leave, we renewed our efforts to induce some per- 
 sons to accompany us on board, but without success. Although we 
 were not rich enough in teachers to spare two for this island, it will 
 be occupied as soon as possible, and indeed we gave them to under- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. OOO 
 
 stand that we should visit them again shortly ; and the result of this 
 day's labor is such, as to induce the conviction that such a friendly 
 feeling has been excited as will enable us to settle teachers as soon as 
 we can possibly spare them. In sailing round the island, we observed 
 everywhere traces of inhabitants, but from the nature of the country 
 they must be located in small numbers, and the aggregate cannot be 
 large. On the N. W. side a most romantic cliff presented itself, 
 exhibiting an appearance similar to a tasselated Roman pavement, 
 but in segments of a foot or more square. We spent the evening 
 of this memorable Sabbath in thanking God and taking courage. As 
 on the following morning we expected to make Tanna, and settle 
 some teachers, we made it a matter of special prayer. 
 
 " Monday morning, 18th. This is a memorable day, a 
 day which will be transmitted to posterity, and the record of 
 the events which have this day transpired, will exist after 
 those who have taken an active part in them have retired 
 into the shades of oblivion, and the results of this day will 
 be " 
 
 This is the closing entry by his own hand on the pages of 
 Mr. Williams's journal, and these words were most probably the 
 last which he ever penned. The history of this unfinished sen- 
 tence cannot now be recovered. At the first glance, and view- 
 ed in connexion with the fatal 20th, it wears an aspect almost 
 preternatural and prophetic. But upon closer inspection 
 its mysteriousness disappears. Although bearing date " Mon- 
 day morning" the strong probility is that this record was not 
 made until the evening of that day, just after the friendly re- 
 ception at Tanna. It is also probable that the description of 
 what passed on the two preceding days was penned at the 
 same time : a supposition founded upon the appearance of 
 the writing in the journal, and upon the ordinary practice of 
 Mr. Williams to enter his proceedings, not daily, but every 
 third or fourth day, under the dates at which they occurred. 
 If the reader will notice the wording of the entries, dated the 
 16th and 17th, he will perceive that they bear the marks of 
 having been written on a subsequent day. And that the 
 time in which he penned the whole of this part of the journal, 
 was the evening of the 18th, is rendered almost certain, not 
 only from the fact that the morning (as will shortly appear) 
 was too much occupied to have allowed of such an employ- 
 ment, but from internal evidence. Upon any other theory, 
 we are quite at a loss to account for the excitement which it 
 indicates, to explain the meaning of the statement, " This is 
 a memorable day," or to discover a reason for the use of the 
 past tense, as well as for the statement, " The events which 
 
384 LIFE OP THE 
 
 have this day transpired ;" a day which, at its commencement, 
 presented no such striking characteristics. The strong emo- 
 tion which this entry indicates, will awaken little surprise 
 when all the circumstances of the case are considered. With 
 what intense interest, bordering upon painful anxiety, Mr. 
 Williams anticipated this visit, has already appeared ; and 
 when approaching the group, and but two days prior to that 
 upon which the mysterious sentences were written, he thus 
 expressed his state of mind ; — " Oh ! how much depends 
 upon tomorrow ! The approaching week is to me the most 
 important of my life." Nor were these feelings unreasona- 
 ble. This enterprise had in it more the character of an ex- 
 periment than most of his previous efforts to introduce the 
 Gospel, and its probable issue was far more doubtful. The 
 people with whom he was now about to open intercourse, 
 were distinct in character, language, and habits from those 
 amongst whom he had previously labored, and he had long 
 been impressed with the belief that they were excessively sav- 
 age and sanguinary. These considerations naturally awa- 
 kened more than ordinary solicitude. But although not free 
 from apprehension, he was filled with the hope of shortly 
 realizing the visions, and accomplishing the desires, of many 
 previous years. He was, moreover, deeply impressed by the 
 conviction that the New Hebrides were the key to New Cal- 
 edonia, New Britain, New Guinea, and other extensive islands 
 inhabited by the Papuan race, and that while success here 
 would almost certainly and speedily secure the evangeliza- 
 tion of the whole of Western Polynesia, failure in this first es- 
 say would greatly retard, if not frustrate, the accomplishment 
 of his grand design. Thus feelings, like crossing tides, ruf- 
 fled his mind, as he drew near to these unknown shores ; and 
 whilst hope and fear hung in the balance, strong excitement 
 was the necessary consequence. When, therefore, the doubt- 
 ful case was decided as it appeared to be, and as he regarded 
 it, on the day this concluding passage of his journal was writ- 
 ten, we cannot wonder at the views expressed or the emotions 
 awakened. With his estimate of the events of that day, the 
 language is not too strong. At the same time the sentence 
 is so remarkable, viewed in connexion with subsequent events, 
 as to give to the opinion of Dr. Campbell much plausibility ; 
 that this " servant of God wrote, though unconsciously, under 
 a supernatural impression." 
 
 But although the words now cited were the last written by 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 
 
 Mr. Williams, there is another journal of the same voyage, in 
 which the hand of an amanuensis has recorded the events of 
 that and the following day, apparently at his dictation. This 
 document will enable us to follow the steps of the devoted 
 Missionary down to the period when he closed his noble ca- 
 reer. Under the date of " Monday, November 18th," this 
 entry was made : — 
 
 " Early this morning we found ourselves just on the eastern side of 
 the island of Tanna, and stood off and on Port Resolution. After 
 breakfast we went ashore in the boat to examine the harbor, and to 
 see the people. We were highly gratified with the friendly and 
 peaceable disposition of the natives, being exceedingly anxious to 
 barter with us. We had the three native teachers appointed for this 
 island put ashore, and introduced to the chiefs of this place, Lalolago, 
 Salamea, and Mose. We could not explain to them our object more 
 than that they were * chiefs of God,' and that we wished they should 
 live with them. The chiefs appeared highly delighted at this, and 
 one of them said he would bring yams, cocoa-nuts, and pigs, to the 
 person who was to live with him. We then received a present from 
 the chiefs of a pig, some yams, bananas, and cocoa-nuts, and went on 
 board with one of the chiefs and two of his people, to whom we made 
 presents of some trifling articles. While ashore, we had a ramble 
 among the plantations, and nothing we have seen in any of the other 
 islands exceeds the skill and attention they manifest in their cultiva- 
 tion. We were also conducted to what they called a marae, where 
 there was a large banian tree ; they told us it was ' tapu ' (sacred) to 
 the god. 'Among the fruits they brought to us, are the rose-apple and 
 a species of fig. When our boat was ashore the last time to-day, 
 other tribes of strange natives had arrived in great numbers in the bay, 
 from other parts, being armed with spears, bludgeons, bows, and ar- 
 rows, and seemed exceedingly outrageous to obtain fish-hooks and 
 other articles that they saw we had distributed to the other party in 
 the bay. Finding that we did not distribute anything among them, 
 they seemed to be infuriated, and about a hundred of them surround- 
 ed the boat, and made an attempt to detain her. After a short time, 
 however, and by talking to them, they became quiet, and the chief 
 with whom we had made friends began to address them, and presently 
 a consultation was held among the party who had hold of the boat, till 
 at length they let her ; go, and the party dispersed. We then man- 
 aged to push off, and come on board. As the teachers intimated their 
 wish to remain one night on shore before their property was landed, 
 so that they might have an opportunity of being with the natives, to 
 see how they behaved before we finally left them, we intend to re- 
 main here another night, and to land their property to-morrow. By 
 our last boat, we have brought off two natives, who will be with us 
 during the night. 
 
 " November 19th, Tuesday. Early this morning we went ashore, 
 taking with us the two natives who had been with us all night. On 
 our arrival off the beach, we waited some time inquiring for the na- 
 tive teachers whom we had left ashore last night. In the meantime, 
 
 33 
 
dOD LIFE OP THE 
 
 some little disorder and confusion took place among the people on the 
 beach, but at length the greatest quietness prevailed, all of them 
 grouping together according to their respective tribes, and each party 
 having brought a quantity of yams, bananas, and cocoa-nuts, expect- 
 ing to receive in return from us articles of barter. The teachers then 
 made their appearance, and gave us a most favorable account of their 
 reception by the people. We then proposed for the teachers to go off 
 with us to the ship to bring ashore their luggage, and then finally re- 
 main among them ; here they expressed the utmost anxiety, supposing 
 that we might take them away altogether ; but, having two other 
 teachers on board of our boat, we told them, that in order to ensure 
 our return, we would put them ashore as hostages, and also allow the 
 vegetables the people had brought, to remain on the beach. They 
 then expressed themselves pleased at our proposal, and we hastened 
 with the teachers to the ship. After breakfast, the native teachers 
 having got their luggage together, we all again entered the boat, and 
 went ashore. We found the people waiting in the most orderly man- 
 ner on our return. We then went among the different parties of them, 
 all sitting down in groups on the beach, and diffused the greatest pleas- 
 ure and goodwill among them all by receiving from them the vegeta- 
 bles, etc., and they obtaining in return small presents of calicoes, 
 scissors, and fish-hooks. The goods of the native teachers were 
 landed at the same time, and very promptly taken to the huts of the 
 chiefs, the word ' tapu ' being repeated among them as the things were 
 passed. At length we took leave of them. They followed us as far 
 as they could along the beach, and to the extremity of the point, 
 among the rocks, and their last words to us were, ' One, two, three 
 moons, and you will come back.' Thus terminated one of the most 
 interesting visits we have ever yet been privileged to have with the 
 heathen in their barbarous and savage state, when called' to take to 
 them the word of life ; and none, perhaps, manifested a more peace- 
 able and friendly demeanor to strangers such as we were among them. 
 Others, indeed, had had intercourse with them, but they met them un- 
 der arms, which showed their want of confidence in the people, and, 
 to say the least, they met them as enemies, and in many instances, at 
 this very spot were engaged in actual conflict. 
 
 " Tanna is, as far as our limited observation at present enables us 
 to judge, a most important island ; it is of much greater extent than 
 we were led to expect, being as large as the island of Upolu. All its 
 eastern and northern coast appears iron-bound, but there are all along 
 in many places fine spacious bays and lowlands. Its northern range 
 of mountains is pretty nearly of the same height, but at its southern 
 extremity, the mountains form many different ranges, and rise in sub- 
 li me grandeur amidst the perpetual clouds of smoke, which seem to 
 envelope their summits from the volcano with which they are con- 
 nected. Port Resolution is a beautiful bay, bounded on the west by 
 a ridge of low mountains extending from the volcano to the sea. A 
 fine sandy beach sweeps round its southern and eastern sides. The 
 entrance into it is rather wide, which leaves its northern part quite 
 exposed to the northerly and north-westerly winds, but the low sandy 
 beach with which it is surrounded, is almost an evidence of the har- 
 bor itself not being affected by any wind; there are also some shoals 
 in the neighborhood of the entrance outside, which form a kind of 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 387 
 
 breakwater, and by which the u violence of the waves is broken ere they 
 reach the harbor. As to the population of the island, we could learn 
 no more than hearing from the natives that the land was great, and 
 the people great ; and, i'rom seeing plantations of cocoa-nut, and 
 smoke ascending in various parts all along the sides of the mountains, 
 we suppose it is exceedingly well populated. The care and attention 
 they show in the cultivation of their plantations has already been men- 
 tioned in the occurrences of Wednesday. As to the appearance of 
 the people, language, etc., we have not observed any difference from 
 those on the eastern island of Fatuna. As it is likely we may have 
 some other general observations to make on the island, we shall defer 
 so doing till we have an opportunity of seeing the other islands of this 
 group, at which we intend to call in our present voyage. 
 
 " About one o'clock we set sail, and stood to the northward, for the 
 island of Erromanga, and got to its southern side sufficiently early in 
 the evening to run along the coast for the distance of some miles to 
 the westward, till, at its becoming dark, and being unable to distin- 
 guish the creeks and bays in the land, we put the vessel about to lie- 
 too during the night." 
 
 These extracts have conducted us to the morning of the 
 dark and dreadful day when the course of this apostolic man 
 on earth was closed. The state of mind in which he ap- 
 proached the fatal hour, although not free from a gloomy tinge, 
 was much more cheerful than it had been, prior to his arri- 
 val at this group. The success at Fatuna and Tanna had 
 dissipated his fears, and fulfilled his warmest desires. He 
 now appeared to feel a strong confidence of ultimate and com- 
 plete success ; for the grand object for which he had planned, 
 and prayed, and pleaded so long, seemed almost within his 
 grasp, and he spoke to those who sailed with him, as though 
 the New Hebrides were already added to the other groups, 
 whose conversion to Christianity he had been honored to 
 commence. On the evening before he fell, as the Camden 
 was gliding along the shores of Erromanga, and Mr. Williams 
 was leaning over her side, conversing with Mr. Cunningham 
 in glowing terms about the events of the day, he told that 
 gentleman that as Samoa was now so well supplied, and the 
 New Hebrides presented so fine a missionary field, he had 
 almost determined to bring his family and reside there. But, 
 cheered as he was by previous success, other feelings sobered, 
 and at times saddened, his sanguine mind. On the morning 
 of the dreadful 20th, he told the same friend with whom he 
 had conversed in such cheerful tones on the preceding eve- 
 ning, that he had passed a sleepless night, from the considera- 
 tion of the magnitude and importance of the work before him ; 
 that he was much oppressed by its weight, and feared that he 
 
OOO LIFE OF THE 
 
 might have undertaken more than he would be able to fulfil ; 
 that so extensive were the islands he had engaged to survey, 
 that many years of anxious toil would be requisite ere he 
 could realize his own designs, or meet the expectations of 
 his friends at home. Shortly after this conversation, he en- 
 tered the boat, and landed upon the strand, upon which he 
 was so soon to sink beneath the assassin's club, and pour out 
 his blood as an oblation in his divine Master's service. But 
 the dark details of that hour, so sorrowful to survivors, but so 
 glorious for him, will be best described by the circumstantial 
 communications of Captain Morgan and Mr. Cunningham, 
 who stood with him, and saw him fall upon that savage shore. 
 
 "Rev. W. Ellis. 
 
 " Dear Sir, — I have to communicate to you the painful intelli- 
 gence of the death of your beloved brother and faithful missionary, 
 the Rev. John Williams, who was massacred at the island of Erro- 
 manga, one of the New Hebrides, on the 20th of November, 1839, 
 and of Mr. James Harris, a gentleman who was on his way to Eng- 
 land, with the view of becoming a missionary to the Marquesas. 
 The event happened the day after we left the island of Tanna. 
 There the natives received us most kindly, and Mr. Williams re- 
 marked, he had never been received more kindly by any natives 
 among whom he had been ; his spirits were elated to find such a door 
 of entrance opened. In the afternoon we left there three teachers 
 and a son of one of them. 
 
 u We proceeded to Erromanga, and hove to on the south side all 
 night. At day-light we ran down the south side in hope of landing 
 more teachers. The island appeared thinly inhabited ; we saw now 
 and then a native or two at a distance. On reaching Dillon's Bay, 
 we saw a canoe paddling along shore with three men in her, and by 
 Mr. Williams's desire we lowered down the whale boat, and took in 
 Mr. Williams, Mr. Harris, Mr. Cunningham, myself, and four hands; 
 we spoke to the men in the canoe, and found them to be a far diffe- 
 rent race of people to those at Tanna, their complexion darker, and 
 their stature shorter ; they were wild in their appearance, and ex- 
 tremely shy. They spoke a different language from that of the 
 Windward Islands, so that Mr. Williams could not understand a word 
 they said. He made them some presents, and tried to persuade them 
 to come into our boat. He did not succeed, so we left them, hoping, 
 as Mr. Williams remarked, with favorable impressions towards us. 
 We pulled up the bay, and some of the natives on shore ran along 
 the rocks after the boat. On reaching the head of the bay, we saw 
 several natives standing at a distance ; we made signs to them to 
 come towards us, but they made signs for us to go away. We threw 
 them some beads on shore, which they eagerly picked up, and came 
 a little closer, and received from us some fish-hooks and beads, and 
 a small looking-glass. On coming to a beautiful valley between the 
 mountains, having a small run of water, we wished to ascertain if it 
 was fresh, and we gave the chief a boat-bucket to fetch us some, and 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 
 
 in about half an hour he returned running with the water, which, 
 1 think, gave Mr. Williams and myself more confidence in the na- 
 tives. They ran and brought us some cocoa-nuts, but were still 
 extremely shy. Mr. Williams drank of the water the native brought, 
 and I held his hat to screen him from the sun. He seemed pleased 
 with the natives, and attributed their shyness to the ill-treatment they 
 must have received from foreigners visiting the island on some former 
 occasion. Mr. Cunningham asked him if he thought of going on 
 shore. I think he said he should not have the slightest fear, and then 
 remarked to me, ' Captain, you know we like to take possession 
 of the land, and if we can only leave good impressions on the minds 
 of the natives, we can come again and leave teachers ; we must be 
 content to do a little ; you know Babel was not built in a day.' He 
 did not intend to leave a teacher this time. Mr. Harris asked him 
 if he might go on shore, or if he had any objection ; he said, ' No, not 
 any.' Mr. Harris then waded on shore ; as soon as he landed the 
 natives ran from him, but Mr. Williams told him to sit down; he did 
 so, and the natives came close to him and brought him some cocoa- 
 nuts, and opened them for him to drink. 
 
 " Mr. Williams remarked, he saw a number of native boys playing, 
 and thought it a good sign, as implying that the natives had no bad 
 intentions : I said, I thought so too, but I would rather see some 
 women also ; because when the natives resolve on mischief they send 
 the women out of the way ; there were no women on the beach. At 
 last he got up, went forward in the boat, and landed. He presented 
 his hand to the natives, which they were unwilling to take ; he then 
 called to me to hand some cloth out of the boat, and he sat down and 
 divided it among them, endeavoring to win their confidence. All 
 three walked up the beach, Mr. Harris first; Mr. Williams and Mr. 
 Cunningham followed. After they had walked about a hundred 
 yards, they turned to the right, alongside of the bush, and I lost sight 
 of them. Mr. Harris wa3 the farthest off". I then went on shore, 
 supposing we had found favor in the eyes of the people. I stopped 
 to see the boat anchored safely, and then walked up the beach to- 
 wards the spot where the others had proceeded ; but before 1 had gone 
 a hundred yards, the boat's crew called out to me to run to the boat. 
 I looked round, and saw Mr. Williams and Mr. Cunningham runr 
 ning ; Mr. Cunningham towards the boat, and Mr. Williams straight 
 for the sea, with one native close behind him. I got into the boat, 
 and by this time two natives were close behind me, though I did not 
 see them at the moment. By this time Mr. Williams had got to the 
 water, but, the beach being stony and steep, he fell backward, and 
 the native struck him with a club, and often repeated the blow ; 
 a short time after, another native came up and struck him, and very 
 soon another came up and pierced several arrows into his body. 
 
 " My heart was deeply wounded. As soon as I got into the boat 
 I headed the boat towards Mr. Williams, in hopes of rendering him 
 some assistance, but the natives shot an arrow at us, which went 
 under the arm of one of our seamen, through the lining of the boat 
 into a timber, and there stuck fast. They also hove stones at the 
 same time. The boat's crew called out to me to lay the boat off; 
 I did so, and we got clear of the arrows. I thought I might be able 
 to get the body, for it lay on the beach a long time. At last I pulled 
 
 33* 
 
390 I LIFEOFTHE 
 
 alongside the brig, and made all sail, perceiving with the glass that 
 the natives had left the body on the beach. I also ordered a gun to 
 be fired, loaded with powder only, thinking to frighten the natives, so 
 that 1 might get the body ; the natives, however, made their appear- 
 ance, and dragged the body out of sight. 
 
 " Yours, &c., 
 (Signed) "Robert C. Morgan." 
 
 To these some other particulars of the tragic scene are 
 added by Mr. Cunningham. After describing their landing, 
 he writes : — 
 
 M Mr. W. called for a few pieces of print, which he divided in small 
 pieces to throw around him. Mr. Harris said he wished to have 
 a stroll inland, which was not objected to, and he walked on, followed 
 by a party of the natives. Mr. W. and I followed, directing our 
 course up the side of the brook. The looks and manners of the 
 savages 1 much distrusted, and remarked to Mr. Williams that prob- 
 ably we had to dread the revenge of the natives in consequence of 
 their former quarrel with strangers, wherein perhaps some of their 
 friends had been killed. Mr. W., I think, did not return me an an- 
 swer, being engaged at the instant repeating the Samoan numerals to 
 a crowd of boys, one of whom was repeating them after him. I was 
 also trying to get the names of a few things around us, and walked 
 onward. Finding a few shells lying on the bank, L picked them up. 
 On noticing they were of a species unknown to me, 1 was in the act 
 of putting them into my pocket, when T heard a yell, and instantly 
 Mr. Harris rushed out of the bushes about twenty yards before me. 
 I instantly perceived it was run or die. I shouted to Mr. Williams to 
 run (he being as far behind me as Mr. Harris was in advance) and 
 I sprung forward through the natives that were on the banks of the 
 brook, who all gave way. 1 looked round, and saw Mr. Harris fall in 
 the brook, and the water dash over him, a number of savages beating 
 him with clubs. Mr. Williams did not run at the instant I called to 
 him, till we heard a shell blow ; it was an instant, but too much to 
 lose. I again called to Mr. W. to run, and sprang forward for the 
 boat, which was out of sight ; it was round a point of bush. 
 
 " Mr. Williams, instead of making for the boat, ran directly down 
 the beach into the water, and a savage after him. It seemed to me 
 that Mr. Williams's intention was to swim off till the boat picked him 
 up. At the instant I sighted the boat, I heard a yell behind me, and, 
 looking round, found a savage close after me, with a club. I stooped, 
 and picking up a stone, struck him so as to stop his further pursuit. 
 The men in the boat had, on seeing Mr. Williams and me running, 
 given the alarm to Captain Morgan, who was on the beach at the 
 time. He and I jumped into the boat at the same instant ; several 
 stones were thrown at the boat. Mr. Williams ran into deep water, 
 and the savage close after him. On entering the water he fell for- 
 ward, but did not attempt to swim, when he received several blows 
 from the club of the native on the arms and over the head. He twice 
 dashed his head under water to avoid the club, with which the savage 
 stood over him ready to strike the instant he arose. 1 threw two 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 391 
 
 stones from the boat, which for a moment averted the progress of the 
 other native, who was a few paces behind ; but it was only for an 
 instant. The two rushed on our friend and beat his head, and soon 
 several others joined them. I saw a whole handful of arrows stuck 
 into his body. Though every exertion was used to get up the boat to 
 his assistance, and though only about eighty yards distant, before we 
 got half the distance our friend was dead, and about a dozen savages 
 were dragging the body on the beach, beating it in the most furious 
 manner. A crowd of boys surrounded the body as it lay, in the 
 ripple of the beach, and beat it with stones, till the waves dashed red 
 on the shore with the blood of their victim. Alas ! that moment of 
 sorrow and agony — I almost shrieked in distress. Several arrows 
 were shot at us, and one, passing under the arm of one of the men, 
 passed through the lining and entered the timber. This alarmed the 
 men, who remonstrated, as, having no fire-arms to frighten the sav- 
 ages away, it would be madness to approach them, as Mr. Williams 
 was now dead; to this Captain Morgan reluctantly assented, and 
 pulled off out of reach of the arrows, where we lay for an instant to 
 consider what we should do, when it was proposed that we should, 
 if possible, bring up the brig, now about two miles distant, and, under 
 cover of two guns which she carried, to land, and, if possible, to ob- 
 tain the bodies, which the natives had left on the beach, having 
 stripped off the clothes. We hastened on board and beat up for the 
 fatal spot; we could still perceive the white body lying on the beach, 
 and the natives had all left it, which gave us hope of being able to 
 rescue the remains of our friend from the ferocious cannibals. Our 
 two guns were loaded, and one fired, in hopes that the savages might 
 be alarmed and fly to a distance ; several were still seen on a distant 
 part of the beach. Shot we had none, but the sailors collected pieces 
 of iron, &c, to use if necessary. Our hopes were soon destroyed, 
 for a crowd of natives ran down the beach and carried away the body, 
 when we were within a mile of the spot. In grief we turned our 
 backs and stood from the fatal shores. We had all lost a friend, and 
 one we loved, for the love he bore to all, and the sincerity with which 
 he conveyed the tidings of peace to the benighted heathen, by whose 
 cruel hands he had now fallen." 
 
 To these harrowing details nothing need be added but 
 a brief statement by one who remained on board the Camden, 
 while these deeds of blood were transacted on the shore. 
 
 "After the boat had left us, the ship got a fine breeze out of the 
 bay, and we stood to sea to work up to windward, so as to be as near 
 as possible when the boat should have occasion to come on board 
 again. But while we on board were quietly enjoying the beautiful 
 scenery of the shore, and the romantic appearance of the various 
 peaked mountains in the distance, our brethren in the boat had landed 
 on a bourne from which they were never again to return. As the 
 boat approached us, and came within hail, we foreboded that some- 
 thing had happened ; but our imaginations had not formed the most 
 distant idea of the tragical scene which was about to be disclosed. 
 As the boat was coming alongside, the orders for getting a tow-line 
 
392 LIFE OF THE 
 
 in readiness, and for ' all hands to stand by and make sail,' produced 
 the most horrifying sensations in our minds, and intense anxiety as 
 to what had really happened. Messrs. "Williams and Harris were not 
 to be seen, and their seats were vacant. Our first impression was 
 they might have remained ashore, and had sent off the boat for the 
 teachers, as they had done at Tanna. When our boat was alongside, 
 in the fulness of our .anxiety, we all hastened to hear the intelligence. 
 We heard the captain exclaim, ' We have lost Mr. Williams and Mr. 
 Harris.' A moment's suspense led us to imagine that the natives 
 had detained them till a ransom should be taken for them, but how 
 were our feelings harrowed up, when the captain added, • They are 
 dead ! The natives have killed them !' Language cannot describe 
 what our feelings were at this dreadful moment. The most intense 
 grief took possession of our hearts. We looked vacantly on the shore, 
 but oh ! how gloomy ! As soon as Captain Morgan came on board, 
 we made all possible sail in the ship, and exerted our utmost endeavors 
 to work her to windward. After our efforts had proved unsuccessful, 
 we were obliged most reluctantly to let our ship go off, and direct our 
 course immediately for New South Wales, without calling at New 
 Caledonia according to our original intention." 
 
 These affecting accounts may be fitly closed with a pas- 
 sage from the Journal of Captain Morgan, written in his own 
 artless style. " Thus died a great and a good man, like a 
 soldier standing to his post : a heavy loss to his beloved wife 
 and three children. He was a faithful and successful laborer 
 among the islands of these seas. May I ever remember the 
 kindness with which he always spoke to me ; always study- 
 ing ever to please me and all around. I have lost a father, 
 a brother, and a valuable friend and adviser." 
 
 " And what shall we say to these things ? " When first 
 the astounding intelligence, so opposed to their fondest hopes 
 and sanguine calculations, burst upon the friends of Christ in 
 this country, consternation and grief unfitted them for calm 
 contemplation ; and in such a state of mind it was natural to 
 take refuge beneath the shadow of the Divine throne. " How 
 mysterious ! " was the general exclamation, and few were 
 disposed to venture more than echo these words. But when 
 after a season they surveyed the painful providence through 
 a clearer medium, they saw that the mystery was merely in 
 appearance ; that the darkness which obscured the sad scene 
 on the shore of Erromanga, was occasioned by " excess of 
 light." And while we would not attempt to penetrate the 
 counsels of " the only wise God," or presume to divine what 
 foreseen consequences might have induced him who had so 
 long preserved, and so often delivered his servant, now to 
 say, " Go thou thy way till the end be," enough may be dis- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 393 
 
 cerned in the present and the past, without prying curiosity 
 or bold conjecture concerning the future, to warrant us in 
 viewing this tragic termination of a career so bright, not 
 simply with silent submission, but with intelligent and even 
 approving acquiescence. If life should be estimated rather 
 by its usefulness than its years, and death by its tendency to 
 confirm and increase that usefulness, what a life and death 
 were his! For more than a quarter of a century, he had 
 consecrated himself to the service of the Saviour ; and 
 whether we consider what he had been or what he had done 
 during that period, we shall discover ample reason rather to 
 rejoice that he continued so long, than that he was cut off so 
 soon. If a stainless Christian reputation, a public career 
 marked by growing splendor to life's latest hour, singular 
 successes and triumphs amidst thickest dangers and in the 
 noblest of all causes, days lengthened until he had auspi- 
 ciously commenced his last and greatest scheme of benevo- 
 lence, and opened the door of faith to Western Polynesia, 
 and a termination to a course so honored, which, while it 
 raised his spirit to the society of those who had died for the 
 testimony of Jesus, invested his history with an interest, his 
 name with a sanctity, and his example with a force scarcely 
 derivable from any other cause, — if these considerations pos- 
 sess any power, they concur to reconcile our minds to the 
 martyrdom of Williams. " Who can recall that name, and 
 not be impressed with a sentiment of unearthly greatness ? 
 How can it be suffered to pass away without a discriminated 
 praise? * * How does the wave of Erromanga henceforth 
 seem to redden with his blood, and to murmur with his 
 name ; and its corals to pile up their monument to the enter- 
 prise of his mission and the oblation of his death." * 
 
 On the 30th of November, the Camden reached Sydney, 
 where the intelligence caused the deepest distress to the large 
 circle whose friendship and admiration Mr. Williams had 
 secured during his previous visit. As soon as practicable, 
 the Committee of the Missionary Auxiliary met, and con- 
 veyed to the governor a request, that a ship of war might be 
 despatched to recover the remains of the martyred Mis- 
 sionary, and convey the tidings of his death to Samoa. After 
 wisely satisfying himself that no revengeful purpose had 
 
 *" Missions," a second Prize Essay, by the Rev. R. W. Hamilton, 
 one of the noblest productions of consecrated genius and learning. 
 
394 LIFE OF THE 
 
 prompted it, Sir G. Gipps readily complied with this request ; 
 and on the 1st of February H. M. S. " Favorite," Captain 
 Croker, whom Mr. Cunningham had consented to accompany, 
 sailed for the New Hebrides, and on the 26th instant reached 
 Tanna. Here, the first question asked by the natives, was, 
 "Where is Williamu?" and when the sad truth was told, 
 they hung upon Mr. Cunningham's hand, and wept like chil- 
 dren. They had merely heard that one of the Camden's 
 party had been massacred at Erromanga. On the following 
 morning, they reached the scene of the dreadful tragedy, and 
 Captain Croker, his second lieutenant, Mr. Cunningham, and 
 others put off for the shore ; but as they approached it, they 
 heard the reverberations of the war conch, and saw the sav- 
 ages flying in all directions. At length, however, communi- 
 cations were opened, and the wretched creatures confessed 
 that they had devoured the bodies, of which nothing remained 
 but some of the bones. These, including the skulls, were, 
 after hours of delay, brought to the boat ; and having satisfied 
 himself that he now possessed all the mutilated relics of the 
 murdered missionaries which could be obtained, Captain 
 Croker hastened from these horrid shores. 
 
 On the 24th of March, the Favorite arrived at Samoa. 
 " The first canoe that reached us," writes an eye-witness, 
 " was guided by a middle-aged man, who, as soon as we were 
 within hail, called out to our native teachers, inquiring for 
 ' Missi William ; ' and those who witnessed it will not forget 
 the stunning and agonizing effect which the news of his death 
 produced. The man seemed at once unhinged ; he dropped 
 his paddle; and stooped his head and wept. We did not 
 understand his words, but his gestures could not be misinter- 
 preted. He accompanied us for some time, making various 
 inquiries ; but no smile lightened his expressive countenance, 
 and ever and anon he burst out into fresh cries and tears." 
 
 It was at the dead hour of night that Mrs. Williams was 
 awoke by the messenger who bore these heavy tidings ; but 
 who could depict that scene, or describe her sorrows? Great 
 as was her fortitude, this astounding stroke for a season para- 
 lyzed and prostrated her powers of thought and utterance. 
 Hers was anguish too deep for tears. But grief was not con- 
 fined to this solitary house of mourning. Had the death 
 scene in Egypt been that night repeated in Samoa, lamenta- 
 tions more bitter, and cries more piercing, could scarcely 
 have attended it, than those which this intelligence awakened. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 395 
 
 In a short time, every sleeping native had been aroused, and 
 through the morning twilight they were seen grouped together 
 in solemn and sorrowful communication, while everywhere 
 might be heard the sounds of distress. Early on the follow- 
 ing day, the report brought to the spot chiefs, teachers, and 
 multitudes of natives, who gathered around the house of their 
 departed friend, uttering the pathetic cries, " Aue Williamu, 
 Aue Tama," " Alas Williams ! alas, our father ! " Even 
 the heathen were drawn to the place, and joined in these 
 lamentations. All were anxious to see Mrs. Williams, and 
 to administer consolation ; but this for many hours she was 
 unable to bear. At length, towards the evening, she yielded 
 to the great importunity of Malietoa, who had hastened from 
 his own settlement, and allowed him to be admitted ; and, as 
 soon as he entered the room, he burst forth into the most 
 passionate expressions of distress, weeping, beating his breast, 
 and crying, " Alas Williamu, Williamu, our father, our fa- 
 ther ! He has turned his face from us ! We shall never see 
 him more ! He that brought us the good word of salvation 
 is gone ! Oh ! cruel heathen ! they know not what they did ! 
 How great a man they have destroyed ! " After indulging 
 for some time in these and similar exclamations, he turned to 
 Mrs. Williams, who was lying upon a sofa, and kneeling by 
 her side, he gently took her hand, and, while the tears were 
 flowing fast down his cheeks, he said in the softest and most 
 soothing tones, " Oh ! my mother ! do not grieve so much ! 
 do not kill yourself with grieving. You too will die with 
 sorrow, and be taken away from us, and then oh ! what shall 
 we do 1 Think of John, and of your very little boy who is 
 with you, and think of that other little one in a far distant 
 land, and do not kill yourself. Do love, and pity, and com- 
 passionate us." 
 
 For many succeeding days, Mrs. Williams was called to 
 pass through such scenes as these. So many came to weep 
 over her, and their grief was so sincere, that, heavily as their 
 tears and cries fell upon her heart, she could not deny their 
 request ; and God sustained her. But deep sorrow was not 
 confined to that settlement. Throughout the islands, the 
 dreadful news produced the most painful impression, and on 
 the succeeding Sabbath, when the brethren referred to it in 
 their sermons, the scenes witnessed by them were peculiarly 
 affecting. One of these must serve as a specimen of many. 
 
 "When the intelligence reached us," writes Mr. Murray, "the 
 degree of interest and feeling manifested by the natives was mostsur- 
 
396 LIFE OF THE 
 
 prising. It was on a Saturday ; I was at Leone, but hastened home 
 as soon as the mournful tidings arrived. I reached home in time for 
 the afternoon service on the Sabbath, and preached from Acts vii. 59, 
 "Jnd they stoned Stephen" &c. From the commencement of the 
 service, deep feeling appeared ; but towards the close, when 1 spoke 
 of Mr. W. as having been the first to make known among them the 
 name of Jesus, their feelings became quite ungovernable, and there 
 was a general burst, not like the manifestations of feeling which ap- 
 pear amongst the natives in their heathen state, but a comparatively 
 sober, and evidently sincere expression of emotions too big, too pow- 
 erful to admit of restraint. I trust also, that the effects produced by 
 the sad tidings, did not pass away with a temporary expression of 
 feeling. Of this, however, I cannot speak with certainty. Like 
 many other things connected with the life and labors of our esteemed 
 friend, their influence and effects will only be fully seen at the day 
 of the revelation of Jesus Christ." 
 
 Every possible expression of sympathy was conveyed by 
 the devoted laborers at Samoa to the widow and family 
 of their honored brother, and at the funeral, the greatest re- 
 spect was shown to his memory. By Mrs. Williams's desire, 
 his remains were interred at Apia, near the chapel, and by 
 the side of the lamented Barnden. On this mournful occa- 
 sion, all the missionaries, and an immense concourse of sor- 
 rowing natives, followed the coffin; and Captain Croker, 
 with the officers, seamen, and marines of the Favorite, pre- 
 ceded it to the place of burial. On the occasion, Mr. Hardie 
 preached in English, and Mr. Heath in Samoan, and by the 
 wish of Captain Croker, the marines fired thrice over the 
 grave of the Christian hero, and a humble monument was 
 erected upon the spot, with this inscription, written by Cap- 
 tain C. — " Sacred to the memory of the Rev. John Williams, 
 Father of the Samoan and other Missions, aged 43 years and 
 5 months, who was killed by the cruel natives of Erromanga, 
 on Nov. 20th, 1839, while endeavoring to plant the Gospel 
 of Peace on their shores." 
 
 But severe as was the grief at Samoa, it was not more so 
 than at Rarotonga, to which island the sad intelligence was 
 conveyed on the 15th of May, by "the Sulphur," sloop 
 of war. 
 
 "The shock," writes Mr. Buzacott, "was great to us all; the 
 lamentation here was indeed universal. The natives flocked to our 
 house to inquire into the truth of the report, and felt as if bereft of a 
 near and dear friend. The usual habiliments of mourning were worn 
 by the people, and although those have now, (August 13, 1841,) been 
 laid aside, he still lives in their hearts by many a grateful recollection. 
 Were I to attempt to describe our own feelings, 1 should dip my pen 
 in gall, and write in the bitterness of my spirit. ' Alas my brother ! 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 397 
 
 By ichom shall Jacob now arise ? Howl fir trees, for the cedar is 
 fallen.' But amidst the tumult of our grief, we hear our Father's 
 voice saying unto us, » Be still and know that I am God. I will be 
 exalted among the heathen.' " 
 
 " I was at the time," adds Mr Pitman, " visiting my poor sick and 
 dying people, when a note arrived from brother Buzacott, giving us 
 the painfully distressing intelligence. A little girl came running 
 breathless into the sick apartment, and said, ' Teacher ! Williamu is 
 killed.' I was astounded, thunder-struck, and ran home to gain 
 particulars. Alas ! the report was true. Our house was soon 
 thronged, and the news ran like lightning through the settlement. 
 Our chief could not speak, but sat for a long time like a statue, lro, 
 native teacher from our out-station, came down at night, faithless in 
 the report. The church members and others came to shake hands, 
 (a token of their sympathy with us in our grief.) Men, women, and 
 children crowded our doors to know if it were really so. * * The 
 next day, Sabbath, I endeavored to improve the event from 2 Sam. 
 iii. 38, ' Know ye not that a great man has fallen this day in Israel ? ' 
 As soon as the text was announced, an unusual solemnity prevailed 
 in the assembly. Every eye was fixed. As 1 proceeded in showing 
 his tender compassion towards the heathen, his labors, &c, the 
 greatest stillness was observed, and when I came to relate his death, 
 the people seemed scarcely to breathe. Many wept much, and left 
 the house of God apparently in deep thought. Maretu, my native 
 assistant, who has been laboring for some time at Mangaia, informed 
 me that the news produced similar effects there. In a letter received 
 from our brother Royle, dated Aitutaki, April 29, 1840, he says, 
 ' A vessel is now off our island, which has brought the report that 
 our dear and honored friend Mr. Williams has been murdered. I do 
 most sincerely hope that it may not be true. It has, however, 
 awakened very mournful feelings in our hearts, and thrown the 
 islanders into the greatest consternation, for I believe they are truly 
 attached to him. Oh, how anxiously do we desire to receive some 
 speedy intelligence, to assure us that it is only report, and relieve our 
 oppressed spirits.' 
 
 " For a long time the death of Mr. Williams was almost the only 
 topic of conversation among our people. If 1 met a person in the 
 road, or entered the houses of the sick, or received them when they 
 came to our dwelling of an evening for religious conversation, almost 
 the first words were, ' Aue Williamu!' 'Alas! Williams.' A few 
 days after the news reached us, I went my usual rounds to see my 
 sick people, and the following is recorded in my journal : — • Satur- 
 day, March 23, 1840. In my visits to-day I met the son and daughter 
 of Pureiau, one of the natives taken down by brother Williams from 
 this station, as a teacher to the New Hebrides. They were anxious 
 to know if their father also had been killed. Not having received 
 particulars, I could not give them the wished-for information. ' We 
 are not,' said the daughter, * over anxious about the event, as our 
 father told us in taking leave not to be cast down, not to allow 
 of immoderate grief, should we hear the news of his being slain by 
 the heathen, ' for 1 am willing,' said he, ' to die in such a cause, 
 if God calls me to such an end. You know I was an ivi, [one marked 
 as a sacrifice,] and sought for in this district just before God visited 
 
 34 
 
398 LIFE OF THE 
 
 this island with the Gospel of peace. Had not Jesus shown mercy to 
 me, I should have perished. Willingly, therefore, do I go forth to 
 this work of my Saviour. If I die by the hand of the heathen, it is 
 because God permits it ; if I live, I purpose to do what I can to lead 
 their souls to Jesus.'' Looking at the sick man, I said, 'Did you 
 not think that Pureiau was slain ? ' ' Let that alone,' he replied, 
 ' had he been killed would that have been a matter of grief ? Would 
 he not have died in the work of God ? ' These were sentiments and 
 feelings which called forth gratitude to God from my very soul.' " 
 
 Similar illustrations of the prevalent feelings of the pious 
 Rarotongans are contained in other communications from 
 Mr. Gill, " at whose suggestion," writes Mr. Buzacott, 
 " a monument was erected to his memory at Arorangi, built 
 of stone, and plastered with lime, having a suitable inscrip- 
 tion both in English and in Rarotongan. Another has been 
 erected at this place, (Avarua,) sawn out of solid coral, 
 a drawing of which I send you." Of these interesting memo- 
 rials the accompanying plate will convey an accurate idea. 
 The following is the inscription upon that at Arorangi : — 
 "To the memory of the Rev. John Williams, of the London 
 Missionary Society, who having labored upwards of fourteen 
 years at Raiatea, was made the honored instrument of intro- 
 ducing Christianity to the Hervey and Samoan Islands. In 
 attempting to convey the Gospel to the New Hebrides, he 
 fell a sacrifice, with his friend Mr. Harris, on the island 
 of Erromanga, to the cruelty of the deluded heathen inhabi- 
 tants, November 20, 1839." The opposite faces of the 
 monument at Avarua bear a similar inscription in English 
 and Rarotongan. 
 
 The intelligence of Mr. Williams's death was first brought 
 to this country on the 6th of April, 1840, by the overland 
 mail from India, and was contained in a passage extracted 
 from a Sydney into a Bengal paper ; and on the 4th of May, 
 the circumstantial confirmation reached the Directors. A 
 special board meeting was immediately convened, at which 
 a resolution expressive of the sentiments with which they 
 regarded their honored Missionary, and of the feelings with 
 which they had heard of his fall, was placed on record. At 
 the anniversary of the Society, on the following week, a simi- 
 lar resolution was proposed by the Rev. Dr. Morrison, se- 
 conded by the Rev. G. Smith, and received with solemn and 
 sorrowful emotions by the assembled multitude. But here 
 these public manifestations of respect and grief did not close. 
 By the appointment of the Board of Directors, a special 
 
'mm- gsw 
 
 ■fSt © ... 
 
 mm 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 399 
 
 funeral service was held on the evening of the 20th of May, 
 at the Tabernacle, Moorfields, when a sermon was preached 
 before the bereaved relatives and Society, from Matt, xxiii. 
 34, by the Rev. Timothy East, of Birmingham : the same 
 honored minister who, twenty-six years before, from the same 
 pulpit, delivered that discourse on the value of the soul, 
 which pierced the heart, and determined the character of the 
 martyred Missionary. And as a further means of expressing 
 their sympathy with the afflicted widow, and their admiration 
 of her honored partner, the Directors immediately opened a 
 subscription for her and her family, while from the pulpit 
 and the platform and the press, the character and history and 
 death of Williams called forth expressions of sentiment and 
 feeling, which proved how deeply he was lamented and how 
 much beloved. 
 
 It is not difficult to estimate the character of the man, 
 whose noble course of Christian philanthropy has now been 
 traced. All his distinctive features stand out with promi- 
 nence upon the surface of his history, and may be readily dis- 
 cerned through the " simplicity and godly sincerity," which, 
 like transparent light, revealed and adorned them. From 
 early years, his integrity, ingenuousness, cheerfulness, and 
 generosity, secured for him the warm esteem of the circle in 
 which he moved. Fostered in the nursery, beneath the be- 
 nignant smile, the warm affection, and the Christian influence 
 of one of the best of mothers, these amiable traits rendered 
 him a lovely youth, and when, subsequently, the were con- 
 firmed and sanctified by religion, they contributed, not merely 
 to the attractiveness, but to the influence of his matured 
 character. 
 
 But the circumstances of his youth were not so favorable 
 to the development of his intellectual powers, as to the cul- 
 ture of the social affections. His education and early engage- 
 ments made but a moderate demand upon his attention ; pre- 
 sented few incitements to study ; and tended rather to restrict 
 than to enlarge his field of observation. Within this confined 
 sphere, indeed, he discovered considerable energy of thought 
 and action ; but it was not until brought into contact with 
 the truth of God, that his mind received an impulse, which 
 rendered it equal to the demands, and superior to the difficul- 
 ties, of subsequent years. To what extent, or under what 
 particular forms, his latent powers might have been evolved, 
 had a stringent course of mental discipline co-operated from 
 
400 LIFE OF THE 
 
 the first with the quickening influences of the Spirit, cannot 
 be divined. It may, however, be affirmed with confidence 
 that, in some departments of thought and action, whatever 
 external advantages might have been enjoyed, he would never 
 have excelled. The slightest reflection upon his peculiar 
 characteristics will show that he could never have become 
 either a metaphysician or a poet. The terra jirma upon 
 which he delighted to stand, and where alone his mind found 
 rest, was equally remote from the regions of abstract thought, 
 and of ideal creations. And, although possessing activity, 
 energy, and business talents in no ordinary degree, the ab- 
 sence of other characteristics would have also disqualified 
 him for those spheres of public service, or party strife, which 
 demanded unusual astuteness ; a facility in detecting the mo- 
 tives of others, while disguising his own ; with the power of 
 constructing and counterworking comprehensive and crafty 
 schemes of political expediency. Neither would he have suc- 
 ceeded in disentangling the difficulties, or demonstrating the 
 theorems, of morals and theology. 
 
 But although Mr. Williams might have failed in some de- 
 partments of intellectual labor, it must not from hence be in- 
 ferred that he was deficient in mental power. The facts of 
 his history sufficiently demonstrate the contrary ; and clearly 
 show, that in some endowments he had few superiors, and in 
 others, few equals. His memory, especially of words and 
 things, was unusually accurate and tenacious ; and, as his 
 capability of exact observation was, if possible, still more re- 
 markable, there was scarcely an interesting object, or an im- 
 portant topic, which had at any time engaged his attention, 
 the particulars of which he did not perfectly retain. And 
 what gave to these faculties great additional value, was the 
 perfect ease with which their possessor could render all his 
 impressions of the past available for present use. Indeed, 
 the command he possessed over his knowledge was almost 
 absolute. It required no effort to enable him to recal an idea 
 or an incident, with which he had at any time been familiar ; 
 and this moreover was done so fully, and with so much ex- 
 actness, that it rarely became necessary for him to correct the 
 inaccuracies, or supply the omissions of his own reminiscen- 
 ces. Had his reading been equal to his recollection, and to the 
 promptitude with which he could employ his resources, he 
 would, in any situation or society, have been considered a 
 remarkable man. But a still more valuable endowment, in 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 401 
 
 which Mr. Williams excelled, was a clear and comprehensive 
 perception of what was most useful, practicable, or proper, 
 in relation to the circumstances by which he was surrounded, 
 or to the purposes he was anxious to accomplish. This fac- 
 ulty had ample scope for its exercise while in Polynesia, and 
 was constantly quickened by an ardent desire to elevate the 
 objects of his benevolent labors, in every social and religious 
 excellence, far above the ordinary level even of those commu- 
 nities which shared in the blessings of missionary superin- 
 tendence. But because he was thus thrown much upon his 
 own resources, and accustomed to think and plan for himself, 
 it must not be imagined that he preferred to pursue a solitary 
 course, or to act in the spirit of proud independence. It was 
 far otherwise. His mind was remarkably ductile. Few men 
 were ever more open to the influences of truth, or to the sug- 
 gestions of wisdom. Most tenaciously, indeed, did he adhere 
 to the great principles of practical utility upon which he had 
 based his missionary proceedings, and no one could have 
 turned him from the pursuit of those evangelical objects 
 which so deeply interested his heart. But upon the points of 
 secondary importance, he was ever anxious to receive, and 
 most willing to consider the opinions of his brethren. In his 
 character there was nothing impracticable. Most readily did 
 he re-hear a cause, or review a course. An utter stranger to 
 the vanity which induces a man for the sake of apparent con- 
 sistency to maintain whatever he has once avowed, Mr. Wil- 
 liams was always free to modify his opinions or adopt a more 
 excellent way. But except on subjects which he had imper- 
 fectly considered, or which were remote from the ordinary 
 range of his thoughts, he rarely found it necessary to aban- 
 don his belief, or retrace his steps. It may be very safely as- 
 serted that there was no leading principle, nor design, nor 
 plan of operations, which he ever found it resquisite to re- 
 linquish or revise. His judgments upon all points of personal 
 and practical importance had been thought out with too 
 much care, and tested by two long experience, to be open to 
 serious correction. • 
 
 That in the judgments which Mr. Williams formed, he was 
 invariably correct, it would be false and foolish to affirm. 
 When, indeed, he possessed sufficient data, and gave himself 
 sufficient time for their examination, his estimate was usually 
 right. But it is not surprising that, upon some subjects re- 
 mote from his chosen sphere, his sentiments should have been 
 34* 
 
402 
 
 LIFE OF T HE 
 
 erroneous or crude. This, however, is no proof of the gen- 
 eral unsoundness of his judgment, but merely a natural con- 
 sequence of the occupation of his thoughts by other themes. 
 To test this faculty fairly, we must compare its conclusions 
 with the particular circumstances or pursuits which call for 
 its exercise ; and if we discover between these a wise and 
 close adjustment, a favorable estimate cannot be withheld. 
 According to this rule, it must be acknowledged that Mr. 
 Williams possessed in no ordinary degree the power of judg- 
 ing correctly. His missionary plans, with scarcely an ex- 
 ception, were proved by experience to have been as practica- 
 ble and efficient, as they were often bold and original. None 
 of his schemes were Utopian or visionary. All of them would 
 work, and his history is not marked by an incident which can 
 be truly denominated a failure. 
 
 Few minds ever possessed more freedom and flexibility 
 than his. With almost equal ease he could contrive or con- 
 form ; mark out a new course, or traverse an old one; act 
 with others, or without them ; yield to circumstances, or bend 
 them to his own will. And his self-reliance was equally re- 
 markable. Sustained by this, he was prompted to dare, and 
 enabled to do, what few besides himself would have ever con- 
 ceived. And this was no presumptuous confidence. It was 
 founded upon the possession of considerable resources, the 
 results of experience, and the expected concurrence of divine 
 providence and grace. 
 
 Of his mechanical genius, little need be said in this place. 
 Previous illustrations, and the remarks of his friend and fel- 
 low-laborer Mr. Ellis, which follow, sufficiently show its ex- 
 tent and value. But marvellous as were the ease and skill 
 with which he executed the various, and many of them diffi- 
 cult and complex contrivances of art, the moral devices, by 
 which he sought to interest and elevate the people around 
 him, exhibit features scarcely less remarkable than those of 
 the mechanical. In both, there was the same clear appre- 
 hension of ends, the same ready suggestion and perfect adap- 
 tation of means. Success, whether in framing a plan of 
 Christian beneficence, or in constructing a useful machine, 
 was never a happy accident, but always an anticipated result. 
 The movement of his mind and of his hand were not made at 
 random, but were guided by wise forethought, and founded 
 upon careful calculation. Hence their favorable termination 
 and valuable fruits. 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 403 
 
 But the skill of Mr. Williams will not alone account for 
 his success. Like the great father of modern astronomy, he 
 owed this more to perseverance than to power ; to unremit- 
 ting diligence, than to novel devices or excellent designs. 
 Constituted by nature, and prepared by grace, for a life of 
 labor, he became, in every sense of the words, " a workman 
 that needed not to be ashamed." To each service he under- 
 took, he gave himself " wholly." Indolence and procrasti- 
 nation were as contrary to his predominant propensities, as 
 they were to his religious principles. He never deferred un- 
 til the morrow what " the duty of every day required." In 
 his exertions, there was nothing capricious or fitful. He 
 wrought by rule. As steady, moreover, in the prosecution of 
 a plan, as he was deliberate in its formation, he rarely left his 
 work unfinished. His course was never marked by vacillation. 
 Each day witnessed the progress of what he had taken in 
 hand ; and if unavoidably diverted from it for a season, his 
 interest in the occupation did not decline, but as soon as the 
 interruption ceased, he returned to it with unrelaxed vigor. 
 With application and determination, such as he brought to 
 bear upon every important design, failure was scarcely possi- 
 ble. Such resolute purpose, and unremitting labor, must 
 have raised him to eminence and others to happiness, had 
 his talents been as ordinary as they were rare ; but combined 
 with his surpassing skill, he was enabled, at Raiatea, Raro- 
 tonga, Samoa, and England, to effect more than most men 
 would have attempted ; and as much, perhaps, as could have 
 been accomplished by any individual in circumstances pre- 
 cisely the same. 
 
 When we consider how gentle and yielding his natural dis- 
 position was, and how easily he was swayed by affection and 
 benevolence, it would not have been surprising, had Mr. Wil- 
 liams's conduct indicated a deficiency in firmness. Nor in- 
 deed could it be said that his character was strongly marked 
 by this feature, if we understand by the term a tenacious ad- 
 herence on all occasions to his own plans, and a resolute re- 
 sistance to the persuasives of others. There were many in- 
 stances in which he surrendered opinions previously enter- 
 tained to the force of evidence, or waived his own wishes 
 rather than maintain a controversy, or deny a request. Some- 
 times, indeed, this amiable spirit induced him to yield when 
 he ought to have resisted ; but this was never done in any 
 but matters of secondary importance. He possessed, in a 
 
404 LIFE OF THE 
 
 very considerable degree, the rare virtue of being flexible in 
 little things, but firm in great. No one could ever charge 
 him with weakness or vacillation, when the object was mo- 
 mentous, or the obligation clear. This was shown by the 
 general tenor of his life, all the great purposes of which he 
 prosecuted with a concentration of thought, a steadiness of 
 aim, a devotedness and determination which have been rarely 
 equalled, never surpassed. Every reader of history must 
 have been satisfied that upon these purposes his heart was 
 fixed ; and that unchanged by delay, and unmoved by dis- 
 couragement, he sought their accomplishment by all the 
 means and agencies which he could command. This was 
 sufficient proof of his firmness and decision. 
 
 A more disinterested man than John Williams will be 
 rarely found. Whenever " the things of others" presented 
 their claim, " his own things M were the last and the least 
 which occupied his thoughts. From the day when he re- 
 linquished the endearments of home and the promises of com- 
 mercial gain, (both of which were great,) until that on which 
 he laid down his life in the service of his Lord, he discovered 
 the same spirit of cheerful sacrifice. Few have been able to 
 say more truly to those for whom he labored, * We seek not 
 yours, but you." This was shown not merely in the general 
 course of self-denying exertion for which he was distinguish- 
 ed, and for the uncomplaining spirit in which he accepted 
 the narrow salary allowed by the Society to their Polynesian 
 missionaries, but also by the readiness with which he appro- 
 priated his own private resources to promote the benevolent 
 objects of his life and labors. The following extract of a let- 
 ter, which was written in order to remove a misapprehension 
 upon the subject, will make this evident : — " All the interest 
 of my private property, from the day it came into my posses- 
 sion until the present moment, I have spent upon the means 
 of accomplishing more for the mission, than the small stipend 
 allowed by the Society would have enabled me to do. Had 
 I pleased, I might have been worth £1000 or £1500 more 
 than I am, without the slightest act of injustice to any one." 
 The purchase of the Endeavor, and numerous private trans- 
 actions, might be adduced, were it necessary, in further illus- 
 tration of this feature of Mr. Williams's character. 
 
 That the great missionary voyager possessed a spirit of en- 
 terprise, is undoubted ; but this was so reined in by prudent 
 forethought, and so subordinated to practical designs, as to 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 405 
 
 present itself under a form very dissimilar from that which it 
 ordinarily exhibits. He had too much of the calculating and 
 too little of the imaginative, to be allured and misled by the 
 visionary. Voyages would never have been undertaken by 
 him for the sake of mere discovery ; and discovery itself de- 
 rived its interest in his esteem from its connexion with the 
 welfare of man, and the extension of missions. The induce- 
 ments which drew him forth to unknown shores, had no alli- 
 ance with those which influence the mere adventurer. They 
 consisted in the principles of duty, the promptings of com- 
 passion, and a large measure of sacred and sanctified ambi- 
 tion. This last was a principal element in his character, and 
 a powerful motive in all his proceedings both abroad and at 
 home. It led him, soon after his residence at Raiatea, to ex- 
 claim, in a letter to the Directors, " How are we cramped !" 
 and to request a removal to a continent, where he might 
 more completely fulfil his great commission. In the same 
 spirit, while laboring within a comparatively confined sphere, 
 he aimed to carry forward the people of his charge to a point 
 of social and spiritual excellence far beyond what had been 
 hitherto attained by others. And it was this ardent and irre- 
 pressible desire (ambition sanctified to noblest ends) which 
 originated his voyages. With ordinary plans, efforts, or re- 
 sults, he never was, he never could be satisfied. Like Paul, 
 he was unwilling to build upon another man's foundation, and 
 was resolutely resolved, if it were possible, " to preach the 
 Gospel in regions beyond, and not to boast in another man's 
 line of things made ready to his hand." To surpass the lim- 
 its reached by his predecessors was with him, not in one, but 
 in every department of missionary labor, a leading purpose, 
 and a governing aim. But this did not spring from a spirit 
 of emulation, but of benevolence. Prepared as he was, when 
 circumstances demanded it, to act alone, he was always anx- 
 ious that his brethren should take their part in his enter- 
 prises ; and those of his honored survivors who, like Messrs. 
 Threlkeld, Bourne, Ellis, Barrf, Pitman, Buzacott, and 
 Pritchard, labored with him in the Gospel most closely, can 
 testify to the fact that he sought not the honor for himself. 
 One of these, the Rev. W. Ellis, has recently favored the 
 author with a valuable letter, which will greatly enrich and 
 suitably close these notices of Mr. Williams's missionary 
 character. 
 
406 LIFE OF THE 
 
 " The circumstances of the South Sea Mission, at the time 
 of our lamented brother's arrival among the islands, required, 
 on the part of those conducting it, qualifications of a high or- 
 der and widely diversified character. Many of these he pos- 
 sessed in common with his brethren, and others in a measure 
 peculiarly his own. 
 
 " The principle of adaptation, and harmonious arrange- 
 ment, so evident in other departments of the divine procedure, 
 is often delightfully conspicuous in the progress of the mis- 
 sionary cause, not only in the fitness of the agents themselves, 
 but in their introduction to the work at the precise time 
 when their peculiar qualifications are most urgently required. 
 It was so in the present instance, for, although the genius 
 and moral worth of Mr. Williams would have prevented his 
 ever becoming an inefficient missionary, his characteristic en- 
 dowments would have been of less avail at any other period ; 
 and it is perhaps doubtful to what extent his ardent tempera- 
 ment and enterprising spirit would have found scope for ex- 
 ercise during the long years of monotonous and apparently 
 fruitless effort, through which his predecessors toiled, unstim- 
 ulated by any new or expanding prospects of usefulness, un- 
 cheered by the slightest token of success. Patience and con- 
 stancy, that raised their possessors above the influence of the 
 present and the apparent, enabled them to endure as seeing 
 him who is invisible, and to derive their strength from confi- 
 dence in the divine veracity and care, were required and ex- 
 emplified by the laborers then in the field. 
 
 " The astonishing change, that had then but recently taken 
 place, required qualities of another order, and the elements 
 of these Mr. Williams possessed in an unusual degree. Their 
 development was very materially, and I believe favorably af- 
 fected, not only by the circumstances in which he was placed, 
 but by his most intimate associate Mr. Threlkeld, with whom 
 he commenced, and, till the removal of the latter to New 
 South Wales, carried forward the Raiatean mission. Mr. 
 Threlkeld, the senior of the two, was an intelligent observer 
 of men and things, and possessed a considerable amount of 
 general information ; he was also decided and determined in 
 purpose, as well as prompt and vigorous in action. On the 
 judgment of his colleague, Mr. Williams placed implicit re- 
 liance, and paid the utmost deference to his opinion. In na- 
 tural disposition and peculiar talents there was scarcely any 
 resemblance between them, yet their confidence in each other 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 407 
 
 was entire, their co-operation uniformly harmonious, and 
 their intercourse most affectionate and cordial. And it would 
 not perhaps be an error to regard the period they spent to- 
 gether as the most important in its influence on the then but 
 partially formed character of our brother ; and as one that 
 afforded as large a measure of pure and hallowed enjoyment, 
 as he ever shared during his short but eventful career. 
 
 " The earliest, and for a long time the heaviest demands 
 made upon Mr. Williams, were for the exercise of his 
 mechanical skill. The art of working in iron, which he had 
 acquired in England, had long been regarded with the highest 
 admiration by the people, and at that time it was possessed 
 by him alone. This was sufficient of itself to render him, in 
 the estimation of many, the most important person in the 
 mission, and led the chiefs and people of every island to con- 
 tend for his residence amongst them. The value of this 
 attainment was greatly enhanced by the disinterestedness 
 with which it was used in furtherance of the great objects 
 of the mission, the willingness with which he performed many 
 little services for the natives, and the pains he took to instruct 
 the more intelligent among them, until the native smiths 
 of Raiatea were not only able to supply the demands of their 
 countrymen, but to satisfy their employers when engaged in 
 the repair of foreign vessels visiting their harbors. This was 
 the only mechanical art with which Mr. Williams was ac- 
 quainted on his arrival. Some of his companions were excel- 
 lent mechanics in other departments, and he speedily acquired 
 and as speedily taught, among other things, the art of work- 
 ing and turning in wood, of boat and ship building, and 
 subsequently of manufacturing sugar and tobacco, and culti- 
 vating cotton. 
 
 " The wants of a people just emerging from barbarism, and 
 taking the first steps towards civilization ; and the require- 
 ments of a new station, where every kind of building neces- 
 sary for the purposes of the mission had to be provided, and 
 often even the tools of the workmen to be made before dwell- 
 ing, school, or chapel, could be reared, afforded ample scope 
 for all the versatility of our brother's genius ; and at such 
 times the fertility of his invention, the facility with which he 
 turned every available material to the best account, and the 
 perseverance by which he ultimately surmounted every diffi- 
 culty, were often remarkably conspicuous. 
 
 " With equal aptitude Mr. Williams speedily acquired that 
 
408 LIFE OF THE 
 
 extensive acquaintance with the country and the people, 
 which ever afterwards proved so valuable. His views of the 
 native mind and character were correct and clear, and im- 
 parted a degree of point and power to his instructions, and 
 of practical utility to his plans, that would have been other- 
 wise unattainable. The early age at which he entered the 
 mission also favored his acquisition of the native language, 
 and enabled him the more readily to attain an extensive 
 acquaintance with its separate parts and varied combinations, 
 a correctness of pronunciation, a fluency in speaking, and 
 a readiness in writing, that contributed greatly to his accept- 
 ableness and efficiency. 
 
 " However great the satisfaction which the acquisition of 
 knowledge afforded, it was by him regarded only as a means 
 to higher and more important ends. His attainments seemed 
 comparatively valueless, until applied by himself to some use- 
 ful purpose, or imparted to others. This rendered his inter- 
 course with the people, among whom, especially in the early 
 part of his career, he passed the largest portion of his time, 
 always interesting and instructive. Whether in his own 
 house or their dwellings, in the garden or the smithy, the 
 boat-house or the carpenter's shop, he was surrounded by 
 natives ; and whether working with his own hands at the 
 forge or the bench, or directing and assisting others, it was 
 his constant aim to inform and elevate the mind, while he 
 trained the hand. He was remarkably good-natured, cheer- 
 ful, and communicative, and always invited rather than re- 
 pelled conversation and inquiry, however puerile the ideas 
 of his companions might be. It is not always easy for a mis- 
 sionary to endure without annoyance the vague and idle 
 questions of the people, to combat their prejudices, often 
 equally foolish and absurd ; to bear patiently their dulness 
 of intellect, and apathy of heart, and still maintain a cheerful 
 and encouraging demeanor, seeking thus to allure them to 
 think and to feel as they never did before ; yet it is a qualifi- 
 cation of incalculable value. Much of Mr. Williams's influ- 
 ence is undoubtedly to be ascribed to this cause, and it would 
 be difficult to estimate the amount of good he thus accom- 
 plished, beyond what could ever have been effected by his 
 more regular labors in the pulpit or the school. 
 
 " In China, India, or any other civilized country, a mis- 
 sionary might be comparatively unknown and destitute of 
 personal influence, except among a few, and yet by his high 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 409 
 
 intellectual endowments, work a mighty change upon im- 
 mense multitudes; but to a people circumstanced as the 
 South Sea Islanders are, any one without direct personal 
 influence would be as useful in England as at Tahiti. It is, 
 perhaps, but little to affirm that our lamented brother pos- 
 sessed this kind of influence. His robust frame, his excel- 
 lent constitution, his useful acquirements already noticed, the 
 generous manner in which, from his own resources, as well 
 as from the supplies furnished by the Society, he was ever 
 ready to assist the people, his upright and straightforward 
 conduct, and uniform Christian consistency, secured for him 
 a measure of influence among the people not always attained, 
 and seldom surpassed. 
 
 " Another source of his great power over the people, was 
 his combining example with precept, not only in the higher 
 qualities of moral excellence and Christian conduct, but in 
 the ordinary transactions of every day life. Whether he was 
 instructing the natives in selecting timber in the mountains, 
 in building causeways in the sea, or erecting more substantial 
 and comfortable dwellings ; in making nails for their boxes, 
 or hinges for their doors, cultivating the more valuable pro- 
 ductions of their country, or building boats or vessels, he 
 always achieved himself whatever he recommended to them, 
 or took the lead in the personal labors required. Between 
 him and the people, when anything was to be done, it was 
 always Come, and not Go. This makes an amazing diffe- 
 rence, and, when we consider how uniformly it was practised, 
 we shall be the less surprised at his success. 
 
 " A still more distinguishing feature in Mr. Williams's 
 missionary character, and in reference to which he is worthy 
 of being held up as a model to all missionaries, was his cor- 
 dial and entire identification of himself with the people. 
 When associated with him in the same field, I have often 
 been struck with this. He appeared to have no separate 
 object, no personal interest. A missionary who is unable to 
 identify himself with the people among whom he labors, so 
 far as this can be done without compromise of principle or 
 inconsistency of conduct, cannot be, under any circum- 
 stances, an efficient laborer ; and one who has any other ob- 
 ject to accomplish, has good reason to doubt whether he was 
 ever called to the work. A man who seems never to allow 
 himself to forget that the people are not his equals, that they 
 are rude, or noisy, or dirty, or disgusting ; who would place 
 35 
 
410 LIFE OF THE 
 
 them, whenever admitted to his dwelling, on a level with his 
 servants, or confine his intercourse with them to the stated 
 seasons of public duty ; is destitute of the very elements of at 
 least one essential qualification of a missionary. How stri- 
 kingly opposite to this was the conduct of Mr. Williams, and 
 is that of some who are still honored to survive him in the 
 field. From the time of his arrival in the islands, to the 
 tragical end of his days, the interests of the natives were his 
 own, and he went in and out among them as one of them- 
 selves, without in the least degree sanctioning or encouraging 
 anything that was evil or objectionable in their principles or 
 conduct. Whenever he seemed to descend to their level, it 
 was only that he might raise them to his own. With this 
 view he bore with all their provocations, put up with all the 
 petty annoyances in his social and domestic habits to which 
 this unavoidably exposed him, and laid himself out for their 
 good. To the chiefs, he invariably paid that attention which 
 was due to their rank and station, and, while he thus raised 
 them in the estimation of the people, he most effectually pre- 
 vented any feelings of jealousy on their parts, and secured at 
 all times their co-operation and good will, frequently their 
 sincere and devoted attachment. He treated all classes with 
 respect, and received it in return. The children of the 
 poorest natives were as fond of him as were the chiefs, and 
 his presence was not only always welcome among the young, 
 but ever proved a source of interest and pleasure. Their 
 prosperity, temporal and spiritual, he regarded as his own, 
 and their afflictions were his trials. Some of his highest and 
 holiest joys, as well as his deepest sorrows, were on their 
 account. For them he often wept and prayed, as well as 
 thanked God and took courage. For them, he thought, and 
 felt, and planned, and labored ; even his secular engage- 
 ments, which to some may have seemed incompatible with 
 the higher claims of more sacred duties, were, I am per- 
 suaded, undertaken with a view to the advantage of the 
 people. This devotedness to their interests, in regard to the 
 things of this world as well as of that which is to come, was 
 understood and felt by those for whom it had been cherished, 
 and produced effects as lasting as they were salutary. 
 
 " More conspicuous, and leading to far more important 
 results, was that spirit of ceaseless activity and enterprise 
 which characterized the whole of Mr. Williams's missionary 
 life. Whatever satisfaction others might have found in labor- 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 411 
 
 ing among a limited number, aiding the growth, as well as 
 sowing the seed of divine truth, seeking to mature, as well as 
 to implant Christian principle, and preserving and consoli- 
 dating as well as laying the foundations of Christian institu- 
 tions, he would have regarded his sphere of operations as far 
 too limited, if confined to one or two islands, containing but 
 two or three thousand inhabitants. His great object seemed 
 to be to diffuse the knowledge of the Gospel over the widest 
 possible surface, to place the means of deliverance from sin, 
 and the prospects of everlasting purity and blessedness, within 
 the reach of the greatest number of human beings, to culti- 
 vate to the utmost limit fields already occupied, or con- 
 vey the glad tidings of salvation to remote and untraversed 
 regions. 
 
 " He with whom there are diversities of gifts, but the same 
 Spirit, had richly furnished our brother with endowments 
 which eminently fitted him for becoming a pioneer on the 
 broadcast scale, in the aggressive movements which the 
 Christian church is now making for the renovation of that 
 portion of the heathen world in which he labored and fell. 
 His feelings were deep and lasting, his views of the adapta- 
 tion of the Gospel to the wants of the most destitute and 
 debased of mankind, such as the Scriptures declare, and the 
 experience of all ages has proved it to be, and his faith in the 
 veracity of the divine promises, in relation to its universal 
 diffusion, animating and practical. Besides this, he seemed 
 to have a predilection for the kind of service which these 
 views and feelings, acting on his naturally ardent disposition, 
 could scarcely fail to produce. The search for new fields 
 of benevolent exertion, the communicating with barbarous 
 tribes, whose invincible ferocity frustrated all previous at- 
 tempts to interchange acts of kindness with them, the intro- 
 ducing of native evangelists to their work among others more 
 favorably disposed, the subsequently visiting of these with 
 encouragement and aid, and the extension of the same bles- 
 sings to still more distant regions, were engagements of the 
 highest importance in Mr. Williams's estimation, and in 
 which his valuable life was ultimately sacrificed. 
 
 " A growing reliance, so far as human instrumentality was 
 concerned, on his own resources, which seemed to increase 
 with the demands made upon them, encouraged him to at- 
 tempt in this department of his great Master's service all that 
 it was probable or even possible to achieve, with the means 
 
412 LIFE OF THE 
 
 placed at his disposal ; and sometimes led him, not in reck 
 less presumption, but in obedience to what he regarded the 
 claims of duty, to advance where. others would have paused 
 or retired. He possessed also, in a singular degree, the 
 power of diffusing his own spirit over the minds of his asso- 
 ciates ; and thus furnished one of the most valuable prere- 
 quisites to success in many of his important labors. 
 
 " But the crowning excellence of our brother's missionary 
 character, as seen in the missionary field, was his thorough 
 and entire devotedness to the great work to which his life 
 was consecrated. His personal piety was deep and genuine, 
 his devotional habits unostentatious but constant, and his 
 spirit sincere. His acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures 
 was extensive and correct. Love to his Saviour, and to the 
 souls of men, were the great moving principles of all his plans 
 and pursuits. This was evident in nothing more than in the 
 frequency, character, and tendency of his labors in the higher 
 and more important departments of his work. In preaching 
 and teaching, in the instruction given to the more advanced 
 classes in the schools, and at the frequent meetings with the 
 people for inquiry and conversation, though he did not repress 
 every symptom of curiosity, nor withhold on any suitable 
 occasion the communication of general knowledge, his great 
 aim was to direct them to estimate things chiefly according 
 to their moral bearings ; to excite inquiry and reflection on 
 their own spiritual condition ; and to lead them to seek, as 
 the foundation of all excellence, and the only abiding source 
 of true happiness, the renovation of their own moral nature 
 by those means which the Gospel alone makes known. 
 
 " His labors in preaching were far more abundant than 
 many would have deemed possible, considering the number 
 and miscellaneous character of his other engagements. His 
 manner was easy, unaffected, and energetic; his sermons 
 were plain and scriptural ; often ingenious if not profound ; 
 never embodying much that was purely speculative, but 
 always richly imbued with the peculiar doctrines of the 
 Gospel. He seemed more frequently anxious to arrest the 
 sinner and awaken the careless, than to comfort the mourner ; 
 yet on suitable occasions he was well qualified to lead the 
 sorrowing soul to him that bindeth up the broken-hearted ; 
 but, whatever was at any time the peculiar subject of his dis- 
 course, his general aim was to make manifest the savor of the 
 knowledge of Christ. His estimate of the value of the soul 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 413 
 
 was scriptural and just, and his abiding conviction of the 
 vastness of the work, as well as the brevity and uncertainty 
 of life, impelled him to do whatever he engaged in with all 
 his might." 
 
 To this admirable sketch of Mr. Ellis, nothing need be 
 added in farther illustration of Mr. Williams's missionary 
 character. But his conduct in private, no less than in public 
 life, was marked by great excellence and uniform consis- 
 tency. His mild, affectionate, and cheerful spirit diffused its 
 benign influence over the domestic circle ; and, as a husband, 
 a father, a brother, and a friend, he was worthy of high admi- 
 ration. Esteem for his person was not diminished, but deep- 
 ened by intimacy. First favorable impressions were invariably 
 confirmed by familiar intercourse, and no one who had been 
 admitted into the circle of his friends, saw cause to correct 
 the estimate previously formed of his character. What he 
 appeared in the pulpit and on the platform, he was found to 
 be in the parlor. In the conjugal relation, his conduct was 
 most exemplary. She, who for more than twenty-three years 
 shared his trials and lightened his toils, possessed, as she 
 deserved, his devoted love, his entire confidence, and his 
 most assiduous care. Throughout the period of their happy 
 union, her sufferings from climate, disease, separation, and 
 anxious fears on his account, were most severe ; but all that 
 tender sympathy and active kindness could do, to alleviate 
 her sorrows, and promote her welfare, was done. Most anx- 
 iously did her affectionate partner minister to her happiness ; 
 deeply did he feel the privations and sacrifices she was called" 
 to endure ; and rarely did he experience purer pleasure, than 
 when enabled to gratify or anticipate her desires. No widow 
 ever had weightier reasons for revering the memory or la- 
 menting the loss of a beloved husband, than she who bears 
 the honored name of the martyred Missionary. 
 
 As a parent, the character of Mr. Williams was worthy 
 of commendation. Most unfavorable as were his circum- 
 stances for the full exercise of paternal influence, it was 
 scarcely possible for a father to have been regarded with 
 a greater degree of filial love and confidence. His presence 
 was always a source of unalloyed enjoyment to his children, 
 and so readily did they defer to his opinions, and so cheer- 
 fully conform to his wishes, that occasions for rebuke or even 
 complaint rarely occurred. But this is easily accounted for 
 from the affection, freedom, and confidence with which they 
 
414 LIFE OF THE 
 
 were uniformly treated. While his conduct when with them 
 was far removed from weak indulgence, it was as perfectly 
 free from reserve, distance, or distrust. He ever encouraged 
 their inquiries, and was delighted with their intercourse. 
 And they knew this, and felt that in him they possessed not 
 only a father, but a friend. Hence their communications 
 were characterized by ingenuousness, and the sway which 
 he exercised over their minds and movements, was as abso- 
 lute as it was gentle. To a great degree he was to his own 
 children what he had been to the Polynesians. In his do- 
 mestic character, we see the missionary in miniature. Simi- 
 lar benevolence was often displayed and similar ingenuity, 
 while ministering to the juvenile enjoyments of his sons, as 
 when laboring in a wider sphere and amongst children of 
 larger growth. In the same spirit, and sometimes with equal 
 skill, he would frame a toy and construct a machine. It was 
 his delight to interest the minds and augment the pleasures 
 of his little ones, and he was never at a loss for the means 
 of accomplishing his desires. And they felt, and that truly, 
 that no one was at once so kind and so clever as their father. 
 These were amongst their earliest impressions, and they 
 were never obliterated. 
 
 But Mr. Williams was concerned not only to gratify his 
 children, but to furnish their minds, and form their charac- 
 ters for life and immortality. Prompted both by pious and 
 parental solicitude, he sought, in his own bland and winning 
 style, to attract their earliest thoughts and warmest affections 
 towards the Saviour and heaven; and his method was so 
 interesting as well as earnest, that his children were always 
 happy to hear from his lips of Jesus and salvation. But 
 while urging them as their first duty to surrender their hearts 
 to God, he seized every opportunity for the inculcation of 
 those principles which would preserve them from the follies 
 and snares of youth, and labored to form their mature char- 
 acter in accordance with the highest standard of moral excel- 
 lence. The following extract from a letter written a few 
 months prior to his death, to his second son, will sufficiently 
 illustrate these remarks. 
 
 " I shall not, my very dear Sam, occupy my paper hy telling you 
 what you already know, how much we love you, how constantly we 
 think of you, and how incessantly we pray for you I am already 
 impatient to see you again, which I trust I shall in God's own good 
 time. I trust, my dear boy, that you are improving the inestimable 
 
REV. J. WILLIAMS. 415 
 
 advantage you enjoy ; the opportunity of getting a thoroughly good 
 education. Reflect upon this blessing ; think of the great sacrifice 
 that you, and I, and your dear and excellent mother, have made in 
 separating from you for this sole object, and bend ail your energies to 
 it. Consider also the opportunities you enjoy of a religious character, 
 the excellent minister whom you hear ; and never cease to pray that 
 God would give you his grace, while your heart is yet young and 
 tender. Oh ! the inestimable advantage of beginning to serve God 
 while young ! I began when I was sixteen years of age. I am truly 
 thankful to God that he called me at all by his grace, but that feeling 
 is greatly increased by the consideration that he called me in my 
 youth. I think it quite unnecessary to warn you against entering 
 into any quarrels with the boys, or combinations against the master 
 or ushers. If any of your school-fellows are pious, well-behaved, 
 of a noble, generous disposition, cultivate their acquaintance. You 
 know how I detest little, niggardly, narrow-minded conduct. I do 
 hope, therefore, that your mind will expand to, and be imbued with 
 the principles of honor, candor, and generosity. Envy, jealousy, and 
 all such petty, detestable feelings are features of none but little minds. 
 Cherish a thorough indignation against all such feelings. Rise above 
 them ; and if you make any human being your model, let it be the 
 apostle Paul. Considering him merely as a man, what noble and 
 elevated sentiments he possessed, what undaunted courage he dis- 
 played, what comprehensive schemes he devised, and with what 
 moral dignity his whole character is invested. What imps and pig- 
 mies the heroes of Greece and of Rome, the Pompeys, the Brutuses, 
 the Caesars, the Alexanders, appear when brought into comparison 
 with this colossus of human greatness. Study his character, strive to 
 get imbued with his spirit, and imitate his bright example. In pro- 
 portion as you do this, your own happiness will increase, and in the 
 same proportion you will become a blessing to your fellow-creatures, 
 while your father and your mother will rejoice in you." 
 
 As a brother, he was justly beloved by the members of his 
 family. Nothing during the years of separation from those 
 upon whom his fond affection had been fixed during the 
 bright days of childhood, blighted or deadened that pure and 
 generous feeling. In him fraternal love never lost its power, 
 but was fresh and fragrant to the last. At home and abroad, 
 he had many friends, and these he never slighted nor forgot. 
 Changing circumstances, new connexions, and growing popu- 
 larity, did not weaken a single bond which he had ever 
 formed. 
 
 But while these separate excellencies of Mr. Williams's 
 character deservedly attract our attention, it is to be remem- 
 bered that their source and their glory will be found not in 
 talent, nor in disposition, nor in any personal peculiarities, 
 but in " pure and undented religion." It was to his simple, 
 sincere, consistent, steady, manly piety, that he owed his 
 
416 LIFE OF THE 
 
 influence, his honor, and his success. This is the key to his 
 history, and the secret of his power. No man could say 
 more truly, and no man ever said more gratefully than he, 
 " By the grace of God I am what I am." And the one 
 great moral of the tale which has now been told is this, that 
 goodness is greatness. " Them that honor me I will 
 honor." 
 
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