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 Ellis. John Eimeo 
 
 BV 3672 
 
 E55 1873 
 
 ^^Vc^ Life of William Ellis 
 Bo. 
 
p.^ 
 
 WILLIAM ELLIS, 
 
LONDON : IMMNTt'Il r.Y 
 
 SrciTTISWOOIlH AMI lo.. NK\\-STI:KKT M.U AUK 
 
 AND PAIM.IA.MKNT SlliKrT 
 
WILLIAM ELLIS, MISSIONARY 
 
 (From a Photoyraph by Williams, of Regent Street) 
 
LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 WILLIAM ELLIS 
 
 MISSIONARY TO THE SOUTH SEAS 
 AND TO MADAGASCAR 
 
 / 
 
 BY IIIS SON, JOHN ELAIEO ELLIS 
 
 WITH A SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTER 
 CONTAINING AN ESTIMATE OF HIS CHARACTER AND WORK 
 
 By henry ALLON, D.D. 
 
 miih It lortrait 
 
 LONDON 
 JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET 
 
 1873 
 
 All riyht.i reserveit 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 By the present generation the name of- William Ellis is 
 associated almost exclusively with Madagascar, and 
 many will, perhaps, expect a history of his life to be 
 occupied chiefly with details of mission work in that 
 country, forgetting that it was not till he had attained 
 his sixtieth year that he had any personal connection 
 whatever with the Malagasy. For many years pre- 
 viously he had been actively engaged in other fields 
 of labour. From 1816, when he first entered on his 
 missionary career, till 1825, he took part in the work, 
 and shared in the exile of those faithful men who 
 introduced the gospel among the South Sea Islands. 
 He was then employed, first as agent, and afterwards 
 as Foreign Secretary of the London Missionary Society, 
 till 1841, when, his health failing, he was compelled to 
 seek its restoration in comparative retirement. The 
 subsequent years of seclusion and leisure, if they could 
 be so called, were yet devoutly consecrated to his 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 Master's service ; and during his pastorate at Hoddes- 
 don — which terminated only when, in 1853, he was sent 
 forth to enter upon the crowning work of his life — while 
 discharging the duties of a faithful minister at home, he 
 was gathering strength, energy, and wisdom for a 
 grander work abroad. 
 
 With these facts in view, it will, I trust, be deemed 
 not unreasonable that a large portion of the following 
 memoir should be devoted to the missionary's earlier life, 
 with which the reader is probably least familiar, and that 
 those recent events, the story of which has been so fully 
 told in current missionary publications, and in JMr. 
 Ellis's own narratives, should be more briefly noticed. 
 
 The chief sources from which I have gathered 
 materials, besides my own personal recollections, have 
 been my father's journals, letters, and books ; and I 
 have not hesitated to make free use of his earlier works, 
 because they were written long ago, and because the 
 quotations I have ventured to introduce contain much 
 interesting autobiography, and illustrate, moreover, in 
 a very striking manner, the rapid mental development 
 of one who, without any literary training, could so 
 readily exchange the mechanical manipulations of the 
 garden for the facile and graceful use of the pen. I 
 have carefully avoided, however, any transcript of what 
 has appeared in later publications. 
 
PKEFACE. vii 
 
 My very cordial thanks are due to the Secretaries of 
 the London Missionary Society for their ready courtesy 
 in granting access to the printed and manuscript records 
 of the Institution, and in affording me every facihty 
 for obtaining desired information. 
 
 I would also gratefully acknowledge my obligation to 
 Dr. Allon, for much kind encouragement and counsel ; 
 and for the valuable ' Estimate ' of my father's ' character 
 and work,' which, notwithstanding the multiplicity of 
 his pastoral and literary engagements, he cheerfully 
 consented to write, in compliance with my request — a 
 request that I had ventured to prefer because I knew 
 no one better qualihed by intimate personal acquaint- 
 ance to undertake the task. 
 
 Fully sensible of the inadequacy of the portraiture I 
 
 « 
 
 have attempted, but with a reverent love, such as 
 a parent so worthy could not fail to inspire, and 
 which has deepened as, in the prosecution of my 
 task, I have, as it were, read his heart and studied his 
 goodness afresh, I now oifer to the public this plain 
 record of a noble life, whose chief and lasting memorial 
 will ever remain in its large and beneficent results. 
 
 John Eimeo Ellis. 
 
 Toronto, Canada : 
 
 Septemher 18, 1873. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Introduction xv 
 
 EABLY LJZS— 1794-1816. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 EARLY LIFE. 
 
 Parentage and Birth — Removal to Wisbeach — Early Characteristics — 
 Love of Plants — Thirst for Knowledf^e — Employment as a Gar- 
 dener — Removal to London — Temptations — First Religious 
 Impressions — Desire to become a Missionary — Application to the 
 London Missionary Society — Acceptance, and Designation to the 
 South Seas — Preparation — Ordination — Marriage — Embarkation 
 
 SOUTH SEAS— 1816-25. 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 VOYAGE OUT. 
 
 Impressions on leaving England — Discomforts of the Voyage — Arrival 
 at Rio — Re-embarkation — Detention at Sydney — Continuation of 
 the Voyage — Visit to New Zealand — Encounter with Natives oft' 
 the Island oi Rapa — First Sight of Tahiti — Introduction to 
 Pomare and his Queen . . 29 
 
 CHAPTER IIL 
 
 EIMEO. 
 
 Harbour of Oponohu — Reception by the Missionaries and Chiefs — 
 First Impressions — Removal to Afareaitu — Erection of Printing 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Office and Dwellinf? — Products of tlie Country — Introduction of 
 Printinjj — Poinare'.s Inauguration of the Press — Bookbinding;- — 
 Eagerness of tlif People for Books — The Mission Reinforced — The 
 First Vessel Built — Domestic Cares — Formation of a Missionary- 
 Society 40 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IIUAIIINE. 
 
 Distribution of the Mission — Settlement in Huahine — Description of 
 the District of F'are — A Bivouac — Erection of a new Dwelling- and 
 Pnnting House — Social Improvements of the People — Establish- 
 ment of Branch Missionary Societies — Royal Mission Chapel — 
 Baptism of Pomare and other Native Converts — Itinerant Labours 
 — Cultivation of Cotton — Sug-ar-makin":. , ... 57 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 HUAHINE — continued. 
 
 Voyag-es among: the Islands — Singular Night Adventure — Imminent 
 Perils — "Waterspouts — Providential Deliverance — Night Voyage 
 — The First Code of Laws — Arrival of the Deputation from 
 England — Death of I'omare — Visit to the Sandwich Islands — 
 Protracted Absence— 111 health and Anxiety of Mrs. Ellis — Visit 
 of Escaped Pirates — Return of Mr. Ellis — Cause of Detention, 
 and Proposal to remove to the Sandwich Islands — Farewell to 
 Huahine . 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SANDWICH ISLANDS. 
 
 Arrival at Oahu — Character of the Islands and People — Introduction 
 of Christianity by the American Missionaries — Early Mission 
 Work — Tour of Hawaii projected — Incidents of the Tour — The 
 Guide — Approach to the Volcano of Kirauea— Beautiful Niglit 
 Scene — Description of the Volcano — Native Superstition — En- 
 counter with heathen Priestesses — Return to Oahu — Death of 
 Keopuolani — Visit of the King and Queen to England — Their 
 Death — Illness of Mrs. Ellis — Multifarious Labours — Surgical 
 Operation^Departure of Mr. Ellis and his Family for America — 
 
CONTENTS. xi 
 
 PACK 
 
 Huahine Re-visited — Arrival at New Bedford — Hospitality of 
 American Christians — Precarious State of Mrs. Ellis — Missionary 
 Tour tlirouo-h the United States — Return to En^-land ... 88 
 
 MISSION WORK AT HOME— 182o-l84l. 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 TRAVELLING AGENCY. 
 
 Laborious and Constant Engagements — Notes of a Tour in Ireland — 
 Powerscourt — Publication of * Tour through Hawaii ' — Vindica- 
 tion of the Mission — Spurious Letter of Boki — Domestic Affliction 
 — Improvement in Mrs. Ellis's Health — Residence in Gloucester- 
 shire — ' Polynesian Researches ' — Its Influence — CoiTespondence 
 with Richard Winter Hamilton — Frustrated Hopes of returning 
 to the South Seas .117 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SECRETARIAT. 
 
 Death of Rev. W. Orme, Foreign Secretary of the London Missionary 
 Society — Appointment of Mr. Ellis as his Successor — Fitness for 
 the Office — The Plouse of Mourning — Letter from .1. T. Beighton 
 — Mr. Ellis's Estimate of Missionary Qualiflcations — Death of 
 Mi's. Ellis — Its Influence on the Widower — Increasing Occupa- 
 tions — Preparation of the ' History of Madagascar ' — Other Liter- 
 ary Labours — Stirring Events throughout the jMissionary Fields 
 of the World — John Williams — Malagasy Refugees and Ambas- 
 sadors — Evidence before Parliamentary Committee on the effect 
 of European Intercourse with the Heathen — Introduction to Miss 
 S. Stickney — Subsequent Engagement — Death of Mr. Ellis's 
 Mother — Second Marriage — Illness and Death of his eldest 
 Daughter — Failure of Health — Suspension of Work — Residence 
 in the South of France — Resignation of Secretariat . . . 144 
 
 HODDi: SD ON— 18U-185S. 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 PASTORATE &C. 
 
 Retirement at Hoddesdou — Continued Work for the Missionary 
 Society — Preparation of the 'History' of that Institution — 
 
XI 1 CONTENTS. 
 
 Interest in Local Schemes of Benevolence — Temperance Associa- 
 tion — Schools — Opposition to Church Rates — Visit to Italy — 
 Return, and Acceptance of the Pastorate — Erection of a New 
 Chapel — Style of Preachinfr, and Pastoral Work — Letter to an 
 ' Enquirer ' — Lectures on Popery — Close of Pastorate — ' Rawdon 
 House ' — Death of his Second Daucrhter — Illness of the Youngest 177 
 
 CHAPTEll X. 
 
 HOSE HILL — HOME LIFE. 
 
 Rural (Character of Iloddesdou — Special Features of Rose Hill — 
 Roses, Orchids — Social Qualities — Versatility — Tact — Kindness 
 to Domestics — Fondness for Animals — Domestic Pets — Literary 
 Pursuits — Poetical Tastes — Letter from Southey — A Lyric — 
 Quotations from Epic Poem — Purchase of Rose Hill . . . 193 
 
 MADAGA8GAE—185S-1872. 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 FIRST VISIT. TAMATAVE &C. 
 
 Brief Statement of the Condition of Madagascar — Rupture between 
 the Malagasy and Foreigners — Rumours of a Change — Mr. Ellis 
 appointed to Visit the Country — Arrival at Tamatave — Permission 
 to Visit the Capital Refused — Return to Mauritius — Re-opening 
 of Trade, and Establishment of friendly Relations with Madagascar 
 — Interest in Natural History — Outbreak of Cholera in Port 
 Louis — Second Visit to Tamatave — Unsuccessful Application to 
 proceed to the Capital — Visit to Mission Stations in South Africa 
 — Return to England . . . . . . . . .213 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 ANTANANARIVO. 
 
 Invitation to the Capital — Third Visit to Madagascar — Journey to 
 Antananarivo — Introduction to Prince Rakotond — Audience with 
 the Queen — Intercourse with Christians — Conversations with the 
 Prince — Letter to Lord Clarendon — Medical Practice — Photo- 
 graphy — Limitation of the Visit — Departure from the Country — 
 Return Home 220 
 
CONTENTS. xiii 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. ''**"' 
 
 LAST VISIT. — KADAMA II. 
 
 ]\I. Lambert's Plots — Last Persecution of the Christians — Death of the 
 Queen — Accession of Radama II. — Liberal Policy — Religious 
 Liberty — Protestant Missionaries Encouraged to Resume their 
 Labours — Earnest Invitation to Mr. Ellis — His prompt Response 
 — Return to Madagascar— Great Changes in the Country — Journey 
 to the Capital, and Cordial Reception— Arrival of European 
 Embassies and Consuls — The Bishop of Mauritius — The English 
 Missionaries — The Coronation — Treaty between the French and 
 Malagasy Governments — Account of Mr. Ellis's Missionary Work 
 by the Rev. R. Toy — The Memorial Churches — Erection of Tem- 
 porary Places of Worship — Organization of Churches . . . 24."> 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 CHANGES. 
 
 Visits to Out-lying Districts — Ambohimanga — Misrepresentations of 
 the British Consul — Accumulated Work and Anxieties — Death of 
 his Youngest Daughter — Death of the King's Foreign Secretary — 
 The Duties of the Office partially and temporarily undertaken by 
 Mr. Ellis — Groundless Complaints from the British Consul — Letter 
 of Explanation to General Johnstone — Popular Dissatisfoction 
 with the King's Administration — His Evil Advisers — Machina- 
 tions of the Heathen Party — The ' Dancing Sickness ' — Plots 
 against Mr. Ellis's Life — Narrow Escape — Radama's.Last Edict — 
 Assassination of the Mena-maso and of the King — Acceptance of 
 the Crown, with Constitutional Provisions, by Rabodo — Religious 
 Liberty Assured — Rumours of Radania's being Alive — Respon- 
 sible and Critical Position of Mr. Ellis — Difficulties with the 
 French Government — Revolt of Sakalavas — Deposition of the 
 Prime Minister — Satisfactory Progress of the Mission — Departure 
 of Mr. Ellis from Madagascar — Death of Rasoherina — Accession 
 of a Christian Queen, and Final Overthrow of Idolatry . . 2G.3 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 LAST YEARS. 
 
 Welcome Home — Itinerant Services— Reception at Wisbeach — En- 
 thusiastic Consecration to Mission Work — Literary Labours — 
 Vindication of the American Mission in the Sandwich Islands — 
 Madagascar Bishopric — Indefatigable Spirit and Multiplied En- 
 gagements — Special Appeal on behalf of Madagascar — Life-work 
 
xiv CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGR 
 
 Ended— Last Letter— Illness— The Closing Scene— Funeral- 
 Illness of Mrs. Ellis— Her Death 285 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 GENERAL ESTIMATE OF MR. ELLIS'S CHARACTER AND WORK. 
 
 Bt Henry Allon, D.D. 
 
 Position among Missionaries — Distinctive Missionary Qualities— Ser- 
 vices to 3Iadagascar — Hospitality to Cheshunt Students — General 
 Excellence — Consecration — Eutireness of Religious Life — Special 
 Faculties ......••••• •^02 
 
INTEODUCTION. 
 
 The History of modern Christian Missions dates from 
 the end of the past and the beginning of the present 
 century. To the Moravians belongs the honour of being 
 the first to engage in this sphere of philanthropy. The 
 Wesleyans, foremost amongst those who were quickened 
 into more vigorous spiritual life by the eloquence of 
 Wesley and Whitfield, were also early in the same field, 
 labouring chiefly amongst the British Colonies ; though 
 it was not till the year 1817 that the Missionary Society 
 in connection with their body was formally organized. 
 The Baptist Missionary Society, under the inspiration" 
 of Dr. Carey, one of its first agents as well as one of its 
 founders, was established in 1792. The London Mis- 
 sionary Society was formed in 1795; and that of the 
 Church of England in the first year of the present 
 century. Other kindred institutions were brought into 
 existence about the same time, and notably, the British 
 and Foreign Bible Society, and the Religious Tract 
 Society. 
 
 It was the peculiar and honoured distinction of the 
 
xvi INTEODUCTION. 
 
 London Missionary Society to have been founded, not 
 by one section of Christians, but by a union of good 
 men from nearly all the Protestant religious denomina- 
 tions of the period. Its originators, indeed, were 
 members of the Church of England ; and though now 
 supported mainly by Congregationalists, it has never 
 abandoned its fundamental catholic principles and con- 
 stitution, as a society whose object was to spread the 
 Gospel among the heathen, and not to propagate any 
 sectarian creed or special form of Christianity. Prior 
 to the establishment of this society, a periodical, that 
 has ever since exerted a marked influence on the pro- 
 gress of mission work, was started on the same broad 
 principles, namely, the ' Evangelical Magazine,' which 
 was at first edited by an Episcopal clergyman, the Rev. 
 John Eyre. The chief promoters of this magazine all 
 co-operated in founding the London Missionary Society. 
 Amongst those to whom this institution owes its origin, 
 no one was more prominent or influential than Dr. 
 Haweis, Rector of Aldwinkle in Northamptonshire, and 
 chaplain to the Countess of Huntingdon. Associated 
 with him were the Revs, J. Eyre, Dr. Waugh, Matthew 
 Wilks, Rowland Hill, Dr. Burder, and other minis- 
 ters whose names are still venerated by the Church, and 
 will long be remembered with honour. 
 
 The glowing accounts of Captain Cook's discoveries 
 
INTRODUCTION. xvii 
 
 in the South Seas, and subsequently Keate's ' fascinating 
 but to a great extent fictitious ' narrative of the Pelew 
 Islands and Prince Leboo, had excited an intense and 
 romantic interest in the people of this hitherto unex- 
 plored portion of the world. The mind of Dr. Haweis 
 had been smitten with the general enthusiasm ; and to 
 this circumstance may doubtless be largely ascribed the 
 selection of the South Sea Islands as the first field of 
 missionary enterprise, by the society which he was so 
 prominent in founding. Missions soon after were begun, 
 and at first with far more encouraging results, in India, 
 Madagascar, South Africa, China, and other pagan 
 countries. The names of Dr. Yanderkemp and Dr. 
 Morrison are indissolubly associated with the introduc- 
 tion of the Gospel into the last two populous regions of 
 the globe. 
 
 Towards the expenses of the first mission to the 
 South Seas, Dr. Haweis contributed from his own 
 private resources £500. The ship Duff was purchased 
 to convey the band of Christian labourers to their des- 
 tination, and Captain Wilson was engaged as commander. 
 The vessel sailed, with a company of missionaries about 
 thirty in number, in the beginning of September, 1796, 
 and, after a long and somewhat perilous voyage, reached 
 Tahiti on the 6th of March, 1797. The rulers of the 
 island received their visitors in a friendly manner. 
 
xviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 assured them of protection, and surrendered for their 
 use as much land as they required. Eighteen of the 
 company were left at this station ; and Captain Wilson, 
 havino- seen them comfortably settled, sailed from the 
 harbour about the end of March, steering for the 
 Friendly Islands, where he arrived on the 10th of 
 April. Six of the remaining missionaries, under the 
 promise of protection from the chiefs, were landed at 
 Tongatabu, and the Duff proceeded with the other two 
 to the Marquesas. Only one of these, however, Mr. 
 Crooks, was willing to remain. Captain Wilson, after 
 returning to pay a farewell visit to each of the stations, 
 turned his course homeward, and, sailing by way of 
 China and the Cape of Good Hope, reached England on 
 the 24th of June 1798. 
 
 Not long after, the ship Duff attempted a second 
 voyage ; but was captured by a French privateer, the 
 Buonaparte^ when within a day's sail of Rio. The mis- 
 sionaries, after suffering many hardships, though on the 
 whole treated with consideration, embarked in another 
 vessel to pursue their original destination ; but were 
 again captured by a Portuguese privateer, and all of 
 them returned to England. 
 
 Disastrously as this second missionary enterprise 
 appeared to have failed, the fate of the devoted men 
 who had been left in the South Sea Islands was far 
 
INTRODUCTION. xix 
 
 more discouraging, and even tragic. The mission to 
 the Marquesas, if it could be dignified by that name, 
 had been abandoned in less than a year. Mr. Crooks 
 finding the means of subsistence insufficient, and his 
 io;norance of the lano;uao:e, to2!:ether with the character 
 of the people, proving insurmountable barriers to his 
 usefulness, left by the first opportunity for New South 
 Wales, whence he returned to England. 
 
 The career of the men who had been left in the 
 Friendly Islands was brief, and mournful in the extreme. 
 Their greatest calamities were due to the evil influence 
 of abandoned seamen from civilised countries — in this 
 instance, escaped convicts from New South Wales — who 
 surpassed the heathen in wickedness, and instigated the 
 natives to perpetrate every species of outrage on the 
 defenceless missionaries. They were robbed of every 
 article of the slightest value, stripped of their clothing, 
 driven from their houses, and forced, at times, to seek 
 shelter and concealment in woods and caves. Three 
 of their number were barbarously murdered, and 
 the remainder would probably have shared the same 
 fate, had they not been providentially rescued by a 
 colonial vessel, in which they made their escape and 
 were conveyed to New South Wales. 
 
 The course of the mission in the Society Islands 
 though not so disastrous and fatal as that of the Friendly 
 
XX IKTEODUCTION. 
 
 Islands, was fraught with peril ; and for many years 
 was equally unsuccessful. Many of these misfortunes 
 also were traceable, directly or indirectly, to the con- 
 duct of foreign seamen. Like their brethren in the 
 neighbouring group, the missionaries were robbed, and 
 not unfrequently placed in danger of their lives. Pomare 
 was engaged in continual warfare with rebellious chiefs, 
 and scarcely maintained his supremacy ; and in the con- 
 tentions of rival armies the persons and property of the 
 missionaries were exposed to constant jeopardy. Their 
 position at length became so insecure, and their 
 prospects appeared so hopeless, that all but two left the 
 island, and returned to Sydney. 
 
 The mission seemed now at an end ; and many of the 
 friends in England, inferring that the field of labour 
 had been injudiciously chosen, counselled the entire 
 withdrawal of efforts from this part of the world. But 
 Dr. Haweis, confident in the scriptural warrant of 
 the course pursued, and holding an unwavering faith in 
 the ultimate triumph of the gospel wherever faithfully 
 proclaimed, urged the Society to persevere, and gave a 
 second donation of £500 to sustain and reinforce the 
 mission. 
 
 Those who were unfriendly to the cause of missions 
 pointed with triumph, as a confirmation of their views, 
 to the results of the enterprise in the South Seas. It was 
 
INTEODUCTION. xxi 
 
 a favourite doctrine with such men that the endeavour 
 to Christianize a heathen people, without first civilising 
 them, was a subversion of the proper order of procedure. 
 But events, both here and elsewhere, have abundantly 
 proved that there is no agency so mighty in civilizing a 
 people as the introduction of Christianity; and that to 
 attempt to effect any permanent improvement in the 
 condition of a barbarous people, apart from its divine 
 influence, is to undertake a hard, if not a hopeless, task. 
 An ex^Deriment that illustrates this principle had been 
 made many years before in these very islands. With 
 the view of introducing the arts of civilization among 
 the people, through the instrumentality of one of their 
 own number. Captain Cook had brought with him to 
 England an intelligent Tahitian chief, of the name of 
 Mai, erroneously corrupted by us into ' Omai.' This 
 individual was introduced to the highest society in this 
 country. His natural urbanity and tact made him soon 
 at home in the courtly circles of the land. He became 
 the pet of the aristocrac}' , and every attention was 
 lavished upon him. The arts and manufactures, the 
 customs and institutions of the British people were 
 explained to him; and after spending some time in 
 familiar contact with the highest order of civilization, 
 but without any attempt, apparently, having been made 
 to impart religious instruction, he was sent back to his 
 
xxii INTKODUCTION. 
 
 own nation, loaded with gifts — trinkets innumerable, 
 but no Bible. What was the result? He relapsed into 
 his original barbarism; prostituted his acquirements in 
 ministering to the caprices of the king — his skill as a 
 marksman being not unfrequently tested by his shooting 
 down, at the bidding of his sovereign, some individual 
 pointed out to him in the mere passing humour, or from 
 some vindictive impulse, of the despot. He died 
 ^vithout having conferred a single benefit on his coun- 
 trymen, by whom his memory is held in detestation. 
 
 Not long after the missionaries had left the islands, 
 indications of a favourable cliange appeared ; and in 
 1812, at the invitation of Pomare, some of the former 
 teachers returned from New South Wales. The king 
 himself openly renounced idolatry, and desired to be 
 baptized. His example was followed by some of the 
 chiefs ; but opposition to this national revolution was 
 for some time strenuous, and not altogether unsuccess- 
 ful. Even so late as 1815, a plot to assassinate all the 
 Christians at Tahiti was providentially frustrated by 
 their receiving timely notice, and being able to make 
 their escape to Eimeo. After this, Pomare, who had 
 also taken refuge in Eimeo, was treacherously invited 
 to Tahiti, ostensibly to receive the submission of the 
 hostile chiefs, but the real object was to attack and 
 destroy the royal person and party. 
 
INTKODUCTION, xxiii 
 
 The king and his adherents were engaged in public 
 worship (it being the Lord's Day) when the firing of 
 muskets apprised them of the advance of their enemies. 
 Pomare quietly directed that the assembly should not 
 leave the place till prayer had been offered, a portion of 
 Scripture read, and a hymn sung. They then went 
 fortb to meet their foes. The idolatrous party at first 
 appeared to gain the advantage, but received a decided 
 check when they came to the position occupied by 
 Mahino, the chief of Huahine, and Pomare Vahine, his 
 heroic wife, and a faithful band of the king's adherents. 
 The leader of the insurgents was killed, their ranks 
 were thrown into disorder, and they fled in confusion. 
 The warriors were pursued, and many taken prisoners, 
 but were treated with clemency, and, contrary to all 
 former usage, the property and persons of the non- 
 combatants, and all women and children, were un- 
 molested. This battle and the humanity that marked 
 its close were decisive. From that day idolatry virtually 
 ceased to exist in the island. 
 
 This important event, and the changes which rapidly 
 followed, awakened peculiar joy among the friends of 
 missions in England, vindicating as they did the 
 grounds of their faith and the justness of their ex- 
 pectations ; and the marvellous revolution has afforded 
 one of the most striking instances of the power of the 
 
XXIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Gospel, and the efficacy of the simple preachmg of the 
 Cross, which the world has seen in modern times. 
 
 Among those who entered on this interesting field of 
 Christian philanthropy at this juncture, no one has 
 perhaps been more active or more honoured, than the 
 missionary whose career the reader is invited to peruse 
 in the following pages. Personally engaged iu at least 
 three different fields of missionary labour, associated 
 in his official capacity as Secretary of the London 
 Missionary Society with the mission work of the w^orld, 
 and instrumental by his writings, in a greater degree, 
 perhaps, than any other man, in commending the sub- 
 ject to the favourable notice of men of culture and 
 social position, his life can hardly fail to be instructive, 
 and the Church will naturally expect some record of 
 his work. 
 
EAELY LIFE 
 
 I 794-1816 
 
 B 
 
LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 WILLIAM ELLIS. 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 EARLY LIFE. 
 
 Very little information can now be obtained respecting the 
 childhood and youth of William Ellis ; but enough is known 
 to show that, far from starting with all the favouring influences 
 of great antecedents and liberal training, he achieved his success 
 in spite of early disadvantages of no ordinary kind. His parents 
 were poor and in the humbler walks of life. His father was 
 born in Norwich, and came to London when a young man to 
 work at his trade. His mother, whose maiden name was Bed- 
 borough, about the same time left her native place, Eeading, for 
 a situation in London, where the acquaintance between the two 
 was formed, and they were married at St. James's Church, 
 Clerkenwell, on the 13th of August, 1792. 
 
 Of the character of William Ellis senior it is enough to say 
 that, though comparatively illiterate, he was a man of consider- 
 able natural powers of mind, great shrewdness, and much ready 
 humour, with a genial and sociable disposition which, added to 
 the possession of a good voice and some skill in singing, made 
 
 B 2 
 
i LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. ciui'. i. 
 
 him popular among those of his own class, to whom, both in 
 ability and information, he was generally superior. When 
 work was to be had he was industrious and steady; and 
 although the temptations to the indulgence of a vice so 
 common and seductive must have been great, he does not 
 appear ever to have been intemperate. He was an affectionate 
 parent, and always especially fond and proud of his eldest son. 
 With regard to his religious belief, he seems to have been 
 brought up in what he calls the ' orthodox faith ' and ' popular 
 notions of Christianity ; ' but soon after his marriage he 
 embraced Unitarian doctrines, and upon his subsequent 
 removal to Wisbeach became, to use his own expression, even 
 more ' advanced ' and ' liberal ' in his opinions. 
 
 The mother, with a fine person but a frame by no means 
 robust, was distinguished by great tenderness and sensitiveness 
 of spirit, easily depressed and prone to despondency, which ill 
 fitted her to bear up against trouble, or to endiu'e the inevit- 
 able hardships of poverty. Her gentleness of disposition, 
 however, and her blameless life gained her many friends, and 
 she continued up to her last days to be very much respected by 
 all who knew her. 
 
 During their stay in London the newly-married couple lived 
 in a small tenement in Charles Street, Long Acre. The first 
 child born in this humble household (May 29th, 1793) was a 
 son, who received the name of William. His span of life, 
 however, was very brief, for he died on the 3rd of December 
 in the same year. On the 29th of August following (1794) a 
 second son, the subject of this memoir, was born, and was also 
 named after his father — William Ellis — a name that the 
 Christian church ' will not willingly let die.' 
 
 For two or three years after the birth of this son business 
 was prosperous and the circumstances of the parents were 
 comfortable. Then came a decline in the demand for the 
 special manufacture in which the young man was engaged, and 
 a consequent reduction in the amount of wages that could be 
 
CHAP. I. EARLY LIFE. 5 
 
 earned. This state of things was followed by a ' strike ' among 
 the ' hands,' and great pressure was brought to bear upon the 
 young journeyman by his fellow-workmen to induce him to 
 enlist as a soldier ; but the claims of wife and child were too 
 strong, and he was too faithful to desert them. At this 
 juncture, towards the close of the year 1797, and shortly 
 before the birth of a daughter, an advertisement from a 
 Mr. Shinfield, of Wisbeach, for workmen in the same line of 
 business came under his notice, was answered, and led to an 
 engagement in that town, which was to be the future home of 
 the family, and was to become closely identified with him 
 whose career will form the chief subject of the following pages. 
 The father at once repaired to his new scene of labour, and the 
 mother, accompanied by her son and infant daughter, followed 
 as soon after her confinement as her recovered strength would 
 permit. 
 
 The house in Wisbeach which they now occupied and con- 
 tinued to make their home for many subsequent years was 
 situated at the corner of a small street close by what was then 
 called the Horse Market, and at the back of the residence of 
 Mr. Steed Girdlestone, a gentleman who proved himself a kind 
 friend to the family. In about two years after this change of 
 residence, the business of the new employer also began to de- 
 cline, and the engagement came to an end. It now seemed 
 necessary to try some other occupation, and abandoning very 
 willingly a brief and unsuccessful experiment to establish a 
 small independent business, the perplexed and discouraged 
 parent was glad to accept employment in the candle manufac- 
 tory of Mr. Usill. In this situation he remained for many 
 years, indeed until after the return of his eldest son from the 
 South Seas ; but though thus provided with the means of 
 subsistence, his earnings were but scanty, provisions were often 
 dear, and as the family increased, and the health of the mother 
 frequently failed, the household was debarred from many com- 
 forts, the children had but few opportunities of education, were 
 
8 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. i. 
 
 early inured to toil, and became familiar with the inevitable 
 ills attendant on straitened circumstances. 
 
 Such was the introduction to life ' with all its woes ' which 
 constituted the missionary's early training for future usefulness. 
 In this school he learned to be helpful, unselfish, and self- 
 reliant. His little hands early ministered to the suj^port of his 
 ■parents, and took their full part in the care of the younger 
 members of the family. It is related of him that when scarcely 
 more than six years old he was employed, at the rate of two 
 shillings a week, probably at the candle factory, in winding- 
 cotton wicks with one hand, while with the other he nursed his 
 little brother, thus relieving his mother of a portion of her 
 task, and adding his mite to the family earnings. The traits 
 of an observant and thoughtful mind were also very early con- 
 spicuous in him. A love of plants was always a marked feature 
 in his character. When a mere child one of his chief delights 
 was carefully to preserve every seed he could obtain, and sow it 
 in the tiny plot of ground that served as a garden, adjoining 
 the house. Some pet of this kind was nearly always the object 
 of his interest and care. He has himself mentioned a reminis- 
 cence of this tender age, which made a strong and lasting im- 
 pression upon him. ' I remember,' he said, ' sitting one day on 
 a bank in our garden (situated on the north side of Upper Hill 
 Street), with a fine, sweet, rosy-cheeked apple in my hand, and 
 that, as I cut it, I observed the pips inside, and wondered what 
 they were for. I asked the question, and was told that from 
 them the apple trees came. Not satisfied by merely hearing 
 this, I took the pips and secretly planted them, placing sticks 
 above them, and watched for nearly half a yeai', but they never 
 came up. The desire to know was raised ; I felt a strong wish 
 to work in a nursery garden, so that I might learn the secrets 
 of the growth of plants. At length my longing was gratified, 
 and I obtained a place in an orchard, beyond Mount Pleasant 
 Bank, past what was called " Osborne's Foot Fields." There I 
 felt delight in watching the developments of nature, and was 
 
CHAP. I. EARLY LIFE. 7 
 
 not satisfied till I had stayed out a year, and seen the whole 
 process — the bud, the flower, the fruit. Then I aspired to learn 
 about plants less familiar, the vine, the peach, the nectarine, 
 and left for another place that I might follow up the study.' 
 
 This step in advance did not take place till after his twelfth 
 year. Meanwhile the demands upon his services to eke out 
 the resources of the household, and the limited means at their 
 disposal, interfered very much with any regular instruction 
 at school. The only teaching of the kind which the youth 
 seems to have enjoyed was attendance for a very short time, 
 and much interrupted, at a small school kept by Mr. Wright, 
 the Unitarian minister of whose congregation the family were 
 members. It is needless to add that the religious instruction 
 received here, as well as at home, was in conformity with the 
 Unitarian creed. The boy's mind, notwithstanding these limited 
 appliances, was busily storing information, gathered by a ready 
 and keen observation, a retentive memory, and a bright intelli- 
 gence, alive to all that came within its ken, and quickened by 
 the perusal of any books that fell in his way. Books of travel 
 and adventure especially had a wonderful fascination for him. 
 
 In an address delivered before the members of the ' Working 
 Men's Institute,' at Wisbeach, not many years before his death, 
 he thus refers to the period of his life now passing under review. 
 ' I had not the honour of being born in Wisbeach, but I came 
 here when about four years old, towards the close of the last 
 century. Here my early childhood and early youth were passed, 
 and here were first quickened and unfolded those latent tenden- 
 cies of mind and heart, which have shaped the channel of many 
 of my thoughts, and furnished a large amount of the enjoyment 
 of my life. Not a hundred yards from this place, I first became 
 conscious of that deep interest in those wonderful processes of 
 nature, by which the germinating seed forces up the blade, the 
 ear, and the full grown corn in the ear, until the valleys are 
 covered over with grain. Here began, when I was scarcely five 
 years old, that strong desire to understand the processes of 
 
8 . LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. i. 
 
 vegetable life, and that unspeakable pleasure in meeting with 
 new, rare, and beautiful forms of plants, flowers, and fruit, which 
 through all the intervening changes of life, have been to me a 
 source of pure, unmingled thankfulness and pleasure. An aged 
 couple lived next door to my parents' dwelling. They were 
 intelligent, kind, and in comfortable circumstances. They 
 bestowed on me much friendly notice and many kind attentions. 
 One of these was the loan of a little book, containing the won- 
 derful account of four or five Christians, who were slaves of the 
 Turks or Moors. I went to school at the regular school-hours, 
 but was so deeply immersed in that book that I never parted 
 with it till I had read it through. This was the first time I 
 had ever felt interest in persons and things that I had never 
 seen — the first time that I had ever felt sympathy with any 
 beyond those immediately around me. Whilst reading I was 
 in mind in another country, identified with another people, 
 living in another world. The impression of this book, though 
 I have never seen it since, and the feelings it excited, have been 
 in kind among the deepest and strongest I have ever known. 
 All this class of feeling I first experienced at Wisbeach. 
 
 ' Not long after this, my father allowed me in an evening 
 to look over the pictures in " Captain Cook's Voyages." That 
 opened indeed a new world, and gave me ideas of other lands, 
 and other races of men, and invested them with an interest which 
 began in Wisbeach, but which I have never ceased to feel ; and 
 when, twenty years after, I stood upon the rock on which Captain 
 Cook fell, the picture I had gazed upon at Wisbeach, was as 
 distinct in my memory as when I first beheld it, and peopled 
 the scene of that mournful tragedy with the actors and the acts 
 of that memorable day.' 
 
 The opportunities of attending school, slight as they were, 
 did not long continue, for before he was twelve years old he went 
 to work, as already intimated, with a market-gardener, Mark 
 Bristow, who lived in the neighbourhood. This was in the 
 month of May, 1806. During a visit to Wisbeach many years 
 
CHAP. I. EARLY LIFE. 
 
 afterwards, in company with his youngest sister and niece, pass- 
 ing by the nurseryman's orchard gate, he observed, ' It was 
 here I received my first sixpence for myself (what I liad earned 
 before went into the common stock) ; the money was given me 
 for holding a gentleman's horse, and I spent it in the purchase 
 of a small second-hand book of travels. I well remember two 
 things in connection with this incident — the ambition of inde- 
 pendence it awakened, and the strong desire to travel which it 
 stirred within me.' It is probable that from that time he 
 never cost his father a penny. Indeed, he did not cease to 
 contribute regularly from his small earnings to the support of 
 the rest of the family, the only indulgence that he seems to have 
 allowed himself being the occasional purchase of a coveted book. 
 In his first situation he remained for more than a year, when 
 an opportunity was presented of obtaining a better place. 
 During his engagement with Mark Bristow he still made his 
 father's house his home, and was occasionally employed by their 
 kind neighbour, Mr. Steed Girdlestone, in errands and light 
 services about the house. That gentleman's daughter-in-law, 
 the wife of the clergyman of Thorney Abbey, was struck with 
 the youth's bright intelligence and cheerful and active habits, 
 and observing, 'That's a shrewd, handy lad — ive want just such 
 a young boy at home' — made inquiry concerning him, and 
 very soon arranged that he should live with them at Thorney. 
 This village is about sixteen miles from Wisbeach ; and thither 
 the youth was transferred, walking, in company with his father, 
 to his new place one bright February morning in 1808. He 
 was light of heart, and little burdened with worldly goods, for 
 he carried his small stock in a bundle hung from a stick over 
 his shoulder. In the worthy clergyman's establishment he 
 enjoyed many advantages, became a favourite in the family, 
 and won the regard of his master, who long continued to take 
 an interest in his fortunes ; and when his young protege Avas 
 afterwards engaged in far different scenes amid the South Sea 
 Islands, kept up with him an affectionate correspondence. 
 
10 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. i. 
 
 Not the least among the benefits connected with this change 
 was the altered character of the religious teaching that he now 
 received ; and which, doubtless, however slightly it might seem 
 at the time to affect him, was not without its influence on his 
 mind. Eeferriug to this period, in a letter subsequently 
 written to the church at Kingsland, he says — ' Before I was 
 thirteen years old, Providence directed me to a church 
 minister's family, in which I lived for three years. His 
 preaching I found very different from the religious instruction 
 to which I had listened at home ; but I did not trouble myself 
 much about religion at that time. I thought it was too soon 
 to begin to be over-righteous. I used sometimes to read my 
 Bible on a Sunday evening, and thought myself very dutiful 
 to Grod ; for I went to church once a week, and did not com- 
 mit half so many sins as some I knew. I did not swear, nor 
 lie, nor steal ; so I thought I was safe for the present, always 
 intending to repent and do better before I died ; and if I 
 should die suddenly, I thought I should be as well off as many 
 others.' 
 
 Another friend who took a lively interest in young William 
 Ellis, was Dr. Hardwicke, a physician of much repute and 
 influence in Wisbeach. Throv.gh his intervention, probably, it 
 was arranged, after the boy had remained nearly three years 
 with Mr. Girdlestone, that he should be removed to the service 
 of another clergyman. Dr. Hardwicke's son, the Eev. William 
 Hardwicke, of Outwell. He entered on the duties of this new 
 engagement on the 11th of October, 1810. Here he was 
 employed in much the same capacity as he had filled at 
 Thorney, working principally in the garden, though occupied 
 partially within doors. Mr. Hardwicke's well-furnished library 
 was occasionally laid under contribution to supply food for the 
 youth's eager curiosity and love of reading. The only fault 
 that the master complained of was the studious proclivities of 
 his new servitor — his disposition to loiter in this same library, 
 and ' thumb the books.' 
 
CHAP. I. EARLY LIFE. 11 
 
 The love of gardening, amounting to a passion, which 
 sprang up so early in the boy's heart, grew with his growth ; 
 and he could not long rest satisfied with the limited oppor- 
 tunities afforded at Outwell for indulging his predilection. He 
 aspired to learn the art more thoroughly. He had heard of Mr. 
 Bassington, a nurseryman in a large way at Kingsland, who 
 occasionally visited Wisbeach ; and, learning that he was to be 
 in the neighbourhood, the lad came on two successive Saturdays 
 into the town, with the purpose of seeing him and securing 
 for himself employment in his establishment. He was dis- 
 appointed in obtaining a personal interview, but prevailed 
 upon his father to represent his wishes to Mr. Bassington, 
 and, if possible, negotiate an engagement. The application 
 was successful ; and with a buoyant heart the young gardener, 
 now just entering his eighteenth year, left Outwell, where he 
 had remained twelve months, and prepared to bid adieu to 
 his home, and to push his fortunes in a wider field. The parting 
 from his parents and brothers and sisters was a sore trial to 
 them all. It was with extreme reluctance that his mother, 
 especially, gave her consent. William had been a truly dutiful 
 son to her, and more than an elder brother to the younger 
 members of the family. All loved him, and, young as he was, 
 all looked up to him and relied upon him as their sure help 
 and stay. But the necessities of the family, the advantages 
 of the change, and the prospects of advancement it held out, 
 were considerations too weighty to be resisted. Thus, not 
 perhaps without some dim foreboding of the longer and 
 wider separation that was impending, the sorrowful household 
 suffered the ' pride of their hearts ' to go forth on his journey 
 to the great city, followed by their simple benedictions and 
 tenderest love. 
 
 A journey from Cambridgeshire to London in those days 
 was a very different thing from the railway travelling of modem 
 times ; and those whose pockets were scantily furnished had 
 often to trudge it on foot. Partly by this primitive method 
 
12 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. i. 
 
 of migration, and partly by the aid of a lift in the carrier's 
 waggon, the distance was traversed by the young adventurer 
 in two days, and he reached London on the 21st of October, 
 1811. A few days after, he entered the service of his new 
 employer in the well-known and extensive nurseries at Kings- 
 land, which were almost as famous at that time as those of 
 Paul and Son, at Cheshunt, in the present day. 
 
 This was a crisis, and a trying one, in the young man's 
 history. Alone in a great city, freed from the restraints that 
 had unconsciously guarded him to some extent at home, and 
 still more benignly in the families of the clergymen with 
 whom the last four years had been spent, and exposed to the 
 evil example and solicitations of vicious companions, was it 
 possible for him, undefended as he was by religious principle, 
 to withstand the temptations that now surrounded him ? This 
 perilous period of his life — this fierce ordeal of his untried 
 virtue — was happily but of short duration. In a letter from 
 which a quotation has already been made, addressed to the 
 Church at Kingsland, he thus refers to it — ' I worked at Mr. 
 Bassington's nurseries for about seven months, during which 
 time I was rapidly hurrying down the broad road to destruction. 
 I was under no control. I forgot Grod, and was led the willing 
 captive of Satan. I eagerly mingled with all sorts of bad 
 company. I profaned the Lord's day ; and was often drawn 
 by my companions to sjDend its sacred hours in the ale-house. 
 I sometimes attended the chapel in the evening, merely to 
 pass away the time. During all this course of sin, I often felt 
 the stings of conscience, and in the midst of my pleasures my 
 heart has condemned me, and told me I was rebelling against 
 Grod with a high hand. But I used my utmost efforts to stifle 
 these painful reflections, always intending to do better when 
 I grew older.' 
 
 Through divine mercy this downward career was effectually 
 arrested by the young man's admission into a godly family. In 
 June 1812, he left Mr. Bassington's, and entered the service of 
 
CHAP. I. EAELY LIFE. 13 
 
 Mr. Sangster, an excellent and pious man, who, with his e([iially 
 estimable wife, resided in Newington Green. Here he was 
 received on the footing of a member of the household, though 
 his chief occupation was the care of tlie garden. A small 
 chamber over the coach-house was assigned to him as a sleeping 
 room. This humble dormitory, where, at the close, and in the 
 intervals, of the day's work, he could always be private, became 
 invested with a special interest, as the chosen retreat of many 
 thoughtful seasons and studious hours, for he brought with him 
 that thirst for knowledge and love of reading which never for- 
 sook him ; and it is memorable especially as the scene of mucli 
 spiritual conflict — the ' holy ground ' of his first prayer. 
 
 In the new home to which Providence had brought him, he 
 was required to be present at family worship daily, and in 
 accordance with the custom of his employers attended Kingsland 
 Chapel on the Lord's day. His father very strongly urged him 
 to hear a Unitarian minister whom he named, and to cultivate 
 his acquaintance ; but, happily, the Unitarian church was at too 
 great a distance, and his master's wish that tlie whole household 
 should attend the same place of worsliip, weighed in favour of 
 the sanctuary at Kingsland. It was little more than a montli 
 after his entrance into Mr. Sangster's family that the important 
 event occurred, which he has himself recorded in a letter to the 
 Eev. J. Clayton, senior, since published, in which he speaks of 
 a sermon addressed to young persons by that good minister, at 
 Kingsland, as having been the means of awakening religious 
 convictions in his mind. 
 
 This impressive sermon, and its effects on the heart of the 
 youthful hearer, are noticed both in letters written shortly after 
 and in a private journal, of which a few fragments only have 
 been preserved. In his fir.st communication to the church at 
 Kingsland, he thus recals this crisis in his life : ' I shall ever 
 remember the first time I attempted to pray. Having retired 
 to rest in my own chamber, I sat down to reflect on the events 
 that had recently occurred. A secret impulse, an irresistible 
 
14 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. i. 
 
 power, compelled me to bow my knee, and approach a throne of 
 grace. I could say but little, scarcely more than " God be 
 merciful to me a sinner." A few precious promises were recalled 
 to my mind, and afforded me much consolation — " Though your 
 sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; and tliough 
 they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool " — " Him that 
 Cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out " — " God so loved the 
 world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever be- 
 lieveth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." ' In 
 another part of the same letter he continues, ' Satan was not an 
 idle spectator of these conflicts and reforms. He plied his sug- 
 gestions to distress and deter me ; tormenting me chiefly with 
 the fear that I should not hold out to the end. Against these 
 discouragements I was upheld by remembering that where the 
 Lord had begun a good work of grace in the heart. He would 
 carry it on to perfection. God in his mercy did not suffer the 
 enemy of my soul to harass me over much ; for my faith was 
 weak. I have enjoyed much comfort in my attendance on the 
 means of grace ; and when, at times, I have felt my love cold 
 and my faith dead, I have drawn near the mercy seat in prayer, 
 and seldom returned without being relieved of my grief, or 
 having my spiritual strength restored. I felt a strong desire to 
 join a church, but was long prevented by two objections. 1st. 
 That in my unsettled state of life it would not be well to unite 
 myself to any church, as I might at any time leave my place. 
 2nd. I was deterred from even disclosing my mind, from a fear 
 lest my moral character should not correspond with my pro- 
 fession, and I should thus bring reproach on the cause of Christ.' 
 By reflecting on the positive commands of the Saviour, and by 
 taking coimsel with a Christian friend, his doubts and fears and 
 hesitation were at length overcome ; he applied for admission 
 into Christian fellowship, and was received as a member of the 
 church at Kingsland on the 1st of February 1814. 
 
 While these important spiritual changes were taking place 
 in the heart of the young convert, he was not unmindful of the 
 
ciiAr. I. EAIILY LIFE. 15 
 
 claims of his nearest kindred. Throughout the whole period 
 of his stay in London, a frequent and affectionate correspond- 
 ence was kept up with his parents and other members of the 
 family ; and a considerable portion of the earnings of his labour 
 was devoted to their relief. The letters of his father — stained 
 and faded leaves, eloquent of the parental heart, and of the 
 filial love that had treasured them with such reverent care 
 through all the years — continually acknowledge, in touching 
 terms, the dutiful and welcome aid thus afforded. They speak 
 of the simple joys and sorrows, privations and gains of the 
 humble household ; of the increase to their store in a pros- 
 perous gleaning season, of the dearness of provisions, and other 
 homely details. They bear witness also to the fidelity with 
 which the absent son, when his own soul became imbued with 
 the truths of the Grospel, strove to impress his new convictions 
 on the hearts of those at home. These efforts, and many sub- 
 sequent persuasive appeals, were not without their happy fruits. 
 On the minds of his mother and sisters they produced a lasting 
 effect, the results of which, if not manifest at the time, were 
 conspicuous in after years. While thus solicitous for the 
 highest interests of his near relatives, his exertions for their 
 temporal advancement were constant and self-denying. He 
 procured for his eldest sister a situation in Newington, an 
 arrangement that was highly agreeable to both ; and he fur- 
 nished the money to a23prentice his brother to a trade. In the 
 month of September 1814, he cheerfully defrayed the expense 
 of a visit that he persuaded his father to allow his younger 
 brother to pay him in London. It was a time of high delight 
 to the three young people when they saw together many 
 of the sights and wonders of the metropolis. But few things 
 in connection with this visit remain so impressed on the 
 brother's memory as the spectacle of William's little chamber, 
 which he shared during his stay. One side of this room was 
 entirely occupied with shelves filled with books, all of which 
 had been procured out of the savings of the young gardener's 
 
16 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. i. 
 
 wages ; this, too, in addition to so much that had been con- 
 tributed from the same source to tlie keep of those at home. 
 
 Besides being solicitous for tlie welfare of his own family, it 
 was natural for the young Christian to take his part in spread- 
 ing the knowledge of the Grospel in his neiglibourhood. At 
 that time Sunday schools were not, as now, attached to almost 
 every place of worship. On the contrary, they were a new 
 institution ; and one of the earliest ever established was in 
 Silver Street, in connection with the church of which the Kev. 
 E. J. Jones was pastor. In this school William Ellis became a 
 teacher. The pastor of the church was warmly interested in 
 the missionary enterprise, and the annual meetings of the 
 London Missionary Society had usually been held in Silver 
 Street Chapel ; but, in consequence of the increasing numbers 
 who now assembled on these occasions, in May 1814, the meet- 
 ing was held in Surrey Chapel. Tlie Eev. J. Campbell, the 
 pastor of the church at Kingsland, had only a few days before 
 arrived in London, after an absence of nearly two years spent 
 in visiting the stations of the society in South Africa. ' His 
 affecting account of the moral wretchedness of the Africans, 
 their willingness to receive teachers, the prospects of useful- 
 ness which invited the labourer to the field, given witli all the 
 graphic distinctness which resulted from recent and accurate 
 personal observation, and the glow of feeling produced by his 
 arrival from the scenes of moral degradation which Africa pre- 
 sented, made a strong impression on the minds of multitudes 
 who were present.' Many young people had their hearts stirred 
 by these representations, and among the number was William 
 Ellis. In the same assembly, and glowing with the same as- 
 pirations, was Mary Mercy Moor, the future partner of his lot, 
 and the sharer of his missionary toils in the South Seas. The 
 subsequent recitals given by Mr. Campbell in his own pulpit 
 revived the impressions of a sermon preached there at an earlier 
 date by a stranger, to which he refers in his first letter to the 
 London JNIissionary Society, and tended to stir up and strengthen 
 
CHAP. T. EARLY LIFE. 17 
 
 the missionary ardour of the young convert. The desire, at 
 first confined within his own breast, but afterwards divulged to 
 his Christian friends, was encouraged and directed by his 
 pastor, and at length led to his making application to the 
 society, to be employed by them as a missionary to the heathen. 
 The following is the letter in which, with characteristic modesty 
 and diffidence, he makes known his wishes to the Eev. George 
 Burder, the Secretary of the Society : — 
 
 ' Newington Green : November 4, 1814, 
 
 'Honoured and Keverend Sir, — It is now twelve months 
 since my mind was first deeply impressed with a desire to 
 devote myself to the service of the Lord as a missionary to the 
 heathen. But fearing I was not qualified for the work, and 
 thinking myself too inexperienced to encounter the trials to 
 which I should be exposed, I did not make my desire known 
 until some time after, when I ventured to disclose my mind to 
 the Eev. Mr. Burder, of Hackney, whose preaching had been 
 particularly blessed to me during the time he preached at 
 Kingsland Chapel. He advised me to become acquainted with 
 some Christians at Kingsland, that they might be enabled to 
 judge of my ability for the work. Accordingly I associated 
 with some of the members of Mr. Campbell's church, and was 
 admitted into church fellowship with them on the first of 
 February last. When I saw Mr. Burder again, he advised me 
 to consult Mr. Campbell, with whom I have conversed several 
 times, and to whose goodness I am indebted for the chief 
 portion of the information I have been able to obtain. He 
 kindly gave me every necessary instruction, and told me, when 
 I had made up my mind, to write a letter to you, stating my 
 conversion, the difficulties that present themselves, and the 
 encouragements that support me ; to give the letter to him 
 and he would forward it to you. 
 
 ' Agreeably to the advice of my much loved pastor, under the 
 
18 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. i. 
 
 conviction of my own inability, with much reluctance, I submit 
 to your candid perusal the following lines. 
 
 ' I was but little concerned for my soul's welfare till I had 
 nearly completed my eighteenth year, when the kind hand of 
 Providence placed me beneath the hospitable roof where I now 
 dwell. I soon began to think seriously about religion. About 
 . this time I went one Friday evening to hear a lecture to young 
 persons, preached at Kingsland Chapel, by the Eev. J. Clayton, 
 Senior, from 31st Psalm, 17th and 18th verses, ' Grod, Thou 
 hast taught me from my youth ! ' &c. And there, while the 
 preacher spoke to my outward ear, the Lord spoke to my 
 heart, and so convinced me of the folly and ingratitude of 
 devoting all the prime of life to the service of the world and 
 tlie devil, that the impression will never be erased from my 
 mind. I trust from that time I have been enabled to cleave 
 to the Lord with purpose of heart. I shall ever remember the 
 iirst time I attempted to pray. Having retired to my chamber, 
 I sat down to survey the goodness of Grod towards so unworthy 
 a creature as myself. A secret power constrained me to bow 
 the knee with thankfulness to Grod for his unmerited goodness. 
 I saw myself a guilty sinner, exposed to the wrath of a just 
 and holy Grod, and earnestly sought an interest in the Saviour, 
 who appeared exceedingly precious ; and I thought, if I could 
 but believe that He died for me, and that my sins were for- 
 given through His atonement, I should care for nothing else but 
 to live to His glory, and to show forth His praise by a life and 
 conversation according with the gospel. 
 
 ' I had not long enjoyed the pleasures of religion before I 
 felt anxious to impart them to others, and wondered that men 
 i^hould be so indifferent about salvation. The first time I felt 
 a desire to become a missionary was after hearing a sermon 
 preached at Kingsland Chapel on the value of the soul, from 
 Matthew 16th, 26th verse, " For what is a man profited, if he 
 shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? or what 
 sliM.ll a man ffive in exchange for his soul?" I then thought 
 
CHAP. I. EAELY LIFE. 19 
 
 that if the Lord should call me to the work, and I should be 
 the instrument of converting but one sinner, my labours would 
 be well repaid. A desire to reduce the sum of present misery 
 among the heathen, to preach to them the way of salvation 
 through a crucified Saviour, to teach them to be happy here, 
 and show them the way to eternal happiness hereafter — this, I 
 believe, is the ground of my wish to become a missionary. I 
 can conscientiously affirm that it is not an impatience to be 
 freed from anything that is irksome or unpleasant in my present 
 situation that induces me to offer myself as a candidate ; nor 
 am I influenced by any secular motives, for I am perfectly 
 satisfied with my present station in all respects, and have 
 reason to believe that I give satisfaction to my employers. I 
 should be unwilling to leave my present place on any other 
 account. But so far as I am able to judge of my own heart, I 
 am actuated by a spirit of obedience to what appears to me a 
 duty commanded by the Saviour, when He said, " Gro ye into all 
 the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Love to 
 Christ and to the souls of my heathen brethren, a desire to be 
 useful in my day and generation, induce me to offer myself; 
 and to promote the glory of Grod, and extend the limits of the 
 Redeemer's kingdom, are the chief objects which I have in 
 view. 
 
 'Various are the trials and difficulties that have been pre- 
 sented to me in contemplating this work, and the consideration 
 of these makes me almost ready to shrink back from my design. 
 But, thank Grod, I am enabled to say, " I can do all things 
 through Christ that strengtheneth me." From the promises of 
 God alone I derive all my encouragement, and in the strength 
 of Christ I hope that I trust for support under every trial I 
 may meet. 
 
 ' I have but little to recommend me to the Society, having 
 had but little education, and most of what I have learned I 
 have learned from observation. I have been accustomed to 
 work in the garden, which occupation forms the chief part of 
 
 c 2 
 
20 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. i. 
 
 my present employment. I received much encouragement from 
 an article in the Evangelical Magazine, under the title of 
 " Qualifications for Missionaries," after reading which I in- 
 dulged a hope that, although my talents were of the lowest 
 sort, yet I might be accepted. I now declare myself willing to 
 follow wherever Providence may lead me. 
 
 ' Hoping you will excuse all the faults, as I am ignorant of 
 the rules for writing properly, 
 
 ' I remain, 
 * Your humble and obedient servant, 
 
 ' William Ellis.' 
 
 This application was followed, in due course, by a requisition 
 to appear before the Examining Committee of the directors, 
 an ordeal that he met with much timidity and misgiving. On 
 being asked by Matthew Wilks where he had received his 
 education, his reply was, ' in my bedroom,' referring to the 
 well-stocked shelves that had struck his brother's eye, and to 
 the many hours of study, stolen from rest, which he had spent 
 in poring over the pages of his humble library. The result 
 of this examination, which took place on December 7, 1814, 
 was a unanimous recommendation to the directors for the 
 young candidate's acceptance. Their decision was soon after- 
 wards communicated to him, and before the end of the month 
 he received intimation that he would probably be sent out 
 immediately to Africa. Indeed, it was definitely settled that 
 he should proceed forthwith to Theopolis. This arrangement 
 was, however, subsequently revoked, and a year's preparation 
 and training in England were allowed, while his destination was 
 changed to the South Seas. There can be no doubt that this 
 delay, and the opportunity of instruction thus afforded, were 
 of incalculable benefit, and vastly increased the missionary's 
 future usefulness. 
 
 It is somewhat remarkable that a similar change of destina- 
 tion was afterwards made in the case of the now venerable 
 
CHAP. I. EARLY LIFE. 21 
 
 Eobert Moffat, who, towards the close of the year 1816, was 
 just on the eve of starting with John Williams for the South 
 Seas, when the directors decided to send him to South 
 Africa — a field of labour where the veteran's subsequent career 
 of Christian philanthrophy presented many striking parallels 
 to that of the enterprising pioneer and explorer of the 
 islands of the Pacific. 
 
 Eeturning to the subject of these memoirs ; one of his first 
 trials at this period arose from the reluctance with which his 
 parents consented to part with him. This very natural oppo- 
 sition did not spring solely from parental affection. The 
 pain of separation, to use his father's words, from ' a son so 
 dutiful, so good, and so loving,' was greatly aggravated by the 
 religious views of the parent, who looked upon the mission as 
 a fool's errand, at the best, and open, moreover, to the graver 
 charge of being a wild and infatuated scheme to propagate 
 error among a distant people, who were much better let alone. 
 The old man was a philosopher, nevertheless, and finding the 
 task of dissuasion hopeless, prepared to summon his fortitude 
 to bear the inevitable parting. The mother's trial was a still 
 harder one ; but she too learned to school her gi'ief. Her 
 distress was not embittered by any element of reproach, and 
 from the depths of a loving heart she could only follow her 
 beloved with her blessing and her prayers. This amiable 
 woman's extreme fondness for her son may be inferred from a 
 remark he once made to his youngest sister. ' I am afraid,' 
 he said, ' you are like your mother in one thing, in which I do 
 not wish you to resemble her, — you idolize me.' There was 
 not one member of the family, old enough to appreciate the 
 change, who did not share in the common sorrow. William 
 Ellis felt all the pain he was giving ; but he was not then, nor 
 was he ever afterwards, a man to be swayed by feeling when 
 the path of duty seemed plain before him. 
 
 The gardener's vocation was now to be exchanged for that 
 of the student. With a heart grateful for all the kindness he 
 
22 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. i. 
 
 had received, the young man left the hospitable roof of Mr. 
 Sangster, to pursue his studies at G-osport, under the care of 
 Dr. Bogue. Here he diligently improved his time and oppor- 
 tunities in qualifying himself for the work of the ministry ; yet 
 little more than four months were allowed for this preparatory 
 work. In the month of May 1815, he returned to London, to 
 apply himself to the acquisition of some branches of practical 
 knowledge that were justly deemed essential to his eflBciency in 
 the field of labour for which he was preparing. The amount of 
 information and practical skill that he succeeded in acquiring 
 during the few months that remained before his departure 
 from England, is truly amazing. During this brief interval of 
 only six months he made himself acquainted with the art of 
 printing, and became expert in all its processes, from type- 
 setting to imposing the forms and working the press. He also 
 ' learned the art of book-binding. For some months he, more- 
 over, attended lectures in several branches of medicine and 
 surgery, as well as the medical and surgical practice at St. 
 Bartholomew's Hospital. Nor was scholastic learning entirely 
 laid aside, some portion of the time being spent at Homerton 
 Academy, where, under Dr. Pye Smith, the foundation, at least, 
 was laid for the study of the classics. In fact, he omitted no 
 opportunity of adding to his stores of knowledge. Among the 
 minor diversions of this busy season, he procured a few litho- 
 graph copies, and gave some attention to the art of drawing, 
 for which he had a natural aptitude, and which he often turned 
 to good account. From a friend he took occasional lessons 
 in playing the flute, and afterwards made the slight musical 
 skill he thus acquired subservient to the purpose of teaching 
 singing to his South Sea converts and pupils. 
 
 An interest of another kind, very nearly affecting the young 
 man's fiiture happiness and usefulness, was at this period the 
 source of much solicitude. During the previous year, while a 
 teacher in Silver Street Sunday School, he had made the ac- 
 quaintance of Miss Moor, who had been one of the earliest scholars, 
 
CHAP. I. EARLY LIFE. 23 
 
 and subsequently a teacher, in the same school, and whose heart 
 had long been filled with an earnest desire to engage in mis- 
 sionary work. An acquaintance formed under these circumstances 
 naturally ripened into the closest intimacy, and it was with this 
 amiable and heavenly-minded companion as the partner of his 
 life and labours, that the young missionary was looking forward 
 to his distant embassy among the heathen. They were permitted, 
 indeed, to share together the toils and honours of many eventful 
 years ; but the early history of Miss Moor had been very 
 different from that which has been narrated in the foregoing- 
 pages. Mary Moor was the descendant of a godly ancestry. 
 ' Her father, Mr. Alexander Moor, was born near Perth, in 
 Scotland, and was the child of pious parents. The Eev. Joseph 
 Hart (who, according to the narrative he has published, " was 
 born of believing parents"), the minister of Jewin Street Chapel, 
 and author of a volume of devotional hymns, some of which are 
 familiar to the Christian Church at the present day, was her 
 maternal grandfather ; her mother, Mary Mercy, being his 
 youngest daughter. Her parents had not only descended from 
 Christian ancestors, but were themselves eminently pious.' When 
 she was scarcely three months old, her father died. Nor was 
 she favoured long to enjoy the mother's care and example ; for 
 before the daughter had completed her eighth year, her surviv- 
 ing parent was also removed by death. The orphan was now 
 committed to the guardianship of a kind and pious friend, who 
 received her as her own child, and supplied, as far as possible, 
 the loss she had sustained. In the house of this excellent lady, 
 who kept a school, she received her own education, and after- 
 wards a training for future usefulness as a teacher. Her 
 religious impressions date back from her earliest childhood, 
 while she yet enjoyed the privilege of a mother's teaching. 
 She remained with her kind friend till the year 1812, when she 
 went to reside with her only brother. Early in 1813 she was 
 admitted into fellowship with the Christian Church, with which 
 she had been so long associated, under the pastoi'al care of the 
 
24 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. i. 
 
 Kev. E. J. Jones. Her health, which had never been very 
 robust, was occasionally the cause of much concern to her friends, 
 and during the spring of 1815 her illness became at times 
 alarming. This was, for a season, a source of deep anxiety and 
 severe affliction to him who was to be the partner of her life. 
 Her health was, however, mercifully restored, and the painful 
 apprehensions of friends were removed. 
 
 The few pages of a private diary, kept at this period that have 
 been preserved, show that while the subject of these memoirs 
 was indefatigably qualifying himself for his future sjshere of 
 duty, his mind was undergoing much inward conflict. He was 
 often depressed, always humble, distrustful of self, and drew 
 all his spiritual strength, as every Christian must, from a grow- 
 ing dependence on divine grace, A single passage from this 
 record of his inner life may serve to indicate the quality of his 
 faith. 
 
 ' Aug. 6, 1815. — Felt deeply humbled by taking a retrospect 
 of the dealings of God towards me, and the manner in which I 
 had requited His kindness. I hope I enjoyed the sweet influences 
 of the Spirit drawing me to Jesus. Felt much fervour in prayer, 
 and trust I was enabled to draw nigh to God in truth. Oh 
 that His Spirit may keep me near to Him in the observance of 
 His will, and keep Christ near to my heart in love ; that daily 
 living upon Him, I may be better prepared for the work I have 
 in view ; for which I feel myself unfit, and often fear that when 
 I get into a heathen land I shall make shipwreck of faith and 
 a good conscience. " Hold thou me up, Lord, and I shall be 
 safe."' 
 
 The arduous labours of the week did not prevent him from 
 being still a diligent Sunday-school teacher, and he often 
 found pleasure in addressing the children. His first public 
 address in the presence of adults is thus noticed in his journal. 
 
 'Lord's Day, Oct. 15th, 1815. — After having been confined 
 to my room by illness for nearly three weeks, I was once more 
 permitted, by the mercy of God, to attend divine worship 
 
CHAP. 1. EAELY LIFE. 25 
 
 in the morning, and heard Mr. Parsons, of Leeds, preach in the 
 Tabernacle. In the afternoon went to instruct the children 
 in the brickfields near Newington. Afterwards addressed the 
 children and their parents, from Exodus i. 14, — "And they 
 made their lives bitter with hard bondage," &c. This was 
 the first time I ever addressed an adult congregation. Felt 
 peculiar pleasure in this opportunity, though much confused.' 
 
 On the 6th of November he left Homerton, to make im- 
 mediate preparation for his departure from England. On the 
 8th he was ordained to the ministry, with a fellow-student 
 and fellow-labourer in the missionary field, L. E. Threlkeld, in 
 Mr. Leifchild's chapel at Kensington. On this occasion the 
 pastor of the church gave the introductory address ; the 
 imposition of hands and the ordination prayer were assigned 
 to Dr. Waugh, who commended the young men to Grod with 
 much fervour ; and an impressive charge was delivered to the 
 newly ordained ministers by the Eev. John Hyatt, from Acts 
 XV. 22, — 'None of these things move me.' 
 
 On the following day, November 9th, William Ellis and 
 Mary Mercy Moor were united in marriage at St. Luke's 
 Church, Middlesex. The brief interval before leaving London 
 for Gosport, where the missionaries were to embark, was spent 
 in bidding adieu to friends, and receiving farewell benedictions 
 from the churches at Kingsland and Silver Street, and from 
 their fellow teachers in the Sunday School. It was a season 
 of severe trial, and called for the exercise of all their Christian 
 fortitude. On the 8th of December they parted from their 
 friends in London, a few of the most intimate of the num- 
 ber, among whom was their future fellow-labourer, Charles 
 Barff, bearing tliem company to Grracechurch Street, and bidding 
 them a last tearful farewell as the stage coach drove off at an 
 early hour in the morning. The travellers reached Grosport in 
 the evening. The ship that was to convey them as far as 
 New South Wales, on their way to their distant scene of labour, 
 had arrived at Spithead on the previous day, but they did not 
 
26 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. i. 
 
 embark till the 19th, and after being at anchor during a strong 
 gale of wind for two days, they returned to shore. The 
 passengers were several times during the next few weeks 
 required to re-embark, but, partly through the caprice of the 
 captain, and partly from the violence and direction of the 
 wind, the vessel did not finally set sail till the 23rd of January 
 1816. This trying detention was somewhat alleviated by 
 the opportunity it afforded of renewed intercourse with their 
 kind and esteemed instructor, Dr. Bogue, and other Christian 
 friends. 
 
SOUTH SEAS 
 
 1816-25 
 
29 
 
 CHAPTER II. - 
 
 YOTAGE OUT. 
 
 The incidents of the voyage, and the history of subsequent 
 missionary operations in the South Seas, have been narrated 
 by Mr. Ellis in the volumes which he published after his 
 return to England, under the title of ' Polynesian Researches.' 
 In this interesting record he says : — 
 
 'It was the morning of the Sabbath when we embarked. 
 Our friends in Grosport were preparing to attend public worship, 
 when we heard the report of a signal-gun. The sound excited 
 a train of feeling, which can be understood only by those who 
 have been placed in similar circumstances. It was a report 
 announcing the arrival of that moment which was to separate, 
 perhaps for ever, from home and all its endearments, and rend 
 asunder every band which friendship and affection had entwined 
 around the heart. The report we had heard might have pro- 
 ceeded from some other vessel ; we hastened, therefore, to the 
 windows, which commanded an extensive view of the sea, and, 
 looking towards the anchorage, saw the small cloud of smoke 
 rising up among the rigging, and the signal for sailing flying 
 from the mast of our vessel. Instead of proceeding to the place 
 of worship, we directed our steps towards the sea-shore ; but, 
 before we left our dwelling, we united in prayer with our 
 friends, and were by them affectionately committed to the 
 guardian care of Him, in obedience to whose sacred injunction, 
 " Gro teach all nations," we were about to embark ; and on whose 
 protection and blessing alone we depended for safety and 
 success. A number of kind friends attended us to the beach, 
 where, after waiting a few moments, we bade them farewell, 
 
30 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. n. 
 
 and then raised the last foot from that earth which was our 
 native soil, over which we had often trod under all the varied 
 emotions of our earliest and maturer years, but which we never 
 expected to tread again.' 
 
 Among the group who Avalked to the shore were three young 
 men, Messrs. Ince, Mault, and Wilson, who had been fellow- 
 students at Grosport, and were expecting shortly to leave their 
 native country on a similar errand of mercy. These took their 
 seats in the boat, and accompanied their departing friends to 
 the ship. Snow was falling, and the gloom of winter lent the 
 sadness of Nature to the mournful hour, as the little party made 
 their way to the vessel's side ; where, with indescribable emo- 
 tions, they bade each other a last farewell. Some further delay 
 was experienced ; and it was the Tuesday following when the 
 vessel weighed anchor. 
 
 'Towards evening,' continues the narrator of the parting 
 scene, 'I left the cabin for the deck, and enjoyed an hour of 
 solemn, and, I trust, profitable meditation. Our ship was now 
 under way, and proceeding steadily, though not rapidly, througli 
 the water. Every headland we passed on the Isle of Wight, 
 and every point of land on the Hampshire coast, as it receded 
 from my view, produced the impression that I should never 
 behold it again. I lingered with intensity of feeling on each 
 passing scene, until the shadows of night gathered thickly 
 around, and the only objects visible from the ship were a few 
 distant lights, glimmering amidst the darkness in which every- 
 thing besides was concealed. After gazing on these lights until 
 a late hour, I directed, as I supposed, a last glance towards 
 them, and the coasts they illuminated, and retired to rest. 
 
 ' The next morning I hastened on deck, and looking abroad 
 upon the expanse of waters, distinguished with delight a point 
 of land. It was England : my eye rested on it with strong and 
 painful interest ; the mighty waters, like those of the deluge, 
 appeared to rise higher and higher ; until, at last, the waves of 
 the distant and naked horizon appeared to have rolled over it ; 
 
CKAP. II. VOYAGE OUT, 31 
 
 and our vessel, like the ark, seemed all that remained to us of 
 the terrestrial world. In every direction there was nothing now 
 to be seen but one wide waste of water below and the out- 
 stretclied heavens above, England, with all its associations 
 and enjoyments, its tenderest earthly ties, and its distinguished 
 religious privileges, had vanished.' 
 
 No discouragement, however, no regret, mingled with these 
 emotions of sadness ; but with unabated ardour, and in de- 
 pendence on divine help, the missionaries looked forward to 
 their future work. The vessel in which their jDassage had been 
 taken was a government transport ship that was conveying a 
 number of convicts to New South Wales. The insubordination 
 of these men, creating a constant apprehension of mutiny, with 
 the rude and unmanly conduct of the commander. Captain 
 Mereton, rendered their voyage more than ordinarily trying, 
 especially to the female passengers, towards whom he behaved 
 with marked incivility and cruelty. The food provided was 
 often insufficient in quantity, of the coarsest kind, and some- 
 times quite unfit to be eaten ; the meat consisting, on more 
 than one occasion, of the flesh of sheep that had died of disease 
 or starvation. So offensive was tliis man's behaviour during 
 the latter part of the voyage, that Mrs. Ellis was obliged to 
 absent herself altogether from the Captain's table ; and but for 
 the kindness of their fellow-passengers, Mr. and Mrs. Howe, who 
 spared some of their own provisions, and to the utmost of their 
 power contributed to the comfort of their less fortunate com- 
 panions, their situation would have been still more deplorable. 
 To warn others from a similar fate, and to prevent a reiaetition 
 of treatment so outrageous, Mr. Ellis felt it his duty, on their' 
 arrival at Sydney, to lodge a formal complaint against Captain 
 Mereton, with the Eev. S. Marsden, both in his capacity of 
 Justice of the Peace, and as the agent of the Missionary So- 
 ciety. 
 
 With the exception of these discomforts, the passage, though 
 tedious, was not unfavourable. About three weeks after leaving 
 
32 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. ii. 
 
 Portsmouth, the vessel touched at Madeira, and, proceeding on 
 its voyage to Eio Janeiro, cast anchor at the mouth of its 
 beautiful harbour on the evening of the 20th of March. The 
 scene disclosed by the light of the following morning made 
 an indelible impression on the mind of Mr. Ellis. Many years 
 after, when he had visited every quarter of the globe, and 
 beheld some of the fairest spots in the world, being asked which 
 he considered the most beautiful place he had ever seen, he 
 answered unhesitatingly ' Eio.' 
 
 Here the travellers were detained more than sis weeks. 
 Indeed, the ill-health of Mrs. Threlkeld compelled that lady 
 and her husband to remain for many months. During their 
 stay on shore Mr. and Mrs. Ellis were most hospitably 
 received into the family of an English merchant, John Scurr, 
 Esq., who resided in a delightful situation about four miles 
 from the port. Mrs. Ellis was for a time prostrated by a severe 
 attack of illness, of the nature of Asiatic cholera, and serious 
 alarm was felt on her account ; but, by God's mercy, she re- 
 covered and was able to resume the voyage when the vessel 
 again set sail. 
 
 At Eio they had frequent opportunities of witnessing the 
 observances of the Eoman Catholic religion in a country where 
 Popery is the recognised faith of the people. Some of the 
 ceremonies they beheld were, especially to the minds of an 
 ignorant people, sufficiently imposing. Such was the torch- 
 light funeral of the Queen Dowager of Portugal, which took 
 place shortly after their arrival. Other spectacles, however, 
 intended to serve as the medium of religious teaching, were 
 ludicrous in the extreme. Of this character was the hanging 
 in effigy of Judas, of which they were spectators one morning 
 about the time of Grood Friday ; and they were not a little 
 surprised to behold the representation of the traitor ' in a 
 fashionable coat, waistcoat, and pantaloons, with a pair of 
 Hessian boots, and a cocked hat!' This figure, after being 
 allowed to hang till noon, was taken down and fastened to the 
 
CHAP. II. VOYAGE OUT. 33 
 
 back of a young- ox ; till tlie animal, driven to and fro, became 
 infuriated, dislodged its burden, and tore it to pieces with its 
 horns and hoofs. There also, for the first time, they came in 
 contact with slavery in some of its most revolting aspects — the 
 slave ship and slave mart. Their hearts were deeply moved by 
 these scenes of misery. 
 
 The missionaries, during their detention in the country, 
 preached occasionally in the houses of some of the English 
 merchants, who, with other Protestant families, earnestly en- 
 treated one of them to remain as their pastor ; but, as each felt 
 that his life had been consecrated to another service, the invi- 
 tation was declined. 
 
 Early in May the voyagers once more embarked, and the Atlas 
 set sail towards its final destination. The remainder of the 
 passage was favom-able ; the Cape of Grood Hope was doubled, 
 the Indian Ocean crossed, and eleven weeks after leaving the 
 coast of Brazil the shores of New Holland were in sight, and 
 the vessel, with a fair wind, approached Port Jackson. But, 
 owing to the ignorance and obstinacy of the captain, the 
 opening was missed ; and before the mistake was discovered 
 they had passed four miles beyond the entrance. The ship once 
 more returned on her course, and a second unsuccessful attempt 
 was made to enter the harbour. A violent storm. now came on, 
 and exposed them to imminent peril, driving them still further 
 from the haven. Contrary winds kept them out at sea for 
 nearly a fortnight, till at length the tantalizing delay was ended 
 by the aid of a pilot, whom the Grovernor had sent out to their 
 assistance, and they were brought safely into port, and anchored 
 in Sydney Cove on the 22nd of July. 
 
 Here they were kindly welcomed by the Wesleyan Mission- 
 aries, and by the Eev. S. Marsden, senior chaplain of the 
 colony. Five months elapsed before they could meet with any 
 conveyance to the South Sea Islands. During this interval 
 they took up their abode at Paramatta, with the family of Mr. 
 S. 0. Hassel, one of the first missionaries to Tahiti, who with 
 
 D 
 
34 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. ii. 
 
 his companions had been compelled by the hostility of the 
 natives to leave the islands, and had not since returned to the 
 sphere of his early labom's. To the newly-arrived guests, after 
 the tedium and the uncongenial companionship of a five months' 
 A^oyage, this was truly a delightful change ; the renewal of 
 Christian intercourse was peculiarly grateful ; whilst their do- 
 mestic happiness was enhanced, and the period of this pleasant 
 residence at Paramatta was still further cheered and rendered 
 memorable, by the birth of a daughter. 
 
 Not before the 10th of December could a passage to the 
 islands be secured ; when the mission family, bidding adieu to 
 their kind friends, and committing themselves once more to the 
 care of divine Providence, embarked in the Queen Charlotte, 
 a brig belonging to James Birnie, Esq., of Sydney, and bound 
 for the Society and Marquesas Islands. Ten days after, the 
 vessel reached New Zealand, and entered the Bay of Islands. 
 They remained in port about a week, enjoying pleasant inter- 
 course with the missionaries of the Church Missionary Society, 
 exploring the magnificent forests of the interior, and making 
 their first acquaintance, in the persons of the natives, with 
 heathen and savage life. 
 
 Having refilled their water casks, increased their supply of 
 provender for the cattle and sheep that they had taken from 
 the colony, and procured some valuable timber for building, on 
 the 28th of December they resumed their voyage. On the 
 26th of January 1817, at daybreak, they came in sight of the 
 island of Eapa. The next morning the vessel approached the 
 shore, and sailed along the coast for some distance. Grradually 
 the islanders came out in their canoes ; and, though shy at first, 
 were soon emboldened to climb on board, and, crowding on deck, 
 caused considerable annoyance and trouble by a disposition to 
 carry off whatever they could lay hands on. One powerful 
 fellow seized a youth, and endeavoured to lift him from the 
 deck, but the lad slipped from his assailant's clutch. He then 
 grasped the cabin boy, and attempted to drag him off ; but the 
 
CHAP. n. VOYAGE OUT. 35 
 
 sailors, coming to the rescue, compelled him to relinquish his 
 hold. Another native would probably have been more success- 
 ful in kidnapping a large mastiff that he fearlessly grappled, 
 had not the animal been chained to its kennel, which was, 
 moreover, nailed to the deck. Another sprang upon a young- 
 kitten that made its hapless appearance from below, and, leaping 
 with it into the sea, carried it in triumph to his companions in 
 the canoes. The captain was only by earnest entreaty restrained 
 from firing upon the marauders ; but, happily, the counsels of 
 prudence and humanity prevailed. Orders were given to clear 
 the ship; and with some difficulty, for the sailors were un- 
 willing to uset heir cutlasses except in the way of menace, the 
 lawless and turbulent visitors were driven off. The care of a 
 merciful Providence on this occasion was thankfully acknow- 
 ledged by the missionaries, in the preservation of their infant 
 daughter, who just before the savages came on board had been 
 playing on deck with its nm-se ; but was securely asleep in the 
 cabin when the intruders made their sudden attempts to lay 
 violent hands on whatever caught their eye or took their fancy. 
 
 The island of Eapa has since received the Grospel through 
 the agency of native evangelists from Tahiti. 
 
 On the 3rd of February the voyagers sighted the island of 
 Tabuai — the first retreat of the mutinous crew of the Bounty, 
 who afterwards settled in Pitcaim's Island ; and the first of the 
 isles of the Pacific that had gladdened the sight of the messen- 
 gers of mercy who sailed in the ship Duff, in 1797. Leaving 
 this island on the next day, the Queen Charlotte approached 
 Tahiti, the high lands of which were distinctly visible on the 
 10th of the month. 
 
 The circumstances of the South Sea Mission, at this inte- 
 resting period, were peculiarly encouraging. The first mission- 
 aries, after many years of fruitless toil, had all, with the 
 exception of two devoted men, Mi*. Hayward and Mr. Nott, 
 left the islands : some, however, subsequently had been induced, 
 by more favourable prospects, to return ; and brighter days had 
 
 d2 
 
36 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. n. 
 
 dawned. Their hearts were at length gladdened by the first 
 converts to Christianity ; King Pemare himself had openly re- 
 nounced idolatry, had demolished the temples and burned the 
 idols of his country ; the decisive battle between the heathen 
 and the Christian party had been fought ; and, consecrated 
 by prayer, the cause of Truth had signally triumphed. The 
 clemency of the victors, imbued with the spirit of their new 
 religion, astounded the vanquished, and, more potent than the 
 arms of Pomare, completed the overthrow of idolatry. The 
 rulers of the neighbouring islands had followed the example of 
 the King of Tahiti ; having abandoned their old superstitions, 
 they were earnestly seeking instruction in the principles of a 
 benigner faith. The condition of the people throughout the 
 entire group might be fitly described in the language of the 
 prophet, ' The isles shall wait for thy law.' 
 
 Such was the state of the island when Mr. Ellis arrived. 
 The small band of missionaries already on the spot were 
 residing at Eimeo, the original station in Tahiti not having 
 then been reoccupied. His first entrance on the scene of his 
 future labom-s is thus described in his own words : — 
 
 ' On the morning of the 11th of February 1817, as the light 
 of day broke upon us, we discovered that during the preceding 
 night we had drifted to a considerable distance from the island 
 (Tahiti) ; the canoes of the natives, however, soon surrounded 
 our vessel ; numbers of the people were admitted on board, and 
 we had the long-desired satisfaction of intercourse with them 
 through the medium of an interpreter. A good-looking native, 
 about forty years of age, who said his name was Maine, and 
 who came on board as a pilot, was invited to our breakfast. 
 We had nearly finished when he took his seat at the table ; 
 yet, before tasting his food, he modestly bent his head, and, 
 shading his brow with his hand, implored the divine blessing 
 on the provision before him. Several of the officers were much 
 affected at his seriousness ; and though one attempted to raise 
 a smile at his expense, it only elicited from him an expression 
 
CHAP. 11. VOYAGE OUT. 37 
 
 of compassion. To me it was the most pleasing sight I had 
 yet beheld, and imparted a higher zest to the enjoyment I 
 experienced in gazing on the island as we sailed along its 
 shores. 
 
 ' The sea had been calm, the morning fair, the sky without a 
 cloud, and the lightness of the breeze had afforded us leisure 
 for gazing upon the varied, picturesque, and beautiful scenery 
 of this " Queen of the Pacific." We had beheld successively all 
 the diversity of hill and valley, broken or stupendous moun- 
 tains, and rocky precipices, clothed with every variety of ver- 
 dure, from the moss of the jutting promontories on the shore, 
 to the deep and rich foliage of the bread-fruit tree, the oriental 
 luxuriance of the tropical pandanus, or the waving plumes of 
 the lofty and graceful cocoa-nut groves. The scene was en- 
 livened by the waterfall on the mountain's side, the cataract 
 that chafed along its rocky bed in the recesses of the ravine, 
 or the stream that slowly wound its way through the fertile 
 and cultivated valleys ; and the whole was surrounded by the 
 white-crested waters of the Pacific, rolling their waves of foam 
 in splendid majesty upon the coral reefs, or dashing in spray 
 against its broken shore.' 
 
 The natives, who came off from the land in their canoes, 
 continued to board the vessel as she approached the bay, and 
 long before she came to anchor crowded her deck in great num- 
 bers. Their appearance was prepossessing. In person they were of 
 medium height and well formed, the skin of a dark olive com- 
 plexion, the countenance open and intelligent in expression ; 
 their manners frank and unembarrassed, yet perfectly courteous 
 to the strangers. Their dress was mostly of native fashion and 
 material, though a few wore]articles of European manufacture. 
 
 The ship had not long been at anchor before Pomare sent the 
 captain and missionaries a present of provisions, and soon after 
 himself came on board. He is described as tall and almost 
 gigantic in stature and proportions, being at that time about 
 forty years of age. ' His forehead was rather prominent and 
 
S8 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. ii. 
 
 high, his eyebrows narrow, well defined, and nearly straight ; 
 his hair, which was combed back from his forehead and the sides 
 of his face, was of a glossy black colour, slightly curled behind ; 
 his eyes were small, sometimes appearing remarkably keen, at 
 others rather heavy ; his nose was straight, and the nostrils by 
 no means large ; his lips were thick, and his chin projecting. 
 He was arrayed in a handsome tiputa (a sort of poncho) of 
 native manufacture.' He appeared to understand the English 
 language to some extent, though scarcely able to speak it. 
 After spending a short time in the cabin he went to inspect the 
 cattle that had been brought from New South Wales, and was 
 especially pleased with a horse which Mr. Birnie had sent as a 
 present to the king. In the course of the afternoon an attempt 
 was made to lower the animal into a large double canoe brought 
 alongside to convey it on shore ; but, some of the straps giving 
 way, the poor beast slipped through the slings, and after hang- 
 ing for some time by the neck and fore legs, in great peril of 
 strangulation, fell into the water. Kising with a snort to the 
 surface, he now swam towards the shore; but the natives, 
 following like a shoal of porpoises, seized him by the mane and 
 tail, and greatly impeded his progress. At length the terrified 
 and exhausted creature gained the strand ; whereupon his un- 
 witting tormentors, with other spectators on the beach, alarmed 
 in their turn, fled with precipitation, climbing the trees, and 
 hiding behind rocks and bushes for security. They regained 
 their confidence, however, when a sailor took hold of the halter 
 and quietly led him to a tree, where he was temporarily fastened. 
 The astonishment and delight of the islanders was unbounded 
 when the captain next morning, having previously sent on shore 
 the saddle and bridle, mounted the animal, and exhibited his 
 docile and serviceable qualities as, in the Tahitian phrase, ' a 
 man-carrying pig ' — the hog being the quadruped with which 
 the natives were most familiar, and the name serving in their 
 limited vocabulary as the generic designation for every other 
 fom- -footed beast. 
 
CHAP. II. VOYAGE OUT. 39 
 
 Pomare was followed on board the vessel by his queen and 
 her infant daughter, accompanied by a train of female attend- 
 ants. The aspect and bearing of the women were peculiarly 
 pleasing. They were shorter in stature and lighter in complexion 
 than the men. They greeted the new comers with animated 
 countenances and a remarkably winning address. Their hair 
 was either decorated with beautiful flowers, or covered with a 
 light and not ungraceful bonnet of plaited cocoa-nut leaves ; 
 and their dress consisted of a garment of exquisitely white native 
 cloth, investing the person from the neck to the ankles, and 
 fastened in a knot over the left shoulder, so as to leave the arm 
 on that side free and exposed. The visitors remained on board 
 till evening, when the whole party returned to their homes. 
 
 Soon after noon the next day the vessel weighed anchor, and 
 sailed towards the neighbouring island of Eimeo. 
 
40 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 EIMEO. 
 
 The entire cluster of these islands has been divided, in accord- 
 ance with their natural juxtaposition, into two groups ; of which 
 tlie more southerly and easterly, comprehending Tahiti, Eimeo, 
 and Sir George Saunders Islands, is called the Greorgian, or, 
 from their relation to the prevailing trade-winds, the Windward 
 Islands. The other assemblage of isles is known as the Society 
 Islands proper, or the Leeward group. This comprises Huahine, 
 Eaiatea, Tahaa, and Borabora, besides two or three smaller 
 islets. They are of volcanic origin, mostly mountainous — the 
 loftiest summit of Tahiti being 7,000 feet above the sea level — 
 rich in tropical verdure, and everywhere presenting a diversity 
 of scenery unique in character and unrivalled in beauty. Each 
 island is bordered by a reef of coral, between which and the 
 shore the water is calm and wonderfully clear, affording secure 
 anchorage for shipping, even when outside the protecting bul- 
 wark the sea is agitated with storms. The breaking of the 
 surf on one of these submarine ramparts is thus graphically 
 pictured in ' Polynesian Researches ' : — ' The trade-wind, blow- 
 ing constantly towards the shore, drives the waves with violence 
 upon the reef, which is from five to twenty or thirty yards wide. 
 The long rolling billows of the Pacific, extending sometimes, 
 in one unbroken line, a mile or a mile-and-a-half along the 
 reef, arrested by this natural barrier, often rise ten, twelve, or 
 fourteen feet above its surface ; and then, bending over it their 
 white foaming tops, form a graceful liquid arch, glittering in 
 the rays of a tropical sun, as if studded with brilliants. But, 
 before the eye of the spectator can follow the splendid aqueous 
 gallery which they appear to have reared, with loud and hollow 
 
CHAP. III. EIMEO. 41 
 
 roar they fall in mag-nificent desolation, and spread the gigantic 
 fabric in froth and spray upon the horizontal and gently broken 
 surface of the coral.' 
 
 Opposite the mouth of any considerable stream or river there 
 is usually an opening in the reef, marked by the presence of one 
 or more coral islands. The marvellous transparency of the 
 water within the lagoons is such as clearly to reveal to the 
 passing voyager ' the playful movements of the shoals of the 
 small and variegated rock-fish, of every rich and glowing hue, 
 shining in brilliant contrast with the novel and beautiful groves 
 of many-coloured coral, that render the sandy bottom of the 
 sea, though frequently several fathoms deep, in appearance at 
 least, an extensive and charming submarine shrubbery, or 
 flower garden. The corallines are seen spread out with all the 
 endless variety and wild independence exhibited in the verdant 
 landscape of the adjacent shore.' 
 
 In such a liarbour as tliis — the enchanting bay of Oponohu — 
 after a delightful sail along the northern part of Eimeo, the 
 Queen Charlotte anchored on the afternoon of the 13th of 
 February 1817, and the long voyage of the missionaries was 
 brought to an end, nearly thirteen months after their departure 
 from Portsmouth. The members of the mission came early on 
 board, and cordially welcomed their new associates to the field 
 of their future labours. The newly arrived missionaries, their 
 hearts overflowing with thankfulness and glad anticipation, 
 were conducted on landing to the residences of their brethren 
 in the settlement of Papetoai, as it is called, and received the 
 cheering and affectionate greetings of the resident English 
 families. During the evening several of the chiefs and other 
 natives came to deliver in person their salutations of welcome. 
 Among the number was Anna, whose striking appearance and 
 manner are thus described by Mr. Ellis : — ' His person was tall 
 and commanding, his hair black and curling, his eyes benig- 
 nant, and his whole countenance beamed with a joy that 
 declared his tongue only obeyed the dictates of his heart. He 
 
42 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. hi. 
 
 was a native of Raiatea, formerly an areoi (member of an in- 
 famous and licentious society) and a warrior, who had arrived, 
 with numbers of his countrymen, to the support of Pomare, 
 after his expulsion from Tahiti, but whose heart had been 
 changed by the power of the Gospel of Christ. He was after- 
 wards associated with us at Huahine, a deacon of the first church 
 established there, and subsequently became my fellow-labourer 
 in the Sandwich Islands.' 
 
 The house in which the first night on shore was spent was a 
 bird-cage sort of structure ; the sides composed of slender poles 
 or sticks, two or three inches apart, placed upright in the 
 ground ; and the roof formed of rafters meeting over a ridge- 
 pole in the centre, and resting at the other end on a sort of 
 wall-plate supported by posts. Over this framework was spread 
 a thatch of leaves of the pandanus, less pervious, indeed, than 
 the sides, but permitting the stars to be visible here and there, 
 and by no means excluding the rain. The novelty of the 
 situation, the excitement of recent events, and the swarms of 
 mosquitoes that seemed always especially attracted by strangers, 
 for a long time prevented sleep ; but, notwithstanding, they 
 rose in the morning refreshed, and employed the day in land- 
 ing their goods from the vessel, and in making their temporary 
 habitation, which they shared with Mr. and Mrs. Crooks, more 
 convenient, by putting up screens and partitions of matting. 
 
 One of the fir.st objects of interest claiming attention was the 
 school, in which numbers of adults as well as children were daily 
 instructed. Writing;- was taught, in the absence of slate or 
 j)encil, by tracing the characters with a pointed stick on sand 
 spread on the floor, or contained in shallow troughs. The 
 building, constructed, though sixty feet long, in the same slight 
 and open manner as the ordinary dwellings, was also used as a 
 place of worship. It stood near the sea beach, and under the 
 shade of a clump of cocoa-nut trees. It was with no ordinary 
 emotion that the strangers from England, on the first Lord's 
 day after their arrival in the island, attended divine service in 
 
CHAP. III. EIMEO. 43 
 
 this humble sanctuary, and witnessed the devout demeanour and 
 listened to the prayers and songs of a vast multitude who had 
 but recently emerged from the darkness and bondage of the 
 most debasing idolatry. Mr. Ellis wished to address the assem- 
 bly, but was so overpowered by his feelings that he could not 
 trust himself to speak, and retired in silence from the impres- 
 sive and delightful scene. 
 
 The missionaries were all residing at Papetoai, and, pending 
 the completion of a vessel they were building, had not divided 
 their strength in order to reoccupy the stations at Tahiti or the 
 other islands. But, with the present and anticipated accessions 
 to their number, it was thought desirable that some of them at 
 least should remove to another settlement, though they still 
 deferred till the arrival of the expected reinforcements the 
 occupancy of other islands. Accordingly a visit of exploration 
 was made to Afareaitu, about twenty miles distant on the oppo- 
 site side of Eimeo. This district is one of the finest in the 
 country. ' It comprises two valleys, or rather one large valley 
 partially divided by a narrow hilly ridge extending from the 
 mountains in the interior towards the shore. The soil of the 
 bottom of the valley is rich and fertile, well stocked with cocoa- 
 nut and bread-fruit trees. The surrounding hills are clothed 
 with shrubs or grass, and the lofty and romantic mountains, 
 forming the central boundary, are adorned with trees or bushes 
 even to their summits. Several broad cascades flowed in silvery 
 streams down the sides of the mountains, and, broken occasion- 
 ally by a jutting rock, presented their sparkling waters in 
 beautiful contrast with the rich and dark foliage of the stately 
 trees and the flowering shrubs that bordered their course. A 
 number of streams originating in these waterfalls pursued their 
 course through the valley, and one, receiving in its way the 
 tributary waters of a number of sequestered streamlets, swelled 
 at times into what in these islands might be called a river, and 
 flowed along the most fertile portions of the district into the 
 sea. 
 
4-4 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. hi. 
 
 'A small bay was formed by an elliptical indentation of the 
 coast, an opening in the reef opposite the bay admitted small 
 vessels to enter, and a picturesque little coral island, adorned with 
 two or three clumps of hibiscus and cocoa-nut trees, added greatly 
 to the beauty of its appearance. There was no swamp or marshy 
 land between the shore and the mountains ; the ground was 
 high, and the whole district not only remarkably beautiful, but 
 apparently dry and healthy. The abundance of natural produc- 
 tions, the salubrity of the air, the convenience of the stream of 
 water, and the facility of the harbour, combined to recommend 
 it as an eligible spot for at least the temporary residence of a 
 part of the missionaries.' Permission to establish here a mission 
 station was gladly given by the principal chiefs, who promised, 
 moreover, to render every assistance in the erection of the requi- 
 site buildings and dwellings. 
 
 It was arranged that three of the missionaries — Messrs. 
 Crooks, Davis, and Ellis — with their families, should remove to 
 the new settlement ; and on the 25th of March the party left 
 Papetoai, and, after a fatiguing journey, took up their abode on 
 the following day in Afareaitu. Until new houses could be built, 
 Messrs. Crooks and Ellis occupied one of the ordinary construction 
 that had been vacated for their accommodation. The site chosen 
 for the printing office' and dwelling was beside the principal 
 stream, and was altogether a beautiful and convenient situation. 
 Preparations for building were at once begun, the natives lending 
 willing hands to the work, which was rapidly pushed forw^ard. 
 The printing office, as the most important, was the first finished. 
 The sides were boarded, and lighted with glass windows, a novelty 
 in the island ; while the floor was covered, partly with split 
 planks and partly with large flattened basaltic stones, that had 
 formed the pavement of an adjacent marae or heathen temple. 
 The dwelling house was not completed till the 24th of July. 
 
 Among the minor inconveniences experienced by the mis- 
 sionaries in their new settlement, one of the earliest to be felt 
 arose from the entire change of food, which at first somewhat 
 
CHAP. HI. EDIEO. 45 
 
 affected their health. The scanty supply of wheaten flour 
 brought from New South Wales was soon exhausted ; and no 
 wheat was grown in the islands, nor, indeed, is the climate 
 adapted for that cereal. Maize has since been introduced, and 
 flourishes. A number of seeds of oranges, shaddocks, limes, 
 &c., had been left by Captains Cook and Vancouver, and have 
 added materially to the resources of the country. Mr. Ellis 
 brought from Eio Some coffee berries, which were sown and 
 found to thrive. He also succeeded in raising several useful 
 English vegetables, as well as Indian corn, pine-apples, melons, 
 water-melons, and a variety of tropical fruits, including citrons, 
 tamarinds. Cape mulberries, grapes, and figs, which have since 
 become valuable additions to the wealth of the islands, and a 
 source of considerable foreign trade. 
 
 The natural products of the country, at the time when the 
 missionaries settled in Eimeo, though it required a little use 
 to adjust the European constitution to a tropical dietary, were 
 both abundant and diversified. Swine, fish, and poultry fur- 
 nished the chief animal food. Cattle and goats have since 
 supplied, not only variety of meat, but the invaluable and 
 wholesome article of milk. Of vegetable productions the 
 bread-fruit has always been pre-eminent in these latitudes, and, 
 indeed, may here be regarded as the ' staff of life.' In the 
 South Sea Islands there is great variety in the kinds of this 
 valuable fruit, ripening at different seasons, and affording sus- 
 tenance during many months of the year. The missionaries 
 are acquainted with no less than fifty varieties ; but the prin- 
 cipal are Artocarpus incisa, and Artocarpus integrifolia. The 
 bread-fruit is not only remarkably prolific, yielding three or 
 four crops in the year, but is a handsome, umbrageous tree, 
 and furnishes excellent timber. Other vegetables used exten- 
 sively for food are the arum, the yam [Bioscorea alata), the 
 sweet potato {Convolvulus batatas), and the arrowroot (Tacca 
 pinnatijida), besides a variety of useful and palatable roots that 
 are less abundant or less freely consumed. The fruits of the 
 
46 LIFE OF WILLIA:M ELLIS. chap. hi. 
 
 islands also thrive in great profusion and variety. The prin- 
 cipal are the cocoa-nut {Cocos nucifera), multiform in its uses, 
 furnishing- solid food, drink, oil, timber, cordage, thatch, 
 matting, bottles, cups, &c. ; the plaintain or banana (Miisa 
 paradisalca and 3f. sapientum), the vi, or Brazil plum, a 
 species of spondias, the jambo {Eugenia mallaccensis), and 
 sundry wholesome edibles of less note. Sugar-cane of excellent 
 quality is also indigenous. 
 
 Simultaneously with the erection of the printing and dwelling 
 liouse?, the study of the native language, under the instruction 
 of the senior missionary, Mr. Davis, formed part of the mul- 
 tifarious engagements of every day. Mr. Ellis, though his 
 residence in Eimeo was only to be temporary, employed himself 
 also in clearing, enclosing, and cultivating a garden plot. His 
 meclianical ingenuity was brought early into use, and, though 
 not equal in this respect to his contemporary, John Williams, 
 he displayed considerable skill ; making in Eimeo the first 
 wheelbarrow that had ever been seen in the island, and after- 
 wards building a boat, in which he performed many adventurous 
 voyages. The carpentry required in the construction of the 
 house and furniture was likewise the work of his own hands. 
 In fact, the life of a missionary in these remote stations had in 
 it, barring the solitude, much of the Eobinson Crusoe element, 
 and called for like faculties of patience, tact, invention, and 
 fertility of resource. 
 
 The building for its reception having been completed, the 
 printing press was at length set up, and all was in readiness. for 
 beginning the important work. Tlie few books already intro- 
 duced, of which the supply was quite inadequate to the needs 
 of the people, had been printed in England or in New South 
 Wales ; and both missionaries and natives eagerly hailed the 
 establishment of the press on their own shores. On the 10th of 
 June 1817 all was in readiness, and Pomare, who had come to 
 Eimeo for the purpose of witnessing the first printing, was 
 summoned to Afareaitu. The following graphic account of this 
 
CHAP. HI. EIMEO. 47 
 
 interesting occasion is given by the master workman on the 
 scene : — 
 
 ' Soon after Pomare's arrival, I took the composing-stick in 
 my hand, and, observing the king looking with curious delight 
 at the new and shining types, I asked him if he would like to 
 put together the first A B C, or alphabet. His countetiance was 
 lighted up with evident satisfaction, as he answered in the 
 affirmative. I then placed the composing-stick in his hand ; 
 he took the capital letters, one by one, out of their respective 
 compartments, and, fixing them, concluded the alphabet. He 
 put together the small letters in the same manner, and the few 
 monosyllables composing the first page of the small spelling- 
 book were afterwards added. He was delighted when he saw 
 the first page complete, and appeared desirous to have it struck 
 off at once ; but when informed that it would not be printed 
 till as many were composed as would fill a sheet, he requested 
 that he might be sent for whenever it was ready. He visited 
 us almost daily until the 30th, when, having received inti- 
 mation that it was ready for the press, he came, attended by 
 only two of his favourite chiefs. They were, however, followed 
 by a numerous train of his attendants, who had by some means 
 heard that the work was about to commence. Crowds of the 
 natives were already collected around the door, but they made 
 way for him, and, after he and his two companions had been 
 admitted, the door was closed, and the small window next the 
 sea darkened, as he did not wish to be overlooked by the people 
 outside. The king examined, with great minuteness and plea- 
 sure, the form as it lay on the press, and prepared to take off 
 the first sheet ever printed in his dominions. Having been 
 told how it was to be done, he jocosely charged his companions 
 not to look very particularly at him, and not to laugh if he 
 should not do it right. I put the printer's ink -ball into his 
 hand, and directed him to strike it two or three times on the 
 face of the letters ; this he did, and then, placing a sheet of 
 clean paper on the parchment, I covered it down, and, turning 
 
48 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. in. 
 
 it under the press, directed the king to pull the handle. He did 
 so ; and when the paper was removed from beneath the press, and 
 the covering lifted up, the chief and attendants rushed towards 
 it, to see what effect the king's pressure had produced. When 
 they beheld the letters black, and large, and well defined, there 
 was one simultaneous expression of wonder and delight. 
 
 ' The king took up the sheet, and looked first at the paper 
 and then at the types with attentive admiration, handed it to 
 one of his chiefs, and expressed a wish to take another. He 
 printed two more ; and, while he was so engaged, the first 
 sheet was shown to the crowd without, who, when they saw it, 
 raised one general shout of astonishment and joy. When the 
 king had printed three or four sheets, he examined the press 
 in all its parts with great attention. He remained watching 
 the printing, and admiring the facility with which so many 
 pages were printed at one time, until it was near sunset, when 
 he left us ; taking with him the sheets he had printed to his 
 encampment on the opposite side of the bay. 
 
 'When the benefits which the Tahitians have already de- 
 rived from education, and the circulation of books, are con- 
 sidered, with the increasing advantages which it is presumed 
 future generations will derive from the establishment of the 
 press, we cannot but view the introduction of printing as an 
 auspicious event. The 30th of Jime 1817 was, on this account, 
 an important day in the annals of Eimeo ; and there is no act 
 of Pomare's life, excepting his abolition of idolatry, his cle- 
 mency after the battle o'f Bunaina, and his devotedness in 
 visiting every district of the island, inducing the chiefs and 
 people to embrace Christianity, that will be remembered with 
 more grateful feeling than the circumstance of his printing 
 the first page of the first book published in the South Sea 
 Islands.' 
 
 The spelling-book, being most needed, was first printed, and an 
 edition of 2,600 copies was soon finished. An edition of 2,300 
 copies of the Tahitian Catechism, and a Collection of Texts, or 
 
CHAP. 111. EIMEO. 49 
 
 Extracts, from Scriptm-e, were next struck off; after whicli, 
 St. Luke's Grospel, which had been translated by Mr. Nott, was 
 put to press. 
 
 While this important work was in progress, the hearts of the 
 missionaries were gladdened by the arrival of the expected 
 accessions to their number. The first to reach the island were 
 Mr. and Mrs. Orsmond, who were followed, later in the same 
 year, 1817, by six more brethren with their wives. Among the 
 latter reinforcement were Mr. and Mrs. Threlkeld, Mr. and 
 Mrs. BarfF, and Mr. and Mrs. Williams. The Active, in which 
 these welcome fellow-labourers had sailed, brought also a 
 seasonable supply of paper, sent out by the British and Foreign 
 Bible Society. By this timely contribution an edition of 3,000 
 copies of St. Luke's Grospel, in addition to other publications, 
 was soon completed. The composition and press work of all 
 these books were performed by Mr. Ellis, with the assistance of 
 Mr. Crooks, labouring eight, and sometimes ten, hours daily. 
 In the meantime, however, native workmen were instructed in 
 the most mechanical operations, and in the subsequent publi- 
 cations were able to relieve the missionaries of the labour of 
 press work. 
 
 As soon as the printing was finished, the next process was 
 binding ; and in this department of the work the missionaries' 
 wives and the natives themselves readily lent their aid. The 
 supply of mill-boards brought for the purpose was soon ex- 
 hausted ; and the ingenuity of the missionary was taxed to 
 provide expedients. Folds of native cloth, made from the bark 
 of a tree, were beaten together, then submitted to the action 
 of a powerful steam-press, and were found, when afterwards 
 dried, to form a good stiff pasteboard. Sheep skins brought 
 from England were cut into strips^ for the backs and corners , 
 and old newspapers stained with the juice of the mountain 
 plantain, which yielded a rich purple dye, were used as covers 
 for the sides. When the sheepskins had all been cut up, other 
 materials had to be procured. ' Leather was now the article in 
 
 E 
 
60 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. hi. 
 
 greatest requisition among all classes ; and the poor animals 
 that had heretofore lived in undisturbed ease and freedom, 
 were hunted solely for their skins. The printing-office was 
 converted into a tanyard ; old canoes, filled with lime-water, 
 were prepared ; and all kinds of skins brought to have the 
 hair extracted, and the oily matters dissipated. It was quite 
 amusing to see goats', dogs', and cats' skins collected to be 
 prepared for book-covers. Sometimes they procured the tough 
 skin of a large dog, or an old goat, with long shaggy matted 
 hair and beard attached to it, or the thin skin of a wild kitten 
 taken in the mountains. As soon as the natives had seen how 
 they were prepared, which was simply by extracting the hair 
 and the oil, they did this at their own houses ; and in walking 
 through the district at this period, no object was more common 
 than a skin stretched on a frame, and suspended on the branch 
 of a tree to dry in the sun.' 
 
 When the books were ready for distribution, the eagerness of 
 the people to possess copies knew no bounds. The inhabitants 
 of adjacent islands came in their canoes, and swelled the tem- 
 porary population of Afareaitu, already crowded with visitors 
 from all parts of Eimeo ; so that the district, for the time being, 
 had all the appearance of a densely thronged fair or carnival. 
 
 It was thought desirable not to furnish the books gratuitously ; 
 but in order that the benefited parties might set the greater 
 value on their acquisitions, and not be led to expect them 
 on future occasions as a free gift, a small charge, in cocoa-nut 
 oil, was made for each copy. The people readily acquiesced in 
 this arrangement. 
 
 When the Grospel of St. Luke was finished, an edition of 
 hymns in the native language was printed, partly original, and < 
 partly translations from the most approved English composi- 
 tions. These hymns became great favourites with the natives. 
 The process of printing gave Mr. Ellis considerable collateral 
 advantage in gaining a knowledge of the language. He says : 
 — ' I found the composing, or setting of the types for the 
 
CHAP. III. EIMEO. 61 
 
 Taliitian books the best method of acquiring all that was 
 printed in the language. Every letter in every word passing 
 repeatedly, not only under my eye, but through my hand, I 
 acquired almost mechanically the orthography. The number 
 of natives by whom we were always sm-rounded, afforded the 
 best opportunities for learning the meaning of those words 
 which we did not understand. The structure of many sentences 
 was also acquired by the same means ; and in much less than 
 twelve months I could converse familiarly on any common 
 subject.' 
 
 The close of the year 1817 saw the completion of the vessel 
 that the missionaries had for some time been engaged in 
 building, and which the mechanical skill of Mr. Williams 
 materially forwarded. It was named, in compliment to the 
 foremost founder of the Missionary Society, the Hcaveis, and 
 after some accidental hindrances, was successfully launched on 
 the 17th of December. The account of the whole transaction 
 has been given both in Williams' ' Missionary Enterprise ' and 
 in ' Polynesian Kesearches.' 
 
 While the missionaries were thus labouring assiduously in 
 various departments of usefulness, their wives were no idle 
 spectators of their toil ; nor did they confine their attention to 
 those necessary domestic duties which the want of help, the 
 absence of ordinary appliances, and the heat of the • climate 
 rendered more than commonly arduous ; but they applied them- 
 selves sedulously to learn the language, encouraged intercourse 
 with the native women, taught them needle-work, and in 
 various ways endeavoured to promote the improvement of those 
 of their own sex. Mrs. Ellis undertook, besides, the instruc- 
 tion of Mr. Crooks' six children, and devoted several hours 
 daily to this congenial labour of love. 
 
 Early in the year 1818, her cares and anxieties were increased 
 by the birth of a second child, whose illness for several months, 
 during which its life was despaired of, brought to the fond 
 mother, not only much painful solicitude, but many weary 
 
 B 2 
 
52 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. hi. 
 
 hours of unrest and fatigue, such as her female companions, 
 though kind and sympathising, could not relieve, for the charge 
 of a sick infant could not be trusted to the indolent and volatile 
 natives. The child's illness, moreover, caused frequent toilsome 
 journeys to Papetoai, on the opposite side of the island, for 
 medical advice. 
 
 ' These journeys,' using Mr. Ellis's own picturesque descrip- 
 tion, ' were exceedingly wearisome : returning from one of them, 
 night overtook us many miles before we reached our home ; we 
 travelled part of the way in a single canoe, but for several miles, 
 where there was no passage between the reef and the shore, and 
 the fragile bark was exposed without shelter to the long heavy 
 billows of the Pacific, we proceeded along the beach, while the 
 natives rowed the canoe upon the open sea. Two native female 
 attendants alternately carried the child, while Mrs. Ellis and 
 I walked on the shore, occasionally climbing over the rocks, 
 or sinking up to our ankles in fragments of coral and sand. 
 Wearied with our walk, we were obliged to rest before we 
 reached the place where we expected to embark again. Mrs. Ellis, 
 unable to walk any farther, sat down upon a rock of coral, and 
 gave our infant the breast, while I hailed the natives, and 
 directed them to bring the canoe over the reef and take us 
 on board. Happily for us, the evening was fair, the moon 
 shone brightly, and her mild beams, silvering the foliage of the 
 shrubs that grew near the shore, and playing on the rippled 
 and undulating waves of the ocean, added a charm to the 
 singularity of the prospect, and enlivened the loneliness of our 
 situation. The scene was unusually impressive. I remember 
 distinctly my feelings as I stood, wearied with my walk, leaning 
 on a light staff by the side of the rock on which Mrs. Ellis with 
 our infant was sitting, and behind which our female attendants 
 stood. On one side, the mountains of the interior, having 
 their outline edged, as it were with silver, from the rays of the 
 moon, rose in lofty magnificence, while the indistinct forms, and 
 rich and diversified verdure of the shrubs and trees, increased 
 
CHAP. in. EIMEO. 63 
 
 the effect of the whole. On the other hand was the illi- 
 mitable sea, rolling in solemn majesty its swelling waves 
 over the rocks which defended the spot on which we stood. 
 The most profound silence pervaded the whole scene, and we 
 might have fancied we were the only beings in existence, for no 
 sound was heard, except the gentle rustling of the leaves of the 
 cocoa-nut tree, as the light breeze from the mountain swept 
 through them, or the loud hollow roar of the surf, and the rolling 
 of the foaming wave as it broke over the distant reef, and the 
 splashing of the paddles of our canoe, as it approached the shore. 
 It was impossible at such a season to behold this scene, exhibit- 
 ing impressively the grandeur of creation, and the insignificance 
 of man, without experiencing emotions of adoring wonder 
 and elevated devotion, and exclaiming with the Psalmist, 
 " When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the 
 moon and the stars which thou hast ordained ; what is man, that 
 thou art mindful of him, and the son of man, that thou visitest 
 him?" 
 
 ' The canoe at length reached the shore ; we seated ourselves 
 in its stem, and, advancing pleasantly along for seven or eight 
 miles, reached our habitation about midnight.' Contrary to 
 expectation, the health of the child soon after improved, and 
 before they left the island, the fears of the parents on this 
 account were in great measure relieved. 
 
 One event of considerable interest and importance signalized 
 the closing period of their residence in Eimeo. This was the 
 formation of the first missionary society in the islands. An ex- 
 tension of the principle that had dictated the propriety of 
 inducing the people to pay for their books, led their teachers to 
 inculcate further the duty of contributing to the support and 
 spread of the gospel. And this end, it was thought, would 
 be better gained, under existing circumstances, by interesting 
 the new converts to Christianity in the work of the Society, to 
 which they were themselves so largely indebted, than by any 
 direct efforts towards the maintenance of the mission in their 
 
54 LIFE OF WILLLOI ELLIS. chap, hi., 
 
 own land, tlie motives of which might be misunderstood, and 
 might compromise in their estimation the disinterestedness of 
 the teachers who labom-ed among them. The scheme was fully- 
 discussed with the king and chiefs, who cordially approved of 
 the proposal ; and the 13th of May, 1818, being the anniversary 
 of the parent institution in England, was fixed for the establish- 
 ment and organization of the native society. The forenoon of 
 the day was spent in preparatory devotional services, and the 
 public meeting was to be held at three o'clock in the afternoon ; 
 ' but long before the appointed hour,' Mr. Ellis tells us, ' the 
 chapel was crowded, and a far greater number than had gained 
 admission still remained on the outside. 
 
 ' Three or four hundred yards from the chapel there was a 
 beautiful and extensive grove. To this spot it was proposed to 
 adjourn, and thither the natives immediately repaired, seating 
 themselves on the ground under the cocoa-nut trees. At three 
 o'clock we walked to the grove, and on entering it beheld one 
 of the most imposing* and delightful spectacles ever witnessed 
 in the islands. The sky was clear, the smooth surface of the 
 ocean rippled with the cool and stirring breeze. The grove, 
 stately and rich in all the luxuriance of tropical verdure, ex- 
 tended from the white beach of coral and shells to the very base 
 of the mountains, whose gradual ascent and rocky projections 
 led to the interior. The long-winged and interwoven leaves of 
 the trees formed a spreading canopy, through which a straggling 
 sunbeam occasionally found its way, and among whose long and 
 graceful leaflets the breeze from the ocean, sweeping softly, gave 
 a degree of animation to the whole. The grass that grew under- 
 neath appeared like a rich carpet, spread by nature for the 
 interesting ceremony ; pendulous plants, some verdant in foli- 
 age, others rich and variegated in blossom, hung from the 
 projections of the rocks, while several species of convolvulus 
 and climbing plants were twined round the trunks of the trees, 
 or hung in gay festoons among the gigantic and wide-spread 
 leaves of the grove, ornamenting the whole with their large and 
 
CHAP. III. EIMEO, 55 
 
 pink blossoms. Near one of the large cocoa-nut trees, whose 
 cylindrical trunk appeared like a natural pillar supporting the 
 roof, there was a rustic sort of stand, four or five feet above the 
 ground, on which Mr. Nott took his station. Before him, in a 
 large arm-chair provided for the occasion, sat Pomare, with the 
 queen and principal women of the islands, and a number of 
 chiefs seated near him ; while thousands of the natives, attired 
 in their gay and many-coloured dresses, composed the vast 
 assemblage, each one having come, as to a public festival, in his 
 best apparel.' 
 
 After the singing of a hymn, the offering of prayer, and a 
 few words of explanation by Mr. Nott, Pomare rose and addressed 
 the assembly. He referred to their past degraded state and 
 their present happy condition, to the efforts and claims of the 
 Society in England, to the example of other recently evangelized 
 portions of the world, instancing especially Africa, and concluded 
 an animated and eloquent speech, that would have been credit- 
 able to a trained and accomplished orator, by requesting as many 
 as desired the formation of the proposed society to hold up their 
 right hand. ' Two or three thousand naked arms were simul- 
 taneously elevated from the multitude assembled under the ^ 
 cocoa-nut grove, presenting a spectacle no less imposing and 
 affecting than it was picturesque and new. The regulations of 
 the Society were then read, and the treasurer and secretaries 
 chosen. By this time the shades of evening began to gather 
 round us, and the sun was just hidden by the distant wave of 
 the horizon, when the king rose from his chair, and the chiefs 
 and people retired to their dwellings under feelings of high 
 excitement and satisfaction. There was so much rural beauty 
 and secluded quietude in the scene, and so much that was novel 
 and striking in the appearance of the people, and momentous 
 and delightful in the object for which they had convened, that 
 it was altogether one of the most interesting meetings I ever 
 attended.' 
 
 The practical results of this experiment may be inferred from 
 
56 LIFE OF WILLIAJVI ELLIS. chap. hi. 
 
 the fact that the first contributions of oil sent home from these 
 islands not long afterwards, realized more than £1,700; and as 
 the British Government, with considerate liberality, remitted 
 the duty, amounting to £200, the whole sum, without deduction, 
 was paid into the treasury of the parent Society. 
 
67 
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 HUAHINE. 
 
 The time had now arrived when the missionaries were to dis- 
 perse themselves among the principal islands of the group, 
 and repair to the settlements in which it was expected their 
 residence would be more permanent. It was with no light 
 regret that Mr. Ellis and his devoted partner bade adieu to the 
 interesting people among whom they had wrought their first 
 missionary labours, and to the deliglitful scenes that for eighteen 
 busy and eventful months had surrounded their humble but 
 happy home. Their grief was affectionately reciprocated by 
 the people of their charge, who saw them depart with undis- 
 guised sorrow. The newly-built shijD, The Hawies, conveyed 
 the party, including, besides. Mr. Ellis, Messrs. Davis, Wil- 
 liams, and Orsmond, and their families, to their new destina- 
 tion. Their several household goods, the cattle, and the 
 articles connected with the printing-press, were transported in 
 the same conveyance. The vessel left the Bay of Oponohu on 
 the 18th of June 1818, and anchored in Fare Harbour, in 
 Huahine, the nearest and most easterly of the Society Islands, 
 on the morning of the 20th. 
 
 Mr. Ellis's description of the spot where he lived during 
 the remainder of his stay in these islands, will be read with 
 interest in connection with the account of this portion of his 
 missionary career. 
 
 ' Here I looked abroad with new and mingled emotion on tHe 
 scene in which I was to re-commence my labours. The clear 
 sky was reflected in the unruffled waters of the bay, which was 
 
68 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. iv. 
 
 bordered with a fine beach strewed with various shells. The 
 luxuriant convolvulus, presenting its broad and shining leaves 
 in striking contrast with the white coral and sand, spread its 
 vines across the beach, even to the margin of the water, over 
 which the slender shrub or the flowering tree often extended 
 its verdant branches, while the groves of stately -bread-fruit, 
 and the clumps of umbrageous callophyllum, or tamanu trees, 
 and the tall and gracefully-waving cocoa-nuts, shaded the dif- 
 ferent parts of the shore. 
 
 ' The district of Fare, bordering the harbour of the same 
 name, is about a mile and a half or two miles in length, and 
 reaches from the shore to the centre of the island. It is 
 bounded on the south by a range of mountains, and on the 
 north by a slightly elevated tract of country, whence a long, 
 bleak point of land, extending a considerable distance into 
 the sea, and covered with tall cocoa-nut trees, adds much to the 
 beauty of the shore and the security of the harbour. A ridge 
 of inferior hills divides the district in the centre, and greatly 
 increases the picturesque appearance of its scenery. A small 
 river rises on the northern side of this ridge, and flowing along 
 the boundary between the two districts, meets the sea exactly 
 opposite the northern entrance. Another stream, more broad 
 and rapid, rises at the head of the principal valley, and flows 
 in a circuitous course to the southern part of the bay. The 
 country is well watered and wooded. The lower hills, at the 
 time of our arrival, were clothed with verdure, and the moun- 
 tains in the centre of the island, whose summits appeared to 
 pierce the clouds, were often entirely covered with trees. All 
 was rich and luxuriant in vegetation, but it was the richness 
 and luxuriance of a wilderness.' A few scattered huts were 
 the only human habitations to be seen. 
 
 The first business of the missionaries on landing was to 
 obtain a temporary lodging ; and a house, or rather shed — for 
 it was nothing more than a roof supported on posts — was 
 given up to them by the young chief of the island, the son of 
 
CHAP. IV. HUAHINE. 59 
 
 Mahine. Their goods having been landed from the vessel 
 were conveyed to this place of shelter, which stood within ten 
 or twelve yards of the sea, the floor being composed of stones, 
 sand, and clay. Here, as soon as the packages were placed 
 under cover, ' we sat down to rest, and could not avoid gazing 
 on the scenes around us, before we began to adjust our 
 luggage. Large fragments of rock were scattered at the base 
 of the mountains that rose on one side of our dwelling, the 
 sea rolled within a few yards on the other, and in each direc- 
 tion along the shore there was one wild and uncultivated wil- 
 derness. A pair of cattle that we had brought from New 
 South Wales, with a young calf, were tied to an adjacent 
 bread-fruit tree ; two or three milch goats from Eimeo, 
 fastened together by bands of hibiscus bark tied round their 
 horns, had already taken their station on the craggy projec- 
 tions at the foot of the mountain, and were cropping the 
 herbage that grew in the fissures of the rocks. One of our 
 little ones was smiling in the lap of its native nurse, while 
 the other was playing on the dried grass lying by the 
 side of the boxes on which we were sitting ; and the natives, 
 under the influence of highly excited curiosity, thronged 
 around us in such numbers as to impede the circulation of 
 the air. 
 
 ' Our first effort was to prepare some refreshment. The chiefs 
 had sent us a present of bread-fruit and fish. A native youth, 
 fourteen or fifteen years of age, leaving the crowd, came forward 
 and asked if he should cook us some bread-fruit. We accepted 
 his offer : he became a faithful servant, and continued with us 
 till we removed from the islands. He fixed two large stones in 
 the ground for a fire-place, and bringing a bundle of dry sticks 
 from the adjacent bushes, lighted a fire between the stones, upon 
 which he placed the tea-kettle. While he was employed in 
 dressing our bread-fruit &c., we removed some of the boxes, 
 piled up our luggage as compactly as we could, and, when the 
 food was prepared, sat down to a pleasant repast of fried fish. 
 
60 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. it. 
 
 bread-fruit, and plantains, cocoa-nut milk, and tea. As a 
 beverage we always preferred the latter, although the former is 
 exceedingly pleasant.' 
 
 By the time the meal was finished the shadow of the neigh- 
 bouring mountains of Raiatea was thrown across the valley, and 
 admonished the occupants of the bivouac to prepare their sleep- 
 ing-place. Screens of native cloth stretched on poles driven 
 into the ground, afforded some privacy at least, if but indifferent 
 shelter, and the beds were spread on boxes. ' We procured,' to 
 continue the autobiography, ' cocoa-nut oil, and when it grew 
 dark, breaking a cocoa-nut in half, took one end and winding a 
 little cotton-wool round the thin stalk of the leaflet of the tree, 
 fixed it erect in the kernel of the nut. This we filled with the oil ; 
 and thus our lamp and oil were entirely the production of the 
 cocoa-nut tree ; the small piece of cotton-wick gathered from 
 the garden in Eimeo being the only article it had not supplied. 
 These were the only kind of lamps we had for some years, and 
 though rude in appearance gave a good light, when kept steady 
 and sheltered from the wind.' 
 
 Such was the introduction to the new scene of labour. The 
 inhabitants of Huahine not having enjoyed the presence of mis- 
 sionaries amongst them, were at this- time far behind those of 
 Eimeo. None of them could read, and though the ancient idolatry 
 of the country had been abandoned, and Christianity nominally 
 accepted as the religion of the land, very little was understood 
 of its distinctive principles or moral obligations ; and the mis- 
 sionaries had to lay the foundation of their teaching in the 
 simplest elements of religion and general knowledge. The chief 
 of the island was Mahine, a man of decision, courage, remark- 
 able intelligence, and benevolent disposition, who became one 
 of the earliest and most consistent converts to Christianity, and 
 continued throughout the steady friend of the mission. 
 
 The selection of a spot for the erection of a printing oflfice and 
 dwelling was no difficult matter, when nearly the whole district 
 was open to their choice. A site was appropriated on a small 
 elevation near the junction of two clear and rapid streamlets, 
 
CHAP. IV. HUAHINE. 61 
 
 about a quarter of a mile from the entrance of the valley. The 
 residence of Mr. Barff was on the opposite side of the valley. 
 The frame of the building was much the same as those at 
 Afareaitu, but more substantial, and the whole was more care- 
 fully finished. Floors were laid of bread-fruit planks, the outer 
 walls and partitions were wattled and plastered with coral lime, 
 and glazed windows were introduced into all the rooms. When 
 finished, the dwelling-house was found most comfortable, and 
 furnished a model for a new style of architecture in the islands, 
 which has since entirely superseded the old birdcage huts. A 
 garden was, of course, cleared and enclosed. A group of stately 
 chestnut trees that grew on the banks of the stream were left, 
 as well as several bread-fruit trees, to shade and adorn the home- 
 stead. Place was found for the newly-introduced plants and 
 flowers, in addition to the most useful or beautiful indigenous 
 productions of the soil. Orange trees were planted in front of 
 the house, and a citron hedge enclosed the whole. The writer, 
 though scarcely five years old when removed from this home of 
 his childhood, retains in his memory an indelible picture of the 
 charming scene — the opposite house, with the group issuing 
 from it on the Lord's Day to meet the worshippers in the chapel 
 on the shore ; the mountains, the beach, and the characteristic 
 vegetation of the region, the plumed and towering cocoa-nut, 
 the spreading loaded bread-fruit, and the gigantic-leaved banana; 
 the bay with its liquid crystal, the magnificent ocean beyond, 
 and the mountains of Eaiatea, like shadowy cloud-land on the 
 horizon. 
 
 The advantages of a garden, and the comfort of a more com- 
 modious dwelling, were not the only inducements to the intro- 
 duction of these improvements. One great obstacle to the 
 instruction and advancement of the islanders was their natural 
 indolence ; and to overcome this their teachers had recourse to 
 the stimulus of example or rivalry, and the creation of artificial 
 wants, which should furnish new objects of ambition and new 
 motives for industry. Nor did they miscalculate the influence 
 
62 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. it. 
 
 of these innovations. First the chiefs, then one and another of 
 the people, adopted the more refined order of living. Plastered 
 houses, neat gardens and cultivated fields became general, and 
 altered most favom'ably the appearance of the district, and even 
 the character of the inhabitants. With the same object in view, 
 the missionaries' wives, while keeping always foremost in their 
 lessons the great truths of religion, besides instructing their own 
 sex in reading and spelling, taught them the use of the needle 
 and the art of plaiting, for which suitable materials were abun- 
 dant in natural grasses, rushes, and leaves. Hats and bonnets, 
 first worn by the new settlers and their families, were soon 
 adopted by the natives ; and, as in process of time intercourse 
 with civilised countries became more frequent, and cotton was 
 grown and manufactured in their own land, the European dress 
 displaced to a great extent the perishable though picturesque 
 costume of heathen times. 
 
 These were the secondary, the adventitious, results of mis- 
 sionary effort among the people. The grand object in view, the 
 introduction of the gospel, was prosecuted with most encouraging 
 success. Public worship was established, the large dwelling and 
 premises formerly owned by the far-famed Mai (Omai), having 
 been set apart as a chapel and schoolroom, until a more commo- 
 dious place of worship should be built. The observance of the 
 Lord's Day was most exemplary ; while daily private and family 
 devotion became general throughout the island. With many, 
 of course, these changes were merely the effect of example, the 
 unthinking adoption of new customs and popular fashions. But 
 a large and increasing number were seriously impressed by the 
 truth, and showed an earnest desire to understand ' the way of 
 God more perfectly.' The best evidence of their sincerity was 
 given in their reformed and consistent life. 
 
 One jDrinciple the missionaries, from the first, kept steadily 
 before them. They gave no presents and offered no induce- 
 ments of any kind, to persuade the people either to receive 
 instruction in the schools or to attend the religious services, 
 
CHAP. IV. HUAHINE. 63 
 
 beyond the benefits that the pupils and hearers would receive 
 by the knowledge they would gain. This is, no doubt, a sound 
 principle, though there are often temptations to depart from it. 
 Yet its adoption is the more imperative as an untutored people 
 are slow to believe that the motives of their teachers are purely 
 benevolent and disinterested, and are apt to feel that in com- 
 plying with their requests or invitations to receive instruction 
 they are themselves conferring a favour. Instances of this 
 impression were frequent and sometimes very amusing. On 
 one occasion, a young woman who had been taught the use of 
 the needle, after receiving a number of lessons and attaining 
 some proficiency, applied for payment. ' For what ? ' asked the 
 teacher. ' For learning,' was the answer ; ' you asked me to 
 learn and I have learnt. What am I to get ? ' It was 
 explained that she had received, and not conferred, a benefit ; 
 that the teacher had not profited by the time, patience, and 
 labour that had been freely given for the sole advantage of the 
 pupil. She was, however, encouraged by the promise that in 
 future, as she had now acquired the necessary skill, she should 
 be paid for any work she might do for the mission family : she 
 was also told that she might fairly earn a suitable remunera- 
 tion by working for others. Erroneous views of this kind 
 would have become stereotyped in the native mind had the 
 missionaries sought to obtain compliance by gifts or rewards ; 
 and as their power to offer such inducements was limited in 
 the extreme, and must soon have been exhausted, so would 
 their influence have as rapidly declined. They judged more 
 wisely ; and the payment for books, the voluntary labour in 
 building schools and chapels, the support of native pastors and 
 the establishment of the missionary society, were among the 
 earliest practical lessons and results of their prudent decision. 
 
 Not long after the party who had left Eimeo to labour in 
 Huahine had occupied their new station, Tamatoa, the chief of 
 Eaiatea, with others from the neighbouring islands, arrived 
 in the settlement, and earnestly entreated that some of the 
 
6i LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. iv. 
 
 missionaries would remove to his dominions. The invitation 
 was accepted by Messrs. Williams and Threlkeld, who soon 
 afterwards took up their abode in Eaiatea. Mr. Orsmond 
 followed late in the same year, and, after labouring for some 
 time in the station with his brethren, subsequently established 
 a mission in Borabora. Mr. Nott and Mr. Davis remained for 
 awhile in Huahine, but ultimately settled in Tahiti, and the 
 field of Huahine was left in the hands of Mr. Ellis and 
 Mr. Barfif. 
 
 The labour of preaching was at first undertaken by 
 Mr. Davis and Mr. Nott, but as the younger brethren rapidly 
 acquired a knowledge of the language, they soon took their 
 share, and ultimately divided between themselves this depart- 
 ment of ministerial duty. Mr. Ellis preached his first sermon 
 in the Tahitian tongue in the month of November 1818, 
 selecting for his text the appropriate passage : ' This is a faith- 
 ful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus 
 came into the world to save sinners.' (1 Timothy, i. 15.) 
 
 No time was lost in putting the printing-press once more in 
 operation, and before long an edition of St. Matthew was 
 published, followed by the gospel of St. John. A larger 
 collection of hymns was also printed, and in other ways the 
 work of the press was in constant requisition. 
 
 Mahine, who had been present at the formation of the 
 missionary society in Eimeo, was desirous of establishing a 
 similar institution in his own domain, a desire in which the 
 missionaries were rejoiced to encourage and assist him. 
 Accordingly, about four months after ""their arrival in Huahine, 
 a public meeting was held, at which Mahine, Tamatoa, and a 
 number of other chiefs with a large concourse of people were 
 present ; and a society similar to that already established in 
 the Georgian group was formed in- the Society Islands. A 
 branch association was afterwards organized in Eaiatea. 
 
 Early in the following year, a project in which the king had 
 for some time been engaged was completed. This was the 
 
CHAP. IV. HUAHINE. 65 
 
 erection iu Tahiti of an immense place of worship, known as 
 the ' Eoyal Mission Chapel,' which was opened in the presence of 
 a vast assembly, on the 11th of May 1819. The building- was 
 seven hundred and twelve feet in length, and fifty-four wide. 
 Thirty-six massive cylindrical pillars of tlie bread-fruit tree, 
 sustained the centre of the roof, and two hundred and 
 eighty smaller ones of the same material supported the wall- 
 plate along the sides and ends. The walls were composed of 
 upright planks of the same wood. The roof was thatched in 
 the usual manner. This enclosure was capable of accommo- 
 dating upwards of seven thousand people. It was furnished 
 with three pulpits, and from each of these, on the occasion of 
 the opening ceremonies, a sermon was preached to separate 
 congregations of more than two thousand each. The encamp- 
 ment of the multitudes brought together to be present at this 
 opening, stretched along the sea-beach to the extent of four 
 miles. The occasions when the full capacity of the building- 
 was required were extremely rare : usually a small space at one 
 end sufficed for the ordinary services. The structure, though 
 so vast, was comparatively slight and perishable. It had been 
 undertaken, contrary to the advice of the missionaries, solely 
 to gratify the caprice and ambition of its royal architect, and 
 might not inappropriately have been called ' Pomare's folly.' 
 It sooa showed signs of decay, and not many years after the 
 king's death, the constant repair of so large an edifice being 
 too laborious and costly to repay the trouble, it was suffered to 
 fall into ruins, and not a vestige of it remained. 
 
 One of the earliest and most interesting ceremonies for which 
 it was used was the public baptism of Pomare, the first person 
 in these islands to whom the rite was administered. This was 
 on the 16th of July 1819. Tlie subject of baptism had long 
 been under the earnest consideration of the missionaries, who 
 wished to act with prudence, and to be guided solely by the 
 teachings of Scripture. To the majority of their number it 
 appeared that the warrant to baptize was included in their com- 
 
 F 
 
66 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. iv. 
 
 mission to teach ; and that it was their duty to administer the 
 rite to all who openly and intelligently avowed their belief in 
 Christ — their faith in His Grospel. One or two, however, held 
 to the opinion, and guided their procedure accordingly, that 
 evidence of that change of heart which all demanded as essen- 
 tial to admission into Church fellowship, and to the privilege 
 of the Lord's Supper, was equally requisite in candidates for 
 baptism. The practice in Huahine was in accordance with the 
 general view. But it was deemed important as fully as possible 
 to instruct those who desired thus to declare their belief in 
 Christianity, concerning the nature of the ordinance, its 
 .spiritual teaching, and the duties incumbent on all who received 
 it. For this purpose a weekly meeting was held with those 
 who came forward as candidates for baptism. These meetings 
 were continued for many months before the ceremony was first 
 performed. It was the opinion of these students of Holy Writ 
 that the ordinance was designed for the children of believers as 
 well as for adult disciples. Carefully warning their enquiring 
 applicants against attaching any saving efficacy to the mere 
 ceremony, apart from the spiritual purification which it signi- 
 fied, they invited those who thus declared their discipleship to 
 bring their children to the Saviour in the same dedicatory 
 service. After much patient instruction in what appeared to 
 be the Scriptural teaching on this subject, the ordinance was 
 administered in Huahine on the 12th of September 1819. 
 Mahine, not on account of his rank, but as one of the earliest, 
 most intelligent, and devout among the Christian converts, was 
 the first to receive this rite ; and a very large number, both 
 adults and children, were baptized on the same occasion. 
 
 The formation of the first church was a matter of still 
 longer prayerful consideration and assiduous preliminary in- 
 fitruction. It was not till Ma}^ 1820, soon after the completion 
 of a new chapel, that a Christian church was formally organised 
 in Huahine, and then but fifteen candidates were received into 
 fellowship. These apostles to the heathen endeavoured to act 
 
CHAP. IV. HUAHINE. 67 
 
 faithfully in their responsible position, and while desiring, 
 above all, to be actuated by a spirit of enlarged and enlightened 
 charity, strove to guard against unscriptural laxity in the terms 
 of communion. So that, while the number of members steadily 
 increased, it is not, perhaps, too much to say, the early Church 
 of Huahine would have compared favourably, in fervour of 
 piety and purity of life, with any contemporary church in more 
 advanced Christian lands. Thus it will be seen that these 
 conscientious and humble-minded men were very far from 
 proclaiming all who renounced idolatry as true converts to 
 Christianity ; that they scrupulously avoided exaggerating 
 their success by glowing accounts of ' multitudes added to the 
 church,' or highly-coloured statements of the actual changes 
 that had taken place. Indeed, encouraging as the accounts 
 received at home had been, it was the emphatic testimony of 
 the deputation sent out by the Society to visit these stations in 
 1821, that 'the half had not been told.' Captain Gambler, 
 who made some stay in the islands, and had full opportunities 
 of becoming acquainted with their condition, and comparing it 
 with that of the Marquesas and other heathen countries, bears 
 similar witness to the magnitude and realit_y of the change, and 
 declares that ' the accounts of the missionaries were, beyond 
 measm-e, modest.' Other disinterested observers, not regarded 
 as religious men, have corroborated these statements. 
 
 As the inhabitants were at first very much scattered over the 
 island, the two pastors in Huahine, instead of confining their 
 ministrations to the district of Fare, alternately journeyed to 
 branch stations on the coast and in the interior, to hold reli- 
 gious services on the Lord's day. Schools, under the superin- 
 tendence of intelligent native teachers, were also established at 
 each place. Mr. Barff undertook the charge of the coast stations, 
 and Mr. Ellis of those of the interior. These itinerant labours 
 were truly interesting and delightful. The scene of Mr. Ellis's 
 fortnightly visits was a populous and central village in the 
 district of Mseva, on the border of a beautiful lake of the same 
 
 F 2 
 
68 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. iy. 
 
 name. It was a considerable distance from Fare, and the 
 preacher walked thither on the Saturday afternoon and returned 
 on the following Monday, journeying through a most enchant- 
 ing country. A commodious chapel was built, as well as a 
 small cottage for the accommodation of the minister. Ey 
 degrees, however, the inhabitants collected together, and per- 
 manently settled in larger numbers within the precincts of 
 Fare ; and these branch stations, being no longer necessary, 
 were at length given up. 
 
 The establishment of the church, and the meetings for 
 inquiry and explanation, brought new duties to the mission- 
 aries' wives, who took the special oversight of members of 
 their own sex. Indeed, their labours now became abundant, 
 and taxed their strength and time to the utmost. Besides the 
 domestic engagements of their own homes, they taught in the 
 schools, met at stated periods with female applicants for bap- 
 tism or communion, as well as with those already admitted 
 into chiurch fellowship ; visited the sick and infirm, and held 
 regular classes for instruction in various useful feminine accom- 
 plishments, such as sewing, platting, &c. 
 
 Anxious to promote, next to the spread of the Grospel, the 
 civilization and general improvement of the people, Mr. Ellis 
 and his coadjutor had, soon after their arrival in Huahine, paid 
 considerable attention to the cultivation of cotton, an excel- 
 lent variety of which is indigenous in the islands, and several 
 of the best sorts had been introduced from abroad. The natives 
 were encouraged to embark in the new enterprise, and several 
 enclosed fields, which they called cotton-gardens, were stocked 
 with plants and yielded abundant crops. The first use of the 
 new produce was to barter or sell it to the captains of foreign 
 vessels ; but the natives were somewhat disappointed with the 
 price that was paid, and the industry would probably have been 
 abandoned, had not the directors of the Missionary Society, 
 in the year 1821, sent out, with other artisans, a skilled work- 
 man, Mr. Armitage, from Manchester, who was thoroughly 
 
CHAP. IV. HUAHINE. 69 
 
 acquainted with the manufacture of cotton goods. He was 
 supplied with all the necessary machinery for carding, spinning, 
 and weaving the cotton ; a factory was established, and carried 
 on successfully. The natives were also taught to spin and 
 weave the new fabric in their own homes — an occupation better 
 suited to their indolent and desultory habits than the confine- 
 ment and rigour, as well as monotony, of factory work. At a 
 still earlier period in the history of the mission, the directors 
 had engaged Mr. Gyles, from Jamaica, to instruct the islanders 
 in the cultivation of the sugar-cane — another indigenous pro- 
 duct of the country — and the manufacture of sugar. The 
 work was begun, and was attended for a while with complete 
 success ; but some interested traders contrived to prejudice 
 the mind of Pomare, by representing the design and ultimate 
 efifect of the enterprise as tending to make the country suffi- 
 ciently valuable to tempt the cupidity of civilised nations, and 
 that this was but the first step towards the occupancy of the 
 islands by a foreign power. These representations so influenced 
 the king's mind that he prohibited the manufacture, except on 
 the most limited and purely domestic scale ; and Mr. Gryles 
 was shortly after persuaded to leave the islands. Before his 
 departure, however, Mr. Ellis obtained from him much infor- 
 mation concerning the culture of the cane, and the processes 
 of sugar-making. Some of the roller-presses, boilers, and 
 other apparatus which Mr. Gryles had brought with him, were 
 also transported to Huahine ; and the indefatigable mission- 
 ary added to his other labours the superintendence of a rude, 
 but very efficient sugar-mill, whereby he was able to supply 
 the English families and the native population with an excel- 
 lent quality of this indispensable article of consumption. 
 
70 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 HUAHiNE. — Continued. 
 
 Eeference has already been made to a boat that Mr. Ellis 
 built, and in which he made many voyages to the neighbouring 
 islands. These journeys, though often pleasant, were some- 
 times, in such slender craft, attended with considerable risk. 
 
 Once, during perfectly calm weather, and near shore, the 
 canoe in which they were seated was run down by another that 
 suddenly darted from behind a projecting rock, and the whole 
 party, including the mother and children, were precipitated 
 into the sea, and narrowly escaped a watery grave. 
 
 On another occasion, while sailing from Huahine to Tahiti, 
 
 a heavy gale carried away the sprit of one of their matting 
 
 sails, and compelled them to land at Eimeo, to replace the 
 
 lost spar. Towards evening they re-embarked, and stood out 
 
 once more to sea. ' The excitement of watching, and the fatigue 
 
 of the preceding part of om* voyage,' taking up once more 
 
 Mr. Ellis's narrative, ' having induced a considerable degree of 
 
 exhaustion of strength and spirits, we had not advanced far 
 
 upon the open sea, before I became oppressed with a sensation 
 
 of drowsiness, which I could not remove. During my voyages 
 
 among the islands I have passed many nights at sea with the 
 
 natives in an open boat, and generally found them watchful 
 
 and alert during the early hours of the night, but wearied and 
 
 sleepy towards morning ; and whenever I have felt rest necessary 
 
 for myself, have usually taken it before midnight, that I might 
 
 be more vigilant when my companions should become drowsy. 
 
 This was my purpose in the present instance. I therefore gave 
 
CHAP. V. HUAHINE. 71 
 
 one of the natives charge of the helm, which I had hitherto 
 kept during the whole of the voyage, and directing him to wake 
 me in about an hour's time, I wrapped myself in my cloak, lay 
 down upon the seat in the stern of the boat, and notwithstand- 
 ing the motion of the sea, and the rattling and shaking occa- 
 sioned by the movements of the oars, soon fell into a sound 
 sleep. 
 
 ' The refreshing and beneficial effects of my repose were, 
 however, entirely neutralised by the sensations I experienced 
 at its close. I cannot describe my emotions when I awoke, 
 and found it was broad daylight : and, on glancing towards 
 the stern, saw the helmsman fast asleep, with his hands still 
 on the tiller ; and then looking forward along the boat, beheld 
 every individual motionless ; "the rowers leaning over their 
 oars, the others stretched along the bottom of the boat, and 
 every one in the most profound slumber. Before I attempted 
 to awaken any one, I involuntarily looked for the island we had 
 left ; it was still in sight. I then looked to the opposite side, 
 for that to which we were going. It was also in sight, but the 
 lofty mountains rising at the head of Matavai were far to the 
 north, and indicated that the port to which we were bound was 
 many miles behind us. In fact, we appeared to be about mid- 
 way between Tahiti and Eimeo, far away from both, and drift- 
 ing to the southward as fast as the current could bear us. 
 
 ' Fully sensible of our critical situation, if the breeze, which 
 j ust began to ripple the surface of the water, should increase, I 
 instantly awoke my companions, and asked them how they 
 came all to fall asleep together. They looked confused on be- 
 holding the broad light of day beaming upon them, and replied 
 that each had imperceptibly fallen under the influence of sleep, 
 without knowing that any other was under the dominion of the 
 same sensation. EecoUecting that I had in the first instance 
 set them the example, I could not much censure their conduct ; 
 I therefore directed their attention to the mountains of Matavai, 
 £ar in the rear ; and as Burder's Point was the nearest part of 
 
72 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. v. 
 
 the coast, urged them to apply with vigour to their oars, that 
 we might reach it before the wind became so strong as to 
 arrest our progress.' The men, refreshed by their slumbers, 
 and conscious of their jeopardy, pulled strenuously, and after 
 about five hours' hard rowing, brought the boat safely to land. 
 
 At another time, a voyage to Eaiatea was attended with still 
 greater danger, and there was in this instance no element of 
 the ludicrous to detract from the sublimity of the peril. 
 
 ' About nine o'clock in the morning, Mr. Barff and myself, 
 accompanied by five natives and an English sailor, embarked 
 from Huahine. The wind being fair, we expected to reach 
 Eaiatea in three or four hours. We had not, however, been an 
 hour at sea, when the heavens began to gather blackness, and 
 dense lowering clouds intercepted our view of the shore we had 
 left, and of that to which we were bound. The wind became un- 
 steady and boisterous, the sea rose, not in long heavy billows, 
 but in short, cross, and broken waves. We had no compass on 
 board. The dark heavy atmosphere obscuring the sun, pre- 
 vented our discerning the land, and rendered us unconscious of 
 the direction in which the gathering storm was driving us. We 
 took down our large sails, leaving only a small one in the fore- 
 part of the boat, merely to keep it steady. 
 
 ' The tempest increased, the rain came down in torrents, and 
 the waves, washing over the bow and sides of the little bark, 
 threatened to swamp it ; but, happily, we had a bucket on 
 board, by means of which we were able to bale out the water. 
 Most of the natives sat down in the bottom of the boat, and, 
 under the influence of fear, either shut their eyes or covered 
 them with their hands, expecting every moment that the waves 
 would close over us. We were not unconscious of our perilous 
 situation ; and, as a last resort, took down our little sail and 
 our mast, tied the masts, bowsprit, and oars together in a 
 bundle, with one end of a strong rope, and fastening the other 
 end to the bow of our boat, threw them into the sea. The 
 bundle of masts, oars, &c., acted as a kind of buoy, or floating 
 
CHAP. V. HUAHINE. 73 
 
 anchor, and not only broke the force of the billows that were 
 rolling towards the boat, but kept it tolerably steady, while we 
 were dashed on the broken wave, or wafted we knew not whither 
 by the raging storm. 
 
 ' The rain soon abated, and the northern horizon became 
 somewhat clear, but the joyful anticipation with which we 
 viewed this change was soon superseded by a new train of feel- 
 ings. ' Hurl, huri, tia moana ' (literally, whirling, whirling 
 of the sea), exclaimed one of the natives ; and, looking in the 
 direction to which he pointed, we saw a large cylindrical water- 
 spout, extending, like a massive column, from the ocean to the 
 dark and impending clouds. It was evidently at no very remote 
 distance, and seemed moving towards our apparently devoted 
 boat. 
 
 ' The roughness of the sea forbade oiur attempting to hoist a 
 sail in order to avoid it ; and as we had no other means of 
 safety at command, we endeavoured calmly to await its ap- 
 proach. The natives abandoned themselves to despair, and 
 either threw themselves along in the bottom of the boat, or sat 
 crouching on the keel, with their faces downwards, and their 
 eyes covered with their hands. The sailor kept at the helm, 
 INIi-. Barff sat on one side of the stern, and I on the other, 
 watching the alarming object before us. While thus employed 
 we saw two other waterspouts, and subsequently a third, if not 
 more, so that we seemed almost surrounded with them. Some 
 were well defined, extending in an unbroken line from the sea 
 to the sky, like pillars resting on the ocean as their basis, and 
 supporting the black and overhanging clouds, others assuming 
 the shape of a funnel or inverted cone, attached to the clouds, 
 and extending towards the waters beneath. From the distinct- 
 ness with which we saw them, notwithstanding the density of 
 the atmosphere, the farthest could not have been many miles 
 distant. In some we imagined we could trace the spiral motion 
 of the water as it was drawn to the clouds, which were every 
 moment augmenting their portentous darkness. 
 
74 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. v. 
 
 ' The hoarse roaring of the tempest, and the hollow sounds 
 that murmured on the ear, as the heavy billows rolled in foam, 
 or broke in contact with opposing billows, seemed as if deep 
 called unto deep ; and the noise of waterspouts might almost 
 be heard, while we were momentarily expecting that the 
 mighty waves would sweep over us. 
 
 ' I had once before, when seized with the cramp while 
 bathing at a distance from my companions, been, as I sup- 
 posed, on the verge of eternity. The danger then came upon 
 me suddenly, and my thoughts, while in peril, were but few. 
 The danger now appeared more imminent, and a watery grave 
 every moment more probable ; yet there was leisure afforded 
 for reflection, and the sensibilities and powers of the mind were 
 roused to an unusual state of excitement by the mighty con- 
 flict of the elements on every side. 
 
 ' A retrospect of life, now perhaps about to close, presented 
 all the scenes through which I had passed, in rapid succession 
 and in varied colours, each exhibiting the lights and shadows 
 by which it had been distinguished. Present circumstances 
 and connexions claimed a thought, and awakened a train of 
 feelings not to be described. But the most impressive exercise 
 of mind was that referring to tlie awful change approaching. 
 The parting struggle, with all its attendant agonies, caused 
 scarcely a thought, compared with the appearance of the dis- 
 embodied spirit in the presence of its Maker, the account to 
 be rendered, and the awful and unalterable destiny that would 
 await it there. These momentous objects absorbed all the 
 powers of the mind, and produced an intensity of feeling, which 
 for a long time rendered me almost insensible to the raging 
 storm, or the liquid columns that threatened our destruction. 
 
 ' The hours that followed were some of the most solemn I 
 have ever passed in my life. Although much recurred to 
 memory that demanded deep regret and most sincere repent- 
 ance, yet I could look back on that mercy which had first 
 brought me to a knowledge of the Saviour with a gratitude 
 
CHAP. V. HUAHINE. 75 
 
 never perhaps exceeded. Him, and Him alone, I found to be a 
 refuge — a rock in the storm of contending feelings, on which 
 my soul could cast the anchor of its hope for pardon and 
 acceptance before Grod : and although not visibly present, as 
 with his disciples on the Sea of Tiberias, we could not but hope 
 that He was spiritually present, and that, should our bodies 
 rest till the morning of the Eesurrection in the unfathomed 
 caverns of the ocean, our souls would be by Him admitted 
 into the abodes of blessedness and rest. 
 
 ' The storm continued during the day. At intervals we 
 beheld, through the clouds or rain, one or other of the water- 
 spouts, the whole of which appeared almost stationary, until 
 at length we lost sight of them altogether, when the spirits of 
 our native voyagers evidently revived.' 
 
 It was not till evening that the tempest abated ; and though 
 land was nowhere to be seen, a streak of light from the setting 
 sun indicated the course to be taken. The bundle of masts, 
 &c., was pulled in, and the natives taking to the oars, rowed 
 towards the west. The moon at length arose, and, sailing 
 through an untroubled and almost cloudless sky, revealed the 
 coast and southernmost harbour of Eaiatea. Weary, famished, 
 drenched with rain, and shivering with cold, but grateful to 
 Grod for their merciful preservation, the voyagers landed about 
 midnight, and were provided by the hospitable inhabitants 
 with shelter, a blazing fire, dry raiment, and food. Mr. Ellis 
 closes the account of this memorable deliverance in the fol- 
 lowing words : — ' I have often been overtaken with storms 
 when at sea in European vessels, boats, and native canoes, but 
 to whatever real danger I may have been exposed, I never was 
 surrounded by so much that was apparent as during this 
 voyage.' 
 
 Such stormy encounters were happily exceptional. In 
 general, the voyages among the islands were safe, and very 
 pleasant ; and when, in order to avoid the heat of a vertical 
 sun and the burning rays reflected from the surface of the 
 
76 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap, v, 
 
 ocean, the night season was chosen, as it often was, for the 
 passage, the scene, whether invested with the majesty and 
 beauty of the moon, or lighted only by the stars, was often 
 peculiarly impressive. The return of the boat from the some- 
 what hazardous sail to Tahiti, already described, was on one of 
 these serene and cloudless nights. The sky was moonless, but 
 studded with stars in unusual brilliance. The surface of 
 the deep was unruffled, and, glowing in the wake of the bark 
 with its own phosphoric fires, reflected around, with marvellous 
 distinctness, the lamps of heaven ; so that the voyagers ap- 
 peared to be suspended between two hemispheres, and gliding, 
 as it were, by enchantment, amid the profoundest silence, to 
 some haven of spirit-land. There was something also very 
 striking in the luminaries of the southern firmament. Many 
 of the more northern stars, so conspicuous with us, were absent, 
 though the splendours of Orion, and the milder lustre of the 
 Pleiades, shed their familiar glories from these heavens as well 
 as from oiu own. But more than all, the eye was arrested by 
 the ' Cross of the South,' the most remarkable of the southern 
 constellations. ' The two stars forming the longest part, 
 having nearly the same right ascension, it appears erect when 
 in the zenith, and thus fiunishes a nightly index to the flight 
 of time, and a memento to the most sublime feelings of grateful 
 devotion.' 
 
 The occasion of these voyages was generally to consult the 
 brethren on the affairs of the mission ; but sometimes they were 
 undertaken at the request of the king, or principal chiefs, to 
 attend, it might be an important conference on affairs of public 
 interest. The missionaries, considering their proper function 
 to be that of teaching the gospel, very carefully abstained from 
 interference in political questions, or the business of the govern- 
 ment. But they could not refuse, when application was made 
 to them, to expound the principles of the Bible in their bearing 
 on civil affairs, or to give information respecting the usages 
 of their own country. Hence they cheerfully gave their 
 
CHAP. V. HUAHINE. 77 
 
 assistance, by way of counsel, in framing a code of laws for the 
 country; which the profession of Christianity, and the general 
 enlightenment of the nation rendered necessary. But they 
 wished that the adoption of these laws should be the action of the 
 king and the legitimate rulers of the laud, sanctioned by the con- 
 sent of the people. Accordingly, the first code was submitted 
 by Pomare to his chiefs, and an immense gathering of his 
 subjects, in the Eoyal Mission Chapel, in the month of May 
 1819. These laws were few, brief, and simple, not altogether 
 such as the missionaries would have prepared — for the king was 
 somewhat arbitrary in his notions — but on the whole adapted 
 to the primitive state of society, and calculated to promote the 
 cause of morality and good order. In the same month of the 
 following year, a code of laws was publicly adopted in Eaiatea, in 
 which it was sought to obviate some of the defects and deficien- 
 cies of the first enactments. Among the improvements of the 
 later statutes was the institution of ' Trial by Jury.'' Mr. 
 Ellis and his colleague also gave much thought and study in 
 framing laws for the island of Huahine, which received the 
 sanction of the ruler and people at a still later period. A 
 literal copy of these laws is given in ' Polynesian Researches.' 
 One of the most remarkable features in this code, was the 
 omission of capital punishment. Independently of the general 
 considerations that bear on this question, it was submitted that 
 the sanguinary customs of heathen times, and the former savage 
 recklessness of human life, made it desirable that the most 
 humane aspect of Christianity should now be presented, and the 
 sacredness of human life set forth in the strongest manner. 
 It was thought, further, that the present was a favourable 
 opportunity to give the substitution of perpetual banishment 
 for capital punishment a fair trial ; and that it would be easier 
 hereafter to introduce the extreme penalty, if it were found 
 necessary, than to rescind it after it had once been enacted. 
 
 The close of the year 1821 was made memorable in the annals 
 of the mission by the arrival of Messrs. Tyerman and Bennett, 
 
78 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. v. 
 
 the deputation sent out by the Missionary Society to visit its 
 stations. The occasion was gratifying and cheering to the little 
 band of devoted men, who had long laboured in this distant 
 part of the world, with rare opportunities of direct communica- 
 tion with the home tliey had left ; it was advantageous to the 
 mission ; and most encouraging to the friends in England, by 
 the accounts they received from their accredited messengers 
 concerning the marvellous fruits of the gospel in the morality 
 and civilization of these once heathen lands. 
 
 Before the end of the year, and while the deputation were 
 still at Tahiti, another event occurred, which produced a pro- 
 found sensation. This was the death of Pomare, whose health 
 had long been failing, and who expired on the 7th of December. 
 Thouo'h there had been much in his conduct that could not fail 
 to grieve his best friends and all good men, he had done signal 
 service to his country, and had been the most prominent 
 native agent in the abolition of idolatry and the general recep- 
 tion of Christianity. He was succeeded in the sovereignty by 
 his only son — a young child — who himself died a few years 
 afterwards. The supreme authority then passed into the hands 
 of his daughter Aimata, who was married to the young chief of 
 Tahaa, a favourite with her father, who had given the young 
 man his own name, so that Pomare continued to be the regal 
 name. The marriage ceremony was performed by Mr. Ellis 
 just before he left the islands. 
 
 The deputation remained some time in Huahine, and Mr. 
 Tyerman, accompanied by his host, paid a visit to Borabpra and 
 Eaiatea. Shortly after their return, the Colonial Government 
 cutter Mermaid arrived in Fare harbour, on her way to the 
 Sandwich Islands, with a small schooner, the Prince Regent, as 
 a present from the British Grovernment to the king of those 
 islands. The captain intimated his intention of touching at 
 the Marquesas on his return from Hawaii, and offered a passage 
 to any of the mission party who might be desirous of visiting 
 these islands. This opportunity of extending the benefits of 
 
CHAP. V. HUAHINE. 79 
 
 the gospel to the Marquesas — a project which had long- been 
 contemplated — was gladly embraced by the Church in Huahine. 
 Two native teachers, one of whom was Anna, with their wives, 
 offered to go and take up their abode in that still heathen 
 land ; and Mr. Ellis was appointed to accompany them, propos- 
 ing to return in the Mermaid, as the captain expected, in about 
 three months. 
 
 ' The arrangements for the voyage being completed,' this enter- 
 prising ambassador of the Church informs us, ' we assembled at 
 the chapel about ten o'clock on the forenoon of the 24th of 
 February ; the native evangelists were animated by kind and 
 appropriate exhortations from the Church and from their pastor, 
 Mr. Barff. I then addressed the people, and commending 
 Mrs. Ellis and our dear children to their care, took leave of 
 them. The meeting was peculiarly impressive and affecting ; 
 and after mutually committing each other, under deep intensity 
 of feeling, to the guidance and the keejDing of the God of all 
 om- mercies, the whole congregation walked from the chapel to 
 the sea shore, where we exchanged om* last salutations ; the 
 Deputation, the two native missionaries and their wives, five 
 other natives, and myself, now embarked, and the Mermaid 
 stood out to sea.' 
 
 The situation of Mrs. Ellis, left with her fom- children in a 
 sort of widowhood, and oppressed with anxiety for the safety 
 and health of her husband, who was at this time ver}^ far from 
 robust, and appeared to have suffered much from the heat of 
 the climate, called forth the active sympathy of her missionary 
 companions and of the kind natives of the settlement. Her own 
 health, too, had been greatly tried by fatigue and exposure in 
 wearisome and stormy voyages between Kaiatea and Huahine. 
 To one of these, especially, undertaken soon after the birth of 
 her youngest daughter, she attributed the foundation of that 
 serious affiiction from which she afterwards suffered so long and 
 severely. On the present occasion, at the earnest solicitation of 
 Mrs. Orsmond, who was the only European female in Borabora, 
 
80 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap, v, 
 
 she accompanied Mr. Orsmoiid on his return to that island, to 
 share for a season the labours of the station, and afford to her 
 sister tlie companionship and attention which were at that time 
 peculiarly acceptable. The chief object of her visit accom- 
 plished, at the expiration of nine weeks she was anxious to 
 retm-n to Huahine, as the term of her husband's expected absence 
 was drawing near. The voyage from Borabora or Eaiatea to 
 Huahine, being in the direction contrary to the trade-winds, is 
 often tedious and difficult. Ten stout natives had charge of the 
 boat in which Mrs, Ellis and her children started to return home 
 on the 1st of May; but owing to violent and opposing gales 
 they were driven back, after having so nearly gained their port 
 that the houses on the shore were distinctly seen — and forced to 
 land at Eaiatea, where they were detained by adverse winds for 
 nearly a fortnight. On the morning of the 1 3th, the weather 
 being calm, the party again left the shore ; but a strong current 
 and head winds setting in against them, after being out at sea 
 all night, they found themselves next morning close to another 
 part of the coast of Eaiatea, and were compelled once more to 
 land. Mrs. Ellis was so weak and ill that the natives carried 
 her from the boat to the nearest hut. This appeared to be 
 unoccupied ; but on looking round a solitary female was perceived 
 kneeling beside a scarcely breathless corpse, and offering, appa- 
 rently in great distress, and with frequent sobs and cries, her 
 prayer to Him who seeth in secret, and is a very present help in 
 trouble. As soon as her first paroxysms of grief had some- 
 what subsided, the poor woman came and tenderly sympathised 
 with her guest ; told her the other inhabitants of the neighbour- 
 hood had gone to the missionary meeting, but that she had 
 remained to attend on her afflicted husband, who had expired 
 as the boat approached the shore. Weak and faint as she was, 
 Mrs. Ellis endeavoured to direct her mind to the only source of 
 effectual support, while she offered from the depths of a loving 
 soul the comfort of her sisterly sympathy, with a tenderness and 
 sweetness that no heart could resist. The unwitting intruders 
 
CHAP. T. HUAHINE. 81 
 
 on the hour of bereavement would now have retired to some 
 other shelter, but the new-made widow constrained them to stay, 
 and with a beautiful, all- womanly self-renunciation, put aside, 
 as it were, her own unutterable sorrow, that she might minister 
 to her weary and suffering guest. Such instances of unselfish 
 loving-kindness, thank God, are not rare. They come out 
 brightest in affliction ; and if one would know the best of human 
 nature, let him accompany the physician to the homes of the 
 poor — to scenes of sickness and mourning ; and he will learn, if 
 he needs the lesson, to respect his kind. 
 
 During the whole of the day and the succeeding night the 
 feeble guest was not able to leave the mat on which she had 
 been laid; but on the morning of the 15th, being somewhat 
 recovered and the weather being favourable, another, and 
 happily a successful atteiapt was made to reach Huahine ; 
 where the exhausted voyager was cordially welcomed by her 
 anxious friends. 
 
 Troubles of another kind now awaited the mission families. 
 On the day that the boat landed, a brig approached the island 
 and anchored about noon. The vessel remained in harbour for 
 more than a fortnight, the captain frequently coming on shore, 
 and professing to be deeply interested in religion. On the 
 arrival of the Westmoreland from New South Wales, the 
 brig took her departure. At Tahiti she met with Captain 
 Henry, who commanded a brig belonging to the Queen, in 
 which he was about to sail to Sydney. The strange craft 
 followed Captain Henry to Eimeo and Tabuai, At this place 
 the suspicions abeady excited concerning the character of the 
 crew were confirmed by trustworthy information that they were 
 a band of desperate pirates, who had seized the vessel in which 
 they sailed, sent the captain and officers on shore, and after a 
 series of acts of plunder and murder on the American coast, 
 had made their way to the South Sea Islands. Captain Henry, 
 in concert with the chiefs of Tabuai, captured the men, and 
 took them as prisoners to Tahiti, where he handed them over 
 
 G 
 
82 LIFE OF WILLIA]\I ELLIS. chap. v. 
 
 to the chiefs, who put them in custody and hauled their ship 
 on to the beach. But soon after the departure of Captain 
 Henry, the captives eluded the vigilance of their guards, stole 
 a boat belon«-ing to a vessel in harbour, and made their escape- 
 Four of them found their way to Huahine, where their history 
 and character were not yet known. Being good mechanics 
 they procured employment ; and one of them, a carpenter, was 
 engaged by Mrs. Ellis to do some work in her own house. In 
 course of time the men stated that they had been to the Sand- 
 wich Islands, and that they had met the Mermaid — the 
 vessel in which the Deputation and their friends had sailed — 
 but would give no account of the safety of the passengers. 
 Shortly after, Captain Henry arrived in Huahine, and at once 
 informed the chiefs and missionaries of the true character of 
 their visitors. This intelligence, coupled with the fact that 
 the pirates had met the Mermaid and the unaccountable 
 detention of that vessel so long after the time when its return 
 was looked for, produced an agony of apprehension that no 
 words oan describe. The men were instantly seized; their 
 trunks were examined ; and in one of them were found some 
 British epaulettes, which it was supposed had belonged to 
 Captain Kent, the commander of the Mermaid, and this was 
 taken as further evidence that the pirates had plundered and 
 perhaps sunk the vessel. It was with difficulty that Mr. Barff 
 could restrain the natives from wreaking instant vengeance on 
 the wretched men. 
 
 ' The chiefs and people of the settlement had always shown 
 the warmest attachment to the missionaries, but their kindness 
 to Mrs. Ellis, during the protracted absence of her husband, was 
 as grateful to her as it was honourable to themselves. They 
 used to designate her their little lonely widow, and seemed 
 anxious to testify their desire to alleviate the distress which 
 they knew she must feel. "Whenever they were successful in 
 fishing, they always sent her a part of what they had taken ; 
 and frequently, in seasons of tempestuous weather, one or two 
 
ICHAP. V. HUAHINE. 83 
 
 of the chief women of the island would sleep in the house with 
 her, to mitigate the disquiet which her solicitude must occasion. 
 When a valuable female servant, who married, left her, the 
 chiefs persuaded another pious and attentive native to live 
 with her : and by these and nmnberless attentions, truly 
 acceptable at the time, manifested a vigilance of benevolence 
 and a strength of affection scarcely to be expected in persons 
 among whom the feelings and offices of Christian sympathy and 
 friendship were of such recent growth.' 
 
 Eight months elapsed before the retm-n of the Mermaid 
 with their long absent friends removed the torturing suspense 
 ivhich these events and the unaccountable delay had excited. 
 The reappearance of the vessel in Fare Harbour, early in 
 October 1822, created a revulsion of feeling that could find its 
 most fitting expression only in devout and thankful prayer to 
 the Almighty. Grladder hearts than those of the re-united 
 husband and wife on that day the world did not contain. 
 
 It was now found that the pirates had been to the Sandwich 
 Islands, that they had met the schooner which sailed with the 
 Mermaid and had thus obtained information concerning the 
 names of the persons on board the other vessel. This accounted 
 at once for their partial knowledge on some points, and the 
 vagueness of their information on others, which had so greatly 
 aggravated the distress of the mission family and the chiefs. 
 
 The explanation of the cause of detention involved also an 
 important change in the mission. The Mermaid, after a 
 pleasant voyage of nearly five weeks, reached Hawaii, the 
 largest of the Sandwich Islands, in the end of March. The 
 governor of the island, in the absence of the king, who chiefly 
 resided in the adjacent island of Oahu, cordially welcomed the 
 new comers, and invited them to his house. Here they re- 
 mained about a fortnight, waiting for the schooner from which 
 they had parted company in the course oi the voyage ; but, as 
 she did not make her appearance, Captain Kent, supposing she 
 might have arrived at some other port, made sail for Honoruru, 
 
 G 2 
 
84 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap, t, 
 
 the principal harbour of Oahu. His surmises proved to be cor- 
 rect. His consort was lying at anchor. The party now received 
 the salutations of the king, and of the members of the American 
 mission, all of whom were at the time residing at Oahu. They 
 were kindly accommodated at the mission-house and the resi- 
 dences of the brethren. Auna and his wife were invited by a 
 countrjmian of their own, who had ' emigrated ' many years 
 before to these islands, and who now belonged to the household 
 of the queen dowager, to take up their abode in her establish- 
 ment. The invitation was accepted. It was soon discovered 
 that their countryman was no other than the brother of Anna's 
 wife, and the meeting was as gratifying as it was unexpected. 
 
 It was at once apparent that the language of the Sandwich 
 Islands was merely a dialect of that of Tahiti ; and Mr. Ellis found 
 no difficulty in conversing with the people, and, indeed, in a 
 very few weeks was able to preach with fluency in the native 
 tongue. He readily gave all the assistance in his power to the 
 American brethren, who had hitherto made but slow progress in 
 acquiring the language, and had preached and communicated 
 with the islanders chiefly through the medium of interpreters, 
 in the persons of some native youths who had been educated in 
 America. Mr. Ellis also composed a few Hawaiian hymns — the 
 first ever written or sung on these shores, and which gave new 
 animation to the religious worship, and great delight to the 
 people. The king was also pleased to find an efficient instructor 
 in the English missionary, from whom he received daily 
 lessons. 
 
 It was not expected that the stay of the party from Huahine 
 would have extended beyond a few weeks ; but circumstances 
 entirely beyond their control occurred, which detained them for 
 many months. Among the causes of delay was a voyage on 
 some commercial enterprise that the captain was induced to 
 make to latitudes still further north. This alone occupied some 
 months, and led to the abandonment of the visit to the Mar- 
 quesas. During the interval of forced detention, the missionary 
 
CHAP. V. HUAHINE. 85 
 
 and the native evangelists were not idle. Besides the assistance 
 they were able to render from their knowledge of the language, 
 their arrival with the Deputation was opportune on another 
 account. The minds of the king and people had been prejudiced 
 by the reports of interested foreign traders and ship-owners, 
 against the character and influence of the changes that had 
 taken place in the Society Islands. Indeed, an 'expedition of 
 inquiry, which the king was on the eve of making to his 
 southern neighbours, had been frustrated by these false state- 
 ments ; while the good work of the resident American laboua-ers 
 could not fail to be seriously impeded by such misrepresentations. 
 The testimony that was now given by those who had just left 
 the scene of these recent changes, confounded the traducers of 
 Christian missions, satisfied the king and others of the falsity 
 of the accounts by which they had been deceived, and in no 
 small measure prepared the way for a cordial reception of 
 Christianity. 
 
 It soon became obvious to all, that great advantage would be 
 conferred on this populous and inviting field of missionary 
 labour, if the casual visit of these friends from the southern 
 islands, could be extended into a permanent residence among 
 them. Accordingly, the king and chiefs requested that the 
 native evangelists might remain ; and that Mr. Ellis would re- 
 turn to the Society Islands, and, bringing back his family with 
 him, come and settle in Oahu. The American brethren very 
 cordially and earnestly seconded the invitation of the people ; 
 and, upon mature consideration, it appeared to the Deputation 
 and all concerned, that this course, marked out as it were by 
 the finger of Providence in recent events, was the path of 
 duty. The \dew taken by the brethren on the spot was sub- 
 sequently confirmed by the American Board of Commissioners 
 for Foreign Missions, and by the London Missionary Society. 
 When at length the Mermaid sailed from the shores of Oahu, 
 to take back her long absent passengers to Huahine, Mr. Ellis 
 left with the distinct understanding that on the first oppor- 
 
86 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. t» 
 
 tunity he would return with his family, and, while still re- 
 taining his connection with his own society, would join the 
 American mission in the Sandwich Islands. 
 
 When these arrangements were announced to the church and 
 friends of Fare, although they could not but acquiesce in the 
 decision, the prospect of parting with their beloved teachers 
 was a severe trial to all ; and to none more than to the mis- 
 sionary colleagues with whom Mr. and Mrs. Ellis had laboured 
 in uninterrupted harmony and the most cordial affection — all 
 the more valued from the isolated position in which they were 
 mutually placed. The change, while it thus once more broke 
 up the dearest ties, offered no prospect of temporal advance- 
 ment, involved personal sacrifices of no trifling character, and 
 was made solely from a sense of duty, and in the prospect of 
 greater usefulness. Proofs of the esteem and attachment in 
 which they were held by the people flowed in upon them in 
 almost overwhelming urgency. Among the parting communi- 
 cations addressed to them at this time was one from the Deputa- 
 tion, a brief extract from whose letter may serve to recal a few 
 of the important changes that had been wrought during the 
 past four years. It is dated Kaiatea, December 9th, 1822, and 
 begins as follows : — 
 
 ' Having completed our official visit to the important station 
 which you have occupied, we desire to express the high gratifi- 
 cation which we have enjoyed during om* residence with you. 
 We have witnessed the effects which your faithfal labours have 
 been instrumental in producing among the people of your charge, 
 with a gratitude to Grod as the author of the mighty change, 
 and with a state of mind too pleasurable to allow of adequate 
 expression. While the propriety with which the Lord's Day is 
 kept ; the regularity of the people's attention to the duties of 
 religion ; the harmony that prevails in all your public meetings ; 
 the decent appearance of the people ; the avidity with which 
 they receive the word of God ; and the attention which they 
 pay to their improvement in the arts of civilised life ; the good 
 
CHAP. V. HUAHINE. 87 
 
 order that prevails in the schools, both of adults and children ; 
 the pure religion which obtains in the church, and the morality 
 that characterises the whole congregation ; and the affectionate 
 esteem in which you and your beloved partner in life are held 
 by the people among whom you have laboured ; while all these 
 things evince a divine approbation, and an influence of an extra- 
 ordinary nature, they redound highly to your own credit, prove 
 you worthy of the important office with which you are invested 
 by the Great Head of the Church, and deserving of the love and 
 confidence of that great Society by which you are employed.' 
 
 A passage was secured in the Active, a vessel bound to the 
 Sandwich Islands, for the party appointed to proceed thither, 
 consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Ellis and their children, with a faithful 
 and much attached native female companion, and a native 
 teacher and his wife. The farewell scenes were deeply affecting, 
 and to Mrs. Ellis especially were painfully trying. ' The chief 
 women and others took leave of their kind instructress with much 
 affection ; and among the many tokens of attachment few were 
 more touching than those shown by native women who had acted 
 as domestic servants in nursing the children, &c., during her 
 residence in the island. One in particular, who had wept much 
 when the sailors were heaving up the anchor, went out on the 
 rocks at the edge of the harbour, far from the shore, and, though 
 still weeping, stood waiting till the ship should pass into the 
 open sea, anxious to give, by waving her hand, the last token 
 of affection, and obtain the latest possible glance of her beloved 
 teacher and friend.' Thus closed a period which Mr. Ellis loved 
 to recal, and of which he often spoke as the happiest of his 
 life. 
 
88 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SANDWICH ISLANDS. 
 
 The Active set sail from Huahine on the 31st of December 
 1822, and on the 5th of February she anchored in Oahu. 
 The American Missionaries — Messrs. Bingham, Thurston, and 
 Loomis, with their wives — hastened to offer their affectionate 
 salutations, and received their new associates with a kindness 
 and cordiality most cheering and gratifying at the time, and 
 which continued to mark their conduct through all their sub- 
 sequent intercourse. The scene upon which they now entered, 
 though possessing many points of similarity with that which 
 they had left, was characterized by special and distinctive 
 features. The natural aspect of the country presented much 
 that was new. The climate, though warm and pleasant, was 
 scarcely tropical, and struck the new comers at first as almost 
 cold. This, of course, on the lower levels of the island could 
 be only by comparison, though in the higher regions of the 
 loftier mountains a degree of actual and intense cold is constant. 
 This lower temperature is combined with a less luxuriant soil, 
 and consequently the productions of the country are not equal 
 in variety and abundance to those of the Tahitian group. 
 The scarcity of fresh water, throughout the entire cluster, is 
 also a serious disadvantage. The general appearance of the 
 islands, if less romantic and beautiful than that of their 
 southern sisters of the Pacific, is perhaps more grand and 
 sublime, owing in some measure to the height of the mountains, 
 and the influence of still active volcanoes. The highest moun- 
 tains are those of Hawaii, of which the summit probably exceeds 
 16,000 feet from the level of the sea. *0n approaching the 
 
CHAP. Ti. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 89 
 
 islands,' Mr. Ellis remarks in his ' Tour through Hawaii,' < I 
 have more than once observed the mountains of the interior 
 long before the coast was visible, or any of the usual indications 
 of land had been seen. On these occasions, the elevated sum- 
 mit of Mouua Kea, or Mouna Eoa, has appeared above the 
 mass of clouds that usually skirt the horizon like a stately 
 pyramid, or the silvered dome of a magnificent temple,"' dis- 
 tinguished from the clouds beneath only by its well-defined out- 
 line, unchanging position, and intensity of brilliancy, occasioned 
 by the reflection of the sun's rays from the surface of the snow.' 
 
 The entire group comprises ten islands, of which the four 
 principal are — Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, and Taui. The first is by 
 far the largest and most populous, but Oahu is the more fertile, 
 and has the advantage of the most capacious and convenient 
 harbour, so that it has become a favourite with foreigners. 
 The aggregate population was estimated, in 1824, as exceeding 
 160,000. The character of the people, as might be inferred 
 from the physical geography of their country, is more hardy, 
 enterprising, and industrious than that of their southern 
 neighbours. The position of the group, the splendid harbours, 
 and numerous population, early attracted the attention of 
 foreigners, especially from the continent of America. An 
 extensive trade was carried on, and the amount of shipping 
 gave to the port of Honoruru, at all times, a busy, thriving, and 
 animated appearance. 
 
 The condition of the people was such as peculiarly to invite 
 the benevolent efforts of the Christian Church ; and early in 
 1820 a band of American missionaries had arrived in the 
 islands. They were no less astonished than delighted to find 
 that Eiho-riho, the reigning sovereign, had abolished idolatry, 
 and that the superstitions of heathenism at least were no longer 
 a barrier to the reception of the gospel. These excellent men 
 laboured assiduously in their noble work ; and, notwithstanding 
 the serious difficulties arising from their ignorance of the 
 language, established schools, preached through the aid of an 
 
90 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vi. 
 
 interpreter, and had even so far mastered the elements of the 
 vernacular tongue as to print the first sheet of an Hawaiian 
 spelling-book. 
 
 Immediately on Mr. Ellis's arrival he entered heartily on his 
 work, and his occupations became at once incessant and multi- 
 farious. He devoted much time with the brethren, in aiding 
 their efforts to acquire the language, and assisting them with 
 their printing. He preached in the native tongue ; and was, 
 besides, daily occupied for some hours with the king, with his 
 prime minister, Karaimoku, and with other chiefs, as well as 
 with Keopuolani — the king's mother — and other eminent 
 women, who showed an earnest desire for instruction. The 
 change of climate seemed to be beneficial to his health ; while 
 that of his beloved partner was often interrupted by painful and 
 severe illness, which prevented her from taking so large a share 
 in mission work as she desired. 
 
 The first house into which they removed from the hospitable 
 roof of their brethren was a cottage, or hut, covered, like most 
 of the native dwellings, with grass. These buildings were put 
 up, as regards the frame-work, in a manner very similar to those 
 of the Society Islands, but the intervals between the larger posts 
 and between the rafters were filled in with sticks, to which were 
 fastened, very closely together, from the ground to the ridge of the 
 roof, tufts of dried grass, so that the whole structure presented 
 very much the appearance of a hay rick, with low sides. These 
 habitations soon decay and leak, and are, besides, very combusti- 
 ble. A spark will ignite them, and lay them in ruins in the course 
 of a few minutes. A stone house, with boarded floors and glazed 
 windows — the first ever reared in the islands — was soon begun, 
 and in the course of the following year, the family moved into 
 this more commodious abode. Karaimoku built one for himself 
 about the same time on the same plan. 
 
 Early in April 1823, the mission received a reinforcement 
 from America in the persons of Messrs. C. Stewart, Eichards, 
 Bishop, and others ; and it was now thought desirable to establish 
 
CHAP. VI. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 91 
 
 and occupy stations in the other islands of the group, especially 
 in the largest, Hawaii ; and with the view of ascertaining the 
 most eligible situation for one or more missionary settlements 
 in this populous island, Mr. Ellis was invited to accompany 
 three of the American brethren, Messrs. Thurston, Bishop, and 
 Goodrich, on a tour through the country. Mr. Stewart was 
 prevented by illness from going with them ; but Mr. Harwood, 
 an intelligent mechanic, volunteered, and was permitted to 
 join the party. The incidents and observations of this most 
 interesting journey form the subject of the first work Mr. Ellis 
 published after his return to England, and excited a degree of 
 public attention never before accorded to any history of mis- 
 sionary operations. To follow the party throughout their 
 travels with any degree of minute description would extend this 
 memoir to an unreasonable length ; while to give an outline of 
 the journey, without details, would result in a bare chronolo- 
 gical record — a meagre itinerary — of little interest. The 
 reader is therefore referred to the work itself for full informa- 
 tion ; and in the following narrative a few extracts only will be 
 presented concerning the principal natural object of attraction, 
 the great volcano of Kirauea, which they were the first visitors 
 from civilized countries ever to explore. 
 
 The American members of the expedition left Oahu for the 
 port of Kairua, in Hawaii, on the 24th of June, 1823. Mr. 
 Ellis was detained by the illness of his wife, but was able to 
 follow in about eight days after, calling on the way at Lahaina, 
 in the island of Maui, where his friend Mr. Stewart was 
 stationed, and where the queen, Keopuolani, was at the time 
 residing. After a short detention at this place, he resumed the 
 voyage, and on the 14th of July joined his companions at 
 Kairua. The governor of the district, Kuakini, or, as he was 
 commonly designated, John Adams, rendered material service, 
 not only by entering with much interest into the project, and 
 giving his counsel as to the best route and plans of procedure, 
 but by furnishing gratuitously a canoe, an escort to carry bag- 
 
92 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chai-. vr. 
 
 gage, and a guide. The course they pursued was along the 
 coast, making excursions occasionally to visit villages, until 
 they approached the volcano, when they left the shore and pro- 
 ceeded towards the mountain. In the outset of their journey 
 they visited, with emotions of peculiar interest, the spot where 
 Captain Cook fell, and where his bones were for a time deposited. 
 Everywhere they were received by the people, and especially by 
 the chiefs, with courtesy and hospitality ; being usually greeted, 
 on requesting accommodation, with some such welcome as the 
 following : — ' Our house is large, and there are plenty of sleep- 
 ing mats for us.' Indeed, the demeanour of these nature's 
 gentlemen was peculiarly gratifying to their guests, and ' in- 
 dicated a degree of refinement seldom witnessed among un- 
 civilized nations. The usual salutation is " Aroha " (attach- 
 ment) ; and the customary invitation to partake of refreshment 
 is — " the food belonging to you and us is ready " ; always using 
 the pronoun which includes the person addressed as well as the 
 speaker. On entering a chief's house, should we remark, 
 " Yours is a strong or convenient house," he would answer, " it 
 is a good house for you and me." If, on entering a house, or 
 examining a fine canoe or piece of cloth, we should ask who it 
 belonged to, another person would tell us the possessor's name ; 
 but if we happened to inquire of the owner himself, he would 
 invariably answer " it is yours and mine.''^ ' 
 
 As the explorers proceeded they did not lose sight of the 
 grand object of their mission. They omitted no opportunity of 
 preaching to the natives, most of whom now heard the Grospel 
 for the first time. The subjects of their discourses and con- 
 versations were simple and elementary, adapted as much as 
 possible to the untutored minds of their heathen audience. 
 The new revelations were received with much attention, with 
 wonder, and often with delight. The greater part of the people 
 seemed to regard the tidings of ' endless life by Jesus ' as the 
 most joyful news they had ever heard ; breaking upon them, to 
 use their own expression, ' like light in the morning.' Some- 
 
CHAP. VI. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 93 
 
 times the character of the occasion, the events of the day, or the 
 features of the scene, suggested the text. Such a passage as 
 this — ' Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely,* 
 would come home with peculiar force to the dwellers in a land 
 where this precious element was so scantily supplied. 
 
 The difficulty of procuring fresh water, and the consequent 
 thirst experienced by the tourists, were among their most serious 
 causes of suffering. Only twice in the whole course of their 
 tour did they meet with a flowing stream. Makoa, too, their 
 guide, afraid to approach the volcano, deserted them when his 
 services were most needed. In some measure, he made amends 
 for his inefficiency by the amusement he afforded to the party. 
 His appearance is thus described : — ' Our guide, who had been 
 the king's messenger many years, and was well acquainted with 
 the island, was a singular-looking little man, between forty and 
 fifty years of age. A thick tuft of jet black curling hair shaded 
 his wrinkled forehead, and a long bunch of the same kind hung 
 down behind each of his ears. The rest of his head was cropped 
 as short as shears could make it. His small black eyes were 
 ornamented with tatooed Vandyke semicircles. Two goats, im- 
 pressed in the same indelible manner, stood rampant over each 
 of his brows ; one, like the supporter of a coat of arms, was 
 fixed on each side of his nose, and two more guarded the 
 corners of his mouth. The upper part of his beard was shaven 
 close ; but that which grew under his chin was drawn together, 
 braided for an inch or two, and then tied in a knot, while the 
 extremities below the knot spread out in curls like a tassel. 
 A light kind of shawl was carelessly thrown over one shoulder, 
 and tied in a knot on the other ; and a large fan, made of cocoa- 
 nut leaf in his hand served to beat away the flies, or the boys, 
 when either became too numerous or troublesome.' He was 
 fond of collecting an audience of his countrymen, at the close 
 of the day, and giving marvellous accounts of the foreigners, 
 or of the journey. Sometimes he would turn theologian, and 
 was overheard, on one occasion, during supper, telling the party 
 
91 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vi. 
 
 around him, ' that heaven was a place where there was neither 
 salt fish, nor calabashes o£ poe. 'Indeed,' he added, 'we shall 
 never want any there, for we shall never be hungry. But in 
 order to get there much is to be done. A man who wishes to 
 go there must live peaceably with his neighbours ; must never 
 be idle ; and, moreover, must not be a glutton.' This last was, 
 doubtless, thrown in as a hint to his friends to leave him a full 
 share of the delicacies of the meal. He was fond of good 
 cheer ; and it was a difficult task to persuade him to ' move 
 on ' when there was a feast in prospect. 
 
 When it was ascertained that no arguments could induce 
 their guide to visit the volcano, it was arranged that he should 
 at least conduct the party of carriers, with the baggage, to a 
 certain spot within less than a day's journey of the object of 
 his terror, where the missionaries would meet him ; but on 
 their arrival at the place of rendezvous, no Makoa appeared. 
 They heard also, after waiting some time, that it was not pro- 
 bable he would arrive for several days. Under these circum- 
 stances they were glad to avail themselves of the services of a 
 party of travellers, who were bound in the same direction, and 
 who entered the place of temporary lodging while the ' white 
 men ' were vainly expecting their faithless guide. At the house 
 in which they rested, they were not a little amused to observe 
 a novel kind of pet belonging to the sisters of their host. This 
 was not a lap-dog, which almost every native female owns, but 
 a curly-tailed- pig, who was very much at home, and, of course, 
 in excellent condition. At the supper provided for the enter- 
 tainment of the guests, tlie principal dish was baked pig — but 
 not the pet. He was all right, and a lively partaker of the 
 feast, being plentifully regaled by his^indulgent mistresses with 
 tit-bits of his brother. 
 
 Setting out with their new friends in the afternoon of the 
 31st of July, the exploring party walked for some miles, till 
 the approaching darkness compelled them to halt. They 
 passed the night in a remarkable volcanic cavern. ' The 
 
CHAP. VI. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 95 
 
 entrance, which was eight feet wide and five high, was formed 
 by an arch of ancient lava, several feet in thickness. The 
 interior of the cavern was about fifty feet square, and the 
 arch that covered it ten feet high. There was an aperture at 
 the northern end, about three feet in diameter, occasioned by 
 the falling in of the lava, which admitted a current of keen 
 mountain air through the whole of the night. While the 
 natives were preparing beds of fern leaves, a large fire was 
 kindled near the entrance, which, throwing its glimmering light 
 on the dark volcanic sides of the cavern, and illuminating one 
 side of the huge masses of lava, exhibited the strange features 
 of the apartment, which resembled, in no small degree, scenes 
 described in tales of romance.' 
 
 As it grew dark the occupants of the cave ascended to the 
 Tipper regions to try and discern the light of the volcano. ' The 
 wind blew fresh from the mountains ; the noise of the rolling 
 surf, to which we had been a,ccustomed on the shore, was not 
 heard ; and the stillness of the night was disturbed only by the 
 chirping of the insects in the grass. The sky was clear, except 
 in the eastern horizon, where a few light clouds arose, and 
 slowly floated across the expanse of heaven. On looking towards 
 the north-east, we saw a bright column of light rising to a con- 
 siderable elevation in the air, and immediately above it some 
 light clouds, or thin vapours, beautifully tinged with red on 
 the under side. We had no doubt that the column of light 
 arose from the large crater, and that its fires illuminated the 
 surrounding atmosphere. The fleecy clouds generally passed 
 over the luminous column in a south-east direction. As they 
 approached it, the sides towards the place where we stood be- 
 came gradually bright ; afterwards the under edge only reflected 
 the volcanic fire ; and in a little time each cloud passed entirely 
 away, and was succeeded by another. We remained some time to 
 observe the beautiful phenomena occasioned by the reflection 
 of the volcanic fire, and the more magnificent spectacle pre- 
 sented by the multitude and brilliancy of the heavenly bodies. 
 
96 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vi. 
 
 * Refreshed by a comfortable night's sleep, we arose before 
 daylight on the morning of the 1st of August, and after 
 stirring up the embers of our fire, rendered, with grateful hearts, 
 our morning tribute of praise to our Almighty preserver. 
 
 ' As the day began to dawn, we tied on our sandals, ascended 
 from the subterraneous dormitory, and pursued our journey, 
 directing our course towards the column of smoke, which bore 
 E.N.E. from the cavern. 
 
 ' The path for several miles lay through a most fertile tract of 
 country covered with bushes, or tall grass and fern, frequently 
 from three to five feet high, and so heavily laden with dew that 
 before we had traversed it, we were as completely wet as if we 
 had passed through a river. The morning air was cool, the 
 singing of birds enlivened the woods, and we travelled along in 
 Indian file nearly four miles an hour, although most of the 
 natives carried heavy burdens, which were tied on their backs 
 with small bands over their shoulders, in the same manner that 
 a soldier fastens on his knapsack. Having also ourselves a 
 small leather bag containing a bible, inkstand, note-book, 
 compass, &c., suspended from one shoulder, a canteen of water 
 from the other, and sometimes a light portfolio, or papers, with 
 specimens of plants besides, our whole party appeared somewhat 
 grotesquely eu militaire.'' 
 
 A small wood was next entered, emerging from which the 
 travellers encountered a strange, wild, and barren country, 
 sometimes traversing plains of volcanic sand, at others crossing 
 tracts of vitreous lava thrown into ridges, where it was with 
 considerable difficulty they could keep their footing. Resting^ 
 once or twice for refreshment, and shelter from the burning 
 rays of the sun, they pushed on till about two o'clock in the 
 afternoon, when the Crater of Kirauea suddenly burst upon 
 their view. 'We expected to have seen a mountain with a 
 broad base and rough indented sides, composed of loose slags 
 or hardened streams of lava, and whose summit would have 
 presented a rugged wall of scoria, forming the rim of a mighty 
 
CHAP. VI. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 97 
 
 caldron. But instead of this, we found ourselves on the edge 
 of a steep precipice, with a vast plain before us, fifteen or six- 
 teen miles in circumference, and sunk from 200 to 400 feet 
 below its original level. The surface of this plain was uneven, 
 and strewed over with large stones and volcanic rocks, and in 
 the centre of it was the great crater, at the distance of a mile 
 and a half from the precipice on which we were standing. Our 
 guides led us round towards the north end of the ridge, in order 
 to find a place by which we might descend to the plain below. 
 With all our care we did not reach the bottom without several 
 falls and slight bruises. After walking some distance over the 
 sunken plain, which in several places sounded hollow under our 
 feet, we at length came to the edge of the great crater, where a 
 spectacle, sublime and even appalling, presented itself before 
 us — 
 
 We stopped and trembled. 
 
 Astonishment and awe for some moments rendered us mute, 
 and, like statues, we stood fixed to the spot, with our eyes 
 riveted on the abyss below. Immediately before us ya-svned an 
 immense gulf, in the form of a crescent, about two miles in 
 length, from north-east to south-west, nearly a mile in width, 
 and apparently 800 feet deep. The bottom was covered with 
 lava, and the south-west and northern parts of it were one vast 
 flood of burning matter, in a state of terrific ebullition, rolling 
 to and fro its 'fiery surge' and flaming billows. Fifty-one 
 conical islands, of varied form and size, containing so many 
 craters, rose either round the edge or from the surface of the 
 burning lake. Twenty-two constantly emitted columns of grey 
 smoke, or pyramids of brilliant flame ; and several of these at 
 the same time vomited from their ignited mouths streams of 
 lava, which rolled in blazing torrents down their black in- 
 dented sides into the boiling mass below. 
 
 ' The sides of the gulf before us, although composed of 
 different strata of ancient lava, were perpendicular for about 
 400 feet, and rose from a wide horizontal ledge of solid black 
 
 H 
 
98 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vi. 
 
 lava of irregular breadth, but extending completely round. 
 Beneath this ledge the sides sloped gradually towards the 
 burning lake, which was, as nearly as we could judge, 300 or 
 400 feet lower. It was evident that the large crater had been 
 recently filled with liquid lava up to this black ledge, and had, 
 by some subterranean canal, emptied itself into the sea, or 
 upon the low land on the shore ; and in all probability this 
 evacuation had caused the inundation of the Kapapala coast, 
 which took place, as we afterwards learned, about three weeks 
 prior to our visit. The gray, and in some places apparently 
 calcined sides of the great crater before us ; the fissures that 
 intersected the surface of the plain on which we were standing ; 
 the long banks of sulphur on the opposite side of the abyss ; 
 the vigorous action of the numerous small craters on its bor- 
 ders ; the dense columns of vapour and smoke that rose at the 
 north and south end of the plain ; together with the ridge of 
 steep rocks by which it was surrounded, rising probably in 
 some places 300 or 400 feet in perpendicular height, presented 
 an immense volcanic panorama, the effect of which was greatly 
 augmented by the constant roaring of the vast furnaces below. 
 
 ' After the first feelings of astonishment had subsided, we 
 remained a considerable time contemplating a scene which it 
 is impossible to describe, and whicli filled us with wonder and 
 admiration. 
 
 ' At the north end of the crater we left the few provisions 
 and little baggage that we had, and went in search of water, 
 which we had been informed was to be found in the neighbour- 
 hood of a number of columns of vapour, which we saw rising in 
 a northerly direction. About half a mile distant we found two 
 or tliree small pools of perfectly sweet, fresh water ; a luxury 
 which, notwithstanding the reports of the natives, we did not 
 expect to meet with in these regions of fire. It proved a most 
 grateful refreshment to us after travelling not less than twenty 
 miles over a barren thirsty desert. 
 
 ' These pools appeared great natural curiosities. The surface 
 
CHAP. VI. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 99 
 
 of the ground in the vicinity was perceptibly warm, and rent by 
 several deep irregular chasms, from which steam and thick 
 vapours continually arose. In some places these chasms were 
 two feet wide, and from them a volume of steam ascended, 
 which was immediately condensed by the cool mountain air, 
 and driven, like drizzling rain, into hollows in the compact lava 
 on the leeward side of the chasms. The pools, which were six 
 or eight feet from the chasms, were surrounded and covered 
 by flags, rushes, and tall grass. Nourished by the moisture of the 
 vapours, these plants flourished luxuriantly, and in their turn, 
 sheltered the pools from the heat of the sun, and prevented 
 evaporation. We expected to find the water warm, but in this 
 we were also agreeably disappointed. When we had quenched 
 our thirst with the water thus distilled by nature, we directed 
 the natives to build a hut in which we might pass the night, in 
 such a situation as to command a view of the bm'ning lava ; 
 and while they were thus employed we prepared to examine the 
 many interesting objects around us 
 
 ' Just as the sun was setting we reached the place where we 
 had left our baggage, and where the natives, with a few green 
 branches of trees, some fern leaves and rushes, had erected a 
 hut. At our request they had also collected a quantity of fire- 
 wood, and as night approached we kindled a good fire and 
 prepared our frugal supper. Between nine and ten, the dark 
 clouds and heavy fog that, since the setting of the sun, had hung 
 over the volcano, gradually cleared away, and the fires of 
 Kirauea darting their fierce light athwart the midnight gloom, 
 unfolded a sight terrible and sublime beyond all we had yet 
 seen. 
 
 ' The agitated mass of liquid lava, like a flood of melted 
 metal, raged with tumultuous whirl. The lively flame that 
 danced over its undulating surface tinged with sulphmous blue, 
 or glowing with mineral red, cast a broad glare of dazzling 
 light on the indented sides of the insulated craters, whose 
 roaring mouths, amidst rising flames and eddying streams of 
 
 n 2 
 
100 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vi. 
 
 fire, shot up at frequent intervals, with very loud detonations, 
 spherical masses of fusing lava, or bright ignited stones. The 
 dark bold outline of the perpendicular and jutting rocks around 
 formed a striking contrast with the luminous lake below, whose 
 vivid rays thrown on the rugged promontories and reflected by 
 the over-hanging clouds, combined to complete the awful gran- 
 deur of the imposing scene.' 
 
 The next morning, after making their final examination of 
 the marvellous scene, and endeavouring to ascertain the dimen- 
 sions of the crater, which they estimated at five miles and a 
 half in circumference and upwards of 800 feet deep, the 
 travellers directed their steps, once more towards the coast. 
 Subsequent measurements proved that their estimate was below 
 the reality — the upper rim of the vast abyss extending up- 
 wards of six miles, and the inner circuit below the ledge being 
 five miles and a-half, while the depth is nearly 1,000 feet. In 
 the return journey the party separated ; some taking the nearest 
 route, directly across the country, to Waiakea, the principal 
 harbour on the eastern side of the island ; and the rest passing 
 by the more circuitous course along the shore to the same place. 
 When, some days after the volcano had been left behind, Makoa 
 once more made his appearance, he coolly remarked that ' the 
 foreigners must have travelled fast to beat the king's messenger,' 
 giving no other account of the delay than that he had made 
 what speed he could. 
 
 Among the superstitions that kept strongest hold on the 
 native mind was their belief in the deities of the volcano, 
 particularly in Pele, the goddess of Kirauea ; and this lingering 
 vestige of heathen mythology was the last to be surrendered 
 and the most stoutly defended by the votaries of idolatry. 
 The visit of foreigners to the very stronghold of the great 
 Power, and their utter disregard of the observances prescribed 
 for all who approach the fiery domain, excited no little conster- 
 nation, and stirred up various attempts at opposition. The 
 missionaries were confronted at Waiakea, by one who professed 
 
CHAP. VI. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 101 
 
 to be a priestess of the goddess, and who, indeed, as the climax 
 of her assumptions, annoimced herself to be the veritable Pele 
 in mortal impersonation. This woman pompously upbraided 
 the strangers for their sacrilegious intrusion, giving emphasis 
 to her denunciation by doleful menaces of evil. Her preten- 
 sions were quietly exposed by the teachers of the gospel, who 
 also exhorted her to put her trust in the true God, and ' fear 
 Him.' At this juncture Makoa, who had been attentively 
 listening, suddenly, and most unexpectedly entered the lists 
 against the false pretender,— telling her that if she were Pele, 
 the people had nothing to thank her for : ' It is you who have 
 destroyed the King's land, devoured his people, and spoiled 
 all the fishing grounds. Ever since you came to the island you 
 have been busied in mischief; you spoiled the greater part of 
 the island, shook it to pieces, or cursed it with barrenness by 
 immdating it with lava. You never did any good; and if I were 
 the King, I would pitch you all into the sea, or banish you from 
 the island. Hawaii would be quiet if you were away.' This 
 speech, coming from such a source, astonished all who were 
 present. 
 
 A still more formidable attempt was subsequently made to 
 appeal to the fears of the people and prejudice their minds 
 against the new teachers. ' Some months after tlie visit to 
 Kirauea a priestess of Pele came to Lahaina, in Maui, where the 
 principal chiefs of the island then resided. The object of her 
 visit was noised abroad among the people, and much public 
 interest excited. One or two mornings after her arrival in the 
 district, arrayed in her prophetic robes, having the edges of her 
 garments burned with fire, and holding a short stafif or spear in 
 her hand, preceded by her daughter, who was also a candidate 
 for the office of priestess, and followed by thousands of the 
 populace, she came into the presence of the chiefs ; and having 
 told her name and calling, was asked what communications she 
 had to make. She replied, that in a trance, or vision, she had 
 been with Pele, by whom she was charged to complain to them 
 
102 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap, vi, 
 
 that a number of foreigners had visited Kiraiiea ; eaten the 
 sacred berries ; broken her houses, the craters ; thrown down 
 large stones, &c. — to request that the offenders might be sent 
 away ; and to assure them, that if these foreigners were not 
 banished from the islands Pele would certainly, in a given 
 number of days, take vengeance by inundating the country 
 with lava, and destroying the people. She also pretended to 
 have received, in a supernatural manner, Eihoriho's approbation 
 of the request of the goddess. The crowds of natives who stood 
 waiting the result of her interview with the chiefs, were almost 
 as much astonished as the priestess herself, when Kaahumanu 
 and the other chiefs ordered all her paraphernalia of office to 
 be thrown into the fire ; told her the message she had delivered 
 was a falsehood, and directed her to return home, cultivate the 
 ground for her subsistence, and discontinue her journeys of 
 deception among the people. 
 
 ' This answer was dictated by the chiefs themselves. The 
 missionaries at the station, although they were aware of the 
 visit of the priestess, and saw her, followed by the thronging 
 crowd, pass by their habitation on her way to the residence of 
 the chiefs, did not think it necessary to attend or interfere, but 
 relied entirely on the enlightened judgment and integrity of 
 the chiefs to suppress any attempts that might be made to 
 revive the influence of Pele over the people ; and in the result 
 they were not disappointed, for the natives returned to their 
 habitations, and the priestess soon after left the island, and has 
 not since troubled them with the threatenings of the god- 
 dess.' 
 
 The ' sacred berries ' referred to were small red berries 
 growing on low bushes, which the natives call ohelo. They are 
 rather insipid, but in the absence of water are a welcome re- 
 freshment to the thirsty traveller. Wild strawberries and rasp- 
 berries are also plentiful in the mountainous regions of Hawaii. 
 These are very palatable, though, for want of moisture, rather 
 small. 
 
CHAP. VI. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 103 
 
 The district of Waiakea, with its spacious harbour, excellent 
 supply of water, and extensive population, appeared admiraLly 
 suited for a missionary station ; and the chief promised every 
 needed assistance, if he were assured of the sanction of the King. 
 No other locality except Kairua seemed, in the present circum- 
 stances, equally adapted for the purpose ; and the missionaries, 
 on their retiun to that harbour, which had been their starting 
 point, were rejoiced to find that their recommendation had 
 been anticipated by the governor, Kuakini, who had already 
 begun to build a substantial chapel, making use of the stones 
 of a demolished heathen temple for the Christian sanctuary. 
 
 It was early in September before all the party arrived in 
 Oahu. iNlr. Ellis stopped on his return at Lahaina, where he 
 foimd the king, his queen, Kamehamaru, Karaimoku, and other 
 principal personages assembled in the house of Keopuolani, who 
 was then seriously ill. The king's mother, feeling her end to 
 be drawing near, urgently desired that no heathen customs 
 should be allowed at her funeral, but that the obsequies should 
 be conducted after the manner of the Christians. 
 
 Mr. Ellis reached Honoruru on tho 10th of September, grate- 
 ful to find his beloved partner, though she had been a great 
 sufferer in his absence, somewhat restored in health. Very soon 
 after his arrival, he was summoned once more to Lahaina, to 
 visit Keopuolani, who had become rapidly worse. He immedi- 
 ately set sail for that island, accompanied by his wife. At the 
 earnest request of the dying queen-mother, the rite of baptism 
 was administered to her by Mr. Ellis. Keopuolani was thus the 
 first openly proclaimed convert to Christianity, and the first wlio 
 received the sacred ordinance in the Sandwich Islands. On the 
 following day she died. And, in accordance with her express 
 wishes, the funeral was conducted, for the first time in these 
 islands, with the simple obsequies "of Christian burial. A large 
 concoiu-se of sincere mourners followed her remains to the grave. 
 A brief account of the character of this pious queen, with a 
 narrative of her last illness, her tranquil death, and the cere- 
 
104 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vi. 
 
 monies of the interment, was published soon after, both in 
 England and in America, and excited much interest. 
 
 When Mr. Ellis returned to Oahu, he found that, during his 
 absence, the chapel at Honoruru had been burned down, it 
 w^as suspected by some evil-disposed incendiary. But the 
 malevolent object of injuring the mission was frustrated ; for 
 tlie chiefs and people set to work with vigour, and very rapidly 
 put up a larger and more substantial place of worship. 
 
 Towards the end of the same year, 1823, a project to visit 
 England, which Eihoriho had long contemplated, was carried 
 into effect. Passage was secured for him, his favourite queen, 
 Kamehamaru, and their suite, in the ship VAigle^ commanded 
 by Captain Starbuck. It was the earnest wish of the king, of 
 Karaimoku, and the principal chiefs, that Mr. Ellis should 
 accompany them ; and this proposal was further recommended 
 by the medical adviser of the mission, who urged a return to 
 England as the only means of benefiting the rapidly failing 
 health of Mrs. Ellis. Captain Starbuck was accordingly applied 
 to for a passage for the missionary and his family ; but refused 
 to take them, alleging as his reason, in the first instance, want 
 of accommodation. This objection being removed by the 
 surgeon of the vessel, Dr. Williams, generously offering to give 
 up liis own cabin, the captain still peremptorily declined to take 
 any white man. He was waited on by the king and chiefs, who 
 offered to pay any charge he might make, and urgently pressed 
 him to allow their friends to accompany the royal party ; but 
 Captain Starbuck firmly persisted in his refusal, saying he would 
 give a free passage to the king and his native suite, but would 
 not be induced by the offer of any amount of remuneration to 
 take a member of the mission. This decision very much 
 dissatisfied the chiefs. The king was taking with him twenty- 
 five thousand dollars, and suspicions were naturally aroused 
 concerning the motives of the captain. Indeed, he had openly 
 declared that he would take no interpreter who would not speak 
 and act just as he was bid. Captain Starbuck was therefore in- 
 
CHAP. VI. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 105 
 
 formed that unless he would allow Mr. Ellis to accompany him, 
 the king would not sail in his vessel. He remained unmoved, 
 and the negotiation was apparently given up. But a day or two 
 prior to the time of sailing, the captain invited the king on 
 board his ship, plied him with ardent spirits — a temptation he 
 could never resist — and prevailed upon him, while under the 
 influence of his potations, to accept the terms originally pro- 
 posed. The king was kept in a state of intoxication, and finally 
 taken on board in the same condition, and set sail with his 
 queen and suite, having been literally kidnapped by the unprin- 
 cipled master of the vessel. The whole affair was cause of 
 great grief to Karaimoku, who now assumed the regency, and 
 to other influential chiefs. It is well known that both the royal 
 visitors died from naeasles soon after their arrival in this 
 country, and within a week of each other, not having accom- 
 plished even so much of the object of their visit as an interview 
 with the king, or the Directors of the Missionary Society, 
 who were denied access to the party, on a point of etiquette, 
 till they should have been presented to the sovereign. The 
 Government extended every mark of attention to their guests, and 
 after their decease, the highest respect was paid to their remains. 
 A British frigate, under the command of Captain Lord Byron, 
 (cousin of the poet), was appointed to convey to the Sandwich 
 Islands the bodies of the king and queen, that their sorrowing 
 people might have the mournful satisfaction of depositing their 
 ashes among the tombs of their ancestors. 
 
 jNIany months elapsed before an opportunity was offered to 
 the afflicted missionary's wife to return to her native land. 
 Meantime, she could only serve her Divine Lord and Saviour 
 by the gentleness and uncomplaining cheerfulness which she 
 displayed under her severest sufferings ; and there is reason to 
 believe that this silent testimony to the power of the Christian 
 faith was not lost. Occasionally, when she was well enough to 
 receive visitors, a few were admitted into the chamber where 
 she was reclining, and she delighted, at such seasons, to tell of 
 
106 LIFE OF AVILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vi. 
 
 the love and faithfulness of her Creator and Eedeemer. Every- 
 thing that the most assiduous kindness and affection could 
 prompt to alleviate her pain, was done for her by the American 
 sisters and friends, whose constant and uniform tenderness and 
 sympathy elicited from the sufferer sentiments of the warmest 
 esteem and grateful love. 
 
 Mr. Ellis continued to be laboriously employed. Amongst 
 other duties which he undertook, was the instruction of six 
 Marquesan youths, who paid a visit to Oahu in 1824. He 
 spent some time daily with these pupils, took special pains 
 with them, finding them apt and intelligent scholars, prepared 
 for their use a spelling-book in the Marquesan language, and 
 printed a number of copies for them to take back on their 
 return to their native land. So that this indefatigable toiler 
 for the ofood of the heathen was thus instrumental in intro- 
 ducing the gospel, and the first elements of letters, into that 
 group of the Polynesian islands. 
 
 The demeanour of the natives at their public meetings and 
 religious services in this early stage of their transition from 
 barbarism to Christian civilization was not always marked by 
 that decoriun which was so striking in the Society Islands. 
 The people would assume any convenient attitude, and woidd 
 sometimes indulge aloud in conversation. Pet animals would 
 accompany their owners : here might be seen a dog with his 
 head peeping out of a sort of pouch between the shoulders of a 
 native ; and in another part a screaming parrot would be perched 
 about the person of its mistress or an attendant. These incidents 
 were not a little embarrassing, and sometimes spectacles of 
 the most ludicrous character, in costume or accessories, very 
 sorely tried the preacher's power of countenance. On one occa- 
 sion a woman, high in rank, entered with more than usual pomp 
 and stateliness, accompanied by a numerous train of attendants, 
 one of whom, nearest her mistress, carried a covered pail., evi- 
 dently a new acquisition. While the missionary was wondering 
 what could be the purpose of this receptacle, the lofty dame 
 
CHAP. Yi. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 107 
 
 made a sign to her waiting maid, who, lifting the lid, plunged 
 her arm to the bottom, and brought up a white pocket hand- 
 kerchief, which her mistress, after ostentatiously using it, 
 returned, and it was once more deposited in the pail ; the happy 
 woman looking round with amusing complacency at the unpre- 
 tending reticules of the missionaries' wives, from which she had 
 borrowed the idea, and in which it was the fashion for ladies to 
 carry that indispensable article of the toilet. Mr. Ellis was 
 preaching at the time ; and with his quick and keen sense of 
 the ludicrous, would not have been able to repress a smile, had 
 he not schooled himself, with a wonderful self-control, to ciu'b 
 every expression of emotion when it was needful. He gave no 
 sign. But the humour and infectious mirth with which he 
 would afterwards relate the circumstance at home, can only 
 be appreciated by those who knew his genial nature. Such 
 irregularities as the foregoing were only temporary, and in 
 due time the ordinary observances of civilized life were fairly 
 established. 
 
 During his residence in Oahu, an incident occurred which 
 elicited a display of heroism as remarkable as it was charac- 
 teristic, and proved that Mr. Ellis would not shrink from 
 anything that appealed to him on the grounds of duty 
 and humanity. On the occasion of firing a salute, a sailor 
 on one of the ships in the harbour, while loading a cannon, 
 had his hand and fore-arm frightfully shattered by the 
 premature explosion of the gun. There was no surgeon near, 
 or anywhere within reach. Mr. Ellis was sent for, and saw at 
 once that there was but one alternative — amputation, or morti- 
 fication and death. He explained the state of the case. The 
 sailor begged that Mr. Ellis would perform the operation. Thus 
 urged, and knowing that there was no other means of saving life, 
 he consented. It is doubtful whether he had ever seen the opera- 
 tion performed ; he had probably only heard it described, and 
 read detailed descriptions in siu-gical books. He did not, how- 
 ever, hesitate. The arm was amputated, the arteries duly tied, 
 
108 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. ti. 
 
 the flesh and skin brought together, and secured by ligatures, 
 straps, and bandages. The patient was left comparatively com- 
 fortable, and overwhelmed with gratitude. The nest day, and 
 for many days, the case progressed as favourably as possible, and 
 there was every prospect of the wound healing, and of a speedy 
 convalescence, when, unfortunately, the sailor obtained posses- 
 sion of some spirits, of which he partook freely, and became 
 intoxicated. In his frenzy he tore off the bandages, and brought 
 on haemorrhage. No one was near to apply the remedies, and 
 the poor man bled to death. This unfortunate termination 
 detracted nothing, however, from the skill and courage of the 
 operation. The surgical cure would have b^en perfectly suc- 
 cessful, but for the man's own folly. 
 
 The long desired opportunity of returning to England came, 
 at length, through the kindness of Captain Coleman, the master 
 of the American whaler, Russell, who put into the harbour of 
 Honoruru on the 9th of September. Hearing what it was that 
 the missionary family required, he offered, if they would accept 
 such accommodation as his vessel afforded, to take them without 
 charge to the United States, whence a passage home could easily 
 be secured. The captain only intended to remain in port a few 
 days ; the decision, therefore, had to be made at once, and no 
 time could be lost in preparation, if the Captain's obliging offer 
 should be accepted. The American physician at Oahu gave it 
 as his decided opinion that nothing but a return to her native 
 land was likely to yield any permanent benefit to the invalid. 
 It appeared, indeed, to all that this was the right course to 
 take. The accommodations on board the Russell proved more 
 ample and convenient than the modest captain had set forth, 
 and it was quickly arranged that the mission family should 
 accompany him on his homeward trip. It happened just at 
 that time that one of the daughters was at Kairua, with Mr. 
 and Mrs. Bishop, and another at Lahaina, with the family of 
 Mr. Richards ; these fiiends having kindly undertaken tlie charge 
 of the children, in order to relieve their mother of part of her 
 
CHAP. VI. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 109 
 
 domestic cares. Captain Coleman proposed to call at Kairua, 
 and Captain Blanchard, a friendly merchant residing at Hono- 
 ruru, sent a small schooner to Lahaina, with a note, instructing 
 Mr. Eichards to take the child under his charge, in the same 
 schooner, as far as Kairua, where they would join the rest of 
 the family. 
 
 The members of the American mission manifested their regret 
 at parting, and their sympathy with the sufferer by numberless 
 tokens of affection ; and the native women were scarcely less 
 assiduous in their kind attentions. The ship was stocked with 
 provisions to any amount by the presents sent on board by chiefs 
 and other natives, for use on the voyage. 'The 18th of Sep- 
 tember, 1824, was the day fixed for sailing : many of the chief 
 women were in the room in which the sufferer was lying the 
 greater part of the day ; and shortly after noon the members of 
 the mission joined them, when all united in fervent prayer for 
 the Divine blessing on those who remained, and on those who 
 were about to return in quest of health to a distant land. 
 
 ' At the close of this interview preparations were made for 
 departure. The invalid had long been unable to stand or walk, 
 and as the distance was too far for her to be carried in a chair, 
 Mr. Hunnewell, a merchant in the settlement, a sincere and 
 constant friend to the missionaries, had obtained a light sort of 
 waggon, similar to those used in America, in which a couch was 
 laid. The chief women, who had been with her most of the day, 
 stood around her bed weeping, and its covering was wet with 
 their tears : when she was taken up and carried from her couch 
 to the conveyance her friend had provided, her two children ac- 
 companied her, and on reaching the sea-side a large boat was in 
 readiness, in which she was laid and conveyed to the ship lying 
 at anchor outside the harbour. When the boat came alongside 
 the chair was lowered down ; but as she for whom it was de- 
 signed was unable to support herself, one of the friends seated 
 himself in the chair, and holding her in his arms, was hoisted 
 into the ship, where she was carried to her bed. About half- 
 
■ 110 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vi. 
 
 past ten the captain and Mr. Ellis came on board, and a short 
 time after, the vessel left her anchorage, with a light wind 
 blowing from the island.' 
 
 Fom- days after leaving Oahu, the vessel reached Kairua, 
 where Mr. Richards, with his charge, had already arrived. A 
 brief stay was allowed here of little more than twenty-four 
 houi's, and the Russell once more launched forth on the wide 
 waters of the Pacific, steering to the south. On the 24th of 
 October, the vessel reached Huahine, and put into Fare har- 
 bour. It was the Lord's-day, and no one had come out to 
 meet the vessel in their canoes, except a pilot. When this man 
 had returned to shore, and reported who were the passengers, 
 the people could not refrain from crowding the landing, to 
 welcome once more their beloved teachers and friends. The 
 captain remained in harbour for a little more than a fortnight; 
 and thus a period of delightful intercourse with old friends was 
 mutually enjoyed. Mr. and Mrs. Williams were sent for from 
 Raiatea, and by their presence added much to the enjoyment 
 of the re-union. It was a melancholy pleasure at this season 
 to revisit once more the spot where they had formerly lived. 
 It was now overgrown with weeds, and desolate in its solitude. 
 The citron hedge had been cut down, but the coffee trees, 
 which have since abundantly supplied the islands with plants, 
 were loaded with berries. Some other importations from Rio 
 were equally fruitful and flourishing. The stately chestnut 
 trees still threw their umbrageous arms across the stream, and 
 spread their coolness and shelter over the old bathing-place. 
 During this pleasant interval, the people held one of their 
 social entertainments, at which about 1,400 were present. At 
 their earnest request, Mrs. Ellis was carried to the place of 
 meeting on a couch, and reclined during the repast by the side 
 of the queen and the young princess, who had been her ward, 
 and still called her guardian or mother. 
 
 Here again the natives manifested their attachment by 
 taking supplies of stock (chiefly poultry), fruit, and vegetables 
 
CHAP. VI, SANDWICH ISLANDS. Ill 
 
 on board, until the captain informed them that he could not 
 receive any more. On the 11th of November, after uniting in 
 prayer with the affectionate brethren and sisters, and many of 
 the people, Mrs. Ellis was carried in a chair to the sea-side, 
 through lines of natives, who thronged to behold their depar- 
 ture, and tender their parting salutations. 
 
 ' When our anchor was raised, and our sails spread,' Mr. 
 Ellis tells us, ' the vessel moved slowly out of the harbour. 
 The day was remarkably fine, and the wind light, and both 
 these circumstances afforded opportunities of leisurely survey- 
 ing the receding shore. As the different sections of the bay 
 opened and receded from my view, I could not forbear con- 
 trasting the appearance of the district at this time with that 
 presented on my first arrival in 1818. There was the same 
 rich and diversified scenery, but, instead of a few rustic huts, a 
 fine town, two miles in length, now spread itself along the 
 margin of the bay ; a good road extended through the settle- 
 ment; nearly four hundred white, plastered native cottages 
 appeared, some on the margin of the sea, others enclosed in 
 neat and well cultivated gardens. A number of quays were 
 erected along the shore ; the schools were conspicuous ; and 
 prominent above the rest was seen the spacious chapel, capable 
 of accommodating 2,000 worshippers.' 
 
 The Russell pursued her way over the southern Pacific 
 without any special incidents to vary the monotony of a long 
 voyage. The cooler air of the region, as the distance from the 
 tropics increased, appeared to have a beneficial effect on the 
 health of the invalid. Cape Horn was rounded without en- 
 countering any very stormy weather, the vessel having her 
 studding sails set night and day, while crossing this usually 
 tempestuous junction of the two great oceans. Throughout 
 the whole voyage the captain spared no pains to contribute to 
 the comfort of his passengers, and by his considerate attentions 
 rendered the voyage as pleasant as possible. The port of des- 
 tination. New Bedford, was reached in March, and on the 19th 
 
112 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. yi. 
 
 of that month the voyagers were glad once more to set foot 
 on firm land. They had not been long on shore, when the 
 Rev. Sylvester Holmes called on them at the hotel, and with 
 much importunity besoughtthem to remove to his own habitation. 
 As soon as the mother was able to leave the hotel, the hospi- 
 table invitation was accepted, and in the home of this Christian 
 brother they passed the brief period of their stay in that 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 The owners of the Russell very cordially approved of Captain 
 Coleman's conduct, and generously refused to accept any re- 
 muneration for the passage. After resting at New Bedford for 
 awhile, the family proceeded to Boston. A kind friend, the 
 proprietor of the mail coach running between the two places, 
 had one of his most easy and commodious conveyances expressly 
 fitted up with a comfortable couch for the invalid, and, in order 
 to render the journey as little fatiguing as possible, himself 
 drove the coach from New Bedford to Boston, a distance of 
 sixty miles. They arrived at the latter city on the 25th of 
 March, and were met by the officers of the ' American Board of 
 Commissioners for Foreign Missions,' and other Christian friends, 
 by whom they were welcomed with every expression of sympathy 
 and affection. They were received into the household of Mr. 
 Evarts, and remained under his friendly roof for many weeks. 
 The state of Mrs. Ellis's health now became very precarious, and 
 even at times alarming; so that her husband was frequently 
 summoned from a distance, by the physicians, under the im- 
 pression that the sufferer was near her end. By Divine good- 
 ness, however, she was greatly restored as the summer ap- 
 proached; and in the month of June was able to accept the 
 kind invitation of the Honourable Samuel Hubbard, of Dor- 
 chester, a pleasant suburb of Boston, and became for a season 
 an inmate of his cheerful and hospitable home. 
 
 Diu-ing this period, and as long as he remained in America, 
 Mr. Ellis was actively employed in preaching and addressing 
 public meetings on the subject of Christian missions, and par- 
 
CHAP. VI. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 113 
 
 ticularly, in giving information respecting the sphere of labour 
 which he had just left. The Misaionai'y Herald, the official 
 organ of the American Board, gives the following concise 
 summary of his work in this department : — 
 
 ' His first efforts of this kind were in Boston ; and the large 
 church in Park Street was twice thronged with attentive hearers. 
 Mr. Ellis next delivered an address in the chapel of the Theological 
 Seminary at Andover ; afterwards, accompanied by the Treasurer 
 of the Board, he went on a tour eastward, and made his inter- 
 esting statements in Salem, Newburyport, Portsmouth, Saco, 
 Portland, North Yarmouth, Brunswick, Bath, Hallowell, Gor- 
 ham, and Dover. His next tour, in which he was accompanied 
 by the Eev. Mr. Fay, a member of the Prudential Committee, 
 was extended as far as New York city. In this tour he de- 
 livered addresses in Worcester, Brookfield, Amherst, North- 
 ampton, Springfield, Hartford, and New York. Besides two 
 independent addresses in the last-named city, he took part in 
 the anniversary exercises of the United Foreign Missionary 
 Society, and of the American Bible Society. 
 
 'For the service which Mr. Ellis performed while in the 
 United States he was well fitted. His habits of observation, 
 his facilities of recollection, and his descriptive powers, gave to 
 his narrations a fulness and vividness which rendered them 
 remarkably fascinating ; while, at the same time, every un- 
 prejudiced mind could not avoid receiving them as statements 
 of facts. We believe Mr. Ellis to have been remarkably atten- 
 tive to exactness in his descriptions, and anxious that the im- 
 pression made on the hearer might correspond with the truth ; 
 and, so far as our knowledge extends, such is the belief of all 
 who have had the pleasure of a personal acquaintance with him. 
 Hence his statements — corroborated, indeed, by the published 
 testimony of many others — have everywhere been received with 
 great confidence ; and they have exerted an influence upon our 
 churches, which is quite invaluable.' 
 
 In the month of July, the health of Mrs. Ellis was so far 
 
 I 
 
114 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vi. 
 
 restored that her physicians sanctioned a journey to New York, 
 with the view of her taking passage thence to England. On 
 the 9th of the month, an easy carriage having been specially 
 provided, the family left Dorchester, accompanied by their kind 
 friends Mr. Anderson and Mrs. Washbom-ne. The first night 
 was spent at Kandolph. Proceeding by slow journeys they 
 reached Hartford, and then Providence ; where the travellers 
 embarked in the steam-boat to New York. In this city they 
 were hospitably received by Anson Gr. Phelps, Esq. Nothing 
 could exceed the kindness everywhere shown to the English 
 strangers by Christian friends in the United States. 
 
 On the 20th of July the family sailed from New York in the 
 ship Hudson^ commanded by Captain Champlin, a kindly and 
 courteous officer, who won the gratitude and esteem of all who 
 sailed with him. After a pleasant voyage of twenty-one days, 
 the vessel approached the British coast. With what emotions 
 the long absent voyagers once more beheld the shores of Eng- 
 land, can be imagined only by those who have been placed in 
 similar circumstances. 
 
 ' At Margate, arrangements being made for proceeding to 
 London in a steam-packet, Mrs. Ellis was taken in her bed from 
 the ship to the packet on the morning of the 18th of August, 
 1825, and reached the landing-place at the Tower of London 
 in the afternoon of the same day. From the packet she was 
 carried on her bed to the conveyance provided at the top of 
 Tower-stairs ; and in a little more than an hour afterwards was 
 received once more under the roof of her beloved brother.' 
 Notwithstanding the afflictive cii'cumstances imder which the 
 meeting took place, joy and thankfulness predominated over 
 every other feeling; and all united, with hearts overflowing, 
 and eyes moistened by gratitude^ in ascriptions of praise to their 
 lieavenly Father, 
 
MISSION WOEK AT HOME 
 
 1825-41 
 
117 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 TRAVELLING AGENCY. 
 
 For rather naore than five years after his return to England Mr. 
 Ellis was engaged in advocating the claims of the Missionary 
 Society, and presenting statements of its work in the South 
 Seas and elsewhere, before public audiences throughout the 
 United Kingdom. There is not a town of any importance in 
 England, Wales, Scotland, or Ireland, which he did not visit. 
 Those were not the days of railways, and travelling, especially 
 in the remote parts of the country, was often laborious and 
 tedious in the extreme. Journeys on the outside of stage 
 coaches, or in open vehicles of the roughest kind, often in cold 
 and inclement weather, were a severe ordeal to one whose con- 
 stitution was, doubtless, somewhat enfeebled by his previous 
 residence in a tropical climate. His scrupulous regard for the 
 funds of the institution on whose behalf he was serving made 
 him, moreover, almost penurious in his expenses, and he would 
 expose himself on the outside, when he ought to have taken an 
 inside place in a s-tage coach. His work was also so fully pre- 
 arranged that he had scarcely leisure for needed rest. Every 
 day for months together had its appointed public service, or 
 journey, or both ; and he sometimes felt, willing as he was to 
 devote himself to the interests of the Society, that his labours 
 were taxing his strength too severely. He was subject to severe 
 colds, to attacks of dyspepsia, and other evils incident to the 
 toilsome and irregular course of life he was compelled to lead. 
 A strong constitution, however, an energetic spirit, and a will- 
 ing heart, carried him uncomplainingly through all, and made 
 him happy in his work. 
 
 It is difficult to estimate the influence he exerted, or the 
 
118 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vn. 
 
 amount of good he effected, during these years of itinerant 
 labour. Eeligious activity and sympathy with the benevolent 
 departments of the Church's work were quickened and revived 
 in hundreds of places throughout the country. A new impulse 
 was given to missionary zeal and liberality, and an interest in 
 the condition of the heathen, never felt before, was excited by 
 the graphic descriptions of one who had dwelt amongst the be- 
 nighted races for so many years. Very many, who themselves 
 afterwards laboured as evangelists in foreign lands, ascribed 
 their first impulses towards the work to the effect of Mr. Ellis's 
 addresses ; while a vast number at home justly attributed their 
 enlarged sympathy and increased earnestness in the cause of 
 missions to the same inspiration. In the course of his travels 
 moreover, the missionary advocate was always a welcome guest 
 in the families with which he sojourned. His genial, pleasant 
 spirit, the fund of varied information always at his command, 
 his enthusiasm in the object to which he had devoted his life, 
 and the ready flow of his conversation, made him a most in- 
 teresting companion ; and he would often, without apparent 
 effort, and in the most natural and unobtrusive manner, keep a 
 large company for hours together in delighted enthralment by 
 the charm of his fluent discourse. 
 
 But few records have been preserved of these journeys ; and 
 throughout the whole series of public services in connection 
 with them, there would probably be a similarity of character 
 that would preclude any necessity for particular notice. 
 Amongst the few memoranda left is a ' Journal of a Tour in 
 Ireland,' the details of which reflect great credit on the clergy- 
 'men of the Established Church, who manifested a liberal and 
 catholic spirit, and were on nearly every occasion the cordial 
 supporters of public meetings on behalf of the London Mis- 
 sionary Society, even setting aside, for the time, the claims of 
 their own Church of England institution. A visit to Powers- 
 court may be mentioned as affording an illustration of this fra- 
 ternal feeling and conduct. The ' Notes ' of the tour thus refer 
 to it : — 
 
CHAP. VII. TRAVELLINa AGENCY. 119 
 
 'May 23, 1829— About ten in the morning, Mr. and Mrs. 
 
 Pollock, Mr. Figgis, Mrs. Urwick, Mr. Grey, Mr. Edmonds, and 
 
 myself, set off in two jaunting cars to Powerscourt, about fifteen 
 
 miles distant. The country was level and verdant till we reached 
 
 a romantic pass between two granite moimtains, after which we 
 
 came to Enniskerry, one of the prettiest rural and picturesque 
 
 villages I have yet seen. In this village Lady Powerscourt has 
 
 two schools, and in one of these we found our meeting was to 
 
 be held. We alighted at the inn soon after twelve, and ordered 
 
 refreshment. While we were partaking of this, we received a 
 
 call from the Eev. E. Daly, the rector, and Rev. Mr. McKey, 
 
 the curate, of the parish. They told us the meeting was their 
 
 quarterly meeting in aid of the Church Missionary Society ; 
 
 but that the collection on that day should be given to our 
 
 Society. We walked down together to the Infant School-room, 
 
 where between two hundred and two hundred and fifty persons, 
 
 many of them of great respectability, were assembled. Mr. 
 
 Daly commenced by giving out the hymn, " O'er those gloomy 
 
 hills of darkness " ; after which, he made a short speech relative 
 
 to the recent intelligence from the Church Missionary stations, 
 
 and the operations of the London Missionary Society. He then 
 
 introduced Mr. Edmonds, who detailed the results of his 
 
 mission in India. I followed with an account of Africa, China, 
 
 and the South Seas. Mr. Daly then made a brief concluding 
 
 speech, told the people he should be glad to receive their regular 
 
 quarterly subscriptions, but that whatever they felt disposed to 
 
 give to the London Missionary Society would be thankfully 
 
 received ; that any subscriptions to that Society would also be 
 
 acceptable. He announced his intention to become a subscriber 
 
 of £1 Is. to that institution, and invited others present to give 
 
 in their names for the same object. "We have," he said, "no 
 
 plates or boxes here ; but I will hold my hat, and my friend, 
 
 Mr. E. Magee, whom I see standing at the door, will, I have 
 
 no doubt, hold his for the same purpose." He then gave out 
 
 the hymn, " From all that dwell below the skies," and con- 
 
120 LEFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vn. 
 
 eluded by offering up a most excellent extemporaneous prayer. 
 Afterwards he took up his hat, and said, as he held it, that he 
 did not think it had ever been put to so good a use before. 
 The Eev. E. Magee, a clergyman of high position and consider- 
 able property, also held his hat, which was considerably whitened 
 by the powder from his hair. After the company had departed, 
 upwards of £13 was emptied from the hats of the two clergy- 
 men. Most gratifying of all was the fine feeling of libei'al 
 sentiment displayed, as well as of love and zeal for the glory of 
 Christ, rather than anxiety for the advancement of any eccle- 
 siastical interest. 
 
 ' Lady Powerscourt, who was present with several other ladies 
 of distinction, invited us to Powerscourt, and had ordered an 
 extra conveyance for us. We therefore proceeded up the hill, 
 through the domain of Powerscourt, to the mansion, and 
 were much struck with the beauty and magnificence of this 
 noble family seat. While standing at one of the windows that 
 commanded an extensive view of a beautiful piece of water, a 
 classic bridge, and all the varied scenery by which the domain 
 is distinguished, we were joined by Mrs. Kelly, the wife of the 
 author of the hymns, with her son, and two lovely daughters. 
 The family expressed the delight with which Mr. Kelly expected 
 us at Athie. After a hospitable entertainment, we took our leave 
 between five and six in the afternoon.' A few days afterwards, a 
 pleasant visit was paid to the beautiful residence of the Kellys. 
 
 During this tour the acquaintance of Mr. (afterwards Dr.) 
 Urwick was formed, which subsequently ripened into a friend- 
 ship of the closest kind. The Irish tour was immediately 
 followed by one in Scotland, in which Dr. Patterson of 
 Edinburgh, another of Mr. Ellis's staunchest friends, was his 
 companion. 
 
 At the first annual meeting of the London Missionary Society 
 after his return from the South Seas, in May 1826, Mr. Ellis, 
 with his former colleague in the Sandwich Islands, the Eev. C. 
 Stewart, and Captain Grambier, who had recently visited the 
 
CHAP. Yii. TRAVELLING AGENCY. Kl 
 
 islands of the Pacific, were associated together in presenting 
 one of the resolutions submitted to the meeting, and delivered 
 very interesting addresses. In 1831, the subject of these 
 memoirs was appointed to preach one of the annual sermons 
 at Craven Chapel. As one result of this sermon, it may be 
 mentioned, that a fellow-townsman, the Kev. James Wilkinson 
 of Wisbeach, was so impressed by it, that he was induced to 
 devote himself to missionary labour ; and a brother of the same 
 gentleman also became a zealous missionary, in consequence 
 mainly of representations on various occasions, and in printed 
 publications, by the same persuasive advocate. 
 
 Successful as were Mr. Ellis's efforts on behalf of missions-^in 
 pulpits, on platforms, and in social intercourse — he exerted, 
 certainly a wider, and probably a more effective, influence by 
 his pen. Before he had been many months in England, his 
 first work, the materials for which had to a gi-eat extent been 
 prepared in the Sandwich Islands, and on the voyage thence to 
 America, as well as during his stay in that country, namely, the 
 Tout through Haiuaii, was published, and met with a reception 
 unprecedented certainly in the history of missions, and not 
 often surpassed in the history of travel. It presented 
 missionary work and its agents in a new aspect, to men who 
 had never before given the subject a thought ; it interested all 
 classes of intelligent readers, and was for a time one of the most 
 popular works of the day. It did good service in removing the 
 prejudices on the subject that prevailed in certain minds. These 
 were, however, in some quarters too deeply rooted to be at once 
 easily destroyed ; and hence, while the literary merit of the 
 work, and the interest of its descriptions and details, were 
 frankly acknowledged on all hands, some of the leading critical 
 authorities of the day still maintained and expressed their 
 opposition to Christian missions. Soon after the appearance of 
 the Tour, a book was published under the authorship of Captain 
 Kotzebue, a commander in the Eussian Na\'y, containing most 
 glaring misrepresentations in reference to the South Sea mission. 
 
122 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. cha.p. vii. 
 
 About the same time, an ephemeral production was compiled by 
 a Mrs. Graham, from very doubtful and miscellaneous som-ces, 
 but which was certain to be extensively read, on account of the 
 recent interest of the events detailed, and the noble name as- 
 sociated Avith them — Captain Lord Byron. The book was 
 entitled, A Narrative of the Voyaye of the Ship ' Blonde ' to 
 the Sandwich Islands, and was interspersed with much palpable 
 misstatement, unfavoiu-able to the missionaries and their work. 
 To these aspersions, as well as to some unfriendly letters by 
 Captain Beechey, additional point and publicity were given by 
 an article in one of the leading Eeviews. Under the authority 
 of the London Missionary Society, a reply to these calumnies was 
 prepared by their Secretary, Mr. Orme, to which Mr. Ellis con- 
 tributed a large portion of the material, and part of which, as 
 an appendix, appeared in his own name. This reply presented 
 a complete vindication of the mission. The writer of the article 
 in the Eeview alluded to had supported his unfriendly representa- 
 tions by appending to his strictures the copy of a letter, just 
 before received by an English Admiral, pm-porting to have been 
 written by Boki, one of the ruling chiefs of Hawaii, and a mem- 
 ber of the suite who accompanied the late King and Queen of the 
 Sandwich Islands on their visit to this country. Mr. Ellis had 
 been in communication with the Admiralty, and had furnished 
 the department, at the request of Admiral Byng and Captain 
 Parry, with an interesting and valuable account of the islands 
 and harbours of the South Seas, which had been acknowledged 
 in flattering terms by Mr. Canning. The letter bearing Boki's 
 signature was shown to Mr. Ellis by the Admiral. He mihesi- 
 tatingly pronounced it a transparent forgery, and satisfied the 
 authorities to whom it had been addressed of the correctness of 
 his judgment. Subsequently the document was unequivocally 
 disavowed by Boki himself. In the meantime it was pressed 
 into the service of the unfriendly critics of missionary enterprise. 
 The letter itself, which is a curiosity, and the temperate reply 
 to the article in which it was published, may be interesting, and 
 
CHAP. VII. TRAVELLING AGENCY. 123 
 
 will serve to illustrate one phase, at least, of Mr. Ellis's character. 
 The letter is introduced by the following note : — 
 
 ' Since the preceding pages have been struck off we have been 
 favoured with a literal copy of a letter of Boki (which we pledge 
 ourselves to be genuine), confirming what we have stated with 
 regard to the conduct of the American missionaries at the 
 Sandwich Islands.' 
 
 ' Island of Woahoo, Jan. 24, 1826. 
 
 ' Sir, — I take this opportunity to send you these fu lines, 
 hopping the will find you in good health, as pies god the leve 
 me at present. I am sorrey to inform you that Mr. Pitt (Kar- 
 aimakoo) has gon thro four opperashons sine you sailed from 
 here, but thank god he is now much better, and we ar in hops 
 of his recovery, and I am verey sorey to tell you that Mr. 
 Bingham the head of the Misheneres is trieng evere thing in 
 his pour to have the Law of this country in his own hands, all 
 of us ar verrey happy to have sum pepel to instruct us in what 
 is rite and good but he wants us to be interly under his laws 
 which will not do with the natives. I have don all in my pour 
 to prevent it and I have don it as yet, Ther is Cahomano wishes 
 the Misheneres to have the whol atority but I shall prevent it 
 as long as I cane, for if the have ther will be nothing done in 
 thes Hands not even cultivation for ther o^vn use. I wish the 
 pepel to reid and to rite, and likewise to worke, but the Mish- 
 eneres have got them night and day old and young so that ther 
 is verrey little don her at present. The pepel in general ar 
 verrey much discetisfied at the Misheneres thinking they will 
 have the laws in ther own hands. Captain Charlton has not 
 arived from Otiety which makes me thing sumthing has hapned 
 to him. Mr. Bingham has gone so far as to tell thes natives 
 that nether king Greorge nor Lord Biron has any regard for God, 
 or aney of the English cheefs, that they are all bad pepel but 
 themselves, and that ther is no Eedemsion for aney of the heads 
 of the English or American nations. God send you good heath 
 and a long life. 
 
124 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vii. 
 
 'Mrs. Bockey sends her kind love to Lord Biron and Mr. 
 Camrone and the Hon. Mr. Hill. 
 
 Na Boke.' 
 
 Mr. Ellis replied in a letter to the Editor of the Eeview : — 
 ' Spencer Street, Northampton Square. 
 
 ' Sir, — While I feel obliged by your flattering notice of my 
 volume on the Sandwich Islands, I am bound in justice to 
 myself, and to my Missionary associates, as well as to the public, 
 to correct several of the unfounded statements which that article 
 contains. 
 
 ' In the article above referred to, it is stated, " that by my 
 own account, the subjects usually chosen for the discourses are 
 the most unsuitable," " such, for instance, as the Virgin Mary, 
 the Immaculate Conception, the Trinity, and the Holy Ghost." 
 " That we hold out to our disciples little or no encouragement, 
 either by precept or example, to industrious habits ; " " that the 
 least that is required from the naked, or half naked converts of 
 Owyhee, is to attend at church five times every day," " that on 
 Sunday they are strictly prohibited from cooking any kind of 
 victuals, or even lighting a fire ; " that " the efforts of the few 
 zealous missionaries are tending, as fast as possible, to lay waste 
 the whole country, and plunge the inhabitants into civil war and 
 bloodshed ; " " that thousands of acres of land, that before yielded 
 the finest crops are now sandy plains ;" that " the apprehension of 
 civil war appears to be owing to the misapplication of a passage 
 of Scripture (which, by the way, does not exist in the Bible,) 
 applied and expounded by the Missionaries, and that the effect 
 it had produced in lowering the authority of the chiefs was 
 visible enough." That, at Tahiti, " it is lamentable to observe 
 the change that has taken place among the natives, who appear 
 to have lost the good qualities they once possessed," and " are 
 become intolerably lazy ; " that " the looms that were sent out, 
 have been thrown aside, and weaving discontinued." "At Tobuai," 
 it is also said, " that the indolence of the natives since their 
 
CHAP. VII. TRAVELLING AGENCY. 126 
 
 conversion has been such, that out of the whole population but 
 200 remain." 
 
 ' These assertions, unsupported by anything contained in my 
 volume, though some are said to " appear from my own account," 
 are utterly unfounded, and have nothing corresponding to them 
 in the existing circumstances of the islands, or the conduct of 
 the Missionaries ; and I am in possession of such evidence in 
 support of this contradiction, as I cannot doubt would satisfy 
 you that the writer of this article has been misled by the evi- 
 dence on which he has depended. I will mention only one 
 instance of the inaccuracy of Captain Beechy's information, and 
 the consequent incorrectness of his statements. At Tobuai, he 
 states that " the missionaries have succeeded in abolishing human 
 sacrifices, and the prevailing crime of infanticide," when it is a 
 fact that neither infanticide, nor the custom of offering human 
 sacrifices, ever existed in that island.' 
 
 ' The letter inserted as a " note to the article on the Sandwich 
 Islanders," bears strong indication of being spurious ; and I 
 cannot but suspect that an imposition has been practised upon 
 the British Admiral, to whom it was sent. Boki (who was" my 
 scholar until his embarkation for England), was never taught to 
 write English, and probably never attempted it. The style of 
 his sentiments, and the structiu-e of his sentences would have 
 been totally different. To " take " an " opportunity," is a phrase 
 which would have been unintelligible to him. The commence- 
 ment of the letter is a close imitation of the manner of letter 
 writers of the lower order in this country, and has no resem- 
 blance to the native habits of thinking and expression. The 
 phraseology throughout is foreign. No native of the Sandwich 
 Islands would have any idea of going " through four operations." 
 They never speak of a king as the head of a nation, a general 
 as the head of an army, or a father as the head of a family. 
 Had Boki wished to describe Mr. Bingham as (we should say) 
 the head of the mission, he would have called him the chief of 
 the mission. The facts of the letter contradict themselves. 
 
126 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vii. 
 
 Boki, with his brother, Karaimoku, exercises the supreme 
 authority in the islands, and if it had been his desire that Mr. 
 Bingham should have left the islands, his command would have 
 been sufficient to have enforced at any time compliance with 
 his wishes. The orthography in many instances is certainly 
 such as Boki would not employ. Had he written the letter, he 
 would surely have spelt his own name correctly, according to 
 the orthography established by the printing-press in the island ; 
 yet in the last paragraph of the copy sent to England, with a 
 sight of which I have been favoured, Mrs. Boki's name is spelt 
 Bockey. Besides this incorrectness, here are two letters, viz., c 
 and y, introduced, which do not exist in their language. In the 
 next line, Boki's own name is spelt Boke, but in your Eeview 
 both these names are altered, and appear as if they had been 
 properly written, Boki. 
 
 ' In addition to the above brief statement of evidence, that 
 the letter was neither written nor dictated by Boki, I have evi- 
 dence on his own testimony, dated only three months before 
 this letter is said to have been written. I have also letters of 
 a later date from missionaries and chiefs, containing very dif- 
 ferent statements. Boki, in the last letter to me, under date of 
 October 1825, observes, " All is smooth and straight here, I am 
 making myself strong in the word of God. Turned have the 
 chiefs to instruction. I speak unto them, and encom'age them 
 concerning the word of Grod, that it may be well with our 
 land." 
 
 ' Without referring to all the topics alluded to in the letter, 
 I feel myself called upon to state that, from habits of close friend- 
 ship with Mr. Bingham, and an intimate acquaintance with his 
 principles and conduct, I cannot for a moment suppose he has 
 in any manner interfered with the civil or political affairs of the 
 island. 
 
 ' I am, Sir, 
 
 ' Most respectfully yours, 
 
 ' W. Ellis.' 
 
CHAP. rii. TEAVELLINa AGENCY. 127 
 
 In the foregoing reply, the reader cannot fail to observe the 
 temperate tone maintained throughout. This was characteristic 
 of the man ; not that he was by any means of a naturally meek 
 or phlegmatic temperament ; on the contrary, he was endowed 
 with quick, deep, and strong feeling, easily and often power- 
 fully roused. But, though probably a sense of personal dignity 
 would always have made him self-restrained, the marvellous 
 control he had acquired over his temper was the result of early 
 and strenuous effort, springing from Christian principle. The 
 mastery was complete and unvarying. He was never betrayed 
 by the heat of controversy into intemperate expressions. In 
 discussion, whether social or more public and oflScial, he was 
 always, though firm, quiet and courteous, and careful of the 
 feelings of others. This quality was invaluable to him, and was, 
 perhaps, in no small degree the secret of his success and influence 
 in his official capacity in connection with the Society, and in a 
 hundred difficult and delicate positions in which he was often 
 placed during his eventful life. If in oral controversy, his self- 
 command never forsook him, of course, in writing, when his 
 judgment had full play and leisure to act, he was particularly 
 guarded ; and the moderation of his tone often elicited the warm 
 admiration of his opponents. Unbiassed minds were convinced 
 by calm and dispassionate statements, where greater vehemence 
 or severity of language might only have aroused prejudice and 
 strengthened opposition. 
 
 These years of public work were chequered by domestic events 
 of very varied character. Before the close of the year 1825 the 
 illness of Mrs. Ellis, after a temporary amendment, once more 
 assumed a serious and painful form, and continued to be the 
 cause of much solicitude and alarm, till the spring of 1827. On 
 several occasions, Mr. Ellis was summoned from distant parts of 
 the country, while engaged in his missionary tours, to attend, 
 it was feared, the last hours of his afflicted wife ; but as often 
 the sufferer was wonderfully restored. The following letter, 
 addressed to Dr. Eaffles, will give some idea of these scenes of 
 
128 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vii. 
 
 mournful suspense, and will show how little in accordance with 
 the joyful and festive character of the season the Christmas of 
 1826 was spent:— 
 
 ' London, Dec 30, 1826. 
 
 ' Dear Brother, — Although not permitted to share the hospi- 
 tality of your board at this season of the year, or avail myself 
 of the kind invitation given both by Mrs. Raffles and yourself, 
 I have often, in imagination, mingled with those warm friends 
 by whom you may have been surrounded, and the recollection 
 of the generous treatment I experienced while privileged to be 
 your guest has been grateful to my mind. I hope the festivities 
 of the present period have been participated by yourself and 
 your friends, not only without alloy, but heightened by that 
 zest which religion imparts to every enjoyment of life. To me 
 and mine it has been a season of severest trial and distress. 
 Mrs. Ellis is still confined to her bed, and with one exception, 
 has not been lifted from it since my return, and has once or 
 twice appeared to be sinking in the arms of death. On the 
 24th and 25th instant I scarcely left her bedside for five minutes 
 together. The painful post of observation drew darker every 
 hour. Our children, who had all come home for the holidays, 
 gathered weeping round her bed, received her benediction, and 
 a few memorials of a mother's love. We then stood watching 
 night and day the pale and painworn sufferer, expecting every 
 gasp would be her last. Through mercy she is now revived in 
 a small degree ; still the medical attendants preclude our in- 
 dulging any hope of her ultimate recovery ; and from the 
 alarming character of the symptoms still present, we fear it is, 
 to use her own affecting language, but the revival of a dying 
 ember, brightened for a moment under a passing breath of air. 
 
 ' On the morning of the 25th, she repeated, with faltering 
 accents, the first lines of the " Dying Christian," dwelling on 
 the words, " Let me languish into life," adding : " It is not to 
 sink to annihilation, not to perish in the grave, but to glide out 
 
CHAP. VII. TKAVELLING AGENCY. 129 
 
 of time into eternity — out of sorrow and pain into joy and hap- 
 piness — through death into life and immortality." 
 
 ' Long and severe as the affliction has been, her mind has 
 uniformly enjoyed a peace of God which passeth imderstanding, 
 and her hopes of an abundant entrance into the kingdom of her 
 Heavenly Father have invariably, even in her seasons of severest 
 anguish, been cloudless and unwavering. This is a blessing 
 which worlds could not purchase, which is not a reward of any 
 merit, but is the free and sovereign gift of Him who hath said, 
 " I will never leave thee nor forsake thee : when thou passest 
 through the floods, they shall not overflow thee ; and through 
 the flames, they shall not kindle upon thee." 
 
 ' I have relinquished the design of publishing a History of 
 the South Sea Islands, merely out of deference to one or two 
 missionaries, who, I learn from Mr. Nott, are preparing something 
 of the kind. The missionary affairs in the South Seas, as well 
 as in other parts of the world, are daily assuming a more promi- 
 nent and important character than ever. The South Sea Islands 
 have recently attracted the attention of a number of individuals 
 in France, and even of the French Government. Two ships 
 have been despatched to the Islands of the Pacific, Tahiti and 
 Hawaii, on board of one of which vessels were six Jesuits, 
 missionaries to the Society and Sandwich Islands. They have 
 sailed under the special auspices of the French Eoyal F'amily, 
 have taken out all the paraphernalia of Popery— viz. : images of 
 Our Lady, crucifixes, crosses, shrines, banners, dresses, bells, &c., 
 together with all the apparatus necessary for working miracles 
 according to the improvements of modern science, viz. : a 
 galvanic battery, electrifying machine, fireworks, &c. ; a splendid 
 organ so constructed that the person who plays it will be invisible ; 
 and lastly, a Eoman Catholic temple, in frame, to be set up at 
 short notice. What the end of it will be it is impossible to say. 
 The Society have made Government acquainted with the facts ; 
 and I have attended ]Mr. Hankey in an interview with the Under 
 
 K 
 
130 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. ni. 
 
 Secretary of State at the Foreign Office. They appear deter- 
 mined to investigate the matter. 
 
 ' I had great pleasure in hearing that you were to preach one 
 of the sermons in May next, when, if not before, I hope to have 
 
 the pleasure of seeing you. 
 
 ' I remain, 
 
 ' Faithfully yours, 
 
 'W. Ellis.' 
 
 Passing by, for the present, the subject broached in the latter 
 part of the foregoing letter, let us pursue the personal and 
 domestic history. The tranquillity of spirit, and even happiness, 
 enjoyed by the sufferer, were indeed amazing. She seemed to 
 dwell continually, like Bunyan's Pilgrim as he approached the 
 Golden City, in the land of Beulah. Her own expression on one 
 occasion was, ' I feel more like an inhabitant of the celestial 
 world, than of earth ; yet I desire to be kept tranquil and resigned, 
 leather than to have rapturous joys.' And at another time, 
 after more than usually severe and protracted pain, she said with 
 great emphasis, ' I would not change places with anybody — not 
 . with anybody.' Such evidence of delightful peace of mind, such 
 expressions of heavenly joy, were deeply felt by her sorrowing 
 husband as a merciful relief and solace to his owm troubled 
 spirit. To him and the nearest friends the message they seemed 
 to convey was like the apostolic benediction, ' Comfort one 
 another with these words ;' nay, without irreverence, it might be 
 said it was like a voice from heaven, ' Be of good cheer, it is I, 
 be not afraid.' There can be no doubt that this acquaintance with 
 grief had its divinely appointed influence on the heart of God's 
 servant, at once softening and strengthening it, and qualified 
 him for greater usefulness in after years — for intenser sjonpathy 
 with the afflicted to whom he was called to minister. 
 
 Contrary to medical opinion and the patient's own belief, in 
 the spring of 1827, a signal measure of improvement took place 
 in her health. At the earnest solicitation of relatives in 
 Lincoln, she removed in June to that town, to be under the 
 
CHAP. vn. TRAVELLING AGENCY. 131 
 
 medical treatment of a surgeon who had been very successful in 
 cases of spinal complaint. Her maternal uncle, Mr. Hart, who 
 had assumed the name of Thorold, was residing at Harmston, a 
 beautiful estate in the neighbourhood ; and her cousins were 
 living in Lincoln. The visit to these relatives was divided 
 between the two places. No time was lost in testing the new 
 treatment. The result astonished all. The change was as 
 surprising as it was cheering. The invalid, who had for years 
 been confined to her couch, found herself able to sit up, to be 
 driven in a carriage, and even to walk. She was also able occa- 
 sionally to bear the fatigue of attending public worship. It was 
 with feelings of inexpressible delight that she beheld once more 
 the long unseen face of nature, and appreciated with new zest 
 the beauty of the world around her, as only a convalescent after 
 long illness is able to do. 
 
 ' The common air, the earth, and skies, 
 To him are opening Paradise.' 
 
 So complete and satisfactory was the amendment that arrange- 
 ments were made by Mr. Ellis for returning to their beloved 
 sphere of labour in the South Seas ; and it was confidently 
 expected that in the following year this object of their long and 
 intense desire might be accomplished. The improvement con- 
 tinued through the summer and autumn ; and in the end of 
 October the recovered invalid proceeded to Sheffield, and spent 
 some weeks with Mr. and Mrs. Read, of Wincobank. In the 
 middle of December 1827, a further change of residence was 
 made by removal to Nailsworth, in Grloucestershire. In this 
 pleasant neighbourhood more than two years were spent, for the 
 anticipations of recovered health were once more doomed to dis- 
 appointment. Yet, though the return to the South Seas was 
 postponed, the hope was not relinquished. Indeed, at the end 
 of the period mentioned, it was again revived in all its force. 
 
 It is not necessary to follow minutely the domestic history of 
 this interval ; but one or two matters demand notice. In the 
 
 K 2 
 
132 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vii. 
 
 anticipation of returning to mission work in the distant islands 
 of the Pacific, one great perplexity had exercised the parents' 
 minds. This was a suitable provision for their children. All 
 who know what heathen society is will understand that it is 
 almost impossible for a missionary, whose time is fully occupied 
 with public work, to train up a young family in a godly manner 
 among the heathen. While revolving this important ques- 
 tion, the parents found their anxieties removed in an unex- 
 pected manner by the considerate kindness and generosity of 
 Christian friends. Amongst the first to offer a solution of the 
 difficulty were the brother-in-law and sister of Dr. Chalmers, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Morton, who resided at Chester Hill — Mr. Morton 
 being at the time the Agent of Lord Ducie, who owned extensive 
 estates in the neighbourhood. These friends, in the most kind 
 and urgent manner, requested to be allowed to take charge of 
 one of the daughters, offering her a home in their own family 
 so long as her parents should remain abroad. But Mrs. Morton's 
 failing health did not allow the benevolent project to be carried 
 out. A similar proposal, pressed with a delicate consideration 
 that could not offend, was made by Mrs. Norton of Nailsworth, 
 and her accomplished and estimable daughters. This offer was 
 gratefully accepted for the second daughter. In a like spirit of 
 disinterested friendship, the charge and education of the other 
 daughters were undertaken by friends in Dublin — Dr. Urwick 
 receiving the youngest into his family, and Miss Wright, in 
 conjunction with Miss Cullin, providing a home and training for 
 the eldest. Although the project of resuming missionary work 
 was ultimately abandoned, these arrangements, which continued 
 for several years, afforded much satisfaction and relief. The en- 
 gagements of the father kept him much from home, and the 
 state of the mother's health precluded that attention to her 
 daughters, which was so important at their critical age. Under 
 these circumstances, the Christian homes and careful training 
 secured for their beloved children was felt by the parents to be 
 a boon of inestimable value ; and the results on the characters 
 
CHAP. VII. TEAVELLING AGENCY. 133 
 
 of the young people were such as to call forth sentiments of the 
 deepest gratitude. 
 
 Of the period spent in Gloucestershire many delightful weeks 
 were passed at Chester Hill, imder the hospitable roof of Mr. 
 Morton ; and in an equally agreeable visit, the family were 
 guests of Mr. and Mrs. Norton. During the remainder of their 
 stay they lived in one or other of the picturesque hamlets in the 
 neighbourhood of Nailsworth. It was during the time of this 
 pleasant residence in the West of England that Mr. Ellis 
 published his second important work, Polynesian Researches. 
 Its preparation had occupied brief and scattered intervals of 
 leisure occiu-ring in the busy missionary tours already spoken of. 
 It had been written under all the disadvantages of constant 
 interruption and distraction ; much of it having been penned at 
 wayside inns, in stage coaches, sometimes under hedgerows and 
 in fields ; and, in short, whenever an opportunity could be 
 snatched from the official occupations of this laborious season. 
 The winter months afforded, to some extent, a temporary respite 
 from travelling duties, and the holiday interval was sedulously de- 
 voted to the prosecution of the work of authorship. The original 
 copy was written in a wonderfully small yet clear hand-writing, 
 and the whole was transcribed for the printer by two of the Misses 
 Norton. The intellectual intercourse with this accomplished 
 family, enjoyed in connection with the preparation of this work, . 
 and other literary recreations, was extremely pleasant, and, 
 indeed, of essential service, to the author. Whether justly or 
 not, the readers of the book in question may form their own 
 judgment, but the wi'iter himself was modestly conscious of his 
 deficiencies in early education, and was ever ready to listen to 
 the suggestions of a judicious friend. He was, morever, at this 
 time, disposed to consider his comparative disuse of his mother 
 tongue, during the years he spent in the South Seas, as an addi- 
 tional disqualification for writing English. Curiously enough, 
 he was so impressed with the effect of his long familiarity 
 with the dialects of Polynesia, that he used to assert that 
 
134 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vii. 
 
 speaking English made his face ache — the liquid, flowing, vowel 
 sounds of the languages of the South Seas being much more 
 easy to utter than English words, in which sibilants and conso- 
 nants preponderate. His friends scarcely sympathised with him 
 in the diffident estimate he formed of his own powers. 
 
 The appearance of Polynesian Researches very gi-eatly en- 
 hanced its author's reputation. It was applauded by the con- 
 temporary press in a spirit very different from the reception 
 which missionary records had heretofore too often met. Like 
 its predecessor, it was read extensively by a class of persons 
 hitherto prejudiced against, or indifferent to, those schemes of 
 Christian philanthropy which the book was designed to illus- 
 trate and promote. It tended, in no small degree, to raise the 
 character of the missionary to the heathen, and the claims of 
 his work in public estimation. It is scarcely too much to say, 
 that its publication effected a revolution in the general senti- 
 ments of all but the most determined enemies of religious en- 
 lightenment, and the mission work of the Church. It brought 
 the author into intimate acquaintance with many of the best 
 and noblest men of the day. The favour which it met with 
 surprised none so much as himself. The commendation it re- 
 ceived from some of the foremost Keviews of the period may be 
 inferred from the terms in which Southey speaks of it in the 
 Quarterly Review. ' A more interesting work than this,' 
 says that able critic, ' we have never perused.' The influence it 
 exerted is indeed difficult to estimate, and will, perhaps, scarcely 
 ever be fully known. Men grown grey in the work of the 
 Christian ministry, veterans who have toiled amongst heathen 
 tribes in distant lands, attribute their earliest inspirations to 
 the perusal of those fascinating pages ; statesmen, at home and 
 abroad, read them with interest, and men of science and of 
 letters gathered from them new treasures to enrich their stores 
 of knowledge ; while the Christian in every walk of life could 
 not fail to have his ardoiu- quickened thereby in the noble work 
 of bringing all men to the knowledge of the Saviour. 
 
CHAP. VII. TKAVELLING AGENCY. 135 
 
 The deep impression which these missionary narratives made 
 upon the mind of at least one good and great man, will be 
 illustrated by the following interesting correspondence, which 
 took place about that time. The circumstances under which 
 the letters were penned were as follows. The custom, since 
 superseded by photographic albums, of collecting in an auto- 
 graph book, the handwriting of friends or celebrities, was then 
 very common ; and Mrs. Ellis possessed one of more than ordi- 
 nary interest, containing, as it did, autograph contributions 
 from such persons as S. T. Coleridge, Eobert Southey, Hannah 
 Moore, Eobert Hall, John Foster, William Wilberforce, Row- 
 land Hill, Thomas Chalmers, and other eminent characters. 
 Among the number, Richard Winter Hamilton of Leeds, had 
 written a poetical effusion in which he described the enthu- 
 siasm kindled in his mind by the account of missionary life in 
 the South Seas, and the strong desire it had awakened to engage 
 personally in the work — a desire which, the writer averred, 
 nothing but a weak vacillation of purpose, and an unworthy 
 moral cowardice, had prevented him from carrying into effect. 
 Mr. Ellis felt himself constrained by this frank confession to 
 write to his friend, earnestly entreating him to reconsider the 
 subject. This letter, which has apparently not been preserved, 
 called forth the following reply and rejoinder : 
 
 From Richard Winter Hamilton. 
 
 ' Leeds. 
 
 ' My dear Friend, — Often have I taken up my pen to answer 
 your apparently long neglected letter, and have as often laid it 
 aside. My mind is still in tiurmoil, and little able to convey 
 its ideas, or rather shadows of ideas. But I can refrain no longer 
 from expressing my deepfelt gratitude to you for your most 
 affectionate, and, whatever be the issue, your most profitable 
 remonstrance. I hope never to lose the benefit of it — assvu-edly 
 I can never forget nor undervalue the excellent motives which 
 prompted it. 
 
136 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vii. 
 
 ' I quite forget the few hastily composed lines which I felt it 
 an honour to contribute to your lady's album. To have any 
 place in the memory of one so devoted, to contribute in any 
 way to the momentary relief of one so afflicted, was a privilege 
 I could not forego. The sentiment I well remember. It sprang 
 not up for the first time then. For never could I see a 
 missionary but I envied him ; never did I hear of missionary 
 success but I sighed to have had a share in achieving it. 
 
 ' There is one dear friend from whom I conceal nothing, with 
 whom I have frequently interchanged ideas. Ely of Rochdale 
 and myself have often conversed about the point of duty. And 
 other friends, less confidentially endeared, have been occasionally 
 the depositaries of feelings which I was not only impelled to un- 
 bosom but anxious to impart. One thing I may just say has 
 been a favourite topic of mine. I have pressed it again and 
 again. I have thought and said, that if a dozen, fewer or more, 
 settled ministers, comfortable, useful, established in every sense, 
 would propose themselves for the arduous work — ministers who 
 would have to tear themselves from their homes — ministers of 
 rank, influence, and not only .talent, but commanding popular 
 talent — ministers who have been known as advocates of it long, 
 blowing the trumpet to the host, if such would volunteer their 
 personal service, east, west, north, or south — a new movement 
 would be given to the Christian public, a new era would be 
 dated in missionary history. The lurking suspicion that we 
 love to shirk our duty and exonerate ourselves, must be done 
 away, and our portion of the Christian Church assume an aspect 
 oi earnest sincerity which I fear it too greatly fails to present. 
 Oh, believe me, how have I panted to be enrolled among that 
 few, that happy few, that band of brothers. 
 
 ' If I know myself, I could not refuse to go forth were my duty 
 plain. How am I to know it ? I think that shoidd such a case 
 as this be put — a minister perfectly happy in the kindness and 
 respect of his people, occupying an important station, animated 
 by an increasing audience and church, with three motherless 
 
CHAP. VII. TRAVELLING AGENCY. 137 
 
 babes looking to him for education and protection — ought he to 
 ' go up ' ? I suppose the general verdict would negative it. I 
 say not that this quite satisfies me. 
 
 ' A\^hat seems to disqualify me for the glorious undertaking is 
 what I must " speak to my shame." I have not that qmck 
 sensitive all-absorbing zeal which must be required. Alas, I 
 have ungodly relatives with whom I often mix, yet I say nothing 
 to arouse them to a sense of their danger. I am surrounded 
 by thousands of most ignorant and vicious persons, and still I 
 am afraid and loth to interfere with them. I see and hear 
 misery on every side — I want the courage to address the remedy. 
 I love the quiet of my regidar duties — my, what the venerable 
 Waugh called, " ignoble anchorage." Should I be fit to go to the 
 high places of the field ? And thus I reason with myself ; my 
 deceitful heart sometimes offering a sophism which I at once 
 detect, at others imposing upon me one it may be as illusory 
 but which I cannot overthrow. Cannot I pray after all — " show 
 me thy way, Grod " ? Pray, dear friend, not only this for me, 
 but that I may have disposition, when that " way is shown," to 
 follow — a coincidence which I dare not pledge. 
 
 ' I promised you but the shadows of ideas. I am afraid you 
 will not understand me. I do not myself. There is a confusion 
 in my soul which I cannot unravel. Oh, for light from Heaven ! 
 If you should think me worthy of another communication be 
 sure I shall treasure it ; never shall I lose the remembrance of 
 this act of kindness towards one whose constant fear is that he 
 will be cast away as an unprofitable and slothful servant, whose 
 best hope is that he may just be saved from hell, and that so as 
 by fire. But enough : all good be with you ; my heart thanks 
 you and blesses you ; forget me not to your excellent partner ; 
 may God be the guide, strength, and portion of you both. 
 ' Ever your sincere and grateful friend, 
 
 ' EiCHARD Winter Hamilton.' 
 
138 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vn. 
 
 F7'om W. Ellis to R. W. Hamilton. 
 
 ' Mission College, Hoxton. 
 
 ' My dear Brother, — The very kind manner in which you have 
 replied to my unbidden, but, I now believe, not unwelcome 
 communication, on the subject of missionary engagements, has 
 been, I confess, truly gratifying to my mind. The apprehension 
 that you might regard my remarks as obtrusive did, though but 
 transiently, possess my mind. I was, however, impelled by a 
 powerful sense of duty to offer, whatever might be the result, 
 not what you have I firmly believe by mistake called a " re- 
 monstrance," but an invitation, that you would review a subject 
 which I was convinced was not unfamiliar to your thoughts, 
 and at the same time replete with all that was important in time 
 and eternity to perhaps millions of your species. Your letter 
 has corroborated my convictions ; and under this impression I 
 could now fully pour out before you the whole flow of my own 
 soul — my hopes, and desires, and feelings, and reasons ; but I 
 deem it most expedient to forbear, lest I should unduly influence 
 your mind. I feel that in this matter I am acting under God, 
 and would, therefore, offer no remark that will not bear His 
 scrutiny now, and the most mature consideration in any period 
 of trial that might hereafter arrive. Were I to give expression 
 to my feelings and desires, and my own impressions as to the 
 beneficial results that would accrue to the missionary cause and 
 to the heathen world, I should urge upon your consideration 
 every inducement to engage in this work. But in a matter so 
 intimately connected with every earthly interest, and the future 
 destiny in this life and the next, my opinion and desires ought 
 not to be the rule of your procedure. Every missionary should 
 be satisfied in his oiun rtiind that it is his duty to engage in 
 the work ; that, so far as he can determine the Divine will con- 
 cerning him, he is called to it of God. This I deem essential ; 
 and it will constitute a foundation for peace and satisfaction 
 amidst the greatest difficulties. Anything that I may offer, 
 
CHAP. VII. TRAVELLING AGENCY. 139 
 
 therefore, will only be in the humble hope of assisting you in 
 this inquiry. 
 
 ' I have several times been placed in circumstances under which 
 it was difficult to ascertain the will of God, but in which it was 
 necessary for me to act, and that act has very materially affected 
 my future life. It is our privilege to be encouraged to commit 
 our way unto Him who has promised to direct the steps of his 
 people ; but I need not observe to you that, with the most entire 
 reliance on every promise of Divine guidance, we are not to 
 expect any extraordinary or supernatural manifestations, but are 
 to apply general principles to particular circumstances. One 
 prerequisite to the right understanding of the will of Grod, I 
 have always considered to be, a postponement or suspension 
 of my own determination, until, so far as I was able, I had 
 endeavoured to ascertain this. Many persons err in this. They 
 make up their minds to a certain procedure, and ask Divine 
 direction, seeking, not so much to know the will of God, as to 
 discover something that will warrant the inference that God will 
 approve the course they have already determined, if possible, to 
 pursue. 
 
 ' I know it is difficult to contemplate impartially two or more 
 important measures with a strong bias towards one or the other. 
 The means I have usually found satisfactory to my own mind 
 have been — first, the sacred oracles. I need not here refer to 
 the very explicit warrant they furnish for engaging in mission- 
 ary undertakings. Next to this, I have ever deemed it a privi- 
 lege to avail myself of the advice of pious, judicious, well-informed 
 and, if possible, unbiassed friends. But the diversity of opinion 
 sometimes given serves often to perplex rather than to direct. 
 Lastly, I have endeavoured to exercise, with the utmost care, my 
 own judgment — to examine the origin and tendency of my 
 motives or desires. I would carefully avoid indulging for a 
 moment the sentiment that impulse is to be the rule of conduct, 
 or that we are to submit judgment to feeling ; yet I do think 
 that when it is in accordance with the Word of God, the design 
 
140 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vh. 
 
 of the Gospel, the advancement of the great ends of our existence, 
 and the opinion of good men, a strong conviction of duty to en- 
 gage in a work — a desire for it from motives such as God will 
 approve — that very impression, or conviction, or bias, is a strong 
 indication of the will of God concerning us. This is, I think, 
 in most cases, the first secret spring that puts in motion those 
 feelings and deliberations that lead to the work of the Christian 
 ministry at home, and the missionary enterprise abroad. It was 
 this bias, originating in a circumstance comparatively trivial, 
 that induced me to commence that train of thought and inquiry 
 which resulted in the conviction that it was my duty to tender 
 my services for this work. It was, my dear brother, the dis- 
 covery of this impression existing in your mind that prompted 
 me to bring the subject under your review ; as it was possible 
 that, by a reconsideration of it, you might receive such light and 
 guidance as should satisfy your mind that it was the will of God 
 that you should go forth. 
 
 ' I have often felt with you how desirable it woidd be that a 
 number of ministers, such as those you describe, should engage 
 personally in the work ; but perhaps we must not expect it at 
 once. Freeman, of Kidderminster, going out to Madagascar, is 
 an illustration ; and he has indeed a most important station. 
 There is a feeling in favour of the work among the students at 
 Glasgow and at Highbury. I have met with many, in different 
 parts of the country who have expressed a similar desire ; but 
 there has always been something that has marred their extensi\'e 
 usefulness at home, and it has been a kind of alternative experi- 
 ment they have wished to try. Others have had such family or 
 pecuniary embarrassments as have precluded the idea of their 
 engaging in it. I think this the greatest difficulty that many 
 able and well-qualified ministers feel. I am, however, not without 
 hopes that greater numbers wiU yet enter the field ; and every 
 fresh instance I consider increasingly valuable, not only for the 
 amount of energy brought to bear on the heathen world, but on 
 account of the influence of such dedications on ministers and 
 churches at home. 
 
CHAP. vii. TRAVELLING AGENCY. 141 
 
 ' Your own case, as you have put it, is certainly a strong one ; 
 and I agree with you that the general verdict would be a nega- 
 tive ; but I would put a stronger case, so far as it respects the 
 dearest and tenderest bonds that bind you here. I do not leave 
 an important station, an increasing audience and church, but I ex- 
 pect to leave not three but four dear children — so far as it regards 
 the watchful care in moulding their plastic minds and forming 
 their futm-e characters — motherless. I expect to leave my beloved 
 wife — sharer of my joys and griefs, my toils and my repose on 
 heathen groimd — in the midst of kind friends indeed, but con- 
 fined to a couch of languishing and pain. I feel convinced that 
 were our case submitted to public decision, that verdict would 
 detain me at home. Yet my dear wife and myself, after painful 
 deliberation, and intimately acquainted as we are with all left 
 here and to be endured there, think it my duty to go — of course 
 for a limited period only. For a limited period only would I 
 advise your engagement, were you to devote yourself to the 
 work. At the expiration of this, if it were desirable, you covdd 
 honourably continue in the field, or, otherwise, as honourably 
 return. 
 
 ' With regard to qualifications, we are perhaps seldom the most 
 competent judges of our own fitness for stations that we may be 
 called to fill. I was struck with the resemblance between your 
 feelings and my own concerning ungodly relatives, and the 
 conduct to be pursued towards those with whom we associate ; 
 and often write bitter things against myself for my inconsistency 
 in this respect. I could stand up in the midst of a heathen 
 assembly, and tell them to flee from the wrath to come, and, I 
 sometimes hope, lay down my life rather than deny my Lord ; 
 yet, when introduced to a party of friends, or seated for many 
 hoiu-s in a stage coach with those whose conversation is often 
 interesting, but who, whatever they possess, plainly want the one 
 thing needful, my dastardly fear of being thought puritanical 
 or conspicuous on account of my religion, will doom me to sit 
 silent and self-condemned during the whole journey. 
 
142 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vii. 
 
 ' The close of your letter deeply affected me. I sympathise 
 tenderly with you. The mind is relieved by sympathy, and by 
 miburdening itself of its sorrows. Your feelings on this point 
 are not peculiar. Often after services that appear to have excited 
 the deepest interest, I return under emotions of keenest angiush. 
 The benefit others may have enjoyed appears to heighten my own 
 pain, that I have declared and described what I do not feel — 
 that after all I shall become a castaway — that even the heathen, 
 whom I may have been employed to bring to Christ, shall at 
 the last day look in vain for me among the blessed. The heart 
 knows its own bitterness : much I have been able to unbosom 
 to one dearest, best, of all earthly friends, and have never done 
 so without relief and comfort ; but there is much that is known 
 only to God and my own soul — kept from a mind already suf- 
 fering too much from sensibility, and whom to distress would 
 augment my own grief. But, my dear brother, though this is 
 often the case with me, I dare not abandon hope. Precious, 
 infinitely precious, are those promises that still invite to Christ. 
 To Him, when other refuge fails, the soul can flee, and find 
 security and strength. Commending you to this " Kock of our 
 
 Salvation," 
 
 ' I remain, faithfully yours, 
 
 'W. Ellis.' 
 
 In this correspondence, as in other communications addressed 
 by the same writer to young men who appealed to him for 
 advice, before engaging in mission work, or to ordained ministers 
 on the eve of their departure to foreign stations, the conscientious 
 missionary has emphatically asserted the high estimate in which 
 he held the sacred calling, the purity of the motives which alone 
 should in his opinion justify its assumption, and has especially 
 pointed to the constraining sense of duty which would not listen 
 to any alternative, as the guarantee of fitness for the work. Such 
 was the spirit that moved the Apostle Paul when he wrote to the 
 Corinthian disciples, ' For necessity is laid upon me ; yea, woe 
 is unto me, if I preach not the Gospel.' 
 
CHAP. VTi. TKAVELLING AGENCY. 143 
 
 The reference to his own case in the foregoing letter, shows 
 also how earnestly the writer of it desired to resume his own 
 missionary work ; that he was even willing to sever for a season 
 the tenderest ties, and leaving the dearest companionship, to go 
 forth once more to the scene of his early labours alone. In the 
 spring of 1 830, however, a favourable change in the health of 
 his beloved wife once more rejoiced the hearts of both, and re- 
 awakened hopes of resuming together their labour of love. 
 Under these gladdening prospects, they left Nailsworth and 
 returned to London in April of that year. The amendment in 
 health was so great, that confident expectations were entertained 
 of being able to leave England for the South Seas in the course 
 of the summer. Mrs. Ellis was strong enough to make short 
 excursions into the country, and the writer well remembers the 
 surprise and delight with which he saw her arrive one afternoon, 
 in an open carriage, at Mill Hill (ten miles from London), 
 where he was then at school. She was able to attend public 
 services and was present at more than one of the May Meetings. 
 
 Towards the end of the month of May, in the hope of gaining 
 strength by a brief residence at the sea-side, the convalescent 
 made what proved to be an ill-advised journey to Brighton. 
 The fatigue of travelling so far, and the motion of the coach, 
 were excessively distressing, and brought on a return of unfavour- 
 able symptoms. Eest and the remedies employed, though they 
 aJBforded temporary relief, failed to restore her to her former 
 measure of health. The first attack of illness was followed 
 by others still more distressing and alarming, and the patient 
 was more than once reduced to so critical a state that her husband 
 and children were hastily summoned to her presence under the ap- 
 prehension of her death. Again she was restored, as it were from 
 the brink of the grave, but never more so far recovered strength 
 as to be able to leave her couch of pain. 
 
144 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. viii. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SECRETARIAT. 
 
 The disappointment of cherished hopes was bitterly felt, but 
 submitted to with Christian resignation ; and subsequent events 
 appeared to indicate that the Master had other work in store, 
 and a nearer field of labour, for His faithful servant. In the 
 spring of the year 1830, the Missionary Society had sustained 
 the loss of an efficient officer in the person of its Foreign Sec- 
 retary, the Rev. William Orme. The duties of the office were 
 for many months temporarily performed by London ministers, 
 while the Directors were deliberating the important question, 
 whom they should select to fill the responsible post. Early in 
 1831, Mr. Ellis was requested by them to assist in discharging 
 its duties ; and for that purpose, as soon as he had finished the 
 missionary tour in which he was then engaged, he once more 
 took up his residence in London. 
 
 The characteristic diffidence with which he undertook the new 
 duties assigned to him, will appear from the following extract of 
 a letter addressed to Mrs. Ellis at Brighton, under date March 
 3rd, 1831 : — 'On Thursday I commenced my duties at Austin 
 Friars, and have just come home after the close of my first week's 
 work. Next week I meet the temporary Secretary, and arrange 
 what duties I am to undertake. It is fixed that I preach at 
 Craven Chapel one of the sermons. Mr. Clayton, Mr. Arundel, 
 and others say the engagement is only temporary, but that there 
 is nothing to prevent its being permanent, if I find myself equal 
 to it. I feel my deficiencies, and trust to be enabled daily to 
 look to the only proper source of all qualification, for every 
 
CHAP. VIII. SECRETARIAT. 145 
 
 needed aid. Above all, T fear lest my unfitness should stand 
 in the way of the usefulness of the institution with which I 
 am connected. I know I have your prayers, and feel I need 
 them.' 
 
 That this modest estimate of his own qualifications did him 
 less than justice, and that the Directors had made a wise selec- 
 tion in the choice of their new secretary, was soon apparent to 
 all who had an opportunity of judging ; and so efficiently were 
 the subordinate duties of Mr. Ellis's first appointment discharged, 
 that in the following year he was requested to accept the office 
 of Foreign Secretary-in-Chief. The appointment was officially 
 ratified at the annual meeting of the Society in May 1833. The 
 post, indeed, was one for which he was peculiarly fitted. Having 
 been himself engaged in mission work in a heathen land, he 
 knew the heart of a missionary, and could sympathise better 
 than most men with the difficulties and trials of his lot. The 
 agents of the Society at their different foreign stations soon 
 learned to feel that, in corresponding with him they were holding- 
 intercourse with a personal friend, and wrote with more freedom 
 and unreserve than is usually found in official communications. 
 His experience, caution, and sagacity rendered him a valuable 
 counsellor to the directors in the conduct of their affairs, and to 
 his missionary brethren abroad. His remarkable powers of 
 memory enabled him to keep always in view the multitudinous 
 affairs of the Society, and he could at all times be referred to 
 respecting the details of the past, with as much confidence as 
 the inquirer would feel in consulting the records of the minute- 
 book. His conciliatory manners, prudence, and temper admirably 
 fitted him for taking a leading part in the direction of affairs 
 where collisions of opinion were inevitable. His industry was 
 untiring, and heart and soul were engaged in his work with a 
 zeal that never flagged. The value of such a man, in such a 
 situation, could not fail to be cordially appreciated. 
 
 For some months after Mr. Ellis had entered upon his new 
 duties in 1831, the health of his wife detained her in Brighton ; 
 
 L 
 
146 , LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap, vin, 
 
 and it was not till nearly the end of the year that she was able 
 to undertake the journey to London. From that time till the 
 close of the mother's life the family resided in Islington. 
 
 In Jime 1834, the return of Mr. Williams and his family 
 from the South Seas, while it afforded their former associates 
 the unexpected pleasure of renewed personal intercourse, gave a 
 new impetus to the public interest in mission labour. The 
 stirring addresses of ]Mr. Williams never failed to produce a 
 powerful effect, and the publication of his Missionary Enter- 
 prises revived and augmented the vivid impressions that had 
 formerly been produced by the appearance of Polynesian 
 Researches. The reanimated missionary zeal of the Church 
 entailed additional though welcome labour, on the directors of the 
 London Missionary Society, and that year, as well as those that 
 followed, were very busy ones with the Foreign Secretary. 
 
 The state of Mrs. Ellis's health at this time was a constant 
 source of much domestic anxiety. Its influence on the home, 
 and on the mind of her husband, may be gathered from the' 
 following letter, wi^itten by a missionary's son, who was then an 
 inmate of the family. It was addressed to the writer in view 
 of the preparation of these memoirs ; and as its touching and 
 grateful reminiscences present a clearer picture of the tried but 
 privileged household than anything he could himself have 
 written, he gladly introduces it here in place of words of his 
 own. 
 
 'London, March 3, 1873. 
 ' My dear Ellis, — You know that in the days of my youth 
 I was, through the great kindness of your father, brought into 
 intimate relationship with him, and with the serene and hallowed 
 home which then included the entire household. Possibly a 
 few of my reminiscences of those days may prove suggestive to 
 you in your review of that period of his life. 
 
 ' It was in April 1834 that I arrived in England. Your father 
 and mine had been " chums " at the Missionary College at 
 Gosport, of which Dr. Bogue was tutor. The friendship of their 
 
CHAP. TTii. SECRETARIAT. 147 
 
 then life was much interfered with by the oceans that divided 
 the missionary stations to which they were appointed, so that 
 their letters to each other were few, and were six or seven months 
 in reaching their destination ; but in consequence of this old 
 friendship, and of your father being the Foreign Secretary of the 
 London Missionary Society, I Avas accepted by him as his special 
 charge. How my heart thrills with thankfulness and joy as I 
 recal the immeasurable blessings which thus filled my lot ! 
 About two years before his death, in a general inspection of 
 letters prior to their destruction, I came to a large bundle from 
 him, and the other dear ones of that home, and after I had 
 read them I could not restrain the impulses of love and 
 gratitude they excited, but poured out my heart to him in a 
 letter of thanksgiving to him and to Grod. You do not need 
 me to tell you how profound was my reverence for him as the 
 wisest and kindest friend I had in England. His "svisdom and 
 godliness filled me with an awe which, notwithstanding his 
 gracious and playful manner, I never lost — so that to the last I 
 always felt that he was on a much higher level than that on 
 which I and my companions stood. Whenever he gave me 
 advice, adding in his kind way the reasons for it, it seemed to 
 be exactly the very thing to do — never for a moment was I 
 able to doubt or question it. There was about him, as I shall 
 ever remember him, all the sagacity and foresight of eminent 
 statesmanship with the gentleness and patience of a tender- 
 hearted woman. 
 
 'But to return to the home of 1834. It was my introduc- 
 tion to home life in England. Everything was new, and the 
 impressions I received are indelible. I remember him in his 
 office in Austin Friars, when I was given over to his charge, 
 the morning after my arrival in London, your coming in soon 
 after and taking me to your house. I can recal the features of 
 the servant who opened the door, the two portraits, and the two 
 Polynesian landscapes in the front room, and the welcome to 
 dinner in the room behind from your three sisters, Mary, 
 
 r 2 
 
148 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vni. 
 
 Elizabeth, and Annie. And the chamber above ! That cur- 
 tained bed — that white, thin, patient, loving face ! The tears 
 gather and drop as I write these lines. You perhaps forget the 
 kindness of your mother to the stranger boy that had drifted to 
 the haven. Do you think I can ? With all her pain and weak- 
 ness, and the cares of her own children, she at once found room 
 for me in her thoughts and anticipations. When the month of 
 May brought to town the late Eev. Thomas Scales, of Leeds, 
 she sent for him, as secretary of Silcoates School, to which I was 
 going, and bade him be a father to me. What a solemn tender 
 horn* in that chamber did we spend ! Mr. Scales afterwards 
 frequently referred to it. 
 
 ' Nor was this all. Do you know that her thoughts followed 
 me to school ? Not only did she send loving messages in the 
 letters your sisters used to write, but at Christmas how she 
 made glad my heart by a box of schoolboys' cheer I Nearing 
 though she then was the hour when " heart and flesh " 
 would for ever " fail," she remembered the lonely boy in the 
 distant school. That chamber is very memorable to me. It 
 was there that we had family worship whenever the sufferer 
 was not in acute pain. You remember that in the morning we 
 had all of us to repeat a passage of Scripture, and frequently I 
 broke down. So did sometimes your sister Annie, even when 
 the bible from which she had been learning the text was in her 
 hand. Whatever the passage, your father immediately gave the 
 whole, and always finished by repeating an entire psalm or 
 chapter, generally from the prophecies of Isaiah. I know these 
 feats of memory used to astonish me. Nor can I forget the 
 general influence of that sick chamber upon the whole house- 
 hold. There was a gentleness and self-repression of a very 
 refined kind pervading the house. When it was a " bad day " 
 upstairs, the house was hushed, the piano closed, and we spoke 
 quietly and walked softly, and each heart seemed full of sym- 
 pathy and prayer. Yoiu: father evidently felt that the shadow 
 of death was on his home. Sometimes he was able, as he was so 
 
CHAP. vni. SECRETAEIAT. 149 
 
 fond of doing, to tell us a good story, or quote some funny 
 thing he had heard ; but usually he was very serious in spirit, 
 and had a look of settled gravity. He was working hard at the 
 time, for I remember that he generally came home late, 
 and often sat up at night to write. And yet how much he 
 thought about me ! He it was who used to plan the sight- 
 seeing for me, in which you were the ever-willing guide and 
 guardian, and caution me every day, as a new arrival, about 
 catching cold. I bless Grod that that home was the first 
 English home I entered. The wise and godly father, the 
 saintly mother, your affectionate, beaming sister Mary, with 
 the graver Elizabeth, and the mirthful Annie (all now gone !), 
 and you, with your kind and patient ways, how can I be 
 thankful enough that the " lines " fell unto me in such 
 " pleasant places." 
 
 ' I must not forget your father's preaching. We attended 
 " Union Chapel," and our minister was good Mr. Lewis. But 
 your father often preached there on Sunday afternoons, and the 
 earliest sermon I can recollect was one I heard from him there. 
 I think you were with me. I know Annie was. It was in June 
 1834. The text was "Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, 
 and afterwards receive me to glory." It was treated in a 
 beautifully simple way. I remember the heads : " If you were 
 going a journey into a new and strange country, what sort of a 
 guide would you want? (1). One that knows the way. (2). 
 One that could tell you about the things you saw. (3). One 
 that would be a pleasant companion. (4). One that would keep 
 with you to the end," and so on. Even then I recollect being 
 struck with the ease, naturalness, and fluency of his speech ; 
 I don't remember his ever hesitating for a word. 
 
 ' I cannot conclude without some reference to him in his 
 relation to missionary work. At the time to which I have 
 been referring, he had published his two famous books the 
 Tour in Haiuaii, and Polynesian Researches. These works 
 were the first on missions favourably reviewed in any of 
 
160 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. viii. 
 
 oiir Quarterlies. The Edinburgh notoriously only ridiculed 
 Missions to the Heathen ; but Southey, the Poet Laureate, 
 reviewed the Researches in the Quarterly with great ap- 
 proval, and this led to your father's visiting him at Keswick. 
 When it is borne in mind that your father's education was of 
 the plainest kind, and that he had been living for years as far 
 off as the South Seas, and his life had been chiefly spent in 
 hard everyday toil of every kind, I think his eminence as a 
 literary man was marvellous. His fluency applied to his pen as 
 well as to his speech, and there was I think in later years a 
 tendency to diffuseness in his style ; but in the days to which I 
 am alluding it was generally admitted that he wrote chastely, 
 forcibly, and elegantly. I remember the late Dr. McAll of 
 Manchester telling me when I was a schoolboy, that I could 
 not do better than learn to compose as Mr. Ellis did, and I 
 know I used often to read, as full of beauty, that passage in 
 the " Polynesian Eesearches " describing a moonlight scene in a 
 journey along the coast of Eimeo with Mrs. Ellis and an infant. 
 But my main purpose in this reference to your father as a 
 missionary is to direct your attention to the letter which is 
 enclosed. Many years after the period of which I have been 
 writing I wrote to him about becoming a missionary. The 
 enclosed letter was his reply. Here is found the secret of his 
 intense dedication to missionary work. No one more fully 
 possessed the specialities he here presents as essential to fitness 
 for it. It was with him an inspired enthusiasm. Not more 
 divinely were Abraham, and Moses, and Isaiah, and Paul called 
 to their special offices and work. 
 
 ' I am, my dear Ellis, 
 
 ' Ever heartily yours, 
 
 ' John T. Beighton.' 
 
 The following extract from the letter referred to will serve 
 to bring out once more Mr. Ellis's very decided views on the 
 qualifications for missionary work. After alluding to the 
 
CHAP. VIII. SECRETARIAT. 15] 
 
 advice of his young correspondent's tutor, Dr. Harris, that lie 
 should engage in the work of the ministry at home, in pre- 
 ference to missionary work among the heathen, he writes : — 
 ' I concur in his opinion from other considerations as well as 
 those you have mentioned. 1. I have always feared your tem- 
 perament was too ardent to bear safely the nervous and mental 
 excitement, and consequent debility, of a tropical climate. 
 2. Without derogating from the weight of the considerations 
 which you urge in favour of your going, it is my firm convic- 
 tion, matured by much experience, that something more than 
 a willingness to go, something more than a sense of duty, and 
 a readiness to pursue what, under ordinary circumstances, 
 would appear the appropriate sphere of usefulness, is necessary 
 to qualify anyone for entering effectively the missionary field, 
 or to justify the ministers of Christ in sending him forth. 
 There should be a decided and matured predilection for the 
 work — an impression on the heart and conscience, after much 
 consideration and prayer, that the Grreat Head of the Church 
 has called the individual to that work, that not to enter it unless 
 insuperable objects intervene, and to relinquish it unless from 
 absolute necessity, would be a positive dereliction of duty. There 
 should be a conviction of the judgment, and an attachment of 
 the heart to the work, which would make the individual uneasy 
 in any other sphere, so long as there was any probability of his 
 entering that. It is no fault in anyone not to possess these 
 pre-requisites, but the want of them has, I believe, been one 
 great cause of the disappointment felt by many good men 
 themselves, as well as by the churches sending them forth. 
 Our divine Lord does not appear to have given them to you, 
 and, therefore, though you are a missionary's son, and the 
 missionary field might on that account alone appear your 
 appropriate home, I should say, till you possess them, do not 
 think of foreign service in yoiu: Saviour's cause ; rather regard 
 the absence of them as an indication of His will that you 
 should seek some other sphere.' 
 
152 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. via. 
 
 The long period of suffering- so patiently borne was now fast 
 drawing to its close. The year 1835 found the whole family assem- 
 bled at home under circumstances of more than usual enjoy- 
 ment, and little anticipating the mournful bereavement that 
 awaited them. The health of the beloved invalid appeared 
 somewhat improved, and her appetite had also increased. On 
 the morning of Saturday, the 10th of January, her husband 
 left her without the smallest apprehension of any unfavoia"able 
 change, little conscious that he should never again hold inter- 
 course with his beloved wife. An engagement to preach in the 
 coiuitry on the follo\\dng Sunday prevented his return in the 
 evening. The children passed the closing hoia\s of the day 
 with their mother, happy to find her more than usually cheerful 
 and free from pain. Before retiring to rest, one of them having 
 read a portion of Scripture, the mother offered, as was her 
 custom in the absence of her husband, the petitions of the 
 family at the throne of grace ; and having received her last 
 benediction and kiss, all except the eldest daughter, who slept 
 in the same room, retired to their respective chambers. In the 
 course of the night she rang a small hand-bell, which aroused 
 ])oth her daughter, and her son, who slept in the adjoining room, 
 to whom, on his coming to enquire if his sister had heard the 
 summons, she addressed a few kind words. Her daughter then 
 returned to her couch, requesting to be called at seven o'clock. 
 Awaking in the morning she was surprised to find that hour had 
 long passed, and on approaching her mother's bedside was 
 shocked to observe the change in her appearance, and to find 
 herself unrecognised. Her brother, having been immediately 
 summoned, was equally distressed at the unconscious state of 
 the invalid. The attendance of their usual medical adviser, as 
 well as that of a kind physician from a greater distance, was 
 speedily obtained ; but these gentlemen held out no hope of 
 rendering any service. As soon as possible after the visit of 
 these professional friends, her son hired a conveyance and drove 
 into the country to carry the sad tidings to his father, with 
 
CHAP. viii. SECRETARIAT. 153 
 
 whom he returned in the afternoon. Tlie patient was still un- 
 conscious and rapidly sinking. All earthly intercoiu'se between 
 herself and her kindred had ceased for ever. About eleven 
 o'clock in the evening, while the family were uniting, as well as 
 their distress wovdd permit, in the customary act of devotion, 
 the happy spirit was released, and doubtless welcomed by its 
 kindred in the skies. Even in the first moments of their 
 keenest anguish the overwhelming conviction of the blessed- 
 ness of the change was the uppermost feeling in the hearts 
 of the survivors, on whose soids were impressed, with a power 
 never felt before, such promises as these : ' And G-od shall wipe 
 away all tears from their eyes ; and there shall be no more 
 death, neither sorrow, nor crying ; neither shall there be any 
 more pain.' 
 
 On the 19th, her mortal remains were conveyed to Bunhill 
 Fields, and interred in the family grave, where they repose 
 with those of her venerated grandfather, her mother, and other 
 members of her family whose spirits have joined the company 
 of 'just men made perfect,' and whose bodies rest in the grave 
 till the morning of the resurrection. On the following Lord's 
 day, the Eev. Thomas Lewis, of Union Chapel, Islington, 
 preached a funeral discourse from the very appropriate passage 
 of Scripture : ' Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver ; 
 I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.' (Isaiah xlviii. 1 0.) 
 
 Mr. Ellis prepared a brief memoir of his beloved wife, of 
 which several editions were printed. This simple record of the 
 patient endurance and loving submission of one who possessed, 
 in an eminent degree, ' the ornament of a meek and quiet 
 spirit, which is in the sight of God of gi"eat price,' has, doubt- 
 less, been a solace and encouragement to numbers of tried and 
 afflicted Christians. Its touching story is still retained in the 
 memory of many, on whose minds more stirring histories have 
 left but faint and faded traces. 
 
 The writer feels he cannot better close this portion of the 
 narrative than by quoting the following tribute to the memory 
 
15-1 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. tiii. 
 
 of his sainted mother, from the pen of a much-esteemed 
 physician : — ' Such entire acquiescence in the Divine will ; 
 such sweet serenity diuring acute and protracted suffering, even 
 when reviving hope was again and again disappointed ; such a 
 readiness to mark and thankfully acknowledge every allevia- 
 tion ; such a pervading, unshaken reliance on the loving-kind- 
 ness and faithfulness of God, under the most painful and 
 discouraging circumstances, present a cheering and triumphant 
 testimony to the power of Divine grace, not unlike that wliich 
 was borne by the Apostle, when he said (doubtless after a faith- 
 fid retrospect), " I can do all things through Christ that 
 strengtheneth me." In truth, the cheerful, uncomplaining, and 
 heavenly demeanour of j\lrs. Kllis was so remarkable, that 
 some physicians, not regarded as religious men, have been 
 astonished, and led to inquire what possibly could so sustain 
 the mind under the pressure of such grievous sufferings. Who 
 can compute the amount of good which may have resulted, 
 and may still result, from what may be termed the second, the 
 passive mission of our beloved friend ? How many, in America 
 and in England, may have had their faith confirmed, and their 
 hopes elevated, by such a convincing display of the power of 
 Christ ! How many, too, inclined to doubt, may have been led 
 to embrace the Grospel as an inestimable reality, from observing 
 its unquestionable influence in the time of need ! The delight- 
 ful imion of delicate, exquisite feeling, with the firm, im- 
 wavering constancy of a Christian heroine, is most attractive 
 and most instructive.' 
 
 With all its alleviations, this painful bereavement weighed 
 heavily on the spirit of the widower, who thus refers to his 
 affliction in a letter to a very dear friend : — ' Our loss, and the 
 desire that it might so be sanctified that we might meet again 
 in a world where separations will be unknown, for a time 
 absorbed every feeling ; until, in regard to myself, sadness and 
 mourning had almost become the chief elements of my being.' 
 A letter addressed to his son, under date Feb. 8th, 1835, still 
 more fully discloses the state of his mind at this period : — 
 
CHAP. viii. SECRETARIAT. 155 
 
 ' My dear Boy, — It seems to me a long time since I wi-ote to 
 you, or heard from yon, though your dear sisters have always 
 great pleasure in showing me your letters as soon as they have 
 received them. It has been from no want of inclination that 
 I have not written to you very frequently ; for every day a 
 thousand thoughts and feelings arise within my bosom asso- 
 ciated involimtarily with the desire to communicate them to 
 you, my dear boy, as that would double every emotion of joy, 
 and relieve half the pressure of pain. But why should I write 
 in a manner that may allow you to suppose I have pain, in 
 reference to the past and present circumstances of us both, in 
 regard to one whose image we desire may never be absent from 
 our thoughts? My feelings of pain only regard myself; that 
 I should so long have witnessed such a manifestation of 
 superior Christian excellence, and should have been so long 
 under the influence of such a heavenly spirit — such a bright 
 and pure example — have had so many opportunities of doing 
 more to comfort and promote the happiness of one whose 
 measure of suffering was rarely surpassed, and rarely borne 
 with greater cheerfulness and love, and yet have derived so 
 little benefit myself, have been satisfied with so humbling a 
 distance from the attractive model so continually before me. 
 These are the soiu-ces of my sorrow ; and my alleviation, next 
 to the hope in the pardoning mercy of the compassionate 
 Redeemer, is found in any attention I am able to give to the 
 known wishes of the dear departed — doing that which she 
 would have done, or which, if still with us, she would have 
 approved. When I turn from myself, and think of her, all is 
 pure and clear and bright. There was in her much that was 
 beautiful in that which survives the grave — the mind and the 
 spirit ; and death has rendered the beautiful permanent, and 
 has stamped upon all the lineaments of loveliness in intellect 
 and character the impress of eternity. It will know no change 
 but that of advancement from one degree of ineffable felicity 
 to another, as it contemplates new developments of uncreated 
 perfection before the throne.' 
 
166 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. tiu. 
 
 Happily, perhaps, under the circumstances, the pressure of 
 oflScial work was much increased. A few years before, the 
 first Eadama, the enlightened but ambitious Sovereign of 
 Madagascar, who, from motives of policy, if not on higher 
 grounds, had been the steady friend of Christian missions, died ; 
 and the vacant throne was usurped, after a series of acts of 
 treachery, violence, and assassination, by his unscrupidous 
 widow, Kanavalona. This event was speedly followed by the 
 interruption of the mission, and the persecution of the 
 Christians. Much interest on behalf of the people of the 
 country was excited in England ; and Mr. Ellis was requested 
 by the directors of the Missionary Society to prepare a history 
 of Madagascar. To this work he now devoted every spare 
 minute, and laboured to accomplish his task with indefatigable 
 assiduity. He expended in its execution a wonderful amount 
 of faithful and diligent research, and the result was the pro- 
 duction of a history that even now is the most complete and 
 exhaustive work that has appeared respecting that interesting 
 portion of the globe. So industriously had the author applied 
 himself to his task, that the copy was ready for the press in 
 1837, although, in consequence of Mr. Freeman's return from 
 Madagascar, who was able to supply much additional and 
 valuable information, it was deemed expedient to delay the 
 publication till the following year. 
 
 Other literary work, of a less arduous kind indeed, yet 
 occupying much time, entailing a large amount of correspon- 
 dence, and taxing in various ways his already overstrained 
 powers of mind, was pressed upon his hands at the same busy 
 period. Desirous of promoting by every legitimate means the 
 public interest in missionary efforts, he had undertaken to edit 
 an annual, entitled the Christian Keepsake, the main object 
 of which was to advocate the cause of missions to the heathen. 
 The literary merit of this periodical was far above that of 
 similar ephemeral productions of the day, and elicited the warm 
 commendations of men whose opinions were entitled to liigh 
 
CHAP. VIII. SECRETARIAT. 157 
 
 consideration, and whose praise was no empty compliment — 
 such men as Wordsworth, Sonthey, and many others of a like 
 stamp. 
 
 These literary engagements, however, were not permitted to 
 draw off the attention now increasingly demanded by the duties 
 connected with the secretariat. Political changes of gTeat 
 importance in the countries where the agents of the Missionary 
 Society had been labouring — changes that in some cases embar- 
 rassed their operations, but in others, far more numerous, opened 
 out new facilities for the instruction of the people and the 
 spread of Christianity — called for increased energy, activity, and 
 liberality among the friends of missions at home, and brought 
 a large amount of additional work upon the directors and 
 officers of the Society. More ' labourers ' were demanded, 
 new stations established, or existing ones strengthened and 
 enlarged, and the most strenuous efforts became necessary to 
 augment the income of the institution that had already effected 
 so much good, if its friends and supporters would not see it halt 
 or fall back in its career of usefulness. 
 
 Among the events of this period, in which Mr. Ellis was 
 personally very deeply interested, one of the foremost, already 
 mentioned, was the return of his early friend and colleague, John 
 Williams, from the South Seas. Public attention had begun to 
 subside in regard to the earliest scene of the Society's efforts, 
 and had been drawn off, in great measm'e, to larger fields and 
 more recent and extensive revolutions in the pagan world. 
 This comparative apathy was due, in part, to the disastrous 
 effect of increased foreign intercourse in demoralising the 
 natives, and lamentably hindering the beneficent influence of 
 the Christian teachers ; so that the reports that reached 
 England of the condition of the people ceased to be of the 
 cheering character of former times. The state of public feeling- 
 was further affected by the shameful interference of the French, 
 which subsequently culminated in the forced usurpation of the 
 supreme authority of Tahiti, under the hollow pretence of a 
 
153 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vni. 
 
 ' protectorate.' The conduct of the French commander in this 
 instance was a flagrant violation of the principles of honour 
 recognised among civilised nations, if not of international law, 
 and would hardly have been permitted by a British Govern- 
 ment less weakly bent on conciliating foreign powers than the 
 ministry of that day. Lord Palmerston, who was not then in 
 office, had expressed himself very emphatically against the 
 French scheme of spoliation, and had given Mr. Ellis assurance, 
 that, so far as his own influence extended, the contemplated 
 wrong should be resisted by an unequivocal protest on the part 
 of England. The course of events was a serious cause of grief 
 and disappointment to one whose strongest associations were 
 bound up with the fate of the beloved scene of his first 
 missionary labours. It is, however, a satisfaction to know 
 that this attempt to introduce the system of Popery into a 
 country where the Protestant faith had already been planted, 
 has, like similar schemes of Popish proselytism, backed either 
 by bribes or by force, resulted in signal failure. 
 
 The stirring representations of Mr. Williams re-awakened, in 
 some degree, the flagging zeal of the churches on behalf of the 
 Polynesian races, though, doubtless, it was towards new fields 
 of conquest, awaiting the triumph of the Cross, and islands yet 
 heathen, that public sympathy was chiefly directed. Mr. Ellis 
 entered heartily into his friend's schemes of benevolence, 
 rejoiced in his success, took an active part in the purchase and 
 equipment of the Camden, was one of the ministers who 
 delivered addresses at the farewell service, held in the Taber- 
 nacle on the eve of Mr. Williams' departure ; followed him with 
 unabated interest throughout the remainder of his career ; and 
 there was, perhaps, no individual beyond the immediate circle 
 of the martyr's family to whom the tidings of his tragic death 
 were a greater shock, or who mourned the fate of his early 
 associate with keener sorrow. Ties of the warmest fraternal 
 affection bound together the members of the little band of 
 voluntary exiles ' for Christ's sake and the gospel's,' who, twenty 
 
CHAP. VIII. SECRETARIIT. 159 
 
 years before, had entered upon their la})Our of mercy in the 
 remote isles of the Pacific, who had been dependent solely on 
 each other for civilized companionship, and who, during all the 
 period of their intercourse and co-operation, had maintained an 
 uninterrupted spirit of harmony and brotherly love. The loss 
 of a friend thus endeared, under circumstances so painful, was 
 therefore a trial of no ordinary kind, and could not but deeply 
 affect the heart of his former comrade. 
 
 Another of the South Sea brethren, Mr. Nott, one of the 
 veterans of the mission, who had gone out in the ship Duf, 
 and had heroically remained at his post through the long ordeal 
 of darkness and danger, returned to England in 1836, bringing 
 with him the translation of the Holy Scriptures into the Tahi- 
 tian language, for the purpose, of having it printed in this 
 country. This work was undertaken, with its accustomed 
 liberality, by the British and Foreign Bible Society ; and when 
 it was completed, Mr. Ellis had the honour of accompanying 
 Mr. Nott to a royal levee at St. James's, where the first copy 
 of the Tahitian Bible was presented to his Majesty William 
 IV., and his amiable consort Queen Adelaide. 
 
 About the sarne time, Mr. Freeman, and other missionaries 
 who had been compelled to leave Madagascar by the edict of 
 Queen Eanavalona, returned home ; and their statements 
 awakened in the hearts of British Christians the deepest 
 sympathy on behalf of the persecuted martyrs in that unhappy 
 country. In the following year, the ambassadors sent by 
 the Queen of Madagascar, with the view of establishing 
 amicable relations between the British Government and her 
 own, paid their visit to England, and were accompanied on their 
 first introduction to royalty, by Mr. Freeman, as interpreter, 
 and Mr. Ellis, as secretary of the London Missionary Society. 
 At a less formal interview in Windsor Castle, Queen Adelaide, 
 in the course of conversation, sent her memorable message to 
 the persecuting Queen — a message to which, unhappily, the in- 
 fatuated sovereign paid little heed. ' Tell the Queen of Mada- 
 
160 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vut. 
 
 gascar from me that she can do nothing so beneficial for her 
 country as to receive the Christian religion.' 
 
 Some time after this tlie first Malagasy refugees, who had 
 succeeded, after almost unparalleled sufferings and hair-breadth 
 escapes, in reaching the coast and gaining an asylum under 
 British protection, arrived in England, and were cordially re- 
 ceived and welcomed by the Missionary Society at a public 
 meeting, held in Exeter Hall, the moving interest of which 
 would not soon be forgotten by those who were present. 
 
 In June 1836 a select parliamentary committee was ap- 
 pointed to investigate the effect of foreign intercourse with 
 the aborigines in British settlements, or other countries to 
 which British influence extended. The active members of this 
 committee were Sir E. Donkin, and Messrs. F. Buxton, C. 
 Lushington, W. E. Gladstone, A. Johnstone, Holland, and 
 Wilson. Among a very large number of persons examined, 
 D. Coates, Esq., Secretary of the Church Missionary Society, 
 the Eev. J. Beecham, and the Eev. William Ellis, secretaries 
 to the Wesleyan and London Missionary Societies respectively, 
 gave their evidence. The summary of the unanimous testimony 
 of these gentlemen, supported by a large number of other in- 
 dependent witnesses, and by overwhelming proofs, may be thus 
 briefly stated : — 
 
 That the intercourse of Europeans with the native inhabi- 
 tants of British settlements tends (with the excejDtion of cases 
 in which missions are established) to deteriorate the morals 
 of the natives ; to introduce European vices ; to spread among 
 them new and dangerous diseases ; to destroy female virtue ; 
 to decrease the iiative population ; and to prevent the spread 
 of education, commerce, and Christianity ; and the effect of 
 European intercourse, apart from Christian teaching, has been, 
 upon the whole, a calamity to the heathen and savage nations. 
 Moreover, it was the opinion of these witnesses, that in all in- 
 stances of contention between Europeans and natives, the first 
 aggression was on the part of the former. 
 
CHAV. viii. SECRETAEIAT. 161 
 
 With regard to the duties of the civilised towards the heathen 
 country, it was further shown that Christian missions, in addi- 
 tion to the highest ends, would promote commerce ; improve 
 the habits of the people ; increase their industry ; and would 
 give security to traders and all foreigners in the prosecution of 
 legitimate transactions. That the civilized nation was not 
 only bound to treat the inhabitants of heathen countries with 
 justice ; but, as the only compensation that could be offered for 
 the evils and injuries which civilised intercourse had inflicted, 
 the wronged and unprotected tribes were entitled to the intro- 
 duction of ' those arts that tend to improve life, and those 
 truths which will promote their eternal welfare.' 
 
 Very decided opinions were also expressed in regard to the 
 futility of any attempt to civilize a people without the intro- 
 duction of Christianity. Mr. Beecham gave the details of an 
 experiment of the kind that had been made by the Wesleyans 
 in Western Africa, to prepare the way for religious teaching, by 
 prior instruction in the arts of civilized life. The trial had 
 signally failed. So also had similar endeavours to civilize the 
 North American Indians. The principal reasons advanced for 
 this view — though it had been adopted from practical expe- 
 rience rather than from theoretical inference — were, that there 
 was no adequate motive to induce men to undertake and per- 
 severe in the task of merely civilizing the heathen ; the love of 
 souls, which Christianity alone supplies, was necessary to sustain 
 the enthusiasm, the self-denial, and the patience so essential 
 in the reformer of the heathen. And further, the advantage 
 of civilization was not obvious or attractive enough to the 
 savage to induce him to abandon his former habits. He pre- 
 ferred his freedom and the wild delight of his primitive mode 
 of life to the restraints and the labour imposed by civilization. 
 The foregoing evidence was not suffered to lie buried in the 
 parliamentary Blue Books, but was published in full in a sepa- 
 rate pamphlet by the societies represented at the examination, 
 and widely distributed, in order that greater publicity might be 
 
 M 
 
162 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. viii. 
 
 given to the emphatic testimony elicited in favour of the prin- 
 ciple, that Christianity is the only foundation of true civiliza- 
 tion. 
 
 The public events thus briefly noticed were among those in 
 which the personal history and official work of the Secretary 
 were most closely associated. It will be convenient now to 
 resume the story of his domestic life. 
 
 The lighter literary labour that filled up to overflowing the 
 time of this indefatigable worker was pleasantly relieved by the 
 intercourse which it involved with many eminent and interesting 
 characters of the day. Of this number was Miss Sarah Stickney, 
 a writer, even then, of no mean reputation, whose most 
 ambitious work, at that time, was a beautifully written series of 
 essays on the Poetry of Life. Mr. Ellis met her, for the first 
 time, at the house of their mutual friend Thomas Pringle, the 
 African traveller and poet. Finding that his new acquaintance 
 was warmly interested in missionary enterprises — an interest 
 that had been mainly kindled by the perusal of Polynesian 
 Researches — the editor of the Christian Keepsake enlisted 
 her services in that publication. She very cheerfully complied 
 with his request, and was an industrious and able contributor to 
 the pages of the Annual as long as it lasted. The mutual 
 regard springing up in this first interview, and increased by the 
 correspondence to which it led, was strengthened by subsequent 
 opportunities of personal intercourse in the midst of Miss 
 Stickney's family connections and friends in Yorkshire, and 
 grew at length into an interest of the deepest character. The 
 subject of a second marriage had been presented to the mind of 
 the widower even before his bereavement, by his loving wife, 
 who in the gentlest and tenderest manner had expressed her 
 wish that, after she was gone, he would seek a helpmate for 
 himself, and a friend to their motherless children, stipulating 
 only, with maternal instinct, that the chosen companion should 
 be one who would be kind to them. This sacred trust no one 
 could have enshrined in his heart with more holy fidelity than 
 
CHAP. viii. SECKETAEIAT. 163 
 
 he in whom that dying confidence was reposed. When the 
 intimacy akeady mentioned, brought the subject before his 
 mind, one of the first steps he took in the matter was to 
 consult his children, especially the elder ones, and ascertain 
 their wishes. He found them desirous that he should enter 
 into the new relationship, and disposed to receive their 
 father's friend, whom they then knew only from her writings, 
 with all cordiality and affection. From this source they 
 inferred her kindness of heart and refinement of feeling ; and 
 knowing the sensitiveness of their parent's spirit, and how 
 deeply his happiness would be affected by the disposition and 
 character of one who would be admitted to so close an intimacy, 
 the estimate they had formed was high indeed. Writing in 
 reference to this subject to one who knew him well, and who 
 had ventured to suggest a caution, lest his delicacy of feeling 
 and quick susceptibilities might render him too exacting, or 
 expose him to undesigned pain, he thus speaks of himself: 
 'I fear the quality you speak of is not to be traced to the 
 refining process which you suppose has been going on, but 
 chiefly to my having been for twenty years under the sweetest, 
 strongest influence of one whose form personified all that is 
 delicate and pm-e, and whose whole career was the exemplifica- 
 tion of whatever is elevated and refined — not in external 
 accomplishments, but in sentiment and feeling. To have been 
 associated as I was with such a being, and not to have imbibed 
 some of the transcendent excellencies with which the Father of 
 Mercies so richly invested her character, was impossible. And 
 bright as may be the sunshine with which imagination or hope 
 may irradiate the course of my remaining pilgrimage, I 
 scarcely expect in any other companion what I found in her.' 
 
 A long correspondence ensued between those who now con- 
 templated the closest of earthly relationships, the subject of 
 their intercommunication being chiefly the all-important one 
 of religion. That this interchange of ideas had considerable in- 
 fluence on the mind of Miss Stickney, will be evident to anyone 
 
 M 2 
 
164 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. viii. 
 
 who will compare the character of her writings before and after 
 her marriage. Whatever the religious views of the author of 
 the former series might have been, they are more pronounced, 
 and personal piety is more prominently enjoined as the only 
 solid ground of excellence of character, in all her subsequent 
 works. It may be observed, by way of illustration, that while 
 the Poetry of Life with all its beauty and pathos, might 
 have been written by a romantic worshipper of the beautiful, 
 the Women of England was evidently dictated by the heart 
 of a Christian woman. 
 
 The year 1837 was an eventful one in the family. In the 
 early part of it, Mr. Ellis was summoned to Wisbeach, in conse- 
 quence of the death of his beloved mother. He did not arrive 
 in time to see her alive, a circumstance which caused him 
 much distress, and in reference to which he thus writes to Miss 
 Stickney : — ' I know you will kindly sympathise in my feelings 
 of pain on this account ; and will unite with me in endeavouring 
 to draw from the event lessons of the highest practical value 
 and importance. I trust the bereavement will in mercy be 
 productive of spiritual benefit to my dear father, and ray 
 brother and sisters as well as myself. In regard to my dear 
 mother, we could not wish her to remain in the state of 
 suffering in which she had so long been languishing ; and I am 
 cheered by the conviction that she was not unprepared for the 
 change, that her hopes were built upon the only sure foundation 
 for a sinner's trust — the mercy of God in Jesus Christ, and that 
 for her to die was gain. Oh how does this belief irradiate the 
 gloom of the grave ! ' The following touching passage in 
 another letter to the same correspondent, reveals the filial 
 heart of a loving and dutiful son : — ' Late in the evening I 
 went alone to the chamber of death, and gazed on that 
 countenance which had kindled the first joyous emotions of my 
 being, and on that eye which had been the first to meet my 
 glance in the dawn of existence — which had ever revealed so 
 eloquently the yearnings of the purest and tenderest love, and 
 
CHAP. VIII. SECKETARIAT. 165 
 
 which through all my wayward wanderings had known neither 
 diminution nor change in that love, but which I felt could 
 never beam with affection again. I prostrated myself on the 
 ground, and sought forgiveness from Him who had given me 
 such a mother, for the many instances in which I had failed in 
 filial duty. The midnight hour had long passed before I 
 retired, and, with a very short exception, the night was sleep- 
 less, thoughts of the past and of the future keeping me in a 
 state of great excitement. On the following day, at one o'clock, 
 the remains were consigned to the cold and cheerless grave. 
 The evening was a peculiarly solemn one. My brother and his 
 wife, and three of my sisters, with my father and myself, 
 constituted tlie party. I endeavoured to render the season 
 spiritually beneficial to my poor father ; for I found if he had 
 returned to any religious belief, it was to Unitarianism ; as he 
 told me there was a new minister, a young man, come to the 
 town, and that he was the most eloquent and liberal man he 
 had ever heard — that he heard him every Sabbath, and no 
 other. My distress you may imagine. I spoke as kindly and 
 softly as possible, for he was exceedingly warm on some points, 
 and I spoke more fully and faithfully, as well as directly and 
 personally, on the necessity of immediate inquiry concerning 
 his own state before Grod, and the only way of salvation, than I 
 ever remember to have done before — with what effect must be 
 hereafter shown. May the Lord have mercy on him and save 
 him at the eleventh hour.' 
 
 Some months after this event, arrangements for the marriage 
 with Miss Stickney were in progress, when the brightening 
 prospects of the household were clouded by a new and severe 
 trial. This was the alarming illness of the eldest daughter, 
 then in her twenty-first year, whose health, indeed, though the 
 family were unaware of the fact, had for some time been 
 undermined by that most insidious of all maladies, pulmonary 
 consumption. The announcement of her danger struck her 
 affectionate parent with the deepest grief, and banished all 
 
166 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. vin. 
 
 other prospects from his thoughts. In a letter addressed to 
 Miss Stickney on the memorable day when this afflicting 
 intelligence was first communicated to him, May 6th, 1837, he 
 thus speaks of the distressing change. Having mentioned the 
 completion of all the preparations for the new inmate of the 
 household, he writes : — 
 
 ' The increased indisposition of dear Mary has damped the 
 ardour of all our hopes ; and the account of the physician this 
 morning is so unfavourable that I have already written off to 
 John to come up without delay, as Dr. Darling informed me 
 that there was but little hope of her recovery ; that she might 
 linger for some time, or might sink very suddenly ; that she had 
 evidently been losing ground for the last seven or ten days, and 
 that I ought to prepare for the worst. This afternoon she was 
 brought from the house of the friend with whom she had been 
 staying, and after showing her over the house, I carried her 
 upstairs to her little room, which Elizabeth and Annie had 
 nicely furnished, though not without some painful forebodings. 
 Dr. Darling will see her again to-morrow, and then I shall decide 
 whether or not I can leave her. I need not, cannot, say more. 
 I feel struck, as it were, prostrate before Him who is the sole 
 arbiter of life and death, and whose will is supreme. The 
 prospect of losing one from whose amiable disposition, whose 
 unceasing and unwavering affection, I had drawn some of my 
 sweetest hopes of future happiness, and who, I have always felt 
 the most entire confidence, would mitigate as far as tender, kind, 
 and filial love could do it, any affliction I might be called to 
 endure, is deeply distressing. I have not a doubt that to her 
 to die will be gain, will be to depart and to be with Christ, with 
 that throng in which her sainted mother has already found a 
 place.' 
 
 In the postscript of the same letter occurs the following 
 touching sentence : — ' Dear Mary talks much of you, scarcely 
 of any one else. She does not appear to realize her danger, and 
 dreams of happiness when you come.' 
 
CHAP. viii. SECRET AEIAT. 1^7 
 
 The immediate fears of the family were removed, as the 
 alarming symptoms in the patient's condition abated, and some 
 measure of improvement ensued. It was not deemed necessary, 
 therefore, to postpone the marriage ceremony. Indeed it was 
 Miss Stickney's Avish that no punctilio should be allowed to 
 detain her from the bedside of the invalid, to whom she was 
 anxious to render all the comfort and relief that assiduous and 
 loving tendance could supply. 
 
 The reader needs scarcely to be informed that Miss Stickney 
 had been brought up among the Society of Friends, of which 
 nearly all her family connexions were members. She had long 
 ceased to be in strict accord with them in her opinions, and 
 having now formally left them, she was admitted into fellowship 
 with the Congregational Church under the pastoral care of the 
 Eev. Thomas Stratten, of Hull. The marriage was performed 
 on May 23, 1837, in as quiet a manner as possible, at the 
 parish church in the small village of Burstwick, a few miles 
 from Eidgmont in Holderness, the pleasant residence of Mr. 
 Stickney's family. No time was allowed for the customary 
 wedding trip, but anxious to take her post by the side of the 
 invalid, Mrs. Ellis at once repaired with her husband to her new 
 home. Here she was received with unaffected cordiality : and 
 her presence afforded no small pleasure and solace to the patient, 
 during the very brief remainder of her days. 
 
 No human care or kindness could now avail to prolong the 
 young life but lately so full of hope and promise, and now 
 drawing speedily to its early close. The warm weather of June 
 proved exceedingly trying, and brought on excessive debility, 
 under which the fatal malady gained rapid groimd. Before the 
 month was over the end had come, and the family were once 
 more called to resign one of their dearest into the hands of her 
 Maker. No departure could be more peaceful ; no bereavement 
 mitigated by circumstances of greater mercy. The remains 
 were interred in Bunhill Fields bm'ial-ground, beside those of 
 her beloved mother, and other pious ancestry. 
 
168 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. viii. 
 
 Mr. Ellis once more threw his whole energies into the 
 accumulating duties of the secretariat, which taxed his strength 
 more than ever. His evenings, and what intervals of relief from 
 official work he could command, he devoted to the completion 
 of the History of Madagascar, which had been for a time sus- 
 pended. In this labour, as well as in other literary engagements, 
 he received much welcome assistance from his accomplished 
 wife, who was never so happy as when conscious that she was 
 rendering the husband, whom she loved and reverenced, any 
 substantial help. The amount of mental toil which these 
 multifarious occupations involved, and the close application he 
 had given to every task he undertook, began now to tell 
 seriously upon his health ; and it would have been well for him 
 had he sooner taken warning, and voluntarily relaxed the strain 
 on his mental powers. He continued staimchly at his post, 
 however, throughout the whole of 1838, and part of the 
 following year. Alarming symptoms of cerebral excitement 
 and nervous prostration compelled him at length to seek for 
 relaxation and rest. His own medical attendant, as well as those 
 officially connected with the Society, emphatically urged upon 
 him the necessity of the entire suspension of all mental work. 
 The Directors, therefore, with considerate kindness, released him 
 for a time from the duties of his office, making such liberal 
 arrangements as should relieve him from all anxiety, and 
 providing for the efficient charge of the Foreign Secretaryship 
 by the services of Dr. Henderson, Dr. Tidman, and Mr. Free- 
 man. 
 
 The interval of repose he spent in England, visiting places of 
 interest, and friends, old and new, in various parts of the 
 country. So long as he abstained from mental labour his 
 health improved : but after some weeks' entire relaxation, he 
 found himself still unequal to any serious or sustained mental 
 effort. Under these circumstances, the Directors very readily 
 and cordially extended his ' leave of absence.' Notwithstanding 
 some improvement, the end of the year 1839 still found him 
 
CHAP. viir. SECRETARIAT. 169 
 
 unfit to resume his official duties ; and his medical advisers 
 unanimously concurred in the recommendation that he should 
 take a year's rest, and spend that period abroad. The Directors 
 of the Society showed their estimate of the value of their 
 Secretary's faithful services by the gratifying and generous 
 manner in which they made provision for carrying out the 
 recommendation of the physicians. 
 
 Among the places recommended as suitable for the contem- 
 plated rustication, the Cape of Grood Hope had been mentioned ; 
 but, besides the objection on account of the distance, it was 
 feared that, in the neighbourhood of mission fields so interesting 
 as those of South Africa, it would be almost impossible to avoid 
 undesirable excitement, and probably a considerable amount of 
 active work. The south of France was accordingly selected as 
 altogether the most eligible resting-place ; and in the month of 
 January 1840, Mr. and Mrs. Ellis took up their winter quar- 
 ters in the pleasant and picturesque town of Pau. 
 
 So much has been written about this and all the resorts of Eng- 
 lish tourists on the Em'opean continent, that it would be super- 
 fluous and tedious to detain the reader by any account of the 
 impressions received, or observations made over this well-trodden 
 tract. Moreover, Mrs. Ellis herself has published an interesting 
 account of the comitry, and their residence at Pau and neigh- 
 bouring places, in a work entitled A Bwmm.&r and Winter in 
 the Pyrenees. This book supplies many details which it is not 
 necessary to repeat here. 
 
 Much agreeable English society is to be met with in the 
 favourite watering-places of France ; and the travellers made 
 here many pleasant acquaintances. Among the number were 
 some friends to whom they had letters of introduction from 
 Dr. Hodgkin. Mr. John Warner, of Hoddesdon, accompanied 
 by his wife, was spending the winter at Pau, seeking, like others, 
 the restoration of health. The acquaintance formed with these 
 friends, not only contributed very much to the enjoyment of the 
 temporary sojourn in France, but led to results that affected the 
 
170 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. wu. 
 
 whole of their future lives. Mr. Warner would often in con- 
 versation speak of the attractions of Hoddesdon and the neigh- 
 bourhood. Mr. and Mrs. Ellis were so favourably impressed by 
 these accounts, that when afterwards it became expedient for 
 them to select a country residence in England, they turned their 
 first thoughts to this locality — more particularly to a charming 
 homestead, of which Mr. Warner had been tenant, and still 
 held the unexpired lease. This was Eose Hill, which, after 
 their return to England, became their home for the rest of their 
 lives. 
 
 The town of Pau possesses one advantage over many other 
 French towns, in the number of resident Protestants who have 
 settled there, and for whose accommodation, as well as for that 
 of English visitors, the Duchess of Gordon, at her own expense, 
 erected an Episcopal Church, where English and French clergy- 
 men regularly officiated. The stipend of the French Protestant 
 minister, as well as the maintenance of the schools, is provided 
 for by the Societe Evangelique de France. The Pastor, Mr. 
 Buscarlet, took an active interest in Christian missions, and 
 frequently invited Mr. Ellis to address his people. At Orthez, 
 situated in the same neighbourhood, where there are said to be 
 eighteen hundred Protestants, a deep interest was felt in mis- 
 sionary operations, attributable in part to the fact that an 
 excellent French missionary in South Africa had gone from that 
 town, where his family still resided. In the month of February 
 at the invitation of the Protestant community there, Mr. Ellis 
 paid a visit to Orthez, and addressed an assembly of about three 
 hundred in the church ; and afterwards attended an interesting 
 meeting at the house of Madame Casalis, the mdowed mother 
 of the missionary already mentioned. It was a comfort to the 
 minister of the gospel, in his enforced retirement, to be able to 
 do even this much in advocating the cause he loved. 
 
 In May, as the warmer season approached, the travellers made 
 an excursion to Eaux Bonnes and Eaux Chaudes, returning for a 
 short time to Pau. They left again in June, and took up their 
 
CHAP. VIII. SECRETAEIAT. 171 
 
 summer residence in the neighbourhood of Bagneres de Bigorre. 
 A family from Devonshire, whose acquaintance they had made 
 at Pau, received them there with a true English welcome, and 
 in the kindest manner constrained them to take up their abode 
 with them during the rest of the summer in their charming 
 house, the chateau of St. Paul, where French elegance was 
 admirably combined with English comfort, and whose genuine 
 and warm-hearted hospitality rendered the visit of their guests 
 altogether the pleasantest period of their sojourn in France. 
 The heat of the season was occasionally trying, and the effect of 
 exposure to the sun's rays, inducing a return of cerebral dis- 
 turbance, was such as to give warning that the condition of the 
 valetudinarian was not yet thoroughly restored to its healthy 
 standard. Nevertheless, many delightful excursions were made 
 to the grand and picturesque localities in the vicinity, and the 
 general impression of their loveliness was such as had never been 
 surpassed. Mrs. Ellis, in the work before referred to — A Summer 
 and Winter in the Pyrenees — thus speaks of her husband's appre- 
 ciation of their beauty. ' My companion, who has seen as much 
 as most travellers of the loveliest aspects of nature, and who 
 possesses, besides, a more than common share of the quick per- 
 ception of an artist, mingled with the deep enthusiasm of a 
 poet, exclaimed more than once, " I have never seen anything 
 like this ! " He afterwards explained, that though his memory 
 was filled with pictures which no time could efface, of the ver- 
 dant, sunny, aerial, and almost heavenly aspect of the Isles of the 
 Pacific, he had never seen before such a combination of fertility 
 and gorgeous colouring, with the hoary grandeur, the massive- 
 ness, and the sublimity which we found here.' Mrs. Ellis, who 
 added to her many accomplishments a rare and happy facility in 
 handling the pencil or brush, spent many delightful hours in 
 making sketches of her favourite views among the mountains. 
 Her husband, whose skill in drawing, like most of his attain- 
 ments, was self-acquired, and who certainly had never received any 
 instruction in the use of colours, could not resist the temptation 
 
172 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. viii. 
 
 of trying his hand. To the utter amazement of Mrs. Ellis, who 
 with all her knowledge of his versatility had anticipated failure, 
 he produced a series of water-colour pictures that suffered no 
 disparagement beside her own, and, as she declared, were even 
 more faithful representations of the scenes depicted than her more 
 artistic drawings. 
 
 While staying in their summer quarters they were much 
 pleased to have an opportunity of seeing and hearing the poet 
 Lamartine, who paid a brief visit to Bagneres, and with whose 
 appearance and speech, and the reception given him by his 
 countrymen, they were favourably impressed. 
 
 In the end of October, they bade adieu to their kind and 
 hospitable friends at St. Paul's, and after a brief stay at Pau, 
 turned their steps homeward, making a halt at Paris, chiefly 
 for the purpose of consulting Dr. Foville. The opinion of this 
 eminent physician in regard to the amendment of his patient's 
 health, and the prospect of resuming work, was very encouraging 
 — a circumstance that increased the disappointment occasioned 
 by the subsequent less favourable judgment of the English 
 physicians. 
 
 Towards the end of the year 1841 the travellers reached home, 
 sanguine respecting the measure of improvement in Mr. Ellis's 
 health and capacity for work. His first experience, however, of 
 any arduous mental effort or exposure to excitement, showed 
 that the morbid condition of the brain was not entirely sub- 
 dued ; and the medical advisers agreed in the opinion that it 
 would not be safe for him to undertake the duties of the 
 secretariat even in conjunction with an assistant. This 
 was a bitter disappointment. The prospect of being laid 
 aside from active participation in the noble work to which his 
 whole soul had been devoted, was, to one of his ardent tempera- 
 ment, a severe trial, and tested sorely his submission to the Divine 
 will. But under the circumstances he felt that no alternative 
 was left him but to send in his resignation to the Directors 
 of the Missionary Society. They, on their part, though they 
 
CHAP. VIII. SECRETARIAT. , 173 
 
 recognised Mr. Ellis's claims on their consideration in the most 
 generous manner, and made arrangements for the future in a 
 liberal spirit, could only acquiesce, leaving their former faithful 
 Secretary free, without any express stipulations, to serve the 
 Institution in the measure and manner that his strength 
 allowed, knowing well that his heart would ever beat warmly 
 towards the cause of missions, and that his chief joy would still 
 be to plead or labour in its behalf. The following extract from 
 the letter which Mr. Ellis addressed to Mr. Arundel, the Home 
 Secretary, with the tender of his resignation, expresses, though 
 but in part, the sentiments with which the step was taken : — 
 
 ' In thus retiring from official connection with the Society, 
 I beg to assure the Directors of my unabated attachment to its 
 interests, of my most earnest desire to promote its vast and 
 glorious objects, and my gTowing confidence in the ultimate 
 and universal triumph of that sacred cause which it subserves. 
 The officers, agents, or supporters of the Society may be laid 
 aside, or be removed by death, but He, in obedience to whose 
 command its first efforts were put forth, and in dependence on 
 whose blessing all its subsequent exertions have been made, sees 
 the end from the beginning, will accomplish His purposes of 
 mercy to our world, and will fill the whole earth with His glory. 
 
 * I cannot close my letter without expressing the deep and 
 grateful sense I shall ever entertain of the kind and generous 
 consideration, as well as the cordial and affectionate sympathy, 
 which I have received from the Directors during the entire 
 period of my connection with the Society, not less when labour- 
 ing as a missionary abroad than when associated with them in 
 conducting the affairs of the Institution at home. In this work 
 I have found some of the highest and purest enjoyments I have 
 ever known. It has not, indeed, been exempt from trials, some 
 of them severe and unusally protracted, but it has never excited 
 one feeling of regret ; and had I life to begin again, with all 
 the experience I now possess, no walk of life would present 
 attractions equal to those of the missionary field. My only 
 
174 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. viii. 
 
 aim would be for higher moral and spiritual attainments — for 
 qualifications more suitable for the work, and endowments more 
 adequate than any which I have ever possessed for the efficient 
 and faithful discharge of its duties. 
 
 ' Though no longer officially connected with the Society, I 
 shall observe its progress with unabated interest, and shall not 
 cease to pray that the Divine favour may rest in rich abundance 
 upon every department of its work. For myself, I desire to 
 recognise the hand of the Lord in my present circumstances, 
 no less than in those which gave me a place among my brethren, 
 and a share in their labours. I know that I have your sincere 
 Christian sympathy with myself and family. Pray that I 
 may have the presence and blessing of Him whose mercy never 
 fails.' 
 
 Men are, no doubt, often guilty of grievous presumption and 
 make great mistakes in their attempts to interpret the mysteries 
 of Divine Providence, but surely, in this instance, we may, in 
 a definite and special sense, ' recognise the hand of the Lord ;' 
 we may believe that the enforced rest prolonged the life of His 
 servant, and prepared him for the more important service that 
 was to crown his days. Had Mr. Ellis continued to be the 
 Secretary of the Missionary Society, he never would have been 
 the ' Apostle to Madagascar.' 
 
HODDESDON 
 
 1841-53 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 PA.STORATE, ETC. 
 
 After his return from France, Mr. Ellis, preferring tlie pure 
 air and quiet of the country to the crowded area of London, 
 resided for a short time in a rural part of the suburbs, near 
 Finchley. Here he remained, without troubling himself about 
 more permanent accommodation, till the question of his re- 
 suming official work was decided. That matter settled, he 
 turned his attention, as already stated, to Hoddesdon, and both 
 he and Mrs. Ellis were so well pleased with the neighbourhood, 
 particularly with Rose Hill, that they were glad to accept 
 Mr. Warner's offer, and take the unexpired lease of the house 
 and premises off his hands. The requisite preparations were 
 soon made, and early in the summer of 1 841 they took possession 
 of their future home. 
 
 Charming as the chosen residence proved to be, and much 
 as the new comers delighted in rural occupations, the task of 
 making a pleasant homestead, of planting and adorning the 
 grounds about the house, even when to these were added the 
 ordinary claims of society in a country village, could not satisfy 
 the active minds of the tenants of Rose Hill. Though his 
 official connection with the Society had ceased, not many da3^s 
 passed without some business taking- the former Secretary to 
 the Mission House. Indeed, in one way or another, he con- 
 tinued to the end of his life pretty deeply immersed in the 
 affairs of the Institution. At the request of the Directors, he 
 also undertook to prepare a history of the London Missionary 
 Society. This task, involving much laborious reading, research, 
 
 N 
 
178 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. ix. 
 
 and correspondence, occupied a considerable portion of time ; 
 yet, in spite of many interruptions, the first volume of the book 
 was ready for the press and published in 1844. Its completion 
 was delayed by a variety of circumstances ; and up to the 
 very last the author was engaged in remodelling the wliole, so 
 as to give it to the public in a briefer and more popular form. 
 Mrs. Ellis was also at this time (indeed, when was it otherwise?) 
 busy with her pen. Neither of them could be idle when there 
 was a motive for exertion, and work to be done. 
 
 Hoddesdon is situated about four or five miles from Ware, 
 and an equal distance from the county town of Hertford. On 
 the Ware road, in the outskirts of the village, there was an 
 old and wretched-looking building, which had been long used 
 as an ' Independent ' chapel. Its pulpit was supplied chiefly 
 by the students of Cheshunt College. Mr. Ellis was of course 
 happy to lend his occasional aid. His family also took an 
 active interest in the Sunday School. Signs of increased life were 
 soon apparent ; the attendance of scholars increased, the congi-e- 
 gation became more numerous, and the membership of the 
 Church, wliich had become almost extinct, was reinforced and 
 t'eorganised. 
 
 Schemes of intellectual elevation and innocent social ten- 
 dency, especially among the young, met with cheerful encourage- 
 ment and willing help from one Avhose sympathies were never 
 contracted, and whose benevolence was at the farthest possible 
 remove from the type of ' telescopic philanthropy ' in which 
 some, who decry a virtue above them and sneer at what they 
 cannot appreciate, would include all missionary zeal. The 
 young men of the neighbourhood found at Eose Hill a friend 
 ready with his counsel and co-operation in their plans of mutual 
 improvement. He assisted in organising a ' Young Men's 
 Society for Reading and Sacred Song,' whose weekly meetings 
 were held in the vestry of the ' Old Chapel.' From this, the 
 first association of the kind attempted in Hoddesdon, afterwards 
 sprang the ' Young Men's Mutual Instruction Society,' and 
 
CHAP. IX. PASTORATE, ETC. I79 
 
 other very useful kindred institutions now existing in the 
 neighbourhood. Towards the establishment and maintenance 
 of these more ambitious enterprises of a later period, Mr. Ellis 
 gave books for the library, delivered lectures, and assisted in 
 the formation of classes. In the drawing class especially great 
 interest was also taken by Mrs. Ellis, who was imbued with a 
 deep love of art, and was anxious to develop a similar taste in 
 the minds of all young people. 
 
 On the temperance question both husband and wife held very 
 strong and decided views. Both were too clear-sighted and 
 large-hearted to entertain what could justly be called extrava- 
 gant or extreme opinions, or to sympathise" in the illiberal de- 
 nunciations and ill-judged schemes of many advocates of 
 ' Teetotalism.' But they could not have their attention drawn, 
 as it was, to the gigantic and all-pervading evils of intemper- 
 ance without being anxious to join in any remedy that promised 
 amelioration. They took an active part in the formation and 
 working of a Temperance Association ; and not content with 
 merely advocating sobriety, humanely and zealously extended a 
 helping hand in the task of individual reformation — a service 
 for which many a reformed inebriate, many a heart-broken wife 
 and famished children, to whose homes, through their instru- 
 mentality, happiness and plenty were restored, even yet bless 
 their memory. 
 
 The members of the Society of Friends in Hoddesdon, and 
 foremost among them Mr. Warner, Senior, were the chief 
 promoters of the ' Boys' British School ' that had been estab- 
 lished in Hoddesdon. The latter gentleman had, at his own 
 private expense, erected the building, and was always an open- 
 handed, and indeed the chief contributor to the funds required 
 for carrying out the project. Liberal-minded men of different 
 creeds were happy to unite in this Catholic institution for 
 extending the benefits of education ; and Mr. Ellis, as a 
 member of the Committee, took his full share of the work as 
 long as he lived. A similar scheme of benevolence, the ' Girls' 
 
 N 2 
 
180 LIFE OF WILLLOI ELLIS. chap. ix. 
 
 British and Infant Schools,' was projected and largely sup- 
 ported by Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, both of whom took a warm and 
 active interest in the institution up to the close of their 
 lives. 
 
 No one who knew the earnest, yet quiet and retiring mis- 
 sionary, would expect to find in him a violent party politician ; 
 yet he knew too well the duties that were inseparable from free 
 citizenship to evade either its claims or privileges. He could 
 not stand neutral on (questions involving the great principles of 
 civil and religious liberty. Accordingly, when the subject of 
 Church rates was submitted to the parishioners for decision, he 
 resisted, both by protest and vote, the imposition of that un- 
 equal tax. His opposition and the public declaration of his 
 principles, temperate as it had been, brought upon him some 
 ill-will, and created for a time a coolness towards him in the 
 deportment of some of his zealous Church of England neigh- 
 bours. He remained long enough among them, however, 
 quietly to live down such prejudices; and, especially after his 
 return from Madagascar, when his true worth and noble quali- 
 ties had become better known and appreciated, no one in the 
 parish was more generally respected by men of all classes and 
 creeds. From the first, indeed, he had been received with 
 cordiality by the leading Churchmen of the place, and was 
 always on friendly terms with the clergymen of the parish. He 
 was a frequent guest at Broxbournbury, the seat of Jacob 
 Bosanquet, Esq., and was always invited to speak at the 
 meetings of the Church Missionary Society, and other kindred 
 institutions, which meetings were usually held in the park. 
 With the members of the Society of Friends, who formed an 
 influential portion of the little community of Hoddesdon, he 
 ever enjoyed the most pleasant and intimate relations. They 
 had been the means of introducing him to the neighbourhood, 
 and the agreeable intercourse and uninterrupted friendship after- 
 wards maintained with them, were among the chief attractions 
 and ties that bound both himself and Mrs. Ellis to the place. 
 
CHAP. IX. PASTOKATE, ETC. 181 
 
 In Mr. Warner, senior, the unobtrusive but kindly and generous 
 supporter of every useful scheme for the good of his fellow men, 
 they met with a kindred spirit ; and among the various branches 
 and members of his numerous family they found a congeniality 
 of tastes, and sympathy in intellectual pursuits, which contributed 
 in no small measure to endear their new home, and render this 
 portion of their lives pleasant and happy. One of the last 
 occasions on which he occupied the pulpit, before his departure 
 for Madagascar, was to preach a funeral sermon as a tribute of 
 respect to the memory of his departed friend, the head and 
 patriarch of the family, who died on the 6th of December 
 1852. 
 
 Having been recommended by his physicians to seek again 
 the benefit of rest and change of climate, by residence or travel 
 on the Continent, he left home once more, in company with 
 Mrs. Ellis, towards the end of 1843, and spent several months 
 in Italy. In this very pleasant visit to the classic ground and 
 garden of Europe, Dr. Harris, who was at that time Principal 
 of Cheshunt College, was their companion, and enhanced very 
 much the enjoyment of their residence in the sunny land. The 
 winter months were spent in Eome. No object of interest was 
 left unseen, and seldom has the ancient city displayed her 
 treasures of art and rich historic memorials to more appreciative 
 visitors. As soon as the season rendered travel desirable, the 
 party went to Naples, and after a brief stay there, made their 
 way to Florence, where they were detained by the attractions of 
 the place for a somewhat longer period. They returned to 
 England towards the end of the spring of 18-14. For reasons 
 similar to those which limited to a mere cursory notice the 
 accoimt of the residence in the Pyrenees, the period spent in 
 Italy — every part of which is to English readers and tourists 
 familiar ground — is also slightly passed over. Those wlio may 
 be curious to know more of the impressions produced on the 
 minds of the travellers by the ' beautiful in Nature and Art ' 
 presented to their view, as well as of the exact route pursued, 
 
182 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. ix. 
 
 and the places \isited, will find a very full and detailed account 
 in a book written by Mrs. Ellis, under the title of The Bennets 
 Abroad, in which an exact history of her own course and 
 observations in the country is interwoven with a narrative of 
 fiction, the incidents and characters of which had, of course, no 
 counterpart in fact or reality. 
 
 After his return to Hoddesdon, Mr. Ellis, feeling himself 
 settled and likely to remain in the place, which longer acquain- 
 tance appeared to render more attractive and eligible, entered 
 with renewed earnestness into the various benevolent and social 
 schemes for the good of the neighbourhood. He interested 
 himself more than ever in the affairs of the Congregational 
 Church, dividing with the students of Cheshunt College the 
 duty of supplying the pulpit. These young men were guests at 
 Rose Hill whenever they came to preacli at the chapel, were 
 always kindly entertained, and many of them, doubtless, retain 
 very pleasant and grateful recollections of the intercourse they 
 enjoyed with their host and hostess at this home-like retreat. 
 Those at the head of the household had ever a warm sympathy 
 with youth, and delighted to encourage its good and generous 
 characteristics. They generally won the confidence of their 
 young friends, and were thus enabled to exert a deeper and more 
 beneficial influence. As one natural result of this intimacy with 
 the young men who were receiving their training for the ministry 
 at Cheshunt College, Mr. Ellis took a special interest in the 
 prosperity of that institution. 
 
 The wretched condition of the building that had hitherto 
 been used as a place of worship by the Congregationalists of 
 Hoddesdon and the neighbourhood, together with the increasing 
 number of those who now attended the services, forced on the 
 attention of all who were interested in the matter, the necessity 
 of providing better accommodation. It was the wish also of 
 the members of the church and congregation that Mr. Ellis 
 should assume the regular pastorate. As his health was greatly 
 restored, and the duties of such an office, in a quiet country 
 
CHAP. IX. PASTOEATE, ETC. 183 
 
 town, were by no means onerous, and fully accorded with his 
 earnest desire to be engaged, in whatever way was open to him, 
 in preaching the gospel, he did not hesitate, when the wish of 
 the people was communicated to him, to accept the invitation ; 
 and became the pastor of the church in the early part of the 
 year 1847. In the meantime he had bestirred himself, with his 
 usual energy in raising funds for the erection of a new chapel. 
 For this object, besides contributing liberally from his private 
 means, he undertook many journeys, and wrote a multitude of 
 letters, and in various ways laboured so heartily to attain the 
 desii'ed end that failure was impossible. To the credit of liberal- 
 minded Churchmen, it is only just to state, that the subscription 
 list for the new chapel was headed by Sir Culling Eardley and 
 Mr. Puget, each of whom gave the handsome sum of £100. 
 Mrs. Ellis was an indefatigable and efficient helper in the work, 
 and in conjunction with other ladies of the congregation, and 
 friends of the cause at a distance, raised a considerable sum in 
 aid of the building fund by a very successful bazaar, which was 
 held in the school-rooms connected with Union Chapel, Islington. 
 On this occasion the following stanzas, written by Mrs. Ellis, 
 were printed and distributed as an appropriate appeal in behalf 
 of the new edifice, an engraving of which, in juxtaposition with 
 one of the ' Old Chapel,' appeared on the same page with the 
 verses, and told at a glance the necessity of the change. 
 
 The House of Prater. 
 
 We live in times when swift as light 
 
 The march of mind is moving, 
 New views of life dawn on our sight, 
 
 And old ones are improving. 
 
 We live in times when gold can place 
 Within the rich man's dwelling, 
 All gems of art, all forms of grace, 
 The tide of luxury swelling. 
 
 Nor here alone, but in the vale. 
 
 Where cottage fires are glowing, 
 The same aspiring thoughts prevail. 
 
 The same strong tide is flowing. 
 
184 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. ix. 
 
 Our cherisbed home, our ties of love, 
 
 All scenes beheld with pleasure, 
 This impulse of our uature prove. 
 
 To udorn the choicest treasure. 
 
 And shall one scene, the House of Prayer, 
 
 Alone remain neglected, 
 As if we found no pleasures there, 
 
 No blessing e'er expected ? 
 
 Shall we indulge each favourite taste, 
 
 In ceiled houses dwelling, 
 While God's forsaken house lies waste, 
 
 Of hearts unthankful telling ? 
 
 Forbid it, ever}- generous thought, 
 
 And every deep emotion, 
 If worth be in the blessing sought, 
 
 Or love in our devotion. 
 
 No longer mourn the timely fall — 
 
 The change by all things needed — 
 Of lowly roof, and tottering wall, 
 
 Where Age has crept unheeded. 
 
 Bui let us bring our gifts, and raise. 
 
 With hopes and aims united, 
 A I'oof to echo scmgs of praise. 
 
 Less worthy to be slighted. 
 
 And let us build a house of prayer, 
 
 As if we felt the duty 
 Which called us forth to worship there, 
 
 Deserved a shiine of beauty. 
 
 The site of the new chapel, in the main street of Hoddesdon, 
 and occupying a conveniently central position, was purchased 
 by Mr. Ellis, and handed over with the rest of tlie property to 
 duly appointed trustees. The building, a neat and plain erection, 
 with a frontage in the Norman style of architecture, was form- 
 ally opened for public worship on the 27th of April 1847 ; and 
 Mr. Ellis preached his first sermon therein, on the following 
 Sunday evening, from the text ' How dreadful is this place, this 
 is none other but the house of Grod, and this is the gate of 
 heaven.' 
 
 The regidar routine of pastoral work in a retired neighbour- 
 hood presents but little variety, and is seldom marked by any 
 
CHAP. IX. PASTOKATE, ETC. 185 
 
 events requiring special record. The affairs of the chui'ch were 
 carried on harmoniously, the pastor's ministrations were accept- 
 able to the people, miity was preserved among- them, and 
 generally, in their relations as a religious community, they were 
 prosperous and happy. The character of their minister's preach- 
 ing was plain and unpretending, yet such as to interest the 
 attention, while it appealed faithfully and earnestly to the heart 
 and conscience. His illustrations, and the method of treating 
 a text, might sometimes remind the hearer of tlie manner of 
 William Jay, though the style of the discourse wanted the finish 
 and sententious aptness of that eminent preacher. He seldom 
 used more than brief notes of the outline of a sermon, trusting 
 generally to his facility in extemporaneous speaking, for the 
 filling in and amplifying the different parts of the subject under 
 consideration. His very fluency, combined with his deep 
 earnestness, sometimes betrayed him into diffuseness, and made 
 him oblivious of the lapse of time. On the platform a friendly 
 twitch of the coat tail, and in the pulpit a fortunate glance at 
 the clock, were sometimes necessary to remind the speaker of 
 the weakness of humanity, and to bring his eloquence to a close. 
 The topics which the preacher most delighted to present, were 
 the gracious attributes of the Deity, the fulness and freeness of 
 the gospel, and the practical duties of Christianity ; and though 
 he shunned not to declare, so far as he apprehended it, ' all the 
 counsel of Grod,' he never indulged in those denunciations of 
 eternal wi'ath and ghastly pictures of perdition with which some 
 divines delight to terrify sinners. 
 
 As a pastor he was judicious, kind, and sympathising; and 
 his visits to the well-furnished houses of the prosperous, or the 
 humble cottages of the poor among his flock, were always hailed 
 with pleasure. He was never obtrusive in forcing religious sub- 
 jects, either in conversation or correspondence, without regard 
 to htness or propriety ; yet when occasion permitted, he was a 
 faithful and valuable counsellor. Very many have been indebted 
 to his affectionate exhortations, or clear expositions of Divine 
 
186 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. ix. 
 
 triitli, for the removal of their perplexities, an enlightened 
 apprehension of the Gospel, and a hearty acceptance of its 
 heavenly consolations, and its free and ample grace. The fidelity 
 and wisdom with which he endeavoured to help those who sought 
 his counsel in their religious difficulties, will appear from the 
 following extract of a letter written to one who had received 
 much eai-ly bias from intercourse with Unitarians, but, utterly 
 dissatisfied with their teaching, was seeking a safer ground of 
 trust and hope. 
 
 ' I will not now dispute your position that conviction is not a 
 matter of choice : there can, however, be no douljt that with- 
 holding conviction, or resisting evidence when this is supplied, 
 involves all the consequences of a matter of choice : but I will 
 not argue. To me your present state appears to have been con- 
 tinued chiefly from two soiuces, the head and the heart. In 
 regard to the first I cannot gather that you have received clear 
 and just, that is full scriptural views of the Divine character 
 and the way of salvation. Your opinions seem partly defective 
 and partly incorrect. Your view of the character of God seems 
 to have been confined chiefly to His mercy and his purity. It 
 is necessary to remember that, though these perfections in their 
 excellency and operations infinitely transcend the highest esti- 
 mate created mind can form, they are only parts of a complete 
 view : the admission of integrity, or righteousness, and truth 
 are equally essential to all correct conceptions of the Almighty. 
 A partial apprehension of the character of God will materially 
 affect our perception of other parts of Divine revelation, and 
 prevent our perceiving or feeling the influence of that beautiful 
 symmetry and harmony which are manifest in the lohole system 
 of truth. It is my impression that hence arises one of your 
 difficulties in connection with the doctrine of Atonement ; though 
 I believe the difficulty more frequently arises from the heart 
 not being sufficiently humbled, emptied of self, and convinced 
 of the nature and tendency of sin, to feel its need of atonement. 
 
 'Your views ofthe way of salvation appear incorrect, inasmuch 
 
CHAP. IX. PASTORATE, ETC. 187 
 
 as you have deemed it necessary to add to the reqiiirements 
 which God has made, a self-imposed obligation to ascertain "what 
 kind of faith is expressly required," and " hoiu the sacrifice of 
 Christ should atone for the sins of a g'uilty world," before you 
 could unreservedly and gratefully surrender yourself to the 
 truth that " Grod so loved the world that he gave his only begotten 
 Son. that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but 
 have everlasting life." And because your enquiries have been 
 fruitless you " dare not call yourself a believer." Grod has not 
 required this before you believe, in order to your salvation ; and 
 for you to require it is like saying, I dare not sow the seed till 
 I ascertain what it will produce. One of the simplest and 
 clearest illustrations of the faith required of us, has, to my mind, 
 been that of the Israelites in the wilderness, when the serpent 
 was lifted up in the camp. Here was the dim vision of the 
 infant, and the hoary-headed sufferer, upon whose sight the 
 mists of age were thickening, as well as that of those in the 
 plenitude of their strength and vigour, yet the e jicacy of the 
 remedy did not in the least depend on the distinctness with 
 which the object was perceived, but in obedience to the Divine 
 injunction. So it is with salvation. " Whosoever believeth in 
 Him (Christ) shall not perish, but have everlasting life ; " 
 " Believe, and thou shalt be saved ; " and other promises equally 
 explicit are Divine declaration.'!, and must be received before 
 any spiritual life can be experienced ; but when received, 
 spiritual life follows, as physical healing did to the camp in the 
 wilderness. 
 
 'In regard to the doctrine of the Atonement, I will not 
 attempt to render that plainer than it is unfolded in the 
 Scriptures. Doubts in reference thereto were never permitted 
 to make a lodgment in my mind since I began to think 
 seriously on the subject ; and it has always appeared to me so 
 essential a part of the revelation Grod has given, that I never 
 could see very clearly any ground for doubt, when the Divine 
 authority of the Bible was admitted. I have ever regarded it 
 
188 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. ix. 
 
 as the most gracious manifestation of Divine wisdom, by Avhicli 
 all the perfections of the Divine character were presented in a 
 degree of harmony that could scarcely be contemplated without 
 admiration and love. I have always supposed that it atoned for 
 the sins of a guilty world by rendering that obedience to the 
 Divine will, and enduring that suffering on accoimt of sin, with- 
 out which the truth of God would not have been inviolate ; yet 
 it never occurred to me in the light of a cause, but rather as the 
 fruit, of Divine benevolence. It never appeared to me that the 
 death oi Chrht rendered the Supreme Moral Governor merciful, 
 or that it was necessary to enable Him to exercise mercy ; but, 
 on the contrary, that the sacrifice of Christ itself originated in 
 Divine mercy. " God so loved the world that He gave His 
 only begotten Son," &c. " Herein is love, not that we loved God 
 but that He loved us and gave himself for us,'' &c. 
 
 ' But I said your present state was, I thought, traceable to 
 the heart as well as to the head. Are you quite sure, my dear 
 friend, that a feeling of complacency in mental power, in supe- 
 riority to the multitude who blindly follow their religious 
 teacher, has not undidy operated in keeping you so long unsettled? 
 Be this as it may, in your letter you say, " there is a state of 
 holiness of life before God and man, of dedication of heart, of 
 surrender of all things, however dear, that are not acceptable in 
 the Divine sight, which has sometimes been presented to me as 
 a duty, and upon which I have as often closed my eyes with a 
 voluntary conclusion that these things were not attainable to 
 me." Now, has not this withholding of the heart — this hesitancy 
 or refusal to give up the world, or whatever stood in the way of 
 salvation, been tlie cause in a great degree of your present state 
 of mind and heart ? Could the principle of spiritual life exist 
 and operate while this was allowed ? You say in one of your letters 
 that at times you can only pray that through any tribulation, 
 through any fiery trial, you may at la'st be counted worthy to be 
 a follower of Christ Jesus. You state that you believe His 
 name the only name given among men whereby they must be 
 
CHAP. IX. PASTORATE, ETC. 189 
 
 saved ; that were 3^011 to deny Him you would seal your perdi- 
 tion. Now, tliese feelings and views are not from your own 
 heart. Are you sure they are not the first motions of the blessed 
 Spirit's influence ? And would you not have had all the fruits of 
 the Spirit, all the functions of spiritual life, had you unreservedly 
 yielded your heart to their power, and laid hold on eternal life 
 by believing the testimony that Grod has given, that whosoever 
 believes shall not perish ? Think, my dear friend, if you have 
 not been resisting the Holy Spirit, and thus grieving Him who 
 is the comforter of believers, by i-estraining t lie grateful feelings 
 of your heart from flowing forth to Him who has made such 
 ample provision for your redemption and comfort. Think of 
 this. 
 
 'You said you had read all the books on the subject. I am 
 somewhat doubtful if you have read some of the best. There is 
 a little pamphlet, The Way of Salvation^ by David Eussell, 
 of Dundee, exceedingly simple and clear in pointing out the way 
 of life. I should like you to read it if you have not, and think 
 it might aid you in understanding the Scriptures, on which 
 alone your faith must rest. You should also read, by all means, 
 Smith on the Atonement and Sacrijice, and Smith's Scripture 
 Testimony to the Messiah, a book not of arguing but of 
 evidence, written by one who has the best heart that was ever 
 enclosed in a frail human body.' 
 
 It was during the period now under review that the general 
 indignation of Protestant England was roused by the division of 
 the country into Eoman Catholic Sees, and the Papal assumption 
 of English territorial titles for Eomanist ecclesiastics. While 
 the minds of the people were thus specially directed to the 
 subject, Mr. Ellis, with the recollections of his observations in 
 Eome fresh in his memory, preached a series of discourses, in 
 a plain and popular style, on the doctrines, the system, and 
 practical operation of Eomanism. These sermons, six in 
 number, were afterwards published, under the modest name of 
 " Village Lectures on Popery," and formed a truthful, temperate, 
 
190 LIFE OF WILLIAM I^LIS. chap. ix. 
 
 and concise exposition of the errors of that anti-Christian 
 system. 
 
 The pastor's connection with the congregation, and his 
 interest in all that concerned its welfare continued to the end of 
 his life ; but his pastorate was brought to a close just before he 
 left England on his first visit to Madagascar, when, anticipating 
 a lengthened and indefinite absence from home, he resigned his 
 charge, in the autumn of 1852, though he did not finally take 
 his departure on his distant embassy till the following April. 
 He preached his farewell sermon to his people on the 3rd of 
 April, selecting for his text the words of St. Paul at Miletus, in 
 his charge to the elders of Ephesus, " And now, brethren, I com- 
 mend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able 
 to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them 
 which are sanctified " (Acts xx. 32). 
 
 The pastorate of the Church at Hoddesdon was next filled by 
 the Eev. J. E. Tunmer, who was succeeded by the Eev. J. Vine, 
 formerly missionary in Jamaica. His health failing, he was 
 compelled to resign his office, which was then held by the Eev. 
 S. T. Williams, a son of the Martyr Missionary. After a com- 
 paratively brief connection with the (church, Mr. Williams was 
 induced to accept an important charge in a more populous 
 neighbourhood ; and his place was filled by the Eev. J. W. 
 Blore, who still continues to preside over the little flock that had 
 been mainly gathered together by the attraction of their first 
 pastor's name and influence. 
 
 A retrospect of the years spent in Hoddesdon would be very 
 incomplete without some reference to ' Eawdon House.' Although 
 not a matter which directly and personally related to the subject 
 of this memoir, it was too closely associated with other members 
 of his family to be passed over. Mrs. Ellis's thoughts had long 
 been directed, as her various books abundantly testified, to the 
 subject of female education ; and she wished to give practical 
 effect to her views, by the establishment of a school, in 
 which moral training, the development of the character, and 
 
CHAP. IX. PASTORATE, ETC. 191 
 
 some preparation for the domestic duties that would natiu'ally 
 fall to the lot of most girls in after life, and of which, at least, 
 every mistress of a house should possess a competent knowledge^- 
 a school in which these important and practical interests should 
 be embraced, as well as the mental culture and lighter accomplish- 
 ments, which in her opinion were too exclusively regarded in most 
 ' seminaries for young ladies.' That the success of the under- 
 taking would prove a source of income was, of course, a con- 
 sideration to which due weight was given in the inception of 
 the scheme. 
 
 A little removed from the main road through Hoddesdon, 
 and standing in a pleasant and ample plot of ground sloping 
 towards the river Lea, there is a picturesque Elizabethan 
 mansion known by the name of ' Eawdon House.' This was 
 the property of Mr. Warner, senior, and happened to be vacant 
 at the time when Mrs. Ellis was looking round for a suitable 
 building for her school. It was secured upon a short lease of 
 tenancy, and for the amount of accommodation, attractive 
 appearance, and convenience of site, no premises more suitable 
 could have been found. An old friend of JNIrs. Ellis, well 
 fitted for the task of instruction, shared in the direction 
 and care of the establishment, and resided in the building. 
 Mr. Ellis's two daughters also took part in teaching. Tlie 
 health of the elder of the two, however, never allowed her to 
 undertake more than a very slight amount of work, and even 
 this she was soon obliged to relinquish. She had been long an 
 invalid, and finding the air of Hoddesdon unfavourable, she 
 was recommended to try the climate of Hastings, where her 
 uncle (her mother's brother) resided. Some temporary benefit 
 was derived from the change to the sea-side, but no permanent 
 relief was secured. She returned to Hoddesdon to end her 
 days in the midst of her own family, and after many years of 
 illness, passed peacefully from earth to her eternal rest. She 
 died on the 30th of June 1858, and was buried in Hoddesdon 
 churchyard, the burial-ground of Bunhill Fields having been 
 
192 LIFE OF WILLIA:M ELLIS. chap. ix. 
 
 closed. Her youngest sister was then the only remaining 
 daughter of the family. 
 
 The school, if it did not realize all the hopes and plans of its 
 projector, proved from the lirst decidedly successful ; and many 
 who received their education there, look back with fond regret 
 mingled with pleasure to the period passed at ' Rawdon House,' 
 grateful for the delightful home influences which characterized 
 it, and for the training that developed the best and highest 
 elements of their lives. Mrs. Ellis herself, having fairly started 
 the undertaking, and secured for it a firm footing, gradually 
 retired from the active management; and as Mrs. Hurry, the 
 first superintendent also left, upon the marriage of her daughter, 
 the practical conduct and responsibility of the establishment 
 devolved on Miss Ellis, in conjunction with a lady with whom 
 she entered into partnership. Miss Ellis possessed mucli na- 
 tural force of character, and excellent mental abilities, and had, 
 moreover, derived great advantage from the influence of her 
 step-mother, who, from the first, had most conscientiously, 
 faithfully, and kindly endeavoured to discharge her duties 
 towards her husband's children. In undertaking the chief 
 direction of the school, she still enjoyed the counsel and help 
 of Mrs. Ellis, and proved herself eminently qualified for her 
 position. Her health, however, was giving way, and for many 
 months, not to say years, before her death, which occurred 
 during her father's last visit to Madagascar, it became evident 
 to her anxious friends, though she bravely stood to her post, 
 that she could not long take part in human afiairs — that the 
 ' measure of her days ' would soon be accomplished. The esta- 
 blishment was, nevertheless, kept up for some time by the sur- 
 viving partner. Miss Taylor, until the property was sold and 
 passed into other hands. Miss Taylor then removed to the 
 neighbourhood of 1^'inchley, where she carries on the school 
 under the old name. 
 
193 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ROSE HILL. — HOME LIFE. 
 
 A MOKE charming rural neighbourhood than the country around 
 Hoddesdon, with the thoroughly English character of its scenery, 
 could hardly be found within twenty miles of London. The river 
 Lea, a sluggish and unpicturesque stream indeed, but contri- 
 buting its share, nevertheless, to the completeness of the land- 
 scape, flows through the broad valley of the district. The 
 surface of the ground is sufficiently undulating to redeem its 
 stretches of pasture, meadow, and wood from all tameness ; and 
 though fertile farms are not wanting, the number of gentle- 
 men's residences, and particularly the large estates of such 
 wealthy proprietors as the Marquis of Salisbury and the Bosan- 
 quet family, give a more than usually ornamental aspect to the 
 country, together with a large proportion of woodland, including 
 within an easy distance the royal forest of Epping. But the 
 chief attraction and characteristic feature of the neighbourhood 
 are the narrow, winding, tree-shaded lanes that abound in every 
 direction, alluring the traveller on by some fresh charm at 
 every turn, — now shutting out all view but their own secluded 
 beauty, and anon disclosing a cool inviting vista of leafy shade, 
 or an undulating sweep of meadow, relieved by groups of trees, 
 and bounded by hills sufficiently distant to assume the soft 
 neutral tints that an artist would choose wherewith to finish 
 the pictm-e. 
 
 Eose Hill itself is situated away from the main road, and far 
 enough from the village to give it perfect seclusion. It is 
 bounded and approached on one side by a narrow and not very 
 
 
 
194 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. x. 
 
 inviting street or lane, and on the other by open fields. A high 
 wall screens it from the former, and a hedj^e interspersed with 
 trees divides it from the latter. The house is a plain two-storied, 
 white brick building — perhaps it would be more correct to say- 
 was — for already dwelling and grounds are undergoing altera- 
 tions that bid fair to obliterate the former character of the 
 place, and we must speak of it, like everything else in the lives 
 we are tracing, as of the past. The plainness of the masonry, 
 however, was relieved by a luxuriant Wisteria that almost 
 covered the front, up to the eaves, and twice in the year, with 
 its profusion of bloom, presented a picture of beauty that chal- 
 lenged the admiration of every beholder. Some superb climbing 
 roses mixed their warmer blossoms with the purple clusters that 
 claimed supremacy, while the border at the base of the walls 
 was a mass of rich and varied foliage and flower. The grounds 
 were laid out in excellent taste, all formality being avoided, and 
 the walks and planting so disposed as to increase apparently the 
 space, and to retain some of the wild grace of nature with the 
 order of a well-appointed garden. A picturesque Scotch fir and 
 larch, standing side by side and interlacing their foliage, were 
 the most striking objects that caught the eye, and which the 
 imagination would invariably include in every effort to recal 
 the picture. At one time i magnificent elm overshadowed the 
 dwelling ; but trunk and root attaining gigantic proportions, 
 and being so near as to disturb the foundation of the walls, it 
 was found necessary to cut it down. A graceful Deodara and a 
 bed of flowers replaced the fallen chieftain, and, realizing the 
 fate of all earthly greatness, it ceased to be missed, if it was 
 not quite forgotten. But the grand charm — the glory — of the 
 scene was its roses. They were evidently at home in the soil 
 and locality, and as evidently the master spirit of the place 
 loved them, and knew how to grow them. The choicest 
 varieties might be introduced without fear of failure. The 
 endless diversity, the profusion, the beauty, and the delicious 
 perfume which tins queen of flowers difl'used about the home- 
 
CHAP. X. ROSE HILL— HOME LIFE. 195 
 
 stead, — meeting the eye at every turn, climbing on walls or 
 trellised arches, spreading a blaze of blossom over beds disposed 
 among the turf, presenting here and there magnificent heads 
 of exquisite bloom on grouped or single standards, or nestling 
 in unexpected nooks and corners, — altogether gave to the com- 
 paratively narrow enclosure an attractive loveliness peculiarly 
 home-like in its character. The favoured flower, not content 
 with running almost rampant in its legitimate domain, the lawn 
 and pleasure ground, obtruded into the kitchen garden, where it 
 bordered the walks, and imparted unwonted fragrance and 
 beauty to this usually formal and uninviting plot. These suc- 
 cessful results were not due, it should be remembered, to the 
 science or practical knowledge of a hired gardener, but were 
 achieved by Mr. Ellis's personal industry and horticultural skill, 
 nearly every variety having been budded by his own hands ; 
 and though, of course, a man was employed about the place, 
 that faithful servant owed his knowledge of gardening and the 
 proficiency he ultimately acquired to the teaching of his master. 
 A small greenhouse, adjoining one end of the dwelling, was 
 originally all the glass about the garden ; but this was soon 
 found insufficient, and when, after Mr. Ellis's return from 
 Madagascar, many rare and splendid Orchids were added to the 
 collection, it became necessary to build a house for their accom- 
 modation, as well as for the exotic ferns and other tropical 
 plants that required a high temperature. The orchids formed 
 a marvellous assemblage of floral beauty, and, owing doubtless 
 to the skilful management they received, flourished here with 
 rare luxuriance. Indeed, both Sir William Hooker and Dr. 
 Lindley, who more than once visited Eose Hill to see the 
 collection or to examine some special novelty, assured the owner 
 that he succeeded better with this class of flowers than they 
 could do either in Kew Gardens, or in those of the Horticultural 
 Society. His name became familiar both among amateur and 
 professional horticulturists in connection with the new plants 
 introduced by him from Madagascar, particularly that marvel 
 
 o 2 
 
196 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. x. 
 
 among orchids, the Angrcecum sesquipedale, and the curious 
 and delicate lace plant, Ouvirandra fenestralis. He was a 
 frequent exhibitor at the Flower Shows of the Crystal Palace 
 and Regent's Park, and never failed to carry off prizes. In thus 
 indulging his taste for flowers, he did not, like some, embarrass 
 himself by an expensive luxury, but contrived by the sale of 
 plants to make the conservatory pay at least its own expenses ; 
 so that there was never on this score an accusing conscience to 
 upbraid him with extravagance. 
 
 Such was the pleasant homestead out of doors. Within there 
 was an unmistakable air of comfort and elegance, marked by 
 an absence of all pretension or show. Everything was in good 
 taste, and good keeping, forming a fair picture of a quiet and 
 refined English home, in the aspect of which one might read 
 something of the characters of the presiding inmates. Both 
 were persons beyond the common order ; each distinguished by 
 strong individuality and superior mental power ; yet their dis- 
 positions, dissimilar as they were, blended harmoniously together, 
 and each exerted a happy influence on the other. Mr. Ellis, 
 who had been inclined in earlier life to reserve and melancholy, 
 seemed to throw off in his later years the sombre mantle that 
 would, at times, envelope his better self, and became habitually — 
 not more kind and gentle — but more cheery, social, and commu- 
 nicative. Much of this change, most advantageous to himself as 
 well as delightful to those about him, was due, no doubt, to the 
 good sense, and tact, and genial companionship of his loving 
 wife. She, on her part, loved and reverenced her husband with 
 true womanly devotion, and from the impulse of a deep affection 
 ever made his happiness, and, it should be added to her honour, 
 that of his children, the study of her life. 
 
 Never ostentatious in their hospitality, they were yet genuinely 
 friendly, and had ever a cordial welcome for a guest. Such 
 things as formal ' parties ' were not to their taste, and they pre- 
 ferred to enjoy the society of their friends, either as visitors 
 staying in the house, or coming in to their early tea and spend- 
 
CHAP. X. ROSE HILL— HOIVIE LIFE. 197 
 
 ing- a quiet evening in unrestrained and unaffected converse. 
 Both were what is commonly understood as ' good company,' 
 with a ready flow of animated conversation, and, what is equally 
 essential, a warm and hearty sympathy with others, whicli made 
 them excellent listene};s as well as talkers. Of Mr. Ellis's con- 
 versational powers something has already been said in connection 
 with his missionary tours. Scarcely any subject of discourse 
 could be started concerning which he could not give some 
 interesting information, or in the discussion of which he could 
 not take an intelligent part. His memory and versatility were 
 indeed marvellous. An instance in point may be mentioned, 
 that occurred in Lancaster, and which surprised all present, 
 perhaps none more than his own wife. A large numl)er of 
 persons were assembled to hear a lecture in connection with a 
 literary institution, but sudden illness, or some other cause, 
 prevented the appearance of the lecturer. In this dilemma, Mr. 
 Ellis was asked if he would say a few words on any subject he 
 chose. Without hesitation he took up the topic already an- 
 nounced for the evening — one entirely removed from his ordinary 
 experience — and delighted the audience by an easy and fluent 
 address, full of interesting information gathered partly from 
 reading and partly by observation in travel. The wonder was, 
 not the fluent speaking, but his familiarity with a subject so 
 unlikely to have engaged his attention. 
 
 Another charm of his social nature was the tact and kindliness 
 that always marked his intercourse with others. Questions were 
 not unfrequently asked of him which betrayed the ignorance of 
 the interlocutor, and might have exposed the latter with a less 
 considerate companion to painful embarrassment or ridicule ; 
 but Mr. Ellis was usually ready with an appropriate and truthful 
 reply, without exposing the blunder, and so contrived to spare 
 the other's feelings. One or two instances may be mentioned 
 by way of illustration. Whilst staying once at the house of an 
 Episcopalian, the host, who had no idea that his guest was not 
 a ' good Churchman,' suddenly observed in the course of conver- 
 
108 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. x. 
 
 sation, ' Mr. Ellis, I hate dissenters, especially the Independents, 
 don't you ? ' The unfortunate ' Independent,' thus appealed to, 
 admitted that the name was ill-chosen and objectionable, but 
 good-humouredly deprecated such wholesale denunciation of any 
 body of men, and quietly drew off to safer ground, without enlight- 
 ening his host, at that time, in regard to his own creed. On an- 
 other occasion, at a public breakfast, a very simple-minded lady, 
 sitting next to him, inquired if ' Polly Nesia was a pious character.' 
 Mr. Ellis promptly replied 'Not decidedly — not altogether'; 
 and contrived so to engage the lady in conversation as to prevent 
 her noticing the amusement which her question had excited 
 among the company in the immediate neighbourhood, and which 
 the courtesy and good example set them by the speaker tended 
 greatly to restrain. 
 
 His self-command on such occasions was the more noticeable 
 as he had a quick and keen appreciation of the ludicrous, and 
 shrewd insight into character. This last quality made him 
 quick to detect, and ill-disposed to tolerate, any form of pre- 
 tension. Conceit, vanity, and effeminacy were especially 
 repugnant to him. But withal he had a well-spring of charity 
 that made him very forbearing. One of the earliest lessons .he 
 used to inculcate on his children was to avoid censoriousness, 
 and particularly to refrain from evil-speaking. He exemplified 
 his teaching in his practice. When he could not conscientiously 
 speak the praise of the absent, he was silent. His kindness was 
 not confined to the members of his family or his guests, but 
 extended to the domestics, towards whom he was ever considerate, 
 and never failed to win their esteem and attachment. Once 
 admitted into the household, (certainly they would be selected 
 with some discrimination) they generally remained; and the 
 establishment continued in many respects the same to the very 
 last that it had been when 'the master' first came to Eose Hill. 
 
 It was not to humanity alone that this benevolence was 
 limited ; animals came in for a large share of appreciation and 
 kind treatment. With Mrs. Ellis the love of animals was almost 
 
CHAP. X. ROSE HILL— HOME LIFE. 199 
 
 a passion, fostered partly by a motherless and somewhat lonely 
 childhood. If she did not develop the same feeling in her 
 husband, she contrived to overcome a certain shyness in mani- 
 festing it, that had its root, perhaps, in a manly nature, despising 
 the appearance even of silliness or effeminacy. To elicit a display 
 of attachment to a horse, or a dog of some presence and impor- 
 tance, was no difficult task ; but to induce the dignified man to 
 throw aside his gravity of deportment, if not his dignity, and 
 enter heartily into the humour and frolics of an absurd little 
 terrier or a kitten, was perhaps a triumph of womanly influence. 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Ellis were exceedingly fond of riding on 
 horseback, and found in this healthy exercise a most desirable 
 relief to their sedentary and literary habits. There was no end 
 of charming rides in the neighbourhood. The lanes and woods 
 and parks already mentioned afforded unusual attractiveness and 
 diversity, and hardly ever was the state of the weather, or any 
 ordinary hindrance, allowed to interfere with a daily ride. The 
 dumb companions of these excursions were not mere drudges ; 
 they were regarded as friends, their characters studied and 
 judiciously humoured, their comfort considered, and their con- 
 fidence and attachment effectually won. The field where they 
 grazed with the cattle in summer was separated from the lawn 
 only by a wire fence, to which the intelligent animals would 
 come at call, or without call, glad to receive some delicacy from 
 the garden or kitchen, but evidently gratified also with merely 
 their owners' friendly recognition and notice. In addition to 
 the two riding horses, a small pony, trained to draw a light 
 basket carriage, had been procured for Miss Ellis, when her 
 health began to fail. It was a pretty, symmetrical, thougli 
 diminutive roan, of a sprightly, sociable and familiar disposition, 
 and soon became a great favourite and pet. It was in the habit 
 of coming to the kitchen door for morsels of bread, and needed 
 only the smallest encouragement to walk into the house. 
 Indeed, on one occasion, while at pasture in a neighbour's field, in 
 the corner of which there was a labourer's cottage, it was searched 
 
200 LIFE OF WILLL\]VI ELLIS. chap. x. 
 
 for, but could nowhere be seen, but on being called by name, 
 emerged from the cottager's door, with a mouth full of })read 
 and butter — it had been taking tea with the family. After its 
 mistress's death it was still kept, chiefly for her sake, and, in 
 proof of the care and kindness bestowed upon it, is living yet, 
 though more than twenty years old, as fat, as funny, and as 
 happy as any little Shetland in the country. 
 
 But among the ' lower orders ' tlie character of the establish- 
 ment was a little black and grey Skye terrier, not one of those 
 big-headed, long-bodied specimens of ugliness one sometimes 
 sees under that name, but a compact, symmetrical, beautiful 
 little animal, that would catch the eye of an artist, and indeed, 
 that has had the distinction of being both painted in oils and 
 modelled in clay. It went by the name of ' Jock,' and between 
 it and ' Brenda,' the pony, there existed a curious mixtiu'e of 
 friendship and jeaiousy, wdiich was not a little amusing. It 
 was the special property of Mrs. Ellis, but became very mucli 
 attached to ' the master.' It would catch the sound of his step 
 or his horse's hoofs 'long before ears less acute were able to dis- 
 tinguish any token of his return, and run delighted to meet him. 
 A run with the horses when they went for the afternoon ride, 
 was a source of inexpressible pleasure, only marred by the 
 restraint imposed upon him against chasing the game in the 
 woods. But perhaps the crowning delight of the kind was to 
 accompany 'Brenda' in the pony carriage. W lien preparations 
 for such a jaunt were in progress, he would become frantic with 
 excitement, and when all was ready for the start, having taken 
 his place on the seat, he would seize the reins, and was evidently 
 possessed with the absurd idea that he was driving, and enjoyed 
 the glory immensely. He considered himself the guardian of 
 the premises, and was zealously watchful against strange cats, 
 tliough he maintained the most friendly relations with the feline 
 members of his own family. The birds he had been taught not 
 to molest. 
 
 The event of his life within doors was a weekly occurrence, 
 
CHAP. X. ROSE HILL— HOME LIFE. 201 
 
 which received the name of ' Jock's Sunday Class.' This was a 
 game with his master, in which he contended for the possession 
 of a fir cone attached to a string, and manifestly believed that 
 he retained his hold, not by sufferance, but by main strength, 
 and that some da}'' he would pull his antagonist from his seat. 
 Whether or no this Sunday recreation had a bad effect upon his 
 morals, certain it is that he was not a ' religious animal ' ; in 
 truth, he entertained a comical reiDUgnance to family worship. 
 No sooner was ' the Book ' produced than Jock's vivacity would 
 suddenly cease, his tail would droop, and he would slowly retire 
 1o the furthest corner of the room ; then facing round, he would 
 sit erect, and supplicate most imploringly that he might be 
 spared the infliction. No notice being taken of this appeal, he 
 would drop down with a sigh, and resign himself to endure as 
 well as he could the trying solemnity. With all his eccentricities, 
 he was touchingly attached to his owners ; and, when his master 
 went to Madagascar, was long inconsolable for his absence ; and 
 of all the welcomes that greeted the traveller's return, none was 
 so demonstrative, perhaps none so affecting, as little 'Jock's.' 
 
 The other domestic animals in the house were a breed of 
 Persian cats, whose characters and peculiarities were subjects of 
 amusing speculation. ' Tim,' the patriarch of the family, dined 
 like a gentleman, partaking of every dish, and showing quite a 
 human appreciation of peas and cucumber. The mother of the 
 tribe came in with the tea-tray, and, after receiving her daily 
 dole, retired with matronly decoriun. The young ones afforded 
 endless entertainment, which even the master of the house could 
 not resist. He would perhaps shake his head at the bare 
 suggestion that he could possibly admit a kitten into his study, 
 but the evidence of fir cone or corks suspended from the bell- 
 pull in that sanctum, obviously for the special delectation of 
 the fluffy gymnasts, was conclusive against him. The whole 
 household, it must be confessed, fully carried out the quaint 
 advice of that pleasant humourist, the author of My Summer 
 in a Garden — ' Let us respect the cat.' 
 
202 LIFE OF WILTJAM ELLIS. chap. x. 
 
 There was yet another class of the brute creation which claimed 
 high honour and indulgence. This was the birds ; and foremost 
 among them, in their season, were the nightingales, that abound 
 in Hertfordshire, and seemed nowhere more at home than in the 
 leafy lanes and woods about Hoddesdon, which they made vocal 
 with their melody. They evidently found a retreat to their 
 taste at Kose Hill, and were so lavish with their song that an 
 old woman living near declared she must emigrate, for she 
 could not sleep for the noise they made. No nest about the 
 premises Avas ever disturbed. The swallows were permitted to 
 build under the eaves, and even under the porch ; and if any 
 mischance happened to nest or young, the accident was, if 
 possible, carefully remedied — the nest replaced, when it had 
 fallen, and the fledglings fed, if prematurely deserted by their 
 parents. The sparrows, on account of their thievish propensities, 
 were perhaps held in least esteem ; and Mr. Ellis would keep 
 guard over his pet robin, that was always near the threshold to 
 receive its crumbs after each meal, lest his little friend should 
 be robbed by the cunning pilferers. Long after the hand that 
 had fed it, and the heart that had given it a place in its love, 
 were cold in the grave, this little favourite might .'^till be seen, 
 perched on a twig of the Deodara, or on a garden seat, waiting 
 in vain for the friend that would never return. These are 
 trivial details, scarcely worth noticing, some may think, but they 
 reveal a part, and not an unamiable part, of a character that 
 was at once child-like and manly, gentle and noble. 
 
 Intellectual pursuits and literary work formed, as will 
 naturally be inferred, a large portion of the daily life of both 
 the heads of the family. Both were hard workers, but there 
 was considerable diversity in their method and temperament. 
 Mrs. Ellis was always fore-handed and orderly ; while her lord 
 was more desultory in his application, and a little disposed to 
 procrastinate ; so that he would often be compelled to make up 
 by late hours and the ' midnight lamp ' for such lack of diligence 
 as the garden, or some other pleasant allurement, might have 
 
CHAP. X. EOSE HILL— HOME LIFE. 203 
 
 caused. The habit of procrastinating sometimes, though not 
 often, resulted in a missed train, or some such inconvenience. 
 When a journey was in contemplation the house was on the 
 alert ; for ' the master ' would invariably put off his departure 
 to the very last second when it was possible to catch the train, 
 and the rest were anxious that there should be no hindrance on 
 their part. The man stood waiting with the horse at the gate, 
 the boy having been despatched to the station to bring it back ; 
 coat, wrappers, hat, gloves, and everything wanted were in 
 readiness, so that there might not be a moment's delay at the 
 last. Mr. Ellis once mounted would ride at full gallop to the 
 station, and generally, not always, managed to arrive just in 
 time. His ordinary pace, both in going to the station and 
 returning, was a gallop ; and horse and rider at full speed, even 
 after the latter had long passed his ' three score years and ten,' 
 were familiar to every inhabitant of Hoddesdon. 
 
 If he was neither punctual nor methodical, Mr. Ellis was, 
 nevertheless, a diligent worker. His sermons were always 
 faithfully studied ; and, besides the books that he published, he 
 penned many valuable contributions to the current literature of 
 the day. Several articles in the last edition of the Encyclopcedia 
 Britannica, such as those on ' Madagascar ' and ' Polynesia,' 
 were written by him ; and, in short, he was never without some 
 literary work on his hands. 
 
 The mistress of the house was equally distinguished by inde- 
 fatigable industry, and was far more methodical in her arrange- 
 ments. Her custom was to rise about four or five o'clock, and 
 settle diligently to her writing till breakfast. She preferred 
 the undisturbed quiet of the morning hours, and felt at that 
 time more fresh for mental labour. After breakfast, household 
 duties having received due attention, she would either resume 
 her writing, or devote the forenoon to painting — an art that 
 she loved, and in which she showed both taste and proficiency. 
 One of the latest tasks of the kind she accomplished was a series 
 of water-colour pictures, full size, of all the orchids in their 
 
204 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. x. 
 
 collection. These were most beautifully executed, and, whether 
 regarded as artistic drawings, or as singularly correct botanical 
 representations of the flowers, they deservedly elicited general 
 admiration. Her skill in art was not limited to the pencil and 
 brush ; she was equally successful in modelling, the material 
 employed being chiefly wax. She did not confine her attempts 
 in this department to flowers, but executed some admirable 
 busts and figures ; and among the number may be included a 
 small bust of her husband, which was both beautiful in work- 
 manship and an excellent likeness. Indeed, Mrs. Ellis was 
 wonderfully clever with her hands as well as her head. She 
 was a most accomplished knitter, not only plying the needles 
 with precision and rapidity, but designing, as she proceeded, 
 both form and pattern, with wonderful aptness. A copy for 
 such work, unless it were from nature, she never condescended 
 to use. In the afternoon (it was the custom of the house to 
 dine early) both Mr. and Mrs. Ellis would usually ride on 
 horseback ; and the evening was generally free for a quiet chat, 
 and the society of one or more friends. 
 
 Mr. Ellis's poetical temperament has been already mentioned, 
 and is very evident in his prose writings. But besides the deep 
 spring of poetic feeling, which in common with most persons of 
 sensibility he possessed, he had acquired, few as were his oppor- 
 tunities for practice, some skill in versification. During the 
 latter part of his life he was too much occupied with higher 
 work to be able to spare time for a recreation which, in his 
 earlier years, liad been very congenial to his taste. While 
 residing at Xailsworth, and during the preparation oi Polynesian 
 Researches^ besides producing occasional lyrics, he projected 
 and very nearly finished an epic poem, entitled Mahiiie, the 
 main theme of which was the overthrow of idolatry in the Society 
 Islands. At one time he contemplated the publication of this 
 poem, and with that view submitted it to the judgment of men 
 already eminent in the same walk of literature — Wordsworth, 
 Montgomery, Southey, and others. All these poets encouraged 
 
CHAP. X. KOSE HILL.— HOME LIEE. 205 
 
 liim to publish ; and the following letter from Robert Suutliey 
 in reference to the matter will not be uninteresting; : — 
 
 From Robert Southey. 
 
 ' Keswick, Aug. 7, 1830. 
 
 ' My dear Sir, — If I had not been much employed, and, more- 
 over, very much interrupted, I should be ashamed of dating 
 upon the seventh of this month a letter which it was my 
 intention should have been in London by the first, to await 
 your arrival there. 
 
 ' Messrs. Longman will send to your publishers two sets of 
 the History of Brazil, of the Tale of Paraguay, and of the 
 Pilgrimage to Waterloo ; the one set is intended for your 
 Polynesian library, the other you will do me the favoiu: of 
 accepting in remembrance of me. 
 
 ' Now, with regard to your poem. You only want to read 
 some of our old authors, with the view of improving your 
 diction and enriching your vocabulary. Old authors, I say, 
 because you will find there a purity and strength of language 
 not to be found (or most rarely) in later writers. I have marked 
 in your manuscript some passages which may easily be improved, 
 and here and there you will see that I have shown in pencil 
 how they would read more agreeably to my ear. 
 
 ' You may improve your speeches by giving them a character 
 of the native oratory, and throwing into them some of their 
 metaphorical expressions and figures of speech, perhaps, even 
 some of their idioms : where a foreign idiom can be preserved 
 it gives a great freshness and strength, as we feel in the 
 Hebraisms of the Bible. 
 
 ' The old dramatists are the best writers in whom blank verse 
 can be studied, that is, in whom you can learn all that you wish 
 to acquire of its construction and capabilities ; because no other 
 writers of that age wrote in that metre ; and where those 
 dramatists end, the corruption of our language begins. There 
 is no purer diction than that of Greorge Herbert, who is properly 
 
206 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. x. 
 
 called the saintly Herbert. Daniels is very pure ; he is in all 
 respects a beautiful and delightful writer, whom it is impossible 
 not to love ; but in admiring him there is some danger of being 
 seduced into a languid style, for he frequently writes below 
 his own powers. The freedom and vigour of our language is 
 nowhere to be seen so fully as in the old dramatists, that is of 
 our poetical language. They will offend you often by their 
 grossness, and still more by their immorality, but these are not 
 of a kind which carry pollution with them, like Lord Byron's 
 poems. The manners of their age allowed of such things, and 
 none of those men wrote with any intention of corrupting their 
 auditors, or of disturbing their moral sense : on the contrary, 
 they abound in passages of the best morality as well as of the 
 strongest sense. 
 
 ' My wife and daughters beg to be remembered to you. I 
 shall be glad if circumstances should bring you again this way, 
 and I will not be in London, without enquiring at your 
 publishers whether you are in town. 
 
 ' Farewell, my dear Sir, and believe me 
 
 ' Yours with sincere respect and goodwill, 
 
 'Egbert Southey.' 
 
 ' Inclosed is a note of introduction to Sharon Turner, one of 
 the best as well as most learned of men.' 
 
 The original copy of Mahine, with Southey's pencil annota- 
 tions in the margin, is in the -svriter's possession. Notwith- 
 standing much encouragement, the author was too diffident ever 
 to submit this production of his Muse to the criticism of the 
 public. A specimen of one of the lyrical pieces, and a few quo- 
 tations from the more ambitious epic, will now be read with 
 indulgence at least, and doubtless with interest also. 
 
 ' Our Fathers, Where are They ? ' — Zech. i. 5. 
 
 The fathers, where are they ? No longer in sadness 
 Mid scenes of affliction their sympathies flow ; 
 
 Unheard are the voices that cheered us with gladness, 
 Gave strength in our weakness, and solace in woe. 
 
CHAP. X. ROSE HILL.— HOME LIFE. 207 
 
 The fathers, where are they ? No longer beams o'er us 
 The light of their path, like the splendours of day; 
 
 No more shall the constant affection they bore us 
 Like ramparts surround us, each foe to dismay. 
 
 The fathers, where are they ? No longer among us 
 
 In front of the battle, these men of renown 
 Shall wave the bright banner, where dark legions throng us, 
 
 Assure us of conquest, and point to the crown. 
 
 The fathers, where are they ? Securely abiding, 
 From labour they rest in the mansions above, 
 
 Where the Saviour exalted benignly presiding, 
 
 O'er banquets divine sheds the smile of His love. 
 
 The fathers, where are they ? In glory appearing, 
 In homage they bow at the feet of their King, 
 
 The crown and the white robe of victory wearing, 
 
 His throne they surround, and His triumph they sing. 
 
 The fathers, where are they ? From lofty seats bending. 
 Like angels they follow their children below, 
 Ard the march of iheir Leader's bright aimies attending, 
 As each conquest they hail fresh transport they know. 
 
 The fathers, where are they ? Advancing before us, 
 
 To realms of the blessed they have led on the way ; 
 
 Their path may we follow till death shall restore us, 
 To meet them again in the regions of day. 
 
 The poem entitled Mahine opens with a brief reference to 
 the South Sea Islands, and the story begins with the following 
 scene on the shore : — 
 
 Beneath a stately tree, at evening hour, 
 
 Mahine, monarch of the reef-bound isles, 
 
 In converse social with his chieftains sat. 
 
 O'er the wide beach beneath them, warrior bands 
 
 Their martial sports pursued, — cast the smooth stone, 
 
 The light lance hurled, the sounding bowstring drew. 
 
 Swift o'er the sands in eager contest ran. 
 
 Or sought with manly strength the wrestler's prize. 
 
 Gay, youthful groups strayed o'er the flowery lawn, 
 
 Weaving new garlands for their flowing hair. 
 
 Or, moving graceful to the plaintive flute. 
 
 In artless dances mingled. The broad sun 
 
 Radiant descending mid the woody isles 
 
 That gem the western sea, new splendours poured 
 
 On the umbrageous canopy that hung 
 
 Li sylvan grandeur o'er the monarch's head. 
 
208 LIFE OF "WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. x. 
 
 Rich glowed the burnished flood, and on its waves, 
 Like a pearl ship borne on a golden sea, 
 A well-manned bark appeared. Her streamers gay 
 Scarce fluttered in the dying breeze, her sail 
 Hung idly by the mast, while her broad prow 
 Was shoreward pointed. This Mahine saw, 
 And bade Maoni, leader of his guard, 
 Approach the shore and mark her gliding way. 
 
 The advancing canoe brings Pomare's herald, summoning his 
 friends to aid him against a rebellious conspiracy. Loyal help 
 is eagerly promised by Mahine and his followers. The pic- 
 turesque progress of the herald to different chiefs, through 
 lovely and romantic scenes, is then narrated ; and a council of 
 war is described. The following simile occurs in the answer of 
 one of the chieftains to his sovereign's summons : — 
 
 ' Oh monarch brave, and worthy of thy sire, 
 Our fathers' leader, who illustrious fought, 
 With triumph sated, on the ensanguined flood. 
 Command from thee impatient here we wait. 
 As the trained mastitt", when his generous lord 
 Points to the loaded thief, through morning mist 
 At distance seen, firm fixes on the wretch 
 His steady glance, and terror in his voice 
 Before him sending, bounds across the plain. 
 Assails the foe, hears not his threats, nor teels 
 His blows, nor turns his eye, springs at his throat, 
 And fastens deep his fangs, his hold maintains 
 Firm and unyielding, brings him to the earth, 
 Stains with his blood the flower-spotted turf, 
 Then by the captured spoils recumbent waits 
 His master's plaudit ; — lo, wave but thy hand, 
 And hasting o'er the deep, thy friends in arms 
 Shall swift destruction on these rebels pour. 
 Too long our stately ships iu harbour lie : 
 Our weapons idly in our dwellings hang : 
 Our fame, though now supreme in every land, 
 Shall die, or but adorn a rival's name. 
 Our arm, unused to grapple with the foe. 
 Shall in the struggle fail, should we, supine. 
 Luxurious banquets in the bower of peace, 
 The striplings' dance, the lover's languid sigh, 
 Or simpering smile of fickle maid, prefer 
 To glorious conflict in the field of war.' 
 
CHAP. X. KOSE HILL— HOME LIFE. 209 
 
 One more quotation, describing the midnight visit of the 
 
 priest of Oro, the Tahitian Grod of War, to the temple of that 
 
 sanguinary deity, will be sufficient to show the quality of the 
 
 composition : — 
 
 But yesterniglit, 
 When each assisting priest had to his po.st 
 Retired — alone, the inmost temple's court 
 Of solemn shade I entered — lowly bowed 
 Before his sacred presence — thrice invoked 
 His name — in accents low my prayer preferred — 
 Then prostrate on the polished stone, low placed 
 Beside his altar in the skull-paved floor, 
 I lay in awe-full silence. No quick glare 
 Of mortals' torch has ever pierced that gloom 
 Profound, but lights aerial flitting oft 
 Through long ranged altar pillars, and the paths 
 On either side by human skulls defined, 
 That through the temple's secret labyrinth lead, 
 Each deep recess illumed. No human foot, 
 Save those of Oro's priest, e'er trod at night 
 Those path.^?, and walked again ; but spirits stood 
 Around great Oro waiting ; heralds fleet, 
 With noiseless step, along the mazy walks 
 Passed to and fro incessant. Mortal sound 
 Broke not the solemn stillness of that hour — 
 But from the lofty trellice-woven roof 
 Of branching palms, and foliage deep of grey 
 And venerated trees, whose moss-grown trunks 
 By meteors' transient gleaming shown, appeared 
 Fantastic pillars in the sacred pile ; 
 And from the temple's caverns deep and dark, 
 Were heard the voices loud or low of gods 
 And spirits mingling. Listening unto these 
 I lay, till half the reign of night was past ; 
 When 'neath the power of sleep by Oro sent 
 I sank unconscious. 
 
 Before bringing the notice of Eose Hill to a close, it may 
 be well, though it is anticipating the course of events, to state 
 the circumstances under which the property came into Mr. Ellis's 
 possession. The premises had been held on lease, which had been 
 renewed, but had at length expired, and, by an order in Chancery, 
 the whole was directed to be sold by auction. This was in 1870. 
 The prospect of being obliged to leave a home endeared by so 
 
 P 
 
210 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. x. 
 
 many strong associations, and towards the close of life to remove 
 into a new residence, and probably altogether a new locality, 
 was not a little distressing to those who had passed nearly thirty 
 years in this quiet retreat, and had expected to be permitted 
 here to end their days in peace. They scarcely hoped to be able 
 to purchase the property, since the amount they had been able 
 to lay aside from the earnings of their literary labour, as a pro- 
 vision for old age, was but small, and they feared that the 
 anticipated competition at the sale would raise the price beyond 
 their means. To buy, or leave the place, seemed, however, the 
 only alternative. When it became known that Mr. Ellis wished 
 to purchase the homestead, such was the respect in which he 
 was held, and the sympathy felt for him, that there was not a 
 single individual would bid against him at the auction, and the 
 property was handed over to him at a very moderate reserve 
 price. He was thus spared a painful rupture of cherished ties, 
 and both he and his loved wife had the greater enjoyment in 
 their peaceful home during the brief remainder of their time on 
 earth. 
 
 From the foregoing sketch of the missionary's home life, 
 imperfectly as the task of description may have been performed, 
 the reader will gather that there was much about the man to 
 endear him to those with whom he associated in the domestic 
 relationships of life, and which formed as essential a part of the 
 complete character as the higher qualities that fitted him for 
 tJie important public career upon which, after years of compara- 
 tive retirement, and at an age when most men are content to 
 spend their days in rest and quiet, he once more entered with 
 all the energy and zeal of a ripened and vigorous manhood. 
 
MADAGASCAR 
 
 1853-72 
 
213 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 FIRST VISIT — TAMATAVE, ETC. 
 
 The DETAILS of Mr. Ellis's residence in Madagascar, and his 
 connection with missionary operations in that country, have 
 already been so fully and repeatedly set before the public, and 
 the events are of such recent occurrence, that the whole subject 
 must be fresh in the memory of every reader. It will not, 
 therefore, be expedient to do more than give a brief sketch of 
 this portion of the life we are tracing. 
 
 Under the rule of the first Eadama the people of Madagascar 
 had made extraordinary progress. In consequence of the treaty 
 concluded by that monarch with the English, his countrymen 
 had been instructed in many of the arts of civilisation, large 
 numbers had been taught to read and write, and the superiority 
 in knowledge and in arms acquired by the Hovas, of whom 
 Eadama was chief, had enabled that tribe to gain the ascendancy 
 in the island, and had placed the sovereignty of the nation in 
 the hands of their ruler. But the most important benefit con- 
 nected with the alliance was the introduction of Christianity, 
 which had taken firm root in the country, and was steadily 
 gaining ground towards the overthrow of old idolatries. The 
 death of Eadama, in 1828, and the usurpation of supreme 
 power by his widow, Eanavalona, wrought a woful change in the 
 fair prospects of the community. Christianity was proscribed, 
 and the missionaries and foreign artisans were banished from 
 the realm. These measures being ineffectual to extinguish the 
 vitality of the new faith, the bitterest persecution, even to death, 
 was waged against the professors of Christianity. Easalama, 
 the first Malagasy Christian martyr, was put to death in 1837. 
 
214 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xi. 
 
 In the following year another devoted Christian perished ; while 
 five of the hunted refugees avoided a similar fate only by effect- 
 ing their escape from the island. In 1842 nine out of sixteen 
 who were attempting to make their escape were cruelly slaugh- 
 tered. But these efforts on the part of the Queen and her 
 party to exterminate Christianity seeming only to give it new 
 power and life, the hostility of its enemies was proportionally 
 increased. In 1849 more than two thousand Christians were 
 punished for their faith, and many of them gave their lives 
 rather than renoimce their religion. The sanguinary cruelties 
 of this Malagasy Jezebel ceased only at her death. 
 
 To these national calamities were added other disasters, in 
 which foreigners seem to have been not altogether free from 
 blame. In 1845, in consequence of the evasion of the Queen's 
 edicts against the departure of any of her subjects from the 
 country, and of other alleged infringements of her commands 
 charged against the foreign residents at Tamatave, all such 
 foreigners were ordered to leave the island, or conform in every 
 respect to the laws imposed on Malagasy subjects. This they 
 refused to do, and appealed for protection to the respective 
 English and French Grovernments at Mauritius and Bourbon. 
 
 Three ships of war wf re immediately sent to Tamatave, with 
 instructions to effect, if possible, a peaceful settlement of the 
 difficulties ; but the commanders, failing to obtain any conces- 
 sions from the Hova chiefs, commenced hostilities, firing on the 
 fort and destroying the town. A storming party then landed 
 and attacked the fort ; but though they succeeded in silencing 
 the gims, they found that the capture of the stronghold was 
 impracticable without breaching artillery, and were compelled 
 to return to their ships, leaving behind thirteen of their number 
 dead. This unfortunate attack had, in short, no other result 
 than that of exasperating the Queen and Hovas against all 
 foreigners, effecting their expulsion from the island, and closing 
 all commercial intercourse between the respective countries. 
 With a view of restoring amicable relations, Admiral Dacres 
 
CHAP. XT. FIRST VISIT— TAMAT AVE, ETC. 215 
 
 was sent by the British Government, in 1849, with presents for 
 the Queen ; but these conciliatory overtures were rejected, the 
 Malagasy sovereign adhering to her demand for the payment of 
 a specified sum of money by way of indemnity as the condition 
 of re-opening the ports for foreign trade. 
 
 Such was the position of affairs when, towards the close of 
 1852, reports reached England of changes in the temper 
 and conduct of the Malagasy Grovernment, giving promise of 
 happier mutual understanding between the alienated parties. 
 Under these circumstances it seemed to the Directors of the 
 London Missionary Society highly desirable that some trust- 
 worthy person should be stationed at Mauritius, and, if possible, 
 proceed to Madagascar, as their agent and representative, to 
 gain authentic information respecting the real facts of the case, 
 and take advantage of the first favourable opportunity for re- 
 introducing Christian missionaries into the coimtry. Mr. Ellis 
 was selected as the fittest man for this important task, and he 
 very cheerfully undertook the service. It was arranged that 
 Mr. Cameron, at that time stationed at the Cape, who had 
 formerly been a missionary in Madagascar, and was, therefore, 
 well acquainted with the people and language, should be asso- 
 ciated with him in the mission. 
 
 The interval between receiving the appointment and leaving 
 England was diligently employed in preparation for rendering 
 the service as efficient as possible. That the collateral advan- 
 tages of the journey might be fully secured, Mr. Ellis made 
 himself practically familiar, as far as limited time would 
 allow, with the principles and manipulations of photography, 
 and provided himself with the requisite apparatus and chemi- 
 cals. He also put himself in communication with Professor 
 Owen, Sir William Hooker, Dr. Lindley, and other eminent 
 naturalists, receiving from each suggestions and instructions 
 with a view of making his visit to Madagascar subservient in 
 some measure to the advancement of natural history, a branch 
 of study in which he always felt a peculiar interest. 
 
216 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xi. 
 
 On the 14tli of April, 1853, the veteran missionary once more 
 bade adieu to his native land on an errand that was most con- 
 genial to his heart. The passage to Mamitius was made in the 
 steamship Indiana, under the command of Captain Lambert. 
 During the voyage the agent of the Missionary Society, being, 
 with the exception of an invalid clergyman, the only minister 
 of the Gospel on board, officiated as chaplain, preaching twice 
 on the Lord's-day in the saloon, besides holding a separate ser- 
 vice with the sailors in the afternoon, whenever tlie weather 
 would permit. He received from all on board — officers, pas- 
 sengers, and crew — the most marked attention and deference, to 
 a degree which surprised and almost disturbed his modest 
 spirit, as the following extract from a letter to Mrs. Ellis will 
 show : — 
 
 ' I must not go on prosing about myself much longer ; yet 
 you must bear with two or three words more. I cannot tell 
 how it is, but I almost feel frightened about it sometimes, 
 though I don't know why I should. I am treated with so much 
 kindness and consideration by every one on board, from the 
 captain to the boy who piimps the water for my bath, or the 
 black who cleans my shoes. Whether it is on account of my 
 mission, in which almost every one expresses deep interest, or 
 for your sake, I cannot tell, but so it is. If I ever express a 
 wish for anything, it is provided, or my boxes are got out at 
 any time. If I go to the bath-room, the gentlemen waiting 
 outside for their turn, all beg I will go first. If I go on deck, 
 some one instantly comes and asks me if I am inclined to walk, 
 or they sit down beside me. All seem to wish to make my 
 acquaintance. Even the giddy young men who used to swear, 
 and one of whom I publicly reproved, are amongst the most 
 respectful and attentive in their behaviour to me, while the 
 habit is discontinued at least in my presence.' 
 
 The passage was altogether pleasant and expeditious. At 
 Table Bay Mr. Cameron came on board. Port Louis was 
 reached, and the voyage brought to a close on the 7th of June. 
 
CHAP. XI. FIEST VISIT— TAMATAVE, ETC. 217 
 
 It now became clear that much misrepresentation had crept 
 into the reports that had reached England respecting the 
 state of affairs in Madagascar. No relaxation in the rigorous 
 proscription of Christianity, and no immediate prospect of the 
 resumption of trade and friendly relations with foreigners, were 
 apparent. Mr. Ellis, availing himself of letters of introduc- 
 tion with which he had been provided in England, waited on 
 Sir James Higginson, the Grovernor of Mauritius, on Major 
 Greneral Sutherland, and others in authority, and was received 
 by all in the most cordial and friendly manner. Much inte- 
 rest was expressed in the objects of his mission, and every 
 practicable assistance cheerfully promised. But under existing 
 circumstances, it did not appear expedient that the represen- 
 tatives of the British Grovernment in Mauritius should in any 
 way interfere ; nor that an agent of the Missionary Society 
 should proceed to Madagascar in a vessel despatched under 
 their auspices. It was therefore arranged that Mr. Cameron 
 and himself should sail to Tamatave in the Gregorio, a vessel 
 sent by the merchants of Port Louis with a ' memorial ' to the 
 Queen of Madagascar, praying for the re-opening of trade with 
 that country. 
 
 The Gregorio set sail on the 11th of July, and came to 
 anchor off Tamatave on the 18th of that month. The accom- 
 modation on board this small vessel was of the most miserable 
 description, and the conduct of the captain and crew, who were 
 drunk during the greater portion of the time, was such as 
 to render both the outward and return voyage seasons of ex- 
 treme discomfort to the two passengers. Soon after the vessel 
 cast anchor, a canoe from the shore was sent with an official 
 to inquire on what business they had come. On receiving the 
 desired information, the officer replied that the letter of the 
 merchants would be of no avail without the pecuniary indem- 
 nity which the Queen had demanded ; and it was evident that 
 the Hovas were still deeply incensed on account of the com- 
 bined attack of the English and French ships in 1845. Per- 
 
218 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xi. 
 
 mission to land was not granted till the following* da}', when 
 the two missionaries were invited to come on shore, and more 
 particularly questioned respecting their errand. They replied 
 that their visit was purely one of friendship, and requested 
 that a letter might be forwarded to the Queen, asking permis- 
 sion to proceed to the capital. This was granted, but they 
 were informed that an answer could not be received in less 
 than fifteen days. Mr. Cameron was not at first recognised by 
 any of his former acquaintances, and though ]\Ir. Ellis remem- 
 bered to have seen the harbour master in England, the recog- 
 nition was not mutual. The reception was, however, friendly, 
 and the minds of the JMalagasy seemed much relieved by the 
 assurance which the irvisitors were able to give that the 
 English had no hostile intentions against Madagascar ; for the 
 people had been much disturbed by reports, the accuracy of 
 which, in their isolated position, they had no means of testing, 
 that the British Grovernment was sending an armed expedition 
 to attack the country. These visits to tlie shore were repeated 
 whenever the weather would permit, during the interval that 
 elapsed before the arrival of the answer from the capital, and 
 the missionaries had thus many opportunities 'of friendly in- 
 tercourse with the people of Tamatave, among whom were some 
 Christians ; but with these all communication was necessarily 
 very restricted and guarded ; for though at the time no active 
 persecution was enforced, still the prohibitions against the 
 Christian faith were unrepealed, suspected individuals were 
 jealously watched, and the position of any persons who should 
 betray their leaning to the proscribed religion was fraught with 
 peril. Notwithstanding these difficulties much valuable infor- 
 mation was gained respecting the condition of Christian con- 
 verts in the country, means were devised for intercommunica- 
 tion between them and their friends in Mauritius, and some 
 little pecuniary assistance was given to the most necessitous of 
 their number. The hearts of these persecuted people were also 
 cheered by the promise of a supply of copies of the Scriptures at 
 
CHAP. XI. FIRST VISIT— TAMATAVE, ETC. 219 
 
 the earliest opportunity, and more than all, by the assurance of 
 the sympathy of their Christian brethren in more favoured lands. 
 
 At the expiration of the time specified, the answer of the 
 Queen arrived at Tamatave and was communicated to the Eng- 
 lish visitors by the chief judge. It was courteously worded, 
 but recommended the strangers not to prolong their stay in the 
 country at that season, on account of the risk of fever. This 
 reply, although not altogether discouraging as to the ultimate 
 attainment of their object, left the missionary agents no alter- 
 native but to return forthwith to Mauritius. Accordingly, 
 they took their leave of their friends, and sailed from Tama- 
 tave on the 9th of August. Contrary winds, an ignorant and 
 drunken captain, a crazy craft, and disorderly crew, combined 
 to protract the voyage, during which the passengers were ex- 
 posed to every species of annoyance that, petty malignity could 
 devise, and it was not till the 1st of September that they were 
 able once more to set foot on firm land, and enjoy the welcome 
 hospitality of kind friends in Port Louis. 
 
 The visit to Madagascar was not considered by the merchants 
 by whom the vessel had been sent, in the light of a failure. On 
 the contrary, they were stimulated to raise the required sum — 
 fifteen thousand dollars — without delay ; and on the 10th of 
 October Mr. Cameron, having been delegated by the merchants 
 of Port Louis to accompany Mr. Mangeot to pay this money, 
 again set sail for Tamatave. The Nimble, the vessel dis- 
 patched on this errand, returned on the 19th of November, 
 with the welcome intelligence that negotiations had been 
 satisfactorily completed, and that the ports of Madagascar were 
 once more open to foreign trade ; bringing also, as an earnest 
 of the fact, the first shipment of cattle under the new arrange- 
 ment. This long-desired consummation was hailed with great 
 rejoicing in the colony ; while the friends of missions regarded 
 the renewal of amicable relations as a favourable indication of 
 better times in prospect for the persecuted disciples of Christ in 
 Madagascar. 
 
220 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xi. 
 
 The season for visiting the country was, however, now past ; 
 Mr. Ellis, therefore, decided to remain in Mauritius till the 
 following year, and at the most suitable time to attempt once 
 more the journey to the capital. Meanwhile he was not idle. 
 He obtained permission from the authorities to preach in the 
 Port Office, every Lord's-day, to the seamen and others who 
 attended in considerable numbers. This service was regularly 
 continued for many months. In company with Mr. Lebrun, 
 the agent of the London Missionary Society, he visited the 
 various mission stations and schools in the district, and took 
 part in several interesting anniversary and inaugural meetings 
 of old and new institutions. 
 
 Soon after his return from Tamatave, an event occurred, 
 which excited deep and general sympathy. This was the rescue 
 by an American vessel, under the command of Captain Ludlow, 
 of the passengers and crew of an English ship, wrecked on the 
 Sechelles, a group of low islands lying north of Mauritius. The 
 sufferers were brought into Port Louis, and the authorities and 
 inhabitants vied with each other in rendering aid and relief, 
 and in doing honour to the brave and humane commander, who, 
 at no small risk, had saved the whole number from impending 
 death. Among the rescued passengers, Mr. Ellis met with two 
 gentlemen whom he had known in England. Another waif of 
 humanity also came most unexpectedly across his path in this 
 remote part of the world, in the person of a sick and dying 
 countryman, to whose last moments he tenderly ministered 
 such comfort and aid as he could, and in whom he recognised 
 the husband of a very dear friend in England. This man had 
 long been lost to his family, who were ignorant of his where- 
 abouts, or even of his existence, and it was no small comfort to 
 them to know that his last hours had thus been solaced by 
 Christian counsel, sympathy, and companionship. 
 
 Daring the greater part of his residence in Mauritius at this 
 period, Mr. Ellis was domiciled in the family of Mr. Kelsey, 
 from whom, as well as from other friends, he received the 
 
CHAP. XI. FIRST VISIT— TAM ATA V'E, ETC, 221 
 
 greatest kindness. He jDaid a visit to the g'overuor, Sir James 
 Higginson, at Reduit, His Excellency's country residence, and 
 enjoyed very agreeable intercourse with his estimable family — 
 an intercourse which was subsequently renewed in England, 
 and laid the foundation of a valued and lasting friendship. He 
 was also a welcome guest at the houses of men eminent for 
 scientific attainments, who sympathised in his enthusiastic love 
 of natural history. From Dr. Powell, the superintendent of 
 the lunatic asylum, who was an accomplished chemist, he gained 
 much valuable information, and improved his practical know- 
 ledge of photography. He took peculiar delight also in visiting 
 the Royal Botanic Gardens at Pamplemouses, and derived much 
 pleasure from the society of Mr. Duncan, the director of that 
 interesting establishment. In company with Lieutenant Gordon, 
 and other enthusiasts like himself, he made several botanical 
 excursions, and collected many valuable specimens of rare plants, 
 most of which he succeeded in transporting safely to England. 
 The details of these interesting journeys, and his general observa- 
 tions in the country, are given, with much graphic force of 
 description, in his Three Visits to Madagascar, to which tlie 
 reader is referred for a full and particular account of matters 
 that can only receive a passing mention in this memorial of 
 his eventful life. 
 
 These objects of subordinate interest did not for one moment 
 divert the missionary from the main purpose of his journey. 
 As soon as the season for visiting Madagascar returned, he 
 prepared for another voyage to Tamatave, first sending to the 
 Malagasy authorities an intimation of his intention, and repeat- 
 ing his request for permission to jDroceed to the capital. At 
 this time the colony of Mauritius, and more particularly the 
 town of Port Louis, suffered an appalling calamity in a most 
 fatal outbreak of Asiatic cholera, which, commencing with two 
 cases at Grande Riviere, spread with alarming rapidity, and in 
 a few weeks almost decimated the population. Before the end 
 of May the number of deaths each day in Port Louis nearly 
 
222 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. si. 
 
 reached a hundred, and on the 5th of June there were said to 
 have occurred one hundred and seventy deaths, and one hundred 
 and thirty on the day following. A panic seized upon the 
 inhabitants ; many thousands fled from the town ; business was 
 suspended ; the streets were deserted by all but funeral vehicles 
 and their mournful attendants, and scarcely could the living 
 bury the dead. 
 
 While pestilence and death were thus making havoc around 
 him, Mr. Ellis's own health was mercifully preserved ; and, 
 taking leave of his kind friends, with many sad and not 
 groundless forebodings on their account, he once more set sail 
 for Tamatave, in the Nimble, on the 8th of June. The port 
 was reached on the 12th, but eight days of quarantine were 
 imposed before any passengers were allowed to land. At the 
 end of that time, no case of sickness having occurred on board 
 the vessel, permission to come on shore was granted, and the 
 missionary was kindly accommodated by M. Provint, a French 
 merchant residing at the port, with a convenient building for 
 his own temporary residence and the reception of his packages. 
 Here he remained, waiting the result of his application to 
 visit Antananarivo. His intercourse with the Christians was 
 renewed, but always under the strictest caution and secrecy. 
 He was able also to introduce and distribute, though not with- 
 out difficulty, copies of the Scriptures, under circumstances 
 which he thus narrates : — 
 
 ' I found that among those at Tamatave, and at Foule 
 Pointe as well as at the capital, the great want was the Word 
 of Grod. I had sent from Mauritius a few copies, and I had 
 brought a number of New Testaments, bound together or in 
 separate portions, as well as copies of the Psalms and other 
 religious books ; but as the officers of the Custom House had 
 strict orders to seize all books which there was any attempt to 
 introduce into the country, my great difficulty was to get 
 them on shore from the ship, as the captain was unfriendly ; I 
 could only conceal them tied under my dress, and in this way, 
 
CHAP. XI. FIRST VISIT-TA3IATAVE, ETC. 22? 
 
 and in my pockets, I managed to take eighteen Testaments 
 and other books at a time. But my heart sometimes beat a 
 little quicker when the bow of the boat touched the shore, and 
 I had to jump down on the beach amidst three or four custom- 
 house officers, lest a copy should get loose and fall on the 
 ground before them. I generally spoke to them and passed on, 
 breathing a little more freely when I had entered my house, 
 locked my door, and deposited my treasures in the innermost 
 room. By this means I was able, during my successive visits 
 to Tamatave, to introduce about one thousand five hundred 
 copies of portions of the Scriptures and other books among 
 the famishing Christians, some of whom had only a few 
 chapters in manuscript, or three or four leaves of a printed 
 book, soiled and torn and mended, until the original was the 
 smallest part left.' 
 
 Foule Pointe is situated about forty-five miles to the west 
 of Tamatave, and was visited during this stay in the district. 
 Many Christians were there met with, and much interesting 
 and profitable intercourse was enjoyed by them with their 
 friend from England. The house in which he lodged at 
 Tamatave was also the daily resort of those who were ' disciples 
 of Jesus, but secretly, for fear.' Of this number were several 
 nobles among the Hovas, and one, the aide-de-camp of the 
 Prince, became personally much attached to Mr. Ellis, and is 
 frequently mentioned in his Three Visits as his ' tall friend.' 
 
 The brief residence at Tamatave was altogether a busy and 
 by no means a wasted period. The missionary's versatile 
 talents were called into constant requisition, and, unlike his 
 religious office, could be openly exercised. Thus he was called 
 upon to prescribe medicine and render surgical aid to the sick 
 and suffering. This he did always cheerfully, and in many 
 instances with gratifjring success. His photograj)hic skill was 
 also in frequent request, enabling him to afford much pleasure 
 to the originals of the portraits, and to carry away with him 
 many interesting memorials of the novel forms and scenes that 
 
22-t LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xi. 
 
 came under his observation. His researches in natural history 
 were prosecuted with his wonted enthusiasm, and many 
 collections of plants in England have been enriched by his 
 labour in this department. Among the orchids which he 
 gathered at Foule Pointe, and succeeded in taking home, was 
 a fine specimen of Angnccum superbuin, at that time new 
 in this country. This identical plant, bearing flowers in the 
 spring of 1858, furnislied part of the bridal bouquet on the 
 occasion of the marriage of the Princess Eoyal with the Prince 
 of Prussia. 
 
 The answer from the capital, which arrived in due time, 
 once naore brought disappointment ; for though couched in 
 courteous terms, it refused the desired permission to visit the 
 capital, on the ground of prevalence of the cholera, the in- 
 troduction of which into the country was greatly dreaded, 
 and every precaution was taken to guard against infection. 
 With the chief object of the journey frustrated, but much good 
 accomplished nevertheless, the Missionary once more prepared 
 to leave the island, and availed himself of the offer of a passage 
 in the Castro, which sailed from Tamatave on the 14th of 
 September, to return to Mauritius. The ' tall friend ' and 
 other Christian companions, anxious to prolong the period of 
 intercourse with their guide and teacher to the last, and to 
 testify the regard in which they held his mission and his 
 person, brought their sleeping mats to his house, on the day 
 previous to his departure, and spent the evening and far into 
 the morning, conversing on subjects of deepest interest to all. 
 But little time was allowed for rest ; and while yet the moon 
 was shining brightly, and only a faint streak of light in the 
 east proclaimed the coming da^vn, the party walked to the 
 beach, and under feelings of more than ordinary intensity 
 exchanged farewells ; those who remained on the shore 
 watching their departing guest, till the canoe had reached the 
 vessel which was to bear him from their sight. The ship was 
 soon under way, and after a favourable voyage came to anchor 
 
CHAP. XI. FIEST VISIT— TAMATAVE, ETC. 225 
 
 in the harbour of Port Louis on the 30th of September. The 
 return was rendered mournful by the devastation which the 
 pestilence had wrought in the interval. The place seemed 
 sadly altered ; scarcely was a family left into which death had 
 not entered ; and among the desolated homes was that of 
 Mr. Kelsey, from wliich both parents and two of the children, 
 besides several domestics, had been removed. 
 
 There appeared now no reason for a prolonged stay at Mau- 
 ritius, and as the Directors of the Missionary Society had ex- 
 pressed a wish that, before returning home, their envoy should 
 visit the stations in Cape Colony, he left Port Louis on the 20th 
 of December, in the Awi'iie, a small brig of about two hundred 
 and twenty tons burden, and after a voyage of two and twenty 
 days, reached Table Bay in safety in the beginning of 1855. 
 
 The main object of a deputation to the missionary settle- 
 ments in South Africa was to ascertain by personal inspection 
 the condition and wants of the people, to encourage them by 
 the assurance of sympathy and fraternal feeling at home, and 
 especially to stimulate them to increased exertions among them- 
 selves, and in extending Christianity around them ; so that the 
 Society might be, in a measure, relieved from some of its pecu- 
 niary burdens, and enabled to expend its resources in new and 
 more needy quarters — to foster, in short, a healthy spirit of 
 independence amongst the well-established Churches in this com- 
 paratively early field of missionary enterprise. Suggestions and 
 arrangements to this end were met by the people at the various 
 stations in a right spirit ; and so satisfactory were the results 
 accomplished that the Directors freely acknowledged that, even 
 had no good been effected by the journey to Madagascar, the 
 advantage of the visit to Africa alone amply justified the 
 expense that had been incm-red. Mr. Ellis remained in the 
 Colony till the 14th of June, when he embarked in the steam- 
 ship Pacific, and reached England on the 18th of July, ' grate- 
 ful to the Almighty for the health and merciful protection he 
 had experienced throughout his wanderings,' and welcomed by 
 loving and appreciative friends. 
 
 Q 
 
226 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. 
 
 CHAPTER Xir. 
 
 ANTANANARIVO. 
 
 A LETTER from Madagascar had reached Mr. Ellis at the Cape 
 of Good Hope, conveying the permission of the Government 
 to visit the capital, and another letter to the same pm'port was 
 received after his arrival in England. This invitation was 
 gladly embraced, and the undaunted ambassador of the Gospel 
 prepared for another lengthened journey, and the perils of 
 travel through new lands, in an insalubrious climate, as well 
 as the possible dangers of solitary encounter with a vindictive, 
 ignorant, and semi-barbarous people. 
 
 Before his departure he had an interview with Lord Clarendon, 
 and several communications by letter with other oflScers of the 
 British Government, including Lord Palmerston, and was 
 authorised to convey to the Queen of Madagascar the most 
 positive assurances of the friendly disposition of England 
 towards the Malagasy Government. He was also made officially 
 acquainted with the part that M. Lambert, and other schemers 
 associated with him, had been acting — that he had sought, 
 ostensibly with the sanction of Prince Eakotond, to gain armed 
 assistance from England and France, to depose the Queen of 
 Madagascar and place her son on the throne — to carry out, in 
 short, a complete political revolution in the island. The French 
 Government had declined to act in the matter except in con- 
 cert with England, and the English Cabinet had resolved not 
 to interfere, advising M. Lambert to attempt the accomplish- 
 ment of his objects, so far as they were legitimate, through the 
 medium of a friendly commercial company. 
 
CHAP. XII. FIKST VISIT— THE CAPITAL. 227 
 
 Fully commissioned for his important undertaking, and 
 furnished with presents for the Queen and other members of 
 the Malagasy royal family, Mr. Ellis embarked in one of the 
 Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamers from Southampton, 
 on the 20th of March, 1856. Taking the overland route from 
 Alexandria to Suez, he completed the passage in the Nubia 
 by the Eed Sea to Aden, and thence across the Indian Ocean 
 to Ceylon. Here he was detained for several weeks, escaping, 
 in consequence of the delay, unpropitious as it had seemed, 
 ' both the perils of the sea, and the ravages of the cholera, 
 which had again visited Mauritius almost immediately before 
 his arrival.' Leaving Ceylon towards the end of May, in the 
 Star of the East, he reached Mauritius on the 17th of June. 
 There he was again most cordially welcomed ; but resisting all 
 temptations to yield himself to the hospitality of his friends, 
 he allowed only sufficient time to communicate with the 
 Colonial authorities, and secure a passage to Tamatave in the 
 Castro, the same vessel in which he had last returned from 
 that port. 
 
 He was greatly disappointed that Mr. Cameron did not, as 
 he had expected, accompany him ; but keenly as he felt the 
 responsibility of his position, he successfully combated every 
 discouragement, and resolutely but humbly, and in dependence 
 on Divine help and guidance, set himself to the accomplish- 
 ment of his arduous undertaking. 
 
 A pleasant and quick passage of only four days from the 
 time of leaving Port Louis brought him to Tamatave on the 
 13th of July. Groing on shore on the following morning, he 
 found ample preparation had been made for his accommodation 
 and comfort. A newly-built house was assigned to him, 
 domestics provided for the necessary personal attendance, while 
 liberal presents of provisions from the authorities, and from 
 private friends, gave evidence of the cordial welcome with 
 which his arrival was hailed. In short, the most respectful 
 and marked attention and observance were paid to him by the 
 
 q2 
 
228 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xn. 
 
 Government and chiefs durino- this eventful visit, as to one 
 whom the sovereign ' delighted to honour.' At the same time 
 he was aware that a pretty close scrutiny was kept on his 
 actions and company. Two armed soldiers were stationed at 
 the door of his dwelling, ostensibly to guard his property, but he 
 more than suspected that their instructions were to take note 
 of all who had communication with him, and report what might 
 transpire. The greatest caution was therefore necessary in his 
 intercom'se with his Christian brethren. Since his last visit 
 more than one of the most faithful of the number had fallen 
 victims to the fatal fever of the country, and among them was 
 his ' tall friend,' whose loss at this particular juncture he deeply 
 deplored. Whilst he was waiting for the arrival of his escort, 
 and other preparations for his journey to the capital, he was 
 present at a public meeting of condolence on the death of 
 M. de Lastelle, a French merchant who had long resided in the 
 country. Much disorder and intoxication attended the cere- 
 monies and feasting on this occasion. 
 
 By the 6th of August all was in readiness for the journey. 
 The party of bearers and attendants, amounting to consider- 
 ably more than a hundred men, formed quite an imposing 
 array. The baggage, divided into small packages, was dis- 
 tributed among them ; while eight of the number were detailed 
 to carry the palanquin, which formed the conveyance of their 
 guest. This contrivance resembled a sailor's hammock, with 
 a light screen fixed over it, to defend the occupant from the 
 sun or rain, and was borne on men's shoulders by two poles 
 projecting in front and behind. On ordinary occasions four 
 men performed this service, whilst other four attended to 
 relieve them at regulated intervals ; but in very deep, steep, 
 rough, or difficult portions of the road it sometimes required 
 the whole number to keep the palanquin in position. The 
 person appointed as guide of the party, and interpreter, spoke 
 English tolerably well, having spent some time at the Cape of 
 Good Hope, where he had been servant to Captain Underwood, 
 
CHAP. XII. FIEST VISIT— THE CAPITAL. 229 
 
 aide-de-camp to Lord Charles Somerset, the Governor of the 
 Colony. Before the party started, an ox, a present from the 
 Queen, had been killed and divided, as provision fur the com- 
 pany, and others were ordered to be slaughtered for their use 
 at different villages on the route. It was early in the after- 
 noon when the rear of the procession, bearing the palanquin 
 with their English visitor, left Tamatave, amid the salutations 
 of the chiefs and a large concourse of people assembled to 
 witness their departure. The first stage was reached by three 
 o'clock in the afternoon, and the party halted on the banks of 
 a large river till the next morning. One of the bearers being- 
 then missing, his place was supplied by a young man named 
 Sodra, who from the first had attached himself to Mr. Ellis, 
 and constituted himself a sort of body servant, remaining 
 faithfully by his master till he left the country, and weeping- 
 bitter ly when forbidden by the native authorities to accompany 
 him further. 
 
 For the details of the journey to the capital, tlie reader is 
 again referred to the interesting narrative contained in the 
 Three Visits. It is sufficient here to state briefly that, 
 notwithstanding much fatigue, inclement weather, and some 
 degree of illness, every day brought fresh interest and delight 
 to the observant and enthusiastic traveller. The people, the 
 novel scenes, the strange and lovely forms of vegetation, pre- 
 sented in all the luxuriance of tropical profusion, and marvel- 
 lous in their beauty — a very paradise of orchids and ' Eden of 
 ferns ' — seemed to invest every step of the way with enchant- 
 ment. Slow and difficult as the progress was rendered, when 
 the only track was made by the infrequent feet of men and 
 cattle, the soul must have been dull indeed that could have 
 found such a journey tedious. Their course lay sometimes 
 along rivers, but to a greater extent by a more toilsome march 
 over land, occasionally through swamps and muddy flats, though 
 more frequently on firm ground, passing- on tlieir way through 
 vast, dense, and intricate forests, crowded with gigantic trees, 
 
230 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xii. 
 
 ferns, and creeping plants, and intersected by hollows, water- 
 courses, and steep ravines, so as to render the road almost 
 impassable — a natural barrier to an approach towards the 
 interior, in which the first Eadama placed much reliance, 
 boasting that he had two generals — ' General Hazo, forest, 
 and General Tazo, fever — in whose hands he would leave any in- 
 vading army.' To the traveller on this occasion, with a native 
 escort to whom the way was familiar, there were no hardships 
 not amply compensated by the enjoyments of the expedition. 
 
 Twenty days were occupied in traversing the distance 
 between Tamatave and Antananarivo. As the capital was 
 approached, messengers arrived with greetings from the Prince 
 and others in authority ; whilst parties of men, actuated by 
 various motives, came out some distance from the town and 
 joined the advancing cavalcade. At Amboipo, a small suburban 
 village, the party were requested to halt for the night, on 
 the 25th of August, as the following day had been appointed 
 for making the entry into the to'wn. 
 
 Early on the 26th, three officers made their appearance, who 
 had been sent to conduct the visitor to his quarters in the capi- 
 tal. These men had been educated in England, spoke English 
 with tolerable fluency, and were dressed in European style. 
 Antananarivo, as the reader is probably aware, occupies the 
 summit of a lofty hill, on the crest of which stand conspicuously 
 the royal residences. The streets are narrow and steep, and 
 many of the houses are built on artificial terraces or embank- 
 ments. The guest of the Queen, for such the stranger who 
 had come by her invitation was considered, was conducted to 
 an enclosure containing three houses, which were pointed out 
 as set apart for his accommodation. The rooms were clean and 
 cheerful, with an aspect of comfort about them that was truly 
 inviting and refreshing. 
 
 Towards evening visitors began to throng the house, among 
 whom were many devoted Christian men, such as Prince 
 Eamonja, who had used their station and influence, to their 
 
CHAP. xn. FIRST VISIT— THE CAPITAL. 231 
 
 own personal risk, in befriending their persecuted countrymen. 
 These men could scarce restrain their expressions of joy at seeing 
 once more among them a missionary from England. One of the 
 officers of the Grovernment, in particular Ra Haniraka, the Sec- 
 retary of the Queen, a young man who had been educated in 
 England under the charge of Dr. Clunie, constituted himself the 
 special guardian and friend of the stranger from that ' happy 
 land,' and took every opportunity to supply information, to warn 
 him against the treacherous or evil-disposed, to give hints and 
 suggestions in regard to the customs and etiquette of the country, 
 to see that his wants were supplied, and that liis words, espe- 
 cially such as were official or designed for the ears of those in 
 authority, were correctly interpreted ; and in a hundred ways 
 rendered frequent and essential service. It was the second day 
 after the arrival of the visitor at the capital before the Prince 
 Royal, Rakotond Radama, paid his respects, his mother having 
 given him strict injunctions that all courtly observances should 
 be duly regarded, inasmuch as ' this foreigner,' to quote her 
 own expression, ' was not like other foreigners; he was great and 
 wise, and she did not wish her son to meet him for the first time 
 but when well dressed,' that is, in official costume. The ice of 
 ceremony once broken, however, the Prince was a frequent 
 visitor, and was always most cordial in his demeanoiu*. 
 
 This young man had been designated by his mother as her 
 successor in the sovereignty. He was popular with the majority 
 of the Hovas, and had been a steady friend to the Christians, by 
 whom the event of his accession to supreme power was regarded 
 as their day of emancipation. His disi^osition was singularl}^ 
 humane, but he was pliant and fond of pleasure, wanting strength 
 and stability of character. In his claims to the throne he had 
 a formidable rival in his cousin, Rambosalama, who was chiefly 
 supported by the most violent portion of the heathen party, and 
 by the French influence in the capital. The friends of Rakotond 
 were in constant apprehension of treachery and even assassina- 
 tion from the partisans of his rival. Happily he was the 
 
232 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. ckap. xii. 
 
 favourite of the people, and had the most powerful members 
 of the ruling Government, as well as the army, on his side. 
 
 Mr. Ellis was favourably impressed with the appearance and 
 demeanour of the Prince at their first, inter view, and this good 
 oiDinion was strengthened by subsequent intercourse. Visitors, 
 official and friendly, continually thronged the house from 
 morning till night, allowing him little leisure or rest. Presents 
 of jDrovisions, on a truly regal scale, were sent from the palace ; 
 three officers, intelligent young men who spoke English, were 
 appointed to attend him, and show him about the neighboiu- 
 hood. He also made several excursions in company with the 
 Prince and Princess to the country residences of the reigning 
 family, and to other attractive localities. Thus was tlie interval 
 busily filled i.p till the day appointed for his first audience with 
 the Queen. This was the 5th of September. At this audience, 
 which was held in presence of a large assembly and with much 
 ceremony, in front of the palace, the Queen and royal party 
 occupying the balcony, the official communications from the 
 British Government and the Colonial authofities of Mauritius, 
 were delivered to Her Majesty and the court, who appeared much 
 gratified and animated by these cordial assurances of friendship. 
 The details of these and other proceedings at the capital must be 
 so familiar to almost every reader, that it is quite unnecessary 
 to repeat them. 
 
 The formal introduction and interchange of courtesies was 
 followed on subsequent days by entertainments at the palace, 
 and at the residence of M. Laborde. The season was far, how- 
 ever, from being one of mere holiday festivity with the guest. 
 His work, most diversified in its character, was incessant, and 
 his position in no small degree responsible and critical. He 
 was under a constant and not friendly surveillance. He was 
 credibly informed that M. Laborde had offered to give two hun- 
 dred dollars to any one who would receive a book from the 
 missionary, or who would give information concerning persons 
 who had done so ; and infinite pains were taken to entrap him 
 
CHAP. XII. FIRST VISIT— THE CAPITAL. 233 
 
 into speech or overt act that would give offence to the Queen. 
 His sagacity and caution saved him from these snares. At the 
 same time he did not neglect the prime object of his mission. 
 No day — no night — passed without faithful and confidential com- 
 munion with Christian men and women, by whom his sympathy 
 and counsels were received as ' cold water in a thirsty land.' In 
 his intercourse with the Prince he was frank and explicit, admo- 
 nishing him of his errors and of the dangers of his facile temper ; 
 unfolding, to his extreme surprise and distress, the representa- 
 tions and designs of M. Lambert and his associates ; counselling 
 him to seek the union and enlightenment of his own country- 
 men, and warning him against the specious fiction of a French 
 protectorate. Amongst other recommendations he advised him 
 not to allow any foreigner to hold land, except as a tenant, in his 
 dominions. The character of his suggestions will perhaps best 
 be shown by an extract or two from letters sent to friends in 
 England, and the duplicity of M. Lambert and his coadjutors 
 will appear from the account of the matter which Mr. Ellis 
 communicated to Lord Clarendon. 
 
 Referring to one of his conversations with the Prince, he 
 writes : — The Prince asked, " What is best to be done ? How 
 can the country be best protected and improved ? What is 
 likely to be its future?" I replied, that the alliance and the 
 protection of even the moral influence of England would be one 
 of the best guarantees for its independence. He said the Queen 
 would enter into no treaty unless some emergency should arise ; 
 but he added, the first thing he should do when he could act, 
 would be to seek the friendship and protection of England. " I 
 am glad you have come ; you have seen the country, seen the 
 state of the people, heard from themselves something of their 
 sufferings, and of the grievous yoke they have to bear. I hope 
 the English will sympathise with us in our troubles. The chiefs 
 wished a few months ago to make me king ; they were proceeding 
 with their design, and would have put both Eaiujohary, the 
 Queen's paramour, and Eambosalama to death that day, and 
 
234 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xii. 
 
 would have set my mother aside and made her resign ; hut I 
 alone prevented it : I would not be disloyal to my mother, much 
 as I suffer : I would not consent, but threatened to disclose their 
 plan if they did not desist. I would rather wait till God shall 
 make me king, than be a party to any evil to my mother, though 
 no government is so bad as the government of Madagascar now 
 is." I told him I thought he would not regret having taken no 
 part against his mother, and hoped that Grod would give him 
 wise and faithful friends in his hour of need ; for whenever the 
 administration of the kingdom should devolve on him he would 
 have no bed of roses. He replied, " I am not afraid of my life, 
 God will protect me. I know I shall have difficulties, but God 
 will guide me." I said, " I am not so much afraid of your erring 
 in judgment, as of your being deceived, and overcome by artful 
 intrigue. Your enemies will bend all their efforts towards your 
 subjection, because they will know that if they gain you they 
 have gained all." He replied, " They will not gain me." I said 
 " They will not, if you think that is what they are aiming at ; but 
 they will take advantage of your good nature, of your frankness, 
 of your pleasure in society, and of your desire after knowledge and 
 the means of improving your country, and, under cover of pro- 
 moting these things, they will propose projects that will ensnare 
 you to such an extent that you will be unable to extricate your- 
 self." He exclaimed, with some vehemence, " I know them now, 
 they will not deceive me again." I said, ''You are too sanguine 
 and impulsive, you act too promptly on the first representation 
 of things. Don't assent to any proposal whatever when it is first 
 made. Say you will think about it, or urge some objection, and 
 then consult some of your truest friends. If it is a snare, you 
 may escape it ; if a benefit, you will not lose by caution. There 
 are but two courses open before Madagascar, either to rise to a 
 position of strength and prosperity that shall enable it to main- 
 tain the dignity of an independent nation, or subjection and 
 subordination to some one of the great powers of the present 
 day. If the French assume the protection of Madagascar, it 
 
CHAP. XII. FIRST VISIT— THE CAPITAL. 235 
 
 will become what Algiers and Tahiti are — a French colony — and 
 you will act under their authority and for their advantage. On 
 the other hand, great as the difficulties and discouragements are, 
 they are not insurmountable. You may in a few years become 
 sufficiently powerful, witli true friends, to protect yourselves. 
 But to this end you must unite the peoples of Madagascar as 
 one community. You must try to make the Sakalavas feel that 
 union with you is better than vassalage to France ; for the 
 French now speak of them in the journals of Mauritius as " our 
 allies the Sakalavas." ' 
 
 In a letter to Lord Clarendon, after detailing the interview 
 with the Queen, reference was made to the French party in the 
 following terms : — ' In mentioning the French gentlemen resid- 
 ing at the capital, I refer to M. Laborde, a native of Mauritius, 
 and formerly a slave-dealer, who many years ago came from 
 Mozambique to Madagascar, where he proposed to manufacture 
 arms for the native Grovernment. He has since been employed 
 on several occasions by the Queen, and exercises considerable 
 influence over a few of the chiefs. I also refer to a son of M. 
 Laborde, who has recently returned from France ; and to a M. 
 Hervier, alias Pere Finess, a Eoman Catholic priest from 
 Bourbon, who had been taken to the capital by M. Lambert in 
 the dress of a civilian, and in the capacity of clerk or secretary, 
 and had been left with M. Laborde for the alleged purpose of 
 teaching his son mathematics. These gentlemen have since 
 been joined by three others from Bourbon, viz., a young 
 medical practitioner, recently from France, who was accom- 
 panied by the Abbe Jouen, principal of the Jesuit College at 
 Bourbon, and another priest from the same island. These two 
 ecclesiastics have gone up as civilians, the former in the 
 capacity of assistant to the surgeon, and the latter as his jphar- 
 macien. I do not mention these gentlemen because they are 
 teachers of Eoman Catholicism, which I feel they have as much 
 right to endeavour to inculcate as we have to spread the Pro- 
 testant faith, but because I was told they had been sent for by 
 
236 LIFE OF AVILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xii. 
 
 the priest already associated with M. Laborde, to assist in 
 accomplishing the objects of the latter in Madagascar. 
 
 ' I have also to inform yonr lordshij) that the Prince and some 
 of the officers were exceedingly anxious about the result of M. 
 Lambert's voyage to Europe, and applied to me very soon after 
 my arrival for any information I might possess on the subject. 
 The Prince was greatly surprised and deeply affected on becom- 
 ing acquainted with the representations that had been made 
 by M. Lambert. He said the papers taken away by that gentle- 
 man, so far as he had been made acquainted with their contents, 
 were simply a statement of the grievances of the people. He 
 had repeatedly represented to his mother that the sufferings 
 and burdens of the people were too great ; and during the 
 period of M. Lambert's, visit had conversed frequently with him 
 and M. Laborde on the same subject, but had expressed no wish 
 that any application should be made to the French Govern- 
 ment. He further stated that he did not prepare the letters 
 or papers taken by M. Lambert, and had no knowledge of the 
 intention to prepare any papers of the kind until they were 
 completed ; that they were written in the French language, of 
 which he does not understand half-a-dozen words, and were, he 
 believes, drawn up by the priest, assisted by MM. Laborde and 
 Lambert ; that when the jDapers were presented to him, M. 
 Laborde translated verbally the pages containing a statement of 
 the grievances of the people, and then said, " If you think this 
 is true, add your name to it." That after long refusing, he did 
 at length, almost by compulsion, affix his name to the papers, 
 but only as attesting the truth of the statement of the suffer- 
 ings of his countrymen. He declared emphatically that he 
 had never authorised any application for troops or money, or 
 other means of deposing the present ruler of Madagascar. On 
 my enquiring what was the object of the statement of griev- 
 ances, if not to seek redress, he replied, that he thought a 
 representation from M. Lambert and his friends, to the effect 
 that the burdens of the people were too heavy, might induce 
 
CHAP. XII. FIRST VISIT— THE CAPITAL. 237 
 
 the Queen to adopt a milder rule. The Prince further stated 
 that MM. Laborde and Lambert said they were determined that 
 there should he a change, and that if it could not be effected 
 by other means, they would apply to the French Government 
 for troops, and if these were refused, they would themselves 
 hire troops, for they had twenty-five millions of dollars to 
 appropriate to the object. 
 
 ' In reference to their intimation of their intention to bring 
 troops, the Prince said he thought if they did, the native forces 
 could arrest their progress ; but he added that he told MM. 
 Laborde and Lambert that he would be the first to fight and 
 shed his blood in defence of his mother. 
 
 ' I deem it right to inform your lordship that there is a party 
 at the capital opposed to the Prince, and in favour of his rival, 
 a son of the Queen's eldest sister. The pretensions of this 
 rival are encouraged by the Frenchmen at the capital ; and 
 some of the secondary native officers are said to have been 
 parties to the project of MM. Lambert and Laborde for bring- 
 ing French troops to Madagascar ; and when the Prince men- 
 tioned them in connection with this part of the plan, he said 
 they owed their lives to his forbearance in not acquainting the 
 Queen with their proceedings. The Queen's secretary also 
 stated that the papers were signed, and a sort of oath not to 
 divulge the secret extorted by the priest from the Prince, at 
 the close of a dinner party ; and a decree of compulsion, little 
 short of absolute force, was used to secure his signature, and 
 that they held his hand on the Bible while the priest pro- 
 nounced the oath. 
 
 ' I am unable to describe the Prince's expressions of gratitude 
 when I read to him the reply given by your lordship to M. 
 Lambert's proposal. He said he had jDrayed to the Almighty 
 ever since M. Lambert's departure, that the French troops 
 might not come, and, he added, " I thank God for His protec- 
 tion." ' 
 
 It will be evident that, under such circumstances, the posi- 
 
238 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xii. 
 
 tion of counsellor to a prince, surrounded by so many perils, 
 was one requiring- much prudence and sagacity. 
 
 As on former occasions, the missionary's medical skill was in 
 constant requisition. His house was thronged by patients, who 
 had come sometimes from a considerable distance for advice and 
 medicine, and he was not unfrequently summoned at untimely 
 hom'S to administer relief to some poor sufferer. It became 
 evident to him that a medical missionary would here find 
 ample scope for the philanthropic exercise of his profession, 
 and that much ulterior good might be effected by such an 
 agency. 
 
 The camera and photographic apparatus were also soon in full 
 operation. But considerable consternation and perplexity were 
 occasioned by the discovery, at the very outset, tliat there was 
 no acetic acid among the chemicals. None could be procured 
 in this remote part of the world ; and the ingenuity of the 
 operator was taxed to find a substitute. Numerous experiments 
 were made, and, after much perseverance and many failures, 
 he found that he succeeded best with strong vinegar. With 
 this he contrived to obtain very tolerable likenesses and a 
 number of views, which, besides giving great pleasure to those 
 who received portraits of themselves or their friends, furnished 
 interesting and valuable illustrations for the volume he pub- 
 lished after his return home. 
 
 As the month, which had been mentioned as the term of his 
 visit, drew to a close, he made application to the Queen for per- 
 mission to prolong his stay — to I'emain in the country nine 
 months longer. This request was courteously but firmly 
 refused, and though every argument was used by his friends to 
 induce the sovereign to grant the desired courtesy, she would 
 not be turned from her decision. Other counsels, and inte- 
 rested counsellors appealing to her fears, her superstition, and 
 her prejudices, gained the day. The French and Eoman 
 Catholic influence, though not openly manifest, had consider- 
 able share in bringing about this result. There was no alter- 
 
CHAP. XII. FIEST VISIT— THE CAPITAL. 239 
 
 native, then, but to prepare for departure. Every hour, with 
 scarcely intermission enough for taking food or sleep, was busily 
 occupied in receiving and conversing with visitors, among them 
 many anxious but faithful Christians, in attending to the sick, 
 or in pursuing his photographic operations. The Prince came 
 oftener than ever to see his ' true friend,' and when the hour 
 of departure had arrived, accompanied him for some distance 
 on the way, with every token of cordial esteem, and even affec- 
 tionate regard. The Queen also, as if anxious to atone for 
 the discourtesy of the dismissal, was lavish in expressions of 
 respect. Eight ofi&cers were sent by her to accompany the 
 missionary to the coast, and a hundred men (more than double 
 the number required) to act as bearers and carriers. Sodra 
 was a volunteer, and nothing but compulsion could separate 
 him from close attendance on his beloved master and friend. 
 
 The return journey was begun on September 26, and the 
 party reached Tamatave on October 12. It was the middle of 
 November before any opportunity of leaving the port occurred. 
 During the interval the departing guest received the most 
 hospitable attentions from the authorities of Tamatave, and 
 again enjoyed pleasant intercourse with friends. When the 
 Castro, the vessel in which a passage to Mauritius had been 
 provided, was ready to sail, ten oxen, a parting present from 
 the Queen, were taken on board, with those intended for the 
 Governor of Mauritius. Early on the morning of November 
 18th tlie ship was under way, and once more, with deep and 
 mingled emotions, the missionary directed his course home- 
 ward. Calms and contrary winds detained the vessel at sea, 
 and it was not until December 2nd that she anchored in the 
 harbour of Port Louis. 
 
 Mr. Ellis took an early opportunity of calling on the 
 Governor, and giving to him, as well as to the Commodore and 
 general commanding the forces, an account of his mission. By 
 these authorities, the service he had rendered the British and 
 Colonial Governments, in the prosecution of his difficult under- 
 
240 LIFE OF AVILLIAM ELLIS. chap. sii. 
 
 taking-, were Inghly appreciated, and warmly acknowledged. 
 A copy of the letter which he had written to Lord Clarendon 
 was shown to them, and accidentally left on the Governor's 
 table. Almost immediately after, M. Lambert himself, the 
 chief subject of the communication, was announced. In his 
 interview with His Excellency he complained bitterly of the 
 mischief which Mr. Ellis had done at the capital, charging him 
 with having defeated all the plans of the French party, and 
 their schemes for the good (?) of the country, and otherwise, 
 generally, with having done grievous harm. As soon as he had 
 taken his departure, the missionary so violently denounced re- 
 turned in search of the letter, in which M. Lambert's name had 
 been so conspicuous, and was not sorry to learn that the Gfovernor's 
 quick eye had observed it, and that with ready tact he had 
 laid it aside. The Grovernor informed him that M. Lambert's 
 errand in France had very narrowly escaped complete success. 
 It appeared that the members of the French Grovernment, to 
 whom his scheme had been submitted, were unanimously in 
 favour of an armed expedition against Madagascar ; but that 
 Louis Napoleon decided that no step should be taken without 
 the concurrence of the British Grovernment. Thus it was to 
 the Emperor's single veto that Madagascar owed its exemption 
 from the horrors of war, if not of entire subjugation. 
 
 During the few weeks that Mr. Ellis remained in the colony, 
 he enjoyed agreeable intercourse with friends, and received 
 courteous attention from persons of influence, and members of 
 other religious communions besides his own, the Bishop of 
 Mauritius among the number. He was again a guest at Eeduit, 
 where he spent the Christmas with the Grovernor and his family. 
 
 He embarked on his homeward voyage on board the steamer 
 England^ commanded by Captain Dundas, on January 13th, 
 1857. Soon after setting sail they encountered a violent 
 hurricane, which others had not so bravely weathered as their 
 powerful and well-appointed steamer ; for a day or two after 
 the subsidence of the storm, they fell in with a frail raft, on 
 
CHAP. XII. FIRST VISIT— THE CAPITAL. 241 
 
 which two shipwrecked men, in the last stage of exhaustion, 
 were despairingly waiting for deliverance. These men were 
 happily saved from their perilous position, and in the person of 
 one of the rescued mariners the missionary was surprised to find 
 a Sandwich Islander, a native of Oahu, where he had formerly 
 laboured, and who was overjoyed to meet, not only with 
 deliverance, but with a friend who could converse with him in 
 his native tongue. On hearing the first two lines of a hymn in 
 the Sandwich Island language, his countenance brightened, and 
 taking up the strain, he repeated the concluding lines, won- 
 dering who it was that thus addressed him and showed such 
 familiarity with the hymns of his childhood. His pleasure was 
 not abated when lie was informed that the friend who addressed 
 him had himself composed those lines when he was residing in 
 the islands. The incident of the rescue, as may well be ima- 
 gined, produced no little excitement and sympathy among the 
 passengers and crew. The rescued men were left at the Cape . 
 of Good Hope, to pursue their course to America. The re- 
 mainder of the voyage to England was safe and speedy, and on 
 March 20, 1857, the traveller once again experienced the joy 
 of returning home. 
 
 Though well entitled to rest, he was not yet allowed, nor 
 was he satisfied, to remain idle. His services as a deputation 
 at missionary and other public meetings were more than ever 
 in requisition, and intense sympathy with the persecuted 
 Christians at Madagascar was excited by his graphic descrip- 
 tions of their sufferings and their constancy. The novel and 
 varied information he was likewise able to give on other subjects 
 that had come under his observation, was received with appre- 
 ciative interest. The Eoyal Greographical Society requested 
 him to read at one of their meetings a paper on Madagascar, 
 which was published in their annual volume of ' Transactions.' 
 He was subsequently elected a Fellow of the Society. The 
 Horticultural Society, and other scientific associations, were 
 also prompt to do him honour. Amidst a busy round of such 
 
 R 
 
242 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xii. 
 
 engagements he found time once more to apply himself to 
 literary labour, and in 1858 published his Three Visits to 
 Madagascar — a book that has, perhaps, been as extensively 
 read as any work on missionary enterprise and travel. In that 
 volume will be found, besides a description of the people and 
 country, their productions, institutions, and customs, a complete 
 and minute account of the incidents and events of which the 
 foregoing narrative is but a brief and imperfect outline. 
 
243 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 LAST VISIT — EADAMA 11. 
 
 Early in 1857 M. Lambert, who had arrived in Mauritius 
 from his European expedition, as already stated, just before 
 Mr. Ellis left the colony, retm-ned to Antananarivo ; and though 
 he had failed in securing the armed assistance for which he had 
 applied at home, he lost no time in resuming his schemes for 
 effecting a revolution in the country, and for deposing the Queen 
 in favour of her son. The Prince, however, would not coun- 
 tenance the treasonable design ; and before the attempt could 
 be made, the conspiracy that had been formed by the French- 
 men at the capital became known to the sovereign, who, 
 naturally incensed, returned all the presents she had received 
 from M. Lambert, and banished him and his countrymen from 
 her dominions. In his return to the capital the French 
 adventurer had been accompanied by Madame Pfieffer, who was 
 of course included in the edict of banishment. This eccentric 
 traveller and authoress subsequently published an account of her 
 residence in Madagascar, a work in which she constituted 
 herself the mouthpiece of some of M. Lambert's slanders against 
 the missionary who had done so much to thwart his purposes 
 of selfish aggrandisement, and the injuries he had meditated 
 against the country of his adoption. 
 
 Whether or not the Queen's indignation at the discovery of 
 the plot against her throne had any connexion with her renewed 
 hostility against the Christians, and that she suspected the 
 treason had been planned in any measure with a view to their 
 advantage, or witli their connivance, it was immediately fol- 
 
244 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xin. 
 
 lowed by the outbreak of another violent persecution, more 
 cruel than any that had preceded, and involving a larger 
 number of victims, many of whom were put to death in ways 
 the most revolting and merciless, while many more were 
 condemned to slavery and fetters, or to the ordeal of poison, 
 and other forms of barbarous punishment. Numbers also fled 
 from their homes, and remained in concealment till the danger 
 was past. The Prince exerted himself nobly to befriend these 
 victims of superstitious malevolence, and either by himself 
 providing refuge, or by assisting the flight of the accused, suc- 
 ceeded in saving hundreds of lives. 
 
 This persecution, as it was the most severe, was happily the 
 last to which the adherents of Christianity were exposed. The 
 Queen's health, which had long been failing, at length somewhat 
 rapidly declined, and on August 16, 1861, her reign and her 
 cruelties were terminated by death. Sufficient warning of tliis 
 event had been given to enable the prime minister and com- 
 mander-in-chief, with other adherents of Prince Eakotond, to 
 take measures for his accession to the throne. Shortly before 
 the Queen died the city was filled with troops, and the house in 
 which Eambosalama, the rival claimant of the throne, was 
 devising with a number of his friends their schemes for securing 
 the sovereignty, was surrounded by soldiers ; and the baffled 
 aspirant for the crown, finding himself a helpless prisoner, was 
 among the first to tender his allegiance to his cousin, who, as 
 soon as his mother's death was announced, had been publicly 
 proclaimed king, under the title of Eadama II. With a less 
 humaue opponent, the life of a rival so formidable and so 
 unscrupulous would at once have been forfeited ; but among 
 many other acts of clemency which inaugurated the new reign, 
 the sentence pronounced against Eambosalama was the mild 
 one of banishment to one of his own villages, not many miles 
 from the capital. In this place of exile the young man died 
 early in the following year. 
 
 The first measures of the new king, in the exercise of the 
 
CHAP. XIII. LAST VISIT— KADAMA II 245 
 
 supreme power, were, a free invitation for the return of all 
 foreigners, with fresh encouragements to commerce, the advan- 
 tages of which, however, were marred by the ill-judged aboli- 
 tion of all customs duties ; a considerable diminution in the 
 amount of compulsory labour, and other burdens, which under 
 former governments had pressed heavily upon the people ; the 
 liberation of political captives, and exiles or prisoners of war, 
 especially from among the disaffected tribe of Sakalavas, who 
 were not only restored to liberty, but sent home loaded with 
 presents — an act of regal generosity that converted the for- 
 merly hostile province into the most loyal and steadfast section 
 of the kingdom ; and, to crown all, the proclamation of perfect 
 religious liberty, without distinction or favour, throughout the 
 land. 
 
 Tidings of these important events, accompanied with earnest 
 requests for the return of Christian teachers, were not long in 
 reaching England, and were hailed with unmingled satisfaction 
 by all the friends of Madagascar, and especially by those who 
 sympathised with its ' martyr Church.' 
 
 Among the first in this country to gain information of the 
 changes that had taken place was Mr. Ellis ; and the manner 
 in which he received the intelligence was highly characteristic, 
 showing at once his quiet self-possession and the promptness of 
 his decision. He was sitting at breakfast with some friends 
 who were at the time visitors at Rose Hill, when letters from 
 Madagascar were placed in his hands. Having opened them, 
 and rapidly glanced over their contents, he laid them down on 
 the table beside him, without comment or sign of emotion, and 
 joined with his usual liveliness in the general conversation. 
 When the meal was over, he walked into the garden with one 
 of liis guests, a brother minister from London, and opened his 
 Madagascar news with the quiet remark, ' The Queen is dead, 
 I must go.' Then, having given his friend the details of his 
 letters, he returned into the house, to impart the same 
 information to Mrs. Ellis, whom he had been unwilling to 
 
246 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiii. 
 
 disturb by a more abrupt disclosure of the facts, and to prepare 
 for an immediate journey to the Mission House, in order to 
 confer with the officers and directors of the Society concerning 
 the steps that should be taken. Before the day closed the 
 arrangements for his last visit to Madagascar had been virtually 
 concluded, and he returned to Eose Hill to commence prepara- 
 tions for another adventurous journey and protracted absence 
 from home. His beloved wife would fain have accompanied 
 him ; indeed, nothing but an imperative sense of duty would 
 have reconciled her to being again left behind ; but the ill- 
 health of her husband's only surviving daughter, whose life was 
 evidently ebbing fast, the claims of Eawdon House, and other 
 considerations, rendered her presence at home indispensable. 
 
 Not many weeks elapsed after the arrival of the Madagascar 
 letters, before the ardent missionary was once more ready to 
 set sail on his interesting and hopeful embassy. Before his 
 departure he was favoured with a personal interview with Earl 
 Eussell, then at the head of the Foreign Office, and was 
 furnished with an official letter, assuring the new sovereign of 
 the friendly sentiments of the British Government towards 
 that of Madagascar — a communication that would be most 
 welcome to the young ruler, who desired nothing more 
 earnestly than the friendship of England. 
 
 The voyage out, by the same course as that taken on the 
 previous visit, was pleasant and expeditious. The first portion 
 of the route from Southampton to Alexandria, was made in the 
 Pera, which left her port of embarkation on the 20th of 
 November, 1861. At Suez, the travellers again took ship in 
 the Noma, and the party were joined by six French Roman 
 Catholic priests, on their way to Madagascar, besides a French 
 officer with presents from the Emperor of France to Eadama. 
 Mr. Ellis experienced as usual the greatest courtesy from his 
 fellow passengers. The attention and kindness of the com- 
 mander of the Noma, in particular. Captain Bain, contributed 
 greatly to the comfort of the passage. His first words of 
 
CHAP. xiii. LAST VISIT— RADAMA II. 247 
 
 greeting at Suez were an omen of an agreeable voyage. 
 ' Mr. Ellis,' he said, ' though I have not seen you before, I 
 never received a passenger with greater pleasure.' In reply to 
 enquiries about accommodation, he added : ' The two best 
 cabins in the vessel have been assigned to your use, and in 
 everything under my control your wishes shall be attended to.' 
 The Catholic priests were naturally a little shy of their new 
 acquaintance, and some French ladies among the passengers, 
 who had received their information from M. Lambert's 
 accounts and other equally credible sources, seemed disposed 
 at first to believe they had a Jonah on board ; but before the 
 end of the voyage, thanks in no small measure to Captain 
 Bain's warm and honest championship, the Protestant 
 missionary's blackened character was amply vindicated, and he 
 stood fairly in the estimation even of those who had before 
 been disposed to regard him as a very monster of wickedness. 
 
 Port Louis was reached on the 27th of December, and 
 Mr. Ellis was once more welcomed by his hospitable friends 
 at Mauritius, as well as by others, not less cordial, whose 
 acquaintance he now made for the first time. He was enter- 
 tained at Keduit by the Grovernor, Sir William Stevenson, who 
 received him with much courtesy, informing him that he had 
 instructions from the British Grovernment to afford him every 
 2)ossible assistance in the prosecution of his mission. 
 
 Hearing that fever was rife at Tamatave, he did not attempt 
 to proceed on his journey till some months after his arrival in 
 Mauritius, when the unsalubrious districts had become more 
 safe for travellers or visitors, but remained at Port Louis, 
 corresponding with native Christians and others in Madagascar, 
 and devoting much of his comparative leisure to the study of 
 the Malagasy language. During this interval also, havino- 
 conceived the happy idea that the localities in and about 
 Antananarivo, where the Christian martyrs had suffered, would 
 form most appropriate sites for places of worship, which as long- 
 as they stood would be striking memorials of the trials of the 
 
243 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiii. 
 
 early Church of Madagascar, and the sul)lime constancy of its 
 heroic members, who had sealed their fidelity with their blood ; 
 believing also that such a commemoration of events so worthy 
 of indelible record would commend itself to the sympath}^ and 
 liberality of Clu'istians at home, and fearing lest tlieland should 
 be otherwise appropriated if any delay oceui'red in securing it, 
 Mr. Ellis wrote at once to the King, requesting that the sites 
 might be reserved for the object desired. To this application 
 a favourable reply was speedily returned. The simultaneous 
 appeal to English Christians for the necessary pecuniary aid 
 met \yith an equally prompt response, and it was not long before 
 the work of building cliurches on these interesting spots was 
 fairly begun. 
 
 As soon as the favourable season permitted, Mr. Ellis left 
 Port Louis in the Jessie Byrne, which set sail on the 17th of 
 May, 1862, and on the 22nd of the same month came to anchor 
 in the harbour of Tamatave. A most cordial welcome awaited 
 the Christian messenger, who was not a, little affected by the 
 evidences of the great changes that had taken place in the 
 condition of the people since his last visit. Then, the disciples 
 of the Saviour scarcely dared to recognise each other, and could 
 meet for devotional exercises only in secret, and under the most 
 careful guard against detection ; now, no attempt at conceal- 
 ment was needed, joy beamed in every countenance, and family 
 or public worship Avas held openly, and with all the more 
 manifest enjoyment and fervour from the long suppression of 
 the privilege. 
 
 Other changes of a very different character marked the 
 aspect of the place, and painfully impressed the visitor at 
 this period. Signs of increased activity in business were cer- 
 tainly evident, but the most flourishing trade apparently was 
 the sale of spirits, which since the removal of all customs duties 
 bad been imported in enormous quantities, and, as the natural 
 consequence, drunkenness, riot, and licentiousness prevailed to 
 a fearful extent. The people appeared to be entering afre.sh 
 
CHAP. XIII. LAST VISIT— KADAMA II. 249 
 
 on that critical phase of their course which unhapjjily too often 
 marks the first contact of a barbarous community with civilized 
 nations, and which, unless counteracted by the elevating influence 
 of Christainity, leads sooner or later to their extermination. 
 Besides the increase of drunkenness which attended the new 
 order of things, the very leniency of the King's disposition and 
 the laxity of his government, by removing the wholesome check 
 of fear and liolding out a comparative immunity for wrong- 
 doing, produced an increase of crime, most disastrous in its 
 immediate effects, and which doubtless even thus early laid the 
 fouudation of the weak and indolent monarch's subsequent fall. 
 At present, however, there were no signs of the coming evil. 
 The King was everywhere popular, his accession to the throne 
 gave general joy, and even the least sanguine, though not blind 
 to tlie young Eadama's faults, hoped much from the humane 
 and generous traits in his character, his liberal policy, and the 
 undoubted reforms he had already introduced. To the Christians 
 in the land the change was a revulsion, bringing life and freedom, 
 and bright with promise. No wonder they gave their deliverer 
 credit for goodness beyond his meed. 
 
 The arrival of Mr. Ellis in the country had been eagerly 
 looked for ; officers from the king were in waiting at Tamatave, 
 and every facility was afforded for his journey to the capital. 
 This was begun on the 31st of May, was conducted by a course 
 only slightly varying from those ab-eady traversed and described, 
 and was chiefly distinguished by the number of refugees, who 
 had been slaves or outlaws during the reign of persecution, and 
 were now returning to their homes. A number of these ac- 
 companied the party from the coast, and small bands would 
 frequently join them as they proceeded on their way ; so that 
 before they reached the capital the company was swelled to 
 quite a host. Within a few miles of tlie city delegates from 
 the Christians came out to meet him, additional officers from 
 the King also gave him welcome, and conducted him with every 
 demonstration of genuine respect and welcome to the comfort- 
 
250 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiii. 
 
 able quarters provided for him in Antananarivo. He entered 
 the city on the 16th of June much fatigued, but thankful and 
 encouraged by the cheering circumstances attending his arrival. 
 On the next day he went by appointment to visit the King, who 
 received him with, if possible, even more than his old cordiality. 
 At this audience he delivered to the gratified sovereign the 
 letter from the English Government, together with letters and 
 presents from the authorities at Mauritius, and a number of 
 acceptable gifts from friends at home. The Queen, Rabodo, 
 was not behind her consort in the heartiness of her reception. 
 
 Among the first objects of interest that attracted the mis- 
 sionary's special attention were the martyr sites, which he took 
 the earliest opportunity of visiting, and which he could now 
 examine in the most open manner, very different from the jealous 
 surveillance with which his casual glances that way were formerly 
 regarded. He was glad to find them in every way eligible for 
 the proposed places of worship. 
 
 His time was now very much taken up by visitors of all 
 kinds, especially from among the Christians, who crowded his 
 house from morning till night, some of them often coming 
 before he was dressed, and sharing his early cup of coffee. His 
 good nature and desire to be useful were not unfrequently 
 pretty severely taxed to keep down any sense or show of 
 irritation at the untimely hours and inconsiderate persistence 
 which characterized some of these visits. A desire for instruc- 
 tion showed itself amongst the more intelligent classes, and 
 many of the nobles were anxious that their sons, if not them- 
 selves, should acquire a knowledge of the English language. 
 He was therefore induced to receive a number of young men 
 for the purpose of teaching them English, and devoted to this 
 class two hours daily. He also, at the King's request, gave 
 one hour each day to His Majesty for reading the. Scriptures 
 and conversation. These interesting interviews, as well as a 
 religious service at the King's house, were kept vip almost 
 without a single interruption until within a day or two of 
 Radama's death. 
 
CHAP. XIII. LAST VISIT- -EADAMA II. 251 
 
 With all these demands upon his attention and energies, 
 taxing his physical powers to the very utmost, he applied him- 
 self diligently and with his usual success to the acquisition of 
 the language. His progress was somewhat facilitated by a 
 certain correspondence between the language of Madagascar 
 and that of Polynesia. He had always a remarkable power of 
 memory for words, and though he might be deficient in his 
 knowledge of the structure and grammar of a new tongue, his 
 vocabulary soon became almost inexhaustible, and he would 
 manage to make himself understood by the natives, however 
 defective the composition of the sentence might be. He took 
 pleasure in tracing words to their source, which in the case of 
 proj)er names was not a difficult task. He was informed, while 
 pursuing this sort of enquiry, of the origin of the regal name ; 
 the legend concerning which is, that the father of the first 
 Kadama, enquiring of an Arab what was the name of the 
 greatest, or first man, was answered Adam ; ' Then,' said the 
 King, ' my son shall be called Adam ' — a name which, trans- 
 ferred into Malagasy, becomes Eadama ; for in that dialect, as 
 in those of Polynesia, every word must end with a vowel, and 
 ev^y personal proper name in Madagascar has the prefix Ea. 
 ' Even my cat,' Mr. Ellis adds, ' the natives call Ea-pussy.' 
 Considerable knowledge of the language was thus acquired with 
 wonderful rapidity, more by conversation with the people than 
 by study in the closet. 
 
 Events of considerable importance to the new sovereignty 
 were now pending. Among these were the arrival at the 
 capital of embassies from the French and English Grovernments, 
 and of resident Consuls from these respective countries, as well 
 as the re-occupation of the long abandoned mission field by 
 English Protestant teachers. The Eoman Catholic priests were 
 already on the ground, and iu conjunction with the French 
 laymen at the capital plied every means, not always very 
 scrupulously, to influence the King in favour of their religion 
 and their own nation. Especially they strove to prejudice his 
 mind against Mr. Ellis, whose growing influence they viewed 
 
252 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiii. 
 
 with no little dissatisfaction. Nothing was too black for 
 M. Laborde and M. Lambert to charge against him, nothing 
 too gross for the Abbe Jouen, with unblushing mendacity, to 
 invent in defamation of his character. These enemies of the 
 English missionary seemed to hope much from the expected 
 arrival of the British Consul, whom they knew and counted 
 upon as an ally. ' Let him wait,' M. Laborde would say to the 
 King, ' till my friend Mr. Pakenham comes, and the old 
 meddler will soon learn to know his place.' These violent 
 attacks against one whom the King had good reason to value, 
 only seemed to raise the traduced man in tlie young ruler's 
 esteem. He was, not without good cause, suspicious of the 
 motives and designs that prompted these evil tongues, and 
 the violence of their hate convinced him only the more firmly 
 that in ' his Father,' as he delighted to call his faithful 
 counsellor, he had at least one true man and staunch friend, 
 whose statements he could implicitly believe, and in whose 
 judgment he might safely trust. 
 
 The coronation of the King, a ceremony of much signifi- 
 cance in the semi-barbarous condition of the nation, had been 
 fixed for the middle of August, but, in order to give the 
 representatives of distant tribes the opportunity of being- 
 present, was postponed till the following month. The altera- 
 tion was not made known in time to prevent the somewhat 
 prematm-e arrival of the members of the European embassies, 
 some of whom were compelled to return before the great event 
 took place, and those who remained were detained in the 
 island at some personal inconvenience for a much longer period 
 than they had anticipated. The first of these distinguished 
 visitors to reach the capital were the members of the French 
 embassy, at the head of which was Commodore Dupre. With 
 these came the French Consul. Not long afterwards the 
 English embassy arrived, including General Johnstone, Captain 
 Anson (since promoted in military rank and official position), 
 and the Bishop of Mauritius. The prelate was charged with 
 
CHAP. xi!i. LAST VISIT— RADAMA II. 253 
 
 the agreeable duty of presenting to the sovereign of Madagascar, 
 as a present from Queen Victoria, a handsomely bound copy 
 of the Bible, with Her Majesty's autograph inscribed. The 
 embassy was also accompanied by Mr. Caldwell, witli other 
 presents from the Queen. This party was soon followed by the 
 newly-appointed English Consul, and before the day fixed for 
 the coronation the European company was augmented by the 
 welcome appearance, an the 30th of August, 1862, of the 
 expected English missionaries. These were met a short 
 distance from the city by some of the members of the British 
 embassy, accompanied by Mr. Ellis and a number of native 
 Christians. They were in the first instance entertained by 
 Captain Anson, and, much refreshed in mind and body by their 
 kind reception, were afterwards conducted to the comfortable 
 dwellings prepared for them. The securing and furnishing 
 of these houses had been part of the iriudefatigable friend's 
 preliminary work. The sites and some of the habitations had 
 been given by the first Radama to the former missionaries, and, 
 on Mr. Ellis's application, were restored to tlie mission, on the 
 payment to the occupants of their duly appraised value at the 
 time of transfer. 
 
 The unexpected detention of the British embassy at 
 Antananarivo, however inconvenient to the gentlemen com- 
 posing it, was peculiarly opportune and refreshing to Mr. Ellis, 
 who received from each of them much courtesy and kindness, 
 and enjoyed frequent and pleasant intercourse, such as secured 
 for him the privilege of their warm personal friendship to the 
 close of his life. The duties of the Bishop of Mauritius obliged 
 him to return before the day of the coronation ; but during his 
 brief stay he visited and surveyed with mournful interest the 
 places where the martyrs had suffered ; he also witnessed the 
 worship of the native Christians, and addressed them through 
 the medium of an interpreter. Mr. Ellis, moreover, held 
 earnest conference with him on the position and prospects of 
 the mission ; and it was mutually admitted that the interests of 
 
254 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiii. 
 
 the people, and the progress of the Christian religion among 
 them, would best be secured by the missionaries of the Church 
 of England occupying other stations than those already filled 
 by the London Missionary Society, and where their labourers 
 had in former years so long and patiently toiled and suffered. 
 Surely the principle is a sound one ; and the Gospel will better 
 be commended to heathen tribes by co-operation, than by 
 the display of antagonism among rival sections of the Church. 
 
 As the time appointed for the coronation drew near, the city 
 became filled with eager crowds from all parts of the country. In 
 the ceremony itself, which took place on September 23, 1862, and 
 in its accessories of circumstance and scenery, there was much 
 that was novel and imposing even to the eyes of the European 
 visitors. Of all these particulars, and of many others connected 
 with them that are not even alluded to in this narrative, very 
 full accounts have been repeatedly given to the public in the 
 missionary periodicals of the time, and full details are furnished 
 in Mr. Ellis's work entitled Madagascar Revisited. It would 
 be tedious to go over the ground again. 
 
 More than one occurrence, though trivial in itself, threatened 
 to mar the harmony of the auspicious occasion, but the prudence 
 of the parties most nearly concerned prevented any public 
 collision or breach of decorum. Foolish persons endeavoured 
 to sow discord, and perplex the King by suggesting, some, that 
 the English general, others, that the French commodore, ought 
 to place the regal emblem on His Majesty's head. He solved 
 the difficulty by crowning himself. The Catholic priests 
 officiously obtruded on the King's privacy on the morning of 
 the coronation day, and, taking him by surprise, before the 
 bewildered monarch could conceive what they were about, 
 actually jDlaced the crown on his head, and delivered a homily 
 to their unwilling and solitary auditor. They afterwards 
 boasted of their performance as a decisive mark of Kadama's 
 favour to the Eoman Catholic religion. Another threatened 
 contretemps was averted entirely by General Johnstone's 
 
CHAP. XIII. LAST VISIT— RADAMA II. 255 
 
 forbearance and good sense. A day or two before that ap- 
 pointed for the ceremony, the consuls, British and French, 
 informed Kadama that they had conferred together, and agreed 
 upon certain arrangements for the coronation, having regard 
 to order and precedence. The King, in some indignation, 
 replied that he had made his own arrangements, and would 
 admit of no interference. He afterwards sent private intima- 
 tion to General Johnstone that he intended to abide by his own 
 judgment and decision in assigning to him the chief post of 
 honour among the visitors. It was, therefore, with some sur- 
 prise that the general heard on the morning of the ceremony 
 that Admiral Dupre had insisted upon precedence, threatening, 
 in the event of any other course, to consider the French 
 insulted, and withdraw from all friendly relations with the 
 Malagasy Grovernment. Possibly the first impulse of the 
 English general might have been to absent himself from the 
 pageant altogether ; but, with better tact, he took no notice of 
 the change in the programme which these threats effected. 
 
 A day or two after these events the English embassy took 
 their departure, and the members of the French commission 
 were not long in following. These last had, however, pre- 
 viously completed the execution of a treaty between the French 
 and Malagasy Grovernments. This dDcument was by no means 
 free from objection, even in the form in which it was ultimately 
 adopted ; but in the first draft, besides other indefensible 
 claims, it had been stipulated that French residents in the 
 country should not be subject to Malagasy laws. To this 
 exceptional clause, in particular, the chief secretary and other 
 of the King's advisers were strongly opposed. Mr. Ellis, upon 
 being consulted in the matter, could not hesitate to explain at 
 least the usages of European countries, and to state that in 
 England every foreigner, tlie moment he set foot on British 
 ground, was subject to British law, and that the same rule 
 applied in France, and every other part of the civilized world. 
 The Malagasy Government accordingly declined to accept the 
 
256 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiii. 
 
 treaty with this unusual and unjustifiable clause. The French 
 were very wroth with Rahaniraka and with his English friend, 
 and at first refused to raake any alteration in their terms ; but 
 idtimately conceded the point in dispute, and the treaty was 
 signed. Mr. Ellis's share in the transaction, nevertheless, long 
 rankled in the tenacious and vindictive memories of his baffled 
 antagonists. 
 
 Appended to this treaty were stipulations that in effect 
 ratified certain private concessions which the King had made 
 to M. Lambert, granting him most extraordinary powers over 
 lands and minerals in Madagascar, and even authorising his 
 issuing coin with the ' king's image and superscription.' This 
 insane agreement was most offensive to the members of the 
 Grovernment and other nobles, and had been clandestinely 
 extorted from the King by M. Lambert, associated with M. 
 Laborde and a French priest, at one of the King's country houses, 
 and after dinner. In his sober senses, Eadama repented of the 
 transaction, but, though warned that it would inevitably bring 
 trouble on himself and his kingdom, had not the courage to 
 draw back in time. 
 
 It was with extreme reluctance that the minister of the Grospel 
 allowed himself to be mixed up in any way with the political 
 affairs of the countr3\ Eadama had m-ged him, soon after his 
 arrival, to compile a code of laws for Madagascar, but this 
 he had decidedly refused to do. He endeavoured to confine his 
 attention as much as possible to the higher claims of his office ; 
 but his position was peculiar, and he could not consistently 
 with his duty altogether avoid expressing his opinion and giving 
 his counsel when it was directly sought. His influence with 
 the King was certainly great, and in every perplexity the young 
 sovereign appealed to him as to the man in whom he could best 
 trust. In reference to the accusations urged against him on 
 this score by those who regarded his beneficent control with 
 jealousy, Mr. Ellis observes : — ' Whatever influence I may have 
 possessed with the King had been honourably acquired, and was 
 
CHAP. XIII. LAST VISIT— RADAMA II. 257 
 
 used solely for the advancement of the great object of the 
 mission with which I was connected — the improvement and 
 religious benefit of the people. I never sought a single favour 
 for myself personally. I was less with the King than he desired 
 that I should be. With the exception of the day of the corona- 
 tion, I had declined every invitation to dine with him, though 
 messengers had not unfrequently been specially sent for me ; 
 and I had sedulously endeavoured to render my intercourse 
 with him subservient to his own instruction and benefit, as well 
 as to the good of the people. To the King, or those in power, 
 I never offered an opinion on any but religious subjects, except 
 when my opinion was asked ; and excepting my daily visits to 
 the King to read and converse with him, I never went to the 
 palace without having been sent for, and then I invariably ac- 
 companied the officer, and entered the palace with him, in order 
 that the other officers on duty within and without the palace, 
 many of whom were heathen, and did not regard with favour the 
 privileges of the Christians, might see that I had been sent for.' 
 
 Direct missionary work was that in which this messenger of 
 the Cross chiefly delighted, and to which he made all other 
 engagements subservient. The following account of his labours 
 in this department has been kindly furnished by one of his 
 associates, tlie Eev. Eobert Toy, and will convey a vivid idea 
 of the energy and indefatigable activity which he put forth in 
 his cherished calling : — 
 
 ' At the end of August 1862, Mr. Ellis was joined by the new 
 missionaries from England. These comprised three ministerial 
 missionaries, a medical man, a superintendent of education, and 
 a printer. On our arrival at the foot of the hill upon which 
 the capital is built, we met our friend for the first time, in 
 company with numerous Christians who had come to welcome 
 us to the scene of our future labours. We had imagined to 
 ourselves an old man of 65 or 70 years of age, and were surprised 
 to find a hale active man of apparently not more than 55 or 60 
 years, going about in the hot sun with all the vigour and energy 
 
 s 
 
258 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiii. 
 
 of a young man. His activity at this time was wonderful, and 
 enabled him during the first few months, and before the younger 
 brethren could render him much help, to do nearly all the work 
 of the mission. He seemed to be everywhere, and doing him- 
 self almost everything, preaching at the different chapels, 
 receiving visitors almost innumerable, explaining passages of 
 Scripture to some, giving counsel and advice to others, listening 
 to tales of trouble or complaint, giving medicine to the sick, 
 and help to the poor, going daily to the Stone House where the 
 King spent his time, visiting and advising the missionaries, 
 corresponding with friends and the Society at home, visiting 
 different parts of the neighbourhood, and taking photographs 
 of the more eminent people and places — always full of occupa- 
 tion from early morn till late in the evening. 
 
 ' The scheme which he had happily conceived of erecting the 
 memorial churches was warmly taken up by the Directors and 
 the Christian Churches at home, and a sum of money far ex- 
 ceeding the amount he had asked for, was speedily raised. He 
 secured the sites from the King, who readily granted them, 
 including a fifth at Fiadana on the south-west, where thirteen 
 persons had been stoned to death in 1857. This grant of the 
 land was confirmed by the succeeding Grovernment, and secured 
 for the use of the Christians in connection with the London 
 Missionary Society m perpetuity, when the English Treaty was 
 made in 1865. Before he left the country he had the pleasure 
 of seeing the first building begun, and making rapid progress. 
 He lived to hear of the successful completion of this and two 
 of the others, one of which' — the Ambohipotsy Church — was 
 opened by the present Queen and Prime Minister in person, 
 and of fair progress being made by the fourth. They are not 
 so plain and unornamental as was at first proposed, some of 
 tliem being of considerable architectural pretentions. Strength 
 and utility, however, have been principally attended to, in all 
 of them, and it is believed that for generations to come they 
 will prove memorials of the faithful deaths of Malagasy Christians 
 
CHAP. XIII. LAST VISIT— RADAMA n. 259 
 
 and of the generosity of English Christians brought about by 
 Mr. Ellis's happy idea, and earnest appeal.* 
 
 ' The three congregations which Mr. Ellis found when he 
 reached the capital, were collected on the north and north-west 
 of the town. Soon after our arrival, seeing the importance of 
 establishing a church for the population on the southern end, 
 we prevailed upon the King to give temporarily a piece of 
 ground for the erection of a rough building which naight be 
 used for gathering together a congregation, and last till the 
 Memorial Church, to be built close by, should be completed. 
 He asked me at tlie same time to go and live in that part of 
 the town, and undertake the work of gathering together a con- 
 gregation. We began by holding services in our own house, 
 and afterwards had a large rough clay building erected on the 
 spot of ground given by the King, to which we removed as 
 soon as finished ; and, when the Memorial Church was ready, in 
 November 1868, we took possession of it with a Church of 
 more than 500 members, a congregation often numbering more 
 than 1,500 persons, and country congregations connected with it 
 numbering between sixty and seventy. Thus proving the wisdom 
 and foresight of Mr. Ellis in fixing so early upon this position. 
 
 ' He next recommended, and did very much to help forward, 
 the erection of a church on the east side of the town, at 
 Ankadibivava. This also is now a flourisliing cause, with a 
 large number of country churches united with it. The im- 
 portant Church at Andohalo, situate near the centre of the 
 capital, in like manner owes its origin almost entirely to him, 
 as well as the flourishing Church at Ampamarinana. 
 
 ' It was Mr. Ellis's opinion from the first that no pecimiary 
 help should be given to the natives by our Society for carrying- 
 on Divine worship. While other societies are paying native 
 preachers, we have steadfastly refused, but have shown the 
 
 * The Memorial Church at Ambatoniikanga was opened June 22, 1867 ; that at 
 Faravohitra (Children's Church), July 9, 1867 ; that at Ambohipotsy, November 
 17, 1868 ; and that at Ampamarinana was nearly completed at the commence- 
 ment of the present year, 1873. 
 
 s 2 
 
260 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiii. 
 
 natives that this was their work, and not ours, and that the 
 Churches would be stronger and more robust by depending 
 upon themselves rather than on foreign help. This required 
 o-reat firmness at the commencement, especially as the people 
 were poor and had suffered much in the days of persecution. 
 Moreover, they had been hoping for many years for English 
 help, and had formed high notions as to what they would do 
 for them should the missionaries ever be permitted to return ; 
 but he felt that the principle was a right one, and in this, as 
 in other matters, he was earnestly supported by the missionaries. 
 The result is, that there is at the present time no one Church 
 supported by the Society, and no Church ofl&cer of any kind 
 whatever in their pay. We have felt it advisable recently, 
 on account of the heavy pressure upon the Churches resulting 
 from the great and rapid spread of Christianity, to subscribe 
 to the native fund for supporting a large staff of evangelists. 
 We also give a very small subscription when a new chapel is 
 being bidlt, and we principally support the native school- 
 masters, though this we hope to throw more and more upon 
 the natives themselves. But the Churches are all of them 
 established and carried on by native agency without pecuniary 
 support from us. It is to this principle, established by the 
 advice of Mr. Ellis and approved of by the Society and the 
 missionaries who were with him, that- we owe in a very great 
 measure the activity, the prosperity, and the stability of the 
 Churches throughout the country. 
 
 ' In a similar way he had, before our arrival, proposed to 
 the heads of the Christians that Bibles, Testaments, and other 
 books should not be given away indiscriminately, but that 
 those who were able should pay a small price for what they 
 required. This met with warm opposition. They had been so 
 long accustomed to receive them gratis in times of distress, 
 that they had taken it for granted that the same practice 
 would still be continued in the days of prosperity. By a little 
 firmness the point was carried. The principle having been 
 
CHAP. XIII. LAST VISIT- RADAJIA II. 261 
 
 thus introduced, it has grown till at the present time scarcely 
 anything besides small tracts, reports of unusual meetings, and 
 catechisms for candidates for Baptism and the Lord's Supper, 
 is given away, but a fair price is always charged, a reduction 
 being made in the case of those Avho are known to be too poor 
 to pay the full price. 
 
 ' He was always most anxious that the Churches should be 
 established on a thoroughly independent basis. Every Church 
 member should be qualified to vote, and all matters of govern- 
 ment and discipline should be submitted to the Church regularly 
 assembled. Irregularities regarding the appointment of Chiu'ch 
 officers had naturally crept in during the days of the persecution, 
 when their meetings together were attended with so much diffi- 
 culty and danger, so that the persons discharging the duties of 
 pastors and deacons had fallen as a matter of course into these 
 positions without any direct vote of the Christians as a body. 
 Mr. Ellis spoke to us on the subject soon after our arrival, and 
 a meeting was soon after appointed, at which rules, previously 
 drawn out, were placed before the leading men among the 
 Christians. These after considerable discussion and a little 
 delay were accepted, and have in principle been adopted by all 
 the Churches ever since. Mr. Ellis then proposed that every 
 office-bearer in the Chm-ch should be rechosen by each separate 
 Church, and such as failed in obtaining a majority of votes 
 should cease to hold an official position. It was rather a trying- 
 ordeal for some of them to go through, but the thing was done, 
 and nearly all the men were re-elected. Nothing that has ever 
 been done in Madagascar has had a more important bearing on 
 the well-being of the Churches than the introduction of the 
 principle, that all points relating to the government and dis- 
 cipline of the Churches shall be submitted to the vote of the 
 assembled members, and besides closing an effectual door against 
 innumerable irregularities which must inevitably have crept in, 
 it is thoroughly adaj)ted to the character of the people, and forms 
 perhaps the greatest safeguard against any attempted proselytism 
 
262 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiii. 
 
 on the part of any unfriendly society. The natives see that they 
 are managing their own affairs, and ai*e in no way under the 
 power and management of foreign missionaries, for we have made 
 the same principle hold good as much in relation to our own 
 dealings with the Churches as in that of the native pastors and 
 deacons. We have assumed from the first no authority, and it 
 will be difficult for missionaries with high notions of priestly 
 dignity and authority, now to make much headway against our 
 teachings. 
 
 ' One more matter of importance I may mention as having 
 been carried out through the advice of Mr. Ellis, and that is the 
 confining of the first efforts of the missionaries to the capital and 
 neighbourhood, rather than spreading their strength over a larger 
 extent in the provinces. By making Antananarivo the centre 
 of our operations, and concentrating there all the power of the 
 mission for the first few years after its re-establishment, it has 
 become now the stronghold of Christianity, and is making still 
 rapid progress in knowledge and all the essentials of civilized 
 life, while native preachers and evangelists have become qualified 
 for carrying the Gospel and establishing Churches among the 
 distant tribes. Missionaries now settling in distant places have 
 ready prepared native workers to carry on the main labours of 
 the district under their guidance and supervision. 
 
 'After three years of great anxiety and responsibility he would 
 leave with the full conviction that the work on which his heart 
 was set, was steadily going on, and Christianity gaining a hold 
 upon tlie people generally, which must soon make it difficult, if 
 not impossible for any Grovernment again to attempt its over- 
 throw. I had not always seen eye to eye with him, but the more 
 thoroughly I knew him the more I esteemed him, and this was 
 the feeling prevalent both among the missionaries and the native 
 Christians.' 
 
26S 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 CHANGES. 
 
 Though he might wish to concentrate the energies of the 
 mission at the capital, Mr. Ellis was far from confining his 
 attention or his efforts to this centre. In the month of No- 
 vember, 1862, he paid a visit to the ancient and interesting 
 town of Ambohimanga. This place was regarded as a strong- 
 hold of idolatry, and was in some respects a privileged city, 
 into which no stranger (the interdict had. never been restricted 
 to Christians) even tliough he were a native of Madagascar, 
 could enter without special autliority or permission. Yet even 
 here there were Christians, who sent to the capital to request 
 they might be allowed a plot of ground on which to build a 
 place of worship. This request the King readily granted, and 
 subsequently, at the solicitation of the same parties, expressed 
 his desire that Mr. Ellis should visit the place and preach tliere. 
 He sent one of his officers in advance to announce the mission- 
 ary's approach. Two other nobles. Christian men, and members 
 of the Church at Ambatonakanga, accompanied him, on the 
 1 5th of August, to the city. With the view of showing respect 
 to one who came to them as the King's friend, and in conformity 
 with ordinary usage when officers of the royal household w-ere 
 to be received, a small military guard of honour was stationed 
 at the gates, and saluting the party as they advanced, preceded 
 them into the city, where their Christian friends, and the 
 inhabitants generally, gave them a cordial welcome. After an 
 interesting religious service, and much pleasant intercourse 
 with the people, the missionary and his party returned. 
 Shortly after this visit some native preachers, who were sent 
 
264 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiv. 
 
 from the capital to the same place, were roughly and inhospil--. 
 ably treated by the authorities, and returning home made 
 complaint to the king of the usage they had received. Con- 
 sidering this conduct of the heathen party as a direct dis- 
 obedience of his command, and a violation of the religious 
 liberty that had been jjroclaimed on the sovereign's accession 
 to the throne, Kadama evinced his displeasure by degrading the 
 authorities of the city, and appointing others in their place. 
 These severe reprisals were not even known to the missionaries 
 at the time, and still less were they suggested by them. This 
 very simple affair, and the natural and innocent proceedings of 
 the preacher on the occasion, were, several months afterwards, 
 made the ground of serious accusations against him by tlie 
 British Consul, in a letter to Earl Eussell, in which it was 
 represented that, before making this visit, Mr. Ellis had obtained 
 ' armed folloiuers ' from the king, and had ' preached there by 
 force-land that he had afterwards '■inducecV the King to degrade 
 all the officers who 'm the first instance resisted^ &c. Other 
 charges, equally without foundation, intended to damage the 
 Christian minister's reputation, and to place on him the grave 
 responsibility of having been the chief cause of the heathen 
 reaction which resulted in the King's death, were contained in 
 the same letter. Earl Eussell, with characteristic courtesy and 
 fairness, sent a copy of the statement to Mr. Ellis for 'explanation.' 
 This was neither the first nor the last instance in which the 
 British Consul manifested his personal hostility, if not to the 
 Mission itself, certainly to him who for the time was its recog- 
 nised leader. . What was the ground of this hostility was not 
 altogether clear, but so close a friend of the French party at 
 Antananarivo, was, perhaps, not likely to regard the English 
 Protestant missionary with much favour. He had been 
 formerly connected with the Jesuit College at Reunion, had 
 married a French lady, and entered upon his official position 
 with a clearly pronounced partiality for his French friends. 
 Perhaps the English minister could hardly look for much 
 
CHAP. XIV. CHANGES. 265 
 
 cordiality in a man with such antecedents and connexions. 
 Let the cause be what it might, it is certain that the conduct 
 of the British Consul added very much to Mr. Ellis's distresses 
 and difficulties in Madagascar. 
 
 In the midst of these accumulating duties and troubles, he 
 experienced a severe domestic affliction in the death of his only 
 surviving daughter, which occurred on the lOtli of September 
 1862. The first intimation of his loss was conveyed to him 
 in a very kind letter of condolence from the Bishop of Mauritius, 
 in which, however, no name was mentioned, so that to the 
 grief of positive bereavement was added the torture of imcer- 
 tainty and suspense as to which member of his family had been 
 removed — her for whose death he was in a measure prepared, 
 or some other whom he had left in health, and who had perliaps, 
 his imagination suggested, been suddenly struck down by some 
 terrible calamity. His distress of mind, and the exhaustion of 
 too arduous labour brought on a severe illness, which for a time 
 entirely prostrated him. About a week after the Bishop's 
 letter, another arrived from Mrs. Ellis, giving the details of 
 his daughter's peaceful end. This communication, though it 
 caused him, he says, ' more tears — irrepressible tears — than any 
 event he could distinctly remember,' was, nevertheless, by putting 
 a period to his suspense, a relief, and he could devoutly thank 
 Grod for the mercy which tempered the severity of the affliction. 
 Mrs. Ellis, in her letter, gave, with much tenderness of 
 sympathy, the details of the closing scene, and the loved one's 
 happy dismissal. The spirit's eternal peace seemed to have 
 left its parting impress on its frail mortal tenement. There 
 was no trace of pain. ' The countenance after death became 
 inexpressibly beautiful. Youth seemed to come back again to 
 it ; ' and as the worn body was composed to its last peaceful 
 slumber, ' it was quite a spectacle of wonder to behold that 
 strange beauty.' Other letters from sympathising friends, show- 
 ing the love and estimation in which his daughter was held, 
 were a welcome solace to the father's heart. One friend writes, 
 
266 LIFE OF WILLIA31 ELLIS. chap. xiv. 
 
 and many offered tlieir tribute of respect in similar terms : — 
 ' The loss of dear Annie affects me much ; for though we knew 
 she had long been hovering on the verge of death, still she 
 seemed so constantly to escape, that we looked that she should 
 always escape. Few could be more ready for heaven. She 
 was in every sense to me a lovely woman, a lovely Christian, a 
 lovely friend. There was a noble simplicity, an unconscious 
 power, an unwavering devotion to duty, which few possess. I 
 believe Mrs. Ellis had largely to do with moulding her cha- 
 racter, and beautifying it, and if she is jDroud of nothing else, 
 she may justly be proud of all her influence there.' In this 
 season of bereavement, besides these sources of consolation from 
 a distance, Mr. Ellis was deeply touched with the unaffected 
 and delicate sympathy of his Malagasy friends, no less than by 
 the kindness of the mission families, and was powerfully im- 
 pressed with the evidence of the benign influence of religion in 
 refining and softening the heart, and drawing closer the bonds 
 of human brotherhood. 
 
 With domestic affliction thus increasing the burden of 
 accumulating official responsibilities, it is not surprising to find 
 the over-wrought exile from home writing thus to his absent 
 wife: — 'At times I long with almost inexpressible ardour for 
 the quiet of Eose Hill ; then again I often feel that Grod has 
 certainly placed me here, in a position and with responsibilities 
 which no one else could sustain ; not from any merit of my own, 
 but by a combination of circumstances as unforeseen as un- 
 avoidable, and I occasionally think I should feel ashamed to 
 come home well and strong, leaving vacant and exposed such a 
 post as I here occupy.' 
 
 About this time, very soon after the visit to Ambohimanga, 
 the King's foreign secretary, Rahaniraka, died, and Mr. Ellis 
 was urgently entreated to undertake, at least temporarily, the 
 duties of the office. Such a request, under the circumstances, 
 could hardly be refused, and to the missionary's almost 
 overwhelming labours, was now added the task of translating 
 
CHAP. XIV. CHANGES. 267 
 
 and drafting answers to the English correspondence of the 
 Grovernment. 
 
 In the beginning of the following month the treaty with 
 England was, after some little difficulty, duly executed. In 
 connection with this transaction, the British Consul preferred 
 a formal complaint to Greneral Johnstone, at that time acting 
 Grovernor of the Mauritius, against Mr. Ellis, for his interfer- 
 ence in the matter, alleging that after three days' full discus- 
 sion of the terms of the treaty, and when nothing remained 
 but to affix the signatures, he had publicly started objections, 
 which, for the time broke off the business. Greneral Johnstone, 
 in his official capacity, requested an ' explanation,' which was 
 returned in the following reply : — 
 
 ' To Major-General Johnstone. . ^^^^^^ 28<A, 186,3. 
 
 ' Sir, — While I regret that Her Britannic Majesty's Consul 
 at Madagascar should have so reported any part of my conduct 
 as to produce an impression that my interference was ill-judged 
 and tended to discredit the Consul in his functions, I am grateful 
 for the courtesy which has asked for an explanation of the 
 cause of my interference. 
 
 ' Though attending the King for an hour or more every day, 
 I heard nothing of any debate about the treaty, and the cir- 
 cumstances under which I interfered were as follows : 
 
 ' Early in the morning of the 29th of November, several of 
 the King's officers came to my house to ask me to read over 
 with them and correct the translation they had made into 
 Malagasy of the draft of a treaty with England which the 
 Consul had prepared, and also to request that I would afterwards 
 attend on His Majesty at the palace. I read over the trans- 
 lation, and the officers took it to the palace, whither I followed 
 them shortly afterwards. The treaty was then read, and each 
 article separately considered by the King and his ministers, who 
 suggested several important alterations, which were written 
 either in pencil on the document sent by the Consul or on a 
 
268 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiv. 
 
 separate paper, and the draft of the treaty thus amended 
 was returned to the Consul. On tlie 2nd of December 
 a messenger from the King required the attendance of the other 
 missionaries and myself to witness the signing of the treaty 
 with England. The French Consul and other foreigners were 
 present with the Malagasy. The King asked me to come to 
 his side while the treaty was read, and to inform him if the 
 English and Malagasy texts agreed. The Consul, when he had 
 finished reading the Englisli document, remarked, that the 
 English text alone was valid, the Malagasy translation being 
 only for those who did not understand English. The King's 
 secretary then read the ]Malaga3y translation, the King followed 
 the reading of both by copies in his hand. The Consul then 
 said the translation made by the King's own officers was correct, 
 and taking up a pen asked His Majesty to sign. The King 
 looked at me enquiringly, and I suggested that His Majesty 
 had better pause a moment, as one important addition which 
 the King had made to the original draft was altogether omitted, 
 viz., the rendering the English and Malagasy tests perfectly 
 accordant, and declaring them of equal value and authority for 
 all the purposes of the said treaty. I said the above stipula- 
 tion had been included in the recently executed treaty with 
 the Emperor of the French, and the King felt assured that Her 
 Majesty would not urge conditions less favourable than our 
 allies had agreed to. The Consul, addressing me angrily, said 
 all former treaties had been in the English language, and he 
 had no instructions to employ any other. 
 
 ' I also stated that the Malagasy text was in other respects 
 extremely defective, all the most imjDortant amendments pro- 
 posed by the King having been omitted. When I read the re- 
 spective paragraphs in which these omissions occurred, the King 
 drew back his chair, and the ministers who stood around said 
 the treaty in its present form could not be signed. The Consul 
 said all the amendments handed to him in English had been 
 inserted, and one of the missionaries to whom he had submitted 
 
CHAP. XIV. CHANGES. 269 
 
 the Malagasy text told him it was correct. The missionary, 
 whose name the Consul had mentioned, being present, explained 
 that he had said the Malagasy was in point of language correct 
 so far as it went, but that he had told the Consul there were 
 many parts in the one text to which there was nothing corres- 
 ponding in the other, or words to that effect. The Consul then 
 laid the treaty before me, and asked me if I would introduce 
 the amendments of the omission of which the King complained. 
 I said, if His Majesty wished it, I would do so. The King said, 
 " I wish you to do it." I therefore took the treaty, and the 
 king's secretaries having furnished me afterwards with the 
 omitted paragraphs, they were incorporated, and the amended 
 treaty was read, and agreed to by His Majesty, and publicly 
 signed by him in the presence of his ministers and some of the 
 chief nobles of the nation, on the 5th of December. On that 
 day expressions of approval were uttered by many present, and 
 all seemed to rejoice at tlie satisfactory completion of this new 
 bond of friendship and goodwill between England and Mada- 
 gascar. 
 
 ' Your Honour will perceive some difference in relation to 
 facts and dates between the terms in w^hich the Consul has re- 
 ported my interference, and the above narrative extracted from 
 my own journal, written daily after my return from the palace. 
 I trust my explanation will seciu-e me from censure for the 
 course which, in compliance with the publicly expressed wishes 
 of the King, I pursued on the 2nd of December.' 
 
 ['I cherish no unfriendly feeling towards Mr. Pakenham 
 personally, but as explanation has been asked from me of my 
 interference in this part of his public conduct, it would scarcely 
 be compatible with the duty which I feel I owe to my country 
 were I not to state that the spirit and conduct of the Consul on 
 this as well as other occasions has destroyed the esteem and 
 confidence with which the King and his ministers, as well as the 
 nobles in general, anticipated the arrival of the representative 
 of the British Government at the capital, and to whom they 
 
270 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiv. 
 
 were prepared to accord, not a formal, but most cordial wel- 
 come. The dissatisfaction has been great, and has rendered the 
 appointment of Mr. Pakenham almost the greatest calamity 
 of Radama's reign, while it has not been favourable to the 
 credit, influence, and interests of England in Madagascar. His 
 Majesty has more than once asked me to write and express his 
 wishes that the British Grovernment would appoint some other 
 gentleman to represent England at Madagascar ; but I have 
 always replied that it would be perfectly right for His Majesty 
 himself to express his wishes on the subject to Her Majesty's 
 Grovernment, but very unsuitable for me, even at the request 
 of His Majesty, to write on any such subject.'] 
 
 ' I have the honour to be, Sir, 
 
 ' Your obedient Servant, 
 
 ' William Ellis.' 
 
 The last paragraph of the above letter, though included in the 
 first draft, was withheld from the reply actually sent to Greneral 
 Johnstone. Mr. Ellis's forbearance towards Mr. Pakenham, 
 notwithstanding all the provocation he received, was in this 
 instance, and indeed throughout, as honourable as it was 
 undeserved. 
 
 The year 1863 was in many respects one of the most memor- 
 able in the history of Madagascar. The King's mistakes of 
 administration, and the vices of his character began early to 
 show fruit. The policy of abolishing all custom- duties, from 
 which alone many of the government officers had derived their 
 pay, gave great offence to the impoverished nobles, while the 
 people complained that they derived no advantage from the 
 change. Grave cause of dissatisfaction, moreover, arose from the 
 fact that the sovereign surrounded himself with young and profli- 
 gate associates and counsellors, — men without influence or posi- 
 tion, who recommended themselves to their master by flattering 
 his vanity and pandering to his pleasures, while his true friends, 
 entitled to consideration from their age, experience, and rank. 
 
CHAP. XIV. CHANGES. 271 
 
 were slighted and set aside. One of the last appointments he 
 made, and which it was said was instigated and supported by 
 M. Laborde and by the English as well as the French Consul, 
 was particularly obnoxious. This act of folly conferred the 
 dignity of His Majesty's principal Secretary of State for Foreign 
 Affairs on ' an ignorant, profligate, drunken American,' who had 
 been for some years resident in Tamatave, and was universally 
 known as a violent and hot-headed opponent of the English, 
 and as blindly devoted to the French. This step caused the 
 resignation of several officers of the Government, who were indig- 
 nant at the appointment and refused to work with such a man. 
 This occurrence did more, perhaps, than anything that had 
 yet taken place in Eadama's administration, to damage his 
 character and destroy confidence in his government, while it 
 threatened, if carried out to its full effect — (the aim of those 
 who advised it was to make French influence and the Roman 
 Catholics paramount in Madagascar) — to inflict serious injury 
 on the Protestant Mission. But coming events, scarcely yet 
 foreshadowed, speedily put an end to the insidious mischief. 
 
 At this time the heathen party, taking alarm at the rapid 
 growth and rising influence of the Christians in the country, 
 bestirred themselves to revive their waning power by exciting 
 the King's superstitious fears. The occurrence of an epidemic 
 malady favoured their machinations and designs ; and, indeed, 
 there can be no doubt that a large number of the cases were 
 feigned and instigated entirely by the chief votaries of idolatry 
 to further their own plans. The malady, where it was real, 
 appeared to be a species of hysteria, which a little firmness 
 would easily have suppressed. As evidence of this, one noble, 
 among whose dependants the disorder appeared, threatened to 
 flog the next person who manifested the slightest symptom of 
 the disease. No other case occurred in that chief's establish- 
 ment. Two or three soldiers also were affected with the 
 epidemic, but after the officers had given orders for the arrest 
 and punishment of tlie next patient, the ' dancing sickness,' as 
 
272 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiv. 
 
 the complaint was called, disappeared from the army. The 
 patients, during the paroxysms of their illness, affected to see 
 visions, and to receive communications from the ancestors of 
 Radama, or from the deities of the country, menacing retribu- 
 tion for the favour shown to the Christians. These representa- 
 tions, acting upon a mind naturally weak and degraded by 
 dissolute habits, produced their desired effect, and awakened 
 the King's superstitious fears. Under the influence of these 
 feelings, he no longer favoured the Christians, and was even 
 charged with conniving at schemes for their destruction. He 
 dreaded the vengeance of the offended gods of his country, and 
 regarding the strange sickness as a manifestation of their 
 displeasure, and the possessed as charged with supernatural 
 functions, treated them himself with timid deference, and 
 ordered all his subjects to uncover their heads whenever they 
 met them. 
 
 It was not surprising that the malevolence of the heathen 
 party should be chiefly directed against Mr. Ellis, and but for 
 the overruling care of a merciful Providence, he must certainly 
 have fallen a victim to their fury. For many nights in succes- 
 sion warning emblems of death, believed to be endowed with a 
 malign influence of fatal omen, were laid at his door. Ou one 
 occasion, while reading with the King, a number of the mad 
 dancers, armed with stones and other weapons, forced their way 
 into the room, and, with savage countenances and menacing 
 gestures, seemed bent on taking the missionary's life ; but the 
 King remained close to his side, leaning heavily against his 
 shoulder, and taking his hand in his own, which trembled 
 violently, and though evidently much agitated, so that lie could 
 scarcely articulate, he ordered the intruders to be forced back, 
 and the door barred against them. They still maintained their 
 threatening behaviour for some time before they retired, and it 
 was late before the King would allow his friend to return to his 
 own house, where two soldiers were stationed at the door to 
 keep guard during the night. It afterwards appeared that the 
 
CHAP. XIV. CHANGES. 273^ 
 
 party who had forced their way into the kind's presence, had 
 bound themselves by oath to take Mr. Ellis's life on that 
 occasion. 
 
 At another time his escape from death was equally providen- 
 tial. It was the last time he ever visited the king-, and only a 
 day or two before the monarch's tragic end. Mr. Ellis, in the 
 midst of the tumult, scarcely knowing whether it was prudent 
 to pay his accustomed visit — for the whole city was in dismay, 
 each one dreading some undefined and dire calamity — went to 
 the king's house an hour earlier than he was wont. He found 
 seated in the room two Eoman Catholic priests, as well as the 
 leader of the party who had sworn to kill him. Finding the 
 king engaged with the priests, one of them began to prefer some 
 charges against him with reference to the Abbe Jouen, he rose 
 to take his leave, interrupting the priest's mumbled accusation 
 with a peremptory ' Enough of that ; I cannot listen to it now. 
 Then, turning to the king and saying, ' If your Majesty pleases, 
 I will retire ; I have something to do at home,' he shook hands 
 with Eadama (it was for the last time), and bowing to the 
 priests, left the room. On arriving at his own house he found 
 two messengers from the prime minister waiting his return, 
 with a warning from their master that it was not safe for him 
 to remain at home, and desiring him to remove nearer the 
 chiefs own residence. He accordingly went to the house of Dr. 
 Davidson, which was close to that of the prime minister. He 
 was afterwards informed that the man whom he saw sitting^ in 
 the king's presence with the priests was under oath to put him 
 to death on that very day, and that the time selected for the 
 murder was that in which he uniformly left his own house to 
 visit the king ; so that his going an hour earlier than usual, and 
 coming away immediately, was, in God's providence, the means 
 of his escape. 
 
 The impending crisis in the kingdom, and Eadama's own 
 tragic fate, were brought about by an act of madness, the cause 
 or the motive of which it is difficult to assign, though many 
 
 T 
 
274 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xit. 
 
 asserted that its chief object was the destruction of the 
 Christians. When the king announced his intention to issue 
 an edict the effect of which would be to legalise murder — 
 namely, that if any man had a quarrel with another they might 
 settle their dispute by comibat, and, in the event of the death of 
 either party, the other should go free and unpunished — when 
 this outrageous measure was threatened, the nobles, who had 
 become daily more dissatisfied and alarmed, felt it was time 
 for them to act with decision. The prime minister, accom- 
 panied by a number of the chief men in the land, went to the 
 king and remonstrated with him against his insane proposal, 
 using their utmost efforts of entreaty to turn him from his 
 purpose. He declined, however, to accede to their wishes, and 
 remained fixed in his mad resolve. When, in answer to a last 
 and direct appeal, the nobles heard from the king's own lips 
 his determination to issue the obnoxious order, ' Then,' said the 
 prime minister, ' we must arm,' and leaving the royal presence 
 with his followers, they took instant measures for their own 
 safety and that of the kingdom. 
 
 The events which followed are too well known to require any 
 detailed recapitulation. The city was filled with troops. The 
 advisers of the king — the menamaso, as they were called — were 
 immediately seized, and a number of them put to death. The 
 rest fled to their master for protection. The nobles demanded 
 their surrender, which the king at first refused, but afterwards 
 reluctantly yielded, on condition that their lives should be 
 spared. With a treachery not to be excused, this promised 
 condition was violated, and the wretched men shared the fate 
 of their associates. The king vowed that he would yet be 
 avenged on the murderers of his friends. Then, and not till 
 then, the conspirators were impressed with the necessity of 
 securing their own safety and the completion of their designs 
 by putting the king himself to death. This was effected on the 
 night of the 11th or morning of the 12th of May, only three 
 days after the last ineffectual appeal of the insurgent nobles to 
 
CHAP. xiT. CHANGES, 275 
 
 their ill-advised and infatuated monarch. Not many hours 
 after this fatal occurrence the vacant throne was offered, under 
 certain conditions, to the widow of the fallen ruler, Eabodo. 
 She accepted the conditions, and agreed to receive the crown 
 from the hands that had so recently taken the life of her lord. 
 Let us not be severe in our judgment. She was a heathen ; 
 perhaps her own life was in peril ; and it was generally admitted 
 that she had interposed to the very last to protect the king, and 
 that his murderers, or executioners, had not consummated the 
 fatal deed till she had been forcibly removed from the room. 
 
 The chief features of the new constitution by which the 
 queen was bound, in accepting, under the title of Easoherina, 
 the supreme authority, were, that the will of the sovereign 
 should no longer be the sole law of the land ; that the nobles 
 and heads of the people should be associated with her in the 
 government and in the making of laws ; and that without the 
 consent of all these parties no life should be judicially forfeited. 
 The queen herself favoured the heathen party, but the religious 
 freedom of all was assured, and happily remained inviolate ; so 
 that, however much the fears of the Christians might have been 
 aroused by these violent changes, they had ultimately no cause 
 to complain of the new government. 
 
 When tidings of these events reached England, the friends 
 of Madagascar were not a little startled and bewildered by the 
 tragic close of a reign that had opened so auspiciously, and 
 some might perhaps be disposed to think they had scarcely been 
 dealt with fairly in not having received earlier intimation of 
 the impending revolution. Mr. ElHs, however much he might 
 at first have hoped from the humane and kindly disposition of 
 Kadama, had never been blind to his faults, nor represented him 
 other than he found him ; though it became him to comment on 
 his vices with a certain amount of reserve and caution, when he 
 knew that every word published concerning him in England 
 would come back to the king's knowledge in Madagascar. 
 Both private and official letters, and the daily entries in the 
 
 T 2 
 
276 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiv. 
 
 missionary's journal, give abundant evidence of a clear apprecia- 
 tion of the young ruler's character, of waning hopes and growing 
 discouragements in regard to any reformation or any fruits of 
 the religious instruction he received. The favourable opinions 
 concerning him, and the hopes that were entertained in this 
 country of his ultimate accession to the ranks of the Christians, 
 were doubtless more sanguine than Mr. Ellis's guarded state- 
 naents justified. But the chief cause of the surprise which the 
 first news of the momentous changes occasioned is to be found 
 in the fact that, owing to some irregularities in the mail, 
 and the difficulty of transmitting letters from the capital of 
 Madagascar, no direct tidings from Antananarivo had reached 
 England for several months. During this period the king's 
 character had deteriorated, his dissolute habits had gained 
 strength, and the dissatisfaction of his friends and the country 
 had taken decided shape and found open expression. Of all this 
 the absence of letters had kept the English public in ignorance ; 
 and the announcement of the catastrophe preceded the explana- 
 tion of its antecedents. This brief statement may serve to 
 harmonize Mr. Ellis's representations, and to vindicate his 
 memory from any lingering suspicion of either lack of sagacity 
 or want of candour. 
 
 One of the first acts of the new government was to depose the 
 obnoxious foreign secretary ; and almost the first audience with 
 the queen was given to the missionaries, who were assured of the 
 friendly feelings of the sovereign and her ministers, of liberty to 
 prosecute their work as unrestricted as they had hitherto enjoyed, 
 and of the security and freedom of the Christians throughout 
 the land. Though thus encouraged, the Protestant teachers felt 
 it necessary to exercise the greatest caution; for the Grovernment, 
 scarcely considering their position secure, were suspicious and 
 jealous of Radama's former friends, and were quick to resent any 
 si^m or expression of dissatisfaction with the new administration. 
 Soon after the accession of Easoherina to the throne much 
 excitement was produced in the city, and indeed extended to 
 
CHAP. XIV, CHAKGES. 277 
 
 distant parts of the country, from rumours that Eadama was still 
 alive, and waiting in concealment an opportunity to reassert his 
 claims. The authors of these reports were sought out by the 
 government, and severely punished, some even by the last 
 penalty of the law. Yet, though it was death even to breathe a 
 suspicion of the kind, circumstantial accounts of the late king 
 having survived the attempt at his destruction, and being still 
 in the neighboiurhood, were repeated again and again. Messages 
 purporting to come direct from Eadama were sent to Mr. Ellis, 
 announcing the late king's purpose of privately visiting him, or 
 desiring him to repair to some place of meeting. What was the 
 origin or object of these rumours, whether it was to entrap and 
 betray the secret friends of Eadama, or merely to excite a tumult, 
 it was difficult to determine. However destitute of foundation 
 . they might be, they nevertheless served to unsettle men's minds, 
 and to render the greatest caution necessary on the part of the 
 Christians. In sending home an account of the circumstances, 
 Mr. Ellis deemed it prudent to write in the Tahitian language, 
 requesting Dr. Tidman to apply to some missionary from the 
 South Seas to translate his letter. Though thus critically 
 placed in the midst of hostility and suspicion, the missionaries 
 experienced no unfriendly treatment from the Grovernment. 
 Indeed, their veteran leader seemed to be consulted, and held in 
 as high regard by the members of the existing administration, 
 as he had been by the late ruler. Still his position was one of 
 no ordinary difficulty, and he declares that he never before in 
 his life felt the weight of responsibility pressing so heavily upon 
 him. In a letter addressed to his wife at this perilous period he 
 thus writes : — 
 
 ' The anxiety of this affair, my apprehensions for Eadama — 
 lest, on the one hand, if he were really in concealment, he 
 should be discovered, or lest, on the other hand, the false rumours 
 should create disturbance — and the possibility of conflict from 
 one cause or other, with the dangers threatening our own 
 Mission, pressed for the greater part of three months very 
 
278 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap, xiv. 
 
 heavily upon me. Then I had to bear the rancorous hate of 
 the priests, and of Dupre, which was manifested by statements 
 both in his book published in Paris, and in his letter to the 
 queen, fiercely denouncing me, but which raised me in favour 
 here rather than otherwise, as did also the gross falsehoods pro- 
 pagated against me by Pakenham. The falsehoods were too 
 gross to produce any other effect here than an increased convic- 
 tion of his utter imtruthfulness ; and I believe they produced 
 the same effect in the colony, and among the British officers at 
 Tamatave. One of the merchants there, a Swiss, wrote to one 
 of the papers, a long defence of the Mission and of myself, 
 showing up Pakenham. I have not seen it, but understand the 
 Consul is dreadfully mortified by it. The French even went so 
 far as to say they had reasons for believing that I was in the pay 
 of the English Government, and was employed to prevent the 
 carrying out of their treaty ; while Pakenham accused me of 
 being the cause, by my rash conduct and ill-judged advice, of the 
 revolution. I need scarcely say to you that I took good care to 
 show no sign of uneasiness or alarm, and adopted a resolution 
 from which I never swerved — viz., to neglect no positive duty, 
 and decline no appropriate service, out of regard to what one or 
 the other might say or do. One of my friends in authority at 
 Mauritius said in his last letter to me, "The priests, the 
 Consuls, and the Devil seem to have united with the heathen 
 party to attack you; but it is God's work in which you are 
 engaged, and He will protect you." ' 
 
 The queen, anxious to secure the favour of England, amongst 
 the first acts of her reign, sent ambassadors to this country to 
 arrange with the British Government either a ratification of the 
 old treaty or the substitution of a new one. These messengers 
 were well received, and returned to Madagascar before Mr. Ellis 
 left the country, with the draft of a new treaty, which was duly 
 executed. 
 
 That the difficulties of the position occupied at this time by 
 the head of the Protestant Mission, the energy he displayed, 
 
CHAP. XIV. CHANGES. 279 
 
 and the wisdom that guided his conduct, were appreciated even 
 by those who did not favour the enterprise in which he was 
 engaged, and who totally misapprehended the motives by which 
 he was actuated, will appear in the following extract in reference 
 to him from a paper published at Port Louis, entitled ' The 
 Overland Commercial Gazette ' : — ' It cannot fail to strike even 
 his enemies with admiration, this picture of a stern, self-denying 
 veteran ' soldier of the Cross ' — a relic of an age gone by ; a very 
 Palmerston in religion ; leaving wife, home, beloved Albion, that 
 garden of the world, all that makes life pleasant, all] the luxuries 
 of civilization, and at the age of seventy years 'burying himself 
 in the capital of Madagascar, almost ruling the coimtry, puzzling 
 the Jesuits, guiding his fellow-missionaries, opposing the policy 
 of the British Consul, advancing the interests of the London 
 Missionary Society in a masterly manner, rendering his name 
 a very bugbear to the French party, accused of attempted 
 assassination, revolution, and regicide, holding his position in 
 spite of attacks and misrepresentations from without and within, 
 and finally obtaining a signal triumph in the successful manner 
 in which the ambassadors have made their debut in England ; 
 and if all this is the result of religious conviction, it is only 
 another instance of the extraordinary force and energy derived 
 from a belief in a future state of reward after death for accept- 
 able and meritorious actions performed here, and we can no 
 longer wonder that the enthusiastic and puritanical hordes of 
 Oliver Cromwell finally triumphed over the chivalrous courtiers 
 of Charles IL' 
 
 Eadama's rash grants to M. Lambert, mixed up as they were 
 with the French treaty, now wrought their inevitable mischief. 
 The Government and the nobles of the country would not, and 
 dared not, if they would, agree to these suicidal concessions ; 
 and the French, through M. Dupre, would neither yield nor 
 modify their claims, but threatened to enforce them, if neces- 
 sary, by an appeal to arms. After much apprehension of such 
 a hostile collision, and long delay, the matter was ultimately 
 
280 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xtw. 
 
 settled by the payment to the French of an indemnity of 
 £48,000 ; a very heavy penalty for a country like Madagascar, 
 the imposition of which threatened another revolution, and 
 inflicted a sense of humiliation and wrong which will not soon 
 be forgotten. 
 
 Other troubles, from their own countrymen, menaced the 
 new Government of Madagascar. The Sakalavas, indignant at 
 the assassination of their benefactor and friend, rose in revolt, 
 but were speedily quelled by the promptitude and energy of 
 the Hovas, who attacked and routed them, killing many, and 
 taking a number of prisoners. The women and children 
 among these captives were, with well-timed clemency, sent 
 home by the queen ; and the disaffected tribes, at once subdued 
 and conciliated, gave in their allegiance to the new sovereign. 
 
 • Internal and domestic embarrassments next arose to 
 threaten the stability of the throne and the quiet of the 
 country. The prime minister, who had married the queen, 
 and was associated with her in the duties of government, under 
 the influence of prosperity and power, succumbed to the baser 
 passions of his character, gave way to habits of intoxication, 
 became arbitrary, vindictive, and defiant of all control, till at 
 length the queen and nobles were compelled to depose him 
 from his rank ; and the king-maker, the man who had succes- 
 sively placed two sovereigns on the throne, was himself de- 
 graded, and ended his days in poverty and exile. 
 
 The disgraced minister was succeeded in his office by his 
 brother, the commander-in-chief, whose influence and policy 
 were beneficent both to his own people and the Protestant 
 Mission. Soon after his appointment, the ceremony of the 
 coronation was celebrated on the 30th of August, 1863. On 
 this occasion the heathen idols were recognized, but the 
 Christians felt that, so long as religious liberty prevailed, the 
 power of the old idolatry was gone. 
 
 With unflagging zeal Mr. Ellis continued his indefatigable 
 labours, through evil report and through good report, in the 
 midst of many discouragements as well as many hopeful and 
 
CHAP. XIV. CHANGES. 281 
 
 gladdening signs of prosperity and progress. Of the latter 
 character was the intelligence brought by representatives of 
 distant tribes, who came to pay homage to the new sovereign, 
 and who reported that, as the result entirely of native teaching 
 in the times of persecution, when the disciples of Christ were 
 dispersed throughput the land, there were converts to the new 
 faith in the most remote parts of Madagascar. Before taking 
 his final leave, Mr. Ellis paid several visits to distant villages ; 
 and more than once he preached at Ambohimanga — one of the 
 exclusive idol cities — the only restriction being that the service 
 should be held outside the gates. At the capital he had the 
 satisfaction of seeing the churches consolidated, the schools 
 flourishing, the sick provided with medical relief and hospital 
 accommodation, and the interests of civilization and religion 
 steadily, though slowly, gaining ground. Much of his time was 
 taken up in superintending the erection of the first memorial 
 church at Ambotonakanga, acting as interpreter for Mr. Sibree, 
 the architect, making contracts for the work, and undertaking 
 journeys to procure lime and other building material. The 
 temporary place of worship erected near his own dwelling had 
 been destroyed by fire in the early part of 1864; but a new 
 building was speedily erected on its site, and was opened on the 
 loth of August of the same year. His own dwelling narrowly 
 escaped the conflagration. At an earlier period of his residence 
 at the capital the house had suffered from one of the floods 
 to which the island is subject. The accident did irreparable 
 damage to much of his photographic apparatus. 
 
 Among other reforms which it was his privilege to introduce, 
 was a greater decorum and sacredness in the ceremony and 
 institution of marriage. In June 1864 he officiated at the 
 first Christian marriage publicly solemnized in jMadagascar. 
 
 His last public act in connection with the mission was on 
 the occasion of signing the new treaty between the British and 
 Malagasy Grovernments, on the 27th of June, 1865, when he 
 secured, by an official engagement incorporated with the treaty 
 itself, the validity and perpetuity of the title of the memorial 
 
282 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xiv. 
 
 churches to the representatives of the London Missionary Society, 
 and the Christians of Madagascar. 
 
 On the 15th of July, 1865, he took his leave of the queen 
 and received, in presence of the Court, the expressions of 
 Her Majesty's regret at his departure, and her good wishes for 
 himself and family. The prime minister also sent a letter ex- 
 pressive of the queen's satisfaction with his conduct in all his 
 transactions with the government. On the 18th of the month 
 he left Antananarivo, accompanied by many of the Christians, 
 and bade an affecting farewell to his missionary brethren and 
 the Malagasy disciples for whose interests he had faithfully 
 and devotedly laboured. On the 3rd of August he finally set 
 sail from Madagascar. After a brief stay at Mauritius, where 
 he experienced the hospitality of the Governor, Sir Henry 
 Barkley, and other friends, he commenced his homeward journey 
 on the 8th of September, and landed at Southampton on the 
 14th of October. 
 
 Tidings of the prosperity of the churches in Madagascar con- 
 tinued to gladden his heart. The heathen Queen Easoherina, 
 who, notwithstanding her openly avowed preference for the 
 worship of her ancestors, had been faithful to her engagements 
 with the Christians, died in the beginning of the year 1868, and 
 was succeeded by a sovereign of another spirit and another 
 faith. Eanavalona, sister of the prince Eamonja, early showed 
 her leaning to the Christians. At her coronation, on the 3rd of 
 September, all symbols of idolatry were excluded, and the Bible 
 was placed conspicuously at her right hand. On the 21st of 
 February, 1869, she Avas baptized, and on the 6th of June made 
 a public profession of her faith, and still more closely identified 
 herself with the Christians by being admitted into church fel- 
 lowship. On the 8th of September following, the idols of the 
 nation were, by her command, committed to the flames. 
 
 For the filling up of the foregoing sketch the reader is again 
 referred to Mr. Ellis's works, more especially to the last which 
 he published, Madagascar Revisited and the Martyr Church 
 of Madagascar. 
 
LAST YEAES 
 
 1865-72 
 
285 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 LAST TEARS. 
 
 The welcome which the veteran missionary received on his 
 return to England after his last visit to Madagascar was to one 
 of his modest spirit almost overwhelming. The patience that 
 had sustained him in his work through all discouragements, the 
 fortitude and wisdom with which he had overcome the diffi- 
 culties and dangers of his position, and the unbending integrity 
 and consecration to the great objects of his mission which had 
 characterised his whole course, were widely appreciated, and 
 elicited the hearty admiration of his Christian countrymen. 
 The reception he met with on his first public appearance in 
 Exeter Hall was a truly noble one, and will long be remem- 
 bered by those who were present. On that occasion, as after- 
 wards, at many interesting public meetings throughout the 
 country, he exhibited among other objects of interest, some of 
 those massive iron chains which had been worn by the persecuted 
 Malagasy Christians, and which he had brought with him to 
 England as eloquent witnesses of the sufferings endured by 
 those martyrs for Christ and His gospel. 
 
 A large portion of his time, even up to his last illness, was 
 henceforward employed in attending missionary meetings, or 
 giving lectures, chiefly on Madagascar, to audiences of every 
 class, and in connection with institutions of very diversified 
 character. The first public address of the kind delivered by 
 him, after his last return to England, was in Wisbeach, before 
 the members of the ' Working Men's Institute,' established in 
 that town, and with whom he was always pleased to identify 
 
286 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xt. 
 
 himself. His fellow-tovrasmen, of all classes and denominations, 
 were indeed foremost to ' do him reverence.' On the occasion 
 of this same visit they entertained him at a public breakfast, 
 at which the vicar, Dr. Howson, presided, and men of various 
 shades of religious opinion laid aside their differences, and met 
 to vie with each other in giving a cordial welcome to their 
 guest. It may here be mentioned, in passing, that his friends 
 at Wisbeach — the earliest and truest he had ever known — have 
 since his death bestirred themselves, in a manner that redounds 
 to their honour, to perpetuate his memory among them. In 
 addition to other mementoes of his connection with the town, 
 they have placed his portrait, painted in oil by Maul, in the 
 hall of the ' Working Men's Institute,' and a beautiful marble 
 bust, by William Day Keyworth, in the museum, where it 
 stands beside the memorials of another distinguished townsman, 
 the venerable Clarkson, the associate of Wilberforce in his 
 early efforts to emancipate the slave. This very interesting 
 and well-furnished museum contains, moreover, specimens of the 
 products and manufactures of the South Sea Islands and Mada- 
 gascar, contributed by Mr. Ellis or members of his family ; and 
 here also have been deposited many of the negatives of the 
 photographs taken by him in Madagascar. 
 
 Among other tokens by which men aimed to show the high 
 estimation in which he was held, he was elected one of the 
 Vice-Presidents of the British and Foreign Bible Society; 
 and honours of the like kind were tendered him by various 
 institutions, scientific as well as religious. 
 
 Those who have followed his career thus far will scarcely 
 need to be told that he was not even yet content to rest upon 
 his laurels. He could have enjoyed ease and repose in the 
 delightful retirement of Kose Hill, but his heart was too warmly 
 interested in the condition of the people amongst whom he 
 had laboured so assiduously, and too deeply imbued with the 
 missionary spirit, to allow him to be merely an idle spectator 
 of the Church's conflicts and triumphs. The interest of Mada- 
 
CHAP. XT. LAST YEAHS. 287 
 
 gascar especially became henceforth the object of his life — the 
 passion of his soul. There was no sacrifice, no effort within the 
 compass of possibility, which he was not ready to make on 
 behalf of the Church of Christ in that country. ' " I will go 
 anywhere for Madagascar," he said, when mentioning some 
 prospective engagements to preach or lecture for the Mission ; 
 and, upon Earl Kussell's congratulating him, at one of the 
 Cheshunt festivals, on having returned safely from the island, 
 he immediately replied, "My lord, I am ready to go out again." 
 This was at seventy-six years of age. Quiet and almost un- 
 demonstrative as he usually was in manner, he could be roused 
 into the intensest interest about Madagascar, and in anything 
 that concerned missionary work he was an enthusiast. This 
 subject lay nearest to his heart, and therefore came the most 
 readily and frequently to his lips. Together with a keen intelli- 
 gence, he had much sympathy, for without this he could never 
 have understood so perfectly as he did the wants of the 
 Malagasy. And down to the last moments of consciousness 
 his heart beat true to the cause he so nobly served.'* 
 
 In addition to the publication of Madagascar Revisited, 
 and the Martyr Church, one of the first literary labours in 
 which he engaged after his return home was preparing for the 
 press an edition of the Malagasy Bible. At this work he toiled 
 most assiduously, shutting himself up, we are told, for weeks 
 together in one of the rooms of the mission house, where he 
 could be most secure from interruption. 
 
 Not long after he threw his best powers into a labour of love 
 and the cause of justice, by writing a Vindication of the 
 American Mission in the Sandwich Islands. The circumstances 
 which led to the publication of this masterly, though temperate, 
 pamphlet are too well known to need more than brief recapitu- 
 lation, for the whole affair aroused much attention at the time, 
 and the issue has become notorious. A number of Episcopalians, 
 
 * Obituary notice of William Ellis, by the Kev. J. W. Blore, in the Christian 
 Family. 
 
288 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xv. 
 
 resident in Honolulu, the chief port of Oahu, had, with the 
 sanction of the King of the Sandwich Islands, who, it was 
 affirmed, favoured that ecclesiastical system, written to England 
 — to Mr. Ellis among others — for an Episcopal clergyman to be 
 sent out to that island. In the letter written to Mr. Ellis on 
 the subject, the suitable character of the clergyman, and a 
 decided preference for one of * Evangelical ' views, were very 
 distinctly intimated. This request received additional attention 
 in consequence of a visit paid to England by Queen Emma, the 
 reigning consort of the Sandwich Islands, who excited much 
 interest in this country. It so happened that the gentlemen who 
 chiefly moved in the matter, at the head of whom was the Bishop 
 of Oxford, belonged to the Eitualistic party in the Church, who, 
 with their accustomed zeal, and in conformity with their views 
 of ecclesiastical polity, would not rest content with sending a 
 single clergyman to this distant and limited station, but resolved 
 to establish an episcopate in the islands. The Bishop of Oxford, 
 in advocating his scheme, had very unfairly, if not ignored the 
 labours of the American missionaries, at least represented them 
 as illiterate men, of ascetic and puritanical principles, wholly 
 ill-fitted to present the Grospel in an attractive form to the 
 volatile and sensuous islanders. These unfounded statements, 
 and the total misapprehension of the condition and character of 
 the heathen evinced in the Bishop's representations, called forth 
 the publication in which Mr. Ellis ably vindicated the worth of 
 the American missionaries, demonstrated the marked success of 
 their labours, and explained the real condition of the people, and 
 the circumstances which led to the request for an Episcopal 
 clergyman. In the interest of peace and catholic religion 
 the writer of the pamphlet also appealed to Christian brethren 
 of all denominations to adhere, in their dealings with the 
 heathen, to the principle of non-interference with the work of 
 kindred institutions, a principle that had been consistently 
 adopted by the Churcli Missionary Society. There was ample 
 field, he contended, for the work of all, without distracting the 
 
CHAP. XV. LAST YEARS. 289 
 
 minds of the untutored heathen with the spectacle of a discor- 
 dant Christianity. ' The Supreme Euler of the world,' writes 
 Mr. Ellis, towards the close of this appeal, ' seems by the events 
 of His Providence, to be giving us India, and opening to us 
 China and Africa, as well as other parts of Asia ; to be calling 
 the varied sections of His Church to the great work of turning 
 the nations of the earth from dumb idols to serve the living God. 
 Among the band of faithful men whom the Churches are sending 
 forth to this work, the venerable antiquity, the exalted rank, the 
 vast resources, which belong to the Church of England, and the 
 dauntless courage which the adherents of that Chiu-ch have 
 inscribed on the page of our nation's history, point out the 
 front ranks, the high places of the field, where the difficulties 
 are the most formidable, and the struggle most arduous, as the 
 position which belongs to the Church of England, and which her 
 sons would most appropriately occupy. That Church neither 
 does justice to herself, nor achieves all the good that she might 
 in the world, with such wide and transcendently glorious pros- 
 pects before her, by using any part of her great resources and 
 influence in following the march of others who have broken the 
 ranks of the enemy, and merely gathering up the spoils of a 
 field already won.' 
 
 This plain exposition of facts, by one who knew whereof he 
 affirmed, and this just and forcible appeal to the law of Christian 
 amity, opened the eyes of many well-mq^ing and right-minded 
 clergymen who had before zealously advocated the scheme, and 
 considerably diminished the number of those who supported it. 
 The plan was nevertheless carried out, and a Bishop with a staff 
 of three clergymen was sent to Honolulu. But the experiment 
 proved a failure ; and after only a brief stay in the island the 
 whole party retm-ned to England, and no attempt has since been 
 made to re-occupy the station. 
 
 The unsuccessful innovation did not discourage others from 
 agitating for the establishment of an episcopate in Madagascar, 
 the head-quarters of which, notwithstanding the amicable 
 
 u 
 
290 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xv. 
 
 arrangement for non-interference which had existed between the 
 Bishop of Mauritius and the London Missionary Society, it was 
 proposed to establish in Antananarivo, The project was so far 
 accomplished that a Bishop for the newly projected diocese was 
 appointed in the person of the Eev. E. H. Baynes, of Coventry. 
 The Church Missionary Society, however, and many persons like 
 minded, considering that in the case of Madagascar there were 
 peculiar reasons for abstaining from all opposition to the work 
 of evangelization that had already been carried on with such 
 signal success, expressed in unequivocal terms their protest 
 against the design, and with such effect, that Mr. Baynes, having 
 put himself in communication with that society, and also with 
 Mr. Ellis, ' who received him,' he tells us, ' with a courtesy he 
 should always gratefully remember,' resigned his appointment, 
 and withdrew altogether from the contemplated enterprise. 
 Earl Granville, also, as the head of the Foreign Department of 
 Her Majesty's Grovernment, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, 
 in view of all the circumstances, declined to sanction the creation 
 of the proposed bishopric ; so that the evil, which in the interest 
 of religion and harmony Mr. Ellis was always foremost to 
 deprecate and most strenuous in efforts to avert, was, for a time 
 at least, warded off. 
 
 With the rapid succession of important events in Madagascar, 
 and the marvellous progress of the Grospel among the people 
 throughout the country, the interest, the zeal, and the activity 
 of its ' apostle,' as he has been justly designated, kept even pace. 
 His energies seemed always to rise with the occasion, and to be 
 equal to the demand upon them. He virtually ignored the fact, 
 and every one else unconsciously forgot that he was growing old. 
 Work was assigned to him, and cheerfully undertaken, which 
 would have been arduous to most men in the prime of their 
 power. Witness the following programme of appointments in the 
 West of England, and which is only a sample of similar crowded 
 engagements. A friend thus writes from Leominster, under 
 date November 2, 1867: — 'I have written to to tell 
 
CHAP. XV. LAST YEARS. 291 
 
 him that yoii will preach at Ludlow on Sunday, the 17th, and 
 that he may advertise you for two sermons on that day, and 
 that you are willing to lecture there on Monday evening, the 
 18th. You will then be able to devote Tuesday, the 19th, to 
 us at Leominster, and we will try to get you a good meeting in 
 the Corn Exchange. I have written to Koss, to ofifer them 
 Wednesday, the 20th ; also to Hereford for Thursday, the 21st, 
 to ask them to get you hvo meetings — one in the afternoon and 
 the other in the evening — as at Worcester. I have also written 
 to Cirencester, proposing that you should visit them on Friday, 
 the 22nd. Now, would you like a meeting at either Cheltenham 
 or Grloucester on Friday afternoon ? Or do you think this is 
 already quite as much work as you incline to undertake ? ' 
 
 On all matters connected with Madagascar he was, at the 
 Mission House, the prime mover and the chief authority. He 
 regularly attended the meetings of the Board, besides special 
 Committee meetings, and never a week passed without more 
 than one journey from Hoddesdon to London on such business. 
 So earnest was he in the interests that lay nearest to his heart, 
 that his brethren, more moderate in their zeal, and more dis- 
 tracted by other claims, could not always go along with him ; 
 and he would occasionally return home from these meetings, if 
 he had failed in some cherished plan, discouraged and weary, 
 yet too excited to sleep. His was not, however, a temperament 
 to be easily cast do-^na ; and disappointment only stimulated him 
 to fresh effort till success had rewarded his endeavours. The 
 logic of events came at length in aid of his arguments. Each 
 mail brought fresh tidings of wondrous changes in the far 
 country, and among the last efforts he was permitted to make, 
 he issued, with the full and cordial concurrence of the Directors, 
 his special plea to British Christians for additional funds to aid 
 in spreading the Gospel in Madagascar. In this ' statement 
 and appeal,' dated February 7th, 1872, the condition and claims 
 of the once heathen land were briefly and powerfully set forth, 
 and the demand for Christian sympathy and help was enforced 
 
 V 2 
 
202. LIFE OF Y.^ILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xv. 
 
 with irresistible cogency. The religious destitution of the pro- 
 vince of Betsileo, having a population, exclusive of children 
 and slaves, exceeding 100,000 persons, and which stood most in 
 need of enlightenment, is thus described : — ' Some of the towns 
 are supplied with native teachers ; but large numbers of the 
 people meet in places where they have built chapels, and come 
 and sit in silence every Lord's day, without anyone to speak to 
 them or pray with them ; at times repeating sentences which 
 they have heard the Christians use. Occasionally, after sitting 
 the usual time, perhaps an hour- or more, a man will rise, and 
 lifting his hands will look up and say, " Grod, we wish to 
 worship Thee, but do not know how. Teach us, Crod, how to 
 pray, or send some one to teach us." At other times the chief 
 will rise up at the time of dispersion and say, " Is it well with 
 you ? " The people will answer, " It is well with us," and then 
 all will leave the place. 
 
 ' No condition,' the statement continues, ' can be more criti- 
 cal, no appeals more moving, than those now presented by 
 these people. They have built houses for worship, in which 
 they assemble and wait Sunday after Sunday, willing to pray, 
 and hoping to hear of that "Lord over all," who is " ricli unto 
 all that call upon Him " ; but no desired teacher comes, and 
 they return in disappointment, and some, perhaps, in sorrow, 
 mthout having heard one word about Him who came from 
 heaven to seek and to save, without having implored one 
 blessing at His hand. But " how shall they hear without a 
 preacher ? how shall they preach except they be sent ? " ' 
 
 Besides the issue of this printed document, he wrote with his 
 own hand countless letters, enclosing a copy of the appeal 
 with each, to the friends of missions over the country. Not 
 many days elapsed before replies came pouring in, expressing 
 the warmest sympathy with the cause he had advocated, and 
 giving evidence of the genuineness of the feeling by liberal 
 contributions for the mission ; so that within a very few weeks 
 Mr. Ellis had personally collected about £7,000 towards the 
 special fund. 
 
CHAP. XV, LAST YEARS. 293 
 
 The money having been thus generously and freely given, 
 the next step was to engage suitable men as missionaries. And 
 with this object in view, the indefatigable friend of Madagascar 
 visited the various Nonconformist theological seminaries in the 
 country, and addressed the students on the claims of the people 
 whose cause he was espousing, and on the grandeur of mission 
 work in general. He conversed also with those who manifested 
 a desire to engage in such work : and as the result of these 
 visits, he had the satisfaction of enlisting several young men for 
 missionary service, who have since gone forth to preach the glad 
 tidings of salvation to the Malagasy, and who give promise of 
 becoming zealous and efficient ministers of the Gospel. 
 
 Thus was the servant of the Lord employed — giving every 
 day of his life, every faculty of his being, and every thought of 
 his heart to the cause of his Divine Master — when the sum- 
 mons came, announcing that his work was done, and calling 
 him to his rest and his reward. The end of his earthly course 
 was such as he would have chosen, had choice been permitted — 
 such as, with humble submission to the Divine will, he had 
 prayed for — the power and opportunity to work to the last for 
 Him whom his soul loved — a calm dismissal in the midst of 
 his usefulness — a welcome mandate, bidding him from the 
 service to the 'joy of his Lord.' 
 
 No failure of health, no feebleness of mind or body fore- 
 warned him of his end ; and while habitually mindful of the 
 vanity of himian projects, and holding himself ready for the 
 great change, he was still looking forward to much work and 
 much enjoyment. Only the week before his last brief illness 
 he wrote to his son, telling him that he had seldom felt better 
 or worked harder than he had done dm'ing the preceding twelve 
 months, and expressing the pleasure with which he anticipated 
 his projected visit with his wife and daughter to England . 
 Before the letter reached its destination, the busy hand had 
 lost its ' cunidng,' the loving heart was for ever still. 
 
 The same state of mind is evident in another letter, written 
 a day or two later, and which derives additional interest from 
 
294 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xv. 
 
 the fact of its being the last he wrote. It is addressed to his 
 youngest sister, ]\Irs. Barnard, residing at Bath, and bears date 
 May 31st, 1872. After an affectionate reference to his sister's 
 children, who were just recovering from a serious illness, he 
 thus proceeds : — 
 
 ' I thank you much for all you say about my coming to see you, 
 and can only assm'e you that you cannot more earnestly desire 
 a visit from me than I do to see you, for I have long mourned 
 over the distance that separates us, and our meeting so seldom. 
 I want to see you, my dear sister, I want to congratulate you and 
 your family on the recovery of your dear children, and to sym- 
 pathise with you, and to tell you how much I have felt for you 
 during this long and hea\^ trial, and how I rejoice with you all 
 in the goodness of Grod as manifested towards you in its allevia- 
 tion. But while I feel all this, I feel also that we must keep 
 our minds prepared for whatever in the Providence of God may 
 occui' to prevent my carrying out my wishes. I believe that 
 both you and I desire to look fairly in the face every con- 
 tingency that may delay or prevent our seeing each other, 
 although at present, I see no cause for either. But I want you, 
 my beloved sister, to be strong to hear and true and tender to 
 feel ; I know you are the latter, and I believe you are the former 
 too, and this is one great som'ce of the strength of my entire 
 confidence in you. I could confide anything to yom* keeping, 
 even my life itself, if it were necessary, to the keeping of your 
 strength of character and your love. 
 
 ' I say nothing to your sister about my wishes and intentions 
 until after Monday next, when I expect to go to the Mission 
 House, and I shall then know definitely about my engagements. 
 I purpose devoting a week to my visit, if that will not be 
 troubling you too much, or intruding too long on your family. 
 
 'There is much, my own dear sister, that I want to talk to you 
 about, but I leave it all till we meet again. I am thankful to 
 be as well as I am, for although I have worked very hard lately, 
 and am excessively tired at night, I sleep soimdly, my appetite 
 
CHAF. XV. LAST YEARS. 295 
 
 is good, and I am all right again in the morning. I am cheered 
 and gladdened too by the encouraging accounts of your dear 
 children, and that your own strength is returning and your 
 spirit reviving after the long season of anxiety and toil that you 
 have had. 
 
 ' I expect to be at home every forenoon of next week, and I do 
 not know of any engagement till I go to Nottingham for the 
 16th, 17th, and 18th. After this, I hope to arrange to come to 
 see you. Assuring you, my beloved sister, that nothing I can 
 control will prevent my seeing you ; and with kindest regards to 
 Mr. Barnard, and love to all, especially to the invalids, 
 ' Ever believe me, 
 ' Faithfully and affectionately yom-s, 
 
 'W. Ellis.' 
 
 The illness which set in three days after the above letter was 
 penned, frustrated all these plans, and put an end to all earthly 
 intercourse. On Monday, June 3rd, he went, as usual, to the 
 Mission House, to attend a meeting of Directors. Having 
 occasion to go by Lea Bridge and Stratford, he was long 
 detained, and, the day being cold, was much chilled while 
 waiting at the stations. He returned home, somewhat late in 
 the evening, very weary, and suffering bitterly from cold — a 
 feeling which the usual appliances failed to relieve. On the 
 following morning, after passing a restless night, he received a 
 visit from his medical attendant, who pronounced him seriously 
 ill, with congestion or incipient inflammation. The disorder 
 rapidly became manifest as pneumonia, and though unattended 
 by any violent pain, was very depressing in its effects, and mas- 
 tered the patient's waning strength and exhausted vital power. 
 
 During the early part of the week he was able to be removed 
 for some hours daily to a couch in his study ; but was so 
 oppressed with the malady that weighed him down as to be un- 
 able to give attention to passing events. Even letters from 
 Madagascar, that arrived at the time, remained unopened. He 
 roused himself, however, to hold an interview with two minis- 
 
296 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xv. 
 
 terial brethren, one of whom had recently returned from that 
 country, and the other was expecting to go there. These 
 visitors were the only persons, besides the members of the 
 family and the physicians, who entered the sick chamber. He 
 was loth to be disturbed, and at times appeared to prefer the quiet 
 of solitude to the presence of even those nearest and dearest to 
 him. He was, however, too ill to be left alone, and the watchers 
 by his bedside merely retired out of sight, but remained within 
 hearing, and could catch the frequent utterances of ejaculatory 
 prayer that fell from his lips — such as 'Lord, gTant me patience, 
 self-control, ability not to think of myself, but of those whose 
 sufferings are far greater than my own,' and similar petitions, 
 mingled occasionally with a pitiful prayer for rest, of which the 
 constant and distressing cough deprived him. 
 
 Almost from the beginning of the attack he seems to 
 have looked for a fatal result, but was nothing daunted by such 
 a prospect. Conversing on the subject with his niece, who 
 chiefly shared with Mrs. Ellis the duty of attending upon him, 
 he said that on Tuesday he had such assuring and delightful 
 glimpses into the unseen world, that notwithstanding the de- 
 pressing effect of his illness, his spirit had been greatly 
 refreshed. 
 
 On Thursday his mind rambled occasionally, being much 
 occupied with his engagements at Nottingham, and it was at 
 times only by strong persuasion that he could be prevented 
 from attempting to rise. This half-imconscious state increased 
 somewhat on the two following days, the Nottingham Meetings 
 appearing still the chief subject of disquiet, while occasionally 
 his memory would carry him back to the early days at Kingsland. 
 On Saturday night, it became manifest to all that the end 
 was drawing near. Just before dawn on Sunday morning, 
 while his attendants were watching silently and sadly around his 
 couch, after having remained awhile unusually still, he sud- 
 denly put himself, as it were, in the position of one address- 
 ing an audience, and then with distinct utterance, and in a 
 
CHAP. XV. LAST YEARS. 297 
 
 most collected and impressive manner, delivered a charge, ap- 
 parently to the Directors of the Missionary Society, begging 
 them to excuse his failing to keep the engagement at Notting- 
 ham, as ' the hand of the Lord had laid him on a sick bed,' re- 
 signing his trust into other hands, and ending by taking a most 
 affectionate and solemn leave of his ' brethren,' and invoking 
 upon them the benediction of the Almighty. So startled — so 
 awe-struck — were the bystanders, that they could afterwards 
 recal only few of the words that were spoken ; but the strange 
 solemnity and impressiveness of the scene will never be for- 
 gotten by any who were present. After this he lay still for 
 some hours, with a sweet expression of peace on his counte- 
 nance. A little after eight in the morning, his wife and niece had 
 retired from the chamber, but were almost immediately recalled 
 to witness the end. All was calm and serene. The breathing 
 gently subsided into a sigh, and while tearful eyes were looking 
 their last on him they loved, the spirit had taken its flight, and 
 the venerated form was invested with the majesty of death. 
 
 Little remains to be recorded. The tidings of the almost 
 sudden removal of one, who, though full of years, had been also 
 full of vigour and work to the last, came upon every one as a 
 surprise ; and a feeling of unfeigned sorrow, of tender respect, 
 and of sympathy for the surviving members of the family, was 
 shared by all who had known the departed servant of Grod. A 
 deputation from the Missionary Society promptly waited upon 
 Mrs. Ellis, then herself upon a sick bed, to request that the 
 Directors might be allowed to take the charge of the funeral. 
 The proposal was gratifying to the stricken widow, who willingly 
 gave her consent, observing, ' It is right ; it is as it should be ; he 
 deserves all honour at their hands.' It was arranged that the 
 funeral should take place on the following Friday, and the grave 
 in Abney Park Cemetery, where the youngest daughter of the 
 deceased was buried, was selected for the place of interment. 
 On the day appointed a large number of friends assembled at 
 Eose Hill to accompany the funeral procession, and a still larger 
 
298 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xv. 
 
 concourse gathered at the grave to pay the last tribute of respect 
 to the dead. The aspect of the quiet village of Hoddesdon on 
 the occasion was strangely impressive, and eloquent of the high 
 estimation in which he who was taken from them had been held. 
 The streets were almost deserted, the windows of the private 
 houses were darkened, and the shops were closed ; an air of 
 solemnity and mourning pervaded the place, while young and 
 old, rich and poor alike, seemed anxious to testify their love 
 and esteem for one who had endeared himself to all by his un- 
 deviating integrity and constant kindness — whose face they 
 should see no more. 
 
 On the following Lord's-day a funeral sermon was preached 
 at Hoddesdon, in the chapel of which the deceased had been 
 minister, by the Foreign Secretary of the London Missionary 
 Society, the Eev. Dr. Mullens, who selected for his text on the 
 occasion the passage of Scripture in 2 Timothy ii. 21, 22 — 
 ' But in a great house,' &c. The sermon was afterwards 
 delivered at Union Chapel, Islington ; and in several of the 
 Metropolitan pulpits, as well as elsewhere, the lessons suggested 
 by the missionary's holy life and peaceful death were made the 
 subject of special discourses. 
 
 But the story is not yet all told. The closing scenes of one 
 life derived additional pathos from another touching yet happy 
 departure, which closely followed in the same household. 
 Scarcely was the old man laid in his grave, ere the wife of his 
 bosom, who for thirty-five years had been the sharer of his 
 deepest joys and sorrows, the faithful friend and counsellor in 
 every triumph and trial — the light of his home — keeping near 
 him, as it were, to the last, passed the same portal to her 
 eternal rest, and the dear companionship of earth, interrupted 
 only for a few brief days, was resumed in another and a better 
 world. 
 
 The course of Mrs. Ellis's illness was in every respect very 
 similar to that of her husband — rapid, restless, and depressing 
 — and followed closely in its wake. Soon after the head of the 
 
CHAP. XV. LAST YEARS. 209 
 
 house had breathed his last, and the sorrowing- family had 
 mingled for awhile their irrepressible tears, the chief mourner 
 of the group desired to be left alone in the chamber, and 
 passed some time in the holy presence of her dead. Strength- 
 ened, doubtless, by communion with her Heavenly Father, she 
 then roused herself to give attention to some necessary business, 
 principally to writing a few letters to absent members of the 
 family. Having retired to rest, she woke during the night, 
 with an unusual sensation of cold, quickly followed by burning 
 heat ; and other symptoms of the fatal malady showed them- 
 selves in rapid succession. Her physician, who visited her in 
 the morning, took a serious view of the case, and her own 
 impression from the first was that she would not recover. The 
 disorder was characterised more by oppression and restlessness 
 than by pain. During its progress she retained, for the most part, 
 her consciousness, and even busied her mind with household 
 cares from which others were most anxious to relieve her. She 
 was thoughtful for everyone about her, pitifully watching the 
 pale and wearied faces of her attendants, and prompt to express 
 a most pathetic contrition for the least sign of impatience that 
 might escape her, observing on one occasion — ' I always thought 
 myself so brave — so brave — but pain is easy to bear compared 
 with this excep."4ve weariness and oppression.' She could 
 scarcely refrain from giving herself needless concern respecting 
 the arrangements for the funeral ; although, through the con- 
 siderate care of sympathising neighbours, particularly of their 
 long-tried and true-hearted friend Mr. Prior, who was always 
 at hand to tender every alleviation and assistance that thought- 
 ful kindness could suggest, the sorrowing members of the 
 family were spared all trouble and anxiety about such dis- 
 tressing details. 
 
 On the day of her husband's burial, Mrs. Ellis was calm and 
 collected, placing her watch on a table by her bedside, that she 
 might calculate and mentally follow the solemn procession on 
 its way to the cemetery. In reference to her own funeral, she 
 
300 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xv. 
 
 expressed a wish that she might be laid in the ' Friends' ' grave- 
 yard at Hoddesdon — that she might be borne to the grave by 
 ' poor men,' and followed to her last resting-place by true and 
 loving hearts without any parade of mourning. 
 
 On the night of Saturday, the last of her earthly existence, 
 she seemed for a while slightly delirious, but her imagination 
 presented visions of beauty, and she spoke of the flowers that 
 she saw — ' oh such beautiful flowers,' she added, ' we shall not 
 need to wear our little yellow roses there.' The delirium was 
 only transient, however, and consciousness soon retm-ned. Oc- 
 casionally, looking upward with much solemnity, and clasping 
 her hands, she would give utterance to her soul in prayer. 
 Towards morning she appeared easier, very calm, and much 
 refreshed by a brief period of sleep. Her heart seemed full to 
 overflowing of gratitude and love to all around her. She 
 addressed her weeping maid with touching kindness, commend- 
 ing the value of her devotion to herself, and saying how greatly 
 she esteemed such faithful service, and how acceptable it was 
 in God's sight as well as man's. 
 
 Dm-ing the course of the day — Sunday — she received a visit, 
 which greatly pleased her, from a very near and dear friend, who 
 had come from a distance to see her. Her nephew also was 
 admitted into her chamber, and greeted with her peculiar 
 sweetness and kindliness of welcome. To her medical attendant 
 she expressed her reluctance to take any stimulant, as she wished 
 to have, in her last hours, ' a clear mind and an unclouded 
 spirit.' 
 
 All the afternoon her thoughts were busy and seemed to fly 
 fast and far. She spoke much and cheerfully, now telling her 
 friend of her beautiful pony, ' her sweet Fanny,' and begging 
 her niece not to allow her favourite to go where she would be 
 uncared for or hard worked ; then earnestly entreating her loving 
 attendants to take a little sorely needed rest — tranquil and con- 
 tent as regarded herself, but full of consideration for others. 
 ' Throughout her illness,' observes her niece, from whose memo- 
 
CHAP. XV. LAST YILIES. 301 
 
 randa this brief accoimt has been compiled, ' her peculiar 
 brightness shone out in every little thing, so that the charm, as 
 well as the sadness, of those few last days will always be remem- 
 bered by those who were with her. She spoke much of the love 
 of Jesus. She dwelt also on the great kindness of all her friends; 
 and in emunerating her blessings, she looked round upon those 
 who were in the room, and added, " and to be surrounded by all 
 of you whom I so much love — it is like a bit of heaven." ' She 
 continued calmly conscious to the last, even expressing her 
 desire that her domestics should attend the evening service at 
 which Dr. Mullens was to preach her husband's funeral sermon. 
 But a little before the usual hour of public worship, she suddenly 
 became very quiet, and in a few minutes gently breathed her 
 last. 
 
 The announcement of her death was made to the congrega- 
 tion gathered to hear Dr. Mullens' discoiurse ; and those who 
 were present will not easily forget the solemnity and awe which 
 fell upon the assembly when the tidings reached tliem. 
 
 Thus closed, almost simultaneously, two lives that for half 
 the term of human existence had been united in the closest of 
 earthly relationships. Death scarcely parted them. The angel 
 of the Lord opened the gate of Heaven to one, and while the 
 other still lingered at the portal, bade her also enter. 
 
302 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 GENERAL ESTIMATE OF MR. ELLIs's CHARACTER AND WORK. 
 By Henby Allon, D.D. 
 
 The qualities which, in their individual excellence, and their 
 unusual combination, gave ]Mr. Ellis a place so distinctive and 
 eminent among the missionaries of this nineteenth century, will 
 be sufficiently apparent from the preceding narrative of his 
 work. It is only in deference to the modest feeling of the bio- 
 grapher that this more formal estimate of them is appended. 
 Above most kindred societies the London Missionary Society has 
 had a continuous series of eminent men, whose remarkable gifts 
 and consecration, have not only achieved much in their distinc- 
 tive missionary work, but have incidentally contributed much 
 to civilization, science, and commerce. Some have won a renown 
 which extends far beyond the circle of their o'wn associations. It 
 is sufficient to mention the names of Dr. Morrison, Dr. Med- 
 hurst, and Dr. Legge, of China ; Dr. Vanderkemp, Dr. Phillip, 
 Dr. Moffatt, and Dr. Livingstone, of Africa ; and of John 
 Williams and William Ellis, of the South Sea Islands. Each 
 name is apostolic in its missionary achievements, and is connected 
 imperishably with the Christianity of the country ; while either 
 in the creation of a national literature, the abolition of slavery, 
 or the discoveries of travel, it has an honourable place in the 
 history of human progress. 
 
 Mr. Ellis stands in the foremost rank of these illustrious 
 men, and, among them, occupies a distinctive place. By 
 
CHAP. XVI. CHARACTER AND WORK. 303 
 
 his fervent piety and religious earnestness he did much in 
 preaching and diffusing the Gospel of Christ. By his intel- 
 lectual endowments and scientific attainments, he achieved 
 works on the history, archaeology, and physical characteristics 
 of Polynesia and Madagascar, which are a contribution to 
 the sum of human knowledge, and give him an honourable 
 place among literary and scientific men. By his singular 
 wisdom and statesmanlike qualities he became the trusted 
 councillor of the Grovernment of Madagascar, in the supreme 
 crisis of its transition from heathen barbarism to Christian 
 civilization. His high Christian integrity, and his uncom- 
 promising principles of civil and religious liberty, enabled 
 him to counteract unprincipled devices which would have 
 been fatal to the nascent political, commercial, and eccle- 
 siastical freedom of the nation of Madagascar, and to imbue 
 the new constitution with principles of self-government, equity, 
 and freedom, which have probably determined its destiny, 
 and will continue to bear fruit so long as it is a nation. It 
 is not too much to say that to Mr. Ellis alone it is owing 
 that Madagascai- is at this moment a free, constitutional, and 
 Protestant country. Christian, in any case, it probably would 
 have become — the seeds of Christianity had been planted and 
 had produced fruit before Mr. Ellis visited the island — but his 
 wisdom in the great crisis of transition largely detei mined what 
 character its Christianity should assume, whether that of simple 
 spiritual truth and freedom, or that of Eomish superstition and 
 bondage ; what ecclesiastical organisation its chm'ches should 
 assume, whether that of self-regulated freedom or that of 
 hierarchical authority ; and what should be the relations of the 
 latter to the civil government, whether those of subordination 
 and dependence, or those of spiritual and pecuniary independence. 
 Through his counsels and urgencies, the churches of Madagascar 
 have probably been saved from the disastrous history and issue 
 of Established Churches in all nations. Few men in modern 
 times have been called upon to discharge such a mission, few 
 
304 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xti. 
 
 have possessed such a combination of qualifications for it, and 
 few liave achieved a success so disinterested and noble. To the 
 Madagascar of future generations William Ellis will be, only in 
 a far simpler and nobler character, what Augustine was to 
 England, what Boniface was to Grermany, what Patrick was to 
 Ireland, with the great distinction that, unlike them, he had 
 forged no chains to bind the Christian energies and life of the 
 Malagasy. 
 
 My own personal acquaintance with Mr. Ellis began in 1841, 
 just after his removal to Eose Hill, Hoddesdon, and soon after 
 I entered the College at Cheshunt as a theological student. 
 One of the admirable adjuncts of the College is a group of 
 village chapels and preaching stations, which are under the 
 care of the students, and at which they conduct religious 
 services and in some cases Sunday schools. Besides the 
 religious benefit to these villages which these services may 
 confer, they are a very important part of the ministerial training 
 of the College ; they keep alive the religious sensibilities of the 
 students, and they are invaluable exercises in the art of preach- 
 ing. In 1841 the little chapel at Hoddesdon was thus under 
 the cai-e of the students, and three or four other of these 
 stations were within two or three miles of Eose Hill. 
 
 With characteristic hospitality, Mr. and Mrs. Ellis made all 
 the students feel that not only was their house at all times open 
 to them, but that their presence gave unaffected pleasure to 
 their host and hostess. 
 
 In my own case, some common associations with the north of 
 England on the part of Mrs. Ellis, soon caused this intercourse to 
 ripen into a warmer feeling, and a friendship was the result which, 
 uninterruptedly maintained for thirty years, ended only with 
 their death ; it was frequent and pleasant in intercourse, always 
 cordial in feeling, and often confidential in character. In the 
 events connected with Mr. Ellis's visits to Madagascar especially, 
 and in his delicate and various relations to the London Missionary 
 Society, of which also I was a Director, I had peculiar opportunities 
 
CHAP. XVI. CHAEACTER AND WORK. . 305 
 
 of knowing his most secret thoughts, and of seeing the workings 
 of his high toned principles and feelings. The result is the 
 impression of a chai'acter of wise goodness, unaffected piety, and 
 simple self sacrifice, almost perfect. I am at a loss to vindicate 
 myself from a too partial estimate of my revered friend by the 
 specification of any defect, or even the suggestion of any quali- 
 fication. I never heard from him a word, nor saw in him a 
 feeling that did not deepen my reverence for him, as a saintly 
 man, and a consecrated servant of Christ. Mr. Ellis doubtless 
 had his defects, but if so, he had so far corrected them, that 
 not only were they not apparent in the intercourse of friendship, 
 but I may venture to afiirm they were never discovered by the 
 devoted and gifted wife, who survived him but a single week. 
 Mrs. Ellis was a woman whose intellectual strength and pene- 
 tration were of a very high order, and whose robust common 
 sense made any kind of weak conjugal sentimentality simply 
 impossible to her. Her bearing towards her husband was sim- 
 ple, natural, and full of self respect, her judgments were inde- 
 pendent, and her deportment was unusually self reliant : but 
 notwithstanding this, and although she was married to Mr. Ellis 
 when both were in middle life, she regarded him with an ad- 
 miration and affection that were almost a worship. She watched 
 the formation of his purposes concerning Madagascar with a 
 wifely anxiety that she could not wholly conceal, but at the same 
 time Avith a reverence that hindered a single word which might 
 influence them wrongly. She knew them to be so pure, disin- 
 terested and noble, that they were to her almost as inspirations 
 of God ; the process of their formation was so purely religious, 
 that she felt they ought not to be intermeddled with. Again and 
 again I have heard her say, and especially when the peculiar 
 circumstances of the family caused her an anxiety, which was 
 almost an agony, that ' nobody could know how good he was.' 
 
 As an illustration of the noble feelings of both, I must be 
 permitted to refer again to an incident already mentioned in 
 the biography. My wife and I were the guests at Rose Hill re- 
 
 X 
 
306 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chai-. xyi. 
 
 ferred to on page 245, when Mr. Ellis received information con- 
 cerning the death of the Queen of Madagascar. It was on 
 October 8, 1861. The letters were brought in when we were 
 at breakfast. He read the one from Madagascar with the rest, 
 and put it down upon the table, not so much as a glance indi- 
 cating to us that there was in it anything extraordinary ; al- 
 though I fancied even at the moment that Mrs. Ellis looked 
 enquiringly if not anxiously, when he was reading the suspicious 
 looking foreign letter. The conversation which had been bright 
 and jocular was resumed. Soon after breakfast was finished, I 
 found myself alone with him in his orchid house, I do not re- 
 member how. He was very grave. His first words were, ' I have 
 received a letter from Madagascar, the Queen is dead, I must go.' 
 After a few particulars concerning the event and its bearings, 
 he began to speak about his family circumstances, the critical 
 state of his daughter's health, Mrs. Ellis's responsibilities at 
 Eawdon House, and the impossibility of her accompanying him, 
 as I had ventured to suggest. He knew that in all human 
 probability he would see his child no more. He knew that he 
 was leaving to Mrs. Ellis a heavy burden of domestic responsi- 
 bility and sorrow, but the conclusion at which he had intuitively 
 arrived never for a moment wavered. ' And now,' he said, ' I 
 must go and tell Mrs. Ellis.' What passed between them during 
 the half-hour of secret confidence which followed, no one knows. 
 Our own hearts were full of highly wrought reverence for him 
 and of sympathy for her, which could find expression only in 
 prayers for both. Mrs. Ellis appeared full of deep emotion, the 
 frequent tear gathering and falling as she spoke ; but with a 
 noble appreciation of the crisis, and with a faith and self sacri- 
 fice equal to his own, she had accepted the conclusion to which 
 he had come, as the only one possible. 
 
 Within a couple of hours, Mr. Ellis and myself were on our 
 way to London to convey the intelligence to the Mission House, 
 and to proffer to the Directors the service which he purposed, 
 and which of course they thankfully and joyfully accepted. 
 
CHAP. XVI. CHARACTER AND WORK. 307 
 
 Every member of the board felt that Grod had given us, for the 
 work that was now to be done, not only a man whose qualifi- 
 cations were pre-eminent, but one whose spirit of simple un- 
 hesitating self-sacrifice had scarcely ever been surpassed in the 
 annals of the Church. 
 
 As the basis of Mr. Ellis's qualification for his missionary 
 work must be recognised, the peculiar simplicity and entireness 
 of his piety. No doubt he had his spiritual struggles and his 
 religious imperfections ; his remarkable letter to Dr. Hamilton 
 indicates his own deep sense of them ; but religious principles 
 and affections had taken possession of him in an unusual degree. 
 In many religious men, we see a certain inchoateness and 
 vacillation — alternations of spiritual and unspiritual feeling, of 
 church habit and worldly habit — which indicate, not insincere, 
 but very partial religious life. In Mr, Ellis, religious life was 
 deep and pervading ; it was the inspiration and sentiment of 
 everything that he did ; it ruled with apparent entireness and 
 ease every consideration and purpose of his life. His son 
 intimates that constitutionally, he was warm in temper. It is 
 difficult for those who knew him only in the latter half of his 
 life to imagine this : so completely was every word and feeling 
 subdued to gentleness of bearing, thoughtfulness of meaning, 
 and kindly considerateness for others, that he seemed incapable 
 of provocation or resentment. Probably this was the result of 
 religious discipline ; if so, the victory was a remarkable one. 
 Hence in the great questions of service that came before him, 
 the manifest solicitude that dominated every consideration 
 was — What was his duty to his Divine Master and what were 
 his obligations to his fellow-men ? It often seemed to me as if 
 he never had to struggle with the selfish considerations that are 
 so powerful in other men, and cause them to hesitate about duty 
 when it is the most unequivocal ; his only difficulty seemed to 
 lie in the determination of duty itself — once this was clear to 
 him, his obedience was unhesitating and instinctive. Because 
 debate seemed impossible effort seemed unnecessary. This is the 
 
308 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xn. 
 
 great characteristic of entireness. Few men have brought their 
 entire nature under religious control more completely than 
 Mr. Ellis did. To the same pervading religiousness of feeling 
 and purpose may be attributed the clear and prompt spiritual 
 discernment that so eminently characterised Mr. Ellis. Eobert 
 Hall once said of Paley that' he never would put his foot into 
 the other world if he could find a place for it in this. Exactly 
 the reverse may be said of Mr. Ellis. Instinctively he judged 
 all things in the light of spiritual principles ; they were regarded 
 l)y him as means and influences of spiritual things. His 
 Biblical teachings were of spiritual principles, and aimed at 
 spiritual results : his ecclesiastical polity was in order to the 
 realisation of the highest spiritual truth, worship, freedom, and 
 life : his political counsel sought the moral elevation and self- 
 government of the people. A man who accustoms himself thus 
 to look at the principles and influences of things rather than 
 at their traditions or forms, A\dll estimate them most justly, and 
 will be the wisest coimsellor in all things, even m the most secular 
 things of life : his ' eye being single, his whole body will be 
 full of light.' Mr. Ellis was full of calm, clear, practical 
 wisdom. He carried every question into the domain of great 
 principles, and thus solved it in the truest, most catholic, and 
 most permanent way. 
 
 Mr. Ellis's patient industry, ready acquisitiveness, and 
 versatile aptitudes very signally contributed to the greatness 
 of his work. His passion for Botany, cultured by his early 
 occupation as a gardener, enabled him to turn his oppor- 
 tunities of observation to good accoimt, and to make important 
 contributions to botanical science, as well as to introduce 
 into different places important food plants. He was a good 
 archseologist. He taught himself the arts of printing, car- 
 pentry, cotton culture, and photography. He possessed some 
 knowledge of medicine and siu"gery, of the latter enough suc- 
 cessfully to amputate a limb. He was no mean linguist, and 
 easily acquired languages. In his mental composition there 
 
CHAP. XVI. CHARACTEE AND WORK. 309 
 
 was, too, an imaginative vein, which found expression in poetry 
 of considerable excellence, and in those rich pictorial descrip- 
 tions of the people and places that came under his observation, 
 which make his books so charming. The historical faculty 
 was strong in him, and gave peculiar and permanent value to 
 his works on Polynesia and Madagascar. In addition to his 
 ' Polynesian Eesearches,' which won for him the recognition 
 and friendship of some of tlie most eminent literary men of 
 the day ; and his account of his visits to Madagascar, he wrote 
 a history of the latter island before he had any anticipation 
 of visiting it ; as also the first volume of a very interesting 
 History of the London Missionary Society. These various 
 aptitudes were combined with a quiet energy which gave him 
 peculiar qualifications for his work. To these characteristics 
 must be added unusual wisdom, perfect self-control, and much 
 Christian magnanimity, as specially evinced in his delicate and 
 difficult relations to the Malagasy Court, to the French au- 
 thorities there, and especially to Mr. Pakenham, the English 
 Consul, of whose undisguised hostility to him he had many 
 proofs of which he made no public use. Few men would have 
 escaped shipwreck among so many breakers, or would so pru- 
 dently and magnanimously have used their success. As a 
 preacher, Mr. Ellis was less successful than as a writer. His 
 preaching always excited interest, but a certain monotony of 
 voice and manner was scarcely overcome by his intellectual 
 independence, his spiritual simplicity, and his intense earnest- 
 ness ; while his extemporaneous speaking betrayed him into 
 long, involved sentences, considerable repetition, and sometimes 
 inordinate length, especially in his later years. His quiet, 
 affectionate, steadfast disposition made him a gentle and loving 
 father and husband, and a warm and faithful friend — some 
 degree of social taciturnity and a slight tendency to excess of 
 gravity notwithstanding. The London Missionary Society has 
 had few agents who have done greater service to the people to 
 whom they have been sent, and the Church of Christ has rarely 
 
310 LIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIS. chap. xvi. 
 
 known a more saintly and consecrated man. His character was 
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 work was imobtrusive and various ; but so far as comparative 
 moral estimates can be formed, there are few concerning whom 
 it could be more emphatically said — ' He served his generation 
 according to the will of God.' 
 
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