Eromanga,

touching at Aniwa by the way, and anchored in Dillon's Bay on the evening of the 15th. The weather being unusually stormy at this time, we were detained there six days.

"On Saturday the 18th, Mr. M'Nair and I took one of the Day-spring's boats and went round in the lee of the island to a place called page 68 Bunkil, six or seven miles to the south of Dillon's Bay. The murderers of the Gordons live near to this place. It was the first time that Mr. M'Nair had visited it, and the first time that I have had an opportunity of taking part in such an expedition. When we reached the place, the people looked rather formidable. Some thirty men and youths were assembled on the beach, armed with muskets, bows, and tomahawks; but we soon saw that they were disposed to be friendly, and as we hesitated to run the boat ashore, being uncertain where the proper landing-place was, the chief's brother, an old man, with grey hairs, followed by two or three others, swam out to us, and soon the boat was drawn entirely out of the water amidst deafening yells by as many hands as had room to take hold of her. I expected that Mr. M'Nair would at once explain to them the object of his visit, but I was mistaken, for before he said a word about that he had recourse to his favorite argument, the abinferiori, as he calls it. Seating himself on a stone, he opened a bundle of bread and fowls' flesh, and having asked a blessing in the Eromangan language, he began to eat, distributing also to those sitting or standing by. Having finished lunch, he next enquired where the chief was, that personage not having made his appearance, and we both went in the direction of his house in search of him, but being assured by his sons that he was some distance inland, at his plantations, we returned to the people on the beach. Mr. M'Nair there had a short service with them under the shadow of an overhanging cliff. After the singing of a hymn by an Aneitymnese teacher, and a converted Eromangan whom he took with him in the boat, Mr. M'Nair addressed them, and the Eromangan prayed. Some of them listened very attentively. Service being over, and the ab inferiori argument being repeated in the shape of a piece of calico to each of the chief's sons, a piece to his brother, and a few fish-hooks to the rest, we took our departure, shaking; hands and bidding them "good bye," in the Eromangan form, of course, which is Kik e pau, "You are dear," the usual form of salutation both on meeting and parting. A teacher had once been stationed at Bunkil, and had imparted to the people some idea of Jehovah and of the Sabbath. None of them worship Jehovah, but they seem to keep the Sabbath after a fashion. One of them told Mr. M'Mair that they did not work at their plantations on that day, but that they slept on Sunday. On the 22nd, the weather being a little more favorable, we left Dillon's Bay, with Mr. M'Nair on board, and went to a place called Bokil on the north side of the island, and settled a teacher with a chief there who had, of his own accord, applied to Mr. M'Nair for one, and built a house for him. It was nearly sunset when we landed, and as most of the people there live some little distance inland, there were but few on the beach to receive us besides the chief and his nephews. page 69 These, however, received us gladly, and insisted on not only the Aneityumese teacher, mentioned above, remaining, as was intended, but also the Eromangan. It was at length agreed that the latter should also stay for a few months to accompany the former, and after a short service in front of the teachers' house, and giving presents to the chief and his nephews, we left them, rejoicing that a door had thus been unexpectedly opened for preaching the gospel, and hoping that that chief, with all his people, would soon believe and turn to the Lord.

"We sailed past Portinia Bay, but did not call there, as Mr. Gordon, whose station it is, was absent at Santo. The two following days we spent in making explorations on the south-east side of the island, a good place for a mission station. There are several good boat harbours there, at the mouths of rivers, one of which, at a place called Ifu, is navigable a considerable way up. There are plenty of people there, people who never heard of Jehovah, and plenty of food. Very little is known yet of this side of Eromanga, our visit being the first by any missionary; and still less is known of the south side. No missionary has ever yet been there, yet those places seem to have a larger population than the "lee" side has, and being the "weather" side, they must be the more healthy. We wished to visit a place on the south side called Noras, about fourteen miles from Dillon's Bay, where there is a large population, but as the sea became too rough for landing, we were obliged to leave it for the present. The boat which Mr. M'Nair has at present is too small for going beyond the bay, but he is to get a large one when the Dayspring returns from the colonies next year. He will then be able to visit more distant places.

"Eromanga seems to be more open for the preaching of the gospel now than it has been for many years. The white men who have been such a curse to it, have now all left it, and the people are at peace among themselves. I like the scenery of Eromanga. It is finely diversified with mountains, glens, and rivers. The coast, in general, is rugged, and often looks gloomy. We thought it did especially so at Dillon's Bay, on our first sight of it; which, perhaps, was only from our recollection of the deeds of darkness done there. Dillon's Bay, however, is a lonely place, and when one first sets his foot on shore he feels that he is treading on holy ground. The people of Eromanga are still heathen; there are only eight baptised native adults in it all; but the soil, at least, is Christian, and also the rivers, and the sea, being all already baptised; not, indeed, with water, but with blood. The sea, as you know, at the mouth of the river, on its left bank, was red with the blood of Williams; not many yards up the river, with that of Harris; a little further up, on the same side, but on the high ground, the soil was wet with the blood of the Gordons, whose bodies now rest in the valley below: so that mountain, page 70 valley, liver, and sea, are all consecrated to God by the blood and dust of Christian martyrs, and though the people of Eromanga have been hitherto slow of heart to believe the gospel, still some have believed—the first fruits, I trust, of a great and glorious harvest.

"We have seen the grave of the Gordons. It is enclosed by a low white wall of stone and lime. Beside it is buried Kauiaui, the murderer of Williams, and who was also concerned in the murder of the Gordon's. He fell in battle three years ago. His spear and the arrow that killed him are preserved in the present Mr. Gordon's museum. He had, after all, to be indebted to the missionary for his grave; a token, perhaps, of the final victory of Christianity over heathenism on Eromanga. The ground on both sides of the river, for nearly a mile up, is mission property; being purchased from the sandal wood traders at the breaking up of that establishment, and there is a native burial place upon it. I have seen Kauiaui's widow. She is a kind-hearted old woman, and a constant attender at church. His sons also attend church occasionally.

"On the afternoon of Saturday, the 25th, we left Eromanga, and returned to