§ 13. The Printing of the New Testament—continued.

To return: My three Maori neophyte pressmen having left me, and of course taken back with them to their pa (village) and people a full and particular account of the many disagree ables inseparable from this new and wonderful art of printing there was no longer any hope of fresh Maoris in their place, (nor did I wish to have any more,) so on their leaving me in August, I was obliged to carry on my heavy work alone, and that very slowly; what served to make it worse, and to embitter it, were my many interruptions and extra burdens,—not a few of which might have been lessened if not avoided: (my feelings at that critical period I will not attempt to give).—Thus it continued till the middle of November, when I accidental fell in with two young pressmen on board of an America! whale ship, and as they were desirous of leaving their ship I engaged them; their names were Henry Mann and John Bevan; and as these men had worked as pressmen in America I record their names as my first trained helpers in the work of the printing the New Testament. Unfortunately, however, they only remained with me until near the end of January, 1837, (just nine weeks,) when they left. No doubt the isolation and quiet of the Mission Station, and the great difficulty of their getting any needful supplies, (save the common rations already mentioned,) had much to do with their leaving me; they were quiet industrious men. I may also mention, that their wages were, each 5/-per day, and they worked 5½ days a week. This latter their own choice, as they spent the Saturday after-new attending to their own private matters; also in going acres the harbour, when fine, in one of my boats, to the Storekeeper on the opposite side, about three miles distant, to purchase stores.

Here I should state, that the American whale ships (which at that period came frequently into the Bay of Islands to obtain supplies) were always manned with a very different class of men to those of our English ships. The crew of the American ships were not usually trained sailors, but young workmen of almost all trades; men who, tired of their occupation, or desirous of seeing the world, or of going on a voyage of adventure and sport, engaged on board of those ships; yet they generally worked well together there, and seemed happy:—I had seven page 19 opportunities of observing them in my visiting those ships, where I sometimes partook of their free and kind hospitality.

Once more, being left, I carried on alone; and this continued about a month; when, on 23rd February, I again met with two more American pressmen on board of one of the American whalers at anchor in the Bay, and they being willing I engaged them. Their names were James Powell and Charles Upham; the former remained with me scarcely five months, leaving in July; but the latter remained until the printing of the New Testament was completed, in December, 1837.—They were both very quiet industrious steady men; it was even A rare thing to hear them talk! Upham in particular was a very peculiar man, a thorough American, even to the chewing of tobacco! and a good quiet steady hard-working fellow; excessively quaint in his few remarks made at intervals. The wages I paid these two men were, at first, the same as to the two former pressmen, 5/-per day; but after a short time, at their own request, their pay was altered to 25 cents, or 1/-each per "token," (10 quires = ½-ream,) besides which, as they could not be always at press-work, they were paid 12 cents, or 6d per hour for other work connected with the Printing-office and Binding-room, and Warehouse,—as, in drying, and press-ling, and folding the sheets, &c.; but would never do anything in the way of distributing type, and even if a letter should be drawn out, or be broken in their working-off the forms, (which sometimes though rarely did happen,) they would not, or more properly could not well, replace it; and spoiled paper (if any) they had to pay for,—which, however, did not amount to much. Upham worked alone at Press for a period of six months, after his companion left, (always a disagreeable and slow process for one person,) and, of course, from that time he was paid 2/-per "token." He was a very good and trusty pressman, and kept the "colour" well up, and his rollers, &c., in nice working order. During the whole of the time they continued with me they never once got into altercation or trouble with the Maoris.—