"Tanna.

"The first place we visited was Waicisse. The people there still object to either a missionary or teacher coming. 'No place here for missionary; all place here belong a white man. Alan Tanna no like Sunday. Man Tanna like smoke' It seems they had been told by white men that if they took Missionaries, they would have to give up smoking. Tobacco, powder and shot, are valuable articles of trade to white men on these page 71 islands. On the evening of the same day we anchored in Port Resolution, Mr. Neilson's station. Next morning we left Port Resolution, and went to Kwamera, Mr. Watt's station, with Messrs. Paton and Neilson on board, intending to sail round the whole island, calling at the several places of importance by the way. We found Mr. and Mrs. Watt both well and happy, and making rapid progress in the acquisition of the language. They had been only about three months on Tanna, and they could converse intelligibly with the Tannese in their own language. They both came on board, intending to accompany us round the island to Port Resolution. But we got no further than Black Beach, at the other end of it. We were detained there through stress of weather for two days, and not having more time to spend, we were obliged to return on Saturday, the 2nd of October, to Port Resolution, the way we came.

"Matters are not very encouraging just now on Tanna. As far as I can judge, it seems more closed against the gospel than it was years ago, chiefly through the influence of white men, more wicked than the Tannese themselves, who are settling on the island, cultivating cotton, and making cocoa-nut oil, &c. These prejudice the minds of the natives against both missionaries and teachers, telling them not to receive either. Such we found to be the case not merely at Waicisse, but also at Black Beach, and at a place half-way between Black Beach and Kwamera. There are, however, some rare exceptions, and one, Mr. Smith, whom we saw at Imalau on the west of Tanna, seems to have been one. He told us that if a missionary came to his place he would be very glad, and that if either a missionary or teacher were to come, he would let them have any place on his ground for a house that they might choose, and would render them every assistance in his power. One, Mr. Williams, a nephew of the late Mr. John Williams, missionary in Polynesia, was living with Mr. Smith. We have heard that one of these men has been killed, we are uncertain which.^* When we were at Port Resolution, one Kaipapa, chief of Anaikaraka, at or near Kwamera, brought us word that on Saturday the 2nd of October, (two days after we saw him), Mr. Williams was killed. That one Tavau-Yakanapu, an under Chief of the Kasse-kasse tribe, shot him through the breast, that the ball came out at his back, and that another man, whose name our informant did not know, struck him on the head with his club; that he was then carried away to a small village called Itanmarin, and according to their custom, tied up by the hands to the banyan, or sacred tree, let hang there all night, and next morning, (Sunday,) taken down, cut up, cooked, and distributed among the villages; that a piece of his arm was brought and given to one Kahi, that Kahi page 72 gave it to Toko, chief of Kwamera, and that Toko did not receive it, but sent it back, because the missionary, Mr. Watt, was living on his land.

"Sabbath, the 3rd of October, we spent at Port Resolution. Mr. Paton went ashore on the afternoon, and conducted worship with the Aniwa men; and we were glad to learn that they had been worshipping with the Tanna men all round Port Resolution, on the forenoon. As most of the people of Aniwa can speak Tannese, and have the Tanna men friendly to them, I think they are likely to prove very instrumental in the conversion of Tanna. Mr. Paton was not well that day, else, I believe, he would have been ashore preaching to the Tannese on the forenoon. On Monday, he showed me his first wife's grave, and the grave of Mr. Johnstone, also the graves of several Aneityumese that died there. He showed me also where his house stood, and the orange trees, &c., which he planted. No wonder that his heart is still on Tanna. I trust the way may yet be opened up for his return.

"The Tannese were very kind to their friends from Aniwa; they entertained them very hospitably, and sent them away laden with about 40 or 45 tons of pigs and yams. Having taken these and Mr. Paton back to Aniwa on Tuesday, and returned to Port Resolution on Wednesday with Mrs. Neilson and children, whom we left at Aniwa when we were last there, as they did not consider it safe to be at Port Resolution alone, we proceeded to Aneityum, which we reached on the afternoon of Thursday, the 7th of October. So much for our first voyage.

"The object of our second voyage was to take Mr. Gordon back to Eromanga for the summer season, and to give Dr. Geddie an opportunity of visiting some of the small islands to the north of Faté, for the purpose of preparing the way for the settlement of Rarotongan teachers next year.

"We sailed from Aneityum on the 14th of October, and arrived at