TAHITI AND SAMOA 



(often spelt Otaheite) is, you know, one of the principal 

 missionary stations in these seas. I have seen Mr. Wil- 

 son, who is one of the oldest of the missionary residents. 

 He has been here thirty-eight years, with the exception 

 of a year and a half's residence in New Zealand, where he 

 went for his health, a few weeks subsequent to his arrival. 

 He is a venerable old man. Nothing since I left home 

 has afforded me stronger emotions of pleasure than seeing 

 and conversing with one whose life has so long been de- 

 voted entirely to the service of God, amidst trials and 

 difficulties of which you can have no conception. He 

 lives to see his labors blest to his people: for many a 

 Christian, through the blessing of God, is numbered in 

 his little flock. Among our guides on an excursion the 

 other day there was one who called the others around 

 him and prayed aloud every morning about daylight, and 

 at night on retiring. They were delightful sounds to 

 come from the mouth of a native of Tahiti. The mis- 

 sionaries have very much to contend with, much that is 

 very disheartening. I mean the influence, immoral in- 

 fluence, of foreign seamen. I have witnessed it since I 

 have been here and have wept over it, for it is truly 

 lamentable to see this simple-hearted people led away by 

 the worthless characters that often go from our ships 

 among them." 



TO HIS MOTHER 



Religious Work in the Samoan Islands: The English 

 Missionary, Rev. John Williams 



"SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, Dec. i, 1839. 



" My letter from the Society Islands, I fear, caused 

 some disappointment. The facts were sad to me, and as 

 much so, I know, to you all, who have viewed the mis- 

 sions there as one of the most signal instances of the 

 triumphs of the Gospel. How lamentable that the im- 

 moral tendency of the intercourse with foreign shipping 

 should have so successfully counteracted the instructions 

 of the missionaries and to a great extent destroyed their 

 influence among the people! But this class of persons 

 outnumbers the missionaries by hundreds. An almighty 



ill 



