WAIMATE 453 



this change ; — the lesson of the missionary is the enchanter's 

 wand. The house had been built, the windows framed, the 

 fields ploughed, and even the trees grafted, by the New 

 Zealander. At the mill a New Zealander was seen powdered 

 white with flour, like his brother miller in England. When I 

 looked at this whole scene I thought it admirable. It was 

 not merely that England was brought vividly before my mind ; 

 yet, as the evening drew to a close, the domestic sounds, the 

 fields of corn, the distant undulating country with its trees, 

 might well have been mistaken for our fatherland ; nor was it 

 the triumphant feeling at seeing what Englishmen could effect, 

 but rather the high hopes thus inspired for the future progress 

 of this fine island. 



Several young men, redeemed by the missionaries from 

 slavery, were employed on the farm. They were dressed in a 

 shirt, jacket, and trousers, and had a respectable appearance. 

 Judging from one trifling anecdote, I should think they must 

 be honest. When walking in the fields a young labourer 

 came up to Mr. Davies, and gave him a knife and gimlet, 

 saying that he had found them on the road, and did not know 

 to whom they belonged ! These young men and boys 

 appeared very merry and good-humoured. In the evening I 

 saw a party of them at cricket ; when I thought of the 

 austerity of which the missionaries have been accused, I was 

 amused by observing one of their own sons taking an active 

 part in the game. A more decided and pleasing change was 

 manifested in the young women, who acted as servants within 

 the houses. Their clean, tidy, and healthy appearance, like 

 that of dairy-maids in England, formed a wonderful contrast 

 with the women of the filthy hovels in Kororadika. The 

 wiv^es of the missionaries tried to persuade them not to be 

 tattooed ; but a famous operator having arrived from the 

 south, they said, " We really must just have a few lines on our 

 lips ; else when we grow old, our lips will shrivel, and we shall 

 be so very ugly." There is not nearly so much tattooing as 

 formerly ; but as it is a badge of distinction between the chief 

 and the slave, it will probably long be practised. So soon 

 does any train of ideas become habitual, that the missionaries 

 told me that even in their eyes a plain face looked mean, and 

 not like that of a New Zealand gentleman. 



