32 A MISSION TO VITI. 



by the hands of, or, as some assert, at the instigation of, 

 his own son, who then succeeded him to the throne of 

 Cakaudrove. A second brother, to avenge his father's 

 foul murder, committed fratricide, and was in his turn 

 assassinated by the people whom Golea had just re- 

 turned from punishing. 



Golea, on my asking him when he would follow his 

 eldest brother in embracing Christianity, replied that 

 his religion was fighting, and that he did not as yet 

 think of becoming a disciple of the new faith. One of 

 his great objections seemed to be its allowing him only 

 one wife, whilst now he had an extensive harem, to 

 which he continually made new additions. The Wes- 

 ley ans have invariably refused to admit as members of 

 their society, any professed native Christians who would 

 not give up polygamy. Of course, among Protestants, 

 any sect is at perfect liberty to adhere to whatever rules 

 and regulations it may think fit to impose upon itself, 

 and no words should be lost upon the discussion of it 

 by laymen. But when taking a common-sense view of 

 the case, whether polygamists on becoming Christians 

 should put all save one wife away, it assumes a differ- 

 ent aspect, which the Bishop of Natal has done good 

 service in ventilating. To say that discarded wives of 

 a polygamist may find husbands argues nothing ; so may 

 fallen women of our own country. According to the lex 

 loci, the wives enjoy a legitimate existence before the 

 general adoption of Christianity. By declaring them il- 

 legitimate, a serious wrong is inflicted upon them. And 

 why do evil that good may come ? These women, sud- 

 denly deprived of the consciousness that they are legiti- 



