DEFENCE OF THE MISSIONARIES. 253 



the necessity of protesting against the unsanctioned use 

 which had been made of their name. 



I shall probably be accused, by those versed in Fijian 

 affairs, of an undue partiality for the Wesleyan mission- 

 aries, by viewing their conduct in the light I do, and 

 endeavouring to separate the doings of the missionaries 

 from those of the barbarous hordes who overran the 

 country. I admit that the latter is a matter of no slight 

 difficulty. Christianity had early taken root in Tonga ; 

 and when, in 1835, the Wesleyans in that group deter- 

 mined to extend their operations to Fiji, they naturally 

 fixed upon Lakeba, and those parts where a strong popu- 

 lation of Tonguese was already established, and where 

 they could use a language familiar to them until Fijian 

 nad been learnt. Tongamen were found extremely well 

 qualified for acting as pioneers in teaching the rudi- 

 ments of the Christian faith ; and during the whole 

 period that the Wesleyans have been labouring for the 

 conversion of Fiji, they have employed a large number 

 of them. They were spread over the whole country, and, 

 unfortunately, became in Maafu's hand, ready instru- 

 ments for the execution of his plans. They supplied 

 him with reliable information about the quarrels, weak- 

 nesses, and resources of the different territories, were 

 never tired of praising their great chief, and ever ready 

 to prompt the Fijian rulers to apply to him in cases of 

 dispute and war. All these facts cannot be gainsaid ; 

 and those must be strangely ignorant of the working 

 of the Polynesian mind, who fancy that doctrines of 

 so recent a growth as those of Christianity would ever 

 induce a native of subordinate position to remain in- 



