422 FIVE CHRISTMAS DAYS. [chap, xviii, 



Christmas-day was spent at Plymouth ; the second at St. 

 Martin's Cove, near Cape Horn ; the third at Port Desire, 

 in Patagonia ; the fourth at anchor in a wild harbour in the 

 peninsula of Tres Montes ; this fifth here ; and the next, I 

 trust in Providence, will be in England. We attended 

 divine service in the chapel of Pahia ; part of the service 

 being read in English, and part in the native language. 

 Whilst at New Zealand we did not hear of any recent acts 

 of cannibalism ; but Mr. Stokes found burnt human bones 

 strewed round a fireplace on a small island near the 

 anchorage ; but these remains of a comfortable banquet 

 might have been lying there for several years. It is 

 probable that the moral state of the people will rapidly 

 improve. Mr. Bushby mentioned one pleasing anecdote as 

 a proof of the sincerity of some, at least, of those who 

 profess Christianity. One of his young men left him, who 

 had been accustomed to read prayers to the rest of the 

 servants. Some weeks afterwards, happening to pass late 

 in the evening by an outhouse, he saw and heard one of 

 his men reading the Bible with difficulty by the light of the 

 fire, to the others. After this the party knelt and prayed : 

 in their prayers they mentioned Mr. Bushby and his family, 

 and the missionaries, each separately in his respective 

 district. 



December 26th. — Mr. Bushby offered to take Mr. Sulivan 

 and myself in his boat some miles up the river to Cawa- 

 Cawa ; and proposed afterwards to walk on to the village 

 of Waiomio, where there are some curious rocks. * Follow- 

 ing one of the arms of the bay, we enjoyed a pleasant row, 

 and passed through pretty scenery, until we came to a 

 village, beyond which the boat could not pass. From this 

 place a chief and a party of men volunteered to walk with 

 us to Waiomio, a distance of four miles. The chief was at 

 this time rather notorious from having lately hung one of 

 his wives and a slave for adultery. When one of the 

 missionaries remonstrated with him he seemed surprised, 

 and said he thought he was exactly following the English 

 method. Old Shongi, who happened to be in England 

 during the Queen's trial, expressed great disapprobation at 

 the whole proceeding : he said he had five wives, and he 

 would rather cut off all their heads than be so much 

 troubled about one. Leaving this village, we crossed over 

 to another, seated on a hillside at a little distance. The 

 daughter of a chief, who was still a heathen, had died there 



