1238 AUSTRALASIA ILLUSTRATED. 



work of a woman, who was afterwards aided by her two sons ; but their religion is 

 principally spirit-worship and fear. 



The Wesleyan Missionary- Society began mission work in the year 1875. Since 

 that time the Mission has been carried on by fresh supplies of Fijian, Tongan and 

 Samoan native agents, under the constant supervision of European missionaries. The 

 missionaries and teachers have all suffered much from the unhealthiness of the climate, 

 and several of them have died ; but the most critical time in the Mission history was 

 when an ordained Fijian minister and three Fijian teachers were barbarously murdered 

 inland of Blanche Bay in New Britain, by the very men who had invited them to visit 

 them, and assured them of their safety in so doing. This catastrophe threatened the 

 destruction of the Mission, and the murder of the European traders with the remaining 

 teachers and their families. The natives were thoroughly demoralized by the success of 

 their attempt, and undoubtedly intended to add all other foreign residents to the list of 

 victims. A determined stand was, however, made by the missionary, the few white resi- 

 dents, and the teachers, aided by a large number of friendly natives who were them- 

 selves grievously insulted and injured by the murder of their teachers. The skulls and 

 and bones of the murdered men were obtained in the houses from which the natives 

 had fled on the approach of the expedition which was formed ; the huts of the people 

 were burnt by the friendly natives, and some of the murderers were killed. The towns 

 implicated in the affair at once made submission, and confessed to the wrong which they 

 had committed, a reconciliation was effected, and in two or three days the matter was 

 ended. The natives fully admitted the guilt of their , action, and highly appreciated the 

 leniency with which they were treated. There is little doubt that great ultimate good 

 has resulted from that painful incident. The towns implicated are all on the most 

 friendly terms with the missionaries and the traders, and both parties reside among them 

 in perfect safety. The returns from the district for the year 1890, show that forty-one 

 churches have been built by the natives, of whom five thousand one hundred and sixty- 

 six are attendants on public worship. There are thirty-nine day and Sabbath schools, 

 with an attendance of one thousand two hundred and forty-eight, many of whom can 

 now read and write fluently, and are well acquainted with the first rules of arithmetic. 

 There are six hundred and fifty-seven church members, thirty-six of whom are employed 

 as lay preachers and teachers, and one hundred and ninety-two on trial for membership. 

 The Mission staff at present consists of two European missionaries and their wives, with 

 thirty-nine native teachers from the Fijian, Samoan and Tongan Groups. The influence 

 of the Mission is principally felt in the northern extremity of New Britain, the Duke of 

 York Group, and the west coast of New Ireland where the stations are situated. 



In the early part of 1880, an attempt to colonize New Ireland was made by a 

 French expedition sent by the Marquis cle Rays, under the command of Captain 

 McLaughlin. They landed first at Port Praslin, but soon removed to a small bay, 

 which they called Likiliki. They were landed from the ship Chandernagorc with a con- 

 siderable quantity of stores, but the vessel sailed away very suddenly, leaving the leader 

 of the expedition, and without having landed some of the most essential articles. The 

 colonists were soon attacked by the prevailing fever, and as they were without medicine, 

 they suffered very severely. Many of them were also afflicted with dysentery and 



