NIUE, OR SAVAGE ISLAND. 93 



discovered by Cook. Now how clianged ! liow mar- 

 vellously changed ! ' That it was ' at that time ' much in the 

 same state as when Cook saw it, it is easy for me to credit ; 

 but how Mr. Murray professing to believe in its extreme 

 savagery at that period could say so, after having told us 

 only a few pages before, when speaking of this year of 

 similitude 1853, that ' the desire for teachers is now uni- 

 versal, and we shall very shortly occupy the island,' would 

 be inexplicable, were we not aware of the irresistible pro- 

 pensity of the missionaries to proclaim marvels, and, by 

 means of vague generalities, to give a semblance of sup- 

 port to their highly-coloured statements. Captain Erskine, 

 though far from underrating the value or merit of their 

 sei'vices, has protested strongly against their exaggeration 

 of the difficulties with which they have to contend, and 

 of the habit of some of them — less usual, it is true, 

 with those of the London Society than some others — 

 to be perpetually giving accounts of ' miraculous deliver- 

 ances,' and, he might have added, of miraculous successes. 

 At all events, taking Niue as a test of their descriptive 

 accuracy, I think evidence enough lias been adduced to 

 show, that their sombre unsubstantial sketches of the 

 aborigines do not obtain confirmation when placed by the 

 side of clearly ascertained facts. Hence it is not surprising 

 that, when to minds influenced by these sketches the oppor- 

 tunity of direct observation arrives, there should be the 

 astonishment which was experienced by the officers of 

 H.M.S. 'Fawn' in 1862, when such an opportunity was 



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