ERAMANGA. 315' 



presented a petition to Sir Jolni Young requesting tlic 

 removal from tlie island of a Malay named Eangi, whom 

 they represented as a most dangerous character, and 

 the instigator of the Gordon murder, had dared to 

 forward to tlie Governor a counter-statement positively 

 denying the alleged fact. Now Mr. Gordon's zeal was 

 clearly not a ' zeal according to knowledge,' and had he 

 no other means of information he might have derived it 

 from Mrs. Henry, who, a year before, had informed Mr. 

 Inglis by letter that this Eangi was ' an ignorant, harmless 

 fellow, who had not the slightest influence in the island.'^ 

 But, of course, Mr. Gordon preferred relying on the vague 

 evidence of teachers, the value of whicli we may estimate 

 by the fact of his having since, as Mr. Inglis tells us, felt 

 compelled to acknowledge that ' Ilodge on Curinthians ' 

 had been wastefuUy cited, that the ' riglitcous ' were in the 

 wrong, and their audacious gainsayers in the right. Such 

 were the misleading influences brouglit to bear on the 

 Commodore's mind ; and if, imfortimately, he had been 

 somewhat of the fanatical temperament of the assailant 

 of Bea,^ there would have been a very pretty chance of 

 bloody reprisals. Of course no one would suppose that 

 these missionaries had a thirst for blood, but, exaggerating 

 the importance of their work, and especially the privi- 

 leges attached to it, they believe every offence against 



' The letters, &e. that liave been alhided to are, copies or originals, 

 in the possession of Admiral Sir William Wiseman. 



2 Captain Croker whose proceedings were noticed ab^iw4J3. 



