Purrurps.— Civilization of the Pacific. 68 
have spread themselves wherever they thought that their labours were 
required, and two or three loeal bodies have been formed for the especial 
purpose of assisting the cause. It would be unfair to mention conspicuously 
the name of any single clergyman. All have zealously devoted their 
energies, and many their lives, to the great work of Christianity and Civi- 
lization—Williams, Gordon, Baker, Patteson, are almost household words. 
Too much praise cannot be bestowed upon missionary labour in the Pacific. 
‘Commerce. 
Such is a brief outline of the past history, first discovery, and then 
missionary zeal. Unlike India, Africa, America, and Australia, wherein 
discovery was followed by commerce, and then by religious teaching, 
Polynesia first received religious civilization. Now commerce is stepping 
in, and we are becoming still more deeply interested in the welfare of the 
islands. As yet commerce has been of very slow growth, although the 
exceeding fertility of the islands, their tractable inhabitants, and the general 
wealth of the Pacific, have long been well known. The great distance of 
Polynesia from the principal centres of commerce must have been the cause 
of this slow progress. Steam, however, is lessening the distance ; popula- 
tion is flowing over from the Australasian colonies, and a large trade is 
springing into existence. It was not until some few years since, when the 
colonies of Australia began to take an interest in the islands, that com- 
merce assumed any degree of importance. The American war, and the 
suggestions contained in Dr. Seeman’s well-known work, turned the 
attention of those colonists to cotton-growing, and many persons from the 
colonies commenced to form plantations. Previously to that date a few 
merchants in the principal groups carried on a small traffic, and one or two 
associated companies endeavoured to profit by the evident wealth of- the 
islands: the celebrated South Sea Company of the last century, which 
resulted in what is commonly called the *' South Sea Bubble" being the 
firstattempt. There were also, as still there are, many traders, who, fitting 
out in Australasian ports small vessels with suitable articles of trade, cruised 
amongst the islands, and bartered with the natives, as the Carthagenians of 
old bartered with the Africans. (This sort of trading appears to be very 
suitable to Polynesia, and is likely to increase. When the resources of the 
islands are better opened up, trading schooners will give place to resident 
merchants.) Trade, however, is entirely in its infancy. The natives are 
hardly sufficiently educated to demand much from us. As yet their wants 
are few. The people of Western Polynesia, and nearly all Central Poly- 
nesia, have not sufficient civilization to want at all, a little calico and a few 
knives being all that is at present required. I do not suppose that the 
Pacific Islands import more than £700,000 per annum, one half of which is 
