History of the “ Dayspring.” 61 
October 25th ; called at all the islands occupied by missionaries and 
teachers, and took to the several islands the annual supplies for the 
teachers. On her way south she took up the letters and orders of the 
missionaries, her passengers, and the arrowroot prepared by the natives 
to pay for the printing of the Scriptures. Taking her departure from 
Port Resolution, Tana, on the 14th of December, she arrived in Mel- 
bourne, January 4th. 
We must again mention here what has been often stated in these 
reports, viz. :—that the ‘ Dayspring’ is indispensable to the comfortable 
and successful prosecution of the mission work on the group. To some 
of the islands she is of far more service than to others. Some of the 
missionaries might get along after a sort by means of the occasional visits 
of trading vessels ; but there is no island and no department of the work 
that would not suffer materially were she withdrawn. On some the work 
would have to be abandoned. The last cannot be regarded as her busiest 
year, as she did not during the sailing season either visit any of the 
Australasian colonies, or the Eastern islands, or New Caledonia. Her 
services were not required at the Loyalty islands, and she settled no new 
missionary, and visited no new island. Still the summary shows that 
she was not idle, always in harbour and always in ballast. From the 
colonies she brought down passengers and stores of every description 
for fourteen months’ use for nine families, say between thirty and forty 
persons, with letters, papers, and books, supplies of clothing, barter, and 
food for the native teachers ; and mission-boxes, books, and other requi- 
sites for the work among the natives. When she had landed her pas- 
sengers and cargo her work was not done; passengers and cargo, 
European and native, were going to and fro every month. She brought 
the missionaries together for the annual meeting, and when their de- 
liberations were over she was ready to take them on board, and return 
thence to their stations. She enabled the most of the members of the 
mission to have a little change from the monotony of island life to visit 
one another for a time, and some to take a trip for the benefit of their 
health. She carried the inter-island letters, and took a mail to the 
Loyalty islands, whence it could be forwarded to Sydney. She carried 
cattle, pigs, goats, and fowls to islands where these were wanted, as also 
yams and beans to islands where native food is scarce. She took house- 
building materials, workmen to assist the missionary in their erection, 
and servants for some of the mission families. For a short time she 
afforded shelter to a shipwrecked crew. She settled some native teachers, 
took home others after a period of service, and enabled others to take a 
