96 Letter LTT, 
have found it out for myself; for Christianity makes such a 
wonderful difference in the appearance of a savage, not only in 
clothing him, and washing the paint off him, but in giving to 
him an intelligent and pleasing expression of countenance. 
I feel that it would be unjust were I to give anyone the im- 
pression, as I am afraid I may have done from what I have 
hitherto said, that the Fotunese are in no way improved by the 
teachings of Mr. Copeland their missionary ; for even amongst 
them I recollect noticing many who evidently were more ad- 
vanced than their neighbours; although the heathen were in 
such preponderance, and appeared to me so outrageous, as to 
draw my attention principally to them. ‘This by the way. 
From Aniwa we sailed for Tana, only sixteen or seventeen 
miles distant. While on our way over, we could see from the 
deck at one time the five southern islands of the group :— 
Aniwa behind us, Tana stretching out in front, Eramanga 
on one side, and Fotuna and Aneityum on the other. We 
had even a more attractive object, however, in the active 
volcano of Tana as we approached it. By daytime it cer- 
tainly was worthy of notice, but at night it was magnificent. 
That day we touched at the mission station of Mr. Watt, 
landed his goods, and sailed for Port Resolution, the prin- 
cipal harbour of Tana, just as the darkness was coming on. 
It was then, as we sailed slowly along the coast, in the 
dark still night, that the burning mountain appeared to 
greatést advantage. Every five minutes, sometimes oftener, 
an eruption would take place. First, a great cloud of crimson 
flakes would shoot high into the air, then massy volumes of 
smoke would roll up after it, tinged with red; and then the 
roar, like that of artillery or loud thunder, would reach our 
ears. Ere this noise had ceased, the red flakes would pause in 
the air, as if undecided whether to go back or fly away alto- 
gether ; then, having agreed amongst themselves to return to 
