SAMOAN GROUP. 135 



his assumed occupation. It is not probable that even the captain was 

 deeply versed in religious knowledge, and very certain that the crew 

 could not have been ; but their success appears to have arisen from the 

 great veneration with which white men were at first regarded by the 

 Samoans. They looked upon them as a sort of spirit, whom it was 

 impossible to hurt or to kill; and the ships first seen off the coast 

 were considered as heavenly messengers, prognosticating some dread- 

 ful calamity. The bad conduct of their nautical visiters has destroyed 

 this reverence, and foreigners generally no longer meet the kind 

 welcome they formerly received ; this observation does not apply to 

 the missionaries, who receive all the honour that is due to their good 

 intention, of which the natives are fully aware. 



The Wesleyan missionaries, and those of the British Board, 

 reached these islands about the same time, or the former were per- 

 haps the first to arrive. The influence of the Wesleyan tenets, and 

 the number of their followers increased rapidly under the superin- 

 tendence of the Rev. Mr. Turner. Difficulties, however, arose 

 between the two parties of missionaries, which were finally adjusted 

 between the two boards in London, and the Wesleyans abandoned 

 this field for that of the Feejee Group. This arrangement was amicably 

 made, and I heard of only one individual on either side, who showed 

 an uncharitable spirit towards his fellow-labourers of the other party. 

 In spite of the removal of the Wesleyans, there is still a large number 

 of the natives who adhere to the tenets and forms taught them by 

 Mr. Turner, and still retain a strong attachment to him. 



The missionaries were from the very first taken under the protec- 

 tion of the most powerful chiefs, and have never received either insult 

 or injury from any of the natives. They have established schools in 

 many of the villages, but have found a difficulty in obtaining native 

 teachers. 



A printing-press has also been established at Upolu, and rapid 

 progress is making in the translation of the Scriptures, of which some 

 portions are already published. Many publications have issued from 

 this press : among them I regretted to observe a small tract contain- 

 ing a violent attack upon the Roman Catholics. The sight of this 

 surprised me, as it contradicted the opinion I had formed, from my 

 intercourse with the missionaries, of their liberality and freedom from 

 intolerance. The sole object of the tract was to prepossess the minds 

 of the natives against the missionaries of the Papal church in case 

 they should visit these islands. This struck me as being at variance 



