Jan.] BAY OF ISLANDS — VISIT FROM THE KING. 371 



21st, we found four British whaling-ships, which had touched 

 here for refreshments ; viz. the George, Captain M'Auly ; the Royal 

 Sovereign, Capt. King ; the Thetis, Capt. Gray ; and the Eagle, Capt. 

 Powell. Refreshments may be obtained here in any quantities, on 

 very moderate terms. Hogs are sold at the rate of half a dollar a 

 hundred weight, and potatoes at six cents a bushel ; and they are the 

 best to keep of any I ever saw. 



This place was once inhabited by wild and ferocious cannibals ; 

 but through the philanthropic labours of missionaries, the natives here 

 and in the vicinity have become civilized, friendly, hospitable, and 

 anxious to do good to others. Indolence and filthiness have given 

 place to industry and personal cleanliness ; ferocity, to gentleness ; 

 ignorance, to intelligence ; idolatry, to the pure and undefiled religion 

 of the Gospel. Go on, ye messengers of Divine Mercy ; pursue the 

 good work, until all the isles of the ocean shall rejoice ; " until the 

 knowledge of Jehovah covers the earth as the waters cover the sea." 

 Soon may these labours of love be extended to the south island of 

 New-Zealand, where the people now sit in intellectual darkness, and in 

 the shadow of moral death. Heaven will continue to bless your ex- 

 ertions, and to reward those who contribute to the promotion of so 

 good, so great a cause. Mankind will bless you ; but above all, they 

 will doubly bless you " who go down to the sea in ships, and do 

 business in great waters ;" they who " see the works of the Lord, and 

 his wonders in the deep ;" for every missionary is emphatically the 

 mariner's friend. 



In the course of the forenoon, the deck of the republican schooner 

 Antarctic was honoured by the footsteps of royalty ! The areekee 

 and his august consort — i. e. the king and queen of the northern 

 district of Eaheino-mawe^ paid us a friendly and familiar visit. His 

 majesty, old Kippy-kippy, as soon as he came on board, begged to 

 know in what he could serve me, at the same time intimating that he 

 and his people owed an immense debt of gratitude to the whites, for 

 the civil, moral, intellectual, and spiritual blessings they had received 

 from them through the instrumentality of the English missionaries. 

 His majesty was pleased to make a long speech on the occasion, re- 

 plete with sentiments of gratitude and friendship, and not deficient in 

 good sense and propriety of expression ; to all of which I replied in 

 seaman-like brevity, and so the conference terminated, to the mutual 

 satisfaction of all parties. 



This is one of the most commodious harbours that it is possible for 

 a seaman to desire. The entrance is free and easy of access ; there 

 being only one hidden danger more than a cable's length from the 

 shore ; and this one is about half-way up the passage, in going into the 

 harbour, and a little on the south shore. It is about the size of the deck 

 of a ship, and has nine feet of water over it at low water. With a 

 strong easterly wind, the sea breaks upon it. I had no opportunity of 

 examining the sound that leads into this harbour, as we entered at 

 night, and departed in a thick rain-storm, which is strong presumptive 

 evidence that the passage is not dangerous. 



It was in this bay that the unfortunate French navigator Marion 



A a 2 



1 



