1832.] 
SANDWICH ISLANDS. 
419 
head of .the mission, interpreted this liberal and truly Christian 
advice ; and that, in apparent justification of the authorities, he 
instanced Spain as a country that would not admit of toleration ' 
The commodore's remarks seemed to break, like new light, upon 
the minds of the chiefs ; and the release of the unhappy sufferers 
for " conscience' sake," followed immediately afterward. 
The missionaries say they had no hand in this matter. Be it 
so. Then from whom did the natives derive the knowledge 
that to persecute, to punish, and to excommunicate, even from 
the island, such as did not believe exactly as the missionaries 
did, formed a part of their Christian duty ? Has the Christian 
religion, whose very essence is love and charity, been so taught 
as to implant into the minds of these natives a spirit of cruelty 
and intolerance, foreign to their natures on every other subject ? 
In- the sincerity of our heart, we hope not. The missionaries 
say they took no part in this matter. When sectarian zeal has 
once taken full possession of the human heart, men scarcely know 
what they do ; and one record at least has been made and left, 
whibh, if it do not show interference, by raising unworthy preju- 
dices against the Catholics, is unfortunate in having the sem- 
blance of such a motive. 
We allude to the celebrated missionary hymn of Bishop Heber. 
The intelligence possessed by this great and good man, his high 
standing as an exemplary Christian, had no doubt been often 
explained to the most intelligent of the natives ; and any thing 
coming from his pen would be looked upon as deserving great 
respect, and receite from them more than ordinary attention. The 
hymn runs thus : — 
1. " From Greenland's icy mountains, 
From India's coral strand, 
Where Afric's simny fountains 
Roll down their golden sands ; , 
From many an ancient river, 
From many a palmy plain, 
They call us to deliver 
Their land from error's chain. 
2. " Whai though the spicy breezes, 
Blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle, 
Though every prospect pleases, 
And only man is vile ; ' 
1)62 
