112 RESULTS OF ADAMS'S LABOURS. 
Adams was no ordinary man, or he could 
never have accomplished the arduous task 
which he had undertaken to perform. His 
* work as a teacher must have been all the more 
laborious from his having had little or no in- 
struction in early days. He had never been at 
school. His brother Jonathan Adams was a 
waterman in London : and from him he some- 
times received letters directed to him at Pitcairn. 
Struggling against all his difficulties, John 
Adams gained the best and most useful kind of 
knowledge, and left a name the memory of which 
is cherished beyond the borders of his little 
island. He not only attended to the young, but 
if any of the older inhabitants wanted counsel, 
he gave it; if they were ill, he went and prayed 
with them. By a steadfast adherence to the 
line of duty which he had marked out for his 
conduct, he could not but perceive that the 
blessing of God was upon his labours. The 
fruits of good became apparent, in a place where 
indifference to religion, and looseness of morals 
had prevailed ; and when we consider the latter 
part of his pilgrimage, and the filial reverence 
with which he was regarded by his juniors, we 
may conclude that this island-patriarch had 
much to cheer and encourage him, amidst the 
trials and sorrows which had fallen upon him. 
Among the most comfortable feelings of his 
heart, as the end of his existence drew on, 
was probably the well-grounded hope that the 
rising generation would fear God, and keep His 
commandments. Looking at the improved con- 
dition of the people, just previously to his death, 
