876 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. IX. 
Church of England. Previous to this time, the reli- 
gious duties had been performed by the Reverend John 
Macfarlane, a minister of the Kirk of Scotland, who 
had accompanied the colonists from the Clyde in the 
Bengal Merchant. And although all classes of Pro- 
testants had united to perform Divine worship under 
his guidance, and had expressed their gratitude for his 
unwearied exertions in executing the various duties 
required of him, the arrival of Messrs. Churton and 
Butler was a great comfort to all parties. Mr. Chur- 
ton had established himself at Thorndon, where the 
passengers of the Adelaide and Bolton, and several of 
those persons who had originally dwelt at Pitone or 
on the banks of the Hutt, served to form a numerous 
congregation on the site of the future town, Mr. 
Butler had come to reside at Pitone, close to Colonel 
Wakefield's house. This gentleman had been a mem- 
ber of the Church mission in the Bay of Islands in 
former years ; and thus held a commission of the 
peace from a former Governor of New South Wales. 
The Company, thinking that this might prove of use 
in the enforcement of our young laws, had been eager 
to secure his services. Although his piece of parch- 
ment from an ex-Governor had been of no great 
weight, Mr. Butler's accession to our society soon be- 
came a very valuable acquisition, not only on account 
of the ministerial functions which he exercised at Pi- 
tone, but on account of his knowledge of the customs 
and language of the natives, and his praiseworthy will- 
ingness to employ it so as to win their best affections. 
The Butler family became quite revered by the Pitone 
natives. 
On visiting my friends up the Hutt, I found the 
same cheerfulness, activity, and sanguine hope of suc- 
cess prevailing. Nice gardens were well cleared, neatly 
