282 
SAMUEL MARSDEN. 
has increased in magnitude with increasing years, and has now 
added those wide-spread realms to the kingdom of the Lord 
our righteousness. 
The venerated name of Marsden demands, therefore, a brief 
summary of his life, as it is so intimately connected with the 
history of New Zealand, and its emancipation from that savage 
state in which he first found it.* 
Mr. Marsden was born at a village called Horseforth, be¬ 
tween Bradford and Leeds, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, 
where many of his relatives still live. He was originally a 
blacksmith, but his mind being fixed on the ministry, he 
used every opportunity of preparing himself for it. An 
anecdote is related of him, that even whilst employed at his 
trade, and blowing the bellows with one hand, with a bit of 
chalk in the other, he wrote out the declensions on the fire- 
board of his forge. Mr. Stone,f the clergyman of the parish, 
perceiving his serious turn of mind, kindly took him to live 
with him, and brought him up for the ministry. 
After the independence of our North American colonies, it 
became necessary to found a fresh penal settlement, and New 
South Wales was selected. When the first fleet was on the 
point of sailing to commence the colony, the minister of the 
day was waited upon by two philanthropic men, who pointed 
out the duty of sending the means of grace also. He laughed 
at the idea of any benefit being derived by such a set of 
abandoned wretches, and enquired what clergyman would be 
persuaded to take such a duty upon him. They asked in 
reply whether he would furnish means, if they could provide 
the man. This he promised to do. They lost no time in 
introducing the Rev. R. Johnson, a worthy good man, but 
quite unequal to the work of stemming the torrent of iniquity 
which then deluged society ; and when that gentleman, dis¬ 
couraged by the fearful state of depravity which prevailed in 
the infant colony, after a brief sojourn there, returned, having 
* There is every reason to believe, that it was the last sermon preached by 
Mr. Marsden, at Cowes, Isle of Wight, (where he touched before he sailed 
for Australia,) which was the means blessed to the conversion of the dairy¬ 
man’s daughter. 
f Incumbent of Guiseley, in the parish of Rawden. 
