POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
557 
offered a passage to any of us who might be desirous of 
visiting these islands. We had long been anxious to in¬ 
troduce Christianity among the inhabitants of the former, 
and as the present appeared a favourable opportunity, we 
communicated the same to the deputation. It appeared 
to them desirable to visit these places, and the captain^s 
offer was accepted. Our views were then made known to the 
members of the church, and we proposed to them to send 
some of their own number, to introduce the gospel to the 
Marquesians. They approved of the proposal, and a public 
meeting was held soon afterwards. The duty or desira¬ 
bleness of communicating Christian instruction to the 
heathens around, had been discussed before, both in 
public and private, and some had expressed their desires 
to engage in this work ; two pious and intelligent men, 
with their wives, now offered to go, and, after being 
approved, they were appointed by the church to this im¬ 
portant enterprise. 
The arrangements for the voyage being completed, we 
assembled at the chapel about ten o’clock on the fore¬ 
noon of the 24th of February; the native Christians 
were animated by kind and appropriate addresses 
from the church, and were affectionately encouraged by 
Mr. Barff and Mr. Orsmond, the latter being on a visit 
with us. The native Missionaries then took leave of 
their fellow Christians in a most solemn and impressive 
manner ; and, as it had been arranged by Mr. Barff and 
myself that I should accompany them, to aid in the com-' 
mencement of their labours, I addressed the people, and, 
recommending Mrs. Ellis and our dear children to their 
kind attentions under God, I took leave of them. The 
meeting was peculiarly impressive and affecting; and 
after mutually committing each other, under deep inten- 
