352 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
crowds of natives thronged around us, with an idle 
but by no means ceremonious curiosity, and some 
time elapsed before we could proceed from the 
beach to the houses of our friends. _ 
The Missionaries had on the preceding day 
invited me to officiate for them, and I was happy 
to have an opportunity of preaching the gospel 
on the shores of New Zealand. Several of the 
natives appeared in our little congregation, in- 
fluenced probably by curiosity, as the service was 
held in a language unintelligible to them. I could 
not, however, but indulge the hope that the time 
was not distant, when, through the influence of 
the schools already established, and the general 
instructions given by the Missionaries, my bre- 
thren would have the pleasure of preaching, on 
every returning Sabbath, the unsearchable riches 
of Christ, to numerous assemblies of attentive. 
Christian hearers. The circumstance of its being 
exactly two years, this Sabbath day, since 
Mr. Marsden, who visited New Zealand in 1814 
——1815, for the purpose of establishing a Christian 
Mission among the people, preached, not far from 
this spot, the first sermon that was ever delivered 
in New Zealand, added to the feelings of interest 
connected with the engagements of the day. 
Circumstances detaining us about a week in the 
Bay of Islands, afforded me the means of becom- 
ing more fully acquainted with the Missionaries, of 
making excursions to different parts of the adja- 
cent country, and witnessing severla of the singular 
manners and customs of the people. 
An unusual noise from the land anoused us early 
on the morning of the 25th, and, on reaching the 
deck, a number of war-canoes were seen lying 
along the shore, while crowds of natives on the 
