CONCLUDING REMARKS. 405 
done for the natives of these distant islands, yet 
much still remains to be accomplished. In a 
letter written by Mr. Williams, to the late foreign 
secretary of the London Missionary Society, dated 
October 21, 1830, he states the followmg par- 
ticulars. 
_ We visited the Hervey Islands, and found all 
our stations in a state of considerable prosperity.” 
—And after narrating an unsuccessful attempt to 
land at Savage Island, and describing the plea- 
sure a visit to the Friendly Islands afforded, and 
the reasons which induced them to decline visiting 
the Fijis, to which they sent native teachers, 
Mr. Williams continues: 
‘‘ Leaving Tognatabu, we proceeded to the Hapai 
Islands, where we met Finau, the king of Vavau, 
who, with many of his chiefs, had come to attend 
a marriage ceremony: this saved us a voyage, as 
we had a teacher from Borabora for that island. 
We attended his majesty, and made our proposi- | 
tions to him, Mr. Cross and Mr. Thomas kindly 
interpreting for us. He replied, that we might 
leave the teacher and his wife, if we pleased ; but 
it was his determination not to embrace Chris- 
tianity yet, neither to suffer any of his people 
to do so; and that he would kill the first that did. 
Treating us at the same time with the greatest 
respect, he said he looked upon the change as 
a matter of importance, and he did not think it 
well to use deceit on such an occasion, his mind 
being made up on the subject. Several of the 
Vavau chiefs have left wives, lands, servants, yam 
plantations, and all they possess, and choose to 
live in a state of poverty at Lefuga, under the 
instruction of Mr. Thomas, rather than return to 
their own possessions at Vavau, and renounce 
