to us all. Yet you have much, even speaking only of worldly comfort,
which makes your position a much happier one than that of the poor
suffering souls whom I see here. Their house is one round room, a
log burning in the centre, no chimney, the room full of smoke, common
receptacle of men, women, boys, girls, pigs, and fowls. In the
corner a dying woman or child. No water in the island that is fresh,
a few holes in the coral where water accumulates, more or less
brackish; no cleanliness, no quiet, no cool fresh air, hot smoky
atmosphere, no proper food, a dry bit of yam, and no knowledge of a
life to come: such is the picture of the invalided or dying South Sea
Islander. All dying children under years of discretion I baptize,
and all the infants brought to the chapel by parents who themselves
are seeking baptism; but I have not baptized any adults yet, they
must be examined and taught for some time, for the Samoan and
Rarotongan teachers sent by the Independent missionaries are very
imperfectly instructed and quite incapable of conveying definite
teaching to them.

'I don't see, humanly speaking, how this island is to be kept from
becoming purely Roman Catholic. They have a large staff of men, and
are backed up by the presence of a complete government establishment
in New Caledonia, only two or three days distant, while what have we?
Four months a year of the time, partially otherwise occupied by
Melanesian schools, of one missionary, and while here these four
months, I have my lads from many islands to teach, so that I can't
lay myself out to learn this one language, &c. I am writing this on
September 16. "Southern Cross" not yet come, and my lads very
anxious; I confess I should like to see it, not only (as you will
believe) because all my stores are gone. I have not a morsel of
biscuit or grain of sugar left, and am reduced to native fare, which