does not suit my English constitution for very long. Yams and taro,
and a fowl now and then, will be my food until the ship comes.
Hitherto I have had coffee and biscuits in addition.

'My very kind love to Mrs. S ----, and many thanks for the letters,
which I much enjoy.

'Your very affectionate old pupil,

'J. C. P.'


The whole of September passed without the arrival of the 'Southern
Cross.' The fact was that after Mr. Patteson had been left at Lifu,
the vessel when entering Port-au-France, New Caledonia, had come upon
a coral reef, and the damage done to her sheathing was so serious
that though she returned to Auckland from that trip, she could not
sail again without fresh coppering; and as copper had to be brought
from Sydney for the purpose, there was considerable delay before she
could set forth again, so that it was not till the last day of
September that she gladdened Patteson's eyes, and brought the long-
desired tidings from home.

This voyage was necessarily short, as there were appointments to be
kept by the Bishop in New Zealand in November, and all that could be
aimed at was the touching at the more familiar islands for fresh
instalments of scholars. The grand comet of 1858 was one feature of
this expedition--which resulted in bringing home forty-seven
Melanesians, so that with the crew, there were sixty-three souls on
board during the homeward voyage!