'As you may suppose, the little "Southern Cross" is cram full, but
the Bishop's excellent arrangements in the construction of the vessel
for securing ventilation, preserve us from harm by God's blessing.
Every day a thorough cleaning and sweeping goes on, and frequent
washing, and as all beds turn up like the flap of a table, and some
thirty lads sleep on the floor on mats and blankets, by 7 A.M. all
traces of the night arrangements have vanished. The cabin looks and
feels airy; meals go on regularly; the boys living chiefly on yams,
puddings, and cocoa-nuts, and plenty of excellent biscuit. We laid
in so many cocoa-nuts that they have daily one apiece, a great treat
to them. A vessel of this size, unless arranged with special
reference to such objects, could not carry safely so large a party,
but we have nothing on board to create, conceal, or accumulate dirt;
no hold, no storeroom, no place where a mixed mess of spilt flour,
and sugar, and treacle, and old rotten potatoes, and cocoa-nut
parings and bits of candle, can all be washed together into a dark
foul hold; hence the whole ship, fore and aft, is sweet and clean.
Stores are kept in zinc lockers puttied down, and in cedar boxes
lined with zinc. We of course distribute them ourselves; a hired
steward would be fatal, because you can't get a servant to see the
importance of care in such details.'

Mr. Patteson always, in the most careful manner, paid respect both to
the chief's person and his dicta. He declined more than once to give
directions which he said ought to issue from the chief, although on
one of these occasions he was asked by the chief himself. He foresaw
clearly the evils that might follow if the people's respect for
recognised authority were weakened, instead of being, as it might be,
turned to useful account. And so he always accorded to John Cho, and