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been greatly assisting the King of Rewa's youngest brother in his intrigue, was clubbed and buried. The Chiefs ordered him to leave the town; and when the sun was down, he was stepping into a canoe, in order to return to his own town, when a man from behind him unexpectedly knocked his brains out by order of the Chiefs.

15th. The enemy made a powerful attack this day on a town two or three miles distant from the Mission-station. The discharge of musketry was great. The enemy burnt more than one town, drove the Rewa people before them, and approached near to us, so that we could see the smoke of their muskets when fired; and had the day been long, they would have certainly made some havoc. The King and a select few were at the time drinking cava at the gate of our premises : they were, however, soon dispersed, and great confusion followed; for there is nothing like order amongst them on such occasions. Some were killed of each party.

March 18th.-This day an Ambassador was sent by Nggaraningio to one of the towns which have lately turned against them, with a whale's tooth, to buy them back again, if possible, by secrecy. He went, but unfortunately met some of the enemy in the way, who were going to make war on one of the towns of Rewa. They soon dispatched him. They did not, however, eat the body, but sent it to Nukui, the town where the youngest brother of the King of Rewa is residing: and from that place they called at Rewa, to inform them of it. The body was then fetched from thence by the people, to be buried; but the enemy had taken out his liver, heart, &c., and eaten them. They had also burned the body all over with some native cloth, which had been worn by some women whose husbands were killed by treachery before this war commenced.

The circumstance of an Ambassador being killed, and his body thus degraded, produced a very peculiar feeling here. He was a fine young man, and much esteemed by the Chiefs. body was buried at Rewa.

The

29th. We have but just got a little quiet from the constant day-and-night beating of the death-drum; and it is again sounded in consequence of six women having this day fallen victims while engaged in catching fish in a branch of the river. They were encompassed by their enemies, and killed. There was a difficulty in carrying off the whole of the prey. Five of them were

cut up in pieces with tomahawks, and then piled up together, and left; the other was clubbed, and brought to Rewa, -a young woman about eighteen years of age. I saw the corpse being dragged along the beach, with a multitude of men, women, and children following after, shouting and laughing. The arm of another female was also brought here. The death-drums give us no quiet now; for we are living within a stone's throw of the spot where the drums of Rewa are kept.

was.

April 5th. This morning the sister of the King of Rewa, the ex-Queen of Bau, brought over one of Nggaraningio's children, a little girl about four years old, for us to consider what her sickness I had previously heard that the child had picked a dead man's hand, and had since that lost flesh. I there. fore at once asked them whether what I had heard were true. The reply given was, "We did not give the hand for her to eat, because it is unlawful for children to eat human flesh until they have recovered from the thoko" (a disease which native children are subject to, and which attacks them between the age of three and five years): "we only gave it to her to lick!" What an awful confes sion! And it was made with the most perfect indifference and unconcern. How dark is Feejee, poor Feejee! and how degraded !

Cannibalism is a horrid feature in the face of Feejee! But cannibalism is not the only weight which sinks Feejee so morally low. It is evident that much of poor Feejee's pitiable state has been absorbed in that one most hateful and abominable practice, so that much of Feejee's darkness has been lost sight of; for, however dark it has been made by cannibalism, that darkness has not been lessened, but increased, by other evils. Pity, O pity poor Feejee! Her claims remain with all their force unabated. The Gospel alone can save them even from these evils. We have already living witnesses to the truth of this remark. God grant they may daily increase!

9th. This morning a white man, who has for some time past been residing at Rewa, called upon me for some medicine for a young lad who had been ill for a few days, and his friends were about to bury him alive; but through his interference the child was given up to him.

25th. This afternoon about two hundred men belonging to this party brought the body of a man to Rewa, whom they had killed yesterday. On such occasions they go through a ceremony,

singing and stamping and running, and flourishing their clubs, filling the welkin with their unearthly whoops of war and demoniacal shrieks. As they principally come from the towns on our side of the river, they very often have to wait for some time before a large canoe is sent from Rewa to take them across. It was so this day; and they brought the dead man and laid him, or rather threw him, down at our gate. He was a young Chief, belonging to a town which has turned to Bau. The corpse was tied to two sticks, and thus carried across the shoulders of men. His skull had been broken in. They threw about the body in a very disgusting manner, by placing their clubs under it, and then throwing it away to some distance; then again placing their clubs under the body, and throwing it into the air, and catching it on their clubs. On such occasions various ceremonies are gone through, which I cannot now enumerate, all of them evidently peculiar to Feejee.

29th. It was but yesterday that the solemnities of the Sabbath were disturbed by a dead body being brought to Rewa, with all the noise and confusion attending_such affairs; and this afternoon, as I was going to hold a prayermeeting in our little chapel, a dead man was being taken into a canoe. They placed the body in a sitting posture at the end of the canoe, and kept it from falling by means of the poles with which they propel their canoes. I hastened from such a detestable scene, and could

have wept over them. I lifted up a prayer to Almighty God to have mercy upon them.

30th. Some Rewa men found a sick man in the bush, who was evidently abandoned. He was an enemy: they therefore made no scruple to club him. They brought him here: they did not eat him, for human flesh is not now so scarce that they should devour the sick; and bury him they would not. This evening, while I was standing on the bank of the river, within a yard or two of our fence, the corpse was floating down the stream.

May 1st.This evening, by moonlight, some of the enemy from Nukui entered a small town near Rewa; and whilst those who were watching therein, or rather pretending so to do, were busy preparing ashes to daub their heads, according to a Feejeean custom, suddenly rushed upon them, killed six men, wounded two others, put the remainder to flight, and carried off the whole prey. 8th. To-day twelve of our party

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were killed and carried off, without the enemy being disturbed. The latter were returning from Nukui, and fell in with these of the Rewa party in the bush. Those who fled escaped with difficulty.

18th. Two boys belonging to a small town near us went to-day to catch eels : they were discovered by the enemy, clubbed, and carried away. A foraging party also this morning killed a man belonging to the enemy. I myself witnessed some little naked boys dragging. the dead body along the edge of the river on the Rewa side, by a string tied to the foot. They seemed quite delighted with the employment assigned them, and were singing and shouting merrily. They were dragging it away to the place where dead bodies of men are prepared for the oven. The Teacher was at Rewa at the time, and saw a man waiting on the bank with his bamboo knife to embowel the corpse, and others to prepare it for being roasted. man killed was of middle age, very powerful, and, I believe, a Chief of some importance. You will perhaps readily credit us when we tell you that we are sick of such sights, notwithstanding we are somewhat inured to them.

The

26th.The Rewa people, with their fishermen from some other towns, lay in ambush on the coast, and on some uninhabited islands near Nukui, to see if they could intercept any of the enemy who may be travelling by land or by water. It unfortunately happened that some canoes were returning to Nukui from one of the enemy's towns on the coast, whither they went yesterday for the purpose of procuring bread-fruit, &c. They were ignorant of the plans of their opponents, and were entrapped. One canoe which was captured passed between two islands on which the foe lay concealed, so that they were in the midst of it, and ignorant of it until the enemy shouted over them as conquered: it was then impossible for them to make their escape. There were one woman and four men in the canoe. One man jumped overboard, and escaped by swimming to a great distance; the other three were caught: of these, the female and two men were clubbed, and the remaining man taken alive and bound. He was with some difficulty brought here; for he was a strong, well-made young man, six feet high, and perhaps thirty years When brought ashore he was placed bound on the ground, and forced to chew dried cava for Feejeeans who wished to drink it. He was quite naked,

of age.

having been stripped even of the little native cloth the natives wear round their waist. In this state he remained several hours, exposed to all kinds of malice and ill-treatment of the people, who are greatly exasperated on account of those lately cut off at a town near Rewa, and belonging thereto. Men, women, and children assembled in hundreds; and no one hindered them from torturing him according to their brutality and revenge. He was truly a lamentable spectacle to every one but the Heathen, who seemed in a state of general rejoicing. The others who were killed when he was taken, were laid out just before his eyes, to aggravate as much as possible his circumstances, and to keep him every minute in remembrance of what his fate would be. Some stoned him, others speared him, others struck or bit him, some pulled his hair, others fired arrows into his body. Some menaced, jeered, and laughed at him; others derided him with an assurance of being set at liberty. One of our lotu people made his way among the Heathen, and oiled the poor fellow all over: he said that he longed for them to put him quickly out of his torture, for he was sure that he would be killed; and the sooner they did it the better. He seemed to envy the speedy removal of the other three. In the afternoon he was brought in triumph, with the three dead bodies, to be presented, as trophies of success in the war, to the Chiefs of Rewa, by those who killed them. The canoes passed before our premises, and landed across the river just opposite our little town. I saw the poor fellow, truly in his enemy's power, and in the most painful and unenviable situation. My heart bled for him, and I felt assured that God Almighty would signally visit for such things. He walked into the middle of the kore, and was made to sit down in the open area, where the Chiefs and people assembled. After remaining there a certain time, he was taken to the bank of the river and clubbed.

Among the many hundreds assembled together on this occasion, he alone seemed dejected, and he alone seemed to feel the awful situation in which he was placed. The Captain of a little schooner, which was here at the time, offered to give two muskets, to which some white men were willing to add four large whale's teeth, (which are most valuable in Feejee, and for which individuals and towns are often destroyed,) to the King of Rewa, if he would spare the life of the poor man he also promised, if they

wished it, to take him away in his vessel out of the country: but they would not spare him, they would not yield; their revenge had not been satiated on their victim, and for his blood they clamoured, for his flesh they lusted. It was considered by them giving up their enemy at too easy a rate. "Implacable, unmerciful." Much as they love property, yet in this instance, when they were called upon to make such a sacrifice, they would not look at it.

The King said, in reply to the request of the white men, that the man had been wounded in the head, and that he would die if they bought him, and that such a thing as that would be bad, so that he had much better be clubbed. Some of the Rewa Chiefs were very angry because any foreigners interfered with them so as to intercede for the life of their enemy, and said that it was the practice of Feejee to kill and eat their foes when they could catch them. The King's reply was merely an excuse. A sister of the young man who was clubbed is a professor of Christianity; and another relative is a member of our society here.

The dead body of the female was a very horrid spectacle. Her skull had been cleft in two equal parts. The man who was taken alive had been living with Thokenauto, the King of Rewa's youngest brother; and when residing at Rewa was frequently at our house with his Chief. The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel; but this account, horrifying as it is to us, is most lenient in comparison with the means which are used on some occasions to torture men. I was, however, much affected when. I witnessed the poor creature's situation, without having it in my power to help him out of it. The lotu people who are residing in our little town were also greatly moved by the scene. All else seemed elated with glee; and every little occurrence which added to the misery of the victim added in a proportionate degree, or to a greater extent, to their savage hilarity and barbarous merriment. Some of the Heathen, as they passed by, spake of the poor fellow as being a fine turtle and a fat pig. Do not think that all the horrid evils of Feejee have been told you.

June 1st. This day a town belonging to Rewa, but which has turned to Bau in this war, was burnt by some of our allies, and thirty-six persons of the enemy and of this party killed. They had, however, to retreat with all speed, and were only able to obtain the body of

a child of three years old, which they brought to Rewa to be cooked and eaten.

I would here just mention, that some canoes, which were returning from Kandavoo to Rewa, a short time since, and who knew not that the King's youngest brother had been driven to Nukui, were unexpectedly attacked by a Bau canoe, which had come from Bau to Nukui, and nearly thirty individuals were shot, or clubbed, or speared to death. Some of the bodies sank; but most of them were carried to Bau. Men, women, and children, lost their lives on this occasion. Some of the Bau party were wounded, and one or two killed. Two or three escaped by swimming. One man got free in rather a curious way. When the two canoes struck, the mast of that from Kandavoo fell, and the poor fellows were entangled in the sail, and thus clubbed. When they were all dead, as was supposed, the party who had conquered threw the sail into the water, and, having taken what things they more particularly wanted from the canoe, permitted it to drift away to sea, thinking, perhaps, that they had better escape as soon as possible, as the shades of evening were gathering around them. One man, however, managed to conceal himself in the sail, and, when it was thrown overboard, floated away with it. Some of the enemy again wished the sail to be secured, others opposed it. He heard them talking about it, and knew, if they again obtained the sail, he would be discovered and be killed. They did not, however, take the sail. He said that he was almost dead with fright, but that he prayed to his little god, and he saved him. When the enemy were out of sight, he swam to the canoe, which was afloat, although filled with water. He then called out with all his strength to know if any of his friends were yet alive by swimming; after some time had elapsed, he saw two men making towards the canoe. When they reached it, they commenced baling the water out of the canoe by taking off their native dress, and soaking up the water and then squeezing it out; and thus in time she was fit to be propelled. They then got ashore, climbed some nut-trees, and made a sail from some of the leaves, and thus were able to reach Beugga, an island about twenty miles from Rewa, and were thus saved. It was some time after this happened before it was known that any were saved. I have conversed with this young man since his return to and received the above-mentioned

Rewa;
account from his own lips.

This is the present condition of the greater part of Feejee. We call for the sympathies of the church, and the prayers of God's people. O that the time were come when Feejee would war no more, and the spiritual, peaceable kingdom of the Lord were established here! The unsettled state of these islands requires that especial prayer be presented on our behalf, that we may be preserved, and possess such a degree of wisdom, caution, and prudence, as will lead us to act and judge aright in all things, and under every circumstance; yea, that we may be "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves ;" " "blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation."

I am happy to be able to add, that most of our lotu people have not engaged in the war, neither has it been required of them by the Chiefs. The Heathen have often expressed themselves as being quite refreshed in their bodies and comforted in their minds by visiting our little Zoar.

With respect to our work, we have continued our services during the year as heretofore; although the war has certainly had its pernicious influence on our people, and has in a measure disarranged our plans. A few additions have been made to the number of our professing Christians, as you will see from the Report. We have not been able to extend our borders, but have, with one or two exceptions, kept our hold of what we have gained.

We have obtained the possession of a newly-built house, which we have set apart for the sacred engagements of the Lord; and here we meet together to sing, and pray, and proclaim glad tidings; and on many occasions the Holy Ghost has come down. May our little Bethel prove the spiritual birthplace of thousands, and may it be said "in that day, that this and that man was born there."

This chapel is situated just without our premises, three or four yards from the Teacher's house, and about twenty yards from ours. The people from Rewa are more regular in their attendance at the chapel than they were at the private house which we previously used. We hold each of the services in the chapel on the Sabbath, and also on the weekday. We have one out-door service in the week at Rewa.

We opened our little chapel on the 11th of October last, as soon after the "Triton" left as we could get it ready. It is neatly matted, and we have a plain

pulpit, mission-pew, &c., which gives to the chapel an air of comfort and neatness. The opening service was well attended. I endeavoured to improve the occasion by speaking from Revelation xxi. 6. The people sat under the word with apparent delight, and we all felt the privilege, which we now for the first time have enjoyed here, of waiting upon the Lord in his own sanctuary. After the service, we all met together in the open air to partake of some refreshment for our bodies, which had been prepared for the occasion. The day was one of peculiar interest: all seemed cheered and refreshed. One person renounced Heathenism, and united with us in prayer to the true, and living, and wise God.

Mrs. Jaggar and I waited upon the King and Queen of Rewa, and presented to them the valuable articles which were kindly forwarded by some friends to the Heathen and Missions: they were very much pleased to receive them. The silver knife and fork afforded them much delight, and they almost quarrelled as to whom they should eventually belong to. The Queen wished for them; but the King slipped them into his box, and locked it. The shoes were much admired: the King tried to get his foot into one of them; but he could not because of their tightness. He gave them a fair trial, and in his earnestness unripped the stitches. The bonnet for the Queen was taken by the King's mother, and worn. One morning I had occasion to pass by the old lady's house, and she was looking out of the door with the bonnet on, the front part turned to her back. It drew forth some hearty laughing, on my telling her it was placed wrong. Their Majesties said they were ashamed because they had nothing to give us. We replied that we did not wish or expect anything; that some of our friends had sent these things to them to express their love to them; and that they wished them and the Chiefs of Rewa to show their love in return by loving us, the Missionaries, and by believing what we came to tell them about. In the evening the King sent us over a large pig, as an expression of his love to us. We sent our thanks to him.

The festivities at the closing of the year 1843 were very refreshing to us. Christmas-day was a high day, a spiritual feast-day. The prayer-meeting in the morning was well attended. I preached in the morning both in native and English. In the early part of the afternoon a prayer-meeting was held for

those who were about to present themselves at the table of the Lord; after which twelve of us partook of the holy ordinance. It was a sacramental season: the natives wept before the Lord. I endeavoured to explain the nature of this sacrament. In the evening the Teacher preached. Thus ended our public services on Christmas-day.

Sunday, Dec. 31st.-A Sabbath of rest to our souls. It seemed very delightful to me for the year to close with the Sabbath. One joined us this morning, a Tonguese, who has long stood aloof from us. He professed himself a Christian some time since, but proved unfaithful. I addressed the morning congregation from, "But now they desire a better country," &c. I felt great liberty whilst dwelling on such a theme. O for more faith and zeal in seeking after this country! I preached to a small congregation in English from blind Bartimeus. The Teacher preached in the afternoon. At about nine o'clock we commenced the watch-night services. I opened them by preaching from, “The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” Our Teacher then spoke from, "One day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." then lifted up our hearts in silent prayer and devotion to the Lord at the closing of the year, and sung praises together on the dawning of the new year. It was a solemn time, and profitable to many: the attendance was good. Many present renewed their covenant with the Lord. God grant his grace to enable us to keep our vows! May the Great Head of the church help us and bless us, and may we during the present year be more fully His!

We

Much of my time has necessarily, during the year, been taken up with my work in the printing office. Every day, for seven months, more or less, found me employment there, as I have not had any assistance whatever during the past year, excepting a native in rolling the type; every other part connected with printing I had to attend to, no other person here understanding anything of the kind. The help which on some former occasions I have had, has not been this year within my reach. the books received have been carried

All

through the press. Some others appointed to be done by the_last_DistrictMeeting have not come to hand, the war having shut up, to a great extent, the door of communication between the different islands. I have printed 2,000

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