ing the last three weeks of her pilgrimage her sufferings were great, she was enabled to rejoice in God. W. J. B.

July 2d.-At Maidstone, in the sixty-seventh year of his age, David Clifford. He was brought to God under the honoured ministry of the late Rev. James Gill, and remained the same steady, consistent, and useful follower of the Redeemer, until the conclusion of his days. His last affliction was exceedingly oppressive and painful; but in the midst of all, his heart was cheered with the assurance of his acceptance in the Beloved, and of his title to an inheritance beyond the skies. He murmured not, nor charged God foolishly, and delighted to speak good of the name of the Lord.

W. M. H.

July 3d.-At Lynn, aged sixty-two, Mrs. Isabella Bunnett, relict of the late Mr. Bunnett, schoolmaster of that town. She was brought to a knowledge of salvation by the remission of sins in the year 1810, and united herself to the Wesleyan society, of which she continued an exemplary and devoted member to the end of her life. She endured her last protracted afflic tion with Christian patience and fortitude, endeavouring habitually to stay her mind upon God, and cheerfully to submit to his will. The testimonies which she gave concerning her enjoyment of settled peace, and a "good hope through grace" of eternal life, were most satisfactory, and tended greatly to the encouragement and comfort of her sorrowing friends. On the Sabbath before her departure, she expressed her earnest expectation, that before another "day of the Lord" dawned, she should be with Jesus. She died relying on the merits of her Redeemer. T. B.

July 9th.-Mr. W. Smith, of Lastingham, in the Pickering Circuit, aged ninety-two. He was a member of the Wesleyan society seventy-three years, and a Class-Leader about half a century. In the days of his youth, he frequently heard Mr. Wesley preach, and was intimate with the celebrated Richard Boardman and Joseph Pilmoor, before they went to America. Throughout his pilgrimage he maintained an unblemished character. He was a man of great kindness and liberality, meekness and humility. His last illness, which was of short duration, found him ready; and he closed his mortal existence in the full assurance of faith. A. M.

July 10th.-At Derby, Mrs. Tipper, aged seventy-seven. Her parents were identified with the first race of Methodists in this town, and were frequently honoured with the company of the Rev. John Wesley. In her fifteenth year she lost her mother, who after a long affliction departed this life to be with Christ. It was during the affliction of this beloved parent that she became sensible of her need of a Saviour. She sought redemption "through the blood of Christ," when the Lord was graciously pleased to reveal himself as her Saviour, by the application to her mind of the Prophet's words," Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." From that time she became decided for God. As a wife and mother, her

conduct was in the highest degree exemplary. She was strongly attached to her Ministers, and "esteemed them very highly in love for their work's sake." On Thursday, July 6th, she was seized with mortal sickness, which occasioned an almost instantaneous deprivation of consciousness. She continued in a kind of stupor until one o'clock the following Monday morning, when she exchanged mortality for life, having been a consistent and very worthy member of the Wesleyan society for the unusually protracted space of sixty-three years. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."

J. C.

July 19th.-At Redditch, in the seventy-sixth year of her age, Hannah, wife of Mr. Job Palmer, sen. She was brought to the knowledge of the truth under the faithful and energetic ministry of the Rev. James Heaton, the first Wesleyan Minister who visited Redditch. She immediately joined the society, and became zealous and useful in every good word and work. While health permitted, she was always ready to attend upon the sick and dying; and her chief concern in such visits was to convey the knowledge of salvation through faith in the atoning merits of Christ. During a period of more than forty years she held on her way, though frequently assailed by sharp temptations, and visited by severe afflictions and trials. Her religious experience was rich, and uniformly clear; and her last moments were triumphantly happy. When she could no longer speak, joy sparkled in her eyes, and her hand was waved in token of her victory over the King of terrors. Some of her last words were, "Happy! Happy!"

R. B.

July 25th.-At Prince's-street, Rotherhithe, in the Fourth London Circuit, Miss Emily Clark, aged twenty-eight. She had been a member of the Wesleyan society for many years. She was deeply convinced of her state as a sinner, and sought an interest by faith in the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. Her love to God's house and God's people was great, as well as her reverence for his holy day. She was a dutiful and affectionate daughter; and her mild and kind disposition caused her to be greatly esteemed by a large circle of friends. About two years since, her health began to decline. Medical advice was sought, and change of air recommended, but all in vain; and she returned home to her father's house. From this period to her death she was chiefly confined to her room, where she held sweet intercourse with the Father of her spirit, and enjoyed many delightful manifestations of God's love to her. It was evident to all who visited her, that as the outward man was perishing, the inward man was renewed day by day. On one occasion she was in an agony of soul; the Most High had appeared to hide his face from her; when she exclaimed, "I have lost my Saviour! O pray, pray!

'Praise God from whom all blessings flow,'

." &c.

Her heavenly Father heard the earnest prayer of his handmaid, and sent help from his holy hill. To a friend who was much attached to her, and who frequently visited her, she exclaimed, "Do

not weep, Mrs. E: I am going to my heavenly Father." She bore her sufferings with patience and resignation, calmly waiting the Lord's time, until her happy spirit escaped to J. E. the paradise of God.

July 29th.-At Gainsborough, at the house of Mrs. Kelvey, her sister, Catherine, the beloved wife of the Rev. Charles Clay, of Wakefield, aged forty. In early life she experienced the saving grace of God, and connected herself with the Wesleyan-Methodist society, of which she was a devoted member about twenty-five years. Her death was sudden. She had been spending a few weeks with her brother, Mr. Farmer, of Gainsborough. On Thursday, July 27th, she had a kind of fainting fit, which continued nearly an hour; and on Friday afternoon, a second, which was more severe; but from each she soon recovered, and appeared much as usual; so that no immediate danger was apprehended, either by her friends or by her medical attendant. Mrs. Clay herself, however, expressed to her sister an opinion that one of these attacks would probably some time carry her off suddenly. But she was graciously prepared. In describing her feelings to her sister, upon her recovery from the second attack, she said, "I lost my sight and speech, and experienced a rising of the blood to my head; but I was conscious, knew what was passing, and thought, Ah! in another minute, perhaps, I shall be in eternity!' and O, my feelings in the prospect of death were delightful"

She had formerly suffered occasionally from discouraging views of herself, and from the fear of death; but this was all gone. She enjoyed the direct witness of God's Holy Spirit, and expressed a confidence that if she should be suddenly removed, "she was ready," and the Lord" would receive her to glory." In this happy state of mind she retired to rest on Friday night; and all went on as usual, until about two o'clock on Saturday morning, when, while speaking to her sister, she suddenly exclaimed, "Mary Ann, I am very, very ill;" and the next moment, her happy spirit had soared to the paradise of God. J. E.

August 18th.-At Woodhouse-Grove, Miss Eliza Lord, eldest daughter of the Rev. William Lord, aged twenty-six. For many years she was chastened with severe affliction, which she bore with exemplary patience. On the 12th of August, the rupture of a blood-vessel impressed her with the conviction that her end was nigh. At first, the solemnity of her position occasioned perturbation; but, casting herself on Christ, in whom she had long confided, she was favoured with divine manifestations that dispelled all fear, and caused her to anticipate her change with holy triumph. Having impressively addressed the members of her family, she resigned herself to sleep; remarking, that whether she woke in time or eternity, all would be well: and she slept, to wake on earth no more. A. E.

COME! let us sing of what we love,
And sweet the strain shall be !
Mine is an eye of sunny light,

That only beams for me!

And mine a group of loving hearts,
To whom my smile is life:
And mine a voice that whispers peace,
When all around is strife :-

And mine a home with woodbine wreath'd,
And welcomes at the door;
And mine a true and faithful friend:-
And who could ask for more?

All have their treasures. What is thine ?
Mine is a lonely spot!

The wild bee loves its funeral flowers,
But man regards it not.

The dust is on her long, bright hair,
The cypress at her head!

Talk not of love till love is lost!

And may ye never know
What they have felt who loved but one,
And saw that loved one go!

All have their treasures. What is thine?
Mine is a glorious thing!
Death cannot change its loveliness,
Nor shame defile its wing!

There are no tears of anguish there,
No eyes with parting dim;
For He is there whose name is Love,
And love is safe with Him!

AUGUST 19th, 1847.-We reached Niua Tobu Tabu, or Keppel's Island, and succeeded in landing Benjamin Latuselu and two Native Teachers there. This island is small, and there is neither harbour nor anchorage in any part. The wind blew strong; and no sooner had we landed our men, than we were blown off to sea, unable to effect a landing ourselves, much to our disappointment. The presence of Benjamin and his fellowhelpers went far to meet the necessity of the case; but Mr. Wilson and myself were sadly cast down at the thought of having come so far, at so much inconvenience, without even putting our feet on shore. We learned that all was peace, but that a heavy calamity had lately befallen this people in the form of a hurricane, which had greatly diminished their food, and blown down their fruit-trees. They sigh for a Missionary, and greatly rejoice that Benjamin has come among them. Having obtained this information, we submitted to our circumstances, and were hurried away upon the foaming billows to the other Niua, praying that the Lord would stand by and bless his word and ordinances in the hands of our excellent friend and brother Benjamin.

20th. We sighted Niuafoou this morning, having run above one hundred miles in the night, the wind and waves hurrying along with us. This remark able island, composed for the most part of blocks of lava, is far from rich or fertile, about fifteen miles in circumference, VOL. IV.-FOURTH SERIES.

and has the singular feature of being hollow in the middle. It resembles the brim of a hat, the centre being, no doubt, the crater of a volcano. A sheet of brackish water covers this immense cavity, which, I am informed, has never been fathomed, though the attempt has been often made. It stretches about three miles across, and seems to have no communication with the sea. This unruffled lake, with three small islets covered with trees, forms a beautiful contrast to the troubled sea, whose roaring billows continually lash the vitrified iron-bound coast of the outer rim, or circle on which the people live. There are no fishes of any kind in this lake. The probability is, that this cavity has been formed by successive eruptions blowing the centre of the island into the ocean. Upon the whole of the circle now left, there is scarcely a drop of fresh water, except what falls from the clouds, which the natives secure in trees scooped out for the purpose. This is the first land I have yet visited where little or no water is; and yet about eight hundred people live here, and refuse to remove to any other part of the Friendly Islands, where there is plenty of land, with a cordial welcome: but they prefer a land vitrified and comparatively sterile, without water, and having no harbour or landing-place, and where the sea is generally very turbulent, because, they say, their fathers lived there before them, and there they are buried. This little oceanic 4 G

nation contains no less than two Kings. One is Tui (King), and the other Tui Niua (King of Niua). They are reported as pious men; but I saw them not, as they were making a visit to other lands. As a natural curiosity, this island has the first place among all the islands hitherto seen by me. The view of the internal lake studded with islets, as seen from an elevation of some thousands of feet, the peep, through the ravines of the ring, out upon the surging ocean, and then a landscape of woods, fruittrees, and plantations, interspersed with melted blocks of scoria, as if fresh from the mouth of a furnace, constitute scenery not familiar even to a well-travelled observer.

The climate is intensely hot, being in latitude 15° south. The tropical fruits, shrubs, and flowers, usual in these islands, are found here, but of inferior growth; and the timber indicates a soil not such as we find in Tonga or Vavau. The people are in all respects Friendly Islanders, speaking the same language, and observing the same customs and usages; only, being far removed, and seldom visited by vessels, they are simple and unsophisticated above all that we have seen. Having landed on a rock to leeward, we had to travel six miles to reach the metropolis. The burning sun and high hills made this a formidable matter to me; but I was soon relieved by the natives carrying me on their shoulders on a hamo, a kind of handbarrow. Away they tripped over the craggy steeps, shouting as they ran. Mr. Wilson chose to walk behind, unwilling to give so much trouble; but with me the case was one of necessity. As we passed along there was a general rising. The extraordinary shouts of these children of the wood passed thrillingly from glen to glen, and, like a snowball, our company became larger and larger as we went on, until it was manifest that the whole community was up and in motion. From the royal city we were met by troops at every turn, every eye flashing fire, and ecstasy beaming in each uplifted countenance. shake hands with me was the first object; and to get the shoulder under the hamo, the next. Our pace was that of a full run; and as we passed along, the piercingly shrill shouts of the natives announced to the dwellers in the wood and in the dale the progress of our cavalcade. "Thanks to the Lord Jesus for his servants! thanks for their coming, and for their safety on the sea!" were uttered and echoed in all directions.

To

The Spirit that animated Isaiah had foreseen this sort of procession: "Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof: let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice; the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the tops of the mountains. Let them declare his praise in the islands." Many of the Teachers were there, distinguished by their staff, and a book under their arms. We were bearing a large supply of books to them from our press at Vavau; and their delight at receiving so niany good things admitted of no expres sion, but in the most thrilling vociferations I ever witnessed. My own feelings will never be uttered; but at different times they alternated greatly. At one time, the grateful tear flowed freely down; in a few seconds an extra-gush of feeling would find vent in a shout; and a keen sense of the ludicrous would not permit the suppression of a smile once and again. The manner in which the children would dash from the roadside by which we passed, in simple amazement, together with the capering of old women with only a few rags on them, called up to the imagination the fool of Horace kicking the clouds. The dogs fled to the heights, and barked amain; and even the pigs, with their tails tucked in close, with one ear up and the other down, would sheer off askance, almost seeming to say, "The odd-fellows are come! Certain I am, that had my ride across this island been seen by a few old English peasants, I could not have stood it, but must have left my hamo and run away. But here all is simplicity; and what to me seemed outré, was to them gravely earnest, and religiously sober.

Having arrived at the Governmenthouse, which was politely surrendered for our use, the bearers gracefully handed me to a large elbow-chair, and then awaited the arrival of Mr. Wilson, who very soon came steaming up to the house. Two bedsteads in the form of sofas were placed in a bed-room for our use; and now we proceeded to plan the services for the next day, which was the Sabbath.

At seven in the morning the beautiful large chapel was crowded with a deeplyimpressed congregation, who worshipped reverently, and with much emotion, before the mercy-seat. At nine we registered ninety-four children and one adult.

At ten we baptized them with water "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." At eleven we administered the sacrament of the Lord's supper to the whole society, (the sick excepted,) consisting of four hundred and seventy-nine members, who worship in nine chapels scattered over the island. Deep was the interest, and solemn was that hour.

It was the first time they had ever received this sacrament, which they called kai ma, "eating of bread." When we asked Paul, the Governor, what he thought of this matter, he said, "This is the first day ever known in Niua. Why did not the kai ma come before?" He is a fine man, and a Local Preacher. At three we had public preaching, and at five we catechised the children of the schools, and were not a little delighted to see how much they knew both of Scripture and of the Catechism. It was now dark; and with this, the sixth, service our day of real and devout worship was concluded. Such a day I had not seen before, and upon it I shall meditate with gratitude and delight as long as my memory shall last.

On Monday morning we were to cross again, and join the brig, which, without anchoring, was lying off and on, under the lee of the island. Before we started, however, the multitude canie together with the mea ofa, "tokens of love," nuts, oil, clubs, spears, mats, combs, baskets, wooden pillows, shells, and many other things, of which they begged our acceptance. I was really glad of these mea ofa, as they will form part of a bazaar to assist the funds for our new chapel at Auckland. Having judged all their critical cases, and set all things in order, leaving our good friend, Jehoshaphat, as Head Teacher, we moved off towards the sea, the far greater part accompanying us, and bearing on their shoulders the mea ofa. Their petitions were very earnest for a Missionary; and certainly a lovely field is ready for his cultivation.

in fruits, and ornamented with immense trees, which seem to have undergone no alteration since I saw them twenty-five years ago. The Mission-premises are neat, and have an air of comfort about them far superior to those occupied by Mr. Thomas. The people are intelligent, obliging, and united. The work of God is flourishing, and the members seem quite alive and in earnest. The children in the schools present a scene of cheering encouragement, having advanced in their knowledge of the Scriptures, and, in point of order and diligence, being fully equal to those in the best schools in these parts. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have a fine family of well-conducted children, for whom they begin to show great anxiety relative to their education. A good school at Auckland for the children of Missionaries is the thing now most urgently pressing itself upon our attention. Surely, if the parents give their lives to the Missions, they have a right to ask a good education for their children in some locality as convenient to them as possible.

27th. I went to Homa, a distance of nine miles, to see the old Chief Via, whom had known rather intimately aforetime. He is still a Heathen, and is somewhat under the influence of a Popish Priest. Messrs. Wilson and Miller went with me, and fifty Local Preachers, who offered to carry me thither and back; but I preferred walking the greater part of the way. Via was sick, but glad to see us. He expressed great kindness towards me. I delivered to him and to his people a faithful epitome of the "way to the kingdom," to which they listened with great solemnity. I found we had some members in this heathen colo (fortress). The appearance of this place, in its grim and gloomy hue, contrasted strongly with the clear and cheerful air of the neat colo we visited at Faahafa, where we opened their first chapel, and where they were all Heathens only two years ago. This is a beautiful place. The trees exceed in majesty those of most places that I have seen either in England or in Ireland; and the people are simple, loving disciples of Christ. After the service at noon-day, I found that many Heathens were present, and had assisted in building the chapel. We may hope that Heathenism in these parts is rapidly. declining. Popery waits to take its place; but we trust that "disappointment will laugh at hope's career." After the chapel-opening service, in which we all took part, and in which I preached,

This peo

ple might be moulded to anything at present; but if a Romish Priest should land there, what will become of our fair blossoms?

26th. I proceeded to Hibifo, accompanied by Mr. Miller. The passage lay over a sheet of water of about fifteen miles' extent, and very wide inside the reefs, but seldom more than three feet deep to the eye, however, it appears an open sea. This visit was very cheering in all respects. The place is dignified and grand, being rich in soil, abounding

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