’Next year (D.V.) Mr. Palmer will try the experiment of stopping here for eight or ten months.  I almost dare to hope that a few years may make great changes.  Yet it seems as if nothing were done in comparison with what remains to be done.

’Sarah, Sarawia’s wife, pronounced that as she was always ill at home, she would risk the New Zealand winter; two more married pairs came, and four little maidens to be bred up under Mrs. Pritt, girls from twelve to eight years old, of whom Sarah was quite able to take charge.’

There was the usual proportion of lads from various islands; but the most troublesome member of the community seems to have been Wadrokala’s three years old daughter.  ’I have daily to get Wadrokala and Carry to prevent their child from being a nuisance to everybody.’  But this might have been a difficulty had she been white.

This large party had to be taken to the Solomon Isles to complete the party, sailing in company with the ‘Curacoa,’ the Commodore’s ship, when the local knowledge and accurate surveying done by Mr. Tilly and Mr. Kerr proved very valuable, and Sir William Wiseman gave most kind and willing assistance.

Since his short interview with the Bishop off Norfolk Island, he had been cruising in the New Hebrides.  There some of the frequent outrages of the traders had made the people savage and suspicious, and one of the Missionaries of the London Missionary Society living at Tanna had been threatened, driven away across the island, and his property destroyed.  He had appealed for protection as a British subject, and Sir William Wiseman had no choice but to comply; so after warning had been sent to the tribe chiefly concerned to quit their village, it was shelled and burnt.  No one seems to have been hurt, and it was hoped that this would teach the natives to respect their minister—­whether to love his instruction was another question.

This would not have been worth mentioning had not a letter from on board the ‘Curacoa’ spoken of chastising a village for attacking a Missionary.  It went the round of the English papers, and some at once concluded that the Missionary could be no other than the Bishop.  Articles were published with the usual disgusting allusions to the temptation presented by a plump missionary; and also observing with more justice that British subjects had no right to run into extraordinary peril and appeal to their flag for protection.

Every friend or relative of Bishop Patteson knew how preposterous the supposition was, and his brother took pains to contradict the rumour.  As a matter of fact, as his letters soon proved, he was not only not in company with the ‘Curacoa’ at the time, but had no knowledge either of the outrage or the chastisement, till Sir William Wiseman mentioned it to him when they were together at Sydney.

At Ysabel or Mahya, the party was made up to sixty, seven married couples and seven unmarried girls among them.  The female population was stowed away at night in the after cabins, with ’arrangements quite satisfactory to them, as they were quite consistent with propriety, but which would somewhat startle unaccustomed folk.’