’October 9th—­Near Ambrym [to the Bishop].  Some people from Aruas, the large western bay of Vanua Lava, had been taken by force to Queensland or Fiji.  The natives simply speak of “a ship of Sydney.”

’Wednesday.—­Aroa and Matlavo.  ’Henry Tagalana and Joanna and their baby Elizabeth, William Pasvorang and Lydia, and six others, all baptized, and four communicants among them, had spent five weeks on shore; a very nice set.  Six of them lived together at Aroa, had regular morning and evening prayers, sang their hymns, and did what they could, talking to their people.  Codrington went over in a canoe, and spent four days with them, much pleased.  We brought three scholars for George from thence.

’Thursday, Mota.—­Codrington says the time is come, in his opinion, for some steps to be taken to further the movement in Mota.  Grown-up people much changed, improved, some almost to be regarded as catechumens.

’We left Mota, bringing all that were to come; indeed, we scarcely know what it is nowadays to lose a boy or man—­a great blessing.  There had been another visit of eleven canoes of Tikopians; friendly, though unable to converse, and promising to return again in two months.

’October 11th.—­A topsail schooner in sight, between Ambrym and Paama—­one of those kidnapping vessels.  I have any amount of (to me) conclusive evidence of downright kidnapping.  But I don’t think I could prove any case in a Sydney Court.  They have no names painted on some of their vessels, and the natives can’t catch nor pronounce the names of the white men on board.  They describe their appearance accurately, and we have more than suspicions about some of these fellows.

’The planters in Queensland and Fiji, who create the demand for labourers, say that they don’t like the kidnapping any more than I do.  They pay occasionally from £6 to £12 for an “imported labourer,” and they don’t want to have him put into their hands in a sullen irritable state of mind.’

Touching at Nengone, the Bishop saw Mr. Creagh, who had recently visited New Caledonia, whither Basset, the poor chief who had been banished to Tahiti for refusing to receive a French priest, had been allowed to return, on the Emperor Napoleon forbidding interference with Protestant missionaries or their converts.

Wadrokala and his wife and child were brought away, making up a number of 65 black passengers, besides the 60 scholars already at Norfolk Island.  The weather throughout the voyage had been unusually still, with frequent calms, the sea with hardly any swell.  And this had been very happy for the Bishop; but he was less well than when he had left Taurarua, and was unequal to attending the General Synod in New Zealand, far more so to another campaign in Australia, though he cherished the design of going to see after the condition of the labourers in Fiji.

He finishes his long letter to his former Primate:—­