have been reminded of their national custom, of returning feast for feast, present for present, and love for love; and this has been responded to and acted upon. The people of the respective villages have then been called to come forward, the number of books respectively apportioned have been distributed, and the interesting business, as it was begun, has been concluded with singing and prayer. After-claims, as might be expected, have been urged, and the Missionary, having previously secured a reserve for himself, has sometimes found it advantageous to meet such individual claims in an isolated way. The following is an interesting case. A powerful Chief, who had long halted between the two opinions of Protestantism and Popery, and who had been in company with a Popish party of natives, to settle some of their differences with a distant tribe, returned in time to witness the interesting scene. He took his seat just in front of the pile of books, and full in the face of the Missionary. Common civility seemed to require that the Missionary should notice him, and pay the usual compliment of "welcome home " after his journey: but he felt that it was a critical time, a moment too important for compliments; he carefully avoided his eye, and went through the whole business of distributing the books without noticing him. But his bowels yearned over him, and his heart went up to God in his behalf. The plan succeeded, and to God be all the praise! The business was concluded, the people were dispersing, and the humbled Chief felt that he was justly regarded as having "neither part nor lot in the matter." He saw every one happy but himself, and every tribe honoured but his own; and he knew that no one would have been made more welcome than himself to those privileges which now were passing by him, but given to others. He sent for the Missionary; said that it was right that we should thus suppose that he wanted no Testaments, for he had long been despising the pukapuka, “book; but now he was decided for Christianity and for us. He wished for books for himself and for his people: he said he had returned from his former scenes of war and blood, everything was settled amicably, and he should now give himself to us and to the cause of God. The Missionary furnished him with Testaments from his reserve. His son, who had long been hindered by the example and influence of his father, was shortly afterwards baptized, and his whole tribe

are now attached to the ordinances of Christianity, and seeking the salvation of that Gospel which has thus been providentially put into their hands.

The case of Puaha, as connected with the melancholy tragedy at Wairau, deserves to be noticed. He is a respectable Chief, baptized by one of our brethren, and called David King; (Rawiri Kingi ;) and when he found that the Europeans were disposed to resort to arms, he ran forward with his New Testament in his hand, and exclaimed, "See, see! this is my weapon the white man's book! You sent us this book, and it tells us not to fight. You have got other weapons, weapons of blood: use them not; fight not, or my heathen relatives will fight too remember your book; remember your book!" Alas, this advice was rejected, and the consequences were most disastrous to those who thus despised the Gospel as urged by a poor New Zealander. He had this Testament from the British and Foreign Bible Society; and this fact, while it speaks volumes in favour of that Society, shows that the Bible has furnished the New-Zealander with an argument and a motive for peace, of which our countrymen, however ignorant of it they may be, or however indisposed to appreciate and acknowledge it, will realize the benefit in a degree and to an extent not to be estimated or expressed.

Our schools and Bible classes are enjoying the benefit of this noble boon; and the widely-extended circles of Testament-readers, the fluency and rigid correctness with which the blessed book is read, and the remarkable instances of retentiveness of memory in treasuring up its precious truths, are so many proofs that the benefit is appreciated; and if these could be witnessed by the friends of the Bible Society in England, they would amply reward them for their Christian liberality. Those friends may not reap their reward in this world, yet, as the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and will therefore be the means of saving many souls from death, and raising many saints to glory, doubtless in the scenes they shall witness at the resurrection of the just, they shall realize and enjoy their glorious recompence.

But we are still disposed to cry, "Give, give." Some of our stations are already without further supply. Every book of those sent last is bespoken, and the wants, urgent, pressing, increasing wants, will in some places be only half supplied. After every book on one of our stations had been distributed, four copies were received privately from another station.

connexion with Mr. Smales, who is at Porirua; and both together have been attending to the natives from Mr. Ironside's station at Cloudy-Bay, as their excited and unsettled condition afforded opportunity. We hope, however, that when these natives find that their conduct in the Wairau affair is on the whole favourably viewed by the English authorities, and when the matter is settled, then they will be induced to return to their own home, and again settle down in the neighbourhood of their Missionary's residence. At any rate we think he should show them that example; and our hope is that this inducement will have its due effect. Moreover, we are very wishful that the natives of Queen Charlotte's Sound should, if possible, be induced to give up a project which they have formed of coming to Taranaki; because we greatly fear that such a step would lead to a clashing of claims and interests among the different tribes, which might be productive of serious consequences. Their hope has been, that their Missionary, Mr. Ironside, would leave Cloudy-Bay, and, accompanying them to Taranaki, would become the Missionary for Ngamotu. This, however, we think highly objectionable; for, though Mr. Ironside would do well both for the English and the natives at Ngamotu, yet we must be careful for the above reasons to hold out nothing that would serve as an inducement to the natives of the Sound to come to Taranaki; and our hope is that when they find their old Teacher to have returned to his old station, they also, as well as the Cloudy-Bay natives, will settle down with him in quietness and peace. Mrs. Ironside's health is a serious consideration, and engaged the sympathizing attention of the Meeting; but we hope that her sojourn at Port-Nicholson will have been beneficial, and that an occasional visit to Nelson during the year will tend to improve and establish her health. As so much seems to depend on Mr. Ironside's return to Cloudy-Bay, and as it appears to be a call of duty, our hope is that the Lord will graciously support our sister, and give her grace and strength equal to her day. Porirua, and the coast along to Wanganui, will be attended to by a salaried Teacher, in whom we have great confidence; and as the Porirua people have lately been so much dispersed, in consequence of the Wairau affair, and are so connected with the Cloudy-Bay natives that they will probably go with them wherever they may settle, our arrangement is at

present, if we hear no tidings of the "Triton" soon, to engage a vessel, or take a passage for each of the different brethren, as opportunity may serve. We fear that considerable expense will be connected with these removals; but it shall be our endeavour to effect them as economically as possible.

ENGLISH CHAPELS.-It will be seen that, with the hope that our last year's request for help would be responded to, we have advanced toward the chapels at Ngamotu and Nelson certain sums, as specified in the Minutes. This, I must inform you, was done at the Ngamotu Mecting before I received the communications from Mr. Beecham, Perhaps we were too hasty; but we felt for the people, and we felt for our cause. We felt as fellow-Englishmen, we felt as Christian Ministers, and we felt as Methodist Missionaries: and I am sure if the Methodists of England could have been on the spot, they would have felt too; and they would not only have felt, but would have done as some of us did,

they would have first emptied their own pockets, and then, if they had any interest with others, they would have em ployed it in order that their unfortunate fellow-countrymen-cast as they are on this barren soil, deprived of the means of grace, and surrounded with difficul ties, depressions, and discouragements, and in prospect of ruin to their temporal interests might have some little spiritual comfort and assistance, and the means of securing "durable riches," and a title and a meetness for that "inheritance" which "fadeth not away." We moreover considered, that Methodism in other colonies had been assisted; and now that assistance is not only no longer needed, but it is in a course of being repaid. And then (what was with us, as Missionaries to the Heathen, a powerful argument) a good English cause is, with those natives who reside in the neighbourhood of the English settlements, of vast importance. Puseyism, as well as Heathenisin and Romanism, is in New Zealand, and among the NewZealanders. With what arguments can we combat this evil? How can we secure the ground which we have reclaimed from dark, deluding, degrading, soul-destroying Heathenism? We may use arguments; but facts tangible, standing, intelligible facts with the New-Zealanders, as well as with the English, "stubborn things; and when themour people find selves, and their church, and their Ministers, sanctioned, and supported, and

-are

honoured, by those who have come from the "land of light," and who therefore "know all about it," they will feel themselves far stronger and far happier in such company, than in the possession of arguments by thousands. My decided opinion is, that if our English cause go down, in the neighbourhood of the English settlements, at least, the native cause will go down too; and therefore, in helping the English, we are helping the natives. I love the native work; and have now been so long in it, that I have almost become a native myself, and am forgetting my mothertongue so fast, that to talk or to preach in English is becoming more and more formidable: yet such were my impres sions of the importance of this two-fold kind of Missionary labour, that, could I have left this place without endangering the interests of the Kawhia people, would freely have sacrificed my preference for the native work, and have gladly succeeded Mr. Creed at Ngamotu. I trust, therefore, that our dear fathers and brethren will not take a circumscribed view of this question, but that they will consider that what we have done has been for the general good of the New-Zealand Mission, and therefore allow the grants we have ventured to make. I have already said, that to help this department of the work, from a conviction of its importance to the whole, some of us have already emptied our pockets; and if our Committee require us to do more, I can only say, that as in New-Zealand we have very little chance (though we are not "ashamed") "to beg," and as we are not allowed "to dig," therefore insolvency is likely to be our lot as well as that of others; and so we must share the common fate of our neighbours. But this leads me to another subject of oppressive importance to my mind; namely,

FINANCES. On this subject, I fear, I can say but little either to my own comfort or to your satisfaction. Two or three observations, however, must be submitted.

First. The expenditure of the PortNicholson and Waikowaiti Circuits for 1842 come into the District Balancesheet for 1843; and I may also observe, that some portion of PortNicholson and other Circuits for this year properly belong to the last. I am aware, that this does not lessen the burden on your funds; but it will in some measure account for that unexpected discrepancy between the amount

of this year's balance-sheet and that of the last.

Secondly. We have been disappointed about the "Triton;" and that disappointment has been an expensive one in several ways. It was generally understood, that when she had been out four years, she was to return to England: we, therefore, last year, thinking that her next trip to New-Zealand would be her last one for some time to come, ordered goods from the colony to a larger amount than we otherwise should have done, with the hope of saving shipping expenses. Mr. M'Kenny, having heard nothing of the "Triton," after long waiting, sent the goods by other vessels to Port-Nicholson; from whence they had to be re-shipped at a dear rate to the other stations. Many of the brethren, understanding that the "Triton" had returned to the Islands with Mr. Cargill, were obliged, though at a dearer rate, to get supplies in the land; and thus a large outlay was occasioned. Moreover, in the case of Kawhia and Mokau, a mistake was made by our Agent in Sydney sending a duplicate of the order, supposing that they were two distinct Circuits he sent one lot of goods directed to Kawhia, and the other to Mokau. Thus a larger amount of goods on hand appears in the account than was necessary for us to have by us. But we shall have less occasion to order this year. The shipping expenses also, by the failure of the "Triton,' have been increased very materially. Freight in New-Zealand is excessively high. But some of the Circuit-deficiencies are especially heavy : this has engaged much of our serious attention at the Meeting, and has been a source of much pain and depression of mind; and it will be seen from the Minutes, that we are determined, if possible, to bring our expenses into a smaller compass. And yet, I confess, I fear that, in some respects, we shall find our expenses coming upon us more and more heavily; but in others I indulge the hope that we shall be able to do with less, and we would also entertain the expectation that something in the shape of income from our people will, by and by, be realized.

AUCKLAND, it will be seen from the Minutes, has engaged our attention. As Mr. Buller had to attend the Court there, respecting the wreck of the "Sophia Pati," at Kaipara, he fell in with some Methodist friends, and commenced the work. Mr. Buttle is still there, not because we have no work for him here, (for indeed we can badly