sacrifices are offered, and rites multiplied. On the morning of the fourth day the grand ceremony takes place of unconsecrating the images. The image is carried forth on a platform raised on men's shoulders. A numerous procession accompanies it to the river. There boats are in readiness, and, filled with the living mass, they are launched on the stream. As soon as the last ceremonies have been completed, the idol-bearers break the image in pieces, and cast the fragments into the waters, amidst the crash of instruments and the uproar of human voices. Just as the Missionaries reached the high road leading from Maheshpur to the river, they were met by a procession of high and low, rich and poor, following the idol, which they were about to cast into the stream. The Missionaries waited for the crowd to pass by, hoping they would do so quickly, for the noise of the drums was really deafening. To their great surprise the crowd stopped, and, gathering round the Missionaries, allowed the bearers who were carrying the idol, and the musicians, to pass on alone. There were not less than between 600 and 800 persons waiting to hear. They directed the Missionaries to an elevated spot on which to place themselves, and then, forming themselves into a circle, listened attentively to the message they had to deliver. All was still. The noise of the procession had passed away, and the idol, and all connected with it, seemed to be forgotten in the interest excited by the blessed truths which were placed before them. The subject was what we might expect it to be, God's love to sinners in the gift of His Son. After a while came back the noisy drums and the frame-work without the idol, which, deprived of its usual honours, had been committed to its watery grave; when, to the great surprise of our Missionaries, some of the most respectable of those present sent an order to stop the beating of the drums, lest the preachers might be inconvenienced. "We finished our addresses," writes Mr. Hasell; "no one followed in the idol procession; and thus at least for once in this ancient Hindu town the name of Christ and His cause were deemed worthy of more honour than the idols." May it indeed soon be so all over India, and Christ be exalted on the ruins of idolatry! wwwww WESLEY TE PAKE. THIS is the name of an old New-Zealand chief, who has recently died in the Taupiri district. The Rev. B. Ashwell has transmitted to us, in a letter dated June 14, 1853, the following touching account of his happy Christian death On my return to my district I found the old chief of Tukopoto pa, i. e. the village nearest the station, exceedingly ill. He died most happily. The following account of one of the first-fruits of the Waikato stations I trust will be interesting. It is about ten years since that Wesley te Pake was baptized by the Rev. R. Maunsell: he was formerly the greatest native priest in the Kaitotehe district. Soon after his baptism he was determined to learn to read, and his son, a lad about ten years of age, was his teacher. Although an old man, by constant perseverance he succeeded so well that he formed one of the second class at the Sunday-school at this station. About seven years since, the son alluded to was drowned in crossing Ma nukau harbour. This was a great trial to Wesley, and I feared he would have lapsed into heathenism, as he was told the native gods were angry with him for forsaking them, and therefore this affliction had befallen him. The temptation, however, lasted but a short time: he withdrew from public worship for three weeks; but afterwards saw his error, confessed he was wrong, and again joined the church. From that period he became a steady believer. He was exceedingly desirous to live in peace with the other tribes of Waikato, and was known among them as a peacemaker. He readily joined in my proposal to form a Missionary Association at this station about three years since. He was present at each anniversary, the accounts of which I have forwarded. As a speaker, few equalled Wesley te Pake: his addresses were always to the point, and were attended with much effect, whether as a peacemaker, or to urge the claims of the gospel. Being an old chief of some standing, he rendered me much assistance in my plans, and we shall feel his loss much. He was much beloved by his own tribe, the Ngaungau, and respected by all the Waikato tribes. Their "huhungao," i. e. lamentation, and various speeches over the body of the old chief, prove how much they felt his death. Several tribes who were at variance met at his funeral, and I have no doubt that their quarrels will now be settled amicably. On my arrival at Motutarata, where Wesley was staying, I found him very unwell; but I did not apprehend any immediate danger, though he himself thought he should not recover. I asked him what were his hopes for eternity. He replied, "Christ is my Saviour: His death is the utu," i. e. payment," for my sins." On Sunday, May 29, this conversation took place. I was now obliged to return to the station, fourteen miles distant. He expressed a wish to be removed to Tukopoto, to be near me. Accordingly, on June the 6th, he was again brought to the pa close to the station. I visited him, and asked him if he felt depressed. His answer was, "Christ is my light and life." On the 9th a change for the worse took place. He called his tribe, and said, "Hold fast gospel principles. Be decided for Christ. Pray without ceasing. Hear what St. Paul says, ' If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom.viii.31.) He then remained silent for a time, but shortly exclaimed, "Thy word hath been a light unto my path.'" (Psalm cxix. 105.) He continued, "All things were made by Him. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men." (John i. 3, 4.) He then exclaimed, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm xlvi. 1.) He now remained silent, when, feeling for his book-for his sight was quite gone-he cried, "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and shew us the light of His countenance, and be merciful unto us; that Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations." (Psalm Ixvii. 1, 2.) He then fainted. It was some time before he recovered. The whole tribe now assembled. He now began a native song, in a plaintive voice. The following is a translation "The fever is tearing me.* Do not speak to me as of a thief that has been taken. Do not say that my words to the different tribes have been those of contention. * He had been falsely accused as having promoted a quarrel about land with another tribe. THE ESKIMOS. Here (i. e. Tukopoto) let the church remain.* Strengthen the inner man, O my Father! 137 He now prayed in a distinct voice, "Oh, my Saviour! O Christ, strengthen me! Give me Thy Holy Spirit; for Thou only art my Sav" And thus died this good old chief in the act of prayer. If the conversion of this celebrated priest and chief, Te Pake, had been the only fruit of the Waikato Mission, even then our labour would not have been "in vain in the Lord;" but, thank God, we have many instances that the good hand of our God has been, and is, with us. To Him alone be the glory! Wesley te Pake will not soon be forgotten in this district. THE ESKIMOS. THE circle of our Missionary labours in North-West America is rapidly extending. Beginning with the Ojibways, it next approached the Crees, amongst which tribe several Stations have been formed, and results attained of a very encouraging character. Our most advanced station northward has been moved from Lac la Ronge to English River, in a more northerly direction, so as to approach the Chippeway tribes, a distinct nation from the Crees, from whom they are separated by that river, and with whom we are beginning to come into very interesting communication. On the Saskatchewan a new station has been commenced by the Rev. H. Budd, at the Nepowewin. In this direction we are approaching the Plain Indians, to large parties of whom Mr. Budd has had opportunity of preaching the gospel, which they have heard very patiently and attentively. The extension of the Missionary work in this direction is deeply interesting, the Indians being most numerous in the direction of the plains. Far away to the north-east, at Fort George, on the east coast of St. James' Bay, we are beginning to see something of the Eskimos; and we think that the following extract from the journal of our Missionary, the Rev. E. A. Watkins, in which he describes his first interview at this station with some Eskimos, will be read with interest April 29, 1853-This has been quite an eventful day in the history of the almost un varyingly quiet Fort George. When just on the point of sitting down to breakfast, information was received that the Eskimos, whom we had now almost given over expecting, were in sight. By exerting our best powers of vision we were enabled to discover a black spot on the river; and as it drew near, we found that the party consisted of four individuals, and a sled drawn by seven dogs. I went to greet the strangers as they ascended the bank of the river, and saw that they comprised a man and his wife, a boy about fourteen, and a youth about eighteen. This last had previously been here, remaining for nearly four * His tribe wished to remove from Tukopoto in consequence; but he wished the church to remain near their minister. years, during which time he had gained a tolerable acquaintance with English. They were all dressed in the manner common to their nation -in seal-skin coats, trowsers, and boots. The coats were provided with hoods, which answered the purpose of caps when required, and were ornamented with a row of small pieces of ivory, somewhat resembling teeth. The woman was distinguished by the addition of a long, broad tail hanging at the back of her coat, which, on some occasions, is turned between the legs and fastened in front. The first proceeding after their arrival was the unpacking of their sled, after which they commenced the building of an igloe, or snowhouse, for their accommodation during their stay. A site was selected at about 200 yards from the Fort, where the snow was four or five feet deep. One of the Eskimos then commenced cutting into the snow with a knife about two feet long, and soon succeeded in procuring an oblong slab, measuring perhaps two feet and a half long, one and a half broad, and six inches thick. This was handed to the other workman, who placed it on its edge as the commencement of a wall, to which other blocks, as THE ESKIMOS. 139 soon as they were prepared, were added, till a circle of about nine feet in diameter was formed. On the top of this row similar pieces were placed, and, a little inclination being given towards the inside, a building of the shape of a dome was gradually erected, inclosing the two men employed in raising the structure. Each slab was carefully placed to lean against the one next to it, and by running the knife along its lower edge it was readily made to retain its position. While this process was being carried on from the inside, the boy was employed on the outside in filling up all crevices with small lumps of snow, pressing each firmly into its place; and as he proceeded towards the upper part the strength of the dome was proved by its bearing the whole weight of his body. The woman, meanwhile, found her appropriate employment in procuring small branches of the pine to form the covering of the floor, intended, I presume, not so much for the softness of the bed, as to prevent unpleasantness from the melting of the snow in consequence of the heat of the body. The igloe itself being completed, the next step to be taken was the forming of the entrance passage, which was left altogether to the management of the boy, while the two men went to attend to their sled, having first effected their escape from their snowy prison-house by removing one of the blocks of which the wall was composed. The young builder now commenced cutting the snow at about six feet distance from the dome, producing blocks of the same dimensions as before, with which he constructed two walls about five feet in height, each being a little curved at its foundation, and also inclining inwards, but not arched over. From this vestibule an entrance was easily made into the igloe by removing part of its wall, making an opening perhaps two feet square, just sufficient to allow an adult to creep through on hands and knees. Upon entering through this somewhat inconvenient doorway I found the interior to be much more comfortable, both with respect to warmth and light, than I expected. The floor was not all on the same level, a little more than half of it being raised a foot or so to form a bed for the inmates, which was strewed with pine branches, over which was spread a covering of deer-skins. The front of this raised floor answered in the day time the purpose of a seat. In the early part of the afternoon, as soon as I thought the interesting strangers had completed the arrangements of their temporary home, I paid them a visit, being desirous, as far as God should give me grace, to announce to them the glad tidings of a Saviour's love. I took my seat amongst my small but deeply-attentive congregation, and commenced to preach to them Jesus, using as my interpreter the young man who had previously been living at the Fort, and who, though not baptized, is usually called Peter. By making use of short and simple sentences, and occasionally repeating the same sentiment in two or three different ways, I was enabled to make him understand all that I wished to convey. My hearers manifested much serious attention while I spoke to them of the love of God for sinful men in sending Christ to die on their behalf, and while I endeavoured to contrast the happy state prepared beyond the grave for those who love and serve Jesus, with that awful condition of misery to which the impenitent will be condemned. April 30—In the evening the four Eskimos, according to invitation, came to my house to tea, if, indeed, a meal may be so termed where the |