him letters which he partly knew, and the next day set him his first copy. The whole day long did he sit scribing away, and the next morning, before 6 o'clock, he was at the but to get a fresh copy before we started home. At Easter he came to Frere Town with Abbe Sidi and their good wives, each bringing an infant to be received into Christ's flock. For Abbe Sidi's son John I stood godfather, as we care much for one another. After a few days' rest they all returned, excepting Jeremiah, who stayed with me to learn, and in five weeks he wrote the enclosed in a room by himself without any suggestions, and George has given a literal translation, so that it may come to you as original. I think it a beautiful letter, and clearly shows who is their Great Teacher, and why they get on as they do. He is a happy, trusting, gentle Christian, a model of perseverance. We had a roughish journey back from Godoma, missing our proper sleeping place, and after tramping about in the dark came across a few huts. From the best one the owners kindly turned out, but not all the occupants, for the kitanda, or bedstead, was full of kunguni, besides a score or so of sheep and goats in the hut. I could stand an honest English pigsty or stable, but please keep me from goats; so after a restless half-hour I turned out in the open, and although our men were snugly ensconced, the watchman told them, and they came and formed a circle around me, and George also, for he would not leave me. Can you wonder at my caring for our people when I know how they care for me? The letter referred to above, from the Giriama converts to the Society, is as follows. Have we for a long time had anything so touching? Letter received by Mr. J. R. Streeter from the Giriama Christians; literally translated by George David. We the Christians of Godoma do ask you, the bishops and our ministers. Because this affair if it be so, we are in trouble of a person to teach us. Do you not know that a sheep without a shepherd cannot be without being lost? Is it not so? But a sheep which has a shepherd when it want to go into the forest, he will bring it back on the road, because it has his shepherd; he has it near, he cares for it. And if you wish a sheep which has a shepherd, well get us a person to teach us also, because we are in much trouble. O our master we do fall on your knees for the cause of being your right, so we do ask that you may have mercy on us, as God hath had mercy on us, The Recent Threatened Attack on Frere Town.* We now come to the recent outbreak. It must be understood that this had no connexion with the Giriama fugitives at Rabai. Evidently their case had been settled by Mr. Streeter on the occasion already referred to in his letter of July 17th; besides which the Arab slave-owners of Mombasa would care little about them. The main cause of offence appears to have been threefold. (1) Another section of the Rabai settlers, as before mentioned, are recent runaways from Mombasa itself. (2) A few of this class (six or seven, Mr. Felkin says) had also been received and protected at Frere Town, the missionaries (rightly or wrongly) regarding the claims of The preceding pages of this article having been already circulated, in proof, among many friends of the Society, it may be well to inform them that what now follows is additional matter, embodying inforn ation subsequently received. humanity paramount in their case. (3) On the road to Rabai, at a place called Jongvu, there is a station of the Methodist Mission; and here a considerable number of fugitives had been received. In addition to these provocations, it must be remembered that the very existence of these Missions is an eyesore to the slave-owners, and a cause of bitter discontent among their slaves. Frere Town is not a walled town or park, but an open village, and right through it runs the road from the ferry communicating with Mombasa ; and passing up and down this road, master and slave alike see the comfort and happiness of the people on the settlement, the one with envious hatred and the other with not less envious longings. Then, incidents have occurred which, to say the least, have not tended to conciliate the Arabs. The settlers at the three stations are not always easily controlled by the missionaries, and have sometimes involved them in awkward difficulties. For instance, last spring a female slave having run away from Mombasa and taken refuge at Rabai, her master obtained from Mr. Streeter a note requesting Mr. Binns to give her up. She refused to go; whereupon the man exclaimed, "Well, this place must be burnt down, and then no refuge will exist." On hearing this, the Rabai people, who were protecting the woman, fell upon her master and beat him, and were with difficulty prevented by Mr. Binns from doing him serious injury. So, when the storm was brewing in August, it must not be supposed that the people of Frere Town were content to be silent and leave the missionaries to negotiate with the Arabs. They have tongues of their own, and opportunities of using them, and they met the threats of the Arabs with counter expressions of hatred and defiance. Day by day the hostile feeling on both sides increased, and during the Ramadan fast a hundred young men at Mombasa, Mohammedans, took an oath "to make soup of the livers of Messrs. Ramshaw and Streeter, and to serve up Streeter's head for the first meal after Ramadan." (Mr. Ramshaw is the Methodist missionary.) These and other particulars we learn from Mr. Felkin, who, as stated in previous numbers, paid a visit to Frere Town after handing the Waganda envoys over to Mr. Stokes at Zanzibar, and has since returned to England. He arrived there just when the attack on the Mission was expected, and took an active part in the negotiations which ensued between the slave-owners, the Wali of Mombasa, and the Mission,-which, however, came to nothing. The serious intentions of the Arabs may be gathered from the fact that they asked Mr. Felkin to leave Frere Town, as they did not want to kill him, being a stranger; and also that a Hindu, the chief of the custom-house, offered to take into his house, for safety, the two ladies, Mrs. Menzies and Mrs. Handford, who, however, "like Englishwomen, refused to go." When all negotiations had failed, and there was no sign of any interposition on the part of Dr. Kirk, to whom Mr. Streeter had written when danger first appeared (which letter had reached the Consulate at Zanzibar before Mr. Felkin started for Frere Town), preparations were made for defence. The appearance of the new moon, which would close the Ramadan fast, was expected on the 5th September, and that day (Sunday), Mr. Felkin writes, was set apart for special prayer to God, and Mr. Menzies gave two loving addresses setting forth the power of prayer." No attack, however, was made during the next two or three days. On the 7th Mr. Felkin went up to Rabai, and found both that place and the Methodist station at Jongvu in a state of defence. Returning the next day he heard the war-drums beating, and guns firing; and found that watch had been kept all night at Frere Town, 66 the Wali of Mombasa himself having sent over to warn them to be ready to fight. Mr. Streeter, overcome by labour and anxiety, had been struck down by fever, and was delirious. During the next two days there were constant alarms, but no attack. On the 10th, warning was given that two hundred men were approaching, and Streeter, says Mr. Felkin, "with a great effort pulled himself together," but succumbed again two hours after. It then appeared that the hostile force had gone on to the Methodist Mission, and were to attack it next day.* Next morning however they found there a strong stockade, which had, with the assistance of a friendly tribe, been put up in the night, and they saw an attack was hopeless. In the meanwhile, matters were complicated by the unfortunate circumstance of an Arab, who was seen near Rabai with a slave, being killed by some of the runaways settled there. On news of this reaching Frere Town, Mr. Handford and George David hastened up to Rabai, and brought away seven of the men concerned in the murder (one escaped), who were at once sent over to Mombasa and delivered to the Wali. All Saturday night, Sept. 11th, anxious watch was kept at Frere Town; but on the Sunday morning Mr. Menzies said, " To-day we will try and rest on the Lord, and think nothing of our troubles." "We had a very happy service," says Mr. Felkin, " and only Streeter's illness clouded the day." Then came the deliverance. Mr. Felkin goes on, "We were just at dinner when the shout of A man-of-war' was heard, and on looking out we saw the ship. Mombasa saw too, and trembled.” It was H.M.S. Wild Swan, bringing Lieut. Cutfield of the London, and his wife and children, on a visit to Frere Town. An "accidental" visit too: the ship was not sent by Dr. Kirk. No human arm was stretched out to save the settlement; but a Divine arm was. When the enemy was coming in like a flood, the Lord lifted up a standard against him. The greatest interest was manifested in the Mission by the officers and sailors of the Wild Swan. On the Monday, the boats fetched off all the children in the schools, and a treat was given them on board, the sailors carrying them all over the ship. They sang the hymns and songs Mr. Handford has taught them. "The song of the Life-boat' gave the sailors great pleasure," says Mr. Felkin, "and after "God save the Queen,' sung in four parts by the children, three cheers were given, and returned with right good-will by all on board." The Wild Swan stayed three days only, but her appearance at such a moment had produced a most wholesome effect upon the Arabs, and no further attempt upon either of the Missions was made. On Oct. 7th Dr. Kirk arrived at Mombasa, not however (as stated in our last number) in a British man-of-war, but in the Sultan's steam yacht, which had been lent him for a shooting excursion. Mr. Foster, the Consular Judge, who was with him, held a court at Mombasa, and summoned Mr. Streeter and Mr. Binns before him to answer charges made against them by the Arabs. We have not received particulars of what took place; but the result was, Mr. Felkin says, that "the runaway slaves must be given up, and that the Arabs had a right to take them back by force, even if they (the slaves) took refuge in the missionaries' own rooms. Cases of gross ill-usage were to be reported to the Wali, who was to use his discretion as to whether he punished the offenders or not." The runaways on the three Mission stations were accordingly sent away. *It was this to which Mr. Felkin referred in the passage quoted in our November number (p. 707), which we could not make out. They fled into the country, and have since, Mr. Streeter writes, "been hunted about like wild beasts by five or six hundred armed Swahilis." We have contented ourselves with presenting a bare narrative of this affair. Two remarks, however, may now be made. (1) We must not be understood as justifying in every respect the action of the missionaries. It appears that they were blamed by Dr. Kirk for the countenance given to the runaway slaves; and undoubtedly they allowed their pity for the sufferings of these poor creatures to carry them further than the laws of the country or the Treaty rights of Englishmen permit. It is hard, nevertheless, to condemn them; but the Committee have instructed them in future not to receive fugitives except in such extreme cases as can be covered by no rule. Certainly they deserve our truest sympathy in their perplexities, and our thankfulness for the generally satisfactory state of the Mission, and the good work it is doing. And it is gratifying to find in the last Blue-Book on Slave Trade affairs, a despatch from Dr. Kirk to Lord Salisbury, dated November 12th, 1879, in which he speaks highly of Mr. Streeter, to whose good management of the station at Mombasa," he says, "the Church Missionary Society is greatly indebted for the progress and improved prospects of the Mission." (2) On the other hand, Frere Town is not an ordinary Mission, established by the Society solely on its own responsibility, and without consultation with the authorities. It was planned with the full approval of the British Government, after the Treaty proposed by Sir Bartle Frere to the Sultan of Zanzibar was finally agreed to. Several hundred exported slaves, liberated on the high seas by British ships, have been handed to the Mission under the authority of Dr. Kirk, upon whom lay the responsibility of disposing of them somehow. For these slaves the Foreign Office at one time held out hopes of a grant to the Society from funds voted by Parliament in connexion with the suppression of the slave trade, although no grant has in fact been made. In view of all these circumstances, and of the influence which such a colony of freed slaves was certain in time to have upon the domestic slavery prevailing around-an influence sure to lead to difficulties-the Society is fully entitled to claim from the Govern ment and its representatives a reasonable amount of countenance and protection. We cannot doubt that Dr. Kirk, whose great services in connexion with the suppression of the export slave traffic are so well known, will readily respond to the encouragement we hope the Foreign Office will give him to visit the station somewhat oftener than once in three or four years. Some may call this "leaning on an arm of flesh," but few will dispute that the case is a peculiar one, and to be judged by itself. However, from this recent danger, as we have already observed, no arm of flesh saved the Mission. "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy Name give the praise, for Thy mercy and for Thy truth's sake!" Let our prayers to that same Lord cease not until His right hand and His holy arm shall have gotten Him the victory, not only over the enemies of freedom, but over slavery itself and all its horrors; until multitudes of its victims shall be able to rejoice in a higher deliverance even than a freed slave settlement or a British man-of-war can give them, and say, in the literal and most striking words of St. Paul (Col. i. 13)-" Who hath snatched (éppúσaro) us from the power of darkness, and hath transplanted (as in the migration of a tribe to a new home, μetéotnσev) us into the kingdom of the Son of His love (τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης αὑτοῦ). E AN OFFICIAL VIEW OF METLAKAHTLA. N former occasions we have had independent testimonies to the success of Metlakahtla, both as a Mission and as a centre of civilization. The following, however, for which we are indebtde to Admiral Prevost, is one of the best accounts of the settlement as it now is, at least in the second of these two aspects, which has been published. It is a letter written to a local journal in British Columbia by the Commissioner of Fisheries under the Colonial Government: Mr. Anderson, Commissioner of Fisheries, to the Editor of the "Colonist." I had recently the opportunity, during the progress of an official tour on the north-west coast, of visiting the missionary settlement of Metlakahtla-of which the name, at least, is familiar to most of your local readers. I was thus enabled, during our stay of two days, to examine somewhat minutely into the condition of affairs there, and to satisfy myself on certain points regarding which I had previously been, I will not say doubtful-but puzzled-by the conflicting accounts which had from time to time reached me from various sources. The position of this Mission is in lat. 54°, some twenty miles southward of Fort Simpson, and consequently not far from the Alaskan boundary. The spot has been, from time immemorial, one of the chief villages of the Chimmesyan tribe, and its selection by Mr. Duncan as his central point of operation was therefore well judged. The approach to the harbour is good; but there is a nasty reef near the entrance which requires buoying for the guidance of strangers. The extensive bay is dotted with islets, most of which are either wholly or partially under cultivation, and one is consecrated as a public cemetery. The site of the town itself is picturesque and commodious, while the forest has been widely cleared in all directions around. Mr. Duncan, the head of the Mission, having boarded the Rocket before anchoring, we afterwards proceeded to visit the settlement, accompanied by that gentleman. On landing, our party was received by the Rev. Mr. Collison, his coadjutor, who, with his wife and family, has for several years been attached to the Mission, and who, having acquired considerable proficiency in the language, is evidently a valuable aid. A file of drilled volunteers, duly uni formed, and with drum and fife attending, stood under arms, saluting in good military fashion, as we passed onward. The head men of the village, forming its council, then welcomed us, and we were finally conducted to a large platform in the centre of the square, where chairs had been provided for our accommodation. In front of the platform, upon which also the elders were seated, the male residents, all neatly dressed in European costume, were assembled; and behind them, seated in gradation on the spacious steps which formed the approach to the church, which stood in the background, were the women of the village, all neatly dressed, some in simple black, others in varied colours. The church, alluded to above, is an edifice, considering its surroundings and the means through which it has been erected, of really grand proportions. Its external style is good, though the general effect has been impaired by the shortening of the tower -a deviation from the original plan adopted at the suggestion of a friend from the supposed impossibility of raising the tower to the height originally designed, but which Mr. Duncan now regrets. Inside, the church is well fitted, with accommodation for about 1200 sitters, a choir and organ-loft, a neatly-carved pulpit, and every requirement, in short, for the intended purpose. The whole structure is of cedar, well finished in every way, and requiring only staining and varnishing to render its interior to the eye complete. It may be added that Mr. Duncan was the architect of the building; the mechanics and labourers, the natives around, receiving daily wages for their labour out of the common fund of the Mission. |