with its dazzling scarlet blossoms, and a perfect forest of convolvuli, clematis, and other creepers festoon the branches and stems of plants of larger growth. The wild bramble, covered with little roses, climbs to their very summit, and descends again on the other side, a very cascade of fragrant bloom.

These glorious forests are vocal with an endless variety of singing birds; the mako-mako is compared to our nightingale, the warbling of the tui rivals that of the English thrush, and these mingle with the plaintive coo of the wood-pigeon, and less agreeably with the scream of the parrot. The birds are the only denizens of these lovely scenes; not an insect or a fourfooted creature of any kind is to be seen.

The islands are remarkable for their grand mountain groups and ranges. In the centre of the northern isle rises a volcanic group, in which there is an active volcano 7,000 feet in height, of which marvellous tales are related. Towards the north-east a remarkable chain of lakes stretches to the coast, and descriptions are endless of the beauty and wonders of the scenery of these shores. A first visit fifty years ago was thus

described:

The view of the lake itself was very fine as we approached; on the nearer side a noble wood stretched down to the water's edge; the islands in the lake, the steam of hot springs rising towards the north, and the richly wooded hills of Tarawera in the background, formed a lovely scene. The whole country was full of nature's wonders; here were boiling cauldrons of mud, black, blue, grey, green, yellow, and red, giving out their lazy steam; close to these, and as if purposely in contrast, were clear pools of bright azure-coloured boiling water, enclosed in natural walls of sulphurous formation. But the most beautiful objects were the jets. These boiling fountains, thrown out from the top of irregularly

shaped cones of a pinkish colour formed from the deposit of the water, rose many feet into the air, descending again in silvery foam, and sparkling in the sunshine. Some of these hot springs are guided by the natives into natural or artificial hollows in the rocks, where their temperature being regulated by a stream of cold water that flows among them, they serve as baths; and when we paid our first visit, we found the chiefs sitting in these, as novel chairs of state!

Villages built, as some are, on the crust of earth which covers these boiling depths of mud are fearfully insecure; but there is much to tempt savages, reckless as the New Zealanders have been of life, to such a locality. The land is fertile, they use the tepid water as baths, and the steaming crevices serve to cook their A layer of fern is placed food, with a very simple arrangement. across the steaming fissure; the food placed upon it, and covered again with fern, becomes dressed as in a regular English oven. Mr. Taylor visited such a village in 1845, and was greatly imThe buildings pressed with the grandeur of the whole scene. themselves were extremely picturesque, with their strong palisades, carved posts, and native dwellings. A bright stream ran through the village enclosure, and in front lay the broad expanse of Taupo (a fine lake 36 miles long), with its islands, woods, and mountains. The noble figure of the chief, Te Heu Heu, was in harmony with the surroundings. He was advanced in years, his hair silvery-white, so white that his people could only compare it to the snowy summit of their sacred mountain, Tongariro; but his form, still erect, showed off his magnificent height of nearly seven feet to the utmost advantage. He was clothed in his handsome native mat, and his manners, distinguished equally by dignity, frankness, and courtesy to his guests, made him a very

model of Maori rulers. Long and earnestly did the messenger | of the Gospel plead with him to give up the awful crimes that had stained his former life; and Te Heu Heu was softened. He promised to give up fighting, and pleaded that a missionary might be sent to dwell among and instruct him and his people. Alas! we know too well the difficulties which often beset our beloved Society with reference to these heart-moving requests; there were neither funds nor men then at its disposal, and a few months after it was too late. We have spoken of the treacherous nature of the soil. The pent-up subterranean gas gradually loosened the earth, which fell in large masses into the bed of the river already mentioned. The torrent, dammed up, swelled into a lake behind the opposing ridge, and at last, carrying all before it, swept the entire mass of stones and mud as an avalanche upon the native dwellings. The grand old chieftain had an opportunity of saving his own life, but he scorned to avail himself of it, leaving his people exposed to danger; he stood before his dwelling, his silvery hair floating on the wind, calling upon his god to stay the coming danger, and perished in the very act of his bootless prayer.

Reference to one or two of the rare instances in which, in the earlier history, the Maori chiefs gave a favourable reception to missionary visitors, must not, however, delude us with regard to the character of the people in their original state. They had their noble qualities: a deep and tender love to their children and relations, a generous hospitality and faithful affection to their friends, and a spirit of courage and daring that never flinched in

danger, or quailed before difficulty; but they were fierce, bloodthirsty, and vindictive in the extreme. They showed a horrible delight in cruelty, not only in massacring, but torturing their victims. War was their favourite pursuit; they esteemed nothing else really worth living for; and the custom of "utu," or demanding satisfaction by the sacrifice of human life for any injury, real or supposed, of however remote a date, always supplied them with a pretext for attacking those weaker than themselves. Destruction and devastation followed every battle; the victors laid waste the country, burnt the villages, destroyed the plantations, and dragged the women and children into perpetual slavery. The treatment of these unhappy victims was simply barbarous. They were their master's property, to be dealt with exactly as he pleased. Hard work, hunger, and cruel stripes for the slightest offence, were their daily portion, while their savage owners stood by, making their sufferings a matter of merriment, actually mimicking their groans and contortions! If the master's anger was aroused, the slave was the one upon whom it was commonly visited. With a sudden blow from his hatchet, his angry owner would strike down the man who, perhaps, had long and faithfully served him, and then make preparations for devouring him. A story is told of one young girl who had to collect the wood and heat the oven, in which, when prepared, she knew after death her own limbs were to be roasted for the loathsome banquet of the rest of the household.

(To be continued.)

E. D.

THE MONTH.

E begin this month a new arrangement of this last page of the GLEANER. The "Epitome of News" will take a new form under the title of "The Month"; under which head we shall also be able to say many things to our readers on current matters of interest which could not be said appropriately in the old column of bare items of news, and yet which would not need the formality of a regular article. At the same time, as we know this page is the first turned to by most readers, we shall use the present clearer and more open type. For the information of those who also read the other C.M.S. periodicals, we may add that this page will be quite distinct from "The Month" in the Intelligencer and the Record, although some of the paragraphs will often be identical. But it must be remembered that we have to go to press ten days earlier than the sister periodicals, so that important intelligence can sometimes be included in their pages when it has been too late for ours; and then we have to print it in the following month.

WE would ask the readers of the GLEANER to assist in pushing the sale. It is not strict etiquette for a magazine to mention the numbers circulated of it; but as the accounts of the Church Missionary Society, published in the Annual Report year by year, give the particulars without concealment, there is no occasion to hide them here. In the year ending March 31st, 1882, there were 451,758 copies printed, which, divided by 12, gives 37,646 copies per month. Of these, a certain quantity were put aside for the annual volumes, and a good many were sent as free copies to the missionaries abroad, to association and district secretaries at home, to public libraries, &c.; but the actual sale averaged more than 32,000 per month. That is a very large sale for a missionary magazine, as any bookseller or agent would well understand. But why should it not be much larger? We believe it is strictly correct to say that there are thousands of contributors to the C.M.S. who have never even seen it. Certainly there are many thousands who do not take it in. And how many more are there who are not contributors but who would soon become so if they were induced to read the GLEANER? The Salvation Army owes not a little of its fame and of its external success to the persistency of its members in selling its weekly paper. If the members of the Church Missionary Society would put forth the tenth part of their energy to sell our monthly one, its circulation might quickly be doubled and trebled, and the GLEANER would be a real source of income to the Society.

AND we do not wish to speak of the GLEANER only. We want the other publications of the Society pushed too. The clergy and intelligent laity should not fail to read the C.M. Intelligencer, which does what we have not space to do-gives a complete record of the Society's work. The children should read the C.M. Juvenile Instructor, now more than ever attractive. And we hope every one of our friends has the C.M. Sheet Almanack hanging on his wall. But we must not mention them all. We ask our readers to look at the pink paper, the List of C.M.S. Publications, slipped into our present number.

OBSERVE, that every publication of the Society on which a price is fixed can be obtained from any bookseller. There is no reason whatever for any difficulty. Hand the pink paper to your bookseller, and he can get whatever you want. The papers for gratuitous distribution must, of course, be obtained direct from the Church Missionary House. So can the selling publications, if purchasers prefer writing direct.

So much for business. We are unwilling to occupy space with such matters; but our readers will bear witness that we have very rarely done so, and we shall not soon do so again. Let it be borne in mind, however, that the GLEANER is no private speculation. Every penny of loss upon it is a deduction from missionary funds. Every penny of profit is an addition to missionary funds. Those friends, therefore, who help it on are really helping the missionary cause, even in the lowest pecuniary sense. But they do more than that. They are spreading abroad the true records of God's work in the world. Our magazines do what St. Paul did at Jerusalem: they "declare particularly what things God has wrought among the Gentiles." And we want to produce the same results in readers and hearers: "When they heard it they glorified the Lord" (Acts xxi. 19, 20).

WE have referred on another page to the long connection of the late revered Archbishop of Canterbury with the C.M.S. The special meeting of the Committee held in consequence of his death was a deeply interesting one. The President, Lord Chichester, was unable to be present, but he wrote expressing his great sense of the loss the Society had sustained by the removal of such a "real and valuable friend." Sir Harry Verney, M.P., 1 Prebendary Wilson, Canon Money, the Bishop of Huron, and the Rev. S. Gedge, spoke in strong terms of respect and admiration of the late Primate, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Gedge in particular giving some very interesting reminiscences. At the funeral the Society was officially represented by Captain the Hon. F. Maude (Treasurer) and the Rev. F. E. Wigram (Hon. Sec.).

THE C.M.S. Committee have presented a memorial to Lord Granville on the question of Slavery and the Slave Trade in Egypt. The recent important meeting on the subject at Willis's Rooms, when Lord Shaftesbury, Mr. Forster, and other public men spoke out fearlessly and strongly, elicited a declaration from the Prime Minister which seemed satisfactory. But pressure will help the most willing Government, and it was felt desirable that the Church Missionary Society should strengthen their hands by calling upon them not to miss the present opportunity of using the influence and power of England to abolish slavery itself and so put a stop to the slave trade.

THE new Nyanza party reached Uyui (near Unyanyembe), on their way to the Lake, on Sept. 2nd. The Rev. J. Hannington, the leader, was dangerously ill, and continued so up to Oct. 6, our latest date. We earnestly trust it has pleased God to spare a life seemingly so important to the highest interests of the Mission.

ONE of the Tinnevelly pastors, the Rev. S. Paramanandam, of Sathankulam, died on September 14th. He was ordained in 1878. This reduces the C.M.S. Native clergy of that province to sixty-four.

ON Sept. 24th, in the C.M.S. Mission church at Pallam, Travancore, Bishop Speechly admitted a Native "reader," Mr. W. Kuruwila, to deacon's orders. The Rev. Koshi Koshi presented the candidate and preached the sermon. The new deacon is to labour at Melkavu, among

the Hill Arrians.

VERY interesting and encouraging letters continue to come from the two African Archdeacons on the Niger, Dandeson Crowther and Henry Johnson. Immense congregations attend the services at Bonny and Brass. Archdeacon Johnson is doing important translation work in the Nupe and Igbira languages. The Rev. T. Phillips, the English Secretary of the Niger Mission, made his first trip up the river in the Henry Venn steamer in September.

WE desire to draw the attention of our friends throughout the country to the proposed Missionary Exhibition to be held in Norwich on Jan. 23-27. This is a further extension of the good work so ably commenced by the Rev. John Barton at Cambridge in the spring of the present year, an account of which appeared in our April number, Friends who so willingly assisted the Cambridge Exhibition would be doing good service to the C.M.S. by again lending their collections to the Exhibition at Norwich. We strongly recommend our friends at all events to go and see it. None who missed the one at Cambridge can have the least idea of its beauty and interest; and there is every reason to expect that the one at Norwich will be still more remarkable.

RECEIVED." From one who would give more if she could, Bath," 10s. ; Rev. R. A. Wood, £1; "From one interested in the Mission for Persia," 2s. 6d. ; A. D. G., for Egypt Fund, £1 108.; C. M. D., for the Henry Wright steamer, 48. 6d.

Topics for Thanksgiving and Prayer.

Thanksgiving for another year's mercies, continued and multiplied day by day. Prayer for grace to" go labour on," at home or abroad, for the missionary cause during the coming year, in full confidence that guidance and blessing will be vouchsafed as in the past.

Prayer for the new Archbishop of Canterbury.

Prayer for Egypt: that men and means may be provided for an energetic C.M.S. Mission there, and that the Mission may find a door of entrance to the hearts of the Moslem population.

Continued prayer for more men, especially for the Society's vacant posts. Prayer for the Niger Mission, and the new Nyanza party. (See above.)

1 TI dwell in the high and holy place, Is. 57. 15. spirit, Is. 57.15. 2 F Purif. V.M. With him also that is of a contrite and humble 3 S Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord, Jer. 23. 24. [candlesticks, Rev. 2. 1. 4 S Quinquagesima. Who walketh in the midst of the seven golden

M. Ge. 9. 1-20. Matt. 19. 27 to 20. 17. E. Ge. 12 or 13. Acts 21. 1-17.

5 M 1st bapt. Abeokuta, 1848. Thou art near, O Lord, Ps. 119. 151. 6 T Nigh unto all them that call upon Him, Ps. 145. 18. [Ps. 34. 18. 7 W Ash Wednesday. Nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, 8T C. Simeon originated idea of C.M.S., 1796. God is in the midst [of her, she shall not be moved, Ps. 46. 5. 9 F Bp. Williams d., 1878. Fear thou not, for I am with thee, 10 S I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, Heb. 13. 5. [Is. 41. 10. [much less this house? í K. 8. 27. 11 S 1st in Lent. Ember Wk. The heaven cannot contain Thee: how M. Ge. 19. 12-30. Matt. 23. 13. E. Ge. 22. 1-20, or 23. Acts 26.

M. Is. 58. 1-13. Mk. 2. 13-23. E. Jon. 3. Heb. 12. 3-18.

12 M 1st Tinnevelly Native Ch. Council, 1869. Gathered together in [My name, there am I in the midst, Matt. 18. 20.

13 T Schwartz d., 1798. I am with thee, and will keep thee, Gen. 28. 15. 14 W Nile party reached Uganda, 1879. Even there shall Thy hand 15 TO my God, be not far from me, Ps. 38. 21. [lead me, Ps. 139. 10. 16 F I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me, Ps. 23. 4. 17 S J. T. Wolters d., 1882. The upright shall dwell in Thy pre[sence, Ps. 140. 13. 18 S 2nd in Lent. Will ye not tremble at My presence? Jer. 5. 22. M. Ge. 27. 1-41. Matt. 26. 57. E. Ge. 28 or 32. Rom. 2. 17.

19 M Whither shall I flee from Thy presence? Ps. 139. 7. [16.11. 20 T Mrs. Wolters d., 1882. In Thy presence is fulness of joy, Ps. 21 W 1st C.M.S. Miss. sailed for India, 1814. My presence shall go with 22 T The angel of His presence saved them, Is. 63. 9. [thee, Ex. 33. 14. 23 F Henry Wright appointed Hon. Sec., 1872. Glory and honour [are in His presence, 1 Ch. 16. 27. 24 S St. Matthias. Cast me not away from Thy presence, Ps. 51. 11. [Zeph. 3. 17. 25 S 3rd in Lent. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty, M. Ge. 37. Mark 2. 1-23. E. Ge. 39 or 40. Rom. 8. 18. 26 M The Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest, Josh. 27 T Work, for I am with you, saith the Lord, Hag. 2. 4. [1.9. 28 W Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep, [Ps. 121. 4.

MORE JERSEY BREEZES.

II. Our Desert-places.

"Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while."
St. Mark vi. 31.

HE green oasis of Christmas is left behind, and the New Year is already leading some of us through desert-places. If so, they must be just what we are needing. Let us take heed to seek flowers where the rebellious heart would wound itself against the pricks. Perhaps we have been over-taxing the willing mind. The many "coming and going," many thoughts, many duties, many interests, left us no leisure to eat of the heavenly manna, to drink out of the wells of salvation. It is little wonder that, hungry and thirsty, our soul fainteth within us. Let us listen to the sweet refreshing voice of Him who long ago said to others of His dear weary ones: "Come ye apart into a desert place, and

rest a while."

Ah! there are a great many desert-places in life, and, whether we will or not, we must come to them. There are seasons of momentous decision, when our whole career seems trembling in the balance. The shifting sands of Time refuse sure footing to our faltering footsteps. Friends hesitate to counsel, and we must stand alone. Let us (6 come apart" and rest, until we see how the matter will fall. Our disappointments are His appointments. Let us realise that every deep true life is lonely. We are poor logicians, and know not how to defend ourselves amidst

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the strife of tongues; but He will undertake for us, and He alone knoweth the end from the beginning. Like simple-minded David, let us encourage ourselves in the Lord our God," and as we gaze into the starry heavens we may take counsel with "the God of Abraham" in the holy rest of Eternity.

up

Could the secret steps be traced which culminate in selfdedication to missionary enterprise, we might find that, like the doughty knights of old, these modern crusaders had been called to brace themselves for their life of conflict by keeping lonely vigil beside the sword of the Spirit. How many have bravely passed through the ordeal; cheered by the presence of their Great Captain, they carry His sublime rest into the duties and trials of each day, and in His might, go on from strength to strength. God speed all such! Which of us workers has not known the bitter bereavement that seemed to take the life of our life, tempting us to regret, lose heart, despair? For us, then, is the constraining softness of the soothing words: Come, come apart, and rest. He wants to teach us that society is not sympathy, nor excitement repose, but that His love can fill all blanks. He knows our sorrows; He counts up our tears. And, far rarer proof of mighty love, He smiles back our smile and is glad with us. He will make our seeming desert to rejoice and blossom as the rose, and gladness shall brighten, for us, the wilderness and the solitary place. And when we have been un consciously wandering away from the safe shadow of His wing, He in mercy lays us low on the couch of pain and languor. He makes a little enclosure, secure from the unrest of busy life. He has wise lessons for us here. Let us learn them and grow better. Had we fancied ourselves indispensable to our little circle? Is it humiliating to find all can go on well without us? Let us rest our tired heads and sad hearts upon His breast, and let Him do with us what seemeth Him good. Very likely He has abundant work for us still, and He will send us forth to it, not less joyous than before the chastening, but somehow finding "all things

new."

There is one desert place, the last in the journey, to which all must come. It is the Valley of the Shadow of Death. No earthly companionship is possible there. As regards the familiar things of this world, we must go through the trial alone. But what if we have long since realised, and meekly accepted, the allaloneness of our unsatisfied nature? Then, surely, when we reach the last dreary spot, we shall instinctively do as we have done times innumerable; we shall "come apart," and find rest unto our fainting souls. Oh, may we be wise and understand these things. And may the Lord of Rest give us rest always, by all means. A. M. V.

THE STORY OF THE NEW ZEALAND MISSION.
By the Author of "England's Daybreak," "The Good News in
Africa," &c.
II.

UR readers of last month's number will have become sufficiently acquainted with the ways and doings of the original inhabitants of New Zealand not to be surprised that the first European who approached their shores, Tasman, should have been fiercely repulsed. He had been sent out in search of the Australian continent by the Dutch governor of Java, in 1642, and, rejoiced by the sight of land, was pushing forward to the shore, when the Maori, launching out in their canoes to repel the unexpected visitors, made an unprovoked attack upon his boats. Tasman, judging from their numbers and desperate bravery that the safety

of his ships might be seriously involved, did not care to risk an engagement, and retreated, leaving nothing behind him but the name which the islands have borne ever since, in honourable remembrance of his native land.

It was reserved for our fellow-countryman, Captain Cook, nearly 130 years later, really to weave the first links with this singular people. By the firm discipline he exercised amongst his crew, and the mingled courage and tact which marked his relationship with the natives, he established intercourse on so satisfactory a footing, that (with the exception of four New Zealanders slain by a misunderstanding on his first approach), not one other drop of blood was shed during his five visits to the islands, and to this day the grateful recollection cherished of him amongst the Maori forms the strongest testimony as to how he dealt with them. He had a great and a loving heart, this fearless navigator; he was touched with the want of proper food, and the lack of the most ordinary comforts amongst these people. It was he who introduced the pig (afterwards one of their most important articles of diet) amongst them, with the potatoe, the turnip, and the cabbage. Wheat, peas, and beans, they refused to accept, though he urged these also upon them. They were utterly unlike anything that they had seen before, and they would have nothing to say to them!

But better food for the body only could not benefit the souls, the characters of these poor heathen. Trade was established with New South Wales, but it speedily degenerated into a system of fraud and violence-acts of bad faith on the part of Europeans, and thereby retaliation on that of the New Zealanders ensued, so that the scattered notices we have of Maori history between the times of Captain Cook and Samuel Marsden are little else than

tales of cruelty and bloodshed, in which the European narrators have known how to conceal their own faults, and lay the entire blame on the ignorant savages with whom they came into collision. The reputation of these latter grew blacker and blacker, so that the very name of New Zealand was held in abhorrence.

The heavenly joy of being the first to penetrate this darkness with the healing rays of Gospel light was reserved for a young Yorkshire blacksmith, who united earnest love to his Master and care for perishing souls with the indomitable perseverance and energy of a North countryman. Born in the humbler ranks of society Samuel Marsden was regularly brought up to the forge, but he had set his heart on being a clergyman, and, uniting study of the Latin grammar with the fulfilment of his own work, he managed to blow the bellows with one hand, and copy out Latin rules and exercises upon the fire-board with the other. The clergyman of his parish did his utmost to help him, and in course of time Mr. Marsden was ordained a chaplain to the convicts, and dispatched to the antipodes, at Port Jackson (now Sydney) in Australia.

Whilst there he met two New Zealand chiefs whom a Captain King had brought with him from their native land, hoping they would be able to furnish valuable information on the cultivation of flax. This was his first introduction to the race to whom he was truly to be an apostle in the future; the interest thus awakened in them was strengthened by intercourse with Tippahee, a remarkably intelligent and superior Maori chieftain, who with his four sons had worked his way to Port Jackson, on board a sailing vessel. This man's eagerness for the welfare and improvement of his country was such, that when taken to a rope-walk to see the process of spinning twine and rope, &c., he