The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-05-03


foreign fabrics.
The inhabitants are anxious to rise in civil
cation. Under the advice OF Mr. Mills, rigid
rules have been adopted to prevent the practice
of intemperance and RIGHTEOUSNESS, which Vi
cious sailors, under unprincipled officers, are
too apt to encourage in. heather countries. The
islanders are, of course, heather, and still have
many supersttious rites, but they are by no
means the most degraded heather. They be-
ieve in Great Being, who presides over the
universe, whom they worship by sacrifices; for
merly they sacrificed their enemies. They have
many traditions corroborative of the Old Tesla
ment history. They have no idle worship. They
have prophet or high priest to each tribe, and
when one of them dies, they carve a wooden
image of him, and set it up IN their sacred place,
but they pay it no more reverence than We 10
the statues Of eminens men. The people are
getting ar 4 bf these pretended prophets, and
now, when one of them dies, no successor is
chosen. When relative dies, they have ,r1bes,
like the Irish Catholics. They often eIubalm
the body, and keep 1t above ground. Sometimes
they provide feasts in commemoration Of the
dead.
The land is divided among the families, and
cannot be alienated. Removing p neighbours
landmark is punishable with death. There are
seven tribes in the largest island, and each has
its chief; the chief of the largest tribe is head
chief. No stranger can be killed without the
sanction of chief If any dispute arises about
land the chief consults the head men, and
decision is made openly on the spot. Before
war is made, the chief summons the head men,
hears their opinions, and then pronounces the
viii of the majority. There are no taxes. The
people work for the chiefs, supply them with
fish, and yield a willing obedience. Thieves aud
burglars are summarily shot by the party against
whom the trespass Is committed, and the per-
son who shoots them is not called TO account
for the act.
At the present time, Mr.. Mills says property
might be landed from any vessel. and it would
remain over night on the beach unmolested.
He has encouraged trade, and from seventy to
eighty ships touch at the island annually. They
purchase wood, Irish and sweet potatoes, vans,
cocoa-nuts, bread fruit, &c, and sell clothing
and various other articles. The trade might
he greatly increased, were the resources Of the
islands fully developed. There is q good har-
! Dor at the largest island.
| Mr.. Mills has aimed to live a Christian life
| on the islands. After be had been there about
| five years, he married the daughter Of the prin-
cipal chief. She was an only child, and not
! long after they were married, her father died,
and Mr.. Mills acquired great influence. The
natives saw that he knew many things which
might be useful to them, and that he was at
work to improve their condition. Bnt he could
not be at ease to see these poor heathens rising
merely to worldly prosperity, while they were
| perishing for lack of knowledge of the Lord
| Jesus Christ and the great plan Of salvation.
| Being plain man, without the advantages Of
| much learning, he felt that he was not qualified
| to instruct the people as they should be taught,
and he determined to secure for them reli
! gous teacher. So, two years ago, after writing
| to the Sandwich Islands, and getting no an
swer, he took his wife and what property be
had, (amounting to about fifteen hundred dol
Lars and leaving his little sch, then three years
| old, who by hereditary usage, had become the
| principal chief of the island, with a cousin of
| his wife, he set out to find a missionary.
| He went first to Australia, hoping to pro-
| cure a missionary from the English settlers
| there, but he found no one willing to give up
gold to save souls at the Marquesan Islands.
| He proceeded to Van Deman's Land only tn
be disappointed. He next turned to New lea
land, hoping to find some one there who would
be willing to 90 with him and teach his chosen
people the Gospel. There, too, he was disap-
pointed. just then he fell in with the master
! of New England ship, who took him and his
companion aboard and brought them to Salem,
Massachusetts, where he landed last October.
His little property was now about all ex-
pended but nowise disheartened, he kept his
| eye on the great object before him. He then
came to New Y ork, and applied to the Secretary
of the American Board, Rev. G.. w. Wood,
who investigated the case, and sent Mr.. Mills
to New Bedford, Mass, to procure vertical
| ton of his statements. Here be found num-
Der of men who had been acquainted with him
at the Marquesan Islands. They were reioiced
| 10 see him, and gave him satisfactory testimoni-
ais. Rev. A. Eldridge, pastor OF Congrega-
| tional church at New Bedford, gave him
certificate saying d" From ship-masters owners,
and others interested in our whaling feet l
learn that his influence among the natives,
! which is very great, has been always on the
side Of order and good morals. Missionaries
iaboring there would have in him prudent,
experienced, reliable, and influential co-opera.
| tor" Mr.. Wood certifes: "The documents
which Mr.. Mills has with him leave no doubt
of the sincerity with which he is prosecuting
this matter" Rev. S. W. Roe, of Cairo, n. i,
writes His statements can all be fully depend
| ed upon, as / have a man in my church, who,
until within a short time, was a yearly visitor
of these, and indeed most Of the South Sea
islands, who endorses every statement made by
| Mr.. Mills"
| The American Board being restricted, By
| their understanding with the London Missionary
Society, from establishing missions in the Pacific
| south Of the equator, were obliged to decline
his request Mr. Mills now began to feel, for
the first time, as if he must abandon his enter
prise. Calling at the Office Of the American
| Home Missionary Society, to bid adieu to Rev.
! ID. B. Coe, one of the secretaries, who had been
very kind to him, he met with a son of Mr..
Dwight, one of the American missionaries at
| Constantinople, who is student in the Union
| Theological Seminary Of this city. This young
gentleman heinz nouch interested in Mr. Mills
| statements, said, Come with me, and address
our meeting this evening" The students were
to have a meeting that evening, being monthly
concert, for Inquiry on the subject of missions.
| Mr.. Mills went. His statements excited uni
versal interest and several, who had never
| thought of going as foreign missionaries, were
almost ready to go, if no one else would. One
of the students, Mr.. B. n Seymour, whose mind
| from boyhood had been fixed on such a service,
offered to accompany Mr.. Mills to his field of
labor, if the means could be procured
The matter has been laid before the COM
mittee of the American Missionary Association,
and they would gladly establish mission at
the Marquesan Islands, If their funds would
allow it. But they have already undertaken as
much this year for the foreign field as the state
of the treasury will at present permit.
The object of this article is to appeal TO the
Christian public to establish such a mission
| About two thousand dollars will be needed TO
| commence the mission. 1t Is desirable to have
| it RENTED Immediately. Remittanees can b.
addressed to Lewis Tappap, Treasurer of the
| A. NJ A, AZ Beekman street, New York. 1t is
hoped that benevolent persons will feel happy
in contributing for Mr. and Mrs. Mills, and their
| infant son, such means as they will need as an
| outfit. and after their arrival home. They have
| been aided in this city, during the past winter.