The New York herald., 1878-11-24
Four Wesleyan Teachers Feasted Upon
by New Britain Barbarians.
PROMPT PUNISHMENT.
From Fifty to Eighty Savages Slain
by the Avenging Expedition.
OvERAWED AND CONCILIATED
Future Safety Of Traders and Preachers Secured by
AVsnsing the Crime Of the Callibas

The telegraph reported some weeks ago that Ave
Wesleyan missionaries had been killed and eaten by
the natives of New Zealand. Persons who were ac-
qnainted with the condition of New Zealand took the
liberty to doubt the story; for though they might
admit the possibility of party of hoodlum Maories
indulging in feast of the kind they did not con-
ceve it at all probable The story and the doubts are
both confirmed Four Wesleyan missionaries have
been killed and eaten but by natives of New Britain,
not of New Zealand.
CANNBAIIsM.
The Island of New Britain. where this horrible
crime was committed is situated short distance
east of New Guinea, and though it is surrounded on
three sides by groups Of islands which have long been
the field OF missionary abors has only recently been
occupied as a mission station. 1t is inhabited by
savages Of type similar to that Of of the tribes
Of New Guinea and Of low degree OF barbarism. 1t
Is seldom visited by traders and not having been be-
fore occupied by missionaries. selected in
1876 by the wesleyans of Australia. partly
because it offered an entirely field.
partly on account of its nearness to New
Guinea. one Of the points in which, together with
the neghboring groups Of New Ireland and the Duke
Of York Islands, they would establish the stations of
group Of missions. 1t will be necessary to go
back sixty years explain how the missionaries
came to be in New Britain. The islands OF the Pa
cifc Ocean east and south of New Britain the
scenes Of important and widely difused missionary
operations. Thousands of Christian comma
nties large and small, scattered among
their rocks or control at their ports, and
eral of them boast large. hourishing self
sustaining and liberal churches. In the extreme
northeast the Sandwich Islands, now wholly
Christian. and between them and New Britain lie
the hundreds Of small islands of Micronesia large
Board, through agents furnished and for the most
part supported by the Hawaiian churches. TO the
eastward the Society Islands or Tahiti now
Christian. with Congregational and Roman Catholic
churches and Samoa. where the London Missionary
Society has enrolled largo societies and nearer in the
southeast, the Fiji and Tonga or Friendly
Islands. which have been the of the
grandest trumphs of Wesleyan missionaries. Nearer
still the New Hebrdes, which the Presby terians
have occupied. and the Solomon Islands where mis-
sionares have worked for several years To the south
the Australian colonies These islands, with New
Guinea, therefore, were almost the last remaining
points of Polynesia and Australasia where the effort
to plant Christianity had not been begun.
CHANGE WROUGHT SIXTY YEARS.
Sixty years ago the people Of all these islands
regarded savages and csnnibsls. and the man who
went among them for any purpose literally took
a Wesleyan minister. landed in Australia and be-
gan to preach. he had opportunity. to soldiers.
penal convicts and natives. and he and his
continued their efforts without much encourage
ment for many years. till the honest settlers began
to arrive. when matters assumed better aspect A
few years later the Wesleyan missionaries found
their way to Tonga also called the Friendly Islands
They found the islanders more susceptible to
Christanizing influences than the brutal abo-
riginees of Australia aud after few years
of hard labor their missions began TO
flourish and spread till they overhowed
into the Fiji Islands. seldom have the messengers
of peace and civilization had to encounter tribes
which seemed to be unfit subjects for Christian
izing and refining Influences than tho fierce. man.
eating Fijans. Even late 1853, when the present
King (now exemplary Christian and voluntary
vassal of England inaugurated. eighteen victims
selected to grace the royal feast and killed
by having their heads dashed against large stone.
(which is still there, telling its sad tale of the past
while Mr. Calvert, the missionary was speeding to
!he commercial building in vain effort to prevent
the murder. Mr. William Owen. an Australian
chant however told the chief that unless the cooked
human flesh given up for burial he would at
once close all business transactions with him. The
threat efectua and eighty -four cooked parts Of
mems bodies were recovered and buried Mr.. Gervasc
Smith. who visited the spot last May, the stone
which the victims heads were dashed, looked
'untl he sickencd" into the oven in which hun
dreds. and probably thousands. of bodies had been
baked. traced the outline of the bath i'm which the
bodies washed before being cooked. and in
spected the tree which the register victims was
kept notchcd from its root to the highest branc
every mark telling OF murder and cannibalism The
missionaries trumphcd nevertheless. and the result
of their pcrsevcrng efforts is represented by the
Australasian Wesleyan Methodist Church. with Ave
annual conferences and 81 600 members, of whom
nearly thirty thousand are native Christians OF the
viii and Friendly Islands.
"SKw WESLEYAN MISSION"
These Tongan and Fijian Christians. generally sup
porting their churches and paying their min
isters naturally came TO feel desire 70 do some
thing actively for the missionary enterprise, from
which they had derived benefits beyond all price.
Their English brethren Of Australia and New Yea
land ready TO help them, and in fact were glad
cooperate with them for having just negotiated
Independence OF the English Wesleyan Church. They
too. dcsrous of emulang their parent and
the other recognized churches in spreading the Cos
pei. IL arranged that mission should be
begun under the care of the New South Wales and
Queensland Conference, 10 which the Tongan and
Fijian churches were attached. in New Britain aud
the neghboring groups, with view of ultimately
extending the stations to New Guinea. Accordingly
the Rev. George brown. who designated as the
ehicf of the anu the Wnite lnsson-
My sailed in 1875. accompanied by ten native Fjian.
Samoan and Tongan ministers and teachers, for the
field OF operations. small group known
the Duke of York Islands selected
he headquarters of the mission and the seat Of the
principal station and other stations were established
in New Britain and New Ireland The enter
prise had all the difficulties OF making settlement,
examining the ground aud becoming acquainted With
The natives and suffered from the sickness OF its
hccliinKtcd members, that 10 soon became neccs-
sVy TO send for reinforccmcnts, and there was no
difficulty IN securing them. Other native agents
have gone down since. that the total force OF the
mission is now probably some fifteen
twenty workers. The missionaries kindly
received by the natives and enjoyed
friendly intercourse with them, and their
work prospercd that while they reported
thirty members at the close Of 1876 they returned
sixty-fou year aftcrward. At about the beginning
OF this year quarrel arose among the islands be-
twcen tho crew of vessel and the natives In which
white was wounded. During tho fighting that en-
sued the natives were driven away their island.
In the latter part OF January q trading station was