“Duff” Journals Purchased

Early Records of Tahiti, Marquesas, and Tonga

T)Y a progressive policy of making judicious purchases whenever his toric material comes on the market, the Mitchell Library in Sydney has gradually added to its collection of early Pacific MSS until it is to-day in an unrivalled position as far as research work in the Pacific is concerned.

Not the least interesting of recent addi tions is a collection recently obtained from London relating to the early Duff missionaries, a band of men whose names will always be associated with the history of Tahiti, Tonga, the Marquesas, and other parts of the Pacific. These paper? were once in the possession of the Hev, Thomas Haweis, one of the stalwarts of the London Missionary Society.

Fragments from the journal of Samuel Harper, one of the first martyrs in Oceania, occupy 38 closely written pages.

The journal describes the journey in the Duff to Tahiti, via Rio de Janiero, in 1796-97, and the continuation of the voyage to Tonga where Harper wa? landed to meet his death.

Harper has left on record an interesting account of the Tonga of his day, and of the trouble he experienced with several Europeans already settled there,

Palmerston Island In 1797

This new material provides the inter esting information that one of the Tahitians on the Duff took possession of Palmerston Island, where the vessel called en rout© to Tonga, on April 1, 1797.

The island was found to be uninhabited.

There were signs, however, that natives had been there some time before. An ac count says that after several attempts to land, one of the Tahitians jumped over board and swam ashore: “ . . . . after staying a few minutes on the island he returned ... and stated that he had taken possession of it for young Otoo, (Pomare II), the young King of Taheite ... Part of a double canoe was found lying on the beach, and ap peared to have been there a considerable time.”

The Tahitians later scaled the trees and secured coconuts for the mission aries. Several trees, incidentally, had been cut down by former visitors. The same witness remarked that the birds seemed as if they had not been disturbed for a very long period. “Several of them suffered us to take them from among the bushes,” he said. “Others were knocked down with stones.” Harper, in his ac count, also mentioned the presence of in numerable sharks about Palmerston Is land. Three were captured and dragged on board the Duff.

Mission At Marquesas

The voyage to the Marquesas was not without incident. The vessel was almost wrecked on Sir Thomas Middleton’s Is land, which was named by Captain Wil son, of the Duff. “Only the interposition of Providence saved us!” declared Crook.

The Marquesas were reached early in June, and Crook was landed at Christiana.

The people appeared kind, friendly, and teachable. “They have no human sacri fices, neither do they kill children,” he wrote. “All we can do with this people till we have learned the language is to set them a good example, which we hope through Grace to do.” The pity is that other Europeans did not do likewise. As

it was, the Marquesans scattered like chaff before the wind on the advent of Europeans.

These papers throw interesting light on the relations between the missionaries themselves after their arrival in Tahiti.

It is quite evident that many of them were against the project of evangelising the Marquesans and Tongans at that time. Some thought that their numbers should not be divided. One of the band speaks of the “imperious behaviour” of Cover, (who returned later to England), Lewis, (who was murdered in Tahiti), and Henry, (who eventually died in New South Wales). “It is well-known,” he commented, “that some of the brethren have long viewed the married people with a jealous eye, and made no secret in de claring their intention of separating from

them if possible.” All the married men remained in Tahiti. Within a year the majority of them fled to New South Wales, though the Tahitians begged them to stay; they even followed them to the vessel, weeping.

It is apparent, too, that the missionaries had pre-conceived ideas concerning the Tahitians. “The women frequently come on board (the Duff),” wrote one of the band, “but behave with much more modesty and decency than we had been led to expect!”

Eric Ramsden.

Mr. J. Wadsworth, who has been direc tor of Apia Observatory for the last six years, has been transferred to Wellington, New Zealand. He has been succeeded by Mr. Ralph Dyer.

Miss Nellie Hullett, a worker for the New Guinea Mission at Naniu, Papua, has been spending furlough in Australia.