Nott, The Bricklayer

Pioneer Missionary Who Grows in Stature as the Years Pass.

By Our Tahiti Correspondent.

AMONG the missionaries who brought Christianity to the islands of the Pacific, the figure of Henry Nott con tinues to increase in stature with the passage of time.

During many years his memory had faded from the minds of men. The natives of Tahiti and French Oceania had forgotten him. The Register of the London Missionary Society listed him merely as one of its many faithful ser vants in the foreign field.

John Williams, of Raiatea, murdered by savages on the beach of Erromanga in the New Hebrides, had become illus trious as the Christian martyr of the South Pacific. The presence in the islands of the descendants of other mis sionaries had served to keep their memory green.

Our first knowledge of the pre eminence of Henry Nott came from the study of Ellis’ “Polynesian Researches”.

The roster of the ship “Duff” had re corded him only as Henry Nott, brick layer. Yet research into his history in the islands reveals a commanding por trait of a scholar, a great preacher, a diplomat, an administrator of unusual gifts, merged in the modest character of a devout servant of the Good Master.

A full record of his work in the mis sionary service would require a volume.

Here we can trace only an outline.

He was born in 1774. He arrived at Tahiti on March 6, 1797, and removed to Moorea in December, 1808. In 1812, he visited Port Jackson, where, in July, he married Miss A. Turner, and re turned to Moorea, October 5, 1812. He removed to Huahine in July, 1818, and to Matavai (Tahiti) in June, 1819. He visited England between 1825 and 1827.

Having in December, 1835, after twenty years’ labour, completed the Tahitian version of Scriptures, and, being in ill-health, he > left Tahiti on February 20, 1836, and returned with Mrs. Nott to England, arriving June 19, 1836. He then revised the M.S.S. of the Tahitian version of the entire Bible, and carried it through the press at the expense of the Bible Society. Taking the Bibles with him, he, with Mrs. Nott, returned to Tahiti. He arrived at Tahiti on September 12, 1840, and soon after retired from active service. He died at Tahiti on May 2, 1844.

ONE day, 20 years ago, the writer happened to be passing by the church at Outu Aiai, in the district of Arue, Tahiti. He saw lying on the ground near the church door two grave stones. One, of Sydney stone, was in scribed as follows: “Sacred to the memory of the Rev.

Henry Nott, Missionary, who departed from this life of sin and sorrow and entered into his rest on the 2nd day of

May, 1844, after having endured a great fight of afflictions. He had been, for 48 years, the faithful servant of the London Missionary Society, having been sent out by them to this island in the ship ‘Duff’, commanded by Captain James Wilson, in the year 1796. He was translator of the Sacred Scriptures into the Tahitian language.

“ T have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me in that day; and not for me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing’ . . . ‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death’.”

The other gravestone—a marble slab

—bore this inscription:—“Rev. T. S.

McKean, M.A., missionary of the Lon don Missionary Society—Shot at his door during the fight at Point Venus, June 30, 1844. Aged 37”.

The inscriptions, being in English, had no significance to the natives, who each Sunday attended the church, The writer communicated his dis covery to his friend, the late Mr. J. L.

Philips. Mr. Philips had long been at the task, both at Tahiti and London, of bringing to light and renewed remem brance the facts of Nott’s career, “We must find the place whence these gravestones have been taken,” said Mr.

Philips.

We associated with us Mr. Irving Smith, who lives in Arue, and the three of us, with the aid of some ancient

natives, eventually found the two graves at Ahutoru, about one hundred feet west of the enclosure where the old kings of Tahiti are buried.

In due time, the two gravestones were returned to their original sites and cemented into a wall, erected about the graves of Nott and McKean.

Henry Nott’s lasting memorial is the Tahitian version of the Bible. Begun in 1813, the work of translation was completed in 1835. Writing home, he announced: “That work, I am happy to inform you, was finished on Friday, December 18, 1835, at half-past one o’clock”.

His translation is a masterly work.

He has carried to the Tahitian the majesty of style which exalts the Bible above all other writings in the English language.

He was first to master the Tahitian language. On August 10, 1801, Jef ferson wrote home: “We have the satis faction of informing the Missionary Society that, by the grace of God, we hope, for the first time, publicly to ad dress the natives on next Lord’s Day.

Brother Nott will be the speaker”.

The disastrous wars which began in 1808 and continued until 1815, com pelling the king, Pomare 11, to flee to the island of Moorea and reducing the districts of Pare and Matavai to deso lation, would have totally extinguished missionary effort had Henry Nott fol lowed his brethren in their flight to Port Jackson on October 26, 1809.

To his lasting honour, Nott stood fast; remained with the king at Moorea,

carrying on the work of the Gospel in that island, until the recall of the king to Tahiti and the final battle at Narii brought to an end idolatry in King Pomare’s Dominions, forever.

Mr. and Mrs. W. Lieber, who resided in Tonga for many years and who now live at Mosman, Sydney, had as their Christmas guest Miss I. Laurence, of Tonga