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Religious Scriif'les. 157
We were unable to obtain many curiosities in the way of
native implements, as according to the calendar of the island it
was the Sabbath day, and was as such strictly observed; although
with us, keeping eastern time and longitude, it was of course a
Saturday. However, by a judicious distribution of a few plugs of
tobacco, which I emphatically called “ presents,” and by bestowing
on my native friend a surgical lancet, which he was very anxious
to possess, I received— also as “ presents — a few implements,
viz., a large wooden shark-hook with rope snooding made of
cocoanut fibres, a small fish-hook, the stem of which was made
of pearl shell and the hook of turtle shell, a fish-hook made of
cocoanut husk, neatly carved, and the blade of an old native adze
fashioned out of a clamshell. I was very glad to get these
articles, for since the introduction of iron tools the ancient stone
and shell implements have been thrown away and lost sight of,
so that it is now exceedingly difficult to procure any of them.
No weapons of any kind are used, and the spear is not used even
for fishing. I entered one of the better class of native huts, and
found it clean and neatly arranged ; and as in the hut of the
missionary teacher, pictures cut from the London illustrated
papers were stuck against the walls, and pointed out to us as
objects of special pride. The entire population at this time
numbered 260, and was presided over until a few weeks prior to
our visit by a king. The late monarch, however, having shown
himself to be a good-for-nothing sort of person, was deposed by
his subjects, who now get on very well without any form of
government excepting that of the missionaries.
There was one white man living on the island, a Scotchman
named Adam Mayne, who collects cocoanut-oil on behalf of the
firm of Henderson and Macfarlane, of Auckland. He receives
supplies every three months or thereabouts from a trading vessel ;
but as the latter was now three months overdue, he was very
glad to receive from us a present of biscuit and medical stores.
The Christianizing of the island has been undertaken by the
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