the children a garden as a reward for industry, and to bestow prizes, not for the purpose of exciting emulation but as a reward to all who do their work well. The pupilteachers at the end of four years will, if they behave well, have some useful gift made to them, such as a cow or calf. The girls will have instruction in needle-work, etc., as I propose to pay out of the school fees the salary of a schoolmistress, who will attend in the afternoon for a couple of hours, and who will be aided by Mrs. Rossiter and her sisters.

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I found that two families had gone back to Pitcairn Island, and I heard that three more were contemplating a similar move. At a general meeting of the people I spoke strongly to them, pointing out to them the folly, nay the sin, which they were committing in throwing aside for themselves as well as for their children the means of living which had been provided for them, and I warned them that I should not in any way countenance or assist them in removing; that I should put a condition of residence in the grant of land which I was prepared to make to them, and should prohibit any alienation of this land to any but inhabitants of the island. I felt the more bound to do this as I found that the magistrates and Mr. Nobbs had, in the case of the people who had left, been weak enough to agree to pay to the captain of a schooner a sum of six hundred pounds, as the passage-money of sixty adults to Pitcairn, and had given him bills for three hundred pounds on their agent at Sydney, which he claimed when only sixteen went down instead of sixty. This money, I may observe, was the value of the wool and hides sold, and was the property of the Government. I have now taken the administration of the public funds out of the hands of the magistrates, and given it to the storekeeper, who is only to act, as far as regards drawing bills upon the wool, etc., by my directions.

"The island is now marked off in fifty-acre allotments, and I propose to send down the deeds of grant when I have settled the form and conditions, and arranged a sim

ple system of registration, and forms of sale, mortgage, etc. I looked out for a place where it might be possible to haul up a small schooner of say fifty to seventy tons, and I think we might manage this without much difficulty in a bay to the east of the island. Until the inhabitants can secure some regular means of communication with the adjacent colonies, their progress will be slow.

"I look forward to the time when Norfolk Island will become the St. Michael's of New Zealand, Tasmania, and Melbourne. Lemons are indigenous, and form the best stock upon which the orange can be grafted. I have sent down several of the best descriptions of orange, and shall supply them with, shaddock and other fruits of the same kind. Mr. Rossiter is, I am glad to find, a good gardener.

"I am writing under the disadvantage of being just above the screw; but I would not postpone my letter till my return to Sydney, as I shall probably have much to do, and to write before the departure of the mail. Believe me, yours very truly, W. DENISON.

"I have given Mr. Nobbs fifty pounds per annum out of the revenue of the island, in addition to the fifty pounds which he receives from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. He is fairly entitled to this, and I trust the Secretary of State will sanction the payment."

In a former letter to Admiral Moresby, Sir William observes: "Your son has taken many photographic likenesses of the people. When I saw them together at a public meeting I was struck with their general appearance, and gave them credit for being a fine race. There are not many instances of beauty, but many of good looks, and the shape of the head is good in nearly all. He has furnished me with some specimens of his work, which I am going to send to England. He was in great request at Norfolk Island."

Extract of a letter from Mr. Nobbs, which gives an in

teresting account of the occurrences at Norfolk Island for the year 1859:

"Norfolk Island, October 10th, 1859. "The affairs of last year, although my letters did not arrive, will, I presume, have been communicated to you by our beloved Fortescue, whom I have endeavored to keep au fait in Norfolk Island matters. Our people succeeded in taking one hundred and twenty barrels of oil last year, one hundred of which was sent to Sydney, and realized two hundred and forty pounds. This money has just been sent down to us, but will not much more than cover the expense of the getting and fitting out of last season, and the cost of new boats, lines, casks, etc., for the establishment on a larger scale this year. We have now four boats well equipped, and which require twenty-four men to work them. The whaling-season is just now commencing. Last week they killed three large cow-whales, but they sank immediately (a common case), and we feared they were totally lost; however, we have had a sharp look-out on the hill, and at this very moment the news has come over from the Cascades, and now the boats are off, one of them having risen to the surface. She will be towed in, being some five miles distance from the land. I suspect the sharks have been banqueting. We have now some hope of recovering the others; a day or two will decide. In the melée last week we had one boat smashed, but the boat's crew would not cut from the whale, although there was a hole in the fore-part of the boat big enough for a man to go through. They all went aft into. the stern sheets, and, spite of the kicking and fighting of the whale, held on till the other boats came to their assistance, which was scarcely done when the broken boat, being full of water, rolled over bottom up. In that boat I had three sons and two sons-in-law. I remonstrated with these for their rashness, but they seemed to think there was no very great danger.

"In the month of December last, two families numbering sixteen persons, four only of whom were over fifteen

years of age, returned to Pitcairn, and we have not yet heard any thing concerning them. Two or three other families seem determined to go if an opportunity offers; and since they show such dogged and willful ingratitude, I have left off dissuading them. I and mine will remain, if it please God, most grateful that we have so goodly an heritage. The season has been very favorable, and we have plenty of Indian corn and sweet-potatoes, with fish, milk, and butter. Irish potatoes will not thrive; would they do so, whale-ships would supply us with almost every thing we needed. Flour we must also import.

"There has been very little sickness amongst the community; the most are becoming contented, and, consequently, comfortable. Mr. Rossiter is, I think, just such a man as was needed, industrious in school and out, and very unassuming. The miller and mason are cultivating their allotments. They have not yet commenced working at their respective callings, but I presume they will soon.

"H.M.S. Niger was here two weeks ago, bringing a large quantity of articles purchased by Sir William Denison for opening a store under the direction of Mr. Rossiter, who is to charge ten per cent. on the prime cost of the articles to cover contingencies. Could Lady Moresby have seen the opening day, she would have been both amused and gratified. The only expensive thing is flour, which at the present time is very dear at Sydney. Sir William has taken the control of the sheep into his own hands; the wool is to be sent to Sydney for the benefit of the community, the proceeds therefrom being placed in the bank with the consent of the governor, whose signature must be affixed to the drafts. This is to prevent Her Majesty's royal bounty being perverted to uses for which it never was designed, and right glad am I that Sir William Denison has been pleased to use such a wise precaution. From this fund His Excellency allows me fifty pounds a year, which, though an unexpected, is a welcome addition to my stipend from the S.P.G. I can, by sailing close to the wind, make fifty pounds a year suffice—with a