Island, in a cutter of eighteen tons burden, with one other person besides myself composing her crew. In six weeks we arrived at Pitcairn, met with a good reception, and up to the present day I have never regretted the determination I formed on the demise of my beloved parent.

"With the details of the last twenty-five years you are intimately acquainted, and to you, my honoured and venerated benefactor, I owe my present enviable situation, and from you and yours I have received more substantial favours, pecuniary and influential, within the last twelve months, than I ever received in all my life. That Almighty God may return them to you a thousandfold is the humble but sincere prayer of your grateful servant, "GEORGE H. NOBBS,

The Pitcairn girls were in the habit of writing to their naval friends in England as a proof that they did not forget their kindness, nor the pleasure their visits had afforded them. So little varied was the even tenour of their lives, so few merchant vessels touched at Norfolk Island, that they were not likely to forget the former pleasant days spent at Pitcairn.

The following letter is selected as a good specimen of their style of correspondence, and proves that Susan Nobbs was satisfied with her new home in Norfolk Island.

Susan Nobbs, daughter-in-law of the Pastor, to Vice-Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby, G.C.B.

"Norfolk Island, September 24th, 1857. my joy on receiving the kind

"MY DEAR SIR, "I cannot express letter you sent me by the Iris,' and I heartily thank you for the scolding you gave me, and I only wish it was from your own dear lips. It gives us all great pleasure to hear that you are quite well. God grant that you may long continue to enjoy health and happiness. We are so

happy to hear that our old friend, Fortescue Moresby, is on board the Iris,' and we are so anxious to see him; the girls are almost wild with joy. As soon as the ship was reported to be in sight, the girls said they hoped Fortescue Moresby was on board, little thinking that their wish would be realised. And now I must tell you about our new home. You must have heard of our safe arrival. When we first came on shore everything looked so strange to us, but it did not last long. Some of our people like Pitcairn best, but I think Norfolk Island is much better. We have such beautiful houses and gardens, which give lots of employment to keep them clean, and we have milked the cows and make butter. Our men are employed in the field, and I assure you they have enough to do. Norfolk Island is a much healthier climate than Pitcairn, although it is colder. We do not go so thinly clad as formerly, and I believe we are improving in every thing; in fact, we are having every thing after the English fashion. It is a great advantage for us to be so near the colonies, for we can easily get what we want.

"I must not forget to tell you about my own family. My first little baby survived but a few hours, and then took its flight to a better world. And now I have two dear little girls, one called Kathleen Laura, the other, who was the firstborn on Norfolk Island, was called Eliza Louisa, after Lady Moresby. Your friend Esther Quintall is always talking about you; she is quite well. There are lots of children born here. Please tell Mary White that I am so thankful for her kind present, and I hope Mr. and Mrs. White are quite well and happy. The report you heard about our young men going to Sydney for wives is false, for there are many already engaged, and they are still preferring their countrywomen, and I expect when next I write to you I shall have the pleasure of saying that Ann Nobbs has changed her name to Mrs. Quintal, for she is already engaged to my brother." The next letter, written by Dorcas Young, is a valuable

and affectionate tribute of respect to the character of their pastor, some unworthy person in England having spoken injuriously of him.

Dorcas Young to Vice-Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby, G.C.B. "MY VERY DEAR ADMIRAL, "October 13th, 1857.

"Dear good little Fortey has again come to see us. Glad, glad, truly glad to see him were all of our people, not only for his own dear self, but for that of his (and ours too) dear good father, Admiral Moresby.

"Old times, and old associations and recollections came vividly to my mind, and I did in a measure live over again a few of those happy hours spent at dear little Pitcairn. If you could only fancy to yourself a road some three and a half miles in length, with only two solitary persons upon it at first, and then one, and another and another, and so on until half the population was hanging around, kissing and shaking hands, and expressing their joy in a thousand different ways; you may form some idea of Fortey and his retinue, from his landing at the back of the island to the settlement. The delight at meeting was mutual. We were delighted and so was Fortey; but he had the worst of it,-he saw and can learn for himself how all his Pitcairn friends are; but we, poor things, had to press him with a thousand and one questions concerning our very dear friends of the Portland.' He was, I am sure, bewildered with the showers of anxious questions heaped upon him, and by the time he went to bed his patience must have been severely taxed.

"There was only one circumstance calculated to throw a shade over this happy meeting, and that is the circulation of certain scandalous and most unchristian reports in England concerning our worthy pastor. There must certainly be persons in existence of whose natures we have never dreamt. Always uniformly kind, not only to our people, but to all strangers visiting us-the meanest as well as the greatest-he is willing and ready to give his advice whenever asked for, helping and endeavouring to

promote the welfare of the community in everything, and doing all in his power to promote the happiness of all around him. It does seem strange to us that such a person should, above all others, be fixed upon for the dart of slander. I have seen him leave his comfortable bed in his own house, and through the rain and the mud go to watch over the sick, to administer relief both bodily and mentally night after night and day after day, until their eyes are either closed in death or they are restored to health.

66

You must not understand me, my dear Admiral, to mean that he is perfect in everything. No, we have all our weak points in common with the rest of mankind. The fruits of Adam's fall is here visible too. Natural inborn sin is here as well as in other parts of this wide world, too plainly developed; but I hope and pray that, led on and favoured with so many of this world's goods, we may strive more earnestly to walk in the ways of Him from whom cometh all things.

that we

Believe me, my dear Admiral, when I tell you are alive to our faults; we know that we are far short of what we ought to be; we know, too, that we must be strengthened and renewed day by day with more light and wisdom from on high, or else we must be and are utterly undone.

66

We have been encouraged and cheered on in the path of duty by the approving smiles of some few friends, who have so very kindly interested themselves in our welfare as to bring us from the threshhold of heathenism into the broad beams of Gospel light. Foremost among these never-to-be-forgotten friends stands Vice-Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby. Yes, my dear good Admiral, as long as the heart of a Pitcairner beats in his bosom you will be remembered and cherished there.

"Fortey has been busy all day taking photographs of our people. He will doubtless send you many, if not all of them. I suppose you will recognise your old Pitcairn

friends, all of whom still recollect the visit of the 'Portland,' as if it was a thing of yesterday's occurrence. Happy times! we love to think and to speak of it. Do you still think of us at times? Yes, I fancy you must think of us, for I assure you we seldom find any amusement that will afford us so much solid gratification as talking of the dear old 'Portland.'

"I hope, my dear Admiral, you will not suffer the reports I allude to to disturb your peace of mind. I know they must materially affect you, but allow me to say that if you only knew how very little truth is contained in them you would not for a moment heed them. "Please to give my kindest love and regards to all inquiring friends, and believe me, my dear Admiral, "Yours ever truly and affectionately, "DORCAS YOUNG."

APPENDIX B.

Mr. Nobbs, in a letter to Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby, gives the following account of the Gambier Islands :"MY HONOURED FRIEND,

"It was in the year 1834 that I first went to the Gambier Islands, in the barque Pomarre,' of Tahiti, Thomas Ebriell commander. The first thing you observe in the distance is Mount Duff, situated on the principal island (Mangariva), and which may be seen on a clear day fifty miles distant. The next object most likely to draw your attention is a long and dangerous reef at the north end of the barrier. This long reef extends several miles from the barrier, or circular reef, which surrounds the islands, they consisting of four inhabited and several other smaller ones. Their names in the order of size are Mangariva, Akamarn, Terawai, and Arkana. The natives I found most hospitable and docile, myself and family