’But I may shortly state some of them, in case you may not have heard them, because I should like this step to approve itself to your mind:—­

’1.  Norfolk Island is 600 miles hearer to Melanesian islands than Auckland, and not only nearer in actual distance, but the 600 miles from Norfolk Island to Auckland are the cold and boisterous miles that must be passed at the extremities of the voyages with no intervening lands to call at and obtain a change for our large party on board.

’2.  The difficulty usually is to get westward when sailing from New Zealand, by the North Cape of New Zealand, because the prevalent winds are from the west.  So that usually the passage to Norfolk Island is a long-one.

’3.  New Zealand is much to the east of Norfolk Island, and to go from the Loyalty, New Hebrides, Banks, and Santa Cruz groups to New Zealand, it is necessary to make a long stretch out to the N.E. (the trades blowing from about S.E. by E.), standing down to S. on the other tack.  But Norfolk Island is almost due S. of other those groups.

’4.  I cannot come back from the islands during my winter voyage to New Zealand, it is too distant; the coast is dangerous in the winter season and the cold too great for a party of scholars first coming from the tropics.  But I can go backwards and forwards through the islands and Norfolk Island during the five winter months.  It is not wise to sail about in the summer, hurricanes being prevalent then.

’5.  As I can only make one return from the islands to New Zealand in the year, I can only have a school consisting of (say) sixty Melanesians brought in the very crowded vessel + (say) thirty left in New Zealand for the winter; and I dare not attempt to leave many, for so much care is needed in the cold season.  But in Norfolk Island I can have a school of any number, because I can make separate voyages thither from the Banks and Solomon Islands, &c., each time bringing a party of sixty, if I think fit.

’6.  The productions of Norfolk Island include the yam, taro (Caladium esculentum), sweet potato, sugar-cane, banana, almond, orange, pine-apple, coffee, maize.  Only cocoa-nut and bread-fruit are wanting, that natives of Melanesia care much about.

’7.  There is no necessity for so violent a contrast as there must be in New Zealand between the life with us and in their homes in respect of dress, food, and houses.

’Light clothing and an improved style of native house and more cleanly way of eating their food—­not of cooking it, for they are cleanly already in that—­may be adopted, and more easily perpetuated in their own homes than the heavy clothing necessary here, and the different style of houses and more English food.

’This is very important, because with any abrupt change of the outer man, there is sometimes a more, very more natural abandonment of the inner thoughts and disposition and character.  Just as men so often lose self-respect when they take to the bush life; or children who pray by their own little bedside alone, leave off praying in “long chamber,” the outward circumstances being altered.