’Once again, my dear friends, I thank you for giving him to this work.  He is the greatest conceivable comfort and help to me.  I always feel when he is walking or working with others, that there is one on whose steadiness and strong sense of duty I can always rely.  May God bless him with His richest blessings....

’On Sunday next (D.V.) we shall not forget you, as I well know your thoughts and prayers will be with us; and we sing “Before JEHOVAH’S awful Throne” to the Old Hundredth; 2nd, No. 144 of the Hymnal, after third Collect; and before sermon, 3rd, No. 143; after sermon, 4th, No. 19; after Litany, 5th, Veni Creator to All Saints.

The ordination will be in the Norfolk Island Church. —­My kind regards to Mrs. Atkin and Mary.

’Always, my dear friend, very truly yours,

‘J.  C. Patteson.’

’December 16, 1867.

’My dear Miss Mackenzie,—­Your brother’s pedometer reached me safely three days ago.  I feel most truly unworthy to receive such gifts.  I have now his sextant, his pedometer, and, most precious of all, his “Thomas a Kempis”; they ought to help me to think more of him, and his holy example.  Your letter commenting on the published life makes me know him pretty well.  He was one to love and honour; indeed, the thorough humility and truthfulness, the single-mindedness of the man, the simple sense of duty and unwearied patience, energy, and gentleness—­indeed you must love to dwell on the memory of such a brother, and look forward with hope and joy to the reunion.

’We are fast settling ourselves into our headquarters here.  Our buildings already sufficient to house eighty or one hundred Melanesians.  We are fencing, planting, &c., &c., vigorously, and the soil here repays our labours well.  The yam and sweet potatoes grow excellently, and the banana, orange, lemon, and nearly all semi-tropical fruits and vegetables.  I think that our commissariat expenditure will soon be very small, and we ought to have an export before long.

’Two things seem to be pretty clear:  that there is no lack of capacity in the Melanesian, and no probability of any large supply of English teachers and clergymen, even if it were desirable to work the Mission with foreign rather than native clergymen.  My own mind is, and has long been in favour of the native pastorate; but it needs much time to work up to such a result.

’All our party are well in health, save one good fellow, Walter Hotaswol, who is dying of consumption, in faith and hope.  “Better,” he says, “to die here with a bright heart than to live in my own land with a dark one.”  It is a solemn Ember week for us.

’I remain, dear Miss Mackenzie, very truly yours,

’J.  C. Patteson.

’I quite agree with you that you cannot educate tropical and semi-tropical people in England; and you don’t want to make them English Christians, you know.’