Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/462

 430 FIJI AXD THE FUIAXS. are carried on. Fiji has been aroused to an amazing extent, and these degraded, igno- rant, and grossly wicked people have been startled into thoughtfulness. A spirit of un- easiness is felt. Their thoughts trouble them. Christianity has infringed upon much precedent and settled practice. It has broken up fondly-cherished interests. They have heard of the mighty conquests of Christianity ; thej witness its rapid progress, and are ready to exclaim, ' "We know that the Lord hath given you the land, and all the inhabit- ants of the land faint because of you.' Some are saved as specimens of what religion can effect. Some of the rulers have leluved ; some influential men have turned ; poly- gamy, ^ich is deemed all-important, necessary, and profitable, has been abandoned in some instances. The Gospel has gone to many hearts, and is the power of God to their salvation : Tseing pardoned and regenerated, they are ' living epistles,' effective every- where, but much more so in unlettered Fiji. ' ^ow thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.' " After Mr. Hunt's death, Mr. Calvert, after nearly ten years' ser- vice at Lakemba, remained in the Viwa Circuit, having Mr. Lyth as his colleague, for one year. He had visited this part before, and seve- ral of the Mbau Chiefs had been in the Windward Islands during his residence there, so that he was not a stranger to the character and wants of the Station. He had long been acquainted with Thakombau, and had felt peculiar earnestness of desire for the conversion of tliis proud and terrible Chief. Being impressed, in reading Young's " Sug- gestions for the Conversion of the AYorld," with the recommendation to select some one individual as the subject of special prayer, he early fixed upon Thakombau, and begged the Lakemba Christians to join with him in his intercessions for the Chief, to whom, as opportunity served, messages were sent. On one occasion, Thakombau remained for sev- eral weeks at Lakemba, during which time the Missionary was diligent in exhortation and reproof. Messrs. Cross, Hunt, Lyth, and Watsford, had all tried hard to give light to this remarkable man : his reverence for heathen institutions was evidently lessened ; and, on one occasion, he had even dared to threaten a priest of more than ordinary sanctity who was said to be the shrine of a powerful god, and that, too, at a time when he was inspired. No wonder that, on his being appointed to Viwa, Mr. Calvert should turn with special interest to Mbau and its powerful King. A great difficulty, however, was in the way. On arriving in the islands, the Missionaries had found it necessary to conciliate the Chiefs and people, and obtain a safe dwelling among them, by the liberal distribu- tion of presents. The practice, which thus began Avith necessity, had been continued in compliance with the shameless importunity of the Chiefs, until it had grown into a burdensome tax, and placed the Isiis- sionaries upon a false footing, by endangering their spiritual influence over the people, in substituting that which any one might gain by gifts.