Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/357

LAKEMBA. 327 ' Number of School Children,' first the number of those who were ignorant, and on the line underneath nineteen who were vuTcu, or wise. I said, ' Jacob, I want to hear your wise children.' The nineteen were speedily assembled, and I was highly gratified to find them vuhu ; for they could all read well in the New Testament." In the same letter, Mr. Malvern gives a touching account of a visit which he paid to a leper in his little lone hut in the bush. The poor fellow enjoyed the comforts of religion, and was pleased with the Mis- sonary's coming to his hut-door to talk about the grace of God, and the future renewing of " this vile body." In July, 1853, Mr. Malvern left Lakemba to take charge of the Nandi Circuit on Venua Levu, and his place was supplied by Mr. Pol- glase, who soon got climatized and tolerably familiar with the language, so as to enable him to be very useful in the Mission. On June 6th, 1854, a remarkable scene took place at Lakemba, which Mr. Polglase thus describes : — " Our new chapel had just been opened, and we held our Missionary Meeting yesterday. I preached two preparatory sermons on Sunday last to large and deeply attentive congregations. The meeting commenced at 10 a.m. The Chief next in rank to the King presided, and several of our Native Teachers spoke. It was gratifying to witness the zeal and good sense displayed by these men, who, being themselves the fruit of Mission enterprise, urged upon the audience the importance of cultivating a missionary spirit. In the afternoon we assembled again to receive the contributions of the peo- ple, who entered the capacious chapel according to their tribes. The King, leading the way, with a few of his principal men, presented his ha ni loloma, ' free-will offering,' and sat down. Then the people, — each tribe accompanied by its Chief, — chanting as they moved slowly onwards, brought their gifts, consisting of oil, mats, native cloth, etc., into the house of the Lord, gave them into the hands of persons ap- pointed for the purpose, and in a very orderly manner retired to their places." In 1854 Mr. Calvert again visited Lakemba, where he had spent the first ten years of his missionary life. In crossing the reef, the Mission schooner got on the rocks, and was nearly wrecked by the heavy seas : after great danger, Mr. Calvert, with his little girl and the crew, got safely on shore. Two days after, an examination of candidates for the native ministry took place, three for immediate ordination, and two to be received on trial for four years. The result of the examination was most satisfactory, and reflected great credit on the patient toil of Mr. Lyth and his colleagues. On the following day the ordination took