The Annual Report of the Melanesian Mission for 1927.

From Melanesian Mission: Report Issued by the English Committee 1927, pages 9-22.

No place: Melanesian Mission, 1927.

BISHOP'S REPORT, 1927.

The year of 1927 is marked especially by three things, two of which are a source of great rejoicing, the third being almost in the nature of a calamity.

First of all comes the glad news of the appointment of our second Assistant Bishop. The lot has fallen on Canon Wilton, Sub-Dean of the Cathedral of Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia.

Canon Wilton has long been known throughout Australia as one of our keenest missionary workers; born and educated in Australia he is just the man to represent the Australian Church in the Australian Mandated Territory.

The warmest wishes and prayers of all friends of Melanesia will go with him when he takes up the work which he has accepted as a direct summons from his Maker with a full realisation of its difficulties and responsibilities.

Our second great cause for rejoicing is that the year 1927 has also seen the re-establishment of our Medical work, at least in so far as the appointment of a fully qualified doctor to the post.

To Doctor Maybury and his wife we offer our warmest greetings. He, too, will know that behind him and his work lies the immeasurable support of the prayers of so many friends and well-wishers on both sides of the world.

But in the midst of our thankfulness and joy at these signs of new life and fresh vigour in the Home Churches; in the midst of our pride and happiness in the noble way in which the friends and supporters of Melanesia in England, speaking with the voice of our Chairman, the Bishop of Rochester, have accepted the fact that increased vigour must mean increase of lifeblood of sacrifice in men, women and financial support; and while we rejoice at the courage with which they face this fact and their firm determination to meet our fresh liabilities, there comes a very different note from those who, we suppose, may be said to represent our own Mother Church in New Zealand.

In August of this year the Standing Committee of the General Synod of the Church of New Zealand passed the following resolution:

"Resolved that the Standing Committee of the General Synod is deeply distressed at the desperate condition into which the finances of the Melanesian Mission are drifting and strongly urges upon the Bishop and the Finance Board the urgent need for immediate drastic reductions of expenditure, sufficient to enable the annual income and expenditure to balance."

[10] I much regret that I am unable to criticise with knowledge the statement that the finances of the Mission are "drifting" into a "desperate" condition, as I have received no figures which would enable me to come to any definite conclusion on the matter. I have been told officially that our annual expenditure exceeds our annual income by some £2,000. I believe that this is the statement of our affairs that has been made to the Standing Committee, and I can only interpret their resolution as a statement by them on behalf of the New Zealand Church that this extra £2,000 cannot be raised in New Zealand, and that, in consequence, the work of the Mission must be curtailed to the extent of what would amount, in actual cash expenditure, to the sum of £2,000.

What this "drastic reduction" will mean in loss to the Church in Melanesia in the future, I dare not even try to estimate.

But whether this be the true financial position of the Mission or no, it is a grave and noteworthy fact that a body which, I suppose, may claim to represent the opinion of the New Zealand Church-people, is prepared formally to urge on us a drastic reduction of our work. For, of course, that is what a drastic reduction of expenditure means in plain English.

I can only anxiously await developments and earnestly pray that this work here, which I so firmly believe to be the work of God and not of man, may not be suffered to fail or flag through lack of support or money or in personal service.

As I go on to touch on the details of the work in the Solomons, I shall show how great is the need of more personal service; but alas, to the words in the epistle to the Romans, "how shall they preach unless they be sent?" must be added nowadays "and shall they be sent unless they be paid?"

The first half of the year, or to be more exact, the first quarter of the year, I spent at Ugi, trying to keep things going in the absence of Dr. Fox, so I was compelled to cram all my visitations of the Districts into the second half of the year. This is, unfortunately, even verbally correct, for the epidemic which broke out, or was first observed, on the Southern Cross, kept me at Siota until half the year was more than gone.

However, thanks to my launch, and to one long trip on the Southern Cross, I am able to give a report on the condition of all the Islands in the Solomon Group, while Bishop Molyneux will give his detailed report of the South.

I should, perhaps, remind our supporters that Bishop [10/11] Molyneux was not appointed merely or chiefly to help a Bishop who was not physically fit to oversee the whole Diocese, but because it was quite impossible for one, however vigorous he might be, to be in more than one place at the same time.

My retirement and the appointment of a successor, full of vigour as we hope he might be, does not mean that there will be no need of an Assistant Bishop in the South. This is not a matter of capabilities of any individual man, but a geographical necessity unless one or other division of the Diocese is to suffer from neglect by the Bishop. Indeed, if one Bishop were to try to manage the whole of the Diocese, it would only mean that the whole of the Diocese would suffer accordingly.

I would like to put on record here my gratitude to Bishop Molyneux for his loyal support to myself personally, and above all, for the tireless energy and self-forgetfulness with which he has devoted himself to his very difficult and arduous task, nor must I forget to pay my tribute to the services of Mr. Cameron Buffett, without whom my launch work would have been much less useful and much less happy.

In making this report of the work in the Solomons, I use the name in its widest sense, to include the outlying groups and Islands that are reckoned in the "Solomon Island Protectorate," as far as they are under the care of Melanesia.

Bugotu.

I have been able to pay two visits here in my launch. On the first I was able to get as far as Kia, our present extreme outpost; and on the second visit I saw some of the inland villages and others which we cannot usually visit on the Southern Cross.

With two native Priests and three Deacons, the Spiritual needs of the people are ministered to, perhaps, as well as in any District, but they need, and I know, desire the oversight and guidance that only a European can give.

Mrs. Sprott remains at her husband's post with a noble courage and perseverance; but she would be the first to regretfully acknowledge that even the most understanding and efficient of women is not the same thing as a priest.

The people of Bugotu have been unfortunate in some ways in the past, when they have badly needed a sensible European Priest to represent their point of view.

The need is not so great to-day as it has been, but many a small misunderstanding can be quickly rectified when there is a man at hand to make the necessary explanations.

The people of Bugotu retain their love and zeal for the Church. At each village that I visited I was most warmly [11/12] welcomed and hospitably entertained. Everything that the queer white man needs to be comfortable was provided, and I believe my visits were really appreciated.

The inland villages sometimes were rather a severe tax on one's vigour, but the warmth of the welcome and the beauty of the scenery well repaid our temporary hard work.

Bugotu is an encouraging place to visit. No doubt, like every other District, there are plenty of difficulties to discourage the resident, but they are not on the surface, and really need only the presence of a sympathetic European Priest, sufficiently tactful to avoid exasperating people with continual nagging, to take their proper place and make Bugotu internally, what it already is externally, the best District in Melanesia.

Geographically, Bugotu is not an easy District. Not only are there mountain villages to visit, some of them on what looked like inaccessible pinnacles, but there is an uninhabited strip of land about seventy miles long between the two parts of the District.

I have no hesitation in saying, that to work Bugotu properly, there should be two European Priests as well as the Native Clergy, for it must always be remembered that the "White corks" of Bishop Selwyn's analogy are still needed.

Incidentally, the presence of even one European Priest would set Mrs. Sprott free to lay the foundations of the work that she has at heart; the establishment of a centre for real intensive work among the women of the Island.

The proper attention to native women is still one of our greatest problems, and one that can only be settled by the establishment of centres of work in the villages under the supervision of experienced, acclimatised women.

The real reason why our work among women has so often had to be neglected is that a woman, fresh from home, without the necessary experience of the people and the climate, and the accessories to life among the natives, is unable to stand the strain for long enough to really establish her work or train a successor to it.

Guadalcanar. Savo and Cape Marsh (Laube).

Guadalcanar and its dependences form two distinct districts, and in addition there are the School at Vera-na-aso and the Printing Press at Hautabu.

The Western end of Guadalcanar is the oldest established part of the work on the Island.

Here the Rev. P. T. Williams was the first resident Priest at the beginning of this century.

[13] The work has grown and spread in an amazing manner since he began in a very small way at Maravovo.

We have two Native Priests here, but alas no European District Priest, though Mr. Warren, at Vera-na-aso, does what he can to take the place of one of them, but, of course, his real work is at the School, which, in itself, is far more than one man's work.

Of the Native Priests, one is getting elderly, and the other is easily depressed and somewhat lacking in initiative and energy.

It is only fair to him to say that his is by far the more difficult part of the District.

He is unfortunately badly handicapped by the fact that his District lies entirely on the weather side of the Island, and consequently is not easily reached by the Mission.

In my early days I made many vain attempts to reach his villages in a whaleboat, and recently failed to get there in my launch. He is, therefore, very much isolated, and, I fear, feels himself neglected, as indeed he is in fact by "circumstances over which I have no control."

In consequence of this the whole District needs revivifying, a statement that applies equally to the district of his elderly brother Priest, though for other reasons.

There is a strong Native Church here, but it badly needs the presence of at least two European District Priests to cope with the hostility of the Roman Catholic missions, and to encourage and direct the faithful, who cling to their Church and its rules of life in a most praiseworthy manner, when one considers the many difficulties and discouragements under which they labour.

Savo.

Savo is one of the outlying parts of the West Guadalcanar District; an island about fifteen miles in circumference, depending for Sacraments on the occasional visits of the Southern Cross, or from the mainland of Guadalcanar. I spent a night here lately, and was pleased to see signs of keenness and life, but a great need of more supervision and spiritual help.

Cape Marsh or Laube.

A still more distant suburb of West Guadalcanar. The greater part of this group of little islands is "Planted" by firms from Australia, but there are two native villages with churches and a fair amount of Church life. But they are terribly isolated and need your prayers and the frequent presence of a white Priest.

[14] There are a number of Europeans on the plantations who are completely neglected by the Church. The fault does not lie with the Mission Staff. Critics might remember that being only human, we cannot be in more than one place at once, and, after all, our first duty is to the Natives to whom we are sent.

When we have sufficient white Staff to even nearly cope with the work among the natives, we can, and I am sure will, gladly give our services to those of our own race. When will that be I wonder?

Vera-na-aso.

Mr. and Mrs. Warren returned here early in the year from a much needed holiday. Alas we have the loss of Mr. Dancaster, who for family reasons, has had to leave us.

In spite of the trouble caused, indirectly, by the Epidemic and the consequent interruption of the work of the Ship, the School is in a flourishing condition. I visited it twice in my launch, once in the Warrens' absence and again after their return.

It is always a great pleasure to me to visit this part, for the sake of my earlier days, when it was my home; but above all, to see the hundred happy, healthy little lads and to taste the Spirit of the Church life which is the key note of the place.

Their devotion and reverence is wonderful; while my experience of their book-learning, gained from such of them who were my temporary pupils at Pawa, shows me that this side of their education is as careful and efficient as is their training in the Catholic Faith and practice.

The Mission Press at Hautabu.

See past Reports. That is really all one can say. Even the most vigorous of Mr. Isom's admirers, amongst whom I certainly enrol myself, far more Mr. Isom himself, must be tired of the continually repeated praise of his work.

But while Mr. Isom will persist in doing the work of a host of men, taking his leisure time in doing "odd jobs," not to mention keeping the excellent drum and bugle band of the School, he must expect to get his name "into the papers" now and then, even though he will not give us a chance for a little hostile criticism for a change.

He continues to pour out a flood of printed matter, all badly needed and all excellently printed and bound; indeed his only real failing is that he will always want something more for his beloved press, and the worst of it is, that what he asks for he always really needs.

[15] I sincerely trust that whatever economies we may have to make, the Mission Press will always be kept up to date for the sake of the most essential work it is doing and for the sake of its indefatigable head.

East Guadalcanar or Tasimboko District.

I have always had a very warm corner in my heart for this part of the work; for, not only was I privileged to see it from the very beginning and to play a small part in its foundation and upbuilding, but at least three of the missionaries in charge, Moir, Sprott and Dixon, have been among my closest personal friends in the Mission.

For five years after Dixon's death, this district has been rather a sad place for me. The lack of European supervision has had its inevitable result in a slackness in Church life.

At times I have been inclined to despair of it; but a week's visit which I was able to pay in my launch recently has done me all the good in the world.

For the last two years, Mr. Mountfort has been in charge here, and has thrown himself into the work with a vigour and energy that is beyond praise.

Instead of dirty, tumble-down churches and dispirited congregations, I found everywhere splendid new buildings, completed or far on in building, and enthusiastic congregations.

We had even got an opening in Marau Sound, at the extreme end of the Island, where we had been able to do nothing since Bishop Patteson's visits of over sixty years ago.

A share of the credit must be given to the Brotherhood, who have been working here, but allowing for all they have done, Mountfort's work during the short time he has been here has worked wonders.

I am sorry to say that he is leaving us; we wish him every happiness in his new sphere of life.

I felt that after this splendid re-awakening of the Church here we could not risk the chance of its falling back again if the people were left without a European Priest, so I am hoping that Mr. Sheard will succeed him here, and build up a strong Church on the foundations that Mountfort has so well and truly laid.

This District is one of the most important in the Mission; for not only now is there a zealous population crying out for support and encouragement, but also this part is more thickly inhabited by European planters than any other part of Melanesia.

The Vicar of Tasimboko will, at any rate, never complain of the monotony of his work.

[16] Gela or Florida.

We have lost a promising Native Priest here by the death of Peter Sukoku, while another passed away in sad circumstances.

Mr. Graves has been for a holiday, and we welcome him back, feeling sure that with even new strength and zeal he and his launch will keep the Church of Gela up to its old traditions.

It is a District with peculiar difficulties of its own. The people have a marked individuality of their own, which has not been made and easier to cope with by the close and frequent contact with Europeans of every class and disposition, and, even less helpful, with a considerable Chinese population.

However, Graves has known them and they have known him for many years past, and if anyone can manage the Gela people, he is the man for the work.

Bungana.

Miss Wench and Miss Safstrom are holding the fort here. Miss E. G. Wilson is on furlough, and Miss Tyas, a very promising new-comer has been driven away, we hope only temporarily, by climate and food combined.

Alas, it needs more than a stout heart to face this combination. Other organs are vitally concerned, and however strong the spirit may be, the flesh of the unhappy missionary sometimes lets one down badly.

We offer her our sincere sympathy on her disappointment, and hope for a speedy and complete recovery.

I hope that we may be having a nurse from Australia to take her place long before this appears in print.

Once again, owing to our Epidemic, Bungana has a smaller number than usual. Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise, as the present staff have as much to do as is good for them, even if not as much as they would like.

Siota.

At the time of writing this, Siota College is closed down, to save money, to get on with our new Cathedral, and to give the staff a much needed rest.

The training of our Teachers and Native Clergy is, and must be, one of the most important sides of our work, especially at present, when our white staff is so small.

Alas, it is also the most expensive, but I must impress upon our friends its absolute necessity, unless the future life of the Mission Church is to suffer a deadly hurt.

[17] North Mala.

I had hoped to make a pretty complete visitation of this District in my launch, but before the journey was completed we were in too close contact with the land, and had to make
a hurried return to Siota to repair our damages.

After careful comparison of the accounts of all concerned, I can only come to the conclusion that nobody was to blame for our mishap. The pilot assured me that he was not, the helmsman was equally certain that he was not, and the engine-room staff poohed-poohed the idea that it was any concern of theirs, unless . . . happy thought . . . it must have been the Bishop's fault. At any rate he is used to being blamed for everything that goes wrong anywhere, and seems utterly unmoved by his culpability, so let it go at that.

The District has been sadly disturbed by the murder of Mr. Bell and his Assistant, but happily it does not affect the Church life, for it was the deed of a small isolated body of "bad men," whose crime is reprobated by all the rest of the Natives.

Mr. Bell was universally respected as an upright, honest man, and indeed, liked well by all natives who were not too much anti-government to like even the best of men, if he happened to be connected with that much abused body of men.

I knew him well from his early days down here as a Government Agent on the ships that were repatriating the "Kanakas" from Queensland, and afterwards met him from time to time as a District Officer on Mala, and can pay a personal tribute to his interest in and care for the people.

He will be much missed by Europeans and Natives alike; all of whom knew him as a kindly, upright, and honourable friend or master.

The Church in North Mala goes on growing under the watchful care of Mr. Mason, while Mrs. Mason gives all her time and energy to the care of the sick and the women of her neighbourhood.

I understand, and can well believe, that Master Mason plays a large part in the life of the village of Fiu.

Jack Talofuila, the Native Priest, continues as active as ever. His influence with the people of his neighbourhood seems very real, very strong, and very good.

The visit of Dr. Ivens, a friend of days now past, and an even older friend of the people, must have cheered and encouraged them all.

This is not a District where any startling events mark the progress of the Church, but none the less it is a progress steady and sure.

[18] Mason is building well on the foundations laid by Hopkins, Ivens, and other "giants" of the past, not to mention the building he has done, and is doing, on foundations for which he is alone responsible.

South Mala.

Owing to our mishap as recorded above, I was only able to pay Thomson a flying visit in the launch, and not a much longer one in the Southern Cross, but I know enough of him and his work to have no fear for the future of "Little Mala" under his care.

Here again, it is just a tale of steady and continuous growth, marked by the fact that he has spared some of his only too few teachers, to help less fortunate places.

Mala has now become a missionary Church. What that means, when one remembers the Mala of twenty years ago, gives us the measure of the Church's growth. I trust we may have Mason and Thomson with us for many years to come, but the Home Churches must remember that Missionaries are not imperishable and be looking out for fresh recruits here.

Ugi.

Ugi is a little island, until recently not of very great importance in the Mission. Now it is the home of our Elder Boys' School, and consequently of no small fame.

Under Dr. Fox, the desert has bloomed as a rose. He has certainly left his mark here; even Norfolk Island will have to look to its laurels before long, as far as the beauty of the surroundings and the "Vanua" goes, while anyone who knows Fox will be quite sure that the intellectual side will keep pace with the other growth of his work.

Rudgard is back again with Fox, and between the two we may expect to see a Melanesian School come into existence and grow to a position worthy of compare with the schools of the Homeland.

We are lucky, too, in obtaining the help of Mr. Freshwater, a name, new, perhaps, to most of our friends at home, but down here a synonym for capability and cheerful efficiency.

There may be something which Mr. Freshwater does not know about Island produce, engineering in all its branches, and seamanship, but I have yet to find out what it is.

We had a great loss here early in the year in the death of Rev. Joseph Gilvelte, better known and loved as "Joe Gil."

He had come back from his home in the South, where he had only just returned after many years work in the North, but where he had already made a mark as a zealous, and for his age, amazingly active, Priest.

[19] He was to have helped Sheard and myself at Pawa, but we only had him a month or two, when he fell asleep, just as the Blessed Sacrament was being brought to him from the church.

As he prepared to meet his Saviour, the Saviour Himself came to him, to call him to his well earned rest.

He was one of those whose life and nature endeared him to all who knew him, and showed to what heights Christianity can raise a man of any race.

Ulawa.

My mishap at North Mala and the Epidemic combined prevented me from doing what I had much wished to do; spending, that is, some little time on Ulawa. As matters turned out I have only been able to pay two flying visits on the Southern Cross!

Martin Marau is carrying on the work here in a way worthy of his father, Clement, at his best; but, somehow or other, I cannot help feeling that things are not quite right here.

Martin seems at times unduly depressed, and there is about him a strange kind of "quietness" that is not easy to describe. Certainly he has amongst his people and his teachers those who are not sympathetic to him.

Clement, as is often the case in actual converts from heathenism, had a considerable tinge of Puritan about him. Martin may have inherited this, or he may have adopted it from love and admiration of his father, and this may be one of the reasons for the fact, which I believe to be a fact, that he is not happy in his work. This is one of the places where the presence of a sensible, but firm, European Priest is essential.

Casual visits by the Ship, with the hurry necessary, because of the continual urge of "Economy," cannot give one the needed insight into the actual position of affairs, and consequently one lacks the intimate knowledge that is essential if one is to be any real help to Priest or people.

San Cristoval.

Almost more than anywhere else is a European Priest needed here, or rather two of them. The form of the Island naturally demands two men in charge, and though Paul Marita is doing very good work, his influence must be chiefly felt in his own neighbourhood.

Bishop Molyneux has made a tour here at the end of the year; I hope to have full particulars from him before very long.

[20] The worst feature of the Church in San Cristoval is, though it is by no means one of our youngest Churches, it seems, almost entirely to lack a missionary spirit, nor is it yet able to staff its own villages properly.

Except in the neighbourhood of Heuru my impressions of the Church of San Cristoval is summed up in one word, "lifeless." It is over seven years since I was able to do more than pay flying visits here, so I may be mistaken, I hope I am, but I do feel a depression here, and am certain that what is needed is an active, missionary-hearted European in charge, or rather, as I have said before, taking the geography of the island into consideration, two of them.

Pamua.

The School here continues on its quiet life under Mr. Nind. That it fully serves its purpose is obvious to all who know either the School or its Head. It is always a delight to visit these schools. Having had some experience of almost every side of the work in Melanesia, I think that in spite of its obvious occasional monotony and its responsibilities there is no happier life than that of the head of such a school. As one sees the change that comes over the little "raw material" under the influence of his new surroundings, one does see that it is really worthwhile, and I can sympathise thoroughly with any feelings that the Heads of Schools may have as to the necessity of seeing that this side of the Mission's work shall not fail.

Santa Cruz and the Reefs.

Mr. West is keeping the flag flying here. It is a hard job, for except for the only too short visits of the Southern Cross, he can hope for no help from outside. There is a very large scope for work here, but we badly need another Priest. On the map Santa Cruz and the Reefs look very close, but when you have to make the actual journey between them, it is a very different matter. Two of the Brothers have gone to try and make a start on the mainland, and we wish them every success; but what this District needs is a School in the Reefs and a resident Priest on Santa Cruz.

Till we get recruits Mr. West must go on with what has too long been the custom of the Mission, killing himself by trying to do two, if not three, men's work.

The Duff Islands.

This is a colony and a very little one, of the Reef Islanders, too far away for the missionary of the Reefs to visit, and too small for a European Priest.

[21] Little isolated districts like this and Vanikolo and Utapua, are our most difficult problem. Our bug-bear of economy prevents more than an occasional visit from the Ship, and there is no other way in which these outlying places can be ministered to.

Vanikolo and Utapua have more or less solved the problem by ceasing to exist, in the sense of being Christian Communities, but the Duffs still hang on to a touching, if heart-breaking, confidence in their seldom seen White Fathers.

Tikopeia.

Where are the "Gentlemen Adventurers of Christ," for whom one appealed years ago. Echo gives her stereotyped reply.

You have here two isolated Islands, Tikopeia and Anudha, ninety miles from anywhere else, with one of the most interesting peoples, ethnographically speaking, pure Polynesians, practically untouched by outside influence. You have here two little communities which received a native form of Christianity, which have accepted it wholeheartedly almost at once.

You have the nucleus of an almost ideal Christian Community. Christianity "unspotted form the world." But you have not a single Priest ready to guide the footsteps of this infant Church.

One catches one's breath as one sees exemplified before one's eyes the Power of God in awakening the hearts of these isolated folk; but one remembers that God would work through human hands and lips, and you ask, Where is the man to lead and keep such people in the true way?

You ask, Are we going to let these people develop a queer, half-heathen type of Christianity, or are we going to see to it that they learn the Truth?

Is it really nothing to you, all you who pass by?

Of Southern Melanesia, Bishop Molyneux will, no doubt, give you a detailed account; for me it will be enough to thank God that since Bishop Molyneux came here to take oversight of our much neglected little sister of the South, there have been unmistakable signs that the seed planted by our great Forerunner still lives; choked back by neglect, slackness and a recrudescence of heathenism, perhaps; but still alive and needing only careful and untiring care and cultivation to blossom again to bear the fruit of a true and lively Christianity.

To sum up: What is the general position in Melanesia to-day? What are our hopes and fears for the near future?

[22] First of all there is the possibility of a great future before us. We have taken up, perhaps with a blind faith, our responsibility to the Australian Mandated Territory. We have our new Bishop. We have great hopes that he will not begin his great work alone.

We have begun again our task of caring for the bodies as well as the souls of our people by starting afresh our Medical work.

We have flourishing educational establishments, almost sufficiently staffed.

We have thousands of well disposed natives only waiting for the necessary leaders. We have a future before us as we have a glorious past behind.

"But we must have more Priests!"

Two are needed in Bugotu; two in Guadalcanar; one in Ulawa; one more at least in the Reefs and Santa Cruz; and two in San Cristoval.

Eight Priests are needed at once in Northern Melanesia.

Probably another four are needed in the South; certainly two are needed at once in the Mandated Territory.

At least twelve more Priests and another Doctor are needed if the work of the Melanesian Mission is to go ahead.

And at this juncture representatives of the Mother Church in New Zealand are demanding drastic reductions in our expenditure.

I cannot bring myself really to believe that these men actually represent the feeling of the New Zealand Church, but if they do, I can only ask you to pray earnestly that their hearts may be touched and their eyes opened to see what Melanesia really needs to-day is a bold and faithful policy of "Forward," and a largely increased support in living volunteers for the work.

I have not named by any means all my fellow workers, but this is not for want of appreciation of their help. I believe that we, in Melanesia, do not look for praise, but are content to go on plodding away at our task, with every now and then a wistful glance for help from the Home lands; but I cannot end this, my last report as Bishop, without a word of heartfelt thanks to all my fellow workers for the patience and loyalty with which they have endured my faults and shortcomings.

I have left to Bishop Molyneux to express the Mission's sense of loss in the departure of Mr. Hart from Vureas. I will only just say here, that the loss is mine, too.

+ JOHN,
Bishop of Melanesia.

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