dition. The adventurer must always precede the improver and the civilizer, in such cases as that of the South Sea islands, and it is therefore with great pleasure that we have read the book to which we refer in the beginuing of this article. That book would doubtless have been better fitted to arouse the spirit of adventure than it is, could its author have given us an account of further wanderings through yet more wonderful regions than those which he describes in such vivid, and, as we can ourselves testify, in such truthful language. Could he have written of a visit to Malanta, Ysabel, Florida, New Britain, and finally Papua, his book would unquestionably have had a far greater effect than it now can have in hastening on that social improvement, the taking steps to secure which was, it appears, the noble view of the late Mr. Boyd, the leader of the party of "Wanderers." Still, what he has done may have a good effect in this direction. It is necessarily by arousing a strong spirit of adventure that any beginning can be made in the great work of colonizing and utilizing the great and fertile regions of which we speak. It is to those alone who can feel the full force of delight and awe contained in the words of the poet

"We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea."

that we must look as the forerunners of that civilization which ought to render these splendid islands in reality what they now seem to bean earthly paradise. The prospect of a mere money advantage will not effect this; nothing can exemplify this so strongly as the general character and conduct of the traders who have already penetrated to these regions, and, in too many cases, have made the very sight and name of the white man to be justly feared and abhorred amongst the savage inhabitants of islands where their cruel and lawless passions have done an amount of evil which often forms the greatest barrier to any change for the better in the state of the people. As a rule, the mere trader is the very opposite of a benefit to these islands, and certainly is in no sense but an evil one the pioneer of civilization amongst them. To exemplify the vast attractions which these islands hold ont to enterprizing adventurers and the lovers of the marvellous and terrible for their own sakes, we need only present the account given by Mr. Webster of his adventurous descent into the crater of Kilanea in the Sandwich group.

"The great crater of Kilanea is not the interior of a cone on the top of a mountain, but is a portion of the flank of Mauna Roa, which has been engulphed by an under current of lava. It presents the appearance of a vast pit surrounded by a perpendicular rampart of rock a thousand feet in depth; its extreme circumference cannot be less than fifteen miles. The bottom of the abyss appears as a sea of black lava, whose agitated billows seem to have been arrested as if by enchantment. Innumerable cones like islands stud this black sea. From these, clouds of vapour and smoke ascended, while deep rumblings shook the ground on which we stood. The surrounding country is rent with innumerable yawning chasms and fissures of unfathomable depth, vomiting forth steam and sulphurous vapours. These safety valves of the volcano belch forth pestiferous gases, which impregnate the whole neighbourhood with their noxious and stifling breath. At a short distance from the mouth of the

crater was a rude hut, of which we took possession for [the purpose of making ourselves comfortable for the night. We here partook of some refreshment with which we had provided ourselves, and afterwards we prepared for a descent into the abyss of the crater, which, according to the natives, is the abode of the Goddess Péle. Our guide informed us it was necessary to present a propitiatory offering to the goddess, lest we should be destroyed by her subterranean fires, and proposed that we should throw into one of the chasms a wild duck, which I had shot on one of the numerous small water-holes we had passed on the road, in order to pacify the deity. We laughed at his fears, and, without sacrificing the duck, prevailed upon him to accompany us, which he did with considerable reluctance.

"On the north-west side of the crater, one of the extraordinary convulsions to which this region is subject had rent and thrown down into the abyss below enormous masses from its brink, forming ledges at various depths. Availing ourselves of these ledges, we commenced our descent down the mighty natural steps leading to the interior of the volcano. Our progress was not unattended with danger. Occasionally we toiled over rugged pinnacles of rock, having on either side a precipice several hundred feet in depth, encompassed by suffocating exhalations issuing from rents and fissures in every direction. At last we reached the bottom, and stood on the shores of that awful sea of lava, across which we now commenced our perilous march: we had provided ourselves with long poles, in order to assist us over the vitrified waves. The surface had a frothy cellular look, and crunched beneath our feet like snow during frost. At the depth of a few inches was the hard rock. We directed our course towards the south end of the crater, where numerous cones were in action, but rendered entirely invisible at our then distance, by clouds of silvery vapour. Running half way across the crater from east to west, was a ridge of ancient lava similar to the rock forming the high cliffs. We easily gained this ridge, which on a nearer view presented a mass of tottering ruins gradually sinking into the crater. Our progress now became more and more dangerous. Our two Islanders who had accompanied us thus far, refused, positively, to proceed any further, and returned in terror to the bank. Sam also wished to return, as Péle was angry, and truly the fearful roarings appeared to warn us of her wrath. We were however determined to proceed. It now became necessary for us to use the greatest caution to avoid slipping into the numerous fissures which everywhere abound on the treacherous crust, using our poles to sound the solidity of the surface, which, in many places, we broke through, discovering the lava-glowing with a red heat-only a few inches beneath. It was evident we were standing upon a crust, the thickness of which was but a few feet dividing us from the molten lava. Frequently a loud explosion would occur, and extensive rents would be made in the crust, from which would issue a vapour with a rushing noise, which by no means tended to increase our confidence in the mysterious region, particularly as we perceived several fresh cracks opening in our rear. Passing an extensive sulphur bank we gradually approached the more active cone. Here the surface crust became more deceitful until we found ourselves in close proximity to the chief seat of action, where the lava was thickly strewed with stones and ashes rejected from a small cone in violent activity. We took up a position a few hundred yards off, and

had a good view of the spectacle. The cone was magnificent beyond description. Its western side presented the appearance of a palace of glass, resplendent with prismatic colours. A thousand grotesque forms like towers and minarets, adorned its summit. A beautiful grotto appeared in its side, out of which seemed to flow a radiant stream of glass. From rents near its base issued lava, forming, as it cooled, into coils resembling huge serpents. The eastern side, shrouded in vapour, appeared composed of loose stones, ashes, and sulphur. Mr. Boyd and myself cautiously advanced to get a nearer view of Péle's terrors. We ascended on the western side, which, from its beauty, we called Péle's crystal throne. The surface was so hot that we could scarcely bear to touch it with our hands. We climbed sufficiently high to be able to catch a glimpse of the roaring furnace. We were not above thirty yards from its brink, but on the windward side of it the smoke and vapour were blown aside occasionally, revealing the sides of the interior, glowing with the most dazzling splendour. We had not occupied our position more than three minutes, when a rattling noise, apparently from the depths of the crater, warned us to retreat. Then a dense cloud of vapour and fine ashes issued with a dull sullen roaring. As we descended, the whole cone shook and trembled to its foundations, and several fissures opened in its sides, from which flowed liquid lava. Over one of these we had to leap. I got over first, and perceiving Mr. Boyd hesitating, I cried, Leap for your life! A piece of advice he immediately followed, when we together beat a retreat under a shower of stones and ashes. Happily we escaped unhurt, although several enormous masses were thrown far beyond us. After Péle's wrath had subsided, we were able to examine more at leisure the substances which had been thrown out during the explosion. Their forms bore considerable resemblance to those of organic bodies. It was, indeed, difficult at first sight to persuade ourselves that they were not actually petrified forms, they so strongly resembled zoöphites and other marine animals. Allowing them time to cool, we selected a few of the most singularly shaped to take with us. examining these singular productions of the crater, we endeavoured to approach another part, where a dense smoke and gleams of flame indicated its state. But our purpose was frustrated by the dangerous nature of the surface lava, and Sam's solemn protestations that if we ventured farther, we should never return from the dominions of Péle.

After

"The southern portion of the great crater appeared from where we stood, a vast lake of lava in a state of fusion, not less than a mile in extent, and it would have been madness to have attempted a nearer approach. The precipices bounding the south end of the great abyss, seen dimly through the sulphurous masses of vapour which for ever cling about those regions of fire, appear stupendous from their obscurity."

Such is a really admirable picture of the terrible aspect of nature in the South Sea Islands. To the lovers of a softer beauty, and less terrible scenes, these wonderful islands hold out yet stronger inducements to tempt their enterprise. Every thing that can delight the eye or charm the ear seems heaped together with a profusion as wonderful as it is rare and enchanting. The dazzling, lucid sea, that sparkles upon the crisp white coral beach; the waving fringe of dark-topped cocoanut palm trees, that look like the emerald setting of a diamond centre; the swelling heights of all hues of richest colour, that roll, swell beyond swell, tint

blending with tint to a height often really great, but nearly always clad in the eternal colours of a tropical vegetation; the deep hollows that recede among the hills, giving an indefinable feeling of ineffable solitude and repose amongst the leafy shades of unbroken forest, or by the murmuring course of a hidden river, are all characteristics of a world of beauty, whose splendours seem more the offspring of a poet's dream than the realities of nature's handy-work.

Such are some of the motives which should attract the adventurer, the poet, and the artist to explore those regions of wonder and beauty, but to our mind they do not embrace by any means the first view which we would fain take of these wonderful “Gems of Ocean." It is to the future of these islands, now teeming with life it is true, both animal and vegetable-but with savage life, that we would look. This we cannot dream of as the destiny of these islands; this we cannot patiently contemplate as the ultimate condition of their inhabitants. Of these inhabitants we would first speak, and we do so from a personal acquaintance with them, and from having seen their manner of life in their own homes. Most of them may be described as of the Papuan-Malay race, but mixed in so many various degrees, that the original race is not easily made out by either features or language. Physically they are not of a hardy or enduring constitution, although their manner of life may not improbably account in a great degree for this. When the Polynesian element enters largely into the composition of the race, as it does chiefly in the eastward groups, which are the smallest and least populous, there may exist a hope of rapidly raising them in the social scale to a certain height, as has been done in the Hawaiian group, and in this country with the Maoris. With the Papuan-Malay races of the western islands, the Banks' islands, the Solomon group, and New-Guinea, the conditions of their elevation, even to a partial civilization, must, we fear, prove a yet more difficult thing than it has with the Polynesian islanders. Want of energy, an almost entire absence of ambition to rise in the scale of social life, will probably there be found to be the grand obstacles to be met and overcome. Still, like all such difficulties, they can no doubt be successfully met, and are not impossible to overcome. They will not, we feel sure, raise themselves however. They want the elements in their nature which tends to effect this. They are idle, soft, sensuous in their nature and habits; not even, as a rule, energetic in war, and utterly self-indulgent and lazy in peace. Such a people, to rise at all, must be raised. Others must do for them that which by themselves they would not have even a wish to attempt. And if others must civilize these islands, with their teeming myriads of inhabitants, there can be little doubt what nation is appointed to the task. France, we know, covets colonies, and has a burning desire for dependencies, but she cannot show, and never has shown any talent, or indeed any great desire for the civilization of any people whom she has taken under her care. Peace she can produce, but it is a peace like that of the old Romans, which was so dreadfully akin to desolation. She might govern the islands of the South Seas, but she would never elevate their inhabitants.

If the task is to be performed, it must be by men of British race, And a more glorious task for men to set before them we cannot conceive. They would, too, derive great assistance from various sources. We have

mentioned the physical and moral nature of the inhabitants, we would now speak of the natural advantages of the islands themselves. At present, all is beauty or terror in nature's aspects there, but this does not represent at all adequately what their future may become. A wonderful climate, and a soil the richest conceivable, is sufficient guarantee for the powers of these islands to produce in rare perfection any thing of tropical growth. Cotton and arrow-root, as our own observation enables us to testify, are grown to wonderful perfection wherever they have been introduced. Spices of every description would unquestionably flourish to a wonderful extent; and in a word, all that is wanting to render these islands the wonder of the world for their wealth, as well as for their beauty is, that the inhabitants should rise from the worst of savages to the level of even a moderate civilization. This, again, we contend, can be effected by Englishmen ; perhaps by them alone; and we believe, nay we feel sure, it will ere long be so effected.

To us, in New Zealand, we hold that this is a question of no common degree of interest. If we look around us we may see how we are pointed out as the people placed, as it were, in front of this task. Our Australian brethren have a continent before them, and the task of replenishing it may well occupy all their energies for many a long year. Such is not our case. New Zealand is limited in extent. Its adventurous sons will soon find that its limits seem to their aspirations something far too narrow. And it may therefore look forward at no distant day to pushing forward its arms and embracing many, if not all these groups of wonderful islands under its own Government. The idea may appear dream-like now, but we look confidently forward over a few years, and see the whole position of New Zealand changed. Already the most wonderfully progressing of all the colonies of Great Britain, she is destined we well believe to progress yet more marvellously when the shadow of her present troubles pass away, as they soon must, and leave her to pursue her course under the full blaze of prosperity's sunshine. When that time comes we have no doubt this idea of ours, with many another which is now held wholly chimerical, will be viewed as sober earnest, and will, moreover, be put into practice.

Such prospects we cannot but think it well to keep before our eyes, even though they may seem both dim and distant at present. It is well to train our minds to look to no narrow or inexpansive future for our adopted country; because everything that enlarges the mind to look to a - great future, reflects a light upon the comparatively small things of the present. We shall not, as a nation, we believe, be the less likely to act wisely and generously in the treatment of our own aboriginal natives in New Zealand, if we look forward as to our special mission, to the elevating and governing of the teeming populations of the South Sea Islands.