BISHOP PATTESON.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18968, 5 April 1927, Page 11

BISHOP PATTESON.

CENTENARY OF BIRTH. | MURDERED BY NATIVES. [THE PRESS Special Serrie*.] AUCKLAND, April 4. Melanesia's first bishop, John Coleridge Pattesoa. was born one hundred yea's ago on Friday last. Attracted to the mission field by Selwyn, he was 28 years of age when he landed at Auckland. 'He laboured faithfully among the islands of Melanesia for 16 years, and in his forty-fourth year he suffered a martyr'a death. Most people think of the great Selwyn as Melanesia's first bishop. Owing to a mistake in the letters patent of his consecration his diocese was described as extending from 50 degrees south latitude to 34 degrees north, and he was instructed to "extend the knowledge of the Gospel to the Isles of the Pacific." He arrived in Auckland in the autumn of 1842/ and in 1848 he visited Melanesia in H.M.S. Dido. Thereafter he navigated his own little 22-ton schooner-yacht Undine to and j from the islands, and he was such a good sailor that one master of a mer- | chant vessel said "it almost made him become a Christian and a churchman to see the way the Bishop piloted his own vessel into harbour." In 1854, when Selwyn went Home, he pleaded the cause of the mission so well that he got a 70-ton schooner called the Southern Cross—the first of several vessels that have borne that name —but; better still, he enlisted a new worker, one who was to leave a name ever revered in mission history. This wa? John Coleridge Fatteson, who, twelve years before, when a boy at Eton, had been fired by a sermon preached by the newly-appointed Bishop of New Zealand. Born on April Ist, 1827, Patteson was the son of a judge, Sir John Patteson, whose'wife was a niece of Coleridge, I the poet. Arriving in Auckland in July, 1855, Patteson quickly got into harness, and proved singularly fitted for the noble work. At that time the method of the mission was to collect a number of boys from the various islands touched at, bring them to Auckland, train them during the summer months, and then send them back to their sunny islands before the chills of the New. Zealand winter set in. The boys were first taken to St. John's College, then the school was removed to Kohimarama (which means Vfocus of light") and later Norfolk was made the headquarters of this training work', as the New Zealand climate was too severe for the natives. Patteson's special fitness for the work led naturally to his consecration in 1861, and he became Melanesia's first bishop. In 1863, Joseph Atkin joined the Missions He had. won a scholarship at St. John's College, and much was expected of him. A devoted worker, he soon became the Bishop's right-hand man. Nefarious Labour Trade. Towards the end of September, 1871, the Southern Cross was at the Reef Islands, Santa Cruz Group, making for the ..Island of Nukapu. The Bishop knew that some outrages had been committed by a labour vessel, and that the islanders were in a dangerous mood, but in spite of the risk he never swerved from what he considered his duty. On the morning of September 20th, the mission schooner was off the reef at Nukapu. There was no wind and the Bishop had a boat lowered, with the intention of pulling over to several canoes which' were hanging about .the edgo of the reef. He was accompanied by Joseph Atkin, and three native mission boys named Stephen Taroniara, Jariies Minipa, and John Nonouo. The people in the canoes seemed very undecided as to what to do, and there was;an air of hesitation that was rather puzzling. In order to disarm suspicion the Bishop got into one of the ■canoes and w-ent ashore with them, his own boat remaining outside the reef. The Bishop Went into the village meet-ing-house, and sat down on the fresh mat, always brought for a guest, according to native custom. Just as he was getting up again a man from behind smote him with all his might with a heavy wooden club, such as was used for. beating tappa cloth. The Bishop never moved again. Attack on the Boat. Then the savages set up a yell that \ was heard by the men. in the canoes outside the reef. For half an hour the boat of the. Southern . Cross had been drifting about waiting for the Bishop to re-appear. As soon as the natives in the canoes heard the yell ashore they began shooting arrows at the men in the schooner's boat, which nulled away and was soon out of range, but not before three of the people in her had been wounded. Atkin was shot through the'shoulder. John had his cap pinned to his head with an arrow, and poor Stephen received six arrows in his chest, and shoulders, being literally "trussed" by these deadly poisoned weapons. • James saved himself by throwing himself back ou the scat. The boat reached the Southern Cross about two hours after having left it. As-soon as the arrow-head had been extracted from his shoulder young Atkin, who alone knew- the entrance through the reef, insisted upon going back to look- for the Bishop. With him went Mr Bongard, the mate, carrying a revolver, the first, and last time an armed boat ever left the Mission ship. When the boat got over the reef two canoes came towards it, one being paddled by two women, who towed' the \>ther one. Casting off the second canoe the women' went back to the beach. Approaching the floating canoe cautiously, Messrs Atkin and Bongard saw the body of the Bishop laid reverently on the platform of the outrigger. As they lifted it into the boat a great shout went up from the natives who had assembled on the beach. Act of Revenge. It turned out afterwards that the Bishop's death was an act of revenge for five Nukapu men who had been kidnapped by one of the labour vessels and carried off to Fiji. On the body there were five wounds, and in the palm branch lying across the breast five of the leaves were ktiottea. i Wounds and knots both evidently nao. reference to the number of men kia- | napped, but at the time their signinciance.was not known. f Next morning, St. Matthew -a Day, the i body was committed to the deep by nr Atkin. Mr Atkin's own wound seemed slight, but lock-jaw set in and several days later he died, but not before he suffered fearful agony. He was omy | twenty-six years of age. ! Memories of Patteson. j An interesting link with the story of Patteson's martyrdom is that Miss Mary i Atkin, the sister of Joseph Atkin, well remembers the Bishop, and she is Mall 1 living at the old home at Kohimarama, I close to the old Mission property. She ! has taken a keen interest in the Mission i all her life, and still works for_ it. J Headers of Charlotte Yonge's ''Lite of Patteson," will remember that one of the Bishop's letters mentions a conversation he had with Mary Atkui when they had been farewelling the Southern "Cross. Miss Atkin has a vivid recollection of Patteson and of the wave of horror that swept over the colony when the news came of his death

and that of her brother and the native boy, Stephen. She remembers when the Bishop was installed in 1861 in the temporary chapel of St. Andrew; at Kohimarama, and in 1880 "she made the voyage to Norfolk Island to be present at the consecration of the very beautiful memorial chapel which wag raised to his memory; the interior being singularly richly decorated with marble, and the'stained glass windows being from designs by Burne-Jones. Miss Atkin has a water-colour drawing over the mantelpiece in her dining-room showing the Mission buildings asthey existed at Kohimarama from 1859 to 1867 when Norfolk Island became the school centre, the New. Zealand climate being too trying for the island boys. An interesting building that is still standing ot the pretty little bay, now fast becoming a suburb of Auckland, is the little stone chapel, built of Rangitoto stone. This was erected out of the proceeds of the first edition of Charlotte Yonge's famous book. Ine Daisy Chain," which was tremendously popular with the grandmothers of the present generation. The authoress was a cousin of Patteson and took a great interest in the Mission for his sake. Tins characteristic .Httle chapel, with its I high-pitched shingle roof, was m use until quite recently, the last service being held there just before Christmas. Miss Atkin recalls that, though it was erected so many years ago. it had only 1 been re-shingled once since then. Memorial Chapel. The Norfolk Island chapel is not the only memorial of the martyrdom. 1 here is a cross at Nukapu Island, besides which there are two memorial windows to Patteson in the chapel at St. John s College, Auckland, and one memorial window to Joseph Atkin. There is also a very beautiful memorial pulpit in Eseter Cathedral, and an obelisk in Devonshire. At Kohimarama there are two most interesting natural memorials _ or the great Bishop. The day he was installed at the chapel of St. Andrew, three Norfolk Island pines were planted close to the beach, one by Selwyn, one by Bishop Abraham, and one by the new Bishop. Two of them are still standing, the third having been cut down by some people who evidently ha* heard of their origin. _.