NEW HEBRIDES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 10105, 2 August 1893, Page 5

NEW HEBRIDES.

A LETTER PROM DR LAMB.

Tho following letter has been received by the Eev Kobert Erwin, convener of the Foreign Mission Committee, from Dr Egbert Lamb, of Ambrim, and will show how much needed the help sent by the friends of the mission in various parts of the church was, and how greatly it waa appreciated by the missionaries Eanior, Ambrim, New Hebrides, June 19,1898.

Dear Sir,—As H.M.S. Dart has called here immediately after the departure of the Lark, I send this note by favour of Commander H. E. Percy Oust to Port Sandwich, to catoh tho French mail. Will you kindly express publicly the thanks of the whole mission party for the sympathy and liberality with which friends in Christchurch, Auckland and elsewhere responded to our appeal for assistance. Although the distress among the people is not so great as was anticipated, it has been, and ia great enough. The yam crop, never large at this end of the island, alone was generally, saved, though the mission crop, being near the sea, perished. The people are at present eating hard wild berries, the husk of the green cocoanut, the leaves of the breadfruit trees, pumpkin tops, _ stringy roots and briars; in fact, anything edible they can find in the bush. Ourown party have been living from band to mouth, and once had to go in the small boat in search of food j but some stores kindly given us by Captain Pearn, of the labourship, Loclaiel, and a stock of rice lent us by M. Francois Eossi, of Ration, enabled us to hold on till the arrival of the Lark. Several labour ships have been 1 hovering around Ambrim, expecting a larger haul of recruits. They have not been altogether disappointed, but the people prefer hard times to leaving their island home for the Queens-’ land and other plantations. The Belief Committee in Sydney have been instructed to forward us by each mail a sufficient supply of rice and hard biscuits till the native gardens are again in full bearing. Wo are not giving the food away in such a manner as to pauperise the people. We expect all who can work to do so, and we pay them in food and clothing. The sick, the hungry, weak ones, and the little children can have for the asking. The mission is an industrial one, and we seek to turn tbs need of the people into a channel profitable to themselves. IE we were to give away gratuitously tho supply would bo exhausted in, a few days._ We hope to turn tueir labour to account in rebuilding the station and in providing hoappal and school accommodation for themselves. The mission party are in fairly good health, and have been endeavouring to construct an abode out of the wreckage left by the cyclone. Again asking yon to convey this expression of our thanks to all helping friends, —I am, &c.

Robert Lamb.