REV. G. BROWN AND HIS MISSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5977, 13 January 1881, Page 6

REV. G. BROWN AND HIS MISSION.

The Rev. George Brown, in a letter in the Sydney Daily Telegraph, of the 31st dated Duke of York Island, November 10, gives a lengthy refutal to certain statements made by that journal seriously reflecting on his personal character, and made by it on the authority of Captain Southgate of the Sea Rip. . In the letter Mr. Brown says :— "Although for courtesy's sake I must use the term Captain Southgate, I yet reallyconsider it as simply a nom de plume for Mr. T. Farrell. Why that gentleman has not carried out his threat in his own name I can only, guess. Mr. Farrell is well-known in New Zealand, in Sydney, and in the South Seas; the other gentleman is comparatively xmknown. Why, then, object to tell hia own tale. I have never spoken a dozen words to Captain Southgate in my life, in fact, lam not certain that I have ever seen him. The rumours which your informant says are current here about my resigniug my position, being interested in Captain Ferguson's business, &e.,-1 may yet be able to deal ■with in some other way. At present I can only assure you that they, with some other statements which-1 do not notice, are baseless fabrications, not having the slightest substratum of truth to justify them, and never being uttered here by anyone but himself. Let me tell your informant and your readers that it is only five years since we landed here to begin our mission; and-out of these I have been at least two years away ; that we have had to contend with disease and death, and encounter difficulties arising from the difference of dialects and the exclusiveness of the people of one district towards those of another from which some other mission have been happily exempt; and yet we think that we have made some progress, Captain Southgate's vague. . assertion notwithstanding. The language has been reduced to writing, a vocabulary formed, a lesson book, catechism and hymns printed, some little progress made in translating, at least 20 native churches built and some 30 adults ■ baptised, most of whom have been three years on trial, and three of whom are now preaching to their fellow-countrymen. ' We certainly have no very grand schools as yet, but every teacher in the group has one, though Captain Southgate never heard of them; and best of all we have the confidence and respect of the people—they know andlove their teachers and esteem them as their best friends. Captain Southgate's statement that the mission does'not seem to make much progress here is true of one place only, namely, Meoko Harbour, where, as he says, there is more 'traffic and shipping than at any other place.' We have two teachers there, but they have not been able to do as much as their brethren have done at other lessfavoured and purely heathen places, and I for one have not the heart to blame them. Lot me give Captain Southgate one example of what was lately done by our teachers, who .' only stroll along' the coast all day,' and from whom ' much cannot be expected.' A white man trading for a firm here quarrels -with a native, and finally strikes him. The chief comes up to take the native's part, and by the white man's acconnt threatens him -with a tomahawk, whereupon lie shoots him dead, with a ball through his head, and then has to run "for his life to the ship, and leave all his employers' property to be destroyed or stolen. The natives, of course, took everything. The next day our two teachers went perfectly unarmed to these men, still smarting under the loss of their murdered chief, and induced them to give back again all the stolen property which they could recover. Out of about £50 taken, about £40 worth was returned, and the natives were induced to make up the quarrel iu-ain. No wonder that the supercargo was astounded and pleased ; and yet these are the men who have no influence and. do nothing " ' "' ' ' In the Sydney Weekly Advocate appears some correspondence, published by the General Secretary of-the Wesleyan Missions, as corroborative proof of Mr. Brown's statements and of the beneficial work being accomplished by : the mission in Duke : of : York Island, and atNew ■ Britain. Commodore Wilson, in a letter to the Rev. B. Chapman;: General , ' Secretary Wesleyan Missionary - Society, ■>'■Sydney,'-- encloses-: a communication.which hefhad received from .Lieut, de Hoghton, comnianding. H.M.S.

I Beagle, '-testifying to the good work done by the inissionariesinthese Groups. He avails -himself of the'opportunity to ■ request , that his thanks ma 3' be conveyed to Messrs.' Brownand Danks for "the:great assistance' i rendered by them_,at all times to Her Majesty's ships, materially-aiding, their commanders in ; carrying out.]most delicate and onerous duties.". v&eut." de Hoghten says,- : "I have spent some time no_w in this locality, and it is.riiy decided opinion that the mission is doing .unmixed good, wherever its influence is felt." ' ■■ '