TRISTAN DA CUNHA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20642, 14 February 1929, Page 11

TRISTAN DA CUNHA.

(From Our Own. Correspondent.) ' ■-.■- LONDON, January 5. k The Eev. Augustus George Partridge, who is .going to Tristan' da Cunha—the " world's loneliest island"—f or the Society for the Propagation of the/G&spel, is to have a little more time to spare than he anticipated'when his offer to' sail on January 4 was accepted. He finds that he can catch up the Duchess of Atholl, which will be taking.his stores and the general stores for the islanders, including presents from the King and Queen of many bags of flour and a harmonium, by leaving England on another boat on January 25. He will join the Duchess of Atholl at Monte Video on February 18, and hopes, to relieve the Rev. R. A. C. Pooler, the present missionary at Tristan, about a week later. " I had no idea of going abroad until at" my ordination services at Farnham Castle in 1920," said Mr Partridge. ''Theu the preacher emphasised the desirabilitv of doing terms of service for our church overseas.'

“ I did British Red Cross work at Brockenhurst till invalided out during the war, and after ordination I did slum work in connection with St. Mary’s. Southampton. Then I became vicar of Booysens, one of the ‘ poor white ’ and native suburbs of Johannesburg. This is a great parish containing the Robinson deep mine, with two white churches and one native church. ADVENTURES IN OTHER LANDS. “ My chief 1 adventure there was to prevent the lynching of a native Christian woman, who was accused of burying a charm in front - of the church. I bad to don all--my canonicals to overawe the crowd, and to dig up the suspected spot myself to show them there was nothing there.”.

In 1925 Mr Partridge was asked by the Bishop of Lebombo to serve for. a year as his chaplain, and to look after both white and native congregations at Laurence Marques, He was then appointed to a temporary chaplaincy at Santos, the great coffee port of Brazil. “Santos is generally looked upon as the most difficult of all mission posts,” Mr Partridge said, “A black West Indian beachcomber, who was usually drunk, once nearly -broke my wrist when I had to throw him out of the club, and later he returned with a pocket full of stonCs to *do me in,’ When I informed the police that I might have to use my revolver, they said I had only to ring them up, and the’y would take away anybody' lying outside the club. The British Consul finally, deported the negro.”