LateintheeveningIwenttoMr。Williams’shouse，whereIpassedthenight。Ifoundtherealargepartyofchildren，collectedtogetherforChristmasDay，andallsittingroundatableattea。Ineversawanicerormoremerrygroup；andtothinkthatthiswasinthecentreofthelandofcannibalism，murder，andallatrociouscrimes！Thecordialityandhappinesssoplainlypicturedinthefacesofthelittlecircle，appearedequallyfeltbytheolderpersonsofthemission。
December24th——Inthemorning，prayerswerereadinthenativetonguetothewholefamily。AfterbreakfastIrambledaboutthegardensandfarm。
Thiswasamarket-day，whenthenativesofthesurroundinghamletsbringtheirpotatoes，Indiancorn，orpigs，toexchangeforblankets，tobacco，andsometimes，throughthepersuasionsofthemissionaries，forsoap。Mr。
Davies’seldestson，whomanagesafarmofhisown，isthemanofbusinessinthemarket。Thechildrenofthemissionaries，whocamewhileyoungtotheisland，understandthelanguagebetterthantheirparents，andcangetanythingmorereadilydonebythenatives。
AlittlebeforenoonMessrs。WilliamsandDavieswalkedwithmetoapartofaneighbouringforest，toshowmethefamouskauripine。Imeasuredoneofthenobletrees，andfounditthirty-onefeetincircumferenceabovetheroots。Therewasanothercloseby，whichIdidnotsee，thirty-threefeet；andIheardofonenolessthanfortyfeet。Thesetreesareremarkablefortheirsmoothcylindricalboles，whichrunuptoaheightofsixty，andevenninetyfeet，withanearlyequaldiameter，andwithoutasinglebranch。Thecrownofbranchesatthesummitisoutofallproportionsmalltothetrunk；andtheleavesarelikewisesmallcomparedwiththebranches。