Nor beauty's pride, nor birth, nor power, Hath found a voice to stay the hour The hoary head-youth's radiant bloom And manhood's noble pride, Alike are vain-within the tomb 'Tis well to stand where others sleep How many oft with footsteps slow And voices sweet that rose on high, Are heard no more; and mine, whose tones Wake up the echoes shrill, That sleep 'mid these sepulchral stones, Will soon in death be still. Q No sorrow then will cloud my brow, I ask not that my weary head, When Time's last hour shall close, When the freed soul from earth has fled, 'Neath marble may repose; But lay me near a spreading tree, Where wild flowers spring around, The green grass shall my covering be, My bed the cold damp ground. Perchance, when evening's hour is nigh, Some friend will wander near, And wake remembrance with a sigh To him who slumbers there. ROTUMA, OR WALLIS'S ISLAND. BY THE REV. J. WILLIAMS. WALLIS's island is one of the numerous and verdant little spots which enliven and adorn the vast Pacific Ocean. They are frequently in clusters, and it is a remarkable fact, that several of the groups consist of eight islands. There are, however, many single islands, whose beauties are rendered still more enchanting by the wide expanse of waters around them; so that all the powers of admiration are concentrated upon the one verdant spot which invites attention. Wallis's island is situated 13. 16. S. lat. and 176. 50. W. lon. about two hundred and fifty miles west of the Samoa or Navigators' Islands. This island, though small, is rich in all the productions of tropical climes, which in many instances surpass the powers of description. The convolvulus and other creeping plants, by their luxuriance, cover the ground with their foliage, while they embellish the carpet of nature they form with the variegated flowers which they bear. The banana and the mountain plantain, the one with its rich and golden-coloured cluster of fruit, partially hid among the magnificent leaves by which it is shaded, next invites your attention. The dracena also, or ti-plant, expands its glossy and spear-shaped leaves, beneath which hangs pendent, its beautiful, its chaste and fragrant blossom. Then * the Barringtonia or the mape rears its gigantic form, and extends its wide-spreading branches, as if it were determined to engross an island to itself; but the elegant casuarina forces its way up, and fills the interstices with its wiry foliage; and the stately cocoa-nut tree, finding but little space amidst this luxuriant contention of nature, pushes its way through, until its graceful plumes, as if conscious of victory and superiority, tower above the trees of the grove, and wave majestically to the passing breeze. The numerous parasitical plants hang in a profusion of festoons from almost every branch, and give a rich but graceful wildness to the scene. The effect of the scenery in the isles of the Pacific is heightened by the variety of objects which are within the range of distinct observation. The majestic tree and the lowly shrub, the lofty mountain towering in the clouds, and the sandy beach, whose minute particles almost elude your grasp, are all within the range of your vision; and a vividness is given to the whole by the clearness of the atmosphere, and by the brilliancy with which the rays from the tropical sun flit and play about the objects upon which they alternately alight. The native name of this island, Wallis's Island, is Rotuma, and, although seventeen hundred miles west of Tahiti, is said, by tradition, to have been visited by one of the ancient navigators of the Society Isles. Indeed, the celebrated seat, Reuea,† used by the chief of Raiatea in all their sacred festivals, is said to have been brought by Hiro from Rotuma. The inhabitants of this charming and retired little spot have ever been regarded as a mild and inoffensive race, and the females as being more attractive in their persons than those of other islands. These circumstances induced the commanders * Inocarpus, or tropical chesnut tree. + See Missionary Enterprises, p. 230. of vessels, especially those engaged in the whale fishery, to resort frequently to this island; and very many of the sailors left their vessels, and took up their residence on the shore. Thus it will appear that intercourse between Europeans and the inhabitants of this secluded garden of the ocean has been considerable before Missionary influence had reached the aborigines. This, as the sequel will shew, is deeply to be deplored, for the subsequent history of this devoted isle is connected with the most tragical events. Some few years ago, a person possessing a small schooner and a little property, settled on the island, and soon obtained influence and authority there; but by his unjust extortions and cruelties, he rendered himself obnoxious to the inhabitants, who determined to rid themselves of their unwelcome intruder. Of this he became aware, and took a variety of methods to secure himself against their design. Among other things, he erected a house upon posts, which he ascended by a ladder, that he drew up after him. Being out, however, one day on a shooting excursion, while in the act of taking aim, the natives effected his destruction. Not long after this, an English whaler was taken at this island, and the crew, twenty-eight in number, with the exception of the surgeon and cabin-boy, were all massacred by the natives. The little cabin-boy effected his escape by crawling among the casks in the hold of the ship. The circumstances under which the surgeon was preserved were remarkable, but they are too well authenticated to admit of doubt. The ship in question was pursuing her way from the westward for Wallis's Island; on reaching which she was overtaken by a westerly gale, and driven to the Samoas, where she remained two days. While there, the surgeon had a dream, in which the Bible appeared open before him, and, while his eyes |