History of the Sandwich Islands' Mission. By Rufus Anderson. (Hodder
and Stoughton.)—The Sandwich Islands' Mission has boon con- ducted by an American society. It was commenced rather more than fifty years ago, beginning under what were in one respect singularly favourable auspices. After the death of Kamehameha, who was a email Alexander in his way, the natives had broken loose from the oppressive bondage of " tabn," had, in fact, given up their religion, and were waiting for a new one. Otherwise the ground was scarcely a favourable one for missionary labour. The people were incredibly degraded and profligate. There was scarcely such a thing as family life, and infanti- cide was so prevalent that scarcely more than a third of the children born were permitted to live. It is only fair, as Dr. Anderson says, to take into consideration what the islands were when the mission began its work before that work can be estimated. Morality is still, doubtless, very Low, but it is a great deal higher than it was ; the population has decreased under influences which Christianity has not been able to arrest, but then, had not Christianity intervened, the population would probably have disappeared. The book is worth reading. It is but the merest justice that the missionaries' aide of the case should be heard as well as that of 'their opponents, and it seems to be put here fairly enough. After all, it is more likely that they should be right, for they do give their lives to the work, than a young man of fashion who thinks that he can learn everything in a six months' cruise. Of course, there is some- thing to be said on the other side, and that not only the worldly side, but from the points of view of other missions, the Roman Catholic, to wit, and the Anglican, for both of which our author has the greatest aversion. He seems to think that they are the worst class of poachers. Indeed, the way in which these missionary boards parcel out the world into so many manors is very curious.
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