esday._--The excellent Clarke up here almost all day yesterday, a
man I esteem and like to the soles of his boots; I prefer him to any one
in Samoa, and to most people in the world; a real good missionary, with
the inestimable advantage of having grown up a layman. Pity they all
can't get that! It recalls my old proposal, which delighted Lady Taylor
so much, that every divinity student should be thirty years old at least
before he was admitted. Boys switched out of college into a pulpit, what
chance have they? That any should do well amazes me, and the most are
just what was to be expected.

_Saturday._--I must tell you of our feast. It was long promised to the
boys, and came off yesterday in one of their new houses. My good Simele
arrived from Savaii that morning asking for political advice; then we
had Tauilo; Elena's father, a talking man of Tauilo's family; Talolo's
cousin; and a boy of Simele's family, who attended on his dignity; then
Metu, the meat-man--you have never heard of him, but he is a great
person in our household--brought a lady and a boy--and there was another
infant--eight guests in all. And we sat down thirty strong. You should
have seen our procession, going (about two o'clock), all in our best
clothes, to the hall of feasting! All in our Sunday's best. The new
house had been hurriedly finished; the rafters decorated with flowers;
the floor spread, native style, with green leaves; we had given a big
porker, twenty-five pounds of fresh beef, a tin of biscuit, cocoanuts,
etc. Our places were all arranged with much care; the native ladies of
the house facing our party; the sides filled up by the men; the guests,
please observe: the two chief people, male and female, were placed with
our family, the rest between S. and the native ladies. After the feast
was over, we had kava, and the calling of the kava was a very elaborate
affair, and I thought had like to have made Simele very angry; he is
really a considerable chief, but he and Tauilo were not called till
after all our family, _and the guests_, I suppose the principle being
that he was still regarded as one of the household. I forgot to say that
our black boy did not turn up when the feast was ready. Off went the two
cooks, found him, decorated him with huge red hibiscus flowers--he was
in a very dirty undershirt--brought him back between them like a
reluctant maid, and thrust him into a place between Faauma and Elena,
where he was petted and minister