fluence
of Christianity, who would judge of its quality or value by the fruit of
its _professors_. "By their fruits ye shall know _them_,"
truly--_them_, but not Christianity. The world is an hospital, and life
the period of convalescence. Christianity is the one grand and
all-sufficient medicine. Shall we, the afflicted and jaundiced
patients, still suffering from the virulence and effect of sin, condemn
the medicine because it does not turn us out cured in a single day?
Still, even to fruits we can appeal, mingled and confounded with
crab-apples though they be.

Come, sceptic, make a trial of it. Go to the Fiji Islands; get yourself
wrecked among them. Be cast into the stormy deep; buffet the waves
manfully, and succeed in struggling exhausted to the shore. The savages
there, if not Christianised, will haul you out of the sea, roast you,
and eat you! They do this in compliance with a humane little law which
maintains that all who are shipwrecked, and cast on shore, are thus to
be disposed of. Ha! you need not smile. The record of this fact may be
read, in unquestionable authorities, in every public library in the
kingdom. Search and see.

On the other hand, go and get cast on one of the Fiji group where
Christianity holds sway, and there, despite the errors, inconsistencies,
and sins of its professors and enemies, the same natives will haul you
out of the sea, receive you into their houses, feed and clothe you, and
send you on your way rejoicing.

There is one peculiarity which applies to most of the coral islands--
each is partially surrounded by a coral reef which lies at a distance
from the shore varying from less than one to two miles. Outside of this
reef the sea may heave tumultuously, but the lagoon within remains calm.
The great breakers may thunder on the reef, and even send their spray
over, for it is little above the level of the sea, and nowhere much more
than a few yards in breadth, but inside all is peaceful and motionless.
In this reef there are several openings, by which a ship of the largest
size may enter and find a safe, commodious harbour. It is found that
these openings occur usually opposite to any part of the islands where a
stream flows into the sea; and the openings have frequently a little
herbage, sometimes a few cocoa-nut palms growing on either side, which
form a good natural land-mark to the navigator.

Towards one of these openings the long-boat of the _Foam_ was rowed w