, have
brought the Gospel of Christ, made known its truths and exemplified its
spirit; but the thousands and tens of thousands have inculcated by their
example, worldliness, drunkenness, lewdness, war, violence and
treachery. If needful, a volume of details might be given; but this is
the sum."
Next, the inquiry is put to the Isles of the Ocean:
"Great Pacific, to what extent has the last command of Christ been
obeyed by Christian lands, in respect to thy numerous islands?"
The reply is as follows:
"Thousands of ships from Christian lands continually cruise upon my wide
waters, and visit my numerous groups of islands. They have exchanged
with my ignorant and destitute inhabitants, beads, trinkets, and a few
inches of rusty iron hoop, for the best produce of the islands. They
have sold to them guns, powder and rum. Many of their ships have been
floating grog-shops--floating exhibitions too of Sodom and Gomorrah.
From some, on slight provocation, broadsides of cannon have been fired
on my heedless inhabitants, strewing the deep with the dead and the
dying. Rum and disease have been introduced. The one has slain its
thousands, and the other has slain, and is still slaying its tens of
thousands. Many useful things indeed have been introduced, but in
connection with a host of evils! A few individuals too, bearing the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, have visited some of my numerous islands; but
what are they among the multitude?"
After this testimony of the Isles of the Ocean, the inquiry is last
addressed to America:
"America, what is thy testimony? From Bhering's Straits to Cape Horn,
what treatment have thy native inhabitants received from Christian
nations?"
America replies:
"Alas! scarcely enough remain of my miserable inhabitants to return an
answer. They have been swept away by the same causes which are now
sweeping away the inhabitants of the Pacific. The rapacity of those
called Christians, which has not scrupled at any means of conquest and
extirpation, and the rum and diseases introduced, have laid my numerous
population in the grave. Have I been visited by those who bear the
Christian name? Yes, verily, they now possess the best portions of my
territory, and have grown into vast nations on my soil. Even my veriest
wilds have been repeatedly traversed by them in search of furs; and the
tracks they have made been too often marked with drunkenness, lewdness,
and treachery. Few, very few indeed of all that
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