South Seas Incoming Correspondence
Incoming correspondence received by the London Missionary Society headquarters from the South Seas mission field, covering the period from the first mission to Tahiti, 1796/7, onwards. The letters have been written predominantly by missionaries in the field, but there are also letters from the wives...
| Order number: |
CWM/LMS/South Seas/Incoming correspondence/Box…etc.
1796-1810 FBN 10 (only available for consultation on microfiche)*
1812-1818 Box 2*
1819-1820 Box 3A*
1821-1822 Box 3B*
1823-1824 Box 4*
1825 Box 5A*
1826 Box 5B*
1827-1828 Box 6*
1829-1830 Box 7*
1831-1832 Box 8*
1833-1834 Box 9*
1835 Box 10A*
1836 Box 10B*
1837 Box 11A*
1838 Box 11B*
1839 Box 12*
1840 Box 13*
1841 Box 14*
1842 Box 15*
1843 Box 16*
1844 Box 17*
1845 Box 18A* Society Islands, Extra papers, 1843-1846
1845 Box 18B* Hervey Islands, Samoa
1846 Box 19A* Society Islands
1846 Box 19B* Hervey Islands, Samoa
1847 Box 20*
1848 Box 21*
1849 Box 22*
1850 Box 23*
1851 Box 24A*
1852 Box 24B*
1853-1854 Box 25*
1855-1856 Box 26*
1857-1859 Box 27*
1860-1861 Box 28*
1862-1863 Box 29*
1864-1865 Box 30*
1866-1868 Box 31*
1869-1870 Box 32*
1871-1872 Box 33*
1873-1875 Box 34*
1876-1879 Box 35*
1880-1881 Box 36*
1882-1883 Box 37*
1884 Box 38A*
1885 Box 38B*
1886-1887 Box 39*
1888-1889 Box 40*
1890-1891 Box 41*
1892 Box 42A*
1893 Box 42B*
1894 Box 43A*
1895 Box 43B*
1896-1897 Box 44A*
1898 Box 44B*
1899 Box 45*
1900 Box 46
1901-1902 Box 47
1903-1904 Box 48
1905-1906 Box 49
1907-1908 Box 50
1909-1910 Box 51
1911-1912 Box 52
1913 Box 53
1914 Box 54
1915 Box 55
1916 Box 56
1917 Box 57
1918 Box 58
1919 Box 59
1920-1921 Box 60
1922-1923 Box 61
1924-1925 Box 62
1926-1927 Box 63 |
|---|---|
| Date(s) of creation: |
1796-1927 |
| Level: |
Series |
| Format: | Archive |
| URL: |
https://digital.soas.ac.uk/AA00001359/00021 https://digital.soas.ac.uk/AA00001359/00027 https://digital.soas.ac.uk/AA00001359/00028 https://digital.soas.ac.uk/AA00001359/00029 |
| Order number: |
CWM/LMS/South Seas/Incoming correspondence/Box…etc.
1796-1810 FBN 10 (only available for consultation on microfiche)*
1812-1818 Box 2*
1819-1820 Box 3A*
1821-1822 Box 3B*
1823-1824 Box 4*
1825 Box 5A*
1826 Box 5B*
1827-1828 Box 6*
1829-1830 Box 7*
1831-1832 Box 8*
1833-1834 Box 9*
1835 Box 10A*
1836 Box 10B*
1837 Box 11A*
1838 Box 11B*
1839 Box 12*
1840 Box 13*
1841 Box 14*
1842 Box 15*
1843 Box 16*
1844 Box 17*
1845 Box 18A* Society Islands, Extra papers, 1843-1846
1845 Box 18B* Hervey Islands, Samoa
1846 Box 19A* Society Islands
1846 Box 19B* Hervey Islands, Samoa
1847 Box 20*
1848 Box 21*
1849 Box 22*
1850 Box 23*
1851 Box 24A*
1852 Box 24B*
1853-1854 Box 25*
1855-1856 Box 26*
1857-1859 Box 27*
1860-1861 Box 28*
1862-1863 Box 29*
1864-1865 Box 30*
1866-1868 Box 31*
1869-1870 Box 32*
1871-1872 Box 33*
1873-1875 Box 34*
1876-1879 Box 35*
1880-1881 Box 36*
1882-1883 Box 37*
1884 Box 38A*
1885 Box 38B*
1886-1887 Box 39*
1888-1889 Box 40*
1890-1891 Box 41*
1892 Box 42A*
1893 Box 42B*
1894 Box 43A*
1895 Box 43B*
1896-1897 Box 44A*
1898 Box 44B*
1899 Box 45*
1900 Box 46
1901-1902 Box 47
1903-1904 Box 48
1905-1906 Box 49
1907-1908 Box 50
1909-1910 Box 51
1911-1912 Box 52
1913 Box 53
1914 Box 54
1915 Box 55
1916 Box 56
1917 Box 57
1918 Box 58
1919 Box 59
1920-1921 Box 60
1922-1923 Box 61
1924-1925 Box 62
1926-1927 Box 63 |
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| Summary: |
Incoming correspondence received by the London Missionary Society headquarters from the South Seas mission field, covering the period from the first mission to Tahiti, 1796/7, onwards. The letters have been written predominantly by missionaries in the field, but there are also letters from the wives of missionaries; LMS officials, including directors, secretaries and deputations; South Sea Islanders, including royalty and local chiefs, deacons and other church office-bearers, teachers, students and local congregations; representatives of other missionary societies operating in the field, including the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missionaries (hereafter ABCFM) and the Paris Mission; crew members aboard various vessels and mission brigs, and representatives of private concerns including agents, company employees, local and colonial officials.
Delays in mail were considerable - notes on the letters show how many months later they were received in London or read to LMS committees. Correspondents make reference to their hurry to finish a note because a ship has unexpectedly appeared in port and they need to finish before it sails. Other times they mention sending via Panama or somewhere in the US rather than Australia and presumably (India and) the Cape. Frequent references to 'the colony' or 'colonies' in correspondence mean Australia (New South Wales, Tasmania [Hobart's Island] and Queensland).
Letters are written largely in English, but material in the languages of the South Seas Islands can also be found amongst the papers. These are generally accompanied by translations prepared by the missionaries. Where possible, catalogue records have indicated the presence of material in other languages, although in many cases the language itself is not identified.
Detailed cataloguing of letters has been completed at file-level for the period 1797-1899. Catalogue entries provide the names of correspondents, dates of letters, places and a summary of the subject matter. Correspondence from 1900 onwards has yet to be catalogued. The information given below relates to the correspondence for the early period (i.e. pre 1900).
Society Islands
South Seas Incoming Correspondence files are exclusively concerned with the Society Islands from 1796 to 1821. Among the most prolific correspondents in the early period are John Williams (who also writes from the Hervey Islands and other areas), William Henry (letters from 1800 to 1842), William Crook and William Ellis, who went on later to become Foreign Secretary of the LMS. Several letters are sent by Tahitian and other Society Islanders, including monarchs (of both sexes) bearing the name Pomare, and Tamatoa, King of Raiatea, along with local chiefs and church office-bearers. The first suggestion of a ship of the Society to sail among the islands of the South Pacific is made in a letter of 1803; later letters from the Society and other island groups tell of the voyages of the Camden, the Haweis and successive ships named after John Williams, and also a temporary hiring, the Day Spring. The visit of Tyerman and Bennett on deputation, 1821-1829, features in incoming letters for 1822. Captain FitzRoy, in whose sloop HMS Beagle Charles Darwin sailed, is author of a letter in 1835. A prominent writer from the Society Islands in the mid-nineteenth century was George Morris, who protests at a proposal to abandon LMS work in Tahiti 'the metropolis of Eastern Polynesia', in 1870. In subsequent years the flow of correspondence becomes more meagre and in 1888 there appears the last letter from an LMS missionary actually stationed in the Society Islands. Subsequent annual letters, from Pastor F. Vernier of the Paris Mission, keep the 'Mother Society' informed of continuing progress in the LMS's first field.
Other islands in chronological order of first appearance in the files:
Sandwich Islands [Hawaiian Islands]
From 1822, the archives hold correspondence with missionaries of the ABCFM. Both the deputation of Tyerman and Bennett and Rev William Ellis saw this as a promising field and Mr Ellis served for a short period from 1823. Otherwise LMS missionaries did not serve in the Sandwich Islands and the correspondence ends in 1837.
Hervey Islands [South Cook Islands]
LMS missionaries worked in the Hervey Islands from 1827. Most of the letters come from Rarotonga, initially from John Williams. Later letters also come from other mission stations - Charles Pitman in Gnatangiia [Ngantangiia] and Henry Royle on the atoll of Aitutaki. The most regular Hervey Islands missionary correspondent was Aaron Buzacott (1827 to 1858).
Marquesas Islands [Iles Marquises]
Marquesas correspondence also begins in 1827 but the first LMS missionaries write from the islands in 1834. George Stallworthy and David Darling are the signatories most frequently encountered.
Samoa Islands
LMS missionaries arrived in the Samoa islands in some strength in 1836 and it soon became a principal focus of missionary activity. A steady flow of correspondence and reports is found throughout the remainder of the century with Upolu, Apia, Malua, Savaii, Tutuila and Lifu regularly reported from. Archibald Murray, James Sunderland, William Harbutt, George Drummond and Samuel Whitmee are among the most prolific correspondents.
New Hebrides [Vanuatu]
A short-lived mission initiated by John Williams' fatal visit to Erromanga was abandoned in 1842. The principal correspondent was Henry Nisbet. Subsequent work at Aneitum [Anatom] is largely covered in letters filed with Samoa correspondence, but separate files for New Hebrides are held for the years 1862, 1864 and 1872. John Inglis and John Geddie write from Aneitum.
Loyalty Islands [Iles Loyauté, New Caledonia]
The LMS mission began in 1854 and continued throughout the 19th century. Frequent correspondents were Stephen Creagh and James Sleigh from Mare and Lifu.
Savage Island [Niue]
The LMS mission was established in 1861 and sent letters in every year thereafter to 1899. The brothers William and Francis Lawes are the most prominent correspondents mainly writing from Alofi or heading their letters 'Savage island' or 'Niue' without being more specific. |
|
| Extent: |
63 boxes |
|
| Note: |
First three files in Box 41 (1890), were lost during bombing of WWII. |
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| Arrangement: | Until 1927, the LMS kept all correspondence received from the mission field in strict chronological order. There is a further division of the South Seas correspondence by island group - Society Islands, Sandwich Islands, Hervey Islands, Marquesas Islands, Samoa Islands, New Hebrides, Loyalty Islands, and Savage Island. From approximately the last quarter of the 19th century, each letter has a cover sheet, which gives it a unique number, date sent, date received by the Home Office, the appropriate governing region (Eastern, Southern etc) and a precis of contents. The arrangement of incoming correspondence changed in 1928, when the administrative decision was made to file incoming and outgoing correspondence together in alphabetical files from individuals. These files also contain copies of some of the letters sent out by the LMS. Correspondence from this date is therefore identified as Incoming & Outgoing Correspondence, and is listed separately. | Until 1927, the LMS kept all correspondence received from the mission field in strict chronological order. There is a further division of the South Seas correspondence by island group - Society Islands, Sandwich Islands, Hervey Islands, Marquesas Islands, Samoa Islands, New Hebrides, Loyalty Islands, and Savage Island. From approximately the last quarter of the 19th century, each letter has a cover sheet, which gives it a unique number, date sent, date received by the Home Office, the appropriate governing region (Eastern, Southern etc) and a ... View more |
| Access status: |
Open |
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| Finding aids: |
Detailed lists for incoming correspondence for the South Seas are available for consultation in the Special Collections Reading Room, SOAS Library, for the following periods: 1796-1840 (H1), 1841-1848 (H2), 1849-1872 (H3), 1873-1899 (H4). These include names of missionaries, mission stations, dates and subject for each item of correspondence up to 1866. After 1866, subjects are not listed. Digitised copies of these lists are available on SOAS Digital Collections - URL links in this catalogue record. |
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| Format: | Archive |