Europeans who are about the Pacha, he appears to be ignorant of the sufferings inflicted upon the poor Jews, and that all proceeds from the Lieutenant of the Pacha, who acts in concert with the Consuls, as he has done from the beginning; we except the Austrian Consul, who at first endeavoured to protect us, but who was at length compelled to join with the multitude.

Duplicates of the above communications were transmitted to Messrs. Montefiore Brothers, of London.

THE GERMAN REFUGEES IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

Extracts from the Journal of Captain D. M. Hahn, of the Danish ship Zebra, on her passage from Altona to South Australia, in 1838, with 199 Lutheran emigrants. Translated from the German.

"On the 21st August we left the Elbe with a south wind. The passengers consisted of 106 adults, 30 children above two years, 31 above six, 26 children above a quarter of a year old, and four infants at the breast. A surgeon, named Matheison, for the passengers, lodged in the cabin; another individual who did not belong to the party, also spent most of his time there: and, besides these, were the crew, consisting of sixteen men, so that we were in all, 217 on board the vessel.

"Having now reached the torrid zone, I will state the condition in which the passengers are, and whatever has occurred worthy of notice to the present time.

"They were first of all visited with sea-sickness, from which the greater part of them recovered but slowly. The aged amongst them who had all their life-time been accustomed to their country fare, which consisted chiefly of milk and potatoes, could not possibly habituate themselves to the ship's provisions. The hot weather also became oppressive, particularly between decks, increasing to such a degree, that I was shown pieces of sealing wax, folded in paper and placed in a chest, which were melted together on a heap. Sickness prevailed universally, and seemed daily to increase; deaths also occurred frequently, and by the 24th September the bodies

of eight persons had been committed to the deep. Dr. Matheison pronounced the disease that prevailed amongst the people to be a species of typhus, or nervous fever, and requested me in the name of the whole company to make for the first port, because the disease raged every day in an increasing degree, and could not be expelled from the vessel except by landing the passengers. To this I replied, that, as long as my men continued in health, so that I could proceed on the voyage, and whilst there was no want of provisions, I saw no sufficient reason for steering to a port, since the vessel itself was perfectly sound; but, if the distress of the people was such as to render the measure indispensable, I should first of all require good security or cash down to meet the expenses; while, if necessity on my side compelled it, the expense would then fall upon me or the vessel.

"On this, Dr. Matheison was heard to express himself in the presence of several passengers to the effect:-that in his opinion, as a graduated physician, it was necessary to steer for the nearest port, that the sick might be landed to refresh themselves. I again replied that unless the money were paid down, no declaration of the kind was of any avail, except necessity really compelled us to the measure; and nothing that had hitherto occurred could be regarded in that light.

"The emigrants certainly possessed a firm faith and confidence in God, and manifested a wonderful degree of resignation at the loss of their relatives; yet by degrees, their courage failed. Mourning and lamentation became universal. 'Ah,' said they, 'we shall none of us reach Australia, we shall all perish before we get there.' Scurvy also began to show itself; a great many of the emigrants were troubled with swollen feet and legs, and their teeth became loose in their mouths, which is generally the commencement of that disease.

"From the preceding account, the painful nature of my situation may be easily conceived. We were by this time in the neighbourhood of the Cape de Verd Islands, and might have run into Port au Prince, nor should I have objected to stay there for a day or two, could the condition of the passengers have been thereby materially improved. But I felt that I could not be answerable for lying there till all the people were cured, unless the distress had been more

urgent. Besides, credit could not have been obtained in the island, and we had not sufficient cash on board to cover the expenses, in the event of our undertaking such a thorough purification. We had only been thirty-four days at sea, and when should we have reached Australia had we run into a harbour every thirtyfour days in order to purify the vessel ?

"I therefore strove to represent our situation to the passengers in the most favourable light, and endeavoured to console them with the hope of soon reaching the Brazilian coast, where we could any day run into a port, if distress compelled us to do so.

"The most appropriate measures were also adopted for their restoration to health. Half the passengers remained by turns day and night upon deck, that the rest might have more air and room below. Ventilators were put down all the hatchways; the space between decks was fumigated three times a day with vinegar and juniper berries: and the beds were brought upon deck to be aired. I had still a young pig on board, which I had brought from Bahia the previous voyage, and which in fact belonged to myself; I gave this up to the emigrants, which was a great treat to the poor people. At that time there were eight adults and several children on the sick list, besides those who were attacked by the scurvy. This was the 24th Sep

tember.

"On the 16th of October, we crossed the line in 24° 10' west longitude. Meanwhile, of the eight invalids, two had died, besides a child of about a year old. No sooner had we passed the line, than a great and universal change seemed to be experienced. The adult invalids were perfectly restored in the space of five days. A violent kind of eruption broke out amongst the children, which seemed like the wind-pock, and when all of them had had it, the health of the whole returned. Sour krout and potatoes were given in abundance to those who were afflicted with the scurvy, and they were urged to use plenty of exercise, by which means they were soon cured. In short, no sooner were we south of the line, than sickness totally disappeared; and new life and spirits reanimated the whole of

the party.

"Between the 15th and 16th of November we doubled the Cape of Good Hope. From the time when we crossed the line until this date, nothing remark

able had occurred amongst the passengers. The harmony which prevailed amongst them might serve as a pattern to the whole world. The more wealthy amongst them had shared their property with those that were poor, in order to pay for their passage, although uncertain whether they should ever recover a farthing of it; and he who was unable to contribute the smallest trifle towards the expenses of the voyage, was notwithstanding taken along with the others, and had equal rights, both as regards lodging and food, with those who had paid for them; and I observed, that if any were dissatisfied with the food which was given them, it was sure to be those who had contributed nothing towards the purchasing of it. Those who, at home, have scarcely dry bread to satisfy their hunger, are, on such occasions, always the most discontented; which I have had frequent opportunities of observing during my voyages with emigrants. It was impossible that disputes should not occasionally arise amongst such a number of persons obliged to accommodate themselves to one mode of life; yet there were only seven or eight of the whole company who occasioned these disturbances and by threat of separating them from the rest, they also were silenced part of the time.

"I could not sufficiently admire the stedfastness with which they continued to adhere to their faith, after having been persecuted every day for eight years together. Many miles did they travel in order to receive the sacrament in the recesses of the forest, from their Lutheran preachers, who wandered about as fugitives. Owing to the want of preachers, most of the little children had been baptised by their own fathers. Even

after their preachers were driven away from them, their meetings, when discovered, brought down heavy fines upon them, although nothing further was transacted beyond some one who felt himself moved to speak, addressing those that were present. This they did also on board the vessel, and certainly did not deviate from the Lutheran faith; they are therefore falsely accused of mysticism and hypocrisy; add to this, they manifested an extraordinary degree of resignation and Christian charity. They showed me copies of the petitions they had presented to the King of Prussia for the free exercise of their religion, which were couched in such moving terms, that

it seems almost impossible, that, in the present day, their request should have been refused. They were willing to give up their churches and schools, and build new ones. They were even ready to concede to the reformed party (so called) the considerable revenues of their churches, and would have been content to be banished to some remote part of the Prussian dominions. When all their petitions and remonstrances proved fruitless, they elected two deputies, to obtain a personal interview with his Majesty, and make an oral statement of the case to him. The deputies were, however, refused admittance by the ministers, and were obliged to return home without having seen the king.

"I have not seen the answers to their repeated petitions; but from what these worthy men have told me, I have no doubt of the truth of the following statement. Two years ago the government gave them permission to emigrate; on which many of them sold all they possessed, but, before they were able to leave the country, this permission was revoked. The poor people were therefore obliged to spend the money produced by the sale of their little property, in a life of idleness; since, as already stated, it was not till two years after, that the real permission to emigrate appeared. Hence their poverty was greatly increased. Yet, after all, I hear these good people pray almost every evening for the King of Prussia.

"Seldom have I witnessed a more affecting scene, than in the evening, when I saw before me the whole deck filled with people on their bended knees, who, unanimously, and often with tears in their eyes, intreated the divine blessing and assistance on their undertaking. How often have I heard in their prayers the words, 'Thou knowest, O God! that it is not the desire to see other countries, nor the wish to acquire wealth, which has urged us to leave our homes. Faith in thee and in thy holy word has compelled us to take this step. Conduct us therefore to some spot in thy vast creation where we may gain our daily bread, and hear thy sacred word expounded in its purity!'

"The moderation and contentment evinced by these people, both in eating and drinking, and in pursuing their previous mode of living, deserves also to be noticed. During the whole of the passage they lived entirely upon milk, pota

toes, and bread. Even the more affluent among them told me, that articles of luxury, such as tea, coffee, sugar, &c., never entered their houses. They made use of the cows that gave them milk for draft and ploughing, instead of horses. A man from a village in the neighbourhood of Zulluhan, who possessed only one cow, had harnessed it and his wife to the plough, and with this ill-matched pair, had cultivated his land. There were parents amongst them, who had left their children behind. One of these was an old woman of sixty-two, who was quite alone among the emigrants, and had not even a bed to lie upon, much less a farthing's worth of property.

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Imagine the change which in so many respects an individual must undergo at the outset of such a voyage. First of all, he has never before been removed from terra firma. Then the adoption of a diet, to which he was previously a stranger, and finally, the feelings excited on leaving his native land, which he will never see again, and in which he has perhaps grown grey; parents parting for ever from their children, and children from their parents; sisters from brothers and brothers from sisters. Sea-sickness then seizes them, and weakens the outward frame, whilst melancholy thoughts depress the spirits.

"On the 19th of December we were in 42 south latitude; which was further south than we had ever been before. At this point an aged woman departed this life; there was something remarkable in the manner of her decease, her illness was primarily caused by vexation, occasioned it was said by her son-in-law. After she had been three days confined to her bed, she called her relatives to her, took her final leave of them, begging forgiveness of all present, in case any one had anything against her: then, folding her hands, repeated aloud the hymn,

6

"Into the hands of Christ my Lord, My spirit I commit," &c. and no sooner had she said Amen,' at the close, than she expired. After death her corpse turned quite yellow. As soon as we had committed it to the deep, the wind became favourable, and we continued our course towards the place of our destination.

"When any one died, the head of the family came to me to inform me of the circumstance, furnished me with the name and age of the deceased, and then inquired at what hour the corpse would be

lowered into the water, which was generally done twelve hours after the person had expired. The surgeon first of all examined whether death had really ensued, the sail-maker then prepared a large sack into which the corpse was put, weights being attached to the feet to sink it. An hour before the time appointed for committing the body to the deep, I ordered the flag to be hoisted half mast high. When this signal was given, the corpse was brought upon deck, where another surgical examination took place, the sack was then sewn up, and the corpse covered with a large flag which hung down over the side of the vessel till it touched the water. The emigrants then assembled, and sang a hymn; one of the elders afterwards gave an address, after which they retired. I then surrounded the corpse with the sailors on duty, repeated the Lord's prayer, and the hatch on which the body was laid, and which was placed upon the railing, being raised, the corpse slid down into the sea beneath the flag, without any one perceiving it.

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"I have mentioned nothing of what occurred amongst my passengers since the 16th November. Idleness always degenerates into something vicious in persons who are accustomed to labour. Even the best of men, were they without care and without occupation, would fall a prey to a variety of evil passions, and often become quarrelsome, although not naturally inclined to be so, and that too, respecting matters which perhaps previously never entered into their thoughts.

"Those who had advanced a part of the passage money for the poor amongst them, now sought to obtain an ascendancy over the rest; and began to form a variety of plans to secure the repayment of their money, by preserving the superfluous provisions, which had been purchased on the general account; but in this they were opposed by those who had paid for their own passage, and who also endeavoured to derive some benefit from it themselves.

"With regard to the cooking department, the surgeon had suffered matters to go wrong so far, that order was barely maintained. I had seriously forbidden more to be used than the rate allowed; I had therefore the pork, beef, water and bread, weighed and measured by the second mate, in the presence of two of the elders. Every day I represented to them, that what they spared in their rations

would be to their own advantage; on which account they seldom took the whole quantity. I never troubled myself about what they used or wasted; but there were some who wanted this, and others that: some had too little, and others too much.

"The masters of several trades strove with the journeymen, who were to be masters on arriving at their destination; thinking that he who had been master in Prussia, must also be so in Australia. The journeymen imagined to themselves a new state of things in Australia, and believed that what they were able to make as good as their masters, they should be permitted to sell as well as their masters. A master shoemaker, on this, said magisterially-" Cursed be he of the Lord, who covets another's livelihood!" and seemed not disinclined to forbid the use of wooden slippers in Australia entirely, in order that the whole country, or rather all its inhabitants, might not become accustomed to this idle habit. I appeased them by saying that we should probably find laws existing there, and have no need to introduce them.

"But to the praise of these people, I must say, that no strife or tumult ever occurred, which was not immediately quelled as soon as I interfered. My commands were punctually obeyed, without the smallest objection; it would, therefore, be very unjust to suppose that I had not the best opinion of them.

They had prayers regularly three times a day; but only at such times as suited me, and so as not to disturb those who had retired to sleep after keeping watch upon deck. On the other hand, I was equally strict in preventing the sailors from disturbing them in their devotions. I would not suffer a noise to be heard. after eight o'clock in the evening; it was, however, no easy matter to accustom them to it.

“On the morning of the 27th December, wind and weather were both favourable. We were near our destination, although the passengers did not know it. When all were assembled on deck at eight o'clock, I said to them, "If the wind continues favourable, and I am not deceived, at ten o'clock you shall see the land of your future home." Boundless was the joy that pervaded the whole ship; and I already began to repent of what I had said, lest I should have erred in my calculation. The people waited impatiently for the appointed time. Ten

o'clock arrived, but still no land was to be seen. My impatience now rose to its height; and I kept continually on the look-out, either from the masthead or on deck. At length at eleven o'clock, we perceived Kangaroo Island. Seldom are so many joyful faces seen together as then presented themselves, and every one feasted himself on the sight of land.

"At length, on the 29th of December, a boat with six gentlemen reached the vessel. On coming on board, they wel. comed me, and congratulated me as being the first foreigner whose flag had waved on their coasts-a sight on which the eyes of the colonists feasted themselves. I soon perceived, however, that the visit had not reference to me, but to the wishes of some of the most respectable of the colonists. They asked my permission to go between decks, to see iny German emigrants, which I granted with pleasure.

"I have already mentioned that eleven persons had died during the voyage-five adults and six children; the rest, one hundred and eighty-seven in number, were all in perfect health. It was Sunday, so that the people were very decently clothed in their way. The whole of the space between decks was neat and clean. On the party descending, profound silence reigned on my giving a hint to that effect; and we went through the whole range of berths. Regular and modest answers were returned to the occasional questions which the gentlemen put to the passengers. On coming again upon deck, they could not sufficiently express their astonishment at the healthy appearance of the emigrants, as well as at the cleanliness and order that prevailed. One of the party immediately presented the passengers with a couple of sheep for their refreshment. I was well acquainted with his brother, who lives at Cuxhaven which rendered it easy for me to form an acquaintance with him; and he afterwards contributed much towards settling the emigrants. Before the gentlemen above mentioned left the vessel, I received orders from the commander at the pilot station, to set sail and proceed up the gulph, he promising to send a pilot to meet me, which he accordingly did. But on account of the lowness of the water, we did not cross the bar until the 1st of January, and on the 2d anchored at Port Adelaide.

"The gentlemen I have mentioned above, had doubtless spread on shore a

favourable report concerning my passengers; which excited many respectable people to visit the vessel, after we had entered the harbour. I had, every day, offers for labourers, men and maid-servants, &c. For some I made engagements on very favourable terms; but, as already mentioned, having left their country because of their faith, they were unwilling to be parted, and wished to form a distinct community, if a spot of land were assigned them, on which they could earn their bread by the sweat of their brow.

"The German emigrants, who sailed from Hamburg on board the Prince George, four weeks before us, had also arrived so much the earlier, and had erected a few barracks at Port Adelaide; subsequently they rented a section of land belonging to Mr. Angas, at five shillings an acre. They now removed from Port Adelaide, and we took possession of their barracks. They had their preacher with them, the Rev. Augustus Kavel, whose expenses, as well as those of his whole congregation, Mr. Angas had advanced, by which they certainly were under obligations to that gentleman in a much greater degree than the emigrants by the Zebra. Mr. Kavel, exerted himself to obtain another section of land in the neighbourhood, which also belonged to the same individual, on similar terms for my passengers, with the intention of building a church and school there, and thus forming a German settlement, consisting of about four hundred emigrants.

"On our arrival, Mr. Kavel requested my permission to stay on board during the time I remained there, to which I willingly assented. I found him to be an excellent man, both as a preacher and as a companion."- South Australian Colonist.

The following extract from a letter, addressed by Pastor Kavel to a British merchant, will show the delicate care with which the Lutherans have avoided any attempt to excite foreign interference. It is dated London, October 25, 1837. "I think it my duty to inform you of my having been invited by Mr.

to at

tend the meeting, which was held on Thursday, the 24th instant, by the London Ministers, in order to take into consideration the persecution in Prussia and Holland. Mr. kindly offered to introduce me, and desired me to lay my case before the Rev. Gentlemen. But I