When this accident happened, the Bishop was on his way to call for Patteson who had been left on the Island of Lifu with his scholars. Now the _Southern Cross_ had to be taken to Auckland to be repaired and contrary to his usual punctual habits, he was a month late in reaching Lifu. There followed a rapid voyage back, picking up scholars by the way till forty-seven were collected, amongst them three young married women and two babies; with the crew there were sixty-three persons in the little ship. Patteson writes: “As you may suppose the little _Southern Cross_ is cram full, but the Bishop’s excellent arrangements in the construction of the vessel for securing ventilation, preserve us from harm by God’s blessing. Every day a thorough cleaning and sweeping goes on and frequent washing, and as all beds turn up like the flap of a table, and some thirty lads sleep on the floor on mats and blankets, by 7 a.m. all traces of the night’s arrangements have vanished. The cabin looks and feels airy; meals go on regularly.... A vessel of this size unless arranged with special reference to such objects, could not carry safely so large a party, but we have nothing on board to create, conceal or accumulate dirt.” School and prayers were held regularly every day. Part of the Bishop’s own cabin was screened off for the three women and two babies; and he himself looked after them, washing the babies and tending the women when sick. Selwyn was grateful indeed that it was now possible happily to leave all these new scholars at Auckland under Patteson’s care, for plenty of work awaited him. He had to start off at once on a confirmation tour of one thousand miles and then be at Wellington early in the coming year for the meeting of the first Synod. The year, 1858, that was drawing to a close, he described as “a year of many blessings. Two prosperous voyages to the Islands, one prosperous voyage to the Southern Settlements, one-third of the Visitation Tour by land accomplished, the consecration of the Bishops of Wellington and Nelson.” These two, both consecrated in England were old friends; his fellow worker, Archdeacon Abraham, had been appointed Bishop of Wellington, and Rev. E. Hobhouse, Bishop of Nelson. In 1859, after the Synod was over, Selwyn made his last voyage to Melanesia again in company with Patteson. They touched at Lifu where they had before visited the native teachers belonging to the mission of the London Missionary Society. These men, as they had not had an English missionary among them for a long while, implored to be connected with the Anglican Mission. But they were told that two missionaries from L.M.S. were on their way from Sydney to Lifu, and that it would do harm to have two rival systems on the island. Patteson writes: “They acquiesced but not heartily, and it was a sad affair altogether, all parties unhappy and dissatisfied and yet unable to solve the difficulty.”