A more pleasing theme than the story just related was the arrival of the first missionary vessel that ever called at the island. This was the _Camden_, which was sent out by the London Missionary Society. In her missionary visits to the various islands of the Pacific, she made a brief call at Pitcairn Island, having but one missionary on board, a Mr. Heath. The _Camden’s_ stay extended only to four days, during which time Mr. Heath gave two public addresses, and held several meetings in Mr. Nobbs’ house. Captain Morgan, who commanded the vessel, also delivered an impressive discourse from the text, “My son, give me thine heart.” A good supply of Bibles was left on the island, enough for each family to have one. Captain Morgan also sent out from England, on his arrival there, a box of books, schoolbooks as well as religious publications, and slates and pencils for the use of the school. These were all thankfully received, as they supplied a very pressing want, especially the last-named gifts. In the year 1841 Christian’s widow died. Her name, given by the Englishmen, was Isabella, but as Christian himself had dubbed her “Mainmast,” this latter name was the one by which she was exclusively called, only it was abbreviated to “Mai’mas’.” She was of very advanced age when she died, but to the last retained vivid recollections of the events of earlier years, and used often to relate to her attentive listeners the story of Captain Cook’s visit to the Society Islands. Once when he was in Tahiti he was suffering from a severe attack of rheumatism. Some of the Tahitian women took him in hand, and effected a cure by means of the native remedy. This consisted of a preparation of the _a’pi-plant_ (_arum gigantum_) which was externally applied to the part or parts affected. The painful, stinging properties of the plant (compared to which the sting of the nettle is almost enjoyable) would seem to lead one to decide in favor of the rheumatism, as this remedy seems certainly worse than the disease. But Mainmast declared that the dreadful remedy cured Captain Cook. This old woman’s death left but one more remaining of the original party that came in the _Bounty_, thus severing, link by link, the tie that bound the younger portion of the community to those who originally settled the colony. Scarcely anything occurred to disturb the tranquil round of life that the inhabitants enjoyed, and day after day passed along in quiet monotony, broken only by the arrival of some passing ship. The “event” of every year was the visit of a man-of-war.