Memoirs of the Life and Labours of the Rev. Samuel Marsden of Paramatta, Senior Chaplain of New South Wales

This 1858 biography explores the life of the Revd Samuel Marsden, an influential figure in early New Zealand history.

First published in 1858, this revealing biography uses letters and memoirs to explore the life and work of the Revd Samuel Marsden (1764–1838), an influential religious figure in Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti. The editorial commentary sets Marsden's work within a social and historical context.The Revd Samuel Marsden (1765–1838) was an influential religious figure in Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti. Educated at St John's College, Cambridge, and having spent time in Australia as a missionary to convicts and aborigines, from 1814 until his death he worked as a missionary to the Maori in New Zealand. First published in 1858, this biography, which uses Marsden's own letters and memoirs by friends and colleagues to explore his life and work, was edited by the historian J. B. Marsden (1803–70) who was not in fact related to his subject. Vivid and anecdotal, the work reveals Marsden's strong religious beliefs and his dedication to the welfare of the war-torn native peoples, even though his activities were not always popular. The editorial commentary sets Marsden's work within a social and historical context, and the study concludes with some appendixes documenting his lasting influence on New Zealand and Tahiti.