Written by the first Catholic missionaries to work in the western Pacific, the letters, were sent by the Marist missionaries back to the general administration of the Marist Fathers, based in Lyons, France. Transcribed by Charles Girard, a Marist Catholic priest, the records offer insights into the daily lives, cultures and beliefs of indigenous islanders, as well as the attitudes, challenges and experiences of the missionaries. The letters describe in extensive detail the way people lived and worked in New Zealand, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia ,Wallis, Futuna, Tonga, Fiji and Samoa.