' s ▁most ▁important ▁work ▁was ▁Pol yn esian ▁Research es . ▁This ▁established ▁him ▁as ▁a ▁tal ented ▁eth n ographic ▁and ▁ge ographical ▁writer , ▁and ▁was ▁review ed ▁in ▁the ▁Qu arter ly ▁Review ▁by ▁Robert ▁S out he y : ▁" A ▁more ▁interesting ▁book ▁we ▁have ▁never ▁per used ." ▁This ▁and ▁similar ▁acc laim ▁for ▁Ell is ' s ▁writing ▁from ▁others ▁influenced ▁invest ors ▁to ▁regard ▁the ▁mission aries ▁more ▁fav ou rab ly , ▁particularly ▁the ▁L MS ▁mission aries . ▁They ▁had ▁previously ▁been ▁port rayed ▁as ▁na ively ▁raising ▁the ▁expect ations , ▁educational ▁level , ▁liberty ▁and ▁status ▁of ▁slaves ▁and ▁native ▁pe op les , ▁rather ▁than ▁taking ▁a ▁tradition ally ▁hard - head ed ▁approach ▁to ▁trade ▁and ▁commerce . ▁ ▁Ell is ▁was ▁asked ▁by ▁the ▁direct ors ▁of ▁the ▁L MS ▁to ▁write ▁up ▁his ▁studies ▁of ▁Mad agas car , ▁which ▁were ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 8 3 8 ▁as ▁the ▁two - volume ▁History ▁of ▁Mad agas car . ▁In ▁ 1 8 4 4 ▁the ▁first ▁volume ▁of ▁his ▁History ▁of ▁the ▁London ▁Mission ary ▁Society ▁was ▁also ▁published . ▁Due ▁to ▁ill ▁health , ▁Ell is ▁res igned ▁from ▁the ▁L MS , ▁wanting ▁also ▁to ▁spend ▁more ▁time ▁with ▁his ▁wife ▁Sarah ▁in ▁their ▁house ▁in ▁the ▁country ▁village ▁of ▁H od des don ▁in ▁H ert ford shire , ▁twenty ▁miles ▁north ▁of ▁London , ▁which ▁she ▁had ▁set ▁us ▁Raw don