in life and death. I do rejoice with the Society. I feel thankful to almighty God for his mercies to these poor heathens, for whom I can say that I have often travailed in pain.' The incorruptible seed' is sown amongst them, which liveth and abideth forever;' and as God has manifested his power, and taken a people to himself from among the heathen, he will provide for them: he will take care of them; "because he has chosen them to be his people.' God has blessed the Society's exertions far beyond all our hopes. He has been on our side, and has done much. As workers together with God. much still remains for the Christian world to do. The weakness of the instruments employed in forwarding this great work, must not discourage us: we must look beyond all second causes to the GREAT FIRST CAUSE; and while we do this, we must use such means as are within our reach to follow closely the openings of Providence.

"Considerable supplies of agricultural implements will now be wanted to enable the natives to subdue the soil, and to unite the comforts of civil life with the blessings of the Gospel. These will mutually strengthen each other. The Christian world must not be sparing of their money, nor do I think they will in such a cause. Something more will now be necessary than merely what will supply the wants of the missionaries, at least for a time till the cultivated grateful soil returns a joyful harvest. In New South Wales, government supplies the new settler, when he enters upon his land, with the implements of agriculture and provisions for a time, till his first crop is ripe. Though he brings with him from England the knowledge of agriculture, and habits of industry, yet the wisdom of government deems it necessary to give him further aid. The Otaheitan has neither knowledge nor habits of industry, nor the means of acquiring them without implements. The directors will take into their favorable consideration the civil and political state of the islands, and, no doubt, will adopt such measures as will conduce to the permanent establishment of Christianity and the arts of civilization therein.-With my earnest prayers for the divine blessing upon all the labors of the society, I remain yours, &c. S. MARSDEN.

[Our readers need Hardly be reminded, we hope, that the writer of the preceding letter is one of the great, enlightened, and efficient benefactors of mankind, at this most interesting period of the world. When the vast island of New Holland shall be adorned with thousands of churches, and filled with millions of devout worshippers, the name of Samuel Marsden will be venerated as the name of a patriarch, to whom all future ages rejoice to acknowledge their indebtedness.

The testimony of such a man, whose life exemplifies the nature of enlarged benevolence, under the direction of a sound judgment and a comprehensive mind, is peculiarly valuable. We barely mention here, that the missionaries, of whom Mr. M. speaks, and the Society to which they belong, are not of the same denomination as himself. This makes no odds, however, in his feelings. He overlooks the narrow boundaries, which separate real Christians from eacle other, and rejoices in the downfal of idolatry, and the erection of a pure and spiritual worship on its ruins.]

PROGRESS OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA.

A few years since it was confidently asserted, that no Hindoo would ever embrace the Christian religion; and that it was a most dangerous experiment to preach the Gospel in India. These assertions were made by persons, who professed a respect for Christianity, but who were ignorant of its nature and hostile to its spirit. It is now undeniably apparent, from the experience of our own missionaries, as well as that of others, that no external opposition is to be apprehended by those, who prudently enter upon the work of preaching Christ to the Hindoos.

At Benares, the seat of the bramhunical power and superstition, no impediment is offered to the promulgation of divine truth. The following letter from a wealthy native, making a valuable donation for the support of a Christian school, deserves to be considered as a most interesting event. It is a specimen of what may be done, by the inhabitants themselves,' towards the promotion of the good cause. The letter is dated Aug. 12, 1818, and addressed to the Church Missionary Society. Ed. Pan.

"HONORABLE SIRS-It is now many years since I fell very ill: and, leaving Calcutta, came to Benares; where I used every possible means known to Hindoos, in order to get well. Mr. Jonathan Duncan, who was at that time Resident of Benares, and was my particular friend, procured for me the assist-, ance of several European surgeons, who were not able either to afford ne relief.

VOL. XVI.

6

"At length a Hindoo, who had been very ill, obtained some medicine and advice from a merchant, Mr. Wheatly, by which he obtained a cure. On this I also sought acquaintance with Mr. G. Wheatly. Mr W. gave me a New Testament, and I bought of him a Book of Common Prayer. He often passed much time with me in explaining the meaning of these books; and wrote many Letters to me also, on the subject of the Christian Religion. In respect to my complaint be recommended some simple medicines; but advised, above all, that I should apply myself to God in prayer, to lead my mind into the truth, and to grant me bodily healing. I complied with his advice, and obtained a perfect cure.

"I then asked him what I ought to do for the name of Jesus Christ. He advised me, that, as I had felt the benefit of the advice which he had given, I ought to consult the benefit of my countrymen; and, with this view, I ought to found a School for instruction in English, Bengalee, Persian, and Hindee.

"In compliance with his advice, I set about establishing such a school; and, with the help of my friends, raised a fund to supply 200 rupees a month for the endowment of it. Afterwards, Mr. Wheatly himself having failed in business, became the schoolmaster. His method was, first to instruct my family in Christianity, and pray with them, and then to teach the English Language to the scholars who attended. He continually taught me, that, from joining in prayer, and reading the Scripture with him, no loss of caste was involved; but piety would be increased.

"After a short time, Mr. Wheatly died, and since then, I have had much trouble to accomplish my wish respecting this school. In 1814, when Lord Moira came up the country, I applied,through Mr. John Shakespear, to his Lordship for assistance: his Lordship, approved of the design and left the settlement of it to his agent at Benares, Mr. Brook. Mr. Brook told me, when all disputes were settled respecting the settlement of the estate, which I intended to endow the school with, he would report my wishes to the Governor General. But, till now, these differences have not been adjusted, and I became very anxious respecting the settlement of my school. Several masters whom I employed proved unsuitable, and the children who came to school received no profit.

"I had heard of the Rev. Mr. Corrie, through Mr. Wheatly; and through him, had sent a letter to the British and Foreign Bible Society, with a small subscription. I often prayed that he might come to Benares; and at length he came to reside at this place.

"From the information communicated by him respecting the Church Missionary Society, and from a perusal of one of that Society's Reports which he gave me, I determined on making the Calcutta Committee of the Church Missionary Society the trustees of my school, and of assigning to them the property which I had appropriated for the endowment of it. Accordingly, I have requested them to accept the charge; and legal measures are in progress, for transferring the school and endowment permanently into their hands. In the mean time, my house in Bengalee Tolah, in Benares, which cost me 48,000 rupees in building, has been appropriated for a school, and Mr. Adlington has begun to give instruction in the English Language.

"Thus, what I have been many years desiring, begins to be accomplished: but, as I greatly long that the most effectual means may be used for the enlightening of my countrymen, I am anxious to have a printing-press also established in Benares, by which school-books might be speedily multiplied, and treatises on different subjects might be printed, and generally dispersed throughout the country. Without this, the progress of knowledge must be very slow, and the Hindoos long remain in their present very fallen state, which is very painful to a benevolent mind.

"I most earnestly request, therefore, the Church Missionary Committee to take measures for sending out a printing-press to Benares, with one or two Missionaries to superintend it-men of learning, who may be able to satisfy the inquiries of the learned of this ancient city on subjects of science and history, as well as of religion.

"The reception which the labors of the missionaries at Serampore, and of the school-book society meet with, shews how welcome to my countrymen such an establishment at Benares would be. And, as the Church Missionary Society cheerfully expends its funds for the improvement of mankind, there is no place where their labors are likely to be more beneficial than in Benares; and I

Barnestly hope they will not be backward to assist the efforts making here. I am, Honorable Sirs, Your most obedient humble servant,

JAY NARAIN GHOSSAUL."

LETTER FROM THE REV. GORDON HALL TO THE CORRESPONDING SECRETARY.

REV. AND DEAR SIR,

Bombay, March, 1819.

The 13th. of Jan. I sent yon, by Capt, Osgood of the brig Nancy Ann, my journal of a tour to Choule. On the third inst. I returned from another tour of 10 days to the same region. I arrived in the vicinity of Choule on the 23d ult. and found the two schools which were commenced there about the middle of Nov. in good order. I found about 130 boys belonging to the two schools, about two thirds of whom are usually present at a time. In one school there are 15 Jewish boys, and in the other seven. The other boys are chiefly Hindoos, some are Mussulmauns, and two in one school are Roman Catholics, the first that have ever, joined any of our schools. These two Catholic boys are orphans, and one of them is a lad of uncommon promise. He reads fluently in Mahratta and Portuguese; and when the teacher is called out, this boy is put in charge of the school." More than 20 of the boys in these schools have already learnt to read with considerable propriety, and to repeat more or less of the ten commandments. These schools are increasing in their numbers. The day after my arrival, I spent principally in the school; but had opportunities for conversing with some of the Jews and heathen, and distributed some books.

In the afternoon I desired the schoolmaster to invite the neighboring Jews to convene, for I had a particular desire to address to them. Accordingly a considerable number of them assembled, and I addressed them directly on the subject of the Messiah's advent, in a very summary manner, following, in general, the argument of Owen. I endeavored to show them that it was plainly foretold, in their own prophetic writings, that the Messiah's advent was to take place, before the Sceptre and Lawgiver should depart from Judah, and before the destruction of the second temple,-and that he must be cut off, not for his own > but for the sins of the people: consequently, as their temple has long since been demolished, their beloved city Jerusalem destroyed, and their whole nation either consumed by the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, or extirpated. from the land of their fathers, and dispersed throughout all nations, destitute of all insignia of civil authority, forsaken, oppressed, and without the slightest destination of their ancient tribes; as all this had long ago befallen their nation, it was an obvious demonstration that the Messiah must have come long ago, or the voice of Jehovah, by the mouth of his prophets, must have proved. false. At the thought of the latter they started, and with peculiar emphasis several of them declared it impossible that a prophesy from the Lord should fail. They seemed to be, in some measure, convinced and impressed, and I next endeavored to convince them that the time, the place, and the manner, of our Savior's birth-his preaching, his miracles, his death, resurrection and ascension, declared him to be the Messiah. I exhorted them to believe in him, and by repentance, to turn to the God of their father Abraham. They were very attentive. None gainsayed, and most seemed to yield their full assent to what was advanced. Among the number present were two brothers, of whom one was 80 years old. To me the season was a peculiarly pleasant one, and I hope it may be followed with a blessing.

The following day I spent partly in this school, and partly in going about the great town of Rawadunda, where I had opportunities of addressing numbers of the people and distributing some books.

I had expected to make a longer stay in the neighborhood; but when I arrived on Wednesday, I was informed, that on the following Friday there was to be a royal marriage at Allabay, the capital of a petty, independent sovereign, who reigns over a few hundred thousand subjects. The capital of this sovereignty is near its southern frontier, and about 20 miles down the coast from Bombay, or six or seven miles to the north of Rawadunda. When I was on my former tour to this place, I saw a Surdar, a military officer of some rank, in the service

of the king of Callaba, as it is commonly called, of which Allabay is the capital. I gave the Surdar a copy of the Gospel of Matthew, and desired him to present it to the king with my salam, and told him, if I should visit the region again, I should desire to see his majesty.

Great numbers of people were now going up to Allabay to be present at the royal nuptials. I thought the time a favorable one, and concluded to go, hoping that God would make it subservient to the introduction of the Gospel into that heathen kingdom.

On the morning of the 26th, I started early for Allabay. The school in the town of Kaup, a little out from Rawadunda, was on my way. I stopped and spent some time in the school, and breakfasted with the teacher, who is a Jew. It was nearly 12 o'clock when I arrived at Allabay;-the two school masters were with me, and we took up our quarters with a Jew, who is a Subadar in Angrea's (that is the name of the reigning family) service. A Subadar is a military officer, and has the charge of about 25 sepoys.

Immediately on my arrival, I sent for the Surdar, whom I had seen at Rawadunda. He came directly-was very friendly-inquired how many people came with me, and said that every article of provision, requisite for me and for them, would be daily sent from the king's stores, and that I must not think of leaving the place for four or five days. All necessary provisions were accordingly sent daily to the place of my lodgings.

and Here I must tell you that the royal personage, who is heir to the crown, whose nuptials were about to be celebrated, was a boy of 13 years of age, and the bride a girl of seven or eight years of age. The king died some years ago, and since then a bramhun, as regent, has had the entire management of the Government. On the day of my arrival, 3 o'clock in the afternoon, was the time appointed for me to be introduced to the regent.-I previously prepared two parcels, each containing a copy of our English and Mahratta book, the Gospel of Matthew, the Acts, the school book, and several tracts. One of these I intended for the young king, and the other for the regent.

I was accordingly introduced to the regent, by the Surdar, and the parcels were presented. I was received by the regent with the utmost kindness and respect. It was in the immediate presence of all his chief men, civil and military, the bramhuns also, and a great concourse of people; for all were in readiness to proceed in a grand procession, from the great hall of the bridegroom to that of the bride, in order to make some arrangements for the marriage ceremony, which was to take place between 9 and 10 in the evening. I was desired to walk in the procession at the regent's right hand. On the left, was his aged father. When arrived at the hall, I was desired to sit near the regent, and treated with every mark of the highest respect. I received the same respectful treatment at each of three following times, when I was present at the ceremonies.

I would wish to notice this circumstance as a tribute of praise to Him, in whose hand are the hearts of kings, and who turns them as he pleases. Such a circumstance could be in no wise desirable, did it not have a favorable bearing upon our Christian object. It was distinctly known that I was a minister of Christ, and as such I was most honorably noticed in the eyes of all his principal subjects, and many others from places beyond his territory. All these, after seeing me in such circumstances for several days, would know me, should they hereafter meet me in any part of the country; and, I doubt not, would be more ready to receive me with respect, and to listen to my instructions with attention. Indeed, what I observed before I left the place was in confirmation of this sentiment. Let God be praised.

I might give you a long account of this magnificent wedding, but I do not think it would be worth your perasal, as it did not materially differ, except in its royal magnificence, from the ordinary ceremonies of marriage among the Hindoos. I had repeated conversation with the regent, in which he made various inquiries about European manners and customs. On the last day of the ceremonics, in the presence of the whole assembly, he made several remarks to me about the Christian religion, which showed that he had read considerable in the books which I had given him. Indeed, I afterwards learnt, through one of his officers, that he had been reading them to his father, and conversing about them. He remarked that our religion was excellent, but like all the Hindoos, he could think no one religion to be true, exclusive of all others. Hitherto I had had

no private conversation with him, and therefore I had said nothing about a main part of my object in coming here, which was to obtain the approbation of this heathen government for the establishment of schools within its territories. I requested, and most readily obtained, a private audience. I told him that we had established more than 20 schools in various places, for imparting useful learning to the children of the poor in their own language. He asked who were employed as teachers. I told him that we generally employed bramhuns, but sometimes intelligent men of other casts, and sometimes Jews. He asked, if the expense was defrayed by government? When I told him that it was not. but that good people in our native land, wishing to promote the happiness of their fellow men, brought together their contributions, some more and some less, according to their ability, and that from these consecrated funds the schools were supported:-when I told him this, it seemed to strike him as a new and surprising idea. He pronounced it a holy work, as great numbers of the Hindoos do, fully approved of the object, and gave it his unqualified sanction. He then made inquiry about certain books in English, which he wished to obtain. I thanked him for all the kindness and attention which he had shown me, and took my leave of him, expecting to embark in the evening for Bombay, having spent four days in the place.

I immediately made arrangements for two schools to be established under this government; one at Allabay, the capital, and the other in the large town of Choule, in the neighborhood of Rawadunda. As I was unexpectedly detained until the next day, I had the pleasure of seeing the school in Allabay commence with nine* fine boys. The teacher is an intelligent Jew.

While I continued in this place, the town was full of bustle, on account of the royal marriage, and the great influx of persons from the surrounding country, and also from the numerous private weddings in which many were engaged. The occasion, therefore, did not afford so many opportunities for addressing the people, as I had hoped it would. I had, however, opportunities of conversing with numbers, and of distributing a pretty large number of books. Some of them were given to persons dispersing into the country as far as Poonah, and many were given to persons of distinction under government, and others of the common people, who were able and seemed desirous to read them.

During almost the whole of my absence, I was in the company of more or less of the Jews. I ate and lodged in their houses; and I had interviews and conversation with most of the Jews in these places. Most of the time, the three Jews, now employed there as schoolmasters, were with me. I took special pains to instruct them in the doctrines of Christianity, and I was much gratified by their apparent readiness and desire to be instructed. The Sabbath was spent very pleasantly. It was chiefly occupied in reading and explaining the Gospel of Matthew, the tracts, and forms of prayer. Sometimes I read myself; but the schoolmasters were the principal readers, while I expounded. And a considerable number of persons, both Jews and heathens, were in and out in the course of the day. One part of the day I gave a book to each one who could read, and felt a peculiar pleasure in seeing seven or eight boys, and a number of adults sitting around me, and reading the Word of life, in the metropolis of a heathen kingdom.

On this occasion a very pleasing circumstance occurred. One of the reading boys, a heathen lad of about 12 years old, began to repeat the hymn to Christ, which we have printed. I stopped and inquired, and found he could repeat four verses. The boy had been down from Allabay to Rawadunda, and spent two or three days in our school there, and by that means had learnt the hymn. This led me to reflect more than ever before, on the great variety of ways in which our school may aid in the diffusion of Christian knowledge.

My continued familiarity with the Jews afforded me the best opportunity of becoming better acquainted with that interesting people, as they exist in this country. I was more than ever convinced of their extreme ignorance and degradation. They are strongly inclined to intemperance. Some have several wives; but this is very uncommon. Our senior Jewish schoolmaster, appears to be a man quite above the common level of the Jews. He reads Hebrew, but does not understand a word of it, nor does he appear to have but a mere spark of knowledge of the Jewish Scriptures.

"A very few days after, this school had 20 boys, and the one at Choule had fifteen.