66 THE REV. HENRY BUDD. girl, and I trust she has gone to bloom in another atmosphere, even in the paradise of God. I have now but a few children surviving, and my once large and thriving family is made quite a wreck. Who can read this without shedding tears; our dear brother in the far off wilds of North-west America thus left desolate. Many of us know what it is to lose one dear to us. Even to lose one whom we love from the same home with ourselves, although it be only a transfer to another earthly home, where we hear of them, and have betimes the opportunity of seeing them, is a pain. To follow the remains of one whom we loved to the grave, and know we shall meet no more until time be no more, that too is a sword that pierceth the heart. But to lose three, almost at once, one after another in rapid succession-son, wife, and daughter, each pining, drooping, dying-poor husband and father, shall we not feel for him, and that the more because he bears his troubles as a Christian should, and, like Job of old, replies, " Shall we receive good at the hands of the Lord, and shall we not receive evil?" "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord." Yes, there is Christianity in power to sustain, even in the midst of trials such as these, if only we have yielded ourselves in faith to its sanctifying power. Then He who is the Sanctifier is also the Comforter, and whatever be the measure of their tribulation, the Lord's people are not left orphans not desolate. There are hopes peculiar to the Gospel: there are consolations held in reserve for times of deep affliction. There is a bright future, and when earthly homes are left bare, faith is gifted with a special power of realization. The home to which we are journeying is brought the more near : some have gone on before, and they have reached it-the happy home-and they are beckoning us onward. Yet a little while and there shall be reunion, and that in the presence of Him who wipes away all tears from the eyes of those whom he leads to the fountain of living waters, midst the blessedness of heaven enabling them to forget the tribulations of earth. The present is dimmed with sorrow, but the future is radiant with joy. Let us then borrow of the sunshine of the future to light up the darkness of the present; and then sorrow, while it subdues and chastens, will not discourage us, or reduce us to inactivity. Our brother Budd has our deepest sympathy. It is good to identify ourselves with him in his sorrow-good to weep with those that weep it is good to share with a Christian brother in his sorrows, for then we share in the subduing, chastening, elevating influences which fall so thickly around him, and are the better for it. TINNEVELLY. THE ROV. E. Sargent has communicated to us the following interesting cases of new converts in his district We have occupied new ground in one village, where the character of the headman gives promise of an attachment to the Gospel, deeper far than a merely nominal profession. He manifests a mildness and docility of temper, and a patience under persecution, which is not frequently seen in new converts from among the humbler classes, and his example is exercising a beneficial influence in the neighbourhood where he resides. At Palamcotta itself we have had, during the year, accessions from among the higher classes, over two of whom we have to lament that they were eventually unable to withstand the solicitations and entreaties of their relatives, and suffered themselves to be drawn aside when apparently they were about to make an open profession of the Gospel. That they have gone back altogether to their old ways and worship I can hardly believe. Considering the sacrifices they had to make, and the timidity of the Hindu character, we would hope that their convictions are still on our side, and that they will endeavour to seck that grace as they grow older which alone can uphold in such a trial. But there is one case over which I would rejoice, of a young man, not simply as having renounced the degrading worship and practices of heathenism, but as having put on the Lord Jesus in sincerity and truth. He is twenty-four years of age. Some years ago he had been for a while in our Palamcotta Native-English School, and there, as might be expected, got his first ideas of Christianity. But what led chiefly to any serious impression on his mind was occasioned subsequently by his intercourse with our other converts, and more especially by the following circumstance. His father was a kind of general merchant in the Fort of Palamcotta. One day a man brought some old papers and books to his stall, and offered to sell them as waste paper. Among the books thus brought was an English Bible, the binding of which was in good condition. The father took the book home that it might be better cared for than if left in the stores. He knew nothing of English himself, and therefore suspected nothing of the treasure which had thus fallen into his hands. It was not long in the house before the son saw it, and then followed the reading and the prizing of it. This was, in time, blessed to his increase in knowledge and a desire to become a Christian. But now various obstacles rose up before him. "If," thought he, "I propose myself as a Christian now, there are many who will say that I did so in order to get some employment. I must therefore first get employment, and then act upon my convictions." In a short time after, he got an appointment in a Government office, but now a new objection arose. You are single: if you become a Christian what will you do for a wife? If you marry after becoming a Christian, people will say that you became a Christian with the object of marrying in some irregular way. He therefore determined to wait, and marry according as his father should arrange. This was accomplished, and now he found he had a greater difficulty than any as yet contended with. How could he grieve his wife by the adoption of a course which, with her views, she could not appreciate? What if she 68 POETRY. NOTHING IN VAIN. refused to accompany him? These cares bore heavily on his mind, but he set himself earnestly to the business on which his heart was fixed, and by kindly and prayerfully placing before his wife the excellency and love of Christ, gradually won her over to the same views; and now, every obstacle removed, he came over boldly, and cast in his lot among the Christian brotherhood. One day, during his absence at office, relatives came and forced her to go away with them, supposing that this would oblige him to give up his intentions. But as it did not effect this, and no strict coercion being laid on her, she in a short time found opportu nity to rejoin her husband, and affirmed that nothing on her part should separate her from him. The various annoyances to which he was daily exposed from his relatives rendered it desirable that he should be baptized at an early day; and so, having examined him on his knowledge of Christian doctrine and precept, and having ascertained his earnest desire of consecrating himself openly to Christ, I fixed upon the following day for his baptism. His wife also came to our house. She seemed a very pleasing, modest person, and of a very confiding temperament. She said that she hoped also to be baptized, but that her relatives had told her she would have to suffer all kinds of indignities. Intending that she should have more time for reflection and preparation, I replied that she would see, when her husband was being baptized, that such was not the case, and that, after that, when she had learnt more of Christianity, she might be baptized if she wished it. Next day, when in the presence of a rather large congregation, I was about to commence the baptismal service, I found the wife also before me, expecting baptism. I suggested that she had not yet learnt the required lessons for catechumens. She replied, with an anxious look, and with the mildest and most beseeching voice, that "she knew about Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world, and that, as to lessons, could she not learn them afterwards? was it not a good thing that she was now desiring?" This was an unexpected event, and for the moment I hardly knew what to do. However, I determined on the following course. In the presence of the congregation I asked her questions on the great truths of the Gospel, viz. the state of man by nature, the divinely-appointed way of salvation, and the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ; and as she gave a fair reply to these questions, and affirmed that it was the fixed desire and determination of her heart to live as a true child of the Lord Jesus Christ, I felt my course clear, in the face of the congregation, to admit both husband and wife into the Christian covenant. Some months since then have elapsed. She is learning to read, and both are walking in the fear and love of the Lord. Thus, in regard to converts, while on the one hand we may be disappointed, on the other we are encouraged and comforted: if in some quarters we have sorrow, in others we have joy. NOTHING IN VAIN. SCORN not the slightest word or deed, There's fruit in each wind-wafted seed, THE YOUCON MISSION. A whisper'd word may touch the heart, A look of love bid sin depart, And still unholy strife. No act falls fruitless: none can tell Nor what results unfolded dwell Work, nor despair not; bestow thy mite, Nor care how small it be. God is with all who serve the right, The holy, true, and free. www THE YOUCON MISSION, NORTH-WEST AMERICA. 69 IN our last Number we referred to two distant stations of the Church Missionary Society in the wilds of North-west America-one that of Fort Simpson, on the Mackenzie River; the other westward of the Rocky Mountains, in that portion of the continent which projects towards Asia, and near the borders of Russian America. Here, on the great river Youcon, which, gathering in the contributions of various tributaries, increases in volume during a course of many hundred miles before it enters Behrings Straits, a young Missionary, the Rev. R. M'Donald, placed himself at a remote post of the Hudson's-Bay Company, called Fort Youcon. The Indians inhabiting this part of the continent are called the Kutchin or Loucheux Indians. They are a fine race of people, of the average height of Europeans, well formed, with regular features, high foreheads, and lighter complexions than the other Red Indians. The outer dress is formed of the skin of fawn rein-deer, dressed with the hair on, and furnished with peaked skirts. Deer-skin pantaloons, with shoes attached, complete the costume, which, according to the means of the wearer, is decorated with beads. Head-bands are formed of various-coloured beads mixed with dentalium shells, the tail feathers of the eagle and fishing-hawk being stuck into the hair at the back of the head. Their religion is a kind of Shamaism, consisting chiefly in a dread of evil spirits, whose malevolence they seek in various ways to propitiate, and, as might be expected, the priests, who are supposed to have the power of communicating with these demons, possess great influence, which they use for their own purposes. Yet these people seem to have grown wearied of the gloomy system by which they have been so long enslaved, and under the yoke of which they find that, as a people, they get no better, but rather grow worse. They gathered round our Missionary when he came amongst them. The message he brought was as sunshine breaking in upon their gloom. It told them of that which before they had never heard of-a God of love. It told them of that which they felt they needed-one who could save them from sin and its power. Thus the work was full of promise. Mr. M'Donald took long journeys, sometimes in snow-shoes, on sledges, or, in summer, by canoe, visiting the scattered tribes, and distributing amongst them the leaves of the tree which are for the healing of the nations. Now, just as we were rejoicing, comes trial. It is always so. Tribulation seems to be indispensable to the growth of the divine seed. Our young Missionary is enfeebled by illness, and that of such a serious character as to compel him to leave his post and return to the Red River. It will be seen from the following letter from him, dated Fort Youcon, June 25th of last year, that he did not give up without a struggle I regret to say that ill-health has also, to a certain extent, prevented me exerting myself so energetically as I would otherwise have done. I am thankful to say, however, that my health has somewhat improved. I cannot labour at present with the same vigour that I did last year, but I trust that I shall ere long regain my former health and strength, and be enabled to extend far and wide the knowledge of salvation among the poor Indians, so long left in ignorance of God and of his great salvation. I am thankful that I have, during the winter, been enabled, notwithstanding a degree of ill-health, to advance in a small measure the work of the Gospel. Besides ministering to the people of the Fort during a portion of the winter, I made two visits to the Indian camps: one was to a distance of about forty miles off, which was made at the end of November, when I spent five days with the Indians. The other visit was made at the end of March, to a distance of about 120 miles, when I spent twenty-two days with the Indians. The first visit was made to a camp at Red River, the other to the Gens-du-Large. During both visits I instructed daily in the truth as it is in Jesus. I was without a regular interpreter, but I did the best I could with the aid of the most eligible broken-Slavè speaker selected from among them. He rendered what I said in broken Slavè into Loucheux. On both visits I was altogether without an attendant, and I must say I nevertheless spent a happy time with them. Their willingness to be instructed in religion makes it a pleasure to minister to them. They are scarcely to be expected to make rapid progress in the knowledge of the things of God, owing to their limited opportunities; however, a few of them, I think, have made no mean proficiency, and they appear to have a reverential fear of God, and to exercise also a spirit of dependence on him. There is a considerable number of Indians here at present, and some have not yet come. There will not be so many as had been anticipated. However, there will be more it is expected than there were last year. The Gens-du-Bois did not come last year, nor are they to come this year, having traded their fur with other Indians that trade with the Russians. This Fort is much further from the Pacific than was thought before. Mr. Jones went down about 600 miles, and it must be at least 200 miles more to the mouth of the Youcon, by the accounts of the Indians that he saw. Indians have been assembled at the Fort in smaller or larger numbers since the end of last month, and I have been conducting divine worship with them and instructing them, but in a feeble measure, as my health |