he number and progress of the scho lars. From 200 to 300 persons have been taught to read the word of God in their native tongue; and not only to read hut to reverence the Scriptures, and to refer to them in the common duties and ordinary occurrences of the day.”

"I request you will be pleased to communicate to the gentlemen of the Gaelic School Society, our very grateful acknowledgments for their continued kindness, and our earnest prayers for the farther success of their pious and humane scheme. We are now on a plan of getting a school erected on a permament foundation, which, along with other objects, shall include all the advantages connected with the Gaelic School. The conviction of the utility of such an establishment, and the spirit which prompted its execution, certainly took their rise from the school stationed here by your benevolent society, and I am happy to have to communicate so encouraging a testimony to the beneficial effects of their labour of love."

Mr. Stewart communicates also some very interesting facts to shew the general improvement produced in his parish by means of the Society's school. No -less striking are the following:

"In two populous townships," says the Rev. Dr. Ross, "at the distance of twelve miles from the parish church, and in some measure detached from the whole world, where, one year ago, except in the house of the principal tenant, a single Bible was not to be found, now there is not a house in which a portion of the word of God is not read and his worship performed twice every day. The thing is scarcely credible-but the hand of God is in your labours, and the anuals of time will not record the im-mensity of good which you have done." "After an examination at Glencalvie, an old man in particular," says the Rev. Mr. M'Bean, thanked God, in most expressive terms, for what he had spared him to see. I remember,' said he, › when there were only three Bibles in all Strathcarron, Glencalvie, and Strathcullanach-an extent of strath measuring fully twenty miles in length, if taken in a straight line-and only three men in the vast population they then contained, who could read the word of God! And, now every child can read it-every house contains one or more Bibles, and those who cannot read themselves have daily opportunity of hearing it from some inmate of the family."

The Society's Report closes with an appeal to the public on the subject of its funds. The expenditure of the year, owing to the extensive and successful efforts of the Society, has amounted to nearly 22001, while the total receipts have not exceeded 12507. This large deficit forms a loud call on British Christiaus generally, and espe cially on the natives of the Islands and Highlands of Scotland in all parts of the world, blessed as many of them are with affluence, to assist in rescuing their brethren from the depth of ignorance, and communicating to them the blessings of Christian light. "Can any thing," the Committee justly and feelingly observe, "be more momentous than the salvation of our brethren? Even the soul of a stranger ought to be deemed by us of incalculable value; but those whom you are endeavouring to introduce to the knowledge of a Saviourare they not our own blood; the members of the same national family? Can we think with indifference of that almost tangible darkness in which so many of then are involved? Secluded from the more enlightened portion of the land by those stupendous ramparts which the beams of the summer sun can scarcely overshoot, our countrymen bad wandered far from man, and still farther from their God. Unacquainted with the use of language, excepting as it might be necessary for conducting the limited intercourse connected with vegetative life, those stores of knowledge which expand the intellect, enlighten the soul, and elevate man in the scale of being, were shut up from them by impenetrable bars-like the heathen, many of them ignorant of the Word of life, were thus deprived of the enjoy ment of the second best gift of God to man. Such was the desperate nature of the malady.-What was the nature of the remedy applied by you? You sent teachers amongst them with the Bible in their hands-the treasure and the key which disclosed it were presented together. You penetrated the deepest recesses of their mountains; and in those dells where the sun of nature rarely gladdens with his smiles the deep-shaded hamlet, the Sun of Righteousness has shone forth in the splendour of his glory. You have now completely organized the establishment: your depots furnish a coustant supply of the Scriptures; and the spreading influence of your teaching has already demon

strated the great advantage of circu lating schools. In the course of a few years, you will have perambulated the country; and, under the influence of that gracious Being, who has already so manifestly blessed the progress of the work, this moral wilderness may assume the appearance of the fruitful field-this desert may yet blossom as the rose. Such being the object, and such the means, your Committee cannot distrust the public feeling so much as to suppose, that, even at the expense of some temporary privations, this great work will be neglected or abandoned.

"Should, however, contrary to the expectation of your Committee, the public bounty in the ensuing year prove inadequate to the present establishment, you will have no alternative. Your duty, though the most painful one you have ever had to perform, will be to yield obedience to the public decision. You must, in that case, submit to the relinquishment of a considerable number of your schools; and steeling your hearts as men and as Christians, you must withdraw your palsied hand from their supplicating grasp, and resign to that perilous state of ignorance and apathy from which you fondly hoped to rescue them, many of our brethren who are looking up to you for the Scriptures of truth, and who are, perhaps, even now praying for a blessing from God on the head of those whom they believe to be sending this precious treasure amongst them. But it is impossible that such a picture can be realised,that such a painful task should be imposed upon you.—Britain has been honoured by the Almighty as his instrument in doing good to mankind at large; -Britain will not, cannot, thus leave her own children to perish ;-give publicity to your plan,-to your succèss,— to your wants,-and your Committee rest assured that those wants will be supplied."

Surely no British, and especially no Scottish, above all no Highland, heart can resist this appeal. We shall only add to it the notice, that subscriptions are received, in London, by William Allen, Esq. Plough-court, Lombard-street; Messrs. William and Thomas Christy, No. 36, Gracechurch-street; Richard Phillips, Esq. East-street, Red Lionsquare; Jos. Reyner, Esq. No. 50, Marklane; R. Steven, Esq. Thames-street; Mr. Jos. Tarn, East-street; Rev. Alexander Waugh, D. D. Salisbury-place;

in Liverpool, by Samuel Hope, Esq.; and in York, by Mr. Thomas Wemyss, Academy.

CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY,

The Corresponding Committee of this Society, at Calcutta, has taken into its service two native Christians, who are employed at Meerut to read the Scriptures and superintend the schools. One of these, Permunund, was first converted to the Christian faith by Mr. Chamberlain, the Baptist Missionary. He had not, however, been baptized by Mr. C., as he wished to have his infant son baptized with him. He had, therefore, declined baptism at the hands of Mr. C., but sought it from our Church. At Meerut he was employed by the same lady (the wife of an officer) who has presented to the public the affecting story of "Henry and his Bearer," and who is now in England, in reading the prayers of the Church of England, and the Scriptures, in Hindoostanee, to a small congregation chiefly composed of natives, who used to assemble in a room in her garden. He not only read but explained the Scriptures to those who attended; and his expositions are said to have been very satisfactory.

"In February, 1815," this lady writes, "Mr. Thomason arrived at Meerut; and, at my entreaty, appointed Permunund as a schoolmaster in the city of Meerut, under the Church Missionary Society, with a salary which included the services of himself and his brother. A room over the gateway of that ancient city was procured for his school, by favour of the judge; and many of the old scholars and pupils of Mr. Bowley flocked to him.

"After his appointment in the school, Permunund continued to come to us for instruction, his brother assisting him in the school. He performed Divine Service in our chapel as usual; and brought his boys to the service, and also to be examined in their progress.

"Our chapel now began to be filled by our own Mussulman and Hindoo servants, and our school-boys, with those of Permunund, from the city. Every one behaved with the greatest decency, and seemed to take delight in hearing him.

"It now became common to see the servants, in different parts of the house and garden, spending their time in learning to read the Scriptures; and one man, in particular, always carried

L

a copy of the Gospel of St. Matthew in his girdle, and, during the intervals of his work, sat down and read his two chapters. He knew no more, when we left Meerut.

"Permunund appeared to me to be a man of a quick and lively imagination; and had a manner of expounding Scripture particularly adapted to the natives, and sometimes highly beautiful. It appeared to me that he was better fitted for preaching and expounding to grown persons, than for teaching children; although the children in his school made a very fair progress, whilst we remained at Meerut."

This lady left Meerut in June, 1815. A letter, however, has been received from the Chaplain on that station, an active friend of the Society, dated a year later; namely, in June, 1816; which "We have here a little Indian states, church, which, as yet, I can only superintend occasionally. Permunund, a converted Hindoo-a sincere, devout, and simple Christian-is the schoolmaster, and teaches about thirty natives to read the Scriptures, expounding them in a very modest way, and with much ́genuine feeling. He has also a school of young children who attend him. He receives a monthly stipend from the Church Missionary Society. The poor fellow seems to be lifted to a new state of existence by our arrival. He has been languishing, without countenance, under a temporary cloud; which we have fully swept away, by an open investigation of the circumstances of his

case."

(LONDON)MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

Six Missionaries from this Society reached Madras on the 26th of August. Two of them proceeded thence to Calcutta, and one to Bellary, to assist Mr. Hands. One was destined to remain with Mr. Loveless, at Madras, where a missionary chapel has been erected, with a missionary free-school attached to it, in which between one and two hundred boys are daily taught to read the oracles of God. At Bellary, Mr. Hands has four native schools under his care, which are said to prosper, and he intends to increase their number. He was about to begin to preach in the Canara language. In the meau time he preaches in English, and is attended by many Europeans and by some natives. Considerable good appears to be effected among the European soldiery. Mr.

Hands has completed the translation of
a third Catechism, and a large collection
of Scripture Extracts.

At Amboyna, Mr. Kam preaches in Malay to considerable congregations. Many of the masters of slaves have requested him to undertake the instruction of their slaves, finding that the instructed slaves are more faithful and diligent than the others. He had spent about a month in preaching the Gospel in the island of Banda; a great part of the population of which, as well as of Amboyna, is nominally Christian; but has for a long time been neglected. Their anxiety, however, to possess the Scriptures is very great. "There are thousands," he says, "who would part with all they possess to obtain a copy of the Bible in their own tongue *; and if they hear I am to preach in Malay,· which is at present more my business than preaching in Dutch, many collect together two hours before the service begins."

A deputation from the (London) Mis sionary Society, consisting of the Rev. D. Bogue and the Rev. W. Bennett, has visited Holland, in order to confer with the Netherlands Society for Missious, on the best means of advancing the ins terests of the kingdom of Christ in the world. That Society is approved by the National Synod, and has the countenance also of the government. It has instituted a seminary for the education of Missionaries, at which six students l are already placed. The attention of the Society had been drawn to the coasts} of Guinea, the West Indies, and Suri-} nam. The deputies urged also upon their consideration the strong claims of the East, especially of Java, Amboyna, and their dependencies, and a determi-i nation was expressed to send Missionaries thither. A Mission to Irkutsk, in Russia, was also contemplated.

CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA. We have much pleasure in transcribing from the Missionary Register for January, the following extract from a work recently published, entitled, s "Sketches of India," which is attributed to a writer of great authority. It gives an account of what he himself witnessed 3

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