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BAPTIST CHAPEL, MATURA, CEYLON. See page 51.

ASIA.

CALCUTTA.

The mission circle here was in the enjoyment of a tolerably good state of health on the 7th of October, and looking forward with hope to the most pleasant season of the year. At that date, Mr. Thomas gave us an epitome of Indian intelligence in the following sentences: "At all the stations there is more or less to try, and I fear that, generally speaking, the good work is not so prosperous as it appeared to be a year ago. Still the mission is not without tokens of a cheering nature. On the last sabbath in August two persons were baptized at Agra, one of whom appears to have been brought under serious impressions by a sermon preached to the young by brother Makepeace in January last. At Patna brother Beddy states that he has recently received two into the church from the Orphan Refuge, and that some six or seven more are candidates for baptism, of whom several are inmates of the Refuge. From Chittagong I learn that seven persons have been baptized there since May last. At Bow Bazar I had the pleasure of baptizing two men on the last sabbath in September, and next Lord's day brother Leslie expects to baptize a young man who is here from the Madras Presidency on his way to China. He was a ward of our late brother W. H. Pearce, and may be regarded as the fruit of his prayers. A few years ago he was a very wild youth, but he is now at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind.' His conversion is a remarkable instance of divine grace."

A letter from Mr. Wenger to Dr. Cox, twelve days later, contains animating information of a character quite unprecedented in this region. He says:-" Very interesting intelligence has just been received from brother Bareiro at Barisaul. He has baptized, at one and the same time, one hundred and fifteen poor villagers. That was, I believe, on the first sabbath of this month. . . . The letter scarcely left a doubt on my mind that it was a work of grace, in fact, something very much like a revival such as used to occur some time since in America. It is as easy for God to convert hundreds of sinners as to convert one; and if, as I really am led to hope, most or all of these 115 persons have really been converted, it is only another proof that God chooses weak things to confound the mighty, for the people in question belong to the poorest and most ignorant class. Persecution has already commenced. Property in the shape of a boat, cattle, madder, &c., to the amount of Rs. 100 (£10) has been taken away from one of the people, who was perhaps best off, by the owner of his land, indignant at his having become a Christian." Barisaul is about 185 miles east of Calcutta.

SERAMPORE.

The following account of schools at Serampore will be read with pleasure by many of our friends. It is part of a report made to the "Serampore Ladies' Benevolent Society," whose funds are devoted to the Religious and Benevolent Institutions particularly, and to the purposes of charity generally, as circumstances may require, at Serampore.

The Asylum, or Christian Boarding School, consisting of the children or orphans of native Christians, and any others who may desire

admittance, continues, with some small exceptions, to be supported by collections made in Scotland and elsewhere, by the zealous

The Serampore Southern School. - The native Christian teacher employed in this school, was, we regret to say, removed by death towards the close of the year. He was a very able young man, and was an ornament to his profession and to the church with which he was connected. But his career was short; he was removed after a long and painful illness, which he endured with much patience, at the early age of twenty-six. His loss as an instructor of the scriptures was deeply felt; but his place has been supplied by his brother, a sedate and steady young man, who will, it is hoped, in a short time become equally efficient.

exertions of its former superintendent, Mrs. | lee Primer. The knowledge of the scriptures Barclay. It now contains thirteen children, evinced by the boys of the first class at their of whom two are the daughters of indigent annual examination was truly gratifying. Portuguese Roman Catholics. Eleven of these read with ease and understanding. The first class, consisting of four, have committed the two first catechisms to memory, and are conversant with the scriptures. They have likewise made some progress in geography and grammar, and write well. The second class, consisting of seven, read the New Testament and other books with great facility. One of these, the grand-daughter of Pran Khrishnu, the late excellent native preacher in the Christian village, who was sent from Dacca six months ago, expressly to enjoy the advantages of the institution, has made remarkable proficiency, and gives the most pleasing account of what she reads. They are taught by a native Christian from the Christian village in the vicinity of this town, and Mrs. Venis still continues to superintend their needlework and their occupations generally.

The Preparatory Village School contains ten young children, and is held in the Christian village of Jannugur. The children are draughted from this school into the Asylum, as their proficiency and age appear to render it expedient.

The attendance in the Adult School of the Christian village is subject to considerable variance. Occasionally it wears the character of a simple Sunday school, as the Christian women, owing to domestic engagements, and other causes, are frequently unable to give their attendance on week days. The number who assemble to receive instruction on the Sunday often amounts to fifty.

The Central School, situated in the town, consists entirely of heathen children, and contains forty-eight girls. The three first classes, including twenty children, read fluently, are conversant with the scriptures, and have acquired some knowledge of geography and grammar. At an examination held towards the end of December, their answers on these subjects, and particularly on questions based on the scriptures, were exceedingly pertinent, and did the greatest credit to their teachers.

The boys' department of the schools is highly interesting. The three schools have altogether five hundred and thirty-seven on their list, and enjoy the superintendence of the Rev. Mr. Robinson, who renders the fo!lowing account of their progress :

The number of names on the reformed list is 224. The school consists of twelve classes, of which seven classes are able to read in the books. The first class read the New Testament and the book of Genesis, extracts from Ancient History, Anecdotes of Celebrated Characters in Ancient History, Pearson's Geography, and Keith's Bengalee Grammar. The second class read the New Testament, the extracts from Ancient History, Keith's Bengalee Grammar, and geography. The third class read the New Testament, the Bengalee Grammar, and a Bengalee Catechism on Religion. The fourth class read the New Testament and the History of Joseph. The fifth class read the History of Joseph and Moral and Religious Anecdotes. The sixth and seventh classes read the Bengalee Primer.

The Serampore Western School. — This school numbers 158 boys, divided into seven classes, of which the first four are able to read in books. The first class read the books of Genesis and Proverbs in the Old Testament, and the New Testament; the Gyanoroonodoy, Lessons in Morality, extracts from Ancient History, Stewart's Oopodesh-Kotha, and the History of the Bible. The second class read the Gospel of Matthew, Brief History of the Bible, Kalkromie Itihas, the History of Joseph, Bible History, Anecdotes, and the catechism, in two parts. The third class read the Parables of Christ, two parts of the NeetiKotha, and the first part of the catechism. The fourth class read the Bengalee Primer and the first part of the Neeti-Kotha.

On the 19th December, 1845, an examination was held in the hall of Serampore College, of all the boys instructed in the schools The Isherah School contains on its list 155 supported by the funds of the Ladies' Beneboys, who are divided into eight classes. The volent Society and the Serampore church. boys of five of these classes are able to read The number of boys in all these schools books. The first class read the New Testa- amounted together to 737. The examination ment, Pearson's Geography, Extracts from was conducted principally by the Rev. J. Ancient History, and Keith's Bengalee Gram- Weitbrecht, of Burdwan, assisted by the Rev. mar. The second class read the History of H. Smylie, of Dinagepore, who expressed Joseph, and have learned Watts's Divine and themselves gratified with the attainment of Moral Songs. The third, fourth, and fifth the boys and their knowledge of the scripclasses read in various portions of the Benga- tures.

HAURAH.

Mr. Morgan remarks, in a recent communication, that before it would reach us he should have served an apprenticeship to the mission in India; and that during that term he has not been laid aside a single week, though his path has been anything but flowery. He has had to contend with difficulties and with much opposition, for the endurance of which he thinks God had graciously prepared him in early life.

When we contemplate the materials that we have to work upon, and our peculiar position, it is not surprising that our success is so small. Of the English population, many are the slaves of brandy, others glide into the abominations of heathenism, while others are absorbed in making money, and regard neither sabbath nor religion. Add to this, the coustant removal of families, vicious systems of religion which lull men to sleep in their sins, the small number of truly good men, and the weak tone of morality; so that there is but little resistance to the torrent of wickedness. We sow in tears, and pray in tears, and mourn over dying men. Do I ask for too much, when I ask our brethren at home to pray for us and with us? So thoroughly do I feel at this moment, that I am not ashamed to ask you to put a card over every pulpit in the land, and on it written, "Brethren, pray for India." The ground is well cultivated, the seed is sown in the hearts of thousands, and we are anxiously waiting for the former and the latter rain.

Follow the missionary in his labours among the heathen, and see him standing on the roadside, in a temperature of from ninety to a hundred degrees, in the hot season suffocated with dust, and in the rains assailed with smells from every stagnant pool; bathed in perspiration, addressing the most depraved people on earth until his voice fails and his head reels ;-this is a work of faith.

The natives have a great disinclination to go inside of a chapel, and besides, if we cannot get a congregation in one place, we change our position, that is one reason that we take the road.

Of personal news I have but little to communicate. I have suffered much from the climate this year. Our schools, preaching, &c., have proceeded as usual. Since my last I have baptized two young lads, both of whom have been in the Jubilee school. We have three candidates from among the heathen receiving instruction; how they will turn out, time will tell.

MONGHIR.

A specimen of the itinerating excursions of Mr. John Parsons and his fellowlabourers in this district is contained in a letter from him which arrived a few days ago.

September 12. Five weeks of the time slandering brahmans, and others whose litiwhich has elapsed since writing the above, I gious disposition finds them employment in have spent pleasantly, and I trust the great the courts of Monghir or Mozufferpore. day of decision will show it to have been Their reports of Christianity had excited such profitably also, in a tour among the villages fears and prejudices in the minds of the on the banks of a small stream, called the people that we found it impolitic, except in a Balan, in our neighbourhood. I have before few instances, to enter into the villages at all, informed you repeatedly of my being employed but we usually took our seats under the shady on the banks of the river Gunduck. The trees we mostly found on the bathing-ghauts stream now mentioned runs into the Gunduck, near the villages, and good congregations at a considerable distance from the junction would come out to hear us, frequently inof the latter with the Ganges. It is a stream cluding nearly the whole population of the possessing great natural advantages, and village who were at hand, and they heard us hence is most populously bestudded with with the greater candour because they pervillages. Moreover, although the villagers were not unacquainted with the name of Christ and Christianity, yet we have reason to believe that no missionary had ever visited many of the villages in person, and so the acquaintance which the people had with the gospel was only such as they could obtain from the distorted representations of interested and

ceived we did not intend to enter the villages in order to feed them by force with Christians' food, as they had been told we should do. I should have mentioned that I was accompanied by our dear brethren Nainsookh and Shujatali, the latter of whom, indeed, did not accompany us so much with the hope of being able to proclain the gospel, as with the

“Friday, July 31. Left Jookkiya early in the morning, and after proceeding till noon, found ourselves at the back of the same village. After eating our noon-day meal, we came on to a village named Burreepoora, and spoke to the people on the ghaut under the shade of a fine peepal-tree, which was dis graced by a finely carved image of black stone, placed underneath it for worship. In the evening, proceeded across the inundated land to Bhugwanpore, to put brother Shujatali down at his son's house.

intention of visiting his step-son and daughter- read thirty-five pages of a Kythee tract, rein-law, Samuel and Rebecca, of whom the marking on it as we proceeded. former is a member of the church here, and the latter, if I mistake not, of the church at Patna. Samuel is employed as a writer by a firm of sugar-refiners, whose factory is situated on the banks of the Balan. However, our dear aged, truly pious, and zealous brother was only about nine days at his son's, and the remainder of the time on the boat with us, and though in weakness, had frequent opportunities of speaking the word. The character, walk, and conversation of these two brethren, the one formerly a brahman, the other of an equally honourable rank among the Mahommedans, affords a pleasing and cheering testimony to the power of the gospel, and does honour to the holy name which they profess. We left home on Thursday, July 23rd, and after visiting several villages on the Gunduck, about noon on Wednesday, 29th, reached the mouth of the Balan nullah, or rivulet. I will copy some parts of the journal I made of our labours.

"Wednesday, July 29. Entered the Balan nullah about noon, and put on at the village of Bheet, but were unable to go into the village inmediately on account of a strong wind. Early in the afternoon, however, we commenced speaking to the people, and being joined by Shujatali, we continued our discourse, with the exception of a short interval, till after dark, having successively two or three different congregations.

"Thursday, July 30. In the morning went to the village of Nowla. The people seemed much vexed at our going into the midst of their village, and gave us no peace until we went to a shed, where nearly or quite 200 persons assembled, and heard quietly for a while, and then took us to the zemindar's verandah, where Nainsookh spoke and read for a while, and afterwards at a goldsmith's shop, and then we returned to our boat. Afterwards proceeded to a large village called Jookkiya, and spoke under two fine trees on the ghaut, and after a time, when the people who were present left us, we returned to our boat, and the people expressed their dislike to our going into the village, but said that in the evening the people would come from the fields, and assemble on the ghaut. Accordingly about four o'clock, we went again; many poor people from their labous assembled, and we had an attentive congregation till after sunset. Nainsookh and myself, in turn,

"Saturday, August 1. Came back to the village of Burreepoora, which we had left, and reached it about ten o'clock, when we went into the village, and spoke at the zemindar's house. Afterwards, about noon, went across the nullah to a small village, called Junaidpoor, where we took our seats under a peepul-tree on the ghaut, and Nainsookh and myself spoke to the people who came in succession and sat to hear, until we had reason to believe that nearly all the inhabitants who were at leisure had heard, and then we went across to the village of Beerpoor, and spoke to two large assemblies, the first in a part of the village inhabited by fishermen, the second near a zemindar's house, where upwards of a hundred people must have been present. The people of this village are much more quiet than those of some others, and do not manifest any objection to our going where we like in their village.

"Sunday, August 2. Went again into Beerpoor, and had again large assemblies of attentive hearers, and those who were able to read received books with apparent pleasure and determination to read them. Afterwards we proceeded to the village of Jugdur, and our mat being spread under the shade of a large old mango-tree, a goodly number assembled, and listened attentively for a long time. A man, somewhat better read than the generality, who was passing that way, conversed and discussed for a time, and then received a gospel and two tracts. When our congregation had dispersed to their labours or their homes, we came forward to the village of Punnunda, about four o'clock, where Nainsookh addressed the people until sunset; and after sunset, when we sat on the bank near our boat, several of the villagers came, and I and Nainsook spoke to them till late.

Thus they continued from day to day, sowing the good seed of the kingdom; but many equally interesting passages it is necessary to omit.

Thursday, August 13. Early in the morn- | villagers, who heard, for the most part, attening came to the village of Munnunpoor, and about sunrise had a good congregation of the

tively, while we all three addressed them. Then went across to the village of Malaypoor,

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