358 Amer. Board of Commissioners for For. Missions.

for India; Mr. Graves, intended for one of the stations in Ceylon, -Mr. Nichols, for the station at Bombay,--and Miss Thurston, betrothed to the Rev. Mr. Newell.

At Chickamaugah, in the Cherokee nation, we have an establishment which was commenced last March; and at which the Rev. Cyrus Kingsbury is the superintending missionary, and Messrs. Moody Hall and Loring S. Williams, with their wives, are assistants. To the establishment belongs a plantation, which had for several years been occupied by a white man, of whom the improvements were purchased; and upon which our missionaries, by their almost incredible exertions, have already erected a coinmo. dious dwelling-house, a school-house a mill, and some other buildings. They have also pretty amply stocked the plantation with horses, oxen cows, sheep, swine, and poultry; and it produced the last season very considerable quantities of grain and various vegetables.

They have under their care twenty to thirty Cherokee and half cast children and youth male and female, whom they lodge, feed and clothe-instruct in common English school learning and in the principles of Christianity, and exercise in domestic and agricultural arts and labours. They have also a school on the Sabbath for adults, which is well attended; and Mr. Kingsbury preaches, from week to week, to large and increasing numbers of very attentive hearers. The Lord, in the plenitude of his mercy, is manifestly in that place. The minds of a number of the poor Indians have become deeply impressed with the truths of the Gospel; and three or four are thought to have exhibited substantial evidence of true conversion to Christ. The brethren, in the midst of their incessant labours and hardships, are filled with joy and thankfulness.

At Cornwall, in Connecticut, we have a Seminary, founded the last year, and styled, THE FOREIGN MISSION SCHOOL. It is designed for "the education of heathen youth in such a manner, as that with future professional studies, they may be qualified to become missionaries, school-masters, interpreters, physicians, or surgeons, among the heathen nations, and to communicate such information in agriculture and the arts, as shall tend to promote Christianity and civilization." This infant seminary is placed, in regard particularly to salubrity and Christian favour and influence, in a very eligible situation. It has lands and buildings belonging to it, well adapted to its purposes; and has commenced its operations in a manner to inspire its patrons and friends with animated hope and confidence.

In the school there are pupils from the islands of the Pacific Ocean, from the shores of India, and from the wilderness of Ameri ica.

From the Sandwich islands there are seven, of whom five are already examples of solid and ardent piety,-are burning with desire to impart the knowledge of Christ, whom they have found in this distant land, to their perishing friends and countrymen, and give a fair promise of eminent usefulness as missionaries of the cross. Another is a Prince, heir of the throne of two of the islands, and a youth of uncommon talents and activity.

Is not the Sun of Righteousness manifestly in these establishments, " a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be for salvation to the ends of the earth?" The isles shall wait for his law;" “Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hands unto him ;"." the wilderness and solitary place shall be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose."

Are these establishments ours? Beloved friends, they are yours -they are CHRIST'S. They have been founded with the precious and sacred offerings which you have committed to our trust; and in the disposal of which we acted, under an appalling responsibility, your servants for Jesus' sake." Yes, they are yours; consecrated, we trust, with many prayers, as well by you as by us, TO CHRIST AND HIS CAUSE and dependent still, under his providence, upon your charities, for continuance and advancement.

as

CORRESPONDENGe of the (LondoN) MISSIONARY SOCIETY. WO

OTAHEITE.

Extract of a Letter from the Rev. S. Marsden to the Secretary, dated Paramatta, New South Wales, Jan. 18, 1817. ........ "I am happy to say that all is well in the South Sea Islands. God hath greatly blessed the word of his grace to the poor heathen; and Satan is fallen like lightning from heaven. The Active left them well in October, excepting Mr. Bicknell, who informs me that he is indisposed."

"Mr. and Mrs. Ellis are gone on. The Active is getting ready as fast as possible, to take Messrs. Orsmond and Barff: they will write to you. I expect a ship will soon sail for England, and therefore I only mention a few things now, but will then write more fully."

We regret that no official letter has been received from the Missionaries at Otaheite. nor any particulars from other quarters; it is however satisfactory to learn that in October 1816, all was well, and that the work of God was going on prosperously. We may hope soon to receive fuller information.

NEW SOUTH WALES.

i Letters from Messrs. Orsmond and Barff, Missionaries to the South Sea Islands, written in January last, have lately been received. They had a favourable passage from Rio de Janeiro, and after a voyage of twelve weeks anchored in Sydney Cove, on the 20th of December, in health and good spirits, and anxious to go forward to the place of their destination.

J

"We heard," says Mr. Orsmond," on our arrival, that Mr. Ellis, who had been detained here some months, had sailed about a fortnight before, for Otaheite. The Active is now under repair, and we hope, in about six weeks, to take our leave of New South Wales. I long to be there.

4

360

Missionary Intelligence from Chinsurah, ›

-" The accounts that have been received from the Islands since we came to this place, have been truly pleasing.

"Brother Barff is well. His wife expects to be confined before our departure. My dear wife is well; and we all unite in expressing our love to all the Directors, for their affectionate regards; to all the friends of the Society, and to the whole Christian church. Soon, yes, very soon, shall the morning sacrifice of prayer and praise ascend from the shores, whence the smoke from the immoJation of human beings once darkened the sky. The wilderness is beginning to bud, soon it will blossom, and delightful will be its fragrance. The North is giving up and the South cannot longer keep back. The deadly foe whom Jesus vanquished bas lost his hold; and the spread of knowledge, the triumph of truth, the light of the Gospel, and the arm of Omnipotence, combined: to drive him into his gloomy cell... Dearly beloved friends, pray for our prosperity."

}

Mr. Barff expresses his thankfulness to Captain Raine, for permitting him to instruct the Convicts on board, and the crew.— Many of the prisoners were very attentive and diligent. Those who could read the scriptures, frequently collected around them others who could not, and read the Bible to them; and there is reason to hope good was done among them. Several men signed a letter expressive of their gratitude for the attention that had been paid to them, and their determination to forsake the Romish communion, which they had professed in Ireland.

Mr. Barff was kindly entertained for some days by Mr. Hassel. He appears to be diligent in his application to the learned languages, in hope of being able hereafter to translate the scriptures, &c.

He regrets being obliged to stay some time at Paramatta on a domestic account, but hopes they will be ready to sail by the time that the repairs of the ship are finished.

[Messrs. Darling, Platt, Williams, and Brownlee, could not have, reached New South Wales at the date of the above letter.]

CHINSURAH.

A letter from Mr. May, dated March 28, 1817, expresses the great satisfaction he feels on the arrival of Mr. Pearson, to assist him in the management of the numerous schools confided to his care by government. The number of children on the books was 2660. He complains of the negligence of some of the native teachers, but looks forward to an improvement. He expects great relief under his pressing labours from Mr. Pearson, when he shall have learned the language of the natives, to which he is studiously attentive. Mr. Harle also (whom we mentioned some time ago) is studying the language, and assists Mr. May.

The Sunday School, commenced in October, was going on, and Mr. Pearson takes an active part in it.

Mr. May has a school for teachers, in which there are 14 young natives. Many applications al made, requesting that new schools

and from Surat, East Indies.

361

may be opened. The schools are chiefly on the banks of the ri ver; and Mr. May, in visiting them, is sometimes obliged to sleep a night or two in the boat. He mentions that Mr. Townley and Mr. Keith preach in a place called Dum-Dun, and that Mr. Lawson and. Mr. Yates (Baptist Missionaries) take their turns in preaching there once a month. He thinks that the residence of our brethren at Calcutta will prove a great blessing to the country.

Mr. Pearson, in a letter dated Chinsurah, March 18, 1817, relates with great delight his kind reception at Calcutta by the Missionary brethren; and the pleasant voyage he enjoyed from England to Madras, where he and Mr. Medhurst arrived Feb. 12. He says, True, it was long, five months and nine days, but it did not appear so to us. Being at sea, even in fine weather, must prove irksome to those who are unemployed; but our hands were always engaged. We studied from morning to night, except two hours in the day, in which, alternately, we taught such as were willing to read and write.' One man, who at first knew little more than the printed alphabet, so improved, that previously to their leaving the ship, he presented for revision a large sheet, neatly written, extracted from St. John's gospel.

Mr. P. speaks highly of his companion, Mr. Medhurst, and of the pleasure they enjoyed in each other's society; and of the comfort they derived from having an excellent captain (Weatherhead.)

On the 20th of February they proceeded to Calcutta, where they arrived March 6. At Mr. Townley's they found Mr. and Mrs. May, who had come from Chinsurah to meet them, and whom they accompanied to that place. After mentioning the excellent health with which God has favoured him, and his engagement at Chinsurah, he says:

From these things, Sirs, you will perceive the state of my mind. I am at home, and I am happy. God, I trust, is with me, and it is enough. My views are what they were in England, only I trust still more determined: for a Christian, whether he be a Missionary or not, cannot stand still. Sensible, in part, of my own weakness and emptiness, I would desire, both for. inward sufficiency and outward prosperity, to rest solely on the providence and grace of God. O! that it may please him, while pouring upon you his choicest blessings, to remember me, enabling me to possess energy, dignity, and decision of character, and to continue ever Your faithful servant in Christ, qi J. D. PEARSON.'

*

SURAT.

Messrs. Gordon and Hall, the American Missionaries at Bombay, are going on well: they are now enabled to preach, or rather to converse with the natives, and explain the scriptures to them., They have now four schools, three of which are exclusively for heathen boys, except that in one of them there are about 20 Jew

1

362 Estimate of the Number of Jews in the World.

ish boys. They hav printed a small tract for the children. They hope soon to have the gospel of St. Matthew printed, and used as a school-book, to which no objection seems to be there made. • And,' say they, as the children are daily reading the pure word of God, there is great reason to hope that such impressions will be made on their minds as will prepare them to receive the truth as it is in Jesus. We see nothing to prevent carrying the plan of schooling to a great extent; and surely it is an object worthy of the zealous patronage of Missionary Societies. Their hands have been strengthened by the arrival of another Missionary, Mr. Bardwell, who is also a printer.

Jews. In a tract lately published at Paris by M. Bail, the fol lowing is given as a fair calculation of the number of Jews in the different quarters of the globe :

In all parts of Poland, before the partition of 1772.... 1,000.000 In Russia, including Moldavia aud Wallachia ...

200,000

In all the states in which the German language is spoken 500,000 Holland and the Netherlands..

Sweden and Denmark..

France..

In England (of which London contains 12,000)

In the states in which Italian is spoken.

Spain and Portugal

United States

80,000

In the Mahommedan states of Asia, Europe, and Africa 4,000,000 In Persia and the rest of Asia, including China and India

500,000

Total 6,598,000

This calculation is probably, in a great measure conjectural; we conceive the number is much overstated; and would refer the reader to Bellamy's History of all Religions." "6

Ev. Mag.

At the Anniversary Meeting of the Isle of Sheppey Auxiliary Bible Society, held at Sheerness, on Tuesday the 4th of Novem ber, the effects of Scriptural instruction were strikingly exempli. fied in the statements given by the Chaplains of the two Convict Ships at that port, of the conduct of the large bodies of Convicts respectively under their charge. The Rev. Mr. Edwards of the Bellerophon, having mentioned the attention of the prisoners in that ship to the reading and learning by rote large portions of holy writ, asserted it as his opinion, that in any like number of labour. ing men not less swearing and profane language was to be found; and that on the preceding Saturday, a remarkable instance of ho nesty and integrity had occurred ; a Convict, when at work on shore, had found twelve shillings, with which he immediately went to the officer, requesting him to adopt means to find the owner;