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POETRY.

ODE FOR THE NEW YEAR.

Ps. lxxv. 3.-The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it.

TIs past-the strange eventful Year, When joy and sorrow, hope and fear,

Perplex'd the public care;

We mourn'd a nation's sin and shame-
We hop'd-for heav'nly Mercy came
To counteract despair.

A house divided cannot stand,
And peace and safety fly the land

Where endless discord grows : The tempest may be hush'd to sleep, Still, billows roll the troubled deep,

Till time shall bring repose. The pillars of Judea's state Dissolving, sunk beneath the weight Of infamy and guilt;

But He who nature's course maintains, The pillars of the house sustains

That on the Rock he built.

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2 COR. i. 10.-Who hath delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.

OMNIPOTENT Author of all,
The Fountain of being and bliss,
Thy love it is sweet to recal,

And doubt from our bosoms dismiss. Rich streams of thy grace we perceive Pervading the years that are past, And joyful look on, and believe'

Thou wilt not forsake us at last.

When bow'd with affliction and pain, And pining with sorrow and grief, Thy comforts reviv'd us again,

And fear was surpris'd with relief; The lion roar'd loud from his den, And threaten'd the flock to devour, But thou didst deliver us then,

And wilt in each perilous hour.

Each day with new duties and cares
Our faith and our patience are tried,
But He who the trial
prepares, [vide.
New strength for the soul doth pro-
Oft rescu'd, we cannot tell how,

Yet fearful, we do not know why; But He who delivers us now,

Will yet, when new danger is nigh. The good that we have not, we crave,

And picture the future with gloom Embitter the blessings we have,

In dreaming of troubles to come: Alas! can we trust thee no more,

And mercies unnumber'd forget? When He who deliver'd before, Will surely deliver us yet.

When sinners were sunk in despair,
The mighty Deliverer came;

Our guilt he was able to bear,

Our souls he had grace to reclaim;
The foe he had strength to repel,
The law he had worth to fulfil;

He rescu'd from death and from hell,
And he shall deliver us still.

REV. iv. 1.-] will

REV. iv. 1.—I will shew thee things that must be hereafter.

Oh tune the glad harp to a sonnet of love,

And soft as the zephyrs the numbers should flow;
While angels are singing their anthems above,
We mortals would join in the chorus below.

The spheres of Creation so pond'rous and vast,

The movements of time, the arrangement of things—
God spake, it was done; He decreed, they stood fast;

And he guides all their wheels, and he winds up their springs.

Stern Winter shall melt at the warm Southern breeze,

And Summer shall change Spring's gay blossoms to fruit ;
And the fields and the plains, and the herbs and the trees,
Shall each in due scason their treasures recruit.

Rich emblems and pledges of mercies divine,
The harvest of souls, and the clusters of grace;
The day-star of heaven on mortals shall shine,

And the garden of God in the desert take place.

From the dawn of the East to the shades of the West,
From the North to the South, over regions long dark,
The Gospel is spread, and the Saviour confest,
And Idols, like Dagon, bow down to the ark.

Grim Jugernauth sinks, dread Obiah decays;
The magic of Lapland and Afric shall cease;
The Indian shall change his shrill war-hoop to praise;
And all nations unite in the Kingdom of Peace.

ALÍQUIS.

THE PILGRIM'S SONG.

"For we have here no continuing city," Sc. Heb. xiii. 14.

I'VE no abiding city here,

To me the world is dark and drear:
I long to see my Father's face-
I long to reach my resting place.

Far off from hence my mansion lies,
A house eternal in the skies;
And there it is by faith I see,
A place of rest prepar'd for me.

As yet a pilgrim here I stray,
While doubts perplex me on my way;
But still I trust, thro' Jesu's grace,
My soul shall find a resting place.
Tho' oft thro' lonely wilds I go,
With weary, fainting steps, and slow,
Yet Jesus whispers, Soon, my son,
Thy painful journey will be done.

With courage then, my soul, arise,
Press forward to obtain the prize :
I soon shall close this toilsome race,
I soon shall reach my resting place.

PETER.

MISSIONARY CHRONICLE

FOR JANUARY, 1821.

WE have the satisfaction of commencing our Missionary Intelligence for the New Year, with information from our Missionaries, of a most interesting description. The first article, relating a general account of Mr. Campbell's adventurous journey into the interior of South Africa, will afford our readers much pleasure.That our Missionaries should, by their enterprising spirit, explore successfully countries almost, if not wholly, unknown, and that these discoveries will probably lead to the communication of the blessings of the Gospel to their inhabitants, must necessarily impart a high degree of sacred delight, to every reader who feels an interest in the happiness of mankind, and in the cause of Christ.

The following is a communication from the Rev. Dr. Philip, the Society's Resident at the Cape of Good Hope, giving an outline of Mr. Campbell's journey, about 250 miles North-east of Lattakoo. ON Mr. Campbell's arrival at Lattakoo, he found circumstances uncommonly favourable to the further extension of his journey into the interior. The Missionaries had been recently visited by Bootchuanas from different tribes beyond them, who had expressed a wish to have Missionaries among them, and a powerful chief of one of the tribes was at this time at Lattakoo, and had offered his services to assist our traveller in accomplishing the object of his wishes. Accompanied by Munameets, the king of Lattakoo's uncle, and the king, whose name is not mentioned, and a suitable escort, Mr. Campbell left Lattakoo on the 11th April 1820, in his bullock waggon.

Visit to Old Lattakoo.

After travelling about 40 miles in a northerly direction, they came to Old Lattakoo. On the removal of Mateebe to New Lattakoo, the place was taken possession of by people belonging to different tribes, and Mr. Campbell supposes it to contain 8,000 inhabitants. It is governed by a chief of the name of Mahoomar Peloo. At a public meeting of the principal men of the place, there was not only a willingness expressed to receive and protect Missionaries, but even a desire to have them.

A town called Meribohwhey. From thence Mr. Campbell proceeded in a north-easterly direction, and after travelling a week (about 120 miles) came to Meribohwhey, the principal town of the Tammaha tribe, sometimes called "Red Caffres," and who are represented as a savage, warlike people.

VOL. XXIX.

Mr. C. observed that their appearance corresponded with this report; but he experienced kind treatment from them; and after the chiefs had held a consultation, they consented to receive Missionaries, and promised them their protection.

A large town named Mashew.

He next visited Mashew, a town about 20 miles further, which was estimated to contain from 12 to 15,000 inhabitants.

Much land was seen under

cultivation. Here Mr. C. had some conversation with an intelligent old woman, who said she came from a country to the eastward, bordering on the Great water, where people live, who she said had long hair. At Mashew the people expressed an equal willingness to receive Missionaries.

Discovery of a very large town called Kurreechane.

From this town Mr. Campbell travelled a week (about 120 miles) further to the north-eastward, and came to Kurreechane, the principal town of the Marootzee tribe, containing about 16,000 inhabitants. Here Mr. C. found a people arrived to a degree of civilization, and possessing a knowledge of arts superior to any of the tribes he had seen. They smelt iron and copper from the ore. The the neighbourhood. When Col. Collins metals are procured from mountains in was in Caffre land, and among the Tambookees, in 1809, the articles of iron and copper which he found among the savages, he supposed to have been furnished by the Portuguese at De La Goa Bay.

From the description Mr. C. has given of the Kurreechane, the Colonel appears to have been mistaken in this opinion. The manufactures of Kurreechane are found to have diffused them

D

selves from the borders of the colony of the Cape of Good Hope to the shores of Mozambique, and from De la Goa Bay to the wandering tribes on the opposite coast. The needles, bodkins, and other articles of a similar nature manufactured at Kurreechane, and found in abundance in the neighbourhood of Angra Pequena Bay, strengthens the supposition that the Portuguese have for many years carried on an inland correspondence between their settlements and the eastern and western shores of Africa.

The desire of keeping any thing in trade secret, indicates considerable elevation above savage life. Mr. C. saw many foundries in Kurreechane, but he regrets that they were guarded with so much jealousy that he was not allowed

to enter them.

Kurreechane appears to be the Staffordshire as well as the Birmingham of that part of South Africa. They manufacture pottery, and in the shape and painting of their articles, shew a superior degree of taste. They appear to excel in the making of baskets; and Mr. C. found the walls of their houses ornamented with paintings of elephants, camel-leopards, shields, &c. On the third day after their arrival, Mr. C. found himself in a critical situation, and began to suspect a snare.

He was

told that the king was advised to take him and his party on a commando against a nation with whom he was at war. As we are not told by what means our brother escaped from this awkward predicament, we may suppose that he might have been deceived in his estimate of the conversation on which this alarm was created. On Mr. C.'s proposing to send Missionaries to reside in Kurreechane, they called a Pietso, or a meeting of the principal men. About 300 assembled in a public place, all armed with spears, battle-axes, shields, &c. and an exhibition of savage oratory ensued, where noise, gesture, and fluency of speech were not wanting to make it strikingly expressive. Munameets sat beside Mr. C. to explain the proceedings. In the course of the discussions, a lively old chief rose np and spoke, pointing his spear in a northerly direction, which immediately produced a general whistling, meaning "Bravo! bravo!" The interpreter informed Mr. C. that the speech was intended to stir up the people to go to war with a nation beyond them, some of whose people had a short time before carried off several

of their cattle. In his own way Mr. C. remarks, "between you and me, I have heard noises more agreeable to my ear than this whistling was.' "" After much had been said respecting the war, some of the people began to speak of white men now offering themselves; and the assembly at last resolved that Missionaries should be received and protected. The king then presented Mr. C. with two oxen and two large elephants' teeth.

The chief town of the Wanketzens avoided, by desire of the king of Lattakoo.

Mr. C. passed within 20 miles of the chief town of the Wanketzens. It was here that Dr. Cowan and Lieut. Donovan and their party, who proceeded on a journey of discovery into the interior, during Lord Caledon's administration of the government of the colony, were arrested in their progress. Makkabba, the king of the Wanketzens, and Mateebe, the king of Lattakoo, have always been opposed to each other. Previous to Mr. C.'s departure from Lattakoo, he was strongly advised by Mateebe not to visit this rival chief. Mateebe, says Mr. C. makes a merit of having given up his plundering system, by the advice of the Missionaries, and he used this argument to dissuade me from visiting Makkabba. "I have," said the king, "given up by the advice of the Missionaries taking cattle from other tribes, although that was one great source of my revenue, and you ought to listen to me, and be advised by me in this case." At parting, Mateebe said, "Mr. C. remember I advised Cowan and Donovan, and their party, not to visit Makkabba; and had they taken my advice, they might have been still alive."

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General account of the country. About Kurreechane, and many other places visited by Mr. C. the height of the hills, the smooth regularity of their outline, and the indentations upon their sides, afford sufficient indications of the presence of chalk, lime, &c. and of a secondary and consequently a fertile country. From the distance travelled by Mr. C. Kurreechane must lay near the latitude of 24 degrees south, and not at a very great distance from the eastern coast of Africa. In this neighbourhood some of the rivers were seen running to the westward, while others ran to the eastward, and in a SS. E. direction. It is probable that some of the rivers seen by Mr. C. on this occasion may be branches of the Manica, the De la Goa, or Machavanná, near the sources of

those which empty themselves into the De la Goa Bay. Several large towns were reported to lay to the eastward of Kurreechane, the smoke of one or two of them was seen in the distance. From this place Mr. C. returned, nearly by the same route, to Tammaha, and from thence southward to Malapeetzee, and Makoon's Kraal; then westward in a direct line to New Lattakoo, from which he had been absent two months. Supposed Population of the Bootchuana country.

From the number of inhabitants seen

by Mr. C. at the several towns through which he passed, it would be a low calculation to estimate the population of the Bootchuana nation at 200,000; supposing, what seems very probable, that they inhabit the country from the 24th degree of longitude to the eastern coast, and from the 24th degree of latitude, comprehending 90,000 square miles. Mr. C.'s recent attempt to penetrate into the interior of southern

Africa, may be adduced as an additional

illustration of the truth of Mr. Wilberforce's remark, "If Africa is to be discovered, it must be by Missionaries." The report of the Griqua town and Lattakoo missions is known over all the Bootchuana tribes, and perhaps to many tribes further in the interior. Such is the respect paid to the Missionaries, that the tribes who enjoy their labours consider themselves as safe from the attacks of other tribes: and wherever Mr. C. travelled, the ideas attached to the name of a Missionary had sufficient weight to procure him the protection and friendly offices of all the savages which he visited.

Probable effects of the discoveries made on

this journey.

This journey of Mr. Campbell, and the introduction of Missionaries at Kurreechane, will in all probability, at no distant period, connect the colony with De la Goa Bay. While the British government is looking out for situations where they may locate portions of the excess of an overflowing population, it is to be hoped that this fine station will not escape their notice. De la Goa Bay presents advantages to emigrants superior to any in Africa, and exceeded by few places in other parts of the world. The bay itself is spacious, and extends about 20 leagues from north to south, and seven from east to west. The breadth of the channel is about five miles. Three rivers empty themselves into the bay. The Manica, which is the most northern

of these rivers, was once navigable, but the navigation is now obstructed by a bar at its mouth. The Machavanna, which is the most southern of the rivers, is navigable 30 leagues from its mouth by boats which draw six feet water. The river De la Goa, the central river, is distant about eight leagues from the Machavanna, and is navigable for nearly 200 miles by large boats, and for more than 40 miles by vessels which draw 12 feet of water. It has a bar with about 15 feet on it at low water; and about two miles up the river there is a suffinerally lie in safety from every wind. cient depth of water, where vessels geand the ships that visit it are principally The bay is much frequented by whales, English South Sea whalers. The popu lation in the neighbourhood of the bay, according to White, and the accounts of the captains of some whalers, may be from six to ten thousand. From the

descriptions I have had, I am inclined to think that the natives belong to the Bootchuana tribes. The people are mild, teachable, and quick enough in making a bargain, and in what regards their interests. The soil is of a rich black mould, and will abundantly repay the labours of cultivation: the fish in

the bay are of good quality and abundant, and the neighbouring country appears to be well supplied with water and firewood. The Portuguese appear to have made no attempt to convert the natives to Christianity, and they are still in a state of heathenism. De la Goa Bay, although of little importance to the Portuguese, might be turned to great advantage in the hands of the English.

The writer of this article regrets, that after being ready to embark on a voyage to this interesting bay, he was prevented from accomplishing his intention, the ship by which he should have sailed having been then required to carry corn for our newly arrived countrymen at Algoa Bay. De la Goa Bay, with what degree of truth I cannot affirm, is at this moment said to have been lately deserted by the Portuguese. Even were this the case, it would perhaps be improper to take possession of it without authority from the Portuguese government, and this liberty could only be obtained through the intervention of our own government at home.

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