the very book I wanted for myself and sisters, as it will teach us the whole of religion.' May God the Holy Ghost sanctify it to the family. I suppose it is the first of the kind that has ever been used as a family-book in the vast island of Sumatra. I gave a pious serjeant-major one whole set, with his promise that he would do all the good he could with them in his regiment; but time would fail me to enter into particulars. Be assured, my dear friends, that I distributed your bounty as judiciously as I could. Many fervent ejaculations accompanied, and have followed them. Soon they will be circulated through various parts of the East, and you will be recompensed 'at the resurrection of the just.'

On the 26th August, 1816, I landed at Madras; and, after spending two of the most eventful years of my life in it, I was compelled to depart. It was a weeping day. Nature struggled at the separation, but the Lord strengthened us. Several of the Missionaries were there. I kneeled down and prayed with them all, and then we parted, expecting to see each other's faces no more. O, blessed Saviour, grant that we may meet in heaven. August 20, 1818, I began my journey, and Sept. 20 I arrived here, after travelling full 500 miles in a palanquin; and though I was weak, and many times exposed to a burning sun, and cold wet nights, yet goodness and mercy followed me all my journey through.

6

O bless the Lord, my soul,' and you, my dear friends, praise him too, for his unspeakable goodness to assist a poor feeble

creature.

'At Porto Novo I experienced great kindness from W. Stevenson, Esq. I was a stranger and he took me in' for eight days, as the waters had overspread the surrounding country, and rendered travelling dangerous. I visited Tranquebar, the ancient scat of the royal Danish mission. Here are two churches: the one in the fort, called Jerusalem, the other in the suburbs, called Bethlehem. Many flourishing schools, a large library, and about 2,000 persons attached to the mission; but alas! I fear there is very little genuine religion; and notwithstanding all that has been done, and all that is doing, there never will be any genuine religion, except produced by Him who said, 'Behold I create all things new." To Him may our eyes be ever directed for the influence of his Spirit.

From Tranquebar I proceeded to Negapatam-once a flourishing town, but now completely fallen into poverty and death. No commerce, no riches, little religion, no minister of the gospel; and we do not look for much religion where the gospel is not. Here is a vast and important pile, with a noble church, and a fine organ; and who is there among the saints of the Lord who will go forth and cultivate this most interesting spot? Will no one? At this place I found a scholar of the late Dr. John, who

acts as clerk, keeps a school, &c, &c. I hope he is a real Christian. To him I committed a number of books, with which he will form a circulating library for the benefit of the few people who are there. On leaving such a place as this, my mind naturally went back to happy England; and O, my countrymen, how great, how exalted are your privileges! May you improve the day of your mercies, and Christ and his cause be increasingly precious to you.

'Next I came to Tanjore. Sacred spot! Here lived and died the illustrious Swartz; and here still lives the excellent Kohloff, whose whole deportment reminded me of the innocence and sweetness of Paradise. This is a huge mission; and the good man would sink under its numerous cares were it not for the assistance which he receives from the native priests. Strange that no devoted servant of Christ can be found in Europe, to join the Bartlett's-buildings' Society, in order to assist this glorious

work.

'From Tranjore I passed on to Trichinopoly, where the venerable Pohle lately died. I preached in the mission church to about thirty persons, and left books also with the clerk to form a little circulating library.

'I next came to Palamcottah, where I found the excellent Col. Trotter ready to afford me a hearty welcome. From thence I proceeded to this place, where I found my dear brother Mead, and his little motherless babe, in perfect health, and in the enjoyment of many mercies. The place is beautiful for situation, cool and healthy, and the prospects of future usefulness are beyond any thing I have seen or heard of.

'I bless God, that every day since my arrival my health has wonderfully improved, so that now I can attend to my work with ease and pleasure; and I trust many years of active and important service are yet in reserve for me. I shall not think of returning to Madras again, to take up my residence, as it would look like tempting Providence after I had been repeatedly ordered away by the doctors. This place appears suited to my constitution, and I encourage the hope that the Lord will suit me to the place and the people.

'We have no less than ten congregations, old and new, belonging to the mission, with a church and school attached to several of them, and preparations going forward to establish a catechist and school-master in many of the surrounding villages. Since Mr. Mead's arrival here, there has been a great stir among the people, and hundreds have renounced idolatry, and put themselves under his care and instruction. Their penates are thrown out of doors. They attend Christian worship on the Lord's day, and, what is very remarkable, they all voluntarily give a note-ofhand declarative of their renunciation of idolatry, and their de

termination to serve the true God. Query, Does not this illustrate that charming promise contained in Isa. 44, v. ?

'Col. Munro, the British resident at Travancore, is a warm friend of missionary exertions. He is, indeed, an invaluable friend. Through his influence 5,000 rupees, value about 2s. 6d. each, have been given to Mr. Mead for enlarging and carrying on our works of love among this people, The Queen has presented a good house, which is a great comfort in this country. No Europeans live in this neighbourhood. We seldom see a white face; only one European has passed since I have been here. All our intercourse is with a people of a strange country and a strange language; but the hope of bringing them ac quainted with the adorable Redeemer, turns the wilderness into a pleasant garden, makes the rough places smooth, and every privation becomes as sweet as the honeycomb.

We have just formed a plan for going about preaching the gospel; we go to one village where there is a congregation, &c. and stop a week, and do all that we possibly can for the instruction, comfort, and increase of the church: then proceed to the next village, and stop a week there; and so proceed until we have visited them all in order. Pray for us, dear friends, that all our work may begin and end with the glory of our Master and the happiness of men.

You are not to imagine that out of these ten congregations, amounting to 2,000 people, there are many real Christians. The best idea I can give you is this:-depict to your imagination a large parish, on the forest of Dartmoor, who are called Christians, but had never heard the gospel. A faithful minister goes to reside among them: he finds a very few who appear to be hopeful character-many who have a little knowledge of the Biblesome who can talk pretty fluently about religion-hundreds who can read, but yet the greater part are involved in great darkness. He begins his work by increasing schools-opens places for prayer, reading the Scriptures, &c. ; preaches every day, and is continually going about attempting to do some good among his people. Just such is the state of the people where we dwell, and just such are our labours among them. May Jesus, our blessed Master, help us, that soon we may see we have not laboured in vain.

'We have just set on foot The South Travancore Seminary,' which we intend to consist of thirty boys, selected from the most intelligent of our congregations, to be brought up in our house, and in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. A good English and Tamul education to be given them, and especially a good knowledge of the glorious gospel of the blessed God. May it prove as one of the schools of the prophets. Then will they go forth as scribes, well instructed, and be the messengers of peace

to their own people. In order to secure the dear little fellows a place in the hearts of the Lord's people, we shall call them by some well-known names,* some of which I subjoin, and will send a complete list hereafter. We shall try to support as many of them as we can out of our own little stock, and we confidently hope that the Lord will incline the hearts of his people in India and England, to help us. We have no doubt but the importance of such a work in such a place must approve itself to every thinking mind.

And now, my dearly beloved friends, what shall I more say? the time, the paper would fail, if I should enter into every thing that God has done for me and by me; therefore I shall conclude, by entreating an interest in your daily prayers, and by assuring you, that I am Your very affectionate, and greatly obliged RICHARD KNILL.'

'P. S. I have just seen a dear friend and brother, the Rev. Mr. Fenn, from the Church Society. He is labouring among the Syrians, about sixty or eighty miles from us, and has about forty thousand of this community waiting to be instructed.

"I received all the letters which were sent me from Axminster friends, for which I feel additional obligation; but at present I hope this will be accepted as an answer. Should God spare my life, I may be able on some future day to send an answer to each.'

The British Authorities in India, have induced the enlightened Hindoos to undertake to examine the Sanskrit authorities, with a hope of finding some reason to show that the widows should not burn themselves with the bodies of their deceased husbands.

CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

Authentic Account of the Saadhs.

[Near Delhi which is a large city 976 miles N. W. of Calcutta, by way of Birbhoom, a sect of Hindoos, called Saadhs, (a name expressive of their great purity and devotion,) were observed by Anund Messech, a native, employed by the Church Missionary Society. When discovered they were assembled for religious worship, and possessed a copy of the New Testament, which they appeared highly to value; and which they had received from Mr. Chamberlain, at Hurdwar Fair; and when first seen by Anund, sanguine hopes were entertained that they were a people

Thomas Biddulph, David Bogue, Claudius Buchanan, George Burder, John Calvin, Phillip Doddridge, Matthew Henry, Rowland Hill, John Hunt, John Knox, Martin Luther, John Munro, Samuel Rooker, Thomas Scott, James Small, Marmaduke Thompson, Isaac Watts, John Wesley, George Whitfield, Noel Welman, W. Wilberforce, Matt. Wilks, &c. &c. &c.

already well prepared for Missionary Labourers, by their previous know. ledge and observance of the Christian Scriptures. But from a recent account of these people, given by the Rev. Henry Fisher, Chaplain at Meerut, it appears that they are merely a sect of Hindoos, who, rejecting the Sacred Writings and established Religious Creed of their country, have, for forty or fifty years, professed pure principles of Deism. There appears, however, to be a promising opening among these people, as they are now very ready to receive and use our books and to listen to Teachers. Jysingh, the head man of a division of this sect, at the instance of Mr. Fisher has opened a school in the village of Kowlay, where he resides. He began with seven children; but, in the evenings, thirty men and children attend to hear the old Saadh read a chapter from one of the Gospels, after which they apply to learning. In a conversation with Jysingh, Mr. Fisher obtained the following particulars, which we extract from the London Baptist Magazine.]

The Saadhs appear to possess little or no learning, and very few speculative doctrines; and indeed, in the simplicity of their minds, hold out, as I conceive, the most inviting promise of successful labour to the Christian Missionary. They profess to believe in one invisible God, who retains every thing in his own sovereign power; is every where present, and is infinitely merciful; and who, in proof of this exceeding disposition to mercy, sent the Sut Gooroo, (true pastor,) to enlighten and instruct poor ignorant men. This Sut Gooroo, who instructed Jogee Das, their founder, in the knowledge of the truth, they esteem as the immediate pupil of the Supreme Being.

They also utterly exclude from their religious system all the Hindoo Deities, reject with abhorrence the use of images, and hold the incarnations of Vishnoo to have been great conquerors, or some famous benefactors of mankind, by whom they have been idolatrously exalted into the seat of God. They consider pilgrimages as folly, and have no faith whatever in the efficacy of ablutions, neither do they practise them at all, except for the purposes of cleanliness. Jysingh smiled very significantly on being asked what he thought of the Ganges and the Jumna; he said, they were very useful rivers, and should be considered merely as objects of notice, whereby to call to mind the goodness of God. They do not receive the doctrine of transmigration, or pretend to any authentic knowledge of the creation of the world. They fully expect a future judgment, which will establish the virtuous and holy in a state of uninterrupted happiness; but will doom the wicked to dreadful torments, whereby they shall expiate the sins which they have committed in this world. The duration of the punishment of the condemned will be regulated by the nature of their different crimes; and eternal happiness will be the final issue of all things. The Sut Gooroo will be visibly present. at the great day of account; but they do not seem to anticipate any benefit from his intercession on their behalf, or to have any notion of atonement but that of their own sufferings.