"The above mentioned causes which have produced these effects here, are beginning to operate in every part of Ireland. Scarcely à post arrives but brings us intelligence from the north, and from the south, from the east, and from the west, of Roman Catholics who have joined our Church. I consider it matter of peculiar congratulation to be able to state to the Meeting, that the influence of Jesuitism in its strongest entrenchments is unable to resist the progress of the spirit which is abroad, as is evidenced by the fact, that no fewer than seven persons conformed last Sunday in the Church of the Parish where Clongowes Wood College is situate. And as the general knowledge of such facts greatly encourages the timid and wavering, I would earnestly entreat all the friends of the cause to give circulation to such instances of conformity, as are well authenticated. We cannot rely with perfect security on all the accounts we find in the daily press of such occurrences; but I believe from private communications that I have received, corroborative of the published statements, that we shall not overrate the conversions which have already occurred, by stating them at three hundred, which, together with those at Cavan, amount to a total of about seven huudred and fifty, in a few months.There is no thinking man who does not perceive in the preponderance of the Roman Catholic religion in this country the fruitful source of most of the calamities and agita. tions with which it is afflicted. "It now fully appears that vast numbers of the population are held to their Church, not by an attachment to her doctrine and discipline, but by fear and shame. They are afraid of having their houses burned, of being insulted in fairs, markets, and other places of public resort in the country, by Carmelites, Scapularians, devotees, and priests' men, as they are called. They are ashamed of being upbraided as turncoats -ashamed of the imputation of unworthy motives. These things deter, and will deter them, until Protestants unite in their defence, and welcome them into the bosom of their community. This feeling of terror, however, is gradually wearing away. There is a spirit of inquiry gone abroad still more powerful than these checks, which nothing can extinguish. Every new convert that walks abroad in safety, is an additional proof of the impotence of the Priests, and a fresh encouragement to the fearful. Every challenge refused by the Clergy, is likewise received as the proof of an untenable cause, and the people deserted by their Pastors in the most interesting object of their inquiry, are obliged to resort to private discussions, either to defend their faith, or satisfy their scruples. Nothing can be more amicable than the manner in which such discussions are carried on; their result is always favourable to the cause of truth; and where the people have not been able to satisfy themselves upon certain points, they refer to the Established Clergy, or some competent Scripture reader, in secrecy. At nightfall they assemble, invite the reader to each others houses, and receive the Bible with the utmost avidity. Thus is the influence of the Priest undermined, and wherever the Bible has been freely circulated, the majority hang very loosely to the system of Popery. "I would suggest, that a general Society, under the special patronage of the Hierarchy of the United Kingdom, should be formed without delay, and that public meetings should be held, for the purpose of diffusing a more general knowledge of the present state of Ireland, as well as to aid the proposed objects of the Society. The events which have taken place plainly demonstrate how little capable the Roman Catholic Hierarchy would be of resisting the united efforts of the Protestants of the Empire to enlighten the Roman Catholic population of this couutry. All that is wanting is union of purpose and unity of action. Let the Landed Proprietors, both resident and absentee, lay aside for a short season their petty local interests, and electioneering objects, which have so narrowed their patriotic and Protestant feelings, as nearly to extinguish them. Let the Hierarchy of the Established Church take the lead, let every denomination of Protestant cordially unite in this labour of love, and let every hand be simultaneously stretched forth, to rescue our Roman Catholie fellow-subjects from the degrading bondage of ignorance and superstition, and the glorions work will be accomplished. The people already feel their chains, and only wait for protection and encouragement to break them, and to bless the instruments by which their emancipation has been effected." MISSIONARY HERALD. Subscriptions and Donations in aid of this Society will be thankfully received at the Baptist Missionary House, No. 6, Fen Court, Fenchurch Street, London: or by any of the Ministers and Friends whose names are inserted on the Cover of the Annual Report. BAPTIST MISSION. FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. DIGAH. From the following extract of a letter from Mrs. Rowe to the Secretary, it will be seen that the cause of Native Female Education is still proceeding at that station; where, if we mistake not, the first effort for female children was made: Digah, March 16, 1826. are waiting to get into it. I have been to two Schools of Boys to-day, and shall visit a third (not mentioned) this afternoon; in all, nine, I hope by the time you get this. I went out in a tonjon, which is a chair borne on men's shoulders, who change two and two, or four and four, by turns. The wind was so cold when I went out that I was a little pinched under a warm shawl; when I returned at 11 o'clock, the sun burnt me under an umbrella. To provide against this inconvenience, and that of such a train of wheeled carriage, just large enough to admit me and a lady, to be made, to serve my school-visiting purposes, to creep through narrow lanes and under hut eaves, through the villages. The expence will be little more than that of keeping bearers, whom I of my palankeen (a hearse carried by men), shall be most glad to get rid of. The sale will pay one-half of the purchase; and this will serve all my school-going purposes, and not expose my health, nor keep me so long on the way. At this season we have such tornadoes of dust and hot wind, that an exposure to it in an open vehicle is dangerous. men servants, I have ordered a small four I have to thank you sincerely for the favour shewn to the cause of Native Female Tuition through me; and assure you, that it is my joy and my pride to be made the instrument, in the hands of the English Ladies, of promoting their amiable designs. Please to present all such as look to me for the disposal of their alms my best christian regards. You will perhaps conjecture that Native Female Education at this station has been at a low ebb, on account of my having drawn so sparingly upon that fund. It has been so, but it is so now no longer. The old Lyme School is revived on a better plan than before, having a mistress and young male assistant, and is in a new brick house, built for the purpose at Daoodpore, by subscription. A School for Boys is under the same roof, and the master of it superintends the Girls. They were all here yesterday to be examined and get their wages. Out of 16 Girls. 6 came, and repeated the first paragraph of the Ten Commandments; many of the Boys say the whole, and Watts' Catechism. My rule is, that, amongst any number of boys, if 20 do not read in print, the master does not get full wages. Girls we must coax; they are learning to write, sew, and knit also. I have two Schools in like case within our gate. The old Liverpool The following Narrative, lately School is to be set up again in a short time received from Our Missionary with flying colours. The foundation of a brother, Mr. Chater, will, we are house 36 by 25 feet is laid, and well forward hope to finish by persuaded, be very gratifying to We cannot but hope in brick-work, which subscriptions gained here. Girls and Boys our readers. CEYLON. L that, although mnch fruit has not yet been gathered from the exertions which have been made in the stations in this island, the pleasing events here narrated may be looked on as tokens for good. Colombo, July 27th, 1827. Concerning Colombo, I have no increase of members to mention, but there is evidently an increased desire of hearing. My Pettah congregation, which formerly did not amount to more than 40 or 50, is now often, on Sabbath evenings, more than a hundred. It is to be recollected also, that worship is held at the same hour at two more places within half a mile of ours; i. e. in the Wesleyan chapel in English, and at Mr. Armour's church in Portuguese; at both of which there is an equal proportion of increase. When therefore we recollect, that "faith cometh by hearing," we ought to rejoice in this change for the better, in such a place as Colombo. Our numbers at Singalese worship are still distressingly small, excepting at some of the villages, where sometimes, by means of our Singalese reader, I have from 100 to 200 hearers. But these I cannot possibly visit so often as is desirable; and that the word has reached the hearts of any of them does not yet appear. My two last visits to Hanwell have been very pleasant ones. In the first of them I stopped at a village called Mallirieyarie, seven or eight miles from Colombo, where I had heard of a respectable Singalese female, who, I was informed, paid particular attention to the things of religion. Having been apprized of my coming, she had collected in her house a congregation of nearly forty persons, who attentively heard the word of life. The person herself, who is the widow of a respectable Singalese headman, though her advantages for acquiring a knowledge of religion have been very circumscribed, appears to me to have a good understanding of the grand essentials of the Christian religion. Her heart seems to be wholly set on the things which are not seen and eternal. Full of humility and meekness, all her hope and trust appear to rest on the sure foundation laid in Zion; and she manifests much concern for the salvation of sinners around her. I feel a strong and pleasing persuasion that she is one of the Lord's hidden ones. On the Sabbath, at the usual hour, I preached at Hanwell to a good congregation. On this occasion in prayer, in commenting a little on the chapter I read, and in preaching, I enjoyed such enlargement of ideas and liberty of expression, as I never before felt in speaking in Singalese, and but seldom even in English. It seemed, indeed, as if for once I was handling the people with hands, and not with stumps. And the bearers, at least for the time, felt the effects. a sermon as that before. And our friend, Some of them told me they never heard such the Modeliar, wrote to me many weeks after, that the effects it produced continued visible In many respects. O that they may end in the conversion of some of those more than half heathen sinners! On Monday evening we held a prayer meeting; many are called upon to take the lead at these meetings, and the Modeliar and some others do it with agreeable propriety. My day's labour, cousisted, on Tuesday, in visiting the village where Dionysius resides and keeps a school, It is distant from Hanwell full seven miles. The road to it is somewhat romantic, lying through thick jungle, and the whole bounded on either side by hills almost sufficiently lofty to be termed mountains. In my way to and from this village, the name of which is Ooggalla, the thought struck me how pleasing it would be to the members of our society, could they see for themselves, how, by the instrumentality of their humble agents, they are causing the cheering rays of the gospel to penetrate the deep jungles of Ceylon. The modeliar accompanied me, and Dionysius and his father had collected, besides more than forty boys that attend the school, between sixty and seventy adults, to hear preaching. Again I felt as though my Lord and Master was with me, though not to the same degree as at Hanwell on the Sabbath day. After preaching, the mother of Dionysius came before the Modeliar and me, and with streaming eyes told us that herself, her husband and whole family were determined on renouncing the Roman Catholic superstitions, and joining our society; and the only thing that made them hesitate, was that ill-natured people might say it was in consequence of their son's receiving a small salary that they took such a step. The Modeliar took on himself the business of replying, by telling her that whatever they were convinced was their duty they should attend to, not regarding what ill-natured persons might say, with some other things equally appropriate. In the house we had much conversation with the Mohandiram, Dionysius' father, who said he had diligently searched the Scriptures, and could find no command there for a great many things they had been taught to practise. He is one of the most intelligent persons I have found among the Singalese, and I felt persuaded that the light that was now breaking in upon his mind would not shine upon him in vain. This was the first time that a European face had ever been seen at Ooggalla. In fact, it Those who have read the Life of Brainerd will understand this allusion. EDITOR. is not many years since the place was a soli- | terms on which we admit members, and after tary jungle; the Mohandiram is both the much conversation it appeared to me proper head and founder of it. The day following, to appoint a church-meeting for all three of accompanied by the Mcdeliar, I visited them to declare what God had done for their Dedigama, another village in the jungle. souls. Wednesday therefore was appointed We came about a mile along the road to as the day for holding a church-meeting, and Colombo, and then penetrated about four if they were approved of by the church, for miles into the jungle. Here we had a con- their receiving baptism. gregation of nearly a hundred, a good proportion of them females. Most of them seemed to hear with fixed attention, but did not seem to feel as did the hearers at Ooggalla. In the evening I preached again to a decent congregation at Hanwell, and early next morning set off on my return home. I bad but a very few tracts with me on this journey, but all I had were received with eagerness. Last month I paid another visit to Hanwell. Sabbath evening I preached at Patgama, a village in which brother Siers has begun to hold worship since my last visit to Hanwell. We had about thirty attentive hearers. The owner of the house at which we held the meeting, whose name is Loosee Nayde, professes to be earnestly seeking salvation; and would immediately join the church if he could be accepted. Monday I visited the Hanwell school, and in the evening we held a prayer-meeting, at which more than fifty persons were present, and I gave them quite an extemporaneous exhortation in Singalese. Our Colombo Auxiliary Religious Tract Society having printed two tracts; No. 1, A Conversation between a Boodhist and his On Tuesday, according to appointment, Christian Friend; and No. 2, The Advan- I paid my second visit to Ooggalla. From tages of Drunkenness; I carried a small the time I entered the Mohandiram's house, baadle of each with me. I took fewer than till I left it, scarcely a word was heard on any I should have done, because I had before subject but religion. The poor young man, sent many in that direction, and supposed Dionysius' elder brother, fearing that though there would be but few demands for them. his father and mother might be received, he Bat by the time I reached Hanwell, my would not, was almost broken-hearted at the stock was nearly gone. A few, however, thought of being left behind. On entering remained; and immediately on entering the into close conversation, such evident signs house of Mr. De Livera, (or our friend the of true penitence appeared in him, that it Modeliar) I gave him a copy of No. 2. After seemed to me improper to prevent him from reading a little of it, he said you have brought coming before the church. In Dionysius' me just such a tract as I wanted. I have school bungalow, we had a good and attenjast been severely reprimanding a petty tive congregation. My subject was "the bead-man for intemperance. He ordered a attractions of the cross;" which I trust in good reader to go immediately and read it some measure were felt by many on that ocover distructly to that man and a number of casion. While at the Mohandiram's I felt others who were present. They all were a kind of sacred pleasure, such as I have not much pleased with it, and the poor drunkard during my twenty years' residence in India, sent many thanks to the Modeliar for the before. Surely, I could not help saying, little book, and said he would never again while surrounded by the numerous and drink any thing but water. Numbers, by deeply affected family- this day is salva, reading or hearing this tract have made si-tion come to this house." At the appointed milar resolutions; but if made in their own hour on Wednesday the church-meeting was strength, we know too well what to think of held; and father, mother, and son were them. added to the little society at Hanwell. I humbly trust they are of the Lord's adding, and such as shall be eternally saved. The father, when asked what had been instrumental in producing the great change that had taken place in his view and feelings, replied, reading the word of God for myself." The mother, when asked a similar question, answered, It is the conversation of this, my son (pointing to Dionysius) that has been the principal cause of the change that I have undergone." Immediately after the church-meeting, public worship commenced; and I preached for the first time at Hanwell on the subject of baptism. There was not time to give notice that the baptizing would take place on that occasion; but a congregation of 150 assembled. I went from At the usual hour, on Sabbath-day, a congregation of nearly 100 assembled for worship. It was a good season, though I did not enjoy all that sense of the divine presence and assistance I did during my last visit. Before my going to Hanwell on this occasion, the Ooggalla Mohandiram had intimated to me that he had something of importance to communicate to me when I again visited them. After public worship he came to the Modeliar's house, where I was staying, and told me that if we judged him a proper person for the ordinance of baptism he was ready, as also his wife and eldest son, to be baptized whenever I should appoint, and he wished it to take place before I left Hanwell. He was far from being ignorant of the " 44 ་་་ the pulpit to the river side, followed by the three candidates and the whole congregation. When all was composed to silence, the Mohandiram said, "If it be not improper, I wish now to address a few words to the people. He began by asking, To whom must a servant be obedient, if not to his own Lord and Master? I read in Acts xxii. 16, these words, And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized,' &c. Some may murmur,' he added, at our forsaking our old faith and adopting a new one.' But I read in Jeremiah v. 6. Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul; be not cut off in her iniquity.' Rev. xviii. 4. Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, &c.' Isa. xlii. 8. I am the Lord; that is my name and my glory I will not give unto another, neither my praise to graven images.' What my dear brother, do you suppose were my feelings, on hearing the man who some time ago was the strength and stay, the great leader of Romish superstitions, in Hanwell and the neighbouring villages, thus standing up among 150 of the inhabitants of those villages, and thus appropriating these striking passages? It appears to me that if no good were effected in this island, but that which has been and probably will be at Ooggalla, our society would have no cause to regret having expended a part of their funds on Ceylon. The main prop of Roman Catholicism is struck away; and I think I may add, is converted into a piece of artillery that will in future play briskly upon its little remaining strength. Ooggalla and some other villages near, which were not long since divided between Boodhoo and the 939 could scarcely be distinguished from the other six. Now it is observed, much as at the house of a pious farmer in England. I had Brainerd's Life with me at Hanwell, and the Modeliar kept it to read. But be says I must lend him the Life of Obookiah to read again, as he has got real good, he says, from that book. At seven on Thursday morning, I was at Nawagama, a village about eight miles from Hanwell on the road to Colombo, where an old government schoolmaster had promised to collect in an old church a congregation; but not an individual, not even the school-master, was there. About 10 I came to the house of the respectable female before mentioned, where a breakfast was prepared for me, and a small congregation assembled (several of them Catholics), who heard, not only with attention, but apparently with deep interest. Thus ended this interesting journey; and with a grateful heart I returned to my own habitation. PADANG. SINCE our last publication, our friend Mr. Evans, who has for several years occupied this station, has, with his family, arrived in his native land- availing himself of an opportunity, unexpectedly presented by the singular kindness of a worthy Captain, regularly tradPope, are now in a fair way to become trulying between that port and Europe, Christian villages. I have made Dionysius so to do, in order to recruit his a reader to them, and he and his father are health, which urgently required often employed in going from house to house such a relaxation from his usual to make known to the inhabitants, in their labours. Further particulars on own tongue, the wonderful works of God. this subject, and in reference to the station generally, will be found in the following letter to the Secretary, dated Daring this visit, I lodged at the Modeliar's; and there, religion was almost the sole topic of conversation. We had some very serious conversation with the person who is the only remaining support of Romanism in those parts. In argument he was (principally by the Modeliar) completely foiled; but what effects may be produced, time alone can shew. The change to be observed at the Modeliar's house appears, in two particulars, great and pleasing. For several years after I became a visitor at his house, all I could get him to collect for family worship, was himself, his wife, and one servant, sometimes one or two of his children. Now, from twenty to thirty collect every evening, and seem to look for it just as they do for their supper. The other particular relates to the sabbath. This sacred day (as is almost universally the case in this island) Rock Island (Ireland), Jan. 26, 1827. MY VERY DEAR SIR, I had the pleasure last July of writing you a few lines via Batavia, and at the close of my letter mentioned the probability of Mrs. Evans availing herself of Capt. Rogers's kind offer of a passage to England, for the recovery of her health and that of our little Charles. Capt. R. was then on a voyage to the northern ports of Sumatra, and the destination of the ship quite uncertain; but on his return to Padang, it was settled that she should proceed as early as possible to Europe. This at first seemed to frustrate our hopes, |