amount of good effected by these and similar itineracies, it may be impossible to determine with minute accuracy. So wide a dispersion, however, of religious tracts and portions of the Word of God, cannot fail of producing most beneficial results; and the propagation of the Gospel by the living preacher, among thousands to whom, otherwise, the way of eternal life would never have been made known, will be followed in some cases, we may well hope, with the saving influences of the Holy Spirit, and numbers be led to believe on Him of whom they have thus heard.

RANGOON. Missionaries, Rev. ABNER WEBB, Mrs. WEBB, Rev. HOSEA HOWARD, Mrs. HOWARD. Native assistants, Ko Thah-byoo, native preac. er, Ko Shway-ba, Ko Thah-a, native preacher, Moung Zoothee, Pallah, native preacher, Moung Shwa-thah, Moung Pyau. (Most of the assistants, however, from various causes, have been temporarily absent.)

Mr. and Mrs. Webb arrived at Rangoon, February 19, 1834, just before the departure of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett for Maulmein, mentioned in our last Report. Most of their time since, has been devoted to the study of Burman, though with some embarrassments, for a while, for want of a native teacher. Meanwhile, opportunities have been improved for the circulation of tracts and portions of scripture, of which Mr. Webb distributed, before the close of 1834, more than 30,000. Occasionally he has been called upon to administer the Christian ordinances. Events which led to several most gratifying scenes of this kind, are detailed in Mr. Judson's report of December, 1834. (See Mag. vol. 15, p. 344.) An account of the first baptism by Mr. Webb, is in his journal of Sept. 15, 1835, at which time ten Karens were baptized. (See Mag. vol. 15, p. 401.)

On subsequent occasions, he had the privilege of baptizing twenty-one more, from the district of Mau-bee; in all, thirty one. About the last of February, 1835, he repaired to Maulmein for the restoration of Mrs. Webb's health, but was enabled to return at the expiration of two months, with the health of his family much improved.

Mr. and Mrs. Howard, who were appointed to labor among the Karens of Rangoon, and its vicinity, joined Mr. Webb at Rangoon, Dec. 26, 1834, and shortly after commenced the study of Burman. This course was preferred to studying Karen exclusively, to which they had already given some attention, because the Rangoon Karens are entirely subject to the Burmans, and for the most part acquainted, to some extent, with the Burman language. We trust that before this time they have entered upon their labors among that interesting people. A small school of ten or twelve children had been gathered by Mrs. Howard, in the early part of 1835, but was broken up by the persecution of the native Christians, soon after Mr. Webb's departure for Maulmein, just mentioned. Some of the petty magistrates of the place, it would seem, had for a long time been cherishing a bitter hatred against several of the most active native assistants, and were waiting only a favorable opportunity to vent it. The chief object of their malignity, was Ko Sanlone. He had previously been assistant to Mr. Kincaid in Ava, but having come to Rangoon in July, 1834, to visit his family, he had spent the last six months in Mr. Webb's verandah, preaching and giving tracts. He had been aware, from the first, of the danger to which he was exposing himself, but was resolved, he said, to go forward, and suffer the consequences: God would direct. On the 25th of February, the apprehended violence broke out. Ko Sanlone was arrested, beaten, imprisoned, loaded with irons, and at times subjected to severe labor; nearly every native Christian in Rangoon was fined, and "all Rangoon," says Mr. Howard, "was filled with fear." The conduct of Ko Sanlone, throughout this trial, was worthy of the character he had previously sustained, and worthy of the Christian cause. For a considerable time he had been the only native Christian at Rangoon, who had been bold enough to speak or act publicly in the cause of Christ, and now, when like primitive disciples he was condemned and imprisoned with the wicked, like them also he prayed and sang praises to God, and the prisoners heard him.' Mr. Howard says of him, "I have never seen the Christian more perfectly exhibited than in the character and conduct of this man;" and Mr. Webb represents him as being "ever full of the Holy Ghost." His release was effected March 8, though with the loss of his entire property. The Woongee forbade him,

however, to resume his labors as an assistant, though, at the solicitation of the British Resident, he was at liberty to visit Mr. Webb, and aid him in the study of the Burian language. But the work assigned him on earth was already done. About the 25th of July, he was taken ill of a fever, soon after his return from an excursion into the jungle, and died the 5th of August. Mr. Webb, in giving intelligence of this painful event, remarks, "He was converted from heathenisin some years since, while he was a merchant, and shortly after he left his business to preach the gospel to his benighted countrymen. He was a man of uncommonly discriminating powers of mind, and always kind. Even after his persecution, not a word escaped his lips, which savored of irritation. Indeed, in looking over all I have ever seen of him, or heard, I do not remember a single word or act, which I could wish to have altered. He was, at all times, the hunble, spiritual Christian."-Notwithstanding the violence of the persecution, it does not appear to have wholly repressed the general interest in the new religion. As early as May 24, Mr. Webb writes, "I doubt whether there has been any time when preaching and the word of God would tell to better advantage here, than now. There is, it is true, a good deal of fear; but some will hear and read, and it can no longer be done with indifference." Similar remarks might be made, in regard to the neighboring region. The persecution in February had extended to the Karens in the jungle, and throughout the district of Maubee. The Maubee governor has under his jurisdiction one thousand houses, one hundred of which, along the Karen Brook, had been put in charge of Myat-thah, one of the Karen Christians. When the persecution began, Myat-thah, and every one who professed to believe in Christ, were seized and fined-in all, to the amount of 400 rupees, or about $200,-“ a heavy charge," says Mr. Webb, “considering that a Karen seldom has property of the value of $50." Other Karen villages in the jungle had been fined in like manner. They persisted, however, in their refusal to worship nats, or pagodas, and continued in the daily worship of the eternal God. In some cases, the persecution, as in ancient days, "fell out to the furtherance of the Gospel." Ko Thah-byoo, at the suggestion of his brethren, retiring from Maubee district when the persecution began there, was afterwards found at Pegu, preaching among the two thousand Karens who live in that vicinity.-In some instances the gospel has been preached "through strife." "A few days since," Mr. Howard writes under date of March, 1835, "three (Karens) came to us, trembling under the weight of years, to inquire what they must do to be saved. They had come five days' journey-had never seen a Christian, or a Christian book-but had been directed to us by some Burmans, who happened on business to go where they lived, and told them they had seen books (tracts) that professed to tell about an eternal God, who made all things, and the way to obtain eternal happiness." From a letter of Mr. Webb, of more recent date, we learn that they lived in the jungle, a day's journey back of Thah-ra-wa-day, (Sarawah) half way from Rangoon to Prome. "Some Burmans from their town had been at Thah-ra-wa-day, and had received books from foreign teachers, which said that men should not worship images, but the eternal God. The Burmans were angry, and tore the books in pieces; but when these aged Karens heard of it, they said, 'These must be teachers sent by the true God. We will go and see them.""

During the absence of Mr. Webb, and immediately subsequent to the persecution, Rangoon was severely afflicted with sickness. Taunah, (Toonoo) a faithful Karen preacher, whose labors at Maubee and Chummerah are mentioned in Mr. Judson's report, referred to above, died at Rangoon, of small-pox, April 1. A short time afterwards, Mr. Howard, in consequence of his labors and exposure to the sun during the prevalence of the epidemic, was also seized with violent illness, but rapidly recovered under the kind attentions of Col. Burney, then resident at Rangoon, to whose friendly offices, on this as well as other occasions, the Burman mission is greatly indebted.

AVA.-Missionaries, Rev. EUGENIO KINCAID, Mrs. KINCAID, Rev. THOMAS SIMONS, Mrs. SIMONS. Native assistants, Ko GwA, Ko KA1, native preacher.

The second year of missionary operations at Ava has been marked, no less than the first, with mingled trials and encouragements. Our last Report left the mission families without the walls of the city, whither the Burman government

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had required them to remove on the 9th of April, 1834. Happily, this change of residence does not seem to have embarrassed their exertions very seriously, or to have materially impaired their success. My plan of proceeding," says Mr. Kincaid, under date June 8, "is the same now, as that which I adopted on my first arrival in Ava; that is, to preach every Sabbath, and every evening at candle-lighting; during the day to converse with all who call at the house. Ko Sanlone and Ko Kai go about the city and preach, sometimes in private houses, sometimes in temples, and sometimes in zayats. Occasionally we visit Ummerapoora and Sagaing-(cities adjoining Ava, the former on the east side of the Irrawaddy, the latter on the west, opposite Ava.) About the middle of June, Mr. Kincaid was interrupted in his labors by a severe illness which continued into August, and at one time threatened to be fatal. The station was still further afflicted in the sickness of Mrs. Cutter, in consequence of which, as stated in our last report, Mr. and Mrs. Cutter were compelled to leave Ava, the 17th of August, after a residence there of seven and a half months. Ko Shoon, and Ko Sanlone, the two most valuable native assistants, had left previously, the former in April, and the latter in July; and Moung En of Mulmein remained only a short period, leaving alone the members of the Ava church to second the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Kincaid.

"a

It is truly cheering to observe, that in the midst of these discouragements, the hearts of our beloved missionaries did not despond. "On ten thousand altars," Mr. Kincaid writes, Aug. 25, "the people offer incense to demons; but God, the Lord of the whole earth, has sent forth his word, and he has given a promise that this word shall not return void. Blessed be God, we do not labor in vain ; we shall reap, if we faint not." A few days subsequently, two Burmese women, Mah Shan and Mah Pwau, professed their faith in Christ, and were baptized September 9, in the waters of the Irrawaddy. On the 29th of the same month Mr. Kincaid writes as follows, "Inquiry is on the increase. The call for books is greater than at any time before, since I have been in Ava. We feel greatly encouraged from what we see and hear around us. The God of grace is looking down upon these sons of darkness; the vale of death is visited by the day-spring from on high, and a rustling is heard, as if dry bones were shaken by a mighty wind." This promising state of things continued several weeks, and was assiduously improved by Mr. Kincaid, assisted by Moung Kai, in preaching the word, conversing with inquirers, and distributing several thousands of tracts; and " rapidly growing interest was apparent among the people to read and hear about God and Christ," as late as the 6th of November, when Mr. Kincaid, at an early hour, was again summoned to the palace, and arraigned before the High Court of the Empire. The immediate though undesigned occasion of this threatening procedure, was probably the act of a foreign resident in no way connected with the mission. It is manifest, however, from the course of events as narrated by Mr. Kincaid, that jealousy and ill-will towards the Christian religion, and all who advocated it, had been rankling for some time in the hearts of several influential members of the government, and that nothing was wanting at any moment but some trivial pretext to call them forth. This appears, indeed, from the nature of the charges alleged against Mr. Kincaid. "The American teacher is stirring up divisions among the people, teaching them to despise the religion of their country, and to follow a religion which the king, the princes, and noblemen do not approve. He is not contented to live in the golden city quietly, as other foreigners do, but, in the city, and all places around, is giving books, and preaching a foreign religion, and his object is to bring into contempt and destroy the religion which has been revered for ages." As a natural consequence of this persecution, though it failed of its avowed object, inquiry was for a season partially suppressed. "The people are cautious," Mr. Kincaid writes, under date November 26, "and not willing to be thrown into prison; for he who gets in once, never forgets the horrors of the place." "The brethren and a few good inquirers," he adds, "continue to call. Their fortitude and Christian deportment, in these perilous times, have greatly endeared them to our hearts."

Additions to the church were also made about this time, of Moung Moung, baptized Nov. 18, and Moung Oo Doung, baptized Dec. 5. At a later date government appeared less hostile. In a letter of Jan. 27, 1835, Mr. Kincaid writes, "Should you ask now what the prospect is, I must say I see no reason to be discouraged. The promise of God, Fear not, for I am with thee,' is a cordial in every hour of despondency." A few days previous, Messrs. Brown and Cutter,

whose visit to Ava has already been noticed, had set out on their return to Maulmein, carrying with them the printing-press. Mr. Cutter had first completed, however, the printing of a second edition of the Catechism, of 3000 copies. The following month-February-was marked with the sickness of Mrs. Kincaid, who was brought to the borders of the grave by intermittent fever; and when this dark cloud had passed by, the prospects of the mission were again overcast by one of the most expensive and imposing exhibitions of human folly, as Mr. Kincaid characterizes it, ever known in Burmah-a festival in honor of an idol which the emperor set up. The festival continued nearly two months; and during it, music, dancing, masquerades, dramas, single combats, eating, drinking and making merry, were kept up night and day. This gloomy season of revelling and idolatry was not however attended with unmixed evil. Besides an immense multitude who had voluntarily assembled to witness these pagan orgies, the emperor had summoned to his court all the nobles and tributary princes of his empire, even from the remotest provinces; and the opportunities which were thus presented to spread abroad some knowledge of the only true God, to an almost equal distance, were faithfully improved. At one time, April 25, Mr. Kincaid was visited by eight Shans, part of the body-guard of a Shan prince, then in the city; at another, June 22, by a company of 22. Among his visiters on the 30th of May, were eight liens, a people whom he had never seen before, but, "judging from their dress, of more cultivated and chaste feelings than the Burmans." "One of the men," says Mr. Kincaid, "could read and speak Burman well, and he interpreted what I said of God and his law. He told me there were many in the city they came from, Legare, who could read Burman, and they wished to take tracts to them, and there they could have them translated into their own language." "Had I a good Burman assistant,” Mr. Kincaid adds, "I would send him on to explore this field, and to preach the blessed gospel in this hitherto unvisited region. I would delight, myself, to be the bearer of these glad tidings of salvation; but alas, here are millions sitting in the shadow of death, and to these the gospel must be preached." On the 4th of June, Mr. Kincaid was again visited by Yiens, sixteen of whom "came in a body to the house, and begged for the sacred books." "I read and explained," says Mr. Kincaid," about an hour and a half, one of their number (an intelligent man) being my interpreter. At the end of every explanation, they would break out in conversation among themselves, as if quite amazed at what they heard. I distributed among them 50 tracts, and two copies of Luke and John; also sent to their prince a copy of Luke and John, the View, Balance, Scripture Extracts, and the Three Sciences, and then dismissed them with the charge to forsake idols, and all sin, and worship the living God, who made heaven and earth." Besides the Shans, and Yiens, and Chinese, and Kathayers, the position of Mr. Kincaid at Ava gives him frequent access to Mahometans and Brahmins. In Ummerapoora are two or three thousand Mussulmans, many of whom are men of wealth and, influence, while at the south of the city, a short distance, is a village of 200 brahmins, besides about three thousand in Kathay, having the same written language. One brahmin had secretly professed to be a disciple of Christ, and at his earnest request Mr. Kincaid had sent to Rev. Mr. Pearce, of Calcutta, for some copies of the New Testament, and a few tracts in Bengalee. The request was promptly complied with, and on their reception Mr. Kincaid gave away ten copies of the Testament and two hundred tracts in about two hours. "Among the various nations that throng this city,” Mr. Kincaid remarks, "after the Burmans and Shans, the Brahmins are the most interesting."

Boarding School. The school mentioned in our last Report, has been continued under the direction of Mrs. Kincaid. The whole number of scholars, May 22, was 18, though 11 only had been in school at any one time, 5 of them were girls. A larger school might have been obtained had it been judged advisable. Baptisms. Beside the five individuals, already mentioned, Moung Na Gau was baptized March 22, 1835, making the whole number of baptisms at Ava, by Mr. Kincaid, 12, 8 men and 4 women.

At the last dates, the native Christians had been threatened and annoyed by their neighbors, but the hostility was wearing away, and the prospects of the mission were more encouraging than they had been for some weeks previous. Mr. and Mrs. Simons, who left Maulmein June 22, but had been detained a while at Rangoon, arrived at Ava the seventh of September.

MISSION TO THE KARENS.

Mr. Mason, of Tavoy, in a letter to a friend in this country, dated July 4, 1835, says of the Karens, "Be they Israelites, or Gentiles, they are the most interesting people on the pages of modern history; and I verily believe, that, since the days of the apostles, the power of divine truth has never been made so manifest as in their conversion. The language is a most eloquent one; and when I sit, as I sometimes do, and listen to a native, preaching the Gospel with more genuine eloquence than a whole university could produce, and then think of his state and that of his nation half a dozen years ago, I am lost in astonishment." The number of missionaries attached to the Karen mission since January, 1835, beside native assistants, and including Mr. and Mrs. Howard of Rangoon, is nine. Much incidental labor has also been performed by other missionaries at Maulmein and Rangoon, or in occasional excursions, as already stated. The number of native assistants whose names have been given, is seven. The stations permanently occupied by the missionaries are two, Tavoy and Chummerah, beside Mergui, Maubee, and Newville, and several out-stations occasionally visited.

TAVOY.-Missionaries, Rev. JONATHAN WADE, Mrs. WADE, Rev. FRANCIS MASON, Mrs. MASON, Miss ANN P. GARDNER.-Native assistants, Moung Kya, Moung Sha-too, Moung Shwa-boo, Ko Myet-la, Moung Sek hee.

Tavoy is the chief city of the province of Tavoy and stands on a river of the same name, about 220 miles south of Maulmein, and nearly in the latitude of Bankok. Population of the province in 1833, 34,188,-of the city, about 9,000. The city was first occupied as a missionary station in 1828. Connected with it are also six out-stations, Malamyu, Toung byouk, Pyee-khya, Ka-pa, Tsa-ra-wa, and Ta-mler, between which and Tavoy the labors of the missionaries are distributed, according to the seasons of the year. During the dry season, the Gospel is preached extensively in the interior, while the rainy season is devoted to the study of the language, the translation of the Scriptures, the preparation of tracts, and the instruction of schools at Tavoy. Mr. and Mrs. Wade and Miss Gardner arrived at Tavoy January 10, 1835.

Translations.—Under date Oct. 1834, Mr. Mason writes, "I have devoted considerable time, these rains, to writing Karen, and have two more tracts ready for the press. One, Salvation, a dialogue in verse, being with slight alterations a translation of the Burian Catechism, and another, the Vade Mecum, a large tract, consisting of a portion of Scripture, reflections and remarks thereon, accompanied by an appropriate hymn for every day in the month, intended primarily for family worship, but serving at present for Bible, hymn-book, and body of divinity." Another Karen tract, "The words of the ancient fulfilled," was at the same time in press, at the expense of the Tavoy Missionary Society. In April, 1835, a fourth tract was in readiness for the press, embracing the principal parables, and many other extracts from the Scriptures, adapted to the parables respectively, with an appendix of more than fifty hymns. But the most important work in this department of missionary labor, is the translation of the New Testament into Karen. At our last dates, Mr. Mason was prosecuting it with the liveliest interest. In the letter already quoted, he remarks, "I am daily employed in the translation of the New Testament into the language, and cannot lift off my thoughts from the all-absorbing subject, or my pen from the paper, to write English letters to my dearest friends;-not because I love them less, but because I love the Karens more. They are literally stretching forth their hands for the bread of life, and give it them we must." Mr. Wade was also employed, during the rains, in preparing or revising books in the Karen language, particularly the Karen dictionary. Printing. It has already been mentioned, under the head of Maulmein, that two Karen tracts had been printed at that station; one, consisting of 12 pages, octavo, of which 1,300 copies were printed; and the other, Salvation, or Karen Catechism in verse, also of 12 pages, in an edition of 1,000. These tracts, however, were printed under great disadvantages, partly on account of the imperfection of the Karen type, and partly from the distance to which it was necessary to send the proofs for revisal. Both these inconveniencies, have since, we trust, been remedied, a complete set of Karen type having been procured at Calcutta by Mr. Hancock, and arrangements made, either for the removal of a printing