preme Court of Judicature, who is on the circuit; a man of large and liberal views, the friend of learning, and of Christianity. He is well acquainted with the language of the country, and with the history of the island; and his professional pursuits afford him a particular knowledge of its present state; so that his communications are truly valuable. It will be scarcely believed in England, that there are here Protestant churches, under the king's government, which are without ministers. In the time of Baldæus, the Dutch preacher and historian, there were thirty-two Christian churches in the province of Jaffna alone. At this time there is not one Protestant European mi nister in the whole province. I ought to except Mr. Palm, a solitary missionary, who has been sent out by the London Society, and receives some stipend from the British gaverument. I visited Mr. Palm, at his residence, a few miles from the town of Jaffna. He is prosecuting the study of the Tamul language; for that is the language of this part of Ceylon, from its proximity to the Tamul continent. Mrs. Palm has made as great progress in the language as her husband, and is extremely active in the instruction of the native women and children. I asked her if she had no wish to return to Europe, after living so long among the uncivilized Cingalese. No, she said; she was all the day long happy in the communication of knowledge.' Mr. Palm has taken possession of the old Protestant church of Tilly-Pally. By reference to the history, I

found it was the church in which Baldæus

himself preached (as he himself mentions) to a congregation of two thousand natives; for a view of the church is given in his work. Most of those handsome churches, of which views are given in the plates of Baldæus's history, are now in ruins. Even in the town and fort of Jaffna, where there is a spacious edifice for Divine worship, and a respectable society of English and Dutch inhabitants, no clergyman has been yet appointed. The only Protestant preacher in the town of Jaffna, is Christian David, a Hindoo CaLechist sent over by the mission of Tranquebar. His chief ministrations are in the Tamul tongue; but he sometimes preaches in the English language, which he speaks with tolerable propriety and the Dutch and English resort to hear him. I went with the rest to the church; when he delivered extempore a very excellent discourse, which his present Majesty George the Third would not have disdained to hear. And this Hindoo supports the interests of the English church in the province of Jaffna.

The Dutch ministers who formerly officiated here, have gone to Batavia or to Europe. The whole district is now in the hands of the Romish priests from the college of Goa; who perceiving the indifference of the English nation to their own religion, have assumed quiet and undisturbed possession of the land. And the English government, justly preferring the Romish superstition to the worship of the idol Boodha, thinks it right to countenance the Catholic religion in Ceylon. But whenever our church shall direct her attention to the promotion of Christianity in the East, I know of no place which is more worthy of her labour, than the old Protestant vineyard of Jaffna-Patam. The Scriptures are already prepared in the Tamul language. The language of the rest of Ceylon is the Cingalese, or Ceylonese."pp.184—186.

Dr. Buchanan, on his second visit to Ceylon, in March 1808, found the south side of the island in the same state of destitution, as to religious instruction, with the north. He found but two English clergymen in the island. "What wonder," said a Romish priest to him, "that your nation should be so little interested about the conversion of the pagans to Christianity, when it even does not give teachers to its own subjects who are already Christians." Numbers of the native Protestants, every year, apostatize to Boodha. Governor Maitland expressed his conviction, that some ecclesiastical establishment ought to be given to Ceylon. Both he and the senior chaplain at Columbo, the Hon. Mr. Twisleton, afford their patronage in the most liberal manner to three missionaries of the London Society, established in different parts of the island; and the government allows to each of them an annual stipend. The whole of the New Testament has been translated into Cingalese, and three books of the Old: but even this portion is not circulated; "there is no supply of books for the use of the people." Dr. Buchanan justly expresses his asto. nishment, that, though there are 500,000 native Christians in Ceylon, there should not be one complete copy of the Scriptures in the language of that island. Did the pro

fessional engagements of Sir Alex ander Johnstone * permit. Dr. Buchanan thinks him the fittest person to superintend the further translation of the Scriptutes. "It is a proof," he adds, "of the interest which this gentleman takes in the progress of Christian knowledge, that he has caused Bishop Porteus's Evidences of Christianity to be translated into the Cingalese tongu, for distribution among the natives."

Every line of this information is important, and deserves the serious notice of our bishops and our statesmen. Is it possible they should not see the responsibility which attaches to them, in the sight of God and man, while they neglect the moral culture of such a vineyard as Ceylon? But what can be done? will probably be asked; and with this interrogatory many will satisfy their consciences. But we would ask in return, What have you attempted to do? Have you ever seriously deliberated on the subject? Have vou ever set yourselves to consult about the means of preserving and promoting Christianity in Ceylon? If these questions must be answered in the negative, as we fear they must,will no blame attach to those whose proper province it is, as heads of our church and state, to watch over the interests of true religion in every part of the empire? But can nothing then be done? Can the government of this country do nothing? Is the erection of a Cingalese college, for the purpose of supplying native teachers to the desolate churches of Ceylon, a thing impossible? Why should not the same efforts be made, and the same funds applied, for the promotion of Christianity by the British, as by the Dutch government? We had been accustomed to regard the Dutch as so absorbed in the pursuit of mercantile gain, as to be dead to every other consideration. But

This amiable and excellent person bas lately passed some time in England. He is now on his return to Ceylon, full of those benevolent purposes which Christianity never fails to inspire.

when we enter on their colonial possessions, we find that a large part of that gain had been consecrated to the noblest of purposes, the diffusion of the knowledge of the only true God, and Jess Christ, whom he has sent. It is to the Christian a heart-sickening consideration, to reflect on the different policy pursued at present by Great Britain. The Christian establishments of Ceylon have withered under our touch.-And is there nothing in the power of our bishops? They may at least lift their voices, and call on parliament and the nation to consider what can be done for their Protestant brethren of Ceylon. We have seen the Bishop of St. David's founding a seminary for supplying Wales with pastors. What might not be done, were all our bishops to unite in forming an establishment for the education of teachers for our foreign dominions! That would be an institution worthy of the British epis copate, and which would enshrine them in the affections of every Christian in the land. In the mean time, let those who feel, with us, that we are bound, by every consideration which ought to affect us as men or as Christians, to aid the languishing cause of Christianity in Ceylon, contribute in the only way which is at present open to them. The attention of the Society for Missions to Africa and the East has. lately been drawn to this island; and it may be in their power, if adequate pecuniary means are af forded them, to send some missionaries thither. We recommend the perusal of that society's last Report to those who may wish to inform themselves on the subject.

Dr. Buchanan next adverts to the state of the Malayan Archipelago. The Dutch possessions in the Indian Ocean are devolving on Great Britain. These islands contain great numbers of Protestant Christians; for wherever the Dutch established themselves, they endeavoured to christianize the natives, and they

succeeded. A large proportion of the natives profess the religion of the Bible; and the Bible already exists in a Malay version. Here then there is room for the benevolent exertions of both the Bible Society, and the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge. "One hundred thousand Malay Bibles will not suffice to supply the Malay Christians." The Scriptures were translated by the Dutch into the Eastern Malay only, that being the general language of their extenisve possessions in that quarter. But the language of Sumatra differs from this, and is called the Western Malay. In the college of Fort William, T. Jarret, Esq. of the Company's service, who had resided twelve years in Sumatra, was preparing a version in the Western Malay, when his progress was interrupted by the reduction of the college establishment. He still prosecutes his work, however, at Madras, with the aid of a learned Malay of rank. Dr. Buchanan suggests, that as there is a college in Bengal for instructing the English in the languages of Hindostan, there should be an institution in Penang, or Prince of Wales's Island, for cultivating the Malay tongue. This settlement being placed in the centre of British navigation in the East, may be expected to become the emporium of Asiatic commerce. Dr. Buchanan resided there for about a month, and was surprised by the variety of languages, and of races of men, he met with in Penang. He considers it as a most favourable station for the study of the Malay and Chinese languages, and for pouring forth from the press useful works for the civilization of maritime and austral Asia; and its diversified population appeared to him to possess a communicative disposition, and an unusual thirst for knowledge.

The contrast between the Chris. tian and Pagan Malays is very strik ing Such is the barbarism of the latter, especially in the interior of such large islands as Sumatra, that they actually kill and eat their criminals and prisoners of war. Nay,

they frequently eat their own relations, when aged and infirm; and that not so much to gratify appetite as to perform a pious ceremony.. The following account of this extraordinary ceremony is given by the learned Dr. Leyden in his Researches.

"When a man becomes infirm and weary of the world, he is said to invite his own children to eat him in the season when salt and lines are cheapest. He then ascends a tree, round which his friends and offspring assemble, and as they shake the tree, join in a funeral dirge, the import of which is, The season is come, the fruit is ripe, and it must descend.' The victim descends, and those that are nearest and dearest to him deprive him of life, and devour his remains in a solemn banquet." p. 195. Dr. Buchanan is at the same time of opinion that no quarter of the globe is more favourable for Christian missions than the Malayan Archipelago. The Dutch have proved that success is attainable, and the facilities which we now possess for conducting such undertakings are

very great.

But besides the Eastern and Western Malay, there are two other languages spoken in this immense cluster of islands,-the language of Java, which is a third dialect of the Malay; and that of the Celebes, called the Bouguese language. Literature was formerly cultivated in the Celebes, and their songs and romances are said by Dr. Leyden to be famous among all the islands of the East. "The man," observes our author, "who shall first translate the Bible into the language of the Celebes, will probably be read by as many islanders as have read the translation of Wickliffe."

We now come to Dr. Buchanan's account of the Syrian Christians in India. A part of this most interesting account has been already anticipated in our volume for 1807, pp. 654 and 71, to which we refer our readers. We have before us, however, much that is new.

When the Portuguese, under Vasco de Gama, arrived at Cochin, they were agreeably surprised to find upwards of a hundied Christian churches on the coast of Ma

labar. But when they became acquainted with the purity and simplicity of their worship, they were offended. These churches,' said the Portuguese, belong to the Pope.' Who is the Pope,' said the natives, we never heard of him.' The European priests were yet more alarmed, when they found that these Hindoo Christians maintained the order and discipline of a regular church under episcopal jurisdiction; and that, for 1300 years past, they had enjoyed a succession of bishops appointed by the patriarch of Antioch. We,' said they, are of the true faith, whatever you from the West may be; for we come from the place where the followers of Christ were first called Christians." pp. 200, 201.

The persecuting zeal of the Poruguese, directed by the inquisition at Goa, succeeded in compelling the

churches on the sea-coast to acknowledge the supremacy of the Pope, but they insisted on retaining their own language and liturgy: and this point was conceded to them. But the churches in the interior would not yield to Rome, and preferred to seek protection from the native princes. Dr. Buchanan having obtained leave from the Rajah of Travancore, proceeded to visit those churches. From his journal while on this tour, we will make a few extracts.

we

were approaching the church of Chinganoor, we met with one of the cassamars, or Syrian clergy. He was dressed in a white loose vestment with a cap of red silk hanging down behind. Being informed who he was, I said to him in the Syriac language, Peace be unto you.' He was surprised at the salutation; but immediately answered, The God of peace be with you.' He accosted the Rajah's servants in the language of the country, to know who I was; and immediately returned to the village to announce our approach. When we arrived, I was received at the door of the church, by three kasheeshas, that is, presbyters, or priests, who were habited in like manner, in white vestments. Their names were Jesu, Zecharias, and Urias, which they wrote down in my Journal, each of them adding to his name the title Kasheesha. There were also present two shumshanas, or deacons. The elder priest was very intelligent man, of reverend

appearance, having a long white beard, and of an affable and engaging deportment. The three principal Christians, or lay elders belonging to the church were named Abraham, Thoma, and Alexandros. After some conversation with my attendants they received me with confidence and affection; and the people of the neighbouring villages came round, women as well as men. The sight of the WOMEN assured me that I was once more (after a long absence from England) in a Christian country. For the Hindoo women. and the Mahomedan women, and in short, all women who are not Christians are accounted by the men an inferior race; and, in general, are confined to the house for life, like irrational creatures. In every countenance now before me I thought I could discover the intelligence of Christian ity. But at the same time, I perceived, all

around, symptoms of poverty and political depression. In the churches, and in the people there was the air of fallen greatness. I said to the senior priest, you appear to me like a people who have known better days. It is even so,' said he. We are in a degenerate state compared with our forefathers.' He noticed that there were two causes of their present decay. About 300 years ago an enemy came from the West bearing the name of Christ, but armed with the inquisition: and compelled us to seek the protection of the native princes. And depression ever since. They indeed recog the native princes have kept us in a state of nize our ancient privileges, for we rank in general next to the Nairs, the nobility of the country; but they have encroached by degrees on our property, till we have been reduced to the humble state in which you find us. The glory of our church has passed away; but we hope your nation will revive it again.' I observed that the glory of a church could never die, if it preserved the Bible.' We have preserved the Bible,' said he; the Hindoo princes never touched our liberty of conscience. We were for merly on a footing with them in political, power; and they respect our religion. We have also converts from time to time; but, in this Christian duty we are not so active as we once were; besides it is not so creditable now to become a Christian, in our low estate,' He then pointed out to me a Namboory. Brahmin, (that is, a Brahmin of the highest, cast) who had lately become a Christian and, assumed the white vestment of a Syrian priest. The learning too of the Bible,' he added, is in a low state amongst us. Our copies are few in number; and that number

is diminishing instead of increasing; and the writing out a whole copy of the sacred Scrip. tures is a great labour, where there is no profit and little piety.' I then produced a printed copy of the Syriac New Testament. There was not one of them who had ever seen a printed copy before. They admired it much; and every priest, as it came into his hands, began to read a portion, which he did, fluently, while the women came round to bear. I asked the old priest whether I should send him some copies from Europe. They would be worth their weight in silvers said he. He asked me whether the Old Test ment was printed in Syriac, as well as the New. I told him it was, but I had not & copy. They professed an earnest desire to obtain some copies of the whole Syriac Bible; and asked whether it would be practicable to obtain one copy for every church. I must confess to you,' said Zecharias, that we have very few copies of the prophetical Scriptures in the church. Our church languishes for want of the Scriptures.' But he added, the language that is most in use among the people is the Malayalim, (or Malabar) the vernacular language of the country. The Syriac is now only the learn ed language, and the language of the church: but we generally expound the Scriptures to the people in the vernacular tongue.'

"I then entered on the subject of the translation of the Scriptures. He said a version could be made with critical accuracy; for there were many of the Syrian clergy who were perfect masters of both languages, having spoken them from their infancy. But,' said he, our bishop will rejoice to see you, and to discourse with you on this and other subjects.' I told them that if a translation could be prepared, I should be able to get it printed, and to distribute copies among their fifty-five churches at a small price. That indeed would give joy,' said old Abraham. There was here a murmur of satisfaction among the people. If I understand you right, said I, the greatest blessing the English church can bestow upon you, is the Bible. It is so,' said he. And what is the next greatest,' said I. Some freedom and personal consequence as a people.' By which he meant political liberty. We are here in bondage, like Israel in Egypt.' I observed that the English nation would doubtless recognize a nation of fellow-Christians; and would be happy to interest itself in their be half, as far as our political relation with the prince of the country would permit. They wished to know what were the principles of

the English government, civil and religious. I answered that our government might be said to be founded generally on the princi. ples of the Bible. Ali,' said old Zecharias, that must be a glorious government which is founded on the principles of the Bible.' The priests then desired I would give them some account of the history of the English nation, and of our secession from their enemy the Church of Rome. And in return, I requested they would give me some account of their history.-My communications with the Syrians are rendered very easy by means of an interpreter whom I brought with me all the way from the Tanjore country. He is a Hindoo by descent, but is an intelligent Christian, and was a pupil and catechist of the late Mr. Swartz. The Rev. Mr. Kohloff recommended him to me. He formerly lived in Travancore, and is well acquainted with the vernacular tongue. He also reads and writes English very well, and is as much interested in favour of the Syrian Chustians as I myself." pp. 209-213.

"Romniel, (u Syrian Church), Nov. 12, 1806.-I have now visited eight churches, and scarcely believe sometimes that I am in the land of the Hindoos. I attended divine service on the Sunday. Their liturgy is that which was formerly used in the churches of the patriarch of Antioch. During the prayers there were intervals of silence, the priest praying in a low voice, and every man prayjug tor himself. These silent intervals add much to the solemnity and appearance of devotion."

Here, as in all churches in a state of decline, there is too much formality in the worship. But they have the Bible and a scriptural liturgy; and these will save the church in the worst times. These may preserve the spark and life of religion, though the flame be out. And as there were but few copies of the Bible among the Syrians (for every copy was transcribed with the pen) it is highly probable that, if they had not enjoyed the advantage of the daily prayers, and daily portions of Scripture in their liturgy, there would have been in the revolution of ages, no vestige of Christianity among them.