in Crete, in the employ of the British and Foreign Bible Society. The three booksellers came in from their work and spent the nine days with me in Canea. We had conferences every evening, and how many questions those Bible students did ask! The day always closed with prayer. Twice I preached to them, and once to an English congregation at Suda Bay. I baptized two of their children, welcomed five of the brethren to the Lord's table, besides having a communion service in an English house. The growth our friends had made away from all ordinary religious privileges, shut up to communion with God through prayer and Bible study, and to work for Christ amid many persecutions, was most marked and was a cause for deep gratitude. They greatly need and earnestly plead for some one to be sent to them to instruct them and their children."

"Going out from Bandurma, at the head of the bay and near the east end of the old Cyzicus canal (now filled up), we crossed over the isthmus and made a circuit of the old peninsula. It is now called Kapou Dagh (Door Mountain). Some of the scenery is wonderfully beautiful, rough, wild, and romantic. The fourteen Greek villages are beautifully situated in deep, inlying bays, each having a harbor of its own, and a stretch of land back from the sandy beach, filled with olive groves or vineyards of most delicious grapes.

We met an interesting

class of people, for there are about 200,000 inhabitants on this peninsula. Ignorant of, and shut away from, the world in some ways, they get some ideas of things outside of themselves, for each village has from ten to two hundred sailors and fishermen who are off on the Black Sea, or down on the Ægean, or carrying vegetables into Constantinople all the summer and fall. Those left at home

raise squashes and onions, not only for Constantinople but for England too, and they were spoiling the vineyards' while we were there, old, old women and little children being all impressed into the service of the vintage and the treading of the winepress,' for besides the enormous quantity of wine consumed in the villages they yearly export a larger quantity to Constantinople and elsewhere. The village priest or priests have as much interest in this as the others, and in a number of cases are themselves proprietors of winepresses and raki-stills. But they do it ignorantly,' and the thought of its injury and its sinfulness is quite as far from them as it was from our good New England fathers a century ago.

"We were glad to find schools in nearly every village schools for boys, and in some cases for girls, though this latter is a movement somewhat slow in its coming. There is at least one church, sometimes four or five, in each village, but the priests are usually uneducated. They had been farmers or grocers until they arrived at forty or forty-five years of age, and then became priests. We met one such, who had some education, a nice, clean man, who was teacher as well as priest. He had seemed to feel that he was God's servant, and when he became priest he had given up drinking and was devoting himself to the good of his people."

THE PEOPLE AND THEIR NEEDS.

"The people as a rule were cordial to us, and we found stopping-places and entertainment sometimes at a priest's house, sometimes at a café — one night at a rich man's house and the next with the poor. These people need the pure gospel and they need instruction in practical righteousness. They need to have their faith in the love and providence of the unseen God strengthened, and to be assured of his continual presence with them. They are hungry for something, and their hunger remains unsatisfied, and, saddest of all, there seems no one to tell them the good news. They have

in many cases been taught that it is wrong for them to read the Bible and find out for themselves. We know we have just what they need, but we do long for the touch of God's Holy Spirit to make them teachable and receptive, and to make us wise and gentle in giving. Some hearts did seem open, and it was almost pathetic, after we had said what would seem to us but simple and quite commonplace, to overhear the remark: These men are angels who bring us such tidings.'

"We had the magic-lantern with us, a present from eleven Sabbath-schools in Essex County, Mass. It is about the only way we can attract a crowd of people and hold them interested for two hours. To most of them it was an unheard-of thing, and they looked upon it as one of the wonders of the world. The pictures of various countries and quite a number of Turkish views interest and instruct them, but when they see the Bible scenes, and especially of the life and death of our Lord, then they begin to believe that we are not atheists and infidels, even if we do not observe the 259 days of fasting each year. They ask questions about the pictures and listen to all we say, so that we have the opportunity of bringing deep truths home to them."

IN PRISON.

When we arrived at Erdek we found that the bishop had persuaded the kaimakam (governor) of that region to hinder us as much as possible. The kaimakam sent for us soon after our arrival at Erdek, examined our books, papers, magic-lantern, etc., and said he should have to hold them until he could get word from Brousa as to whether we were safe and responsible persons or not. As he promised to have such a reply from Brousa by the next morning we made no objection. The result was that instead of our getting away on Friday noon, as we expected, we were shut up' from Friday afternoon until the next Tuesday at noon. No reasons were given, no accusations made, no questions asked as to whether any one in town could vouch for our character, nor

were we allowed to send word to any of our friends. We did, however, find an opportunity of sending word to Bandurma on Sunday, which friends there received on Monday. They immediately telegraphed to Brousa, and our friends in Brousa telegraphed to our Legation in Constantinople. Prompt action was taken there, and word sent which secured our release after our four days' confinement. You have already heard of the legal phase of this matter, and know that our Legation is making a serious complaint of such infringements of treaty rights.

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Turkish prisons are regular pens, in which a lot of poor, filthy, unwashed fellows are huddled together in one room some for debt, some for crime, and some awaiting trial. They depend upon their friends from outside to bring them their food, though in certain cases, if a prisoner is from a distance and has no friends and no money to buy food, a portion of bread is given him by the authorities. We were more fortunate than these poor fellows in that we were not thrown into the common prison, but confined in the centurion's room. This we had to ourselves at night, and in the daytime we listened to his trial of petty cases, some of which were extremely amusing, while others were very pathetic. The servants and guards were very kind to us, bringing us grapes and looking out for our comfort and telling us of their troubles and accidents and escapes. A boy from the restaurant was allowed to bring us whatever food we wanted, at our own expense, and so generously did he cater for us that we usually had quite a plateful to send in to those more unfortunate than ourselves.

versary of the ordination of the first and present pastor of the church at the prominent out-station of Malatia. It is a cheering story. Mr. Barton writes:

months and make another visit. To all of which he pleasantly assented, and after ordering coffee and drinking it with us, he allowed us to go, wishing us a pleasant journey, etc.

"We have a strong feeling that in some way real results to our work will come from this seeming hindrance. God grant that it may be so!"

AT ADRAMYTTIUM.

"We found almost nothing to remind us of the old city and its shipping interests in the days of Paul, but we did find a little circle of brethren. It was to meet them that we had made the long journey. Six or seven years ago a bookseller, K. Klonaris, had been there, sold books and given tracts and talked with the men. Last year one of them went to Smyrna on business, and dropped into one of the Greek services. One of the Bible Society booksellers, Mr. Hatchadom, spent a few weeks in that region during the winter. He became very helpful to these few brethren who were studying the Scriptures and seeking for the light. When he came to Brousa he gave us their names, and we have sought the first opportunity to visit them, How they did welcome us! and it was beautiful to see the simplicity of their belief. They were simply reading the Bible and trying to shape their lives according to its teachings. They have not withdrawn from the Old Church, and yet, because they have given up tobacco and drinking and are known to be studying the Bible, they have suffered some petty persecutions. They are industrious, thrifty men, in good business

"Malatia is one of the large cities of this interior country, containing 5,000 houses, of which 3,500 are Moslem and the rest Armenian. The city is peculiar in that it is not surrounded by a large Armenian village constituency, as most of the cities of this country are. Old Malatia, which was once a walled city, and 600 years B.C. was the seat of a Hittite king, is only one hour away; but it is now a mere village, with a small Protestant congregation.

"Work was begun in Malatia before it commenced in Harpoot, by missionaries from Aintab and Arabkir; it has had substantial progress from the first. The present pastor, Mardiros Giragosian, went there from Arabkir in 1862, and was ordained in 1866. Previous to that time there had been various preachers. The church was organized in 1863, with only five members, one of whom is now the successful and popular pastor of the Second Church of Harpoot. In those early days there was much persecution of all Protestants there; their children were beaten in the streets, Protestants were stoned, their place of worship and houses were cursed, and even their dead refused a place of burial. But it is impossible to relate even a small part of the interesting details of the early history of this church.

"In the twenty-five years since the present pastor was ordained, he has assisted in ordaining 16 persons, baptized 272, and admitted nearly 200 persons to church membership, 27 of whom were received during the past year. The average Sabbath congregation is about 300, and there are 470 registered Protestants. For several years the church has carried on a mission work in another part of the city. The days of persecution have passed, and now the Protestant congregation is the most influential non-Moslem body in the city. The church has been most liberal in paying for the support of its own institutions. According to a care

fully prepared report, read by the pastor at these exercises, it appears that, during the past twenty-five years, the church has given for evangelical purposes £. T. 2,473, or $10,882. This sum total is equal to the wages of a common laborer for 54,660 days, he boarding himself, which is over 2,000 days' work for each year.

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"The church has now a neat place of worship, which the congregation has outgrown. They desire to enlarge. They own also a parsonage and a high-school building for boys, with two lower grade apartments. The girls' school, which is taught by a college graduate, is in a separate building. There are from 200 to 300 scholars in all departments. They have purchased a lot joining the present chapel, upon which they hope to be able some time to erect a good girls' school building. chapel and school building are also necessary for the mission in the western part of the city. The best success of the work demands this advance, but the brethren do not feel able to pay for it at present, and the Board cannot assume much of the cost. In all of these twenty-five years of the history of this pastorate, the Board has paid less than one third of the cost of the work in Malatia. It is a live, working, energetic church, which is exerting a powerful influence upon the city."

Madura Mission.

A HINDU OFFICIAL. -LETTER FROM
MISS BELL.

THE following letter from Miss Caroline S. Bell reached us only a few days before the telegraphic announcement of her death was received. It was written from Battalagundu, October 16, and indicates something of the extent and excellent quality of the work which Miss Bell was doing when summoned from earth. It also gives a revelation of the ideas of a Hindu official concerning Christianity. Miss Bell wrote:

. You will be interested in a conversation I had not long since with a Hindu government official. He said to me: ‘I hear that Christianity is becoming rotten in America. I was reading in a paper

printed in Philadelphia, called Truthseeker, that Christianity was weakening and that many now believe that Jesus Christ was insane.'

I told him I had read no such report, but as I had just been reading about the Christian Endeavor Convention in Minneapolis, attended by 10,000 delegates from all over the United States, I told him about that, and in conclusion said that the signs of the times seemed to me to tend in the other direction. Then I told him that there were non-Christians, atheists, iconoclasts, and infidels in America. He replied: Why do you not stay at home, and try to convert your own heathen?' That would please those who do not believe in foreign missions, thought I. But I said: There are many who prefer to work at home, so the rest of us have come to tell you and your people about this religion which will lift up every one who will accept it. I cannot force my religion on you, and I don't want to do that. Christianity is a thing that a person must take for himself, for no one can compel another to be a Christian. It is a matter of personal choice. If you do choose it, you gain a great deal ; but if not, you cannot know what joy and peace and real gain you lose.' 'Oh!' said he, there is Ingersoll, who is a very great man, and he proves everything he says; and then there is Colonel Olcott too, who proves what he says.' 'Yes,' I said; they are great in their way. I cannot say that they prove their statements, but I am sure of one thing, and that is that they will one day realize their mistakes.'

"The officer then said: You say that there are many persons who live in America that do not believe in Christ. Do they never marry?' Yes; they marry.' 'Well,' said he, does the Christian minister perform the ceremony?' He was greatly surprised when I told him that all respectable people were married by a minister of the gospel, and often in the church, even though the contracting parties were not church members. He thought this very strange and inconsistent and hard to understand.

My schools have just been examined, and I am happy to say that in my two schools, having twenty-three pupils in the boarding school and fifteen in the caste day-school, all but six have passed the examination. The vacation is over, and the work has commenced for another year. Five of my older girls go to Madura to pursue their studies in higher classes, and all save one are church members. But I hope to hear soon that this one has also accepted Christ as her Saviour. Five new girls have come to fill the places of those gone out, and besides these five there came a heathen mother bringing her only daughter, a bright little maid of eight years. I asked if she were not afraid that her daughter would become a Christian. She answered: If you will make her a good, earnest Christian, I too will be a Christian.' She is of a high caste, and her village is about sixteen miles away; but I feel very much encouraged, and hope for good results in that village through this little girl's influence, when she home. goes

tice compared to what you get abroad.' Of course my aims are higher than simply getting practice and getting observation in disease, as is true in the case of every medical missionary. But I cannot help taking pleasure in the material prosperity of my work. It is a pleasure, too, to feel that European medicine and European medical advice have the confidence of the people. Although we have had no conversions as the direct result of our religious work in the dispensary, I feel that our daily preaching-and not only that but catechising and real drilling into the minds of the patients the main facts and principal ideas of the Christian religion— must make, and is making, a real impression on the minds of those who come to our dispensary. And though none have been out-and-out converted, there are many I know who are turning over seriously in their minds what they have heard at our preaching."

Foochow Mission.

ENCOURAGING INCIDENTS.

MR. PEET sends the following incidents under date of November 16: —

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Last Sunday morning occurred the death of perhaps the youngest member of our little household of faith here in Foochow City. He was a man who first heard the truth in the first month of this year, and after five or six months of regular attendance on the ministrations of God's Word gave satisfactory evidence of a true change of heart and was admitted to the church. His business had been the making of paper clothes for the use of departed souls, and with his darkened mind he very naturally looked for prosperity and happiness. In his judgment, as well as in the judgment of his neighbors, such meritorious work was deserving the highest respect and favor of the gods. But so-called fortune did not smile on him. Sickness and business troubles came upon him, and for a long time prior to the first month he had been dissatisfied with himself and his surroundings. One evening he chanced