plished, and proved an encouragement to the missionaries to persevere in their labours.' CUDDALORE. Cuddalore Church 8. This station remained about ten years in the Revival at same condition in which the Rev. Marmaduke under the Thompson had left it in 1808. M. Holzberg, in- Rev. C. deed, of whose conduct Bishop Middleton received a more favourable report, was permitted to return; but his health was too much impaired to permit of his entering upon any active service. The mission was reduced to a very low state," when, in September 1817, it began to revive under the care of an active chaplain, the Rev. Charles Church. He had the charge of about twenty Europeans, and between forty and fifty European pensioners who had been disabled in the Company's service. Among these he laboured with assiduity and success. his efforts for the native population, many thousands of whom were around him, he wrote a few months after he had been at the station : Of "I have opened two schools for them, in which are now about 120 boys. In one school, English is taught; in the other Tamul. These schools are chiefly under the superintendence of a native Christian, a Tamulcan, of high caste. He has been much delighted with my coming to Cuddalore, and has been indefatigable in getting forward the schools. Though a Christian, his conduct is such that he is much respected by the natives, and hence becomes a very useful man to me. Thus privileged, and, I may say, blessed, on every side, how thankful should I be !" 'S. P. C. K. Report 1825, pp. 46, 47. Ibid. Report 1818. 'First Report of Madras District Committee, pp. 52, 53. VOL V. I CHAP. Declines again on his removal. These schools Mr Church supported at his own expense. Of the scholars, he says They all seem anxious to learn, and thankful for the opportunity afforded them.” Hence it appears how soon he had obtained the confidence and esteem of the natives; for until this point is gained, they are very backward in attending schools instituted by an European in which the Scriptures are read; but when they feel persuaded that he is a good man, and has no object in view but their advantage, their prejudices give way, and they receive his instructions with little or no scruple. Before Mr Church had been twelve months at Cuddalore, he had the satisfaction of witnessing a striking improvement-not only in some of the Europeans, all of whom now attended Divine service on Sunday, and many at a Wednesday-evening service, but also in the pensioners. His schools, too, continued to flourish, and he began to feel at home and to take pleasure in the study of Tamul. How warmly he anticipated the pleasure of preaching to the people in their own tongue, will be seen from the following extract :— "I have made some progress in the native language. I have read St John's Gospel in it, and am now busy with the Acts of the Apostles. What if I should be able to declare to the heathen in their own tongue the wonderful things of God!" 9. But while his prospects of success were thus brightening, he was appointed to Vizagapatam, a regular station, for a chaplain, which had now become vacant. Thus were his labours interrupted, and his designs for the natives, so judiciously and successfully commenced, in danger of proving abortive, while his knowledge of Tamul would be of no service at his new station; yet he could say― "After labouring more than a year at the Tamul, and reading in it the chief part of the New Testament, I must begin with the Teloogoo. This is somewhat discouraging; but the will of the Lord be done."1 After this little is recorded of Cuddalore during the present decade. M. Holzberg died in 1825; but the congregation and schools were kept together by an occasional visit from M. Haubroe, of Vepery. When the station came under the stated care of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, it soon began again to revive; but it was some time before they had a missionary to take sole charge of the schools. TANJORE. ary at 10. M. Kohlhoff still continued in sole charge Arrival of of this mission. The Rev. Henry Baker, of the a missionChurch Missionary Society, who was destined for Tanjore. Travancore, was permitted, at the request of the Madras District Committee of the Christian Knowledge Society, to assist M. Kohlhoff for a few months, until the arrival of a colleague from Europe, in March 1819, the Rev. J. G. P. Sperschneider. In the year preceding, the three senior catechists received Lutheran orders-Pakiyanaden, Nullatambi, and Wisuwarsanarden-the last being sent to Combaconum, and subsequently to Tinnevelly. With this additional aid the usual business of the mission proceeded without interruption; but no incident worthy of special notice is recorded for some years. 11 The proposed transfer of the country con- State gregations of the Tranquebar mission to the Chris- of the tian Knowledge Society, mentioned in a former 'Missionary Register 1824, pp. 202, 203. Mission. III. CHAP. chapter,' being acceded to, the Tanjore mission received an addition of nearly two thousand souls. Messrs Kohlhoff and Sperschneider expressed their satisfaction at this a rangement, but added "Yet when we rejoice with our fellow-labourers, in seeing at once the field of missionary labours so much extended, we cannot conceal the apprehension that our strength will be unequal to the exertion required. The congregations already belonging to the mission are so numerous, and many of them at such distance from Tanjore, that the exertions of even the missionaries would find full employment, especially as we have lost the assistance of an able native priest, and Palamcottah is still dependent on our care." At these stations, which now amounted to fourteen, there were eleven schools, containing two hundred and sixty-six scholars, of whom fifty-four were girls. In 1823 the missionaries remarked "The number of heathens and Roman Catholics added to the congregations during these four years is small indeed; but, considering the difficulties and disadvantages under which the Christians of that part of the country in particular labour, it is an increase deserving notice. We found those congregations where schools were established, usually in a much better state than those where there were none; so that it would seem very desirable to have a school establishment in each of them. To the catechists, it is impossible to attend the children; they being obliged to go often fifteen miles in order to see the Christians of their district. Should the inhabitants, however, Christian as well as heathen, see their children freely instructed and improving in useful knowledge, it would undoubtedly contri 1 Book x. c. ii. s. 14. bute greatly to endear to them our holy religion, and prepare their minds for the faithful labours of the catechist." At some of the stations the poor Christians had suffered much oppression from their heathen masters, in being prevented from attending divine worship on Sundays by compulsive labour, and in being obliged to frequent heathenish feasts and draw the cars of the idols. The late collector of Tanjore, Charles Harris, Esq., issued, when requested, an order for their relief. The missionaries state "A renewal of this order would be highly beneficial. Many heathens, who, by the ill-treatment and oppression which Christians usually met with, have been hitherto frightened from embracing Christianity, would be thereby encouraged."" Thus the business of the mission went on quietly to the end of the decade, without anything further worthy of remark. No reports of the annual increase in the congregations and schools had been sent home for some time; and the funds at the missionaries' disposal being already appropriated, they were unable to augment their establishment of catechists so as to increase their operations beyond their present limits.3 TRICHINOPOLY. 12. On the 28th of January 1818, M. Pohle, the senior missionary of the Society, was called to his rest. His death was greatly lamented, both on S. P. C. K. Reports 1822-1825. In the Appendix (p. 103) of the Report for 1825, is given the missionaries' last return at this period. The author is now writing from his private journal written on the spot in 1821, when on a visit to this and the neighbouring missions. Death of M. Pohle at Trichinopoly. |