"Our monthly prayer-days, as likewise the communion-days, are always distinguished by a particular experience of the grace and love of our Saviour towards his flock. Since the commencement of the year, forty-four adults, and eight children, have been baptized; fortyfour have been made partakers of the Lord's Supper: eight adults, and eight children, have departed this life. There is also a continual accession of new people, who fill the vacancies occurring in this division, by the baptism of others. The meetings on Tuesday and Friday evenings, for the reading of the bible, are frequented by many hearers, particularly by strangers, whose behaviour is marked with such attention and devotion as one could hardly expect from people naturally restless and noisy."

The benefit, derived by the Negroes from their attendance on the meetings for reading and expounding the holy scriptures, was greatly increased by the generous donation, from the British and Foreign Bible Society, of Dutch bibles and testaments, as it enabled them to read over at home and meditate upon, those portions of holy writ, which they had heard read and explained in the chapel. At the same time the directors of our missions provided for the instruction of the children, by publishing for their use an edition of the Summary of christian doctrine in Negroe-English. Since then they have Jikewise published the Harmony of the four gospels in the vernacular dialect of the Negroes. This increased the eagerness, not only of the children, but also of many adult persons to learn to read, in which several attained considerable proficiency.

According to the latest intelligence received from that quarter, ninety-one persons had been baptized in 1815, and the number of the congregation amounted to six hundred and sixty-three, of whom five hundred and fifteen were communicants.

SECTION VI.

Sommelsdyke.

THE missionaries in PARAMARIBO did not confine their labours to the regular ministry of the gospel in their own chapel in that city; but by frequent visits to the circumjacent plantations endeavoured to diffuse the knowledge of God and our Saviour among the slaves in every part of the colony.

Government, approving of their laudable exertions, in the year 1785 consigned to them a piece of land on the river Commewyne, where a fortification had formerly stood, called SOMMELSDYKE. After taking possession of this ground, which contained about fifty acres, thickly overgrown with wood, and one entire swamp, our brethren were obliged to spend much time and money in clearing and draining it, before they could erect the necessary buildings. Having in some degree accomplished this by the aid of hired Negroes, the missionaries L. Haidt and Corn. Clausen moved thither in April 1786; but both of them finished their earthly pilgrimage in a few weeks, probably owing to the heavy damps rising from the land, which was not yet sufficiently drained. Two brethren from PARAMARIBO undertook the service at this station, till brother Wiez and his wife arrived there, from BAMBEY, in September.

In a religious point of view the prospect was very cheering. Their sermons were in a short time attended by upwards of a hundred and fifty hearers, among whom were Negroes from several adjoining estates. Before the end of the year above forty had been baptized, and the number of the regular catechumens amounted to upwards of one hundred and fifty.

Difficulties, however, were not wanting. Some proprietors of estates knew so little of the gospel, that they considered its diffusion among the slaves as perfectly

useless, and on this account would scarcely permit their attendance at church, much less promote the good cause, though they treated the missionaries, as neighbours, with every mark of civility. Other gentlemen indeed commended the exertions of the brethren, but refused permission, to their slaves to go to SOMMELSDYKE, requiring that the missionaries should come and preach to them on their respective plantations, in which case they promised to give their Negroes sufficient time to receive religious instruction, and when baptized, they would occasionally allow them to go to church. The chief reason for these restrictions must be sought for, not so much in the aversion of some of the proprietors of slaves to the gospel, as in the difficulty attending their visits to SOMMELSDYKE. They could not get there in any way but by water. These little voyages were often dangerous, and even, when the slaves obtained permission to go, they could not always procure a boat to carry them. These circumstances obliged our missionaries to spend most of their time in visits to the different plantations *.

In March 1788 an event occurred, which increased the difficulties just mentioned, and impeded the progress of the mission. One day twelve Negroe women and one man went in an old crazy boat to SOMMELSDYKE. The harder they found it to obtain permission to go, and to procure a conveyance, the more eager were they to improve the opportunity, numbers pressed forward, and thus the boat was too heavily laden. They, however, reached SOMMELSDYKE without any accident, but on their return the boat sunk. Three Negroe women were drowned; the rest saved themselves by swimming. One of the women, who could swim, ventured three times into the water to assist others; but during her last effort her strength was exhausted, and she lost her own life while endeavouring to save that of others.

It was to be expected that this occurrence would deter many proprietors and managers of estates from suffering their Negroes to go to SOMMELSDYKE. Some of them

Brethren's History, Vol. iii. p. 317–318.

indeed, after a friendly conversation with the missionaries, promised to provide a better boat for their Negroes, that they might not be prevented from going to church, acknowledging the great utility, resulting from their endeavours to instruct the slaves in christianity. One of the managers, however, did all he could to frustrate the benevolent intentions of the rest. He so increased the labour of those slaves, who belonged to the congregation at SOMMELSDYKE, that they could not attend divine worship on sunday *; and when the brethren came to his estate he would not suffer them to speak to the Negroes, and even threatened the latter with punishment, if he observed any of them salute the missionaries. Better disposed managers gave them occasionally a free day in the week, which was religiously observed like a sabbath. The manager of a certain estate always notified it to the missionaries whenever he gave his slaves one, or more free days, that they might improve such opportunities for the instruction of their hearers †.

Notwithstanding all the hindrances thrown in their way, our missionaries had the joy to see the work of con version proceed in stillness, but with evident marks, that it was the work of God and not of man. At the close of

1789 upwards of a hundred baptized Negroes belonged to SOMMELSDYKE, besides many, who were enjoying regular instruction in the saving truths of the gospel; though within that very year a considerable number had been carried off by the smallpox .

No occurrences, in any degree calculated particularly to interest the reader, marked the progress of this mission in succeeding years. On the one hand, our brethren

It is, alas! no uncommon thing, in this country, to oblige the Negroes to work on Sunday.

+ Ibid. p. 319-321.

This distemper, which had not been known in the country for twentyfour years, was brought thither in September 1789 by a slave ship. It raged with great violence, especially in the town of Paramaribo, where it proved far more fatal than on the plantations, upwards of seventy dying sometimes in ' one day. The whole number of deaths to the end of the year, was computed to exceed three thousand.

still met with occasional obstructions to their benevolent exertions from the stewards on some of the estates; but on the other hand they had many clear proofs that the Lord smiled on their labours, and that if he is pleased to prosper the work of his servants, no human opposition can prevent its progress. According to the latest intelligence, the congregation at SOMMELSDYKE consisted in 1816 of one hundred and four baptized Negroes, besides a number of catechumens. Many circumstances, related in the preceding section, might be repeated here, as they affected the missionary cause at this station no less than in PARAMARIBO.

On February 25th 1816 the British ceded the colony to the Dutch. The new governor promised his protection to our missionaries, agreeably to the express instructions he had received from the king of the Netherlands. It is only paying a just tribute of gratitude to the late English governor, general Bonham, to acknowledge the very kind attention he uniformly evinced towards our brethren, and the lively and generous interest he took in the mission.

Before concluding the history of the missionary labours of the United Brethren in South America, I shall present the reader with a list of the number of missionaries employed, and of the heathen converted by their means, from the beginning of the mission in this country, to the commencement of the present century, comprising a term of sixty-five years. During this period 159 brethren and sisters had served the mission, 75 of whom had departed this life in the country, 63 had returned to Europe and 21 were still actively engaged in the Lord's service on the different stations in Guiana. During the same period there have been baptized by them 855 Indians, 59 Free-negroes and 731 Negroe slaves and Mulattos, making a total of 1645 persons. Of this number 658 have died in the faith of the pel, 594 were still living and enjoying the instruction of gosthe missionaries, and the remaining 393 had forsaken the fellowship of the believers*.

• Risler, Part ii. Sec. 3. p. 221.