fied and desirable for either of two stations which now offer the two important Stations of Madras itself and Travancore and to these two let me entreat the parti cular attention of your Committee. Madras being the great Port and chief Town of the whole Peninsula, its importance as a Missionary Station is most obvious: and Travancore is scarcely less so from the number of nominal Christians throughout it, who are truly as sheep without a shepherd, and particularly from being the country of the poor Syrians.

I am myself the distributor of the Scriptures in the Native Languages in Madras; and I assure you the applications to me are incessant, and that hundreds, I believe I may safely say, are at this time reading the word of God in Madras, and longing for some one to guide them, and declare unto them the way of God more parfectly. An intelligent Native, who had been baptized, but who through a false shame conceals it, and pretends to be only a diligent inquirer after truth, (no uncommon character among the Natives,) assured me lately, in bringing some people for the Tamul New Testament, that he often had near a hundred people at a time to hear him read and converse upon it; and seems to encourage a hope to have in a little time, a sufficient number of disciples to countenance and support him in an open profession of Christianity.

In Travancore the Resident, Col. Munro, not only assures us of his patronage of Missionaries, but has actually written to have two sent to him.

Again let me most respectfully and earnestly recommend these two important Stations to your Committee, as stations promising a rich harvest of souls to the praise and glory of God!

North Malabar also presents a very desirable Station, and there also we have a Friend to the great cause of -the Lord, who would thankfully receive, and greatly help our Missionaries.

In a word, could you send me a dozen Missionaries by the very next fleet, I could dispose of them instantly, I trust, to the entire satisfaction of the Committee.

The Call of India on the English Clergy. Can the Younger Clergy, to whom God has, by

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his grace, given any due measure of ability and piety, hear these things, or read unmoved Mr. Thompson's earnest call on behalf of India?

Let me express the joy which it has afforded us in India to hear of the great zeal which seems to be kindling in blessed England among the Members of our own Church, in behalf of Missions, and particularly of Missions to India. Stir up, brethren beloved, the Grace of God which is in you, and abound yet more and more in this service of love. I write from the spot to which your attention is directed: and my mind, as yours, has been much set upon this great object: and with confidence I assure you, that they have not misled you, who have spoken most largely on the preparation of India at this time to receive the Messengers whom you will send with the everlasting Gospel in their hands.

Your Missionaries were welcome indeed to me, and afforded me very great satisfaction through the whole time of their stay with me, which has also been continued by their correspondence to this day. I heartily hope and trust we shall find them truly valuable Missionaries; simple, sincere, diligent in their studies, prudent and conciliating in their deportment, and alive continually to their great work, the work of the Lord among the poor Heathen. Several such Missionaries, I am happy to say, we have, and I say it from an intimate knowledge of them, under the Presidency of Madrasmen who are had in honour of all around them, Europeans and Natives-men whom to know might perhaps dissipate the fears and disarm the prejudices of certain alarmists and others amongst you, whose speeches and pamphlets have found their way to India, and not a little surprize and amuse those of us who know any thing at all of the Missions and Missionaries, and the Native Disposition. I shall rejoice to receive, as I hope to do, many, many more such from you.

Singleness of eye and entire devotedness, (he observes, speaking of the men whom India needs,) somewhat of maturity in the graces of the Christian Temper, and a cultivated mind, with an aptness for acquiring Languages, are here particularly requisite. Send me such men, and I will receive them indeed as brethren beloved,

and will shew them stations of an extent and importance for a very Apostle to rejoice in! If possible I would also particularly recommend, that they should be Englishmen. I have looked repeatedly with a longing eye at the names of your Greenwood and Norton, and could almost quarrel with you, that their destination is not Madras. English Missionaries are by no means of equal importance at Ceylon as in India. Foreigners are even preferable with reference to the European Inhabitants, Dutch and Portuguese. A Church-of-England ENGLISH Missionary in India would yet be, I believe, an entire new thing! Proclaim it-and let us see whose shall be the honour to be the first-an English Schwartz, and Gerické, and John to the Natives of India.

I am aware (he adds in a subsequent letter) how strongly our beloved brother Corrie, at Agra, is pleading with you for his station; and of the great importance of procuring some able person to superintend, with his, own diligence and wisdom and zeal, the work of the Lord at Agra.

The Committee cannot but hope that these loud calls will be heard by some of those Young Clergymen, who have at heart the honour of their Divine Master among the Heathen. India, from north to south, invokes their aid.

CEYLON.

This Island has of late become an object of great attention to the different Missionary Societies. The wise, liberal, and Christian Policy of his Majesty's Ministers invites and encourages the prudent efforts of these bodies to diffuse the Light of Divine Truth among the Pagan and Mahometan Subjects of the Crown; and this policy will be richly repaid in-the. increasing strength and security of the Empire.

CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

The Rev. Thomas Norton and the Rev. William

Greenwood, two English Clergymen, have been long destined for this station. To them, in conjunction with the Rev. Messrs. Schnarré and Rhenius, was addressed the admirable Charge of the lamented Buchanan. They are now waiting at Plymouth, to take their passage for Ceylon, on board the Government Transport, the Chapman, Capt. Forster. His Ma jesty's Ministers have very condescendingly granted them a free passage, and have recommended the objects of the Society to the protection of the Colonial Government.

The following extract of a letter to the Secretary from the Chief Justice of the Island, the Hon. Sir Alex ander Johnston, cannot fail to awaken the most lively hopes, that, under such protection, the efforts of the Church Missionary Society, and those of other Institutions, will be crowned with abundant suc

cess.

Sir Alexander Johnston to Rev. Josiah Pratt. My dear SirColumbo, June 26, 1814. No person, I assure you, can be more sensible than I am of the great advantage which millions of the human race, in different parts of the world, must sooner or later derive from the exertions which the Society is making for the propagation of Christianity; and no person can be more anxious than I am, to co-operate with them by every means in my power, in carrying into effect among the inhabitants of this Island the benevolent and sacred object which they have so much at heart.

In consequence of the Resolution which the Society came to while I was in England, I have, ever since my return to the Island, been carefully observing the character and conduct of most of the young Cingalese of rank, who were likely to become fit subjects for the education which your Society has so liberally promised to give to any two of them whom I might select; and I am extremely happy to be enabled to inform you, that I have at last discovered two, who, I think, are in every respect

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[Feb. deserving of the patronage of the Society. Their characters are unexceptionable, and their connections give them great influence among the Cingalese Inhabitants of the country. They have both attained the age of twentyone, and have already had that sort of education, as to the English Language and the principles of Christianity, which will enable them to comprehend in a much shorter time, and with much more facility, than persons younger and less educated than themselves could do, any instruction which your Society may think proper to give them. The great-grandfather of these young men, Philip Philips Wefayacone, was, owing to his piety and upright character, as well as to his great family influence among the Cingalese, in the year 1744, appointed, by the then Dutch Governor of these Settlements, Maha Modliar, or Chief of the whole of the Cingalese Inhabitants.

The Dutch Government, as the highest mark of respect which they could shew the family of this person, and as the best means of associating with those who professed Christianity on this island all the influence and authority which his relations and connections possessed among his countrymen, had his eldest son, Henricus Philips, educated in Holland, for the Church, at the public expense; and, after he had studied at one of the Dutch Universities for seven years, had him ordained and appointed from Holland to officiate as one of the Dutch Clergymen at this place. He, besides performing for many years all the duties of his office with great credit to himself and great advantage to his congregation, corrected the then existing Cingalese Translations of the Four Gospels and of the Acts of the Apostles; and himself, for the first time, translated into Cingalese the rest of the New Testament, and some of the books of the Old.

This person died, leaving three sons; all of whom the Dutch Governnient, from the same policy which I have already mentioned, caused to be educated for the Church at the public expense: the eldest, at the Seminary at Columbo; the second and third at an University in Holland. The third son died in Holland, after having officiated as a Clergyman in that country for some, time. The eldest son died at Columbo, after having officiated for many years as one of the Clergymen of the place. The second son, after he had been ordained in Holland,