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that country is larger than Arabia. It was also recently the frank admission of this priest, that their old writers sometimes contradict each other, which of course, said the priest, proves some of them to be mistaken. These cases are interesting, as they render the errors in the old books of the Nestorians palpable, and on points which cannot be considered as sectarian. The people venerate their ancient writers as all but inspired, while they, at the same time, in theory at least, hold that the Bible must be the ultimate standard. The work being fairly commenced, in such instances as I have named, the way may soon be opened, to prove to them the errors of many of their religious traditions.

Feb. 23. Received a donation of twenty-five dollars from Major Woodfall, for the American Board. He is the same English officer whom I have already mentioned as having become hopefully pious during a short residence in this city, and was one of the donors to the Tract Society to whose generous offering to that cause I have also referred. It is pleasing to witness benevolent effort, as well as the other christian graces, so early, delightfully and spontaneously developing itself in Major W. Is this grace sufficiently inculcated, in Christian lands, as the fruit and the evidence of real piety; and its absence reproved as invalidating a christian hope? An apostle dared to submit, that if any professing Christian, seeing his brother have need, shutteth up his bowels of compassion, how dwelleth the love of God in him? And may not the pastor of the present day say as much-nay, is he excusable for saying less-in relation to his brethren of the human family, who are famishing for want of the bread of heaven?

March 7. One of the ladies of our mission repeated, at our evening exercise in languages, the direction of Paul in 2 Timothy 2: 9-10, "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broidered hair, or gold; or costly array, but, (which becometh women professing godliness,) with good works." This Scripture quotation excited much attention among the natives who were present. Nestorian girls, and women to the age of middle life, are very fond of wearing jewels, beads, pieces of silver money-base coin silver-washed, and other rude trinkets, on their heads, about their persons, and even in their noses. The accompanying drawing is intended to represent a Nestorian girl thus ornamented. The whole paraphernalia, including all those mentioned and the girdle and rings about the wrists and ancles, sometimes amount to the enormous weight of ten or twelve pounds.

I have often referred to the Scripture quoted above, and to the language of Isaiah, on the same subject, in conversation with the Nestorians in our family; and the effect has been encouraging. John, our boy, told me, a few days ago, that his aged father would not allow his sister, who was recently married, to wear any ornaments on the occasion; because the practice is contrary to the Bi

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ble, and the missionary ladies wear none. This was taking high ground, considering the force of such customs among the Nestorians. March 9. Priest Abraham informed me, that he had just destroyed his wife's trinkets-adding that he had not allowed her to wear them for a long time; but that he now saw the Scriptures to be so full and strong against them, he would have them no longer in her possession.

March 10. We received a reply from the parents of Joseph, to whom we had submitted the proposition of taking their son into one of the families of the mission. The proposition was negatived by the parents, on account of their apprehension, that we are training such scholars-those who live in our families-with the design of sending them off to the New World. Similar apprehensions have occasionally, from the first, been expressed by the timid Nestorians; and parents have sometimes taken their children suddenly from our schools, when such rumors have been revived, and restored them again, after a few days, as the reports subsided. It is extremely difficult, in these benighted lands, where selfishness is so predominant, to convince people, that labors, like ours, are prompted by disinterested motives. I inquired of priest Abraham, to-day, whether his people regard us as so dishonest, as to be man-stealers; to which he artlessly replied, that it is natural for those who are dishonest themselves, which, he said, is the case with many of the Nestorians, to think all others so; but their apprehensions respecting their children, he added, arises mainly from their ignorance and the cruel treatment which they receive from their Muhammedan masters, who sometimes steal, or at least decoy from their homes, Nestorian children. The priest also stated, that the people of his own village and others who know most of us, have now ceased to feel any such apprehensions, and cherish unlimited confidence in us and our object.

March 12. My birth-day is in this instance marked by the pleasing circumstance of the commencement of a female boarding-school, on the mission premises. The idea of educating females, which was so strange to the Nestorians, when we reached Oróomiah, is now becoming a favorite one. We have, for a considerable time, had a few girls, both in our seminary and the village schools; as we preferred that they should attend with the boys rather than be separated, apprehending that the establishment of a female school, distinctively such, might excite undue notoriety and perhaps oppcsition, were it to be prematurely attempted. Now, the Nestorians who have become acquainted with us, seem to be fully prepared to sustain the measure, and the ecclesiastics connected with our families are active in recommending it.

The scene is as grateful as it is novel, in benighted Persia, to behold Nestorian mothers leading their little girls to school, and often lingering, a half hour, with delightful interest, to hear them read. Notwithstanding their hard lot,-their not being allowed to eat with the men-their laboring in the fields-their ignorance and general

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degradation, Nestorian females still possess some very interesting traits of character. I have never seen mothers more affectionately attached to their children than among this people. And the barbarous practice of the girls, loading themselves with rude ornaments, arises from a praiseworthy desire for respectability. Under their intolerable burdens, there is still a spark of noble aspiration to be something. And knowing nothing of the value of accomplishment of character, they develop this commendable ambition, as naturally as strongly, in their rude attempts to decorate their persons.

We may properly regard our female boarding-school as one of the most hopeful departments of our missionary work. The condition of females, being, in any country, the measure as well as the index of the elevation of society, just as fast as we are able to raise them, among the Nestorians, the other sex will necessarily rise. The girls, here, as everywhere, are also much more docile and tractable than the boys, and not at all behind the latter, in their aptness to learn. The subject of wearing ornaments, having been discussed, as above mentioned, by some of the natives, the members of our female boarding-school, at length laid theirs all aside, without any interference from us on the subject. The living example of the ladies of our mission, I hardly need say, does more than almost any amount of teaching or preaching, without this, would be able to effect, for the improvement of their condition and prospects.

March 18. Our biblical exercise with the natives, to-day, was on the third chapter of Revelation, a part of the searching addresses of our Lord to the churches. Nothing can be more appropriate for the Nestorians than the messages to the churches of Sardis and Laodicea. The Nestorians have also a name to live and are dead

-and they are "neither cold nor hot." The bishop and priests who were present appeared fully to understand the strong figurative language of those addresses, but, alas, they are slow to make the proper application. As a member of our mission recently remarked, they seem to be so DEAD, that while the sword of the Spirit is thrust through and through them, it produces almost no sensation. Till the Spirit of God shall wield his own sword, it will never be felt-nor slay that it may make alive.

March 23. Was the time appointed by the friends of Joseph, the boy above-named, for his ordination, as deacon; in which capacity he was expected to become the daily reader of the devotions of the church of his village and cease attending our seminary. Most of the Nestorian ecclesiastics are ordained while mere boys. Their readers being few, they often need their services before they arrive at adult years; and as they attach very little sacredness to their religious forms, destitute as they are of spiritual views and feelings, they conceive no impropriety in committing those forms to the hands of children. Joseph's friends had, however, hastened his ordination, (he is now eleven or twelve years old,) in consequence of their apprehension, that, should he continue to prosecute his studies, he