expedient they should see, has not been in vain. They have had an opportunity of preaching twice a day, in Dutch, in their own hired house; and also three times a week, when health would permit, to the English; and, they trust, with a divine blessing. The Sunday School, instituted for the Slaves, flourishes, and is likely to be very useful. Several friends there have made a subscription for its support. I am happy to say, for the encouragement of the Directors (says Mr. Read) that the Lord is raising up here a number of warm-hearted friends, who are ready to sacrifice some of their property to spread the gospel among the poor benighted heathen. I hope, therefore, that they will not slacken their hands, while God is shewing that the silver and the gold is his. The short visit of brother Thompson (on his way to the East) was very agreeable. He preached with much acceptance to the British troops. He sailed for the Isle of France on the 29th of August.' Mr. Read confirms a report which had reached the Directors, that the notorious African, who had committed so many outrages for several years past, had visited, or was expected to visit, the settlement at Warm Bath, in the Namaqua country, where Mr. Albricht laboured; in consequence of which Mr. and Mrs. Albricht had been obliged to withdraw for the present; and were at Cammiesberg when Mr. Read last heard of them. It may be hoped that they will soon be enabled to resume their important station, and that their hands will be much strengthened by the accession of the band of Missionaries last sent out. Mr. Head says that the accounts received from Eethelsdorp, while Dr. Vanderkemp and himself were detained at the Cape, are of the most pleasing nature, and afford great cause for thankfulness. Several pious persons from England, who now reside at the Cape, have expressed a strong desire to accompany Mr. Read, to Bethelsdorp, to assist the mission there. We are sorry to find that the health of this useful Missionary is uitpaired. I have been,' he says, for about three months past, indisposed in body, and an still unwell; but hope, if the Lord spares me, to leave the Cape; the country air may be of use to me, if there is more work for me to do. The Lord Jesus has all power in his hands. Life and death, sickness and health, must obey him.' Extract of a Letter from the Directors of the South African Society, daled Cape Town, June 28, 1811. (TRANSLATION.) WE rejoice to be able to inform you that the word of God is at this time more highly valued among us than ever. Almost every evening in the week we have religious meetings. Many seem to regard the salvation of their immortal souls as the first concern. The assemblage, as well of Heathen as Christians, is so numerous, that many houses and buildings are often too small. This extraordinary sensation is certainly to be attributed to the frightful earthquakes with which it has pleased God to visit us; for besides the first, which happened on the 4th day of Dec. 1809, which we cannot recollect without awe, we have lately felt two others; one on the 7th inst. at noon, and the other on the 19th, about 10 in the morning; but, thanks to God's mercy and goodness, we have been preserved agua, and have not experienced any disagreeable consequences, although we have doubly merited them, on account of our manifold sins. We pray that the Lord may be pleased to cause the present apparent change in the minds of men to be directed to the glor, of his name and the salvation of immortal souls.' Extract of a Leller from the Missionary Lambert Janz, at Clear-Water, near the Orange liver, dated Feb. 22, 1811, addressed to the Directors of the Missionary Society. In my account of June 1810, I mentioned that the Caffrarians had threatened to visit us; but hitherto we have been preserved. What may be permitted hereafter we cannot say; we live in a changeable world; but this we know, that God is immutable, and faithful to all his promises, which shall be accomplished in due time. The multitude of the Heathen shall be brought into his kingdom; they are all his creatures; and the same work of grace shall be extended to them as the most civilized nations. During the space of half a year a very dangerous fever has raged among us, which has proved fatal to many; it has, however, been the occasion of leading one man to seek the Lord; and, since his recovery, he appears to be still looking to Jesus, as the only Mediator. i am favoured continually with a good state of health; so that I have been enabled to perform the various duties of my station; for which I have great reason to be thankful. The preaching of the word is very well attended, and, I trust, not in vain. Some have been with me, acknowledging what God has done for their souls; and I have exhorted them to manifest the truth of their profession in their whole conversation and conduct. I have also inforined them, that as soon as any fellow-missionaries arrive, we shall examine them, and if found worthy, admit them members of the congregation of Christ. The school goes on well. Brother Anderson has sent us some little spelling-books; but what we shall do when the children have learned them I cannot say, for we are in great want of suitable school books. We have been highly favoured as to rain, at three different periods. This place has been quite inundated. We seldom obtain sufficient water, except by thunder storms, which renders it generally very difficult to make the fields and gardens productive; yet we all do the best we can to procure something from our ground. From this short account the Directors will perceive that affairs coutinue to go on tolerably well, although the Caffrarians still refuse to depart. They continue, however, as yet, to be quiet; and should they threaten us again, the Almighty, I trust, will protect us; for we are not able to take any measures for our own defence; our only weapon is prayer. God has already granted us the desire of our hearts; we see the light of his glorious gospel shining in this dark desert; we therefore feel ourselves encouraged, with united hearts, to proceed in the further extension of the kingdom of Jesus. That the Lord may direct your hearts, and give you wisdom to select the best means of promoting his cause, is the sincere wish of Yours, &c. LAMBERT JANZ.' Extract of a Letter from the Cape of Good Hope, dated June 15. AFTER greatly lamenting the recall of Lord Caledon, the late Governor, who had by his wise and excellent conduct, rendered himself dear to the whole colony, the writer says, 'One of the important benefits resulting from a journey which the late Governor, has taken into the interior of the colony, and which occupied three months, is the establishment of a Commission from the Court of Justice (whose sittings are held in Cape Town) to go throughout the different districts once a year, or oftener if circumstances will permit, for the trial of offences. By this salutary regulation the farmers are saved the expence and trouble of a journey of, probably, from 300 to 500 miles, for the purpose of obtaining justice. The benefits resulting from this institution are incatenlable; and can only be duly appreciated by the result of a few years experience.' We heartily concur in opinion with the unknown writer of this letter s which we copy from the public prints. The Missionaries have long com plained of grievous abuses and numerous murders committed in the remote parts of the colony: to which complaints, we believe, little credit was formerly given. But we rejoice in the method now adopted, and have no doubt that it will tend to the welfare of the South African Missions, and that the poor oppressed Hottentots will be freed from those oppressions which impeded their reception of the gospel of Christ. Extracts from the Report of the British and Foreign Bible Socity. In addition to the pleasing infor mation contained in the Abstract, we present to our readers the following Intelligence lately received. From a respectable Roman Catholic at Malla, May 30, 1811. We have received the modern Greek and the Italian Testaments; and have applied ourselves again to the office of distribution. The Chief of the Greek Church, who resides at Malta, who is an Archimandrita, has warmly approved of these Testaments; and alter having been informed by me of the Institution in England of a Society for the Propagation of the Testament of Jesus Christ in every ac cessible part of the world, he took occasion on Sunday last, when recommending to his Proselytes in the Church, the reading of the Modern Greek Testament, to commend the zeal and ardor which the English have shown to circulate the word of our Lord in different parts of the world: an object the most useful in which men could engage. I have sent 12 Greek, and as any Italian Testaments, to Prevesa, to a Deacon, my particular friend a man who will have great pleasure in receiving them for disiribution. A merchant, resident here, has taken 20 Testaments, to send them to his brother, who is a Bishop at Patina. There are many persons who are now pressing to obtain from us Testaments for St. Maura, for Jania, Cefalonia, Zante, &c. I have found common sailors so desirous of having the Bible, that they would come many days' journey to obtain a Greck Testa ment. I have made the experi ment to try them. A friend of mine, captain of a Greek-vessel, assures me, that this will confer a remarkable advantage on the Christians in the East; and that, if this institution shall carry its attention onwards to those nations, which are now for the most part so ignorant, they will begin to perceive more clearly the light of the holy Gospel, and to walk more surely in the true way of salvation. I have dispatched, this morning, 18 Testaments to Mr. phy sician, one of our good friends. I have advised him to distribute them to those priests, in particu lar, who are charged with the public duties of the church. * 1 can assure you, from what we have hitherto observed,' that there is likely to result from these 1000 Testaments which the Society has sent us, no ordinary good. They will further procure for us a religi ous communication, and a reciprocal correspondence, with numerous persons, who may prove serviceable to the souls of men in different parts of the east, and in the isles. May God favour is own work, and bless our undertaking! This pleasing information is corroborated by an English gentleman who was at Malta when the Bibles arrived. In a private letter he says, It was indeed gratifying to see the desire which the Greeks evinced to get possession of this blessed book! the people used to come daily to the house of Mr.ten or twelve at a time, to buy Testaments; and, like the lepers at Samaria, wishing that their hre thren might partake also, they would return the next day for a supply to carry with them to any island or part of the continent they were returning to. There can be Extract of a Letter from a German Correspondent at Paris, Aug.2, 1811. IAM confident that the German Bibles and Testaments, which I received in Halle, have proved a great blessing, both in Austria and Hungary. I never was in all my life received with such real delight as when I made my appearance at Presburg, with the Bible in my hand. The Bibles and Testaments which I could spare for them at that time, were all sold the next day, with the exception of a few given to the very poorest, gratuitously. All who could, would pay. The Hungarians wish to establish a Bible Society, and an office of their own, for printing Bibles. They will begina Subscription among them selves, provided the Parent Society in London assist and support them. Remember, and proclaim it as loud as you can, that there are upwards of a million and a half of Protestants in Hungary, who have, among them, only a few thousand Bibles! Extract of a Letter from a Professor of Divinity in ilungary. Feb. 15, 1811. THE dearness of Sclavonic and Hungarian Bibles has occasioned a great scarcity of them; and this has been much increased by the unhappiness of the times in my country through which, many thousand Sclavonic and Hungarian Bibles have been taken from them by main force, and often destroyed by flames, in a most miserable manner!-and yet, it must be confessed, that the Protestant interest in Hungary has been preserved by the instrumentality of the Bible alone. On this account, all good men car ΧΙΣ, nestly desire that Sclavonic and Hungarian Bibles should be printed in great numbers, and sold at the lowest price. Nor can we hope by any other means, not only that our religious interests can increase, but that even attention to piety be propagated in my country. For which end, I wish, with my whole heart, and most earnestly pray God, that he would direct the attention of the London Bible Society to Hungary, as likely to produce the greatest benefits. INDIA. Extract of a Leller from India. I was particularly gratified from the circumstance attending my visit to Agra. In the fort of Agra is the palace, once the resi dence of the Mogul Emperors, The commanding officer caused the European troops to assemble in what was once the hall of public · audience. In a gallery high raised, and communicating by a private way with the other apartments, used to sit the king. Below this, on a large marble slab, elevated about two feet from the floor, stood the officer who was appointed to hand up petitions to the king." On this identical spot i stood, and after reading morning prayer, preached to about 500 of my countrymen on the general judgment. At Agra there is a Roman Catholic Church, and many nominal Christians. The present priest is very people for public worship; but as avaricious, and never assembles the Agra is my present station, I am hoping to be of use to the native Christians; and, by schools and other methods, to further the blessed cause in which we are embarked.. During my late journey I observed, with comparatively few exceptions, the idol temples falling into decay. Property has of late undergone an entire change in this country, or rather there are very few rich nas tive individuals left; so that there are fewer shows, or processions, or mock representations of their once famed gods. Idolatry fanguishes; and had they but an offer of any thing better, it certainly would be From the Society's last Report we extract the following particulars: THE Committee congratulate the Society on the flourishing state of the Schools at Bashia in the Rio Pongas, on the western coast of Africa; and on the prospect of ultimate good which these schools open. Brother Butscher has 30 boys in bis house. Mr. Renner says, In our house we have 20 girls. By these children my wife finds her full employment; but whatever trouble she has, it gives her plea sure to do them good,-and good is done to them.' The application to the Missionaries for schools in other places are numerous and urgent; and it is hoped that when more Missionaries arrive, much may be done in this way; for it is with the children chiefly that good may be expected to be done, especially on the coast, where the Slave Trade has ruined the morals and debased all the feelings of men. The Committee have determined, therefore, to support these schools to the utmost of their power. Labourers are wanted for this harvest; and money is wanting to support those labourers. Mr. Nylander has opened an additional school at Free-town, in the evening, which was attended by 25 young women; but the death of his wife has obliged him to relinquish this undertaking. If a well qualified young woman (in England) would offer herself to this import ant work, the Committee would gladly contribute towards her support. This Society having granted £500 in favour of the translations carrying on in the east, and the Arabic language being the best me dium for communicating the Scriptures in Africa, it seems probable that a large number of the cheap edition of the Arabic Bible proposed to be printed at Calcutta, will be distributed by this Society in a very beneficial manner. The Committee have voted a sum of £250 per annum, to be applied under the direction of the Corresponding Committee at Calcutta, for the purpose of establishing readers of the Scriptures in the east. The Mahometans have everywhere readers of the Koran; the Hindoos have also Poranees, who publicly read their Shasters; and in the same manner it is proposed that the Christian Scriptures shall be publicly read. Five hundred copies of the Shanscrit New Testament, and 500 copies of the Arabic have becă ordered accordingly. The missionary students Wilhelma and Klein continue under the care of Mr. Scott till September, when they will reside in town for a time to learn the art of Printing, and of the new system of education, preparatory to their sailing for the Rio Pongas. They have acquired a considerable knowledge of the Arabic; and are to take out with them some Tracts in the Arabie language. They are also to take out with them a printing press, &c. Mr. Nelson continues his studies under Mr. Scott; and Mr.W. Greenwood, another student, has been accepted. The Committee urge on the Clergy an habitual regard to the subject of missions in their minis trations, not only as it will assist the friends of the Society, but also kindle a spirit of Christian sympathy and kind regard to the wants of the perishing heathen, while it will also promote the spiritual interests of their own congregations. By the Statement of Accounts annexed to the Report, it appears that the Receipts of the last year amounted to £2958, and their dis bursements to £ 1274. |