distance to a pagoda, which he has been building for the last seven years. The princes and men of office and wealth generally spend part of their income in erectber of priests. What a reflection upon those, who, knowing the true God and possessing abundant means to extend that knowledge, neither make provision for their own eternal welfare nor offer their abused privileges to those who might improve them. We were apprised of approaching the presence of the Prah Klang by the strange actions of our interpreter, a Portuguese by extraction, and the only admitted medium of communication between the great man and foreigners. When he saw him, perhaps at a distance of thirty or forty yards, he bent his body and crept along like a sportsman, approaching the game unobserved. When the Prah Klang observed us he sat down, and our interpreter, stretching himself prostrate on the ground, waited his pleasure. We all approached and signified the respect required of foreigners, merely taking off the hat, bowing and sitting in his presence. He made a number of inquiries respecting our several offices and objects in visiting Siam, and appeared satisfied when told that Mr. Tomlin and myself had come for the same purpose, which brought him and Mr. Gutzlaff there before. The interpreter was commanded to take us round and shew us the "great Babylon he was building by the might of his power and for the honor of his majesty." There were many separate temples and ornamental pillars, some complete and others just commenced. but a short time before for China. As there were Christian books in the junk, and some of the men were well acquainted with the history of Mr. G., there was little reason to doubt the correctness of their state-ing sacred buildings and supporting a num ment. We were thus prepared to learn from Mr. Silveira that he had actually embarked on the expedition in which his heart has been absorbed, and the possibility of his death considered no adequate preventive. In mental, bodily, and even social qualities he is said to be strikingly adapted to such an enterprise. He sailed for Seang Hai, three or four days' journey from Pekin, and is determined, with the Lord's blessing, to make his way into the very capital of this heathen empire. Though he goes in the capacity of a physician, and with an extensive knowledge of the language, yet in these he has no comparative confidence. He goes to offer terms of reconciliation to the most populous section of this revolted world. He goes fearlessly, as an ambassador of their Sovereign, knowing that he shall be protected, though it may not be from bodily sufferings. He goes in the full assurance that China is to be restored to God, that the exalted Savior is "waiting" for this determined event; that the day of the world's redemption draweth nigh. The Lord grant that the trump of jubilee may echo as joyfully through this enslaved empire, as it ever did through the borders of ancient Judea. May myriads feel their chains loosed, and spring forth to the liberty of God's people. We hope that the experiment will put to shame the fearful and animate the bold. Our brother needs the prayers of all Christians. God has promised success to the labors of his servants. There must be a commencement to the work in China, and who can tell but that this is the time and these the appointed Oh that the churches would lay the subject to heart, and cry mightily to God for the recovery of such a multitude of their fellow immortals from the captivity of means. satan. July 4. This afternoon we called with Mr. Carlos on the Prah Klang, the director of all commercial affairs, and one of the principal ministers of state. On our way to his establishment we had an opportunity of seeing part of the city, or its suburbs. For a long distance, the houses are built on rafts on each side of the river, and the only communication is in boats. The dwellings and stores are very contracted, built of a slender material, and covered with attap. The boats employed by the natives in transferring their persons and light effects are exceedingly small and crazy. They are propelled by paddles; their progress is very rapid and their safety precarious. The women take a full share in the labor, and become exceedingly coarse and immodest in appearance and discourse. We landed abreast of the Prah Klang's dwelling, and not finding him at home, proceeded a short 5. This morning visited the city and went to the walls of the palaces. Among the objects of curiosity are the famed white elephants of the king, supposed to be the habitations of former sovereigns and kept with the greatest care. None but the most honored and virtuous are thought to be favored, after the present existence, with such a rare and dignified residence. The size of these and many others of a darker shade much exceeded those we had seen before. Their hue was far from being white, though it approaches nearer that color than the opposite. We walked nearly around the palace walls, but were not allowed to enter. From the roofs and spires they appear to contain gaudy and extensive buildings. We visited a large pagoda, surrounded by many smaller apartments and lofty pillars. The principal temple was closed, and the indolent priests, who were lying about on their mats, had no disposition to gratify our curiosity. One of them, with whom we attempted to converse on the folly of idol worship, threatened to tell the king that we were defaming his gods. The priests in Siam are proverbial in other countries for their gross immorality; and Budhism here, as well as in China and India, has no basis but ignorance, no support but depravity. May the time soon come when the very name shall be an offence. EXTRACTS [To be continued.] FROM Ceylon. THE JOURNAL OF POOR AT BATTICOTTA. [Continued from p. 104.] MR. Conversation with Brahmins on Astronomy. April 19, 1831. Having occasion a few weeks ago to propose through Dashiel a question to Vesuvenather, the native astronomer in this neighborhood, which I was aware he must answer in a manner contrary either to his own judgment or to the popular belief, he replied, after a moment's reflection, "I perceive I must act the part of the eel, which shows his head to the serpents, and his tail to the fishes." He then gave a correct answer to the question proposed. In the course of a week or two he gave an intimation that he was now willing that I should call on him, and that he wished to have a view of the moon through the telescope. I then prepared the telescope, and took a view of Venus and of the moon, which was in her first quarter. The old brahmin excused himself from looking through the telescope on account of his infirmities, and directed me to one of the young men. While looking at Venus I turned his attention to the circumstance of its being but partially enlightened, and when looking at the moon, to its convexity. Thuogh these phenomena were entirely new to them, they manifested little or no interest in the subject, nor did they care to have any explanation of what they had opportunity to witness. The circumstance most worthy of notice, which occurred during my visit, was, that, on some reference being made by me to the Cunda Puranum, the old brahmin observed that the statements made in the Puranum related to the state of things in a former oogum, or age, and are not applicable to the present times. I inquired if it were then true, that, in the age referred to, the moon was twice as far from the earth as the sun, that eclipses were occasioned by serpents. &c. "Such," he replied, "was the state of things formerly, but now it is quite otherwise." In confirmation of this he referred me to a verse in the Puranum which This evening, agreeably to appointment, intimates that great changes in nature were I went to see him. On my approach to the to be expected. I then inquired why the house I was met by a person who conductPuranum was so much read at the temples ed me to an adjacent field, where I was inthroughout the district, in as much as its troduced to the aged brahmin and to two contents were not applicable to the present other brahmins, his relatives. As he could state of the world. His reply was, that, not receive me at his house without being though the statements there given on subjected to some defilement, he spread astronomy and some other sciences do not some mats and placed a chair, table, &c. apply to the present order of things, still a for my accommodation at a convenient disgreat part of the Puranum holds true in all tance from his dwelling. Vesuvenather, ages, and is useful to all people. I did not who is a very infirm old man, seventy-two think it best to pursue the subject, as there years of age, was seated on a platform in had been a previous understanding, at his the manner in which the natives sit on the suggestion, that we should have no disground, about three feet square, and elevat-putes. Indeed the old man was evidently ed two or three inches from the ground. a little embarrassed in consequence of the His two relatives were seated near him on intrusion of some of his neighbors into our After various inquiries respecting company. mats. Before taking leave of him, I his family and ancestors, I gave him at made a proposal to him to teach the Sanscrit some length my own history, stating more language to five or six members of the semiparticularly the motives which induced me nary who would attend weekly at his house. to take up my abode as a missionary in He manifested some interest in the proJaffna. I then presented to him a copy of posal, but was evidently under some emthe Four Gospels and the Acts of the Apos- barrassment. He intimated, however, that tles, from which, as I informed him, he he should be willing to give assistance in a might become more fully acquainted with private way, but his fear of the people the subject which I had endeavored to exwould prevent him from acting openly as a plain to him. He received the book as an teacher. He proposed to recall his son-inact of civility, but manifested no interest in law, who is teaching Sanscrit in a distant what I had stated of its contents. parish, and who he thought might be wilprincipal remark he made, and which heling to serve us as a teacher in Sanscrit. repeated from time to time, was, “All that it is necessary for us to know on these subjects is clearly made known in the Agamas books, which are not within the reach of the people of this country." When I told him that we have some parts of the Agamas, and are acquainted with the contents of others, his reply was, that there are persons within our circle capable of explaining them. The no They all seem pleased with the idea of my leaving them, and I know not how they will atone for the offence of receiving me as a visitor. Admissions to the Church. 21. Quarterly meeting at Oodooville. On this occasion thirty-four persons were admitted to the church, of whom eighteen belong to the seminary. Their names are the following. and the children of heathen around them, it is inserted. 1st class. F. Ashbury, F. Hall, M. Hallock, J. S. Special Exertions to render the Instructions Ropes, E. Warren, 1st. 2d class. N. H. Raymond, I. Scott, J. Tappan, S. Mills. 3d class. T. Emerson, H. Middleton, F. Rowland. 4th class. S. Cone, S. McKenstry, C. Mather, B. Paliner, A. Phillips, E. Rockwood." 23. At the church-meeting this evening arrangements were made for a systematic attention to the numerous boys and girls who attend at the station on Sabbath morning from the native free schools. Most of the church members in the seminary will in future act as Sabbath school teachers to classes assigned to them for instruction. Between thirty and forty members of the seminary attended a meeting appointed for those who wish to be considered candidates for admission to the church at our next quarterly meeting. In a note, added July 21, Mr. Poor remarks that ten of these were received to the church on the preceding day. 28. As Ashbury and Martyn were becoming skilful in hinding books during their leisure hours, the former was sent to Madras, where he practised for a few weeks in a book-binder's shop, that he might acquire some further knowledge of the business, and also procure a few tools. They have lately begun to bind books on a small scale, which will evidently be a great convenience to the mission. of the Schools effectual. An interesting duty to which I have attended since my return from the Neilgherries, and which I have not mentioned in former communications, is the religious insisters, who assemble monthly at my house. struction of the children of my brethren and In 1828 meetings of this kind were held at our several stations in rotation, but since my return they haye been held at Manepy, which is a central station. At this meeting the children are formed into classes, and recite the Christian lessons to which they have attended during the month; after which I give them an exhortation, or preach a sermon. The number of children who attend is now sixteen, who are from four to thirteen years of age. It is to be regretted that so little can be done, even by schools, towards preparing the way of the Lord. The difficulties are numerous. Among those which we constantly feel, may be mentioned the want of suitable teachers. This difficulty, I trust, will to some good extent be removed ere long. But there exists another, which to human view cannot be removed till the people generally participate in the blessings of the gospel. I allude to their poverty. A great part of the population are so poor, and value learning so little, that their chil dren, who generally attend school when quite young, are frequently called away as soon as they have become large enough to watch a fruit tree, or pick up manure in the fields. As soon as they can profitably engage in the work by which their parents obtain their livelihood, their connection with the school is generally dissolved. Thus they are frequently taken from our reach just as they have learned to read, and begun to comprehend something of the important truths which we have for years been laboring to instil into their minds, Hence it is a matter of vast importance that the most effectual means should be used to form their minds early for the reception of Christianity. For the accomplishment of this object, I possess one advantage which my brethren at the other stations do not. All the schools at this station are so near the church that they can be easily assembled for religious instruction, During the past six months I have endeav ored to do more than formerly for the direct WARD, DATED AT MANEPY, SEPT. 30TH, personal application to the children of what May 1. Preached from the text "These having not the law are a law unto themselves." This sermon was preached with reference to the question frequently proposed, "What became of our ancestors who never heard of the only name given under heaven whereby men can be saved?" 15. Preached from the passage, "Visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children." This text was selected with reference to a question recently proposed by one of the schoolmasters; viz. "What justice is there in punishing children for the bad conduct of the parents 29. Preached in two villages on the adjacent island of Karadive. In one of them I had a large company of men and women, and a favorable opportunity for preaching the word. EXTRACTS FROM A 1830. LETTER OF MR. WOOD ALTHOUGH this communication is of a much earlier date than others from the same mission which have been published, yet as it tends to show in a striking manner by what varied means and with what assiduity the missionaries labor to promote the welfare both of their own children, is learned by them. For this purpose I have all the members of the first class in the several schools assembled at the church on Monday morning, at nine o'clock, where they remain till noon attending to various exercises, such as a brief examination in their Christian lessons, reading tracts or Scripture, and instruction on some impor tant truth or doctrine, which is generally given in the catechetical form, attended with exhortation and prayer. On the three following days of the week a similar course is pursued with the remaining classes. At these meetings a regular account is kept of the number of children from each school. In order to avail myself of the influence of the masters for securing a regular and general attendance of the children, their monthly pay is to some extent regulated by the punctuality of their children at these meetings. made some impressions were more or less awakened, while others, who had for a long time watched the progress of Christianity with jealousy, were alarmed. How far our hopes have been realized may appear in part by the following facts. On the twenty-first of April, we held our quarterly season of communion at Oodooville; at which time eighteen lads belonging to the seminary, four from the preparatory school, two from the central school for girls, seven schoolmasters and three women, About three months ago I commenced an (making thirty-four) were added to the English day school at this station, supported church, and all but two received the ordiin part by parents or friends of the children nance of baptism. Most of those received who attend it. The present number of pu- on that occasion had even previous to the pils is nineteen. This, with similar schools || revival been almost persuaded to be Chriswhich we hope will be generally establish- tians, but from various hindrances were ed in the country, will be preparatory to either unwilling to come out from the world, admission at Tillipally. In consequence of or were deficient in the exhibition of that the establishment of this school, my Tamul Christian character which we now think grammar school was reduced to so small a we see in them. number that I have been obliged to suspend it for the present. JOINT LETTER OF THE MISSIONARIES, DATED Enlargement of the Church. On the twenty-first of last month we held our quarterly meeting at Batticotta, on which occasion we received ten lads from the seminary, one girl from the female central school, eight schoolmasters, six other natives, and the two oldest children of the mission-H. B. Meigs, and M. A. Poor. Of these twenty-seven, nineteen received baptism. children came forward with natives of almost all ages, from twelve to sixty years, to enter into covenant with the church and with him who purchased them with his own blood. A particular account of the revival with which the mission in Ceylon was favored during the Both these days were solemn, interesting, and encouraging. The latter was fall and winter of 1830-1, was given in the numpeculiarly calculated to affect our own bers of this work for July, August, and Septem-hearts, from the fact that two of our own ber, of last year; together with a brief notice of the growth of the mission church. The results of this revival, with a summary view of the church are given in this article. It very clearly shows that the Spirit of the Lord can cause the gospel to take effect on the hearts not only of those who are trained in the boarding-schools, under the eye of the missionaries, but of school-bors, and children in the native free schools, masters, villagers, and even men who have grown old in the practice and with all the prejudices of idolatry, and with whom no more powerful means have been used than preaching, the circulation of portions of the Bible and tracts, and occasional religious conversation. In a letter, dated the 1st of December last, we gave an account of some special encouragement in our work. Lest our friends should be eventually disappointed we stated with some caution what our eyes saw and what our hearts felt. During that month and until near the close of February, the excitement continued with very little abatement. Our meetings with schoolmasters, seminarists, youth in the prepartory and female central schools, with the children in our native free schools, and with such persons in our neighborhood and villages as were disposed to listen, were frequent and sometimes solemn and interesting. During this time most of those on whose minds the gospel had previously and There is still a large number, including seminarists, youth in the preparatory female central schools, schoolmasters, neigh who retain to a considerable degree the impressions made during the revival, and our hope is that the truth thus impressed on their minds in some instances has prov ed, and in others will prove, the power of God and the wisdom of God unto their sal vation. When we take into consideration that sixty-one have already been admitted to the church on credible evidence that they have been born again, and that there are many others whom we hope hereafter to admit, we have great cause for thankfulness and praise, that the fruits of the revival have been so great. Since the first admission to our church in 1816, there have been two hundred and four admitted to Christian communion; of whom all but six are natives. Of these 117 have been connected with our boarding schools and seminary-30 schoolmasters and superintendents--and 50 villagers, including some of our domestics. Of the last two classes, 30 are more than 40 years old-13 are over 50-one is 70 or upwards-and one above 80. Besides these several others || candidates for admission to the church From these facts it will we think appear that though the principal fruits of our mission have been gathered from the boarding schools, and though the greater part of those received into the church are young, yet a sufficient number of adults have been received to show that God in the dispensation of his grace is not confined to the rising generation, and that the opinion too commonly expressed of the hopeless state of adult heathen is not warranted by experience. If missionary efforts, instead of being so desultory as they often are, were more concentrated, and consequently brought to bear more directly and constantly upon a small population, instead of being wasted on a large surface, we are persuaded that more converts would be seen, even among the adults. Considering the blessing which God has already conferred upon missionary labors, we think that young men may find new encouragements to devote themselves to the cause of missions; and surely Christians in England and America should be excited, by what God hath already wrought among adults, as well as among the children and youth, to send many more laborers into this large and populous field before all the present generation go down to the grave. The appeals in behalf of India, made in the little work called, "The conversion of the world," are not out of date. Whether we look at the want of missionaries, whose number has increased very little in the eastern world for ten years-at the number of stations commenced, but imperfectly supported-at the incipient churches which (instead of being wells without water) should be living and overflowing fountains, fertilizing and enriching the whole neighborhood-at the millions included in hali a generation who have gone down to the grave since that appeal was made with the marks of their god on their forehead-or, at the probable, yea certain results of that day when Christians and heathen must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ-we repeat it-the appeals made there are not out of date. On the contrary they have gained additional force-and still the same appeal echoes from the grave of every missionary who has fallen in India, as well as from the testimony of every one who has been obliged to leave on account of ill health, or who still has the privilege of preparing in this wilderness the way of the Lord. The religious state of the seminary, preparatory school, and central school for girls may be learnt in part from the number in each admitted into our church. In the two latter, however, the larger proportion being too young to be received to Christian privileges, all who in other respects would be VOL. XXVIII. Schools-Encouragement. Our native free schools still continue to Of furnish a very important field of labor. We have 93 connected with the mission, in which there are about 3,500 children. these 430 read in some portion of the scriptures daily, and as many as 200 are just beginning to put words together and to read in small tracts. All those who read in the scriptures have finished our smaller In the distribution of tracts, in preaching on the Sabbath, and at other times our encouragements are gradually increasing, not so much from larger congregations than formerly or from individual conversions, as from evidence that heathenism is gradually declining. This appears not only from a greater manifestation of desire to obtain Christian knowledge, but from the fact that many who were formerly strong heathens are now deists, and though they oppose the pure truths of the gospel, they have very little desire to support heathenism. Caste, custom, and idolatry, the three great barriers to Christianity, which have bound these people so long in fetters of iron, are gradually yielding, and we have every reason to believe that the patient, persevering, and constant preaching and teaching the gospel on our part, and an unwearied and prayerful supply of aid on the part of our friends at home, will secure the gift of the Holy Spirit-without which we labor in 19 |