"Dec. 9. To day it was said to me, "Convert all your own people, and then attempt us.' I mentioned to them the contrariety of the Christian religion to the natural disposition of all men;-the necessity of regeneration;that it was not the pleasure of God to convert all of any one nation, before any of another nation should be converted. His mercy is toward all nations; and he will take an individual here and another there, till all people will finally submit. I added, 'You need salvation and happiness. Why will you not accept it, while you have the offer? I intreat you to turn and be saved.' 'I can't tell,' said one, but I may hereafter. If it is written in my fates, it will be so. But at present I cannot.'

At the close of a letter to the Treasurer, Mr. Graves observes: "I exceedingly wish I could tell you good news; but I must be content to say, or at least I must say, that we do not enjoy, in our labors, the converting influences of the Holy Spirit. But I do indulge the hope, that, as a body, we are beginning to seek more earnestly this divine gift: and we are still hoping, notwithstanding the meanness of our services and our own ill deserts, to see better days. We rejoice in the success of other missions, although ours seems as yet almost fruitless. I trust we have been witnesses for Christ; and that some honor will redound to him, in consequence of our poor labors."

Mr. Nichols, in a journal kept previously to his late illness, makes brief mention of several excursions for preaching. Under the date of March 4th, is the following entry.

"Returned from Trombe, a village 12 miles distant. On my way thither, had an opportunity of addressing the people of several villages. Tarried over night in the Government house there, and was kindly entertained by the Mussulmaun Kajee. On my way back, stopped at several villages, and addressed the people on the subject of the Gospel. At one place, a number of Catholics were present, and seemed to join ardently in what I said respecting the impossibility of obtaining salvation, except by Christ. A considerable number of people followed me out of town; and, when opposite to the Catholic church, I was invited to go in."

Mr. Nichols complied with this invitation; and, seeing images of saints, strongly reprehended the practice of idol-worship, as directly contrary to the word of God. "These poor heathenized Christians," he adds, "could only say, that they were directed so to do, by the great Padre at the other side of the world."

For the last six months of the year 1820, Mr. Hall had delivered lectures, or sermons, regularly at his own house. Sometimes he had a hundred hearers, oftener not more than twenty, and sometimes not more than ten. He indulged hopes that the meeting might be perpetuated; and, in a private letter to a friend, he says, that of late he had taken more satisfaction in these and similar meetings, than ever before since he had been in the heathen world.

As to the number of such meetings, their frequency, and the manner of conducting them, each of the brethren is left to the guidance of his own discretion, and his own experience.

Reflections on the Effect of Preaching.

From the preceding details, and those which former years have furnished, it is evident, that numbers of the Hindoos have no confidence in their own system; and that they perceive and acknowledge the superior excellence of Christianity. Their hearts, indeed, are opposed to the holiness of the Gospel; and individuals have not resolution enough to come out from the multitude and be singular. In the ordinary methods of the divine administration, the process of enlightening and converting an ignorant and bigoted people is slow at its commencement. But as the luminous points, in the borders of the kingdom of darkness, are continually increasing in number and brilliancy, the Egyptian gloom of thirty centuries will at length be dispelled. In the war against Satan's empire, we only need courage, perseverance, and confidence in the great Captain, whom we profess to follow. Though the missionaries, at these stations, have less encouragement from their preaching, than from their other exertions yet they guard against despondency, even on this subject. The Committee are gratified to hear them say, 'that they consider the field assigned them as important as they ever did; and that they rejoice in having devoted their lives to the work in that region.'

Translations and Printing.

The Epistles of James, Peter, John, and Jude, which were mentioned in the last Report as preparing for the press, have since been printed.

"The unprinted parts of the New Testament have been divided," says the last joint letter, "into five portions; and one portion has

the inquiry for books is increased, and the way is prepared for a better race to succeed the present generation. The most favorable opportunities of communicating religious instruction are connected with the schools. In the rooms employed for this purpose, religious meetings are held more regularly than elsewhere; and even during school hours, "it is not uncommon to see from 20 to 50 persons standing around the doors to hear the boys read, and repeat their lessons, catechisms, hymns, &c."

[The missionaries, having experienced some difficulty in obtaining passports to visit the schools on the continent opposite to Bombay, found it necessary to prefer a memorial to the new governor. In consequence of the explanations, which they gave, passports were readily furnished.]

About the middle of last year, the Jewish school at Bombay experienced quite an interruption. From some religious scruples, as was supposed, the Jews established a school of their own for their children, and the school of the missionaries was, for a time, almost deserted. But many of the boys soon after returned; and it was presumed, that, within a short time, the usual number would attend.

General View of the Schools.

In the last joint letter of the missionaries, an account of this part of their labors is comprised in the following paragraph.

"Our schools are in a state of progressive improvement. We have at present five schools on the continent, seven in Bombay, two at Tannah, and seven in Mahim and the vicinity; making in all twenty one. The average number of children in a school is about 50, making the aggregate number of 1,050) heathen children, who daily receive Christian instruction, and are taught to read and write, by the liberality of our fellow Christians at home. We consider our schools as a very important part of our mission; and are confident, that they will be the means of effecting much good."

As the Board and the Christian community have heretofore been made ac quainted with the management of these schools, the missionaries do not deem it necessary to go into details on this subject. There are some incidental notices, however, in their communications, to which it may be well to advert. The journal of Mr. Graves contains the following account of a visit to one of the schools.

"Feb. 11, 1821. Endeavoured to impress the minds of the boys with the truth, that God can hear and perceive without bodily organs. I told them, that these organs, in the human body, avail nothing when the spirit is fled; that the soul is our percipient and chief part; that we can think, and love, and hate, without the use of our bodies; that, as they could conceive of created spirits hearing and perceiving without bodies like ours, so God, a Spirit that formed the bodily organs of man, could certainly perceive all things without them; that as the body of a man could not be a friend without a soul, so beholding a lifeless image with the eyes, or fixing it on one's mind, could not constitute acceptable worship. But if we worshipped the true God with our spirits, it would certainly be acceptable to Him, as he always beheld us.

"Then, as usual, I attended prayer. The boys stand silent; and the teachers, of their own accord, always require them to raise and unite their flat hands, as is their custom when paying reverence, or making earnest requests. It is very seldom that any disturbance occurs during prayer. There is reason to think that this exercise tends to fix their attention on di vine things. I have heard objections, from some or other of the parents, to almost every thing else, which we do in regard to the schools; but I have heard of none, on account of attending prayer in them."

[The difficulties, in the way of obtaining children to be educated in the mission families, having been stated, the subject is thus explained.]

Children intended to be supported in mission families.

It being so difficult to obtain native children to be educated by the missionaries, several societies and individuals, who had provided for the support of such children, have, in consequence of the various publications of the Board on this subject, directed that these appropriat ons should be otherwise applied. In some cases, the donors have directed, that the payments already made should be considered as expended in the support of native free schools; in others, that the provision should be transferred to Ceylon; and in others still, that the sums already paid, and to be paid hereafter, should be placed among the general funds of the Board. It has been a cause of much regret, that the hopes and desires of patrons should have been in any measure disappointed. The best that can be done, in any case of unavoidable disappointment, is, to reach as near as possible to the object first aimed at, but necessarily relinquished. And since a Christian domestic education cannot at present be imparted to indigent Hindoo children, in the manner first contemplated, the Committee are gratified in reflecting

that much has been done, on a more general scale, to enlighten the minds of the rising generation, and thus to prepare them for the reception of the Gospel.

On receiving a letter from Mr. Fisk, communicating the intelligence, that benevolent individuals in Charleston, Savannah, and Augusta, had conceived the design of supporting three free schools, in or near Bombay, to be named after those places respectively, the missionaries were highly gratified. They immediately selected the first school, which had been established by them in Bombay, and a fine school it is, they say, and denominated it the Charleston school. One of their schools at Tannah is denominated the Savannah school; and one at Mahim, the Augusta school.

[After various notices with respect to the general concerns of the mission, the following paragraphs, containing the last intelligence, close the account of this station.]

Call for more missionaries.

Mr. Hall expresses a hope, that two more laborers may be sent to strength- || en that mission. "In this" he says, "I may be selfish. They are certainly wanted, and greatly wanted here. But they may, I am aware, be still more needed elsewhere. I feel greatly tried with the prospects of our mission. God forbid that any of us should labor a little, and then faint, and do no more. We all need, and it is comforting to know that we have, the prayers of the Board, and of thousands; but above all that we have, if true to Him, the intercessions of One, who ever lives to muke intercession for the saints according to the will of God."*

After this part of the Report was com pleted, a letter came to hand from Mr. Hall, written a few days subsequently to the date of the last joint letter, though before the embarkation of Mr. Bardwell. The following paragraph contains some important facts not mentioned elsewhere.

"Our public letter would have been more full, had it been prepared more leisurely, and in our usual way. Its deficiencies may be supplied by private communications with Mr. Bardwell. Much more might be said of our schools and preaching. I have not time to enlarge. Five of our schoolmasters are Jews, and we are likely to have a sixth. During the present month, one new school has been opened at Panwell; and one has been opened on Salsette, which is not in the last account.

MISSION IN CEYLON.

[The account of this mission commences with a notice of the arrival and establishment of the missionaries, who left Boston two years ago last June. Grateful mention is made of the restoration of Messrs. Richards, Meigs and Poor, to more comfortable health. The visit of Mr. Meigs to Columbo was laid before our readers, at p. 317 of the October Miss. Herald.

The Report next gives a history of the correspondence, relative to the residence of Mr. Garrett in Ceylon. On this subject the Committee make the following observations.]

In reviewing this correspondence, the Committee cannot refrain from expressing their sorrow and regret, that the government of Ceylon should have felt disinclined to allow Mr. Garrett to reside there. It may be hoped, however, that the Lieutenant Governor will see cause to alter his opinion, as to the need of more missionaries on the island, and the propriety of countenancing and patronizing faithful men, of whatever Country or communion, who are actuated by an earnest desire to promote the salvation of souls. The unexpected difficulties, which the missionaries had been obliged to encounter, though perplexing and embarrassing for the time; may yet lead to happy results; and it may hereafter appear, that Mr. Garrett will have been placed at the very station, where he could do most for the

cause.

At the commencement of the mission in the district of Jaffua, a powerful argument in favor of that station was, that the language there spoken is the same as that of the neighboring continent; and of course the labors of missionaries, who are familiar with that language, may be employed among the millions of southern India. To this field the minds of the missionaries were strongly drawn, by various considerations, at the date of our last intelligence from them. They had for some time had the subject under particular consideration; and nothing but the want of funds prevented

Two more, as we expect, are soon to be opened in two large towns on the coast; and then we shall have a chain of schools, which will open to us a missionary range on the continent, of more than fifty miles in length. My present intention and hope are to make this tour in the course of next month. Mr. Graves has also the same tour in contempla. tion. Such tours afford very extensive oppor tunities for preaching the Gospel;-a circumstance which gives additional importance to our schools."

their entering immediately upon a new establishment in that region. Though there are a few missionaries on the Coromandel coast, nothing like an adequate supply of Christian instructors is to be found in a single district; while extensive and populous parts of the country are entirely shrouded in the darkness of paganism. The Danish missionaries at Tranquebar received Mr. Garrett very cordially, on his first landing there; and hailed the co-operation of American Christians, in the great work of preaching the Gospel to the heathen, as a joyful event in itself, and most encouraging to all, who had previously entered the field of missionary labor.

Education of Heathen Children.

It does not appear, from any communications which have come to hand, precisely what alterations have been made, with respect to the number of schools and pupils, in consequence of the large reinforcement, by which the mission had been strengthened. Doubtless a very considerable impulse has been added to the business of instruction.

ment relates to the state of things, as they were about the close of last year. The Committee deem it highly valuable, as it illustrates the real tendency of Christian exertions among a heathen people. Though it will be published at large in the appendix,* some of the information which it contains may with propriety be introduced, in a condensed form, under the various topics which this Report is designed to embrace. From the journal of Mr. Meigs at Batticotta, and from letters written by the other missionaries, it appears, that the same system is pursued at all the stations; at least with respect to its material parts.

When Dr. Scudder arrived, Mr. Poor had nine common schools under his superintendence. Of these, two have been transferred to the care of the station at Oodooville, one to the superintendence of Dr. Scudder, and one has been suspended, on account of the sickness of the schoolmaster Four new schools have since been established in villages near Tillipally; leaving nine under Mr. Poor's care still. In these nine schools the names of 426 boys are enrolled as pupils, of whom two thirds or three fourths, are actualin school from day to day.

Taking into view how much the mis-ly sionaries had suffered by ill health, it is quite remarkable that their schools should have been so little interrupted. The process of making these multitudes of heathen children acquainted with the rudiments of human learning, and the simple but most sublime truths of our holy religion, has regularly advanced. Useful knowledge has been communicated; the conscience has been formed, by the aid of a perfect standard; the dormant powers of the soul have been called into exercise; and the see of the word has been sown, some of which, it is no presumption to say, has sprouted, and is now in blossom. May the great Lord of the harvest cause it to produce a glorious increase.

The common schools for the instruction of native children are conducted upon such a plan, as cannot fail to approve itself to the understandings of parents, while the pupils are gradually made acquainted with knowledge of the most important kind. A full description of these schools, and of the other missionary operations, as in existence at Tillipally, is contained in an account of that station lately received, which was drawn up by Mr. Poor with great care and judgment. This docuVOL. XVI.

Manner of collecting the Schools.

These schools are first collected by persons, who wish to be employed as teachers. At the commencement of these operations, the teachers are heathens from a double necessity: no native Christians can be found; and, if they could be found, they would not be able to collect pupils from heathen families. But the course of instruction, in the schools, tends to break down the heathen prejudices of teachers and learners. Even the smallest boys spend a part of the time in commit ing easy catechisms to memory. They cannot attend school a single month, without having some of the first principles of religion and morality imprinted on their minds. As they advance in learning, and are able to write on the ola, they are employed in copying, and committing to memory, Warts's catechisms, the Sermon on the Mount, and a selection of passages from the Scriptures. Ostervald's Abridgment of the Bible is introduced into three of the schools,

See the appendix to the Report.
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