Malayalim Scriptures. On the subject of the Scriptures he writes

Nothing is so much wanting in all the Schools as suitable books, and particularly the Scriptures. Oh what would I give for the whole New Testament in Malayalim! If this were read in the Schools, a knowledge of it would, I am sure, soon become general. Wretchedly sunk and degraded as the Syrians are, in a religious and moral point of view, there is among them a growing desire after religious knowledge; so as to warrant a hope, that many of them would receive the Word with all gladness if we had it to give them.

The Rev. Marmaduke Thompson, who spent some time in this vicinity last autumn, has stated some circumstances with reference to Mr. Bailey's proceedings in the department of Translation and Printing, which the Committee have great pleasure in bringing before the Society. He writes

The Printing Office appears to be well and substantially built. It consists of two large rooms: one of these is sufficient for the easy working of four Presses, and for all the necessary types and apparatus; and the other, which is of equal size, receives all the paper and other stores, and furnishes conveniences for bookbinding. The whole is enclosed with a rather deep verandah; one end of which is at present formed into a dwelling for the Native Printer, and the other end may be quite sufficient for the Type Foundry. The situation is elevated, airy, and dry.

Mr. Bailey's proceedings in this department ought to be put on record. How very faulty the Malayalim Types were, the Committee have long known.

Hopeless of any thing better, at least for a long_time to come, Mr. Bailey, without ever having seen a Type Foundry or its apparatus of any kind, eager to get some portion of the Scriptures and some other works respectably printed as soon as possible, set himself to endeavour to form his own types, with such aid as he could find from books alone and from common workmen. He had recourse chiefly to the Encyclopædia Britannica; and, with the instructions which he derived from this and another smaller work or two, a common carpenter, and two silversmiths, it is pleasant to report, that he succeeded so completely, that, some months ago, he sent a specimen of his types, in print, to the Resident, whose reply to Mr. Bailey's Letter sent with them, I have seen in the following terms:

Accept of my best thanks, for the specimen of the new types, which you have been so kind as to send me. The print is extremely beautiful and correct, and reflects much credit on your zeal and industry.

The sight of this machinery, and of the means by which he has accomplished all, was very gratifying to me. He counted upon being able to prepare a sufficiency of types for the printing of the whole Scriptures, in little more than a quarter of a year. Besides the correctness and beauty of his types, noticed by Colonel Newall, he has so reduced them in size, that we can now print at one half of the cost of the old types. We can print in Malayalim at Cotym, at the prices of Tamulprinting in Madras.

I have to conclude my Report with the welcome intelligence of a permanent reduction in the expense of printing, involving another little interesting circumstance in connexion with Mr. Bailey. The Printer sent from Madras we were obliged to dismiss. In the mean time, a Youth, adopted some years ago by Mr. Bailey as a destitute Orphan Child, had acquired the art of printing sufficiently to succeed as Head Printer, to which office we appointed him on a salary of seven rupees per month. This little incident adds singularly to the completeness of Mr. Bailey's work in the Edition of the Malayalim Scriptures, to issue from our Press, we trust, in a short time. The Translation is entirely his own-the types formed by himself from the very mould-and the printing to be executed by an Orphan Boy, reared up by his charity,

The interest felt by the Metropolitan in the diffusion of religious knowledge throughout his Diocese is thus noticed by Mr. Fenn

The Metropolitan is very anxious, even to a degree that it is difficult to express in writing, for the cultivation of sound learning, and especially sound Biblical Learning, among his people; and more particularly among the Clergy, and those destined for the Clerical Office.

On the prospect of success Mr. Fenn observesWe are so ignorant of what the purposes of God may be, and it pleases Him so often to disappoint the most natural and apparently-just expectations, that it becomes us to use great diffidence of language; but I cannot help thinking that no Station promises so much, or would so richly and speedily repay moral and intellectual culture of the highest kind.

In allusion to the domestic trials of Mr. Bailey he remarks

Mr. and Mrs. Bailey are now at Quilon, in great affliction. It has pleased God to take their eldest child from them-a lovely girl of six years of age: she had been gradually sinking for many months; and had, more than once, expressed a preference of death to life, and a longing after the presence of Christ in heaven.

And, in reference to the disinterested attention of a liberal and affectionate Medical Friend towards them, he adds

Mr. and Mrs. Bailey are staying at Dr. Macaulay's, nephew of our excellent friends General Macaulay and Mr. Zachary Macaulay. He is all kindness to them and not to them only, but to all who are sick, and need his aid; and seems to take especial pleasure in serving those who cannot adequately remunerate him.

The local fund in aid of this Mission has been liberally supported. The Corresponding Committee give a list of the Contributors, and recommend it to the special notice of the Christian Public.

Of the state of the Syrians, both priests and people, Mr. Thompson speaks in not very favourable terms. Two improvements, however, he considers to be permanently effected-the abolition of the Celibacy of the Clergy, and the purifying of some of the Festival Solemnities from the Heathenish admixtures by which they were degraded: but he laments, among other things, the corrupt state of the Syrian Liturgy, the low condition of the Females, and the want of due regard to the Sabbath. He entertains, however, in common with all who duly appreciate the state and prospects of this Mission, the most confident hopes, under the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit, of its ultimate success. To its Labourers and their Work he bears the following strong testimony :

Our Missionaries are worthy of our utmost esteem and confidence. Their part has been most difficult, particularly from the state of extreme ignorance, political depression, and dismal degradation, in which they found the people; and, what was indeed to be expected from such a state, their tenaciousness of their own customs and habits, and extreme jealousy of any interference with them, however unscriptural, childish, and wrong. It pained me greatly to hear from them continually the common Heathen defence of "Custom"-" Custom"-" It is our Custom."

Our Missionaries have these difficulties, and still bear up under all, with a degree of patience and address, of wisdom and prudence, which we cannot but hail with reverence, as coming from above. Nor is the unity of spirit, the simpli

city, and the harmony and love, in which they live together, less striking, or less gratefully and devoutly to be acknowledged. They respect one another; and they respect the objects of their Missionary Care, with all their failings, and especially the heads-the Metropolitan and the Priesthood: and they enjoy the fruits of it, most manifestly, in mutual comforts and benefit, and in the reverence of the whole people universally.

Their devotedness to their work is equally admirable. They really live in toil, from morning till night; and not without much smarting. Mr. Bailey and Mr. Fenn, `particularly, suffer much, not unfrequently-Mr. Bailey, from intense head-aches; Mr. Fenn, from more general visceral derangement. Yet they certainly do not spare themselves.— "My only fear," said Mr. Bailey to me, in reference to a late alarming illness,-" My only fear was, that the Doctors would order me to England."

Their works do not yet appear, outwardly, to any very great extent; but enough is very visible, in each departmentin the Printing Office, its establishment and produce in Translations; in the College, and its Youths, and the Grammar School; in the Parochial Schools; above all, in these excellent men themselves, in their families, and in their intercourse with one another and with the Metropolitan, Malpans, and Catanars-to make Cotym and its whole charge, one of the most interesting spots for the Christian Visitor, we may boldly say, in all India.

Allepie.

The Rev. Thomas Norton is aided in his work by a Native Reader and an Indo-British Assistant. The Native Reader is the Hindoo Youth mentioned in the last two Reports: his name is Sandappen: he belonged to the School at Allepie; but having been much opposed by his relatives, he went to Palamcottah, were he was baptized by Mr. Rhenius, on Christmas Day 1822: returning to Allepie at the following Midsummer, he was appointed by Mr. Norton, in the beginning of October, to act as Reader of the Mission, in the bazaars and through the vicinity; and was, soon after, married to one of the Females brought up in the Mission School. The Assistant was brought up a Heathen, and was baptized by Mr. Norton in April 1823, when his Heathen name of Appoo was exchanged for that of Daniel.

Among the collateral benefits of Missionary Labours in India, are the opportunities sometimes afforded of benefitting detachments of the British Army. The increase of piety among British Officers and Soldiers in India, generally renders services of this nature very acceptable to a portion of the troops. Of an occasion of this kind, afforded by the passage of His Majesty's 89th Regiment through Allepie, Mr. Norton writes

A good congregation heard, with great attention, a Sermon from Eph. ii. 8, 9. Some Roman Catholics, who had never been at Protestant Worship before, were present, and behaved exceedingly well: one of them, after Service, begged hard for a Bible. I was struck with the request of a few of them, that I would pray with them before they marched; which I did, in my Study. May God bless them!

Mr. Norton visited Ceylon twice in the course of last year. His absence, on occasion of his first visit, was from the latter part of February to the latter part of April. The Corresponding Committee thus speak of his second visit

Mr. Norton's labours have been interrupted during the year by absence from his Station. On a second visit to Colombo, in the course of this period, he was married to a Lady, who, the Committee trust, will afford him essential assistance in his Missionary Employments, and especially in the management of his Schools. A Sunday School was established by Mrs. Norton shortly after her arrival at Allepie it was attended by many children, and with a good prospect of usefulness and permanency.

Particulars of proceedings at this Station are not given: but the Corresponding Committee give the following somewhat unfavourable view of their result:-

The Schools for Natives do not appear to have afforded so much satisfaction as formerly, and they contain fewer Scholars. Mr. Norton bears testimony to the diligence of his Native Assistants; but no substantial benefit appears to have accrued from their labours among their countrymen, during the period under review.

Cochin.

There is a resident Malayalim Schoolmaster at Cochin; and the Missionaries at Cotym continue, as opportunities occur, to visit the Station.