LIBRARY 
 
 OP THE 
 
 AT 
 
 PRINCETON* i\. J. 
 
 DONATION OF 
 
 S A M U K lj A G N t: w , 
 
 Letter 
 
 No. 
 
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 $A-'3 
 
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 u) P h I L A D F. L P H [ A P 
 
 — BV 2010 . C48 C48 1840 
 
 Church Missionary Society 
 Missions of the Church 
 Missionary Society, at 
 
"*■ » 
 
 V * 
 
MISSIONS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 dfmrct) UfUssuonati) £otit tg, 
 
 AT 
 
 KISHNAGHUR, 
 
 AND IN 
 
 NEW ZEALAND. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 HATCHARDS; SEELEYS; AND NISBET. 
 
 1840 . 
 
LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED BY RICHARD WATTS, 
 Crown Court, Temple Bar. 
 
RELIGIOUS AWAKENING 
 
 AT 
 
 KISHNAGHUR, 
 
 A STATION OF THE 
 
 CTljurct) H*t00tcmarp Sortrtp, 
 
 NEAR CALCUTTA. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2016 
 
 https://archive.org/details/missionsofchurchOOchur 
 
* rTrY-T. T'"'^ » 
 
 RELIGIOUS* “A WAKEN I NO 
 
 AT 
 
 KISHNAGHUK 
 
 The communications received by the 
 Committee of the Church Missionary So- 
 ciety, relative to a Religious Awakening 
 at Kishnaghur, a Station of the Society 
 near Calcutta, are of such dee]) interest 
 and importance, that it has been deemed 
 advisable to publish them in a separate 
 form, for the more general information of 
 the Members of the Society, and of the 
 friends and promoters of Missionary La- 
 bours at large. The information is chiefly 
 derived from the Lord Bishop of Calcutta, 
 and the Corresponding Committee of the 
 Society at that place. 
 
4 
 
 PREFATORY REMARKS. 
 
 The Rev. William James Deerr, one of 
 the oldest Missionaries of the Society in 
 India, having for some years observed the 
 commencement and progress of religious 
 inquiry in his Station of Kishnaghur, made 
 a report of the same to the Bishop, at the 
 close of 1838. His Lordship, not being 
 able to visit the Station immediately, de- 
 sired his Archdeacon, the Rev. T. Deal- 
 try, to proceed thither, and make such 
 inquiries and arrangements as might be 
 suitable, under circumstances so important 
 and encouraging. This the Archdeacon 
 did ; and, on his return, made to the Cor- 
 responding Committee the Report which 
 is given below. 
 
 There may be persons who doubt the 
 solidity and permanency of a work like 
 that which is here described. The Com- 
 mittee would not be sanguine in entertain- 
 ing unmeasured hopes with regard to the 
 events alluded to : they would rejoice 
 with trembling : they would unite caution 
 with zeal. But there certainly does ap- 
 pear to have been so much of preparatory 
 
work during the last few years, and the 
 desire for Christian Ordinances and In- 
 struction is evidently so earnest, that it is 
 reasonable to believe that God is here 
 opening a wide door for the immediate 
 entrance of Christian Labourers. It is 
 worthy of notice, moreover, that instances 
 of this kind of religious awakening are not 
 unknown in India, and in other parts of 
 the world — that by such means it pleases 
 the Great Head of the Church to maintain 
 and to extend the influence of the Gospel 
 — and that at such periods, and under 
 such circumstances, lie has frequently 
 brought forward into action many of His 
 servants, who have afterward laboured 
 -with the greatest zeal and constancy in 
 His Church. However extraordinary, 
 therefore, it may appear in the eyes of 
 some persons, it is a work which may be 
 expected to be renewed — and which ac- 
 tually is renewed — from time to time, in 
 various parts of the visible Church. That 
 it may lead to the most extensive and 
 abiding results, both in India and in all 
 Missionary Stations, is to be devoutly and 
 
G 
 
 ardently desired. The great Enemy of 
 sools is, indeed, ever on the watch to mar, 
 or to retard, the revival of true Religion 
 in the earth. To counteract his malig- 
 nant purpose, and give permanency and 
 efficiency to this work, is the earnest de- 
 sire of both the Bishop and the Society. 
 
 The following is the Archdeacon’s Re- 
 port on the subject, dated Feb. 15, 1839 : — 
 
 Report, by the Ven. Archdeacon Dealtry, of his 
 T isit to the Rishnaghur Station. 
 
 On the return of the Bishop and myself from 
 the Straits, at the end of Nov. 1838, we received 
 from Mr. Deerr, the Church Missionary sta- 
 tioned at Kishnaghur, an account of a wonder- 
 ful excitement and inquiry, on the subject of 
 Religion, among the Natives in several villages 
 near the Sudder Station, at which he is ap- 
 pointed. Subsequent Letters to the same effect 
 determined us to visit those villages, and to 
 inquire into the origin and reality of the 
 work. 
 
 The Bishop’s duties, however, in Calcutta, 
 prevented him from fulfilling his intention; 
 but, at his request, I most gladly agreed to 
 visit the scene of this work, and to make all 
 the inquiry I could, in order that we might 
 
judge how far it was the work of the Blessed 
 Spirit of God. 
 
 Accordingly, on Feb. 8, 1839, I left Calcutta, 
 in company with a Native friend, the Rev. K. M. 
 Banerjea, for Kishnaghur. We arrived there 
 on Saturday morning, the 9th. I was most kindly 
 received by R. P. Nisbett, Esq., the Civil and 
 Session Judge. As we could not go out to the 
 villages before Monday, I endeavoured to obtain 
 from Mr. Deerr as full an account as possible 
 of the work which had brought me up. I re- 
 ceived from him the following particulars : — 
 
 I. Number of Inquirers. 
 
 There are not fewer than fifty-five villages, 
 containing, among them, upward of 500 fami- 
 lies, who are convinced of their lost state as 
 sinners, believe that the Gospel of Christ pro- 
 vides the only means of salvation, and are ready 
 and anxious to be baptized into that faith. These 
 families average about six in a family ; so that 
 there are not fewer than 3000 souls seeking 
 admission into the Christian Fold. 
 
 II. Orirj in and Commencement of the Work. 
 
 He had heard, in the beginning of 1835, of a 
 
 persecution against a sect composed partly of 
 Mussulmans and partly of Hindoos. This sect 
 was called “ Kurta Blioja,” Worshippers of the 
 
8 
 
 Creator. They are derived from the sect of the 
 Dervish among the Mahomedans; but have 
 adopted, in addition, some articles of the Chris- 
 tian Faith. They worship only one God, have 
 nothing to do with idols, and believe that God 
 will come into the world in a human form. 
 Mr. Deerr believes, that, in their present cha- 
 racter, they are of recent origin. He heard 
 that they bore the persecution against them 
 with great patience ; and thought that this was 
 a proof of their sincerity, however erroneous 
 might be their principles; and determined to 
 pay them a visit, to inquire into their belief, 
 and to direct them, if possible, to the true way 
 of salvation. He accordingly went ; and in the 
 first visit was convinced of their sincerity, saw 
 much that was good among them — much that 
 he greatly admired — especially the love and 
 affection which they had for one another. In 
 speaking upon the Christian Religion, he did 
 not think that there was much impression 
 made ; but he left them some copies of the Go- 
 spels, and determined to visit them again. He 
 renewed his visit in the beginning of 1836. 
 They received him more cordially, listened to 
 him more attentively, and an impression was 
 evidently made favourable to the Truth. After 
 several visits of a similar nature, he asked to 
 have Public Worship among them. They 
 
9 
 
 agreed; but with considerable reluctance, as 
 they were afraid of increasing persecution. 
 After dinner, the inquirers assembled for Wor- 
 ship, and many of the Heathen joined them. 
 They showed, however, great fear and timidity. 
 The Missionary asked them, one by one, “ Are 
 you afraid to pray?” They replied, “ No; we 
 are not afraid.” — He then said, “ Let us pray 
 the inquirers immediately fell upon their faces. 
 The Heathen were startled at this, as they con- 
 sidered the very act of prayer with Christians 
 an avowal of Christianity. Hence, all these 
 inquirers were, from this time, considered as 
 without the pale of Heathenism : their caste was 
 gone, and they were looked upon as the follow- 
 ers of Jesus Christ. They were put under 
 ♦ Christian Instruction ; and, a few months after, 
 were baptized. A most rigid persecution was 
 now commenced against them. Their wives 
 and children were taken from them by their 
 heathen relatives, and only restored by an 
 order from the magistrate. From this period 
 the Truth prevailed more fully : others, of the 
 sect especially above named, visited the Chris- 
 tians, and became more favourably disposed 
 toward them, and invited the Missionary to 
 preach the Gospel to them also. He complied 
 with their request : Public Worship w r as esta- 
 blished among them : many were convinced of 
 
10 
 
 tlie truth of Christianity, and openly declared 
 that this was “ the very thing which they had 
 been seeking: for.” 
 
 In 1838 , the leading men in ten villages be- 
 longing to the Kurta-Bhoja Sect avowed their 
 belief in the Gospel, and, after instruction, 
 were baptized into the faith of Christ. They 
 straightway confessed Him before the Heathen, 
 and established Public Worship in their villages. 
 This created great excitement and curiosity 
 among their relatives and connexions. They 
 attended the Worship, to know wdiat it all 
 meant : more violent opposition and persecu- 
 tion were the result, and every one that at- 
 tended the Worship w T as considered a Christian. 
 In one village the excitement was so great, 
 that when the Missionary began to preach they 
 anxiously inquired, “ What ! has the pestilence 
 reached us also ?” — An inquirer had two bro- 
 thers, who fled from their homes, for fear of 
 catching the infection. The man before whose 
 house the preacher stood was turned out by 
 the villagers, because they thought he had been 
 ■the means of bringing: the Missionaries to the 
 village. But, as is usual in* persecution, the 
 Truth spread ; — the Christians were more in 
 earnest, the inquirers multiplied, and the Word 
 of God prevailed, so that whole tribes became 
 obedient to the faith. — Here is the result. Some 
 
11 
 
 of the sect have gone back again ; but the 
 greater part remain firm, and are now anxious 
 for baptism. 
 
 In only one instance he has found that an 
 individual professed himself a Christian from 
 fear, and not from principle. This the man 
 lias since confessed. His father-in-law had 
 become a Christian. He visited him, to talk 
 with him on the subject. He was considered, 
 for this act, a Christian ; and was cast out by his 
 neighbours, on his return. He has, however, 
 since given good hope. From the first time of 
 the inquiry, Christian Catechists and Teachers 
 have been constantly among them. The Mis- 
 sionary has little doubt of the sincerity of most 
 of them. 
 
 Here is his statement of the origin and pro- 
 gress of the work. It appears natural, and 
 what we should have expected. We hope it is 
 of God ; but we would speak with caution, and 
 wait to see further. 
 
 III. State of the People. 
 
 Mr. Deerr thinks, that out of the 500 families 
 who are Candidates for Baptism, 200 of them 
 are prepared for the Holy Sacrament ; that is, 
 about 1200 individuals. I proceeded to ask the 
 following questions regarding them : — 
 
 1. Do you think that any secular motive 
 
12 
 
 has influenced them in seeking to become Chris- 
 tians ? 
 
 He thinks there may be, in some instances, a 
 little ; but nothing more than the Religion 
 itself must indirectly present. It teaches love 
 and sympathy, and to render assistance to one 
 another in want, &c. This is the whole of tem- 
 poral motive that he can possibly imagine. It 
 is a religion of love. Many of the people at 
 present are in distress ; they were not so when 
 they first offered themselves as Candidates for 
 Baptism. This distress has been occasioned by 
 an inundation, which has destroyed the crops 
 throughout the district. The villages were all 
 under water. Relief was sent to the suffering 
 Christians, many of whom had been without 
 food for days. The Missionary sent them rice, 
 as far as his means would allow. The boats 
 went over the fields, from village to village, 
 distributing relief to the Christian Brethren, as 
 far as they were able. The Heathen, on seeing 
 this, said, “ See how these Christians love one 
 another ! surely this is the true religion !” All 
 this may have given an impulse ; but he does 
 not know how it could be otherwise. They 
 have nothing but this mutual help to induce 
 them to become Christians ; but every thing 
 else to discourage. 
 
 2. Have the 200 families, or the adult part 
 
13 
 
 of the 1200 individuals, whom you think fit for 
 baptism, an adequate knowledge of Christianity ? 
 
 Their knowledge is not very enlarged, but 
 he considers that it is sufficient for Candidates 
 for Baptism. They know the elements of the 
 Truth — for instance, that they are sinners ; 
 that, as sinners, they are subject to wrath ; that 
 God, in mercy, has provided salvation through 
 His Son ; that he who repents, and believes on 
 Christ, shall obtain salvation; that it is the 
 Holy Spirit alone who can make them see and 
 feel their sins, and lead them to rest on Christ 
 for the forgiveness of them ; that there will be 
 a resurrection of the dead, and a judgment of 
 all men ; that the righteous shall be saved, the 
 wicked lost for ever ; &c. &c. They can repeat 
 the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten 
 Commandments. 
 
 3. Are they willing to forsake all for Christ, 
 to give up their heathen habits, and to lead a 
 life of self-denial ? 
 
 They have already given proof of this, in 
 what they have had to suffer : they expect per- 
 secution, and are prepared for it : they entirely 
 renounce idolatry, and every custom and habit 
 which the Gospel prohibits. In a word, they 
 are desirous of putting themselves under the 
 Christian Pastor, and attending to his godly 
 direction in all things. 
 
14 
 
 4. What is the present state of their temporal 
 circumstances. 
 
 The majority of them, in common with all 
 in the district, Christian and Heathen, along the 
 Jelinglia River, are in the most destitute con- 
 dition — their poverty inconceivable. The in- 
 undation has entirely destroyed the crops. The 
 second is coming, but they have little to hope 
 for before March. If two or three thousand 
 Rupees could be raised, in order to obtain seed 
 for their ground, it would be the greatest bless- 
 ing to them imaginable. They must borrow ; 
 and in getting it from the Zemindar, they will 
 have to pay, at the least, 100 per cent. It is 
 this which keeps them poor, when they are 
 thrown back by the failure of the crops. He 
 has not the least doubt but the money would be 
 returned when the next crops are reaped. He 
 does not think this would have the effect of in 
 ducing people to become Christians, and thus 
 filling the Church with nominal professors. 
 
 5. How are the spiritual wants of these peo- 
 ple to be supplied, should they be admitted into 
 the Church. 
 
 (1) There are, Mr. Deerr, and Mr. Alexander, 
 an European Catecliist, who has lately been sent 
 to assist in the Mission 
 
 (2) Two Native Catechists, Paul and Ram- 
 
15 
 
 dhun. These are of great importance, in read- 
 ing the Prayers and Scriptures, Expounding, 
 Catechizing, &e. 
 
 (3) There are six Readers. Their duty is 
 simply to read the Scriptures and Catechize, to 
 read Tracts, &c. They have been taken chiefly 
 from the villages, are conversant with the 
 manners of the people, &c., and are very useful 
 in their places. 
 
 (4) The English Schoolmaster at Kishnaghur, 
 Moodha Shoodun. He was partly educated at 
 Bishop’s College. Besides his duties at the 
 English School, he renders aid, in visiting the 
 villages, and reading the Service, &c. 
 
 These are all at present engaged ; that is, 1 J 
 persons for the 35 villages. However desirous 
 they may be to contribute all the aid which 
 they can, it must be utterly inadequate to sup- 
 ply the most partial spiritual aid to all the 
 villages : they could not even give the bap- 
 tized one Service each Sabbath. Something, 
 then, must be done, to provide more help, 
 should the Candidates be ripe for baptism. 
 
 Here, then, is the statement — very inviting, 
 it must be admitted. The great thing is, now, 
 to see how far the facts may be relied upon, 
 after, as impartial witnesses, we have examined 
 the work, and instituted all needful inquiries on 
 the subject. I am thankful to say, that oiu 
 
16 
 
 friends, the Rev. Messrs. WeitbrechtandSandys, 
 have met us here ; so that there will be a large 
 party of us, to examine the Candidates, &e. 
 May God give us wisdom and prudence ; and 
 may we find that He is indeed working for His 
 own glory, and openly displaying His Truth in 
 the sight of the Heathen ! On Monday we visit 
 the villages. 
 
 Visit to the Villages. 
 
 Saturday Evening: Feb. 9 , 1839 — After a 
 pleasant Sabbath-day at Kishnaghur — on which 
 1 preached twice to the residents, and admini- 
 stered the Holy Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper 
 — we set off to visit the villages, and to judge 
 how far we could concur with our friend, Mr. 
 Deerr, that the work was of God. There were 
 of our party, myself, the Rev. W. J. Deerr, the 
 Rev. K. M. Banerjea, the Rev. J. J. Weitbrecht, 
 and the Rev. T. Sandys. The two last-named 
 gentlemen we very providentially and unex- 
 pectedly met at Kishnaghur: they had heard 
 of the work, and came to see what things God 
 had wrought. We were out three days ; visited 
 four of the principal villages; and baptized in 
 them between five and six hundred persons, 
 including women and children. As the work 
 was nearly of a similar character in all the 
 villages, it may perhaps be sufficient to give 
 the proceedings of one of them more in detail ; 
 
17 
 
 as from that a fair judgment may be formed 
 as to the rest, 
 
 We first went to Anunda Bas, a large village 
 about ten coss from Kishnaghur. At this 
 village there were about sixty families seeking 
 Christian Baptism. On our way to it, we had 
 to pass near a small village named Bengal Chu, 
 where there are several families seeking the 
 Truth. They surrounded our palanquins, and 
 earnestly desired that we would not pass them 
 without giving them some Service. The Mis- 
 sionary Brethren were struck with what they 
 considered their earnestness and sincerity. It 
 was something new, to see Bengalees thus 
 pressing for Christian Instruction. We could 
 not comply with their request ; as our arrange- 
 ments had been formed, and such important 
 duties depended on them. We desired, how- 
 ever, our friend Krishna Mohana Banerjea to 
 stay and give them a short address, and then 
 to follow us; with which request he readily 
 complied. 
 
 We arrived at Anunda Bas about twelve 
 o’clock. Arrangements for Service were made ; 
 and the inquirers assembled in a small com- 
 pound before a native hut belonging to one of 
 the Christians. A kind of screen from the heat 
 was made, by cloths being thrown over poles. 
 There was a large number present. The Can- 
 
18 
 
 didates for Baptism were placed in the front, in 
 rows. We commenced by singing a hymn. 
 I then addressed them ; Krishna Mohana Ba- 
 nerjea interpreting for me. I told them, that 
 the Bishop, with other Christians in Calcutta, 
 had heard that God had put it into their hearts 
 to abandon their idols, and to embrace Chris- 
 tianity; that we earnestly hoped that it was 
 the work of God upon their hearts — that no 
 temporal motives had induced them to so se- 
 rious and important a step — that they had well 
 weighed and fully understood the duties and 
 obligations of the Christian Religion — and that 
 it was with the conviction of their sinful state, 
 of the salvation of the Gospel, and of the diffi- 
 culties which they would have to undergo, that 
 they had resolved to become the followers of 
 Christ — that then, and then alone, could they 
 expect it to become a blessing to them, and we 
 should be able to rejoice in their conversion. 
 I expressed to them how thankful I felt that 
 theirs was the first village which we had visited; 
 that I hoped its name was a token for good ; 
 and that if they became sincere Christians, real 
 believers in Jesus Christ, it would truly be 
 “Anunda Bas,” that is, the “Village of Joy;” 
 for Christianity was the religion of happiness 
 and joy. But as no good could be expected 
 without the Divine Blessing, before proceeding 
 
19 
 
 further I requested them to join in earnest 
 prayer for that blessing, and that they might 
 have the Spirit of God to teach them. Mr. 
 Sandys then offered up the sacrifice of prayer 
 and thanksgiving ; and never did I see a greater 
 apparent seriousness. The poor people, pro- 
 strate on their faces, made their responses in 
 the most solemn and audible manner. Mr. 
 Deerr next gave them an affectionate and ear- 
 nest address upon the necessity of feeling their 
 state as sinners, of believing in Christ, of re- 
 nouncing their old habits, and of obedience to 
 the Son of God. His subject was, As many of 
 you as were baptized into Christ have put on 
 Christ. We then proceeded to the most im- 
 portant part, the examination of the Candidates 
 for Baptism. They were questioned as to their 
 knowledge of their own state and condition — 
 of their responsibility to God — of the character 
 of God — of Jesus Christ — of the Way of Salva- 
 tion — of the obligation into which they were 
 about to enter, and especially in reference to 
 their motives, their expectations, and their 
 future habits. On these and other topics they 
 gave as satisfactory answers as could have been 
 expected : it rather exceeded, than came short 
 of, what we had looked for. Two were found 
 deficient. One, an old man of a fine open 
 countenance, could not repeat the Fourth Com- 
 
20 
 
 mandment. He said he had it in his heart; 
 but being an old man, lie could not learn so 
 rapidly as younger men could. We spoke to 
 him with affection ; but thought it better to 
 adhere to the principle which we had laid 
 down ; viz. that the catechumen should be able 
 to repeat the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and 
 the Ten Commandments. I then asked the 
 Missionary Brethren if they thought “ that any 
 could forbid water that these persons should 
 not be baptized ? ” It was the unanimous opi- 
 nion that they ought to be received into the 
 fold of Christ. The solemn ordinance was then 
 administered by the Brethren present. About 
 1 50 persons, I think, were baptized : of this I 
 shall know, from the Catechist, Paul. 
 
 Krishna Mohana Banerjea, at my request, 
 then addressed the newdy-baptized on the so- 
 lemn engagements into which they had entered; 
 pointing out to them, 1. What they had been : 
 2 . What they now were : 3 . What their conduct 
 in future ought to be. Mr. Deerr then ad- 
 dressed the Heathen : and the Blessing having 
 been pronounced, the Congregation was dis- 
 missed. 
 
 At three more villages, viz. Bana Bund, 
 Parparah, and Sholah, we went through similar 
 Services ; examining and admitting Candidates, 
 exhorting them to stedfastness, &c. Altoge- 
 
21 
 
 tlier, there were, in three days, about 560 
 admitted to Baptism. There may be many 
 among the inquirers who have been influenced 
 by wrong motives — many who do not fully 
 understand what they are doing — many who 
 have joined because their families did so. — 
 I understand, that in some of the more distant 
 villages the Missionaries found much ignorance 
 and secularity prevailing, more than at the 
 nearer and larger villages ; but with the greater 
 number, I firmly believe there is a desire to 
 obtain salvation. I fully agree in the senti- 
 ments which one of the Clergy present, the 
 Rev. Krishna Mohana Banerjea, who best 
 knows the native character, has expressed. He 
 observes : “ The very great number of those 
 who have placed themselves under Christian 
 Instruction, the earnestness with which some 
 of them spoke out their feelings, and the inter- 
 est with which they heard the word, together 
 with the great gratitude which all of them 
 seemed to feel on account of our visit, are 
 comforting proofs that the Lord is in the midst 
 of them. The satisfactory answers, which were 
 returned to our questions by the Candidates for 
 Baptism, confirm the favourable opinion to 
 which the other circumstances lead ; especially 
 if we consider, that the men were, with few 
 exceptions, unable to read, and had seldom 
 
22 
 
 opportunities of hearing the Word of God, in 
 consequence of their distance from Kishnaghur, 
 and the want of resident Catechists among 
 them. It is scarcely possible that so many 
 individuals would come forward simultane- 
 ously to profess a religion which must expose 
 them to persecution and trouble, if they were 
 not influenced by sincerity of heart and pur- 
 pose. I cannot, therefore, help inferring, that 
 the work is of God, who hath declared His sal- 
 vation, and openly showed His righteousness in 
 the sight of the Heathen. 
 
 Want of Additional Teachers. 
 
 But now, what is to become of these newly- 
 baptized converts ? It is evident that the work 
 must be followed up by placing faithful Pastors, 
 Teachers, and Schoolmasters, at the several 
 villages. Without something of this kind, all 
 will fall back again. I do not feel a doubt, if 
 the work be thus carried on, and a Christian 
 Teacher, zealous, prudent, patient, active and 
 affectionate, placed at each of the principal vil- 
 lages, that, in the course of very few years, 
 they would be entirely Christianized, and pre- 
 sent as pleasing and delightful an aspect as our 
 Christian Villages in England did at the time 
 of the early propagation of the Gospel among 
 us. But where are these Teachers and Pastors 
 
23 
 
 to be found ? One of our dear friends, Mr. 
 Sandys, said, “ Have faith in God, whose work 
 it is : He will provide.” I confess my faith 
 here falters ; and I have need to say, “ Lord, 
 increase my faith ! ” 
 
 We have, for the fifty- five villages, only one 
 Missionary and one European Catechist, two 
 Native Catechists, six Readers, and one School- 
 master — eleven Teachers, of all kinds, for the 
 whole ; not near sufficient to give one Service 
 on the Sabbath-day to the inquirers in the 
 different villages. Our friends, Mr. Sandys 
 and Mr. Weitbrecht, have each promised two 
 additional Readers. It remains now to dispose 
 of these in the best possible manner. An ex- 
 cellent Catechist should be placed at the prin- 
 cipal villages, and a Reader at each of the 
 others, according to their numbers and import- 
 ance. The work of the Catechists should be, to 
 read the Service twice every Sunday, and to 
 explain, after it, a portion of the Scriptures — 
 to catechize the people — to visit them in the 
 week-days — to give them a Service every 
 evening ; the Readers to perform some portion 
 of a similar duty, as far as they are able. A 
 Monthly Report of their labours should be 
 furnished to the Missionaries, and forwarded 
 by them to the Committee, with their own 
 Journal. The European Missionary and Cate- 
 
24 
 
 diist will travel from village to village, looking 
 after the Native Catechists and Readers, ex- 
 amining the inquirers, encouraging, strength- 
 ening them, &c*. But, besides all these, there 
 should be an excellent School formed, at one of 
 the chief villages, for the children of all the 
 Christians : and all the children should be taken, 
 who are above six years of age, from all the 
 villages, and a real good foundation laid in the 
 training of these children. There has been a 
 deficiency in all our Missions, in this respect, 
 from the beginning. I should recommend that 
 at Anunda Bas a good School-room should be 
 raised ; and a house, with two or three rooms 
 in it, adjoining, for the master, and the children 
 from the other villages. The Schoolmaster, 
 Moodha Shoodun, now stationed at Kishnaghur, 
 is well qualified for this duty, and might enter 
 upon it without delay ; another being sent 
 from Calcutta, to take his present appointment. 
 Moodha Shoodun might also be appointed to 
 read the Service at one of the adjacent villages 
 on Sunday. But I feel assured that the Com 
 mittee will do all that is in their power to meet 
 the call now made upon them. The fields are, 
 indeed, white unto the harvest. It well becomes 
 all who love the Saviour’s cause to pray that 
 He would send forth Labourers into His vine- 
 yard, and to put forth every energy in the 
 
25 
 
 work. May the Lord God crown the whole 
 with His abundant blessing, and cause righte- 
 ousness and praise to spring forth before the 
 nations ! Amen. 
 
 Views of the Bishop of Calcutta on this Religious 
 Awakening. 
 
 A Special Meeting of the Calcutta Cor- 
 responding Committee was held at the 
 Bishop’s Palace on the 27th of February, 
 in order to deliberate on the course to be 
 adopted, with a view to meet the extra- 
 ordinary state of things at Kishnaghur. 
 The Bishop was on this occasion requested 
 to communicate the facts of the case, and 
 the feelings of the Corresponding Com- 
 mittee, to the President of the Society. 
 Although it will involve some degree of 
 repetition, the Letter of his Lordship to 
 the Earl of Chichester is given almost 
 entire ; as it may be regarded as a kind 
 of authoritative comment on the whole 
 subject. Ilis Lordship writes, on the 27th 
 of February, as follows : — 
 
 I have this morning promised the Gentle- 
 men of the Church Missionary Calcutta Com- 
 mittee that 1 would represent to your Lordship 
 
26 
 
 the urgent need of additional European Mis- 
 sionaries in the Station of Kishnaghur, which 
 lias been created by the extraordinary promises 
 of success which the goodness and grace of 
 God have been lately opening to the pious 
 subscribers of the great Society over which 
 your Lordship presides, in that particular field 
 of Missionary Exertion. I fulfil my promise at 
 the instant; lest the pressure of incessant du- 
 ties, which, wave after wave, roll over me, 
 should defeat my purpose. 
 
 It w r as just before Christmas last, that the 
 Rev. W. J. Deerr, hearing that I had returned 
 from the first division of my Second Visitation, 
 sent down a Catechist, to entreat me to come 
 up to Kishnaghur, and advise him how he might 
 best proceed with the large and increasing num- 
 bers of Candidates for Baptism who had applied 
 to him from all the villages around. He de- 
 scribed himself as quite overwhelmed. — I wrote 
 to him a few lines instantly, to “ comfort him 
 concerning his faith ; ” and promised him to 
 visit his Station the moment I could get away 
 from Calcutta. I begged him to answer me, in 
 the mean time, eight or ten questions also, that 
 I might judge the better of the blessed appear- 
 ances of which he spoke. On the receipt of his 
 reply, I was struck with amazement and admi- 
 ration of the grace of God — I could scarcely 
 
27 
 
 believe the accounts, for joy. There seemed 
 to be hundreds being “ born at once.” Finding 
 that I was unable, however, to leave home, 
 from an unexpected crowd of duties, I begged 
 of the Archdeacon to go down without delay, 
 and bring up a full statement of the position of 
 things, that I might submit it to the Church 
 Missionary Corresponding Committee, and ad- 
 vise with them how to meet the rising demand 
 for help. The Archdeacon has just returned ; 
 and the meeting of the Committee took place, 
 as I have intimated, this morning : and I am 
 now redeeming the pledge which I made of 
 communicating with your Society, through its 
 honoured President, without an instant’s pause. 
 
 It appears that between fifty-five and sixty 
 villages are thirsting for the waters of life, in a 
 greater or less degree : they stretch to the 
 north and north-east of Kishnaghur on the 
 Jelingha, to the distance of forty or fifty miles, 
 and to the south-west fifteen or twenty. The 
 numbers described as prepared for holy baptism 
 — in various measures of course — are between 
 3000 and 3500. The Archdeacon assisted him- 
 self at the reception of about 500 souls, inclu- 
 ding women and children, into the Christian 
 Church : and there seems the fairest prospect, 
 if we can but enter at the wide and effectual 
 door in time, that not only these 3000 or 4000, 
 but the whole population of the fifty or sixty 
 
28 
 
 villages, may receive the Christian Faith, and 
 resemble our Christian villages in the times of 
 our Anglo-Saxon forefathers in the 6th and 7 th 
 centuries. Such a glorious scene has never 
 yet been presented to our longing eyes in 
 Bengal ! and, after making all deductions for 
 over-statements, sanguine hopes, the existence 
 of secular motives, and the instability of large 
 numbers — nay, after allowing for the influence 
 of the temporal relief which was exhibited to 
 the sufferers, Christian and Heathen, by one of 
 those inundations to which the sandy banks of 
 the Jelingha are peculiarly liable, and which 
 occurred during the progress of this religious 
 awakening, and which excited a natural admi- 
 ration, as it ought to do, in the neighbourhood, 
 and contributed to augment the number of our 
 
 CD 
 
 inquirers — admitting all this, and as much more 
 as the most timid observer can require, it still 
 appears that a mighty work of Divine Grace is 
 begun — a work wide and permanent, as we 
 trust — a work marking the finger of God — a 
 work which will demand, and warrant, and 
 repay, all our pastoral care, anxiety, and labour 
 — a work for which our fathers in India, Brown, 
 Buchanan, Martyn, Thomason, and Bishops 
 Corrie, Middleton, and Heber, would have 
 blessed and praised God, in the loudest strains 
 of gratitude and joy. 
 
 I am the more struck with this great event, 
 
29 
 
 because somewhat similar ones, though on a 
 far smaller scale, have been taking place in the 
 Missions of the Incorporated Society for Pro- 
 pagating the Gospel, around Janjera and Barri- 
 pore. I suppose like hopeful appearances more 
 than once blessed the labours of Swartz. The 
 early tidings from Tinnevelly were not very 
 different, also, as I imagine. We have reason, 
 therefore, to be doubly grateful for every re- 
 currence of these harbingers of the day ; and, 
 at the same time, to be doubly watchful, in 
 guarding and training these tender plants, lest 
 they should be nipped by Satan’s temptations, 
 or pine away for want of moisture. The fear- 
 ful relapses of Native Converts and whole flocks, 
 when destitute of adequate instructors, in all 
 parts of India, and after the lapse of a very 
 few years, is a sufficient indication to us of 
 that wonderful connexion in the system of 
 means, which we all acknowledge in theory, 
 but which is no where so prominent as in our 
 labours in a Heathen and Mahomedan Land. 
 Every thing depends, under God, upon inces- 
 sant culture — and culture by European Mis- 
 sionaries — at least in the actual state of things 
 around us, in this heathen and prostrate country. 
 
 But this leads me to present to the Society 
 a sketch of some of the facts which have 
 occurred; and which will enable them to judge 
 
30 
 
 for themselves of the accuracy of my own im- 
 pressions. Possibly I have felt and spoken too 
 strongly. 
 
 About four years since, the Rev. W. J. Deerr, 
 Missionary at Kishanegore or Kishnaghur — 
 “ the Town of Krishna ” no longer, I trust ; but 
 rather Anunda Bas, “ the Village of Joy,” ac- 
 cording to the name of the first spot where the 
 blessed baptisms took place — having heard that 
 there was a body of persons, partly of Hindoo 
 and partly of Mussulman origin, who professed 
 to worship the one true God, and who were 
 exposed to persecution on that account, went 
 to their principal village and spoke to them of 
 the Gospel, but apparently with little impres- 
 sion : he left copies, however, of the New Tes- 
 tament behind, as silent Missionaries ; and 
 promised to see them again. 
 
 In 1836 he was more cordially listened to — 
 he had repeated interviews — they consented to 
 unite in prayer to Jesus Christ — they begged 
 for Christian Instructors. 
 
 Five heads of families were baptized by Mr. 
 Deerr, at his visit the following winter, 1837. 
 A fierce persecution had broken out: their 
 wives and children were forcibly torn from 
 them, and only restored by the interference 
 of the Magistrate. From this date, however, 
 numbers began to flock around the new Chris- 
 
31 
 
 tians — the tidings spread — the young converts 
 became each of them Missionaries — one told 
 his brother, another his mother and sister, like 
 the primitive disciples, “We have found the 
 Saviour.” Thus the information reached to 
 the extremities of the connexion, for the whole 
 body or sect are connected by intermarriages. 
 
 In 1838 , the leading men in ten villages, 
 including with their families probably 400 or 
 300 souls, openly embraced the doctrine of 
 Christ; and, after some months’ further in- 
 struction, were baptized : these began from that 
 time to celebrate Christian Worship among 
 themselves, and keep holy the Lord's Day. A 
 keener curiosity was thus excited among the 
 connected family or tribe, and more rigid per- 
 secution followed. But the flame was so far 
 from being extinguished, that it burned only 
 the brighter, and spread with more rapidity : 
 whole neighbourhoods came over to the Chris- 
 tian Fold, and prayed for instruction in the 
 new religion. Mr. Deerr did what he could, 
 but said little to any one. 
 
 In the present winter, 1839 , a devastating 
 inundation plunged the whole agricultural po- 
 pulation, in a moment, into the most profound 
 distress. Christianity, feeble as it was, produced 
 its immediate fruit : help was afforded : Mr. 
 Deerr stripped himself even of the little fund 
 
indispensable for his own necessities and those 
 of his own children, to administer to the suf- 
 ferers. The Christian Villagers went about in 
 boats over the deluged fields, to see how their 
 brethren did. The neighbours said, “There, 
 see how these Christians love one another ! for 
 us, poor fellows, no one cares. Of a truth, 
 there is the true religion among these people.” 
 — Your Lordship will here again recognise the 
 scenes of Primitive Christianity. 
 
 This was the occasion of Mr. Deerr sending 
 down the Catechist to me at Christmas : the dis- 
 tress was so great, that he was unable to relieve 
 it ; and the number of inquirers after Chris- 
 tianity, and of Candidates for Baptism, was still 
 more overwhelming and exciting. 
 
 The Archdeacon Dealtry cheerfully went, 
 and supplied my lack of service : he took with 
 him the Rev. Krishna Mohana Banerjea — 
 whom I ordained in June 1837 ; and he found 
 there the Rev. J. J. Weitbrecht and the Rev. T. 
 Sandvs of Burdwan and Mirzapore, who had 
 been attracted by the tidings, and came, with- 
 out concert, to give what aid they could to 
 such a work, at such a moment. 
 
 The Archdeacon informed himself, before he 
 proceeded to the villages, of the origin and 
 history of the sect from which the chief body 
 of inquirers and Christians had sprung. It 
 
33 
 
 appears that they have been about sixty years 
 settled on the banks of the Jelingha. They 
 called themselves “ Kurta Bhoja,” Worshippers 
 of the Creator. They had some connexion with 
 the sect of the Dnrbeshas, or Dervishes, supposed 
 to abound in Persia. They had a firm notion 
 of one Supreme Being — they rejected, with ab- 
 horrence, all idolatry — they held very slightly, 
 if at all, by caste — they considered the test of 
 proselytism, not eating, but uniting in prayer 
 to the one true God. They thought, also, that 
 the Deity was to appear, or had appeared, in 
 human form. The persecution which they 
 endured seemed to argue the importance which 
 they attached to their creed, and their sincerity 
 in following it. Mr. Deerr thinks it will be 
 found that some early Christian Missionary 
 had visited them, the tradition of whose in- 
 structions had come down to the present gene- 
 ration. More light will be cast on their history, 
 doubtless, by further inquiry. To the grace 
 of God only must we ascribe the faith which 
 receives Christianity aright ; as is evident from 
 the bitterness of Islamism, with all its fine 
 theory of the Unity of the Divine Being. 
 
 On reaching the first field of labour, the 
 Archdeacon, assisted by his Brethren, pro- 
 ceeded to examine the Candidates for Baptism 
 — about 160 were placed in rows — at the vil- 
 
 D 
 
lage of Anunda Bas. Their replies were most 
 affecting. They evidently showed an acquaint- 
 ance generally with the lost estate and sinful 
 nature of man — with the incarnation and holy 
 life of our Lord Jesus Christ — with His atone- 
 ment — with the doctrines of justification and 
 sanctification, in their substantia] import — and 
 with the necessity and duty of following His 
 example. Jesus Christ was the beginning and 
 end of their religion. Prayer to Him was the 
 test of discipleship. The moment any one fell 
 down and called on the Name of the Lord 
 Jesus — the Society will recognise again the 
 Apostolic Faith — he was gathered into their 
 number. They appeared, in short, so far as 
 could be judged, under the influence of the 
 grace of God. They had learned the Ten Com- 
 mandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Creed, 
 together with Dr. Watts’s First Catechism. 
 They knew that the Son of God appeared in 
 human form, and died to save them — that 
 there is salvation in Him, and in no other — 
 that to believe in Him is the way to obtain 
 this salvation — that nothing can be done with- 
 out the Holy Spirit’s influence — that there will 
 be a resurrection of the dead, a final Judgment- 
 day, a reward for the righteous, and punish- 
 ments for the wicked. It appeared further, so 
 far as could be ascertained, that they were 
 
3,3 
 
 willing to forsake all for Christ, and endure 
 whatever persecutions might come upon them : 
 nor could the Archdeacon and our friends dis- 
 cover that they were influenced by temporal 
 motives, except so far as godliness, having the 
 promise of this life, inseparably brings them 
 with it. The inundation may have given an 
 impulse to some; and time will show further 
 to what extent this has gone : but the greater 
 part had professed to be inquirers after Chris- 
 tianity, and numbers of them had been baptized, 
 in 1837 and 1838, a year or two before the in- 
 undation occurred. 
 
 The result was, that the Archdeacon said to 
 the Rev. Missionaries, Can any forbid water, 
 that these shoidd not be baptized, who have re- 
 ceived the Holy Ghost, in His sanctifying in- 
 fluences, as well as we? And, upon their 
 unanimous opinion, holy baptism was admini- 
 stered according to the forms of our Church ; 
 first to the 160 then assembled ; and then, at 
 three other villages, after like examinations, to 
 about 380 or 400 more. These, together with 
 the little companies which had been received 
 into the Church in 1837 and 1838, may amount, 
 including children, to nearly 1000. About 1500 
 or 2000 more lay so far distant, that it was 
 impossible to visit them at that time. Messrs- 
 Sandys, Weitbrecht, and Mohana Banerjea.how- 
 d2 
 
36 
 
 ever, went to several villages ; and found the 
 same eagerness for instruction, but far less at- 
 tainments in Christian Knowledge : they were 
 inquirers only. Those baptized were catechu- 
 mens — most of them for more than a year — 
 under the instructions of Mr. Deerr and his 
 Native Catechists and Assistants. The rest 
 are in earlier stages. 
 
 But enough, My Lord, of these details, into 
 which many errors may have crept. You shall 
 have more accurate particulars, as soon as we 
 can ascertain them. I am sure, however, that 
 you will partake of the joy and gratitude to 
 Almighty God, which filled every heart at the 
 Corresponding Committee Meeting at Calcutta, 
 as the narrative was given, partly from Mr. 
 Deerr’s Letter to myself, and partly from the 
 notes made on the spot by the Venerable Arch- 
 deacon. Solemn acts of praise were devoutly 
 offered up ; and it was determined to strain 
 every nerve to meet the Divine Goodness, and 
 to cultivate the opening fields of usefulness. 
 Mr. Alexander, a Catechist at Kislina, had al- 
 ready been removed to Kishnaghur. Mr. Weit- 
 brecht had promised two Catechists ; Mr. Sandys 
 two others. I proffered the first-fruits of my 
 Begum Sumroo’s Fund at Bishop s College — a 
 very pious Native, Brijonauth Ghose. There 
 were already one Schoolmaster, two Catechists, 
 
37 
 
 ;ind five incipient Catechists, with Mr. Deerr. 
 The whole instant body of Teachers would thus 
 be, (1) one Missionary, Mr. Deerr; (2) one 
 English Catechist — whom the Committee soli- 
 cited me to admit as a Candidate for Holy 
 Orders — Mr. Alexander ; (3) and eleven or 
 twelve Native Catechists : but what are these 
 among so many ? — fifty-five or sixty villages — 
 3000 inquiring souls — a population all around 
 pressing to hear the Word of God — flocks, up- 
 ward of 1000 already baptized — distances of fifty 
 or sixty miles on the east, thirty-six on the 
 north, and eighteen on the west of Kishnaghur 
 to be traversed 1 Such circumstances demand 
 at least three European Missionary Clergymen, 
 three Schoolmasters, and thirty Catechists ; and 
 these are little enough for the effective work 
 before them. 
 
 But before I venture to suggest any parti- 
 cular measures with reference to these urgent 
 demands, your Lordship will rejoice to hear a 
 few particulars concerning the general state of 
 your Missions, and Corresponding Committee, 
 in my division of your evangelical labours in 
 India — the diocese of Calcutta. 
 
 I have now been acquainted intimately with 
 all your Missions, and most of your Missionaries 
 — I believe I may say nearly all — for between 
 six and seven years ; nor can I conceive of any 
 
Clergy more admirably adapted, as a body, for 
 their sacred work than they are. With a diffe- 
 rence of talent and cast of mind, I know of no 
 difference in point of simplicity, of piety, zeal, 
 love for souls, disinterestedness, diligent labour, 
 affection for each other, attachment to the Na- 
 tives, prudence, fortitude and resignation under 
 a thousand privations. They are, indeed, men 
 of God. 
 
 In addition to this substratum of good in 
 your Missionaries, the first rough preparation 
 work is now, after twenty years, a good deal 
 got through — the buildings, compounds, insti- 
 tutions, schools, chapels, are erected — the im- 
 pression on the vast native population around, 
 as at Burdwan and Benares, is beginning to be 
 acknowledged — the European Gentry’s igno- 
 rance or prejudices are subdued — the Magis- 
 trate’s friendly, but righteous aid, is experienced 
 — the translation and circulation of the Scrip- 
 tures, with the munificent aid of the British 
 and Foreign Bible Society, is advanced — the 
 communication of the Christian Doctrine, by 
 the means of their children at our Schools, to 
 their parents, and also by the conferences held 
 in the bazaars, as well as by the direct preach- 
 ing of the Gospel, is in full train — some, yea, 
 many souls, I may say, have been added to the 
 Lord , also, of such as shall be saved. 
 
Another important feature is, the Orphan 
 Asylums, in which the most remarkable success 
 of Mrs. Wilson has led the way, and which have 
 been nourished by the necessities created in 
 the famine-stricken provinces : these are pre- 
 paring a body of intelligent Native Christians 
 for the next age ; are furnishing a specimen of 
 the Native Female, when trained and educated 
 in the Christian Faith : and are breaking down 
 the barriers of caste, with a mighty but imper- 
 ceptible inroad. 
 
 Thus, all is waiting for similar visitations of 
 mercy with that which has led me to the pre- 
 sent Letter. That very curiosity, that very 
 spirit of inquiry, that very feeling of interest 
 in the subject of Christianity, which is now 
 awakened at Kishnaghur, is what our Brethren 
 are praying and longing for with eager and 
 unceasing anxiety ; and this may serve to show 
 us the immense importance of this spirit of in- 
 quiry, and also the humble thanksgivings we 
 owe to God, for the distinguished mercy. 
 
 Nor is there any thing to prevent similar 
 outbursts, at any given moment, and at any 
 place. Benares, with her 500,000 Brahminical 
 Devotees, may desert the point of the Trident 
 of Shiva, for the Divine Redeemer and His 
 Cross. The city of the Imperial Akhbah (Agra) 
 may quit its gorgeous Tuj for the Christian- 
 
40 
 
 Mission Chapel; and the commencement of 
 grace, begun under the honoured and beloved 
 Bishop Corrie, and apparent in Abdool Messeeh 
 and his flocks for a season, may revive, after so 
 long a decline, under your present Missionaries. 
 
 The importance, therefore, of the events at 
 Kishnaghur, vast as it is in itself — for the value 
 of a single soul who can estimate ? — is elevated 
 much higher by the relative position of your 
 other Missions, and the hopes which they serve 
 to enkindle of the further effusions of the 
 Blessed Spirit. 
 
 The Bishop, while remarking on the 
 insufficiency of Native help, when unsup- 
 ported by European Missionaries, pro- 
 ceeds to observe : — 
 
 But your Lordship will remind me, that I 
 promised to offer such suggestions as occurred 
 to me, for the supply of the immediate demand 
 of help at Kishnaghur. Three European Mis- 
 sionaries, I apprehend, are indispensable. They 
 would soon acquire enough of the language to 
 be of essential benefit. And even their going 
 round frequently to each village, and aiding 
 the Native Catechists, and addressing the flocks 
 for the first twelvemonth, through an Inter- 
 preter, would be of incalculable moment. India 
 hangs upon European intellect, firmness, and 
 
41 
 
 matured piety, under God, for every thing 
 spiritual, abiding, holy, influential. 
 
 From the number of your own noble Youth 
 in England, your Lordship and the Society 
 must look to supply this mighty occasion, which 
 the providence of God has vouchsafed to a 
 thousand, yea, ten thousand prayers, poured 
 out during the nearly forty years of your la- 
 bours as a Missionary Body. 
 
 The thirty or forty Catechists who will still 
 be wanted, God will raise up by degrees. Ex- 
 tinguish all unbelieving fears. His arm is not 
 shortened, that it cannot save, nor His ear heavy, 
 that it cannot hear. The Apostle intimates, 
 that Titus would find, in every one of the hun- 
 dred cities of Crete, men fit to be ordained by 
 him to the Priesthood, or Body of Presbyters 
 or Elders. And if so, then we may hope that, 
 now, initiatory Teachers and Catechists, to re- 
 sound the Name of Jesus in catechetical response, 
 may gradually be found. Novices, “ Neophytes,” 
 they must at first be; and therefore not to 
 be thought of as Candidates for Holy Orders, 
 lest, being lifted up ivith pride, they fall into the 
 condemnation of the devil. In the mean time, 
 the three European Schoolmasters to whom I 
 adverted, if you can be happy enough to meet 
 with suitable persons, will be precious as the 
 gold of Ophir, and Catechists and Schoolmasters 
 
42 
 
 may hereafter purchase to themselves higher 
 degrees in the Church. 
 
 His Lordship then earnestly appeals to 
 the Universities of our land, in the hope 
 that “ they will confer no longer with flesh 
 and blood ” — “ and that England will not 
 desert the conjuncture of grace, now that 
 it seems to have arisen.” His Lordship 
 proceeds : — 
 
 Surely the love of Christ, the zeal of the 
 Gospel, the glory of the Cross, the patience of 
 the Kingdom of God, the self-denial of the 
 Spirit, the right estimate of Eternity, the bright 
 dawn of Prophetic Bliss, the full accomplish- 
 ment of the purposes of Grace, are not all ob- 
 served in England, the glory of the Western 
 world, and the brightest of our Protestant 
 Churches ! Surely the case only needs to be 
 fairly stated, and our petty selfishness and 
 excuses to be dismissed, to ensure the volun- 
 tary offer of an adequate array of Missionary — 
 not Martyrs, but — Labourers ! 
 
 Your Lordship will forgive my warmth. I 
 stand, as it were, the Advocate of 3000 In- 
 quirers before your table, who cannot plead for 
 themselves. I represent before you the teem- 
 ing population around these inquirers and 
 
43 
 
 catechumens, who are waiting, as it were, for 
 the Kingdom of God. Opportunity is the 
 golden spot of time. I may to-morrow be 
 myself silent in the grave. The Society may 
 waL in vain the recurrence of such a glorious 
 opening as this, if the present moment be 
 
 allowed to slip by Thirty years back, 
 
 we had not Delhi : we have now the Indus, and 
 the Punjab, stretching itself in our view. A 
 century since we were unknown in Hindoostan : 
 we are now its masters. To hope to occupy 
 this vast territory is fruitless, unless as we 
 enter vigorously, and joyfully, and with grati- 
 tude to God, the particular doors of utterance, 
 as they unfold their golden hinges before us. 
 
 His Lordship adds, in a Postscript — 
 
 Since writing the above, a Letter is come in 
 from Mr. Alexander, whom I mentioned as 
 recommended to me by the Committee — and 
 most joyfully shall I act on the recommenda- 
 tion — as a Candidate for Deacon’s Orders : it 
 is dated Ranabauda, near Kislmaghur, Feb. 
 • 28 th. He informs us, that a great change of 
 character is perceptible in the converts, in their 
 desire for instruction, their constant attendance 
 on such Means of Grace as they possess, and in 
 the love they bear to each other. Females, 
 who a short time since would not have quitted 
 
44 
 
 their own private apartments, now bring out 
 the rice and vegetables for the Brethren pass- 
 ing by, and overtaken by the night. Travellers, 
 fatigued with a day’s journey, will sit down 
 and sing hymn after hymn, which they have 
 committed to memory. “ It is delightful,” says 
 Mr. Alexander, “ to hear the whole company 
 join in ; and this in a place where ignorance, 
 idolatry, darkness, selfishness, and the destruc- 
 tive precepts of the False Prophet had reigned 
 triumphant. I do trust,” he continues, “that 
 a glorious work of grace has been begun ; but 
 the almost entire want of Teachers is most 
 distressing. The people have no one to in- 
 struct them ; and numbers of enemies are stalk- 
 ing about to and fro, accusing the Christians of 
 having left light for darkness. The fields are 
 white for the harvest, but Labourers there are 
 none scarcely.” 
 
 It is my intention, if Providence should per- 
 mit, to go up to Kishnaghur, and hold a 
 Confirmation for such of the newly baptized as 
 may be of age, and prepared : this will be 
 toward the end of October, on my way to 
 Burdwan, Gorruckpore, Hazeerabagh, Allaha- 
 bad, Meerut, the Hills of Mussoure and Simla, 
 Leodrana,Kurnaul, Delhi, Agra, Bareilly, Cawn- 
 pore, Ghazepore, Dinapore, &c., a circuit of 
 more than 3000 miles, which will occupy me 
 
45 
 
 from Oct. 1839 to March 1841 ; and which [ 
 visited four years since. I need not say, I en- 
 treat your prayers for me. 
 
 The Rev. Frederick Wybrow, Secretary 
 of the Calcutta Corresponding Commit- 
 tee, visited Kishnaghur in May last ; and 
 on the 7th of that month thus records his 
 views of the work of grace : — 
 
 I have just returned from a visit to Kish- 
 naghur, and am able to speak with satisfaction 
 of perhaps nearly three thousand persons, either 
 Christians, or desirous of becoming so. 
 
 I have every hope, from what I learn, that a 
 portion of these are persons really concerned 
 about their souls; but as to the majority, we 
 should speak with some caution. 
 
 Inundations ruined the crops of the people 
 for two seasons ; dreadful distress was the con- 
 sequence. Our warm-hearted and affectionate 
 brother, Mr. Deerr, exerted himself to be of use 
 to the miserable and distressed, and thereby 
 attracted the regard and attachment of many. 
 To these circumstances may be traced, without 
 doubt, the determination of many to attach 
 themselves to the Christian Missionary : and it 
 remains, that, with the most sedulous diligence, 
 he endeavour, in dependence on Divine help, to 
 
46 
 
 instil the Word of Truth into the minds of those 
 whom the providence of God has induced to 
 put themselves under our care. 
 
 The Rev. John J. Weitbrecht, a Missio- 
 nary of the Society in the Burdwan Dis- 
 trict, in the neighbourhood of which Kish- 
 naghur is situated, thus writes concerning 
 the state of the people on the 8th of July 
 last : — 
 
 You will, long before this, have heard the 
 pleasing news of the conversions in the Kish- 
 naghur District. Our Brother Deerr has been 
 highly favoured. I assisted him, in February 
 last, in baptizing some 500 individuals. If the 
 new Congregations can be properly provided 
 with Teachers, they will prosper, I hope, though 
 we must expect that some will fall away. The 
 Kurta Bhojas (worshippers of the Creator) are 
 a very remarkable sect. The Lord appears, by 
 them, to prepare an entrance for the Gospel 
 among the inhabitants of Bengal. The two 
 great pillars upon which the structure of Hin- 
 dooism rests — the worship of idols and caste — 
 are overthrown by them. They are on the 
 increase everywhere. I have found them in 
 many villages of the Burdwan District; and 
 their leader, a very intelligent Brahmin, came 
 
one Lord’s Day to attend Divine Service in our 
 Bengalee Chapel on the Mission premises. He 
 appears well disposed toward Christianity ; and 
 I hope he, with several others, will receive 
 grace to believe in Jesus, and confess His Name 
 before the world. The same individual in- 
 formed me, that the number of their adherents 
 amounts already to upward of 200,000, in va- 
 rious districts of Bengal. They are most nume- 
 rous along the banks of the Hooghly River. 
 
 The deeply - affecting communications 
 relative to this subject were taken into the 
 serious consideration of the Committee ; 
 who immediately resolved to render all 
 the aid in their power to supply the 
 urgent wants of Kishnaghur. One Mis- 
 sionary, the Rev. C. H. Blumhardt, for- 
 merly engaged in the Abyssinian Mission, 
 and then on his way to India, was ap- 
 pointed to this Station. Mr. Blumhardt 
 reached Calcutta in the beginning of Au- 
 gust. Two other Missionaries, who sailed 
 from this country for Calcutta last Fe- 
 bruary — the Rev. Messrs. Lipp and Krauss 
 — would be disposable for Kishnaghur. 
 
 The Bishop, in a Letter dated Calcutta, 
 August 22 , 1839 , remarks — 
 
48 
 
 There will be five European Missionaries at 
 Kishnaghur, when the two, Mr. Lapp and Mr. 
 Krauss, are added to the three now there ; Mr. 
 Deerr, Mr. Alexander — to be ordained in Octo- 
 ber — and Mr. Biumhardt. It is the first Station 
 I hope to visit this winter, in my sixteen 
 months’ tour; and then I hope to write to the 
 Society more at length. The nurture of this 
 young plantation lies nearer my heart than any 
 other thing in India : First, Because it is the 
 Juncture : Secondly, It seems to be the Lord’s 
 doing, peculiarly : and, Thirdly, Past experience 
 teaches us, that without assiduous culture all 
 will soon fade. How this is, I cannot say ; but 
 so it is, most undoubtedly. I suppose it is a 
 part of the grand system of Means, on which 
 God is pleased to make us dependent. 
 
 Our Readers will, we doubt not, feel 
 the duty of uniting in earnest prayer for 
 the Divine Blessing on the Bishop and 
 these Missionary Labourers, that the Lord 
 would be pleased to give success to their 
 exertions, and enable them to collect, and 
 to build up, a people to the glory of His 
 great Name in the midst of the gross dark- 
 ness which still envelopes India. 
 
 Church Missionary House, 
 
 Nov. 1, 1839. 
 
PROGRESS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 RELIGIOUS AWAKENING 
 
 KISHNAGHUR, 
 
 A STATION OF THE 
 
 ©fjuttt) jHfU00tonari> Society, 
 
 NEAR CALCUTTA. 
 
 STATED IN A SECOND LETTER FROM THE LORD BISHOP OF 
 CALCUTTA TO THE EARL OF CHICHESTER. 
 
RELIGIOUS AWAKENING 
 
 AT 
 
 KISHNAGHUR. 
 
 In May last, the Committee of the Church 
 Missionary Society received intelligence 
 of a remarkable religious awakening at 
 Kishnaghur, a Station of the Society sixty- 
 two miles N. by E. of Calcutta, where the 
 Rev. William J. Deerr, one of its Missiona- 
 ries, had been diligently labouring during 
 several years. The particulars of this 
 awakening, thus communicated, were col- 
 lected by the Ven. Archdeacon Deal try, 
 who went to Kishnaghur in February 1839, 
 for the purpose, at the request of the Bishop 
 of Calcutta, assisted by the Rev. Krishna 
 Mohana Banerjea, a Native Missionary of 
 the Society for the Propagation of the 
 Gospel in Foreign Parts. This deeply 
 interesting information was printed in the 
 Church-Missionary Record for June last ; 
 
and subsequently published as a separate 
 Tract, with such additional particulars as 
 had reached the Committee to the end of 
 October. They have now received a full 
 and detailed Report from the Bishop of 
 Calcutta himself, in a Letter to the Ear] 
 of Chichester, the President of the So- 
 ciety, written from Ruttunpore on the 
 Bhoyrup, near Anunda Bas, twenty-five 
 miles from Kishnaghur, Oct. 30 , 1839 . 
 The Bishop’s visit to Kishnaghur was the 
 commencement of a Visitation of his vast 
 Diocese; which his Lordship calculated 
 would occupy him eighteen months. The 
 Bishop’s visit took place eight months 
 after the Archdeacon’s : consequently, a 
 space of time had elapsed sufficient to 
 test, to a considerable extent, the real 
 character of the work at Kishnaghur. 
 The Bishop’s examination of the state of 
 things there was carried on personally at 
 different points, and made with every 
 practicable degree of caution and circum- 
 spection. The result yielded full satisfac- 
 tion to the Bishop’s mind ; after, as will be 
 seen, making a large allowance for what 
 
may ultimately prove to be unsound, and 
 temporary excitement only. His Lordship 
 has most kindly and considerately commu- 
 nicated, in full detail, to the Society what 
 he saw, the information which he acquired, 
 and the views and suggestions which oc- 
 curred to him, as calculated to put the 
 Committee completely in possession of the 
 state of the Mission, and to guide them in 
 adopting such further measures as may, 
 through the Divine Blessing, be the means 
 of sustaining and extending a work so 
 hopefully begun. 
 
 The information comprised in the Bishop’s 
 Letter is so interesting and important, that 
 the Committee have deemed it advisable, 
 as in the former instance, to lay it before 
 the Members of the Society in a separate 
 Tract. They trust that it may, through 
 the influence of the grace of God, awaken 
 the sympathy, and excite the prayers, of 
 very many; so that His blessing may largely 
 rest on the Missionaries, the Converts, and 
 the surrounding Heathen Population — His 
 word have free course and he glorified — and 
 
54 
 
 a numerous and pure Christian Church be 
 gathered, and consolidated, to the praise of 
 the glory of His grace ! 
 
 PRELIMINARY REMARKS. 
 
 Bhoyrup, near Kishnaghur, Oct. 30 , 1839 . 
 
 I have now been twelve days in the midst of 
 the Mission Villages of this Station, accom- 
 panied by my Chaplain, the Rev. John Henry 
 Pratt ; and have been examining, to the very 
 best of my power, the mighty work which 
 has been for these two years going on : a work 
 it is — and a great one I cannot doubt — a work 
 of the Lord Jesus — of the same character as 
 that for which St. Paul gave thanks without 
 ceasing, on account of the Philippian Converts; 
 Being confident of this very thing , that He 
 which had begun a good worlc in them would 
 perform it until the day of Jesus Christ — a 
 work, at the same time, requiring all the cau- 
 tion, fear, distrust, discipline, incessant nurture, 
 which the Churches in the Apostolic times de- 
 manded, and without which the fairest prospects 
 have been found, in every subsequent age, to 
 fade and disappear; but a work calling for joy, 
 gratitude, adoration to the God of all grace, 
 and which may possibly issue in the awakening 
 of the whole body of the Kurta-Bhojas to that 
 inquiry after the Gospel which has already 
 
commenced, and bring 100,000 souls within the 
 boundaries of the Christian Church. 
 
 When I last wrote to your Lordship, in 
 February, I mentioned my design of beginning 
 this winter’s branch of my Second Visitation by 
 coming to Kishnaghur. We arrived here on 
 Saturday the 19th instant; and the accidental 
 delay of the steamer, which was to have met us 
 at Moorshedabad, has given us a week’s addi- 
 tional opportunity for observation. The pro- 
 gress of things generally, since the Archdeacon’s 
 Report in February, has been most encourag- 
 ing. Seventeen new villages have welcomed 
 the Christian Instructors. The number of those 
 who are asking the way to the Heavenly City 
 is now above 4000. The number baptized is, 
 including those of which I shall presently give 
 some account, between 1000 and 1100. The 
 demand for Teachers stretches over an extent of 
 SO miles — from Hooghly to the Jelingha; and 
 a family of seven Gooroos, who have had many 
 thousands — perhaps 8000 or 9000 — under their 
 direction, as spiritual guides, have embraced 
 the Gospel, and placed themselves among the 
 catechumens of the Missionaries. Nor does 
 there seem, at present, any given limit to the 
 flowing tide : the current is widening and 
 deepening daily on all hands ; and, I confess, I 
 stand astonished and overwhelmed with the 
 
56 
 
 goodness and grace of God in Chri3t Jesus ! 
 “ One day spent as yesterday was,” in the Vil- 
 lage of Joy (Anunda Bas), is worth — as my 
 honoured predecessor. Bishop Heber, said a 
 Trichinopoly in 1826 — “years of ordinary life.” 
 I find it difficult, indeed, to sober down my 
 mind to that cool and discriminating point of 
 judgment, which I know I ought to do, in esti- 
 mating the real good likely to be effected. 
 But I will do my best to moderate my feelings ; 
 and your Lordship and the Society will still 
 deduct from my statements whatever you may 
 think needful or safe. We are in a world of 
 sin and temptation : we have an active, power- 
 ful adversary. The human heart is deceitful : 
 appearances are treacherous. Popular move- 
 ments of any kind draw in numbers of ill- 
 informed followers. The habits of Heathen 
 Society soon steal behind the Christian In- 
 quirer, and entangle him in the old ambush. 
 The result of real conversions, even at home, 
 and in our largest parishes, and where crowded 
 congregations in every quarter promise abun- 
 dant fruit, is comparatively small — what, then, 
 are the allowances to be made for our feeble 
 flocks in Pagan India P Still, the work of grace 
 is, I am persuaded, begun in this Station; 
 and these indications of the Spirit of God 
 moving, as it were, on the face of the waters 
 
57 
 
 are causes of admiration, hope, and praise. 
 Such beginnings of things indeed may, and 
 will to a certain extent, fail ; but without 
 these beginnings all would remain fixed in 
 death-like sleep. And these very beginnings 
 are what prophets and kings have desired to 
 see, and have not seen them — if I may allude 
 to our Lord’s language, with humble reverence, 
 on such a theme. 
 
 In my further remarks, I do not know that I 
 can pursue a better course, than first to give 
 your Lordship a sketch of my proceedings since 
 I have been in the Station. I will then offer 
 such information as I have obtained, on the 
 origin and preparatory steps of this great 
 movement. The prospects and chief dangers of 
 the Mission will next occupy a few lines. 
 
 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BISHOP AT KISHNAGHUR. 
 
 I. On our arrival at Kishnaghur, the first 
 tidings which greeted us was the extraordinary 
 fact of two or three Gooroos having come over 
 to the faith of Christ. These were afterward 
 stated to be seven. One had been for many 
 years in a Christian School at Burdwan. They 
 are all of one family, about two days’ journey 
 from Kishnaghur ; and appear, so far as can lie 
 judged, to be sincere in their inquiries — for 
 they are inquirers only. They said to Mr. 
 
58 
 
 Deerr, “We hear you have the true doctrine — we 
 are seeking truth. We are Kurta-Bhojas — we 
 hope by devotions to obtain a sight of God, and, 
 through that sight, salvation. We know there is 
 only one God, the Creator of all. We know that 
 without sacrifice there is no salvation. Put 
 us under instruction. We renounce Hindoo- 
 ism — we give up caste — we wish to be Christian 
 Disciples.” To these Inquirers, Mr. Deerr 
 began at the same place, so to speak, and 
 preached unto them Jesus. He declared the 
 mystery of godliness : he presented to them 
 the doctrine of God manifest in the flesh. They 
 were struck with this sight of God — this ap- 
 pearance in the flesh. They are now under in- 
 fraction. What will be the result, time will show- 
 But the first step is of the greatest moment. 
 They cannot retreat. They have given up 
 Hindooism : reproach, difficulty, persecution 
 they must now encounter. This they know. 
 Nor is there one earthly inducement for these 
 Leaders to embrace the Gospel. They lose a 
 large income, collected annually from perhaps 
 8000 or 9000 disciples. They have nothing to 
 gain, but spiritual riches in the knowledge of 
 Christ. The Society will be careful to observe 
 that the conversion of these Gooroos cannot yet 
 be affirmed — much less any movement whatever 
 among their followers. But there is every reason 
 
59 
 
 to hope that some of the seven will stand theii 
 ground ; and that, ultimately, some thousands 
 of their people may give in their names to the 
 Lord. 
 
 The next information we received, was, that 
 the statements published in consequence of 
 the Archdeacon’s visit in February had by no 
 means been overcharged — that the flocks were 
 generally conducting themselves well — that as 
 few relapses had taken place as could have been 
 expected, and as few instances of gross mis 
 conduct — that an evident improvement in the 
 morals, family order, conduct in civil society, 
 submission under injuries, diligence, and ho- 
 nesty, was observable, with some exceptions — 
 that the money borrowed for seed-corn, after 
 the total desolation of the inundated river, 5000 
 Company’s rupees, was now being repaid — that 
 the increase of inquirers had been steady, and, 
 as nearly as possible, at the same ratio before 
 the inundation, during it, and after its effects 
 had passed. To this particular I beg your 
 Lordship’s attention: it is decisive, and most 
 important. We learned, further, that seventeen 
 villages had joined the flocks of catechumens 
 since the Archdeacon’s visit ; and that mes 
 sengers were continually arriving, from forty 
 to sixty miles’ distance, to beg for instruction — 
 that one or two villages having failed to obtain 
 
GO 
 
 Teachers, had sent on to Berhampore, to the 
 Missionaries of the London Society, but had 
 been very properly referred back to their own 
 Pastors— that the number of baptized persons 
 was nearly 700; probably, with their infant 
 families, 1000, or more — that more Candidates 
 were in a state of preparation for that Sacra- 
 ment in every quarter — that nearly 200 were 
 considered ready for Confirmation — that ten 
 Chapels had been built, of mud and bamboo, 
 with open verandahs, costing about 100 Com- 
 pany’s rupees each, and capable of standing ten 
 or twenty years with care — that there were 
 twenty Catechists employed, of various abili- 
 ties, but not vei*y satisfactory persons : indeed, 
 the character of the Native Teachers is too 
 often dubious in the extreme — that the Rev. 
 C. H. Blumhardt had arrived, and was applying 
 himself to learning the language — that the Rev. 
 Messrs. Krauss and Lipp were expected : they 
 arrived on Monday the 21st, and were directed 
 by the Committee to plant themselves in Solo, 
 and in some other centrical spot, with the Rev. 
 A. Alexander and Catechist Rozario, for the 
 same purpose — that their grand wants were, 
 (1) Catechists of really solid piety and cha- 
 racter, (2) Houses for the Missionaries, (3) 
 Schools for Christian Children, (4) Chapels 
 in the larger neighbourhoods — that then, as 
 
61 
 
 the three newly-arrived Missionary Brethren 
 acquired the Bengalee (two years for a tole- 
 rable, and five for a competent knowledge, will, 
 alas ! be necessary ; but much may be done 
 earlier, in a variety of subsidiary labours) all 
 would proceed well — and, finally, that an Auxi- 
 liary Local Society had been formed, to aid the 
 Calcutta Corresponding Committee, and were 
 about to circulate an appeal to the different 
 Stations for help : 600 or 700 Company’s ru- 
 
 pees had already been sent there, from friends 
 in the army of the Indus ; and 2500 Company’s 
 rupees had been collected at a Fancy Sale at 
 Calcutta for Female Schools. — With this cheer- 
 ing information we set forth. 
 
 It was on Saturday the 19th of October that 
 we arrived at Kislmaghur ; and on Monday, the 
 first assemblage from the nearest villages took 
 place there, in the Church-Missionary Boys’ 
 Heathen School : 200, or 300, were present ; 
 and about 40 were admitted to Confirmation, 
 after two hours as close examination as I could 
 institute. Mr. Deerr, however, was ill with 
 fever : his health is much shaken, and he could 
 in no way leave his couch ; and I had no compe- 
 tent interpreter, so that I was unable to learn all 
 which I could have wished : it was a blessed si^ht, 
 notwithstanding. Most of the men had been 
 KurtaBhojas of the Mahomedan class : many 
 
62 
 
 were advanced in life, with fine Mussulman fea- 
 tures, black flowing beards, and eyes brightening 
 as questions were proposed. I looked at them 
 again and again with indescribable affection; 
 and said to myself, as Dr. Buchanan, when on 
 a visit to the Syrian Churches, “ Can these be 
 Children of Abraham ?” I was strongly re- 
 minded, also, of the scenes which I had witnessed 
 near Calcutta, in the Janjera and Barripore Mis- 
 sions of the Venerable the Incorporated Society. 
 There was the same fervour in responses ; the 
 same simplicity of faith ; the same occasional 
 point and acuteness in their replies, which had 
 made me almost start from my chair at that 
 time. 
 
 EXAMINATION OF THE PEOPLE, AND ADMINISTRATION OF 
 CONFIRMATION AND BAPTISM. 
 
 On Tuesday the 22d we proceeded to Solo, 
 twenty-two miles. As I entered the first Mis- 
 sion Bungalow erected in this New Mission, 
 where a desolate wilderness stretched two years 
 before, I paused, to give thanks to God, and 
 adore His providence and grace. We bowed our 
 knees as soon as we met — the Rev. Mr. Alex- 
 ander, whom I had ordained Deacon the pre- 
 ceding Friday, Mr. Pratt, Mr. Rozario, and 
 myself — to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 of whom the whole family in heaven and earth 
 
63 
 
 is named , that He would strengthen us by His 
 Spirit in the inner man, and enable us to rise 
 up, by the boundless love of Christ, to all the 
 fulness of God. After breakfast, a large con- 
 course filled every part of the chief room — 
 36 feet by 18 : there must have been more than 
 150 . Morning Prayers in Bengalee were read ; 
 and I preached from Acts xiv. 22 : Confirming 
 the souls of the disciples ; and exhorting them to 
 continue in the faith, and that we must through 
 much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. 
 Such an audience I had never addressed before 
 in Bengal. In the South, at Tanjore, in 1834 - 35 , 
 I had. My heart leapt within me for joy. 
 The examination which followed was entirely 
 satisfactory ; as Mr. Alexander has been twenty- 
 one years in the country, and twelve years in 
 the Society’s service, and was a perfect Inter- 
 preter. I especially addressed the Candidates 
 for Confirmation ; and told them, that as they 
 had stood firm for eight or nine months — and 
 had testified this, so far as I could learn, by their 
 spirit and conduct — I was now about to inquire 
 of them whether they would confirm and ratify 
 the vows of their baptism publicly before the 
 Church ; and that if they were ready to do it, I 
 would, after the example of the Apostles, lay 
 my hands upon them, and implore the grace of 
 the Holy Ghost — that they would then, by 
 
64 
 
 renewed bonds, be dedicated to the Lord — and 
 that assuredly He, who had promised His Holy 
 Spirit to them that ask Him, would not withhold 
 that blessing, when solemnly and humbly sought 
 for on so great an occasion. I confirmed 
 twenty-seven. The Holy Communion was then 
 administered, for the first time, at Solo, to the 
 Missionaries only ; as we thought it safer not 
 to admit even those confirmed to these blessed 
 mysteries till they should be further instructed. 
 Indeed, I may assure your Lordship and the 
 Society that I have endeavoured to err on the 
 side of caution, rather than of precipitancy, in 
 our proceedings. There are about twenty vil- 
 lages in Mr. Alexander s District around Solo ; 
 and a friend in Calcutta is designing to erect, 
 at his own expense, as we understand, a suitable 
 Chapel, with solid walls, to contain 500 or 600 
 persons, at a cost of 3000 Company’s rupees. 
 
 On our return to Kishnaghur on Thursday, 
 we found that the delay of the steamer would 
 allow us a few more days; and we instantly 
 formed a plan for visiting Anunda Bas and 
 Ranobunda, where many candidates for Bap- 
 tism, as well as Confirmation, were anxiously 
 awaiting us. On Monday the 28th, accordingly, 
 we reached Ruttunpore, where I began this 
 Letter ; and on Tuesday celebrated Divine 
 Service at Anunda Bas — so termed from the 
 
G5 
 
 beauty of its site — about two miles from the 
 little river Bhoyrup, which flows gently, like 
 the waters of Siloah, and blesses, instead of 
 desolating, like the Jelingha, the lands which 
 it inundates. Here a crowd of 500 filled 
 the Missionary Chapel ; with verandah and 
 tent-cloths extended beyond, to defend them 
 from the sun. There were 150 or 160 Candi- 
 dates for Baptism, ^approved by Mr. Deerr — 
 who had now risen from his sickness, and was, 
 for the first time, with us ; and upward of 100 
 Candidates for Confirmation, of those baptized 
 in February by Archdeacon Dealtry : the rest, 
 to the number of 250 or more, were Cate- 
 chumens and Heathen. The Service lasted 
 about three hours, in an atmosphere inex- 
 pressibly hot ; and we were pressed on all 
 sides with human faces. I began, therefore, 
 with the examination for- Baptism. The Can- 
 didates were arranged in rows. — “ Are you sin- 
 ners?” “Yes, we are all sinners,” was re- 
 sounded from one end of the Chapel to the 
 other. — “ How are you to obtain forgiveness ? " 
 “ By the sacrifice of Christ,” re-echoed the crowd. 
 — “Who is Christ?” “The only Son of God ? ” — 
 “What do you mean by His sacrifice?” “We 
 were sinners, and deserved God’s wrath ; and 
 Christ bore that wrath in the stead of us,” 
 shouted some. — “ He suffered in our place,” 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 cried other voices. — I pause, to call the Society's 
 attention to this point : the Kurta-Bhojas 
 
 uniformly seize on the doctrine of atonement : 
 they say, “ This is what we have been seeking 
 for.” It seems that their notion of obtaining 
 a sight of God is met by the doctrine of a God 
 Incarnate suffering for man. Thus our Mis- 
 sionaries, like St. Paul, know nothing among 
 their converts but Jesus Christ and Him 
 crucified ; which, though still a stumbling-block 
 to some, and folly to others, is Christ the 
 power of God, and the wisdom of God , to them 
 that are called of all nations and kindreds and 
 tongues and people. But I proceed. — “ How 
 is your heart to be changed, and made holy ? ” 
 “By the Holy Ghost.” — “Why do you desire 
 Baptism ? ” “ To obtain the pardon of our 
 
 sins.” — “ Will you renounce all conformity 
 to idolatry; poojahs, feasts, processions, &c. ? ” 
 “We renounce them all.” — “Will you give up 
 Caste?” “ Yes; we have already.” — “Will you 
 forgive injuries for Christ’s sake?” “Yes.” — - 
 In short, I went over the chief points in the 
 Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Com- 
 mandments, and the other topics in the Cate- 
 chism. I then asked Mr. Deerr how long they 
 had been under instruction. He replied, a year, 
 or more. I inquired if they had been living 
 consistently. He answered, “ Yes.” Upon this, 
 
67 
 
 I begged Mr. Deerr to proceed with the Bap- 
 tismal Service, in Bengalee. When he came to 
 the questions, I paused, and said, “ The Church 
 requires two witnesses for each candidate for 
 adult baptism — will, then, the Baptized Chris- 
 tians present be witnesses for them P ” They 
 shouted that they would. “Will you advise, assist, 
 warn, and strengthen them P ” They answered, 
 “Yes.” The sight now was most touching. 
 The flock already baptized, with keen look, were 
 waiting: to know whether the new candidates 
 would be admitted. I said, “ Then I accept your 
 sponsion.” The Rev. Mr. Pratt and Mr. Alex- 
 ander, with the Catechists presenting the move- 
 able font, then proceeded along the lines of 
 Catechumens, and administered Holy Baptism. 
 I then stood in the midst ; and received them in 
 a body into Christ’s Church, pronouncing, as 
 well as I could, in Bengalee, the prescribed 
 formula. The Rev. Brethren then again went 
 round, and signed them with the sign of the 
 cross, repeating to each the appointed words of 
 signature. It is impossible to conceive the 
 solemnity and joy on every countenance. 
 
 The Baptisms being ended, I explained the 
 nature of Confirmation or Ratifying : and 
 
 having the Candidates before me — above 100 — 
 I asked them if, after eight or nine months, 
 they were ready to stand to their baptismal 
 f 2 
 
6S 
 
 engagements ; or if, on the contrary, they 
 repented of their vows. They shouted with 
 thrilling energy, “No, we do not repent: we 
 stand to our baptismal dedication.” I in- 
 quired whether they w T ere prepared to go on, 
 under the banner of Christ, to their lives’ end, 
 whatever they might be called to do, or to 
 suffer. They replied, “ Yes.” I asked, in what 
 way they hoped to do so. “ In the strength of 
 Christ,” was the shout of answer, almost in the 
 words of the Apostle : for all our doctrine in 
 these Missions is simple, apostolic, old-fashioned 
 truth; without superstition on the one hand, 
 and without fanaticism or neglect of means on 
 the other. When the Confirmation was over, I 
 addressed a brief exhortation : — “ Your village 
 never deserved the name of Anunda Bas till 
 these days of the Son of Man : it is now The 
 Abode of Joy. Three kinds of joy are in it — joy 
 in the tidings of a Saviour, as the angels sang — 
 joy in your hearts, by this Saviour being born 
 and formed within you, as the Apostle speaks — 
 and joy in heaven, over many sinners who 
 have repented. You, who are Confirmed, have 
 now given in your names again as the soldiers 
 of Christ; and the Holy Ghost has been, and 
 will be, communicated to you, in answer to 
 prayer. You who have come to Holy Baptism, 
 repenting and believing, have been “ made 
 
children of God, members of Christ, and in- 
 heritors of the kingdom of Heaven.” You, 
 who are Inquirers and Catechumens, have this 
 day seen in what holy bonds you are to be knit 
 to Christ. You, who are Spectators only, are 
 now invited to examine the evidences of the 
 Christian Faith, and no longer to worship an 
 Unknown God. Let joy fill every heart — the 
 joy of inquiry, the joy of expectation, the joy 
 of Baptism, the joy of Confirmation in Christ, 
 the joy of a Saviour born into the world, the 
 joy of the heart receiving this Saviour, the joy 
 of angels exulting over penitent sinners. There 
 is only one class of persons which causes no 
 joy — the hypocritical — the false-hearted — the 
 backsliding — the obstinate — the impenitent. 
 What joy can there be on the account of these 
 treacherous and rebellious spirits ? None ; 
 except to the Devil, the great Adversary, and 
 his angels ! ” 
 
 The following day, Wednesday the 30th, the 
 same blessed duties were repeated at Rano- 
 bunda; with this difference, that the Candidates 
 for Baptism were more numerous, about 260 ; 
 and those for Confirmation fewer, 15. But the 
 crowd, the attendant inquirers, the Heathen, 
 the eager answers of the examined Candidates, 
 &c. were the same. I can truly say that I never 
 was so penetrated with the beauty of our Litur- 
 
70 
 
 gical Offices for Baptism and Confirmation, as 
 during these visits. The prayers and thanks- 
 givings of the first, the imposition of hands and 
 invoking of the Holy Ghost of the second, were 
 appropriate indeed ! The one was the sign and 
 seal and first day, in the eye of the Church, of 
 the heavenly birth ; the other was the descent 
 of the strengthening grace of Christ upon the 
 new-born Christian Converts — all was simple, 
 sublime, scriptural. 
 
 We returned on Thursday to Kishnaghur, 
 and welcomed Messrs. Krauss and Lipp from 
 Calcutta; and, in the evening, laid the first 
 foundation of the Boys’ sleeping apartments ; to 
 be succeeded, as we hope, by houses for the 
 Missionaries and Girls’ Schools, and appro- 
 priate buildings for commencing Christian Edu- 
 cation vigorously, as the Mission proceeds. On 
 Friday I spent several hours with the four Bre- 
 thren, consoling, advising, admonishing, exhort- 
 ing, to the best of my power. The number 
 of Baptisms was above 400 ; and of Can- 
 didates for Confirmation, 182 , or a few more. 
 The Baptisms, added to the 000 or 700 previous, 
 raises the whole number to between 1000 and 
 1100, and, with the families, many more ; while 
 the Confirmation of nearly 200 , out of 650 or 
 700 , is a very high proportion, considering how 
 many children were among those baptized. 
 
71 
 
 It is a pleasing fact, that a little subscription 
 was begun here on Sunday, in this small Sta- 
 tion of fifty or sixty persons ; and the subscrip- 
 tion paper shows already between 500 and 600 
 Company’s rupees. 
 
 ORIGIN AND PREPARATORY STEPS OF THE AWAKENING. 
 
 II. But your Lordship will remind me, that 
 I promised to give such information as I had 
 obtained, of the origin and preparatory steps of 
 this great movement. 
 
 1. The principal means is, I have no doubt, 
 the holy and devoted Mr. Deerr’s characteristic 
 preaching of Christ Jesus, in intelligible and 
 fervent Bengalee Addresses, sustained by his 
 benevolent and disinterested life. A person 
 more thoroughly a Missionary I never saw. 
 He is like Schwartz, in simplicity of mind, dis- 
 regard of self, incessant labour, and love to 
 Christ and the souls of men. He lives and 
 thinks of nothing else ; however much he may 
 fall short of Schwartz in the wisdom, tact, and 
 management of the human mind, which di- 
 stinguished that illustrious Missionary. I am 
 speaking only of means : God alone, in His 
 grace, is the Author of all that is truly good. I 
 was not aware till I made the inquiry, that 
 Mr. Deerr, with three or four Catechists, had 
 preached daily, for the space of two years, in the 
 
72 
 
 Bazaar of Kishnaghur: so that — not all Asia, 
 but — all the Zillah of Kishnaghur, had heard the 
 Word of the Lord Jesus. The impression made 
 was testified by the fierce opposition which he 
 met with, the contradiction, the violent assaults, 
 the gross abuse, so that his life was at times in 
 danger. Arguments were sometimes entered 
 on by the crowd of 200 , 300 , or 400 persons; 
 and there were often three or four speakers. 
 This was in the course of 1835 and 1836 , after 
 his return from Europe. The converts who 
 have since been made, Kurta-Bhojas and others, 
 had thus heard, most of them repeatedly, the 
 mystery of the Gospel, and many of them the 
 arguments which had been held ; for the vil- 
 lagers throughout the Zillah are continually 
 coming up to the Courts of Kishnaghur, or for 
 other business. 
 
 2. In the next place, the secret preparatory 
 work in the minds of the Kurta-Bhojas joined 
 in upon, and aided, this bold preaching of the 
 sacrifice of Christ, just as the devout and 
 honourable ivoman in the Acts of the Apostles 
 — Lydia, for example, whose heart the Lord 
 opened ; as I trust He has, and will, many of 
 these. Their history I cannot fully develope : 
 time will reveal the whole. So far as I can 
 learn, (1) their name means, Worshippers of 
 the Creator. (2) They spring from both Hin- 
 
73 
 
 doos and Mahomedans. (3) They have been, like 
 the innumerable other subdivisions in Hindoo- 
 stan, very much unknown, and not often dis- 
 turbed by their neighbours ; for Paganism 
 tolerates all religions but the true. (4) They 
 have a tradition that they came from the West; 
 and indeed some of the older men are Rajpoots, 
 manifestly, by descent. The Bengalee is quite 
 a different person. (5) Many among them date 
 their rise from one Baboo Doolal, a Gwalior — 
 Milkman Caste — in Ghoorpara near Hooghly, 
 forty or fifty years since. Probably many 
 eminent leaders have appeared in different 
 places. (6) Their chief peculiarities are, (a) 
 They reject all idolatry. ( b ) They acknowledge 
 neither Koran nor Vedas, (c) They worship 
 one God, the Creator of all things, (d) They 
 perform their devotions in the night ; when they 
 eat and drink together, and sing hymns or 
 poems of a religious character. This reminds 
 me of Pliny’s language respecting the first 
 Christians, (e) They conform in the day to 
 the Hindooism or Islamism of their families, 
 i.e. they live as Hindoos or Mussulmans from 
 cowardice, and not having hold of enough truth. 
 (/) They profess to seek, by devotion, that God 
 would give them eyes to obtain a sight of Him- 
 self, and, through that sight, salvation. ( g ) They 
 have an expectation that God would become 
 
74 
 
 incarnate and visible to their bodily eyes. 
 
 ( h ) They have some idea of a Trinity of Persons 
 in the One God, whom they call, [l] Kurta, 
 “ Creator ; ” [2] Tliakoo, “ Son ; ” [3] Moha- 
 prabroh, “ Great Spirit. 11 The Hindoo Mytho- 
 logy, as is known, is full of incarnations, and 
 traces of a Trinity. (7) The Hindoo Kurta- 
 Bhojas were under the guidance of Gooroos, 
 who are themselves of the Kurta-Bhoja Sect, 
 and who used magical incantations, and com- 
 mitted to each disciple a secret word, or muntra, 
 which, if never disclosed, would lead to salva- 
 tion. (8) There are five classes among them, 
 of a civil nature ; only four of which I could, 
 however, learn : [l] “ Bhaoul,” which is thought 
 to be a proper name of some leader : [2] “ Dar- 
 bish, 11 or “ Dervish, 11 which would appear to be of 
 Persian origin : [3] “ Kurta-Bhoja,” which I sup- 
 pose must be a common name of the entire body : 
 [4] “ Sahib Dhunney,” or “ Master of Riches, 1 ' 
 probably secular only, like “ Baboo 11 or “ Ze- 
 mindar.” (9) They are supposed to be 100,000 
 in number, and to be scattered from Hooghly 
 to Benares. 
 
 It was to a village of these people that Mr. 
 Deerr addressed himself, in 1835; and, after a 
 years consideration, received about thirty of 
 them, in 1836, to Baptism, as I stated in my for- 
 mer Letter to your Lordship. I confess this 
 
preparatory work, which was going on so long, 
 gives me a considerable confidence that the 
 whole is, in substance, of God. In fact, if these 
 seven Kurta-Bhoja Gooroos, or two or three of 
 them, turn out sincere believers, it is impossible 
 to say how rapidly the tidings of salvation may 
 extend. The word of the Lord may again run 
 and he glorified, as among the Thessalonians 
 of old, in the length and breadth of India. 
 
 3. I assign further, as a preparatory cause, 
 the instructions of early Missionaries at Se- 
 rampore, Chinsurah, Calcutta, who were accus- 
 tomed forty years since to travel through the 
 Zillah and preach the Gospel. One convert 
 heard the word of the Kingdom at Calcutta 
 twenty years ago. One Gooroo had been in 
 the Burdwan School : others are found to have 
 received ideas of the Gospel through their fa- 
 mily, &c. 
 
 4. The silent distribution of copies of the 
 Holy Scriptures and Religious Tracts have had 
 their share in this blessed machinery : to what 
 extent I do not know ; probably not to a wide 
 extent, as the Zillah is entirely destitute of 
 education. 
 
 5. The chastening hand, again, of the 
 Almighty, in the fearful inundation of 1838, 
 aroused multitudes; whilst the lovely charac- 
 teristics of Christian Charity, beaming forth, as 
 
76 
 
 I mentioned in my former Letter, would tend 
 to win the alarmed sufferers, and draw them 
 by the cords of love and the bands of men. 
 
 6. The power and fame of the British Go- 
 vernment, with an indefinite idea of bettering 
 their condition, would have its weight with 
 almost all. While this motive was prevalent, 
 it would produce, of course, only nominal con- 
 verts ; but some influence of it, I apprehend, 
 has been unavoidable. For fifty years after the 
 battle of Plassey, and during the gradual aggran- 
 disement of the British Power, the Natives 
 thought we had no religion; and indeed the 
 weight of Government was thrown into the 
 scale of Heathenism and Mahomedanism. A 
 Native knew that he should lose its favour, if it 
 were suspected that he had embraced Christia- 
 nity. For the last thirty years, things have gra- 
 dually altered. The connexion with Idolatry has 
 been dissolving. The sentiments and feelings 
 of the Government and of the Services, defec- 
 tive as they now are, have been incomparably 
 improved. The Thirty Churches erecting or 
 erected over India, are in the face of the sun. 
 The new Cathedral at Calcutta is known in 
 every bazaar. As therefore, at the first promul- 
 gation of the Gospel, the Governing Powers 
 were adverse to the new and despised Religion, 
 and this went to depress the doubting inquirer ; 
 
so I conceive it to be inevitable that the Chris- 
 tian character of Britons now must have en- 
 couraged these numerous converts. Nor is this 
 wrong. Kings the nursing fathers, and Queens 
 the nursing mothers of the Church is an ob- 
 ject of prophetic expectation. The general and 
 progressive weakness, also, of the native super- 
 stitions — their decrepitude — the contempt into 
 which they have gradually fallen — the props of 
 secular authority knocked away from under 
 them — science, literature, commerce, jurispru- 
 dence, sapping insensibly their very foundation 
 — must have, doubtless, facilitated the trans- 
 ition to the profession of Christianity on the 
 other hand. 
 
 Indeed, wherefore should we not say, that all 
 the subordinate means which I have enumerated, 
 and many others, have contributed, in “ the ne- 
 ver-failing providence of God, which governs all 
 things in heaven and earth,” to the grand result ? 
 and why should we not trace with gratitude 
 some of the intricacies and combinations of a 
 thousand wheels within wheels in the stately 
 march and triumph of Christ? Were there 
 not such sub-arrangements in the conversion of 
 our own Druidical and Saxon Ancestors in the 
 second and sixth centuries ? Were the first 
 converts of Augustine and his followers un- 
 influenced by the royal example ? Were the 
 
78 
 
 defects of that first age of Christians a barrier 
 to a better class in the succeeding periods ? 
 Or, was the Blessed Reformation less important 
 in its result, because of the mixture of motives 
 in the age and race which first witnessed that 
 glorious revolution in matters of Religion ? 
 
 To God alone, in His grace, we neverthe- 
 less ascribe all the glory of hearts renewed, 
 sins pardoned, souls saved, in all these Euro- 
 pean Movements of old, as in these Oriental 
 now. We guard sedulouslv, indeed, against 
 proposing secular motives, or being satisfied 
 with Nominal Christianity. We aim at the 
 purest and most spiritual and consistent Chris- 
 tian doctrine, experience, and practice. But 
 we thank God for the least real success ; and the 
 least preparatory steps for bringing men under 
 the means of grace, and extracting them from 
 the mire and pitfall of nature's darkness and 
 pollution. 
 
 PROSPECTS AND DANGERS OF THE MISSION. 
 
 III. But I am intrenching, I perceive, on my 
 next topic — The Prospects and chief Dangers of 
 the Mission. 
 
 prospects. — With regard to the prospects, I 
 have learned, now that I am in my eighth year 
 of residence in India, to be much less sanguine 
 than I was ; and yet I must not, and will not, 
 
79 
 
 distrust the grace and power of God. The 
 prospects are, indeed, unbounded. The fields 
 are white for the harvest. The immense Em- 
 pire committed to the greatest of the Protestant 
 Nations, almost by miracle, speaks for itself. 
 Take things at the very lowest, and what a scene 
 still opens before the view from [this Kishna- 
 ghur Mission! (1) There are 4000 souls 
 broken off from the chain of Caste, Idolatry, 
 Superstition, Vice : this is a fact of the last 
 moment. (2) These Inquirers are under direct 
 Christian institution and instruction: all is 
 instinct with the fullest and clearest principles 
 of the Gospel : they are not left to their old 
 incipient notions : they are not taught Kurta- 
 Bhojaism, nor any other ism : they are training 
 in the School of God manifest in the flesh. 
 (3) So many of these Catechumens have ap- 
 peared to manifest a change of heart and the 
 dawning of grace, that 1000 or 1100 have been 
 baptized : I say “ appeared,” for I am taking 
 things at the lowest. (4) After two years, 
 about one-fifth have been judged fit candidates 
 for Confirmation; or, taking the adults only, 
 one-third perhaps. These are still detained, 
 and kept back from the Sacrament of the Lord’s 
 Supper, for more matured instructions and 
 firmer habits of piety. (5) New accessions are 
 made of Inquirers : among the rest, seven 
 
80 
 
 Gooroos, who have been the guides, and are 
 nominally the guides, of thousands — four, five, 
 six, seven, eight, or nine thousand — take the 
 lowest, 4000 disciples. (6) There is no retreat 
 open to Hindooism or Mahomedanism to any 
 of them — they may be apostates — they may be 
 outcasts — they can never be Hindoos, nor Mus- 
 sulmans again. (7) They profess boldly the 
 Name of Christ at their homes, in their villages, 
 and in their circle ; and bear the bitter hatred 
 and reproaches of their neighbours, and the 
 petty injuries of the Zemindars. (8) Five 
 European Missionaries are in the field of la- 
 bour — two, accomplished Bengalee Scholars 
 of experience, standing, and exalted piety — the 
 rest, beginning to become such. (9) All classes 
 of persons bear testimony to the general good 
 conduct of these Inquirers and Converts, so 
 far as they can at present judge — for I still 
 stand on the lowest ground — Judges, Magis- 
 trates, Missionaries — strangers who visit them 
 — the Archdeacon, the Bishop’s Domestic Chap- 
 lain, the Bishop. (10) Every accusation or 
 complaint is examined and sifted to the bottom, 
 with the greatest calmness and perseverance : 
 nothing is passed over. (11) The money lent 
 to the Christians for purchasing seed-corn last 
 spring, to prevent their borrowing funds at 
 100 per cent, from the native money-lenders, is 
 
81 
 
 now being cheerfully repaid. (12) The sect 
 from which most of the converts sprang, rami- 
 fies over a large tract, and is allied by the 
 strongest ties together: and as some of their 
 Gooroos have embraced the Gospel already, 
 many seem not unlikely to listen to the same 
 joyful sound. ( 13 ) The above-named temporal 
 advantages of seed-corn loans may have swayed 
 many, and influenced more ; but those who best 
 know the Hindoos and Mahomedans declare, 
 that such transient and uncertain benefits would 
 never move a single Idolater or Mussulman 
 from his faith. The lacs upon lacs given 
 in charity two years since, to the perish- 
 ing, famine-stricken, population of Western 
 India, and very much through the hands of 
 Missionaries — Mr. Moore, for instance, of our 
 own Society, whose exertions at Agra have 
 been publicly acknowledged by the Go- 
 vernor-General and the Hon. Court of Di- 
 rectors — produced no conversions. The con- 
 stant flow of the Charitable District Societies at 
 Calcutta, Cawnpore, Kurnaul, &c., produces no 
 conversions. False religion sinks far too deeply 
 into the soil for such feeble means to eradi- 
 cate it. 
 
 dangers. — The Prospects, then, of the Mission 
 are most cheering, as l cannot but think. But 
 the dangers are unquestionably imminent: — * 
 
 G 
 
82 
 
 [. From the dawnings of spiritual life and 
 feeling in the converts being so weak. We thank 
 God for this dawn ; but there is at present no 
 strong impressive, mighty movement of grace ; 
 as when the concourse under the sermon of St. 
 Peter were pricked in their hearts, and said unto 
 the Apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we 
 do ? — or as when the Philippian Jailer cried 
 out, Sirs, what must I do to be saved ? 
 
 2. The Inquirers and Converts are an un- 
 educated class : few can, like the Bereans, search 
 the Scriptures daily, whether those things were 
 so. They are feeble in religious feeling ; and 
 dependent on their instructors, like babes. 
 
 3. And this brings me to the principal 
 danger — the long period, comparatively, which 
 must elapse before the frame -work of so ex- 
 tended and extending a Mission can be set up — 
 before the three new Brethren can take their 
 full share of labour— before Catechists can be 
 trained — before Chapels can be built, and 
 School-houses prepared, and Schoolmasters pro- 
 vided. Your other Indian Missions are in 
 readiness — the Mission Houses, Compounds, 
 Schools. Chapels, Farms, Native Villages of 
 Christians : the rough work is got through. At 
 Kishnaghur, all is new and unfurnished. Mr. 
 Deerr was absolutely alone till a few months 
 since ; and there are now seventy and more 
 
83 
 
 villages to watch over, with only himself and 
 Mr. Alexander in a state to labour among them. 
 Nine-tenths of the work stands still of necessity ; 
 and the danger to souls is correspondent, with 
 so subtle an adversary as Satan, and in such a 
 fallen world as this. 
 
 4 . The character of the Native Catechists 
 and Readers augments the peril ; because the 
 mischief, if there be mischief, — and there is — 
 is hidden under-ground, in the way of secret 
 bad example, secret extortion, secret disho- 
 nesty, secret tricks, secret impurity of conduct, 
 secret correspondence with Heathen Zemindars 
 and Oppressors. It is impossible for your 
 Lordship and the Society to understand me in 
 the way which I could w T ish on this subject. 
 My Tanjore Charge, in 1835 , opens many of 
 the methods which I then was informed the 
 Native Catechists too often resorted to. There 
 are tw T enty in the Kishnaghur Mission, and 
 not one can be trusted out of sight — not one 
 — good as they say some of them are. The 
 fickleness of the native character is unaccount- 
 able — its incapacity of withstanding the three- 
 fold temptation of money, pride and con- 
 ceit of station, and abuse of authority. Of 
 course, they cannot but be raised somew'hat, by 
 their talents, acquisitions, station, pay,&c., above 
 the flocks whom they instruct. Pride rushes 
 g 2 
 
in like a flood — self-indulgence — affectation of 
 European Manners : all India leans toward Bri- 
 tish habits — indolence — fine houses, servants, 
 palanquin-travelling. Thus they contract debts ; 
 and dishonesty, treachery, apostacy of heart, 
 inconsistency, follow. It is, I assure your Lord- 
 ship, a perfect mystery to me. But such is the 
 fact : and being such, how indispensable is that 
 order of means, which we know God is pleased 
 to bless, and for which He has instituted His 
 Church and her threefold rank of Ministers, 
 and her Sacraments, and her pastoral func- 
 tions. It is the want of these last, which, as 
 respects the Catechists, renders them too often 
 worse than useless : constant superintendence, 
 the constant presence of the European Mis- 
 sionary, is absolutely required. A Native 
 Ministry will doubtless arise, just as in the 
 Apostolic Churches, and in those of subsequent 
 ages. But prostrate, effeminate India will be 
 long ere her Converts can work alone. Bishop's 
 College, the Calcutta Head Seminary, Vepery, 
 the Bombay Seminary, and others, are of un- 
 speakable importance, and will ultimately, under 
 God’s blessing, fully succeed ; but the present 
 moment is everywhere full of difficulty, disap- 
 pointment, danger ; and Kishnaghur forms no 
 exception to the remark. Every thing shall be 
 done, that can be done, to check the rising mis- 
 
chief. A Native Ministry is one of my grand 
 objects. But the first years must pass in pro- 
 bation : the first series of youth be managed as 
 well as we can : the second, or third, or fourth, 
 must be waited for, and European Agency must 
 fill the long interval. 
 
 5. There is, however, an attendant danger in 
 the very European Missionary, Archdeacon, 
 Bishop, Chaplain, Visitor, going among these 
 flocks ; — the relative distance in civil society 
 is so immense ; and the self-importance swell- 
 ing in the breast of the Native so insidious. 
 The taking of liberties, the presuming on help, 
 the indulging in indolence, are symptoms of 
 this, already showing themselves. 
 
 6. The divisions among Missionaries and dif- 
 ferent bodies of Christians I need scarcely no- 
 tice as a special danger : though it will be aug- 
 mented, as so many as five Brethren are labour- 
 ing in one Station, and as Missionaries of other 
 Societies, not of our Church, are at the neigh- 
 bouring Stations. The inhabitants of some of our 
 villages, taking umbrage at supposed neglect or 
 ill-treatment, have already marched thirty or 
 forty miles, to Berhampore, as I before inti- 
 mated, order to obtain help: and other similar 
 evils may be expected, as things go on. All your 
 sects and novelties at home are re-produced in 
 the unsettled society of India ; and a sore pro- 
 
86 
 
 bation they are to the faithful Ministers and 
 their flocks. But here, the Ecclesiastical Polity, 
 Prayers and Services, of our fixed Protestant 
 Apostolical Church shine out in their full ex- 
 cellency. I have always thought, from the time 
 I first could estimate the fickleness of the 
 native character, and the unsettled religious 
 opinions of our European residents — unsettled 
 almost to confusion — that the Liturgy, Articles, 
 and platform of Spiritual Government of our 
 Church, as established by Cranmer, and under- 
 stood by Nowell and Hooker and her other 
 more distinguished Divines, would be the glory 
 of India, as she has been of Britain. Nor shall 
 any thing be wanting on my part, in submitting 
 to the Authorities at home such modifications 
 of our Canons and Regulations as may appear 
 requisite — slight as, in truth, they will be. 
 
 7. I ought, lastly, to mention, as a source of 
 danger, the state of society in the lower sub- 
 divisions of our population, and their relations 
 to the Zemindars, Darogas ; and generally the 
 Land-owners and Police-officers interposed be- 
 tween themselves and their European Gover- 
 nors. The British Jurisprudence has not yet 
 penetrated deeply below the surface. All is 
 righteous so far as their power extends. Their 
 Courts are open to all. The revenue is fixed 
 and known. Taxes, there are none. Crime is 
 
87 
 
 visited with due punishment. But nineteen- 
 twentieths of the agricultural population dare 
 not complain of the incessant extortions, false 
 accusations, and petty cruelties of the large 
 land-owners and the tribe of native policemen. 
 The possession of a rupee by a Ryot is the 
 prelude of some trick to obtain it. No rents, 
 on the other hand, are paid, but at the last 
 extremity. The native money-lenders at 150 
 per cent., while the Government Securities are 
 at five, first entangle, and then grind the faces of 
 the poor. What is the Christian Ryot to do ? 
 How is he to obey the precepts of Christianity, 
 as exemplified by the conduct of St. Paul when 
 unjustly accused and imprisoned P The danger 
 is inconceivably great. — But I must apologize 
 to your Lordship for these details. 
 
 The Bishop thus concludes his deeply 
 interesting communication : — • 
 
 And now I commend India, and this most 
 affecting scene of opening blessedness at Kish- 
 naghur, to your Lordship’s and the Society’s 
 prayers. Let us honour God in this great 
 emereency, and He will honour us. We stand 
 on the margin of grand operations of Divine 
 Grace. India is moving, from Cape Comorin to 
 the Himalayas, and from the Caspian to the 
 Irrawady. Some knowledge of the Gospel is 
 
88 
 
 more widely diffused than we imagine. An 
 acute observer, in the service of the Nizam of 
 Moorshedabad, observed lately to the Governor 
 General’s Political Agent, — “ I see what you 
 are about. All India will be Christian ; — every 
 thing tends that way ; and though, as an Hin- 
 doo, I cannot assent to Christianity, yet if you 
 can establish your Christian morality among 
 us, I allow it will be a great blessing.” Yes, 
 and we will establish that mystery of God 
 manifest in the flesh, on which only can the 
 superstructure of morals be built, and on which, 
 by the grace of the Holy Ghost, it will assu- 
 redly be raised. 
 
 Such is the state of the Kishnaghur 
 Mission, its Prospects and Dangers, as de- 
 veloped in the comprehensive and discri- 
 minating Letter of the Bishop of Calcutta. 
 The view is cheering and encouraging; 
 calling for devout thankfulness, praise, and 
 prayer. But it calls also for large and 
 prompt aid, both of funds and able Ministers 
 of the New Testament. These the Com- 
 mittee are most solicitous to supply. But 
 the inadequacy of the means, of either kind, 
 at their disposal, renders it impracticable 
 
89 
 
 fully to answer the call. One additional 
 Missionary has just departed for Calcutta, 
 who will probably be added to the Kish- 
 naghur Mission; but how far short does 
 this come of the pressing wants of the 
 Mission ! Large pecuniary aid is also de- 
 manded for buildings, and other contin- 
 gencies, which the financial situation of 
 the Society, and the urgent claims of other 
 Missions, render it difficult to supply. 
 Encouraged, however, by the blessing 
 which has hitherto so largely rested on the 
 Society’s labours, the Committee go for- 
 ward, trusting in the Great Head of the 
 Church for all needful supplies ; and 
 again commend this cheering field of Mis- 
 sionary Effort to the prayers of all those 
 who love our Lord Jesus Cfinst in sincerity. 
 
 Church Missionary House, 
 February 10, 1840. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NEW-ZEALAN J) M ISSION. 
 
 VISIT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 BISHOP OF AUSTRALIA 
 
 TO THE 
 
 arfmrr!) jfHtsssioitan) S»orieti)’0 iHiseion 
 
 NEW ZEALAND: 
 
 AND 
 
 NOTICES OF ITS STATE AND PROGRESS. 
 
BISHOP OF AUSTRALIA’S VISIT. 
 
 T h e point to which, under the Divine 
 Blessing, the operations of the Church 
 Missionary Society in New Zealand had 
 been carried, made the Committee soli- 
 citous to acquire for the Mission the full 
 privileges of a Christian Church, by par- 
 ticipating in the benefits of the exercise 
 of the Episcopal Office. With this view, 
 the Committee, in 1836, entered into com- 
 munication with the Lord Bishop of Au- 
 stralia, for the purpose of engaging his 
 kind offices in furtherance of the object, 
 by a visit to the Mission, at his con- 
 venience. The Bishop fully entered into 
 the views of the Committee, and expressed 
 his readiness to promote them so far as 
 his situation would admit. His Lordship 
 drew a distinction between his Episcopal 
 functions as derived from Christ’s Com- 
 mission, and the authority for exercising 
 
94 
 
 Ecclesiastical jurisdiction derived from the 
 Crown. On this subject the Bishop thus 
 expressed himself, in a Letter to the Com- 
 mittee, dated August 11, 1837: — 
 
 The Corresponding Committee here have 
 made me acquainted with the communications 
 which they have received from the Parent So- 
 ciety, expressive of their desire that I should 
 render to them the friendly office of visiting 
 their Missions in New Zealand ; and I yesterday 
 had from the Rev. W. Cowper, by direction 
 from the Corresponding Committee, a direct 
 application of the same tendency. I am grati- 
 fied to find, that, in proposing to undertake the 
 service in question, I have but anticipated the 
 wishes of the Church Missionary Society, and 
 that their views and my own, with respect to 
 the character under which a Bishop may appear 
 beyond the limits of his own Diocese, are so 
 entirely in accordance. Upon the most atten- 
 tive consideration of the subject, I adhere to 
 the conclusion, that Episcopal jurisdiction can 
 be exercised only over the extent of territory 
 which it may please the King, as Temporal Head 
 of the Church, to appoint for such individual 
 Bishop ; but that Episcopal Offices, such as Con- 
 firmation, the Conferring of Orders, or Con- 
 secration of Churches or Burial-grounds, may 
 
be allowably fulfilled by any Bishop, whereso- 
 ever he shall find a portion of the Church of 
 Christ unprovided for with its own proper 
 superior, by whom these offices should be un- 
 dertaken. 
 
 Circumstances connected with the Au- 
 stralian Diocese delayed the Bishop’s de- 
 parture to New Zealand till December 
 1838. After his Lordship’s return to 
 Sydney, he addressed to the Committee 
 the following interesting communication, 
 in which he fully details his views respect- 
 ing the Mission : — 
 
 Sydney, New South-Wales , 
 Rev. Sir, March 28, 1839. 
 
 Although several weeks have elapsed since 
 my return from my late voyage, in the course 
 of which I fulfilled my long-cherished intention 
 of visiting the Missionary Settlements in New 
 Zealand, the constant occupation which I have 
 since found in discharging the arrears which 
 had accumulated during my absence, and the 
 necessity of keeping up a correspondence with 
 all parts of the Diocese, have hitherto prevented 
 my forwarding that Report of my proceedings 
 which, I am persuaded, the Society will be 
 anxious to receive. 
 
Arrival and Reception at the Bay of Islands. 
 
 I employ my first interval of comparative 
 leisure in acquainting you, for the Society’s in- 
 formation, that I embarked on Wednesday, 
 December 12, 1838, on board H.M. S. “Pelo- 
 rus,” commanded by Capt. Francis Harding; 
 who, at my request, bad obligingly consented 
 to afford me a passage to the various points 
 which I was desirous of visiting. On the fol- 
 lowing day we left this harbour; and on the 
 morning of Friday, 21st December, anchored in 
 the Bay of Islands, having experienced no in- 
 cident worthy of observation during the passage. 
 The Rev. O. Hadfield — whom, on the recom- 
 mendation of the Society, I had, at my late 
 Ordination, admitted to Deacon’s Orders — ac- 
 companied me ; and I was gratified by obser- 
 ving the perceptible benefit which his health had 
 already derived from change of climate. The 
 Rev. R. Maunsell, whose station is at Manukau, 
 to the southward, happened at this time to be 
 at the Bay of Islands, on account of the state of 
 Mrs. Maunsell’s health ; and was so kind as to 
 receive me on my landing, the day following, at 
 the house of the Resident, James Busby, Esq. 
 Several other members of the Mission were 
 also present on the occasion; and I received 
 from all a friendly reception and cordial wel- 
 come, which afforded me great encouragement. 
 
The Rev. Henry Williams, I found, was absent; 
 having undertaken a voyage to the neighbour- 
 hood of East Cape, in the hope of composing 
 some serious differences which had arisen 
 among the tribes there, and of preventing 
 their proceeding to extremities, and thereby 
 alarming or endangering the residents attached 
 to the Missionary Stations in the neighbour- 
 hood of those contests. The Rev. W. Williams 
 came over from Waimate, as soon as the intel- 
 ligence of our arrival reached him. 
 
 Feelings on Ministering in the Cliapel at Pailna 
 On Sunday the 23d, the Captain of the “ Pe- 
 lorus” sent his boat to convey me to the Cliapel 
 at Paihia. It is merely a cottage of unpre- 
 tending appearance ; but not incommodiously 
 fitted up. The very appearance of a place of 
 Christian Worship on those shores was marvel- 
 lous in my eyes, and excited feelings and 
 thoughts of peculiar and earnest interest. There 
 was a degree of repose and quietness in the 
 scene, which seemed to betoken that this was 
 indeed the Sabbath Day: and I am not ashamed 
 of acknowledging myself to be so much under 
 the influence of external objects, as to have felt 
 a calm shed over my mind by the sight of the 
 green turf, and the scent of the sweetbriar 
 hedges which surround this humble temple : 
 
98 
 
 and I took part in the Service, and preached 
 there, much supported by hopes, which I pray 
 to a God of infinite mercy may be realised, on 
 behalf of the hitherto ignorant and barbarous 
 Natives of this land, many of whom attended 
 the Service. 
 
 Fatal Prevalence of Influenza. 
 
 The numbers, however, both of Natives and 
 Europeans, present on this occasion, were con- 
 siderably under the usual average, as I under- 
 stood ; so many being prevented attending as 
 usual by the general prevalence of a disease 
 termed Influenza ; which, when we quitted Port 
 Jackson, was raging in most parts of New 
 South-Wales, and in an equal degree throughout 
 the island of Van Diemen’s Land. Its effect 
 upon the constitution of the Natives in New 
 Zealand appears to exceed in virulence even 
 that to which the Europeans are exposed ; al- 
 though in the families of the Missionaries, and 
 of the English Settlers in general, very great 
 distress and suffering are occasioned by this 
 very prevalent disorder. In every house there 
 were some disabled ; and in some families, 
 every individual was attacked, so as to put a 
 stop to every ordinary domestic proceeding 
 As it affects the Natives, I shall have further 
 observations to offer upon the subject of this 
 disease, before I conclude this Letter. 
 
99 
 
 It will be unnecessary to trouble the Society 
 with a detail of my personal proceedings, fur- 
 ther than by stating, that during my stay in the 
 Bay of Islands, I made excursions to visit the 
 Settlements at Kerikeri and Waimate ; and 
 also to the Kauakaua, where there is a large 
 assemblage of Converted Natives. I officiated 
 again at Paihia on Christmas Day ; which com- 
 pleted the 24th year of the establishment of 
 the Mission ; my venerated friend Mr. Marsden 
 having landed on the 24th December 1814, and 
 preached his first sermon on the beach, on the 
 day following — the festival of the Nativity. 
 Mr. King, who was then present, is still alive, 
 and in the enjoyment of good health ; and re- 
 called that impressive scene with animated 
 recollection. On Sundays 30th December and 
 6th January, I also took part in the Services of 
 the Missionary Chapel ; and on the last of these 
 days, being the day of the Epiphany, and there- 
 fore a most appropriate occasion, I, in the same 
 place, conferred Priest’s Orders on Mr. Had- 
 field. * * * * In the Ordination Service 
 
 I was assisted by the Rev. Henry Williams, 
 who had arrived at home after an absence of 
 two months, the Rev. W. Williams, and the Rev. 
 R. Maunsell. The feelings excited in the minds 
 of all present, on this solemn occasion, were 
 most gratifying; and to themselves, I trust, 
 
100 
 
 would afford permanent benefit. I was thank- 
 ful to have such an opportunity given of show- 
 ing them the nature of our Orders, and our 
 Apostolical mode of conveying the Ministerial 
 Office. 
 
 The Rite of Confirmation administered to Euro- 
 peans and Natives. 
 
 Another duty, scarcely less edifying, de- 
 volved on me, in administering the Ordinance 
 of Confirmation to about twenty young per- 
 sons of European parentage, and to double that 
 number of adult New Zealanders, Converts of 
 the Missionaries. In the case of the former 
 class, there could be no doubt of their being 
 suitably prepared, and grounded in the rudi- 
 ments of Religious Knowledge, as required by 
 our Rubrics ; consisting, as they did principally, 
 of children of the Missionaries themselves, or 
 of those who were living in habits of close 
 intimacy and intercourse with them. The ap- 
 pearance of these young persons was pleasing 
 and interesting ; their demeanour unassuming ; 
 becomingly serious, without any mixture of 
 affectation ; and their almost total unacquaint- 
 ance with the world giving them a simplicity 
 of manner which forcibly attracts esteem. It 
 was also gratifying to observe the readiness 
 of the parents to present their children for 
 
101 
 
 the reception of this becoming Ordinance ; 
 proving, that they had not, through long disuse, 
 lost their feeling of the advantage which even 
 the most spiritually-minded may derive from 
 the faithful and pious use of external Services. 
 It was not possible for me to decide, with 
 equal certainty or confidence, upon the actual 
 fitness, in point of preparation, of the native 
 candidates ; but they were carefully and per- 
 severingly examined by the Clergymen, as 
 to their degree of acquaintance w ith the Creed, 
 the Lord’s Prayer, and the Commandments : 
 they were living in all apparent godliness and 
 honesty, under the constant observation, it 
 may be said, of the entire Mission ; and no 
 evil heart of unbelief had betrayed itself among 
 them: and they drew near in a very earnest 
 and humble spirit, desiring to partake of this 
 rite as a means of grace; the nature of it 
 having been previously explained to them in 
 the fullest terms. I therefore — with, I trust, 
 not a misplaced confidence — laid my hands on 
 them, receiving from them the personal ratifi- 
 cation of the promises made in their baptism ; 
 and I regard the day, on which this full admis- 
 sion of them into the fold of Christ took place, 
 as marking a very memorable era, both in my 
 own life, and in the annals of the New-Zealand 
 Church. God grant that they may indeed 
 
102 
 
 daily increase in His Holy Spirit more and 
 more, until they come to His everlasting king- 
 dom ! The Service of Confirmation was trans- 
 lated into the New-Zealand Language, and a 
 sufficient number of copies printed at the Mis- 
 sion Press, preparatory to the day of that 
 ceremonial. The same was done with regard 
 to the Form for Consecrating a Church-yard ; 
 and I employed it in the consecration of the 
 burial-grounds, both at Paihia and Kororarika. 
 I likewise appointed the Rev. Messrs. Williams 
 to act as my Surrogates, for granting marriage- 
 licenses; the want of which is very inconve- 
 niently felt, and affords encouragement to the 
 irregular celebration of marriage-rites, which 
 it is desirable not to have introduced. 
 
 Visit to the Stations on the Thames. 
 
 After departing from the Bay of Islands, we 
 proceeded to the River Thames ; where I found 
 Mr. Fairburn established as a Missionary, and, 
 with the aid of his wife and daughter, imparting 
 instruction to a large number of Natives, both 
 male and female. At the particular desire of 
 Mr. Fairburn, I confirmed his children. I also 
 baptized an infant, born of New-Zealand parents, 
 who had been given by its mother, before her 
 death, to the charge of Mrs. Fairburn; and a 
 middle-aged native woman, then lying in a 
 state of great exhaustion and apparent danger 
 
103 
 
 on a sick bed : she had long known the way of 
 Salvation, and had much desired the privilege 
 of Baptism, which she now received with a 
 meek and quiet spirit. The hut in which this 
 took place was pretty full of Natives, who ap- 
 peared to look with much interest on what was 
 being done : they were very quiet, and respect- 
 ful. I read the Baptismal Service in their own 
 tongue; with sufficient correctness, I trust, to 
 make myself intelligible among them ; — and if 
 so, God may graciously permit their remem- 
 brance of that occurrence to turn hereafter to 
 a profitable account in His service. It was 
 my earnest wish to have visited Tauranga, 
 where the Rev. A. N. Brown is stationed; as 
 well as Manukau, Waikato, and other Stations 
 to the Southward ; including the East Cape, 
 where it is proposed, on the arrival of the Rev. 
 R. Taylor from Sydney, to form a New Esta- 
 blishment : but Captain Harding felt, that, from 
 the nature of the service he was upon, he 
 could not with propriety prolong his absence 
 from Sydney to the extent that would be neces- 
 sary to accomplish all this; and therefore on 
 the 1 1th of January we sailed from the Thames 
 for Norfolk Island, which also I proposed to 
 visit. 
 
 Conclusions formed on a view of the Mission. 
 
 Having rendered this short account of the 
 
104 
 
 principal incidents during my residence in 
 New Zealand, I shall now offer to the notice of 
 the Society those conclusions, with regard to 
 the present state and future prospects of their 
 Mission, which I was enabled to form, through 
 the exercise of my judgment upon all which 
 presented itself to my observation. In thus 
 proceeding, I shall use great plainness of speech. 
 — It is in my power, I think, effectually to con- 
 tradict the assertions of the adversary and the 
 scoffer, who have sometimes gone the length 
 of affirming that the attempt to Christianize 
 the people of this nation has been a failure, — 
 that nothing has been done. On the other 
 hand, I shall not suffer my admiration of that 
 which has really been effected, to hurry me 
 into an unqualified approval of every thing 
 connected with the establishment of the Mis- 
 sion, or the operations of the Missionaries ; 
 nor to deter me from pointing out any parti- 
 culars in which I think there is room for im- 
 provement. 
 
 Testimony to the Missionaries. 
 
 First, with regard to the Missionaries of the 
 Society, I must offer a very sincere and willing 
 testimony of their maintaining a conversation 
 such as becomes the Gospel of Christ, and the 
 relation in which they stand to it, as the pro- 
 fessed guides and instructors of those who are. 
 
10.J 
 
 by their agency, to be retrieved from the 
 service of sin. Their habits of life are devo- 
 tional : they are not puffed up with self-esti- 
 mation; but appeared, to me, willing to learn, 
 as well as apt to teach : and among themselves, 
 they appear to be drawn together by a spirit 
 of harmony, which is, I hope, the sincere effu- 
 sion of their hearts ; prompted by that spirit, 
 of which love, gentleness, and goodness, are 
 among the most delightful fruits. It is upon 
 the continuance of this spirit among themselves 
 that I raise my principal expectations of theii 
 continued success among the Natives. Without 
 unanimity, there can be no successful combina- 
 tion of their exertions ; nor is any blessing 
 upon them to be hoped for, such as has hitherto 
 visibly attended them, and in a very ample 
 measure. 
 
 1 ery considerable Number of Converts. 
 
 At every Station which 1 personally visited, 
 the Converts were so numerous, as to bear a 
 very visible and considerable proportion to 
 the entire population ; and I had sufficient 
 testimony to convince me that the same state 
 of things prevailed at other places, which it 
 was not in my power to reach. As the result 
 of my inspection, I should state, that in most 
 of the Native Villages, called Pas, in which 
 
100 
 
 the Missionaries have a footing, there is a 
 Building, containing one room, superior in 
 fabric and dimensions to the native residences ; 
 which appears to be set apart as their place 
 for assembling for religious worship, or to read 
 the Scriptures, or to receive the exhortations 
 of the Missionaries. In these buildings gene- 
 rally, but sometimes in the open air, the Chris- 
 tian Classes were assembled before me. The 
 grey-haired man and the aged woman took 
 their places, to read and to undergo examina- 
 tion, among their descendants of the second 
 and third generations. The Chief and the 
 Slave stood side by side, with the same Holy 
 Volume in their hands ; and exerted their en- 
 deavours each to surpass the other, in returning 
 proper answers to the questions put to them 
 concerning what they had been reading. These 
 assemblages I encouraged, on all occasions ; 
 not only from the pleasure which the exhibi- 
 tion itself afforded, but because I was thus 
 enabled, in the most certain and satisfactory 
 way, to probe the extent of their attainments 
 and improvements. The experience thus ac- 
 quired, has induced me to adopt the habit of 
 applying the term “ Converts ’’ to those alone, 
 for many such I found there were, who, in the 
 apparent sincerity of their convictions, and in 
 the sufficiency of their information, compared 
 
107 
 
 with their opportunities of acquiring it, may 
 be considered Christians indeed. They have, 
 as the Society is probably informed, the whole, 
 f believe, of the Liturgy in their own language ; 
 accompanied, for several years past, with por- 
 tions of the New Testament. 
 
 Testimony to the Translation of the New 
 Testament. 
 
 But a very great work has been accomplished, 
 in now providing them with a Translation of 
 the whole Volume ; copies of which are distri- 
 buted to such as are likely to employ them 
 well, as rapidly as, with the limited means in 
 their possession, the Missionaries are able to 
 have them bound. This Translation will ever 
 remain a monument of laborious and well- 
 directed piety. My acquaintance with the 
 language was not sufficient to enable me criti- 
 cally to judge of its fidelity to the original ; 
 but, in my conversations with the Rev. W. 
 Williams, the principal agent in this great 
 work, I availed myself of every opportunity to 
 ascertain the exact literal rendering of any 
 passages which chanced to be the subjects of 
 our immediate attention : and upon inquiring, 
 which I did very closely, into his reasons for 
 adopting particular words or phrases to express 
 the sense of the original, I was gratified to 
 
 i 
 
108 
 
 find that he was invariably prepared with a 
 reason ; and my impression is, that where there 
 were conflicting reasons, each carrying weight, 
 he had generally given the preference to that 
 which deserved it. 
 
 Improvement of Character in Converted Natives. 
 
 In speaking of the character of the Converted 
 Natives, I express most unequivocally my per- 
 suasion, that it has been improved, in compari- 
 son with the original disposition, by their 
 acquaintance with the truths of the Gospel. 
 Their haughty self-will, their rapacity, furious- 
 ness, and sanguinary inclination, have been 
 softened — I may even say, eradicated ; and 
 their superstitious opinions have given place, 
 in many instances, to a correct apprehension 
 of the spiritual tendencies of the Gospel. 
 
 The remaining Evils of their Character to he 
 more vigorously reformed. 
 
 Their chief remaining vices appeared, to me, 
 to be indolence, duplicity, and covetousness. 
 The source of all these may probably be found 
 in the ability of the Missionaries and other Euro- 
 peans to supply their limited wants, in return for 
 a very moderate amount of labour ; and it is a 
 natural, perhaps necessary, consequence, that 
 they should anxiously desire the possession of 
 
109 
 
 articles so strange, and at tiie same time so 
 valuable to them, as the Europeans have to 
 offer; as well as that, through their prevailing 
 anxiety to obtain those much-coveted conveni- 
 ences, they should adopt a fawning and sub- 
 missive air toward those who have the means 
 of bestowing them. They retain too much 
 — considering what intercourse they have en 
 joyed with the English — of their native loung- 
 ing and dirty habits. I do not think that we 
 met with a single instance, during our stay, 
 of one man who had done a fair day’s work, 
 according to an Englishman’s reckoning; but 
 they sit about from morning till night — I am 
 speaking of the neighbourhood of the Bay of 
 Islands — and occupy themselves, most perse- 
 veringly, in doing nothing. In the Thames, 1 
 thought, or hoped, that I saw symptoms of a 
 more industrious disposition. I did not scruple 
 to inform the Missionaries of my opinion, that 
 they were to blame in suffering their followers 
 to continue this degrading and mischievous 
 course. Their disposition to allow slovenliness 
 and neglect to prevail, was manifested even in 
 some of the Places of Worship, and in their 
 Native Villages, which were slovenly, and even 
 filthy, in a degree which excited my regret and 
 displeasure. The Missionaries allege, that they 
 cannot insist upon a reform of these admitted 
 
110 
 
 blemishes, without a risk of disgusting and 
 alienating the Natives, who delight in dirt and 
 disorder. But it appears to me, that this is a 
 short-sighted policy ; more likely, than not, to 
 confirm the nation in habits of the kind here 
 alluded to ; and which must be broken off, 
 before the New Zealanders can ever form a 
 community worthy to be ranked among civi- 
 lized Christian Nations. They can labour well, 
 it is evident, if properly trained by the influence 
 of superior understandings, and encouraged by 
 the personal example of those to whom they 
 look almost as Beings of a superior race. They 
 are of a joyous, yet reflective turn ; pleased to 
 be instructed ; humble in listening to exhorta- 
 tion ; very quick and ingenious in tracing the 
 analogies of Religion by comparing spiritual 
 things with spiritual ; amenable, apparently, to 
 the use of those outward forms which are ne- 
 cessary to conduct all things with decency and 
 order ; yet sensible, so far as I could judge, 
 that these did not form the substance of Reli- 
 gion, but that it was something altogether 
 different. Some of them, I think, are deeply 
 and unfeignedly devout. Such I noticed, espe- 
 cially, at the Kauakaua and Maraetai : though 
 I ought by no means to deny the occurrence 
 of proportionate instances at the other Stations. 
 
1 1 1 
 
 Rapid Diminution of the Natives. 
 
 The great problem at present, I think, is, how 
 they may be preserved, to form a Christian 
 Nation; for such, if they be preserved, they 
 assuredly should become. But, in mournful 
 sincerity of heart, I express my own opinion, 
 that their numbers have diminished in a fear- 
 ful ratio since our first connexion with them ; 
 and that unless preventive measures can be 
 suggested, the race is wearing out, and will, 
 at no very remote period, altogether disappear. 
 The Missionaries refer to instances throughout 
 the country, where the numbers of Natives are 
 less by one-third, or even one-half, than they 
 were on the first establishment of Europeans 
 being formed. It presented itself to me as a 
 most remarkable circumstance, that wherever 
 we went, the children were very few ; very 
 few, indeed, compared with the number of 
 adults; and compared also with the proportion 
 of children among the Missionaries themselves, 
 who have generally large families. 
 
 Difficulty of ascertaining the causes of this 
 Diminution. 
 
 To what causes this disparity could be attri- 
 buted, I was diligent in endeavouring to ascer- 
 tain ; but came away without receiving satis- 
 faction. The effect of wars is spoken of, as 
 
11*2 
 
 accounting for the diminution of the popula- 
 tion. But any one, who reflects for a moment, 
 must be sensible that the wars of the present 
 generation are mere bloodless skirmishes, com- 
 pared with the combats of their forefathers. 
 The introduction of fire-arms has tended much 
 to abate the effusion of blood. Formerly, the 
 hostile bands marched front to front, and with 
 their native weapons almost every man slew 
 or wounded his opponent ; so that the slaugh- 
 ter was quite tremendous. But now they are, 
 generally speaking, content with firing from a 
 distance, without doing one another much 
 harm. I was assured, indeed, by an eye-wit- 
 ness of some of the latest conflicts in the Bay 
 of Islands, that he had known many thousand 
 shots to be fired, and, as the result of all this, 
 no more than five or six on each side to be 
 wounded. It seems, indeed, very clear, that 
 the population was greatest when wars were 
 most sanguinary ; and is declining most rapidly 
 where wars are nearly extinct. The practice 
 of infanticide I hope, and believe, does not pre- 
 vail among any who are Christians by profes- 
 sion ; but in their native state, there can be no 
 doubt that it does prevail. I think that the 
 very infant which I baptized had been saved 
 from death by its mother’s hands, through the 
 interposition of Mrs. Fairburn, giving clothing 
 
1 13 
 
 for the child ; the want of which would have 
 led to the desperate determination of destroy- 
 ing it as soon as born, [f it were not this 
 very infant, yet I am quite sure that an in- 
 stance of that nature was related to me, and 
 mentioned as having many parallels. Canni- 
 balism, among those who associate much with 
 Europeans, and especially among those under 
 instruction by the Missionaries, may be consi- 
 dered as extinct. I believe that the people 
 whom I chiefly saw had no more disposition to 
 devour one another, or any one else, than the 
 same number of our own countrymen would 
 have felt. How, therefore, to account for the 
 perceptible and unceasing diminution of their 
 numbers, I am utterly at a loss. The epidemic 
 which was raging while I was there, and which 
 had visited them in former years, appeared, 
 undoubtedly, to lay very serious hold upon 
 their constitutions ; rapidly prostrating their 
 strength, and, I have no doubt, laying the foun- 
 dation of other fatal disorders. So deeply was 
 1 impressed with the persuasion that deficiency 
 of proper nourishment formed one very sensi- 
 ble cause of their falling victims to this insi- 
 dious disorder, that I solicited Captain Hard- 
 ing to leave with the Missionaries such stores 
 of flour, sugar, and rice, as could be spared 
 from his ship, engaging to replace the same on 
 
114 
 
 our return to Port Jackson ; and I left a small 
 supply of money for the purchase of similar 
 articles, and of animal food, for the use of the 
 sick and convalescent. These measures were 
 adopted in conformity with the judgment of 
 Mr. Ford, the surgeon attached to the Mission, 
 and of the surgeon of the Pelorus, T. H. Nation, 
 Esq. ; who most obligingly, at my request, 
 visited and prescribed for the sick, and furnished 
 a supply of medicines for the most urgent cases. 
 On my return hither, I preached a Sermon in 
 St. James’s Church, Sydney, on behalf of the 
 suffering people whom I had visited; and the 
 same thing was done at St. Philip’s Church, 
 by the Rev. W. Cowper. The amount of the 
 Collections was sufficient to cover the entire 
 expenses which had been incurred by me ; and 
 to enable us to despatch a further small supply 
 of medicines and necessary comforts, w r hich I 
 earnestly hope will fulfil the benevolent purpose 
 of those who charitably furnished the means of 
 supplying them. My opinion is, in a few words > 
 that the general state of health among the Na- 
 tives is not satisfactory; that there is some 
 cause, not very obvious, by which their consti- 
 tutions are undermined ; that the investigation 
 of that cause has not been pursued with due 
 energy, or attention to system ; and that the 
 wants of the Natives, in point of clothing 
 
115 
 
 warmth, and comfort, especially during the 
 winter season, deserve and demand the atten- 
 tion of the Church Missionary Society, and of 
 its charitable supporters, who can feel for the 
 situation of these, their destitute Brethren. 
 
 Pressing Need of more Missionaries. 
 
 It will probably be expected by the Society, 
 that I should offer some remarks upon the con- 
 stitution of the Mission, and its adaptation and 
 probable sufficiency to accomplish the great 
 and holy purposes of its establishment. I have 
 already spoken my sentiments as to the gene- 
 ral character and deportment of the Missio- 
 naries; in which observations, I should wish it 
 to be understood, it is my intention to include 
 the Lay Catechists no less than the Clergy. All 
 appeared to me, so far as I was able to judge, 
 to be animated by a good spirit, and a desire, 
 according to their several abilities, to work 
 the work of God. I am, however, in duty bound 
 to state my persuasion, that the present Missio- 
 nary Body is inadequate to the successful pro- 
 secution of that work and labour of love upon 
 which their cares are bestowed. Indeed, they 
 do not occupy, to the uttermost, even their 
 present limits ; and these require to be ex- 
 tended day by day, so that the necessity for 
 additional help is becoming constantly more 
 
116 
 
 urgent. The Society lias been informed that 
 Mr. Hadfield was added to their number while 
 1 remained ; and since that time the Rev. R. 
 Taylor has proceeded to join the establishment. 
 The services of one of these gentlemen must, 
 however, be absorbed by the charge of edu- 
 cating the sons of Missionaries ; and the other 
 will be required to institute a new Missionary 
 Station at the East Cape, where there appears 
 to be a most favourable opening. The Mission, 
 therefore, within its present limits, will con- 
 tinue as inefficiently supplied with Clergymen 
 for Missionary purposes as before; and it is 
 most earnestly to be desired, for the sake of 
 the high and eternal interests which are at 
 stake, that this deficiency should not be suffered 
 to continue. The Natives have now, to a cer- 
 tain extent, been christianized, through the 
 power of the Holy Spirit accompanying the 
 efforts of their Teachers ; and have hitherto 
 lived in that simple and confident reliance on 
 the truth and sufficiency of the doctrines taught 
 them, and in that spirit of dutiful reverence for 
 their Teachers, the continuance of which was 
 most earnestly to be desired ; as such princi- 
 ples, united with liberty to search the Scrip- 
 tures, would best have insured to them the 
 enjoyment of the peaceable fruits of righteous- 
 ness. But it is easy to foresee, that this portion 
 
117 
 
 of Christ’s flock cannot long continue ; if it be 
 even now exempt from the aggressions of that 
 spirit, concerning which, no less truly than of 
 the Gospel, it may be said, that its sound is 
 gone into all lands, and its words unto the ends 
 of the earth, * * * * If we are to contend 
 successfully, it must be by a prudent use of 
 those means to which God has promised and 
 annexed His blessing, for the propagation of 
 Christian Truth; that is to say, we must not 
 spare the agency of the Word, the Ministry, 
 and the Sacraments ; accompanying them with 
 our prayers, that they may be attended by that 
 grace and power, through which alone they 
 can be made effective instruments to build up 
 this people in our most holy Faith, as it was 
 once delivered to the saints. 
 
 In my conferences with the Missionaries, I 
 found but one opinion prevailing as to the 
 necessity of an immediate increase of the num- 
 ber of Clergymen. Many Stations are, from 
 necessity, left without a resident Minister ; 
 and the occasional visits which may be paid 
 cannot be of that frequency or that duration 
 which are necessary to make them fully profi- 
 table. The administration of the Sacraments 
 is neither satisfactory to those who officiate ; 
 nor so serviceable, it may be feared, as it ought 
 to be, to those who partake of them ; because 
 the parties, being associated only during a very 
 
118 
 
 brief interval, are comparatively unknown to 
 each other : and there cannot be that feeling of 
 confidence on the one hand, nor that knowledge 
 of individual character on the other, upon which 
 the benefit of pastoral superintendence princi- 
 pally depends ; neither can the services of Lay 
 Catechists effectually supply the void between 
 such Ministerial visits. * * * * The Church of 
 England requires to be planted there, in the 
 full integrity of its system ; its Ordinances 
 administered by a Clergy duly ordained ; and 
 the Clergy themselves subject to regular Eccle- 
 siastical Authority. I beg it may be under- 
 stood, that I do not make these observations 
 with any reference to the Lay Missionaries 
 now in the employment of the Society ; all of 
 whom, so far as I can venture to pronounce a 
 judgment, have proved themselves zealous and 
 faithful men. * « * * In considering the means 
 of augmenting the number of Ordained Mini- 
 sters, some consideration was given by me, in 
 conversation principally with the Rev. Messrs. 
 W. Williams and Maunsell, to the practicability 
 of admitting any of the Catechists to Holy 
 Orders. I confined myself to expressing my 
 conviction of the eligibility of this proceeding, 
 under certain supposed circumstances ; but for- 
 bore to pledge myself, until I should have an op- 
 portunity of consulting the feelings of the So- 
 ciety upon the subject, and of profiting by their 
 
1 19 
 
 knowledge of the character and attainments 
 of the individuals who might probably be pro- 
 posed to me as candidates for the sacred office. 
 
 The rearm Interest taken by the Bishop in the 
 Mission. 
 
 I am happy in thinking, that, by my late 
 visit to the Mission, a foundation of regard 
 and confidence has been laid between the mem- 
 bers of it and myself, which, through the Di- 
 vine Blessing, may tend much to facilitate any 
 future proceedings connected with its exten- 
 sion. Upon any subject concerning which the 
 Society may be anxious to consult me, I shall 
 always be prepared to offer the most candid 
 opinion, and to give the best advice in my 
 power. My heart and hope are fixed earnestly 
 upon the success of this holy undertaking ; the 
 fruit of which, I trust, will be to spread abroad 
 the knowledge of the Truth, and to bring many 
 souls to eternal salvation, happiness, and glory, 
 through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 Praying earnestly that the endeavours of 
 the Society may be blessed to the establish- 
 ment of His kingdom in the hearts of men, 
 
 I remain, &c. 
 
 W. G. Australia. 
 
 Missionaries' Address to the Bishop. 
 
 On occasion of the Bishop’s Visit to 
 New Zealand, the Missionaries of the So- 
 
1*20 
 
 ciety presented to him the following Ad- 
 dress, dated Paihia, Jan. 5, 1839 : — 
 
 We, the Clergy and Catechists labouring in 
 connexion with the Church Missionary Society 
 in this part of New Zealand, beg, on the part 
 of ourselves and our Brethren, to express to 
 your Lordship our high sense of the favour 
 conferred upon us by your visit to this country. 
 We hail, with much thankfulness, the landing 
 of the first Protestant Bishop on these shores ; 
 and we trust that your pastoral advice and ex- 
 hortations, under God, will be made instrumen- 
 tal in promoting the cause of Christianity, both 
 among the European and Native Population. 
 
 Though dwelling in a country independent 
 of Britain, and which still, for the most part, is 
 in a state of barbarism, we rejoice that the 
 intimacy of union between ourselves and the 
 Church, of which your Lordship is a Prelate, is 
 unimpaired. Nations may draw boundary lines 
 of separation, but the Church knows no di- 
 stinction between Jew and Greek, Englishman 
 and New Zealander ; and although our civil 
 relations be different from those of members of 
 your Lordship’s immediate Diocese, yet we are 
 thankful that the way is now open for us to 
 look to your Lordship for all the benefits and 
 privileges belonging to our Church, and which 
 
1*21 
 
 your Lordship has so kindly undertaken to 
 afford. Indeed, contemplating your Lordship’s 
 visit at the present juncture, we cannot but 
 recognise the kind Providence of our Hea- 
 venly Father ; who, when he had removed the 
 respected and beloved Founder of this Mission, 
 inclined your Lordship to take a paternal in- 
 terest in its welfare. 
 
 We much regret that your many engage- 
 ments and other circumstances do not allow 
 your visit to be extended to the whole of our 
 Stations, and that the sickness now prevailing 
 will not permit us to place before you satisfac- 
 torily the real state of our Mission. 
 
 We trust, howevei*, that your visits to this 
 island will be renewed, and that your Lordship 
 may have abundant reason to rejoice in the 
 progress of that work which is now but in its 
 infancy. 
 
 Praying that your Lordship may be re- 
 turned in safety to your family and to your 
 Diocese, through the guardian care of our gra- 
 cious Master, and that an abundant blessing 
 may continue to rest upon your labours, we 
 remain, &c. 
 
 H. Willi ams. R. Maunsell. C. Baker. 
 
 •T. King. W. Colenso. S. H. Ford. 
 
 J. Kemp. W. Wade. W. Williams. 
 
 G. Clarke. 
 
The Reply of the Bishop. 
 
 To this Address the Bishop returned 
 the following reply, bearing date also Ja- 
 nuary 5, 1839 : — 
 
 To the Rev. the Clergy and the Missionaries 
 in connexion with the Church Missionary 
 Society in New Zealand. 
 
 My Rev. Brethren, and Brethren — 
 
 Considering the relation in which we stand 
 toward each other, our meeting here upon the 
 present occasion is a remarkable and providen- 
 tial occurrence. None of us, surely, can fail to 
 regard it as forming a stage of gradual ad- 
 vancement toward the accomplishment of our 
 Saviour’s purpose, that His Gospel should be 
 preached to all nations. I am gratified by your 
 reference to my coming among you, in succes- 
 sion, as it were, to that justly venerated man, 
 and faithful servant of Christ, the late Rev. 
 Samuel Marsden; upon whom, during many 
 years, the principal superintendence of this Mis- 
 sion devolved, and to whose zeal for the glory 
 of his Maker, and unconquerable perseve- 
 rance, under great personal privations, sacri- 
 fices, and dangers, it owes, next to God, its 
 original establishment. Mr. Marsden was per- 
 mitted to continue a sufficient length of time 
 amongst us, to witness, in the establishment of 
 
123 
 
 the See of Australia, a certain provision made 
 for extending to its infant Church the full 
 benefit of those gifts, which Christ ascended up 
 on high that He might give to men, for the 
 work of the Ministry, and for the edifying of 
 His body, which is the Church. Through the 
 blessing of its Great Head upon your Missio- 
 nary Labours, and by the operation of the Holy 
 Ghost giving the increase, a visible body of 
 believers is here collected out of the dark places 
 of Heathenism, to whom none of the outward 
 ordinances and means of grace are now wanting. 
 May they, being thus assisted, be doers of the 
 Word, not hearers only ! At the same time a 
 great door, and effectual, seems to be opened 
 for the future progress of the doctrine of the 
 Cross ; though here, as elsewhere, we are warned 
 to expect, and must be prepared to encounter, 
 many adversaries. O let us labour cordially 
 and zealously, that there may be in this place, 
 not only the outward and visible form of the 
 Church, but an effective pledge of its influence, 
 in the increase of the fruits of the Spirit ; 
 which are, goodness, righteousness, and truth, 
 adorning the lives of all who make profession 
 of the faith of the Gospel ! 
 
 For myself, my Brethren, 1 come among you 
 without other commission or authority than 
 that which, being first lodged in the Apostles, 
 
 K 
 
1*24 
 
 is derived in succession from them unto every 
 one rightly and canonically consecrated to the 
 Episcopal Charge. Whatsoever directive func- 
 tions I may exercise here are traced to no other 
 origin than this ; and your acceptance of me in 
 this character is an unconstrained, purely spi- 
 ritual act. In this I rejoice; as it may have 
 the effect of rendering more apparent the true 
 Apostolical foundation, constitution, and cha- 
 racter of this blessed Church of England, to 
 which we all belong; which I firmly believe 
 that God has raised up, and am persuaded that 
 He will preserve, if we be but true to our own 
 engagements, to be a counterpoise to those pe- 
 rils on the right hand and on the left, by which 
 — it requires not the gift of prophecy to fore- 
 tell — every portion of the Church Militant 
 upon earth must expect, sooner or later, to be 
 tried. In connexion with the duty of watching 
 over the Churches more peculiarly under my 
 charge, I trust that time and opportunity may 
 be afforded me, occasionally at least, to set in 
 order the things that may be wanting here. 
 With this assurance let me unite my thanks to 
 you all, for the kindness shown to me since my 
 arrival, and my earnest prayers for the welfare 
 of the flock committed to your charge. On 
 behalf of all connected with this Mission, and 
 especially of yourselves and families, I offer my 
 
125 
 
 supplication, that the Lord will bless you and 
 keep you ; the Lord make His face to shine 
 upon you, and be gracious to you in forwarding 
 your work and labour of love ; the Lord lift 
 up the light of His countenance upon you, and 
 give you peace, both now and evermore. 
 
 Let me, I beseech you, enjoy the benefit of 
 your continual prayers ; and believe me to re- 
 main, My dear Brethren and Fellow-labourers, 
 Your very faithful friend, 
 
 William G. Australia. 
 
 Bishop s Address to the Baptized Natives. 
 Before the Bishop left New Zealand, 
 he thus expressed his paternal regard to- 
 ward those who, in that distant land, had 
 been gathered into the Fold of Christ : — 
 
 To the Native Inhabitants of New Zealand, who 
 are baptized into the Fellowship of Christ’s 
 Church. 
 
 DEARLY-BELOVED IN THE LORD 
 
 Though you are sprung from a different 
 family, and your forefathers long continued 
 strangers to us and we to them, it affords me 
 great satisfaction to call you Brethren, because 
 you have entered into the fellowship of the 
 same Gospel with ourselves. Ye are all the 
 Children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For 
 k 2 
 
12 6 
 
 as many of you as have been baptized into Christ 
 have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor 
 Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is 
 neither male nor female : for ye are all one in 
 Christ Jesus. It is with us a perpetual cause of 
 joy, and a sufficient reward for all the labour 
 that has been bestowed upon you, that you 
 are become partakers of the common salvation 
 through faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, 
 who was preached among you by those Mi- 
 nisters through whom ye believed. 
 
 And surely it is impossible but that you must 
 offer most devout and continual thanksgiving 
 to God, when you reflect on the greatness of 
 His mercy toward you, and on the wonderful 
 change which He has thereby accomplished in 
 your state, and in your hopes and prospects. 
 For you may use exactly, in application to 
 yourselves, those words of the Apostle: We 
 ourselves were sometimes foolish, disobedient, de- 
 ceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living 
 in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one 
 another. But after that the kindness and love of 
 God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by 
 works of righteousness which ive have done, but 
 according to His mercy. He saved us, by the 
 washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy 
 Ghost, which He shed on us abundantly through 
 Jesus Christ our Saviour; that, being justified 
 
by His grace, we should be made heirs, according 
 to the hope of everlasting life. Wherefore, hav- 
 ing come among you as the Bishop or Chief 
 Pastor of the Church of which you are made 
 members, I exhort you to remember all things 
 that you have read in the Holy Scriptures 
 concerning Jesus Christ our Lord, the only Son 
 of God, “ who was conceived by the Holy 
 Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under 
 Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried ; 
 he descended” to the place of departed spirits; 
 “ the third day he rose again from the dead ; 
 he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the 
 right hand of” the Father; from thence he 
 shall come again to judge the quick and the 
 dead. At whose coming all men shall rise 
 again with their bodies, and shall give an ac- 
 count of their own works ; and they that have 
 done good shall go into life everlasting, and 
 they that have done evil into everlasting fire. 
 Remember, also, what Jesus Christ has en- 
 joined you to practise, that you may prove that 
 you have a true faith in Him, and are His 
 Disciples indeed; that you love the Lord your 
 God with all your heart, and soul, and mind, 
 and strength ; and love your neighbour as your- 
 self : the proof of which is to be afforded by 
 your being merciful as your Father which is in 
 heaven is merciful, and by doing to all men as 
 
128 
 
 you would that they should do unto you. Re- 
 member, that you are not your own, to live as 
 you please, as you did before you named the 
 name of Christ ; but you are bought with the 
 price of His precious blood, which He paid as 
 a ransom for you, and therefore has a just claim 
 to your obedience and services. It is my duty, 
 and a principal part of my office, to remind 
 you, that in your baptism you made a solemn 
 promise that you would renounce the world, 
 and the flesh, and the devil : and, by the laying 
 on of my hands upon such of you as were sui- 
 tably prepared and disposed, according to the 
 custom practised by the Apostles of our Lord, 
 I have endeavoured to stablish, strengthen, and 
 settle you in this faith ; praying, on behalf of 
 every one of you, that God will defend you 
 with His heavenly grace, that you may conti- 
 nue His for ever, and daily increase in His Holy 
 Spirit more and more, until you come to His 
 everlasting kingdom. 
 
 And now, with this prayer for your welfare, 
 I bid you, my Christian Brethren, very heartily 
 farewell ; beseeching you to have these words 
 of mine imprinted upon your hearts ; to pray to 
 God daily; to hallow His Sabbaths; to read 
 His Holy Word ; to continue stedfast in attend- 
 ing to the instructions of those Teachers from 
 whom you first learned the words of Eternal 
 
129 
 
 Life ; not to dissemble before God, or them, but 
 to live in the sincere practice of holiness, truth, 
 and charity, which they have taught you. Bear 
 always in mind the coming of our Lord to 
 judgment, and be in preparation for it : and, 
 while you thus study to adorn the doctrine of 
 God our Saviour in all things, may He sanctify, 
 and bless, and preserve you, in body and soul, 
 now and for ever. Amen. 
 
 W. G. Australia. 
 
 Such were the results of the Bishop’s 
 visit to New Zealand. 
 
 The Committee most cordially concur 
 in his Lordship’s judgment, that “ the 
 Church of England requires to be planted 
 in New Zealand in the full integrity of 
 her system.” The Committee have, in 
 consequence, since the receipt of the Bi- 
 shop’s Letter, taken other steps directed 
 to the attainment of this important object. 
 
 GENERAL STATE OF THE MISSION. 
 
 The Committee add a few extracts from 
 the communications of the Missionaries, 
 illustrative of the state and progress of the 
 Mission. 
 
130 
 
 Favourable Openings fur extending the Mission. 
 
 The Rev. Henry Williams, writing from 
 Paihia, at the end of the year 1838, thus 
 describes the favourable prospect of form- 
 ing new Stations on the south-eastern 
 shore of the Island : — 
 
 Toward the end of October, I sailed with a 
 party of Christian Natives, to establish them as 
 Teachers at the East Cape and Turanga, among 
 those distant tribes ; and it was with feelings 
 of much delight that I traversed that new and 
 interesting field of labour. I found the Natives 
 very numerous, when compared with those of 
 this part of the island ; and at all the Pas, both 
 at the East Cape and Turanga, all seemed per- 
 fectly prepared to receive Christian Instruction. 
 Their repeated and strong solicitations for 
 Teachers evidently point out a loud and impe- 
 rative call that the field should not be longer 
 neglected. The visit paid to these places a 
 twelvemonth since has had a very salutary 
 effect. The demand for books was very great 
 and general ; and it was truly distressing to be 
 obliged to turn away without the means of 
 giving any relief. I distributed, in the course 
 of my journey, 500 slates, and a few Early 
 Lessons and Catechisms. Books I had none. 
 Three of our Married Teachers were placed at 
 the East Cape, and three at Turanga. 
 
Progress of the Kaitaia Station. 
 
 Mr. Puckey, in a Letter dated March 4, 
 1839, thus describes the progress of the 
 Kaitaia Station : — 
 
 The state of Religion at Kaitaia, I am happy 
 to say, is on the increase. Since the com- 
 mencement of this year, sixty adults and twenty 
 infants have been received into the Church by 
 the sacred rite of Baptism ; and, upon the 
 whole, I feel pleased as to their general de- 
 meanour. You would be much pleased to see 
 the regularity maintained at several of the 
 villages around us, in their strictness in at- 
 tending to their morning and evening devo- 
 tions ; and I have known several instances of 
 their praying privately in the bush, when they 
 have not known that any one was within hear- 
 ing. You ask, Do the Natives here seem to 
 enjoy the Scriptures, and enter into the spirit 
 of the Liturgy with energy? I can answer, 
 with much satisfaction, that they do. They 
 read them over and over again, with as great 
 delight as they did at first. I know many who 
 spend much of their leisure time in reading 
 the Bible ; and they read so much, that their 
 books soon wear out. Many Natives here, 
 with scarcely any assistance, have taught 
 themselves to read. This speaks much for 
 
132 
 
 them. Oar school for men and boys is pret- 
 ty well attended, generally ; but on Monday 
 Morning there are so many, that it keeps the 
 person who has charge of it in continual close 
 employment ; and the benefit of education is 
 to be seen at all the places of those who have 
 been instructed. We have school every morn- 
 ing for the men and boys. In the forenoon the 
 Infant School begins, and the Girls’ School 
 after dinner. Monday Evening is occupied in 
 examining the baptized and thoughtful Natives. 
 On Tuesday Evening we have a Prayer Meet- 
 ing for the Natives, in our Chapel. On Wednes- 
 day Evening the baptized Natives hold a Prayer 
 Meeting among themselves, at their respective 
 houses. Thursday Evening is the only vacant 
 evening of the week. Friday Evening is taken 
 up with a Prayer Meeting in the Chapel. On 
 Saturday Evening there is a Prayer Meeting 
 at their own houses ; and it is very often the 
 case, that a number of them will sit up till 
 cock-crowing, talking of what they may have 
 heard at these Prayer Meetings. — May these 
 little beginnings be only an earnest of that 
 which the Lord may please to favour us, His 
 unworthy servants, with seeing ! 
 
 Although what I have said may be pleasing, 
 with respect to our Natives, yet we are very 
 often much perplexed to know what to do, 
 
133 
 
 when we see those who have had most of our 
 attention, backward and ungrateful, and seem- 
 ing to stand still in the heavenly path. We 
 have our times of adversity as well as of pro- 
 sperity; but at all times it is needful for us to 
 be up and doing. We feel very happy in our 
 work, and thankful that the Lord should, in 
 anywise whatever, have so helped us, His un- 
 worthy servants, to do any thing in His great 
 work. 
 
 The principal Chief in the neighbour- 
 hood of Kaitaia having heard that it was 
 in contemplation to remove the Missio- 
 naries to another Station, expostulates 
 with the Committee in these affecting 
 terms : — 
 
 “ Kaitaia, March 5 , 1839 . 
 “ Friends of the Committee — 
 
 “ Our hearts have been made dark. We do 
 not like to have our candlesticks taken away. 
 If the Committee strive to take away one of 
 our candlesticks, we shall strive to keep him ; 
 and it will remain as a strife between us. If 
 our candlesticks be taken away, and other 
 fathers be given to us, we shall not understand. 
 There is no one who labours with a child, and 
 when it is brought forth does run away, and 
 leave it to die for want of milk. The old men 
 
134 
 
 of the Committee were very glad to have the 
 young men come to occupy Kaitaia, and the 
 young men came. Now stop, and wait the 
 times when the evil shall come : then it will be 
 very straight to take away our candlesticks. — 
 Friends, it is a short time the body has to re- 
 main here, and we must look for the rest which 
 Jesus Christ our Saviour has provided for us. If 
 our candlesticks be taken away from before us, 
 the sheep will all be scattered. — Friends, if there 
 be two workmen on a piece of land, it may be 
 finished ; but if there be only one, it is un- 
 likely. Now, if they be not pulled out from 
 among us, light is near to our hearts, and we 
 shall delight and rejoice in the Lord. Now it 
 is best to bring to an end the striving for our 
 Teachers, to pull them out. My friends in the 
 body, if they be taken away, there will be no 
 peace nor rest ; but now we have peace and 
 rest. There are plenty of Missionaries living 
 at the Bay of Islands, and there are plenty of 
 Ngapuhi Chiefs who have not yet believed, and 
 who do nothing but sell land to the White 
 People who come there. It is not good to come 
 and take from so few. It is best to take from 
 those of the Bay of Islands to go to Turanga. 
 According to our native mode, it is not right, 
 after one man has carried on a work, for ano- 
 ther to come and finish it. We have no desire 
 
at all that either of our Teachers should go to 
 another place. The Word of God is growing 
 up among those who have, as it were, been 
 tied. The Church of God at Kaitaia is rising. 
 
 “ From Noble* Panakareao, 
 
 “ Aku Kaitaia, near the North Cape.” 
 “ To the Committee of England .” 
 
 Mr. Joseph Matthews, Mr. Puckey’s As- 
 sociate at Kaitaia, thus describes the Wri- 
 ter of the above Letter, March 4, 1839 : — 
 
 Noble is an active Chief, and goes out con- 
 tinually among his fellow-countrymen, to teach 
 them the Word of God. He is a very slow 
 speaker ; very thoughtful as to what he says. 
 He is very decided in his manner. Whenever 
 he speaks, there is profound attention : this, 
 however, is owing to his rank, more than to his 
 abilities as an eloquent speaker. The Natives 
 own Noble Panakareao as their Chief; although 
 each Rangitira [answering to our term Gen- 
 tleman] is a Chief in his way. I will tell you 
 the grand difference between a principal and a 
 petty Chief. Panakareao has, by right of con- 
 quest, as well as by birth, the “ ki w T ainga ” — 
 in English, the power to fight or to sit still. 
 We have witnessed his power in this, and 
 
 * So named after the Rev. John Noble Coleman, Yentnor, 
 Isle of Wight. 
 
136 
 
 therefore we can speak. If any tiling serious 
 should happen, a word would be sufficient to 
 gather all the tribes of the Rarawa; which 
 would amount to 1400 or 1600 fighting-men. 
 At the burial of his own father, when he ex- 
 pected that there would be much said about 
 interring him after our fashion, he had a thou- 
 sand Natives assembled in our Settlement. 
 He is a young promising Chief. I met him 
 yesterday on horseback, as he was riding out 
 to hold Divine Service with his brother, who 
 had long stood out against his entreaties. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to say that the 
 Committee have no intention of with- 
 drawing the Missionaries from Kaitaia. 
 
 Christian Forbearance in a Native Convert. 
 
 Mr. J. Bedggood writes from Waimate — 
 
 I wish to give one instance of the effect of 
 the Gospel upon the Natives. A few days ago, 
 one of the carpenters, engaged to build the new 
 Church, employed a Native to dig his garden. 
 When he had done his work, he went into the 
 carpenters shop, to talk with him about his 
 payment. The other carpenter, a cross, surly- 
 tempered man, said to the Native, “ Get you 
 out of the shop ; we want none of you fellows 
 here!” The Native replied, “Don’t be angry: 
 I am come to talk with Benjamin.” The fellow 
 
137 
 
 said, “ I shall be angry and, after a few words, 
 began to ill-use the Native in a most barbarous 
 manner ; kicking him in the side, because he 
 would not get up. The Native made no resis- 
 tance till the man left off ; when he jumped up, 
 took the fellow by the throat, held him with 
 one hand as a man would a child, and drew 
 out a plane-iron tied on the top of a stick so as 
 to form a little adze. “ Now,” said the Native, 
 while he held it over his head, “ you see your 
 life is in my hand : you owe your life to the 
 preaching of the Gospel : you see my arm is 
 quite strong enough to kill you ; and my arm 
 is willing ; but my heart is not, because I have 
 heard the Missionaries preach the Gospel. If 
 my heart were as dark as it was before I heard 
 them preach, I should strike off your head.” 
 He did not return the blows, but made him 
 pay a blanket for the insult. 
 
 Hopeful Death of a Chief. 
 
 Mr. R. Davis, Waimate, thus narrates 
 the hopeful death of a Chief : — 
 
 Last evening I buried at Mawe a man who, 
 I trust, was made a monument of divine mercy. 
 He was a near relative of Hongi, the great 
 Chief, and was doubtless one of the foremost in 
 all daring wickedness during the murderous 
 career of that New-Zealand Buonaparte. About 
 
138 
 
 a year ago he came from Kororarika, and took 
 up his abode in the district of Waimate. After 
 a little time, as some of the party with whom 
 he was connected had received the Gospel, he 
 also manifested a desire to become acquainted 
 with the nature of believing. When I first 
 conversed with him, he told me that he thought 
 it was quite out of his power to obtain forgive- 
 ness, on account of the many heinous sins which 
 he had committed. After pointing out to him, 
 as clearly as I could, the willingness of Christ 
 to receive sinners, and the efficacy of His pas- 
 sion, he seemed to think that possibly he might 
 be saved. His health at this time was delicate, 
 and he appeared to be consumptive ; but as he 
 seemed to rally, it did not appear unlikely that 
 he might live for several years. The Influenza, 
 however, which has been very prevalent here 
 during the last three months, effected his more 
 speedy removal from this vale of tears. During 
 the short space allotted to him, he did not make 
 any great progress in the divine life, but ap- 
 peared to be steady and regular. About five 
 months ago he visited Kororarika, and con- 
 versed with the Chiefs there ; and returned 
 apparently much encouraged from the nature 
 of the conversation, as some of them had mani- 
 fested a desire to receive the Gospel. This 
 circumstance, in connexion with his consistency 
 
139 
 
 and steady perseverance, lead me to hope, that 
 although he is now numbered with the dead, 
 his lot is among the Saints. While he was 
 able, he attended my Meetings on Tuesdays, 
 and brought as many of his people with him 
 as he could. When he could no longer visit 
 me, I visited him. My last visit was on Satur- 
 day, when I was surprised to find him so near 
 his end. I had not seen him for a fortnight, 
 having been out among the people at Kaikohi 
 and Otaua. I read part of John xiv. to him, 
 and spoke a few words on the subject. It was 
 a sweet season of heavenly enjoyment. We 
 then engaged in prayer, and parted to meet no 
 more on earth. As he appeared to be near his 
 end, I requested the Rev. W. Williams to pay 
 him a visit, and, if he thought proper, to ad- 
 minister Baptism. This was no sooner done, 
 than the soul winged its way to the presence oi 
 its God. A considerable number of people 
 attended the funeral, and I addressed them 
 after the Service. The Burial-ground is to me 
 a very interesting spot. It is the site on which 
 the first building stood, and in which the tribe 
 first assembled to hear the Word of Life. Many 
 bodies are sleeping in the dust on that spot, 
 awaiting the glorious Resurrection Morn ; 
 among which are Tupapa and Broughton : and 
 while looking over the graves of those departed 
 
 L 
 
140 
 
 Saints, my mind was carried forward to the 
 contemplation of that glorious burst of sacred 
 joy which shall arise from the spot when 
 the last glad trump shall shake the earth 
 and skies. 
 
 The Rev. F. Wilkinson s Testimony to the 
 New-Zealand Mission. 
 
 Mr. Wilkinson is a Chaplain on the 
 New South-Wales Establishment. He 
 visited New Zealand in 1837, and came 
 from thence to England. On his arrival 
 in London, he called at the Church Mis- 
 sionary House, in reference to this visit. 
 He said that he had gone to New Zealand 
 with the impression that the progress of 
 the Mission had been exaggerated, and 
 that he had therefore closely scrutinized 
 its state ; but that, having thus personally 
 investigated its circumstances w r ith these 
 views and feelings, he found that its actual 
 advancement exceeded what had been re- 
 presented in New South- Wales. 
 
 The following passages from Mr. Wil- 
 kinson’s evidence before the Lords’ Com- 
 
141 
 
 mittee on the Islands of New Zealand, 
 illustrate the progress of the Mission : — 
 
 “ * Do you think that the Missionaries have 
 been of great service in New Zealand?’ 
 
 “ ‘ Of very great service ; immense service. 
 I look upon the northern part of the Island as 
 a Christian People. There are individuals who 
 are not Christians; but they are, generally, 
 Christians. They observe the Sunday very 
 strictly.’ 
 
 “ ‘Do you think the Missionaries have much 
 influence with the Natives ?’ 
 
 “ ‘ Very great.’ 
 
 “ ‘ They are willing to exercise it at all 
 times, to make peace between the Natives?’ 
 
 “ ‘ I think so, entirely.’ 
 
 “ ‘ Your answer applies both to the Church 
 Missionary Society and the Wesleyans ?’ 
 
 “ ‘ Both of them.’ 
 
 “ ‘ Had you an opportunity of visiting any 
 Schools which had been formed by the Missio- 
 naries ? ’ 
 
 “ ‘ Yes ; I lived with Mr. Williams at Wai- 
 mate, one of the Missionaries : his lady had a 
 school, which I witnessed almost every day.’ 
 
 Your opinion is, that the labour of the 
 
 i, 2 
 
 ti < 
 
Missionaries has effected a great deal of good 
 in Christianizing the country ? ’ 
 
 “ ‘ A very great deal. I was quite astonished. 
 Though I had been so near them, I did not 
 believe the extent to which it had gone.’ 
 
 “ ‘ Had you an opportunity of observing 
 whether, among the Natives who had not had 
 the advantage of being visited at all by the 
 Missionaries, there was any notion of Reli- 
 gion ?’ 
 
 “ ‘ The second night that I slept in the bush, 
 in New Zealand, I came to a Native’s house, 
 and was exceedingly tired. He begged of me 
 to stop there, and made me very comfortable 
 indeed. They gave me a clean blanket and 
 plenty of fern to sleep on ; which I did. After 
 their supper (which was potatoes) they got 
 their Book down (their Testament) — the most 
 of them had a Testament — and read a chapter 
 out of the Testament, and the family collected 
 round, and afterward they knelt and prayed, 
 and then we retired to rest. In the same way 
 they began the day the next morning. That 
 man was not a baptized Christian, but he was 
 a Christian. I have seen him at the Service 
 afterward; but he had not yet been baptized, 
 nor any of his family. He belonged to the 
 Church Missionary Stations at Waimate. 
 
143 
 
 The late Rev. S. Marsdens Testimony to the 
 State of the Mission in 1837. 
 
 This venerable servant of Christ, the 
 Father of the New-Zealand Mission, visited 
 it for the fifth time in the beginning of 1837. 
 Writing in April of that year, he thus de- 
 scribes the state of the Mission in the Bay 
 of Islands, which had been commenced 
 under his personal superintendence twenty- 
 two years before. 
 
 When I left Hokianga, a number aecompanied 
 me — upward of seventy. Some met us from 
 Waimate. We had to travel about forty miles, 
 by land and water. The road lay through a 
 very thick wood. The Natives carried me, on 
 something like a hammock, for twenty miles. 
 We reached Waimate as the sun went down ; 
 where we were kindly received by the Rev. W. 
 Williams and his colleagues. One principal 
 Chief, who has embraced the Gospel, and has 
 been baptized, accompanied us all the way. He 
 told me he was so unhappy at Hokianga, that 
 lie could not get to converse with me, from 
 the crowds that attended ; and that he had 
 come to Waimate to speak with me. I found 
 him to be a very intelligent man, and anxious 
 to know the way to heaven. I met with num- 
 
144 
 
 bers, wherever I went, who were anxious after 
 the knowledge of God. I was much pleased to 
 find, that, wherever I went, I found some who 
 could read and write. The Church Service has 
 been translated into the native language, with 
 the Catechism, Hymns, and some other useful 
 pieces. They are all fond of reading; and 
 there are many who have never had an oppor- 
 tunity of attending the schools, who, neverthe- 
 less, can read. They teach one another in all 
 parts of the country, from the North to the 
 East Cape. The prospect of success to the 
 Mission is very great. Since my arrival at 
 the Missionary Station, I have not heard one 
 oath spoken, either by European or Native. 
 The Schools and Church are well attended ; 
 and the greatest order is observed among all 
 classes. 
 
 In the midst of all the miseries of war, God 
 is prospering the Mission. Since my arrival, I 
 have visited many of the Stations within the 
 compass of a hundred miles, and have observed 
 that a wonderful change has taken place within 
 the last seven years. The portions of the Sa- 
 cred Scriptures which have been printed, have 
 had a most astonishing effect. They are read 
 by the Natives at every place at which I have 
 been. The Natives teach one another, and find 
 great pleasure in the Word of God, and carry 
 
145 
 
 that sacred treasure with them wherever they 
 go. Great numbers have been baptized, both 
 Chiefs and their people. I have met with some 
 very pious Chiefs, who have been invited by 
 Pomare and Titore to join them in their pre- 
 sent war, but they have refused. I met with 
 one pious Chief who had been a great warrior, 
 and was severely wounded in action the very 
 day I arrived in New Zealand on my last visit ; 
 who informed me that Titore had sent for him, 
 but that he would fight no more. I visited his 
 Station : he has built a neat clean Place of 
 Public Worship, which is visited by the Missio- 
 naries : in this he teaches school, as well as his 
 son. I am at present at Waimate, which was 
 formerly one of the most warlike districts in 
 the island ; and I could not learn that one indi- 
 vidual had joined the contending parties. Wai- 
 mate is the most moral and orderly place I 
 ever was in. A great number of the inhabi- 
 tants, for some miles, have been baptized, and 
 live like Christians. There are neither riots 
 nor drunkenness, neither swearing nor quarrels : 
 but all is order and peace. The same effects I 
 have observed to be produced by the Scriptures, 
 and labours of the Missionaries, in other dis- 
 tricts. My own mind has been exceedingly 
 gratified with what I have seen and heard ; and 
 I have no doubt that New Zealand will become 
 
140 
 
 a civilized nation. I consider the Missionaries, 
 as a body, very pious, prudent, and laborious 
 men; and that they and their children are 
 walking in the admonition of the Lord, so as to 
 make them a national blessing, when they have 
 finished their labours. 
 
 State of the Mission in 1839. 
 
 A recent communication from the Mis- 
 sion presents the following encouraging 
 view of its state in August last : — 
 
 At no period of the New-Zealand Mission 
 have we ever seen more decisive evidences of 
 the Lord’s power and presence among us, than 
 at the present time. The Natives around us, 
 Tribe after Tribe, have embraced Christianity; 
 and not a few are, I trust, the subjects of 
 Divine Grace. A large number has been ad- 
 mitted to the Church by Baptism ; and I have 
 several interesting, pious young men in con- 
 nexion with my congregation, who are waiting 
 to proceed southward as Native Teachers. Two 
 have already gone thither as such, and have 
 conducted themselves with great propriety. 
 The Schools at the Native Villages have been 
 better attended ; and the word of God is, I trust, 
 consulted by the poor Natives on all subjects 
 relating to their spiritual interests. I do esteem 
 it an especial token for good, that the Word of 
 
147 
 
 God was in circulation, and generally read, 
 before the Papists were permitted to enter the 
 country to sow their pernicious doctrine. 
 
 The progress and hopeful state of the 
 Mission is also thus described by the 
 Rev. W. Williams, in a Letter from Wai- 
 mate, August 28th, 1839 : — 
 
 I learnt to-day from a Settler, who has been 
 trading in the Bay of Plenty, that at Opotika, 
 where no Missionary has yet been, he witnessed 
 the Natives assembling for Christian Worship, 
 in a regular and orderly manner. 
 
 As I stated in my last, the whole line of 
 coast from Wakatani, a little to the east of 
 Tauranga, round the East Cape to Table Cape, 
 requires immediate occupation. The way is, I 
 trust, opening for a movement shortly. I hope 
 to take twenty Native Teachers from among 
 our most hopeful Christians ; and it may please 
 the Lord by means of them to carry on His 
 work. 
 
 Whether I look at the work in our old Sta- 
 tions — not superficial work, but sound and solid, 
 based on the Word of God; or whether I look 
 at the more recent Stations of the Southern 
 District, and the regular increase in their con- 
 gregations and Schools; or look still further, 
 beyond our labours, where Natives will have 
 Christianity, whether we will give it or no ; — 
 
148 
 
 I am constrained to say, tliat the body was 
 never in so healthy a state ; that we in New 
 Zealand never had greater cause for encou- 
 ragement — nor the Church at home stronger 
 ground for thankfulness. I therefore will thank 
 God, and take courage. 
 
 Contrast between the Past and Present State of 
 New Zealand. 
 
 The Missionaries, writing Aug. 9, 1838, 
 thus contrast the past with the present 
 state of New Zealand : — 
 
 It must be very obvious to every person 
 who claims any acquaintance with the history 
 of New Zealand and its inhabitants, that they 
 are, in many respects, an altered people ; and 
 have become, from atrocious and savage canni- 
 bals, a partially civilized race of men. It is 
 equally observable, that this great change of 
 character is confined to those parts of the island 
 brought under the influence of Missionary exer- 
 tions, even where the Natives remain heathen, 
 and make no profession of Christianity. We 
 mean, that those in the precincts of our labours 
 are not what they once were : they lay claim 
 to different views and feelings from what they 
 once had : there is something like compassion 
 for suffering humanity, with some desire that 
 their children should be better instructed and 
 informed. It may, we think, be clearly shown, 
 
149 
 
 that the line of conduct pursued by the princi- 
 pal part of the settlers has effected nothing to 
 their present state, but rather tended to impede 
 the work of civilization. The example gene- 
 rally set them by settlers has had a tendency 
 to make the Natives more heathenish than 
 they were previous to their taking up their 
 x'esidence among them. To what, then, but to 
 the labours of the Missionaries, can we attri- 
 bute the change that has taken place P Where 
 there are no Missionaries, but only traders, 
 settled, the New Zealander is still a cannibal, 
 and a terror to those who live among them ; 
 whereas a stranger travels as peaceably and as 
 securely on this part of the island as in civilized 
 countries. 
 
 At the same period the Missionaries 
 thus briefly sum up the results of the 
 Mission : — 
 
 The number of adults admitted to the rite of 
 Baptism, since the formation of the Mission, 
 has been 553 ; of infants, 303 ; making a total 
 of 838 . The attendants on Public Worship are 
 about 4070 ; the Communicants, being the 
 average number of those only who attend, 213 . 
 Schools about 50 , and Scholars 1600 . 
 
 Imperfect State of New- Zealand Civilization. 
 
 Decisive, however, as are the proofs of 
 
150 
 
 tlie beneficial effects of the Mission on the 
 Natives of New Zealand, a long period 
 must elapse before Christian principles, 
 and Christian feelings, can displace inve- 
 terate habits — formed in a state of barba- 
 rism so unmitigated, that cannibalism uni- 
 versally prevailed — or fully repair the 
 demoralizing consequences of a state of 
 society in which a whole life has been 
 spent, and conformably to which the entire 
 character of the man, mental and physical, 
 has been moulded. The Christian Native 
 of New Zealand is not, therefore, to be 
 compared with the Christian of privileged 
 England ; but rather with himself, as he 
 was before the “ Messengers of the Churches ” 
 appeared on his shores. This considera- 
 tion, so necessary to be borne in mind in 
 forming a fair and just estimate of the pro- 
 gress of Christianity in New Zealand, was 
 urged by Mr. King, in September 1836. 
 Mr. King is the Senior Catechist, and 
 landed with Mr. Marsden in New Zealand 
 in December 1814, when the Mission was 
 commenced : — 
 
151 
 
 A great change has been effected, and a great 
 work is going on. At the same time, I would 
 not be understood to mean that all, even of 
 those who are baptized, have taken up all the 
 manners and customs of the English. Some of 
 our new friends come out (at least I should so 
 conclude from their remarks) with the convic- 
 tion that the work in New Zealand was done, and 
 that they have only to give the finishing stroke. 
 It requires the same patient continuance in 
 well-doing, and in well -suffering, and in well- 
 bearing the will of God as in former years ; 
 and without it, but little progress can be ex- 
 pected. When a Native begins to consider 
 about his soul, and to seek salvation by Christ 
 Jesus, he finds himself ignorant of every good 
 thing, and knows not how to proceed ; and he 
 does not cast off all his sin and ignorance in a 
 day, and become an enlightened and civilized 
 Christian. You know it requires not only 
 prayer and watchfulness, and the constant use 
 of the means of grace, but a course of time, be- 
 fore many seekers are brought to a clear know- 
 ledge and an established faith and hope in 
 Jesus Christ. If this be the case with one 
 brought up in civilized life, under the sound of 
 the Gospel, and under the laws of his own 
 country, which forbid to steal, &c. on pain of 
 
152 
 
 death, banishment, or confinement ; what must 
 be the case of a New Zealander, who has been 
 from his childhood encouraged in every sin by 
 his friends and neighbours, when he begins to 
 discern a little light in the midst of darkness ? 
 Even when they are brought to know a little of 
 divine things, how low must be their ideas of 
 truth, honesty, and industry, I leave you to 
 judge. 
 
 The Members of the Society will there- 
 fore see, that while there is abundant cause 
 to “ give God the glory ” for what He has 
 wrought among this barbarous people by 
 the power of His grace, much, very much, 
 remains to be done. While the Missio- 
 nary is prosecuting his arduous and self- 
 denying labours in New Zealand, let Bri- 
 tish Christians not cease to pray for him, 
 that the word of God may have free course 
 and be glorified, and that those who are 
 partakers of the heavenly calling may grow 
 in grace, till a Christian Church shall stand 
 forth in New Zealand, fully enriched and 
 blessed with the sanctifying grace of the 
 Holy Ghost ! 
 
 Church- Missionary House. 
 
 Feb. 20 , 1840 . 
 
JUST PUBLISHED, SEPARATELY, 
 
 I. 
 
 In stiff covers, price 3d. — and in Large Type , and neatly 
 done up in cloth covers, price fid 
 PROGRESS OF THE 
 
 RELIGIOUS AWAKENING AT KISHNAGHUR, 
 
 4 STATION OF THE CHURCH-MISSIONARY SOCIETY NEAR CALCUTTA. 
 
 Stated in a Second Letter from the Lord Bishop of Calcutta to the 
 Earl of Chichester. 
 
 In stiff covers, price 3d- — and in Large Type , and neatly 
 done up in cloth covers, price 6 d 
 A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE 
 
 RELIGIOUS AWAKENING AT KISHNAGHUR, 
 
 A STATION OF THE CHURCH-MISSIONARY SOCIETY NEAR CALCUTTA. 
 
 III. 
 
 Also, in stiff covers, price 3d. ; — and in Large Type, and 
 neatly done up in cloth covers, price 6 d 
 AN ACCOUNT OF 
 
 THE VISIT OF THE BISHOP OF AUSTRALIA 
 
 TO THE 
 
 CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY’S MISSION IN 
 NEW ZEALAND; 
 
 and Notices of its State and Progress. 
 
 LONDON: HATCHARDS; SEELEYS ; NISBET. 
 
 1840. 
 
LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED BY RICHARD WATT 
 
 Crown Court, Temple Bar.