THE DAT
MISSIONS LIBRARY

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HISTORY
OF THE
PROPAGATION OP CHRISTIANITY
AMONG THE HEATHEN.

HISTORY

PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
AMONG THE HEATHEN
g>fwe tfje Eeformatton.

EEY. WILLIAM BROWN, M.D.
Wtfixti QPtiititm, fcrougfjt bofon to tfje present Eimt.
IN THEEE VOLUMES.
VOL. II.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS,
EDINBURGH AND LONDON.
MDCCCLIV.
T>U ntulnitu I ihran

EBINBURSH : PRINTED BY JOHN GREIO AND SON.

CONTENTS OF VOLUME II.

CHAPTER VIII.
Propagation op Christianity by the Baptist Missionary Society.

Page

Sect. I. India,

1

II. Jamaica, ..... 78

CHAPTER IX.

Propagation op Christianity by the London Missionary Society.

Sect. I. South Sea Islands, ... 98

Art. 1. Society Islands,

101

2. Friendly Islands,

192

3. Marquesas Islands,

214
4. Hervey Islands,
216
5. Navigators' Islands,
223
II. South Africa,
23S
III. Madagascar,
242
IV. India,
249
V. China,
250
VI. British Guiana,
265
VII. Ionian Islands,
272
CHAPTER X.
Propagation op Christianity by the Church Missionary Society.
Sect. I. Western Africa,
276
Art. 1. Susoo Country,
lb.
2. Sierra Leone,
287
3. Yoruba Country,
304
II. Malta, ....
306
III. Greece — Turkey — Asia Minor,
307
IV. Egypt,
312
V. Abyssinia/ — Shoa — Zanguebar,
317
VI CONTENTS.
Sect. VI. India, . 327
Art. 1. Calcutta, Ib-
2. Krishnagur, . 330
3. Madras, . • 332
4. Tinnevelly, . • 333
5. Travancore, . • 346
6. Ceylon, . 363
VII. New South Wales, . 366
VIII. New Zealand, . 368
IX. Hudson's Bay Company's Territory, 396
CHAPTER XI.
Propagation op Christianity by the Society for Propagating
the Gospel in Foreign Parts.
India, .... .405
CHAPTER XII.
Propagation op Christianity by the General Baptist Missionary
Society.
India, ..... 409
CHAPTER XIII.
Propagation op Christianity by the Scottish Missionary Society. %
Sect. I. Susoo Country, .... 415
II. Tartary, . . . 420
III. India, . . .433
IV. Jamaica, ..... 436
CHAPTER XIV.
Propagation op Christianity by the Glasgow Missionary Society.
Sect. I. Western Africa, . . . 450
Art. 1. Timmany Country, . lb.
2. Sherbro, . . . .454
II. South Africa, . .... 456
KafFraria, . . lb.
CHAPTER XV.
Propagation op Christianity by the General Assembly op the Church
op Scotland.
India, . . . 474
CHAPTER XVI.
Propagation op Christianity by the General Assembly op the
Free Church op Scotland.
India, . . 494

CONTENTS. Vll
CHAPTER XVII.
Propagation op Christianity by the United Presbyterian Church.
Sect. I. West Indies, .... 504
II. Western Africa, . , . 509
CHAPTER XVIII.
Propagation op Christianity by the General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
India, . 512
CHAPTER XIX.
Propagation op Christianity by the Netherlands Missionary
Society.
Dutch East India Islands, . . . 514
East Indies, ..... 519
CHAPTER XX.
Propagation op Christianity by the German Missionary Society.
Sect. I. Russia, . • ¦ 520
II. Western Africa, . . 525
III. India, ..... 528
CHAPTER XXI.
Propagation of Christianity by the Paris Society for Evangelical
Missions.
South Africa, . ... 530

HISTORY OF MISSIONS.

CHAPTER VIII.
PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY
SOCIETY.

SECT. I.— INDIA.
In October 1792, a few Baptist ministers, assembled at Ketter
ing in Northamptonshire, united in instituting a Society for
Propagating the Gospel among the Heathen. They, at the same
time, opened a subscription for this purpose ; but the whole
sum contributed on that occasion amounted only to J13 : 2 : 6.
As soon, however, as the object of the Society was known, they
met with further encouragement and support, not only from the
members of their own communion, but from Christians of other
denominations.1 About the same time, Mr John Thomas, who had of late
years made some attempts for propagating the gospel in Bengal,
was in London, endeavouring to establish a fund for sending
missionaries to that country, and was himself anxious to obtain
a suitable companion to return with him. He had previously
made two voyages to Bengal as surgeon of the Oxford East
Indiaman ; and when there the second time, he met with a few
pious people who agreed to have a prayer-meeting together, and
this led on to his preaching to them every Sabbath evening.
Among these Christian friends was Charles Grant, Esq., who.
afterwards rose to some of the most important and honourable
bffices in the service of the East India Company, both in India
• Periodical Aooounts relative to the Baptist Missionary Society, vol. i. p. 3, 48.
VOL. II. A

2 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
and in England. This excellent man, pleased with the labours
of Mr Thomas in their private meetings, expressed a wish that
he would remain in the country, learn the language, and
preach the gospel to the natives. Though Mr Thomas, when
formerly in India, had sought to set on foot some plan for
spreading Christianity in that country, he had no inclination to
engage in the work himself, when the proposal was now made
to him. Still, however, it would recur to his mind ; he became
greatly concerned on account of the miserable condition of
the Hindus, and he at length resolved to remain in the country,
and to preach among them " the unsearchable riches of Christ."
With this view, he began in 1787 to learn the Bengali language,
and, through means of his labours, several of the Hindus not
only acquired considerable knowledge of the gospel, but ap
peared to be concerned for their souls ; and there were two or
threewho,hehoped,were sincere converts to Christianity, though
they had not yet been baptized, nor relinquished their caste.
Mr Thomas laboured among them till the beginning of 1792,
when he left the country and returned to England.1
Encouraged by these circumstances, the Baptist Missionary
Society invited Mr Thomas to return to Bengal under their
auspices, and engaged, at the same time, to endeavour to find
him a suitable colleague. Such a man was not long wanting*
The Rev. William Carey of Leicester, who had a principal share
in the institution of the Society, had, ever since his entrance on
the ministry, if not even from an earlier period, viewed with deep
interest the condition of the heathen world. Hfs conversation,
his prayers, and his sermons, usually contained something re
lative to this subject ; and he had lately advocated the cause
of missions, in a work entitled, " An Inquiry into the Obliga
tions of Christians to use means for the Conversion of the.
Heathen." He was a man of respectable talents, had a great
thirst for geographical knowledge, and a remarkable facility in
acquiring languages. Being asked by the Committee whether
he was inclined to go out with Mr Thomas to Bengal, he readily
agreed to the proposal.2
1 Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 7, 14, 19, 31 ; Rippon's Baptist Register, vol. ii p 145.
2 Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 1, 34 ; Brief Narrative of the Baptist Mission in India,
2d edit. p. 5.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 3
Though Mr Thomas's introduction to the Society' was pro
bably the means in the hand of God of turning the attention
of the Committee to so important a field as India, yet his con
nection with the mission proved from the very beginning a
source of great difficulties, and threatened the abortion of the
whole scheme. He was involved in pecuniary embarrassments,
and though he candidly intimated this in one of his earliest com
munications with the Committee, yet it turned out more serious
in its consequences than probably either he or they anticipated.
Previous to going out to India originally, he had been engaged
in medical practice in London, and had failed in business. He
had lately divided a considerable sum among his creditors ; but
still it was £500 short of their demand. Having nothing to
offer them in the way of payment, he neglected waiting on
them to state how matters stood, and the consequence was that
they came after him. He then told them all the truth ; but as
they saw him going on a distant and expensive voyage, they
would not believe his statements. Every day he had fears
that he would be arrested ; but to his great joy he at length
embarked with his family and his colleague Mr Carey on board
the Oxford East Indiaman. Having, however, been detained
for some weeks off the Motherbank, they landed on the Isle of
Wight, and while they were waiting there, one of his creditors
called at their lodgings with a writ and bailiff to arrest him
for about £100. He had set off for London not many hours
before, and the man of his own accord, after some threatenings,
gave over the pursuit. The time of sailing now drawing near,
Mr Thomas ventured again to join his family.
But here the difficulties of the missionaries did not end.
They were going out without having obtained permission from
the East India Company, (for it would then have been vain to
ask permission) ; and when they were in expectation of sailing
within four days, it was intimated that an information had
been lodged against the captain (it was supposed by one of Mr
Thomas's creditors) for taking a person on board without a
licence from the Company, and as the person was not named,
he and Mr Carey, and another passenger, were all ordered to
quit the ship. These circumstances were exceedingly painful
and embarrassing.; yet they proved a mean of extricating Mr

4 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Carey out of difficulties of another kind. His wife had hither
to refused to accompany him ; but he had resolved to go him
self in the hope that she might afterwards be persuaded to fol
low him ; or, if not, he would return after having made the
trial, and ascertained, in some degree, the practicability of the
undertaking. Having learned that a Danish East Indiaman
was daily expected in Dover Roads, they again tried to per
suade Mrs Carey to go with them. She continued to resist all
their arguments ; but at length, contrary to all expectation,
she consented to go with her whole family, including her sister.
But now a new difficulty arose. There were not funds to pay
the passage of so many persons. The agents of the vessel, how
ever, agreed to take the whole party, consisting of eight per
sons, old and young, for three hundred guineas.1
In June 1793, Messrs Thomas and Carey, with their families,
embarked on board the Princess Maria, as the Danish East
Indiaman was called, and after a voyage of about five months,
they arrived in Calcutta. They had now, however, to suffer fresh
difficulties and trials. For some time they were much at a loss
where to settle or what to do. One of Mr Thomas's creditors
had sent his bond to India, and he was not sure but others
might have done the same ; and he was consequently in con
tinual apprehension of being arrested for his debts. He there
fore resolved to settle in his profession at Calcutta, on account
of his creditors. He was afraid that if he did no business, they
would be out of all patience with him. As Mr Thomas had
been in India before, Mr Carey was naturally inclined, on their
first arrival, to defer to his opinion, and to yield himself up to
his guidance ; he even acceded to things of which he much dis
approved, thinking that his colleague knew the country so much
better than himself. Mr Thomas, however, was little worthy
of such confidence. He was thoughtless, extravagant, and im- :
provident in his expenditure, and withal very changeable and
capricious. The little money they had was in his keeping, and
he took his measures and disbursed funds almost independently
of the advice, and frequently with too little regard to the com
fort, of Mr Carey and his family. The consequence was, that in
about two months they were all reduced to a state of destitu- .
1 Memoir of Dr Carey, by Eustace Carey, p. 78, 86, 88.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 5
tion ; their all was expended,1 and Mr Thomas was already in
debt ; yet notwithstanding this, he went on living at a great
expense, and even talked of keeping his coach. It sometimes
seemed doubtful whether he would not give up the mission al
together. He afterwards acknowledged that " he was drinking
desperately into the spirit of the world to the destruction of
godliness."2 Mr Carey now found himself in a strange and distant land,
without a friend, yet with a large family and nothing to supply
their wants. In the midst of these difficulties, he thought of try
ing to borrow five hundred rupis, and retiring into the country,
building a hut or two, and cultivating the ground for their sup
port. Meanwhile he had much affliction in his family. He
himself, his wife, and two of his children, were for some time
very ill, and one of them, a fine boy of about five years of age,
died. To add to his distress, his wife and her sister, whose
hearts had never been in the mission, were continually upbraid
ing him on account of the difficulties and trials which they
and the children were called to endure : they not unnaturally
thought it very hard that while Mr Thomas lived in the oity of
Calcutta, and in some degree of affluence, they should have to go
into a wilderness, and live without many of what they consi
dered the necessaries of life, particularly bread. These various
trials, it may easily be imagined, occasioned Mr Carey, especially
at times, great dejection, anxiety, and perplexity of mind, yet
under all he shewed much patience, and resignation, and humble
trust in God. He felt as if he had only one friend in the world,
yet he rejoiced that this friend was all-sufficient, and could sup
ply all his wants, temporal and spiritual.3
' It is, however, only fair to state, that Messrs Thomas and Carey were very dif
ferently provided for from missionaries in later times. They had not, in fact, much
to spend. Their united Balary for the first year appears to have been only £150. —
Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 53.
3 Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 45, 64; Carey's Memoir, p. 127, 135, 139, 167.
s Carey's Memoir, p. 134, 137, 143 ; Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 122.
Mrs Carey while she lived was a great trial to her husband. It need, indeed, ex
cite no surprise, that a mother with a young family, in a foreign land, without a single
female friend to soothe her mind, or the power of uttering or understanding a sentence
beyond the limits of her own household ; their resources, slender from the first, at
length almost completely exhausted, and she and her family brought well-nigh to the
brink of starvation ; the very house in which they lodged, incommodious as it was, se-

6 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
In February 1794, Mr Carey proceeded with his family in a
boat to the east of Calcutta, with the view of taking land
in that part of the country, and cultivating it for the support
of his family. On the morning of the third day, they arrived at
a place called Deharta, about forty miles from that city, and in
the neighbourhood of the Sunderbunds. Here the East India
Company had a bungalow, and Mr Short, who resided there as
superintendent of the salt-works, on seeing them, invited the
.whole of them to stay with him until they were able to erect
a house for themselves; and though he was an unbeliever,
he treated them with great hospitality and kindness. The
state of Mr Carey's mind at this time may be seen in the man
ner in which he expresses himself on several occasions in his
journal. " I have lately," he writes on one occasion, " been full of per
plexity about various temporal concerns. I have met with
heavy afflictions ; but in the mount the Lord is seen. I wish I
had but more of God in my soul, and felt more submission in
my heart to his will This would raise me above every trouble.
I feel happy in this that I am in my work, and that it is the
work of God ; the more I am employed in it, the more I feel it
a rich reward."
On another occasion he writes, " A day of business, hurry,
sorrow, and dejection. I seem cast out of the Christian world,
and am yet unable to speak to the heathen to any advantage,
while I am discouraged by various disappointments and dis
tresses, and am still at a distance from my colleague, and have
cured to them only by the daily sufferance of a native, should have been found unequal
to the exercise of those virtues which her present circumstances called for. Every
thing in her former life, as well as in her physical constitution, were unfavourable to
this. Brought up in an obscure village, without any advantages of mental, and few of
religious culture, with a spirit unusually timid, and a bodily frame always feeble, it is
no wonder though she felt dejected and dismayed when such trials befel her,, as might
make even firm and disciplined minds falter and quail. Indeed, there can be no ques
tion that the inroads of Monomania, which so distracted the last years of her life, were
already unhinging her understanding and corroding her passions. Had this been
clearly seen by Mr Carey at the time, melancholy as was the fact, it would in some
degree have eased the anguish of his heart under the trials which she then, and to the
close of her life, occasioned him, they being imputable to her malady, which made her
more an object of pity than of blame. She at length died, December 8. 1807, aftor
having been in a state of most distressing derangement for twelve years. — Carey's Me
moir, p. 127, 181, 268, 407, 457.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. '
no friend to stir me up or encourage me in the ways of God.
I sometimes feel rather disheartened by the infidelity of the
Europeans, who all say that the conversion of the natives is im
possible, and by the stupid superstition of the people themselves.
In England I would not be discouraged by what infidels say ;
but here I have no faithful brother to sympathise with me, nor
am I yet able to make the experiment by preaching the gospel.
All my hope is in God ; all my comfort arises from him. With
out his power no European could possibly be converted, and
that can convert any Indian."
" My soul," he writes some days after, " my soul longeth and
fainteth for God, for the living God, to see his glory and his
beauty as I have seen them in the sanctuary. When I left
England, my hopes of the conversion of the heathen were very
strong ; but amidst so. many obstacles, they would utterly die,
unless upheld by God. I have met with many things calculated
to upset them since I left my dear charge at Leicester. Since
that time I have had hurrying up and down, a five months' im
prisonment with carnal men on board the ship, five more spent
in learning the language, my moonshee not understanding Eng
lish sufficiently to interpret my preaching, my colleague sepa
rated from me, long delays experienced respecting my settle
ment, few opportunities for social worship, no woods to retire
to like Brainerd for fear of tigers, (no fewer than twenty men
in the department of Dayhotta where I am, have been carried
away from the salt-works this season) ; in short, no earthly thing
to depend on. Well, I have God ; and his word is sure. Though
the superstitions of the Hindus were a million times more
deeply rooted, and the example of Europeans a million times
worse than they are ; if I were deserted by all, and persecuted
by all, yet my hope fixed on that sure word, will rise superior
to all obstructions, and triumph over all trials. God's cause
will triumph, and I shall come out of all trials as gold purified
in the fire."1
Mr Carey had not finished the building of a house in the
neighbourhood of Deharta, and Mr Thomas had only just got
into a new house in Calcutta, when an unexpected turn was
1 Carey's Memoir, p. 149 ; Period. Accounts, yol. i. p. 164, 172, 175.

8 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
given to their circumstances and pursuits. Among the friends
which Mr Thomas had gained during his former residence in
Bengal, was George Udney, Esq. of Malda, a gentleman who
afterwards held some of the most important offices in the
India Government ; but though he had contributed to his
support whilst learning the language and making his first
missionary efforts, yet he, and also Mr Grant, afterwards be^
came dissatisfied with his conduct and both withdrew their
countenance from him. Mr Udney's family having lately met
with a heavy affliction, Mr Thomas, on hearing of it, with
prompt ingenuous kindness, as though there had been no dif
ference between them, wrote a consolatory letter to him ; and
this having led to a pressing and affectionate invitation to him
from that gentleman to visit him at Malda, he accordingly went,
and did not fail to embrace the opportunity of ministering con
solation to the afflicted family. Mr Udney was at that time
erecting two indigo factories in that part of the country ; and
this visit proved the occasion of his offering the superintend4
ence of them to Mr Thomas and Mr Carey. As this proposal
not only opened to them the prospect of an ample supply of
their pecuniary wants, but presented them with an extensive
field of usefulness, affording each of them influence over up
wards of a thousand people, and furnishing suitable employ-1
ment for any of them who might lose caste for the sake of the
gospel, they both accepted it without hesitation. Mr Carey,
accordingly, took up his residence at Mudnabatty, a place about
thirty miles beyond Malda, and Mr Thomas at Moypauldiggy,
sixteen miles further north.1
Being now settled in these two villages, they had each an
opportunity of addressing, not only the workmen under their
inspection, but many others of the natives, who came from dif
ferent parts of the country to hear them, and as soon as they
1 Carey's Memoir, p. 153 ; Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 85, 89.
It is gratifying to be able to state,- that though Messrs Carey and Thomas came out
to India without the licence of the East India Company, and were consequently liable
to be ordered out of the country at any time, Sir John Shore (afterwards Lord Teign-.
mouth, the distinguished President of the British and Foreign Bible Society), who was
at this time Governor-General of India, granted them the usual covenants of British
subjects, and thus legalized their residence in the country.— Oriental Christian Specta
tor, vol. xi. p. 22.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 9
were able, they erected schools at their respective factories ;
but the extreme ignorance and poverty of the natives made
them take away their children on every slight occasion, and at
length it even became necessary to pay something to the scholars,
in order to induce them to attend. Besides statedly labouring
in the two villages where they resided, they made frequent ex
cursions through the neighbouring country, for the purpose of
making known the gospel. " I have a district," says Mr Carey,
" of about twenty miles square, where I am continually going
from place to place to publish the gospel, and in this space
there are about two hundred villages. My manner of travel
ling is with two small boats, one of which serves me to lodge in,
the other for cooking my victuals. All my furniture, as well as
my food, I carry with me from place to place, namely, a chair, a
table, a bed, and a lamp. I walk from village to village, but
repair to my boat for lodging and victuals. There are several
rivers in this quarter of the country, which renders it very
convenient for travelling."1
Mr Carey on his arrival in India conceived a very favourable
idea of the character and manners of the Hindus. He was de
lighted to see them appear so gentle, mild, and peaceable in their
dispositions, and especially so inquisitive and attentive in hear-^
ing the gospel ; but further experience soon corrected these
early impressions. The few individuals, of whose conversion Mr
Thomas had entertained sanguine hopes, disappointed their ex
pectations, none of them ever coming forward to make a public
profession of the Christian faith.2 The difficulties attending
the conversion of the Hindus were, in fact, greater than perhaps
either they or their friends had ever calculated ; and though no
doubt could remain of the power of God to subdue their igno
rance and obduracy ; yet, for the present, it pleased him to put
the faith and patience of his servants to a severe trial. It may
not be improper in this place to take a view of some of the
obstructions, political and moral, which impede the progress of
Christianity in India, exclusive of those natural and more
powerful obstacles which are to be found in every country and
in every heart.
1 Brief Narrative, p. 20 ; Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 124, 233, 373.
* Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 79, 138.

10 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
The first obstruction which naturally strikes the most super
ficial observer, is the division of the people into Castes. The
Hindus, as is well known, are divided into four principal
castes or tribes : the Brahman, the Kayastha, the Vaisya, and
the Sudra ; each of which is again subdivided into a number of
different branches. No one can ever quit his own caste, or be
admitted into another. The station of every individual is un
alterably fixed ; his destiny is irrevocable. The members of
each caste must adhere invariably to the profession or employ
ment of their ancestors, and continue from generation to gene
ration to pursue the same course of life. In consequence of
this unnatural distinction of castes, all motives to exertion, in
quiry, and improvement, are extinguished among the Hindus.
The highest talents, the most honourable actions, the most
beneficial discoveries, the most virtuous conduct, secure no
respect or advantage to a person of low caste ; and, on the
other hand, ignorance, indolence, and vice, reflect no disgrace on
one of high caste. Hence they display a stupid contentment
with their present condition, plod on in the path of their an
cestors, and are utterly regardless of truth of every kind, out of
the beaten track of antiquity. The most trifling incidents, how
ever, occasion the loss of caste, as eating, drinking, or smoking
with a person of a different tribe or nation. They may, indeed, -
eat the food of another caste if no water has touched it. Thus
a Brahman may purchase rice of a Sudra, or even of a Mussul
man, but none except one of his own order may cook it for him.
A Hindu may smoke the tobacco which a Mussulman has just
been using, but he must take off part of the hooka which con
tains the tobacco, and must not smoke through the same water.
The loss of caste is attended with the most terrible consequences.
No one will eat, drink, or smoke, with a person who has lost =
caste ; no one will marry into his family ; his wife, his children,
his friends, disown him, and are often material sufferers by
what he has done, sometimes even losing caste themselves in
consequence pf it, and thus he ruins them as well as himself.
Nor can caste if once completely lost ever be recovered, or at
least if it can, it is matter of extreme difficulty. Some have been :
known to put a period to their lives, unable to endure the dis- :

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. ] 1
grace into which they had fallen. This singular institution of
caste raises unquestionably greater difficulties in the way of a
profession of Christianity in India, than are to be found in any
other country of the world. It pervades all classes of Hindus,
high and low, rich and poor. Hence all are interested in its
preservation, and are found guarding it with scrupulous care.
Even children of very tender age are made to understand its
importance, and are taught carefully to preserve it from all de
filement.1 Nearly related to the loss of caste, there is another and power
ful difficulty in the way of the conversion of the Hindus, which
cannot fail to stare them in the face, even from the very first,
namely, the prospect of not being able to obtain subsistence for
themselves and their families in the event of their embracing
Christianity. This simple fact has probably more influence
than any other to prevent Hindus, especially those of the higher
and middle classes, from ever giving the gospel a serious and
careful hearing. Many appear to listen to it with intelligent
interest, and some declare that they will no longer worship
idols. But when they consider what a change the embracing
of Christianity would make in their whole circumstances ; that
it would certainly prevent them carrying on their accustomed
occupations, while they see no other way of providing for them
selves and their families ; that it would make a complete dis
ruption between them and their relations, subject them to many
annoyances, and perhaps cruel oppression, we cannot wonder
that they should start back at the prospect, and resolve, that
whatever others may do, they must be content with the reli
gion of their ancestors, for in it only can they expect to obtain
the means of subsistence for themselves and their families, en
joy any comfort in life, or live at peace with those around them.
In confessing Christ, Hindus have often literally to " forsake
all, and take up their cross and follow him."2
Another great difficulty which a missionary finds in labour
ing among the Hindus, arises out of the want of first principles
held in common by them. The religion of the Hindus has ex-
1 Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 137, 235, 481 ; Sum. Orient. Christ. Spect. vol. i. p. 427.
* Sum. Orient. Christ. Spect., vol. i. p. 266, 274.

12 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
tinguished, in a great degree, the light of nature in their
breasts, darkened their understandings, and depraved their
hearts. They are fond of the idea that man is merely a machine,
and consequently not an accountable creature. One day as Mr
Carey was discoursing on the evil of sin, a person who heard
him declared he had never committed sin in his life. " We can
do no wrong," said some others who joined in the conversation,
" we are only instruments ; our will is God in us." Mr Carey
then talked of particular sins, saying, " If you commit theft,
lewdness, or murder, are they not your sins V "0 no," they
replied, " they are not our sins ; it is God who does all." He
used many arguments to convince them of the absurdity and
wickedness of such ideas, but all was in vain, until at last he"
said, " Well, if you can do no sin, come eat some rice with me
to-day ; it will be God's act, not yours." With this they were
struck dumb, and had not a word to reply. Probably they
would sooner have murdered a man, or been hanged themselves
than eaten, or even touched, a particle of food dressed by a
European. If a Hindu is detected in theft, or charged with
murder, he generally answers that his kopal, or forehead, is bad,
By this they mean that they were destined by God to commit
such crimes ; for it is a common opinion among them that the
fate of every man is written in his forehead, and that therefore
the whole of their conduct in life is chargeable on God, and not
on themselves. This doctrine prevails amongst them almost
universally ; and to clear themselves from the inconsistency of
charging sin on a holy God, they maintain that no act of the
Deity can be criminal. If sin, say they, enters into him, it is
consumed like fuel in the fire, and thus its malignity is taken
away. The idea of fatality is not confined to the present state
of existence, but extends to the life to come, and produces the
utmost indifference with regard to futurity. "All will be"
they say, " as it is to be : who can alter it ? " Besides, the doc^
trine of transmigration is a new source of evil, and renders
them still further proof against the convictions of conscience*
and indifferent to that salvation which the gospel reveals. The
present life is regarded by them not as a state of probation, but
of punishment for the sins of some pre-existent state ; and hence

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 13
! however wicked their conduct may be, they maintain it cannot
i be criminal, because they are now expiating former transgressions.
; In another point of view, the doctrine of transmigration proves
! extremely pernicious. In Europe, men are excited to attend to
i religion with diligence and without delay, by the consideration
i that their everlasting happiness is dependent on their improve-
j ment of present opportunities ; but in India, they are encouraged
i to indulge in negligence and procrastination, by the hope that
I in some future birth they shall enjoy better fortunes, be great,
; and rich, and happy, and so be in circumstances more favourable
for attending to spiritual things. Even when they are driven
, from all these refuges, and are no longer able to still the small
voice of conscience, the facility with which they can be cleansed
, from sin, proves a complete solace to their mind and a power-
. ful hinderance to the reception of the gospel by them. In the
I estimation of a Hindu, the sight, the name, or the touch of
, Ganga,1 takes away the most heinous transgressions. Thinking
. of Ganga, even though the person is at a distance, delivers from
\ all moral pollution and confers a title to heaven. Bathing in
Ganga, accompanied with prayer, removes the iniquities of
, thousands of- births, and gives a claim to blessings beyond the
i conception of the human imagination. One day, a native told
Mr Carey, that, let him sin as much as he would, the river Ganga
would wash it all away. On another occasion, a shopkeeper
said, that should he live in the practice of adultery, lying, and
other sins till his death, yet if he then repeated the name of
Krishnu, he would without difficulty ascend to heaven. The
Hindus, in short, had no fixed moral principles on which it was
possible to argue with them ; hence, instead of reasoning from
the ordinary doctrines of natural religion, the missionaries had
in the first instance to establish them, a point of no small diffi
culty where there are scarcely any data or primary principles
admitted in common by the disputants.2
Besides, the indifference and insensibility, the feebleness,
lethargy, and timidity of the Hindus, are a great hinderance to
' The river Ganges.
¦ Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 449, 482 ; vol. ii. p. 50, 73 ; Ward's View of the His
tory, Literature, and Religion of the Hindus, vol. i. p. 268, 272, 276 ; vol. ii. p. 160,
172, 173 ; Missionary Herald, 1819, p. 93 ; Ibid. 1824, p. 74.

14 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
the spread of Christianity among them. They are curious
enough to hear what is new ; but they have not mental energy
to prosecute inquiry, nor resolution to carry out their convic
tions to their legitimate consequences. Though they may seem
to listen with attention, and may understand, in some degree). '
what they hear, and even acknowledge it to be truth, yet it is
all without feeling, without interest, without any sense of its
importance. It is exceedingly difficult to get them to extend a
thought beyond present things. As to the world to come, it is
out of sight, and therefore out of mind. Though they will affect
to spare an ant or a worm, they will look on the sufferings and
. the death of their fellow-men with a stoical indifference almost
inconceivable ; and the same, or if possible, a still greater de
gree of apathy , is manifested by them in regard to things spi
ritual and eternal. The discouragements of missionaries do not,
in general, arise so much from their opposition to the truth, as
from their utter indifference to it, and to every thing connected
with their spiritual welfare.1
There was even a want of a proper medium of communication
with the Hindus on the subject of religion. The languages of
India were, like all heathen languages, wanting in.terms to ex
press many of the peculiar truths of Christianity. Hence
foreign words had to be introduced into them, or new ones
coined or borrowed from the Sanskrit. But even when term?
were found in the vernacular languages, which it was thought \
would convey the ideas intended, they failed to do so in conse-'
quence of their being used in a sense different from the associa
tions in the minds of the hearers. In this case the confusion
and unintelligibility of ideas, instead of being diminished, were
perhaps increased, as it is often easier to introduce a new term
as the expression of a new idea, than to detach from an old
term the idea with which it has been long habitually associated.
Speak, for example, to a Hindu of God, and he thinks of him
as a Being extended through all space, that all nature is God,
that he himself is a part of God, and that the whole is a pro
per object of worship ; or his thoughts turn to the incarnations
of Deity, or to a multitude of imaginary and subordinate
1 Wardlaw's Memoir of the Rev. John Reid, p. 183, 189 ; Miss. Her. 1824. p. 75.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. ] 5
divinities, the patrons of lying, intrigue, lust, theft, murder,
war, of every thing in short, base, vile, and wicked, or to the
idol representations of their thousand gods. Talk to him of
sin, and he will perhaps think of touching something unclean,
or of partaking of food prepared by one of another caste, or of
some other imaginary offence equally frivolous. Tell him of
the necessity of being cleansed from sin, and the process of
purification which will occur to his mind will be that of ablu
tion in the Ganges or some other sacred stream. Discourse to
him of regeneration and of being born again, and he will per
haps reply, " We know that we. must be born again : it is part
of our fate to be so," referring' to the doctrine of transmigration
which holds so prominent a place in the Hindu system. Preach
to him of heaven, and he will think of absorption in the Deity,
or if this is not consummated, of the endless round of sensual
enjoyments, which, according to the Hindu creed, constitute
celestial bliss. Thus the terms which the missionary is com
pelled to employ, are apt, when unexplained, to convey not
Christian but heathen and Hindu ideas.1
The antiquity of the Hindu Institutions, extending back, as
they imagine, many hundred thousand years, creates in their
minds the highest veneration for them, and indisposes them for
the examination of a system which to them appears as but of
yesterday. " Can all our sages and philosophers," say they,
" have been mistaken ? Can all their learned and voluminous
disquisitions be founded on error? Can all the countless
millions who have lived and died in the belief and practice of
their precepts, have been deceived ? And are all the millions
by whom we are surrounded, likewise mistaken ? Have we not
among us visible proofs of the favour and approbation of the
Deity ? If he did not support our devotees, how could they
endure such exquisite sufferings ? How, without divine aid,
' could they lie night and day on a bed of spikes, or hold up their
arm, till it has become stiff and withered, and clench their
fingers till the nails have grown through their hands, or lie
: down, and look, and wait, till the wheels of the car of Jaganath
' pass over them, and crush them to atoms ? How, destitute of
' Ward's Farewell Letters, p. 141 ; Duff's India and Indian Missions, p. 319 ; (Irish)
' Missionary Herald, vol. i. p. 542.

16 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
heavenly support, could young, feeble, timid females walk with
calmness, and even with triumph, around the funeral pile of
their lifeless husbands, and then throw themselves upon it, to
be consumed to ashes ? If our religion be not divine, how are
we to account for these things V'1
The servility, the avarice, and the dissimulation of the Hindus,
are a further bar to the propagation of Christianity among
them. Of their character in these respects, it is scarcely possii
ble for a European to form an adequate conception. To the mis
sionaries, this was a very perplexing circumstance, as they.
found it extremely difficult to form a just estimate of the pro
fessions of such as became inquirers about the gospel. Among
the Hindus, the hope of being employed in some work, or re
commended to some other person, or even of getting a few
cowries", is sufficient to induce a man in easy circumstances to
carry on a deception for a year or two together, with the ut
most servility imaginable.2
It is not, however, unworthy of observation, that the distinc:
tion of castes which we have stated as so great a hinderance to
the progress of Christianity in India, may prove highly benefi
cial as a corrective of this evil. The Hindus being distinguished ;
by the deceitfulness of their character, the renunciation of caste
will form a test of sincerity, peculiarly adapted to such a peo
ple. Thus the oil of the serpent will prove an antidote to its
poison. Were it not for the caste the church might soon be
filled with hypocrites ; but in consequence of this, the danger
of imposition will not, perhaps, be greater in India than in
other countries.3
In May 1799, Messrs W. Ward, J. Marshman, D. Brunsdoij
and W. Grant, sailed for India in an American vessel, com
manded by Captain Wickes. On their arrival, they proceeded%to
Serampur, a Danish settlement, about fourteen miles above Cal
cutta ; and as the captain was informed that his ship would not
be entered unless they either made their appearance at the
police-office of Calcutta, or agreed to continue at Serampur,
they preferred remaining, at least for the present, at that place.
On receiving information of these circumstances, Mr Carey em-
• Ward's Farewell Letters, p. 138, 142. » Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 483.
3 Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 156.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 17
ployed all the interest in his power to obtain permission for
them to settle in the neighbourhood of Malda; but his efforts
were unsuccessful. It, therefore, became a question, Whether
the missionaries in that quarter should join those at Serampur,
or whether they should labour separately. The indigo-works
which Mr Udney had erected at Mudnabatty and Moypauldiggy
had entirely failed, and the heavy losses which he had sustained
by them had led him to break them up. Mr Carey had lately
commenced the same line of business on his own account at
Kidderpur, a place about twelve miles distant. To leave that
part of the country would be attended with the loss of £500 on
this undertaking, and the sacrifice, in a great measure, of all
their past labours. On the other hand, at Serampur they would
enjoy the protection of the Danish government, might prosecute
the grand objects of the mission, especially the printing of the
Holy Scriptures, with greater facility than in their present
situation, and would have a more populous neighbourhood as
the scene of their labours. Weighing these several circum
stances, Mr Carey acquiesced in the wishes of his brethren, and
agreed to come to Serampur.1
The number of missionaries being so much increased, one of
the first objects to which they directed their attention was to
settle a plan of domestic economy and government. Among
the principles which they adopted, there were two which are
specially deserving of notice. With a view to frugality, it was
agreed that they should live together in a family capacity. All
the missionaries and their wives accordingly dined at one com
mon table, and received only a small allowance for private and
domestic expenses. This, though no doubt well designed, was
essentially a vicious system. Such a union is too artificial, too
intimate, and too circumstantial ; it involves too great a sacri
fice of personal and social freedom to minister to the peace,
comfort, and happiness of the parties. Such frequent and such -
close contact of so many persons and families, could scarcely
fail to produce numberless inconveniences, collisions, and dis
agreements. The whole scheme was a breach of the order of
divine providence, which has placed mankind in families, and
1 Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 520 ; vol. ii. p. 39, 44, 46 ; vol. iii. p. 3 ; Brief Najr~
rative, p. 25 ; Carey's Memoir, p. 349, 367.
VOL II. B

18 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
it will commonly be found that breaches of the order of provi
dence are not to be made with impunity. The missionaries;
after some years' experience, modified and ultimately aban
doned this part of the scheme.
The other principle adopted by them to which we referred
was, that no one should engage in any employment of a private
nature, but that whatever pecuniary profits any of them might
realize, should be appropriated to the general purposes of the
mission.1 It originally entered into the arrangements of the
mission, that those engaged in it should provide for their own
support ; but we apprehend that the plan of missionaries origi
nating funds by secular labour, will, generally speaking, be
found very unadvisable, probably even injurious. The various
duties of the mission will furnish ample scope for the practice
of the Apostle Paul's exhortation, " Give thyself wholly to these
things ;" and if their attention is to any considerable extent
directed to secular labour, it will be just so much time with
drawn from their missionary duties, while at the same time,
there will be no small danger of their minds being secularized by
their attention being so much turned to worldly matters, and
perhaps also of contentions arising out of them among them
selves. It is the special duty of missionaries to labour for the
conversion of the heathen : the providing of funds is the spe
cial duty of Christians at home, and of others not engaged in
the work.
Hitherto the missionaries had laboured among the Hindus
with little or no success. Thirteen years had now elapsed since
Mr Thomas entered on the work, and, in the course of that
period, he had thrown much away on deceitful, or at least un
fruitful characters. Mr Carey, though he had not relaxed in
his labours, was much discouraged ; all hope of his own success
had now in fact nearly expired. " I confess," says he, " that
want of success in my work, together with a sense of my great
carnality and unfitness for so important an undertaking, has
not a little damped my spirits. I know the Lord can work by
the weakest instrument, but I often question whether it would
1 Marshman's (J. C.) Review of Two Pamphlets by the Rev. John Dyer, and the
Rev. E. Carey, and W. Yates, p. 40 ; Carey (E. ) Supplement to the Vindication of the
Calcutta Baptist Missionaries, p. 140.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 19
be for his honour to work by such a one as me. Perhaps, it
would too much sanction carnal security and guilty sloth in
others, if one so deeply sunk in these evils were to meet with
an eminent blessing." But as the hopes of the missionaries
were, perhaps, never so low, their prayers seem never to have
been more earnest. A holy unction appeared to rest on them
all ; and they were more than usually strengthened to wrestle
for a blessing. It is also not unworthy of remark, that the
death of Christ had of late been more than ever the subject of
their preaching, a circumstance which has not unfrequently
been connected with the success of the gospel among the heathen.1
Such was the state of the mission when Mr Thomas was
called to visit a Hindu of the name of Krishnu, who had dislo
cated one of his arms. After reducing it, he talked to him of the
good news of salvation by Jesus Christ. The man had heard
the gospel before, and was struck with it ; he now confessed
he was a sinner, a great sinner, and with many tears cried out :
" Save me, Sahib, save me." Three or four weeks after, Krishnu
and another of the natives named Gokul came and ate pub
licly with the missionaries, and thus voluntarily broke caste,
which had hitherto seemed like a fortress next to impregnable.
In the evening of the same day both of them, together with
Krishnu's wife and her sister, who were also seriously impressed
by the gospel, presented themselves before the ehurch, and made
a solemn profession of their faith in Christ, and of obedience to
his laws. The whole of the exercise was highly delightful to all,
particularly to Mr Thomas, who was almost overcame with joy.2
As soon as it was noised abroad that these people had lost
caste, the whole neighbourhood was in an uproar. Roused with
indignation, they seized the family of Krishnu, and dragged
them before the chief magistrate ; but he, instead of censuring,
dismissed them with commendations for their conduct. Baffled
in this attempt, they brought them back under a fresh charge,
accusing Krishnu of refusing to give up his daughter to a young
Hindu, to whom she had been betrothed about four years be
fore, but was sent back to remain at her father's till she should
be of proper age. Hearing, however, that the family had em-
1 Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 488 ; vol. ii. p. 124, 158, 161, 165; Brief Narrative, p. 31.
3 Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 122, 124, 140 ; Biblical Magazine, vol. ii. p. 236.

20 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
braced the gospel, the young man came to Serampur with some
of his friends, and distributing a little money among the popu
lace, raised a mob, who carried them before the magistrate.,
The parties having, by order of the governor, appeared before;
himself, the girl declared she would become a Christian along;
with her father; while the young man to whom she was espoused,
on being asked whether he would renounce heathenism, replied
in the negative. Upon this, the governor told him, that he;
could not possibly deliver up a Christian woman to a heathen;
man ; and therefore, unless he embraced Christianity, he should
not have her. Thus the matter ended for the present, to the
great joy of the poor girl, who was much afraid of being brought
into this connection.1
Intimidated by the violent proceedings of the mob, or over
come by the tears and entreaties of their relations, Gokul and
the two women begged to delay their baptism for some weeks.
Krishnu, however, remained firm and stedfast amidst the storm;
and on the following Sabbath was baptized in the neighbouring
river, along with Felix Carey, the eldest son of Mr Carey, then
a youth of about fifteen. The governor, and a number of Euro-!
peans, Portuguese, Hindus, and Mussulmen were present. The
governor could not refrain from tears, and almost the whole of
the spectators seemed to be struck with the solemnity of the
ordinance. By degrees, the other converts took courage, and
were baptized ; and even Gokul's wife, whose opposition to his
baptism was the chief cause of its delay, followed his example;
in a few months.2
In February 1801, the New Testament in the Bengali lan
guage, translated by Mr Carey, issued from the press. The
translation of the Holy Scriptures for the use of the natives,
was an object on which the hearts of the missionaries had long
been set. " I would give a million of pounds, if I had them,"
said Mr Thomas, " to see a Bengali Bible." He had accordingly
translated several books, even before his visit to England ; hut
this was a work for which he was less fitted than for some other.
parts of missionary labour. Mr Carey had early directed his
attention to this object, and had finished the translation of the
New Testament three or four years before. Various circum-
> Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 125, 143. * Djid. vol. ii. p. 127, 131, 169 180 185.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 21
stances, however, had hitherto delayed the printing- of it, but
this was now accomplished by Mr Ward, who had been bred a
printer, and who had come out with a special view to this object.1
Soon after the publication of the New Testament, Mr Carey
was appointed by Marquess Wellesley, the British Governor-
General, teacher of the Bengali and Sanskrit languages in the
lately instituted College of Fort- William. He had no expecta
tion of such an appointment ; and when the offer of it was made
to him, he had some hesitation in accepting of it, lest it should
interfere with his proper work as a missionary ; nor did he ac
cept of it until he had consulted with his brethren, who thought
that, instead of obstructing, it would promote the interests of
the mission. He was afterwards advanced to the rank of a
Professor in the College, and his salary was raised to a thou
sand rupis a month : the whole of which, agreeably to the esta
blished rules of the family, he generously devoted to the pur
poses of the mission.2
Amidst these auspicious circumstances, the missionaries were
not without their trials, amongst which was the death of several
of their number. As one of these, Mr Thomas, was the original
founder of the mission, it may not be improper to give a sketch
of his somewhat peculiar yet interesting character.
Mr Thomas was a man of exquisite sensibility, combined with
much seriousness and deep -devotion. He seldom, however,
walked in an even path : he was either full of cheerful active
love, or his hands hung down as if he had no hope : his joys
bordered on ecstacy ; his sorrows on despair.
His talents, at first sight, appeared better adapted for writing
and conversation than for preaching ; but, in fact, they were
suited for that kind of preaching to which he was called ; a
lively, metaphorical, pointed address, dictated by the circum
stances of the moment, and maintained amidst the interruptions
and contradictions of a heathen audience. One day, after ad
dressing a number of the natives on the banks of the Ganges, he
was thus accosted by a Brahman: "Sahib, don't you say that
: 1 Memoir relative to the Translations of the Scriptures, addressed to the Baptist
Missionary Society, 1808, p. 4 ; Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 292, 368, 417, 527 ; vol. ii,
p. 62, 132.
' Brief Narrative, p. 37; Miss. Mag. vol. xii. p. 481.

22 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
the devil tempts men to sin ?" " Yes," answered Mr Thomas.
" Then," said the Brahman, " certainly it is the devil who is in
the fault ; the devil, therefore, not man, ought to suffer the
punishment." While the people discovered by their looks their
approbation of this mode of reasoning, Mr Thomas observed a
boat, with several men on board, sailing on the river, and, with
that facility of reply for which he was remarkable, answered,
" Brahman, do you see yonder boat ?" " Yes," said he. " Sup
pose," added Mr Thomas, " I were to send some of my friends
to destroy every person on board, and to bring me all that is
valuable in it ; who ought to suffer the punishment ? I for in
structing them, or they for doing the wicked action." " Why,",
answered ths Brahman, with some emotion, " you ought all to
be put to death together." " Yes, Brahman," said Mr ThomaSj
" and if you and the devil sin together, the devil and you will
be punished together."1
Few men enjoyed more exquisitely the pleasure of doing
good than Mr Thomas : it was a perfect luxury to him. Such
was his sympathy for the poor afflicted Hindus, that it often
affected his own health. Happily his medical skill afforded him
ample means of administering to their relief ; and such was his
reputation among them, that they came from thirty or forty
miles round to consult him ; there were almost always patients|
at his door ; and when he travelled through the country, the
people flocked to him in great numbers.2
Mr Thomas was a man to whom no one that knew him could;
feel indifferent ; he was sure to excite either love or aversion.
In general, his social affectionate carriage produced attachment^
and even when he gave offence to his friends, a single interview
often dissipated their resentment, and rekindled all their for
mer affection. ;
Possessed, however, as Mr Thomas was of many excellent
qualities, his faults were neither few nor small. He was of an
irritable temper, wanting in economy, unthinking, imprudent,
improvident, fickle and capricious in his schemes and pursuits,
and more ready to form great and generous plans than patient to
execute them. But when we think of the many trials through
1 Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 247 ; Evan. Mag. vol. xx. p. 303.
2 Period. Accounts, vol. i. p. 292, 314, 479 ; vol. ii. p. 251.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 23
vdiich he passed, and especially when we consider that he was
epeatedly in a state of mental derangement, we feel disposed
;o pity as well as to blame him ; as there can be little doubt,
¦hat the inequality of his temper, and other irregularities with
arhich he was chargeable, proceeded from a constitutional ten-
lency to that fearful malady.
Previous to his death, it was obvious to himself, as well as
;o his friends, that he was gliding swiftly down the stream of
time into the ocean of eternity. The world and all sublunary
things seemed now to recede from his view, like the sun sink
ing below the distant mountains. Wearied out with the storms
of life, he longed to reach that happy shore, where sin and
sorrow are unknown. Toward the close of his illness, his pains
were exceedingly great ; but even in the midst of extreme an
guish he exclaimed, " 0 death, where is thy sting ?" At length,
after a severe conflict, he breathed his last, and, we doubt not,
entered into the joy of the Lord.1
Notwithstanding the diminution of their numbers, the mis
sionaries continued to prosecute their labours with unabated
diligence and zeal. In the evening they usually went into the
streets of Serampur, where they conversed, disputed, or distri
buted papers, according to circumstances, and though most of
the people mocked, despised, and insulted them, yet some were
disposed to hear them and to read the tracts. The Brahmans
were forced to fly from the disputes, or to hear their system
exposed to contempt before the populace, who till now had
reverenced them as gods ; many things which used to be taken
for granted by the people now became matter of dispute, and
even Sudras learned to doubt. Some of the missionaries also
travelled through the country, and in these journeys preached
the gospel to multitudes who had never heard it before, distri
buted thousands of tracts, and in such places as seemed most
eligible, copies of the New Testament. These were received by
the people with great avidity ; and some of them were carried
as far as Benares, a distance of more than three hundred miles.
These excursions were followed by numbers of the natives
coming to Serampur from different parts of the country, to in
quire after the new way of salvation, concerning which they had
1 Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 251, 254 ; Carey's Memoir, p. 129, 441, 445.

24 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
obtained some information, either from seeing the papers circtf
lated by the missionaries, or by conversing with those who had
seen them. During their stay they ate and drank with Krish-
nu's family, by which they in effect renounced their caste.1
The missionaries now discovered that numbers of the Hindus,
though they did not abandon their caste, yet despised it in
their heart, and even spoke of it with contempt. A Brahman
from Calcutta who visited them, professed himself a complete
sceptic in regard to the Hindu, system, and he informed them
there were several others of the same caste as himself who en
tertained similar views. To shew his contempt of Hinduism,
he trampled under foot the gaytri, or sacred verse, which none
but a Brahman may pronounce ; and he afterwards took the
poitu from his neck and twisted it round his great toe. He
mentioned the sarcastic manner in which he had talked with
the Brahmans about consecrating a stone and setting it up as a
god. " You know," said he, " that this is a stone ; a workman
cut it into its present form ; before it was thus shaped it could
do nothing, and can you suppose that the labours of a stone
cutter can invest it with divine power ? " " No," they replied,
" but the priest anoints it and pronounces the words of conse
cration, upon which the divinity enters into it." " Well," said
he, " if you have power to invest a stone with divinity, I should
think you could turn a man into a deity. You see I am a poor
man and suffer much distress in the world, but a stone meets
with no trouble ; besides, I can not only speak, but eat the sa
crifices, which a stone cannot. Now, why not turn me into a
god ? If you could do this it would be an act of charity, for I
should get rid of all my troubles and be happy at once. Be
sides, being a man and a Brahman, I have the first claim upon"
you. The missionaries, indeed, now discovered whole communities''
of the Hindus in different parts of the country, who despise^
their castes, their Brahmans, and their gods. Some of these
sects consisted of many thousand members ; but though 'they
contemned the religion of Brahma in their heart, they conformed
to it in their practice for the sake of their reputation and com-'
* Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 226, 235, 238, 268.
2 Ibid. vol. ii. p. 235 ; Bib. Mag. vol. iii. p. 157.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 25
fort in society. A respectable family in Chinsurah, who be
longed to one of these communities, manifested a violent dislike
to the Brahmans, and in a curious memorial which they pre
sented to the chief magistrate of the police at Calcutta, they
complained that as it was a great misery to be born into this
world even but once, the Brahmans were extremely culpable
in neglecting to instruct them, since by this means they ren
dered them liable as a punishment for their sins to be born
many times ! The missionaries visited some of these sects, and
were received by them in a friendly manner ; the leaders of two
of them expressed their approbation of the gospel, but one of
these, when he afterwards understood something more of its na
ture, wrote to his disciples warning them against it, telling them
that if they regarded it, they would have pigs' faces and go to
hell for a long time after death. It is a circumstance not un
worthy of observation, that the missionaries uniformly found
that, so long as people did not understand the import of their
message, they appeared to listen to it, but the moment they un
derstood something of its nature, they either became indifferent
or began to ridicule and oppose it, unless it came with power
to their hearts.1
Meanwhile, however, the Brahmans and many others of the
Hindus were not a little irritated by the progress of the gospel,
and treated the missionaries, as well as the converts, with great
opposition and contempt. Sometimes when the missionaries
were preaching, the people shouted and laughed, attacked them
with abusive language, and endeavoured to create an uproar.
A Brahman being one day asked, why he opposed what Mr
Carey had said, made this reply, " Because he tells me of Jesus
Christ, that hated name." On another occasion, when Mr
Marshman was endeavouring to quiet some of the Brahmans,
one more insolent than the rest declared, among other things
equally respectful, that it was a sin for him to hear him speak,
pr even to look in his face. The converts were still more
exposed to the insolence and abuse of their countrymen, than
even the missionaries ; but they bore all with patience and
meekness, shewing no dispbsition to return evil for evil. In
Calcutta, multitudes of the natives used to follow them through
J Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 262, 273, 278, 304, 314, 338, 365, 373, 391, 392.

26 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
the streets, clapping their hands, and insulting them in every
form. Some abused them as Feringas, others for losing caste ;
some called them Yesu Khreest, and bowing to them, said,
" Salam Yesu Khreest." One day, when several of them were
in a neighbouring town, the populace set upon them as Ferin
gas, as destroyers of caste, as having eaten fowls, eggs, and
other similar articles. On their attempting to return, the mob
began to beat, and otherwise maltreat them, and a man who
was a civil officer grazed the point of a spear against the body
of one of them. Finding them bear all these insults with pa
tience, they threw cow-dung, mixed in Ganga water, at them ;
talked of making them a necklace of old shoes ; and threatened,
that should they ever return, they would murder them. One
of the converts, who resided in a distant village, was seized by
the chief Bengali man of the place, who bound his hands, and
dragged him from his house, while the whole of the villagers
hissed at him, threw dirt and cow-dung upon him, clogged his
face, eyes, and ears with cow- dung, and in this state kept him
tied up to the pillar of an idol-temple, for several hours. Be
sides these acts of violence, the converts suffered many other
serious inconveniences from the enmity of their countrymen.
They could scarcely, for instance, obtain ground to build upon,
or even a house to rent. One of them, after going about for
two or three days, and wandering over the whole town, at last
persuaded a woman to let him have a house ; but though she
herself was a Feringa, yet when she heard that he was a Brah
man who had become a Christian, she insulted him and drove
him away.1 I
Among the trials which the converts had to suffer, their
situation in respect of marriage, was not the least considerable.
In some cases, they appear to have had more than one wife at
the time of their conversion. After discussing the duty of a
person in such circumstances, the missionaries appear to have
come to the conclusion, that though the New Testament con
demns polygamy, yet when a man happens to have more than
one wife when he embraces Christianity, he is not required to
put any of them away, only he is thereby disqualified for the
' Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 378, 507; vol. iii. p. 38, 41, 57, 245; Bib Mae vol.
ii. p. 195; vol. iii. p. 157. '

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 27
office of the ministry. In other cases, the converts were obliged
at the time to forsake their houses, their friends, and even the
wife of their bosom ; nor would she afterwards have any cor
respondence with them ; or if willing herself, was forcibly pre
vented by her relations. By this means they were to all in
tents and purposes reduced to a state of widowhood, and were
in great danger of falling into sin. It therefore became a ques
tion with the missionaries, whether it was not lawful for a
person in such circumstances to marry a second wife while his
first was still living, after he had in vain employed all possible
means to induce her to return to him, and on not being able to
recover her, had taken some public and solemn measures to
acquit himself of the blame. This question they at length re
solved in the affirmative ; a decision in which they are supported
by some very eminent writers, and which considerably lessened
the difficulty of the case. These questions are certainly of a
very delicate nature : difficulties of no small magnitude attach
to whatever view we take of them ; yet the solution which the
missionaries gave of them, is perhaps, on the whole, the most
scriptural, rational, and just.1
But while the conversion of the natives gave great offence to
their countrymen in general, it is easy to conceive that, in some
instances, it might occasion them deep concern, and even give
rise to scenes of the most tender and affecting nature. Of this we
have an interesting example in the history of Sorup, a young
Brahman, whose father came to Serampur in order to take him
away. One day, as Mr Ward was sitting among the native con
verts in the Bengali school, hearing them read and explain a por
tion of the Holy Scriptures, an aged grey-headed Brahman came
in, and standing before him, said, with folded hands, and in a
supplicating tone of voice, " Sahibs I am come to ask an alms."
Mr Ward desired him to explain his meaning, as, judging from
his appearance, he did not look like one who stood in need of
pecuniary aid. Being pressed on the subject, the old man at
length asked him to give him his son, pointing to a .young man
named Sorup, in the midst of the native converts : " That,"
said he, with a plaintive cry, " That is my son." Having en
deavoured to comfort him, they at last prevailed on him to
' Brief Nar. p. 50 ; Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 580; vol. iii. p. 314.

28 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
come and sit down upon the veranda. Here he began to weep
again ; and said, that the young man's mother was dying of
grief ; and that if he could only go home and see her, he should
after that return again if he pleased. Mr Ward informed him,
that they exercised no control over his son, that he was at per
fect liberty either to depart or stay, as he thought proper ; only
he proposed that he should stop, at least till next morning, in
order that he might have some time for deliberation ; that his
mind might become calm, and that he might pray for divine
direction. The Brahman, however, was averse to this pro
posal ; he again urged, that his aged mother was dying of grief
.... and if he would but go ... . and if he did not like to
stay, he might write a deed of separation for the preservation
of their caste, and then he might do as he pleased. Mr Ward
told him that if his son were a child, he might command him ;
but as he was now a man, he ought to choose his religion for
himself. The Brahman at length called his son aside, and set
up a great cry, weeping over him, and beseeching him to re
turn. It was agreed, however, that Sorup should remain over
the night ; and though the missionaries were much afraid he
would be overcome by the tenderness and grief of his father,
yet they resolved to employ no other influence with him than
exhortation and prayer. On leaving the school, Mr Ward found
that the old man had fallen down at the door in an agony of
grief, and that one or two of his disciples who came with him,
were holding him up, endeavouring to persuade him to rise
and go with them. Sorup, from the first, expressed his resolu
tion not to return with his father ; and the next morning he
declared that he would not go now, but he would go soon,
meaning after he was baptized. Finding that the young man
refused to return, and that he had in fact already lost caste by
eating with the converts, the people who had assembled on this
occasion were obliged to depart. His aged father, however, said,
that he would not return without him, but would lie down and
die at Serampur. Such a scene, supposing the whole to be a
reality, must have been very affecting. There was probably
ground, however, to suspect that the mother's illness, at least,
was merely a pretence, to draw the son back to idolatry.1
1 Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 271 ; vol. iii. p. 43, 304.
We erive this storv. not as a fact, but merelv as an illiiatrntinn nf rolmt ™.„i,„i,i„ ¦,.„

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 29
Pleasing, however, as was the progress of the work on the
whole, the missionaries experienced much perplexity respect
ing some of the converts, and were even obliged to suspend
several of them from the Lord's table, on account of various
irregularities in their behaviour ; but most of these offenders
were in a short time brought to a sense of their sin, and were
restored to the communion of the church. Mr Carey, in a letter
to a friend, makes the following judicious, yet feeling observa
tions regarding them : " With respect to the natives, the Lord
has, on the one hand, stopped the mouths of malignant opposers,
and on the other, we have enough of labour with them, to
check, on our part, security and pride. It would, indeed, give
you great pleasure could you step in among us on a communion
Sabbath, and witness the lively affection with which such a
number of persons of different colours and nations unite in
commemorating the dying love of Christ. You must not, how
ever, suppose, that the converts are without their faults, or even
that in knowledge and steadiness they equal the same number of
Christians in England. We have to contend with their versa
tility, to bear with their precipitancy, to nurse them like chil
dren in the ways of righteousness ; sometimes to rebuke them
sharply, sometimes to expostulate, sometimes to entreat ; and
often, after all, to carry them to the throne of grace, and to
pour out our complaints before God. Our situation, in short,
may be compared to that of a parent who has a numerous
family. He must work hard to maintain them, is often full of
anxious care about them, and has much to endure from their
dulness, indolence, or perverseness. But still they are his chil
dren, he loves them, and that love mingles pleasure and en
joyment with all his cares and labours."'
in some cases the feelings of parents and other relations, when their children or those
dear to them embrace Christianity. In this or any other particular example, the
whole may be merely a scene got up to serve an end ; but still it may give a fair
enough idea of what in other cases is a reality.
1 Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 356, 416, 437.
It is not unworthy of observation, that converts from among the heathen, both in
India and in other countries, may be real Christians, and yet prove less lovely and con
sistent characters, than the followers of Christ in placeswhere the gospel has long been
known. Human character, as cognizable by man, is a compound of different materials,
and the result of a variety of causes. The general state of morals in a country, for
example, has a mighty influence in regulating the views, and influencing the conduct

30 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
In January 1804, Mr John Chamberlain, who had lately
arrived in India, and Felix Carey, accompanied by two of the
native converts, went to Sagar Island, where the river Hugli
and the sea meet, for the purpose of distributing tracts and
testaments among the Hindus, who assemble there in immense
crowds at this season of the year. As they approached that
place, they fell in with numbers of boats, full of people, some of
whom presented the most degraded and disgusting sights it is
almost possible to imagine. Their hair had not been dressed,
perhaps, for years ; their beards had grown to an enormous
length ; their bodies were covered with the most odious and
indecent figures. Some of these wretched creatures had come
a journey of four or five months, to bathe in Ganga Sagar,
On reaching this place, the missionaries were astonished beyond
measure at the sight. In the course of a few days, there had
been raised an immensely populous city, full of streets, lanes,
and markets ; many kinds of trade were now carrying on
with all the bustle of an established town.1 Crowds of men,

of the inhabitants. In Britain, where lying, theft, robbery, adultery, &c, are in a
considerable degree the objects of shame and disgrace, no man, and still less a Chris
tian, can preserve his reputation, if he openly indulges in these or similar sins. It is
not so, however, in India. There such vices are so common, that no ignominy attaches
to them ; and hence there is nothing in the tone of public morals to restrain a Hindu
from these and other gross immoralities. If he be restrained from them, it is chiefly
through the influence of Christian principles, and the operation of divine grace on his
heart. These observations are strikingly illustrated in the history of the apostolic age,
particularly of the church at Corinth. That city, as is well known, was vicious to a
proverb, and even the Christian inhabitants participated of its vices. They divided
into violent parties ; they held communion at idolatrous feasts ; they connived at in
cest under its most disgraceful form ; they prostituted the Lord's supper itself to the
purposes of drunkenness. Were such » community of professed Christians to appear
amongst us, we would probably set them down as a company of Antinomians or hypo
crites, and give them up as total strangers to true religion. Yet Paul did not act in
this manner. He followed them, he exhorted them, he reclaimed them. It is there
fore not unworthy of our serious inquiry, How far the comparative purity and regula-'
rity of our character are owing to various adventitious circumstances, rather than to the
immediate influence of the gospel. If all the salutary influences exerted upon us by
good principles instilled into us from our infancy, by good habits formed in early life,
by a highly moral public sentiment ever acting upon us and around us, by a regard
to our own character, respectability, and worldly interests, were taken out of the scale,
and nothing left but what was purely the result of Christian principle, many of us
might not, perhaps, greatly outweigh a Corinthian or a Hindu.
1 Religion is not the only cause which brings such multitudes to the Mclas of the
Hindus. Trade has perhaps as much to do with them as devotion. We have the fol
lowing account of a visit to Sagar many years after this : " Drawn up on shore are seen

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 31
women, and children, high and low, rich and poor, were bath
ing in the river and worshipping Ganga, by bowing, making
salams, and spreading their offerings, consisting of rice, flowers,
cowries, and other articles, on the shore, for the goddess to take
when the tide returned. Many used formerly to devote them
selves or their children to the sharks and alligators which
abound in this part of the river ; but the British government
had lately passed an act prohibiting this cruel and unnatural
practice, declaring it murder, punishable with death ; and a
guard of fifty sepoys, under the command of a European ser
geant, was placed along the banks, in order to prevent it. The
water and mud of this place are esteemed so holy, that quanti
ties of them are carried hundreds of miles into the country on
men's shoulders. The natives sprinkle their bodies with the
water, and daub themselves with the mud ; and this, they say,
purifies them from all sin. The multitude assembled on this
occasion was computed at upwards of 100,000 persons. Besides
conversing with them on the subject of religion, Mr Chamber
lain and his companions distributed among them great quanti
ties of tracts, and a number of copies of the New Testament,
and of the book of Psalms. Most of those to whom they gave
them came from distant parts of the country, where the gospel
had never been made known, and the news of salvation never
heard.1 In October 1805, the missionaries entered into a " Form of
an immense number of boats of all sizes and descriptions, pinnaces, budgerows,
bholiows, and, in fact, a great variety of craft for which we have no name. It would,
however, be a mistake to suppose that all these are pilgrim-boats. The majority of
them have conveyed men to this scene, not to carry away spiritual blessings acquired
through the toils of pilgrimage, but to enrich themselves by the disposal of their earthly
wares." " Beyond the boats and along the strand is the fair, consisting of merchants'
tents and the booths of the pilgrims." " Walking along the narrow streets of the
cloth-built market, we found the shops well stocked with all kinds of goods, such as
are usually found in Indian fail's, varying from the humble two pice darma to the
high-priced muslin of Dacca, and the shawls of Kashmire, as well as the hai'dwares of
Sheffield or Birmingham." — Calcutta Christian Observer, vol. xv. p. 159.
It is not unworthy of remark, that among Mahomedans, the pilgrimage to Mecca
is in like manner made a. source of worldly profit. " Commercial ideas mingle with
those of devotion, and the arcades of the temple are often filled with the richest mer
chandise from every quarter of the world." " In former times, the fair of Mecca was
accounted the greatest on the face of the earth." — Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, vol. v.
p. 176 ; vol. xiii. p. 499.
1 Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 513, 516 ; Buchanan's Researches, 3d edit. p. 42.

32 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Agreement," respecting the great principles on which the mis
sion should be conducted. This document breathes so much of
the spirit of genuine Christianity, and affords so admirable an
example to other missionaries, that we cannot forbear inserting
considerable extracts from it, and trust that their importance
will be deemed a sufficient apology for their length :
" I. In order," say the missionaries, " to be prepared for our
great and solemn work, it is absolutely necessary that we set an
infinite value upon immortal souls ; that we often endeavour to
affect our minds with the dreadful loss sustainedbyan unconverted
soul launched into eternity. It becomes us to fix in our minds
the awful doctrine of eternal punishment, and to realize fre
quently the inconceivably dreadful condition of this vast country,'
lying in the arms of the wicked one. If we have not a deep
sense of the value of souls, it is impossible we can feel aright in
any part of our work ; and in this case it would nave been bet
ter for us to have been in any other situation than in that of a
missionary. Oh ! may our hearts bleed over these poor idola-'
ters, and may their case lie with continued weight on our minds,
that we may resemble that eminent missionary, who compared
the travail of his soul, on account of the spiritual state of those
committed to his charge, to the pains of childbirth. But while
we thus mourn over their miserable condition, let us not he
discouraged, as though their recovery were impossible. He who
raised the sottish and brutalized Britons to ' sit in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus,' can raise these slaves of superstition,
purify their hearts by faith, and make them worshippers of the
one God in spirit and in truth.
" II. It is necessary, in our intercourse with the Hindus, to
abstain as far as we are able from those things which would in
crease their prejudices against the gospel. Those parts of Eng
lish manners which are most offensive to them, we should keep
out of sight as much as possible. We should avoid every de
gree of cruelty to animals ; neither is it advisable to attack at
once their prejudices, by exhibiting with acrimony the sins of
their gods ; nor should we, on any account, do violence to their
images, or interrupt their worship. The conquests of the gos
pel are those of love : ' And I, if I be lifted up will draw all
men unto me.' Let us be continually fearful lest one uno-uarded

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 33
word, or one unnecessary display of the difference betwixt us,
in sentiments or manners, should set the natives at a greater •
distance from us. Paul's readiness to ' become all things to all
men, that he might by any means save some,' and his disposi
tion to abstain even from necessary comforts that he might not
offend the weak, are circumstances worthy of our particular at
tention. The mild manners of the Moravians and also of the
Quakers towards the North American Indians, have in many in
stances gained the affections and confidence of these poor heathen
in a wonderful degree. He who is too proud to stoop to others
in order to draw them to him, because they are in many re
spects inferior to himself, is ill qualified for the office of a mis
sionary. " III. It becomes us to watch all opportunities of doing good,
A missionary would be highly culpable if he contented himself
with preaching two or three times a week, to such persons as he
may be able to get together into a place of worship. . To carry
on conversations with the natives almost every hour of the day,
to go from village to village, from market to market, from one
assembly to another, to talk to servants, labourers, and others,
as often as opportunity offers, to ' be instant in season and out
of season' — this is the life to which we are called in this
country. We are apt to relax in these active exertions, espe
cially in a warm climate ; but we shall do well to fix it in our
minds that life is short, that all around us are perishing, and
that we ineur a dreadful woe, if we proclaim not the glad tid
ings of salvation.
" IV. In preaching to the Heathen, we must follow the ex
ample of Paul, and make Christ crucified the great subject of
our preaching. It would be easy for a missionary to preach no
thing but truths, and that for many years together, without any
well-grounded hope of becoming useful to a single soul. The
doctrine of Christ's expiatory death and all-sufficient merits,
has ever been the grand means of the conversion of sinners.
This doctrine, and others immediately connected with it, have
constantly nourished and sanctified the Church. Oh ! that
these glorious truths may ever be the joy and strength of our
own souls, and then they will not fail to become the matter of
our conversation with others. It is a well-known fact, that the
VOL. II. c

34 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Moravians, the most successful missionaries in the world at the
present day, make the atonement of Christ their constant theme.
They attribute all their success to the preaching of the death
of our Saviour. So far as our experience goes in this work, we
most freely acknowledge that every Hindu among us who has
been gained to Christ, has been won by the astonishing and all1-
constraining love exhibited in our Redeemer's propitiatory
death. Oh ! let us then resolve to know nothing among the
Hindus and Mussulmen but Christ and him crucified.
" V. It is absolutely necessary that the natives should have
entire confidence in us, and feel quite. at home in our company.
To gain this confidence, we must on all occasions be willing to
hear their complaints ; we must give them the kindest advice,
and we must decide on every question brought before us in the
most open, upright, impartial manner. We ought to be easy of
access, to condescend to them as much as possible, and on all oa-
casions to treat them as our equals. All passionate behaviour,
all force, every thing haughty, reserved, and forbidding, it be
comes us ever to shun with the greatest care. We can never
make too great sacrifices when the eternal salvation of souls is
the object in view, unless, indeed, we sacrifice the commands of
Christ. " VI. Another important part of our work is, to build up
and to watch over the souls that may be gathered. In this
work we shall do well to simplify our first instructions as much
as possible, and to press the great principles of the gospel upon
the minds of the converts, till they are thoroughly settled and
grounded in the foundation of their hope toward God. We
must be willing to spend some time with them daily if possible
in this work. We must exercise much patience with them,
though their growth in divine knowledge should be very slow.
" We ought also to endeavour, as much as possible, to form
them to habits of industry, and assist them in procuring such
employments as may be pursued with the least danger of temp
tations to evil. Here, too, we shall have occasion to exercise
much tenderness and forbearance toward them, knowing that
industrious habits are formed with difficulty by all heathen
nations. We ought also to remember, that they have made no
common sacrifices in renouncing their connections, their homes,

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 35
their former situations and means of support, and that it will
be very difficult for them to procure employment from heathen
masters. In these circumstances, if we do not sympathize with
them in their temporal losses for Christ, we shall be guilty of
great cruelty.
" As we consider it our duty to honour the civil magistrate,
and in every country to render him cheerful obedience, whether
we be persecuted or protected, it becomes us to instruct our
native brethren in the same principles. It is equally our wis
dom and our duty to shew to government that it has nothing to
fear from the progress of missions, since a follower of Christ
must resist the example of his great Master, and all the pre-
eepts the Bible contains on this subject, before he can become
disloyal. Converted heathens, being brought over to the reli
gion of their Christian governors, if duly instructed, are much
more likely to love them and be united to them, than subjects
of a different religion.
" To bear with the faults of our native brethren, to reprove
them with tenderness, and to impress them with the necessity
of a holy conversation, is a very necessary duty. We should re
member the gross darkness in which they were so lately in
volved, having never had any just and adequate ideas of the
evil of sin or its consequences. We should recollect how back
ward human nature is in forming spiritual ideas, and entering
upon a holy self-denying conversation. We ought not, there
fore, even after many falls, to give up and cast away a relapsed
convert while he manifests the least inclination to be washed
from his filthiness.
" In walking before the native converts, we must exercise
the greatest care and circumspection. The falls of Christians
in Europe have not such a fatal tendency as in this country, be
cause there the word of God always commands more attention-
than the conduct of the most exalted Christian. But here, the
natives, in consequence of their little knowledge of the Scrip
tures, naturally take our practice as a specimen of what Christ
looks for in his disciples. They know the Saviour and his doc
trine chiefly as they shine forth in us.
"In conversing with the wives of the native converts, and
forming them to be ornaments of the Christian name, we hope

36 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
always to have the assistance of the females who have embarked
with us in the mission. We see that in primitive times the
apostles were much assisted in their great work by several
pious women. The great value of female help may easily be
conceived, if we consider how much the Asiatic women are
shut up from the men, and especially from men of another
religion. It behoves us, therefore, to afford our European sis
ters all possible assistance in acquiring the language, that they
may, in every way which Providence opens to them, become
instrumental in promoting the salvation of the millions of naj
tive women, who are in a great measure excluded from all op
portunities of hearing the word from the lips of a missionary.
" VII. Another part of our work is, the forming our native
brethren to usefulness, fostering every kind of genius, and cher
ishing every gift and grace in them. In this respect we can
scarcely be too lavish of our attention to their improvement.
It is only by means of native preachers that we can hope for
the universal spread of the gospel throughout this immense
continent. Europeans are too few, and their subsistence is too
expensive, for us ever to hope that they can be the instruments
of the universal diffusion of the Word amongst so many millions
of souls spread over such a large portion of the habitable globe.
Let us, therefore, use every gift, and continually urge on our
native brethren to press upon their countrymen the glorious
gospel of the blessed God.
" VIII. We have thought it our duty not to change the names
of native converts, observing from Scripture that the apostles
did not change those of the first Christians turned from hea
thenism, as is evident from the names Epaphroditus, Phehe,
Fortunatus, Sylvanus, Apollos, Hermes, Junia, Narcissus, most
of which are derived from those of heathen gods. We think
the great object which Divine Providence has in view in pro
mulgating the gospel through the world, is not the changing of
the names, the dress, the food, and the innocent usages of man
kind, but to produce a moral and divine change on their heart
and conduct. It would not be right to perpetuate the names
of heathen gods amongst Christians ; but neither is it necessary
or prudent to give a new name to every man after his conver
sion, as hereby the economy of families and neighbourhoods

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 37
would be needlessly disturbed. In other respects, we think it
our duty to lead our brethren by example, by mild persuasion,
and by opening and illuminating their minds in a gradual way,
rather than by any exercise of authority. By this means they
will learn to see the evil of a custom, and then to forsake it ;
whereas, if force were employed, though they may leave off that
which is wrong while in our presence, yet, not having seen the
evil of it, they are in danger of using hypocrisy, and of doing
that out of our presence which they dare not do in it.
" IX. That which, as a means, is to fit us for the discharge
of these laborious and unutterably important labours, is the
being instant in prayer, and the cultivation of personal reli
gion. Let us ever bear in remembrance the examples of those
who have been most eminent in the work of God. Let us
often look at Brainerd in the woods of America, pouring out
his very soul before God for the perishing heathen, without
whose salvation nothing could make him happy. Prayer, secret,
fervent, believing prayer, lies at the root of all personal godli
ness. A competent knowledge of the languages, a mild and
winning temper, and a heart given up to God in closet religion,
— these, these are the attainments which more than all know*
ledge and all other gifts will fit us to become the instruments
of God in the great work of human redemption.
" Finally, Let us give ourselves up unreservedly to this glori
ous cause. Let us never think that our time, our gifts, our
strength, our families, are our own. Let us for ever shut out
the idea of laying up a cowry for ourselves or our children. If
we give up the resolution which was formed on the subject of
private trade when we first united at Serampur, the mission is
from that hour a lost cause. A worldly spirit, quarrels, and
-every evil work will succeed, the moment it is admitted that
each brother may do something on hist>wn account. Woe to
that man who shall ever make the smallest movement toward
such a measure ! Let us continually watch against a worldly
spirit, and cultivate a holy indifference toward every temporal
indulgence. Rather let us bear ' hardness as good soldiers of
Jesus Christ,' and endeavour to learn ' in every state to be con
tent.' If in this way we are enabled to glorify God with our
bodies and spirits, which are his, our wants will be his care,

38 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
No private family ever enjoyed a greater portion of happiness,
even in the most prosperous gale of worldly prosperity, than
we have done since we resolved to have all things in common,
and that no one should pursue business for his own exclusive
advantage."1 In March 1806, the missionaries issued proposals for publish
ing the Holy Scriptures in no fewer than fifteen of the Oriental
languages, namely, the Sanskrit, the Bengali, the Hindustani,
the Persic, the Marathi, the Gujarati, the Oriya, the Kurnata, the
Telinga, the Burman, the Assamese, the Butan, the Tibet, the
Malay, and the Chinese. They possessed a critical knowledge
of the Hebrew and Greek originals ; they had one of the best
libraries of critical works on the Holy Scriptures, and of the
ancient and modern versions of them, that were to be found in
the East. They had been employed for a considerable time in
the work of translating, and had, in some degree, acquired that
experience, and formed those habits which are requisite for that
kind of labour. They were in a situation where they could ob
tain the assistance of learned natives, from most of the different
countries, whom the College of Fort-William had collected to
that grand emporium of Oriental literature. Besides, the work
was rendered comparatively easy, by the close relation which
subsists between the Oriental languages, especially those de
rived from the Sanskrit.2 Such were the considerations which
led the missionaries to believe that they were equal to the task
of bringing out translations of the Scriptures into such a num
ber of languages.
It was on Dr Carey that this vast undertaking chiefly de
volved. He undertook the charge of the versions into the lan
guages of India Mr Marshman, however, undertook the Chinese
translation, which, in point of importance, was greater than all
the others put together" . Neither of them executed the versions
in the first instance. Most of them were originally made by
learned natives, Brahmans, Mussulmen, and others. But as
they were of course ignorant of the original languages in which
the Scriptures were written, they translated from. Dr Carey's
Bengali, Hindustani, or Sanskrit version, according as they
1 Period. Accounts, vol. iii. p. 198.
* Miss. Mag. vol. xi. p. 380 ; Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p, 456, 536 ; vol. iii. p. 327.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 39
were best acquainted with the one or other of these languages ;
and thus these versions became the basis of the other translations.
The missionaries employed learned natives in making the
first draught of the translations, because they considered this
as the most effectual method of producing neat, correct, intelli
gible versions. It is a well known fact, that a native of some
learning can, in general, express an idea in his own vernacular
tongue with a perspicuity and a force, an ease and an elegance,
seldom or never attained by a foreigner ; but yet, while the
latter could not have expressed himself so well, he may be com
petent to judge of the propriety or impropriety of the language
employed by the other. Though the missionaries employed, in
the first instance, learned natives in making most of the ver
sions, they never, it is stated, printed any translation, until every
word and every mode of construction were carefully examined
by themselves, and the whole compared with the Greek and
Hebrew originals.1
Scarcely had the missionaries issued the original proposals
for this great undertaking, when an event occurred which threat
ened the interruption, if not even the subversion, of the mission.
On the arrival at Calcutta of Messrs Chater and Robinson, two
new missionaries, some demur was made at the police-office as
to their being allowed to proceed to Serampur. On Dr Carey's
going to the office, he was informed by one of the magistrates,
that they had the following message to him from Sir George
Barlow, the Governor-General, " That as government did not
interfere with the prejudices of the natives, it was his request
that Mr Carey and his colleagues would not." This request, as
explained by the magistrates, amounted to this, " They were
not to preach to the natives, nor to suffer the native converts
to preach ; they were not to distribute religious tracts, nor suf
fer their people to distribute them ; they were not to send forth
the converts, nor to take any step, by conversation or other
wise, for persuading the natives to embrace Christianity." Some
of these restrictions, however, were softened in a subsequent
conversation between the magistrates and the Rev. David
Brown, the Provost of the College of Fort- William, who, as
1 Period. Accounts, vol. iii. p. 491 ; vol. vi. Supplement to No. 31, p. 16 ; Carey's
Mem. p. 538.

40 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
well as several others of his brethren of the Church of England^
greatly interested themselves on various occasions in behalf of
the missionaries. " It was not meant," they said, " to prohibit
Mr Carey or his brethren from preaching at Serampur, or in
their own house at Calcutta, only they must not preach in the
Loll Bazaar in that city. It was not intended to prevent their
circulating the Scriptures, but merely the tracts abusing the
Hindu religion. It was not designed to prohibit the native
converts from conversing with their countrymen on the subject
of Christianity, only they must not go out under the sanction
of the missionaries." This interference on the part of the Bri
tish government was no doubt occasioned by the alarm which
had been excited in the country by the mutiny of the native
troops at Vellore, intelligence of which had just reached Cal
cutta ; but yet it was never insinuated, as, indeed, it could not
be, that the labours of the Baptist missionaries had, in even the
most distant manner, contributed to that painful event. On
the contrary, the magistrates frankly acknowledged that " they
were well satisfied with their character and deportment, and
that no complaint had ever been lodged against them." But
notwithstanding this, an order of council was passed, command
ing Messrs Chater and Robinson to return to Europe, and refus
ing the captain who had brought them out a clearance for his
vessel, unless he took them back with him. In the mean while,
these two missionaries had joined their brethren at Serampur,
where they were under the protection of the king of Denmark ;
and, in consequence of the representations that were made to
the British government, they were permitted to remain in the
country, and the captain was furnished with the papers neces
sary for his departure.1
In this state, matters remained for a considerable time, when
a new circumstance occurred, which filled the friends of the
mission with deep concern, and furnished its adversaries with
a temporary triumph. A tract, which had been printed in
Bengali, and which, in that language, contained nothing offen
sive, was translated by one of the natives into Persic, and,
through the pressure of business, was inadvertently printed,
without being first inspected by the missionaries. It happened,
1 Period. Accounts, vol. iii. p. 276.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 41
unfortunately, that the translator had introduced into this ver
sion several harsh epithets, styling Mahomed a tyrant, &c,
which it was alleged would irritate his followers ; and though
no such effect had been produced, yet a copy of it being con
veyed to a person in office under government, the affair was
taken up in a serious manner. Dr Carey was sent for ; but,
being unacquainted with the circumstances of the case, he
could only acknowledge the impropriety of the epithets, and
promise to inquire into the cause of their appearance. Before,
however, he had time to make this inquiry, proceedings were
commenced, which, had they been carried into execution, must
have been followed by the ruin of the mission. The governor of
Serampur was required to give up the mission-press ; the mis
sionaries were ordered to Calcutta, and were prohibited from
preaching to the natives, and from printing any books de
signed to promote their conversion to Christianity. In con
sequence, however, of an explanation, and a respectful me
morial to Lord Minto, who was now the Governor-General,
the most serious part of the proceedings was formally revoked.
On this occasion, two of the missionaries waited on his Lord
ship, to thank him for the candour with which he had attended
to their memorial. To which he replied, that nothing more
was necessary than a mere examination of the subject, upon
which every thing had appeared in a clear and favourable light.
But as all the printed tracts had passed under examination,
and as two others, besides the one in Persic, were objected to,
the missionaries were required, in future, not to print any
tracts, without first submitting a copy of them to the inspec
tion of government.1
When the British government first interfered with their
labours, and began to subject them to restraints in Bengal, the
missionaries were induced to turn their attention to other
parts of the East. They had long before, indeed, formed the
design of establishing new stations in different parts of the
country ; but except at Dinajpur and Cutwa, they had hitherto
made no attempts of that kind. The opposition, however,
which was now raised against them in Bengal, again turned
1 Period. Accounts, vol. iii. p. 392 ; Buchanan's Apology for Promoting Christianity
in India, p. 74, 127, 139, 172.

42 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
their attention to this object ; and the establishment of new
stations became henceforth a leading point with them.1
In November 1807, Mr Chater and Felix Carey, after a pre-
vious exploratory visit had been made to the Burman Empire,
proceeded to Rangoon, the principal port of that country, and
were received in a very friendly manner, not only by the Eng
lish gentlemen in that city, but even by the Maywoon, or Vice
roy of that part of the empire.
Soon after his arrival, Mr Carey, who had previously paid
some attention to the study of medicine, introduced the cow-
pox into this quarter of the world. After inoculating a con
siderable number of persons in Rangoon, he was sent for by
the Maywoon himself, to perform the operation on his family.
He accordingly proceeded to the palace, and, agreeably to the
custom of the country, took off his shoes at the outer steps,
before he entered the inner apartment. He now approached
the viceroy, as all the officers of government and others who
wait upon him do, on his hands and knees, and sat down on a
carpet near his interpreter. After the governor had made seve
ral inquiries concerning the cow-pox, Mr Carey vaccinated
several of his family.2
Mr Carey's medical skill afterwards gained him high reputa
tion among the Burmans, and gave him considerable influence
in the country. One day, as he was riding out to visit his pa
tients, he saw a man suspended on a cross, a mode of punish
ment common in the Burman Empire. Moved with compassion
for his sufferings, and understanding that his offence was of a
.trivial nature, he repaired immediately to the Maywoon's pa
lace, and as he was in the habit of visiting his daughter who
was then ill, he had ready access to all the private apartments.
The viceroy, indeed, had given orders that no person should be
admitted into his presence, in order that he might not be im
portuned in behalf of the criminal, of whom he was determined
to make an example. To enter into his presence under such
circumstances was not unattended with danger. He ventured
however, presented his petition, and, according to the Burman
custom, insisted on its being granted before he left the palace.
* Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 541 ; vol. iii. p. 285.
" Period. Accounts, vol. iii. p. 337, 421, 433, 454.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 43
The Maywoon refused his request several times, but at last
offered to grant it, provided he would promise never again to
intercede in behalf of a criminal. This Mr Carey refused. The
Viceroy at last yielded, on condition that he would accompany
him to Ava, when he should have occasion to go thither. An
order was now given for the release of the culprit, but it had
yet to go through all the forms of office. When Mr Carey at
last obtained it from the secretary, he hastened with it to the
cross ; but on his arrival, not one of the officers would read it
without a reward. In vain did he remonstrate ; in vain did
he threaten them. He was obliged, at length, to offer them a
piece of cloth, to induce them to perform this common act of
humanity. The poor wretch was then taken down, and had
just strength enough to express his gratitude to his kind de
liverer. He had been nailed to the cross about three in the
afternoon, and it was now between nine and ten at night, so
that he had already been hanging in torture for near seven
hours. Mr Carey now took him to his own house, dressed his
wounds, and attended him with the utmost care until his health
was restored. He was the only person in Rangoon, it was sup
posed, who would have succeeded with the Maywoon in such a
request ; and, as might naturally be expected, his conduct, on
this occasion, gained him high renown among the Burmans.
The fellow, however, afterwards turned out a bad man : he
was again detected in theft, and taken into custody. The
agonies of a cross, it seems, were insufficient to reclaim him.1
In October 1808, Carapeit C. Aratoon, a proselyte from the
Armenian Church, was sent into Jessore in order to take a
more immediate oversight of the native converts who were
scattered through different villages in that district, as well
as to preach the gospel among the other inhabitants. Here
there was a small body of Hindu dissenters who had been
repeatedly visited by the missionaries, and several of these
people also came on various occasions to Serampur. A school
was established among them, and on the Sabbath they met
together for divine worship ; one of them prayed and ex
plained the gospel to the others, but singular as it may seem,
' Period. Accounts, vol. iii. p. 434, 454 ; vol. iv. p. 174, 259 ; Panoplist, vol. iii;
(N. S.) p. 571.

44 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
there was little appearance of any real disposition among them
to embrace Christianity, for though they talked fairly, their
conduct was far from according with their professions. On one
occasion, when three of these persons from Luckphool, who had
long professed to believe the gospel but declined making a pub
lic profession of it, came on a visit to Serampur, the mission
aries, in conversation with one of them named Sookur Bishess^
warned him of the danger of temporizing in the manner he had
hitherto done, telling him, that if he was ashamed of Christ be
fore men, Christ would be ashamed of him before his Father
and before his angels. He declared that he thought there was
no way to heaven except by Christ, and that if he apprehended
himself near death, he would make an open profession of his
name. The missionaries reminded him of the uncertainty of
life, and entreated him to consider whether his refusal publicly
to profess Christianity did not arise from his regarding sin in
his heart, and from fearing men more than God. Little did
they think that he would prove so striking an example of the
truth of these observations. Only six days after his return, he
was murdered in his own village by a band of robbers. It
seems he had been carrying on a criminal correspondence with
a woman, some of whose relations belonged to a gang of thieves
who infested that part of the country, and almost set the ma
gistrates at defiance. These people had long been resolved to
take revenge on him, and hearing that he had just returned from
Serampur, they imagined he must there have obtained a sum
of money ; a report which had been circulated, in many instances,
with the view of bringing opprobrium on the gospel, though no
thing could be more contrary to truth.1 Thinking this a favour
able opportunity for accomplishing their design, they one night
beset the house where he and the woman were, and after
bringing them out bound, set it on fire, and threatened to
throw him into the flames unless he would discover to them
the money which they supposed he had concealed. Hoping,
probably, to make his escape, he led them to a tree at some
distance and told them to dig beneath it. After digging some
1 One day a man came to Serampur from Culna, as he had heard that the mission
aries gave a thousand rupis and a mistress to every one who lost caste ! Reports of
the same kind were prevalent in other quarters.— Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 353, 484.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 45
time in vain, one of them, enraged at his conduct, pierced him
through with a spear and shed out his bowels, another wounded
him across the breast, and a third cut off his head. Thus per
ished this unhappy man, who for several years had possessed
sufficient light to discern the falsehood of Mahomedanism and
the excellence of Christianity, but yet was held fast by the
cords of iniquity to his own destruction.1
But though none of this sect appear to have embraced the
gospel, there was a number of persons from the district of Jes-
sore who were baptized at Serampur. These, on account of
their distance from that place, were formed into a distinct
church, consisting of four different branches, about thirty miles
distant from each other, the whole comprehending an extent of
country little less than a hundred miles in diameter. Partly to
relieve the poor members from travelling, partly to extend the
gospel more widely, Aratoon went this circuit every month,
preaching and administering the Lord's Supper at one of the
branches on the Sabbath, and then in the course of the week
proceeding to the next. The number of persons whom he bap
tized was considerable ; but after labouring about three years
with diligence and zeal he fell into sin, which rendered it ne
cessary to recal him and to supply his place by some others of
the converts. He afterwards, however, manifested repentance
for his conduct, and was sent to labour in a different part of
the country.2
In January 1809, the missionaries opened a spacious chapel in
Calcutta, which now became one of their most important spheres
of labour. Since their arrival in India, they had been exceed
ingly useful, not only to the Hindus, but to many of the English
inhabitants, several of them persons of considerable rank in life.
Some of these were baptized by them ; but a still greater num
ber never embraced their views on the subject of baptism. It
does not fall within my design particularly to notice instances
of this kind, only it is not unworthy of remark, that the con
version of Europeans must, in various ways, prove a power
ful means of the further extension of Christianity among the
natives. In Calcutta, especially, there was a remarkable im-
1 Period. Accounts, vol. ii. p. 372, 397, 451 ; vol. iii. p. 53, 319.
3 Ibid. vol. iii. p. 348, 419, 640 ; vol. v. p. 105, 142, 190, 535.

46 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
provement in respect of religion, partly in consequence of the
labours of the Baptists, and partly through the instrumentality
of some excellent clergymen of the Church of England, who
were settled in that city. When the missionaries first met for
prayer in that large and populous city, only three or four per
sons attended ; and when they began to preach, there were sel
dom more than ten. Afterwards, however, the number in
creased considerably, so that it was deemed expedient to erect
a chapel for divine worship ; and though the expense was up
wards of 30,000 rupis, the greater part of it was raised by
private subscription. Calcutta, in short, was no longer that
seat of irreligion, which it was some years before. Infidelity
was then the fashion, and men, whose minds were too contracted
and too superficial to think for themselves, joined the multi
tude, were staunch infidels, and made a sport of religion and
the Bible. But now a profession of religion was not uncommon :
there were several hundred serious Christians in that city, and
among these, were some in the higher, as well as in the lower
ranks of society. In respect of religious privileges, Calcutta
was now the most favoured place In all India ; in no single spot
were there so many individuals actively employed in promoting
the cause of Christianity, among both natives and Europeans.1
In January 1811, Mr Robinson, accompanied by Mr and Mrs
Cornish, both members of the Baptist church, arrived at Bar-
bari, a place in the neighbourhood of Butan, where he had
previously erected a temporary habitation, and where they in
tended to stop till they could obtain an opportunity of settling
in that country. Three or four nights after their arrival, the
Watchman awoke Mr Cornish about twelve o'clock, and told
him that he had observed a man in the garden, who, he thought,
was of a suspicious appearance. On receiving this information)
Mr Cornish rose, and apprehending that there was only a single
thief, fired his gun, and again lay down to rest. Just, howeverj
as he was falling asleep, he was roused by a band of fifty or
sixty robbers, armed with spears, attacking the house. Having
still no idea of their number, he aimed a blow at one of the
ruffians with the but end of his gun, when instantly two spears
were pointed at him from the windows, by which he was slightly
1 Period. Accounts, vol. iii. p. 407, 559 ; vol. v. p. 195, 438.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 47
wounded in the side. Meanwhile, Mr Robinson, whose room
was still unmolested, put on a few clothes, and not knowing
the number of the robbers, nor how they were armed, thought
of resisting them. He passed them in the dark, and went into
the pantry, from whence he took a knife. The robbers, at that
instant, set fire to some straw for the sake of light ; and observ
ing the knife in his hand, two of them struck at him with their
spears. Perceiving by this time that resistance was vain, he
opened the back door, and went to the room of Mr and Mrs
Cornish, hoping to get them out at the windows. " Come away,"
said he, " or we shall all be murdered." " Oh ! Mr Robinson,
my poor child," cried Mrs Cornish, " do take it." He took the
child, and the others immediately followed. Mrs Cornish ran
toward the stable ; and in following her, they found the cook
lying on the ground. Thinking he might be asleep, they shook
him, but he answered with a deep hollow groan. They now
made the best of their way over the ditch which surrounded
the premises, into the neighbouring field ; and having wandered
to a place about a mile distant, sat down on the cold ground,
with scarcely any clothing. Even here, however, their fears
were not at an end ; the shaking of a leaf made them tremble.
To increase their apprehensions, Mr Cornish's little boy was so
cold, it was with much difficulty he could be kept from crying,
which might have discovered the place of their retreat to the
robbers, had they passed in that direction.
As soon as the morning dawned, they returned to their home,
where they beheld a most heart-rending scene. A few yards
from the back door lay the cook, murdered ; and at a little dis
tance from the front door, the servant who kept Mr Cornish's
horse. The washerman also was severely wounded, and after
wards died of his wounds. Books, paper, boxes, and other
articles, lay on the outside of the house, stained with blood ;
within, all was confusion and destruction. Things capable of
being broken, were dashed to pieces ; the books were thrown in
heaps, or scattered about the house ; the clothes, except a very
few articles, which the robbers had probably dropped in their
hurry, were all carried away. The loss, in property of different
kinds, was supposed to amount to 2000 rupis.
Terrible, however, as was this disaster, it was not unmingled

48 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
with mercy. Mr Cornish had a little apprentice-girl named
Janetta, who, on the first alarm, ran out of the bed-room into
the pantry ; but the robbers coming into that place, and seeing
her, exclaimed, " Here is one of the Sahib's people." One of
them searched her breast for money, but finding none, he was
about to murder her, upon which, she held up her hands to an
other of the ruffians, and implored his protection, saying, "I
am but a poor little girl ; do not kill me." The fellow answered,
" Shew us where the money is, and you shall not be hurt."
She accordingly directed them to the two bed-rooms, into which
they all rushed, when she embraced the opportunity of escaping
at the back door, and concealed herself in the store-room. It
is also worthy of notice, that Mr Robinson and his companions,
in leaving the house, were directed, without any knowledge or
design on their part, in the right path. In that corner of the
garden where the stable was, there happened to be no gateway,
which there was at every other ; and at each of these entrances
some of the robbers were placed on guard, so that had they pro
ceeded by any of them, they would, in all likelihood, have been
murdered. Mr Robinson, indeed, had no fewer than four
wounds, one on his right knee, one on his left arm, one on his
belly, and one on his breast ; the last of them was the worst,
and had not the spear struck against the bone, would probably
have proved fatal. The wound in Mr Cornish's side, might also
have been mortal, had it not been for a similar circumstance,;
In this distressed situation, they set off for Dinajpur, where
they arrived after a journey of three days, and were most
kindly received by their friends in that city, who vied with
each other in supplying their wants, and endeavouring to alle
viate their distresses. Soon after this terrible disaster at Bar-
bari, Mr Robinson once more attempted to enter Butan. H&
applied to the Katma of Bhotehaut, for a morishee to teach him
the language, and for permission to ascend the hills. But as
that officer first referred him to the Rajah, and afterwards
wrote him a discouraging letter, the mission was for the present
relinquished. It appears, however, that the robbers did not
escape the hands of justice. Three were hanged, several were
condemned to perpetual imprisonment, and to receive thirty-
nine lashes with the kora ; and the others to be imprisoned for

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 49
a time, and to be subjected to the same number of lashes, and
all to be employed in hard labour.1
Besides these stations, the missionaries commenced others in
various parts of India, at Midnapur, Balasore in Orissa, Silhet,
Dacca, Suri in Birbum, Murshedabad, Monghir, Digah, Patna,
Benares, Allahabad, Agra, Delhi, Surdhuna, Ajmere, Surat, and
several other places. Nor did they confine themselves to Hin
dustan. They also formed stations in Assam, in Chittagong,
in Arracan, in Ceylon, in Java, and in Sumatra. Though seve
ral of these stations were occupied by missionaries from Europe,
most of them were supplied by persons raised up in India,
chiefly Indo-Britons, and some of the less important simply by
native converts. Nor were they all in existence at the same
time. More than one-half of them were given up within a few
years after they were begun. The evil of the multiplication
and diffusion of stations has seldom been more strikingly illus
trated than in the Baptist mission in India. Here were sta
tions spread over a vast extent of country, and some even in
distant islands. In many cases, a single individual was sent to
establish a new station ; but considering the difficulties of the
work, little is in general to be expected from the efforts of a
solitary labourer, however zealous and active he may be. Un
less in large cities, we apprehend, it is seldom advisable to
associate many missionaries at the same station ; but yet a num
ber may with great advantage be employed in the same field.
Were a district of country selected, one of somewhat limited
bounds, and in which the same language is spoken through
out, and were it divided into smaller portions, like so many
parishes, and a missionary stationed in each, there would be
fewer occasions of dissension among them ; every one would have
a particular field to cultivate, and more work would probably
be done when they laboured separately, than if they laboured
together ; while at the same time, from their vicinity to each
other, they might be able to meet together from time to time
for mutual consultation and encouragement, and in the event
of the sickness or death of one, another would be at hand to
afford assistance or to supply his place, instead of stations be
ing broken up or kept for years in a feeble state, in consequence
1 Period. Accounts, vol. iv. p. 266, 406 ; vol. vi. p. 177 ; Circular Letters, vol. iv.
VOL. II. D

50 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
of the -sickness or death of perhaps successive missionaries, ex
amples of which have not been unfrequent in the history o:
distant stations in India.
We apprehend the missionaries also greatly erred in employ
ing so many of the natives in making known the gospel to theii
countrymen. Not only were a number of them sent to the
stations formed in various parts of the country, but on tht
Lord's day, almost every one of the converts at Serampur whe
was capable of speaking on the subject of religion, went intc
the "neighbouring towns and villages with the view of making
known the gospel. Even in our own country, where the natu-
ral talents of the people, the education they receive, and the
general degree of intelligence they possess, are of a much highei
order than is common in India, we find extremely few among
the lower orders of society who, on embracing the gospel, are at
all qualified for the work of the ministry, or to become in any
way the instructors of others. The missionaries themselves,
after a considerable trial, came to see the unadvisedness of em
ploying the converts to the extent they had done in commu
nicating the gospel to their countrymen. We feel the force oi
the plea of necessity ; but then it is to be considered, whether,
unless the persons so employed are duly qualified for the work,
they may not do more ill than good.
In March 1812, an event occurred which interrupted for
some time the progress of the missionaries in carrying on the
printing of the Holy Scriptures in the languages of the East,
One evening about six o'clock, a fire was discovered in the
printing-office at Serampur, in a large range of shelves, con
taining English, Patna, and other paper. At the time it was
perceived, there were only one or two servants remaining in the
printing-office. Mr Ward, who was in an adjoining room, im
mediately ran to the spot where the fire was burning, and called
for water to quench it ; but the flames had already reached the
middle of the shelves, and resisted all the efforts that could non
be made by the people who were at hand. In a few minutes
the office was so filled with smoke, that Mr Ward was almosi
suffocated in endeavouring to get out, and one of the servant!
who was with him, actually fell down senseless before he coulc
reach the door, and was saved from death only by being dragged

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 51
into the open air. All the window-shutters, twenty-four in
number, were fastened with iron bars, placed across, and pinned
within, so that it was extremely difficult to force them open.
They were advised, indeed, to keep all the doors and windows
shut, in order, if possible, to smother the flames ; but yet Mr
Ward ascended the roof, pierced it above the place where the
fire was raging, and poured in water in great abundance. This
plan so far succeeded, that four hours after the fire commenced,
it was confined to the shelves under which it originally began,
and even there it was greatly diminished. The quantity of
water which was thrown in where it was practicable, was very
great. In the adjoining press-room, the water was as high as
the ankles, and the steam and smoke which filled the office were
so thick, that a candle would not burn in it, even for a few
seconds. The heat also was so intense, that it was impossible for
a person to remain a moment within the walls. Some, at this
time, violently urged the opening of all the windows ; but as it
would have taken hours to do this, so as to get out the tables,
frames for the cases, and other utensils, and as the opening of
only one or two would give fresh vigour to the flames, which
were now languid and confined to the lower part of the office,
and would even endanger the whole of the adjoining buildings,
it was objected to. This, however, did not prevent some injudi
cious but well-meaning friends from breaking open one of the
wiadows opposite the fire, while Messrs Marshman and Ward
were busy in other places. In a few minutes, Mr Marshman dis
cerned through the cloud of steam and smoke, a flake of fire blown
into the middle of the office. He instantly conveyed the alarming
intelligence to Mr Ward, who was superintending the pouring
of water through the roof on the shelves. Mr Ward now ran
to the room at the entrance of the office, and the most remote
from the fire, and by the active assistance of several European
friends, cut open the two windows, and dragged out his writing
table, which contained the deeds of the premises, as well as
many other valuable writings ; and going from thence to the
opposite room, he cut open the windows there also, and dragged
out the enclosed shelves, containing their accompts from the
beginning of the mission. This last attempt was made in the
very face of the fire, and before it was fully accomplished, the

52 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
whole building, two hundred feet in length, by forty in breadth.
was in flames. About midnight the roof fell in. Every exer
tion was made to prevent the flames from spreading to the ad
joining buildings, and though some of them were not more than
twelve feet from the office, yet providentially they escaped the
conflagration. The wind, which blew pretty hard an hour or
two before, being now calm, the fire ascended in a straight line,
like the flame of a candle on a table, and happily terminated
with the printing-office, without any life being lost, or any per
son materially injured. But though the danger was now over,
the fire continued burning among the ruins for nearly two days.
The loss which the missionaries sustained by the fire was
immense, whether we consider the number or the value of the
articles that were destroyed. To enumerate them would be
endless, but we may mention among others, the whole furni*
ture of the printing-office ; founts of types in seventeen differ
ent languages ; all the cases, frames, and other utensils which
accompanied them ; about fifteen hundred reams of paper ; up
wards of fifty-five thousand sheets printed off, but not folded;
a considerable number of books printed by them ; and some
other books, to the amount of five thousand rupis ; manu
scripts to the value of seven thousand rupis, among which were
a Sanskrit Dictionary, in five folio volumes ; all the materials
for a Polyglot Dictionary, of the languages derived from the San
skrit, in collecting which Dr Carey had been employed for many
years ; part of a Bengali Dictionary ; the whole of a Telinga
grammar, and part of a grammar of the Sikh language ; three
valuable manuscript copies of the text of the Ramayuna, and
as much of the translation of that work as had cost Dr Carey
and Mr Marshman a whole year to prepare for the press ; part
of the translation of the Scriptures in several languages; and
the whole correspondence of the missionaries, so far as it was
preserved, from the commencement of their labours. The whole
loss amounted to about i?8750.
As soon as the disaster was known, the most liberal contri
butions were made by the friends of religion to repair the loss.
In Bengal about a thousand pounds were immediately contri
buted for this purpose : from America were remitted fifteen
hundred pounds : in Britain no less than j&10,611 : 1 : 11 were

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 53
raised in about seven or eight weeks after the news were re
ceived, a striking proof of the deep interest which the Christian
public took in the mission, and especially in the translations of
the Holy Scriptures carrying on by it.1
In March 1813, Messrs Robinson, Lawson, and Johns, the
two last of whom had lately arrived at Serampur, were ordered
by government to return to England, by the fleet then under des
patch, because they had come to India without the permission
of the Court of Directors, which had in fact been hitherto the
case with all the missionaries. In consequence, however, of a
representation to Lord Minto, the Governor-General, that Mr
Lawson was preparing a fount of Chinese types, and that his
removal would materially impede the completion of it, he ob
tained liberty to remain ; but the order for Mr Johns' return
was peremptorily confirmed, and he was given to understand
that unless he immediately took his passage, he would be ap
prehended and carried on board the ship. He of course sub
mitted to the will of government, and returned to England
after having spent only a few months in India.2
With respect to Mr Robinson, he had sailed for Java before
the order for his return to England was received, with the
view of commencing a mission on that island. It was signed
the very day he embarked ; but it did not reach Serampur till
a week after, when he was safely out at sea. He had sometime
before obtained permission from Lord Miuto to proceed to Java,
yet so determined was the government to carry their proscrip
tion into effect, that the order was sent after him to that island.
Soon after his arrival, he was accordingly required to state by
what authority he had come to Java ; but by some means or
other, he was allowed to remain on the island.3
1 Period. Accounts, vol. iv. p. 452, 465, 497, 502, 550; vol. v. p. 147; Circular
Letters, vol. v. p. 146 ; vol. vi. p. 4, 6 ; Ivimey's Letters, p. 169.
* Period. Accounts, vol. v. p. 198.
3 Period. Accounts, vol. v. p. 225, 385.
It is not unworthy of observation, that though at least eleven missionaries from dif,
ferent societies, were about this time ordered to leave India, Mr Johns was the only
one who was actually sent home. These were, no doubt, painful occurrences ; yet we
cannot help viewing them as a remarkable interposition of Providence, in behalf -of
Christianity in India. Though the supreme government in Bengal had on former
occasions manifested considerable hostility to the labours of Christian missionaries,
(Buchanan's Apology for Promoting Christianity in India, p. 64, 74, 149) ; yet the

54 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
In August 1814, Mr Felix Carey embarked at Rangoon, 01
board the viceroy's pleasure-boat, with the view of proceedinj
to Ava, the capital of the Burman empire. He had sometimi
before been called to court, to inoculate the younger branche
of the royal family ; but as he unfortunately had no vaccini
matter, he was sent back to Rangoon, in a gilded boat, after beinj
treated with distinguished honours, and a ship was ordered t(
convey him to Bengal, in order to bring it from that country
Having now returned, he proceeded to join a brig which was
waiting in the Great River, to convey him to the capital, anc
after some days he reached her in safety. Scarcely, however
had she sailed, when she was suddenly overtaken by a squall,
while she was making way against a very strong and rapid cur
rent. In a moment she upset, and immediately filled with water,
At that instant, Mr Carey rushed into the cabin, to rescue ii
possible his wife and children, and the other females. No soonei
spirit of opposition never rose to such a height as at this time. It seemed as if th<
government, at the head of which was Lord Minto, was determined that no new mis
sionaries should settle in the country. The renewal of the East India Company'!
charter, however, was at this very period under the consideration of Parliament, and
intelligence of these proceedings arrived just in time to stimulate the friends of relt
gion to zealous and energetic exertions for procuring the introduction of clauses into
the Bill, securing liberty to Christian missionaries to proceed to India, and the pro
tection of government, so long as they conducted themselves with prudence and pro
priety. So deep was the interest which this measure excited in the country, thai
petitions were poured in to both Houses of Parliament from every quarter of the
United Kingdom, and had a powerful influence in accomplishing the object in view.
(Evan. Mag. vol. xxi. p. 321.,) Had it not, however, been for these arbitrary pro
ceedings of the government in India at this very period, it is not probable that the
object would have excited so deep and general an interest in the country, and at anj
rate, the advocates of the measure in Parliament, would not have possessed so power
ful an argument for the interference of the legislature. In the House of Commons,
the clauses met with keen opposition, particularly from some gentlemen who had been
in India, but they were carried by a majority; and in the House of Lords they passed
without a division.
Notwithstanding this act of the British Legislature, the Directors of the East India
Company appear to have been still indisposed to grant permission to missionaries to go
out to India. The first application by the Baptist Missionary Society, which was in
behalf of Mr Eustace Carey, was readily granted, partly perhaps through the influence
of his name ; but when application was made some months afterwards in behalf of an
other missionary, Mr Yates, it was refused by the Directors, and the refusal was re
peated on a second and more urgent appeal. The refusal of the Directors having
come before the Board of Control, as was provided for by the act of Parliament, it
overruled their resolution and granted the permission requested. This decision was ol
great importance, as it tested the disposition of His Majesty's government in regard
to missionaries going out to India. — Hoby's Memoir of William Yates, D.D., p. 44.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 55
had he entered, than the impetus of a stream from without
closed the door upon him. Nothing seemed now before him
but a watery grave, as the flood gushed in upon him from all
sides. During these critical moments, he heard the screams of
his wife and children, who were separated from him by a can
vass screen ; but he could find no access to them, till an open
ing was made by the water. He then sprung forward and
handed them, together with the nurse and two little girls, out
at the cabin window, upon the broadside of the vessel. Still
he had some hope that the ship would float, but no sooner
had he himself got out at the window, than she sunk with
them. Instantly they were all out of their depth, amidst a
rapid current and a heavy sea. His wife and infant child clung
to him ; but as he sunk, she quitted her hold, and he saw her
no more. He once more rose to the surface and thought he
observed his little boy floating at a distance : the heads of some
of the crew he saw in various directions. He now gave him
self up for lost, every wave rolling over his head. Having some
way or other made a shift to tear off his shirt, and to disen
tangle himself of his pantaloons, he floated ashore, though not
without great difficulty. On reaching the land he found him
self so exhausted, that he could not stand, but providentially
one of the Lascars, who had floated ashore at the same place,
drew him up into the grass jungle, where he sat up to the
breast in water till a boat came to his assistance. As soon as
he was somewhat recovered, he made every inquiry about his
wife and children ; but could learn nothing of them, except
that one of his servants, with the officer, had picked up the
body of his little girl, and buried it in a neighbouring jungle.
Thus, in one hour, he was deprived of his wife, his little boy,
and his infant daughter, besides whom, there were seven others
who perished in this sad catastrophe.
In a state of mind hardly to be described, Mr Carey pro
ceeded next day in a gilded boat for Ava ; and after a voyage
of about four weeks, he reached that city. Here he met with a
highly favourable reception from the king and the prince, who
appeared to sympathize with his misfortune, and made him the
most liberal compensation for his loss. He was now, however,
called to sustain a severer trial of his Christian principles, than

56 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
that which he had so lately suffered. His Majesty appointee
him ambassador to Calcutta, in order to settle some difference!
which subsisted between the two governments ; and conferrec
on him the equipage of a prince, consisting of a red umbrella
with an ivory top, and a red fringe, such as is worn only by th<
sons of the king, a betel box, a gold lepheek cup, and a swore
of state. He also received by His Maj esty's special command, twe
gold swords, a gold umbrella, and considerable sums of money.
Mr Carey now relinquished the humble office of a Christian
missionary, and proceeded to Calcutta in the high character oi
ambassador from the Court of Burmah, to the British govern
ment. There he lived in the highest style of oriental splendour,
His connection, however, with the Burman court, was not of long
duration ; and he soon afterwards entered into the service of the
Kacha Rajah, whose territory was invaded shortly after by the
Burmese, and he was obliged to flee with his master into the
British dominions, where he was reduced to the greatest dis
tress, living for months in a Bengali hut, and carefully conceal
ing from his anxious friends the place of his abode ; but having
been met with accidentally in the Sunderbunds, he was brought
to Serampur, and was employed in the printing-office, and in
translating and compiling various works of a literary nature.2
In 1816, the missionaries at Serampur commenced an insti
tution for the support and encouragement of native schools.
The education of children was an object of attention with the
missionaries from the time of their arrival in India ; but as
most of the schools which they established were not only taught
by native teachers, but were conducted according to the native
plan, they soon perceived that unless material improvements
were introduced into them, little good would be effected by
them. With the view of introducing a new and improved system
of teaching, they now instituted at Serampur a normal school
for the training of teachers, and qualifying them for taking
charge of schools in the neighbouring towns and villages.3
In the schools established by them, the children were not
1 Period. Accounts, vol. v. p. 380, 383, 402, 485 ; vol. vi. p. 151 ; Circular Letters,
vol. viii. p. 77.
* Miss. Herald, 1819, p. 41 ; Marshman, (J. C.) Review of Two Pamphlets, p. 71.
a Hints relative to Native Schools, p. 19, 31, 37 ; First Report of the Institution foi
Native Schools, p. 51.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 57
only taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, but with the view
of giving enlargement to their minds, they were instructed in
the more popular parts of geography, astronomy, and natural
philosophy, i the leading facts of history, and the most im
portant principles of morality, so that the system of education
pursued in them, was incomparably superior to any thing known
in the Hindu schools. Christian instruction, however, formed
no part of the plan, as the missionaries were apprehensive that
this would awaken the jealousy of the natives, and probably
defeat the whole scheme. The extension, however, of a correct
and enlarged system of education among the Hindus, could
scarcely fail to prove highly favourable to the future progress of
the gospel in the country.1
It was pleasing to witness the little influence which caste had
in checking the extension of education among the Hindus.
Among the scholars were a great number of Brahman children,
many of whom were already invested with the poitu. To see
youths honoured with the sacred thread, mingling with their
schoolfellows in their various exercises, and in numerous in
stances giving place, without chagrin, to their superior merit,
was highly gratifying. No wish was ever expressed by them to
be formed into separate classes, nor was there a single instance
of a Brahman youth leaving school in disgust, because he was
associated with Sudras. To the institution for supporting
these schools, not only many European gentlemen, but numbers
of the opulent Hindus themselves, were subscribers, so little
jealousy did they shew of the operations of the missionaries.2
But though the plan succeeded much beyond the expectations
of the missionaries, they, after some time, made a material
change upon it : instead of wholly supporting schools among
the Hindus, they resolved to aim at the improvement of the
schools which were already established by themselves. The
Hindus, in general, are not averse to paying the teachers' fees
in their own schools ; and it is obvious that the benefits of edu
cation can be extended throughout the whole of a country only
by nourishing principles of this description among the people
1 Hints relative to Native Schools, p. 11 ; First Report of the Institution for Native
Schools, p. 20.
- * First Report of the Institution for Native Schools, p. 12, 18, 43, 65 ; Second Re
port, p; 63, 66.

58 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
themselves. The missionaries accordingly offered to the teachers
of these indigenous schools, that if they would adopt the sys
tem of education which they recommended, and use the school
books which they had provided, they would allow them a small
sum monthly, for as many of the scholars as made certain de
grees of proficiency. With these proposals the teachers readily
complied, and, in a short time, about a hundred schools, con
taining, it was supposed; near eight thousand children, were
placed under the care of the missionaries. These schools pro
mised, in fact, to be not less useful than those which were wholly
supported by the missionaries, while, at the same time, a much
greater number of them could be maintained at the same ex
pense. When the teachers found that their remuneration from
month to month depended on the proficiency of their scholars,
and that a school could at any time be laid aside without any
pecuniary loss, which was not the case with those that were
wholly supported by the institution, they had a strong incite-*
ment to activity and diligence. Besides, this plan possessed,
the advantage of diffusing instruction more widely among the
different classes of society. In the schools wholly supported by
the institution, the bulk of the children consisted of the lower
classes of society, as a rich Hindu had little inducement to send
his son to a charity school, unless on account of the superior
nature of the education received in it. But the plan of encourag
ing indigenous schools, brought the new and improved system
of education to bear on the youth of all ranks, the rich as well
as the poor, and though it would be wrong to deny the latter
the opportunity of obtaining superior knowledge, it would be
equally absurd to exclude the higher orders, who have the
greatest influence in society, especially as they are nearly as
destitute of sound information as the very lowest classes.1
These plans of the Serampur missionaries appeared well-
calculated for extensive usefulness ; but after a few years' ex
periment, they were not found to realise the expectations which
were formed of them, and the schools were to a great extent
given up.2
1 Second Report of Native Schools, p. 45 ; Third Report p. 7, 11, 12.
a E. Carey and Yates' Vindication of the Calcutta Baptist Missionaries, p. 38; Be-
view of Two Pamphlets by the Rev. John Dyer, and E. Carey, and Yates, p. 86.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 59
In August 1818, the missionaries at Serampur instituted a
college for communicating to native youths a higher order of
education than could be given them in the ordinary schools.
In this institution, it was intended that the Sanskrit, the Ara
bic, the Chinese, and the English languages should be taught,
and such other languages, particularly those of India, as might
be judged most useful ; that instruction should be given in the
various shastras of the Hindus, and in the doctrines which form
the basis of the Pouranic and the Budhist systems of theology,
including the system of Hindu law ; in the elementary princi
ples of European science, including medicine ; and in the prin
ciples of Christianity. The college was designed not for Chris
tian youth only : any native youth, whether Brahman, Sudra,
or Mussulman, might be admitted into it, while at the same
time, no student would be required to attend any lecture to
which he felt the least objection on religious grounds, nor
would any thing be enjoined which infringed in the slightest
degree on the caste or religion of any of the pupils. The great
and primary object of the college, was the education of young
natives of talents and piety for the Christian ministry, as the
missionaries, though they had employed the converts to a con
siderable extent in making known the gospel to their country
men, found them in general very imperfectly qualified for the
work ; while yet it was evident that if Christianity is ever to
be propagated throughout India, this must be chiefly by the in
strumentality, not of European, but of native missionaries. Be
sides, the missionaries hoped that natives of piety might not
only be prepared for the Christian ministry, but that some of
them, after acquiring a knowledge of Sanskrit, as well as of
Hebrew and Greek, might be employed as translators of the
Scriptures into the vernacular languages. It was further in
tended that a respectable, though inferior education should be
given to others of the children of converted natives, so as to
qualify them for situations in life, by which they might pro
cure a decent livelihood for themselves and their families. By
this means, some compensation might be made to their parents
and themselves, for the deprivations to which they were sub
jected by the loss of caste, and thus might be wiped away the
reproach, common throughout every part of India, that the

60 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Feringas, i. e. the Christians, were sunk to the lowest stage of
ignorance and vice. Finally, by the admission of heathen youth
to all the lectures and exercises, general knowledge would be
diffused throughout the community, a measure which might be
productive of the greatest advantages to India, and pave the way
for the ultimate triumph of divine truth among theVEindus.1
The Serampur college was an extensive and magnificent
building. It contained twelve side and two centre rooms, each
of the latter being 96 feet in length, and 66 in breadth. Two
suites of rooms, which were detached from the central building
by a space of 48 feet, furnished apartments for four professors,
and a crescent behind, at the distance of 300 feet, was intended
when completed to furnish accommodation for two hundred
native students. The whole when finished was not expected to
cost less than £19,000, the greater part of which, it was stated,
was furnished by the missionaries themselves.
With the view of placing the college on a similar footing as
to privileges and permanence as the universities in Europe, a
royal charter was obtained for it from the King of Denmark,
granting it power to hold lands, to sue and be sued at law, and
to confer degrees in the branches of learning taught in it ; but
allowing the space of ten years for the founders to digest its
laws and constitution, after which period, they were to be un
alterable,2 a principle so contrary to the dictates of common
sense, that we cannot but wonder how a charter could have
been accepted, which was burthened with so absurd and mis
chievous condition.
Notwithstanding these great preparations, the Serampur col
lege proved, in a great measure, a failure. It was on a scale
which it could scarcely be expected the missionaries would be
able to carry out, as regarded either professors or students.
The whole design appears to have been too ambitious ; and per
haps it aimed at too multiplied and varied objects. Of the
actual results of the institution we have not mucm account.
Some of the pupils educated in it, afterwards filled respectable-
* College for the instruction of Asiatic Christian and other youth, Serampur, p. 6 ;
First Report of the College for Asiatic Christian and other youth, p. 4 ; Rep. Bapt.
Hiss. Soc. 1819, p. 54.
2 E. Carey and Yates" Vindication of the Calcutta Missionaries, p. 86 ; Brief Me-
noir relative to the Serampur Missionaries, p. 24, 26.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 61
situations in India, and several, chiefly Indo-Britons, were
employed as missionaries. There were also a number of native
preachers in various parts of the country, who were more or
less trained at Serampur. After maintaining a languid exist
ence for a considerable time, it was suspended for some years.1
Meanwhile circumstances were occurring at Serampur which
led to great changes in the Baptist mission in India ; and in
regard to these it is necessary that we enter into some detail.
We have already mentioned that the missionaries on settling
at Serampur agreed that no one should engage in any employ
ment of a private nature, but that whatever pecuniary profits
any of them might realize should be appropriated to the gene
ral purposes of the mission. The funds which they subsequently
raised were derived chiefly from Dr Carey's salary as a pro
fessor in the college of Fort- William, the profits of the boarding-
schools for the children of Europeans, the one for boys by Dr
Marshman, the other for girls by Mrs Marshman, and the pro
ceeds of the printing-press which was conducted by Mr Ward.
The sums contributed by them from these sources were very large,
though not so large as was often represented, and they at length
declared themselves entirely independent of the Society, not
only in respect of the funds raised by them in India, but of
every thing like interference or control.2
Though some consideration was unquestionably due to the
Serampur missionaries omthe ground of the sums contributed
by them to missionary purposes, yet it 'was not honourable in
them to raise the standard of independence, and especially to
do it in the way they did, considering that they were originally
sent out and supported by the Society, — the relation in which
they had for so many years stood to it, — the obligations they
were under to it, — and the principles and feelings whch they
* Miss. Her. 1846, p. 322 ; Lbid. 1851, p. 134, 187.
Dr Macgowan, an American Baptist Missionary to China, who visited Serampur in
1844 says, "The College can scarcely be said to exist. It has neither professor nor
student, and the beautiful building is almost in ruins. — American Baptist Missionary
Magazine, 1845, p. 66.
2 Rep. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1827, p. 9, 30.
The separation between the Serampur missionaries and the Baptist Missionary So
ciety was not formally agreed upon until March 1827 ; but it had virtually taken place
ten years before.

62 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
had long professed in reference to the funds raised by them, a
belonging not to themselves but to the Society.
The conduct of the missionaries in regard to the property a
Serampur, originally purchased with the Society's funds, wa
even still more discreditable to them. Though merely trustees fo:
the Society, they executed a Declaration in legal form, explain
ing away the original title-deeds, for the purpose of divestinj
the Society of all right to, and all control over, the property
and maintained that they were entitled to make these altera
tions, or rather that they had made no alterations at all, thing!
having been on the same footing from the beginning. All this
we have no hesitation in saying, was consistent neither with
truth nor with common honesty. Though the missionaries
charged the Committee with a desire to lord it over them, we
can discover nothing of the kind in their proceedings : on the
contrary, they were disposed, we think, to be too yielding and
too complaisant to them, employing expressions of regard which
could scarcely consist with their real feelings. The conduct
of the Committee appears to us to have been, in general, mode
rate, honourable, and conciliatory. On the other hand, there
appeared on the part of the missionaries a great want of can
dour, an excessive spirit of jealousy, much uncharitableness and
disingenuousness, and often gross perversion and misstatement
of facts. Some of the statements made by them were, as regards
truth, absolutely astounding.
Here we must also notice, as intimately connected with the
controversy between the Serampur missionaries and the Society,
the differences between them and the younger missionaries.
We cannot enter into details regarding the complaints which
they brought against each other, as we are unable to judge how
far they were well founded. There was probably, on both sides,
much prejudice and uncharitableness, much misapprehension
and misrepresentation. Many things, it is likely, might have
admitted of explanation, or at least of extenuation, if they had
been candidly met at the time. It is, however, undeniable, that
new missionaries, after coming to Serampur, found themselves
very uncomfortable there. Had there been only one or two in
dividuals who complained, it might have been supposed that
the blame lay with themselves ; but it appears to have been the

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 63
ease with nearly every missionary who remained any time at
that place. It was one of the points of independence on which
the elder missionaries specially insisted, that no new mission
aries should be allowed to settle with them at Serampur, unless
they were, after due trial, chosen by themselves, a point which
we apprehend they were well entitled to have conceded to
them ; but it is scarcely uncharitable to think that, previous to
this, they made new corners uncomfortable, partly with the view
of getting rid of them, and making them willing to go elsewhere.1
There may have been, and probably were, faults on the side of the
younger missionaries, faults which gave occasion, in part, to their
unhappiness at Serampur ; but we acknowledge that the conduct
of the elder missionaries in reference to the Society, and the state
ments which they themselves make in regard to each other, ren
der the charges brought against them by their younger brethren
but too credible. A more unhappy state of things than what
existed in the mission family at Serampur, it is not easy to con
ceive. But whatever were the causes of the differences between
the elder and the younger missionaries, certain it is that most
of the latter were either sent away from Serampur to form new
stations at a distance, or they felt themselves so uncomfortably
situated there that they themselves voluntarily left it.2
1 We are glad to except Dr Carey from the charge of treating the younger mission
aries with unkindness or in an improper manner. It was against Dr Marshman and
Mr Ward that the charge was made. " I am afraid," wrote Mr Fuller, the secretary
of the Society, " Marshman's jealousies will be a bar to any young man of talent being
treated kindly at Serampur." The conduct of Mr Ward was also exceedingly excep
tionable. — E. Carey and Yates' Vindication, p. 40, 41 ; Bapt. Mag. 1831, p. 239.
2 E. Carey and Yates" Vindication, p. 40-50 ; Johns' Spirit of the Serampur System
in 1812 and 1813, p. 69; Bapt. Magazine, 1831, p. 239.
Into the proof of these statements we cannot particularly enter ; but we feel that it
would be unfair to such men as Carey, and Marshman, and Ward, to pronounce the
opinions which we have expressed in regard to their conduct, without referring more
specifically to some of the grounds on which our judgment rests. We cannot, how-?
ever, notice all the points to which we have adverted, but must confine ourselves to a
few only.
1. Dr Marshman and his colleagues alleged that the premises at Serampur were pur
chased by them with their own funds, and that they gave them to the Society.— Brief
Memoir relative to the Operations of the Serampur Missionaries, p. 59, 62 ; Dr Marsh-
man's Statement relative to Serampur, p. 9, 86 ; Baptist Magazine, 1831, p. 237. Now,
it appears from undeniable evidence, that they did not purchase the early premises
with their own funds, but by means of remittances from the Society, and of bills on
England, which the Society had to meet. — E. Carey and Yates' Vindication, p. 14 ;
Bapt. Mag. 1831, p. 236.

64 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
In 1817, Messrs Eustace Carey, William Yates, John Lawson,
and James Penney, the three former of whom had been some
time at Serampur, and been much dissatisfied and disappointed
with the state of things there, united together to carry on mis-
it is vain for the missionaries to allege that they afterwards contributed moneys to
the mission far exceeding the price of these premises, and that therefore they are to
be held as purchased with their funds. The original circumstances and intentions of
the purchase determine who was the purchaser ; and proceeding on this principle,
there cannot be the shadow of a doubt that the early premises at Serampur were pur
chased with the funds and on account of the Society, and were its property in the full
and strictest sense of the word.
2. As the early premises at Serampur were paid for with funds obtained from the So
ciety, so the rights of the property were taken in the name of the missionaries " in trust
for the Baptist Missionary Society." These are the terms employed in the title-deeds
of the first three premises purchased at Serampur, Now, to execute, in the year 1817,
in legal form, an " Explanatory declaration," to the effect, that this was to be under
stood as signifying nothing more than that the said premises were to be held m trust
for propagating the gospel in India, " agreeably to the original design and intention, of
the said Baptist Missionary Society," was to explain away entirely the original terms
of the title-deeds. And to declare further, "that it is their will, design, meaning,
and intention, that no other person or persons, either in England or in India belonging
to the said Baptist Missionary Society, shall have the least right or title to the pro,
perty, or the administration of the said premises, unless lawfully appointed by them"
(i. e. Messrs Carey, Marshman, and Ward), " as trustees for that purpose," was to
employ their power as trustees to denude essentially of all title to, and all control over,
-the property, that very body with whose funds and for whom it was originally pur,
chased, and of jvhich they themselves were nothing more than trustees for that body.
And to say, as they did, in a subsequent statement, that "the ultimate right to the
premises was vested in the Baptist Missionary Society," and that " whenever their
successors abuse their trust and alienate the rent or nett produce of the premises from
the object intended, that of propagating the gospel in India, the duty of the Society
will immediately commence; and they will have a legal right ty> expel them from the
-trust, and to choose new trustees who shall fulfil the intentions of the original pur-,
chasers {Brief Memoir relative to the Serampur Missionaries, p. 64, 66), was, when com
bined with the previous "Explanatory declaration," a piece of arrant deceit and
mockery. Whoever heard of the right of property involving merely some right of aw-
tant interference of the kind now described \ If the original trustees set the Baptist
Missionary Society at defiance, what shall hinder future trustees, who should alienate
the property from its proper purposes, from setting them equally at defiance "! Inr
deed, if trustees may execute such "Explanatory declarations," as that made by the.
Serampur missionaries, there would be an end to all confidence in trusteeships, and to
all security for property by means of them.
3. The Serampur missionaries would have had us believe that the Society laid claim
to all the proceeds of their labours, but that they had never given them any such title
{Marshman's Statement, p. 8, 43, 61, 102 ; Letters from the Rev. Dr Carey, 3d Edit.
p. 30) ; whereas we do not find that the Committee ever laid claim to the proceeds of
their labours, and when the question was brought before them, they explicitly re
nounced any such claim (Dyer's Letter to J. B. Wilson, Esq., in reply to Dr Marsh-.
man's Statement, p. 36 ; Marshman's Statement, p. 114) ; yet we apprehend the mis
sionaries did at times employ language which was calculated to lead the Committee, to
suppose that the proceeds of their labours would be devoted by them to the Society

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 65
sionary operations in Calcutta. It was purely their own act,
and they received but partial countenance and very sparing aid
from the Society, so long as there remained any hope of an
arrangement being effected with the missionaries at Serampur.
(Dyer's Letter, p. 52, 61 ; Carey and rates' Vindication, p. 13), a point, indeed,
which, in other places, seems partially admitted by Dr Marshman and his colleagues.
—Marshman's Statement, p. 61 ; Carey and Yates' Vindication, p. 22.
4. We apprehend it was very unreasonable in the Serampur missionaries to expect
the Society to furnish them annually with funds for the support of stations in connec
tion with Serampur, over which they were to have no control ; but the management of
which was to be in the hands of the Council of the Serampur College, or of such mem
bers of it as might be chosen by the missionaries to this trust. — Dyer's Letter, p. 6, 25.
In confirmation of some of the other allegations in the text, we must refer the reader
to Marshman's Statement, p. 8, 48, 113, 118 ; Dr Carey's Letters, p. 5 ; Dyer's Let
ter, p. 19, 31, 57, 62 ; Carey and Yates' Vindication, p. 24, 39, 67, 74 ; Ivimey's Let
ters on the Serampur Controversy, p. 40, 147, 155 ; Baptist Magazine, 1831, p. 55,
60, 234.
For further statements relative to these differences, we refer to the Report of the
Baptist Missionary Society, 1827 ; to Eustace Carey's Supplement to the Vindication of
the Calcutta Missionaries ; to John C. Marshman's Review of Two Pamphlets, by the
Rev. John Dyer, and the Rev. E. Carey, and W. Yates ; and to Dr Marshman's Re
ply to the Rev. John Dyer's Letter.
It was attempted to shield Dr Carey from the blame which attaches to these trans
actions, and to throw the whole obloquy of them on Dr Marshman ; but this was
unfair. Though Dr Marshman came to England, and was the conductor of those
negotiations which ended, in the formal separation of the Serampur Mission from the
Society, and though the matters in dispute might probably have been amicably set
tled, had it not been for him ; yet Dr Carey appears to have held substantially the
same views on the principal points in debate with the Committee, gave explicit testi
mony to the truth of his statements, and approved of the measures pursued by him.
He says expressly, that he would " thank no person for clearing him of guilt at the
expense of his colleague." And again, " I hereby bear testimony to the truth of
every thing stated by Dr Marshman in his Statement." — Dr Carey's Letters, p. 29, 30,
32, 49. — Bapt. Mag. 1831, p. 67, 238. The measures may not have been such as Dr
Carey himself would have originated, or even have prosecuted ; but if, through facility
of temper or love of peace, he allowed himself to be led by others, he must bear his
own share of the responsibility and blame.
We do not know a more melancholy chapter in the history of missions than is to be
found in the various pamphlets connected with the Serampur controversy ; yet it is a
chapter worth being read, and suggests much useful instruction.
It is painful to us to speak of such men as Carey, Marshman, and Ward, in the way
we have done ; but truth requires it of us. " When Peter walked not uprightly,,
according to the truth of the Gospel," the Apostle Paul states the fact plainly, and
tells us, that he " withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed." It may
seem, indeed, that we have employed strong language in regard to them ; but it is not
so strong as was employed by some of their own brethren, including several of their
old and best friends. Differences between missionaries and the societies with which
they were connected have not been unfrequent occurrences ; and in this one example,
the reader may learn much of what often takes place in cases of this kind. Few can
have any idea of the mis-statements which are sometimes put forth, and how necessary
VOL. II. E

66 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
The Committee were, in fact, exceedingly perplexed by the
letters they received from Serampur, containing grave accusa
tions against them, and more than suggesting the propriety of
their removal from Calcutta. But under the painful circum
stances in which they found themselves for several years placed,
they were supported and encouraged by the prosperity which
attended their undertakings ; and the station so feeble and so
tried in its beginning, became, after some years, the head-quar
ters of the mission.1
In April 1820, the first school for Hindu girls which is known
to have existed in Calcutta, and, with only two exceptions, in
India, was established in connection with the junior Baptist
missionaries in that city.2 This was an interesting step in
Hindu education. The whole of the Hindu female population
were, with few exceptions, entirely uneducated. This, therefore,
was quite a novel attempt. It originated in the contributions
of the girls in the young ladies' seminary, which was conducted
by one or more of the wives of the missionaries ; and for the pur
pose of carrying it on, a Female School Society was formed in
connection with the mission. Under this institution a number
of schools were established in the course of a few years, and
though they were not numerously attended, much interest was
felt in them, and great hopes were entertained of their useful
ness. But schools for girls were attended with many and pecu
liar difficulties. Much disappointment was experienced in re-
it is not to form an opinion upon the representations of the complaining party, but to
hold by the good old maxim, Audi alteram partem. "He that is first in his own
cause," says Solomon, " seemetb just ; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him."
In 1830, the Serampur missionaries proposed to the Committee of the Baptist Mis
sionary Society to refer the questions at issue between them as to the mission premises
and other points to arbitration ; but as difficulties appear to have occurred in carrying
this proposal into effect, they in 1832 divested themselves of the trusteeship in favour
of eleven individuals in Britain, (all of whom were persons who had taken part with
themselves,) to hold the property for the Baptist Missionary Society, and to pay to it
all rents received on account thereof. — Ivimey's Letters, p. 189 ; Periodical Accoimtl
of Serampur Mission, vol. ii. p. 97.
1 E. Carey and Yates' Vindication of the Calcutta Missionaries, p. 8, 51, 69.
2 "The first attempt in Bengal, and I suppose in India, to instruct native girls in
an organized school was made by Mr May" of the London Missionary Society at Chin-
surah "in 1818." — Adam's First Report on the state of Education in Bengal, p. 65.
There were also examples of a few girls being taught in the same schools with boys.—
Miss. Her. 1822, p. 91.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 67
gard to them, and the number of them has of late years been
greatly reduced.1
Mr Yates, while at Serampur, had assisted Dr Carey in the
translation of the Scriptures, and after settling in Calcutta he
devoted himself specially to the same work, and to other philo
logical labours. He made new translations of the whole Bible
into Bengali, and of the New Testament and part of the Old into
Sanskrit. He also prepared versions of the New Testament in
Hindustani and Hindi, but the latter was an exceedingly imper
fect work. He was likewise the author, translator, or editor, of
many other useful works in various languages.2
Mr William H. Pearce,3 who had been bred a printer, having
joined the junior missionaries soon after they settled in Cal
cutta, he commenced printing in that city. He began on a very
limited scale with a second-hand wooden press, and in a mat hut
as a printing-office ; but humble and unpretending as was the
work in its beginning, it became in the course of a few years a
very extensive establishment, including not only a large printing-
office, with its numerous founts of types in various languages,
but a type-foundry which enabled them to prepare founts of
types and matrices for other missionaries in different parts of
the East, as well as to supply their own wants. Besides edi
tions of the Holy Scriptures, school-books, and religious tracts
for the mission itself, they printed many works for other reli
gious and literary bodies, and also for the government. The
printing establishment and the type-foundry were formed at a
cost of upwards of i?20,000, without any pecuniary help from
the Society, and chiefly through the profits of the printing exe
cuted in it. Out of the proceeds considerable sums were also
devoted to missionary objects.4
When the missionaries settled in Calcutta, there was no place
' Miss. Her. 1821, p. 44 ; Ibid. 1831, p. 1 ; Seventeenth Report of the Calcutta
Baptist Female School Society, p. 5, 9 ; Rep. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1861, p. 7.
2 Hoby"s Memoirs of William Yates, D.D., p. 210, 267, 353, 361 ; Calcutta Review,
vol. x. p. 170 ; Calcutta Christian Observer, vol. xix. p. 467.
3 A son of Mr Pearce of Birmingham who was one of the founders of the society, a
most pious and lovely man, and who had earnestly desired to go out as a missionary
to India. His son appears to have inherited much of bis spirit.
* Yates" Memoir of W. H. Pearce in Hob/s Memoir of Dr Yates, p. 397 ; Cox's
Hist. vol. i. p. 330 ; Miss. Her. 1828, p. 10 ; Djid. 1829, p. 35, 90 ; Ibid. 1830, p. 78,
96 ; Djid. 1837, p. 66 ; Ibid. 1851, p. 181 ; Quarterly Papers, No. 63, p. 249.

68 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
in that city, nor indeed in all India devoted to native worship.
They therefore went into the streets and highways to address
the natives. It was often difficult, however, in this way to col
lect a congregation ; the same individuals were seldom met
with ¦ they remained or departed just, as they pleased, and if any
impressions were made on their minds, they died away in con
sequence of not being followed up with proper culture. Hav
ing persevered in this way for some time under many incon
veniences, they at length raised sheds in different parts of the
city to which the natives might regularly resort. This led to the
building of a native chapel, and though they were at first un
certain whether the people would enter it. to hear the gospel,
yet on trial, the plan proved successful beyond their expecta
tions, and they were induced to erect others in different parts
of the city and its vicinity, in which the gospel was preached
nearly every day either by the missionaries or by native
preachers. The congregations, as may naturally be supposed,
varied considerably, and were very fluctuating. Many came,
stopt a few minutes, and then went away ; but numbers re
mained much longer, and some were regular hearers for months
together. The gospel was now no novelty, and hence it was
peculiarly gratifying to observe the same persons often present,
as in this way it might be hoped they would acquire somewhat
correct and extended views of divine truth.1
In June 1834, Dr Carey died at Serampur, in the 73d year
of his age and the 41st of his labours as a missionary in India.
Born of parents in the lower ranks of life, he enjoyed no advan
tages of education beyond what are commonly to be had in a
country village ; and as he grew up, he was bred to the trade of
a shoemaker. He early discovered a great thirst for knowledge,
particularly of natural history ; and after being' called to the
ministry, he, under many disadvantages, made considerable
progress in the study of Greek and Latin, as well as of other
branches of useful knowledge. After he settled in India, botany
and other departments of natural history continued to be
favourite objects of attention with him. His garden, it is
1 Miss. Her. 1828, p. 2, 9, 29 ; Ibid. 1829, p. 33 ; Period. Accounts of Serampur
Mission, vol. ii. p. 240.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 69
stated, was the best and rarest botanical collection of plants in
the East, and his museum contained an extensive collection of
insects, shells, corals, minerals, and other natural curiosities.
His attainments as an Oriental linguist were of a high order.
Others may have had a more thorough and minute acquaint
ance with particular languages, or may have been more elegant
and accomplished scholars, but, in the variety and extent of
his acquirements, he had few, perhaps, no equals.
In the character of Dr Carey's mind, and in the habits of his
life, there was nothing of the marvellous, nothing to dazzle, or
even to surprise. There was no great or original transcendency
of intellect. He possessed no genius, no imagination, no enthu
siasm, no depth or impetuosity of feeling. He was every way
a man of principle, not of impulse. As a preacher he was not
distinguished. He was remarkable for his choice of plain and
elementary subjects. He found them the life of his own soul,
and never seemed to imagine that they could be exhausted or
become trite and uninteresting in the estimation of others. He
does not even appear to have employed due time and pains in
preparing for the pulpit, and as a natural consequence of this,
there was no great range or variety in his illustrations of his
subjects. His diction, too, was contracted, his voice inharmo
nious, his manner somewhat rustic and without ease, yet withal,
not offensive. He seems, in short, to have possessed a very
plain mind. We doubt if he was even distinguished by superior
soundness of judgment. He was too easy and too much under
the influence of those about him ; he had not energy and firm
ness of mind to resist them, or to refuse compliance with their
plans and wishes. The leading features of his character were
inexhaustible patience and perseverance in the prosecution of
any work he undertook, great modesty and humility, and above
all, great simplicity of mind. Here lay the charm of his cha
racter. This constituted its moral strength and beauty. It was
the mould into which he was cast. It rendered him at once
both venerable and lovely. It may afford encouragement to
others to find, that whatever of usefulness or reputation he
attained, was the result not of any high order, nor perhaps of
any great peculiarity of intellect, but of the unreserved, patient,

70

PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

and persevering devotion of a plain understanding, and a sing
heart to the great objects of his life.1
The great work in which Dr Carey engaged, was the trans!
tion of the Holy Scriptures into the languages of the East. 1
shew the extent of his labours in this department of inissionai
work, we shall subjoin a table of the versions made by hk
or under his superintendence, so far as they were printed, inclui
ing the Chinese by Dr Marshman, the Bruj and Hindi by 1
Chamberlain, and the Javanese by Mr Bruckner, which wei
also executed in connection with the Serampur mission.

THE WHOLE BIBLE PRINTED.

21. Kurnata or Canarese.

1. Assamese.

22. Magudh.

2. Bengali.
3. Chinese.

23. Marwar.
24. Multani or "Wuch.

4. Hindustani.

25. Munipur.

5. Marathi or Mahratta.

26. Nepalese.

6. Oriya or Orissa.

27. Oojein.

7. Sanskrit.

28. Palpa.

29. Shreenagur or Gurwhali.

THE NEW TESTAMENT PRINTED.

30. Sikh or Punjabi.

8. Afghan or Pushtoo.

31. Telinga or Telugu.2

9. Bhogelkund.

10. Bhutneer.

PORTIONS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

11. Bikaneer.

PRINTED.

12. Bruj.

32. Kumaoon to Colossians.

13. Gujarati.

33. Hindi or Hindui to 1 Co

14. Huroti.

rinthians ii. 7.

15. Javanese.

34. Maldivian, Four Gospels.

16. Jumbu or Dugrah.

35. Belochee, Three Gospels.

17. Kanoja.

36. Kusoli, Matthew and Mark.

18. Kashmire.

37. Juyapur, Matthew's Gospel.

19. Khasee.

38. Oodeypur, do.

20. Kunkuna.

39. Sindh. do.3

1 Carey's Memoirs, p. 7, 24, 32, 44, 49, 55, 68, 577, 587, 614 ; Memoir of Jol
Adams, p. 227.
2 The Old Testament was also printed in part in several of these languages :
Telinga and Kunkuna, the Pentateuch ; in Kashmire as far as the 2d Book of King
in Afghan to near the end of the 2d Book of Kings ; and in Sikh to the end of Ezekif
— Tenth Memoir of Translations, p. 7, 9, 59.
3 Seventh Memoir of Translations, p. 2; Period. Accounts of Serampur Missio:
p. 37 ; Ninth Memoir of Translations, p. 3 ; Tenth Memoir of Translations, p. 3, 61
There were two or three other languages in which single Gospels were translated ai
printed.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 71
From this table it appears that translations of the Holy Scrip
tures were executed or superintended by Dr Carey in no fewer
than thirty-five languages or dialects ; that of these six were of
the whole Bible ; twenty-two of the New Testament, five includ
ing also a considerable part of the Old Testament ; and seven of
portions of the New Testament. The labour and expense which
they must have cost it is not easy to calculate, and it is painful
to think that so much labour and expense should have been
thrown away nearly in vain. How Dr Carey could ever have
brought himself to consider it possible for one man to execute
or superintend translations of the Scriptures into so many lan
guages is very strange ; and it is stranger still how the friends
of missions, including many who might have been supposed
qualified to form a correct opinion on the subject, should have
allowed themselves to believe such a thing practicable, and
should have shewn their belief of this by the deep interest
which they took in it, and the liberal contributions which they
made for carrying it into effect. Of the perfect honesty of Dr
Carey there cannot be a moment's doubt ; but a little reflec
tion on the part of others might have shewn them that the
good man was labouring under a delusion. To execute a trans
lation of the Holy Scriptures into a single language, even
though it should be one's own mother tongue, is no slender
task. It is work enough for even the most learned and skilful
man, and will require the devotion to it of days, and months,
and years, and after having done his utmost, there will still
remain ample room for improvement by future critics. Had
Dr Carey produced even one good translation in Bengali, San
skrit, or Hindustani, he would have rendered a greater service
to the cause of missions than he has done by all his versions
put together. They have not indeed been all tested ; but those
which have, including some for executing which he possessed
peculiar qualifications and advantages, have been found so im
perfect, that his versions generally are now given up as of no
great value. This remark also extends to Dr Marshman's
Chinese translation.1
1 Carey's Memoir, p. 606; Buyer's Letters on India, p. 89, 95; Quarterly Oriental
Magazine, March 1825, p. 83, 86, 87, 93; Asiatic Journal, vol. xxviii. p. 297; Seventh
Report of American and Foreign Bible Society, 1844, p. 38.
We question if any one man will ever be found capable of translating the Scriptures

72 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Besides the translation of the Scriptures, Dr Carey engaged
in many other and extensive literary undertakings. He com
piled and published grammars of the Sanskrit, the Bengali, the
Marathi, the Telinga, the Kurnati, and the Sikh languages, and
dictionaries of the Bengali and the Marathi. He edited various
works in the Sanskrit, Bengali, Bootan, and English languages.
The number, variety, and magnitude of the works which he
executed are truly astonishing. In carrying them on, he no
doubt received much assistance from learned natives ; but
after making every allowance for the aid derived from them,
they furnish an extraordinary example of industry, diligence,
and skill ; but it does not appear that many of the works pub
lished by him, particularly the grammars and dictionaries, were
afterwards held in much estimation by Oriental scholars. Others
of the missionaries also published various literary works, par
ticularly grammars of different Oriental languages, as the
Chinese, Cingalese, Burmese, and Javanese.1
Though more perfect works than those of Dr Carey may
have been produced by later writers, we must not undervalue
into several languages, and least of all into languages which he is not in the habit of
hearing daily spoken, and of daily speaking himself. The mere affinity of languages
will not enable him to do so. If this, in some respects, facilitates the work, it, in
other respects, increases the difficulty of it, especially as to those languages which are
most nearly allied to eacn other, by requiring of him a very thorough knowledge of their
minute differences. Who would believe any man capable of executing or superintend
ing translations of the Bible into Latin, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese,
German, Danish, Swedish, and other European languages and dialects'! It is not un
worthy of remark, that the Bengali, Sanskrit, and Hindustani translations of Dr
Carey were the basis of the other versions executed under his superintendence ; but as
these translations proved to be very imperfect, their imperfections would be generally
transferred to these other versions, and thus, along with their own faults, most have
materially deteriorated their value.
We cordially subscribe to the following sentiments of Mr Judson, of the American
Baptist Mission in Burmah, in which he obviously has a reference to the Serampur
versions : "My ideas of translating are very different from those of some missionaries,
better men than myself, but mistaken, I think, in this particular. I consider it the
work of a man's whole life to procure a really good translation of even the New Testa
ment in an untried language. I could write much on this subject, but I have neither
time nor disposition. I would only say, that in many instances, missionary labour
has been dreadfully misdirected, and hundreds of thousands most foolishly thrown
away. As to us we wish to proceed slow and sure, and to see to it that whatever we
do in regard to the inspired Word is well done." — WaylanoVs Memoir of the Rev. A.
Judson, vol. i. p. 376.
1 Tenth Memoir of Translations, p. 37 ; Rep. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1848, p. 2 ; Carey's
Memoir, p. 594, 604 ; Calcutta Christian Observer, vol. vii. p. 287, 385, 387, 392, 395;

r\  i.  l.. f\..: — x„i "b.t  ;  -n«-  i. -tone

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 73
his labours, which laid the foundation, and were essentially the
means of their greater success. His merits as an Oriental
scholar were of a high order: there are in fact few men to
whom Oriental literature is under such great obligations. When
he commenced his career of Oriental study, the facilities for
it, which have since accumulated, were wholly wanting ; the
student was destitute of nearly all elementary aid. With the
exception of the Sanskrit, few of the languages of India had
ever been reduced to their elements by native and original
writers. Grammars and dictionaries were alike unknown. The
early students of these languages had, therefore, as they gathered
words and phrases, to analyze and investigate the principles of
their construction, and to frame, as they proceeded, grammars
and dictionaries for themselves. The talents of Dr Carey were
eminently adapted for such an undertaking, and to meet the
necessities of himself and others, he engaged at various periods
in the compilation of original and valuable elementary works.
His Sanskrit grammar was the first complete grammar of that
language, and made its appearance in the very infancy of Sans
krit study. It was a work of immense extent and labour, form
ing a quarto volume of more than a thousand pages. His labours
in connection with Sanskrit literature place him high amongst
the most distinguished of our Sanskrit scholars. Though Halhed
had the credit of first reducing to rule the construction of the
Bengali tongue, yet Dr Carey, by his grammar and his dictionary,
which consisted of three quarto volumes, and other useful ru-
dimental publications, had the merit of raising it from the con
dition of a rude and unsettled dialect in which there were no
printed books, and but few manuscripts, to the character of a
regular and permanent form of speech, possessing something of
a literature, and capable, through its intimate relation to the
Sanskrit, of becoming a cultivated and comprehensive vehicle
for the communication of useful knowledge and religious truth.1
1 Babu Ram Comol Shen, the compiler of a valuable dictionary, English and Ben
gali, thus speaks of Dr Carey, " I must acknowledge here, that whatever has been done
towards the revival of the Bengali language, the improvement, and, in fact, the esta
blishment of it as a language, must be attributed to that excellent man Dr Carey, and
his colleagues, by whose liberality and great exertions many works have been carried
through the press, and the general tone of the language of the province has been so
greatly raised." "No individual," adds Professor H. H. Wilson, " is better quaufied
than the talented native whose Words are here cited to appreciate accurately the share

74 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
In other Indian dialects, the labours of Dr Carey, though not sc
prominent, were more or less useful. Though in Marathi, Te
linga, and Kurnata, more perfect and elaborate elementary
works have since been published, prepared in the countries
where these languages are spoken ; yet to him belongs the merit
of having set the example of acquiring, and of having under
very unfavourable circumstances furnished the European student
with them eans of learning, these languages. Even in the trans
lation of the Scriptures into so many of the languages of the
East, however questionable the scheme might be, it is indispu
table, that not only surprising industry, but a singular genius
for philological investigation, and uncommon attainments, were
displayed in its execution.1
In May 1838,2 a re-union took effect between the Serampur
Mission and the Baptist Missionary Society, twenty-one years
after a separation had virtually, and eleven after it had formally,
taken place. It may not be improper to state, that the overtures
for union did not originate with the Society, but with the friends
of the Serampur mission in this country, who since the separa
tion had taken part with it, and had undertaken to raise
funds for its support. After the disruption, the Serampur
Brethren multiplied considerably the stations in connection
with themselves ; but the great body of the Baptist denomina
tion in England having taken part with the Society, the utmost
exertions which their friends were able to make did not prove
adequate to their necessities. The funds which they themselves
were able to raise in India were also greatly diminished, and
they even sustained heavy losses by the failure of the banks in
Calcutta in which their monies were lodged. In consequence
of these combined circumstances, the missionaries were, time
taken by Dr Carey in the improvement of the language and literature of his country."
¦ — Carey's Memoir, p. 597.
In reference to the Bengali version of the Bible, it has been remarked, and we doubt
not truly, " Though Dr Carey's translation was written according to the English idiom
and in a Bengali style that would be considered disreputable in the present day, yet it
was a great work for the time, considering the few books in the language." — Calcutta
Review, vol. xiii. p. 134.
1 Carey's Memoir, p. 587, 596, 602, 609. This estimate of Dr Carey as an Oriental
scholar, rests on the authority of H. H. Wilson, Esq., Boden Professor of Sanskrit in
the University of Oxford, one of the most distinguished Oriental scholars of the present
day. See also Calcutta Review, vol. xiii. p. 134.
3 Dr Marshman, the last of the three Serampur missionaries, died the preceding De-

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 75
after time, reduced to great difficulties ; their funds were re
peatedly quite exhausted. Impelled by necessity, they called
on the labourers at the various stations to say how much of
their salaries they would give up ; they also made urgent ap
peals to their friends in England for assistance ; and though by
these means their wants were supplied for the time, yet their
difficulties and distress returned, to be again relieved in a similar
manner. They were, however, at length involved in a debt of
about £3000. Such were the untoward circumstances in which
the Serampur missionaries found themselves in consequence of
their quarrel with the Society. They had probably presumed
on the strong hold which they once had of the public mind ;
but in this they were miserably, and, we apprehend, most justly,
disappointed, a fact which may read a useful lesson to other
missionaries not to quarrel with, or separate from, the societies
with which they are connected on slight or insufficient grounds.
Though it is not stated, yet we have little doubt that it was this
incessant recurrence of pecuniary difficulties, and the little pros
pect there was of the Christian public adequately supporting
the mission in a state of independence, that led to the proposals
on the part of its friends in England for a re-union between it
and the Society.1
• Periodical Accounts of Serampur Mission, vol. i. p. 431, 434, 510, 692, 700, 707 ;
vol. ii. p. 139, 239, 255, 319.
In looking back on the Serampur Mission, it is impossible not to be struck with the
fact, how much the results fell short of the great expectations which were long enter
tained of it. The multiplied stations established by it in India and other parts of the
East, — the translation of the Holy Scriptures into such a number of languages, — the ex
tensive system of schools,— the college for secular education and for training up native
labourers, all combined together to excite such an interest and such expectations in the
public mind as have rarely been entertained of any mission. Yet nearly every depart
ment of the Serampur mission proved a failure, its stations, its translations, its schools,
its college ; its very name was for a time scarcely found in the list of missionary stations,
and even now, it is a station of only secondary importance. It would almost seem as
if God had inscribed on the Serampur mission, "I will stain the pride of all glory."
Would, at all events, that the friends of missions would learn the salutary lesson which
it teaches, and beware of glorying in men- — in their own doings, and their own success.
We are not without an apprehension that the Serampur missionaries were misled by
a well-known saying of Dr Carey, which has passed into a kind of aphorism on the
subject of missions, "Expect great things — Attempt gkeat things." This, how
ever is a dangerous maxim, unless it be taken with important qualifications. It must
be restricted to what is wise and practicable— practicable by the men, and practicable
in the circumstances ; and not only so, but to what it is practicable to do well. We
must look not so much to the quantity of the work, as to its quality. Extensive and

76

PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

In 1851, the connection of the Society with the college at
Serampur was again renewed. It was not originally, as some
may suppose, connected with the Baptist Missionary Society ;
it was an undertaking of the Serampur missionaries themselves.
Arrangements were now entered into for forming a connection
between it and the Society ; but the college council continued
an independent body as constituted by the charter, and the
direction of its affairs was vested exclusively with it. The
college having, however, been established for the double ob
ject of imparting a superior secular education to natives of the
country, and of training up labourers for the various branches
of missionary work, it was agreed that the missionary depart
ment should be rendered auxiliary to the operations of the
Baptist Missionary Society ; and with this view, the council
agreed to grant to the Society, free of expense, the use of the
college buildings, including residences for a divinity tutor and
for divinity students, and that the secular classes of the college
should also be open to the students without any charge.1
In 1853, the following were the stations connected with the
Baptist Missionary Society in India: —

Begun.

Stations.

Begun.

Stations.

Calcutta and Sub- sta

1816

Benares.

tions.

1851

Cawnpur.

1799

Serampur.

1811

Agra.

1828

Barisal.

1826

Muttra.

1812

Chittagong.

1817

Delhi.

1812

Dacca.

1849

Chitaura.

1808

Jessore.

1804
Cutwa.
1812
Ceylon.
1804
Dinajpur.
Colombo.
1818
Suri, Birbum.
Kandy, and Sub-sta
1816
Monghir.
tions.2
The total number of native members connected with the
churches at the various stations, was in India 1140, and in
varied labours may bulk more in the public eye ; but if the work is ill done, as in this
case it is very apt to be, it will probably be found of no great value as regards either
its immediate or more remote results.
1 Miss. Her. 1846, p. 322 ; Ibid. 1852, p. 6. 2 Rep. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1853, p. 53. .
BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 77
Ceylon 516, making together 1656.1 This number may appear
inconsiderable, compared with that in some other missions ;
but it ought to be remembered, that as our Baptist brethren do
not baptize the children of the converts, a considerable allow
ance must be made on this account. It is a common idea, that
none but the lowest orders of the people will embrace Christi
anity ; but this is a great mistake : among the converts, there
were a number of Brahmans, and others of the highest castes.
Many of the baptized, however, afterwards apostatized, and that,
in some instances, not long after their baptism. The number
of backsliders, we apprehend, was owing partly to some of the
missionaries, particularly the native preachers and others raised
up in India, admitting persons to baptism without sufficient
evidence of their Christian character; and partly to the peculiar
circumstances of converts from among the Hindus, who are
exposed to temptations so numerous and so powerful, that
people in England can form little conception of them, while at
the same time, their very imperfect views of divine truth, and
their natural imbecility of mind, render them an easy prey to
the snares and enticements with which they are surrounded.
Even those of the converts who maintained their stedfastness,
were by no means without their imperfections : many of them
shewed much of the general corruption of human nature, and
of those peculiar defects which belong to the Hindu ; but yet
their character was, on the whole, materially improved by the
gospel, and was in various respects ornamental to it. Some
who died gave pleasing evidence of the power of religion, in
soothing and supporting the mind in the prospect of eternity.2
We must not, however, estimate the importance of the Bap
tist mission in India simply by its more immediate results.
Perhaps there is no mission, if we take into account its whole
bearings, which has had, directly and indirectly, so "great and
extensive an influence in regard to the propagation of Christi
anity in the world, and particularly among the heathen, as the
Baptist mission in India.
» Rep. 1853, p. 56, 58. a Per. Ace. vol. vi. p. 301, 310.

78 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

SECT. II— JAMAICA.
In December 1813, Mr John Rowe sailed for Jamaica, and
after his arrival he settled at Falmouth, on the north side of
the island. Moses Baker, a man of colour, had for many years
laboured among the slaves in that quarter, and baptized a con
siderable number of them, but being now old, he was desirous of
obtaining help from England. Mr Rowe was accordingly sent
to his assistance, and as new and promising fields of usefulness
appeared to present themselves in various parts of the island,
other missionaries were from time to time sent to occupy them,
until at length stations were formed not only in Kingston,
Spanish Town, Montego Bay, and others of the principal towns,
but in many country parts of the island. Numerous congrega
tions were collected, thousands of the negroes were baptized and
formed into churches, and there were also numbers who passed
under the name of Inquirers. In carrying on their labours,
the missionaries employed to a large extent persons from
among the people themselves, who were called Leaders : it was,
in fact, chiefly through their means that the work was carried
on, or at least that the number of members and inquirers were
so multiplied.1
In the history of the Methodist mission in Jamaica, we have
already given numerous details of the hostility of the White
people to missionaries. Though the Baptist missionaries were
at first favourably received by some of the planters, yet, after
some years, they and their congregations participated largely
in that opposition ; they were, in fact, more obnoxious to the
colonists than any other denomination on the island. It is not
necessary, however, to enter into extended details of the perse
cutions which they suffered, they were so similar to those of
which we have already given an account.
In December 1831, an insurrection of the negroes, as we
1 Period. Accounts, vol. v. p. 289, 502, 678; vol. vi. p. 73, 236, 338; Miss. Herald,
1829, p. 84 ; Narrative of Recent Events connected with the Baptist Mission in Ja
maica ; Kingston, 1833, p. 2-24.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 79
have already stated, broke out in the parish of St James', on
the north side of the island, and quickly spread to the neigh
bouring parishes. It originated with persons connected with
the Baptists, and accordingly, while a terrible outcry was raised
against missionaries generally, yet against none was it so vio
lent as the Baptist. Martial law having been proclaimed, three
of the missionaries, Messrs Whitehorne, Knibb, and Abbot, were
required to join the militia, the exemption from bearing arms
usually granted to the ministers of religion ceasing under mar
tial law. But their compliance with this order did not shield
them from further oppression and insult. Two days after, they
were arrested and hurried away under a guard in a canoe to
the head-quarters at Montego Bay, a distance of twenty-one
miles ; but here they were, after a few hours, liberated on
bail.1 A few days after, Mr Burchell, another of the missionaries,
who had been on a visit to England, arrived off the island with
some other fellow-labourers ; but in consequence of the violent
excitement which prevailed, the commander-in-chief, Sir Wil-
loughby Cotton, directed him not to land immediately, but to
go on board the Blanche frigate, then in Montego Bay harbour.
His papers were at the same time taken for examination by
the civil authorities ; and though they were afterwards returned
to him with an intimation that they were not found to contain
any thing objectionable, this was accompanied with a recom
mendation, that for his own safety and that of the colony he
should at once return to England. This, however, he declined
doing, as he could not consent to leave the island in any way
that might be considered or represented as dishonourable. He
was kept as a prisoner nearly other three weeks, when the custos
or chief magistrate wrote that he would be detained no longer,
there being no evidence against him. This, however, did nothing
to abate the fury of the colonists. He was assured that if he
set his foot on shore his life would not be safe. Yielding, there
fore, to the advice and remonstrances of his friends, he resolved
to go on board an American vessel bound for New York, which
was to sail the following day ; but no sooner was this known,
1 Facts and Documents connected with the late Insurrection, p. 9 ; Rep. Bapt. Miss.
Soc. 1832, p. 25, 29 ; Anti-slavery Reporter, vol. v. p. 394, 405.

80 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
than a petition was drawn up, begging the custos to detain
him ; and as that magistrate refused to do so, a man of colour
of the name of Samuel Stennet, who had been in jail on suspi
cion of being concerned in the insurrection, was got to swear
that Mr Burchell and Mr Gardner, another of the missionaries,
had said to himself and others, that the slaves were to be free
after Christmas, and that, therefore, they were to fight and to
pray for their liberty. On this charge both the missionaries
were arrested and thrown into the common jail, which, how
ever, Mr Burchell would never have reached alive, had not a
body of the coloured people surrounded him on his landing, and
protected him from the rage of his enemies. Before, however,
their trial came on, Stennet acknowledged that he had sworn
falsely, and that he had been instigated to do so by four gentle
men whom he named, one of whom assured him that the coun
try would give him £10 a-year, and that he would make it £50.
The bill against Mr Burchell was accordingly thrown out by the
grand jury, no other evidence besides that of Stennet being
offered in support of it. Even now, however, the rage of his
enemies did not cease. They beset him in his lodgings, and
appeared to threaten his life, upon which the chief justice ad
vised him to leave the island, and having procured a military
detachment to guard him through the streets, he personally ac
companied him to the beach, where he embarked in a ship of
war, and two days afterwards, he sailed for the United States.1
Mr Gardner was afterwards brought to trial, but the evidence
alleged against him so completely broke down, that the attorney-
general gave up the case, and declared he must be acquitted,
which was done accordingly. Though Mr Knibb was also to
have been tried, the attorney-general, finding how grievously he
had failed in the case of Mr Gardner, abandoned the prosecution.2
So infuriated, however, were the colonists against the Baptists,
that they destroyed their chapels at Montego Bay, Salter's Hill,
Falmouth, St Ann's Bay, Ridgeland, Rio Bueno, Brown's Town,
Savannah La Mer, and Ebony, and likewise other property in
various parts of the island, avowing their determination to he
1 Miss. Herald, 1832, p. 30, 36, 45 ; Facts and Documents, p. 18 ; Narrative of Re
cent Events connected with the Baptist Mission in Jamaica, p. 64, 71.
2 Narrative of Recent Events connected with the Baptist Mission in Jamaica, p. 74,

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 81
satisfied with nothing short of rooting them out of the country.
Among the actors in these scenes of outrage, were numbers of
magistrates and officers of the militia, men who by their office
were bound to be the protectors of the inhabitants, and we also
find a clergyman of the Church of England, the Rev. B. Heath,
the Rector of Lucea, who was afterwards shot in a duel. The
value of the property thus destroyed was estimated at the time
at about £12,000, but it was afterwards stated to amount to
£17,900.1 * Facts and Documents, p. 3, 8 ; Narrative of Recent Events connected with the
Baptist Mission in Jamaica, p. 114 ; Rep. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1835, Appendix.
The following is the estimate in Jamaica currency, formed at the time, of the sums
which would be required to build the chapels, and to replace the other property which
had been destroyed : — Chapels.
Montego Bay, pulled down at mid-day by the inhabitants, headed by several
magistrates, ....... £6000 0 0
Salter's Hill, burnt by order of the captain of militia stationed at Latium, 4000 0 0
St Ann's Bay, pulled down by the inhabitants of the parish, . 3500 0 0
Falmouth, pulled down by the St Ann's militia, while occupied as barracks, 3000 0 0
Ridgeland or Fuller's Field, burnt by two overseers, . . 1000 0 0
Rio Bueno, burnt, .....
Brown's Town, pulled down by the inhabitants,
Savannah la Mer, pulled down by the parishioners,
Ebony, burnt, .....
Stewart's Town, injured to the amount of

Total amount of Chapel property destroyed,

£20,750 0

0

300 0
50 0
50 0
100 0

0 0 0 0

1000 0 0
800 0 0
700 0 0
500 0 0
250 0 0

Mission Property
Gurnets Mount, pulpit, benches, &c.
Putney, benches burnt,
Lucea, benches and lamps,
Ocho Rios Pulpit, pews and benches, £21,250 0 0
Chapel at Lucea belonging to the General Baptist Society, but occupied
by the Particular Baptist missionaries, pulled down, offered for
sale for ....... 900 0 0
Losses in horses, furniture, clothes, books, &c, partly belonging to indi
vidual missionaries, and partly to the Society, about . . 500 0 0
£22,650 0 0
To this might be added, considerable expenses incurred by travelling, expresses,
and trials in the courts of law.
For all this destruction of property, no redress could be obtained from the Jamaica
House of Assembly ; but on a representation being made to the Home Government,
it agreed to make, in the first instance, a grant of £5510, being the amount of debts due
VOL. II. F

82 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Fresh outrages continued to be committed on the missionaries
in various parts of the island. One night a band of White men,
principally overseers and book-keepers from the neighbouring
estates, attacked the house of Mr Baylis at Mount Charles,
about eighteen miles from Kingston. Armed with swords,
pistols, and muskets, they rode up to it howling like a pack of
savages, and after wounding the watchman, a poor old negro,
they broke open the house, fired their muskets and pistols in
each of the bed-rooms, demolished the window of the small
chamber in which Mrs Baylis and her infant were lying, so
that the bed was nearly covered with the fragments of glass, and
one of them took a lighted candle and attempted to set fire to
the room. An alarm, however, being given, the ruffians made
a precipitate retreat without fully accomplishing their wicked
designs.1 A still more ferocious attack was made on Mr Kingdon at
Savannah la Mer. On going to re-occupy that station, he was
met with all manner of threats and insults : sometimes, it was
said, he should be sent on board a ship ; sometimes, tarred and
feathered ; sometimes, murdered. Mrs Robe, in whose house he
held meetings for prayer, and for teaching the people to read,
after he had procured its registration in the Bishop's Court, was
subjected to fines, amounting to £30, for suffering an unlawful
assembly of slaves in her house, and for attending the' same.
One night, about 9 o'clock, a party in disguise, and armed, to
the number of about fifty or sixty persons, marched up the
street where Mr Kingdon lodged, and, wheeling about in front
of the house, commenced a furious attack on the door and win
dows. A few of his friends had assembled in the house, in the
hope of preventing such an attack, of which there were some
apprehensions, as there had been a meeting of the Colonial
Church Union in the town that day ; and some females in an
upper apartment, imprudently threw out boiling water on the
on the chapels at the time of their demolition ; but as this still left a deficit of £12,390,
the government subsequently intimated that it would furnish a moiety of that sum, on
condition that the Society raised the other half. A subscription was accordingly opened
for this purpose, and was so successful, that more than double the amount required to
secure the sum promised by government was raised, nearly £14,000 having been con
tributed. — Facts and Documents, p. 3 ; Rep. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1835, Appendix.
1 Anti-slavery Reporter, vol. v. p. 240 ; Rep. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1832, p. 30.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 83
assailants, which extinguished an ignited rocket beneath, and
drove them back for a moment. Immediately after, how
ever, they opened a fire into the windows of the upper storey,
and in return, the party within fired some shots at them.
One or two of them were slightly wounded, but none within
the house were injured. Though shots came in at both win
dows of the small study where Mr Kingdon and his wife
were, yet they both escaped unhurt. Before the firing was
over, they were advised by their friends to escape if pos
sible, which they accordingly did. Mr Williams, one of the
magistrates, having arrived, and attempted' to pacify the mob,
they promised to desist if Messrs A. and J. Deleon, to one of
whom the house belonged, and who had both particularly be
friended Mr Kingdon, would with him quit the house ; but as
they and others of his friends were leaving it, the miscreants
treacherously fired on them, though happily without wounding
any except one of their own party. They now attempted to
pull down the house, entered it, and broke all the furniture ;
but as they were not able to effect their purpose without the
help of axes, they renewed the attack on the following night,
when they fully accomplished their design. They also nearly
destroyed the house of Mr John Deleon, and that in the pre
sence of and in spite of every exertion made by the Custos and
others. The Custos and others of the authorities exerted them
selves for the protection of Mr Kingdon, while he at their de
sire agreed to leave the town, but though he did so, a warrant
for his apprehension, signed by one of the magistrates named
Whitelock, was sent after him, and he was thrown into jail,
where the two Deleons and others of his friends had been sent
the night before, on the charge of having fired on the people in
the street. After lying in prison between three and four weeks,
during which they were subjected to the tyranny of an inimi
cal jailor, Mr Kingdon and the two Messrs Deleons were libe
rated on bail, each for £500, and the like sum by their sureties ;
but as the mob were greatly incensed at this, they had to make
their escape from the jail to the sea-shore, and there embark in
a canoe. At the assizes the attorney-general sent in no bill
against Mr Kingdon, being convinced that he was not con
cerned in the conflict ; but true bills were found against his

84 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
friends Mr John Deleon and Mr Dolphy for felony, and they
were again thrown into jail, there to wait their trial on this
charge, though they had been only defending their own lives
and property. The court even refused to admit them to bail ;
but on a memorial being submitted to his Excellency the Go
vernor, he took such steps as resulted in their liberation on
bail, by the chief-justice. Whether they were ultimately brought
to trial does not appear.1
This was not the only act of hostility to the Baptists at
Savannah la Mer. When Mr Gardner sent to that place for
his furniture and books, he found that the whole had been
thrown into the highway, and nearly all destroyed. The very
foundations of the chapel had been dug up, and the stones
carted away from the spot at mid-day.2
Others of the missionaries, when they proposed again com
mencing their labours, which had for a time been suspended,
were refused licences by the magistrates for themselves, or for
the houses in which they designed holding their meetings ; and
some on preaching in one parish, on the ground that they had
been licensed in another, (which was afterwards declared by
the highest legal authorities to be the law of the island), were
apprehended and thrown into prison, At Montego Bay, one
Mrs Renwick was fined in £20 for allowing a meeting in her
house, though no legal evidence was adduced of any slave being
present. The magistrates appeared to be determined to put a
stop to the labours of the missionaries ; and, with this view,
they insisted on their not preaching without being themselves
licensed, and likewise the houses in which the meetings were
to be held, while, at the same time, when applications were
made to them for these purposes, they refused to grant licenses
either for the one or the other.3
1 Miss. Herald, 1832, p. 83, 90 ; Djid. 1833, p. 13.
In the "Narrative of Recent Events connected with the Baptist Mission in Jamaica,"
published in 1833, we find the following statement : " Messrs J. and A. Deleon, after
having lost property to the amount of several thousand pounds, were compelled, on
being released from jail, to flee into the interior of the country, neglecting their busi
ness, and leaving their wives, children, and property, exposed to insult and depreda
tion ; and to this day they have not ventured to return," p. 147.
2 Miss. Herald, 1833, p. 35 ; Narrative of Recent Events connected with the Baptist
Mission in Jamaica, p. 139, 147, 157.
» Miss. Herald, 1832, p. 70, 78 ; Ibid. 1833, p. 20, 35, 36, 39.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 85
These are only a few examples of the outrages committed
on the Baptist missionaries, and on the people who were con
nected with, or who befriended them ; but, combined with the
accounts which we have already given of the treatment of the
Methodists, they sufficiently shew the spirit of hostility which
prevailed at this time in Jamaica against missionaries, not
excepting any one denomination.
After some time ,the opposition to the Baptists gradually
subsided throughout the island. This was very much owing
to the wise and firm conduct of Earl Mulgrave, the new go
vernor, who shewed himself the decided friend of the mission
aries and of religious toleration. But though the persecution
of the Baptists was by this means stopped, the dislike of them
continued for years to be very general throughout the island,
and it was much increased by the imprudent conduct and the
violent language against the White people of more than one of
the missionaries, particularly on the subject of wages to the
negroes, when slavery was finally abolished.
Dislike of the Baptist missionaries, and of the system pur
sued by them, was not indeed confined to the irreligious por
tion of the community. They appear to have made enemies to
themselves very generally of the ministers and missionaries of
other denominations throughout the island. Many and griev
ous were the charges brought against them by pious ministers
of the Church of England, by the whole of the Presbyterian
missionaries, and by nearly all the Independent missionaries
and catechists ; and some of the most serious of these charges
were admitted and lamented by several of their own number.
How far they were true or false, we are not prepared to say.
It is, perhaps, scarcely possible to pass a sound and intelligent
judgment upon them in this country. It was in Jamaica only
that they could be duly investigated, but no investigation of
them could be satisfactory, which was made either on the one
hand by Baptists only, or on the other by Episcopalians,
Presbyterians, and Independents. The investigation required
to be made, not by partizans on either side, who were probably
disposed beforehand to acquit or to condemn the accused, but
by intelligent, unbiassed, straightforward, honourable men, who
would sift the charges to the bottom, and carefully weigh

86 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
the evidence before them, who would have no object in view
but to ascertain the truth, and who would give forth a full,
fair, honest, and impartial verdict to the world.1
In August 1842, the missionaries and churches in Jamaica
1 Though we are not prepared to pronounce judgment in regard to the charges
brought against the Baptist missionaries, we think it right to give the following brief
statement of the chief of them, with a few remarks as to some of them.
1. That the missionaries did not give due instruction to the people connected with
them ; that they left them chiefly to the care of persons* called Leaders, either male
or female ; that these leaders were themselves generally very ignorant and supersti
tious ; that some of them exercised a very arbitrary and tyrannical authority over the
people under them, or were even scandalously immoral in their conduct ; that in
stances were not wanting of their employing their power and influence for the seduc
tion of females who were seeking, through them, admission into the church ; that when a
leader himself was a delinquent, it was rare to find among the private members any
daring enough to inform upon him ; that in some cases the leader was so powerful,
and excision would have been followed by the loss of so many members and inquirers,
who would have withdrawn with him, that though satisfactory information of wicked
conduct on his part was received, the missionary did not venture to call him to account ;
that in other cases, in which the missionary proceeded so far as to receive an accusa
tion against a leader, and to manifest a willingness to hear evidence against him, the
accused promptly met the charge with a threat to withdraw from the church, and to
carry his class along with him, if it should be persisted in ; and that in some instances,
when the missionary would not yield but proceeded to expel the guilty man from the
fellowship of the church, the latter took that course, and was able not only to set the
sentence at nought, but to set up as a minister himself, and forthwith baptized hun
dreds to form his church. — Remonstrance of the Presbytery of Jamaica with the Baptist
Missionaries, p. 21, 27, 34, 37 ; Statement and Correspondence relating to the Bap
tist Mission in Jamaica, occasioned by the misrepresentations of the Rev. Richard Pan-
ton, by Edward Steane, p. 8, 10 ; Barretts Reply to the Circular of the Committee of
the Baptist Missionary Society, p. 9 ; An Exposition of the System pursued by the
Baptist Missionaries in Jamaica, by the Missionaries and Catechists of the Missionary
Society in that Island, p. 7, 12, 15, 17, 25 ; Milne, Falmouth Post, Sept. 1, 1841, p. 5 ;
Sept. 8, 1841, p. 5 ; Oct. 6, 1841, p. 5 ; Renshaw, Falmouth Post, Oct. 13, 1841, p. 4;
Whitehome, Morning Journal, Oct. 11, 1841 ; Reid, Morning Journal, Nov. 18, 1841.
2. That great laxity prevailed in the admission of church members ; that the mis
sionaries received persons into the church not only chiefly on the instruction, but on
the authority and recommendation of the leaders, and that the great criterion which
many of these men employed in judging whether they would recommend their follow
ers for baptism was their dreams, which they consider as the work of the Spirit, and
which generally consisted of the wildest and most absurd vagaries ; that multitudes
were baptized who were ignorant of the commonest principles of religion, whose no
tions were utterly unscriptural, and often exceedingly wild and stupid, and who gave
no evidence of a change of heart or of personal piety : some were even immoral persons,
living in gross sin. — Remonstrance of Presbytery, p. 22, 27 ; Barretts Reply, p. 12 ;
Exposition of the System of the Baptist Missionaries in Jamaica, p. 11, 12, 22 ; Vine,
Falmouth Post, May 5, 1841, p. 5 ; Wooldridge, Falmouth Post, Sept. 8, 1841, p. 5 ;
Milne, Falmouth Post, Oct. 6, 1841, p. 5 ; Reid, Morning Journal, Nov. 18, 1841.
3. That the discipline of the Baptist churches in Jamaica was most lax ; that it was
left in a great measure to the leaders and deacons, and that they concealed and con
nived at sin in those under their care — (Remonstrance of Presbytery, p. '34) ; that the

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 87
became independent of the Society in England ; the people hav
ing undertaken to provide for the support of their own minis
ters, and also for the spread of the gospel around them.1
Whether this resolution was adopted simply from their ability
corruption found in them was so gross that, if it could be fully disclosed, it would ex
ceed belief; that persons known to all the class to which they belonged, and to all the
village in which they lived, to be dishonest, drunkards, sabbath-breakers, and unclean
persons, were members of them, and went on for years unchallenged in their sins ; that
individuals entrusted with the charge of schools, and permitted to occupy the pulpit on
Sabbath-days, had been notoriously charged with gross, nay the grossest sins, and
yet the missionaries, and the churches with which they were connected, failed to exercise
the necessary discipline, and neither cleared them as innocent, nor condemned them as
guilty. — Exposition of the System of the Baptist Missionaries in Jamaica, p. 12, 24.
4. That the missionaries, through the leaders, exacted large sums of money from the
various classes of their people ; that the sums thus raised were often far from being
given voluntarily, but were extorted from the people ; and that there were instances of
persons being excluded from the Lord's table when the money required of them was
not forthcoming : that the moneys thus drawn from the people were not duly nor pub
licly accounted for : that while the missionaries raised very large sums in Jamaica,
they continued to receive their salaries from the Society in England, and that some
of them, by means of the sums so raised, maintained an extravagant style of liv
ing, utterly inconsistent with their rank and character. — Remonstrance of Presby
tery, p. 38 ; Exposition of the System of the Baptist Missionaries in Jamaica, p. 13,
21, 26 ; Vine, Falmouth Post, May 5, 1841, p. 5 ; Barrett, Morning Journal, Oct. 23,
1841. 5. That the system of giving tickets to their members and inquirers was attended
with many and great evils ; that these were given to persons not only without discri
mination, but often without any knowledge of the individuals ; that multitudes got
them who were never in a Baptist place of worship, nor ever saw a Baptist minister ;
that a sum of money was paid for them, and that they appear to be sold to all or any
who will pay for them, like any other purchaseable commodity ; that inquirers' tickets
were given to persons known to be living in fornication ; that they were a source of
great delusion, were with many a substitute for true religion, and were viewed by them
as a passport to heaven ; and hence they were often buried with the dead in their
coffins. — Remonstrance of Presbytery, p. 42 ; Barrett's Reply, p. 11 ; Exposition of the
System of the Baptist Missionaries in Jamaica, p. 10, 16, 19, 22 ; Statement and Cor
respondence, p. 6, 12 ; Evan. Mag. 1842, p. 400 ; Milne, Falmouth Post, Sept. 22,
1841, p. 6 ; Reid, Morning Journal, Nov. 18, 1841.
6. That the Baptist leaders, and many of the missionaries also, were exceedingly un
charitable toward other churches, and attached a very undue importance to baptism
administered by immersion ; that many, at least, of the former appeared to consider
persons not so baptized as scarcely Christians, while such as were baptized in this way,
they thought had their sins pardoned, were new creatures, and were sure of heaven ;
that the leaders, and also the missionaries, endeavoured to keep their people from at
tending on the ministrations of other denominations, though they had not the oppor
tunity of attending on those of their own ; that the missionaries were the Ishmaelites
of the community ; that they appeared to think the Baptists should have a monopoly
of Jamaica, and sought by all manner of arts to injure, and to destroy, if possible, the
stations of other denominations in the island. — Remonstrance of Presbytery, p. 24,
25, 47 ; Exposition of the System of the Baptist Missionaries in Jamaica, p. 22 ; Barretts
1 Miss. Herald, 1843, p. 4.

88 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
and willingness to maintain Christian ordinances among them
selves, and from their desire that the contributions of British
Christians might be employed in diffusing Christianity in other
lands, or whether it was hastened on by the discussions which
Reply, p. 6, 16 ; Vine, Falmouth Post, May 5, 1841, p. 5 ; Morning Journal, Sept.
10, 1841.
7. That while the people were led to attach a very undue importance to baptism
by immersion, they were not Baptists in the ordinary sense of the word ; that a large
proportion of them, including many of the leaders and deacons, had their children bap
tized, or as they call it christened, in the Church of England, and that the leaders, both
male and female, stood, in some instances, as godfathers and godmothers for the
children, not only of married persons, but of such as were leading immoral lives, and
came under the vows required of them in the baptismal service ; that there was not,
perhaps, a missionary or minister of any denomination in the island who had not had
frequent applications from people belonging to the Baptist churches to baptize or
christen their children ; that the Baptist missionaries had even substituted a ceremony
for infant baptism, which consisted in laying their hands on the children, and blessing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, with the view
of pandering to the prejudices of their people, who accepted this as an equivalent for
infant baptism, or as they call it, Christening.- — Remonstrance of Presbytery, p. 48, 62 ;
Statement and Correspondence, p. 9 ; Barretts Reply, p. 4 ; Exposition of the System
of the Baptist Missionaries in Jamaica, p. 22.
8. That most disgraceful and superstitious practices prevailed in the meetings of the
leaders and members of the Baptist churches ; that some of these practices were con
nected with the Obeah and Myal superstitions, which prevailed greatly among them in
some places, or they were mixed up with other foolish and fanatical notions, forming a
gross mixture of heathenism and Christianity. — Remonstrance of Presbytery, p. 38,
49, 56.
These charges were brought against the Baptist missionaries in the strongest and
most unqualified terms by their various accusers, and, on the other hand, they were
generally, with the exception of that in regard to the people getting their children
baptized, which was attempted to be explained away, as stoutly denied by the mis
sionaries themselves. — Statement and Correspondence, p. 3, 5, 11, 15 ; Statement by
the Baptist Missionary Society, January 1842, p. 4 ; Evan. Mag. 1842, p. 188 ; Bap
tist Herald and Friend of Africa, May 31, 1843, p. 2, 4, 6, 7.
It is, at first sight, not easy to believe that such monstrous charges as most of these
are, could be true. That any class of Christian missionaries, and especially that mis
sionaries of the Baptist denomination, which professes to follow so closely Scripture au
thority and example, and which is generally supposed to be particularly strict in its
communion and discipline, should admit of such practices in their churches, seems so
improbable — so utterly incredible, that on first hearing of them, one is naturally dis
posed at once to reject them as palpable mistakes or gross calumnies.
But neither, on the other hand, is it easy to believe that so many Christian ministers
belonging to various religious denominations, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Indepen
dents, and even Baptists themselves — united by no common ties, resident in all dif
ferent parts of the island, and without any combination among them — should allege
the existence of these evils, and should agree so much in their allegations in regard to
them, and give so many particular details respecting them ; that in making these
statements some at least should appear to have been actuated by an honest and earnest
desire for the reformation of the alleged evils, while others subjected themselves to
obloquy and suffering on account of the testimony they gave, and yet that after all the

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 89
were then going on in England, relative to the conduct of the
missionaries and the character of their churches, we do not know ;
but we cannot help thinking, that on the latter account, the
time was ill chosen for issuing a declaration of independence,
charges should be false. This, in fact, is scarcely less difficult of belief than the other
supposition, however incredible it might at first sight appear.
The testimony of the Baptist missionaries who took part in the charges, deserves
special consideration. Mr Whitehorne, a native of Jamaica, who was bred to the law,
but who had now been a missionai'y for a number of years, thus wrote to the Society
of the leader and the ticket system : " A detail of the evils which are produced by these
two contrivances would fill a volume." " It is enough for me to declare, that in my
opinion they degrade and demoralize the people to an incredible extent— -that so mis
chievous do they seem to me, as to lead to the belief of their being an artifice of the
devil for deluding thousands of wretched souls in this land ; and that I have never
read or heard any one thing concerning them, be it never so bad,' but I could furnish
at least one counterpart.
" These devices, however, form the substratum of the great prosperity of the Baptist
Mission in Jamaica, of which so much is heard. It is by the untiring zeal of the lead
ers to extend, by any means, their power, and by the inexplicable veneration in which
those little tickets are held, that the thousands of persons are brought and kept to
gether, and the thousands of pounds are obtained for building elegant chapels, school-
houses, and for all other purposes. The hasty visitor — the passing spectator- -looks at
the imposing surface, and is lost in raptures ; he knows nothing of the hideous machi
nery beneath ; he sees the exterior of the people, but is ignorant of the ruinous effect
upon their souls and morals of those very means which produce the pleasing aggregate.
Such a person is in the position of the inexperienced visitor at the theatre, where gay
scenery, elegant dresses, and painted faces occupy the foreground, while behind the
curtain lay concealed filth and vice and squalid wretchedness." " With the deep con
viction on my mind that the ministers of large congregations, especially those employ
ing leaders, do not, and cannot know many of their people, — with the intimate know
ledge I possess of the kind of evidence on which principally they accept them as
Christians — and with the abundant reasons I have for believing that very few of them,
comparatively, have a particle of religion, or are in morals at all superior to the com
mon herd — I must confess I read of the multitudinous baptisms weekly announced,
with feelings little short of disgust. I mourn on account of the contempt into which
' Christian immersion' is thus brought among opposing Christians — the injury inflicted
upon pure Christianity in the minds of sceptics and blasphemers — and the ruinous de
lusion which is thrown around the consciences of the ignorant, unreflecting multitude."
— Morning Journal, Oct. 11, 1841.
In another letter addressed to the Rev. Mr Renshaw, a minister from America, Mr
Whitehorne says, " The nature of the leader system is this : a man of some influence
upon the estate (usually in the time of slavery, the driver of the gang, or some other
principal person) commences a meeting ; this may be either before or after he has been
attending a chapel. He collects a lot of persons, from 10 to 200 in number, and after
some absurd and superstitious forms and ceremonies, they become his spiritual ' chil
dren,' and they own him as ' daddy.' The sway for good or evil which is now esta
blished and exercised over them is unbounded ; their obedience, their labour, then-
property, and their entire persons are under his sovereign control. He goes to a minis
ter and carries his troop of ' children' along with him ; by means of a few hackneyed
religious phrases, he (the missionary) is easily persuaded to receive them into his con
gregation, and the ' daddy' is duly installed as leader." " I have known some very

)0 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
unless it had been accompanied by effective measures for ob
taining a thorough and impartial investigation of the grave and
serious charges which had been brought against them. This
was loudly called for, both for their own sakes, if they were
a;ood men among the leaders (some of whom, by the way, have loudly condemned the
system) ; they, however, are the exception. For the most part, the leaders are proud,
overbearing, avaricious, and lascivious men ; the flock have to pander to their views,
md they have a galling yoke to bear." " My firm conviction is, that the leaders as a
slass are among the worst people in the island. What, then, is the religion which they
retail to the people 1 and what the churches they are principally instrumental in con
structing V— Falmouth Post, Oct. 13, 1841.
Mr Reid, another of the missionaries, in a letter addressed to the Committee of the
Baptist Missionary Society, but which he published in Jamaica, says, "I publicly avow
my belief that the leader and ticket system is not more unscriptural in its character
than it is demoralizing and soul-destroying in its operation.
" I am prepared with evidence to prove — evidence arising from facts which have
occurred within the reach of my own observation, the following points in this system :
" 1. That the leaders generally have not only been destitute of the knowledge of sal
vation, but that they have been grossly superstitious.
"2. That the services performed by the leaders in their classes were such as to render
it next to impossible for those connected with their classes to become acquainted with
the gospel.
" 3. That the greater number trusted for salvation in the superstitious observances of
the class-room, to the possession of a ticket, and to admission into the church.
"4. That in consequence of these things, the majority of those who have been bap
tized were, at the time, strangers to a change of heart, and many knew neither who
Jesus Christ is, nor what he has done." — Morning Journal, Nov. 18, 1841.
In consequence of the views published by Messrs Whitehorne and Reid, the connection
of both with the Baptist Missionary Society was dissolved by the Committee (Morning
Journal, June 3, 1842 ; Bapt. Herald and Friend of Africa, Oct. 19, 1842, p. 320),
a measure which can scarcely fail to excite suspicions in the mind of neutral persons,
considering the circumstances under which it was adopted.
Mr Kingdon, another of the missionaries, speaks in most unfavourable terms of
the state of religion in the Baptist churches in Jamaica, and considers the leader
and ticket system as among the prominent causes of " this sad state of things ;"
nor was this a mere temporary feeling, it had been his view for years, and he refers to
three others of the missionaries who had yeara before expressed similar opinions. —
Morning Journal, June 22, 1842.
Mr Coultart, another of the missionaries, who died some years ago, and of whom the
Committee speak in the highest terms (Report, 1837, p. 21), in a private letter, written
in July 1835, makes the following statements : " As to rejoicing in great numbers, I
cannot look back upon such accessions as legitimate. A large and indiscriminate
gathering in may tell at home where realities are unknown ; but when truth is made
known, these will tell as exaggerated hopes do, of shame and loss and disappointment."
" Hitherto we have begun at the wrong end ; baptism without teaching or disciple-
ship, is very unscriptural. The common tale which hundreds have told, and hundreds
would tell, of loving God and hating sin, and having forsaken the ways of the world,
does not inspire belief in me now, though it did once, before my convictions were what
they are, i.e., generally speaking. There are scarcely any who know what the work
Df God upon the heart means — no scriptural conversions to any amount, I mean." " I

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

91

innocent, and for the sake of the Baptist Missionary Society,
and of the general cause of Christian missions. We are well
aware of the difficulty there would have been in obtaining men
possessed of the qualifications necessary for carrying on such an
do not expect our missionary brethren in the towns will come to this self-denying sys
tem speedily. They do not get much among the people ; they do not therefore see
them as they are. No man shut out from a very intimate acquaintance with the peo
ple, will believe the active operation of sin, its constant and aggravating development."
— Exposition of the System of the Baptist Missionaries in Jamaica, p. 32.
It is stated that Mr Coultart wrote numerous letters to the Committee, in which he
fully unfolded his sentiments in regard to the great numbers baptized, and the indis
criminate admission of church members by his brethren, and that nearly the last thing
he did before his death was to repeat his written testimony on this subject. — Barretts
Reply, p. 3, 10.
To these statements by some of the Baptist missionaries themselves, we may add,
that the Rev. Mi- Renshaw from America, who settled over a church composed origi
nally of persons whom Mr Whitehorne had excluded when he dissolved his own church,
with the view of forming another on more scriptural principles, came after some time
to entertain similar opinions of the corrupt state of the Baptist churches in Jamaica.
—Falmouth Post, Oct. 13, 1841, p. 4.
In fact, in the very numbers baptized by the missionaries, there were strong grounds
of apprehension that due care and discrimination were not exercised by them in the
admission of church members. In January 1842, the Committee of the Baptist Mis
sionary Society made the following statement : " In the last ten years the members of
the churches have been multiplied from 10,000 to 30,000, the number of chapels from
fifteen to fifty, while the congregations amount to about 80,000."— Statement by the
Baptist Missionary Society, p. 2.
Mr Philippo, one of the missionaries, gives the following table ef the numbers of the
baptized, &c, in successive years from 1835 to 1842.

Baptized.

Restored.

Excluded.

Marriages.

1835

2606

210

156

1468

1836

2950

205

213

881

1837

2120

283

296

705

1838

2874

352

267

1942

1839

3457

161

541

1614

1840

4684

420

461

1256

1841

— .

—

—

—

1842

2659

340

777

496

 Philippo's Jamaica, its Past and Present State, Lond. 1843, p. 297.
In one day, we find 170 persons added to Mr Burchell's church ; in one year 330,
and in another year no fewer than 647. In one year Mr Taylor of Old Harbour
received 357 members into the church in Vere and that in Clarendon ; in another year
Mr Knibb of Falmouth baptized 385 persons. In one year Mr Clarke of Jericho bap
tized 519 persons, and in another year 630. In about five months Mr Phihppo added
by baptism between 500 and 600 to his church at Spanish Town.— Rep. Bapt. Miss.
Soc. 1836, p. 20, 22 ; Ibid. 1837, p. 18, 19, 24 ; Ibid. 1838, p. 24 ; Statement by Bapt.

92 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
investigation as was required, and of the heavy expense which
it would have involved ; yet still the case was of that important
and urgent kind, that no effort at least should have been spared
to obtain such an investigation as we have described.
Miss. Soc. January 1842, p. 9 ; Exposition of the System of the Baptist Missionaries,
p. 11 ; Miss. Her. 1836, p. 29. Such numbers excite our jealousy, and lead us to fear that
the charge of laxity in the admission of church members, and other charges in relation
to this matter, may have had but too good a foundation. We know of no example in the
history of missions where multitudes were admitted to the communion of the church
in which this was not the result of unscriptural laxity, and it would require very clear
and conclusive evidence to satisfy us that the present case was an exception to so
general and well established a fact.
We are well aware that much ignorance and much prejudice often prevail among
different denominations in regard to each other ; that these, when circumstances arise
to call them into action, are apt to give rise to evil surmisings and evil speakings of one
another, and that thero are few parts of the world where this has been more lamentably
exemplified than in the Island of Jamaica.* Few persons, in consequence of this, are
qualified to weigh Jamaica evidence. This originally led us to reject the evil stories
which we heard of the Baptist missionaries, and it has all along made us slow in be
lieving them. It is necessary to bear in mind, that many of the details on which the
missionaries of other denominations found their charges, were not known to them per
sonally ; that they must very generally have received their information from others,
often from negroes, and it is well known that negro testimony is not much to be relied
on. Probably too, the missionaries of other denominations were, in many instances,
in consequence of the provocations they had received, too ready to listen to and to give
credit to evil stories about the Baptists, and too eager to criminate them.
But, on the other hand, it is of importance to remark, that though many of the de
tails of corruption in the Baptist churches should be found unsupported by adequate
evidence, or should even be shewn to be false, it will not follow that the general charge
is untrue. Many circumstances may be proved to be incorrect, particular examples
may entirely fail, and yet the charges themselves may be substantially supported by
other and conclusive evidence.
Before we close, we cannot but express our deep regret at the course pursued by the
Committee of the Baptist Missionary Society in regard to this important matter.
Though they professed to be anxious to ascertain the truth, and to have repeatedly
investigated the charges brought against the missionaries, yet, so far as appears, no pro
per investigation of them ever was made or even attempted. The chief witnesses who
were called were the missionaries themselves, and on their representations and protes
tations of their innocence, the Committee pronounced a verdict of acquittal, though they
could not but know that the plea of not guilty would avail a panel nothing in any court
* We have often deeply lamented the unchristian and unhallowed spirit in which missionaries
in Jamaica wrote of and to each other. " Your own gentle nature,'* says Mr Whitehorne, in a
letter to the late Mr Dyer, secretary of the Baptist Missionary Society, "has often, doubtless,
been sorely grieved by the acrimonious spirit in which our missionaries, in common with many
other Christian ministers in the island, are in the habit of indulging in their speeches, letters,
and public communications. It matters not whether the subject be political or religious, or the
person attacked be Jew, heathen, or Christian, of the same or of a different sect, the whole voca
bulary of invectives is brought into requisition. No motive seems too base to be imputed to an
opponent, no feeling too bitter to be entertained against him, nor any language too gross in
which to clothe it."— Morning Journal, Oct. 11, 1841. This is no exaggerated statement. What
a spectacle this to exhibit before the ungodly inhabitants of Jamaica !

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 93
The whole body of the missionaries were not satisfied as to
the practicability and wisdom of relieving the Society altogether
of the burden of their support ; but the Committee had for
some years past found much difficulty in maintaining its ex
tended missions, and the great number of members in the
churches in Jamaica, and the liberality which they had long
manifested, naturally gave rise to expectations both in England
and Jamaica, that they were able and ought now to support their
own pastors. This was certainly a most important and desir
able object ; but the proposal appeared ultimately to have been
premature. The congregations in Jamaica had expended large
sums in the erection of chapels, schools, and mission-houses;
but though they had contributed a large amount for these ob
jects, there were also considerable sums which had been bor
rowed from the banks, which were then very ready to make ad
vances of money on loan. Commerce, however, took so unfa
vourable a turn, that these establishments judged it necessary not
merely to restrict, but to recal their advances. The missionaries
were reduced in consequence of this to great perplexity and dis
tress. Mr Knibb, through whose influence the proposal to re
lieve the Society of the further support of the missionaries had
been carried, was deputed to England to try and obtain assist
ance ; and on his laying the case before the Society, they voted
of law, nor would it be received by any rational man as a proof of innocence. But we
object not to the witnesses only : we object equally to the judges. They were them
selves parties in the cause. If the missionaries were" guilty, the Committee were deeply
involved in their guilt, for having for so many years permitted such monstrous evils to
exist in missions supported by them at great expense and under their care and con
trol. They were, therefore, quite disqualified for trying the question ; for no man is
fit to be a judge in his own cause. They accordingly appeal- not to have been open to
conviction, but to have been prepared to resist all evidence. " Knowing the pious and
devoted character of the missionary brethren, 'men who had hazarded their lives' for the
diffusion of the gospel in Jamaica" (these are their own words in a letter to the churches
in that island), "the Committee never believed — they could not believe — these accu
sations." — (Rep. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1847, p. 41.) In perfect unison with these words was
the conduct of the Committee. Towards the witnesses for and against the mission
aries, they acted on quite opposite principles. . Of the one they were most easy of belief :
of the other, they were most incredulous, not excepting even some of their own mis
sionaries. They sought, in fact, in one way or other to discredit every man whose
testimony was unfavourable to their views. — (Statement by the Baptist Missionary So
ciety, January 1842, p. 3, 10, and Reports, passim. ) Before the question can be settled,
before we can hope to receive an impartial verdict, we must have other judges than
the Committee of the Society, as well as other witnesses besides the missionaries.

94 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
the sum of £6000 for the liquidation of the debt on the chapels,
on the understanding that the people themselves would provide
for the remainder. This was done on the distinct understand
ing that the missionaries and the churches in Jamaica were not
to look to the Society for further support or aid, that this was
to be considered as a final grant, and that henceforth they must
depend entirely on themselves. But though on this subject
the Committee held firm and decided language to the mission
aries and the churches in Jamaica, many circumstances combined
to reduce the ability of the people to contribute for these ends.
The planters in Jamaica were from various causes involved in
great commercial distress, the cultivation of many estates was
abandoned, there was a great reduction in the wages of the
labourers, and many were even thrown out of work altogether,
30 that the members of the churches were no longer able to con
tribute as they had once done. A worldly spirit also greatly
prevailed, and rendered many of them less willing than formerly.
There was likewise much declension among the members, and
the unsoundness of the religious profession of many of them
now became manifest. Great numbers joined what were called
;he Native Baptist Churches,1 while others threw aside religion
1 We shall here give a few notices regarding the Native Baptists, as we think their
listory is not without instruction.
The first Baptist preacher in Jamaica was a Black man named George Lisle, who,
hough a slave, had been the pastor of a Baptist church in Georgia. He was brought
o Jamaica about 1782 by bis master, a British officer, who died soon afterwards, leaving
lis slaves their freedom. Soon after his arrival, he began to communicate religious
nstruction to the slaves and people of colour in Kingston and its neighbourhood ; and
te appears to have been labouring among them so late as 1822.
Other Black and Brown men became preachers to their countrymen in different parts
f the island. They met, it is said, with much opposition and even persecution, but
hey are represented as having been exceedingly useful.
Of George Gibbs we are told, that " he laboured with great diligence and zeal, in
he midst of persecution and privation, while all around was darkness and spiritual
.eath. He was once thrown into Spanish Town jail, and confined there four days for
reaching the gospel of Christ. Frequently he was taken while on estates at night
nd cast into a dungeon, and sometimes had his feet made fast in the stocks. Nothing
iscouraged, he persevered in travelling from plaee to place, making known Christ and
is salvation to the perishing multitudes around him, and formed those of them who
elieved into a Christian church. Owing to the fearful state of Jamaica at that time,
e baptized and administered the Lord's Supper under the shade of night, in unfre-
uented places, where his persecutors were not likely to come on him or his helpless
ock. After a time, a, piece of land was privately bought, and a sort of chapel was
reeted upon it. This was surrounded by swamps, and ground covered with trees and

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 95
altogether. In consequence of these and other circumstances,
the contributions of the churches fell greatly off; and as a re
sult of this, some of the missionaries were reduced to great
pecuniary difficulties, and some left the island on account of
bushes. Here for a time they worshipped God, concealed from the view of their ene
mies, and hoped their secluded retreat would not become known. Soon, however, it
was found out by two White men ; the worshippers fled, and the building was speedily
levelled to the ground.
" For years in succession, these poor creatures were liable to frequent, arbitrary, and
excessive punishment, and in numerous instances they were called to endure the bitter
effects of the same spirit that kindled the fires of Smithfield, and originated the cruel
ties of the Inquisition."
Of Moses Baker we are in like manner told, that soon after his arrival in Jamaica,
he "began to speak to his poor countrymen about the Saviour, and found many of
them disposed to hear. Amidst the greatest disadvantages, ' the word of the Lord
grew and multiplied,' till in the course of little more than twenty years, it was com
puted that seven or eight thousand had renounced their heathen principles and practices,
embraced the gospel, and been baptized." — Corf Hist. vol. ii. p. 12, 17, 21, 24 ; Philip-
po's Jamaica, p. 270, 279 ; Quarterly Papers, Bapt. Miss. Soc. p. 30, 306.
What truth there is in these statements, we do not know ; but we acknowledge we
stand in great doubt of them, particularly as regards the usefulness of these early
Baptist preachers. There is too much reason to fear that the instruction given, by
some of them at least, was not only very imperfect, but was mingled with many false
and superstitious notions ; and it is alleged, that the early Baptist missionaries having
been brought into connection with some of the native congregations, and many of the
members having been received into the churches which were formed by them, there was
thus introduced into them an evil leaven, which, with other circumstances, had a most
baneful influence upon them." — Remonstrance of the Presbytery of Jamaica with the
Baptist Missionaries, p. 55, 57 ; Exposition of the System pursued by the Baptist Mis-
sionaries in Jamaica, by Missionaries of the London Missionary Society, p. 8.
Mr Thomas Knibb, who was sent out to Jamaica by the Baptist Missionary Society
in 1822, thus writes of the negro preachers soon after his arrival : " There are many
persons who profess to be teachers who are as ignorant of the gospel as a Hindu or
Hottentot. They preach to and live upon the people, and tell them tales that are as
ridiculous as they are irreligious. One woman in the neighbourhood of Annatto Bay
is looked up to with the greatest reverence. She calls herself Mammy Faith ! She
pretends to forgive sins to all she pleases, and many of the negroes are so weak as to
fall down before her to obtain pardon. Some of the Black people go about the island
preaching and baptizing. They generally have a book to preach out of, but some
times mistake a spelling-book, or a dictionary, or any other book, for a Testament, and
sometimes preach with it upside down." — Miss. Her. 1823, p. 74.
The Native Baptist churches in Jamaica have rapidly increased of late years. Great
numbers of the members of the churches connected with the Baptist missionaries
joined them. Some of these were deacons or leaders. Quarrels and differences hav
ing arisen between them and the missionaries, they were expelled by or broke off from
them, set up for themselves, and generally carried along with them numbers of the
people. In 1840 was formed the Native Baptist Missionary Society. In that year
there were in connection with it " fourteen ministers, who had under their care twenty-
five stations with 8264 persons attached to them as 'members of Society.' " In 1841,
the very next year, the increase was 5323, making in all 13,687 persons. The church,

96 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
the insufficiency of their means of support. Afterwards, there
came a fearful visitation of the cholera, which cut off great
numbers of the members of the Baptist as well as of other
churches, and gave rise to great distress and poverty through
out the island. These combined circumstances led to earnest
and reiterated appeals by the missionaries to the committee in
England, but they, feeling the importance of maintaining invio
late the principles which had formerly been laid down, and of
keeping up a spirit of independence in the Jamaica churches,
did not judge it advisable to grant them aid from the funds of
the Society. They, however, opened a special subscription for
giving assistance, to a moderate amount and for a limited time,
to those pastors whose churches were not able to provide for
their full support.1
In 1843, a theological institution was commenced in Jamaica
for the purpose of training up a native ministry. It had great
difficulties to contend with in the first instance. Most of those
who originally entered it, were selected chiefly on the ground
of what was considered their piety. They possessed very little
preliminary education, and had in fact every thing to learn.
Most of them were also married men, and the domestic circum-
originally formed by George Lisle in Kingston, consisted in 1826 of only thirty-nine
persons ; but in 1842, they amounted to 3700.
The Black and Coloured preachers of the Native Baptist churches were generally ex
ceedingly ignorant. Some of them could not read or write, and were not even able to
utter a single sentence intelligibly. Some were of doubtful and even of bad character,
dishonest, quarrelsome, licentious persons. They, however, took to themselves and
gave to one another the high-sounding title of Reverend.
Some few of the people who attached themselves to the Native Baptist preachers,
may have had sufficient knowledge of what religion is, as to- lay a foundation for "re
pentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ;" but the vast majority of
them were grossly ignorant. Theirreligion consisted of astrange jumble of superstition,
puerilities, and ridiculous ceremonies. Dreams had a great place among them, and it
was chiefly by them as a test of character that persons were admitted as members of
the churches. Many of them were grossly immoral. — Christian Examiner, vol. i. p. 219,
251, 252 ; Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1837, p. 19 ; Ibid. 1838, p. 28 ; Ibid. 1842, p. 31.
In the history of these native Baptist churches we have a striking illustration of the
evil and danger of ignorant teachers. "If," says our Lord, " the blind lead the blind,
both shall fall into the ditch." There is at present a great call for a native agency ;
and missionaries had need to take care that those whom they send forth to teach others
are themselves first well taught. We fear this is not always duly attended to.
1 Memoir of the Rev. William Knibb, p. 404, 421, 474, 476, 480, 495 ; Miss. Her.
1845, p. 120, 141 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 85 ; Ibid. 1848, p. 22 ; Ibid. 1851, p. 67 ; Ibid. 1852,
p. 11, 24 ; King's State and Prospects of Jamaica, p. 92, 106.

BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 97
stances of at least some of them proved a great hinderance to
their studies. Several discontinued them altogether ; but those
who persevered made creditable progress in them. Afterwards,
more care was taken in the selection of students. It was re
solved to admit in future none but unmarried men, unless in
very peculiar circumstances. They were also required to pos
sess a greater amount of previous knowledge. The number was
always small, but it is stated they were promising young men
as regarded both talents and piety. After passing through
their course of education, several of them became pastors of
churches in Jamaica ; others were employed as schoolmasters
and assistant-preachers.1
In 1852, the members of the churches connected with the
Baptist Western Union in Jamaica, amounted to about 18,403.
These churches were thirty-eight in number. Some of them
were under native pastors; few of the old missionaries remained.
The Western Union does not embrace the whole of the churches
formerly in connection with the Baptist Missionary Society ;
what has become of the others does not appear. The numbers
connected with them are much less than in former times. In
1842, the year in which they assumed independence, the total
number of members was 33,658, and of inquirers 14,353. The
diminution of the numbers of particular churches, is in some
instances still more striking.2 How far this may arise out of
an improved character of the church members, we are not able
to say.
Besides the missions to India and Jamaica, the Baptist Mis
sionary Society sent others to Honduras, to the Bahama Islands,
to Trinidad, to St Domingo, and to Western Africa. That to
Honduras is no longer connected with the Society.
' Rep. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1844, p. 51 ; Miss. Her. 1844, p. 333 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 139 ;
Ibid. 1850, p. 28, 106 ; Rud. 1851, p. 172 ; Ibid. 1852, p. 109 ; Ibid. 1853, p. 47.
' Rep. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1843, p. 43, 66 ; Ibid. 1853, 49, 61.

VOL. II.

98 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

CHAPTER IX.
PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY
SOCIETY.
SECT. I.— SOUTH SEA ISLANDS.
In September 1795, an institution was formed in London, on a
large and respectable scale, for the propagation of the gospel
among the heathen, under the name of The Missionary Society.
It was composed of Christians of various denominations, who
came forward in this great cause with a unanimity and a zeal
never before witnessed in modern times. The flame kindled
in the metropolis quickly spread over the whole country; it
extended even to the Continent of Europe and the shores of
America. The institution of the Missionary Society was every
where hailed as a new era in the history of the Christian world.1
Scarcely was the Missionary Society instituted, when it turned
its attention to the islands of the South Sea. The voyages of
1 Sermons at the Formation of the Missionary Society, p. iii ; Transactions of the
Missionary Society, vol. i. p. xiv.
The individual who had the honour of giving rise to the London Missionary Society
was the Bev. David Bog-ue of Gosport. It was an address by him on the subject of
missions, in ^the Evangelical Magazine for September 1794, which led to the estab
lishment of that Society. — Bennets Memoirs of the Rev. Dr Bogue, p. 169, 193. Ser
mons at the Formation of the Missionary Society, p. iii. No great movement, indeed,
ever takes place, either in the church or in the world, without the public mind being
in some degree prepared for it. Such was the case with the Reformation and with
the first revolution in France, and such also was the case, at this time, in regard to
missions to the heathen. Of late years the thoughts of various individuals in different
places and belonging to different denominations, were turned to the subject. In the
very year now named, the Rev. Melville Home, late chaplain of Sierra Leone, published
"Letters on Missions, addressed to the Protestant Ministers of the British Churches,"
which, though one of the earliest, is also one of the most powerful appeals which have
ever appeared on the subject. As, however, Luther was the more immediate instru
ment of originating the Reformation, so to Dr Bogue belongs the honour' of giving rise
to the London Missionary Society.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 99
discovery made by order of His Majesty George the Third, in
the Pacific Ocean, had brought to light innumerable groups of
islands before unknown ; but as they afforded little to excite
the ambition of princes, or the avarice of merchants, they were
again sinking into oblivion, and were ready to be abandoned to
that state of ignorance and barbarism in which they were ori
ginally discovered.1 Immediately, however, on the formation
of the Missionary Society, the Rev. Dr Haweis, rector of Aid-
winkle, in Northamptonshire, delivered before them a Memoir
on the most eligible field for the commencement of their opera
tions ; and in this discourse he drew so enchanting a picture of
the islands of the Pacific Ocean, that the directors resolved to
commence their operations by a mission to that quarter of the
world.2 With this view they began to raise subscriptions, which
poured in upon them from every quarter of the country ; to
examine and select missionaries, who came forward with alacrity
and zeal to offer their services ; and to make preparations for
their distant voyage, and their settlement in the places of their
destination. These, and innumerable other circumstances,
which it is needless to notice, required no small degree of exer
tion ; but every difficulty vanished before the energy and zeal
of the Missionary Society.3
In August 1796, twenty-nine missionaries4 embarked at Lon-
1 Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. x.
2 This was not the first time that Dr Haweis had proposed a mission to Tahiti. It
was an object on which his heart had long been set, the reading of Cook's Voyages
having, many years before, excited in him a strong desire to have missionaries sent to
that island. In 1787, or perhaps a year earlier, he brought the subject under the
notice of the Countess of Huntingdon, who entered warmly into the proposal. Two
young men of the name of Waugh and Price were engaged to go. In 1791, a passage
was obtained for them from government, in a vessel commanded by Captain Bligh,
formerly of the Bounty, who was about to sail a second time to the South Sea Islands,
to convey thence the bread-fruit-tree to the West Indies ; but finding that they could
not obtain episcopal ordination before going out, they declined their engagement ; and
the Doctor adds, in reference to their subsequent conduct, "The event left me no
cause for regret." — Ellis' History of the London Missionary Society, vol. i. p. 6.
3 A Missionary Voyage to the Southern Pacific Ocean, in the years 1796, 1797, 1798,
p. 3.
4 It is painful to read over the list of the missionaries and of their previous occupa
tions. Four of them were ordained before going out ; but we do not know that any
even of these were educated for the ministry, unless perhaps Mr Lewis. With the ex
ception of the surgeon, nearly all the others were of occupations which would indicate
them to have been persons of the most ordinary education — shopkeepers, carpenters,
smiths, bricklayers, weavers, shoemakers, &c. Some of them were also very young, two

100 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
don on board the Duff, a vessel purchased by the Society, and
commanded by Captain James Wilson, a gentleman who for
several years past had retired from sea, but who cheerfully came
forward with an offer of his services on this interesting occasion.
They were detained about a month at Portsmouth, waiting on
the convoy ; but they at length finally sailed from England ;
and after an agreeable passage of about seven weeks, arrived at
Rio Janeiro, on the coast of Brazil. Here they laid in such
stores as were deemed necessary, and then proceeded on their
voyage, designing to go round by Cape Horn ; but they now
met with such violent contrary gales, that the captain judged it
advisable to desist from the attempt, and to take the eastern
passage, though it extended the remaining part of the voyage
from six to twelve thousand miles. But as the wind was favour
able, they sailed forward for seven weeks together, without any
material obstruction, at the rate of about two hundred, and
sometimes even of two hundred and fifty miles, in twenty-four
hours. When they came near the longitude of the Cape of
Good Hope, they encountered a most tremendous storm. The
waves rolled mountain-high, while the water in the gulf between
them was as smooth as a peaceful lake. Now they mounted up
to heaven ; immediately they went down into the deep. When
they sunk into the gulf between the billows, the swell of the
sea was so enormous, that the wind blew over their heads, and
only twenty years of age, and other two twenty-one." — Miss. Voyage, p. 3 ; Evan.
Mag. vol. iv. p. 206, 385. The Missionary Societies, both in England and Scotland, ap
pear to have had, at their commencement, a very low standard as to the education of
their missionaries. An idea then prevailed that piety and zeal were the main qualifi
cations of a missionary ; and that a man might do very well as a missionary to the
heathen whom no one would ever have thought of for a minister at home. In 1801, the
London Missionary Society began to place young men who offered themselves as mis
sionaries under the care of the Rev. Mr Bogue of Gosport, for their education ; Reports
of the London Missionary Society from 1795 to 1814, p. 148 ; Bogue' s Memoirs, p. 218;
but it still continued to send out persons who were but slenderly educated to some of
the less civilized parts of the world. Scotland was in no respects before England as to
the education of its early missionaries ; and it was many years later of adopting effi
cient means for providing well-educated agents.
Most of the early missionaries to the South Sea Islands had probably never counted
the cost, and were in fact scarcely able to do so. The work was new, and was attended
with many and peculiar difficulties ; they could, in fact, have little conception of either
its nature or its requirements. When we take all circumstances into account, we shall
scarcely find room to wonder at some of the painful things which occurred in this mis
sion, a remark which may be extended to others of the early efforts of our Missionary
Societies.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. ] 01
the sails, though very lofty, were completely becalmed. Then,
as they rose on the following wave, it blew such a hurricane, as
almost to carry away their masts. In this manner they were
driven along for four successive days ; but though the gale was
so tremendous, they were preserved in safety by Him "who
holdeth the winds in his fists, and treadeth on the waves of the
sea/" As they drew near the end of their voyage, the missionaries
began to make arrangements for their settlement on the dif
ferent islands. Most of them made choice of Tahiti as the
scene of their future labours ; some of Tongatabu, one of the
Friendly Islands ; and two of St Christina, one of the Mar
quesas.2 Of these missions, we shall now proceed to give some
account, beginning with that to Tahiti.

Art. 1.— Society Islands.
Tahiti.
In March 1797, the Duff, after a voyage of between five and
six months, reached Tahiti, with the whole body of mission
aries on board. On their arrival, they were welcomed by both
the chiefs and the people with the greatest demonstrations of
joy. The natives came on board the ship with the utmost ease
and frankness ; and when Captain Wilson, accompanied by
several of the missionaries, prepared to land, numbers of them
came flying along the beach to meet them ; and as the boat ap
proached, they ran into the sea, drew it as far as they were
able, and then placing the strangers on their shoulders, carried
them on shore. Every day they came to the ship in their
canoes, laden with cocoa-nuts, bread-fruit, and roasted pigs.
Each of the principal men was eager to have one of the mission
aries for his Tayo or friend, which is a sacred temporary engage
ment, customary in all the South Sea Islands, made and ratified
by an exchange of names between the parties. The Tayo sup-
1 Miss. Voyage, p, 5, 8, 18, 39, 43 ; An Authentic Narrative of Four Years' Resi
dence at Tongatabu, p. 37.
* Miss. Voyage, p. 53.

L02 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
plies his visitor with cocoa-nuts, and every kind of provision,
during his stay ; and he expects in return, some small presents
of nails, beads, or similar articles ; and, at parting, a gift of a
hatchet, or some other useful piece of hardware, with which he
thinks himself richly rewarded for all his attentions. On the
whole, indeed, the chiefs and the people seemed to vie with each
other, who would shew their visitors the most kindness and
respect.1 1 Miss. Voyage, p. 56 ; Authentic Narrative, p. 50, 52.
How different were the sensations of the Tahitians at the appearance of the Duff on
their shores from what they were thirty years before, when they were visited by the Dol
phin ! This island, it is supposed, was originally discovered by Quiros, a Spanish naviga
tor, in 1606 ; but the knowledge of it was entirely lost in Europe until it was again dis
covered by Captain Wallis in 1767. The following account of the views of the natives
on that occasion, which Mr Cover, one of the missionaries, appears to have collected
from themselves, is so natural, and yet so interesting, that though foreign to our sub
ject, we cannot forbear introducing it in this place : — When Captain Wallis approached
the island in the Dolphin, the Tahitians were struck with astonishment at the extra
ordinary appearance of the ship, and formed various conjectures respecting it. Some
supposed it was a floating island, an idea which seemed generally to prevail, being
strengthened by a tradition which is current among them, that the smaller peninsula
was originally driven from its situation in some distant part of the ocean by a tremen
dous gale of wind, and striking against the east end of Tahiti, occasioned a violent con
cussion of the island and then coalesced with it. But on the nearer approach of the
vessel they were induced to alter their opinion, and could not account for such a
strange appearance, which now filled them not only with astonishment but with
alarm. When the ship came to anchor in Matavai Bay, and they discovered men on
board of her, their apprehensions subsided a little, and judging them to be enemies,
they instantly collected their canoes together, and determined to attack them without
delay. With this view, they surrounded the vessel, armed with spears, clubs, and
stones, and perceiving that the men on board had no such weapons in their hands,
thought they should obtain an easy conquest, and commenced a violent assault with
stones. The captain, who no doubt observed their hostile designs, was prepared to re
ceive them, and, in return for their shower of stones, fired his great guns at them.
The sudden explosion struck them with terror and amazement : they instantly fled in
all directions, crying, " The God is come ! The God is come !" pouring, as they ima
gined, thunder and lightning among them. Having escaped to the mountains, they
waited with terror and anxiety the result of this strange and unexpected visit. With
the view probably of shewing them the destructive power of his cannon, and of deter
ring them from again attacking his ship, Captain Wallis discharged several gams loaded
with bar and chain shot, which made such terrible havoc among the bread-fruit-trees,
that the Tahitians concluded the country would soon be laid desolate. Panic struck,
and conscious of their inability to resist beings who had the command, and were under
the protection of such a powerful god, who emitted fire upon them with such loud and
manifest tokens of his anger, they deemed it necessary to appease him, and also the
people who came with him. They accordingly despatched a messenger with the usual
emblems of peace, a pig and a plantain-leaf. These being accepted by Captain Wallis,
a friendly intercourse was opened between him and the natives ; and though their
opinion of the ship was now corrected, their astonishment at her bulk and construction
was increased, and the dread of the destructive weapons she carried not in the least
abated. — Theological Magazine and Review, vol. ii. p. 488.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 103
Encouraged by these favourable circumstances, Captain Wil
son, two or three days after his arrival, informed Otoo the king,
through the medium of an interpreter, of the design of the
voyage. He told him that he had brought with him a number
of good men, who had left their own country, and come to Ta
hiti solely with the view of being useful to him and his people,
by instructing them in the best and most excellent things ;
that, on their part, they required only the grant of a piece of
land, stocked with bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees, and so large
as to contain a garden, and to admit of houses being erected
upon it ; that they should be allowed to live unmolested on the
island, and should on no account be required to intermeddle
in their wars, nor to employ their arms, unless in self-defence.
Captain Wilson added, that if he consented to these proposals,
they would immediately land and settle in the country ; if not,
they would go to some other island. Great pains were taken to
make every thing plain to the king ; but it is doubtful whether
he understood one-half. He said, indeed, they might take what
land they pleased ; and, about a week after, the district of Ma-
tavai, with a large house upon it, was ceded to them in due
form.1 Matters being thus arranged, the following missionaries now
landed, and took up their residence upon the island : the Rev.
John Jefferson, John Eyre, Thomas Lewis, and James F. Cover,
Messrs J. A. Gilham, surgeon, Benjamin Broomhall, William
Henry, Samuel Clode, Henry Bicknell, Peter Hodges, Henry
Nott, Rowland Hassel, John Cock, Edward Main, Francis Oakes^
James Puckey, William Puckey, and William Smith, who; with
five women and two children, made in all twenty-five persons.
The house assigned for their use was said to have been built by
Pomare, the king's father, for Captain Bligh, of the ship Bounty,
whom he expected to return and settle on the island. It was a
large spacious building, of an oblong figure, a hundred and eight
feet in length, and forty-eight in breadth. The roof was sup
ported by numerous wooden pillars, some eighteen, some nine
feet high, was beautifully thatched with entwined leaves of the
palm-tree ; and the whole was sheltered on every side by screens
of bamboo. On taking possession of it, the first thing the mis-
1 Miss. Voyage, p. 63, 73, 76.

104 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
sionaries did, was to enclose it completely with a thick bamboo
rail, in order to prevent the natives from crowding too much
upon them. The several apartments were next planned, and
partitions of smaller bamboo begun ; but owing to the great
distance which the natives had to go for the materials, the work
proceeded but slowly, though one man stripped his own house
in order to supply them. In the arrangement which was made,
the apartments of the missionaries were all at one end, and to
prevent disputes, were chosen by lot ; next to them were marked
out the store-room, the library, and a place for the surgeon and
his medicines ; the remaining space was left for a chapel, which
communicated with the outer-door.1
The missionaries had not been many days on the island, when
they attempted to address the Tahitians on the subject of reli
gion, employing, as their interpreters, one or two Europeans,
who had resided among them for several years. The people
listened to them with great attention ; and, in general, professed
to be mightily pleased with what they heard, acknowledging it
was " all very good/' Mawroa, the husband of Pomare's sister,
even declared, he was resolved to throw away the gods that
could neither see, nor hear, nor speak, and worship the English
God. Manne Manne, indeed, the aged high priest, remarked,
" that the missionaries gave them plenty of the word of God,
but very few axes, knives, or scissors ;" though this was not
true, for they distributed articles of that description among
them in great abundance. They also made some attempts to
check the atrocities of the Arreoies, a society in Tahiti who
murder every infant born among them. One of the Arreoies
having come to visit them, together with his wife, then big with
child, the missionaries embraced this opportunity of remonstra
ting with them against the murder of their offspring ; and even
offered to build a house for the reception of pregnant women,
and to take the children under their care as soon as they were
born. The mother appeared to feel the workings of nature in
her breast, and seemed willing to spare the infant ; but the
brutal chief was obstinately bent on its destruction. He ac
knowledged, indeed, that it was a bloody act ; but pleaded in
his behalf, the established nature of the practice ; the loss of
1 Miss. Voyage, p. 60, 65 ; Authentic Narrative, p. 51.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 105
all his privileges, and even the total dissolution of their society,
should it become common to save their children. He left them,
at that time, apparently resolved to destroy the child ; but, a
few days after, he came and promised, that should it be born
alive, he would bring it to them. Pomare, and Ideah, his wife,
who were also members of the Arreoy society, were particularly
spoken to on the same subject. They had not, indeed, cohabit
ed together for some time, but they lived on the same terms of
friendship, and in as great dignity as ever, though he had taken
another wife, and she one of her own servants. She was even
then pregnant by this fellow, and therefore the missionaries
took occasion to reason with her on the shocking nature of
murder, especially in a mother ; they also promised to take the
child as soon as it was born, and that afterwards it should be
no further trouble to her ; but to this she would not consent.
They then addressed Pomare, and entreated him to interpose
his authority in suppressing this unnatural practice, and like
wise to prohibit the offering of human sacrifices. All this the
wily chief promised to do, saying, " Captain Cook told them
these things should not be done ; but he did not stay long
enough to instruct them." Manne Manne, the high priest, who
had shewn them much attention ever since their arrival, having
come in during this conversation, they told him that if he of
fered any more human sacrifices, he would utterly forfeit their
friendship, and might look upon them as his enemies. He, ac
cordingly, was not backward to give them his promise ; though
probably it was with no design of ever fulfilling it.1
As Christianity and civilization have a natural and intimate
connexion together, the missionaries, while they instructed the
Tahitians in the truths of religion, endeavoured to introduce
among them the useful arts of life. Having erected a forge, a
few weeks after their arrival, Messrs Hassel and Hodges began
to work at the trade of smiths. The natives flocked around
them, and were astonished at the ease and rapidity with which
they wrought their tools. They were greatly frightened, how
ever, with the sparks and the hissing of the hot iron in water :
no sooner did these begin, than they fled in all directions. Po
mare was delighted beyond measure with the bellows and the
1 Miss. Voyage, p. 70, 75, 80, 153,156, 224.

106 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
forge : he caught the blacksmith in his arms, all dirty as he was,
and joined noses with him, an expression of the highest satis
faction in these islands.1
Such, indeed, was the respect in which the missionaries were
held by the Tahitians, that Otoo and his queen brought a large
present to Mr Cover and his wife, desiring to become their
adopted children, and promising to regard them as their father
and mother. Pomare and Ideah brought them a still larger
present in the evening, and begged them to receive the king
and queen as their offspring. It is almost incredible, indeed,
what quantities of provisions were poured in upon them : at
one time they had no less than a waggon load of fruits, besides
a multitude of hogs and poultry.2
Captain Wilson, after establishing missions in Tongatabu and
St Christina, returned to Tahiti, after an absence of more than
three months, and, to his great joy, he found the missionaries
still in high favour with both the chiefs and people. Encou
raged by this circumstance, he finally left the island ; and after
revisiting the other settlements, and touching at Canton for a
cargo of tea, he returned to England, having accomplished the
whole voyage in less than two years.3
Sanguine as had been the hopes of the Missionary Society at
the departure of the Duff, they were now elevated beyond all
measure on her return. Nor was this feeling confined to them ;
it pervaded the whole Christian world ; every man who took an
interest in the cause of missions, now seemed big with expecta
tions of success ; if any at least entertained other views, they
scarcely dared to express them.4 Animated by such views, the
1 Miss. Voyage, p. 159, 161. 2 Ibid. p. 152. 3 Ibid. p. 152.
* The Missionary Society having appointed a day of thanksgiving for the return of
the Duff and the promising aspect of the mission, Dr Haweis, one of the preachers on
this occasion, drew the following glowing picture of the success with which God had
crowned the undertaking : —
" In this voyage, to tell of all his wonders, my time would fail, and my ability would
be unequal. I will just refresh your memory with the following hints of some of the
great things done for us, in the swiftness, the safety, the health, and the succesj of
the voyage, particularly respecting the great object we had in view.
" First, The swiftness of the passage. This will be the admiration of every nauti
cal man by profession. Who ever heard, in the most prosperous voyage of the ablest
navigators, of a hundred and eighty-three degrees of longitude passed in the short
space of fifty-one days ? Moving often at the rate of two hundred and twenty, or
thirty miles a day, and so steadily before the wind, as seldom ever to interrupt the
daily exercises of prayer and praise, of study or repose.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 107
directors determined to lose no time in prosecuting a work
which they appeared to have so successfully begun. Shortly
after the return of the Duff, they passed a resolution to under
take another voyage to the Pacific Ocean, "for the purposes of
" Secondly, Shall we not, with thankfulness, admire the safety of the conveyance ?
Not a mast sprung, not a yard lost, not a sail split, not an anchor left behind. To
traverse more than twice the circumference of the globe, especially amidst the lurk
ing shoals, the hidden rocks, the low islands of the Southern Ocean, must, it is well
known, be full of danger. They felt it, and sometimes were at their wit's end, going
up to heaven, and sinking down into the deep, shaken by the pealing thunder, em
bayed without a passage, and once suspended on the dreadful reef. I read and
trembled. But * he that dwelleth under the defence of the Most High, shall be safe
under the shadow of the Almighty.' I was ashamed, humbled, comforted, when, in
the midst of the most awful scenes, I heard one of my brethren say, ' We took the
wings of faith, and fled in prayer to the God of our mercies ; and, when we- had sung
an hymn, presently the storm abated, and we lay down comfortable, and fell asleep.'
Ah ! ' so he giveth his beloved sleep.'
" Thirdly, Their health. What a miracle of mercy hath our vessel been ! Of about
sixty persons, during nearly a two years* voyage, not one hath been lost. Not only
a hair of their head hath not perished, but those who have returned are fat and well-
looking ; and every man and woman is reported in better health than when they left
the shores of their native country. What disease, misery, and famine, have we not
often heard of in voyages of far less extent and duration ? The great physician had
determined, that the inhabitants of his ark should not complain ' I am sick.' Few
vessels have ever been so long without touching for refreshment, or performed so vast
a run as thirteen thousand eight hundred miles, without the sight of land. But ex
cept the common well-known effects of the sea, or the indisposition of an individual,
not a scorbutic complaint appeared, no spreading fever, no infectious disorder, no dan
gerous accident, or broken bone. Passing through climates so different, tender women
and children, many of whom had never seen the sea till they embarked upon it, un
accustomed to such food or accommodation, they reached Tahiti, after a five months'
voyage, without an individual sick. All the way they had plenty of provisions ; their
water sweet, abundant, and never failing ; and not a creature wanting any manner
of thing that was good.
" But I reserve the most important particular till the last, the success of the voyage
respecting the great object we had in view. We had passed in safety the dangers of
the deep, and were ready to encounter the greater danger apprehended from the
shore ; not, indeed, by myself or those who knew the real state of these islands. We
were convinced, if the Lord conveyed our missionaries in safety to the place of their
destination, OUR WOEK was done. Where are now the cannibals that were to
devour us ? Where the heathen to seize our property and persons ? Where
the helpless infants with their mothers, a prey to savage arms ? These vain terrors
at least, brethren, are dissipated. I need not tell you the reception wo have
met with. Welcomed as angels from heaven; furnished with every necessary
for subsistence and for comfort; heard with reverence, and courted as if our
favour and friendship were the first of blessings. I use no- exaggeration ; I recite
simple facts. The news of our intended residence among the Tahitians and other
islanders, were received with transport. The king and every chief crowded around
the missionaries ; the whole land was before them ; they had to choose the Goshen
where they would set up their tents. Set up their tents do I say ? Behold a spacious
mansion, surrounded with bread-fruits, cocoa-nuts, and the beautiful evee apple, ready

108 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
visiting and assisting the missionaries already there, of adding
to their number where circumstances might render it expedi
ent, and of planting the gospel in other islands, where it should
appear most eligible, from their extent, population, or other
prepared for their reception, sufficient to accommodate the whole body of missionaries.
They are met on the beach by the king and his chiefs, led by the hand amidst the
crowd of surrounding and admiring natives, and not only put in possession of such an
abode, but the whole district of Matavai, with all its produce, solemnly ceded to them
for ever ; a territory sufficient to maintain ten thousand persons. Each chief is eager
to secure the friendship of the individual missionaries, and as their tayos, to invest
them with their authority, and admit them to a participation of all they possess. So
far from danger or subjection to tyrannical or savage rule, the Lord hath made them
princes, in a manner, in all the lands of the heathen whither they have gone. It was
mockingly said, * The trees, I suppose, produce hot rolls for breakfast.' It is true,
those who ventured to those distant lands, little thought what they should eat, or
what they should drink ; yet it is singular, that our brethren, with united voice, de
clare their bread-fruit is prepared for them, and equal to the nicest white bread in
England. But they have applied it to a nobler use. The admiring heathen have seen
it broken as the symbol of our most sacred mysteries, and received by the holy breth
ren, as the body of their Lord, and the pledge of his dying love,
" But I must not detain you with other particulars. I will only add, these are the
least of our missionary mercies. The natives have shewn the most uncommon atten
tion , from the greatest to the least of them. They frequent our worship in multitudes*
confess our God to be greater than their own, and desire to know more of Him
and his word ; though we can only yet preach through an interpreter, and by trans
lations which we begin to read to them in their own tongue, and which they hear
with reverence, and say, they generally understand. They have .already brought
their children for instruction, and our school is opened ; many know all their let
ters, and begin to join them with great docility. The chief priest of the country is
most friendly to the missionaries, and seconds their instruction, assuring the people it
is f my tye,' good ; and says, they must amend their manners. ' I am too old to learn,'
says he, ' but our children will be taught all these wondrous things which we see, and
know the speaking book.'
" The missionaries have not indeed manna rained round their tents, but they have
meat as sweet as the quails ; and bread-fruit, cocoa-nut, and a multitude of vegetables
brought daily ; and a twofold provision for the Sabbath, much more than they can
possibly consume, and which are distributed to the servants and natives. Our breth
ren are active ; they have acquired much of the language, have formed themselves
comfortable residences, and every day are employed in labours to make known His
name, and to proclaim His glory, for whose sake they have gone forth to the heathen
with their lives in their hands ; and proved the truth of His promises, in a measure of
which we have no adequate conception : * Whosoever will lose his life shall preserve
it ; and whosoever hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother,
or wife, or children, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall in
herit everlasting life.'
" Unable to enter into further particulars, I shall only add, as the result of the
fullest inquiry and intelligence, that nothing can appear more promising than the
beginning of our labours in these isles of the sea. The fields, indeed, appear white
for harvest : they regard us as beings of a superior order; they feel and confess their
own inferiority ; they hear us in silent awe ; and they seem ready to embrace our
message, as soon as we are able to communicate it to them. Ah ! brethren, do not

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. ] 09
favourable circumstances." Such, indeed, were the energy and
zeal manifested on this occasion, such the liberality of the
Christian public, such the eagerness of multitudes to go abroad
as missionaries, that within little more than three months from
the time this resolution was taken, the preparations for the
voyage were completed, and the ship was ready to sail.1
In December 1798, the Duff sailed from England on her
second voyage to the South Sea Islands, under the command of
Captain Robson, with twenty-nine missionaries on board, and
the Rev. Mr Howell of Kharesburgh as superintendent of the
mission. Five of the missionaries were ordained to the minis
try ; several of them possessed some degree of medical know
ledge ; most of the others were artisans of various descriptions.
The letter of instructions from the Directors of the Society,
with regard to the conduct and arrangement of the mission,
displays in general much good sense, extensive information, and
calm consideration of the subject ; though it is probable, they
little expected the difficulties and disappointments for which
they in this manner endeavoured to make provision.2
Hitherto the Missionary Society had beheld its operations
crowned with success, beyond the expectations even of its most
your hearts burn within you at the tidings you have heard, and joining in one vast
burst of praise and adoration with angels and archangels, and all the company of hea
ven, can we but shout around the throne : ' Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and bless
ing V " — Thanksgiving Sermons before the Missionary Society, August 6. 1798, p. 49, 56.
Such was the representation which Dr Haweis drew of the success of the South Sea
mission, a representation much beyond the truth, and which was calculated to raise
very unfounded expectations as to its future progress. Contrasted with the subse
quent history of the mission, it presents a salutary warning of the danger of indulging
premature hopes of success, and of being fascinated with early appearances, an error
into which the friends of missions have been but too apt to run. In making these
remarks, nothing can be further from our intention than to detract from the memory
of Dr Haweis. Though he was too rhetorical in his representations both in the Me
moir in which he originally proposed the mission to the South Sea Islands, and in the
Thanksgiving Sermon which he delivered on this occasion, it was a fault which arose
out of the excellences of his character, the liveliness of his fancy, the warmth of his
heart, the ardour of his piety, the catholicity of his spirit, and the deep interest which
he took in every thing relating to the undertaking. — (See Campbell's Maritime Dis
covery, p. 247, 256, 261.) Had Dr Haweis never done any thing in the cause of Chris
tianity, but propose the mission to the South Sea Islands, that alone would have
crowned his name with imperishable honours ; and we can deeply sympathize with
the feelings of delight which the good man must have experienced in the evening of
his days, when he received, time after time, the pleasing tidings of its success.
1 Evan. Mag. vol. vi. p. 378, 509. * Ibid. vol. vii. p. 3, 38.

110 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
sanguine members. But now the sky grew dark ; the clouds
began to gather ; the storm burst at once in various quarters.
It was like an electric shock to the Christian world. The Duff
had not left England two months, when she and all the mission
aries on board were captured off Cape Frio, by the Bonaparte, a
French privateer of twenty-two guns, and upwards of two hun
dred men. The morning of the day she was taken was clear and
fine, and it was just possible to descry a vessel at a prodigious
distance, but as its appearance was very insignificant, being
only like a fishing smack, the missionaries, in general, were
disposed to pay little or no attention to it. It appeared very
improbable that an enemy's ship should be cruising in that
quarter, and the idea that it would inevitably fall into the
hands of the Portuguese dispelled every fear. During the pre
ceding part of the voyage, they had uniformly been alarmed on
the sight of any strange sail, and committed themselves to the
protection of the Most High; but, on this occasion, as they
were apprehensive of no danger, so they offered up no prayers
for deliverance. The event shewed that their security was
founded on presumption ; but yet it is proper to remark, that
had they known the utmost of their danger, it was not in their
power to have shunned it, as there was a still calm during the
early part of the day, so that they could make no way at all,
and they apprehended that the same was the case with the
other vessel. Indeed, from the best observations they were
able to make with their glasses, she seemed to be riding at
anchor, about twelve o'clock ; whereas, it afterwards appeared,
that she was advancing toward them by the help of her sweeps,
at the rate of several miles an hour ; but with all her port
holes shut, the better to conceal her hostile design. About
four in the afternoon there sprung up a light breeze, and they
made the best use of it they were able, being now within a few
leagues of Rio Janeiro, and impatient to reach that port, in
order to obtain refreshments. With this view alone, and not
from any apprehension of danger, they made all the sail they
could ; and though they perceived the other vessel doing the
same, it gave them little or no concern. What, then, was their
astonishment, when about ten o'clock at night, after they had
spent the day in the most perfect security, she fired a gun to

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. Ill
bring them to. The moon had hitherto shone bright ; but a
light squall now sprung up ; the sky was obscured by a thick
cloud, and a heavy shower of rain began to fall. At that mo
ment, the first shot was followed by a second, the direction of
which was so near the Duff as to be heard in the air, and seen
in the water. Most of the company, however, were still dis
posed to hope the best ; and that, when it was understood who
they were, and what was their design, they would be allowed
to proceed on their voyage without further molestation. But
this hope quickly vanished when she came up to them : then
the haughty tone of her English interpreter not only rendered
them suspicious of danger, but made some of them literally
tremble. The enemy, with little ceremony, ordered them to
send off their boat ; and as this was not done instantly, they
again bellowed forth the authoritative command, threatening,
in case of refusal, to sink them to the bottom. The first mate
now hastened on board the Bonaparte ; and, in a short time,
he returned with the painful intelligence, that the Duff was a
prize, and that all the men, without exception, must leave her
immediately, and go on board the privateer. The feelings of
the captain, the missionaries, and the crew, on receiving this
order, it is more easy to conceive than describe. The married '
brethren, in particular, were overwhelmed with consternation
and distress; the thought of leaving their wives and their chil
dren in the hands of lawless sailors, swallowed up every other
consideration. The officers, who had come on board armed
with cutlasses, executed the order with so much despatch, that
no opportunity was afforded those who had no wearing apparel
but what they had on, to procure a further supply, a circum
stance which afterwards tended not a little to aggravate their
distress. Some of the sailors, indeed, had already taken pos
session of the cabins, and were enriching themselves with the
spoils ; while others drove the missionaries and the crew into the
boat, as if they had been so many sheep for the slaughter, with
out inquiring whether the number herded together could be ac
commodated or not. Even after it was as full as it could well
hold, they threw down upon them from the ship whatever bag
gage was to be conveyed to the privateer, without the smallest
regard to their safety. On entering the Bonaparte, the pri-

112 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
soners were struck with the scene : it seemed a kind of hell
in uproar. The noise and confusion which prevailed on board,
combined with the forlorn appearance, the squalid looks, and
the barbarous manners of the crew, filled the missionaries with
grief and horror. They stood all together near the stern of the
vessel, to which they were directed as they entered, till about
two o'clock in the morning, gazing on one another as helpless
objects of commiseration, lost in astonishment, sunk almost
into a state of mental torpor, incapable of making one consola
tory reflection for their mutual comfort, unable to reconcile
their present disastrous situation with the gracious superin
tending providence of God, and ignorant of what trials they
might yet be called to suffer. They were, at length, conducted
by a sentry below deck, to the place where the sailors slept.
Here they had to spend their nights while on board the Bona
parte, though during the day they were permitted to come on
deck. This place was so low that they could scarcely stand up
right in it, and so small that they had scarcely room to lie ;
while, at the same time, the smell was so noisome, the heat so
intense, and the air so close, that they were almost suffocated
to death. They now learned the value of water, by the pain
ful experience of the want of it. Such as in England they
would not have employed to wash their hands, they were now
glad to use for quenching their thirst ; and even of this, though
they were oppressed with the heat of a vertical sun, they were
allowed only a scanty quart in twenty-four hours. Besides,
the sailors, in passing to and from their hammocks, trod over
them ; and the vermin, from their beds, dropped upon those
under them ; while the sentinels who stood on guard, in pass
ing to and from the lantern, used to thrust the points of their
swords between them, to feel for room where they might put
their feet. The sailors also plundered them of what little pro
perty any of them still possessed. Such of them as had time or
recollection, on the night of the capture, brought with them a
small bundle of clothes ; but now they lost them in whole, or
in part, through the rapacity of these miscreants, who left many
of them without a shirt to change with another. This was
unknown to Captain Carbonelle, the commander of the priva
teer ; and, indeed, when he was informed of it, he ordered the

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 113
rogues to bring all their hammocks, bags, and boxes, on the
quarter-deck, and desired the missionaries to claim what was
their property. By this means some of them recovered part of
the articles stolen from them ; but this transaction heightened
the' enmity of the wretches against them, which they did not
fail to manifest in future, as far as was in their power.1
Indeed, as Captain Carbonelle and his officers became ac
quainted with their character and the nature of their under
taking, they alleviated to the utmost of their power the pains
of their captivity, and were disposed to shew them every indul
gence. The captain expressed his concern for their mode of liv
ing, which necessity, not choice, imposed upon him. He always
endeavoured to encourage their confidence and hope by his
gentle treatment, his friendly conversation, and his courteous
manners, instead of impressing them with servile awe, by the
frowns of his countenance or the authority of his office. When
the Instructions of the Missionary Society to Captain Robson
were communicated to him, he seemed to feel exceedingly on
their account. Had he known, he said, who they were and the
cause in which they were embarked, he would sooner have given
£500 out of his own pocket than have met with them ; but now
the laws of his country and the claims of his officers and men
compelled him to act as he did.2
For some time the missionaries knew not what would be their
destiny, whether they would be detained as prisoners of war, or
set at liberty upon their arrival in port. As was natural to
persons in their situation, hope and fear alternately prevailed.
In general, most of them were enabled to cast their cares on
God ; but yet, on some occasions, they appear to have been
torn with anxiety and agitated with the most tumultuous pas
sions. Their capture afforded a trial of their missionary tem
per; and it must be acknowledged that the character of some of
them did not appear in a very favourable light. There were seve
ral who manifested an impatient, discontented, refractory spirit ;
a want of all subordination, of union, and of brotherly love.3
1 Howel's Particulars of the Second Voyage of the Duff, p. 23, 35, 82 ; Gregory's
Journal of a captured Missionary, p. 18, 24, 28, 52, 68.
3 Howel's Particulars, p. 41, 49 ; Gregory's Journal, p. 27.
3 Howel's Particulars, p. 52, 54, 55, 62, 69, 114, 178, 238, 264.
VOL. II. H

114 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
The Bonaparte was out on a three months' cruise, so that the
prospect before them was not the most pleasing; but having in
less than a fortnight taken other three prizes, Captain Carbo
nelle alter-ed his original design and sailed for Monte Video, in
the Rio de la Plata, where he arrived within three weeks after
the capture of the Duff; and thus the captivity of the mission
aries was providentially shortened.1
On their arrival they had the happiness to learn that the
Duff had reached Monte Video ten days before them. Imme
diately on being taken possession of by the French, she had been
despatched to that port under the command of M. Riviere, as
prize-master, with the women and children on board, a circum
stance which had occasioned both them and their partners in
life the greatest anxiety and distress, as it was uncertain when,
or even if ever, they should see each other again. Captain Car
bonelle, however, had kindly suffered Mr Turner, the surgeon,
to accompany them, in order to afford them medical aid, in case
of any indisposition occurring among them. Indeed, though the
sailors were disposed to pilfer and otherwise maltreat them, yet
the officers uniformly shewed them the utmost attention, treat
ing them with the greatest politeness and the most scrupulous
delicacy. Every regard was paid to their convenience and com
fort, as well as to their personal safety. Whatever provisions
were on board were at their command ; and they were told they
had only to mention what they wanted, and if it was in the
ship it was granted them. When any of the live stock was
killed they always had the preference, and were permitted to
make their choice before either the officers or the seamen ; and
upon their arrival at Monte Video they were immediately sup
plied with apples, pears, peaches, figs, and melons, which, con
sidering the time they had been at sea, were a most delicious
repast to them, though some, from using them too freely, expe
rienced the bad effects of their indulgence- To crown the whole
of these mercies, they had now the pleasure of seeing their hus
bands in safety; and the joy which they mutually felt at meet
ing was somewhat in proportion to the pain they had experi
enced at parting.2
1 Gregory's Journal, p. 24, 58.
-' Howel's Particulars, p. 71, 95 ; Gregory's Journal, p. 65, 67, 70, 76, 88.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. L] 5
During their stay in South America the missionaries were
not confined as prisoners of war, but were permitted to leave
the ship during the day, and to go about without molestation.
Not only did Captain Carbonelle and his officers continue to
shew them the greatest attention, but even the Spaniards in
general treated them with the utmost civility. At all the
cottages where they called they met with much hospitality ; the
inhabitants cheerfully supplied them with the best their tables
could afford, and in many instances refused to accept of the
smallest remuneration. Two of the women who were pregnant
being near the time of their delivery, and the house where they
lodged being extremely inconvenient for such an occurrence, as
the whole of the married people had only two sleeping apart
ments among them, a gentleman of Monte Video generously
granted them the use of his house in the country, about six
miles from the town, with all the accommodations it afforded.
Here they had an orchard or garden, the fruitfulness of which
is beyond description. Some of the trees appeared like a solid
mass of fruit ; the branches were weighed down to the earth,
unable to support their burden, and thousands of apples,
peaches, and nectarines lay perishing on the ground. In seve
ral instances, indeed, when the missionaries made excursions
into the neighbouring country, a practice against which they
were particularly warned, they were attacked by robbers, and
some of them even narrowly escaped with their life.1
Being now, however, in a foreign land, where they had no
opportunities of usefulness, and where they suffered not a few
inconveniences, they were impatient to leave it as speedily as
possible, but every scheme which they formed for this purpose
was. successively frustrated ; and at length the prospect of their
removal seemed in a great measure closed. They had early
formed some expectations of being able to redeem the Duff,
and to proceed on their voyage; but though Captain Carbonelle
was favourable to the plan, they soon found that this desirable
object could not be attained, unless by the immediate payment
of cash, on account of the sailors usually demanding their prize-
money before they leave the port where the vessel is disposed
of ; a thing which, in their circumstances, it was impossible for
1 Howel's Particulars, p. 106, 116, 120; Gregory's Journal, p. 113, 118, 122.

116 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
them to accomplish. Several of the missionaries formed the
idea of visiting Patagonia, and of endeavouring to plant Chris
tianity in that inhospitable country ; but on further considera
tion it was also found necessary to relinquish this plan. They
next made an attempt to purchase a small brig, one of the
prizes of the Bonaparte ; and after a great deal of trouble in
contracting' for her, they considered the bargain as in a man
ner concluded. Most of the missionaries now expressed their
willingness to prosecute their voyage to the South Sea Islands,
provided it was deemed practicable and safe ; but as Captain
Robson thought the season was too far advanced for this pur
pose, some offered to go to the Cape of Good Hope and some to
Sierra Leone, while others chose to return to England. In a
day or two, however, the whole of this arrangement was unex
pectedly frustrated ; for notwithstanding the bargain they had
made, the vessel was sold to a Portuguese merchant. The mis
sionaries were now reduced to the utmost perplexity, as an
order was issued by the Spanish viceroy to make them all pri
soners if they did not leave the country within about a week.1
The missionaries had now nothing before them but the pros
pect of captivity in a distant country, unless Captain Car
bonelle would take them on board the Bonaparte ; and he
assured them that, in that case, he would be obliged to land
them on some part of the coast the first opportunity he could
find, or else to carry them prisoners to Cayenne, a French set
tlement to the northward. Such was the dilemma -to which
they were reduced, when he succeeded in procuring a passage
for them to Rio Janeiro in the vessel of which they had been
disappointed ; and he, at the same time, had the generosity to
advance them several hundred dollars on account of the Mis-?
sionary Society, to provide them in stores for their voyage. In
a short time, they got every thing ready for their departure^
and after taking an affectionate farewell of their friends at
Monte Video, they embarked on board the Portuguese brig, and
sailed for Rio Janeiro. The voyage, they hoped, would not
occupy more than a fortnight, but to their great disappoint
ment, it lasted about a month ; and as the vessel was very
small, they were extremely crowded, and suffered many other
1 Howel's Particulars, p. 51, 99, 113, 127, 181.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 117
inconveniences in the course of the passage. They had begun,
however, to flatter themselves with the prospect of speedily en
tering the harbour of Rio Janeiro, when they were alarmed by
the sight of a fleet of ships, one of which bore down upon them,
and proved to be a frigate of forty guns. So large a vessel,
with her ports open, and full of men of a strange, uncouth ap
pearance, could not fail to strike the missionaries with alarm,
after what they had lately suffered. They had soon, indeed,
the satisfaction of beholding her hoist Portuguese colours ; but
this proved no protection to them ; for as the merchant had
purchased the brig without her having been regularly con
demned, and as he had likewise been chargeable with some acts
of smuggling, his vessel was now captured by his own country
men.1 The missionaries being thus captured a second time, were
ordered out of the brig, and taken on board, some of the com
modore's ship, of seventy-four guns, others, of the frigate of
forty, which were the convoy of the fleet. • The situation of the
prisoners in these two vessels was widely different. The cap
tain and principal officers of the frigate were polite, humane,
and liberal, and. afforded their guests every accommodation and
comfort the stores of the ship could supply. They felt for their
distress, ajad sacrificed their own comfort to alleviate the hard
ships of their captivity. Every eye was ready to watch, every
hand forward to supply their wants as far as lay in their power.
The commodore and his first captain, on the contrary, were
proud, imperious, capricious tyrants to those under their com
mand, and cruel unfeeling monsters toward strangers. Devoid
of common decency, they frequently put the missionaries to the
blush ; without common humanity, they as often put their feel
ings on the ra'ck. They affected to consider them as convicts who
had been originally bound to Botany Bay, but who, by some
means or*other, had made their escape ; and, in fact, their clothes
were now so old and shabby, and they had met with so many
misfortunes, they really had something the appearance of vaga
bonds. It appeared to the missionaries, however, that this
slander was invented merely as a pretext for assigning them a
berth with the common sailors, who, in respect of intellect, were
1 Howel's Particulars, p. 93, 138, 163, 173, 179.

118 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
little above the brutes, and in point of morals, were far below'
them. Their provisions were so wretched, that at first they
could scarcely use them, and at the same time, so scanty as
hardly to satisfy the cravings of nature. In consequence,
however, of the uniform propriety of their behaviour, they ex-'
perienced by degrees somewhat better treatment, and after
the first week or two, they rarely met with any instance of
personal rudeness. Mr Howel, who laboured under a severe
stomach complaint, was able to make so little use of the ship's
provisions, that for three weeks it was difficult to say on what
he subsisted. His disorder rose, at length, to such a height,
that he expected nothing else but that he should die of abso
lute want. At this very period, however, the commodore, who
now understood that he was a priest, sent for him, and after
apologizing for his past neglect, told him that he should have a
cabin to sleep in, and that he should have the use of his own
apartments during the day, and should sit at his table. He
afterwards extended a similar privilege to one of the mission
aries' wives who was far advanced in pregnancy, and whom he
had previously treated in a very unfeeling manner. In short,
he manifested toward them a degree of kindness and atten-'
tion which they had little reason to expect from a man of his
brutal disposition. Being set at liberty on their arrival in
Lisbon, they lost no time in procuring a passage to England,
where most of them arrived, after an absence of near ten months,
in the course of which both their trials and their mercies had
been neither few nor small.1
The Missionary Society had not recovered from the astonish
ment and distress which the first intelligence of the capture of
the Duff occasioned them, when they received tidings from
Tahiti of the removal of most of the missionaries from that
island. To account for this painful event, it is necessary to
trace the history of the mission from the time of Captain Wil
son's departure.
Captain Wilson had scarcely left the island to return to Eng
land, when some of the natives formed a design to seize on the
property of the missionaries ; but, for the present, the plan was
1 Howel's Particulars, p. 183, 193, 197, 201, 203, 205, 207, 214, 226, 260, 264, 212,
265 ; Gregory's Journal, p. 213, 217, 226, 242.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 119
not carried into effect. They were continually, however, com
mitting depredations upon them, and, in this, they sometimes
manifested not a little ingenuity. One morning a thief was
discovered to have entered the smith's shop, and carried off a
number of small but valuable articles. The manner of the rob
bery was somewhat curious, and shews the dexterity of the
rogue. He appears not to have had a knife, as by simply cut
ting the lashings of the sticks that formed the walls of the shop,
he might have entered it with much less trouble as well as
time. Instead of this, he dug out the sand from below, appa
rently with his hands, which are the common spade of the
natives, and made a hole large enough to admit himself through,
together with the stolen articles, under the ends of the sticks,
which were not less than two feet deep in the ground. This
operation must have taken him considerable time, and he must
have been under continual apprehension of detection by the
watch, who was walking round the house, and must often have
passed him. The attention of the watch, indeed, was once at
tracted to the place, where the man was at work ; but the
fellow had so coiled himself up in the hole, that the guard took
him for a hog, and left him unmolested. The thief, however,
was afterwards discovered, and on application to the chief of
the district, the articles he had stolen were restored to the mis
sionaries.1 One of the earliest cares of the missionaries was the estab
lishment of an hospital for the reception of sick natives, many
of whom were languishing under the venereal and other diseases.
A few at first did come, but the generality of the poor creatures
seemed afraid, or were insensible to the benevolence of their
design. Some even expected a present before they would take
any medicine, and it was necessary that every thing should be
sweet, otherwise they said it was not good. At the same time.
they had not the least patience, being disappointed unless they
were cured in three or four days. One day, as a number of
little boys were gathering bread-fruit, one of them fell from a
tree and fractured his arm. Mr Clode, one of the missionaries,
immediately set it, and for five days it remained in good order,
but the lad being wild and inattentive, broke it again. Mr-
' Miss. Trans, vol-, i. pV2, 8.

120 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Clode now attempted to reset it, but as the boy was in great
agony for several hours, his father came and insisted on taking
him home, saying, " He would carry him to a native doctor and
pray to the Eatoa, and then he would soon recover." The mis
sionaries endeavoured to persuade him to allow his son to re
main with them, but all their arguments were in vain. Two of
them, therefore, went next morning to the place, which was
several miles distant, to see the boy ; but on their arrival, they
found he had died in the course of the night. He had been
placed, it seems, in a cold running water, while in a very high
fever, and immediately expired. The father acknowledged, with
tears, his error in taking him away, and was lamenting most
bitterly the untimely death of his child. Agreeably to the cus
tom of the island, he cut himself with a shark's tooth, and had
already lost a considerable quantity of blood, which he carefully
caught upon a piece of white cloth and laid it down by the de
ceased, who was decorated with flowers and a garland round his
head. Some time after, when Temaree, one of the chiefs of the
island, was severely burned by an explosion of gunpowder, Mr
Broomhall, another of the missionaries who possessed some
knowledge of medicine, was applied to for assistance. He ac
cordingly went, and employed what he considered as the most
suitable remedies. On returning, however, next day, he was
astonished at the appearance of his patient, who was now
daubed all over with a thick white paste, which he understood
to be the scrapings of yams. Both the chief and his wife, indeed,
were mightily offended with Mr Broomhall, and would allow
him to do nothing further, his first application, they said, had
been attended with so much pain. Otoo, the king, likewise
seemed highly displeased with him on the same account ; and
Mr Harris had even considerable apprehensions that he in
tended to murder them, but for this there seems not to have
been the least foundation. Afterwards, indeed, their wrath ap
pears to have subsided ; for, in a few days, Pomare applied to
Mr Broomhall to revisit the chief, who was now extremely ill,
and to administer something to him that would cure him with
out giving him pain.1 Thus the medical skill of the mission
aries was, at first, not only of little use to the natives, but was
1 Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 3, 19, 75.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 1 21
even attended with danger to themselves. It is obvious, in
deed, that among savages the practice of medicine must be fol
lowed with extreme caution, especially at first, as, if a patient
dies, they will be ready to ascribe the fatal termination of his
disorder to the remedies employed, so different from those which
they have been accustomed to use, and, perhaps, they may even
be disposed to revenge his death on the medical practitioner.
But while the missionaries were employed in these and other
pursuits connected with the great object of their labours, an
event occurred which drove most of them off the island, and
even threatened the extinction of the mission.
In March 1798, the ship Nautilus, commanded by Captain
Bishop, arrived in Matavai bay, and after taking in refresh
ments proceeded on her voyage ; but in a few days she was
driven back by a violent gale of wind. While she was on the
island, two of the sailors and five natives of Hawaii, who were
on board, made their escape from the ship and secreted them
selves on shore. The chiefs manifested an intention to protect
them, but Captain Bishop expressed his determination to re
cover them, especially the seamen, cost what it would. With
this view he applied to the missionaries for their assistance ;
and as they were no less anxious than hifnself that the deser
ters should be delivered up, they resolved to send a deputation
to the three principal chiefs who were then in Opare, Otoo,
Pomare, and Temaree. Messrs Jefferson, Broomhall, Main, and
William Puckey accordingly set off for that district, and arrived
first at the house of Temaree ; but as they did not think it pro
per to communicate the design of their journey to him alone,
they requested him to accompany them to the king's house, to
which he consented. On reaching Otoo's habitation, they found
him seated amidst a number of his attendants, and employed in
the royal exercise of cleaning a small tooth comb. He received
them with the usual salutations of friendship, and asked them
the occasion of their visit. But as Pomare was still wanting,
being at a place about two miles distant, they forbore mention
ing it until he also should arrive. They had already sent off
for that chief, but apprehending the messenger might be dila
tory, they resolved to proceed themselves to him, and beg him
to come and meet his son and Temaree, that they might unfold

122 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
the business to them all together. By the way they passed
many of the Tahitians, who saluted them with their usual
frankness. When they had advanced about three-quarters of a
mile, and were near the banks of a river which they had to ford,
they found themselves accompanied by about thirty of the na
tives, but of this they took no notice, as it was a usual thing in
their journeys, until suddenly three or four of them laid hold on
Mr Broomhall's coat, which he had taken off and was carrying
under his arm, and began to wrest it from him. Mr Jefferson
went to his assistance, and asked them why they acted in such
a manner. Turning his head round, he beheld Puckey on the
ground and a number of the natives stripping him with great
avidity, after which they dragged him to the river by the hair
of the head, and made some attempts, as it were, to drown him.
Casting his eyes in another direction, he saw Main in the hands
of some others, who were tearing the clothes off his back. At
that instant Jefferson himself was seized by four or five of the
natives, who began to pull him violently in different ways, con
tending with each other who should have his clothes, which
they would not give him time to unbutton, but stripped them
off as fast as they were able. In the course of the scuffle they
dragged him through the river, but without materially injuring
him, though he expected nothing short of death from their sa
vage brutality. They now appeared undetermined what to do
with him. One was for taking him to the mountains, another
towards the sea, but he himself entreated them to carry him to
Pomare. Many of the natives who had no concern in the affair
now collected together, and, seeming to feel for his situation,.
attempted to rescue him out of their hands. During the short
contest which ensued, Puckey and Main were hurried before
him perfectly naked, except a narrow slip of cloth round their
loins. Jefferson requested those who had noAv the charge of
him to conduct him and his two brethren to Pomare, a pro
posal to which they readily agreed. As they passed along, the
missionaries were pleased to see the women express their com
passion for them by their tears. At length they came to Po^
mare, whom they found under a shed by the seaside, with his
wife Ideah and a few attendants, and were received by them
with the utmost humanity. They were immediately supplied

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 123
with cloth to cover them, and were made as easy as possible
by the promise of protection to themselves and their brethren.
Still, however, they were anxious about the safety of Mr Broom
hall, and therefore they asked the chief to send in quest of him,
a proposal to which he readily consented.
After resting about an hour the three missionaries, accompa
nied by Pomare and Ideah, proceeded on their return to Mata-
vai. Shortly before they came to the place where they were
stripped by the natives, Mr Broomhall joined them. The sa
vages had more than once threatened to murder him. He not
only, however, escaped with his life, but was permitted to re
tain his shirt, trowsers, and watch ; and the king,~ to whose
house he was taken, procured him likewise his hat. On their
arrival, about eight o'clock in the evening, at the mission-house,
they found their brethren under arms ; for the other mission
aries had not only received intelligence of the disaster from a
boy whom Mr Broomhall had despatched for the purpose, but
they were much alarmed by various reports, as if the natives
designed to attack their little settlement, and therefore they
had put themselves in a posture of self-defence.1
Alarmed to a high degree by these circumstances, a meeting
of the missionaries was called next morning ; and while they
were yet in a state of the utmost consternation, the greater part
of them came to a hasty resolution to leave Tahiti, and to pro
ceed in the Nautilus to Port Jackson. Before their departure,
however, Manne Manne, the high priest, came to Matavai with
a message from Pomare to the four missionaries who had been
stripped in Opare, together with a chicken and a young plan
tain-tree, as an atonement and peace-offering to them. At the
same time most of the articles of which they had been plun
dered were restored to them. When the natives understood
that most of the missionaries, together with the women and
children, designed to quit the island, it seemed to give them
some degree of concern. But notwithstanding these favourable
appearances, eleven of the missionaries, namely, Messrs Cover,
Henry, Hassel, Oakes, Main, Hodges, Clode, Cock, Smith, and J.
and W. Puckey, together with four women and four children, em
barked without delay on board the Nautilus, and after a dis-
' Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 27, 29, 31, 33.

124 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
agreeable voyage of about six weeks they arrived at Port Jack
son, where they met with a very friendly reception from Mr
Hunter, the governor, and from the Rev. Mr Johnson and the
Rev. Mr Marsden, the chaplains of the settlement. Encouraged
by these gentlemen, they made some attempts to promote the
interests of religion in the colony, but their exertions were at
tended with little or no success. Some of them, indeed, turned
out extremely ill, so that their removal from Tahiti, in
stead of being a loss, was probably a benefit to the mission.
It is likewise not unworthy of notice, that the missionaries
who fled to New South Wales appear to have been exposed to
greater dangers, and to have suffered severer trials, than their
brethren who remained in Tahiti. Mr Hassel was robbed of
nearly all he possessed, and dangerously wounded, by six ruf
fians, who broke into his lodgings near Paramatta ; and Mr
Clode was barbarously murdered, in the neighbourhood of Syd
ney, under circumstances of a very revolting nature.1
After the departure of the eleven missionaries to Port Jack
son, seven others still remained in Tahiti, namely, Messrs Eyre,
Jefferson, Lewis, Broomhall, Harris, Bicknell, and Nott. With
the view of removing all temptation to do violence to their per
sons for the sake of their property, they immediately delivered
up the blacksmith's shop and the public store-room into the
hands of Pomare, and they at the same time offered to surren
der to him their private effects if he desired it ; but this he was
so honourable, or so politic, as to decline. Jealousy and fear,
however, continued to haunt their minds ; nor was it altogether
without apparent reason. Reports of the people's design to
attack and plunder them were constantly reaching their ears ;
attempts were even made, almost every night, to rob them of
what few articles they still possessed ; the natives were often
extremely tumultuous in their behaviour, and now took liber
ties with them which they durst not before have used; rumours
of war were likewise prevalent through the country : all these
circumstances combined could not fail to distress the mission
aries, and to increase those fears which the human mind, in
such a situation, is so naturally disposed to form. In a short
time, indeed, war actually broke out. Pomare having killed
Trans, vol. i. p. G7, 71, 319 ; . Magr vol. viii. ;.. 298, 303 ; vol. n. p. 73.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 125
two of the men of Opare, on account of the assault made on the
four missionaries, the inhabitants of that district rose in arms
to revenge their death. Peace was offered them, but they re
jected the offer. The chief, therefore, attacked them without
delay, drove them back to the mountains, laid, waste their habi
tations, and killed about thirteen of them ; after which they
were glad to listen to terms of accommodation.1
By degrees the apprehensions of the missionaries subsided,
as it appeared that the natives had no serious design to injure
them either in their persons or property. But when they began
to enjoy peace from without, a circumstance occurred among
themselves which occasioned them inexpressible distress. Mr
Lewis, who had of late resided by himself at a place called
Ahonoo, declared his determination to take one of the native
women as his wife. For some time past, indeed, his behaviour
towards the Tahitian females had been extremely indecent.
Several of the missionaries had repeatedly spoken to him on
the subject in private, and they had likewise adverted to the
impropriety of such practices in their public discourses. But
as he had neglected or despised these early cautions, it was
now in vain that they remonstrated with him on the impro
priety and unlawfulness of the measure he proposed : and as a
few months before, when this very question was agitated among
them, it was agreed that, should any of their number connect
himself with a heathen woman, he should no longer be consi
dered as a missionary or as a member of the church, they not
only refused to sanction his marriage, by performing the usual
ceremony, but on the following day they proceeded to pass sen- .
tence of excommunication upon him. This certainly was a
harsh and precipitate step. Of the unlawfulness of Mr Lewis'
proposal there can be no question, since it is contrary to the
express injunctions of Scripture; yet surely his brethren should
have employed friendly expostulations with him in private, and
church censures of a milder nature, before they had recourse to
so severe a sentence. Mr Lewis had not yet, at least profes
sedly, consummated his marriage : time, therefore, might have
been allowed to elapse, to see whether he would proceed to such
a measure. We cannot, indeed, but remark, that culpable as
1 Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 39, 44, 47.

126 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
was his conduct, the behaviour of his brethren toward him ap
pears to have been throughout unfeeling and unkind ; and
afterwards, when he made some proposals for an accommoda
tion with them, they did not manifest that readiness to listen
to them which the spirit of Christianity required. They con
tinued, indeed, to supply him with such articles as he desired,
so far as they were able ; and it is right to add, that he, together
with his wife, uniformly attended public worship on the Lord's
day, and he was at the same time regular in attending to prayer
and the reading of the Holy Scriptures in private.1
In this state of excommunication from the church Mr Lewis
remained until his death, which happened about sixteen months
after he was excluded by his brethren. It was sudden and un
expected, and the cause of it was never fully known. After
having ascertained the fact, some of the missionaries went to '
his habitation, and on their arrival they found his body dressed
in a check shirt, a light waistcoat, a pair of trowsers, and shoes
on his feet. It was lying on a bedstead, under the roof of his
house, but not in his sleeping apartment, and was covered with
a piece of country cloth. His forehead, his face, his belly, and
his left arm, were severely bruised ; a deep cut extended over
one of the corners of his mouth toward the nose ; there was
also a scratch or two on his hands, but nowhere any appear
ance of fracture. On turning him round nothing like external
violence was discovered on his back, but the blood gushed from
his right ear as from a fountain, and a thin, ichorous matter,
of a dark brown colour, and a disagreeable smell, bubbled
through his lips. His belly was prodigiously distended, and
scarcely yielded to the greatest pressure ; but in the small de
gree in which it did yield, it greatly increased the discharge
from his mouth. Though he had been dead, according to the
account of the natives, only eighteen or nineteen hours, the
corpse was already extremely offensive.2
On examining into the circumstances of his death, the re
ports of the natives were very various and contradictory. One
said, that, like a man out of his senses, he ran against the
boards of his room, first at one end, then at the other ; next on
one side, afterwards on the other ; last of all, he ran out at the
door, threw himself headlong among the stones, and so was
' Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 57, 125. » Ibid. vol. i. p. 145, 149.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. ] 27
killed. A second said, that he was ill, and died in bed about
the middle of the day. A third declared that he was not ill,
but that he died suddenly. At first his wife, with whom he
appears to have lived on very unhappy terms, and who displayed
the utmost insensibility on this occasion, represented him as
having killed himself by dashing his head against the stones.
Afterwards, however, when more particularly questioned on the
subject, she stated no such circumstance ; but said, that after
preparing for bed, he went to the door, and walked for some
time up and down the pavement ; at last, she heard him fall,
and on going out with a lamp, she found him fallen upon a
stone, and the blood running from the wounds. Laying down
the light, she ran for her parents, who lived at the distance of
about twenty yards ; and on her return with them, he was quite
dead. Her testimony, however, was extremely suspicious, not
only from the circumstance of this striking variation, but there
was a man who appeared to act as her prompter, and at one
time, after telling her what to say, turned to his companions,
and said in a private manner : " That is one part, but say
nothing about stones following." Other accounts, indeed, stated,
that Mr Lewis was killed by some of the natives ; and upwards
of a twelvemonth after it was reported to the missionaries, that
he was murdered by certain persons of the place where he re
sided, on account of the woman with whom he had so unhappily
connected himself. Though the evidence is by no means deci
sive, we are strongly inclined to believe that Mr Lewis fell a
sacrifice to the treachery of the natives.1
Scarcely had six months elapsed after this melancholy event,
when the missionaries in Tahiti met with a new and unexpected
trial. Mr Broomhall, one of their number, declared himself an
infidel. For a considerable time past, indeed, a great want of
spirituality had been observed in his prayers ; and in his ser
mons, the name of Christ was scarcely so much as mentioned.
After this change took place in his religious sentiments, he be
came intimate with a young woman, a visitor of Pomare's sister;
though, when urged by the natives to live with her, he told
them he would not do so, till he had declared himself no priest ;
that is, that he was no longer a missionary. In vain did his
* Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 147, 217.

128 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
brethren reason ; in vain did they expostulate with him : Mr
Broomhall was proof against all their arguments, though he
was so candid as to acknowledge that he now enjoyed far less
happiness than formerly, when he possessed the supports and
comforts of religion. The missionaries themselves appear now
to have been sensible of the undue severity of their conduct to
Mr Lewis ; in their treatment of Mr Broomhall, at least, they
acted with much less precipitation, and with much greater mo
deration. Finding him, however, obstinate in his infidel prin
ciples, they at length suspended him from all office in the
church, and from the ordinance of the Lord's Supper ; and as
this had no salutary effect upon him, they afterwards passed
sentence of excommunication upon him. For a considerable
time past, there had been very suspicious circumstances with
regard to him and some of the females of Tahiti ; and imme
diately after his excommunication, he avowedly connected him
self with one of them. He lived with her in the same house as
the missionaries for a number of weeks ; but as she then left
him and slept with another man, he took a second mistress,
with whom he cohabited until his departure from the island.
Such were the moral results, or perhaps such was one cause, of
his infidel principles.1
In May 1800, before intelligence of these painful events could
reach England, twelve new missionaries sailed for Tahiti in the
Royal Admiral, a ship with convicts for New South Wales,
commanded by Captain William Wilson, who had been one of
the mates of the Duff, in both her voyages to the Pacific Ocean.
Scarcely had they left their native land, when they discovered
that the prisoners had brought with them not only impaired
constitutions, but the seeds of various diseases ; and that now
when so great a number as three hundred were crowded together ;
the prison became the nursery of these disorders. Besides flux
and scurvy, a malignant putrid fever broke out among them,
and spread most alarmingly, especially while they sailed through
the torrid zone. During the voyage to Rio Janeiro, more than
one half of the convicts, besides many of the sailors, were taken
ill of this and other disorders ; and no fewer than forty died,
among whom was Mr Turner, the surgeon. Near the latitude
1 Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 177.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 1 29
where the Duff was captured, they fell in with three French
frigates, and would no doubt have been taken by them, had not
God in his ^providence inclined the commodore to accompany
them to Rio Janeiro. On their arrival at that port, the fever
disappeared ; but it afterwards broke out again, not only among
the convicts, but among the missionaries, most of whom caught
it, and Mr Morris, one of them, died. During the voyage, the
missionaries were not idle, but laboured with great assiduity
in communicating religious instruction to the crew, and parti
cularly to the unfortunate convicts. For some time they daily
went down to the orlop deck, the place where the miserable
creatures were confined, and read and explained the Scriptures,
conversed, and prayed with them ; and though they were a
body of ignorant hardened wretches, yet some of them appeared
anxious for instruction, and two prayer-meetings were esta
blished among them. Afterwards, when the fever increased
and became so very alarming, the missionaries judged it inex
pedient to visit them in prison ; but they still embraced every
opportunity of speaking to them on the subject of religion, when
they were brought on deck to get the air.1
In July 1801, the Royal Admiral, after landing the convicts
at Port Jackson, arrived at Tahiti with the missionaries on
board. Having met by appointment with Otoo the king, Po
mare, and others of the chiefs, Captain Wilson spoke to them
concerning the reasons which induced the missionaries origi
nally to come among them, the reception they gave them on
their arrival, and the benefits they had already derived from
them. He mentioned a few instances in which the missionaries
had been ill-treated, and endeavoured to convince them how
easy it would be for him to retaliate upon them ; that these
things were known in Britain ; but the chiefs there, still wish
ing to do them good, had sent other men in the room of those
whom their violence had driven away, and expected them to
be better treated. Then taking each of the new missionaries
by the hand, and leading them up to each of the chiefs, he in
troduced them by name. With this ceremony they were much
pleased, and promised to protect and support them to the
1 Evan. Mag. vol. viii. p. 255 ; vol. ix. p. 81, 490 ; vol. x. p. 73 ; Miss. Mag. vol. vi.
p. 79. VOL. II. I

130 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
utmost of their power. Before he went away, however, Pomare
inquired, "Whether the new missionaries would not fight for
him?" Captain Wilson replied, "No, they would fight none,
unless in defending themselves in their own habitation." This
appeared to sink their value not a little. The chief, however,
replied, " Very well, if they will not fight, he would fight for
them ; but yet he thought it very strange that King George,
who had so many fighting men, should send none to his assist
ance." Before the Royal Admiral left the island, the mission
aries, who now amounted to thirteen, were organised into a
regular body, and regulations were made for the conduct of
divine worship, of their daily employments, their visits to the
natives, and a variety of other circumstance's.1
1 Evan. Mag. vol. x. p. 283 ; Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 233, 241.
Mr Broomhall left Tahiti in the Royal Admiral, and on his arrival in China remained
in that country in quest of a situation. Of this unhappy young man nothing was
heard for several years. It appears, however, that he remained in the East and went
to sea, though in what capacity we do not know. He continued for a considerable time
in a course of backsliding, yet still he was not without some degree of fear on account
of the consequences. Several very alarming accidents at sea, and the breaking of his
thigh at Madras, contributed to arouse him from his state of insensibility, and to fill
him for a season with fearful apprehensions of divine wrath. He attempted to pray,
but started from his kuees, shocked at his own baseness, and despairing of obtaining
mercy from that God whom he had so grievously offended. In fact, he considered
himself as having nothing before him " but a certain fearful looking for of judgment
and of fiery indignation to devour him." Having afterwards come to Calcutta, he
more than once called on the Baptist missionaries at Serampur, without, however, re
vealing his proper name or his former character ; and in a letter which he addressed
to one of them in May 1809, he drew the following dreary picture of the state of his
mind : —
" I have been much engaged with my vessel of late ; but the truth is, I have not
known what to write. I might, perhaps, say something satisfactory of what was
foreign to my feelings ; but should I attempt to describe the state of my mind, I fear
you would not be altogether pleased with the picture, unless you can look with plea
sure upon a landscape, where the artist, in attempting to embellish the most promi
nent figures, had daubed it with such a collection of dark colours, that the whole piece
was rendered odious. Such would be the description of my feelings. If I should say
I feel daily aspirations of soul after God, yet I feel my passions chained to the earth,
and my conduct such that it will not stand the test of Christianity. If prayer is
at one time a delight, at others it is an intolerable burden ; and though dreadfully
convinced of its necessity, I can neglect it for days, almost without a sigh. I am con
vinced of the pleasure attending the study of the Holy Scriptures, and yet could read
almost any thing in preference. I feel a pleasure in. the worship of the Most High,
and yet am abashed and even uncomfortable in the presence of a Christian. I am
perfectly convinced of the mercy that awaits a returning prodigal, and yet I think the
glory of God is concerned in shutting up the avenues to it. In short, if the law of the
Eternal renders it necessary that 'the backslider shall be filled with his own ways,'

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 131
In April 1802, the tranquillity of the island was unhappily
interrupted, in consequence of a dispute about Oro, which
though only a shapeless log of wood, the Tahitians called their
great god. At a numerous meeting held in Attahura, Otoo the
king, after having in vain demanded it from the inhabitants
of that district, who had it in their possession, took it from them
by force. Roused with indignation by this insult, the Atta-
hurans rose in rebellion against him, and being joined by the
inhabitants of several other districts, they were at first victo
rious in their battles with the royalists, whom they treated with
the most wanton barbarity. In this exigency, Pomare obtained
the assistance of some British seamen, from one or two ships
that were then on the island ; and though the insurgents ad
vanced boldly to the fight, yet they were quickly repulsed by
the royalists ; and no sooner did they discover the sailors, than
they were overwhelmed with consternation, and fled in all di
rections. Seventeen were killed on the spot, and among others
one of the ringleaders of the insurrection. The Attahurans,
however, were not discouraged, and still refused to submit ; but,
at length, contrary to all expectation, peace was concluded, and
may not his justice withhold those powerful operations of the Holy Spirit, which are
absolutely necessary for his return, while he keeps his conscience sufficiently awake to
make him miserable % May not one in the situation now described, be deprived of
every comfort, stripped of every grace, and through his folly in despising the favour
of the Spirit, be suffered to proceed to the last hour of his existence, without enjoy
ing these blessings 1 This letter must certainly appear strange to you ; but if you had
ever looked upon the Saviour as the ultimatum of your desires, and had really enjoyed
experimental religion as a consequence, and yet afterwards had doubted of his exist
ence — endeavoured to persuade yourself that the Bible was a forgery — the soul mortal
— and consequently, that there was no hereafter ; whilst your conduct corresponded
with your sentiments, you would not be much surprised at it."
Soon after writing this letter, Mr Broomhall was laid on a sick-bed at Calcutta,
when, we are told, God revealed his mercy to him, softened his heart, removed his
fears that his sins were unpardonable, and enabled him to hope that God would accept
of him through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Hitherto he had said nothing of the
situation he had held in Tahiti ; but one day when he called on Mr Marshman, after
some conversation about the state of his soul, he exclaimed, " You now behold an
apostate missionary ! I am Benjamin Broomhall, who left his brethren nine years ago.
Is it possible you can behold me without despising me V Mr Marshman's surprise at
this discovery it is more easy to conceive than describe. It was now the wish of this
returning prodigal to join his brethren in Tahiti ; but for the present he went on an
other voyage. — Authentic Narrative, p. 204 ; Circular Letters relative to the Baptist Mis
sions in India, vol. ii. p. 35. From that voyage he never returned. It was supposed
that the vessel had foundered at sea, as it was never heard of more, and that all on
board had perished. — Ellis' History, vol. i. p. 140.

132 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
tranquillity restored throughout the island. During these com
motions, the missionaries were under no small apprehension for
their personal safety, and made the best arrangements they
were able for their own defence, in case they should be attacked
by the insurgents. Even this subjected them to considerable
loss ; as they were under the necessity of destroying their gar
dens and their chapel, in order to clear the ground around
them, and to prevent an unseen assault.1
Hitherto the missionaries had found the acquisition of the
language attended with much greater difficulties than was ex
pected. All the vocabularies they had seen of it were essen
tially defective and erroneous, not only in the fundamental
principles of the grammar, but with regard to the pronuncia
tion, orthography, and signification of the words. It was re
presented as uncommonly easy of acquisition ; but they had
found the contrary by long and painful experience. In regard
to some of the common occurrences of life, a person of ordinary
capacity may, indeed, soon make himself understood ; but to
acquire such a knowledge of it, as was necessary to convey in
struction to the natives, and especially instruction of a religi
ous nature, was a most arduous task. It was described as bar
ren of words, but neither was this correct. It is destitute, in
deed, as might naturally be supposed, of all such terms as are
common among civilized nations, relative to the arts and
sciences, manufactures, and commerce ; but with regard to
those objects with which a Tahitan is conversant, it is exceed
ingly copious. The simple roots are only a few hundred in
number ; but these, by the help of affixes and prefixes, may
easily be multiplied to five or six thousand, so as to express
ideas with the utmost precision. The Tahitian language abounds
with vowels, in even a greater degree than any navigator who
had given specimens of it ever imagined. Many words consist
entirely of vowels, each of which has a distinct enunciation ;
but the rapidity with which the natives uttered them, rendered
it extremely difficult to catch the precise sound. As a natural
consequence of this structure of their words, many of them
have nearly the same pronunciation, though widely different
in sense ; a circumstance which proves a source of no small
1 Miss. Trans, vol. ii. p. 64, 110.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 133
embarrassment to a learner. Besides, the Tahitians make fre
quent use of abbreviations, by which means the words were
often so shortened, that the missionaries were extremely puzzled,
and mistook them for new terms. The people, too, often adopted
their erroneous pronunciation, as persons in every country are
apt to do to children, and thus instead of correcting, confirmed
them in their mistakes. From these and a variety of other
circumstances, the progress of the missionaries in acquiring the
language was extremely slow, and it was often no easy task to
unlearn what they had with great difficulty previously learned.1
Ever since their arrival on the island, the missionaries had
endeavoured, by conversation and other means, to disseminate
among the natives some knowledge of Christianity ; but now
the time arrived when they were able to proclaim to them, " in
their own tongue, the wonderful works of God." Just before
the outbreaking of the insurrection, two of them, Messrs Nott
and Elder, made a circuit through the island, and preached the
gospel in every district except Attahura. The natives assem
bled to hear them, in companies of from twenty to a hundred
and sixty ; and numbers of them listened with considerable at
tention, though others appeared exceedingly careless, and acted
in a very disorderly manner. After the suppression of the in
surrection, the missionaries proceeded in their labours of love,
and even extended them to the island of Eimeo, which is about
twelve miles distant. In some cases, the natives seemed pleased
with what they heard, and said it was " good talk," but in
other instances, they treated it with indifference and contempt,
and appeared perfectly hardened in their evil ways. It was
next to impossible to convince them of the value of the soul,
or even to make them understand its nature, for most of them
seemed to consider it as something without them, that resided
in the other world, and visited them only at certain seasons, as,
for instance, in dreaming. One evil very prevalent among them
was the taking of the names of Jehovah and Jesus Christ in
vain, though they were cautioned against it in almost every
discourse. One day, Mr Jefferson heard some of them speaking
in a familiar way of Jesus Christ ; but they asserted he was a
god of no power, and that their idol Oro was the mighty god,
1 Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 117, 135 ; vol. iii. p. 179.

134 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
They, at the same time, affirmed, that the god of England was
not good, in proof of which they alleged, the diseases introduced
among them by our sailors, and the shipwreck of the Norfolk, a
vessel which had been lately lost upon the island. One man, in
particular, of a most savage aspect, pointed to a deformed person
present, and protested that such things could not be the work
of their own god Oro, but of the evil god of England. Indeed,
they seldom failed wantonly to call on the missionaries, to look
on those who had broken backs, the ague, the flux, the vene
real disease, all of which, they alleged, came from England.
In short, they attributed to us all their evils, and said there
were very few men left ; nothing but stones remained, to use
their own emphatic phraseology.1 The bodily diseases under
which many of them laboured, instead of disposing them to
embrace the gospel, irritated them against it ; and, as if the
missionaries had been only mocking them, they replied, " You
tell us of salvation, and behold we are dying;" and when they
were told it was the salvation of their souls from the wrath of
God, not of their bodies from disease in the present life, they
answered, " We want no other salvation, but to live in this
world." Often, when the missionaries exhorted them to turn
from their idols, and to worship the true God, they asked,
Whether any of the chiefs had believed, and turned to Jehovah ?
They frequently mentioned Pomare's killing men for sacrifices
to their idols, and told them to go and preach to him and the
1 It is satisfactory to learn from the missionaries, that there is no good reason for
thinking that all, or even most, of these diseases were introduced into Tahiti by ships
from England ; and they suppose that the Tahitians themselves did not believe the
oharge, though they often brought it forward. Captain Cook, they said, brought
the intermittent fever, the crooked backs, and the scrofula, which broke out in their
necks, breasts, groins, and armpits ; Vancouver the bloodyflux, which in a few months
carried off great numbers of them, and then abated ; and some alleged it was Bligh
who brought the scrofula among them. The missionaries, however, assert, that they
got no disease from England except the venereal disorder. As it is said neither Cook
nor Vancouver had a sick person on board, the flux and fever, if this statement he
correct, could not be introduced by them, nor did the missionaries know of any ship
which had either of these diseases on board when at Tahiti ; and as intermittent
fever, which is the most common and most fatal of their disorders, is not an infectious
disease, but arises from the efBuvia of marshes, it could not have been communicated
by contagion from any of our sailors, even had they been labouring under it. With
regard to the crooked backs, the Tahitians themselves allow that they are the effect of
the Hotatte, a disease very prevalent on the island, and which could not come from
England, as it does not prevail in this country. — Miss. Trans, vol. ii. p. 120, 349.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 135
king. Besides, they said, that if they embraced the Christian
religion, their own gods would kill them. Many of them, in
deed, acquired considerable knowledge of the doctrines of the
gospel ; but their hearts remained unsanctified, and their con
duct unchanged. They were wonderfully bigoted to their own
superstition and idolatry ; and though they sometimes acknow
ledged that they were fools and knew nothing, yet they quickly
had recourse to their vain delusions, and by means of these
refuges of lies, smothered the convictions of their consciences.
Hence, it often happened, that when, at one time, the mission- ,
aries met with any encouragement among them, the very next
time they visited them, they were more discouraged than ever.1
In September 1803, Pomare, the father of the king, died
very suddenly. One day after dinner, he and two of his men
got into a single canoe, and paddled towards the brig Dart, a
vessel from London, which was then lying off the island. When
they had almost reached her, the chief suddenly felt a pain in
his back, which caused him to raise himself with a jerk, and
put his hand to the place affected ; but no sooner had he done
this, than he fell with his face to the bottom of the canoe, and
never spoke more. As Pomare was a warm and stedfast friend
of the missionaries, especially at first, it may not be improper
to give a short sketch of his history and character.
Pomare was born in Opare, and was by birth the chief ol
that district only ; but by his superior talents, together with
the assistance of the deserters from the various ships which
visited Tahiti, particularly the crew of the Bounty, he raised
himself to a kind of sovereignty over the whole island. With
regard to his personal qualities, he was a savage of unusual
grace and dignity ; tall, stout, and well-proportioned. There
was something in his appearance which indicated him to be no
ordinary man ; grave in his countenance, majestic in his de
portment, engaging in his manners ; but under the appearance
of candour, he concealed no small degree of hypocrisy. In pros
perity, he was insufferably haughty to his enemies ; in adver
sity, he was no less dejected in his own mind. As a governor,
he was extremely oppressive ; but yet it was generally allowed
that the island had enjoyed a much greater degree of tranquil-
1 Miss. Trans, vol. ii. p. 57, 121, 123, 126, 133, 286, 303, 327, 338.

136 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
lity during his reign, than while the several districts were in
dependent of each other. Perhaps, however, the most remark
able trait in his character was a species of prudence and fore
sight, rarely found among savages ; a mind which was capable
of forming certain plans, and of adhering to them, with a view
to the distant advantages which would result from them.
Erecting houses, building canoes, and cultivating the ground,
were favourite employments with him ; and the works of this
description which he accomplished, place both his talents and
his power in a very extraordinary light. His conduct to such
Europeans as visited the island, and the countenance he gave
the missionaries in particular, were the effects of this political
foresight. Resisting, in the first instance, that natural im
pulse which would have tempted a savage to plunder them
without delay, he encouraged them to settle on the island, in
the hope that he himself and his country would ultimately
reap greater and more permanent advantages from them.
But though Pomare was the friend of the missionaries, he
was, at the same time, the very soul of the superstition of his
own country. Many were the morais and altars reared at his
command all over the island ; and besides innumerable costly
gifts of canoes, clothes, and other articles, he was continually
offering up human sacrifices to propitiate the wrath of his
idols. On the whole, the Tahitians considered Pomare the
greatest chief they ever had : it is at least certain, he did not
leave his equal on the island.1
Besides preaching the gospel throughout the island, the
missionaries, especially Mr Davies, now began to pay particu
lar attention to the instruction of the children, in the hope
that some serious impression might be made on their young
and tender minds. The number who, in various places, sub
mitted to be catechised, was on the whole considerable, and
the progress which they made was as great as could reasonably
be expected. This exercise, however, though highly important,
was attended with many difficulties, some of which it may not
be improper to mention.
First, There was no way of collecting any number of children
1 Miss. Trans, vol. ii. p. 147, 292, 295, 297; Tumbull's Voyage Round the World,
vol. ii. p. 236 ; Relig. Mon. vol. ii. p. 213.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 137
together. It was necessary to go to the several places or houses
where they were ; to take one here, another there, and two
perhaps in a third place. They often refused to go even twenty
or thirty yards to meet with others, a circumstance which con
sumed much time, and materially diminished the utility of the
exercise. Secondly, To find convenient time was no easy matter.
After the novelty of the catechising was over, every little en
gagement was deemed an apology for neglecting it. Sometimes
all were fishing, or they were in the mountains seeking plan
tains ; at other times they were preparing their ovens, or there
was some diversion going on in the neighbourhood. To try to
teach them at such seasons was perfectly vain.
Thirdly, The presence of the adults was a serious inconveni
ence. It was very rare to find the children alone, some of the
old people being usually at hand. This would have been an
advantage, if they would have listened with attention ; but in
stead of this, they commonly kept up an incessant chattering
among themselves, or with the children, so that often nothing
could^be done for noise and clamour. At other times, they
would sit close to the children, and whisper in their ears the
most nonsensical and ridiculous answers, with the view of
affording diversion to the company. Such of the children as
were come any length, they endeavoured to put to shame, by
mocking and laughing at them. Besides, they frequently con
tradicted whatever was said, and spoke of Jehovah and of Jesus
Christ in the most contemptuous manner.
Fourthly, The wandering disposition of the young people,
was no small bar to their improvement. In Tahiti, every
child able to climb an ooroo or a cocoa-nut tree is independent
of its parents, and wanders wherever it pleases, without regard
to them or any of its friends. Hence, they rarely remained
long enough in one place, to learn any thing to purpose ; the
same children could seldom be catechised twice successively ;
and as they were often absent for a fortnight or three weeks
together, they usually forgot much of what they had learned
by the time they returned.
Lastly, The Tahitians had an idea that the missionaries
were their debtors, and ought to pay them for submitting to

138 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
instruction. Instigated by their parents, the children used
often to say to their teachers, "You come here frequently, but
what do you bring us ? Give us pins, beads, and fish-hooks, or
else we will not be taught." As the missionaries had no pre
sents to give, the young people became shy, and some, when they
saw their teacher coming, would run away and conceal them
selves till he was past.1
But notwithstanding these various obstacles, Mr Davies and
others of the missionaries persevered in their catechetical la
bours among the children ; and could their young pupils have
been instructed more frequently, and by themselves, there is no
doubt they would, in a short time, have made considerable pro
gress in Christian knowledge. Many of them, even as it was,
learned the whole of the catechism, which the missionaries had
prepared in the Tahitian language ; and numbers of them
continued to retain what they had been taught, after they had
been absent for several months.2
Not long after the missionaries settled in Tahiti, Otoo the
king begged one of them to teach him the Hebrew language,
and asked, at the same time, Whether the king of England was
acquainted with it ? What had excited in his mind this strange
desire, it is not easy to conjecture, unless, perhaps, the singular
appearance of the Hebrew characters had caught his fancy.3
He now, however, made an acquisition, which to him was of a
more useful and substantial nature, having learned from the
missionaries to read and write his own language. Of this we
have an interesting specimen, in a letter which he addressed to
the Missionary Society, in reply to one which they had written
to him. It was composed entirely by himself in the Tahitian
language, was then translated by the missionaries into English,
and of this the king, who, since the death of his father, had
assumed the name of Pomare, wrote the following copy :4
Matavai, Tahiti, January 1st, 1807.
Friends, — I wish you every blessing, friends, in your resi
dence in your country, with success in teaching this bad land,
1 Miss. Trans, vol. ii. p. 306, 315. 2 Ibid. vol. ii. p. 321. * Ibid. vol. i. p. 51.
5 A fac-simile of this letter may be found in Volume Third of the Missionary Trans
actions. The characters are well formed, and the whole is written with considerable
ease and neatness.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 139
this foolish land, this wicked land ; this land which is ignorant
of good, this land that knoweth not the true God, this regard
less land.
Friends, I wish you health and prosperity. May I also live,
and may Jehovah save us all.
Friends, with respect to your letter you wrote to me, I have
this to say to you, that your business with me and your wishes,
I fully consent to, and shall consequently banish Oro, and send
him to Raiatea.
Friends, I do therefore believe and shall obey your word.
Friends, I hope you also will consent to my request, which
is this. I wish you to send a great number of men, women,
and children here.
Friends, send also property and cloth for us, and we also will
adopt English customs.1
Friends, send also plenty of muskets and powder, for wars
are frequent in our country. Should I be killed, you will have
nothing in Tahete. Do not come here when I am dead. Tahete
is a regardless country ; and should I die with sickness, do not
come here. This also I wish, that you would send me all the
curious things that you have in England. Also send me every
thing necessary for writing; paper, ink, and pens, in abun
dance. Let no writing utensil be wanting.
Friends, I have done, and have nothing at all more to ask
you for. As for your desire to instruct Tahete, 'tis what I fully
acquiesce in. 'Tis a common thing for people not to under
stand at first ; but your object is good, and I fully consent to
it, and shall cast off all evil customs.
1 The Tahitians now carried their affectation of English dress so far, that they would
give almost any price for an old black or blue coat and a shirt. No man thought he
could go before the king on public occasions with any appearance of consequence, un
less he had a musket, a coat, and a shirt ; or, at least, a coat to accompany his musket.
Some of them, it may easily be supposed, would make very grotesque figures. Their
regard to England was manifested by other circumstances. Among other ceremonies
which took place on the king's return from Eimeo, where he had been for some time,
was the sending of a piece of cloth and a small hog to the missionaries as a present for
Xing George. On all public occasions, the names of the principal chiefs are called
over, and something given for each of them ; if they are not there themselves, some
person answers in their name, and receives the present. Ever since the time of Cap
tain Cook, His Britannic Majesty has had the honour of having his name added to the
list ; and when it is called, if any Englishman be there, he answers and receives the
present ; if there is none, it is given to the natives. — Mist. Trans, vol. iii. p. 170, 172.

140 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
What I say is truth, and no lie ; it is the real truth.
This is all I have to write ; I have done.
Friends, write to me that I may know what you have to say.
I wish you life and every blessing.
May I also live, and may Jehovah save us all.
Pomare, King of Tahete, &c, fcc.1
For my Friends, The Missionary Society, London.
In November 1808, Messrs Eyre, Henry, Davies, Elder, Tes-
sier, and Warner, six of the missionaries, after labouring so
long with little or no appearance of success, left Tahiti, and
retired to Huahine. Of late years, great quantities of muskets
and gunpowder had been introduced into Tahiti by the vari
ous ships which visited the island ; they were, in fact, the prin
cipal articles which they bartered with the natives. The mis
sionaries had long been apprehensive that this would at length
give rise to a civil war, especially as the king was resolved to
have all the muskets into his own hands, and the people were
no less determined to retain them ; a considerable party was
already formed against him, and matters appeared for several
years to be drawing to some great crisis.2 The storm, however,
had been averted so long, that the missionaries had almost be
gun to flatter themselves with the continuance of peace ; but
they lately received a letter from the king, informing them,
that it was likely the island would soon be involved in war,
and warning them to be on their guard. From this period, the
alarm became general ; the rebel party daily increased in num
bers and in strength ; and it seemed as if hostilities would com
mence immediately. Meanwhile, the brig Perseverance, from
Port Jackson, anchored in Matavai Bay ; and Pomare, notwith
standing his strong attachment to the missionaries, advised
them, especially the married brethren, to consult their own
safety, by embracing this opportunity of leaving the island. At
one time, he himself intended to quit Tahiti, and actually
obtained a passage in this vessel to Huahine ; but afterwards
he changed his mind, apprehending he would by this means
lose all his authority at home. " Perhaps, however," said he,
' Miss. Trans, vol. iii. p. 175. 2 Ibid. vol. iii. p. 36, 189.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 141
" the people may ere long cut off my head, as the people of
France treated their king ;" for it seems that event was not un
known even in the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Agreeably to
the advice of the king, the missionaries resolved to leave the
island ; but on learning that he had determined to stay, it was
agreed that Messrs Hayward, Nott, Wilson, and Scott, who
were all unmarried, should remain with him, a circumstance
which appeared to afford him great satisfaction.
For some weeks after the departure of the missionaries, there
was a cessation of hostilities between Pomare and the rebels ;
but the king, infatuated by one of his false prophets, ventured
at length to attack them ; and as they had the advantage not
only in respect of numbers, but of ground, his party was re
pulsed, some of his principal warriors were slain, and numbers
of muskets taken by the enemy. Encouraged by this success,
the rebels now overran the country, and committed terrible
devastations. The houses of the missionaries were burnt, their
gardens laid waste, their plantations demolished, their cattle
seized, and the rest of their property plundered. On receiving
intelligence of Pomare's defeat, the missionaries who still re
mained on the island sailed to Eimeo ; the king himself fol
lowed them in about three weeks, and, after some time, all of
them, except Mr Nott, retired to Huahine. Pomare after
wards returned to Tahiti and engaged the rebels, but was
again defeated with the loss of twenty-four of his warriors, so
that he was now obliged to act only on the defensive, until he
should receive some reinforcements which he expected.
In October 1809, the whole of the missionaries in Huahine,
with the exception of Mr Hayward, sailed from that island for
New South Wales. Considering the past inauspicious history
of the mission, the war in Tahiti, their expulsion from that
island, the destruction of their houses, the loss of their property,
the improbability of Pomare's restoration, the slaughter which
was likely to take place before the establishment of tranquillity,
even should he eventually be restored, they thought it could
serve no valuable purpose to persist in cultivating a field which
for so many years had proved so completely barren, and which
now afforded, if possible, less prospect of fruit than ever. On
arriving in New South Wales, they obtained a supply of their

142 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
present necessities, and were provided with the means of sup
porting themselves in useful and respectable situations.1
Thus terminated to human appearance the mission to the
island of Tahiti, the inhabitants of which had not known the
time of their merciful visitation, and now it seemed to be closed
for ever. Such had been the revolution in the sentiments of
the Christian world, that this mission, which at first excited
such mighty expectations, and which threw all others into the
shade, had long been considered as a kind of forlorn hope. Its
total abandonment appeared now the voice of God in his pro
vidence, and that so plainly expressed, that it seemed scarcely
possible to mistake the interpretation ; its resumption, we be
lieve, would have found few or no advocates. The population
of Tahiti was now so small, and was diminishing so rapidly,
that it seemed not improbable the present race would become ex
tinct in the course of a few years. Captain Cook computed the in
habitants at 204,000 ; Forster, who accompanied him as a natu
ralist, calculated them at 121,500 ; but there is little doubt that
both these estimates were greatly beyond the truth. Mr William
Wilson, on the arrival of the Duff, made a tour of the greater
part of the island, with the express view of ascertaining the
population, and from the observations he made he estimated
it at 16,050 souls. The missionaries, about six years after,
stated that the inhabitants did not exceed seven or eight thou
sand ; some of them even supposed there were not more than
five thousand. The population, indeed, was diminishing every
year in consequence of the promiscuous intercourse of the sexes,
the murder of their infant children, the practice of human sac
rifices, and the havoc of the venereal disorder, and other
1 Miss. Trans, vol. iii. p. 328, 332.
Among the many trials of the missionaries, none had been more keenly felt by them,
or had a more injurious influence on the mission, than the want of supplies and
letters from England. They received supplies from England only twice during the
twelve years they had been on the island, viz., by the Royal Admiral in 1801, and by
the Hawkesbury, a small colonial vessel, in 1806. Nor did they receive letters much
more frequently, though ships often arrived from which they occasionally obtained news
papers or magazines, and though they wrote to England by almost every vessel giving.
minute accounts of their proceedings. — Ellis' Hist. vol. i. p. 197. It must have been
a sore aggravation of their other trials to find themselves thus apparently neglected
and abandoned by the Society and by their friends in England, and cut off as it were
from the Christian and the civilized world.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 143
maladies.1 Cheerless, however, as was the prospect before them,
the missionaries did return ; and now their labours were at
tended with a success which at once surprised and delighted
the friends of missions.
In July 1811, Messrs Bicknell and Scott, and a few weeks
after, Messrs Henry, Davies, and Wilson, sailed from New South
Wales for Tahiti. They had not been long in the colony, when
they felt a wish to return and resume their labours on that
island. Pomare had of late written them several letters in the
most affectionate strain, entreating them to come back, and
expressing the deepest sorrow at their absence. On reaching
the Georgian Islands, they took up their residence on Eimeo,
where the king then resided, as the continuance of peace in
Tahiti appeared somewhat doubtful.2
Though Pomare had formerly treated the missionaries with
the utmost friendship and respect, and had learned from them to
read and write his own language, yet he had shewn no disposi
tion to embrace the gospel. He was even averse to religious
instruction, and whenever the subject was introduced, artfully
endeavoured to evade it. But about twelve months after their
return he came to them, and offered himself as a candidate for
baptism, declaring that it was his fixed determination to wor
ship Jehovah the true God, and expressing his desire to be fur
ther instructed in the principles of religion. This resolution
he gave them to understand, was the result of long and in
creasing conviction of the truth and excellence of the gospel.
With him this does not appear to have been merely the cold
assent of the understanding : his sinfulness and misery appear
to have made a deep impression on his heart. His letters now
formed a striking contrast to that which he addressed a few
years before to the Missionary Society : they breathe a spirit
of contrition for his sins and of deep anxiety about his eter
nal interests, which are rarely found among the princes of this
world. " May Jehovah and Jesus Christ," says he, in one letter to
the missionaries, " may the Three-One, our only trust and
1 Cook's Second Voyage, vol. i. p. 349 ; Forster's Observations during a Voyage
round the World, p. 217 ; Miss. Voy. p. 181, 215 : Miss. Trans, vol. ii. p. 129, 144, 336 ;
vol. iii. p. 36 ; Quarterly Chronicle, vol. i. p. 366.
a Miss. Trans, vol. iii. p. 387, 444.

144 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Saviour, bless you ! May my soul be saved by Jesus Christ !
May the anger of Jehovah towards me be appeased, who am a
wicked man, guilty of accumulated crimes, of regardlessness
and ignorance of the true God, and of an obstinate perseve
rance in wickedness ! May Jehovah also pardon my foolish
ness, unbelief, and rejection of the truth ! May Jehovah give
me his good Spirit, to sanctify my heart, that I may love what
is good, and that I may be enabled to put away all my evil
customs, and become one of his people, and be saved through
Jesus Christ, our only Saviour. You indeed will be saved, you
are become the people of God ; but I may be banished to hell ;
God may not regard me : I am a wicked man, and my sins are
great and accumulated. But 0 that we may all be saved
through Jesus Christ. May the anger of God toward us all be
appeased, for all of us have been disobedient to him as our Lord
and Master. Look at the beasts ; they are all obedient to him
as their lord and master ; but we have not obeyed our Lord
and Master. Surely we are fools !"
After mentioning in another letter that he had been taken
ill a few days before, he adds : " My affliction is great ; but if I
can only obtain the favour of God before I die, I shall count
myself well off. But oh ! should I die with my sins unpar
doned, it will be ill indeed with me. Oh, may my sins be par
doned, and my soul saved through Jesus Christ ! And may
Jehovah regard me before I die, and then I shall rejoice because
I have obtained the favour of Jehovah ! "
" I continue," says he, in another letter, " to pray to God
without ceasing. Regardless of other things, I am concerned
only that my soul may be saved by Jesus Christ ! It is my
earnest desire, that I may become one of Jehovah's people ; and
that God may turn away his anger from me, which I deserve
for my wickedness, my ignorance of him, and my accumulated
crimes." On another occasion he says, " I perfectly agree to your re
quest in your letter lately wrote to me, my dear friends, in
which you desire my permission to cut down the Tamanu and
the Amai.1 Cut them down without regarding the consequences,
for a keel for our vessel. What will be the consequence ? Shall
1 These, we suppose, were sacred trees.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 1 45
we be destroyed by the evil spirits ? We cannot be destroyed
by them ; we have a great Saviour, Jesus Christ. Where you
lead, regardless of consequences, I this evil man will follow."
" The Three-One can make me good. I venture with all my
guilt to Jesus Christ, though I am not equalled in wickedness,
not equalled in guilt, not equalled in obstinate disobedience
and rejection of the truth, that this very wicked man may be
saved by J-efexrvah Jesus Christ." '
In June 1813, Messrs Scott and Hayward, in consequence of
some favourable reports which had from time to time been re
ceived from Tahiti, went over to that island with the view of
ascertaining the truth of these accounts, and were happy to
learn various circumstances of a more favourable nature than
could previously have been imagined. The example of Pomare
in renouncing the religion of his ancestors, and in embracing
Christianity, produced, as might be expected, a powerful sensa
tion among the inhabitants of Tahiti. Instructions which had
lain dormant, and convictions which had been stifled for years,
now appeared to revive. Two individuals in particular, Tuahine
and Oito, who had formerly been servants of the missionaries,
now appeared to be seriously impressed by the gospel. As they
separated themselves from their companions, often conversed
together and retired to the bush to pray together, the sin
gularity of their conduct soon attracted observation. Many
mocked and derided them ; but several young men and boys
attached themselves to them ; and the little band, without any
missionary to teach them, agreed to cast off their idols, to re
frain from the evil customs of their country, to observe the Sab
bath, and to worship Jehovah alone.3
Messrs Scott and Hayward, after making a tour of the larger
peninsula of Tahiti, returned to Eimeo, with Tuahine, Oito, and
their companions, who accompanied them for the purpose of
attending school and of enjoying the means of religious instruc
tion. Previous to their arrival, some favourable symptoms had
appeared among the domestics of the missionaries and others of
the inhabitants of that island. After several conversations
with the individuals who had lately come from Tahiti, and with
1 Miss. Trans, vol. iii. p. 188 ; vol. iv. p. 5, 8, 14.
* Ibid. vol. iv. p. 130.
VOL. II. K

146 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
others who appeared desirous of instruction, the missionaries, at
the close of a public meeting for divine worship in the native
language, gave notice, that on the following evening there
would be a meeting different from any they had ever held be
fore, and to it they invited all who sincerely renounced their
false Gods, and desired to relinquish their evil customs, who
wished to receive Jehovah as their God, and Jesus Christ as
their only Saviour, and to be instructed in his Holy Word, in
order that they might put down their names in a book, that they
might know who they were. About forty attended the meet
ing, and of these thirty-one cheerfully came forward to have
their names put down, as being of the character now described.
Some others declined this for the present, and the missionaries
pressed no one, but urged on them all attendance on the means
of religious instruction. With those who gave in their names,
the missionaries held special meetings beside their ordinary
ones for the general instruction of the natives ; and they had
from time to time the satisfaction of adding others to their
number.1 Besides the congregation in Eimeo, which now increased so
much that it became necessary to enlarge the place of worship,
there were numbers in Tahiti who publicly renounced idolatry,
observed the Sabbath, and met together to worship the true
God, and were known by the name of Praying people. There
were also a number of the same description in Huahine, and
Raiatea, and in the small island of Tapua-manu. The number
of those who renounced idolatry in the several islands, was
probably not less than between five and six hundred, among
whom were most of the principal chiefs. Two of the mission
aries made a tour through Huahine, Raiatea, and Taha, and
had large and attentive congregations, who, contrary to former
usage, assembled of their own accord. The gods of the natives
appeared to be falling into great disrepute: everywhere the
people called them "bad spirits," "foolish spirits;" but the
God of the missionaries, they called " the good spirit."
In 1815, the idolatrous chiefs in Tahiti, provoked by the
apostasy of such numbers of the people, united together in a
confederacy, though previously some of them had been rivals
' Miss. Trans, vol. iv. p. 131, 139, 144, 150.

i I

t> 1

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 1 47
and enemies, to check the progress of so alarming an evil. A
night was fixed on when they were to fall on the professors of
the new religion, and exterminate them without mercy ; but
some of the parties being rather dilatory in their movements,
and secret intelligence of the plot having been conveyed to the
converts, they escaped to the island of Eimeo, before their ene
mies attacked them. The disappointed chiefs now quarrelled
among themselves, and the Attahurans fell upon the party
which had invited them. In the contest which ensued, the
latter were defeated, and among the slain, was one of their prin
cipal chiefs, and a promoter of the war. The Attahurans being
joined by the inhabitants of other two districts, burned, and
plundered, and laid waste the country. The question about reli
gion seemed now entirely forgotten : the different parties fought
to revenge quarrels which had originated many years before.1
Meanwhile Pomare remained in Eimeo, maintaining a strict
neutrality in the contests between the different parties in Ta
hiti, but receiving all who fled thither for safety. Peace having
been at length restored between the contending parties, the
people who had fled on account of their religion were invited
to return and take possession of their lands. In consequence
of this, Pomare and his adherents proceeded to Tahiti in com
pany with the different parties of refugees, in order to reinstate
them in their possessions in a formal manner, agreeably to the
ancient custom of the island. On their approach, however, the
idolatrous party appeared on the beach to oppose their landing
and fired upon them.. By the order of the king, the fire was not
returned, but a message of peace was sent to them. An appa
rent reconciliation having taken place, several of the people re
turned peaceably to their own lands. Scarcely, however, had
a few days elapsed, when the heathen party, taking advantage
of the Sabbath, and of the time when the king and the other
converts were assembled for divine worship, made a sudden and
furious attack upon them, expecting that, being taken by sur
prise, they would be thrown into confusion, and prove an easy
conquest. In this, however, they were mistaken. Having an
ticipated such a stratagem as a probable occurrence, the mis
sionaries had warned their people of it before their departure
1 Miss. Trans, vol. iv. p. 273.

1 48 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
from Eimeo, in consequence of which they attended worship
under arms, and though they were at first thrown into some
disorder, yet they soon rallied again. A warm and furious
battle ensued, and several fell on both sides. As the whole of
the Christian party were not engaged at once, such as had a few
moments' respite fell on their knees, crying to Jehovah to pro
tect them, and to support his own cause against the heathen.
Soon after the commencement of the battle, the chief of Papara,
the principal man on the side of the idolaters, was killed. As
soon as this was known, the whole of his party were thrown
into confusion, and in a short time entirely routed. Pomare
treated the vanquished with great moderation and lenity, He
gave strict orders that the fugitives should not be pursued, and
that the women and children should not be injured. Not a
woman or child, accordingly, was hurt, nor was the property of
the vanquished plundered. The bodies of the slain, contrary
to the common practice, were decently interred, and the corpse
of the chief of Papara was conveyed in a respectful manner to
his own district.
Struck with the events of the war, the idolaters unanimously
declared they would no longer trust to their gods, which had
deceived them and sought their ruin, but would embrace the
new religion, which must needs be good, since it taught its vo
taries so much mildness and forbearance. Pomare was now, by
universal consent, established in the government of the whole
of Tahiti and its dependencies, which he had lost by the rebel
lion seven years before. He constituted chiefs in the several
districts, some of whom had for a considerable time made a
profession of Christianity. Idolatry was completely abolished
both in Tahiti and Eimeo. The gods were destroyed, the mo-
rais demolished, the Arreoy society dissolved, human sacrifices
and the murder of infants abolished. The fate of the great god
Oro, which had formerly occasioned such commotions, is not
unworthy of notice. At the close of the war, when the idola
ters had given up their cause, Pomare sent some of his follow
ers to destroy the house and altars of the idol in Taiarabu. It
was supposed by some that the inhabitants of that district
would oppose the measure, but they made no resistance. After
burning the house and demolishing the altars and morais, the

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 1 49
party brought away the idol on their shoulders, stripped of all
its ornaments. The log of wood which constituted the body of
the god was taken to Pomare and was set up in what might be
called his kitchen, to hang baskets of food upon, a very despi
cable use in the eyes of a Tahitian. His family idols, which
had been transmitted to him from his ancestors, the king pre
sented to the missionaries, that they might either destroy them
or send them to England to shew the inhabitants of this coun
try what foolish gods the people of Tahiti had worshipped.
They were accordingly forwarded to London, and were depo
sited in the museum of the Missionary Society, a memorable
trophy of the triumph of Christianity in the Georgian Islands,
calculated to awaken at once the deepest commiseration for
those immortal beings, who could make such monstrous figures
the object of their worship and confidence, and the liveliest joy
at the thought that they were now utterly abolished.1
In 1817, Messrs William Ellis, J. M. Orsmond, L. E. Threl-
keld, C. Barff, R. Bourne, D. Darling, and John Williams, ar
rived at Eimeo as a reinforcement of the mission, Though the
missionaries had occasionally visited Tahiti for the purpose of
preaching to the natives, yet none of them had as yet settled
on that island. On the arrival, however, of so considerable
a body of new missionaries, it was resolved not only to re-estab
lish the mission in Tahiti, but to form stations in the Society,
or as they are often called, the Leeward, Islands, Matavai, the
original seat of the mission in Tahiti, was first occupied. Three
other stations were formed, one in the district of Pare, another
in the district of Papara, and a third in the district of Attahura.
Several other stations were afterwards established in different
parts of the island.2
In June, 1818, Messrs Davies, Ellis, Williams, and Orsmond,
proceeded to Huahine with the view of commencing stations in
the Leeward Islands, most of which had already renounced
1 Miss. Trans, vol. iv. p. 359, 426, 431 ; Quarterly Chronicle, vol. i. p. 255, 260.
' Rep. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 10 ; Ibid. 1820, p. 4 ; Ibid. 1822, p. 7 ; Ibid. 1830, p. 6.
The whole group is often called the Society Islands, and we think this the more
convenient designation ; but it was originally divided into the Georgian or Windward
Islands, including Tahiti, Eimeo, Tetaroa, and Tapua-manu, and the Society or Lee
ward Islands, consisting of Huahine, Eaiatea, Taha, Bora-bora, Mauiua, and Tubai. —
Rep. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 4.

1 50 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
idolatry and made a profession of Christianity. They were
accompanied by several chiefs of the Leeward group, who had
sometime before left their own islands to assist Pomare in re
gaining the sovereignty of Tahiti, and who, during their stay,
had participated in the general desire which prevailed for in
struction. Shortly after the commencement of the mission in
Huahine, Tapa and other chiefs of Raiatea came to invite some
of the missionaries to that island, to instruct them and their
people in the word of God ; and two of them, Messrs Williams
and Threlkeld, accordingly settled on that island. Mai, one of
the chiefs of Bora-bora, sent the missionaries a letter reminding
them that Jesus Christ and his apostles did not confine them
selves to one country or one place ; and after some time Mr
Orsmond commenced a station on that island also ; Mr Bourne,
another of the missionaries, settled in Taha ; and the other
smaller islands were occasionally visited by the missionaries,
and were furnished with native teachers.1 Such were the ar
rangements which were made for the Christianization both of
the Windward and the Leeward Islands.
There often appears something extraordinary and quite un
accountable in the renunciation of idolatry, and the profession
of Christianity, by the natives of the South Sea Islands. In
the progress of our history, we shall find frequent examples of
this. It is like an effect without a cause ; and many, in their
wonder, are ready to ascribe it to the unseen working of a Divine
hand, and look on it as so plainly the work of God, that no
one can mistake or doubt it. But if the nature of the case were
better understood, there would be found little ground for such
conclusions. In many of the islands, the renunciation of idola
try did not arise, at least in the first instance, from any right
understanding of the evil of idol worship, or of the nature of
Christianity ; it was simply the result of the example and au
thority of the chiefs. So long as they adhered to the religion
of their fathers, the people had no thought of changing it for
any other ; but so soon as they declared in favour of the new
religion, their subjects were ready to follow them. They would
now perhaps destroy their morais, deliver up or burn their idols,
1 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1818, p. 53 ; Ibid. 1819, p>. 3 ; Ibid. 1820, p. 10 ; Ibid. 1822, p.
33 ; Quart. Chron. vol. ii. p. vii.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 151
profess Christianity, erect places of worship, and even observe
the Sabbath ; while yet they continued to indulge in the most
degrading vices, living like the beasts of the fields. The change
was at the beginning, in most cases, merely in name : it wanted
not only purity, but reality.1
In travelling through Tahiti and the other islands, the mis
sionaries were received by the inhabitants in the most friendly
manner. A few years before, it was scarcely possible to collect
a congregation : the missionaries were obliged to entice them
to hear the word, and frequently, when they were endeavour
ing to gather a few together, the people would make their escape,
skulking behind the trees or bushes. Now large congregations
assembled of their own accord: some even came a distance of
many miles. Their eagerness for instruction, and their regu
larity in attending on the means of grace, might have put mul
titudes of the professors of religion in Christian countries to the
blush. Frequently the service had to commence before the or
dinary time, in consequence of the house being full. In
stead of a multitude of idols, morais, and altars, there were
now churches in every district : except here and there a heap
of stones, scarce a vestige of the old religion was to be seen.
The questions, which the natives put to the missionaries, rela
tive to points doctrinal, experimental, and practical, were often
extremely pertinent. Family worship was established in almost
every house, and secret prayer was the practice of almost every
individual. In those places where there was no preaching, the
1 Quart. Chron. vol. ii. p. 427, 445.
Of some of these statements, we have an illustration in the case of Raiatea. Tapa, the
principal chief of that island, had two years before the arrival of the missionaries pub
licly renounced idolatry and professed Christianity, and his example was followed by
many of the people. — Miss. Trans, vol. iv. p. 428. Mr Williams soon after his arrival
among them writes, " It is very delightful to see them on Sabbath morning very neatly
dressed, and going to the house of prayer. After the service they return to their
homes and eat what had been prepared on the previous day. After the meal they go again
to chapel. I assure you, you would be delighted to observe the attention of many to
thewordof God. '' But, adds Mr Prout, the biographer of Williams, "Pleasing as was their
receptiou, and promising as were the appearances around them, the missionaries soon
discovered that the moral state of the people was to the lowest degree debased and dis
couraging. * Their customs,' they write, ' are abominable ;' too abominable indeed to
allow of the insertion of the passages which allude to them in these pages. ' All the
inhabitants have now made a profession of Christianity. It is the national religion,
and as such it is adopted by the people. In a word, they are a nation of Antinomians.' "
— Front's Life of the Rev. John Williams, p. 60, 63, 179.

1 52 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
natives had prayer-meetings among themselves. The Rateras
and some of the priests took the lead in their religious exer
cises, engaging in prayer by turns. The propriety, fluency, and
earnestness, with which some of them expressed themselves on
these occasions, were truly wonderful. The strictness of the
natives in observing the Sabbath was also remarkable. It
often afforded the missionaries singular pleasure, to look around
them on a Saturday afternoon, and see the smoke ascending
from the cooking-houses of the people, who were preparing their
victuals for the ensuing Sabbath. Not a fire was lighted, not
a canoe seen on the water, not a journey undertaken, not
the least kind of worldly business done on the Lord's day. When
Mr Crook, who had previously been a missionary in the South
Sea Islands, was returning to Tahiti, he was astonished on his
arrival, that none of the natives made their appearance, as the
vessel sailed along the shore, and that no smoke arose from their
dwellings. At first, he was afraid that the island had been laid
waste, and the inhabitants destroyed ; but while he was indul
ging in these apprehensions, one of the sailors, a Tahitian, re
marked that the natives were observing the Sabbath ; that on
that day, they now did no work, nor cooked any victuals, nor
went out of their houses, except to worship God ; but spent the
whole of its sacred hours in the exercises of religion, or in
teaching one another to read. The vessel, at length, anchored
in Matavai Bay ; but not a native made his appearance until
next morning, when great numbers came on board, bringing
with them the usual tokens of hospitality, presents of cloth,
food, and fruit of various kinds.1
Besides instructing the natives in the principles of Christian
ity, the missionaries taught them to read and write their own
language, and,-in some instances, arithmetic. In this attempt,
they formerly met with little encouragement ; now their exer
tions were crowned with singular sucess. The schools in each
of the islands, were attended by some hundred persons, includ
ing adults and children. Many of the scholars were afterwards
scattered among the neighbouring islands, and employed them
selves in communicating to others the knowledge they had ac-
1 Miss. Trans, vol. iv. p. 142, 152, 428 ; Quart. Chron. vol. i. p. 263, 270, 321, 366,
358 ; Evan. Mag. vol. xxvi. p. 174, 273, 314, 359 ; vol. xxvii. p. 349 ; vol. xxx. p. 457.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 153
. quired. By this means, the art of reading and writing was
much more rapidly and extensively diffused, than could possibly
have been effected by the missionaries alone. Pomare even
issued orders, that school-houses should be erected in every dis
trict of Tahiti and Eimeo, and that the best instructed of the
natives should be employed in teaching others.1
Besides school-books, catechisms, and other small works, the
missionaries prepared a translation of the Old and New Testa
ment into the Tahitian language.2 Some of these works were
first printed in England or New South Wales ; but on obtain
ing a press of their own, they were better able to supply the
urgent demands of the natives for books. With the view of
encouraging the people to learn, they formerly distributed the
works they printed gratis ; but as this spirit no longer required
to be cherished, they now very wisely resolved to take payment
for them. The Gospel of Luke, which was the first of the gos
pels that was printed, was sold for three gallons of cocoa-nut
oil ; and though the edition consisted of three thousand copies,
yet multitudes of the natives were grievously disappointed, that
no more were to be had. Nothing could exceed the eagerness
of the people to obtain copies : while waiting for them they
would scarcely retire to sleep at night, lest they should be
disappointed ; they would not even stop till they were bound ;
but insisted on having them as they were, and they got the
skins of goats, and dogs, and other animals, for the purpose of
binding them themselves. Such as did obtain a copy, took such
care of it, as shewed the high value they set upon it. A cover
was immediately made for it, and a bag or basket was provided
in which to carry it about : some were even afraid to take it
1 Miss. Trans, vol. iv. p. 275, 428 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 8 ; Evan. Mag. 1823,
p. 162 ; Quart. Chron. vol. ii. p. 158, 315.
* It is gratifying to the author of this work to find, that among the pieces translated
into the Tahitian language was the Catechism, which forms the first part of his
"Christian Instructions for Children from three to seven years of age." — Rep. Miss.
Soc. 1827, p. 16. It was also translated into Rarotongan, Ibid. 1835, p. 17 ; into
Chinese, Ibid. 1825, p. 47, and 1826, p. 26 ; into Tamil, Ibid. 1825, p. 99 ; into Ma-
lagash, the language of Madagascar, Evan. Mag. 1825, p. 310; and into Sichuana, the
language of the Bechuanas in South Africa. Into the last-mentioned language was
also translated his " Selection of Passages of Scripture for Young Persons to commit
to Memory." — Evan. Mag. 1830, p. 503 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1833, p. 92. He is not with
out the hope that if these two small pieces were more generally known to missionaries,
they might find them not unworthy of translation for the use of their schools.

154 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
out, lest it should get dirtied or torn ; they were also afraid to ,
leave it at home, lest it should be injured in their absence. A
native who possessed a book was seldom seen without it, except
when he was at work : the people might frequently be seen sit
ting in circles, beneath the shade of a wide-spreading tree, and
reading to each other in their own language the wonderful
works of God. Books, in short, were now the most valuable
property in these islands.1
In Tahiti, which was so lately the seat of the most cruel
and degrading superstition, there was even established a Mis
sionary Society for promoting the propagation of Christian
ity among the Heathen. At the public meeting held for
forming it, Pomare reminded the natives how much of their
time used to be spent in worshipping idols ; how large a part
of their property was consecrated to their service ; how many
of their lives were sacrificed to their honour ; and that all this
was done for what was no god, being nothing more than a piece
of wood, or a cocoa-nut husk. He explained to them the means
by which the heralds of mercy had come thither, for the natives
imagine that the missionaries may go on board a ship, as they
themselves go on board the canoes of one another, and be con
veyed free of expense wherever they please ; but the king told
them that was not the case ; that a great quantity of money
was given to the captains of vessels, to carry them to the scene
of their labours ; and that this was furnished by good people in
England, who wished " the word of God to grow." It was by
such means that they now enjoyed the light of the gospel, and
he thought it was right that they should endeavour to send it
to other lands, which were still in darkness ; and, though they
had no money, yet they might give pigs, arrowroot, cocoa-nut
oil, and cotton, " to buy money." He contrasted how little they
were now called upon to give in the service of the true God,
with what they used to spend in the worship of idols. He in
sisted, however, that there should be no compulsion ; that what
ever was given, should be given voluntarily, and that those who
did not contribute, should not be evil spoken of on that account.
He closed his speech, by proposing that all present, " who wished
1 Miss. Trans, vol. iii. p. 282 ; vol. iv. p. 147, 276, 360 ; Quart. Chron. vol. i. p. 257,
271, 288, 300, 305, 447, 490 ; vol. iii. p. 37, 75, 361 ; Evan. Mag. vol. xxiii. p. 516 ;
vol. xxvii. p. 349.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 155
"the word of God to grow," and who agreed to his proposal,
should signify their mind, by holding up their hand. Instantly,
every hand in the assembly, which consisted of two or three
thousand persons, was raised in token of their readiness to
tmite in the glorious work of propagating the gospel of Christ
among the heathen. The contributions were to consist, agree
ably to the king's proposal, of cocoa-nut oil, arrowroot, and
other productions of the island, which were to be accounted for
to the Missionary Society in London. Similar societies were
formed in Eimeo, in Huahine, in Bora-bora, and in Raiatea,
with a branch at Taha. The produce of the cocoa-nut oil, sent
to England by these associations was, on one occasion, not less
than £1 877 : 3 : 7.1 An interest in missions was kept up among
the natives for some years ; but the contributions afterwards
fell off greatly.
Amongst other fruits which the introduction of Christianity
into Tahiti and the neighbouring islands produced, it was pleas
ing to witness the improvement which it effected in the moral
and civil condition of the people. The female instead of being
merely the slave of the man, was now raised to a level with
him as his companion. Formerly the sexes ate separately, a
custom which proved the source of many and great evils ; now
the whole family, assembled together at the same meal, men,
women, and children. Concubinage, which was common among
the chief men in the islands, prior to the introduction of Chris
tianity, was now unknown ; and though formal marriages did
not take place among the natives in general, yet the principle
of the marriage union was strictly and almost universally ob
served. Not only did the horrid practice of infanticide cease,
but mothers who once destroyed their infant offspring, now
manifested to their children a remarkable degree of tenderness
and affection, and some deeply lamented the loss of their little
ones, who had fallen a sacrifice to the unnatural and cruel cus
tom. Prior to the introduction of the gospel, it was common
for the women to flock, for the basest of purposes, on board the
ships that occasionally touched at the islands ; now this custom
not only ceased, but was considered by them, in general, as ex-
' Quart. Chron. vol. i. p. 442, 446, 496, 498 ; vol. ii. p. 157, 233; Evan. Mag. vol.
xxviii. p. 349 ; vol. xxvii. p. 82, 171 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1822, p. xcv.

156 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
ceedingly disgraceful. The sports of the natives were formerly
highly indecent, and spread a moral contagion through the
great mass of the population ; now they bad entirely altered
their character ; and, in fact, among the various remarkable
changes which took place in these islands, none appeared to the
missionaries so singular as the complete cessation of these abo
minable and fascinating amusements. The sick and aged, who
used formerly to be considered as a burden, and were sometimes
buried alive by their own relations, were now treated by them
with kindness and humanity.. Under the reign of the ancient
superstition, when any great calamity occurred, several of the
natives used to be sacrificed to appease the wrath of the offended
gods. At the instance of the priests, the king sent off messen
gers in various directions, who were commissioned to enter the
peaceful dwellings of particular individuals previously marked
out as their wretched victims. It sometimes happened that the
messenger entered as a friend, and was hospitably entertained
as such, when seizing his opportunity, he struck his host to the
ground a lifeless corpse. The terrified relations of the mur
dered person instantly fled, whilst his body was carried off as a
sacrifice to the Morai. This cruel custom, however, had now
entirely ceased ; a human sacrifice was a thing unknown. In
consequence of the abolition of these various practices, the
population of the islands, which had been rapidly diminishing,
promised soon to increase : even already, there was a visible
difference in the number of children.1
But though many cruel practices had utterly ceased, and
many crimes which formerly prevailed were seldom heard of,
there was reason to fear that vices of a very heinous character
were still practised by some of the natives, a fact which will
excite no surprise in the minds of those who reflect on the deep
depravity of human nature, the inveteracy of evil habits, and
the short time which Christianity had as yet exerted its benign
and purifying influence in these islands. Among the many
causes which obstruct the improvement of morals, we may par
ticularly notice the uncontrolled condition of the young. Among
a people just emerging from a state of barbarism, the advan
tages resulting to children from the prudent exercise of parental
1 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1820, p. 13.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 1 57
authority, can scarcely be expected; but in Tahiti and the
neighbouring islands, the children were so independent of their
parents, in regard to subsistence, that they enjoyed the most
unbridled licence. A lad, if punished by his parents, would ab
sent himself from home for weeks or months together, roving
from one district to another, or even to other islands. The
efficacy of parental authority was lost on a boy, who found him
self as happy and more independent among strangers, than
under the roof of his father. From the same cause, it was
scarcely possible to obtain a regular attendance of the children
at school.1
With the moral improvement of a people, the arts of civiliza
tion are intimately connected ; but these for some years made
little progress among the inhabitants of Tahiti and the neigh
bouring islands. Formerly, the property of the natives was
arbitrarily demanded from them by the king and the chiefs ;
but since the reception of Christianity, the rights of the people
were better understood, and what was once a compulsory requi
sition, was now in general converted into a civil request. One
great check to industry was thus partially removed, for it is not
to be expected that men will shew much disposition to labour for
that of which they may be deprived the very next day by the
authority or caprice of another. Still, however, the general
mildness of the climate, and the natural fertility of the soil,
rendered the natives in a great measure independent of regular
labour. Idleness, indolence, and roving habits, were, as a con
sequence of this, prevalent among them ; for men will not
readily work to procure that of which they feel no need. To
create therefore among them artificial wants, appeared one of
the most likely means of forming them to habits of industry,
and of promoting among them settled residence.2
With the view of creating among them artificial wants, and
at the same time furnishing them with the means of supplying
them, the directors of the Missionary Society were anxious to
introduce among them the cultivation of the sugar-cane, and
also of cotton and coffee. They accordingly sent Mr John
Gyles to Tahiti with the apparatus necessary for the manufac-
1 Quart. Chron. vol. i. p. 441. ' Miss. Chron. vol. i. p. 441.

158 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
ture of sugar ; but though he obtained a piece of land for a
plantation, and the sugar-works were actually erected, the hopes
which were formed of the success of the undertaking were in
the first instance in a great degree disappointed. The captain
of an American vessel which touched at Tahiti, told some of
the natives that, should the sugar-works succeed, persons of
property would come from beyond the sea and establish them
selves among them ; that they would seize their lands, and kill
them, or make them slaves ; and as an evidence of this, he re
ferred to what had taken place in the West Indies. In conse-
sequence of this, Pomare informed the missionaries, that he
could not consent to the prosecution of the sugar-works except
on a very limited scale. With the view of satisfying the king,
and quieting the apprehensions of the people, they advised Mr
Gyles to leave the island, but though the manufacture of sugar
was so much opposed at first, it came, after some years, to be
prosecuted on a considerable scale, and promised to be a source
of extensive and permanent benefit to the people.1
The directors afterwards sent two artizans, Messrs Armitage
and Blossom, to Tahiti, with the view of introducing the manu
facture of cotton and other mechanical arts ; but the attempt
was attended with many difficulties, and was not so successful
as was expected. The natives found that they could purchase
calicoes and other articles from the ships much cheaper than
they could manufacture them from the cotton grown on the
island. Indeed, it is remarked by Mr Williams, that it is not
generally advisable to attempt the introduction of complex
manufactures among an infant people. A nation just emerging
from barbarism should rather be encouraged to direct its ener
gies to the production of the raw material, and to exchange
that with civilized countries for manufactured articles.2
But though the natives made no great progress in the arts of
civilization, it must not be supposed they made no improve
ment. Their proficiency in some of the mechanical arts, their
infant manufactures, their cultivation not only of the sugar
cane, but of coffee, potatoes, plantains, arrowroot, Indian corn,
1 Quart. Chron. vol. i. p. 441 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1821, p. 5 ; Ibid. 1842, p. 26.
3 Evan. Mag. 1823, p. 165 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1830, p. 10 ; Williams' Miss. Enter.
p. 267.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 159
water-melons, pine-apples, tobacco, and other vegetable produc
tions ; their acquisition of cattle, horses, and other animals ;
their more comfortable houses, and their improved dress, par
ticularly that of the females ; the increasing number of ships
which they furnished with supplies ; the use of money among
themselves and in their commercial transactions with foreigners,
were all so many steps in the way of progress. There were even
a number of vessels from twenty to eighty tons built upon the
islands by the natives themselves, some of which they sold, and
others they employed in fetching cargoes of pearl-shell from a
group of islands about two or three hundred miles to the east
ward, to sell to the English and American traders, who were
continually visiting their shores. By these means, they obtained
considerable supplies of European clothing and other useful
commodities, in exchange for articles of native produce, thus at
once increasing their comforts and improving their habits.
Nor were these improvements confined to Tahiti ; they extended
also to others of the islands, some of which made even greater
advances than that far-famed isle.1
In the island of Raiatea, in particular, the spirit of improve
ment was kindled through the exertions and example of Mr
Williams, who appears to have possessed a peculiar genius for
the mechanical arts, and who threw his whole soul into efforts
for the improvement of the natives through means of them,
being fully alive to the great importance of the advancement of
their temporal as well as of their spiritual condition. It was
truly interesting to witness so many of the natives diligently
employed, some in erecting houses, others in building boats,
some as sawyers and blacksmiths, others as carpenters, making
very neat sofas, bedsteads, and similar articles. When the mis
sionaries first settled on this island, the spot where they fixed
their residence had the appearance of a wilderness, nor were
there more than two or three houses in the district ; but in the
course of about ten months, the aspect of the place was entirely
changed. Instead of an almost impassable wood, it presented
a fine open scene, with a range of houses extending nearly two
1 Quart. Chron. vol. ii. p. 158, 160, 225, 248 ; vol. iii. p. 35, 41 ; Evan. Mag. 1822,
p. 30 ; Djid. 1828, p. 361, 363 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1830, p. 5 ; Ibid. 1831, p. 4, 13 ; Ibid.
1835, p. 13 ; Ellis' Vindication of the South Sea Missions from the Misrepresentations
of Kotzebue, p. 60.

160 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
miles along the sea-beach, in which resided about a thousand
of the natives. They also erected two bridges of considerable
extent, which would have done credit to any country village in
England.1 In May 1819 was exhibited in Tahiti the interesting spec
tacle of a king giving a code of laws to his people, who, like
himself, were lately savages and heathens. On the day ap
pointed for its promulgation, Pomare, after singing, reading the
Scriptures, and prayer by Mr Crook, one of the missionaries,
stood up, and looking on the thousands of his subjects, on his
right hand and on his left, addressed himself to Tati, the chief
of the southern part of the island, saying, " Tati, what is your
desire ? What can I do for you ? " Tati, who sat nearly oppo
site to him, arose and said: "These are what we want, the
papers you hold in your hand, the laws ; give them to us, that
we may have them in our hands, that we may regard them,
and do what is right." The king then addressed Utami, the
chief of Teoropoa, and in an affectionate manner, said, "Utami,
and what is your desire ? " To this the chief answered, " One
thing only is desired by us all, that which Tati has expressed,
the laws which you hold in your hand." Having addressed
two others of the chiefs, and received similar answers from
them, Pomare proceeded to read and comment upon the laws
relative to murder, theft, stolen goods, lost property, Sabbath-
breaking, rebellion, marriage, adultery, and a variety of other
matters, in eighteen different articles. After reading and ex
plaining the several articles, he asked the chiefs whether they
approved of them. To which they replied aloud, " We agree
to them, we heartily agree to them." The king then addressed
the people, and desired them, if they approved of the laws, to
signify their approbation by lifting up their right hands. This
was done unanimously, with a singular rushing noise, thousands
of arms being lifted up at the same moment. Such a scene
may be better conceived than described : to behold a king giv
ing laws to his subjects, with an express regard to the autho
rity of the word of God, and a people receiving them with such
universal satisfaction, was truly a sublime and interesting sight.
1 Quart. Chron. vol. ii. p. 56, 62 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1821, p. 14 ; Ibid. 1822, p. 26 ;
Williams' Life, p. 202, 213.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 161
The code of laws was afterwards printed and posted up in every
district, and the people were thus generally made acquainted
with their civil rights, as well as with their civil obligations.
The code is introduced in the following manner : " Pomare, by
the grace of God, King of Tahiti, Eimeo, and all surrounding
lands, to all his faithful subjects, greeting : In the name of the
true God ; God in his great mercy has sent his word among us.
We have embraced this word, that we may. be saved. We de
sire to regard the commandments which he has given to us.
In order, therefore, that our conduct may become like the con
duct of those who love God, we make known unto you the fol
lowing laws of Tahiti." A code of laws was also adopted by
the chiefs of the islands of Raiatea and Taha. It consisted of
twenty-five articles, the last of which instituted trial by jury.
A similar code was afterwards adopted by the chiefs of Huahine
and the tributary island of Tapua-manu.1 .
In December 1821, died Pomare, the king of Tahiti, after a
severe illness of some weeks. This prince was full six feet two
inches high, and was the most gigantic man on the island. He
possessed a capacious mind ; in knowledge of every kind he
was unrivalled among his countrymen ; but he was of a re
served and gloomy temper, was fond of power, and wished
to have the persons and property of his subjects entirely at his
disposal. He was naturally indolent, and seldom walked out
except to bathe. He inherited from his father a partiality to
foreigners, and was always the friend of the missionaries ; but
he was more averse than his people to adopt European cus
toms. He was much feared by his subjects, and was a chief
instrument in bringing about that mighty moral and religious
revolution which took place in these islands. To the mission
aries he rendered important assistance in translating the Holy
Scriptures. He was well acquainted with the Scriptures, and
with the way of salvation therein revealed ; but whether he
was himself a partaker of that salvation, it is not for us to
judge. Notwithstanding the deep convictions which he at one
time expressed of his sinfulness, he was afterwards much given
up to drunkenness, and the missionaries long delayed baptiz
ing him ; but after some years, as he had been so constant and
1 Quart. Chron. vol. i. p. 493 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1822, p. 8, 24.
VOL. II. L

162 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
persevering in promoting the interests of religion, and as it ap
peared to be the wish of the whole nation, particularly of the
most pious chiefs, they proceeded to administer to him the
ordinance of baptism, on his engaging to devote himself to the
Lord, and to renounce every sin, even the appearance of evil.
Upon his death, the missionaries were under considerable ap
prehensions that the island would be involved in confusion ;
but these fears were happily disappointed. His son, an infant
of eighteen months old, succeeded him as king, and a regency
was appointed, consisting of some of the principal chiefs.1
Though it was interesting to witness the progress of the arts
and habits of civilized life in the distant islands of the Pacific
Ocean, yet the rise of commercial interest among the natives,
the eagerness with which many of them engaged in trade, and,
in particular, the increased number of ships which annually
visited their shores, were not unattended with evil conse
quences. Though there were honourable exceptions, yet sel
dom did a ship touch at any of the islands but it proved a
curse, not a blessing ; and at some of the stations there came
in an overwhelming flood of wickedness and vice. Prostitution,
which it was hoped had been suppressed, was revived, and was
carried on to a fearful extent, destroying at once the morals
and the health of the young females, as well as of their aban
doned paramours.
Previous to the overthrow of idolatry in Tahiti, the inhabi
tants had learned the baneful art of distilling a spirituous
liquor from the saccharine Ti root, which produced among
them its customary demoralizing effects ; but now large quan
tities of ardent spirits were imported into the islands by Eng
lish, and chiefly by American ships, consisting of what is called
New England rum. Much activity and perseverance were
shewn in promoting the sale of this pernicious article, by hawk
ing it about the islands, inducing the chiefs to engage in
the trade, and the establishment by foreigners who had left
ships touching at the island, of a number of grog shops on the
shore, which became the resort of the most abandoned of the
natives, and the most depraved among the crews of the ship-
1 Quart. Chron. vol. i. p. 495 ; vol. ii. p. 224, 229, 247 ; vol. iii. p. 40 ; Evan. Mag.
vol. xxx. p. 326, 372.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 163
ping, and gave rise to scenes of outrage and bloodshed unknown
in the island since their renunciation of paganism. Prior to
the importation of ardent spirits, the natives were making
rapid improvement in erecting neat and comfortable dwellings,
and in preparing cocoa-nut oil and arrowroot, for the purpose
of purchasing European clothing and other useful articles for
themselves and their families. But all improvement was in a
measure suspended as the habit of drinking increased. The
energies of the people were now directed to the means of ob
taining ardent spirits ; and instead of devoting the proceeds of
their diminished labour to the purchase of clothing, hundreds
of them sold the clothes they had, with those of their wives and
children, to obtain that poisonous drug which was destroying
alike both body and soul. Nor were the baneful effects of in
temperance confined to the irreligious portion of the com
munity. Many of the members of the church were among its
victims. For one of the communicants who was excluded for
any other cause, there were ten, twenty, or more, who were ex
cluded for intemperance.1
With the view of checking this tremendous evil, temperance
societies were formed at the various mission stations, and were
productive of the most beneficial results. The queen2 and most
of the governors became members of them, and a law was
passed, though not without much opposition, that no persons,
whether natives or foreigners, should make use of, or have in
their possession any quantity of ardent spirits, however small,
under heavy penalties. This law was vigorously and impar
tially executed. Casks and calabashes of spirits were dashed to
pieces, and their contents spilt on the ground. Some persons
suggested that it might be useful to have a small reserve in
case of sickness ; but even this would not be allowed, a wise
precaution in the case of a fickle and barbarous people. But
notwithstanding this law, the runaway seamen who were liv
ing in Tahiti, and the ships which visited it, were continually
1 Ellis' Hist. vol. i. p. 183 ; Asiatic Journal, 1827, p. 517, 519 ; Evan. Mag. 1832,
p. 409 ; Ibid. 1833, p. 497 ; Ibid. 1835, p. 163 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1830, p. 5 ; Ibid.
1831, p. 4 ; Ibid. 1834, p. 5, 6 ; Memoirs of the Life and Gospel Labours of Daniel
Wheeler, a minister of the Society of Friends, p. 316.
a Pomare's son lived only five years, and on his death he was succeeded by his
only sister.

164 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
smuggling spirits on shore, even though, when they were de
tected, they had the mortification of seeing them spilt on the
beach. Both the chiefs and the people appeared determined to
prevent their introduction into the island, knowing by bitter
experience their sad effects. The inhabitants of the district of
Papara, in the island of Tahiti, came to an agreement among
themselves, that they would not trade with any vessel or boat
which should bring them to their shores ; and officers were ap
pointed to examine every boat that came to their part of the
island, and if it had spirits on board for sale it was ordered
away. In a short time, the importation of the poisonous drug
was greatly reduced in quantity, and a general improvement
took place throughout the island. Instead of squalidness in
dress and impropriety of behaviour, the people once more ap
peared in decent clothing, and conducted thenlselves with or
der and decorum. The chapels and the schools were better
attended, and there was an increased attention to divine
things.1 The Leeward Islands were less frequented by shipping than
Tahiti, and were consequently exposed to fewer temptations ;
but there also the people became greatly addicted to intempe
rance, and there also it produced its wonted noxious fruits.
After some time, the chiefs and people of Huahine and Raia
tea agreed to abolish the use, and to prevent by every possible
means the introduction, of ardent spirits into these islands ; a
measure which was productive of the most beneficial results.
But in Bora-bora the evil still prevailed, and there produced the
most direful effects.2
For some years there was comparatively little drunkenness
in Tahiti, but the French and American consuls, who, to the
disgrace of themselves and of the countries they represented,
had long endeavoured to break through all restrictions, forced
at length, in spite of law, the public sale of spirits, the conse
quence of which was once more a great increase of intempe
rance.3 Besides intemperance, there were other causes of demoraliza-
• Evan. Mag. 1835, p. 168 ; Ibid. 1836, p. 120, 585 ; Ibid. 1838, p. 507.
2 Ellis' Hist. vol. i. p. 333, 349 ; Wheeler's Memoirs, p. 419, 423, 427.
¦ Rep. Miss. Soc. 1842, p. 4.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. ] 65
tion at work among the people. It was natural to expect that
in so general a reception of Christianity as had taken place in
these islands, not a few would be found who had merely been
carried along by the stream, without undergoing any spiritual
change of their state or character. Accordingly, after a few
years, many who once made a profession of religion laid it aside
and shewed themselves in their true colours. The deep inwrought
depravity of the unregenerate heart, the propensity to licen
tiousness, which on the general profession of Christianity was
concealed, but neither forsaken nor destroyed, were not long
held in check by the feeble influence of example, or regard to
character, among a people to whom heretofore moral worth was
to a great extent unknown and almost incomprehensible. The
declension in the state of religion was not confined to Tahiti ;
it extended to the islands generally. In most of them it was
much increased by wars which broke out between different
parties, and which, giving birth to many of the worst passions
of the human heart, were followed by a great defection among
the members of the churches. It is a somewhat singular cir
cumstance, that even these infant churches were troubled with
heretical opinions, particularly with some of an Antinomian cha
racter. At one time, two individuals arose who alleged that
the millennium was come, that evil no longer existed, and that
every person was at liberty to live as he pleased. Two vision
aries, at a subsequent period, pretended that they were inspired
by the Spirit of God, and empowered to work miracles, and de
clared that there was no sin and hereafter no punishment.1
In August 1834, at a meeting of the principal people of Ta
hiti and Eimeo, it was proposed by the queen, and agreed to by
all parties, that in future all should attend the house of God on
Sabbath, and that those professing godliness, and all the chil
dren, without exception, should attend school. In consequence
of this the places of worship were crowded on the Sabbath, and
the schools were well attended. But according to Daniel
Wheeler, a minister of the Society of Friends, who shortly after
visited these islands, nothing seemed to operate more power-
' Rep. Miss. Soc. 1827, p. 5, 10 ; Ibid. 1831, p. 5 ; Ibid. 1832, p. 2 ; Poid. 1834,
p. 13 ; Ibid. 1835, p. 15 ; arid. 1836, p. 14 ; Evan. Mag. 1827, p. 397, 529 ; Ibid. 1831,
p. 161 ; Ibid. 1833, p. 498, 501.

166 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
fully in producing dislike and disgust in the minds of the people
than this arbitrary order, which, it is said, had no less a penalty
attached to it than the forfeiture of their lands.1 We trust that
none of the missionaries had any thing to do with this unwise
and ill-judged regulation, and that it is merely an example of
the ignorance and shortsightedness of native legislation.
In November 1836, Messrs Laval and Caret, two Roman
Catholic missionaries, subjects of France, landed in Tahiti.
For some years past, measures had been on foot for undermin
ing and destroying the missions of the Protestants in the South
Sea Islands, and for bringing the natives over to the Church of
Rome, and under the political dominion or influence of France.
In the preceding year, an Irish religieux, named Murphy, or, as
he was now called, Columban, landed in Tahiti on his way, he
said, to the Sandwich Islands, disguised as a carpenter. He
was clad like a man before the mast, was unshaven, smoked a
short pipe, and altogether looked like any thing rather than a
priest. Though strong suspicions were entertained by the au
thorities in regard to his real character, he was at last allowed
to remain, and he spent nearly two months on the island, which
he improved in preparing the way for the settlement of other
missionaries. The two priests who now came to Tahiti did not
land at Wilk's harbour, the usual anchorage, and the ordinary
residence of the queen, but clandestinely on the opposite side
of the island ; a proceeding which was in contravention of a
long- established law of the island, that "no master or commander
of a vessel should be allowed to land any passenger without
special permission from the queen and governors." After pass
ing round the island and surveying it attentively they arrived
at Wilk's harbour, where they were received and entertained
by M. Moerenhout, the American consul, who was a Belgian
and a Roman Catholic, and had lately come from Paris, and
who promised to protect them as long as they wished to stay.
Having obtained an interview with the queen, they, after telling
her that the land was all to be hers, and that they had only
come to teach the word of God, presented her with a silk shawl;
they also offered her some gold, in the hope of inducing her to
1 Evan. Mag. 1835, p. 295 ; Memoirs of the Life and Gospel Labours of Daniel
Wheeler, p. 365, 755, 76-3, 425, 760.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 167
comply with their wishes. But the queen was not to be deluded
in this way, and desired that the laws might be read to them.
They, however, refused to hear them, and hastily took their de
parture. A messenger was immediately despatched by her or
ders, informing them that she would not allow them to remain
on the island, and a similar intimation was made to M. Moeren
hout. On the schooner being ready for sea, the queen renewed
her orders to them to leave the island with her. But they hav
ing in the mean while been furnished by Moerenhout with a
house, locked themselves in, and refused to allow any one to
enter. The vessel was therefore detained twenty-four hours, and
the house was surrounded by officers of the queen waiting for
the priests to come out. The house being very low, the officers
at last lifted up the latch, and three of the natives went over
the wall, unlocked the door, led out the priests, and with the
assistance of the officers put them and their property on board
the vessel, which immediately left the island and returned with
them to the Gambier Islands, whence they had last come.
Next day the consul addressed a letter to the queen, com
plaining that the consulate had been broken open ; that the
Catholics under his protection had been taken away ; that the
American flag had been insulted, and that he would not hoist it
again, until a man-of-war should arrive to re-establish him in
his office.
Though the priests were removed from the island, their de
signs were not to be thus baffled. Seven weeks did not elapse,
when M. Caret returned in an American brig to Tahiti, accom
panied by another priest, M. Maigrat. As soon as the ship
came to anchor, the government sent a letter to the captain,
whose name was Williams, containing a copy of the laws, and
calling his special attention to the article regarding the landing
of passengers. On receiving this communication, the captain
wrote to the queen requesting permission to land his passengers;
and his application having been refused, he repeated his request,
stating that the priests were bound to Valparaiso, and that they
only wished to stop at Tahiti until they could obtain a passage
to that port ; and that if she did not allow them to land, he
would be obliged to carry them to India, whither he himself
was bound. But the queen still withheld her consent. A third

1 68 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
letter was then addressed to her by Williams, in which he stated
that if she did not give him permission to land his passengers
by a certain day, he would then land them without her permis
sion ; and if she forced them on board again, he would remain
at anchor, and charge her fifty dollars a day for his vessel ; and
that if he was compelled to take them to Valparaiso, he would
demand from her majesty, by the first man-of-war, 2000 dollars
for the loss he would sustain by going so much out of his way.
Many threats were used, but all in vain. The queen and the
governors were, however, much perplexed, and addressed a let
ter to the American Consul, requesting him, as in duty bound,
to interfere for their protection, and to send away the brig ; but
Moerenhout replied, that he would not do so, but would defend
the proceedings of the captain against the government.
On the morning of the day he had named, Captain Williams
ordered the priests to be set on shore. The natives, by com
mand of the queen, waded into the water to prevent the boat
from landing, but they offered no violence. The captain, perceiv
ing that his attempts would be vain, directed the boat to return
to the vessel, and he soon after sailed, carrying the priests with
him. Both the consul and the captain professed to be greatly
enraged ; and the latter, on leaving the island, threatened to
send immediately a man-of-war from Valparaiso to enforce his
demand of 2000 dollars from the queen. In the investigations
connected with these shameful proceedings, facts were ascer
tained which shewed plainly that the statement that the priests
merely wished to stop at Tahiti until they could obtain a ship
for Valparaiso was a mere pretext ; that their design from the
beginning was to establish themselves on that island.1
Though France, in common with most of the nations of Eu-
1 Stoddard's History of the Establishment and Progress of the Christian Religion in
the Islands of the South Sea ; Boston, 1841, p. 193, 195 ; Wilks' Tahiti, containing
a Review of the Origin, Character, and Progress of French Roman Catholic Agents for
the Destruction of English Protestant Missions in the South Seas, p. 1. 8, 10, 12, 14,
36 ; Brief Statement of the Aggression of the French on the Island of Tahiti, by the
Directors of the London Missionary Society, p. 13.
The Queen soon after addressed a letter to Mr Van Buren, the President of the
United States, informing him of the conduct of Moerenhout, the American consul, in
regard to the Catholio priests, and i-equesting that he might be removed from office.
The President, with a promptitude which does him honour, immediately dismissed him>
and appointed another person in his room : — Stoddard's History, p. 198 ; but unhappily
be was little better than his predecessor. — Wilks, p. 108.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 169
rope, exercised the very same authority in regard to foreigners
entering or settling in her dominions, yet the government of
Louis Philippe, on receiving accounts of the removal of the two
priests from Tahiti, gave instructions to Captain Du Petit
Thuars to proceed to that island, and to demand from the queen
reparation for the insult which, it was alleged, had been offered
to France in the person of the missionaries. He accordingly
required her to write a letter to the king of the French apolo
gizing for the violence done to Messrs Caret and Laval ; to pay
to them 2000 dollars, or about £400, for the damage they had
sustained, a sum far exceeding any expense they could have in
curred by being sent off the island ; and to give a salute of
twenty-one guns to the French flag, which was hoisted for this
purpose on the little island of Motu-Uta, a part of her own
territory. With these terms, Pomare found herself obliged to
comply. Under the dread of an attack from a French ship of
war, she wrote an apology to the king : " I am only," said she,
" the sovereign of a little insignificant island. May knowledge,
glory, and power, be with your majesty ! Let your anger cease,
and pardon me the mistake that I have made." The money
she had not ; and it was only by the kindness of Englishmen
on the island (not the missionaries) that she was enabled to pay
it ; and the powder the captain had in part to furnish, to en
able her to give the salute ! Not content, however, with these
acts of submission, Du Petit Thuars, with a view to future de
signs, required the queen to receive as the consul of France,
M. Moerenhout, the man who had aided and supported the priests
in their resistance to her government, the caluminator of her
self and her people, the instigator and director of the measures
carried on against her; and who, on her representation, had been
lately dismissed from the same office by the government of the
United States. He also entered into a convention with her, in
virtue of which, " Frenchmen of whatever profession were to be
at liberty to come and go ; to establish themselves, and to trade
in all the islands subject to the government of Tahiti ; and to
be protected as the most favoured foreigners." The great ob
ject of this convention was to establish the right of French sub
jects to settle in Tahiti and the neighbouring islands ; and there
can be little doubt it had a special view to the settlement of

170 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Romish priests. It is scarcely necessary to remark, that the
queen had not the power to reject this convention when pro
posed to her.1
Scarcely were these arrangements concluded, when Captain
Dumont D'Urville, the superior of M. Du Petit Thuars, who
was still at Tahiti, arrived there with two French corvettes,
the Astrolabe and the Zelee, meditating vengeance against the
queen in consequence of the false and exaggerated accounts
which he had received from the Romish bishop and the priests
at the Gambier Islands, of the treatment which Messrs Caret
and Laval had met with at Tahiti ; but on learning the conces
sions which she had already made, he appears to have contented
himself with seeking to inspire her with dread of the power of
France. In his interview with her, he told her that he had
come out of his way on purpose to inquire into the affairs of the
Catholic missionaries ; and when he was assured that the peace
of the island required the steps she had taken for their removal,
as there were persons ready for rebellion who had already
sought to raise disturbance in the country, he said, " No doubt
the Queen is free in her states ; and nobody, not even the King
of the French, can require her to change her religion. She
would therefore have acted rightly had she been satisfied with
prohibiting the French missionaries from exercising in any way
public worship ; but it was impossible not to demand satisfac
tion for her ill treatment of two French citizens." He added,
that she might think herself very fortunate in getting so easily
out of the dangerous position in which she had placed herself
in regard to France, by her treatment of the subjects of that
government.2 Soon after the departure of the French ships, the legislative
body, proceeding, perhaps, on the words of the French com
mander, passed a law prohibiting " the propagation of any reli
gious doctrines, or the celebration of any religious worship
opposed to that true gospel of old propagated in Tahiti by the
missionaries from Britain." The violation of this law by
foreigners of any nation, was to expose them to forfeiture of
1 Wilks, p. 39, 51, 56, 79 ; Brief Statement, p. 13.
2 Wilks, p. 80, chiefly on the authority of a "Voyage round the World," published
in the name of M. Dumont D'Urville.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 1 71
right of residence, and by Tahitians of whatever rank (the sect
of the Mamoia1 being particularly mentioned) to labour on the
public roads. The missionaries have been charged with being
the authors or instigators of this law ; but it is stated, that as
a body, and probably as individuals, they disapproved of it, and
that consequently it is unfair to charge them with it.2 Indeed,
while we cannot but deprecate the interference of governments
in questions of a purely religious nature, we apprehend the
present was not a question of a purely religious nature. The
government of Tahiti despatched at this very time a letter to
the Queen of England, imploring her protection ; and there
cannot be a doubt, that the primary object of the law was to
protect themselves against the aggressions of France, of which
this was but the commencement, the full development of them
being reserved for future years. It is true the act had a spe
cial aspect toward religion ; but it is to be recollected, that
the opinion expressed by Dumont D'Urville probably suggested
this as the only way in which it would be possible to prevent
Frenchmen settling on the island for the purpose of spreading
the Romish religion, while they had at the same time political
designs in view. The government of France had of late become
solicitous to obtain a footing in the Pacific Ocean. The Insti
tution in France for the Propagation of the Faith, had set its
eyes on the islands which spot its bosom as a field of missions,
particularly on those where Protestant missionaries were already
established ; and each was prepared to aid in promoting the
designs of the other, not merely from national sympathy, but
with the view of thereby accomplishing more effectually its own
purposes. It' is never to be forgotten, that political and reli
gious interests are often so mixed up together, that it is impos
sible to separate them ; and in cases of this kind, we apprehend
a government is not overstepping the limits of its legitimate
powers, when it makes laws for the sake of maintaining its own
1 This was a sect which had appeared in Tahiti a few years before, and which, be
sides pretending to miraculous powers, countenanced the wildest licentiousness in re
gard to polygamy and the intercourse of the sexes, and open rebellion against the
government. Though the sect had been suppressed, and some of the leaders of it pun
ished ; yet the government was not unnaturally apprehensive that it might revive, es
pecially as bad feelings had been engendered in the country. — Wilks, p. 19.
• Wilks, p. 80.

172 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
authority and safety, even though they should interfere, in some
degree, with what is called religious liberty. In the best governed
states, it is sometimes necessary to restrict for a time the civil
liberties of the subject, with a view to the safety of the govern
ment ; and we do not see why laws which restrict to some extent
religious liberty, may not also be passed, if they are essential
to the same end. Salus reipublicce est suprema lex. If reli
gionists are rebels, or conspirators, or abettors of rebellion and
conspiracy, it is worse than folly, because they carry on their
designs under the mask of propagating their religion, to plead
for protection to them in the name of religious liberty, and
thereby to endanger the overthrow of the whole liberties of a
country both civil and religious, thus sacrificing the substance
to the shadow of a name. Most even of the Catholic sovereigns
of Europe excluded or banished the Jesuits from their domi
nions ; and, we presume, few enlightened friends of liberty will
be disposed to say that in this they did wrong. Much more
was it necessary for a feeble government like that of Tahiti to
protect itself against the emissaries of France, even though they
professed to come from Rome. The artifice and the resistance
which they made to the laws, on their very landing, was of
itself a sufficient reason for sending them away.
Besides the measures now noticed, a law was passed regula
ting the acquisition of land by foreigners, which appears to have
been dictated by the same dread of French encroachments.
Columban, the Romish priest who first visited Tahiti, had sug
gested the plan of purchasing land, in order to establish a right
of residence. M. Moerenhout having acted in opposition to the
new law, was prevented by the government from occupying a
certain portion of land, and he was under this prohibition,
when another French corvette, the Heroine, commanded by
Captain Cecille, arrived at Tahiti. The consul having repre
sented this to the captain, it was arranged that he should insist
on possession of the land, and in case he should not succeed, M.
Cecille promised to prepare his guns as if for an attack, and to
make the government feel that the laws must be suspended or
abandoned at the will of Frenchmen, and that they must have
a right not only to residence but to territory. The demand

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. ] 73
was of course yielded. The presence of a ship of war decided
the question ; and the governor replied, that. M. Moerenhout
might dispose of the land as he thought proper.1
In April 1839, a few months after these transactions, a
French frigate, the Artemise, commanded by Captain La Place,
which had been circumnavigating the globe, came to Tahiti in
consequence of instructions received at Sydney. In approach
ing the coast, she struck on a coral reef and sustained material
damage, which occasioned her detention for upwards of two
months on the island for the purpose of undergoing repairs.
The officers and crew were lodged on shore, which gave rise to
the grossest scenes of licentiousness with the young females ;
yet was not this voluptuous revelry incompatible with a deep
interest in the propagation of the Romish faith. Captain La
Place proposed to alter the convention made with Du Petit
Thuars, and virtually approved of by Dumont D'Urville. Since
the departure of these officers, it was alleged that the govern
ment had never ceased manifesting its hostility toward France,
but he was determined to put an end to such a state of things.
At a conference with the queen, " he began by enumerating
all the wrongs of which he alleged the French had to com
plain ; he then observed how shameful and even dangerous it
was to violate the faith of treaties ; and how unjust and bar
barous was intolerance ; and he concluded by demanding that
the Roman Catholic religion should be celebrated in Tahiti
and in all the possessions of the queen ; that French Catholics
should enjoy every privilege allowed to Protestants, and the
French priests have full liberty to exercise their ministry ; "
thus denouncing as a crime and a violation of the treaty, the
very principles which his predecessor, Dumont D'Urville, had
laid down, and which, as we have already said, had probably
suggested the law of which he now sought the virtual abroga
tion. However averse the chiefs might be to these requisi
tions, they had no choice but to accede to them ; and the un
happy queen was conducted on board the frigate to sign this
new act of submission. Even then it was judged expedient to
have a feast on the occasion, and to ply them with champagne
and brandy ; and " when the spirits of the party were suffi-
1 Wilks, p. 89.

174 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
ciently elevated, the treaty was produced as the crowning act
of the festivity."1
But the machinations of France were not yet ended. In
pursuance of the designs of the French government to acquire
power and influence in the South Seas, Captain La Place, on
leaving Tahiti, sailed to the Sandwich Islands, and there, by
threatenings of war and all its direful consequences, forced the
gove»nment to enter into a treaty even still more outrageous
than the conditions which had been imposed on the Queen of
Tahiti. The Marquesas Islands were afterwards taken posses
sion of by France, as we shall soon have occasion to state ; but
the great object of her desire was Tahiti. M. Caret, one of the
the priests who had formerly attempted to settle on that island
in spite of the government, now returned openly, accompanied
by his coadjutors, and they were of course allowed to take up
their residence upon it, agreeably to the late treaties.2
About August 1841, M. Moerenhout, taking advantage of
some discontents and disorders in Tahiti, occasioned chiefly by
himself and other foreigners of a kindred character, induced
four of the chiefs to sign a document calling on France to inter
fere for the maintenance of peace and order in the island, unj
der the pretext that the existing government was not equal to
the exigencies of the times. When this came to be known,
the chiefs who had signed the document were anxious to ex
culpate themselves, and one of them, in name of the rest,
declared in a letter, that they did not well know the nature of
the document, and that it was in ignorance they signed it, and
begged that it might be destroyed, and no use made of it.
Pomare was then absent in Eimeo ; but no sooner did she
learn what had been done, than she required that the chiefs
who had signed the document should be tried for high treason.
She also wrote to the English and American governments, that
the chiefs had been deceived by the French consul, and that
she had taken no part in the transaction. She wrote likewise
to Louis Philippe, the King of the French, that the whole had
been done in her absence, and without her knowledge or autho^
rity.3 Some months after this, M. Du Bouzet, captain of the Aube,
1 Wilks, p. 91. » Ibid. p. 99, 105, 114. ' Ibid. p. 108.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. ] 75
a French corvette of twenty-four guns, visited Tahiti, and made
new aggressions on the government. It would almost seem as if
every French officer was either commissioned, or considered
himself authorized to trample under foot the authorities of that
ill-fated island ; for, after leaving Tahiti, he transmitted to
the queen a letter which he had received from his Commodore,
in which, referring no doubt to the late attempt of Moerenhout,
she was assured " that the French government had no inten
tion to impose its protectorate ; that it was satisfied, and had
no further claims to urge." This letter was sent to Pomare,
enclosed in one from M. Du Bouzet, in which he took the pains
to add, " I beg distinctly to assure your majesty that I con
sider your late conduct perfectly satisfactory ; and I am autho
rized to say that France does not intend to impose its protec
torate."1 When we compare these assurances with the events
which quickly followed, it is natural to conclude that they
were a gross and unmanly deception, designed to lull the sus
picions and fears of the Tahitian government, and to put it off
its guard as to the new measures which were preparing for it.
In September 1842, M. Du Petit Thuars, who was now ad
vanced to the rank of an admiral, and was appointed com
mander-in-chief of the stations in the South Sea Islands, arrived
again at Tahiti. He, as well as M. Dumont D'Urville, had pre
viously visited France, and made their reports in person to their
sovereign Louis Philippe and to his ministers of state. Honours
and titles were awarded to them, and on their shewing, it was
resolved that the Marquesas Islands should first be taken pos
session of in the name of the king of the French, and that, sub
sequently, Tahiti and the neighbouring islands must be acquired,
not merely for the sake of their superior fertility, but on account
of their being situated almost in the centre of the vast Pacific,
whence France might extend her power, and influence, and
commerce, throughout the Indian and South Seas. In pur
suance of this scheme, Du Petit Thuars had already taken pos
session of the Marquesas Islands ; and now he had come to
Tahiti to carry out further these designs.
For a few days all appeared quiet on board the admiral's
ship, and professions of peace were extensively circulated by the
' Wilks, p. 112, 117 ; Brief Statement, p. 15.

176 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
French. Messengers were despatched to the queen, who was at
Eimeo daily expecting to be confined, and also to the principal
chiefs, requesting them to come to Papeete that the admiral
might pay his respects to them. The chiefs accordingly came
and dined with him. A manifesto was the same day issued by
him, in which, after expatiating on the kindness and benevo
lence of the king of the French, he accuses Pomare, her govern
ment, and agents, of numerous crimes,, as violation of domicile,
pillage, seizure of property, brutal violence, false imprisonment,
the pillory without form of trial, and murder ; but instead of
proposing to institute an investigation of all or any of these
charges, he proceeded to act upon them as if they were esta
blished facts.1 On the ground of these accusations, he demanded
the payment of 10,000 dollars within forty-eight hours ; and
in the event of their not being paid within that time, that the
island should be occupied by French troops until that condition
should be fulfilled ; but his real object in making these demands,
neither of which he knew was practicable, was to call forth a
proposal from the Tahitian chiefs, that the king of the French
would take the islands under his protection. A secret meeting
was accordingly held with a few of the chiefs during the night,
the result of which was, that four of them, being partly those
who had formerly signed away their country's independence,
were induced to put their names to a document written by the
French consul, asking, " that the shadow of the French may be
thrown over them." This document was sent to the queen for
her signature. To this she felt the utmost repugnance, but
her friends representing to her that her submission would be
only temporary, as England would assuredly redress her wrongs,
she was induced to yield. But she protested in public and in
private, and by repeated and pressing appeals to foreign States,
that she was betrayed and coerced, and that she had no alter
native except the slaughter of her people, and the desolation of
her country. Two of the chiefs, Tati and Utami, who signed the
document, declared in .a letter, as upon oath, that it was through
1 It is scarcely necessary to remark, that there is no reason to believe that these
charges were well founded. Mr Wilks, in his able and interesting pamphlet, com
pletely exposes the falsehood of the last and foulest of them — murder. We have no
doubt they were got up as a mere pretext to cover the injustice and oppression of the
admiral's proceedings.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 177
fear and the promise of a thousand dollars each, they were in
duced to sign it ; and they made a similar declaration in the
midst of the council of the nation and of 5000 of their country
men. Though men who could betray their country are little
entitled to credit, especially when attempting an apology for
their conduct, yet there seems no reason to question the truth of
their statement : it accords entirely with the whole of the per
fidious course pursued by the French in the South Sea Islands.1
It was hoped that the British government, which was fully
and officially informed of the base and oppressive means by
which the queen of Tahiti was forced to yield to the power of
France, and which admitted the claims that she and her people
had on the friendship and support of England, would have in
terposed with the French government in their behalf ; but it
virtually acquiesced in the protectorate as a matter already
settled, without an effort, or even a remonstrance.2
In November 1843, Admiral Du Petit Thuars again returned
from France to Tahiti, with three ships of war under his com
mand, and on his arrival he found, as usual, a new occasion for
quarrel with the queen in the simple circumstance that she had
introduced a crown into her personal flag, which was flying over
her humble dwelling, to indicate her presence, just as the royal
standard is hoisted in England wherever the sovereign may
happen to be at the time. That flag was forcibly hauled down
by the French ; that of France was hoisted, and Tahiti was pro
claimed a French colony. Pomare protested against this fresh
outrage ; and appealed to the king of the French against the
usurpation of his officers, imploring him to reverse their acts.
She also appealed to England, and in a simple yet earnest style
solicited the sympathy and aid of Queen Victoria. When in
telligence of the act of Du Petit Thuars reached France, the
government refused to sanction it, and recalled him from his
command, not assuredly from any repugnance to injustice and
oppression, but probably in consequence of the indignation
which the assumption of the protectorate of Tahiti had excited
in England, and of the firmer tone which the British govern
ment had assumed in regard to that transaction.
1 Wilks, p. 114, 118, 127, 129 ; Evan. Mag. 1844, p. 203 ; Brief Statement, p. 16.
" Evan. Mag. 1844, p. 204 ; Brief Statement, p. 27.
VOL. II. M

178 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Meanwhile, the chiefs and people became uneasy, and Po
mare wrote to them recommending them to do the French no
harm, but to wait patiently for despatches from England and
France in reply to her representations. Such a communication
did her much honour ; nevertheless it gave great offence to her
oppressors, and she deemed it necessary for her personal safety
to take refuge on board Her Britannic Majesty's ketch the Ba
silisk, which was then stationed off Tahiti, and she afterwards
retired to Raiatea, one of the Leeward Islands.1
Frightened by the oppressive measures of the French, the
Tahitians, both chiefs and people, to the number of about 4000,
abandoned their homes and retired partly to Faaone and partly
to Hidiaa, but being attacked by their oppressors, most of them
retreated subsequently to the valley of Mahaena, where, with
the view, not of attacking the French, but merely of providing
for their own defence, they cut an entrenchment across the
valley, and erected a small fort, on which they mounted two
guns. Here, however, they were not allowed to remain long
unmolested. The French attacked them in their entrenchments,
and though they fought bravely and repelled their invaders, yet
having left their defences to chase the enemy, a frigate opened
a fire of grape-shot upon them and drove them back. In this
action the Tahitians lost about seventy men, a great loss in the
battles of the South Sea islanders. After several attacks of
this kind, they left their entrenchments and retired to the
bushes, but subsequently they removed their camp to Papeeno,
where they erected a fort for their protection, while many of
the infirm, with the women and children, took refuge in the
mountains.2 Most of the missionary stations were now broken up, the peo
ple having forsaken their homes and fled. Mr Pritchard, the
British consul, who was formerly one of the missionaries, was,
contrary to the law of nations, placed under arrest by the French,
and ordered to leave the island. Mr M'Kean, a young mission
ary, was shot accidentally in a skirmish between the French
and the natives, when standing in the verandah of his own
house. Four of the missionaries, Messrs Howe, Jesson, Joseph,
1 Evan. Mag. 1844, p. 203, 483 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1845, p. 21.
¦' Rep. Miss. Soc. 1845, p. 19 ; Evan. Mag. 1844, p. 484, 491.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 179
and Moore, returned to England ; and the families of those who
remained, removed for safety to a neighbouring island. The
opportunities of labouring among the natives were now-greatly
limited. The missionaries, however, visited them in their camps
and in the fastnesses of the mountains, and administered Chris
tian ordinances to them, not being hindered from doing this by
their enemies.1
In January 1845, the French attempted to extend their pro
tectorate to the Leeward Islands, and with this view, Captain
Maison, of the steamer Phaeton, hoisted the French flag in
Huahine, Raiatea, and Bora-bora, but it was pulled down, both
in Huahine and Raiatea, and sent back to M. Bruat, who was
now governor of Tahiti.2
Twelve months after this attempt, Captain Bonard, of the
French frigate Uranie, landed troops in Huahine, burned Fare,
the principal town on the island, and gave up every kind of
property, including several chapels, to plunder and destruction.
The natives fled to escape impending slaughter, but being fol
lowed the next day, they bravely faced the well-armed and dis
ciplined soldiers of France, and fought for forty-eight hours.
The French sustained considerable loss, while that of the natives
was comparatively small.3
The disaster of the French at Huahine soon became known
throughout the islands, and a general rising took place. In
Bora-bora they had to evacuate their forts and to quit the island.
When the news reached Tahiti they produced great excitement.
The steamer which brought up the wounded was preparing to
return with more troops, when Pomare's adherents declared
they would attack the town4 if hostilities were continued. The
steamer was detained, and shortly afterwards three frigates ar
rived with 200 soldiers on board. The governor now made a
grand demonstration. Nothing was to be seen but military
preparation. The soldiers and the sailors were equipped for
bush-fighting, and drilled on the mountains behind the town.
All this, however, failed to intimidate the natives. A grand
1 Memoir of the Rev. Thomas S. M'Kean, p. 191 ; Evan. Mag. 1844, p. 650 ; Ibid.
1845, p. 155, 158, 584 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 63.
2 Evan. Mag. 1845, p. 665.
3 Evan. Mag. 1846, p. 437 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1847, p. 29. « Papeete.

180 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
council of war was then convened, and active hostilities resolved
on, or at least announced. It was to be a war of extermina
tion. This also failed, and it became evident that the French
did not dare to execute their threat, either in consequence of
the nature of the despatches lately received, or from the re
membrance of their repulse at Huahine. They were now in
a dilemma, and they sought to extricate themselves by the
help of the queen, who was still at Raiatea. Messengers were
despatched thither to bring her up to Tahiti, though they had
often declared they had abandoned her for ever. They returned
in a day or two, and stated that the queen would soon be up,
and in the mean while, she sent orders to her people not to
fight. But the Tahitians had no confidence in the statements
of the French, and they would not believe that any such mes
sage had been sent by her. The excitement was now much in
creased by various circumstances ; and numerous annoyances,
such as their being prevented returning to their own lands for
bread-fruit, and the missionaries being hindered from travelling
among them, exasperated them greatly. The Tahitians attacked
the French ; several engagements took place, in which the in
vaders appear to have generally had the worst of it. They were
confined within gun-shot of their forts ; all the country was in
the hands of the natives. But the governor having soon after
received fresh reinforcements, marched against their camp at
Papeeno at the head of twelve or fourteen hundred men. The
natives retired before this strong force to an impregnable posi
tion in the interior. The troops followed, and were repulsed
with loss ; the same was the result in successive attacks made
by them. The French, however, had recourse, at the same
time, to a barbarian and destructive course of warfare. They
destroyed the dwellings and chapels of the missionaries, the
houses and villages of the natives, their fields of potatoes and
bananas, their bread-fruit, cocoa-nut, orange, and other trees,
thus depriving them at once of shelter and of the means of sub
sistence. Treachery at length accomplished what they had not
been able to effect by force of arms. A native of the island of
Rapa, who was in the Tahitian camp of Hautana, which was im
mediately behind Papeete, and which opened a passage through
the interior to their other two camps, discovered a path up the

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 181
face of the cliff, by which a position might be gained that would
command it. He deserted from the Tahitians to the French,
and offered to lead them to it, for, it is said, a reward of 200
dollars. Shortly after, all the troops marched up the valley,
the great body of them placing themselves in front of the re
gular advance to the native camp as if about to storm it, and
the natives were accordingly on the alert to defend this road.
Meanwhile, the native of Rapa, with about thirty French Tahi
tians and forty soldiers, were scaling the cliff at a little distance,
he ascending by the path which he had discovered, and lower
ing a rope pulled up and fixed a rope-ladder, by which the others
gained the summit about a thousand feet high, and then pre
pared to fire on the camp which lay a little below them. The
Tahitians thinking that resistance was now vain, laid down
their arms and were marched in as prisoners of war.
The carrying of this position opened a passage to the other
two camps at Bunaania and Papeeno. Messengers were sent
to them to advise them to submit, and to intimate that they
would be attacked if they continued to resist. Deeming fur
ther resistance vain, they also laid down their arms, and ac
knowledged the protectorate government. A general amnesty
was now granted ; all offences were declared forgiven, and the
people were directed to return quietly to their respective dis
tricts.1 In February 1847, the queen, on the invitation of M. Bruat,
the governor, returned to Tahiti with a view to an arrange
ment for her future residence on that island. She was received
by him with politeness and apparent kindness. It was agreed
that she should receive 5000 dollars annually, besides a con
siderable sum as rents of her land, offices, &c, which would
raise her whole income to about 8000 dollars ; that all foreign
intercourse with her should pass through the protectorate go
vernment ; and that all foreigners residing in Tahiti should
give twenty-four hours' notice previous to any interview with
her, and should state the object of their interview. These points
having been settled, the governor, in a public assembly, took
her by the hand, and declared that he restored her Majesty to
' Rep. Miss. Soc. 1846, p. 27; Ibid. 1847, p. 30; Evan. Mag. 1846, p. 491, 603;
Ibid. 1647, p. 446.

182 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
all her rights and privileges as queen of Tahiti and Eimeo.
All attention was paid to her ; but she had no real power.1
The state of the island was now essentially changed from
what it was previous to the arrival of the French. At every
place there were two parties ; one consisting of persons who
had joined the enemy, the other of those who came out of the
camps when they were betrayed. Nearly all the old governors,
many of whom had been consistent members of the church,
were laid aside by the French, and new ones appointed from
among the young chiefs who had never made any profession
of religion, and who, it was believed, would be entirely subser
vient to the will of the French government. The missionary
settlements having during the late war been almost entirely
destroyed, the missionaries laboured to collect again the dis
persed people in villages, and to restore their fallen sanctuaries ;
but this, as may easily be supposed, was attended with many
difficulties. The attendance of the people on public worship at
most of the stations was discouraging.
It does not, however, appear, that the French government
of Tahiti designed to defeat or ruin the mission. M. Lavaud,
the new governor, appeared a man of conciliatory manners, and
was not unfriendly to the missionaries. A law was, however,
passed, in virtue of which a registration was made of all the
mission lands and premises as inalienable national property,
reserved exclusively for the exercise of the Protestant religion.
The effect of this measure, against which the missionaries ear
nestly but in vain protested, was not only to convert the mis
sion chapels, schools, and dwelling-houses into national pro
perty, but to make the mission the tenant of the government..
The natives were obliged by law to keep the chapels and school-
houses in repair ; but the dwelling-houses of the missionaries
were to be repaired at their own expense, unless the members
of the churches chose to do it on the voluntary principle. To
say nothing more, there was great injustice in the governor's
proceedings, as he took possession of all the property of the
mission, without granting any compensation for it. He said
he could not allow any religious society to hold property on the
island, and that the ecclesiastical buildings were not registered
1 Evan. Mag. 1847, p. 508.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 183
for the use of Englishmen only, but that if French Protestants
came to the island, he would place them at any station which
might be vacant.1
It appears to have been the policy of M. Lavaud to bring the
mission completely under the control of the government. He
employed his authority to prevent the people from repairing
the missionary buildings, unless his permission to do so was
first obtained, and he also employed his influence to hinder
them from making their accustomed contributions for the dif
fusion of the gospel in other lands. When certain of the sta
tions and districts became vacant, he would not allow the mis
sionaries to remove thither unless his permission were previ
ously granted. They were strictly prohibited from going to
one particular locality, where twp Romish priests were endea
vouring to instil their principles into the minds of the young,
lest, as he alleged, there should be any controversy about reli
gion. These restrictions having been framed and passed in the
assembly of the chiefs, in which, however, the influence of the
governor was paramount, had all the authority of native law.
They were, however, directly at variance with the treaty of
1842, by which the French protectorate was established in the
island, which provided that " Every one shall be free in the
exercise of his form of worship, and that the churches at pre
sent established shall continue to exist, and the English mis
sionaries shall continue in the prosecution of their labours
without molestation." Similar assurances were explicitly given
by the French government to that of England.2
1 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1849, p. 31 ; Evan. Mag. 1850, p. 50.
3 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1850, p. 5; Ibid. 1853, p. 10.
Of the state of religion in Tahiti of late years, the accounts are conflicting. The
directors express in successive reports unfavourable views in regard to the moral and
religious condition of the people (Rep. Miss. Soc. 1840, p. 9 ; Ibid. 1841, p. 2 ; Ibid.
1842, p. 3 ; Ibid. 1848, p. 22) ; and it is very unlikely they would do so on insufficient
grounds. We have adverted in our account of the mission, to some causes of the declension
and low state of religion among the natives ; but we fear that this lay also in part
with some of the missionaries themselves. In a special communication to the Rev. Mr
M'Kean, dated May 31st, 1841, previous to his embarking for Tahiti, the directors
say, " You have already been made fully acquainted with the actual state of the island,
in a moral and relig;ous point of view, so far as our own information extends. Suffice
it then to remark that, on account of the lamentable want of spiritual religion amongst
the native churches, the disorganized state of the schools, the irregularities and ineffi
ciency of the native agents employed in them, and the general demoralization of the

184 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
In April 1851, it was announced in the government gazette,
published in the Tahitian language, that Sunday the fourth day
of May, being the anniversary of the establishment of the French
Republic, had been commanded to be observed as a fete day in
people, we are impressed with the solemn conviction that nothing short of the infusion
of a new and vigorous principle of action will avail to counteract the existing evils, and
to give solidity and permanence to that mission." 
" After adverting to the hinderances to the success of the mission arising out of the
resort of shipping to the island for the purpose of trade, the directors add, " It were
devoutly to be wished that this pernicious influence had been confined to foreigners
visiting the island for the express purpose of trading. Such we lament to say has not
been the case. Some of the missionaries have from time to time been extensively en
gaged in mercantile transactions, and the practice, besides lowering the general tone
and character of the mission, has, we fear, frequently brought them into invidious and
degrading competition with their own people, whose interests happened to be embarked
in the same line of traffic, which must necessarily tend to loosen every bond of union
between the pastor and his flock. The practice originated in the alleged inadequacy
of the salaries allowed by the Society. On the occasion of recently raising the salaries,
we strongly remonstrated against the continuance of the practice of trading, but hav
ing some reason to fear that the practice is not altogether laid aside, we have felt our
selves called upon to intimate in a letter, of which you will be the bearer, addressed to
the brethren, that any future instance of non-compliance with our wishes on this point
will involve the forfeiture of the Society's confidence."
Mr M'Kean on his arrival at Tahiti formed any thing but a favourable opinion of
the natives in regard both to civilization and religion. " This land," he writes,
1 ' abounds with food for man and beast : it presents almost an exception to the universal
doom pronounced against man as a consequence of sin, ' In the sweat of thy brow
shalt thou eat bread ;' for here, though they neither till the ground nor sow, they have
abundance of food for the trouble of gathering it. From this, together with the high
temperature of the climate, have resulted habits of indolence ; and it is well known
how congenial such habits are with sin.
"The natives here are wonderfully forward in some thing's, and yet scarcely a step
removed from barbarism in others. For example, they have not had a complete copy
of the word of God for more than four years, and yet their knowledge of its contents
would put thousands of professors to the blush in our own land. They are naturally
intelligent, acute, and very curious ; and hence resulted some remarkable instances of
application when the complete Bible was first put into their hands. They are exceed
ingly fond of reading the Scriptures." " They are exceedingly fond of the figurative and
metaphorical portions of the Bible ; hence the Song of Solomon is quite a favourite
with them. Their ingenuity and acuteness are remarkably evinced by the questions
they are continually putting to the missionary.
" And yet, notwithstanding their advancement in the general knowledge of the
Scriptures, they have in some things scarcely made a transition from their old habits
and manners. It is hard to change the habits of a nation. Very generally, they live
in the same kind of houses as they did formerly ; and though the material of their
clothing is now usually British, yet the quantity of covering for the body is not
very generally increased. You see them yet as they did fifty years ago, I suppose,
squatting down on the ground in groups of from ten to twenty, old and young, male
and female, promiscuously sending round, from mouth to mouth, a piece of tobacco
rolled up in paper in the form of a cigar, each taking not more than two or three in
spirations, and foicing tlie smoke out again at mouth, nostrils, and ears. Yon may

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 185
France, and that it was also to be observed in all the French
colonies. Among the engagements and amusements announced
for the day in Tahiti, were the discharge of artillery, the recep
tion by the governor M. Bonard, of the district governors and
the chief judges, who were to be introduced by Paraita the
regent, the playing of the band, and certain games, a feast to
the native dancers, in the evening an illumination of the public
buildings, and fireworks ; the whole to conclude with a ball to
be given by the governor, to which the district governors, the
chief judges, and other principal persons were invited to be pre
sent. So gross a profanation of the Lord's day, could not be
overlooked by the missionaries ; and they accordingly took
occasion, in addressing their respective congregations, to admo
nish them as to their duty in reference to the intended fete ;
but unhappily Mr Howe, in addressing a congregation of Eng
lish, Americans, and other foreigners, not content with shewing
see the child of six years of age, after he has taken his mouthful, hand the cigar to his
father or mother, or it may be, to his grandfather or grandmother according to proxi
mity. They not only retain many of their old habits, none, however, involving moral
turpitude (1), but what is worse, they have greedily acquired some of the very worst of
British ones. There has, too, n lamentable and wide-spread spirit of covetousness
crept in among them, in consequence of learning the value of money from the resort
of shipping. As the specie is in dollars and half dollars, their demands for the most
trifling piece of service are exorbitant. They never think of asking less than a quarter
or half a dollar. The female portion of the population is still low. Although many of
them have been taught to sew, yet their inveterately indolent habits render almost
useless this acquirement, and they cannot brook confinement to one locality." —
Mi Kean's Memoirs, p. 116, 149, 152.
On the other hand, Mr Davies, one of the oldest of the missionaries, having been
forty years on the island, remonstrated with the directors, on their low, and, as he
stated, inaccurate estimate of the native churches, and he entered into various details
in opposition to it, and in confirmation of his own more favourable opinion. — Rep. Miss.
Soc. 1843, p. 2.
Mr Orsmond bears so favourable a testimony to the native churches that we confess
it appears to us not very easy of belief : " Our congregations increase, and many are
pressing into our churches. For goodness of temper, general moral conduct, correct
scriptural knowledge, decided attachment to the gospel, and, in the aggregate, pleas
ing consistency as church members, I am bold to say that they are fit to be placed on
a footing with any equal number of professing Christians of any church in any part
of the globe." — Rep. Miss. Soc. 1842, p. 3. The circumstances already related of Mr
Orsmond greatly detract from the value of his testimony.
Mr Jesson, a recently arrived missionary, bears, in like manner, a favourable testi
mony to them. "My conviction," he writes, "is, that things are in a far better state
than we had a right to expect from infoi-mation we had previously received." — Rep.
Miss. Soc. 1843, p. 3.
It may here be mentioned, that by a recent statement, Tahiti contained 8557 inha
bitants, includirg 475 foreigners.— C'ahut'a Christian Observer, 1849, p. 536.

186 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
the blessing to be expected by nations and individuals from a
strict observance of the Sabbath, and the evils likely to result
from its desecration, made some pointed observations, which
had obviously a reference to the governor personally, and de
nounced the judgments of heaven upon him, if he persevered in
such a course. This was reported by a son of Mr Orsmond, for
merly one of the missionaries, to an officer of government ; and
the consequence was, that Mr Howe was summoned before the
police, and as he would make no satisfactory apology for what
he had said, he was informed that he must either leave the
island immediately, or submit to a prosecution. Several of the
principal persons, specially invited to be present at the fete,
sent polite notices that they could not comply with the invita
tion ; and the church at Pepeuriri, through one of the deacons,
who was also a chief judge, presented a petition to the governor
that the festivities might be postponed till the Monday ; but
their request was not granted. The queen stood firm until the
evening of the fete, when the governor went to her personally
to press her to attend the ball ; and afterwards, sad to relate,
Mr Orsmond, who had been nearly thirty years a missionary,1
was sent to complete the evil work. The queen's reply when
urged by the governor to attend it, deserves to be recorded:
" I cannot go," she said, " the Word of God forbids it." He re
marked, " the French have set apart this day as a day of rejoic
ing, and it must be kept," and then charged Mr Howe as being
the cause of her obstinacy, to which she answered, "You are
quite mistaken ; it is the command of God that keeps me back,
but I have no power to resist your perseverance." Mr Howe
was afterwards brought to trial on account of his sermon. The
prosecution was conducted by the government. He defended
himself, and contrary to all expectations was acquitted.2
1 His separation from the Society took place some years before : the cause of it is
not stated. — Rep. Miss. Soc. 1845, p. 22.
2 Evan. Mag. 1851, p. 616, 689.
None of the missionaries of course saw any thing of the fete, but the following ac
count of the day was given by an eye-witness : — " Sunday (May 4th). Fine weather :
a grand salute in honour of the French revolution, at seven A.M. Prayers were then
said, and about noon, prizes were placed in the roundabouts, and so placed as to be
reached on either side by a man sitting astride the machine, and balancing himself on
it ; these prizes consisted of shirts, calicoes, fowls, and tobacco. The next amusement
was climbing a greasy pole with prizes at the top. Madame Bouard, with the Sisters

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. ] 87
We have already seen that the rights and liberties of the mis
sionaries had, under various pretexts, been seriously infringed
by the French government ; but now this spirit of interference
assumed a still more vexatious and palpable form. An order
was issued that the Tahitian journal, a government newspaper,
should be read every Sunday at the close of the service. This
the missionaries of course opposed, and were successful in pre-
ventingit wherever their influence extended. A disaffected chief
gave information to the governor, that Mr Chisholm and the
native preacher had hindered the reading of it at Hitiaa. The
aid-de-camp of the governor represented this in the educational
committee as an attempt to keep back information from the
people ! Since churches were formed in Tahiti, the missionaries
had taught the people that those only had a right to choose the
minister who were communicants ; but a law Avas now enacted,
which gave that right to the chiefs of the district, without any
respect to character. The individual missionaries, instead of
preaching as formerly whenever and wherever duty appeared to
call them, had for some time past been restricted to the super
intendence of a particular congregation, and even directed to
confine their labours to a limited locality, and now they were
of Charity, and all the children under their care, were spectators. About four p.m.,
the native dancers from the different districts marched in rows to pay their respects
to the governor, by making a formal salute in their dance, according to the heathen
practice. The dancing was kept up by them, excited by drink, until eight o'clock.
The queen's two elder boys were in the crowd as spectators, and she herself was led in
by Mr Orsmond sen., to the governor, who after some little compliment handed her
up stairs, and, having put a candle in her hand, instructed her how to let- off the fire
works. After the display of fireworks, which lasted an hour, the governor's ball com
menced, and a large muster of the native chiefs were in attendance, and French naval
and military officers with their families, and some foreign residents. The natives were
dressed in their different native costumes for dancing, with leaves and flowers, to cor
respond with the heathen dance. Very few English and American ladies and gentle
men were present at the ball, but many native chiefs."
" Another very respectable English gentleman who witnessed the scene says, that
it was most heart-rending to reflect that, after all that had been done for this people,
and the measure of success that had attended the efforts, with what fearful rapidity
they were then hurried back towards heathenism. The amusements provided for the
people, even had it not been the Sabbath-day, were, in his opinion, of a most demora
lizing tendency ; no fewer than five different parties of dancers, men and girls pro
miscuously, with great drums beating, plentifully furnished with intoxicating drinks,
and excited to use the most obscene gestures and language. An American lady, who
was present at the ball, informs us, that poor Pomare seemed very disconsolate all the
evening, and could not be induced to enter into conversation with any one, but was
observed for the most part to be weeping." — Evan. Mag. 1851, p. 619.

1 88 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
required virtually to renounce the election of the people, and
to receive their pastoral appointment de novo from the secular
chiefs of the district, such nomination being still subject to the
approval or the veto of the French governor.1
As the restrictions laid on the missionaries were plainly a
contravention of the guarantee given by France to the British
government on their behalf, Mr Miller the English consul
undertook to refer the question to Her Majesty's government.
The missionaries felt that to submit to such unscriptural and
unjust conditions, would be to degrade the sacred office, and to
become the mere creatures of the secular authorities ; and as
the immediate consequence of their non-compliance with them,
they were not only deprived of the use of their chapels and
dwellings, but were forbidden to remain in any part of the
island except at Papeete, the seat of the government. As their
opportunities of usefulness in Tahiti were thus in a manner
closed, several of them retired to other islands, there to wait
until it should be seen what would be done for them in Eng
land. Previous to this, several of the natives who had been
trained in the missionary academy, were ordained to the minis
try, and settled as pastors over the native churches.2
Before leaving this painful subject, it is gratifying to be able
to state, that though France had sought to extend her protec
torate to the Leeward Islands, including Huahine, Raiatea,
Bora-bora, &c, under the pretext that they were subject to the
same sovereignty as Tahiti ; yet this having been proved not to
be the case, the governments of France and Britain entered into
a convention acknowledging the independence of these islands,

1 The missionaries presented a memorial to the governor relative to their grievances
and desires. He praised it as a document of great clearness of diction and exposition,
but still he adhered to his own measures. In reference to their objections to the elec
tion of ministers by the chiefs of the district, he said, " You are right ; as a philoso
pher, my conviction tells me you are right. The moral are much more likely to choose
correctly than the immoral ; but the law is past and I must maintain it. France
has been in great disorder, and is only now (1852) returning to a state of order ; and
the universal feeling now is in favour of order, and this must extend to her remotest
dependencies." It would not appear to have been on religious grounds that the law
was enacted, but on what the governor considered the political necessity of the case. —
Evan. Mag. 1853, p. 502.
2 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1852, p. 29 ; Ibid. 1853, p. 10 ; Evan. Mag. 1853, p. 502.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 189
which were thus rescued from the grasp of their unprincipled
invaders.1 Before concluding, it may not be improper to attempt some
general estimate of the results of the mission to Tahiti and the
neighbouring islands. We apprehend it is undeniable that it
led to a great change, and to an essential improvement in the
political, social, moral, and religious condition of the people.
The government became more j ust and mild ; the power of the
chiefs was restrained by law ; and the people had some security
for life and property. A degree of civilization, and some of the
more useful arts of life, with an increased measure of comfort,
were introduced among them. Reading, writing, and other
branches of education were common. Idolatry, human sacri
fices, infanticide, and various other evils were abolished, and
have never been, and, we trust, never will be revived among
them. The profession of Christianity was at an early period
general. Numerous places of worship were erected throughout
the islands, some of them of very large dimensions ; the people
assembled in great numbers for divine worship, and conducted
themselves in the most becoming manner ; the Sabbath was
observed by them with peculiar strictness ; contributions for
sending the gospel to other heathen lands were made by them
with singular liberality ; and some of them even went to dis
tant islands to make known the glad tidings of salvation to
their savage brethren. These certainly were remarkable changes,
and they could not fail to make a strong impression on all who
witnessed them, whether friends or enemies, and to inspire the
advocates of missions throughout the world with great delight
on account of the past, and with high hopes of the future
triumphs of the gospel. With respect to these outward changes
1 Evan. Mag. 1846, p. 663. R>id. 1847, p. 445, 619.
Though we are very sensible how incompetent man is to judge of the ways of God, and
of the grounds and designs of the particular acts of his government, yet it is scarcely
possible to think of the conduct of the French, under Louis Philippe, to the queen of
Tahiti, without thinking at the same time how in little more than twelve months after
the betrayal and subjugation of the Tahitians, his own throne wa3 overturned, and he
himself and his family were glad to flee out of France and take refuge in a foreign
land. Tahiti was not, indeed, the only foul blot on the government of Louis Philippe ;
there were many other acts for which ho and bis ministers were answerable both to God
and man.

190 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
and improvements, we apprehend there could be no mistake :
they were visible to the eye, and could be appreciated by the
most ordinary minds. But we fear that much too high an esti
mate was formed of the religious character and condition of the
people. True religion has its seat in the heart ; it is essentially
spiritual in its nature ; and even the most experienced and skil
ful observers are very inadequate judges of it. It was, how
ever, scarcely scriptural or rational, it was not, at all events, in
correspondence with God's ordinary mode of working, or with
the acknowledged principles of corrupt human nature, to believe
that the natives generally, or that even large numbers of them,
were regenerated persons, " created anew in Christ Jesus unto
good works," especially when we consider that they were pre
viously at once heathens and savages, ignorant, licentious, de
based, bloodthirsty men. We hope there were among them a
considerable number of sincere converts, and that many of these
are now " before the throne of God and of the Lamb ;" but we
fear that the great mass of them were Christians only in name,
though the beneficial influence of Christianity might, in many
respects, be seen in them, as in other countries, in restraining
them from evil, and in leading them to much that was good.
The increasing number of ships which from year to year visited
their shores, and the introduction by them of ardent spirits into
all the islands, greatly checked the progress of civilization and
religion, and of improvement of every kind, and brought in
upon them a flood of intemperance and licentiousness, which
though checked for a time was never stopped. The state of
agitation and warfare in which the Tahitians in particular were
kept for so many years by the aggressions of the French, could
scarcely fail to be productive of very baneful effects upon
them, while the unbounded and unblushing licentiousness of
their invaders, worse than any pestilence, spread moral desola
tion all around them, particularly among tlie female part of the
population. It is accordingly not surprising to find that there
has for some years past been a sad decline of religion in both
the Windward and the Leeward Islands. The spirit of piety
has to a grievous extent given place to the spirit of the world,
and even to open immorality. Still, however, among the
members of the several churches, there were not a few who

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 191
" kept themselves unspotted from the world," and " walked
worthy of the high vocation wherewith they were called."1
1 It is impossible to deny that the success of the mission in the Society Islands was
not equal to the conceptions which were generally entertained of it, and that the
friends of religion long ascribed to it a spirituality and a purity which it did not pos
sess. It is painful, indeed, to think of the glowing representations which were some
times given on this subject. " None, perhaps," says the Rev. Mr Timkin, one of the
American missionaries in the Sandwich Islands, "have better means of estimating, so
far as it depends on the reports of missionaries', what has been accomplished abroad,
than the secretaries of the societies by which missions are projected and sustained.
They have in their hands the greatest amount of materials, and their station is a
voucher that they possess, or are thought to possess, the skill and benevolence necessary
to make the wisest use of those materials in forming their opinions. Certainly this may
be affirmed of the late Rev. William Orme, foreign secretary to the London Mission
ary Society. Yet in a discourse,* for the most part excellent, delivered by him at vari
ous missionary anniversaries in England, he drew a picture of the South Sea mission
for which there is no original in the Pacific, and in our judgment will not be for a cen
tury to come. The following is the paragraph to which reference is made : —
" This leads me to notice, in the last place, the effect which our success ought to
have on our future exertions. The world is still before us, presenting an almost bound
less field of labour and trial. Are we depressed by the contemplation of its extent,
and dismayed by the difficulties with which it is encompassed ] Do we require encou
ragement to support our sinking spirits and to give fresh energy to our faith and zeal 1
Are we unprepared to meet fresh demands on our property and our faith, or ready to
murmur that we have sown so much and reaped so little ? Let us think on what the
word and Spirit of God have done for us, or rather for the wretched inhabitants of the
southern seas. Think on what they once were, and on what, by the grace of God, they
now are. Formerly they were 'earthly, sensual, devilish ;' occupying a kind of terres
trial paradise, they converted it into a region of blood, and lust, and horror. Heaven
seemed to have done its best to render their abode the purest and most beauteous on
the face of the earth ; and hell seems to have put forth its utmost malignity to render
it the dwelling-place of demons and the ' cage of every unclean and hateful bird.' A
moral pestilence devastated its fairest scenes,, and spread, with all nature smiling around,
mourning, lamentation, and woe. There man in his finest form appeared -rather as
a fiend of darkness, as a demon of cruelty, than as the creature of reason, intelligence,
and benevolence. And there woman, adorned with all her loveliness and sweetest at
traction, appeared ; but how shall I describe her, an incarnation of sensuality, a mon
ster of cruelty ; having no love for man, no pity for her offspring, no womanly modesty,
no motherly tenderness I Oh ! what horrors could we describe were you capable of
bearing the description !
" But what has God wrought ! Look on that venerable form, towering in majesty
above the multitude, though bending with years. What are those scars which dis
figure his manly countenance, and those marks which are spread over his muscular
limbs ? They are the proofs at once of the wars in which he has engaged and the su
perstitions which he has practised. His face is now lighted up with intelligence and
beaming with benevolence. What is he now ] A Christian : he is more ; he is a
teacher of the ignorant, an instructor of babes, a light to them that sit in darkness.
What does he carry? The rod of the chief in one hand and the gospel of peace in the
* The History of the South Sea Mission applied to the Instruction and Encouragement of the
Church, a Discourse delivered at various Missionary Anniversaries. By William Oi me, Fo
reign Secretary to the London Missionary Society. London : Holdsworth & Ball, 1829.

192 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Art. 2. — Friendly Islands.
Tongatabu.
In March 1797, Captain Wilson, after landing the first mis
sionaries in Tahiti, sailed for Tongatabu, one of the Friendly
other. He has not lost, but gained authority, by the revolution of his character and
the change in his circumstances. He is still a lord ; but it is among his brethren, and
his children, and his free and happy people. What has made him all this 1 The gos
pel. ' Not by might, nor by power ; but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts.'
" Observe that lovely female, clothed with simple elegance, ' without the foreign
aid of ornament.' Modest in her manners, meek and gentle in her disposition, timid
and reserved, yet elevated in her deportment. ' Grace is in all her steps, heaven in
her eye, in all her gesture dignity and love.' Her story is artless, but interesting ; its
burden is, ' The missionary preached : I believed. By the grace of God, I am what
I am.' " See those smiling children, their father's boast, their mother's pride, romping in
all the joyousness of youth, in all the conscious serenity of home, and the delights of
parental fondness, and brotherly and sisterly affection.
" Behold that happy family, united, endeared, and peaceful. The parents bound
together by the indissoluble tie of marriage, and the still more sacred bond of religion.
The husband loving his wife even as himself, and the wife honouring and obeying her
husband. The children growing up like olive plants about their table, and all shewing
how good and how pleasant a thing it is to dwell together in unity.
"Examine that cottage — I describe from facts — it rises on the outskirts of a shady
wood, through which a winding path conducts the traveller, improving as it advances
in beauty. At its termination, and in front of the dwelling appears a beautiful green
lawn. The cottage is constructed with neatness and regularity, and tastefully white
washed. Enter its folding doors. It has a boarded floor covered with oil-cloth, the
windows are furnished with Venetian shutters, to render the apartment cool and re
freshing ; the rooms are divided by screens of tassa, and the beds covered with the
same material white and clean ; the apartments are furnished with chairs and sofas of
native workmanship, and every article indicating at once the taste and the comfort of
the occupants.
" Observe that church. Its rustic form rises in the distance. It is rude in architec
ture ; but spacious in its dimensions. It is surrounded by its burying-ground, and its
tombstones, ' with nettles skirted and with moss o'ergrown.' It is furnished with its
pulpit, and its reading-desk, carved and painted too. It is filled with its pews and
benches, and, what is more and better still, it overflows with an audience, devout,
solemn, and silent, listening to the word of God. Who are these and whence came
they 1 They are the once wild, licentious, cruel, degraded idolaters of Tahiti. Listen
to them, for " The people rising sing, ' With harp, with harp,
And voice of psalms ;' harmoniously attuned
Their various voices blend.
0 how that simple song,
Though rudely ohaunted, how it melts the heart,
Commingling soul with soul, in one full tide
Of praise, of thankfulness, and humble trust.'

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 193
Isles with the view of settling others on that island. After a
voyage of about a fortnight, the Duff arrived at Tongatabu, and
before she could well come to anchor, she was surrounded by
numbers of the natives, who flocked to her, not only from
that, but from the neighbouring islands. In a short time, two
Europeans came on board, named Benjamin Ambler, who called
himself a native of London, and John Connelly, who said he
was born at Cork. It soon appeared that they were both worth
less fellows ; and though they pretended that they were sailors
who had left an American vessel which touched at Tongatabu,
it is more likely they were convicts, who had escaped from New
South Wales, and secreted themselves on this island, where they
could indulge, without restraint, in those habits of idleness and
profligacy to which they were addicted. Bad, however, as they
were, it was judged expedient to employ them as a medium of
intercourse with the chiefs, relative to the settlement of the
missionaries on the island.1
Engaged by handsome presents, Ambler and Connelly went to
" They sing ; and what do they sing 1
" Salvation ! 0 the joyful sound !
What pleasure to our ears ;
A sovVeign balm for eVry wound,
A cordial for our fears.
"Buried in sorrow and in sin,
At hell's dark door we lay,
But we arise by grace divine
To see a heavenly day.
" Salvation I let the echo fly
The spacious earth around,
While all the armies of the sky
Conspire to raise the sound."
"My brethren, if this is not romance, but reality, (and it is but a feeble represen
tation of the reality,) have we not been amply rewarded for the pastl' "
" The preceding is so highly drawn as to excite our surprise and regret. We deem
it erroneous, and therefore adapted to injure the cause it was designed to promote.
Our limits do not allow us at present to contrast the picture which the writer has pre
sented with the one which seems to us more correct. We will only say, that while
much has been accomplished at the Georgian and Society Islands, it is little when com
pared with what remains to be done. It is an immense work to rebuild the ruins of a
nation which has been going to decay for ages ; and the expectation which the churches
entertain that it may be done in a day, results from their ignorance of what heathenism
is." — Hawaiian Spectator, vol. i. p. 94.
" Miss. Voyage, p. 92, 96 ; Authentic Narrative, p. 68.
VOL. II. N

194 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Moomooe, the Dugona or principal chief of the island, and having
impressed him with a favourable opinion of the missionaries,
they returned next morning with a present of three hogs and
some yams from the old man, and informed them that he him
self intended soon to follow. Accordingly, it was not long be
fore the venerable chief made his appearance, with upwards of
twenty attendants. Captain Wilson embraced this opportunity
of mentioning every circumstance which could raise in their
minds a high idea of the missionaries ; and as they expressed
great admiration of the cabin and its furniture, particularly of
the mirrors, chairs, and table, they were informed that the men
who had come to settle upon the island could teach them to
make such useful articles, a circumstance which seemed to
transport them with joy. Several of the chiefs were anxious
that some of the missionaries should come and live with them ;
but as it was thought most expedient that they should keep to
gether in a body, at least for the present, it was agreed that
they should all live with Toogahowe, who was considered as the
most powerful and warlike chief on the island, and as likely to
be the successor of the aged Dugona, who seemed now on the
brink of the grave. Agreeably to this arrangement, the fol
lowing missionaries, Messrs Daniel Bowell, John Buchanan,
James Cooper, S. Gaulton, Samuel Harper, Seth Kelso, Isaac
Nobbs, William Shelly, James Wilkinson, and George Veeson,
landed on the island, and took up their residence at Aheefo,
under the protection of that powerful chief. Here they had a
house assigned them in a little field, enclosed with reeds, neatly
interwoven with green stakes which had shot forth suckers and
branches, and now formed a beautiful verdant fence.1
Having seen the missionaries settled in this favourable situa
tion, and on the most friendly terms with the chiefs and the
people, Captain Wilson prepared to take his departure from the
island. Scarcely had he sailed when a tremendous gale arose,
and the mountainous billows quickly tossed the vessel along
the ocean. The missionaries watched her labouring amidst the
waves, till she sunk in the horizon from their view. A sigh of
sadness then arose, some tears of regret fell from their eyes,
whilst they looked round on the island, far distant from the
1 Miss. Voyage, p. 99 ; Authentic Narrative, p. 69, 73.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 195
regions of civilized life, as the scene where they were to pass
and to end their days : " This," said they to each other, " is the
ground where our bodies will moulder into dust : this we must
now consider as our country and our grave." But they were
ten in number, all social and friendly, all of similar sentiments,
all united in zeal for the honour of the Redeemer, all glowing
with concern for the salvation of the kind but ignorant inhabi
tants of the island. These circumstances contributed not a
little to soothe and support their minds on this trying occasion.1
After the departure of the Duff, the natives came in great
numbers to visit the missionaries, to pay their respects to them,
and to gratify their own curiosity. None of them, however,
came without considerable presents of cloth, roasted pigs,
bunches of plantains, or strings of cocoa-nuts. The chiefs and the
people appeared to vie with each other in shewing them respect
and attention. The presents of bales of cloth and mats which
were brought them, were at length so numerous, that the mis
sionaries had not room to deposit them : nor was the cloth so
contemptible as some may imagine. It was made of the inner
bark of trees, moulded, battered, and spread in such a manner
as to form a fine stout article, which when fringed with white
constituted not only a neat but an elegant dress.2
In return for their kindness, the missionaries made them as
many presents as their stock of goods would afford, particularly
the chief under whose protection they lived. They always
treated their visitors with the greatest attention, and were most
assiduous in gratifying their curiosity. A cuckoo clock, which
they fixed up was viewed by the natives with the utmost as
tonishment, even before it was put in motion ; but their won
der was increased a thousandfold, when, on its being set
agoing, the bird came out, crying, " Cuckoo, cuckoo." Such was
their wonder, that for some time they could not take their eyes
off it ; they then looked at each other, dumb with astonishment,
and at length withdrew in perfect amazement. The news of
this wonderful curiosity quickly spread over the whole island.
The missionaries, it was reported, had got " Wood that speaks."
The numerous visitors which it attracted completely occupied
them from early in the morning till late in the evening; and
1 Authentic Narrative, p. 73. * Ihid. p. 75.

196 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
at length they multiplied so greatly, that it was necessary to
refuse admittance to many of them.1
Among their many visitors, was Duatongo, who, in respect of
power, was the second chief in the island. As he was highly
delighted with the cuckoo clock, the missionaries, who had seve
ral of them, were happy to have an opportunity of gratifying
him with so acceptable a present. Having carried it home with
him, he was prompted by curiosity to examine the inside, and
readily succeeded in taking it to pieces ; but he had not skill to
put it together again. He then sent for the missionaries to
mend it. They made the attempt, but being unacquainted with
the mechanism of a clock, they were equally unsuccessful. This
circumstance lessened them not a little in the eyes of the natives,
and brought down upon them a great deal of ridicule ; while, at
the same time, it flattered the natural vanity of the Tongas, who
now prided themselves in the idea that they were at least as
skilful as, " the men of the sky."2
But while the missionaries were, in general, treated with the
utmost attention by the natives, they met with no small trouble
from their own countrymen. No sooner had the Duff sailed from
Tongatabu, than Ambler, Connelly, and a fellow of the name of
Morgan, one of their companions, who was on a neighbouring
island, began to harass them. The conduct of the missionaries,
so opposite to their abandoned habits, provoked their enmity ;
the property they possessed excited their avarice. The ruffians
had already obtained from them a variety of articles to a consi
derable amount ; but their applications became, at length, so
frequent and so extravagant, as to be altogether intolerable, and
it became absolutely necessary to refuse them. Not discouraged
by this, they demanded the goods as their right ; and one day
they entered the habitation of the missionaries by force with
the view of carrying off their property. One of them ran up to
Kelso and struck him, the other assaulted another of the mis
sionaries, but being overpowered by numbers, they were soon
1 Authentic Narrative, p. 76.
2 Authentic Narrative, p. 78.
The natives called them "the men of the sky," because the sky appeared to touch
the ocean in the distant horizon, and as the missionaries came from an immense
distance, they naturally enough concluded, that they must have come through the sky
to arrive at Tongatabu." — Authentic Narrative, p. 95.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 197
driven from the place. They went away breathing forth dread
ful imprecations, and threatening that they would inflame the
natives against them, and that not one of them should be left
alive until the morning. Had they possessed much authority
with the Tongas, there is little doubt the whole of the mission
aries would have been sacrificed to their malice, but their con
duct had rendered them so unpopular, that they had little in
fluence with the natives.1
The missionaries, however, were much alarmed by their pro
ceedings, and partly for this reason, partly as they heard vari
ous reports of the designs of the chiefs to attack them and seize
their property, they came to a resolution to separate, and to
take up their residence in small parties with different chiefs.
Three of thein accordingly remained at Aheefo, under the pro
tection of Toogahowe, who was now the Dugona or principal
chief of the island in consequence of his father's death, two
went to Mooa to live with Duatonga, two to Ardeo to reside
with Varjee, one took up his abode at Ahogee with Mooree,
and one with a chief of the name of Mulkaamair.2
Before leaving the Pacific Ocean, Captain Wilson returned to
Tongatabu,3 with the view of learning the situation of the mis-
1 Authentic Narrative, p. 80.
3 Ibid. p. 81 ; Miss. Voyage, p. 249, 255 ; Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 256.
3 Nothing particular occurred in the course of this second voyage from Tahiti, un
less we except the following circumstance, which exhibits an interesting picture of the
workings of paternal affection, even in the rudest and most ignorant ranks of society.
As the Duff sailed by Huahine, several canoes came alongside, in one of which was
an Irishman named Connor, one of the crew of the Matilda, a, vessel which had been
wrecked about 1792. To the astonishment of the captain and his men, he had for
gotten his native tongue so completely, that he was able to recollect only a few words,
and if he began a sentence in English, he was obliged to finish it in the language of the
islanders. He had even forgot the time that had elapsed since he was shipwrecked,
but supposed it was eight years, whereas it was only about five. Having obtained
from Captain Wilson a passage to England, he went ashore to take farewell of his wife
and child. His wife he treated with the utmost indifference, and, indeed he had
declared, he did not care what became of her ; but when he took in his arms the child,
a most beautiful infant, about eight or nine months old, the tears glistened in his eyes,
and he seemed now to hesitate whether to remain in a situation where he was in con
stant danger of his life, or by extricating himself from it, to leave behind him his be
loved daughter in the hands of savages. Persisting, however, in his first resolution,
he embarked in the canoe, accompanied by his wife and his lovely infant. By the
way she was asked, whether she would not part with the child 1 " No," she replied,
" not for any thing.'' As several chiefs and other natives were on board the Duff, it
was some time before this affair could be settled, and thus he had a further opportunity

198 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
sionaries, the treatment they had received from the natives dur
ing his absence, and the prospects of success on the island.
He was happy to hear of the kindness and respect with which
the Tongas had in general treated them ; but the accounts he
received of Ambler, Connelly, and Morgan, determined him, if
possible, to carry them off the island, that so they might create
the missionaries no further uneasiness. Connelly he seized, but
Ambler and Morgan learning his design made their escape.
One day, Veeson the missionary, accompanied by several men
from the ship, proceeded well armed to the place of their re
treat. After searching for them in vain night came on, when
Veeson, happening to advance from the field before the rest, up
a narrow lane, met with some of the natives and asked them if
they had seen Ambler. Without making any reply, they in
stantly seized him and held him fast with his arms behind his
body; they then dragged him forward along the lane and threw
him on his back. Whilst two or three held him firm, another
raised his club to strike him on the head. Instant death
seemed now inevitable. Just, however, at that moment, the
moon emerged from under a cloud, and shining full in his face
as he lay on the ground, discovered who he was. Awed by re
verence for Mulkaamair, the chief with whom he resided, they
immediately dropped their clubs, as they knew he was a parti
cular favourite with him. His companions, alarmed by his
cries, now came up and fired upon his assailants. The natives
instantly fled, but afterwards followed the sailors for some time
as they retired to their boat.1
Veeson did not accompany his companions to the ship, but-
returned to his own habitation. On his arrival, however, he
was surprised to find the doors of the enclosure secured, and
was obliged to stop some time in the public road. He at length
succeeded in forcing the entrance, but on going in he was
alarmed to see a number of the natives all under arms. As he
for deliberation. Tho poor fellow never let the infant out of his arms, and, at length,
the workings of a father's heart prevailed over the love of country, and concern for his
own personal safety. He told the captain, he found it impossible to leave his child,
which all on board were glad to hear, for the sake of the poor helpless babe. A few
useful articles were then presented to him. The Duff immediately proceeded on her
voyage, while he returned to the shore. — Miss. Voyage, p. 227.
3 Authentic Narrative, p. 83, 85.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 199
approached, they pointed their spears at him, and told him they
had learned from Ambler and Morgan that it was the intention
of him and his friends to seize on the island and kill the inha
bitants. These miscreants, it seems, had succeeded in rousing
the jealousy and indignation of the Tongas by this foul and ma
lignant calumny. They laboured, indeed, by every means in
their power to lessen the missionaries, and to exalt themselves
in the estimation of the natives. They gave it out, for instance,
that they were persons of the first rank in their own country,
that one of them was the king's son, the other a duke or great
chief, but that the missionaries were of the lower orders of the
people, and servants to them.1
The missionaries afterwards thought it best to have no com
munication with these two fellows ; and, indeed, there was soon
no need either to court their favour or to dread their resent
ment, as they lost entirely the confidence of the natives. Not
withstanding their high pretensions of being dukes or princes,
the Tongas had ingenuity enough to conclude, that had they
been men of rank as they said, they would surely have received
presents from their own country as well as the missionaries.
They accordingly treated them with little respect, and in con
sequence of their bad condnct, they at length put them both to
death, Ambler at the commencement of a civil war, of which
we shall shortly speak, on account of his having spoken disre
spectfully of a neighbouring chief, and endeavouring to raise
disturbances in the island ; Morgan two or three years afterwards,
for brutally violating the daughter of one of the chiefs.2
Immediately after Veeson took up his residence with Mulka-
amair, it was reported by the natives that he cohabited with
one of the Tonga women, and in fact some parts of his conduct
but too well corresponded with such a rumour ; yet as he posi
tively denied the charge while the Duff was on the island, it
was thought best by most of the missionaries, as well as by Cap
tain Wilson, to allow him to remain. She had scarcely, how
ever, sailed a week, when, to the inexpressible grief, of his
brethren, he acknowledged his guilt, but still he denied that it
was any earlier than the night before. The missionaries who
resided nearest to him, expostulated with him on the crimina-
1 Authentic Narrative, p. 87. 2 Ihid. p. 90.

200 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
lity and danger of his conduct, and at first it seemed as if their
expostulations were not in vain. Bat their hopes were quickly
dashed by his mingling with the heathen, and shewing a strong
disposition to learn their ways, in which he at length made a
woful proficiency. As, however, he proposed to marry the wo
man with whom he lived, his fellow-missionaries agreed to so
lemnize the marriage as what they considered the only remedy
now left. But when the parties came before them, and they
explained to the woman the nature of the marriage-covenant,
that it was an agreement for life to be faithful to her husband,
and that nothing but death could release her from the bond,
she burst into tears and refused to come under such an obliga
tion, alleging as a reason that no due affection subsisted between
them, and that she for her part was influenced merely by the
fear of the chief and her parents. Under these circumstances,
the missionaries could not proceed with the ceremony, as such
a marriage would have been contrary not only to the laws of
their country, but to the principles of common sense. She was
therefore conducted back to her father, but Veeson soon after
sent for her, and lived with her as his wife. The missionaries
did not yet exclude him from their society, but embraced every
opportunity of expostulating with him concerning his irreligi
ous and immoral conduct. All, however, was in vain. He now
threw off the mask of Christianity so completely, that he did
not know the Sabbath when it came, and even returned them
his Bible, though earnestly requested to keep it. After some
months, therefore, they proceeded to exclude him from their
little society, though it was with a sorrowful heart.1
Though the missionaries were in general well treated by the
natives, yet in various instances it was otherwise, and there
were even cases in which they were in imminent danger of
their life. In the summer of 1 798, it was reported that most of
the principal men on the island had solicited Toogahowe, the
Dugona, to put them all to death, instigated, it was supposed,
by a desire of their property, as well as by jealousy of their de
signs. At that time the missionaries gave no credit to the ru
mour, for the chiefs in general treated them with so much
1 Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 257, 262, 266, 268, 272, 275 ; Authentic Narrative, p. 90,
107, 126, 127.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 201
friendship, that they could not suspect them of so base a de
sign ; but afterwards they were assured that about that period
there was actually a conspiracy on foot to murder them ; that
some of those who professed the greatest regard for them were
the most active in it ; that the Dugona was nearly consenting
to cut off those who were under his protection ; and that, had
this taken place, it is not probable the others would have been
long allowed to survive them. In this emergency, however,
Providence raised up to them some friends, who stood firmly by
them and pled their cause, by which means their enemies were
silenced and the conspiracy broken. Shortly after, however,
ten or twelve of the natives entered the house of Mr Cooper,
about three o'clock one morning. After threatening to murder
him if he made any opposition or noise, they ordered him out
of doors, stript off his shirt, and carried away whatever they
could find in the house. Happily, however, they did him no
personal injury, and when daylight returned he found they had
left him an old coat, and a few articles of iron which they had
missed in the dark.1
Hitherto the missionaries had been able to effect little or
nothing with regard to the main object of their settlement upon
the island. In learning the language of the natives, they had
greater difficulties to encounter than they had been taught to
expect. They found it extremely difficult to convey to them any
adequate ideas even of natural things with which they were not
conversant, much more of objects which are heavenly and divine.
They had just, however, formed a plan for improving them
selves in the language, and for reducing it to grammatical
order, when an event occurred which not only deranged the
whole of their scheme, but involved the island in devastation
and ruin.2
In April 1799, Toogahowe, the Dugona of the island, was
treacherously murdered by Loogalalla, his brother, and two of
his own cousins. The chiefs of Tongatabu and of the neigh
bouring islands being assembled at this time for the celebration
of an annual religious ceremony, Loogalalla chose this oppor
tunity for the execution of his barbarous purpose. He commu
nicated his design to a number of other daring men, who, after
1 Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 270. ' Ibid. p. 279.

202 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
appearing at the ceremony, embarked in their canoes as if to
return to their own part of the island. They hovered, however,
off the coast, landed again in the evening, and after stationing
a guard at every avenue leading to the Dugona's residence, they
proceeded in search of the object of their vengeance. Him and
his attendants they found asleep; but as it was dark, they could
not at first distinguish which was the chief, and they were
afraid to strike the fatal blow, lest by killing the wrong person
they should give the others the alarm. Unfortunately, how
ever, for Toogahowe, it is the peculiar privilege of the Dugona
to anoint his head with oil, strongly scented with a certain
species of fragrant wood which is brought from the Fiji
Islands. Discovering him by this empty distinction, the con
spirators murdered him, together with seven or eight of his at
tendants. The rest of his followers fled, but as every avenue
was guarded, many of them also were slain. Having thus ef
fected their bloody purpose, Loogalalla and his party proceeded
to the shore, and seizing as many canoes as they needed, de
stroyed all the rest in order to secure their retreat.1
The news of this event flew like lightning over the whole
island, and seemed to fire every breast with indignation and a
desire of revenge. Loogalalla, however, had many powerful
supporters among the chiefs, so that it was evident nothing but
war would decide the fate of the island. Preparations were
made on both sides with the utmost rapidity, and in a short
time the two parties met in the field of battle. The Aheefoni-
ans, or royalists, after three shouts, began the contest with
great bravery, and in a short time routed the rebels, who fled
in all directions, leaving the killed and wounded to the mercy
of the victors, who at first gave no quarter. Some of the mis
sionaries were present at the battle, and witnessed scenes of
barbarity from which humanity recoils. A short way from the
spot where the contest began, they saw an old man roasting part
of a dead body, apparently with a design to eat it. At a little
distance they beheld another spectacle no less shocking : it was
the body of a chief who had fallen in battle ; a fellow who had
severed the head from the body was exhibiting them as a proof
of his prowess ; and even some of the women, as they passed .by,
dipped their hands in the blood and licked them.
1 Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 281 ; Authentic Narrative, p. 160.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 203
Nothing could be more gratifying to the royalists than to see
several of the missionaries marching to the battle, as they en
tertained no doubt that they had fire-arms with them, and would
employ them against the rebels. Accordingly, on every little
advantage which they obtained, the missionaries came in with
Taleeitoobo and other imaginary deities, for a share of their
warmest acknowledgments ; even the dog which Kelso led in
his hand had abundance of kava presented to it. But as soon
as it was discovered that they took no part in the battle, they
became almost as obnoxious to them as their enemies. To re
main where they were was therefore no longer safe*yet whither
to go they knew not. They at length fled to a place called
Eeleegoo, in the back part of the island, which seemed to pro
mise them the best shelter that could be found at present, being
inaccessible for canoes by a high reef of coral rocks along the
shore, and very little frequented from the land. Here they re
tired into as private a spot as possible, and passed the greater
part of this eventful day undiscovered by the natives. In the
evening they returned to their own habitation ; but they
soon found it was no place of refuge for them, and therefore
they retired to the house of a neighbour who professed a good
deal of friendship for them, but who, they afterwards under
stood, entertained serious thoughts of murdering them all that
very night.
Next morning they returned to Eeleegoo, and took up their
station in a wood near the place where they had hid themselves
the day before. Here they lay concealed until about noon, when
they discovered numbers of the natives flying in all directions;
and they soon learned that a second battle had been fought,
that the royalists were routed, and that most of their friends
among the chiefs were slain. Alarmed by this intelligence, they
thought it best to leave their retreat, and to follow the crowd.
After travelling with them about two miles, they came up with
a party of armed men, who demanded their clothes ; and as to
to have refused them would have been at the peril of their life,
they surrendered them without hesitation, and so escaped unhurt.
Having proceeded a considerable way farther, they found the
road turn more inland, and the beach terminate in a range of
craggy rocks, with a thick wood between them and the country.

204 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Here, therefore, they took shelter, as they saw that they were
viewed with an evil eye by many of their fellow-travellers. In
the course of the day they discovered, in the hole of a rock, a
quantity of fresh water, which afforded them a most seasonable
refreshment ; and about sunset, two of them went in search of
food, of which they all stood much in need, having tasted no
thing except water since the evening before. In less than half
an hour, they returned with some bread-fruit and bananas, which
they had obtained from a company of the natives whom they
met with at a little distance ; but they, at the same time, re
ceived frouAhem the painful intelligence, that the three mis
sionaries at Ardeo, Harper, Bowell, and Gaulton, had been mur
dered by the Aheefonians the preceding day. It appears that
the royalists, after defeating the rebels, continued to pursue
them till they came to that part of the country. The mission
aries, apprehending that as they had taken no part in the war
they would not be molested by them, came out to view them as
they approached. Amongst the warriors, however, arrived one
who had formerly requested some presents, either from them or
their brethren, and unfortunately had met with a refusal. With
the barbarity natural to a savage, he seized this opportunity of
taking revenge ; and having run to attack them, he was readily
joined by others. They knocked down Harper, Bowell, and
Burham, an American seamen who was with them,1 and mur
dered them all on the spot. Gaulton fled, but looking back and
seeing his companions fall, to whom he was strongly attached,
he returned, perhaps, in the hope of saving them, and imme
diately shared a similar fate. After murdering the missionaries,
the savages proceeded to plunder their houses ; and though
many articles had been concealed and buried by them, yet they
searched and found them all.2
The news of this sad catastrophe could not fail to impress the
other missionaries with the deepest sorrow, as well as excite in
their minds the most painful apprehensions respecting their own
safety. Next day being the Sabbath, they endeavoured to spend
it among the rocks in such religious exercises as were suitable
1 Several sailors had landed from an American ship, soon after the arrival of the
missionaries, and settled on the island.- — Miss. Trans, p. 259, 261.
* Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 288 ; Authentic Narrative, p. 169.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 205
to the nature of that sacred day, and to the melancholy circum
stances in which they were placed. In the afternoon, however,
they were alarmed by the sight of a man, armed with a club
and spear, who bolted up close by them. He at first balanced the
spear in his hand, and seemed ready to throw it at them ; but on
observing their number, he appeared confused, and at a loss what
to do. The missionaries having immediately addressed him, he
pretended that he was sent by Maffee, one of the chiefs, to seek
for them, chiding them, at the same time, in a friendly manner,
for remaining in such a place to perish with hunger. He then
desired them to wait till he sought some cloth which he had
left in the neighbouring wood, saying, he would come back and
take them to Maffee. He accordingly left them and returned
in a few minutes, but now he assumed a very different carriage
from what he had manifested at first, desired them again to stay,
and then left them a second time. As his behaviour was so
mysterious, they did not choose to wait his return, but imme
diately left the rocks in as quiet and cautious a manner as pos
sible, being afraid he might bring a party of the natives against
them. Observing a road which led to the sea, they descended
by it, and proceeded toward the beach. They had not advanced
many yards, when they found a child, apparently about eight
or nine years of age, lying dead on the ground. After travel
ling about a mile on the way to Aheefo, they met with a small
company of the natives, consisting of ten or twelve persons,
one of whom advised them to go with them to a place called
Faheffa. They accordingly went with them, and having arrived
in that quarter about the dusk of the evening, were kindly
entertained by the people.1
After a variety of other adventures, in the course of which
the missionaries were often in the utmost danger of their life,
Loogalalla, the traitor, triumphed over all his opposers ; and
not only Tongatabu, but the neighbouring islands, submitted
for the present to his sway. Bloody, however, as were the
means by which he rose to sovereign power, he appeared to be
friendly to the missionaries. Previous to his last landing, he
had made it a part of his general orders to his army, that they
should not be hurt ; and as soon as he came on shore, he sent
» Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 292.

206 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Veeson with a party to search for them, in order to secure their
safety. Having now called them before him, he treated them
in the kindest manner, gave them many assurances of his friend
ship, and presented them with a large bale of cloth, and two
different kinds of saws. Vaarjee, the chief with whom their
unfortunate companions had resided, returned them several ar
ticles of clothing which had belonged to them, a watch, a Bible,
and a small compass ; the first volume of Hervey's Dialogues,
Crantz's History of Greenland, some other books, and a quan
tity of paper, pens, and ink.1
Having now an opportunity of visiting Ardeo, the mission
aries were eager to go thither, in order to render the last offices
of friendship to their murdered brethren, whose bodies were
still lying on the road, exposed to the insults of all who passed
by. On their arrival, they found the place a perfect desolation ;
the houses either burnt or lying in ruins ; the fences all torn in
pieces, and the fruits mostly destroyed. After taking a short
view of the premises, they were conducted to the places where
the bodies of their murdered companions lay. This was a still
more heart-rending sight. Bowell and Gaulton lay on the road,
near each other ; Harper in the neighbouring field. They were
all, however, so much disfigured, that their brethren could not
have known them, except from the information of the natives,
who had often seen them since their death. Burham, the
American seaman, lay in a kind of ditch, at a considerable
distance ; and as his body was in such a state that it could not
be moved without falling to pieces, the missionaries covered it
with earth where it was. Afterwards, with the assistance of
the natives, they dug a grave large enough to contain their
three brethren ; and having, though with some difficulty, moved
them into it, buried them without either shroud or coffin.
Vaarjee, the chief, appeared to bewail their death in the most
affectionate manner, and even formed the generous design of
removing them to a greater distance from the road, and of
building a fiatooka, or monument, over them, as soon as he re
turned to Ardeo.2
Having thus performed the last offices of friendship to their
unfortunate companions, the missionaries now began to resume
1 Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 294, 297, 300. " Ibid. vol. i. p. 291, 298.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 207
their manual labours among the natives. Several of them, who
lived with a chief named Fackafanooa, having, though with
much difficulty, procured materials for a pair of bellows, erected
a forge in a house which he had prepared for that purpose.
Here they soon found they would have plenty of work, but
little payment for it. Almost every person about the place
had something or other to do ; but with the most unblushing
effrontery, they often brought them their own property to be
wrought into various forms, and not half so much stuff for
payment as they used to allow for working iron, which they
had purchased from others at a very great expense. In this
practice they were much encouraged by Fackafanooa, who
seemed to think the obligations of the missionaries to him were
so great, they could never be discharged. He, indeed, reaped
far more advantage from their labours than they did them
selves ; for as most of the payments consisted of ready cooked
provisions, of which they could use but a very small part, his
family was almost entirely supported on the rest. In several
instances, however, this gave rise to circumstances of an un
pleasant nature. The missionaries themselves preserved the
command of their temper, notwithstanding the many provoca
tions they received ; but Beak, an American seaman, who
wrought with them, did not maintain the same degree of equa
nimity. He appears to have been a passionate, irritable man,
and often got into quarrels with the natives. One day when
he had fallen into a dispute with Fackafanooa, the chief imme
diately left them ; but he returned soon after with upwards of
fifty men, and desired them all to come out. As soon as they
had complied with this order, each of them was seized by two
or three of the natives, and led without the gate. Here they
found ten or twelve men armed with spears, ready, as they im
agined, to put them all to death. The chief, however, seemed
much agitated ; and instead of murdering them, only made the
following arrangement : Kelso and Buchanan he ordered to go
to Aheefo, while Beak and Wilkinson should remain with him.
The people, in general, on this occasion, seemed rather to sym
pathize with them than to insult them : some, indeed, appeared
to rejoice in their sufferings, and to feel a savage pleasure in
aggravating their distress.' 1 Miss. Trans, vol. i. 302, 304.

208 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Agreeably to this arrangement, Kelso and Buchanan de
parted for Aheefo, and on their arrival they found their breth
ren in that quarter hard at work. They now learned that
Fackafanooa had lately received an order to put them all to
death, as their enemies represented their prayers as having a
malignant influence on the mind of Loogalalla, and as being
indirectly the cause of all the calamities which had lately be
fallen the island. The prayers of the missionaries, indeed, had
long been a source of jealousy to the natives. Scarcely had
they landed on the island, when they were represented as the
cause of the death of several of the chiefs who died about that
period ; and on every fresh calamity the charge was renewed
against them. The practice, indeed, was now so obnoxious,
that the missionaries at Aheefo were obliged to hold their
morning and evening worship at the forge, where only they
could have it without molestation, because there it was unsus
pected.1 Soon after the departure of his two brethren to Aheefo, Wil
kinson overheard a conversation between Fackafanooa and some
of the people, in the course of which the missionaries were all
treated with much disrespect, but as no mischief was threatened
them, he took little notice of it till the following evening, when
he heard his own death proposed by a number of the natives to
Knight, one of the American seamen ; but as the wary sailor
expressed his apprehensions that the ship would soon return,
it was then proposed to loomeeloomee him, a cruel punishment,
seldom practised except on prisoners of war, and inflicted by
means of a broken cocoa-nut shell, jagged for the purpose, and
beat into the crown of the head with a club. To this proposal
the villain readily assented, but wished it might be executed in
such a manner that he would have no share of the blame. The
people accordingly proceeded to make preparations for the exe
cution of their barbarous purpose, and as Wilkinson overheard
the conversation, he had to pass the night in the most painful
apprehensions of being dragged out in the morning to receive
this brutal treatment. He escaped, however, at that time, but
soon after, both he and Beak received a severe cudgelling from
some of Fackafanooa's people. Nothing, indeed, could exceed
1 Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 267, 305.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 209
the baseness of that chief toward them ; and to crown his other
acts of villany, he at last seized the little property which they
had acquired by hard labour, consisting of about four hundred
yams, ten or a dozen of fowls, a considerable quantity of cloth,
a dozen of knives, a grinding-stone, and all their tools, merely
because they refused to give him a shark-hook which they had
made for another person.1
In this manner, the missionaries had passed nearly nine
months since the assassination of their friend the Dugona.
During the war, they had laboured under a complication of
evils ; their life was often in the utmost jeopardy, and three of
their number had actually fallen a sacrifice to the cruelty of the
natives. Since the return of peace, their condition was little
improved'; plots were often on foot for their destruction ; their
poverty was such, that they were destitute of clothing, and
almost of necessary food ; and they were at the same time under
such entire subjection to the natives, as destroyed all prospect
of usefulness among them. Besides, they received the most
positive assurances that Loogalalla, notwithstanding his former
professions of friendship, had determined to murder some of
them on his return to the island, which was expected in less
than a month ; and it was evident that, should any of them
survive his cruelty, they might expect at least to suffer all the
horrors of famine, as the whole country had lately been laid
waste by a storm. Under these discouraging and perplexing
circumstances, some of the missionaries entertained serious
thoughts of quitting Tongatabu in their small boat, and attempt
ing to sail to New South Wales ; but to others this proposal ap
peared perfectly preposterous, and only as flying from death on
land to inevitable destruction at sea. Such was the painful
situation of the missionaries, when they very unexpectedly
found an opportunity of escaping from the island.2
In January 1800, they one evening heard the report of two
guns in the bay ; but as it was too late to ascertain the cause
of this unusual noise, they passed the night in a state of most
anxious suspense ; sometimes hope, sometimes fear prevailed.
In the morning, they endeavoured to get their, boat to sea, but
to their inexpressible disappointment, they failed in the attempt,
1 Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 305, 306, 30S. 2 Ibid. vol. i. p. 313.
VOL. II. 0

210 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
as the tide did not reach her by forty or fifty yards. In the
evening, however, they accomplished their purpose, and after
sailing a considerable way, they descried two ships in the roads ;
but as the wind was contrary, it was midnight before they
reached them. The one was an English vessel, the Betsy, bound
for Port Jackson, the other, a Spanish brig which she had cap
tured. Captain Clark, the commander, received the mission
aries in the most friendly manner ; and, on being informed of
their distressing circumstances, kindly offered them a passage
to New South Wales, assuring them that his cabin, with every
accommodation it could afford, was at their service. This offer
the missionaries accepted with thankfulness and joy. Before
the ship finally left the island, one or two of the chiefs, and
some others of their old friends, came on board, and took an
affectionate leave of them. The feelings of the missionaries on
this occasion it is not easy to describe. The consideration of
the time, the labour, and the money, which had been expended
on this undertaking, all of which were now to be lost ; but
especially the thought of abandoning a country containing thou- •
sands of immortal souls, who were perishing in ignorance and
sin, could not fail to excite in their minds the most painful feel
ings. But necessity compelled them to depart. To remain was
only to expose themselves to difficulties, and dangers, and death,
without the smallest prospect of success. After a short and
agreeable voyage, they arrived in safety at Port Jackson ; and
with the exception of Shelly, they all soon after returned to
England.1 Veeson, the apostate missionary, still remained in Tongatabu,
and therefore before we close our narrative, it may not be im
proper to give a short account of him. After marrying a near
relation of one of the chiefs, he obtained a considerable piece
of land, and with the assistance of the natives who lived upon
it, he cultivated and improved his farm in such a manner, as
excited the admiration of the whole island. His intimacy and
credit with the chiefs daily increased, and he generally made
one of their parties both of business and pleasure. He was him
self considered as a chief, and like the others he increased the
number of his wives. He was now, however, sick of savage
1 Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 313, 317.

BVT THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 211
life, in consequence of the horrors he had witnessed, and the
dangers he had escaped in the late war, and having missed the
opportunity of leaving the island in the same ship as the mis
sionaries, he considered it as a just punishment for his derelic
tion of duty, and was scarcely able to bear the idea of spending
the rest of his days among so ferocious a race. He was doomed,
however, to behold new horrors. The inhabitants of Aheefo
having rebelled against the usurper, the flames of war were
again kindled, and raged with no less fierceness than before.
In a district which Loogalalla's party had laid waste, he beheld
human bodies placed transversely upon each other, and piled
up in large stacks, as a trophy of victory. This, however, was
executed in the style of ordinary barbarism. A little way from
one of these stacks, he witnessed a spectacle which almost froze
his blood. It was a mother, in a sitting posture, holding an infant
to her breast, as in the act of sucking, now cold and stiff with
death. The savages, after murdering them, had, with a refine
ment in barbarity, left the dead bodies to stiffen in that affect
ing attitude.1
In August 1801, Veeson was at length so happy as to effect
his escape from this land of savages. Tongatabu, which before
the war was beautiful as a garden, was now waste as a wilder
ness, and the inhabitants were in a state of absolute starvation.
No chief of respectability remained ; all were either killed, or
had fled to other islands for safety. Loogalalla, the author of
all these calamities, was the only chief of consequence who had
weathered the storm, and even he had been obliged to retire to
the Harby Islands, from whence he made frequent depredations
on Tongatabu. Veeson having attached himself to the party
of that usurper, had, of course, shared in his fortunes. About
this period he was appointed by him chief of one of the Vavau
Islands, and was sent thither with a number of men under him,
to bring it into a state of cultivation, as provisions were scarce
at Harby. This, though an honourable, was to him a danger
ous post. He had lately deserted the brother of Loogalalla,
who had thrown off the yoke of that usurper and asserted his
own independence. As this chief resided in the Vavou Islands,
it is probable Veeson would soon have fallen a sacrifice to his
1 Authentic Narrative, p. 128, 131, 139, 147, 154, 156, 186, 188.

212 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
revenge, had he entered upon his government. Scarcely, how
ever, had he reached these islands, when he heard that a ship
from England had been there three days. This intelligence ex
cited the utmost agitation in his mind ; but he had the prudence
to conceal his feelings as much as possible, and appeared to take
little or no notice of the information. Various plans of escape
now rushed into his mind, yet how to execute them he scarcely
knew. He, at length, persuaded some of the natives to go and
trade with the ship ; but as they approached her, he had the
vexation to see her under weigh, and was terribly frightened she
would sail without him. As the wind, however, blew only a
light breeze, the ship took some time in getting round, and the
canoe could run faster than she was able to do. On approach-
her, he called out, " How do you do, countrymen ?" The sailors,
however, only laughed at him, as they imagined from his dress
and tatooed skin, that he was a native who had picked up some
English phrases. They, therefore, held on, and thus Veeson
was like to lose for ever this opportunity of getting out of the
hands of this savage race. He now attempted to call out who
he was ; but he had been so long unaccustomed to his native
tongue, that he perpetually mixed with it the language of the
islanders, and by this means rendered all he said so strange and
unintelligible, as to increase the ridicule and incredulity of the
sailors. He then jumped overboard, knowing he could easily
swim to the vessel, when a chief who was near him said, " Get
into my canoe, I will take you to the ship." Veeson accepted
of the offer, but no sooner had he entered the canoe, than the
fellow turned with him towards the shore. His situation now
seemed desperate. He cried out as loud as he could, in his
broken dialect, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, as if in utter
despair.1 Fortunately for him, his cries and gestures caught the eye of
the captain, who at that moment came on deck, " That," said
he, " must certainly be an European," and immediately ordered
out a boat for him, manned with eight persons. Veeson saw
the boat coming, but the natives rowed away from it as fast as
possible, tantalizing and jeering him, saying, " Such a chief
wants to see you. You must visit Loogalalla's brother before
1 Authentic Narrative, p. 189, 191, 195 ; Evan. Mag. vol. x. p. 285.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 213
you leave us." A young man at the head of the boat having
at length beckoned to him to plunge, he watched his opportu
nity, dived into the sea, in a direction contrary to that in which
the canoe was sailing, and kept himself under the water, that
the savages might not strike him with their paddles. Mean
while his countrymen came up -to him, and pulled him into the
boat. The danger, however, was not yet entirely over. The
sailors now attempted to run down the canoes, but as they had
no fire-arms, and the savages were much their superior in num
ber, Veeson called to them to desist, warning them of the con
sequences. He had forgotten, however, his own language so
far, that he spoke in that of the islanders, who were now em
boldened by what he said, and instead of continuing their
flight, turned about, and began to pursue the boat. Had they
known that the sailors had no fire-arms with them, it is proba
ble they would have overtaken and murdered them all.1
Having at length reached the vessel, Veeson was not a little
astonished to find it was a missionary ship ; not indeed the
Duff, in which he had originally sailed to the South Sea Islands,
but the Royal Admiral, commanded by Captain William Wilson,
who had just landed a new body of missionaries in Tahiti, and
was now returning to England. During the voyage, Veeson
was in a wild state of mind ; sick of savage life, yet too long
habituated to its privileges, to brook with complacency the re
straints of civilized society. When they came in sight of the
uninhabited island of Tinian, he felt a wish to be put on shore,
that he might end his days in the solitude of a hermit. Hav
ing proceeded in the ship to China, he there engaged himself
on board a vessel bound to America, and after performing
another voyage to St Domingo, he returned to England, but as
he had now been so long accustomed to ramble about, he felt
an insuperable aversion to regular labour and a settled life.
After some time, a pious female relation persuaded him to re
turn to the town where he had received his first serious im
pressions, in the hope that the society of his old friends might,
through the divine blessing, rekindle in his breast the almost
extinguished sense of religion. Yielding to her remonstrances,
he settled in the place, resumed his former occupations, and
1 Authentic Narrative, p. 198.

21 4 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
was induced by his pious acquaintances, to attend again the
long-neglected means of grace. In this scene of retirement, the
prodigal began to repent, the backslider to pray, the wanderer
to return to the Redeemer's fold, from which he had strayed.
The gloom of despondency, which a sense of guilt had spread
over his mind, was at length dispelled by the declarations of
the gospel, and it was hoped that he found peace of conscience
through the atonement of Christ Jesus, and was set up as a
monument of that grace which he had neglected to proclaim to
the islanders of the South Sea.1

Art. 3.— Maequesas Islands.
St Christina.
In April 1797, Captain Wilson, after settling the missionaries
in Tahiti and Tongatabu, sailed for the Marquesas Islands
with the view of landing in Santa Christina, Messrs John Harris
and William Crook, who had both made choice of that island
as the scene of their future labours. Harris, however, who had
been particularly bent on settling in this quarter, had scarcely
landed when he shrunk from the undertaking, and before the
departure of the ship he determined to return to Tahiti.
Crook, a young man of twenty-two, was not so easily dis
heartened, and, notwithstanding the loss of his companion, he
resolved to remain on the island, desiring only such instru
ments of husbandry and other articles as might promote his
usefulness among the unenlightened natives. His happiness,
he observed, would no doubt have been greatly promoted had
he enjoyed a friendly and agreeable associate, but since the Lord
had ordered otherwise, he thought it better corresponded with
his character and profession to resign himself to his fatherly
care, and to trust in his promises, than to abandon a situation
where a door of usefulness appeared to be opened to him ; and
should his blessed Saviour make him the honoured instrument
of preparing the way for some of his more able servants, he
1 Authentic Narrative, p. 202, 208, 211.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 21 5
should, at least, have the pleasure of reflecting that his life had
not been spent in vain.1
Bold, however, as Mr Crook was, the mission to the Mar
quesas Islands came to a termination sooner than even that to
Tongatabu. During the first six months of his residence on
Santa Christina, he suffered considerably from hunger in con
sequence of the improvidence of the natives ; but yet he was
kindly treated by the chiefs, who always allowed him to partake
of their own scanty morsel. About a year after his arrival, a
ship having appeared off the island, he went on board of her
with the view of inquiring to what country she belonged, and
of writing to Europe by her ; but as the wind blew fresh from
the mountains, she was not only unable to work her way into
the harbour, but was carried to the leeward. Being thus pre
vented from returning to Santa Christina, Mr Crook requested
the captain to carry him to Sir Henry Martyn's, an island about
sixty miles to the north-west, and, in compliance with his re
quest, the captain was so obliging as to bear away and land
him upon it.
On his arrival on this island, the natives were astonished to
find a White man who could speak their own language, and, till
he dissuaded them from the extravagant idea, they considered
him as a god. The principal chief immediately, adopted him as
his Tayo, and supplied his wants with the greatest liberality.
In a short time he obtained a large piece of ground stocked
with bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, and tarro roots, which he enclosed
with a bamboo fence, and built a house upon it.
After he had resided for seven months on this island, two
ships, the Euphrates and Butterworth, both South Sea whalers
from London, put in for refreshments, to whom he was of con
siderable service as interpreter, as well as in procuring for them
a plentiful supply of provisions. Despairing of seeing the Duff
on this island, he thought he would most effectually serve the
cause of the mission by returning to England, and representing
to the Society the state of the whole group of the Marquesas
Islands, together with the propriety of sending more mission
aries, who, by exhibiting a form of Christian economy in do
mestic life, might induce the natives to pay greater attention
1 Miss. Voyage, p. 45, «6, 112, 132, 137, 139, 141.

216 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
to their instructions. He accordingly embarked in the Butter-
worth and sailed for England, where he arrived in May 1799,
after an absence of two years and eight months.1
In October 1834, Messrs Rodgerson and Stallworthy landed
at St Christina with the design of renewing the mission, but
the circumstances in which they were placed were so trying and
discouraging, that after a few years they left the island.2

Art. 4. — Hervet Islands.
In October 1821, Mr John Williams, one of the missionaries
in Raiatea, when on his way to New South Wales for the bene
fit of his health, left two native teachers at one of the Hervey
Islands, named Aitutaki. This group of islands lies about five
or six hundred miles to the west of Tahiti. They are seven in
number, the chief of which are Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Mangaia,
and Atiu ; the other three were named Mauti, Mitiaro, and
Hervey's Island.3
For upwards of twelve months the natives of Aitutaki paid
little attention to any thing which the teachers said on the
subject of religion ; but all at once they manifested a general
desire to embrace Christianity. Whole districts, men, women,
and children, with their respective chiefs at their head, came
and expressed their wish to be instructed ; and in a few days
the whole inhabitants of the island professed themselves the
worshippers of the true God. On the following Sabbath, they
all assembled, for the first time, to worship Jehovah, under a
grove of large shady trees. Next day a general conflagration of
the morais took place : the whole were destroyed or despoiled ;
not one remained on the whole island. The people now erected
a large place of worship for themselves, and the observation of
the Sabbath was general throughout the island.4
In July 1823, Messrs Williams and Bourne visited the Her
vey Islands along with six native teachers, whom they proposed
leaving on different islands. After calling at Aitutaki, they
' Evan. Mag. vol. vii. p. 261.
2 Evan. Mag. 1835, p. 382 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1839, p. 6 ; Ibid. 1813, p. 34.
a William's Miss. Enter, p. 16 ;' Quart. Chron. vol. iii. p. 12.
1 Quart. Chron. vol. iii. p. 43, 46.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 217
visited Atiu, where two teachers from Bora-bora had been left
some months before. These they found in a most pitiable, condi
tion. They had been stripped by the natives of all their little pro
perty, and were exceedingly disheartened by their want of suc
cess. The king, a young man, accompanied the missionaries to
sea for two or three days, and during that time, he was present
at their religious services, and had much conversation with
them. The result of this was, that he resolved to embrace
Christianity, to destroy all his morais, and to erect a house of
prayer. The missionaries afterwards prevailed on him to ac
company them to the two adjacent islands of Mitiaro and Mauti,
of which he was also king, and to use his influence to enable
them to settle a teacher on each of them. Upon landing at
Mitiaro, he sent for the chief of that island, and stated to him
that he would leave a teacher, who would instruct him and his
people in the word of God ; that they must burn all their morais,
give up all their evil customs, and convert into a house of prayer
a large house which he had given orders, a few weeks before, to
be put up for celebrating a great feast. The people listened
with astonishment, and asked, " Shall we not all be strangled ?"
" No," replied he ; " it is not in the power of wood which we
have adorned and called a god to kill us." They inquired if
Atiu had received the good Word, which he had brought to them.
He replied that he had embraced it himself, upon which the
chiefs and all the people agreed to do the same. " But," said
one, " must we destroy Taria Nui ?" that is " Great Ears," the
idol of which the king himself was the priest. " Yes," replied
he ; " him and all the evil spirits with him." He then charged
them to behave kindly to the teacher, and to attend to his in
structions. As they approached the island of Mauti, the chiefs and a num
ber of the people were collected on the beach to welcome their
king. The first words he uttered were, "I am come to advise you
to receive the word of Jehovah, the true God, and to leave with
you a teacher to instruct you." " That is good," they replied.
He then said, " Let us burn all our morais, and all our evil
spirits. Never let us worship them again. They are wood which
we have carved and decorated, and cajled gods." Here is the
true God and his word, with a teacher to instruct you. The true

218 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
God is Jehovah, and the true sacrifice is his son Jesus Christ." He
said further, " Erect a house in which to worship the true God,
and be diligent in learning the good word of God." " We will
do it," they replied, " we will receive the good word that we may
be saved." He then exhorted the principal chief Tararo and his
wife to attend family worship that same evening, to which they
agreed ; and, naming a particular day, he added, " Let every
person, man, woman, and child, attend the worship of the true
God, and make a public profession." He also exhorted them
to leave off drinking ava, to discontinue all their games and
feasts, not to steal, nor to commit fornication, but along with
the evil spirits to cast off all evil customs.1
1 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1824, p. 29 ; Quart. Chron. vol. iii. p. 49 ; Williams' Life, p. 171,
" Were ever," says Messrs Williams and Bourne, " three islands converted from
idolatry in so short a time — so unexpectedly — islands almost unknown, and some
never visited by any vessel, in one day induced to consent to the destruction of what
has been the adoration of ages 1 As to the natives of the latter island, Mauti, the very
first vessel that ever visited them brought them the glad tidings of salvation. How
remarkably are the words of David fulfilled in this people : — ' As soon as they hear of
me, they shall obey me ; the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.'
"Thus," they also [remark, "the king of Atiu came on board the vessel abigoted
idolater ; he was induced to embrace the true word, to use his influence in overthrow
ing the adoration of ages in two islands, and returns to that of his own residence with
a full determination to do the same there. We were constrained to say : — ' It is the
Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes !' " — Rep. Miss. Soc. 1824, p. 29, 32.
Such reflections may appear very pious, but they shew little judgment. To speak
of the inhabitants of these islands as converted from idolatry is an abuse of terms ; they
were not so much as instructed ! Not much more than twelve months after this, Mr
Williams' boat, with its crew, drifted from Raiatea to Atiu, and was supposed to be lost ;
but says he, " The arrival of my boat's crew at Atiu was overruled for great good, as
the following incidents will shew : — "When they reached Atiu very few persons had em
braced Christianity ; they regarded it all as deceit and falsehood. One of the principal
chiefs, who with his party had thus acted, arose and spoke in the presence of the assem
bly, addressing himself to them as follows : — ' We believed this new religion to he a
deception ; we now see these men who had no intention. of coming here, but were cast
away at sea, with the Word of God in their hands. I am now convinced it is truth.' "
It is further stated : — " The teachers at Atiu have suffered greatly from persecution
and from the want of the means of subsistence." — Quart. Chron. vol. iii. p. 140 ; vol.
iv. p. 289. These circumstances were no great proof of conversion. We may here
add, that recent accounts of these three islands were very unfavourable. "Atiu in
particular was the scene of lamentable confusion, the church, the schools, and the com
munity at large being reduced, by a train of disastrous events, to a state bordering
on anarchy." — Rep. Miss. Soc. 1850, p. 29.
The truth appears to be, that in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, idolatry had a very
slight hold on the minds of the natives, and they seem to have been ready, in many
instances at least, to cast off their idols, and to profess to worship the true God on-
very slender grounds, sometimes, from mere accidental, circumstances. A visitation
of disease, the recovery of a person from sickness, especially if the cure was by means
of medicine given by a missionary, victory or defeat in battle, but above all, as ive

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 21.9
The missionaries afterwards proceeded to Rarotonga, a large
and beautiful island, the most populous of the whole group.
Here they also left a teacher, together with several natives of
that island whom they had taken on board at Aitutaki in order
to convey them to their own home, all of whom, it is said, had
embraced Christianity. From such instrumentality much could
not be expected, yet we find Mr Bourne on a visit to Rarotonga,
two years afterwards, baptizing about 500 of the natives include
ing children, about a thousand having previously been bap
tized by, we presume, the native teachers, who were specially
empowered to do so.1 On occasion of this visit to the Hervey
have before stated, the example and authority of their chiefs, to whom they appear to
be slavishly subservient, were quite enough to make them burn their morais, destroy
their idols, and profess to worship the true God. — Rep. Miss. Soc. 1824, p. 31 ; Quart.
Chron. vol. iii. p. 262 ; vol. iv. p. 328, 355 ; Evan. Mag. 1835, p. 428 ; Ibid. 1S43 ;
Riid. 1847, p. 448.
1 "Much," Mr Bourne writes, " has been said in Europe concerning the success of the
gospel in the Society Islands ; but it is not to be compared with its progress in Raro
tonga. In the Society Islands, European missionaries laboured for fifteen long years
before the least fruit appeared. But two years ago Rarotonga was hardly known to
exist, was not marked in any of the charts, and on our last voyage we spent much time
in endeavouring to ascertain whether or not there really was such an island. Two
years ago the Rarotongians did not know there was such a name as Jesus, or such good
news as the gospel. And now I scrapie not to say, that their attention to the means
of grace, their regard to private and family prayer, their diligence, and their general
behaviour, equal, if they do not excel, whatever has been witnessed at Tahiti and the
neighbouring islands. When we look at the means, it is the more astonishing. Two
Tahitian teachers, not particularly distinguished among their own countrymen for in
telligence, have been the principal instruments in working this wonderful change, and
that before a single European missionary had set his foot upon the island. I have been
accustomed to see such changes as have taken place in the various islands of these
seas, but I must confess, what I have seen in Rarotonga has nevertheless excited in
me surprise." — Quart. Chron. vol. iii. p. 264.
It is with pain we give this statement. While it does not, as was its design, raise
our ideas of what had taken place in Rarotonga, it lowers our views as to other mis
sions in the South Sea Islands. In the accounts given of missions, it seems to be often
forgotten that great and extensive moral changes, especially among barbarous and hea
then nations, are not, in the ordinary course of the divine government, readily or easily
effected ; they are seldom the work of a day, but require a length of time to effect
them, and hence we view all wonderful accounts of success with doubt and jealousy ;
nor are we prepared to admit them unless they rest on very indubitable evidence. To
some this may appear a severe judgment ; but we have found it confirmed in so many
cases, that we have no hesitation in pronouncing it. To go no further than the case of
Rarotonga, we find Mr Pitman, in November 1827, after he had been six months on
the island, making the following statements : — " It has pleased the Lord to incline the
hearts of this people to renounce idolatry and embrace Christianity, and a few appear
very desirous of knowing the truth.'' " I cannot gladden your hearts by stating it as
my opinion that there are some who are bor.j o the Spirit." " By far the greatest
part of the people manifest a total indifference to divine truth." — Evan. Mag. 1828,
p. 452.

220 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Islands, he also baptized in Aitutaki 215 adults and children,
400 having previously been baptized. In other two islands,
Mauti and Mitiaro, he baptized 127 more, and in Atiu 110
were baptized previously, making in all about 2350, out of a
population of perhaps 1 2,000^
In May 1827, Mr Charles Pitman took up his residence on
the island of Rarotonga. Mr Williams accompanied him and
remained some months on the island, and Mr A. Buzacott after
wards joined him as his fellow-labourer in the mission. Makea,
one of the principal chiefs, who had hitherto protected the
teachers, and his people had nominally embraced Christianity ;
but on the missionaries becoming acquainted with their private
characters, it appeared that though they regularly attended to
the outward duties of religion, they had abandoned few of their
evil practices, especially those of a licentious kind. Makea pro
fessed to give up all his wives save one, but he was keeping as
many secretly, if not more, than while in his heathen state.2
For several years the missionaries experienced many trials and
difficulties, particularly from some evil-disposed persons, who did
every thing in their-power to oppose the progress of the gospel ;
yet the natives generally always treated them with the greatest
respect and kindness. After a few years, this became one of
the most flourishing missions in the Pacific Ocean. Three sta
tions were formed in Rarotonga, namely, Ngatangiia, Avarua,
and Arorangi. The chapels were crowded whenever the doors
were opened for public worship, and the missionaries were
greatly encouraged by the attention of the people to the instruc
tions addressed to them. The congregation at the. principal
station Ngatangiia was often not much short of 3000 ; that at
Avarua amounted usually to about 1500 ; and that at Arorangi,
where there was only a native teacher, averaged 1000 every
Sabbath. Many appeared to be impressed with a sense of di
vine things, and to be earnestly seeking the salvation of their
souls. A fatal epidemic which had prevailed in the island
several years before, appeared to produce a very salutary effect
1 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1824, p. 30 ; Quart. Chron. vol. iii. p. 263, 264, 266 ; Williams'
Life, p. 174.
* It is gratifying to be able to state, that Makea appears to have given afterwards
satisfactory evidence of genuine piety. — Evan. Mag. 1842, p. 92.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 221
on many, and some attributed to it their first serious impres
sions. Some seem to have been roused to reflection and in
quiry under discourses preached years before, when the mission
aries were mourning over the depravity and impenitency of the
people, thinking that they were casting the seed of divine truth
into a dry and barren soil. Many who died gave pleasing evi
dence of Christian piety, and good ground to hope that they
had gone to join "the general assembly and church of the first
born." The schools were also very numerously attended. Besides
great numbers of adults, there were upwards of 3000 children
under daily instruction, but it was chiefly by native teachers,
most of them young persons.1
In 1839, Mr Williams visited Rarotonga after his return from
England, and brought with him a supply of New Testaments in
the Rarotongan dialect, the printing of which he had superin
tended when in this country. It was interesting to witness the
eagerness with which the people sought after copies, and the de
light with which they received them. They were not, however,
given away. Such as had money were supplied with them at
three shillings a copy, and in a few days nearly £20 were re
ceived for them. Some paid for them with bananas or nuts,
which had afterwards to be sold. Others were supplied on
trust.2 Here it may not be improper to state, that though the re
semblance between the language of the Hervey Islands and that
of the Society Islands is so great, that the Tahitian translations
require only slight alterations, yet still the differences between
the two dialects are such, that it is thought necessary to print
distinct versions for them. Besides the New Testament, the
missionaries translated the whole of the Old Testament into the
Rarotongan dialect. Portions of it, and also various other
works, were printed.3
1 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1828, p. 18 ; Williams' Miss. Enterprises, p. 216, 218 ; Evan. Mag.
1831, p. 493 ; Hud. 1833, p. 366 ; Ibid. 1835, p. 428 ; Ibid. 1836, p. 32, 582 ; Ibid.
1837, p. 599 ; Tbid. 1839, p. 402.
s Evan. Mag. 1840, p. 611.
5 Ellis' Polyn. Res. vol. ii. p. 249 ; Rep. Miss. Soo. 1846, p. 28.
It appears to be an ascertained fact, that the languages of the principal groups of

222 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
In the other Hervey Islands, the mission was carried on for
many years through means of native teachers ; and this is still
the case in Atiu, Mauti, and Mitiaro ; but missionaries were
some years ago settled in Aitutaki and Mangaia ; and in both
these islands, their labours appear to have been attended with
encouraging success. The isolated situation of the Hervey
Islands, has happily preserved them from many evils, moral and
social, to which many of the isles of the Pacific Ocean have
been subjected through the cupidity and licentiousness of visi
tors from Europe and America.1
Before closing our account of this mission, we have to state
the painful fact, that a rapid process of depopulation appears to
be going on in the Hervey Islands. Mr Williams states, that in
1823, he found the inhabitants of Hervey's Island only about
sixty ; but that when he again visited it, six or seven years
after, this number was reduced to five men, three women, and
a few children, which he ascribes to the contests which had
taken place among them. In 1842, the Rev. W. Gill of Raro
tonga states, that there is annually a decrease of three hundred
in the population of that island. In 1827, the inhabitants were
estimated at more than seven thousand ; in 1848, they had been
reduced by the ravages of disease to less than three thousand.
In the course of that period, it had been successively visited by
epidemics which had cut off great numbers of the inhabitants.1
We shall afterwards have occasion to mention, that a similar
process of depopulation is going on in New Zealand and in the
Sandwich Islands. Whether it is going on generally in the
islands in the Pacific Ocean, even though they may be at vast distances from each
other, have a common origin, and are substantially the same, so that a person fami
liar with any one dialect; has little difficulty in making himself understood by a people
speaking a different dialect. The words are, in many cases, the same ; in others they
have the same root, though there may be an elision, transmutation, or substitution
of particular letters ; but even in these cases, the variations in the words may, in
general, be reduced to fixed rules. The language of every group has its peculiarities;
but the groundwork of all is the same. This shews plainly that the Polynesian tribes
have a common origin, a conclusion which is still further confirmed by the similarity
of their character, habits, customs, religion, &c, notwithstanding they can have had
little or no intercourse with each other for ages past. — Hawaiian Spectator, vol. i.
p. 289, 293.
1 Rep. Miss. Soo. 1845, p. 27 ; Ibid. 1848, p. 29 ; Evan. Mag. 1847, p. 446.
» Williams' Miss. Enter, p. 17 ; Evan. Mag. 1843, p. 525 ; Ibid. 1848, p. 442 ; Rep.
Miss. Soc. 1846, p. 29.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 223
islands of the Pacific Ocean, or at least in those which are much
frequented by ships from Europe and America, we do not know ;
but the subject is one deserving the inquiry equally of the
philosopher, the philanthropist, and the Christian.

Art. 5. — Navigators' Islands.
In November 1835, Messrs T. Heath, C. Hardie, W. Mills, A
Macdonald, A. W. Murray, and G. Barnden, sailed from Eng
land with the view of establishing a mission on the Samoa or
Navigators' Islands. This group is among the largest and most
important in the Pacific Ocean on which missions have been
established. It consists of eight or ten islands, the chief of
which are Savaii, Upolu, and Tutuila ; others, as Manono, Olo-
sega, Ofu, and Aborima, are comparatively small. The popu-.
lation of the whole was at first estimated at one hundred and
fifty thousand ; but it was afterwards supposed not to exceed
fifty or sixty thousand.1
Some years before this, the Samoa Islands were visited by
Messrs Williams and Barff from the Society Islands ; and on
this occasion, they left eight native teachers on the island of
Savaii, four under the protection of a chief named Malietoa,
and four under that of his brother. A large building was given
up by the chiefs to them as a place of worship, and four good
dwelling-houses for themselves and families. Their labours are
represented as having been attended with very remarkable suc
cess. There were said to be thirty places of worship on the dif
ferent islands, and upwards of five thousand of the natives under
religious instruction. Many professed Christianity ; and num
bers, both adults and children, were learning to read ; but as

1 Evan. Mag. 1835, p. 526; Williams' Miss. Enter., p. 478, 480.
In December 1787, this group of islands was visited by the unfortunate navigator
La Perouse, when M. De Langle, the second in command, M. de Lamanor the naturalist,
and a party of sixty men, having gone ashore on the island of Maouna (Mr Williams
calls it Tutuila) to procure fresh water, they were attacked by the natives, and
both of them and ten of the men were barbarously massacred, and twenty others
severely wounded. The French appear to have acted on this occasion with great for
bearance and humanity. — La Perouse, Voyage round the World, vol. ii. p. 171, 188.

224 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
yet, the people had made little progress in Christian know
ledge.1 On the arrival of the missionaries at Upolu, they found, be
sides the teachers, two of the missionaries from the Society
Islands, Messrs Piatt and Wilson, who had been some months
on the island waiting their coming. Having called a number
of the chiefs to a meeting, they told them that they had come
to them in consequence of their own request for missionaries,
and asked whether they still desired them, and wished to be
instructed in the knowledge of the true God, and in reading,
writing, and other useful arts ; whether they would protect
them and their property, and not require them to take part in
any quarrels or wars that might arise among themselves, un
less in the way of promoting peace between the contending
parties. To these inquiries the chiefs answered, that they re
joiced in their coming, and earnestly desired instruction ; that
they would hold them and all belonging to them sacred ; that
should quarrels arise, they would attend to their recommenda
tions, and that they, at all events, should not be injured. They,
however, added, that there were several heathen chiefs and
wicked men on the island, for whom they could not answer.2
' Rep. Miss. Soc. 1831, p. 22 ; Djid. 1834, p. 19 ; Jbid. 1835, p. 21 ; Ibid. 1836,
p. 22 ; Evan. Mag. 1838, p. 250 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 521.
Nothing could be more auspicious, according to Mr Williams, than the commence
ment of this mission. He and Mr Barff met with the most cordial welcome from the
chiefs and people. This was in August 1830, when eight teachers were left in Samoa.
In October 1832, Mr Williams again visited the Navigators' Islands, when, says his
biographer Mr Prout, " the vast change which had been effected in the condition of
the people since his former visit, naturally made him anxious to leam its history from
the native teachers. This, in accordance with his usual custom, he carefully recorded."
— Williams' Life, p. 363. Mr Prout proceeds to give what he calls the "Teachers'
Narrative ;" and a truly wonderful Narrative it is ; but it is impossible to read it with
out feeling that it bears no marks of native origin. It has nothing of native plainness
and simplicity about it ; but has every appearance of being a highly wrought picture ;
and we suspect is as much indebted to the imagination of the writer, whoever he was,
as to the facts of the case. Though the following statement by Mr Heath, in a letter
dated December 9. 1836, about six months after his arrival in the Samoas, cannot be
held as contradicting the " Teachers' Narrative," yet it is not in correspondence with
it. " When our native teachers first settled here seven years ago, they were treated
with the utmost contumely, though protected by Malietoa. They were often without
food, and could with difficulty save their wives from violence ; and I have been assured
that on two or three occasions, they were doomed to death by those who could with
ease have taken their lives. But God protected them ; and now we feel safer, humanly
speaking, than we could do in England." — Evan. Mag. 1838, p. 250.
2 Many unprincipled and profligate sailors, who had absconded from different ships,-
had taken refuge in the Navigators' Islands, and practised the greatest deceptions on

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 225
The missionaries intimated their resolution to remain among
them, and thus matters were settled to the mutual satisfaction
of both parties.1
The missionaries commenced their labours without delay,
forming stations in the islands of Savaii, Upolu, and Manono ;
and some of them afterwards settled in Tutuila and Manua,
which includes the three small islands of Olosega, Ofu, and
Tau. On making tours through the islands, they found the
chiefs and the people not only willing, but eager to avow their
determination to renounce heathenism and to receive Chris
tian instruction ; but it must not be supposed that this was
generally the result of knowledge, or of serious thought and
inquiry. No adequate or well-founded reason could often be
given for such changes in the South Sea Islands. Within about
two years after the arrival of the missionaries, Mr Heath writes :
" The rapidity with which congregations and schools have been
gathered, teachers qualified, the arts of reading and writing
acquired, and native habits abandoned, has more the impres
sion of a dream than a reality. In Upolu there are now per
haps nearly 20,000 who have embraced Christianity ; in Savaii
from 12,000 to 13,000 ; in Tutuila 6000 ; in Manono, all the
inhabitants, consisting of about 1000, are professedly Christians,
and there are several hundreds in the smaller islands of the
Windward group," making in all about 40,000. Near a hun
dred schools were formed under the care of native teachers,
containing about 7000 scholars, adults, and children. Con
siderable numbers of the natives were baptized, and churches
were formed in the different islands, though the members were
not numerous. In travelling through the islands, the mission
aries were every where gladly received, and the people listened
with attention to the glad tidings of divine mercy.2
Much of the work in the Navigators' Islands was carried on
through the instrumentality of native teachers, of whom there
were about two hundred. Many of them were not mere school-
the natives by a sort of mock worship, and by pretending to baptize the people. One
of the chiefs said, that he would long ago have killed these men but for what the na
tive teachers had taught him and his people. — Rep. Miss. Soc. 1835, p. 23.
1 Evan. Mag. 1837, p. 393.
2 Evan. Mag. 1838, p. 249, 352, 457 ; Ibid. 1840, p. 146 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 521 ; Rep.
Miss. Soc. 1818, p. 19 ; Ibid. 1839, p. 4, 19.
VOL. II. P

226 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
masters ; they preached to the people, and conducted public wor
ship among them on the Sabbath, and also during the week. The
missionaries gave them instruction with a view to fit them for
their work ; but it is impossible not to fear that they must
generally have been very imperfectly qualified for it.1
In April 1838, the Rev. John Williams, who had returned
some time before to England, where he excited a deep interest
in the South Sea missions by the accounts which he gave of
them, embarked on board the Camden, accompanied by a con-'
siderable number of new labourers, to reinforce the missions in
the Society, the Hervey, and the Navigators' Islands. Mr Wil
liams had from an early period of his missionary career been
anxious to obtain a ship as a means of communication between
the different islands. He had made representations on this sub
ject to the directors, but from them he met at first with nothing
but discouragement, and when he had more than once partially
effected his object, it was only to meet afterwards with dis
appointment. Having, however, been detained at Rarotonga
without any prospect of being able to leave it, he set himself to
the building of a vessel, and though previously unacquainted
with ship-building, and possessing scarcely any tools except
such as he himself made, he succeeded in about four months in
completing a vessel of about seventy tons burden, which he
called " The Messenger of Peace." But being anxious when in
England to obtain a larger and more suitable vessel, he made
an appeal to the public for funds to buy a missionary ship,"
which was met by the friends of religion in the most liberal
manner, and led to the purchase of the Camden, a vessel of
about two hundred tons burden. It was designed for the spe
cial use of the missions in the South Seas, it being considered
as of much importance, that they should be provided with
means of more ready communication with the different islands,
as well as with England, than they had hitherto enjoyed ; and
it was proposed that Mr Williams, after landing the new mis
sionaries at their respective destinations, should undertake an
extensive exploratory voyage among the groups of islands lying
between the Samoas and New Guinea, with the view of ascer-
1 Evan. Mag. 1843, p. 147, 522.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 227
taining the state and dispositions of the inhabitants, and set
tling in them a number of native teachers.1
In November 1839, Mr Williams, with a view to the execu
tion of this design, sailed from the Navigators' Islands accom
panied by Mr James Harris, who was proceeding to England
with the intention of afterwards returning as a missionary,
and Mr W. C. Cunningham, the British Vice-Consul for the
South Sea Islands. After a voyage of a week, they reached
the island of Rotuma, about 600 miles from Samoa. Here
they' left two teachers, and proceeded on their voyage toward
the New Hebrides. Having left three teachers on Tanna, they
directed their course to the island of Erromanga ; but on reach
ing Dillon's Bay next morning, they found the few natives
whom they saw extremely shy, which Mr Williams supposed
might arise from their having been ill-treated by foreigners
visiting the island on some former occasion. Mr Harris said
he would like to have a stroll on land, and accordingly waded
on shore. As soon as he landed, the natives ran from him ; but
on Mr Williams calling to him to sit down, he did so, and then
they came close to him, and bringing him some cocoa-nuts,
opened them for him to drink. Mr Williams, Mr Cunningham,
and Captain Morgan, the commander of the Camden, then went
forward in the boat, and the two former landed. Mr Williams
offered his hand to the natives, but they were unwilling to take it.
He then called to Captain Morgan to hand to him some cloth out
of the boat, and he sat down and divided it among them, with
the view of winning their confidence. The three who had landed
walked up the beach, Mr Harris first, and Mr Williams and Mr
Cunningham followed, directing their course up the side of a
brook. The looks and manners of the savages excited much
distrust in Mr Cunningham's mind, and he expressed some ap
prehensions of this kind to Mr Williams, who was engaged at
the time in repeating the Samoan numerals to a crowd of boys
who repeated them after him. Mr Cunningham walked on
ward, and finding a few shells lying on the bank, he picked
them up, and as they were of a species unknown to him, he was
in the act of putting them into his pocket, when he heard a yell,
' Evan. Mag. 1838, p. 245 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1840, p. 5; Williams' Life, p. 129, 149,
156, 161, 166, 193, 223, 231, 253, 258, 307, 482, 487, 524, 538, 543.

228 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
and instantly Mr Harris rushed out of the bushes about twenty
yards before him. He immediately shouted to Mr Williams to
run (he being as far behind as Mr Harris was before him), and he
himself sprung forward through the natives who were on the
banks of the brook, and who all gave way. Looking round he saw
Mr Harris fall in the brook, and a number of the savages fell to
beating him with their clubs. Mr Williams did not run at the
moment. Mr Cunningham shouted to him, till they heard a
shell blow. It was but an instant ; yet it was too much to
lose. Mr Cunningham again called to him to run ; and he
himself sprung forward for the boat, which was out of sight,
being round a point of the bush. Mr Williams, instead of mak
ing for the boat, ran directly down the beach into the water
and a savage after him. Mr Cunningham at the moment he
deseried the boat heard a yell behind him, and looking round
found a savage armed with a club close after him. He stooped
and picking up a stone, struck him so as to stop his further pur
suit. The man in the boat on seeing Mr Cunningham and Mr
Williams running, gave the alarm to Captain Morgan who was
on the beach at the time. He and Mr Cunningham jumped
into the boat at the same instant : several stones were thrown
at it. Mr Williams ran into the sea and the savage close after
him, but the beach being steep and stony, he fell in the water,
when he received several blows on the head and arms from the
club of his pursuer. Twice he dashed his head under water to
avoid the club with which the savage stood over him, ready to
strike the instant he rose. Mr Cunningham threw two stones
from the boat, which averted, for a moment, the progress of
another native who was a few paces behind, but it was for an
instant only. The two rushed on Mr Williams and beat his head,
and several others soon joined them. A whole handful of
arrows were struck into his body. Though every exertion was
made to get the boat up to bis assistance, and though the dis
tance was only about eighty yards, yet before it got halfway
he was dead, and about a dozen of savages were dragging his
body on the beach, beating it in the most furious manner. A
crowd of boys surrounded it, as it lay in the ripple of the
waters, and beat it with stones till the waves dashed on the
shore red with the blood of their victim. Several arrows were

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCLETY. 229
shot at the boat, one of which passed under the arm of one
of the sailors, and penetrating through the lining of the boat,
entered the timber. This alarmed the men, who said, that as
they had no firearms to frighten the savages away, it would be
madness, Mr Williams being now dead, to approach them. To
this Captain Morgan reluctantly assented, and pulled off out of
the reach of the arrows, where laying to for an instant to con
sider what should be done, it was proposed that they should
bring up the brig, now about two miles distant, and land under
cover of two guns which she carried, in order, if possible, to bring
off the bodies which the natives had left on the beach. They now
hastened on board and beat up toward the fatal spot, but their
hopes were quickly frustrated, for a crowd of natives seeing the
vessel approaching ran down to the beach and carried off the
body of Mr Williams, when they were within a mile of the place.1
On the arrival of the sad tidings at Sydney, Sir George Gipps,
the governor of New South Wales, despatched the Favourite;
commanded by Captain Croker, to Erromanga, not with the
view of revenging the death of Mr Williams and his companion,
but of recovering, if possible, their remains. On reaching the
scene of the dreadful tragedy, Captain Croker, his second lieu
tenant, and Mr Cunningham, who accompanied them, put off
for the shore, but as they approached it they heard the rever
berations of the war conch, and saw the savages flying in all
directions. Communications having, however, been opened with
them, it was found that they had devoured the bodies, and that
nothing remained but some of the bones. These, including the
skulls, were, after hours of delay, brought to the boat, and Cap
tain Croker, having satisfied himself that he now possessed all
the remains which could be obtained, proceeded with them to
Upolu, one of the Navigators' Islands, where they were interred
amidst an immense concourse of sorrowing natives. Monu
ments were erected to the memory of Mr Williams both in the
Navigators' and in the Hervey Islands.2
" WUliams' Life, p. 564, 572, 575.
3 Ibid. p. 585, 592.
In 1844, a new and beautiful vessel of about 300 tons was purchased for the service
of the South Sea missions, and was named in honour of the martyred missionaiy, John
Williams. The funds for this purpose were raised chiefly through the efforts and libe
rality of the juvenile friends of the Society.— Rep. Miss. Soc. 1815, p. 38 ; Evan. Mag.

230 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Among the valuable gifts brought out from England in the
Camden was a printing-press for the Navigators' Islands. It
was established in the island of Upolu, and its operations were
witnessed with much amazement and delight by the natives.
For several years great inconvenience was felt from the want of
a suitable building for a printing-office. It was therefore deemed
expedient to erect one of such a nature as would resist the ra
vages of the white ants, which make sad havoc and destruction
of wooden and plastered houses. It was a spacious, substan
tial, convenient building, seventy feet long by seventeen wide.
The walls and partitions were of coral-stone, and the whole pre
sented a very neat appearance. The lower part contained the
rooms for composing, press-work, and binding, and there were
two good upper rooms, one of which was used as a store-room
for paper, &c. The Samoans were found to acquire the art of
printing rapidly, but frequently when they had become most
useful, they were enticed away by their families, or they grew
weary of the continued application and went away. A few
years ago there were fourteen Samoans, young men and lads,
employed in the office as compositors, pressmen, and binders,
and also several girls in folding and stitching. The whole of
the New Testament, the Pilgrim's Progress, the Sulu Samoa, a
magazine of general information, almanacks, school-books, and
various other works, were printed and circulated extensively
throughout the islands.1 It is interesting to think of the pro
gress which printing, the most important of all arts, made in
the course of a few years among the Samoans, so lately a race
of savages. What would La Perouse and M. de Langle have
thought, if a vision of all this had presented itself to their
imaginations when they visited these islands not sixty years
before !
In 1840, a remarkable awakening is stated to have taken
place on the island of Tutuila. It commenced toward the close
of the preceding year, and gradually extended in various de
grees to most of the settlements in the island. Great numbers,
1844, p. 381. There can be no question that a missionary ship must be a great ad
vantage to the Society's missions in the Pacific Ocean ; but we are not sure whether it
is not purchased at too high a price. Including the original purchase-money, £3750,
the John Williams cost in less than four years, £16,250 : 17 : 1.
1 Evan. Mag. 1847, p. 210 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1847, p. 34.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 231
who but lately were careless and immoral persons, were brought
under deep concern for their souls, abandoned their vicious
practices, and appeared to give evidence of a change of heart.
It is proper, however, to remark, that almost all who were the
subjects of this awakening had, for a considerable time, been
passing through a preparatory process, and were, with few ex
ceptions, pretty well instructed in the doctrines of the gospel.
Among them were people of all descriptions, high and low,
young and old, blind and lame, some who were before compara
tively quiet and well behaved, and others were among the most
wicked persons on the island. In some cases the awakened
gave vent to their feelings in sobs and cries, and the voice of
the speaker was drowned by the weeping of the congregation.
Many were so overcome that they had to be carried out, some
apparently in convulsions ; even chiefs who had before a savage
look were broken down. As might be expected, the extraordi
nary excitement subsided after a time, but there were still a
great and general desire to hear the word, earnest attention in
listening to it, deep convictions of sin, and, it was hoped, the
conversion of considerable numbers of the natives as the fruit
of this revival.1,
1 Evan. Mag. 1841, p. 42, 572 ; Ibid. 1842, p. 41 ; Missionary Life in Samoa, p. 83,
86, 94, 105, 112, 128.
The following notices, which we take from a small volume, entitled " Missionary
Life in Samoa," will give a more lively idea of this awakening, as it was considered to
be, than any general statement.
In the meetings there was great excitement among both men and women ; weeping
and sobbing ; falling into convulsions ; fainting ; breaking down ; and not being able
to walk, carried out. And then they would afterwards retire to the bush for prayer
and praise ; and even there, some would be found in a state of insensibility, having
been overpowered by their feelings in solitary devotion.
Some, who had hitherto been unaffected, were seized with deep convictions.
Numbers found peace and joy, while others were seeking it, p. 156, 161, 163, 166.
Nothing was heard but prayer, praise, and weeping, in their meetings ; they could
not get on for weeping.
"Strong men and rocky hearts," says the writer, "are melted ; women drop down
as dead, after struggling with their bursting emotions till nature can bear no more,"
p. 105.
" Sometimes the whole place was in a move, with the carrying and the carried ; the
voice quite drowned in the groans and cries of awakened sinners ; and at the close, the
chapel seemed half empty," p. 114.
" The nights were passed by very many in almost incessant prayer and strong crying
to God," p. 115.
" Women were carried out by dozens, convulsed and struggling, so as to drive five
or six men about like trees in the wind, who were exerting all their strength to hold

232 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Though the progress of the mission in the Navigators' Islands
was in many respects remarkable, yet the change which was
effected on the natives was to a large extent merely external.
There was a general profession of Christianity, but there is no
reason to suppose there was an extensive conversion of the
people. In September 1843, the Rev. W. Day of Upolu writes:
-¦ — " The great majority of those who are at present called by the
Christian name are Christians probably of the stamp of the
Saxons of Kent in the time of Augustine, having received their
religion, in the first instance, at the command of the chiefs. You
will not wonder that, after the lapse of ten years, this fact should
now become very powerfully obvious to us in the unchanged
hearts and unaltered lives of many who have attached themselves
to our ministry. Yet, on the other hand, we are cheered by the
numerous exceptions standing out in delightful contrast to the
mass of the ungodly, who appear to have received the truth in
the love of it, and who manifest its power by the consistency
of their lives amidst the most unfavourable circumstances."1
Though the progress of civilization among the Samoans was
not great, yet they were improving, particularly as regards their
houses and dress. With respect to the general state of morals,
it was more satisfactory than could have been expected. It is
well known how baneful were the consequences of the visits of
foreigners to others of the South Sea Islands ; but Mr Murray
of Tutuila states that the chiefs of that island, with the view of
preventing such evils, made various wholesome laws and regu
lations, and carried them out so effectually, that comparatively
and convey them away. I had heard of beating breasts and tearing hair before ; hut
I have now seen and shall not soon forget it."
" The weaker sex was not alone affected. Many men were carried out lifeless as
stones ; and many could scarcely be removed, because of their awful convulsive strag
gling," p. 117.
" That night again, the bush and houses resounded with groans of penitence and
cries of misery. They scarcely ceased, if at all, all night."
Of a meeting held next day, the writer says, " Then came the Spirit with power.
Men were seized as women, and before the women, and carried out in numbers. The
scene was awful." " The solemnity seemed as though it almost might be felt," p. 118.
Of such scenes, we confess, we are exceedingly jealous ; but it would be rash to ex
press any unfavourable opinion of them. Amidst something that was human, there
might be also something that was divine ; but how much there might be of the one or
the other, we presume not to judge.
1 Extracts from Correspondence of British and Foreign Bible Society, vol. iv. p. 555.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 233
little harm was done by the crews of vessels visiting their
shores. Deserters from ships were invariably sought after by
the natives, and almost always found and taken back to their
vessels. No persons were allowed to sleep on shore, unless by
special permission from the native authorities in cases of sick
ness, or for some other important reason. No intoxicating
drinks were to be had on shore, and not a single instance of a
native yielding to the seductive arts of a foreign visitor was
known for several years, except among the few remaining hea
then on the extreme point of the island.1 Happily none of the
Christian and civilized nations of Europe or America have as
yet attempted to overthrow these excellent laws and regula
tions. Before concluding our account of this mission, we cannot but
remark, that to raise a people, and especially a heathen and
savage people, to the rank of a Christian community, and to add
to this somewhat of the habits and arts of civilized life, is not
the work of a day, nor even of a few years. In a heathen and
savage people there will, as regards both religion and civiliza
tion, be commonly found much unsteadiness ; a want of regular
and continued progress ; frequent ebbings, like the tides of the
ocean. There is much truth in the following statement by Mr
Hardie, one of the Samoa missionaries: — "It is exceedingly
difficult to convey to the minds of Christians at home a just
and adequate impression of the peculiar obstacles and anxieties
which fall to the lot of the missionary on these islands. He
labours among a people familiar from infancy with all the vices
and abominations of heathenism ; a people who have grown up
destitute of a standard of right and wrong, who know not how
to distinguish between truth and falsehood, who are unaccus
tomed to habits of thought and reflection, whose conscience is so
blinded and hardened by habits of sin as to present no opposing
influence to their powerful and restless passions, and whose
governing motives are pride, prejudice, passion, self-interest,
love of worldly applause, envy, suspicion, and revenge. In the
nature of things it must take a long time before any consider
able moral or religious impression can be made on such a mass
as this. 1 Evan. Mag. 1843, p. 523 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 660.

234 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
" The difficulties, too, with which we have to contend in the
treatment and conduct of inquirers and converts are so many
and so great, as to be matters of constant anxiety to us. The
inquirers have just begun to know something of the gospel, strict
moral principle and the restraints of religion are new to them,
so that they become an easy prey in the hour of temptation.
The same remarks are, to a great extent, applicable to the mem
bers of our churches. Their knowledge and experience are
necessarily limited, and though apparently sincere and consist
ent for a time, yet many of them fall into great improprieties,
and some into sins in which they were accustomed to indulge
in their heathen state without restraint or consciousness of
wrong."1 Such were the principal missions of the Society in the South
Sea Islands. With the view of diffusing the gospel still more
widely, the missionaries sent native teachers to the Austral
Islands, to the Paumotu Islands, to the New Hebrides, to New
Caledonia, and to various other islands in the Pacific Ocean,
but from most of them they were after a time removed, or they
themselves left them. In one or two islands the teachers, it is
said, were barbarously murdered, Two missionaries were also
sent to Tanna, one of the New Hebrides ; but after a residence
of a few months, they were glad to make their escape from it.2
Before we close, we cannot but remark, that independent
of the success which at length crowned the mission in Tahiti
and the neighbouring islands, the undertaking in the first
instance, gave such a mighty impulse to the Christian world,
that had it entirely failed as to the conversion of the South
Sea islanders, the whole expense and labour attending it
would have been amply compensated by the powerful effect
which it has had in promoting the interests of Christianity
in other parts of the world, particularly in Pagan countries.
Eliot, and Mayhew, and Brainerd, the Danes, and the Moraf
* Rep. Miss. Soc. 1844, p. 31.
2 In 1850, and 1852 the attempt to settle teachers in the New Hebrides, and the
New Caledonia group was renewed. Among other islands on which they were left
was Erromanga, where Mr Williams was murdered. — Evan. Mag. 1850, p. 435; Ibid.
1853, p. 438, 504.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 235
vians,the Methodists, and the Baptists, had all previously engaged
in missionary undertakings, and most of them with consider
able appearance of success ; but their operations never awak
ened the Christian world from the lethargy into which it had
fallen. Individuals were interested and delighted with their
exertions ; but the great body of professed Christians scarcely
ever heard either of them or their labours. It was not till the
Missionary Society was formed ; it was not till the mission to
the South Sea Islands, so imposing in its circumstances, was
undertaken, that the Christian world was aroused from its
slumbers. Then a general interest was excited throughout the
whole of Christendom in the conversion of the heathen. Old
establishments were supported with more vigour, and prose
cuted with fresh zeal. New institutions were formed for the
propagation of the gospel at home and abroad, some of which
have already been crowned with extensive success, while others
promise a yet more abundant harvest. In short, a new impulse
was given to the operations of the Christian world ; and this,
we think, may be traced, in no inconsiderable degree, to the
novelty and magnitude of the first mission to the South Sea
Islands.

SECT. II.— SOUTH AFRICA.
In December 1798, the Rev. John T. Vanderkemp, M.D.,
Messrs J. J. Kicherer, W. Edwards, and J. Edmonds, sailed for
the Cape of Good Hope, with the view of commencing mission
ary operations in South Africa. They were afterwards followed
by other missionaries, and, in the course of years, numerous
stations were formed in various parts of the country, both
within and beyond the colony. Many of them were among the
Hottentots, others among the Bushmen ; some were among the
Namaquas and Damaras, others among the Griquas, Korannas,
Bechuanas, Kafirs, and other tribes. Many of the stations,
however, were afterwards given up ; but others were formed,
and the whole are now more numerous than they were at any
former period.

236 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Among the hindrances to the progress of the gospel and of
civilization in many parts of South Africa, the want of rain, or
of a regular supply of water, is not the least. In Namaqua-
land, a wild, rocky, dreary region, where long droughts often
prevail, the people were continually under the necessity of
moving from place to place for the sake of pasturage for their
cattle ; and though the missionaries frequently accompanied
them in their wanderings, it is plain that, under such circum
stances, little good could be effected as regarded either their
temporal or spiritual condition. Several stations were success
ively occupied in that desert land, generally in the neighbour
hood of fountains ; but they were given up one after another,
or, what amounted to the same thing, were left without a mis
sionary.1 To meet this want and uncertainty of rain, recourse was in
some instances had to irrigation, by leading out a stream of
water from some neighbouring river, and conducting it through
the fields and gardens of the station. A work of this kind,
executed at Hankey by the Rev. W. Philip,2 who had lately
come to that station, is not unworthy of notice. The Gamtoos
river, one of the finest in the colony, runs directly through the
lands connected with the institution. Up to a recent period,
however, this manifest advantage was in no way rendered avail
able for the improvement of the farm ; but now, by means of
a tunnel worked through a sandstone ridge of hill, the waters
of the river were poured in upon the lands of the institution.
This tunnel was 260 yards in length, on an average six feet in
height, and four in breadth. It was executed in about fifteen
months, and cost about £500. The water having a fall of forty
or fifty feet from the point at which it leaves to that at which
it again joins the river, it was easy by means of pipes to lead
it out to lands lying on the other side of the river. Mr Philip,
whose first and only attempt it was in practical engineering,
was naturally diffident and anxious as to the result. He had
never himself seen any mining operations, and he had no one
1 Miss. Trans, vol. iii. p. 23, 29, 243, 246 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 78 ; Ibid. 1826,
p. 84; Ibid. 1829, p. 82 ; Ibid. 1S30, p. 86; Ibid. 1836, p. 100.
2 Son of the Rev. Dr Philip, who was for upwards of thirty years Superintendent of
the Society's missions in South Africa.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 237
to direct him. His only workmen were the people of the insti
tution, a race whose physical and mental capacities have often
been so much depreciated ; and the universal opinion of the sur
rounding farmers as to its success was any thing but encourag
ing. In carrying on the work, however, they exceeded his
most sanguine expectations. They underwent all the labours
and difficulties of miners, without their education, persevered
with small wages and against their own convictions, worked by
night as well as by day, and at last triumphed over every ob
stacle. The tunnel was commenced simultaneously on the
opposite sides of the hill ; the workmen met in the middle
with a precision which amazed themselves, and excited a reac
tion of feeling amongst the people only to be compared with
their former incredulity.1
Among the Bechuanas, the missionaries met with difficulties
of a peculiar kind : they were without even the first principles
of natural religion. They had no idea of the existence of God,
of man's responsibility, of a future state, or of the immortality
of the soul, and even scarcely any, or at all events very imper
fect, ideas of right and wrong in human actions. There were
among them no temples, no altars, no sacrifices, no object of
worship. There was thus a want of common ground on which
the missionary could take his stand and argue with them : they
were in a manner proof against every appeal he could make,
either to their understanding or their heart. His was not the
work of turning the stream backward to its ancient course :
Any religious views which might once have obtained among
them, had, like those streams in the desert which lose them
selves in the sand, entirely disappeared.2
1 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1845, p. 102.
It is painful, in connection with this great work, to have to record the death of Mr
Philip, not long after its completion. In July 1845, he and his nephew, a boy of eleven
years of age, were drowned in crossing the Gamtoos river, not far from Hankey. No
one witnessed the accident, so that it is impossible to say how it happened. — Evan.
Mag. 1845, p. 612.
* It has been made a question, whether any human being can be an atheist ; but
the fact appears to be, that atheism is far from being a rare thing in our world. The
tribes in the interior of South Africa are generally atheists, in the literal sense of the
word. "I have visited," says Mr Moffat, "many tribes, and conversed with individu
als belonging to many nations of the interior ; but I never could in one instance dis
cover that they had the shadow of an idea that there existed any thing to be feared
or loved beyond what could be tasted, seen, or felt." — Moffat's Sermon before the Lon-

238 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
It is not then surprising that when the missionaries laboured
to convince them that there is a Being mightier than man, even
the mighty God ; that man possesses a never dying soul ; and that
even his dead body will rise again and live for ever, all should
seem to them as idle tales. The resurrection of the dead, in
particular, appeared in their eyes the height of absurdity, a cir
cumstance which need excite no surprise, if we consider the
singular and even improbable nature of that doctrine. Though
some of them received much instruction, yet feeling no interest
in it, they appeared never for one moment to have reflected
upon it ; nor did they retain any trace of it in their memories,
though these were generally tenacious enough about other mat
ters. Some, indeed, sought to gull the missionaries, by making
professions which they thought would be pleasing to them ; but
most of them remained in a state of profound ignorance, and
shewed the utmost indifference to every thing connected with
religion. Yet even among the Bechuanas, the gospel, after
some years, took considerable effect, and they also made some
progress in the arts of civilized life.1
At some of the stations, there were what were considered as
great religious awakenings. In the meetings for public worship,
the people were often unable to suppress their feelings ; they
burst into tears and cried out in the midst of the service ; the
voice of the speaker was sometimes completely drowned by their
sobs and cries ; some were unable to sit or stand, and lay trem
bling on the ground ; others fainted, and were carried out.
Many came to the missionaries in great distress of mind, ac
knowledging their sinfulness and misery, and inquiring what
don Missionary Society, 1840, p. 22. To this we might add multiplied testimonies in
reference to the Kafirs and the neighbouring tribes, who appear to be all atheists.
Some, indeed, profess to find among them traces of the knowledge of a Supreme Being ;
but these, if not fanciful, are so feeble and so indistinct, that they really amount to
next to nothing.
In the East, also, atheism prevails very extensively. Budhism, which is the religion
of Ceylon, of Burmah, of Siam, of Cochin-China, of Japan, and to a large extent of
China, is a system of atheism ; its votaries in fact are far more numerous than those of
any other religion in the world. — Mrs Emily C. Judson's Memoir of Mrs Sarah B.
Judson, Appendix. The atheism of barbarous countries has probably its origin in
ignorance ; in these countries it has its root in speculation.
1 Moffat's Missionary Labours, p. 243, 257, 605 ; Moffat's Sermon before the London
Missionary Society, 1840, p. 16, 20, 22 ; Evan. Mag. 1829, p. 423; Ibid. 1830. p. 209;
Ibid. 1832, p. 162 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1851, p. 92.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 239
they should do to be saved ; and having little convenience for
retirement, they might often be seen in the neighbouring fields,
behind the rocks or the bushes, pouring out their hearts to God
in prayer.
Of these awakenings, we confess, we entertain great doubts ; at
all events, they are probably to be taken for much less than the
representations originally given of them. It has indeed been
remarked, in reference to such outbreaks of feeling, and we
doubt not with some truth, that among an uncivilized people,
there is scarcely any medium between not feeling at all and
giving full vent to the expression of their feelings. Human
beings emerging from a savage state are like children, much
agitated ; they can neither suppress nor control their feelings
under any great excitement. But though there is truth in
these observations, we have still but little confidence in such
awakenings. In several cases, they began so soon after the
arrival of the missionaries, before the people could have any
right understanding of the truths of religion, that this alone is
a ground of doubt in regard to them. Dr Thorn, who was for
some years engaged in missionary labours in South Africa,
states, that he had often seen abundance of tears shed by Hot
tentots under the preaching of the Word, when there was no
real conviction of the truth. We are not aware indeed that
these awakenings were ordinarily attended with corresponding
permanent results, " fruits meet for repentance," which are the
best test of the reality and soundness of revivals of religion.1
The Hottentots are much disposed to make religious profes
sions, and are fond of attending on religious ordinances. There
is in fact great danger of their placing religion in a mere attend
ance on the forms of worship, substituting outward decorum for
inward devotion. Hence their great anxiety to be received as
members of the church, before they are prepared for being so.
The difficulty of a faithful and judicious missionary, consists
rather in restraining the people from joining the church at too
early a stage of their religious progress, than in gathering large
and imposing numbers into the visible fold.2 In fact, wherever
1 Miss. Trans, vol. i. p. 347 ; vol. ii. p. 25, 28 ; vol. iv. p. 164, 173, 185, 188, 359 ;
Evan. Mag. vol. xxiii. p. 428, 517, 545 ; Raid. 1829, p. 424 ; Ibid. 1832, p. 162 ; Djid.
1840, p. 251, 413.
* Freeman's Tour in South Africa, p. 59.

240 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
among a half civilized people admission to baptism or the Lord's
Supper comes to be considered as a distinction and an honour,
particularly as bringing them a step nearer to the White man,
they are apt to press into the church, and many missionaries
are but too apt to receive them.
Many of the baptized in South Africa afterwards wander.
astray from the paths of true religion. This often arises from
their leaving the missionary stations. In many cases, they do
this from necessity, particularly in dry seasons ; but too often
they forget to return, when it is in their power ; and not hear
ing the Word of God for a considerable time, nor enjoying other
means of grace, the impression of divine things on their mind,
as might naturally be expected, dies away,1 and they sink into
a state of indifference and unconcern, perhaps into sin and ruin.
It is not easy to form an estimate of the results of the Society's
missions in South Africa. The condition of the different sta^
tions, some of which have now existed for a lengthened period,
varies, of course, considerably ; but with perhaps a few excep
tions, it appears to be less satisfactory than was generally sup
posed. Flourishing accounts were at different periods given of
the progress of religion, and of the improvement of the habits
and social condition of the people ; but some of these accounts
were probably much exaggerated, while others were founded on
mistaken judgments. In 1849, the Rev. Mr Freeman, one of the
secretaries of the Society, visited nearly the whole of its stations
in South Africa ; and though he was in many respects pleased,
particularly with some of the stations, his feelings on the whole
appear to have been those of disappointment. Previous depu
tations were disappointed in a similar manner. The Hotten
tots and other South African tribes may begin well and pro
mise fair ; but as is the case with most barbarous tribes, there
is a want of patience and perseverance about them ; they may
advance so far in the way of improvement, but then they stand
still, or perhaps they even go backwards. Still, however, it is
something that many have exchanged their bee-hive kraals for
decent houses and even villages ; their dirty kaross for Euro
pean clothing ; have learned, some of the more common and
necessary trades, plant gardens, and cultivate fields, are able to
1 Miss. Chron. vol. iv. p. 96.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 241
read and write, have acquired a knowledge of Christianity, and
observe its institutions, while not a few, it may be hoped, have
experienced its transforming and saving power. Yet it must
be acknowledged that there is still too much of indolence and
idleness among them ; they are also apt to fall before tempta
tions, particularly to intemperance, which has of late years
increased fearfully among the Hottentot race.1
It is a curious but instructive fact, that the same observation
holds true as to education as in regard to civilization. Hottentots
learn readily while young : their faculties are developed early,
and they make fair progress according to the means of instruc
tion which are employed with them. But they do not proceed
very far. There is ultimately little development of their facul
ties beyond the early stages. Their minds soon become stag
nant, and unless some powerful stimulant from without happens
to be applied, no further progress is made or even attempted by
them. Perhaps in the course of time, one generation may gain
something in advance of the preceding, and they may thus ulti
mately rise much higher in the scale of the human family than
they are at present. One thing is certain, that, except as they
now come under the influence of religion, there is among them
but little intellectual effort or improvement. With them it is
literally true, that " the fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom."2 It is much to be regretted, yet it is not surprising, that the
advantages of education are not more appreciated by the Hot
tentots and other South African tribes. Parents who do not
know the value of education themselves, unless of a very limited
kind, cannot be expected to seek it very earnestly for their
children ; and even those who are educated in the schools, de
rive afterwards so little benefit from it in the way of worldly
advantage, and are furnished with so few books, except the
Bible, that are suited to their capacity and circumstances, that
after the first generation has made the experiment, we need not
wonder that schools should rather decline as improve.3
' Freeman's Tour, p. 19, 67, 75, 80, 157, 257, 263 ; Campbell's Travels in South
Africa, 1st edit. p. 96 ; Moodie's Inquiry into the Justice and Expediency of complet
ing the Publication of the Authentic Records of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope,
1841, p. 22.
2 Freeman's Tour, p. 67. 3 Ibid. p. 34.
VOL. II. Q

H2 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

SECT III.— MADAGASCAR.
In February 1818, Messrs T. Bevan and D. Jones sailed from
England with the view of establishing a mission on the Island
of Madagascar. After arriving at the Mauritius, they proceeded
to Tamatave, a seaport on the eastern coast of Madagascar,
with the view of ascertaining the state of the country, and the
practicability of establishing a mission in some part of the
island. Here they met with a very favourable reception from
the inhabitants ; but it was not long till death made terrible
havoc in their families. The first who died was Mr Jones'
infant daughter ; about a fortnight after, his wife followed her
into the world of spirits ; and he himself was extremely ill at
the same time. Mr Bevan, who in the mean while was at the
Mauritius, resolved to leave that island and return to Mada
gascar. He was strongly advised not to do so at that unhealthy
season of the year ; but as he thought himself useless where
he was, while he was unavoidably incurring great expenses, he
repaired thither. A fortnight after his arrival his child died ;
eleven days after, he himself followed it to the grave , and four
days after, his wife also was removed into the other world.
Thus, in about seven weeks, no fewer than five individuals con
nected with the mission passed from time into eternity. Nok
withstanding these distressing circumstances, Mr Jones resolved
to stand by his post ; but in consequence of the decline of his
health, and other painful occurrences, he was at length com
pelled to return to the Mauritius.1
In September 1820, Mr Jones again returned to Madagascar
in company with Mr Hastie, a gentleman sent from the Mauri
tius by Governor Farquhar, to renew negotiations with Radama,
the king of Hova,2 for the abolition of the slave-trade in his
dominions. On arriving at Tananarivo, the capital, they found
1 Evan. Mag. vol. xxi. p. 142 ; vol. xxvii. p. 386 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 85, 131;
Ibid. 1820, p. 95.
2 The Hova country is situated about the centre of Madagascar, 200 miles from the
eastern coast.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 243
that prince exceedingly anxious for the civilization and improve
ment of his subjects ; and while he acceded to this important
measure, he stipulated that ten Malagasy boys should be sent
to the Mauritius, and other ten to England, to be instructed in
useful arts, a distinction which the people were extremely
anxious to obtain for their sons. He was, in fact, so anxious
for the instruction of his subjects, that he not only gave every
encouragement to Mr Jones to settle in the country, but wrote
himself to the Missionary Society requesting them to send out
more missionaries, provided there was among them a propor
tion of artizans to instruct his people in the arts of civilization,
as well as in the principles of religion. Radama even allotted
to him one of the royal houses as his residence, with servants
to attend upon him. Mr Jones had not long resided at this
place before the king placed under his care a number of native
children for the purpose of receiving an English education.
Three of these were the children of his sister, one of whom was
heir-apparent to the crown ; the others were the children of
different nobles. A separate school was afterwards established
for the education of the children of the more respectable classes.
The king was so anxious for the instruction of his people, that
he sent for parents, and desired them to place their children
under the care of the missionaries.1
In August 1821, the Rev. John Jeffreys, accompanied by four
artizans, sailed from England for Madagascar, in company with
Prince Rataffe and his suite, who had been sent on an embassy
to this country. On their arrival, Radama received them in the
most gracious manner ; and he immediately directed that a
piece of land should be allotted to the artizans, on which they
might erect houses and workshops, and that each of them
should have two apprentices, and a boy as a servant. About
two thousand men were employed in levelling the ground and
in erecting houses for them, and in the course of two or three
days the work was completed. To introduce, however, the
arts of civilization among barbarians is no easy task, and
accordingly the artizans were only partially successful in teach-
' Quart. Chron. vol. ii. p. 92, 95, 126 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1821, p. 93 ; Ibid. 1822, p.
127 ; Evan. Mag. vol. xxix. p. 531 ; Ibid. 1823, p. 74.

244 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
ing the natives their respective trades. The smith had the
most constant employment.1
The king not only patronized the schools, but took a lively
interest in their success. Those established in Tananarivo, the
capital, were by his desire united into one, which was called
the Central School, or Royal College. Other schools were estab
lished in different villages, within a circuit of thirty miles from
the capital. These schools in the country were chiefly under
the charge of teachers selected from among the more intelli
gent youths, who had previously distinguished themselves by
their proficiency at the Central School in the capital. Female
schools were also established, and the progress of the children
of both sexes was of the most gratifying kind ; but it was, at
the same time, found necessary to exercise a constant and vigi
lant superintendence of the whole of them. Unless they were
frequently visited, it was found they would do little good. The
name of a school might remain, but there would be no solid
improvement.2 In February 1824, Messrs Jones and Griffiths commenced
preaching in the Malagasy language. Even at first their con
gregations usually amounted to about a thousand persons, and
occasionally were much more numerous. They also visited the
villages where the schools were established, for the purpose of
preaching and catechising the people. There also they had
large congregations, often preaching in the open air.3
In 1827, the printing press was introduced into Madagascar, to
the great gratification of the king. In the course of a few years
there issued from it school-books, catechisms, and tracts. Other
and larger works were also printed ; particularly the Old and
New Testament, translated into the Malagasy language by the
Rev. Messrs Griffith and Jones ; a Dictionary of the Malagasy
language, in two parts, the English and Malagasy by the Rev.
Mr Freeman, and the Malagasy and English by the Rev. Mr
Jones. A Grammar of the language was also prepared ; and the
Pilgrim's Progress was afterwards printed in England.4
' Rep. Miss. Soc. 1822, p. 126 ; Evan. Mag. 1823, p. 73 ; Ibid. 1826, p. 211.
* Quart. Chron. vol. iii. p. 318 ; Evan. Mag. 1826, p. 209 ; Ibid. 1828, p. 503 ; Rep.
Miss. Soc. 1825, p. 142. 3 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1825, p. 143.
* Evan. Mag. 1828, p. 502 ; Ibid. 1830, p. 542 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1833, p. 99 ; Bid.
1836, p. 105; Ibid, 1837, p. 112; Freeman's Nar. of Persecutions in Madag. p. 74.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 245
In July 1828, Radama the king died, and was succeeded in
the government by one of his wives, named Ranavalona. Imme
diately on her accession, the missionaries received assurances
that they need be under no apprehensions ; that she would
countenance them not less than the late king, and would rather
augment than diminish the encouragement given to the schools.
Many of the schools, however, decreased in number, and some of
them dwindled away entirely. The attendance on them does
not appear to have been voluntary on the part either of the
parents or the children, but to have been dependent on the
orders of government. The queen repeatedly gave directions
for the maintenance of the number of scholars, and for promot
ing their efficiency. The favour shewn to the schools will
excite less surprise, when it is understood that the government
was accustomed from time to time to obtain from them nume
rous youths who, from the education they received in them,
were capable of performing services to the state which the un
educated part of the juvenile population were not qualified
to render.2
Neither did the queen interfere for some time with the other
labours of the missionaries ; on the contrary, she gave permis
sion for the opening of new places of worship, and she also
granted liberty, to such of the natives as wished it, to receive
baptism at their hands, and to unite with them in observing
the Lord's Supper. In consequence of this a number of them
were baptized, and two native churches were formed. The
attendance at the chapel in Tananarivo became more numerous
than at any former period. Not only those who had formerly
been scholars, but others of the natives were frequent hearers.
In 1830, Mr Baker wrote as follows :¦ — "It is truly delightful to
see the present attendance at the chapel. The hour of the
solemn assembly never arrives without exhibiting the pleasing
spectacle of many already met together, awaiting with apparent
desire the commencement of the service. The number of adults
was so considerable as to render the children almost invisible ;
and those adults consisted principally, not of occasional hearers
who step in when passing by, but of regular attendants, who
1 Evan. Mag. 1830, p. 543 ; Poid. 1831, p. 457 ; Poid. 1832, p. 34 ; Rep. Miss. Soc.
1833, p. 93 ; Ibid. 1834, p. 102 ; Ellis' History of Madagascar, vol. ii. p. 469.

246 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
manifested a desire to become acquainted with the gospel, and
to become the followers of Christ. The chapel was not only
crowded within, but numbers usually stood around several of
the windows to some distance outside. The attention of the
people is equally pleasing : all are silent and reverent, appa
rently intent upon listening to what is said ; and sometimes a
degree of emotion is manifested under the preaching of the
word quite unparallelled here in former times."1
But notwithstanding these circumstances, the missionaries
appear to have been much discouraged even in the earlier years
of the queen's reign. The principle of the Malagasy govern
ment seems to have been to interfere in every thing ; nothing
could be done but by its orders or its permission. Such in
terference must often have been very capricious and very vexa
tious. Even the permission to the natives to be baptized and
to observe the Lord's Supper was, after a few months, with
drawn. The idolatrous superstitions of the country, which in
the latter part of Radama's reign appeared to have lost much
of their credit and influence, regained, under the public and
express sanction and encouragement of the government, in a
great degree their ancient power over the minds of the people.
Amidst the clouds which hung over the mission, gleams of sun
shine would occasionally appear f but at length a storm burst
upon it which threatened its extinction, and even the very ex
istence of Christianity in the country.
In March 1835, a kabary or great assembly of the people was
held at Tananarivo by orders of the queen ; the whole popula
tion from a considerable distance around the capital, men,
women, and children, were collected on the occasion. A mes
sage was sent from the queen, expressing her indignation that
any of her people should have dared to depart from the old es
tablished customs, to despise the gods, to neglect divinations,
to receive and practise a new religion, and to observe other
usages of the foreigners. One month was allowed to the people
to come forward, on pain of death, and accuse themselves of
whatever they had done of the things now proscribed, particu-
1 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1882, p. 97 ; Ibid. 1833, p. 97; Quart. Chron. vol. iv. p. 415.
2 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1830, p. 89; Ibid. 1833, p. 98; Ibid. 1835, p. 99; Evan. Mag.
1831, p. 457 ; Ibid. 1832, p. 34.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 247
larly such as had been baptized, attended prayer-meetings,
united in public worship, or had voluntarily learned to read.
All in possession of honours, civil or military, who were charge
able with these practices were to be degraded in rank, while
others were to pay a fine according to their districts. Prayer
in the name of Jesus was prohibited, and the people were even
forbidden to retain recollection of the instructions given them
by the missionaries. Offenders were to suffer death, their pro
perty to be confiscated, and their families sold as slaves. The
schools were virtually abolished, writing and arithmetic within
a very limited extent, being the only kind of instruction which
was allowed to be given.
The missionaries, as foreigners, were allowed the free exer
cise of their religion, but they were given to understand that
"they must not violate the law of the country by leading the peo
ple to abandon the customs. In consequence partly of these,
and partly of other circumstances, the Rev. Mr Freeman, and
Messrs Cameron and Chick, two of the artizans, left the country
about three months after these orders were issued by the queen.
The Rev. Mr Jones, and Mr Baker, the printer, however, re
mained for the present, and endeavoured to employ themselves
as usefully as circumstances would permit ; but in the autumn
of the following year, they also left the island and retired to
the Mauritius, where they remained, with the view of resuming
their labours in Madagascar should there be any opportunity.1
It is not easy to form a correct estimate of subsequent events
in Madagascar.' The missionaries were now gone, and no very
intelligent or competent witnesses remained to report things
exactly as they were; the accounts received could scarcely fail
to rest often on doubtful evidence, sometimes probably on mere
rumours. It would not appear that the number of converts pre
vious to the departure of the missionaries was considerable, but
there were many others, it is stated, who had obtained a know
ledge of the gospel, and were convinced of the vanity of idola
try. Notwithstanding the orders of the queen, the Christians,
it is said, continued to meet in secret for prayer and other reli
gious exercises ; but this being discovered, a number of them
were reduced to slavery, and two, a female named Rasalama,
1 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1835, p. 98, 100; Ibid. 1836, p. 103; Ibid. 1837, p. 111.

248 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
and a young man called Rafaralahy, were put to death by spear
ing. Some escaped to other parts of the country ; several made
their way to the coast and obtained a passage to the Mauritius,
from whence six of them afterwards came to England.1
It was not indeed Christianity only that was under proscrip
tion in Madagascar. The whole country was subjected to the
most grievous oppression, and was reduced to a state of the \xt-
most disorder and wretchedness. Numbers of the people were
reduced to slavery, multitudes were subjected to the tangena,
or ordeal, executions were numerous, and the banditti increased
in all directions. Many of the people took refuge in the woods,
and many sought to escape from the country, though the roads
Avere so narrowly watched that escape was nearly impossible.2
The Christians, though much disheartened by the persecu*
tions to which they were exposed, still held meetings for reli
gious worship, not only in sequestered places, but in Tananarivo,
the capital, or its neighbourhood ; and it is stated that their
numbers, instead of being diminished, were much increased.
After some years, the persecution, instead of relaxing, broke out
with greater fierceness than ever. Many hundreds were sub
jected to punishments of greater or less severity on account of
their following the new religion. Some were burnt alive,
others were thrown down fearful precipices and dashed to
pieces ; some were degraded from .their honours, others were
reduced to slavery ; some were condemned to work in chains
during their life ; some were flogged and others fined.3
¦ Evan. Mag, 1853, p. 741 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1835, p. 99 ; Poid. 1838, p. 104 ; Ibid.
1839, p. 97.
2 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1838, p. 104; Ibid. 1839, p. 97 ; Evan. Mag. 1842, p. 95; Ibid.
1S46, p. 46.
3 Evan. Mag. 1842, p. 92 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 46 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 107, 162 ; Ibid. 1851,
p. 431, 734 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1848, p. 14 ; Ibid. 1851, p. 17 ; Ibid. 1852, p. 70.
We are told that the number put to death on account of religion since the com
mencement of the persecution, was between forty and fifty. — Rep. Miss. Soc. 1851, p.
17. Mr Ellis, who was deputed in 1853 by the London Missionary Society to visit
Madagascar, stated, that it was "known that not fewer than one hundred persons
had been put to death." — Evan. Mag. 1853. p. 745. We might give other statements
received by Mr Ellis, but we are doubtful how far they rest on satisfactory evidence.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

249

SECT. IV.— INDIA.

In February 1804, the Rev. Messrs Ringeltaube, Cran, and Des
Granges, sailed from England for the East Indies with a view
to missionary operations in that country. Other missionaries
were from time to time sent out, and numerous stations were
established in various parts of the country. The following table
contains a list of the principal stations which are still occupied
by them : —

Begun.

Stations.

Begun.

Stations.

Bengal Presidency.

Madras Presidency.

1816

Calcutta.

1805

Vizagapatam.

1824

Berhampur.

1852

Vizianagarum.

1810
Bellary.
Agra Presidency.
1822
Cuddupab.
1820
Benares.
1852
Tripassore.
1838
Mirzapur.
1805
Madras.
1850
Almorah.
1820
Bangalore.
1827
Salem.
Bombay Presidency.
1830
Coimbatoor.
1820
Belgaum.
1817
Nagercoil.
1847
Mabi Kantba.
1828
Neyoor.
1838
Trevandrum.
1821
Quilon.
Though many of these stations were highly important, yet as,
in their general features, they do not differ from other missions
in India, it would only be to repeat statements similar to those
we have llsewhere made, were we to enter into particular de
tails regarding them. As respects the conversion of the natives,
most of them have been attended with no great success, though
probably it has not been less than that of the generality of mis
sions in India.
Travancore may perhaps be deemed an exception to this
statement. There, as in other missions in the south of India,
great numbers of the natives professed to renounce idolatry, and
placed themselves under Christian instruction ; numerous con^
gregations were formed, and many schools established for the
250 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
education of the children, numbers of the native converts were
employed in travelling about from place to place for the pur
pose of instructing the congregations, and of making known the
gospel to the heathen part of the population. But the most of
the people forming the congregations, were Christians only in
name. Many maintained connection with the missionaries,
more in the expectation of obtaining protection or other tem
poral advantages by means of them than from a desire of in
struction, while some proved unfaithful to their religious pro
fession and returned to idolatry. The progress of the gospel
was much retarded by the violent and unprovoked persecution to
which the native Christians were from time to time subjected
by their own countrymen.
Though the missionaries in India did not engage extensively
in translating the Holy Scriptures, as they were already trans
lated by others into the languages of most parts of the country
where they laboured, yet there were several versions executed
by them. The missionaries at Benares translated the whole
Bible into Hindustani ; those at Vizagapatam translated it into
Telinga ; those at Bellary into Canarese, and those at Surat
into Gujarati.

SECT. V.— CHINA.
In January 1807, the Rev. Robert Morrison sailed from Eng
land, by way of America, for China, with a particular view to
the translation of the Holy Scriptures into the Chinese lan
guage.1 On his arrival he thought it would facilitate his object
' In 1800, the Rev. William Moseley, an Independent minister at Long Buckby, Nor
thamptonshire, published a valuable " Memoir on the Importance and Practicability of
translating and publishing the Holy Scriptures in the Chinese language." He had
discovered in the British Museum a MS. containing a Harmony of the Four Gospels,
the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles of Paul, and the 1st chapter of the Hebrews in
Chinese. It was a folio volume, and was lettered by mistake Evangelica Quatuor
Sinice. On a blank leaf, at the beginning of the volume, is the following note : " This
transcript was made at Canton in 1737 and 1738, by order of Mr Hodgson, who says it
has been collated with care, and found very correct. Given by him to Sir Hans Sloane,
Bart., in 1739." — Moseleijs Memoir, 2d Edit. p. 20 ; Evan. Mag. vol. ix. p. 445. It
was this Memoir by Mr Moseley which first turned the attention of the friends of Missions
to China.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 251
to adopt the dress and manners of the natives. He accord
ingly walked about in a Chinese frock, and with thick Chinese
shoes ; he had a tail or tress of hair of some length, allowed his
nails to grow, dined with his Chinese teacher, and ate with
chop-sticks. But he was afterwards convinced, that though in
adopting the manners of the Chinese he meant well, he had
judged ill. To make himself remarkable in external appear
ance was proclaiming to the Chinese that he had different ob
jects in view from those of other foreigners in Canton ; and
hence the very means which he had adopted for conciliating
them were calculated to rouse their jealousy.1
Previous to leaving England, Mr Morrison had paid some at
tention to the Chinese language, and on arriving in the country
he prosecuted the study of it with unwearied diligence. To
this he directed the whole energies of his mind, morning, noon,
and night. The Chinese had an extreme contempt for foreign
ers, and were exceedingly averse to communicate to them a
knowledge of their language and literature. They were abso
lutely forbidden by the local government to teach it to Euro
peans ; and the people, partly from fear and partly from their
own prejudices, were very incommunicative. He, however,
did obtain persons to assist him in the study of the language ;
but they had every reason to tremble for their own safety
should they be discovered. In consequence of an order from
Pekin, that every foreigner should have in his house a man
licensed to provide for his table, who should become responsible
for whatever was transacted within it, he had at one time some
difficulty in even procuring provisions, as those who had hitherto
served him were afraid to come under such an engagement.2
In consequence of the very difficult and delicate circumstances
in which he was placed, Mr Morrison judged it necessary to
act with the utmost caution. When at Macao, he felt so unwill
ing to obtrude himself on the notice of the inhabitants, that he
never walked out ; but the confinement at length told materially
on his health. The first time he ventured out to the fields ad
joining the town was in a moonlight night, under the escort of
* Milne's Retrospect of the Protestant Mission to China, p. 62.
¦ Milne's Retrospect, p. 73 ; Panoplist, vol. iii. (N. S.) p. 227 ; Memoirs of Robert
Morrison, D.D., vol. i. p. 396.

252 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
two Chinese. To relax in circumspection, even in a single in
stance, might, he apprehended, be of fatal consequence to the
object he had in view. In fact, the situation of all foreigners in
China was exceedingly precarious. In their commercial inter
course with the Chinese they had often to submit to unpleasant
circumstances, such as persons who had been accustomed to
civil liberty in their own country could not but feel to be very
mortifying and degrading. They had to do with a people whose
jealousy of foreigners was never, perhaps, exceeded, and who
possessed, in a singular degree, the art of turning to account
every error, and every thing like an error, in their conduct.
These characteristics of the Chinese were naturally calculated
to awaken their jealousies and fears in reference to Mr Morri
son's object. Mere literary or philosophical pursuits might be
sanctioned and supported by them ; but the man whose aim was
to spread Christianity could scarcely fail to be viewed by them
with suspicion, have his proceedings narrowly watched, and the
most dangerous consequences to trade dreaded as the result of
them. But though many of the foreigners probably did view
Mr Morrison with jealousy, he met with countenance and sup
port from some influential men among them, both English and
Americans, and was, in many respects, treated with kindness
and politeness by them.1 He had not, indeed, been long in the
country when he received the appointment of Chinese secre
tary and translator to the English Factory in China, with a
salary of £500 a year, which was, after a few years, raised to
£1000, with the other privileges of the East India Company's
establishment, consisting of certain allowances for teachers and
a place at their public table. The duties of this office were at
first extremely oppressive, in consequence of his still imperfect
acquaintance with the language. He had not confidence in his
own knowledge of it, nor could he trust in the natives. The
many perplexing hours which he spent in the duties of his new
employment were not soon forgotten by him ; but yet he had
the satisfaction of finding that these duties were of such a kind
as had a direct bearing on his acquisition of the language. His
time was in after years much occupied with the duties of his
office, and though he appears to have been sometimes sick of
1 Morrison's Memoirs, vol. i. p. 316.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 253
the engagements which it imposed upon him, and of the re
strictions which it laid him under in his attempts to spread the
gospel, yet he always viewed it as having afforded him facilities
in perfecting himself in the language which he could not other
wise have enjoyed, and as having secured his residence in the
country when, under other circumstances, he must have with
drawn from it. It must, however, be acknowledged, that the
two offices of a missionary, and of secretary and translator to
the British Factory, do not appear very compatible. Indeed, the
Directors of the East India Company, under the idea of their in
compatibility, and of the union of them endangering the interests
of the British trade in China, sent out instructions to the com
mittee at Canton to discontinue his connection with the Com
pany ; but they, on the other hand, were so sensible of the im
portance of his services, and so satisfied of his prudence and
discretion, that they postponed giving effect to these orders until
they should make a representation, and obtain further instruc
tions on the subject ; and the Court of Directors, on receiving
their explanations, were satisfied.1
In January 1814, the New Testament, in the Chinese lan
guage, was completed at press. Of this work the Four Gospels,
the closing Epistles, and the book of Revelation were trans
lated by Mr Morrison himself: the Acts of the Apostles and the
Epistles of Paul were founded on the manuscript in the British
Museum, a transcript of which he carried with him from Eng
land, only he made such corrections and alterations upon it as
he judged necessary. He afterwards proceeded with the trans
lation of the Old Testament ; and the Rev. William Milne hav
ing lately come to his assistance, they divided the work between
them, and after some years it also was published.2
Mr Milne having, on his arrival at Macao, which is subject to
the crown of Portugal, been ordered by the governor, through
the influence of the Catholic priests, to leave that island, he
retired for the present to Canton ; and he afterwards proceeded
to Java, with the view of circulating the New Testament and
tracts among the Chinese, who have emigrated in great num-
1 Morrison's Memoirs, vol. i. p. 256, 315, 379, 396, 414, 469 ; vol. ii. p. 429.
* Rep. Bib. Soc. 1815, App. p. 26 ; Ibid. 1824, App. p. 113 ; Quart. Chron. vol. ii.
p. 65.

254 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
bers to that and other islands in the Indian Ocean. After dis
tributing considerable numbers among those resident in Batavia
and the neighbourhood, he made a tour of about fourteen hun
dred miles through the eastern part of Java and the island of
Madura, visiting most of the principal towns where the Chinese
were settled. In the course of this extensive journey he was
treated by all ranks of persons in the kindest and most respect
ful manner. He was even introduced to the emperor of Java,
and when at the seat of the sultan of Madura, he slept a night
in the palace.1
In April 1815, Mr Milne proceeded to Malacca, with the view
of establishing a branch of the Chinese mission in that country,
in the hope that missionaries would there be able to carry on
their labours without restriction or interruption. Here he was
joined by other labourers, and an extensive establishment was
formed by their united exertions. They instituted schools for
Chinese, Malay, and Malabar children ; they preached regu
larly in various places, both in Chinese and Malay ; in short,
they put into active operation all the usual apparatus of a
Christian mission. Other branches of the Chinese and Malay
mission were formed in Pulo Penang, at Batavia in Java, and
at Singapore, a small island at the southern extremity of the
Malayan peninsula. Similar plans were pursued at these sta
tions as at Malacca.2
In November 1818, the foundation-stone was laid at Malacca
of an institution called the Anglo-Chinese College, the chief ob
ject of which was the cultivation of Chinese andEnglish literature,
and the diffusion of Christianity. To this institution Dr Morrison
devoted £1 000 for the erection of the buildings, and he promised
a further sum of £100 annually for the first five years, com
mencing from the opening of the institution.3 It does not ap
pear, however, that the Anglo-Chinese College was ever in a
state of much efficiency as regarded either professors or students.
It dragged on for years a languid existence, and realized in
only a small degree the views of its founder. Some of the pupils
were very young, and but few were worthy of the name of
1 Miss. Trans, vol. iv. p. 125, 245.
2 Miss. Trans, vol. iv. p. 309; Milne's Retrospect, p. 295.
3 Quart. Chron. vol. i. p. 397.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 255
students. We cannot, indeed, help thinking that most of the
colleges established in connection with missions, have been pre
mature institutions, and that it will be difficult to point to one
which, in its results, has warranted the machinery, the money,
and the labpur expended upon it. In the early stage of mis
sions, something much short of a college appears to be sufficient
for all practicable purposes.
There was nothing for which this mission was so much dis
tinguished as by the extent to which the printing and circula
tion of books was carried. At all the stations, at Canton and
Malacca, at Batavia, Penang, and Singapore, a great variety of
books and tracts, including large editions of the Holy Scriptures,
were printed. Besides circulating them among the Chinese and
Malay population of the several stations, the missionaries, espe
cially those at Singapore, were in the habit of going on board
the junks and other vessels which frequented them from the
various countries and islands of south-eastern Asia, and distri
buted them among the crews, in the hope of thereby convey
ing the seeds of divine truth to other and distant lands. With
a view to a still more systematic and extensive circulation of
them, Messrs Gutzlaff, Tomlin, and Medhurst made voyages to
Siam, along the Malayan peninsula, the north-east coast of
Java, and the island of Bali, the western coast of Borneo, where
many of the Chinese are settled, and along the coast of China
itself, every where distributing them in great numbers.1
1 Dr Medhurst states that no fewer than 751,763 books and tracts were printed at the
different stations from 1810 to 1836, and that there were probably others which were
not included in this enumeration." — Medhurst 's China, p. 592.
This extensive circulation of the Scriptures and tracts was no doubt considered at
the time as a work of great importance, and as likely to bring forth much precious
fruit ; but here, as in many other cases, the quantity of the work was more looked to
than the qnality. There is something in wide and unknown fields where we have no
opportunity of following out the results, which gives ample room for the imagination to
luxuriate in undefined and fallacious hopes, like airy phantoms looming through a mist.
Extensive as was the distribution of books, little or nothing was ever known of
spiritual good being effected by them, nor are there any traces of their having had any
bearing or influence as regards the spread of the gospel in China, or in any of the other
countries to which they were carried. They were distributed not only much too freely,
but much too indiscriminately. Comparatively few of the people of these countries,
not excepting China, are able to read intelligibly, and a, large proportion of those to
whom books were given being of the poorer classes, many of them common sailors, it
is probable they were not so much as able to understand them, and were still less likely
to be influenced by them. The press is a most important engine for propagating

256 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
The voyages of Messrs Gutzlaff, Medhurst, and Stevens, along
the coast of China, for the purpose of distributing the Scriptures
and other works, landing, as they did, at various points, though
they never ventured far into the country, awakened the jealousy
of the Chinese government ; and each successive voyage was
followed by proclamations prohibiting such visits in future;
but in China little attention was often paid to the imperial
edicts, as the government did not employ an adequate force to
carry them into effect. Orders were also sent to Canton, that
strict search should be made for natives engaged in manufac
turing Christian books ; but though search was made, no per
sons were for the present seized. The authorities were told
that books were printed at Batavia, Singapore, and other places,
by means of paper sent from China.1
Though it was found impossible for European missionaries to
penetrate far into the interior, and still less to settle in the
Christianity in the world, but, like every other instrument, it requires to be used

In confirmation of these views, we may here quote the following statement by Mr
Williams, a missionary-printer from America, in China ; " We may well hesitate he-
fore calculating too sanguinely upon the effects of a promiscuous distribution of tracts
among a people almost wholly unacquainted with the truths taught in the books, and the
style of which is not very inviting. We can regard them as only seed thrown by the
wayside, on hard and stony ground, where they receive little or no cultivation afterwards.
By this we mean that hitherto (i. e. up to 1838, when this was written) we have had no
proofs that the thousands of books thrown among this people, have excited one mind
to inquire concerning them, have induced one soul to find a teacher among the foreign
ers in China, or have been the means of converting one individual. I have seen books
on board the junks which were received at Bankok or Batavia ; but I have never had
a question asked concerning their meaning, have never heard an objection started, nor
a request made to have a. doubt solved, though the sight of the books I had brought
was the occasion of their shewing me the books they had received. I know that
our opportunities for ascertaining how much good has been done by the books which
have been circulated are too few to enable any one to pass an opinion on this point ;
and also that the sailors in the junks could hardly read the volumes they had re
ceived, though iu no junk did we find the crew so ignorant that none could read."—
Miss. Her. vol, xxxv. p. 54. Other testimonies to the same effect by the American
missionaries at Singapore may be found in vol. xxxiv. p. 420, and vol. xxxvi, p. 208.
Besides all this, there is reason to believe that many of the books circulated were
far from being intelligible, and very imperfect in point of style. — Malcolm's Travels in
South-Eastern Asia, vol. ii. p. 217.
1 Tomlin's Journal of a Residence in Siam, p. 66, 117, 121, 139 ; GutzlafFs Journal
of Three Voyages, p. 65, 153, 427 ; Medhurst's China, p. 365, 381, 403, 510, 517 ;
Quart. Chron. vol. iv. p. 69, 145, 171, 193, 225, 257 ; Evan. Mag. 1831, p. 163 ; Ibid.
1836, p. 317 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1836, p. 25 ; (Amer.) Miss. Her. vol. xxxii. p. 79, 197,
202.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 257
country, yet Chinese converts, it was thought, might use greater
liberties in this way than it would be safe for Englishmen to
take. On one occasion, Leang Afa, who had been baptized
many years before by Dr Milne at Malacca, accompanied by Keuh
Agong, who had lately been baptized by Dr Morrison at Macao,
itinerated about 250 miles into the interior, for the purpose of
making known the gospel to their countrymen, and distribut
ing tracts among them. For three or four years, Afa was con
stantly in the practice of circulating books in Canton and the
neighbouring villages. Through his labours, some of his. coun
trymen were led to profess themselves Christians, and were
baptized by him. On one occasion, however, when he and three
of the converts were employed in distributing books in that
city, the police interfered. Several of them were seized, and
also some other persons who had been connected with the print
ing of the books. Search was made for Afa ; but he made his
escape, and afterwards got to Macao, from whence it was judged
necessary to send him off to Malacca to be out of the way. The
persons who were imprisoned, ten in number, were soon set at
liberty, on the payment by Mr J. R. Morrison1 of 800 dollars.
But .for the present, all efforts to extend a knowledge of Chris
tianity in the country were stopped, and the few Chinese who
had professed themselves Christians were scattered.2
It is well known that the art of printing"was in use in China
several hundred years before it was discovered in Europe. It
was executed not by types, but by means of wooden blocks, on
which the characters were cut out, each block forming a whole
page, and every character having to be cut anew, though it
should occur ten thousand times. It was in fact a species of
stereotype printing. Though possessed of some advantages as
applied to such a language as that of China, it also laboured
under great disadvantages as compared with moveable metal
types. These indeed were not unknown in Chinese printing,3
1 Dr Morrison's eldest son.
a Rep. Miss. Soc. 1831, p. 25 ; Djid. 1833, p. 19 ; Djid. 1835, p. 24, Poid. 1837, p.
26; Evan. Mag. 1835, p. 206, 337; Ibid. 1836, p. 318; Morrison's Memoirs, vol. ii.
p. 462.
" Printing with moveable types is not a new thing even in China. In 1722, the
Emperor Kang-hi ordered an assortment of moveable types to be prepared of cop
per, whioh he called " congregated pearls." At the college of St Joseph, in Macao,
VOL. II. R

258 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
but they had never come into general use. Much credit is due
to the Rev. Samuel Dyer, one of the missionaries, who directed
particular attention to this object, and succeeded in preparing
punches and matrices for casting metal types for the Chinese
language. The time, ingenuity, and perseverance he expended
in prosecuting this end, the difficulties which he met with
and overcame, exceed every thing that can well be conceived
by those who have had no experience in matters of this kind.
His disadvantages were many. Though he had seen the pro
cess of type-founding before he left England, he was an entire
stranger to the manual operation. There was no one with
whom he could consult. Experiments and books were his only
assistants. Yet he acquired after some time the utmost dex
terity in finishing off the punches, and performing the other
parts of the work. In forming the first fount, every punch was
tempered by his own hands, every matrix was struck under
his superintendence, and the ingredients for type-metal were
prepared for fusion by himself personally. The types which
he cast were remarkable for their beauty, and were generally
allowed to be the most correct and the best adapted to the
Chinese taste of any that had ever been prepared. Previous to
his death, he had completed a fount of large type, sufficient for
printing the Scriptures, and had begun the preparation of a
fount of small type. Both these were afterwards improved and
completed by Mr Richard Cole. The printing even from the
smaller type was truly beautiful, neater and more distinct
than the best specimens of block-printing with the larger cha?
racter commonly used in Chinese books. By means of it, too,
the whole Bible may be printed in one volume, instead, as
hitherto, of half a dozen of volumes. The expense of both pa
per and printing was also greatly reduced. The New Testae
ment was comprised in less than ninety pages, while the cost
there is an assortment of metal types, which have been employed in printing various
Romish works, and also a Portuguese and Chinese Dictionary. The Serampur mis
sionaries, after employing, in the first instance, wooden blocks, succeeded in casting a
fount of moveable types, with which they printed Dr Marshman's Translation of the
Old and New Testament in the Chinese language. Of late years, Chinese moveable
types were aTso cast in Paris, under the direction of M. Pauthier, a member of the
Asiatic Society. Being executed by one of the most expert type-founders in France,
they were, as respects fineness of stroke and exactness of height, superior to anything
that Asiatic workmen could produce.— Medhurst s China, p. 562, 566.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 259
was less than fourpence sterling. These are points of vast im
portance where so many millions of copies will be required be
fore the people can be supplied with the Holy Scriptures.1
In August 1842, a treaty was concluded at Nanking between
the Chinese and the British governments, by which the former
ceded to the latter the small island of Hongkong at the mouth
of the estuary leading up to Canton, and opened to foreigners
of all nations, five of the chief ports of the empire, Canton,
Amoy, Fuh-Chau-fu, Ningpo, and Shanghai, with the right of
residence in them for the purposes of trade, and also the power
of erecting churches, and the prospective privileges which might
be conferred on any particular nation. At Canton, to which
the trade of Europeans had hitherto been confined, differences
were every now and then occurring between the authorities and
the English, and these, it was generally found, were not easily
settled. Of late years there had sprung up a more serious
ground of quarrel than any which had ever before occurred.
The Chinese government had long prohibited the introduction-
of opium into the empire, but in spite of all its prohibitions,
there had grown up a great smuggling trade in that pernicious
drug. Vessels built for the purpose, armed and manned as ships
of war, were sent along the coast for the purpose of smuggling
it into the country ; and the more effectually to gain their ends,
they supplied with arms and ammunition the Chinese craft en
gaged in assisting them, to enable them to defend themselves
against the officers of government. The continuance of the
trade threatened to convert the whole coast into one scene of
ruthless piracy. It was carried on to a large extent even with
the concurrence of the officers of government. The very officers
sent down the river from Canton to inspect ships on their arrival,
bribed by a share of the profits, brought it up in the govern
ment boats when they returned, and reported that there was
none on board. Meanwhile, it was carried into all parts of the
country, and was entailing a tremendous curse on China, pro
ducing to a fearful extent, and even in a greater degree, the
same or similar evils as intemperance produces in our own land,
1 Friend of India, (Quarterly Series), vol. i. p. 241 ; Memoir of the Rev. Samuel
Dyer, p. 81, 102, 234, 243, 257, 264 ; (Amer.) Miss. Her. vol. xlv. p. 18 ; Rep. Miss
Soc. 1851, p. 19.

260 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
poverty, demoralization, degradation, wretchedness, profligacy
and recklessness, vice and crime, disease bodily and mental, pre
mature decay and early death. The annual amount of this nefari
ous traffic was estimated at upwards of £3,000,000 sterling. The
East India Company were the chief dealers in the prohibited
drug. It was one of the great sources of its revenue, and the
cultivation of it within its territories had of late years greatly
increased. The Chinese government, much to its own honour,
was at length roused to make a great effort to save its subjects
from the ruin which it was fast bringing upon them. Procla
mations were issued, the foreign importers were warned to de
sist from their contraband trade, the police were urged to in
creased vigilance and activity, and the ordinary trade at Can
ton was stopped. Captain Elliot, the superintendent of the
English trade in China, appears to have cordially united with
the Chinese authorities in their efforts for suppressing the trade
in opium. In consequence of orders issued by him, the smug
gling vessels all left the river, and the regular trade was again
opened. But the smugglers were not to be thus put down.
In the spring of 1839, an imperial commissioner named Lin
arrived at Canton with absolute power, and with orders to stop
the traffic, whatever it might cost. He ascertained that there
were more than 20,000 chests of opium, valued at ten or twelve
millions of dollars, on board the vessels at or near Canton. He
knew that if he merely prevented its being landed, it would be
sent along the coast and smuggled into the country. He, there
fore, again stopped all trade, confined all foreign merchants to
their factories, and demanded the surrender of the chests of opium
Which were on board the shipping. With this demand, Captain
Elliot thought it necessary to comply. He required all British
subjects to deliver up to him the opium in their possession, and
to take his receipts for it, given in the name of the British
government. He then delivered it to the commissioner, who
destroyed it agreeably to the command of the Emperor. Lin
then published a decree that no foreign merchant should be
allowed to reside or trade at Canton, except on condition that
his life and property should be forfeited, if any foreigner should
be detected in introducing opium into the country, thus mak
ing the body of foreigners responsible for the offences of each

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 261
one of their number. By order of Captain Elliot, all English
residents and shipping withdrew from Canton to Macao and
other places in the vicinity, and other foreigners generally fol
lowed their example.1
The English would have had no right to complain, though
the Chinese government had destroyed their contraband goods
whatever might be their value, provided it acquired posses
sion of them by means of its own officers. If they chose to
carry on the disgraceful trade of smugglers, they must be con
tent to run the risks and to pay the penalty of smugglers. By
the laws of England and of other civilized nations, the seizure
and destruction of smuggled goods are held to be reasonable,
righteous, legal acts ; and by all honourable men the name and
profession of a smuggler are justly held in execration. The
Chinese government was likewise quite entitled to say to Captain
Elliot,. as superintendent of the English commercial interests,
that unless the opium onboard the English ships was surrendered,
and an end put to the opium traffic, the trade of England with
China must cease, and on receiving it upon this intimation, the
commissioner was quite entitled to do what he did, destroy it ;
for every country has a right to say to other countries on what
terms it will trade with them, and especially to prescribe such
moral terms as these. This was a peaceful and honourable way
of gaining its object, provided Captain Elliot would accede to
it, and he in that case would become responsible for his acts to
his own government. Up to this point all was right on the part of
the Chinese government, and so we may hold Captain Elliot
to have considered it. But now the imperial commissioner un
questionably overstepped both justice and reason, when he sought
to make the body of the foreigners responsible for the acts of
each other. We shall perhaps wonder the less at this, however, if
we consider that it was in accordance with the laws and the prac
tice of China ; but he had already obtained possession of the
opium on the expressed or implied condition, that the trade
would then be opened, and he had no right to make any new
stipulations or restrictions on the subject, and especially a con
dition so unjust and unreasonable, capricious and tyrannical.
1 (Amer.) Miss. Her. vol. xxxiv. p. 383 ; vol. xxxv. p. 463 ; vol. xxxvi. p. 320 ;
Smith's Exploratory Visit, p. 431 ; Oriental Christian Spectator, vol. x. p. 104.

262 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
It was a grievous error ; and yet England, moral Christian
England, had no great right to be indignant at it. Weighed in
the balance with the iniquitous and outrageous proceedings of
her own subjects, including her great East India Company, it
was light as a feather.
To punish China for what she had done, and to establish
trade with her on a more satisfactory footing than it had
hitherto been, England, moral Christian England, now sent a
fleet and an army to wage war upon her. To enter into
details of the war is foreign to the object of this work. Suffice
it to say, that the arms of our country were every where trium
phant ; that China was made to feel her might, and was brought
to enter into the humiliating treaty of Nanking, for humiliat
ing it was, that a vast empire, the most populous on the face of
the earth, should feel itself compelled, at the point of the sword,
to break up that system of policy which, whether wisely, or un
wisely we do not here inquire, it had maintained from imme
morial ages, and to open, contrary to its own will, its chief ports
to foreigners, for whom it had ever felt a supreme contempt.
We rejoice in some of the results of that treaty ; but we cannot
forget the principle of the great Apostle of the Gentiles, that
we are not to " do evil that good may come."
By subsequent decrees obtained by the consuls of the United
States of America and France, many new and important pri
vileges were gained from the Chinese government, some of
which had an intimate bearing on the cause of Christian mis
sions in China. It was provided that not only the merchants
of all nations, but the people generally, should be at liberty to
settle at the five ports, and should enjoy equal rights and im
munities with them ; that they should be at liberty to establish
temples for worship, schools or colleges, hospitals for the sick,
and cemeteries for the dead ; to employ teachers, Chinese or
Tartars, the illegality and treasonableness of which had hitherto
been so serious a hindrance to the acquisition of the Chinese
language ; and not only to purchase all kinds of Chinese books,
but to sell their own, and to teach the Chinese, the French,
and other languages. It was further decreed, that those Chinese '
who practise " the religion of the Lord of heaven, which all
the Western nations adore and receive," " and who do not cause

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 263
disturbances, and do wickedly," should not be punished as cri
minals. But while Christians without distinction, Chinese as
well as others, were allowed the free exercise of their religion,
foreigners of every nation were, in accordance with existing
regulations, prohibited from going into the country to propagate
religion.1 * (Amer.) Miss. Her. vol. xli. p. 307, 417.
It would appear that M. La Grene, the French commissioner, had in his memorial
described the " Religion of the Lord of Heaven," according to some of the usages
of the Romish Church ; and it was supposed that the decree obtained by him might
be restricted to Roman Catholics. Sir J. F. Davis, the British plenipotentiary, there
fore, represented to Keying, the imperial commissioner, through whom the pre
vious decrees had been obtained, that some doubts existed as to whether Chinese, who
professed themselves Christians, but did not conform to their usages, would be pro
tected equally as those who did. M. La Grene also made a new representation to
Keying, in which he says, " Formerly, in requesting that a memorial might be laid be
fore the throne for removing the prohibitions against the religion of the Lord of Heaven,
it was nay original design that all persons professing the religion, and acting well, should
alike share the imperial favour, and that the great Western nations should all as one
be held blameless in the practice thereof. The religious customs referred to on a pre
vious occasion were those of my own nation ; yet if persons of other nations did not
entirely conform to these, still there was to be no distinction, no obstruction — thus
shewing great magnanimity." In reference to this communication, Keying says,
"After this," (i. e. after M. La Grene' s first memorial) "local magistrates having
made improper seizures, taking and destroying crosses, pictures, and images, further
deliberations were held, and it was agreed that these might be reverenced.
" Originally I did not know that there were among the nations these differences in
their religious practices.
"Now with regard to the religion of the Lord of Heaven, no matter whether the
crosses, pictures, and images, be reverenced or be not reverenced ; all who, acting well,
practise it, ought to be held blameless.
" All the great Western nations being placed on an equal footing, only let them,
acting well, practise their religion, and China will in no way prohibit or impede then-
doing so. Whether their customs be alike or unlike, certainly it is right there shoidd
be no distinction and no obstruction."
Subsequently a decree by the Emperor was received, containing the following im
portant clauses : —
"Let all the ancient houses throughout the provinces which were built in the reign
of Kang-hi, and have been preserved to 'the present time, and which, on personal
examination by the proper authorities, are clearly found to be their bona fide pos
sessions, be restored to the professors of this religion in their respective places, except
ing only those churches which have been converted into temples and dwelling-houses
for the people.
" B7, after the promulgation of this decree throughout the provinces, the local officers
irregularly prosecute and seize any of the professors of the religion of the Lord of
Heaven, who are not bandits, upon all such the just penalties of the law shall be meted
out. " If any, under a profession of this religion, do evil, or congregate people from distant
towns, seducing and binding them together ; or if any other sect or bandits, borrowing
the name of the religion of the Lord of Heaven, create disturbances, transgress the

264 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
In 1843, and the following years, the stations in Malacca,
Java, Pulo Penang, and Singapore, were all given up. These
stations had been carried on for many years, and though much
labour and money had been expended upon them, they had
been attended with little success, particularly as regarded the
conversion of souls ; nor had they realized in any considerable
degree, the primary object for which they were originally esta
blished, the exercising of an influence and bearing on the cause
of Christianity in China. When, therefore, China was opened to
foreigners, the missionaries removed thither and formed sta
tions on Hongkong, at Canton, Amoy, and Shanghai. The
Anglo-Chinese college was removed from Malacca to Hong
kong, and was converted into a theological seminary, principally
with the view of training up a native ministry for China. As
yet the mission has been attended with no great success ; but
in the mean while, preparatory work is going on which we trust
will at length be followed by important results.1 We shall after
wards have occasion to give a general view of the progress of
missions in China, in which that of the London Missionary So
ciety will of course be included.
laws, or excite rebellion, they shall be punished according to their respective crimes,
each being dealt with as the existing states of the empire direct.
" Also, in order to make apparent the proper distinctions, foreigners of every nation
are, in accordance with existing regulations, prohibited from going into the country to
propagate religion." — Evan. Mag. 1846, p. 208 ; Rep. Board For. Miss. 1846, p. 173.
This last restriction we find also in a previous memorial of Keying, which received the
Emperor's assent : "They," (i.e. " individuals of the French and all other Western na
tions,") "must not presume to enter into the inner land to disseminate their religion.
Should they act in opposition to, or turn their backs upon, the treaties, overstep the
boundaries, and act irregularly, the local officers will, as soon as they seize them,
forthwith send them to the consuls of the several nations to restrain and punish them:
but death must not be inflicted upon the spot, in order to evince a cherishing and kind
disposition. Thus, peradventure, the good and vile will not be intermixed, and the
laws of kindness will manifest their equitable course." — (Amer.) Miss. Her. vol. xli.
p. 417.
1 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1843, p. 42 ; Poid. 1844, p. 38 ; Ibid. 1845, p. 43 ; Ibid. 1849,
p. 50; Evan. Mag. 1845, p. 173 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 439 ; (Amer.) Miss. Her. vol. xxxi.
p. 183 ; Malcolm's Travels, vol. ii. p. 105, 112.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 265

SECT. VI— BRITISH GUIANA.
In December 1807, Mr John Wray sailed for Demerara, in
consequence of the request of Mr Post, a pious and respectable
Dutch planter in that colony, who contributed with great libe
rality in support of the mission. Immediately upon his arri
val, he had an opportunity of beginning his labours at Le Re-
souvenir, the estate of that gentleman. From the very first,
the negroes shewed a great readiness to attend on the preaching
of the gospel, and listened to it with much attention. Many of
them professed to be impressed with a sense of divine things,
and a great reformation took place among them. Numbers
were baptized and received into the communion of the church.
Other stations were occupied at George Town, and on the west
coast of Demerara, and also in Berbice, and were attended with
similar results.1
In January 1817, the Rev. John Smith proceeded to Deme
rara with the view of occupying the station of Le Resouvenir,
which had been without a resident missionary for the last three
years and a half. The congregation in consequence of this had
been much scattered, but it speedily collected and increased
under the ministry of Mr Smith ; and the moral and religious
improvement of the negroes on that and the neighbouring estates,
afforded pleasing evidence of the usefulness of his labours.
But while the mission was making progress from year to year^
the slaves were labouring under various grievances, which soured
their minds and rendered them discontented with their condi
tion. These grievances consisted chiefly in the exaction of im
moderate labour, in the unjustifiable severity of punishments,
and in the hindrances thrown in the way of their attending on
public worship. The last-mentioned evil was at length greatly
aggravated, and in combination with other circumstances led to
an outbreak among the slaves, which was followed by very dis
graceful and distressing results.
In May 1823, Major-General Murray, Lieutenant-Governor
' Miss. Trans, vol. iii. p. 219, 251 ; Evan. Mag. vol. xxii. p. 160, 296 ; vol. xxvi,
p. 179 ; vol. xxvii. p. 37.

266 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
of the colony, issued a proclamation,' founded ostensibly on the
instructions which were some years before sent out by the
British government, and which were designed to release the
slaves from restraints as regarded their religious instruction ;
but though professedly designed to accomplish this object, it
was turned into an occasion of aggravating them. It pro
posed to the planters not to refuse passes to their slaves to
attend divine worship on the Sabbath ; thus leading them to
allow no negro to attend without a pass. The consequence was,
that the slaves were either refused passes, or they were not able
to obtain them in due time ; they were also bantered and re
proached on account of their religion when they asked for them.
Many of them, therefore, resolved to attend divine worship with
out a pass, and thus they exposed themselves to punishment,
which there was reason to believe was inflicted in numerous in
stances, and in some with considerable severity. These griev
ances were still further increased by some of the planters and
managers interfering, under the supposed authority of the pro
clamation, with the religious exercises of the slaves in their own
houses; by their taking away and destroying their religious
books ; and by their appointing ah overseer to accompany them
to the chapel, in conformity with a suggestion in the governor's
proclamation, and " to judge of the doctrine held forth to the
negroes I" By these proceedings, a suspicion was excited among
the slaves that the Whites wished to deprive them of their reli
gion, which they declared they valued more than life.
While the negroes were in this state of excitement and alarm,
despatches were received from England, containing instructions
as to a more lenient treatment of the slaves, in conformity with
certain resolutions lately adopted by the British parliament ;
particularly that the disgraceful practice of flogging female slaves
should be abolished, and that the whip should no longer be em
ployed by drivers in the field as an instrument of coercion. On
the arrival of similar despatches in the neighbouring colony of
Berbice, the governor requested Mr Wray to explain to the slaves,
the nature and extent of the instructions, in order to prevent
on their part all misapprehension and mistake in regard to
them ; but in Demerara, they were purposely concealed from
the public at large for several weeks. Meanwhile, however, the

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 267
instructions were made a subject of discussion in the court of
policy and of conversation among the Whites, and even at the
governor's own table, and in the presence of his domestics. It
was not long before it became known to the slaves themselves
that something for their good had come out from England ; but
the good being quite undefined, it was magnified by their hopes
far beyond the reality. A negro belonging to one estate was
told expressly by one of the governor's servants that the report
about their freedom was really true. This intelligence was
quickly conveyed to the negroes on the east coast, who began
to suspect that the Whites designed to withhold the intended
boon from them. Already smarting under many and sore griev
ances, their minds were now thrown into a state of increased
irritation. At this critical period, many of the negroes belong
ing to estates in the neighbourhood of Le Resouvenir, instead
of experiencing any diminution of their sufferings, were treated
with even greater severity than before. Thus were the irrita
tion and discontent of the slaves inflamed to a still higher pitch,
till at length a considerable body of them abandoned their work,
and resolved to obtain by force the freedom which they sup
posed the Whites were withholding from them. The governor
sent a military force against them, who, after an unsuccessful
attempt of the commanding officer to induce them to lay down
their arms, fired upon them, which they returned ; but when it
came to close fighting, they fell on all sides, and it was com
puted that at least two hundred of them were killed on the spot.
Several other skirmishes took place between the military and
them on this and one or two following days, in which consider
able numbers of the negroes fell, but on the side of the troops
very few were killed. Tranquillity was speedily restored, the
greater part of the negroes laying down their arms, and tender
ing their submission.
Among the negroes engaged in the rising, there were many who
attended the chapel at Le Resouvenir. In consequence of this
some persons attached suspicions to Mr Smith, the missionary,
as being a prime mover of the outbreak. Martial law having
been proclaimed in the colony, a person of the name of Nurse
came to his house at the head of a company of infantry, and
intimated to him that he had it in command to require his atten-

268 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
dance in order to enrol and accoutre himself as a militiaman, to
which Mr Smith replied that he could not comply with that
demand, as his profession legally entitled him to exemption.1
His papers were then sealed up ; and in about three quarters
of an hour afterwards, his house was surrounded by a troop of
cavalry under the command of one Simpson, and the company
of infantry under Nurse. Simpson demanded of him, in the
foulest language and the fiercest manner, why he dared to dis
obey the order for enrolling himself in the militia, and, brandish
ing a sabre in his face, swore that he was the cause of all the
disturbance. He then called for a file of men to seize him; his
papers were also taken possession of. He and his wife were then
hurried away from their home, without being allowed to carry
with them even a change of clothes, or to lock up the doors, and
were escorted to George Town under a military guard, and lodged
in the Colony House. Here, though he was in ill health, he was
kept closely confined, prohibited from intercourse with his
friends, precluded from correspondence with the Society in
England, and altogether subjected to such treatment as is un
known to prisoners in this country, whatever be the crimes
with which they are charged.
After being kept in confinement near two months, Mr Smith
was brought before a court-martial, under the charges of having
knowledge of the intended rising of the negroes without dis
closing the same to government ; of having promoted, as far
as in him lay, dissatisfaction in their minds with their lawful
masters and managers ; and of holding communications on the
subject of the revolt with one of the rebels, named Quamina,
both before and after the insurrection broke out. The trial
lasted for twenty-eight days, so that it cannot be expected that
we should enter into any particular examination of the evidence ;
yet we cannot but express our full conviction that there was not
the slightest ground for believing Mr Smith chargeable with any
crime ; that in the course of the investigation there was the
grossest exaggeration and perversion of circumstances ; and
that the most unjust and oppressive measures were pursued to-
* Mr Smith appears to have been ignorant of the nature of martial law, and applied
to it the principles of the militia law, which exempts ministers of the gospel from
military service.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 269
ward him. Notwithstanding this, he was brought in guilty,
and sentence of death was passed upon him ; but being accom
panied with a recommendation of mercy by the court, the
governor suspended the execution of it, until His Majesty's plea
sure thereon should be known.
Immediately after his trial, Mr Smith was removed to the
common jail of the colony. He had been labouring for some
time past under a pulmonary affection ; but the false accusa
tions which had been brought against him, the deep anxiety
he had suffered, the long imprisonment he had endured, com
bined with the unhealthiness of the place in which he was
confined, hastened on the progress of the disease, and he at
length sunk under it, February 6. 1824. Even now, however,
the malice of his enemies was not at an end. His poor widow,
and Mrs Elliot, the wife of another missionary, who was with
her, intended burying the body at ten o'clock the same evening ;
but between eight and nine o'clock one of the head constables
came to the prison, and told them that he was ordered to inform
them that he would come at four o'clock next morning to
demand the body for interment. He at the same time inti
mated to them, that by the orders of the governor no persons
would be allowed to follow the corpse to the grave, and that
in this prohibition they were both included. They were after
wards given to understand, that if they attempted to follow it
he had orders to confine them. They therefore determined, as
there was no order to prevent them leaving the prison, to meet
the corpse at the grave. They accordingly left the jail at half-
past three in the morning, dark as it was, accompanied only by
a free Black man with a lantern, and proceeded to the burial-
ground, where they beheld the mournful spectacle of a beloved
husband and friend committed to the cold and silent tomb.
Not only, indeed, did the governor refuse permission to Mrs
Smith to accompany the remains of her husband to the- grave,
but 2000 guilders, being part of 3000 which were seized along
with his papers at the time of his arrest, were, though claimed
for her, retained by him to discharge the expense incurred on
account of his and her maintenance during their confinement
in the Colony House. After such procedure it will excite no
surprise that a memorial of gratitude and respect which was

270 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
erected over Mr Smith's grave by two of his hearers was ordered
by the authorities to be removed, and that all similar manifesta
tions of regard for his memory were prohibited on pain of their
heavy displeasure.1
We have had to record many shameful proceedings against
missionaries on the part of our West Indian colonists; but
these crown them all. In most other cases they were the deeds
of reckless and infuriated mobs ; but the persecution of Mr
Smith was the act of the government and of the constituted au
thorities of the colony, was carried on under the sanction or at
least the forms of law ; and when death snatched away their
victim, was directed, with heartless and unrelenting cruelty,
against his afflicted and unoffending widow.
In August 1834, the act for the emancipation of the slaves
was carried into effect in Demerara and Berbice, as in the other
British colonies. Previous to this, the Society had begun to
extend its operations in this part of the world ; and after that
event it greatly enlarged them in both colonies. A number of
new stations were established;2 the negroes flocked in great num
bers to hear the word ; and the churches which were erected
had in some instances to be enlarged more than once in order
to contain the increasing congregations. Schools were also
established, and were attended by hundreds of the negroes, both
old and young. One remarkable feature of the missions in
these colonies was the liberality of the people. Several of the
stations, after a few years, provided entirely for their own sup
port, paying the salaries of the missionaries and teachers, and
all other expenses ; and when chapels required to be erected or
enlarged, the people contributed with a cheerfulness and libera
lity which were truly surprising.3 After a few years, indeed,
* Miss. Chron, vol. ii. p. 465, 473, 491 ; Report of the Proceedings against the Rev.
J. Smith, p, 1, 177, 182.
2 Wallbridge's Memoirs of the Rev. John Smith, p. 188, 190, 196.
* In 1840-1, the contributions in Demerara amounted to £2120 : 7 : 10, and in Ber.
bice to £2562 : 14 : 10, making together £4683 : 2 : 8.— Rep. Miss. Soc. 1841, p. xciv.
In the following year, 1841-2, Demerara raised £2728: 11 : 11, and Berbice £6542 : 2: 10,
making together £9270 : 14 : 9. In that year one congregation contributed £815, an
other £1500, and a third £2000.— Ibid. 1842. p. 19, Ixxxvii.; Evan. Mag. 1842, p. 379,
In the foUowingyears, the contributions continued to be very large ; but it is unnecessary
to specify them ; and even still they must be held to be very liberal, especially when
we take into account the diminished wages, and the increased difficulties of the people.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 271
their liberality diminished ; but even still the contributions of
many of the congregations were very considerable, and would
have been thought remarkable, had it not been for their pre
vious liberality, and for the expectations which the friends of
missions were naturally led to entertain, that the congregations
in the West Indies would generally, in a short time, support
themselves without the help of this country, expectations
which, except in a few cases, have not hitherto been realized.
Since emancipation the condition of the negroes has greatly
improved. If their industry did not correspond with the wishes
of their old masters (who were themselves a chief cause of this),
it was at least sufficient to provide for their own comfort, and
to enable thousands of them to become owners of the soil which
they formerly tilled as slaves. Numbers were prosperous in
their circumstances, and were in possession of many domestic
comforts. They had neat houses, some of them of considerable
size ; their lots of land were neatly enclosed, and in most cases
cultivated. The general appearance of this description of pro
perty was highly creditable to the owners. In their villages
there was as much peace and order as are usually found in the
country villages of England. As an instance of the progress
they were making in regard to the comforts of life, it was only
necessary to go out on a Sabbath, when the people, who the
day before were working in the field, would be seen respec
tably dressed, and conducting themselves in the most decent
and orderly manner. It could not, however, be reasonably ex
pected that the moral evils produced by a state of slavery should
all at once disappear from among a people who were so long
subject to its degrading influences. In their social and domestic
habits there was still much that needed improvement. Fond
ness for company was a prevailing habit among them, and this
led to idleness and frequently to still greater evils. Family
discipline and arrangement were but little known or practised
by them. The universal custom in the times of slavery was for
the parents to look to their masters to control, if not to manage,
their children ; and now that this duty devolved upon them
selves, many had neither the ability nor the desire to fulfil it. l
1 Wallbridge's Memoir of the Rev. John Smith, p. xi., xvi., xviii ; Evan. Mag. 1840,
p. 254.

272 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Though, after the abolition of slavery, there was, at least for
some years, an increased attendance on the outward means of
grace, yet many of those who had formerly, by their appearance
and conduct, excited the highest expectations, now became
careless and indifferent about religion. Even stations, when
left for a time without a missionary, generally sunk into a de
pressed state, and fell into disorder. " Many," says Mr Dal-
gleish, referring to the station of Lonsdale, which had been for
some time without a minister, " Many of the people had ' for
saken the assembling of themselves together,' and many re
turned to their former ways, walking no more with the people
of God ; while a great majority of the church members exhibited
a form of godliness with little of its power. Intemperance also
prevailed to a great extent, and was at the root of the existing
evils." Such statements as these indicate a want of stability
among the people, and shew the necessity of great caution in
judging of their religious character. Negro professions are not
always to be trusted : there is often a simplicity and warmth
in their expressions which are singularly pleasing, and are very
apt to impose on the inexperienced hearer.1

SECT. VlX— IONIAN ISLANDS.
In October 1816, the Rev. Isaac Lowndes sailed for Malta,
with a special view to the promotion of the interests of reli
gion in Greece. At Malta he remained upwards of two years,
acquiring the modern Greek and the Italian languages, labour
ing at the same time to make himself useful by preaching and
by distributing copies of the Holy Scriptures and religious
tracts.2 In December 1818, the Rev. Samuel S. Wilson sailed for
Malta, with the view of carrying forward the plans of useful
ness which Mr Lowndes had been prosecuting on that island,
and of setting him at liberty to proceed to the Ionian Islands.
Mr Lowndes accordingly now went to Zante, and after la-
1 Evan. Mag, 1839, p. 513; Ibid. 1844, p. 46.
2 Wilson's Narrative of the Greek Mission, p. 68 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 98.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 273
bouring there between three and four years, he removed to
Corfu, which henceforth became his head-quarters. Like most
of 4he missionaries who have been sent among the ancient
churches, they both proposed not to attempt to make converts
from the Greek Church, but to endeavour to revive in it the
dormant principles of true religion and the practice of Chris
tian piety, and with this view to seek to implant truth rather
than to attack error, though they might not set aside altogether
the latter means of propagating the gospel. This is the mode
of procedure which has been commonly adopted in missions
among the ancient churches ; but though it may appear plau
sible in theory, as being less calculated to awaken the preju
dices and to call forth the opposition of the priests and people,
we are persuaded that in practice it will generally prove unsuc
cessful. To reform corrupt churches will be found a more ardu
ous task than to make individual converts out of them, and to
form these into scriptural churches.1
Though Mr Wilson and Mr Lowndes occupied different fields
of labour, yet both directed their chief efforts to one and the
same object, the evangelization of the Greeks. The press was
a principal means which they employed for this end. Besides
school-books, catechisms, and religious tracts, they translated
and printed several large works, as, Doddridge's Rise and Pro
gress of Religion in the Soul, Bogue's Essay on the Divine
Authority of the New Testament, Mason on Self-Knowledge,
Scott's Essays, Keith's Evidences of Prophecy, The Clergyman's
Guide. These works, and also copies of the Scriptures in
modern Greek, the Italian, the Albanian, and other languages,
they circulated very extensively. For this purpose they made
tours through Corfu, Zante, Cephalonia, and others of the Ionian
Islands, in continental Greece, and some of the islands of the
vEgean sea. Copies of the works printed by them also found
their way into Asia Minor, Cyprus, Syria, Palestine, Egypt,
Italy^ Sicily, and the coast of Barbary. Mr Lowndes also com
piled and published an Anglo-Greek grammar, an English and
modern Greek lexicon, and a modern Greek and English lexi
con. He likewise translated into modern Greek Gesenius'
1 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 98-; Ibid. 1820, p. 73 ; Ibid. 1823, p. 88 ; Wilson's Nar
rative, p. 73, 493.
VOL. II. S

274 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Hebrew Lexicon, which, it was hoped, might be useful in re
viving among the Greek clergy the study of the Hebrew lan
guage.1 Messrs Lowndes and Wilson also endeavoured to promote the
cause of education among the Greeks. Considerable efforts
were made, both by individuals and by societies, particularly
by the British and Foreign School Society, to promote educa
tion in the Ionian Islands ; and it is much to the credit of suc
cessive British governors, or lord high commissioners, as they
are styled, that they gave every encouragement to measures for
this end. The government was, in fact, the great promoter of
education in the Ionian Islands. In October 1835, Mr Lowndes
was appointed inspector-general of schools in the Ionian Islands,
including every department of education except the university;
and when the office was abolished a few years afterwards, he
was appointed a member of the Commission for Public Instruc
tion, an office which afforded him, in some respects, still greater
facilities for advancing the leading objects of his mission. The
Ionian University in Corfu, founded by Lord Guildford, and
the Lyceum preparatory to it, formed a separate and higher
department of public instruction. From the favourable influ
ence of education, the general state of society in the Ionian
Islands was much improved, as compared with what it was
some years before.2
It does not appear, however, that the mission was productive
of any material results among the Greeks in a religious point
of view. Much seed was sown, but hitherto there has been
little appearance of fruit. For some years Mr Lowndes preached
frequently in the Greek language ; but in consequence of the
hostile influence of the clergy, he refrained latterly from this,
still availing himself, however, of opportunities of conversing
with the people on the things belonging to their everlasting

' Rep. Miss. Soc. 1823, p. 88, 90 ; Ibid. 1824, p. 97, 99 ; Ibid. 1»25, p. 114, 116;
Ibid. 1827, p. 82 ; Ibid. 1830, p. 69 ; Ibid. 1832, p. 79 ; Ibid. 1833, p. 71 ; Ibid. 1834,
p. 79 ; Ibid. 1837, p. 90 ; Ib/d. 1843, p. 83 ; Wilson's Narrative, p. 249.
From 1825 to 1834, Mr Wilson printed in Malta for insular and continental Greece
upwards of 132,000 copies of various works, from the value of a halfpenny to a quarto
size. These were beside the works printed by Mr Lowndes in Corfu.
' Evan. Mag. 1836, p. 38; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1838, p. 79; Ibid. 1839, p. 71; Ibid.
1841, p. 75 ; Wilson's Narrative, p. 503, 516.

BY THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 275
peace. The books circulated by the missionaries were formerly
received by the Greeks with considerable eagerness, but of late
years they shewed themselves more indifferent in regard to
them.1 In 1844, the mission in the Ionian Islands was given up by
the London Missionary Society, in consequence of its funds not
being equal to its expenditure ; but Mr Lowndes entered into
the service of the British and Foreign Bible Society, as one of
its agents in the Mediterranean, so that he was still engaged in
one department of the same great work in which he had been
for so many years employed.2
Besides the missions of which we have given an account, the
London Missionary Society sent missionaries to the Bullom
shore, near Sierra Leone, to the Mauritius, to Siberia, to Cey
lon, to Amboyna, to Tobago, to Trinidad, to Jamaica, and to
various other quarters, but most of these have long been given
up ; some of them were, in fact, of only short continuance, and
as they furnish few details of special interest different from
other missions, we do not think it necessary to give any parti
cular account of them.
1 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1828, p. 59 ; Poid. 1829, p. 65 ; Poid. 1836, p. 77 ; Ibid. 1839,
p. 70 ; D>id. 1841, p. 74.
2 Evan. Mag. 1844, p. 608 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1845, p. 98 ; Rep. Brit, and For. Bible
Soc. 1845, p. 95.

276 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

CHAPTER X.
PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY
SOCIETY.
SECT. I.— WESTERN AFRICA.
Art. 1. — Susoo Country.
In April 1799, the Church Missionary Society, consisting of
members of the Church of England, was instituted in London.
It was a considerable time, however, before the committee com
menced their operations, but having at length obtained two
missionaries from Germany, they resolved to undertake a mis
sion to the Susoo country, in the neighbourhood of Sierra
Leone.1 In March 1 804, the Rev. Messrs Renner and Hartwig sailed
from England, and after an agreeable voyage of about five weeks,
they reached Sierra Leone in safety. Agreeably to their in
structions, they took up their residence for the present in Free
town, with the view of inuring themselves to the climate, in a
situation where, in case of necessity, medical help could readily
be obtained ; and, as the colony had long been without a regular
chaplain, Mr Renner, in the mean while, undertook the charge
of its spiritual concerns. Mr Hartwig and his wife were attacked
soon after their arrival by the seasoning fever, and both were
so ill, that they appeared to be near the gates of death. Their
illness lasted many months, and they had a new attack the fol
lowing year. Hartwig himself fell into a course of grievous
backsliding, and his wife found it necessary to return to Eng
land.2 1 Proceeding's of the Church Missionary Society, vol. i. p. 220 ; Missionary Register,
1845, p. 58.
s' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. i. p. 433; vol. ii. p. 52, 190, 319.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 277
In February 1806, Messrs Butscher, Nylander, and Prasse,
three other missionaries, embarked for Sierra Leone. They
had not, however, sailed above a week, when they were stranded
on the coast of Ireland. In the middle of the night, they were
awaked out of a profound sleep by an alarming cry " We are
lost, we are lost \" Instantly they sprung upon deck ; but owing
to the darkness of the night, they knew not where they were.
In the mean while, the vessel was driven nearer the land, and
though the sails were taken in, it seemed as if she would every
moment go to pieces. When the morning dawned, they dis
covered they were not far from a rock, against which, had they
struck, they must inevitably have perished. Having now pro
cured assistance from shore, they all landed in safety, and were
treated by the inhabitants in the most hospitable manner.
After meeting with various other disappointments, they again
embarked for Sierra Leone ; but owing to the death of the cap
tain at Madeira, several months elapsed before they reached
Freetown.1 In March 1808, Messrs Renner, Butscher, and Prasse, pro
ceeded to the Susoo country, where a slave trader, of the name
of Curtis, assigned them a factory belonging to him at a place
called Bashia, on condition that they would teach his children.
The house consisted of two stories, was about sixty feet long
and twenty broad. It was built chiefly of country brick, and
there were several other houses attached to it. The gardens
also were extensive, and contained abundance of lemon, plan-.-
tain, pine, and other trees. The surrounding country was hilly,
but the prospect was pleasant, especially opposite the settle
ment, where hundreds of palm-trees presented a charming view.
Besides this station at Bashia, the missionaries established
another, named Canoffee, at a place a short way further up the
country.2 Being now settled in the Susoo country, the missionaries
directed their chief attention to the education of the young.
It was the wish of the Society, that, after acquiring the Susoo
tongue, they should teach the children to read their own lan
guage ; but as those who were intrusted to their care were all
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. ii. p. 53, 56, 94, 185.
2 Ibid. vol. ii. p. 195, 461, 465, 500.

278 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
sent for the express purpose of learning " the White man's book,"
to which their parents chiefly looked for rendering them supe
rior to others of their countrymen, they found it necessary to
acquiesce- in their wishes, and to employ themselves principally
in teaching them the English language. Some of the scholars
were the sons of chiefs, whose goodwill was thereby secured to
the mission, and several of them were ransomed from slavery
by the missionaries. Such of them as belonged to traders, were
supported by their parents ; but the children of the Susoos it
was necessary to furnish with food and clothing, as well as to
educate them. The missionaries, with great liberality, proposed
to maintain them out of their salaries, but the number increased
so much, that this was beyond their power. Renner and
Butscher, however, still offered to live on one half of their
salary, and to devote the other half, amounting to £100 a year,
to this benevolent purpose ; thus furnishing a striking proof of
their disinterestedness and zeal in the sacred cause in which
they were engaged.1
In December 1812, Mr Butscher, who had come to England
for the purpose of communicating full information to the Society
with respect to the state of the mission, sailed again for Africa
on board the brig Charles, with eight other persons, several of
whom were mechanics, and an investment of stores, amounting
nearly to £3000. Soon after they passed the island of Goree,
and when they were flattering themselves with the hope of
arriving in the Rio Pongas in three or four days, the vessel
struck upon a reef of the Tongui rocks, about five miles from
the shore, and twenty miles south of the river Gambia. Most
of the passengers were then in bed, but they were soon roused
by the violence of the shock. Every one hastened upon deck,
some half naked, and others lightly dressed. It was then dark,
and as the vessel beat violently upon the rocks, they expected
every moment that she would go to pieces. When the morning
dawned, however, they were happy to discover the land so near;
but as they failed in all their attempts to bring her off the reef,
the captain, after some days, asked Mr Butscher to proceed to
Goree with the view of procuring assistance from that island,
and to bring, if possible, a vessel to save the cargo. He accord-
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. iii. p. 58, 87, 395.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 279
ingly set off, together with his wife and several others of his
companions, and on arriving at Goree, he procured a brig to go
to the relief of the Charles. In the mean while, however, the
captain and one of the passengers were killed in an affray with
the natives ; while the rest of those on board fled to Goree, in a
small vessel which had been assisting them ; the ship was then
taken possession of by the natives, and they were now discharg
ing the cargo. Thus the missionaries lost nearly all the pro
perty they were carrying with them ; but they soon after found
an opportunity of proceeding to the place of their destination.1
It is not unworthy of notice, that of the six lay assistants who
accompanied Mr Butscher to Africa, there remained only one
at the end of eighteen months. The history of one of them,
named Meyer, holds forth a striking warning to candidates for
missionary labours, to examine narrowly their Christian cha
racter, and to weigh well their motives, before they embark in
a service which requires so much patience, and self-denial, and
deadness to the world. Previous to his departure from Eng
land he appeared a pious man, and on his arrival in Africa he
at first conducted himself with propriety. It was not long,
however, before he began to indulge in worldly views. Having
married a young woman, the daughter of a slave trader, he was
tempted to listen to the flattering proposals of her father, who
promised to establish him in business at Sierra Leone, and to
provide him with a vessel for trading in the rivers along the
coast. He now began to neglect his work, absented himself
from family worship, spent most of the week, and generally the
Lord's day, with his father-in-law, and behaved in a surly
quarrelsome manner to the whole missionary family. After
one of his paroxysms of anger he was seized with a fever, and
next day his father-in-law sent a canoe to bring him to his
house. Here he became very ill, and was for a long time con
fined to bed. After his recovery he repeatedly visited the mis
sionaries, and one day declared his intention to return to Bashia,
as his father-in-law was very unkind to him. He was prevented,
however, by death from executing his design. After dinner he
proceeded homewards, contrary to the persuasions of the mis-
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. iii. p. 387, 461 ; Missionary Register, vol. i. p. 145 ,
149, 267.

280 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
sionaries, who were anxious that he should remain over the
night, as from the appearance of the sky they were apprehen
sive of a tornado. By the way the storm overtook him. He
was drenched to the skin by the rain, and was thrown into such
a violent fever that it was with difficulty he reached home.
His disorder now increased so rapidly that after three days he
breathed his last. Scarcely was his body laid in the grave,
when the old slave trader, his father-in-law, drew a bill for
£200, which he insisted on the missionaries accepting, on ac
count of the expenses which he pretended to have been at with
him, and as they of course refused so unreasonable a demand,
he retained all the articles which Meyer had taken with him.1
In February 1814, the Governor of Sierra Leone ordered
three armed vessels up the Rio Pongas, to bring off the slave
traders who remained in that part of the country, or to destroy
their factories, as they still persisted in carrying on a smuggling
trade in slaves, notwithstanding all the means he had employed
to prevent it. The ships engaged in this nefarious traffic
entered the river, delivered their cargoes, and in the short space
of twenty-four hours, were laden with slaves, and took their
departure. By this means, the traders effectually eluded detec-
tion, and nothing promised to put a period to their proceedings
but rooting them out of the country. In this expedition the
armed vessels destroyed about twelve factories, and recovered
about three hundred slaves ; but they were careful not to in
jure the Susoos, and even treated them in the most friendly
manner. Notwithstanding this, however, the natives, as well
as the traders, were terribly enraged against the missionaries,
as they imagined it was they who gave information to the
governor at Sierra Leone of the slave vessels which arrived in
the river, and incited him to send armed ships to destroy the
factories.2 They had often menaced them with the whole
weight of their vengeance ; and they had of late threatened to
set Bashia on fire. Repeated attempts were now made to burn
1 Miss. Reg. vol, ii. p. 507; vol. iii. p. 14.
2 These suspicions were without foundation. It was a standing rule with the mis
sionaries, not to correspond on this subject with any one, either in Sierra Leone or in
England, not even with the Society, except merely noticing the smuggUng vessels
which occasionally visited the coast. —Walker's Missions in Western Africa of the
Church Missionary Society, p. 273, 277.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 281
both the missionary settlements, and, unhappily, they proved
but too successful. One day, some persons set on fire the grass
in a field near Canoffee : the flames consumed the dry combus
tible with great rapidity, and toward evening approached the
settlement. About eleven o'clock, they were within about two
hundred yards of the place, and therefore Mr Wenzel, the
missionary, who had sat up to watch their progress, called the
children to rise and remove into the middle of the yard some
grass which was designed for the thatching of a church they
were then building : and as the dews had now fallen, and the
fire was not so violent as before, he sent them to extinguish it
in order to remove all further cause of uneasiness. About two
o'clock in the morning, Mr Wenzel rose to see that the flames
had not again kindled. Every thing was then perfectly safe :
the fire was entirely extinguished, the children asleep, and their
apartment dark. He, therefore, lay down again ; but scarcely
had ten minutes elapsed, when he heard the boys in the yard
crying, " Master, Master !" Upon this he sprung out of bed,
and ran into the yard. There he met the children crying their
apartment was all light. On entering it, he beheld the flames
ascending to the roof: they had already made so much pro
gress, that it was impossible to quench them, or to save any
thing. He hastened to the dwelling-house, and ordered the
most valuable articles to be removed with the utmost expedi
tion. On returning into the yard, he found the flames had
burst forth with great violence, and were ascending in one
column of fire along the whole extent of the building. He now
stood for a moment to observe whether it was in the direction
of the dwelling-house ; but as it arose almost in a straight line,
he countermanded his former order, and directed that nothing
should be removed from the house, as he was afraid the people
might steal more than would be saved. He then went with
the boys, and removed every thing of a combustible nature near
the fire, particularly the thatch, of which there were nearly six
hundred bundles in the yard. In the mean while, the violence
of the flames abated, and happily they did not touch the dwell
ing-house, though the heat was so intense that it was scarcely
possible to pass between the fire and the house. Still, how
ever, the loss was very considerable. Mr Meisner, one of the

282 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
lay settlers, saved nothing but a single trunk : his wife was
obliged to escape covered only with a blanket. Besides other
articles, the whole of the children's bedclothes, tables, benches,
chairs, books, slates, and other things connected with a school,
were burnt to ashes. Providentially, however, no lives were
lost. At the moment the fire began, the children were all
asleep ; but, happily, a little of the burning grass fell from the
roof on the face of one of the scholars, who instantly gave the
alarm, and thus all escaped in safety.1
Previous to this, one of the houses at Bashia had been set on
fire ; but a still calm prevented the flames from communi
cating to the other buildings. The diabolical attempt was
afterwards renewed with more success. One Saturday evening,
the cry of fire was heard in the yard, and though it had as
yet made no great progress, it spread so rapidly, that the hope
of extinguishing it was vain. Mr Renner, assisted by the ser
vants and the elder boys, attempted to save some parts of their
property ; but the danger became at last so imminent, that
they all forsook him, and a cry was raised that the roof was
falling. He, therefore, hastened down on a mangrove beam,
and shortly after the house fell in. The house of Mr Wilhelm,
another of the missionaries, caught fire from the mere heat of
Renner's, and so rapid was the conflagration, that in a quarter
of an hour, both were consumed. Next day was the Sabbath,
but there was no Sabbath in Bashia. Such was the confusion
of their minds, they could not sing the Lord's song. The in
flux of strangers was also very troublesome : some came to pity,
others to deride them. Early on Monday morning, the cry of
fire was again heard. Mr Renner at first could scarcely believe
his own ears, but jumping up, he saw the school-house on fire,
notwithstanding there had. been a watch of twenty people in
the yard. This reduced the missionaries to greater distress than
ever. They had now to lodge the boys in the ruins of their
house, fixing some palm leaves on the standing walls, as a tem
porary roof. Some months afterwards, the church at this place
was set on fire ; but though the roof was consumed, the rest of
the building was preserved. There can be little doubt that
these successive fires were kindled by incendiaries. It seemed
1 Miss. Reg. vol. ii. p. 483, 489, 495.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 283
to be the intention of their enemies, not to leave them a house
to shelter them from the sun by day, or the dews by night.1
In January 1815, the Rev. Mr Sperrhacken, accompanied by
several other assistants, among whom was Mrs Hartwig, who
was returning to Africa to join her husband, sailed from Cork
for Sierra Leone, with an investment of stores to the amount of
£3000. It is truly affecting to think of the havoc which death
quickly made among them, and others connected with the mis
sion. A few days after their landing, Mr Hartwig arrived in the
colony extremely ill of dropsy. He was one of the first mission
aries whom the Society sent to Africa ; but he had not been long
in the country, when he indulged in conduct inconsistent with
his profession as a Christian and a missionary. His connection
with the mission had been dissolved for a number of years ;
but he had of late professed contrition for his errors, and
though it was not deemed expedient to receive him in the capa
city of a missionary, until by a series of consistent conduct he
had evinced the sincerity of his repentance ; yet, as in the.
course of his wanderings among the Susoos, he had acquired a
superior knowledge of their language, he was appointed to pre
pare elementary books, and to begin a translation of the New
Testament in that dialect. His wife, who had left Africa some
years before on account of the state of her health, and had
hitherto been deterred from returning by his irregular conduct,
was now encouraged to go back by these symptoms of repentance.
She arrived, however, only to close his eyes in death. Their
meeting seemed to revive his spirits, and though extremely ill,
he was for the first two or three days very cheerful and happy.
He often acknowledged the mercy of God in conducting her
again to Africa, saying, he thought she was sent to him as an
angel from heaven. He spoke of his past departure from the
faith, yet acknowledged that the Lord had never given him up
to a reprobate mind, and that the stings of conscience used to
be like a hook in his heart. After enjoying the kind attentions
of his affectionate wife for about a week, he breathed his last,
and it is hoped, found mercy with Him whose bowels yearn
with compassion over the returning backslider.2
1 Miss. Reg. vol. ii. p. 410 ; vol. iii. p. 273, 603 ; vol. iv. p. 195.
¦ Miss. Reg. vol. iii. p. 2, 270, 318 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. ii. p. 319 ; vol. iv.
p. 552.

284 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Mrs Hartwig had not long to mourn the loss of her husband.
After his death she opened a school for young girls ; but within
less than two months she was attacked by the yellow fever,
and died after an illness of four days. Other three weeks had
not elapsed when Mrs Butscher died of the same disorder, and
her youngest child soon after followed her to the grave. Mrs
Schultz, the wife of another missionary, who had lately arrived,
was next seized with the fever, and after being ill about eleven
days was delivered of a child ; but the same evening she de
parted into the world of spirits. Next day the infant died.
It was laid in the arms of its mother, and buried in the same
tomb. Mr Schultz himself was so ill at the time, that he was
unable to accompany their remains to the burying-ground ; and
in less than a fortnight, he followed them to the grave. Three
weeks more had scarcely elapsed when his fellow-missionary
Mr Sperrhacken, was also removed out of the world. A few
days after his infant child died ; and his wife was at the same
time very ill, but she, it appears, recovered.1
Here we cannot but remark, that the mortality which oc
curred among the missionaries on the western coast of Africa
was truly appalling. From the commencement of the mission,
upwards of thirty individuals connected with it, including men,
women, and children, fell victims, chiefly, we apprehend, to the
insalubrity of the climate. No sooner, in some instances, did
new labourers arrive, than one after another sickened and died.
How far it is the duty of missionary societies to undertake or
even to persevere in missions, especially on an extensive scale,
to countries which occasion so immense a sacrifice of human
life, appears to us very questionable, at least, while there re
main entirely unoccupied so many other parts of the globe,
which present equal, or even more promising, fields of useful
ness. In the one case, many valuable men, and all the sums
expended in educating them and sending them forth to the
heathen, are soon for ever lost to the world ; in the other, they
might in all likelihood be spared for years to come, and the ex
pense incurred on their account be amply repaid in the useful
ness of their labours.
In January 1816, the Rev. Edward Bickersteth, the assistant-
1 Miss. Reg. vol. iii. p. 388, 452, 568: vol. iv. p. 118, 404.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 285
secretary of the Society, sailed from England for Sierra Leone,
with the view of visiting the missionary settlements in that
neighbourhood, of investigating their circumstances, and of
making such arrangements as might seem best adapted to pro
mote their prosperity. On his arrival at Bashia, it was deemed
expedient to abandon that settlement, partly on account of the
frequent attempts which had been made to burn it, several of
which were supposed to originate with a person claiming the
ground, partly on account of its vicinity to a native town, which
exposed the children to numerous temptations. They were
therefore removed to Canoffee, where it was hoped all the
objects of the mission might be attained.1
Hitherto the missionaries had confined their attention to
the education of children, and had made no attempt to preach
the gospel in the native towns, partly from a mistaken idea that
little success was to be expected with the adults in a country
where the slave trade had ruined the morals and debauched the
feelings of the inhabitants, partly from a combination of other
causes. In consequence, however, of the representations of Mr
Bickersteth, they now began to visit some of the neighbouring
villages for the purpose of preaching to the people. They were
at first received with all that pleasure and cordiality which
novelty commonly produces. The inhabitants of one town
immediately built a place of worship, and two other villages
promised to follow their example. No sooner, however, was
the edge of novelty worn off than they grew tired of hearing
the gospel, and had always some apology or another for neglect
ing to attend divine worship.2
In 1818, the mission to the Susoo country was relinquished,
after a long and severe struggle with difficulties of no ordinary
kind, most of them arising out of the iniquitous traffic in slaves.
It may appear to us a singular circumstance that the inhabi
tants of Africa should cling to that as a blessing which we had
abolished as her greatest curse ; but the fact is, the slave trade
had from time immemorial been the main support of the Susoos,
and the destruction of the slave factories had stopped the whole
trade of the country. This could, therefore, scarcely fail to be
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. v. p. 163, 166.
3 Ibid. vol. iii. 231 ; vol. v. p. 179 ; Miss. Reg. vol. v. p. 390, 529.

286 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
felt as a serious evil, until some other profitable traffic was
established in its room. The abolition of the slave trade had
already begun to operate very beneficially in promoting in
dustry, diminishing the number of trials for witchcraft, esta
blishing personal security, reviving mutual confidence, increasing
sobriety, and checking quarrels ; but yet the chiefs and others
who used to be enriched by it were now reduced to poverty :
they had no means of disposing of their produce, and of obtain
ing even a pinch of snuff or a smoke of tobacco. Unhappily,
the restoration of peace in Europe proved the signal for renew
ing the miseries of Africa : the right of searching ships having
ceased, the traffic in slaves again commenced. The chiefs hailed
with delight the appearance of slave vessels on their shores,
and, on a short notice, supplied them with cargoes of slaves in
exchange for tobacco, gunpowder, and rum. This operated like
a moral blast, checking the progress of improvement, and
spreading idleness, disorder, and misery through the whole
country.1 It was evident that the chiefs had received and protected
the missionaries merely for the sake of the trade carried on at
each of the settlements, and the presents they expected from
them, not with a view to any advantages of a moral or reli
gious nature. Most of the natives seemed to have no idea of
any benefit to be derived from White men, except rum, tobacco,
and gunpowder. But as any traffic carried on by the mission
aries was on a small scale, it had long been a complaint against
them, that they made no trade and did no good to the country.
They were considered, indeed, not only as useless, but as posi
tively injurious. A man-of-war having about this time come
up the river and captured an American slave-ship, the Susoos
became much exasperated against them in consequence of this
circumstance. Though the missionaries scrupulously avoided
interfering in matters of this kind, yet the people laid the whole
blame on them, especially as, when they came and demanded
powder from them to fight the man-of-war, they refused, sayingj
that if the Foulahs or any other enemy should invade the
country, they would give them all the powder in their store ;
but they could not give them any to attack the English, who
1 Proceed. Ch, Miss. Soc. vol. v. p. 167 ; Miss. Reg. vol. iv. p. 143 ; vol. a. p. 283.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 287
were their friends. In consequence of these circumstances the
enmity to them was almost universal. Some were for burning
them out of the country ; others were for plundering them ;
others proposed to murder them ; but, through the firmness of
two of the chiefs, they were for the present preserved from
molestation. Considering these circumstances, the general dis
satisfaction of the Susoos with their residence in the country,
and the perilous nature of their situation, combined with the
little prospect of success while the slave-trade continued, and
the more promising field of labour which presented itself in
Sierra Leone, the missionaries abandoned the settlement of
Canoffee, and retired with the greater part of the children to
that colony.1

Art. 2. — Sierra Leone.
We have seen the slave trade blasting the prospects of the
Church Missionary Society in the Susoo country. We are now
to behold it opening to them an important field of usefulness
in Sierra Leone. After the abolition of this nefarious traffic,
multitudes of negroes captured in smuggling vessels were
brought to Freetown. Most of them being at a distance from
their native land, they were settled in villages in different parts
of the colony, and were supplied with food and. clothing at the
expense of the British government, until they were able to pro
vide the necessaries of life for themselves. Among these re
captured slaves were hundreds of children, who were in a most
wretched and forlorn condition, without father, or mother, or
friend.2 With the view of providing for these destitute children, the
Church Missionary Society resolved to form an establishment,
on an extensive scale, in the neighbourhood of Freetown,
where they might be supported and educated, formed to habits
of industry, and trained to useful occupations. For this pur
pose the government made them a grant of land on Leices-
• Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. V. p. 165, 169 ; Miss. Reg. vol. v. 161, 528 ; vol. vj.
p. 231, 234.
* Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. iv. p. 542 ; vol. v. p. 174.

288 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
ter Mountain, a part of the range of hills which rises behind
Freetown, and which, on account of its elevation, was con
sidered as more healthy than the low country. Here Mr
Butscher proceeded to erect the necessary buildings, to clear
the land, and to plant it with cassada, Indian corn, and
other vegetable productions. In these operations the children
afforded their assistance, and, to stimulate their industry, every
boy had a little spot to himself. It was one of the rules of the
institution, that the children should be engaged in useful
labour one half of the day, and be instructed in school the
other. Such was the plan on which this establishment was
originally conducted ; but it was afterwards judged advisable
to change it into a seminary, in which a number of the more
promising youths might receive a superior education, with the
view of being qualified to act as Christian teachers among their
own countrymen, or to fill responsible situations in the colony ;
and after some years it was removed from Leicester Mountain
to Regent's Town, one of the villages of captured negroes, where
it was carried on, on a still further reduced scale.1
Besides the Christian Institution, as it was called, the Church
Missionary Society established schools and other means of in
struction in several of the towns of recaptured negroes. It
deserves to be recorded to the honour of the British government;
that in the plans which the Society formed for the amelioration
of Africa, it not only afforded them every encouragement, but
bore part of the salaries of the missionaries and schoolmasters,
and for every child above two hundred in the Christian Instil
tution on Leicester Mountain, agreed to pay the annual sum of
five pounds. It was also at the expense of establishing schools
in Freetown and the neighbourhood. Sir Charles Macarthy,
Governor of Sierra Leone, likewise deserves the highest praise
for the uniform countenance and the important aid which he
afforded the missionaries in their various labours.2
The education of the children in the villages of the liberated
negroes, was the principal object which the missionaries origi-
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. iv. p. 542 ; vol. v. p. 172, 422 ; vol. vii. p. 82 ; vol. viii.
p. 99 ; vol. ix. p. 85 ; Miss. Reg. vol. iv. p. 193 ; vol. v. p. 480.
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. v. p. 175 ; Miss. Reg. vol. iv. p. 362 ; vol. v. p. 253,
484.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 289
nally had in view ; but they afterwards extended their atten
tion to the adult population ; and their labours among them
appeared to be attended with very gratifying success.
In June 1816, Mr Johnson proceeded to Regent's Town, but
he was exceedingly discouraged at first by the character and
condition of the people. Here were collected the natives of
more than twenty different countries ; and a considerable
number of these had been but lately liberated from the holds
of slave vessels: they were greatly prejudiced against one
another, and in a state of continual hostility, with no common
medium of intercourse except a little broken English. When
clothing was given them, it was difficult to get them to wear it :
they either sold it or threw it away. None of them on their
arrival appeared to live in a state of matrimony ; all the bless
ings of the married state and of female purity appeared to be
unknown among them. In some huts, ten of them were crowded
together ; in others fifteen and twenty : many of them were
ghastly as skeletons ; six or eight sometimes died in a day, and
only six infants were born during one year. Superstition in
various forms was prevalent among them ; many devils' houses
sprung up, and all of them had implicit confidence in a species
of charms they call gregrees. Scarcely any desire of improve
ment was discernible among them: for a considerable time,
there were hardly five or six acres of land brought under culti
vation, and some who wished to cultivate the soil were deterred
from doing so by the fear of being plundered of the produce.
Some lived in the woods apart from society ; others subsisted
by theft and plunder ; and not a few of them, particularly those
of the Ebo nation, the most savage of the whole, preferred any
kind of refuse meat, to the rations which were served out to
them by order of government.
When Mr Johnson first went among them, and informed
them that he had come to tell them how they might be saved,
they paid little attention to him ; and on the following Sab
bath, to his great mortification, only nine people came, and
even these were almost naked. Afterwards the number in
creased considerably. Frequently, however, when he had warned
them to flee from the wrath to come, he had the mortification,
after the service, of receiving visits from some of his hearers,
VOL. II. T

290 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
either to be paid for attending, or to be rewarded on some other
account. Mr Johnson's labours increased, as more negroes were
landed from slave vessels. He had to provide for a thousand
individuals to whom he issued rations twice a week ; but he
met with so many difficulties among them, that he was often
on the point of abandoning the work.
But though Mr Johnson was often much discouraged by the
circumstances of the people, he had not laboured many months
among them, when several of thern began to inquire what they
should do to be saved, and, in a short time, he baptized a con
siderable number of them. Old and young now became con
cerned about their souls, and as new negroes were brought to
the settlement, many of them also were brought under religious
impressions. The young people were observed retiring into
the woods for prayer ; and the mountains were heard, by moon
light, to echo with the hymns of little groups of them assembled
in different places. Many and most pleasing were the evidences
of piety given by the negroes ; their diligent attention to the
means of grace ; their deep convictions of their sinfulness and
misery ; their grateful acknowledgments of the divine forbear
ance and mercy; their watchful jealousy over their own hearts;
their inward conflicts with corruption ; their tenderness of
conscience ; their faith and patience under afflictions ; their
benevolence to their fellow-creatures ; their love to the souls
of their relatives; their cultivation of domestic happiness; their
docility, integrity, and industry. In expressing the feelings of
their hearts, their language was characterized by much simpli
city, and though very plain, was often very impressive and very
delightful.1 1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. vii. p. 86, 92 ; vol. viii. p. 87, 245 ; MisS. Reg. vol. v.
p. 256, 481 ; vol. vi. p. 343 ; vol. vii. p. 323 ; vol. ix. p. 288, 294; vol. x. p.. 161, 289;
vol. xi. p. 312.
Though the following circumstance did not occur at Regent but at Charlotte Town,
we may here introduce it, as illustrative of the spirit of the negroes at both places.
"I had occasion one evening," says Mr Taylor, "to speak sharply to one of the com
municants, who had been led away by covetousness to commit an act dishonourable to
the gospel, and for which I forbade bis attendance at the Saturday evening meeting.
The next morning he looked very sorrowful, and his swollen eyes testified how he had
been employed all night. In the afternoon he came to my wife, begging her to m-
treat for his admittance at the evening meeting. ' Suppose somebody,' said he, 'have
a child, and that child do bad and he punish him, he no turn him out of his house-
he must keep him in his house. Me do bad, for true — Massa been punish me very

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 291
The people were at the same time greatly improved in their
outward circumstances. The town was laid out with regularity ;
nineteen streets were formed, with good roads round the vil
lage, a large stone church, a government house, a parsonage
house, school-houses, store-houses, an hospital, a bridge of seve
ral arches, some native dwellings, and other buildings, all of
stone, were erected. The people had gardens attached to each
dwelling ; all the land in the immediate neighbourhood was un
der cultivation, and pieces of land to the distance of three
miles. They raised cassada, plantains, cocoa, yams, coffee,
Indian corn, bananas, oranges, limes, pine-apples, guavas, pa-
paws. No less than 4050 bushels of cocoa, and near 10,000
bushels of cassada, were sold to government in one year. Be
sides cultivating the ground, many of them were masons, brick
layers, carpenters, sawyers, blacksmiths, and other trades. In
these various ways a large proportion of the negroes maintained
themselves, and had relieved the government from all expense
on their account. The appearance and manners of the people
were at the same time greatly improved. They were all now
decently clothed, and most of the adult population were regu
larly married. Formerly they were accustomed to spend their
nights in dancing and drumming ; not a drum was now left in
the town, and oaths and drunkenness were unknown. The
church was enlarged three or four successive times, and was
regularly attended by twelve or thirteen hundred negroes, while
in the school there were about five hundred scholars. Sel
dom, in short, has the powerful influence of Christianity in
civilizing barbarians, and in imparting to them the multiplied
much ; but where must I go "! what must I do ? When the other members and can
didates came in the evening he came with them. I asked him why he came, when I
had told him he should not come ; but he was speechless. I read that part of the
fifth chapter to the Ephesians which respects covetousness, and then left it to the
other members to decide whether he should still be allowed to meet among them or
not ; giving them thereby an opportunity to shew what spirit they were of. I was
much pleased to observe the manner in which they treated the offender, at once mani
festing a hatred of sin, and pity to him who had fallen into it. One said, ' We all sin
ners : we know what it is to be tempted : the devil come and tempt we softly and
easily ; and we fall into sin before we are aware or consider the consequences.' An
other spoke in a similar manner, adding, ' I hope this will be a warning to him not
to go the same way again.' One was rather severe, and said that the man had been
reproved for covetousness before ; he was rather averse to his being retained : but he
was the only one who was so inclined. He was therefore allowed still to attend." —
Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. x. p. 74.

292 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
enjoyments of civil and social life, been so strikingly illustrated
as among the liberated negroes at Regent's Town.1
It may easily be supposed that the arrival of new negroes,
captured in slave vessels, would give rise to scenes of an inte
resting nature, and furnish some fine specimens of the improved
feelings of the Christian converts. On one occasion of this
kind, as soon as the strangers came in sight of Regent's Town,
all the people ran out of their houses to meet them with loud
acclamations. When they beheld them weak and faint, they
laid hold of them, carried them on their backs, and brought
them to Mr Johnson's house. As they lay there on the ground,
faint and exhausted, many of the inhabitants recognised their
friends and relatives, and there was a general cry of " 0 Massa!
My Brother ! My Sister ! " " My Countryman ! he live in the
same town ! " The poor creatures having just come out of the
hold of a slave vessel did not know what to think, nor whether
they should laugh or cry when they beheld those whom they
had probably supposed to be dead, and whom they now saw
clothed and clean, and perhaps with healthy children in their
arms. The people now ran to their houses and brought them
what victuals they had ready ; and in a short time their unfor
tunate countrymen were overpowered with messes of every de
scription. Pine-apples, oranges, and nuts were brought to them
in great abundance.2
Though Regent's Town presented the most striking example
of the powerful effects of religion among the negroes, yet seve
ral of the other villages, particularly Gloucester, Charlotte, Leo
pold, Kissey, and Waterloo, furnished very pleasing instances of
success, both in the conversion of the negroes and in the im
provement of their outward condition ; but now many circum
stances occurred to check the progress of the work, and even to
cast a cloud over its past success.
In May 1823, Mr Johnson, whose labours at Regent's Town
appeared to have been attended with so much success, died at
sea on his way to England, within about a week after his em
barkation. The Rev. Mr During, who had laboured for several
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. viii. p. 90 ; vol. x. p. 80 ; Miss. Reg. vol. x. p. 245,
283, 285 ; vol. xi. p. 311.
2 Miss. Reg. vol. x. p. 285.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY 293
years at Gloucester station with similar appearances of success,
embarked with his wife for England about four months after
wards; but the vessel was never more heard of, and it was
concluded that it had foundered at sea and that all on board
had perished. Nor were these the only losses which the mis
sion sustained. Within little more than twelve months, other
eight of the Society's labourers were removed by death, besides
two of the chaplains of the colony. Seldom had Sierra Leone
been the scene of such mortality as occurred at this time among
the European inhabitants.1
These painful bereavements were the first serious blow to the
prosperity of the mission, nor were they a solitary or temporary
trial. It was one which occurred in a greater or less degree
from time to time ; in some cases the mortality was perfectly
appalling, the agents of the Society following each other in quick
succession to the grave, while of those who survived, some were
obliged from the state of their health to leave the country, and
to return to England, either temporarily or permanently.2
Such circumstances could not fail to have a very injurious in
fluence as regards the mission. In consequence of the frequent
sickness and death, or removal to England, of the missionaries
and teachers, incessant changes took place in the several sta
tions ; the number of labourers was quite unequal to the work
1 Miss. Reg. 1823, p. 299, 379 ; Hud. 1824, p. 140 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1824,
p. 63.
Mr Bunyer died April 20. 1823 ; Rev. W. H. Schemel, April 25 ; Rev. W. Johnson,
at sea, May 3 ; Rev. Mr Flood (chaplain), May 6 ; Rev. Mr Palmer (chaplain), at sea,
May 8 ; his wife, Mrs Palmer, June 6 ; Mrs Bunyer, June 22 ; Mrs Vaughan, June
25 ; Rev. Mr Becknar, June 28 ; Mr Vaughan, November 25 ; tMr Pope, March 30.
1824 ; Mrs Schemel, June 17 ; to whom may be added, the Rev. Mr During and bis
wife, who were lost at sea. — Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1824, p. 62.
2 In 1825, there again occurred a great mortality among the mission families. The
Rev. Charles Knight died March 20 ; Mrs Coney, May 1 ; the Rev. Henry Brook,
May 4 ; — all of whom had arrived only the preceding February ; Mrs Metzger, Feb
ruary 14 ; Mrs Gerber, May 22 ; the Rev. G. R. Nylander, May 23 ; and Mr C. Tay
lor, at sea, on his way to England. — Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1826, p. 40.
In 1826, Mrs Betts died March 20 ; Mrs Scholding, March 28 ; both of whom had
arrived only the preceding month ; Mrs Renner, May 29 ; and the Rev. Mr Scholding
was so much debilitated by repeated attacks of fever, that he was obliged to leave the
colony, and died September 26, six days after reaching Ireland. — Proceed. Ch.
Miss. Soc. 1827, p. 63, 68.
It must not however be supposed that Sierra Leone was in all years so unhealthy.
There were particular seasons which were specially sickly, and which proved peculiarly
fatal to Europeans,

294 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
which required to be done ; natives, who were not always com
petent, were of necessity employed as teachers, and frequently
there was a want of teachers of any kind.1
Besides, the Society's agents had been requested by Sir
Charles Macarthy, the governor, to act as civil superintendents
of the villages of liberated Africans under their care. This
proved a heavy tax on their time and attention ; and partly
perhaps from the inadequacy of their numbers, partly from this
being a kind of work for which they were not generally quali
fied, it appears to have been done very imperfectly ; or at all
events, when commissioners were employed by government in
1826 to investigate the state of the colony, they found the li
berated negroes in a very unsatisfactory condition, so that it
would appear they had greatly retrograded, in certain of the
villages at least, from what they were some years before. Even
the population was much diminished, and many of the houses
were deserted and going to ruin.2 Indeed, such were the cha
racter and habits of the poor creatures, that the commissioners
and others apprehended that nothing short of some measure of
1 Miss. Reg. 1825, p. 311, 340 ; Roid. 1828, p. 13 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1826,
p. 48.
- " It is," the Commissioners say, "with deep regret that we state it as our conscien
tious opinion, that the progress hitherto made towards the civilization of the liberated
Africans, as exemplified in their present habits and condition, fall infinitely short of
what might have been reasonably expected from the liberal means dedicated to this
benevolent undertaking ; but the great object to be accomplished was new, and diffi
culties, therefore, presented themselves, which should not be lost sight of in appre
ciating the exertions made for its attainment. That these exertions have not been
attended with greater success may, in part, be attributed to the eagerness with which
it was endeavoured prematurely to produce results, which, however desirable, could be
attained only by the continued operation of adequate means judiciously and persever-
ingly applied. This does not seem to have been sufficiently considered, and hence it
is that the good really obtained bears so small a proportion to that which it was at
tempted to effect." — Parliamentary Papers and Abstracts during the Session 1826-7,
p. 112.
We are not to conclude from the Report of the Commissioners, that the accounts
given by the missionaries a few years before were without foundation, or that they were
even essentially exaggerated, or beyond the aspect of things at the time. They might
be given prematurely, before they were long enough and sufficiently tested, and there
might not be all the caution and discrimination exercised which were desirable. But
we find strong testimonies to the progress of the negroes, not only by the missionaries
but by various other independent authorities. — Walker's Church of England Mission
in Sierra Leone, p. 119, 120, 137, 140, 143, 153 ; Miss. Reg. 1823, p. 264. We are,
therefore, disposed to conclude that this is just an example of the changing aspect of
missions which is so frequent, particularly among barbarous tribes.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 295
coercion was likely to effect any material improvement in their
condition.1 It was also a very unfavourable circumstance as regards the
progress of the people, that every year brought a large acces
sion to the numbers of captured negroes in the colony. About
20,000 had already been introduced into it, and there was
lately, in one year, no fewer than 2400, forming an addition of
nearly one-eighth to the previous numbers. Such a perpetual
influx of new comers had a retrograding influence on the state
of civilization and on the progress of religion in the colony, as
they brought with them not only their native character and
habits, but many demoralizing and heathenish practices, which
found a ready response in the hearts of their countrymen, and
were but too commonly followed by them.2
Indeed, from the number of captured slaves who were an
nually brought into the colony, the arrangements, in the opi
nion of General Turner, the present governor, which had been
made for their improvement, became every day more inadequate.
They were already a large and unwieldy mass of people, and it
was matter of serious consideration how they were to be disposed
of, and how they were to maintain themselves. Under the ar
rangements hitherto prevailing, they had been distributed into
villages where they were for years supported in comparative
idleness at the expense of government. They were partly em
ployed, indeed, in public works, or in cultivating the ground on
their own account ; but as the former no longer gave them oc
cupation, and as the poor land around their villages began al
ready to refuse them a scanty subsistence, many of them
wandered in search of a better soil and easier sustenance. The
system which had hitherto prevailed, instead of promoting, had
retarded their improvement. Indolence was its natural result,
and those who lived in the villages could with difficulty be in
duced to give a day's labour even for good wages. It was also
a great defect, that there had never, so far as appears, been a
person in any of the villages who had the slightest knowledge
1 Miss. Reg. 1828, p. 20, 22, 27, 29, 30; Parliamentary Abstracts during the Ses
sion of 1826, p. 183, 185 ; Ibid. 1826-7, p. 112.
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1840, p. 36 ; Parliamentary Abstracts during the Session
of 1826, p. 183.

296 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
of either European or tropical husbandry, and who might by
precept and example teach the negroes how they might best
cultivate the soil. Under such disadvantages, it is no wonder
that cultivation made but little progress. It was, however, high
time that there should be a change in the system, and that the
people should be thrown more on their own resources.1
In January 1827, Sir Niel Campbell, who had lately come
out as governor of the colony, made an entire change in the ar
rangements for the education of the captured African children,
which he conceived might be placed on a more economical foot
ing, and yet be rendered more efficient in forming them to ha
bits of industry. Hitherto, all the children, except those who
lived with their parents, were placed under the entire care and
control of the Church Society's agents from the time of their
being landed from the slave ships. In this way it was hoped
they would be preserved from the contaminating example
of their heathen countrymen, while they would have religious
knowledge early instilled into their minds, and be trained up
under its influence ; but now their education was taken entirely
out of the hands of the missionaries, except that they were still
to be at liberty to visit the schools and to examine the children
in the various branches of learning taught in them. Persons of
colour only were to be employed as teachers, and new arrange
ments were also made as to the maintenance and employment
of the children.2
By the new arrangements, the Society's agents were relieved
from the civil superintendence of the villages, which had long
been a burden to them, withdrawing their time and attention
from their proper duties, exhausting their strength and spirits,
and exposing them in some instances to unmerited reproach.
Indeed, whatever might be the benefits which the mission de
rived from government in the way of support, they appear to
have been greatly overbalanced by the evils resulting from that
connection.3 But while relieved from these embarrassing engagements, the
1 Parliamentary Abstracts during the Session of 1826, p. 183 ; Ibid. 1826-7, p.
110 ; Miss. Reg. 1825, p. 274.
» Miss. Reg, 1828, p. 15. ' Ibid, 1828, p, 20, 21.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 297.
missionaries found themselves so fettered by the regulations as
to the schools, that after various ineffectual attempts to get
them altered, they were convinced that they could not take
part in the new system with any prospect of success. They,:
therefore, withdrew from all connection with the government:
schools, and established others at the expense of the Society
wherever they had the means of efficiently conducting and
superintending them. These were at first few in number ; but
in the course of years, the system of education carried on by
the mission was far more extensive and much • more efficient
than it had ever been under the old arrangement with govern
ment.1 Meanwhile, there was for some years a material change to
the worse in the religious aspect of the mission. The people in
many of the villages, including Regent's Town, which once ap
peared so promising, were very neglectful of public worship,
and utterly careless about their souls. The Sabbath was sadly
profaned by them : they might be seen on it engaged in work,
washing clothes, carrying loads, &c. In some places they relapsed
into their old heathenish customs, drumming, dancing, and
other African practices. Some of the church members fell into
grievous sins, particularly fornication and adultery ; and it be
came necessary to lop off many decayed and withered branches,
some of which had once appeared lively, and put forth blos
soms, and bade fair to yield good fruit.2 The communicants
were few in number, and their conduct was in many cases, not
consistent with their religious profession. Some were living
under the influence of their country superstitions, trusting in
their gregrees or charms, which they concealed under their
clothes; and it was even believed there were instances of
1 Miss. Reg. 1829, p. 304 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1828, p. x. ; Poid. 1847, p. xiv.
28. 2 Examples of this kind were not confined to the negroes. In 1830, the Rev. Mr
Wilhelm, in reviewing his missionary course, speaks of having " experienced at differ-'
ent times several most painful instances amongst our fellow-labourers in this mission
of deplorable inconstancy and depravity, and of falling in the hour of temptation and
trial." He had here a special reference to the recent case of the grievous fall of the
Rev. Thomas Davey, who had long enjoyed the full confidence of the Committee, and
who was shortly after drowned by the upsetting of his boat. — Miss. Reg. 1831, p. 131,
551.

298 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
their coming to the Lord's Supper with these refuges of lies
hanging about their body.1
Many circumstances contributed to lead the liberated negroes
to take up a profession of Christianity while yet ignorant of its
nature and strangers to its power. Perceiving the manifest
superiority of Europeans, and feeling perhaps some degree of
respect and gratitude to their deliverers and benefactors, they
shewed a readiness to conform to their manners, and were gene
rally willing to adopt the outward forms of their religion, when
this could be done without compliance with its spiritual re
quirements. The truth is, the idolatrous superstition of the
African tribes has in it so little that is fixed and exclusive, that
it will accord with, or even give way to, any new religion or
external rites which may be presented to them. The whole
heathen population of the colony would probably have been
glad to press to the baptismal font, under the idea that of all
gregrees baptism was the best.2
The countenance given by the colonial government to mis
sionary efforts, and the long-continued combination in the
missionaries of the magisterial and the ministerial functions,
introduced in the early years of the mission an outward observ
ance of the Sabbath, which gave to it the appearance of a day
of sacred rest, had a pleasing and imposing effect, and passed
with many as an evidence of true religion.3
It is also an important observation of the missionaries, that
in their endeavours to convey instruction to the liberated
negroes, they found them very susceptible of excitement of their
feelings, leading often to a considerable agitation of their bodily
frame. A style of preaching calculated to produce such effects,
appeared to be greatly liked by them, and was much preferred
to an appeal to their understanding. This disposition hindered
them from seeking after clear views of Christian doctrine and
duty, and though we do not mean to say that where these are
wanting, the individual cannot be the subject of divine grace, yet
we apprehend that his Christian character rests on an imperfect
and insecure foundation. Even among the members, there pre-
1 Miss. Reg. 1825, p. 21, 274 ; Ibid. 1832, p. 428, 430, p. 53 ; Djid. 1833, p. 53;
Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1828, p. 39, 47, 49 ; Ibid. 1829, p. 50, 52, 54, 57.
2 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1830, p. 43. s Ibid. 1830, p. 43.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 299
vailed a certain devotional phraseology, while yet from many of
them it was found impossible to elicit any account of their views
of the simplest truths of religion.1
Indeed, such was the degradation of the negro mind, that it
was no easy matter to convey to it any thing like just views of
divine truth. It would not be fair, however, to attribute this
entirely to the stupidity of the people. The missionaries had
great difficulty in understanding them, as well as in making
themselves understood by them, the negroes speaking a variety of
languages or dialects, while they employed only the English in
communicating with them, circumstances, which, in the case of
any people, would have rendered it exceedingly difficult to con
vey to them, and for them to acquire, clear ideas on any sub
ject. Indeed, as the experience of the missionaries increased, they
became more diffident than ever in giving favourable accounts
of the success of their labours, and of the improvement of the
people. Circumstances often arose to occasion a manifestation
of character which they little expected, and dashed those hopes
in which they had been disposed to indulge. There was not
only much instability but much insincerity about the negro
character.2 Among the causes of the grievous falls of so many of the pro
fessed converts, and of the unsteady walk of others, we may
particularly notice the indolent habits of the negroes, and their
love of spirituous liquors. Some appeared to have no regular
or settled employment, but spent their time, for the most part,
either in sauntering about the villages, or in slumbering upon
their beds during the heat of the day. We must also take into
account what they were in their own countries, to what customs
and practices they were habituated from their earliest years,
what examples of vice they had daily before their eyes in the
colony, and to what temptations they were constantly exposed,
circumstances which account but too naturally for many of
them giving up with religion, and returning to their old courses.3
Here we may mention, that backsliders often expressed with
tears their contrition for their past misconduct ; but Mr Collins,
1 Miss. Reg. 1830, p. 310. * Ibid. 1833, p. 52.
3 Poid. 1834, p. 299 ; Ibid. 1836, p. 421.

300 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
one of the catechists, says, that experience taught him to re^
ceive their statements with extreme caution, and often to doubt
the truth of their professions, even though accompanied with
tears. He discovered in too many instances that their touching
appeals were prepared for the occasion ; and their constant re
petition of them, with a copious flow of tears at each meeting,
led him to fear the sincerity of their repentance.1
From the preceding statements, it will be seen that the mis
sion passed through a lengthened period of great difficulties and
trials ; and though some of them are inherent in the nature of
the undertaking, arising out of the climate of the country, and
the character and condition of the people, and may conse
quently be expected always to attend it in a greater or less de
gree, yet it has of late years risen above its past difficulties
and trials, and has gained a position which it never attained in
its early days of greatest promise.
We have already mentioned that at an early period of the
mission, a seminary was established under the name of the
Christian Institution, one chief object of which was to raise up
some of the more promising youths to act as Christian teachers
among their own countrymen. This design was prosecuted
with great patience and perseverance, but for many years with
little success ; it was in fact one of the most discouraging de
partments of the mission. From year to year, pupils were pre
pared and sent forth from it ; but they often disappointed the
expectations which were entertained of them, yielding to temp
tation, and departing from, the path of rectitude ; indeed, the
premature advancement of them to the office of teachers of
others, was very apt to have an injurious effect on themselves.2
In 1843, the Christian Institution, which was now atFourah
Bay, was placed on a more respectable and efficient footing than
it ever was before, with a special view to the training up of a
native ministry, chiefly as missionaries to the interior of Africa.
The progress of the pupils in various branches of learning was
very respectable : it was truly interesting to find the children
of Africa, whom many were accustomed to consider as an infe
rior race of beings, making such advances in useful knowledge.
1 Miss. Reg. 1836, p. 421.
2 Miss. Reg. 1830, p. 310 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 413 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1830, p. 44.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 301
Three of them were admitted to holy orders by the Bishop of
London. The number of native teachers was also now not only
much augmented, but what was of special importance, their
qualifications were increased.1
In March 1845, a grammar school was begun at Freetown,
with the view of giving a higher education to the more ad
vanced scholars in the ordinary schools, with a view to their
preparation as native teachers, or to their being received into
the Christian Institution, and trained up for the ministry should
they give proof of qualifications for the sacred office. It was also
open to the children of any of the inhabitants of the colony,
and of any chiefs of the neighbouring tribes who might choose
to pay for their education. These, in fact, came to form the
great majority of the scholars, including among them the sons
of the most influential families in the colony.2
An institution was also established for giving a higher degree
,of education to promising native girls, with the view of pre
paring them for being employed as teachers of female schools.
The want of such an institution had long been felt.3 We hope
it will be also useful in preparing suitable wives for the native
male agents of the Society and others of the educated sons of
Africa, who might otherwise be doomed to form matrimonial
connections injurious to their improvement, comfort, and hap
piness. Indeed, the cause of education generally appeared to be ad
vancing in the colony. The schools were better attended than
they had ever been, and were also in a state of greater effi
ciency ;4 yet it is painful to state, that the results of education in
the colony were found, on review, not such as might have been
anticipated. The missionaries had all along directed special
attention to the education of the young, and some thousands of
them had passed through the schools, but their progress was
not to be compared with that of children in England. Hitherto
the missionaries had derived their chief comfort and encourage
ment from observing the progress of the gospel among the adult
1 Miss. Reg. 1846, p. 98 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1844, p. 28 ; Ibid. 1849, p. 66 ;
Poid. 1850, p. 63.
2 Miss. Reg. 1846, p. 396 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1849, p. 66 ; Poid. 1850, p. 64 ;
roid. 1851, p. 77 ; Ibid. 1852, p. 40.
3 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1845, p. 35. * Ibid. 1846, p. 41 ; Djid. 1847, p. 35.

302 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
negroes ; and it was matter of frequent sorrow to them, that
the children of these once enslaved Africans, born in the colony,
and educated in Christian schools, did not manifest much con
cern for their spiritual and eternal interests. As they grew
up they were carried away by the sinful pleasures of the world,
and the early instruction imparted to them appeared to have
done them no good ; yet instances occurred in which the seed
that seemed to be dead sprung up and promised to bring forth
fruit.1 Indeed, the mission had now assumed, in every department,
a more flourishing aspect than it had shewn for many years.
The attendance of the negroes on public worship was not only
numerous, but was on the increase ; and it was interesting to
observe the earnestness of attention and the solemnity of feel
ing, which many of them manifested when in the house of God.
There was a great desire among them for the Holy Scriptures,
and numerous copies were purchased by them. Among the
communicants family worship was general, and there was, at
the same time, a marked improvement in their attention to
personal and relative duties. A season of sickness is commonly
a time of peculiar trial to converts from heathenism, as it is
often ascribed by their neighbours and friends to the anger
of the gods for their desertion of their worship, and means are
employed to induce them to have recourse to some of their su
perstitious charms or ceremonies for their cure ; but though the
African mind is peculiarly given to be the dupe of such follies,
the missionaries had many examples of the converts rising
above such senseless notions and counsels.2
It had long been considered by the Society as an object of
great importance, to reduce to a written form as many as pos
sible of the languages of Africa, and to obtain grammars and
vocabularies of them. Several works of this kind had already
been prepared and printed at its expense, in various African
dialects ; and of late years the increased facilities of intercourse
between Sierra Leone and the interior led to the adoption of
more extensive and systematic measures for this end. More
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1845, p. 38 ; Miss. Reg. 1830, p. 310 ; Ibid. 1835, p. 498 ;
Ibid. 1847, p. 425.
2 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1846, p. 39, 43 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 27, 31, 33.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 303
than one of the missionaries directed special attention to this
object, and some progress has been made in labours of this de
scription.1 This is, no doubt, in many respects, a very desirable
object; but in order to its being effected in such a way as to
be useful either for philological or practical purposes, the com
piler of grammars and vocabularies of hitherto unwritten
languages, besides possessing a talent for acquiring languages,
and a knowledge of the principles of philology, would re
quire to take up his residence among the people who speak
them, and to live for years among them. Grammars and vo
cabularies, or other elementary works, drawn up by persons not
possessed of these qualifications, or which are hastily executed,
can scarcely fail to be very imperfect and incorrect, and to
be of comparatively little use to missionaries and others who
may have occasion to take them as a guide, or even worse than
useless, misleading the scholar so that he will afterwards have
to unlearn much that he learned from them. To prepare gram
mars and dictionaries of new and unknown languages requires
rare qualifications ; and we suspect that not a few of the works
of this kind which have been compiled of late years, by mis
sionaries in different parts of the world, will turn out to be
little better than labour in vain.
In 1852, the number of communicants connected with the
mission in Sierra Leone, amounted to 2743.2
Before concluding our account of this mission, we may men
tion that Mahomedans have not ceased their attempts to gain
proselytes to the faith of the False Prophet. They have of late
years raised lofty mosques in different parts of the colony ; their
teachers went about the villages seeking to make proselytes,
and their efforts were attended with considerable success, many
of the liberated Africans being induced to join them.2 These
rival efforts of the Mahomedans cannot fail to form a new ob
stacle to the progress of the gospel.3
1 Prodeed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1843, p. 37 ; Ibid. 1849, p. 67 ; Ibid. 1851, p. 80 ; Ibid.
1853, p. 33. s Ibid. 1853, p. 34.
3 At the Cape of Good Hope, the Mahomedans have also of late years made con
siderable efforts for proselytizing the coloured population, and not without much sue-

304 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

Article 3. — Yoruba Country.
In December 1844, the Rev. H. Townsend, C. A. Gollmer,
and Samuel Crowther, the latter a liberated African from the
Yoruba country, who had been admitted to holy orders by the
Bishop of London, and four native teachers, sailed from Sierra
Leone for Badagry, with the view of commencing a mission at
Abbeokuta, a large town in the interior, in the Yoruba country.
Numbers of the liberated Africans in Sierra Leone had of late
been returning to that part of Africa from whence they had
been carried off as slaves, and were anxious that the means of
religious instruction should be provided for themselves and
their countrymen.
On arriving at Badagry, the missionaries found the country
in so disturbed a state as to render it unsafe for them to pro
ceed to Abbeokuta ; but they in the mean while opened a school
at the former place, and sought to communicate religious in
struction to the inhabitants, who appear to be a very mixed
population. It was deemed advisable to retain Badagry as a
branch of the mission, as affording the means of communication
with the interior. The inhabitants, however, were wedded to
their idolatrous and superstitious customs, and shewed utter in
difference to the gospel. Even the boarding-school, like a beau
tiful flower scorched by a midday sun, withered away, because
no immediate temporal advantages accrued to the parents from
their children's attainments ; in plain words, because the mis
sionaries only fed, clothed, and taught them free of expense, and
did not pay them or make presents to them besides for their
attendance, they took them away and sent them to the bush to
cut sticks.1
In July 1846, Messrs Townsend and Crowther, after being
detained at Badagry upwards of eighteen months, found an op
portunity of proceeding to Abbeokuta ; and on reaching that
place, they were received by the chiefs in the most friendly
manner, and every facility was held out to them for instructing
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1845, p. 35 ; Poid. 1847, p. 36 ; Ibid. 1850, p. 73 ; Ibid.
1851, p. 91 ; Ibid. 1853, p. 35; Miss. Reg. 1846, p. 153, 438.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 305
the people : all classes, indeed, appeared disposed to listen to
their instructions. After some time, a number of the natives
were baptized, and though they were called to suffer trials of
various kinds in consequence of their profession of Christianity,
yet they were enabled to maintain their stedfastness. The op
position made to them appears to have been the work chiefly
of the priests, and of parties interested in the slave trade both
on the coast and in the interior, who sought to crush the rise of
Christianity, and to expel the missionaries from this part of
Africa.1 The first alarms arose at Badagry. The slave-trading chiefs,
both at Lagos on the east and. at Porto Novo on the west,
combined with the King of Dahomey, and sent their war
canoes to pass and repass the town of Badagry, which is situ
ated on the banks of a river or lagoon. At length the grand
attempt was made for the destruction of Abbeokuta, by the
powerful army of Gezo the tyrant, or "Leopard" of Daho
mey. Masses of well-trained warriors, male and female, armed
with muskets, bore down with a steady tread upon the town,
which was defended only by a low mud wall. They fought
with desperation, but they were completely routed, first under
the walls of Abbeokuta, and the next day at a neighbouring
town, which they attacked in their retreat, and where they
were overtaken by the Egbas. Great numbers of the Dahomians
were killed and taken prisoners.
The next event of a hostile character took place at Badagry,
where Kosoko, the usurper of Lagos, attempted to seize some
of the inhabitants and to carry them off as slaves. The opposite
party armed themselves, and a general conflict ensued. The town
was set fire to, and nearly the whole of it was reduced to ashes.
The party of Kosoko, however, was driven away with great loss.
The British consul came to the coast and attempted to medi
ate with the usurper. He had an interview with him in the
town of Lagos ; but upon approaching a second time, with a
flag of truce, both his own boat and the boats of the men-of-
war were fired upon, and such hostile demonstrations took place,
as left no doubt of the determination of the slave-trading party
to persevere in their iniquitous schemes. Under these circum-
> Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soe. 1847, p. 35, 37 ; Ibid. 1850, p. 79, 83 ; Ibid. 1852.;
VOL. II. u

306 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
stances, Her Majesty's cruisers "felt it necessary to interfere
and to take measures against Lagos. Two attacks were made
by the boats of the men-of-war at the interval of a month. The
second was completely successful. The usurper Kosoko was
driven from the town with only a few followers ; Akitoke, the
lawful king, was restored to his authority, and the most deci
sive measures were taken to put down for the future the slave-
trading practices of this its last stronghold upon the western
coast of Africa.
Important treaties were made with Lagos and Abbeokuta by
the commodore on the station, according to which protection
was secured to the missionaries as well as to lawful commerce.
Two of the articles in the treaty with Akitoke and the chiefs
of Lagos were as follows : —
" The king and chiefs of Lagos declare, that no human beings
shall at any time be sacrificed within their territories, on ac
count of religious or other ceremonies, and that they will pre
vent the barbarous practice of murdering prisoners captured in
war. " Complete protection shall be afforded to missionaries or
ministers of the gospel, of whatever nation and country, follow
ing their vocation of spreading the knowledge and doctrines of
Christianity, and extending the benefits of civilization ;" "nor
shall any subjects of the king and chiefs of Lagos, who may
embrace the Christian faith, be, on that account, or on account
of the teaching and exercise thereof, molested or troubled in any
manner whatsoever."1
In consequence of the unfavourable state of matters at Bada
gry, the missionaries commenced a new station at Lagos, which,
it was hoped, would prove a more favourable field of labour.2

SECT. II— MALTA.
In September 1815, the Rev. William Jowett sailed for Malta-,
for the purpose of acquiring information relative to the state of
religion in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean, and of
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1852, p. 46, 47, 50. « Ibid. 1853, p. 36, 41.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 307
promoting the cause of scriptural Christianity in them by such
means as might be found practicable and advisable.1
In the prosecution of the first of these objects, Mr Jowett and
other missionaries, who were afterwards sent to the countries
bordering on the Mediterranean, visited Greece, Turkey, Asia
Minor, Syria, Palestine, and other parts of the East, and they
communicated much important information relative to the moral
and religious condition of the inhabitants of these countries,
Christians, Mahomedans, Jews, &c.2
In prosecuting the second of these objects, a press was esta-
'blished at Malta, from which issued many thousand copies of
the Holy Scriptures, of school-books, and religious tracts, in va
rious languages, particularly Italian, Greek, Arabic, and Maltese,
which were extensively circulated in the countries where these
languages were spoken or understood.3
In 1842, the operations of the Society in Malta were brought
to a close. The press was sold, together with the lithographic
apparatus and the type-foundry.4 We are not able to record
any important results of this mission, but yet we hope that the
seed which was so extensively sown may not have been without
its fruits, though they may not have been seen or traced by
man. The missions to which we shall next direct our attention,
stood in close relation to the Malta station, and drew some of
their principal resources from its press.

SECT. III. GEEECE— TURKEY— ASIA MINOR
In January 1825, the Rev. John Hartley proceeded from
Malta on a visit to the Ionian Islands, and thence to Smyrna
and other parts of Asia Minor, Constantinople, the islands of
the Archipelago, and the Morea. In the course of his extensive
1 Jowett's Christian Researches, vol. i. p. vi. ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. v. p.
141. * Jowett's Christian Researches, vols. i. and ii., and Hartley's Researches in Greece
and the Levant, passim ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1820, p. 118.
a Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1842, p. 44 ; Miss. Reg. 1828, p. 163 ; Ibid. 1831, p. 135 ;
Ibid. 1832, p. 509 ; Ibid. 1834, p. 142.
* Ibid. 1843, p. 44.

308 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
tours he had ample opportunities of circulating copies of the
Holy Scriptures and religious tracts. He also held meetings
in private with a few persons for reading the Scriptures and
prayer, and he was even permitted in some instances to preach
in the churches. Though he could not behold without deep re
gret the low state into which Christianity had fallen in these
countries which were so early blessed with the light of the gos
pel ; yet he was greatly encouraged by much that he saw and
heard, and formed sanguine expectations of the success of mis
sionary efforts, particularly among the Greeks.
In 1828, the Rev. Dr Korck took charge of a school in the'
island of Syra, which had lately been begun by Mr Brewer, an
American missionary. He for some time received much counte
nance from the Greek authorities, who appeared quite disposed
to avail themselves of his instrumentality in promoting the
cause of education in Greece. The school in Syra became a
kind of central or model school, and being divided, was nume
rously attended by both boys and girls. Young men were sent
from a distance to be instructed in the system pursued in it,
with a view to their taking charge of schools in other places.
Two years, however, had scarcely elapsed, when it was proposed
to introduce images or pictures of the Virgin Mary into the
schools, and to employ a Greek priest instead of the mission
aries, to explain to the children a catechism in place of the
Scriptures. Dr Korck having objected to this, the boy's school
was taken out of his hands. The Government also published a
collection of prayers for the use of schools, which was intro
duced into it, and abounded in invocations to the Virgin Mary
and the saints, and other unscriptural matter.1
In 1830, the Rev. Mr Hildner commenced a school entirely
independent of the Government, which quickly grew into what
was called the Paedagogion, and included an infant school, a
boys' school, a girls' school, and a girls' school of a higher order.
Attempts were more than once made, at the instigation of the
authorities of the Greek Church, to interfere with the religious
instruction given in this institution ; but it would appear that
after a time things returned to their ordinary course. Great
numbers of children, both boys and girls, were educated in it,
1 Miss. Reg. 1829, p. 166 ; Ibid. 1831, p. 137, 140.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 309
and a number of them were afterwards employed as teachers of
other schools, some in the Greek or Turkish islands, some in
Asia Minor, and one or two even in Egypt. As a model school
it exercised an important influence upon the educational sys
tem of the kingdom of Greece. The institution, however, is
now confined to girls, but it still enjoys the protection of the
local and general government, and the favour of all classes of
the people.1
The missionaries also attempted to establish schools in Asia
Minor, but with less success than in Greece. The Rev. Mr Jetter
opened schools in Smyrna, Boujah, Vourlah, and Magnesia ; but
the spirit of hostility to missionaries and their schools, which,
as we have just mentioned, manifested itself in Greece, broke
out simultaneously among the members of the Greek Church in
Turkey. A circular was received at Smyrna from the Patriarch
of Constantinople, directing the priests to put down all the
schools of the missionaries, and to place the education of the
children entirely under the care of an ecclesiastical committee.
No layman was henceforth to interfere in this department.
The schools established by the missionaries at Smyrna, Boujah,
and Vourlah, were now broken up, and though the priests al
leged that they would establish better ones, they failed to fulfil
their promise. Their schools were generally of the most wretched
description. The opposition spread throughout the Turkish
empire wherever Greeks and missionaries were to be found.
It extended even to Syria, where the Sultan had at that time
little to say, and was felt likewise in the Ionian islands.2
Many thousand copies of the Holy Scriptures, in various lan
guages, had of late years been circulated in Greece, and Turkey,
and Asia Minor, by the agents of the Church Missionary Society
and other Societies, particularly the British and Foreign Bible
Society. This could scarcely be expected to go on long with
out calling forth opposition, perhaps even from different quar
ters. Some years before,3 a firman was sent by the Grand
Seignior to the pachas or governors in Western Asia, and per-
1 Miss. Reg. 1833, p. 269, 529; Ibid. 1837, p. 250; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soe. 1846,
p. 48 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 41 ; Ibid. 1849, p. 75 ; Ibid. 1850, p. 87 ; Ibid. 1851, p. 108 ; Ibid.
1853, p. 66. 3 Miss. Reg. 1837, p. 184. 3 In 1824.

310 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
haps throughout the Ottoman dominions, prohibiting the dis
tribution of the Scriptures, and commanding all persons who
had received copies to deliver them up to the public authorities
that they might be burnt. The copies remaining in the hands
of distributors were to be placed under sequestration till they
could be sent back to Europe. There is little doubt that this
movement of the Turkish government was instigated by the
ecclesiastical authorities of one or other of the Christian com
munities in that empire. No such document was known to
' have ever before emanated from the Turks uninfluenced by
others, and it was understood that persons belonging to the va
rious Christian bodies in Turkey had always until now been
allowed the use of their sacred books, and that they had been
indifferently printed in the country or imported from the west
of Europe, in any number and without any impediment or in
quiry on the part of government. It is even said that Mussul-
men were not forbidden to read the Bible till now. The effect
of this apparently formidable edict was' not at first great. In
some cities a few copies of the Scriptures were delivered up to
the authorities ; in others not a single copy was obtained from
the people. The whole affair, so far as the Turks were con
cerned, appeared to be rather a heartless business. They still
regarded the circulation of Christian books, as they had been
accustomed to do before, with perfect indifference. But advan
tage was afterwards taken of the Grand Seignior's firman for
burning hundreds of copies of the Holy Scriptures, and for im
prisoning and otherwise punishing such persons as had them
in their possession.1
Though the firman of the Grand Seignior was not improbably
called forth by Romish bribery or intrigue, the circulation of
the Scriptures and other publications also called forth the direct
opposition of the Roman Catholic authorities in Turkey. The
Archbishop of Sardia, vicar apostolical in the patriarchate of
Constantinople, issued a circular2 requiring the faithful, under
pain of excommunication, to deliver up the books prohibited by
the Holy See, which persons of foreign communions were con
tinually disseminating among them, and also such other prohi-
1 Report American Board for Foreign Missions, 1825, p. 91 ; Miss. Reg. 1828, p. 55.
* In lb26,

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 311
bited books as they had not the permission of the Holy See to
read, that they might be consigned to the flames, as was merited
by such infected and pestilential works which depraved and
corrupted the world ; and enjoining the priests to interrogate
their penitents in confession, whether they had any prohibited
books in their possession, and not to grant them absolution till
they were given up. Many books were accordingly collected
and burnt by the Roman Catholics ; but murmurs arose in some
quarters against this act of ecclesiastical authority, and curiosity
to see the prohibited books was awakened among the less pas
sive and superstitious minds.1
For some years no opposition was made by the priests or
ecclesiastical authorities of the Greek Church to the circula
tion of the Scriptures and other works printed by the mission
aries ; indeed they were sought after with great avidity by the
people, and in many cases were even purchased by them. But
afterwards persons high in the Greek Church endeavoured to
persuade the people not to receive their books. The circula
tion of the Scriptures, however, still went on, and great num
bers of copies were introduced into the kingdom of Greece.2
In 1851, Mr Charles Sandreczki, who was distinguished for
his knowledge of languages, removed from Smyrna to Jerusalem,
which it was now proposed to make the centre of operations of
the Mediterranean mission. Here he was soon afterwards
joined by the Rev. A. Klein.3
The great object of the missions of the Society among the
churches of the East, was the revival in them of purity of doc
trine and of vital piety ; and the means employed by them for
this end were chiefly the circulation of the Holy Scriptures,
education, and conversation. It was in no degree their object
to make proselytes from these churches, and to receive them
into the communion of their own church. We shall afterwards
take occasion to consider this question ; but in the mean while,
we are gratified to find that the Committee after much experi-
' Miss. Reg. 1827, p. 36.
' Ibid. 1832, p. 173 ; Ibid. 1833. p. 275 ; Rep. Bib. Soc. 1844, p. 85.
3 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1852, p. 65.

312 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
ence in reference to the subject, have seen reason materially to
modify their views in regard to it, and that they now see " the
wisdom of their missionaries making an open protest against
the errors of the Oriental churches, and receiving under Chris
tian instruction all who desire to hear and embrace the truths
of the gospel." " Events," they say, " render it each year more
difficult for such inquirers to continue in communion with their
own church."1

SECT. IY.— EGYPT.
In 1825, the Rev. Messrs Lieder, Kruse, Mueller, Gobat, and
Kugler proceeded to Egypt, and on their arrival took up their
residence at Cairo. The three former Avere to direct their at
tention to the Coptic Church in Egypt; the two latter to attempt
to enter Abyssinia, but the accounts which they received of
the distracted state of that country, proved the occasion of great
delay in carrying their design into effect.2
Meanwhile, the missionaries who remained in Egypt sought
to render themselves useful by circulating the Holy Scriptures
and religious tracts among the Copts and other inhabitants of
the country. With a view to a more extensive distribution of
them, they made repeated voyages and journeys in Upper and
Lower Egypt, and also in Nubia. The copies of the Scriptures
and other works which they circulated, were not only in Arabic,
which is now the vernacular language of Egypt, but also in the
Coptic, Turkish, Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, Armenian, Amharic,
English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish languages. The
Copts received the books with great eagerness, and in many cases
paid for them. The missionaries avoided as much as possible
the gratuitous distribution of the Scriptures, and encouraged
the purchase of them, thus obtaining the best security they
could, that they were not thrown away. Many copies of the
Scriptures and other works were introduced into the Coptic
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1853, p. 60.
2 Ibid. 1826, p. 43, 68 ; Ibid. 1827, p. 85; Ibid. 1828, p. 62.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 313
and other schools, and not a few found their way to the Coptic
convents in the desert,1
Preaching, in the ordinary acceptation of the word, was scarcely
practicable among the Copts. The missionaries attempted some
thing of the kind, but with small success. Their religious ser
vices were never well attended ; sometimes a few came out of
mere curiosity ; some, even if they had been willing, would not
venture to come for fear of being excommunicated by the priests.
The missionaries, however, sought to communicate a knowledge
of divine truth, in the way of conversation, to those who visited
them, and with the same view they also visited them in their
own houses. The more respectable part of the people, and par
ticularly their families, they were for a long time not allowed
to visit, only their physicians and priests being permitted to
enter their domestic circles. To meet this difficulty, Mr Lieder
applied himself to the study of medicine, and by the practice of
it, he succeeded in getting admission into families, and holding
religious intercourse with them. It is not unworthy of remark,
that the prejudices of the people against the missionaries were
materially diminished by his practice of medicine among them.2
The Coptic priests did not make much effort to oppose the
missionaries. One* reason of this was their great indolence and
ignorance of their own religion ; another was, that they had
little to fear from them, in consequence of the stupidity and
sluggishness of their people, who, great and small, care nothing
about their own, and still less about any other religion.3
Much cannot be expected from the labours of missionaries in
Mahomedan countries. Even in Egypt, where there was more
of religious toleration than in most countries under Mussulman
rule, copies of the Scriptures and religious tracts could not be
openly circulated among the Mahomedan portion of the com
munity, yet the missionaries succeeded in putting them into
the hands of numbers of them ; but a Mussulman would not
let his best friend know that he had such a book or tract in his
possession, lest he should be betrayed and punished on that
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1828, p. 61; Ibid. 1845, p. 46; Miss. Reg 1829, p. 172 ;
Ibid. 1831, p. 144 ; Ibid. 1832, p. 131, 234; Ibid. 1834, p. 402, 408 ; Ibid. 1839, p. 379 ;
Ibid. 1844, p. 310, 352.
2 Miss. Reg. 1832, p. 234 ; Ibid. 1834, p. 312; Ibid. 1839, p. 234; Ibid. 1847, p. 303.
» Ibid. 1834, p. 313.

314 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
account. Whether they generally read, the Scriptures and
tracts which they received may indeed be doubted. With re
spect to the circulation of the Scriptures amongst Mahomedans,
the Eastern Christians, particularly the Copts, did every thing
they could to prevent it. They cannot bear to see a Mahome
dan take the Scriptures into his hands, just as the Mahomedans
do not suffer a Christian to take the Koran into his hands.1
If preaching to the Copts was scarcely possible, still less was
it practicable among the Mahomedans. Had the missionaries
made the attempt, they would have been in danger of being
killed on the spot, or would at all events have suffered impri
sonment and exile. A Mahomedan will not even enter into
conversation concerning Christianity in the presence of another
Mussulman, but only in a private room and alone, lest he
should be betrayed. With one of the superstitious and bigoted
class of Mahomedans, it was scarcely possible to carry on a re
ligious conversation ; in his eyes it is a kind of crime to doubt
or examine the truth of his religion. The ignorant and care
less class, consisting chiefly of the peasantry and others of the
lower orders, will not readily enter into discussions of a reli
gious kind ; they depend entirely on their teachers and sheiks
in regard to all such matters. The sceptical and infidel por
tion of the population, consisting chiefly of the higher and more
learned classes, shewed less reluctance to enter into religious
discussions ; but their state of mind was very unfavourable to
the investigation and reception of truth.
The indisposition of the Mahomedans to examine the claims
of Christianity was greatly strengthened by the considera
tion, that among them, a man must die if he change his reli
gion. Many a Mussulman looks on a missionary who seeks to
draw his attention to matters of this kind, as a man who aims
at his life, and he is careful to avoid any thing that might prove
an occasion of leading him to doubt of his religion. Mahome
dans are thus deterred from inquiring or thinking seriously
about religious matters, and so long as they will not inquire or
think about them, there can be little hope of their conversion.
1 For this the Copts quote Scripture. One day, Mr Kruse, in vindication of the
course pursued by the missionaries in regard to Mahomedans, referred to the com
mand of Christ to his disciples, tor "go into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature." " 0," replied the monk, " our Lord said also, ' Cast not your pearls

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 31 5
There are also in the religious system of the Mahomedans
great obstacles to their reception of Christianity, particularly as
it excludes altogether the doctrine of the necessity of a Saviour.
Most heathen nations have the idea of sacrifices as a means of
propitiating offended Deity, but the Mussulman does not ac
knowledge the necessity of an atonement on account of sin ;
neither does he see any need of regeneration or of the sanctifica-
tion of the heart and life. His religion allows whatever gratifies
the carnal heart ; and if he offers up prayers at the appointed
times, gives alms, and is kind to women and slaves, he will be
admitted to all the delights of paradise. No doubt mankind
generally lean strongly to acts of righteousness of their own, as
a ground of acceptance with God ; but these are principles of
the Mahomedan's religion, and he cleaves to them with pecu
liar pertinacity.
Besides, both Eastern and European Christians are a great
stumbling-block to Mahomedans, and a main hindrance to their
conversion. They set a bad example before them, and the latter,
judging of Christianity by the conduct of the Christians around
them, and comparing themselves with them, feel their own
superiority, and have in some respects a right to do so. When
therefore a missionary begins to talk with a Mussulman on the
subject of Christianity, he will break off the conversation, say
ing, " Would you wish to make me as bad a man as your Chris
tians are ?" And if the missionary allege that those of whom
he speaks are only nominal Christians, he will be ready to
reply, " Well, if they are not true Christians, they bear your
name. Therefore convert them first." There is much founda
tion for such observations ; and hence it is of peculiar import
ance, where there is a mixed Mahomedan and Christian popu
lation, to seek the conversion of the latter, with a view to the
conversion even of the former.

before swine.' " " But how," answered Mr Kruse, " can you apply this passage to the
Mahomedans, seeing there were none living when our Lord said this to his disciples 1
What do you mean by pearls V " Pearls," said he, " are the Four Gospels," lifting the
book in his hands. "Were there four gospels written when Christ was on earth?'
" No.'' " Well then how could our Lord mean the four Gospels when they were not
written V He was confounded, and said, " Thus I have been taught, and our priests
always explain and apply this passage thus. But you know best. I perceive we are
still in ignorance."— Mitt. Reg. 1838, p. 208 ; Ibid. 1839, p. 428.

316 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
But notwithstanding these and other difficulties, the mission
aries did find opportunities of conversing with Mahomedans on
religious subjects, and they flattered themselves with the hope
that they had made an impression on some of them ; but little
dependence is to be placed on the confessions which a Mussul
man may make in private, for he will be ready to deny the fact
as soon as he leaves the room, particularly in such a country as
Egypt, where dissembling and hypocrisy are so general.1
Among the measures adopted by the missionaries, the most
successful perhaps were those connected with education. Even
at an early period, they opened schools in Cairo for the chil
dren of the Copts, one for boys and another for girls. These
were at first on a small scale ; but after some years, education,
and even female education, began to be somewhat appreciated
by the people. The schools were attended not only by the
children of the poor, but by those of some of the first Coptic
families, and also by a few Mahomedan children. It is not un
worthy of observation, that while both schools were latterly
well attended (there being commonly upwards of three hundred
scholars in them), the number of girls was often greater than
that of boys, and that the girls were higher than the boys in
point of respectability, the majority of them being, if not of
wealthy, yet of good parentage. It was, however, a great disad
vantage to the female school, that the girls were, according to
eastern custom, so early betrothed and married, both these
events generally occurring between the ninth and eleventh year
of their age ; and as soon as a girl is thus engaged, she is strictly
forbidden to appear in public, and consequently at school, or in
fact in any society, except that of her nearest relatives.
The government took notice several times of the proceedings
of the missionaries in regard to education, and though it could
not openly grant them privileges which the nation itself did not
enjoy, yet it indirectly protected and countenanced them. The
children, for instance, of other schools, whether Christian or
Mahomedan, were in continual danger of being seized in the
streets for the government manufactories or other establish
ments. The boys in the schools of the mission were, on the
contrary, protected by a certificate ; and it was seldom they
1 Miss. Reg. 1832, p. 232, 517; Ibid. 1847, p. 304.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 317
were touched, or if one was taken by mistake, he was imme
diately released on application to the proper authorities.1
This mission has of late been placed on a reduced scale. The
boys' school was closed, and education was restricted to the
girls' schools.2

SECT. V. ABYSSINIA— SHOA— ZANGUEBAE.
In October 1829, the Rev. Messrs Gobat and Kugler left
Cairo and proceeded to Massuah, with the view of penetrating
into Abyssinia. They carried with them copies of the four
gospels and of some of the epistles in Amharic, and of the gos
pels in Ethiopic, the former the vernacular, the latter the eccle
siastical language of that country, with the view of circulating
them among the people.3
In entering Abyssinia, Messrs Gobat and Kugler did not ex
perience those difficulties of which most travellers complain ;
and on reaching Adigrate, they met with the most friendly re
ception from Sebagadis, the ras or governor of Tigre. He gave
them permission to take up their residence at Adowah, the
capital of the province, and they had every reason to calculate
on his protection and countenance.4
It being thought advisable that Mr Gobat should visit Gon-
dar, the capital of Abyssinia, he proceeded thither, intending to
remain only about ten days ; but he was detained upwards of
six months, chiefly in consequence of the disturbed state of the
country, which rendered travelling dangerous. During his
stay, he not only distributed a number of copies of the gospels,
both in Amharic and Ethiopic, but he had daily conversations
with Abyssinians, both priests and people, on religious topics ;
and though the views which he expressed differed widely from
the dogmas of their church, yet he rarely seemed to give them
1 Miss. Reg. 1839, p. 380 ; Ibid. 1840, p. 297.
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1851, p 116 ; Ibid. 1852, p. 73.
3 Miss. Reg. 1830, p. 352 ; Ibid. 1831, p. 148.
' Ibid. 1831, p. 277, 279 ; Gobat's Journal of a Residence in Abyssinia in 1830-2,
p. xv.

318 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
any offence. They appear to have looked on him as a very ex
traordinary person. Such a White man they had never seen.
Proposals were even made to him to become their abuna. If
any shall inquire, how he came to win so completely their con
fidence and esteem, the secret is easily told. He was himself
remarkably distinguished by love.1
We cannot but here notice, with peculiar satisfaction, the
simplicity of Mr Gobat in his communications with the Abys-
sinians. He presents in this respect a fine example to Chris
tian missionaries, particularly to such as labour for the re
vival of scriptural Christianity among the members of corrupt
churches. Though the Abyssinians were ever ready to draw
him into an expression of his opinions, and into discussions in
regard to the peculiar dogmas of their church, he was not less
anxious to avoid the trifling and thorny questions which they
were constantly in the habit of bringing forward. His leading
object was to bring before them the great truths of the gospel
in their scriptural simplicity; and instead of entering into
lengthened or abstract reasonings with them, his practice was
to appeal to the Holy Scriptures as the only rule of faith and
manners,2 and to lay before them the plain and simple declara
tions of the inspired writers in regard to them. Though he was
not always able to avoid the foolish questions which they brought
forward, yet he did not answer their sophistical statements with
any refinements like their own ; but usually refuted their errors
by quoting some simple yet appropriate passage of Scripture.3
Here we cannot help remarking, that some of the Church
1 Miss. Reg. 1831, p. 532 ; Gobat's Journal, p. xvii., 49, 78, 138, 147, 179, 191, 215,
223, 259.
2 There was something very beautiful in the way in which Mr Gobat kept up the
simple authority of the Scriptures. Thus when Habeta Selasse, an Abyssinian from
Shoa, asked him, one day, several questions about Adam, such as, When he received
the Holy Spirit 1 How long he remained in paradise t &c, he replied, " I know nothing
about it : The Bible says nothing about it ; and we have no other means of knowing."
After some further conversation, in the course of which Mr Gobat always made his ap
peal to the Bible, Habeta Selasse said to his companion, " He knows the Scriptures ;"
to which the other replied, " He is not ashamed to confess that he does not know what
is not in the Bible. We are too proud to confess this even when we feel it." — Gobat's
Journal, p. 85. Happy would it have been for the church of Christ, if the principle
on which Mr Gobat acted, had been always adhered to by its ministers ! How many
vain speculations ; how many errors would it have prevented, not in the Abyssinian
and other ancient churches only, but in the churches of the Reformation !
3 Gobat's Journal, p. 84, 93, 100, 228, 243, 248.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 319
missionaries are, we think, peculiarly distinguished by that
style of address which remarkably characterised the excellent
men who were the glory of the Church of England in the latter
part of the last, and the early part of the present century, and
which was a principal means of that revival of simple, earnest,
vital piety which was then effected in the hearts of many of her
ministers and people. It was not what would be called intel
lectual preaching ; but it was preaching to the conscience and
the heart. It consisted in dealing with men as sinful, lost,
ruined creatures ; in holding up to them the nature and neces
sity of regeneration ; the doctrine of justification by grace,
through faith in Christ, to the entire exclusion of human merit
in every form ; the work of the Holy Spirit in the sanctifica-
tion of the heart and life ; the peace, and comfort, and joy,
which flow from the faith of the gospel ; the glorious prospects
which it opens up to believers beyond death and the grave ; and
the practical application of these great truths, to the produc
tion of a holy life and conversation. There might be something
of sameness in the preaching of these excellent men ; but be
this as it may, it was signally blessed to the conversion and sal
vation of souls ; and that is the best test of good preaching.
In October 1830, Mr Gobat took his departure from Gondar
and returned to Adowah ; but he had not long come back,
when a severe trial befel the mission. Being somewhat indis
posed, he took a ride daily on his mule ; but not finding that
sufficient exercise, he went out to the chase two or three times
a week, in the hope that by having an object in view, his health
might be the more benefited. Finding himself much the better
of this, he, one day, induced Mr Kugler, who also felt himself
indisposed, to accompany him ; and he likewise found so much
benefit from it, that he resolved, two days after, to go out again
with a particular view to hunting wild boars for the purpose of
obtaining fat to make ointments for his patients. In passing
along the side of a river, he observed a large animal in the
water and fired at it ; but in firing his gun burst, and wounded
his left arm in several places. It was hoped the wounds were
not dangerous, and he appeared to be getting better ; but one
day while leaning his head, in reading, on his wounded hand,
he made an involuntary start, and all of a sudden the blood

320 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
burst forth from the wound, and he lost a considerable quan
tity. It was staunched for the present ; but it afterwards burst
out repeatedly, and in less than a week he died.1
During two years that Mr Gobat remained in Tigre, he was
able to do little in the way of his mission. Mariam, the governor
of Amhara, and other chiefs, having resolved to make war on
Sebagadis, advanced into the interior of the country, with
the view of attacking his forces before they could assemble in
great numbers. In the battle which ensued, Mariam was slain ;
but Sebagadis was defeated, and being taken prisoner was be
headed on the following day. The country was now in a state
of continual consternation and alarm, partly from robbers, and
partly from the conflicts of contending chiefs. The people of
some of the towns took flight. Mr Gobat had more than once
to flee with them, and was obliged to keep moving from place
to place. He had long been anxious to return to Egypt ; and
having at last obtained permission from Wolda Michael, the son
of Sebagadis, to leave the country, he proceeded to Massuah,
and thence to Cairo, where he arrived after an absence of three
years and four months.2
In October 1834, Mr Gobat, accompanied by the Rev. C. W.
Isenberg, again left Cairo, and proceeded, by way of Massuah,
to Adowah in Tigre, where they took up their residence for the
present. The country was as usual in a very disturbed state,
in consequence of the quarrels and wars of different chiefs. In
the truths of religion, neither the priests nor the people took
any interest. When religious questions were introduced, it was
commonly in regard to those trivial matters which are so much
the subject of debate in Abyssinia. Even the desire for those
portions of the Scriptures which were printed in the Amharic
and Ethiopic languages, was very limited. The Ethiopic psalter
was most asked for,3 being used perhaps in their church service.
With the view of furnishing the people with the Scriptures in
their vernacular tongue, Mr Isenberg engaged a learned native,
Deftera Matteos, to translate the New Testament into Tigre, he
himself revising it with the assistance of other persons who un-
1 Gobat's Journal, p. 264, 267.
2 Gobat's Journal, p. xiv., 264, 267, 285, 288, 309, 319, 325, 333, 340 ; Miss. Reg.
1832, p. 114 ; Ibid. 1833, p. 57.
3 Miss. Reg. 1835, p. 365 ; Ibid. 1836, p. 58.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 321
derstood the language. Assisted by a native named Kiddan
Mariam, he also translated the chief parts of the Book of Com
mon Prayer into Amharic;1 but we suspect that both these
translations were very imperfectly executed, and would be
found of little use.2
In September 1836, Mr Gobat, who had been long suffering
from bad health, judged it necessary to leave Abyssinia, and to
return to Europe with a view to its restoration ; but his place
was afterwards supplied by other two missionaries, the Revi
Messrs Blumhardt and Krapf.3
The Abyssinians now began to understand better than before
the object of the missionaries in coming among them; that it was
to turn them from the superstitious dogmas and practices of their
church to the plain and simple truths of the Holy Scriptures.
They, therefore, constantly sought to throw obstacles in their
way ; and had it been in their power, they would not have suf
fered them to remain one day in the country. The priests in
particular were opposed to them, and stirred up the people
against them. They tried by various complaints and accusa
tions to instigate Oobieh, the chief governor, to drive them out
of the country ; but he was not disposed to comply with their
wishes. Still, however, they prosecuted their object ; and they
at length succeeded in effecting it.4
In March 1838, M. D'Abbadie, a Frenchman, and M.
Guiseppe, an Italian priest, arrived at Adowah.5 The arrival
of these Romish emissaries, contributed to increase greatly the
clamour against the missionaries ; and within a week after,
* Miss. Reg. 1837, p. 57 ; Ibid. 1838, p. 58.
" Mr Isenberg, speaking of a learned native named Deftera Gualo, says, " He is the
most learned Abyssinian at Adowah, was dragoman to the late Abuna Cyrillos, and is
thoroughly acquainted with Abyssinian literature. He cannot, however, write, as this
ia no necessary part of Abyssinian learning." It must appear a singular fact ; but it is
not the less true that the most learned persons in Abyssinia do not learn to write. — ¦
Miss Reg. 1837, p. 61. Learning without the ability of writing, which in Europe is a
common attaintment even of the unlearned, seems, according to our ideas, almost in
credible, and even scarcely conceivable.
3 Miss. Reg. 1836, p. 571 ; Ibid. 1838, p. 47, 57.
In 1846, Mr Gobat was appointed by the King of Prussia Bishop of Jerusalem.—
Mies. Reg. 1847, p. 88.
* Ibid. 1837, p. 59 ; Ibid. 1833, p. 57.
5 The Romanists have of late years been renewing their attempts to bring over
Abyssinia to the Catholic faith." — Annals of the Propagation of the Faith, vol. v.
p. 1, 145 ; vol. vi. p. 199.
VOL. II. X

322 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Oobieh, who had hitherto protected them, gave them up to the
will of their chief enemies,1 who commanded them and also
three other Europeans then in Adowah to quit the country im
mediately ; and when they appealed to him, he said he was not
able to resist the clamours of their enemies any longer, and that
he was obliged to send them away ; but yet he allowed them
eight days to make the necessary arrangements for their jour
ney. They accordingly had to take their departure ; and after
a journey of about seventeen days, they reached Massuah in
safety, and thence returned to Cairo.2
In January 1839, Messrs Isenberg and Krapf, who had resolved
to attempt to enter the kingdom of Shoa, which lies to the south
of Amhara,3 set off on this new and hazardous undertaking.
They proceeded first to Mocha, whence they crossed to the op
posite coast, passed the Straits of Babelmandeb, and landed at
Zeilah on the coast of Africa. After a long and irksome jour
ney they reached Shoa, and being favourably received by the
king, took up their residence at Ankobar, the capital. The in
habitants of this country are nominally Christians, but there is
no more of Christianity among them than in Abyssinia, their
religion consisting of a mixture of Christianity, Judaism, Ma-
homedanism, and Heathenism. The missionaries entered into
discussions with them on various religious subjects, both expos
ing their errors and setting the truth before them, but ap
parently with little effect. The Shoans were always ready to
turn the conversation to the same or similar topics as were per
petually agitated in Abyssinia, such as the worshipping of saints,
fastings, the three births of Christ, pilgrimages to Jerusalem or
to the tomb of Tecla Haimanout, and other superstitious and
frivolous matters. The missionaries also gave away copies of
the Amharic and Ethiopic Scriptures, which were received, as
is generally the case, especially at first, with great eagerness.
They had likewise a few boys as scholars, but as they were in
want of school-books, Mr Isenberg, after being only six months
1 One of their chief enemies was the Alaca Kiddan Mariam. Whether this was the
individual who assisted Mr Isenberg in translating the Book of Common Prayer, is not
stated ; but the name would lead one to suspect so.
2 Miss. Reg. 1838, p. 220 ; Ibid. 1841, p. 51.
3 Shoa was formerly part of Abyssinia; but rendered itself independent in the be
ginning of the 18th century. — Miss. Reg. 1841, p. 50.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 323
in the country, returned to England, partly with the view of
carrying through the press several works which he had pre
pared.1 It was originally the design of the missionaries, should they
fail in their object as to Shoa, to make their way, if possible,
to the tribes of Gallas which are spread over the surrounding
country, and extend themselves widely into central Africa.
Many of these tribes are subject, and others are tributary, to
the king of Shoa, and from no other quarter did it appear
practicable to reach them. Mr Krapf set himself to acquire the
Galla language, and translated into it the four gospels and the
epistle to the Romans. He also visited some of the tribes sub
ject to the king of Shoa.2
In April 1841, Messrs John Muhleisen and John C. Muller,
who had lately arrived at Aden on their way to Shoa, sailed
for Tadjurra on the coast of Africa, but the sultan would not
permit them to land, and they were obliged to return to Aden.
Here, however, they found an opportunity of accompanying an
embassy, at the head of which was Captain Harris, from the
British government in India to the king of Shoa, which was
passing through Aden, but on arriving at Tadjurra the embassy
was divided into two parties on account of there not being a
sufficient number of camels for the whole, and the missionaries
were left with the second party, which remained at that place,
with instructions to follow as soon as camels should be pro
cured. After Captain Harris had proceeded a few days' jour
ney from Tadjurra, he determined that the second party should
remain at that place till further orders. The advanced party
underwent dreadful sufferings in their journey. One English
man died, and many of their animals perished in consequence
of the heat and the want of water. Two European soldiers and
a servant were murdered on the road while they were asleep,
notwithstanding the European sentry and the native escort and
guides, who had been hired at the expense of 800 dollars to
protect the embassy.
The second party having been recalled to Aden, Messrs Muh-
7 Isenberg and Krapf s Journals, p. vii., 1, 118, 121, 173 ; Miss. Reg. 1841, p. 50,
52, 464.
2 Isenberg and Krapf s Journals, p. vi., xiv. ; Miss. Reg. 1841, p. 52 ; Proceed. Ch.
Miss. Soc. 1842, p. 42.

324 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
leisen and Muller preferred remaining at Tadjurra with the
view of embracing the first opportunity of proceeding to Shoa,
but the ill feeling shewn by the people of that place toward the
English was so marked, that they were compelled, for the pro
tection of their lives and property, to keep watch by turns
throughout the whole night. One morning about half-past two
o'clock, during the watch of Mr Muhleisen, he was alarmed by
a piercing cry from the place where the servants were lying.
Two or three minutes before he had looked over them and they
were then all asleep. When he heard the cry he was not per
haps ten yards distant from them. He instantly ran to the
spot, when he found their own servant and two of the agent's
weltering in their blood. Two died immediately, the third suf
fered all the agonies of death until noon and then expired; a
fourth was saved by his interference. It was supposed that the
intention of the murderers was not to kill the servants only,
who were all Mahomedans, but to kill them first, they being in
their way, and then the missionaries.
Alarmed by these appalling deeds, Messrs Muhleisen and
Muller engaged two boats to take themselves and their goods on
board a ship, but they were stopped by the sultan. After the mur
der of the servants, from five to seven men used to sleep with them,
but they had reason to trust them as little as possible. The
people appeared determined not to permit them all to depart ;
but it was at length arranged that Mr Muhleisen should be al
lowed to return to Aden, and a vessel having on his arrival been
sent from that place to Tadjurra, Mr Muller embarked in it,
glad to escape from a country where they appeared to be in
daily danger of their life.1
Meanwhile, Mr Krapf, who had been about eighteen months
alone in Shoa, set out from Ankobar with the view of returning
to Egypt, whither his private affairs called him. He proposed
travelling through the country to Massuah and designed taking
Gondar in his way, with the view of ascertaining what pros?
pects there might be of carrying on missionary operations in
the other provinces of Abyssinia ; but after advancing within
no great distance of that capital, he was obliged, in consequence
of the dangerous state of the country, to retrace his steps and
1 Miss. Reg. 1841, p. 387 ; Ibid. 1842, p. 291.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 325
take a different route. This new course led him through parts
of Abyssinia not previously traversed by Europeans, and in
travelling by it he passed through many hardships and dangers.
At one place he was plundered of nearly all he had by a Galla
chief, named Adara Bille, amidst great professions of friendship ;
he and his servants were put in confinement, and he was
threatened with death if he did not give up all he had. They
were afterwards allowed to depart under an escort of soldiers,
who were to conduct them beyond the territory of that chief,
and who went before them armed with spears, swords, and
shields. After a long and perilous journey, he at length reached
Massuah, where he was received with great hospitality by M.
De Goutin, the French consul.1
Having returned to Egypt, Mr Krapf there met with Messrs
Isenberg and Muhleisen, and they agreed to proceed together to
Tadjurra with the view of again entering Shoa. They, however,
met with insuperable obstacles in their attempts to enter that
country, either from Tadjurra or Zeilah. Influenced, it is sup
posed, partly by political, partly by ecclesiastical motives, the
king of Shoa, who had formerly made great professions of
friendship for Mr Krapf, prohibited their return, and all their
efforts to induce the Dankali and Somali chiefs, in the country
lying between the sea and Abyssinia, to permit them to under
take the journey, proved unavailing.
In March 1843, Messrs Isenberg and Muhleisen embarked at
Tadjurra for Massuah, with the view of entering Abyssinia from
that point ; but though they made a journey into Tigre, which
was as usual in a disturbed state, they found themselves obliged
to return without delay, being again ordered by Oobieh to quit
the country. But though they were unsuccessful in regaining
a footing in Abyssinia, they disposed of more than 2000 copies
of portions of the Scriptures during their short stay. Being
thus ordered to leave the country, they returned to Massuah
and then proceeded to Cairo.2
Meanwhile Dr Krapf, reluctant to relinquish the mission in
the east of Africa, proceeded to Aden, and after some months
1 Isenberg and Krapf s Journals, p. 261, 328, 366, 528 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc.
1843, p. 49.
2 Isenberg and Krapf s Journals, p. 328 ; Miss. Reg. 1844, p. 253.
Messrs Isenberg and Muhleisen afterwards proceeded as missionaries to India.

326

PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

he sailed to Zanzibar, in the hope of reaching some of the Galla
tribes in the interior, from some part of the coast between
Cape Guardafui and that island. He had a strong conviction
of the importance of a mission among the Gallas, on account
of the great extent to which they are spread over the interior
of this part of Africa, and of their connection with Abyssinia
and other countries. After visiting various parts of the coast,
he took up his residence on a small island named Mombas ; but
he afterwards removed with the Rev. J. Rebmann, who had
lately joined him to New Rabbai, a village on the continent
opposite to it. Here they commenced missionary operations ;
but they met with little encouragement in their labours. The
natives around the station manifested the utmost indifference
to the gospel, nor did they set more value on education. The
schools at length dwindled away and were given up. The mis
sionaries were much occupied in making journeys into the
interior, with the view of discovering new fields of labour
which might be occupied by missionaries from Europe ; but we
suspect the hopes on this subject in which they indulged are
not likely to be soon realized.1

' Miss. Reg. 1844, p. 267 ; Ibid. 1845, p. 98, 243, 268, 351 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 48 ; Pro
ceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1849, p. 84 ; Ibid. 1850, p. 95, 99 ; Djid. 1851, p. 118 ; Ibid,
1852, p. 61 ; Ibid. 1853, p. 52.
This mission, though in other respects very unfruitful, has not been unproductive of
translations into different languages, and of works of a philological nature, Mr Isen
berg, when he was in England, carried through the press the following Amharic works :
Grammar of the Amharic language, . . . 8vo.
Dictionary of do. , . . 4to.
Spelling-Book in do. .... 8vo.
Catechism in do. .... 8vo.
Geography in do. .... 8vo.
Universal History in do, .... 8vo.
History of the Kingdom of God, in do. . 8vo.
Liturgy of the Church of England, in do. . . 8vo.
He likewise prepared a Vocabulary of the Dankali language, which was printed.
During Mr Isenberg"s stay in England, the following Galla works, prepared by Dr
Krapf, were also printed : Elements of the Galla language, Vocabulary of do., the
Gospels of Matthew and John in do. Dr Krapf afterwards sent to England the Book
of Genesis, the other two Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistle to the
Romans in the Galla language,
Dr Krapf, when in England a few years afterwards, carried through the press the
following works prepared by himself :
An Outline of the Elements of the Kisuaheli language, with special reference to the
Kinika dialect ;

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 327
SECT. VI.— INDIA.
Art. 1. — Calcutta.
In June 1816, the Rev, W. Greenwood arrived in Calcutta
and settled at Garden Reach, about four miles below that city,
where an estate had been purchased for about £1500, with the
view of establishing upon it a Christian institution in which
it was proposed to carry on, in a special manner, three great
branches of missionary labour, the supply of Christian teachers,
the maintenance and extension of education, and the employ
ment of the press ; but this property was sold after a few years,
and a similar institution was established at Mirzapur in the
native part of -Calcutta. It does not, however, appear that
much was attempted for several years beyond the carrying on
of a few schools and the printing of some small works.1
In 1822, an important step was taken in the cause of Hindu
education by the commencement of female schools. A lady of
the name of Miss Cooke had come out from England, with a re
commendation from the British and Foreign School Society to the
Calcutta School Society; with a special view to this object ; but
that society not being prepared to enter on the work of female
education, an arrangement was made with the Corresponding
committee of the Church Missionary Society for employing her in
this department of missionary labour. Under her care, a number
of female schools were in a short time established in Calcutta.
They increased to thirty, and contained about 600 scholars,
A Vocabulary of Six East African languages, KisuaheU, Kinika, Kikamba, Kipo-
Komo, Kihaua, and Kigalla ;
The Gospel of Mark in Kikamba.
Dr Krapf also translated nearly the whole of the New Testament and the Book of
Genesis into the Kisuaheli language, and the Gospels of Luke and John, and the
Epistles to the Romans and the Ephesians into the Wonika (Kinika 1), which, how
ever, is merely a corruption of the Kisuaheli. He also prepared a somewhat exten
sive Kisuaheli and Kinika Dictionary. — Isenberg and Krapf s Journals, p. viii. ; Miss.
Reg. 1842, p. 292 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 197 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 106 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc.
1843, p. 48 ; Ibid. 1850, p. 106 ; Ibid. 1851, p. xix., 125.
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. v. p. 439 ; Ibid. 1818, p. 78 ; Ibid. 1822, p. 104, 108 ;
Miss. Reg. 1821 , p. 48.

328 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
of whom about 400 were in daily attendance. After a few years a
central school was erected, to which one of the natives, Rajah
Boidonath Roy Bahadur, gave a donation of 20,000 rupis.
Much interest was at first excited in female education, and high
expectations were formed of its beneficial effects on the cha
racter and condition of the sex, and of the salutary influence
which they in their turn would have on the other sex, both old
and young. It was hoped too that it would so commend itself to
the natives, particularly to the more wealthy portion of them,
that they would take measures for the education of the female
part of their families. But though the female schools were
doubtless attended with a measure of success, yet like many
untried schemes, they did not fulfil the sanguine expectations
which were entertained of them, while the richer natives, cleav
ing to their old customs and prejudices, were, with a few excep
tions, still oontent that their wives and daughters should remain
uneducated.1 The Rev. Mr Jetter held divine service in Bengali in the
school-rooms of the institution atMirzapur; he likewise preached
to the natives as he found opportunity, in different parts of
Calcutta. A chapel was afterwards erected at Mirzapur, and
several Bungalow chapels were opened in places at some dis
tance from each other, in which the missionaries preached more
or less frequently. The attendance was very encouraging.
Many stopped the whole time of divine service, others were
constantly coming and going. Somewhat of a spirit of inquiry
manifested itself in the many sensible questions and arguments
which the hearers sometimes started, whereas formerly they
used often to indulge in frivolous inquiries and in abusive lan
guage. The missionaries did not now allow them to interrupt
them during their addresses ; they told them to wait with their
. » Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1823, p. 107 ; Ibid. 1827, p. 104 ; Ibid. 1828, p. 71 ; Miss.
Reg. 1822, p. 483 ; Chapman's Hindu Female Education, p. 86.
In 1836, Mrs Wilson (formerly Miss Cooke) commenced in Agurpara, a retired vil
lage about seven miles above Calcutta, an institution which was called the Orphan
Refuge, into which she received a number of orphan girls, with the view of traimng
them up under the full influence of Christian principles, apart from all heathen con
nections, which were found to defeat, to a great extent, the usefulness of the ordinary .
day-schools, In 1838, the Refuge contained 130 girls ; but about 1848, there were
only 30, and in the following year it was given up. — Chapman's Hindu Female Edu
cation, p. 131, 139 ; Miss. Reg. 1850, p. 319.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 329
questions to the end of the discourse, and if this was not done,
they either answered them very briefly, or begged them to leave
the chapel. Much judgment, however, was necessary in deal
ing with the Hindus. Neither severity nor too great gentleness
does with them. Instances occurred in which even raising the
voice was construed by them as arising from anger, while on
the other hand, mildness and forbearance proved an occasion
of mockery and rudeness, and of dissipating the attention of the
other hearers.1
In 1836, a seminary was begun in Calcutta for training na
tive Christian youths of talents and piety as catechists and mis
sionaries. It was proposed that they should receive a high in
tellectual, moral, and religious education ; but that they should
be trained up, in all other respects, in the same temperate and
frugal habits as the humblest of their brethren. By this plan,
it was hoped that it would be found practicable to raise up a
body of native catechists and missionaries, who would be on a
level with the people in all their physical wants, while they
would possess all the advantages over their countrymen which
superior knowledge and a long course of scholastic discipline
would confer. The necessity of an institution of this kind was
particularly felt in Calcutta, where the advancement of many
of the natives in general knowledge and intellectual improve
ment was more decided than in any other part of India.1
The mission to Calcutta, however, was not, on the whole, at
tended with much success. Its progress was for many years ma-
teriallyretarded by the frequent changes and removals of the mis-^
sionaries, and by the feeble state in which it was often kept in
consequence of the inadequate number of labourers. But even
making due allowances for the unfavourable operation of such
causes, it must be acknowledged, that the success attending it
did not bear any proportion to the means employed. A consi
derable number of the natives were baptized ; but how far, they
in general, gave evidence of piety does not very distinctly ap
pear. Some years ago, it was stated that too many of the mem
bers neglected to attend the means of grace, when not employed
directly in connection with the mission or in mission families.
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1823, p. 113 ; Ibid. 1840, p. 50 ; Miss. Reg. 1827, p. 382.
2 Miss. Reg. 1837, p. 281 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1839, p. 62.

330 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
There was also a number of small villages to the south of Cal
cutta, the inhabitants of which were under Christian instruc
tion, and many of whom were baptized. In the school, the
progress appears to have been greater and more satisfactory.
The scholars are stated to have made surprising advances in the
knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, of history, geography, gram-
mer, logic, arithmetic, natural philosophy, and other branches.1

Art. 2. — Krishnagur.
In 1835, the Rev. Mr Deerr, one of the missionaries in Burd-
wan, heard of a body of people about Krishnagur, partly of
Hindu, partly of Mahomedan origin, who, it was said, were suf
fering persecution on account of their religion. They were
called Khurta Bhoja, or worshippers of the Creator. It is
stated that they worshipped only one God, would have nothing
to do with idols, and believed that God would come into the
world in human form. On visiting them, Mr Deerr was con
vinced of their sincerity, saw much that appeared good among
them, and greatly admired the love and affection which they
shewed for each other.2 Two or three years before this, the
Church missionaries had established schools in Krishnagur;
and Mr Deerr, assisted by three of the natives, now commenced
preaching the gospel to the Khurta Bhoja. Many of them pro
fessed themselves convinced of the truth of Christianity, and
openly declared that this was the very thing they had been
seeking for. Upwards of a thousand of them, including adults
and children, were, after a time, baptized ; besides whom, there
were about four thousand, living in above seventy different?
villages, who were under Christian instruction, and were called
Inquirers.3 ' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1840. p. 51; Djid. 1845, p. 57; Ibid. 1846, p. 59; Ibid.
1847, p. 57; Miss. Reg. 1837, p. 497; Djid. 1845, p. 276; Long's Handbook of Ben
gal Misions in Connection with the Church of England, p. 109.
2 Other accounts of the Khurta Bhoja are very unfavourable. The accounts of their
origin are also various. — Home and Foreign Record for the Church of Scotland, vol.
iv. p. 131, 146. As, however, they are spread over a considerable district of country,
these different accounts may perhaps refer to different portions of them.
3 Christian Intelligencer, 1839, p. 145, 149, 155, 544, 546, 548 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss.
Soc. 1840, p. 138, 142.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 331
This movement was spoken of as a mighty display of divine
grace ; as an extraordinary religious awakening ; as such a glo
rious scene as had never before been witnessed in Bengal ; as a
work for which the good men of former days would have blessed
and praised God in the loudest strains of gratitude and joy. It
was represented as being the result of a great deal of prepara
tory work ; and though there was little ground for the state
ment, it was alleged that this might not only give us greater
confidence in the reality and permanence of the awakening, but
was an example of what may be expected as a common result
of such preparatory labours, a theory which, whether true or
false, was assuredly no way warranted by the case before us.
The views we have now stated were not so much those of the
missionaries as of other sanguine friends of the Society, who,
from the stations they held, might have been expected to exer
cise more judgment and caution than they shewed on this occa
sion.1 The idea of a great awakening in Krishnagur was kept up for
a considerable time ; but at length it became manifest that there
was much in it which was fallacious and unsound. There was
great misapprehension on the part of the Khurta Bhojas in
regard to the nature of the gospel, and many who joined the
Christian party did so in utter ignorance of the religion they
were adopting. Nor was it with a view solely to the salvation
of their souls that numbers professed themselves Christians.
The country having been laid waste, and the crops destroyed
by an inundation of the river Jellinghi, loans of money to a
considerable extent were granted to the people to enable them
to buy seed corn, and so save them from borrowing for that
•purpose from the native money-lenders at an enormous rate of
interest. So long as this was done, the work appeared to ad
vance, but it was soon discovered that many had crept into the
church merely from worldly motives ; and when, after about
two years, the practice was given up, comparatively few sought
to join it. They also hoped to find in the missionaries protec
tors who would side with them in their disputes with the
zemindars or land-proprietors. Many accordingly who at one
time appeared anxious to be placed on the list of Inquirers,
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1840, p. 137, 141, 147.

332 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
afterwards drew back ; and many who made a profession of
Christianity shewed, after some years, little desire for religious
instruction, and were very indifferent about spiritual and eter
nal things. There were in fact comparatively few who gave
satisfactory evidence of real piety. It appears that the con
verts who formerly belonged to the Khurta Bhoja sect, con
tinued to keep up all the distinctions of the brotherhood, hold
ing nightly meetings at which they practised heathenish cere
monies and sins. "The question," say the missionaries, "will
be asked, What is the state of the native Christian body as to
its religious knowledge, spirituality, and moral practice ? To
this we unhesitatingly reply, that it is on the whole very low.
The people are ignorant; there is little true spirituality of
mind amongst them as a body, and there remain many old evil
habits, prejudices, and customs which often break out into open
sin."1 In 1 852, the whole number of native Christians in the Krish
nagur district was 4769.2

Art. 3. — Madras.
In February 1814, the Rev. Charles T. E. Rhenius and John
C. Schnarre sailed for India, and after their arrival, they set
tled in Madras.3 The mission was carried on for many years
with great energy, but with little success. All the usual in
strumentality of a Christian mission was in active operation,
the preaching of the gospel, schools both male and female, the
printing and circulation of the Holy Scriptures, and other
Christian works ; but afterwards it was for a long time in a*
very feeble and languishing state, in consequence of the removal
of the missionaries, and their places not being adequately sup
plied. This could scarcely fail to affect every branch of the

1 Miss. Reg. 1841, p. 110 ; Ibid. 1842, p. 299 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1843, p. 55,
57 ; Ibid, 1847, p. 61 ; Djid. 1851, p. 139 ; Miss. Record for Church of Scotland, vol.
iv. p. 161.
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1853, p. 85.
3 Miss. Reg. vol. ii. p. 50 ; vol. iii. p. 412.
* Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1822, p. 131 ; Ibid. 1823, p. 128 ; Ibid. 1824, p. 132.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 333
In December 1838, the Rev. J. H. Gray, who had lately ar
rived in India, gives a very painful view of the state of religion
among the professed converts. " There are," says he, " five con
gregations in Madras and two in the villages ; but of their spi
ritual condition, I can say nothing encouraging. When I have
met with them in the congregation, it has always been a pain
ful sight to me. The carelessness and apathy of the people, and
their great ignorance of the plainest truths, have often compelled
me to inquire, what inducement they had to become Christians,
since their conduct seemed to bespeak so little feeling of the
importance or apprehension of the real difference between the
Christian and all other religions. But I am not surprised when
I look back upon the state in which they have been left for the
last five years, being indeed as sheep without a shepherd. I
am rather surprised that they should have so long borne the
Christian name."1
Of late, however, the number of missionaries has been in
creased, and the mission has altogether been put on a more
efficient footing.2

Art. 4. — Tinnevelly.
In June 1820, the Rev. C. T. E. Rhenius was removed from
Madras to Palamcotta, in the district of Tinnevelly, in the south
of India, and he was soon afterwards joined by the Rev. Ber
nard Schmidt, who had been his fellow-labourer at the presi^
dency. The people among whom they were here called to la-1
bour consisted chiefly of the class of Shanars, who subsist prin
cipally by the cultivation of the palmyra-tree, and are scarcely
affected by the baneful system of caste, as they do not belong
to any of the established Hindu castes, yet they were not de
graded in their habits like the Pariars. Though they were by
no means free from superstition, yet Hinduism had a feebler hold
on them than on the population generally. In many instances
they cast away their idols, destroyed their temples, or converted
them into places of Christian worship, and expressed a wish for
' Miss. Reg. 1839, p. 430.
2 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1849, p. 124 ; Ibid. 1852, p. 119.

334 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
religious instruction. It was in fact no uncommon thing for
them, especially the poor or persons in distress, to propose to
embrace Christianity, though quite ignorant of its nature, and
without any feeling of their own sinfulness, or of their need of
a Saviour. They had no other object in view than to get a
livelihood, or to obtain protection from their oppressors.1
In this way great numbers of the people from time to time
professed to renounce idolatry and placed themselves under
Christian instruction, and though most of them could not be
deemed Christians, and but a small proportion of them were
baptized, yet it was considered as something that they had for
saken their idols and that they were learning the Word of God,
and were gradually acquiring more correct views of truth and
duty. There was a material improvement in their character,
both intellectual and moral ; they abandoned many of their
former sins and much of their former superstition. Still, how
ever, they laboured under many imperfections, and required
much patience and forbearance to be exercised toward them.
The knowledge of many of them was very imperfect. They had
to contend with many superstitious notions, and many evil ha
bits which they had acquired when in a state of heathenism.
They were still greatly disposed to adhere to the customs of the
country, not excepting those which were at variance with their
Christian profession. They were worldlyminded, much given to
quarrelling, and greatly disposed to cunning and falsehood. In
deed, many who from time to time placed themselves under
Christian instruction afterwards drew back and relapsed into
heathenism.2 In June 1834, the numbers connected with the Tinnevelly
mission were as follows : —
1. Total number of Families, . 3,004
Do. Individuals, . 10,379
Do. Baptized— Men, 754
"Women, 560
Children, 715
 2,029
1 Memoir of the Rev. C. T. E. Rhenius, by his Son, p. 180, 193, 206, 281 ; Proceed.
Ch. Miss. Soc. 1826, p. 94, 96.
2 Rhenius' Mem. p. 353, 355.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 335

2. Schools,Scholars —
Boys, Girls,

2,650 160

108
2,810 34
83
257 23
104 '

3. Catechists,
Assistant Catechists,
4. Yillages, Chapels,Small Prayer-houses,

From this statement, it will be seen that the mission had now
attained to very considerable magnitude. The number of per
sons under instruction was large, and the machinery employed
for this purpose was extensive. Such was the state of the mis
sion when a train of circumstances occurred which for a time
threatened its prosperity, and proved a severe trial to all con
nected with it.
In May 1835, the connection of Mr Rhenius with the Church
Missionary Society was dissolved by a resolution to that effect
by the committee in London. He originally belonged to the
Evangelical Lutheran Church, and between him and the com
mittee in England, and also the Corresponding committee in
Madras, under whose superintendence he was placed, there had
been in various instances differences both in principle and prac
tice. He was, at least of late years, strongly opposed in many
things to the Church of England, and it would not have been
surprising though this had occasioned a separation between him
and them long before now. Several years before, Messrs Rhe
nius and Schmidt, feeling the want of ordained assistants, pro
posed that they should be allowed to ordain one of their cate
chists ; but this the committee refused to authorize, on the ground
that there was now a bishop of their own Church in India, to
whom they naturally wished to present for ordination any can
didates who might be raised up in that country. On its being
afterwards proposed to ordain several of the catechists, accord
ing to the forms of the Church of England, the individuals
1 Grove's Present State of the Tinnevelly Mission, p. 4 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc.
1835, p. x. ; Rhenius' Mem. p. 554.

336

PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

themselves, acting no doubt on the information and by the ad
vice of the missionaries, declined receiving such ordination, on
the ground of the subscription required to her formularies, of
some of which they had no proper knowledge, there being no
translation of them into the Tamil language, while to others
they had serious objections. Though the committee, on finding
this, did not press the matter, yet they expressed their surprise
that the missionaries should assume to themselves the right of
forming their converts into communities on the Lutheran model,
and though they professed not to require them to adopt a dif
ferent mode of carrying on the mission from that which they
had hitherto pursued, yet they, not very consistently we think,
put forth a claim that those who were initiated into the Chris
tian faith through the Society's means, should be assimilated to
themselves when formally settled as a religious community.
In this state things remained for several years, but of late mat
ters had been brought to a crisis. The Rev. Mr Harper, a mem
ber of the Madras corresponding committee, having published
a work entitled "The Church, her Daughters and Handmaidens,
her Pastors and People," had challenged Mr Rhenius to review
it, his sentiments on the subject being well known to him.
This challenge the latter accepted, and endeavoured to expose
what he considered the unscriptural principles contained in the
work. This gave rise to strong feelings of dissatisfaction among
many of the members of the Church of England in India, and
on the subject coming before the committee in London, they
passed a resolution dissolving the connection of Mr Rhenius
with the Society.1
It now became a question with Mr Rhenius and with his
fellow-missionaries, Messrs Schafter, Muller, and Lechler, who
in consequence of other proceedings resigned their connection
with the Society, whether they should maintain their position
in Tinnevelly, and they at first resolved to do so, but finding
that there was a determination to send Church of England mis
sionaries to Palamcotta and to maintain the mission in connec
tion with the Society, and foreseeing that this would prove an
occasion of strife and contention which could not fail to be a
stumbling-block to the natives, both Christian and heathen,
' Rhenius* Mem. p. 193, 381, 427, 518; Strachan, p. 8, 29, 39.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 337
they resolved to proceed to a different part of the country, not
withstanding the earnest solicitations of the catechists for them
to remain.1
Mr Rhenius and his brethren met with great sympathy and
much encouragement from many of the friends of missions in
India, and after visiting Madras, they resolved on founding a
new mission at Arcot, about sixty miles west of that city ; but
they had scarcely gone thitherwhen letters were received by them
from a large number of the catechists, urging them to return
to Tinnevelly. There appears to have been great dissatisfaction
and excitement among the catechists and others connected with
the mission, and this was much increased by the proceedings of
some of the agents of the Society. Mr Rhenius accordingly did
return, and he was afterwards followed by Messrs Schafter,
Muller, and Lechler. Great strife and disorder now arose in
the mission, of which each party laid the blame at the door of
the other ; but lie where it might, there was thus presented
before the eyes of the heathen the unseemly spectacle of Chris
tian missionaries in an attitude of opposition and hostility to
one another, each party striving to draw to itself the several
portions of the mission, and to destroy the power of the other.
On both sides there appear to have been reprehensible proceed
ings, at least if we may credit the accounts which they mutually
give of the doings of each other, though as these often rest on
native testimony, which is little to be trusted, it is not easy to
form a correct judgment on the subject; but unquestionably the
whole exhibits a most painful state of things in the congrega
tions which had been collected from among the heathen, and
particularly among the catechists and other assistants in the
mission.2 1 Rhenius' Mem. p. 479 ; Groves, p. 13, 21.
* Rhenius' Mem. p. 487, 510, 530, 533, 540 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1836, p. 36, 63 ;
Rhenius' Reply to the Statement of the Madras Corresponding Committee, respecting
the Tinnevelly Mission, p. 1, 18, 22 ; Rhenius' Narrative of Occurrences which led to
his Return and renewed Settlementin Tinnevelly, 1835, p. 1, 3, 6, 7, 14, 18, 20 ; Petitt's
Narrative of the Affairs of the Tinnevelly Mission, part i. passim.
We shall here state as briefly as we can, our views of the differences between the
Church Missionary Society and Mr Rhenius, without entering very minutely into de
tails. 1. In engaging Mr Rhenius and other Lutheran ministers, in the early years of the
Society, without making any conditions as to their conforming to the Church of Eng-
VOL. II. Y

338 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
The missionaries had now no longer any certain or regular
means of support, but a great interest was excited in their be
half in India, and also among some of the friends of missions in
England, Scotland, Germany, and America. They received, in
land, the committee, we apprehend, must be held as conceding to them the right of
carrying on their labours, so far as ecclesiastical forms are concerned, according to the
views and practice of the Lutheran Church. This is confirmed by the well-known fact
that for near a century the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge had acted on
this principle in reference to its missions in India, in which scarcely any but Lutheran
missionaries were employed. With such a precedent before both parties, we appre
hend, there must be held to have been a tacit understanding between them that the
committee were willing to grant, and that the missionaries were to have, the same li
berty. On this ground, the committee were not entitled to refuse their consent to the
missionaries ordaining one of the catechists, nor to express their surprise that they
should assume to themselves the right of forming their converts into communities on the
Lutheran model, nor to put forth a claim that those who were initiated into the Christian
faith through their means should be assimilated to themselves when formally settled as
a religious community. The missionaries of the Society for Promoting Christian Know
ledge had been allowed, whenever it was deemed advisable, to ordain natives to the
ministry, and to form churches according to their own views ; and though the Church
of England had now a bishop in India, that did not entitle the committee to require
the missionaries to conform to an order of things which had no existence at the time
of their original engagement, and of which, from the knowledge they had obtained of
it, they now conscientiously disapproved. The appointment of a bishop to India might
affect, in some degree, the position of the Society ; but it did not affect in any way the
rights of missionaries sent out under a different state of things.
2. On the other hand, Mr Rhenius and other German ministers, who went out as mis
sionaries under the Church Missionary Society, must, we apprehend, be held as en
gaging, if*not formally, yet by implication, not to say or do any thing that might be
considered as an act of hostility to the Church of England, with which the Society was
so closely connected, and indeed almost identified, as any such act might prove in
jurious to its interests and usefulness, and that more especially in consequence of the
relation in which they stood to it. If they could not consistently with their sense of
duty maintain silence in regard to things of which they disapproved in the Church of
England, they were bound to resign their connection with the Society, before making
any public manifestation of their sentiments, that so its interests and its objects might
not suffer through their relation to it.
Accordingly, though the Rev. Mr Harper was unquestionably to blame for challen
ging Mr Rhenius to review his work on the " Church," and promising to publish the ar
ticle in the Madras Christian Observer, of which he was the editor, knowing as he did
his sentiments on the subject ; yet, on the other hand, Mr Rhenius should not have
allowed himself to be tempted to accept the challenge which had been given to him,
and to write a review impugning the constitution, government, ritual, formularies,
rnd discipline of the Church of England ; nor when Mr Harper did not publish the
article, according to promises repeatedly made by him, was he warranted in publishing
it himself, without, in the first instance, resigning his connection with the Society.
Mr Rhenius himself afterwards expressed his sorrow for publishing the article in
question, when he saw the consequences which resulted from the step he had taken.
— Mem. p. 480, 500.
3. We do not see how the committee of the Church Missionary Society, representing

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 339
fact, much more liberal contributions than could have been ex
pected ; but whether they would have obtained permanent sup
port in a state of separation from all missionary societies is ex
ceedingly doubtful.1
In June 1838, Mr Rhenius died, in the forty-eighth year of
his age, and the twenty-fourth of his labours as a missionary in
as they did a large body of the members of the Church of England, and consulting for
the interests and usefulness of the Society, could do otherwise than dissolve then-
connection with Mr Rhenius, after he had published the article in question. We
must grant to them the right of acting according to their own principles, and are
not entitled to expect them to act on our views, even though we should consider their's
as plainly wrong. It might be a hard case for Mr Rhenius ; it might even be injurious
to the particular mission with which he had been so long connected. But we must
not take this limited view of the subject. We must consider what would have been the
probable results of the committee continuing him as one of its missionaries in regard
to the general interests and usefulness of the Society. Considering the views and
feelings which prevailed very generally in the Church of England, and particularly of
late years, in consequence of the questions which had now begun to agitate the public
mind, if the attack he had made upon her had become extensively known, which it
could scarcely fail to do, as the matter had excited great attention in India, this would
in all likelihood have proved a severe, perhaps to some extent, a fatal blow to the So
ciety, and thus the whole of its missionaries and the whole of its missions would have
suffered, and its usefulness have been extensively and permanently injured, or perhaps
evendestroyed. Mr Groves himself expresses his conviction that the course pursued
by the Society " arose not so much from a want of personal liberality, as from cir
cumstances which they could not control, connected with the Church of England in In
dia," (Groves, p. 12,) and we would be disposed to add, in England also.
4. We apprehend that Mr Rhenius and his brethren were wrong in returning to Tin
nevelly, without the consent of, and in opposition to, the will of the committee of
the Society. The mission field was, we think, to be held as belonging properly to
the Society, by whose committee it had been originally adopted, at whose expense it
had been cultivated for fifteen years past, and through whose agents it had been brought
into what was considered its present flourishing condition. We do not mean to say,
that nothing can be said on the opposite side of the question, but in weighing the
claims of both parties, we apprehend the balance is clearly in favour of the Society.
It it plain that it was not expedient that both parties should occupy the mission
field in Tinnevelly. This could scarcely fail to give rise to strife and contention ; and,
for the sake of avoiding these evils, Mr Rhenius and his brethren originally resolved
to retire and to begin a mission in another part of the country. Of this, we think,
every rightly constituted mind will approve. Now, if it was right in them, in the
first instance, to retire from Tinnevelly, we apprehend it follows that it was wrong in
them afterwards to return to it. There was no such change of circumstances as to
warrant so opposite a course of conduct. This return was accordingly productive of
all those evils which they originally anticipated, and probably in even a much greater
degree than they had apprehended.
' Rhenius' Mem. p. 540, 543, 561, 572, 601, 609.
In 1836, their receipts amounted to 34,997 rupis : in 1837, they were only 19,552 :
there was a falling off in the contributions in nearly every quarter.

340 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
India.1 After some time, his associates, Messrs Schafter and
Muller, offered to join the Society again, provided they were
allowed to carry on their labours on the same plan as had
been followed before and after their separation. Schafter was
received, but Muller could not agree to the terms which
were proposed to him. However, he also was ultimately re
ceived. The division of the mission was thus healed, the
congregations and catechists also resuming their connection
with the Society ; but in the mean while, the very imper
fect Christianization of the people had been made manifest ;
and although it had formerly been supposed that a great
work of conversion had been going on in this part of India, it
was now plain that a much too exalted idea had been formed
of it.2 To say nothing of conversion, even the instruction given
them was found to have been very imperfect. From the great
numbers who professed to renounce their idols, and from their
living scattered in so many different villages, their instruction
could only be carried on through a subordinate agency. Hence
arose the employment of numerous natives as catechists, readers,
and schoolmasters. Under such a system, the influence of the
European mind, and of clear and full views of divine truth,
could be brought to bear only very partially on the natives.
The character and qualifications of many of the agents were
far from being satisfactory, and the work, it is plain, could not
1 It deserves to be stated to the honour of the Committees of the Church Missionary
Society, both in India and in England, that notwithstanding all that had happened,
they, in a very handsome manner, granted the same allowance to the widow and chil
dren of Mr Rhenius as would have been made to them, if the connection between him
and the Society had not been broken off. — Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1839, p. 78.
2 The Rev. J. Tucker, secretary of the Madras corresponding committee, wrote in
1839: "When I first visited the mission," says he, "in April 1835, I was greatly
struck with all I saw ; and, like most others that preceded me, saw all that seemed
lovely, and hastily concluded that a wonderful work of conversion had been going on;"
but having been for a short time on the spot, when the missionaries left the Society
only two months afterwards, his eyes were opened to the true character of the mis
sion. — (Miss. Reg. 1839, p. 508.,) We may here remark, that we have little faith in
the accounts given of missions by travellers or casual visitors. They, in general, see
only the surface and outward appearance of things, and from these they often draw
conclusions which are not warranted by the circumstances, and state the imagin
ings of their own minds as if they were positive observations. No man can form
a correct estimate of a mission from a short and casual visit, especially of one which is
considered as having had great success. To judge of the moral and religious condition
of such a mission, requires a lengthened residence among the people, extensive and
free intercourse with them, as well as great caution, penetration, discrimination, im
partiality and honesty in the observer.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 341
but be defective when the instrumentality was faulty, and in
some cases even worse than useless.1
In 1841, when the mission was again considered as going on
prosperously, there broke forth against it a bold and reckless
persecution, which threatened not only to check its progress,
but to destroy much that had already been accomplished. It
was manifest on various occasions, that many influential hea
thens viewed with rancorous feelings the progress of the gos
pel, and though the Christians had been often maltreated on
account of their religion, yet hitherto there had been no organ
ized system of opposition to it. Reports of the design of the
British government to break off its connection with, and its
support of, the temples and worship of the Hindus, combined
with the apparent rapid spread of Christianity, produced great
excitement among the natives, and led to the formation of
something quite new among them, an association called the
Ashes Society, the members of which were required to swear by
the sacred ashes, the badge of Siva's followers, that they would
be true to the religion and customs of the country, and firm in
their opposition to Christianity. They accordingly commenced
a furious persecution of the native Christians, turning them out
of their places of worship, pulling down their prayer-houses,
robbing private houses, beating the catechists, and compelling
many, particularly new inquirers, to return to the religion of
their fathers. Petitions were also got up to the government
against the converts, the catechists, the missionaries, and even
against the European authorities, who had dismissed their false
and malicious complaints, and, in some instances, punished both
the complainants and the witnesses on account of them. As a
specimen of their petitions, we may mention that the heading
of one of them was against " the murders, plunders, highway
robberies, demolition of the temples of Hindu deities, and other
wicked injustice carried on by the missionaries who have re
cently been strolling about in this Zillah, teaching the Christian
Veda, and by the ever wicked Maravers, spurious Shanars,
Pariars, Pallars, and other low caste mobs, which they have got
into their possession."2
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1839, p. 78 ; Ibid. 1840, p. 69 ; Ibid. 1841, p. xii. ; Ibid.
1842, p. 69,
* Miss. Reg. 1842, p. 509, 516 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1843, p. 65.

342 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
After some months, these violent proceedings were stopped ;
but similar outrages were committed a few years afterwards in
the Nulloor district, and though they were speedily checked,
yet it was not until much property belonging to the Christians
was destroyed, and many of them were reduced to beggary.
The chief instigators and leaders of these acts of violence
escaped to Madras, and for a time eluded the warrants which
the magistrate had issued against them. It soon became evi
dent that the persecutions in Tinnevelly had been abetted by
parties at a distance, and that the culprits would obtain from
the same quarter every assistance in their defence of which their
cause was capable. The Christian witnesses were subjected to
severe cross-examinations, and much evidence was brought for
ward in the hope of proving that the Christians were the first
aggressors. The attempt, however, failed, and after sentence
had been given against them by heathen officers in the local
courts, and by the provincial judge, the proceedings were
brought under the review of the supreme court in Madras.
The cause of the culprits was espoused by some of the local
newspapers, and by a large meeting of influential natives ; but
truth and justice at length prevailed ; and though most of the
criminals escaped, some were severely punished. During the
progress of these events, the character of the native Christians
in Tinnevelly, and the proceedings of the missionaries, were
severely assailed both by natives and by some who bore the
Christian name among the Europeans.1
Though the great body of the Christians stood firm to their
religious professions, amidst the troubles which they were called
to suffer, yet many, particularly of the new inquirers, as has
been already hinted, were constrained by the violent proceed
ings of their countrymen to return to the religion of their
fathers. The numbers indeed who had of late years come over
to the missionaries were so great, that it is no way surprising
that so many of them should have gone back to idolatry. It
was not individuals merely who returned to heathenism ; but
in many cases large bodies of people. As whole villages came
forward asking instruction, so whole villages also fell away. In
1841, for example, the number of inquirers or candidates for
' Miss. Reg. 1846, p. 156; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1847, p. 77.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 343
baptism was 19,663 ; in the following year, it was 13,604, or
6059 fewer, and that notwithstanding there had been, as usual,
a considerable accession of new inquirers, as they were called,
in the course of the year. This was no doubt an extraordinary
case ; but yet in other instances, the numbers who returned to
idolatry were very considerable.1
Caste and other heathenish practices still exercised consider
able influence over many of the people. Some of the congrega
tions shewed great unwillingness to be instructed by a catechist
of a lower caste than their own. The question of marriage was
also one of great difficulty and delicacy. Notwithstanding all
the advice and reproof given them, they would still give their
daughters in marriage to heathens, and take their daughters to
wife in return. The ties and rights of relationship, and the cus
toms of marriage established among the natives from time imme
morial, bind so closely together even Christians and heathens,
that it appears almost impossible to dissolve the former, or to
prohibit the latter, and hence great decision of character and
strong resolution are required to resist temptations of this sort,
and to put away such practices. It is not easy for a European
to form a just estimate of the difficulties which surround a native
of this country in giving up ancient customs and conforming to
Christian rules. A difficulty which to us looks as an atom, ap
pears to him like a mountain. It is not always easy to know
how to act in cases of this kind, whether and in what degree,
to exercise strictness or forbearance. In judging of the natives,
we are exceedingly apt not to make due allowance for their
peculiar temptations and circumstances.2
* Miss. Reg. 1842, p. 516 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 365 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 108, 110 ; Proceed.
Ch. Miss. Soc. 1842, p. 70; Ibid. 1843, p. 64; Ibid. 1846, p. 81 ; Ibid. 1848, p. 106.
The above is an example of the decrease of the numbers connected with the mission :
the following is an instance of the increase. " In January 1845, the number of per
sons under Christian instruction amounted to 23,868 ; and in January 1846, to 30,698 ;
being," it is added, "a blessed increase of 6850 souls brought, in one year, out of
the darkness of heathenism to the light of the Gospel." — (Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1846,
p. 79.) But unhappily for this remark, in January the next year, there was a de
crease of 3213, (Ibid. 1847, p. 77) ; and in 1849 it was no less than 7325.— (Ibid. 1849,
p. 128.) Even these statements, however, do not shew the total number of new in
quirers, nor of the exclusions or relapses into heathenism : they exhibit merely the
balance of the increase or decrease. The number of new inquirers in the one year,
and the number of exclusions or relapses in the other, must both have been much
greater than is stated in either case.
3 Miss. Reg. 1S39, p. 465 ; Ibid. 1842, p. 512.

344

PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

In January 1 853, the following were the numbers connected
with this mission : —

Under
Instruction.

Unbaptized.

Baptized.

Communicants.

27,175

11,236

15,936

3,357'

We acknowledge we attach little importance to great num
bers being baptized in any mission. With us this is commonly
a ground not of satisfaction but of suspicion. We are glad, how
ever, to find it stated that a decided improvement has taken
place in the mission in this part of the country. It presented
the aspect of an extensive district, where the darkness of hea
thenism has for many years been gradually retiring before the
light of the gospel. It contained not a few villages, the inhabi
tants of which had all forsaken idolatry and embraced Christi
anity. Some years before, the whole appeared, so to speak, as
a loose unformed mass, in which the gospel was at work like
leaven. Now the various congregations were settling down, in
different stages of progress, into consolidated Christian commu
nities. Throughout the mission generally, the people were mak
ing every effort to erect good and substantial places of worship.
Female education was much more thought of than it was for
merly, and as the catechists had generally married girls edu
cated in the female boarding schools, the influence of these edu
cated women located in the several villages promised to be
exceedingly salutary. The improvement of the people was visi
ble in their more cleanly appearance, their more industrious
habits, their increased wealth, and their greater independence
of character. Heathenism appeared to be wasting away and
losing its hold of the natives, if not in the large towns, yet in
the villages. Christianity was making them ashamed of it ; they
were growing indifferent to it; the Pesachis were less feared, and
devil-dances less sought after. So far as human instrumentality
was concerned, the chief cause of the progress of the mission,
and of the improvement which took place among the people,
was the division of the country into districts, each of them hav-
' Miss. Beg. 1853, p. 366.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 345
ing its own missionaries, catechists, and teachers, a principle
which we have long been persuaded is of vast importance in
carrying on missions among the heathen.1
But though there has been an extensive profession of Christi
anity in Tinnevelly, and a considerable outward improvement
of the people, we have no idea that there has been much spiri
tual good effected in that country ; it bears, we are persuaded,
but a small proportion to the numbers who, from time to time,
have professed to receive the gospel. The history of other mis
sions in the south of India would naturally excite apprehen
sions of this kind ; the history of this very mission in its early
years, goes far to strengthen these suspicions, and though we are
told that it has of late years been much improved, we cannot
but fear that it still retains not a little of its old character.
Indeed, we are expressly informed "that the number of conver
sions from darkness to light bore a very small proportion to the
numbers who assumed a profession of Christianity." 2 " Pro
bably," says the Rev. Mr Blackman, one of the missionaries,
" there is more scriptural knowledge among them than among
the same number of uneducated people in England. However,
to abandon outward idolatry, and to learn something of Chris
tianity, is comparatively easy. But to give up deceit, lying,
covetousness, and other sins, is a far different matter. Idols of
wood and stone may be utterly despised, while the idols of the
heart are cherished and adored."3 "An increase of know
ledge," he says on another occasion, " is apparent in some of the
congregations, but the Holy Spirit in his converting aud sanc
tifying influences is not granted in an abundant measure.
Throughout the whole body of professing Christians, there is a
deadness of affection toward spiritual things, more desire for
earthly than for things heavenly. Hence a low state of mo
rality, jealousies, and ill-will one toward another are too preva
lent."4 These statements were made indeed some years ago,
but we have no reason for supposing that they are not still sub
stantially true of the great body of the people.5
1 Miss. Reg. 1844, p. 287. a Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1839, p. 80.
3 Miss. Reg. 1839, p. 469.
* Ibid. 1840, p. 459 ; Calcutta Christian Observer, vol. xiii. p. 6.
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1848, p. 117.

346 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

Akt. 5.— Travancore.
In 1816, the Rev. Thomas Norton and Benjamin Bailey pro
ceeded to Travancore with a special view to the revival of scrip
tural piety in the Syrian church, a branch of which had existed
on the coast of Malabar from an early period of the Christian era.1
The Syrians had long been reduced to the lowest state of po
verty and depression, through the unrelenting oppression of the
Romish church, and the blighting influence of the despotic
government of the princes of the country ; but of late years,
Colonel Munro, the English resident at the court of the Ranee
of Travancore, had exerted himself in various ways for the
amelioration of their condition, and through his influence a con
siderable number of them had been invited to fill important
offices under the government as judges, collectors of the revenue,
&c. Through his influence also a college was erectedand endowed
at a village named Cottayam, for the instruction of Catanars or
priests, and of Syrian youths generally, with a view to their be
ing qualified to fill offices under the government. It was in
like manner with his concurrence, and with the promise of his
support, that the present mission was undertaken.2
Though the Syrians kept up the profession and some of the
outward forms of Christianity, yet religion was at a very
low ebb among them. The churches were generally ancient
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. v. p. 454, 496 ; Ibid. 1819, p. 317 ; Miss. Reg. 1816,
p. 37, 453 ; La Croze Histoire du Christianisme des Indes, torn. i. p. 57, 64, 70.
The Syrian Church, on the coast of Malabar, was, partly by artifice and intrigue,
partly by force and oppression, brought into subjection to the see of Rome in the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, after the settlement of the Portuguese in that
part of India ; but about the middle of the seventeenth century, part of them broke
off from the Romish Church, and resumed their independence. The Syrian Christians,
properly so called, in a letter addressed a few years ago to their brethren in Mesopo
tamia, stated, that they consisted of 11,972 families, and that they had forty-five
churches and a half. They are found chiefly in the interior of Travancore, toward the
foot of the Ghauts. In the government census of Travancore in 1836, they are stated
to amount to 118,382 souls; while the Romano-Syrians are stated to be 56,184. — La
Croze, Histoire du Christianisme des Indes, torn. i. p. 275 ; torn. ii. p. 1, 95 ; Proceed.
Ch. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 319 ; Ibid. 1820, p. 336; Wilson's Lands of the Bible, vol. ii.
p. 506.
3 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 168, 315, 325 ; Ibid. 1820, p. 337 ; Miss. Reg.
1830, p. 503.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 347
buildings, many of them hundreds of years old ; some were ra
ther splendid edifices and of considerable extent, and were not
unlike many of the old parish churches in England.1 They had
neither pews nor benches, but they were provided with altars
and crosses, before which lights were kept continually burning.
There were no pulpits ; the priests adopted the ancient mode
of sitting when they addressed the people. The whole ser
vices were in Syriac, which to the people is an unknown
tongue; they were chaunted by the catanars, and accom
panied by frequent genuflexions, prostrations, and crossings
on the forehead and breast ; there was also the burning of in
cense and the adoration of the host. Preaching there was none ;
the catanars were in general too ignorant themselves to teach the
people. Some of them had not read the whole of the New Tes
tament; they were even unacquainted with the most remarkable
facts contained in the Holy Scriptures, as well as with the plain
est and most important doctrines of the gospel. Celibacy was
now general among them ; though not positively enjoined great
sanctity was ascribed to it ; and the result was, as in other
churches where the practice prevails, great licentiousness, the
catanars being distinguished for the looseness of their lives.
The consequence of all this was, that the people generally were
sunk in ignorance, superstition, and vice. There was a total
absence of every thing like devotion in their religious services,
and it was rare to meet with any one who had so much as a
rational thought about eternity. The Sabbath was entirely dis
regarded by them ; they pursued on it their ordinary avocations
as on other days. The profanation of the name of God, drunken
ness, and the lusts of the flesh, were also very prevalent among
them. Yet, notwithstanding all this, they are represented as
several degrees above the heathen around them, as of a mild
and simple character, as honest and truthful, though, at the
same time, as extremely indolent.2
1 Pictures of many of them may be seen in Dr Buchanan's Memoirs, vol. ii.
8 Miss. Reg. 1818, p. 102, 110 ; Ibid. 1822, p. 426, 428 ; Ibid. 1829, p. 326 ;
Ibid. 1831, p. 243; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 315, 325; Ibid. 1820, p. 337, 342,
344; Hud. 1821, p. 162, 272.
It is remarkable how much all the ancient churches have in common with the
Church of Rome ; and how nearly they resemble each other, particularly in their cere
monial and superstitious practices. This would seem to indicate that many of the

348 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Low as the Syrian church had fallen, it was not the object of
the mission to lead the people to separate themselves from it,
but to raise it from its present wretched condition, and to do
this as much as possible through its own instrumentality, par
ticularly its ecclesiastical authorities, the Metran1 and catanars.
Mr Norton settled at Allepie, where he laboured among both
Christians and heathens. Mr Bailey was attached to the col-
evils which are found in the ancient churches have a common origin, and, by con
sequence, the early corruption of Christianity, before the church was even broken
down into sects and parties. It may be easy for one who wishes to exhibit these
churches under a favourable aspect, to allege this and the other point of difference be
tween them and the Church of Rome ; for example, that while she prohibits the read
ing of the Scriptures by the laity, they do not forbid the use of them. But truly, the
difference between them is at least, practically, very immaterial ; for, if the Scriptures
were read at all, it was in a dead language, which the people, and in many cases the
priests themselves, did not understand, as the ancient Greek, Armenian, Coptic, or
Syriao, while there were no translations of them into their mother tongue, and if they
had even had them, they would not generally have been able to read them. In fact,
where such translations have of late years been made, they have commonly met with
great opposition. The ancient churches which are still existing, are, in reality, little if
at all better than the Romish Church. We question if there are even to be found in
them those examples of piety which are occasionally to be found in the Church of
Rome.— Proceed. Ch.*Miss. Soc. 1849, p. 76 ; Ibid. 1852, p. 70.
' Notwithstanding the poverty of the Syrian Church in India, the metran, who is at
the head of it, keeps up an imposing style of dress. Major Mackworth, giving an account
of a visit which he paid to him in the college at Cottayam, says, " We proceeded to
the apartment of the metropolitan, whom we found in bis usual robe of crimson silk,
with an agate cross suspended from his neck by a golden chain, red shoes, gold or gilt
buckles, and his head covered with a peculiarly shaped silk handkerchief, in which nu
merous small crosses were marked. The crimson robe resembled in shape an English
clergyman's surplice, and the dress was certainly handsome."
This appears to be the metran's ordinary dress. The following is Major Mackworth's
account of his official costume : " In the evening, the metropolitan came to us in state,
which he had kindly consented to do in order to afford me the gratification of seeing
him in his pontifical robes. He wears a mitre on these occasions ; and the pastoral
crook or crozier is carried before him. The latter is of a very ancient form, having
the top ornamented with gold, and the staff made of polished black wood, with a stripe
of silver descending spirally from the top to the bottom. After a short time, he took
off most of his robes, and kept on only the usual one of crimson silk."
The metran lived in the college, but his apartments presented a somewhat striking
contrast to his dress. Major Mackworth gives the following account of his farewell
visit to him ; " We again visited the metropolitan, and it was not without some emo
tion of sorrow that I finally quitted this venerable man. He received me as before in
his little bedroom ; the furniture of which consisted simply of a bed, three chairs, a
very small table, a wooden chest, and a brass lamp. From the canopy of his bed some
dresses of ceremony were hanging on a cord, and a very few books lay on the chest op
posite the one small window. Besides this little room, he has one other, not much
larger, which is nearly empty. Such I pictured to myself the abode of an archbishop
in the primitive ages of the church, before the progress of society and civilization had
effected a corresponding change." — Miss. Reg. 1823, p, 151, 154.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 349
lege at Cottayam,1 where he was afterwards joined by the Rev.
Messrs Fenn and Baker, who with him were to devote them
selves to the revival of pure religion in the Syrian church.
With this view there were three objects which they primarily
contemplated, an improved course of education in the college
for candidates for the priesthood, the translation of the Holy
Scriptures and other useful works into the Malayalim language,
and the establishment of schools throughout the country for the
education of the young. It was the design of the missionaries
to attempt as little change as possible in the Syrian church, that
so its character and individuality might be preserved ; and it
was their constant study to gain the confidence of the metran,
to act in strict harmony with him, and to conciliate his co-ope
ration and that of the priesthood, so as to make them as much
as possible the instruments of its reformation. They appeared
completely successful in winning the confidence of the metran,
Mar Dionysius, who is represented as entitled to much respect,
not only on account of his official rank, but of his character as
a wise and humble man. He was deemed the head of the mis
sion as well as of the Syrian church. Nothing was done with
out acquainting him with it, nor was any thing allowed to which
he at all objected. His mind appeared to open to a view of the
real state of the church over which he presided, and to enter
cordially into the plans proposed for its improvement.2
The catanars and the people, it was more difficult to conciliate.
Their ignorance, their political depression, their jealousy of
foreign interference, their tenaciousness of their own habits and
customs, and, above all, the licentious manners of the priests,
concurred to render this a matter of peculiar difficulty and de
licacy. Many raised every obstacle in their power to the adop
tion of measures calculated to restrain their vicious practices.
The missionaries, however, appeared by their cautious and con
ciliatory conduct, to disarm their jealousy and opposition, and
to win the favourable regards of both the priests and the people.3
1 An engraving of the college may be found in the Missionary Register for 1824,
p. 416.
2 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. ». p. 454 ; Ibid. 1819, p. 167, 315, 326 ; Ibid. 1820,
p. 178, 338 ; Ibid. 1822, p. 153.
3 Miss. Reg. 1818, p. 98 ; Ibid. 1825, p. 543; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 167,
323; Ibid. 1820, p. 339.

350 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Whether worldly motives might not have some influence in
producing these results does not appear ; but it is proper to
mention, that a civil connection was established through Colonel
Munro, betwee.n the Syrian people at large and the missionaries;
by the latter being made the channel of access and appeal to the
English resident, and through him to the Ranee's government.
Thus the missionaries were constituted the medium through
which the redress of grievances was to be obtained, and all the
privileges of the Syrians were in some measure committed into
their hands. All this might appear good policy, nor have we
any evidence that it failed of its object ; but to our view, it
savours more of worldly wisdom than of Christian simplicity ;'
and we cannot but deprecate the mingling up of missionaries
with secular or political matters, with a view to some ulterior,
and especially to a spiritual end. With respect to the metran,
he was not only the head of the college and resided in it, but
he was allowed a salary of fifty rupis monthly from its funds,
and this was afterwards increased to seventy ; his salary had
previously been drawn from very objectionable sources.1
In December 1818, Mr Fenn, in an assembly of catanars and
elders, over which the metran presided, delivered an address,
in which he drew their attention to various things in the con
stitution and practice of their church which called for inquiry
and consideration, such as the degrees or orders of their clergy,
and the duties and privileges of each class ; the rites and cere
monies, and particularly the objects, of their worship ; the ends
proposed by Christ in the institution of a priesthood, and the
appointment of public worship, and whether these were secured
in their church ; and finally, the life and conversation of the
clergy, including the practice of celibacy and its results. It was
plain from Mr Fenn's address, that in regard to these various
points he thought there was much in their church that was un
warranted by, and contrary to, the word of God ; but with* the
view of bringing about a reformation of existing evils through
their own instrumentality, it was proposed that the metran
should appoint six of their ablest and most respected catanars,
who, along with him and the Malpan, should define their present
rites, ceremonies, and worship ; and that the missionaries should
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 166, 168, 316, 326 ; Miss. Reg. 1830, p. 503.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 351
with them discuss every point, and judge of it by the rule of
Scripture, to the authority of which, it is said, the Syrians
amidst all their declension and corruption were ever ready to
submit, a statement the accuracy of which we greatly question,
at least as regards their practice.1
Whether the address of Mr Fenn led to any inquiry into, or
any discussion of, the various points referred to by him, does not
appear ; but there was one important matter, the celibacy of
the clergy, to which the attention of the metran had been early
drawn, and in regard to which a reformation was already begun ¦¦
He was decidedly favourable to the change, but, as has been
already mentioned, the Syrians attach great sanctity to a life of
celibacy, and it was merely on account of the dissolute state of
morals among the clergy that he acceded to it. It was urged
in favour of the existing practice that the priests were too poor
to maintain a wife and family. To obviate this objection, Colonel
Munro had offered to give 400 rupis to the first catanar who
should marry, and promised to make arrangements by which
the priests generally might marry and support their families.
The proposal of catanars marrying was, however, so novel, that
the people hesitated to give their daughters to them in marriage ;
but after two or three years, a considerable number of them
were married, though there were still a few who objected to the
practice.2 Among the objects of the mission, no one was felt to be of
more urgent necessity than the raising up of a body of well
qualified priests for the Syrian Church ; and with a view to
this, the missionaries were anxious to introduce into the college
at Cottayam a regular and efficient course of instruction for
candidates for holy orders. When they first arrived in the
Country, there were in it thirty or forty sub-deacons, youths be
tween the age of fourteen and twenty-two, designed for the
priesthood ; some of them could not read their own language,
and few were desirous of any knowledge beyond what was ab
solutely necessary to give them admission into the priesthood.
Under the missionaries, the number of students increased, until
it at length exceeded a hundred ; but many of them were little
• Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 326 ; Ibid. 1820, p. 341.
* Miss. Reg. 1818, p. 99; rbid. 1822, p. 427; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1820, p. 178.

352

PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

better than boys, and the education given them was necessarily
of an elementary character, more like that of a school than of
a College. Besides Syrian and Malayalim, they were taught Eng
lish, Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, History, Geography, Arithmetic,
Algebra, and Mathematics. Theology does not appear to have
held that place in the course of education which one would have
expected in a seminary for preparing candidates for the Chris
tian ministry. This arose probably from a fear of alarming the
prejudices of the Syrians, yet Scriptural instruction was not
altogether overlooked. Many of the students made very re
spectable progress, though the success of the Institution was
materially affected by the want of suitable teachers. Of the
existence of truepiety among the students, there was little or
no evidence. They appeared in general to have no idea of the
necessity of a change of heart, but rested satisfied with the per
formance of outward rites and superstitious ceremonies.1
With the view of preparing pupils for the college, the mis
sionaries established a grammar-school at Cottayam, in which
the more elementary branches of education were taught. It
was one of the difficulties and disadvantages under which the
college originally laboured, that the students who entered it
were unacquainted with even the first principles of knowledge.
Dr Watt's First and Second Catechisms for Children were among
the books which they learned ; and though simple in themselves,
they contained what the students had hitherto been very igno
rant of. To remedy this state of things, the grammar-school
was established ; the more promising boys were selected for it,
and were initiated in the English, Malayalim, and Sanskrit lan
guages, and in other elementary branches of knowledge, pre
paratory to their entering the college.2
With a view to the education of the Syrian children generally,
it was the wish of the missionaries to attach a school to every
church, the expense of such schools to be provided for by the
churches themselves ; and as the salary of the teachers was only
five rupis monthly, they did not doubt the practicability of the
plan. The metran accordingly gave orders to the catanars and
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 316 ; Ibid. 1821, p. 162 ; Miss. Reg. 1822, p. 426 j
Ibid. 1827, p. 90, 600 ; Ibid. 1830, p. 503 ; Ibid. 1831, p. 505 ; Ibid. 1832, p. 482.
2 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1821, p. 162, 165 ; Ibid. 1823, p. 149 ; Miss. Reg. 1827,
p. 90 ; Ibid. 1830, p. 333.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 353
elders of the different churches to which teachers were sent, to
pay them out of the funds of the church ; but the Syrians were
not at all willing to meet this expense, unless compelled to do
so by the metran. Few of them were able to read ; and they
were even more indifferent about the education of their chil
dren than the heathen around them. The missionaries, not
withstanding this, established a considerable number of schools
throughout the country, but they were not numerously attended,
and some, after a time, had to be given up.1
There was only one school for girls. Among the Syrians the
females were in a peculiarly degraded condition. Christianity
seemed to have done nothing for them. When the school was
first established, the parents were very unwilling to send their
daughters to it ; but afterwards, when they saw the advantages
which were to be derived from it, they were anxious for them
to attend it. Besides reading and writing their own language,
the girls were taught knitting, spinning, and plain needlework.2
The translation of the Holy Scriptures into Malayalim, was
also an object to which the missionaries early directed their at
tention. A version was accordingly made by several of the
catanars under the superintendence of Mr Bailey. It was made
from the Syriac ; but it was so ill executed, that it was found
of little use. Mr Bailey therefore proceeded to make a new
translation, which of course proved the work of years, as every
good version of the Scriptures must of necessity do. The print
ing of it was also attended with some difficulties. A fount of
Malayalim types was procured from the foundry of the college
of Fort St George ; but it was so defective in point of form,
construction, and number, that it proved nearly useless. Hope
less of obtaining any thing better, at least for a long time, Mr
Bailey, though he had never seen a type-foundry, nor any part
of its apparatus, resolved to attempt forming his own types,
with such aid as he could get from books and from common
workmen. He had recourse chiefly to the Encyclopaedia Bri-
tannica, and with the instructions which he derived from that
and one or two small works, and with the help of a carpenter
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1821, p. 163 ; Ibid. 1823, p. 149 ; Miss. Reg. 1831, p. 243,
245. ' Miss. Reg. 1830, p. 504.
VOL. II. Z

354 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
and two silversmiths, he succeeded in producing a fount of
types, at once correct and beautiful, and much smaller in size
than the one received from Madras, so as to reduce materially
the expense of printing.1
In May 1825, the metran Dionysius died of cholera after an
illness of a few hours. The malpan Philip was chosen his suc
cessor by lot, and Philoxenus, who was formerly elected to the
office, but who finding himself unequal to its duties had since
lived in retirement, now resumed his episcopal cares. Previ
ous, however, to these events, a bishop named Athanasius was
deputed by the patriarch of Antioch to be the metran of the
Syrian church on the coast of Malabar. On his arrival at Tra
vancore, the people were overjoyed at having a foreign metran
who had been sent to them by the patriarch of the mother
church of Antioch, and shewed him every possible respect ; but
he quickly proceeded to exercise his authority with a high hand,
and to act in the most rash and violent manner. In an inter
view with the resident, Colonel Newall, he demanded the im
mediate recognition of himself by the government of the coun
try, as the metran of the Syrian church in Malabar, and the
suspension of the local metrans. He suspended catanars for
acts done in obedience to the late metran Dionysius, demolished
a tomb erected in the church to his memory, denied the validity
of the title of the present metrans, gave orders for omitting
their names in the prayers, and declared that they must be
stripped of their robes, resign their cross and pastoral staff, and
return to the office of priests ; that every priest and deacon or
dained by them must be re-ordained, and also every ecclesiastic
ordained by the last four metrans, as he did not acknowledge
their title to the office, thus annulling the acts of the last nine
teen years. He alarmed Philoxenus by threatening to come
himself and strip him of his robes, and take by force his cross
and staff, and break them in pieces. He actually did re-ordain
some of the catanars, and changed their dress from white to
black, and shaved off all their hair, placing a little cap on the
top of their heads. The two metrans he continually called the
children of Satan ; and one evening in one of the churches^ he
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1818, p. 121 ; Ibid. 181 9, p. 321, 324 ; Ibid. 1824, p. 151 ;
Ibid . 1825, p. 133.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 355
and the Ramban who accompanied him pronounced them over
the gospels, A ccursed. Philoxen us was originally willing to admit
of his counsels as a friendly visitor, but he resisted his arbi
trary and domineering exercise of authority. The catanars and
people so far supported the local metrans, that they were averse
to their being superseded ; but yet they were desirous of sub
mitting to Athanasius, under the idea of his being clothed with
the authority of the Church of Antioch. His measures, how
ever, soon awakened general dissatisfaction. It became evident
that it was a main object with him to exact from them as much
money as possible, as he taxed marriages with heavy fees, and
made bargains with the richer Syrians for their daughters
being married to catanars. His resolute destruction of images
might have been a substantial service to the Church ; but it
was feared that the disgust which his violent proceedings pro
duced might lead the people to cherish this evil the more per
tinaciously. In his attempts to obtain possession of the college,
he was resisted by the missionaries, under the authority of the
resident, Colonel Newall ; and the government of Travancore
judged it necessary for the maintenance of its own authority,
to send him out of the country, when he had been scarcely six
months in it. After some time, the disturbances which he had
raised subsided in a great degree, though not until strong mea
sures were taken with some of the catanars who had attached
themselves to him.1
In 1829, the New Testament in Malayalim, translated by
Mr Bailey, issued from the press at Cottayam ; and it was fol
lowed some years afterwards by the Old Testament. He also
translated into that language the Book of Common Prayer,2 and
1 Miss. Reg. 1825, p. 544 ; Ibid. 1826, p. 115, 478 ; Ibid. 1827, p. 600.
' The missionaries soon after their arrival in the country, translated the Morning
and Evening Services, and some other portions of the English Liturgy, into Malayalim,
and made use of them in public worship, not only without giving offence, but the
metrans, catanars, and others expressed themselves much pleased with them. The
metran even requested Mr Bailey to procure more copies, that they might be sent to
all the churches. Some of the catanars read them in their churches. The mission
aries had no design to impose on the Syrians any of the ceremonies of the Church of
England; but yet the committee thought fit to convey to them their decided judgment,
that the Syrians should be brought back to their own ancient and primitive worship
and discipline, rather than be induced to adopt the liturgy and discipline of the
English Church ; and that should any considerations incline them to such a measure,
it would be highly expedient to dissuade them from it, both for the preservation of

356

PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

various smaller pieces. Besides these works, he compiled a dic
tionary of high and colloquial Malayalim and English, which
was printed in a quarto volume. A grammar of the Malayalim
language was also published by the Rev. J. Peet, another of the
missionaries.1 The philological labours of the missionaries were
thus considerable.
The missionaries preached frequently in the Syrian churches,
and to this no objection appears to have been made ; but they
did not, for a number of years, establish any regular system of
preaching in a place set apart for the service of the Church of
England. They at length, however, judged it advisable to have
stated and regular worship according to the English forms, in
the grammar school. The service in the forenoon was in Eng
lish ; in the afternoon, in Malayalim. The attendants consisted
chiefly of the students in the college, and the boys in the gram
mar school, the girls in the female school, and a few other indi
viduals connected with the mission. One object which the
missionaries had in view, was to exhibit to the Syrians the
forms of worship in the Church of England, that they might
compare them with those used in their own church.2
The most sanguine expectations were entertained for many
years, both by the missionaries and by others, of the success of
this mission. The reformation of the Syrian Church was looked
forward to by them with confidence ; and it was also hoped that
it would become a powerful instrument of spreading the light of
divine truth in the neighbouring countries. But these expecta
tions were doomed, at least for the present, to disappointment.
There was no reformation of the Syrian Church ; no revival of
religion among the people. Among the catanars there was little
improvement ; among the laity generally no material change.
Many had attained some degree of knowledge ; but it appeared
to be unsanctified. The rites and ceremonies of the church re
mained as before ; as did also the errors and superstitions of
the people.3
their individuality and entireness, and for preventing those jealousies and heart
burnings to which it would in all likelihood give birth. — Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc.
1819, p. 321, 324 ; Ibid. 1820, p. 179, 345.
1 Miss. Reg. 1831, p. 285 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 443 ; Rep. Brit, and For. Bible Soc. 1832,
p. Ill ; Ibid. 1842, p. 64 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 77 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1847, p. xx.
2 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1820, p. 345 ; Miss. Reg. 1829, p. 328 ; Ibid. 1831, p. 242.
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soo. 1819, p. 316; Ibid. 1820, p. 343, 345 ; Ibid. 1825, p. 130;

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 357
In 1835, Dr Wilson, the bishop of Calcutta, in the course of
the visitation of his extensive diocese, paid a visit to the Syrian
Christians and to the missionaries in Travancore. On this
occasion, he conferred with the metran1 on various matters both
in private and in the presence of his clergy, and recommended
various points in regard to doctrine and worship to their consi
deration. It was hoped that this visit would be followed by
important results ; but these expectations were entirely disap
pointed. Various circumstances arose to impede and embarrass
the operations of the missionaries, though what these were is
not stated. It would seem that the metran renounced connec
tion with them, and rejected their further help.2
The connection of the missionaries with the metran and the
Syrian Church being now broken up, they adopted a new and
independent course of operation. In consequence of the dis
ruption, a question arose as to the property of the college ; but
it was at length settled by three commissioners, who were ap
pointed for this purpose, and who awarded a proportion of its
value to the mission. With this a new college was erected,
which was -entirely under their care ; and in it was given a
sound classical education, combined with full scriptural instruc
tion, with the view of training up a native ministry in connec-
tio^pwith the Church of England.3 But though the number of
students was considerable, and though their progress in their
studies was respectable, few of them manifested the piety and
other moral qualifications which are essential to a Christian
ministry, a result naturally to be expected when persons who
give no evidence of a change of heart, are set on a course of
study for the ministry, in the hope that during their studies

R)id. 1826, p. 102 ; Miss. Reg. 1825, p. 543 ; Ibid, 1831, p, 505 ; Poid. 1835, p. 460 ;
Ibid. 1836, p. 547 ; Ibid. 1838, p. 248, 321.
1 This was not the metran Philoxenus : he died in 1829.— -3/Vss, Reg. 1830, p. 422.
' Miss. Reg. 1836, p. 256 ; Hud. 1838, p. 321 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 508 ; Ibid. 1844,
p. 329 ; Proceed, Ch. Miss. Soc. 1836 p. 38 ; Ibid, 1839, p. 80.
The Rev. Mr Corrie, afterwards Bishop of Madras, gives the following account : —
" After the Bishop of Calcutta had been there, and had plainly spoken out what reforms
were considered necessary for the clergy, the two metrans collected a hasty synod of
their church, and voted in a violent manner, that they would have no reform, nor any
thing further to do with the missionaries." — Bishop Corrie s Memoirs, p. 594.
3 Miss. Reg. 1840, p. 461 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 368; Ibid. 1844, p. 328; Ibid. 1847,.
p. 443.

358 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
that change will be produced, instead of looking to personal
piety, as an essential pre-requisite to entrance on a course of
preparation for such a sacred work. Even in our own country,
such an experiment will commonly be found to fail : how much
more may it be expected to fail in such a country as India ?
The missionaries now called on the Syrians to come out of
their own church, in the same way as they would call on mem
bers of the Romish Church to leave her communion, and such
as did so, they were ready to receive into the Church of Eng
land. Places of worship were built at Cottayam, Pallam, Mave-
licare,1 and also at several out-stations in which the liturgy of
the English Church was used. The congregations consisted
chiefly of Syrians, numbers of whom, it is stated, were beginning
to see the corruptions of their own church. It may naturally
be supposed that these new measures would call forth strong
opposition on the part of the Syrian Church ; but though there
was opposition, it was only temporary ; their stoutest opponents,
who were generally catanars, ceased, after a time, to give them
any trouble. Indeed, the Syrian Church was torn by internal
dissensions. There were at one time three metrans, and a fourth
had arrived at Bombay. The only one possessing authority was
daily engaged in ordaining children, some of them only five
years old, for a stipulated fee ! 2 %
In January 1853, the number of persons under instruction in
connection with this mission, amounted to 4683, all of whom
were baptized, with the exception of 255. The communicants
amounted to 1216.3 Many of them were from the Syrian
Church ; a few were Romanists ; others were Hindus. Of their
character, we are not able to speak.
We have thus given a somewhat detailed account of this mis
sion to the Syrian Church, because it involved an important
experiment ; and we trust the result of that experiment will not
1 The station at Allepie was partly among Syrians and Romanists, but chiefly among
Hindus. A station was begun at Cochin in 1817, which, though not in Travancore,
was partly among Syrians, partly among Romanists, Jews, Mahomedans, and heathens.
It was removed in 1842 to Trichoor, a town about fifty miles to the north-east of that
place, 2 Proceed. Ch, Miss. Soc. 1842, p. 75 ; Miss. Reg. 1840, p. 461, 463 ; Ibid. 1847.
p. 443, 445.
3 Miss. Reg. 1853, p. 440.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 35.9
be lost as regards similar attempts for the revival of scriptural
Christianity among the ancient churches of the East. Hitherto
the system pursued by the missionaries of various Societies who
have been sent among these churches, has been to infuse scrip
tural truth and spiritual life into them, in the hope of thereby
effecting their reformation, but not to draw any converts who
may be made out of them, nor to form them into separate
churches. A distinction has been made between the Church of
Rome, and the Greek, the Armenian, the Syrian, the Coptic, and
other Eastern churches, though on what grounds we are not able
to see. They have all wofully departed from the truth and
simplicity of the gospel. The ignorance which prevails in most
of them is even greater than what is found in the Romish Church,
and the examples of true piety are probably still more rare ;
while the corruptions are as gross, and in fact are in many cases
so similar as to indicate a common cause or origin, and to pro
duce the same pernicious results.1 If therefore it be vain to think
of reviving scriptural Christianity in the Church of Rome, it is
equally vain to think of reviving it in these churches. If it be
right to call on members of the Romish Church to " come out
of her," it is equally right to call on members of these churches
to separate themselves from them. In short, whatever rule is
applied to the one, is, we apprehend, equally applicable to the
other. It is not unworthy of notice, that this experiment in regard
to the Syrian Church was made under more favourable circum
stances than similar experiments can ordinarily be expected to
be made. To say nothing of its being made by members of an
1 In confirmation of the opinion which we have here expressed, we may quote the tes
timony of the Rev. Mr Wolters, one of the Church missionaries at Smyrna : " Many
Protestant Christians, both clergy and laity, seem to think that there is a considerable
difference between the Church of Rome and the Churches in the East ; but a sojourn
of sixteen years in different countries of the East, during which time I have had unin
terrupted occasion to observe the life and conduct of Eastern Christians, of all classes
of society, has brought me to form quite a different opinion. I do not hesitate to as
sert that there is no essential difference between these churches and the Church of
Rome. They are (I speak of the Greek and Armenian Churches) as deeply corrupted,
both in doctrine and in practice, as the Church of Rome is, and perhaps more degraded
in certain respects. ' The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the
sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it ; but wounds, and bruises,
and putrifying sores ; they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified
with ointment.' " — Miss. Reg. 1849, p. 240.

360 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Episcopal church, whose orders of clergy and whose modes of
worship bore some general resemblance to those of the Syrian
Church, it was made with the prestige of the name of England,
whose Resident exercised a powerful influence at the court of
Travancore, and who used that influence for the special benefit
of the Syrians. Under his patronage the missionaries appeared
in the country, and through his means they were made, in the
first instance, the channel through which the people might ob
tain certain temporal advantages. Even the metran of the Sy
rian Church enjoyed a salary in connection with the college.
All these circumstances were calculated to smooth the path of
the missionaries, to give them favour in the eyes of the Syrians,
to incline them to pay some regard to their instructions, and to
fall in with their measures. But notwithstanding these advan
tages, the missionaries, after nearly twenty years' labour, found
themselves as distant as ever from the great object which they
had in view, the reformation of the Syrian Church through the
instrumentality of its own members.
The plan of undermining the corruptions of a church by the
indirect and silent diffusion of evangelical truth may appear to
possess many advantages, particularly in the way of disarming
opposition, but though it may be tolerated for a time, dissatis:
faction and alarm are likely to be the result whenever the true
character of the attempt comes to be seen, and it will be seen
as the scheme developes itself, and especially if it begin to tell
upon the people. The distrust and opposition may not impro
bably be then all the greater, in consequence of the main object
in view having been previously kept out of sight.
Besides, such a system of operation is attended with material
disadvantages. The missionaries must be greatly shackled in
their proceedings. They must not, lest they should give offence,
expose the corruptions of the church, at least not with plainness
and fidelity ; they must not make a clear and full exhibition
of divine truth, particularly as regards the more essential doc
trines of the gospel, such as the character and office of Christ
as the only mediator between God and man, the nature and ne
cessity of regeneration, the method of justification by grace
through faith without the deeds of the law, the work of the
Holy Spirit in the sanctification of the heart and life, principles

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 361
which lie at the root of all true religion, and without the public
and faithful exhibition of which no reformation or revival of
religion need be expected in any church or community. They
must not, in short, address men's consciences and hearts, " be
seeching them in Christ's stead to be reconciled unto God,
warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that
they may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."
Besides, should even individuals, notwithstanding a very im
perfect exhibition of divine truth, become the subjects of a sav
ing change, yet if they remain the members of a church sunk
in ignorance and error, in superstition and corruption, they can
scarcely fail to be essentially affected by the evils with which
they are surrounded, and which form, as it were, the moral at
mosphere which they daily breathe. Such converts are likely
to prove Christians of a very dwarfish order ; they are in cir
cumstances very unfavourable to growth in knowledge and in
piety, and they are consequently little likely to be instrumental
in the reformation of the church to which they belong. If any
thing like spiritual light and life should happen to be kindled,
it is likely to be soon extinguished, and to produce little or no
permanent results. We know of no example of churches so
thoroughly corrupted as they are, being reformed by means of
converts who remained in their communion. The reformation
which was effected in so many countries of Europe in the six
teenth century, was in every instance effected through the in
strumentality of personswho separated from the Romish Church,
and thenceforth acted independently of her authority, and un
restrained by her bulls and her laws. Even that reformation
was in most countries very imperfect, but how much more im
perfect would it have been, had the reformers remained in com
munion with the Church of Rome !
The reference which is sometimes made to the way in which
the Reformation proceeded is, we think, singularly unhappy,
whether we regard what it did effect, or what it left uneffected.
By what we have said, we do not mean that we would make it
our primary object to attack error ; our main object would be to
make known the great truths of the gospel ; but yet we would
not stand back from exposing the errors which are opposed to
them and which stand in the way of their reception. We would

362 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
avoid controversy as much as possible ; we would not introduce
such topics unnecessarily ; but still, when occasion required it,
we would not pass them in silence, we would not treat them as if
they had no existence, or as if they were of a trifling or imma
terial nature. Truths will generally fall perfectly pointless un
less the opposite errors are exposed, affording as they commonly
do a refuge of lies to which the convinced understanding and the
awakened conscience are but too ready to betake themselves.
Even if the great truths of religion are received and believed, it
is a grievous mistake to conclude that they will necessarily lead
converts to renounce the errors and the superstitious rites and
ceremonies of their churches. The present condition of many
of the churches of the Reformation are a sad proof of the con
trary, and shew that gross errors and abuses, if not corrected
originally, may be handed down from generation to generation,
tarnishing the glory and marring the usefulness of the churches
themselves, and may become at length so established that there
is no rooting them out.
The ancient churches in the East ought, we apprehend, to be
treated in the same way as Protestants generally are disposed
to treat the Church of Rome. There should be no symbolizing
or compromise with them ; their errors and corruptions should
be fully and faithfully exposed ; the doctrines of the gospel should
be proclaimed in all their scriptural simplicity and purity ; con
verts in them should be called on to separate from them and to
form churches on the principles of the New Testament. Such,
we apprehend, is the scriptural mode of procedure in regard to
churches so corrupt as are those of the East. " Come out from
among them, and be ye separate ; and touch not the unclean
thing," is a general principle, and is not to be confined to hea
then worshippers and idol worship. We may dignify the plan
of reforming a corrupt church by the indirect and silent diffu
sion of evangelical truth with the name of wisdom and prudence;
but in the end it will be found, that " the foolishness of God is
wiser than man, and the weakness of God stronger than man."
Where great and long-established evils are to be remedied, a
timid, feeble, pliant policy will commonly prove utterly vain ;
it is only by bold, energetic, resolute measures that any refor
mation is to be effected. We are quite aware that such a course

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 363
of procedure will be attended with many and great difficulties ; .
that it is likely to call forth violent opposition, and even per
secution of both the missionaries and the converts, provided
the church has the power to persecute ; but still we are satisfied
that this is the scriptural and the rational mode of procedure,
the only one, in fact, that is likely to be crowned with success ;
and if this opinion be well founded, no difficulties, no opposi
tion, no persecution should deter us from acting upon it.

Art. 6. — Ceylon.
In June 1818, the Rev. Messrs Lambrick, Knight, Ward, and
Mayor, landed in Ceylon with the view of commencing a mis
sion on that island. Soon after their arrival, they established
three different stations, one atKandy, the capital of the interior;
another at Nellore, near Jafihapatam ; and a third at Badda-
game, a village about twelve miles from Galle ; others were
afterwards established at Cotta in the neighbourhood of Co
lombo, at Chundicully, and at Copay, the last two in the dis
trict of Jaffna.1
The mission in Ceylon resembled in its general features most
of the missions established in India ; its results were, however,
of even a less favourable nature. Few fields, indeed, proved
more discouraging, or yielded less fruit. With the exception
of such of the natives as were dependent on the missionaries,
or who were influenced by the hope of some worldly advantage,
comparatively few attended statedly on the preaching of the
gospel, and the greater part of those who had done so for
years together, were as insensible to its power and excellence, as
the mats on which they sat, or the walls within which they met.
The missionaries were not, indeed, without hope that some good
was done among the adult portion of their hearers, yet little
impression was made on the mass of the population around
them, and even in the few cases in which there might be some
what of real piety, examples of a vigorous and lively faith were
unknown.2 ¦ Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1819, p. 186 ; Ibid. 1820, p. 189, 198 ; Ibid. 1824, p. 162 ;
Ibid. 1851, p 189.
¦ Miss. Reg. 1830, p. 363, 366; Ibid. 1831, p. 294; Ibid. 1832, p. 262; Ibid. 1833,

364 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
In the schools, thousands of boys and girls were educated,
and much religious and other useful knowledge was communi
cated to them ; but the results were by no means such as might
have been expected from youths who had attained so much in
formation as many of the scholars possessed. By far the greater
part of the children educated in them appeared to live quite as
regardless of religion as those who had not been favoured with
a religious education. Few of them ever attended public wor
ship, or read the books which they used to learn while at school ;
they shewed little desire to keep up the knowledge which they
had acquired ; and hence, though for a few years while at
school they were elevated above others, and might have con
tinued to maintain that position by rightly using and employ
ing the learning they had acquired, they fell back again among
the mass of their countrymen, and, it was feared, learned and
followed their ways.1
Besides the day-schools, the missionaries established at Cotta
an Institution for giving a higher education to a number of the
more promising youths who were selected from the other schools
for this purpose, and were boarded and educated with a view to
their becoming schoolmasters, catechists, and assistant-mission
aries. The course of study pursued in it, included Cingalese,
English, Latin, Greek, History and Geography, Arithmetic,
Algebra, Geometry, and Theology. There were also seminaries
at Nellore and Baddagame for giving a higher education than
was given in the day-schools ; and the more promising pupils
were afterwards sent to the Cotta Institution. The progress of
the students was, on the whole, very satisfactory. After com
pleting their education, a number of them were employed in the
mission as schoolmasters and catechists, and several were ad
mitted to priest's orders. But the proportion of these to the
numbers educated in the institution was small, so small indeed,
as to shew plainly that the state of Christianity in Ceylon is
not yet sufficiently advanced to furnish an adequate supply
of students to an exclusively theological institution, a remark
p. 544 ; Ibid. 1840, p. 474 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 327 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soo. 1845, p. 87 ;
Ibid. 1851, p. 191.
1 Miss. Reg. 1831, p. 288 ; Ibid. 1833, p. 543 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 167 ; Ibid. 1848, p. 357 ;
Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1845, p. 87.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 365
which will apply to many other missions besides those in that
island.1 Though a translation of the Holy Scriptures into Cingalese
had been made and printed some years before, under the autho
rity of the Colombo Bible Society, Messrs Lambrick and Sel
kirk undertook and completed a new version of the Old and
New Testament in that language, as they did not think the
other adapted for ordinary use, owing to its high style, words
from the Pali and Sanskrit languages being employed instead
of those in common use, and a pompous phraseology in reference
to the Deity, which they considered as highly objectionable.
In their translation, they adopted a more colloquial style, with
the view of rendering it generally intelligible. Messrs Lam
brick and Selkirk also translated into the Cingalese language
the Book of Common Prayer. Many elementary school-books
and a large number of religious tracts were likewise printed by
the missionaries, and circulated among the natives, but they
were often received with great indifference ; sometimes they
were burned, or even torn in pieces before the eyes of those who
gave them away.2
This mission has now been carried on for between thirty and
forty years with much fewer trials and hindrances, through the
death or ill health of the missionaries, or through other causes,
than most of the Society's missions, yet its progress has been
small as regards its great and primary object, the conversion of
souls to Christ. The cares of the world and the pursuit of its
riches were the all-engrossing affairs, so far as the heathen were
concerned, while the inconsistencies of the nominal Christians
manifested not unfrequently the powerlessness of their faith.
Some sad cases of apostasy and hypocrisy occurred among
them. Perhaps, however, an utter indifference to all spiritual
religion rather than hypocrisy describes the state of heart of
most of the nominal converts. From the circumstance of the
heathen system, with which they were acquainted, making
no demand on the understanding or the heart, but ensuring
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1843, p. 77 ; Rrid. 1844, p. 82 ; Ibid. 1845,p. 85 ; Riid.
1847, p. 93 ; Poid. 1851, p. 186 ; Miss. Reg. 1840, p. 473.
2 Miss. Reg. 1834, p. 539 ; Ibid. 1835, p. 373 ; Ibid. 1838, p. 371 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss.
Soc. 1845, p. 86 ; Selkirk's Recollections of Ceylon, p. 419, 450, 527.

366

PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

them an all-sufficiency of merit on the performance of a few
outward prescribed acts, it is scarcely to be wondered at that
the nominal converts should abound in inconsistencies. As
heathens they had no zeal for their own creed, for there was
nothing in it to work upon their affections, and when their pro
fession was changed, there was no foundation of feeling upon
which to work.1
In 1852, the number of communicants connected with this
mission, amounted to 367.2
Besides the stations of which we have given an account, the
Church Missionary Society established a number of others in
various parts of India ; but they furnish few details of an in
teresting nature materially different from those which we have
already had occasion to give in our account of other missions.
We shall therefore simply subjoin a table of the other stations
which are occupied by it.

Begun.

Stations.

Begun.

Stations.

Bengal Presidency.

Madras Presidency.

1817

Burdwan.

1841

Masulipatam.

1850

Bhagulpur.

Bombay Presidency.

Agra Presidency.
1820
Bombay.
1817
Benares.
1832
Nasik.
1823
Gorruckpur.
1846
Junir.
1813
Agra.
1850
Malligaum.
1815
Mirut.
1850
Sinde.
1844
Kotghur.
1851
Amritsir.
SECT. VII.— NEW SOUTH WALES.
In August 1832, the Rev. W. Watson and the Rev. John C. S.
Handt proceeded to Wellington Valley, about 250 miles north
east of Sydney, with the view of commencing a mission among the
aborigines of the country. The British government had agreed
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soo. 1844. p. 81. ' Ibid. 1853, p. 142.
BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 367
to appropriate from the revenues of New South Wales, an annual
sum not exceeding £500 for the support of the mission. One
of the first objects to which the missionaries directed their at
tention, was the establishment of a school. It was attended by
from twenty to thirty children ; and though the natives of New
Holland are commonly reckoned among the lowest and most
degraded of the human family, yet these wild children of the
bush, did not appear to be in any degree inferior in intellect or
ability to children in Europe. They learned -their lessons,
hymns, and prayers, as readily as boys and girls in an Eng
lish school ; and it is not unworthy of notice, that after a
time, they became much attached to books, and deemed it a
severe punishment to be deprived of them. While learning the
alphabet and the spelling of words, they felt no interest in it,
and the work of instruction was tiresome enough to both the
teacher and the scholars ; but when they got over these preli
minary steps, and were able to read so as to understand what
they read, their, attention was excited, and they began to feel a
pleasure in the employment, and never appeared to be weary of
it. They, however, wanted steadiness, and were very irregular
and uncertain in their attendance. The girls, it was remarked,
were more steady and tractable than the boys.1
It was with some difficulty that the missionaries brought a
number of the natives to settle in their neighbourhood and to
attend on religious instruction ; but after some years, their
general behaviour at public worship was good, and presented a
pleasing and interesting spectacle, especially as contrasted with
their early, wild, and heathen habits. Some of their customs,
however, rendered it almost impossible to form a congregation
of males and females. The young men are prohibited from go
ing near a female for several years ; and even those men who have
wives have an objection to come to church, if many females are
present.2 As to civilization, though they at all times manifested some
thing of their savage disposition and habits, yet on the whole,
the conduct of a considerable number of them, shewed a change
' Miss. Reg. 1831, p. 118 ; Ibid. 1833, p. 455 ; Rud. 1834, p. 503 ; Proceed. Ch.
Miss. Soc. 1837, p. 85; Ibid. 1839, p. 94.
2 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1837, p. 85 ; Ibid. 1839, p. 93.

368 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
for the better. Some were employed by the missionaries in
various kinds of labour : some were becoming more steady, less
addicted to wandering, and more cleanly in their habits.1
The missionaries compiled a grammar and vocabulary of the
dialect spoken at Wellington by the natives. They also trans
lated into it the gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John, and some
other parts of Scripture, a portion of the English Liturgy, and
Dr Watt's Small Catechism.2
In 1837, Mr Handt was appointed by the government of
New South Wales, to the ministerial charge of the penal settle
ment at Moreton Bay, about 400 miles to the north of Sydney.
Here his labours were directed partly to the European popula
tion, including the convicts at the settlement, and partly to the
aborigines in the neighbourhood. The natives, however, were
not numerous ; and it is worthy of notice, that their language
was very different from the Wellington dialect ; there was no
more affinity between the two than was enough to shew that
they had a common origin. Mr Handt had here so little pros
pect of success, in consequence of the savage character and wan
dering habits of the natives, that after some time he was again
removed to Wellington.3
Indeed, the difficulties with which the mission to New South
Wales had to contend were exceedingly great, arising not more
out of the deeply degraded condition of the aborigines, than
of the demoralizing influence upon them of the convict popu
lation on the outskirts of the colony. In consequence of the
difficulties arising from various sources, and there being no
prospect of surmounting them, the station at Wellington Valley
was also given up in 1841 or 1842.4

SECT. VIII— NEW ZEALAND.
In August 1809, William Hall and John King sailed for Port
Jackson, with the view of forming a settlement on New Zealand,
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1839, p. 94 ; Poid. 1840, p. 83.
2 Ibid. 1837, p. 87 ; Ibid. 1838, p. 90 ; Ibid. 1839, p. 94 ; Miss. Reg. 1839, p. 386.
3 Miss. Reg. 1839, p. 389 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1839, p. 95 ; Riid. 1840, p. 84.
• Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1839, p. 93; Ibid. 1842, p. 85.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 369
for the purpose of introducing the arts of civilization and the
light of Christianity among the inhabitants. The proposal ori
ginated with the Rev. Mr Marsden, the chaplain of New South
Wales ; and as his plan was to employ the arts of civilized life
as a step to their evangelization, the persons employed were
artizans, the one having acquired a knowledge of shipbuilding
and navigation, the other of flax-dressing, twine-spinning, and
rope-making, occupations which it was thought might be
turned to good account in New Zealand, in reference to the ob
jects in view. Several years, however, elapsed before a settle
ment in the country was carried, into effect.1
In November 1814, Mr Marsden, under whose superinten
dence the undertaking was placed, sailed from Port Jackson
for New Zealand with Messrs Hall, King, and Kendall, for the.
purpose of seeing them safely and comfortably settled in the
country. On their arrival, they visited various parts of the
northern island, and were everywhere received, by both the
chiefs and the people, in the most friendly manner. Having
selected a piece of ground for a settlement at Rangi-houa in the
Bay of Islands, Mr Marsden purchased it from the chiefs to
whom it belonged, and had the grant written on parchment, in
all the technical form of an English deed, which Ahoodee 0
Gunna, the chief, ratified, by adding as his signature a minute
copy of the lines tattooed on his face. The land consisted of
about two hundred acres ; the price was only twelve axes.2
Among other things which Mr Marsden brought with him,
were a few horses, cattle, and sheep, and several kinds of poul
try, thinking that the introduction of these useful animals into
the island might be of essential service to the inhabitants. On
the landing of the cattle, the New Zealanders were perfectly
amazed and bewildered, not knowing what to think of such ex
traordinary-looking animals. Their astonishment, however,
was soon turned into alarm. One of the cows, impatient of the
restraint it had so long suffered on board the ship, rushed in
among them, and so terrified them, that, imagining some mon
ster had been let loose on them, they all took to flight. On
their return, Mr Marsden mounted a horse and rode up and
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soo. vol. iii. p. 73.
» Miss. Reg. vol. iv. p. 327, 461, 500.
VOL. II. a a

370 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
down the beach, exciting their wonder in a still higher degree.
To see a man seated on the back of so strange an animal, they
thought the most extraordinary thing in nature, and following
him with gazing eyes, believed him at the moment more than
a mortal. Duaterra, a young New Zealander who had been in
England, had previously described to his countrymen the na
ture and use of the horse, but his account appeared so absurd
in their eyes that it only excited their ridicule. Having no name
in their language for such an animal, he thought that corradee,
their term for a dog, would be the best designation he could
adopt ; but not being able to raise their ideas to the height of
his description, they did not believe a syllable he said. On
telling them that he had seen large corradees carry about men
and women in land canoes, meaning carriages, they would put
their fingers in their ears and desire him very indignantly not
to tell such lies to them. A few, however, more curious than
the rest, to prove his veracity mounted on the backs of their
hogs, saying they must be much more fit for the purpose
of riding than dogs, and, endeavouring to gallop about upon
them, they quickly tumbled into the mire. This was, therefore,
a day of triumph to Duaterra, as it afforded his countrymen
ocular proof of the truth of his statements.1
Having taken up their residence at Rangi-houa, the settlers
endeavoured to teach the New Zealanders some of the more
useful arts of life, but though quick and active in their disposi
tions, the fondness of the savages for a rambling life proved a
great obstacle to their improvement. Parties of them were ready
to assist in felling trees, making fences, cultivating the ground,
or doing anyotherworkwhich required little time to learn. Like
all savages, however, they had not patience to wait for distant
benefits ; immediate gratification was the object they always
sought. After some time, however, some of the New Zealanders
made considerable improvement in some of the more necessary
arts of life ; their progress in fact was greater than could have
been anticipated, and the quantity of land cultivated by the na
tives in the neighbourhood of the settlement was greatly in
creased, chiefly in consequence of the agricultural tools with
1 Miss. Reg. vol. iv. p. 461 ; Nicholas' Voyage to New Zealand, vol. i. p. 171.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 371
which they were furnished by the settlers. Mr Kendall, at the
same time, opened a school, which was attended by a number
of the children ; and with aview to their instruction, he prepared
a spelling-book in their language, which was printed in New
South Wales. He also collected materials for a grammar and
vocabulary of the language, which were afterwards arranged,
with the assistance of Professor Lee of Cambridge, and printed
in England.1
In January 1819, the Rev. John Butler, and Messrs Francis
Hall and James Kemp, the one a schoolmaster, the other a
smith, sailed from England for New Zealand. Mr Marsden ac
companied them from New South Wales, and immediately after
their arrival he purchased land from Hongi, one of the princi
pal chiefs at Keri-Keri, a place about twelve miles from Rangi-
houa. It consisted of about thirteen thousand acres, and cost
only forty-eight axes. On this occasion, some of the chiefs, who
had now begun to appreciate the temporal advantages resulting
from the mission, manifested extreme disappointment that none
of the settlers took up their residence with them. They were
even displeased that so few arrived, and were very impatient
till others should come from England. One chief told Mr Mars
den that he was very angry he had not brought a blacksmith
for him, and that when he heard there was no blacksmith for
him, he and his wives sat down and wept. Mr Marsden assured
him that one would be sent to him as soon as possible ; but the
chief replied, it would be of no use to send a blacksmith to
him when he was dead, and that he was at present in the
greatest distress ; his wooden spades were all broken, and he had
not an axe to make any more; his canoes were going to wreck,
and he had not a nail or a gimlet with which to mend them ;
his potato grounds were uncultivated, as he had not a hoe, and
for want of cultivation he and his people would have nothing
to eat.2 But while the prospects of the mission were gradually
brightening, circumstances occurred which for the present threw
a cloud over it.
In July 1821, the chiefs, Hongi and Whykato, who had ac-
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. vi. p. 127 ; vol, ix. p. 344, 346 ; Miss. Reg. vol. v.
p. 349, 524 ; vol. viii. p. 307, 500 ; vol. ix. p. 308 ; vol. x. p. 198.
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. vii. p. 66 ; vol. ix. p. 200, 208, 284, 286, 298.

372 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
companied Mr Kendall on a visit to England, arrived again in
New Zealand ; but the result of this voyage strikingly illustrates
the inexpediency of taking the natives of heathen countries,
whether converted or unconverted, to Europe. Every attention
had been paid by the Committee of the Society to the two chiefs
when in England, yet Hongi returned with a mind much ex
asperated against them, chiefly, it would appear, because they
had not supplied him with muskets and gunpowder. On these
his whole heart appears to have been set, and during his stay
at Port Jackson he exchanged the valuable presents which he
had received in this country for arms and ammunition. Hear
ing, on his arrival at New Zealand, that the barter in muskets
and powder on the part of the settlers had been relinquished ;
and attributing his not having received in England the full
gratification of his wishes, to letters not having been written to
the Society in his favour, he kept at a distance from the settle
ment of Keri-Keri for several days, and when he did visit it,
nothing was heard from him but loud complaints of the treat
ment he had received in England. The native sawyers, who
had previously worked quietly and diligently, caught his spirit
and struck work, insisting on being paid either in the favourite
articles of muskets and powder, or in money with which they
might purchase them from the whalers. It is painful to state,
that Mr Kendall pleaded for the sale of arms and ammunition
to the natives, alleging that he would sell a musket as he would
sell a dollar, without any reference to the use which might be
made of it, a circumstance which contributed still further to
exasperate the mind of Hongi against Mr Butler and the other
settlers, who refused to act on this most iniquitous principle.1
Hitherto the New Zealanders had treated the missionary set
tlers, on the whole, better than could have been expected, espe
cially when it is considered that they themselves continued to
experience many wanton acts of cruelty from European sailors
who visited the island. Some, indeed, endeavoured to steal
from them whatever they could lay hold of, and others were
very troublesome and turbulent if they did not get what they
wanted, yet, in general, they shewed no disposition to do them
1 Miss*. Reg. vol. x. p. 247 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1822, p. 199, 356, 361.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 373
any personal injury. But now the natives treated them with
an insolence and a contempt which they had not before mani
fested; they came into their houses whenever they pleased,
demanded food from them, broke down their garden fences,
entered the workshop of the smith, demanded his tools to repair
their muskets, or to cast balls, and took away whatever they
thought proper. The settlers found that it was in vain to resist
them, and were obliged to submit with patienee to their nume
rous insults.1
Hostilities of the most formidable nature were now com
menced, and the missionaries at Keri-keri, in particular, were
called to witness the most revolting scenes of ferocity and blood.
Hongi had not been two months in the country, when he pro
ceeded, at the head of a large armament, to attack his country
men on the river Thames. The battle was dreadful, and many
fell on both sides ; but Hongi's party proved victorious. They
slew, it is said, about a thousand of their countrymen, three
hundred of whom they roasted and ate before they left the field
of battle. The settlers beheld them return loaded with the
relics of their cruelty, and witnessed the murder in cold blood,
and the devouring of their prisoners. At such times, the mildest
disposition seemed to be brutalized, and even little children
took a savage delight in murdering other children who were
prisoners of war. The spirit of revenge, however, was not yet
satiated. Hongi again set out on another expedition to sweep
the country with the besom of destruction, when similar scenes
of bloodshed and cruelty were again enacted.2
In August 1823, the Rev. Henry Williams and Mr W. Fair-
burn, an artizan, commenced a third station at a place called
Paihia, about sixteen miles from Keri-keri.3 Numerous other
stations were, in the course of years, established in various
parts of the northern island ; but considerable changes after
wards took place in regard to them, some of them being given
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. v. p. 465 ; vol. viii. p. 210 ; vol. ix. p. 200, 208, 347,
348 ; vol. x. p. 354, 356, 363 ; Miss. Reg. vol. v. p. 347, 520, 525.
3 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. vol. ix. p. 204, 284, 295, 300, 356 ; vol. x. p. 201, 358 ;
Miss. Reg. vol. viii. p. 308 ; vol. x. p. 247 ; vol. xi. p. 67, 504, 506 ; Meth. Miss. No
tices, vol. iii. p. 325.
• Miss. Reg. 1824, p. 409.

374

PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

up or removed to other places. To shew the extent of the mis
sion, we shall here give a table of the present stations : —

Northern District.

Western District.

Kaitaia.

Wanganui.

Kaikohi.

Pipiriki.

Waimate.

Kapiti.

Otaki.

Middle District.

Auckland.

Eastern District.

Hauraki.

East Cape.

Kaitotehe.

Uawa.

Otawhao.

Turanga.

Waikato.

"Wairoa.

Tauranga.

Heretaunga.

Botorua.

Opotiki.

Abikereru.
It appears that the missionaries and the settlers were much
engaged in secular employments, particularly when new stations
were to be formed, as in building houses, clearing and cultivat
ing land, planting gardens, raising fences, and sometimes in
making roads and erecting bridges. In these operations, they
also employed the natives who were, in this way, taught some
what of the arts of civilized life, which was originally one main
object of the mission.1 Through their united labours, some of
the stations wore an air of so much neatness, order, and com
fort, as at once to transport the imagination from New Zealand
to Old England.2
The mission to New Zealand sustained very severe trials from
the misconduct of some of the persons engaged in it, several of
whom it was found necessary to separate from the Society on
account of acts dishonouring to their Christian profession. We
are not informed as to particular cases, but it appears that much
evil arose from private barter and traffic between some of the
Society's agents and the shipping which visited the island. Be
sides other mischiefs, this was found to encourage a spirit of
idleness, to cherish the love of money, to turn the attention of
1 Miss. Reg. 1830, p. 115.
* Marshall's Narrative of Two Visits to New Zealand in 1834, p. 103, 105.
BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 375
the missionaries from their proper work, to wound their con
sciences, and to hurt the minds of those who desired to " be
found faithful." So impressed was Mr Marsden with the evils
arising out of this practice, that he established strict rules for
the prevention or regulation of traffic with ships visiting the
island ; but though these might be useful, we fear they were
not effectual in checking a worldly spirit among the mission
aries.1 1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1823, p. 186 ; Rrid. 1824, p. 182 ; Lang's New Zealand in
1839, p. 29.
Mr Marsden, referring to the improper conduct of certain of the Society's agents,
says : " When I reflect upon the evils which have crept in among the missionaries, I
am astonished that the mission has not been completely annihilated." " Of those
who have hitherto laboured in the mission, some have erred greatly from the right
way ; and all have had their trials and their fears. Some allowance must be made for
their peculiar situation, in the want of Christian society, and of the public ordinances
of religion, such as are enjoyed by the church of God in England.
" There is a lofty tree on my land in New South Wales. It stands on the summit
of a high hill. When I first got possession of the land, this tree was surrounded by
many more. It appeared by its strength and stateliness, as if it would stand uninjured
for ages. I removed all the others, and left it to stand alone, as a conspicuous orna
ment, when it soon withered and died. It still remains in the same situation, a dead
and leafless object ; and has furnished me with many reflections. Remove a Christian
from England, who is bearing the fair fruits of righteousness, like a tree planted by
the water-side, to the barren deserts of New Zealand ; and, I apprehend, he would in a
short time, without special support and grace, put on a faded appearance, and his leaves
droop and wither. If missionaries in heathen lands lose their spiritual strength, which
they are very liable to do, it would be happy for them if they could be removed for a
time into Christian society again, until their strength is recruited, and they are re-
invigorated for their work." — Miss. Reg. 1824, p. 518.
These are important observations, and well^deserve'the serious consideration, both
of missionaries who go abroad and of the friends of missions at home. Removed, as
missionaries often are, from the public ordinances of religion, at least in their former
life and power, and from the salutary influences of Christian, perhaps even of civilized,
society ; or if associated with Europeans in their neighbourhood, these are not unfre-
quently men of no religion ; living among heathens, perhaps among savages, and wit
nessing from day to day their gross idolatry, their debasing superstitions, their want
of the moralities and common decencies of life, their vices and their crimes, often of
the most disgusting, yet corrupting kind ; engaged, as they often of necessity are, in
secular employments, in journeys and voyages, which have so dissipating an effect on
the mind, even though undertaken with a view to the furtherance of their great work,
it is no wonder though they should decline in piety and in zeal, or if some should be
come worldly-minded, fall into gross sin, or apostatize from the faith of the gospel. The
whole moral atmosphere in which they live and breathe is so corrupted, that it can
scarcely fail to have a most injurious influence upon them, especially when to this we
add, the depressing effect of climate on both body and mind, and of the difficulties,
disappointments, and trials of various kinds, which are incident to the life of a mis
sionary, unless they receive a more than ordinary measure of grace and strength from
on high to support and sustain them..
In confirmation of these views, we might adduce the testimony of some who have

376 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
For many years little impression was made on the New Zea
landers. They shewed great indifference to the gospel. Pro
bably they understood little of it ; and what they did not
understand, they could not be expected to value or regard. The
women, it was remarked, were invariably less attentive than
the men. " We can command the attention of the men," says
Mr Yates, " but the women scarcely ever listen, and generally
walk away to their cooking. They are busy and cumbered
and careful about many things." This, we suspect, will not
unfrequently be found to be the case with females, particu
larly among uncivilized tribes. Except where Christianity
has exerted its benign influence in elevating the character
and constitution of women, they are generally found in a low
and degraded state, with faculties less cultivated than the men,
and scarcely able, or at least not inclined, to make the mental
effort necessary for understanding the truths of the gospel. They
seem to think that it scarcely belongs to them to attend to any
thing except providing, perhaps by toilsome labour, for the daily
wants of their husbands and children, while they are, at the
same time, generally more superstitious than the men.1
The New Zealanders, while indisposed to attend to the in
structions of the missionaries, were ready enough to take up
prejudices against them. All their actions, it might almost be
said their very thoughts, were watched by them. They were
shrewd observers, and never failed to tell them of any, even the
least inconsistency which they detected in their conduct. In
New Zealand, as in other of the South Sea Islands, the people
ascribed the prevalence of disease among them to the mission
aries. " We are often told," says Mr Kemp, " that before we
came to the country, they lived to a great age, but. now the
had experience of what it is to live in heathen lands, as the Rev. Mr Corrie, afterwards
Bishop of Madras, Miss. Reg. 1819, p. 273 ; Mr G. Parsons, one of the Baptist mis
sionaries in India, Memoir of the Rev. George Parsons, p. 195 ; Mr Sutton, one of the
General Baptist missionaries in India, Sutton's Narrative of the Mission in Orissa,
p. Ill ; Mr Weitbrecht, one of the Churoh missionaries in India, Miss. Reg. 1840,
p. 305 ; Mr Cokran, one of the Church missionaries in the Hudson's Bay Company's
territory, Miss. Reg. 1839, p. 64. See also an article in the Calcutta Christian Ob
server, vol. x. p. 402, 404, 408, written by a missionary, entitled, " Missionary Piety."
The danger in which missionaries are of religious declension is probably little thought
of by the friends of missions.
¦ Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc 1826, p. 129 ; Miss. Reg. 1830, p. 114.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 377
young as well as the old die. They say that our God is a cruel
god, for it is he that kills them." It was also astonishing with
what industry some captains of ships and others sought to
poison the minds of the natives. They told them that the ob
ject of the missionaries was to get possession of their land ; that
when they are made Christians, they will make slaves of them,
and send them out of the country. It was very industriously
circulated that it was their intention to seize the chiefs, and
have them conveyed to England, and that for those who re
ceived instruction, they were to receive a certain number of
dollars according to the rank of the individual.1
But after some years, the darkness which had long hung
over the mission appeared to be giving way, and its prospects
began to brighten. A number of the natives manifested a con
siderable desire for instruction. The means of grace were
pretty well attended, and their deportment during divine ser
vice was orderly, which was far from being the case formerly.
Some appeared to be inquiring the way to heaven ; and others,
though not influenced by religious feelings, were yet altered in
their outward conduct. These favourable appearances were for
the present confined to those natives who were living in the
different missionary settlements, and who were employed in
various kinds of labour by the missionaries, a circumstance
which was considered as shewing the utility of taking the na
tives from among their countrymen, and bringing them under
the rules of Christian discipline ; but while the fact is not un
worthy of notice, it is evident that this could be done on a very
limited scale only, and can never be made to embrace a tribe or
a nation. The work, however, once begun, continued to extend
from year to year. A great and general outward change took
place among the natives, who were under the instruction and
influence of the missionaries ; and in some, it was hoped, an in
ward change also.2
It was encouraging to see so many inquiring the way to hea
ven ; but the greater part of them were exceedingly ignorant,
even of the first principles of religion, although the gospel had
been so long sounding in their ears. The number of those who
1 Miss. Reg. 1830, p. 114 ; Ibid. 1834, p. 514.
2 Ibid. 1831, p. 60, 63, 65, 411 ; Ibid. 1834, p. 456.

378 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
professed Christianity might almost be said to be increasing
daily ; but there was not that increase in real piety which it
was desirable to see. They cast away some of their old super
stitions, attended pretty regularly on public worship, and paid
considerable respect to the Sabbath ; but here they seemed to
take their stand. The rock on which many split was self-
righteousness; they trusted n/the mere outward forms of religion.
In truth, the progress of the New Zealanders in all that was
good was exceedingly slow. Though they were outwardly civil,
yet the savage heart lay hidden under the civilized face. Their
moral character in the sight of G od ; their endless superstitions ;
their old and confirmed habits of polygamy, adultery, theft,
lying, suicide, all remained in as great force as though no mis
sionary had ever been among them.1
It is common in this country to suppose that the progress of
Christianity and of civilization among heathen and barbarous
tribes, is much greater and more rapid than it really is. Such
ideas have been far too much cherished by the accounts which
have often been given of missions ; yet a little reflection might
lead any reasonable man to stand in doubt of all such representa
tions. To raise a barbarous nation to a state of civilization is not
the work of ten or twenty years, particularly with the slender
and imperfect means usually employed ; but to bring them to
the knowledge and under the influence of Christianity is a work
of greater difficulty still. If a New Zealander begin to think
about his soul and to seek after salvation, he finds himself
ignorant of every thing, and knows not how to proceed or what
to do. He is ignorant of God, of Christ, of himself, of sin, of
holiness ; he is scarcely capable of forming spiritual or abstract
ideas on any subject. Even the ordinary duties of morality, as
truth, honesty, industry, are imperfectly understood by him, so
blunted and so low are his moral perceptions.2
The increasing visits of vessels from what are called Chris
tian countries, chiefly England and America, had a very bane
ful influence on the New Zealanders. The South Sea Whale
Fishery, and the establishment of British Colonies in New Hol
land and Van Diemen's Land, led to a frequent and unre
strained intercourse between our colonial and other seamen,
1 Miss. Reg. 1836, p. 336, 341. » Ibid. 1838, p. 256.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 379
and the natives. This gave rise to many evils, particularly to
a vast amount of prostitution among the females, under the
sanction of the masters of ships belonging to England and her
colonies, and to the spread among them to a fearful degree of
the most frightful diseases. Intemperance, too, was greatly pro
moted by these unprincipled visitors. Not only might the
drunken sailor be seen staggering about to the amusement of
the natives, but rum was imported in large quantities, and was
producing its usual baneful effects among the people. Grog
shops were becoming general, in which both Europeans and
natives had full opportunity to gratify their depraved appetites.1
In 1836, the stations in the southern division of the mission
were for many months in a state of constant anxiety and alarm ;
one station was destroyed and another was plundered by the
natives. This dreadful state of things originated in the treache
rous and cold-blooded murder at Roturoa of a chief called
Hunga, by another chief of the name of Huka. Waharoa, a cele
brated warrior, chief of Matamata, and a near relative of the
murdered chief, resolved to revenge his death. War once begun
quickly spread on all sides, and furnished horrible manifesta
tions of the ferocity of the native character. In the fights be
tween the contending parties, it was calculated that some hun
dreds were killed, men, women, and children, many of whom
were eaten by their enemies, and all this in consequence of one
murder. The sights indeed were often perfectly harrowing.
" Dead to all feeling," says the Rev. Mr Maunsell, " the victors
holding by the hair shook in our view the heads of their van
quished foes, directed our eyes to the bones and hands which
they were carrying in bundles on their backs, and offered us for
food the flesh, the presence of which the abominable stench from
their backs disclosed. Worn out with disgust, I returned to the
settlement. But there similar scenes presented themselves, and
a boy not sixteen years of age stuck up, within two yards of
our fencing, a shrivelled human heart ! " The consciences of
the natives were so seared that they appeared not to entertain
a thought of any thing like guilt attaching to their conduct,
however bloody it might be. Waharoa having come, after some
' Marshall's Narrative of Two Visits to New Zealand in 1834, p. 143 ; Miss. Reg.
1834, p. 549.

380 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
months, to the neighbourhood of Rotorua, a battle was there
fought which led to the destruction of the missionary station.
" Scarcely had the fight commenced," says Mr Knight, " before
the allies of Rotorua were routed, and unfortunately fled through
our station, thereby drawing the great body of the enemy upon
us. A few of the foremost were civil and behaved respectfully
toward us, but we soon saw that we were to share in the cala
mities of the day. I was standing outside of the pathway gate
leading to the house, when two of the enemy came up and de
manded admittance, alleging as their reason a desire to search
whether any of their enemies were secreted there. I refused to
admit them, assuring them that no native was in the house.
They would not, however, believe me, and seeing that they were
determined to force an entrance by another way, I offered to
walk with them. When I got to the house, the crash of doors,
glass, &c. within, convinced me that all was over, that the pro
perty of the station was devoted to the enemy. I opened the
door and let in the two anxious beings behind me, who from
their appearance seemed afraid that they would not be in time
to obtain a portion of the plunder. I walked into my bed-room,
which had not been broken into. My two companions followed,
and in a moment every thing moveable disappeared. I knew
that remonstrance was vain, and therefore said but little. My
room being cleared, I walked through the house amidst such a
scene as beggars description. Every room was filled with
naked armed savages, their countenances lighted up with an
infernal expression of rage and exultation, and most of them
sprinkled with blood warm from the bodies of their enemies.
With difficulty I got through them and stood in the front of
of the house, watching the distressing scene.
" Mr Pilley joined me, but we were not long permitted to
be observers. We were separated; five men seized him, and
three myself. I remonstrated and reasoned with them, but all
in vain. The natives, heedless of my remonstrances, after they
had lugged and pulled me about, each wishing to get all, took
from me my coat, waistcoat, hat, watch, &c, leaving me only
my shirt and trousers. A man was threatening me with a blow
from his battle-axe if I did not give him my remaining garment,
•which I felt not disposed to do, but at this moment God sent

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 381
me a deliverer in a young chief of Waikato, who taking my part,
rescued me out of the enemy's hand. He said that if I would
walk with him he would be my protector, an offer which I
thankfully accepted, knowing that if I remained, it would only
be to fall into the hands of perhaps a worse party than the one
" which had already stripped me. During this time Mr Pilley
was contending with a party in another part of the garden.
The natives finding, in consequence of the resistance he made
to them, that they could not get his clothes from him, threw
him down and stamped upon them. One struck him with the
butt end of his musket and threatened to shoot him, another
struck him under the ear with his fist. Though he would now
have freely given them his clothes to let him alone, they would
not accept his terms, but continued to pull him about, none wish
ing to lose his share in the prize, nor did they release him until
the Rotorua tribe, rallying again, drove them from the station.
He therefore escaped those horrid sights to which I was exposed
for about two hours in the enemy's camp. Having consented
to walk with my deliverer, we left the station. We had not
proceeded far through the farm when I suddenly stepped by the
side of a man just killed ; he lay weltering in his gore. I walked
on almost petrified, and passed bodies which here and there
strewed the ground, until I came to a place where a number of
bodies were laid out previously to their being cut up for the
oven. I turned away in disgust and sick at heart, but which
ever way I looked some sight of horror met my eye. Walking
to a short distance, I had not been there long, when the body
of a man, apparently that moment killed, was dragged into the
camp before me ; his head was off almost before I could look
round ; this did not satisfy the wretches, his breast was opened,
and his heart steaming with warmth was pulled out and carried
off. I did not see such another scene as this, though during the
whole time of my being in the camp I was exposed to the most re
volting scenes. Halves of bodies, quarters, heads, legs, &c. were be
ing carried away, some of which were thrust purposely in my face.
" When the fighting ceased, by order of Waharoa, I was al
lowed to return to my station. He accompanied me part of the
way. I did not remain long at the place. Alas ! it was now a
scene of ruin. About sunset, on looking toward our now de-

382 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
serted station, we saw smoke ascending from the roof of the
dwelling-house, and had scarcely noticed it when the flames
burst out from every part of it, and I may say that in twenty
minutes it was reduced to ashes. Every building in the place
shared the same fa!te, not excepting even the fencing round the
garden. It was a melancholy sight to see our beautiful station
in flames. The tribes of Rotorua burnt it down, in order,
they say, to prevent Waharoa from occupying it as a Pa, or
fortress, as he had threatened to do."
This was the only station that was destroyed, but the pro
perty of the missionaries at Matamata was plundered by a party
of armed natives, who disguised themselves by blackening their
faces with charcoal. Every package was broken open. Books,
shirts, and other articles of wearing apparel, were scattered
about in all directions, and the thieves carried off whatever
they chose.1
In January 1838, Dr Pompallier, a Roman Catholic bishop
from France, landed in New Zealand, accompanied by two
priests. He settled at a place called Kororariki, in the Bay of
Islands. Numerous other priests and catechists afterwards came
to New Zealand. They appeared to labour with great assiduity
and zeal, and won over numbers of the natives to the profession
of the Romish faith. Their manner of worship, its ceremony
and show, were too agreeable to the native character and habits
not to be received by many. Considerable apprehensions were
at first entertained of the Roman Catholic mission, but it does
not appear to have affected in any material degree the Protes
tant missions in New Zealand.2
Just about the time that the first Roman Catholic mission
aries arrived in the island, the New Testament translated by the
missionaries into the New Zealand language was completed at
press, thus furnishing a most seasonable antidote to the errors
of the Romish Church. The impression consisted of 5000 copies,
but such was the eagerness of the people to obtain copies that
it was soon exhausted. The British and Foreign Bible Society

1 Miss. Reg. 1838, p. 287, 291, 295 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1839, p. 107.
2 Annals of the Propagation of the Faith, vol. v. p. 289, 295 ; vol. viii. p. 362 ;
Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1839, p. 106 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 109 ; Ibid. 1852, p. 168 ; Miss.
Reg. 1839, p. 553 ; Rep. Meth. Miss. Soc. 1851, p. 33 ; Tbid. 1852, p. 37.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 383
having been applied to, printed in England a new edition of no
fewer than 20,000 copies, which were equally divided between
the Church and the Methodist missionaries ; but even this large
supply proved quite unequal to the demands of the natives ;
and in the course of a few years, other two editions of 20,000
each were printed, and sent out to New Zealand. The desire
for copies was not confined to such of the natives as were able
to read. Many who could not read were no less anxious to ob
tain them, either that they might have them read to them, or
that they themselves might learn to read. Many copies were
distributed gratuitously ; others were paid for by the natives,
who, in many cases, brought contributions of food and other
produce in return for them.1 A translation of the Old Testa
ment into the language of New Zealand was also carrying on
by the Rev. R. Maunsell, and part of it was printed.2
Besides the Holy Scriptures, the missionaries translated into
the New Zealand language the Book of Common Prayer. The
demand for it was also very great, and large editions of it were
printed in New Zealand. School-books, catechisms, hymn-books,
and various other works, were also printed for the use of the na
tives. A grammar of the New Zealand language was published
by the Rev. R. Maunsell ; and a grammar and dictionary by
Archdeacon Williams, another of the missionaries.3
One of the most remarkable features of this mission was the
extent to which, in the course of a few years, a knowledge of
reading and a profession of Christianity spread among the na
tives. They manifested the greatest eagerness to learn to read
and write. Besides the children and others taught in the schools,
there were many who never had an opportunity of attending
them who yet learned to read. The people in all parts of the
country taught one another, and some by great assiduity, and
under great disadvantages, taught themselves. It was also as
tonishing to witness the eagerness of all classes, both young and
' By the Report of the British and Foreign Bible Society for 1845, it appears that
no less than £431 : 8 : 9, had been paid to the Society for copies thus sold.
2 Miss. Reg. 1839, p. 391 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1839, p. 99; Ibid. 1851, p. 215;
Report of the British and Foreign Bible Society, 1841, p. 79 ; Ibid. 1842, p. 78 ; Ibid.
1843, p. 110 ; Ibid. 1844, p. 114, 117 ; Ibid. 1845, p. 128.
3 Miss. Reg. 1842, p. 475 ; Eep. Brit, and For. Bib. Soc. 1841, p. 79 ; Yates' Ac
count of New Zealand, p. 230 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1852, p. xx.

384 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
old, both males and females, for religious instruction. Much
of what was effected was through native agency. The New
Zealanders were fond of teaching each other, and in moving
about from place to place, they spread the knowledge of the
gospel, communicating to their countrymen what of it they
themselves had learned. In many places which had never been
visited by any missionary or European, the New Testament was
read, and divine service regularly performed in houses erected
by the natives, and set apart for religious worship. At first,
indeed, they bestowed little thought on these prayer-houses, as
they were called ; most of them were indifferently built and
kept in a very filthy state ; but latterly they took greater pains
in the erection of them, and, not satisfied with their own efforts,
they in some instances sought to have them floored and finished
by Europeans.1
But while all this might contribute to the extension of a
knowledge of the gospel among the natives, there can be little
question as to the imperfection of the knowledge thus commu
nicated. Those who acted as teachers were probably themselves
often but imperfectly taught ; and even what they did know,
they could scarcely be expected to be well-qualified to commu
nicate to others. Encouraged, however, by the results which
they witnessed, the missionaries employed, in connection with
the various stations, numerous native teachers, and though, it
is admitted, that many of them were very deficient in Scripture
knowledge, they are said to have been extensively useful.2
The missionaries also sought to promote the arts of civilized
life among the New Zealanders, so far as their other duties
would permit them ; but they were often made to feel that
though Christianity is a powerful instrument of civilization, it
will commonly take a considerable time before converts from
barbarous tribes form those habits which constitute the charac
ter of civilized man. Too much, we apprehend, has generally
been expected from the civilizing influence of Christian mis
sions, or at least a too immediate effect has been expected from
1 Miss. Reg. 1840, p. 540 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1839, p. 110 ; Ibid. 1844, p. 91 ;
Ibid. 1845, p. 107, 110.
2 Miss. Reg. 1842, p. 62 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 322.
In 1851 the native teachers were about 400 in number. — Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc.
1852, p, xi.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 385
them. Though many of the New Zealanders, who were under
Christian instruction, were in various respects considerably im
proved ; though some of them were industrious in their habits,
and several possessed horses and cows ; yet, generally speak
ing, they retained much of their old idle, indolent, dirty habits.
Most of them were satisfied with houses little better than a
stable, containing generally but one apartment. Though their
land was very capable of cultivation, and the climate was favour
able for the production of wheat, yet few even of the Christian
natives would accept of seed, when it was from time to time
offered to them. In personal cleanliness they were also very
defective.1 In August 1839, the British government sent out Captain
Hobson, R.N., to New Zealand, in order, if circumstances should
render this expedient, to acquire the sovereignty of the country
by treaty with the chiefs, with a view to the establishment of
proper legal authority for the protection of the natives, and the
maintenance of good order in the island. A considerable body
of British subjects had of late years settled in New Zealand ;
and Companies had been formed in England which had for their
object the acquisition of land and the sending out of emigrants
to that country. Considerable tracts of land had been acquired
by them by purchase from the natives, or were claimed by
them ; but the British government, which appears to have been
actuated in the whole matter by the most honourable motives,
did not consider itself bound to recognise such claims, until
they were investigated and found to be neither fraudulent nor
excessive.2 Having arrived in the Bay of Islands, Captain Hobson en-
1 Miss. Reg. 1836, p. 336; Pbid. 1847, p. 354 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1840, p. 157;
Rjid. 1843, p. 85, 87.
' Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1840, p. 86; Miss. Reg. 1839, p. 392; Ibid. 1840, p. 226.
In the history of European colonies, nothing is more common than to meet with
acts of the grossest injustice and cruelty to the natives ; and it is with peculiar plea
sure that we have to record the honourable principles on which the British Govern
ment acted in seeking to establish the sovereignty of England in New Zealand, prin
ciples which stand out in striking contrast to the conduct of our government and our
countrymen in former times, and which shew the great and salutary change which had
taken place in its policy and administration as regards barbarous nations, and set a,
fine example to other nations in their attempts at colonization, and in their treatment
of the aboriginal tribes. — See the Marquis of Normanby's Instructions to Captain Hob
son, Miss. Reg. 1840, p. 227.
VOL. II. B D

386 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
tered into a treaty with many of the principal chiefs, by which
they ceded the powers and rights of sovereignty of their respec
tive districts to the Queen of England. Her Majesty, at the
same time, guaranteed to them the possession of their lands and
other property, so long as they wished to retain them ; while
they yielded to Her Majesty the exclusive right of pre-emption
of such lands as they may be disposed to sell. Some of the chiefs,
however, were strongly opposed to the measure ; but yet such
was the success of Captain Hobson's negociations, that the
whole of both the islands of New Zealand were declared to be
British territory, and under the full sovereignty of Queen Vic
toria and her successors. The utmost efforts, however, were
used by designing men, chiefly foreigners, to render the natives
dissatisfied, and to persuade them that the English would ulti
mately take away their lands, and make those whom they did
not kill, their slaves. Such representations might probably be
made from interested or political motives ; but assuredly, con
sidering the past treatment by Europeans of the aboriginal
tribes in various parts of the world, there was too much ground
for them, and for the fears and jealousies of the natives. These
feelings, though kept down for some years, at length broke forth
in open hostility to the British authority.1
In March 1845, a collision took place between the English
troops and the natives in the Bay of Islands, led on by John
Heke, a chief in that neighbourhood, who had always been ad
verse to the cession of the sovereignty of the island to the Queen
of England, and who, in manifestation of that hostility, had cut
down four several times the English flag-staff erected at Koro-
rarika. The British force was withdrawn after a severe conflict
with the natives, in which twelve Europeans were killed and
twenty wounded. In the afternoon, the town of Kororarika
was evacuated, the inhabitants being received on board the
ships in the bay ; and it was plundered and burnt by the na
tives, being thus left at their mercy. In two subsequent attacks
which the British made on Heke, they were again repulsed with
a loss of one hundred and twenty men killed and wounded ;
but in a third attack, that chief was compelled to evacuate the
1 Miss. Reg. 1840, p. 352, 392, 431, 509 ; Ibid. 1841, p. 516.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 387
Pa or fortress in which he had hitherto successfully defended
himself, and to retire further inland. " On the Lord's day,"
writes Archdeacon Henry Williams, " the troops were engaged
as on other days, firing at the Pa the whole day. Of course
they had no service. The natives in the Pa held their service,
and did not return a shot during the whole day. These are
striking facts!"1 Where, we would ask, was British Christi
anity on this occasion ? Where were British honour and mag
nanimity in attacking the natives, when they, on religious
grounds, and these drawn from the Bible, made no resistance ?
Truly the savages of New Zealand administer a severe yet well-
merited rebuke to the soldiers of England.
Active operations for the suppression of the insurrection were
now suspended till the arrival of reinforcements ; but after
some months, Heke's Pa was invested by upwards of a thousand
soldiers, besides the auxiliary natives, and a formidable battery
was erected against it. It was bombarded for several hours on
a Saturday ; on the Sabbath all was quiet, it being intended to
renew the cannonading on the Monday morning ; but at an early
hour of the Sabbath, some natives and sailors found their way
into the Pa and were surprised to find it empty, the warriors be
ing on the outside getting their breakfast. Firing immediately
commenced and continued for three hours. The British re
mained in possession of the Pa, which was destroyed on the fol
lowing day. Upon this Heke sued for peace, and his fighting
men were dispersed. His submission was accepted, and the
British troops were withdrawn. A large proportion of the dis
affected natives afterwards submitted to the British authority ;
but a few parties still remained in arms, and went about endea
vouring to excite their countrymen to insurrection. For the
present, no further acts of hostility took place in the northern
part of the island ; but there were formidable collisions between
the natives and the British troops in the south. It appears, in
deed, that there was a strong and extensive feeling of hostility
among the New Zealanders to the British sovereignty, notwith
standing the formal manner in which it had been conceded ;
but they were prevented from manifesting it by the conviction,
1 Miss. Reg. 1845, p. 335, 533.

388 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
that resistance was vain, and that any opposition would ulti
mately be crushed by British power.1
Among others who had purchased lands from the natives were
many of the missionaries and catechists ; and as these pur-
1 Miss. Reg. 1846, p. 336 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1846, p. 101 ; Ibid. 1847, p, 104.
In the conduct of the natives in the insurrection, we have an interesting proof of the
salutary influence of Christianity in New Zealand, and that in the case of a chief who
had sadly declined from his Christian principles, and of natives who were still in a
heathen state. One correspondent of the Church Missionary Society writes : "The
triumph of the natives was unaccompanied by any of those fearful acts of can
nibalism, which would doubtless have marked their course in past years, nor can they
be accused of cruelty to the living, or insult to the dead." Another writer remarks,
" Heke's conduct during the battle and afterwards was noble. All declared that no
civilized power would have used their triumph with so much humanity. He has com
manded respect from two of the greatest nations in the world. [The writer refers to
England and the United States.] No barbarism was seen ; but a chivalrous conduct
not exceeded in the history of our own country. Two officers of the Hazard were made
prisoners, their swords and pistols returned, and they themselves sent back to their
camp unhurt. A flag of truce was sent by each party, and respected, to bury their dead.
The Europeans were given up to be buried, and the natives were carried offforthe same
purpose." Captain Fitzroy, the governor, writing to SirG. Phippssays : " Novindictive-
ness was shewn. Many of the settlers ventured back among the houses, and recovered
property even from the natives, whose conduct has elicited praise from their oppo
nents." In writing to Lord Stanley, the Secretary for the Colonies, he in like manner
says : " Justice to the natives requires me to state, that European troops would not have
behaved better, nor shewn less vindictiveness. Acts of a chivalrous nature were per
formed by them, and their forbearance toward the settlers, especially the missionaries,
after the conflict was remarkable. No missionary, no mission property, known to he
such, was injured-intentionally." — Miss. Reg. 1845, p. 336.
We may here mention another instance of the salutary influence of Christianity on
the New Zealanders, which occurred about two years before. The Rev. Mr Davis, one
of the missionaries, on visiting the Pa of two Christian chiefs, named Perika and Noa,
who were brothers, found they were expecting an attack from Ripa, a chief of Hokianga.
The latter had made an unjust demand upon them, and on their refusing to comply
with it, he marched to attack them. It was at this crisis that Mr Davies entered the
Pa, and there he found them surrounded by their armed followers, engaged in solemn
prayer, praying especially for the pardon of their enemies, with a white flag hoisted
above their heads as a token of their desire of peace.
Mr Davies then went out to meet Ripa and his party : but how striking was the
contrast ! The savages with naked bodies, and their faces painted red, were listening
to speeches urging them on to vengeance and slaughter. The addresses being ended,
they rushed forward toward the Pa, yelling frightfully, and dancing their war dance,
bidding bold defiance to the Christians. These were assembled on the other side of
the fence, while one of the chiefs walked quietly up and down between the parties, tell
ing the enemy they were acting contrary to the word of God ; and that his party,
though not afraid of them, were restrained by the fear of God from attacking them.
They were in fact much more numerous than their opponents, Ripa and his party
amounting only to twenty, while they were one hundred strong. After many speeches
had been made on both sides, one of Ripa's party, in striking at the fence with his
hatchet, cut Noa on the head. The ohief tried to conceal the wound from his tribe,

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 389
chases were to a large amount, a great outcry, as might naturally
be expected, was raised against them both in the colony and in
England when the fact came to be known. It is therefore neces
sary that we should enter into some details in regard to the
origin and extent of the practice. Among the difficulties con
nected with the life of a missionary, there are few greater or
more perplexing than what regards the education of his chil
dren, and providing for them as they get up in life ; and these
difficulties are not a little increased if his field of labour is in a
distant land and among a savage people. The Committee of
the Church Missionary Society, though not blind to the danger
of the measure, proposed to the missionaries some years before,
the purchase of land from the natives to a moderate extent, as
a provision for their children after they were fifteen years of
age ; and the missionaries themselves shewed the interpretation
which they put on this proposal, by recommending that an
allotment of 200 acres should be made to each child on arriving
at that age. This recommendation of making a grant of a par
ticular quantity of land to each child, the Committee did not
deem it expedient to adopt, because the value of land might
vary essentially from time to time ; but they agreed, according to
a general regulation which they had made in regard to chil
dren, to grant £50 to each son and £40 to each daughter of a
missionary on attaining the age of fifteen, after which he should
cease to have any claim on the Society on their account. But
the principle of purchasing land from the natives as a provision
for their children, having once been admitted, many of the mis
sionaries and catechists did not, in practice, confine their pur
chases, as was originally contemplated by the Committee^ within
a moderate extent. The purchases of some of them were to a
large amount, and the whole taken together was enormous.1
but some of them saw, by the blood trickling down, that he was wounded, and instantly
there was a simultaneous rush from the Pa, and every man's musket was levelled. In
another moment, Ripa and his whole party would have fallen, but Noa, the wounded
chief, sprang forward, and exclaimed, " If you kill Ripa, I will die with him," and then
throwing his own body as a shield over him, saved bim from destruction. Peace was
then made between the two parties, and there was great rejoicing. ." Some years
ago," adds Mr Davies, " the very sight of blood would have been a signal for a dread
ful slaughter."— Miss. Reg 1845, p. 366.
1 The following statement was made in a petition to the House of Commons by the
New Zealand Company: "We find by the evidence of official documents, that of

390 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Much obloquy was thrown on the whole body of the mission
aries on this account ; but it is proper to state, that they had
not all been engaged in transactions of this kind, and those
who were, had been so in very various degrees. It was also
thirty-five missionaries employed by the Church Society in 1838, twenty-three have
preferred claims on account of such purchases, the aggregate of which, including 3900
acres for Church missionary families, and 11,600 acres for the Church Society itself,
amounts to at least 196,840 acres."
The committee of the Society refers to a return of claims to land in New Zealand
laid before Parliament, dated June 1. 1845, which included fourteen of the missionaries
and catechists, by which it appeared that these claims amounted to 142,222| acres.
Of these, 50,000 acres were on account of the Rev. Richard Taylor, and 40,000 on
account of the Mr William Fairburn, one of the catechists, leaving for the other
twelve missionaries or catechists 52,227^.
Of these 52,227J acres, the Rev. Archdeacon Henry Williams claimed 11,004J acres,
and Mr James Kemp, another of the catechists, 9206. In the other ten cases, the
highest amount claimed was considerably less than in these two.
The consideration which appears to have been given for these 52,227 1 acres was
£8145 : 9 : 2. — Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1845, p. 126, 128. If a price, any way corres
ponding to this was paid for the other land purchased by the missionaries, the whole
must have amounted to a very large sum.
The claims of the missionaries were, in common with those of other settlers, submit
ted to the Court of Land Claims, appointed by the government, and the higher ones
were vastly reduced, which does not speak well for them. The total amount of the
smaller claims was reduced only about one-third. — Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1845, p. 128.
The Rev. Henry Williams, and two of the catechists, it is stated, had early formed
farming establishments on their land ; had sheep, cattle, and horses, and employed a
number of natives as servants ; and others had the view of forming similar establish
ments. — Latest Official Documents relating to New Zealand, with Introductory Obser
vations by Samuel Hind, D.D., 1838, p. 9.
From all this, it is but too probable that the following statements by Dieffenbach,
who went out as naturalist to the New Zealand Company, were not without founda
tion. "Many of the older missionaries have become landed proprietors ; and many
by other pursuits, such as trading with the produce of their garden or stock, have be
come wealthy men." " Some of these persons are now retiring on their property, and
their sons have become so independent as to refuse lucrative situations under govern
ment." — Dieffenbach' s New Zealand, vol. ii. p. 165.
Such proceedings as these could not fail to have a very injurious influence on the
character of the missionaries, and on the progress of the mission. The missionaries
were much the object of attack by the colonists and writers on the subject of New
Zealand ; but how far many of the charges brought against them were well or ill founded,
we have not the means of judging. We may, however, remark that while it would ill
become missionary committees to listen to every evil report which may reach them
regarding their missions, it is, on the other hand, not wise in them to turn a deaf ear to
all such representations, under the idea that they must come from persons indifferent or
hostile to the cause of missions, and that the testimony of such persons is unworthy of
any regard. .Missions may suffer grievously from such incredulity, and evils may grow
up and go on increasing for years, which, had the report not been discredited, might
have been nipped while yet in the bud. It is not always an enemy who brings unwel
come tidings to our ears ; and even the statements of an enemy may contain important
truth.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 391
alleged, that while, in some instances, the number of acres
sounded large, a comparatively small portion of them was
adapted for cultivation, the greater part being fit only for feed
ing cattle. Other circumstances were stated in apology for the
missionaries ; but even though they should be admitted, to a
certain extent, as an excuse for them, particularly as explain
ing the circumstances under which particular purchases were
made, still we are not satisfied that they were blameless in this
matter ; nor do the committee, who had much better means of
judging in the case than we can possibly have, appear to have
been satisfied. As an English colony was now rising up in New
Zealand, and as the missionaries might by this means be en
abled to provide for their children, they early resolved to limit,
and ultimately to discontinue altogether, purchases of land with
the Society's allowance on account of children, and to prohibit
henceforward all purchases of land by members of the mission
with their private means, as, while they admitted their abstract
right to do so, they considered it as not compatible with the na
ture of their undertaking, and as endangering the due perform
ance of their duties to .the Society and to the natives. But
after a few years, they found it necessary to adopt a new and
more stringent resolution on the subject. Her Majesty's Secre
tary of State having communicated to them certain despatches
from Governor Grey, by which it appeared that the mission
aries and other parties could not be put in possession by govern
ment of large grants of land, legally assigned to them, without
the risk of collision with the natives, bloodshed, and other evils,
and that it was of much importance, in the governor's opinion,
that the influence of the Society should not appear to be on the
side of enforcing claims against the natives for these large tracts
of land at so fearful a risk, the committee were led to review
the whole question, and in the view of the many evils which
had already arisen, and which might yet arise from the mis
sionaries of the Society being possessed of large tracts of land,
they adopted a resolution, that no missionary or catechist shall
be allowed to continue his connection with the Society who
shall retain for his own use and benefit a larger tract of land,
than shall appear suitable, in the judgment of the bishop and
governor, or of such other parties as they may appoint to deter-

392 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
mine this question. Three or four members of the mission
ary body, however, made an appeal to the courts of law, on the
plea of vindicating their own character, and what they consi
dered the just claims of their families. This perplexing contest
led to the separation of two individuals from the Society,
Archdeacon Henry Williams, and Mr George Clarke.1
Previous to this there had been a great and rapid increase in
the number of the natives who professed Christianity. Within '
four or five years2 the attendants on public worship are stated
to have increased from 2,300 to 35,000. Thousands were ad
mitted into the church by baptism, but the qualifications re
quired of them for that ordinance were very slender. A la
mentable ignorance was to be found in multitudes of the bap
tized. Many possessed great knowledge of the Scriptures, who
yet appeared to be strangers to secret prayer. Numbers regu
larly assembled for divine worship, of whom it might be said,
they worshipped they knew not what. In New Zealand, as in
others of the South Sea Islands, the authority, or at least the
example, of the chiefs, had no small influence in leading the
people generally to embrace Christianity. When it was received
by the chiefs, the multitude soon followed, not from any know
ledge which they had of its doctrines, or any conviction of their
truth or importance, but because they saw it was becoming the
religion of the country, and they perhaps looked for some tem
poral advantages from it, as the quiet possession of their pro
perty, and freedom from the hostile incursions of their neigh
bours.3 As might be expected from such a state of things, there was
afterwards a great falling away among the baptized New Zea
landers. Many who once appeared eager for religious instruc
tion, became after a time careless and indifferent about it.
Some brought disgrace on their Christian profession by the in
consistency of their conduct, who formerly appeared to run well.
Numbers returned to many of their old sinful practices, and
¦ Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1840, p. 160, 175 ; Ibid. 1845, p, 127 ; Void. 1847, p. 118;
Ibid. 1849, p. 175 ; Ibid. 1850, p. 176.
2 From about 1836 to 1841.
3 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1837, p. 63 ; Ibid. 1840, p. 88 ; Ibid. 1842, p, 97 ; Rrid.
1843, p. 91 ; Ibid. 1844, p. 98 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 105, 109 ; Miss, Reg, 1844, p. 493 ; Ibid.
1845, p. 364 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 329 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 322,

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 393
some relapsed into heathenism. The colonization of the islands
contributed not a little to these and other evils. At Auckland,
the chief town of the colony, many of the natives took up their
residence, and still greater numbers resorted thither from vari
ous parts of the country for the sake of employment or traffic.
Its spirit stores, its barracks, its port, its theatre, presented
to them many and strong temptations. Multitudes were in
fected with, the spirit of gambling, and even professed Christians
neglected the means of grace and learned to profane the Sabbath.
Sterling piety was a rare quality among them. " We may often
hear a New Zealander," says the Rev. R. Burrows, " speak of
the plague of his heart, and of the warfare he has between what
he would call his old and new heart, who is at the same time
living in open sin. By long association with their missionaries
and their teachers, they have become familiar with many terms
relating to some of the leading doctrines of Christianity, such
as the wickedness of the heart and the necessity of the new birth,
while alas ! comparatively few evidence in their life and conver
sation that they are experimentally acquainted with either." '
Notwithstanding the extent to which the natives had been
taught to read in former years, yet the prospects as regards the
rising generation were exceedingly discouraging. The parents,
just emerging from ignorance and barbarism themselves, saw
not the value of early training and instruction, and nothing was
done on their part to procure Christian education for their off
spring. Hundreds, nay thousands, of baptized children were
growing up in ignorance, and, with few exceptions, in no way
differing except in name from the heathen around them. In
fant schools were indeed kept in many villages, but the diffi
culty of collecting the children together, and the want of Euro
pean clothing to be worn by them during school hours, and of
proper native teachers, combined to render them in a great
measure useless.2
We fear indeed that the success of the Church mission in
New Zealand is much less than was for some years imagined.
i. Far too much importance was attached to the professed or im-
> Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soo. 1847, p. 109; Miss. Reg. 1845, p. 364; Ibid. 1846, p. 329;
Ibid. 1850, p. 177, 179 : Ibid. 1851, p. 207 ; Ibid. 1852, p. 175.
» Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1847, p. 117 ; Miss. Reg. 1847, p. 404.

394 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
plied renunciation by such numbers of the natives of their own
religion, to their attendance on Christian worship and going
through its forms in an orderly and outwardly devout manner,
to their observance of the Sabbath, or at least abstaining from
work on that day, to their learning to read, to their eagerness
for copies of the Holy Scriptures, the Prayer-book, and other
printed works, to their giving up in many cases the manners
and practices of their countrymen and adopting the dress and
customs of Europeans, and to their improvement in some of
the more ordinary arts of life, and to other circumstances of an
external kind. But it should be recollected, that it is a com
paratively easy thing to bring men to the profession of Christi
anity, and to the observance of its outward forms, and that this
may be effected in thousands of cases where there is no change
of heart. Conclusions of a much too favourable nature were
also often drawn from merely temporary circumstances and ap
pearances. This is a very common source of error in judging of
the success of missions. There is among mankind generally,
and particularly among half civilized and barbarous tribes, much
of deception ; there is also great changeableness of character
and disposition. That only can be reckoned success which is
lasting; andif we apply this test intelligently, honestly, and faith
fully, we fear that large deductions will require to be made
from the estimated success of this and of many other missions.
But while the success of the mission as regards the conver
sion of the natives was small as compared with the large numbers
who nominally embraced Christianity, still we trust it was not
without spiritual fruit. There were a number who, it was hoped,
were persons of sincere piety, who remained stedfast to their
Christian profession, and appeared to grow in knowledge and
in grace ; while there were some, both old and young, who died
giving utterance to sentiments which inspire the hope that they
are now before the throne of God in heaven.
It is also a gratifying fact, that wars were now less frequent,
and when they did break out, were generally attended with
fewer atrocities than formerly. The missionaries often acted
as mediators between the contending parties, and were success
ful in restoring peace. When conflicts did take place, they
served to exhibit at once the natural ferocity of the natives, the

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 395
salutary power of the missionaries, and the softening influence
of Christianity.1
There is, however, no small danger, now especially that Eu
ropeans are colonizing the islands, that the numbers of the natives
will dwindle away, andthatthey will perhaps at no distant period
become extinct altogether, or at least be merged in the Anglo-
Saxon race. The missionaries refer to some parts of the country
where the number of the inhabitants is less by one-third, or even
one-half, than it was when the first establishment of Europeans
was formed. The Bishop of Australia was struck with the fact, that
wherever he went there were so few children compared with the
number of adults. Mr W. B. Marshall, surgeon of the Alligator,
who visited New Zealand some years before, states that, in the
immediate neighbourhood of the Bay of Islands, where whaling
and other vessels chiefly resorted, the sight of young children
was far from common, and that the sterility of the women was
undeniable. It is exceedingly difficult to account for the course
of depopulation which is going on in New Zealand, and in some
other islands of the Pacific Ocean. Previous causes of the decrease
of the inhabitants, as war, infanticide, and cannibalism, are now
in less active operation than they were in former times. But on
the other hand, new diseases and new causes of disease, parti
cularly intemperance and prostitution, have been introduced or
extended among them to a fearful extent by the ships of Eng
land and her colonies. It is rare, the missionaries tell us, to find
a New Zealander free from disease. The manifold calamities,
and more particularly the decrease and ultimate extinction of
the indigenous races which has often followed the colonization
of new countries by Europeans, is a well known and melancholy
fact. It would seem as if they were, in most instances, des
tined to future and not distant annihilation before the tide of
White men setting in upon their country.2
In June 1852, the number of communicants connected with
the New Zealand mission amounted to 7,027.3
1 Miss. Reg. 1830, p. 374 ; Ibid. 1831, p. 415 ; Ibid. 1832, p. 189, 409 ; Ibid. 1833,
p. 283, 503; Ibid. 1834, p. 369; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1847, p. 110; Ibid. 1851,
p. 213.
2 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1840, p. 157 ; Miss. Reg. 1838, p. 223 ; Marshall's Narra
tive of Two Visits to New Zealand in 1834, p. 143.
3 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soo. 1853, p. 169.

396 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

SECT. IX.— HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY'S TERRITORY.
In May 1 820, the Rev. John West sailed from England, hav
ing been appointed by the Hudson's Bay Company chaplain to
the settlement which had been formed some years before on the
banks of the Red River, to the south of Lake Winnipeg. Being
desirous of availing himself of any opportunities which this
might afford him of benefiting the Indians in that quarter, he
had, before leaving England, submitted to the committee of the
Church Missionary Society, his views of the most promising
means of promoting the instruction of the Indians, and had
offered his services in carrying out some of his^suggestions, by
establishing schools for them in the neighbourhood of the Red
River. The committee accordingly placed £100 at his disposal
to enable him to make trial of his plan.1
On Mr West's arrival at the Red River settlement, a tempo
rary log-house, conveniently situated near the dwellings of the
White settlers, was repaired and opened as a school under the
care of Mr G. Harbidge, who had accompanied him from Eng
land with this view. Encouraged by the favourable reports of
Mr West, the committee resolved on establishing a regular mis
sion under his superintendence in that part of the world.2
In June 1823, the Rev. D. T. Jones sailed from England for
the purpose of carrying out this design, and he was followed by
the Rev. W. Cockran, two years afterwards. For several years,
the labours of the missionaries were directed chiefly to the
European settlers, and to their descendants of mixed blood.
With the exception of the Indian school, no systematic efforts
were made in behalf of the aborigines. Indeed, it was the set
tled conviction of the missionaries, that nothing of a decided
and permanent character could be effected with them in the
way of religious instruction, so long as they continued to wan
der about in search of a precarious subsistence, and were thus

1 West's Journal during a Residence at the Red River Colony, p. 1 ; Journal of the
Bishop of Montreal during a visit to the Church Missionary Society's North- West
American Mission, p. 184.
2 Bishop of Montreal's Journal, p, 187.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 397
prevented from enjoying for a sufficient length of time oppor
tunities of instruction. To many who were acquainted with
the Indian character, the very idea of inducing them to give up
their wandering habits and their heathen customs, appeared
altogether visionary. But formidable as were the difficulties of
the undertaking, it was resolved to make the attempt.1
In 1833, Mr Cockran began to form a settlement of the In
dians on the Red River, about twelve miles from the Grand
Rapids. He sent to the Indians, who belonged to different
tribes, a plough and a pair of oxen, and some other implements
of husbandry, and a supply of seed-corn, and potatoes. Each
Indian who built a house was supplied with clothing, tools,
and a man of some experience to direct and assist him. A
school-house was also erected, and lest the children should be
dispersed by the necessity of searching for food during the win
ter, it was arranged that they should be provided with one good
meal each day. With this view, twenty acres of land at the
Rapids were sown with wheat, and a fishing party was sent to
Lake Winnipeg to obtain a stock of fish for winter consump
tion. It was also found absolutely necessary to supply the
children with some articles of clothing.
When all these arrangements were made, the school was
opened with thirty-two children ; but as they had never been
accustomed to any control, it was exceedingly difficult at first
to maintain any thing like order or discipline among them.
They were wild and intractable, and would run out and come in
just as they pleased. Some of the Indians manifested consider
able dislike to the education of their children ; and Indian
parents in general think it cruel to correct or restrain their
children. The missionaries, as they knew that the Indians were
watching to see how they would treat their children, with the
desire of finding ground of complaint against them, were re
solved to bear the wild and disorderly movements of the chil
dren for the present with patience, till they got a majority of
the parents on their side, when they hoped to be enabled to
enforce order in the school. The unmanageableness of the
1 Bishop of Montreal's Journal, p. 202.

398 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
children was afterwards, to some extent, got the better of;
their attendance at school was very regular, and they were in
all respects much improved.1
Divine worship was also commenced at the Indian settle
ment for the benefit of the adults ; a church was at length
erected, and a missionary settled at it. Each succeeding year
exhibited a marked improvement, both in the temporal and the
spiritual condition of the Indians. Their numbers were con
stantly increasing ; cottage after cottage rose in rapid succes
sion, and were soon surrounded by cultivated fields, while the
cattle of the inhabitants might be seen grazing on the hitherto
solitary banks of the river. With some exceptions, the moral
and religious character of those who made a profession of Chris
tianity was, generally speaking, satisfactory, though, at the same
time, they were still only " babes in Christ," and needed due
allowance to be made for their weakness and infirmities.2 But
' Bishop, of Montreal's Journal, p. 208 ; Miss. Reg. 1835, p. 64 ; Rjid. 1847, p. 58.
Mr Cockran, however, after referring in his Journal, November 27. 1837, to the in
terment of two children at the Indian settlement, makes the following somewhat curious
statement : "I often lament that it should please God to chastise our brethren here
with the loss of so many of their children. This, according to outward appearance, has
been the greatest impediment that has come in the way of Christianity. The enemies
of truth always urge this argument : ' If you allow your children to be educated, they
are sure to die.' Thus many of the timorous are deterred from sending their children
to school. It is certain that, from the wandering habits of the people, and^fi delicacy
of their constitutions, they cannot endure the same confinement and close application as
Europeans. They are frequently seized with a peculiar malady, which they call
'thinking long.' When under the influence of this, if you cannot amuse them, and
make them take exercise, they sicken and die. At the Indian settlement our discipline
is very loose. We allow the children to hunt or fish whenever they are disposed ; and
I think we have greatly diminished the fatal cases by it." — Miss. Reg. 1839, p. 119.
In our attempts to propagate Christianity and civilization, we suspect that due ac
count is not taken of the physical and psychological constitution of different nations,
and of the different races of mankind. We are inclined to think that considerations of
this kind should be allowed more weight than they have hitherto had in the selection
of fields of missionary labour, and perhaps also in modifying in some countries the
modes of operation. Were points of this kind more nicely and more accurately ob
served, they might help to account for the failure or the success of missions in particu
lar countries. We would strongly recommend to missionaries the study, not only of
human nature generally, and of the religion, habits, and customs, of the people among
whom they labour, but of their physical and psychological constitution, the knowledge
of which may be of great utility in preserving them from error, and in enabling them
to act skilfully in dealing with them,
2 Bishop of Montreal's Journal, p. 211, 214, 225, 228 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc.
1841, p. 118.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 399
in estimating the progress of religion among them, we fear that
much too great importance is attached to their observance of
the mere outward forms of religion, and to the manner in which
they go through them.
In June 1840, a new station was begun in the neighbour
hood of Cumberland House, about six hundred miles from the
Red River settlement. Others were afterwards formed at
Manitoba, at Lac la Rouge, and at Moose Fort, on the southern
shore of Hudson's Bay.
In 1852, the number of communicants connected with this
mission was 507.1 How many of these were Indians does not
appear. Besides the missions of which we have given an account, the
Church Missionary Society established others in British Guiana
among the Indians, in the West Indies, particularly in Jamaica
and Trinidad, in South Africa among the Zulus, and in China.
The missionaries sent to Jamaica and Trinidad were after some
years transferred to the ecclesiastical establishment of these
islands, or they were provided for in some other way ; those
to South Africa were after a short time withdrawn ; those to
China formed stations at Shanghai, Ningpo and Fuh-chau-fu.
In Hongkong, a college, named St Paul's College, was erected
through the zeal and liberality of the Rev. Vincent Staunton,
the chaplain, with a special view to the training up of a native
agency for the evangelization of China.
Before closing our account of the Church Missionary Society,
we have to make one or two general statements.
In July 1841, an important modification was made of the
regulations of the Society, affecting materially its relations
with the ecclesiastical authorities of the Church of England.
A change, indeed, in this respect had been going on for a num
ber of years, and this was only the consummation of it. The
Society was from its commencement composed solely of mem
bers of the Church of England ; but it had originally no other
connection with it than that of its members, and it was in no re-
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1853, p. 183.

400 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
spect subject to its ecclesiastical authorities. Even its first
missionaries, and numbers whom it sent out during many
years, did not belong to the Church of England, but to the
Lutheran or other churches on the continent. But the appoint
ment of bishops for India and for the British Colonies in various
parts of the world, led at length to an important change in the
relations of the Society and its missionaries with the ecclesias
tical authorities. Even this, however, was not immediate.
Twenty years elapsed after the appointment of Dr Middleton,
the first bishop in India, before the missionaries of the Society
were placed under episcopal superintendence and jurisdiction.
Dr Wilson, Bishop of Calcutta, was the first to whom this power
was granted ; but it was afterwards extended, as a matter'of
course, to the bishops of Madras and Bombay, and to the bishops
in the colonies where the Society had missionaries. But now
another and most important step was taken in the way of esta
blishing the system of episcopal authority over the Society and
its missionaries. Dr Blomfield, the Bishop of London, having
at a public meeting for another object expressed his hope that
a plan might be devised by which the Church Missionary So
ciety, and another to which he alluded,1 might both be induced
to carry on their operations under the superintendence and
control of the heads of the United Church of England and Ire
land, communications subsequently took place between him
and the Earl of Chichester, the President of the Society, with
the sanction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, which issued in
the proposal by the bishop, and the adoption by the Society of
the following Regulation : —
" That all questions relating to matters of ecclesiastical order
and discipline, respecting which a difference shall arise between
any colonial bishop and any committee of the Society, shall be
referred to the archbishops and bishops of the United Church
of England and Ireland, whose decision thereupon shall be
final." To prevent any misunderstanding of thegeneral terms inwhich
the Bishop of London's proposition was couched, the committee
' We presume the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 401
considered it necessary that it should be accompanied by an ex
planation of the sense in which it was agreed to by them, and
after communicating with him on the subject, the following ad
ditional regulation was adopted :
" That the object of the preceding law being only to provide
a mode of settling questions relating to ecclesiastical order and
discipline, as to which no provision has yet been made by the
Society, it is not to be so construed as, in any other respect, to
alter the principles and practice of the Society, as they are con
tained in its laws and regulations, and explained in Appendix
II. to the Thirty-ninth Report.
" The proposed reference shall be made through his Grace
the Primate, by the committee, accompanied by such explana
tions and statements as the committee may deem advisable ;
and the committee will be bound so to refer all questions fall
ing within the scope of the rule so understood as aforesaid,
which the colonial bishop shall require them to refer.
" While all decisions of the bench of bishops on questions so
referred, will be considered by the committee as binding on
them and their agents or representatives, the colonial bishops
or other ecclesiastical authorities, unless concurring in the
reference, cannot properly be considered as so bound." 1
We have no right to find fault with our brethren of the
Church of England for carrying out the principles of their own
church ; yet we cannot help questioning the expediency of the
whole of these arrangements, by which the Society, its missions,
and its missionaries, were to a great extent placed under the
control of the bishops at home and abroad, while at the same
time they had no security for the wisdom, the justice, the im
partiality, the moderation, nor even for the piety or Christian
character, of these bishops. Taking the bishops of the Church of
England for the last two centuries, what a small proportion
of them do we find whom it would have been desirable to in
vest with such powers in reference to the propagation of the
gospel among the heathen !2
¦ Miss. Reg. 1814, p. 41 ; Ibid. 1841, p. 321 : Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1839, p. 136.
2 In the views which we have expressed, we are not singular. Some of the best
VOL. II. C C

402 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Here we cannot but also notice another very painful point
in the history of the Church Missionary Society, the re-ordi
nation by the bishops of a number of the missionaries who
had been ordained according to the forms of the Lutheran or
friends of the Society appear to have looked on these proceedings with doubt and
jealousy. At the annual meeting of the Society in 1841, reference having been made in
the Reports, by the Earl of Chichester, the chairman, and by several of the speakers,
to the contemplated arrangements as to the ecclesiastical relations of the Society, the
the Hon. and Rev. Baptist Noel, spoke as follows : —
" However much I may be prepared to agree with the Noble Lord in the Chair, re
specting the value of the high patronage to which his Lordship has referred, I rejoice to
observe that his Lordship, the committee in their Teport, and the Right Rev. prelate
who followed him, have all agreed in stating, that it must be bought by ho compro
mise of our principles. For forty years, the blessing of G.d has rested on these
principles ; and we must not change them now. Although grateful for the offer of the
superintendence in question, we must recollect that we are invited to enter into certain
relations, not with any living individuals merely, but with a succession of official persons.
It is to be an official relation, not a relation determined by the worth of individuals.
This step must be taken with the utmost caution, because, once taking it, we cannot
recede. Whatever honour we may wish to bestow on those to whom honour is due,
the power must rest with his Lordship and with the committee. Nothing must he
done which might have the effect of fettering our missionaries in preaching the gospel.
The movements of this great Society must be conducted by men who are themselves
imbued with the spirit of the gospel. We must secure that no missionaries shall be
sent but those who believe and love the truth ; and then we need never fear the loss of
his blessing who has said, ' Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature ; and lo I am with you alway, even to the end of the world.' "
To allay the apprehensions of the members of the Society, they were in the mean
while informed that " they might be fully confident that no sacrifice of principle or of
independence is required, or would be yielded," and that the constitution and practice
of the Society, as this had hitherto existed, would "remain untouched." — Miss. Reg.
1841, p. 281.
But we doubt if the views here expressed were realized. It appears to us that, ac
cording to the arrangements which were entered into, the balance of power was, from
first to last, greatly in favour of the bishops, both at home and abroad, and that the
independence of the Society was essentially sacrificed by them. Bishops are but too
apt to interpret, and even to stretch laws in favour of their own power ; and if a colo
nial bishop require the committee to refer any question falling within the above-men
tioned regulation, the bishops at home are likely to stand by their own order, and to
be predisposed to adopt the views, and to confirm the decisions of their brethren
abroad. They will be unwilling to mortify them, and to cast blame upon them by
nullifying their judgments, if it be at all possible to stand by them. In a contest
between such parties, and with such judges, committees will have a poor chance of ob
taining a decision in their favour, even though they should have reason and justice on
their side. It is also worthy of notice, that while the committee bind themselves to
submit to all decisions of the bench of bishops, the colonial bishops are under no ob
ligation to do so, unless they concur in the reference, which is another marked in.
equality in the position of the two parties. We have not the means of knowing how
the system has worked ; but we suspect it will come to this, that the committee of the

BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 403
other churches on the continent, and after they had exercised
for years all the functions of the Christian ministry.1 We have
already stated that many of the Society's missionaries did not
belong to the Church of England, but came from the continent
of Europe ; and they were usually ordained in their respective
churches before coming to this country. It does not appear
that the committee required any of them to submit to re-ordi
nation ; it was, in some instances at least, the voluntary act
of the individual missionaries who thus chose to degrade them
selves, their churches, and their own past ministry, by submit-.
ting to be re-ordained by a bishop. It is very extraordinary
that the Church of England should be ready to receive into
her communion, priests of the Church of Rome, of the Greek,
Armenian, Coptic, and other ancient churches, however corrupt
they may be, without re-ordination, and yet should virtually
deny the validity of the ordination of nearly all the Protestant
Churches, by requiring their ministers to be re-ordained before
they can be numbered among her ministers. In this respect
the Church of England treats the churches of the Reformation,
in the same presumptuous and contumelious manner in which
she herself is treated by the proud and arrogant Church of
Rome, an example which she might well be slow to imitate.
It was not in this way that the fathers of the English Church
treated other Protestant churches. We doubt not that many
good men in the Church of England feel pained and ashamed
at the course pursued by her toward the other Reformed
Society, finding that the judgments of the bench of bishops are commonly in favour of
the views and decisions of their brethren abroad, will seek to avoid such references, and
will yield submission to the dictates of the foreign bishops, even though opposed to their
own convictions, rather than enter into a vain contest with them ; and that when the
bishops are men who are disposed to interfere with, and to regulate every thing, the
power of the Committee will be virtually nullified, and the missions substantially go
verned by them. This is the manifest tendency of the whole system ; but the evil now
mentioned may perhaps be modified by few of the bishops being disposed to take on
themselves so much trouble. In India, it appears that " no adult baptism can be per
formed without the sanction of the bishop," and that he, " either by personal or indirect
inspection, superintends and directs all -"—(Miss. Reg. 1834, p. 180 ; Ibid. 1839, p. 332 ;)
—a power the due and faithful exercise of which, in addition to his other multifarious
duties, would require a degree of knowledge, wisdom, prudence, penetration, and piety,
such as never yet fell to the lot of mortal man.
1 Miss. Reg. 1826, p. 333 ; Ibid. 1829, p. 285 ; Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1844, p. 45.

404 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
churches, in thus virtually denying the validity of their ordina
tion and of their ministry.1
1 It will perhaps be alleged by some, that when the Church of England re-ordains the
ministers of other churches, she does not mean to deny the validity of their previous or
dination, but that this is done merely in order to admit or constitute them ministers in
connection with her ; but this allegation is altogether untenable, for (to say nothing of
the doctrine of apostolical succession, and of its bearings, of which the world has heard
so much of late years,) she does not re-ordain priests of the Church of Rome who join
her communion ; yet if what is alleged was all that was meant, it would be as necessary
to re-ordain them, as to re-ordain a Lutheran or a Presbyterian minister. We regret
to find that it was Bishop Heber who was the first in India to re-ordain missionaries
who had previously received Lutheran ordination.". — Orient, Christ. Spect. vol. vi. p. 222 ;
Miss, Reg. 1826, p. 333.

BY THE PROPAGATION SOCIETY. 405

CHAPTER XI.
PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE SOCIETY FOR PROPA
GATING THE GOSPEL IN FOREIGN PARTS.1
INDIA.
In December 1820, Dr Middleton, the first bishop of Calcutta,
laid the foundation-stone of a college on the banks of the Hugli,
about three miles below Calcutta, the primary object of which
was the education of missionaries, catechists, and schoolmasters,
European or native, to be employed in propagating the gospel
among the Hindu and Mahomedan population of India. It was
called Bishop's College, and was in immediate connection with
the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.
Dr Middleton's successor, Bishop Heber, desirous that it should
not be a mere ecclesiastical institution, but that, like Oxford
and Cambridge, it should impart a general education, induced
the Society to extend its privileges to lay students. Great ex
pectations were entertained of the college as an instrument for
propagating Christianity and diffusing useful knowledge in the
East, but after a large expenditure of money in buildings, prin
cipals, professors, and books, it has as yet greatly disappointed
its friends and patrons. Hitherto the number of students has
been small. Some of those educated in it were admitted to
holy orders, several of whom were natives and were employed
as ministers or missionaries in different parts of the country ;
others were employed as catechists or schoolmasters. Of lay
students desirous of general education few attended it. We ap-
1 This Society was incorporated in 1701. Of its early missions some account will
be found in the Appendix, No. I. Of the stations which it adopted some years ago
in the south of India, we have already given an account in connection with the Danish.
mission at Tranquobar.

406 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
prehend, indeed, that institutions on so large a scale are as yet
not called for as regards the heathen world; but independently of
this, there were other causes which combined to render Bishop's
College to a great extent a failure.1
The Society also adopted measures for carrying on missionary
operations in the East, and it placed its agents in immediate
connection with the college. Its first missionaries, the Rev.
Messrs Christian, Morton, and Tweddle, commenced their la
bours by superintending circles of Bengali schools in the neigh
bourhood of Calcutta. After some time, stations were formed
amidst the agricultural and fishing villages on the rivulets which
intersect the southern districts lying between Calcutta and
Diamond Harbour. The chief stations were Haura, Tallygunge,
Barripur, Danghatta, and Tamluk, but with these were con
nected numerous villages which were regularly visited by the
missionaries and catechists. Considerable numbers of the na
tives were baptized, but most of them, while they might go
through the outward forms of religion, were, it is to be feared,
Christians only in name. The account given by Dr Wilson;
bishop of Calcutta, of the process of their conversion could
scarcely lead us to expect any other result. As an instance
of the slender hold which Christianity had of them, it may be
mentioned that in one village forty catechumens fell away and
attempted to regain their lost caste among the Hindus, offence
having been taken by one or two persons in the village, because
some little secular advantage in their petty law-suits was not
granted to them. Others were won over by the emissaries of the
Church of Rome.2
In 1851, the following were the numbers connected with the
stations in the neighbourhood of Calcutta, — baptized natives,
1,822 ; communicants, 914 ; catechumens, 819. They lived in
seventy-eight different villages, scattered over a considerable
extent of country.3
Great complaints were made by missionaries of different de-
1 Miss. Reg. 1821, p. 48, 301, 353, 375, 457 ; Ibid. 1845, p. 137, 139 ; Ibid. 1847,
p. 133 ; Long's Bengal Missions, p. 454 ; Calcutta Review, vol. iii. p. 310 ; vol. viii.
p. 441, 448.
' Miss. Reg. 1825, p. 53, 590 ; Ibid. 1827, p. 64 ; Ibid. 1828, p. 78 ; Ibid. 1833, p. 79;
Ibid. 1839, p. 264 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 134.
8 Sum. Orient. Christ. Speot.vol. iii. p. 14.

BY THE PROPAGATION SOCIETY 407
nominations of some of the missionaries of the Propagation
Society, who having imbibed Puseyite or High Church notions,
exerted a baneful influence on the missions of other societies in
and around Calcutta. These men set up their unscriptural and
presumptuous claims to exclusive apostolical succession, taught
that none but episcopally ordained persons were lawful ministers
of Christ, and that the ministrations of all others were invalid^
thus endeavouring to seduce the infant native churches from
the simplicity of the gospel. Nor were their efforts without effect.
The minds of the members of these churches were unsettled, and
a number of them forsook their own pastors and were re-baptized.
Hitherto the converts in the south of Calcutta, though not all
of the same church, had lived together in the same villages, en
gaged in the same occupations, and interchanged mutual social
relations, among others that of marriage ; but now the mission
aries of the Propagation Society forbade all marriages between
their proselytes and those of other Christian churches, and even
marriages which had been sanctioned by the parents of both
parties, were broken off at the dictation of a lordly superstitious
priest. Nor was this all. Like their Puseyite brethren in
England, they appear to have trenched on the great funda
mental truths of Christianity. Dr Wilson, the bishop of Cal
cutta, was sorely grieved and troubled by them, and though he
interposed his episcopal authority it was of little avail. The evil
went on, and what the ultimate results may be, no man can tell.3
1 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1842, p. 11 ; Rep. Bapt. Miss. Soo. 1842, p. 13 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 7 ;
Ibid. 1845, p. 5 ; Sum. Orient. Christ. Spect. vol. ii, . 341 ; Miss. Record Free Church,
vol. ii. p. 354, 502 ; Cal. Christ. Observer, vol. x. p. 450.
Were it worth while we might notice a controversy which arose between a priest of
the Church of England and a Romish priest, relative to the baptism by the latter of a
young girl, who had previously been baptized by the former. The minister of the
English Church in stating his case, called himself a priest of the Anglo-Catholic
Church of England, alleged that his ordination and offices as such were valid, and in
quired whether the priest of Rome deemed it necessary under such circumstances to
re-baptize the girl. The Romish priest frankly replied, that he knew no such church,
nor did he recognise any such ordination, and that he did not re-baptize, but really
and truly baptized (conditionally) the girl, i. e., he did not consider her as previously
baptized at all.— Cal. Christ. Observer, vol. xi. p. 436.
We can look down with equal contempt (and we may add, with equal pity) on the
unscriptural and presumptuous claims of Puseyite and Romish priests ; but the Pusey
ite who is so full of respect and love for Rome cannot afford to smile at her high and
exclusive pretensions, even though she declare his ordination and all the offices per
formed by him, not excepting the celebration of marriage and the administration of the
sacraments, as null and void !

408 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Besides the stations in the neighbourhood of Calcutta, the
Society established others at Chinsurah, Boglipur, Cawnpur,
Delhi, Bombay and Ahmedabad, in Assam, in Ceylon at Cal-
pentyn, Matura, Neura Ellia, and Kandy, at Sarawak in the
island of Borneo, and among the Arawack Indians in British
Guiana ; but we have no details regarding them of sufficient
importance to require particular notice. The stations at Chin
surah and Boglipur have long been given up.

BY THE GENERAL BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 409

CHAPTER XII.
PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE GENERAL BAPTIST
MISSIONARY SOCIETY.1
INDIA.
In May 1821, the Rev. W. Bampton and J. Peggs, the first
missionaries of this Society, sailed for India, and after their
arrival, they commenced a station at Cuttack, the chief town in
Orissa. Other missionaries afterwards followed them, and set
tled in some of the principal towns of the province ; but in the
course of years, considerable changes took place in regard to
the stations, some of them being given up, and others under
taken.* At Puri, which was for some time occupied as a station by
the missionaries, and which afterwards continued to be fre
quently visited by them, is the temple of Jaganath, one of the
most celebrated places of pilgrimage in India, and to which
large numbers repair annually from all parts of the country.
These pilgrimages gave rise, especially in some seasons, to a vast
amount of misery, disease, and death ; and the worship itself
is characterized by the greatest obscenity, circumstances which
could scarcely fail to impart a particular character to the inha
bitants of that part of India, and to throw peculiar obstacles in
the way of any attempt to convert them to Christianity.3
The British government, for many years, levied a tax on the
pilgrims visiting this and other places of sacred resort in India,
' This Society was instituted in 1816.
' Sutton's Narrative of the Rise and Progress of the Mission in Orissa, p. 26 ; Ster
ling's Orissa ; its Geography, Statistics, &c, to which is added, A History of the
General Baptist Mission in that Province, p. 153, 194, 258, 270, 274, 282, 286.
3 Sutton's Nar. p. 53, 142, 148 ; Sterling's Orissa, p. 14, 127, 178 ; Report General
Baptist Missionary Society, 1826, p. 9.

41 0 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
and made provision out of the tax for the support of the tem
ples, the idols, and the priests, the balance being appropriated
to its ordinary revenue. It thus gave a kind of sanction to the
whole system, which the natives were not slow to employ as
an argument with the missionaries. " If," said they, " Jaga-
nath be nothing, why do so many people come so far to see
him 1" " If Jaganath be nothing, why does the Company take
so much money from the pilgrims at the entrance of the town 1"
" If the government does not forsake Jaganath, how can you
expect that we should do it ?" " These arguments," says Mr
Bampton, " discompose me more than any others ; and they are
brought forward every day, and perhaps several times in a day." '
Besides establishing schools for boys, the missionaries suc
ceeded in collecting several schools of girls ; but they at length
discovered that the poor creatures were all the daughters, or
the adopted children of prostitutes, who were training them up
for a life of prostitution, and who availed themselves of the
schools to have them taught to read the licentious songs with
which the Hindu books abound, and so to fit them better for
carrying on their vicious designs. Hence the missionaries
found it necessary to break up several of these schools.2
Besides the day-schools, the missionaries established male and
female asylums, chiefly for orphans or outcast children, who
were made over to them by their parents in times of famine, or
who not unfrequently were picked up in a state of starvation,
after being abandoned by pilgrims to Jaganath. Among the
children received into them, were also numbers of boys and
girls who had been destined to be offered up in sacrifice by the
Khunds, who inhabit the hills in that vicinity, to the protecting '
1 Pegg^s Indian Cries to British Humanity, p. 80, 120.
Mr Bowen, one of the American missionaries, Bombay, makes the following curious
statement relative to the pilgrimages and penances of the Hindus : "It must be
borne in mind that the austerities and penances of the Hindus are the road to hon
our and reputation. In different countries the avenues of fame are different. In
England or America, an ambitious man will seek to be a popular orator, or poet, or
historian, or painter, or representative, or judge. But in this country, he will go on
pilgrimages, fast, hang on hooks, &c. Before coming to India, I thought it was a sense
of sin that urged men to these works of righteousness. But such a sense of sin as has
any influence on the conduct is rare." — (Amer.) Miss. Her. vol. xlv. p. 164. If this
statement be correct, it places superstition under a new aspect. — See also notes vol. ii.
p. 30, 431.
a Sutton's Nar. p. 81, 267.

BY THE GENERAL BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 411
goddess of their fields, but who were rescued from this horrible
death through the humane exertions of the British government
for the suppression of human sacrifices.1
Mr Bampton adopted, to a considerable extent, the native
dress, partly for the facility which it afforded in travelling, and
partly in the hope of conciliating the people. In the frequent
journeys which he made among them, he underwent great pri
vations and hardships, such as are not generally known to mis
sionaries in India. On one occasion he writes, " I was walking,
chiefly barefoot, and preaching nine hours and three quarters,
stopping only a few minutes to eat some biscuits which I had
with me. I am almost always barefoot ; partly because it
makes me more like the majority of the people, partly because
it adds to my hardihood, and partly because it is more con
venient. One is stopped by no sort of roads ; and if I am at
any time up to the ancles in mud, I am probably soon after up
to the knees in water, out of which I come clean and comfort
able, while in an English dress all this would be very miser
able." On another occasion he says, " I have had to-day what
some would call a roughish day. I have passed through rivers
and other waters several times : that indeed is an everyday
work. Once or twice I was almost up to the calves of my legs
in thick mire ; and once I had to cross a river breast-high, the
deepest which I ever crossed on foot." We may give Mr Bamp
ton credit for his zeal and self-denial ; but no constitution could
long sustain such usage ; and it probably contributed to his
comparatively early death.2
The sacrifices which a Hindu has to make in embracing
Christianity, are so many and so great, that it is not wonderful
so few receive the gospel. Mr Lacey, one of the missionaries,
gives the following view of some of these sacrifices : —
1. In becoming a Christian, a Hindu renounces all further
connection with his relations. Were they to hold any commu
nication with him, they would be exposed to the loss of caste
and all its consequences. Hence he is avoided by them as an
infected person : no one will have any thing to do with him.
1 Report General Baptist Missionary Society, 1838, p. 27 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 44 ; Ibid.
1852, p. 22, 64 ; Ibid. 1853, p. 13, 32.
3 Sterling's Orissa, p. 264 ; Miss. Reg. 1830, p. 538.

412 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
He is renounced for ever by his nearest and dearest friends.
He must never eat with them again, nor enter into their house
any more. Parents must bid adieu to their children, and chil
dren to their parents ; brothers to their sisters, and sisters to
their brothers, and so on through all the relations of life. This
separation, moreover, on the part of the heathen relatives, is
accompanied with the bitterest hatred and curses of the wretch
who has involved them and their families in so much disgrace
and misery.
2. Hindus, in embracing Christianity, lose the prospect of
support for themselves and their families. No one, whether of
their own or of other castes, will employ them, sell them any
thing, or purchase any thing from them. Nor have converts
any other community to which to look for assistance or sup
port ; for the number of Christian natives is yet small, and in
general they can afford little or no aid to their fellow-sufferers.
3. Christian converts have great difficulties in getting em
ployment for their children. If they wish them to learn any
trade, who will teach them ? The parents, perhaps also the
children, have lost caste, and so are excluded from all inter
course with others, unless it be with outcasts like themselves.
4. The prospect of marrying their children is, to a great ex
tent, destroyed. They cannot marry them into their own caste,
nor indeed into any other caste, for no one will marry with
them, and the converts to Christianity are not perhaps suffi
ciently numerous to furnish suitable husbands or wives for
them. This is a great and serious evil, particularly as regards
daughters ; for in India, it is scarcely possible to save a grown
up unmarried female from ruin. Some delay baptism, until they
have married their children, and then they leave them with
their heathen partners.
5. They are subjected to serious inconveniences, from their
countrymen refusing to perform the most common offices for
them, as shaving them, washing their clothes, thatching their
houses, and other such necessary things. It is not the custom
of the natives of India to do these things for themselves ; they
are distinct trades, and so they have not learned to exercise
them ; and it is a material evil to be refused even these com
mon services.

BY THE GENERAL BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 413
6. They are held in the utmost disgrace by their countrymen.
Caste is an essential badge of honour ; and this being gone,
they are counted the refuse and " offscouring of all things."
The most opprobrious epithets are applied to them ; every pos
sible indignity is cast upon them ; it is thought meritorious
to persecute and distress them. In the midst of these trials,
they have none perhaps but the missionaries to encourage and
to comfort them ; but they are so few in number, and their
habits are so different, that they scarcely form society suitable
for them.1
Such were some of the sacrifices and trials which were before
a Hindu, if he thought of renouncing the religion of his fathers.
Yet, notwithstanding these obstacles, there was a number of the
natives who did make a profession of the faith of Christ. The
missionaries were encouraged from time to time by seeing some
fruit of their labours among Europeans ; but near six years
elapsed before the first Hindu was baptized. Afterwards con
verts were made from among the natives, year after year ;
churches were formed at the chief stations ; some of the con
verts were employed as preachers, and some were ordained to
the ministry, and are said to have proved very valuable assist
ants. Altogether, the mission appeared to be attended with a
good measure of success. It was peculiarly pleasing to find the
converts giving so much evidence of piety.2
To alleviate in some degree the trials of the converts, and to
render them mutual helpers of each other, and also for the sake
of the heathen around them, particularly of inquirers, the mis
sionaries collected them into Christian villages. There were
several of these villages, and there was commonly some land
connected with them which the people cultivated for their own
support. They were not confined entirely to converts. There
was also a class, partly the families or relations of converts, who,
having lost caste, renounced idolatry, though they were not
baptized. The renunciation of caste, with all its customs and
usages, prepared them, in some degree, for receiving benefit
from the ordinary means of religious instruction ; and from
' Sutton's Nar. p. 444.
2 Sutton's Nar. p. 333 ; Sterling's Orissa, p. 247, 249, 257, 351 ; Reports General
Baptist Missionary Society, passim.

41 4 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
among them, there were accordingly some who, from time to
time, became converts to the faith of Christ.1
Besides school-books, tracts, and various other works, Mr
Sutton, one of the missionaries, prepared, in the Oriya lan
guage, a version of the Old and New Testament. He likewise
compiled a grammar and dictionary of that language in three
volumes.2 In 1853, the number of church members connected with the
several stations of the General Baptist Missionary Society, was
295.3

1 Sterling's Orissa, p. 296, 304 ; Rep. Gen. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1847, p. 16 ; Ibid. 1848,
p. 18 ; Ibid. 1850, p. 16, 40, 44 ; Ibid. 1851, p. 15 ; Ibid. 1852, p. 27 ; Rnd. 1853, p. 15.
2 Rep. Gen. Bap. Miss. Soc. 1841, p. 32 ; Ibid. 1842, p. 36 ; Ibid. 1845, p. 42, 44.
It is not clear whether this was a new translation or a revision of Dr Carey's Orissa
version. It was, perhaps, somewhat between the two, being founded on Dr Carey's
version, yet often departing from it. — Rep. Gen. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1837, p. 18.
3 Rep. Gen. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1853, p. 5, 20, 33, 37.
Mr Sutton, having visited the United States of America, was instrumental in lead*
ing the Free- Will Baptist Churches in that country to engage in missionary opera
tions. In September 1835, he again embarked for India, accompanied by Messrs Noyes
and Phillips, their first missionaries. The American missionaries ultimately occupied
stations in the northern part of Orissa, while the English brethren laboured in the
south. In 1852, the stations of the American missionaries were Balasore and Jellasore ;
and tbe number of their church members, 38. — Sterling's Orissa, p. 324, 331, 334 ;
Rep. Gen. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1852, p. 87 ; Ibid. 1853, p. 56.
In 1845, the Society in England sent missionaries to China, who settled at Ningpo.
— Rep. Gen. Bapt. Miss. Soc. 1845, p. 48 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 42.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 415

CHAPTER XIII.
PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY
SOCIETY.
SECT I.— SUSOO COUNTRY.
In February 1796, the Edinburgh, or as it was afterwards
called, the Scottish Missionary Society, consisting of members
of the Church of Scotland, and of other denominations of Chris
tians, was instituted in that city. Soon after its formation, the
Directors resolved to commence their operations by a mission
to the Foulah country, in the neighbourhood of Sierra Leone,
in conjunction with the London and Glasgow Missionary So
cieties, each of them undertaking to furnish two missionaries
for that purpose.
In September 1797, Messrs Henry Brunton and Peter Greig,
the two missionaries from Edinburgh, set off from that city,
with Peter Ferguson and Robert Graham from Glasgow, and
on their arrival in London they were joined by Alexander
Russel and George Cappe. Scarcely, however, had they met,
when several of them manifested a disposition to differ, parti
cularly with Mr Brunton. Before they had even left England,
violent disputes arose among them on a variety of theological
points, and in the course of the voyage such a scene of wrang
ling, bitterness, and malignity, was exhibited by them as sur
passes description. Though Mr Brunton was unquestionably to
blame for the objectionable manner in which he expressed his
sentiments, and for the unhallowed temper he manifested in
the course of these unhappy disputes, yet he soon became sen
sible of his error, offered to make every reasonable concession,
and was anxious for a reconciliation. But as those who are
mbst culpable are generally the least placable, the missionaries

416 • PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
from the other Societies rejected all his overtures of peace, and
insisted on terms which no man could grant in consistency with
honesty and truth. They even proceeded formally to expel
him from their society, and would not for some time allow him
to engage with them in the most ordinary religious exercises.
Though we cannot entirely exculpate Mr Brunton, yet the cruel
treatment he received from his brethren must be admitted as a
strong apology for him : the numerous indignities which were
cast upon him from day to day irritated his temper to a degree
he had never experienced before ; they were such, indeed, as
human nature in its present imperfect and corrupted state could
scarcely be expected to bear with meekness, patience, and hu
mility. In the midst of these unhappy disputes, Mr Greig was
the only one of the missionaries who manifested any thing of
the Christian temper ; he took no share in differences where
both parties were manifestly wrong, but what was unquestion
ably better, he took the side of peace. If he was to blame at
all, it was in not standing more firmly and boldly by Mr Brun
ton, convinced as he was of the cruelty and injustice with which
he was treated by the other missionaries.1 Such circumstances
as these furnish Christian missionaries with a striking lesson of
the necessity of cultivating toward each other a spirit of charity,
forbearance, meekness, and love. Few things tend more -to
blast their usefulness among the heathen, to injure their own
spiritual interests, and to destroy their individual happiness,
than dissensions with one another.
In consequence of these quarrels of the missionaries, and of
the path to the Foulah country being shut owing to a war be
tween that people and some of their neighbours, it was judged
expedient on their arrival at Sierra Leone that they should se
parate and occupy three distinct stations. Agreeably to this
arrangement, Messrs Brunton and Greig were appointed to
proceed to the Susoo country as the scene of their future labours.
In January 1798, Messrs Brunton and Greig proceeded to
Freeport, a factory on the Rio Pongas belonging to the Sierra
Leone Company, upwards of a hundred miles up the country.
Here they remained about ten weeks, spending most of their
1 Miss. Mag. vol. ii. p. 473 ; vol. iii. p. 137 ; Letters in the possession of the Scottish
Missionary Society, MS.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 417
time among the Susoos in the neighbouring town ; but though
many of the inhabitants were much attached to them, the chief
would not allow them to settle in that place. They, therefore,
removed to Kondia, a town about twenty miles further up the
country, where Fantimanee granted them a settlement after it
had been refused by every other chief to whom they had made
application. The head men were jealous, it seems, that the
White people wished to take their country ; that a few would set
tle among them at first under fair pretences, and make way for
others to join them, until they at last completed their design.1
About the beginning of the rainy season both the missionaries
fell sick. Mr Brunton, after bathing one morning in the river,
fainted in the woods, and felt strong symptoms of fever about
him, but by means of some medicines which he used, the dis
order abated in a few days, and he hoped it had taken a favour
able turn. Mr Greig, who was much fatigued with sitting up
with him in the night, now began to complain, and as he had a
custom of lying down in any place which struck his fancy
when any thing was the matter with him, Mr Brunton was
afraid he might lie down in this manner and not be able to rise
again. One night the event justified his fears. Having in
quired for his colleague as diligently as he could about the dusk
of the evening, he could hear nothing of him, and therefore he
asked Mr Welch, a slave trader, to send his people in search of
him. They found him lying on a bank of the river unable to
rise, and he would undoubtedly have perished in this situation,
had not assistance been sent to him. This was the beginning
of a fever which lasted about three weeks, and during the
greater part of that time he was speechless, or if he did happen
to speak a little, what he said was no more than sufficient to
shew that he was delirious. During Mr Greig's illness Mr
Brunton's fever became evidently intermittent. Between the
paroxysms he was for the most part able to crawl from his own
apartment to his colleague's, but as the ague returned regu
larly every night, it was not in his power to sit up with him.
He offered to pay any of the negro women whatever they might
choose to demand as soon as he was able to procure goods; but
1 Letters in the possession of the Scottish Missionary Society, MS. ; Account of the
Mission to the Susoo country, by Mr Brunton, in the Author's possession, p. 1. MS.
VOL. II. D d

4] 8 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
they always asked whether he would die, and shuddering at the
thought of this, declined the proposal. Mr Brunton had then
no choice but to sit up with him every evening as long as he
was able, and to rise in the middle of the night in a burn
ing fever, and crawl into his apartment to see how he was.
Sometimes he found him in a very melancholy condition. Often
the rain was pouring in upon him while he knew nothing of it,
for the house admitted a deluge of water, both above and below.
Once Mr Brunton found him fallen out of bed and lying appa
rently motionless among the water, which had come in beneath
the walls and overflowed the floor. It required all the exertion
he could make to put him into bed again, but how to secure him
there was beyond bis invention. He could do nothing but rise
as usual and see how he was doing. At other times, when he
was unable to rise, the natives found him out of bed, and trying
to get out of the house. At length, however, he became so weak
as to be unable to move.1
Mr Brunton now began to be much alarmed about him. The
boys who lodged with him seemed afraid of his dying, and
were averse to sleeping in the same apartment with him. Indeed,
though it was the best in the house, it was too bad even for the
meanest animal. So long as the weather was dry, they had no
idea that it would admit the water in the way it did. They
had begun, indeed, to get it repaired ; but they were taken ill
at that very time. It had no windows, but only two holes,
without either glass or boards. The tornadoes were often dread
ful beyond description. Trees sufficient to crush their old crazy
habitation were blown down close to it. The whole heavens
seemed sometimes in a blaze of lightning, while the terrific
peals of thunder added to the awfulness of the scene. Several,
if not all of the boys, went and sought more comfortable lodg
ings ; but poor Greig could not leave the house for the most
fearful storm. One night when Mr Brunton rose to see how he
was, he could discern no sign of life in him ; and though he
could not say positively that he was dead, yet he was rather in
clined to think this was the case. At that time, he could call
no one to his assistance ; and he was obliged to lie down, and
leave him alone ; his own fever distracted his brain. " Few
2 MS. Account by Mr Brunton, p. 8.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 419
circumstances in my life," says he, " have left a stronger im
pression on my mind, than those now related. A bird, which
ushered in the day with its melodious notes, is/resh in my me
mory. Indeed, it fixed itself in such a happy situation every
morning, that I was sometimes almost led to think it was a
kind of messenger from heaven, sent to cheer me in my dreary
abode."1 From this dangerous illness, Mr Greig recovered ; but he was
now deprived of his colleague Mr Brunton, who settled for the
present at Freetown, as chaplain to the colony, and was able
to visit the Susoo country only occasionally. Solitary, how
ever, as he was, he prosecuted his labours among the natives
with great diligence and zeal. He used to deal very plainly
with them, and to reprove them for their sins in the most
pointed manner. The Susoos heard him with great attention,
and it even became fashionable to attend to religion ; but there
was no ground to think that any of them were really convinced
of the evil of sin, or that they received the truth in the love of
it. Their attention to the Sabbath, and their laying aside
several things of which the missionaries disapproved, proceeded,
it was to be feared, chiefly from their respect for them, and not
from the influence of religion on their heart. On the whole,
however, the mission was beginning to assume a promising ap
pearance, when a period was unexpectedly put to it by the
murder of Mr Greig.2
In January 1800, seven men of the Foulah nation, who were
travelling through the country, came to pay him a visit. Mr
Greig treated them with the greatest kindness ; and with the
view, probably, of recommending the gospel to them, he amused
them by shewing them a number of European articles which he
had in his possession. In this way, they spent the evening very
cheerfully together ; and as a further expression of friendship,
he allowed three of them to sleep in his house. This act of
kindness, however, proved fatal to himself. To-the chief man
among them, Mr Greig had given a razor, and when he was
sound asleep, the ungrateful wretch arose, and attempted to cut
1 MS. Account by Mr Brunton, p. 14.
* Letters in the possession of the Scot. Miss. Soc. MS. ; MS. Account by Mr Brunton,
p. 18.

420 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
his throat. His friendly host struggled so hard, that he was
unable to effect his purpose, upon which he seized an axe, and
struck him on the temples. After knocking him down, he
stabbed him with a cutlass, and then cut his throat from ear
to ear. Having accomplished his bloody purpose, he and his
companions carried off whatever parts of his property they
deemed valuable. The whole seems to have been effected with
little noise, for though some of the boys under Mr Greig's care,
were in the house, none of them appear to have been awake
except one, on whose testimony the preceding account chiefly
rests, and who was so frightened that he endeavoured to con
ceal himself as quietly as possible. Fantimanee, who had taken
Mr Greig under his protection, was extremely sorry at his death,
and he, together with some others of the Susoo chiefs, endea
voured to apprehend the murderers, and it was reported that
they had taken two of them in the Foulah country. Several
persons of that nation were detected carrying away his property
about the time he was murdered. They were put in irons, and
carried to Freeport ; the Susoos were so enraged at them, that
it was with difficulty they were prevented from falling upon
them, and putting them to death.1
After the death of his pious colleague, Mr Brunton was ob
liged to leave the coast of Africa, as his constitution was already
materially injured, and threatened soon to sink under the wast
ing effects of the climate. On his return to Scotland, he pub
lished several works in the Susoo language f and on the resto
ration of his health, he set off on a new mission to the countries
in the neighbourhood of the Caspian Sea.

SECT. II.— TARTAEY.
In April 1802, the Rev. Henry Brunton and Mr A. Paterson
sailed from Leith on an exploratory mission to the countries
lying between the Black and the Caspian Seas. Having ob-
1 Letter from Mr Brunton, March 1800, in the possession of the Scot. Miss. Soc. ;
MS. Account by Mr Brunton, p. 27.
' Proceedings of the Church Missionary Society, vol. i. p. 82, 141.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 421
tained permission from the Russian government to settle in
Tartary, they, after visiting different parts of the country, re
solved to take up their residence in a village called Karass, con
taining upwards of five hundred inhabitants, all of whom were
Mahomedans. It was situated at about an equal distance
from the Caspian and the Black Seas. Here they obtained a
grant of land from the Russian government, by whom they ap
pear to have been viewed in the character of colonists as much
as that of missionaries, and they were afterwards joined by a
number of other individuals from Scotland, who were sent to
assist them in their labours.1
In the summer of 1804, the plague made its appearance in
the neighbourhood of Karass; but as the Mahomedans, from
their abuse of the doctrine of predestination, seldom think of
going out of the way of that dreadful disease, or using any pre
cautions against it, so they were at great pains to conceal its
approach both from the missionaries and the Russians. Be
sides, war now broke out between the Russians and the Kabar-
dians. Many of the former were murdered by the latter ; and
though they repeatedly came to an agreement, yet the barba
rians were so regardless of their engagements, that they broke
them the first opportunity. These disastrous events could not
fail to occasion the missionaries much anxiety and distress.
Every day brought them new and alarming reports. The whole
family, men, women, and children, sometimes slept with their
clothes on, ready to fly in case of danger, and more than once,
the dread of an immediate attack drove them to the woods. On
one occasion, a plundering party of Kabardians carried off three
of their horses ; and, it was said, they expressed a strong desire
to get the native children into their possession. In consequence
of these circumstances, the missionaries judged it expedient to
leave Karass for the present, and to retire to Georghievsk, a
Russian fort, about thirty-two versts distant.2
Agreeably to a favourite plan of Mr Brunton's, the mission
aries began, at an early period, to ransom some of the Tartars,
who were in a state of slavery, particularly some young per
sons, with the view of training them up from their early years
1 Religious Monitor, vol. i. p. 35, 155 ; vol. iii. p. 189.
' Ibid. vol. ii. p. 467.

422 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
in the principles of religion, and teaching them the useful arts
of life, by which means, they hoped, the gospel would be most
effectually propagated in the country. Several of the ransomed
after some time made a profession of Christianity, and were
baptized.1 In May 1806, Mr Mitchell, one of the missionaries, proceeded
from Karass to Petersburg, with the view of obtaining from the
Russian government certain privileges which were considered
as of essential importance to the prosperity of the settlement.
Soon after their arrival, the missionaries had obtained a grant
of land from government, and, at their desire, a person had
been lately sent to Karass to measure off the ground which they
had chosen, amounting in all to six thousand dessatines, or
about 16,200 acres. Of this, a topographical description was
transmitted to the minister of the interior at St Petersburg,
and in connection with this grant of land, various immunities
were now conferred upon them. By one article, it was declared
that they should be exempted from all personal and landed
taxes and charges whatever, for the space of thirty years ; that,
at the expiration of that period, they should pay yearly fifteen
copecks for each dessatine of land fit for cultivation ; that, in
future, they should be subject to no other public charges and
imposts whatever ; and that they should be for ever exempted
from civil and military service, and also from military quarters.
By another article it was provided, that the internal affairs of
the settlers respecting religion, the management of their land,
their property, and their police, should always be subject to
their own direction, or that of a committee chosen by them ;
and that this committee should have the power of granting
passports to all members of the settlement, who wished either
to travel into the interior of the empire, or to leave the coun
try. This last was a privilege which had never been granted
to any foreign colonists but themselves.2 It may, however, be
1 Relig. Mon. vol. ii. p. 115 ; vol. iii. p. 470 ; vol. iv. p. 116, 151 ; vol. v. p. 89,
273; vol. vi. p. 43.
The plan of ransoming slaves was afterwards relinquished by the Society. It was
considered by them as affording encouragement to the slave trade, and while it proved
a source of endless trouble, it was not attended with the favourable results which had
been expected from it.
' Relig. Mon. vol. iv. p. 153, 311, 349.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 423
remarked, that the grant of land to the missionaries gave great
offence to the Tartars, who very naturally considered them
selves as the rightful proprietors.
In April 1809, the missionaries received a message from a
Sonna prince, requesting them to send some persons to instruct
his people in the principles of the Christian religion. The
Sonna country lies about seven days' journey from Karass, and
was said to contain upwards of fifty villages or towns, and about
two hundred thousand inhabitants, who are professed Chris
tians. They believe, we are told, in one God, and in Jesus
Christ, as their only king and Saviour. They pray that God
would bless them for Christ's sake, and continue to them the
privileges which their forefathers enjoyed. They baptize their
children four or five days after their birth, by washing them
all over the body. They devote the Sabbath to the exercises of
religion ; and when they swear, they wish that they may be
turned to the left hand of Christ at the day of judgment, should
their oath be false. In their churches they have images, some
of which, they say, were formed by the power of God. In one
of them, there is the image of a young horse, which, according
to them, was produced in this miraculous manner. They have
likewise, in their places of worship, a number of large books,
which their priests read, but do not pretend to explain, their
religious services consisting chiefly of singing and praying.
Their priests are allowed to marry ; and when they officiate in
public, they are arrayed in long garments, richly ornamented
with silver and gold. They inoculate their children with the
small-pox, on the crown of the head. From these circumstances,
the missionaries concluded that the Sonnas were Greek Chris
tians, and that, probably, they had once belonged to the Geor
gian Church, though now they find fault with it. They had
long been anxious to visit them, with the view of learning
more particularly the state of religion among them, and in the
hope of being useful to them. Mr Paterson had already made
an attempt to penetrate into that part of the country, but was
obliged to return without accomplishing his design ; and, from
the distracted state of the neighbouring tribes, it was at present
deemed unadvisable to renew the attempt.1
1 Relig. Mon. vol. iv. p. 269, 271 ; vol. vi. p. 138, 187 ; vol. vii. p. 465, 568.

424 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Besides the Sonnas, there were various other tribes in the
neighbouring mountains who made a profession of Christianity ;
but during the last century their numbers have greatly dimi
nished, many of them having been compelled at the point of
the sword to embrace Mahomedanism ; and those who had so
lately been proselyted themselves, were now endeavouring with
a blind impetuous zeal, to convert their neighbours to the faith
of the False Prophet. The religion of others of the mountain
tribes, appeared to consist of a mixture of Christianity and hea
thenism. In many parts of the country, there are ruins of
churches and sepulchral monuments built of stone, which in
dicate not only the former prevalence of Christianity, but a
higher degree of civilization than at present exists in this quar
ter of the world.1
In 1813, the New Testament in the Turkish language, or
rather into what has been called the Tartar-Turkish, translated
by Mr Brunton, was completed at press. In executing this
work, he derived essential assistance from the translation of
the New Testament into Turkish, by Dr Lazarus Seaman,
which was published in England about the middle of the seven
teenth century. Large editions of the Tartar-Turkish New
Testament were afterwards printed, and also part of the Old Tes
tament.2 Though the missionaries were, -in general, received in a
friendly manner by the Tartars, both in their own immediate
neighbourhood and at a distance, yet sometimes they were de
sired to go away, and not to trouble them with their religion ;
their ears were often assailed with blasphemous expressions re
garding the sonship of Christ, his mediation, intercession, and
sufferings. There appeared among them an extreme indiffer
ence to the things which belonged to their everlasting peace ;
yet it is worthy of notice, that they manifested a similar indif
ference in regard to their own religion, a state of mind which
is probably far more common in heathen and Mahomedan coun
tries than is generally imagined. Very few of the people at-
* Relig. Mon. vol. ii. p. 115, 117, 350; vol. iv. p. 269; vol. vii. p. 569; vol. viii.
p. 268 ; vol. xv. p. 307.
' Ibid. vol. i. p. 278; vol. iii. p. 30; vol. xi. p. 308 ; Rep. Soot. Miss. Soc. 1819,
p. 10; Ibid. 1821, p. 13; Ibid. 1822, p. 5; Ibid. 1823, p. 18; Ibid. 1824, p. 15.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 425
tended public prayers ; some did not keep the appointed fasts ;
and others doubted whether prayers for the dead were of any
avail, and grudged to pay the fees which were required for
them. The power of the sword could not now be exercised,
and little attention was paid to exhortation.1
In 1815, two new stations were begun, the one at Astrachan,
on the river Wolga, the other at Orenburg, a town to the north
of the Caspian Sea. In the neighbourhood of Astrachan, there
were a number of Tartar villages which were visited by some
of the missionaries ; but the reception they met with was far
from encouraging. In that city, there were also resident a
number of Persians ; and at first they appeared to give them a
much more favourable reception than the Tartars ; but when
the novelty was over, they were no longer disposed to enter
into conversation on the subject of religion, and wished to avoid
all intercourse with them. But there was one young man named
Mahomed Ali, who appeared to be a promising convert to
Christianity. This young Persian was the only surviving son
of Haji Kazem Beg, a venerable old man, who was descended
from one of the principal families in Derbend, and who, until
within these fewyears,held the office of chief kazi or judge in that
city. Having, on grounds which are not well understood, been
accused and convicted of treason, the old man had all his pro
perty confiscated by order of the governor-general of Georgia,
and was sent along with some others a prisoner to Astrachan,
Feeling himself lonely in his present situation, he wrote to his
son Mahomed Ali at Derbend, to come and be the companion
of his exile, a request with which the young man immediately
complied. As the Haji had been previously acquainted with
the missionaries, the son, after his arrival, frequently visited
them, and was employed in giving some of them lessons in Tur
kish and Arabic. Frequent discussions took place between
him and his pupils on the subject of religion; but he at first
firmly opposed every thing that was said concerning the gospel.
He even became at times quite angry, and gave vent to his feel
ings in blasphemous expressions regarding the Redeemer ; yet
still there appeared a marked difference between him and most
1 Glen's Journal of a Tour from Astrachan to Karass, p. 218 ; Rep Scot. Miss. Soc.
1822, 'p. 3; Ibid. 1823, p. 10; Ibid. 1825, p. 20.

426 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
other Mahomedans ; and within a few days after such ebulli
tions of passion, he would again renew his inquiries, and endea
vour to provoke discussion. He at length appeared to become
a serious inquirer after truth, and seemed to be deeply impressed
with a sense of his sinfulness and misery ; he could not even
sleep at night, so keenly did he feel the convictions of a wounded
spirit ; but after some time he obtained peace to his conscience,
through the application, it was hoped, of the peace-speaking
blood of Jesus. His father, as may naturally be supposed, was
deeply grieved at his apostasy : sometimes his bowels appeared
to yearn over him with all the tenderness of a parent's heart ;
at other times, he treated him with the utmost harshness. One
day, having assembled a number of Persians, he required him,
in /the presence of them all, to renounce the new opinions he
had imbibed ; and when Mahomed Ali refused to do so, the old
man, in a great passion, sent for the Persian consul, and told
his son that unless he recanted, he would get him bound hand
and foot, and given up to the police. " Father," replied Maho
med, " I cannot recant ; my flesh would willingly become a
Mahomedan, but my conscience will not allow me." Here his
father reminded him, that all their controversies about matters
of faith were determined by the sword. " A sure proof," re
plied Mahomed, " that your religion is not of God ; for he does
not need such carnal weapons to decide matters of faith." His
father, full of rage, ordered the servant not to give him any
food ; and Mahomed Ali had accordingly to go to bed fasting ;
but about eleven o'clock, his father, who had been out on busi
ness, returned, and coming to his bed-side, gently awoke him.
" My son," said he, " you see I am an old man ; have com
passion on my white beard : do not grieve me by becoming an
infidel." " Father," replied the young man, " you are my parent,
and it is my duty to obey you in every thing ; but why should
you demand of me that obedience which I owe to God only ?
In this one thing, I cannot obey you."
Mahomed Ali continued to visit the missionaries daily ; but
as for two successive days, he did not make his appearance as
usual, they became anxious for his personal safety. It after
wards appeared that he was confined as a prisoner by his father ;
that he had been severely beaten, and was left in a great mea-

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 427
sure without food. Conceiving it to be their duty to adopt
some means for his protection, they called on the Haji, and
after some conversation stated to him that they would have ap
plied immediately to the governor to protect his son, but that
in order to save him trouble they had come first to him. The
father in a rage declared that neither the governor nor the em
peror could interfere in a case like the present, that he had
power not only to imprison his son, to beat, and to starve him,
but even, according to the Mahomedan law, to put him to death.
They, therefore, applied to the governor to protect Mahomed
Ali from the rage of his enemies, and in consequence of this he
was brought the same evening by the police-master to the mis
sion-house. On being asked as to the state of his mind during
the time he was confined by his father, he said that notwith
standing all the wrangling and abuse to which he was exposed,
he felt quite peaceful and happy. The meekness with which
he bore the ill-usage of the Persians who came to argue with
him, was also a pleasing proof of the influence of divine truth
on his heart, and was calculated to make a strong impression
on the minds of his countrymen.
Mahomed Ali having been thus safely lodged in the mission-
house by the civil authorities, the anxiety of the missionaries
regarding him was for the present relieved, but now there arose
a new cause of apprehension and alarm. By the laws of Russia,
heathens and Mahomedans subject to the imperial government
can be instructed and baptized only by priests of the Greek
Church ; and proceeding on this law the Archbishop of Astra
chan required that he should be placed under a Russian priest
with a view to his being baptized in the Greek Church. The
missionaries represented to the archbishop the privileges which
had been conferred by his imperial majesty on the Scottish
colony at Karass, of which they were members, and it was
finally settled that their right to baptize him should be referred
to the emperor, and that in the mean while he should be al
lowed to remain under their care. Mahomed Ali accordingly
addressed a .petition to the Emperor Alexander, begging that he
might be allowed to receive baptism from the missionaries who
had been the instruments of his conversion to the Christian
faith,, and the Archbishop of Astrachan also made a communi-

428 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
cation to the government on the subject. Prince Galitzin, the
minister of religion, through whom these representations were
made to the emperor, and who was a special friend of missions,
informed the missionaries in reply, that the Karass privileges
"contained a sufficient decision, authorizing them to receive by
holy baptism all who were converted to the Lord through their
instrumentality." * Mahomed Ali was accordingly baptized by
the missionaries, and on this occasion the mission chapel was
crowded by the natives of at least seven different countries,
Persians, Tartars, Russians, Armenians, English, French, and
Germans.2 We have seen how distinctly the right of the missionaries to
baptize their converts was acknowledged by the government,
notwithstanding the general law of the empire in regard to pro
selytes from heathen and Mahomedan tribes ; but in such a
country as Russia special privileges are of small avail, if it be
the interest or wish of the priesthood, or of the nobility, to
evade and nullify them. Mahomed Ali, though he had been
allowed to be baptized by the missionaries, was after some time
informed by the governor of Astrachan, agreeably, to instruc
tions received from General Yarmeloff, the commander-in-chief
of the province, that in consequence of his having become a
Christian he was expected to enter the Russian service, and
that he might have his choice either of the civil, the military,
or the commercial service ; he was required to sign an obligation
that he would not at any time go out of the city without the
knowledge of the police, and it was further stated that he must
1 In reply to a similar petition from a professed convert from Mahomedanism, in
the Crimea, Prince Galitzin was even still more explicit. " I do not find it necessary
to enter into this affair, because the imperial ordinance of 25th December 1806, most
graciously presented to the colony of Scotsmen in the Caucasian government, autho
rises you to introduce him into the faith preached by you without requiring any deci
sion on the subject." " On a subject, then, settled by law, it is unnecessary, on every
occasion to require a particular determination." — Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1824, p. 22.
It may here be mentioned, that, in 1821, two new stations were commenced, one in
the Crimea, the other at Nazran, among the Inguish, one of the Caucasian mountain
tribes ; but Mr Blyth, the missionary, after being only about seven months at the lat
ter place, received orders from the governor of the provinoe to leave it, and he accord
ingly retired to Astrachan. — Ibid. 1822, p. 14, 16.
2 Rep. Edin. Miss. Soc. 1816, p. 7, 11 ; Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1822, p. 8; Ibid. 1823,
p. 14; Ibid. 1824, p. 10; Scottish Missionary Register, vol. ii. p. 164, 204, 207 ; vol.
iv. p. 293.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 429
refrain from interfering or co-operating in any kind of mission
ary work. In consequence of these proceedings, Mahomed Ali
drew up a petition to the emperor, soliciting permission to re
main at Astrachan and to engage in making known the glad
tidings of salvation to his countrymen. This petition the mis^
sionaries transmitted to Prince Galitzin, with a request that he
would present it to his imperial majesty, but this the prince
judged it prudent to decline. „ The Princess Mertchersky, a
pious and excellent lady, was then applied to, and she kept the
petition by her, waiting for a fit opportunity of submitting it to
the emperor, but observed that at present this would not be
advisable. As there was thus little or no hope of his obtaining
permission to remain at Astrachan in the service of the mission,
Mahomed Ali begged that he might be admitted into the Col
lege of Foreign Affairs at St Petersburg, rather than be obliged
to enter into the military or commercial service. Had this pe
tition been granted, he would have enjoyed in that metropolis
the privileges of Christian society and of Christian ordinances.
Instead, however, of being admitted into the college at St Peters
burg, he was appointed to a college at Omsk in Siberia, a place
about 3735 versts from the capital, where there was no Christian
worship, unless we are to call by that name the superstitious
and idolatrous worship of the Greek Church ; but on his arrival
at Kazan on his way thither, some of the members of that uni
versity were so taken with his accomplishments as a scholar, a
gentleman, and a Christian, that they made application to the
Russian government to appoint him to a professorship in that
city, and he was accordingly allowed to remain there.1
Besides communicating oral instruction to the Mahomedans,
the missionaries circulated among them numerous copies of the
New Testament, and of particular books of the Sacred Volume,
and also tracts in the Tartar-Turkish, Arabic, and Persic lan
guages. These were not only extensively distributed at the
several stations, but they were sent to Kazan, to Teflis, to Der
bend, to Shirvan, to Bagdad, to Persia, and to many other parts
of Asia. The reception of the New Testament by the Tartars
and other Mahomedans, was, as might be expected, very various.
Some would not accept of a copy at all, and many who at first
• Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1825, p. 13; Ibid. 1826, p. W.

430 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
took it, afterwards returned it on finding what kind of a book
it was, whilst others were compelled to do so by their Effendis
and Mollahs, who threatened to kill them if they persisted in
reading such works. This, however, was not the only nor even
the greatest evil. Free of suspicions, the missionaries had for
a considerable time been in the habit of giving the New Testa
ment to every person who could read, and was willing to re
ceive it ; and thought that in so doing they were instrumental
in putting the word of God into the hands of their fellow-mor
tals, whose curiosity, in the absence of higher principles, might
lead them to glance at its contents, and whose hearts might
thus be touched with the sacred truths which it makes known.
But they found to their sorrow, that not a few of the Maho
medans made it their business to ask New Testaments, not with
the intention of reading them, but solely for the purpose of pro
viding themselves at an easy rate with covers for the Koran,
and other books recommended by their teachers ; while the
sacred volume which they had promised to read was destroyed
or thrown aside as waste paper. Some even appear to have
destroyed the New Testament from a principle of fiery zeal for
the principles of Mahomedanism in opposition to the gospel.
Though, since the commencement of their labours, the mission
aries at Karass had circulated a great number of books, it was
seldom they now met with an individual who had one of them
in his possession. When inquiry was made concerning them,
the Tartars generally answered that they had given them to
persons at a distance in consequence of their particular solici
tation. These circumstances exceedingly nonplussed the mis
sionaries, and rendered them much at a loss to whom to give a
book, and occasioned them to refuse many of the requests which
were made to them.1
Here it may not be improper to mention, that the Tartars in
general paid little attention to the education of their children.
Few except the priests and some of the chiefs learned to read,
and fewer still were in the habit of reading. Though some
studious men may be found among them, yet, as they possess
few books of an interesting nature, most of them relinquish the
1 Glen's Journal, p. 158, 199 ; Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1821, p. 21 ; Ibid. 1823, p. 13,
23.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 431
employment so soon as they perceive that no worldly advan
tages are to be derived from it, or they read little more than
what is absolutely necessary to the performance of the duties of
their office. Even their greatest Effendis read so slowly and so
indistinctly, repeating the words three or four times before they
seem to understand them, that an European who understood
their language, would conclude that they were little acquainted
with the art of reading. As for the common people, the greater
part of them were extremely ignorant, and they were even so
conscious of this, that they compared themselves to beasts.1
In 1824 the Committee commenced withdrawing the mission-
1 Relig. Mon. vol. xvii. p. '198 ; Rep. Edln. Miss. Soc. 1817, p. 44 ; Ibid. 1818,
p. 46, 48 ; Ibid. 1819, p. 5.
It is curious to see how among Mahomedans, worldly motives can be brought into
operation in regard to services which are held most sacred by them, and which are ap
parently of the most arduous and self-denying kind. It is well known that a pilgrim
age to Mecca is viewed by the Mahomedans as highly meritorious. It is considered
indeed as so necessary, that according to a tradition of Mahomed, he who dies without
performing it, may as well die a Jew or a Christian. Meritorious, however, as is this
journey, it may be rendered subservient not only to the purposes of religion but of
trade. "It shall be no crime in you," says the Koran, " if ye seek an increase from
the Lord, by trading during the pilgrimage." (Sale's Koran, vol. i. p. 34. ) Of the
advantage which is taken of this permission, the following extract from the Journal of
Mr Carruthers will furnish an illustration, as well as of some other circumstances con
nected with the pilgrimage to Mecca. "Hagi Mehmed called early one morning,
and remained with me till the afternoon. He is a Turkish merchant from Constanti
nople, and has visited, by way of pilgrimage, Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. He has
much to say about his travels, and indeed he seems to have been more intent on the
gratification of his curiosity than on the professed object of bis journey. It is not
perhaps commonly understood, that the pilgrimage to Mecca, as it respects thousands
of the pilgrims, is as much a mercantile as a religious journey, the prospect of an ad
vantageous market for the goods which they carry along with them, being probably a
more powerful motive than the imaginary merit of a visit to that celebrated city. If
the Sultan in some capricious moment should interdict this lucrative traffic, the pil
grims, it is probable, would neither be so numerous nor so devout. It is indeed well
known, that not only the native population of Mecca is on the decline, but that the de
votees are annually diminishing in number, owing to the relaxation of commerce,' to
which we may perhaps add, a growing dereliction of principle in almost every Maho
medan country. " Many even of those who do not come under the designation of mer
chants, repair thither from other motives than devotion : they too have a species of
merchandise perhaps not less lucrative, and certainly less troublesome. They are the
representatives of other Mussulmen, who are too weak or too indolent to undergo the
fatigues of a journey across the Arabian desert ; they sell their devotions as others do
their goods, to the highest bidder, and, for a handsome remuneration, agree to transfer
to their employers the merit of all their services at the sacred Caaba. Thus, year after
year they visit Mecca, and having fulfilled the terms of their mercenary contract, re
turn to adjust another bargain as advantageously for themselves as possible."— Rep.
Scot. Miss. Soc. 1825, p. 21.

432 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
aries from Russia, and after some time the whole of the stations
were relinquished. They had for some time past entertained
strong doubts as to the propriety of persevering in cultivating
a field which had hitherto proved so barren and unpromising,
while there were so many inviting fields in other parts of the
world, where they might hope to reap a rich and an abundant
harvest ; and there now occurred circumstances which left no
doubt in their minds as to the duty of withdrawing from Russia.
The Emperor Alexander had long been the friend and patron
of efforts for the improvement, and particularly the religious
improvement of his people ; but toward the close of his reign,
there was an entire change in the policy of his government.
The Russian Bible Society which, under his approving smile,
had drawn around it the highest dignitaries among the clergy
and the first nobles of the empire, was paralyzed in its further
efforts, and two or three years afterwards was suspended by
Nicholas his successor ; good men had to withdraw from offices
in which they previously had opportunities of promoting the
cause of religion ; missionaries were shackled in their labours ;
and though the right of the Scottish missionaries to baptize
converts had of late been recognised by the government, yet
it was plain from the case of Mahomed Ali, that this privilege
could easily be rendered nugatory by simply requiring them to
enter the Russian service, and so removing them from under
their spiritual superintendence, thus preventing a Christian
Church from ever being collected, and interfering essentially
with the religious improvement and safety of its individual
members. This was the commencement of that iniquitous sys
tem of policy which Russia has ever since pursued for arresting
the progress of knowledge, and which at length ripened into
a <;onspiracy by the despots of continental Europe against the
rights and liberties of the nations.1
1 Rep. Soot. Miss. Soc. 1825, p. 11, 15 ; Rep. Bib. Soo. 1825, p. 34 ; Ibid. 1827,
p. 40.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 433

SECT. III.— INDIA.
In August 1822, the Rev. Donald Mitchell sailed for Bom
bay.; and he was followed a few months afterwards by the
Rev. John Cooper, Alexander Crauford, and James Mitchell.1
On arriving in Bombay, they received permission from the
governor to settle in the Southern Koncan. Here they com
menced one station at Bankot, a town about sixty miles south
of Bombay, and another at Hurnee, about fourteen miles fur
ther south. Other missionaries were afterwards sent out, and
stations were also established in Bombay and at Puna. These
in fact became, after some years, the chief seats of the mission.2
One of the first objects to which the missionaries in the Kon
can directed their attention, was the establishment of schools ;
but in carrying them on, they had, of necessity, to employ
heathen teachers ; and as native schools were conducted in a
very imperfect way, it was not easy to get them carried on in
an efficient manner. To counteract spme of the more common
evils found in them, they introduced the Lancasterian system,
with some modifications, into their schools. The little value
which a Hindu sets on time was a great hindrance to the pro
gress of the scholars. Every trivial occurrence was deemed a
sufficient excuse for a father keeping his children from school
for a week or a fortnight together. Even the number of mar
riages among the scholars, (for boys are generally married
between six and ten years of age), and the number of holidays
appropriated to religious observances, proved no small interrup
tion of their education. The teachers themselves required the
strictest superintendence as well as the children. There was
reason to suspect some of them of engaging boys in the neigh
bourhood to feign themselves scholars, whom they warned on
the approach of a missionary, and introduced into the school as
if they had been merely out drinking a little water. There was
also, ground to fear that some of them attempted reading heathen
1 Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1823, p. 27.
* Ibid. 1824, p. 24; Ibid. 1825, p. 5; Ibid. 1829, p. 17; Ibid. 1880, p. 17; Ibid.
1832, p. 16.
VOL. II. E e

434 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
books in the schools, contrary to their express engagements.
Besides, though the children at first made pleasing progress in
their education, yet no sooner did they acquire some knowledge
of reading and writing, than they appeared to have reached the
height of their ambition, and either left the school altogether,
or became so careless and unsteady as to make little further
improvement. Still, however, it was gratifying to think that
each of the young persons who left the schools carried along
with him some portion of the word of God in a language which
he understood, and had treasured up in his memory some of its
most important and interesting passages.
Of the children in the schools, a very considerable number
were of the Brahman caste, who, it was remarked, learned with
much greater facility than those of any other caste. Nothing
in fact was more evident than that taking them in general, they
were far superior in intellect to most of the other castes. In
one of the schools there were also twelve or fourteen adults ;
but their progress was any thing but satisfactory. A Hindu
boy is a most promising subject of instruction ; a Hindu adult
of the lower classes is quite the reverse. He seems to have lost,
in a great measure, his intellectual faculties ; and it is only by
the greatest exertions that he can be made to comprehend the
simplest ideas.1
The schools increased at length to about eighty in number,
and contained upwards of 3000 children. Several of them were
exclusively for females ; there were also a number of girls in
some of those for boys. After a few years, however, the number of
schools in the Koncan was greatly reduced ; but in the mean
while, a considerable number were established in connection
with the Bombay station, and several with that at Puna, so
that the education of the young was still carried on upon a
somewhat extensive scale.2
After acquiring the Marathi language, the missionaries com
menced preaching at their respective stations and in the neigh
bouring villages. They also made frequent, and, in some in
stances, lengthened tours for this purpose, both along the coast
and into the interior of the country. In the course of these
1 Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1824, p. 24 ; Ibid. 1825, p. 3 ; Ibid. 1826, p. 7, 12.
' Ibid. 1828, p. 9 ; Ibid. 1832, p. 20 ; Ibid. 1834, p. 11, 14.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 435
journeys, they enjoyed many valuable opportunities of preach
ing the gospel ; they also circulated many thousand copies of
portions of the Scriptures and Christian tracts.1
The people, when the gospel was first brought to their ears,
generally listened with much apparent interest and attention,
and the missionaries often felt greatly encouraged in preaching
to them, especially in the course of their itinerant labours.
Some would admit the truth of all they said, and acknow
ledge with seeming candour the absurdity of idolatry ; some
would even profess to be inquirers, and give rise to hopes
that they might ere long embrace the gospel ; but nothing can
be more difficult than to judge of the real sentiments and feel
ings of the Hindus, for they can speak either for or against the
truth with equal gravity and apparent sincerity, just as circum
stances dictate ; and the smallest and most distant expectation
of some temporal advantage, is sufficient to induce them to act,
for a lengthened period, a deceitful and worthless part. Indeed,
much of the interest excited by the visits of the missionaries,
might be traced to no higher source than novelty, and other of
lower principles of human nature. " Though," Mr Stevenson
remarks, " the Hindus are inclined to read, that they may spend
a little of their idle time, — and disposed to hear that they may
gratify their idle curiosity, — and anxious to talk that they may
shew their attachment to their own religion, or, as is frequently
the case, that they may shew themselves superior to its absur
dities, they are still far enough from any thing like a disposition
to embrace the doctrines of the gospel, as is obvious from the
fact, that generally at first they are more disposed to hear than
'they are ever after ; for when they see the demands which
Christianity makes on them, for purity of heart and conduct,
and submission to the loss of caste, they become offended and
turn back." At the stations in the Koncan and at Puna, when
the novelty of the missionaries' preaching passed away, the peo
ple sunk into a state of indifference, and even manifested opposi
tion to the gospel.2
1 Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1826, p. 14; Ibid. 1830, p. 12 ; Ibid. 1831, p. 14, 19, 22 ;
Ibid. 1832, p. 10 ; Ibid. 1833, p. 11 ; Ibid. 1834, p. 10 ; Ibid. 1835, p. 18 ; Scot. Miss.
Reg. 1836, p. 16, 49, 93, 134, 333.
2 Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1828, p. 12 ; Ibid. 1832, p. 10, 16 ; Ibid. 1833, p. 12; Ibid.
1834, p. 9 ; Ibid. 1835, p. 11 ; Scot. Miss. Reg. 1836, p. 169.

436 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
At Bombay, Mr Wilson engaged in controversy with the
Hindus, the Parsis, and the Mahomedans, partly by public oral
discussions, partly through the medium of the native news
papers, and partly by the publication of separate works ; and
they, on the other hand, vindicated their respective religions
through they same channels. These discussions excited great
interest among the natives at the time. Mr Wilson's " Expo
sure of Hinduism," was printed in Marathi, Gujarati, Ben
gali, and Hindi, and also in the English language, and had a
very extensive circulation. His refutation of Mahomedanism,
in reply to Haji Mahomed Hashim, was also translated into
Gujarati, Hindustani, and Persian.1
In August 1835, this mission was transferred to the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which had of late years
commenced missionary operations in India. Messrs Mitchell,
Nesbit, and Wilson, had made application to the Assembly's
Committee to be received by them as its missionaries, and the
directors of the Scottish Missionary Society resolved to throw
no obstacle in the way of the proposed transfer. These were
the only missionaries of the Society who now remained. Mr
Donald Mitchell died soon after his arrival in India ; Messrs
Crauford and Cooper had been obliged to return to Scotland
on account of their loss of health, and Mr Stevenson had lately
become one of the chaplains of the East India Company.2

SECT. IV.— JAMAICA.
In January 1824, the Rev. George Blyth, who had lately re
turned from Russia, sailed for Jamaica with a special view to
1 Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1831, p. 23 ; Ibid. 1832, p. 19 ; Ibid. 1833, p. 15 ; Ibid.
1834, p. 16, 18 ; Ibid. 1835, p. 17 ; Memoir of Mrs Wilson, p. 214, 248, 285, 299 ; Sum.
Orient. Christ. Spect. vol. ii. p. 209.
The Parsis renewed the controversy at a subsequent period (1840), upon the bap
tism of two Parsi youths. Several works were then published, two of them consider
able quartos, in explanation and vindication of their religion. — Missionary Record for
the Church of Scotland, vol. i. p. 237, 253. This led to the publication by Dr Wilson
of a, work entitled "The Parsi Religion as contained in the Zand-Avasta, and pro
pounded and defended by the Zoroastrians of India and Persia, unfolded, refuted, and
contrasted with Christianity," Bombay, 1843, 8vo. pp. 610.
3 Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1824, p. 25; Ibid. 1832, p. 21 ; Ibid. 1834, p. 20; Ibid.
1835, p. 13 ; IMd. 1837, p. 31.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

437

the instruction of the slaves on the estates of Hampden and
Dundee, on the north side of the island, a few miles from Fal
mouth.1 He Avas followed in subsequent years by the Rev.
John Chamberlain, James Watson, Hope M. Waddell, John
Simpson, John Cowan, Thomas Leslie, and Warrand Carlile,
who commenced stations in various other parts of the island.
The following table exhibits a view of the principal stations
occupied by them : —

Begun.

Stations.

Parishes.

1824

Hampden.

Trelawney.

1829

Cornwall.

St James'.

1827

Lucea.

Hanover.

1832

Green Island.

Do.

1843

Brownsville.

Do.

1827

Port Maria.

St Mary's.

1832

Carron Hall.

Do.

1845

Rosehill.

Do.

Besides these stations, there were a number of out-stations
1 This was not the first mission of the Society to Jamaica. • In February 1800, the
Rev. Joseph Bethune, a minister of the Church of Scotland, and Messrs William Clark
and Ebenezer Reid, catechists, sailed from Leith for that island; but scarcely had they
arrived at Kingston, when the prospects of the mission were completely overclouded.
About eight days after their landing, Mr Clark was seized with a malignant fever,
which at that time raged in Kingston, and died after a fortnight's illness. Mr Bethune
was seized shortly after with the same fever, and died after a week's illness. Mrs
Bethune died on her passage home, and not long after their only child followed them
into the world of spirits. Such were the mysterious dispensations of Providence to
ward this infant mission.
Mr Reid, who was now left alone, began to hold meetings with the Black and Brown
people in Kingston and the neighbourhood ; he also opened a week-day school for
teaching children reading, writing, and the principles of religion. He was, however,
materially restricted in his labours, in common with other missionaries, in consequence
of the persecuting acts of the legislature of Jamaica. For some years he was little
expense to the Society, and he at length accepted the situation of teacher in a respect
able school in Jamaica. — Miss. Mag. vol. v. p. 91, 357, 360, 528 ; Brief Account of
the Edinburgh Missionary Society, 1819. p. 2.
The mission of Mr Blyth was undertaken at the request of Archibald Stirling, Esq.
of Keir, the principal proprietor of Hampden ; and he was joined by William Stothert,
Esq. of Cargen, the proprietor of Dundee, these two excellent gentlemen having en
gaged to bear one-half of the expense of the mission. In this they were afterwards
joined for several years by William Stirling, Esq., one of the proprietors of the neigh
bouring estate of Content. Mr Archibald Stirling, and other members of the family,
also contributed with great liberality to the Port Maria mission, with a view to the in
struction of the slaves on his estate of Frontier in that neighbourhood.

438 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
in connection with the Society, and various estates which were
visited by the missionaries.1
On commencing 'the several stations, the missionaries were
generally well received by the people, who appeared very desi
rous of instruction. Considerable congregations were raised,
and it was interesting to witness the eagerness and attention
with which they listened to instruction. Missionary stations
among the slaves, however, frequently gave, in the first instance,
much promise, which subsequent experience did not fulfil ;
many fair buds and blossoms never ripened into fruit, and even
what seemed fruit often withered and decayed, or, at least, never
came to perfection.2
After the emancipation of the slaves, the Scottish missionaries,
in common with others, soon experienced the happy effects of
the mighty change. Their congregations greatly increased. Their
places of worship were often crowded, and, in some instances,
would not contain the numbers who assembled ; and what was
of no less importance, the people were much more regular in
their attendance than formerly. With few exceptions, they
heard the word of God with becoming attention and seriousness.
Not only the members of the Church, and others who gave reason
to hope well of them, but many, who as yet were " far from
righteousness," paid a decent attention to the means of grace.
Indeed fashion and habit, as in other countries which have been
blessed with religious privileges, drew many to church, who
never drew near to God ; but still it was well they came to hear
the glad tidings of divine mercy, and were thus in the way of
getting good to their souls.3
It was peculiarly pleasing to witness the improvement which
took place in regard to the Sabbath. Public worship was not
only well attended, but the Sabbath was in other respects sanc
tified in a way which, considering the former habits of the ne-
1 Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1824, p. 27 ; Ibid. 1828, p. 20, 24 ; Poid. 1830, p. 25 ; Ibid.
1833, p. 33, 35 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 22 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 27.
3 Ibid. 1825, p. 8 ; Ibid. 1826, p. 17 ; Ibid. 1827, p. 14 ; Ibid. 1828, p. 21, 24 ; Ibid.
1829, p. 21.
Mr Waddell speaks of every missionary station among the negroes as being in the
beginning a brawling brook. The work at his own station he describes as having been
of a flashy character. — Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1834, p. 25.
3 Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1835. p. 26, 30, 33 ; Ibid. 1837, p. 18 ; Ibid. 1838, p. 9, 27 ;
Ibid. 1839, p. 13, 23 ; Ibid. 1840, p. 8 ; Ibid. 1844, p. 9.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 439
groes, was truly surprising. The Sunday markets were abo
lished ; men and women were no longer to be seen working their
fields ; it was even very seldom that any one was seen carrying
a burden. The Christmas holidays were formerly scenes of
unrestrained revelry, dancing and drinking, drumming and
singing, but the change extended even to them. " I have seen,"
says Mr Watson. " the streets of Lucea on a Christmas Sabbath
crowded with hundreds of the country negroes, wearing masks,
grotesquely dressed, having caps with feathers, red coats, and
swords, marching in procession, preceded by about thirty men
and women dancing and cutting all sorts of capers to the sound
of a rude noisy kind of music of a drum and fife, with the harsh
and grating accompaniment of a stick rapidly drawn up and
down the teeth of an old jaw bone of a horse, or some other
animal. These scenes were disgusting in the extreme, and
painful to witness as a proof of the almost hopeless degra
dation into which the people were sunk, and of the vast amount
of ignorance and darkness which everywhere prevailed. Such
practices have been every year gradually dying away, but now
they are gone, I trust for ever. There was not a single instance
of them here this year, not even the sound of a drum. Within
doors all was peace and quietness, while the streets, instead of
being crowded with hundreds of benighted Sabbath-breakers,
were crowded with hundreds of well-dressed people repairing to
their respective churches." 1
Schools had been established at the various stations for some
years, and hundreds of children had learned to read. Many
also of the adult negroes had sought to acquire a knowledge of
reading, though it was often under very disadvantageous cir
cumstances ; and those who made the acquisition frequently
gave lessons to their neighbours and acquaintances ; but it is
obvious that knowledge thus acquired must often have been
exceedingly imperfect, and, accordingly, many of the negroes
were found to read very inaccurately, and to have a very inade
quate understanding of what they did read. The following
statement on this subject by Mr Blyth is at once curious and
interesting : " It has been remarked by all my acquaintances
who have paid attention to the subject, that comparatively few
1 Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1837, p. 8 ; Ibid. 1844, p. 15.

440 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
of the negroes are able to read with ease and fluency. This
does not arise, in my opinion, from want of capacity, but from
their not being taught in youth, and from their not being ac
customed in early life to fix their attention on minute objects.
On this account, numbers of them, who are otherwise acute and
intelligent, have been unable to learn the alphabet, or to dis
tinguish the form of one letter from another." These remarks
have reference to the older negroes, but the same difficulties
were not to be expected with the young. To promote their
education was a great object with the British government, after
the act of emancipation came into operation ; and the Scottish
Missionary Society, in common with other missionary bodies,
received from it very liberal assistance in building school-houses,
and also for several years in providing and supporting teachers.1
With the aid of the parliamentary grants, the Society erected
ten commodious school-houses, and also sent from Scotland a
numberof teachers. Agreat desire for education prevailed among
the negroes, and for a number of years the schools were well at
tended by the children. Their progress was highly encouraging,
though that of many was greatly retarded by the irregularity of
their attendance. One reason of the attendance being so irregur
lar was, that many of the scholars were kept at school, not by
their parents or others, but by themselves. They had to work a
week or so in the month for their own maintenance ; and hence
it was that they appeared and disappeared like planets, some
of them indeed more like comets, their visits to school being few
and far between. Besides reading, writing, and arithmetic,
they were taught English grammar, geography, natural history,
and other branches of useful knowledge. It was remarked by
Mr Anderson of Carron Hall, that the girls excelled the boys in
writing — indeed in almost every thing. Of some of his scholars
whom he mentioned as being in vulgar fractions and book
keeping, five were girls. It is also worthy of notice, that the
negro children made less progress in arithmetic than in the
other branches of education. This required thought on their
part: in receiving knowledge, they were apt enough scholars;
but in thinking, they were essentially defective. With the best
of the teachers it was, therefore, a great object to teach their
1 The sum received by the Society from Government amounted in all to £6630.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 441
pupils to think. Besides the schools at the principal stations,
there were a number of others at the out-stations, and on various
estates. Several thousand children were educated in them in
the course of a few years ; but afterwards the desire for educa
tion, especially in some places, materially declined ; neither the
parents nor the children were so eager for it, as they had once
been, and hence the numbers attending the schools fell off con
siderably. They had probably now found, that education was
not productive of all those immediate worldly advantages which
they had ignorantly expected from it, while they were altogether
incapable of appreciating its more distant and more valuable
fruits in the improvement of their intellectual faculties, the
increase of their stores of knowledge, the melioration of their
moral character, and ultimately in the elevation of their social
condition.1 It is mortifying to find that the schools have not only fallen off
in many places, but that the relishfor reading has also diminished.
Many read their Bibles only. One reason of their being so
little given to reading other books was that there were very
few suitable for them. Even a newspaper was scarcely ever to
be met with in the largest negro villages, so little interest did
the people take even in the events of the day.2
Marriage was now greatly on the increase, which, considering
the previous almost universal practice of concubinage among
persons of all colours, was one of the most pleasing proofs of
the improvement, social and moral, which was going on in
Jamaica. Upwards of 2000 couples were married by the mis
sionaries. Instances of unfaithfulness to the marriage vow
were, however, not unfrequent ; yet when they did occur, they
were universally condemned among the people themselves. But
there were two points in which they were still greatly deficient :
they did not sufficiently avoid those circumstances and situa
tions which were the general occasion of the sin of adultery, nor
did they sufficiently avoid the society of those who had fallen
into it, so as to make them ashamed. It should, however, be
> Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1832, p. 28 ; Ibid. 1833, p. 22, 26, 33 ; Ibid. 1837, p. 10, 27;
Ibid. 1840, p. 9 ; Ibid. 1841, p. 24 ; Ibid. 1842, p. 8 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 13, 24, 26 ; Ibid.
1847, p. 14.
' King's State and Prospects of Jamaica, p. 96.

442 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
remembered, that they were not trained to regard such practices
with abhorrence, but, on the contrary, were familiar with them
from their childhood ; and it is difficult at once to break up
old habits.1
Temperance societies were established at most of the prin
cipal stations, and were attended with the most beneficial re
sults. In the days of slavery, the negroes were thought to be
remarkable for their temperate habits. With many of them,
indeed, this was matter of necessity, as they were not able to
purchase spirits even of the cheapest sort ; but emancipation
placed articles of this kind within their reach, and it was of
great importance to adopt measures for guarding them against
a temptation which had proved so ruinous to the people of
other free countries. The Hampden Temperance Society, which
was the first that was established, was therefore formed, not so
much for the purpose of suppressing as of preventing drunken
ness, by checking, in the bud, the formation of usages that
might lead to it ; but the operations of the Society soon brought
to light practices which were not previously known to exist.
Many of the members, in expressing their gratitude for being
delivered from the snare of intemperance, made disclosures
which shewed that the association was suppressing present
evils, as well as promoting important future good. The num
ber of members of the temperance society connected with Mr
Blyth's congregation, amounted, after some years, to about
1400 ; and in one report we find it stated, that during the pre
ceding year none of the church members, though they amounted to
upwards of 700, had been accused of any act of drunkenness, nor
had the session had any case before it arising out of excess in
the use of intoxicating liquors ! Such a fact may well lead
ministers at home to consider whether they are in the way of
their duty in neglecting to form temperance societies in their
parishes or congregations. Though the members of these asso
ciations at the other stations were not, by any means, so nu
merous, yet at them also they were exceedingly useful.2
The congregations of the missionaries, after obtaining entire
1 Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1839, p. 27, 36, 55 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 7 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 9.
a Ibid. 1835, p. 29 ; Ibid. 1837, p. 18 ; Ibid. 1838, p. 25 ; Ibid.1841, p. 11, 17, 21 ;
Ibid. 1842, p. 25 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 12.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 443
freedom, shewed great liberality in contributing to missionary
objects, to the support of their own ministers, the building or
enlargement of their churches, and to other religious and bene
volent objects. When buildings had to be erected, as churches
or schools, they also often contributed largely in the way of
labour. Old and young might be seen exerting themselves with
willing hearts and willing hands.1 In the course of about three
years, the several congregations contributed, chiefly for the
salaries of the missionaries, and in school fees for those of the
teachers, not less than £3891 : 1 : 1, besides contributing for
various other objects, particularly, in some instances, for the
erection or enlargement of their places of worship.2
Meanwhile, however, a worldly spirit was growing up among
the people.. In former times, there was little or nothing of this
to be found among them. Most of them being in the condition
of slaves, they possessed but little of the world, and had small
prospect of ever having more. But the change which had taken
place in their condition, the greatly improved circumstances in
which they were now placed, the acquisition by many of them
1 Mr Anderson of Carron Hall, referring to the building of a church at that station,
writes : "I have been out taking the number and the names of those who have turned
out to contribute a week's work to the making of a lime-kiln, preparatory to building
the new church. The numbers are 310. It is a delightful sight. A fine happy spirit
prevails among them. They are all working voluntarily, cheerfully, gratuitously, and
with scarcely an exception, diligently. And these, forsooth, are the men and women
who would not do a hand's turn, except under the terror of the lash ! When or where
was there ever such a sight to be seen in Scotland, in connection with the building of
a church 1 Is it on record that more than 300 people ever turned out there simulta
neously of their own accord to labour for a week gratuitously at the erection of a place
of worship ?'
In a letter, written some weeks later, Mr Cowan writes : " The people have come
to-day to carry materials for the church. I have been remarking the difference be
tween the manner in which they perform their work now, and in the days of slavery.
In those days, they were often employed in the same kind of work. The manner in
which they walked was indescribable — not faster than half-a-mile an hour. I remem
ber also that those who were thus employed were young people, who otherwise would
have been sprightly and active. It was sickening to see them. Now the people are as
active and as agile as if they had never tasted the cup of slavery. Just now, old and
young are passing and repassing with a step so smart and sprightly, that it does one's
heart good to see them. Their movements are as fast as those of willing workmen in
Scotland. Such a change even in this respect has the removal of the load of slavery
effected."— Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1842, p. 24.
* Rep. Scot. Miss. Soe. 1839, p. 15, 26, 35, 43, 45, 48; Ibid. 1840, p. 16, 19, 28;
Ibid. 1841, p. 21 ; Ibid. 1842, p. 20, 24 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 29 ; Ibid. 1845, p. 32 ; Ibid.
1846, p. 19, 33; Ibid. 1847, p. 19, 36.

444 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
of land and cottages of their own, of good clothes and furni
ture, of horses, watches, and finery, all this was engendering in
them a love of the world which threatened, if not counteracted
by higher and nobler principles, tp be productive of much evil,
even among those of whom better things might have been ex
pected, weakening the interest which they took in religion,
drawing off their minds from its duties and requirements, fix
ing them on inferior and less worthy objects, and diminishing
their contributions for the maintenance of the gospel among
themselves, and for 'extending it among their brethren who
were still sitting in darkness. Many, too, not satisfied with
their own wages, sent their children to the field, instead of send
ing them to school, with the view of reaping the fruits of
their labour also. Nor were there wanting children who, of
their own accord, neglected their education, and grasped with
avidity after money which they might call their own, and spend
as they pleased, not always of course very wisely. Even some
who seemed desirous to attend the school regularly, could not
resist the temptation of money.1
Here, however, we cannot but remark, that though a worldly
spirit is to be guarded against in all circumstances, yet there is
a difficulty and a delicacy in drawing the line of demarcation
between worldliness and the desire of bettering his condition iii
life, which God has implanted in the heart of man, and which
it is of so much importance to cultivate, especially in a bar
barous community, on account of the bearing which it has not
only on their temporal but on their spiritual improvement, in
fact, on the full development of their intellectual and moral
character, as men and as Christians. This is one of the main
springs of human improvement. It must not therefore be
checked or destroyed ; it only requires regulation. Even though
there should be a diminution in their contributions to Chris
tian and benevolent objects, we must not complain too much.
If they are, in the mean while, forming habits of industry, and
accumulating some capital, they may, after a few years, be able
to contribute much more to such objects than if in their spring
tide they had given away their seed-corn, instead of casting it
1 Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1840, p. 9; Ibid. 1841, p. 8, 23 ; Ibid. 1842, p. 11, 21 ; Ibid.
1843, p. 18 ; Ibid. 1844, p. 8, 17 ; Scot. Miss. Reg. 1847, p. 65.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 445
into the ground. It should never be forgotten, that so long as
a people remain in a savage or semi-barbarous state, Christianity
can never flourish among them in all its glory and beauty ; it
will ever remain in a low and dwarfish condition ; and, like
every feeble plant, will afford little security even for its con
tinued existence.
There is another evil which we deeply regret to mention,
especially as it is one which may be followed permanently by
extensive and ruinous consequences, namely, the carelessness
and indifference of the young in reference to parental autho
rity, to religion, and to good morals. Juvenile carelessness and
licentiousness were either more prevalent or more open than
they were formerly. Parents complained that they had no con
trol over their children ; that under pretence of seeking em
ployment, or on the most trivial occurrence, they would leave
the parental roof, and at an early age become their own mas
ters ; that they would go into the neighbouring parishes or
some remote part of the country ; form there some sinful con
nection, keep bad company, and run into all manner of mis
chief. These evils resulted, no doubt, primarily from the
natural depravity of the human heart ; but they were also to
be traced in no small degree to the corrupt state of morals
which so generally prevailed among the class of society in the
island, whose example was likely to be most influential with
the other classes, either for good or for evil.1
It was not easy to form a correct estimate of the character
and condition of the congregations. Their appearance on Sab
bath was very pleasing, all clean, decent, serious-looking people. •
A stranger coming among them would hardly have supposed
that they were lately oppressed, despised negro slaves. There
was nothing in their appearance to indicate their former de
graded condition. They had the bearing of people accustomed
to liberty all their lives. And when he beheld their numbers,
their order, and their reverent observance of all the ordinances
of religious worship, he would naturally be led to form a high
opinion of the state of religion among them. Were our know
ledge of their character limited to what appears on these occa-
1 Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1840, p. 29 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 18 ; Scot. Miss. Reg. 1847,
p. 100.

446 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
sions, we would have little to complain of, but a daily familiar
and intimate acquaintance with them placed it, in many points
of view, in a much less favourable light. There was still much
ignorance among them, and much misconception about the doc
trines of the gospel. The fact is, they had much to unlearn be
fore they were able to understand the truths of religion. They
had among them certain notions which they had imbibed from
their childhood, and unless great care was taken in explaining
divine truth to them, they were apt to understand it in a way
that corresponded with their previous opinions ; and unless their
hearts were interested in it they forgot it, even when they un
derstood it, nearly as fast as they learned it. When, for ex
ample, they were instructed in the great doctrine of the resur
rection, they often understood their teacher as meaning that it
is the spirit or phantom which will rise. They were not scru
pulous about the name which they gave it. They would
call it the body, or the spirit, or the shadow, or any thing else
they pleased ; and when told of the resurrection, they, took it
to be just what they already believed, that the phantom or
shade would rise some day soon after their decease, while the
body will lie for ever in the grave. The old people, as may na
turally be supposed, were the least teachable ; indeed the teach
ing of many of them seemed nearly impracticable. Their minds
appeared to be dormant, incapable of understanding the sim
plest truths of religion, and their memories incapable of retain
ing them. By preaching alone they could be taught nothing,
but by forming them into a class by themselves and employing
familiar modes of instruction, those whose case appeared once
next to hopeless made somewhat satisfactory progress. Many
of the young people possessed a measure of intelligence and a
knowledgeof religion which were not generally to be found among
the older people who had no opportunity of receiving education in
their youth. One very common feature, however, of the negroes
was that they proceeded only as far as they were led. " However
much," says Mr Cowan, " they may feel interested in the truths
which are presented to them, and although we have satisfactory
evidence that they understand them by their expressing them in
their own language and in their own way, we are seldom grati
fied by any new thoughts or new combinations of thoughts. The

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 447
most that we can get from them is what we have already taught
them, expressed sometimes quaintly and forcibly. There are a
very few individuals among them who occasionally think for
themselves, but their conclusions are as often wrong as right,
and sometimes ridiculous. We sometimes get better things from
some of our young people, and we expect better things from
more of them, but active, inquiring, diligent minds, even among
the young, are not very common."1
Though after emancipation the congregations greatly increased
in numbers, yet after some years, they appeared less in earnest
about religion than in the days of slavery, when they sought for
comfort under the woes and sorrows of their lot in the minis
trations and blessings of the gospel. Religion was not now so
much the fashion, nor so popular as in past times. There was
still a large attendance on the ordinances of religious worship,
though not generally so large as formerly, and with many it
had degenerated into mere " bodily service which profiteth
nothing." There was a cold and careless observance of Chris
tian ordinances, an indifference and deadness to spiritual and
vital religion, a wide- spread and prevailing neglect of the pri
vate duties of religion, and a marked and manifest unwilling
ness to contribute to the support of the gospel. Cases of back
sliding and apostasy were not unfrequent. Some who once
made a profession of religion fell into gross sin ; and had to be
excluded from the communion of the church. Such circum
stances as these need not excite much surprise. Among a
people half-instructed and half-civilized, there is a want of
moral stability, and they are peculiarly liable to fall before
the temptations and the evil influences by which they are sur
rounded.2 We apprehend, indeed, that there had been much in Jamaica
which had been taken for religion, not by the Scottish mission
aries only, but by missionaries generally, which was nothing
more than its form and shadow— the " form of godliness with-
' Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1842, p. 16 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 17, 26 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 12 ; Ibid.
1847, p. 15, 26 ; Scot. Miss. Reg. 1847, p. 98.
¦ Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1843, p. 18 ; Ibid. 1844, p. 7, 10; Ibid. 1846, p. 11 ; Ibid.
1847, p. 8, 15, 18 ; Scot. Miss. Reg. 1847, p. 34 ; Letter from Mr Watson, Dec. 31.
1846 ; King's Jamaica, p. 96.

448 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
out the power thereof," the shadow without the substance, the
show and profession without the reality.1
But though the spiritual results of the mission were by no
means so great as we once hoped, we yet trust that through
means of it many of the negro race were brought to the saving
knowledge of Christ. Not a few, it was hoped, had been trans
lated to " the inheritance of the saints in light," while there
was a goodly number of those remaining on earth, who were
characterized by their general steadiness and good Christian
conduct. If we may judge of their piety by their prayers, it
was as warm and devout as that of persons in older Christian
churches. It gave evidence of felt unworthiness, of filial re
liance on God, of lively gratitude, and of reverence for his great
and holy name.2
In October 1847, the stations of the Scottish Missionary So
ciety in Jamaica, were transferred to the Board of Missions of
the United Presbyterian Church. The Society was originally
established on the broad basis of uniting in it Christians of dif
ferent denominations holding evangelical principles, and it had
a powerful influence in bringing them into closer acquaintance
and connection with each other. But this which originally
constituted its strength, came at length to prove its weakness.
The very fact of its broad Christian character operated against
it. It was unsectarian in its constitution and management ;
no esprit de corps, no denominational feeling was enlisted in its
favour. Within the last twenty years, the General Assembly
of the Church of Scotland and the United Secession Church, the
two bodies from which it drew its chief support, engaged them
selves in missionary operations, and though this did not for
some years affect the funds of the Society, yet combined with
the controversy which now arose on the subject of ecclesiastical
establishments, it came at length to affect them most materially ;
and after a painful struggle for several years, it at last became
evident that the Society could no longer hope to be able to sup
port, still less to extend its missions in Jamaica, though the ex
tension of them was matter of great and urgent importance.
All the missionaries had with one exception been connected
1 Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1847, p. 23.
' Rep. Scot. Miss. Eag. 1848, p. 10; Scot. Miss. Reg. 1847, p. 99.

BY THE SCOTTISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 449
with the United Secession Church before they left this country ;
and on its being proposed to transfer their services to the
United Presbyterian Church, which had been lately constituted
by the union of the Secession and the Relief Churches, the whole
of them cordially agreed to the proposal. The United Secession
Church had previously established a number of missionary sta
tions in Jamaica ; and now the whole Avere constituted into
one mission, and placed under the same management. At the
time the transfer was effected, the communicants connected
with the Scottish Missionary Society's stations amounted to
about 2668, the average congregations on the Sabbath to 4535,
and the children in the schools to 1112.1
' Rep. Scot. Miss. Soc. 1833, p. 40 ; Ibid. 1837, p. 35 ; Ibid. 1846, p. 6 ; Ibid. 1848,
p. 15 ; Tabular View of the Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church Mission, Ja
maica, p. 1.

VOL. II. F *

450 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

CHAPTER XIV.
PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE GLASGOW MISSIONARY
SOCIETY.
SECT. I.— WESTERN AFRICA.
Art. 1. — Timmamt Country.
In February 1796, the Glasgow Missionary Society, consist
ing of members of the Church of Scotland and of other deno
minations holding evangelical views of divine truth, was insti
tuted in that city.1 Its operations were directed simply to
Africa, first to Western, and afterwards to Southern Africa.
In March 1797, Messrs Duncan Campbell and Robert Hen
derson, the first missionaries of the Society,2 set off from Glas
gow with the view of proceeding to Sierra Leone, and after
their arrival in that colony, they began to learn the Timmany
language ; but they made no great progress. Neither of them
had been accustomed to acquire languages, and their teacher
was but little fitted to instruct them. They were also both
soon attacked by fever. Henderson continued to have re
peated and severe attacks for several months, and was fre
quently brought to the brink of the grave. His youthful heart
sunk within him in a strange land, and he began to long for
home. Campbell soon recovered ; but his mind Avas not much
bent on the object for which he had come to Africa. He was

1 Quarterly Papers of the Glasgow Missionary Society, No. i. p. 1.
2 We have already adverted to the low standard of qualifications required by our
Missionary Societies at their commencement, particularly as regards education.
Neither Campbell nor Henderson, we presume, had received more than an ordinary
education. The former was a weaver ; the latter a tailor, and he was not twenty years
of age, so that from his youth, even his moral and religious character could not be
considered as established or tried.

BY THE GLASGOW MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 451
much more solicitous about what he should eat, and what he
should drink, and how he should be lodged, than about the con
version of the heathen ; and he began occasionally to manifest
a spirit the reverse of deadness to the world.
Though Mr Macaulay, the governor of Sierra Leone, to whom
they had been recommended, and under Avhose direction they
were to act, early saw in Campbell the risings of selfish pas
sions, and in Henderson the workings of juvenile indiscretion,
he still hoped that their religious principles were sound and
their piety sincere. He was anxious, therefore, that they should
enter on their labours, in the hope that the feelings arising out
of the want of full and regular employment might be dispelled
by active exertion. He accordingly proceeded with Campbell,
who alone was as yet able to engage in the work, to Racon, in
the district of Rokelle, in the Timmany country, upon the banks
of the Sierra Leone River, nearly 100 miles from Freetown.
Here he committed him to the care of the chief as his stranger.
In a few days, Campbell opened a school with a few children,
and as they were very apt in learning the letters, they soon be
gan to read little words ; but his own deficiency in the native
language was much against their progress.
Henderson having at length recovered from his repeated at
tacks of fever, cheerfully proceeded to Racon. Here he took
charge of the children, went freely among the natives, throw
ing himself upon their sympathies ; and his youth and the
frankness of his manners made him a great favourite. The
little children loved him, the old women declared he would have
been a good man, if he had been black, and the young women
overstepping all the bounds of propriety, sought to seduce him
and gain him for a husband. He opened another school at a
place four miles distant from Racon, where he had some of the
chiefs as his scholars, and he went thither every day under a
burning sun. By his constant intercourse with the natives, he
soon made great improvement in speaking the Timmany lan
guage, and his scholars likewise improved rapidly. Before his
sanguine imagination, visions of future glory rose in rapid suc
cession. He saAv his little scholars converted, and becoming
missionaries, and all the continent of Africa evangelized through
their ministrations !

452 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
MeanAvhile, Campbell Avas busily, employed in secular con
cerns. He built a house for his family, formed plans for teach
ing the natives to spin, to weave, and to cultivate the ground.
He became much secularised, and made little or no progress in
the Timmany language. His great concern was to have a good
house for himself and family, and to lay in a sufficient stock of
European provisions.
There was at the same time an entire want of cordiality be
tween the two missionaries. This arose in a great measure out
of trivial matters ; and Campbell, who was decidedly most to
blame, had even gone so far as to say he would on no account
be any longer connected in a mission Avith Henderson. Mr
Macaulay on learning that there was such disagreement between
them, endeavoured to effect a reconciliation, and like a wise
and prudent mediator he sought to withdraw the attention of
both from the improprieties which they had felt, or thought they
saAv, in one another, and to lead each rather to consider what
had been amiss in his own conduct. He prevailed at length on
Campbell to concede that there was nothing in any of the com
plaints he had made, that would justify a separation, but much
to lead himself to suspect that pride of heart might be at the
bottom of them. Henderson acknowledged very ingenuously
the justice of Mr Macaulay's remarks, which, however, had
never struck him before, and he seemed to be exceedingly af
fected by the new view which this last circumstance gave him
of the deceitfulness of sin. He went to Campbell to confess to
him wherein he had seen his conduct to be blameworthy.
With this his colleague owned he was much struck, and Mr
Macaulay did not doubt that a complete reconciliation was ef
fected between them.
In this, however, the excellent governor Avas mistaken.
Campbell's old feelings towards Henderson were not extin
guished, and new occasions of complaint soon arose. There was
little or no co-operation between them ; even on the Sabbath,
when Henderson held a meeting with the natives for prayer
and exhortation, Campbell did not attend. Toward him Hen
derson's state of mind appeared very becoming. He was also
still apparently warm and zealous in his work, and though
sometimes inconsiderate, seemed uniformly ingenuous, docile,

BY THE GLASGOW MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 4.53
and tractable. Such at least was Mr Macaulay's impression as
to his character, the faults of which appeared to be nothing
more than the customary defects of youth, which age and ex
perience might be expected to correct ; but the estimate which
he formed of him must either have been erroneous, or what is
perhaps as likely, other features afterwards developed themselves
when he came to be placed in new, and to him, more trying
circumstances. Henderson having been soon afterwards attacked by fever,
his mind was strongly bent on returning home, and his medical
attendant thought this was necessary for the restoration of his
health. He accordingly returned to Scotland, wherejie. soon
recovered his health. He still remained in connection with the
Society, again to be sent forth to some other part of the world
as a missionary. He was sent to college ; medicine became his
favourite pursuit. He still, however, talked of missions ; but
when the directors came to the resolution of sending him out
to some other quarter, he altogether broke with them, sent in
his resignation, pretended he Avas desirous of studying for the
ministry at home, and paid back the money which he had re
ceived since his return. He now continued his medical studies,
afterwards practised as a surgeon, threAv off the profession of
religion, avowed himself an infidel, led any thing but a happy
life, and gradually sunk into oblivion, and at length into an
untimely grave.
After Henderson's departure, Campbell remained alone at
Racon. He was still greatly occupied with his house, which he
regarded as his own property, not as the Society's. His know
ledge of the Timmany language was still very small. The
schools declined. His wife died, and he was thus left solitary
amongst native slave traders, who threw obstacles in his way,
and stirred up the people against him. His eldest daughter
married at Freetown ; and getting tired of living in the interior,
he broke up his establishment at Racon, and returned to that
place to live in her family. Her death happened soon after,
and he and his son-in-law disagreed and went to law about the
furniture of the house, which however went against him.
In the end of 1799, he began building a house for himself in
FreetoAvn and formed the plan of a neAV institution. He Avished

454 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
to redeem a number of boys and girls, and to educate and train
up a colony of natives who might in due time diffuse civiliza
tion and religion among their countrymen. He went two or
three times into the country to redeem some young persons for
this end, but he never procured any. His character was now
sinking fast, both at home and broad. The directors found him
very expensive, curtailed his letter of credit, and wished him
sent home. The new governor offered him a passage to Eng
land, and was desirous that he should quit a country where his
character as a missionary was fast merging in that of a man of
the world.
Pretending that he had considerable sums of money due to
him in the Timmany country which he wished to collect, he
was allowed to remain for the present in the colony. He was
even permitted to superintend a factory on the Rio Pongas, be
longing to the Sierra Leone Company. Here he soon proved
himself as unfaithful to its interests as he had been to those of
the Glasgow Missionary Society.
Besides his other misdemeanours, charges were brought
against him of having criminal connection with different women,
and though called on to clear himself of the accusation, he ne
glected to do so, and there was but too much ground to believe
that it was well founded.
In the summer of 1801 he quitted Freetown altogether and
went to reside on the Rio Pongas. He was cast off as unworthy
of confidence, but he remained in the country, and it is to be
feared that in the midst of his poverty and growing depravity,
he was in the end not altogether unconnected with the slave
trade.1 Such was the mournful history of this the first mission
from Scotland in modern times.

Art. 2. — Sherbro.
In September 1797, Messrs Ferguson and Graham set off from
Glasgow for London, with the view of proceeding to Sierra
Leone, as part of a conjunct mission to the Foulah country from
the Glasgdw, Edinburgh, and London Missionary Societies. On
1 Quart. Pap. of Glas. Miss. Soc. No. iii. p. 1.

BY THE GLASGOW MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 455
their arrival at Freetown, in consequence, as we have already
mentioned, of the bitter dissensions which had arisen among
the missionaries,1 and of the path to the Foulah country being
shut owing to a war between that people and some of their
neighbours, it was agreed that those of the several societies
should undertake distinct missions, and it was arranged that
the two from Glasgow should proceed to the Bananas.
The Bananas are three islands, the largest of which is about
nine miles long, and is about forty miles south of Sierra Leone,
and three or four from the mainland. The population was
about five or six thousand. They were then governed by a
chief who had received his education in England, but who on
his return had adopted the superstitions of his country. Mr Fer
guson, who in the first instance visited the Bananas alone, car
ried with him a son of the chief who had also been receiving
his education in England. Unfortunately, however, the islands
were then in a state of warfare with a neighbouring kingdom.
The proposal of a mission was welcomed by the natives, but a
council required to be held on the subject. Meanwhile, Mr
Ferguson returned to Sierra Leone, and shortly after he left the
Bananas, Mr Graham reached them. To his great disappoint
ment he found his companion gone and the islands deserted, as
the inhabitants feared an attack from their enemies. No hu
man being was to be seen ; the houses were standing open, and
the dogs and fowls Avere straying about the villages. He there
fore crossed over to the Sherbro on the mainland, and was
kindly received by a chief of the name of Adoo, who fitted up
a house for him and shewed him no small kindness.
In March 1798, Mr Ferguson arrived and took up his resi
dence with him. They were now, however, considerably dis
pirited. They had nothing to do, not even children to teach-
They were idle because the natives were all busy, and they had
no prospect of being employed till the rains commenced. The
country was far from being healthy, lying very low. The town
had swamps behind it and a great bank of mud left by the ebb
ing tide before it, which never failed to fill the air with noxi
ous effluvia, particularly during the heat of the day. In less
than two months the missionaries were attacked by fever, ac-
1 See p. 415, 416.

i. Ifc

456

PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

companied Avith a putrid affection of the bowels, Avhich in a
short time carried both of them to the grave.1
Thus terminated the missions of the Glasgow Society to
Western Africa. For many years its efforts Avere in a manner
paralyzed, but at length after an interval of about twenty years,
it again resumed active operations.

SECT. II. -SOUTH AFRICA.
Kafpraria.
In February 1821, the Rev. W. R. Thomson and Mr J. Bennie
set off from Glasgow for South Africa, with the view of com
mencing a mission in Kaffraria. They were afterwards followed,
from time to time, by other missionaries, and several stations
were established by them among the Kafirs. The following
table contains a list of the chief stations formed by them: —

Begun.

1821

Chumie.

1824

Lovedale.

1828

Balfour.

1830

Pirie.

1830

Burnshill.

1836

Iggibigha.

It is a remarkable fact, that among the Kafirs there is not
the slightest vestige of idolatry ; no idols, no temples, no sacred
groves, no sacrifices, no worship, of any kind. It is even doubt
ful whether they have any idea of a supreme being ; if they
have any such idea, the traces of it are exceedingly faint and
imperfect. It will readily be seen that to such a people it must have
been exceedingly difficult to convey any ideas of divine truth.
1 Quart. Pap. of Ulas. Miss, Soc. No. iii. p. 6 ; Miss, Mag, vol. iii. p. 124.

BY THE GLASGOW MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 457
Even the most common principles of natural religion were en
tirely new to them, and consequently not easily comprehended
by them. How hard, for example, must it have been for them
to admit into their minds the vast idea of a God. Let any one
think what it involves, and he will see hoAv difficult it must
have been for them even to frame the mighty conception, and
especially to receive it as a truth. The principles of revealed
religion were scarcely more comprehensible by them. The
doctrine of the atonement, for instance, was to them an en
tirely new idea. There was nothing in their previous notions
or customs to illustrate either its nature or necessity. Having
no false gods whose anger they sought to propitiate by sacri
fices or peace-offerings, they had no small difficulty, when the
doctrine of atonement for sin was propounded to them, in un
derstanding the principle in the abstract, and particularly as
exemplified in the death of Christ. These are only solitary ex
amples ; but it will be seen from them what difficulties the mis
sionaries must have had in conveying religious truth to the minds
of the Kafirs, and probably also what inadequate conceptions
they for the most part formed of the doctrines of the gospel.1
For many years the missionaries had great difficulties in get
ting the Kafirs to attend to the gospel. Even at the stations,
their congregations on the Sabbath were in general very small.
The people were exceedingly indifferent to religion : they shewed
at once the most perfect apathy, and the most complete stupi
dity. It was no easy matter to arrest the attention of minds
indescribably torpid and indisposed to reflection. Both young
and old were most unprofitable hearers. The former would
not understand ; the latter could not. They manifested, how
ever; much of the natural enmity of the human heart against
the gospel, treating it not only with neglect, but often with
mockery. The missionaries frequently itinerated among the neighbouring
kraals ; but in these excursions, they met with little encourage
ment. They would often address parties of from three or four
to twenty or thirty persons ; at other times, they would have
to go from hut to hut to get any to speak to. The people would
often hide themselves or run away when they found a mission-
i Mcth. Mag. 1327, p. 563 ; Miss. Not. vol. viii. p. 572.

458 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
ary was coming. The Kafirs indeed are insatiable in their
desires for presents, and sometimes they would make a virtue
of hearing ; they would then have the missionary to give them
beads, buttons, or a napkin. One day when Mr Ross told them
he had none of these things, one asked for the handkerchief
that was about his neck.
The females in particular were very unwilling to assemble
for instruction. Accustomed to be treated by the men as mere
cyphers, and to be employed only in ministering to their wants,
use reconciled them to this as no abuse, and they thought it
strange that the missionaries should trouble them with the
" Word," seeing it called to the adoption of vieAvs and conduct
-which could be decided only by the men. It is not unworthy
of notice, as an example of the degradation of the female sex
in Kaffraria, that when met for divine worship, while the men
Would sit upon stones, the women were required to sit on the
ground as a mark of their inferiority.1
It must, however, be acknowledged, that the indifference of
the Kafirs to divine truth Avas not improbably increased by
the way in which it was communicated to them. The Kafir
language, though comparatively limited in its vocabulary, is
exceedingly difficult of pronunciation. Its articulation is quite
peculiar. It has sounds which a foreigner cannot easily utter;
and it is only by years of practice that he can form his organs
of speech, so as to produce the proper clicks and intonations.
The missionaries, in consequence of this, generally addressed
the Kafirs through the medium of interpreters. Now this
frigid mode of communication, along with a foreign address on
a strange subject and of a spiritual nature, directed to a people
who were continually moving about, left, throughout the coun
try visited by the missionaries- in their tours, but little trace
of their labours, beyond the fact of the White men speaking
about a thing which they called the Word of God, a being of
whom they knew not so much as even " ignorantly to worship
him."2 i Rep. Glas. Miss. Soc. 1832, p. 23 ; Quart. Pap. of Glas. Miss. Soc. No. ix. p. 5, 6 ;
No. x. p. 3, 8 ; No. xi. p. 8 ; No. xii. p. 12 ; No. xiv. p. 3 ; Caffrarian Messenger, p. 81,
32, 202. 3 Caffrarian Messenger, p. 13.

• BY THE GLASGOW MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 459
But amidst the general apathy and stupidity which prevailed
among the Kafirs, there were individuals among them on whose
minds some knowledge of divine truth appeared to dawn.
Several of them from time to time experienced, it was hoped,
its saving power, and were baptized by the missionaries.
In December 1834, the Kafirs made a terrible irruption into
the colony, carrying devastation and dismay wherever they
came. There had long been great jealousies and heart-burn
ings between them and the colonists, the one disliking the near
approach of military posts to their borders, the other fretting
under the predatory incursions of the savages, who were conti
nually carrying off their sheep and cattle. But matters had
not been worse of late than they had often been before, nor in
fact than what might naturally be expected in a border country,
where the civilized were continually pressing back, more and
more, the uncivilized inhabitants of the land, and where many
things were constantly occurring to chafe and embitter each
other's spirit. It was even expected that the new governor of
the colony, Sir Benjamin D'Urban, who was supposed to be not
unfriendly to the aboriginal tribes, would smooth down exist
ing asperities on both sides, and produce a more friendly inter
course between the Kafirs and the colonists than had ever
subsisted before. No one dreamed of war. On the part of the
Kafirs, the irruption was sudden and unpremeditated ; on the
part of the colonists, it Avas unforeseen and unexpected. It
arose out of accidental circumstances. Some cattle belonging to
the Kafirs having been taken possession of by the military, be
cause they crossed the boundary line, and were grazing within
the colony, there arose a scuffle between the parties. The
Kafirs retook their cattle ; but two of them were killed in the
fray, and one of their chiefs was wounded, which in Kaffraria
is reckoned a very great crime. This was the spark that kindled
the flames of war. It was no great matter in itself ; but it was
applied to combustible materials, and the whole country was
speedily in a blaze. The irritated Kafirs rushed to arms with
the fury of savages panting for revenge. They instantly began
the work of spoliation and bloodshed by plundering the houses
and stores of the traders who were living in the country, and
murdering them in cold blood, unless they were so fortunate as

460 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
to escape to some place of safety. Having tasted of blood,
like the beast of prey they became quite infuriated against the
colonists, crossed the colonial line, and carried the work of de
vastation and slaughter along a frontier of upwards of one hun
dred miles, and to nearly the same extent, into the colony.
Some of the military posts Avere threatened, farmers were killed,
and the people generally were completely paralyzed by the sud
denness of the irruption. The Kafirs swept the country, and in
a short time returned, exulting in their deeds of revenge, and
loaded with spoil, consisting of horses, cattle, sheep, and goatsr
clothes, money, and Avhatever else they could carry away. There
was no limit to the burden of their spoils save their strength.
The situation of the missionaries was at once difficult and
perilous. Flushed Avith success, or Avhetted by revenge, the
Kafirs Avould not bear to be spoken to, and when the British
troops began to scour the country, and burn their kraals, and
seize their cattle, and make reprisals, they became excited
almost to fury, and charged the missionaries with being their
enemies, because they did not prevent the devastations of the
soldiers. The missionaries stopped in the country as long as they
could ; but they were, at length, obliged to escape for their
lives. Parties of soldiers were sent to protect them on their
way to the English camp, and they afterwards escorted them
to Graham's Town within the colony, where every attention
was shewn to them by the acting governor. In leaving Kaf-
fraria, the missionaries sustained very heavy losses. Much of
their property they were compelled to leave behind them ; much
of it they were obliged to cast away on the road, that the wag
gons might not be impeded on their journey. Mr Chalmers
saved little more than a Bible. Their private losses were esti
mated at nearly £1000, and the public property lost or destroyed,
including churches, houses, &c, at upAvards of £750.
Though savages may make fearful inroads on a civilized
people, yet, in general, they are soon checked. Thus it was in
the present war. The English troops made terrible reprisals on
the Kafirs, who were at length glad to sue for peace. A treaty
was now concluded between the contending parties. The Bri
tish government restored to the Kafirs, so long as they continued

BY THE GLASGOW MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 461
peaceful, all that tract of country which extends from the Keis-
kamma to the Fish River, and appointed the Fish River, as in
former times, to be the boundary of the colony.1
In the latter part of 1835, the missionaries returned to Kaf-
fraria, peace being now restored to the country. The mission pre
mises at Chumie and Burnshill, though not destroyed, they found
in a very dilapidated and ruinous condition. Doors and windows
were broken, furniture of every description Avas carried away,
the printing-press and types were destroyed, the gardens were
laid waste, and fragments of books and papers were lying scat
tered on the ground. At Lovedale and Pirie, the desolation
was still more complete. Most of the houses were burnt or
otherwise reduced to a heap of ruins. The whole of the work
of destruction is not, however, to be attributed to the Kafirs ;
the English also had their share in it. The mission premises
had been occupied at one time by the Kafirs, and at another
time by the troops ; and between the two, the work of destruc
tion was complete.2
The missionaries after their return set themselves to repair
their dilapidated and ruined houses. The station of Lovedale,
which had been almost entirely destroyed, was removed to a
more favourable situation a few miles distant, on the banks of
the Chumie river, which could be easily led out for the purposes
of irrigation, a point of great importance in such a country as
South Africa. At Burnshill, a water-course which had been
begun some years before, was now completed through the labours
of the Kafirs, under the superintendence of' the missionaries,
who besides supplying them with food, paid them for their work
with goats, spades, picks, seed-corn, and other useful articles,
deeming it their duty to make a vigorous effort to convince
them that by a little exertion they might save themselves from
famine without having recourse, and that in vain, to the rain
maker. The missionaries also resumed their accustomed la
bours among them, and every thing by degrees assumed much
the same aspect as before the war.3 But Avhile the mission was
1 Rep. Glas. Miss. Soc. 1835, p. 9, 13 ; Ibid. 1836, p. 9 ; Ibid. 1837, p. 9, 23.
¦ Ibid. 1836, p. 12 ; Quart. Pap. No. xv. p. 2.
• Rep. Glas. Miss. Soc. 1837, p. 13, 15, 24 ; Quart. Pap. No. xvi. p. 13.

462 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
•
advancing abroad, very untoward circumstances as regarded the
Society, were taking place at home.
In December 1837, the Glasgow Missionary Society was dis
solved, or more properly speaking, was divided into two branches,
the one called the " Glasgow Missionary Society adhering to
the principles of the Church of Scotland," the other the " Glas
gow African Missionary Society." The Society was originally
established on the broad catholic principle of uniting Christians
of different denominations in the one great object of propagat
ing the gospel among the heathen, and it had hitherto been
conducted upon this plan. Of late years, however, the question
of ecclesiastical establishments had been brought under discus
sion in this country, and had created much alienation and bit
terness of feeling between the ministers and members of the
Church of Scotland and their dissenting brethren. In Glasgow
the bitterness of feeling Avas peculiarly strong, and it was car
ried even into their missions among the heathen, as well as into
their associations for other Christian and benevolent objects.
One of the secretaries of the Missionary Society, with the know
ledge and concurrence of some of his brethren, addressed a
private letter to the Rev. J. Laing, one of the missionaries in
Kaffraria who had originally belonged to the establishment, on
the subject of a separation between the two great classes who
composed the Society; and after a reply was received to this
communication, the members of the Church of Scotland pro
posed a set of resolutions for a separation betAveen those who
adhered to the principles of an Established Church and those
who were opposed to them. To these resolutions the Dissenters
objected as proceeding on a sectarian principle, as entirely sub
versive of the original constitution of the Society, and as un
called for by any thing which had occurred in the Society ; but
they were carried by the Established Church party, who had a
large majority in the committee, and whom nothing short of a
separation would satisfy. The Dissenters had therefore no
choice but to submit, and it was ultimately arranged that the
Church section of the Society should take upon them the sup
port of such of the missionaries and catechists as should declare
their adherence to them, and that the Dissenting section should,
in like manner, provide for those who should adhere to them,

BY THE GLASGOW MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 463
and that the property and debt of the Society should be appor
tioned between them according to the numbers adhering to
each. On intelligence of these measures being received in Kaf
fraria, the Rev. Messrs Bennie, Ross, and Laing, missionaries,
and Messrs M'Diarmid and Weir, catechists, intimated their ad
herence to the Church section of the Society, and the Rev
Messrs Chalmers and Niven to the Dissenting section ; and
agreeably to the principles of arrangement which had been fixed
on, the stations of Lovedale, Pirie, and Burnshill were placed
under the former body, and Chumie and Iggibigha under the
latter. It had been alleged that the missionaries were divided
among themselves on the question of establishments to a degree
that must be prejudicial to the mission ; but this was so far
from being true, that " it now appeared that the subject was
never introduced at any of their meetings, nor did it ever inter
fere with their missionary operations." It would indeed have
been a shame to them if it had ! What had that question to
do with the evangelization of the Kafirs ? Indeed, notwith
standing the division which took place, it is a remarkable fact
that the missionaries agreed, in the mean time, to continue their
connection as a presbytery, and they unanimously determined
" to avoid the slightest allusion to the division, among the na
tives, and to pursue their work as if the event had never oc
curred," circumstances which strikingly shew how little occa
sion there was for a division so far as either the missionaries or
the Kafirs were concerned.1
1 Report of a Special Meeting of the Glasgow Missionary Society, Dec. 4. 1837, p. 5,
14 ; First Report of the Glasgow African Missionary Society, p. 10, 14 ; Caffrarian
Messenger, No. i. p. 2.
Though the missionaries agreed at first to remain for the present united as a presby
tery, the union was not of long continuance. By the Society adhering to the princi
ples of the Establishment it was made a regulation that " The missionaries and cate
chists employed by it shall be required to subscribe the standards of the Church -of
Scotland ;" and it was distinctly stated that " Should any depart from the established
practice of the missionaries themselves," (which we shall immediately have occasion
to state,) "by proposing to add explanations or reservations of their own, it should
not be allowed." And to prevent the possibility of such a case arising, it was laid
down as one of the regulations of the Society, " that a free and unreserved subscrip
tion shall be required." Accordingly, two new missionaries having come out from
the Glasgow African Missionary Society, they were called on to subscribe the fol
lowing formulary (that just referred to), which had been adopted at the foimation of
the presbytery in January 1824, then consisting of only two ministers and one elder :
Whereas the glory of God, the salvation of the souls of men, and the commandment

464 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
In July 1841, a seminary for the education of teachers, cate-
chists, and missionaries, -was opened at Lovedale under the
superintendence of the Rev. "William Govan, who was sent out
by the Church branch of the Society for this special purpose.
of tlie exalted Redeemer by his apostles, to do all things in his Church decently
and in order, require that we, the aforesaid individuals, and those who may be added
to our number, should, and do thus recognise the doctrine contained in the Confession
of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, agreed upon by the Assembly of Divines
at "Westminster, and approved by the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland ; as
likewise the Directory for the Public Worship of God, and the Humble advice of the
Assembly of Divines, which sat by ordinance of Parliament at Westminster, to the
Right Honourable the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament, concerning church
government, as we believe the same to be expressive of the meaning of the Holy Scrip
tures, and agreeable to the practice of the apostles and primitive church, and the rule
which we as ministers of the gospel, or servants in the church, resolve to walk by."
The two missionaries now referred to were not allowed to join the presbytery, because
they could not give their assent to the doctrine of the Westminster Confession of
Faith on the power of the civil magistrate in matters of religion.* — First Re-port of the
Glas. Miss. Soc. adhering to the principles of the Church of Scotland, p. 5, 12 ; Fourth
Report of Ditto, p. 27; Rep. Glas. African Miss. Soc. 1842, p. 25.
This is not a place to enter on the question of subscription to extended and minute
Confessions of Faith ; but we cannot help remarking, that if such men as Richard
Baxter, John Howe, Dr Owen, Dr Watts, Dr Doddridge, George Whitfield, John
Newton, Henry Martyn, had offered themselves to the "Glasgow Missionary Society
adhering to the principles of the Church of Scotland," they must on its principles have
been rejected by it ; and if turning from it, they had offered themselves to the u Glas
gow African Missionary Society," and been accepted by it, as on its principles they
ought to have been, yet on reaching Kaffraria, they would not have been allowed,
even if they had been willing, to join with the other missionaries in presbytery !
Of such proceedings we cannot speak but with mingled feelings of indignation, grief,
and shame. Assuredly there must, prima facie, be something wrong in those views or
systems, whether held by Societies or by Churches, which, if acted out, would thus ex
clude from their service men the glory of our land, and whose praise has gone forth to the
ends of the earth, while yet they would be ready, perhaps eager, to employ others, who,
as regards both gifts and grace, were never for one moment to be compared with them.
It is not unworthy of notice, that the very class of persons who were chiefly active
in forcing on a division in the Society on account of the differences of sentiment among
the members in regard to the question of ecclesiastical establishments, within less than
six years afterwards, separated from the Church of Scotland, and became in feeling
more hostile to her than were ever the old Dissenters, and though in theory they still
maintained the principle of religious establishments, yet in practice they followed out
the voluntary principle, and that with a success which had never perhaps been exem-
* The following is the passage in the Westminster Confession of Faith, which is here particu
larly referred to. It may he new to many of our readers, " The civil magistrate may not as
sume to himself the administration of the word and sacraments, or the power of the keys of the
kingdom of heaven; yet he hath authority, and it is his duty to take order that unity and peace
be preserved in the Church, that the truth of God be kept pure and entire, that all blas
phemies and heresies he suppressed, all corruptions and abuses in worship and discipline pre
vented or reformed, and all the ordinances of God duly settled, administered, and observed.
For the better effecting whereof, he hath power to call synods, to be present at them, and to
provide that whatsoever is transacted in them be according to the mind of God." — Westminster
Confession of Faith, chap, xxiii. seet. iii.

BY THE GLASGOW MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 465
Buildings of considerable extent were erected for the accommo
dation of the tutor and his pupils, and connected with them
there were about forty acres of land on which it was designed
the students should labour, partly with a view to their health
and sustenance, and partly in order to qualify them for instruct
ing their countrymen in the art of husbandry, as well as in the
things which belong to their everlasting peace. The first pupils
consisted partly of Kafir youths and partly of the sons of the
missionaries or other Europeans. Some of the former were
boarded in the seminary ; others lived with their parents. Most
of the Kafir pupils had as yet made but small progress in their
education, and gave little or no evidence of piety. Several of
them were still young, being only from twelve to fourteen years
of age. That the seminary may furnish valuable facilities to
the missionaries for the education of their own children, and
that this is a very important object, we readily admit ; but that
it is likely to prove, to any considerable extent, useful in pre
paring duly qualified native teachers and catechists, and espe
cially missionaries, we greatly doubt. To say nothing of the
barbarous state of the population from which the pupils were
taken, the admission into such an institution of young persons
whose education was so little advanced, who had not yet mani
fested any special capabilities or love of learning, and who gave
little or no evidence of piety, could only lay a foundation for
disappointment.1
plified before in any age or country. We do not mean to say there was any inconsist
ency in this ; but their acting on the voluntary principle shews their conviction of its
lawfulness, and if the principle was lawful, it could be no adequate cause, indeed no
cause at all, for breaking up the Society, and dividing the mission.
In October 1844, the Glasgow Missionary Society adhering to the principles of the
Church of Scotland was formally dissolved, and its stations in Kaffraria were placed
under the Free Church of Scotland as part of the Foreign Mission Scheme of that
Church.— Spedal Report of the Glasgow Missionary Society adhering to the principles
of the Church of Scotland, Oct. 1844, p. 3, 5. In 1847, the stations of the Glasgow
African Missionary Society were, in like manner, transferred to the Board of Missions
of the United Presbyterian Church.
These successive changes may seem to require that we should treat its future history
under distinct heads ; but as such minute divisions would serve little useful purpose,
while it would break up the unity of the narrative, we think it is better to carry on the
further history of the whole under the title under which it was originally begun—
" The Glasgow Missionary Society."
1 Report Glasgow Ch. Miss. Soc. 1840, p. 17; Ibid. 1842, p. 18 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 13;
Quart. Papers, No. xiii. p. 1 ; Ibid. No. xv. p. 8.
VOL. II. G g

465 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Of late years the congregations, particularly at the principal
and' older stations, have materially improved, and their demean
our was much more becoming than in the early years of the
mission. They were still, however, very fluctuating. At Chu
mie, for example, they would vary from one hundred to four
hundred. At none of the other stations were they so numerous,
but in proportion to their numbers they were nearly as fluctu
ating. Indeed the state of the mission generally, like that of
most missions among uncivilized tribes, was exceedingly vari
able. Like the shifting sands of the desert, the condition of a
people emerging from barbarism is in a course of perpetual
change, sometimes presenting a favourable and anon an un
favourable aspect. One day they are all eyes and ears, and per
haps the next they will scarcely listen .to their instructors.1
Though the Kafirs appear to be a nation of atheists, yet the
existence and the providence of God began to be acknowledged
among them. When striking events occurred they were now
ready to attribute them to the interposition of God, and though
there were few signs of spiritual life among them, yet knowledge
was on the increase in the country. It is scarcely possible, how
ever, for one who has not been among the Kafirs to conceive the
ignorance and the darkness of the Kafir mind in reference to
spiritual things. There was besides such a disposition at times
to assent to all that was said, in consequence of pure indolence
and unconcern, or from fear of provoking the discussion of
topics which they do not relish, that it was often scarcely pos
sible to say how much of apparent attention and expressed con
sent were to be ascribed to these causes, or to interest in and
conviction of the truth. An idea prevailed among them, that
to abstain from work on Sabbath and sit at home, declare that
they loved God, and prove it by pronouncing the Divine name,
as they were accustomed to pronounce that of favourite chiefs
when they sneezed, and come round the teacher for instruction
when he visits them, constitute the sum and substance of a godly
life and an antidote to the fears of death. Thus even among
the Kafirs a self-righteous formality manifests itself; a natural
emanation of the legal bias of corrupt human nature.2
1 Reports passim ; Quart. Intelligence, No. xiii. p. 16.
a Caffrarian Messenger, p. 202. 203, 206.

BY THE GLASGOW MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 46*7
Many of the Kafirs when they retired from public worship,
now betook themselves to retired places for the purposes of
prayer ; but it is to be feared that most who did so scarcely
knew what they were doing. Mr Niven mentions a family he
met with in one of the towns, which had at one time resided in
the neighbourhood of a missionary station, who told him that
they prayed daily ; but he found that their petitions referred to
worldly matters alone, such as exemption from disease, provi
sion for their bellies, blessings on their cattle, protection from
their enemies, and deliverance from death. This* may appear
no very satisfactory prayer ; yet amidst the darkness and depra
vity of heathenism which prevailed among the Kafirs, it is per
haps not to be despised. It involved an acknowledgment, at
least, of the existence, the power, and the goodness of a Being
greater than man, and may, therefore, be considered as a step
in the knowledge of what is commonly called Natural Religion.
Indeed, the Kafirs with all their faults, are a pleasant, lively,
good-humoured people, and shew considerable acuteness on some
subjects, which, if directed to matters of more importance, may
yet greatly facilitate the work of instruction among them.1
Though the Kafirs long shewed great indifference to the edu
cation of their children, yet of late years some desire for it
sprung up among them. The schools were now attended by
considerable numbers of children, and it is worthy of notice, as
marking the difference between this country and India and
other parts of the East, the majority of them were girls. The
boys were greatly employed in taking care of the cattle ; but
even when entirely disengaged, they did not shew so docile a
spirit as the girls. Yet even among the boys, there were some
who shewed a desire, at least for a time, to learn. Mr Niven
mentions several who were employed in herding the cattle, who
relieved each other on alternate days, in order that they might
attend school. Others drove their cattle to the neighbourhood
of the station to catch a lesson, and perhaps in the midst of it
crave permission to take a peep of them at the door, to satisfy
themselves that they were not straying; while some, when aware
that they would be prevented from attending during the day,
were in advance of the sun at the house of the missionary, to
1 Quarterly Papers, No. .«. p. 14 ; Caffrarian Messenger, p. 31.

468 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
get some brief instruction. It appears that the Kafirs now
began to entertain very exalted, not to say extravagant, ideas of
the art of reading ; a very undesirable circumstance, as it might
lay the foundation of future disappointment, and create a re
action in their views and feelings on the subject.1
The state of the schools, indeed, varied exceedingly from time
to time. At one time, they would appear to be going on well,
and before the accounts reached Scotland there would be a
very different state of things in Kaffraria. The desire of educa
tion was by no means general among the people. Many did
not see what good it would do their children. Some young
men who might have been expected to set a value upon it,
thought they would be degraded by attending school. But not
withstanding these unfavourable circumstances, it was satisfac
tory to find that there was progress, and that the number of
readers was increasing.2
Schools were also established for teaching the girls sewing,
first by the wives of the missionaries, and afterwards by female
teachers sent out from this country. Though the desire for
European clothing was increasing among the females, notwith
standing the opposition that was made to it, change of dress
and of other native practices being very ominous signs in the
eyes of Kafirs, yet considerable difficulty was experienced in
carrying on these schools in consequence of the want of suitable
work for the girls attending them.3
The missionaries also adopted, on a small scale, the practice
of boarding as well as teaching children. This appeared as in
India to be much the most effectual way of benefiting the na
tives, by removing the children from under heathen influence ;
but there was a difficulty in getting them to remain as boarders.
The parents were unwilling to give up their children, as they
did not care for those special advantages which the missionaries
had in view ; and they were also afraid of losing the cattle they
expect from the disposal of their daughters in marriage, which
constitute the chief value of a female in the eyes of a Kafir ;
while the children themselves did not like the restraints of
1 Caffrarian Messenger, p. 14, 29 ; Quart. Papers, No. x. p. 3, 9 ; Quart. Int. No.
ii. p. 13.
* Caffrarian Messenger, p. 205 ; Quart. Int. No. ix. p. 4.
* Caffrarian Messenger, p. 206.

BY THE GLASGOW MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 469
civilized life, unless they had a more than ordinary desire of im
provement.1 At most of the stations, a number of the Kafirs had now been
baptized ; but the converts generally laboured under many im
perfections, and manifested very feeble degrees of grace, circum
stances which will excite no surprise if we consider their pecu
liarly disadvantageous circumstances. The means of instruc
tion which they enjoyed were chiefly, and in many cases solely,
oral. Even those who had learned to read, had, with the ex
ception of the Scriptures, few books to read, and these commonly
not of a high order, or not suitable for them.2 Their minds too
were comparatively contracted ; they were not even freed from
the superstitious notions of their countrymen ; they saw but few
holy examples, while they were familiar with evil examples, and
were daily exposed to the pernicious influences of the lewd abo
minations of the heathen around them. It was remarked, how
ever, that the knowledge of the young converts who were able
to read, was both more extensive and more distinct than that
of the older converts, a fact which shews the great importance
of schools even among savage tribes.3
It was remarked by one of the missionaries, that to be a
Christian among the Kafir kraals seems, in the present state of
things, impracticable. In such a country as Kaffraria, mission
ary stations, where the converts and others desirous of attend
ing to the gospel may live separate from the rest of the people
and from the evil influences which they would exert upon them,
are absolutely necessary. It is scarcely possible to live amidst
the impurities and wickedness of heathenism and not be tainted
by them.4
Even as it was, the converts had much to bear from the oppo
sition and reproaches of their countrymen, and often from their
nearest relatives and in their own dwellings. They were looked
1 Caffrarian Messenger, p. 207, 221.
' Among other works, Mr Bennie translated the Shorter Catechism of the Westmin
ster Assembly of Divines, a work certainly little adapted for communicating a know
ledge of religious truth to the darkened Kafir mind. Missionaries, we think, are much
too apt to translate and to employ the works in. use in the churches to which they be
long, for the instruction of the heathen among whom they labour, whether they are
suited for that purpose or not.
3 Quart. Int. No. ix. p. 6.
* Quart. Pap. No. x. p. 10 ; Quart. Int. No. a. p. 5.

470 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
on by the heathen Kafirs as men who had become mad, and
who had foolishly renounced the customs and manners of their
fathers. The native teachers, in particular, were frequently
hooted and laughed at, when endeavouring to set before their
countrymen the truths of religion. The teacher of one school
was debarred from making his usual visits to the neighbouring
kraals, and the children were not allowed a footpath to the
school, because a child belonging to the head-man of the dis
trict had died, and it was said Koti had killed it with his
prayers. Another of the teachers was prevented for a time
from visiting some kraals, because he dressed in European cloth
ing, thereby giving proof of his disposition to bewitch the people
and especially the children. It was said, he would cajole them
into the school, and that they would all become sick and quickly
die. The mother of a family was charged with killing the chil
dren since she began to pray and serve God. She had obtained
such power by means of her prayers, it was said, that she ruled
the lightning, and was able to infuse poison imperceptibly into
the children. Her own people shunned her, and a piece of the
yellow-wood-tree was stuck up in every hut to ward off the
power she had acquired over the electric fluid.1
Indeed, there prevailed in Kaffraria great dread and distrust
of missionaries. Missionary stations were regarded by many
as branch establishments of the colonial government for the
wholesale murder of the natives, and for despoiling them of
their country. The jealousy of the Kafirs was also, in some in
stances, raised to a great height by the prevalence of disease in
the country, and by the mortality which it occasioned, even
though the missionaries sought to alleviate the calamity by sup
plying them with medicine. " The most unfounded tales,"
writes Mr Ross, the missionary at Pirie, " are in circulation
among them. It is said Mr Laing brought the measles here in
a red handkerchief ; that he wrote to me that he had killed
many at the Keiskamma, and that I must kill the people here ;
that Mr Chalmers wrote me, that he had killed many at Chumie,
and that I must do so here ; that I have smeared all the seats
in the church with the measles ; that I am killing the people,
for though I do not go to them, Mrs Ross goes."2
1 Caffrarian Messenger, p. 193, 196. ' Ibid. p. 145; Quart. Int. No. vi. p. 4.

BY THE GLASGOW MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 471
On another occasion when small-pox was committing great
ravages in various parts of the country, an order was issued by
the Chief Sandili, prohibiting all intercourse with the infected
districts, and the people were on the alert to prevent the speci
fied boundaries being crossed in the hope of thereby checking
the spread of the disease. Mr Ross of Pirie being shortly after,
on his way to Lovedale, with the view of endeavouring to ob
tain vaccine matter, was made to feel the force of the prohibi
tion, though he was not living within a prohibited district.
His waggon was stopped a short way from Burnshill, and he
was not allowed to cross the Keiskamma till he had obtained
a royal messenger to escort him. About three miles farther on,
he was again stoutly resisted. He was himself about a quarter
of a mile in advance of the waggon and its escort, when he was
pronounced a murderer, dared to advance, and threatened with
personal violence. As he still walked on, threats became louder
and louder ; the war yell was raised, and he was told to look
at the sun, the common token of .instant death. He made a
sign to the people of the waggon to come forward. This with
drew the attention of the multitude from him to the party with
the waggon, who were now assailed in their turn. But the
Kafirs probably now observed the chiefs messenger, for on
reaching the top of the hill, they suddenly went away leaving
behind them only an old woman and some children. Mr Ross
afterwards vaccinated some hundreds of the Kafirs in the hope
of protecting them from the small-pox. Such was the sense of
danger among the poor people, that many came from a distance,
some from infected places, some with the disease already upon
them. So afraid were they of it, that every one avoided meet
ing his neighbour. In passing each other, they would take the
opposite side of the path. The burning of a house here and
there was a common signal of cases having proved fatal.
This visitation of the small-pox appears to have increased
the hatred of many to the gospel and of all White men. To
them they imputed the introduction of the disease, though the
missionaries shewed them that, in the present instance, the colo
nists got it from some recaptured negroes who had been put
ashore; and they further offered satisfactory evidence that
small-pox was in the country before it was visited by mission-

472 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
aries. The marks on many who were advanced in life prove
this, particularly among the Fingoes, who, until of late years,
had no intercourse with the colonists. Still, however, the con
viction of the Kafirs Was, that it was the White man's disease,
and that it was the White men who were killing the people.1
These statements strikingly shew what are the feelings of the
Kafirs toward the English.
In April 1846, the British government declared war against
certain of the Kafir chiefs. The immediate occasion of this
was comparatively a trifling incident, the stealing of an axe in
the colony by a Kafir, and the rescue of the supposed thief, when
one on each side was killed ; but the colonists and the Kafirs
had long been in a state of hostile excitement, as regarded each
other, rather seeking than disliking the grounds of a quarrel,
and it was evident that a collision would ere long take place
between them. Like a spark of fire falling upon combustible
materials, and setting the whole in a blaze, this incident in
flamed their already excited minds, and kindled their warlike
passions. As it was no longer safe for the missionaries to re
main in Kaffraria, they retired with many of their converts
into the colony. The Kafirs made fearful inroads into the
colony, everywhere spreading terror, devastation, and death,
and carrying off vast numbers of the sheep and cattle of the
colonists. The mission stations were all broken up. Chumie,
including the church and other mission property, was burned
to the ground ; Burnshill was also destroyed by fire ; Igquibigha
was likewise in ruins ; Pirie was greatly injured ; and Love
dale was converted into a garrison for the English troops.
Though the Kafirs gained, in the first instance, some consider
able advantages over the English forces, yet afterwards the
tide of war, as might have been foreseen, turned against them;
their spirit was broken, and after some months, they were glad
again to sue for peace. The several stations were once more
resumed by the missionaries. They were now all within the
colony, the Kafirs having been required to give up a consider
able tract of their country to the English, and it was expected,
as a consequence of this, that they would enjoy greater security
than before ; but this proved a fallacious hope.
1 Quart. Int. No. xiii. p. 12.

BY THE GLASGOW MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 473
In December 1850, hostilities again broke out between the
English and the Kafirs. This was a more terrible war than
any which had preceded it, and was of much longer continuance.
It spread far and wide, both in the colony and in Kafirland.
Fearful were the devastations committed both by the English
and the Kafirs. All the mission stations were again broken up.
Burnshill, Pirie, and a new station named Uniondale, were
burned ; Igquibigha was also destroyed. Nearly all the mission
aries retired further into the colony, some of them amidst cir
cumstances of great difficulty and danger. The converts were
for the most part scattered.1
Thus in the course of fifteen years, war had broken out three
times between the Kafirs and the English, and was attended,
on each occasion, with the breaking up of the mission, and the
destruction of the stations, including a large amount of pro
perty ; while even now, there was as little, probably, in conse
quence of the exasperated state of the Kafirs, still less, security
for the continuance of peace than there had ever been before.
The mission of the Free Church has, however, been resumed.2
The United Presbyterian Board of Missions has not as yet come
to any resolution, whether or not it will renew its labours in
Kaffraria. 1 Miss. Not. 1847, p. 17 ; Caffr. Mess. p. 273, 276, 277, 278, 288, 298, 303 ; Mission
ary Record of the United Presbyterian Church, vol. iii. p. 13, 154 ; vol. vi. p. 94 ;
vol. vii. p. 108 ; Missionary Record of the Free Church, vol. ii p. 482 ; vol. iii. p. 474,
499, 515 ; Ibid. 1851. p. 456.
3 Miss. Rec. Free Ch. 1853-4, p. 120, 174.

474 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

CHAPTER XV.
PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
INDIA.
In May 1824, the General Assembly of the Church of Scot
land took under its consideration certain overtures which had
been transmitted to it, relative to the propagation of the gos
pel in heathen countries. The Rev. Dr Inglis, one of the mi
nisters of Edinburgh and a leading member of the Moderate
party, entered at great length into the subject. The main point
of difference in the Assembly was in regard to the necessity of
civilization going before efforts for the spread of Christianity.
Dr Inglis maintained this doctrine, while other ministers argued
against it. At length the Assembly adopted unanimously the
following motion : — " That the Assembly approve the general
purpose and object of these overtures, appoint a committee to
devise and report to next Assembly a specific plan for the ac
complishment of that object, and reserve for the consideration
of next Assembly the means of providing the requisite funds,
by appointing an extraordinary collection, as well as by open
ing a public subscription, for the accomplishment of that pious
and benevolent object." 1 Of this committee Dr Inglis was ap
pointed convener, an oflice which devolved on him the chief
management of the whole scheme.2
1 Edinburgh Christian Instructor, 1824, p. 484.
s This resolution-of the Assembly, which, it is stated, was unanimous, and its subse
quent proceedings on the subject of missions, stand out in striking contrast with its
doings less than thirty years before. In May 1796, soon after the formation of the
London, the Edinburgh, and the Glasgow Missionary Societies, an overture from the
synod of Fife was brought before it, in the following terms : — " That the Assembly
consider of the most effectual method by which the Church of Scotland may contribute

BY THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 475
In May 1825, at the next meeting of the General Assembly
the committee reported, " that they were of opinion that, in the
first instance at least, it would be desirable to make one or other
of the British provinces in India the field of labour ; that it
to the diffusion of the gospel ;" and also the following motion from the synod of Moray,
" That it be recommended to such members of this synod as shall attend next Gene
ral Assetnbly, to use their influence and endeavours for promoting an act of Assembly
for a general collection throughout the church, to aid the several Societies for propa
gating the gospel among the heathen nations." There was also another overture,
signed William M'Bean, in the following terms : " It is humbly overtured to the
General Assembly ofthe Church of Scotland, that in respect a very laudable zeal for
sending the gospel to heathen countries has appeared both in Scotland and England,
the Assembly should encourage this spirit and promote this most important and de
sirable object, by appointing a general collection over the church, or adopting what
ever other method may appear to them most desirable." In the debate which ensued
on these overtures, there was manifested on the part of many of the members of the
Assembly, not simply utter indifference, bat bitter hostility to missionary efforts.
Strange sentiments were uttered by some of the speakers, — sentiments which, we are
persuaded, many of the ministers and members of the Church of Scotland, cannot now
look back upon but with feelings of astonishment and shame. A motion was made
that the "Assembly appoint a committee to take the subject ofthe overtures into con
sideration and to report the result of their inquiries to the next General Assembly," —
a very unobjectionable motion one would have thought ; but the overtures were dis
missed by a majority of fifty-eight to forty-four. — Account of the Proceedings and De
bate in the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, 27ih May 1796, on the overtures
from the Synods of Fife and Moray respecting the Propagation of the Gospel among
the Heathen, p. 3, 16, 37, 42, 54, 58, 61, 64. How out of the Assembly, which consists
of 361 members (Hill's Theological Institutes, p. 218), so few should have been present
on so important and interesting an occasion, we are not able to explain.
This was not the first time that the attention of the General Assembly ofthe Church
of Scotland was drawn to the subject of the conversion of the heathen. A century be
fore this, when the Scotch colony in Darien was undertaken, two ministers, Messrs
James and Scott, were sent out with the first colonists, one of whom died on the pas
sage, and the other soon after his arrival. The council having written home to the
Directors regretting the death of their ministers, and begging that others might be
sent to supply their place, the Commission of the General Assembly, at the particular
desire ofthe Board of Directors, " missioned" in 1699, the well-known Mr Alexander
Shields, and three other ministers, Messrs Francis Borland, Archibald Stobo, and
Alexander Dalgleish, who sailed in the next fleet. Besides being appointed to attend
to the spiritual interests of the Scottish settlers, " they were particularly instructed to
labour among the natives for their instruction and conversion as they should have ac
cess." This is still further manifest from the following sentence in a warm and affec
tionate letter addressed to them by the General Assembly 1700, soon after their de
parture : " The Lord will, according to his promise, make the ends of the earth see his
salvation ; and we hope will yet honour you and this Church from which you are sent,
to carry his name among the heathen." Mr Dalgleish, like one of his predecessors,
died on the passage, and the disastrous circumstances in which the other ministers
found the colony, and the irreligion and licentiousness which prevailed among the
colonists, oppressed their spirits, and rendered their labours of little avail. " Our
meetings among ourselves," writes Mr Shields, "are in the woods, where the chatter-

476 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
would be desirable to establish, in the first instance, one central
seminary of education, with branch schools in the surrounding
country, for behoof of the children of the native population,
under the charge of a head-master, who ought to be an ordained
minister of our national church, and not less than two assistant
teachers from this country, together with a certain number of
additional teachers to be selected by the head-master from those
natives who have previously received the requisite education ;
that the head-master ought to embrace opportunities, as they
occur, to recommend the gospel of Christ to the faith and ac
ceptance of those to whom he finds access ; that with this view
he ought to court the society of those natives more especially
who have already received a liberal education, and if encour
aged by them, ought to put into their hands such tracts illus
trative of the import, the evidences, and the history of the
Christian faith, as may be sent to him for that purpose under
the authority of the General Assembly, and ought also to preach
from time to time in the hearing of such persons, or others who
may be induced to attend him, either in the hall of the seminary
over which he presides, or in such other convenient place as
may be afforded him." Of the report of the committee the Ge
neral Assembly highly approved ; of the scheme as thus de
veloped, Dr Inglis was the sole and undisputed author.1
In October 1829, the Rev. Alexander Duff, who had been ap
pointed head-master of the proposed institution, embarked for
ing of parrots, mourning of pelicans, and din of monkeys, are more pleasant than the
hellish language of oxir countrymen in their huts and tents of Kedar ; and our converse
with the Indians, though with dumb signs, is more satisfying than with the most of
our own people. Severals of them came to our meetings for worship, and we have ex
ercised in their families when travelling among them, where they behaved themselves
very reverently, but we have neither language nor interpreter. But our people do
scandalize them, both by stealing from them, and teaching them to swear and drink."
It appears they undertook a journey into the interior in company with Lieut. Turn-
bull, who had a slight knowledge of the Indian language, with the view of becoming
acquainted the natives, and having spent some nights with them in their cabins,
brought back the first intelligence to the colony of the approach of the Spaniards,
by whom they were shortly after obliged to enter into a capitulation, and to evacuate
the settlement on honourable terms. — Memoirs of Veitch and Bryson, published by
Dr M'Crie, p. 236, 241 ; Acts of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland,
1700, p. 12 ; Edinburgh Christian Instructer, 1819, p. 478. Mr Shields died at King
ston, Jamaica, June 14. 1700, we presume on his way home.
1 Report to the General Assembly by the Committee for the Propagation of tha
Gospel in Foreign Parts, 1825 ; Duff's India and Indian Missions, p. 481.

BY THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 477
Calcutta, but the ship in which he sailed was wrecked off Das-
sen Island, near the Cape of Good Hope, and though not a life
was lost, nor any. personal injury sustained by any of the pas
sengers or crew, yet most of them lost much valuable property.
Having sailed again in another ship from Cape Town, he and
Mrs Duff, after encountering a tremendous gale off the Mauri
tius, and being overtaken by a hurricane at the mouth of the
Ganges, reached Calcutta in safety.1
In August 1830, Mr Duff opened a school in Calcutta, and in
the course of a few days upwards of two hundred pupils were
received into it, many of whom were Brahmans, and a consider
able number from sixteen to twenty years of age. The school
grew up in the course of few years to be a most important and
extensive institution. It consisted of two departments, the one
preparatory, the other of a higher or collegiate order. The ob
ject of the former was to initiate the boys into the elements of
English grammar, history, chronology, geography, arithmetic,
and geometry, in conjunction with instruction in the principles
ofthe Christian faith. The object of the latter was to perfect
their acquaintance with the branches of knowledge previously
acquired, and to embrace, more or less extensively as circum
stances would admit, the various higher departments of litera
ture, science, and Christian theology, including systematic di
vinity, church history, and the original languages of the Old
and New Testaments.
It was in every sense of the word an English institution.
Though the vernacular languages of India are alone available
for imparting an elementary education to the mass of the popu
lation, these languages did not afford at present either an ade
quate medium or adequate materials for communicating a know
ledge of the more advanced departments of literature, science,
and theology. Such a medium, however, was found in the
English language. Much attention was accordingly given to
the teaching of this language, which when once acquired be
came the grand medium of instruction in the higher branches
of learning. This was greatly facilitated by the extreme anxiety
which had arisen among a large and influential portion of
¦ Duffs India, p. 490, 495 ; Duffs Letter respecting the Wreck of the Lady Hol
land, Fast Indiaman, p. 5, 16.

478 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
the Hindus to acquire a knowledge ofthe English language,
and numbers had already so far mastered it as to converse in
it, and to write it with considerable propriety. But though it
was in its general character an English institution, attention
was also paid to the vernacular languages with the view of per
fecting the scholars in the knowledge of their mother tongue,
though great difficulties were experienced in this department of
the system, from the want of well-qualified masters and suitable
books. Many and great were the benefits which were anticipated
from this institution. By the acquisition of the English lan
guage, by the numerous Hindu youths attending it, the whole
circle of European literature and science was at once thrown
open to them, and they became qualified to read the Old and
New Testaments in the English version, and to peruse works on
the evidences and doctrines of natural and revealed religion in
the words of the original authors. This was to furnish them
with the key of knowledge, literary, scientific, and religious, —
of knowledge which, in point of quantity and quality, the books
written in all other languages, living and dead, could not col
lectively supply.
It is well known that the books which the Hindus hold as
sacred, contain a system of philosophy as well as a system of
religion, that the two are inseparably connected and blended
together, that they claim the same divine origin, plead the
same infallible authority, and must, by consequence, stand or
fall together. The range of argument by which their religious
system may be overturned, was in this way vastly extended to
Christian missionaries, who were able duly to avail themselves
of that light which scientific research had cast upon the visible
frame of the universe, and on other important branches of
human inquiry. To the science of astronomy, in particular,
they were indebted for the means of subverting the founda
tions of their religion. The microscope, as well as the tele
scope, geography, and geology, and even metaphysics, lent in
this way important aid. Thus the communication of European
science and literature, while it demolished their false systems
of philosophy, contributed also to undermine and destroy the
whole fabric of their religion. It was hoped that there would,

BY THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 479
in this way, be raised up a body of educated natives, from whom,
even in the secular offices and relations of life, there would
emanate such healthful influences as could scarcely fail to pro
duce powerful and salutary impressions on the rest of the popu
lation. But the grand and distinguishing object of the institution,
was not simply the overthrow of Hinduism in individual minds
and their conversion to Christianity ; its great and ultimate
design was to rear up a body of well-disciplined Christian
teachers, who should diffuse the blessings of a wholesome edu
cation throughout the land, and in an especial manner to train
up a body of well-qualified missionaries who, from being natives
of the country, and naturalized to the climate, and from their
knowledge of the vernacular languages, and of the manners,
customs, opinions, prejudices, and feelings of their countrymen,
might be expected to labour in making known the gospel among
them, with a power and an effect which European missionaries
could not be supposed ever to attain.
In June 1831, the Rev. William S. Mackay sailed for India
as second master of the institution ; and he was followed in
subsequent years by the Rev. David Ewart, John Macdonald,
and Thomas Smith, all of whom took part with Mr Duff in
superintending or carrying on the various classes in the insti
tution. The mode of instruction employed from the beginning
was what was termed the interrogatory or intellectual system,
in opposition to the old, dull, mechanical way of teaching. The
instruction of the junior classes was conducted chiefly by the
more advanced students in the higher or collegiate department,
who were thus gradually initiated into the principles and prac
tice of the most improved modes of tuition, while their own
stores of knowledge were increased and rendered more correct
and familiar to their minds by the reiterated acts of imparting
to others what they had themselves learned. As a further
means of quickening the apprehension, fixing the attention,
improving the memory, creating the habit of forming clear and
distinct ideas, and cultivating the power and facility of expres
sion, the pupils of the higher classes were constantly made to
interrogate each other, in orderly succession, on any of the sub
jects of previous study. But no mere description can convey

480 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
an adequate idea of the varied modes and details of the system
of tuition. To be at all understood, it was necessary to witness
them in actual operation. To the institution there was attached
a library of several thousand volumes, and an extensive philo
sophical apparatus.1
Though the education of the young held the primary place,
yet in the original scheme of the mission, oral instruction also
formed part of the plan. It was accordingly not long before
Mr Duff made a commencement of labours of this kind. Con
siderable numbers of the youth belonging to the higher classes
of society in Calcutta had of late years received an English
education, particularly in the Hindu College, where they ac
quired an extensive knowledge of European literature and
science ; and several of the more advanced boys had of late
begun to express their opinions with great freedom and bold
ness on all manner of subjects, particularly on that of religion.
The most glowing harangues were made by them at their de
bating clubs, in which they denounced and ridiculed the Hindu
religion as vile and corrupt, and unworthy of the regard of
rational beings. Some actually refused to be invested with the
Brahmanical Poito, or sacred thread ; others, when enjoined
to recite Muntras or prayers, used to repeat lines which they
had learned out of the Iliad. Some of the parents alarmed at
such results, withdrew their children from the college ; and the
managers, who consisted partly of natives of the higher class,
and partly of European gentlemen, issued orders to the teachers
to abstain from all communication with the boys on the subject
of the Hindu religion. Some of the friends of Christianity, how
ever, now resolved to try and give a healthy direction to the
newly awakened intellect of these Hindu youths. Happily the
greater part of them made it their profession and their boast that
they were free inquirers after truth ; and on its being urged on
them that they ought not to reject Christianity without giving,
at least, a candid hearing to its claims, a goodly number of them
agreed to attend a short course of lectures on natural and re-
1 Missionary Record for the Church of Scotland, vol. i. p. 367 ; Report to the Gene
ral Assembly by the Committee, 1831, p. 2 ; Representation of the Committee to
Congregations, 1832, p. 1, 3 ; Duffs India, p. 528, 588 ; Duff's Missionary Addresses,
p. 42.

BY THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 481
vealed religion in the English language, designed expressly for
educated natives. Mr Duff, who had but newly arrived in the
country, undertook to deliver one of these lectures ; the others
were to be given by Mr Adam and Mr Hill, of the London Mis
sionary Society, and Mr Dealtry, then one of the chaplains of
the East India Company, afterwards bishop of Madras. The
lecturers were to be allowed to finish their lectures without in
terruption, but the hearers were afterwards to have the most
unrestricted liberty in starting objections, and in asking the
lecturers questions as to any of the points discussed by them.
On the delivery, however, of the introductory lecture by Mr
Hill, there was a violent commotion among the native com
munity. Some of the parents lodged complaints with the col
lege managers ; and they — instead of taking the ground which
they ought, that their authority did not extend beyond the
walls of the institution, that they had neither the right nor '
the power to interfere with the way in which the pupils might
dispose of their leisure hours, and that all such private over
sight must devolve wholly on their parents and guardians —
issued the following intolerant order : — " The managers of the
Anglo-Indian College having heard that several of the students
are in the habit of attending societies, at which political and
religious discussions are held, think it necessary to announce
their strong disapprobation of the practice, and to prohibit its
continuance. Any student being present at such a society after
the promulgation of this order, will incur their serious displea
sure." Immediately on the issuing of this ill-considered order,
the lecturers made a public announcement of the necessity
under which they felt themselves of discontinuing, at least for a
time, the delivery of the intended course of lectures.
This order called forth the indignant condemnation of the
English journals in Calcutta ; and the public voice so far pre
vailed, that a few months afterwards, the managers passed a
resolution that they had " not the power nor the right to en
force the prohibition of the boys attending private lectures or
meetings." The spirit of discussion was now awakened among
the better educated youths of Calcutta ; and it found vent in
debating societies, and in the periodical press, in which, under
vol. n. H h

482 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
the garb of literary and philosophical discussions, they might
give free utterance to all the sentiments of their hearts.1
After some time Mr Duff, who had in the mean while held
considerable intercourse with numbers of the young men, re-
1 Up to the time of issuing the prohibitory enactment, there existed among the
new race of Illuminati only one society for literary investigations, and it had been in
stituted chiefly through the influence, and continued through the encouragement and
presence, of a few European gentlemen, who took a warm interest in the illumination
of the native mind. But now new societies started up quite independent of European
influence in every part of the native city. There was not an evening in the week in
which one, two, or more of these societies were not held ; and each individual was gene
rally enrolled a member of several. Indeed, the spirit of discussion became a perfect
mania ; yet there was often in it something singularly interesting. To a British-born
subject, the free use in debate of the English language by these bronze-coloured chil
dren of the East, on their own soil, and at some thousand miles distance from the
British shores, presented something indescribably novel, and even affecting ; nor was
the effect at all diminished, when, ever and anon, after the fashion of public speakers in
our own country, they fortified their statements by quotations from English authors.
If the subject was historical, Robertson and Gibbon were perhaps appealed to ; if po
litical, Adam Smith and Jeremy Bentham ; if scientific, Newton and Davy ; if meta
physical, Locke and Reid, Dugald Stewart and Brown ; if religious, Hume and Paine.
The whole was frequently interspersed and enlivened by passages cited from some of
our most popular English poets, particularly Byron and Sir Walter Scott. " And
more than once," says Dr Duff, "were my ears greeted with the sound of Scottish
rhymes from the poems of Robert Burns. It would not be possible to portray the
effect produced on the mind of a Scotsman, when, on the banks of the Ganges, one of
the sons of Brahma, on reviewing the unnatural institution of caste in alienating man
from man, and in looking forward to the period in which knowledge, by its transform
ing power, would make the lowest type of man feel itself to be of the same species as
the highest, suddenly give utterance, in an apparent ecstasy of delight, to these cha
racteristic lines : — ' For a' that and a' that,
It's comin' yet, for a' that,
That man to man, the world o'er,
Shall brothers be for a' that.' "
Nevertheless, from the entire want of Christian instruction, it was melancholy to ob
serve the dreary wanderings ofthe educated natives on the subject of religion. Here,
their great authorities, as already noticed, were Hume's Essays and Paine's Age of
Reason. With copies of the latter, in particular, they were abundantly supplied.
Some unprincipled American bookseller, basely taking advantage of the reported in
fidel leanings of a new race of men in the East, despatched to Calcutta an impression
of that work to the extent of a thousand copies, which was at first sold at the rate of
one rupi a copy ; but such was the demand that the price soon rose, and after a few
months it was actually quadrupled. Besides the separate copies of the Age of Reason,
there was also a cheap American edition, in one thick volume octavo, of all Paine's
works, including the Rights of Man, and other minor pieces, political and theological.
Previous to the issuing of the order to which we have referred, there in like manner
existed in Calcutta only two newspapers in the Bengali language, the Chundrika, and
the Cowmudi ; but now the burst of desire for unrestrained freedom of utterance
through the press^ seemed to exceed, if possible, the raging mania for oral discussions ;

BY THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 483
newed the attempt to deliver lectures to them on the evidences
and doctrines of natural and revealed religion. They were
attended on an average by from forty to sixty professed inquirers
after truth. As a result of these lectures, three of the young
men who attended them made, after some time, a profession of
Christianity, and were received into the church by baptism.1
There were others of the young men who had heard the lec
tures who were now in various states of belief or disbelief, as
regarded the evidences of Christianity and its doctrines ; and
with a view to them, Mr Duff adopted other means of instruc
tion suited to their various states of mind, partly in the way of
private classes, and partly of public lectures, addresses, and dis
cussions.2 But though Mr Duff engaged in such occasional labours as
this, the interest and energies of his mind were concentrated
in the Institution as the great means of promoting Christianity
in India. This was the one grand pervading idea of his mind.
His enthusiasm on the subject he communicated to his col-
and there suddenly appeared •«. thick crop of ephemeral publications in the form of
newspapers ; but as they sprung up in number and rapidity like mushrooms, most of
them were about equally as short lived. Out of the general agitation, there at last
arose in close succession three journals decidedly superior to the rest in ability, mat
ter, and execution, The Reformer, The Enquirer, and The Gyananeshun, the two for
mer in English, the last in Bengali, but all of them conducted by native editors. The
attacks by The Enquirer and The Gyananeshun on the monstrous system of Hinduism
were bold, unsparing, and destructive. Their ridicule was in general well-pointed ;
their satire and sarcasms most cutting ; their arguments aptly chosen to convince the
understandings of their countrymen. Onwards they rushed in their wild career, like
an overflowing torrent, carrying destruction wherever it swept — hurling in indiscrimi
nate confusion the defences and refuges of a tyrannical priesthood, and the towers and
bulwarks of all religions into its eddying waters. But after the first paroxysm of in
dignation had exhausted itself in unmeasured utterance, the rage of destructiveness
somewhat abated, and they gradually returned to a channel of thought and expres
sion more regularly marked by the bounds of reason and sobriety. — Duff's India,
p. 614.
1 One of these young men, Krishna Mohan Banerji, was a Kulin Brahman, and
was well known for his talents and acquirements, and particularly for the ability with
which he conducted the English newspaper entitled The Enquirer. He was after
wards ordained by the Bishop of Calcutta, became minister of a handsome church
which was built for him in that city, and was subsequently appointed one of the pro
fessors in Bishops' College. He was the author, editor, or translator of various works,
both in English and Bengali.— Miss. Rec. vol. i. p. 236 ; Summary of Orient. Christ.
Spect. vol. iii. p. 91.
2 Duffs India, p. 608, 613, 617, 627, 632, 649, 652, 657, 660, 666 ; Orient. Christ.
Spect. vol. i. p. 368 ; Cal. Christ. Observ. vol. i. p. 124, 127.

484 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
leagues, and under their united labours, the institution attained
a pre-eminent degree of excellence. The number of pupils had
now greatly increased, and they continued to increase until
they at length amounted to upwards of 900, of different castes,
not excepting the highest, and of all ages from five or six years
to twenty and upwards. The course of education pursued in it
was of a comprehensive and high order. The object was the
cultivation ofthe mental faculties of the pupils, as well as the
communication to them in a digested form of a wide range of
sound general knowledge, and especially of the principles of
evangelical truth. The institution commanded general admi
ration. Persons of the highest rank in the country, Europeans
and natives, men of every variety and shade of opinion, politi
cal and religious, visited it and attended its annual examina
tions, and expressed in the highest terms their approbation of
it. Visitors were particularly struck with the thorough know
ledge and understanding which the pupils had of the subjects
in which they had been instructed : they had not only a know
ledge of them, but they were themselves taught to think con
cerning them. Their acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures
and with the evidences and doctrines of Christianity, was par
ticularly remarkable. The whole course of education in the
institution, even the literary and scientific parts of it, were
brought to have a bearing on their religious improvement. The
Rev. Mr Malcolm, who was sent by the American Baptist Gene
ral Convention to visit its missions in Burmah, aad who also
visited various other missionary stations in the East, particu
larly in India, gives the following account of it : "I examined
several classes in ancient and modern history, mathematics,
astronomy, and Christianity, and have never met classes shew
ing a more thorough knowledge of the books they had studied.
Nearly all of the two upper classes are convinced ofthe truth of
the gospel, and went over the leading evidences in a manner that
I am sure few professors of religion in our country can do." It
was originally doubtful whether Hindus would allow their chil
dren to attend an institution, which in its whole bearing was
of so Christian a character ; but the high education given in it
made them not only willing but anxious to get their sons ad-

BY THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 485
mitted into it. Nothing could be more complete than the
triumph ofthe institution over the prejudices of the natives.1
- So highly did the institution in Calcutta approve itself even
to Hindus, that an academy conducted on the same principles
and in a similar manner was early established by Mr Duff at
Taki, a place about forty-five miles to the east of that city, by
the request of the Roy Chaudris, one of the wealthiest and most
ancient Zemindar families in Bengal, who bound themselves by
a legal deed to provide in perpetuity for it, to finish the neces
sary buildings, and to pay the chief part of the expense of the
•institution, which amounted to between £200 and £300 a year ;
while yet they renounced all right on their part to interfere
with its management or internal discipline, and agreed that the
¦appointment of masters and the general superintendence of all
the departments of education should be vested in Mr Duff and
his successors, as chief agent or agents of the General Assembly
of the Church of Scotland, and that the system of tuition and
school-books used in it should in all time coming be exactly the
same as in the Assembly's Institution, Calcutta. The academy
at Taki was for a number of years eminently successful ; but
after the death of Kalinath, the head Zemindar, his successors
did not take the same warm interest in it as he had done, yet
in spite of their lukewarmness, the work of native education
continued to advance.2
Two of the converts were also sent to occupy a station at a
place called Ghospara, about thirty miles north of Calcutta,
among the Khurta Bhoja sect. Here a school was opened.3
In August 1835, the Rev. James Mitchell, Robert Nesbit,
and John Wilson, missionaries of the Scottish Missionary So
ciety in the Bombay Presidency, were, as we have already men
tioned, transferred to the General Assembly of the Church of
Scotland The mission consisted properly of two stations, Bom
bay and Puna ; in the Koncan, where there were formerly sta
tions at Bankot and Hurni, there were now merely some schools
* Duffs India, p. 580 ; Miss. Rec. vol. i. p. 317, 328, 369 ; vol. ii. p. 128, 223, 238 ;
For. Miss. Chron. of the Board of For. Miss, of Presbyterian Church, United States,
vol. ix. p. 215 ; Malcolm's Travels in South-Eastern Asia, vol. ii. p. 15.
» Miss. Rec. 1838, p. 82, 109 ; vol. ii. p. 266.
¦ Ibid. vol. ii. p. 264 ; vol. iii. p. 78.

486 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
which were superintended by a European assistant. Soon after
the transfer, an English school, which had previously been esta
blished in connection with the station in Bombay for the chil
dren of the higher class of the natives, was, agreeably to the
wish of the Assembly's Committee in regard to the establish
ment of an institution similar to that at Calcutta, extended and
was removed to the Fort, the situation the most convenient for
a large portion of that class of the population. The scholars
speedily amounted to upwards of 200. They consisted not only
of different classes of Hindus, but of Parsis, Jainas, Mahome
dans, Jews, and Christians ; and their association together, in
dependently ofthe literary and religious instruction which they
received, would, it was hoped, have a salutary influence in
weakening the prejudices of caste which form so great an obstacle
to the spread of Christianity in India. The general aspect of
the school from, the varied colour of the scholars, and their di
versified costume, was very striking and picturesque. Here
were youths from Persia, from Muscat, from Zanzibar, from
Abyssinia, from Cabul, from the Delta of the Indus to Cape
Comorin, all apparently thirsting for mental improvement, if
one might judge from their proficiency in their studies. An
English school was also begun at Puna ; but though the sta
tions in the Bombay Presidency were, in this respect, so far
assimilated to the Assembly's mission in Calcutta, the mission
aries never adopted entirely the one grand idea on which it was
founded ; but continued to prosecute their labours in the vari
ous ways in which they had carried them on while they were
connected with the Scottish Missionary Society.1
In February 1837, the Rev. John Anderson arrived at Madras
with the view of commencing a station at that presidency, and
he was afterwards joined by the Rev. Robert Johnston and
John Braid wood. Previous to this, a seminary had been opened
in Madras on the same plan as that at Calcutta, and the attend
ance on it was now greatly increased. All the pupils paid a fee
and purchased the necessary books, one of which was a Bible for
all those who could read it with tolerable ease. Besides the insti
tution in Madras, branch-seminaries were established at Tripli-
' Scot. Miss. Reg. 1836, p. 254 ; Orient. Christ. Spect. vol. iii. p. 198 ; vol. iv.
p. 251 ; vol. *. p. 5.

BY THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 487
cane, Nellore, Conjeveram, and Chingleput, under the charge
of natives educated in that of the presidency.1 The Assembly
had thus missions at all the three presidencies in India. The
institutions at Madras and Bombay were not furnished with
the same amount of instrumentality as that at Calcutta, nor
were the numbers of the pupils by any means so great ; but the
education communicated in all of them was of so high and effi
cient an order, that it would be difficult to form a comparative
estimate of them, or to name one that was superior to the
others. Each had probably its peculiar excellencies ; but to
strike the balance between them, is a task which we feel our
selves unable, and which it would be invidious, to perform.
Ofthe youths educated in the institutions at Calcutta, Madras,
and Bombay, there were from time to time individuals who
professed to renounce the religion of their fathers and to em
brace the gospel of Christ, and who were received by baptism
into the Christian church. In other missions, converts were,
for the most part, adults who could act independently for them
selves : in the Assembly's missions, particularly those in Cal
cutta and Madras, they were commonly youths who still lived
in their parents' houses and were more or less dependent upon
them and under their control. Their peculiar circumstances in
this respect, proved, in many cases, a source of great difficulties
and trials, both to themselves and to the missionaries. When
pupils in the institutions were suspected of being favourably
disposed to Christianity, they were frequently withdrawn from
them. In some instances, they were carried off into the country
and there closely confined ; sometimes they were even chained
and severely flogged or beaten. In many cases they took refuge
in the houses ofthe missionaries, who while they gladly received
them, gave them distinctly to understand that they were under
no restraint, but were at perfect liberty to go away if they
chose. Here they were frequently visited by their fathers,
mothers, brothers, and other friends, who employed all manner
of means,— artifice, argument, entreaties, tears, allurements,
taunts, reproaches, promises, threatenings, curses, to induce
them to go with them. On these occasions, there were some-
' Scot. Miss. Reg. 1836, p. 24; Miss. Rec. 1838, p. 17; vol. i. p. 341; Orient.
Christ. Spect. vol. xi. p. 127.

488 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
times manifestations of natural feeling on the part of the rela
tions, particularly of the mothers, which were truly tender and
touching, and which were well calculated to work on the sus
ceptible minds of youth. In some instances, the youths were
overcome, and were prevailed on to go Avith their friends, and
though it was commonly under a promise to return, it was sel
dom that such promises were fulfilled. In other cases, attempts
were made to seize them and to carry them off by main force ;
the excitement was communicated to the populace, mobs were
collected, and the police had to be called in for their protection.
Legal proceedings were, in various instances, adopted against
the missionaries, sometimes on the ground that they were under
age, sometimes that they were detained contrary to their will ;
but the former plea was commonly a deception, and the latter
a lie, and the decision of the judges was, with scarcely an ex
ception, in favour of the missionaries and their converts. One
frequent result, however, of the baptism of pupils in the insti
tutions, was the withdrawal or the driving away of great num
bers of the scholars, amounting in some cases almost to the
breaking up ofthe schools for a time ; but it was commonly not
long before they rallied again and were as numerously attended
as before. On one occasion, a large meeting of Hindus was held
in Calcutta, consisting of a curious and motley collection of
every caste and every creed, who, though differing widely among
themselves, were united in their opposition to Christianity, with
the view of checking missionary proselytism in Bengal ; and at
this meeting it was resolved, that a society should be formed
named the Hindu Society, and that, in the first instance, each
of the heads of castes, sects, and parties in Calcutta, whether
orthodox or heterodox, should as members of this society sign
a covenant, binding him to take strenuous measures to prevent
any person belonging to his caste, sect, or party, from sending
his son or ward to any ofthe missionary institutions in that city,
on pain of excommunication from his caste, sect, or party ; and
it was further resolved to establish a seminary on orthodox
principles, which should possess still greater attractions than
the missionary schools. But the native gentlemen who had
taken part in this meeting soon discovered that they had gone
too far ; that though they were at liberty to bind themselves

BY THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 489
by any resolution they pleased, they had no right to compel
others to adopt their views, much less to visit them with the
heaviest punishment which can be inflicted on a Hindu, for
what in reality is no offence at all, the Shastras not having pro
nounced attendance on a missionary school to be any infringe
ment of the laws of caste, and consequently if any Hindu was
deprived of the privileges of caste for sending his son to such a
school he might, if so inclined, obtain redress in the courts of
law. Indeed, experience has often shewn that the Hindus
though they may promise mighty efforts, yet after the first
burst of enthusiasm is over, they uniformly relapse into their
wonted state of apathy and inactivity. The original subscrip
tion fell far short of what was contemplated, and afterwards
the monthly contributions dwindled away from time to time,
until they ceased nearly altogether. The great paroxysm was
followed by a perfect collapse. It is, however, only fair to
state, that the more enlightened and respectable portion of the
Hindu community had nothing to do with this movement. It was
chiefly the work of some bigoted, unprincipled, though wealthy
Babus, whose hostility to the cause of native improvement had
gained them an unenviable notoriety in Calcutta. In Bombay,
in like manner, after the baptism of two Parsi youths,1 all the

1 We have no doubt that strange stories regarding converts are often circulated
among their heathen countrymen. Of this we have a striking example in the follow
ing account of these two Parsi youths which appeared in the Durbin, (Telescope), a.
newspaper in the Gujarati language, published in Bombay : " Every one must be
aware that for some time past, there has been in the English bazaar of the fort, the
General Assembly's school, under the superintendence of the Rev. Dr Wilson. After
obtaining information of the object for which that school was established, we, in our
paper of the 25th July 1838, after intimating several things said, ' By this school,
things unheard of will come to hearing ; and things which have been unseen will come
to sight. The Europeans around, the supporters of such establishments, will be ho
noured, and the natives will suffer disgrace.' What was said by us, has now turned
out to be true, and things unheard of have come to hearing, and things unseen have
come to sight, and Dr Wilson has obtained the gratification of his desires ; and after
alluring several into his snare, has in the end deceived two outright. On last Wed
nesday, Dr Wilson baptized and made a Christian of one of them, <i Parsi named
Dhanjibhai Nauroji, and he is going to make Ji Pestanji this evening. How these
boys have become Christians, we thus know. At first, Dr Wilson made these people
learn the Christian religion ; and after having given them several good lessons on that
religion, he began to be very affectionate to four or five such boys, and took to giving
them bribes of money. For several days, up to this time, Dr Wilson went from this
place to travel, and took the said Dhanji with him in his travels. They say that a

490 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Parsi boys in the Assembly's and other missionary schools were
withdrawn, and a decree was passed by the Panchayet forbid
ding any parent or guardian, under pain of outlawry from the
Parsi religion and society, to send a child to any educational
ghost appeared to Dr Wilson and Dhanji in, their travels one night, and that at that
time Dr Wilson uttered some prayer through which the ghost took flight, and that Dr
Wilson himself shewed this miracle. After this, Dr Wilson, by thousands of kind
nesses, used to be very affectionate to this Dhanji and other boys, and used to invite
them to his residence every evening, at which times they used to hire a carriage, the
expense of which was at all times defrayed by Dr Wilson. And in several other in
stances besides these, either by giving them bribes of money, or other bribes, he made
them confess that the Christian religion was true. Another bribe must Jiave been to
give them Christian wives. And this English priest must certainly have promised to
give that, for these boys must have determined to leave their families, and, what is of
far more importance, their wives, and therefore this priest must positively have promised
to give them women. And by means of such bribes, this padre has taught these silly
boys a number of very unholy, foolish, and false questions, which he himself is in the
habit of asking, about the sacred, pure, and holy Parsi religion, with which he is per
versely acquainted ; and probably on this account, in the expectation of a bribe, of a
splendid dwelling instead of their own plain one, of sufficient money, of eating and
drinking, of dress, of moving about, and, as was stated above, of Christian women,
these boys have treasured up those questions, and promised to ask them of any Parsi
who may go to visit them. And they have promised more than this : they have been
made to confess that the Zoroastrian religion is false, and, shocking to relate, that
Zoroaster was a rogue, and that the Christian religion is true. At the timej that
Dhanji was baptized, the weak simpleton, in the presence of all, read a paper in which
all the above-mentioned things were communicated, and afterward drew from his
pocket his kusti (sacred girdle) and threw it away ; and the padre, according to the
ordinances of Christianity, poured water upon his head. At that time, all who were
standing in that place observed, — whaf? That as Dhanji took off his kusti, and bowed
his head to receive the water, and two drops of it touched his head, the glorious splen
dour of the blessed Zarthosht (Zoroaster) fiew away from his countenance, and pri
meval darkness began to develope itself in his face. On that occasion, several Parsis
sighed at what he had done. And lamentable is it to think that he should forsake
his great, sacred, holy, ancient, and just religion, and embrace a false, trifling, im
pure, and unjust religion !
"Now, we declare to all Hindus, Mussulmans, and others of this place, that these
two boys who have become Christians, are, to all intents and purposes, unacquainted
with their own religion, and are also youDg in years, and one of them, Dhanji, who
was baptized last Wednesday, is altogether clownish and ignorant of the Zoroastrian
religion. Moreover, he is a country villager, from which circumstance he is utterly
ignorant of the nice points of that religion's observances ; in like manner the other boy
knows nothing at all of the mandates of religion. But, behold another padre, equal
to the converter of these boys, and who like him used to shew the way of Christianity
to all, used to wish that all might become Christians, and used to think that Chris
tianity was excellent and true. One day a wrangling took plaoe between this padre
and a Mussulman, and when it had proceeded to a great height, these two brethren
struck hands, and agreed, that whichever of them should fail in argument should for
sake his own religion, and embrace that of his opponent. After confirming the agree
ment to forsake their respective religions, they put themselves in opposition, sat
down, and commenced the debate. In the issue the padre failed, and forsaking Chris-

BY THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 491
establishment with which missionaries were connected, or
where the Bible was read. A memorial, to which was appended
2115 names, not only Parsis but Hindus and Mahomedans
(for they also were prevailed on to join in the league), was pre
sented to the governor in council at Bombay, soliciting him
to request the supreme government to impose most intolerant
restrictions on missionaries, and most iniquitous disabilities on
converts ; but neither the Bombay government nor the gover
nor-general in council gave them any countenance in their
unreasonable and unjust demands. An appeal which was made
to England also fell to the ground, from the belief of the friends
and agents of the Parsis in this country, that no good would
result from the further agitation of the subject, and that re
proach and obloquy were likely to be the only reward of its
promoters.1 In May 1 843 took place the great Disruption of the Church
of Scotland, when between four and five hundred of the minis
ters and a large body of the elders withdrew from it, and formed
a separate communion under the name of the Free Church of
Scotland. The whole of the missionaries in India joined with
them in their secession, and placed themselves in connection
tianity confessed Islamism. Now, observe, if the Christian religion bo true, why did
the padre forsake it, as if knowing it to be false 1 This matter is not one of remote occur
rence, but has taken place within these last four or five years. And the Mussulmans
have not concealed the matter, but have published a tract, containing a full account of
the circumstance, entitled " Nazareanism overturned." If Christianity be true, why
then did that padre forsake it ^ Why, on becoming a Mussulman, did he in the pre
sence of an assembly, declare that the Christian religion is false and the Mahomedan
true 1 Now, observe the age of that padre, what his understanding, and the know
ledge of these simple children ! These people became covetous of money, and in . its
expectation became intoxicated. They consequently retained no regard for religion,
and set their weak understandings to work. As it is said by a poet, "drink now a
cup of the wine of pleasure, and forget religion, and the pains of the world." Thus
have these children done. Very likely, Dr Wilson will say, that when the relatives of
these boys came to call them home, they offered Dhanji ten thousand rupis, but that,
notwithstanding, he would' not go ; but a mere suckling would understand such a
felse story as that, and what there is in it above the understanding of these people ;
therefore, they flatly refused to go."— Orient. Christ. Spect. vol. *. p. 339.
1 Miss. Rec. vol. i. p. 89, 386, 399, 411 ; vol. ii. p. 17, 39, 116, 140, 152 ; vol. iv.
p. 3 15 50, 93, 159, 175, 194 ; vol. vi. p. 47 ; Free Ch. Miss. Rec. vol. i. p. 90,
548, 551; vol. ii. p. 169, 173, 176, 199, 215; vol. iii. p. 160, 289, 327, 344; vol. i.
(New Series), p. 81 ; (Amer.) Miss. Her. vol. xlvi. p. 45 ; Orient. Christ. Spect. vol.
viii. p. 166 ; vol. x. p. 209, 275 ; vol. xi. p. 6, 11, 12, 85, 202 ; Sum. Orient. Christ.
Spect.' vol. i'. p. 129; vol. ii. p. 316 ; vol. iii. p. 7 ; Wilson's Parsi Religion, p. 93.

492 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
with the Free Church ; but the Established Church retained
possession of the buildings, which had been erected at a great
expense, in Calcutta and Bombay, for the use of the missions,
and the valuable libraries and philosophical apparatus, and also
the whole of the funds which were then on hand. It was
some time, however, before the Assembly was able to send out
other missionaries, but this also was at length accomplished.1
In 1845, the Rev. William Grant and James Ogilvie, and Mr
James Sherriff, teacher, arrived at Madras ; the Rev. John H.
Mengert and Mr John F. Brandt, two Germans, and Mr John
Millar, teacher, at Bombay ; and the Rev. J. C. Herdman at
Calcutta. The institutions at all the three presidencies were
now re-established on the same principles on which they were
conducted before. They were numerously attended, particularly
that at Calcutta,2 and appear to have been carried on in a very
efficient and successful manner. The whole instrumentality of
the mission was, after some time, in operation, the female
schools, including Refuges for orphans, the station at Ghospara,
and lectures in Calcutta on the subject of religion, which were
attended chiefly by young men from the Hindu college and
other educational institutions.3 It is gratifying to see the zeal,
the ability, and the diligence with which the Assembly's mis
sionaries from Scotland carried on their labours, and though
their success has not been great as regards the conversion of
Hindus to the Christian faith, we trust that the high order of
education which they are giving in their institution is, along with
the other powerful agencies which are at work in India, under
mining the Hindu system in the minds of many of its votaries,
and preparing the way for the future progress of the gospel in
that country.
When it was proposed to establish an institution of a high
order in Calcutta, it was probably expected that it would be at
tended by the children of the more respectable classes of Hindus,
and that the education of such children would be likely to have
1 Miss. Rec. vol. ii. p. 329, 331, 425, 456 ; vol. iii. p. 30.
' In 1852, the daily attendance on the Institution at Calcutta varied from 1020 to
1070. The whole number on the roll during the year was 1430, including 295 Brah
mans, 412 Kayasthas, 652 of other castes, and 71 Mahomedans. — Miss. Rec. Ch. of
Scot. vol. viii. p. 125.
* Miss. Rec. vol. iii. p. 15, 46, 63, 78, 113, 146, 224, 239, 254 ; vol. vi. p. 46, 264.

BY THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 493
a more powerful and extensive influence on the community than
the education of an equal or even a greater number of the chil
dren of the lower classes. If such views were entertained they
were not realized. The classes of society from which the pupils
in the Calcutta institution came, were for the most part poor.
Those parents who were able to afford the expense, generally
sent their sons to the Hindu college, or to other schools which
were established in various parts of the city for teaching Eng
lish. The number of such schools was considerable, and in some
of them a good English education could be obtained. The cause
of secular education was advancing rapidly in Calcutta ; and
boys might be heard reading accurately and intelligently such
books as Shakspeare, Pope's Homer, Dry den's Virgil, and Bacon's
Essays.1 1 Miss. Rec. vol. iv. p. 239.
Many we apprehend attach an undue importance to the evangelization ofthe higher
and richer classes of society, as compared with the lower, under the idea of the greater
influence which they may be expected to exercise on the rest of the community. This,
however, was plainly not the system on which God proceeded in the original propaga
tion of Christianity in the world ; (See Matt. xi. 5 ; 1 Corinth, i. 26-29 ; James ii. 5) ;
and we doubt not that here, as in other cases, it will be found that " the foolishness of
God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." Though the
higher classes of society will often be found more capable of apprehending the truths of
religion than the lower and uneducated classes, yet we are to recollect what strong re
presentations our Lord gives ofthe difficulty of " rich men entering into the kingdom
of God." On the other hand, the poor form the great mass of every community ; they
therefore deserve special attention ; and it must be of peculiar importance to introduce
among them the leaven of divine truth.
In regard to India, there is probably much truth in the following observations of Dr
Wilson of Bombay : " It is a great and grievous mistake which some make, when in
such a country as India, they measure the amount of moral and intellectual influence
by the social status in caste of those who are instructed. Caste there seems to pride
itself in withholding the communication of good from those who are below. The Brah
mans, for exampie, who are the highest caste in the country, have all along striven to
monopolize knowledge. The correction of the errors and the removal of the ignorance
of the vulgar form no part of their employment. Each of the castes below them, in its
turn, disparages and depresses those of inferior grade. But move the foundations of
society, and you shake the whole fabric. Instruct the lower classes of the people, and
the upper, if they do not leam from mere shame, will soon change places with those
whom they have been accustomed to reckon inferiors."— Wilson's Evangelization of
India, p. 444.
We must not, however, be understood as undervaluing the conversion of persons be
longing to the higher classes of society. To do so would be neither scriptural nor ra
tional. All classes have their own appropriate influence. We merely mean to correct
the common and vulgar error of overestimating the importance of evangelizing the
richer classes of society as compared with the poor.

494 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

CHAPTER XVI.
PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.

INDIA.
In May 1843 took place, as we have already mentioned, the
great Disruption of the Church of Scotland, when a large body
of the ministers and elders withdrew from it, and formed a se
parate communion under the designation of the Free Chufch of
Scotland. The whole of the missionaries in India joined them
in their secession, and though they were subjected, particularly
at Calcutta, to great loss and inconvenience, in consequence of
their being deprived of the mission-buildings, libraries, and
philosophical apparatus, belonging to the mission, yet other pre
mises were after some time provided for them, and also the
various other means necessary for carrying on the several insti
tutions. Funds also in aid ofthe mission came in most liberally,
both in Scotland and in India.1
When the Calcutta institution was re-opened in the new
premises after the ordinary vacation, the number of pupils was
larger than ever, and the whole operations went on with the
same regularity and efficiency as if nothing had happened. The
school at Taki, which was supported chiefly by the Roy Chaudris,
was removed to Baranagur, a populous village on the banks of
the Hugli, a few miles above Calcutta, where the Babus had
one of their principal family mansions. The proposal for re
moving it came from themselves ; the chief reason was the great
unhealthiness of Taki. Baranagur, however, was relinquished
a few years afterwards, for what reasons we do not know. But
1 Home and Foreign Missionary Record for the Free Church of Scotland, vol. i.
p. 38, 64, 72, 134, 178, 180.

BY THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 495
flourishing schools were established at three other places, Chin-
surah, Bansberia, and Culna. These schools were all of a su
perior class, being formed on the model of the Calcutta institu
tion, though they were of course not equal to it.1
The institutions at Madras, Bombay, and Puna, and the vari
ous schools connected with these stations, including those for
girls, were carried on as formerly and with similar results.
In February 1845, the Rev. S. Hislop commenced a new sta
tion at Nagpur, the capital of an independent native prince
in the centre of India, an officer in the East India Com
pany's service having offered the sum of <£>2500 towards the es
tablishment of a mission in that part of the country. Here he
found already in the field three pious laymen, the surviving
members of the German mission among the Gonds, who had
resided in the neighbourhood of Nagpur since they left the
forests in the interior, and who were now received into the ser
vice ofthe General Assembly of the Free Church. The Rev.
Robert Hunter having also arrived in the country, a second
station was begun at Kampti, the British cantonment in the
territories of the Rajah of Nagpur, about ten miles from his
capital.2 In our last chapter we gave some account of the hostility
which was manifested in various ways to the institutions and
the converts ofthe Church of Scotland. That account is equally
applicable to those of the Free Church, and to enter into par
ticular details regarding the opposition which its institutions
and converts met with, would only be to repeat the same or
similar facts. We may, however, notice an attempt which was
made to establish in Calcutta a rival institution in special and
direct opposition to that of the Free Church, that of the Church
of Scotland not having then been re-established.
Several young Hindus having of late embraced Christianity,
there arose a great commotion among all classes of the natives
in Calcutta. Meetings were held of the Rajahs, Zemindars,
Babus, Brahmans, and other men of note among them. Previ
ously the native community was split up into various sects and
1 Free Ch. Miss. Reo. vol. i. p. 179, 198 ; vol. ii. p. 5 ; vol. iii. p. 489 ; vol. iv.
p. 238 ; vol, i. (New Series), p. 398.
* Free Ch. Miss. Rec. vol. i. p. 178 ; vol. ii. p. 151.

496 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
parties, as hostile to each other as any one of them could well
be to Christians, but the cry of common danger inspired them
all for a time with a wondrous spirit of coalescence and har
mony. There were the stiff and inflexible members of the
Dharma Sabha, the rigid upholders of polytheism and idolatry
in their most obnoxious forms, the pleaders for infanticide and
the Ghaut-murders, the burning of widows, and numerous other
atrocities perpetrated under the venerable but insulted name
of religion ; the professedly theistic but really pantheistic mem
bers of the Brahma Sabha, founded by the late celebrated rajah
Rammohun Roy, who in theory boast of abjuring polytheism
and idolatry, but in practice find it convenient to connive at or
even practise both ; the avowedly more enlightened members
of the Tattivabodhini Sabha, who, in nominally upholding the
old vedantism or pantheism of the Hindu shastras, are secretly
seeking, in many ways, to improve and refine upon it by largely
ingrafting, without acknowledgment, many better and useful
shoots from the more sound and rational systems of natural
theology which have sprung up under the united light of Euro
pean science and divine revelation ; together with the whole
mass of liberal Hindus who make light of all these Sabhas, not
troubling themselves with the subject of religion at all in any
of its forms, orthodox or heterodox, philosophical or unphiloso-
phical, who eat and drink and make merry, turning their bellies
with all the pomps and vanities of this world into the gods
which alone they care to worship. Such were the heterogene
ous materials composing the meeting which was called to con
sider how the labours of missionaries might be most effectually
counteracted, and for this purpose various schemes were pro
posed, some of them sufficiently absurd ; but it was at length
resolved to establish and endow a rival charitable institution on
a similar scale in point of magnitude as that of the Free Church,
to have European literature and science taught in it gratuitously
by competent professors to at least a thousand pupils, to parcel
out Calcutta into districts under the charge of men of wealth,
rank, and influence, to draw up a written agreement and go
round, in the first instance, to every house which furnished one
or more pupils to the Free Church institution, and to tell the
parents or guardians that if they refuse to sign the said agree-

MA

BY THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 497
ment, pledging themselves to withdraw their children from it and
to send them to the new seminary, immediate and effective steps
will be taken by all the Sabhas in conjunction to have them at
once excluded from caste. To carry out this, object a subscrip
tion was entered into, and a large sum was put down by the
wealthy natives. Muti Lai Sil, a Hindu Babu of great wealth,
gave up, in the mean while, a school which he had established
sometime before for the new college, not far from the Free Church
Institution, and promised besides 300 rupis a month for its sup
port. Many of the pupils of the Free Church Institution were
obliged to leave it, contrary in most cases to their own will, but
after a time most of them returned, not only with the permission,
but at the special desire of their parents and guardians, and
begged to be readmitted into it ; and those who thus returned
spoke of the difference between Sil's College and it, in such a
way as greatly to raise the value of the latter in the eyes of the
others pupils and their friends. The storm which had threatened
its overthrow settled down into a dead calm, and the institu
tion was soon as numerously attended as it was before.1
1 Free Ch. Miss. Rec. vol. ii. p. 176, 199, 215, 252.
The institution, projected by the Hindu Babus, proved an entire failure. It would
seem that it was originally proposed to raise a principal of one lakh of rupis (100,000
rupis or £10,000), but at the end of nine months only 40,000 were raised. This was
anticipated, at the time, by a native paper, The Bhaskar, the editor of which may be
supposed to have understood the character of his countrymen, though he at the same
time makes some amusing statements relative to the talent and power of Dr Duff in
raising money. " We shall rejoice," says he, " if the number of institutions be in
creased, whether the cause of the increase be love or resentment ; but we cannot help
thinking that ultimately the whole plan, dispersed in air, will come to nought. It is
antecedently a very unlikely thing that a principal of one lakh of rupis can be collected
by subscriptions raised among native Zemindars. Never will so many persons assemble
together for the above-mentioned purpose, as assembled at the time when Suti was pro
hibited ; yet the subscription at the time did not amount to 50,000 rupis, and many
who subscribed their names never paid their money, so that a debt is due to Mr
Bathie* to this day." " And even although, by the labour and diligent exertion of a
lengthened period, one lakh of rupis be raised, yet can one lakh be regarded as a thing
of sufficient influence as to oppose the work of missionaries 1 Dr Duff by means of a
speech made one day in Scotland, obtained fourteen lakhs of rupis (£140,000). These
fourteen lakhs of rupis became a principal sum for the establishment of his institution.
Afterwards, in consequence of a speech made in the capital of New South Wales, sixty
to seventy thousand rupis were collected. On another occasion, he made a speech in
a common school in Greece, in consequence of which the boys consented to set aside
their tiffin money for every Sunday, in order to furnish books every year for the use of
the pupils of Dr Duffs institution ; and they continue to send the books accordingly.
• Bathie was the name of the English attorney who proceeded to England in charge of the
Appeal of the Hindus to the King in Council against the abolition of Suti.
VOL. II. X l

498 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
It is not easy to estimate the difficulties and the trials of
missionary life in India. Even in the Institutions, popular as
they were, the vexations and disappointments that were met
with, were neither few nor small. Of this kind were the irre-
— Cal. Christ. Observ. vol. xiv. p. 401 ; vol. xv. p. 130 ; Sum. Orient. Christ. Spect.
vol. i. p. 360. We need scarcely inform the reader, that Dr Duff never was either in
New South Wales or in Greece.
The following account in The Friend of India, June 28. 1849, ofthe Anti-Missionary
Institution is at once curious and instructive, though it differs in one or two particu
lars from that already given. " It may be in the recollection of our readers that, about
two years and a half ago, the conversion of a native student of the Free Church Insti
tution, of a highly respectable family, created an extraordinary sensation in the Hin
du community of Calcutta, heterodox as well as orthodox. The excitement extended
to the innermost reces.«e3 of native society. The rich and the powerful gave vent to
their exasperated feelings in the most furioi'.s anathemas against the missionaries, and
it was resolved that any man who ventured to send his child, or who permitted his
connections to send any of thoir children, to the missionary institutions, should be
visited with instant expulsion from all the privileges of caste. At the same time, it was
resolved to establish a magnificent anti-missionary college for the benefit of all those
who had been attracted to the missionaiy institutions, by the gratuitous education
which they afforded, and the sum of three lakhs of rupis [£30,000] was promised by
the wealthy babus as an endowment. The sum appeared insignificant compared with
the means of the parties, and the magnitude of the crisis. The men who professsd so
deep an anxiety to rescue their children from the jaws of destruction, might have
quadrupled the amount without feeling the loss ofthe money. Those who considered
only the intensity of excitement and the means of the excited, might have been led to
think that the end of all missionary institutions was at hand. But others, who were
better acquainted with the feebleness of the native character, felt no alarm for then-
stability. They well knew that all native feeling was transient in exact proportion to
its vehemence ; that the performance was always in an inverse ratio to the blustering;
and that the movement would end, as every other effort of a similar kind during the
last twenty years has ended — in smoke. The result has not disappointed their expec
tations. Instead of £30,000, the sum subscribed was little more than a tenth of the
sum, £3224, 12s. It was vested in the four per cent, loan, and yielded the magnificent
sum of £130 a year. This was the great capital with which it was intended to extin
guish all the missionary institutions in Calcutta, and to provide education for the rising
generation in connexion with Hindu associations. At the same time, a sum of not less
than £500 a year was put down by the portly babus, and the noble rajahs, and Muha-
rajah Bahadoors of Calcutta, making in all about £650 a year, or £54 a month. Such
were the auspicious prospects under which this institution, which was to stay the pro
gress of Christian instruction, was ushered to public notice. Let us now trace its pro
gress as detailed by a native correspondent of the Englishman in a recent issue.
"The school opened in February 1846, with an establishment calculated at £27 a
month, and 700 boys were admitted within the first two days. Babu Debendernath
Tagore and Babu Hureemohun Sen were appointed secretaries ; Babu Prumuthnath
Day became the treasurer ; and seven influential native gentlemen were placed on the
committee. It will, therefore, be seen that the individuals who had taken the institu
tion in charge, were among the most wealthy and powerful in Calcutta, and fully com
petent by their substance and influence to carry it to a successful issue. At first,
those who could command an equipage visited it every hour ; the teachers were regu
larly paid, 'and every thing was orderly.' But the visits of ths managers were gra-

BY THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 499
gularity of the attendance, which it was exceedingly difficult to
Correct ; and the withdrawal of the best and most promising
pupils, at that very stage of their studies when it was specially
desirable they should continue them. With the great majority
of parents, the desire of gain is the sole motive for sending their
sons to be educated in the Institutions, and as soon as they
think them qualified for the medical college, or a writer's office,
or to follow trade with any prospect of success, they withdraw
them from it.1
Hindus, it is well known, are very complaisant in their lan
guage and manners, and very ready to express acquiescence in
the views and wishes of their superiors, especially of those who,
they suppose, may have it in their power to further their worldly
interests. Even the youths in the Institutions would profess
to believe in Christianity when in the presence of those whom
this would please, while they carefully guarded against mani-
dually discontinued, the teachers were kept two and three months in arrears, and the
best of them left the institution, and the establishment was reduced to £22. It was
soon after raised to £23, but the seminary suffered an irreparable loss by the retire
ment of Babu Debendernath Tagore from the secretaryship. In the month of Decem
ber last year, the teachers of the school were informed that some of them must be dis
missed, as the school had not sufficient funds for their maintenance. The house,
which had been rented at £4 a month, was given up, and another, in an infamous lo
cality, rented at £2 monthly. The Englishman's correspondent calls it the Billings
gate at Calcutta. Soon after, the establishment was wisely reduced to £12 a month,
as the managers had nothing to trust to but the interest of the vested funds. The
monthly subscription, which began with £43 a month, has in the course of three years
dwindled down to the sum of fourteen shillings, which a man was employed at sixteen
shillings a month to collect !
" The result of this magnificent effort to subvert all the educational institutions of the
missionaries in Calcutta, and to establish a, large and permanent seminary on Hindu
principles in their stead, affords an additional illustration of the native character in
Bengal. It has no strength, or stability, or stamina. Whatever improvement depends
solely on native agency, must, as a matter of course, decay. But the failure in the
present instance is by no means to be traced to mere niggardliness. Since the Hindu
Charitable Institution, as the anti-missionary college was designated, was established in
1846, the sum expended by its managers and subscribers in their pujahs and marriage
and funeral festivities, in idle shows, and pernicious gifts, has amounted to a sum, the
mere interest of which would have placed this institution beyond the reach of accident ;
but the man who will cheerfully lay out two or three thousand rupis in having the Mu-
habharut read, will begrudge the small pittance of five or six rupis a month, which he
may have put down to the school. There is nothing so intangible as a native subscrip
tion. Like the rainbow, it wears a lovely aspect, but while you are contemplating it
it disappears. The man who builds his hopes on the continuity of native liberality
leans on a broken reed."
1 Miss. Rec. vol. iv. p. 114, 144.

500 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
festing any such sentiments before their Hindu friends. There
was therefore great need for careful examination of them, and
watchful observation of their conduct before coming to a deci
sion on so momentous a question, as receiving them into the
church of Christ by baptism. Though they may, on the one
hand, make some sacrifices, and even expose themselves to per
secution by taking a step of this kind, they may, on the other,
hope, by this means, to gain a higher position in life, or at
least a standing among those who, if not in possession of power
and influence themselves, may have at their disposal, through
the Christian liberality of others, at least the means of satisfy
ing their simple wants, at what they may be too apt to believe,
the easy cost of assuming the profession and appearance of
discipleship. " There are many influences," says the Rev. Mr
Grant of Madras, " besides the right ones, which induce the
Hindus to seek admission into the Christian church. Some
who are poor are glad to get into a position where they will be
treated in some measure as gentlemen. Some quarrel with
their relations, and to spite them or to escape from them, in
stead of running to sea, as is sometimes done at home, seek to
be baptized, which they know will greatly vex them. The
same thing happens in regard to females. Under the influ
ence of spite and rage against a relation, they sometimes drown
themselves, by jumping into a well. But they know it will
cause the object of their wrath more distress still, if they are
baptized." We had long been familiar with many causes of de
ception in the professions of adult Hindus, but here are some
strange, though not unnatural, revelations in regard to the
motives of the young in seeking to be baptized, which shew in
a striking manner the necessity of care and circumspection in
the admission into the church, even of such as might be sup
posed to be unsophisticated youth. By the hasty baptism of
uninstructed, insincere, dishonest persons, who, from various
motives, are led to make a profession of Christianity, nothing
is to be gained ultimately but disappointment and reproach,
defection and apostasy, thus casting suspicion on the whole re
sults of missionary labour.1
' Miss Rec. vol. iv. p. 113, 159 ; Orient. Christ. Spect. vol. viii. p. 167.
In the Chapters on the missions of the Church of Scotland and of the Free Church

BY THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 501
The question of the support of converts in heathen countries,
is often one of great difficulty and. perplexity. To grant them
assistance or support, is to hold out a temptation to insincerity
and hypocrisy ; to refuse it altogether, is, in many cases, to sur
round conversion to Christianity with obstacles nearly insuper
able. Most of the conversions in Calcutta and Madras, of both
the Scottish churches, were in connection with their Institu
tions ; and it appears to have been the ordinary practice of the
missionaries to provide for the support of the converts, both
male and female, in the house of one or other of the mission
aries. The practice was unquestionably open to many and
serious objections, yet it is not easy to see how it could be
avoided, most of the converts being young persons who, by
embracing Christianity, lost their homes and parental support,
while they were as yet in no way of providing for themselves.
They generally continued to prosecute their studies in the Insti
tutions with the view of becoming teachers or preachers ; and
in the mean while, they were often partly employed in carry-
ing on the education of others of the scholars. Some of them
afterwards supported themselves in whole or in part by engag
ing in secular employments. In Bombay, the practice of pro
viding for converts was not carried to the same extent as at the
other two presidencies.1 The converts there, and at Puna,
were by no means so generally from the Institutions as at Cal
cutta and Madras.
in India, we have, in some instances, in our accounts of the one drawn our statements
from the communications of the other, both being conducted very much on the same
principles, and in the same manner.
1 Free Ch. Miss. Rec. vol. iii. p. 392 ; vol. i. (N.S.) p. 228 ; Sum. Orient. Christ.
Spect. p. 477 ; Miss. Rec. vol. i. p. 130 ; Cal. Christ. Obser. vol. xvi. p. 659.
2 In 1852-3 the following were the numbers attending the Institutions of the Free
Church, at the seat of the presidencies, and the branch schools connected with them : —
Calcutta, . . . 1130
Chinsurah, .... 727"
Bansberia, .... 322
Culna, .... 192
Madras, .... 823
Triplicane, . . 430
Conjeveram, . . . 373
Chingleput, ... 478
Nellore, . • 360
Bombay, . . • 363
Vernacular and Boarding Schools, 1050
Puna, .... 5tii
Nagpur, . • • 531

502 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
Having thus given some account of the missions of the
Church of Scotland and of the Free Church in India, we shall
now make a few statements relative to their general results.
We combine them together, because they must be held as form
ing one great experiment, conducted on the same principles and
with a view to the same end. Some thousands of young Hindus
have now passed through the Institutions at Calcutta, Madras,
Bombay, and Puna, and the branch schools at the out-stations
connected with them. The instructions received by them in
European literature and science, and in the evidences and prin
ciples of Christianity, can scarcely have failed to shake the
faith of many of them in Hinduism : they are no longer the
Hindus of a former generation ; and though they may not be
Christians, they yet understand somewhat of the nature and
excellence of Christianity. There was a number of the pupils
(though it was not considerable) who renounced the religion of
their fathers, and professed their faith in Christ, and were re
ceived into the Church by baptism. Of these several were
ordained to the office of the ministry ; others were licensed as
preachers.1 Some were employed as catechists and teachers in
the several Institutions, and in the branch schools at the out-
stations ; others were students in divinity training for the oflice
of catechists and preachers. Many others, some of them converts,
the greater part not, were engaged in various employments un
connected with the missions. Numbers found employment as
well-qualified teachers in government and other seminaries, in
carrying on English schools on their own account, or as tutors
in private families, both native and European. Some engaged
in the study of medicine at the Medical College at Calcutta ;
Of the children in the schools at Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, and Puna, upwards of
1250 were girls.— Free Ch. Miss. Rec. vol. iii. (N.S.) p. 150, 231, 258; Ibid. vol. iv.
p. 203 ; Sum. Orient. Christ. Spect. 1853, p. 8, 14. i
Of the native communicants we have the following returns : —
Calcutta, . ... 32
Madras, about .... 40
Bombay, ..... 32
Puna,  27
— Calcutta Christ. Obser. vol. xx. p. 513 ; Free Ch. Miss. Rec. vol. iv. (N.S.) p. 7 ;
Sum. Orient. Christ. Spect. 1853, p. 15 ; Ibid. 1854, p. 7.
1 In 1851, there were in connection with the Free Church three at Calcutta, who
were licensed as preachers of the gospel ; three at Madras, who were ordained to the
office of the ministry ; t wo at Bombay, who were ordained, and one who was licensed.

BY THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 503
others devoted themselves to the study of law. A larger num
ber obtained employment in the service of government, and
several of them occupied influential situations in society.1 Of
the influence of the Institutions, through the medium of its
pupils, we are unable to speak, as of this there can be no cer
tain measurement, nor has there yet been time for its full
development. 1 Miss. Rec. vol. i. p. 369 ; vol. vi. p. 228 ; Free Ch. Miss. Rec. vol. iii. p. 347 ; vol.
iv. p. 256 ; vol. i. (N.S.) p. 43, 46.

504

PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

CHAPTER XVII.
PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH.
SECT. I.— WEST INDIES.

In January 1835, the Rev. James Paterson and William
Niven sailed for Jamaica with the view of commencing mission
ary operations in that island.1 They were afterwards followed
by other missionaries ; and in the course of a few years, a
number of stations were established in various parts of the
island, and also in Trinidad, and the Great Caymanas. The
following table contains a list of them ; but as their history
does not differ materially from that of the stations of the Scot
tish Missionary Society, of which we have already given an
account, it is not necessary to enter into particular details re
garding them.

Begun.

Stations.

Situation.

Jamaica.

1837

Goshen.

St Mary's.

1848

Montego Bay.

St James'.

1835

Stirling.

Westmoreland.

1837

Friendship.

Do.

1835

New Broughton.

Manchester.

1839

Mount Olivet.
Ebenezer.

Do.

1848

Kingston.
Trinidad.

St Andrew's.

1835

Port of Spain.

1842

Arauca.
Great Caymanas.

1846
George Town.
Rep. of the Fund of the United Associate Synod for Relig. Purposes, 1835, p. 10.
BY THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 505
In October 1847, the Scottish Missionary Society, as we have
already mentioned, transferred its stations in Jamaica to the
United Presbyterian Church. The stations now connected with
that body amount to nineteen, and the out-stations, at which
teachers or catechists are placed, to six, besides which there
are several others at which small schools are carried on.1
The mission in Jamaica has of late years been subjected to
very heavy trials. Among these were the death and removal
of many of the missionaries, some of them under peculiarly dis
tressing circumstances. The Rev. W. 'Niven, who had gone
with Mr Elmslie to the Great Caymanas with the view of see
ing him settled on that island, perished at sea in returning to
Jamaica in a tremendous storm, which strewed the Caymanas,
Cuba, and the neighbouring islands, with wreck and desolation ;
and his young wife, to whom he had been married only about
nine months, died in child-bed a few weeks after. Within less
than four months, the Rev. W. P. Young, the Rev. J. Scott, and
his young wife, the Rev. J. Caldwell, and Mrs Winton, the wife
of another of the missionaries, all of whom had been but a short
time on the island, were successively laid in the grave ; and
they were afterwards followed by the Rev. W. Turnbull and Mr
J. Drummond, wBo had been for some years a very useful
teacher at Hampden. The fate of Mr Winton and his newly
married wife was peculiarly melancholy. They perished in the
Amazon, West India steam-packet, which took fire shortly after
leaving England, and on the explosion of the powder magazine,
went to the bottom. Others, on account of the state of their
health, retired from the service of the mission. It was a con
siderable time before new missionaries were sent to supply the
place of those who had died or left the island, and in the mean
while some of the congregations suffered grievously in their
spiritual interests.2
In October 1850 the cholera made its appearance at Port
Royal, and it quickly spread to Kingston and to other parts of
the island. It was in a fearfully malignant form. Its ravages
were at first confined to the lowest and most degraded portions
of the community, especially the intemperate and immoral, but
1 Missionary Record of United Presbyterian Church, vol. viii. p. 309.
* Miss. Rec. vol. i. p. 84 ; vol. ii. p. 19 ; vol. iv. p. 24, 103 ; vol. vii. p. 20, 117.

506 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
it afterwards entered the dwellings of the better classes, includ
ing the White people and persons of a sober and religious cha
racter. The island in general suffered, but particularly the
towns on the sea coast, the villages and settlements along the
course of rivers, and the properties in low swampy situations.
It also climbed up the highest mountains on which there was a
human dwelling ; the salubrity of a locality was no protection
from its attacks. In its movements it was most mysterious.
Sometimes there would for a few days be a lull of the disease,
and such as then took'it would have it in a mild form. Then
it would break out with renewed violence, and those who were
attacked by it would be cut off in a few hours. Many went to
bed in health and were carried to the grave in the morning.
Sometimes one after another in the same family would take it,
and again, apparently in like circumstances, one in a family
would be seized and the others escape.
There was a great want of medical men in the island and
also of medicines. The people in many places felt as if they
were abandoned and helpless ; their want of self-reliance and
energy greatly accelerated the progress of the disease. The
towns were pretty well supplied with medical aid, but not the
rural districts. A space of perhaps twelve or sixteen square
miles was allotted to one man, and over such an extent of
country inhabited by a numerous peasantry, the doctor, how
ever willing, was not able, even with the help of hospitals and
native assistants, to maintain an equal conflict with such a for
midable disease.
The missionary stations and the congregations connected with
them shared in the general calamity. Some of them escaped,
but others suffered fearfully. " It has broken out," says Mr
Watson of Kingston, " with fearful malignity in this city, visit
ing all parts of it, but especially the lanes where the negro po
pulation are living in crowded, ill-ventilated, filthy yards. It
is at this moment fearfully on the increase, and is now extend
ing to the upper classes. Terror and alarm are depicted in
every countenance, while all day long coffins and funerals meet
the eye in every direction. All business is at an end. The
negro population in Kingston seem to be perfectly nonplussed
at the visitation, and are becoming quite helpless. The White

BY THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 507
people, on the other hand, ministers of all denominations, and
the merchants, are exerting themselves in a way that is beyond
all praise. The state of mental anxiety, the continual cry that
is being made to us for help, the sight of so many dead and dy
ing, the want of coffins, graves, carts, are all so many and so
painful circumstances, as to place us in a condition such as I
never experienced before."
At Port Maria from five to six hundred were swept away out
of a population of about nine hundred. It was at first mild in
its type, and yielded readily in most cases to medical treatment.
But one night it broke forth with fearful violence. With out
spreading wings the pestilence brooded as it were over the
village, and in ten days numbered about four hundred victims.
This was on an average forty a day, but some days the number
was sixty. Many were buried without a coffin, a number were
put in chests in pairs, several were exposed in the grave yard,
and of some of them the skeletons only were left, the vultures
and dogs having devoured the flesh. Several fell dead while
digging the graves, which caused the others to run off, and the
consequence was that for three or four days there were no
burials, and it was necessary to leave the place owing to the
horrid stench, and to open graves in another quarter. No
families almost were without their dead ; in some only one or
two were left. Many escaped into the country, some of whom
were there seized by the disease and died.
" Within the last few days," says Mr Campbell of Goshen,
" there have been upwards of seventy deaths in the district
over which my visitations extend, and in which my people re
side. So virulent is the type of the disease, that by far the
greater number of those who have been attacked (probably three
out of every four) have died. It seems to defy the power of
medicine, and my heart bleeds on visiting my dying people to
find that I could do absolutely nothing for their relief. So ra
pid is the disease in its work that it is truly appalling. In many
instances death has ensued within three hours after the first at
tack, and seldom does the patient suffer more than twelve hours
ere his sufferings are terminated by death. Yesterday, when I
looked around the church and heard the stifled weeping and
lamentation of many who had been bereaved by a stroke, and

508 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
reflected that on the previous Sabbath, there had been about
thirty people in these very pews, hearing the word of God and
singing the praises of the Redeemer, who are now in the eter
nal world, I was almost overwhelmed. And now as I write
these particulars my heart bleeds, and I cry out in the bitter
ness of my spirit, ' Stay thy hand, 0 Lord, and let it repent
thee concerning thy servants.' "
" I state," says Mr Anderson of Bellevue, " a simple fact and
within the truth, when I say the half of the congregation are
dead, smitten down by cholera. This is the twelfth day, and
oh ! what twelve days ! From morning to night I have been
among the sick, the dying, and the dead. Eight, and sometimes
eleven persons have been employed in digging graves. I cannot
write ; my whole frame is quivering."
Mr Aird, speaking of a visit which he paid to Lucea, thus
writes : " I went to preach and dispense the sacrament there
last Sabbath, but have never seen a town in such a melancholy
state. Nobody from the country, and the town's people either
sick or attending the sick. The streets had all the appear
ance of midnight. No one was to be seen but the doctors and
their visitors moving in haste from place to place, and the dead
carts conveying bodies to their resting-place. Except the ad
ministration of medicine, the making of coffins, and the digging
of graves, business of every kind was suspended."
Among the victims of the disease were numbers of the mem
bers of the churches, yet they were fewer than might have been
expected ; and it was pleasing to see not a few of them exer
cising a simple faith in Christ Jesus as the only Saviour, and
looking forward with a good hope, througlTgrace, to a better
life beyond death and the grave.
This visitation made a deep impression on multitudes of the
survivors. Many were roused to attend to religion. The places
of worship and even the prayer- meetings were unusually well
attended, and there was a great outward reformation, but after
a time these favourable symptoms died away. "The goodness"
of most was as " the morning cloud and the early dew" which
passeth away.
The missionaries, catechists, and teachers in all the places
visited by the pestilence were most assiduous in their exertions

BY THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 509
in behalf of the sick, the dying, and the dead. The labours of
some of them in providing, distributing, and administering me
dicines, in visiting the sick, and in attending to the burial of
the dead, were deserving of the highest praise ; and though
they were greatly exposed through their benevolent exertions,
it is a remarkable circumstance that not one of them died. The
only death from cholera which took place in any of their fami
lies was that of the wife of the Rev. Adam Thomson, who had
come to the island only about a twelvemonth before.1
In January 1854, the number of members connected with the
various churches in Jamaica, Caymanas, and Trinidad, amounted
to about 4177.
Before we close our account of the mission in Jamaica, it is
proper to state that an academy was begun some years ago at
Montego Bay, with the view of giving a higher education than
was to be had in the ordinary schools to such pupils as were
able to pay for it, or who appeared to give promise of be
coming useful as teachers, catechists, or missionaries. Many of
the former class were the children of merchants, planters, and
others, whose payments went far to the support of the institu
tion. Of the latter several are already employed as teachers.
Measures have of late been adopted in connection with the aca
demy for giving a theological education to students preparing
for the service of the mission. The number is as yet small ; but
it is of much more importance that they should be select than
numerous.2

SECT. II.— WESTERN AFRICA.
In January 1846, the Rev. H. M.Waddell, after labouring for
many years in Jamaica, sailed for Old Calabar on the Western
coast of Africa, accompanied by Mr Samuel Edgerly, Andrew
Chisholm, a Brown man, and Edward Miller, a pure negro. The
proposal of a mission to Africa excited great interest among the
Black and coloured people connected with the congregations in
Jamaica, and theyheld out the prospect of affording it liberal sup-
1 Miss. Rec. vol. vi. p. 9, 20, 35, 54, 84.
" Blyth's Recollections, p. 148 ; Miss. Rec vol. vii. p. 103, 186.

510 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
port. The design was that it should be carried on chiefly
through the instrumentality of agents of the negro race, who it
was expected would be found in the churches of Jamaica.1
On arriving at Old Calabar, Mr Waddell and his associates
met with a very cordial reception from King Eyamba of Duke
Town, and from King Eyo of Creek Town, with both of whom
a correspondence had previously been opened on the subject of
the mission, and also from many of their chief men. The popu
lation of these two towns was estimated at about 10,000, and
there were several other smaller towns within the distance of
a few miles. The principal people were not to be considered
as barbarians, but were to some extent civilized. The chiefs
resided in excellent houses, most of them furnished, and some
of them highly ornamented with native paintings and decora
tions.2 The kings and the other chief men were also digni
fied in their manners. Many of the people spoke the English
language pretty freely, and were desirous of having their chil
dren educated in it. It is a curious circumstance, that some
of the chiefs were capable not only of speaking, but of writing
broken English, and could read a little English writing, though
unable to read a word of a printed book. They carried on an
1 Miss. Rec. vol. i. p. 2, 27.
2 "Eyamba's new iron house, or palace," says Mr Waddell', "is an imposing-look-
ing structure, but crowded with mean buildings all around, and, of course, not well
seen, and much in need of painting and repair. The state-room is really a fine apart
ment, about 50 feet by 30, handsomely furnished with sofas, mirrors, and pictures,
carpeted, papered, and painted, and not crowded too much, but ill kept. There was
a peacock walking about in it. We opened all the windows and doors to get air in,
and to drive out the peacock. Pity such a fine apartment is not kept in good order.
This palace, as it may be called, was made and furnished in Liverpool, and cost a
great deal of money."
"Eyo's house is a good-sized two-storey wooden framed house, with good steps up to
the door. We entered a good-sized room, full of good furniture, sofas, chairs, tables,
all mahogany, mirrors of all sizes, some very large, sash windows, clocks, barrel-
organ, china, stoneware, pictures, all good and in good condition, and clean, but
crowded. There was enough to furnish two rooms of any gentleman's house.
The Rev. Mr Jameson, speaking of a visit which he paid to Eyamba's palace, says,
" Mr Waddell has so accurately described it, that any farther description is unneces
sary. Every thing is exact, even to the peacock, which was bestriding the floor in its
pomp, and leaping from sofa to sofa, stretching out its long neck every now and then,
that it might get a view of itself in the large mirrors." Having visited the houses of
others of the chief men, (the missionaries commonly call them gentlemen,) he also
says, " They are in general clean, and very handsomely furnished ; that is in some of
the rooms where we were, there is a great deal of very handsome, expensive furni
ture." — Miss. Rec. vol. i. p. 133 ; vol. ii. p. 105.

BY THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 511
extensive trade with England on the one hand, and with the
neighbouring regions on the other. From England they re
ceived large quantities of goods which they paid for in palm
oil, and exchanged for that article with the tribes in the inte
rior. They scarcely appeared to be idolaters, but there pre
vailed among them many absurd and heathenish superstitions
and customs. The existence of God and of a future state were
generally believed by them.1
Three distinct stations, yet not distant from each other, were
formed in Old Calabar, namely, at Creek Town, Duke Town, and
Old Town. A mission-house, school-houses, and out-offices, were
erected at each of these places, in elevated and healthy situa
tions. The first efforts of the missionaries were directed to the
establishment of schools for the children, which were particu
larly desired by the chiefs and the people, with the view of
qualifying them for trading with the English. In these were
given the rudiments of a good English education, reading, writ
ing, arithmetic, and geography. " In the schools," says Mr
Waddell, " the young people of all classes, both boys and girls,
free and slave, learn, play, and work, side by side, according to
the custom of the country with very little distinction." They
were taught English in the first instance, but it was not in
tended that the cultivation of the Efik, or Calabar language,
should be neglected, as it must ever continue to be the chief
medium of communicating oral instruction to the mass of the
people, who can never be expected to acquire the knowledge of a
foreign tongue.2
The missionaries also preached to the people, in the first in
stance, through the medium of interpreters ; and afterwards
without an interpreter. To facilitate this part of their work,
a galvanized iron church made in London was sent out, and was
erected at Creek Town.3
The mission was also provided with a printing-press, and
various small works in the Efik or Calabar language were
printed by means of it as school-books, the Gospel of John,
select passages from the Bible, and other useful pieces."
1 Miss. Rec. vol. i. p. 129, 132, 171.
2 Ibid. vol. i. p. 150, 153, 156, 166 ; vol. iii. p. 145 ; vol. vi. p. 89.
' Ibid. vol. ii. p. 27 ; vol. vi. p. 102 ; vol. viii. p. 245.
' Tbid. vol. ii. p. 38 ; vol. iv. p. 120 ; vol. vi. p. 91 ; vol. vii. p. 105 ; vol. viii. p. 246, 316.

512 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

CHAPTER XVIII.
PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND.
INDIA.
In September 1840, the Rev. J. Glasgow and A. Kerr sailed
for Bombay with the view of commencing a mission in the
province of Katiawar in Gujarat. They had not offered them
selves for this service ; but had been chosen and called upon by
the Assembly's Committee to undertake it, a mode of obtain
ing missionaries which our Irish brethren thought so much
preferable to the ordinary practice of receiving voluntary offers
of service, that they solemnly recorded it " that it may serve to
be a precedent in all time to come," but which we apprehend
is open to many and strong objections.1
On arriving in India, Messrs Glasgow and Kerr proceeded to
Katiawar, and took up their residence at Rajkot, one of the
chief towns in that province ; but in little more than two
months, Mr Kerr was attacked by fever and died after an ill
ness of nine days. This was a heavy blow to the mission ; but
it was not long before other four missionaries, the Rev. A. Glas
gow, J. M'Kee, R. Montgomery, and J. H. Spears, were sent to
strengthen the mission ; and on their arrival, other two stations
were occupied, the one at Purbunder on the west coast, the
other at Gogo on the east. The station at Surat, which had
been carried on for many years by the London Missionary So
ciety, was also transferred to the Assembly, so that it had now
an extensive and important field to cultivate.2
* First Report of Home and Foreign Missions of the General Assembly of the Pres
byterian Church in Ireland, p. 33 ; Missionary Herald of Ditto, vol. i. p. 461.
2 Second Report of the Assembly, p. 25; Third Report, p. 21 ; Miss. Her. vol. i.
p. 107, 280.

;JJ

BY THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND. 51 3
In Katiawar, the missionaries met with greater difficulties
and more opposition, particularly at Purbunder from the Maho
medans, than are usual in India. Though the native States of
that province are tributary to the English government, yet the
people might not perhaps think it necessary to treat Europeans
with the same consideration as is commonly shewn to them in
other parts of India which are entirely subject to it, especially
missionaries who sought to draw them away from their own re
ligion to a new and unknown faith. A number ofthe natives,
however, were baptized, among whom was aMahomedan Munshi,
the most learned Mussulman in Purbunder. The Hindus mani
fested great apathy and indifference to the gospel ; yet of them
also the missionaries would often entertain favourable hopes.
They, however, found that they might discourse elaborately, re
ceive their approval, and withdraw under the impression that
they had dealt a withering blow to idolatry, while it may be
they had not changed or modified a single idea in the mind
of even one hearer.1
' Miss. Her. vol. i. p. 235, 241, 249, 341, 462.

VOL. II. K ^

ft I 4 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

CHAPTER XIX.
PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE NETHERLAND MISSIONARY
SOCIETY.
DUTCH EAST INDIA ISLANDS.
In December 1797, the Netherland Missionary Society was
instituted at Rotterdam, for the diffusion and advancement of
Christianity, chiefly among the heathen. Duringthe first sixteen
years of its existence, it was prevented by the political state of
Holland and ofthe continent of Europe generally, from engag
ing in direct missionary operations among the heathen ; but it
furnished a number of agents to the London Missionary Society,
who were sent by it to South Africa, Ceylon, and Java. Its
operations were afterwards directed chiefly to the Dutch East
India Islands ; but we shall introduce our account of them with
some notice of a mission, of which it originally furnished the in
struments, and which ultimately fell under its care.1
Amboyna. — In December 1813, the Rev. John C. Supper, G.
Bruckner, and Joseph Kam, sailed from England for the Island
of Java, under the auspices of the London Missionary Society.
1 The Netherland Missionary Society in 1841, by the Committee of the Society, p. 1,
28, MS. penes me.
In 1818, 1820, and 1822, the Netherland Missionary Society sent thirteen mission
aries to the East, but these, with a few exceptions, did not become, at least directly,
what the Society designed them to be, — missionaries among the heathen. In the Dutch
islands in the Malayan Archipelago there had long been a great want of ministers,
and the missionaries, on their arrival, were appointed to be preachers in the established
churches, which had been previously served by regular ministers of the Dutch Church,
This was even the case with several who arrived at a later period. Many of them, how
ever, had frequent intercourse with the heathen, and some of them laboured dili
gently among them.
In 1826, the Society made an important step towards the great object for which it
was established, having sent out ten missionaries, and strictly enjoined them not to
engage in the functions of regular ministers, but to devote themselves exclusively to
labouring among the heathen. — Netherland Miss. Soc. in 1841, p. 5, 8, MS.

BY THE NETHERLAND MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 515
On their arrival, Mr Supper was chosen assistant-minister of the
Dutch Church in Batavia, but he died before he had much
opportunity of labouring among the heathen. Mr Bruckner
was appointed to Samarang, a place about 200 miles distant,
but, having afterwards changed his views on the subject of bap
tism, he became connected with the Baptist Missionary Society.
Mr Kam was appointed minister to the Dutch Church in
Amboyna, and at the same time to acquire the Malay language,
with the view of preaching to the native Christians, Mahome
dans, and Pagans. His congregation, when he preached in
Malay, commonly amounted to between five and six hundred
persons. He did not, however, confine his labours to Amboyna,
but made annual voyages to various of the islands ofthe Malayan
Archipelago, for the purpose of administering baptism and the
Lord's Supper to the members of the Dutch Church, and with
a view also to missionary labours among the natives. Of the
nature of these labours, we shall give one or two examples.
In August 1817, Mr Kam proceeded to visit Ternate, Cele
bes, Sangir, and other islands in the Malayan Archipelago. On
these islands, he met with a very friendly reception from the
inhabitants, many of whom expressed the utmost readiness to
receive instruction. On the island of Chiauw, he says, he
found the king a very pious man, and in compliance with his
desire, he baptized a number of his slaves. He baptized in the
several islands, 5000 children and near 500 adults. Previous
to this he had baptized at least 1200 heathens and Mahome
dans, who through his instrumentality had made a profession
of Christianity, so that the whole number of persons baptized
by him was probably not under 7000. Three negerys, or vil
lages, had lately abolished every vestige of idolatry, burning
their idols, and the houses appropriated to the worship of the
devil. In one of their negerys, they destroyed no fewer than
thirty-four devil's houses. The inhabitants of another village
took all their idols, and with a great shout cast them into the
sea. In the Island of Amboyna, idolatry was entirely abolished.
In some of the negerys the people had still retained their idols ;
but they at last cast them all away.1
. ' Evan. Mag. vol. xxii. p. 78 ; vol. xxiii. p. 37 ; vol. xxiv. p. 449 ; vol. xxv. p. 115,
286 ; vol. xxvi. p. 490 ; Rep. Miss. Soc.' 1817, p. 10, 11 ; Ibid. 1818, p. 9, 11 ; Quart,
Chron. vol. i. p. 280, 283, 298.

516 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
In the spring of 1823, Mr Kam visited the Islands of Banda,
Letty, and Kisser. At the last-mentioned island, it is stated,
that he was received with great kindness by the rajahs, and
found the people ripe for Christian instruction. Here he and
Mr Le Bruyn, who was sent out by the Netherland Missionary
Society, continued several days preaching to the people, and they
baptized, on a profession of faith in Christ, about 1500 of the
natives. It appears that nearly twenty-five years had elapsed
since the professing Christians, as they were called, in the
Island of Kisser, had enjoyed the privilege of ministerial in
struction.1 In January 1825, Mr Kam wrote, that on the southern coast
of Ceram four villages, containing 2580 inhabitants, had for
saken their idols. Two of the villages cast their idols into the
sea ; the other two burnt theirs in the fire. When Mr Kam
visited this island soon after his arrival in the east, he found
that there had been no stated preacher in it for the last twenty
years.2 In Amboyna and the several islands visited by Mr Kam,
there were numerous schools, which were generally under the
care of native schoolmasters. In 1828, there were in eight
islands fifty-seven schools and 4219 scholars.3
With the view of providing a supply of suitable teachers for
the schools in Amboyna and the neighbouring islands, Mr Kam
established a seminary for the education of promising young
men for that office. He himself was appointed, by the Dutch
government, one of the four superintendents of the Dutch
schools in the Molucca Islands.*
In July 1833, Mr Kam died, in consequence of over-exertion
in an extensive missionary tour he had made. He appears to
have been an active and laborious man ; but from the in
discriminate way in which he administered baptism to the na
tives, we fear that his labours among them were not of a kind
to do much real or permanent good. It is only proper to state,
that having been appointed a minister of the Dutch Church, he
1 Rep. Miss. Soc. 1824, p. 58.
• Evan. Mag. 1826, p. 35 ; Abeel's Journal of a Residence in China, p. 17.
- Miss. Reg. 1SS0. p. 41. * Rep. Miss. Soc. 1826, p. 36.

BY THE NETHERLAND MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 517
had ceased, for many years, to be supported by the London
Missionary Society.1
This mission includes two stations, Amboyna and Saparoua.
Mr Keyser took charge for a considerable time of the Malay
church in the town of Amboyna ; but in October 1839, two
ministers being there, he transferred his station to Waay, in
the Bay of Hitoe, where he devoted himself entirely to the spi
ritual interests of the natives. He superintended a number of
schools in the villages, and also in the islands of Boero and
Ceram, which he visited from time to time. On these mission
ary tours, besides examining the schools, he preached to the
native congregations which were raised by the Dutch in former
times ; and as they had now no stated ministers, he dispensed
the sacraments to them, and received into church fellowship
such as were instructed by the schoolmasters.
The other station was in the island of Saparoua, near Am
boyna. In September 1 837, Mr Ruden was stationed there ; and
he had also the care of Noessalaunt and Haroeko, two neigh
bouring islands. These three islands were not inhabited by
Pagans ; there were a few Mahomedans ; but the great ma
jority of the people bore the name of Christians, while yet
they were characterized by the ignorance and depravity ot
heathens.2 Timor. — This mission includes six stations, one at Timor,
four in the South-West Islands, and one at Rottee.
In 1819, the Rev. Mr Le Bruyn, who had been sent out by
the Society, became minister of Coupang, the residency of
Timor ; but he laboured also in promoting the instruction of
the heathen, particularly by means of schools. In 1832, Mr
Heymering became minister of Coupang ; and besides officiating
in both the Malay and the Dutch languages, he devoted a con
siderable portion of his time to the heathen ; and it is stated,
that he was permitted to see the fruit of his own and of his
^predecessor's labours in many converts, chiefly from among the
poor. In the interior there were, in 1839, six schools under
1 Calcutta Christ. Obscrv. 1839, p. 427 ; Rep. Miss. Soc. 1828, p. 31.
2 Neth, Miss. Soc. 1841, p. 11, MS.

51 S PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
his superintendence, containing, with the Coupang school, about
a thousand children. By means of a printing-press, which was
sent to him, he was also enabled to supply, the schools with
school-books, and to print several small tracts which he had
translated into the Malay language for the use of the natives.
Four missionaries were stationed in the South- West Islands,
which lie near to Timor, namely, Mr Bar, in the island of
Kisser, Messrs Luyke and Holtzo in Letty, and Mr Dommers in
Moa. They encountered much opposition, and after labouring
for many years, they had been able to form only small congre
gations. The Christians whom they found there, were proud of
the name, yet ignorant of the principles of Christianity, and
addicted to all the vices of heathenism. These islands were
very unhealthy, and the missionaries suffered much from long
and dangerous illnesses.1
Celebes. — The mission, which was established in the north
east point of this singularly-shaped island, near Menado, the
residency, consisted of four stations, which were all situated in
an inland district, called Manahasse, namely, Tondano (begun in
1831), Languwang (1834), Amurang, near the shore, (1836), and
Tomshon, in the upper districts, (1838). The labours of the
missionaries at these stations were attended with more or less
success ; but it was in the education of the young that they
placed their chief hope. In 1839, there were fifty-six schools
under their superintendence, which contained 3837 children.
Some of the schools were on account of government ; but the
greater part of them were supported by the Society.2
Riouw. — In 1827 or 1828, Messrs Gutzlaff and Wentink
proceeded to Riouw, which lies at the entrance of the Straits
of Malacca. In this and the neighbouring islands, there were
many thousands of Chinese, which was, perhaps, the occasion
of Gutzlaff turning his attention to that singular people.3
Though the Society had no other missions in the East India
1 Neth. Miss. Soc. 1841, p. 6, 10, 14, MS. ; Abeel's Journal of a Residence in China,
p. 10.
3 Neth. Miss. Soc. 1841, p. 9, 20, MS. 3 Ibid. 1841, p. 9, MS.

BY THE NETHERLAND MISSIONARY SOCIETY 519
Islands, yet it extended its aid to Banda, Ternate, and Macassar,
on the southern coast of Celebes, to all which it sent occasion
ally various articles for the use of the schools.'

EAST INDIES.
In 182.0, the Rev. A. F. La Croix and John Kindlinger, and,
in 1823, John Trion and John C. T. Winckler, sailed to the
East Indies, with the view of commencing missionary operations
in that country. They occupied the Dutch settlements at Chin-
surah, near Calcutta, and Pulicat, to the north, and Sadras, to
the south of Madras ; but these settlements having been ceded
by the Dutch to the British in 1825, the Society intimated to
the missionaries that circumstances would not permit tnem to
continue their missions at these places any longer, and left them
at liberty either to join their brethren in the Eastern Archipe
lago, or to connect themselves with any of the missionary so
cieties labouring in India. They accordingly adopted the latter
alternative.2 1 Neth. Miss. Soc. 1841, p. 26, MS. ' Ibid. 1841, p. 7, MS.

520 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

CHAPTER XX.
PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE GERMAN MISSIONARY
SOCIETY.
In 1816, a seminary was begun at Basle, in Switzerland, for
the purpose of training young men as missionaries, and in this
way furnishing to existing missionary societies agents for carry
ing on the work of missions among the heathen. It was no part
of the original design of the founders of this institution to send
out missionaries themselves; but, in 1821, a Society was regularly
organized with the view of engaging directly in the work of
missions. This Society was a confederation of evangelical Chris
tians of various countries, especially of South- Western Germany
and Switzerland, who belonged partly to the Lutheran and
partly to the Reformed Church. It was called the German
Missionary Society, but the seat of its management was Basle.1
Of its missions we shall now proceed to give some account.

SECT. I.— RUSSIA.
In 1821, Messrs Zaremba and Dittrich set out from Basle for
the countries lying between the Black and the Caspian Seas,
with the view of making inquiries relative to a suitable field
for missionary labours in that part ofthe world. They obtained
permission from the Emperor Alexander to establish a Christian
colony, and also for the appointment of ministers educated in the
Basle seminary to the pastoral office among the German colonies
in the south of Russia.
1 Proceed. Ch. Miss. Soc. 1820, p. 259 ; Third Report of the German Mission in the
Southern Mahratta, Canara, and Malabar Provinces, p. 12, 14.

BY THE GERMAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 521
In 1824, Messrs Zaremba and Dittrich commenced a mission
ary station at Shushi, one of the frontier towns in the south of
the Caucasus. The population of this place consisted of about
1500 Tartar and 500 Armenian families ; the latter had four or
five churches which were served by twelve or fourteen priests.
For some time the efforts of the missionaries were compara
tively few and feeble, in consequence of the uncertainty they
were under as to the views of the Russian government, which
after having for many years shewn itself friendly to missionary
labours now began to assume an adverse attitude toward them.
But from this state of anxiety and suspense they were at length
in a considerable degree relieved.1
In 1828, the missionaries received the imperial sanction or
authority to travel about freely in the countries between the Cas
pian and the Black Seas, to circulate the Scriptures, to establish
schools, and to labour for the conversion of the Tartars in what
ever way they chose. Besides Zaremba and Dittrich, there were
now other three missionaries at Shushi, Pfander, Hohenacker,
and Haas ; and it was agreed that Zaremba, Pfander, and
Hohenacker should labour among the Mahomedan population,
spending most of the year in travelling in the surrounding
country, and the remainder in visiting the people in the bazaars
of Shushi, or in preparing books and tracts in the vulgar Turk
ish dialect. In prosecution of this plan they visited Sheky,
Shirwan, Baku, Daghistan, as far as Derbend, Nakhchevan, and
Erivan. They also made tours in the Turkish territory, and
into Mesopotamia and Persia. Instead of seeking to gain the
respect and goodwill of the people by paying liberally for their
entertainment, they went among them in the spirit of those who
were commanded to " provide neither gold nor silver nor brass
in their purses." On entering a village they inquired who was
willing to entertain them, and threw themselves on his hospi
tality. One consequence of this was, that report never accused
them of endeavouring to make proselytes by money, and though
an individual might occasionally present himself as an inquirer
in the hope of obtaining some worldly advantage from them or
1 Third Report of German Mission, p. 24 ; Blumhardt's Manual of Missionary Geo
graphy and History, vol. i. p. 174 ; Smith and Dwighfs Missionary Researches in
Armenia, p. 180.

522 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
from the Russians, the number who did so was small. They
were even accused of want of wisdom in this respect. On one
occasion after a long conversation in the bazaars of Baku, their
hearers proposed to meet them again at a certain hour on the
sea shore, but when the time arrived nobody came except the
missionaries. At length an old venerable Moslem approached
them and said, " Friends, your arguments are all very good, but
let me tell you, you do not take the right course. Arguments
alone will accomplish nothing ; you should use money too,
With that you may make as many Christians as you choose." l
From the circumstance that many of the Mahomedans do not
really believe their own religion, nor practise it any further
than its precepts suit their convenience or inclinations, it might
be supposed that there would be little difficulty in obtaining
from them a candid hearing for the doctrines of Christianity.
But if they care little about their own religion, they care still
less about any other, and the levity which allows them to laugh
at Mahomedan doctrines and forms of worship, assumes absolute
contempt for those of the gospel. In fact, their scepticism, in
stead of producing a disposition to inquire, created perfect
indifference, or rather a state of mind opposed to inquiry. They
were deeply imbued with that bigoted enmity to Christianity
which is so generally characteristic of Mahomedans, and con
sidered opposition to it, or even the murder of any Moslem who
might embrace it, a meritorious deed.2
The missionaries had originally Mahomedans chiefly in view
as the object of their labours, but on becoming acquainted with
the state of the Armenians, they were led to direct their atten
tion principally to them. They found a large population with
out schools, and so ignorant that few of them could read the
Armenian Scriptures, of which they had brought copies with
them, and still fewer were able to understand them, while at
the same time their character was so unchristian, that they
proved a great stumbling-block to the Mahomedans, and fur
nished them with what appeared to them conclusive evidence
of the falsehood of Christianity. Impressed with their miserable
' Blumhardt's Manual, vol. 1. p. 175 ; Smith and Dwighfs Missionary Researches,
p. 199, 201.
2 Smith and Dwighfs Missionary Jlesearches, p. 201.

BY THE GERMAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 523
condition, and feeling that efforts for the conversion ofthe Ma
homedans would be of little avail so long as they were paralysed
by the evil examples which they had before them, they resolved
to do something, if possible, for the Armenians.4
The Armenian department of the mission was assigned to
Messrs Dittrich and Haas, and they had a very delicate course
to pursue. It was wholly without consultation with govern
ment that this branch of the mission was undertaken. The laws
of Russia were understood to forbid one denomination of Chris
tians making proselytes from another, and even to invest the
clergy of any tolerated sect with power to prevent their people
from forsaking them, except to join the Greek Church, the esta
blished religion of the empire. Education, however, was not
considered as under the control of the clergy, yet whenever re
ligious instruction was given they had a right to interfere.
Neither was the employment of the press entirely prohibited,
but through means of the censorship the control of all religious
publications was thrown into the hands of the priesthood. The
plan of the missionaries was therefore to steer clear of these
government checks and restrictions, and yet carry on their
labours. With this view they resolved to direct their labours among
the Armenians to the simple point of bringing them to be co
adjutors with them in converting the Mahomedans, and thus to
place this department in the light of merely a subordinate
branch of the original and primary object of the mission. They
accordingly sought to enlighten and reform the Armenian
Church, without, however, drawing away its members, and with
this view they endeavoured to bring the fundamental truths of
the gospel, as the doctrines of redemption by Jesus Christ, of
justification by faith, and of sanctification by the Holy Spirit,
simply and clearly before individuals as often as they had op
portunity; but they resolved to forego all attempts at preaching
or expounding in meetings, public or private, and to avoid con
troversy even in conversation. Schools and the press were de
signed to be the principal means of effecting the reformation at
which they aimed. In them they hoped to find a field of use
fulness sufficiently extensive without drawing on themselves the
1 Smith and Dwighfs Missionary Researches, p. 197.

524 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
opposition ofthe priests or the condemnation of the laws; and
if the ultimate result of their labours should be that some of
the Armenians should no longer adhere to their mother church,
they hoped that Divine providence might so order matters as
that this should not prove of fatal consequence to the mission.1
In the school department great difficulty was experienced
from the want of suitable teachers ; all attempts to establish a
female school proved unsuccessful. With the approbation of
Nerses, the Archbishop of Teflis, who then exercised the cen
sorship of the press as to books in the Armenian language,
several works were printed, chiefly for schools. Mr Dittrich
also translated the New Testament into the modern Armenian
language, it being found here, as in similar cases, that the people
did not understand the ancient Armenian, into which the Bible
is translated and in which public worship is celebrated ; but on
its being completed, the printing of it was stopped by the veto of
the Synod of Echmiadzin, to which it was referred. The ope
rations of the press were now indeed entirely arrested by the
opposition of the censors.2 The schools also called forth the
opposition of the priesthood, and the patriarch went so far as to
excommunicate those who sent their children to them. A re
presentation was also made to the Russian government that the
missionaries were a set of persons who interfered, contrary to
law, with the concerns of the Armenian Church ; and in conse
quence of this, they received an admonition from the govern
ment to refrain from all attempts to exert any religious influ
ence among the Armenians. They were therefore now obliged
to confine their efforts entirely to the Mahomedans.3
In August 1835, a period was put to the whole undertaking
by a ukase ofthe Russian government. The Armenian clergy
had brought new and heavy complaints against the missionaries,
which by the interest of the governor, whom they found means
of buying over to their cause, led to the issuing of this edict.
Under the pretext that the labours of the missionaries among
1 Smith and Dwighfs Missionary Researches, p. 202.
2 The New Testament, however, was afterwards printed at Moscow, and copies of
it were put into circulation.
3 Smith and Dwighfs Miss. Researches, p. 2i"5, 207, 211 ; Blumhardfs Manual,
vol. i. p. 176 ; Orient. Christ. Spect. vo\ ix. p. 247.

BY THE GERMAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 525
the mountaineers had hitherto proved of no avail ; that there
fore the work of converting the heathen nations and others to
Christianity should be consigned to the priests of the Greek
Church ; and that the renewed complaints of the Armenian
clergy gave the government reason to conclude that the mis
sionaries had been interfering illegally with them, all the privi
leges granted them were henceforth revoked ; they were pro
hibited from engaging in any kind of missionary labour, and if
they remained at Shushi, they were to employ themselves only
in agriculture, manufactures, or trades. Having thus no pros
pect of further usefulness as missionaries, they left the country.1
From the whole history of missions in Russia, it is plain that
it is not a field to which Protestants should ever think of send
ing missionaries, unless there shall be an entire change in the
political and ecclesiastical character and condition of that country.
Even when they have been authorized and encouraged to do so
by the government, and when special privileges have been
granted to them, these have been evaded or withdrawn, when
ever there were any appearances of success, or when a corrupt
priesthood thought fit to exercise its power and influence with
the authorities.

SECT. II.— WESTERN AFRICA.
In 1827, Messrs Handt, Sessing, and Hegele, were sent from
Basle to the colony of Liberia, on the Western coast of Africa ;
and they were followed soon afterwards by other two mission
aries, named Wulf and Kissling ; but within a few months after
their arrival, Wulf fell a victim to the climate. Hegele too was
taken dangerously ill, and Sessing had to return with him to
Switzerland. Handt also had to leave the country broken down
in both body and mind. Sessing, however, returned again from
Basle, accompanied by other three missionaries, named Dietshy,
Buehrer, and Grauer; but within a few weeks after they
landed the three new missionaries sickened and died, lo
complete this series of disasters, Kissling and Sessing were so
1 Blumhardf B Manual, vol. i. p. 178.

526 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
exhausted that they resolved on quitting the colony. Thus
ended the Basle mission to Liberia.1
In 1828, Messrs Salbach, Schmidt, Holzwarth, and Henke,
were sent from Basle to the coast of Guinea, in consequence of
an invitation which the Society had received from M. de
Richelieu, governor of the Danish settlement at Ussu, a place
in the neighbourhood of Fort Christiansburg ; but after being
only a few months in the country, the three former fell victims
to fever, which lays so many Europeans in their graves on the
coast of Africa. Henke, who alone survived, divided his time
between ministerial labours among the Danish colonists who
had been without the ordinances of religion for twenty years,
the instruction of some negro candidates for baptism, and the
superintendence of a negro school. He was joined by Kissling,
who, as already mentioned, had been sent to Liberia, but who
in consequence of the sickness and death of so many of his
brethren had resolved on quitting that colony. After some
time, Henke also sickened and died, and Kissling left the coast.2
These mournful events produced, as they well might, a deep
impression at Basle ; yet the Committee resolved not to relin
quish the undertaking. It was thought that it was the climate
of the coast which had proved so fatal to the missionaries, and
it was hoped that the mission might be successfully transferred
to the interior, which was supposed to be more healthy.
In 1831, other three missionaries, Messrs Riis, Jaeger, and
Heinze, the latter a medical man, were sent from Basle to re
new the mission on the coast of Guinea ; but scarcely had they
landed, when Heinze was seized with fever and died ; Jaeger soon
followed him to the grave, and again one solitary labourer re
mained in the field. Riis himself was three times on the brink
of the grave ; but a timely removal to the healthier climate of
the Aquapim Hills, was the means of saving his life. He was
often, however, obliged to visit the coast for the purpose of
ministering to his countrymen at Christiansburg. At length a
Danish chaplain arrived in the colony, and Riis hastened to
settle on the hills among the negroes ; but he was again recalled
to Christiansburg, on the death of the chaplain.
1 Third Report German Miss. p. 28 ; Blumhardt's Manual, p. 36 ; Miss. Reg. 1829,
p. 19, 224 ; Ibid. 1830, p. 7, 318, 472.
2 Kissling entered the service ofthe Church Missionary Society at Sierra Leone.

BY THE GERMAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 527
In 1 835, Riis succeeded at last in carrying out his design of esta
blishing himself on the Aquapim Hills, in a negro village, named
Acropong, about forty miles from Acra. Here he built him
self a house with his own hands, assisted by some negro
labourers, an exertion which a European cannot make in
Western Africa, but at the risk of his life. After some time he
began a school, and by degrees found himself gaining on the
affections of the people. Other two missionaries were now sent
to his assistance ; but within less than two years, one of them,
named Stanger, sickened and died, and within another year, the
other, named Murdter, also died, after a short illness. The
prospects of the mission became more and more clouded. The
Danish governor was ill disposed toward Riis and his mission,
and though the latter was careful not to interfere with politi
cal matters, yet circumstances arose which excited the suspi-
sions of the governor, who represented him to the government
of Denmark as a person whose presence was dangerous to the
interests of the colony.
In 1840, Riis returned to Europe, partly for the recovery of
his health, and partly for consultation with the Committee as
to the practicability of carrying on missionary operations in ter
ritories subject to the crown of Denmark. Meanwhile a favour
able change took place in the colony. The governor who had
opposed the mission was dead, and the Danish government, be
ing satisfied with the explanations which were given by Riis,
promised to protect the missionaries in the unfettered exercise
of their duties, and the negroes connected with them, in the en
joyment of their civil and religious liberties.1
In May 1842, Riis, accompanied by another missionary, named
Widman, sailed for the West Indies, with the view of obtaining
a few Christian negroes from the congregations of the United
Brethren to go with them to the Gold Coast, who might assist
them in the cultivation of the ground, the building of houses,
and other useful occupations; and who, by the exhibition of the
character and conduct of a little Christian community, might
exert a favourable influence upon the natives. Having with
these views engaged six families, consisting of twenty-four per
sons they sailed with them to the Gold Coast ; and after their
1 Third Report German Miss. p. 28 ; Blumhardf s Manual, p. 41.

528

PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

arrival, they proceeded to Acropong on the Aquapim Moun
tains. They had a great deal of trouble, however, with the colo
nists, who thought it hard to be obliged to earn their bread by
labour, and wished to return to the West Indies. The negro
character appeared in every thing. There was little of that
self-denying charity and conscientious dealing, which were so
necessary in a congregation which was designed to be a light
among the heathen.1
In 1845, a second station was begun at Ussu, or Danish Acra,
on the coast. Here a school was opened for boys and another
for girls. A number of the natives were baptized, and some
were communicants.2

SECT. III.— INDIA.

In October 1834, Messrs Hebich, Lehner,and Greiner, arrived
at Mangalore on the coast of Malabar, with the view of com
mencing a mission in that part of India.# They were followed
by other missionaries in succeeding years, and various stations
were established in different parts of the country. The follow
ing table exhibits a view of the principal stations which are
occupied by them : —

Begun.

183418431846

1837 1839 1841
18411851

Stations.

Province of Canara.
Mangalore.Mulki.
Honore.
Southern Marathi
Country.
Dharwar. Hubli.
Bettigheri. Malasamudra.Guleda Gudda.

Begun.

18411839 1849
18421846

Stations.

Malayalim Country.
Canannore.Tellichery.Chombala. Calicut.
Nilghiri Hills.
Kaity.

1 Third Rep. German Miss. p. 30 ; Blumhardf s Manual, p. 41 ; Miss. Reg. 1844,
p. 24 ; Ibid. 1845, p. 23 ; Ibid. 1849, p. 17 ; Ibid. 1850, p. 15 ; Period. Accounts United
Brethren, vol. xvi. p. 156, 344, 505.
2 Miss. Reg. 1849, p. 17 ; Ibid. 1864, p. 13.

BY THE GERMAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 529
. In the history of these stations, there is nothing particularly
worthy of notice. The missionaries translated the New Testa
ment into Tulu, the language of the lower castes in Mangalore
md the neighbouring country. At the various stations they
had regular, though for the most part small, congregations ;
and they baptized a considerable number of the natives, but
the qualifications they required in them were by no means
high. They had also schools for both boys and girls, and the
numbers who attended them, particularly those of boys, were
very considerable.
In 1853, the number of communicants connected with the
various stations amounted to 780.1
1 Blumhardf s Manual, vol. ii. p. 14 ; Sum. Orient. Spect. 1863, p. 81 ; Rep. Bib.
Soc. 1851, p. 58.

ll
VOL. II.

530 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY

CHAPTER XXI.
PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY BY THE PARIS SOCIETY FOR
EVANGELICAL MISSIONS.
SOUTH AFRICA.
In September 1822, the Society for Evangelical Missions was
instituted at Paris. Among the measures which it early
adopted was the establishment of an institution for the educa
tion of young men as missionaries ; and as a result of this,
it was some years before it was in circumstances to undertake
active operations among the heathen.1
In July 1829, the Rev. Messrs Bisseux, Lemue, and Rolland,
the first missionaries of the Society, sailed for South Africa.
M. Bisseux settled in Wagenmaker Valley, about thirty miles
from Cape Town, among the descendants of the French refugees2
and their slaves ; but Messrs Lemue and Rolland proceeded
into the interior for the purpose of selecting a suitable station
among one or other of the native tribes. After visiting various
parts of the country, they ultimately settled at a place called
Motito, in the Bechuana country. The Bechuanas are divided
into various tribes, each bearing a particular name, yet all
speaking the same language, which is called the Sichuana. The
chief of these tribes are the Barolongs, the Batlapis, the Baha-
rutzis, and the Bassutos. Other missionaries were afterwards
sent out from time to time, and various stations were established
1 Miss. Reg. 1823, p. 130 ; Rapport de la Society des Missions Evangeliques, 1825,
p. 26.
" There were about 10,000 inhabitants of the French colony. Of these 4000 were
descendants of the original settlers, and 6000 were Hottentot slaves. The French set
tlers appear to have come to the Cape after the revocation ofthe edict of Nantz ; but
since 1739, the French language had not been used in divine worship, the Dutch go
vernment having then prohibited them from celebrating public worship in their own
language.— Miss. Reg. 1830, p. 218 ; Ibid. 1832. p. 15.

BY THE PARIS SOCIETY FOR EVANGELICAL MISSIONS. 531
in different parts of the Bechuana country.1 The following
table contains a list of the chief of these stations : —

Begun.

Stations.

Begun.

Stations.

1832

Motito.

1841

Eriedau.

1833

Bethulia.

1843

Bethesda.

1833

Morijia.

1844

Berea.

1835

Beersheba.

Carmel.

1837

Thaba Bossiou.

Wellington.

1837

Mekuatling.

Hebron.2

These stations extended over a wide tract of country, and
were generally much separated from each other ; but in a
region so thinly peopled, this, though a great disadvantage,
was unavoidable. The population in the neighbourhood of
the whole of the stations was estimated at about 25,000, be-
' longing chiefly to various tribes of Bechuanas, particularly
• Bassutos, Batlapis, and Barolongs. In general, it is not easy
for a missionary in South Africa to collect around him any
considerable number of people. The chiefs reside on the hills,
and dread coming down to the plain country, as they would there
be exposed to the attacks of their enemies. They are besides
very much scattered, and have under them, for the most part,
only from one to two hundred people. This is the average
< population of the kraals, and there are scarcely any exceptions
to this, but the places where the head chiefs reside. Yet, not
withstanding these circumstances, the numbers who collected
to most of the missionary stations was considerable ; but the
-population, in consequence of the wandering habits of the
people, and the necessity they are often under of going in search
of fresh pastures for their herds and flocks, varied materially
from time to time.3
The condition of the tribes of South Africa is truly deplo-
1 Evan. Mag. 1829, p. 379 ; Djid. 1831, p. 78, 169, 575 ; Miss. Reg. 1832, p. 15, 471 ;
Ibid. 1833, p. 19 ; Ibid. 1834, p. 32 ; Rapport de la Soc. des Miss. Evan. 1831, p. 25 ;
Ibid. 1832'and 1833, p. 25, 27 ; Cassalis, Etudes sur la Langue Sechuana, Paris, 1841,
p. v.
2 (Amer.) Miss. Her. vol. xlix. p. 248.
3 Notice des Missions Evangeliques, 1843, p. 2.

532 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
rable. They are in a state of continual warfare with each other ;
and are thus kept in constant dread of one another. It is not
commonly the extension of dominion, nor even revenge, that is
the object of the inroads and attacks which they make on each
other ; it is plunder, particularly, to carry off the cattle and
sheep of one another. War, indeed, appears to be the element
of the native tribes ; they seem never content unless when
fighting and pillaging their neighbours.1
As this melancholy state of things has probably existed from
time immemorial, it is not wonderful that many parts of South
Africa should now be without inhabitants. The wonder is how
population should be kept up at all in a part of the world
where the people are continually destroying one another by
cannibalism, and by unceasing warfare. It was this distracted
state of the country that often disposed the native tribes to wish
for missionaries, thinking that under them they would enjoy
safety and protection; and this was probably a chief cause
which led numbers to collect to the stations of the French mis
sionaries, not the desire of religious instruction.
Some of the stations, as may naturally be supposed, were
more prosperous than others ; but yet the success of the mis
sion was, on the whole, highly pleasing. The congregations
were considerable ; numbers of the natives were baptized, many
of whom were also admitted as communicants. The influence
of the mission extended far beyond the stations ; it was felt in
a great part of the surrounding country. The old customs of
the natives were falling insensibly into disuse. Polygamy and
circumcision were disappearing, though many still kept up
these practices, and.it seemed as if it would be more difficult to
get rid of them than of most others of their customs. Many
gave pleasing evidence of piety. The power of religion was
often witnessed in supporting them in seasons of sickness, and
in the calmness and resignation which they manifested in the
prospect of death.2
1 Arboussef s Narrative of an Exploratory Tour to the North-East of the Colony of
the Cape of Good Hope, p. 284, 288, 299 ; Journal des Missions Evangeliques, 1843,
p. 281 ; Not. Soe. Miss. Evan. 1843, p. 2.
2 Journal des Miss. Evan. 1843, p. 53 ; Ibid. 1845, p. 8, 48 ; Not. Soc. Miss. Evan. "
p. 2, 3 ; Rapport de la Soc. des Miss. Evan. 1843, p. 24 ; (Amer.) Miss. Her. 1844,
p. 98 ; Ibid. 1847, p. 169 ; Ibid. 1852, p. 385.

BY THE PARIS SOCIETY FOR EVANGELICAL MISSIONS. 533
Though the missionaries were quite alive to the danger of
employing the converts prematurely as preachers to their coun
trymen, having before them the painful experience of preced
ing labourers in this respect, yet they took with them, in their
excursions, a number of the more pious natives, in order to
form them, under their immediate superintendence, to the right
performance of duties, which require practice as well as know
ledge. The converts were zealous to make known the gospel to
their countrymen ; they travelled over a great extent of coun
try, sowing everywhere the good seed of the word, and prepar
ing the way for the conversion of the inhabitants.1
Schools were also established at the various stations, and
were attended by considerable numbers of the natives, both old
and young. There prevailed among them a very general desire
to learn to read ; but as is usual among barbarous tribes, there
was great irregularity in the attendance of the scholars. Infant
schools appeared to be peculiarly adapted to the wants of the
children, correcting the natural indolence and apathy of their
character, and forming them to habits of order and obedience.
The wives of the missionaries rendered valuable service in
the work of education, by superintending the schools for fe
males, by teaching both old and young to sew, by inculcating on
them habits of order, economy, and propriety, and by giving
them the first notions of the management and training of in
fants. 2
The missionaries translated into the Sichuana language the
book of Psalms, and the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John.
They also printed school-books, a catechism, a collection of
hymns and prayers, and short tracts on .the chief doctrines
and duties of religion. M. Cassalis, one of the missionaries, also
published a work entitled, Studies of the Sichuana Language,
containing a Grammar and a Collection of Sichuana Poetry,
with- the view of shewing the genius of the language and the
character of the people who speak it.3
1 Rapport de la Soc. des. Miss. Evan. 1843, p. 18.
2 Hud. p. 13 : Journal des Miss. Evan. 1845, p. 43 ; Not. Soc. Miss. Evan. 1843, p. 1.
3 Rap.' Soc. Miss. Evan. 1838, p. 12 ; Ibid. 1840, p. 27 ; Ibid. 1841, p. 28 ; Arbous-
sef s Tour p. vii. ; Not. des Miss. Evan. 1843, p. 2.

534 PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY
The people under the care of the missionaries made consider
able advances in some of the more common and necessary arts
of civilized life. Many of them built themselves convenient
houses, some of them of stone, instead of their old smoky un
healthy huts. In place of the skins of animals which they used
to throw over their bodies, the men adopted in part the Euro
pean dress, while the women who had learned to sew made de
cent clothes for themselves and their daughters. Though they
were previously not simply a pastoral people, but cultivated
millet and other produce, yet now their husbandry was con
siderably extended. They obtained ploughs and other agricul
tural implements, and many of them occupied themselves in the
culture of corn, which they sold to the Dutch farmers for cattle,
clothing, soap, salt, and other useful articles. Vaccination also
was introduced among them, and we trust that it may check
in future the frightful ravages which small-pox was accustomed
to make among them.1
It was singularly pleasing on leaving deserts where the eye
sought in vain for a few huts, or for the sight of a human being,
to come suddenly on a beautiful hill crowned with buildings,
which were found on a nearer approach to form even a popu
lous town. It was like an oasis in the desert, and the traveller
contemplated with admiration and delight its groups of habita
tions, its church and its school-house, its gardens and its fields,
its flocks and its herds, the whole furnishing a striking example
ofthe influence of Christian missions in improving the condition
of the most savage tribes.
The missionary stations, however, suffered in common with
other parts of the country from the depredations which the na
tive tribes are constantly carrying on against each other. The
people were often in a state of great apprehension and alarm,
and many of them were led sometimes to go off with their cattle
to other parts of the country. The Griquas, the Korannas, the
Tambookies, and the Kafirs, were the tribes which chiefly ha
rassed them. On one occasion the Kafirs attacked Bethulia when

' Rap. Soc. Miss. Evan. 1841, p. 26 ; Ibid. 1843, p. 13, 21 ; Journal des Miss. Evan.
1845, p. 26 ; Not. des Miss. Evan. 1843, p. 3.

BY THE PARIS SOCIETY FOR EVANGELICAL MISSIONS. 535
the people were absent hunting, drove away four hundred head
of cattle and two thousand sheep, and killed ten of the shep
herds.1 1 Journal des Miss. Evan. 1843, p. 3, 249, 401 ; Miss, Reg. 1839, p. 67.

END OF VOL. II.

1NHBHGH miNTBD BI JOHN GKEIO AND s.i».