LIBRARY ohcoloflical ^rminani. PJiJNi /. T(t X \ Jp No. Case, - - Jf <*r No. Shelf, if No. Book. W Fronith*- Rrv. W. H.H'K K. D.I>. .w. * Spraftue Collect ion. Vol, (q Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2008 http://archive.org/details/annualreportofco06bapt REPORT. At the close of another year, marked by events of no small importance as to their bearing on the general cause of Missions, the friends and supporters of the Baptist Missionary Society are respectfully invited to listen to a summary account of the proceedings of that Institution since the last Anniversary, and to unite with those who have had to conduct its operations in the grateful acknow- ledgment, that " having obtained help of God, they con' tinue to this day." In giving an account of the stations on the CONTINENT OF INDIA, Your Committee have derived considerable assistance from a phamplet printed at Serampore, and lately received in this country. The prospect at Dinagcpour continues pleasing, and the church under the care of its aged pastor, Mr. Fernandez, has received several gratifying additions. The present number of members is about ninety ; and there are nearly as many more connected with them by relationship and otherwise, who have renounced caste, and assemble for religious worship. To furnish them with employment, Mr. Fernandez has established a manufactory of paper ; together with an excellent school for the instruction of their children. Five youths from this place are educating in the Serampore College. The district of Jessore, situate about sixty miles N. E. of Calcutta, is described by our brethren as " one of the best cultivated fields in Bengal." It has been occupied, for 10 ten years past, by Mr. William Thomas, who, with six na- tive itinerants under his direction, is perpetually employed in traversing the numerous villages, fields, and roads, and in visiting the bazars, ghauts, and other places of public resort, through a considerable extent of country. The church consists of nearly eighty members, inhabiting ten different villages. In four of these the Lord's Supper is re- gularlv administered on successive Sabbaths; and each, it is hoped, may ere long become the centre of a distinct society. In order to avoid many acts of injustice and oppression, to w hich the native Christians are exposed from the heathen landholders and magistrates, anew village has been formed about five miles from Sahebgunj, called Christianpore, and nearly half of the members of the. church have taken up their residence there. From two villages at a considerable distance, persons have visited Mr. Thomas, requesting that he would go thither to preach the Gospel, and his reception among them was highly fa- vourable. At Neelgunj, in this district, a large School has been formed, the expense of which is borne by the Serampore School Institution. Three native Christian youths have been sent by Mr. Thomas to the Serampore College ; and so considerable has been the distribution of the Bengalee New Testament in this quarter, that the fifth edition is completely exhausted. At Dacca, where the first attempts to plant the Gospel fourteen years ago were wholly unsuccessful, a very gra- tifying alteration has taken place, in consequence of the introduction of the Schools, under the able management of Mr. Leonard. These are now lilt, en in number, containing 1300 pupils; and not only are the gospels read in them u it hou t opposition, but on the numerous Hindoo hoi u lavs, when, of course, the children do not assemble, the masters meet at Mi. L< onard's house, where he explains to them portions of the New Testament in regular succession. Beside these Schools for the Bengalees, there is one for instruction in the Persian language, in which Martvn's version of the New Testament is constantly used. Much 11 to the honour of the European gentlemen residing in the city, the expenses of all these Schools are met by local contributions. Another, of a different description still, for the children of professed Christians, is supported from the funds of the Benevolent Institution at Calcutta ; and in that, the descendants of Greeks, Armenians, and Roman Catholics are taught, in a more direct and efficient way, the great and fundamental doctrines of the religion to which they nominally adhere. Mr. Da Cruz, assisted by Mudun, a converted native, has been for some years fixed at Midnapore, on the borders of Orissa. Nor have his efforts been in vain, as nine in- dividuals have been baptized there, of whom six were Hindoos, one Mussulman, and two Roman Catholics. But as these have all, in the course of providence, been re- moved from that neighbourhood, and he has of late ex- perienced many discouragements there, it is probable that he will remove to some other station. This is the less to be regretted, as two worthy Missionaries from a kindred Society (Messrs. Bampton and Peggs) have lately settled at no great distance from Midnapore. In our last Report, Mr. Thompson was stated to be on a visit at Serampore. On his return to Delhi, where he usually resides, he employed himself as usual in itinerant labours, and disseminating tracts and portions of the sacred volume to a wide extent. Soon after he reached home, he was cheered by an event highly gratifying to himself, and which excited a great sensation in that populous city. An aged Brahmin, held in the highest estimation among his neighbours for his attain- ments in Sunskrit literature, after hearing the Gospel for some time, publicly renounced idolatry ; and, notwith- standing all the efforts made both to allure and terrify him from his purpose, openly professed his faith in Christ, and was baptized by Mr. Thomas in the presence of many spectators. On this occurrence, our Serampore brethren remark as follows: "This renunciation of Hindooism by an aged Brahmin, eminent for his knowledge of the b 2 13 Shastras, and the sacred language of the Hindoos, being in that part of the country quite a new thing, has procured much attention to the doctrine of the Gospel. It seems to shew, among other things, the safety with which Chris- tianity may be promulgated in the darkest parts of India. All the threatened opposition to this man's open profes- sion of Christianity, ended in a few expressions of per- sonal dislike from his old acquaintance, on account of the course he had taken, and his having tacitly condemned them and all their religious observances, by nobly daring to follow his own convictions of the truth. For all this, however, in- was prepared, and by sustaining the whole in the spirit of genuine Christianity, he in a great measure disarmed the resentment of his neighbours and acquaint- ance. So completely quiet were they indeed in the ex- pression of their dislike, that not only was there no re- ference to any European, (at the time of his baptism) the attention of the lowest person in the native police was not officially called to the transaction." At licnara, the principle seat of Hindoo literature and superstition, .Mr. Smith has been stationed about nine years. The church under his care consists at present of twelve members, among whom several Brahmins are in- eluded. Ram-dass, a native itinerant, is ascociated with him in his labours; and so much is he respected by the European inhabitants of the city, that very lat< l\ they sub- scribed, almost without solicitation, a thousand rupees to assist him in erecting a small place of worship. From Allahabad, formerly infamous on account of the dreadful scenes of self-destruction annually perpetrated there, the accounts are still unfavourable. Mr. Mackin- tosh, and his native companion RughoO, seem to make no impression upon the Hindoo population of this large city; but an English friend, in token of gratitude for the benefit derived from the ministry of the former, has generously sent him two thousand rupees to build a place of worship, which is probably by this time completed , and will greatly facilitate his future labours. 13 At Mymensiiig, the chief town of a district to the east of Jessore, a new station has been formed, in consequence of the removal thither of Messrs. Reily and Robert Gordon from Calcutta, accompanied by Ramdoorlubh, the Hindoo ascetic, whose conversion was mentioned in our Report for 1821. Already a small Christian society of ten persons has been formed ; and the devotional spirit in which this undertaking appears to have commenced, affords a pleas- ing ground to hope for its success. New stations have also been commenced at Furruckabad, under the care of Mr. Richards, a young man, born in India, and educated in England, and who is one of the fruits of Mr. Smith's ministry at Benares — at Jimgipore, whither Prankrishna, who for nineteen years has adorned his profession by a blameless and upright life, went to re- side under the friendly and liberal auspices of the late Resident, son-in-law to Dr. Marshman — and at Soopinpore, by Mr. Douglas, who has gone thither to superintend an indigo factory, after having previously been very useful among the natives at Serampore. From each of these new scenes of labour, we hope to have good tidings to com- municate in years to come. The intelligence from Cuttva in the course of the last year has been increasingly satisfactory. Mr. Carey and the itinerants under his direction, not merely continue their visits to the surrounding villages and the large assemblies of natives frequently held in that neighbourhood, but it is evident that far more serious attention is paid to their ad- dresses than formerly. The declaration of the plain and fundamental truths of the Bible, is often followed by the silent tears of the audience; and several females of respect- able connections are said to have been lately roused to earnest enquiry. Three persons have been added to the church, and several others were expected to follow. The arrangement, mentioned in our last Report, re- specting Beerbhoom, has since been carried into effect, and that district, hitherto connected with Cutwa, now forms a separate Missionary station. It is occupied by Mr. Hainp- 14 ton, who was baptized some years since by Mr. Sutton, and lias since been exerting himself very successfully for the benefit of his heathen neighbours at Tumlook, near the Sunderbunds. Animated by Christian -zeal, he has resigned his secular engagements, and devoted himself O Do* 9 entirely to Missionary labour. The village in which he has fixed his residence is called Sewri, and Mr. Hampton has already had the pleasure of receiving several new members into the church. The sphere of action is very extensive, and a number of itinerants are employed under his superintendence. The labours of Mr. Sutton at Moorshedabad have, we regret to state, been suspended by renewed illness. His earlier communications afforded the hope of restoration, and contained very pleasing accounts of the success of his ministry at Berhampore, and his persevering efforts to im- press Divine truth upon the minds of his heathen neigh- bours ; but a more recent letter apprized us that, in conse- quence of relapsing into a complaint to which he was pre- viously subject, he had been compelled to leave his station, at least for a season, and embark for Europe, as his only hope of a recovery. He left Calcutta, accordingly, in December; and we are happy to add, that, though the passage homeward was unusually perilous, our respected brother arrived in safety a few days ago, and is permitted to unite with us in the services of this day. When we mention the name of Soatnpore, our friends will be reminded of a recent event at that station which has excited a very general feeling of painful regret throughout the Christian world. Scare ly had our last Anniversary closed, ere the mournful intelligence arrived, that death had visited the little Missionary bund which had. lor four and twenty years, been so closely united in affection and in toil, and bore away Mr. Ward, the youngest of their number, to his heavenly rest! The particulars of this af- fecting event have already met the public eye, and the cha- racter of the eminent individual who has thus been sum- moned from his labours, is too generally known, and too 15 highly appreciated, to require any lengthened eulogium. May He who, in his mysterious wisdom, is pleased to re- move such efficient agents from the scene of exertion, mer- cifully grant, that successors of a like spirit, equally devout, humble, and spiritually minded, may be raised up, and thrust forth into the spacious field. But though the death of Mr. Ward has been, and will continue to be, very severely felt, we are happy to state that the general aspect of affairs -at Serampore is encou- raging. A valuable addition has been made to the number of labourers there, in the person of a Mr. Williamson, a native of Scotland, who, after receiving a liberal education in his own country, went out to India in the medical pro- fession; but having there experienced the power of the Gospel for himself, he has relinquished ali other pursuits to engage in making it known to others. Several additions have been made to the church, and the efforts used by the various native preachers connected with the station, are said to be far more regular and extensive than formerly. Besides visiting the villages around, three little chapels have lately been erected in the town of Serampore. Tracts have also been distributed to a great extent, no less than eight thousand having been given away at a single festival. Various means are employed to promote the edification and usefulness of the native converts at large. Once a week they assemble for improvement in Scriptural knowledge, when they are encouraged to express their own sentiments on chosen passages of the Sacred Volume, and the Com- mentary of the late excellent Mr. Scott is read to them in Bengalee. They have even instituted a Native Missionary Society, managed almost entirely by themselves ; one re- sult of which is, the publication of a small monthly work in Bengalee, entitled, " The Increase of Christ's King- dom and such is already the extent of the native Chris- tian public in Bengal, that the sale of this publication, though at a very low price, nearly covers the expences. The success of the experiments in Female Education^ first made by our junior Missionaries at Calcutta, and after- 16 wards, on a more extended scale, by Miss Cooke, (now Mrs. Wilson,) having attracted the attention of our senior brethren, they have entered, with their characteristic zeal, on this department also, and at the date of our last com- munications on this subject, they had established, in and around Serampore, seventeen schools, in which nearly three hundred female children were receiving instruction. The general effect, resulting from these combined and persevering eH'orts to promote the spiritual welfare of the native population, becomes more and more apparent. On this subject, the following quotation from the pen of our brethren at this station, will be read with pleasure. "The Gospel is no longer despised among the heathen here. The conduct of those who have professed it has now been wit- nessed by them through a period of twenty years ; and after all that they have seen of their remaining weakness of mind, the conviction is widely spread, that Christianity has made them better men — that it is the truth, and w ill surely spread. The native Christian brethren are no longer reproached for embracing the Gospel, and renouncing the idolatry of their fathers ; they are declared to have acted herein like wise men, who have followed that which they believed to be truth. By their heathen neighbours they are supposed to have obtained possession of a good which they seem to lament their own want of courage to attain, since their giving up the favour of their heathen friends and relatives appears too great a sacrifice for themselves to make. Those who have made this sacrifice, however, are regarded with esteem, as men above their level, rather than as deserving contempt. The n umber of real conversions which may follow these feelings, must be left entirely to Him w hose sole prerogative it is to change the heart; but it is pleasing to see the Gospel thus gradually making its way to the understandings of men, and commending itself so far to their consciences, as to put them to silence. This our European brethren who accompany them have often wit- nessed. They have sometimes seen a gainsay er who has attempted to Oppose what tin y have said, silenced by 17 those around him, with—' Why dispute ? We know that the things these men say are really true.' " Respecting the health of the venerable Dr. Carey, our latest information, dated in February last, encourages the hope that he is continuing to recover from his late danger- ous illness, and that he will be allowed yet a little longer to prosecute those important labours in which he has been so long and so beneficially engaged. A separate Memoir of the Translations having been pub- lished, and extensively distributed in the course of the last 3^ear, it will be unnecessary to recapitulate any particulars of their progress. That Memoir is however, distinguished by one novel feature, to which we would for a moment ad- vert. It contains a variety of testimonies, from learned na- tives intimately conversant with the different languages into which the Sacred Writings have been translated, to the correct and intelligible manner in which this great work has been executed. All who can appreciate the difficulty of such an undertaking will, on reading these attestations, be surprized that, in so early a stage, so muchaccuracy should have been attained; and will be gratified to perceive that, while unworthy attempts have been made in Europe to re- present these versions as spurious and contemptible, such a triumphant body of evidence was preparing in their favour on the spot where opinions are of so much greater value. The new College, founded by the exertions of our Serampore brethren, is advancing towards completion. The last Annual Examination of the students is said to have been truly gratifying; and no less than ten Brahmins were, at the date of the last accounts, availing themselves of the advantages it affords for the acquisition of scientific knowledge. Mr. John Marshman, who has very recently left this country for India, was accompanied by Mr. Albrecht, from the Missionary Institution at Basle, whom he has engaged as Classical Professor for the College. At Calcutta, amidst numerous impediments from person- al affliction, the cause of Divive truth seems to have made a steady progress, though by no means equal to the desires C 18 of our friends who are engaged in promoting it. The various services in English and Bengalee have been re- gularly maintained in the respective places of worship in and around this populous city ; and an important change is mentioned as having taken place in the general demeanour of those who attend. Much of that noisy and unbecoming clamour which formerly prevailed in their religious assem- blies, has now subsided, and the force of truth appears to be more sensibly felt, though few, comparatively seem inclined to follow its dictates. Some pleasing instances, however, of converting grace have tended to cheer the hearts of our brethren at this important station, and to animate their hope. Ten or twelve persons have been added to the church, among them was a Brahmin of that superior order, called Koolin, whose profession of Chris- tunity excited great astonishment among his countrymen, as it was so evidently opposed to his temporal into tt BtS, — and an aged Catholic named Gomesh, who, at the eleventh hour, appears to have been reclaimed from ignorance and sin by the instrumentality of Paunchoo, one of the Hindoo evangelists. This circumstance seems to have afforded our Missionaries peculiar delight. " It was indeed an interest- ing sight," they justly remark, "to see a Hindoo instruct- ing one who always called himself a Christian." An additional testimony is borne, in the correspondence of this year, to the benefits resulting from the Benevolent Institution, and other schools established in connexion with the Mission in Calcutta. Indications of hopeful seriousness are observed in many of the pupils; and om- win. dud a few months since, is said to have given undoubted evidence of his real conversion to God. The progress of female schools has been in some measure retarded by the serious illness of Mr. Pearcc and his sister, both of whom were compelled, on this account, to leave Calcutta on a voyage f«>r several months; but as this expedient has proved, un- der a Divine blessing eminently beneficial, and they have returned thither with greatly improved health, we may ex- peet ere long to receive further information on this subject. 19 The station at Howrah, a populous village on the oppo- site side of the river from Calcutta, appears to grow in im- portance, and to be highly adapted for usefulness. Since Mr. Statham was fixed there, a chapel has been built, at an expense of 10,000 rupees, defrayed by subscriptions on the spot, and which is well attended. A school has been formed, in which sixty boys are instructed,— tracts are distributed in great numbers, and carried to different parts of the country,— and it is designed to erect another place of worship, more expressly for the natives, by the side of the high road, along which, great numbers are continually passing. In proceeding to mention the station at Digah, we have to notice another of those affecting dispensations, by which we are called to bow in humble submission to the Divine will. Mr. Rowe, who has long resided there, was removed by death, on the 11th of October last, after a short illness, attributed to a cold taken in returning at night from a neighbouring village, where he had been preaching. Thus has the Society been suddenly deprived of an able and diligent coadjutor, who had for twenty years been actively engaged in promoting its object in India. He has left a family of six children, besides his disconsolate widow, to mourn his loss. Mrs. Rowe has been eminently useful in the school department at Digah, and it is hoped that cir- cumstances will allow her to remain there, and proceed with her exertions in that much needed work. From Monghyr our information has been but scanty, but it continues to wear the same pleasing character as before. Several additions, both European and native, have been made to the church, and the schools, of which there are four for boys, and two for girls, continue to prosper. Mrs. Chamberlain had heard with great satisfaction of the appointment of Mr. Leslie to fill the vacancy occasioned by the decease of her valuable husband ; and we trust that ere now he has safely arrived there. The memoir of Mr. Chamberlain, compiled by Mr. Yates, may shortly be expected to appear in this country. 'JO The prospect of usefulness at C/iittagong seems to be confined for the most part to the Schools, which contain one hundred and thirty pupils under the care of Mr. Jo- hannes. These are collected on the Sabbath, together with many of the parents, for direct religious instruction ; and there is reason to hope that, in a few instances, the truths so communicated have found their way to the heart. The large church in the neighbourhood of this distant station, composed of converts of the Mug nation, is now supplied by Mr. Fink, who went thither from Calcutta. It consists of one hundred and thirty members, residing in four or five villages, and enjoys the labours of six native Itinerants, who act in connexion with Mr. Fink, and of whose piety and diligence he speaks highly. These brethren have to sustain considerable opposition. One chieftain in particular is mentioned, w ho is so hostile to the new religion that he will neither sulfer Mr. Fink to enter his petty domain, nor allow his people to leave it for the sake of hearing him. Still, the manner in which the cause has hitherto been maintained in this remote corner, affords encouragement to expect that it shall not only survive this opposition, but pass beyond this district into the populous Binuan Empire, which it immediately adjoins. The mention of Birmah leads us to notice, before we proceed to the stations in the various Asiatic islands, that tin prospects of the American Baptist Missionaries in that empire continue favourable. In consequence of the medical skill of Dr. Price, the emperor has treated both him and Mr. Judsou with considerable respect, and on the arrival of Mrs. Judson, w hich has probably taken place long ere now. it was expected that the principal seat of the Mission would be transferred from Kangoon to Ava, the capital of the empire, which is said to contain 700.000 inhabitants. INSULAR STATIONS. At Colombo, the various labours of Mr. (.'hater are continued w ith unremitting assiduity, and a f< w among his hearers afford reason for hope that they have not attended 21 the Gospel in vain. No additions, however, have recently been made to the little church under his care ; on the con- trary, he has been called to the painful duty of separating two persons from its communion, on account of conduct inconsistent with their profession. Under these discourage- ments, it has been peculiarly gratifying to Mr. Chater, that in the course of the last year, he and his associates in that important work, have completed the translation of the whole Bible into the Cingalese-. After a strict examina- tion by intelligent natives, this translation has been highly approved; and it is now undergoing a careful revision, that in a second edition it may issue from the press in a form still more adapted for general circulation. Since his active engagements in this department have terminated, Mr. Chater has revised his Cingalese grammar. He has also published a tract in that language, and another in the Portuguese, which are well received by the natives, and will, we trust, contribute, in some degree, under the Divine blessing, to rouse them from that lamentable in- difference to religion which now so generally prevails. From the island of Java, we have no very encouraging details to communicate. Still, it must not be forgotten that one important measure has been effected, which alone would be an ample recompense for the exertions made by the Society in this quarter. We allude to the translation of the New Testament into the Javanese, happily completed by Mr. Bruckner, our laborious Missionary at Salatiga ; some portions of which, we have reason to believe, have ere now, been printed at the Lithographic press, forward- ed for that purpose to Bencoolen. In exertions to commu- nicate religious instruction, Mr. Bruckner has been in- stant in season, and out of season ; and he appears to be much respected by his Mahomedan neighbours, but has not yet perceived those higher results of his labours which would constitute their most gratifying recompense. Notwithstanding occasional interruptions from illness, our brethren at Bencoolen, Mr. Robinson and Mr. Nathaniel Ward, have been enabled to persevere in their important 22 work. The well known apathy of the Malay character, in connexion with the strong tendency of the Mahomedan superstition toeuslave the mind, and repel the first rays of intellectual and spiritual light, form indeed such obstacles as render the interposition of Divine power peculiarly re- quisite — among such a people it must be expected that the progress of truth will be extremely slow — but already some symptoms of improvement are perceived. A considerable number of New Testaments and tracts have been circulated, some to places at a considerable distance from Bencoolen; and the Schools which are conducted, as nearly as possible, on the British System, have become increasin«-lv efficient. A general examination of the pupils, held in presenc e of the Governor on the 1st of August last, was highly satis- factory, both to the Europeans and the natives. The person mentioned in our last Report as the subject of hopeful im- pressions has since been baptized ; and Mr. Robinson, urged by the general complaints respecting the present Malay version of the Scriptures, printed in Holland many years ago, has begun another Translation of the New Testament into that language. Small portions of this work have already been put to press; and as some detached parts of the Inspired Volume in the Battak tongue, from the pen of Mr. Burton, have also been received at Bencoolen, we may congratulate the friends of the Society that a com- mencement has been made at this settlement in printing three distinct versions of the word of God, two of them in languages never attempted before. Accounts lately received frmn Mr. Kvans, our Mission- ary at Padang, confirm the representations given in our lust Report, of the improvement in his prospects. Many of the peculiar difficulties with which he has had to con- tend have been surmounted, and a patient continuance in well-elding Iras recommended him to the respectful notice of the Dutch authorities of the settlement. The schools under his direction aftbrd him pleasure, and as some of the pupils belong to native families of distinction, he an- ticipates much benefit from their future inlhicnc. Va- •23 rious opportunities have occurred of circulating Tracts, Gospels, &c. in the Malay language, which he has gladly embraced, taking care at the same time to ascertain that the parties receiving them were able to read and compre- hend their meaning. One European has been baptized ; another wishes to follow his example ; and the learned native, by whom Mr. Evans has been instructed in the language, has discovered considerable anxiety to become acquainted with the truths of the Bible. As the disturb- ances which have long agitated the interior of the island are greatly diminished, Air. Evans proposes to take a short journey into the Menangkabow country, where he expects to find the Malay language in greater purity and copious- ness than on the coast, it may be hoped that such a journey will not only be a source of information respect- ing a numerous people, hitherto unknown to Europeans, but prove serviceable to the health of Mr. Evans, which has of late been occasionally interrupted. From Sebolga, the last of our stations in this quarter of the world, our information does not come down to a very recent date. The accounts which have reached us present an affecting picture of the moral debasement into which the native population has sunk, while the readiness with which in many instances, they listen to instruction, in- duces the hope that the time is approaching "when they shall be delivered from it. Mr. Burton has made con- siderable proficiency in acquiring the language, and has composed two or three Scripture tracts in it, which have excited much attention. As a specimen of the effect pro- duced on the mind of ignorant heathen by the pure and simple majesty of the word of God, we quote, from Mr. Burton's journal, the following incident, with which we conclude our notice of the station. " August 10, 1233. Took with me to the Dusun (or market) this after- noon, the commandments, which I have lately translated, intending to read them, and converse with the people about them. Meeting with the Rajah near the village, I desired him to accompany me to a shed close by, where were seated about twenty peisons. He complied, and they all 24 listened attentively whilst I read the commandments through. I then gave them to a Uattak man to read aloud, sinee I knew he would he bcttei un- derstood, reading with the native tone, which is peeidiar, and difficult to be acquired. They were much interested with them, and rcadilv entered into conversation about them. One was much struck with their purity, and said, that no Rajah, or even priest, ever issued such ftaljf and %ood commandments. From this, I told him, we inter their Divine origin; none but God bu a katrt to give such. This they said was quite certain. Another remarked, that no one kept all these commandments— whether English, or Main, or Ratiak, young or old, priest.* or common people. From this, I said, we learnt the ■ ■i' i htm I depravity of hum, in nature, 4 All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,' to which they agreed. Another objected, that these commandments, pariiculaily the fourth, were such as no pour man could keep. I told them that they had already re- BOrked that then holy nolwt proved that (ind had ^iven them, and we ■Oft be sure the commandments he gave to all men were such as would be tor the ical happiness of all men, of every condition, to comply with; and I farther endeavoured to shew (hem, that the fourth commandment was peculiarly replete with mercy to the poor; which seemed fully to »atUfy them. One of them observed, that this was evidently the way whieh God had maiked out for all men to walk in, but great and wicked men had made others to suit thomot Ives, and then enticed all others after them; like as he had originally given a straight course to yonder rivulet, but men turned it in what direction they pleased (meaning in the rice fields'. The Rajah, after enumerating the connnat.ilnients, exclaimed, Well, but if the white people, and Chinese, and Hindoos, and Aclnncsc, and Neas, and Battak people should, with one heart, adopt all these com- mandments, spears, swords, guns, would be of no farther use : we might throw them away, or make hoes of them!" WEST INDIES. In proceeding to detail the events which have transpired in connexion with our Wot Indian Mission durintr the past year, we feel it incumbent upon us devoutly to ac- knowledge that kind protecting care which has defended our .Missionaries in a season of peculiar anxiety and alarm, and allowed them to experience no matt-rial interruption in their useful labours. Every Christian, surely, will deeply n gret that in some of our Colonies, instances have lately occurred of a widely different nature, and will earnestly pray thai the period may soon arrive when the messengers of .salvation shall be welcomed toe\n\ shore, and find no impediment in fulfilling tin- hi-.h commands of Him who has directed them to preach the Gospel to every creature! 25 Of the remarkable blessing which has attended the la- bours of our Missionaries in Kingston, mention has been made in preceding Reports ; and it is gratifying to state that similar effects have been witnessed during the last year. Several hundreds have been added to the churches in that city, under the care of Mr. Coultart and Mr. Tinson ; although, for several months the former was un- avoidably absent, having been under the painful neces- sity of bringing Mrs. Coultart to England for the benefit of her health. The same caution in previously examining the Candidates for church fellowship continues to be exer- cised, and nothing has occurred to justify the apprehen- sion that this caution is less successful there, than in Britain. The free school flourishes under the care of Mr. Knibb; it contains one hundred and fifty children, and their general progress is very satisfactory. The number might be enlarged without difficulty, if means were found to erect or purchase a building sufficiently spacious. In addition to his regular services, Mr. Tinson, in compliance with a pressing request from the prisoners in the jail, and with the concurrence of the local authorities, has com- menced preaching there once on the Sabbath. At Port Royal, which is for the present supplied from Kingston, so many assemble to hear the word, that the Chapel will scarcely contain them. Continued ill health on the part of Mr. Godden, and the domestic bereavement sustained by Mr. Tripp, have com- pelled them to return to this country. To supply these vacancies, other Missionaries have been sent — Mr.Phillipo to Spanish Toicn, and Mr. Burchell to Montego Bay. The former could not immediately obtain a license, but we have reason to hope that ere now this impediment is re- moved, and that he has begun to exercise his ministry there. Mr. Burchell was very courteously received by some of the principal inhabitants in the part of the island to which he was sent, and has commenced his public la- bours with very encouraging prospects. He will probably reside at Montego Bay, and divide his services between D Jo that populous town and Flamstead, the station formerly occupu 'I by M r. Tripp. Mr. Ebenezer Phillips, who sailed for Jamaica with Mr. Phdippo, remained for some time at Kingston, during the temporary absence of Mr. Coultart. IK has since pro- ceeded to Ann/fa Ha//, on the north side of the Island, where a Missionary has long been much desired, and the sphere of usefulness is very extensive "and promising. The communications received from Mr. Bourne, who occupies the station at Belize, in the bay of Honduras, are <>f a favourable nature. He is actively employed, both on the Sabbath and at other seasons, in publishing the word of life. The congregation is good, and at the date of his last letter, four persons were candidates for baptism, and several others gave him pleasure by the attention and seriousness of their deportment. He superintends a considerable Sunday- School, and speaks with much satisfaction of the proficiency made by the children. Land has Lately been purchased, on advantageous terms, for the erection of a more commodious place if worship; towards which, it is probable, that con- siderable aid will be furnished on the spot. An opportunity oc» in i in- uni months since, of visiting part of the Spanish territory to the south of Honduras, Mr. Bourne embrace d it, and was much affected by a transient survey of their moral and spiritual condition. Tracts in the Spanish lan- guage Were received with avidity; and Mr. Bourne was every where treated with kindness and respect. How earnestly is it to be wished, that these fine and extensive countries, loiej, the seat of Popery in its lowest and most degraded form, mi^hl be blessed with the diffusion of that sacred light, which shall nude them in the road to happi- ness and God. Principally through the kindness of a generous friend, Mr. I)t ak. in, of Birmingham, w hose liherahl \ w e ha \ « often had occasion to acknow led^e, tin Committee have been enabled to accomplish anew object, bv commencing a station among the Indians on the Moscpiito shore. W ith this view , Mr. John Fleming has lately sailed for Honduras, 27 where he will have the advantage of consulting Mr. Bourne ; and, perhaps, of being accompanied by him to the place of his destination, about four hundred miles to the southward. The natives of this district have always shewn parti- cular attachment to the English, and have lately been very desirous that instructors should come and reside among them. The Committee are happy to record, in connexion with this part of their narrative, the obligations conferred upon them by the liberality of Messrs. Angas and Co., who, in addition to former acts of similar kindness, afforded a gratuitous passage to Mr. and Mrs. Fleming, and their infant child, and also to Messrs. Phillips and Philippo and their wives for Jamaica— an arrangement by which very considerable expense has been saved to the Society. Information lately received from their highly esteemed friend and coadjutor, the Rev. W. H. Angas, has led the Committee to anticipate the probability of extending their operations to a sphere, far distant from any they have hitherto occupied. It appears that a pious individual, of the name of Schlatter, a native of Switzerland, professing the sentiment by which our Society is distinguished, and animated by glowing and disinterested zeal for the conver- sion of the heathen, has left his native country, and gone to reside, in a very inferior capacity, among the Nogay Tartars, with a view to impart unto them the Gospel of God. On receiving this interesting communication, the Committee immediately requested that a correspondence may be opened with Mr. Schlatter, tendering him en- couragement and aid in his noble undertaking. The re- sult of this proposal- we hope soon to be able to publish through the usual channel. In relating the domestic proceedings of the year, the first particular claiming our attention is the number of individuals who have been sent out to foreign stations, and which has this year been greater than usual. Besides the 28 return of Mr. Coultart to Jamaica, ten individuals have sailed to their respective destinations, to enter upon the arduous labours of a Missionary life: — Mr. and Mrs. Leslie lor Monghyr — Messrs. Phillips, Philippo, and Burchell, with their wives, for Jamaica ; and Mr. and Mrs. Fleming for the Mosquito shore. Mr. James Thomas, student in the Academy at Bradford, under the care of Dr. Steadman, is the only candidate remaining at present under the patronage of the Society ; but some addition, it is expected, will soon be made to the number. It will be perceived by the Cash Account submitted to the Meeting, that the receipts of the Society have not been quite equal to those of the year preceding ; and it was an- ticipated that such a result might follow the generous and successf ul effort then made to remove the debt incurred by the Society. But the Committee will not allow themselves for a moment to imagine, that the Mission has reached the extent^pf its income, or that they shall be constrained to circumscribe their exertions within the limits which now confine them. The same reasons which prompted the for- mation of the Society, exist in all their force to the present day; or rather they have become more powerful with each n \ ol\ ni j year. More light has be* n throw D <>n tin gloomy and polluted recesses of the heathen world — the forms of misery and of wretchedness which people them are more distinctly discerned — and experience now points to many a cheering instance, that the Gospel which it is equally our privilege and our duty to impart, is adapted to penetrate those dark recesses, to scatter the deadly contagion which infects them, and to bestow peace and purity and joy on th< ii Benighted inhabitants. \<»r must it be forgotten that our earlier labourers are fast retiring from the scene of tod — that several stations have long demanded a reinforcement of Missionary strength — and that new scenes of promising \ appearance are continually inviting our occupation. To e«Mi>i> forcible; but because tlu \ arc anxious not to trespass too lout: upon your attention, and because repeated opportunities have already Ix en taken of avowing their sentiment* on these paiticulais. Tho>e must have 31 very feeble conceptions indeed of the real nature of Missionary operations — of the relation they bear to the glory of God, and the eternal welfare of man — who can regard them with indifference, or yield them merely a cold and languid support. Nor would it betray less of mental blindness to admit the supposition for a moment, that plans the most judicious, and agency the most appropriate and powerful, will effect the conversion of a single heathen to the faith of Christ, without the subduing and transforming influence of the Spirit of God. White, therefore, we rejoice in being permitted to consecrate our time, our pro- perty, or our personal efforts to this glorious cause, let us never cease to feel that our dependance must be placed on God alone; rejoicing that in order to animate and encourage those who look for his appearing, he has condescended to interpose with an oath : # " As truly As I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord." * IjjEGiTtvijzv 6pKo), Heb. vi. 17. / Dr. The "Baptist Missiottari/ >S\>ri< /// \min £. f. J. Disbursements for Missionary Stations, &c. Serampore on account of Translations 1408 12 2 for Missionary Stations . . 1000 2408 12 2 Calcutta, & other Stations on the Continentof India 2541 10 4 Ceylon 607 10 SniATitA 1243 14 5 Java 392 4 9 Jamaica, (including the Outfit of lhre< Missionaries, and their Wives.) 170G 15 3 Honduras 90 1 4 Mosquito Shc-BE 148 3 11 New Brunswic k, to aid the Rev. It. Scott, in his exertions among the Indians 50 Widows and Orphans of Missionaries 332 10 Board and Education of Students 315 10 1 Books for Missionaries and Students 192 16 3 Paper, Printing, and Stationery 419 7 Freight, Insurance, &c 93 4 9 Carriage, Postage, and Porterage % 88 I 9 Salaries and Poundage 416 11 Rent, Taxes, and House Expenses 117 9 Joumies, and Incidental Expenses 443 13 4 Expenses of Auxiliary Societies 229 15 11 Balance of Interest 1 8 5 Balance in favour of the Society 1771 8 £. 13610 13 8 Shaw, Esq. Treasurer) per Conlra. Cr. £. s. d. By Balance of Last Year's Account 1457 7 6 Receipts for the Missions, viz. Balance of Conditional Subscriptions to June26,1823,peraccount 33 18 9 Amount received since . . . 748 6 2 782 4 11 Subscriptions and Donations 8450 4 10 Legacies . . 391 14 2 Publications 113 14 10 9737 18 9 Receipts for the Translations, Subscriptions and Donations 1391 8 11 Receipts for Female Education, Subscriptions and Donations 765 12 6 Receipts for the Native Schools, Subscriptions and Donations 258 6 £.13610 13 8 Examined ike foregoing Accounts, and find them correct, leaving a Balance in favour of the Society of £\77\. Ss. (>(/. WILLIAM BED DOME, ) JOSEPH HANSON, i Auditors. JOHN DANFOKD, ) June 'I J, 18-2 J.