LIBRARY OF THE Theological Seminary, PRINCETON, N. J. BV 3427 .D93 D38 1846 Davies, Evan, 1805-1864. Memoir of the Rev. Samuel Dyer MEMOIR REV. SAMUEL DYEE, MEMOIR REY. SAMUEL DYER. SIXTEKN YEARS MlSvi< * But indeed I know not how to steal an hour, or which to steal ; so I shall not be a very wise man at this rate, should I live till seventy. However, this is not my chief complaint. If I were a holy man, a child of a filial and affectionate disposition towards our heavenly Father, I do not think the want of learning would much distress me, when I think my Master's work calls for every moment of my time." ^ :)c ^ The month after this, (January 1828,) he reports, *' On Sunday last I preached two sermons in Chinese. My congregations were small, but very encouraging. In the morning, at half-past nine, I had six hearers, and in the afternoon, at four, five hearers. I hope these ser- vices will be regular every sabbath, and will eventually increase in numbers." After this he proceeds to describe the apathy of the people ; a subject to which painful references will have to be made in the course of these Memoirs frequently again. The follow ing extracts must 70 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. be added to those already quoted, that we may be the better able to appreciate the amount of his labours, and the spirit in which he discharged the duties that pressed in crowds upon him, and must press on every missionary, especially when alone in bearing his burden. *' AVe have been at Penang one year on the 8th of next month ; and never for one moment have we been permitted to regret our external circumstances. The language has engaged our main attention, and I am astonished at its difficulties ; for although we had peculiar advantages and could soon make ourselves understood by a few, whose dialect comes nearer to the INIandarin, the tnass of the people are Fuh-keen, and so diverse is the spoken language of some of the provinces of China, that a Canton man, for instance, is a barbarian to a Fuh- keen man, unless they know each other's dialect. The Fuh-keen has already cost me much labour and toil ; and it is likely to cost me still more. * * -i« ^ As yet, I have not been able to do much in the way of verbal communication to the Fuh-keen people, but am exceedingly anxious that a new year may mtness new exertions, especially in regard to preaching. The He- brew, Greek, Latin, and French," (languages which he understood very accurately,) '' all appear to me to bear no comparison in point of difficulty with the Chinese ; and what is very painful, when I am pretty well ac- quainted with the Fuh-keen, the Macao and Canton people will understand little or nothing of what I say. If native teachers are wanting anywhere, they are among this people ; for by the time a man is fitted for his work his constitution is impaired, and he must soon LABOURS. 71 depart hence and be no more." Again, in another letter, soon after this, to his honoured father, he writes : " You ask concerning my abihty to make my message understood by the heathen. The farther I proceed in the language, the more difficult it appears to me. I am astonished at its difficulties. Though the grace of God has been given to us to persevere to this day, I am glad I did not know the difficulties before they were half encountered, otherwise I might not have had courage to grapple with them. However, I can understand the Hok-keen people, and they me ; and many have heard my message. But they listen to me with much in- difference. Thousands of simple and important tracts also have been distributed, many read ; but as yet, not an individual puts the question of the jailor. The inefficiency of my labours makes me feel my impo- tence ; but there is no restraint unto the Lord to save by many or by few. * « * h« * Some have occasionally excited hope ; but in the end I have always found them actuated by interested motives. And one who for a time came to me tw^ce on the sabbath-day, now works again on that holy day." Such extracts as the above might be copiously made from letters before me ; but lest the reader should be wearied by sameness and prolixity, we will desist from any further quotations here. The Language, of course, as we have seen, was the first object of his attention. On the advantages he had enjoyed in England he always set a high value. *' Oh ! the immense advan- tage we have had in our native country in leaniing so much of the language there ! Let all missionaries learn /Z MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. as much as they can of the language m England," was a recommendation he never ceased to urge. Even to this day some diversity of opinion prevails as to the ease or difficulty with which the Chinese language can be acquired. Some, dramng their conclusions from individuals endowed with extraordinaiy powers of ac- quisition, have formed the opinion that there is no peculiar difficulty to be encountered : some, on the other hand, looking at a period when there were few or no facilities for the undertaking, have magnified the difficulties beyond all due bounds. Both extremes may become sources of serious mischief in missionary circles. In the one case, young men of first promise as a whole, of adequate talent, of well-regulated judgment, and of devoted piety, may be deterred from consecrating themselves to the great work to be — if the church is but faithful to the design of her Lord and to the prin- ciples on which she is constituted — now carried on in China. To such a result it is hoped these pages -will have no tendency. In the other case, the opposite mischief may ensue. The following observations on this subject cannot, it is presumed, but prove interesting as matters of information, while they at the same time set before the reader the labours which Samuel Dyer so successfully prosecuted. The language, or rather languages of China differ from all those yet known to the nations of the west in almost every point in which languages can differ from one another. That which is spoken is not, and on their system cannot be, written : and that which is written has no alphabet, nor yet anything approaching LABOURS. 73 in the remotest degree to the alphabetic system. In order therefore to communicate oral and written in- structions to the Chinese two languages have to be acquired, each possessing difficulties of a very jiecidiar character. This Mr. Dyer always felt. He could speak other dialects, but the Hok-keen was that in which he was most at home. The ability to speak he acquired to such a degree of perfection as to astonish all who , could at all appreciate the difficulties of the acquisition, or comprehend the amount of application and labour necessary to give the ease and accuracy with which he communicated his thoughts on any subject to which his attention was directed. A correct ear is, to an adult, at least, indispensable to learn the language with any- thing like ease, and to give full eifect to its intonations : a tenacious memory is no less indispensable a pre-requi- site : and a power of application, beyond what is required by any other language yet known to Euro- peans, must be added to every desirable or necessary endowment besides, otherwise success will prove both slow and remote. To give the reader some slight conception of the peculiarities and intricacies of this singular tongue, I will abridge into as short a compass as I can, the statements of Mr. Dyer himself, in a manuscript Essay in my possession, which, for my present pur- pose, I prefer to the more elaborate Essay published by him at Malacca.* The whole number of enunciated * "A Vocabulary of the Hok-keen dialect, as spoken in the country of Tsheang-Tsheu. To which is prefixed a Treatise on the Hok-keen Tones. Printed at the Anglo-Chinese Press. 1838. (Price one Spanish dollar.)" Of this pamphlet there was a subsequent enlarged and improved edition ; /4 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. sounds in the Hok-keen are resolved by the Chinese themselves into fifteen initials and fifty finals. Any particular sound, therefore, they divide into its initial and final : thus, for instance, the enunciated sound that might be represented by the follo^dng combination of characters, " Kim," would be resolved into the initial "K," and into the final "im"=''Kim." As any of . the fifteen may combine with any of the fifty, we have, by multiplying fifteen by fifty, seven hundred and fifty distinct enunciated sounds to form the basis of the entire language. Each of these is again varied by eight tones. Two of these tones, however, happen to be pre- cisely alike, so that 7 times 750=5,250, will give all the possible variations of sounds in the whole language. The actual number in use does not by any means amount to so large a sum. The language, as far as pronunciation is concerned, is monosyllabic, though in point of sense there are many characters which stand related to other characters, \\ith which they are in juxta-position, much in the same way as our inseparable particles — dis, un, con, &c., do to the words with which they are united. Some might be disposed to compare our language on the above principle with the Hok-keen but I have been unable to obtain a copy of it. It exhibits all the talent, accuracy, and ingenuity of the author. The curious reader may find, also, much information on this and cognate subjects in the Preface to Mr. Med- hurst's Hok-keen Dictionary. This is upon the whole, a most valuable work. Should there ever be a call for a second edition its laborious author will be able to correct and improve it altogether. The subject of Chinese Lexico- graphy has secured the attention but of few scholars. Still, considering the circumstances of the case, the Dictionaries already in existence have a sur- prising degree of merit. Dr. Morrison's deservedly stands at their head : not only because of its extent, but on account of every good quality that should distinguish a Lexicon. LABOURS. dialect of the Chinese, and say that, taking our alpha- bet as they stand, amounting to twenty-six, the initial sound of every word therefore must be one of that number, which when multiplied into itself would give 676 as the enunciated sounds in our language. That would be correct, if our language was monosyllabic; but as on the contrary it is highly polysyllabic, and as their initial sounds are only fifteen, whatever advan- tage their larger number of finals might appear to afford them, it will be obvious that our own language exceeds theirs to almost an inconceivable degree in distinct and diversified enunciations. In whatever to7ie, moreover, we may utter our words, our language is a practical medium of communication. Not so the Hok-keen : correct intonation is essential to intelligibility. Hence to one who does not understand the Chinese, it appears to consist of but few words ; and a continued discourse appears to be but the monotonous repetition of this contracted number. This combination of defectiveness with delicate refinement is a machhiery that requires a correct ear at least to work it at all. From the above brief statement, the reader will be able to apprehend something of the difficulties attending fluent and effective speaking in a language thus constructed, when that is acquired in adult age. Of this Mr. Dyer was a perfect master — a mastery which the Chinese themselves never failed to extol. These observations on the character, pecuharities, and defects of the language, might be extended to a volume ; but I must only add one more. In no language does the ability to speak it involve the abihty to read or write it ; but in the Chinese these processes are less 76 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. connected than they are in any other, and the reciprocal assistance which the one process affords to the other is therefore much less. This fact augments in no incon- siderable degree the labours of the missionary to the Chinese. Mr. Dyer was as accurately acquainted with the written language of that empire as he was with the spoken language of the province of Hok-keen. In conse- quence of other labours, however, to which a prominent place is yet to be assigned in this volume, his reading in Chinese authors was not so extensive as it would have been had he chosen to confine himself to their ponderous and multifarious literature, and so qualified himself for his work. The philological acquirements of Mr. Dyer in every language he had studied were distinguished by their accuracy. So they were in this. The sacred languages he had studied with care, diligence, and success. But as we shall have occasion to refer to these topics hereafter, we must dismiss them now with the single observation, that when he felt himself prepared to expatiate with ease on the great doctrines of the cross, he was of opinion he was justified in devoting the time in which the people were employed in their daily avocations to other engage- ments than the study of their classics and literature — engagements, nevertheless, most intimately connected with the advancement of the great work to which he had devoted his undivided energies. Still he never omitted entirely the study of the language ; and as his arrangement in every department of his work was always complete, in this as well as in every other, he treasured up every tittle in the shape of idiom or expression in its appropriate place which could by any possibility aid him in revising the LABOURS. 77 Scriptures, and in the composition of Christian books for the use of the people among whom he laboured. In this department of his work, if it should prove to be God's will, he hoped to spend many years of his consecrated life, and in the contemplation of this, his very soul exulted in the liveliest strains of satisfaction and joy. Among these labours Schools and Punch-cutting hold the most prominent place. The attention he bestowed on the establishment of schools from the commencement, and the efforts he put forth both to supermtend them so as to secure their efficiency, and to improve them, were most unremitting, and, like everything he did, most praiseworthy. He tried with much patience and assiduity to adapt the Lan- casterian to the Chinese plan ; and for a time the trial, while worked under his personal superintendence, proved successful and satisfactory. From the extreme difficulty of securing the co-operation of the masters, he was reluctantly obliged to adopt their own system as to the manner of carrying on the routine duties of the schools. Although they were not as efficient as he could have wished, because in a great measure of their invete- rate attachment to old plans, — and that feeling cannot exist in a stronger form than it does in the Chinese mind, — yet they answered many important pui*poses. Many of the truths of Christianity were taught, both by reading the books used in these schools, and during the visits of the missionary ; especially on the sabbath, when he delivered a short and plain address on some Scripture doctrine or duty to the teacher and children in each school-room. And sometimes a few of the neighbours /O MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. would join the master and his charge in Ustening to these addresses. The schools, therefore, formed a link of connection between the missionaiy and the people ; and to multiply the points of contact is a matter of the high- est importance. On this ground the Medical department of the mission to China has high value. Either Mrs. Dyer or himself visited these schools daily, to supply their wants and to see that the children were collected and the masters were at their posts. The establishment oi Female schools cost both Mr. and Mrs. Dyer much anxiety and no small amount of labour. Their success was as fall as could be expected under tlie circumstances in which they originated. It was new as a missionary effort, at Penang at least, if not in the Chinese mission. There was therefore no experience, the result of past success or failure, by which they could profit. And besides, it was breaking in upon Chinese habits and notions : they teach their daughters embroidery and needlework, but letters are supposed by the mass of the people to be beyond and beside the pro-vince of the female. Still for the sake of the former they submitted to the latter. This inroad on the settled notions of the people themselves, wliich at the same time was a Jirst trial of the kind in that part of the mission field, would call forth much thought, fervent and frequent prayer as well as much exertion, and that often repeated. Whatever ingenuity, piety, and perseverance could accomplish was attempted by Mr. Dyer. The result was sometimes partial success and then failure. Such it was to be anticipated would be the case. And the subject of female schools will LABOURS. /y continue to be a topic of much anxiety to all missionaries to the Chinese for years to come. There are many cir- cumstances that render efficiency a most difficult attain- ment in the working of these institutions. Mr. and Mrs. Dyer felt all this. Both attached, justly, great, very great importance to female schools. Partial success when followed by a disappointment of former andfondly- dierished hopes, enables us to understand very fully the cast and tone of the following communication to the Directors : — "■ Another six months have closed upon us, and the termination of them calls for another epistle from me on the subject of the Chinese mission at Penang. It will cause you pain, as it does me, that no fruit has yet appeared in this barren wilderness ; and sometimes I am afraid that you, and our friends the Directors, should be discouraged. Peradventure, in my case, you may be disposed to lay the blame on me — that there must be some serious defect either in the closet, or in the spirit of carrying on the work ; and far be it from me to seek to justify myself on this matter. I keenly feel my utter insignificance, and am ready to acknowledge that I am but as dust and ashes. Many a time have I felt the force of what our Saviour has said : * Without me ye can do nothing ;' and my own mind is deeply convinced that nothing but the grace of God can help us in, and bear us through our work. You will not suppose ti § 2, in Schleusner's Gr. Lex. N. T., I find I have inserted the native word correspond- ing to * heal-cleanse,' with this reference, ft 1.11 : probably the same word may suit in the other places given under this paragraph."^ And when I come to translate Mark i. 40, and meeting with the word KaBapiaai, this word is sought for in Schleusner, and an apt trans- lation of it into the native language is given in the margin, without further trouble : and the authority quot- ed, to afford opportunity of re-examination if need be. " The only serious objection that any one has yet made to the plan, is this, that it takes up time ; but none need adopt the plan any further than they find it practically useful. I conceive the consumption of time is amply repaid ; especially if a native be employed as much as possible in the native portion of the labour. "If references to European authors are intended for the pubHc, they should be made to suit any edition of the works quoted : and the edition used should be specified. " " I am far from tliinking that Schleusner places in the same paragraph Iquotations jalways bearing the same meaning.' LABOURS. 131 " In conclusion : it should be carefully distinguished, when to use the interleaAang plan, and when the other. If memoranda are likely to be collected ad infinitum, the latter is the preferable plan ; if the references be limited, or intimately connected with the lexicons, the mar- gins, or blank leaves may suffice ; and be more convenient." The following paper is not less characteristic of Mr. Dyer than the preceding. It may make a larger demand on those sentiments and feelings with which many, at least, peruse the memoirs of departed worth. If biographies are intended to exhibit labours, habits, and tastes, as well as developed principles, and so to delinea^ e character, it would be injustice to Mr. Dyer to withhold this comprehensive, cautious, and candid document out of any dehcacy lest our accustomed usages in the com- pilation of memoirs should be violated. It was inserted in the Chinese Repository a few years since, and titled, "An Estimate of the proportionate expense of X3dogra- phy, p.e. wooden block-printing,] Lithography, p. e. stone printing,] and Typography, \i.e. metallic type printing,] as applied to Chinese printing ; View of the Advantages and Disadvantages of each. "In. order to judge of the proportionate cost of the different modes, we must calculate the cost of printing a given amomit of books, say 2000 copies of the Chi- nese Bible. The modes of printing, which at the present time deserve particular attention, are these three — vi?. first, xylography ; second, lithography ; and third, typo- graphy. We shall consider the expenses of each of these k2 132 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. modes, and then notice some of their advantages and disadvantages. ' ^ I , By Block prin ting . £ s. d. The expense of the passage of nine workmen to and from China, at 20 doll, per trip, is 360 doll., or . Of 2000 blocks, at 5 doll, per hundred, is 100 doll., or Tools, gravers, &c. 10 Transcribing 2689 pages, at 9c?. per page. Cutting 1,161,648 characters, at Is. 3(/. per cent Printing and binding 5,378,000 pages, at Is. %d. per thousand Of 209i peculs of paper, at £2 10s. per pecul . 72 20 10 100 16 9 726 8 448 3 4 523 15 £1900 15 9 " The octavo edition of the Bible contains 352 charac- ters on each page, to which must also be added for the stops, marks, verses, and border, 80 characters more, making 432 characters per page ; which for 2689 pages, is 1,161,648. '' The above is the charge at Malacca, according to Mr. Kidd, who says that 3250 characters can be cut for £2 sterling ; and agreeable to Mr. Hughes' statement, in the British and Foreign Bible Society's report for 1833, that 100 copies of the Scriptures can be taken from the blocks for 105 doll. This is also the rate at which such work has been done at Batavia. But in China itself, the work can be done much cheaper, as may be seen in the Evangelical Magazine for August, 1826, where it is stated that the Chinese New Testament, containing 227,300 characters, was cut in Chinafor 500 doll., — which is at the rate of \\d. per hundred characters ; while the LABOURS. 133 transcribing of the same is said to have cost 50 doll,, or 4^0?. per page. The passage of the tjrpe-cutters would also have been saved, and the paper and blocks might have been procured cheaper, — say, j62 5*. for the former, and 4 dolls, for the latter ; which altogether would make a saving of 56365 195. The time occupied in the above undertaking, by nine type-cutters and five printers, would be somewhere about three years. "II. 'Qj Lithography. £ s. d. For two lithographic presses, with stones . . . 100 Materials, repairs, &c. ... . . 100 Transcribing 2689 pages twice over, at 9c?. per page 201 13 6 Printing 5,378,000 pages, at Is. per thousand . . 268 18 Folding, collating, stitching, and cutting the above, at 3c?. per thousand 67 4 6 Paper, the same as in the first statement . . 523 15 £n261 11 "The folding, cutting, &c., costs much less when the sheets come from a lithographic or typographic press, than when the same w^ork is done by block printing. For in block printing, each sheet of two pages is printed separately, and folded in the middle ; thus the leaves present only one even side, and in collating cannot be arranged without carefully placing every separate leaf exactly over the other, which occupies much time ; whereas when printed in sheets and folded, two even sides are presented, and when collated a single knock on the table brings the whole to a level. The . 100 . 100 . 268 18 . 134 9 . 67 4 6 . 420 ^1498 11 6 134 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. time occupied in the above work by one transcriber, four pressmen, and one binder, would be two years. *' III. By Typography, £ s, d. 3000 punches can be furnished by Mr. Dyer, at Penang, at 68 cents each, which is 2040 dolls., or 408 iOOO lbs. weight of Chinese type can be furnished by the same, at 2s. per lb., which is One iron press, cases, furniture, &c. Composition, 2689 pages, at 2s. per page Printing 5,378,000 pages, at 6d. per thousand Folding, stitching, &c., at 3d. per thousand Paper, 168 peculs, at £2 10s. per pecul . " The types being somewhat smaller than those used in the octavo edition, less paper will be required. Mr. Gutzlaff proposes to procure matrices at 6d. apiece; but the steel for the punch and the copper for the matrix would nearly amount to that sum, so that there is perhaps some mistake in his calculation. The time required for the punch-cutting cannot be stated pre- cisely ; but for the printing it would be, for two com- positors, two pressmen, and one binder, one year. *' Thus the entire cost of each being reckoned, the balance will appear at first in favour of lithography for the first 2,000 copies of the Scriptures, but jiermanently in favour of typography. When these are struck oif, if executed by means of block printing, we possess a set of blocks adapted for printing the Scriptures alone, already much worn, and capable of yielding only five more editions ere they are completely spoiled. If the LABOURS. 13o work IS done by means of lithography, we possess, after its completion, two presses and materials for future operations. But if the work is performed by means of metal tyipes, when ifinished, we have a set of punches and matrices remaining, from which millions of types may be cast, sufficient to supply the whole world ; besides a complete fount of Chinese types, from which fifty more editions can be taken, and an iron press and furniture that will last for twenty years. Besides which, the recomposition and printing of every successive edi- tion from the metal types will not cost much more than the mere striking off the same quantity from the wooden blocks. **I. The SLdvantageshjxi/loffraphT/. — 1. The expense of starting such an establishment is much less than would be required for either lithography or typography. 2. An edition of 2,000 copies of the Scriptures may be printed at intervals, according to the demand for books, or the supply of paper. 3. The Scriptures, when once cut, remain always the same, without the need of cor- rection or of revision at every successive edition. 4. Much trouble is thereby saved to the superintendent, who has only to order so many copies to be printed, and it is done without his interference or anxiety. A mis- sionary just arrived in the country may give out the blocks of his predecessor, and commence printing im- mediately. 5. In travelling, a tract of a few blocks may be packed in a very small compass, and printed from at every successive stage. 6. The whole work may be performed by the Chinese themselves, without the aid of European machinery or workmen. 7. The 136 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. type-cutters may be brought under religious instruction while employed in preparing the blocks ; one has already been converted by this means, and is now an evangelist in China. This advantage, however, is not pecuhar to block-printing, though it is perhaps greater in this than in the other modes. "Disadvantages. — 1. The blocks, after an edition of 10,000 is struck oiF, are no longer capable of gi^^ing good impressions. 2. The blocks are liable to be de- stroyed by white ants ; and if the estabhshment be extensive they occupy much room. The octavo edition of the Scriptures, in 2,680 pages nearly, reckoning two pages for each block, would amount to 1,340 blocks, which, at twenty blocks per cubic foot, would occupy sixty-seven cubic feet. 3. If one block be lost or injured, the whole set is worthless, unless a type-cutter be at hand to supply the deficiency. 4. When once cut, the blocks are incapable of correction or im- provement without great expense, and spoihng the beauty of the page. 5. By means of block-printing, crude and ill-digested works are perpetuated ; and as it is easier to print from old blocks than to make new ones, the first productions of missionaries are still given forth, after twenty years' experience and know- ledge of the language should have enabled the labourers to produce something better. 6. Block-printing pro- duces too little variety in our productions, and the heathen in the vicinity get acquainted with our tracts before they are put into their hands, complaining of each that they have seen it before, and crying out for something new. 7. The type-cutters are generally a LABOURS. 137 troublesome set, and occasion a missionary much vex- ation in endeavouring to keep them in order. Besides which, being necessary to the estabhshment, their whims and caprices must frequently be borne with. 8. T^^e- cutters can be procured from China alone, and never leave their country without an express engagement ; this ren- ders us entirely dependent on China for supplies ; and should our agents in China be withdi-awn, or t}^e-cutters be strictly prohibited from leaving their native land, the work must come to a stand. 9. The expense of carrying on type-cutting after the materials are furnished, is more than double that of metal type printing. " II. The advantages by lithography. — 1. Small editions may be printed according to the demand for books, or the supply of paper. 2. Every successive edition is capable of iinprovement and alteration to any extent. 3. Hand-bills and small tracts for particular purposes may be got up and struck off at a very short notice ; for where a tract of six pages would employ a type-cutter a month before a single copy could be pro- cured, in lithography the whole could be completed in two or three days. 4. Small stations occupied by only one missionary, or sequestered parts, where there is not much demand for tracts, and which consequently cannot sustain the expense either of a xylographic or a typo- graphic establishment, might conveniently employ one lithographic press, which a single individual might manage. 5. Lithography is well adapted for printing alternately in various languages, for mixing different characters, or publishing books in a new character, for which no t>"pes have yet been formed ; further, a litho- 138 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER, graphic press is useful for graphic representations, for printing in the running hand of any language, or for producing bold and elegant forms of the character, so much esteemed among the natives of the east. A Japanese vocabulary and a Corean dictionary would not have appeared, had it not been for lithography. "Disadvantages. — 1. The slowness of execution, owing to the additional work required in lithographic printing, by wetting the stone every sheet, and cleaning it every ten. 2. The rapidity with which the stone spoils, requiring it to be re-transcribed and re-transferred every one or two thousand sheets, which in large editions of 10,000 occasions much loss. 3. The uncertainty attending lithographic printing, sometimes arising from the change of the atmosphere, sometimes from the de- fection in the material, and sometimes from the inatten- tion of the workmen. 4. The irregular appearance of a book printed by lithography, owing to some sheets ha%dng been printed better, and others worse. 5. The expense at the first outlay is greater than in block printing. "III. The advantages by typography. — 1. It is equally adapted to large and small editions, and for periodical as well as standard works. A few pages may be set up, and printed oif in a few days ; and the form once on the press, it may be worked for 1, or 100, or 100,000, as the case may require. 2. It is calculated to last long ; and if the metal be good, millions of tracts may be printed ere the types are worn out. 3. There is a great saving of time and expense, as compared with block and stone-printing ; and where the object is the illu- LABOURS. 139 inination of one-third of the human race, the faster we can work, and at the least cost, the better. 4. The prmting from metal types can be made to appear much more beautiful and more pleasing to a Chinese eye, than the printing by wooden blocks, as has been already proved in the large characters of Morrison's dictionary ; and we hope will still more clearly appear when Mr. Dyer has completed his fount. 5. In printing by metal types, we can be entirely independent of Chinese printers ; as any common Chinese scholar may compose the pages, and any Malay coolie may work the press. 6. In typo- graphy, the correcting of the press is extremely easy, and improvements may be made to any extent. 7. The first cost of metal types may be great, but they may be used for twenty years without stopping, and afterwards may be sold for old metal. 8. Another advantage of movable metal types is their being easily combined with European letters, in the printing of dictionaries &c. 9. The press employed for printing Chinese may be used at intervals for printing in any other language. 10. The space occupied by a set of Chinese types is not great, as nine characters will fit into a square inch, and one square foot will easily contain 1000 characters, in- cluding the sections between, which must be of plate tin : a pair of common printing cases occupies only nine square feet ; thus three or four pairs of common printing cases would contain 30,000 characters. Whereas the blocks of the Scriptures alone occupy 67 instead of 2 1 cubic feet. 11. The white ants cannot do the least injury to metal types, and nothing will destroy them but use or fire, and even then the metal is still saleable. 140 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. " Disadvantages. — 1. It is difficult to carry on a movable t}^e establishment without the aid of a Euro- pean printer, who would require as much salary as ten Chinese put together. This objection, however, would be obviated, did the missionary himself know but a little of the art of printing. 2. Though the fount may contain 3000 varieties, and amoimt to 30,000 characters, yet it is possible that unusual characters may occur in the course of printing, or more of one sort be required than have been calculated on, in which case the work must stop until the necessary characters be cut or cast for the purpose ; it may be observed, however, that the addi- tional characters being very few, may be easily cut on a piece of tin. 3. Printing from metal tj^es requires an expensive press. This press may, however, be used at intervals for printmg in other languages : thus the whole cost of the press ought not to be charged to Chinese typography alone ; besides which, almost every mis- sionary station already possesses such a press. 4. In case of our adopting metal types generally, what is to become of our wooden blocks, already cut and lying ready for use ? We' answer, print from them in the usual way, as long as they will last, and then let the Scriptures and tracts be improved in future editions at the letter-press. 5. Metal types being all of one size, will not do for the printing of commentaries, or even the insertion of a single note, unless two sets be pre- pared, one large and the other small. To which it may be rephed, that founts of small characters already exist at Malacca and in China, which might be used for notes, &c. LABOURS. 141 " Thus, upon a review of the whole, it will appear that printing Chinese by metal types is greatly preferable to every other method ; that it is highly desirable and ex- ceedingly practicable to procure such types. Mr. Dyer should therefore by all means be encouraged to persevere in the punch-cutting, for which ^6400 will be sufficient to complete a set of 3000 varieties ; that while the punch cutting is going on, the work of casting should proceed also, for which ^100 would be sufficient for the casting of each fount of 30,000 characters. "The Anglo- Chinese public are perfectly able to provide both these sums, and a subscription for that purpose ought to be immediately begun. Then, should Mr. Gutz- laflF require 2000 Bibles, and 10,000 tracts, they can be furnished in one year at half the cost of block-printing, and should the various missionary societies engaged in the evangelization of China require founts of Chinese metal types, or should government agents and literary^ institutions be desirous of possessing them, they will be able to procure them at 58 100 each fount. This is one of the grandest objects ever presented to the attention of a benevolent public, and if it be left undone for the want of a few hundred pounds, many thousands must be thrown away in the lapse of a few years to pro- cure the same quantity of work done by block-printing. China is now opening her doors ; her teeming millions are ready to receive the word of life ; and the lever that shall move this world is doubtless, mider God, metal-type printing."* * " We tender," observes the editor, " our best thanks to our correspondent for his remarks and statements concerning Chinese printing. The press is everywhere a powerful engine : but nowhere else does it seem destined to act on 142 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. The preceding papers show how fully Mr. Dyer con- templated substantial usefulness in all he did. His ingenuity was never expended in what was frivolous or unimportant. He had but one object in \dew — the evan- gelization of China. This was his magnetic pole. \^Tierever he was and whatever he did, China was con- templated by him as the great object for which he lived and laboured. The school operations at Malacca were the same in character with those at Penang. His punch-cutting and type-founding were only a continuation of what he had so successfully commenced at the latter place. His lite- rary labours were however somewhat increased. He proceeded with the revision of the sacred Scriptures with more vigour than at Penang. Reserving this topic to a future section of this Memoir, we must not omit here a reference to his papers on Chinese philology and criticism, in a monthly publication issued from the Malacca press duruig his residence there. These will such a mighty mass as in China. We shall soon refer to this topic again, and shall then, we doubt not, have good reports to make concerning the progress of metal types. Mr. Gutzlaff" s intention was (and is, we believe,) to procure matrices without the use of punches, by drilling instead of punching metal. We are apprehensive, however, that ' the Chinese have neither the genius in the head nor the power in the fingers,' to give complete success to this plan." [From the phrase "punching the metal," it is difficult to know what is meant, or what Mr. G.'s plan was. It would seem he intended " drilling," not the "metal," but the "matrix," for the former is never /jawc^ed but ca«^ If he contemplated drilling the matrix, his plan amounted to an impossibility : if he intended cutting the character by drilling, or any other process on the face of the metal, which indeed the note prevents us from supposing, his plan amounted to an absurdity. In either case it illustrates the manner in which our good friend Mr. G. has oUen jumped to a conclusion. Ed.] LABOURS. 143 show to every one capable of appreciating their excel- lence, that he had not spent his time in mere manual operations, but that he had been a diligent and successful student of Chinese. Indeed, there is hardly a paper in that periodical worth reading, but what is the production of his pen. It would be impossible to do justice to those admirable documents without transferring them entire into these pages, and that cannot be done \Adthout a large quantity of Chinese type : — and this fact sets the matter aside entirely. If it did not, most readers would ask, of what value to us are they ? And to the question a satisfactory answer could not be given, perhaps. But to the student of Chinese they would repay the trouble and time of a repeated perusal. Although we must omit transcribing that class of articles from the numbers, of the periodical referred to, yet the reader will be pleased with the following short article as a happy illus- tration of a method by which a subject — Biblical Criticism — considered dry and unprofitable, by many readers, may be rendered instructive and interesting. The subject is, "The kingdom of heaven," Matt, iii. 2. "The original Greek rendered literally is more pro- perly the kingdom of the heavens, followmg the Jewish phraseology [t^"}^^ n-IDy^ malcuth shmnayimJ] "I. Heaven in the Scriptures and the Jewish writings is used as equivalent to God. Thus, 'Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah, prayed, and cried to heaven," p*!^^*!? hash-shamayim,'] 2 Chron. xxxii. 20. Comp. 2 Kings xix. 14, 15, and Isa. xxxvi. 14, If). 144 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. And the wicked are said to set their mouth against the heavens, [k'^P^^? bash-shmnayim,'] Psa. Ixxiii. 9 ; while Daniel informs the proud king of Babylon, * thy king- dom shall be sure to thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens [S^pp shemaiya] do rule,' Dan. iv. 23.* So in the New Testament— ' The bap- tism of John, whence was it ? from heaven or of men ? And they reasoned among themselves, saying. If we shall say from heaven, he will say unto us, Whj then did ye not believe him?' Matt. xxi. 25, comp. Mark xi. 30, 31 ; and Luke xx. 4, 5. * Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,' Luke xv. 18 — 21. 'A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.'' Hence : — " II. The kingdom of heaven in Matthew, to whom it is peculiar, is the same as the kingdom of God in the other evangelists ; as will be evident from the variation of the word in the following passages : — " The kingdom of heaven is " The kingdom of God is at at hand, Matt. iv. 17. hand, Mark i. 16. " Blessed are the poor in spi- " Blessed be ye poor ; for rit ; for theirs is the kingdom yours is the kingdom of God, of heaven, chap. v. 3. Luke vi. 20. '■ He that is least in the king- " He that is least in the king- dom of heaven is greater than dom of God is greater than he, he, chap. xi. 11. chap, vii, 28. "Itis given imto you to know "Unto you it is given to the mysteries of the kingdom know the mysteries of the of heaven, chap. xii. 11. kingdom of Goc?, chap. viii. 10. " For of such is the kingdom " For of such is the kingdom of heaven, chap. xix. 14. of God, Mark x. 14. * In the English version, 26 verse. LABOURS. 145 "III. Both these expressions refer to the prophecies of Daniel, chap. ii. 44. *And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed ; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever:' and chap. vii. 13, 14; where, after the descrip- tion of the four earthly and tyrannical monarchies, and the destruction of them, it is added, * I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a king- dom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him ; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed;' which denote the beginning, and the spiritual nature of the reign of Christ, which was to subsist first in more imperfect circumstances on earth, but afterwards was to appear complete in the world of glory ; being universal in its extent, and eter- nal in its duration. Hence, "TV. The kingdom of heaven implies, " 1 . The manifestation of the Messiah. Thius in Matt. xii. 28, — * But if I cast out de^dls by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of heaven is come unto you ;' i. e., hence it is the manifestation of the Messiah. The Baptist, therefore, in the passage quoted at the head of this paper, by his preaching, would stir up the minds of his hearers to meet the coming of the L I IG MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. ^Messiah, who was shortly to be manifested, with suit- able repentance and preparation. "2. It more particularly signifies the state of the Messiah's spirifAial kingdom on earth ; or that gospel state and government of the church which he has set up ; with the benefits belonging to them who should, by faith in him, become the subjects of his kingdom, and submit to be governed by his laws : thus, ' Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom of God,' Mark i. 14 ; '^and spake unto them of the kingdom of God,' Luke ix. 1 1 ; sent his apostles ' to preach the kingdom of God,' Luke v. 2 ; and told the Jews, * The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof,' Matt. xxi. 43. 'But why,' says Dr. A. Clarke, ' is this called a kingdom ? Because it has its laws, all the moral precepts of the gospel ; its subjects, all who believe in Jesus Christ ; and its King, the SovereigTi of heaven and earth. N.B, Jesus Christ never saved a soul which he 6.\(\. not govern ; nor is Christ precious to any man who does not feel a spirit of subjection to the Divine will. But why is it called the kingdom of heaven ? Because God designed that his kingdom of grace here should resemble the kingdom of glory above. And hence our Lord teaches us to pray, — Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' ''3. It denotes ' the true knowledge of God, accom- panied with that worship which is pure and holy ;' or, in other words, the love, fear, and service of God, which are the characteristics of all his real subjects. LABOURS. 147 '*4. The kingdom of heaven, or of God, in the Scrip- tnres, unquestionably denotes the state of glory, or that heavenly kingdom, in which all pious persons, or those who are the subjects of Christ's kingdom of grace on earth, shall enjoy endless felicity with God in heaven. As Avhen it is said, * Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,' Matt. v. 10. 'Great is your reward in heaven. Matt. V. 12. 'Not every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father,' Matt. vii. 21. ' It is better to enter into the kingdom of heaven with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell,' Mark ix. 47." The following short paper "On the Meaning op Words," will both delight and instruct the young es- pecially. On this ground, after some hesitation, I have resolved on inserting it ; and the fact that it is quite characteristic of Mr. Dyer's habit of accurate study and observation, will show to every reader who may not feel any peculiar interest in the subject of it, the propriety of that resolution. A paper or two of a similar cast will follow. " In ascertaining the meaning of words, we are not to conceive the meanings given by lexicographers as abso- lutely decisive : particularly in languages but partially understood. Lexicons are valuable, inasmuch as they suggest the results of the researches of others : but still such results are mere opinions — opinions worthy, it may be, of much deference on the part of those who L 2 148 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. are less informed ; but the amount of this deference will be in proportion to the ability of the lexicographer. Still, as we have the same opportunities of examining for ourselves, as he had, we are not to give his opinions implicit credence. " The manner in which a lexicographer comes to the meaning of words, is, by comparing different places in which such words occur : and this we can do for our- selves : but yet he may have classified the places into different shades of meaning : and thoughts may have occurred to him why a place may have one shade of meaning rather than another ; all this is real and most valuable assistance : but we are to test such thoughts to the utmost. " Suppose a foreigner, desirous to acquire a critical acquaintance with the English language. He has already a slight acquaintance mth it, but wishes to investigate it thoroughly. He meets with the word astray, and wishes to ascertain its real identical meaning. For this purpose, he collates various places where the word occurs, say, various places in the Bible. He com- pares the following passages: — Ps. cxix. 1/6; Matt. xviii. 12, 13 ; Deut. xxii. 1. *' Ps. cxix. 1 76, reads thus : * I have gone like a lost sheep.' He inquires what is wanting. He con- cludes from the word like (which he is supposed to know already) that it is something analogous to lost ; from the vfovdi gone he concludes, that it is something that ({ualifies this verb. What then will supply the blank but wrong; amiss ; into error? A lost sheep is not only absent from the flock; but absent in some unknown place. This LABOURS. 149 then must be the meaning of the word astray as appHed to sheep. As apphed m the passage before us it may be somewhat modified : but the foreigner might well con- clude he had got the radical idea of the word. *' This idea is confirmed by collating Matt, xviii. 1 2, 13, where in connection with the phrase gone astray, occurs the word seek, the whole passage likewise applying to sheep. "By collating Deut. xxii. 1, the very same idea is further confirmed by the phrase * bring them again to thy brother.' These three passages w^ould be enough to convince the foreigner that he had obtained the right meaning of the word : his next inquiry would be as to its application. '* 1. There is a going astray from the flock like a sheep. Ps. cxix. 176 ; Matt, xviii. 12, 13. "2. There is a going astray after the wicked woman. Prov. vii. 25. "3. There is a going astray after idols. Ezek. xiv. 1 1 . " If now he refers to his dictionary and finds the writer saying, ' astray : out of the right way,'' his mind is fully satisfied ; not from the ipse dixit of the lexicographer, but from his own observation agreeing therewith. " Let the same mode be adopted with respect to a Hebrew word ; say the word bosh [^*I2.] As before, the student is supposed to have at least a shght acquaintance with the language, but is desirous of examining it critically. "In Isa. xlix. 23, he reads, 'They shall not that wait for me.' They shall not what ? — He would 150 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. plausibly conjecture, they shall not vmit iJi vain : and lip would compare other places to test his conjecture. In the following passages, the subject treated of is false confidence, confidence in idols, &c. : Isa. i. 29, xlii. 17, xliv. 9, .1 1 ; 2 Kings xix. 26 ; Hos. iv. 19 : and it is predicated of such as cherish false confidence, that they ' shall ;' wait in vain ; be disappointed ; the idea just suits ; and the student's conjecture becomes strengthened into an opinion. " By pursuing the investigation, and examining Isa. Ixv. 13, he finds that the word bosh contains in it something adversative to ^rejoice.' By a further collation with Isa. xlv. 24, 25, he finds an antithesis in the word ' glory.' And in many other places he finds the same radical idea of waiting in vain ; disappointed ; ashamed ; agreeing in every instance, only with different shades of meaning, Ps. vi. 10, xxxi. 17, Ixxxiii. 17, xcvii. 7, cxxix. 5 ; Isa. xli. 11, \w\. 5, &c. " Thus he forms his own opinion of a word, independ- ent of a lexicon ; and he is prepared to profit by the opinions of the lexicographer, inasmuch as he can test them for himself without credulously receiving his ipse dixit. He not only obtains with precision the meaning of words, but he becomes acquainted with words in their connection^ and not in their isolated form. *' Suppose now he wishes to write or translate, and is desirous to express in English the idea of moral aber- ration ; were he to be guided simply by a dictionary, he Tcix^t "^di^ v)ent wrong ; went amiss ; went erroneously; either of these would express his idea, but neither of them with propriety. Were he speaking of the turn of LABOURS. IT) I affairs, lie might say, they went amiss ; were he speak- ing of his watch, he might say it went wrong ; were he speaking of a person who went to a certain place, when he ought not to have gone, he might say he went erro- 7ieousIy so ; but if he would speak of moral aberration, none of these would suit. He examines several places where the word went occurs, and he finds that the proper adjunct of went, to express his idea, is, astray ; and he forthwith selects the expression for his purpose. " By this process, as a writer or translator, a vast variety of unidiomatical expressions may be avoided : what should we think of '■afar man,'' for, a stranger? — ' the fire eat it up,' for, the fire consumed it ? ^ leaden ivateri' for, lead in a state of fusion ? And yet, how- ever unidiomatical these expressions are in English, they are perfectly proper in other languages. " The remedy against such errors of composition and translation, is, — not a lexicon, however good a one it may be ; inasmuch as the best of lexicons, for the most part, quote but unconnected phrases : the remedy is rather a concordantial index ; such an index as is given at the end of many of the Delphin classics ; — such an index as Schmidius to the New Testament ; — Trommius to the Septuagint ; — Buxtorffto the Hebrew Bible ; — Schaff to the Syriac Testament : had we such indices to Malay, Siamese, Chinese, &c., authors, they would be in valuable : they w^ould enable us mostly to obtain the best mode of expression ; they would assist us frequently to find phrases in doubtful cases ; they would afford us autho- rity, better to be tmsted than living teachers ; and they would help us to avoid many improprieties of diction. 152 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. "We leave these few remarks to the consideration of writers and translators in the oriental languages ; and we hesitate not to affirm that a concordantial index upon some good classical author is even more valuable than a good dictionary ; and he who would perform the task, however dry he might find it to be, would most esseh- tially aid the labourers in the Lord's vineyard." Such a concordantial index he had prepared to assist him in his Chinese labours, and on it he set the highest value. The reader will not forget the assistance such an index was supposed to have rendered, in finding out idiomatic phraseology for the expression ^'■mahe clean" licaBapiaai] in Matt. viii. 2 ; and for the phrase, '^ In this world we frequently shed tears. ^' The ingenuity of Mr, Dyer's plans in accumulating assistance of every kind and from every source, if it could be fully brought before the reader, would at least impress him with the fact, while contemplating the loss of so much real worth, and adapted instrumentality, that God's ways are not as our ways ; and that the progress of his cause, he has resolved, shall depend on no might but his own. The preceding, as well as the following paper, it must be remembered, was intended, in part at least, for the edification of juvenile readers ; still he had an eye, it is obvious, to his brethren in the mission, as he calls the attention of " writers and translators in the orien- tal languages" to the hints which his articles supplied so abundantly. And, indeed, not only writers in foreign languages, but readers in their own, may happily profit by them. LABOURS. 153 Philologically considered, this paper, — "On appa- rent Contradictions reconciled" — is one of great importance. If he had selected passages in which any theological difficulty occurred, he could not have exhibited so fully, and so successfully, the principle by which apparent difficulties may be set aside, and by which the meaning of God's word may be brought out with clearness and exactitude. Every biblical student knows that much is to be done yet, in what is called the " religious world," before philology, as a science, shall have her legitimate influence in decid- ing controversies, that are still distracting the church of Christ. ^^Tiile he that runneth may read the plan of redemption, the translator of the " lively oracles" of God must spend many a prayerful and anxious season over the idioms and laws of language — the jus et norma loquendi — especially over those of the sacred languages, as well as those also into which the truth of God is to transferred, before he is prepared for a work of such responsibility. This, and subsequent papers will show that Mr. Dyer had qualified himself, in no ordinary degree, for such labours. The improvement of the Chinese version of the sacred Scriptures was the one OBJECT he had in ^dew, in this, as well as in every other paper introduced into these pages. What, after deliberate and repeated examination, he deemed defects, suggested them all. The following is the article that suggested the preceding remark : "As all the writers of the New Testament were either natives of those regions, where Syro-Chaldaic was spoken, or were foreigners, who read and wrote 154 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. Greek, it is evident that many idioms of the ancient Hebrew would reach them all. For, in the first place, it is easy to see that those who lived in Judea and its emdrons must have been familiar with the phraseology of the Hebrew Scriptures ; which it is reasonable to suppose were, in that land, read by some, and heard by all. To those, also', who were thus privileged, many of the ancient Hebrew idioms were doubtless transmitted through the Syro-Chaldaic or colloquial language of the country. It is, moreover, ail undoubted fact, that many of the ancient Hebrew idioms were conveyed through the medium of the Septuagint, to all those who read that ancient Greek version. For that invaluable treasure was to them the law of the Lord, or statute-book of Je- hovah ; in which the blessed man delights, and in which he meditates by day and night, Psa. i. 2. And it is perfectly natural to suppose that such reading and meditation had as great a command over the style of the ancients, as our reading and meditation have over ours. In short, every writer must think before he writes ; and as men naturally think in the language with which they are most familiar ; and as the phrase- ology of that language is furnished from conversation, and from books, — which are the conversation of the dead or the absent, — it may readily be conceived that books affect our modes of speaking or writing, in pro- portion as they are read and admired. In the apostolic age, however, there was not so great a multiplicity of books, to diversify men's style, as there is in our days ; and this absence of boundless variety gave an ancient book such an influence over the stvle of its LABOURS. 155 assiduous readers, as rarely falls to the lot of modern publications, or even of our authorized version of the Bible itself. " As, therefore, the Hebrew mode of speaking or writing affected, more or less, the style of all the sacred books of the New Testament, it is manifest that this common characteristic of the whole of those writings rendered the respective books capable of illustrating one another ; and as the said characteristic was partly de- rived through the medium of the Septuagiut, and partly from the Hebrew Bible itself, it is at once obvious that the capability of mutual illustration attaches to the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint, and the New Testament ; not only separately, but conjointly. "In order to illustrate these observations, reference may be made to two parallel passages ; which contain Satan's address to our Lord, when the object was to induce the Saviour, in a time of apparently pressing necessity, to distrust Divine providence, and have re- course to an unhallowed expedient. Now, in strict accordance with the Greek, we read in Matt. iv. 3, that Satan said, ' Command that these stones be made loaves ;' and in Luke iv. 3, the literal English of the original is, ' Command this stone that it be made a loaf ;' so that in the latter passage, there seems to be a twofold contradiction to the former. But had the prince of darkness adverted to the fishes of the sea, instead of the surrounding stones, a strictly literal translation of the Greek words for fish and fishes, though varying in the expression, would have agreed in the sense. For, in that case, we should have read in l."J6 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. Matthew, 'Command that the fishes of the sea be made bread ;' and in Luke the language would have been, ' Command that the fish of the sea be made bread/ "The fact is, that if the variatioD of expression in question ever becomes a difficulty, that difficulty is founded on a mistaken notion of grammar. It is by no means true, that when a word is not in the plural, it must necessarily imply one single object. Suppose, for instance, that one man should call a thousand scat- tered straws, THESE STRAWS ; and that another man should call the same thousand straws, this straw^, is it right to suppose, that because the word straws is used for many, the word straw means one only ? In strict propriety, then, there are, at least, three distinctions of number; namely, the singular, when we say one STRAW ; the plural, when we say many straws ; and the incorporative, when we say much straw, in refer- ence to many straws. Sometimes, too, another word is used for the incorporative number. Thus we say, one LOAF, MANY LOAVES, and MUCH BREAD ; ONE BEAST, MANY BEASTS, and MUCH CATTLE. " In order, then, to reconcile the apparent contradic- tions between the statements of Matthew and Luke, it is only necessary to show that the Greek words used in the singular by Luke, mean not one single object, but a plurality of objects ; just as the English expressions, this Jlsh and this straw, may mean as many fishes or straws, as the plural expressions, these fish or these straws. ''In pursuing this investigation, a passage quite to the purpose presents itself in Rev. xvii. 4. For John, speaking there of the harlot of Babylon, says, (if we LABOURS. 157 translate literally,) * She was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold, and precious STONE, and pearls.' In this case, eveiy man may see that not a single gem, but a profusion of them is in- tended. It is with perfect propriety, therefore, that our translators have expressed the Greek singular by an English plural. " But John's expression maybe traced to the Septua- gint, where we have both John's adjective and his sub- stantive, not only in the same order, but in the same number, and with a similar reference to multiplicity. Nay, what is still more, the Hebrew itself has the same order, and the same singular number in the expression, Avith the same plurality of meaning in the sense. In these three particulars, we find a triple coincidence when we compare the Greek of John, in the passage already quoted, with the Greek and the Hebrew in 1 Kings x. 2, 1 1 ; 2 Chron. ix. 1, 9, 10, and xxxii. 27. — In these pas- sages it will be found, that the strictly literal translation PRECIOUS STONE mcaus, in four instances, a vast profu- sion of precious stones brought by the queen of Sheba as a present to king Solomon ; in one instance, it means the abundance of precious stones brought by Hiram's navy from Ophir ; and, in the instance last quoted, we read, (if we adopt a hteral translation,) * Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour : and he made him- self treasures for silver, and for gold, and for precious STONE, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels.' " Independently of the Greek, too, the Hebrew alone adopts the singular form and plural signification in eben I5y MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. [■J 5^], the word for stones ; and when ehen []?^] thus imphes multiplicity, that word and its plural are con- vertible terms. Thus, in Isa. xxx. 30, the Hebrew expression for a profusion of hail-stones is, 'the stone of hail;' whilst in Josh. x. 11, a similar profusion is called 'the stones of hail.' " What is also very much to the present purpose, the Septuagint itself contains striking instances of both a singular and plural for precisely the same objects. Thus, in Isa. xxxvii. 19, and 2 Kings xix. 18, we have two counterparts just like those in Matt. iv. 3, and Luke iv. 3 ; and in the former of these counterparts in the Sep- tuagint, the Greek plural of lithos \\i6os] is used, as it is in Matt. iv. 3, whilst, in the latter counterpart, the Greek singular is used, as it is in Lukeiv. 3. Moreover, to perfect the comparison, it may be observed that the Hebrew word for which the Greek words for atone and stones are a translation, is precisely the same in both passages, just as Satan's Syro-Chaldaic word was one, whether used as the basis of Matthew's translation or of Luke's. "Nor are we less happily furnished mth a completely ramified coincidence m the original words for loaf and loaves. For, with respect to those words, we have, even in the very same chapter, two counterparts, in which, as in the preceding instance, the Hebrew word is the same whilst the Greek singular is adopted in one case, and the plural in the other. Thus, in 1 Kings xviii. 13, the Greek plural of artos \lt^TOi\ is used, as it is in Matt. iv. 3 ; and in 1 Kings xviii. 4, the Greek singular is used, as it is in Luke iv. 4, LABOURS. io9 ''It only remains now to remark, that in all the cases adduced to exemplify the use of the singular and plural as convertible terms, a multiplicity of objects is intended in every instance. Thus, 'the stone of hail,' as well as ' the STONES of hail,' means all the hail-stones of a desolating storm. And if we examine 2 Kings xix. 18, we shall find that the Greek singular, like the plural, means all the stones that had composed all the stone gods of all the heathen nations that the kings of Assy- ria had laid waste. Similar observations also apply to the Greek plural in 1 Kings xviii. 13, as expressing the meaning of the singular in the 4th verse ; for, most un- questionably, that singular refers not to one loaf only, but to the many loaves expressed by the plural, and with which Obadiah fed a hundred prophets in the time of the famine in Samaria. '' The English word bread, then, being in the incorpo- rative number, is adapted to express not only the Greek plural of Matt. iv. 3, but also the singular of Luke iv. 3 ; and our word stones, likewise, referring to multipli- city, is a proper term, not only for the Greek plural in Matt iv. 3, but also for the Greek incorporative number in Luke iv. 3. Thus we shall read in the former pas- sages, ' Command that these stones be made bread ;' and in the latter, ' Command these stones that they be made bread.' "Thus, every vestige of seeming contradiction ceases to exist, and the appearance of difficulty is ascertained to have been like Joseph's speaking roughly to his breth- ren. For, instead of being against the truth, such diffi- ciiUiei", when solved, become powerful friends to tlie 160 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. truth. Therefore, to take up prejudices against the volume of inspiration on account of such apparent diffi- culties, is to imitate the conduct of the slothful man, who says, * There is a lion in the way ; a lion is in the streets,' Prov. xxvi. 13. Under such false \dews of Di- vine truth, however, many a man has doubtless despised that guide, which is a pillar of fire to the believer, and a pillar of cloud to the unbeliever. But, diversified as the minds of men may be, the counsel of God shall stand : and many will ultimately find, that the most unwise thing they ever did upon earth, was to reject, without adequate examination, a book that might, under the Di- vine blessing, have made them wise unto salvation, and which, notwithstanding their own unbelief, shall have been the power of God unto salvation (Rom. i. 16) to 'a great multitude which no man can number, of all na- tions, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.' '* This subject I conceive to be of the utmost import- ance, viewed in connection with translations for the heathen. Much stress is not to be laid upon the pas- sages reconciled, but there 2i,Ye general principles involved, and on that ground I venture a few remarks upon Matt, iv. 3, and Luke iv. 3, as translated into Chinese — the importance of reconciling these two places to the Chinese reader I wave, but hope to establish a general principle of much importance to the translator. "It should be remembered, that a Chinese noun is either singular or plural according to the context ; and although the plural can be made by auxiliary words, it is not usual to do this, except where the plural needs to be specially marked : or at least, the plural is constantly LABOURS. 161 indicated only by the context. Examples occur in every })age of Chinese authors, so they need not be quoted. " If this be granted, it follows, that the Chinese trans- lator is not to he pertinacious in forming his plurals hij auxiliaries, seeing that the same thing is more frequently done by the context. " To apply this to the case in hand, we observe that the Chinese version by JNIorrison and INIilne renders Matt, iv. 3, thus, this \ stone \ {a bread Command y several ^ to be J bread these J stones i 1 breads " Here the word several being supplied as an auxiliary', the passage must necessarily be read Ca bread Command these several stones to be < bread (^breads but there is nothing to make the word for bread necessa- rily in the plural ; it may be understood by the reader either as one loaf — or as bread ' incorporatively ' — or as several loaves. *' The same version renders Luke iv. 3, thus this ') stone ^ fa bread Command > ^ to be changed into < bread^ these ) stones ; t l^reads Now seeing the version in Matt, could be read in the plural equally zyeZZ without the word 'several.' and the version of Luke is also either singular or plural, I am '• * Why a different word for bread is used in this place, it is difficult to say : seeing the Greek word is the same in both places: the word in Luke seems rather to denote rations." M 162 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. disposed to say, omit the several in Matthew ; for notliing is gained by the retention of it, nothing is lost by its omission ; but by the omission, the two places are har- monized : and should any one plead for the word several, I would ask, and why not make the word for bread evi- dently plural, by some plural particle ? " The translator of the Bible into Chinese has shackles enough if he adhere to the rule * without note or com- ment :' if he say, ' I will be singular where the original is singular, and plural if the original be plural, ' he is so far right; 'but if he say I will make my plural by an auxiliary particle if the original be plural, I think he is wrong : because the plural is constantly equally ivell made by the context ; and to force in the plural particle may destroy the ' harmonious flow ;' may cause barba- risms ; and darken what the translator wants to be clear and intelligible to all. "We repeat our deduction: viz. — The Chinese trans- lator should not he pertinacious in forming his plurals by auxiliaries, a deduction, the importance of which will be readily seen by any reader of our present Chinese version." CHAPTER V. CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. Improvement of the Chinese version of the sacred Scriptures: — Means by which the missionary should seek the conversion of the Chinese, improve- ment and preparation of books, &c. : — Hints on Scripture translation : — Rules to be observed in translating the Scriptures : — Remarks on " Idiotisms" and " Barbarisms" in translations: — Extracts from a corres- pondence with a brother missionary : — The preceding observations origi- nating in the imperfections of existing versions : — Mr. Dyer engaged in revising the Gospel of Matthew :— Reasons for delaying its publication. At the close of the preceding chapter we inserted several papers from the pen of Mr. Dyer of a philological cast. They will prepare the reader for this chapter, which will embody other papers of a similar kind. They will set before him JMr. Dyer's caution, as well as develope his acquirements. The improvement of the Chinese version of the sacred Scriptures is, it must not be forgotten, the ANIMUS of these papers. Every suggestion he offers has its orio;in in defects he had discovered, or thouo-ht he had discovered, in the existing version in that lan- guage. The reader will see how guarded he was, lest in stating his views he should offend. He loved Dr. Mor- rison intensely, and gloried in his version, and looked upon it *' as a pledge of the conversion of China to God.''^ His devoutest moments, his holiest raptures in beholding, by faith, the conversion of the world to the Son of God, M 2 164 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. v/itli unceasing thanksgi^-ing to the Source of all grace, were associated in his mind and in his heart with that version. He was the last man to be discontented with things that be ; if anything, the tendency of his mind was the reverse of this ; new things, new arrangements, and new projects, had no charm for him because they were new, but if valuable and useful, then he adopted them. These papers may show that he was mistaken, only, if at all, in very minor matters indeed ; they will show that he was intelligent and that he acted always from deliberate conviction. He never attempted to read everything in Chinese or in any other language, but no man ever laboured harder to acquire an accurate knowledge of the 2c?iom5 andj^wnYy of that language. It is easy to read much, and to know but little, in this as well as in every other department of literature. His habit was to read less, but well, so that his knowledge was not only in truth greater than if he had extended his reading over a larger surface, but it was compact, and always at command, ready for use. So he was an accurate, as well as a practical man. He first of all surveyed his field, mapped its outlines with precision, and then not only devoted his energy, but directed un- «lev-iatingly all his labours to fill up that outline. This remark will be illustrated by the following observations, "On THE MEANS," by which ** the conversion of the Chinese to the Christian faith" should be attempted. " The missionary who goes forth to preach the gospel to China finds himself debarred a local residence within the confines of the Celestial Empire. Or if he be per- mitted to reside without the walls of the city of Canton, CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 16.' lie is much shackled m the performance of what he deems direct missionary labour. Thus shut out of China Pro- per, and still breathing an earnest desire for its conver- sion to Christianity, he looks around him for some out- post, where he may narrowly watch the political move- ments of the authorities of the empire, if peradventure an opening should present itselfforhimto locate himself upon its shores : where he may study the history, statis- tics, and moral position of the people — where he may examine the mental aspect of the different classes of society. He will endeavour to settle down as near to the empire as practicable, consistent with other objects he has in view. For he will choose rather a spot where there are already some thousands of Chinese emigrants — where he may come in contact with Chinese manners and customs — where he may preach the gospel to some, who, returning to their own country, may carry the tidings of a Saviour crucified for the sins of men — where he may put the wheels of machinery in operation, which shall tend to the furtherance of the gospel — where he may embrace every possible opportmiity to * Tell to sinners round What a dear Saviour he has found.' " Having thus located himself, pro tem., (we say pro tem.y for where is there a missionary to the Chinese who would not embrace the first opportunity of taking up his residence in China Proper ?) he draws out his plan of operations. This plan may be supposed to branch out more prominently in two directions. "I. The acquisition of the language. II. The various modes of employing his attainments. 166 MEMOIR OF THE REV, SAMUEL DYER. " In applying to the language, he finds the written medium of communication to be the same from one end of the empire to the other, and even beyond its confines. He moreover finds that the pronunciation of the cha- racter is diverse ; but that the more correct mode of pro- nouncing it is according to what is called the Mandarin or Court dialect. Many a missionary having arrived thus far, has, like myself, set it down that this is the dialect of most importance to be studied : not consider- ing that in his present out-post, he may never meet with n man . who can speak Mandarin ; and, for aught that as yet appears, he may not during his lifetime come in (contact with a Mandarin. On more mature considera- tion, it would probably seem advisable to speak the lan- guage in the dialect spoken by those emigrants by whom he may be surrounded in his present location ; which would most likely be one of the dialects spoken either in the provinces of Canton or Hok-Keen. The advan- tage of this would be, that he would in due time be qua- lified to become useful to those emigrants themselves ; and when China is open, it is as likely that he might locate himself in Canton or Hok-Keen, as in any other part of the empire ; and he would find himself imme- diately at home in the language, and surrounded by hundreds of thousands who could speak no other dialect than what he himself speaks. " xA-S there is a great diversity of dialects in these two provinces, and as there is as much difference between some of them as there is generally between any two languages derived from one stock, some discretion is necessary in making a choice. The Canton, as spoken CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 1G7 ill the city and surrounding district, and the Chang-chew, as spoken in a district of Hok-Keen of that name, appear to be the two principal and most generally useful in the islands of the Archipelago. However, the Chinese seem to emigrate somewhat in clans ; so that at one port a majority of emigrants will be from one district ; at another port, a majority from another district : and for the most ])art the traders are from Hok-Keen, and the artizans from Canton. It is consequently desirable that the mission- ary should ascertain from what district the emigrants come, and fix his choice of dialect accordingly. " Having determined upon the dialect to be acquired, it is extremely desirable that the missionary should commit to paper every expression he acquires : for as yet, our provincial aids are very scanty. However incorrect as to sound, orthography, or intonation, let - not a scrap of information be lost ; for hereafter it may admit of such correction as may render it of service to those who succeed us. This leads us to notice, "II. The various modes in which the missionary may employ his attainments. " 1 . He may facilitate the acquisition of the language to those who come after him. This idea is one of amaz- ing importance with respect to a language so difficult. Suppose a missionary could indeed save his successors two or three years' toil, the value of such a saving it would be difficult to estimate. "We conceive, therefore, that one idea kept constantly in view in our own studies, should be the smoothing the way for those who come after us. In this sense we are pioneers : we meet with obstacles which can only be removed by our own skill 168 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. and industry ; we might, indeed, scale those obstacles, and leave others to scale them as we do ; but if we remove them, we save the time, the strength, and energies of our successors, and they mil be better able to attack the strongholds of the enemy. " That our plans in this respect may take a specific turn, we should consider what is now wanted ; — what assistance we should be thankful for if we now had it. *'(1) A vocabulary of phrases in each dialect. (2) A comparative vocabulary of the Hok-Keen dialects. (3) An illustration of the Hok-Keen tones, and the mode of acquiring them vidth precision, without being dependent on the aid of a teacher. (4) Grammars of the dialects. (5) Critical illustrations of the particles. (6) Idiomatical researches. " We do not suppose that any one individual could bend his attention to all these, without intrenching upon other duties ; but by tracing the outline of a plan, it may be filled up as opportunity presents ; and even though the outline should be imperfectly filled up, as far as it was filled up it would be very valuable. " 2. He shoula never lose sight of the improvement of the existing versions of the Scriptures. Whatever be said in praise of the present translations, they are capable of vast improvement. Not so much for the sake of circumscribing, as of giving definiteness to our plans, it would seem well for each missionary at the outset to determine in his own mind upon a portion of the Scriptures, say the Psalms, or a Gospel, of which he will never lose sight throughout his career : we do not m.ean anything that shall interfere with a general CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 1()9 plan of co-operation in the revisal of the Scriptures ; but a private aim ; — a kind of point of concentration for his studies ; — in fact, a revision of a portion of the word of God, to which he will make his Hebrew, his Greek, his Latin, his Chinese, and any other language, each contribute its quota : and should it so happen that two individuals should fix upon the very same portion, the ultimate advantage would be double. "3. The preparation of suitable boo/cs for the hea- then is another object of paramount importance. We do not mean that much can be done in this way, in a language like the Chinese, for years after first setting down to it ; but it should be an object constantly kept in view. There is a need of caution in this matter. A tract may be written, and blocks may be cut, say at the expense of fifty dollars, and an edition of 1000 copies printed : but if the tract be not an eligible one, there may be no further demand for a future edition. Now a set of blocks will print at least 20,000 copies, before they are worn out ; consequently, if there be no demand for a second edition, nineteen-twentieths of the cost of the blocks is entirely lost ; for it lies by in useless blocks. Hence the importance of great atten- tion to a tract, before it be stereotyped or cut in wood. With respect to the translation of English tracts into Chinese, a mistaken idea exists in the minds of many, that if the Enghsh tract be put into a Chinese dress, and fairly translated, the tract will then be as suitable to the Chinese reader as the English tract to the English reader ; but no — there is scarcely an English tract to be found, but what presupposes some degree of knoiv- 1/0 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. ledge, which knowledge children in a Christian land acquire from their infancy ; but this antecedent know- ledge the heathen possesses not. It thus becomes necessary to paraphrase, by the constant recurrence to the most simple truths ; such as the attributes of the Deit}^ ; the fallen condition of man ; the plan of re- demption, &c. To illustrate this idea : — An English tract commences thus — * Man by nature is lost, ruined, and undone ; he is alienated in his heart from the only living and true God ; his affections are estranged from his best Friend and Benefactor ; his whole soul is pol- luted and defiled by sin,' &c. This may be all very suitable in an English tract ; but should a Chinese tract be thus commenced, the reader in the very outset has no sympathy with the ideas : he does not admit those truths which merely nominal Christians admit, although they do not believe them in their hearts. In Chinese, therefore, we must go further back : we must go beyond the fact of our being conceived in sin ; — beyond the fall of our first parents ; — beyond their original rectitude ; — we must go back to the idea of their coming from their IMaker's hands ; somewhat thus : — About six thousand years ago, the only true God created the heaven and the earth ; he moreover formed from the dust of the ground a man and a woman, who were the ancestors of the whole human family. These, as they came from their Maker's hand, were holy and pure, without a fault. They were con- stituted husband and wife, and begat offspring. They might have long continued in the holy state in which they were originally formed ; but, alas ! they sinned CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. l/l against their Maker, the only true God, and thus their holy nature became quite changed. Now had they continued in their holy state, without sinning against their Maker, their posterity would have been holy Uke them ; but since their holy state became quite changed, their posterity inherited their sinful state ; and thus now all mankind are corrupt,' &c. This may seem very prosing and circumlocutory to the Enghsh reader, but to one acquainted with the total absence of Christian ideas in the Chinese mind, it will appear needful. We are rather particular in noticing this, because we have seen tracts far in advance of Chinese mind : and per- haps there is not so much need of new tracts, as of a thorough revision of some of those already in existence. At least, we hope these suggestions may not be alto- gether unacceptable to those who are intent upon the lireparation of suitable hooks.'"' The following "Hints on Scripture Transla- tion" are in admirable keeping with the preceding cautious observations ; indeed, they are a happy illus- tration, in one department, of what he would have to exist in all. " Many erroneous ideas are conveyed to the minds of the unlearned readers of the Holy Scriptures, by the injudicious substitution of modern terms for ancient names, in the present authorized English translation. We do not now complain of the translation as a whole, but simply refer to the rendering of certain weights, mea- sures, coins, and Jewish antiquities. Some of our ori- ental translators have, in this respect, and in some instances, taken the English version for a guide ; but 1/2 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. a single instance is sufficient to point out how unsuit- able a guide it is ; for in the parable of the labourers sent into the vineyard, how readily is the idea conveyed to the illiterate, that the lord of the vineyard paid his servants very badly ; ' And they received every man a penny,' Matt. xx. 9 ; w^hereas no such idea has place in the original. That this is a subject of much im- portance, may be inferred from the circumstance, that by far the majority of copies of the Scriptures in the oriental languages come into the hands of the poor and unlearned ; and moreover, it is an error most easily fallen into, from the example, not only of the English version, but likewise of many other modern translations into the European languages. " If we refer to Luke xvi. 6, 7, the English version most manifestly conveys the idea, that the obligation of the two debtors was unequal : this is the consequence of rendering two Greek terms by the same English word, — ' measure ;' besides, the English word is inde- finite, whereas the original words have a determinate sense. "Again, in Rev. vi. 6, 'A measure of wheat for a penny ;' the writer e\'idently intends to convey the idea either of plenty or scarceness ; but in the transla- tion, neither of these is suggested ; it would have been better to have said, 'A choenix of wheat for a penny, "^ because it would have led the unlearned reader to in- quire the definite quantity denoted by a choenix, and so to ascertain whether a time of plenty or a time of scarceness was predicted. But in some languages, the * " We pass over, at present, tlip improper use of the vioxil penny." CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 1/3 original might be well translated into a measure of somewhat corresponding value, where such a corres- ponding term, or nearly so, exists. " These passages are noticed at present, for the sake of alluding to translations in the oriental languages. Certainly it cannot be right to imitate these errors of our English translators ; and the only remaining modes are, — the retaining of the original words in the transla- tion, or the rendering them by terms nearly correspond- ing in sense — exact corresponding terms we shall rarely find. "Now the first of these modes has its difficulties, particularly in modem translations for the heathen ; because the more foreign words we retain in the trans- lation, the more difficult for the heathen to understand our meaning. We should bear in mind, likewise, that our books find their way where there is no teacher to explain them. Yet it must be allowed, that sometimes there is an unavoidable necessity for retaming the ori- ginal words, for want of words bearing any degree of approximation to them, by which to render them. In such cases, why not insert a note in the margin, ex- ]jlanatory of the meaning of the original word ? Be- cause the Bible Societies do not patronise ' note and comment V This is not absolutely the case ; for a lii bit- now before me, bearing the impress of the British and Foreign Bible Society, 8vo, 1817, has the following note in the margin of Rev. vi. 6 ; ' The word cTicenix sig- nifieth a measure containing one wine quart, and the twelfth part of a quart.' " In such cases as it may be practicable to do so, it 174 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. is advisable to translate the terms alluded to ; but it must ever be remembered that the Bible is an ancient book, and the injudicious use of modern words would destroy one peculiar characteristic of the book, which it is most desirable to retain. " We proceed to notice more particularly some places in the New Testament, where there is a reference to measures, &c. Batos (Baroc) . . . Luke xvi. 6. Koros (Kopoc) . . . Luke xvi. 7. cj , .„, s cMatt. xiiL 33. Saton i^arov) . . . ^Luke xiii. 21. Clicenix (XoZvt?) . . . Rev. vi. 6. (-Matt. V, 15. Modios (Mooiof) ... J Mark iv. 21. L Luke xi. 33. Metretes (Altrp/jrj/c) . . . John ii. 6. " These six terms .are rendered in the authorized English version, by the words, measure, bushel, and firkin. After deducting the parallel places, Luke xiii. 21, Mark iv. 21, Luke xi. 33, there remain the follow- ing : Luke x\'i. 6, 7, Matt. xiii. 33, Rev. vi. 6, Matt, vi. 15, and John ii. 6. Of these six places, those in Matt, appear to be indefinite in their meaning, as it is of little consequence to the meaning of the parable of the leaven, what was the exact capacity of the measure in which the leaven was put. So, likewise, it is of little consequence, what was the exact capacity of the mea- sure under which the lighted candle was placed. On this consideration, the use of the word bushel is to be objected to, because it suggests that that measure was in CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 1/5 use among the Jews, which is not true ; however, it must be admitted, that the passage and its parallels do not suffer much from the use of the word bushel. " It is otherwise with the words batos (/3aroe) and koros (icopog ) ; there is a relative value between these terms, which is quite lost sight of by translating both measure^ as in the English translation ; and in translat- ing for the heathen, we think that well-known terms should be sought for ; (if ancient, so much the better ;) terms which approximate in some degree to the relative value of the original terms ; and in case such cannot be had, as a last resource, we must use the original terms themselves ; and, as we have shown above, that even the Bible Societies sanction the explanation of the terms in the margin. "The next case we notice, is that of the word chcenix ()^;oIj/i|), Rev. vi. 6. Here our English interpretation is decidedly objectionable ; if the word be translated, some word must be used which shall definitely convey the idea of scarcity. The exact value of the chcenix need not be insisted upon ; but there must not be much discrepancy between it and the word by which it is ren- dered, otherwise the main idea of the passage will be quite obscured. " The only remaining word to be now noticed is the metretes {ixtrpnri'iQ), John ii. 6. This word seems at first sight to be_ indefinite ; and yet it was no doubt then understood to refer to a definite measure, probably the bath ; much as the Malay sa-para, although in itself indefinite, is frequently used in a definite sense. The word firkin is objectionable, because, as Campbell justly l/G MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. observes, * Words which are exchisively appropriated to the measures of modern nations can never be used with propriety in the translation of an ancient author.' The word measure would be objectionable, because the con- text evidently conveys the idea of a goodly quantity of water ; and if this idea be conveyed, exactness of cor- respondence is of little consequence, while a near ap- proximation is of great importance. '' We conclude by noticing three leading ideas claim- ing due attention on the part of the translator for the heathen ; viz. "I. Indefinite expressions should be avoided, where the sense is definitive. "II. Modern terms should not be injudiciously used to express the original, however near the correspondence between them may be. "III. Foreign words should be as sparingly retained as possible ; but when it is necessary to retain them, their meaning should be inserted in the margin, at least in such places where the authorised English translation inserts it." He adds to the preceding remarks : — " In perusing published and unpublished correspond- ence, relative to translations of the Scriptures, I have not unfrequently met with an observation to the follow- ing effect, — ' I hope to complete in months from this date.' Such a remark, in my humble judg- ment, is quite out of place, applied to translations of the Bible, in whole or in part. It pre-supposes no great difficulty in the work of translating. It presumes the translator will meet with, no serious impediment to his CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 177 undertaking. Whereas, in rendering the most famihar j)ortions of Scripture into a foreign language, at least into the languages spoken ultra-Ganges, the translator must pause and consider, and examine and re-examine, if he would be faithful to the original, and, at the same time, intelligible to the reader. A translator may un- derstand his own language, p. e., what he intended by the language he uses in his version,] but does his reader understand it ? This is really a most momentous inquiry, and unless he gains this point, his labour, however great, . . . goes for nothing. " But the great e\il arising from such a preconcerted plan, of accomplishing a certain quantum in a certain time, is haste. The work is hurried, because of the great importance of getting it in circulation as soon as possible. But positive harm is done by this 'more haste than good speed ' in more ways than one ; for when a translation or a revision has once occupied its position in public opinion and public patronage, there is no small difficulty in ejecting it, in favour of a produc- tion vastly more worthy of patronage. I am inclined to think the translator should first accomplish a few chapters satisfactorily, even though they cost him one year's toil, or even two; and then let him accomplish a single gospel, epistle, &c., even though it should cost him two years' toil, or even five : and when this is rendered easily, perspicuously, intelligibly, and vv'ithal faithfully, then let him contemplate another portion. I am far from being an advocate for delay, when myriads of souls are perishing for lack of knowledge ; but I think the delay would not be real : this would be the N 1/8 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. speediest mode of accomplishing a translation in every respect adapted to the wants of the heathen aromid us. With respect to the heathen, many portions of the Bible could well bear to be delayed, until other portions were well done." The following " Rules to be observed in trans- lating THE Scriptures," contained in an article inserted in the Calcutta Christian Observer^ will bring out still more fully his views on this most important subject. " When I look abroad in the world, and behold the glorious things which are now accomplished, I am often constrained to sing, * Blessed are my eyes for what they see, and blessed are my ears for what they hear ; many kings and prophets and righteous men of old desired to see and hear these things, and were not permitted.' *' Among the blessed things which are now accomplish- ing, the translation of the Bible into the various lan- guages of the earth appears among the foremost in point of importance. "As far as I am acquainted with modern oriental ver- sions of the Scriptures, either by personal knowledge, or by information obtained by others, none more than 1 would glory in the labours of the Serampore brethren, of Morrison, Martyn, Milne, and others ; most gladly would I bear their shoes ; and therefore you, Mr. Editor, will not suppose that any disparagement of their holy labours is intended by the remarks I now send you. " Although much is accomplished, I believe much remains to be done to many, if not most, of our modern oriental versions, in order to render them more perspicn- CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 179 OILS to the generality of readers, and particularly to the poor and illiterate, vdt\\ whom missionaries have most to do. Probably all the versions are sufficiently intelligible to the better informed class of readers, to lead the simple inquirer to the cross of Jesus Christ. But it may be that few of them are so simple and perspicuous as they might be, so that it might be said, * He may run that readeth.' " The general faithfulness of these versions to the original is a fact to which we could produce hundreds of A\-itnesses, if need be ; and it is to be feared, that the charge of unfaithfulness has originated (at least too often) in an unhappy state of heart, rather than in any superior degree of learning in those who make the charge. Indeed, it is this very faithfulness which has had a tendency to render versions less perspicuous than they otherwise would have been; so intent have the translators been on producing faithful versions, that in a multitude of instances they have rendered the Hebrew and Greek idioms, not by corresponding idioms in other languages, but by corresponding icords. *'To specify one single instance — selected not for its importance, but for the familiar illustration it affords. In Matthew xiii. 52, 'we have the phrase avOpdoira olKobe(T7r6rrj, which is literally rendered in our authorized translation, * a man that is an householder,' but would more properly be rendered * an householder,' because this last expression in our language most ex- actly corresponds to the phrase, dvOpoina olKobeanoTij in the Greek : nothing is gained by inserting the words, * a man that is' — nothing is lost by the omission ; I do not mean to say that these words in the English transla- N 2 180 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. tion take much from the perspicuity ; but in the lan- guage which more particularly engages my attention I think it does ; and in other cases of a similar nature the sense is greatly obscured, while the translation itself is word for word, according to the original. '' Full well I know the principle of the Bible Society, the only principle upon which it can publish translations ; but this principle, however good in itself, has certainly proved unduly a snare to many : for faithfulness, I hum- bly suggest, consists in exact correspondence, rather than in exact similarity ; indeed, to be plain, that similarity which would make what is perspicuous in the original obscure in the version, is unfaithfulness : and if this simple idea were kept in view, I presume translators would be less shackled in their work. "We hear of some who have made one, two, three, or more versions of the Bible ; and no doubt there are some most gigantic minds equal to the Herculean labour, and in their presence we are constrained to feel ourselves as grasshoppers ; but (and again I speak with diffidence) perhaps some of our translators would have acted more wisely, had they set themselves shorter tasks. No doubt it is very desirable to have translations of the complete Scriptures, but it is more desirable that the labour and toil employed upon the whole should be spent upon a part, if thereby that part would be brought within the comprehension of a greater number of readers. " But as it is, the complete Scriptures have been rendered into very many languages, and now is the time when they should be closely examined, book by book, and part by part, in order to secure their greater per- CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. ISl spicuity ; and in order to this, I conceive that no missionary should set it down as a settled thing, that the Scriptures are translated into the language in which he labours, and that there is nothing left for him to do. Every missionary ought (I do not say to become a translator, but) to do all he can to imp]|)ve the existing version, to mark unintelligible passages, (found to be so in his intercourse with the people,) and to make memo- randa of amendments and alterations. " From these remarks we come to these particular results : " 1 . That every missionary ought to make his ac- quaintance with a language bear as much as possible upon the improvement of the version in that language. "2. That it would be well for each missionary to propose to himself a certain portion, which may en- gage his more peculiar attention ; (say a single gos- pel, or an epistle, or the Psalms ;) and this to be revised, not in any given time, not in one year or five, but the re-vision to go on from time to time, as other duties may permit ; and when this single portion is most completely revised, though it should occupy even ten years, it will be time enough to propose another portion. *' 3. That the revision be conducted upon three prin- cipal rules ; viz. ''I, Perspicuity and simplicity. II. Closeness to the original, as far as is consistent vdth perspicuity. III. Classical purity of language, as far as is consistent with closeness to the original and perspicuity ; ever remembering that we labour principally among the poor and illiterate. 182 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. " I wished to have placed No. II. first ; for we must most strenuously plead for all possible closeness to the original ; but what is closeness to the original mthout perspicuity ? No doubt many, from its vast importance, would place it first, but perspicuity seems to me to be worthy of precedence. " We need not enlarge further upon the necessity of perspicuity ; no translation of so simple a book as the Bible can be good, without a veiy large measure of perspicuity. " Much less need we say about fidelity to the original ; it were far more profitable to point out the liberty which a translator possesses of departing in some instances from the exact letter of the original, in order to attain to the exact meaning. "Upon rule III. we offer one or two remarks, for it is desirable to attain to purity of diction, if it can be done without sacrificing the other two. The finery of Castalio's version, and the crabbed barbarisms of Arius Montanus, are alike to be censured ; or if there be a preference, surely it is not in favour of the latter. But to illustrate the need of purity of diction, {i. e., so far as is consistent with perspicuity and fidelity,) we take the first passage that has presented itself on open- ing the Bible, Matt. x^ii. 1, — 'After days six, taketh Jesus Peter, and James, and John, brother of him, and hringeth them to a mountain high apart.' Every one sees here a want of purity of diction ; and yet the Greek is pure enough, of which this is an exact translation, and our authorized English translation of it is no doubt a fair one, and the translators paid considerable attention CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 183 to purity of expression. Now I am the very last man in the world even to hint that our oriental translators have not aimed at purity of expression. Days of in- tense apphcation, and nights of severe toil, all bear testimony to the strenuous endeavours to attain to it ; but the simple idea I intend to suggest is this, — and it is an idea continually suggested by the perusal of an eminent oriental version, [i. e., the Chinese version,] that after all that our honoured fathers and brethren have accomplished, we shall find many passages obscure by reason of ungrammatical and unidiomatical expressions. " I had intended to adduce a few instances out of many ungrammatical and unidiomatical places in the oriental version with which I am more familiar, but I find it awkward without quoting the version, and con- sequently alluding to the translators. As my only aim is to aid our holy cause, if I can do so by my humble effort, I must enter my caveat against the supposition that I would depreciate a single effort, either great or small. Let me unloose the latchet of my brethren's shoes, and I will reckon it my prii'ilege. " It only remains to sum up the whole. 1 . Much is done. 2. What is done will bear revision. 3. Every missionary should do something in this revision, 4. In this revision, let the objects be, perspicuity, faithfulness, and purity of diction." The principles laid down in this article are very lucidly illustrated in the following admirable remarks on " Idiotisms and Barbarisms." The Editors of the Calcutta Christian Observer remark : 184 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. ''We hail the appearance of $iXo [i. e., Mr. Dyer,] m our pages, on the subject of translation. On a more inportant field he could not well enter, nor one on the right cultivation of which more of the spiritual welfare of millions must depend. His present remarks are so characterised by diffidence, simplicity, and sobriety, that we urge him with all earnestness to favour us with a series of connected papers on the same engrossing theme. Let him not in the superabundance of humility and delicacy sacrifice a public good to the possible wounding of private feeling. Besides, we see not how feelings can be wounded. What has been the object of all biblical translators ? Surely, to furnish a faithful transcript of the blessed volume of revelation, in order to teach and regenerate all nations. Must they not then rather rejoice, when unnoticed mistakes are pointed out, or valuable improvements suggested? If they are sincere Christians, they must. Only let cor- rections be proposed in the spirit of Christian charity, and all they who love the souls of men must rejoice. And sure we are, from the specimen now before us, that nothing can ever proceed from the pen of Mr. Dyer to occasion idle regret, or excite unnecessary irritation." ''The judiciousness and sobriety of the remarks con- tained in the present article on idiotisTns, confirm us in the conviction of Mr. Dyer's qualifications to treat it in a way which, while it can give no offence, cannot fail to edify. We therefore repeat our earnest request, that he leave not a stone unturned in the whole domain of translation and revision ; more especially as it regards the blessed volume of inspiration." CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 185 These observations, he informs us, arose out of his own studies ; that is, as stated before, out of the defects he discovered in the Chinese version of the Holy Scrip- tures. Before Mr. Dyer's views on this subject of overwhelming importance and interest are before the reader, opportunities will oifer to speak with high admiration and devout gratitude to God of those honoured and historic names, Morrison and Milne — names honoured by none with, greater ardour than by Mr. Dyer himself. If he could conscientiously have said that that version was not substantially deficient in the particulars discussed in these papers, as well as in other respects, it would have afforded him the highest satisfaction. He was so sensitive in this respect — sensitive, undoubtedly, to a fault — that nothing but a conviction of duty could have impelled him to give an unfavourable opinion on such a subject. Now that he is gone to his reward, we cannot but feel regret that these papers are not more numerous, and more ample in illustrations ; and that the principles here brought before us are not applied where obscurity hangs over passages which are of first importance in the revelations of mercy. " I. The remarks which I shall offer on idiotisms in the ORDER and in the choice of words, in connection with Scripture translations, are just those which sug- gested themselves in the course of my studies and my intercourse with the natives. Fearing lest any of your readers should suppose that I intrude myself upon a subject beyond my reach, I beg to say, that if they would consider my observations as queries, and furnish 186 MEMOIR OF THE REY. SAMUEL DYER. a reply, they may greatly assist me and my brethren in the work of revision. "In the present paper I shall point ont some errors into which translators have fallen, and I class the prin- cipal mider two heads, using the terms not opprobriously, but for the sake of conciseness. " I. Idiofis?ns. II. Barbarisms. " I. Idiotism is when the manner of expression pecu- liar to one language is used in another. " Every language has an idiom more or less peculiar to itself. In order that a translation may be good, it is necessary for a translator to understand the idiom of the language into which he translates : and his translation is to be according to its manner of expression. If he prefer verbal closeness to the original, in the construction of his sentences, to the proper mode of idiom in the language in which he makes the translation, his readers will be liable to misintei-pret, or remain in ignorance of his meaning. The translator is particularly to bear in mind his readers, and what impression his language will make on their minds : — he is to ask himself if his lan- guage conveys the precise idea which the original con- veys to his mind. " Let us notice more particularly two kinds of idiot- isms. 1. I diotisms in the oT-^er of words. 2. Idiotisms in the choice of words. *' Idiotism in the order of words is when the order oi vfordi^ peculiar to the original is retained in the trans- lation: thus, should Tov apTov rjixujv, Matt. vi. 1 1, be trans- lated, the bread our, instead of our bread, this would be an idiotism in the order of words : not that the idiotisms CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 187 are generally of this simple kind, but they are similar to this. The following is an instance, which occurs in a certain translation, Matt. viii. 28, * \Mien he was come to the other side, met him two possessed with de^^ls ;' which ought rather to be, * two possessed with devils met him.' "We immediately detect the awkwardness of the expression : and if the whole book were in this style, we should greatly object to such a mode of translation : in our English translation, the word ' there' is inserted, which makes the English idiom tolerably accord with the Greek : but in the language alluded to, the word ' there' cannot be inserted, and without it, the render- ing is an idiotism. If then our oriental translations (I do not say as a whole, for they do not,) at all resemble this, some in a greater, some in a less degree, do they not need revision ? How much more then if such idiot- isms invert the sense, as some of them do ! "We notice next, idiotisms in the choice of words. "Idiotism in the choice of words is, when certain words peculiar to the original are retained in the trans- lation. " What would a plain Englishman think of ' a thick friend,'. ' a far man,' ' a cold laugh ?' And yet these, ex- pressions convey most aptly, in a certain language, the ideas, *an intimate friend,' *a stranger,' *a smile.' But the expressions, * a hard saying,' ' quick miderstanchng,' * short memory,' if literally translated, would sound just as awkward in the language alluded to, as the first ex- pressions do to us : — these phrases particularly illustrate the case of the adjective ; that of the verb and adverb is very similar. In order to prevent such idiotisms, 188 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. such expressions should be selected as are perfectly idiomatical m the language of translation, and convey a parallel idea to the original : — a parallelism of words is often very far from a parallelism of ideas. "There are indeed some expressions, aptly termed * Chrisiian expressions,' to which nothing parallel may be found, such as * quench not the Spirit,' 1 Thess. v. 1 9 ; here the Greek has o-/3eVi/vre, which is mostly used as our word 'extinguish,' and particularly applies to fire. Now the idea of extinyidsJiing the Spirit will be perfectly new, perhaps, in every heathen language : but the phraseology is not to be rejected on that account. Whatever word is used in any given language for extin- guishing fire, such word I apprehend is to be used in this place. It must be remembered that the Holy Spirit is often represented in Scripture under the figure of fire : and not to use this very word, would be to detract from the meaning of the passage. To extinguish the Spirit, may, at first hearing, sound as awkward to a heathen, as his * far man' does to us : but extinguishing the Spirit is a ' Christian expression,' which no heathen expression will suitably render. " These hints are sufficient : there is no need to prove elaborately that idiotisms do exist, nor to enter more minutely into their nature, since enough has been said for practical utility. In re\'ising them, let us bear in mind two things, more especially relative to idiotisms, namely, " First. That we aim to be idiomatical in the order of words. Secondly. That we aim to be idiomatical in the choice of words. And one word by way of caution : — CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 189 ''That we never abate the energy of 'Christian ex- pressions,' and Christian ideas, by using such as are heathenish and unchristian. "II. On Barbarisms in translations of the Sacred Scriptures. " I proceed to notice next the subject of barbarisms. " Barbarism is the use of a foreign word. I am far from asserting that all barbarisms are objectionable ; they are more admissible in European than in oriental trans- lations : and in the latter they are sometimes necessary and convenient. It has often been found difficult to translate the word jBaTrri^io : because as very m.uch im- portance is attached to this word by many, and as they differ much in the precise meaning of it, it is seldom practical to find a word in another language which shall satisfy all parties : and the Society which publishes the greater part of these translations is obliged to satisfy all parties : the consequence is, that the word (jaTTTiCco has been most sadly barbarisedy if I may be allowed the ex- pression ; but yet these barbarisms seem to have had tlie happy effect of satisfpng most parties : as each person could interpret the word according to his own idea of its meaning. " It is very needful to distinguish such places from those where there does not exist this necessity for foreign words, always bearing in mind this maxim, that if pos- sible, barbarism should be avoided ; partly because it greatly obscures the meaning, and partly because it often needlessly offends the prejudices of the reader. " Let us notice particularly the mode of rendering the names of Scripture coins, which will pretty well illus- 190 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. trate the subject, and we will confine our attention prin- cipally to Matthew's Gospel. " The principal coins are these : — "First, apyvpiov, Matt. xxv. 18, 27; xxvi. 15; xxvii. 3, 5, 6, 9 ; xxT'iii. 12, 15. Second, dffffcipiov. Matt. X. 29. Third, bldpaxfjiou, Matt. xvii. 24, bis. Fourth. Ko8pavTr]s, Matt. v. 26. Fifth. o-Tarrjp, Matt, xvii. 2/. Sixth. Tc'iXapTov, Matt, x^iii. 24 ; xxv. 15, 16, bis, 20, ter., 22, ter., 24, 25, 28, bis. Seventh. 8r}papiov, Matt, xviii. 28; xx. 2,9, 10, 13; xxii. 19. "Before I proceed farther, I should mention, that among the people who speak the language to which my attention is particularly directed, only two modes of money exist : one is a weight for silver, rather more than an ounce troy, and the other a small brass coin, some- thing similar to an English farthing, but of less value. " Here let us notice an observation of Campbell's, very much to our purpose : * It sometimes happens that accuracy in regard to the value of the coins is^ of im- portance to the sense — secondly, it sometimes happens that the value of the coin is of no consequence to the import of the passage — thirdly, it happens also some- times, that though the real value of the coin does not affect the sense, the comparative value of the different sums mentioned is of some moment, for the better un- derstanding of what is said.' Let us then classify the passages above mentioned accordingly. " 1. Matt. xxvi. 15 ; xx\-ii. 3, 5, 6, 9 ; x. 29 ; v. 26 ; xx. 2, 9, 10, 13. "2. Matt. xxv. 18, 27; xxviii. 12, 15; xvii. 24, bis ; xvii. 27 ; xxii. 19. CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 191 "3. Matt, xviii. 24; xxv. 1.^, IG, bis, 20, ter., 22, 24, 2.5, 28, bis ; xviii. 28. *' The places in Matt. xx\-i. and xxvii. in the first divisions are all alike, because they allude to precisely the same thing, namely, the price for which Judas sold his Master. Our English translation renders it [dpyvpca] by ' thirty pieces of silver.' Accuracy in regard to the coin intended by the word dpyvpia is so far needful (and only so far) that the idea of a small sum is to be conveyed to the reader. Now, if in the translation alluded to it should be said that Judas betrayed the Saviour for j630, (calling the weight of silver of rather more than an oz. troy £, for the sake of the argument,) an erroneous idea would be conveyed : because the conclusion would be drawn that Christ was sold for more than twice the actual sum. But then in that language we have no other mode of expressing the sum, unless we say, as in the English version, ' thirty pieces of silver.' This is indefinite, while dpyvpia is definite, meaning the shekel. But rather than convey the certainly erroneous idea of ^30, it is better to convey the indefinite one of thirty pieces of silver, and by no means employ a barbarism and say, ' thirty arguria,' because we cannot exactly express the meaning of the word dpyvpia. "The next place is Matt. x. 29. Here a certain degree of accuracy only is necessary ; the aTo-a'ptov was quadruple the value of the Kodpdwijg, and this again double the value of the XtTTTov. Now although the brass coin spoken of above agrees well with the Greek XsTTTov, yet no erroneous idea is conveyed by saying, * Are not two sparrows sold for one C ?' (calling the 192 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. brass coin above referred to C,) because this, as aptly as the Greek, conveys the idea intended, ' that although sparrows are almost nothing worth, yet God's providence extends to them.' Now although C is only the eighth part of aaaupiov, it is a fair translation, because it conveys the idea intended to be conveyed. And, inasmuch as C is a coin of exceedingly small value, it is as accurate as it need be. But to say that ' two sparrows are sold for one assarion,' is a barbarism which we should think needless in any language. ''We proceed to Matt. v. 26. Here accuracy is thus far needed ; namely, that the translation express the idea of paying ' the very last fraction.' We can easily perceive that C is a fair rendering of Kocpdvrrjg in this place, as well as of aacrdpiov in the former: at least it con- veys no erroneous idea, and is far preferable to saying, * till thou hast paid the very last kodrant,' which would be a needless barbarism. '' The last places under the first di^•ision are in Matt. XX. Here accuracy is so far necessar}^ that as the Greek crjj'-dpiov conveys the idea of a fair compensation for a day's ivo7'k, (in those times, and in that country,) so like- wise the translation should do the same. Our English translation is certainly incorrect, and conveys an awk- ward idea, namely, that the householder paid his labour- ers very badly, which is not hinted at in the Greek. What is to be done then in the language proposed ? To say that the householder agreed with the labourers for an H, or for a C, would be more erroneous than the English 'penny.' We are constrained to admit, that in this particular language a barbarism seem.s needful in CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 193 this place ; thus, ' when he had agreed with the labourers for a denarius per day,' but a note should always accom- pany the word denarius, intimating that it is a coin, and expressive of its value. " We next come to the places in the second division, and first Matt. xxv. 18, 27. Here no accuracy is needed, and 'money' or 'silver' will do in the translation. "Again, Matt. xx\-iii. 12, 15 ; these places are very similar to the former : ' money' or ' silver' will do in the translation. x\gain. Matt. xvii. 24. Here there is some accuracy in the Greek, because ^Idpaxfia was the name of that tribute which was exacted for the support of the temple : but it does not appear absolutely necessary that the reader in the present day should understand the exact value of the tribute : it is sufficient that he have a general idea : and to render the word ' tribute money,' seems far preferable to 'didrachma,' even though it should be accompanied with a note. "Almost the same may be said of the next place. Matt, xvii. 27 ; with this exception, that as the (TTarrjp was to be given as the tribute of two persons, it is desirable, if practicable, to express the two words in such a way, that the latter may be understood to be about double the value of the former. This is not always practicable : and in such cases it seems better to say in the translation, ' thou shalt find a piece of money,' than to say, * thou shalt find a stater.' For in the former case the reader cannot much mistake the meaning ; in the latter, the meaning would be obscured. "The last place under this division is Matt. xxii. 19 ; here no accuracy is needed in the translation; it is o 194 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. enough in my opinion to say they brought unto him a coin : nothing is lost by saying ' coin ;' nothing is gained by being more specific ; much is lost in an oriental lan- guage by saying, they brought unto him a denarius. "We now proceed to the next division : and first of all, we notice Matt, xviii. 24. In this place there is a comparative value between /xvpiMv TdXavrojv and tKarbv CTjvapia in V. 28th ; and so long as this comparative value is retained in the translation, it is not necessary to be precise as to the sums. Now, ten thousand L is a suffi- ciently large sum to denote a person's being immensely in debt ; and one hundred C aptly expresses a compara- tively small debt : I should indeed prefer a word which would express the idea of a man's being involved beyond the remotest possibility of payment ; but what is to be done when the largest denomination is L? unless the quantity be altered from ten thousand to ten millions. Query ; is this proper ? In my humble judgment ' ten thousand L' is preferable to ' ten thousand talenta,' and ^one hundred C preferable to 'one hundred denarii.' "The only remaining places are Matt. xxv. 15, 16, 20, 22, 24, 25, 28. Here the comparison is between cvo and kv, and the idea that kv is a sufficient sum to trade with, must not be lost : if this idea be preserved in the trans- ation, and also the comparative sums — five, two, and one ; the exact amount given to each servant seems of little consequence. I am inclined to think in \h^ parti- cular language under consideration^ it would be well to say, ' five thousand L' for five talents : ' two thousand L' for two talents, and 'one thousand L' for one talent. Thus we come tolerably near to the value of the talent; CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 195 (say one-third less,) and I should suggest that this is much better than to say 'five talenta/ &c. " In the compass of twenty-seven verses, and in one or the other of two versions now before me, I count thirty- one distinct barbarisms ; while, if the above observa- tions be correct, only four are needful, viz., in Matt. xx. 2, 9, 10, 13." The following extracts from a correspondence he carried on with a brother missionary, will at once show his habit of accurate attention to the minutest matters , and throw some further light on this important sub- ject — the present version of the Chinese Scriptures — a subject in which he felt the liveliest interest, and for the perfection of which he was prepared to act a most efficient part had God in his wisdom seen fit to prolong his invaluable life : — "The [Chinese] particles require a volume: there is not one of them to which justice can be done in a dozen pages, [of letter-press.] I want to see our books more like what they should be ; for, although I do not take quite that gloomy Yiew of them w^hich you do, yet I admit they are capable of vast improvement. We are yet in the veriest infancy of the work in this respect. Cannot we exchange thought upon some subject connected with the language? What think you of substituting the third person for the second in Biblical translations ? Is anything lost by so doing? Is not much gained in point of perspicuity, style, and purity of diction ? Is there any danger of deviating from the mind of the Spirit by the change ? Wliile we are solicitous to use to the utmost the phraseology of the Spirit, is not the o 2 196 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. use of the second person an item of the Greek, Hebrew, and other languages, rather than the diction of the Holy Spirit? Had the Holy Spirit been pleased to employ the Chinese language, would not the third per- son probably have been used ? This last query weighs much with me. However, the difficulty seems to me to be this : in substituting the noun in the third person for the pronoun in the first and second, we interpret the pronoun. Now there are some cases where the person referred to is quite clear and certain ; in such cases, may we exchange it for the noun ? I think we may. If by retaining the pronoun we be less intelli- gible, why should we be obscure where the original is clear, by not translating in accordance with native idiom ? The original, you know, has the advantage of gender, number, and case; but the Chinese has not the full advantage of those variations in inflection. This diversity suggests to us the propriety of taking advantage of any idiom which compensates for such a loss. In cases where the person alluded to is not absolutely clear to every reader of the original, I think we may not substitute the noun, because in that case some might say we had put our own meaning upon the pronoun ; we had made plain what the original had left obscure. *' Now if I act upon these \iews, what objections can be made to my translation ? You mil readily perceive, however, that these observations bear equally upon substituting the noun for the third person, pronoun, as well as the first and second : but my query was on a point of idiom — whether we might address a person as CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 197 absent, while present : * Blessed is Mary among wo- men ;' or, * if my Lord will, he can make me clean.' Now one serious matter to be considered, especially in such a case as the latter one, is, that we get over the difficulty of the vocative case, a case very rarely to be met with in native authors. In something very pathetic indeed, you may find the vocative made by some most grave and pathetic exclamatory particle : but the incessant vocatives of the Greek would never be rendered in this way by a native. He would say, ' If my Lord will, he can make me clean.' The worthy Doctor, however, thought differently : he constantly makes the vocative by the particle ' Aoo,' and some others ; but these ren- derings are obscure to the reader ; and if obscure, how much of the Doctor's translation is obscure!! for how many times this mode occurs. It is not enough to be able to quote classical authority for such a mode ; — but is this the usual mode with them ? Suppose Addison to have used the expression, ' I ivist not,' somew^here in his writings ; he might have used it elegantly, and with admirable eifect: but if a foreigner would translate into English, and because he had met with ' I wist not,' in Addison for ' I think not,' he should invariably say, ' I wist not,' he would become ridiculous ; and if the expression were not considered as a foreignism, it would be thought an English phrase foreignized. The cases are I think nearly parallel, with this difference, that he would be always understood ; whereas the Doc- tor's 'hoo' renders him I think very unintelligible to his reader. Thus I conclude, it is better in such cases to use the third -person than the vocative. If this be 19S MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. conceded, it is enough ; it will tend greatly to make intelligible an immense portion of our present version." The preceding extracts and papers enter more into the minutiae of grammar than the general reader may have been disposed to anticipate ; but as Mr. Dyer stood alone, or nearly so, when on a visit to this country, in advo- cating a thorough re\ision, if not a re-translation of the sacred volume, it was necessary to give a specimen at least of those reasons that convinced him that he was right ; and it would have been injustice to the deceased not to have noticed such investigations ; for these, as ^^ell as other labours, supply the materials for a true account of his life and character. I must nevertheless restrain myself in multiplying quotations of this kind, hoping that at this point I shall prove to have been both just to j\Ir. Dyer and sufficiently considerate of the less learned reader. I am fully aware that this is tender ground. I had however no option : my duty was to give an impartial exhibition, as far as I was able, of what Mr. Dyer was in labour and opinions, as a Christian missionary among the Chinese. Had I no view of my own on the subject, I could not have done less with these papers, from the pen of Mr. Dyer, before me. As this is not a fitting place to enter into a full discussion of the subject of a new version, or a thorough revision of the Chinese Scrip- tures, suffice it to say that there is no difference of opinion among the sinologues of the present day on the point. The resolution of the conference, held three years ago, at Hong-Kong, composed of both English and CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 199 American missionaries, was unanimous on this topic. The views Mr. Dyer had entertained for years before were confirmed by the united and deliberate opinion of that assembly — views he was too diffident for alongperiod to express even in the mild form in which they appear in the preceding pages ! Holding these opinions, as he did, among his most settled convictions, yet his own language is — " No one can esteem m.ore than I the Herculean labour of Dr. Morrison, and no one would plead its \i. e. his version's] merits more strenuously." The following extract from a letter to the Rev. Alex. Stronach, then labouring at Penang, written by him when in England, will sustain the preceding statements. The reader will not be displeased, I am satisfied, that I retain the former part, although it does not refer to the version or "the state oi feeling in England," in regard to it, or the mission to the Chinese in general. Further abridg- ment would be unjust to Mr. Dyer, although it might not be so to the subject. " My dear Brother, — Grace be with you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. " I delight greatly in your plans and operations, which you have so kindly detailed to me in two letters which I have received from you. Happy shall I be once more to see you, and to hear from your own lips what God is doing by your instrumentality. We are with much joy contemplating the period of our embarkation, which we hope will be in July. China is very dear to us : and our only wish is to live and die for China. Yes, I ven- ture to think, that if my heart could be dissected, it 200 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. would be found that China is interwoven with every fibre. *'My object in writing to you is to beckon to you across the ocean, and across the hills, and to cry aloud, ' Only be strong, and of good courage, and the Lord your God will give you the land.' Oh, I wonder exceed- ingly that God should employ such unworthy instru- ments as we are: and yet I think, had I a hundred heads and a hundred hearts, they should all be inscribed with * Holiness to the Lord.' ' " I do hope you will direct your serious attention to the present state of the Chinese Scriptures. Are you satisfied loith Dr. Mot'rison's ? Do you approve of Mr. Medhursfs revision, adopted by the Americans ? To morrow (D.V.) I have a meeting with Dr. Henderson on this subject : but it is one full of difficulty. Brother Kidd and I diifer on this subject : if we could agree, we might do something. However, something must BE DONE. Oh, how we mar the work of God, and yet how God condescends to work by his erring children ! " The state of feeling in England with respect to China is not what it ought to be : there is amazing- apathy in some parts : in others, people do seem to be interested. There is no restraint unto the Lord to save by the mighty, or by them who have no power ; were it otherwise, I would give up : but now I know that " God is with us,— this may cheer us' In the darkest day that is ;, God is with us, and will hear us, For the cause we plead is his : God is with us, — All we need is found in this." CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 201 " Something must be done," was strong and decisive language for Mr. Dyer : so it has been resolved. There has been undue sensibiHty among some of Dr. Morrison's admirers on this subject ; for it is no dero- gation from Dr. Morrison's character, vast and espe- cial acquirements as a Chinese scholar, and all but unparalleled labours, that a version (of the New Tes- tament) which he executed within six years from the date at which he commenced the study of the language should be imperfect. The repubhc of letters has paid a willing homage to the Doctor, and his name will go down among the nations of the West, as well as among the Chinese, as one of the most renowned benefactors of his race. Dr. Morrison's reputation stands at a height far beyond the reach of envy or detraction ; and few praises, however lavishly bestowed, can ever add to his fame : so that to indulge the former would be a combination of weakness and wickedness, and in any circle of ordinary intelligence to attempt the latter would be a work of supererogation. For reasons per- fectly understood the subject of the Chinese version is a case no longer sub judice. The matter is decided ; but decided in a manner that reflects the highest credit on Drs. Morrison and Milne. Theirs was a first version — but a version that will stand in relation to the enhghten- ment of China much in the same position mth the version of Wycliife in Europe — and this is the honour assigned by the unalterable and gracious decrees of Heaven to Drs. Morrison and Milne. This honour no man can take from them. Has it been exceeded in the annals of time ? Can it be equalled " in the ages to come .^" 202 memoir of the rev. samuel dyer. Still ; a revision, pure, idiomatic, and faith- ful, AMOUNTING SUBSTANTIALLY TO A RETRANSLA- TION, THE CHURCH MUST PROVIDE FOR ChINA. It is therefore assuredly the boimden and mstant duty of that portion of the church of Christ which is seeking the evangehzation of China, to take prompt and decisive measures, by multiplying men of first talent, promise, and piety, on the coast of China, as well as by en- couraging those from every nation now in the field, to devote the most assiduous attention to and bestow the utmost labour on this great work, that they m^ay put the Chinese in possession of the revealed will of God in language that shall be like European versions — in- telligible at once to the peasant and the prmce. And in the meantime it must not be forgotten that the })resent version has all the value it had twenty years ago ; and is as capable as it was then of leading, a reader, who is determined not to be foiled in his efforts to know its contents by any rugged style or foreign idiom, to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. China will, among her large reading population, supply no small number of that resolute description. Mr. Dyer contemplated spending his future energies in the work of improvement — and this, with few exceptions, all our Chinese publications it was his opinion needed — hadhe been permitted to see accomplished his plans in the department of typography. He regretted often, as we have seen, the time he was under the necessity of spend- ing in manual labour — and seeing his quahfications for the department of translation, we cannot but regret it too ; CHINESE VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 203 — and the more so now he is gone to his reward and his God. In the future part of this narrative we shall see what he accomplished and what he designed. While at Penang, however, he had proceeded far with the revision of Matthew's Gospel, and the Bible Society had resolved on printing it. His progress was not as rapid as he desired, but he had no alternative : for frequently he wrote home in the strain of the following extract : — " My translation matters have stood still during the last month, principally owing to the incessant attention which I was obliged to give in putting workmen in the way of cutting punches." The pubhcation of that Gospel was delayed for reasons which the following extracts will fully detail : "Our conviction of the necessity of a revised version of the Scriptures in Chinese for poor illiterate emigrants from Cliina and their descendants in the colonies, is only deepened by a longer residence among them. And it has lately been confirmed by the circum- stance of Mr. Medhurst at Batavia ha\ing midertaken a revision of the Gospels in the form of a Harmony. And what is very remarkable, the style and idiom of the two versions are as similar as it is well possible for two perfectly independent revisions to. be ; which no doubt was the consequence of our being similarly situated, as it respects the Chinese, and our wants being precisely the same. "As Mr. Medhurst' s Harmony is in the course of pub- lication, and ourimmediate wants will be thereby supplied, it is deemed advisable to defer the publication * * until further communications have been elicited from the brethren in the ultra-Ganges Mission." Again : — 204 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. " Mr. Medliurst is just publishing a Harmony of the four Gospels in Chinese, and that answers so much the purpose for which my revision is intended that I am in- clined rather to delay its publication, but have not made up my mind. It is certainly desirable to have, as well as the Harmony, a faithful translation. Br. Morrison's is not suitable to the illiterate emigrants of China. I presume not to judge of its suitableness to the higher classes of society. It is faithful to the letter^ — faithful in the extreme : it may do in China. So Mr. Medhurst thinks : he has told me as much. His Harmony proves the same sentiment. How is it that Mr. Medhurst and myself have provided a work in the same style ? Is it not that we both formed the same idea of what the em- igrants required ? As Mr. Medhurst however is supply- ing our immediate wants I am in doubt what to do." While in the midst of these labours he was, as we have already seen, called to leave Penang for Malacca. CHAPTER VI. VICISSITUDES, AND DEATH. Settled at Malacca: — Illness of Mrs. Dyer: — R-eturn to England :— Letters, feelings:— Safe arrival: — Advocacy of the cause at home; instance of: — The feelings with which he was received at Paddington, and presentation of the Encyclopaedia Britannica to him :— Embarkation the second time for India: — Letters from Cape Town, Calcutta, and Singapore. — Labours at Singapore: — Letter to his pastor: — Extracts from his correspondence: —Missionaries repairing to Hong-Kong on the opening of China: — Mr. Dyer chosen Secretary : — Attacked with fever : — The Rev. A. J. Stro- nach's account of Mr. Dyer's illness, death, and burial:— An extract from the "Singapore Free Press." Toward the close of the year 1835, Mr. Dyer was settled at Malacca. Schools were established; the printing-press was in full operation ; and his type-found- ing, proceeding to his entire satisfaction. He had more- over the assistance of Leang-Afa, concerning whom nothing need be said here, as his praise is in all the churches. To leave Penang was a trial to his feelings, and was an interruption to his labours : he had therefore no idea of removing from Malacca when he went there, unless it was to go to China itself; whenever it should prove in the providence of God that the "celestial empire" was opened to the Christian missionary. He had not been there however four years ere he was called upon to contemplate most seriously a return to Europe, on account of the ill health of Mrs. Dyer. This measure 206 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. was a source of much anxiety to them : however he felt .eheved by the circumstance that there was no diversity of opinion as to its necessity. Medical advice was de- cisive. After referring to that opinion, and that of his colleague and other friends, he writes to the Society : — *' Nothing could have been more distant from our inten- tion than the prospect of a return to our native land : we feel that we have given ourselves to the Lord's work among the heathen. And I trust we do feel it to be the very highest privilege we can enjoy on this side heaven to be employed in so blessed, so glorious, and so holy a work. Never are we more happy than when we can in some humble way assist in this thrice blessed work : and our only wish is to live for and to die in the cause of our blessed Master. I cannot but hope that our visit may be made to bear on the best interests of China." In writing to myself at this time he enters more fully into the case : — " My very dear and beloved Brother, — You will proba- bly have heard that my dear wife has been for several weeks quite laid up ; having had rather a serious attack on the liver. She has been brought into a very low state ; so low indeed as to prevent the hope of her being ever able to resume her duties, without a most decisive change. Our medical adviser contemplated from the first an ul- timate change : and ultimately he suggested the Neil- gherries. He says her constitution is quite broken up by a long residence in this chmate. We felt that we were then called to consider the subject seriously : the query was, where were we to go ? I objected to the Neil- VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 207 glierries, on the ground that the expense would be probably as great as a voyage to England, or nearly so : — she must remain there at least twelve months; and so we should be absent from our work eighteen months at the very least, during which time our spirits would be completely broken that we could do nothing for China. And then, after all, a trip to Europe might be still necessary : and the two trips would at least consume three years and a half. I have, therefore, in conjunction with my friends here, and after beseeching the Lord for his guidance, come to the determination not to take any half-change, but to go at once to Europe ; considering that the ex- pense would not be much more ; the period of absence only six months longer, and the whole of my time in England I could make bear on the best welfare of Chhia. " Never did we contemplate such a change as this : we had bid farewell to our dear friends until we met in glory. When we leave, we leave our hearts in China — we go fromhome, not to home — this is our/w7ne : and by the grace of our dear Lord Jesus never will we turn our backs on China. Our only wish to live is for the glory of the Saviour and the good of China : but if He is pleased to say ' come ye and rest awhile ;' we will hum- bly reply, ' Nay but, dearest Lord, not to rest, but only to serve thee and thy sacred cause in China another wav !" ****>!;* " Still I shall bear every labourer, every plan, every effort, upon my heart. My inmost soul leapt for joy when you and brother Wolfe arrived. Happy, thrice happy shall I be once more to join the little band of the devoted missionaries in the Straits." — '' Dearest brother. 208 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. indeed we love you all — never allow yourselves for a mo- ment to think we love you not ; God knoweth, 2 Cor. xi. 11." In writing home to his father he says : — " Dear, oh ! very dear to us is beloved China. Dear, thrice dear is every labourer in the vineyard ; and happy, very happy are we to bear some humble part in this most blessed work. Still do we hope to be permitted to labour to enlighten benighted China, and still do we humbly ask to be permitted to seal our labours with our death in a heathen land. ^t * * * " You know, dearest father, we bade you and all our friends farewell, till we met in glory. By the grace of God, having put our hand to the plough we never will look back. Should we return to Europe for a season, it will be only to prepare for future labours. Our \-isit must bear wholly on China — we must leave our hearts here ; we feel we only live for the glory of Jesus Christ and the good of China; and we only desire to spend and be spent in the sacred cause in which it has been our privilege to labour for twelve years. " We have taken our passage in the John Dugdale of Liverpool, bomid for London : she is to sail to-morrow. Singapore, May 15. My dearest Father. — My heart is full. I verily believe there is no work under the whole heavens which will compare in interest, in importance, and in glorious results with the work of Christ among the Gentiles. Oh ! to hew wood and to draw water in such a service is a sacred privilege. We have often provoked the Lord by our sins ; but still I hope he is VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 209 not removing us from his vineyard in his anger, to be employed therein no more : and if we have found grace in his sight, we will hope that he will again permit us to labour and toil in behalf of China. It is to us a source of much comfort that we leave amidst the approbation and smiles and tears of all our friends, without one dis- sentient voice, and until now leaving them I had not the remotest idea of the large number of friends we possess, who seem to vie with each other who shall sympathise with us most and who shall be most kind." The next communication his father received from him was dated Deal, Sept. 18, 1839. "Last night," he says, " will never be forgotten by us, inasmuch as we weathered the most terrific hurricane off the Goodwin sands which you can possibly imagine, and were very nearly lost, for we struck : but through the merciful interposition of our heavenly Father we anchored safe in the Downs last night, and landed this morning." lie returned to England, for we cannot say home, with his whole soul full of China : this was apparent to all who made his acquaintance in his native land. The more he was known, the more he was admired ; and as his retiring habits were so extreme — extreme to a fault — ^it was necessary to make some little effort ere his excellency and his worth could be discovered : and the discovery always revealed his consecration to the spiritual interests of the Celestial Empire. When he appeared as the advocate of the mission to China aiiiong the churches of this land, bis statejnents, though far from those deemed popular, yet were deeply 210 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. impressive : there was no declamation, but there were facts, and these facts were always told in a style pecu- liarly his own. Sometimes a feeling of deep devotion and solemnity pervaded the meetings he addressed, which could be produced only by a heart wholly consecrated to God and the cause of truth, pouring out its fulness in a manner which mere rhetoric and intellect can neither effect nor counterfeit. "The statements he made," (at the Norwich Mis- sionary Anniversary,) writes a brother missionary, who was present,* " though without any apparent emotion in his own bosom, without display, without colouring, without the remotest attempt at effect — made calmly, deliberately, and with a tone of voice equal, and even monotonous ; yet the statements he made told with thrilling effect on the auditory. They were not far- fetched, not ideal ; they were his own, the statements of a faithful labourer, giv^ng a faithful account of his labours. He did not tell us they were unwearied, but it was plain to every one they were so ; he did not tell us they were arduous, but it was plain to every one they were so ; he did not tell us they were perplexing, but it was plain to every one they were so ; he did not tell us they were successful, but it was plain to every one they were so. The detail was full, but not tiresome ; it was graphic, but unlaboured, un\\Tought. It was the detail of conscious integrity, conscious faithfulness, conscious strength, conscious success, in a mighty achievement for a mighty object — the fruit of self-denying, beheving, prayerful, humble-minded labour. It was," it is further • The Rev, J. Ketley, of Demerara. VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. ill added, " one of the most striking illustrations of the infinite ease with which the ever blessed God could accomplish his faithful word in the conversion of the world by the instrumentality of his church that ever illuminated uninspired minds. Indeed, I should hardly think it possible that any thoughtful Christian who heard him could ever after indulge the question of imbelief, — 'How can these things be?' " I will not weary the reader with details of missionary meetings, although the documents before me might be pleaded as a full justification for devoting a few pages to some extracts, with illustrative and connecting observa- tions. It is obvious, however, that the more spiritual such meetings, the more fully will they answer the design which ought always to be kept in view; and it is gratifying to know that much improvement has taken place within comparatively a short period. It must not, however, on the other hand, be forgotten, that it is quite possible to go to the extreme in decrying, in the proceedings on missionary platforms, what is neither inconsistent with the devoutest piety, nor offen- sive to good taste. Mr. Dyer was successful beyond many in keeping to the golden medium ; for when he detailed what was frivolous or absurd in heathen prac- tices, it was obvious that he had some great spiritual principle in view, and the former he always brought forward for the sake of the latter. He visited several of the counties of England on these missionary toiu's, and was refreshed by many ; and was himself, we can- not doubt, the means of refreshing more. Wherever p 2 212 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. he found a response to his appeals for Chma, his very soul was filled with gratitude, and his lips with praise to the God of missions. When this was not the ease, no acts of kindness and hospitality were lost upon him. He recognised in the attention paid to him the goodness of God, and the existence of Christian principle : *' Inasmuch as. ye haAC done it unto one of the least of these my breth- ren, ye have done it unto me." He spent about two years in advocating the cause he had at heart ; during which time Mrs. Dyer so far recovered her health and strength as to warrant their return to their delightful work among the heathen. However desirable it may be to avoid undue length, we must not pass over the feelings with which they visited the church at Paddington, nor the marks of esteem and Christian love with which they were received. We have seen that Mr. Dyer loved his pastor with an ardour seldom equalled, perhaps never surpassed. He loved the church, he loved the schools, and he loved the place ; for he was horn again there. The pastor, the church, and the teachers of the school, fully reci- procated these feelings of Christian affection ; and often did they prove the sincerity of their professions by acts of substantial kindness and generosity. Among such proofs, was a presentation of a copy of the last edi- tion of the Encydopcedia Britannica, just on the eve of his embarkation, in the year 1841. This invaluable work was presented to him in the school-room belonging to Paddington chapel, amidst a numerous assembly, by his beloved pastor, in his own name and the friends there assembled. Mr. Stratten delivered an address to him on VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 213 the occasion, from the words of Paul to Timothy, — " Thou, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus." Mr. Dyer replied in a strain and spirit of humility, disinterestedness, and zeal — traits of character by which he was always distinguished. This handsome present, with all his books, — and his library was one of considerable extent and value, — he bequeathed to the mission. There it will remain ; no small advan- tage, itself a library of reference, to the mission ; a memento of his own generosity, as well as of the church from which he went forth to the heathen to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. The following inscription, describing at once the design of the donors and the estimate they had formed of Mr. Dyer's character and labour, adorns the first of the twenty-two volumes (quarto) of which the work consists. THIS ENCYCLOPEDIA WAS PRESENTED TO THE Rev. SaMUEL DyeR, OF MALACCA, BY THE MINISTER, CHUKCH, CONGREGATION, AND SUNDAV- SCHOOL TEACHERS OF PaDDTNGTON CHAPEL, ON THE EVEN- ING OF THE 15th of June, 1841, in testimony of their RESPECT AND AFFECTION FOR HIS PERSON AND CHAPtACTER, AS A LABORIOUS, PATIENT, DISINTERESTED, AND SELF- DENYING MISSIONARY OF ChRIST, AS A RECORD OF THEIR HIGH ESTIMATION OF HIS SERVICES IN SURMOUNTING THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE CHINESE TONGlJE ; IN THE HOPE THAT THESE VOLUMES MAY CONTRIBUTE IN ANY DEGREE TO ASSIST HIS ENDEAVOURS TO COMMUNICATE TO THAT EXTRA- ORDINARY PEOPLE THE KNOWLEDGE AND SCIENCE OF Eu- 214 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. ROPE, BUT ABOVE ALL THE GOSPEL OF OUR BLESSED LORD AND Saviour Jesus Christ ; and with earnest prayer TO God that his life may be prolonged and his use- fulness increased with advancing years, and that future missionaries may witness the glorious and extensive triumphs of the cross over the vast re- gions of the Chinese empire, and that after a life OF honourable toil and noble devotedness to the CAUSE of Christianity and human happiness, he may receive from the Lord the righteous Judge a crown of glory which shall never fade away. SiGNiED ON BEHALF OF THE DoNORS, James Steatten, J. Claypon, T. Parkinson, John GoMi\r, W. Bailey, John Tudor. Thus he left his native land the second time, contem- plating years of happy toil, not now in an unknown re- gion or tongue. Experience and success had brightened every grace that adorned his character when he first went forth to the Gentiles, and had prepared him and strengthened every power for more efficient labour — a labour he looked forward to now with augmented plea- sure, as he knew his work and his own aptitude to pro- secute it. He with his family embarked on the 2nd of August, 1841, on board the Plant agenet, bound for the port of VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 215 Calcutta. It was his happiness to have met with a lady, Miss Buckland, in every way qualified, to teach his children, so that he was not called to leave any of them in England for the sake of education. On this, as well as on almost every other topic, great diversity of opinion exists. Mr. Dyer's conviction was, that his brethren in general were justified in sending or leaving their children for education in this country, but as he was able to make a satisfactory arrangement without submitting to this painful necessity, he regarded it as an instance of the kind interposition of his heavenly Father. This lady gave him the most entire satisfaction. Most fre- fjuent and honourable testimony is borne to her charac- ter, devotedness, piety, and aptitude, in his letters now before me. Nothing therefore he desired in returning to England had failed him. — Mrs. Dyer's health was restored, his own spirits refreshed by Christian inter- course with friends, pastors, and the Directors of the Society — his children in health and returning with him, his happiness was as full as he ever expected it to be on earth. He therefore bade adieu to his fatherland for the last time, not indeed as a stoic, but as the devoted and willing servant of Christ — full of tender emotions — emotions without whose susceptibility he could not be so efficient a labourer among the heathen in the vine- yard of Him whose " heart is made of tenderness.'' On the 2nd of August, he wrote to his father from Portsmouth : — '*My dearest Father, — The ship arrived yesterday morning. We embark after dinner. Wind contrarv. 216 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. We are to weigh anchor to-night. We had a quiet sab- bath, and I was incog, till after the evening service, when I went into the vestry to see Mr. Cuzens. Farewell. Peace be with you. If possible, you shall hear with the pilot ; but with this wind it may be some days hence. All well. Miss Buckland keeps up her spirits. [The lady spoken of above as the governess of his children.] ****** *'Our very kindest love to you and Mrs. Dyer, and Harriet. * The time is short.' " Two days after he wrote by the pilot : — " The last twenty-four hours have been trying to our faith, and love, and patience. But we find that as our day is, so is our strength. It is as much as I can do to write you a line. All on board have suffered from sea sickness except Burella, [his youngest daughter.] '^ We have now a favourable breeze ; and being a fine clear day we see the cliffs of Albion, pardon me if I say, I trust for the last time. You well know that it is not a want of patriotism that induces me to say this, for tlie land of my fathers is dearer to me than all lands, save ' the land which is very far off.' Neither is it the want of filial affection, for I could not have left my honoured father without the assurance that I should soon see him again and be with him for ever. But when I think of the 350 millions of China perishing for lack of know- ledge — when I remember that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world, oh ! then every object in this world dwindles into perfect insignificance compared with carrying these glad tidings to a dying world. — Torbay, ;jth. We now lie at VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 217 anchor, with a strong westerly breeze. We shall pro- bably start finally this evening. Farewell, my dearest father ; do all you can to send us missionaries ; if from Paddington, how dehghted should I be." The next communication from him was dated at Cape Town, and is inserted below. The reader will not fail to derive pleasure and satisfaction from the paragraph in reference to " pious Indians." Indeed a most inter- esting volume might be written on the progress of vital and spiritual piety among the officers, both ci\41 and military, in our Indian empire. Would that some one of sufficient leisure and acquaintance with Indian affairs could be induced to undertake such a service ! Mr. Dyer himself was the means of bringing some Europeans to the saving knowledge of the Redeemer. Penang has been honoured of God to be the spiritual birth-place of many who went there devoted to the world and to pleasure, but left it the " lovers of God:" — and of them it will be said on the great and last day, that they were "born there," and that Samuel Dyer had begotten them through the gospel. ''Cape Town, Oct. Uth, 1841. '* My very dear and honoured Father, — Through the tender mercies of our God, we safely anchored in Table Bay yesterday morning, being sixty-five days from Tor- bay, and seventy from Portsmouth. This is about an average passage ; and considering the winds we have had, our ship has performed beautifully, beating every- thing we have seen. In eveiy respect we have had a comfortable passage, and most cheerfully do we raise 218 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. our Ebeiiezer, for hitherto the Lord hath helped us. Our captam is a perfect gentleman ; and our voyage has been a complete contrast to our voyage home. No passenger has been obliged to touch salt provisions, hard biscuit, or to drink tea without milk. Fresh meat, — mutton and pork, — bread, vegetables, preserves, fruits, &c., all in the greatest abundance. In fact, the only apparent difference from a table on shore was, that these good things would not stop in the dishes. " Our cabin accommodation has been everything that we wished ; there we were always quiet during our little seasons of worship. We have had worship in the cuddy every Sunday morning, when the captain read prayers, and I preached a short sermon. But while our party was a pleasant one, certainly much more so than the })arty of the Roxburgh Castle, we found no one on board altogether like-minded with ourselves ; however, there was a respect for religion shown by all, and I think we were none the less respected for being religious, and maintaining our accustomed habits of family and social worship. "■ The present mail will bring you a letter from Miss Buckland ; she very soon resumed her wonted cheerful- ness, and she has proved a great comfort to us. Her conduct has been so consistent as to gain the esteem of all on board, and I think she has won the affections of the children. She is a very amiable lady, and the very person we wanted : not one Avord of regret at leaving her friends has ever escaped her, and I think she is very happy ; however, for this I must refer you to her own letter. VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 219 " On our arrival in Table Bay, I forthwith wrote a line to your friend Dr. Philip : he however is absent in the interior for six months, ^dsiting the different missionary stations. We called on Mrs. Philip, who was kind enough to read to us two letters from the Doctor written from Caledon : these were deeply interesting, describing great advances in .civilization and reHgion since 1839, when he last \'isited the institution. He was accompanied by a person from India who ^dsited our stations ten years since : he was astonished at the change which he witnessed, from which I conclude that the good work is in a state of progress. What think you of 250 at a prayer-meeting in the interior of Africa ? Perhaps curiosity may lead you to count how many persons may be present at the next prayer-meeting you attend, and I almost think you will find the poor Africans not very far behind us in England in their attendance at the house of God : espe- cially when you take into account the sparse population of the interior. A missionary from Caffreland is now here : his accounts are of the most satisfactory nature : things are advancing. If we had been living for twelve months in a climate where the cold was many degrees below zero, how thankful should we be if the thermo- meter should rise, even though it should rise no higher than 32, and we might be surrounded by ice ! It is the comparative freedom from suffering which would prevent every murmur. Here are myriads of immortal souls, who for centuries have been many 7nany degrees below the moral zero, and now they are just beginning to warm by the genial rays of the Sun of righteousness. Oh! blessed be God who hath had mercy upon Africa. The tree of 220 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. life hath been planted in Africa : and its seeds, like the seeds of certain flowers, have wings and plant themselves : ' and the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon.' *' A great vadciij Indians (as they are called, i.e. Indian officers,) \4sit this settlement instead of returning to England, because they can do this without losing their pay and allowances. It is very remarkable that many of these have been pious men : ' pious Indians ' is here a kind of technical term, and goes current at Cape Town. * Pious Indians!' Did the thing exist in a.d. 1800? Was there such an one to be found anywhere ? And now, within forty years, a class of indi\-iduals has arisen, for whom a new name must be invented : and more- over, those with whom the designation arose are only the representatives ; the tithe of a larger number. If the London and Baptist Societies had not sent mission- aries to India, would these things have been so ? To my mind, this is a proposition that admits of as forcible a demonstration as Euchd's * square of the hypothenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.' ^\Tio would have predicted in 1800 that in 1841 the number of Christian officers in India shall be so large, that a portion of them shall visit the Cape, suffi- ciently numerous to call forth a distinctive name ? Who that knew the state of India would have believed the prediction ? My very inmost soul exults and leaps for joy. Is this the fruit of missionary toil 1 Then happy, thrice happy am I if I may but hew wood and draw water for the missionaries so employed. And the acme of my joy in this world shall be, that my little children may hew wood and draw water too. VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 221 "We have all enjoyed very excellent health. I have heen able to pursue my Chinese and Hebrew studies with considerable application : these have been a source of amusement to me, when many others were weary with wanting something to do. We all unite in very kind love to you and Mrs. Dyer and Harriet, and all my dear brothers and sisters. " Miss Buckland is very anxious for you to come and settle at Singapore : she will probably express her wishes. If I thought there was the shadow of probability of such an event, I should be tempted to express my owti wishes too. But I do not expect to see you again, till I see you in glory. Adieu, my honoured father. " Your very affectionate Son, "Samuel Dyer.'* "Ship Plantagenet, " 150 miles below Calcutta^ ''Dec. Uth, 1841. " My dearest Father, — The pilot came on board this morning, from whom I learn that if we write by the December mail, we must send our letters on to Calcutta before us, to be in time for the overland despatch. Our voyage from the Cape (from whence I wrote to you per Romeo, under date of Oct. 13th,) has been somewhat tedious, but more favourable than that of any other ship ; and the incidents of the voyage have been but few. Nothing can be more monotonous than a voyage to the East Indies at the season at which we left. Yet I think our humble efforts to do good have not been in vain : and this circumstance has supplied us with some little variety. 222 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. *' After leading the Cape, we had an admirable ruii of 200 miles per diem for thirteen successive days : but after recrossing the hne we experienced frequent calms. What seemed to us somewhat mortifying was, that we were at one time within 600 miles of Penang, but of course the ship could not go so far out of her way to carry us. We had no gale off the Cape, no hurricane off the Isle of France ; and here we are, through the tender mercy of our God, safely anchored off the Hooghly, waiting for the tide. " The same mail that brings this will bring you news from Burmah and China, much more than I can learn from the pilot : one thing perhaps may be interesting to you, namely, the Assam tea trade is assuming a very promising aspect. " Our present intention is, to remain about a week or ten days at Calcutta : and then proceed to Singapore : in that case I shall probably leave a letter for you by the January overland mail ; expecting that our stay will furnish incidents. Sunsets, shark-catching, ship-speak- ing, and the setting off of charts, constitute the princi- pal incidents of our voyage from the Cape. " Ever your affectionate Son, "Samuel Dyer." " Calcutta, Jan. 7th, 1842. "My very dear and honoured Father, — We have been here three weeks : I wTote to you by the last overland mail, which letter you should receive about the 8th of February. We expect to re-embark to-mor- row, and in that case we shall hope to be at Singapore VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 223 about the end of the month. I cannot say that we are pleased with Calcutta, and yet I can scarcely tell why. There is certainly much to afford great delight, and yet there is much to give great pain to the Christian. Oh ! the foul deeds which are perpetrated in this dark dark land ! deeds which make one feel horrified to think that human nature can sink so low : deeds, the bare knowledge of which seems to defile and pollute the soul — and yet I msh friends in Britain knew them, for then I think they would be all zeal, all fire, all liberality, if perhaps they might raise human nature from a state lower than that of the very brutes. *'The state of education among the natives is very encouraging ; their attainments are considerably above mediocrity. In Dr. Duff's school of 800 boys I pro- posed the theorem, — * In a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypothenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the two sides.' This was most readily de- monstrated in two different ways, the teacher in this branch being a native. A select class was thoroughly instructed in nautical astronomy ; the youths could find the latitude by an altitude of the sun, and the longitude by lunar observation. They also proved the velocity of light by the eclipses of Jupiter's sateUites. They were not less informed on the grand doctrines of the cross, and they admitted most readily that there was no way of salvation save by the cross of the Saviour. " Another school in connection with our own mission contains 400 boys ; this is also in a prosperous state. Some of the youths are connected with a temple, which I went to see. This temple is in every sense a monstrosity 224 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. — I know no other name by which to call it. The idol was a large round black stone ; eyes, nose, and mouth were hideously portrayed upon it, and a long golden tongue was superadded — which by the way is removed when the temple is closed, lest it should be stolen. This temple originally belonged to forty families. These having increased in numbers, the attendance at the tem- ple is apportioned out among those entitled to conduct the worship : some have it for a week, some for a day, some for an hour, and each is entitled to all the profits accruing during his allotted period. The day I \dsited the temple the worshippers Avere numerous, and the profits of course large ; however, I learnt one most interesting fact, — the profits are much less than they used to be a few years ago. And some youths of the mission-school said, ' We know Christianity is true, we know idolatry is false ; and we would be Christians, only there are impediments in the way,' meaning public opinion among themselves. "There are at least thirty evangelical ministers of various denominations in Calcutta : how many were there thirty years ago ? I was invited to the monthly missionarj^ breakfast ; there were Presbyterian ministers, Episcopahans, Baptists, and Independents ; eighteen ministers met in conference about the best means of doing good. I never saw such a sight as this in England, unless at the Tract Society's house ; but there only one plan was discussed, viz., the tract circulation. But here good is to be done in any possible way of doing good ; and a prayer-meeting was held, and two Episcopalian ministers, one Presbyterian, and one Independent en- VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 22r> gaged in prayer. If people want large hearts, let them come to India, and learn to love all who love our Lord Jesus Christ. I cannot but think that such union is well-pleasing in the sight of Him who prayed, ' That they all may be one.' " I cannot but think that the day is not far off when this city will suddenly throw off the yoke of idolatr)^ The people are gro'^Hng in knowledge ; they are begin- ning to emulate European arts. The mint is the finest in the world, worked by natives under European super- intendence. Printing presses, superintended by natives ; copper-plate engraving equal to British workmanshij). And now that coals are coming forth from the mines, we may expect a new impulse to the arts. There is a vast moral machinery at work ; and perhaps we may yet live to see a nation * born at once :' at least, my own faith is strengthened exceedingly by seeing what my eyes have seen in Calcutta. " Still, Calcutta, as a place, is not like the Straits ; there is a something in the social circle in the Straits unlike anything I have seen here, and our climate is far preferable. There is also a system of extortion prac- tised among the natives, which appears to me abomi- nable. Riding in a palkee, carried by four bearers, I once made a small purchase in the street ; not having change, I stopped to procure it at a money-changer's stall : one of the bearers insisted upon receiving ' cus- tom' from the seller, and even seized it before he could get the change into his hand — and there was no appeal. The same bearer followed me into every shop, closely watched the amount of my purchases, and in every a 226 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. case demanded his ' custom;' and in one case, not suc- ceeding, he appealed to me, — and so he lost it. If you send a servant outside your door to pay a man who waits for his money, your ser\^ant demands * custom ;' in fact, I suppose no payment of any kind is made by a native without demanding ' custom' : so that if a native makes a purchase, he demands ^custom' of the seller. This abominable system has become most grinding and oppressive ; and a native esteems himself but too happy if you put the money into his own hands. * jji * ^; * " In going up the river Ganges, my feelings were incessantly wounded by the shocking scenes to be wit- nessed all the way up. "When natives die, whose friends are too poor to procure wood to burn the corpse, the dead bodies are thrown into the river ; these float up and down with every tide, and carcasses are constantly seen floating with vultures perched upon them. But these dead bodies are cast upon the shore, and then you see dogs tearing out the entrails, vultures waiting with the utmost composure, as if they knew from experience that before all was gone the dogs would have eaten to repletion and retired : and then crows in great numbers waited till the vultures had finished their meal. All this takes place perhaps ten yards from a spot where natives are bathing ; and it seems as though all parties were well content that thus it should be. And in looking along the banks of the river, the horrid group is seen on either side- long before you approach it. I went about four hours' journey, and in that space of time saw five such scenes on the banks, one in the water, and two sick VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 227 persons brought down to the banks to die. The day we landed from the ship, the first object that caught my eye was a dead body cast upon the shore, which the boatmen passed with as much indiiference as if it were an object as common as the boats on the river. Re- member me most kindly and affectionately to Mr. and Mrs. Stratten." Such is heathenism. Let Christians ponder. Much has been done for Bengal : who has done it ? There is but one answer — the church. Let her arise, and in the strength of her God complete the conquest ! The next communication from ^Ir. Dyer is dated at Singapore. Providence had smiled upon them all the way ; their health had even improved, their spirits sus- tained, and they were received by their friends in the Straits with open, yea, rather by many of them with thankful, hearts. Under date March 8th, he writes to his father : — "It is now about ten days since we arrived here, having touched at Penang and at Malacca, where I was de- tained some time m order to the settlement of the affairs of the college. Nothing could have been more kind than our reception by the brethren at each place, and it is a source of sweet satisfaction to us that on our return we should meet with so hearty a welcome. '^I shall hope for another opportunity of addressing you by this mail; but lest I should be prevented I send a few lines to inform you of our safe arrival and good health. Mr. John Stronach, with whom I have Q 2 228 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. the happiness to be associated, is a man with whom I have the most perfect sympathy on every subject." He entered vdih all his heart into his work at Singa- pore. Mr. Stronach and he worked together, not only with the utmost harmony, but with the utmost cordiality and aifection : each sought to assist, to comfort, and to advance the other in his happiness and labour. It is in the following strain he writes, referring to a previous communication : — " Since then we have ail enjoyed both health and comfort : I do not know how to give you a better idea of our comfort than to mention what Mr. Stronach says in a letter to a relative, — * We are as happy as ever — rather our happiness is increased by the arrival of the Dyers. Mr. Dyer and I are like the pinions of a watch, working in, and with, and by each other from day to day.' You may be quite sure that such an expression of feeling I can most cordially reciprocate. Our sojourn at Singapore has hitherto been sweetly peaceful ; and my prayer lies at the Divine footstool, and it has ascended, so to speak, upon the sacramental altar — in seasons of fervent devotions — that no root of bitterness may spring up and trouble us." He adds, " Since my arrival, Mr. Stronach and myself have very nearly com- pleted a comparative vocabulary in two of the dialects of China. We have moreover got to the end of the sixth chapter of my revision of Matthew's Gospel, re- vising every verse and every clause. The revision of the thirtieth verse of the sixth chapter cost us nearly VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 229 one hour and a half this clay — no one can appreciate the cUfficulties of translating into an oriental language but those who have had to do with it. We have con- siderable advantages in this work ; we have two good teachers, to each of whom the whole is submitted ; we live next door to each other, and consult together every day ; we have each a good library, to which the other has free access ; Mr. Stronach is a good scholar, and our views are so similar that we carry on everything together. "We visit the bazaar together almost every evening in the week. We have a little chapel in the town, where we preach and dispense medicines ; and we have our hands as full as they can well be. The Chinese types are not yet fairly under way, as my head man is dead, and I have the establishment to remodel : but I am happy to say I have every accommodation for the work ; nothing could be more convenient than the premises which we occupy. " Mr. Grylls, who has served the schools at Penang very faithfully, is compelled to return home on account of his health. I shall give him a letter of introduction to you ; I am sure you will be glad to see him, and to entertain him the few days of his stay in London. He leaves in the Alexander Johnson about the middle of June." In another letter he says, — " We are now most happily and comfortably settled at our new station ; so happily that to me it is the ful- filment of that promise, — ' And it shall come to pass that at eventide it shall be light.' '^ '^ ''^ * 230 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. This, after my ' night of toil,' is hke the beautiful sun- shine of a lovely spring." Still he adds, — " And now, my dear father, happy as I am at my station and in my colleagues, I wish still to think, and to delight in the thought, * the time is short.' Soon, our work will be done ; we shall see Him, whom, not having seen, we love ; but while we are here, let every- thing bear but one inscription, ' Holiness to Jehovah, Lord of hosts !' " iVnd during the short time of life, he was ever anxious that all should bear a part in his chosen work. After he left this country, an institution was established at Walthamstow, for the education of the sous of missionaries ; and in answering a paragraph in a letter from his father respecting its establishment, he says : — " The account of the mission- ary boys' school was deeply interesting ; and nothing more so than that my dear father is the treasurer. I would that all the members of our family were mission- aries — that every heart were missionary — that every faculty and every power were missionary — and that our family might be a missionary family. And I love the man exceedingly who feels it to be a pri\'ilege to hew wood for the missionary cause." In reference to his type operations he A\Tites, in the same letter : — " My new types get on nicely ; you shall soon have a specimen. God has prospered me by raising up a young man who readily learns from me, what I learnt when in England ; and if my life is spared, and grace given, I shall yet sing my Nan nobis Domine over the Chinese types of smaller size. You will remember that this is one-fourth of the size of the larger fount ; and \^'ill condense our books into one-fourth of their VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 231 present bulk. This work has the concurrence and sanction of my brethren in the mission : my premises are just suited to my necessities, and nothing is wanted but time, health, and grace, to complete the work." He was engaged in other important departments ; but I shall quote his own language : — " My vocabulary has undergone a complete revision, additions to the amount of its present bulk have been made : it is accompanied by a translation into another dialect in the Chinese, and it is now transcribing for the press. Our time is also partly taken up by translations and revision of the Chinese Sacred Scriptures." They were cheered in the midst of their toil with a small band of native converts. Of these he writes in a pleasing strain. The following short extract "must be the only specimen : " We have at this station a few native converts, who, with one exception, seem to walk well. One is a very talented man, and very docile. We are seeking to turn his talents to account ; and at present he is composing a tract with which we are much delighted. For beauty of composition, interesting style, and general perspicuity, I am persuaded it has not its equal in the Chinese language. And the subject being the life of Christ, we are anxious to get it into the hands of the people." "Yesterday," he adds, "was the anniversary of our leaving London for Singapore. Oh what a year of mercies ! How much peace, how much joy, how much comfort ! It has been one of my brightest years : if it commenced in tears of separation, it has closed in tears of gratitude ; — gratitude, that I am a missionary of the cross — gratitude, that I live only for China — gratitude, 232 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. that my head and heart and hands are full. Farewell, my dear father." Writing to his dear pastor on this anniversary, he penned the following letter, which throughout is in his own peculiar style. Soon after this the missionaries were called upon to take decisive steps as it regarded removal into China Proper. He was permitted only to see the land ; and lay down his life, which he had not counted dear to liim, on the borders of what to him had all the attractions the land of promise ever had to an Israelite. But the letter explains itself: — " Singapore, August, 1842. " My very dear Friend, — To-morrow it will be one year since we embarked for India. It has been* a year of mercies. The Lord hath * set my feet in a large room.' It has come to pass that at * eventide it is light.' This has been one of the happiest years of my life. And I wonder, and am amazed at that infinite wisdom which has * led me by a right way.' Even in seasons of sorrow and darkness I have counted it my glory and joy to serve the cause of Christ among the Gentiles : how much more, when liberty, peace, and gladness surround me on every side ! " You may have heard from my father that God has given to us another babe, an * Ebenezer,' and Mrs. Dyer is as well as I have ever known her to be. Our two elder children are in a very hopeful state of mind ; Miss Buckland is a very great comfort to us, and thus I am not called, like many of my dear brethren, to leave my children far away beyond the sea. I am happily asso- VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 233 dated with a fellow-labourer who loves me ; and I am sure I love him. We work together, as he says, like the pinions of the wheels in a watch. Oh how ungrate- ful should I be not to sing, ' Bless the Lord, O my soul !' " My friend Mr. Stronach is of the same opinion as myself, that at present it is most desirable for us to remain here, rather than proceed to China. We have full liberty to teach from house to house, and we proclaim the Lord Jesus all through the town ; which is one of considerable size. But the people are utterly given to idolatry, and its insignia meet the eye in every house we enter. Still we generally have a most attentive hearing ; sometimes the people are inquisitive, and but rarely rude and repulsive. We have a small group of native Chris- tians, four or five in number, and, for the most part, they afford us comfort ; and as a little church in a heathen land we enjoy seasons of sweet refreshing, particularly on our sacramental occasions. "The very handsome and valuable present of my Paddington friends arrived in excellent condition, and, as a book of reference, it is invaluable to our mission. With the rest of my books, it is to remain, in iierpetiio, the property of the mission ; and I suppose there may be no such book on the island besides. Please to give my most kind love to my very dear Paddington friends. You cannot tell them how much I love them, but you can tell them I love them much. *'My hands are full. Translations, preparation of books, preaching, type-casting, and printing, engage my attention from day to day. God prospers us in these various items of labour : — but we long, and pray, and 234 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. intensely desire, to see the heathen destroy their idols, and seek the way to Zion. Oh might I but see a bon- fire of idols, I would sing and leap for joy, and with good old Simeon almost wish to be gone — but no, I would wish to stay ; yet only that the Lord Jesus might be glorified by my humble instrumentality. " Our very kind love to Mrs. Stratten ; her contribu- tions upon our departure were most acceptable. Neither do I forget John ; only I could ^ish he might be a missionary of the cross. " In ardent love to you, " And very affectionate esteem, "Samuel Dyer." The following extracts from, his correspondence at this time, rather of a miscellaneous character, yet not more so than the diversified nature of his incessant occupations, must close all the account that can be given of his proceedings and operations at Singapore. Some of them will be found not only interesting, as all mis- sionary intelligence ought always to be, but instructive in the highest sense. In everj^thing we see the man of God — in every case the most elevated piety — always the humblest submission — the most entire consecration — strong faith and devoted love : — this is instruction by example : — '• whose faith follow." " On the subject of Chinese tj^es, a subject deeply interesting to you, Mr. Medhurst writes, with reference to some made at Berlin for Mr. Gutzlaff: *They are as far inferior to yours, as a clown is to a courtier : yours have been surpassed by none that I have seen as yet :' Non nobis Domine. Our small fount progresses very VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 235 satisfactorily : I hope to send a specimen to Mr. Tid- man in a few days. '' Our Chinese girls' school prospers through the Divine blessing : we have twenty girls ; they are good children, give us no trouble, and are making good pro- gress in an acquaintance with the truths of the Bible. " Should you see or write to Mrs. W. Suter, please to tell her that the copy of Maria Monk, which she gave me, has made an amazing stir all over India. I sent it to Calcutta, where it was reprinted ; and the sensation occasioned by it at Calcutta and Madras is most asto- nishing. In the providence of God a young lady has been brought to our house, and is now with us, who was in a convent, who was to have become a nun, but who has renounced popery, and is now a humble disciple of Jesus Christ. Her testimony to the hellish nature of popery is most important. I can sometimes scarcely believe my own ears, while she tells her simple tale. Adulteries, murders, lying, gambling, drunkenness, — all going on within the walls of a convent, under the name of rehgion — many of which things she heard and saw, and gloried in, and thought them holy. Oh ! were it not that she is a good girl, a modest girl, a pious girl, I could not credit the things she [reports as having] witnessed ; yea, ' and it is a shame even to speak of the things which are done of them in secret.' " We are all enjoying good health but our dear babe ; he has been very dangerously ill, so that twelve days since I did not think he would sur^dve the night ; but God has been very gracious to us, and he is now in measure restored. 236 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. " My dear friend Mr. Stronach has also been danger- ously ill ; so that he is now absent from Singapore, and the work rests on my shoulders. But I expect him back soon with his health recruited ; and I trust his valuable life may be long spared — a comfort to us, and a blessing to China. *' Maria's health continues; she is as well as I have ever known her to be ; what with her school and domestic charge, and other matters connected with the work, she has plenty to do. *' Our work goes on as usual. Our account for the last year shows 244 punches to have been cut ; nearly all of the smaller size ; but in fact we have not been at work more than eight months. The foundry is now in complete operation ; and Malay, English, and Chinese types are cast to the entire satisfaction of all the parties concerned. Our printing-office now, too, is in some degree of activity, and doing something towards paying its own expenses. To this we have now added a small book-binding establishment ; so that we have the whole aifair pretty complete. Our evening visits to the Chinese are very interesting, and very encouraging as far as it respects our opportunities of preaching Christ and him crucified. The people of Singapore are so far without excuse, that from day to day we go about from house to house preaching the Lord Jesus : we have attentive audiences, although we see not yet the gospel brought home with power to the heart. Our work has been hindered by the illness of my dear colleague and that of our dear babe, but I am happy to say we are all now once more at work." VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 237 The following extract, will at least, as far as it goes, gratify one class of readers — those who are given to lin- guistical studies and investigation. It will perhaps show too that ** confusion of tongues" is found hy missionaries to be a very palpable sort of thing in our world — and even the sceptic must see whether it originated at Babel in the manner represented or not, that as the thing exists that the manner therefore in which it came into being is very secondary on the principle of fact and truth — the principle by which he would fain persuade us he guides his inquirers, and for the sake of which he institutes any investigation at all. If he could deny the existence of the thing, we might be able to exercise a sufficient amount of patience to listen to what he might choose to say about or against the account given of the origin of this confusion. The Bible and the condition of the world exhibit the most entire coincidence. Theories adverse to the claims of the former, can therefore have no weight in the face of that fact : " Since my last, Mr. Stronachand myself have made an attempt at the Hok-chiii dialect ; Hok-chiii (or Full-chill) is, you will remember, one of the five ports open to English traders. This dialect is totally different from all the others with which we are acquainted, and I believe has never yet been attempted by any European, I have often explained to you that the dialects are usually twofold — a written dialect and a colloquial. But in Hok-chiii, the colloquial is also twofold. Just sujipose the English two-pence, , five-pence, i half-penny tup-pence, fip-pence, ^^^^ ha-penny, and then apply the principle generally, thus : 238 MEMOIR OF THE REy. SAMUEL DYER. How many months' voyage is it to England ? How — ny — unths' vege -s it England ? The same men will speak both ways in the space of a minute, and not be conscious of two different ways of saying the same thing. This makes the acquisition of the dialect extremely difficult. Moreover, there are no less than seven different sounds of the vowel w, which we are obliged to write in as many difPerent ways ; thus : — " u the full u, as in rule. " u the shorter u, as in bull. " u the very short u, as in tun, gun. " " (small) the faintest possible sound of u, as in attempting to pronounce the word son (s'n) without any vowel. "li the u of the Scotch guid, (good.) " ii the same, but more open. " ii the French u, as in Vime. " As far as we can learn at present, there are few people at Hok-chiu who speak the dialects with which we are familiar ; this, if true, presents an almost insupe- rable difficulty to our going there, as we should not like to throw away what acquirements we possess. How- ever, we expect to obtain further information when we visit Hong Kong ; and in the meanwhile we hold our- selves quite in doubt as to our future destination." The above account of this singular dialect is to be taken with due allowance for first impressions. Abso- lute correctness will not be looked for. Such are some of the ^e>«er«/ features of this hitherto '''^unknown tongue." " You will be somewhat amused at an experiment we have been making lately. In casting types, you will VICISSITUDES AND DEATH, 239 observe two feet upon which the type stands ; these are given in the casting and by the mould. We do not touch these feet in dressing the type, lest we should alter the mathematical precision of the mould ; now Mr. Medhurst has some types from Germany, which are the tenth of an inch too high, consequently it was required to cut the feet shorter. A Chinese pewterer could not do this, neither could an European type-caster ; but by combining the two professions into one, we can now perform an operation I believe hitherto unknown. I do not know that I should have mentioned this ; but I remember what a deep and lively interest you take in everything that relates to Chinese type-making, and all the processes connected with it. "June 12, (1843.) — I have this day buried my poor dear friend, of whom I think I wrote to you. Yester- day morning about half-past four his bell rang, and I went to his room : he was sitting up in the bed with his servant, and he said to me, * I am dying, sir : O Lord Jesus — ' He said scarcely anything afterward, but lingered till nine in the morning, when he just ceased to breathe. He had been with us about three months, but from the time he came I knew he would die in our house. Consumption wasted his frame, so that at the last he seemed literally but skin and bone. He came here without a friend, but he found out the disciples of Jesus ; they recognized in him a fellow- disciple, and they administered to him comfort to the utmost of their power ; and we have thus been per- mitted to give a cup of water in the name of a disciple. Our heavenly Father has taken care to reimburse us, so 240 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. that we are not losers by contributing to the necessities of our dear brother in Christ ; and I trust we are all stimulated to follow him who through faith and patience has now inherited the promises." The following lengthened extract is given because it is a half-yearly report of the proceedings of the mis- sionaries, drawn up by Mr. Dyer; and on that account it seemed entitled to a prominence, as a specimen of their correspondence with the Society ; and it brings fully that field of labour before the reader, as well as the kind and amount of culture bestowed upon it : " I have to address you on the progress of the work at this station. Since my arrival here ... I have been permitted, in conjunction with my dear brethren, to pursue uninterruptedly various plans for the ad- vancement of the Redeemer's kingdom. ****** " I was happy on my arrival here in beuig able to rent the mission-house belonging to the * American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.' As it stands close to the Society's house, and as that ad- joins the house rented by Mr. Stronach, we are all near to each other — a circumstance that contributes much to our comfort. Having procured the loan of the blocks belonging to our American brethren, and ha^dng a grant of £dO from the Religious Tract Society, we have printed the following tracts, — 1,000 Milne's Two Friends l,0,iO Medhurst's Commentary on the Ten Command- ments, 1,500 Miracles of Christ. Of books previously VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 241 ill store, we have distributed 251 1, partly in our annual visit to the Chinese junks, about 100 in number, and partly in our evening visits from house to house. Our plan is, as you are already aware, to go regularly through the bazaars until we have made the entire circuit of the town, visiting three or four families each evening, and en- gaging them in conversation on the subject of religion. These visits afford us constant opportunities of preach- ing the word from house to house. On Friday evening, we have a more orderly ser\dce in a room m the midst of the bazaar ; this service is in Hok-keen, and Mr. Stronach and I take it alternately. The congregations are very fair, and at the close of the service we dis- pense ointments to the afflicted members of the con- gregation ; the Chinese poor being greatly troubled with ulcers. In these ways we are sure that much of the knowledge of Christianity is spread abroad among the people — the precious seed is extensively sown ; and most intensely do we long for the quickening influences of the blessed Spirit to quicken it into life. As we have the most mirestrained intercourse with the people, we find our visits to them to be very pleasant ; and often we return from them with joy that w^e have been permitted to publish so freely the tidings of salvation, and the ac- ceptable year of the Lord. The cases where we meet with anything like rudeness are extremely rare, and instances of cordiality and kindness are frequent ; and the inquiry often is, why so long a time has elapsed since our last visit. "Our Tie-chili Christian teacher continues to give us much comfort ; we have every reason to believe that R 242 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. his heart and Hfe are under the influence of the gospel He has been very usefully employed during his leisure hours in compiling a Life of Christ : this is a produc- tion highly creditable to his talents, and one that pro- mises to be very interesting to the reader. Of course it will be subjected to the most rigid examination ; but however we may improve the sentiments and thoughts of the tract., we can never improve the style and execu- tion. He is a man of more than ordinary mind, and possesses talents which would render him an acquisition to any of our Chinese stations ; but in case of our here- after settling on the coast of China, his services vAW be invaluable. "As Mr. Stronach and I have been associated in study, as well as in the work generally, we have pur- sued our plans conjointly. We have been doing much to illustrate the colloquial dialects, particularly the Tie- chiu, and what is usually called the Hok-keen. While much has been done by others to teach the general language of the empire, the colloquials have been too much neglected ; and yet these are the dialects in which preaching and viva voce instruction must be carried on. With this view we have compiled a comparative vocabu- lary of the two dialects above mentioned — at least we have provided the materials ; and the final arrangement of these is in a state of considerable forwardness. As a supplement to this vocabulary, we have prepared various translations of minor pieces into the same dia- lects, all adapted to facilitate the acquisition of them — aids for which we should have been very thankful in our time had we possessed them. In this work we VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 243 have been guided by two fundamental principles. First, While studying the language ourselves, it is well to put our attainments in a tangible form for the use of those that come after us. Secondly, In making this difficult language easier of acquisition, we render important aid to the holy cause to which we have devoted our lives. *' Another object of our attention has been the revi- sion of the Chinese Scriptures. "We have also various religious ser\'ices through the week ; such as the Bible- class for the Chinese converts and others, a short ser- vice on sabbath morning, and a prayer-meeting on Wednesday evening for the benefit of the mission families ; besides our monthly season of communion, when Malays, Chinese, and English imite to celebrate the wonders of redeeming love, b}' partaking of the Lord's supper. These, with the monthly missionary prayer-meeting, are the stated services in which we each sustain our part. "At the suggestion of Dr. Legge, the Malacca press has been removed to this station — he will doubtless explain his reasons for the removal ; and as we could receive the establishment without incurring any expense for printing-office, warehouse-room, &c., (as I occupy the American mission-house,) we readily consented to take charge of the same ; and we shall hope to report • in due time, the work which the press has been made to do : we have not yet had charge of it a month. "The progress of the Chinese tj^pes is very satisfac- tory. On my arrival in the Straits I found the work- men dispersed, and the head man was dead ; so that the process of teaching the art of type-casting was to be 244 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. commenced de novo. This occasioned the delay of a few months ; but during the last three months we have advanced steadily and uninterruptedly. We are now cutting about forty punches of the smaller size per mensem ; and the matrices are made upon a new prin- ciple, far more convenient than the matrices of the larger fount. With respect to the larger fount, we carried on the work till within two days of my embark- ing for England in May, 1839 ; and we continued the same as soon as we were in a position to re-commence ; so that you will perceive there has been no unnecessary delay. We have likewise succeeded in establishing a Chinese female boarding-school, and my premises are sufficiently commodious to admit of the children resid- ing in our compound. The school contains nineteen children, whose parents have all agreed to let us have them for different periods of time. Mrs. Stronach, Mrs. Dyer, and Miss Buckland each take part in the instruction of the children ; and a considerable amount of religious knowledge is daily poured into their minds. I ought by no means to omit to mention that Miss Buckland is a very great acquisition to our family : amiable, gentle, and pious, she fully comes up to my wishes and expectations, expressed to you before I left London. " With respect to the actual progress of the truth, VAC see nothing at present very cheering, yet we are certain that the minds of multitudes are brought in contact with the truth — we are certain that sufficient light has been reflected into many minds to convince them of the folly of idolatry, and the benevolence of VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 245 the gospel ; aud we have never ceased to proclaim from house to house, — ' This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save the chief of sinners.' The present state of affairs with China opens the question, — 'What do the Directors wish us to do V I acknowledge myself fore- stalled a whole year, and I believe no one expected such news fi'om China for twelve months to come. Well, now China is open to the efforts of the church, what are we to do ? "The resolution of the Directors remo^-ing me to Singapore, leads me to suppose that we are now to advance : and we deem it our duty to hold ourselves in readiness to do so. The papers will inform you that five ports on the coast of China are open to missionaries ; viz.. Canton, Amoy, Fuh-cheu, Shiang-hae, and Ning-po. With us Canton is quite out of the question, on account of the dialect. At Amoy, the missionaries of three American Boards have already settled. Of the remain- ing three places, Shang-hae is the place which would suit us best, as respects the dialect there spoken ; nor should we object to Fuh-cheu, in the province of Hok- keen ; yet there we should have to acquire another, though a kindred dialect : of Ning-po, we have less information. We are decidedly of opinion, that the reasons which led to the establishment of Chinese missions in the Archipelago, exist no longer ; the time is come when every Chinese missionary must feel that he ought to be in China. The period has arrived for which the church has prayed, and which missionaries have longed to see : the period when they might locate them- selves in China Proper. Christians in England were 246 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. wont to exclaim, * Oh that China were open ! ' and very often I have attempted to explain to our churches, that when in the providence of God the time should arrive, their responsibility will be great indeed ; the respon- sibility of embracing the openings of God's providence. Now, God has granted our petitions ; missionaries are on the confines of China, burning Mith zeal to enter in ; — ^in this position we write to the churches and ask, * Shall we enter V — will you hold up our hands, as did Aaron and Hur the hands of Moses ? Will you send us more men? Will you aid the Society by enlarged pecuniary contributions ? Do you indeed bid us go forward ? We only wait your signal, conveyed to us through the Directors of the Society ; — if you exclaim, ' Only be strong and of good courage, and the Lord your God will give you the land ;' then we advance. And while on the one hand we observe the pillar of fire and of a cloud going before us, and on the other hand per- ceive the church ready to follow where it leads, — most cheerfully, most exultingly, do we go to take possession of the land which the Lord our God hath given to his well-beloved Son for a possession. Well do I remember the time when I thought that if I might but see the day of Negro emancipation, I could be content to depart and to be with Christ. I saw it, and it was a Jubilee. Then I thought, oh, if I might but see China opened ! I should certainly sing * mmc dimitfis.' I see it ; — this is the day ; — China is opened, and we shall see yet greater things than these. The manner in which it has been brought about, constrains us to acknowledge, ' This is the finger of God.' And the prayers of the church would seem to have been insincere, if the present glorious VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 247 opportunity should not be embraced to the very utmost. But in this world, our very joys need chastening ; and while we are exhilarating in glad tidings from China, our mission family have been thrown into affliction. My dear friend, and much-loved brother, Mr. J. Stronach, has had a serious attack of illness. After a week or two he began to rally, but then suffered a relapse. The consequence is, he is compelled to take a trip to Penang, hoping to derive benefit from a residence upon the Hill. This is to us a great trial. Knit together in love, united in study, in public exercises, and in ail our plans, we must now separate for a season, and I must be lonely in my work. But our Father in heaven is in- finitely wise ; and we are never more happy than when we can say, ' My meat is to do the will of my heavenly Father.' >Ir. Stronach is now much better, and embarks for Penang in a day or two." It is not necessary to detain the reader with any account of the Chinese w^ar nor the traffic in opium — one of the vilest that has ever polluted human hands — as these matters must be well known ; but we may stop a moment to recognise the inscrutability of Divine Pro- vidence in bringing so much good apparently out of that unmixed iniquity ! Here a third of the human family, which despotism and exclusive national policy had shut out from the remainder of their race from time almost immemorial, was brought into partial contact and fellow- ship with their brethren of other nations and distant lands — this cannot but prove advantageous to the Chi- nese themselves in ways that cannot and need not be enumerated here. To us, in many respects, a new world on the same earth was opened ; other phases of our com- 248 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. moil nature were brought into \aew, so that the province of knowledge, the domain of philosophy, science, and literature, was, in many important departments, widened ; this cannot but tend to correct any misconceptions into which we had fallen respecting that nature, and cannot but prepare us for that extended fellowship — the fellow- ship " of all nations," which the brotherhood of the gospel will secure in its holiest and most advanta- geous form. Above all, therefore, "a great door and effectuaF' was opened to the heralds of salvation to go and "proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound," — all this, and much more was brought about by an agency which must be characterised not only as ** earthly, sensual," but *' devilish." Out " of confusion and every evil work" did this GOOD to the empire of China arise ! Let then the church of Christ arise and shake herself from the dust at the call thus addressed to her to " awake and put on her strength" to meet the exigency of the case — the necessities of this new but dying world ! In these circumstances the body of missionaries to which Mr. Dyer belonged and the Society with which they stood connected, felt that it was of the utmost im- portance that all the labourers then in the field should meet in conference at Hong-Kong. Mr. Dyer repaired thither, but to return no more ! He left Singapore in company with his beloved colleague, Mr. J. Stronach, on the 18th of July, 1843, and reached his destination on the 7th of the following month. China opened! This not only begins a new epoch in the history of that empire, and in the social relations and mutual intercourse of the world, but VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 249 it marks a new era in the operations and history of the Protestant mission to that people. It is impossible yet to say what the ultimate results of this altered state of things will be ; but changes of a decided character in the opinions, habits, and in the ci^dl and social condition of that remarkable race, will undoubtedly be among the consequences of that opening. This therefore was a critical juncture. To act wisely then was a point of vital moment ! Many most important topics were to be brought before the missionaries, when they met, for discussion, arrangement, and final settlement. The SACRED Scriptures and publications ; the Anglo- Chinese college andsDUCATiON; PRINTINGPRESSES and FUTURE missionary stations ; THE allocation OF THEMSELVES and NATIVE AGENTS ; and many kin- dred and associated matters were among the topics that required much deliberation and wise adjustment. The brethren when assembled in conference, appointed Mr. Dyer as their secretary. In this they displayed much wisdom ; for his knowledge on every topic to be discussed was extensive and accurate, and in case of a diversity of opinion he was a man of peace, and he was moreover a man of incessant application, so that nothing would be left unrecorded nor imperfectly done. This however entailed on him most onerous duties. Not only was it necessary that he should be present at every session of the conference, but it necessarily imposed upon him many duties in transcribing resolutions and minutes, and in condensing discussions and deliberations for the purpose of transmitting them home to the Society, from which the other members of the conference would be free. 250 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. Whether this had any mfluence in predisposing him to an attack of the fever raging then, and still, at Hong-Kong, it is perhaps impossible now to say. The seeds of the disease that carried him oif were undoubt- edly lodged in his constitution on that barren but FATAL rock : — but submission, implicit and full, to infi- nite wisdom and goodness, is not only a duty but a pri- vilege — ^we will therefore leave the discussion of its healthiness, its value or its barrenness to those to whom it may belong, to follow our dear friend through the valley of the shadow of death, to that happy region, where there is neither disappointment, disease, nor death ! The following extracts will supply all the information that can be obtained respecting his last days on earth, and his happy entrance into the joy of his Lord : — "The melancholy task devolves on us," write the Revs. A. and J. Stronach to the Secretaries of the London Missionary Society, " of communicating to you intelli- gence of the death of our highly esteemed and much- loved brother, the Rev. Samuel Dyer. This most afflictive event took place at Macao, on Tuesday, the 24th of Oct. last, [1843.] Upwards of a month pre- vious to this unlooked-for termination of our brother's labours, and while he was residing at Canton, he had a severe attack of fever — a disease which you are aware was raging extensively at Hong-Kong, during the time we were holding our meetings there. Medical opinion intimated it was probable that he had brought to Canton the seeds of the fever in his system ; which in all like- lihood had been introduced into it in consequence of exposure to the sun while residing at Hong-Kong. How- VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 2.31 ever this may be, the fever reduced him very low ; and though by the 9th of Oct. he had, through the blessing of God on the kind and unremitting attention and me- dical skill of Dr. Parker, become so far convalescent as to justify his removaV on board ship, with a view to his return to the Straits, he still continued very weak, and seemed to make but slow progress towards complete recovery. At this however we did not feel much alarmed, especially as medical advice authorized us to anticipate this, but that sea air would speedily restore the dear invalid to his former health. Our vessel stopped on its way at Hong-Kong, and the intercourse he had during our four days' stay there with the brethren who came to visit him on board ship, (for he did not go ashore,) was felt by our dear brother to be perhaps too exciting in his weak state. For a day or tv/o after our arrival at Macao, however, (where the vessel again an- chored to take in cargo,) we continued to entertain hopes that all would still go well with him ; but on the even- ing of the 19th of Oct., a burning fever once more attacked him : and it was evidently our duty to have him brought on shore, in order that he might receive medical assistance. The kind attendance of Dr. Young was immediately obtained, and a course of medicine begun ; but the foUoAving evening a low species of deli- rium came on, which continued with but a short interval during the four remaining days of his life. The medi- cal treatment adopted had no efPect in checking the disease ; and it became our melancholy duty to endeavour to reconcile our minds to the thought that he, from whose efforts in the new sphere of Skbour soon to be lol MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. opened up in China we expected so much, would be speedily transferred from the scene of trial to that of enjoyment. And we found this no easy matter. Our hearts clung to our brother. Intensely did we desire and pray for his recovery and hiis restoration to his be- loved family and to the missionary field. '*In regard to his spiritual condition we felt no solicitude ; we had the utmost confidence in his piety and devotedness. An intimate intercourse and long acquaintance with him had produced the strongest conviction in our minds that he was safe for eternity. When his delirium left him for a little and allowed his mind free play, it exhibited the most unequi- vocal evidences of love to the Saviour and delight hi the prospect of meeting him. Even when reason for- sook her seat, his language showed his fervent reliance on the righteousness of Christ, and his longings that others also might place all their confidence in him. " His dying experience was not of the rapturous or overpowering kind. His disease had laid a powerful hold on his bodily frame, and, as is often the case, he experienced a corresponding depression of spirits. He had from the first a strong conviction that he would sink under the attack — a comdction which was doubtless produced by the strength of the disease. His depres- sion of spirit was not in any degree the result of doubts as to his acceptance with God, or of the attacks of his spiritual adversaries. His hopes of heaven, if they were not highly wrought or glowing, were at least un- wavermg. One night, when the disease lay very heavy on him, he employed himself during the hours of dark- VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 253 *iiess in thinking on all those whom, as he felt quite certain at the time, he would very soon meet in heaven ; and his entrance into it seemed so close at hand that, (as he told us when he rallied a little,) he felt quite disap- pointed when he found himself in the morning, still in this world. Tow^ards the termination of his illness, his mind wandered a good deal, and reason was evidently possessed of but partial sway ; but the nature of his feelings and views on i-eligious subjects could not even then be hid. The night before he died, while sleeping in the apartment next to that in which he lay, I was awakened by the sound of his voice, w^hich he .raised to the pitch necessary to be heard by the assembly which he evidently thought he was addressing. He spoke in feeling language of the happiness of the Christian, in having for his God such a glorious being as the Scriptures display to us. Then, as if concluding his address, he exhorted his hearers to betake them- selves for pardon and peace to the Saviour of sinners, and seek in him a righteousness which they never had, or could have, of their own ; and w^hen they came to die, they would be admitted into the blessed assemblv of those who are for ever engaged in ascribing * salva- tion, and honour, and glory, and power to him who sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb !' Though filled with the saddest forebodings as to the result of a dis- ease in which delirium had arrived at so great a height, I felt a thrilling sensation of mingled awe and delight when hearing language so strongly indicative of the satisfaction derived by the sufferer from the pure truths of the Bible. A few- hours before his death, I told him 254 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. he would in all probability be soon called away from us ; and although his mind did not feel so much alive to the communication as it would have done had it been unaffected by disease, yet he evidently understood what I said, and asked me to pray with him. In the prayer he heartily joined, and with much both of intelligence and feeling, continued in the exercise when. I had finished. ' Blessed Jesus ! Sweet Saviour ! I go to be with him who died for me. Though very weak and very sinful, his grace is sufficient for me, and I shall soon be happy.' Such were his frequent exclamations, serving to mark out most distinctly to the deeply affected bystanders, that they were beside the death-bed of a Christian. His latter end was emphatically peace ; no doubts or anxieties racked his mind ; pain was not allowed to torment his bodily frame ; but calmly, and without a struggle he breathed his spirit into the hands of his God and Saviour ! And how blessed was the exchange he made ! how enrapturing his emotions when freed from his mortal prison-house, and carried by angels into the presence of the Divine Redeemer ! If we feel it so inspiriting to follow him in imagination into the boundless bliss of heaven, how infinitely greater his happiness who actually enjoys what we so faintly con- ceive ! " We have need of all the comforts which these thoughts bring to our minds. AVe have lost an in- valuable fellow-labourer. He who was privileged to be his colleague in the mission at Singapore [Mr. J. Stro- nach] feels deeply this loss. Long has he had the sweetest fellowship with the dear departed : their views VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. ZO.i of missionary work were exactly alike : tliey laboured together with undisturbed harmony : they visited and preached to the heathen in company, and breathed to each other their earnest aspirations after more extensive usefulness in some important part of the Chinese em- pire. They had formed plans of study and of effort in concert, which many long years were necessary to brin^ into operation ; and they exulted in the prospect of the ever-increasing enjoyment which would result from their union. But God did not so order it — and the survivor feels the stroke a most severe one. *' To all appearance, too, the cause itself has suffered a heavy blow. Our lamented brother was engaged in a series -of operations which only he was qualified to carry out. A mass of experience had been acquired by him, in regard to Chinese type-founding, which no one (and the thought lay heavy on his heart during his iUness) was ready to carry into effect after his removal. * * * * The dispensation thus assumes a very mysterious aspect ; but we dare not for a moment doubt the wisdom of Him who has inflicted the stroke — he is infinite in resources, and there is no searching of his understanding. We therefore seek to reahze the feeling which he has enjoined on us, — ' Be still, and know that I am God ! ' " The funeral, as is usual in these climates, took place on the evening of the day on which our dear brother was taken from us, and both of us took part in the service. His grave is situated in immediate proximity to those of Dr. Morrison, the Doctor's first wife, and of his much-lamented son. The spot is a beautiful one. 256 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER.. and must excite feelings of no ordinary kind in every pious visitor. Those whose entombed remains await there, the trump of the archangel, were influenced by a kindred spirit ; and doubtless they are even now rejoicing in sweet fellowship around the throne of God and the Lamb!" To the Christian philanthropist few spots on earth can have greater attractions among the monuments of the mighty dead, than that where rest till the resur- rection morn the remains of Morrison — not only an honour to our race, but to the best, the sanctified portion of it, the church of the living God : — where rest too tlie .remains of the first partner of his toil and mis- sionary anxieties, the mother of his amiable aiid ta- lented son John Robert : — where rest also the remains of that son him self : — and now must be added to that honourable group the remains of Samuel Dyer. They are together there, — and their mortal remains are under the custody of our Redeemer and God, till they rise again to meet their Lord in the air : but they are together, too, before the throne of God and the Lamb ! Happy they ! happy in their life ! happy in their la- bour ! happy in their death ! happy in their God ! and happy in heaven — the joy of their Lord ! Happy group I " Sweet is the savour of their names, And soft their sleeping bed" the richest spot in precious treasures within the confines of the Celes- tial Empire ! " Mr. Dyer was well known as a most amiable, humble, and devoted Christian, and as a most laborious and VICISSITUDES AND DEATH. 25/ zealous missionary. He left England and came to the Straits in the year 1827 ; and during the sixteen years which have elapsed since, (with the exception of the time occupied by a visit to England) — first at Penang, then at Malacca, and last of all at Singapore, he exerted himself for the furtherance of the Gospel among the Chinese inhabitants of the three settlements. Not con- tented with the usual course of missionary effort, he applied himself to the compilation of vocabularies of the Chinese language, — to the illustration, in various ways, of difficult points in that language, — but principally to the construction of punches and matrices for the casting of two founts of Chinese type, a larger and a smaller. It w^as to this last important object that he devoted him- self with peculiar energy and success. A great propor- tion of those Chinese characters which are most usually met with in the classics and other generally read works have been cast from punches and matrices prepared by ]\Ir. Dyer ; and founts of this larger size of type have been sent to various mission stations, and have been universally admitted to be the most correct and the best adapted to Chinese taste of any that have ever been prepared. During the last eighteen months constant additions have been made to these ; and a new fount of a smaller size commenced and proceeded with, and the appearance of these is equally beautiful with the larger. He had accumulated a great mass of experience in regard to this department, in the acquirement of which he showed no small ingenuity, and devoted much manual labour. In carrying on these efforts he was greatly assisted by pecuniary contributions from those who took 258 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. an interest in the work ; but he also contributed largely himself out of his own private funds. When, in ad- dition to this, it is mentioned that he had constantly the superintendence of a pretty extensive printing and bind- ing establishment, and also of a foundry in which founts of Siamese, Malay, and English, as well as of Chinese types, were cast, it vdll be readily admitted that his hfe was far from being either an idle or a useless one. These operations were conducted with the greatest regularity and order ; and multifarious as they were, they did not hinder him from engaging in direct missionary labours ; and his very accurate knowledge of the Colloquial Dialect which prevails most in the Straits, (the Hok- kien, or Fuh-kien,) enabled him to communicate to the heathen mind those truths of the Gospel on which he placed his own hopes of salvation. His loss will be severely felt not only by the mission here, and by the Society with which he was connected, but by the Chris- tian public at large ; especially when we take into account the wide field now opening in the mighty empire of Clima." — Extracted from the ^'Singapore Free Press." CHAPTER VII. CHARACTER. Fre-requisites for missionary labours, Mr. Dyer's views of :— Mental concen- tration : —General acquirements: — Languages: — Humility: — Love; as a son, brother, husband, father, and friend ;— Sympathy :— Defects :— Rare combinations; Scholastic taste with mechanical genius; Ample acquisi- tions, with complete and unimpaired humility , Perseverance in the higher departments of mental pursuits, with aptness to attend to minor affairs : — Rev. J. Stronach's view of Mr. Dyer's character : — Rev. J. Stratten's. Devotedness :— Useful lesson taught. A DEEP sense of obligation to God to employ his energies and talents in that service in which the highest amount of usefulness could be secured, was as we have seen the sole motive that led Mr. Dyer to consecrate his life to the missionary cause. For this work he had a mind, both in its powers and aifections, remarkably well fitted. " He was truly," writes one of his brethren in the mission, " a good man, and a worthy model for all missionaries in his simple, sincere piety, fervent zeal, humility, meekness, and love," If it were asked, w^hat excellency gave its character to all he was as a man, and all he did as a member of the human family, there could be no hesitation as to the answer — benevolence ; indeed, without a large pre- dominance of this mental disposition, no one, except in some minor department, will make an efficient mission- ary. In discharging the duties of his choice, Mr. Dyer's conviction from the first was, that nothing could s 2 260 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. sustain him but the power of the Lord — sanctified bene- volence was indispensable. This was his abiding impres- sion ; and his conviction on this subject gained strength every year of his hfe : for his experience, as well as his sentiments, taught him, that the missionary ought to be a spiritual man, — for his work is in every view, of it pre-eminently a spiritual undertaking. Personal piety, therefore, — deep and commanding, glowing into ardent, apostolic zeal — ^he regarded always as an essential pre-requisite for this holy ser\ice : — essential, not only as a matter of sentiment, but essen- tial to himself; so that all was personal and practical with him. This, however, although the foundation of the missionary character, did not, in his view, constitute all the necessary, much less all the desirable, qualifications for the duties of this sacred calling. Every page of this volume bears its testimony to the fact, that he thought and felt, that a sound mind, a well-balanced judg- ment, and all the powers requisite to act upon others and to form and prosecute wise plans, much and varied learning, the power of constant and unremitting appli- cation, knowledge of the human heart, and dexterity in turning everything to profitable and Christian account, were qualities necessary for the labours of every day. Equally obvious has it been, that he possessed these requirements, as well as a large measure of the meek- ness and gentleness of Christ, in no ordinary degree. He possessed the power of mental concentration beyond most men of studious habits. Indeed, Mr. Dyer, when a child, was attentive and thoughtful — was a studious school-boy ; and when he left school, was given CHARACTER. 2G 1 to reflection and books. His mind was always at work : — it worked after the manner of a perfect chronometer ; it lost nothing ; its movement was steady, regular, and sure. When he went to Cambridge, he found himself therefore equal to all his studies, and more successful than most of his companions. We have seen with what energy he entered on the duties of his college ; and he thought that the exercises of the class were more fitted for boys at school than for young men at the University. But then it is possible that he measured the capabili- ties, acquirements, and application of his class-mates by his own ; so that the readings or prelections of the class- rooms may have been more adapted to the majority than he supposed. Yet, from the confident manner in which he used to speak, there is ground to believe that there was an unhappy degree of feebleness in conducting the classes at Trinity-hall during his residence at Cambridge. If while there he had selected and afterwards pursued amj one branch of science or literature, he would un- doubtedly have excelled and acquired to himself a name ; but happily he chose the name, and pursued the duties of a missionary — a nobler name and nobler duties than the sons of science can confer or prosecute. He was equal to anything that regular application could accom- plish. Nothing distracted him : he pursued with quiet- ness and regularity the line of thought he had set before himself. Often have I heard those who knew him express their astonishment at the amount of the control he could exercise over himself. This will account for the fact, that while there is an apparent aptitude in some minds for specific pursuits ; such 262 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. as . in some for mathematical, in others for philolo- gical investigations, and in others for natural science, or some other mental labour, Mr. Dyer appeared to feel no difference : nothing seemed a drudgery to him. He had his taste, and it was for languages; much therefore of the secret of this versatility was to be found in his power of concentration. He could gather up the whole strength of his mind for the object then under consideration. His mind, however, did not seem to be as rapid in its movements as that of many ; its speed nevertheless was not inconsiderable, of this the amount of his labours is a proof; but it was as uniform and regular as the flow of time : and as his labours were portioned out in precise allotments for the hours of the day, he regulated all his movements by his time-piece. Hence his success at Cambridge, as well as elsewhere ; and had he remained there he saw that he would have won the golden honours of his college, and would have, in due time, risen into notice in the University. Such were his flattering prospects — prospects secured to him by this power of mind. However attractive at first he may have/e/^ all this to be, when his eyes opened fully on the spiritual world and the glory of the missionary enterprise, he abandoned its contemplation to behold the glory that excelleth ; and as he turned to the pros- pect of a world redeemed by the instrumentahty of the church, he saw attractions enough to keep all the powers of his soul fixed on the objects thus brought before him — di-ndi fixed they continued to be to the close of his useful life. Then the power of abstraction and con- centration was to him of the highest value ; it enabled CHARACTER. 263 him to command a complete view of the great theme, and so to prepare himself for his toil. He saw its magnitude, and was overwhelmed : but he saw, too, in the God of missions and in the Saviour of the world, strength and grace enough to sustain the weakest in- strument ; and he arose, and went forth in the strength of the Mighty One of Israel. This power was in every sense the means of immense spiritual advantage to him; for "with all his soul" he rested on God — his entire soul was concentrated on Him. Jehovah, the revealed God of the Bible, was his stay. His acquirements, in every department of study to which he had ever directed his attention, were respect- able. Yet his great humility and extreme diffidence led him to think sincerely that he knew almost nothing on any subject unless he had complete mastery of it : and even then he spoke of his own knowledge in the most measured terms. In the lower departments of mathematics he was much at home. On natural science in general he had collected much information. In the technicalities of metaphysical systems I have no evi- dence to show that he was at all versed ; nevertheless, his perception of moral relationships was assuredly strong and keen, and his views of our mental powers and sus- ceptibihties were clear and well-defined. He might therefore have been a mental philosopher if he had chosen to pursue the study of that science. Languages, as stated before, had however the greatest attraction for him : with those of the sacred Scriptures he was critically acquainted. He read Latin with ease, and I believe spoke French ; but, for want of practice, not with 264 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. much fluency. The Chinese, for all the purposes re- quired by the Christian missionary, he had thoroughly mastered. Of the spoken language of the province of Hok-kien his knowledge, whether in amount or accuracy, was inferior to that of no one lining ; his voice had just the flexibility required to give full effect to all the into- nations, as well as his mind all the aptitude for the entire philosophy of that intricate medium of exchang- ing thought, whether by means of the living voice, the pen, or the press. His ** Treatise on the Hok- kien Tones" will prove the former, and his "Philolo- gical Observations on Select Chinese Characters," in a periodical published at Malacca during his residence there, will prove the latter, assertion — though only specimens of his knowledge in each department. In the perception of the niceties and the idioms of the written, the rhythm and peculiarity of the spoken language, he approximated nearer to a well-educated native than almost any European who has acquired the Chinese. His assistance in the revision or re-trans- lation of the Scriptures w^ould therefore have been, just as his services as a preacher of the everlasting gospel were, invaluable. He had succeeded to admira- tion in looking at everything with the mind and the eye of a genuine Chinaman. Hence his language was so pure, and his accuracy of utterance so great, that natives looked upon him as a prodigy : hence, too, his steel punches are so truly "celestial" that Pauthier's and others will not admit of a comparison with them. He not only hieio the taste of the people among whom he laboured, but possessed it — if such a distinction be ad- CHARACTER. 265 missible. This is a most difficult acquisition : few are sensible to how small a degree they have succeeded in this most desirable attainment. I do not mean that Mr. Dyer was perfectly nativized (may the word be coined 1) ; but the testimony of the natives themselves is unequivocal and decisive on this point — and this is the best of evidence. Few men ever discovered deeper or more genuine humility than Samuel Dyer, while consecrating all his mental acquisitions on the missionary altar. In some it is found that what bears the semblance of this feature is but another form of pride — affectation. In him nothing was assumed — all was real. His very soul abhorred all hollowness, whether in the pretensions of friendship or in the exhibition of disposition and tem- per. There was a degree of universality about his humility that was felt sometimes by his friends to be even painful : and they may have thought that it was morbid — and that perhaps was the fact — but never that it was not the genuine and unsophisticated feehng of his bosom. But as no man courted attention less than he did, all this was only known to his friends, and it was necessary that the friendship should be close and established. The following statement, made by a fellow-student — the Rev. J. Ketley, of Demerara, to whose kind communication a preceding page is in- debted — delineates with great accuracy and truth this feature of his character : — " He seemed always to have entertained a very low estimate of his own piety and devotedness to God, 266 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. esteeming others in this as by far his superiors : while those very individuals accounted themselves as far below him in those graces which adorn the Christian (and the missionary) character. Seldom did he appear to give himself credit for integrity in anything, and yet it was impossible for conscience to evidence a more scrupulous exercise of truthfulness than was manifested in all his intercourse. He was evidently accustomed to keep a very narrow watch over the motives of his own heart, by means of which he was taught to keep at the re- motest possible distance from the folly of trusting it ; Prov. xxviii. 26, and iii. 5. He was careful to scru- tinize every act and every engagement, and to suspect his own motives in every undertaking ; so he was enabled, far above Christians in ordinary, to detect the evil — the sins attendant on every good thing which even a righteous man doeth, Eccl. vii. 20 ; Rom. iii. 23 ; 1 John i. 8. This will account for the bitter things against himself, which in private intercourse not un- frequently escaped his lips. He was by no means fond of complaining ; his was not a ' voluntary humility ;* his was not a talkative parade of whining pride, such as marks the pretender to extraordinary meekness and devotion ; far, far from it. There was a retiredness in his habit : he was rather taciturn than loquacious ; so that when he gave utterance to his feelings and senti- ments, you felt persuaded that he meant what he said : while the natural evenness of his tone of voice with his uniform consistency, combined to clothe his intercourse with a dignified sanctity, which led to after-reflection and closer self-examination, Eph. iv. 29." "I found CHARACTER. 267 him," observes Mr. Ketley, in a subsequent paragraph, " a humble behever, most fully renouncing all self-right- eousness, to trust the perfect righteousness of the Son of God : a watchful Christian, careful to lay aside every weight, that he might press toward the mark and attain to the resurrection of the dead : a faithful friend." Again, " affectionate friendship ; self-condemnation aris- ing from self-distrust ; high esteem of others, w^ho felt conscious of being far his inferiors ; expected pleasure in missionary work, and a beheving hope of future glory for the sake of Christ alone," modified his experience, and formed no inconsiderable part of his character. The above paragraphs, prepared with care, I have given entire, as they show clearly how matured his character was when at Hoxton, as every one who knew him in after years will recognize him in the above descrip- tion. If it be possible for an excellency to become ex- cessive, humility was so in Mr. Dyer. Esteeming others better than himself was a maxim with the requirements of which he complied in the most extensive sense ; so thoroughly humble was the estimate he formed of him- self, that he found something superior to himself in every one with whom he associated. If to be the sen-ant of all is to be great in the kingdom of Christ, then indeed Mr. Dyer must be ever regarded great among the hrethren with whom he laboured for the benefit of China. He had in this respect the mind that was in Christ Jesus — for he went forth to minister, not to be ministered unto. In some minds, even of the first order, one power is 268 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. often found to predominate — to be out of all due pro- portion as it regards the other powers ; so also in some hearts, frequently one of the affections will by many degrees exceed the others in its development and strength. To say there was a perfect balance between all the affections of Mr. Dyer's soul would be saying too much ; yet if any one who knew him w^ell were asked in which was he most deficient, it would be found a very difficult matter to answer the question. It will not however be attempted : it would answer no good purpose. He had his deficiencies. As in the preceding observations on his acquire- ments and powers of mind, so in these observations on the affections, one or two points only will be selected, for the sake of showing how the grace of God was magnified in him. Love, in the most ex- pansive sense, adorned all he was and all he did ; it was the element he breathed ; it was a component part of his soul. As a son, his filial affection poured itself forth as a perennial stream. Often must his letters have proved a solace to his honoured father, and greatly must they be missed now : in this respect he was dutiful without being obsequious. If he sometimes differed in judgment from his father he stated his objections with clearness and modesty, always taking the utmost care that no word or turn of expression should be employed that could by any possibility have the appearance of tartness, or of a lack of deference and love. As a brother, he was most kind, ever solicitous for the spiritual welfare of the members of his own family. His love to them was thoroughly characterised CHARACTER. 2G9 by Christian principle : his tender appeals and bro- therly anxiety present a specimen of faithfulness com- bined with affection rarely, if ever, exceeded. As a husband, no language can do justice to the intensity of his affection. The wife of his bosom, then a widow, writing to the Directors, under date Nov. 30th, 1843, describes her loss, and his character, in the following language : — *' You will have heard from the Rev. J. Stronach of the most distressing bereavement with which it has pleased our heavenly Father to visit me. It is a be- reavement of no ordinary nature, for my precious husband was enabled by the grace of God to exhibit an almost perfect model of a Christian character. He had imbibed so much of the Saviour's spirit in his deep humility, his intense zeal for his heavenly Father's glory, his tender compassion for perishing souls, his sympathy with those in affliction, his kindness and affection to all around him, his unwillingness to thinh e\'il of any, his indifference to everything earthly, and his habitual heavenly -mindedness, that those who knew him best were astonished that he was permitted to remain so long on earth." Then she proceeds, in the most tender and pathetic language, to describe his affection for herself, and her consequent loss ; and we can only say, that what he was as a son, a brother, a friend, and a father, he was as a husband, in love, in tenderness, in sympathy, and assiduous and unremitting attention. 270 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. He was all that a fond wife could wish — more than falls to the lot of most to find in the companion of their days : most abmidant evidence of this is before me. What he was as a husband there is only one on earth can tell ; yea, even her pen and her tongue would fail in describing his tenderness and his love. Never did he utter one word that could bear an irritating con- struction. When tried, as he often would be, by the deceitfulness of the natives, by disappointed hopes, by plans frustrated, or other annoying circumstances, he manifested the meekness of his Master ; and he would demean himself with the gentleness of Christ before his household: he was an epistle of Christ — "known and read of all men." What he was as a father, has appeared from docu- ments in the course of the Memoir, and will be further gathered from the beautifully simple letters inserted in the Appendix. In his family he appeared to be governed by the principle of intense and well-regulated lorn. In everything, however, he was the missionary : in health or in affliction, personal or relative, in whatever state or circumstance he was, he felt himself and his to be identified with the great work of evangelizing the heathen. This peculiarity will strikingly appear in the following letter. He was the fondest of fathers ; but at a season when the minds of many would have been overwhelmed with anguish, and unable to think of aught but what might alleviate the sufferings or pro- long the life of their most valued of earthly treasures, at such a season, when his heart was bowed down under the rod of his Father in heaven, expecting every CHARACTER. 271 moment the death of his child, he could pour out his soul to a Christian friend in the following strain : — "My dear dear Sister, — With a heart too big for utterance, I write to you one line. Our little sweet babe is now on the very verge of Jordan ; — she appears to be ready for flight. Sometimes I seem to say, go, sweet babe, go — and be another gem in the crown of Jesus. Then I say, — stay, sweet babe, stay, and go with me to dear Penang, where we will all repose together in the missionary grave. *' Do you ask me, my dear sister, what I think of China, looking at it from the gates of the grave ? Oh, my heart is big to the overflow : it swells, and enlarges, and expands, and is nigh unto bursting : • Oh, China, when I think of thee, I wish for pinions of a dove, And sigh to be so far away, — So distant from the land I love!' " If I thought anything could prevent my dying for China, the thought would crush me. Our only wish is to live for China, and to die in pointing the Chinese ' To his redeeming blood, and say. Behold the way to God !' " Adieu. Accept my love, and that of my ever dear, dear Maria." Three days after he wrote to the same friend : — *' Through the tender mercies of our loving Father, 2/2 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. our little darling seems to be recovering. Oh, how deep has been our affliction ! But, • His strokes are fewer than our crimes, And lighter than our guilt.' " The dear babe recovered ; and long may she live to tread in her father's steps! May she find in these pages some assistance in imitating the many excellences of her father ; and when of age to appreciate the amount of her loss, may she, with her surviving brother and sis- ter, choose the God of their father, as " their own God for ever and ever." As a friendy how to do justice to him without incur- ring the charge of exaggeration and excessive partiality ? The writer of these pages might employ eulogistic terms, but he wdll quote the language of a missionary brother who knew him well ; and so divide the blame, and the burden of such a charge, should it ever be made. After an apology, on account of ill-health and weakness, for not having written before, the docu- ment before him proceeds in the following strain, in ipsis- simis verbis : — " The first epistolary attempt I make I dedicate to him, who has rarely been absent from my thoughts, to whom my heart clings with the fondest affection, and whose praises I am never wearied of sound- ing to every one who will listen to them. Yes, my beloved brother has been inexpressibly soothing and comforting to me even in my lowest moments, and alto- gether dehghtful in my more joyous seasons. To reflect on the love, almost more than mortal, which you displayed to me during so long and tiresome an illness as mine CHARACTER. 2/3 was" . . . [the manuscript is here imperfect, and I will not attempt to fill it up by conjecture.] *' Often do I * glorify God' in you. I think on Him the infinitely gracious Redeemer, whose image you so beautifully in your measure reflect ; and I feel unspeakably thankful that I can call you my dearest earthly friend, and feel assured the affection is reciprocal. The inference natu- rally drawn from my reflections is, that if the sight of what he has wrought m you of his own glorious like- ness is so gladdening and exhilarating to my feelings, how inconceivably more gladdening will be the vision of himself, who is the centre and the source of all imagin- able perfections. You will not complain of me for writing thus ; I am but giving vent to the bursting emotions of my heart, and expressing, though but feebly, feelings which cannot be satisfied while hidden in the secrecy of my own bosom. I have attempted to thank you in words, but I alM'ays feel dissatisfied with the unsuccessfulness of my eiforts : and I still feel that nothing I can say or write can ever come up to an ade- quate representation of the emotions you excite in my mind. For the present however this must suffice." How fully does the above statement disclose what he was as a friend ; and the following short note to Mrs. Beighton, of Penang, will tend to illustrate the cause of the emotions discovered above, by showing how deeply he sympathised with those in affliction. It was addressed to her on the death of a daughter, under circumstances most trying to a fond mother : " Very dear and beloved Sister, — * The thought of T 274 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. home his spirit cheers,' thus have I sung a thousand times since I have been in India : and it is a sweet song under such a trial as yours. When in England my pastor used to say on sacramental occasions, * one month nearer home.' With reference to your sojourn in India, you may sing, * twenty years nearer home.' Oh, my sister, these are thoughts which bring with them feel- ings of hallowed joy which words cannot describe; they have in them a kind of innate power to harmonise every chord of the Christian's heart. Does he rejoice ? — 'nearer home.' Does he sorrow ? — * nearer home.' Does he believe ? — ' nearer home.' Does he despond? — * nearer home.' Is his heart almost broken ? — ' nearer home.' Is he almost impatient with delay ? — ' nearer home.' Is the loveliest flower of his garden plucked ? — * nearer home.' " Beloved sister, we love you very much — and we loved Ellen too ; your tears fall not unwept — your trials affect us exceedingly — we sorrow because you sorrow — we grieve over your grief — still with sorrow in our bosom and tears in our eyes, we try to sing, and our song is, ' nearer home.' And what shall I say more ; for if I sing, this must be the burden of the song — and if I sigh, this the burden of the sigh !" The reader will not fail to observe the exquisite touch in the last query : — "Is the lovehest flower of his garden plucked?" for Ellen Beighton was a meek, retiring, pious, and lovely plant, and to the eye and heart of a mother suffering the pangs of a distressing bereavement, (for she was more CHARACTER. O/O than two thousand miles from home when she died,) she would ap}Dear to be the "loveliest flower in her garden." Such were his letters when his sympathy was called forth. And to every sentiment involved in the extract preceding the above note as to his practical tenderness, and as to the depth of his affection, I am prepared to add my most hearty *amen.' Although in the several relations we have been con- templating him, he appeared to be all but perfect, and pride had been apparently eradicated and banished by deep humility ; and although all wrath, malice, and evil- . speaking, had no abiding place in his heart,— for as far as man could see, his love was universal and omnipotent ; and although many will say that he was the most 'perfect living commentary on 1 Cor. xiii., they had been privi- leged to know ; that his whole mind and soul were cast into the Christian mould ; that the apostle John was his prototype and model, or rather their Divine master was the exemplar of each, and they resembled one another, because principally they both resembled Him; that Samuel Dyer was a holy man, and that heavenly-minded- ness was his habitual state : all this may be said, and said with perfect truth of this man of God, without claiming absolute perfection for him either before God or man. Wliatever excellency he had we magnify the grace of God in it all : but the question may be put, and it is but just to answer it with candour, — had he no defects? was there no flaw visible in his character? As far as man could judge, and the appeal can be made with confidence to all who knew him tvell, he was amonff the most joerfect of his own class. And while among T 2 2/6 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. that class he stood forth with a remarkable degree of prominence, yet it must be admitted that there was one point in which those who loved him most wished he had been a little more fortified. It has been already observed, that his humility was all but excessive. But whatever may have been the cause, certain it was that in some circumstances he could hardly make a just estimate of matters of fact, — that is, if he had to encounter a con- trary opinion, and especially if that opinion should hap- pen to be held with overbearing doggedness. In some instances therefore he did not take the standing he ought to have done. He seemed to be aware of this : for in writing to one of his brethren in the mission, who was anxiou's that he as a senior missionary should undertake to bring forward some project of usefulness, he expresses himself thus : " About the matter you propose, — if you knew what a shamefully timid fellow I am, you would never set me to manage such an aifair. If only a dog moves his tongue, it is enough for me. No, we want a man of energy like yourself. You have my heart, and were I at you should have my hands ; but my lips are perfectly incompetent." Again, in another letter referring to the same subject, he wTites : — ^' Your idea of a * moral lion,' amuses me exceedingly : why, good brother, I am a * withered leaf and the slightest puflf makes me tremble in every nerve and sinew ; — I do not speak hyperbolically : I shrink from it with instinctive dread, as you would from a ^iper." All this he felt because there was a single opponent to the measure. He was therefore sometimes too prone to make a larger sacrifice for peace than the case required. When CHARACTER. 277 however his judgment was fully convmeed that principle, truth, or uprightness, was to be the sacrifice, he could take his stand, and that with immovable determination. There are instances in which he nobly overcame his timichty. Still this was his weak side. He gave up plans and opinions too readily, and would even suspend his proceedings, when his own judgment was fully made up, if he discovered views differing from his own. In whatever way the matter is to be accounted for — what is to be set down to natural temperament, or what to the neglect of some excellences in the culti- vation of others, or how much to any other influence — certain it is, that he was deficient in tnoral courage ; only, however, when the opinion of others had to be encoun- tered — never when that quality required personal sacri- fice, or personal labour. With this exception, I have no hesitation in asserting, without exaggeration or reserve, that after a most intimate acquaintance of some years' standing, I was unable to find a fault in him. He was to me, always an object of admiration — the more so the better I knew him. His company, friendship and correspondence, have been to me among the most hallowing blessings the providence of God ever con- ferred. In estimating his character, it must be remembered that the moral, or more strictly speaking the spiritual rather than the intellectual feature gave to it its pro- minency. In this consisted chiefly his individuality : in the former he was equalled by few, very few ; in the latter by more. Among his acquaintances he stood alone in this respect ; but in the advance of them all. 278 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. The elements of his character, when viewed separately and apart, are adapted to call forth our admiration and gratitude to the God of all grace, but our emotions will be still further deepened when we ^dew them in their combinations. These were as rare as they were invalu- able in their adaptation to make him an efficient mis- sionary. Among the chief of these may be mentioned — Mechanical genius and Scholastic taste. Mechanic ope- rations and scholastic pursuits are so diverse, that few persons can be found who display anything like aptitude for both. It would be difficult to say in which Mr. Dyer most excelled. He was at home — thoroughly so — in the investigations of philology : he was ready with his pen, and precise in the expression of his thoughts : so he was with files, chisels, and machinerj^ K literary production filled and fired his soul in proportion to its purity, elegance, and value : and so did the produc- tion of the mechanic arts. When in this country a libraiy and a manufactory seemed to have about equal attractions for him, supposing each to be good of its kind ; — and both, while they gratified his taste, supplied him ^ith matter for devout meditation. He would write to his wife : — " I had a fine opportunity of seeing into the construction of railways as the Great Western passes by ; and on Monday I hope to see the treadmill, as you know my maxim is to see everything." Such was the character of his mind ; he could therefore file oiF a steel punch, or strike a copper matrix, and write an article on Chinese philology with equal readiness and ease. These were the duties he had to discharge ; and he was separated in the providence of God for such a post. CHARACTER. 2/9 The amplitude of his acquisitions in his own depart- ment cannot but hare been apparent ; but that, in his case, ^lerer interfered with his humility ; — indeed the amount of the one seemed to measure the depth of the other. His humihty, in truth, was, from the com- mencement of his Christian course, so complete that to all human appearance it could neither be improved nor augmented ; so that in after years, when he returned for a *' little season" on a visit to his family, friends, and the scenes of his boyhood, those who remembered him at the early period of his new life could only say, that it had neither been diminished in volume, nor defaced in beauty by acquirements and success. Not only were ample acquisitions and profound humility associated in him in the happiest manner, but he had, moreover, the power of consecutive ap- plication combined with great versatility. He could take up any train of thought, any series of ope- rations, after they had been broken in upon by things of a totally diverse character and tendency, as if there had been no interruption. He was never distracted by diversity : his mind seemed at once to arrange and group everything in its own place. There never was any confusion in his proceedings, — for there was none in his mind. He had the power of pursuing at any time what he may have left oiF twelve months before, just as if nothing — neither time nor other occupations — had intervened. We have said before that he had complete command of himself : he could, in the midst of a profound train of thought, turn Tv^th the utmost coolness and deliberation to settle a difference, for in- 280 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. stance, that might arise among his children about their toys, and that with as much tact and readiness as their ayah, and return to his work again as if no interrup- tion had taken place ; and apparently without feeling any inconvenience, except the loss of time. However mul- tiplied therefore his avocations, he could prosecute each in its appropriate time, and so proceed through the ample catalogue of his daily engagements as if his operations had been those of instinct — repetition with- out variety. His perseverance, even in the higher departments of mental pursuits, did not disqualify him to attend to minor affairs. As far, for instance, as those of his household came under his own management or notice, he was ready to attend to them without confu- sion or displeasure. He was ready, for " every good work," and to consider and arrange any family care. His benevolence, self-denial, holiness, and various excellences and graces, receive further illustration in the following extracts taken from a Funeral Sermon, preached at the mission chapel, Singapore, by his col- league in the mission, the Rev. J. Stronach. The dis- course is founded on Rev. xiv. 13. After expatiating on " WHAT IT IS TO DIE IN THE LoRD," he procccds to describe the character of the departed, in language and spirit both just and happy. Other extracts from the pen of his gifted colleague enrich this volume. His testimony is most A^aluable ; as the opportunity he enjoyed to know what Samuel Dyer was, was inferior to no friend living. They esteemed each other ; and the disclosures therefore of feelings, principles, views, and intentions, were, in proportion, fiill, mutual, and complete. " In regard to CHARACTER. 281 the devoted missionary," observes Mr. Stronach, "whose death we are now attempting to improve, we are fully borne out in saying, that as he was ' in the Lord' while he lived, so he gave most satisfactory evidence of that union in d\dng. Few who knew him will be disposed to doubt this description of his life; and we who witnessed his closing scene, can bear abundant testimony to the peace- fulness of his death. During a missionary career, extend- ing through sixteen years, there must have occurred abimdant opportunities for putting his character to the test, and it is stating no more than the naked truth, to say, that extensively known and respected as he was by the public, those who knew him best loved him most ; and their affection w'as accompanied with no small degree of reverence. When I use the terms suggested by the text to describe his character, I shall not be suspected of a desire to eulogise man at the expense of the glory due to God. It w^as 'in the Lord' that our deceased friend and brother lived ; to Him therefore I ascribe all those traits of moral and spiritual beauty wdiich at- tracted to him our ardent and ever-increasing attach- ment. In doing this I do just what he himself would have done, if he could have ever been brought to look on his character as possessed of any beauties ; for his humility w^as so great as effectually to prevent him from indulging in any feeling of self-complacence. Humility indeed was a most distinguishing feature both in the man, the Christian, and the missionary. He was always disposed to undervalue himself, his acquirements, and his capabilities of usefulness ; and to feel thus lowly was to him happiness. How often have we heard him 282 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. express the sentiment, the operation of which was mani- fest throughout his missionaiy course, that it is an unspeakable pri^silege to be employed, even in the meanest possible way, in the advancement of the Re- deemer's kingdom ! There was no desire for display, no striving for effect, in anything that he did ; silently and unobtrusively he went on his way, doing what few could have done, but doing it as if no credit were due for what he did. Akm to this part of his character was his forgetfulness of self, whenever he could, at whatever sacrifice of time and trouble, be serviceable to others. Nothing seemed too much to require of him ; and he would perforai important services, which involved much personal discomfort, with as much readiness, and as little feeling of annoyance, as if they were the mean- est trifles. So much pure unmixed benevolence as his is rarely to be met with ; and all the while he who exhibited it seemed quite unconscious of having done anything uncommon. He lived in the happiness of those aromid him ; and hke his great Master — of whose glory, however, we ought ever to remember, the assem- bled excellences of all the good men on earth, and even of the spirits of the just made perfect, afford but a faint and dim representation — he rejoiced above all things in doing good : to this noblest of pursuits he devoted his life, his talents, his all. He was a mis- sionary of the right order : after he gave himself up to the cause, which he did in early life, he unceasingly directed all the efforts of his mind to its advancement. He was a rigid economist of time ; and not an hour of it was \\dlhngly expended on objects that had not a CHARACTER. 283 direct bearing on the progress of the Gospel. He loved to preach to the heathen the truths so precious to his own heart ; and he sought to win them by conversation from house to house, as well as by his public ministry, to the Lamb of God who could alone take away their sins.. He loved to assist his brother missionaries to acquire the language in which he had made such a proficiency himself; and it was always a pleasure to him to be employed in removing obstacles out of the way of those who might follow him in the study of so difficult a tongue : and his private means, as well as his time, were unreservedly consecrated to the advancement of the highest interests of his fellow men, and the glory of his Lord and Saviour. Much property, as well as much personal labour did he devote to an under- taking [the production of metal types] which, when finished, will be a most important means of advancing the gospel in China ; and was emphatically a cheerful giver : every gift of his, whether to God or to man, he gave * not grudgingly or of necessity,' but willingly, de- lightedly. His heart was large ; his aifections were strong as well as tender ; he was an affectionate hus- band, a loving father, a warmly attached friend : and all his excellences were the result of Christian principle — the genuine fruits of love to that Saviour with whom in prayer he delighted to hold frequent fellowship. Such is a meagre sketch of one whose character I had the most abundant opportunities for studying closely, and my delight in whose friendship never received a single check from its commencement to its close." To the above may be added the testimony of his 284 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. pastor, the Rev. J. Stratten, in a Funeral Sermon, preached at Paddington chapel on the occasion of his death, from Rev. ii. 10, — " Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." After giving a brief sketch of his history, labours, and death, to the crowded congregation assembled on so solemn an event, INIr. Stratten closed his discourse with the following just observations : — " That he was sinless, I do not believe : that he had blemishes, I do not doubt : that he rested on Christ, in his blood and righteousness for salvation, proof has already been exhibited to you. *' But there were in him three remarkable qualities, which singularly prevented the manifestation of any- thing wrong or defective. "First ; great carefulness of his words. He was swift to hear, slow to speak. His sentences were short, to the point, full of meaning and sweetness ; there was no haste, no garrulity, no bitterness, no slander, no vituperation or folly. He seemed to feel the force of our Lord's maxim, — *By thy words thou shalt be justi- fied, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.' " Secondly ; he was patient. Certainly this was a patient man. His patience was at times tried in some conjunctures, not now to be explained, to the very utmost. The apostle James makes this to be a high point of excellence : ' Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.' *' Thirdly ; deep and unaffected humility. I never saw a lowlier man. He seemed as if he felt unworthy CHARACTER. 285 even to loose the sandals of his brethren. He never * smote his fellow-servants,' as if higher or holier than they. He did literally esteem others as better than himself. " These are things that will hide almost all blemishes, render them inapparent, and illustrate and set off to advantage all the other virtues. '' Such, and very much more, was the Rev. Samuel Dyer. He has left to his family, to this church, and to the missionary cause, a spotless name and fame. It is sad and sorrowful that so much excellence and use- fulness, just about to open in more extensive and glowing manifestation, as it seemed to us, should fall at once and be entombed in an early grave ; but, lost to this world, it is gathered home to glory and to God, to blow in everlasting freshness, and beauty, and perfection in heaven ! We bow in deep submission to the holy will of God ; desiring to imitate and follow this living spe- cimen of apostolic purity, and piety, and excellence, till we also are removed to that world where all mysteries are to be explained, and we in like manner shall be glorified." Yea, '* such, and very much more, was the Kev. Samuel Dyer," it may be confidently added, at the close of this more lengthened effort to exhibit his character, his worth, and his graces. He was emphatically a missionary : no other occupa- tion would have suited his taste or his principles. His devotedness was as complete as we can well conceive the resolution of the human heart, when regulated by Divine love, could make it. He had no misgivings or doubts ; 286 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. he felt no longings for home or change. He had a commission to discharge ; and for that duty he had powers, talents, and aptitude, viewed as a whole, equal- led by few, surpassed by no one that ever laboured in the same service in Eastern Asia : — that commission he felt he had received from Heaven ! He had a zeal that regarded no sacrifices too great : fatherland, endeared relatives, and friends, wealth, health, and life, were the cheerful offerings : — offeringjs made by many besides, through God's abounding grace ; but by none with a more thankful and unreserved consecration than by Mr. Dyer. To labour for China was the sole object of his existence : to hew wood or draw water — a favourite expression of his own — in such a service, was to him the highest honour. To take possession of the empire by dying and burial there, should it be God's will to grant him no higher honour, filled his soul with rapturous delight ; a delight that seemed to have no abatement but one — leaving his wife a wadow, and his dear off- spring fatherless — if only his death should be in the ser\dce of China, and his dust should rest in her soil. "In the event we are now attempting to improve," observes Mr.Stronachinthe discourse just quoted, "what a striking instance we have of the difference between God's ways and ours. So estimable a man, so lovely a Christian, so useful a missionary, we should have detained many years in this lower world, and thought that in doing so we were advancing the general interests of humanity, of the Christian church, and of the cause of God among the heathen. "We should have allowed him to complete the work he had so auspiciously begun, CHARACTER. 287 and so prosperously carried on. We should have allowed him to see the fruit of his labours during many long years ; — his children arrived at mature age and treading in their father's footsteps, many converts from idolatry added to the church, and Christian truth widely diffused in consequence of the plans he had put in operation. And when his hour for departure actually arrived, we should have had him removed to his final rest surrounded by all the endearments of hom.e, and bidding a joyful farewell to his weeping but resigned and comforted rela- tives. It is needless to point out in how many respects the reality differed from what we should have naturally wished for and expected. But the lesson which this marked difference teaches, if it is a humbling, may be likewise a useful one. * Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils, for wherein is he to be accounted of?' The Creator of man works by whom he pleases. Those seemingly best qualified to advance his purposes he can easily do without. The life of no one is necessary to the accomplishment of the good he intends to effect. However seemingly irreparable the loss His cause may sustain by the removal of a missionary from the field, (and it is in this light that the surviving labourers in the Chinese mission regard the event we are now deplor- ing,) he can readily and with infinite ease make up, and more than make up, the loss. Whilst we acknowledge, then, the inscrutability of the Divine counsels, let us confide in the boundlessness of Divine love. God's ways are not our ways, but they must be infinitely better. He has not forsaken his cause, though he has removed 288 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. one so well fitted to advance it. Onward will it proceed in spite of every seeming check. Human instruments are necessarily weak ; but He who condescends to employ them is immutably Almighty and All-gracious, — 'the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.' " APPENDIX A. A short sketch of the Chinese method of printing. See p. 82. To trace the history of this art in China would be interesting, but as that would be foreign to the present purpose, I shall only observe, that in the year of our Lord 935, the subject of printing was introduced to the notice of the emperor Teen Fob. But this was probably an official statement [not on the art but] on the subject of printing, as it does not mark its origin. The Chinese have three methods of printing. The first in- vented, and that which almost universally prevails, is called " Moh- pan," or wooden plates. It is a species of stereotype, and answers all the ends of it, as the letters are not distributed and recomposed, but being once clearly cut, they remain till either the block be destroyed, or till the characters be so worn down by the ink- brush as to be illegible. The second is, " Lah-pan," or wax-plates; and consists in spreading a coat of wax on a wooden frame : after which, with a graving-tool, they cut the characters thereon. This method is rarely adopted, except in cases of haste and urgency. In such a case a number of workmen are employed, and a small slip of wood, with space for one, two, or more lines, is given to each, which they cut with great expedition; and when all is finished, they join them together by small wooden pins: by this means a page or a sheet is got up very speedily, like an extra gazette in an English printing-office. The third is denominated " liwo-pan," or living plates, from the circumstance of the characters being single and moveable as u 290 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. European types : whether these types are cut or cast is not ascer- tained. The Chinese are not ignorant of casting, though they do not use it to any extent. The imperial seals on the calendar are cast. Copper vessels used in the temples, and bells, have frequently ancient characters and inscriptions cast on them. Whether they have ever attempted to cast single characters or form matrices, similar to those used in casting types for alphabetic languages, does not appear. These " HAvo-pan," or moveable types, are commonly made of wood. The Chinese have six different kinds or rather forms of the character, each of which has its appropriate name ; and all of which are occasionally used in printing. That which, like our Roman, prevails most generally, is called " Sung-te." To write this form of character is of itself an employment in China: there are persons who learn it on purpose to transcribe for the press. Few of the learned can write it; indeed they rather think it below them to do the work of a mere transcriber. The process of preparing for and printing with the blocks, or in the stereotype way, is as follows : — The block or wooden plate ought to be of the "iee" or " Tsaou'' tree. " The Lee and Tsaou," they say, " are of a fine grain, hard, oily, and shining, of a sour- ish taste; and what vermin do not soon touch — hence used in printing." The plate is first squared to the size of the pages with the margin at top and bottom ; and is in thickness generally about half an inch. They then smooth it on both sides with a joiner's plane : each side contains two pages, or rather indeed but one page, according to the Chinese method of reckoning ; for they number their leaves, not the pages of a book. The sur- face is then rubbed over with rice boiled to a paste, or some glutinous substance, which fills up any little indentments not taken out by the plane ; and softens and moistens the surface of the board, so that it more easily receives the impression of the character. The transcriber's work is ; first to ascertain the exact size of the page, the number of lines and of characters in each line, and then to make what they call a '' Kih," or form of ??wes, hori- zontal and perpendicular, crossing each other at right angles, and APPENDIX A. 291 thus leaving a small square for each character. The squares for the same sort of character are all of equal size, whether the letter be complicated as to strokes or simple. A character with fifty strokes of the pencil has no larger space assigned to it than one with barely a single stroke. This makes the page regular and uniform in its appearance, though rather crowded where many complicated characters follow each other in the same part of the line. The margin is commonly at the top of the paper, though not always so. Marginal notes are written as with us in a smaller letter. This form of lines being regularly drawn out, is sent to the printer, who cuts out the squares, leaving the lines prominent ; and prints off as many sheets, commonly in red ink, as are wanted. The transcriber then with black ink writes in the squares from his copy ; fills up the sheet, points it, and sends it to the block-cutter; who, before the glutinous matter is dried up from the board, puts on the sheet inverted, rubs it with a brush and with his hand, till it sticks very close to the board. He next sets the board in the sun, or before the fire for a little, after which he rubs off the sheet entirely with his fingers; but not before a clear impression of each character has been communi- cated. The graving-tools are then employed, and all the white part of the board is cut out, while the black, which shows the character, is carefully left. The block being cut with edged tools of various kinds, the process of printing follows. The block is laid on a table ; and a brush made of hair, being dipped in ink, is lightly drawn over the surface. The sheets being already pre- pared, each one is laid on the block and gently pressed down by the rubbing of a kind of brush, made of the hair [fibres?] of the Tsu7ig tree. The sheet is then thrown off ; one man will throw off two thousand copies a-day. Chinese paper is very thin, and not generally printed on both sides, though in some particular cases it is. In binding, the Chinese fold up the sheet, turning inward that side on which there is no impression. On the middle of the sheet, just where it is folded, the title of the book, the number of the leaves and of the sections, and sometimes the subject treated of, are printed the same as in European books, u 2 292 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. except that in the latter they are at the top of the page, whereas here they are on the front edge of the leaf ; and generally so exactly cut on the place where it is folded, that one in turning the leaves sees one-half of each character one side, and the other half on the other. The number of sheets destined to constitute the volume, being laid down and pressed between two boards, on the upper one of which a heavy stone is laid, then they are covered with a sort of coarse paper, not with boards as in Europe, The back is then cut, after which the volume is stitched, not in our way, but through the whole volume at once, from side to side; a hole having been previously made with a small pointed iron instrument. The top and bottom are then cut; and thus the whole process of Chinese type-cutting, printing, and binding, is finished. Though the transcribing, cutting, printing, and binding, form each a distinct occupation, yet they can be all easily united in one person. The method of printing now described has existed in China for upwards of nine hundred years, and has been applied to all the various kinds of composition ; to books on politics, on his- tory, on ethics, on philosophy, and on science, whether in poetry or in prose : it has likewise been applied to all dimensions oJ books, from the elephant folio down to the one hundred and twenty- eights ; to all sizes of letters, from the twenty lines pica to the diamond ; to all kinds of character, whether plain or hierogly- phic, whether the manuscript or printed form ; to all sorts ot ornaments and borders ; and in some cases to foreign languages as well as native. — Extracted from Dr. Milne's " Betrospect" APPENDIX B. A SELECTION OF LETTERS. Letter I.— Addressed to Miss Buckland; on Missionary Devotedness. See page 215. "JuIi/2Srd, 1840, " My dear Miss Buckland, — Your favour reached me on Tues- day ; and I should have replied to it sooner, but that since the receipt of it I have been so fully occupied. I shall now, agreeable to your request, enter some-what into detail concerning the views entertained by. myself and Mrs. Dyer relative to the matter of our correspondence. " In the first place, allow me to inform you that we have many years since consecrated ourselves, with everything that we possess, upon the missionary altar. We deem it to be the most exalted privilege we can enjoy on this side of heaven, to give ourselves with all we have and are to Jesus Christ ; and the only desire of our hearts is, to spend and to be spent in his service among the Gentiles. We are conscious of — oh yes, we are sometimes quite overwhelmed by reason of our utter insig- nificance — our inability to serve him as we ought ; yet we must, we cannot but serve him in our way, and so teach the heathen to love him whom we ourselves so ardently love. " We bave had experience in this service, having been about twelve years in India ; and when we look back upon the past we are utterly amazed, we are altogether astonished, to observe what difficulties, what trials, what perplexities, God has brought us through : sometimes our hearts were all but broken ; at 294 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. Others we were bowed down to the very dust, and we seemed crushed by the heavy load that pressed upon us ; and yet glory be to the riches of God's grace, here we are ; and our ■ Father was at the helm ;' he brought us through every storm ; the clouds have dispersed, and we saw the refreshing rays of the shining sun. " I mention these things, my dear young friend, not to dis- courage you — so far from discouraging you or any one, I would say, ' Would God all the Lord's people were missionaries ;' — but I wish you to understand that no one can have any conception of the trials of a missionary life but he who has been a mis- sionary. These trials consist not in the deprivation of the comforts of life, the distance from friends, &c., but in things which must be felt to be understood. But then there is grace and strength in store for us ; these are not given to us now, in anticipation, but they are reserved for us ; and we bear our testimony, that as our days have been, so has been our strength. " But I do humbly conceive that when we devote ourselves to missionary work, we should lay our all, yea, and our lives too, upon the missionary altar ; and then come joy, come sor- row; come success, come disappointment; come sickness, come health; come life, come death; all, and everything, shall be a sweet privilege in the service of such a Master as Jesus Christ. "' Having thus devoted ourselves to the service of the Sa- viour, our only wish is to seal our labours with our lives ; and although in the providence of God we are for a little season in England, it is only that our usefulness may be prolonged in India. India is our home : there we hope to spend the short remnant of our days ; and there we hope, when our work is done, to sleep in Jesus until the morning of the resurrection. •' But our most intense desire is, that when our own work is done, our little children may rise up to carry on our work : oh, it is in very deed a most blessed work ; and often have we sought from the Lord this grace, — that were it his will, we might just see our dear children entering upon the work ; and then most gladly, most cheerfully would we sing our ' Nunc dimittis,^ and APPENDIX B. 295 say with good old Simeon, ' Lord, now lettest thou thy servants depart in peace.' " Now what we desire is, to find some dear sister in Christ, who would with us renounce her all for Jesu's sake : who would go with us far away beyond the seas ; and who would accept of our proposal to be to her as a brother and a sister. We seek not one to whom it would be a matter of convenience to go ; because we know of nothing in India that could make a resi- dence there even tolerable to such a person : but we seek one who would share with us our cares, our anxieties, and our joys — and if we know our own hearts, she should have every sym- pathy and kindness which it might be in our power to offer. Remuneration is a thing utterly impossible to offer ; — nothing of this world's goods can remunerate a Christian for the trials of a life in India : but if in things temporal you could consent to share ivith us ; and if in addition you would accept of the esteem of a brother, and the love and affection of a sister, then we think we may venture to invite you to be a member of our family, and go with us home to India. " Our principal reason for desiring this is on account of our dear children. As my dear wife has laboured hard for the best interests of Chinese females, and still desires to do so, she has been made to feel that she has not strength to do all that is in her heart ; she therefore seeks the aid of a sister to instruct our children. And I think it is no small or unimportant part of the work, to train up labourers for future service in the vineyard, If you would, in addition, as far as time and strength would allow, unite with Mrs. Dyer in labours among the heathen, oh, then we should find that we had a sister indeed. " As it respects what you say, my dear Miss B., about your own qualifications for missionary work, I verily believe none are better qualified than those who feel their own unfitness and insuf- ficiency ; because they are most likely to go to the Fountain-head, for grace and strength according to their need : your conscious- ness of your insufficiency I regard as an additional qualification. "In relation to the other difficulties you mention, you have our 296 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. most affectionate vSympathy. But when we think ' the time is short,' 1 Cor. vii. 29 — when we think that ' A few more rolling years at most Will land us on fair Canaan's coast' — when we think that soon we shall see our friends again, and then we shall meet to part no more ; when we think of what Jesus did for us — oh ! then methinks, much as I love my father — much as I love my friends, I would hid them all farewell, to go and preach Jesus to the perishing heathen. *' Should you be enabled to resign your brothers and sisters, whom you so ardently love ; you will not be with those who can- not feel for you; for we ourselves must likewise part with some who are very dear to us, and so your tears of separation will not flow unpitied, uncared for, or unwept. But then we will mu- tually dry each other's tears : we will point each other to that holier and happier world, where every tear shall be wiped away ; and where, in the blissful meeting with our fi'iends around the throne of glory, our sorrows shall be turned into joy, and our joy shall be full. Till then we'll sing, ' Come, Lord Jesus, oh, come quickly.' " I hardly like to mar my feelings by entering upon the mi- nuter details of our plan. I can only express a wish that the love and grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ might induce you to say with Ruth, ' Whither thou goest, I will go ; where thou lodgest, I will lodge : thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God ! Where thou diest will I die ; and there will I be buried.' Believe me to remain, my dear Miss B., " Your very affectionate friend, " Samuel Dyer." LETTERS TO HIS CHILDREN. — See page 270. Letter IL — To his eldest DaugJiter; on his Garden. " My dear little Lily, — When God made you sick of fever, I thought that perhaps God was going to take you out of my APPENDIX B. 297 garden, and to put you into his garden above the sky : but as he has made you nearly well again, I think perhaps he will let you stop in my garden a little longer. You know I call my family my garden, and mamma is the rose — the sweetest rose, because she is the sweetest flower in my garden ; Samuel shall be the violet, because I am so very fond of that flower ; you shall be the lily of the valley, because I want you to be humble ; and Maria shall be the cowslip, because that is very useful : my little tulip God has taken, and put into his garden above, because it was a very beautiful flower ; and perhaps if it had stopped longer in my garden, papa and mamma might have been too fond of it. But when God is pleased to take my rose, and my violet, and my lily, and my cowslip, and put them into his garden above the skies, you will there see my little tulip : and you shall all be more sweet, more lovely, more beautiful, more humble, and more useful than while you are in my garden here. " I am very glad God has made you well again ; and I like you to love Jesus Christ more than me. " Your affectionate papa, " Samuel Dyer." Letter III. — To his son Samuel; on Eternal Life. " My dear little Boy, — Your letter made papa's heart very glad, because I like you to ask me questions ; and whenever you like to ask me a question, I will answer it with great pleasure. " You want to know the meaning of 'everlasting life:' now I could write you such a long letter about this, that my sheet would be quite full ; yes, I think I could write a book about everlasting life, because it is so full of meaning. Now let me tell you a little about it. It means — " iVb more pain. You remember how much pain you had, when your doctor put on a blister. You remember the pain, when your teeth were pulled out; Well, everlasting life means, no more pain. Again, it means — " No more tears. You know sometimes you cry because you 298 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. are afraid that if you die, God will send you to hell : and if papa and mamma were to go and leave you, I am sure you would cry very much ; and sometimes you cry when you are hurt. But everlasting life means, that God will wipe away all our tears, and we shall never cry any more. Again, it means — " No more trembling for sin. You know you told me one night that you trembled for sin : now this is very right, because Jesus Christ tells us to repent, and trembling for sin is to begin to repent. Oh ! if my little darling boy repents of his sins, this will make his papa and mamma's hearts very glad. But then we do not like trembling ; and so, everlasting life means, no more trembling. Again, it means — " No more separation. You see papa is obliged to leave you sometimes. But you would like me to be always at home. In heaven, I shall not be obliged to leave you, " But everlasting life means also to be like Jesus Christ; and to be with Jesus Christ ; and to wear a crown which Jesus Christ will put upon our heads ; and to sit down with Jesus Christ upon his throne ; and to listen to Jesus Christ's kind voice ; and to see Jesus Christ's beautiful face ; and to wear the beautiful robe which Jesus Christ will give to us ; and to hear the angels sing ; and to sing too. Oh, my darling boy, I do hope you will pray to God to make you fit for heaven ; because, sometimes I feel almost as if I should be sorry in heaven, if my little children were not there too. •' The little sister which you never saw, she knows what everlasting life is, because she is gone to enjoy it. I am glad she is in heaven ; but mamma and papa were very sorry to lose her, because when she died, we had no little baby left, for you were not then born : but now we have got three more little children I am glad she is gone ; because perhaps if she was now on earth she might be a naughty girl, and not pray, and make me very sorry. But you know in heaven she cannot be naughty; and so she is safe for ever. " When I think about little Maria, who is buried at Penang, then I think I should like next year to go back to Penang, with APPENDIX B. 299 mamma and you, and sisters ; and I should like for us all to live there : and then, when all our work on earth is done, to die there, and to be buried in the Missionary grave, close by your little sister. " Now I hope you will tell Burella and Maria something about everlasting life ; and perhaps you could sometimes take them into my little study, and pray for them, that God would make them also fit for heaven. I am, my dear boy, " Your affectionate papa, " Samuel Dyer."' Letter IV. — His last Letter to his Children — [perhaps the last he ever penned.] " Canton, Oct. 4, 1843. " My darling children, — Poor papa has been very ill, and can now scarcely write, because very weak. Yes, I thought I should never see my little darlings any more ; and that poor mamma would be left alone; and my dear children" have no papa any more. One day I thought I was just going to heaven. But God has been very kind to me — he has made me quite well again ; and I am coming back to Singapore in a few days in a ship called the Charlotte. " When I was ill, I could think about nothing but the love of God in sending his Son into the world to die for sinners. I thought I was a wicked sinner, but my sweet little Bible told me that Jesus Christ did not die for the good— no, it was for wicked sinners like me ; and that made me feel happy, very happy indeed. And you, my dear children, if yjoulook into your hearts, you will see sin there ; and if you cannot see sin there, ask God to give you his Holy Spirit to help you to see sin there, for I am quite sure sin IS there : the Bible says so ; and you know the Bible is the book of God, who looks into your hearts. Then go to Jesus ; oh! go to Jesus ; and so kind is Jesus that he will wash away all j'our sins in his own blood : and then how happy you will be when you come to die I 300 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. " I am so happy to think that I shall kiss you all again soon. Accept my kind love, my little darlings, for papa loves you very much indeed, and dear mamma most of all, except Jesus Christ; for I must, you know, love him most, because he has done so much for me ; and dear mamma likes me to love Jesus Christ best ; and she loves him best herself ; and so I hope do you.* " Ever your affectionate papa, " Samuel Dyer." * The reader will recollect that the anticipation of this note was never realized; for on the 24th of October— twenty days after the date of this— he entered his rest. Seep. 250 APPENDIX C. MISSIONARIES NOW LABOURING IN CHINA, AND THE SOCIETIES TO WHICH THEY RESPECTIVELY BELONG. I. London Missionary Society. Rev. W. H. Medhurst, D.D. Rev. J. Stronach. Rev. A. Stronach. Rev. W. C. Milne, A.M. Rev. J. Legge, D.D. Rev. W. Young. Rev. W. Gillepsie. Rev. J. Fairhrother. W. Lockhart, M.R.C.S., Medi- cal Missionary. B. Hobson, M.B., Medical Mis- sionary. Rev. J. F. Cleland. II. Church Missionary Society. Rev. M. Smith. ] Rev. — M'Clatchie. III. General Baptist Society. Rev. J. H. Hudson. I Rev. — Jorrom, IV. American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Rev. E. C. Bridgman, D.D. Rev. P. Parker, M.D. Rev. D. Ball, M.D. Rev. D. Abeel, D.D. Rev. — Doty. Rev. — Cohlman. Mr. S. VV. Williams, Printer. 302 MEMOIR OF THE REV. SAMUEL DYER. V. Self-supported. Rev. H. Gumming, M.D. VI. American Board of Baptist Missions. Rev. L. Shuck. Rev. J. Roberts. Rev. D, Macgowan, M.D. Rev. W. Dean. Rev. W. Devan, M.D. VII. American Presbyterian Board. Rev. Mr. Lowrie. Rev. Mr. Lomis — — Hopper. — — Loyd. — — Brown. i — — Way. — — Hepburn, M.D. — — M'Cartie, M.D. — — Culbertson. ; Mr. Coles, Printer. VIII. American Episcopal Board. Bishop Boone, D.D. Rev. Mr. Woods. — — Grayham. Miss Jones ^ Female Mis- Miss Morss c sionaries. IX. Moj-rison Education Society. Rev. S. R. Brown. \ Rev. M. Bonny. X. Colonial Chaplain. Rev. V. Stanton. XI. Female Missionary — {British.) Miss Aldersey. The cities at which missionaries are permitted to labour are : — 1. Shanghae and its vicinity, with a popiilation of about 500,000. APPENDIX C. 303 2. NiNGPO and its vicinity, with a population of about 300,000. 3. Foo-CHOW-Foo and its vicinity, with a population of about 100,000, 4. Amoy and its vicinity, with a population of about 130,000. 5. Canton and its vicinity, with a population of about 1 ,000,000. 6. Hong Kong and its vicinity, with a population of about 50,000. The profession of the Christian religion is no longer a capital offence, and teaching Christianity is not now illegal in these cities : but whether Native evangelists will be permitted publicly to preach the gospel beyond the precincts of the ports opened for commerce, is a point which can only be determined by experiment. A population, exceeding that of the metropolis of Great Britain, is now by law in a favourable position to be evangelized. There are, including Native evangelists, about fifty Missionaries ; half of whom may be considered effective, from experience and the knowledge of the language. The above statement will give about twenty-five labourers for more than two millions of accessible population ; and who, if professing Chris- tianity, would be protected by law ! " Awake, awake ; put on thy strength, O Zion !" THE END. Tyler & Reed, Printers, Bolt-court, London. BY THE SAME AUTHOR, In foolscap 8vo, cloth lettered, price 25., CHINA AND HER SPIHITUAL CLAIMS. " We very cordiall}- commend it to our readers as an authentic and heart-stirring detail of matters most important in connection with the Chinese mission." — Evangelical Magazine. " To those who have not access to larger works relating to China, it will be very acceptable ; it is the best work, of its extent, on missions to China, which we have seen." — Wcsleyan Association Magazine. " A fervent and eloquent appeal for the emancipation of China from its heathenism." — Manchester Times. " This is an earnest and powerful appeal in favour of the spiritual claims of China. The moral debasement of that immense empire is described in language at once elegant and impressive. We have a clear statement of facts — of facts which have principally come within the range of the author's personal observation. Most sincerely do we hope that this effort of Christian zeal will be productive of those further efforts of Christian enterprise, which the magnitude and glory of the proposed object so imperatively demand." — Methodist Neiv Connexion Magazine. " The estimable author lahourcd for some time as a missionary at Penang, and has produced a work whereof the whole is very instructive and inspiring. We have no hesitancy in Commending this production as a compendious statement of the condition of China and its popula- tion ; and of the claims it has on the compassion and zeal of the Christian Qhwxch."— Biblical Revieiv. DATE DUE ;Trr -, ^"3^ GAYLORD PRINTED IN U.S.A. ^ums^^s^