braces fifty-eight members, most of whom exhibit much of the spirit of Christ, and walk in a good measure worthy of their profession. Some, however, have been subjected to discipline. Nearly all admitted to the church were members of a temperance society. There are now twenty praying familjes. Twenty-nine children have been baptized within the last two years.

There has been no special seriousness at Seneca during the past year. Of late, however, there has been more attention to the means of grace, and some, it is hoped, have been renewed by the Spirit of God. Those who were subjects of the revival during the preceding year have appeared well. Thirteen persons were admitted to the church in January, making the number of members at this station, above sixty. Sixteen children have been baptized.

Early in the year the church members at Cattaraugus were unusually united and affectionate, and manifested great tenderness of feeling. Six persons were admitted last fall, and three more in January, making the whole number of church members here fifty-three. Of the other Indians some have manifested much anxiety concerning their souls during the year, and some have been hopefully born again. One person died in a very happy and triumphant manner, bearing a most impressive testimony to the excellence of the gospel. It was the first death that had occurred in the church.

Eleven persons have been received into the church on the Alleghany reservation during the year, making the whole number twenty-six. Some others are candidates.

The churches on these four reservations now embrace about two hundred members. In several respects the character of the church members has been much improved during the year. Heretofore many persons have been married only in the usual Indian manner, and the marriage contract thus informally made has been too often lightly regarded. But during the last year all the churches have, with great unanimity, adopted resolutions that all their members, as well as those who should hereafter be received, who were living together as husband and wife, should be married in the Christian manner, and that all marriages in the church hereafter should be celebrated in that manner. Great good is expected to result from this change, and much reproach will be avoided.

All the churches have also adopted a rule requiring the members to abstain entirely from the use of intoxicating liquors.

The school at Tuscarora averaged about twenty-five or thirty scholars through the winter and spring. During the summer it has been smaller. The school was commenced about the year 1805, under the Rev. Mr. Holmes, first missionary and teacher at this station. It was subsequently discontinued, and again resumed under the care of the Board in 1827, since which time ninety persons have been members. The Sabbath school at this station consists of upwards of forty scholars, and has been taught principally by native teachers. During the year the Indians have built a good school-house at the expense of two hundred dollars, all of which, except eight or ten dollars, was paid by themselves.

The school at Seneca has suffered much for the want of a permanent male teacher, and has also been interrupted by sickness among the scholars. A considerable number have, however, attended a large part of the year, and made good progress. Some arrangement will probably soon be made by which the expenses of this boarding school will be borne principally by the Indians; who, it is believed, are now able to sustain the burden, and sufficiently appreciate the advantage of such an undertaking to induce them to undertake it.

During the winter a small boarding school was maintained at Cattaraugus, at the expense of the Indians; and during the summer there has been a small day school. Those most interested in the school have recently made arrangements, by which they will more systematically and steadily furnish provisions for the scholars.

The Christian party on the Alleghany reservation have taken entire charge of their own school, hiring their teacher at ten dollars per month, and boarding their children.

Besides the improvement in respect to temperance and a regard for the marriage contract, visible in the churches, there has been an improvement in the same respects among the people generally. There are probably more than four hundred persons who are members of the temperance societies on the four reservations, and very few have violated their pledge to abstain totally from the use of ardent spirits.

At Tuscarora not less than one half of all the adults often drank to intoxication three years ago; now, not more than one in twenty are addicted to this sin. Ten or twelve habitual drunkards have been reclaimed. The Sabbath is also much more generally observed than heretofore, on this reservation, as a day of holy rest. Ball-plays and other indecent and sinful amusements have given

place to the prayer meeting. Industry, followed by all the comforts of life, has also increased among the people. They now raise twice the amount of grain they did three years ago. Their houses, barns, fields, orchards, all bear testimony to what the gospel does to promote the comfort and welfare of the people.

The mission farm, a mile from the station, has been sold during the year for $1,200.

Mr. and Mrs. Elliot were absent from the station about four months on account of impaired health, during which time their place was supplied by Mr. Hall from the Theological Seminary at Auburn.

In February last a general convention of the Christian chiefs residing on five reservations in this part of the state of New-York, was held at Cattaraugus, at which various subjects relating to the improvement and welfare of the Indians were discussed, and a general temperance society and missionary society were organized. A similar convention is expected to be held annually, and will probably result in much good.

SUMMARY.

The twelve missions under the care of the Board embrace fiftyfive stations; sixty-eight ordained missionaries, four physicians not ordained; three printers; seventeen teachers; twenty farmers and mechanics; and one hundred and twenty-six females, married and single;-making a total of two hundred and thirty-seven laborers in heathen lands, dependent on the Board, and under its immediate direction. There are, also, four native preachers; thirty native assistants; twelve hundred and seventy-six schools; and fifty-nine thousand seven hundred and eighty-four scholars. The thirty-six churches gathered among the heathen contain about eighteen hundred members. Our printing presses have sent forth about fourteen millions two hundred thousand pages during the year; swelling the whole number from the beginning to 61,000,000 of pages in eleven different languages.

Thirteen ordained missionaries and three assistant missionaries have received appointments to different, and most of them distant, fields of labor-the greater part to proceed immediately, and the rest within a few months. Most of these are to be accompanied by wives. Two other missionaries have also been appointed, but the time of their departure is not yet determined.

CONCLUSION.

Twenty years ago, the fundamental principle of Christian morals, that it is the duty of EVERY ONE to take some part in sending the gospel to the heathen, was almost latent in our churches. It attracted little attention in any part of the country, and exerted almost no influence. But there has been a great and happy change. The excitement occasioned by the sending forth of missionaries, produced, by the blessing of God, a resurrection of that principle in our churches, and ever since it has been gaining attention; till now, it would be almost as easy to shut up the orb of day as to hide it from view. It is recognized in thousands of pulpits, and lecture-rooms, and inquiry-meetings; not only among the denominations with which the Board is immediately connected, but among Baptists, and Methodists, and Episcopalians. Far and wide through the land, it enters into the system of family and sabbath-school instruction. You meet with it also in tracts, and religious newspapers, and monthly religious journals, and religious books of every size and description.

As a consequence of this increasing knowledge and increasing sense of responsibility, it is coming to pass more and more in our churches, that men contribute in support of benevolent objects from principle-from a deep and settled conviction of duty, rather than from excitement. This is a fact most auspicious in its bearing on the perpetuity and growth of the missionary enterprise. Children trained up for this work, may be expected to feel and do more for it than their parents who were not. The next generation may be expected to prosecute the work with more spirit than the present; and the generation following, with still greater zeal; and so on from generation to generation. A larger and larger number of individuals will engage in the glorious enterprise, and the devotedness of the real disciples of Christ, in all parts of the land, will approximate nearer and nearer to the elevated standard of the gospel. Such has been the fact for twenty years past; and such it will be, we believe, for years and even ages to come; till the earth is filled with ministers of the gospel, and Bibles, and tracts, and till the Holy Ghost comes down to bless these means for the subjugation of all nations to the truth.

A second fact of some importance is, that not less than a fourth part of the pagan world is at this moment subject to protestant

governments. It is easy to see, also, that all pagan and Mohammedan countries are coming, one after another, under the power, or at least under the commanding influence, of nations nominally Christian.

Another fact of great interest is this-that by means of a few languages we may reach the greater part of mankind. This is true, notwithstanding the very great number of languages in the world. The Chinese language is spoken by not less than a fifth part of our race. Throughout the whole of southern Africa there appears to be, substantially, but two languages. The Polynesian islands, though scattered over a great ocean, and embracing different dialects, are believed to contain not more than one or two languages. And the farther researches on this subject are prosecuted, the less formidable does the obstacle appear to be, which is found in the different languages and dialects of mankind.

The power of the press is another fact of amazing interest. It is a gift, which we should probably all choose in preference to that of tongues, if we could have but one. It multiplies the Holy Scriptures by thousands and hundreds of thousands, in a single year; and will yet multiply them by millions and hundreds of millions, in the same time: and, so far as the means are concerned for sending the gospel through the earth, it suffices, of itself, to place us incomparably in advance of the primitive ages of the church.

Another fact of commanding interest is this—that very many, if not all the leading superstitions of the world, are comparatively in their dotage. Not one of them stands forth in the giant strength of youth. Not one of them exerts the sway it once did over the imagination and passions of their votaries. The contrary is true to an animating extent. Our western Indians, for instance, have scarcely anything remaining of their ancient superstitions to oppose the gospel. The idolatrous system of the Sandwich islanders died of old age. The religion of India, at present, consists more in usage, than in passion; and long is the time since the religion of China was animated by mind and feeling. As for Mohammedanism and Popery, they are on the wane, and cannot possibly recover.

The last and perhaps the most remarkable fact which will be mentioned, is that the work of publishing the gospel to the heathen is begun auspiciously, and almost simultaneously and without coneert, in most of the great districts of the unevangelized world.