terised by the same fervent piety and ardent love of truth, issued from the diligent pen of our lamented author; and those unpretending volumes might be found in almost every religious family throughout the land; they passed the seas, and carried the lessons of unadulterated truth to the new world, and into our most distant colonies; travellers and sea-faring men, and families emigrating to foreign lands, carried out with them those treasures of wisdom and religious truth, until, in the course of eight years, the works of the Rev. Henry Blunt were disseminated wherever the British flag waved, and when they were read by thousands whether at home or abroad there was found in them nothing hard to be understood, every word told its own meaning. You had no mystery concealed beneath a doubtful phraseology; no handling of the word of God deceitfully; it was the Gospel in all its purity and simplicity; it was man exhibited in his fallen state, and Jesus lifted up in a manner to draw all hearts unto him; it was a picture of heavenly felicity to smooth the brow of sorrow, or it was a promise beautifully unfolded to make the bed in sickness; it was the unvarnished story of Jacob living in tents, of Abraham confessing himself to be a stranger and pilgrim, of Peter in the frailty of human nature, of Paul in the strength of divine grace using his apostleship; but above all, of Him who went about doing good, and whose blood cleanseth from all sin. Thousands read and wondered they had never before understood the way of truth, now made so of truth, now made so plain. Thousands will yet read and adore the simplicity of the Gospel. It pleased the all-wise Disposer of events, soon after your beloved minister's removal from this parish, that he should cease to teach publicly; but while he was restrained from the exercise of pulpit ministrations, his unwearied mind was engaged in preparing other works for the edification of the Church. He was permitted, until within a short period of his death, to continue those labours of the closet, and to be useful to the world, without opening his mouth. His family exposition of the Pentateuch was but just finished when his increasing weakness put an end to all exertion, and the last page which issued from his pen, contains an affectionate allusion to the present state of the Church. Let us

be careful' (such is the last admonition

of the departed man of God,) 'that we suffer nothing to stand between us and this Divine Leader [Christ], and least of all that we allow any thing to occupy his place. Sacraments, ordinances, churches, are only good inasmuch as they lead us to Christ, and not only use

less, but infinitely worse than useless, when they incline us to rest satisfied in themselves, or to substitute any thing for union with him our living head. May God, of his infinite mercy, grant that neither learning nor authority, a desire for fanciful and unattainable unity, nor a respect for some who ought not so to have learned Christ, may be permitted to turn us back to those weak and beggarly elements which for centuries misled and enslaved the world.'

"The speech of the man of God is ended. The remembrance of his preaching, his walk, and of his sickness and death, is left for us; his valuable expositions of divine truth are the legacy he leaves to the Church. But as for himself, who can doubt but that he lives in the glorious presence of the God of Jacob, and that his soul has been carried into Abraham's bosom, which, as he once said, 'is only another term for heavenly happiness and eternal bliss.""

We feel much indebted to Mr. Burgess and Mr. Close for these hallowed memorials. The passage cited by Mr. Burgess from Mr. Blunt, in which he alludes to errors now rife, and affirms that "sacraments, ordinances, and churches are good only as they lead to Christ," reminds us to mention how early he discerned the delusions of the Tractarian system, and how energetically he opposed them, so long and so far as he could labour either with his voice or pen. Some nine years since, a company of his reverend brethren met at his house, at Chelsea, to consider what measures ought to be taken to meet the evil, whether by sermons, or a series of counter tracts, or in whatever other manner; but objections were made elsewhere to the proceeding. He also, at a more recent period, wrote to us to request the republication of our controversy with Mr. Newman, and other antiTractarian papers in our Volumes; and proposed undertaking a subscription, that it might be done efficiently, and without our incurring any expense. He had, with similar zeal and faithfulness, opposed the delusions of Irvingism, by which some dear to him were in

Eastward, across an open sea, India, and the tract to China; and Westward, Abyssinia, and the whole interior of Africa, now presented to us from a point which offers new and enlarged facilities for its exploration, and in connexion with geographical discoveries which connect its hitherto inaccessible recesses, Eastward with the Indian Ocean, Westward with the Atlantic, and Northward with the Mediterranean Sea and Europe and Asia.

Of these geographical discoveries a very interesting memoir is prefixed to the volume in our hands, so far as respects the researches of the missionaries of the Church Missionary Society in Abyssinia, and the expedition of the Pacha of Egypt up the Nile; but to see their full extent and importance, the explorations in Abyssinia should be connected with those in the South and West of the vast continent of Africa; by means of which the whole of the interior is brought within the probable range of rapid discovery. The Pacha of Egypt's steam vessels have ascended the White Nile, penetrating far to the South of Nubia, almost to the Equator; and not far to the Westward of the tract of country where this expedition terminated are the fountains of those mighty rivers which flow into the Atlantic; so that the Nile, the Zaire, the Congo, the Chadda, the Niger, are conspiring to unlock the interior of this mighty continent to Christian, and probably to mercantile, enterprise. The

Missionaries Isenberg and Krapf have furnished some important and necessary links in this chain of African exploration. They have been the first to acquire and communicate correct information respecting that once celebrated portion of Africa which lies South of the Straits of Babelmandeb, and South and South-East of Abyssinia, and the early course of the Blue Nile. They have laid open the highlands which give birth to and

separate some of the largest and most important rivers of Africa; and they have made known to the world regions in the interior of this sultry continent, which from their elevation and irrigation are rather European than tropical in their climate and productions.

It would be impracticable for us to follow the travellers through five hundred pages of narrative, so as to present an outline of their journies and discoveries. The book, perused with its accompanying maps, is very interesting and entertaining; but a string of dates, and names of towns, villages, and rivers, would bhe neither. We must, therefore, detach a few particulars; hoping that, as the work issues from the Church Missionary Society, it will obtain so large a circulation as to render even that superfluous.

The history of the rise, progress, and suspension of the Society's labours in Abyssinia, is succinctly given in a Preface, the substance of which we will extract.

"The operations of the Church Missionary Society in Abyssinia commenced in the year 1829. The Rev. Samuel Gobat, and the Rev. Christian Kugler, the first Protestant Missionaries who entered that country, landed at Massowah in Dec. 1829. They were favourably received by Sebagadis, the then Ras of Tigre. Mr. Kugler was removed by death just one year after his landing at Massowah: he died in the expression of lively faith in the Redeemer, and of a good hope through grace, on Dec. 29, 1830. Mr. Kugler's place in the Mission was supplied by the Rev. Charles William Isenberg, who reached Adowah, in Tigre, in April, 1835. He was followed

by the Rev. Charles Henry Blumhardt in the beginning of 1837, and by the Rev. John Ludwig Krapf at the close of that year.

"In the beginning of 1830 Mr. Gobat proceeded to Gondar, the capital of Amhara, where he was kindly received, and protected by Oubea, then exercising chief authority in that part of Abyssinia. In 1836 Mr. Gobat was compelled by ill health to quit the Mission.

"Early in 1838 opposition to the Misthe Abyssinian Church, fomented by sion was excited by the priesthood of

certain members of the Church of Rome

who had entered the country. The result was, that the Missionaries were obliged to quit Abyssinia, Oubea declaring that he was not able to resist their enemies any longer.

"On quitting Abyssinia, Messrs. Isenberg and Blumhardt proceeded to Cairo. Mr. Krapf being unwilling to relinquish the hope of re-entering Abyssinia from another quarter, determined to make the attempt to do so by Zeila, which lies without the Straits of Babelmandeb, in lat. 11° 20′ north, long, 43° 50' east. He was led to contemplate this attempt in consequence of the Missionaries, while at Adowah, having been invited by the king of Shoa to visit his country. Mr. Krapf accordingly proceeded to Mocha, where he arrived on the 28th of May, 1838. Here he met with a servant of the King of Shoa, who encouraged him to prosecute the design which he had formed, and gave him much information as to the best method of proceeding from Zeila to the capital of the King of Shoa. From Mr. Naylor, the British Consul at Mocha, Mr. Krapf met with a friendly reception, and the promise of every assistance in his power. While he was employed in collecting information at Mocha, he was attacked by dysentery; which reduced him so low, that he was compelled to return to Cairo, where he arrived on the 27th of September, 1838.

"Mr. Isenberg and Mr. Krapf now seriously deliberated on their future course; and came to the conclusion jointly to engage in an attempt to reach Shoa by way of Zeila and Hurrur. Should they fail in their object with regard to Shoa, it was their purpose to make their way, if possible, to the tribes of Heathen Gallas, which are spread over the country to the southward and eastward of Shoa.

"Colonel Campbell, then British Consul-General at Cairo, procured for the Missionaries a firman from the Pacha of Egypt. He also gave them letters to the Consul at Mocha, and to the King of Shoa, strongly recommending the Missionaries to their protection and favour. Mr. Gliddon, the United States' ConsulGeneral at Cairo, gave them a letter, recommending them to the friendly offices of all captains of United States' vessels with whom they might meet.

"Thus aided and encouraged, they started on their arduous undertaking. Mr. Krapf thus concluded a letter from Cairo to the Secretaries of the Church Missionary Society, Jan. 20, 1839: May the Lord of Sabaoth be our guide, our preserver, our strength, our light, and our life!'

"From Mocha they crossed to the opposite coast, passed the straits of

CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 72.

Babelmandeb, and on the 4th of April arrived at Tadjurra, which they found preferable to Zeila as a point of departure to the interior. After encountering the many difficulties which embarrass travellers in these unfrequented regions, they reached the frontier of the kingdom of Shoa on the 31st of May, the journey having occupied thirty-five days. They had an interview with the King on the 7th of June, who gave them a favourable reception.

"The Missionaries remained together in the kingdom of Shoa until November 6, 1839; when Mr. Isenberg departed, to return for a season to this country. During these five months they were diligently occupied in conversational preaching and discussion, and in obtaining a great variety of information. Mr. Isenberg had made considerable progress in translations into the Amharic Language, both while in Tigre, and after his arrival in Shoa. A leading object of his visit to England was to print the works which he had prepared, for the future use of the Mission wherever the Amharic Language is vernacular. He arrived in London on the 30th of April, 1840. Here he completed works already commenced, and prepared several others. He eventually carried through the Press:-An Amharic Spelling Book, 8vo.; Grammar, royal 8vo.; Dictionary, 4to.; Catechism, 8vo.; Church History, 8vo.; Amharic General History, 8vo. Mr. Isenberg had prepared a Vocabulary of the Dankali Language, which was likewise printed.

The object of the Mission was not only the Christian population of Shoa, but the Galla Tribes extensively spread over the south-eastern parts of Africa. To the Galla language therefore, hitherto unwritten, Mr. Krapf's attention was much given. During Mr. Isenberg's stay in London the following Galla works, prepared by Mr. Krapf, printed:-Vocabulary, 12mo.; Elements of the Galla Language, 12mo.; St. Matthew's Gospel, 12mo.; St. John's Gospel, 12mo. The Committee have since received from Mr. Krapf a translation into Galla of the Book of Genesis, and the Epistle to the Romans.

were

While Mr. Isenberg was absent in England, Mr. Krapf, though alone, and painfully feeling the difficulties and disadvantages of his solitariness, occupied himself diligently and zealously in his arduous duties. Amidst much to try and discourage him, he was graciously sustained in his work, and not left without tokens of the Divine blessing upon it. The nature of that work, and the difficulties and trials incident to the pro

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