speaker, and as she smilingly looks up and says, "My work is almost done, I shall soon go home," our hearts res pond, "How good it is to be a cripple like Salma." A Missionary Visit to Belghoria. UR native brother, Samuel Peer Buksh, of Calcutta, has kindly favoured us with the following account of a missionary tour in the month of July last year. Many things in it will illustrate the condition of the people and the reception they give to the messengers of Christ. Let the seed continue to be sown, and "in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." indu "On the 15th of this month (Wednesday) I, accompanied by Rev. Ram Krishna Kobiraj and Brother Swaroop Chunder Sen, went to Belghoria, a place some eight miles distant from Calcutta, to preach the glad tidings of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to the Hindus and Mohammedans of that place, who, we thought, would be in large numbers to see the festival called Rath Jatra. Once, some twenty years ago, I and Brother Ram Krishna Kobiraj had been at this place to preach the Gospel. At that time the famous car of Juggernath of this place was in good state, being either a fresh one or newly repaired. It was so huge that some two hundred people were engaged to draw it. The procession we had seen was carried on with great pomp and splendour, and, indeed, it was a magnificent one. In the meantime we had seen thousands and thousands of people gathered together, some to see the fun, and some as the sincere votaries of the idol of Juggernaut." THE IDOLS SHALL PERISH. "But this time, as soon as we reached the spot, the first thing our eyes fell upon was the old famous car, but in a different state. The former time it was seen by us in the highest finish, but now in a heap of ruin, rotten and moth-eaten, fit for nothing but firewood. On my seeing the ruinous state of this famous car I remembered the following passages of the Scripture: They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.' The next thing which passed on in our sight was two images of idols, one of Juggernaut and the other of Balaram, dressed up in red silk, placed at the foot of their old ruinous car, on a large wooden stool, just like two young princes of India, though their faces were like the faces of Stayx. After this we saw the place fully crowded with the people of different classes, and both the sides of the street were well occupied by shopkeepers of various sorts." THE PREACHING. "As the place had already been crowded with many people, we commenced our work in different places. We having left Brother Swaroop, with two other preachers who were already present there, to preach the Gospel in one place, I and Brother Ram Krishna stood in another place, that all the people might hear the Gospel preached to them. After this, we also separated ourselves, and stood in two different places. All of us got a good number of listeners, and they were so many and so thickly crowded all around us, that we were compelled to lift our voices louder than usual. We saw that all old and grown-up men and women took intense interest in, and paid great attention to, our preaching, but the young folks were not so. They, of course, were collected in large numbers around us, not to hear the Gospel, but to joke and laugh at us, and make fun of the words of God preached to them. We preached. to them for a long time on various subjects, which we thought were suitable to them, and sold some small tracts." THE PROCESSION OF JUGGERNATH. "In the meantime, at six o'clock, the procession came out. It was not as we had seen it before. Before, we had seen it attended by hundreds of Brahmins, besides a lot of people around it, and different sorts of noisy drums, cornets, sack buts, psalteries, and cymbals. Brahmins were well adorned with the wreaths of flowers of all sorts on their necks, and the car itself was a magnificent one among them. The Brahmins, as well as other people, were shouting, 'Joy, Juggernath Joy, Juggernath! [victory to Juggernaut],' so loudly, that the place resounded with it. Besides this, many other Brahmins and Boishnobs were singing the praises of Jug. gernath in many different groups. The procession was poorly attended this time; no music, but four or five small drums were beating on before it, and its attendants were not more than fifty persons, and they were silent. As there was no car to carry. image of Juggernath on, one Brahmin secured those two idols mentioned above as a bundle, and bore them on his head, behind the procession." THE PROTEST. "As soon as I saw those two idols wrapped up and carried by a Brahmin on his head, I cried out with a loud voice, and said to the people, While I Look at your god, and your Juggernath going along on the head of a Brahmin, just as people carry a bundle of wood on their head to burn it. Is this your god Juggernath? See what a correct description of your gods is given in the Book of God! Their idols are of silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; they have ears, but they hear not; noses have they, but they smell not; they have hands, but they handle not; feet have they, but they walk not; neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them, so is every one that trusteth in them.' was thus quoting from the Scriptures, and people were paying great attention, another little procession came. It was also very poorly attended, and a small car was with it. It seemed to me so weak, that I think within a couple of years it will be seen no more. It, however, soon passed by, then I began to quote from the Scriptures, and preached to them. I could have preached some time longer, had it not been for the rain coming on. When rain commenced, people began to disperse here and there, except some forty or fifty young men who remained around me, I also holding up their umbrellas. was ready to go, and as soon as I showed a disposition of doing so, one of the bystanders, a young man, ed my hand, saying, 'It is written in the Bible," The Son of Man hath not where to lay his head"; where are you going? Preach, and we will hear you!' I asked him, 'Who is he that says this?' 'Jesus,' he said. I said, 'It is not I then, but Jesus; truly He had no place to lay His head on, but I have my Gári [carriage] with me. Jesus was omnipotent; He could do and suffer everything, which I cannot, be. cause I am a man. I might have fallen ill if I got wet. See the wonder: -That Jesus being God of gods, Lord of lords, and the Creator of heaven and earth, became so poor that He had no place to lay His head. On hearing this, one of them asked me, 'Why became He so poor?' 'To make you rich,' I answered. On this some four or five of them at once began to say, 'We have no need of Jesus because we are not poor; we are of respectable and rich families.' And one of them, holding his umbrella upon me, persuaded me to go on. I said, 'You say that you are not poor, but hear what our Lord says: You say you are rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.' "I spoke to them many things in this manner. Let my readers not think that these young men were fond of hearing the Gospel, and were ready to take care of me by holding one of their umbrellas upon me; no, but their chief intention was to make fun of Christianity, and trouble me. Because, when I was thus speaking to them, one of them was giving slight pushes on my back, another on my hat; but I was very careful not to allow them to do much mischief. In the meantime, when rain began to fall heavily, all of them ran away with their umbrellas, leaving me alone under an old tree. As there was no other shelter for me, I was compelled to go to my Gári, but I got wet from top to toe before I reached it. After this we left the place and returned home." EARLY Incidents. ARLY in the year the Rev. G. H. Rouse visited some of the stations in the North-West, and has given us a few brief references to the incidents of his visit : I "Since I last wrote to you I went for a few days change to Dinapore. I wished to see the work there, as it is the only north-west station (excepting Muttra) which I had not seen. spent a few days at Dinapore and the rest at Bankipore. The English work is at present very encouraging. About thirty have been baptized during the year. The chapel is filled regularly, morning and evening, and the congregation is very attentive, a good part of it consisting of the residents at Dina pore. The chaplain's mind is sore vexed by all these proceedings. "The native work at Dinapore is not so encouraging as at Patna. Mr. Greenway finds it more difficult to get a good congregation. But there are some there who are more or less Christians at heart. "I went with Mr. Broadway to various places in Bankipore and Patna, and was pleased to see what good and attentive congregations he gets. He says that there are several there who read the Bible, and who, he fully believes, are Christians. It seems a pity that our agency at Patna cannot be increased. At Benares, Allahabad, &c., there are missionaries of other societies labouring; but at Patna, the population of which is so large, our missionaries are alone. "It is likely that Imam Masih will go there, as the doctors tell him he must leave Allahabad; but it is questionable whether his health will be any better at Patna. "I was pleased to see Mangali Das, the man who was recently baptized. He keeps on at his shop, and seems to be getting on well. Mr. Broadway advised him to make a rule to put on so much for profit, and fix his price and stick to it. He has done so, and Mr. Broadway says that he sees that he has now more goods in his shop. While we were sitting there a respectable-looking Mohammedan called to buy something, and said to Mr. Broadway that he came there because the man told the truth, and he knew what he got there, and that he would not be cheated. Next door to the shop is a musical-instrument shop, and Mr. Broadway asked the man there if he knew anything about Christianity. 'Of course,' said he, I live next door to a Christian, and of course I know about that religion.' It was pleasing to hear this, although I am afraid the 'of course' can hardly be substantiated. As we went on in the street one of the shopkeepers said to Mr. Broadway, 'Won't you even come and talk to us? You only go and preach in the street, why do not you come to us?' As we passed along, a Brahmin said, 'Why do you trouble in this way, going about and preaching; you need not do anything, all will become Christians before long.'" IT Decease of Mrs. George Pearce. T is with regret that we announce the departure to her rest of the estimable wife of the Rev. George Pearce, which took place at Ootacamund on the 9th May, after a severe illness of five days. It was an early wish of our dear friend to devote her life to the missionary work among the heathen, and her union with the Rev. George Pearce led to its gratification. During the first years, and, indeed, until incapacitated by sickness, she devoted her time to the education of the women of India, and at Intally trained many girls for a subsequent life of piety and usefulness. Her remains were interred in the graveyard of St. Stephen's Church by the resident chaplain, the Rev. George Drury. At the close of the service, the hymn, "Safe in the arms of Jesus," was sung by the numerous friends who were present. Such a separation, after forty-nine years of married life, is necessarily deeply felt by our dear brother; but he is upheld by the promises of God, and rejoices in the hope of a future re-union with one so dear to him. Mrs. Pearce was seventy-eight years of age. The Churches in Jamaica. ROM time to time we receive interesting communications from our FROM native brethren in Jamaica. Trained in Calabar Institution, they settle as pastors in the various districts, and with much ability and many marks of the Divine blessing, advance the kingdom of our Lord. The following letter comes from the Rev. T. S. Johnson, who labours in a district near Spanish Town. He says: "You will be interested to know that the Churches under my care have continued to enjoy some measure of the Divine blessing, though we have had to pass, and are still passing through trials more or less severe. "The attendance on the services has kept up well; and in many respects progress has been made. Fifteen members have been recently added by baptism to our fellowship at Mount Merrick. Of seventy-eight inquirers now in the class at Mount Zion, twenty-nine are candidates for baptism, and twelve out of twenty-two at Mount Birrell. There are also several hopeful ones at Point Hill. We have still a small balance to clear off on account of the mission house; and we are making efforts for a new chapel at Mount Birrell. "Our Sabbath schools continue to give us encouragement. There are over 1,000 scholars in them. Two of our day schools have been inspected and passed this year. The Rock River School was not inspected because the small-pox interrupted its operation, and the Mount Birrell School is not yet put on the Government list. "The small-pox has done awful work in the Mount Zion district; several members died from it, and nearly all of them young persons. "There has been also great scarcity of ground provision for a few months, and this was very painfully felt. "We recently experienced a hurri : cane, accompanied by a flood, by which much damage has been done to property. It lasted about twenty hours from the time the storm commenced till it subsided, in the mountainous districts of St. Catherine. The storm began on the 31st October, and ceased on the 1st November. Twentytwo houses were blown down, and there [are few that escaped without some injury. The schoolhouse at Mount Merrick, and the chapel and mission house at Point Hill sustained some injury. There has been, I am thankful to say, no loss of human life. Several horses and other small stock were killed. Fruit trees, in common with others, including bread-fruit and cocoanut trees were rooted up or torn down. The provision grounds, cane and coffee fields, are seriously, and in a few cases, permanently injured. In some instances the land slipped away, carrying destruction to everything in its path. "From this state of things, we naturally look forward to a period of want and great distress, as the rural population chiefly depend on the produce they cultivate for a living. I would be very thankful if you could kindly bring this matter to the notice of sympathising friends in England, who may be willing to afford some help to the worst sufferers from the recent hurricane in the mountainous districts of St. Catherine." |