THE MISSIONARY HERALD, The Calcutta Auxiliary Bible Society. THIS HIS auxiliary is mostly engaged with the publication of Bengal Scriptures, in which language it printed last year (at the Baptist Mission Press) 66,000 portions of Scripture, including 2,500 copies of the New Testament in small type. This latter is a reprint of the thirteenth edition of the Bengali Testament, and is a beautiful specimen of Bengali printing, Its colportage price is only three annas. During the sixty-four years of the existence of the Calcutta Auxiliary Bible Society, its issues have amounted in all to 1,528,321 copies or portions of the Scriptures. This gives an average of 23,880 per annum. Strange to say, as far back as 1843, the issues exceeded those of last year by upwards of 8,000, while in 1854 also they were greater by 8,627. The issues of the last-mentioned year were greater than in any other of the Society's history, having then numbered 56,032. Surely such a mass of pure and unadulterated truth thrown broadcast over the province of Bengal must be working out its object, however quietly and slowly. Let it be followed by the earnest prayers of our readers! With the consent of the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, a New Testament in the vernacular was sent last year by the above Society to every Government school and college in the provinces under his rule. Thus one hundred and forty-eight copies were issued in Bengali, eighty-seven copies in Hindi, and four in Persian. The Society also proposed to send an English Bible, with another and a New Testament in the vernacular, to each of the higher and middle-class Government-aided schools throughout the country, provided the Government would help in distributing them. The Educational Department hesitated to carry out this latter plan; and before it would undertake the distribution, the Society had to send a circular of inquiry as to the willingness of the schools to accept the offer. A large number have expressed their willingness to do so; and requests for them are daily arriving. "No one," says the secretary, "has as yet sent in any expression of unwillingness to receive them." How timid is the Indian Government about identifying itself in the least degree with Christianity! Compliance with the Bible Society's request could hardly be considered a "breach of religious neutrality." Presentation copies of the Mahabarat would have been forwarded at once; and we do not believe that the Christians in India would have raised an outcry that the Bengal Government was propagating Hinduism. An edition of the Gospel by Luke, in Musalmani-Bengali, is being prepared for the Calcutta Bible Society by a sub-committee composed of missionaries of various denominations. An edition of Matthew in the same language (if language it may be called) has also been undertaken by missionaries of the Baptist Society, whose operations in Eastern Bengal are so largely carried on among the Musalmani population. Since the return of Dr. Wenger to Calcutta, notwithstanding the extreme weakness of eyesight under which he labours, he has been proceeding with the Bengali Commentary on the Acts, with which he has advanced to the twelfth chapter, which is now in type. This commentary is one of the most useful of the manifold works for which the Bengali Church is under obligation to this venerable translator of the Scriptures. Much anxiety was lately felt when a sharp attack of illness greatly reduced his strength; but God was entreated for him, and he is now mercifully restored. BY St. Helena Letter. Y the favour of our esteemed Treasurer, we are enabled to put the following interesting letter before our readers : "My field of labour is not a large one. For population, our island about equals a good-sized English village, with this difference, that the people here (about 6,000) are dispersed over an island of rugged mountains, containing an area of about 30,000 acres, which involves constant travelling along narrow mountain roads, in dark nights and under tropical suns, in order to break to them the Bread of Life. Many of these roads are not wide enough for a horse to turn round in, and are bounded on the one hand by the steep and lofty hill-side, or overhanging crags, that threaten to crush one with immediate death; and, on the other, by deep precipices unguarded by wall or fence of any kind. My predecessor, Mr. Bertram, the first Protestant Nonconformist missionary that ever came to live and labour for Christ among the neglected and mixed population of our rocky isle, was directed here by the promptings of God's Spirit, and a yearning desire for the salvation of perishing, but precious and immortal, souls. Assisted at the outset by Christian friends at the Cape, he landed here on July 14th, 1845. At that time there were only four or five persons on the island who had any experience of a work of grace wrought in their hearts by God's Spirit. "For a considerable period the preaching of the glorious Gospel of the blessed God was carried on in such private dwellings as were open to receive this devoted servant of our Lord. "Under his ministry the Word was a fire and a hammer in the hands of the mighty Spirit. The sword of the Lord did its work, and many who had long sat in darkness and in the region and shadow of death, had grace given them to stand out boldly on the Lord's side, contending earnestly for the faith, amid the opposition, sneers, and gainsaying of the Christless ungodly, who took up the old cry, 'Those who turn the world upside down have come hither also.' The starting of the mission was felt by many to be an unpardonable schism against the established religion, and an unwar. rantable encroachment upon the rights and privileges of the Episcopal clergy, who did all that in them lay to suppress and hinder the good work; and, with a zeal worthy of a better cause, have honoured us with their warmest opposition down to this day. But, in spite of every opposition from earth and hell, the truth of our God prevailed. Congregations continued to assemble. Such houses as were open to receive the missionary of the Cross of Christ were crowded to overflowing. The Lord stood by defended His work, and pleaded His own cause. Sinners were converted and saved, and the Lord added to the Church such as should be saved. "The first sermon preached upon the doctrine of Believer's Baptism by Immersion created no small stirabout that way. Some, in an evil spirit, rose up and left the place of meeting, went back, and walked no more with us; withdrew their support, and took the attitude of valiant opponents. Many, however, heard the Word gladly, and, like the noble Bereans search ed the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. "Unprejudiced hearers and searchers found the way of truth, became confirmed believers, and stood ready to submit themselves to the ordinance of the Lord: that, being planted together with Him in the likeness of His death, they might be also in the likeness of His resurrection. "The first baptisms took place on the 2nd April, 1848, when forty-five acknowledged their Lord openly before a gainsaying and ungodly world. "Other baptisms followed at subsequent periods, so that during the twenty years of Mr. Bertram's ministry, over 200 persons had been immersed on a profession of their faith in our Lord. 'During some portion of that time Mr. Bertram was, however, away from the island, visiting, successively, the Cape, America, and England, appealing for help on behalf of the mission, the ministry of the Word being supplied by a few chosen men of Israel' among us, whom God had specially gifted for that purpose. "When I first arrived at the island, in December, 1865, the Church had, from various causes, been reduced in number to ninety-six members; and but few of these remain with us at this day. Some have left the Island, and many have fallen asleep rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. I was away from the island from April, 1868, till March, 1871, so that my pastoral care of the church extends over a period of about eight years, during which time it has been my joy to baptize, on a profession of faith, 186 persons, and restore nineteen backsliders to membership. In my absence, under the pastoral care of Mr. Kerr, six were baptized and two restored. "The present number of members is, however, only 134. The great falling off in our shipping trade, and the reduction in our civil and military establishments has given rise to such general depression, that large numbers of our members have been compelled to emigrate, and find the employment at the Cape Colonies which they could not obtain here. "Those who remain with us are, with very few exceptions, the very poor and labouring class. Since my first arrival at the island, two chapels have been erected at our country stations, Knollcombe and Sandy Bay. Also a large schoolroom in town, which are all free of debt. "The oppressive debt, which you have so generously aided us in seeking to liquidate, exists upon the Chapel and Mission-house in Jamestown. The amount is about £568. And as the present resources of the people are taxed to the very utmost to meet current expenditure, the yearly gathering of the interest becomes a source of increasing anxiety, and prevents us from undertaking any of the repairs so necessary to be effected in the present dilapidated condition of the mission property. In 1874 we completed the internal repairs of our town chapel, and added raised baptistery and gallery at the end at a cost of £273 14s. This has all been substantially effected with teak wood. £450 of the debt is a mortgage which has been on the property from the time the chapel was erected. The remainder is due on account of these recent repairs. "Our little enemy, the white ants, are, however, rapidly devouring the old wooden roof, and it ought soon to be removed and replaced by teak and iron. "The mission-house standing at the side of the town chapel, and intended as the pastor's residence, is a complete ruin, the floors and all the woodwork being eaten away, and those parts of the walls that are not protected with an iron covering falling to the ground. "The house that I have occupied for the last four years is a five-roomed thatched cottage, standing on the same small estate as our central country chapel and cemetery, at Knollcombo. But it is so sadly out of repair, and leaks so much in wet weather, that I shall be compelled to abandon it as soon as the summer season is over. I have long desired to provide it with a dry covering of galvanized iron; and, by the erection of fire-places, expel damp air in the wet seasons; but, with a sickly wife and six dear children to care for, my economical ingenuity is taxed to the very utmost. "Its central position facilitates me in my work; and, being ten degrees cooler than town, it agrees better with my own and the health of my family. I should, therefore, feel devoutly thankful if it were the Lord's good pleasure to open some way for getting it put in a state of tenable repairs, my strength being greatly prostrated by living continually in the burning heat of town. The interest awakened among the people to hear the Word preached is very encouraging. Our congregations in town and at the country stations are very good. "Deep-rooted prejudices and superstitions are giving way, and pretensiens to priestly claims are losing their hold on the minds of the people. "Often, on Lord's Day evenings, & congregation gathers outside the town chapel doors almost as large as that which fills the inside of the building, chiefly consisting of church goers,' and the half-clad poor, who want to hear, but are ashamed to be seen inside the building. Persons who a few years since would as soon have thought of walking over a precipice as cross the threshold of our chapel door; or would have said, with Azael, 'Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this thing?' now come frequently, or attend as regular hearers. We have also a larger number of soldiers and military men in regular attendance upon the Word preached than were ever known to attend before. "The good moral character of these men, as contrasted with that of others in their profession, coupled with the eager attention manifested under the preaching of the Gospel, leads me to hope that the day is not far off when many of them will avouch the Lord to be their God, and become valiant soldiers of the Cross of Christ. "We are frequently visited by a goodly number of seafaring men from passing ships; and the Judgment of the Great Day alone will manifest how many have received, and how many rejected, the counsel of God against themselves under the preaching of the glorious Gospel of the EverBlessed God. "Our sittings have all, from the first, been free, and the cause entirely supported by voluntary offerings. "Our three Sabbath schools gather in about 200 children each Lord's Day; and each month, periodicals, magazines, &c., are got out from the Sunday School Union, for distribution among them. "We have also a small town dayschool, which, from our inability to pay the salary of an efficicut m stress, does not prosper as it should. "To some extent connected with the Church is a society, called 'The Working Men's Christian Association," its twofold object being to provide a sick relief and burial fund for its members, and, by that means, get them within our reach, so as to enlighten their dark minds with the light of the glorious Gospel of our Lord. It has been in existence four years, and now numbers between four and five hundred members, who chiefly consists of the lowest and most degraded class of our population. "Sabbath afternoon services are conducted alternately by the president and myself. Prayer is also offered and the Scriptures read among them on Thursday nights, when they come to pay in their subscriptions. "Although the great majority are only interested in the temporal benefits which the Society affords its members, yet very many have been wonderfully transformed in outward character, and some have become savingly acquainted with the grace of God. "The 8th of next month is fixed for celebrating their fourth anniversary, on which occasion they march in procession from the sea-side to the chapel, listen to a short sermon, transact their annual business in the adjoining schoolroom, and in the evening I again meet and entertain them, the best of my ability, with my dissolving views apparatus. "Mr. Bruce informs me in his letter that, having submitted his papers to the notice of the Rev. Birrell, of Rawdon College, he very kindly promised to take the matter up among his London friends. "Should you, therefore, come into contact with him, I shall feel most grateful if you will make our case known to him as far as you can gather it from this short report. "The amount forwardel to us as yet, |