imposingly. Almost every village has its brick pagoda, and lofty gateway, covered with statues in mortar. Brahmins hold all the power, are the chief landholders, and fill almost every lucrative office.

Swartz lived within the fort, where both his dwelling-house and church yet stand. The former is almost a ruin, but is used as a school-room. It consists merely of three small rooms, a little raised from the ground. Similar humility and moderation are displayed in the house he afterwards built, within the yard of his church. The church is well built and handsome, and, having been lately repaired, at much expense, by the rajah, is likely to last for ages. It is of little service; as but two or three Christian families live within the fort. To these, however, a catechist preaches every Sabbath. Swartz's pulpit remains unaltered; and in the wall, at the opposite side, is the marble tablet by Flaxman, representing his last moments, with the faithful Geriké at his head, and the affectionate rajah and others by his side. O that this spacious church may again contain such audiences as listened to its blessed founder!

In visiting these interesting spots, we passed the rajah's palace, and saw his tigers, &c., kept for show. He had gone to a distant part of the fort, and we therefore witnessed his displays of royalty. The cavalcade was resting near the gate of the inner fortress, where he had entered. It consisted of a score of war elephants, caparisoned, a troop mounted on camels, and a small park of artillery. Men and beasts looked dirty and shabby, and all the pomp seemed poverty-struck. The dens of the wild beasts, originally elegant, and each having a fine tank of brick and mortar, where the animals might bathe at pleasure, were dilapidated, and the handsome iron balustrade nearly mouldered away.

We passed on to the huge pagodas, extensive gardens, and paved yards, devoted to the national superstition. Here, too, idolatry has made one of its “high places." But, though all is grand and large, quietude and decay seem to be nearly in possession. A few fat, supercilious Brahmins stalked along the deserted walks; but, except at certain seasons, worshippers are few. The traces of recent repair are few and partia!. Other shrines in the city are more readily reached, and thither the crowds repair.

The city itself seems flourishing. It is regularly built, and is said to contain a greater proportion of good houses than any other native city in Southern India.

The first visit of a Christian teacher to this important city and

province, was that of Pressier, from Tranquebar, in 1728; but he was not allowed to preach, except at his own residence, and remained but a short time. The next effort was made by Wiedenbrock, in 1753. He accompanied an embassy of the government of Tranquebar to the rajah, and staid but twelve days. His diary, preserved in the mission library, states that he had some little opportunity of declaring the system of salvation before the assembled court, in reply to questions from the rajah.

The first regular missionary efforts were made by Swartz and Klein, who began in 1762 their labors at Trichinopoly, making occasional visits to Tanjore. Ten years afterward, Swartz removed hither, and the mission may be said to have been commenced. The blessings which attended his efforts may be seen in his memoir. O that his spirit had descended on all his successors! Two thousand persons embraced a profession of Christianity under Swartz, many of whom, no doubt, were truly pious. But he allowed them to retain caste; and the sad consequences of his so doing are felt to this day. Caste is not even yet wholly done away among the Christians, and its injurious effects are

many.

In the province, mostly collected in villages, there are now about four thousand Protestant Christians. Of course, among such a population, a missionary enjoys many of the advantages of a pastor in our own country. It secures, too, to those who may choose to abandon idolatry, the means of subsistence. The children are brought up in the knowledge of the true God; and various other benefits accrue. Still, it is doubtful whether the evils do not overbalance the advantages. The baptizing of such as embrace Christianity, without becoming pious, and of receiving to the Lord's supper all such as exhibit a due measure of outward rectitude, and possess a certain knowledge of the standards of the church, confounds the church and the world in the sight of the heathen, keeps down the standard of piety, brings forth unconverted assistants, and makes church business a matter of civil police. This mode of conducting missions has now been long tried, and is practised by nearly all the missionaries in India, except those of the Baptist persuasion, and those from America. It deserves the serious consideration of the friends at home. Out of the seven hundred and thirty-four communicants belonging to the Tanjore mission, a very small part are deemed pious; nor can many, even of the native assistants, lay claim to this character. Tyerman and Bennett affirm that "no vital religion is found in any of the preachers or native Christians."

The present missionaries at Tanjore are Mr. Kohlhoff, (Lutheran,) and Messrs. Calthorpe and Brotherton, (Episcopal.) All are in connection with the Christian Knowledge Society. The two latter are young, and have but just arrived. The mission, as a whole, wears an encouraging aspect. Three of the native preachers have received ordination; two of whom are evidently converted men. One of these, Visavarnarden, (mentioned in Mr. Hough's reply to Abbe Dubois,) is still active and faithful, though nearly sixty. His labors have been particularly blessed.

The schools, to which government contributes a hundred pagodas [more than three hundred dollars] per month, are in active operation. This allowance, with the avails of Swartz's bequests, nearly support the whole mission, with the exception of the salaries of Messrs. Brotherton and Calthorpe. The whole number of catechists and schoolmasters is seventy-eight. These come monthly to the mission-house, where their reports are received, and where they are catechized, and otherwise instructed. The whole number of scholars is about a thousand, of whom sixty are boarded in the mission compound. The houses for the missionaries, the schools, &c., are excellent and ample. These, with the church now used, are in a pleasant suburb, composed, in a considerable measure, of the native Christians.

Worship is maintained in the church, on Sundays, both in English and Tamul. No audience could behave more properly than did the poor natives. Their knowledge of Christianity, however, is very small. It will probably be long before heathen churches will possess the measure of light, zeal, and devotion, which are often seen in more favored lands.

Behind the pulpit is the grave of Swartz, marked by flat slab, with an inscription in English poetry, ascribed to the rajah, his friend. The lines are affecting; and the spot will ever be, to the Christian, hallowed ground. Fragrant and blessed will the memory of this holy man be, while earth stands. How glorious is the society of heaven becoming! How blessed it will be to meet there all the good who ever lived, and none but such!

There are about twelve thousand Romanists in the province, and in the city about four hundred. Their priests are generally of the Jesuit order, from Goa. Within a few years, a large party have come over to Protestantism.

The country between Tanjore and Trichinopoly is almost a desert; and I could not place a relay of bearers on the road. One

set of men bore me the whole distance, thirty-eight miles, between nine o'clock in the evening and sunrise next morning, without apparent fatigue. This is the customary arrangement. Trichinopoly, once the capital of a small kingdom, stands on the Cavery River, and is strongly fortified. It has a population of eighty thousand souls. None of that importance is now attached to this strong hold, which made it the theatre of such sanguinary conflicts, between the English and French, from 1751 to 1755. The Company maintain now five or six full regiments of troops here; but chiefly for the salubrity of the spot, and its ready intercourse with other points on the peninsula.

The mission here was begun by Swartz, in 1762, and he labored in this field ten years. Since that period, it has not been constantly occupied, and previous to 1827 there had been no missionary here for ten years! The injury of these repeated intermissions has been very great. Rev. Mr. Schreivogel now has charge, but the work moves on languidly. There are about five hundred nominal Christians; some of them the descendants of Swartz's followers; but very few give evidence of piety. One of my informants thought there might be forty; but another, who had better means of knowing, could not make out ten.

The church and mansion-house of Swartz are within the fort. The former is still used; the latter is empty, and going to ruin. Here, as at Tanjore, it was sweet to linger in the rooms where he prayed, studied, and reposed; to handle his books; to look abroad on the objects on which his eye had rested; and to console myself with the thought, that, though so vastly his inferior, and so unworthy of his society, I belong to that company of redeemed ones, among whom he is conspicuous. What a goodly fellowship! How will that company rejoice and shine, when the memory and the works of the wicked shall have perished forever!

The last days of Heber were spent laboriously in this city; and here, "as a thief in the night," his hour came. Though his published "Travels in India" contain little or nothing to indicate piety, yet no one can follow in his steps, as I have done, without hearing enough to prove that he walked with God. I stood over his grave in the church, and surveyed the bath from whence his lifeless body was taken,* with feelings of sacred brotherhood.

* He had gone into a large and deep cold bath, which he had before used; and, remaining longer than common, his servant entered, and found him a corpse at the bottom. As he could swim, it was thought he had fallen in an apoplexy.

Up to the period of Bp. Heber's visit, in 1826, all the missionary operations of this region were maintained by the British Society for promoting Christian Knowledge. Since that time, this society takes charge of all the schools; and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, assumes the support of the missionaries.

Being within five miles of the famous pagoda at Seringham, I of course made an excursion thither. It is the most distinguished of the renowned seven; and the expectation of seeing it, induced me to omit any remarks on those of Combaconum and Chillumbrum. Hindu architecture is too uniform to make numerous descriptions of it interesting or useful.