new Chapel and Mission premises have been erected in a convenient situation, a view of which we are able to give, and the Mission, with its Schools and Bible-classes, has been placed on a firm and substantial footing, so that we may hope in time to come its influence will extend to various other places in the populous presidency of Bengal. At the Conference of 1869, the Missionstations in this part of India were formed into a regular district, to which the Rev. John Richards, an experienced and able Missionary, was appointed as Chairman and General Superintendent.

To the places already mentioned as military stations occupied by Wesleyan Ministers in Northern India, the City of Lucknow, so famous in the Indian Mutiny, has recently been added. Here a neat little chapel has been built, and an English-speaking congregation collected by the Missionaries of the Methodist Episcopal Church of America. The pressing claims of their native work in Bareilly preventing them from giving that attention to this charge which it required, they offered to transfer it to us, if an English Wesleyan Missionary could be appointed to the garrison at Lucknow. This generous offer was accepted by the Committee, and in 1864 the Rev. Daniel Pearson proceeded to Lucknow, where he met with a kind reception both from soldiers and civilians, and entered upon his work with cheering hopes of success. Of course the congregations are very fluctuating at all the military stations, as the regiments often move from place to place. But, surely, it is a grand and noble work in which British Methodists are engaged when they aid in supplying a Gospel ministry for the benefit of the sons of our people in a far distant land, as well as for the evangelization of the heathen. In connection with the Calcutta District and the military stations in the north of India, we have three Missionaries, one hundred and ten Church members, and one hundred and thirty-nine scholars in the Mission-schools.

The reader may remember that the first party of Wesleyan Missionaries sent out to India landed at Bombay, and that the Rev. W. M. Harvard was detained there for some time after his brethren had embarked for Ceylon. This interval was improved by the Missionary in preaching to the people as he had oppor

tunity, and such was the impression made by his faithful ministry, that an earnest request was sent to the parent Society, that they also might be favoured with the services of a Wesleyan Missionary. This led to the appointment to Bombay of the Rev. John Horner, who arrived there, with Mrs. Horner, in the month of September, 1817. In the following year he was joined by the Rev. Joseph Fletcher, and for some time their prospect of success was promising. From various causes, however, among which may be noted the failure of the health of the Missionaries, the experiment ultimately resulted in disappointment, and in 1821 the Mission was relinquished, the brethren being withdrawn to supply vacancies in other places.

The island of Mauritius can scarcely be said to belong to India; but, whilst adverting to stations hopefully commenced and afterwards relinquished, we may here remark that at this place also an experiment was tried by the Wesleyan Missionary Society for the evangelization of the negroes and others, which likewise proved a failure. At the earnest request of several of the inhabitants two Missionaries, the Revs. Henry D. Lowe and John Sarjant, were appointed to the Mauritius in 1830; but after labouring there for a year or two with but little fruit, owing chiefly to the opposition manifested by the planters to the religious instruction of the slaves, the station was given up. In the meantime, Mr. Sarjant, a zealous and promising young Missionary, had fallen a sacrifice to the climate, and was buried in a land of strangers. His grave may be seen in the beautiful cemetery of Port Louis, close to that of Harriet Newell, a Missionary's wife who was interred there about eighteen years previously. The resting place of Mr. Sarjant is marked by a plain stone, erected by the subscriptions of a few pious soldiers who had been benefited by his ministry. Mr. Lowe ultimately returned to England, and was engaged for several years in the home work.

In 1865, the Rev. William S. Caldecott was appointed to the Mauritius, to minister to the Wesleyan troops in the garrison, and it was hoped by some that this would lead to the establishment of a regular Mission-station there for the benefit of all classes. This

hope was not realised, however. In consequence of a fatal epidemic fever, which ravaged the Island in 1858, the regiments were dispersed, and Mr. Caldecott's own health having failed, he was removed to the more important military and naval station of Malta, in the Mediterranean.

In bringing to a close our brief review of the origin and progress of Wesleyan Missions in India, we may remind the reader of the numerous and powerful obstacles which have tended to impede the advancement of the work in this important section of the wide field. In addition to the complicated and elaborate system of Hinduism, with its fascinating superstitious rites and ceremonies, and its idol worship in which the masses of the people have been trained for ages, there is the soul-withering influence of cast; and the barrier which cast raises against religious enquiry and Christian fellowship can only be fully appreciated by those who have had to do with it, and seen the poor Hindu convert to the faith of the Gospel cursed, disowned, abandoned, and left to perish by his idolatrous and cruel kindred. We say nothing now about the exclusiveness, pride, and obstinacy of that portion of the population who are professed Mahommedans. We only glance at the peculiar hindrances which stand in the way of the progress of Missionary work in India, for the purpose of showing that we must not measure its value and importance by mere statistical and visible results, but rather entertain the hope that the faithful preaching of the Gospel in the vernacular languages of the people, the translation and circulation of the Holy Scriptures, and the education of the rising generation, as it is conducted in the Missionschools, will gradually sap the foundation of idolatry, and hasten its entire downfall.

In the meantime, it is satisfactory to know that the labours of the Missionaries are not without tangible and visible results. By the blessing of God upon the numerous agencies which are employed to evangelize the people, tens of thousands have been won over from the worship of dumb idols to serve the true and living God; and it is hoped that in time to come a still more plentiful harvest will be gathered into the garner of the Lord. In the respective