SERAMPORE. Extract of a Letter from Dr. Carey to Dr. Ryland, dated Serampore, the 11th of April, 1818. I WISH I could possibly find leisure to communicate to you all the good things which are taking place in this country. Brethren Adam and Sutton, with sister Sutton, are safely arrived, and will soon proceed: brother Adam to Surat, and brother Sutton to Orissa, (I believe to the town of Cuttack, which is the capital of the province, and by far the most eligible station for a mission.) About a month ago, brother Ward took a journey to Chittagong, to see the brethren there; who, by the death of De Bruyn, (who, you will before this have heard, was murdered by his interpreter,) were left as sheep without a shepherd: he appears to be greatly delighted with them. The whole number baptized there of the Mug nation (or Arakaners,) is ninety; all of them now living. Of these brother Ward has baptized eighteen, since he has been there; and has appointed readers from among themselves; brother Peacock is gone thither to superintend them. De Bruyn laboured among them, loved them, and as it were laid them in his bosom. They speak a dialect of the Burman language. Indeed they were formerly Burman subjects, but the year I arrived in India, they fled from the tyranny of the Burman Government to take refuge among the English, and Government assigned them the whole of the country south of Chittagong, for about100 miles, to Ramoo, the frontier town. Brother Carapiet Aratoon came here some months ago, and af ter staying a little time, expressed a wish to go by land to Surat, a journey scarcely thought practicable; his intention was to preach, and distribute the word of God all the way. We encouraged the undertaking, and furnished him with books, &c. for the journey. We received letters from him till he got to Allahabad, but had not for a long time heard of him, when I received a letter last week from General D. informing me that he was in his camp at Toda, near Ooduyapoora. The General had treated him very kindly, and asked him to breakfast and dinner with him. An escort of Sepoys was proceeding to Kato, the next stage, from which another would proceed to Rampoora. The General kindly furnished him with provision, and put him under the protection of the escort. He gave him a letter of introduction to Zalem Sing, Governor of Kato; and another to Brigadier-General Sir John Malcom, by whose camp he would pass, in all probability. Sir John Malcom is personally acquainted with us, as was General D.: this secured their good will. Carapiet was within a month's journey of Surat. About the time he left us, the army took the field to oblige the native powers, (Scindia in particular,) to unite with us in suppressing a number of predatory hordes, who for some years past have plundered the frontiers to a great amount, and committed most horrid cruelties. These people, after plundering our possessions, fled with their booty to the countries of the native princes, who, for a share of the plunder, protected them; the war was commenced to prevent this protection. Carapiet had, therefore, to go through the seat of war, and to run the risk of these plundering parties. Indeed General D. observed, that had not an escort been going in that direction, he could not have proceeded, as the whole country is infested with bands of robbers, who seize upon all travellers. Thus mercy has prevailed on our brother's behalf. Extract of a Letter from Mr. Sutton to Dr. Ryland, dated Serampore, July 28, 1818. THERE are now in the province of Chittagong not less than 91 persons who have made a public profession of their attachment to Christ; and there is one pleasing and cheering circumstance connected with the inhabitants of this part of the continent-they have no cast. One religion is esteeined as much as another. The gospel, therefore, has only to grapple with the enmity of the human heart. Amongst these 91 individuals, who constitute the church in Chittagong, there are five who act as instructors of their brethren, each of whom receives about four rupees per month. But these, as they have so recently been converted from heathenism, and have not yet the scriptures in their own language, must be exceedingly ignorant, and their ideas very confused: they cannot be adequately supplied with the waters of life. From the same. July 30. SINCE I wrote to you last, the Lord has been laying his afflicting hand heavily upon me; my heart has been almost broken, and spirits gone. I have had stroke upon stroke; and if the Lord had withdrawn, at the same time, the smiles of his countenance, I should have been overwhelmed; but he has graciously supported, and enabled me to bear them with that resignation which I could not have anticipated. On Tuesday morning, the 21st instant, my tender, my affectionate Mary, was suddenly and unexpectedly taken away from me. In two days after I found I could not go to Cuttack, on account of the unsettled state of the country. Thus were all my hopes blasted, and all my plans, both public and private, abortive in an instant. Another circumstance considerably aggravated these distresses. The Monday after my dear wife's decease, I was taken exceedingly ill myself; and thought I should have had to encounter the King of Terrors, as my dear partner had done so recently. I am now graciously restored, and though I feel very weak, yet there is a great probability of my being soon entirely restored. I hope the friends of the mission are increasing at home, and that all those who engage in missionary purposes will have their souls in their work; if they have not, they will find disappointment and distress every step they take. SCOTLAND. [In our last number we noticed that attempts were making for the union of the Burgher and Antiburgher Churches in Scotland. The following extract from the Evangelical Magazine, will show how far these attempts have been successful.] "After the example of the Mid-Calder Committees, the elders of the two congregations, Burgher and Antiburgher, met here* on the 30th September, and formed themselves into a society to promote the same object. They agreed that a Præses be elected at every meeting, who shall open it with prayer. That a Convener and Clerk be appointed to correspond with those who have the same end in view. That they shall at no time mention any thing relative to the merits of their protracted division. That a fund be lodged with the Treasurer to meet necessary expen ses. That the transactions of the society be recorded, and that the Præses call upon one to conclude with prayer. On Monday, the 19th October, agreeably to the appointment of the Burgher and Antiburgher sessions, the two congregations met in their respective meeting-houses, and the object of their meeting being explained, they unanimously approved and resolved, That they regret they have been so long separated. That it is their sincere wish a union may be effected. -That when they find their brethren in other places of the same mind, they shall appoint proper persons to present these resolutions, with a petition to their courts praying them to accomplish their desire. That they approve of their elders having formed themselves into a society. That they recommend to their brethren the propriety of establishing similar societies, one at least in every county. That these societies correspond with the congregations in their county. -That all the congregations north of Tay correspond with the Dundee Society. That a centre one be formed in Edinburgh to receive and communicate the information these county societies may have collected. That ten of a committee from each congregation here represent them in this society, and lay before it these resolutions. MONTHLY EXTRACTS From the Correspondence of the British and Foreign Bible Society. PROGRESS OF LADIES' BIBLE ASSOCIATIONS. Plymouth, Dec. 10, 1818. In the Monthly Sheet, No. 18, the establishment of eight Associations in Plymouth and its immediate vicinity was noticed. * Dundee. To these a ninth has been subsequently added; and the whole are connected with the Auxiliary Society by means of a Branch. Committee, composed of the Presidents, Treasurers, and Secretaries of the respective Associations. Through this medium they remit their contributions to the Auxiliary Society, and derive from it their supplies of Bibles and Testaments. Facility is thus given to all their proceedings; the necessity for more than one public Annual Meeting and Report is prevented; and a uniformity of system and practice maintained and secured throughout the whole. In order to provide for the care and oversight, on the part of the Auxiliary Society, which are essential to the success of its subordinate institutions, it became necessary to re-model the former. A code of By-Laws has been unanimously adopted; the Committee is divided into District Committees; and measures have been taken for securing the attendance of two Members at every Committee Meeting of the respective Associations. The result of the exertions of these Associations has been. equal to the most sanguine expectations, and cannot but gratify the Parent Institution. The nine Associations, embracing a population of 80,000 souls, are subdivided into 185 Districts; the number of Ladies, as Collectors, is 343; and within the short space of four weeks, they have obtained 5567 Subscribers, and collected 3311. 9s. and 8d. The Sunday Schools in the vicinity have received a rapid augmentation of Scholars; and a School for Adults at the Dock, which had declined so far as to have only a single learner, has now nearly fifty in attendance! Exclusively of the Associations in the immediate vicinity of Plymouth, similar Institutions have been established at Kingsbridge, Salcombe, and Modbury, and the several Committees are proceeding with system and order. DEATH OF THE SWISS CLERGYMAN. From Dr. Naudi, Secretary to the Malta Bible Society. La Valetta, November 12, 1818. I HAVE now the painful task to communicate to you distressing and melancholy news. Our common friend, so highly respectable on every account, the Rev. Christopher Burckhardt, after his useful and persevering travels for the distribution of the Holy Scriptures, throughout Egypt, Palestine, and Syria, had scarcely arrived at Aleppo, when a fatal fever then raging in the neighbourhood, put an end to his most valuable life. The British ViceConsul at Aleppo, has given us the sad intelligence, that, on the 14th of August last, he had the melancholy task of attending the funeral of this indefatigable and efficient agent, who had been ill only a few days. I wish that I were better informed of the studies and employ. ment of this excellent man, that I might write a sketch of his life as accurately as I could of his death; this event will be lamented by those who love the cause, in proportion as they know his life to have been blessed, at least that small part of it which was spent in Egypt and Syria. We have seen many here who appeared to be well adapted to take Bibles and Testaments into Egypt; but most showed some fear, either of the Bashaw or Mussulmen, or of the different Christian denominations, or of the Jews: but our esteemed Burckhardt left Malta on board a Greek vessel, with six large cases full of Bibles and Testaments, in various languages, without any fear: he read, conversed, and distributed, in the most open manner; and Divine Providence, which, without doubt, conducts these grand and important objects, assisted him in every step, as well in giving him a right discernment in his enterprises, as in preparing the people for the reception of the word of truth. On his arrival in Alexandria, Mr. Burckhardt landed courageously, with all his cases, which he took to an inn, where he with difficulty obtained a little garret, which hardly held him and his cases. After two or three days, the masons came to make some alteration in the inn, and began to pull down his room; but he, thinking the situation favourable for the sale and propagation of the Scriptures, would not quit the house, but removed, with his health-giving merchandise, into a shed belonging to it. There he conversed with every one that passed by, peasants, strangers, and merchants, both foreign, and from the interior of the country. The seamen, who are very numerous at Alexandria, came so often to him, that he wrote to us, saying, that "the Greek Testaments, which he had dispersed, would only be like so many drops thrown into the sea; so great was the demand for the word of God." In his hours of leisure he walked all over the the place, visiting the Patriarch, or the Archimandrite, or the Greek Priests, mixing also, often, with the Turks, Copts, Jews, &c. Thence he departed for Grand Cairo, on board a country boat, surrounded by a great number of Bibles. After experiencing some dangers, he arrived, took a little lodging, and, as before, exposed his wares to public sale. Here he found, that, not only was his mission known to all, but that he was really waited for: and Jews, Turks, Syrians, Copts, Christians, and Pagans, went to visit him, and, what is of more importance, to profit by him. A few days after his arrival, he wrote to me thus: "My dear friend, I have now nothing more to give to these people; all my stock is expended. If I had had with me twice or thrice as many copies of the Scriptures, I could have disposed of them without the smallest difficulty." In this central situation he had the pleasure to arrange various things for the future success of our Malta Bible Society, in those extensive countries, with the Bishops, Patriarchs, and other persons of rank. The Coptic Patriarch has requested an edition in |