Resignation is not a sullen submission to what cannot be averted-not a monkish and discontented seclusion from a world that has disappointed-not a heartless, inane, apathetic surrender of ourselves to a gloomy and austere life;-it is a cheerful, holy, willing bending of the spirit to the dispensations of a wise and merciful Parent, and is thus expressed by the poet "I my all to thee resign, φιλος. III.-Extracts from a Journal of a Missionary Tour in 1837-38 from Banáras in the direction of Gaya. By Rev. R. C. Mather. December 5th, 1837.-Having obtained a tent, left Banaras with Narapat and Mirza, native preachers, for Rémnagar, a populous town, five miles distant, on the banks of the Ganges, where there is a fort, the usual residence of the rája of Banaras. Here we arrived late in the evening and could not get the tent pitched till midnight. We have chosen for our ground, the Lilásthán of the rája, where one Act of the Rámáyan is performed every year. The place is in consequence called Ayodhya, and is considered holy ground; however, we were allowed to occupy it, on the condition that we should not defile it in any way that would be offensive to a Hindu. The rája was not at home, having gone with the Governor Ge neral to Allahabad. The country on this side of the river, and particularly Rámnagar, is called Vyás káshi, and the origin of the appellation as related in the Puráns is, that Vyas being offended with Shiva at that time reigning in Káshí, left the holy city and came over to this side of the river, with the intention of building another and a rival Káshi. He commenced building, but Shiva, fearing that the glory of his own ancient city would be eclipsed, sent his son, the god Ganesh, to hinder the building in whatever way he could. Ganesh, accordingly assumed the form of a student and became a pupil of Vyas, and was continually, asking his guru what advantage will accrue to those who may inhabit this new city. This he did day and night; till at length, Vyás lost his patience, and in a fit of passion said, that they would all become asses. Of course the curse of so great a rishi could not but take effect, but since the rája came to reside here, the pandits say, that the fort and some other places are exempted from its power; of course they do not wish to make themselves asses, nor the servants of an ass. duism is an accommodating system. Vyás is the reputed author of most of the Hindu books, the 18 Puráns, the 4 Shástras, as well as the divider and arranger of the Beds; and the marvel is, that this great man, whose curse is so efficacious, was born in adultery, and in caste is one of the Baran Sankar or impure tribes. Hin December 7th.-To-day at noon the young rája returned to the castle, He is said to be wholly given up to the pleasures of sense. However, he is a very rigid Hindu, as, though he arrived in his boat last night, he did not dare to leave it and enter his own domain, till the pandit astrologers had pronouned from a knowledge of the stars, shástras, and destiny that to-day at 12 o'clock at noon, would be a lucky time. Like the generality of Hindu families, there is little real union between the several members. The rája and his father were so much at variance that they separated, but happily by the mediation of the Governor General, the quarrel has been made up. The rája entertains some 20 pandits, who are mostly astrologers, and it seems that he does not even dare to eat his dinner till the astrolo gers have decided the lucky hour. We intend to wait on him (D. V.) next week, but whether the astrologers will find a lucky hour for the purpose is perhaps beyond doubt. December 14th.-Out early this morning to see the rája's gardens, dis tant from Rámnagar about a mile, intending to preach as we returned. This is a very extensive plot of ground, laid out in good style, and surrounded on all sides by a high brick wall, with towers and 'barahdaris,' or eastern summer houses. Here is also a large reservoir, excavated by Cheyt Singh, with stone landing-places, and covered porticos for bathers. As far as I have seen there is nothing equal to this reservoir in Banaras. Here is also a half-finished temple by the same rája, but a most chaste and beau tiful object. The base is a raised square of 76 feet, of which about 9 feet on each side forms the roof of porticos, the floor of which is level with the ground. The temple itself stands on a square of only 42 feet. It is built of Chunar stone, which on the outside has been divided in compartments similar to panels, and in each of these there is sculptured the figure of some animal or portion of Hindu mythological history. In the lower com. partments are elephants 20 inches high; above them the figure of a flying lion, a fabulous animal, who carries an elephant grasped in each claw; above these the images of the gods, the Sun and his car, Bramha, Vishnu, Debí and Krishna lifting up the mountain Gobardhan to save Brindában from the deluge of Indra, &c. and above these, 2-feet figures of musicians each holding in his hand his appropriate musical instrument. I counted 17 different kinds of instruments. These figures stand out from the wall, as the figures in our parish churches in England. The interior is adorned with rich sculptured work of flowers and leaves. The whole is beautifully done, and had it been finished it would doubtless have attracted crowds of pilgrims. Mirza went to the bázár, to buy tobacco and hit on the shop kept by the head man amongst them,or chaudrí as he is called, a Musalman, with whom he conversed on the subject of religion; others also were present and the chaudri was so much pleased with what he said, that he invited him to sup with him. Mirzá excused himself, but he would not be denied, and he sat down with the good man and his wife and children, a great thing in this country. On leaving he gave him presents of fruits, &c. These are encouragements, and we gratefully own the hand that gives them. December 26th.-Left Banáras for Sadráza, a large village, 22 miles distant on the great Calcutta road, and arrived there in the evening. Here is a fine reservoir, and sarai or inn, and thana or police establishment, and every requisite for Hindu travellers. Had some religious conversation with some of the thana people, and a pandit the parohit or priest of the village, the same evening. December 27th.-To-day Narapat and Mirza, and pandit Rám Rakás with our new man, Biharí Lál, arrived from Bangras, and in the evening we commenced operations. Had a congregation of nearly a hundred per sons, and an excellent opportunity of declaring the truth. The parohit did all he could in opposition, first by way of argument and then by way of abuse of our religion; but the people wished to hear, and once or twice, when he brought forward something in opposition and received an appro priate reply, the laugh of the whole crowd was turned against him. I indulge ardent expectations, that, as we have now such a strong force, we shall be able by the blessing of God, to do something effectual. December 29th.-There is a lamentable dearth of the commonest know. ledge in this country. At Rámnagar, which is a very large place, there is not a single school of any kind, except at the castle where five or six boys read Sanskrit with the rája's pandits, and a little English. Besides these there are one or two shopkeepers, who devote their leisure time to teach figures to eight or ten boys: and this is the amount of instruction. At Mughal ka sarai, there is no school of any kind, nor maulaví nor pandit. At Sadraza, there is a pandit, but he is very little read even in his own books; but there is no school of any kind, and certainly not one in a hundred can read the plainest character. Hindus and Musalmáns are all alike buried in a state of the deepest ignorance, and yet there is a desire to learn, and the people at Rámnagar wished us very much to begin a school there, and doubtless, had we Christian schoolmasters, men to be depended upon, we might take the country by storm; we could have a school at each town and village, and use them also as chapels, in which we could preach on itinerating excursions, and have them supplied in the interval by our native preachers. January 1st, 1838.-Up at 3 o'clock, and struck our tent and prepared for marching. Crossed the Karmnásá river, over which a near neighbour of mine, rája Putthaní Mal of Banaras, with the help of a Mahratta lady of title, who furnished the materials and a sum of money besides, has built a most substantial stone bridge. He was created rája by the Company for this spirited act. He has rather spoiled the merit of it however, by his own vanity, for he has had inscribed in four different characters, on the bridge, the wonderful excellence and skill in building it. The Karmnásá or "merit-destroying river," is so called from the idea the Hindus have, that the mere touch of its waters destroys all merit and righteousness, even the accumulation of years. However the people on the bank claim an exemp tion from the curse of the river, which is generally allowed them by other Hindus. As Mirza and myself travelled quicker than the rest, we had time to preach twice in two villages between the Karmnásá and Durgauty river. The name of the first is Kajára, where we had assembled about 30 people. One man, a Kayasth, could read the Nágarí, and he was the only reader in the whole place. The other is called Kulhariyá; here we were receiv. ed with extraordinary kindness: after preaching, the people would have us partake of their fare, milk and the juice of the sugarcane, which we did, they giving me to drink with their own hands, a wonderful act for a Hindu. On leaving, all that had heard accompanied us to the road, and then took leave; one however remained, and after going with us two or 300 yards, he brought it out, that he wished to go with us. He said that he wished for nothing from us as he had got a pension that was quite sufficient for him, but only to go with us. He is an old soldier, an invalid, of the name of Harinam Singh, and I promised to take him with us on our return. He would have me write my name on a book I gave him, that when I saw him again, I might know that he was the man. Such eagerness is very pleasing. In this village only one could read. Arrived early in the evening at Muaniah, having crossed the Durgauty river in the way, where the Honorable East India Company have erected a splendid iron suspension bridge, the subject of wonder and admiration to all Hindu travellers. Muaniah is a large village. Here is a jamadár and four barkandáz, and a good sarai. January 4th.-Struck our tent early this morning and set off for Jahanábád, 14 miles from Muaniah. On the way, preached at a village called Barenjan, and had an attendance of from 30 to 40. The zamindár was the person who knew most, but he could neither read nor write. This village as well as Muaniah which we had passed, is chiefly inhabited by Rájpúts. Arrived at Jahanábád about noon. Here is a jamadár and two barqandáz, and a pakka sarai. Two mahajans reputed lákhpatis, or £10,000 men, reside here. Here are two temples to Sita, and we went to see one of them as soon as we arrived, and did our best to expose the hypocrisy of the priest who had the charge of it. January 8th. Struck our tent and set out for Sasserám, a large city, 14 miles distant from Jahanábád. On the way, alighted at a village on the banks of the Gúriah naddí, named Khurramabad, or "the pleasant abode." It being late in the day, all the people were off to work in the fields, so that we could get no congregation. However, we had the opportunity of going to see the ruins of a fort and sarai, and masjid or mosque, built 229 years ago, by Mir Ali Akbar, the collector of the revenues of Subah Behár in the days of the emperor Jáhángir. Here are two inscriptions in Persian, one which gives the date and the other publishes the praises of Ali Akbar, who is said to have been such a virtuous person, that the nightingale sung his praises. On the ruins of the fort, we found some of his descendants to whom I made some remarks on the unstable character of earthly dignities and possessions, and that we should look to heaven, as the only khurramábád, worthy of the name. On leaving, they accompanied us a good distance on our road, and inquired my naine. Here is a bridge, built by the same illustrious personage. Arrived at Sasserám in the afternoon. This is a large and ancient city filled with interesting sights and scenes. Here is a reservoir, about a mile in circumference, in the midst of which, on a small island, is a magnificent mausoleum, built over the remains of Shere Shah the Afghán, who expelled the emperor Humáíám, the father of Akbar, from India. There was a bridge connecting the mausoleum with the shore, but it is now broken down and visitors are carried over on a small bamboo raft sustained by large empty earthen vessels. The passage appears rather hazardous, and the report was that two European gentlemen, who were a little intoxicated at the time, had been drowned, one of them having thoughtlessly driven his stick through the earthen vessel and so sunk the raft. In these circumstances I thought it best not to venture. Besides this there is in the centre of the city, another mausoleum, rather smaller, but on the same plan and enclosed by a spacious court-yard, with high stone walls, and towers. This I had the curiosity to measure: the diameter of the interior octagon is 60 feet, and the dome about 90 or 100 feet high, and the outer octagon is 108 in diameter. It struck me, as a capital building for a church, and it is now going to ruins for want of some one to own and take care of it. After going over the city to find a place for our tent, resolved on pitching it in the court-yard of the mausoleum, as the most central spot in the whole city. Our resolution, however, seems to have created quite a ferment. The darogah sent to us to inform us, that the sahib log (or Europeans) never had pitched their tents in the city, that it was a dangerous place and we should be robbed. I sent my compliments to him, and told him that I was a Missionary, come to preach, and that I wished to be where the people were, and I hoped he would do his best to guard us well. Ever since we arrived, we have been surrounded by the people; if we were wild beasts, we could not be greater objects of attraction. Lodging so near the tombs, and there happening to be an owl, who kept up his moaning all night, some of the Hindus with us were rather down in spirits, as they say that the owl's note bespeaks death. All January 9th.—The first thing this morning the tent surrounded by visitors. However as I had some extra in-door work to do, and which admitted of no delay. I could not gratify them by allowing them to come. The whole day, visitors have been coming and going. In the afternoon I was at leisure, when a maulavi of the Shiah sect, came and with him several others. We had a little good and satisfactory discussion on the point of Christ being God and man; he made some remarks, tending to shew the impossibility of its being so, but he was obliged to yield. Another point,— the impossibility of God's being merciful otherwise than in consistency with justice,-I pressed upon him. In the Fátíha of the Korán, God is said to be the most merciful and yet the Lord of the day of judgment. He could say nothing by way of harmonising these conflicting attributes, and I took occasion to make a representation of the gospel atonement. apparently approved of what was said. He left, promising to come again. Went out to the bázár, but it being almost dark had no opportunity of set preaching. Met with several of the Ráis of the city, who conversed freely and promised to pay us a visit. Met a funeral procession of the Sikhs, or followers of Nának Shah. Their manner of conducting their fu nerals is most extraordinary, for instead of weeping over the remains, they hire various kinds of musicians, and uniting their voices with the clangour of the instruments, they exhibit every demonstration of boisterous joy. The scene was also otherwise striking, and I thought that there could not be a livelier representation of the revels of fiends, for their tongues were scarlet red by eating the betelnut, and from the violence of the singing, their mouths were so wide open as fully to display them; their eyes were starting, while their brows had been daubed by red powder. There are various ways of destroying the fear of death. This is one, but do they succeed? The Christian knows. The Shiks have a Sangal here. Returned to the tent and had family worship. Rám Prakás has come with us, and he is intending to throw aways the badge of caste, at least he professes to be willing to do so. January 10th. To-day the people have been coming and going to Mirzá without cessation. He has had some three or four large congregations. About noon, I had a visit from a Shekh, a man of consequence and great respectability, and with him a maulaví, of the sect of the Sunnis and about twenty other people. They commenced conversation by asking me if I could shew them the original Injil or Gospel. I had one with me and shewed it to them; and they then wished me to read and translate a portion, and I did the 1st chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews. This seemed to please them. They wished to know why we had come to Sasserám, and then how salvation was to be obtained, which opened the door for me to preach the gospel to them, which I did. They could not understand how Christ could be the Son of God and yet God, and charged me with tritheism, and this gave me an opportunity of entering fully into the doctrine of the divine unity and the trinity of persons in the Deity. We had a most pleasing discussion, conducted calmly and without any interruption. The Shekh wished me to lend him my copy of the New Testament in Urdu, for three or four days, which I cheerfully agreed to do, and the maulaví is to come to-morrow, and bring the Koran with him, when we are to have discussed the following question, proposed by myself,-"Can it be proved that the Koran is a revelation from God?" If it can, I am pledged to become a Musalman, and the maulavi thinks that he can demonstrate it to us that it is a revelation from God. The people of Sasseram are generally very much dissatisfied with the Company's having resumed their rent-free lands, and from the circumstance of Sasserám having in former times been the seat of royalty, there were more rent-free tenures here than elsewhere. Every one I have met |