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led to forego the honours and emoluments of his profession? India has been no stranger to coercion of a baser kind. It was but yesterday that the police of India went forth among the villages of Orissa, armed with the whip, and with the authority of the most honourable Company, and compelled the villagers to yoke their shoulder to the car of Juggernaut. And what has brought that system of abomination to an end, but the loud remonstrance of the Christian public? (Cheers.) What then do we want of the civil and military authorities of British India? To use a phrase that some of our friends on the other side of the Irish Channel might employ, all we want them to do is, just to do nothing-(Laughter and loud cheers)-but to maintain in matters of religion a strict neutrality, an honest, fair-dealing non-interference. We say let the Bible and the Shastras work their own influence on the minds of the people; let the Brahmin and the missionary have a fair field and no favour. (Loud cheers.) We say, let Hindooism and Christianity be left to the voluntary principle of their respective votaries. (Cheers.) We say, do this and we ask no more, extend liberty, just and equal liberty, to all; to the idolater no less than to the Christian, but to the Christian no less than the idolater. (Immense cheers.) If the Government of India would volunteer us their patronage to-day, I am quite sure that we should dread much more than we should desire it. (Applause.) If you, Mr. Chairman, were to put that question, I can venture to assure you that there would be as many hands against the motion as there will be in favour of the one I have proposed. All we want, and what by calm but persevering Christian efforts we mean to obtain-(Cheers)-all we want is this-not that the Government of India shall throw over our feeble cause the broad shield of their protection-not that they should send our missionaries into the bazaars armed with the staff of their authority; but we say:- Sirs, no more appoint the priests to the altar-no longer lavish wealth upon the gaudy trappings of the idol and his car-render not the name of your religion infamous by appointing base women to occupy the temple. (Cheers.) We say, touch not the unclean thing, neither bless it at all, nor curse it at all; but if you see Dagon stricken before the ark of Jehovah, stretch not out your hand to his rescue.' (Great cheering.) Let not the priest have to bless the Christian for the salvation of his god, but if the god cannot save himself, let him fall, and let him perish. (Loud and long continued cheering.) I have transgressed too largely on your time and patience, and will only add another thought, and in doing that we can assure those who ought to be our auxiliaries as men, although we do not want their alliance as a Government-in speaking of their mournful opposition, we can assure them, that we do it more in sorrow than in anger,' but as men, we feel our country disgraced, as Christians we feel our God dishonoured, his righteous frown incurred and his awful curse provoked, by this most unprincipled alliance with the monstrosities and obscenities of Hindoo worship. But while so speaking of men, let me not forget the debt of gratitude we owe to the God of missions, and to India's God. Few and feeble as our efforts have been compared with India's vast demands, yet God has condescended to honour our inadequate exertions. When the missionaries of Christ landed on that continent less than half a century ago, they found the people everywhere sitting in darkness, gross darkness that might be felt. We cannot say that the darkness is past, but (thanks be to God) India's midnight hour has long since passed; the star of the morning has long since risen, and shines brightly; or if its brightness seem to wane, it is only, as we turn to the distant horizon, where the line of living glory is every moment growing broader-where noiseless grandeur and almighty strength, the light of the world is shining brighter and brighter to the perfect day. The rev. gent. then sat down amidst reiterated cheers."

| Day of the Month.

Meteorological Register, kept at the Surveyor General's Office, Calcutta, for the month of September, 1838.

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,750 82,7 80,8 80,6 Cm. 0,20 ,707 82,7 82,582,0 Cm.

,655 86,5 88,087,0 Cm.

,671 85,8 87,0 86,0 Cm. 0,19
,626 83,0 85,5 82,0 E. 1,14
,616 83,5 83,082,7 Cm.

E.b. s.,609 84,0 85,5 83,3 Cm. 0,16
S. E.,606 83,084,182,3 Cm.
8. w.,610 84,5 86,0 83,9 Cm.
E. ,622 81,6 78,0 78,0 S. 0,44
Cm.,606 62,0 78,9 80,0 Cm.

29,680 81,5 77,5 78,0

3

,760 82,0 78,8 78,8 ,778 81,5 77,4 78,3 ,700 82,0 79,0 79,0

W.

5

E.

6

E. E.

[blocks in formation]

E.

[blocks in formation]

,650 83,3 78,9 79,2 ,630 83,5 79,0 79,5

S. ,792 83,5 87,0 84,0 Cm. 810 84,5 89,4 86,0 s. E.,790 86,5 92,5 87,4 Cm.,744 86,391,0 86,8 ,706 82,2 78,9 79,0 N. E.,742 86,5 89,0 86,0 ,730 85,9 88,8 85,0 N. E.,700 86,2 ,696 82,0 78,0 78,5 N. E.,732 85,3 87,7 83,0 ,720 87,0 88,5 85,0 E. ,653 83,7 87,0 82,5 ,670 82,0 77.9 78,0 E.b. N.,717 84,1 85,0 83,0 ,697 85,587,2 85,0 E. ,660 86,0 86,5 85,3 ,684 83,5 79,079,2 E. ,720 86,1 85,7 83,8 E. b. s.,654 87,288,0 86,3 s.b. E.,623 88,0 89,587,0 ,630 83,0 78,9 79,2 E.b. N.,666 83,5 86,0 83,6 E.b. N.,696 85,5 88,0 84,6 E. Cm.,680 84,0 84,5 82,8

Cm.,717 79,8 78,0 78,0 Cm.,712 79,5 77,9 78,0 Cm. 1,690 81,5 81,080,5 Cm.,800 82,6 84,7 84,0

,730 86,491,5 86,8

S. ,757 83,7 86,5 85,5 s. b. E.,740 86,7 93,0 88,0 N. w.,680 85,5 93,087,0

S. ,740 83,5 s. b. E.,701 85,5

85,9 85,0 91,289,0

S.

8.

Cm.,650 87,0

91,5 88,7

W.

90,5 86,8

E.b.N.,664 86,0

88,9 86,3

E.

E.b. N.,620 83,4

86,082,2

E. ,610 84,0

85,0 84,5

S. E.,600 86,0 ,645 84,0 88,5 84,5 s.b. E.,620 84,5 87,083,4 S. E.,598 84,7 ,680 86,691,0 87,0 E. ,630 86,2 88,086,0s. w.,606 86,5 ,680 80,9 79,0 81,8 N. E.,640 81,0 79,3 80,0

87,3 85,5

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12

,646 82,0 79,5 79,7

S.

,600 84,9

86,885,0

[blocks in formation]

78,0 78,0 84,081,7

S. S.

[blocks in formation]

,650 81,6 79,0 79,2 ,730 81,8 79,0 79,5 ,788 81,5 78,8 79,0 ,794 84,4 78,5 79,5 ,830 83,3 60,080,5 ,837 84,0 80,880,8 ,827 83,9 80,080,3 ,810 83,5 80,780,9 ,810 82,2 79,079,0 ,780 82,5 79,179,3 ,716 82,2 79,079,5 ,748 83,7 80,080,2 ,748 83,0 80,0 80,2 ,760 82,0 79,079,5 ,765 82,0 78,9 79,0 ,820 82,2 78,9 79,2 ,829 81,9 78,7 79,0 ,842 83,0 79,0 79,0

° 179,071

W.

Cm.,670 83,8 85,0 83,0 s. w.,660 84,187,5 85,0 s. w. ,636 85,0 87,5 85,8
S. ,650 83,7 84,0 84,0 S. ,627 81,081,0 81,0

S. E.,836 83,2 88,5 84,7 s. w.,820 84,093,0 86,8
Cm.,858 84,4 90,0 86,0 s, w.,850 85,3 88,0 87,5
Cm.,884 86,5 90,9 $6,8 E.b. N.,867 87,3 93,0 89,0
Cm.,867 85,9 90,0 83,9 S. ,852 86,590,0 85,7
Cm.,854 85,6 90,5 85,0 s. E.,790 81,5 79,8 79,0
Cm. 1,850 84,0 88,5 84,5 s. E.,840 85,287,2 85,0
Cm.,871 85,5 89,0 85,3 s. w.,796 86,991,0 86,5
Cm.,767 82,0 81,3 82,0 Cm.,758 84,486,0 83,2
Cm.,782 84,9 86,1 84,0 s. w.,762 85,6 91,4 87,0
Cm. 1,798 85,4 86,9 85,0 E. ,782 85,3 68,5 85,0
Cm.,800 84,187,0 84,9 W. ,782 85,0 87,5 85,3
Cm.,822 85,3 90,8 86,3 s. w.,810 87,091,0 87,1
Cm. ,885 684. 89,5 86,0 s. w.,842 86,4 92,5 87,0
Cm.,896 86,7 91,5 86,9 N. E.,876 87,293,7 87,6
Cm.,875 85,0 90,0 86,3 ,866 85,6 93,6 86,9

,090,086,3

E.

89,093,698,9

s. w.

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S. w.,760 85,9 s. w.,790 82,0 Cm.,760 86,8 S. E.,788 84,5 Cm.,740 82,0 ,760 86,5 ,730 87,5 s. w.,700 35,7 S. .716 85,5 85,0,84,5 S. E.,750 82,7 77,0 76,0 S. ,760 83,2 78,081,0 S. w.,755 86,0 89,2 87,3 s. w.,790 87,0 91,888,0 ,825 84,0 81,081,0 ,820 86,0 91,988,3

E.

E.

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8. w.,770 84,5 86,2 85,8 Cm. Cm.,790 84,0 83,0 83,0 s. w. S. ,766 84,485,7 84,0 Cm. 0,63 S. E.,794 84,6 84,5 84,0 Cm. Cm. 1,746 81,8 79,8 79,8

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S.

S. 0,16

,770 82,5 81,581,0 ,740 85,2 85,0 83,2 Cm. S. W.,709 84,984,7 83,0 Cm. 0,13 Cm.,720 81,7 83,5 83,0 Cm. Cm.,770 82,3 76,9 77,0 Cm. N. w.,772 82,7 80,0 80,0 Cm. 3,10 s. w.,772 85,5 87,0 85,5 Cm. 03,8 S. w.,795 85,7 87,8 86,0 Cm. ,830 83,3 82,5 81,2 Cm. ,827 82,3 81,5 $2,0 N. E. 0,15

S.

E.

THE

CALCUTTA CHRISTIAN OBSERVER.

No. 79.-December, 1838.

1.-Retrospect of the German Mission at Georgia.

To the Editors of the Calcutta Christian Observer.

DEAR SIRS,

As you have in one of your last numbers referred to the German Missionaries, who formerly laboured in Georgia and Persia, I hope you will find it not uninteresting to insert in your periodical the following brief account of their labours, and I trust your readers will not be disinclined to hear of a mission which was established with the view of following up the work which the late Henry Martyn had entered upon with such devotedness and zeal, and to enter the door which the Lord seemed to have opened by him, for the spread of the Gospel among the deluded Persians.

The interest, which the account of H. Martyn's labours in Persia excited among the German Christians in behalf of that country, led the Committee of the Basle Missionary Societywhich had been formed some years previous to this event-to the determination of establishing a mission there. But as it was found impracticable to locate the mission in Persia itself, a convenient spot in Georgia, near the Persian frontier, was selected for the mission settlement. The missionaries, after the necessary liberties and privileges had been kindly granted to them by the late Russian Emperor Alexander, settled in 1824, at Shushee, the principal town of the Karabagh, which is bordering on Persia and one of the southern Russian provinces of Georgia.

The population of this as well as that of the other southern provinces of Georgia, consists of Muhammadans and Armenians; the Muhammadans, who speak a dialect of the Turkish language form about two, and the Armenians one-third of the whole population. To labour among the Muhammadans of Georgia, and to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to the benighted Persians, was the principal object of the Mission. But as VII.

4 R

soon as the missionaries became better acquainted with the state of religion among the Armenians, and found that, with very rare exceptions, the clergy as well as the people were exceed ingly ignorant of the doctrines of the Gospel, and had almost entirely lost sight of their practical bearings, believing Christianity to consist merely in the observation of external rites, and in the performance of unmeaning and foolish ceremonies, they could no longer resist the impression, that it was their duty to attempt an amelioration of this deplorable state of their Armenian brethren. In this view they were encouraged by the Armenians themselves, many of whom, even several of the higher clergy, entreated them to establish schools among them, and to use efforts to provide a better education for their youth. These circumstances induced the missionaries to lay the subject before their friends at home, accompanied by a statement of the want in which the Armenians stood of schools, good school and other religious books. The Committee having approved of the plan, some of the missionaries devoted their time to this work, and the others to labouring among the Muhammadans.

It must here be remarked, that the Armenians in the course of time have so much deviated from the old language, into which their pious and learned ancestors, more than a thousand years ago, translated the whole Bible, and in which Divine Service, is still performed, that it is no longer understood by the common people, but only by the few who take the trouble to study it. Before, therefore, the missionaries could do any thing, it was necessary that the vernacular language of the Armenians should be well studied, and its orthography and grammar fixed, in order, that the New Testament, and useful tracts and schoolbooks, might be translated into it. But here they had to struggle with greater difficulties than they anticipated. The clergy and the learned they found, with a few exceptions, greatly prejudiced against the idea of translating the Holy Gospel into such an unholy language as they believed their vernacular one to be; and they viewed the attempt as an injurious innovation. Besides this, the language itself was divided into so many dialects, that it was very difficult to find out which was the more commonly understood, and the most proper for being reduced to writing, and for being made the standard of good vernacular language. But notwithstanding these difficulties, they were, with the Lord's gracious help, enabled to overcome all, and succeeded, with the assistance of some able and pious Armenians, in translating in the course of a few years the New Testament, the Psalms, a number of tracts and some religious books, as well as to prepare and print the necessary schoolbooks.

The greater part of these books have been printed at the Mission Press at Shushee, and about a thousand copies of the New Testament-which only lately left the Press-together with between 30 and 40,000 tracts and school-books have been distributed by the missionaries in the vernacular language, amongst the Armenians of Georgia, and in the adjacent provinces of Persia and Turkey. Though the prejudice was at first very great against books in the vulgar tongue, yet it was soon overcome, and the people were agreeably surprised to find, that they could understand what they read, or what was read to them, and they began to estimate the great gain, and to anticipate the blessings, which this improvement would in time impart to their nation. The New Testament was eagerly sought for and in most instances readily purchased, and tracts, where bigotted and ignorant priests did not oppose, were gladly receiv ed. Besides this a number of schools in several towns and villages were established, and some young Armenians educated for school-masters.

Amongst the Muhammadans their labours were of a different nature, and consisted in personal intercourse with them and in the distribution of the word of God. To this end they began, as soon as they had learned their languages, to travel among them and to preach the Gospel to these followers of the False. Prophet in towns and in villages. One of the missionaries during the late Russian war with Turkey went, when opportunity offered, to the Turkish provinces bordering on Georgia, and another travelled at different times in Persia, distributing the Scriptures and speaking with the Persians concerning the way of salvation through Christ. Some thousand copies of the whole Scripture and parts of it have been distributed by them in Georgia, Persia and Turkey, in the Persian, Turkish and Arabic tongues, together with a number of tracts.

Besides these endeavours the missionaries translated the New Testament into the trans-Caucasian dialect of the Turkish language, which is spoken by all the Muhammadans of Georgia and in the northwestern provinces of Persia likewise, but which was never before reduced to writing. The four gospels being carefully revised, have lately been sent to the British and Foreign Bible Society. And as a greater intercourse with the Muhammadans and a better acquaintance with the religious views and state of the Persians convinced them, that none of the tracts they had or knew of, were sufficiently adapted to their mind and wants, they were induced to compose some treatises, which might meet the objections of an inquiring Muhammadan, and bring the doctrines of the Gospel, and particularly the doctrine of redemption, home to his heart in its full practical bearing; at the same

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