fifth time he has received a similar order, from the same high source, and in each instance has obeyed; but after waiting a little time has carried his boy back again. It is said that all the parents are soon to receive a similar command. They are not all, however, likely to submit to this authority as readily as the priest did. Some of them have told me that they are prepared to be imprisoned or banished, and that they are determined to submit to any thing rather than remove their children. There appears to be a very different spirit among the Armenians, from what ever before existed. We always exhort them to be obedient to the powers that be, so far as the rights of conscience are not infringed. with the hope of forming some new acquaintances among the Armenians, and speaking to some on the salvation of their souls. On my way I met two Armenians who were going to my house, and they promised to come to Balukly to see me there. At the burying-ground I found a crowd of people, some eating, some smoking and drinking coffee, some dancing, etc. The priests were also very busy in saying prayers over the graves, wherever they were requested to do so by the friends of the dead, the latter always putting some money into their hands afterwards. I had many opportunities of conversing with the priests, as well as others, sometimes to a whole circle of them together, and often to those whom I had never before seen. I en- An Armenian called, and speaking of deavored, as far as opportunities offered, the frequent attempts to break up our to make known Christ and his salvation. || school, said, "Why do you not, through I was surprised at the freedom with your ambassador, make some show of which all conversed with me, even in the power, and let them see that you are not most public manner. Sometimes I had to be interfered with in this manner?" a circle of priests and others around me, I replied there is a power at work here conversing as freely with me as if I had for us, which they do not see; but it is been one of their number, and this al- mighty, and its operations will be felt though there were thousands of spectamore and more. It is a power infinitely tors. I found this so fit an occasion to above all ambassadors, and all patriarchs, address men on their eternal interests, and all kings, and nothing can resist it. that I am resolved, if the Lord will, to Our interests are safe in such hands. take advantage of feast days hereafter to You wish us to ask the protection of ammake similar missionary excursions to bassadors and human governments, but places of public resort. I also met there we intend forthwith to present a petition several of my Armenian friends, whom I to the King of kings-to him who is addressed on the importance of being al- higher than the highest, and mightier ways prepared for death-taking occa- than the mightiest-not against our enesion to introduce the subject from the mies, but for them-not for their oversudden death of a Greek boy known to throw, but for their salvation. some of us, who was drowned a few days ago. 21. In the evening II. H. called and made a number of inquiries as to the meaning of several passages of Scripture, as "The children of this world are wiser," etc.; "two women shall be grinding at a mill," etc. He is an open-minded, seriously-disposed young man. 28. Priest K. called and renewed the request most earnestly that I will from time to time furnish matter for sermons for the vartabed of his church. Mr. Adger being very ill of the smallpox, two of our Armenian friends walked four miles this morning before breakfast to inquire after him. We have many other evidences of the attachment of many of the people for us. The ecclesiastical power of the Armenian church is again attempting to stop our boardingschool. A priest, who has a boy with Mr. Hamlin, has been summoned to the patriarchate, and ordered to remove his son forthwith. This is the fourth or August 3. We procured a few days ago a very promising young man, as teacher of the Armenian language in Mr. Hamlin's school. His father is a bigoted priest, who for a long time opposed his son's plan of going to our school, but at last consented, probably on account of the support offered him. The young man, however, was permitted to remain only three days. As soon as it was known at the patriarchate that he had joined our school, the father was sent for and imprisoned, to be kept till the son should leave the school. This they were able to do, as the father was a priest. The son, as soon as he heard of the violent steps taken by the patriarch, immediately left the school and went to the patriarchate, where he spent about an hour and a half in talking with the vicar in the boldest manner. He said, "Why did you seize my father and imprison him? He is an innocent man, and has done nothing. Why did you not send for me and imprison ine?" He come. then asked the reason why he was not,, said, "Only appoint the hour and I will permitted to be a teacher in the Ameri- leave all business and come, for I have can school. "Because they are infidels," very important subjects to talk about.” was the reply. "I have never seen any He soon informed me that his search was infidelity in them, and they appear to be for truth. Said he, "I have travelled 3 very good men," said the teacher; "and great deal here and there, seeking to besides I wish to learn." "You do not find out the truth. I want to learn the know them," said the bishop, "they are truth of religion, and what it is to be very deceitful. They pretend to be be- born again." This is a case of peculiar lievers, but ten years hence you will see interest, and I wait with some impatience how they will turn out." "That is very for the time appointed for his visit to strange," replied the teacher, "you say that in ten years they will show themselves; whereas they have already been here ten years, and we know nothing but good of them. Besides, I do not wish to stay with them ten years, but only one or two, just long enough to learn a little English and other useful things, and I will promise then to leave them, even before their infidelity shows itself." In like manner he continued his conversation for a long time, and the bishop became very angry, and if it had been a year or two ago, would soon have put the young man in prison. This teacher is an interesting young man, and has an irrepressible desire to learn. In our school he had an excellent opportunity, both to teach and to learn; but alas, the ecclesiastical power of his church interfered, and all his fond hopes are cut off, and he is doomed still to remain in comparative ignorance. The Lord, however, is the righteous judge and he will set all things right. Call from a Stranger-A Bookseller 14. The patriarch's vicar called up the bookseller mentioned above, and returned to him some of our books, which he had sold, saying, "You sent these books to Broosa and sold them, but the people there have sent them back saying, "We do not want these books," and therefore you must take them, and after this sell no more of the Smyrna books." "This is very strange," said the bookseller, "you command me not to sell the Smyrna books, yet give me these: what shall I do with them? Besides, I have a quantity on hand, which I have bought, and they will not take them back what shall I do with them ?" "Oh," said the vicar, "you may sell those you have on hand, but do not get any more." Could we have more convincing proof of the weakness of the patriarch, than such a kind of shuffling? The fact is, the tradesmen have triumphed, and the people are now in power, and the bankers and high clergy are put quite into the back ground. The different trades are classed together, so as to form twentyfour classes, and each class has selected one man to be its representative. These twenty-four men are to direct all the affairs of the Armenian community. It is a singular fact that in such a despotic country as Turkey, and with such a powerful body of men as the bankers to oppose, the people have triumphed. But so it is, and we must regard it as one of the signs of the times, intimately connected with the progress of truth among 12. The teacher above mentioned comes to my room regularly to take lessons in English and also to talk of his troubles. He says his days are spent in misery; but he is happy when he lies down to sleep, for he dreams he is again in Mr. Hamlin's school. When he awakes and finds it is but a dream, his misery returns. To-day the principal Armenian book-this interesting class of people. seller in the city came to my room in 15. S., the merchant from A. B. arrivthe khan, and requested that I would ed to-day, and attended my service. He call at his store to see an individual who brings the most wonderful and gratifying was very anxious to have an interview intelligence from that place. Immediatewith me. I accordingly went, and foundly after he returned there he was thrown a very respectable looking man from the into prison by his enemies, but was soon interior of Asia Minor. It was some released by a powerful friend. He soon time before I could draw out from him began to collect together on the Sabbath what he wanted. He at length said, the enlightened Armenians for reading "This is too public a place; I want to the Scriptures and prayer. At first much have a private interview with you of was said against it, but several of their some length." I then invited him to enemies came to witness their proceedcome to my house, which he said he was ings, and went away reporting that there ready to do at any time I would fix. He was nothing amiss. They meet now regularly, in number from twenty-five to fifty, and read the Scriptures and our books, and exhort one another, and call upon God in prayer. These all take the Scriptures as their only guide in matters of faith and practice. The intercession of saints they exclude, saying, "Christ is an all-sufficient mediator." Some whole families are included in this number, and the father of the household has family worship daily, reading the Scriptures, and praying with his wife and children. S. related these circumstances in the presence of our Armenian friends assembled for service, and they were all in tears at hearing the good news, and felt that they could thank God and take courage. you are bound to reject. I then endeavored to unfold to him, the great plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, and the doctrine of pardon by faith in him, to which he listened with apparently deep interest. This is a very interesting case. Here is a man of forty years or more, setting forth from a place far distant, in the interior of the country, seeking for the truth, going first from city to city, and from province to province, in hopes of meeting some one among the clergy or the learned who could satisfy his doubts, and at length coming to the metropolis and prosecuting his search among the foreign ambassadors in all simplicity and ignorance, supposing that because they are the representatives of christian gov A Pilgrim in Search of the Truth-ernments to the Mohammedans, they Opposition to the Bankers. must necessarily be deeply versed in christian truth; but finding among them, to his utter disappointment, almost entire ignorance and indifference in regard to such subjects, at length he is providentially led to a missionary from a far distant land, and there hears of Christ and his salvation, and listens with wonder and delight, saying, "This is the very Savior I need." Truly the Spirit of God is moving upon this man's mind, and we may confidently hope that God has important ends to accomplish through his instrumentality. We shall watch his future history with much interest. 28. To-day a fire occurred in Pera near our houses, which gave us some alarm, particularly as there was at the time a high wind. Three houses only were destroyed. Several of our Armenian friends came very promptly from the bazaars, a half hour's walk, in order to assist us, if we should be obliged to move. This is another evidence of their attachment to us, and it should be also remarked that this, being Saturday, is a very busy day with all who do business in the bazaars, so that it was usually dithcult for them to leave. 18. To-day the man from the interior, who is travelling in search of the truth, mentioned under date of August 12th, came to see me, in company with A. It seems that after I left him on that day, A. took him to a retired place, and there spent an hour or two in preaching to him the blessed gospel. The man was astonished at the glorious truths he heard, and said, "This is just what I have been searching for so much. Where did you get these truths? Tell me, where is the fountain head, that I may go there, and drink for myself." Our friend told him he must come to us, and he would find where the fountain is. He said to me, "I have been busily searching for truth since I came here. I have talked with many individuals, among whom are several foreign ambassadors resident here, to whom I procured an introduction for that purpose; but I have found no one who could give me any satisfaction till I met this man, who has brought me here to you." I then told him that the only fountain of truth is the Bible; that God has caused to be preserved in that book, every thing necessary to be known for Sept. 4. The whole Armenian comour salvation; and that we ought to be munity is again disturbed. The bankers very thankful that he has given us the will never rest while the power is in the written word, and not left his truth to be hands of the people, and the people have handed down through the uncertain shown themselves to be just as resolute channel of tradition. And since God has in resisting the usurped power of the given us his word, he expects us to be- bankers. Lately the patriarch, at the income acquainted with it, and has made stigation of the bankers, presented to the us responsible, each one for himself. porte a list of charges against the bench You are not to receive what I say, or of twenty-four rulers elected by the peowhat any man says, as infallible truth; ple. One of the charges was a weighty but you are to compare all with the writ-one, viz. that they were endeavoring to ten word of God. Whatever you find place themselves under the protection of agreeable to that, you are bound to re- Russia, and thus escape from the authorceive; and whatever is contrary to it,ity of the Turks. For this charge alone, 6. There were present at our native monthly concert to-day, one Nestorian bishop, one priest, and one layman, besides a room full of Armenians. It is extremely pleasant to see how deeply interested converted natives are in each other, even though from different and opposing sects. The Armenians are Nestorius and all his followers, and the rius was a blasphemer. But our enlightened Armenians give to these Nestorian brethren the hand of cordial friendship, and they seemed deeply interested in listening to the communications made by the bishop, and by Mr. Perkins to-day in regard to the progress of truth among them. coming from so high a source as the pa- | eloquently on the abuses of the clergy, triarch, a few years ago every one of it would not have had half the effect in them would probably have been behead- convincing the people of their want of ed. The twenty-four heard that such a principle and deceitfulness, that the paper had been drawn up by the patri- course taken by the patriarch and his arch, and called upon him for a copy of confederates in this matter has had. it. He refused to give it, and told them The wickedness of the clergy is now a to attend to their own business, in such subject of universal remark among the a spirit as to show that the bankers' par- people. They say, "We thought that ty was triumphing against them. On Stephen, the present patriarch, was one of Thursday the people went, to the number the best of them, and we called him a of 200 or more, to meet the sultan, who dove, but he has proved himself to be a had gone out on an excursion, and pre- raven. He has betrayed his people into sented a petition to him in person, com- the hands of the Mohammedans. If he plaining of the conduct of the patriarch is the best, what must the rest be? and bankers. On Friday they were summoned before the grand vizier, when the imperial commission was taken from them, and they were unceremoniously ordered to prison. The report of these proceedings soon reached the bazaars, and in a very short time a body of Armenian tradesmen, to the amount of five or six thousand, and some say ten thou-taught by their church to anathematize sand, were assembled before the grand vizier's place of business. They demand-feeling is strong among them that Nestoed the immediate release of their twentyfour representatives, saying, "They have done nothing. We are the responsible persons. Take us, and imprison us, and not them." They declared also that they were not the subjects of the bankers, but the sultan. The grand vizier at first treated them in a haughty manner, but he soon found that he must yield to numbers, and the persons were released. They then demanded the immediate removal of the patriarch, when the bishops and vartabeds were all summoned to the porte, and the people were called upon to select from among them, him whom they would have as their patriarch. They replied unanimously, "We will have none of these: they are all bad men-men who live by filching money from the people and by oppression. We want none of them. We will take time to consider the matter and then decide who we will have." C. bishop, formerly patriarch, said to them, "What is your objection to the present patriarch? what evil has he done ?" They replied "Be silent! you, who, when you were patriarch, divided the nation in two, driving one half away to the catholics, and who lived by getting money iniquitously from the people: be silent! we will not hear you. If the bankers want the present patriarch, let him remain as their patriarch, but we will have another man." The result was that the people triumphed, and the clergy went away in disgrace. It is said that if 200 preachers had risen up and preached VOL. XXXVIII. 15. The struggle continues as violent as ever between the bankers and the common people. Several attempts have been made to bring about a reconciliation, but in vain. The people are strangely resolute. They have bound themselves together by a solemn pledge that they will no longer submit to the absolute power of the bankers and clergy, and they are determined that if they are defeated in their purpose of changing the patriarch, they will abstain wholly from going to church, and will contribute nothing to the church funds, or for the support of the clergy. Many of them, in such a case, will probably go over to the catholics. No one can predict where this popular rising will end, but it is plainly a time for prayer, that God will bring much lasting good out of what is in itself so great an evil. It is time that the clergy of these eastern churches were taught that they cannot with impunity lord it over God's heritage, and fetter the minds of men, and infringe the sacred rights of conscience; and it may be that God is teaching this lesson effectually in this way. One thing is certain, the light of everlasting truth is 12 men's minds are becoming rapidly enlightened. If the bishops and other clergy fall in with the progress of things, and lend their aid to the furtherance of truth, all will probably go on quietly, and without convulsion, to its consummation. If on the contrary, they hold back and oppose, they will soon be overpowered by the truth, and while the enlightened people rise in honor and triumph, they will sink in disgrace and everlasting forgetfulness. spreading itself in this country, and, less, they have little reason to expect much clemency from their conquerors, and their condition should awaken our heart-felt sympathy and most fervent prayers on their behalf. Their long continued independence, in the very centre of the empire of Islam, and in the face of her watchword, "The Koran, the tribute, or the sword," has long been an eye sore to the followers of the false prophet, arousing all their fanaticism against those who, for so many centuries, should presume to set at defiance their authority and claims. And, now that the galling yoke of moslem bigotry is laid upon the Nestorians, we have reason to apprehend that their condition will be pitiable indeed, unless some friendly power should speedily interpose in their behalf. Nestorians. LETTER FROM DOCT. GRANT, DATED MOSUL, 9TH ост. 1841. Ar page 46 of the last number was inserted a letter from Doct. Grant, mentioning his arrival at Mosul in Mesopotamia, to which letter he re But we need not fear for the ultimate result. In the dying convulsions of this eastern antichrist we may expect "a time of trouble," alike severely trying to our faith and courage. But He who maketh the wrath of man to praise him, and Reported Subjugation of the Mountain ruleth among the nations of the earth, fers below. Nestorians. By the tenor of my last you will be prepared to hear of increased trials for the poor Nestorians. I have this day learned from the pasha of Mosul, from whose camp I have just returned, that all my fears regarding the subjugation of the mountain Nestorians have been realized. If so, they are no longer the Independent Nestorians, as they have hitherto been. The pasha says that a united Turkish and Koordish army from Van, Jesireh, and Hakary, has subdued the Independent Nestorians and burned the house of their patriarch! That whole region, he says, has been the scene of war and commotion; but the Nestorians, he repeated with seeming exultation, are now conquered. He gives few particulars by which I can infer the amount of bloodshed among the poor Nestorians. But from the accurate and circumstantial manner in which he described other collateral facts, with which I was acquainted, I am led to place much confidence in the general account he gives of the subjugation of the Nestorian tribes, though I cannot learn whether the conquest of their country is yet complete. If the Nestorians have really fallen, I would fain hope that, with their apprehensions of the result of such a combined attack from the Turkish and Koordish force that was brought against them, they may have submitted without a persevering resort to arms. But whether the amount of blood shed be more or will order all these commotions for the good of his own glorious cause. The Nestorian country may be thrown more entirely open to the heralds of the cross, and the trials through which this long lost remnant of Israel is called to pass may be the means of turning them to the Lord, who has said of them expressly, "In their affliction they will seek me early." Hosea 5: 15. I cannot doubt but the present crisis of the Nestorian church will be remembered at the throne of grace by thousands in America and Europe. Even should the intelligence not prove true to the full extent, it is quite certain that the situation of the mountain Nestorians is at present most trying, and ominous for the future, calling for our fervent prayers. I am happy in the reflection that, just on the eve of their struggle, I was permitted to pass through the whole length and breadth of the Nestorian country, directing the attention of that dear people to Him who is King of kings and Lord of lords. I, everywhere, pointed them to their sins and departures from God, as the cause of their afflictions and darkening prospects, representing Jehovah as a father who afflicts not willingly but for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness; and every where I met with a unanimous response to the truth of what I told them. I cannot but hope that my visit was in some measure instrumental in preparing their minds for their impending trials; and now that they |