23. Gujeratti, printing not begun, translation far advanced.

24. Wuch, printing not begun, translation far advanced.

'Farewell, my dear brother.

The Lord has hith

erto encouraged both of us; and I trust will carry on his work so as yet to make us rejoice more and more. Give my love to all who know or care about me.

'Yours, very affectionately,

'W. CAREY.'

Serampore, May 17, 1815.

'MY DEAR BROTHER FULLER,

'Through divine goodness, I still live, and am in as good a state of health as, perhaps, I ever was; well would it be if my soul were in as good a state as my body. I think I trust in the Lord Jesus, and I cannot say that I ever get further than to cast my perishing soul from day to day on the Savior of sinners. What I have always lamented as the great crime of which I am constantly guilty, is want of love to Christ. That fervency of spirit which many feel, that constant activity in the ways of God, and that hunger and thirst after righteousness which constitutes the life and soul of religion, I scarcely feel at all, or if I do perceive a small degree of it, its continuance is so short, and its operations so feeble, that I can scarcely consider it as forming a part of my character. I live a kind of mechanical life, going through the labors of each day as I should go through any other work, but in a great measure destitute of that energy which makes every duty a pleasure.

'At the present time my labor is greater than at any former period. We have now translations of the Bible going forward in twenty-seven languages, all of which are in the press except two or three. The labor of correcting and revising all of them lies on me. I

have lately been fully convinced of the necessity of having some brother associated with me in this department of the work, who shall be in some manner initiated into my ideas; and if I should be laid aside by sickness, or removed by death, should take charge of this department of the work. I think, from the account given by brother Ryland of brother Yates, that he will be as fit a person as any I have seen, and from what I have already witnessed of his personal religion, his quiet spirit, and his habits of diligence, I am much inclined to associate him with myself in the translations. I have mentioned my wish to the other brethren, who approve of the step.

'Yours, very affectionately,

DR. CAREY TO DR. RYLAND.

C MY DEAR BROTHER R.,

W. CAREY.'

'October 14, 1815.

'Yours, of May 2, I received a few days ago, and at the same time received an extract from a Cambridge paper copied at Plymouth, by an officer of the ship, Mr. Johnstone, who is acquainted with us, informing us of the death of dear brother Fuller.

'Considering the extensive countries opened to us in the East, I entreat, I implore our dear brethren in England, not to think of the petty shop-keeping plan of lessening the number of stations, so as to bring the support of them within the bounds of their present income, but to bend all their attention and exertions to the great object of increasing their finances, to meet the pressing demand that divine Providence makes on them. If your objects are large, the public will contribute to their support; if you contract them, their liberality will immediately contract itself proportionably. A subscription equal to one farthing a week, for all the inhabitants of Great Britain who are grown up, viz., eight millions of farthings, or a penny a week from a fourth of them, would produce £8,333, 6s. 8d. per annum. Let only this sum come to the Baptist mission, surely not too much to expect, and

all the objects will be accomplished for which European subscriptions are wanted, translations excepted.

'The translations of the Scriptures are now become so numerous that the work is of the first importance. By constant attention to the object, and the smiles of God upon our undertaking, we have now collected at Serampore a large body of men from all parts of India, who are employed in translating the word, and who, if dismissed, could not be easily obtained again. These men write out the rough copy of the translation into their respective languages; some translating from the Bengali, others from the Hindostani, and others from the Sanscrit, as they are best acquainted with them. They consult with one another, and other pundits who have been employed for several years in correcting the press and copy, and who almost know the Scriptures by heart. They, therefore, form the idiom; after which I examine and alter the whole, where necessary, and upon every occasion have men born and brought up in the countries themselves to consult. The number of these languages far exceeds what I thought it till very lately, for till lately I, like almost every one else, thought all the north and west of India to be occupied by the Hindi or Hindostani, but I now doubt whether any country be exclusively so. What have hitherto been accounted varieties of the Hindostani and vulgar varieties of jargon, are in reality distinct languages, all derived, it is true, from the same source, the Sanscrit, but so differently terminated and inflected as to make them unintelligible to the inhabitants of the surrounding countries. The uniformity of the words in all these languages, makes it comparatively easy for me to judge of the correctness of the translations, and makes that quite possible which, to one unacquainted with Sanscrit, and the mutation of words in the current languages, would be impossible.

*

*

W. CAREY.'

DR. CAREY TO DR. RYLAND.

'MY DEAR BROTHER RYLAND,

February 22, 1816.

'Yours of July 2, 1815, I have received. I am glad you have taken the office of secretary upon yourself; but you will not live for ever, and I think it is very important, while you live, to take such steps as shall prevent disagreeable circumstances from arising after your death. I have thought much on the subject, and will say what appears to me desirable.

'The office of secretary, when in the hands of our dear brother Fuller, included a mass of influence and power which properly belongs to the Society itself. The secretary, however, should be the mere organ of the Society. While brother Fuller lived, there was no danger of the power he possessed being wrongly used; nor do I think you will misemploy it. But the office must devolve on others after your death. I therefore recommend the so modelling and enlarging the Society, that all its acts shall originate from itself, and that the secretary be, as nearly as possible, the mere officer to record the transactions and resolutions of the Society, and to communicate them to the persons whom they concern.

Suppose the Society, instead of being confined to one part of England, were to be made co-extensive with England and Scotland, and the whole country to be divided into districts, and all the churches in each district to choose a number of the most active, wise, and holy men within them, to act as a committee of that district; from these others should be chosen to represent them at a general meeting of all the district divisions, once or oftener every year, at which meeting every thing regarding the plans of the Society should be finally settled. The present associations might answer every purpose of districts, and the annual meeting of the denomination in London might answer every purpose of the general meeting. Each district might, if necessary, have a secretary, who should correspond with the chief secretary. It would not be always necessary to have a meeting even for special business; the secretary, whom for dis

tinction's sake I call the chief secretary, might be empowered to send a circular letter to each of the secretaries of the districts upon special occasions, and thus in ten days he might get the opinion of almost all the districts upon any subject; a few printed letters, as many as were wanted, would answer the purpose, and might be sent to all at once. We carry

on almost all public business in this manner in India. This plan might be modified in any way as might appear necessary; but it would have the effect of making the secretary's office so different from what it necessarily is at present, as to make it unlikely that a canvass for it should take place. All this, however, you can better arrange than I can possibly contrive; but something appears to me highly necessary.

'Yours, &c.,

'W. CAREY.'

SECTION IV.

Formation of the Agricultural Society in India-Death of Mrs. Carey-Pleasing notice of religious and other improvement in India and throughout the worldRecollection of his religious and ministerial associations in England-Is appointed translator of government regulations-Death of Mr. Ward-Election to the London Linnæan, Geological, and Horticultural Societies-Account of his accident and severe illness-Death of his son Felix-Death of Dr. Ryland.

IN 1817 there commenced a misunderstanding between the Serampore missionaries and the Parent Society. The latter recommended a new and more satisfactory investment of the mission property; and that, in connexion with the missionaries themselves, a number of gentlemen in England should be associated in the trust. To this the missionaries objected; and issued a declaration from the Danish court of Seram pore, expository of their own views, and investing the property accordingly. To the statements and design of this instrument, the Society, in their turn, could not feel consentient. Explanations followed, which, though they mitigated the evil, and somewhat arrested its progress, yet left it essentially unsolved. The primary matter of dispute remaining unadjusted,