ciety fitted out an expedition in 1797, and the experience of the past the most inacset to work in the Susoo country, but in cessible regions of Africa seeemed still to four years the work came to an end. One be as charming as ever, and I feel sure you of the missionaries was murdered, and the will excuse my reminding you of Bishop climate all but killed the remainder. Pass- Mackenzie's twenty thousand pound expeing over the failure of the Glasgow Society dition into the heart, as it were, of the unin the same quarter, let us see how the known land. The Bishop, if you remember, Church Missionary Society fared in the started with five or six clergymen, one same Susoo country, where they started a physician, one surgeon, and a few mechanmission early in this century. This, like ics and labourers. The Bishop was duly the others, came of course to an end, but consecrated at Cape Town, and commisnot until thirty men, women, and child- sioned for the tribes dwelling in the neighren had died of disease. The Society at bourhood of the River Shire and Lake Nyhome seems certainly to have been much assa. These devotees - fortunate or unforcheered at this result, and after a delay tunate, as you may choose to call them of five years commenced a fresh course of struggled into the interior, and established. human sacrifices by sending out an expe- themselves in a locality where disease and dition to Sierra Leone. This expedition death soon overtook them. The Bishop started in 1823, and twenty-five of the mis- died, so did Scudamore and Dickinson, s sion perished within four or five years. to what became of the others, it is hard y The news of these sacrifices seems to have worth while to enquire. Another famous excited feelings of jealousy amongst the attempt is that of Captain Allen Gardiner's Reformed Churches in Germany, and in expedition to Tierra del Fuego, an island 1827-28, I find that eight German mission- which lies off Patagonia. After two unaries were despatched to this region. successful expeditions to that country, he Four of these died within a few months, returned to it in 1850, with six other detwo fled just in time to save their lives, votees. It seems that they seldom saw while four others, sent to Fort Christian- the natives, and that when they did see burgh in 1828, all died soon after landing. them they got out of their way as fast as This seemed to be so satisfactory that three more victims were sent out in 1831. Of these two died almost immediately, but this loss was subsequently repaired by two others, who perished long before they could learn the language of the country. As for his sole survivor, I can find no account as to what became of him, so I conclude he perished like the rest. After the Scotch mission got tired of Africa, or perhaps because no fresh devotees would come forward, it betook itself to the regions between the Black Sea and the Caspian, and set up in a village called Karass, where the inhabitants are all Mahometans. The country, in this instance, was more salubrious, but what it wanted in unhealthiness was made up by the inaccessibility and general unsuitability of the situation. Subsequently the Society sought out the Tartars of Astrakhan, but as little impression seems to have been made on them as on the Mahometans, and the result was that after twenty years of incessant labour the whole scheme had to be abandoned. In fact, of these expeditions nothing whatever seems to have remained, except a few translations of the Bible. After the Scotch mission had abandoned this field, the Germans, it may be mentioned, took up the task of converting the natives, and after fourteen years' hard work were dismissed by the authorities. But after all

possible. But the usual result soon came to their relief. Some died, and the rest fled. In 1852 the frigate Dido visited Spaniard Island, and found the body of Captain Gardiner lying beside his boat, and that of Mr. Maidment in a cave.' Here the Brahmin paused for one moment, and the missionary thereupon observed:

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'My friend, I am afraid I must admit that the folly shown by missionary societies has indeed been great, and I can even add one instance more extraordinary than any you have mentioned. You have probably heard of Greenland with its scanty blubber-eating population, and its dreary leagues of ice and snow. Well, for the space of one hundred and fifty years many (who shall say, indeed, how many?) noble Danish men and women spent their lives in trying to Christianize the people; and after all that work, it could only be shown that some one thousand nine hundred nominal Christians existed in West Greenland in 1852. And when one comes to look at the efforts made in Lapland and Labrador, the result is as little satisfactory; and besides, these places are the road to nowhere and can never be of any use in enlightening the world.”

At this remark the Brahmin smiled with satisfaction, and said, "Sir, I see very plainly, from what you have just said, that

we shall probably agree on many points dian has been treated with paternal kindat least until we come to discuss the at-ness, but the wasting never stops. tempts of your missionaries in India. It is The Government has built them houses, plain that you entirely agree with me in furnished them with ploughs, supplied the censures I have passed on your people them constantly with rifles, ammunition, for starting their missionary forces into and clothing, paid their medical attendsuch remote and inhospitable fields, and ants, supported their schools, and proin thinking also that it would be far bet-vided for their religious instruction, setter to concentrate your efforts on certain ting over them intelligent and high-minded central points, so that the truth should ra- superintendents; but the result is merely diate on all sides. So much, then, we may this, that their extinction goes on more consider as settled; but there are other slowly than it otherwise would.' Many considerations besides which I wish to instances are given from the same region, press upon your attention. Hitherto I and the steady decrease of the Indians on have alluded only to the places you have the St. Clair, who were located on a recommenced on; let me now say something serve of land which supplied every conas to the races of men on whom you have dition that Indian life could need, shows wasted so much of your efforts. that there are inherent springs of decay at work, which baffle every effort that can be made towards arresting them. In the reserve in question, the Indians were no drunkards, they were honest in their way; their squaws were as virtuous, or rather more so, perhaps, than usual; and yet they are dying out. The cause of decline has been attributed to a deadening feeling of apathy and inferiority, in consequence of coming in contact with superior races. This, I admit, may no doubt accelerate the decay, but how can it create the causes of decay?

"You are aware, sir, that the tendency shown by certain races to die out cannot be disputed. We see them melting away and actually decaying within the short period of a moderate life.

baffle our penetration, and which bring about the decay of some races as certainly as the permanence of others. And here, sir, let me offer you an apology for trying your patience a little longer, while I turn your attention to the people of the Southern Seas.

"I will remind you, as briefly as possible, of the various facts which seem to show that your people have not only spent their money in the wrong regions, considering their geographical position, but have spent it on races that will certainly die out. And amongst the instances let me first select a few from North Amer-and how is it that the white man in India ica. Look, then, at the sad tales told in Dr. comes in contact with tribes far inferior Geekie's interesting book - sadder tales, to the Red Indian and the New Zealander, indeed, of misplaced labour than I have and yet does not arrest the natural inever heard of. You will read there how crease of the people? Is it that the Red John Eliot, well named the Indian Evan-Indian and the New Zealander are more gelist,' toiled for forty-four years amongst sensitive? We must for the present adthe Natick Indians, and after all his la-mit the existence of certain causes which bours what remains? Simply nothing but their Bible, and a few books written in their now extinct dialect. In 1797 only twenty of pure blood existed, while in 1836 one wretched wigwam containing three or four people, half Indian, half Negro, contained the last fragment of the tribe, which is now quite extinct. Then look at the lives and labours of Mayhew, Richard Bourne, John Sargeant, and Edward Brainerd. How these men toiled, and suffered and died for tribes, many of which have entirely disappeared, while others are only represented by some wretched remnant lingering on in some far-off region of the vast continent! It is true that many causes wars, disease, and vice-hastened the extinction of the tribes these noble men laboured for; but if you will turn to Canada, you will see that this wasting away cannot be arrested by any influences your people can possibly bring to bear. In Canada,' says Dr. Geekie, for the last fifty years, the In

"Let me first call your attention to New Holland, where the natives are anything but stupid. In fact, some have asserted them to be both quick, penetrating, and clever; but with all this an able observer (Judge Therry) said, that the problem has yet to be solved of bringing even a single aboriginal within the pale of civilization.'* You may catch them young, take them even to England, as was Beneloug, a native chief, and yet on the first opportunity that occurs away they go to a wandering and decaying life. The chief alluded to was so far advanced as to be invited to the table of the governor; but

• Vide Dr. Geekie's work, p. 23.

one day he threw off his gentleman's garb, | savage races, has Christianity been more and, opossum rug on shoulder, and spear fully declared or more fully accepted.” in hand, left a comfortable home for the But, as a Christian, the Maori has been a bush. How many New Hollanders are left complete failure in every respect, and he is not exactly known, but the Tasmanian has now in a great measure thrown aside blacks are almost, if not entirely, gone. In the nominal hold that Christianity had on New South Wales and Victoria, but a him, and prefers before it a debasing supermere handful remains, and in other parts stition. Let me now, sir, pass on to remark, of Australia they are everywhere diminish- as briefly as possible, on some more of ing, and in two or three generations will your many missions to the islands of the probably be extinct. And if you cross Southern Seas. Let us glance at the New over to New Zealand, you will find the Hebrides group. The climate there is desame thing going on; and here the case scribed as debilitating to Europeans, and is so extraordinary, as to be worth some even the natives are much subject to fever more detailed notice. The New Holland- and ague; and there, as one of the miser, and many of those tribes who are now sionaries says, the curse of Babel seems to fast withering away, are weak and feeble have fallen heavily on the group, and on people, and wholly wanting in energy and each of the six islands on which your peovigour. To this might be attributed in ple are labouring, a separate translation part their decadence. But what are we to of the Scriptures is needed. And for what say of the Maori? He is the noblest of is all this labour? Alas! sir, it is labour savages, not equalled by the best of the in vain, and we have the usual tale of the Red Indians. He excels alike in size, people dying out. When, too, we turn to strength and courage, while his intellect the Loyalty Island, we have the same has been pronounced to be both acute and weary story- a great deal done, but no vigorous. Wars, indeed, he has had with hope of any permanent good arising from the white man, but the loss of life in battle the laborious efforts of the missionaries. was a mere trifle. There are no adequate And then, sir, look at your Feejean Chriscauses to account for his rapid decline, and tianity. The Wesleyans are labouring yet, counting from 1848, the Maoris have hard in this group of islands, and in 1868 decreased from about 100,000 to 38,500, or, had no less than twelve European and in other words, 61 per cent. of the people forty-five native missionaries at work, to have vanished in twenty years. No one, say nothing of a large body of catechists, too, knows the approaching end more class-leaders, and local preachers. Some surely than the Maori himself. At a good has, I freely admit, been effected; the grand conference held in 1868, Mr. Parris, revolting custom of cannibalism has been civil commissioner at Taranaki, expressed abandoned, so have human sacrifices, and the pleasure he felt at finding they had all a disinterested witness who attended the come so peacefully together. Sad and native services was deeply impressed with hopeless was the answer, and it was the extent to which Divine truth had shortly this: You have our land, the taken hold of the people. But the reports white man is surely winning our land of the missionaries themselves are far from us; and when the time comes from encouraging, and tell us that the that the country is fully peopled, and people are well contented with merely the men must needs go forth again, as the outward form of Christianity. Then we Pakehas have already done from their come to the usual tale of decay, and all England, there will be no Maoris to go men agree that the Feejeans are rapidly forth, for all shall have disappeared.' disappearing. One of the Wesleyan misAnd what, sir, let me ask you, is the use sionaries, speaking of the island of Botuof carrying your religion to a people like mah, says: It will be a cause of sorrow this? for even if you do convert them, to all who take an interest in this island they, instead of breeding more Christians to know that the population, already under to swell the numbers and add to the influ- three thousand, is still steadily on the deence of the faith, will simply expire, re- crease.' The Hervey Islands, Tahiti and ligion and all. But, independently of this the Friendly Islands, the Sandwich and consideration, what have been the results Marquesas, all tell the tale of the rapid of your proselytizing efforts amongst the extinction of the Polynesian races. Samoa New Zealanders? You plastered them all alone shows a small increase, and Dr. over with your Christianity, or such Chris- Turner gives it as his opinion, in which tianity as they were capable of, and we are Mr Nesbit, another missionary of long extold, on the authority of one of your own perience, agrees, that the people there, missionaries, that 'nowhere else, amongst If left alone and not colonized, would,

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means

under the influence of Christianity, multi- Christ until the ninth. We find it thus ply and be permanent.' But they are be- working forward from one country to the ing colonized, and I fear that their fate next beyond in a natural order of succesmust surely be like that of the rest. Now, sion. Now, I have often talked to your sir, let me ask what you have to say to all missionaries about all this. Some have this. Let me again remind you that you yielded to the force of my reasoning, but have repeatedly likened your Church to others are obstinate, and when I urge that an army fighting for the cause of Christ. missions should be removed from the PolyHow, then, do these missionary expedi- nesian and planted more thickly amongst tions to remete islands and expiring races the Indo-Aryans and Chinese peoples, tell advance His cause? If your army were me that the soul of a Feejean is just as one for earthly purposes, and launched its much worthy of care, and is of just as forces amidst disease and death for the much consequence in the sight of God, as purpose of conquering scanty and worth- the soul of the most learned Brahmin in less races, what would its leaders deserve? India. When I assent to this they then What would those who sent it forth? say, 'Then there is an end of the arguThese, sir, are questions worth pondering." ment.' Bnt, sir, because I admit that the My friend," answered the missionary, soul of a Feejean is of as much consequence "they are indeed worth pondering, and to its possessor and to God as my soul can the only thing that can be said in pallia- ever be, the argument is by no tion of these abortive proselytizing efforts ended. Those who urge that the soul of is that our people have interpreted the a Feejean is of as much importance as command to preach the Gospel to all na- the soul of a Brahmin must also admit that tions into a command to preach to all na- the soul of a Brahmin is of as much consetions at once, instead of following as quence as the soul of a Feejean. That closely as possible the plans that were pur- being granted, and it being also granted sued in the earliest days of the Church." that you cannot afford to carry your religion effectually to both at once, you have then only to inquire into the geographical position and the permanence of type of the Polynesian and Indo-Aryan races. If you find that the Feejean is one of a race that is rapidly disappearing, and that his geographical position is such that he can never be an effective agent for the propagation of your faith-if, sir, these points are proved, as they clearly have been, and if it can also be shown that your Brahmin occupies an admirable geographical position, and is of a race which is undoubtedly permanent and increasing, how can there be any doubt as to giving him the preference? Look for one moment at the map of Asia, and observe the situation of India. It touches Burmah on the east, and Thibet on the north, while Afghanis

"That, sir," answered the Brahmin, "is just the point I was working up to, with the view of asking you why your people thought fit to depart from those plans which were adopted by the Apostles and those who came immediately after them. Look at the geographical position of the Founder of your religion. There is no spot in the whole world that could have been more admirably chosen with the view of spreading a religion over the Asiastic and European continent, and thence over the whole world. The plan adopted is evidently the natural one of radiation from the most civilized centres. Paul and the Apostles did not scatter themselves about amongst remote islands, and decaying races. We find Paul, for instance, in Jerusalem and in Asia Minor, and after that we do not find him setting off for the Cau-tan and Persia lie to the north and northcasian wilds or the deserts of Arabia, but he betook himself to Greece, and made the best use of his time and abilities in such places as Corinth, Thessalonica, and Athens. At last we find him at Rome, preaching in the very centre of European life. And so it was with the other Apostles. We do not find a single instance of their skipping over the permanent nations, and civilized or partially civilized races, to carry the Word of God to decaying and barbarous tribes. Your Christianity never got as far as Britain till the second century, and some of the northern European nations did not receive the religion of

west. If, then, you carried your religious war effectively throughout India, can there be any doubt that you would thus have turned the key of the position in Asia?"

"My friend," observed the missionary, "whatever may be the opinions of my countrymen in general, I for one freely admit the cogency of your reasoning both as regards the places and races that should have the preference, and it requires but a very small exercise of common sense to see that we should advance regularly from the most central situation of the world to its extremities, and, commencing with the most permanent types of mankind, advance

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Hereupon the Brahmin spoke as follows:

gradually towards Christianizing those the name of Christ, had endeavoured to These maintain a lasting supremacy. I listen to who are doomed to extinction. points, then, we may consider as settled, all this, and to me there seems to be nothand I think we may now advance to a con- ing strange or unintelligible in the matter; sideration of the second point I should for I can go back many a century ago I mean the when exactly the same thing took place in like to hear your opinion on machinery used in working our missionary India. In these far-off ages I can see, and, army. This machinery appears to us, no it seems to me, even hear, the pure hymns doubt, to be satisfactory enough; but the of the most ancient Vedic days; and 1 results hitherto arrived at seem to show can also see the subtiety of the priests that we should anxiously look for criticism gradually building up an enslaving religfrom people like yourself, in order that ious system. I can see them adding stone our system may be surveyed from every to stone, adding religious duty to religious point of view, and I shall therefore be duty, and exalting their order as the sole glad to listen to all your views on this interpreters between man and his God. I can see them weaving the web closer branch of the subject." and closer with an ingenuity far exceeding that of the most acute doctors of the "Sir, what I have now to say to you has Romish Church. I can see them giving a often been a subject of discussion amongst religious sanction, and claiming a direct my people, who, the more they consider heavenly ordinance for law, for manners, the matter, are the more surprised that a and for customs, till they had wound nation so practical in business, and so every part of life so closely together that skilled in matters of trade, should exhibit religious and social duties became synonysuch feebleness in the management of mous terms. But, sir, they went too far, missionary affairs. Whatever it may seem and, as in Europe, the day came when the to you, it certainly seems the height of last hair broke the back of the camel. madness that people who are advocating Then arose that revolt of the mind which the cause of Christ should come here took the shape, and called itself by the ready to fly at one another's throats, and name of Bhuddhism. That, sir, was our each one endeavouring to persuade us that Indian Reformation, when the pretensions he only holds the right method of inter- of an ambitious priesthood were scattered preting Christianity. The Roman Catho-to the winds, and the mind for many cenlic missionary tells me that he alone holds turies afterwards shook off the deadly And the keys of Heaven; that his faith came poison of a superstition which falsely down in one uninterrupted line of Apos- claimed to come direct from God. tolic succession, and that all other profes- so, looking back on our Churches, and our sors of Christianity are but false prophets. Reformation, I can see nothing unnatural, While, however, the mind is pondering on or I should rather say that I could have the advantages of such a belief, presently anticipated with certainty, that something there comes a man who is also engaged in of the kind must have come to pass in the This history of Christianity. But, though these spreading the religion of Christ. man calls himself a Protestant, and, as far things are plain and intelligible to me, as I can understand matters, he seems to they are not so to the masses of my ignobear the same relation to Roman Catho- rant countrymen. With them, sir, the licity that Bhuddhism bears to Brahminism. trumpet of Christ must give forth no unWhen I tell him of the comfortable inter- certain sound, and if you ever hope for pretation of Christianity which I have just one gleam of success in India, you Chrisheard of, he tells me of the gorgeous idol- tians must either settle your differences at atry of Rome, and how, in the course of home, or draw lots for possession of the time, it was superimposed on the noble field." and simple teaching of Christ. He speaks to me of the aims of an ambitious priesthood, and of a Church whose history tells many a tale of bloody persecutions and shameless impositions. He tells me how the human mind at length revolted, and, shaking off the chains that had fettered the best of European peoples, proclaimed its freedom from those degrading superstitions which are so admirably adapted for serving the selfish ends of those who, in

Alas! my friend," replied the missionary, "would that it were possible to do the first, or that even such a sensible plan as that of dividing the field between the various proselytizing sects, so that none might clash with each other — would even that that were possible! But neither of your suggestions can ever come to pass. The Roman Catholics and Protestants would never yield one inch of ground; nor amongst the Protestants themselves is