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sionary of the most devoted piety. He should not plunge into a country, of which he knows scarcely more than its latitude, longitude and name. Though actuated by the best intentions, one who is thus ignorant must in a thousand needless ways, offend against the prejudices of those, to whom the truths of the gospel, without any repulsiveness of manner on the part of the preacher, will be sufficiently disagreeable. The labors even of so accomplished a missionary as Henry Martyn, would in the opinion of Prof. Lee, have been far more useful, had he previously devoted more attention to oriental study. The same learned, judicious and ardent friend of the missionary and Bible cause says, we hear it sometimes affirmed, that a missionary has not the means in this country (England,) of acquiring a deep and accurate insight into the opinions of the Mohammedans, &c. As far, however, as my knowledge of this subject goes, I must be allowed to express a different opinion, having no doubt that both the languages and opinions of the orientals, can be learned in this country at as little expense, and in as little time, and at a much less risk. Our public libraries contain the very best books on every subject, connected with Grammar, History, Ethics, Theology, Geography, and every other science, and to which even in the East itself, access is seldom had." No one who is acquainted with the libraries of our own theological Seminaries and Colleges, can doubt for a moment, that these observations will to a great extent apply to them.

My own intellectual history for the year in which I have been from home, may be summed up in a few words. Some three or four months have been spent

on ship board, in which history and travels were the principal reading. A modicum of Italian was then acquired, sufficient for the purposes of business. Afterwards my time was devoted to the study of the Jewish-Spanish, and superintending translations into that language. Next came my medical practice and studies, which, with my own indisposition, have broken me off from a vigorous, if not a very successful effort upon the Turkish. I shall resume it again, in case there is no encouragement to go to the Morea. More good however, may be done in a little spot where there is liberty, than in a wide land of slavery. Intercourse with my patients, has brought me forward a little in Greek. Turkish is, however, the all important language of this country, but to acquire it advantageously, after an introductory course of Arabic, one must go where it is spoken exclusively. Tell all the young men who may come out here as missionaries, or secretaries of embassy, (both of which I hope to see,) that they do well at home to lay an Arabic foundation. You know better than myself, that this is of prime importance. Mr. Smith, who proposed a tour in company with me to Armenia, has very judiciously set himself down on Mount Lebanon, to the exclusive study of the Arabic. It has not been for want of the purpose, nor from any doubt of the full expediency of doing one thing at a time, that I have failed of confining myself to one language. Mr. Fisk regretted the necessity, which led him to mingle several half learned languages as he did. Like causes have operated in my own case. It was not my intention in the first instance, to devote much time to the Italian. Though spoken extensively by merchants, servants and travellers, yet in Tur

key and Greece, the French is of paramount importance, not only as the court language, but as that of ordinary business.

To acquire the language of the Jews, particularly the Jewish-Spanish, I sat down with fixedness of purpose. The original Spanish as well as the modern languages of Europe, had I not been ignorant of my destination to the Mediterranean until a short time before my departure, ought to have been cultivated in America. My first teacher in Jewish-Spanish could not be retained at this place, without great experse, and as I was unexpectedly cut off from all hope of the society of the christian Jews; I sought then for the key which would open the door of utterance to many people of all classes -the Jew; the Turk; the Armenian and Greek. This was presented in the Turkish, to which with Mr. Hartley I resolved to shut myself up. He was called away to Smyrna; and the claims of the numerous sick, and the darkening political sky, are likely to defeat another well formed purpose.

The Greeks of Asia Minor as you recede from the coast, speak only Turkish. The Armenians, on the same principle, use more and more their own language as you approach towards the ancient seat of their nation around mount Ararat. The Jews like the Armenians have their domestic language.* With these exceptions Turkish is the spoken language of Asia

* All the different classes of people have also their ancient sacred languages, in which their early religious books are written. The ancient Arabic, Hebrew, Syriac, Armenian and Greek, need therefore to be studied by a missionary under certain circum, stances.

Minor, and also to a less extent in European Turkey. In short, a missionary coming to the Barbary States, Egypt or Syria, should make Arabic his great object; in other parts of the Sultan's territories, Turkish should be his ultimate aim; in the Mediterranean generally, French will be necessary to a reputable standing, and Italian will be convenient, though he may be excused if he does not speak it correctly; in Greece, Greek and French will be all the languages necessary, and in all other parts, Spanish, Armenian and Greek, should be superadded, accordingly as Jews Armenians or Greeks are the principal objects of his attention. The former write the Spanish, and the two latter in Asia Minor, write the Turkish, in their respective characters: hence much additional labor is requisite to prepare the Scriptures and other books for their use.

Objects around me, are fast losing their strangeness. Indeed I often find it necessary to make efforts for rousing my curiosity, as I move about among the miserable hovels and filthy streets of the Levant. Here, I say to myself, the Mussulman first established himself in Europe. That mouldering turret owes its origin to the crusaders or the Italian conquerors of Constantinople. This pile of rubbish marks the site of a palace of the Greek Emperors. There stood the temple of some heathen divinity. Yonder village was founded by the Argonauts, and the adjacent coast was ravaged by the harpies. In self-justification, I may add, that I cannot yet look with perfect indifference on an ancient slab of marble or a broken column, even though they be devoid of inscriptions. I seem to myself at such times to be among the fragments of another planet, of which I had heard in the legends of childhood.

Of manuscripts which would be to you more highly prized relics, I have met with few valuable. Every thing Greek and Latin has been thoroughly explored, nor should I expect if the Sultan gave me permission to pass through the Seraglio, to meet with any western treasures. The oriental scholar may find perhaps a harvest yet ungathered, though no Caliph of the Saracens, has sat on the throne of Constantine. Some ancient coins, I see occasionally, but a missionary of course has not the means of purchasing. I wish however, I were authorized by some of our colleges to procure for them, modern books of the different people, particularly of the Armenians, which are cheap and abundant. All other books bear a high price, and he who comes into these parts, does wisely if he complies with your advice to me, and brings his library with him. Notwithstanding the liberal supply with which I was furnished, and for which I feel sincerely grateful to the committee and my personal friends, I am sadly in want of some of prime importance. Most of those which I have been necessitated to purchase in the Mediterranean, have cost twice as much as in America. In Malta are a few petty book stores, and in Constantinople a Catholic Armenian is ready to order books from France or Italy. His price, however, is most extravagant and it is impossible to obtain the least abatement.

Mr. Fisk had a number of valuable books which I hoped to have met with. I apprehend they have in some way been lost, or left at Jerusalem. This hazard might seem an objection to trusting a missionary with an expensive library. We may afford however to risk books, where we venture to expose more valuable

men.