an attempt to get on board again, and as I began to feel the use of my legs, I happily succeeded; when I discovered the whole of the fore part smoking. We soon succeeded, however, in getting the fire under, and I made once more for the shore to seek for help; and in a short time reached an Indigo factory at Jaffergunge Creek, from whence I despatched a party, who assisted in saving the boat, and in two days after, we reached Dacca.

"And now, my dear brother, where shall I find words or a heart to render thanks to the sinner's Friend," a very present help in time of need," for all his mercies towards me, the most unworthy of any who bear the name of Christians Nine men, out of eleven that belonged to the boat, were wounded, the mast 15 feet high, was shattered into small fibres, and not a particle of it to be found, but the parts that were carried by the fluid into our flesh, the marks of which I have still in wounds upon both legs. The boat on fire, the storm raging, the waves threatening our immediate destruction; and not a single life lost ?" Yes, my brother, we are still numbered among the living, to praise God. I should have mentioned that the event took place between 11 and 12 o'clock, p. m. on the 25th October-you will remember I left Serampore on the 18th. The Ameen had himself conveyed in a boat to hear the word of God at our place of worship last Sabbath morning, and I am happy to say, promises to do well. May the Lord strengthen his convictions, and make him such another Krishnoo to Dacca, as the former was once to Serampore."

It may be proper to mention that this bramhun is by no means a stranger to Divine truth. He has been with Mr. Leonard several years, and has long openly declared his renunciation of Hindooism and his belief in the Gospel. Domestic circumstances have hitherto prevented his fully acting up this declaration, and being baptized but we trust this affecting incident will lead him to feel the danger of trifling with or hesitating in the business of his soul's salvation.

HADJIPORE. The following are extracts from a letter which we have had the pleasure of receiving from Mr. Leslie of Monghyr: they shew the spirit with which our dear brother has entered upon his important duties as a missionary; and will be gratifying to every one who has grieved over the bereavements sustained by the

Church in India, and has been praying for a fresh supply of la bourers in the vineyard of God. "This is the time when the great annual assemblage of pilgrims takes place here, and such a scene I never expected to witness. I have never read or heard of any thing that can bear the least comparison with it, excepting the great assembly of Juggernath. Here are thousands and tens of thousands of weary pilgrims flocking in around us, covering the earth as the locusts do the face of the sky. On the opposite bank of the river, they appear as numerous as its sands, and though many boats have been employed all day in conveying them over, yet the number does not appear to be, in any degree lessened.

"On Monday last, (Nov. 1st,) I arrived here, accompanied by four native brethren who have been busily employed since then, in conversing, in reasoning, in preaching, and in distributing the Scriptures. We have had our principal station only a few yards from the temple to which the pilgrims resort; and many hundreds, if not thousands, have heard the word of God. The demand that has been made upon us for books, has been so great that we could not attend to it. All classes have either come, or sent for the Scriptures. To-day the Raja of Patna stopped one of our bre thren in the midst of the crowd, and asked him to give him the New Testament, telling him that he had often wished to obtain it, and had even applied to some of his friends in Calcutta to procure it for him; but he had not as yet received it. Two or three days ago another Raja sent to us for some of our books; and when we gave them, he asked what our charge was, and when we said that we did not make any charge, he replied that he would not take them gratis; looking amongst them he picked out two, one of which was the Gospel Messenger, and returned the rest with two rupees. We have had applications also from several other great men amongst the natives, and to-day two or three of them came, with their attendants, and sat down amongst the brethren, and received books and heard for themselves. Many of the brair muns, also have received the word of God, as well as the common people. But I am sorry to have to tell you that we cannot answer all the requests that are made to us for books, and my chief object in writing to you, at this time, is to ask you to have pity upon us, and endeavour to relieve us from the pain of denying the word of life to these needy sinners. Books of any sort will be re- * ceived with eagerness.

"As to the effects produced in the minds of the people I can say nothing. One man, however, has been with us for the last three days, and appears a very hopeful character. To-day two or three of his brothers, and some others of his relations, came to take him away: but he would not go. They took him aside and reasoned with him; but he was overheard by one of our native brethren to say, that they might kill him, or burn him, or do whatever they chose, but he would not leave the Christians; that they had told him of the true way of salvation, and back to idolatry he would not go. And he told our brethren, that he had examined both the Hindoo and Mussulman religion, but he never could perceive in any of them, any thing like a sufficient atonement for the demerit of sin; and that he is convinced that what they have told him of the Atonement of Christ, must be the only way of mercy.

"On our way here, we met with a very pleasing instance in one of the villages at which we stopped. We found a brahmun, who sometime ago had been at Monghyr, and had received a gospel and some other books, reading and expounding them, as he could, to the people; and this he was in the habit of doing. Indeed that very evening that we stopped there, he had been sent for from his kome by some of the people of the village, that they might hear him read what was contained in his new books. He was very much pleased to see our native brethren and staid with them as long as he could. As we return to Monghyr next week, they will have an

opportunity of seeing him again.

“Last Sabbath I spent at Digah, and had a good congregation, particularly consisting of soldiers. Mrs. Rowe and all her family were well. Mr. Dyer writes me, that the Society hopes to supply that station in a few months.

› “P. S.—Poor Hingham Misr died on the 26th, in the act of prayer to God. We had just used our exertions to relieve him out of his difficulties, and bring him again to Monghyr, and in three days after his return, he was seized with fever, and died in about a week. For some time before, he had been very earnest in exhorting his fellow-countrymen to believe the gospel; and on his return to us though he was then well, he yet looked as if earth were to be no longer his home. From the little I saw of him, my heart was strongly knit to him, and his loss has made me very sorrowful.",

SUMATRA. Our last letters from this island, dated in the end of September, brought us various tidings. At Bencoolen, Mr. Ro binson had been very dangerously ill with a fever, but was reco vering. The schools prosper, and preaching is pretty well attended. At Padang, Mrs. Evans had also been brought to the very verge of the grave. Her fever continued twenty-one days, and at last assumed a putrid type. In great mercy, however, she was spared to her husband and little ones. On the 2d of August, Mr. Evans opened his new School-room. It is sufficiently large to ac commodate 200 children, and is situated in a bazar which contains 10,000 inhabitants. From such a population, it might be supposed there would be no difficulty in obtaining the proposed number of scholars. "But," says Mr. Evans, " strange as it may appear, I have not yet more than thirty names in the register, and have never seen more than twenty boys present at once." During the first month, Mr. E. was not able to pay much attention to it on account of Mrs. Evans's illness; but since then he had done every thing in his power to collect children. Many promises are made, but few performed. This is principally attributable to the influence of the Mahommedan priests, who endeavour to persuade the people that the children will be constrained to embrace Christianity. Our friends feel assured, however, that time and perseverance will overcome all these obstacles, and that success will ultimately crown their labours. The Dutch Government have granted aprovisional allowance of 50 guilders per month for the school; but the mission has sus→ tained a great loss by the death of Colonel Raaft, the Resident at Padang. At Tappanooly, Mr. Burton, and his whole family were in excellent health. 'He was chiefly employed in prosecuting the study of the Battak language, in translating several tracts, and also the Gospel according to John, which was nearly half finished. His excursion, in company with Mr. N. Ward, we mentioned in our, last number.

REPLY

OF THE

Serampore Missionaries

ΤΟ

The attack made on them in No. III. of the Oriental Magazine.

HAVING seen in No. III of the Oriental Magazine an attack on their moral character, in the review of an unpublished private letter sent by them to the Sub-Committee of the Baptist Missionary Society in England seven years ago, the Serampore Missionaries, distressed as they are at obtruding their private affairs on public notice, are constrained to vindicate their character from the aspersions contained in that review.

With reference to their brethren in Britain engaged with them in the cause of Missions, they cannot but regret the violation of delicacy which this review of a private letter involves. It was written in 1817, and put in type simply to save the trouble of transcription and the expense of postage. Only nine copies were sent to England, to the nine members of the Sub-Committee. As far as relates to their own character, they could have felt no reluctance, had the whole letter been published throughout Britain and India with a correct statement of the circumstances connected with it. But they felt the impropriety of compromising the feelings of their brethren forming the Sub-Committee in England, who in consequence of the death of Mr. Sutcliffe and Mr. Fuller, were then new to their duties, by making public the subject of any difference of opinion which had arisen between the two bodies. While, therefore, they requested the Sub-Committee to give publicity, not to the letter,

A