from friends were ever painful to my heart, that season was eminently so, in which I was called to leave my beloved brethren and sisters of the mission to which I was attached, and to bid farewell to the perishing heathen around me.

Brethren, may you never experience the disappointment and pain of being compelled to leave the field of missionary labor, on which your hearts and hopes are placed, till the great Lord of the harvest shall call you home to heaven.

As the devoted missionary has no greater joy than to see his labors blessed to the salvation of the perishing souls around him, so he can have no deeper sorrow, than to see them adhering to their vanities, when Christ and the blessings of his salvation are set before them. For wise and holy purposes God frequently sees fit to try the faith and patience of his servants, by withholding, for a long time, his blessing on their labors.

||

Some ardent friends to the missionary cause seem to conclude, that if missionaries do not immediately behold converts multiplying around them, there is reason for discouragement, and that every mission in such circumstances, should be relinquish- || ed. They seem to expect a kind of miraculous interposition, like that on the day of Pentecost. It requires no inconsiderable time and labor to lead these persons to see and to understand the nature of the missionary undertaking. They seem ignorant of the fact, that a long and tedious process must be gone through, before truth can even be presented to the mind of a pagan.

I well remember an instance, in which a missionary, but a few weeks after arriving at the place of his destination, received a letter from a pious friend in his native country, inquiring with solicitude, "how many conversions among the heathen he bad witnessed;"-when the missionary had but just commenced the study of the language, a labor of two years to be encountered, before he could even address the people.

Such ignorance, such want of reflection on the nature of this work, is but too com

mon

even in this enlightened Christian community, and makes no trifling demands on the patience of the missionary, who expects to toil year after year in digging through and removing the rubbish, before the ground can be prepared for the reception of the precious seed.

What though you may spend years in laboring and praying for the conversion of the heathen around you, without seeing any fruit of your toils, or any definite answer to your prayer? Is there any cause for discouragement? When conscientiously doing the work, which God has committed

to your hands, should you not quietly leave the issue with Him? It will eventually be made manifest, that no labor for his glory is lost. Where is the mission that

has been faithfully supported and piously conducted, for any considerable time, that has not been blessed to the conversion of

souls? "Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruits of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and the latter rain. Brethren, be ye also patient, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." "God is not slack concerning his promises;"-his servants shall not labor in vain.

When amidst the toils of your self-denying work, a desponding thought finds place in your breasts, look to the sure words of the eternal God, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." Call to mind, the last promise of your ascended Redeemer, attached to that high commission, under which you go forth, "Lo I am with you alway, even to the end of the world."Review the history of missions;-behold the numerous instances, in which God has more than fulfilled the expectations of his faithful servants! Think you that the surviving missionaries at Taheite regret their twenty years of toil and hardships? or that those, who have fallen a sacrifice to their perils and toils among the untutored islanders, are not richly compensated, in beholding a whole nation gathering around the standard of Emmanuel? O how rich their reward!

Brethren, I may have detained you already too long, but I cannot bid you adieu, without just glancing at the pure satisfaction you will derive from those monthly concerts of prayer, which the church will, I trust, ever maintain, through her successive generations on earth.

How will your desponding fears be dissipated-how will your strength revive and your faith and patience increase, in view of these seasons of pious intercession?

Yes; you will cherish the memory and hail the return of that interesting day, when, through each revolving hour, incense ascends from a thousand altars; and ten thousand prayers for your success in this sacred cause, are presented to the throne of heaven.

Yes, dear Brethren, in the arms of faith and love, we will commend you to God;— and while, with Christian sympathy we share in your toils and your cares; in your sorrows and your joys; let us point you to that bright world on high, where you will cease from your labors, and where no boisterous ocean will separate you from the friends, whom you love.

In the joyful anticipation of that blessed world, we bid you FAREWELL.

CEYLON.

BATTICOTTA.

Changany School.

23. This morning I went to the Changany school-bungalow, to preach to the children, and to people who might be disposed to attend. I found 45 boys present belonging to the school, and 30 other people, to whom I preached the Gospel. After sermon, I made known to them the great kindness of the good people in America, in giving their money for the education of this people. I mentioned, also, the liberality and kindness of the children of a Sabbath School in Charleston, S. C. who give their money for the support of this particular school. They appeared to be considerably impressed with the fact,

that those benevolent children send their money so far, for the good of others. I arged upon them the duty of gratitude to their kind benefactors, and especially to God the Author of all their spiritual and temporal blessings. I trust the patrons of this school in Charleston, while they give bountifully for the education of these children, will not forget to pray fervently and perseveringly, that the Holy Spirit may descend upon them with his renovating and quickening influences. For encouragement so to do, I can say, that the teacher of this school gives better attention to divine subjects, and appears to be more con. scientious in the discharge of his duty, than any other Tamul teacher connected with this station.

Oct. 29. I had occasion to observe this afternoon, that Christ is "a stone of stum→ bling and rock of offence," as well to the heathen, as to many in Christian lands. When I converse with sensible heathens, on most of the great truths of revelation, which are not peculiar to Christianity, they usually assent to the truth of them; and often manifest high approbation. But as soon as I speak of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and the only Savior of sinners, many of them will immediately manifest strong displeasure. One man, with whom I have frequently conversed, who commonly attends worship with us on the Sabbath, and who has obtained considerable knowledge of Christianity, said to me this afternoon: "Your religion is very high and very excellent. It teaches us the character of the true God, and reveals to us his holy law. It tells us about the creation of the world; the fall of man; the deluge, &c. It also makes known to us the world to come. All this is excellent. But, on the other hand, you tell us about that Jesus Christ, who was born of a woman, and in a stable, laid in a manger, and finally crucified; this is mean and low. When you tell me about the true God, I like to hear your conversation; but when you tell me about Jesus Christ, I am much displeased. I wish not to hear it. I shall

never believe on him."

Prejudices of the Natives.

Under date of November 18th, Mr. Meigs details the successful attempts made by Mr. Richards and himself, to induce the boys and girls of the school to prepare their food and eat on the mission premises. These attempts it was not thought expedient to make at an earlier period. The six girls in the school, and all the younger boys, yielded at once. Eight of the older boys at first refused: but, by means of persuasion, their number was

reduced, first to five, and then to two. From the account of Daniel Smead, on the first pages of our last number, it appears that he was particularly active in persuading the boys to acquiesce in this measure.

Farther to shew the nature and extent of the prejudices of the boys, Mr. Meigs relates what took place with respect to the well, from which they were to draw their water. There were four good wells on the mission premises,

one of which, at their request, was assigned to the boys. But as it had been, in their opinion, greatly polluted, by having people of low cast draw water from it, their first business was to purify it. Having attempted in vain, however, it being the rainy season, to draw the water from it, so as to remove the mud at the bottom, they passed the following resolution:-"As all the water, that was in the well in the morning, has been drawn out, and other water has taken its place, we shall not, in the present emergency, defile ourselves, if we dispense with farther purification, and consider the well to be sufficiently purified for the use of good Vellalas."

This is one instance, among many others that might be mentioned, to shew that cleanness and uncleanness among the people, is, in a great degree, ceremonial. If a toddy man should presume to draw water from the well of a Vellala, the well would be considered as greatly defiled, and the water rendered unfit for men of a good cast to drink of, until the well had undergone a thorough purification. Hence, when a person is travelling in a palankeen, and the coolies (who are of low cast, for no others will carry a palankeen,) stop at a well on the road to drink water, they are not permitted to draw for themselves; but some person of high cast must come and draw water for them. Thus persons of high cast are sometimes compelled to serve those of low cast, and even masters to wait on their own slaves.

Some of our readers will not be uninterested in the following notices, which go to prove, that the island of Ceylon is a vast reservoir of fresh water.

In the

The whole district of Jaffna is nearly level, no part of it rising probably more than 30 feet above the level of the sea. There is not a single river or brook of fresh water in the whole district. Almost every part of Jaffna bears very strong marks of having been, at some distant period of time, entirely covered by the sea. The wells, in most of the parishes, are usually from 12 to 15 feet deep. parishes of Tillipally, Mallagum,and Oodooville, however, the land is higher, the soil deeper, and of a different color, being red; and the wells are sunk to a greater depth. In most of the other parishes, you dig but a few feet below the surface, before you come to a rock, which appears to extend nearly over the district. It is, however, full of crevices, by which means, though the rock is very hard, the coolies, without much difficulty, break it with their pointed

VOL. XIX.

sledges. After digging about three feet you penetrate the rock, and come to a mixture of stones and clayey earth of a gray color. This, also, is so hard as to require being broken with the same instrument. As you descend, the stones become fewer and smaller, and a clayey earth, which is white, more abundant. The water is generally good, and very abundant. The wells are about ten feet in diameter; and are affected much less by the long dry season, than wells usually are in New England. During some seasons, there is very little rain for many months; and yet there is, in most wells, abundance of water. From the best wells on our premises, the coolies may draw water, during the driest part of the season, four hours every day, at the rate of a barrel a minute, without exhausting the water.

Feb. 17, 1821. Parted with my hired man James, who goes to live with Mr. Winslow. Though he does not yet give decisive evidence of conversion, yet his whole deportment is very consistent with piety, and I am not without some hopes, that he has passed from death unto life; and that he will hereafter appear more decidedly and boldly on the Lord's side.

Island of Caradive.

Sometime in June, Mr. Meigs visited Car adive, an island west of Batticotta. He was accompanied by Gabriel Tissera.

After leaving the mission house, our road, for the first mile, lay through the paddy fields. We then entered an open plain, skirting the sea shore. As this plain is less elevated than is usual, the grass remains upon it, after it is dried up on land further from the sea. During the dry season, therefore, large numbers of cattle and sheep may be seen grazing upon this plain every day. We passed about a mile along the shore, when we came to the fording place, which leads to the island of Caradive. Across this ford, which is more than a mile in width, one may pass with ease, during the dry season, except when the tide is driven in by a strong wind.

Mr. Meigs gives a detailed account of his labors for the good of these islanders. We make one or two extracts respecting them.

could, also, repeat the Lord's prayer, and most of the commandments. I asked him, if he thought they were the commandments of God. He replied in the affirmative. "Well, do you practise according to your belief?" "No," he replied, "I have not heard much about these things since I was a boy. My neighbors and relatives are all heathens, and so am 1: how can I be a Christian here alone?" I endeavored to shew him his obligations to follow the dictates of his conscience, and not to go with the multitude to do evil; also, that he must have much to answer for at the day of judgment, in consequence of the light he had enjoyed.-Doubtless there are numbers of men in his situation, who have light enough to see the wickedness and absurdity of their own superstitions, but do not possess sufficient resolution to forsake their heathen neighbors and relations.

On the evening of June 23d, as we were about lying down to sleep, several men came in, and began to converse with us. Being fatigued by the labors of the day, and not at first knowing definitely their object in coming, we did not at once commence talking with them on religious subjects. One of them, however, soon asked us, if we had not come for the purpose of instructing the people. We replied that we had come for that purpose. He said he had been thus informed, and had come to hear us. He supposed that we were from Panditeripo, till we informed him that we came from Batticotta. He said that Dr. Scudder visited Caradive a few months before, and lodged in the same bungalow, that we were now in; that he preached to the people, and distributed tracts among them; that one of the tracts written on an ola was given to him, which he had read many times, and lent to his neighbors; and that a number of people, who could not read themselves, had heard it read. It appeared indeed that he had read it attentively, and that he was very favorably impressed with the truths which it contained. He said he believed it pointed out the only way to heaven. The reading of the tract had evidently excited in his mind a desire to hear more respecting the Christian religion, as well as to have what he had read explained to him. He listened most attentively while we spoke to him. He objected to nothing which was said to him. He repeated many times, "It is all true: it is all true."

After

Gabriel and myself had talked with him for more than an hour, he inquired, with much apparent sincerity, how he could obtain this repentance and faith in Jesus Christ; about which we had been speaking to him. As may be supposed, I was much gratified with the question, and answered it as well as I was able. Indeed, I have never

heard a heathen, in similar circumstances, ask this question with such an evident desire to know the truth. He left us about nine o'clock, and we retired to rest very thankful for the blessings of the day.

Sept. 27. Received a visit from the Rev. Mr. Lambrick, Church missionary from Kandy. He appears to possess much of the true missionary spirit.

Instance of Cruelty.

This morning a poor man died, on the mission premises, of a consumption. When I first came to Batticotta,and indeed for three years after, he was one of the strongest and best coolies, [laboring men] in the neighborhood. But for about a year past, he has been in a decline. As soon as he became feeble, and unable to support his family, his wife and other relations cast him off, and refused to give him any food, so that he came near star ing. He became unable to walk, and his relations would neither bring him here, nor inform us of his situation. It was at last made known to us; and from that time to the present, I have supplied his wants. For some months past, he has resided in one of the outbuildings on the premises, and during all this time, neither his wife, nor any one of his relations, has been to see him. This morning I sent word to them that he was dead, and requested them to come and bury him. No one came except his mother. As a thing of course, when she saw him, she beat her breast, and howled most dolefully. I reproved her for her cruel neglect of her son; but she appeared quite insensible to what I said to her. After howling, according to custom, for a short time, she returned to her home. I then called all my boys together, and after seizing the occasion for exhortation and prayer, I decently buried the corpse.-It is very common for persons in sickness to suffer much through neglect; and aged persons especially are left by their relatives to suffer, and sometimes to die, of hunger.

Oct. 9. That dreadful disease, the cholera, has again become very prevalent in Batticotta. Numbers die of it almost every day. Comparatively few of the sick apply for medicine; or if they do apply, it is not commonly till the medicine can be of no service to them. I have been highly gratified to see with what willingness and apparent pleasure the boys in our charity boarding school assist in taking care of those who are sick. By the blessing of God on the use of means, no one of my own family, or boarding school, has died of the disease, although as many as seven persons have been attacked by it. The people are well acquainted with this fact; yet so strong are their prejudices, that very

many of them will not apply at all for medicine.

The consecration of Francis Malleappa, Gabriel Tissera, and Nicholas Permander to the service of preaching the Gospel to their heathen countrymen, has been mentioned in past numbers of our work. On the 6th of November, they were examined, at Oodooville, as to their knowledge of the Scriptures, and their acquaintance with experimental religion; and the result of the examination being highly satisfactory they were duly au thorized to engage in the great work. After stating these facts, Mr. Meigs remarks:

We are greatly encouraged by what God has done for us. We already behold three young men of talents and piety, prepared to preach the Gospel acceptably to their countrymen. Several other young men, also, are preparing for the same high and holy labor; and we have good reason to believe, that they already possess one principal requisite for it; I mean, true piety.

Singular Fact.

Nov. 18. In our place of worship to day, we read the History of Joseph and his brethren to the people. They appeared much interested in the narrative. It is worthy of notice, that many of the heathen, who have never seen the Bible, are intimately acquainted with this Scripture history. They often see it acted before them as a dramatic performance; and it is universally admired as a very interesting and instructive story. It was copied from the Bible, and put into the form of a play, I believe, by a Roman Catholic.

The following description is sufficiently sad to awaken the sympathies of any benevolent

mind.

Condition of the Natives in Sickness.

Jan. 4, 1822. In administering medicine to this people, when afflicted with the cholera, we labor under many disadvantages. They have little more confidence in us, as the physicians of the body, than they have in the Great Physician, whom we recommend to them for the diseases of their souls. They have no accommodations in their houses, for those who are sick. Beds and couches, chairs and tables, form no part of the furniture of the common people. Only their ola mat is spread upon the ground floor, which, in the rainy season, is often very damp, and upon this they sleep; sometimes with a pillow, but oftener with none. In health they make

no provision for a time of sickness. The food, which they prepare for the sick, is wholly unsuitable, being neither palatable, nor nourishing. They pay very little attention to our directions, unless we are present; and even then, it is with great difficulty that we can persuade them to any active exertions. If called to a patient, when his disease has made great progress, (as is usually the case,) and we give him medicine, and he dies; they say he was killed by the medicine. If, on the other hand, we give medicine at the commencement of the disease, and the patient recovers, they then say the person had not the cholera.

Violent Storm.

12. To-day experienced the most violent westerly storm, that I have witnessed since I have been on this island. There has been a similar one every year, only not so severe. Usually they come early in December. I had many fears that our dwelling house would be unroofed by the violence of the wind. Indeed, so many of the olas were blown off, that the rain came in upon us, so as completely to cover some of the floors with water. Most of the fruit trees in the garden were prostrated. Even the cocoanut and palmyra trees fell before the blast.

13. The appearance of things around us this morning, is truly gloomy. Though the storm is almost over, nothing but a scene of desolation is presented to the eye. The rice in the fields, is all levelled with the ground. Being nearly ripe, however, we hope it is not greatly injured. Our neighbors report, that numbers of dead cattle are to be seen along the shore, about a mile and a half west of this place. They floated, during the night, from the islands, having been swept from thence by the tide, which rose to an unusual height.

Charity Boarding School.

The number of boys at present in the boarding school of this station, is 22. Seventeen of these have received English names, as follows-Michael B. Latimer, Azel Backus, Justin Edwards, John Griswold, James Inglis, Chester Wright, Francis Asbury, Edward Warren, David Brainerd, John Elliot, Alvan Sanderson, John P. K. Henshaw, Samuel Davies, Samuel Cram, Daniel Thomas, Josiah Peet, and Thomas Reed. Five other boys have not yet received English names. I have waited for the return of Mr. Woodward, in order to bestow them. As he is now returned, the business of naming them will not be long delayed.