mentaries upon them. They must also be well acquainted with the most celebrated writers of the middle ages; and the history of China, from the earliest antiquity, must be fresh in their recollection, that they may allude to the circumstances of by-gone days, and en. rich their compositions with phrases from ancient authors, who, in the estimation of the Chinese, thought and wrote far better than the moderns."

On the language, Mr. Medhurst's remarks are somewhat less lucid and less accurate than we expected to find them. He notices some popular errors that have been entertained regarding the nature of the language; and to show that it is not so formidable as some have represented, he adduces the testimony of one, who declares that in eight months, "all the difficulties of this hard language vanished away before perseverance." Did any man ever obtain a mastery of this language in eight months? Yet so the language, which Mr. M. has used, leads the reader to believe.

To Mr. Medhurst's own knowledge of the Chinese language, we can bear strong testimony. Both in writing and in speaking, he may be ranked among the best European sinologues. But we must differ from him when he repeats, what has often been affirmed ̧ that "in the science of grammar, the Chinese have made no progress." We will not pursue this topic here, but may call it up erelong

in another number.

While on the subject of language it may not perhaps be deemed wrong in us, to notice such phrases as, piles of poems,' 'provender,' cream of the country,' and others like them, which now and then occur in his pages. Even Chinese rhetoricians would certainly object to these as inelegant. When speaking of the literary examinations, Mr. M. says, that if the slightest fault is detected in a student's essay, "the individual's mark is immediately stuck up at the office gate, by which he may understand that it is time to walk home, as he will not be permitted to proceed to the next trial." These are specimens of phraseology that ought not often to appear in grave discourse. But a word to the wise is sufficient.

At various times efforts have been made to trace a direct connection between the Egyptians and the Chinese. On this point, Mr. Medhurst gives us the following information.

"The notion of some connection between China and Egypt has been revived, since two small porcelain bottles were brought from Egypt to this country; on these, inscriptions have been discovered, apparently in the Chinese character; and the learned have been curious to know their identity and import. A

fac-simile of one was seen by the author in China; and a picture of the other has appeared in Davis' Chinese, but without any translation. On examination it has been found, that the inscriptions are in the Chinese running-hand, and read as follows: Chun lae yew yih neën, "The returning spring brings another year:" and "Ming yuěh sung chung chaou," "The clear moon shines through the midst of the fir-tree." This latter sentence is part of a well-known couplet, composed by Wang Gan-shih, a famous writer under the Sung dynasty, A. D. 1068; and as there is a curious circumstance condented with it, we shall hear relate it. The original couplet ran thus:

Ming yuch sung keën keaou;

Wang keuen hwa sin shwuy.

The clear moon sings in the middle of the fir-tree; "The royal hound sleeps in the bosom of the flower!"

"Soo Tungpo, another famous writer, who flourished about fifty years afterwards, found fault with this couplet, and altered it to the following : Ming yuch sung chung chaou;

66

Wang keuen hwa yin shwuy.

The clear moon shines through the midst of the fir-tree; "The royal hound sleeps under the shade of the flower!"

Traveling, afterwards, in the south of China, he heard a bird singing in the woods; and, on inquiry, found that they called it ming yuěh, "the clear moon ;" and, observing a grub'nestling in a beautiful flower, he ascertained its name to be wang keuen," he royal hound." It is unnecessary to add, that he now became convinced of his mistake; but too late to repair the evil; as the couplet, thus amended by him, had already been inscribed on various vessels, and transmitted, as we find, to distant Egypt. It will easily be seen, that this by no means strengthens the supposition of an early connection between China and Egypt; and so far from the bottles being coeval with Psammeticus, B. c. 658, as has been suggested; its [or their,] date cannot be older than A. D. 1130.

The religions of the Chinese are succinctly and faithfully portrayed in the 8th chapter. There is certainly a difference between a "caldron" and a censer; and the latter term we had always supposed was the proper name for the vessel in which incense is burned in temples.

The 9th chapter is devoted to the Catholic missions in China.' Of the manner in which the subject is discussed, the following paragraph is a fair specimen.

Encouraged by the openings which presented themselves, Louis XIV., king of France, resolved to send a mission to China; and having selected a number of Jesuits, well skilled in the mathematics, he sent them with honors and pensions on this important mission. Among the rest, was De Fontaney, professor of mathematics, in the king's college; with Gerbillon, Bouvet, and Le Compte, afterwards celebrated for their labors in the east. They went

first to Siam, and from thence proceeded in a Chinese junk to Ningpo, on the coast of China. The mandarins at that port received them with politeness; but the viceroy declared it unlawful for native vessels to bring Europeans to China, and threatened to send the missionaries back, and confiscate both ship and cargo. Verbiest, on hearing of this, memorialized the emperor, representing that they were men skilled in the sciences, and his brethern. To which the emperor replied, men of that character must not be expelled my dominions. Let them all come to my court; those who understand the mathematics shall remain about my person: the others may dispose of themselves in the provinces, as they think fit.' On the receipt of this order, the viceroy was obliged to send those men to the capital with honor, whom he had intended to expel with disgrace. At this juncture, Verbiest died, A. D. 1688, regretted by the Chinese, but still more so by the missionaries, who expected to derive great advantage from his counsel and assistance. His character, for humility and modesty, was only equalled by his well-known application and industry. He seemed insensible to everything but the promotion of science and religion; he abstained from idle visits, the reading of curious books, and even the perusal of European newspapers; while he incessantly employed himself, either in mathematical calculations, in instructing proselytes, in corresponding with the grandees of the empire on the interests of the mission, or in writing to the learned of Europe, inviting them to repair to China. His private papers are indicative of the depth of his devotion, the rigor of his austerities, his watchfulness over his heart amid the crowd of business, and the ardor with which he served religion. His sincerity was attested, by the endurance of sufferings in the cause he had espoused; and his disinterestedness and liberality, by the profusion of his gifts to others, and the renunciation of indulgences to himself."

'Protestant missions' among the Chinese are noticed in chapters 10, 11, 12, and 13. Notices of voyages on the coast fill a hundred and sixty pages, comprising seven chapters, which might have been well reduced to one. The class of laborers required for China,' is the subject of the 21st chapter. The volume closes with an enumeration of desiderata, and an appendix exhibiting a sketch of Chinese chronology.

We have perused the work with pleasure, and not without advantage; and recommend it to those who wish to know what the Chinese are. In most particulars, Mr. Medhurst has estimated the people lower than we are wont to do. Perhaps he has not seen them in so favorable circumstances, as he would have done had he been longer in China. Those with whom he has been most in contact, in Batavia and along the coast of this country, may not have been, taking them all in all, fair representatives of the great mass of the nation. Throughout his work, however, he has generally spoken of the Chinese in their collective national character.

B.

ART. III.

Obituary notice of the Rev. Nathan S. Benham. Communicated from Bangkok, Siam, April 11th, 1840. By J. C. [From a note accompanying this brief obituary, we gather two or three pleasing facts respecting the Siamese. Recently, several of that nation have professed to abandon their old religion, and believe in Christ. Though as yet they do not afford evidence of a real change of heart, still, their understandings being enlightened, and their judgments convinced so far as to induce them to receive the truth, indicates that a change is going on in public opinion. Two or three men had recently appeared in Bangkok, inquiring about the Christian religion; they said they lived ten days' journey to the north of the city, and had read the books which told them of "Prah Jeho ;" and they wished to know more of him. Prah Jeho is an abbreviation of Phrah Jehowah Chau, a term used for the Deity. It is further stated that, at length, vaccine matter has been obtained in Bangkok; it was brought out recently from America, and has taken well.]

WAS drowned, on the night of the 6th April, of 1840, in the river of Bangkok, Rev. NATHAN S. BENHAM, a missionary of the A. B. C. F. M. Mr. Benham was one of the late reinforcement to the Siamese mission, consisting of five ordained missionaries with their wives and two young ladies, who sailed from Boston, July 6th, 1839, and arrived at Singapore, Oct. 23d. He reached the field of his destination, March 3d, 1840; and soon after, resolved to devote his labors to the evangelization of the Chinese, in connection with the Rev. Mr. Johnson, now on a visit to the United States. He had obtained a teacher, and was just entering with interest upon the study of the Fuhkeen dialect of the Chinese language, when suddenly he was taken, as it is believed, to the bosom of the Savior.

The circumstances of his death were as follows. He had been attending the monthly concert of prayer, at the house of a Christian friend situated up the river about two miles from the place of his residence. He left a quarter before 9 o'clock P. M., with three boatmen, and with the expectation, as the tide was against him, of being late home. About 11 o'clock, two of his men reached home with the intelligence, that the boat had been driven by the current against the cable of a junk which they were passing and upset, and that Mr. Benham and one of the men were drowned. The junk was lying near the shore about a quarter of a mile from Mr. Benham's house. Diligent search was immediately made but in vain. Subsequently, the man supposed to have been lost was found, having floated some distance with the tide, and been helped out by a Chinese on shore to whom he called. On the morning of the 8th, the body rose near the junk, against which the boat struck. There does not appear to be any reason for suspecting any violence on the part of the boatmen, as

his watch, keys, money, &c., were found with the body, and the whole account of the men makes it quite certain that they barely escaped being drowned.

Mr. Benham was born, August 23d, 1811, in the state of New York U. s. A. In 1830, during a revival of religion in Byron, Genessee Co., where he was then residing, he made a public profession of attachment to Christ. Soon after this he commenced studying with a view of qualifying himself to labor as a foreign missionary. He received his collegiate and theological education at Hudson, Portage Co., Ohio, where also he officiated as tutor for one year. During the summer of 1835, he offered himself to the A. B. C. F. M. as a foreign missionary, and was accepted. On the 4th of March, 1839, he was married to Miss Maria H. Nutting, of Groton, Mass, soon after which, with his associates of the reinforcement, he received his instructions from one of the secretaries of the Board at Middlebury, Vermont.

Mr. Benham possessed a mind much above the common rank, endowed by his Creator with unusual powers for the acquisition of languages. His knowledge of the original languages of the Bible is known by all his associates to have been far beyond, as to extent and accuracy, what is commonly attained by those in similar circumstances. He was a cheerful, humble, devout, and consistent Christian. His remarks at the monthly concert, about an hour before his death, indicated a state of mind which laid fast hold of the declarations of God. Alluding to the fewness of those who habitually attend the monthly concert, amounting as he thought to not more than one tenth of those who profess, to love the kingdom of Christ, he remarked,-using language found in the last chapter of Zechariah which had been read,-" Notwithstanding all these discouragements,' at evening time it shall be light'— HOLINESS TO THE LORD shall yet be written even on the bells of the horses." O! that the dying testimony of our brother against the churches, on this subject might be heeded. How can they expect great success to attend the efforts of their missionaries, until they as a body are presenting earnest and constant supplications for this object at the throne of grace?

The mission to which our deceased brother belonged feels deeply afflicted. One has been taken from them from whom they had hoped much in reference to the Chinese in this kingdom. But though afflicted, we are not cast down.

to err, and too good to injure. for good.

We feel that our Master is too wise

All things shall yet work together