copy of the Psalms, with suitable admonitions. Reached the tumulus on the top of the ridge, to which the student had stipulated to conduct us, from which, after substituting our horses in room of his oxen, we prepared for continuing our course to the Cuma, while he took the road back to the Cullish, with evident symptoms of self-gratulation, at the idea of having acted his part so well, as to secure from the `gewars as much tea as would serve for a repast to himself and his companions on reaching the Conack-house.

By the time we left the tumulus, the mist which overspread the face of the country began to be dissipated; part of it still hovering above the elevated range behind us, while a vast body of it overhung the vale of the Cuma before us, with an air of sublime majesty superior to any thing of the kind I had ever witnessed. Its milky surface had a most enchanting appearance, overlooked as it was by the mountains on the opposite side of the vale, and broken here and there by the craggy rocks, which skirted the sides of the Beshtow, or reared their spiral summits, at irregular distances, amid the floating element. It was mid-day, and as we approached the vale, the sun-beams melted the rime which had clung to the bushy weeds the whole of yesterday, which made us remark what a striking emblem we had be fore us, of the sweet influences of the gospel,

compared with the terrors of the law. Yesterday the rime retained its hold in defiance of the whistling wind which swept the side of the mountain that overlooks the great Calmuc steppe. To-day, with scarcely a breath of wind, it loses its hold and drops to the ground, before the beams of the sun. Crossed the Cuma a little below Sultan village, about two o'clock, and, having dined on its southern bank, continued our course around the northern base of Gilantow, and reached the colony in health and safety, soon after the stars had begun to shew their sparkling orbs in the azure sky.

When reflecting, in the course of the evening, on the incidents which had occurred during our short excursion, we saw much reason for thankfulness to our heavenly Father, for the temporal comforts we had enjoyed in the midst of any untoward circumstances; and a certain kind of satisfaction at the idea, that though the number we had spoken to was comparatively small, and the opposition to the gospel, generally speaking, strong, there was nevertheless a disposition discovered by some of the Tartars to listen to the glad tidings of salvation, and a sensation produced on the minds of a few, which might lead to further enquiry, and, by the blessing of God, open the way for others to labour with more success in this unfriendly soil.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS,

&c.

During our excursion to the Clous, and after our return, the most eligible mode of prosecuting our endeavours to evangelize the Mohammedans in this quarter, frequently became the subject of conversation. The substance of our remarks on this subject may be summed up as follows.

Supposing that provision is made that there be at least one missionary always upon the spot in the colony, to receive and converse with such of the natives as may call at the mission-house for instruction, then,

1st, The district, at some distance from Karass, might be divided into itinerancies, within the boundaries of which the inhabitants should be visited on some regular plan, and instructed in the principles of religion. Schools might be instituted where it was practicable.

2d, For each itinerancy there should be two missionaries, one or both of whom should be masters of the native language. In cases where two missionaries cannot be procured, one of their places might be supplied by a qualified interpreter, when such could be found; but

except on some rare occasions, a missionary should not be called upon to visit his itinerancy single-handed.

3d, The number of itinerancies might in the first instance be limited to two, exclusive of the villages bordering on Karass, which might be visited, as opportunity offered, by the pastor of the colony. The one of these might be called the north itinerancy, under which might be included, 1. Sultan village, &c. on the Cuma, fifteen versts from Karass, in number about 300 families; 2. The villages on Cullish water, thirty-five versts from Sultan village, and fifty from Karass, about 500 families; 3. The villages at the head of the Clous water, forty versts from Cullish and ninety from the colony, about 400 families; 4. The Jetsans, forty versts north-east of said villages, further down the same rivulet, about 150 families; 5. The Iambuluks, visited formerly by Mr Galloway, whose abode in summer is on the Clous water, about fifty versts from the Jetsans and seventy from Alexandrofskie, about 1000 families. From thence back to the colony, through the Russian villages, may be 150 versts, or three days journey. Allowing one day for Sultan village, which may be easily reached with a moderately good horse before breakfast ;—one day for travelling to, and another for continuing at, each of the other four stations, and three days for returning, the itinerancy would

occupy twelve days; consequently, if begun on the Monday of one week, it might be finished on the Friday of the next. The population of this itinerancy may be estimated at from twelve to sixteen thousand, exclusive of a multitude of Tartars, who might be visited once or twice each summer, farther to the north-east in the Calmuc steppe.

The other may be named the east itinerancy, from its general bearing with respect to Karass. It lies between the Terek and the Cuma, about three days journey from the colony, and contains a numerous population of Jetsans, Iambuluks, and Kara-Tartars, Trukmen, &c. who, being independent of their Mirzas, have fewer political difficulties to deter them from embracing the Christian faith, than the Mohammedans in the vicinity of Karass. In these itinerancies, a circuit should be made regularly once every three weeks or month, as was found most answerable, from the end of March to the beginning of November; and if possible once or twice (should the weather be favourable) in the course of the winter. The winter service, however, should be optional, as it might often, in a hard winter, be too adventurous to make the tour of them. And indeed all the itinerating missionaries, like soldiers admitted to the honour of storming a fortress, should be volunteers in this service.