Free Church of Scotland.

REPORT

OF

COLONIAL AND CONTINENTAL

COMMITTEE.

COLONIAL DEPARTMENT.

MAY 1867.

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Of the two branches of this Committee's work, that of promoting the religious interests of Scottish Presbyterians in the British Colonies and in Foreign States,' forms the subject of this portion of the Report.

CANADA.

Although the Church in Canada is now independent of any pecuniary aid from the Committee, it is pleasant and encouraging to maintain friendly relations with it and to mark its progress. It was on account of the religious interests of our emigrant brethren in Canada and in other parts of British North America, that in recent times-first in 1825 and then in 1832-the attention of the Church was awakened to the claims and condition of the Colonists of the

British Empire. For many years the supply of ministers was scanty, and the congregations formed were few. But now the 'Canada Presbyterian Church' has nearly 250 ministers on its roll, 43 theological students attending its College, and schemes of both Home and Foreign missions vigorously prosecuted.

In British Columbia, the Rev. D. Duff (to aid in whose support this Committee have heretofore given an annual grant of £100) has laboured among the settlers-many of them from Scotlandwith great diligence. Mr. D. has had latterly under his charge the congregation in Victoria, as well as in New Westminster, in consequence of a Mr. Somerville, a licentiate of the Scottish Establishment, who was sent out by the Irish Presbyterian Church, having caused a division in the former, of which he was the minister, by drawing off a portion of them to form an Established Church of

Scotland congregation, under the promise of liberal support from this country. The scattered condition of the Presbyterian population increases both the necessity and the difficulty of supplying them with gospel ordinances. Our Canadian brethren have done what they could to plant ministers amongst them, and in this they deserve our sympathy and aid, for they are doing the work of this Church in caring for the spiritual welfare of the emigrants from this country, as well as from their own.

The Canadian Church, besides continuing to provide for the settlers at Red River, where it has now two ministers, has commenced its long-projected mission to the American Indians in the Cree district, by sending to it one of its own ministers, Mr. Nisbet, with an interpreter and another assistant. It has also appointed another of its ministers, Mr. N. M'Kinnon of Wardsville, as a missionary to the South Sea Islands.

LOWER PROVINCES.

The Committee have great pleasure in recording that the projected union between the Synod of New Brunswick and the Presbyterian Church of the Lower Provinces has been effected. The two Synods met separately in St. John in the last week of June 1866, and on Monday 2d July they formally united on the basis which had been adopted by the latter in 1860, and had then obtained the full consent and approval of this Church. The Committee gladly anticipate from this important step new strength and vigour to the Presbyterian cause throughout the whole of the Lower Provinces, and feel that a new obligation lies on this Church to do its utmost to encourage and aid the brethren there in advancing the cause of the Redeemer.

During the past year the Committee have been able to do but little to meet the wants of the Gaelic-speaking portion of the people, as set forth in last Report. In accordance with a suggestion from brethren there, they requested the Rev. P. Maclean of Stornoway to devote a portion of last summer to visiting the Highlanders in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton; and the Committee have received from various Presbyteries formal expression of the gratification afforded to our adherents there by Mr. Maclean's undertaking this mission, and of the gratitude of the brethren for the zeal and earnestness with which he fulfilled it. The Gaelic-speaking congregation of Whyeocomah and Little Narrows in Cape Breton, of which Mr. Maclean had previously been pastor for five years, and which has been vacant for three years, subsequently addressed a call to him, and earnestly entreated him to return and again become their pastor. Mr. Maclean felt it his duty to decline, and the Committee have not yet found any Gaelic-speaking minister or probationer willing to go forth to minister to the large numbers of his countrymen who are destitute of a fixed pastor in this and other districts of the Lower Provinces. The congregation at Cowbay in Cape Breton is still

vacant; Mr. Murdoch Stewart of West Bay has, after supplying it for eight months, found it necessary to return to the latter place. Mr. Donald Mackenzie of Middle River writes that in the case of the riot excited by the opposing party on the day of his ordination, as mentioned in last year's Report, he and his people have been fully acquitted of all the charges of disturbing the peace which had been made against them. The condition of himself and his congregation, however, stills calls for sympathy.

The Presbytery of Richmond and Victoria in Cape Breton appointed collections in aid of the funds of this Committee to be made throughout its bounds, and the congregation of Knox's Church, Pictou, Nova Scotia, has remitted £14, 10s. as a thank-offering' to this Committee for the good work they have been doing in the Colonies, and especially for favours conferred on this congregation.'

The Committee have made this year a grant of £100 to New Brunswick, in order to aid them in taking advantage of the new circumstances in which the union has placed them for advancing the cause of Christ in this Province.

The Committee have been able to send only one labourer to the Lower Provinces this year, viz., Mr. John Watt; but they are glad that he has been found available, and has been elected colleague and successor to Mr. John Stewart of New Glasgow, whose health, after many years of untiring and influential labour, does not admit of his continuing his ministry unaided. Mr. Stewart's past services entitle him to all the sympathy and comfort which both this Church and that in which he has ministered can afford him.

WEST INDIES.

NEW PROVIDENCE.-The Committee are without any communication from this district. The hurricane which recently swept over the Bahamas must have interrupted many plans. The intention of appointing a catechist, as mentioned in last Report, has, accordingly, not been carried out.

ANTIGUA. The vacancy is still unsupplied. The Committee are in correspondence with brethren in Nova Scotia on the subject, and have some hope that in the course of this summer or autumn a minister may be stationed there.

TRINIDAD.—The Rev. Henrique de Vieira continues at his post amongst his Portuguese flock, not without many trials and discouragements. The Committee admire the single-heartedness and patience with which he prosecutes his work; and in consideration of the circumstances in which he is placed, and the depressed state of affairs in the island, have voted him an additional grant of £30 for this year. The collection made by his congregation on the first Sabbath of the year, in aid of the Committee's fund, was upwards of £48. Mr. de V. says, 'Our people had this year the largest unction of the spirit of liberality they ever had on an occasion like

this. It was far exceeding my expectations in such a low state of business as the present, as well as an indication of what a willing people may do even in low circumstances.'

MADEIRA.

The Rev. R. B. Watson reports contributions to the schemes of the Church amounting to £57, 12s. 6d., an increase over last year. Of British visitors he says that there have been scarcely any this year, but that he has felt himself greatly encouraged by the new American Consul and his family. Individuals of various European nationalities, Germans, French, Danes, Swedes, Norwegians, are frequently amongst his audience. The upper classes in the neighbourhood seem,' he adds, to consist of priestly fanatics and utter unbelievers, who, however, are strongly in favour of the Church of Rome, and dread any religious movement to disturb the status quo. Amongst the country people there exists a strong impression of the superiority of Protestantism, and in the case of two or three dying persons of the lower class with whom I have lately come in contact, I have been very deeply touched with the quiet dignity and humility with which they departed, just as it were a sinner going to meet his Saviour. This was the profession of their lips, and their whole bearing tallied with it.'

In compliance with a very earnest representation from the Canary Islands, the Committee suggested to Mr. Watson that he should visit them at some convenient time, and inquire into the religious state of the English residents. In a private letter from Teneriffe it was said, 'We wonder that the Church at home never thinks of looking after people who go to places like this. It is sad to see how nearly all the people who come to these islands, after a time, sink into a state worse than that of the Catholics. There are a good many English people here; for instance one family, the The father and mother would tell you, I suppose, if asked, that they are Protestants. They have a large family. The daughters are all Roman Catholics; the sons either that or nothing at all. . . . We often feel inclined to ask, could something not be done about this? Surely a missionary might be sent out once a year to visit the islands, as the ministers are sent on Home Mission tours.' In compliance with the Committee's suggestion, Mr. Watson writes that he would visit the Canaries as soon as the quarantine laws permit a vessel to land passengers there.

was.

HONDURAS.

Mr. Arthur reports that his congregation remains nearly as it The attendance at the Sabbath-school is nearly 100; Bibleclass, 23; prayer meeting, about 50; communicants, 80. Mr. James Dunbar, mentioned in last Report, proves an excellent teacher. He has a select school at Belize, from which the clear

income is computed this year to be upwards of £160. He officiates as catechist at the station at Bakers.

In last Report it was mentioned that some Chinese, of whom several were said to be converts, had arrived in Honduras. Mr. Arthur endeavoured to reach them. The following extract from his recent letter (6th March) affords an interesting view of the efforts which he made, and of the kind of labour which he undergoes:

"Towards the end of May last year, I paid my first visit to the Chinese at Indian Church. The weather at the time was very hot, and the country very dry, after a four months' drought. To shorten my journey, I hired a guide to take me across the country; but after all found it very long and fatiguing. The first day we accomplished about forty miles on horseback, sleeping at night near the head of Northern River. Next day we were in the saddle from a quarter-past six to two o'clock, having seen only one house by the way, and that empty. Our road lay partly through thick bush, partly through dried-up swamps, and partly along pine ridges. The heat was very oppressive, as we had no breeze. After resting two hours at a place called Backlanding, on the New River, where I had preached about three years before, we set out on the remainder of our journey, which we accomplished in little more than two hours, having been greatly refreshed by several cups of strong coffee. On Sabbath morning I preached to the Chinese before breakfast, but had to use two interpreters, one knowing English and Spanish, the other Spanish and Chinese, which made the service rather tedious. They sang their hymns in Chinese, and one of them prayed very fluently. I prayed in English without interpretation. About thirty altogether were present, some of whom were still heathens. At eleven o'clock I preached to the English-speaking people, of whom there was an attendance of sixty or seventy, and on both occasions circulated tracts. At two o'clock I dispensed the Lord's Supper to eleven Chinese communicants, and at its close one middle-aged man asked to be baptized. A youth also of eighteen or nineteen wished to be baptized, on the ground, as he and others thought, that he had not been rightly baptized. All that I could learn of this case was, that he had received baptism in some way in China; how or why he was dissatisfied with it the interpreters could not make me understand. It would have given me great pleasure to have taken up these cases, with all the difficulties of imperfect interpretation, if I had had a few days to spare; but I had engaged to be back at Belize early in the week, and on Saturday I had engaged to return to Backlanding, and preach on the Sabbath evening, a member of my congregation residing there at the time. I therefore promised to return and spend a week with them in October or November, and attend to these cases. After a hasty dinner, I set off for Backlanding, which I reached just as it was getting dark, and in good time for the evening service. My guide proposed taking a more lengthened road in returning, in order to get a house where we could rest during the hottest of the day; but a man present urged us strongly to take an almost direct road to Belize, by which we might reach it in one day, and offered to conduct us part of the way, after which he said there was no danger of our going wrong, more than half of the distance being well known to my guide. To this we agreed. Early next morning we were on our way, and came to the house of this man within an hour. He guided us through the bed of