that it might not be wholly lost to others. My tract also is at length ready for the press, and I send a a copy by this conveyance to Philadelphia, which may be some gratification to the Board. I would send a copy of the grammar also, if I were able; but it is too bulky to be transcribed, in my present state. I expect it will not be long before I shall be ordered up to Ava. The press also, which has just arrived from Bengal, will not probably be allowed to stop long in Rangoon. This will open a wide field, and make it necessary to support two stations. I beg, therefore, that the Board will endeavour to send out one or two men with brother Rice, or as soon after as possible. The sooner they are on the ground, learning the language, the sooner they will be fit for service. I have never before thought it prudent to write for more men, in addition to those I knew were destined to the place; but some favourable prospects lately begin to open; and the more I become acquainted with the state of things, the less reason I have to fear that the government of the country will, at present, oppose the work.

We know not the designs of God, in regard to this country; but I cannot but have raised expectations. It is true, we may have to labour and wait many years, before the blessing comes. But we see what God is doing in other heathen lands, after trying the faith and sincerity of his servants, some fifteen or twenty years. Look at Otaheite, Bengal, and Africa. And is-Burmah to remain a solitary instance of the inefficacy of prayer, of the forgetfulness of a merciful and faithful God? Is it nothing, that an attempt is begun to be made; that, in one instance, the language is considerably acquired; that a tract is ready for publica

tion, which is intelligible and perspicuous, and will give the Burmans their first ideas of a Saviour and the way of salvation; that a press and types have now arrived, and a printer is on the way; that a grammar is finished to facilitate the studies of others, and a dictionary of the language is in a very forward state; and that the way is now prepared, as soon as health permits, to proceed slowly in the translation of the New Testament? Is it nothing, that just at this time, the monarch of the country has taken a violent hate to the priests of his own religion, and is endeavouring, with all his power, to extirpate the whole order; at the same time professing to be an inquirer after the true religion? Is all this to be set down a mere cypher? It is true that we may desire much more. But let us use what we have, and God will give us more. However, men and money must be forthcoming. Work cannot be done without men; and men cannot work without bread; nor can we expect the ravens to feed them in ordinary cases.

I do not say, several hundred missionaries are needed here. This, though true, would be idle talk. My request, I think, modest. Five men, allowing two or three to each of the stations, is the smallest number that will possibly an

swer.

I have received one letter only from Dr. Baldwin. Mrs. Judson has also received one. I hope that brother Hough is the bearer of others. We expect him by the first opportunity.

With the greatest respect,
Yours, &c.
A. JUDSON.

Rev. THOMAS BALDWIN, D.D. President of the United States Baptist Board of Foreign Missions.

Extract of a Letter from Dr. CAREY to Dr. BALDWIN, dated Calcutta, September 10, 1816.

My dear Brother,

YOURS of April fifth by the Agawam, I have received this morning, with the Magazines, Catechisms, &c. for which receive my warmest thanks.

Nothing, my dear brother in Christ, would prevent my writing more frequently to you but the great and constant pressure of my various engagements, which will not allow of being put off till another time. I feel strongly united with you in spirit, and all the various motions in the church of God in America are too interesting to be long out of my mind. But I am in the same situation with respect to all my dear American brethren, viz. that of an insolvent debtor.

What an eventful period is this in which we live! The gospel has entered nearly every country in the East. The West is full of religious motion-Europe all engaged-the North resuscitated, so that we and our coadjutors in Russia can nearly shake hands in the work of God, over the vast mountains of Himaluya, the Imaus of the ancients. The leaven is sensibly fermenting, and I trust, its action will be accelerated and strengthened as its progress continues. The success of the work is impossible to human power, but the ZEAL OF THE LORD OF HOSTS will perform this.

You wish for my opinion upon the practicability of a mission to the Burman dominions. To this I reply, that I do not think a mission impracticable in any country. The difficulties are certainly greater in some situations than in others, but will assuredly give way to persevering labours. There is, perhaps, no country in the world

where there is less for the gratification of the flesh, than there. But the government is not intolerant in religious things. On the contrary, the present King is rather more friendly to other modes of religion than to the doctrines of Boodha. I have reason to believe that the heir apparent is more enlightened and liberal than his father.-Success, however, does not depend on might nor on power, but on the Spirit.-If I had doubted of the practicability of establishing a mission there, I should not have encouraged my own son to go on it. And if we as a body had doubted, we should not have persisted in it so long. My son has withdrawn from the mission, but I still believe the cause of the Lord will triumph there. Brother Judson is a man of God, one of the right stamp for missionary undertakings, and I trust brother Hough will be found to be equally devoted to the work.

All your communications with them must be through us, or some one else at Calcutta. The trade with the Burman empire is but trifling, and ships go but seldom. Yet a sufficient communication may be maintained to answer every valuable purpose. The expenses of the mission there will be somewhat greater than here, but brother Judson is remarkably self-denying and prudent.

Brother Hough embarked long ago in a ship to Rangoon; but the perpetual drunkenness of the captain, and the unfitness of the ship for sea, induced him to leave her before she got out of the river. He expects to sail in a day or two in another ship, and at this season may expect a short passage thither,

Accept the assurance that I am very affectionately

1817.]

101

SAMARANG.

Samarang, April 10, 1816,

Dear brother Marshman,

I SHALL not now detain you with a history of continued affliction. Mr. Ricketts will tell you of the pleasure I feel in the prospect which once more begins to open of returning health.

Last Lords-day I baptized Mr. Bruckner, and John Shaw, a private in the 78th. regt. The latter appears to be a fruit of the mission. Brother B. having communicated his sentiments to Dr. Carey, renders it unnecessary to enlarge on the fact, farther than to state, that having made a tender of his resignation to government, he, on Lord's-day week, made an explicit avowal of his sentiments in the church, from "Search the Scriptures." Sickness prevented me from baptizing him on the same day.

The second part of Watts's Catechism, or Scripture History, in Malay, accompanies this: I fear there may be a few orthographical errors: they are however but very few. I have not had time to examine the whole of it, but it was written from a very correct copy.

I remain, &c.

T. TROUT.

AMBOYNA MISSION.

Amboyna, March 21, 1816.

My dear Father and Mother,

THE bearer of these letters is Mr. Ricketts, the person about whom I wrote to you before. He is now going to Bengal, and wishes to engage in the work of the mission. He was brought up under Mr. Burney, and seems not to have lost his former serious impressions. In the two or three last months he has been much awakened, and brought to consider his case, hardly giving himself any rest night or

day, and at last has given up his very favourable prospects here to engage in the work. I have no need to speak much of him; when he arrives, you will see him. He seems determined to leave all, and follow Christ by openly professing him in baptism, and engaging in his work. He is an old school-fellow of brother Kerr. He is very industrious, but his health is bad. He is Secretary to the Bible Society here, and subscribes 110 current rupees annually to it.

I have the pleasure to send you a short account of the people on the coasts of Ceram, the Alfouroos, together with a report of the state of the schools, which I delivered in when I returned from my last visit to all the schools under my superintendence. The account of the Alfouroos may not be very correct, but it is what I heard from people who had been amongst them. While returning last December from the last island I had to visit, namely Monippa, an island near Bouro, I was overtaken by a storm, and almost lost. The helm of the boat gave way, and she was continually filling with water by the waves beating in: we had three persons throwing out the water from her. I attempted to sail back; and after beating about for two hours, we came near shore, and were at last providentially saved by entering a place near a rock which projected into the sea. I had already been about twelve hours on the open sea. This was the only place at which we could have landed; any where else the boat would have been wrecked. I never saw such waves as these in my life before. Sometimes I could see the islands about me, and at others only walls of water. In this place of safety I slept all night. How merciful the Lord has been thus to preserve us. obliged the next morning, in order to avoid going to sea again, to walk from seven till one o'clock, over some high hills, to come to a vil

I was

lage on the other side, which I reached quite hungry and exhausted. It was thought at Amboyna, that I was lost; and indeed the storm was felt even in the Bay here. I was more than a month absent, and in that time examined forty-seven schools; a list of which, in their order, I have the pleasure also to send. Those marked on the margin "Ceram," are on the coast of Ceram, under the Residencies of Harooka, and Saparooa; and Heela Tyal though under the Residency of Harooka, is on the island of Amboyna. Boanow and Monippa are separate islands, as are also Harooka and Saparooa. Between Boanow and Monippa there is an island as large as Saparooa, named Kelang, quite uninhabited.

You wrote to me about the printing press; pray send it. Both the Dutch character used in the Malay Testament, and a set of English types, ought to be sent. I have also the pleasure to send to brother Ward, the first part of Watts's Catechism to print. I do not exactly recollect just now, whether I wrote to you that I was appointed one of the members of the College of Justice here, for which I receive (monthly) 150 Spanish dollars. We sit to try causes on Mondays and Fridays. Thinking it proper, en the receipt of this, to buy a house, and remove from the mission the expense of paying house

rent, I have bought a good house with a fine piece of ground attached to it for a garden. I have also bought two cows and a calf. The house cost me more than 3000 rupees, which is almost paid off already; the cows 120 Spanish dollars, or about 250 current rupees, which has made us comfortable. I was happy to get my accounts from Bengal, which I shall begin to pay off immediately after I have liqui dated the debt still owing on the house; and hope to pay more than 400 rupees a month, until the 4000 are paid, except now and then when I take out a little for repairs, &c. and when that is done, if I live, I hope to build a Baptist chapel, in order that the mission may be permanently settled here. Part of this I hope to raise by subscription. Your paradise bird is still well, and in fine plumage. I have had it almost eight months, but cannot send him for want of a good opportunity. I have every thing here, my dear Father, to make me comfortable. I left a little for Him, and he has given me much. O what shall I render to him for his mercies toward me, an ungrateful wretch. I know, my dear Father, you would be happy to be here for a day or two; and perhaps hardly wish to return to Bengal again. I do not, unless it be to see my dear relatives.

Yours affectionately,

J. CAREY

for their work. A good share of sanctified learning, manly sense, and sterling piety, appear to make up their characters. Respecting their future destiny, we can at present say but little. They will continue a few months at least in Columbo. Some of them will probably join their friends in Bombay; and the others form a new station elsewhere.

I believe the vessel by which Mr. and Mrs. Norton will proceed to their station is now in sight.

Excepting Mrs. Chater's want of strength, both myself and family are in most merciful circumstances.

I remain, &c. J. CHATER.

A VERY affectionate letter has been sent to brother Carey by the above missionaries; and their female partners have addressed the following,

TO MRS. MARSHMAN AND MRS. WARD.

On board brig Dryad, March 14, 1816. Respected friends,

FOR as such we may address you, if we approve ourselves possessed of characters agreeable to our profession-that of followers of Christ, and the companions of his missionaries to Gentile lands.

As strangers and pilgrims, we, a little band, consisting of nine in number, five gentlemen and four ladies, embarked from America, our native land, Oct. 23, 1815, destined to the island of Ceylon, as the contemplated field of our future labour, under the patronage of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. For further information concerning our hopes and prospects, we beg leave to refer you to a letter, written by our dear companions in labour, which will accompany this, to Dr. Carey.

A knowledge of the kindness and hospitality with which our dear predecessors have been received, and entertained by you, inspires us with confidence to hope for the fa

your of your friendship, and that you will excuse the liberty we take, and permit us, even before we arrive at the place whither we would go, to be looking to you, as our mothers in Israel and in missionary experience, for advice, and for instruction. We are young in Christian knowledge, and, to direct and aid us in our course, we greatly need the benefit of that experience which your long and successful labours among the heathen will enable you to impart. For we feel, that in a great measure, we ignorant of their manners and customs, of course, of those measures which may be most likely to facilitate our endeavours to do them good.

are

If not deceived in our motives, we have been induced to leave our beloved friends and native shores, to cross the tempestuous deep, from love to Christ, and the souls which he died to purchase.-And now we are ready, waiting with the humble hope of being employed, in his own time and way, in building up his kingdom where he is yet unknown. Cheerfully will we forego the pleasures of civilized life, encounter the trials and hardships which may fall to our lotand at last, with our friend Mrs. Newell, who has led our way in this great undertaking, and also to the grave, resign our bodies to their kindred dust in a strange land, if we may in any way but subserve the promotion of that cause which is righteousness and peace, and which we are assured shall prevail, and that no weapon formed against it shall prosper. But whether we are to be the honoured instruments of preparing one stone for the spiritual temple of God, is known only to Him, who has all hearts in his hands, and can turn them as the rivers of water" are turned. If our divine Master see fit, we know he can, with infinite ease, give us an establishment in a Pagan land, and favour in the sight of the heathen; but if he see best to disappoint our