The last pretext employed to repel the charge of bigotry and uncharitableness, by Mr. Lancaster's enemies, is, that each party may have their own schools. "We must,' say they, retain the strength of the Establishment in its own channel, We must unite the Bible and the Liturgy together. If we teach children to read and write, we must be sure they frequent the parish church. But we would not wish to prevent the dissenters from encouraging Mr. Lancaster's schools, whither all who cannot conform to the Establishment may send their children. They may have their own seminaries."

It is certainly very liberal in these Churchmen not to advise the repeal of the toleration act. The framers of the act of uniformity would not have gone even this length. But why not go farther? Divisions and parties are tolerable, not desirable; they are to be be discouraged, not fomented. If a system of national education, in which there is no restriction, has, by ages of trial, been found beneficial to the religion of that nation, it seems inconclusive to aliedge the interests of the Church, as a reason why education should be conducted on excluding principles. A Churchman nay, with perfect safety to his religion, unite with dissenters in support of the Lancasterian schools. If he may, there is no question but he ought. The breach should be filled up, not widened. Attempts should be made to throw down the barriers of separation that have been already raised up; not to strengthen them, and make them eternal, Wherever good men can unite, for a good work, without sacrificing their principles, their union becomes an imperious duty to each other, and to the cause of goodness in general.

But if this proposal of rival seminaries is sincere, there is no occasion to abandon the Borough school. The catechism may be taught in schools on Mr. Lancaster's model, as well as in those on Dr. Bell's. It is a mere extraneous circumstance.

Indeed, in many schools, conducted on the Lancasterian plan the catechism is taught; while the greater efficacy, and especially the superior economy of that plan, clearly intitles it to the preference.

To this proposal, again, of distinguishing the religious divisions of the nation, by their seminaries for teaching their poor to read the Scriptures, there is another most weighty objection. The advantage of the new mode of tuition arises, in a great measure, from the numbers that are instructed. If the district is not populous; if the children who need gratuitous education, do not exceed 900 or 1000, which one person can easily superintend; to have two schools, is to double the expence. One school is amply sufficient for most parishes. But if the number of children amounted to 2000, it is very improbable they should be exactly balanced, one-half frequenting the Church,

and the other the conventicle. In some parts the friends of the Church, in others the dissenters are the most numerous. In many places the sectarian children must go without instruc tion;-and though the sectaries now keep open house, and welcome all comers, they may possibly in time be soured by opposition; and therefore, in many places, the children of poor Churchmen must go untaught.

It is likewise deserving of consideration, that the alarmists→ the partizans of tests-talk much of the interference of government in the affair of education. They hope, and pray, and advise, that legislative enactments may be made, providing in every parish the means of education for the lower orders. The legislature has, hitherto, been deaf to the cries of the poor, sunk in ignorance and vice, and has done nothing for their instruction. If, after having rejected the wise and liberal measures proposed by some of their own body, they should hearken to the clamour raised by the advisers and promoters of excluding plans of education, and resolve on the formation of parish schools, the restrictionists will be thrown into inextricable difficulty. For a parish school must be supported by the parishioners. Most parishes consist of dissenters as well as Churchmen. However much, therefore, the alarmists may think it their duty to retain the strength of the establishment in its own channel,' they will scarce have the confidence to attempt to force the strength of dissenters thither also; and to propose compelling them to support schools, to which they cannot in conscience send their children. Their schemes, then, are incompatible with a system of national education; and if the legislature should at last interfere in the business of schooling, from their known wisdom and equity, to say nothing of their liberality and moderation, it may safely be presumed, they will decide in favour of the unexcluding principles of the Lancasterian institution.

One thing more we must suggest to those who seriously wish for the education of the poor, as likely to engage them in the vigorous support of the Borough schools. Those who now oppose them with such vehemence, as most injurious to the establishment, never imagined that the establishment was in danger from the gross ignorance of the people. Ages of darkness had passed by, and they kept profound silence. They were not even found in the practice of catechising the youth entrusted to their care, a duty to which they were bound by a regard, at once, to their most solemn engagements and the highest interests of the church. They were not backward even to condemn such of their brethren as were more zealous in the discharge of this, and other clerical duties, than themselves. They never entertained any

measures for the education of the poor. It was not till the darkness began to retire, till vigorous exertions were actually making for diffusing the blessings of instruction, till they imagined that the teaching of the poor to read and write in some way or other must be detrimental to their interests, that they thought of bestirring themselves. It was not because they cared for the poor, not because they were sorry so many thousands of their fellow creatures were perishing in misery and poverty and vice, for want of a little instruction, that they put their hand at last to the good work. The business was taken up and going on successfully and rapidly. Then it was they began-not to assist but to obstruct, not. to widen but to narrow the stream. Their zeal and activity are the fruit of pure opposition. It is to Mr. Lancaster, it should seem, and his friends, that we owe the good they are now effecting. But can it reasonably be supposed that their activity will increase as the cause of it gets weaker. If the Borough institution and its numerous branches, are not zealously encouraged and supported, is it not probable, that all the noise and bustle its enemies make about the education of the poor, will come to an end? If they fear no danger, will they not, as formerly, cease to watch and labour? Their alertness is occasioned by their fears; and their fears will live and operate, just as the seminaries which they oppose, appear to flourish or decay. We leave this to the consideration of all the sincere friends of education, of every religious persuasion.

Art. X. Letters on the Nicobar Islands, their Natural Productions, and the Manners, Customs, and Superstitions of the Natives; with an account of an attempt made by the Church of the United Brethren, to convert them to Christianity. Addressed by the Rev. John Gottfried Haensel, (the only surviving Missionary) to the Rev. C. I. Latrobe. Svo. pp. 78. Hatchard; Seeley, and Co. 1812.

IN a late number of this Journal, a concise account was given of the various missionary establishments which are at present supported by the church of the United Brethren. The pamphlet before us consists principally of a narrative of one of their unsuccessful attempts, which have not been few, to increase the number of those establishments; and affords at the same time, several remarkable particulars, respecting the inhabitants and natural productions of the Nicobar Islands. The letters, eight in number, which form the substance of the pamphlet, are translated by Mr. Latrobe, from the originals of Mr. Haensel, the only surviving missionary. To these is prefixed, by way of preface, a letter from the translator to Mr. Wilberforce, whose enquiries respecting the result of the

undertaking, the commencement of which is noticed in Crantz's History of the Brethren, seems to have given rise to the production now before us. Mr. Haensel himself, spent seven years in this station, out of thirty-eight in which he has been engaged in the service of the United Brethren's Missions; and after suffering numberless hardships and dangerous illnesses, is still a most active, cheerful, and zealous labourer in the same pious cause, at the age of sixty

three.

These islands are situated at the entrance of the Bay of Bengal in 80 N. Lat. and 94° E. Long. north of Sumatra ; and by their position form several commodious harbours. The mission was founded in Nancauwery, the southernmost. It was originally undertaken in 1758, by the wish of the king of Denmark, under whose auspices a commercial establishment, commenced there by the Danish East India Company in 1756, but soon afterwards abandoned, was intended as speedily as possible to be renewed. The missionaries reached Tranquebar in July, 1760, but the new establishment on the Nicobar Islands was not formed till 1768, when six of the brethren immediately repaired thither, and settled at Nancauwery. The Danish East India Company were soon compelled, by the mortality among their servants and colonists, to abandon their project of a factory. After undergoing great hardships and diffi culties, partly arising from the unhealthiness of the climate, partly from the precarious and inadequate means of communication with Tranquebar, for supplying the necessaries of of life, the surviving missionaries, at length finally abandoned the attempt in 1787, without having been able to master the scanty but difficult language, and without any proofs of that success, in the prosecution of their benevolent labours, which might have consoled them under the necessity of bringing them to a conclusion. The superintendance of this melancholy duty fell upon Mr. Haensel, whose services had only commenced in 1779, and who in taking a final leave of the island, had to abandon the graves of eleven of his brethren.

My last farewell, (he says) with the inhabitants, who had flocked to me from all the circumjacent islands, was very affecting. They wept and howled for grief, and begged that the Brethren might soon return to them. We always enjoyed their esteem and love, and they do not deserve to be classed with their ferocious neighbours, the Malays; being, in general, kind and gentle in their dispositions, except when roused by jealousy, or other provocations; when their uncontrouled passions will lead them into excesses, as some of the Danish soldiers experienced. We always found them ready to serve us.' p. 27.

As the pamphlet is of so small a price, we shall not attempt any abstract of the information it contains, but merely select one or two passages, in order to enforce our recommen lation of it, as a curious and interesting publication, the quaintness of which, in some points, is much more than atoned for by, its piety.

'On my frequent excursions along the sea coast, it sometimes happened that I was benighted, and could not, with convenience, return to our dwelling; but I was never at a loss for a bed. The greater part of the beach, consists of a remarkably fine white sand, which above highwater-mark is perfectly clean and dry. Into this I dug with ease a hole large. enough to contain my body, forming a mound as a pillow for my head; I then lay down, and by collecting the sand over me, buried myself in it up to the neck. My faithful dog always lay across my body, ready to give the alarm, in case of disturbance from any quarter. However I was under no apprehension from wild animals. Crocodiles and kaymans never haunt the open coast, but keep in creeks an lagoons, and there are no ravenous beasts on the island. The only annoyance I suffered was from the nocturnal perambulations of an immense variety of crabs of all sizes, the grating noise of whose armour would sometimes keep me awake. But they were well watched by my dog; and if any one ventured to approach, he was sure to be suddenly siezed, and thrown tó a more respectful distance; or if a crab of more tremendous appearance deterred the dog from exposing his nose to its claws, he would bark and frighten it away, by which, however, I was often more seriously alarmed, than the occasion required. Many a comfortable night's rest have I had in these sepulchral dormitories, when the nights were clear and dry.' pp. 36, 37.

Unfortunately Mr. Haensel was no naturalist, so that the op portunity of extending the sphere of botanical and zoological knowledge, was in a great degree lost upon him. As an unscientific observer, he was intelligent and active. His account of the serpents is very curious: his manner of taking them was as follows.

Far from being afraid of serpents, I went out purposely to discover their haunts, in the jungle or among the rocks, defending my legs with a pair of strong boots; and if I could prevent their slipping off into their holes, and irritate them so as to make them attempt to strike me, my work was done. For a serpent thus situated, will coil himself up, and instantaneously darting forward his head, strike and bite whatever comes in his way. I then presented my hat, which the animal violently seized with his fangs; when, instantly snatching it aways I seldom failed to extract them by the sudden jerk; for, being curved, they cannot be readily withdrawn, and sitting but loosely in the gums, are easily disengaged. Being thus rendered in a great degree harmless, I pinned their heads down, and tied them up. Great care, however, is required not to suffer yourself to be lacerated by their teeth, or in any other way, while preparing their heads, and refixing the fangs; for if a