Redeemer's kingdom. His work is peculiarly arduous; and, considering the difficulties in the way of acquiring an abstruse language, without Grammar, Dictionary, or well-qualified Teacher, it must be long before the hopes of the Society can be realized, in the completion of a Translation of the Scriptures in the Thibet Language. Mr. Schroeter is, however, indefatigable and happy in his work; and receives every assistance which circumstances will admit, from his kind friend and patron, Major Latter. He is busily engaged in preparing a Grammar and a Dictionary; specimens of which have been lately seen by the Committee, highly creditable to Mr. Schroeter's industry and perseverance. When they consider what he has accomplished, with the scanty advantages which he has hitherto possessed, they entertain great expectations of his progress, when the sources of knowledge shall be fully opened to him. Mr. Schroeter speaks, in strong terms, of the degradation of the surrounding Heathen. Though there is not the prejudice of the Hindoo Caste, they have all the Idols common to the Hindoos; and go from Lassa, over many high mountains, to the plains of Bengal, to perform their adorations and ablutions in the river Ganges. In conclusion, the Corresponding Committee ob serve · Having thus finished the detail of their proceedings, in which they have been anxious to put their friends in possession of every important fact connected with their operations, the Committee have only to urge their need of the continued support and fervent prayers of all who are interested in the cause of Missions, as they are conducted by the Society for whom they have the honour to act. The necessity of increased contributions, for the effectual and vigorous prosecution of their work, will be manifest to the attentive reader. The sphere of Missionary Labour is gradually enlarging itself: the great requisite now is, an accession of able and faithful Labourers to conduct the various operations which have been undertaken. Repeated representations have been sent home, of the pressing demand for Missionaries, Schoolmasters, Printers, and Printing-presses, to supply the establishments in connection with the Church Missionary Committee of Bengal. The Committee doubt not that the Parent Society will use their very best exertions to answer the call. Let us, in the mean time, pray to the Lord of the Harvest, that He would thrust forth Labourers into his harvest; and that He would hasten the full completion of the promise, that the Glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. The second great field of the Society's labours in the East, is that which is occupied by the MADRAS AND SOUTH INDIA MISSION. The Committee regret that they cannot avail themselves, in the survey of this Mission, of the judgment of the Corresponding Committee on the Proceedings of the Year; their Third Report not having yet arrived. Your Committee will extract, however, from the various documents transmitted to them, a satisfactory account of these proceedings; as they are happy to report, that, under the vigilant direction of the Corresponding Committee, the Mission is steadily advancing. Beside Madras and its more immediately dependent Stations, Tranquebar is the centre of various Schoolestablishments; and at Cotym and Allepie, in Travancore, with several Stations of the Company's Chaplains in the Presidency, the labours of the Society are carried on. In these different places, Nine English or Lutheran Clergymen, eight of whom are married, are appointed to labour; about Fifty Natives are employed under their direction; upward of 2500 Children are under instruction; and, both in stated Congregations and by excursions and journeys, the truths of the Gospel are declared to numbers of the Natives, and are made known by the distribution of Tracts and of the Scriptures. At weekly visitations of the Schools in Madras, the Missionaries have opportunities of proclaiming to the Heathen, the Name of the Saviour; and similar advantages are afforded by the Country Schools. Public Readings of the Scriptures are carried on by the Native Assistants of the Mission. Excursions among the Natives are continued with advantage. In consequence of these and other endeavours, Christianity is now both understood and approved to a degree that is very encouraging; though but little success has yet appeared in the actual conversion of the Heathen. On this subject, the Committee would be cautious of cherishing expectations not warranted by the actual state and prospects of the Mission. A willingness on the part of the Natives to enter into discussions on the subject of religion, must not be taken as indicative of a readiness to abandon their superstitions. An European who enters a village, and avails himself of the willingness of the people to converse, may silence them perhaps on the subject of Idolatry, by displaying its absurdity; but their eagerness for discussion, or their inability or indisposition to answer him, must not be mistaken for readiness to receive the truths of the Gospel. The real character of the Natives must be steadily borne in mind; that those who are labouring for their welfare may be ever prepared for deception and disappointment, while they may still labour in full confidence that the blessing of the Lord will ultimately bear them above all obstacles. Of the general state and prospects of the Society's Mission in the South of India, Mr. Thompson writes, with his accustomed animation You will be satisfied, I am persuaded, from all the documents which we are sending to you from time to time, that your Missionaries are fulfilling their parts faithfully, in their studies, labours, and prayers; and the Lord, we are sure, is not unmindful of them, nor of the benevolence and prayers of the friends who have sent them hither, and provide for them. In your patience, possess ye your souls. Only believe. Look unto Jesus. Let the eye of your minds be steadily toward Him, with submission; and you shall yet see that all things are possible. In another Letter, of Feb. 17, 1819, he writes The review of our whole progress hitherto, will, I think, be satisfactory to all our friends. We have not, it is true, any dazzling display yet to make; but let it ever be remembered, that it has been said that we were labouring against IMPOSSIBILI TIES. The expression was too strong; but it was well calculated to convey a just apprehension of the very serious difficulties in our way. We knew them-we saw the mountains before us-we did not pretend to shut our eyes from contemplating them in every direction-nor have we attempted to blind yours, or to conceal any thing from you-we have told you all-and the result of the Report which we have to send you will appear, I think, to warrant the hopes that we gave you, and the efforts which you have made to surmount the difficulties, in the strength of the Lord, in faith of His promises, and to the glory of His name. The mountains are sensibly melting before us. Caste and separating prejudices are giving way on all sides. Christians and Heathens meet as they never did before: and what shall prevent the enjoyment of the blessed hope, that if only we yet persevere in faith and patience, the day is not very distant when all these nations-these myriads of India, shall flow together to the House of our God! Speed it, O Lord! Let Thy kingdom come! To these testimonies the Committee will add that of Mr. Mortlock, of October 18th last: The work is going on; though, like the vegetation in the natural world, unseen and without observation: and, like the husbandman, we must wait with patience. He that sows, and he that reaps, will rejoice together; but not HERE. And yet, while I say this, I feel that there is every possible encouragement for perseverance. The most sanguine labourer could never, I am persuaded, have expected that we should see, within twenty or thirty years, what our eyes now behold, MADRAS AND ITS VICINITY. At the Much attention has been paid to SCHOOLS. close of last year, there were Four in Madras and Nine in the Country. The Girls' School, which had been established in Madras, was discontinued in the early part of the year; the Mistress removing to Chittoor. The average number of Children in the Schools varied from about 400 to 450; and the average daily attendance had been about 300--frequent hindrances arising from the Native Feasts and other causes. At the close of the year, the number on the books was 386; of whom, * In Appendix VI. will be found a Return of the State of the Madras Schools, in December last. 39 were Protestant Christians, 59 Roman Christians, and the rest Heathen of various castes. The total number admitted from the beginning had been 1496. Of the Schoolmasters, the Missionaries write The general assemblies of our Schoolmasters have, this year, been more frequent than before. They give us much satisfaction; and raise in us the hope, that they will be a means, in the hand of the Lord, to enlighten the minds of the Schoolmasters, and by them to convey his light into their respective places in the Country. The importance of establishing among the Natives the System of Mutual Instruction, will be felt by all who properly appreciate the present state of education among the Natives. On this subject, Mr. Schmid remarks Thoughtlessness is especially to be seen in the Native Heathen Schools; and these very Schools are, undoubtedly, the means of extinguishing every spark of good sense and every desire of sincere inquiry in the minds of the rising generation, and of making them slaves to custom and superstition. I cannot yet give a full description of the Native Method of Instruction; but what I have observed, and what I have heard from others, is sufficient to fill my mind with pity for the poor Children. Their arithmetical instruction consists in getting by heart a multitude of numbers, and many different signs of numbers. The greatest part of the day is employed in learning by heart Tamul sentences and verses; which are never understood by the Boys, and seldom by the Masters themselves. To explain the sense of what is learnt, is not at all considered as belonging to instruction: whether they learn it right or wrong, even this is not much attended to: every Boy has his Olla-leaf in his hand, and reads his lesson aloud till he knows it by heart; while the Master is usually occupied with writing. This inclination of the Natives to teach so mechanically, occasions us much trouble in our Schools. It will be highly expedient, therefore, to educate some Youths for Ushers, and to place the ablest of them in the different Country Schools, in order to introduce our System, and keep it up with strictness. As an instance of the tendency of the Natives to this mechanical exercise of the memory, I may mention that the Catechist, on visiting one of the Schools, found the children |