ORDINATION OF HENRY BUDD AT THE RED RIVER. 159 a Greenland boy, who had been sent to Europe for education, brought back with him the small-pox. Fearfully it spread, and fearful were its ravages. Ignorant of the proper mode of treating it, and tormented with pain, heat, and thirst, the poor Natives drank large quantities of ice-water, and few lived beyond the third day. Then it was that Christianity brought forth more abundantly its lovely fruits. Although weak in health, Egede, assisted by the Moravian Missionaries, who had just arrived, went about from place to place, sending his son to comfort the dying, and lodging as many as came to him. Then the hard hearts of the Greenlanders began to be moved; and one man who had often, in health, ridiculed Egede, when dying said to him, "Thou hast done for us what our countrymen would not have done: thou hast fed us when we had nothing to eat; thou hast buried our dead, who would otherwise have been devoured by dogs, foxes, and ravens; thou hast instructed us in the knowledge of God, and told us of a better life to come." In 1735 Egede's pious and faithful wife fell asleep in Jesus, and immediately afterward, taking her remains with him, broken in health, he bade farewell to Greenland, taking, as the text for his last sermon, "I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God." Yet before his death, which did not take place until 1758, Hans Egede had the joy to hear, not merely of one, but tens and hundreds of the once indifferent Greenlanders converted to the faith of the Gospel. ORDINATION OF HENRY BUDD AT THE RED RIVER. SUNDAY, the 23d of December last, was at Red River a deeply interesting day. It was marked by the first ordination of an Indian Catechist-of one from amongst that red race of men who for so long a period seemed fitted only to hunt the wild beast of the plain and forest. So far as the native population is concerned, Henry Budd may be considered as the first-fruits of our North-American Mission. He was a first Scholar, the first Native Schoolmaster, and the first Native Catechist. He is now the first Ordained Indian. It is remarkable that the first pupil in the Fourah-Bay Institution at Sierra Leone, after serving as Native Teacher and Catechist, became our first Ordained Negro. How encouraging the position in which we find our Missionary work at the present moment. Men once themselves heathen, or the children of heathen parents, under the improving influence of the Gospel have been advanced, intellectually and morally, to such a degree of improvement, that they are deemed fitted to receive Holy Orders at the hands of our Bishops. Thus at Bombay a Brahmin and a Sudra have been ordained, the one from the highest caste, the other from the middle classes, of the Hindus; five at Madras 160 ORDINATION OF HENRY BUDD AT THE RED RIVER. from among the Shanars of Tinnevelly; and about the same time, at the Red River, a North-American Indian; besides two Natives in Travancore, three in Tinnevelly and Madras, three in Ceylon of the Singhalese race, and three Africans, who had been previously ordained. What an encouraging group! Surely we may "thank God, and take courage." How wonderful the Gospel! How it transforms a man! and why? Because it quickens the soul which had been dead in sin, and raises it to communion with God. It is in the exercise of this that the man improves, and becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus. "The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad." Let us not fear to go forward, making known far and wide the pure truths of His Gospel. He will not fail to do still greater things for us. The Ordination took place in St. Andrew's Church, the largest in the colony. The building itself has connected with it many pleasing remembrances. It was commenced in 1845, and finished at a cost of 1500, the greater part of the necessary expenses having been contributed by the settlers, in money or materials or labour, to an amount far beyond what could have been expected. Some furnished wood, some labour; one made the pulpit and readingdesk; the young ladies of the congregation prepared the hangings for the pulpit, reading-desk, and communion-table; the young men. gave the stoves, a most valuable contribution at the Red River. Thus, without any regular architects, the church was finished, a becoming stone building, and was opened for Divine Service on December the 19th, 1849. On that day all the other churches in the colony were closed during the time of Morning Service, the Clergy being required at St. Andrew's Church to assist in the Ordination numbers, in consequence, flocked to the new church from various parts of the colony. Along the frozen river some 200 carioles or sledges might be seen passing rapidly along, and in the mid-winter of the Red River many a heart beat warmly at the prospect of the deeply-interesting Service they were about to witness. The Congregation, when assembled within the walls, amounted to no less than 1100, 300 of whom remained to communicate. The Ordination itself was deeply interesting; and when the Bishop, with his brother presbyters, proceeded, by imposition of hands, to set apart Mr. Budd for the ministry of the Gospel, there was exhibited a beautiful emblem of that noble Missionary work in which the Church of England is engaged-the transmitting to other races of men that Christian truth, and those Christian privileges and ordinances, which she has so long possessed herself. Mr. Budd, after his ordination, read the Gospel. It was one peculiarly suitable. When Jesus "saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith He unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers THE AMAZONS. 161 into His harvest." The poor Indians have long been wandering about as sheep having no shepherd. We trust that the Lord is about to raise up some from amongst themselves who will help to gather in and feed the scattered sheep. The Rev. Henry Budd, of Rupert's Land,* remained at Red River a fortnight after his ordination, during which he preached several times to his countrymen in their Indian tongue. On Sunday evening, December the 30th, he preached in St. Andrew's Church an Indian discourse from 1 Peter iv. 7. About 500 persons were present, among them many Indians who have hitherto rejected the Gospel. They appeared wholly taken up with what they heard, and kept their eyes steadily fixed on Mr. Budd. His Indian mother was also present, her changing countenance showing how much was passing within. Strange, that in this respect also there should be a resemblance between him and Mr. Crowther! The Christian Indians would gladly have kept Mr. Budd at the Red River. But he has been ordained for service, that, like his Master, he might seek and save that which was lost. Before his departure, his fellow-countrymen, without the Missionaries having been aware of their intention, presented to him an address expressive of their best wishes and prayers for his welfare. There were added to it the names of many amongst them who promised contributions of grain, or cloth, or money, toward his own Missionary sphere. On the next morning he set out with our Missionary, the Rev. A. Cowley, who was to be his companion as far as Mr. Cowley's Station at Manitoba. From thence, with a couple of Indians, he was to pursue his journey, in snow shoes, to Cumberland Station, as seen in our Frontispiece. Let us remember him before the Throne of Grace. THE AMAZONS. IN our Number for November last we mentioned that the King of Dahomey was intending to attack Abbeokuta. Letters recently received from that city inform us that he was then within a few days' march, and that the Abbeokutans were preparing to defend themselves. The regular army of Gezo, the King of Dahomey, consists of 12,000 troops, of whom 5000 are female soldiers, called Amazons. We present a sketch of one of them. The Amazon is dressed "in a blue and white striped cotton surtout, the stripes about one and a We so designate him to distinguish him from our venerable friend the Rev. Henry Budd, Rector of White Roding, Essex, after whom he was named; the Rev. John West having been Mr. Budd's curate before his departure for North America. + By the kind permission of Messrs. Longman and Co. we copy this from Commander Forbes' recently published "Dahomy and the Dahomans." half inch wide, of stout native manufacture, without sleeves, leaving freedom for the arms. The skirt or tunic reaches as low as the kilt of the Highlanders. A pair of short trowsers is worn underneath, reaching two inches below the knees." A girdle, with a cartouch-box attached, tightens the dress round the waist. On the head is a skull-cap of white cotton, with devices of various kinds. The device of the regiment to which this soldier belongs is that of an alligator. They are all armed with long Danish guns, a short sword, and a sort of club. Many are the sufferings which the fierce soldiers of Gezo have inflicted on the surrounding nations. Their usual mode of proceeding is by surprise. Having arrived during the night in the neighbourhood of the town which they intend to assault, they make a rush on it about two hours before daybreak. It is probably defended by "a broad close-growing fence of very dangerous prickly bush, about fifteen feet high." THE AMAZONS. Each 163 This the Amazons soon break through, although their feet are without shoes. The inhabitants, surprised in their sleep, are completely in their power. Such as resist are slain. "The others are tied round the neck with a piece of small grass-rope, each soldier having that article, as well as a piece of chalk. soldier uses his own private mark on the back of as many slaves as he may capture, and also secures the scalps of as many as he murders in the attack. After all is over, these slaves and scalps are presented to the King or Chief, who gives each soldier, according to the amount of his capture, a sum of cowries, as well as allows him to attach a cowry to the stock of his gun, which is reckoned an honourable distinction, and is given as medals to civilized armies." The Amazons summon Gezo to the War. We march for Abbeokuta, the royal Gezo leads! Bring forth the standards, the war-drum beat; Honoured the ground be that bears thy weight. Gezo's Answer. Hail, to my valiant soldiers! the wished-for day is nigh. Onward, Amazons! rush to the fight. The War Song of the Amazons. Sharply let the muskets rattle. The Fetishes assure us The Yorubas shall women be; Duncan's "Travels in Western Africa," vol. i. pp. 260, 261. + His people call him, The Leopard, and Kok-pah-sah-kree, a peculiarly fierce eagle. |