on the Evidences of Christianity, comments on the Scriptures, and such like xnμata is at have been too little thought of.

I will conclude by quoting some excellent observations of the Rev. G. Townsend on the subject of this letter, in his "Chronological arrangement of the New Testament with notes."— "The wisdom of St. Paul's conduct, in varying his manner of address, according to the persons to whom he spoke, and the circumstances in which he was placed, renders him the model by which every minister of God, and particularly every one who assumes the arduous office of a missionary, should form his own plans of action. When he spoke to the Jews, he reasoned with them from their own scriptures, referring them to the law and the prophets; when he pleaded before Agrippa, he availed himself of the king's inward convictions, (which St. Paul as a discerner of spirits, discovered,) as well as of his acquirements in the Jewish law.

"But the wisdom of the apostle's conduct will be further conspicuous by a review of the circumstances in which he found himself at Athens. In verse 16 we read. His spirit was stirred within him.' The original may mean rather, He was vehemently agitated,' on beholding the idolatry of the Athenians. He did not, however, proceed rashly and unadvisedly. He made use only of all the opportunities which lawfully presented themselves. He began (verse 17) by endeavouring to attract the attention of the Athenians in the most gradual manner; first, by his usual custom of appealing to the Jews there, by conversing with those devout persons, or proselytes of righteousness, who frequented the Synagogue and worshipped Jehovah, yet would not comply with the whole Mosaic ritual: and having thus in some measure made himself known, he proceeded to the public places of resort; where he was well assured he should meet with many persons who, on seeing that he was a stranger, would question him on various subjects, according to their usual custom."

"Amidst this assemblage of philosophers, disputers, senators, statesmen and rhetoricians, stood the despised and insulted stranger: surrounded by the professed lovers of pleasure on one side, and the proud supporters of the perfectibility of human reason and wisdom on the other. St. Paul, without the smallest compromise of his personal dignity, or the least departure from the purity of his faith, endeavours to conciliate the good will of his assembled hearers, by commencing at the points on which they are all united. By taking advantage of the professed ignorance of the Athenians, he shields himself from the power of that law which considers the introduction of a new God into the state as a capital offence, and avails himself of that

acknowledgment to declare the nature and attributes of that God, who was already sanctioned by the state, although confessedly unknown.

"He offends no prejudice, makes no violent opposition-he keeps back all that was difficult or mysterious in his own beloved and holy faith, till those who heard him might be able to bear it. He appealed to them from their own principles and practice, however deficient the former, or corrupt the latter. He united, at once, zeal, judgment, faithfulness, and discretion. He declared the unknown God, whom the Athenians ignorantly worshipped, to be the great Creator of the world, in whom and by whom all things were made and exist. From the visible proofs of his providence, in his government of the world, he leads them to the consideration of his spiritual nature: and thus condemns the idolatrous worship of the Athenians, while he gradually unfolds to his philosophical audience, the important truths of their accountableness and immortality, which were demonstrated by the fact of Christ's resurrection from the dead. The same mode of reasoning is to be observed in all St. Paul's epistles. With the Jews, he constantly alludes to the same acknowledged principles of their belief; and endeavours to overcome their prejudices against Christianity, by explaining to them the spiritual intention of their own law, and by referring them to the declarations of their own prophets. With the Gentiles, on the contrary, he begins by asserting those simple and evident truths which must be acknowledged by all: and having once established the existence and attributes of a God, and the necessity of a moral conduct, he gradually reveals those great and important doctrines which are the very basis of Christianity. In all the pursuits of life, in all the acquirements of science, there must be some progressive initiation, some previous introduction. Is it then to be believed, that the highest attainments to which human intellect and human wisdom can aspire, the knowledge both of God and of the immortal accountable spirit, requires no such elementary preparation? Our Saviour has set the question at rest, by beautifully inculcating this system of instruction and the gradual development of his gospel, in his parable of the man who should cast seed into the ground; in which we read that, as in the usual course of vegetation, the seed of the word of God must first produce the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.' This system of revelation has been adopted throughout the whole economy of providence, from the fall of Adam till the present day; it was acted upon by the apostles; and unless it be persisted in, the great work of evangelizing the world can never be so effectually, consistently, or advantageous

ly carried on; and must consequently fall short of our highest and fondest hopes or expectations.

"The conduct of St. Paul at Athens, is a model for the Missionary to foreign lands. He proves to us that, whatever be the zeal, the talents, the piety, the disinterestedness of a minister of Christ, sobriety, prudence and discretion, must direct all his actions, if he would succeed in his holy warfare. The Apostle obtained the victory at Athens, by the blessing of God these humbler means. upon He succeeded by reasoning with the Athenians on their own principles, and thereby directed his successors in the vineyard to proceed on a similar plan of action.

"Does the self-devoted Missionary hazard his life among the learned and intelligent idolaters of Hindustán ?-Would it not be possible to demonstrate to the Brahman that the facts which are recorded in the first books of the scriptures, are probably the foundation of his religion, and that the corruption of those truths may be severally traced to various periods of a comparatively late date?-Might it not be shown that their belief in the incarnations of Krishna, for instance, originated in the general expectation of the one incarnate God, who has now appeared among men and established a pure faith? Could not the imagined atonements of their self-inflicted tortures, be traced to the perversion of the great truth, that without shedding of blood there is no remission,' but that a greater and more perfect dispensation now prevails?

6

"The Buddhist believes in the doctrine of an incarnate spiritual being-Could not this truth be gradually explained, without offence, and the true incarnate be pointed out?

"The Mahomedan acknowledges that Christ is a great prophet-On this confession could not another be grafted, and the infatuated follower of Muhammad be led to acknowledge the divine nature of the Son of Man?

"The grossest idolater believes in his superiority to the brutes-Could not even this conviction be the means of imparting to him the great doctrine of his accountableness and immortality?

"It is however an easy task to sit at home and form plans for the conduct of the noble-minded servants of God, who have hazarded their lives unto death, and met the spiritual wickedness of the world in its own high places. Hannibal smiled with contempt when the theoretical tactitian lectured on the art of We, who remain in our homes in Europe, may be called the Prætorian bands of Christianity. The Missionary, like the legionary soldier, goes forth to the defence of the frontier, to combat with the barbarian enemy. Peace be with the minis

war.

ters of God, and may the days of the kingdom of righteousness come! But the scripture is the common charter, and it prescribes system, discipline and regulation to the best, as well as conquest over the worst feelings."

December 4, 1837.

J. M.

SIRS,

II.-Rough Notes on the Andaman Islands.

To the Editors of the Calcutta Christian Observer.

If the following rough notes on the Andaman Islands may be thought to possess the slighest interest to your readers, they are at your disposal.

Yours sincerely,

φιλος.

The Andaman Islands are close at our door, and yet we know but comparatively little concerning either their people, productions, or language. In the course of a recent trip to the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal, my attention was called to these and other islands, which stud the bosom of the deep blue sea. I will at present confine myself to the Andamans. They are a continuation of the Archipelago which extends from Cape Negrais to Acheen Head; they stretch from 10° 32′ to 13° 40 North latitude, and from 90° 6' to 92° 59′ East longitude. The great or most northern Andaman is about 140 miles in length and 20 in breadth. The East India Company planted the British flag and formed a settlement on it in the year 1791. The position first selected was on the south, but was afterwards removed to the east of the island. The object of the settlement was to provide a shelter for British ships of war. It was also used as a penal settlement for convicts from Bengal. The extreme insalubrity of the climate, however, caused it to be abandoned; since which no effort has been made to bring it into cultivation, or to people it with civilized beings. The Andamans have never been classed, by any writer of antiquity, as a separate group. Ptolemy connects them with the Nicobars, and styles them in common "insulæ bonæ or fortunate." Would that they could be rendered worthy of the appellation. In early days it was supposed they were peopled were peopled by Anthropophagi, or maneaters; nor is the idea yet fully eradicated from the minds of the vulgar or even of some of the enlightened. It was equally stated of their neighbours the Nicobarians, who, we know from experience, are not addicted to any such revolting practice. It is perfectly true that, in almost all the islands of the sea, cases of horrid massacre have occurred; but in too many instances they

have originated rather in the violence or treachery of voyagers than in the ferocity of the islanders; and in places so destitute of the means of subsistence it may be that the poor degraded inhabitants have "made a feast of their foes." Yet this must rest on conjecture alone; and when we can, it is our duty to give any part of our fallen race the benefit of a doubt that may serve to cast off so foul a blot from their character.

The scenery of these islands, as in fact of the whole of the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal, is extremely beautiful and picturesque; indeed in some of the districts, such is the richness of the foliage and its extent, the boldness and yet varied aspect which the islands and coast present, that they unite all that is wild in mountain scenery with the softness of the plain, with the enchanting accompaniment of the wide spreading sea. The scenery of the Andamans possesses many of the external marks of nature's most exquisite handy-work; but as "every rose has its thorn," so these otherwise really beautiful spots have their ills. The climate is very insalubrious, owing to the vast quantity of ever-decomposing vegetable matter, and to the undisturbed growth of noxious weeds. The state of civilization amongst the handful of natives inhabiting the Andamans, is the lowest possible. The natives of New Zealand and Terra del Fuego, in their most degraded condition, are comparatively elevated above these miserable islanders. I say handful, for it is supposed that the population cannot exceed from 2000 to 2500. I incline to the belief that they were not the aborigines of the soil, but are the descendants of some tribe, or portion of a tribe, which has been obliged to take refuge there from political or other oppression. This idea receives some encouragement from the fact that they dwell entirely on the coast; it is seldom or never that they penetrate into the interior; in fact there is little to induce them to such a step. Their sole occupation is climbing the crags and rocks of the coast, or roving along the margin of the sea, in quest of precarious food. They seek only for that which nature most easily affords for the satisfying of their wants; the rest of their time is occupied in idle and romantic wanderings over their sea-girt kingdom. The stature and appearance of the Andamanians are not more inviting than their occupations. They seldom exceed 5 feet; their stomachs are protuberant; limbs disproportionate and small; shoulders high, and heads large: they have the short curly hair of the negro, (the same as the New Guinea Islanders, &c.), flat noses, thick lips, small red eyes; their skin is of a sooty black, and their countenances exhibit the extreme of wretchedness, want and ferocity in fact the phrenologist and physiologist would equally pronounce them bad formations. Add to