the promotion of the kingdom of our Lord, Brother Dencke also recommends to our fervent prayers. At the desire of the Managers of the American Bible Society in New York, Brother Dencke had begun to translate parts of the New Testament into the Delaware language, and had already finished the epistles of St. John, and St. John's gospel. This Society has in view to print these translations at their expense, for the use of our and other Indian missions, and offers to present us with 400 copies ready bound. We wish this truly respectable Society the rich blessings of our Lord, especially that they may have the joy, that their laudable endeavours in the cause of the gospel may be the means of promoting the everlasting happiness of very many souls."

"Brother Richter at St. Johns in Antigua, in a letter of the 27th March, gives an account of the continued prosperous course of the mission on that island. The passion season, and easter, were particularly blessed, through the solemn consideration, of what our Lord suffered and merited for us. Brother Stobwasser and his wife had moved to the new establishment on the east side of the island; and found reason to hope, that by the preaching of the gospel, many souls would also there be gained as a reward for the travail of the soul of our Lord. The meetings are at present held in the newly built dwelling-house, which however will not contain the number of hearers who attend. They were engaged in building a new church there. Since Easter 1817, in St. Johns only, 228 adults had been added to the church by baptism, or reception, and 113 had become participants of the holy communion."

"By later accounts from Antigua it appears, that the brethren Ellis and Taylor, with their wives, arrived there in the month of May from England and Ireland, as new assistants in the mission. Brother Sauter and his wife arrived in the same month in Bethlehem, for the recovery of their health; and brought with them their two youngest daughters, for their further education."

CHEROKEE MISSION.

From the Knoxville Register.

Copy of a letter from the Rev. Cyrus Kingsbury, Missionary to the Cherokee Tribe of Indians, to the Rev. Thomas H. Nelson, dated Chickamaugah, March 27, 1818.

Rev. and dear Sir,-I take the liberty through you, as pastor of the Church and Congregation in Knoxville, to address a few lines to those benevolent females, who, more than a year ago, voluntarily came forward to aid by their Charity in establishing this mission. Your liberality deserved a more particular notice, and a more prompt acknowledgment than it has yet received from us. I hope, however, you will excuse our delay, when we tell you, that a pressure of cares, and those indispensable duties which were

necessary to make provision for our large family, obliged us to neglect many other duties which had a strong claim to our attention.

It is not my design at this time to illustrate the beauty and excellence of Christian charity, as a trait of the female character, or to enlarge on that noble maxim of our Saviour, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." I would rather call your attention to the effects which your charity, in connection with that of many others, has been instrumental in producing. We have most substantial grounds for saying, that God has been pleased in his condescending mercy to bless your charity as a means of enlightening these ignorant people, and of bringing more of them to a saving knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus.

The first of this month was but one year since I was here, a solitary pilgrim in this strange land, without one Christian friend with whom I could advise, or to whom I could look for assistance. But the Lord has unexpectedly raised up labourers, whose hearts we trust are warmed with a generous and holy love for the poor heathen, and who are willing to spend and be spent for the cause of Christ among them. Our missionary family is now so large, that some of us are engaged in making active preparations to commence a mission in the Choctaw Nation.

Our little Church which at first consisted of only five members, now consists of fifteen, and three more stand propounded for admission. Five of these are natives, who give pleasing evidence of having experienced a saving change of heart. Respecting some of these, I must be a little particular.

Katy Brown, a girl about eighteen years of age, whose parents are half breeds and do not speak our language, has been in our family about seven months, and attended our school about five months. When she came, she could read but indifferently in three letters, and was very ignorant as to every thing pertaining to God and divine truth. She did not even know that there was a Saviour, and had never felt that she was a sinner. She was from the first attentive to her book and industrious in her habits, and in about three months was able to read intelligibly in the Bible, and now writes a decent hand, and has commenced arithmetic. She is fair in her complexion, amiable and genteel in her manners. But what endears her to us, and must render her case interesting to every Christian, is her piety. In the course of last fall she became the subject of serious impressions, which have terminated, as we trust, in a saving change of heart. She loves her Saviour, and loves Christians; a tender kindness rules in her heart, which is unknown among uncivilized people, except where grace reigns. She expresses her anxious desires for the instruction and conversion of "her poor people," as she calls them, and would gladly spend her days in our family as a missionary, were it not for the duty which she owes to her aged parents. In consequence of depredations which are al most constantly committed on their property by some lawless

whites, they feel constrained to remove over the Mississippi in the fall, and wish their daughter to go with them. We feel as though it would be sending forth a tender lamb into a howling wilderness without a shepherd; but we also feel that by this means, the Lord is raising up missionaries from among the natives, and sending them into that vast country before others are ready to go.-How consoling the thought, that by means of your charity, not only a precious soul has been saved, but a female missionary educated, who perhaps will be the first to carry a savour of religion into that unknown country; and whose example and progress may be the means of leading many others to seek the same precious salvation. One thing more I must mention. When she came to live with us, she was very fond of dress and ornaments, of which she had many. After she became pious, without any suggestions of ours, she laid aside all her ornaments, except a pair of plain knobs in her ears. She dresses plain, and expresses her disapprobation of ostentatious finery. In short, she seems desirous of being adorned not with gold and pearls and costly array, but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

Another instance worthy of notice, is the case of Charles Reece, who is also a half breed. He was the first of the three Cherokees, who, at the battle of the Horse Shoe, swam the Coosa river, under the fire of the enemy, and brought over their canoes; by which means the Cherokees crossed that river, and by turning the attention of the enemy, were instrumental in saving the lives of many of your valuable citizens. In consideration of this brave deed, Presi dent MADISON presented him with an elegant silver mounted rifle. But in this he does not now glory, having learned, as we humbly trust, to glory only in the cross of Christ. Soon after the mission was commenced here, this man once or twice attended our Sabbath preaching. He has since told us that he was then convinced that he was a bad man, and felt very uneasy in his mind. He had many struggles in his heart, whether to forsake his bad ways and attend to instruction, or quit going to the missionaries, and do as he had before done. The preaching of our dear brother Cornelius was made instrumental in increasing convictions; and after a few more ineffectual struggles of his wicked heart to reign, this brave and undaunted warrior was brought, by the power of divine grace, to bow cordially and joyfully to the meek and humble Jesus, and to trust alone in his merits for pardon and eternal life. This man is not only a hopeful Christian, but an industrious, or more properly, he is a hard working man. He has this season cleared several acres of ground, with his own hands, for the purpose of enlarging his cornfieid. He labours in the daytime, and at night is engaged in learning to read, that he may be able to read the word of God.

Another instance. A Cherokee woman who was left a widow last spring, with three small children, has for some time been a constant attendant on our preaching. Lately she has given evidence

of a saving change of heart, and is to be admitted to our communion next Sabbath. She has had a little son at our school for several months, who now can read very well. On the Sabbath, after preaching, she has been seen to take him into the woods for the purpose of his teaching her to read. There the mother sits an humble and attentive hearer to this little boy, who appears no less earnestly engaged for the instruction of his beloved parent. I will mention but one instance more, lest I should weary your patience, which is that of a young man, apparently a full blooded Cherokee. He was formerly a vicious, trifling character. Last summer he was hunting on the Sabbath, and his gun, accidentally going off, discharged its contents through his arm. This made a deep impression on his mind; he considered it as an evidence that the Great Spirit was displeased because he hunted on the Sabbath, and could not afterwards be persuaded by his people to go out on that day. But it was not till within a few weeks that he felt the burden of sin and the importance of being delivered from it by the merits of Christ. He is now a man of prayer, and though often reproached and ridiculed for it, is not at all moved. In short we have hopes that he is a renewed man, and trust he may soon be admitted a worthy member of our little church.

Monday, March 30.-Not being able to close my letter last week, I will add a few lines before I speak of the school. Yesterday was our communion season. A larger number of people were assembled than I have before seen at this place on such an occasion After a sermon, to which all appeared attentive, two Cherokee women, and one white man made a public profession of their faith in Christ; were baptized and received into the church; and seven children were admitted to the ordinance of baptism. Twenty-two communicants then sat down to partake of those elements which represent the broken body and shed blood of our blessed Saviour, seven of whom were natives, who we hope have been gathered out of the wilderness into the fold of Christ. Two of the natives and two white men were members of the Moravian Church at Spring-Place, who were with us on this occasion. The season was truly solemn and interesting, and we often regretted that some of our pious benefactors could not be present to enjoy it with us.

Having spent so much time in giving particulars on what appeared to us a very interesting subject, I must be brief in my remarks on the school. We have at present about thirty regular scholars, who live in our family, eat at our table, and are receiving in every respect, as far as we are able to give it, a Christian education. They are all instructed, most of them fed, and many of them clothed in part, free of expense to them. But then in return, they are most of them very good children, attentive to their books, obedient to the commands of their master, and the rules of the family, and are fast acquiring habits of industry. Indeed if we tell the whole truth, we shall say that many of them learn faster than the same number of white children in any school with which we have been acquainted.

The children appear cheerful and contented with their situation. But this has not been the case with all. Last season we laboured under many difficulties; our school was not taught regularly, and some of the children grew weary of the restraints laid on them, and left the school. Some of these have now returned; and both parents and children have solicited us to take them again, and they are now among our best scholars.

I am aware of the danger missionaries are in, of giving a colouring to their narratives which facts will not warrant. In this respect, I can only say, that I have endeavoured to confine myself to the simple narration of facts, and have omitted many which might have been given. If in these I have erred, it has been through ignorance, and not by design; and I do now, in the name and at the request of the Mission family, tender our grateful acknowledgments to those ladies who so generously came forward to aid the work in which we are engaged. We felt it our duty to make this statement to you, that both you who sowed and we who reap may rejoice together.

We hope no one will think that we overlook the liberal aid which the gentlemen in Knoxville and other places have given to our work. We devoutly acknowledge the hand of God in it, and pray that their hearts and yours may be enlarged a hundred fold towards the poor perishing heathen-that your prayers for them may be more frequent and fervent, and that a more abundant harvest of good may yet be realized by those who sow in hope, will ever be the prayer of your affectionate and obliged friends at Chickamaugh. CYRUS KINGSbury.

From the Evangelical Magazine

SOUTH SEA ISLANDS.

WE had the pleasure, in our last Number, of laying before our readers a full account of the proceedings of the missionaries at Otabeite, &c. and of the blessing of God upon their labours; we now present a letter from the Rev. Mr. Marsden, senior Chaplain of the Colony of New South Wales, containing his views of the great importance of that intelligence.

Extract of a Letter from the Rev. S. Marsden, dated Paramatta, New South Wales, Oct. 31, 1816, to the Secretary.

Since I wrote last, the Queen Charlotte has arrived from Otaheite. By her I have received 'from your missionaries many private and public letters, which I have forwarded to you and other friends by the ship Willerby, under the care of Mr. Hill, Surgeon, who came out with Mr. and Mrs. Ellis. I have now the unspeakable satisfaction of forwarding to you THE IDOL GODS OF OTAHEITE, as the glorious spoils of Idolatry. No event could have given me more pleasure. They are now lying prostrate on the table before me; and were we