I have 29 schools, including 13 catechists' schools. The number of children receiving christian instruction in them is 825; of whom 118 are girls. Of this number 309 are Christians, or children of members of our congrega. tions, and 92 can read the word of God. The remaining 516 children are either heathens, Mohammedans, or Roman catholics. Of these 111 are in the reading-class, so that the number of children who can read is 203. They all receive a strictly religious education.

Meignanapooram District.-During the year 1810, the total accession from heathenism is ninety-eight families, containing 310 souls. This number, and the congregations which were transferred by the Rev. J. J. Muller, make the total of souls under my care 2,956. Of this number, 829 are baptized, and 145 have been admitted to the Lord's-supper.

The congregations, with few exceptions, have given me but little trouble, and many of them have greatly improved in christian knowledge. There is much more order and seriousness observable in the conduct of the majority, so that I have greater reason to thank God, rejoice, and take courage, than to despond on account of the failures of a few. Two congregations, which have always been considered unsatisfactory, chiefly because they were mixed in the same villages with heathen who were their near relatives, have been for some months in a disturbed state. The unhallowed influences of their heathen neighbors would forever have frustrated our efforts, had not some vigorous step

been taken.

once

My schools remain steady, numbering 600 children. I have a vast number of applications on all sides for schools, and could at double the number, were there eligible masters and funds to pay them. During the half-year, I have had several public examinations of my schools at different places in the district, and the result has proved highly satisfactory. On an average, about one third of the whole number instructed can read the Scriptures fluently, and repeat very comprehensive catechisms upon the doctrines and history of Christianity. What a blessing must these schools prove to the rising generation! Supposing each child to remain two years on an average, in a few years how large a number will have been brought to an acquaintance with the truth, as delivered in the holy Scriptures! Their hearts will be as the fallow ground, ready, by and by, to receive the seed of the word when preached to them. There will be a great deal of knowledge upon which we can work, and many evangelical principles inculcated, which, though lying dormant for a time, will be appealed to with immense advantage, in arguing with them upon the comparative merits of heathenism and Christianity.

Cottayam.-Rev. Henry Baker says,-The two congregations in the district are small, but his lordship confirmed from thirty to forty persons at each place.

Apostolic example and precept agree in shewing, that planting and watering are both our duty, if we look for increase from God. The best of our people are but children in relig. ious attainments, and have not only need of line upon line, precept upon precept, to inform their minds, but also of the watchful eye of their pastor continually over them, to prevent their straying, and of his active exertions to seek them out, and to bring them back, when they have strayed.

In this district there are eleven schools, with an average attendance of 312 scholars.

Cochin-Rev. H. Harley writes,-The average number of persons attending the means of grace every Lord's-day, in the English congregation, is about 250, and about 90 in the native. The average number of communicants is 75. The sacrament has been regularly administered on the first Lord's-day in each month. The bishop of Madras arrived here on November 20th, and remained ten days. Out of 72 candidates who applied for confirmation, I presented 55; 7 English, 7 Portuguese, and 41 natives.

The total number of boys attending the school amounts to 89; 43 protestants, 59 Roman catholies, 5 heathens, and 2 Jewish boys. The Jewish boys commenced attending on the first of November last, and are learning well.

SOCIETY TO THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH.

THE Church Missionary Society is supported by the evangelical portion of the English national church, and has been in existence about forty years. It has ever been strictly a voluntary association-using the word voluntary to distinguish it from those societies that depend for their existence directly upon ecclesiastical bodies, and are directly controlled by them. It is interesting to observe how, within the present year, the ecclesiastical relations of this society have been adjusted. It is offered the full and public sanction and support of the archbishop of Canterbury, primate of the Church of England, and of the bishop of London, and virtually of the archbishops and bishops of the church generally, if it will agree to refer all matters of an ecclesiastical nature to a council of bishops. In this there is no sacrifice of principle or of independence required, and none yielded. The society remains, as much as ever, a voluntary association, and expressly asserts and maintains its unimpaired right and duty to determine the condition of its own membership, to collect and administer its funds, and to appoint and direct its missionaries; and the state of opinion among its numerous patrons, appears to require this. Its receipts the past year were four hundred and thirty-nine thousand dollars.-This advance on the part of the authorities of the national church, appears to have been owing, in part at least, to the late popish developements in that church in the form of Puseyism, rendering union and cooperation in all those who were opposed to it, of the utmost importance to the general safety, Indeed, what better expedient could be adopted for throwing off that superincumbent mass of than by identifying with the church the great, spiritual, evangelical agencies and influences of the day?

error,

There have been similar proceedings in relation to the London Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews, which is also

episcopal. That society, in order to secure the sanction and patronage of the archbishops and bishops of the United Church of England and Ireland, adopted the following resolution on the 21st of August; viz.

"That all questions relating to matters of ecclesiastical order and discipline, respecting which a difference shall arise between any colonial bishop, or any bishop of the United Church of England and Ireland, in foreign parts, and the committee of the society, shall be referred to the archbishops and bishops of the United Church of England and Ireland, whose decision thereon shall be final."

Upon this the archbishop of Canterbury accepted the office of Patron to the Jews Society; which, however, gives him no direct control over the proceedings of the institution.

In view of the facts above stated concerning the Church Missionary Society, the Rev. Edward Bickersteth remarked as follows at the last anniversary of the society:

I look with peculiar joy, amidst all the difficulties through which we are passing, at the progress of real union in the Church of Christ; and, notwithstanding all the jarring disputes on every side, I cannot but entertain the hope that all who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity are more and more uniting themselves together, and combining on the side of truth against error. I cannot but also feel, that this progress of union is not in the depreciation either of the fathers of the christian church in the early eenturies-to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude; still less is it in the depreciation of the reformers of our church, the Jewels, Latimers, Cranmers, and Ridleys-to whom, under God, the church owes a still higher debt of gratitude; for to them God vouchsafed increased, greatly increased light and strength, to maintain and bear testimony to the great truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I cannot but perceive that every where throughout the world the churches of Christ are coming more and more to see that the Bible, and the Bible only, is the grand standard of divine truth; aud we will not be turned aside by any respect for antiquity from that scriptural foundation which our church has Jaid in Zion.

In proof that not only in our own land is the desire for union spreading, I will read you an extract from a letter recently received from the bishop of Calcutta, shewing an entire correspondence of feeling with the noble chairman

However much I may be prepared to agree with the noble lord in the chair, respecting the high value of the patronage to which his lordship has referred, I rejoice to observe that his lordship, the committee in their report, and the right Rev. prelate who followed, have all agreed in stating, that it must be bought by no compromise of our principles. For forty years the blessing of God has rested on those principles, and we must not change them now. Although grateful for the offer of the superintendence in question, we must recollect that we are invited to enter into certain relations, not with any liv ing individuals merely, but with a succession of official persons. It is to be an official relation, not a relation determined by the worth of individuals. This step must be taken with the utmost caution; because, once taking it, we cannot recede. Whatever honor we may wish to bestow on those to whom honor is due, the power must rest with his lordship and with the committee. Nothing must be done which might bear the effect of fettering our missionaries in preaching the gospel. The movements of this great society must be conducted by men who are themselves imbued with the spirit of the gospel: we must secure that no missionaries shall be sent but those who believe and love the truth; and then we need never fear the loss of his blessing, who has said, 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature and, lo! I am with you alway, even to the end

of the world.'

MISSION OF THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN BOARD IN NORTHERN INDIA.

THE Rev. Mr. Jamieson, writing from Sabathu, 9th December, 1840, gives, in the Foreign Missionary Chronicle, the following account of the Protected Hill States.

Boundaries-Number, Origin, and Habits of the People.

The section of country known by the name of The Protected Hill States may be described generally, as comprising the whole of that part of the Himalaya mountains, which is situated between Nepal on the east, and the river Sutlej on the west; and extending from the plains on the south to the borders of Thibet on the north. It is divided into numerous small districts, the principal of which are Busehar, Jubal, Kyuntal, and the rajaships of Balospur and Nahan, also a number of very small states belonging to ranas, (chiefs.) Some of these districts are entirely under British control. The remainder are

subject to ranas, or petty rajahs, and only under the protection of the company, for which they pay an annual tribute.

The Hon. and Rev. Baptist W. Noel also said

rajas and chiefs against having their people numbered, render it a difficult task. Their afforded by the natives very uncertian. The proneness to exaggerate also makes the data population may, however, be estimated at about

four or five hundred thousand.

The lower hills were doubtless peopled by emigrants from the plains, and that at a very early period. All traditions, however, respecting the mother country appear to be lost, and no records refer to it. The first settlers, like the dwellers on the Alps, were likely driven by

persecution or by oppression to the fortresses of the mountains, or they may have preferred a residence in their secure valleys, to the more exposed cities of the plains. The present inhabitants are very similar to their Hindoo brethren in religion, customs, and language. They are generally of a middle stature, well made, and robust. Their skin is smooth and of a lighter color than the people of the plains. Their countenances are mostly agreeable, open, and frank, uniting in their expression mildness and vivacity. Many of the young females might be called beautiful in any country, but when they arrive at years of maturity, they generally lose almost all traces of beauty. This is owing to their having to undergo the labors of the field as well as the drudgery of the house, spinning, weaving, etc. The people of the higher hills are evidently of Tartar extraction. They are short of stature and stout, with broad faces and high cheek bones. Their eyes are black and small, with long pointed corners, and oblique like a pig's. The expression of their countenances is generally disagreeable, and manifests much deceit; but this is not their character: their hair is long and black.

The dress of the inhabitants is one well adapted to the climate. That of the men consists of a kind of frock-coat made of coarse woolen cloth, just the color of the wool, often double, reaching to the knees; a pair of trowsers in the shape of drawers, and a girdle of the same material tied over the waist of the coat. For the feet they have short boots soled with leather. The common head-dress is a ring of black cloth, with a flat top of the same. With the exception of the head-dress, that of the women is much the same as the men's, only of a lighter material usually. Many of them have no other covering for their heads, than their hair, which they wear very long behind, and ornament it with a variety of shells, and smooth, colored stones, from the size of a half dollar to that of a shilling piece. These they wear on a string, sometimes two feet long, and suspended from the crown of the head down the back. Many of the women who labor in the fields leave all parts of the body above the waist perfectly exposed. The children go naked to the age of six or eight years, or even longer. The more respectable men among them, wear shawls made of goat's hair, loosely thrown over their shoulders, and earrings of gold. Their wives and daughters dress much as the respectable females do in the plains.

Bread of wheat or Indian-corn flour, made into thin cakes, and eaten with ghee and vegetables, form the principal food of the hill people. It is only on particular occasions the poor indulge themselves with animal food. Brahmins and all castes eat the flesh of he-goats, white sheep, wild hogs, wild fowls, and fish. The art of cookery has made but little progress among this people. The usual way of preparing a goat or sheep is to roast it whole, over a large fire with the hair, skin, and all the appurtenances until it is eatable. Sometimes the raw meat is cut up fine and prepared with vegetables.

are also of a more cheerful and peaceable disposition, and more courageous-have fewer prejudices, and less craftiness. They are, however, under the influence of a dark and enslav|ing superstition, from the shackles of which they are never for a moment free. Their bewildered imagination peoples every dale, and cave, and grove with genii, and often leads them to suspect each other of secret intercourse with demons. Hence they have frequent recourse to charms, and spells, and enchantments.

Hospitality is practised to a considerable extent; but a reward is always acceptable from a stranger. Lying and theft are likewise less common than on the plains.

The habits of the people of the upper and lower hills differ as much as their personal appearance. The former resemble the Thibetans more in their customs than they do the people of Hindostan; while the latter scarcely differ from their Hindoo brethren. They all usually reside in villages of five houses to two or three hundred. These are regulated both as to size and number by the nature of the surrounding country. If there be much arable land, the villages are large and numerous; if not, they are small and scattered. The villages in the interior of the mountains are much neater than they are on the plains. Many of the houses are two stories high and quite spacious; they are generally built with dressed stones, interlaid with hewn timber to bind them together, instead of mortar. They are for the most part covered with slate, and surrounded by a high piazza. The under story is a stable with all its concomitants, and in the upper a few old filthy mats on a filthy floor, a few old earthen lamps in the interstices of a greased and smoked wall, an old family kukka or vessel for smoking, and a coeval bedstead, together with a few cooking utensils, constitute the whole household furniture. Almost every village has its temple or devtasthan, attended by a number of faquirs or brabmins, who live by the altar. These are built after the fashion of the dwelling-houses, but more costly, and always surmounted by a high steeple and flag. With the exceptions of a few priests and shop-keepers, the mass of the people are farmers. Men, women, and children of various castes and ages, may all be seen laboring together in the same field.

The language of the hill tribes under British protection is chiefly Hindoo, but very much corrupted, so much so that the Hindoos of the plains can scarcely understand it. Their spoken language abounds with gutturals and nasals, and is announced in a mincing and singing tone, which renders it difficult to be understood.

The dialects vary in different districts, as much, if not more, than those of the several parts of England or America.

Religion.

The people of the Hill States are much more industrious than those of the plains. This is probably owing to their invigorating climate, and their greater difficulty in obtaining a livelibood among their rocky and sterile hills. They

the fountains of their religion.

Caste, however, has a much lighter hold on the minds of the people than it has on the plains.

Of a future state of rewards and punishments, or of sins, and holiness, these people seem to have scarcely any conception.

The idea of an immediate interposition of supernatural agents in human affairs possesses an unbounded dominion over their minds: yet, as they assimilate the nature of their presiding divinities to their own depraved practices and passions, this belief has no conservative influence on their conduct. All their prayers and worship at their temples, they say, are for temporal blessings; such as good crops, prosperity in business, children, health, etc. Their past sins, they say, can be pardoned only by bathing in the Ganges, at Hardwar, or other sacred places. The practice of daily ablutions, so strictly observed by the majority of Hindoos, and so necessary for personal cleanliness, is almost entirely neglected by the hill people. Their clothes and persons are, therefore, extremely filthy.

Agriculture and Implements of Husbandry.

The whole surface of the country is very broken and precipitous. Many of the higher hills consist of little else than large masses of rock, apparently thrown together in a confused state by some mighty convulsion of nature, and here and there thinly strowed over by a light gravelly soil, on which a coarse kind of grass in the rainy season is ever seen. A few on their northern sides are covered with verdure, and rich with abundant forest trees. The lower hills often afford good pasturage, and wherever practicable they are covered with terraced patches of cultivation. The valleys are very numerous, and generally fertile; they are, however, much broken by deep ravines, through which flows excellent water. Many of them bear populous villages, amid orchards and neat little plantations. Several of the villages are eight thousand feet above the level of the sea.

The productions of the Protected Hill States are wheat, barley, buckwheat, dal, rice, urd, mas, batu, potatoes, and various kinds of pulse, such as are common on the plains. Also apples, peaches, apricots, grapes, and walnuts. Iron, copper, lead, and rock-salt are likewise found in several places.

inhabited, it is cold even in summer, and braces up a debilitated constitution, equal to that of any other country in the world. By ascending or descending according to his fancy, a person may suit himself with any temperature he wishes, at any season of the year. He may one hour bask in the scorching rays of an Indiao sun, and the next inhale the chilling breezes of her snow-capt mountains.

AMERICAN BAPTIST MISSION TO GREECE.

Baptism of a Greek Child.

WRITING from Corfu, one of the Ionian Islands, under date of September 24th, 1841, Mr. Buell gives the following account of the manner in which infant baptism is there practised by the Greek church, showing how the rites of the christian dispensation are misunderstood and their simplicity lost under a cumbrous weight of superstition and ceremony. Mr. Buell says

A few weeks since Mrs. B. and myself accepted an invitation from our teacher, to be present at the baptism of his child. At five in the afternoon we found the company assembled at bis residence, consisting of an associate professor in the university, and his lady; also Rev. Mr. Lowndes, of the London Missionary Society, and his family; besides relatives, the godfather, god-mother, etc.

When the font or laver, a large brazen vessel, had been set in the middle of the room, and the three lighted tapers, to the picture of the virgin Mary, had been placed on the centretable, it was announced that the ceremony was

about to commence.

The deacon, the god-father, and god-mother, stood, each holding a lighted taper. The company arose, and the priest in his sacred vestments entered and took his station at the font.

A billet of wood about three feet long and six inches broad at one end, and pointed with iron at the other, with but one handle attached to it, and drawn by small oxen, is a substitute for a plough. A piece of timber, four or five feet long, and six or eight inches square, dragged horizontally over the ground, serves for a harrow. For digging around rocks, and in places inaccessible to oxen, they have a small hoe, but little larger than a man's finger. This is a specimen of all their implements for agriculture. They are all of the rudest and most trifling description. The little patches of cultivation on the side of the hills are all terraced, and rise one above another like the seats of an amphitheatre. They are usually irrigated by conveying water along small canals from some fountain or rivulet, and discharging it on the fields below, as they require it.

The climate of the Hill States is for the most part delightful. On the lower ranges it is cool in summer, and agreeably cold in the winter..

been suffered to grow ever since he was inducted into the priestly office.

The child was now brought in the arms of the nurse. The priest breathed three times in its face, and sealed it by making the sign of the cross upon its forehead and breast; then facing the east, he read four or five introductory prayers, three of which were for the exorcism of the evil spirits. They close as follows: "Expel from this child every evil and unclean spirit, concealed and nestled in his heart; the spirit of deceit, of malice, of idolatry, and covetousness; the spirit of falsehood, and of all impurity, which worketh according to the teachings of the devil; and make him a sheep of thy holy Shepherd, Jesus Christ; and a worthy member of thy church-a son and heir of thy kingdom; that, living according to thy commandments, and preserving the seal inviolate, and keeping his garments unspotted, he may attain to the blessedness of the saints in thy kingdom; through the grace, mercy, and loving-kindness of thy only begotten Son; to whom with Thee, and the infinitely holy, blessed, and life-giving