Road, and other places, and many have been hurried into eternity. It is now in Sandy-Point, and our deaths, in this town and neighbourhood, are from eight to twelve daily. I endeavoured to prepare our congregations for this fearful visitant, by urging them to secure suitable medicines in their houses, and instructing them in their proper use, according to the suggestions of the Board of Health; and, in many cases, the happiest results have followed. Taking the disease in its earliest stages, and applying vigorous remedies, great numbers of our people have been recovered, ere it ran into its second or third stage. But too many around us have taken no warning, and have been swept away into eternity, after a few hours' illness. God has blessed this visitation of His rod. Many thoughtless, hardened sinners have been awakened, and our houses of prayer are crowded. I published, on Sunday, the banns of forty couples, most of whom have been long living in disgraceful immorality. They are now "ashamed and confounded," and anxious to flee from the wrath to come. My dear brethren in the ministry have been diligently labouring, in every way, to save the bodies and souls of the people. Mr. Waymouth, in Basseterre, from his medical knowledge, has been accepted as a Probationer by the Board of Health, and his efforts are successful in saving many. I cannot give you exact statistics of our mortality; but, from all that I can learn, the total number cannot be much less than one thousand to this date. My mind is kept in perfect peace, stayed upon God. I am incessantly employed in preparing and dispensing medicines to the poor and others, who could not otherwise procure them. The American spice-mixture has been of essential service. Excuse this hurried scrawl. I am obliged to write it by the aid of my lamp, before the break of day. JAMAICA. Extract of a Letter from the Rev. Edward Fraser, dated Duncan's, September 11th, 1854. GREAT NEED OF MISSIONARIES. I HAVE just returned from a visit to the St. Ann's Bay Station, recently bereaved of its Missionary, the late Rev. David Kerr, deceased. So much has the number of your Missionaries in this District been reduced, that not a Circuit retains a staff of more than one, except Kingston; and the supply for that place is short of the number which it fully employed for many years, and still requires. In some cases whole Circuits have been thrown together, in order that one Missionary might serve their united demands. And, therefore, it was impossible to supply the place of Mr. Kerr, and give a Minister to St. Ann's Bay Circuit, which in itself comprises three distinct Stations. All that the General Superintendent could do was to assign the direction of its work to the nearest Superintendent, the Rev. W. Hodgson, who had, previously, the large Circuit of Beechamville upon his hands, and to request the yielding of occasional service from each of several distant Stations. It was under this arrangement that I came in for this appointment to St. Ann's Bay. That week was the season for several Auxiliary Missionary Anni versaries in and about the neighbourhood; which, I am happy to say, were all well attended, and sustained by improved liberalities. But what a forlorn and disconsolate aspect meets the eye around this St. Ann's Bay Circuit, whether one goes near the Missionhouse, where is the afflicted family, or among the people of the Societies! "We thank you for coming to serve us!" "When do you think we shall get a stated ministry?" "Who will come and be our Pastor in the place of Father Kerr ? " Such are among the anxious queries that meet the ear, and 1 must add, that affect the heart; for they are uttered by distress, and cannot as yet be answered by promise. As this case has, in addition to its own interests, a relationship to those of our general Mission in this island, I may venture to add a word to what has no doubt been said to the Committee about it by others. The ranks of our Missionaries, thinned by removal to England and to heaven, have remained unfilled up for so long a time, that our hope of a supply from the Committee has lost its full assurance; and we pause between the recollections of two past years and an 28 WEST INDIES.BAHAMAS. unwillingness to admit the thought of But Feb., sition that their beneficence has ceased to be appropriate in a quarter where its exercise has hitherto been marked by the deepest, the broadest, and most unquestionable sanction of God. And let it not be said that, because other Missionaries have fallen, there is no man willing to stand in the breach. It is true that we have had destructive visitations of late, and life has been lost by epidemic. But these, we have reason to hope, will prove to be occasional, and not periodical. Jamaica has great variety of climate, and perhaps the distress caused by the death of fellow-helpers will induce a greater caution in selecting places for the acclimating of those who may newly arrive. It might be felt, too, a favourable prestige for men to come in place of such as the late Messrs. Atkins and Kerr, who both lived and laboured long and usefully in this country. We speak of "losing life," but it is the language of this world's nonage. Life in such cases is laid out to the best advantage, having been put at the disposal of the everblessed One, who alone knew what would be its happiest issues. BAHAMAS. Extract of a Letter from the Rev. James T. Hartwell, dated Harbour Island, October 26th, 1854. ON the 14th of June we laid the first stone of a new chapel at Spanish Wells, in presence of nearly the whole of the population of the island. Since that date the work has rapidly progressed, and the walls are now nearly finished. The male inhabitants of the place, as well white as black, have taken their turns to burn lime, get stone, and work as serving masons, altogether gratuitously. From this statement must, of course, be excepted the few professed followers of the Established Church. The amount realized by the bazaar at Harbour Island is £67. 9s. 1d. We have also on foot a special subscription for the repairs of the Mission-house; so that it is hoped a considerable part of the bazaar-fund will be applied to the liquidation of the chapel-debt. The Mission-house has at length become a comfortable residence, and will soon be quite finished; and I hope, before the conclusion of the year, properly furnished. I confess I look upon the spiritual condition of the Societies, as a whole, with any thing but complacency. The new members stand firm, but amongst the elder ones the pruning-knife has been used pretty freely; and I rather fear that our annually-rendered statement will show a small decrease in members. Still, even this is one of the necessary stages in the way to prosperity. I have lately opened a house for preaching at the eastern extremity of this settlement, in order to afford a better opportunity to the aged of hearing the word of God. And I am not without hope, that it may also be useful as a means of training Local Preachers, as we have a few promising young men. It is also contemplated to establish a branch Sunday-school in the same locality. All expenses, of course, to be locally defrayed. I am happy to say, that the unchristian prejudice of caste is very rapidly diminishing among us, and the kindest feeling seems to exist between the two classes of which our congregations and Societies are composed. We have had very stormy weather this autumn, and a vessel from this place was lost a short time ago, the Captain of which was one of our recent converts. We had hope in his end, The impression will, I trust, prove favourable to our people. On Sunday morning last a large ship was discovered wrecked in the vicinity of this island. All hands were saved before our boat reached the place. But I was very sorry to witness a very unnecessary amount of Sabbath desecration. I felt it my duty to bear testimony against it, which will not, I hope, be without effect upon the people. Limited as is the sphere of your Missionaries in these islands, the importance of their work is not, I begin to perceive, to be undervalued; for were it not that the minds of these wreckers were somewhat under the influence of religion, they would probably soon become monsters of crime, and the islands themselves dens of iniquity. I beg an interest in your prayers. HAYTI. Extract of a Letter from the Rev. Mark B. Bird, dated Port au Prince, SINCE my last, Mrs. Bird has been called to pass through deep personal suffering; and she is still in a state of great general debility. In addition to this, our youngest son, George Albert, after some four months' suffering, at last sunk under the weight of many sorrows. He died on the 31st of last month, at the age of near seventeen months. Thus it has pleased our heavenly Father to afflict us; but we know it is the Lord, and though He slay us, yet will we trust in Him. Our great work in Hayti is, upon the whole, encouraging. At the Cape we may consider, with gratitude to God, that success has attended the labours of Mr. Eldin; several there having been added to the church during this year, and the prospects being still in every way cheering. At the other Stations, although nothing very remarkable can be said, yet we are by no means losing ground. At Port au Prince, the whole year seems to have been crowded with painful and distressing trials of various sorts; but I am happy to say, that the shocks which the great cause of truth has received, have served to show, singularly, the soundness of its basis and stamina; for, after all the clouds and storms that have passed over us, our prospects are still encouraging, and we are even beginning to look up. It is true, the name of Christ, and that of Protestantism, have been grievously dishonoured by some who professed to walk with us at the beginning of this year; but their expulsion has shown to the world, that vice, once discovered amongst us, is soon confounded and expelled. This is, indeed, a painful and humiliating means of maintaining the honour and sanctity of so great and good a cause; but, nevertheless, the community in which we live in this country must be struck with the fact, that, while in one church iniquity remains, although doubtless disapproved, in the other it is not only disapproved, but absolutely rooted out. With regard to our school at the capital, notwithstanding its very existence was threatened by the wickedness and immorality of some on whom we had relied principally, yet all has stood fast; and we are now urging our way, with prospects and hopes, most certainly more cheering and more encouraging than ever, in all respects. In a financial point of view, notwithstanding a frowning debt at the beginning of the year of upwards of 32,000 dollars currency, I am happy and thankful to say that but comparatively little of it will be left standing after the present month, and the buildings and land, which are the fruit of our toils, will be no small acquisition to our Mission property in this city. The boarding-school, I am thankful to say, has kept up amidst the storm through which it has passed, and we are not without reason to hope that other children from other parts may come in next year. Our primary day-school has greatly diminished, in consequence of the increased subscriptions which we have been inevitably necessitated to demand from the children. Our superior day-school has prosper. ed; notwithstanding, in this department, we are in contact with that part of the community which, in consequence of its superior intelligence, must be supposed to be attached to the Church of Rome, more or less from conviction, and, consequently, must be more or less unfavourable to an establishment so essentially Protestant. Still it is here where our prosperity in education begins to appear; and we see no reason, as yet, to suppose that it will not continue and increase. Our yearly appeal to the public of 30 PROCEEDINGS OF OTHER SOCIETIES. Port au Prince is now being made, and I am happy to say, that the subscriptions are greater than ever; yet, notwithstanding the individual sums are greater than last year, yet several have pleaded that they belong to a different Church, and therefore have declined subscribing. It was the foresight of such an event that has led to the change that has been made in the raising of the funds for the support of this establish Feb., ment, and which, I am happy to say, is likely to succeed. In fact, I cannot doubt but that Providence has mercifully directed us in this important branch of our work; so that we are confidently hoping, before very long, we shall be able to get a Master from Europe for our Institution, who shall be wholly devoted to the great and truly important work of education. PROCEEDINGS OF OTHER SOCIETIES. FROM the publications of the British and Foreign Bible Society we take the following most interesting detail of Missionary labour and Bible distribution in India. From the Journal of the Rev. R. Bion, during a Journey through the east of Mymensing Zillah. FROM here the country is new to me, and also a stranger to the Gospel, for no Missionary has passed this way. Marnadi or Chunandee is a bazaar where we preached, and reasoned with about fifty Hindus, chiefly Mahajans and Brahmins. They were all ear to listen, and really wondered at the gracious words of our Saviour. We gave them books and tracts, and committed them in prayer to the Lord's care. About two o'clock we put to at Batcherowpur; there being a market, we remained. From three o'clock till night, we were engaged in preaching the Gospel to hundreds of Hindus and Mussulmans; they listened with surprising attention. village. This morning we entered a small creek, which leads to the interior of this country, and providentially this creek did not have water until the very day we arrived at its mouth. All is covered with huts; and the country being rather high, is inhabited by a wealthy class of Hindus and Mussulmans. Here is work for a Missionary! May the Lord warm our hearts and strengthen our hands! A little further onward we put to at Cassergunj, a very large bazaar and place; here also we preached for some hours. There was no market, yet in half-an-hour a crowd of at least three hundred respectable people, and many Brahmins, assembled and listened a long time. No dispute, no opposition of any kind; but many seemed to be struck to the heart. One man tried to disturb us; but he was instantly silenced by an impatient shout from the people. I felt almost overpowered, and had to check my happy feelings during my address. I distributed a good many tracts and Scriptures, and promised here and at the former place to come soon again. A blind man stood for a long time near me, begging very earnestly for a book. I told him he could not see, hence the book would be of no use to him. Upon this he said, "O, Sahib! I heard your words; do not refuse me a book of this Jesus Christ! I am blind, it is true, but" (now he began to weep) "I have a brother at home, who will read it to me." Upon this I gave him one into his hands; his face beamed with joy, and he went his way. From this place we went on all through immense jungle, but inhabited. In the evening we stopped near Gooroo-Charan. There was no bazaar; we stood before some huts, and sung a hymn. In less than five minutes, we had at least a hundred and fifty men, women, and children. We explained to them the way of salvation in as simple a way as possible. All listened, and many appeared touched to the heart. Rain drove us sooner into our boats than we wished. In the midst of the torrents of rain, many came running for books, I could not refuse them; their entreaties were of a peculiar kind. For every tract they received they were thankful, and rejoicing, wrapped it carefully in their cloth, and then went home. This day was an exciting and exhausting, but very happy and blessed, one. Had I only more books! This country seems to be white unto harvest! But, O, where are the labourers? August 3d.-Passed some wide jheels, all like a sea to behold. Towards noon we put to at Cherang-bazar, or Raypur, where we stopped to-day. There were thousands of people collected at the Hât, for the sake of which we went half a day westward, and have to return the same way to meet our route. From twelve to two o'clock we were preaching in the sun to hundreds of Mussulmans and Hindus. I was obliged to go out of the bazaar to a meadow, on account of the hundreds of hearers. I stood on a Morah, and never witnessed such an eagerness to hear; nor do I say too much when I assert, that the crowd consisted of between six hundred and seven hundred people, thickly pressed together, listening all the while with perfect silence. It reminded me more of a Mission anniversary than a Hât; at least I felt as happy as at home on the anniversaries. The fight, cry, and entreaty for books, were here beyond all our wishes. We distributed many, but so much the more people came running to our boats. I stopped distribution, and removed the boat further onward. This was, however, no remedy; hundreds came running after me, and till night there was one continued cry for books. About six copies of the New Testament I gave to Brahmins. Three Brahmins, from a distant village, stood a long while before my boat; at last I asked them what they wanted. They, in a trembling tone, said, “O Sahib, if your kindness will give us three only one book, we will be most happy, and read it together." I gave them a New Testament and some tracts. They were so glad, and expressed their regret that they could not remain and hear more about our Saviour; they went their way rejoicing. The same I could say of many more; but it would be tedious to write all. I asked almost every one from which village he came, and by this means I ascertained that, from twenty to thirty different villages, people took the Gospel to their homes. A comforting sight! In the evening it was a singular scene to see dozens of dingis passing near us, and in almost every one a Hindu or a Mussulman had a Gospel or a tract in his hands, one reading, another singing, and others listening to the contents of it. Even at nine o'clock at night a dingi with people came, who begged hard for a book. This was a hot, toilsome, but very blessed day; and I could wish some from other quarters could have witnessed all we had heard and seen! O Lord, arise and conquer ! 7th. Sabbath-day. We halted for the day. We spent some hours in the morning in the bazaar, and gladly accepted the offer of a Mahajan to sit in his house for there was no possibility to stand or to walk in the bazaar on account of mud and water all over the place. Still at least two hundred people of all ranks crowded gradually around us; they had never heard anything of our Saviour, and paid a most serious attention. We distributed many tracts and books. Many came in dingis over the river, (where our boats were,) hearing and inquiring after the truth, and begged hard for books. In the evening we went again to another part of the bazaar, and had again some hundreds of Hindus and Mussulmans. They all heard with profound silence, and were evidently impressed with the truth. It struck us all the way up, that the Mussulmans are peculiarly humble, and friendly, in religious subjects; and we felt it the more so, as many respectable followers of the false Prophet came in different places to our boat, and listened with untiring interest to us. HOME PROCEEDINGS. JUVENILE SOCIETIES YORK. It is plain that the lead which the York Juvenile Missionary Society has long taken is due chiefly to the systematic working of the simple |