determined that another sabbath should not pass by without my commending it to the attention of my friends. I accordingly brought the claims of your magazine yesterday before my congregation, and felt no small gratification in pleading the cause of the widow and the fatherless. Hitherto, one individual, beside myself, have been the only persons who have taken in your magazine in this town, but I have much pleasure in informing you that, after the morning service, other friends came and requested me to order copies for them. And among the rest, an interesting little lad (one of my bible class), whose compassionate heart began to feel on behalf of the destitute, and who, out of the supplies kindly granted him by a beloved father, is determined to appropriate sixpence per month, and to become a subscriber. Another kind note I have re ceived from a gentleman this morning, in which he requests his name to be added to the list, and I sincerely hope that my appeal will be the means of obtaining at least ten additional friends. Our church is chiefly composed of those who move in humble life, but I expect that parties of three or four each will unite, and thus kindly yield their assistance also. I trust that our ministers throughout the kingdom will enlist the sympathies of the churches and congregations on behalf of our valuable miscellany, and that ere long your Editorial Postscript will announce more gratifying tidings. Praying that God may abundantly bless you in your labours of love, I am, my dear sir, Affectionately yours, Redruth, August 12, 1844. P. S. Since I commenced this note I have received another order from one of our deacons, requesting the whole of the numbers from January last. EDITORIAL POSTSCRIPT. The announcement in our last that the sale of the magazine, in this year of unprecedented competition, is not quite equal to the number attained twelve months ago, has brought some kind communications, two of which have been inserted. Our friend who suggests the desirableness of an address to pastors, urging them to recommend it to their flocks, is not aware, perhaps, that but a short time has elapsed since a circular on the subject was forwarded to them by post. Mr. Spasshatt has shown, however, that it is not necessary to wait for any such exhortation; and has set an example, which, if it were generally followed with equal promptitude and success, would enable the proprietors very speedily to cheer the hearts of many widows, by augmenting the amount to each recipient, as well as by adding to the number on their list. Many of our readers doubtless remember a letter that appeared in the magazine for April, written by Mr. Underhill of Avening House, Gloucestershire, proposing the republication of the works of eminent English baptists of earlier days. The suggestion was thought to be a good one by some influential members of our denomination; and two or three weeks ago a meeting was held at the mission house, at which several ministers from different parts of the country were present, to confer with Mr. Underhill on the subject. The result was the formation of a provisional committee, to consider the practicability of the project, and mature a plan to be laid before a larger meeting. It will not be long, we trust, before we shall have to present to our friends something definite and official. Many works are extant, though scarce, written by baptists of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, not on the ordinance of baptism alone, but on other doctrinal and practical subjects, the republication of which would be advantageboth to the churches and to the rising generation. ous, The conductors of the Baptist Theological Education Society having determined to commence operations by placing three students with different ministers, it may be advantageous to some young men to be informed that the selection of candidates is not yet made, and that applications, with suitable testimonials, forwarded to either of the secretaries within two or three weeks, will be in time to receive the consideration of the committee. Our friend, Dr. Carson, experienced a few days ago a painful and dangerous accident from a fall, when about to embark in a steamer from Liverpool, where he had been advocating the claims of the baptist mission. After his shoulder, which had been dislocated, had been replaced, he set out for home, but was unable to proceed further than Belfast. An alarming illness then came on; and though he was somewhat better at the date of our information, his recovery was still doubtful. May it please him who has all events at his disposal, speedily to restore his servant to health and activity! We learn, with regret, that Mr. Ward of Paternoster Row died, after a short illness, on the evening of August the 24th. He was a member, we believe, of the baptist church at Clapham. Mr. Ward was an enterprising tradesman, and the public are indebted to him for rendering accessible to them, on moderate terms, many valuable republications of English and American theology, both in detached forms, and in the Library of Standard Divinity which bore his name. ASIA. CEYLON. DEATH OF MR. DANIEL. Our readers have long been aware that the health of our revered friend who has laboured for some time past in the place of worship a view of which is given on the preceding page, has been exceedingly infirm, and that there were indications that his active service as a missionary was drawing to a close. His decease took lace on Lord's day, June 2nd; and the following account of the event is given in a letter written two days afterwards by Mr. Dawson:— the funeral sermon on Sunday next, which with divine assistance I intend to do. As the overland mail is just going off I must hastily conclude; but I may just observe, that while the spirit of our dear and venerated brother was ascending to the skies, I was engaged in a baptismal service on the Pallikellee estate, receiving three persons (the first-fruits of the plantation mission) into communion with the Christian church. You will easily believe that we are thrown into a state of great perplexity by this afflictive dispensation. The plan which at present seems most practicable to pursue is for me to remain at Colombo till Mr. Davies's arrival, Mr. McCarthy taking charge of Kandy station, and one of the students Kornegalle. I have, with Dr. Elliott, been looking over some of dear Mr. Daniel's papers, and find the mission accounts all squared up, so that not much difficulty will arise about them. The mournful tidings that it is my painful duty to communicate will, I am sure, fill your heart with sorrow. Our beloved brother Daniel has closed his life of toil, and entered into his heavenly rest. His illness was short -his sufferings were not severe-his death was peaceful and happy-and, I need not say, his reward is great. I regret exceedingly that I was not informed of his danger in time to see him during the short illness that terminated in his death. Letters from Dr. Elliott and Lieut. Maberly reached me on Saturday evening last, informing me of his precarious state, and on Monday evening, when I arrived at Colombo, I found him in his coffin. He was taken unwell on Sunday evening, the 26th of May, while preaching in the Pettah chapel. Sir Anthony Oliphant, with his accustomed kindness, had him removed to his own house, where he and Lady Oliphant continued unremittingly to supply his wants till death removed him from their care. Our departed brother was sensible up to was not until the Thursday preceding his Saturday at noon, when he sunk into a torpor decease that his symptoms were considered from which he never recovered. Pray much dangerous, and even on Saturday it was con- for me and for the mission here. Unless the fidently hoped that his life would yet be Lord assist me I shall find the duties of the spared. The affection of his stomach and mission-including English preaching twice bowels, however, superinduced dysentery, every Lord's day and the superintendency of and on Sunday morning at ten o'clock his the academy-more than I can perform. spirit joined "the spirits of the just made Just previous to his becoming insensible he perfect." He was buried yesterday, at six dictated a letter to his daughters, which Lady P. M. (his body having been embalmed that it Oliphant has sent. I have also written to might keep so long), under the pulpit in the Mrs. Tranter. I must not conclude withPettah chapel, where he had so long and out begging earnestly for the sake of the energetically preached; the various ministers cause of Christ here, that another missionary in Colombo, and an immense assemblage, may immediately be sent out to supply Mr. having followed his remains. The same grave Daniel's place, that Mr. Davies (who must contains the relics of our late devoted preacher remain for a season at Colombo) may as soon Hendrick Siers. I am requested to preach as possible proceed to Kandy. It Mr. Daniel arrived in the island in August, 1830, and his labours there have been unremitting and successful. The committee, on the receipt of the afflictive intelligence, passed unanimously the following resolutions : That in placing upon the minutes a record of the decease of the Rev. E. Daniel, the committee desire to express their sense of the self-denial and earnest zeal with which for fourteen years he devoted himself to the work of God amongst the heathen, and the persevering and unwearied toil with which he pursued it till his life and labours were almost simultaneously terminated by his lamented death. They deeply feel the loss inflicted by this event on the Christian community in Ceylon, and especially on our own mission in that island, and submitting with humility to the dispensation of divine providence, they offer their condolence and sympathy to his bereaved family and the church of which he was pastor. That the committee are affected with the most lively gratitude at the information communicated to them of the kind and assiduous attentions paid to their late lamented missionary by the Hon. Sir Anthony Oliphant, Chief Justice of Ceylon, and Lady Oliphant; and under a deep sense of obligation for their Christian sympathy, offer to them their sincere and respectful acknowledgments. CALCUTTA. We extract from the May number of the Calcutta Missionary Herald-a publication issued by our brethren monthly-the following paragraphs of a letter written by one of their correspondents : About the month of February, some persons who had been excluded from our native churches for sinful conduct, joined the papists who had not long before settled in Intally. One of them was subsequently sent to Dacca, and another to Chittagong, where we doubt not they will endeavour to do mischief. We would caution our brethren in the mufassal stations against trusting any native Christian, professing to come from Calcutta, who is not provided with a testimonial of church-membership or a letter of dismission. In one of the villages near Narsingdarchoke, about half a dozen members of the church, with their nearest relatives, have gone over to the papists; and we doubt not that the adherents of Rome will spare neither money nor labour to sow their pernicious tares in the wide field of evangelization, which has so long been occupied by protestants in the district south of Calcutta. They have published and circulated there, to some extent, a pam phlet entitled, The Bengali Catholic Manual, which contains a full account of the leading principles of popery. In fact it is to be expected that the papal antichrist will shortly bring his energies to bear not only upon the native Christians connected with protestant missions, but also upon the heathen population of Bengal. We would earnestly recommend to our brethren, to make this matter a subject of special prayer, and to redouble their efforts in spreading the word of God, that sword of the Spirit, before which neither the devil nor his emissaries can stand. Though not exactly coming within the object of the Herald, we may just mention that, if the common report be correct, nearly one hundred Christians in the south, connected with the Propagation Society, have gone over to the papists, and that a number of others have expressed a willingness to follow their example. JESSORE. Mr. Parry, writing to the editor of the Calcutta Missionary Herald, communicates the following painful intelligence: I am at present under deep distress of mind took in farm a few years ago, purposely to on account of the sufferings of my poor dear people. A wicked Talukdar, I regret to say, has plundered several of our converts, who have thus been deprived of all their rice and cattle, besides ready money and household articles. Thirty poor creatures are placed in the most destitute condition, being driven from house and home, and obliged to take shelter in a native Christian village which I protect my poor people from the oppression and exactions of the heathen landholders. The calamity which has befallen the individuals in question is most grievous. They have nothing to subsist upon, and being deprived of their cattle, they are utterly unable to carry on their agricultural labours at this critical time, when the lands require to be ploughed. If speedy relief is not rendered them, they will have no means of subsistence any Ráyat to embrace Christianity, he sumat a future period. I have represented the mons him and prohibits him from reading our case to the magistrate, who has paid every books, going to worship, and observing the attention to the complaint, but I am very sabbath, and compels him to sign a penalty apprehensive of the result, owing to the host bond that in case he should be found in future of false witnesses the landholder is capable of doing so, he must forfeit 20 or 30 rupees. producing in his defence; several poor Chris- The petty annoyances which Christians meet tians have been tied up like felons and cruelly from their heathen neighbours are of little beaten and confined by the orders of the consequence, but the conduct of the ZaminTálukdár. I shall feel much obliged to you dárs is a formidable evil; and if it is not to moot at your next breakfast meeting, the restrained, it is to be feared that our incessant propriety of all the missionaries in the country labours and exertions for the good of souls memorializing government to pass an enact- and the glory of God, are likely to be frusment for the protection of native Christians trated. Something must be done. The evils against the persecution of the landholders, I have alluded to have been allowed to prewho in various ways offer great obstacles to vail too long to the detriment of missionary the spread of Christianity. The late case of labours. Christianity is spreading more at persecution at Dháká is one in point. The present than it did some years ago, and I murder of a native Christian in Krishnanagar is another; and the case of my poor Christians is a third. Besides, whenever a Zamindar finds any disposition on the part of think it is high time that we bestir ourselves under the counsel and direction of God to adopt measures which are calculated for the promotion of the glory of our blessed Redeemer. AFRICA. FERNANDO PO. Mr. Clarke, writing from Clarence, April 24th, after acknowledging letters which had recently come to hand, adverts thus to their contents:— These contain intelligence pleasing and painful. It is soul-cheering to hear of the prayers offered for us; encouraging to see the feeling in reference to another steamer; strengthening to know that Dr. Newbegin, brethren Thompson and Milbourne, and Martha Vitor are to join us in Africa; and enlivening amidst the gloom by which we are surrounded to find that Ethiopia runs to stretch out her hands to God. It is distressing to find that the vessel expected to carry us to so many destitute parts, cannot come to us at all; that our brethren are either confined to Clarence, or exposing their lives in small canoes, in the rainy and tornado season, to go to distant parts of this island; and that those who go to the continent must beg a passage thither, and be guided in their movements by those of the trading vessel that carries them. But all is well, and ordered by him who is excellent in counsel and wonderful in working. He proceeds to give a general view of the engagements of our friends at the station, from which the following paragraphs are selected. Brother Merrick is now wandering on the Bimbian mountains. I send you an interesting letter of his to me, with his intended route. I am burning with desire to be with him, but shut up here by numerous necessary duties. A house is building anew for Mr. Merrick; a frame house is being put up for Mr. Norman. The chapel, and a house for Mr. Sturgeon, is to be begun. A frame house has gone down to Bassualla, and another we mean to send to old Bassakatta; one has gone to Bassipu, and mine I think of giving up, to be put together here, for some of our friends who are destitute. Were the place of public meeting removed, I could have two, or more, rooms taken off from the large hall, as rooms for the accommodation of single persons; but the chapel will not be ready for a year to come. It is difficult to get workmen, and when you do get them sickness, or a trip to buy yams from the natives, is constantly losing you a week or two. I was about to go to Bassipu to-day, but a fearful tornado came on, which made this old |