Clear. By a similar telescope, the natural, full of evidence and pathos; author gives many views, which juve- just as wisdom from above should be, nile readers may partake with plea- pure, peaceable, mild, full of mercy and sure and profit. good fruits; sown in peace to make peace.”- -IN THE PRESS, No. 8, is an instructive tale, calculated to recommend the observation of the Sabbath, &c. The "Voyage of an Old Seaman," - No. 9. will especially interest.persons fond of maritime affairs, and adds much serious instruction to many hints of general information. The Teacher's" Letter, No. 10, is full of good advice; and to make it also entertaining, a pleasing narrative is added from our Mag. for 1804. The title of No. 11, Piety and Perverseness, explains itself, as containing the contrast of opposite tempers and characters, which may be both useful and entertaining to young per sons. "Piety and Poverty," No. 12, is said to be a true story," and is an excellent tract for circulation among poor parents and their children. Wilks's Essay on Conversion, &c. Sermons on important Subjects, by the Rev. Ch. Coleman, A.M. M.R. I.A. lately Curate of Grange, Armagh. Narratives of the Lives of the most eminent Fathers of the three first Cen turies, by the Rev. Robt. Cox, A. M. perpetual Curate of Bridgnorth. Victims of Pleasure, by the Author of the Legend of Stutchbury. The Prophetic Expositor, extracted from Bp. Newton, by Mrs. Wilman, Author of Eliza's Letters. 18mo. On the 1st of Jan. next are intended to be published, Spiritual Gleanings, or Select Essays, with Scripture Mottos. By Mary Grafton. 2d edit. with additions, in 2 vols. 8vo. SELECT LIST. Scripture Genealogy from Adam to No. 13, exhibits the power of divine Christ, exhibiting, in a Series of 36 engraved Tables, a distinct View of the grace in the experience of J. W. a Nation, Tribe, Family, Lineal Descent, child who died at eight years old, as and posterity of every Person mentioned contained in a letter from his mother in the Bible, so far as they can be to the late Rev. Rob. Walker, of Edinburgh. No. 14, contains the account o forming a Bible Association, with some instructive dialogues on the subject. No. 15, is a pious address to children, in simple and familiar language; to which are added, a few hymns, which we suppose to be original, and are above contempt. No. 16. "The Brothers," is adapted to point out the dreadful consequences of vicious and imprudent habits among the poor; and therefore, though it does not go so far as the above in the introduction of evangelical truth, we think it a very useful tract for the benevolent to distribute among the poor in these distressing times. LITERARY NOTICES. A constant Reader enquires whether the Sermons of Gabriel Dumont have ever been translated into the English language? and if not, whether it is not desirable that some competent person should undertake their translation. Robinson, the translator of Saurin, thus speaks of them :-" After his decease, Mr. Superville published one volume of his sermons, the most plain, artless, and difying that ever I had the happiness of reading: placid, ingenious, gentle, and traced; with Chronological Dates, &c. on the Authority of Usher and Blair; together with a copious Introduction, an Historical Description of each Plate, and a complete Index. Royal 4to. £2. 12s. 6d. The Hearer's Memorial: the Substance of several Evangelical Sermons, by the Rev. J. Price, Minister of St. Paul's Church, Blackburn. 8vo. Sixteenth Annual Publication of the Church Missionary Society, containing a Sermon by Rev. D. Corrie, LL.B. and the Reports, &c. 2s. 6d. Memoirs of the late Rev. S. Bradburn, with his Diary, and a Selection from his MSS. By E. W. Bradburn. 12mo. 58. 6d. Memorial Sketches of late Rev. D. Brown, of Madras. 8vo. 12s. The important Question between Baptists and Pædobaptists, Are Infants included in our Lord's Commission, or are they not?' examined; an Essay, &c. by W. Miller, Chesham. 8vo. 25. The Hidden Life of a Christian exemplified, in the Diary, &c. of a young Man. By T. Gibbons, D. D. New edit. by W. B. Crathern. 12mo. 3s. Essay on the Formation and Management of Sunday Schools, with Hints to Teachers, Plan of a Library, &c. New ed. The Juvenile Bible, or Concordance in verse. 1s. The Efficacy of the Gospel exempli. fied, in the Conversion and Death of Ch Whitfield a Disciple of Veltaire. ed. MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE, Omitted in last Chronicle. MISSIONARY ROOMS, No. 8, OLD JEWRY, MISSIONARY CHRONICLE. IN consequence of Letters received from various parts of the Country, stating that sending the Missionary Chronicle by post, is unnecessary, when the Monthly Prayer Meeting falls after the 2d day of the month; it is proposed, in future, to send it only to those places at which the Evangelical Magazine cannot be received in time for the Missionary Prayer Meeting. But if any Ministers who promote, or are desirous of promoting, Subscriptions or Collections for this Society, do not procure the Magazine, and are desirous to receive the Chronicle, it will be sent to them, upon application to the Assistant Secretary, No. 8, Old Jewry, London. Quarterly Publication. It is also proposed, in addition to the Chronicle, to publish a Number of the Missionary Transactions quarterly, to contain half the former quantity, and that it be sent, gratuitously, to every Collector of an Auxiliary Society, Association, &c. who obtains Contributions to the Missionary Society, to the amount of One Shilling per Week. It is requested that the Secretary of every Auxiliary Society, &c. will send up an account of the number of Collectors who will be entitled to the Quarterly Publication, stating the means by which it may be forwarded, with the least expence. As the Numbers will be published on the first day of the month, they may be sent into the country with Magazines and other Monthly Publications in the Booksellers' parcels, permission being first obtained by our Correspondents for that purpose. The First Number of the Quarterly Transactions will be published on the 1st of January, 1817, and the subsequent Numbers on the first days of the months of April, July, and October. INDIA. HORRID CRUELTY committed by a May 1. DYAAVANA, a friend of Anundraya and head man of the village, came hither (to Vizagapatam), and brought an account of a priest who lately arrived at his village from Bellary, and who had undertaken to attend upon the idol of the place. He had the privilege of daily going round the village, levying contributions on the inhabitants for his support. One housekeeper, however, who had been in the habit of giving him a dubb per day, at length refused him; and though the priest insisted upon the dole, he continued in. flexible. The priest then threatened, that unless he received his allowance, he would eut out his own tongue, and the housekeeper would have to answer for it, by giving him so great a provocation. The priest taking out his knife and whetting it, preceeded so far as actually to cut off the tip of his tongue. He bled profusely, and his tongue swelled prodigiously. His sufferings, however, only rendered him more desperate; and he intimated his resolu tion not to leave the door of the house (sitting dhurna, asit is called)* till he should * The following account of the Dhurna and the Tragga, is copied from "The Abolition of Female Infanticide in Guzerat," lately published by the Rev Mr. Cormack. Pr. 10s. 6d. "The Dhurna is instituted to exact a debt, to enforce an obligation, or to obtain justice, when it is withheld. This is called sitting in Dhurna, because the person who has recourse to it seats himself in the presence of the person against whom he wishes to make good his claim, The Dhurna or as near him as he can. is more or less rigorous according to circumstances;--if the person establishing. the Dhurna becomes the victim of absti nence, the guilt of his death is trans obtain a sum sufficient to make a feast for his god. The housekeeper, however, was not to be intimidated. The priest, his wife, and four sons kept their post at the door; but, after a day or two, the woman was bitten in the night by a ser pent, and in the morning expired. This event induced the priest to increase his demand, which he now made on the whole village, which had stood aloof in the affair. Besides the personal injury he had sustained, he had lost his wife, while standing up for the rights of his sacred order and the honour of his god; he therefore demanded money for the expences of the funeral, and for a feast to placate the deity, offended by this impiety; and till this should be done, he determined to keep his station, and to ferred to him whose refusal has been the cause of it. 66 Analogous to Dhurna is what is called Tragga, but still more cruel in its nature. Among the more uncivilized tribes, the securities for almost every en gagement are by an order of men called Bhats (who are poets, panegyrists, and chronologers). Upon the failure of every application for redress, they proceed to wound themselves; and if this fail to produce the desired effect, they have recourse to the last extremity, and die by their own hand. The death of the suicide is laid to the charge of the person who caused the complaint. "Colonel Walker mentions an instance of this kind at Mallia, where a Bhat had become security on the part of the Rajah. When the time for payment arrived, the Rajah refused to fulfil his engagement. Having had recourse in vain to every expedient, he resolved to put one of his own children to death. He spent the night preceding the horrid act in religious ceremonies. In the morning he called his daughter, a fine girl of eight years of age, and desired her to prepare for being a sacrifice to save her father's character from dishonour. Sensible of the necessity under which her father was laid, she yielded herself a voluntary victim. After bathing and purification, she placed herself in an attitude, in which her father's sword could easily reach her neck; and while she was holding aside her long hair with both her hands, he, with one stroke of his sabre, severed the head from the body. "Colonel Walker took advantage of the recital of this horrid act, to prevail for the abolition of the custom in the district where he presided, under the Bombay government." We shall take an early opportunity of giving an account of the Abolition of Female Infanticide in Guserat, by the humane interference of the same gentleman. retain the corpse of his wife unburied at the door of the house. "Dyaavana prevailed on his neigh bours to refuse compliance with the demand of the priest; who then threatened that, in case of their persistance, he would avenge himself by killing, first his four children, and then himself. "Such was the state of things when Dyaavana left the village-the priest persevering in his claim-the people persisting in their refusal--and the dead body putrifying before the door. Anundraya confirmed this account; he saw the priest soon after he had cut off part of his tongue, which entitles the story, in all its parts, to some degree of credit. "A few days after (May 20) Mr. Pritchett was informed that the priest had put his horrid threats into execution; and by way of revenging himself on the inhabitants, had murdered his four children. The sin, he presumes, will lie at the door of those who provoked him, and the sacrifice he has made to the honour of his god will be amply rewarded in a future state. Merely killing them would not suffice; he absolutely severed their heads from their bodies; after which he proceeded to decapitate himself; but he failed in the attempt, inflicting only a dreadful wound in the back of his neck. "His eldest son, a lad of about fourteen years of age, on seeing the horrid fate of his brothers, was making his escape; but his father enticed him back; he was, he told him, about to kill himself, and had killed the three younger boys, because they could not provide for themselves; but he, being a big boy, there would not be the same necessity to kill him; he therefore wished him to return, that he might take an affectionate farewell before he died. Thus, it is said, the poor lad was decoyed and killed. "The priest's tongue was so far healed that he could make himself understood. Officers, it is said, are dispatched to secure him and bring him to justice.” This account was transcribed for the press some months ago; but the Editor was requested not to publish it, until a further confirmation of the facts should be received. This confirmation has come to hand, in the continuation of Mr. Pritchett's journal. That laborious missionary took a journey from Vizagapatam on the 27th of November 1815, and visited many towns and villages, distributing the scriptures in the Gentoo language, and disputing with the Brahmins and people against their idolatries and vices. In the course of his journey he, (accompanied by Anundraya, the converted Brahmin,) visited PAKNABAKA--the place where the priest murdered his children. We shall relate what occurred in Mr. Pritchett's own words. Upon my arrival I went to the spot itself, followed by the greater part of the inhabitants. It had been inclosed by the people, and covered over with the branches of trees, &c. and before the entrance was placed a heap of thorns; at my request they removed the thorns, and I entered in, and beheld a spectacle truly hor rible. The people had suffered the re mains of the murdered to lie just as they found them, and here lay all exposed the skulls, and hair, and bones of the four children-the remains of the mother were covered over with the rags she wore the skulls and bones were quite bare, lying amongst the rags and beads, and such like marks of superstition which they wore. 66 Coming out of the place, I enquired of the people if they were aware of the man's intention ?-Yes. If they saw him do it? They were standing at a distance. Did they know what was going forward? Yes. Why did they suffer him to commit so horrid a deed? They were afraid, and therefore did not interfere-but here they were contradicted and accused of generally approving of the act, by Anundraya, who, though not present at the moment, was there a little before, and had an opportunity of witnessing the favourable light in which they regarded what the priest had already so zealously done, and what he still threatened to do; and by one of the villagers also, who endeavoured to prevail on others to assist him to prevent it, but by so doing drew upon himself their resentment, together with that of the only police officer in the place. "That these inoffensive and gentle Gentoos acquiesced there is little doubt. Am I my brothers' keeper?' fully enters into their hateful and unfeeling character. Amongst them all I could perceive no sign of sorrow or regret at what had occurred, as we should in an assembly of English people upon such an occasion; but, on the contrary, that smoothness of countenance which betrayed an inward complacency in the bravery of the act; nor do I doubt, whether if the priest were to return to these worshippers of Seeva he would be received with acclamations, and revered as a saint of superior sanctity. I expressed my abhorrence of what they had suffered to take place in the strongest terms I was capable of, and charged them as parties concerned,-declaring how abominable such deeds must be to God who is infinitely good and kind, and how repugnant to the spirit of that religion which is true, exciting Amunraya also to speak to them more fully. I left this village of weavers, who are every where the votaries of Seeva, and returned with feelings of unspeaka ble horror, thanking God that I had an opportunity of testifying against their religion, and their deeds, and to take a part in those endeavours which in the end will subvert the whole--- Nothing so black,' said Dr. Carey, as a Pagan's heart; and the blacker hearts become by brooding over their devils and acquiring their character, the higher they rise in each other's estimation. From what I have heard since my return, the above priest had been reading in some Puraana of Seeva, manifesting himself to a man, whose zeal for his honour had induced him to kill his child, whom he raised again to life. So he read, and being emulous of enjoying the same distinguishing honour, he thought he would exceed the example, and secure the reward by murdering his whole family, deluding himself with the idea of their being restored to life, which delusion he also imposed upon multitudes, who, after the act was committed, assembled together from all quarters to the spot with the fullest expectation of witnessing the resurrection; and with all the frantic joy of men inspired by the devil, kept a kind of jubilee for several days, paying the murderer every homage as a saint of the highest eminence. "Mrs. S. who employs a great many weavers, (at a place distant about 10 cos,) has since told me, that when the news of the murder arrived, all the people left their looms, and proceeded to Pennabaka with every demonstration of joy. They returned, however, after a few days, saying, that the children were not indeed restored to life, but that it was entirely owing to the people of the place not making a feast of 2000 rupees to the god, which the priest had declared to be necessary. "This man still lies in jail, his case not yet determined upon. Attempts have been made, it is said, to make out a case of insanity, which, perhaps, the native lawyers with their artifices might easily contrive, and a regard for the ho nour of their religion, and for so brave a priest might put them upon it. A few persons belonging to the village have been summoned up to Court, to give their testimony to this, but the rest of the people say they are false witnesses, and that they themselves have no idea of his being insane; and it is to be hoped, though some Europeans say, "How could a man in his senses do such a thing?" that government will distinguish between a derangement of intellect, and a perversion of the same." Our readers will doubtless be deeply affected by the perusal of this tale of horror! and while thankful to God for the gospel that dispensation of love and grace which assimilates us to himself, will most fervently pray that, by the Almighty energy of his Holy Spirit, ac companying the preaching of his word be demolished, and the strong holds of Satan, may the inhabitants of India may be turned from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan," under which they now lie, "to the living and true God." MISSION TO IRKUTSK. This mission is undertaken at the urgent request of Messrs. Pinkerton and Paterson, whose successful exertions in the northern nations of Europe, for the extension of the knowledge of the gospel are well known. The intended seat of the mission is the City of Irkutsk, situated in about 52° N. latitude, and 1080 E. longitude. This city is the chief mart of the commerce between Russia and China. The people are generally of the Schaman religion, which is intimately connected with that of the Dalai Lama, and is somewhat_a-kin to Brahmanism; but there are also Mahometans, and Christians of the Greek Church resident at Irkutsk. The great importance of a missionary station in this part of the globe may be learned from the following extract of a letter from Messrs. Paterson and Pinkerton, dated St. Petersburgh, 7th Nov. 1814. "Since returning to Russia our thoughts have been much employed with the object about which we conversed so fully with you while in London; namely, your sending Missionaries to that part of Siberia which borders on China, for the· purpose of spreading the glorious gospel of the blessed God among the numerous tribes of heathens in those extensive regions, and particularly with the view of translating the word of life into the Mongol and Manjur languages. Irkutsk, or its neighbourhood, was the place which Mr. Pinkerton, after having with much labour examined into the present state of the nations of Siberia, considered as the most eligible for the establishment of such a Mission. We are more than ever convinced that, as far as we are able to judge beforehand, this is one of the most important Missionary stations in the world, being so central, and surrounded by so many different tribes, and being the chief place of communication between China and Russia. "Among the many tribes in this neigh. bourhood, the Burgats demand particular attention. They are a Mongolian tribe. It was a Burgat Prince who sent 800 rb. to the Bible Society, and has subscribed 150 annually and it was one of their high priests who sent in 400 rb. as an offering for himself and his brethren, for the purpose, to quote his own expression, of promoting the distribution of the Scriptures among all people. There are many things in the character and conduct of this people, which seems to say that they are ripe for the reception of the gospel. The language of the Burgats is nearly the same with the Kalmue, into which a part of the New Testament is already translated, and will soon be printed. They have many religious books in their language, printed in Pekin. One of these books has just been received by Mr. Schmidt, having been sent by his friend, the Governor of Irkutsk. The circumstance of their being able to obtain books from Pekin, shews the possibility of sending your Chinese Testament from this quarter into the very heart of China, and even to Pekin itself. From their desire to have such books, we may judge how far they are advanced in civilization. But these books are not only understood and read by the Burgats, but also by all the numerous tribe of the Mongols proper, the greater part of whom live under the protection of the Chinese Government; so that this one language opens up a most extensive and important field for Missionary labour. These are advantages which you know how to estimate. Their religion is the Lamite religion, and their learned priests usually study in Thibet itself, which gives them a near connection with this country; so that through them we may be able to gain a more intimate acquaintance with Thibet, and even to obtain access to those hitherto almost inaccessible regions. "But we are of opinion that the Mission established in this quarter should make it also a chief object to spread the gospel among the Manjurs, which are a still more numerous people than the Mongols, and the conquerors of China-the present Emperor of which is a Manjur, and their language is spoken at the Court of China. Were the gospel to gain access among this interesting people, a high way for its entrance would be opened, even into China itself. Their language has been much more cultivated than the Mongolian, with which it has some connection. Many of the Chinese books have been translated into it: the language is said to be easily learned, the grammar regular: and what is a great advantage, there exists a dictionary, Manjur and French, published in Paris. The Manjurs are not like the Burgats, inhabitants of Russia: they inhabit that extensive tract of country called Chinese Tartary, which borders on Russia, and their language can easily be learned in Irkutsk. |