The first stone of the building was laid on the 11th of November, 1818, by Major W. Farquhar, late English commandant of Malacca, (while it was an English settlement), in the presence of the Honourable J. S. Timmerman Thyssen, the governor of the colony appointed by his majesty the King of the Netherlands, the Commandant of the Dutch troops, the Members of the College of Justice, the Honourable J. J. Erskine member of council at Penang, and various other persons of distinction. From India, Mrs. Randall, the, because, on account of its being widow of Mr. J. Randall, a Mis- the residence of many Chinese, and sionary at Serampore, writes as the constant resort of vast multifollows:-"While I resided at Se- tudes more, for the purposes of rampore, hearing that one of my commerce, it was found to be a most Hindoo neighbours intended to favourable centre of communication burn with the corpse of her husband, for the intended objects with the I went for the purpose of convers- natives of China, as well as of the ing with her, and found that she adjacent countries,both continental would be obliged to go out of Se- and insular, rampore for the purpose, as the Danish magistrate would not permit her to burn there. No sooner, however, did she apply to an English magistrate but she obtained leave to immolate herself on her husband's funeral pile. I was with her when the servant of this gentleman came with his permission. This announcement was a sore trial for her five children; for till now they had been kept in a state of doubt whether their poor mother would burn or not. I never shall forget the screams of the eldest son when he was told that he must set fire to the fuel at his mother's head. I turned myself to a Brahmin and said, ' Why do you suffer this?' He replied, It is a very bad custom!' Thus you see that the Brahmins themselves seem tired of the horrid practice, and are only waiting for authority from the Company' to put an end to it." The Rev. Dr. Morrison has transmitted the plan of an institution founded by him at Malacca, entitled, "The Anglo-Chinese College," for the promotion of literature and Christianity in the East. The plan was formed, and a grant of land for the building obtained, while Malacca was in the possession of Great Britain; and its promoters have reason to conclude, that it will enjoy the protection and patronage of the authorities appointed by the King of the Netherlands, to whom the colony has been ceded since the return of peace. The reason for selecting this spot was, not only that it had become, while under the English Government, the seat of an important mission to the heathen; but The objects of the institution are the promotion of literature, by affording to Europeans and others the means of cultivating the UltraGanges languages, especially that of China and its tributary kingdoms; and to natives the means of becoming acquainted with the English language, and with the most useful parts of the science of the west; and the diffusion of Christianity in the countries in which the eastern languages referred to are spoken. The means to be employed are as follow:-The assistance of tutors, foreign and native, skilled in the different objects embraced in the plan. Christian theology, and the other branches of knowledge connected with it, will be carefully taught, and chiefly in the Chinese and other native languages. The use of a large library of European, Chinese, and Malay books, and, it is hoped, of a suitable philosophical apparatus will be obtained. -The institution already possesses a press for printing Chinese, Malay, &c., which will furnish considerable advantages for the promotion of the general design. Apart ments in the college will be provided for a limited number of students; others will find accommodations in the town. The morals of all will be watched over, as far as possible. -Persons from Europe, &c. of any Christian communion, whose characters and objects shall be approved by the conductors of the institution, may become students; and also native youths, Chinese, Ma. lay, and others, whether support ed by themselves or by societies. A preference will be given to those, whether foreigners or natives, who have in view the propagation of the Gospel in the eastern regions of the world. It is hoped, further, that the resources of the college will allow of the gratuitous education of a certain number of natives, devoted to the diffusion of the Gospel. The Rev. Dr. Milne, the coadjutor of the Rev. Dr. Morrison in the translation of the holy Scriptures, and translator of several works from the Chinese, is the present president and tutor of the college. Dr. Morrison has himself set a noble example of bounty, by a donation of 1000l. sterling towards the foundation of the collège, and a promise of 100 l. per annum, for five years, towards its advancement. BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. THE Treasurer of this Society has lately laid before the public a statement, by which it appears that upward of 2000. remained to be provided for; a bill also to the large amount of nearly 30007, was daily expected, drawn by the Society's agents in Calcutta. In this exhausted state of the funds, unusual expenses have been incurred. The chapel and residence of one of the missionaries at Spanish Town in Jamaica, and nearly all the small property belonging to him, have been consumed. A similar calamity has happened at Calcutta, where the first place of worship built by the missionaries stationed there, and a house erected by them for the accommodation of inquirers, have been lately destroyed by fire. Other circumstances also have occasioned very consider. able expense to the Society. The Committee have made an earnest appeal to the members of their own communion, that, by a seasonable effort on their part, the Society may be relieved from a pressure which so materially cramps its exertions. But they add,"These efforts will prove very inadequate, without more general aid. They cherish a lively and grateful recollection of that expression of truly Christian sympathy, throughout the country and among all religious denominations, which so greatly alleviated the sorrow occasioned by the disastrous conflagration at Serampore; and the experience of past generosity encourages the hope that this representation will not prove inef fectual." HURDWAR FAIR. HURDWAR is situated on the Ganges, at the spot where that river, after forcing its way through an extensive tract of mountainous country, first enters the plains of Hindoostan. The town itself is in considerable; but it is a celebrated resort of Hindoo Pilgrims, for the purpose of bathing in the Sa cred Stream. A Fair is also held here annually, at which, it is said, from 200,000 to 300,000 persons usually resort; and, once in twelve years, at the time of a particular position of the heavenly bodies, when peculiar religious ceremonies are observed, the number of devotees has been calculated at nearly a million; and on a late occasion, a few years since, at two millions. The fair of the present year has been attended with melancholy con sequences. The different Hindoo sects had usually fierce conflicts on these occasions; but of late years, the fairs have concluded through the precautions taken by the British Government, without bloodshed. The Sunyassees, or fol lowers of Siva, and the Byragees, or votaries of Vishnoo, had this year a dreadful conflict, though not of arms, yet of superstitious zeal, which had a most fatal issue. The descent to the bathingplace at Hurdwar is by a very steep flight of steps: this fight is about ten feet broad, but so steep as to form an angle with the level of the ground of 56 degrees. Crowds of infatuated pilgrims forced their way, on this occasion, in overwhelming masses, to the top of this steep descent, and numbers were in the act of going down when, a little before day-break, on the morning of the 11th of April, the Sunyassees and Byragees began to vie with each other at the top for the precedency, and made a sudden rush, by which all the multitude who were then descending were carried down with such violence, that they were compress ed into one mass, within a few steps of the water, where the flight narrows to about seven feet, opening again beyond. An eye-witness of this dreadful scene says-" Here the unfortunate beings were crammed together with such violence, that motion or use of limbs was unavailing the weak, the strong, in vain made efforts: the more the exertion, the more intwined their limbs became. The cries and moans were heart-rending. Contrivance or effort to assist them was in vain. I made several attempts to extract those who were in the foremost files; but their bodies, legs, and arms, were so intwined, that it was impossible to extricate one of them.' In the midst of this dreadful scene, the consequence of the infatuated superstition of the people, the conduct of the native troops gave hopes that the chains of superstition were loosening on them. Intelligence having reached an officer that the guard had been forc ed, he moved up with additional troops. While some Brahmins displayed the most revolting apathy at the scene, these troops, though of high caste, employed themselves actively in extricating the dead. Encouraged and assisted by their officers, they at length succeeded in clearing away the mass; and rescued between 70 and 80 of these wretched pilgrims from destruction. The number of dead was 430. Thanks were returned, in detachment orders, by Lieut.-Colonel Patton, commanding the Hurdwar force, to the native troops for their exertions on this occasion; and various individuals were promoted. This was confirmed by the Commander-in-chief, in government orders, dated head-quarters, Calcutta, May 3, 1820. The troops are praised herein, in particular, for "the devoted exertions which they made to rescue the unfortunate sufferers; laying aside, at the same time, all prejudice of caste at other times so tenaciously adhered to." SPITALFIELDS BENEVOLENT SOCIETY. THE district over which the Spitalfields Benevolent Society extends its care contains above 120,000 persons, chiefly of the labouring classes. In this vast population of the lower orders, there is scarcely any intermixture of the higher and middle ranks a state of society almost peculiar to Spitalfields. It cannot create surprize that, in such a community, cases of sickness, and consequent destitution, should be always occurring. Even when trade is comparatively flourishing, the Society knows where to find, at all times, the haunts of complicated, though in many instances unobtrusive, misery. The Committee have abstained, during nearly four years, from trespassing on the public attention. Part of the balance which remained unappropriated of the Spitalfields General Fund, raised in 1817, having been added to its ordinary resources, the Society has been kept in uninterrupted and active operation without the necessity of any public appeal. In the year 1818, it visited 2406 families, expending for their relief 25381.; and in 1819, 2035 families were visit ed, and relieved with 2340 7. In the course of the ten years which have nearly elapsed since the formation of this Society, 22,614 families have been visited, and 20,160 l. applied for their relief; and this relief has been administer ed on personal inspection of the wants of the poor, at their own ha bitations. The distress of the district is much mitigated by the improvement in the silk trade; and the last two have been years of less severe pressure upon the poor than those which preceded. During those two years, however, the Society has removed, or alleviated, the sorrows of 4441 families. The Committee justly advert to the tendency of these frequent and unremitting visits, to raise the tone of morals in a neighbourhood so constituted as that which is within the sphere of the Society's operations. The visitors avail themselves of seasons of sickness or depression to inculcate useful counsel; and it is owing to this beneficial intercourse with the poor, that many children have been trained in sound religious principles and industrious habits, and that many have been preserved from contamination and moral turpitude. The following passages, from the Eighth Report just published, shew the maxims of Christian prudence on which the Committee act. "It is their particular study to discover and relieve all cases of real distress, and to continue relief to such only whilst absolutely necessary they are especially careful to avoid every thing that might tend to produce a spirit of pauperism, and to discountenance it wherever they find it. To relieve the poor indiscriminately would, in many cases, be a real injury; to assist them during sickness and pressing distress, is an important benefit. The visitors consider it a part of their duty to teach the poor to depend, under God, upon their own exertions, for their support." "The experience of every day proves the necessity of investigating the character and situation of those who apply to the charitable for assistance: the visitors have been the means in many instances of detecting persons who, by false representations in begging letters, have obtained considerable sums of money, which they have squandered away in idleness and intemperance, to the great injury of the distressed and deserving poor, who are generally backward to obtrude their distresses upon the public, and require to be sought out by the discriminating visitor." On this subject the Committee earnestly urge on the rich the importance and advantage of turning the current of their benevolence into such channels as are presented by this Society, and other institutions of the same nature; from the consideration, that no relief is ever granted till a strict investigation has taken place at the habitations of the persons soliciting relief. The Spitalfields General Fund, to which it it chiefly owing that this Society has, of late years, diminished so vast a sum of human calamity, being wholly exhausted, "the Committee throw themselves on the best feelings of a Christian public, who, they cannot doubt, will enable them to continue their labour of love and mercy." Our readers will find some affecting specimens of the Cases which come before the Society affixed to the Advertisement on our Cover for last month. We shall give, in addition, the following, which stands the first in the Report. "W. P. when first visited was found in a wretched apartment, suffering the extreme pressure of complicated bodily affliction and distress. His tale of woe excited in the mind of the visitor a peculiar degree of sympathy and commiseration. Accustomed in his early days to live respectably, and having carried on a large wholesale business, he had formed expectations of competence and ease, which, in some degree, his situation in life warranted. By the failure of some persons with whom he was connected, he lost 7000l. which completely overwhelmed him, and he proceeded step by step, till the whole ended in extreme indigence and misery. His family, consisting of himself, his wife, and four children (one a cripple), when the visitor called upon them, had not tasted food, of any kind, for nearly two days; and so great was their poverty, that the female part of the ECCLESIASTICAL PREFERMENTS. Rev. J. Brewster, Laughton V. in Lincolnshire, vice J.Smallpage, deceased. Rev. George Williams, of Martin Hussingtree, to be a Minor Canon of Worcester Cathedral. Rev. Peter Elers, Rishangles R. Suf. folk. Rev. George Pickard, jun. Stauntonupon-Arrow V. Herefordshire. Hon. and Rev. William Leonard Addington, second son of Viscount Sidmouth, Poole R. Wilts. Rev. G. F. St. John, of Baliol College, Oxford, Manston R. Dorset. Rev. H. J. Todd, M. A. Settrington R. Yorkshire, vice Gilbert, deceased. Rev. John Ellis (Vicar of Laugwin) Cerrig-y-druidion R. Denbighshire. Rev. W. N. Parnell, Crossgate Perpetual Curacy, Leeds. ERRATUM. Page 861, col. 2, line 18, for base, read bare. |