casions all the parade and splendour possible are exhibited; they are then conducted to their fathers' abode, not to be educated, not to prepare for the performance of duties incumbent on wives and mothers, but to drag out the usual period allotted in listless idleness, in mental torpor. At the age of thirteen, fourteen, or fifteen, they are demanded by their husbands, to whose home they are removed, where again confinement is their lot. No social intercourse is allowed to cheer their gloomy hours; nor have they the consolation of feeling that they are viewed, even. by their husbands, in the light of comp ns. So far from receiving those delicate attentions which render happy the conjugal state, and which distinguish civilized from heathen nations; the wife receives the appellation of my servant, or my dog, and is allowed to partake of what her lordly husband is pleased to give at the conclusion of his repast! In this secluded, degraded situation, females in India receive no instruction, consequently they are wholly uninformed of an eternal state. No wonder mothers consider female existence a curse; hence their desire to destroy their female offspring, and to burn themselves with the bodies of their deceased husbands. This last circumstance might imply some attachment, were it not a well known fact, that the disgrace of a woman who refuses to burn with the corpse of her husband is such, that her nearest relations would refuse her a morsel of rice to prevent her starvation. Thus, destitute of all enjoyment, both here and hereafter, are the females in Bengal. Such is their life, such their death-and here the scene is closed to mortal view! But, they are amiable, say some, and destitute of those viclent passions which are exhibited among females in our own country. My beloved friends, be not deceived. Whoever heard that ignorance was favourable to the culture of amiable feelings? Their minds are in such a state of Imbecility, that we might hope to find at least an absence of vicious feelings. But facts prove the contrary-Whenever an opportunity for exhibiting the malignant passions of the soul occurs, human nature never made a more vigorous effort to discover her odious deformity, than has been observed in these secluded females. But let us turn our eyes from the present picture, to one not less heart-rending, but where hope may have a greater influence to brighten and to cheer. The females in the Burman Empire, (containing a population far above the United States of America,) are not like the females in Bengal, secluded from all society. In this respect they are on an equality with ourselves. Wives are allowed the privilege of eating with their husbands. They engage in domestic concerns, and thus, in some respects, the Burman females deserve our particular sympathy and attention. But they enjoy little of the confidence or affections of their husbands, and to be born a female, is universally considered a peculiar misfortune. The wife and grown daughters are considered by the husband and father as much the subjects of discipline, as younger children; hence it is no uncommon thing for females of every age and description, to suffer under the tyrannic rod of those who should be their protectors. Burmah, also, like her sister nations, suffers the female mind to remain in its native state, without an effort to show how much more highly she has been favoured. The females of this country are lively, inquisitive, strong and energetic, susceptible of friendship and the warmest attachment, and possess minds naturally capable of rising to the highest state of cultivation and refinement. But, alas, they are taught nothing that has a tendency to cherish these best native feelings of the heart! That they possess strong, energetic minds, is evident from their mode of conversing, and from that inquisitive turn which is so conspicuous. It may not, perhaps, be uninteresting to mention that particular display of mental energy as exhibited in the early inquiries of Mahmen-la. she evinced a mind, which, had it been early and properly cultivated, would have hardly been surpassed by females in our own country. And happy am I to add, that she not only became rationally and speculatively convinced of the truths of the gospel, but was, I trust, taught to feel their power on her heart, by the influences of the Holy Spirit, embraced them, has become an ornament to her profession, and her daily walk and conversation would shame many professors of religion in christian countries. Shall we, my beloved friends, suffer minds like these to lie dormant, to wither in ignorance, and delusion, to grope their way to eternal ruin, without an effort on our part, to raise, to refine, to elevate, and point to that Saviour who has died equally for them as for us? Shall we sit down in indolence and ease, indulge in all the luxuries with which we are surrounded, and which our country so bountifully affords, and leave beings like these, flesh and blood, intellect and feeling like ourselves, and of our own sex, to perish, to sink into eternal misery? No! by all the tender feel Some time previous to our arrival in Rangoon, her active mind was led to inquire, the origin of all things. If a Boodh was deity, Who created all that her eyes beheld? She inquired of this person, and that, visited all the teachers within the circle of her açquaintance, but none were able to give her satisfactory information on the subject. Her anxiety increased to such a degree, that her own family feared she would be deranged. She finally resolved on learning to read, that she might be able to gain the desired information from their sacred books. Her husband, will-ings of which the female mind is ing to gratify her curiosity in this respect, taught her to read himself. After having acquired what very few Burman females are allowed to acquire, she studied the sacred books, which left her mind in the same inquisitive state, as when she commenced. For ten years she had continued her inquiries, when, one day, a neighbour brought in a tract written by Mr. Judson, from which she derived her first ideas of an eternal God. Her next difficulty arose from her being ignorant of the residence of the author of the tract, and it was not till after the erection of the Zayat, that this difficulty was removed. By her inquiries respecting the christian religion, susceptible, by all the privileges and blessings resulting from the cultivation and expansion of the human mind, by our duty to God and our fellow creatures, and by the blood and groans of Him who died on Calvary, let us make an united effort, let us call on all, old and young, in the circle of our acquaintance, to join us in attempting to meliorate the situation, to instruct, to enlighten and save females in the Eastern world, and though time and circumstances should prove that our united exertions have been ineffectual, we shall escape at death that bitter thought, that Burman females have been lost, without an effort of ours to prevent their ruin. ANN H. JUDSON. had escaped the usual dangers of the climate, had just become sufficiently acquainted with the Burman language to address a native assembly, and was fixed in a station under the protection of the British government, which presented an extensive field for usefulness. In a moment all our hopes have been blasted, and all our anticipations mournfully frustrated. Our faith is put to the trial. May it be seen that we faint not in the day of adversity. This dispensation of divine Providence speaks to us a lanwhich guage we hope none will misunderstand. It calls upLord of the harvest to send forth on every Christian to pray to the labourers into his harvest. have now but three foreign misthe Board. sionaries in the employment of We My dear Sir, A few days ago I sent off a packet for you. Having heard that the ship is not gone, I write again to communicate to you the mournful intelligence of the death of Mr. Colman. He died on the 4th of July, at Cox's Bazar, of the jungle fever. Mrs.Colman is at Chittagong, and is very ill of the same fever. This news arrived only last evening, in a letter from Mr. Fink, a young man at Chittagong, under the patronage of the missionaries at Serampore. Should dear Mrs. Colman recover and come to Calcutta, every comfort and sympathy will be rendered to her. O how mysterious are the ways of divine Providence! I little thought it would be my painful duty to communicate to you the early deaths of such excellent men as were Wheelock and Col man. May such strokes quicken us who survive to new diligence. Mr. Colman was a martyr to his zeal. He thought he should be most useful in remaining at Cox's Bazar all the year, although that place is particularly unhealthy in the rains. But his race is ended, and we must be dumb. I am yours, in Christian bonds, REMARKS. In contemplating this afflictive event, who can refrain from reflecting, Verily, thou art a God that hidest thyself, Oh God of Israel, the Saviour! Mr. Colman Unless others are soon sent to their assistance, we tremble to think what may become of the mission. But the and send them forth, or they will Lord of the harvest must qualify For these things, he will be neither be qualified nor sent. sought unto by the house of Israel, to do it for them. We do hope that the spirit of missions will again revive among us, and that our churches will universal ly be engaged in prayer, that Burmah may come again into remembrance before God. We would also call upon our younger brethren in the ministry, and ask them, Who will occupy the place of him who has gone to his rest? The Burmans are perishing for lack of vision. Who will devote himself to the great work of their salvation? He that forsaketh father, or mother, or brother, or sisters, or houses, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, shall receive, said our ascended Redeemer, a hundred fold in this present world, and in the world to come, life everlasting. We present our readers with an extract of a letter from Mr. Judson. It contains no new intelligence ; but it breathes so excellent a spirit, and so feelingly depicts the trials and the consolations of a missionary of the cross, that we are persuaded it will be peculiarly acceptable to every christian. EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM MR. JUDSON TO MRS. JUDSON, SINCE "I wish I could always feel as I did last evening, and have this morning. At first, on hearing Moung Shwa-gnong's story, I felt much disheartened, and thought how pleasant it would be if we could find some quiet resting place on earth, where we might spend the rest of our days together in peace, and perform the ordinary services of religion. But I fled to Jesus, and all such thoughts soon passed away. Life is short. Happiness consists not in outward circumstances. Millions of Burmans are perishing. I am almost the only person on earth who has attained their language to such a degree as to be able to communicate the way of salvation. How great are my obligations to spend and be spent for Christ! What a privilege to be allowed to serve him in such interesting circumstances, and to suffer for him. The heavenly glory is at hand. O let me travel through this country, and bear testimony to the truth all the way from Rangoon to Ava, and show the path to that glory which I am anticipating. Oh, if Christ will only sanctify me and strengthen me, I feel that I can do all things. But in myself I am absolute nothingness; and when, through grace, I get a glimpse of divine things, I tremble lest the next moment will snatch it quite away. Let us pray especially for one another's growth in grace. Let me pray that the trials which we respectively are called to endure, may wean us from the world, and rivet our hearts on things above. Soon we shall be in heaven. Oh let us live as we shall then wish we had done! Let us be humble, unaspiring, indifferent equally to worldly comfort and the applause of men, absorbed in Christ, the uncreated fountain of all excel lence and glory." DOMESTIC. Oneida Indians. THE Board of the Hamilton Baptist Mission Society, held an adjourned meeting at Oneida Castleton, on the 9th of Oct. last. They inspected the mechanics, the buildings and the School. They were highly gratified with the proficiency which had been made by two Indian boys in the blacksmith's trade. The Committee appointed to erect a house, two barns, and a carpenter's shop, had considerably advanced with them all, and they were in a good degree of forwardness. The School consisted of but a small number of scholars. The last winter it averaged about forty in a day; but has been considerably less during the summer. As the children are under very little parental restraint, and rove about at pleasure, they find many diversions in summer, which they pursue in preference to a regular attendance on the school. In the winter they are more shut up, and it is less difficult to keep them at school. The Board have very little doubt, but the school will increase in a short time, beyond its former number. A number of the chief men of the nation manifested a desire for an interview with the Board, which was granted. They expressed much confidence and satisfaction in the Board, fully ap proving the measures adopted to improve their degraded and suffering condition. They requested the Board to pursue the instruction of their children, and promised to do all in their power to assist. In their deliberations on the measures proper to be pursued with the school, the Board are of the opinion that a boarding house ought to be established, in connection with the school, and that a number of the most promising children should be collected from different parts of the nation, and placed under the control of the teacher. This measure will not only secure their attendance at school, but will separate them from many scenes of dissipation, and have an influence in drawing other children to this school. To carry this plan into effect will increase the expenses of the Board, but will undoubtedly secure a more effectual application of all the public charities to this people. the American Board of Commis sioners for Foreign Missions to propagate the gospel among the heathen Two of these gentlemen, together with sixteen other persons, destined for the Sandwich Island Mission, assembled in N. Haven about 15th ult. (Nov. last,) for the purpose of taking passage in the ship Thames, captain Closby, which was to sail on the 19th. The names of the Mission Fam ily are as follow:-- Rev. William Richards, } Ordained Missionaries. Dr. Abraham Blatchley, Physician, acquainted also with various mechanical employments. Mr. Joseph Goodrich, Licensed Preacher, acquainted with various mechanical employments. Mr. James Ely, Licensed Preacher Teacher and Mechanic. The persons above named, are mar ried, and are accompanied by their wives. Mr. Levi Chamberlain, Teacher and Superintendant of secular concerns. Stephen Popohe, a native of the Society Islands. William Kummo-oo-lah, a native of the Sandwich Islands. These youths are professors of relig ion. It is presumed the benevolent, who have begun to open their hearts and their hands to this wretched race of perishing creatures, will not, at the very commencement of assistance, shut up their bowels of compassion against them. What has been done, is regarded as a pledge of the Sandwich Islands. christian liberality, which will continue with the prayers of the saints, and their duty and means to perpetuate assistance. [West. N. Y. Bap. Mag. MISSION TO THE SANDWICH From the Christian Spectator, publish- In our last Number but one, we gave an account of the Ordination of three Missionaries, in N.Haven, who were to be sent by Richard Kriouloo, a native youth of Cooperee, a native man of the Sandwich Islands. Betsey Stockton, a coloured woman, qualified to teach a school, and to take charge of domestic concerns. The three native youths are to be attached to the mission family to receive further instruction; and to aid in the various labours of the mission, to which they may prove competent. While the missionaries remained here, public religious services were performed in the churches. On the Sabbath, Messrs. Bishop and Richards preached with |