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New Providence, N. J. Mrs. M. Riggs, (of which to constitute Rev. ELIAS RIGGS of Argos and Rev. THOMAS P. COCHRAN Honorary Members of the Board, 100;) Northumberland, Pa. Fem. miss. so. 14,19; mon. con. in presb. chh. 10,81;

150 00

25.00

An

Onslow, N. S. La. miss. so. for miss. to India,

14.00

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40.00

1 18

600

1.00

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23 11

15.00

22 25

Valley of the Mississippi, Aux. So. W. T. Truman, Cincinnati, O. Tr. Western Reserve Aux. so. Ashtabula co. Andover, aged friend, 10; Andover Centre, 2,50; Austinburg, Mon. con. 9,50; sub. 60,63; Morgan, 6; Rome, E. Crosby, 20; Geauga co. Madison, Miss C. C. for China, 50c. chil. in her sch. 64c. Painsville, 98,25; Richmond, Mon. con. 6; a friend, 3; Portage co. Aurora, Sub 25; Charlestown, 4,25; Edinburgh, Asso. 2; Freedom, 16,25; Ravenna, Mon. con. 6,81; Hudson, W. R. college, Mon. con. 46,24; Windham, 22,75; Trumbull co. Hartford, Mon. con. 8,69; Vernon, Sub. 25, Vienna, 4; Warren, Z. Fitch, 10; Youngstown, 18,52:

406 53

Windham co. North, Ct. Aux. So. J. Williams, Tr.

Brooklyn, $50 fr. la. asso. ackn.

in M. H. for Feb. constitutes

Rev. GEORGE J. TILLOTSON an

Honorary Member of the Board.

North Woodstock, Chh.

North and Pleasant-st, chhs.
Princeton, N. J., M. box, in Theol. Sem.
Providence, R. I. Asso. of Richmond-st. chh.
Randolph, Vt. Mrs. French,

Salem, Ms. Mon. con. in Howard-st. chh.
Sharon, Vt. Indiv. in 1st sch. dist. for west. miss.
Trenton, N. Y. Mrs. F. Storrs, dec'd,
Wells, Me. Mon. con. in 2d cong. so.
Westfield, Ms. Mon. con to constitute Rev.
EMERSON DAVIS an Honorary Member of
the Board,

West Randolph, Vt. Contrib. for Dwight,
Wolcott, Vt. Two friends, for do.

LEGACIES.

50 00 10.07

75

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Aurora, N. Y., A box, for Rev. H. R. Hoisington, Ceylon.

VARIOUS COLLECTIONS AND DONATIONS,

Acworth, N. H. Mon. con. in cong. chh. 19; Miss L. McFerson, 10; Miss H. Weare, 5;

Dalton, Ms. A box, fr. la. benev, so. Dedham, Ms. 600 yds cotton shirting, fr. Mr. Taft.

37 38

34.00

Attica, N. Y. Presb. chh.

7.50

Bangor, Me. Mon. con. in Theol. Sem.

32 00

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Belchertown, Ms. Contrib. at com. 20; la. sew. so. of 1st cong. so. for bibles for China, 20;

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Boston, Ms. J. Field,

20 00

Braintree, Vt. A little girl, for Dwight,

01

Newbury, 1st par. Ms. A small cask, fr. fem. read so. for Brainerd,

27 00

Brookfield, Vt. Services of Rev. C. Washburn, for do.

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for hea. chil.

Brookline, Ms. Kingsbury so. for Cher. miss. Campo Bello, N. B., C. box, of H. and J. C.

Canaan Centre, N. Y. Indiv. (which and prev. pay. constitute Rev. HUTCHINS TAYLOR an Honorary Member of the Board,)

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Canton, N. Y. Mon. con.

15.00

Dryden, N. Y. Presb. chh. to constitute

Rev. LUTHER CLARK an Honorary Member of the Board,

Fort Snelling, U. Missi. H. H. Sibley, Georgia, Vt. La. asso. 18; two fem. friends,

50.00 25.00

5; for Dwight,

23 00

Hartford, Ct. La. sew. so. for Nathan Strong in Ceylon,

20 00

Holliston, Ms. La. benev. read. so. for Choc.

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8 00 20 00 12.00

Machias, Me. Mon. con.

10 00

Madison, N. Y. La. cent so. 29; mon. con. 21; to constitute Rev. FRANCIS JANES an Honorary Member of the Board,

50 00

Manlius, N. Y. Mon. con. 42,19; sub. 137,50; 179 69

Unknown, via New York, A box, for Rev. R. Tinker, and a small box for Rev. E. O. Hall, Sandw. Isl.

The following articles are respectfully solicited from Manufacturers and others.

Printing paper, to be used in publishing portions of the Scriptures, school-books, tracts, &c. at Bombay, and at the Sandwich Islands.

Writing paper, writing books, blank books, quills, slates, &c. for all the missions and mission schools; especially for the Sandwich Islands.

Shoes of a good quality, of all sizes, for persons of both sexes; principally for the Indian missions. Blankets, coverlets, sheets, &c.

Fulled cloth, and domestic cottons of all kinds.

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Nestorians.

EXTRACTS FROM THE JOURNAL OF MR.

PERKINS AT TABREEZ.

In the numbers of this work for February, April, and May, an account was given of the journey of Mr. Perkins from Constantinople to Tabreez, his visit to Oormiah, his reception by the Nestorians of that province, and of his temporary establishment of himself at Tabreez, with a Nestorian bishop and priest obtained from Oormiah, as his teachers. The following are portions of his journal of a later date.

April 1, 1835. Intelligence reached here of the capture of Shiraz by the king's forces under Sir Henry Bethune. A rebel prince had attempted to establish himself in that city as king of Persia. Nothing now remains to be done to leave Mohammed Shah in quiet possession of his throne. The Lord has been far more kind to us and to the country, in the event of this succession, than we had apprehended.

2. To-day our Nestorian bishop and priest started for Oormiah to visit their friends. They have studied nearly six months very well, and I was quite willing to give them a month of vacation, alike to gratify them and their friends, and for the benefit of my own health.

5. After our religious service I walked out by the side of the city wall, and observed about a dozen corpses starting off for Karbula, the hallowed cemetery, situated near Bagdad, many hundreds of miles distant from this place. They were in long boxes, slung up, two upon a horse, and hurried on as carelessly as though they had been boxes of merchan

VOL. XXXI.

dize. All who are interred at Karbula are supposed to be entitled to exalted seats in paradise. The poor cannot secure the privilege, as a considerable sum of money is requisite to purchase it, in addition to the expenses of transportation.

11. Dined with a prince, Melek Kassan Meerza. He speaks French well, and is very fond of Europeans. His table was spread in European style. He is a remarkable fine looking and amiable man. My heart rose in supplication to God, as I sat with him, that he might be delivered from the bondage of the false prophet, and made an heir of the glorious liberty of the sons of God.

15. Two Italian play-actors performed at the palace in celebration of the marriage of several young princes. The Persians are not, in general, well pleased with such entertainments. A German ventriloquist was here not long since, and all ascribed his performances to the direct agency of the devil, and treated him with abhorrence. This evening a very splendid display of there was fire-works at the palace, in which the Persians are very skilful. They learned the art from the English.

In riding around the city to-day with Mr. N., I noticed multitudes of boys with clubs in childish glee, representing the tragedy of Hassan and Hoesan, in anticipation of the approaching festival of Moharrem. Here the riddle was unfolded. I have often wondered how, from generation to generation, this annual festival returns with such thrilling interest to all classes of Persians, and with such power to perpetuate their hatred Itowards the Turks. But now I saw the germ taking deep root in the infant mind. Oh could the seed of the gospel be as

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effectually sown on this prolific soil, what a harvest might we expect from the next generation in Persia.

5. An old Nestorian from the bishop's village came into my study and sat an hour or two, and seemed greatly delighted in listening to us while we translated Christ's conversation with the woman of Samaria into his own dialect, which he had probably before never distinctly understood. Oh that he and his nation may all drink of that living water of which they now know so little.

A young meerza, who attends Mr. Haas' school, also called on me to-day. He spoke of the festival now passing in terms of disgust and ridicule. The bishop asked him if he did not go to the mosque to weep. "I never go but one half day in a year," he replied, "and then I go to laugh." This meerza is a very bright and amiable young man, thoroughly disgusted with the follies and

29. Rode six miles to a beautiful garden east of Tabreez, called Kallet Pushan-or Putting on the garment. The prince of this province and most of the inhabitants of the city went out to celebrate the festivities of the day. On this occasion all governors of provinces put on publicly new garments, which they annually receive from the king. From this circumstance the festival and the places where it is celebrated receive their name, Kallet Pushan. The ride was pleasant, but the crowd was so great as to fill the atmosphere with clouds of dust. When I reached home I found that our Nestorian bishop had just arrived from visiting his friends in Oormiah. I was greatly delighted to wit-abominations of Mohammedanism, and ness his promptness in returning. Two days of his month still remained; and he stated to me that he had foregone the pleasure of visiting several of his villages for the sake of arriving at Tabreez in season, and demonstrating to me that he is a man of his word.

in the very state in which multitudes in Persia are turning with abhorrence from the religion of the prophet, ready to embrace any system which is offered, and, while unsought for by the sympathies of christendom, are plunging into the infidel gulph of Soofeeism.

30. A little afternoon our Nestorian 9. Attended the celebration of the priest arrived. He resides forty miles death of Hoesin, the great engine of perbeyond the bishop's village, and was petuating the division between the two therefore a day later. Thus both prompt- || Mohammedan sects, the Shiites and Sonly returned, even before the time of nites. The Persians acknowledge Hoetheir own proposing had expired. They sin, and the Turks and Tartars acknowl brought me very friendly letters from all edge Omar, to have been the rightful the bishops of the province, and repre- successor of the Prophet. The struggle sent both ecclesiastics and people as which took place when Hoesin was slain very anxious, and impatient even, that I was to day represented, but in a most should remove to Oormiah without delay. rude, untasteful manner. The persons reI wait here only for a missionary com- presenting women, for instance, were panion, but fear I shall, at last, be oblig- among the tallest men that could have ed to go alone, May the Lord prepare been selected from the multitude; and me to go in the fulness of the love and under their gaudy tinsel dresses, were to spirit of the gospel. be seen their brawny, bare feet, which May 1. A chupper (courier) arrived they occasionally tried in vain to confrom Teherran. Capt. Todd, a pious ceal. The whole representation was, in young English officer, sends for Persian fact, a most consummate farce-a genNew Testaments, and states that appli-uine specimen of Persian taste. But the cations for the word of God on the part of Mohammedans there are frequent and pressing.

2. The festival of Moharrem commenced. My Turkish teacher requested permission to go to a mosque and weep for the death of their venerated imams. I asked him why he would weep; and he replied, that the moollahs say the angels descend and catch the tears of those who weep at this festival, and preserve them in bottles to be presented as passports for admittance into paradise. This festival continues ten days, and the story of the murder of the imams, or parts of it, e recited by the moollahs each day,

festival seems fully to secure the object for which it was originally instituted. This object, though it wears a religious air, has ever been strictly political, viz. to inspire hatred towards the Turks. The multitude wept to-day profusely, during a considerable part of the recital. None were actually killed, which abates from the ordinary interest of the occa sion.

14. In the morning suffered much from pain. Spent the afternoon with our ecclesiastics, forming paradigms of verbs in the Nestorian dialect, which I am now beginning to learn. I have found it an easy and delightful task to acquire

the ancient Syriac language, having had grammars and lexicons at hand; but for acquiring the modern dialect of that language, which is spoken by the Nestorians, I have but very imperfect helps. The language never was written, and it differs so much from the ancient, that the common people do not understand the latter. Scholars in America can form but very inadequate ideas of the difficulties in the way of reducing such a language to regular forms, with no other teachers than such as know almost as little of the common rules of grammar, as they know of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The bishop often talks about the tenses of nouns. The priest is better instructed, and well he may be, for he often reminds me that he has spent fifteen years studying the ancient Syriac. They are, however, both very docile young men, and are often surprised to find that I know more of the forms of their ancient language, than they themselves know.

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THE following letter was written by the Nestorian teachers of Mr. Perkins, who are so frequently mentioned in the foregoing article. Mr. Dwight became acquainted with the bishop when he visited the Nestorians of Persia, in company with Mr. Smith, in 1831. Mr. Perkins mentions that "the letter was written by the bishop and priest, entirely of their own 16. This afternoon I walked several miles to the summit of a lofty mountain, accord, in their own language. They then east of Tabreez. The view of the plain, requested me to assist them in making a city, villages, and distant lake, from the translation of it into English, that Mr. Dwight mountain top, is very delightful. On the pinnacle of the mountain is an ancient might be able to read it, and from this transmosque, much resorted to by the Mo-lation they transcribed a copy, in their own hammedans for religious purposes, con- || handwriting in English, and sent both the taining the tombs of two venerated original and this copy to Mr. Dwight. imams. The inside of the mosque is hung with tawdry ornaments. Several tablets are also deposited there, inscribed with accounts of marvellous cures and other miracles, attributed to departed moollahs. An old man, nearly blind, keeps the building. With all their magic power, the hallowed ashes of these imams have not yet been able, or, at least, willing, the old man said, to cure his eyes.

18. The bishop and priest have just commenced studying geography, and the effect is already very perceptible and highly beneficial in exciting inquiry on various subjects. They seem to be waking up from the dreams of infancy. This evening the priest, as they rose to leave my room, inquired what the sky consisted of. I told him that neither I nor any body else had ever been there to examine it. "How then," he shrewdly replied, "could you tell us the other day the size of the sun?" I told him it had been measured by the aid of large optical instruments. He seemed highly entertained and quite satisfied with my account of the process; and merely added, that in one of their books it is written that the sky is formed of ice.

"In the name of God:

"The mercy of God, the love of Christ, and that peace which he gave his disciples after his resurrection, be with you, as the salutation of Calapha, Mar Yohanna, bishop, and of the priest Abraham.

"May your love for us and your desire for the salvation of our people be reciprocated by us. We pray for you, thou blessed of the Lord, who art built on the firm foundation of apostles and prophets, and truly justified by Christ, you who walk in that way which God has appointed from eternity. May God strengthen you to stand fast in that path, and may Christ save you from every pollution of sin. May he keep you from all the snares of the devil, and shield you against all his temptations. May he save you from all offenders, and grant you an answer to all your holy desires, and the highest happiness.

"May the Almighty exalt your family, your sons and daughters, as the king of Egypt exalted Joseph; yea, may he grant that you become approved and beloved of all men who see and know you.

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"But especially, may the Almighty bless you with that blessing which he granted to the disciple Ananias, at Damascus, on the converted Paul;-i. e. may he give you success, that many who are spiritually blind may receive their sight at your hand.

To this end, may the almighty God bless you with the blessing of Jacob and his sons. May he be your God, as he was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and may the Holy Ghost come upon you, as he came upon the disciples at the first fast of pentecost.

"We desire much to see you; but we are too far distant from each other. In the spirit of love, however, we remember and see you always. Christ says in the gospel, 'Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in their midst.' May the Lord dwell with us by his love, that we may so love and discern one another.

"If you esteem us, and if you please, send us also a letter, that we may know how you are and how you do. We are at present at the city of Tabreez, with Mr. Perkins; and if you would like to know what we do here, the answer may be, that we study English, and Mr. Perkins studies Syriac. If you would like to know more particularly how Mr. Perkins treats us, we would assure you that we love him, as God loved the patriarchs, and Christ the apostles. May the Almighty shield him and his dear family from every evil. Our fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters approve of our living with Mr. Perkins; and our nation is very glad that Mr. Perkins has come here to instruct us and to teach us the way of salvation. We all regard him as a gift from heaven, and we pray for you, your people, and your king.

"They that have understanding look to the future world, but fools think only of the present. 'A word is enough for the wise.' Amen.

"May you be blessed and joyful, as Abraham was joyful for his son restored, and the disciples for the resurrection of Christ. May your name be known in many countries, as the disciples, after receiving the Holy Ghost, went forth into all the world.

"With these wishes, receive our salutation in Christ, now and forever, Amen.

"Written at Tabreez, on the
5th day of the month Ishwat
(16th of Feb.), and in the
year 2,146, (Alexandrian era.)
(Signed) MAR YOHANNA, Bishop,

KOSHA ABRAHAM, Priest.

Asia Minor.

EXTRACTS FROM THE JOURNAL OF MR. JOHNSTON, AT TREBIZOND.

TREBIZOND, the station occupied by Mr. Johnston, is situated on the southeast shore of the Black Sea, and contains about 15,000 Moslems, Greeks, Armenians, and Armenian papists. Mr. Johnston thus describes his approach to the place.

On Friday, the 15th of November, about 10 o'clock at night, we anchored opposite Platana, eight miles from Trebizond, after a very pleasant passage of six days from Constantinople. About 11 o'clock next morning we landed, and proceeded with horses to Trebizond. The appearance of the country around Platana is very cheerful, compared with the naked wastes in the vicinity of the great capital. The country is mountainous, though the elevations are not very great in the immediate view. From the anchorage (for there is no harbor) the scene before you presents beautiful fields laid out in squares, ascending from the sea quite to the top of the mountains. In one you see yellow wheat-stubble, indicating that a fruitful harvest has just been gathered. In another green corn just cut and put together in shocks. And in a third the rich brown soil has recently been turned up with the plough, to prepare it for the reception of seed for another crop. The higher parts are occupied with brushwood; and dispersed through the vallies which descend to the shore, are beautiful groves of fruit-trees, olives, figs, apples, pears, etc. humble dwellings of the natives are mostly assembled in groups, but many appear to be separated and surrounded by their own gardens, and nearly concealed among the trees. With all it possesses more of a rural aspect than any thing I have seen in Turkey. Further back, the mountains rise higher, and some of them are covered with forests of large trees, the first I have seen since leaving America, and the higher points are capped with snow. The appearance of the people, however, is a perfect contrast of all that is desirable in human life. Their dress is in the coarsest style of the primitive Turkish costume, the odd varieties of which, in all its parts from head to foot, elude all possibility of description. It was market day when we arrived, and all the village and neighborhood seemed to be collected at

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