There are many common principles received among the inhabitants of Bengal, which will enable Chriftians to reafon with them to greater advantage. Of these the Hindoos have not a few. Their facred books contain many excellent things concerning the perfections of the Deity: And they believe the exiftence of moral evil; the neceffity of the expiation of fin; the obligations of virtue; and a state of rewards and punishments. Amidft a vaft heap of idolatrous rubbish and impure fuperftition these principles are found; although they too are defiled with unhallowed mixtures, yet as they give a miffionary an entrance into their heart and confcience, and furnith him with powerful arguments for confuting their crrors, and establishing the Chriftian verity, their poffeffion of them is highly to be prized. A ftill greater number of thefe common principles the Mahometans hold.

The attachment of both the Mahometans and Hindoos to their ancient fyftems is leffening every day. We have this information from the late Sir William Jones, one of the Judges of that country, a name dear to literature, and a lover of the religion of Jefus. The Muffulmans, in Hindoftan, are in general but little acquainted with their fyftem, and by no means fo zealous for it as their brethren in the Turkish and Perfian empires. Befides, they have not the ftrong arm of civil authority to crufh those who would convert them. Mr. Carey's Letters feem to intimate the fame relaxation among the Hindoos. This decay of prejudice and bigotry will, at leaft, incline them to liften with more patience and a milder temper to the doctrines and evidences of the Chriftian religion. The degree of adhesion to their cafts, which ftill remains, is certainly unfavourable, and must be confidered as one of Satan's arts to render men unhappy; but it is not infuperable. The Roman Catholics have gained myriads of converts among them. The Danish miffionaries record their thousands too: And one of the most successful miffionaries, at prefent in the world, is labouring in the fouthern part of Hindoftan. Befides a very confiderable number who have thrown afide their old fuperstition, and make a profeffion of the Chriftian religion. He computes, that in the courfe of his miniftry he has been the inftrument of favingly converting two thoufand perfons

the faith of Chrift: Of these above five hundred are Mahometans; the rest are from among the different cafts of

* Mr. Swartz.

the

the Hindoos. In addition to these inftances, it is proper to notice the attention which the Hindoos are paying to the two Baptift miffionaries, and which gives a favourable specimen of their readiness to liften to the preaching of the Gofpel. If any fill fay that the cafts prefent infuperable obftacles, and will not allow facts to bend their minds, and change their opinions, one thing more is recommended to their confideration, namely, "that in a perfon placed in the most favourable fituation that can poffibly be conceived, and warmly attached to the Gofpel from education, sentiments, habits, examples, and confcience; before he can be a true convert, there is fomething unfpeakably more difficult to be overcome than the ftrongest adherence to caft which was ever felt by the most bigotted Bramin."

The language of Bengal is spoken over a vast extent of country. The preacher on the coaft of Africa, in America, in Greenland, who has learned the language of the heathen, finds himself confined to a few hundreds or thoufands of miferable Pagans; and when he goes beyond the narrow limits of his tribe or horde, is a barbarian to the neighbouring nations: But the miffionary, who has learned the language of Bengal, will have more millions to addrefs than the others can find hundreds or thousands. Of what advantage this is need not be faid. Without any addition or trouble of learning tongues, to how wide an extent may he carry the glad tidings of falvation! And a tranflation of the facred Scriptures into this tongue will give millions an opportunity of perufing a book, which is able to make them wife unto falvation, through faith which is in Christ Jefus.

Although the apoftles were not deterred by the profpect of danger, or the fears of perfecution, from preaching the Gospel, in any country to which they were fent; yet it is certainly to be confidered as an additional recommendation of Bengal, that miffionaries have the faireft profpect of fafety and protection from the civil government. A ftrong prejudice has gone abroad against the dominion of the English in that part of the world. However well-founded this might formerly have been, it is but juftice to fay, that fince the country was taken into the hands of our cabinet, the people have reason to rejoice at exchanging the tyranny of their old Mahometan masters, and the oppreffion of the native Rajahs, for the government of Great Britain, which is beyond comparifon the most equitable, the mildeft, and the beft in India. Mahometans and Hindoos live every-where in peace and quiet; and the miffionaries would find them

VOL. V.

D

felves

felves protected from danger. No excrcife of civil autho rity do they need to give fuccefs to their efforts, nor do they defire it, nor would they have it. But to enjoy the counte nance of the magiftrate in the work, fo far as to be preferved from the effects of thofe private enmities and public tumults, which the foes of the Gofpel would cherish in a country where they thought the rulers would either wink at, or encourage their oppofition to the doctrine and preachers of the Gofpel, is certainly to be confidered as an eminent bleffing.

But Bengal has a further recommendation as a field of miflions than its populoufnefs, its civilization, its attainments in fcience, many common principles of religion, the decay of attachment to old fyftems, and the fafety and quiet of the miffionaries. If the Gofpel were once planted, and took deep root in that province, there will be a pleafing profpect of its being propagated through every part of Hindostan, That immenfe region, it has been computed, contains a hundred and twenty millions of inhabitants; and what dif ciple of Jefus does not feel his heart glow with all the ardour of holy zeal at the glorious profpect, and anxiously defire to fee the door opened to every apartment of that vaft habitation of fouls, and to have every inclofure of that ample harveft fupplied with labourers? Should Bengal ever be converted to the faith of Chrift, the way is plain and eafy to every other province of the empire; and if European miffionaries fhould any-where find difficulty of access, Maho→ metan and Hindoo converts will be able to carry the Gospel into every part of it without any obftacle, and with every profpect of fuccefs.

Benefits ftill more extenfive may be expected from planting the Gospel in Bengal. The fituation of that province, in refpect to the most famous, civilized, and populous countries of the Eaft, merits particular attention. By cafting the eye of Christian benevolence on the map of the world, with pleafing, furprife Bengal will be feen placed in the centre of the fouthern part of Afia, and prefenting on every fide the nobleft fields for miffions which are to be found on the face of the earth. China, that world of fouls in itfelf, is at no great distance to the east; and an entrance into it may be more eafily obtained by miffionaries from that quarter, than by the ufual channels of commerce. Thibet and Tartary, on the north, contain their millions. Beyond the ocean, Perfia, to the weft, calls for the confolations of the Gofpel to cheer them amidst the darkness of Mahometan delufion;

while the fwarthy fons of Pegu and Siam, inhabiting large and fertile countries on the fouth, invite the meffengers of peace to come and proclaim the glad tidings of life and immortality. A better centre of operations than Bengal it is impoffible for the fpiritual warrior to fix on for extending the kingdom of Jefus Chrift, and crufhing the ufurpations of Satan and of fin.

Reflect, O difciple of Jefus! on what has been prefented to thy view. The caufe of Chrift is thy own cause ; without deep criminality thou canst not be indifferent to its fuccefs. Rejoice that fo delightful a field of miffions has been difcovered and exhibited. Roufe thyfelf from the flumbers of fpiritual langour. Exert thyfelf to the utmost of thy power; and let confcience be able to testify without a doubt, even at the tribunal of Jefus Chrift, "If miffionaries be not speedily fent to preach the glorious Gospel in Bengal, it thall not be owing to me."

CURIOUS TRADITION,

AMONG THE INHABITANTS OF OTAHEITE,

MR. EDITOR,

MONG other fingular inftances of Divine Providence,

A us in

temping of a miflion to the South-Seas, I cannot but reckon fome manufcript communications, and particularly a vocabudary, in which, under the word Deity in the Otaheitan language, we have fuch an account of the traditionary knowledge of the true God, preferved among the South Sea Iflanders, as is fcarcely to be met with in any part of the heathen world befide. The authenticity of the information is indubitable, and the more ftriking, as the perfons from whom the knowledge is derived *, never had an idea of the use thus eventually drawn from it. As I have the fulleft evidence myfelf that no impofition was intended, and that the fact is exactly as reprefented, I fhall tranfcribe the words relative to this fubject from the vocabulary.

TAHEITAN NAMES.
Deity.-E tööă.

The names of the three fuperior Deities of Taheite are,

1.

Taanè te Medōsă,

The Father.

The mutineers of the Bounty. See our article of Intelligence last Cctober.

2.

Orōmåttŏw.

'Tōōǎ tě të Mỹdě.—(Literally God in the Son.)

3.

Mănnoo tè Hōa.-(Literally the bird, the Friend.) Thefe three, call them either perfons or Gods, are the great Deities of the Taheitans, and in their idea Supreme, and entitled to the highest worship. These they stile,

Eatooǎ Fwhānōw Pō.

God born of night or darkness.

Befides thefe, they have inferior Deities, a kind of houfehold gods, the Dii penates, and each man and woman is fuppofed to have fuch a tutelary deity, as their guardian or good genius. He is one of their departed relatives, whofe fpirit hath received deification from the Eatōōă for their goodness and excellencies in this life. Thefe guardian divinities are regarded by them as endued with power to infli& fickness, or remove it, and to counteract all the evils which a wicked fpirit, whom they call Tee, is endeavouring to bring upon them. To thefe, therefore, they addrefs their prayer, when afflicted with difeafe or diftrefs of any kind, and never to the Sacred Three; for they esteem them fo tranfcendently great and głorious, as to be above being troubled with the trivial concerns of inferior perfons. It is only on occafion of war, or national calamity, or the illness of the king or chiefs, or ftorms, and the like, that the fupreme Eātōōă are to be addreffed.

Refpecting the third perfon here mentioned, it is still more. fingular, that though under the name deity he is called tè Hoa (the friend), yet in another place, under the word infpired, he is called tè Hooă (or the Spirit.)

Infpired.-W'ōōroo.
EXAMPLE.

That man is inspired with the Spirit of the Eātōōă.

W'ōōro te Hōōă ō t' Eatōōă tee tenna Täätă.

Literally thus," Is infpired, the Spirit of the Eatooa into that man."

And other parts of the vocabulary give this fense to the word. Thus under the word

Sneezing, always accompanied by a benediction, they say, Your te Hōōä.-The Spirit bless you.

Or, Youre te Varooá.-The departed Spirit bless you. Or, Youre T'Eatooă.-The Deity bless you.

There is alfo another word that confirms my ideas of this being the fenfe of the word, under

Ruptured.