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"At the close of 1850, fifty years after the modern English and American Societies had begun their labours in Hindustan, and thirty years since they have been carried on in full efficiency, the Stations, at which the gospel is preached in India and Ceylon, are two hundred and sixty in number, and engage the services of FOUR HUNDRED AND THREE MISSIONARIES, belonging to twenty-two Missionary Societies. Of these Missionaries, TWENTY-TWO are ORDAINED NATIVES. Assisted by FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-ONE NATIVE PREACHERS, they proclaim the word of God in the bazars and markets, not only at their several Stations, but in the districts around them. They have thus spread far and wide the doctrines of Christianity, and have made a considerable impression even upon the unconverted population. They have founded THREE HUNDRED AND NINE NATIVE CHURCHES, containing seventeen thousand three hundred and fifty-six Members, or Communicants, of whom five thousand were admitted on the evidence of their being converted. These church-members form the nucleus of a NATIVE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY, comprising ONE HUNDRED AND THREE THOUSAND individuals, who regularly enjoy the blessings of Bible instruction, both for young and old. The efforts of Missionaries in the cause of education are now directed to thirteen hundred and forty-five day-schools, in which eighty-three thousand seven hundred boys are instructed through the medium of their own vernacular language; to seventy-three boarding schools, containing nineteen hundred and ninety-two boys, chiefly Christian, who reside upon the Missionaries' premises, and are trained up under their eye; and to one hundred and twenty-eight day-schools, with fourteen thousand boys and students, receiving a sound scriptural education, through the medium of the English language. Their efforts in Female EDUCATION embrace three hundred and fifty-four day-schools, with eleven thousand five hundred girls ; and ninety-one boarding schools, with two thousand four hundred and fifty girls, taught almost exclusively in the vernacular languages. The BIBLE has been wholly translated into ten languages, and the New Testament into five, not reckoning the Serampore versions. In these ten languages, a considerable Christian literature has been produced, and also from twenty to fifty tracts, suitable for distribution among the Hindu and Mussulman population. Missionaries have also established and now maintain twenty-five printing establishments. While preaching the gospel regularly in the numerous tongues of India, Missionaries maintain English services in fifty-nine chapels, for the edification of our own countrymen."

Expenditure.

"The total cost of all these Missions, including all items of expenditure, amounted, in 1850, to ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-SEVEN THOUSAND POUNDS. The items included are, the salaries of Missionaries, the expenses of missionary journeys, the expenses of native preachers, of schools, and of the circulation of Christian books. Of the whole sum, £153,460 were drawn from Europe and America; and the munificent sum of £33,540 was contributed by Christians in this country. It is surely a remarkable fact, that while the East India Company, with an annual revenue of twenty millions, has expended so little for the physical improvement of their great empire, for roads and bridges, and the acceleration of safe and rapid communication, the Christians of Europe, America, and Hindustan, are found devoting of their own accord the sum of more than eighteen lakhs of rupees to the spiritual interests of the Hindus; a sum not drawn from Government resources, but made up of the free-will offerings of Christians of all denominations.

"The various Missionary Societies from which these efforts spring are twentytwo in number. Besides the great Missionary Societies of England, the Established and Free Church of Scotland's Missions, and the American Board, they include the American Presbyterian Church; the American Baptist Missions; six Societies from Germany, of which the Society at Basle ranks first in its amount of agency; the General Baptist Society; the Wesleyan Society; the Irish Presbyterian Church, and others. To these we must add the six Bible and Tract Societies of England and America."

Harmonious Co-operation.

Having in the foregoing extracts exhibited a brief outline of the history of Missions in India, of the extent of the existing operations carried on under the auspices of the various Protestant Societies, and of the very encouraging results with which those operations have been attended, we invite the attention of our readers to one or two other topics which, though bearing only incidentally upon the main object of the article from which we quote, are yet of considerable interest and importance.

It is a subject of mournful reflection, that one serious hindrance to the progress of religious truth throughout Christendom, has been the want of harmonious and active co-operation between the various sections of the Christian Church holding in common the great doctrines of the Protestant faith. It is an evil which has tended to weaken the energies of the Church in its aggregate capacity, to circumscribe and repress the sympathies of its individual members, and to form a stumbling-block to the irreligious. There are, indeed, some hopeful indications of the growth of a healthier and holier state of feeling; and every sincere follower of the Lord Jesus will gladly hail the period when "Ephraim shall no longer envy Judah, nor Judah vex Ephraim."

In singular contrast to that lack of sympathy and united action which has too often characterized the evangelical churches of Europe, we quote the following passage from the "Calcutta Review," which furnishes striking proof of the advantage derived to Missions in India from the practical exhibition of harmony and co-operation among the agents of the various Societies labouring in that country :

"It is a most gratifying fact," observes the writer in the "Calcutta Review," "that, notwithstanding the numerous and sometimes bitter controversies which occur among Christians of the Western World, their Missionary messengers in the East Indies exhibit a very large amount of practical and efficient Christian union. While occupying Stations apart from each other, and thus avoiding occasion of mutual interference with each other's plans, in numberless instances the labourers of different Societies cultivate each other's acquaintance, and preach together to the heathen. Almost all use the same versions of the Bible; and the Christian tracts and books written by one Missionary become the common property of all others. At Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay, the Missionaries of all Societies are accustomed to meet monthly, for mutual

oonference and united prayer. In these meetings, all general questions relating to the more efficient conduct of Missionary operations, to common difficulties and common success, are brought forward and discussed; while frequent occasions are furnished in private for cultivating personal friendships of the closest kind. Of the exceeding value of such union, as well as of its duty, scarcely too high an estimate can be made. In a land so given up to all moral abominations as India is, never could the prince of this world' obtain a greater victory over the preachers of the cross, than by inducing them, on trivial grounds, to turn their arms against each other. And never can the agents of Christ's Church so justly hope for a sure triumph, as when they obey their Master's command in striving, with common efforts, with undivided affection and united prayers, for the extension of His kingdom, and the conversion of perishing souls. Let us hope that the Evangelical Alliance' of Indian Missionaries, throughout this great continent, may become more close, more pure, more sincere, and more efficient, every day; and that the few who, in pride of sect, stand aloof from others, may lay aside their estrangement, and become one with their brethren and fellow-labourers in the Lord's work. It is when men 'see eye to eye' that the Lord has mercy upon Zion."

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Extension of the Duration of Missionary Life.

An opinion having extensively prevailed in England as to the great insalubrity of the climate of India, and of the consequently brief duration of Missionary life in that country, we are happy to have the means of showing that, whatever foundation there may have been for the opinion formerly, it is altogether fallacious at the present day.

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We conclude our extracts from the Calcutta Review" with the following passage, in which the writer proves by the fairest of all tests,statistical analysis, that with the use of proper precautions, Missionaries may continue to labour in India for many years with as much impunity from the effects of climate as in almost any other part of the world:

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"A careful examination of the different periods during which these Missionaries have laboured in India, will at once explode a fallacy, widely circulated among the friends of Missions, in relation to the length of Missionary service. It is generally believed that, in this country, owing to the deadly climate, the average duration of Missionary life is seven years; and many have come out as Missionaries, under the idea that they would be certain to meet with a premature death. But this is a great mistake. From a careful induction of the lives or services of two hundred and fifty Missionaries, we have found, that hitherto the average duration of Missionary labour in India has been sixteen years and nine months each. It was, doubtless, much less at first; and numerous cases can be adduced in which young Missionaries were cut off after a very short term of labour. But a better knowledge of the climate, and of the precautions to be used against it, the use of airy dwelling-houses and light dress, with other circumstances, have tended very much to reduce the influence of the climate, and preserve health: so that the average duration of life and labour is improving every year. As an illustration of this fact, we may state, that out of the one hundred and forty-seven Missionaries labouring in India and Ceylon in 1830, fifty [we can

give their names] are still labouring in health and usefulness; while of the ninetyseven others who have since died or retired, twenty laboured more than twenty years each. Several living Missionaries have been in India more than thirty years. It is a remarkable fact, that the average missionary life of forty-seven of the Tranquebar Missionaries, last century, was twenty-two years each."

NEW YEAR'S OFFERING TO THE NECESSITOUS WIDOWS AND CHILDREN OF MISSIONARIES. ·

THE Directors, in presenting their grateful acknowledgments to those Pastors, Officers, and members of Christian Churches who have already given a kind and liberal response to their recent appeal on behalf of the Widows and Orphans of Deceased Missionaries, beg to announce that the subscription list will be kept open until after the first Sabbath of the current month, to allow an opportunity to those friends of the widow and the fatherless who have been prevented from making their sacramental offerings in January, of thus testifying their Christian sympathy and affection,

A full and complete list of the sums already contributed, and of the amounts that may yet be realized, will appear in our March number.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

The thanks of the Directors are respectfully
presented to the following, viz. :—
For Rev. Wm. and Mrs. Young, Amoy. To Miss
Heudebourek, Hackney-For a Box of Wearing
Apparel, value £15,

For Mrs. Lechler, Salem. To the Thetford Ju-
venile Missionary Society-For a Parcel of
Clothing and Useful Articles.

For Mrs. Lewis, Nagercoil. To the Bromley
Ladies' Missionary Working Society, per Miss
Todman-For a Parcel of Pinafores. To Mrs.
Swan, Edinburgh-For a Parcel of Books.
For the Bangalore Mission. To Miss M. Haycraft,
Kingston-For a Parcel of Useful Articles.
For Rev. J. H. Budden, Almorah. To the Com-
mitee of the British and Foreign School So-
ciety-For a Case of School Books and Slates,
value £17.

For Rev. C. C. Leitch, Travancore. To the Edin-
burgh Medical Society-For a Box of Medi-
cines, value £5.

Fer Rev. John Dalgliesh, Berbice. To the Committee of the British and Foreign School Society-For a Case of School Books, value £10. For South Africa. To Miss Nash, Islington--For a Box of Sewing Materials. To the Bromley Ladies' Juvenile Working Society, per Miss Todman - For a Box of Clothing. To the Youthful Branch Missionary Society, at Craven Chapel, and other Friends-For a Case of Useful Articles, value £22. To 4. Z. Sher

ston, Malmsbury-For a Valuable Bale of Calico, Printed Cottons, and other Useful Articles. To Mr. Wm. Cary-For a Parcel of Useful Articles. To Mrs. Rawson and Friends, Bradford, Yorkshire-For a Case of Clothing and Useful Articles, value £25 13s. For Rev. R. Moffat, Lattakoo. To the Ladies of Zion Chapel, Halifax, per Miss Pridie-For a Valuable Box of Clothing and Useful Articles. For Rev. James Read, Kat River. To the Female Missionary Working Society, connected with the Rev. J. E. Milsom's Congregation, Southport-For a Case of Wearing Apparel, &c. For Rev. R. B. Taylor, Cradock. To the Camberwell African Working Society-For a Box of Useful Articles and Clothing, value £12. To Mrs. M'Neil and Friends, at Elgin and Forres -For a Box of Clothing and Useful Articles. To the Executors of the late Rev. R. Maclean,

Liverpool-For Two Valuable Boxes of Books. To Mr. Sickelmore, Brighton; to Mr. White, Bristol; to Mr. Pearson, Worksop; to G. Thomasin, Esq., Witham; to Mrs. Young, Maida Hill; to Mrs. Dear, Hackney; to Mr. H. Spencer, Bath; to Mr. Dean, New North-road; to Mr. J. Frith, Higham-on-the-Hill; to F. J. P.; to Anonymous; and to Mrs. Prust, Northampton -For Volumes and Numbers of the Evangelical Magazines, Christian Witness, and other Publications.

SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR THE RELIEF OF THE SUFFERERS BY THE

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