them who had gone aside and done wickedly. Seven of them had been punished by flogging, and had had their flesh severely cut with a knife. These two awaited similar punishment. I interceded, but got no answer; was to go the next day. Again I got no answer. A few days after his son came to my house, saying that his father heard what I had said, and had unchained the women and let them go without further punishment. Many a child of sorrow who has worn a chain, lifts the hands in blessing at sight of your Missionary.

Yesterday morning a young man from Bell's Town came to me in great trouble. He had entirely left the superstitious customs of his people, and had been seeking the Lord about three years: he is a carpenter, and is building himself a wooden house. The natives were having their customs, and they were determined that he should be there, and beat the drum for them. Their conduct was very violent, and he was obliged to hide himself away; they then went to his new house and broke and destroyed the roof, and threatened to destroy the house if he did not return to their habits, or pay. He then applied to the king, who could do nothing for him. In his extremity he made his way to me, begging me to see king Bell, to intreat for him that he might be secure from further disturbance, or be permitted to bring away the materials of his house. I saw the king, who received me kindly, and after we had been some time together, he said, "I dont think I will let them do any more to him, I think what they have done in breaking his house is enough"!!! I left the king with a sad heart, marvelling greatly at the want of enlightened liberality in the Prince, and of conscience in the people. Such is heathendom everywhere,

DECEASE OF THE REV. J. JOHANNES.

Mr. Johannes was the oldest living missionary of the Society, and during his whole term has laboured in Chittagong and its vicinity. In his youth he was led to the Saviour, and joined the Lall Bazaar Church in Calcutta. He spent some years in the Benevolent Institution of Calcutta, and received instruction from the lips of Peacock, Leonard, and Penney, its successive masters. In the middle of the year 1820, he was sent, with his wife and family, by the Serampore missionaries, to Chittagong, to the assistance of Mr. Peacock; but before his arrival Mr. Peacock had entered into rest. Mr. Johannes reached Chittagong in December, and at once entered on the duties of master of the Institution, which Mr. Peacock had founded two years before for the benefit of the children of indigent Roman Catholics and other Christians, many of whom were then living in Chittagong. He met with a very warm reception, and for twenty years continued to teach in this institution, with a brief interruption in 1824, occasioned by the Burman invasion, filling up his time with direct missionary labours among the heathen. The school was broken up in 1840, owing to the establishment of a school by the Roman Catholic priests of the district, and though partially resumed in 1844, never again acquired its previous prosperity and repute.

Mr. Johannes then gave himself wholly to missionary labour; and the small church which in 1839 numbered only eight members, through the blessing of God, reached its present condition. For many years he laboured entirely alone; but early last year the Rev. A. McKenna at the request of the Committee, joined their aged missionary, and from his pen we learn the particulars of his decease. His letter dated April 27th is as follows:

"It is my mournful duty to convey to you intelligence of the death on the 22nd inst. of your missionary, my colleague, the Rev. John Johannes. His demise was sudden and unlooked for.

He had been to a station on the sea coast, some five miles from this,

Alishohar, where he went chiefly I believe on account of his daughter-in-law, whose health has been very precarious for some time past, and whom it was thought the change might benefit. He went there on the afternoon of Monday the 18th, then suffering, as at intervals he had been, off and on before, from diarrhoea, on which he appears to have suddenly caught cold, owing to a recent change in the weather. The disease at once assumed entire control of his system, till it terminated in death on Friday forenoon at 11 o'clock. He died in his own house, having been brought into the station at 8 a.m. the day previous; and was buried yesterday in our dissenting portion of the station burial ground.

I did not know he was here (I live at some distance from his place) till 2 o'clock of the day he was brought back, one of his wards then writing to me of his dangerous condition, and requesting my immediate presence. When I went over, which I did at once, I immediately saw that his life was hopeless. He lingered on through the night in a state of coma, at intervals awaking up to consciousness.

Our brother passed away in perfect peace. No doubts or fears of any kind were permitted to trouble his departure. He trusted implicitly to the finished work of the Son of God, and his faith was firm and uniform. Repeatedly we engaged with him in the exercises of religion, and repeatedly he asked us to do 80. The last time I spoke to him or he to me, when he could scarce articulate, I said to him, "Bro. Johannes, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." He feebly, but emphatically answered, "Certainly." time before I had said, "Bro. Johannes, you find Jesus, I trust, to be with you." He replied, "I do." He sleeps in Jesus!"

Thus, after nearly forty-four years' of labour in the cause of the Redeemer, our brother has passed away. He lived to see great changes in the country of which he was a native; but the seed he has diligently sown has yet to bear that full and abundant harvest for which he toiled and prayed. May the little church he was permitted to gather be but as the first fruits. He rests from his labours, and his works do follow him.

THE MISSIONARY AND THE GURU OF THE SAADS.

BY THE REV. JOHN GREGSON.

Late one evening while we were in Hattrass, four or five persons came to me to converse with us. They told us that they had attended all our preachings in Hattrass and quite assented to all we had said. They stated that they were the disciples of a religious teacher, living at a village some miles from Hattrass, whom they were in the habit of visiting frequently. They stated that this man was by birth a Brahmin; that twenty years ago he was a religious mendicant of unsettled religious views, and that he spent his time in going from one place of pilgrimage to another, and making enquiries after the true religion. In the course of his wanderings he met with some members of a religious sect whom they called "Saads," who have no caste, believe in the unity and spirituality of God, denounce idolatry, and never go on pilgrimage. He at once embraced their views, renounced his Brahminism, and returning home began to scatter his property in alms. On this his relatives quarrelled with him, and accused him of wasting their patrimony. He then left home, and for some months lived in a small hole in the ground. Afterwards he set up as a religious teacher, began to propagate the doctrines of the "Saads," and collect disciples. These men stated that he has now two thousand followers who visit him for instruction, present him offerings, and implicitly believe whatever he tells them. They also told us

that this man's disciples do not believe in Ram or Krishna, or any of the Hindu divinities, but in the one eternal and almighty God,-that they regard idolatry as sinful-never go on pilgrimage-have no caste, and that if they fall sick they do not go to doctors (who among the Hindus deal chiefly in charms and enchantments) but leave themselves in the hands of God, praying to Him to make them well. They added that their neighbours call them "Christians."

THE GURU.

We were so much interested in the account they gave of their religious teacher, and the doctrines he taught, that we determined to lose no time in visiting him. Here, we thought, is a man prepared to receive the truths of Christianity, and whose position will enable him largely to influence others. Accordingly two days after we sought him out. The village in which he resides is eight miles from Hattrass, very small, inhabited perhaps by not more than one hundred souls. We were at once directed to his abode, and entering at a low side door, found ourselves in the middle of a long narrow room built of mud and thatched with straw. At one end, seated on a little mat, was the man we sought. He had a thin shrivelled elderly appearance. His eye glowed with an unhealthy brightness, as though its lustre were derived from some stimu lating drug. His features were sharp and pointed, and the general expression of his countenance by no means mild or amiable. Our first glance at him by no means pre-possessed us in his favour. Mr. Gregson introduced himself as a missionary, saying that he had heard of him from some of his disciples and had come to see him, with the desire of holding a friendly conversation on the subject of religion. Almost before we had time to say thus much, he interrupted us somewhat abruptly; he joined his hands together, and pointing upwards with the tips of his fingers he said, "God is one." During the little time we had been in his room, several of his disciples, attracted by the arrival of strangers, had come into the presence of their teacher, but before sitting down, to our astonishment and grief, they had offered him the most profound homage, worshipped him indeed, so as no mortal ought to be worshipped. We therefore replied that we quite agreed with him as to the unity of God, but were surprised and grieved to observe that he, holding this truth, could receive divine homage from his followers. He replied, "They do not worship me, but God." We said that they had certainly presented this homage to him, for they had prostrated themselves before him, and touched his feet, and that if this homage were not meant for him but for God, it would be as well for them to do it before God in secret where none but God is present. On hearing this, he became very excited, flew into a violent passion, and for a long time spoke so rapidly in a loud shrill voice, that a great part of what he said was lost to us. We did, however, catch some of his meaning, which was to the following effect. "I am worthy of this homage. I am the son of Brahma. In a former birth I was next to Brahma himself in dignity and power, and now I am God's vicegerent (Muktar) on earth.” At length, cooling down a little, he was gracious enough to assure Mr. G. that if he would become his follower he would make him his factotum (Kamgar), and raise him to a position of wealth and dignity and power greatly superior to that occupied by the Governor-General. After this display of fanaticism and delusion, we felt there was but little prospect of influencing him for good, but as upwards of a dozen of his followers were present, we continued the interview, partly with the hope of presenting to them a brief outline of Gospel truth, and partly to obtain more information as to the character and tenets of this singular man.

THE CONVERSATION.

We therefore stayed a considerable time longer, but must content ourselves with one or two brief extracts from what further passed between us. Once he remarked that to know God is to be near Him and to be like Him. We replied that there was much truth in that, but that the great difficulty is to

attain to this knowledge, as it is evident that they cannot know God who worship Ram and Krishna and Mahadeo. "Oh yes," he hastily replied, "but Mahadeo is God, he is the embodyment of the divine ignorance, delusion and lust" (tomougun). What," we said, "do you profess to know God, and yet attribute to Him delusion and passion?" On this he again became very excited, and spoke in a loud shrill rapid voice. We said to him, "Well, it is very evident you are not free from tomougun" (e. passion). On this he cooled down instantly, for natives attribute much importance to a man's power of restraining his anger, and he seemed to feel that his conduct was not likely to raise him in the esteem of those of his disciples who were present. Still he feebly denied the accusation, and asserted that he was full of truth and purity (satogun). Frequently afterwards he fired up, but on my good humoredly saying "Beware of tomougun," he at once cooled down, and we got on all the better for these home-thrusts. 1 requested permission to read a few verses from the New Testament, but he would not hear of it, and said that he did not want any revelation, that he did not believe in any, and was prepared to treat the Hindu sacred books and all others with indignities we cannot mention. I asked him where he got his knowledge from. He replied that he had not got it from any book, but direct from God himself, who had written it upon his tongue. We offered him a Gospel, but he said he could not read. At one time he spoke of everything as being part of God, and yet when we pointed out the difference betwixt the Creator and His creature, the workman and his work, he assented. He disclaimed the idea of being God himself, and even declared that he was not even a teacher, but on a simple equality with his disciples, and yet he maintained that his followers ought to treat him with the most profound reverence. The native Christian with me pointed out that his hands were stained with an intoxicating drug. I therefore asked him if he smoked or ate such things. He replied, "I just eat or smoke anything my followers bring me." His appearance rendered it but too apparent that he freely indulged in such stimulants. On leaving I remarked to him, "Well, you have attributed to God delusion and lust, and have claimed for yourself perfect holiness and truth; be assured that you are in error. God alone is pure, you are sinful and corrupt." A day or two after, we paid him a second visit, but this interview was not a whit more satisfactory than the first. We found the man a very different being from what his followers led us to expect. They did not come near us again, and as we knew not where to find them, we had no opportunity of guarding them against the danger of following such a guide. It is a mournful fact that such a man should be able to exert so powerful an influence. He told us that his followers are 2500 in number, and include men from every caste.

A MISSIONARY'S WELCOME.

BY THE REV. W. K. RYCROFT.

I am once again in the midst of our dear West Indian brethren, fully engaged in prosecuting the object of our ordination, and seeking to build up the churches, and to bring sinners to God. May the grace of God establish the work of our hands upon us, and greatly extend it.

Our passage across the Atlantic was rendered very pleasant by the general urbanity of the passengers, the kindness of the captain, and the company of the Rev. Dr. Jenkins of Philadelphia. On the Lord's day we had good congregations. Our stay in New York was painfully prolonged in consequence of no vessel being bound for Turk's Islands. This in a measure arose from the great demand for ships carrying the English flag, in consequence of the war, and vessels out for the American flag; few of that flag venture to sea this way, the Alabama and her consorts being on the alert for American bottoms. However, finally we obtained a passage in the ship B. Smith. We were delighted to find our captain

to be one who feared God. The men were very orderly and civil through the voyage, not a wrong word or unpleasant circumstance taking place. Everyday weather permitting, we had our exercises of religion.

After a prosperous run of nine days we sighted Turk's Islands, but within three miles of the land ran upon one of our dangerous reefs.

This was all but lost for us. It was dark, and we could not well see how we were situated. We owe our safety under God to the ship being light, the wind just then becoming brisk, and large rolling waves setting in on the stern. Again, as in many times past, we could intelligently and feelingly sing the 107th Psalm, "So he brought us to our desired haven."

It was one o'clock in the morning when we landed, but somehow or other the news of our arrival was over the island by daylight. Long had they looked for our coming, and repeatedly had they crowded the beach, supposing we were on board of vessels carrying light coloured private signals-ours being white. No sooner was it certain that we had landed, than up went their little flags, some crowding their staffs with all they had. At ten o'clock we wended our way through the salt ponds to the chapel, where we had the President of the colony and the rifle corps in attendance. Thus, on our renewed introduction to our dear people, we were attended by the gaiety of numerous banners, and the band of the Turk's Islands rifle corps. The latter, at one time, might have been used to drum me out of the island; this is a change for the better.

If we had a good time in the morning, at night we exceeded it. A crowded house gave deep attention to our discourse, founded on, "In the name of our God we will lift up banners." Dr. Underhill well knows how heartily these sable people shake hands, and how long it takes before hundreds can be accommodated with that friendly salutation. We had to stand it out, however, until most of our friends had gratified themselves.

We found that our native teacher, Mr. Kerr, had done his best for the mission during our absence. He is generally much respected and highly spoken of by the population, and stands in all respects on an equality with ministers of other bodies. The distress, sickness, and lack of trade, has obliged many of our friends to remove to more promising islands. Sickness and poverty are just now very prevalent, and food is high in price. Our financial strength, therefore, is very weak. While America is at war, distress must continue here.

STATE OF ST. DOMINGO.

Poor St. Domingo is brought to the lowest condition. Any change now will be for its benefit. That land of blood and wretchedness claims the aid of some civilised nation. Well if America would carry out the Monroe doctrine in relation to that country. America, I am glad to say, is now in great measure on the abolition platform.

The vice consul for England has just called upon me as an old friend. He tells me that eighteen thousand soldiers are ordered to St. Domingo to conquer it, and then finally leave it. This last is only designed for a moral effect before the world, and particularly Cuba. It would not be well for the slaves of Cuba, or its colored freemen, to see the troops of Isabella defeated, as they thus far have been, by Dominicans.

Porta Plata is in complete ruin. The Spanish soldiers have done little else than shoot innocent people, and rob and burn up the town. Its people are scattered. Five hundred of these in poverty came here for refuge, having clothes, money, and all buried in ruin. They have escaped with merely life. But two or three houses are standing. Our own friend Treadwell's, and our mission house, are occupied as garrisons by the Dominicans, who confine the Spanish troops to the fort. The latter are terribly afraid of the Dominicans, who have severely whipped them, at all points.

In consequence of the flight of so many poor distressed there is a loud call upon us for money, clothing and food. large families, and all are deprived of the means of living. be given me would be very gratefully received.

people to this island Some are widows with Any aid which could