with them? thorn-bush. What use can they be to thee?' 'None,' said the want to tear them.' NO. XXVIII. THE FURIES. 'My Furies are getting old and stupid,' said Pluto to the messenger of the gods. 'I need fresh ones. Go then, Mercury, and seek me out in the upper world three suitable women for this purpose.' Mercury went. Shortly after this, Juno said to her attendant, 'Dost thou really believe, Iris, that thou couldst find me two or three perfectly strict, chaste maidens amongst mortals?-but perfectly immovable, mind-dost thou understand?-in order to scoff at Cythera, who boasts of having subdued the whole female race. Go everywhere, and see where thou canst discover them.' Iris went. In what corner of the earth did not the good Iris search! And yet in vain. She returned all alone; and Juno called out to her, 'Is it possible? Oh, chastity! Oh, virtue! 'Goddess,' said Iris, I might, indeed, have been able to bring three maidens, who were all perfectly severe and modest; who all three have never smiled at a man; who had all three stifled the least spark of love in their hearts; but, alas! I came too late.' 'Too late?' said Juno. 'How so?' 'Mercury had just fetched them for Pluto.' does Pluto want these virtuous beings for?' NO. XXIX.-TIRESIAS. 'For Pluto? And what Tiresias took his staff, and went across the field. His way led him through a sacred grove, and in the midst of the wood, where three roads crossed one another, he perceived a couple of snakes in loving embrace, at which Tiresias raised his staff, and struck them asunder. But, oh, wonder! As the staff descended on the snakes, Tiresias became a woman. After nine months, the woman Tiresias went again through the sacred grove; and just at the same place, where the three roads crossed one another, she perceived a couple of snakes fighting together. Then Tiresias raised her staff again, and-oh, wonder!— as the staff separated the fighting snakes, the woman Tiresias became a man again. NO. XXX.-MINERVA. Leave the little mischievous enviers of thy increasing renown alone, friends; leave them alone. Why should thy wit immortalize their names, which are destined to oblivion? In the mad conflicts which the giants carried on against the gods, the giants placed a horrid dragon opposite to Minerva. But Minerva seized the dragon, and with a powerful hand flung it up to the sky. There it shines still; and what was so often the reward of great deeds, became the enviable punishment of the dragon. Poetry. A SONG. TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN. GOD be our song! the God of might! Whose works are wondrous ! and whose name Is Lord of Hosts! who dwells in light! And rules this universal frame. He wills creation, and his breath Calls worlds to being! round his throne They move, till he gives back to death, And self-sufficient reigns alone! Enrolled in light, as God he reigns! Nor only great, his throne made sure By truth and righteousness, sustains Their hopes who to the end endure. Of riches infinite! a sca Of changeless blessedness! a spring Of life eternal! unto thee Who can compare, Eternal King? Open before thy searching eyes Are heaven, earth, sea: the past thou know'st; The present seest; and nothing flies Thy glance, through all the starry host. Ever about our daily walk, Our counsellor, our friend, our guide, Surrounded by his watchful care, Cross we the seas to foreign lands, And hidden there his vengeance dare? We still are holden in his hands. He clearly sees our every want, Hears prayers breathed only in a sigh, To us 'tis given to see thy deeds The tender grass beneath our feet Mirrors thy wisdom, speaks thy grace; The dales and hills, the breezes sweet, Should fill our thankful hearts with praise Thou pourest water on the ground, The fields grow green, while by thee fed, With corn and wine that spring around We owe to thee our daily bread. And since no sparrow droops its wing With faith to thy protecting word. Since God becomes our sure defence, F. STANLEY. Record of Christian Missions. MISSIONARIES IN INDIA. We are enabled, this month, by a complete and careful examination of all the intelligence relating to the disastrous revolt in Bengal, to lay before our readers a summary of its effects with regard to Protestant missionary operations in our Indian empire. It is a pleasure to be able to say at starting that the summary must necessarily be brief. One could hardly have conceived that so vast and wide-spread a conspiracy could have been carried out without the uprooting of every missionary station in India, but it is a fact that missionaries, as a class, seem to have suffered almost less than any other portion of the community; they have been the victims in no instance of a special attack; where they have been slaughtered they have simply shared the fate of scores of other Europeans by whom they were surrounded. In not a town, as far as we have been able to ascertain, have they ever been the first assaulted, nor have they in any case been singled out, by any private or public correspondent, as having contributed in any way, directly or indirectly, to the present mutinous spirit of the Indian army. We beg especial attention to this fact. It has served the purpose of writers in the 'Times,' the 'Daily News,' and the journal which especially represents the views of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, viz., ‘Allen's Indian Mail,' to cast all the stigma that could be thrown by the most malevolent spirit on the labours of Christian missionaries in India. The writers have taken pains to give no instances in illustration of their remarks-there being none to give—but whatever broad general assertions could do to the disparagement of Christian labour has been done. They would have their readers to believe that the preaching of Christianity has been productive of mischief, and that it is to save themselves from being preached at that the natives are now revolting. Of course, only the very greatest ignorance could be imposed upon by such a statement, it being notorious that Christian missions have been always and uniformly discouraged by the Governments of India, who have fostered, paid, and bribed Mohammedanism and Budhism until the natives expected that they were bribed for fear of their strength, and so were encouraged to measure swords with their rulers. The Christian element has, in fact, done more than any thing besides to keep the Government of India together. It has been the only corrective of the abuses of the state, the best instrument of civilization, and has offered to the natives almost the sole example they have received of the better spirit of Englishmen. It is sad to reflect that the missionaries who have fallen have fallen victims, not to a zeal for the gospel, but to a blind, vicious, and corrupt civil and military government. The casualties that have occurred in the missionary ranks are, we believe, as follows:- EPISCOPAL MISSIONS. DELHI.-Killed: Rev. Mr. Jennings and daughter; Rev. Mr. Hubbard; Mr. Sandys; and Captain Douglas. JAUNPORE.-Premises burnt. BAPTIST MISSIONS. DELHI-Killed: Rev. Mr. Mackay; Walayal Ali and two sons; Mrs. Thompson and two daughters. METTRA.-Mission broken up but missionary escaped. AMERICAN METHODIST. ALMORAH.-Killed: Rev. Mr. Brown. AMERICAN BOARD. ALLAHABAD.-Mission-house and premises destroyed. LOODIANA.-Ditto. None in connexion with the London Missionary, the Wesleyan, or the Free Church Missionary Societies have at all suffered. To account for this apparently small number, we have but to state the simple fact that the North-west provinces of India have only recently been brought under missionary influence. The greatest spheres of the three societies that have undertaken the evangelization of the Hindoo race, viz., the American, the Episcopalian, and the Baptist, are in the south. Burmah is at present safe, and the Tinnevelly missionary field could hardly ever, we suppose, witness a revolt. Indeed, the accounts from all quarters but those in the immediate neighbourhood of the seat of war, if not directly encouraging, are more so than could have been expected. Thus, at Benares the missionaries had re-opened their school. At Agra Mr. Parsons, of the Baptist mission, writes:-'Here we have been enabled to continue our English services at the cantonments chapel, though our congregation has been diminished, also our native services at the Purtapoora chapel, but our services at the civil lines chapel have been suspended for a month.' Letters from Bombay and Calcutta, though filled with apprehension, speak of no further disasters. From Lahore, Mr. Strawbridge, of the Church Missionary Society, writes in good spirits. From Peshawar Mr. M'Carthy says they had passed through the crisis, and were now teaching again. From Moultan Mr. Fitzpatrick writes that all was well; that he believed missions would receive a great impulse from the struggle. In all these places active missionary work was going on, with no opposition and no prospect of hindrance. We therefore probably know the worst with regard to the sufferings of the missionaries, but we will keep our readers informed of any new aspects with regard to Christian labour that the revolt may put on. There is some interesting intelligence concerning Missionary work in Africa, in a letter from the Rev. John Daniel, of the Wesleyan Mission at Plaatberg. He says 'On arrival at Plaatberg, a brother of Moshesh's has applied for a missionary for Umpukani, promising to defray any expense which may be incurred in repairing the mission-house, &c. Molapo is also very anxious that two missionaries should be provided for his people. The harvest truly is plenteons, but the labourers are few. Our earnest prayer is, that the Lord of the vineyard may thrust out more labourers into his harvest. I hope the time has come for reinforcing our mission. The recent discoveries of Dr. Livingston show that the Bechuana language is the prevailing one in the interior; and if anything is to be done for Central Africa, the Bechuana district is the place to prepare the men for the work of evangelizing the tribes in the interior. I hope the Committee will not be alarmed at these representations; for the time is come that we must plead the cause of the Bechuana tribes. Only last Sunday the chief Molapo told me that Basuto paganism has received a severe blow, and totters to its fall.' The famine in Kaffraria, a fruit of Kaffre superstitions, will probably result in the ascendency of Christianity over the people. Our readers are probably aware that, impelled by a native girl, assuming the power of prophecy, to slay all their cattle, and destroy all their corn, under the promise that it should come to life again, the Kaffres are now in the most wretched condition. An awful famine has spread through the country, of which Mr. Waters, of the Propagation Society, gives the following particulars : 'As the present state of this country is very bad, and daily growing worse, I have been casting in my mind what is best to be done. The food of this people must be very small, as large numbers of people, the whole populations of kraals, may be seen daily in the open country digging for roots, others gathering the inside bark from the minosa thorn, and all presenting an abject appearance. Their cattle are gone, excepting a few milk-cows, say one cow to five hundred souls. They have a few goats, from which they get a little milk: their horses are numerous, but they dare not sell them yet. Crowds of beggars are here every day, with most touching tales of children starving, and old men dying. One woman, with a sad expression, laid her emaciated child at my feet, and said, “O man of God! can you see my child dying, and not help me ?" Mothers show me their breasts without milk, and hundreds of other sad signs of want. 'Kreli, the chief, is hungry himself, and comes to beg of me. He was here when a large family, flying from famine, came literally dying from hunger. They offered everything, even their assegais, for a little food. I had them taken in and cared for -three of them were ill next day from over-eating, but are now working cheerfully. I spoke seriously to Kreli about his people; but he was very restless, and every time I attacked him, he directed his chief councillor, Botman, to reply. He gave leave to all his people to cat new food, and to work as much as they liked; would consider making application to the Governor for work for his people on this side, or near, the Kei river. I strongly recommended them to apply at once.' Mr. Waters adds, 'Our mission work goes on as usual; the congregations have been very regular, until yesterday, when our ordinary people were few; but the chapel was full of strangers. Our schools are well attended.' |