of a fixed period, say 5 or 6 years, the Persian would be finally and universally abolished, there would be little real difficulty encountered in making the transition. Persian schools would, in the interim, be gradually, and in the end, wholly abandoned; and such a mighty impulse communicated to the acquisition of English as would produce a whole race of freed men to become candidates for offices of trust and honour-freed men who would be ready to devote the moral and intellectual activities of regenerated natures to the advancement of their country's weal. In the Bengalee school the state of things is totally different, Bengalee being the vernacular language, much encouragement has been extended to the study of it on the improved plan; and the labour has been attended with corresponding success. The average number of boys in attendance, as shewn by the class lists, since the commencement of the Institution, is as follows: 1st, English Department,.. 2nd, Bengalee ditto, 3rd, Persian ditto, 150 100 50 300 From this number let about a 1-5th part be deducted for absenteeism on account of sickness, performance of ceremonies, &c. and the remainder will give us the average daily attendance. The following are the boys to whom prizes were awarded in the English department, after the first annual examination : A meeting of the friends to the principle of Infant Schools took place at the Bishop's Palace on Tuesday morning at 9 o'clock, to take preliminary measures for establishing a Central Institution of that nature in Calcutta. The following Resolutions were then unanimously agreed to:-the Rev. J. Bateman, who drew them up, having been previously requested, at Sir Edward Ryan's suggestion, seconded by Mr. Dealtry, to accept the office of Secretary. It was resolved, 1st. That an Institution be formed which shall be called, The Calcutta Infant School Society. 2nd. That this Society consist for the present of a Patron, President, Vice-Presidents, Committee of Gentlemen and Secretary; and that when its operations actually commence, a lady patroness and a ladies' committee be requested to lend their aid in furthering the Society's objects. 3rd That the following gentlemen be requested to fill the different offices here assigned to them, viz. Patron, Treasurer, The Bank of Bengal. Rev. Josiah Bateman, protem. 4th. That the object of the Society be two-fold. Rev. A. McPherson J. H. Stocqueler, Esq. 1. To bring up children, from the age of two to seven years, in habits of order and obedience, connected, so far as may be possible at so tender an age, with moral and religious instruction. 2. To extend the plan as far as possible by gratuitously instructing in the Central School, Master and Mistresses for other Schools in Calcutta, and in the Ont stations. 5. That this original plan embrace the children in the first instance of professed Christians, with a hope that eventually the benefits of it may be extended to the native population. 6. That a Master and Mistress, thoroughly conversant with the whole system, he songht for in England, and that the Secretary be empowered, under the direction of the Right Rev. the President of the Society, to provide suitable persons, to pay for their passage to this country, to offer them a dwelling and a salary, the Master of £200, the Mistress of £150, per annum. 7. That during the interval which must elapse before the arrival of the Master and Mistress, the Committee be empowered to purchase or erect suitable premises for the purposes of the Central School. 8. That a subscription be immediately entered into for defraying these necessary and primary expenses, and for the purchase of the books and machinery essential for the full development of the system; and that the Bishop be requested to apply to Government for their pecuniary aid, or for a grant towards defraying the primary expenses. Eventually it is hoped that the School in some measure will support itself, as it is intended that each child shall pay one anna per week. When the discussion of the whole question had terminated, a book was handed round, and subscriptions were instantly raised to the amount of 2,000 Rupees DEATH OF THE REV. J. ROBERTSON, OF BEnares. It is our mournful duty to record the loss, by death, of another labourer in the vineyard of our Lord.-On Saturday, the 15th instant, the Rev. James Robertson of Benares was attacked with spasmodic cholera, of which he died after a few hours of severe suffering. The following is an extract from a letter written by his colleague, the Rev. W. Buyers, communicating the painful intelligence. It is with feelings of much sorrow that I am called on to write you on the present occasion, to inform you of another loss sustained by our small Missionary band. My fellow-laborer, Mr. Robertson, has been suddenly removed from the scenes of time to another and, I trust, a better state. He was seized on Saturday the 15th ultimo, about two o'clock, P. M. with a violent attack of cholera. No one was with him at the time besides his servants, who from ignorance or carelessness neglected to call in medical aid, and it was not till between seven and eight in the evening, that they brought word to me of his being ill. I hastened immediately to his bungalow, and sent for Dr. Angus, who came without delay to his assistance. But alas! it was too late, for the disease had already gone too far. He was in the most excruciating pain-the power of speech was almost gone, and his extremities were cold as ice-medicine was administered, and every thing done of which circumstances would admit ; but all in vain-after suffering greatly, he expired about midnight. He seemed perfectly sensible to the last, but the dreadful pain he was in and the ability to speak being nearly gone before I saw him, rendered all conversation impossible. His remains were committed to the dust next evening. A considerable number of his friends and all the Missionaries about Benares attended bis funeral, and were deeply affected by the solemn and unexpected event.-May the oft repeated lesson thus again pressed upon our consideration, have its proper influence in preparing us for the realities of the world to come. Thus I am left alone to carry on our Mission in this great city. Let me have an interest in your prayers and those of my other brethren, that I may be fitted for the important duties of my station. Mr. Robertson was a Missionary belonging to the London Missionary Society. He arrived in India in October, 1826. He was the Author of the Tract entitled "Comparison of Mahommedanism with Christianity," in Hindoostanee. MADRAS. MADRAS RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY. We have just been favored with a copy of the Fourteenth Report of the above Society, the following extracts from which will give a tolerable idea of the Society's proceedings: "During the past year three numbers of the Tamil Magazine have been issued from the press, an abstract of which will be found in the Appendix. This work is principally conducted by the Rev. J. Smith, and the articles are supplied by Tamil scholars residing in all parts of Southern India. The Committee embrace this opportunity of tendering their best thanks to all who have assisted in conducting this valuable little Miscellany. Four new Tracts have also been added to the Society's list of publications: viz. "1.--On the Atonement. This is a Tamil Tract, composed of extracts made by the Rev. E. Crisp, from the Dialogues of the venerable Swartz, and is designed to illustrate to the heathen, in a familiar style, the glorious plan developed in the Gospel for the reconciliation of guilty man to his righteously offended Creator. "2.-The Hindoo Triad. This is a re-publication of a Tamil Tract from the Jaffna Society's list, containing a detailed account of the evil dispositions, passions, and actions, which the Hindoos ascribe to their deities; and these are contrasted with the holy perfections of the eternal Jehovah, on which an argument is founded to show, that the gods of the heathen are unworthy of receiving divine honours and adoration. " 3.-The Excellency of the Bible. For this Tract the Society is indebted to the Rev. C. Winckler. The evidences on which the authority of a production professing itself to be divinely inspired rests, are clearly unfolded, and the sacred books of the Hindoos are, by the most convincing arguments, exposed as having no claim whatever to such high pretensions. "4.-On Drunkenness. A tract on this subject has long been necessary, as, it is to be feared, the awful sin of drunkenness is now prevailing in India to an alarming extent. The Rev. B. Schmid has supplied the desideratum, and the Society will in future be enabled to make a stand against this prevailing vice, by putting in circulation a publication in which the evil consequences of drinking are faithfully detailed. "In addition to these new publications, the Society's Tamil Tract entitled, "Scripture Extracts," has been rendered into Teloogoo, and an edition of 3000 copies has been printed. New editions of many of the Society's publications have been printed, both in Tamil and Teloogoo, and the following statement taken from the Depositary's book exhibits the number of tracts received and issued by the Society during the past year. Tamil Tracts received Teloogoo do. English do. ...... ..... Hindoostanee do. Chinese do. ..... Tamil Tracts issued... Teloogoo do. English do. French do. Portuguese do. ... 65,000 15,900 8,936 5,497 392 Total. 95,626 41,658 11,591 10,731 165 33 "The Total number of tracts issued from the Depository since the commencement of the Society, in the year 1818, is 606,377." The following interesting communication from the Rev. C. Rhenius will, we have no doubt, be perused with pleasure. "PALAMCOTTAH. On the 3rd of this month (December) we celebrated here the 10th Anniversary of our native Tract Society, (in conjunction with Nagercoil,) when it was delightful to see, not only the Christians, but also the Heathen school-masters and Heathen boys, take a cheerful interest in the work of the Society; small and great hastening to contribute their mites; because they love these little books; they feel that without them they would not know what they now do know, their minds would be in awful darkness. Heathen boys collected some annas, and paid them; our seminarists by abstaining once a week from one of their meals, had during the year brought about 12 Rupees together; Mrs. Schaffter's small girls' school paid about 12 annas, collected in a similar way. I shall here at once mention, that our Tract Society has had during this year an income of somewhat more than 733 Rupees, besides 48 reams of paper from the Parent Society in England; and has published 50,000 Tracts in Tamil, many of which, together with those with which your Society have favoured us, have spread far and wide in this district, and done some execution among the enemy's subjects. Many of these saw the ugliness and wickedness of their old master, and have forsaken him; the Lord Jesus Christ is now their master. Others halt between two opinions; whilst some are faithful to Satan and fight for him. "In May last about 20 families in a village renounced idolatry, and put themselves under Christian instruction. When they came to me to ask for a catechist, I was surprised to find some of them pretty well acquainted with Christianity, and they declared, that they had received the knowledge of it through the books in our schools, &c.-I sent them a catechist, and they continue to make good progress, though in great fear of the zemindar, who is very angry with them, and would drive them all away from his territory, had he power to do so. He once said to a messenger whom I sent to him, Your vedam is very good, but it must not be in my territory-take away your catechist. A month after he complained, that the swamy of that place had been left all that time to hunger and starve, meaning that the people having become Christians had not paid the usual worship and offerings to the idol. Two or three other villages in the neighbourhood have since followed the example of the former; and we have now more catechists than one in that part of the district. "In August last I had the pleasure to baptize a respectable and clever Soodra man, who has been a Mission school-master these three years. At that time, when he became our school-master, he treated our books lightly, and taught them only for livelihood's sake. By degrees, the truths contained in them struck his mind; he began seriously to know himself as a sinner, and Christ as the Saviour of sinners. He had frequent calls in his heart to give himself up to him entirely, but for a length of time he resisted, chiefly on account of his relations. At last the word of God proved to be stronger than his own heart and all his fears-he could not resist any longer: and most feelingly declared his wish for baptism to Mr. Schatter, in the presence of all the other school-masters. As we had no doubt of his conversion, his wish was complied with. He now promises to become a useful labourer in the Mission. His humility is striking. "In September, among others, there came a tall strongly built man, from a village near the mountains, and laid a suit of Devil's Devotees' clothes, with their little bells around them, before me, and said, "I have hitherto served the Devil; but I have got nothing but evil from it. I have heard of the Lord Jesus Christ; Him will I henceforth serve." In my conversation with him, I found that our little books had been the means of giving him that knowledge,-he gave me indeed correct and decided answers about himself,and I was glad that another soul was rescued from Satan's oppression. He was lately here again, and seems to go on well. a con "Last month two brahmuns, from two villages near the mountains, personally strangers to us, came and seriously said, that they had come to hear the Word of God. In a versation I had with them, they declared that they had come to the knowledge of it by the little books, now scattered every where; their idolatry and other notions were by no means satisfactory to them; and they greatly desired to know the truth. They sat down along with our Preparandi, and listened with much attention to the instructions I gave them, They then took each a number of tracts with a Gospel, and departed." BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY. For pleasing information regarding the exertions of this noble Institution in different quarters of the globe, we must refer our readers to the " Quarterly Extracts," appended to our present Number. ΜΑΥ. DOMESTIC OCCURRENCES. [Where the place is not mentioned, Calcutta is to be understood.] MARRIAGES. 25. Lonis Adolphe Richy, Esq. Judge of Chandernagore, to Miss E. A. Heberard. 27. At Muttra, Captain F. Blundell, H. M. 11th Light Dragoons, to Quentilia Sophia, daughter of Lieut.-Col. Kennedy, of the 5th Regiment Bengal Light Cavalry. 28. Valentine Champion, Esq. Indigo Planter, to Miss Mary Ann Packett. JUNE. 6. At Barrackpore, W. Baker, Esq. to Miss C. M. Bie, daughter of the late O. L. Bie, Esq. Judge and Magistrate of Serampore. At Chiusurah, George M. Archer, Lient. H. M. 16th Regt. second son of the late Major-General Archer, Grenadier Guards, to Eliza Mary, widow of the late Mathew McMahon, Esq. Bengal Civil Service, and second daughter of Charles McKenzie, Esq. of the same service. 10. Mr. J. Gray, third son of the late J. Gray, Esq. Register's Office, Edinburgh, to Miss Margaret Beckett, only daughter of the late C. Beckett, Esq. of Liverpool. Mr. T Swift, Mariner, to Miss Marianne Davidson. Mr. Marquis DeCruze, to Miss T. Cardozo. 12. R. S. Tickell, Lieut. 72nd Regt. N. I. son of Lieut.-Col. Tickell, C. B. Bengal Engineers, to Jessey Eliza, daughter of Lieut.-Col. Bartley, Commanding H. M. 49th Regt. 15. J. Cowie, Esq. to Eliza, youngest daughter of the late W. S. Green, Esq. MAY. son. BIRTHS. 4. At Saugor, the wife of Sub-Conductor W. Bryan, Ordnance Department, of a 11. At ditto, the wife of Sergeant J. Fuzzle, Ordnance Department, of a son. 12. At Mhow, the wife of Sergeant R. Brooks, Chaplain's Clerk, of a daughter. 22. At Etawah, the lady of J. S. Clarke, Esq. C. S. of a son. 23. The lady of F. Farnell, Esq. Civil Surgeon, of a daughter. At Cawnpore, the lady of H. Newmarch, Esq. of a son. 25. At Azimghur, the lady of J. Thomson, Esq. of a son. 27. The lady of Rev. W. S. Mackay, of a daughter. 28. At Kurnaul, the lady of Lieut. E. M. Blair, 5th Light Cavalry, of a daughter. 29. Mrs. P. S. DeRozario, of a son. 30. At Dum-Dum, Mrs. Hannah Jones, of a son. JUNE. 4. The lady of Captain D. Burrell, Bengal European Regiment, of a daughter. 9. Mrs. J. Harris, of a daughter. 10. The lady of R. Swinhoe, Esq. of a son. 15. At Mirzapore, the lady of Lieut. Col. W. W. Davis, 3rd Reg. N. I. of a son. 19. The lady of J. Lowe, Esq. of a daughter. 21. Mrs. T. Payne, of a daughter. At Barrackpore, the lady of Lieut. Hampton, 50th Regt. N. I. of a daughter. 24. The lady of J. S. Judge, Esq. of a son. Mrs. Louis Joseph Barretto, of a son. 25. Mrs. J. Galloway, of a son. DEATHS. MAY. 13. On the Jumna, near Culpee, Samuel, the youngest son of Conductor William Clarke, aged 1 year, 9 months, and 15 days. 20. At Kamoreddy Pett, near Hyderabad, Capt. Bugett, of the Madras European Regiment. |