THE OFFERING TO THE GANGES.

fairly lifted itself from the raft, so firm was its grasp, and so strong its struggles to escape, had it been left alone. When the mother saw this, and knew that if now it managed to get from the power of the goddess, a curse and not a blessing would fall upon her soul, she rushed down to the place where it was struggling, and clambering out to the end of the branch, she seized it by its hands, wrung its neck, and cast it out

der. One day a young and beautiful, entangled in some brushwood that hung Hindoo woman, for many of the Hindoo over the stream, and on which the babe females are extremely beautiful, was seen immediately laid hold, and would have passing by a cottage, and hastening towards the banks of the Ganges. She carried in her arms a little babe, apparently about three months old, which she was loading with her kisses, and bedewing with her tears. On reaching the river's bank, she laid her little one upon the grass, and began to cut down some of the long reeds that grow in the shallow waters, and matting them together, formed a little raft on which to place her child. She then col-into the stream. Its dying cry rose as she lected a number of the beautiful flowers of did it, but the waters closed upon it, and it the water lily growing there, and forming sunk to be seen no more. And why, you them into a sort of garland, she dressed up ask, did the mother do so sad a thing? her raft with them, and then taking her Because she felt the burden of her guilt so babe from off the grass, she placed it, after great upon her spirit that she could give many kisses, in the centre of the flowers, up all she had for its removal; and then and pushed it from the shore. It was a because she did not know that God had beautiful and a precious offering, and the given up his Son for her. If she had only mother thought it so as she watched it known that great truth she would not have floating down. The little creature cried cast her infant to the Ganges. Oh! then, bitterly to be thus sent adrift, and held out let us send her word, "Woman, you need its hands imploringly to be saved from a not cast your children to the river, for God watery grave; but the mother had devoted gave up his Son to save you; and now his it to Gunga, and she could not take it precious blood cleanseth us from every sin." back. The raft, however, had not been That sweet news, known and believed by pushed far enough into the stream to catch all the Hindoo women, would save both the full force of the current, and so floated them from hell, and all their children from slowly along its bank, till at last it became the Ganges.

STORIES ABOUT MISSIONS.

WHEN I was a little boy, there was an old gentleman, called Mr Olroyd, who used to visit at my father's house for a few weeks every year. The kindness of the old man's heart his gentle good tempered face-his delightful stories, and his many plans to please and profit us, gave his visits a constant charm, and we looked forward to them for many months before as to bright and sunny spots, when the house would again be filled with joy, and every heart made glad. Many years have passed since

then; the old man has long been lying in the grave, and yet the evenings he spent in our nursery, and the deeply interesting tales he told us, are still almost as fresh in my recollection as they were at the time referred to. To me they still afford great pleasure, and I have thought if perhaps I tried to put down some of the things he said, and describe some of the scenes that he described, I might give to you a little of the same delight I feel myself. I may not be able to tell you his stories exactly

STORIES ABOUT MISSIONS.

as he told them, nor perhaps all the very tales themselves, but I shall tell you many of his interesting narratives; and if I have occasion to put in things that he left out, I will then suppose what he might have said had he lived a few years longer, and known all about the places that we know

now.

I am sure you would have loved old Mr Olroyd had you seen and known him. He was far past the middle of his life, but full of kindness of feeling, and gentleness of heart. In his younger days he had been a soldier, and fought several battles on the Continent, where he experienced the kind and protecting care of God. He had had a pious mother, but when he grew up to years he lived a wicked life. One day he had a remarkable dream, connected with a wonderful escape, and which combined, led him afterwards to solemn thoughts. He was at the time defending a fort, along with his party, and had fallen asleep from fatigue and long watching upon one of the cannons. The enemy meantime approached the place, and commenced their attack. At this moment he was dreaming, and he thought he saw his mother, who spoke to him about his sin, and warned him of his danger. The agitation which the dream occasioned made him roll off the cannon down into the ditch below, and woke him up. He had scarcely opened his eyes when he saw a shell from the enemy fall and burst upon the very spot where he had just been sleeping, and which must have destroyed his life had he not thus providentially escaped. The effect of this wondrous mercy was never forgotten. He soon after became a religious character, and when the war was finished, devoted himself to the ministry of Christ. His early adventures and merciful escapes *he often told us, and sometimes the tears rolled down his cheek, and rolled down ours too, while he related to us the kind dealings of his God. Poor dear old Mr

Olroyd how often I think of him, with his fine grey locks, and his happy countenance! And now he is no more below, but above, in heaven, where to angels and admiring saints he is often perhaps relating the goodness of his God to him on earth. For, as Dr Watts says,

"There on a green and flowery mount,
With angels we shall sit,

And with transporting joys recount
The wonders of our feet."

His little audience in our nursery generally consisted of my excellent and godly mother, who every here and there put in her pretty explanations, or asked a question, if she thought we did not understand it. Our good old nurse-maid, who for many years had been a faithful servant in the family, and my brothers, and sisters, and self, with occasionally a favourite little companion of mine, the son of the neighbouring minister. Louisa was the name of the oldest, then came Justina, who has since gone up to glory, to join old Olroyd there; then Frederic, a noble and aspiring lad of some seven or eight years old; Henry, who often said he would be a Missionary himself, and go and see the places that were talked of; Edward, a fine little fellow, with a flaxen head of hair, and bright blue eyes, and all sprightliness and fire; and Charles, who, by his sage and oldfashioned sayings, was often called the Wiseacre. My little friend was born in Greenland. His name was Rudolph. His father had been a Missionary, and his young heart seemed even then to be set upon that work. He is, however, now no more. He was too bright a flower long to grow on earth, and so God transplanted him to heaven, to bioom in sweeter fragrance and greater beauty there.

Such was our little party, and you must fancy us all seated round the table in the nursery, which was covered with a map and some of the productions or deities of the country which was that evening to be

You have all of you, no doubt, heard of | come so fixed that they cannot draw it Henry Martyn, the celebrated Missionary back, and others still, having formed for to the East, and holy and devoted servant themselves a cart covered with spikes, will of Christ. If you have not, your teachers lie on their points for years, and be dragged or parents can tell you how he left his on it from town to town, till they have made father's home and all he held dear in Eng- the journeys thought most meritorious. A land, and went to India to preach the Gospel; few of these poor creatures may suppose how he translated the Scriptures, and then such cruel usage of themselves will gain after a life of great labour and self-denial, the favour of the gods; but many go through died in Persia as he was returning home, all these things only to get money from with none but strangers near to soothe their foolish superstitious countrymen. him in his departing hours. All this, and more, they will, perhaps, be able to tell you of this holy man, and I leave his history to them, while I go on to give you an account of his labours amongst the Beggars of Cawnpore.

Cawnpore is a large city, two and a half days' journey from Allahabad, and lying on the border of the sandy plains of the Ganges. Owing to its situation in that part of India to which so many pilgrimages are made, it is the resort of many so-called religionists. Among these are vast numbers of a class of beggars, who, under pretence of paying vows and performing cruel penances, extort money from the people. These persons are called Fakeers, and are to be found all over India. They are a regular body, and have a king or supreme in every district in which they live. Some of the ways they adopt for raising money, by exciting the pity or wonder of the people, are almost beyond belief.

It is said that some of them will stand in one position for days, weeks, months, and even years, till their beards and nails have grown to an enormous length, and the very birds begin to nestle on their heads. Others hold out their arm till it has be

There are from 500 to 600 such Fakeers generally in Cawnpore all the year round, and while Henry Martyn was there, he did much by which to save their souls and improve their condition. Great numbers of them used to come about his house begging alms, and, accordingly, to save himself from so many interruptions, and also to get the opportunity of preaching to them, he ordered them to come together at a certain time, and he would help them. About 500 assembled on the first Sabbath evening. They were a wretched looking congregation. Some of them were dressed in the most fantastic manner, and others almost naked, or covered with the dirtiest rags. Some were plastered from head to foot with mud and cow dung; others had long matted uncombed hair hanging down to their heels or dragging on the ground, and others with their heads quite bald. Some had their faces painted, and their lips stained black or made bright red. One little man was there who had come in a little cart, drawn by a bullock; his body and limbs were so shrivelled, and his head so large, that with his black skin he had all the appearance of a gigantic frog. Another had his arm fixed above his head, the nail of the thumb piercing through

THE BEGGARS OF CAWNPORE

he is always with us.

He created every

thing in heaven and earth-sun, moon, and stars. Therefore how should the sun be God, or the moon be God? He created every thing on earth, therefore Ganges also; therefore how should Ganges be God? Neither are they like God. If a shoemaker make a pair of shoes, are the shoes like him? If a man make an image, the image is not like the man its maker. If God made the heaven and earth for you, will he not also feed you? Know also, that he who made heaven and earth can destroy them; and will do it ;-therefore fear God, who is so great, and love God who is so good."

the palm of his hand. One tall thin man | When we rise up, or sit down, or go out, had all his ribs and the bones of his face traced with white chalk, and which, from the blackness of his skin between, gave him the appearance of a walking skeleton. Such a collection of wretched beings was, perhaps, never gathered together by any other Missionary as this of the beggars of Cawnpore. When Henry Martyn came out to speak to them he was much affected, and secretly lifted up his heart to God that he might be enabled to say something that might do them good, and that the Holy Ghost would bless it to their souls. Before preaching to them he went round, gave to each a small piece of money, and said a few words of kindness to gain their goodwill; for kind words, you know, will find their way even to a heathen's heart. The people covered a large grass plot near his house, and he stood upon a little raised platform, built up of stones, and covered with cement, which he had had erected for the purpose. His sermon was very simple, and here it is in his own words, as he has given it.

"I told them," he says, "that I gave with pleasure the alms I could afford, but I wished to give them something better, viz. eternal riches, or the knowledge of God, which was to be had from God's word; and then producing an Hindostanee translation of Genesis, read the first verse, and explained it word by word. In the beginning,' when there was nothing, no heaven, no earth, but only God, God created all things,' without help, for his own pleasure. But who is God? One so great, so good, so wise, so mighty, that none can know him as he ought to know; and yet we must know that he knows us.

The people paid great attention, and shouted to show their approbation at the end of every sentence. The next Sunday evening he met them again, and preached to them about God's love to them in giving Christ; but his sermon is too long to be printed here. His labours, we hope, were blessed, but he never saw the fruit; and beyond the encrease in the numbers that came, and the interest shewn by them when there, he could speak of no success. And yet who can tell what good was done? Perhaps some poor Fakeer was thus led to Jesus, about whom Martyn never heard, but may meet before the throne in heaven. There are many texts in the Bible which make us believe his labours were not lost. Here are two of them. "Cast thy bread upon the waters, and it shall return unto thee after many days," Eccl. xi. 1. My word shall not returh unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and prosper in the thing whereto I sent it," Isa. lv. 11.

66

THE NEW MISSIONARY SHIP.'

You will be glad to know that the Children's ship has arrived safely at the Cape of Good Hope, and that letters have been received from a gentleman on board, giving

an account of their happy and prosperous voyage there. All the Missionaries and their friends were weil, and the vessel had proved an excellent sailer.