portions of the colony of New York were confined to the four Atlanticcounties, a narrow belt of country on each side the Hudson, and a few advanced neighbourhoods, while broad belts of the virgin wildernessone vast expanse of woods-lay beyond. We have occupied a few detached spots, and there our success has been encouraging; but beyond lie the vast regions of unbroken heathenism. The great Durbar held at Agra last November, at which the GovernorGeneral of India met the native princes of the north-west, and conferred on some of them, who had been conspicuous for their loyalty in 1857-58, the order of the Star of India, brought out in a very forcible manner the deficiency of our efforts for the evangelization of India. Places were represented there which are as yet unknown in the records of Christian Missions. For instance, there were present on that occasion many of the native princes of Rajpootana-the Maharajaks of Jeypore, of Joudpore, of Kishengurh, of Kerowlee, the Rajah of Ulwur, the Nawab of Tonk, &c. The capitals of these states are large towns, with considerable populations. These are only a few of the states included within the limits of Rajpootana, an immense tract of country, inhabited chiefly by Rajpootsa high-caste race of the Hindus, who took possession of this land at an early period-and yet throughout its vast extent we do not know of one Church-of-England Missionary; the only Missionaries we know of within its limits being Scotch Presbyterians, who occupy three pointsBeawr, Nusseerabad, and Ajmere. Beawr is in that part of Rajpootana called Mairwara, a mountainous tract, in whose fastnesses dwell the Mairs, a wild and independent race, about whom we may have, on another occasion, something to say. Thirty miles to the north-east is Nusseerabad; while Ajmere, lying still further to the north-west, is under direct British rule. Beyond these points all is spiritual destitution, without any effort to relieve it. Our engraving refers to one of these Rajpootana states-it is but a little one, and very probably most of our readers have never until now heard of it-Khetree, a little state, situated at the foot of the Arabullee range of hills, which, running south-west and north-east, separate Rajpootana into two portions, the fertile eastern states and the more desert western ones. The town contains about 1000 or 1500 houses, among which are a few wealthy families, the most notable of whom has constructed a large and magnificent temple at the entrance of the town. At the back of the town the mountain range rises precipitately and abruptly, bearing on its summit the hill fortress of Khetree, so that the mountain appears like a crowned sovereign looking down upon the town which lies in vassalage at its feet. In these hills are rich mines of iron, copper, &c. The miners, consisting of the poorest of the population, are of two races-Hindus and Mohammedans. The Hindus work the alum and copper works, whilst the Mussulmans confine themselves to those which require smelting. The copper mines are owned by the miners themselves, whose ancestors: discovered them in former times, and are managed by a punchayet on behalf of the mining community. Each year, after the rainy season, the various branches of each mine are put up to auction by the punchayet, the miners themselves being the bidders. Each branch of the mine is jealously watched by the miner who purchases it, and who hires other miners as labourers. The ore is brought up in baskets, and is then put up to auction in the town of Khetree. The purchasers are Mussulmans, who conduct all subsequent operations. First, by heavy hammers the ore is broken into small powder. After three laborious processes of this kind, it is fit for roasting. The ore is then ready for the smelting furnace. For this, kombars, or potters, are employed. The potter builds and works his own furnace, supplies the bellows, in fact, extracts the metal. The furnace is built of pieces of slag, cemented with clay, the earthen tubes which form the nozzles of the bellows being built into it. After the furnace has been lit and well heated, the roasted ore is gradually introduced, alternately with charcoal and the refuse from old iron furnaces. After the ore has been smelted, the metal has to be refined, and the sulphur driven off. This is done by passing a strong current of heated air over the molten mass, amd constantly skimming it. The ore is then taken to the mint for weighment and duty, and is wrought into coin. What pains these men take! how laborious the process, and how poor the result! We who are engaged in Missionary enterprise have better material to work upon, which may be wrought up into results inexpressibly valuable. The Missionary who begins the work amidst the heathen population of a country, is as one who digs. The ore brought up out of the mine is like the portions broken off from the heathen mass which come under instruction; and how much remains to be done after this before these converts, bearing the Lord's image, can be put into Christian service among their countrymen, every one conversant with the details of Missionary effort well knows. It is said that the spurs of the Arabullee range are rich in mines of iron, copper, alum, and cobalt, and perhaps other minerals, if only sought out; and, if only sought out, what numbers might be found. amongst the masses of the heathen who would willingly receive Christian instruction. But the miners are so few. Men shrink from so laborious an occupation. Like the miners, Missionary agents have to work under ground, in obscurity, unnoticed, and that many do not like. And then our processes for extracting the metal have been rude, like those of the Khetree miners. Nevertheless, work has been done, and many, once heathen, are earnest and enlightened Christians, doing the Lord's work amongst their countrymen. A LETTER FROM A MISSIONARY IN THE NIZAM'S DOMINIONS. (Addressed to the Children of a City Sunday School.) Sept. 1866-I am not in Bombay, but a few hundred miles from itmore in the interior of the country. If you look at your map of India, you will find that the city of Aurangabad lies in longitude 76 east, and latitude 19.46 north; it was originally called Goorkha, but afterwards changed by Aurungzeeb, when Viceroy of the Deccan. It was then an extensive, 40 A LETTER FROM A MISSIONARY IN THE NIZAM'S DOMINIONS. well-built town, abundantly supplied with water brought by aqueducts from the surrounding hills in the neighbourhood, almost every house having its tank or fountain. The city, situated in the centre of an amphitheatre of hills, strikes the eye of the stranger with an imposing appearance of solemn grandeur. The whole view is studded with mosques and ruins, having all the magnificence of exterior which the mind attaches to a city of the East, with also a due proportion of dilapidation, filth, and neglect, which a closer view but too generally reveals. The city is now going fast to decay, and the productions of more propitious times are greatly neglected; its aqueducts are broken, the tanks obstructed, and never cleaned out or repaired; the fine ruins of the palace have been appropriated to purposes of building, so that it is now almost impossible to form an adequate idea of its ancient splendour. A chaste and beautiful structure, erected over the remains of a favourite daughter, or wife, of Aurungzeeb, after the model of the Taj at Agra, attests the taste, magnificence, and piety of the founder. The river Kowlah separates the city from its principal suburb. On the north it is bounded by marshy ground of some extent; and on the left you enter by a gate called the Delhi gate. In the neighbourhood of the city, or rather, I should say, wherever you turn your head, you observe Mohammedan tombs; consequently one may well call this place a City of Tombs. The Mohammedans pay great respect to their dead; so much so, that some of them are canonized, if I may use such a term. The Mohammedans do not profess to worship their dead, but they venerate them. The military cantonment of Aurungabad is situated in the immediate vicinity of the city, and about two miles distant from it in a south-westerly direction. I have my bungalow in the cantonment, where the European officers' quarters, a church, a hospital, and the lines of the infantry and artillery regiments are situated. ters. I have thus given you a brief description of Aurangabad, my head-quarSome years ago a Missionary's life was unsafe in the Nizam's dominions, where might is right, and the laws of justice are administered very badly. Even to this day a Missionary would not be safe in the city of Aurangabad; but, however, you must understand that my work is not confined to Aurangabad itself, but I move about in the villages around this place; and I am thankful to say they are numerous, and within short distances of each other. Since my arrival here, I have visited and preached the Gospel in about fifty villages. Our message everywhere has been the same, "Christ, and Him crucified;" entreating Hindus and Mohammedans, for Christ's sake, to be reconciled to God the Father. I am thankful to say that our message was everywhere received with joy. The lower classes of the Hindus listen to the Gospel message more attentively than those of the higher classes. To the poor the Gospel is preached, and they hear gladly; but the Brahmins scoff at our message, and say, "Is not Jesus the carpenter's son? How can He save us? If He be the Christ, how was He crucified? Why did He not come down from the cross and save Himself?" This is the wisdom of the world, and it is the same everywhere. In Christian England you meet with Brahmins also, who use the same kind of language, and would prefer that Christ should not be preached to them. I must now tell you something about my travelling in these villages. I have a small tent. I send it on before me to a pretty large village, where I encamp, and stay a week or so. Before retiring at night, I set my alarum to awake me very early in the morning-say at about half-past four o'clock. I then jump out of my bed, put my clothes on, drink a cup of tea or coffee, and start on my horse, with my native assistant, to one or two of the nearest villages. We reach these villages about sunrise. We often meet the poor villagers, with their children, half naked, squatted round a large fire, which they make to warm themselves with, and smoke. We ride up to them, and make a salaam. There is a great stir in the whole village: men, women, and children all come out to see us, as if we were some wild animals. They stand or sit gazing at us. We introduce ourselves to them as teachers of the true religion, and tell them that we are their brethren and friends, and are come to do their souls good. They put their hands to their foreheads, and exclaim, "Very good, Sir: we are ignorant and poor. You have done us great honour in coming to our poor village." When we have gained their confidence, we begin preaching to them. They listen to us very attentively. When we tell them that they must believe in Jesus, and become Christians, and pray to God to make them wise and holy, they often plead ignorance, and the time-honoured practices of their ancestors. I must confess that the poor heathen in the villages of India are very ignorant and indifferent to the concerns of their souls. They must be taught line upon line and precept upon precept; but where are the labourers? The harvest is truly great, but the labourers are few. Will no one in England hear the Macedonian call from India, "Come over, and help us," and respond, "Here we are, send us." Do love India; pray for the sons and daughters of India, and stir up yourselves to do what you can for India. There is room here for your labour-there is room here for your prayers-there is room here for your love and for your mite. May the Lord give you grace and strength to make the holy resolution that you will not let a single day pass away without praying for me, my work, and the poor heathen among whom I live and sojourn. Thus I visit the villages right round my encampment, both morning and evening; and when we think that all the villages in that neighbourhood have been visited, we pass on to another neighbourhood, and follow the same plan. In the day-time we stay in our tent, where we spend the day either in reading or speaking to those who come to us. My itinerancies this year commenced rather late, and I had to put up with great inconveniences. I will give you an account of a trip I just made to a village twentyeight miles hence, and you will, no doubt, perceive the inconveniences we have to put up with. I left this with a Christian brother at four o'clock in the evening, in a bullock dumney, i.e. a coach of two wheels, drawn by a pair of bullocks. We had sent on our horses before us, to wait for our arrival. We reached this stage, where our horses were, at six P.M. We had now thirteen miles to ride. By the time we had got half-way it began to rain in torrents, or, as some say, cats and dogs. It became pitch dark; we could hardly see our way before us, and some parts of the road were so bad, that when I returned the next day I was astonished to see how we were preserved from falling into deep holes on both sides of bridges which had given way, and I could not understand how our horses kept in the centre of passages only three feet wide, for we had no control over them. Now and then we could make out that we were in the right track by the flashes of lightning that played about us. In the midst of this disaster, our horses now and then cocked up their ears, and became somewhat alarmed, as if danger were near. I have no doubt they must have smelt some wild animals about—a tiger, probably, taking his ramble in the dark valleys, or leopards, hyenas, or wild boars. What a situation for two helpless beings to be in! I could not but exclaim to my companion, who was riding behind me, "This is Missionary life!" He at once reminded me that there was one who had his watchful eyes over us. Truly I must say that our escape from falls and from the jaws of wild animals must be attributed to the care of our heavenly Father. You will, after hearing this letter read, lift up your hearts to God our Father in gratitude for his mercies to us. Often, in our peregrinations, we have to put up with the howling of wild dogs, jackals, the bites of musquitoes, fleas, and other insects, &c., and not unfrequently, through the negligence of our servants, who select the spot where our tents should be pitched, we literally breathe in tainted air! Notwithstanding these inconveniences, we are compensated for our labours. How delightful the feeling when we witness the poor heathen listening to the message of salvation which we preach to them, and some giving proofs of conversion. On the 3rd of this month I admitted five into the visible church of Christ. Since my return to India, I have, altogether, baptized twentyone. Is not this encouraging? It is worth the sacrifice of all that this world can give. You will be glad to learn that at Aurangabad I have opened an Anglo-vernacular and a vernacular school. The difficulties I have had to encounter were great, but I am thankful to say I have overcome them all. I have now, in both these schools, about seventy-five or eighty boys, who hear the word of God daily. It is still the day of small things with us, but let us not despise it. It may yet, under God's blessing, prove the handful of corn on the top of the mountains, whose leaves shall shake like Lebanon. In the villages under my care there are about eighty or ninety baptized persons. These were all formerly heathen, but the sound of praise and thanksgiving may now be heard in their humble dwellings. They are very poor. In conclusion, "Pray that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified" in India. Pray with all prayer and supplication, and watch thereunto, and for me, that utterance may be given to me, to make known to all about me the unsearchable riches of Christ. May grace, mercy, and peace abide with you all, now, henceforth, and for ever! THE SECUNDRA ORPHANAGE, AGRA. IN common with the rest of the world, I visited Agra during the Durbar. |