INDIAN MISSIONS.

ENCOURAGEMENTS IN THE WORK.

WHILST it is true, that still, even as in apostolic days, "there are many adversaries" to the free and general dif fusion of the glorious gospel of salvation, it is among the blessings and encouragements which we thankfully acknowledge, that "a great door and effectual is opened" for the preaching of the gospel in that vast region of British Asia, extending from the confines of Afghanistan and Tartary to those of Burmah and Siam, countries so long closed against the heralds of salvation. At the same time the minds of most of the brethren seem more than ever set upon preaching as fully and as widely as possible. Some have desired to be set altogether free from other duties for this work alone; and almost all speak of it as that in which they find most delight and most encouragement.-Church Missionary Record.

LETTER FROM CALCUTTA.

WE are sure the following letter, which we have just received from Calcutta, will be read with deep interest by all our young friends, who are praying from the heart "Thy kingdom come!" The writer is the wife of one of our missionaries there, and justly mourns over the fewness of our Church's labourers in so wide a field. "I wish,"

says she, in her private letter to us, "I wish the people in Scotland would remember the words of our blessed Saviour to the poor woman who tried to do all she could for Christ, and when some of His disciples were questioning the good of the act, Christ said: She hath done what she could.' Has the Church of Scotland done what she could?—Oh, if you can do anything in the cause, urge the Church to send more labourers into the field. Pray for the

speedy conversion of India's sons and daughters." We trust the writer will not forget her kind promise to continue to send us, from time to time, such letters as that which we now lay before our readers.

CALCUTTA, August 8th, 1856.

"MY DEAR CHILDREN,-Again I take my pen to write another letter, which, I hope, will interest you, and let you know of some good which your missionary money is doing. But allow me again to tell you that it is not money alone will convert the Hindoo girls, neither is it missionaries, though some people in Scotland seem to think so. No, no, dear children, our blessed Bible tells us, conversion is not the work of men, but of God's Holy Spirit. We are to use the means, and, in the using of these means, pray for the outpouring of God's Spirit upon them. Oh, never forget, when giving a penny to the Missionary box, to send a prayer to God for a blessing upon it. I would rather have one penny with heartfelt prayer, than ten without prayer. Now the last letter I wrote was about the Orphanage and its girls, that is one of the means used to spread Christ's blessed Gospel in this dark land. I may say, in passing, that the Orphanage is getting on very well indeed, under the able and faithful superintendence of Miss Hebron. Pray for a blessing on her labours. This letter will be about

VOL. VI. No. XI.

NOVEMBER 1856.

another means used, another use to which your money is put. You lately read in your Record that Diljohn,' the eldest girl in the Orphanage, had got married to a native Christian. It is about her, and her work, I wish to tell you.

Diljohn was of very great use before she was married, and Mr. and Mrs Yule felt very sorry to part with her, but if they saw her now, they would be greatly rejoiced, and thankful to God for their child. She lives in one of the suburbs of Calcutta called Kidderpore, and there she has her school, and is busy teaching the scholars the knowledge that leads to Jesus. I visited it, along with Miss Hebron, the other day, and I just wished some of the children of Scotland could have seen it too. This school is called a bungalow, from its walls being made with bamboos and mats, firmly sewed together, with small latticed windows also made of bamboos, the roof is thatched, and supported by two brick pillars inside. The school consists of two rooms, one for the teacher, and one for the girls. It is pleasantly situated in a little compound or garden, with lots of trees about it, which makes it look very pretty. All the pupils who attend the school are poor heathen girls, who would never have known anything about Jesus, if God had not put it into the hearts of good men to come to India to teach them. I think if you had been with us when we entered the school, you would have said, Oh! they have got no seats to sit upon, nor have they any forms, they all sit upon mats, which are spread upon the floor, they only rise and stand while they are saying their lessons. Poor as these little girls are, not one was without her ornament; some had them in their nose, ears, arms, and ankles, some only had them on their arms, the ornaments of these poor girls are not costly, but the high females of India wear very costly ornaments.

That morning I visited the school there were thirty-five girls present, but sometimes Diljohn has as many as fifty. They were all under ten years of age, so you see it is but a short time they can be taught. When one is getting on very well, she is taken away to be married; you know Hindoo girls are married when they are ten years old. This makes the teaching of the females of India a work of faith and labour of love. Oh, how much sympathy and prayers are needed for those engaged in the arduous task, but, blessed be God, we can, and are doing a little. These girls at Diljohn's school could speak about Jesus, and repeat many pretty hymns. We are, you see, using the means;

that is our duty. Who knows the blessed effects of that little; they will be revealed on the judgment day. One girl I missed when I called last, who seemed a very nice girl. I asked why she was not here, but her teacher told me she was dead. She had come to school, as usual, one morning, and at night she died. Her teacher thought very highly of her, she was always regular, liked to come, and was a good scholar. I felt very sad that the best should be taken; but that was wrong. 'God's ways are not our ways.' Perhaps Christ had entered into her heart, and thought it right to take her to himself, but we cannot tell, eternity will reveal it,-she knew about her Saviour, and, dear children, let us be thankful, in that that is some good you are doing. Oh! continue in the work; don't think you can ever do enough; go on gathering and praying. If you saw the thousands of thousands of children that are here, who are never taught to read, you would say we have not done half enough. Though Scotland were to send one hundred missionaries, it would not be enough. But I see I must draw to a close. I intended to tell you about the teacher's own room,-what good order it was in, &c., &c. But I have already made this too long, but I hope and pray it will interest you, and never forget to pray for a blessing on the bungalow school at Kidderpore, the heathen girls who attend it, that some of them may be made lambs of God, and also for a blessing on the teacher, that she may be kept near to Jesus, and that she may be long spared to teach the daughters of dark idolatrous India."

ARMENIAN FEMALE SEMINARY AT

CONSTANTINOPLE.

An institution with this name was established at Constantinople about eleven years ago. Its progress and present condition may well teach the lesson that in the missionary work we ought never to "despise the day of small things." The first pupils were two Armenian girls. This was in the summer of 1845. In October, five additional pupils were received, and another in December, making the number eight. The number reported in the second year was sixteen and in the third twenty-six. During the

winter of 1846-47, we are told in a recent account of the institution :

"The seminary was visited by a refreshing shower of Divine grace, when it was hoped that ten of the pupils passed from death unto life. At different periods since that time, the Lord has been pleased graciously to visit this institution with the special awakening and converting influences of His Holy Spirit, often in a powerful and striking manner, and again in a more still and quiet manner, but giving abundant and satisfactory evidence that the work was His and His alone."

Thus, if we glance at the recent progress of the seminary, we find it stated that:

"During the past year, the school has assembled for prayers at six o'clock each morning, and immediately after, each one retired to her closet for an half hour of private devotion; the same each evening. The good effect of this arrangement was visible at once. At such times perfect quiet reigned throughout the house, only broken by the solemn voice of prayer. The days of fasting and prayer, observed both in the church and the school, soon after the commencement of the school year, deepened the serious impressions which were beginning to be made manifest, and our hearts were gladdened by hearing the anxious inquiry, What shall I do to be saved?' A solemnising influence seemed to pervade the whole house. hold; it was evident that God was in the midst of us, and we walked softly before Him. Meanwhile the usual routine was observed in every department, and never were the pupils more faithful in the performance of duty than then. Peace and harmony, order and neatness, reigned, and it was delightful to witness these fruits of the Spirit's presence. As week after week passed, the seriousness increased, till not one was left unconcerned, and all of the hours occupied by the teacher in school were spent in endeavouring to point the inquiring to the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. Two of these were so deeply affected in view of their lost condition, as to be unable to go on as usual with their studies till they found peace in believing. Several others professed to obtain a like hope; but of how many it can be said in truth that they were born again, is known only to the Searcher of hearts. This state of the school continued till it closed for the usual winter vacation in January last. The num