SUMMARY OF CONTENTS. WITH the commencement of another year we have the gratification of laying before our Readers communications of unusual interest. The SUBJECT OF OUR ENGRAVING cannot fail to awaken feelings of deep though mournful interest. The martyr fell by the hands of those he sought to save; but the memory of the just is blessed; and the glorious results of his life and labours defy the attacks of malignity and violence, and will outlive the fading honours of this present world. The mantle of the departed Evangelist has fallen on his honoured brethren; and the vessel that bore him to the fatal shores of Erromanga, is now making her fourth visit of mercy to the Isles of the Pacific. In the ISLANDS OF SAMOA, to which, at the peril of his life, Williams introduced the glad tidings of the Gospel, and where the relics of his mangled body now repose, multitudes have been quickened who were then dead in trespasses and sins. Our readers will learn with equal delight and thankfulness, that within the last year, above five hundred of the natives in the ISLAND OF TUTUILA, after the most careful investigation of their character, have been added to the Church of Christ. From INDIA, also, that vast empire of idols, our intelligence will be read with pleasure. At VIZAGAPATAM, where the faith and patience of our Missionary brethren have long been severely exercised, and where many have finished their labours without reaping the reward, the power of the Gospel has been displayed in the hopeful and happy death of two converted idolaters. The value of NATIVE AGENCY is forcibly displayed in the representative of WILLIAM JAY, at Coimbatoor; and we trust those generous friends, who have applied their bounty to this valuable department of Missionary labour, will be encouraged by this example of its worth to continue unwearied in well doing. The deserts of SOUTHERN AFRICA continue to enjoy showers of blessings from on high; and at Lattakoo, Griqua Town, Kat River, and other favoured spots, the fruits of righteousness abound to the glory of God. The CONTRIBUTions of the NaTIVE CHURCHES, to the cause of that Saviour who has so lately vouchsafed to them the blessings of salvation, while they afford delightful proofs of gratitude to Him and compassion to the heathen, present also evidence of that primitive zeal and apostolical ardour which give earnest of the wider extension and permanent influence of the Gospel through the world. May the riches of their liberality present a stimulus, as they afford an example, to the Churches at home! The efforts of the young, particularly the CHILDREN OF SABBATH-SCHOOLS, of which our present number exhibits substantial proofs, inspire the hope that notwithstanding the pressure of the times, and the widening claims of the Missionary cause, in the attachment and support of our children, and our children's children, God will secure adequate resources for the extension of his own Kingdom. But amidst these encouragements to hope and effort, we hear the language of solemn admonition. A SECOND FEMALE LABOURER has fallen in JAMAICA Within the narrow limits of the past year; and a FAITHFUL FRIEND, who had hazarded his life for the Lord Jesus amidst inhospitable climes and barbarous people, has been called, without the warning of a moment, to his rest and reward. Let us work while it is called to-day, for the night cometh quickly when no man can work. SOUTH SEAS. PROGRESS OF SPIRITUAL RELIGION AT THE SAMOAS. (From the Journal of the Rev. A. W. Murray, Tutuila.) EVERY Successive communication from this delightful field of labour brings renewed assurances of the very cheering progress of the Mission. By the appended statements from Mr. Murray, we have most gratifying evidence that the favour of the Lord continues to attend the labours of our brethren in the island of Tutuila : Moral power of the Gospel. Jan. 7.-A vessel has just entered the harbour. What a change has been effected within a few months! I believe there is not a single female now in this village, nor in the neighbourhood, who will have any intercourse with wicked foreigners. Formerly, the approach of a vessel to our shores used to make our hearts sink within us; now we hardly fear them, knowing that they can do us but little harm. Some months ago a few young men, from a ship at anchor in the harbour, went on shore to one of the villages in our neighbourhood, avowedly for bad purposes. They went into one house, and found the inmates singing the praises of God; they went to a second, and the family were employed in reading the word of God; and to a third, and they were kneeling at a throne of grace, presenting their grateful homage to the Father of Mercies. This was more than the young men could outbrave, and constrained by feelings more easily conceived than described, they joined with the poor Samoans in their devotions, and afterwards returned on board their ship, and confessed that they had been completely defeated. Blessed be God for what his hand hath wrought! Fruits of the revival. Feb. 18.-Conversed to-day with a few persons, who profess to have been awakened at the commencement of the present revival. The accounts they give of their experience, in connexion with the striking change that has taken place in their characters, afford good reason to conclude that they are really the subject of a work of grace. One of them, a young man, a very satisfactory case of conversion, was at Niuuli, a village 7 miles from Pagopago, when the revival commenced, and on the very day that the work began here, he says he was seized with deep concern. He was quite ignorant of what was going on, having left this early in the morning of the day when the awakening began which was on Monday. He had been present at the Sabbath services. He described himself as having been greatly surprised when he came here, and found so many similarly affected with himself. There seems to have been a simultaneous movement on that memorable day, in various parts of the island. The Lord give to all the members of our little church, and to myself, a heart ardently to long, and fervently to pray, for another time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord! Addition to the church. Feb. 29.-At our church meeting a deep feeling appeared to pervade our little assembly. We had the unspeakable happiness of receiving 21 new members, almost all the fruits of the late awakening. It appears now as if God were making bare afresh his arm among us. May his blessed name be more and more glorified among this poor people! O what a sweet time of refreshing did we this afternoon enjoy; every heart appeared to overflow with love, and gratitude, and joy; and the earnest desire of all seemed to be, that God may graciously continue his blessed presence among us, and may add continually to our number those that are saved. Blessed be his Holy name, for what we are thus privileged to see and to enjoy; and O may we yet see greater things than these! Happy death of a native Christian. March 10.-A messenger arrived from Vaitogi to-day, bringing us intelligence of the death of Leturi, one of the members of our church. He is the first of our members taken from us by death. He had been ill for three or four months, and manifested a delightfully Christian spirit during the whole of his sufferings, and also at the last solemn hour. A deep sense of his own weakness and worthlessness, a high estimate of the Blessed Saviour, and a constant clinging to him, were all along conspicuous. His general expressions were uttered with evident intelligence and sincerity, "O may I hold out to the end-May I stick to Christ till the end." 64 Matthew Hunkin saw Leturi about ten minutes before his death, when, making an effort, the latter said, "Matthew, I cannot speak much, but my mind is on Jesus,may I stick to the cross." His last words were, May I stick to the cross of Christ." Having uttered these words he departed in peace, to be, we humbly hope, with that precious Saviour, clinging to whom he descended into the valley of the shadow of death. His course has been short, but T most exemplary. He was a chief of the first rank, one of seven who are acknowledged the leading chiefs of the island; but after his conversion he was remarkable for his humility. He emphatically became a little child, and as such received the kingdom of heaven. The Lord grant that very, very many on Tutuila, may live and die as he has done; and to His name be all the glory. Indications of the spirit of prayer. March 11.-During last night Mrs. M. was awoke by some unknown person in the woods, near our house, offering up prayer with strong crying and tears-apparently agonizing in prayer to God. Our house stands back, behind the village, close to the bush, so that we often hear the cry of the broken heart, as it unburdens itself in prayer and supplication before God. Often is a voice heard upon the high places" of Tutuila, "weeping and supplications." The name of Jesus is as ointment poured forth, and his blessed Cross is moving the island. Some weeks ago, a young woman of about 15, formerly the gayest and giddiest in the village, was heard in the wood weeping and exclaiming in the most earnest manner, "O Jesus, O Jesus, O Jesus!"' Jesus, on whom she called so earnestly, soon heard, as we believe, her cry, and she is now an approved member of our little church. Blessed be God for what our eyes see, and our ears hear! June 15.-The past night has been a most remarkable one-such a night as certainly never before occurred in this district. I retired about half past 10 o'clock, and fell asleep, with the voice of prayer and weeping sounding in my ears. About 1 o'clock I was aroused by the same sounds, and going out, I found there was a general commotion throughout the village. The members of the church were pleading, some of them in the most earnest and melting language, for the conversion of their brethren, while the voice of weeping and wailing was heard in every direction, from those who have been recently awakened. It was most deeply affecting to hear and to witness what was going on, and well fitted to fill the mind with the most solemn and delightful emotions. It was a sweet, still, moonlight night, and every thing seemed to wear an aspect of peculiar loveliness. I thought of by-gone days, and experienced a thrill of grateful joy, which words cannot express, at the wonderful change which has been effected. This delightful intelligence has been confirmed by the Rev. T. Bullen, in a letter written upon the eve of his departure from Sydney for the Navigators Islands, as follows: Our Missionary brother, Rev. A. Murray, who came here in the Camden, brought most encouraging accounts of the state of the Mission at Samoa, and especially at his own island, Tutuila, where there has been a mighty outpouring of the Spirit of God. Multitudes have been awakened and converted. I think as many as five hundred persons have been received into church-fellowship in the course of one year, all of whom have given satisfactory evidence of a change of heart. So great is the religious feeling among all classes of the people, that the whole island, containing from four to five thousand inhabitants, seems ready to be brought under law to Christ. I myself have been living for three months in the same house with some of these converted heathen -first fruits unto Christ in Tutuila—and am enabled to testify that they adorn the Gospel of God our Saviour in all things. May these be indeed the earnest of the abundant harvest of redeemed souls, not only among the inhabitants of Tutuila, but all the islands of the Pacific. Mr. Murray has doubtless sent you the heart-stirring account of the rise and progress of this awakening. DESTITUTION OF ORPHAN CHILDREN AT RAROTONGA. THE pleasing duty has often devolved on the Directors of making their grateful acknowledgments to numerous Christian friends for contributions of clothing, and sundry useful articles for various Missionary stations. The subjoined communication recently received from the Rev. A. Buzacott, will, we trust, not only be gratifying to the contributors whose valuable assistance it acknowledges, but also stimulate others to do likewise. It is deeply distressing to know that hundreds of poor children, left by the mysterious providence of God without father and mother, are debarred, by their state of absolute destitution, from sharing the blessings of that kind and Christian instruction which is so much required by the helpless orphan. An opportunity having offered of forwarding letters by way of Tahiti, I embrace it to thank our kind friends for the clothes so opportunely sent for our poor orphans. The contents of the bale and boxes directed to us for the orphans, were divided into three equal divisions, for Ngatangiia, Avarua, and Arorangi. No little anxiety was manifested by the dear children to get their presents, as the news had got among them of their arrival. Before we began to distribute our portion, we wrote the names of the most deserving cases first, leaving out the names of those who did not bear good characters. The boys' list soon swelled to 180, and the girls' to a great number also; we were therefore obliged to make a second selection, and strike out the names of many, as our garments and cloth would by no means hold out to give something to each. This was a painful task, and we did not do it until we had searched our own boxes for old garments to add to the number; but after all many of them were obliged to be sent home without any thing. I have not yet had an opportunity of ascertaining from my fellow-labourers the exact number of orphans in our island, but should think there are not less than 800 or 900. Those of from 10 to 16 years of age are among the most destitute. We have had but very few ships touch here lately, so that very little cloth has been obtained. You will take the earliest opportunity of acknowledging both our and the dear children's thanks to the friends in Hampshire, and other places, for their kind presents to the orphans. Our friends, I am sure, will not take it amiss if we again appeal to them in behalf of the schools, &c., as what we then received did not supply the present need, and it is on their liberality we are dependent for the future. INDIA. CHARACTER AND DEATH OF TWO TELOOGOO CONVERTS. (From the Rev. E. Porter, Vizagapatam, Sept. 16, 1841.) At the commencement of this year two of our first Teloogoo converts-one male, the other female-were removed from us by death. The name of the former was Christian Thomas: he was baptized in the year 1838, at our Mission chapel, and since then has conducted himself with great propriety. He was the son of a pensioned seapoy at Chicacole, and was brought to a knowledge of the truth by means of the preaching of Poorushottum, and the reading of some religious tracts. I first employed him as a schoolmaster, and afterwards as a reader, and his conduct on the whole gave me great satisfaction. During the last five months of his life, he was able to do very little on account of great bodily weakness, and a dreadful cough with which he was afflicted. We gave him medicine at various periods; but, though it relieved him for a time, it did not reach the root of the dis During his last illness, he manifested great patience and resignation of mind to the will of God, and by the expressions which fell from his lips, we are led to indulge a good hope concerning his everlasting peace. He expressed a firm confidence in the Saviour's merits, and placed his entire dependence on what the Lord Jesus had done and suffered for him. A short time before his death, Mrs. Porter asked him whether he would like to go back to his former religion. He said, O no, Jesus is the best." He was asked if he had any wish to live, to which he replied, "O no," he was very joyful that he was going to heaven to be with Jesus. He spoke most affectionately to his wife, (who was one of our former orphan-girls,) and told her that though he was going to leave her, Jesus would not. He also told her to be sure to bring up her child to love Jesus; and also charged her to keep near to myself and Mrs. Porter. The other convert was Christian Martha, the wife of Kamiah, a Teloogoo Brahmin. They were both baptized in July, 1837, at the Mission chapel. Her natural temper was very irritable, and her walk not so consistent as Christian Thomas; and at times, from her strange behaviour, we were led to doubt whether she had ever been made a partaker of Divine grace. One thing, however, should be remembered, that she had been rescued from scenes of the most awful wickedness; and we cannot with reason expect to find in such persons, those ideas of Christian propriety and consistency, which have been instilled into our own minds from infancy. I am, however, thankful to say, that her last affliction was eminently sanctified to her, and before she departed she gave the most pleasing evidence of a change of heart. Previous to my going to Madras last cold season, I had placed her and her husband under the care of our brother, Mr. Dawson, at Chicacole. Whilst with them, she was taken ill, and died in January, 1841. With respect to her death, Mr. Dawson writes to me as follows: "As it regards Martha's death, referred to in your note a few days since, I was accustomed to attend her a long time, twice or thrice a day, sometimes oftener, and as far as I can judge, I have great reason to hope her soul was saved. She manifested a deep sense of her sinfulness, which she much lamented, and gave very satisfactory evidence of her confidence in the atonement of Christ as her only hope. She expected to die, and did not seem to suffer from doubts or fears about her salvation. She was entirely resigned to the will of God, though her natural irritability would sometimes get the better of her." I cannot tell you how gratified we were in receiving this account of the first Teloogoo adult female in connexion with this Mission, who had departed this life in the faith of Jesus. It was, indeed, like cold water to our thirsty souls: and I trust may serve to stimulate us to go forward in our difficult work, sowing the seed of eternal truth by the side of all waters; not doubting but that in due time the harvest will appear. At no period of this Mission have there been so many inquirers after the truth, as this year. The publication and wide distribution of useful and popular tracts, together with the preaching of the Gospel, and the education of the young, have been the chief means in the hands of God of exciting this spirit. The zealous advocates of Hindooism have lately set up a service in one of the chief temples in the town, in imitation of ours, to attract the heathen, and to endeavour to keep up the declining fame of their gods. It is not, however, open to all, but only to the privileged worshippers of Vishnoo. The principal part of the service consists in reading one of the pooranas in praise of Vishnoo, and expounding it; this is what the Brahmins call instructing the people; they find they must have the show if they have not the reality. NATIVE AGENCY IN INDIA. THE numerous friends, who have evinced their interest in this subject, by contributing for the support of native agents, will be gratified with the illustration which the following narrative supplies, of the benefits arising from their Christian generosity. In the personal history and evangelical labours of William Jay, a native teacher supported by the congregation of the venerable minister whose name he bears, our friends will see an eminent instance of the power of Divine grace, and a proof of what may be accomplished through the instrumentality of a Hindoo under the transforming power of the Gospel. (Extracts of a letter from Rev. W. B. Addis.) The native teacher, William Jay, was one of the first fruits of my labours here, and, after a trial of faith, was baptized. At the time of his conversion he held a situation under government, but being anxious to engage in publishing the Gospel among his benighted countrymen, he relinquished his situation at a considerable pecuniary loss, and after passing the usual grades of probationer, learner, and assistant, he became "Wm. Jay's Native Teacher," and has continued so till the present time. It is not always that the native teachers continue for so long a period, as changes are required to be made, in consequence of death, &c. Wm. Jay was located at Errode,—one of the best stations of this Mission, a town 60 miles N.E. of Coimbatoor, in the same province, amidst a dense heathen population. These places will be found in any good map of India. He is about 33 years of age, married, and has two children; he is well known and much respected, not only by the inhabitants of the town where he resides, but also by those around for many miles, and among whom he constantly iti nerates, and preaches the Gospel with zeal, sincerity, and diligence. He has a few stated hearers at his station, where there is also a school, supported by a gentleman in the Hon. E. I. Company's Civil Service, the master and scholars of which are placed under his superintendence. Although the mass of the population consist of zealous idolaters, Mahomedans, &c., they show him much kindness, and great numbers attentively listen to his open air preaching. They gave the ground for the erection of his house, and even assisted in the work. An instance of his general acceptance among them, may be known from the following incident, which took place about two years ago, at which time his mind was depressed in not seeing any good on a large scale as the result of his endeavours among the people, and he consulted me about his removal to another town in the vicinity. In this I concurred, provided that after seeking by prayer for providential direction, he saw his way clear to do so. The inhabitants became acquainted with his intention of removing, and begged him to remain |