d cordiality by the Governor, Colonel Bie. nths previous to her arrival the missionaries ted the protection of this same good man. ohr was introduced to the missionaries and lies, and became not only greatly interested but was strongly attracted to them by with their character and labours. Her with them led to a careful examination of otures and a most thorough consecration of life to the Saviour.

r marriage with. Dr. Carey, she evinced those dispositions which made her accession to the ore mission-house most welcome to all its s. As far as her strength would allow she most warmly into all her husband's pursuits. be mentioned that the house she had built s to her marriage, and in which she had ed to reside, was given to the Mission, its rent applied to the support of native preachers.. letter which Carey sent to Dr. Ryland on the on of her death will show how eminent was her and how great the loss he sustained: "I am called in Divine Providence to be a mourner having lately experienced the greatest domestic that a man can sustain. My dear wife was ved from me by death on Wednesday morning, 30th, about twenty minutes after midnight. was about two months above sixty years old. had been married thirteen years and three weeks, ng all which season, I believe, we had as great a re of conjugal happiness as ever was enjoyed by rtals. She was eminently pious, and lived very ar to God. The Bible was her daily delight, and xt to God she lived only for me. Her solicitude my happiness was incessant, and so certain

She

could she at all times interpret my looks, that any attempt to conceal anxiety or distress of mind would have been in vain. Nothing, however, but tenderness for each other's feelings could induce either of us for a minute to attempt a concealment of anything. It was her constant habit to compare every verse she read in the various German, French, Italian, and English versions, and never to pass by a difficulty till it was cleared up. In this respect she was of eminent use to me in the translation of the Word of God. She was full of compassion for the poor and needy, and till her death supported several blind and lame persons by a monthly allowance. I consider them as a precious legacy bequeathed to me. entered most heartily into all the concerns of the Mission, and into the support of schools, particularly those for female native children, and had long supported one at Cutwa of that kind. My loss is irreparable, but still I dare not but perfectly acquiesce in the Divine will. So many merciful circumstances attend this very heavy affliction as still yield me support beyond anything I ever felt in other trials. (1.) I have no domestic strife to reflect on, and add bitterness to affliction. (2.) She was ready to depart. She had long lived on the borders of the heavenly land, and I think lately became more and more heavenly in her thoughts and conversation. (3.) She suffered no long or painful affliction. (4.) She was removed from me, a thing for which we had frequently expressed our wishes to each other; for though I am sure my brethren and my children would have done the utmost in their power to alleviate her affliction had she survived me, yet no one, nor all united, could have supplied the place of a husband. I have met with much sympathy in my affliction.”

O higher honour can surely be attained by any individual than that of communicating to a

N°

people the revelation of God's mercy and will

as it is contained in the sacred Scriptures. Such an honour have not all the saints, and amongst those select few who have possessed it none have been so honoured as the subject of this memoir. To be permitted to give the Bible to a heathen nation is indeed to render a service, the influence of which, whilst increasingly seen in its purifying and ennobling effect upon the manners and character of successive generations, eternity alone can fully measure.

In the first chapter of this volume reference was made to Carey's early linguistic proclivities. It is not surprising that he who as a child had committed to memory Dyche's Latin Vocabulary, and, as an apprentice lad, on his first sight of the characters of the Greek alphabet had carefully traced them, that he might carry the tracing to an acquaintance in his village home who had some scholarly learning, in the earnest hope that he might be able to explain the

ΙΟΙ

mysterious letters, should, as a missionary, have become distinguished by his acquisition of foreign tongues, and his literary achievements.

As soon as Carey acquired a sufficient knowledge of the vernacular of the people amongst whom he settled on his arrival in India, he began, with that plodding which was so conspicuous a characteristic in his disposition, to apply himself to the work of translation. During his voyage he had made such progress under the instruction of John Thomas as to have commenced writing Bengalee. And within two months of landing he actually began the correction of Genesis; and was at once practically initiated into the immense difficulties of the task upon which he had thus early entered. After a week had elapsed he had finished correcting the first chapter, the moonshee saying it was rendered into very good Bengalee. On showing it to a pundit, the learned man expressed his pleasure with the account of the creation, but remarked the omission of any mention of a region beneath the earth; to whom Carey communicated the new idea that the earth was a planet, and that the heavens and the earth included all the material creation. As he realised more fully the nature of the Bengalee tongue, its beauty and copiousness, he found his work of translation an interesting and. delightful employment. His imperfect knowledge of the language necessarily made his task exceedingly difficult, but the hope of acquiring it, to use his own words, put fresh life into his soul; and he was constrained to bless God, because he was able to go through nearly a chapter every day, comparing it with all the versions he possessed. The fact of two languages being spoken, Bengalee and Hindoostanee, was a considerable embarrassment, but he was able to

write thus in his journal: "I understand a little of both, and I hope to be master of both in time." In August, 1795, writing from Mudnabatty to the Society he said: "The translation of the Bible is going on, though it may be thought but slowly. I hope we shall be able to put Genesis, or more, to the press by Christmas. We have, for the present, given up the idea of getting types from England; and, as there are types in Bengal, we think to print in the ordinary way, though the expense is about ten times what it is in England. This will, however, be more than compensated by the reflection that we have put into the hands of many heathens a treasure greater than that of diamonds, and by multiplying copies, rendered it probable that those Scriptures will be preserved in the Bengal tongue."

As soon as a portion of the Scriptures was translated it was Carey's practice to read it to several hundreds of the natives; in that way he ascertained how much of it could be understood, but he found that as far as the poor were concerned very many of the terms were quite unintelligible, inasmuch as they had "scarce a word in use about religion, having no word for love, for repent, and a thousand other things." Though he sometimes felt discouraged, his desire for the work grew. "Blessed be God," he could say, "I feel a growing desire to be always abounding in the work of the Lord; and I know that my labours will not be in vain in the Lord," adding in his beautiful humility, "I am encouraged by our Lord's expression: 'He that reapeth (in this harvest) receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto eternal life.' If like David I am only an instrument of gathering materials, and another build the house, I trust my joy will not be the less."