A SERMON ON A DEAD LION. FIGHT WITH A LION AT FRERE TOWN.

Letter from Mr. J. R. Streeter.

THINK I mentioned in a former letter the neighbourhood was being troubled with lions, and that Bwana Dogo, close by, had sixteen out of thirty-two men carried off in a week. Soon after, one of our men came and said he had wounded a large animal in the jungle, he did not know what, and might he have some police? I said, yes, and would go myself. Our men were delighted, and began to load up. It was curious to see them. First out came their powder in one of those tall, old-fashioned, wooden lucifer match boxes. I thought it was their whole stock; judge of my surprise, when I saw them empty a full one into one barrel-could scarcely believe my eyes-but they laughed and showed me they were all alike. I did not much relish such banging charges, but we moved on.

Presently we got to dense jungle, and it was a case of crawling. They wanted me much to stop back, but I said where they could go I could, and on we went. At last they said they had lost their way, and I began to think it was a wild-goose chase, and I agreed to wait awhile. Soon after they had moved on, Ishmael said, they had found out it was a lion, and they were afraid for me to go nearer-it did not matter about their lives, but mine was too precious. I was very sorry, but there was no help for it, so three of us quietly waited.

Presently bang went a gun, and off went many more, followed by a fearful growl; it was an anxious time, remembering how four men were killed by a wounded lion here some time back. Shortly a whoop sounded, and we hurried on, and there in a little open glade about thirty yards across was a sight worth seeing. These wild fellows in different attitudes, one poor man holding his head in his hand, for his gun had kicked and knocked one of his front teeth clean out, and in their midst was a fine young lion. The slayer was slain; and as one man went and rubbed the juice of some leaves over the face of the brave fellow who had killed it, for a charm, I took the opportunity of speaking a few words from

1 Pet. v. 8, "The devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." I enclose a very rough sketch of the scene. The news soon spread; natives came rushing wildly up, and as we neared the settlement we formed quite a procession. Never did I see such goings on-roaring, jumping, screaming, shouting; I think Dr. Johnson would have been able to compile a fresh dictionary from the epithets applied to the brute. They fell at my feet, and called me almost as many names as they did the beast, although I had little to do with it; but that did not matter, it was quite enough that I was there. There was no more work that day, my courtyard being filled till after dark. Many were the remarks I heard on the afore-mentioned verse, for, strange to say, the children had learnt that very text the previous Sunday, and during the week I had given the Church members an address on the same, and this sent the lesson home, and often since in their prayers I hear them ask to be delivered from him who goeth about as a "simba nguruma."

The next day was the Queen's Birthday, and the people all took French leave. I gave them a bullock, decorated the man with a large silver dollar, the band played, the lion was skinned, and the Wanika who came round carried off and ate the carcase. He was a formidable fellow. One can stand a leopard prowling about, but lions are too much of a good thing (his fore arm was 15 inches girt). This little affair I have much to be thankful for, for it was not without its effect on the people, and I have endeavoured to turn it to good account.

[In sending the sketch which we have reproduced above, Mr. Streeter adds the following notes upon it :-]

To my right is the poor fellow with his tooth knocked out, holding his head; then Abel, my new sergeant-major in his Scotch cap, and my boy with a little hat on I had thrown away. To my left is Ishmael, interpreting my address. Next comes Mohammed my corporal, a splendid fellow; then the brave fellow who killed the lion; and then the man who rubbed the juice over him. Sitting down is Matthew; and, on the log, the medicine-man, swinging a peculiar axe. Just appearing on the scene is quite a character, Luke, who was almost crazy with delight.

BISHOP SARGENT'S PROCLAMATION TO THE HEATHEN OF TINNEVELLY. ERCEIVING the present stir among the heathen of Tinnevelly on the subject of Christianity, and thinking that possibly a direct personal appeal might induce some who are now halting between two opinions to make some distinct and definite movement towards our holy religion, Bishop Sargent has published in Tamil a circular letter, which is being distributed far and wide by mission agents and others in all the C.M.S. districts of Tinnevelly. The following is a translation of it :— You have doubtless suffered great distress during the past several months. Of what avail was it that, forgetting the Lord your Creator, you continued so long to trust in demons? Certainly none. Whence came the money so charitably dispensed to many of you? Not from Government, not from native gentlemen, but from Christian philanthropists living in a distant country. Should you not understand and appreciate this benevolence at its proper value? Ponder well if to know and embrace that true religion, which a majority of those benefactors profess, is calculated to benefit you or not. It is good to follow what is good. Whatever promotes love and unity must be the best thing desirable. Now is a happy time, for the Gospel trumpet is being sounded in your country. Mind that you do not allow the opportunity to pass away. Either mild persuasion or stern admonition is the means which God employs to reclaim you. The famine period was to you a period of anxiety. It seemed as if God intended thereby to awaken you to care for your souls. Did you repent? Did you long for Jesus and for Him alone? He now tries mildly to persuade you. Some of you would say, "Christianity, no doubt, is a good religion, but nobody ever earnestly invited us to embrace it." It is for fear lest you should say so that I have ventured to address this letter to you. Do come to Jesus for the salvation of your souls. Embrace His religion without delay. I have His commands to invite you earnestly. Oh, come! all of you come! Men, women, and children come gladly, all of you! The same Gospel is preached to the rich and the poor. It benefits alike the learned and the unlearned. This is the good veda common to all. Don't you therefore shut your ears to conviction, nor turn your faces aside. "Behold, now is the accepted time: behold, now is the day of salvation." I wish the people of each and every village who hear this proclamation read, would by the grace of God agree among themselves, and exhort each other with words to this effect, "A happy era has dawned upon us, let us accept this veda." You should next either confer with the nearest minister of the Gospel, or send a deputation to me to Palamcottah. I shall then gladly tell you what must next be done. The Lord grant His blessings in profusion to you and to all of your households! Come! Do come!

THANK-OFFERINGS.

EAR SIR,-Referring to my last letter in regard to thank-offerings (see Nov. GLEANER, p. 132), I venture now to suggest that a collecting box be specially set apart in each house for the purpose. I am persuaded that all of us have hitherto paid far too little attention to this matter of thank-offerings; we have for the most part given them spasmodically, rather than systematically. Let us then, by God's help, begin the coming New Year on a better system. The present aspect of the mission field-the open doors set before us for proclaiming the glad tidings of salvation to the heathen-entail upon the Church of Christ, and upon every member of it individually, fresh responsibilities, and these responsibilities call for fresh efforts. Let our efforts then, in this coming year, be begun and carried on in a spirit of praise and thanksgiving; let us bring our "tithes" freely and joyfully into the Lord's treasure house, and then let us, in humble faith, wait for the fulfilment of His gracious promise, that He will pour out upon us such a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it. E. D. S.

A GOOD EXAMPLE.-We commend to our friends in the country the following instance of a successful Anniversary and Sale of Work for our Society. At Louth, on Nov. 17, the annual sermons were preached in Holy Trinity Church by the Rev. T. P. Hughes, our well-known missionary at Pe-hawar. In spite of inclement weather the congregations were good, and the collections in the offertory boxes, which in this church are fixtures at the end of each aisle, were £91 16s. 6d. On Monday afternoon the juvenile meeting was addressed by the Rev. Canon Di-browe, Rector of Bennington; the Rev. C. A. Alington, Rector of Muckton; and the Rev. W. Oldham, Curate of St. Michael's, Louth. In the evening the Holy Trinity Schoolrooms were crowded to hear from Mr. Hughes a deeply interesting address. Addresses were also given by the Vicar, the Rev. G. S. Streatfeild, Mr. Disbrowe, and Mr. T. F. Allison. The collection after the meeting was £108 68. 11d., including a cheque for £12 from W. H. Smyth, Esq., of Elkington Hall, who was prevented from being present. Within a week the lady workers at Holy Trinity were preparing for their annual sale of work in the Free Evening Schoolroom; and on the 3rd and 4th December the beautiful display of flowers, work, painting, and other articles was so well appreciated by the public that the amount realised was £174 16s. The result of these united efforts was £374 198, 5d.

EPITOME OF MISSIONARY NEWS.

The Archishops having included "St. Andrew's Day and seven days after" in their invitation to Prayer for Foreign Missions, the C.M.S. Committee observed Tuesday, December 3rd. A prayer meeting was held at the C.M. House at 10 A.M., followed by a service at St. Dunstan's, with a sermon by the Bishop of Huron, and the Holy Communion. Several friends urged upon the C.M.S. the importance of resuming its work in Turkey and Asia Minor, in view of the increased openings in those countries which will probably result from recent political changes; and also, of occupying Cyprus. Considering, however, the loud calls from other Mohammedan countries, as well as from the heathen world, and that the American Missions are so strongly worked in the Turkish Empire, the Committee felt constrained to continue the policy of regarding Palestine and its Arabic-speaking population as the Society's peculiar field, and not to go beyond it.

The Rev. J. G. Heisch, having accepted a living in Oxfordshire, is about to retire from the Vice-Principalship of the Church Missionary College, after more than thirty-seven years' most valuable service.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has conferred the degree of B.D. on the Rev. T. P. Hughes of Peshawar, "for distinguished missionary and literary services."

The Rev. A. T. Fisher, B.A., Curate of St. Matthew's, Brixton, has been accepted by the Society for missionary work, and has been appointed to Umritsur, to assist the Rev. R. Clark.

The C.M.S. has lost another valued and experienced missionary, the Rev. Henry Baker of Travancore. He was the son of the Rev. Henry Baker, sen., one of the founders of that Mission, and was born in the Mission field. After being educated in England and ordained by Bishop Blomfield, he sailed to join his father in 1813, and he has now died at his post after thirty-five years' service. Few missionaries have baptized so many of the heathen-several thousand, we believe. The interesting work among the Arrian hill-tribes was peculiarly his own.

A letter from Bishop Sargent, dated October 28th, states that the "accessions" in the C.M.S. districts of Tinnevelly during the year ending September 30th had been between 9,000 and 10,000. The greatest caution has been exercised by him and his Native clergy in receiving inquirers, as no doubt they are actuated by many various motives. Interesting letters on the subject were published in the C.M. Intelligencer for November and December.

Bishop Sargent held his first ordination on Sept. 22nd at Palameɔttah, acting under a commission from the Bishop of Madras. Nine Natives were admitted to deacon's orders, and eight to priest's orders.

On the same day, Sept. 22nd, Bishop Stuart of Waiapu held his first ordination at Whakato, Poverty Bay, N.Z. Three Native Maoris, Kerehona, Rutene Te Aihu, and Hone Te Wainoho, were admitted to deacon's orders; and one, the Matiaha Pahewa, to priest's orders.

Mr. C. B. S. Gillings, of St. John's Hall, Highbury, has been appointed to the Yoruba Mission. The Rev. T. A. Haslam, who was designated to this field, has withdrawn from the Society; and the Rev. A. Schapira has been sent to Palestine instead of to Breadfruit Church, Lagos, which it is important should still have a Native pastor. Archdeacon Johnson continues in charge of Breadfruit, deferring his departure for the Niger until a successor can be found. The Rev. C. H. V. Gollmer has sailed for Lagos, to take Mr. Wood's place at the Training Institution. Mr, Isaac Oluwole, of the Fourah Bay College, is to be Master of Lagos Grammar School. The first examination of African students at Fourah Bay College for the Durham University licence in theology, and for the B.A. degree, has taken place; and all the candidates (five) passed with credit.

Interesting letters have lately come to hand from the Niger. The Henry Venn steamer is most useful. She has already made several voyages up and down the river, and is paying her own expenses by carrying freight for the trading firms. Bishop Crowther is about starting a new station at Shonga, eighty miles higher up the Kworra than Egan, the present furthest station. An interesting journey has been made by a native agent at Asaba into a country hitherto unvisited, lying between the Niger and Yoruba. At Bonny the persecution has much subsided, and the Christians now assemble for worship in large numbers.

The Rev. H. C. Squires has sailed for Bombay to take the Secretaryship of the Western India Mission, as the Rev. T. K. Weatherhead is returning to England. The Rev. W. A. Roberts, who only came home last April on sick leave, has also gone back to take charge of Sharanpur, left vacant by the death of the Rev. C. F. Schwarz.

The famine in Kashmir is diminishing, and the sufferings of the people have been much relieved by the energy of a new Diwan or Prime Minister. The Maharajah has given Mr. Wade and Dr. Downes leave to remain at Srinagar through the winter.

In addition to the new contributions begun in this number, we have some Sketches of the Telugu Mission, by the Rev. J. E. Padfield. The journal of the mission party for Uganda via the Nile will also appear in our pages, and the continuation of the Life of Bishop Crowther.

MARCHING ORDERS.

II.

"Go ye therefore."-St. Matt. xxviii. 19. HEN we read any general promise, faith appropriates it by saying "This is for me!" and then it becomes effectual; one receives it as surely as if it had been spoken to and for one's self alone. When we heard the Word of the Lord Jesus saying "Come unto Me, all ye!" we who believe on Him did not and do not hesitate to say "That means me!" and to act upon the gracious invitation. Now, is it fair to accept His "Come ye," and refuse His "Go ye?" Is the first, with its untold blessings, to be appropriated personally, notwithstanding its plural form, and the second to be merely read as an interesting general command to whomsoever it may concern, but certainly not to ourselves?

As we have the unspeakable privilege and comfort of knowing that "all God's promises are for all God's children," so that you and I may claim every one unless we can show cause that it cannot apply to our case, so also it must be that all God's commands are for all God's children, unless we can show cause that any one of them cannot apply to our case. Therefore it follows that, as Jesus said "Go ye," the obligation lies upon each of us to consider definitely, at least once in our life, whether the circumstances in which He has placed us do or do not definitely preclude us from literally obeying this distinct, most literal commandment. If really thus precluded, the loving loyal heart will be eager to find ways of obeying the spirit of it. But if not thus precluded, what then?. To Him, your own Master, you must give account why you do not go. To Him you must "make excuse." To Him, who gave Himself for you, and who knows exactly how much it is in your heart to "keep back from Him. To Him who knows your secret preference for some other profession, or your reluctance to be tied to an absorbing life-work; and who knows how you satisfy your conscience with offering Him the chips and shavings of your time and strength, a few odds and ends of work in the evenings and on Sundays, or a proportion of your time subtracted from "social claims," when you might-nobly, bravely, loyally-leave all and follow Him, responding to His "Go ye" with "Here am I, send me!” "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? Make Thy way straight before my face!"

FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL.

ABOUT THE AFGHANS.

NOTES BY THE REV. T. P. HUGHES, B.D., OF PESHAWAR. (Continued from page 8.)

In

Are the Afghans the Lost Tribes of Israel? HERE is a universal tradition amongst the Afghans themselves of their Israelitish origin-a tradition supported by the remarkable Jewish physiognomy of the people, by the names of several districts and tribes, and by some of their peculiar customs. A.D. 1609 Ni'amat Ullah, historiographer at the Court of the Emperor Jahangir, composed a history of the Afghans in the Persian language, in which he seeks to prove that they are descended from Ermia, son of Tálut (Saul) King of Israel. It is, however, remarkable that whilst so much can be said in favour of their Jewish descent, there are no traces of it in their language, for it contains no Hebraic or Chaldaic roots or words except those which have been brought from the Arabic. Whilst

all the supposed Jewish customs of the Afghans can be traced to their Mohammedan religion, the national tradition, as related in the Persian history of Ni'amat Ullah, which is very much the same as that given by Afghan authors, is as follows:-"Saul (Talut) King of Israel married two wives, and each of them had a son, born at the same hour. The one son was named Berkia, and the other Ermia. Each of these had a son, and Berkia called his son Asif, and Ermia named his Afghána. From this Afghána the people of Afghanistan trace the genealogy of their great ancestor Kais by thirty-five generations, which are carefully recorded by their historians."

Whilst this tradition is universal amongst the people to this day, the details of their history, as given by their own historians, are very conflicting; and none of these histories, whether in Persian or Pushto, are supposed to date further back than three hundred years ago. It has, however, been laid down by the well-known Orientalist, Bochart, the author of Geographia Sacra and other works (A.D. 1599-1667), as an axiom, that unless cause can be shown to the contrary, every nation is to be believed in the account it gives of its own origin.

The late Syud Nur Muhammad Shah, Envoy of the Ameer of Cabul.

Syud Nur Muhammad Shah was the trusted Prime Minister and Privy Counsellor of Sher Ali Khan, the present Ameer of

Cabul. He came with the Ameer to the Umballa Conference in

1869, and was present during the Ameer's private interviews with the Viceroy, Earl of Mayo. He was the special Envoy sent by the Ameer to meet Lord Northbrook in 1873, and again to meet Sir F. Goldsmid and Sir R. Pollock in the Seistan

Arbitration. In 1877 he came to Peshawar as Envoy to meet Sir Lewis Pelly, and it was during that political conference that the Syud was seized with a dangerous and painful illness, which ended fatally. He died in the old mess-house of H.M. 51st Regiment, March 26th, 1877. When he was in Peshawar in 1869, I presented him with a copy of the New Testament in Pushto, and not long before his death he told me he enjoyed the perusal of the sacred volume very much, especially the writings of St. Paul, to which he applied a mystic, or Sufiistic, interpretation. He said he regretted that the pressing affairs of state to which he was entrusted by his master, the Ameer, prevented his giving that attention to spiritual matters which he really desired. During the occasions of his three visits to Peshawar (namely in 1869–73–77) I had very frequent opportunities of speaking to him upon religious subjects. He was a man of gentlemanly bearing, and very intelligent. By his death the Ameer lost one of his wisest and truest friends.

Christianity in the City of Cabul.

Many of our readers will be surprised to know that there is a Christian Church in the city of Cabul. But in the Bāla Hissār (or walled fort), and not far from the Ameer's palace, there has been a little Armenian Church ever since the days of Nadir Shah, and this little band of Armenian Christians have been allowed to worship their God and Saviour undisturbed in that church all through the many political disturbances and administrative changes that have taken place in that city. At one time there was a considerable number of Armenian Christians in Cabul, but now there are not more than some twelve souls. Most of these have received baptism from clergymen of the Church of England, four of them by the chaplains of the British forces in 1840-42, the others by the C.M.S. missionaries at Peshawar. Indeed, on week-days, the little Christian flock have been lately worshipping according to the Persian translation of the English Book of

Common Prayer, the chief person in the congregation being a young man named Luka, who received his education in the Peshawar Mission School. The first and last sermon the Christians in Cabul ever heard in their little church in the Bala Hissar, was one preached in Persian by the late Dr. Wolff, on the 6th of May, 1832.

The English Church at Peshawar.
(See Illustration on opposite page.)

The first object which strikes the eye of the traveller as he enters the Peshawar Valley from the Khyber Pass is the tower of the English Church. It is a fine Gothic building, of very graceful proportions, and is an exceedingly handsome structure. It is capable of seating about 1,200 troops. When the residents of Peshawar some years ago decided to erect the church, the spot selected was said to be the site of the celebrated Mohammedan shrine, and as the foundations of the church were being laid some of the old sages of the valley shook their heads and declared such sacrilege could never obtain the blessing of the Almighty. When the Ameer of Cabul came to Peshawar in 1869 he visited the Peshawar church, and expressed his admiration of the building. The chaplain now in charge of the church is the Rev. A. W. Rebsch, a son of the Society's venerable missionary at Kotghur, in North India.

NEWS FROM CENTRAL AFRICA.

N New Year's Day letters arrived from Central Africa, conveying the welcome intelligence that Mr. Mackay and Mr. Wilson were together at last. Mr. Mackay reached Kagei, at the southern end of the Lake, at the beginning of July. On Aug. 9th Mr. Wilson arrived there, having come from Uganda in canoes. The letters are dated Aug. 15th, and they hoped to sail back to Uganda in

a day or two, Mr. Mackay having put the Daisy in thorough repair. Mr. Mackay had visited Lukongeh, the King of Ukerewe, by whose men Smith and O'Neill were killed. Lukongeh sent canoes and messengers asking him to come. As his men were afraid to go, he resolved to go alone, and unarmed. He proposed to the messengers that their leader should remain at Kagei as a hostage for his safety, and although this was refused on the ground that the man was Lukongeh's principal counsellor and must attend the proposed interview, they agreed that three of them should remain instead. Whereupon Mr. Mackay said he only wanted to test their good faith, and would not enforce the condition. He took nothing with him but a strong emetic, in case of any attempt to poison him.

Lukongeh assured Mr. Mackay that he never intended to kill the white men, and that when he heard they were dead (the attack by his men upon the Arab trader having taken place some miles from his palace) he said "his country was now ruined for ever." The king further expressing a desire that white men should still come and teach his people, Mr. Mackay asked him, as a proof of good-will, to hand over Lieut. Smith's pocket-book, and the guns and revolvers belonging to both him and O'Neill, which were known to be in Lukongeh's possession. This request however was refused, and Mr. Mackay ultimately left Ukerewe with the message that the delivery of these articles was an indispensable condition of further visits.

Mr. Wilson had been getting on well in Uganda, but he does not communicate anything of special interest, except the news. that Rumanika, the benign old King of Karagué (see GLEANER, May, 1876) is dead, and that Mtesa had sent an expedition to that country to prevent disturbances, and to set one of his (Rumanika's) sons on the throne.

These letters came via Zanzibar. No news from the Nile.