house, where He meets His people. O sir, I have had such happy times there." "I am glad to hear you speak so," said he;" you can understand then what David meant when he said, Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where Thine honour dwelleth."" Christmas had come and passed away; and bright, joyous Easter had come and gone also. The river had risen, swelled by the melting of the wintry snows, had overflown its banks, and had returned again to its accustomed channel; the meadows across the river, guarded by the weather-worn castle rock, had been clothed again in their lovely lilac robe, giving joy to hundreds of happy children, who had come and gone exulting in their flowery sports. The rooks had renewed their nests in the old elm trees, and had brought up again their yearly family. It was a quiet summer evening. Underneath the branches of those stately, forest veterans that lined the river's bank the setting sun was pouring aslant its golden rays. A goodly number of the villagers were seen wending their way toward the village school. It was the evening of the village missionary meeting. Presently the appointed hour arrived. A hymn was sung; an earnest prayer was offered for a blessing upon those assembled, and upon the great and blessed work for which they had met together. The minister gave his report of what had been gathered amongst them for this holy enterprise during the past year. A missionary was there, fresh from his field of labour among the Red Indians of Rupert's Land; and hearts had been interested and stirred by the tidings of what God was doing by his servants in foreign lands. The pastor of the parish then rose again. It was expected he would give out the closing hymn; but he paused; every eye in the room was fixed upon him as he drew from his waiscoat pocket something wrapped in paper, and laid it on the desk before him. "Dear friends," he began," you have heard of many interesting gifts to night, some large, some small, yet I doubt if we have heard of one more precious in the eyes of our dear Master than this one of which I have to tell you. You all knew well dear Annie Lamb. You all remember her constant attendance at the House of God, though few knew the pain of body it often cost her to be there. A few months back she was with us; now her spirit is with the Lord she loved, while her poor crippled body lies peacefully in our quiet churchyard, waiting the resurrection morning, when it shall be raised in the likeness of the glorious body of her redeeming Lord. Well, what I want to tell you is this a few days before she passed away she called her mother to her bedside and said, 'Dear mother, you know you taught me to use my needle, and you know that by the work I did I was able to lay up a little sum of money which I thought might be useful at a future day. It is only £3 10s., but it is all I have, and I feel now I shall not want it, for I shall soon be in my Father's house, where I shall want for nothing. Now, when I am gone,' she added, take it, please, to our clergyman; tell him that I sent it, and that I wanted thirty shillings to be given to the Bible Society, thirty shillings to the Church Missionary Society, and the remaining ten shillings to be spent in tracts that may do good to our neighbours in the village.' 'Oh,' replied her mother, 'your father and I have been talking of what should be done with that money. You have earned it yourself, it is your own, and we do not want to take a penny of it. Now let me tell you what we had thought of doing with it. We have watched you, dearest Annie, getting thinner and weaker, and we felt sure the Lord would soon be taking you from us to Himself. Well, we had thought that when your poor body is laid in our churchyard, how nice it would be to spend the money you have earned in placing a stone over your grave-it would just be about enough-so that when the neighbours come to church, they would see your name and be reminded of you. Don't you think this plan of ours would be nicer than the one you have thought of?' 'O no, dear mother,' replied Annie, earnestly, 'don't speak of that; I like my plan much the best. It won't make me a bit happier when I am in the bosom of Jesus to think that there is a stone over my grave; but oh, dear mother, if that money should by God's blessing be used to lead some to know that Saviour who has made me so happy; if some should by it find the way to heaven, oh, that will be a memorial far more lasting than a tombstone in the churchyard!' I need hardly tell you, dear friends, that the parents yielded to the wishes of their child, and here I lay upon the table to-night Annie Lamb's gift to the Church Missionary Society." Happy, happy Annie Lamb! Would that more had thy wisdom! Would that more realised that the most lasting of all monuments are saved souls! Oh! how shall the truth of it be seen in that day when "they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever!" H. W. THEIR FEET-HOW BEAUTIFUL! OW beautiful!-The willing lips that bring All the surpassing glories of His Name Though danger and disease confront its gaze- ? The face that shrinks not back with strange amaze When death draws near, and brightest prospects pale- ? Fair are all these: and yet the God of grace Looks further, lower, where His servants tread, The "feet" so weary, travel-stained, and worn- The ready tongue, the words so strong and sweet; With scarce a word yet spoken for their Lord- Once trod this earth to work His acts of love; SARAH GERALDINA STOCK. OUR MISSIONARIES IN JAPAN. N May last a series of conferences of the missionaries in Japan was held at the capital, Tokio (or Yedo); and the opportunity was taken to photograph the C.M.S. men in a group. The result will be seen above. Some of the likenesses are strikingly good. Mr. Maundrell's is perhaps the least successful; but the engraver is not in fault, as he has most accurately copied the photograph. Bishop Burdon, of Victoria, Hong Kong, who sits in the middle, was in Japan at the time on a visitation tour. Mr. Piper is stationed at Tokio, where he acts as Secretary of the whole Mission; Mr. Maundrell at Nagasaki, the southernmost post, in the Island of Kiusiu (where he has been lately joined by a new addition to the staff, the Rev. W. Andrews); Mr. Warren and Mr. Evington at Osaka, on the Inland Sea, the second city in Japan; Mr. Fyson at Niigata, on the western coast; Mr. Dening and Mr. Williams at Hakodate, the northernmost post, in the Island of Yezo. All these places will be readily found in the map on the opposite page. The returns last year gave 29 Native Christians at Nagasaki, 20 at Osaka, 19 at Hakodate, 15 at Tokio, 5 at Niigata: total, 88; but there has been a considerable increase since. THE MISSION CHURCH AT TOKIO. OGETHER with the above photograph, the Rev. J. Piper also sent one of the new mission church at Tokio. The churches at Nagasaki and Osaka have already appeared in the GLEANER (March, 1877, and August, 1878; see also December, 1878); and we are glad now to present the one at the capital. Mr. Piper writes: The building is 60 feet long and 24 feet wide. The church proper is 40 feet long and the chancel 8 feet; the roof is an open one. Behind the chancel is a very nice room 12 feet by 24, which serves as a meetingroom for Bible-classes, prayer-meetings, and other gatherings of a kindred nature. The church will seat 150 persons comfortably, and many more might find room on special occasions. We held the first service in it on Sunday, April 7th, when four persons were baptized, and the Holy Communion was administered. As you can all our Christians, now 18 (ie., baptized) in number. We feel very well imagine, it was a day of great joy to Mrs. Piper and myself, and to thankful that God has given us such tokens of His favour and blessing during the four years we have resided in Tokio. On May 2nd Bishop Burdon came up from Hong Kong to be present at our C.M.S. Conference, and on Sunday (May 5th) we had a Dedication Service in English. I commenced our ordinary Japanese service at nine A.M., an hour earlier than usual; and at its close we had the Holy Communion. At eleven o'clock the English service commenced. It was well attended by the English and American residents, among whom were Sir Harry and Lady Parkes, and the American Minister and his wife. The Bishop was met at the west door by seven clergy (of whom two were American), who with the congregation read the 24th Psalm. In addition to the ordinary morning prayers the Bishop read several prayers suitable for such an occasion, and then preached an appropriate sermon, after which a collection was made amounting to 100 dollars (£20), and thirty-five persons stayed for the Holy Communion. Some of our Native Christians and other Japanese were present at this English service. In the afternoon of the following Sunday (May 12th) we had a special service in Japanese, inviting all the members of the American Episcopate and S.P.G. to join with us. There were at least 120 Christians present, and about 100 others, mostly heathen. The church was crowded, and the whole service, which lasted three hours, was a joyous sight, and will not be easily forgotten by those who were present. The presence of Bishop Burdon and Bishop Williams (of the American Church) and fifteen clergy witnessed to the strength of the Episcopal Church now in Japan. The service was well calculated to do good, bringing the Christians all together for prayer and praise, exhibiting a oneness to outsiders, and giving solid proof that our Church is making progress in this land. Our C.M.S. Conference meetings, and also those of the General Episcopal Conference, were held in the vestry, and thus the opening of the church and the first Episcopal Conference in Japan will be hereafter associated and remembered in connection with our work in the capital. Let me ask for the prayers of God's people for our infant congregation and the new church in which we now worship. MR. SATTIANADHAN IN PARIS. [This letter does not exactly give missionary information, but we are sure our readers will require no apology for its insertion.] S.S. "SURAT," INDIAN OCEAN, 16th Nov., 1878. EDNESDAY, the 16th October, was a foggy and rainy day, one which symbolised the state of mind in which we took our departure from England. I cannot describe the painful feelings with which we parted with our dear friends. W We arrived at Paris at about 8 P.M. A cab took us to the house of Dr. Forbes, British Chaplain at Paris, under whose roof we enjoyed the utmost kindness and hospitality during our stay of nearly a week. An important meeting was going on at the time of our arrival. The Bishop of Sodor and Man, the Bishop of Rupert's Land, Father Hyacinthe, Canon Wilkinson of Birmingham, and several other gentlemen and ladies were present. We were at once ushered into the drawing-room, and I was asked to give a short account of my work in Madras. This I did for a few minutes, and every one seemed interested. Canon Wilkinson mentioned an incident in connection with the C.M.S. meeting at Birmingham I took part in, which filled me with gratitude and joy. 140 Stanford's Geog! Estabt Londan The next morning Canon Wilkinson and I took a walk together and saw some sights of Paris. We visited the Greek Church, and then we saw the "Monument " [query, the Arc de l'Etoile ?], and all the electric lights round it, as well as the Egyptian Obelisque and the beautiful fountains playing. We next visited St. Magdalene Church [the Madeleine?]-a fine building. In the afternoon Mrs. Forbes and her excellent daughter, Mrs. Yates, took us to the Exhibition. It is a wonderful institution, and reflects great credit upon the French Republic and nation. The conception is so grand and the execution so vast that the mind fails to grasp the whole at once. The extensive buildings, the grounds, the fountains, the waterfall, and the River Seine running through, invested the scene with peculiar attractiveness, and made one wonder whether it was not one of those fairy scenes described in the Arabian Nights. The wonder increases as you enter the buildings and I ought to say that the church has been built mainly with money which I have received here, and that I shall not need half of the sum which the Committee kindly granted for the purpose. In justice to some who have sent me sums without asking, may be said that one gentleman handed me a cheque for 100 dollars (£20), and a like sum was put into my hands by a British seaman, for some time in the service of the Japanese Government, and who was really brought to Jesus through the means of a Bible-class carried on by Mrs. Piper, and an English service which Mr. Fyson and I used to hold whilst we were studying the language. This seaman, who is now in England, and writes to Mrs. Piper, wished to show his gratitude to Almighty God, and felt that he could not do it in a better way than helping His cause in the land where his own soul had been savingly converted. 25 dollars (£5) were sent to me some time ago by an English nurse in Yokohama, through the chaplain at that port, in remem-brance (as she said) of my services during the time there was no chaplain there. I think the above facts ought not to be allowed to pass by without some public acknowledgment, and if you do not object, I will specially ask that they find a mention in some of the Society's publications. JOHN PIPER. MISSION CHURCH AT TOKIO. see all the wealth, arts, manufactures, and industries of the world represented therein. . . . Having obtained a general idea of the Exhibition, we repaired to the Salle Evangelique close by, to attend the Conference of the Evangelical Alliance. The Rev. Mr. Davis, Secretary to the Alliance, kindly introduced me to several French gentlemen present. M. de Pressensé presided. The hall was quite full. The meeting was conducted in French. I spoke a few words in English, which were translated into French. Then my paper on Indian Missions, rendered into French, was read. This was followed by a second paper, and by an address from the chairman. Though not able to follow the meeting from my ignorance of French, yet I was very thankful that I was thus permitted to represent the C.M. Society at this important conference in the French capital. In the afternoon of the following day a Russian lady of rank took us both in her carriage to M. Bertrand's school, where English young gentlemen were learning French. Dr. Forbes has a weekly Bible-class with them. At his request I spoke a few words respecting the missionary work in India. We then visited Madame Yeatman's school for English young ladies learning French. The number present was about fifty, and I gave them a short missionary address. The next day we paid a second visit to the Exhibition. . . . We were introduced into the Phonograph department. The gentleman in charge spoke into it in English, and it repeated the same words with the same tone. Then I spoke the first words of the Telugu lyric called "Margalone," and strangely enough the words were repeated with wonderful exactness.... The "Dirty Boy" was certainly very amusing. The old woman seizing the boy with the one hand, and washing him with a soap in the other, and the little fellow undergoing the operation with evident marks of reluctance, appeared life-like in the marble. Among the vast crowds of spectators we saw H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. I saluted him after the Oriental fashion, a compliment which the Prince graciously returned. The next day being Sunday, I attended Dr. Forbes' church opposite to the British Embassy. The Bishop of London was the preacher; at noon service the Bishop of Sodor and Man preached; in the afternoon service I preached a missionary sermon. There was another service at 8 P.M. at which Dr. Forbes preached. It was with much regret that I noticed the open desecration of the Lord's day by the French people. All the shops were open, and the round of business or pleasure passed through just the same on Sunday as on other days-a contrast this to the way in which the Sabbath is observed in London. On Monday, the 21st, our kind friend the Russian lady took us in her carriage to see some more of the sights of Paris. This being the day for the distribution of prizes to the exhibitors, Paris was dressed very gaily by the waving of flags of different colours in the streets, shops, and houses. We saw the troops and Marshal MacMahon and all the grandees of Paris in the Champs Elysées. We visited the "Panorama of the Siege of Paris," and were greatly struck with the sight. . . . The next object of interest was the tomb of Napoleon the First a magnificent edifice, surmounted by a beautiful dome, under which lie the mortal remains of the great emperor. What is human greatness when it lies mouldering in the dust ? or, as a Tamil poet represents it," when the dust says you are no better than myself." Then we saw an extensive pile of buildings called the Tuileries, and the church of St. Germain l'Auxerrois, where the signal for the massacre of the Huguenots on St. Bartholomew's Day was rung. The bare mention of this reminds one of the page in the history of France which is stained by cruelty and crime. And then Notre Dame. Paris is doubtless a very beautiful city. The construction of its houses and streets, the avenues of trees lining all the principal roads, the grounds, the fountains, &c., were all perfect. On the evening of Tuesday we left Paris for Turin. Mrs. Forbes and her good daughter escorted us to the station, four miles distant, and saw us off. Mrs. Forbes was so kind and considerate that she secured at her own expense, without our knowledge, a ticket which put us in possession of a carriage where we enjoyed all the comforts of "balmy sleep, Nature's sweet restorer." For such acts of true kindness and hospitality we feel ourselves unable to make any return. Still we shall not fail to commend these and all our other kind friends to the blessing of Him who has graciously promised to reward even a cup of cold water given to His servants in His name. BOMBAY, Nov. 21st. Through God's infinite mercy and watchful care we landed here safely yesterday afternoon. We are now staying with Mr. and Mrs. Weatherhead in the C.M. House, and hope to start for Madras on the 28th. The death of Mr. Fenn at Madras was to us a very heavy intelligence indeed. How sudden! How sad! How mysterious! To him indeed death was no loss, but an infinite gain; but to us and to the Mission it is a great loss. How it reminds us that this is not our home, and that the Master's call may come at any moment, and that we must always be ready for it with our loins girt and our lamps burning! We have received a telegram from our dear children. Thank God they are all well. Please give our kindest remembrances to all dear friends. W. T. SATTHIANADHAN. THE CHURCH MISSIONARY ATLAS.-The new edition (the sixth, entirely re-written and greatly enlarged) of the C.M. Atlas is now complete, and will be published in a volume this month. It contains thirty-one maps, nineteen of which are new, and have been specially prepared for this edition by Mr. Stanford; also a chart of Indian languages, a chronological chart of the Society's progress during the last eighty years, 140 pages of letterpress closely printed, and a complete index. It was planned and partly prepared by the late General Lake. price of the volume bound, in bevelled boards, is 10s. 6d. The EPITOME OF MISSIONARY NEWS. At the first meeting of the Committee in the new year, the subject of Missions to Afghanistan, Beluchistan, and Kafiristan, was fully considered. The Rev. T. P. Hughes, Sir F. Goldsmid, and General G. Hutchinson attended, and gave valuable information; and letters were read from Sir W. Muir, Sir R. Montgomery, Sir H. Norman, and other Indian officers and statesmen. A resolution was adopted to strengthen the existing C.M.S. stations on the frontier, at Peshawar, Bunnoo, Dera Ismail Khan, and Dera Ghazi Khan, with a view to an advance into all the three countries named as soon as the way is opened. The Rev. G. M. Gordon, of the C.M.S. Punjab Mission, has gone up to Quetta, in Beluchistan, with General Biddulph's force, "to try and see what openings for the Gospel there may be." The population there is partly Afghan and partly Beluchi. A letter from him has been received from Quetta, dated Nov. 17th, and he was hoping to go on to Candahar. At the Bishop of London's Christmas Ordination, Mr. C. B. S. Gillings, of St. John's Hall, Highbury, who has lately been appointed to the Yoruba Mission, was admitted to deacon's orders; and the Rev. G. F. Unwin, of the Ceylon Mission, to priest's orders. On November 30th, at Taljhari, the Bishop of Calcutta ordained three Santal Christians, who have been trained by the Rev. W. T. Storrs, viz., Bhim Nijhasta, William Sido, and Sham Desra. These are the first Santals admitted to holy orders, the one Native pastor they had already being a Hindu. The Bishop was much pleased with their examination papers. He also visited the other stations in the C.M.S. Santal Mission, and confirmed a large number of candidates. Bishop Crowther's letters continue most encouraging. On November 3rd, 1,149 persons attended two churches at Brass, and on November 24th, 503 at St. Stephen's at Bonny, in each case including the king and several chiefs. Such is the outcome of persecution, at Bonny during the last year or two, at Brass four or five years ago. The Rev. A. E. Moule sends encouraging news of the spread of the Gospel in the Chuki and Great Valley districts, in the Province of CheKiang, China. (See GLEANER of March, June, and September, 1878.) Forty-four persons were baptized on his last visit, and there are now twelve villages containing Christians, where two years ago there were none at all. Prayer is asked on their behalf, especially that the leaders among them may "walk in wisdom towards them that are without." We hope to give a fuller account next month. The Rev. J. Vaughan has baptized a Brahmin gentleman, a pleader in the law-courts, who was educated in the Rev. S. Hasell's school in Krishnagur, twenty years ago. There he read the Bible, and learned to admire Christianity. His life has long been influenced by it, and he has been known as "the honest pleader." At length, through the influence of a Native Christian, he has come out openly on the side of Christ. The Rev. W. Dening has made another interesting journey in the interior of Yezo to visit the Ainos. (See GLEANER, May, 1877.) At the Japanese Agricultural College at Satsuporo, a remote town in that island, Mr. Dening found eighteen students who had lately embraced Christianity, most of them through the influence of the late Principal, who was an American Christian gentleman. They are all intelligent, educated young men, likely to occupy influential positions. A kind of institute has been established by Mr. Streeter for the English-speaking Africans at Frere Town, to provide recreation for them in the evenings. One night in the week they play their band; another night they have readings; and on a third night a discussion. A case of books, pictures, &c., has been sent out, towards which the Religious Tract Society made a handsome grant. A Roman Catholic priest in Ceylon lately challenged the Revs. J. I. Jones and S. Coles to a public controversy. It was carried on for six hours before 200 people. "Our Christians," writes Mr. Coles, "departed with a much clearer insight of the errors of Romanism than they previously had, and a firm determination to hold fast their Bibles." A missionary tour of great interest has been made by the Rev. F. N. Alexander, of the Telugu Mission, into the extensive Native state of Hyderabad, known as the Nizam's country. He found large districts unoccupied by any society. A census of Japan was taken in September last. The population of the empire was found to be 34,338,401, and that of Tokio the capital, 1,036,771. Gifts to the Church Missionaries' Children's Home are always welcome; and we have much pleasure in announcing, at the request of the Rev. J. Rooker, that the Rev. S. W. and Mrs. Morton, of Paddington, on leaving London, have presented to the Home their pianoforte, a very fine and valuable instrument. Two large outline maps, one of Africa, and one of the Equatorial Lake district, are being published for the Society, for use at lectures and meetings; and Mr. Hutchinson has prepared a pamphlet to accompany them, entitled, " Africa and the Church Missionary Society." The latest news from Central Africa will be found at p. 15. THE CHURCH MISSIONARY GLEANER. MARCHING ORDERS. III. MARCH, 1879. "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore."-Matt. xxviii. 18, 19. HE Father is the source of all power. For "Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatness and the power." The Holy Spirit is the communicator of power, so that those who bring their emptiness to be filled with the Spirit, may say, "Truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord." But the Lord Jesus is the Depository of the All power is given unto Him, our Saviour, our Master! Absolutely, unlimitedly, eternally! It is a happy thought. As love and knowledge gradually supplanted fear, how delighted, one might almost say how proud, the disciples must have been as miracle after miracle revealed the power of Jesus of Nazareth. Yet they did not know that He had all power. We know it, for He has told us. Do not our hearts respond-" Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power"? power. All All power is given unto Him. First, power to give eternal life to as many as His Father has given Him. Then, power on earth to forgive sins. Then, power to uphold all things. And these really include all power in heaven and in earth. power; for there is no other power at all. "There is no power but of God." All else that seems power is but the impotent struggle of weakness, the unavailing spite of a vanquished foe. How quietly He disposes of it when He says, not to veteran apostles, but to Ilis mere recruits, "Behold, I give unto you power-over all the power of the enemy!" What must the reserve be when this small delegated share is to overmatch "all the power of the enemy"! All power is given unto Him. Not to us, for we could neither receive it nor use it. But to Him for us. For all things are for your sakes." His power flows into us and rests upon us. It is not that our weakness is made a little stronger, but that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. The power of the Head energises the feeblest member. "Go - But, our Master makes no barren statements of unresultful positions. "All power is given unto Me "--what then? ye therefore." Who will take Him at His word, and, relying upon Jesus as our great Depository of power, say, I will go the strength of the Lord"? FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL. 1858 AND 1878. in O accustomed are we to think of the Church Missionary Society as dating from the beginning of the century, that we scarcely realise how young a large part of its work is-and not C.M.S. work only, but missionary work generally. Look back only twenty years, and compare 1858 with 1878. But, some will say, we are not in 1878 now. Not, it is true, as regards the legal year. But the Society's year closes March 31st; so our retrospect may still be fairly said to go back just twenty years. Now the year 1858 was in several ways a remarkable missionary epoch. Probably this was not noticed at the time; but there is nothing strange in that. We can rarely measure the importance of events until we are some distance from them. 1. Look at India. The year 1858 was the year of the final quelling of the great Mutiny of 1857; the year of the transfer of the government of India from the East India Company to the British Crown; the year in which, for the first time, the Queen, by royal proclamation, avowed herself a Christian sovereign. And that year was signalised by several interesting events in the C.M.S. India Missions. Oudh was occupied for the first time, on the invitation of the Chief Commissioner, Sir R. Montgomery; the Santal Mission was begun by the opening of schools for the children; the first convert from the Afghan race, Dilawar Khan, was baptized at Peshawar; and Ragland died at his post, leaving a bright example which has awakened a missionary spirit in many a heart since. In 1858 the C.M.S. counted about 44,000 Native Christian adherents in India; in twenty years the number has just doubled. The communicants were 6,700; they have multiplied threefold in the interval. The Native clergy were 21; they are now 106, just fivefold. 2. Look at China. The year 1858 was the year of the Treaty of Tien-tsin. Before that time, five ports only were open to British residents. That treaty opened the interior to the traveling merchant or missionary, and expressly provided that "teaching or professing the Christian religion" should "alike be entitled to the protection of the Chinese authorities." The C.M.S. had then six missionaries in China; it has now nineteen. There were then about seventy converts, almost all at Ningpo; none in Fuh-kien, none at Hong Kong, or Hang-chow, or Peking. The figures for this year will probably be nearly 4,000. 3. Look at Japan. The year 1858 was the year of Lord Elgin's visit to Yedo, and of the treaty which for the first time permitted Englishmen to set foot in the country. Missionary work, however, was still impracticable; and the Americans, who began first, could do but little. Ten years passed away before the first English missionary, Mr. Ensor, landed at Nagasaki. 4. Look at North-West America. The year 1858 was the year of Archdeacon Hunter's northward journey to the Mackenzie River, from which has sprung the whole of the work now comprised in the Diocese of Athabasca, with its 3,000 Christian Indians connected with the Society. 5. Look at the North Pacific Mission. It was in the year 1858 that Mr. Duncan, having arrived at Fort Simpson in the previous autumn, preached his first sermon in Tsimshean, and gathered the first children into school. What have we now? Not only Metlakahtla, and all that is implied in that auspicious name, but the Mission branching out in all directions. 6. Look at the Niger. In 1858, Samuel Crowther, after establishing the first mission stations at Onitsha and Gbebe in the autumn of 1857, was detained high up the river at Rabbah, unable to get back again because the one steamer had been wrecked. In 1878 we see him moving rapidly about from place to place in the Henry Venn. Five years passed away before the first baptisms took place; in 1878 we find 1,700 people attending Divine service at two out of ten stations. 7. Look at East and Central Africa. The year 1858 was the year of Burton and Speke's discovery of the great lakes that Rebmann had heard of: Tanganika on Feb. 13th; the Victoria Nyanza on Aug. 1st. Rebmann was then alone at Kisulutini; now six missionary societies are at work in East Africa. "What hath God wrought!" must surely be the exclamation of every one who takes this brief retrospect. But shall we stop with this exclamation? Let us rather ask, What are we doing to support this expanded and expanding work? In 1858 the Society's income from subscriptions, collections, &c., received through the Local Associations throughout the country, and excluding large donations and legacies paid in direct, was £115,000. Last year the corresponding figure was £143,000, and that was an advance of £15,000 on the preceding year. Is that an adequate increase in so eventful a period ? |