beverage that "cheers but not inebriates" is altogether wanting. They were provided with partridge and venison, together with a basin of oatmeal porridge each. In eating the former they seemed much more at home in the use of the knife and fork than I expected to find them. After finishing their meal, Mrs. Watkins and myself endeavoured to interest them by exhibiting various articles with which we thought they would be altogether unacquainted. They were much pleased with pictures in natural history, and made a particularly minute inspection of many of the quadrupeds. The operation of bellows in rapidly kindling a flame from the dying embers gave much amusement, as did also the more simple effect of the application of an extinguisher to a candle. I exhibited the internal mechanism of my clock, which excited their interest very highly, and especially so when it struck the hour, for which I prepared them by pointing out the hammer, and showing the direction in which it would move. Mrs. Watkins gave a small present to the married woman, who, in fact, is but a girl of about sixteen, consisting of a pair of scissors, a bodkin, a thimble, and a few needles and pins, all which appeared to be highly valued. The use of the scissors and bodkin was learned with great readiness, though the poor woman had never before seen any thing of the kind. Our Missionary had been very anxious to have an Eskimo resident with him, with the double object of being helped by him in acquiring that language, and of giving him instruction with a view to his conversion, and, by the blessing of God, his future usefulness amongst his countrymen. Peter appeared to be just the person he was in search of, and Mr. Watkins opened the matter to him, pointing out to him what a blessed thing it would be if he should become a teacher of his countrymen, whose perishing condition loudly calls for help, no fewer than fifty-five of these thinly-scattered people having died near the Little Whale River during the last few months. To this proposal Peter eventually acceded. That the Eskimos are not without natural affection appears very touchingly in the strong feeling manifested by Peter on separating from his friends.

May 3-After family prayers I sent for the four Eskimos, as I wished to make a few presents to those who were about to return, as also to give them a word of spiritual counsel previous to their departure. I then spoke to Peter, wishing him to tell his friends to think often of what they had heard from me respecting God and His Son Jesus; but his heart was too full: he turned his back, and the trickling of a few tears down his cheek soon told the tale of his sorrows. We endeavoured in various ways to impart comfort; but every effort was vain, and seemed only to add to the bitterness of his feelings. His three companions soon afterwards went to their sled, which was already packed ready for their departure. I accompanied them a little way on the river till they had made a fair start, and then took my leave, following them with earnest ejaculations to that God whose temple is all space.

This afternoon I spent some time with Peter, regarding him in the double capacity of tutor and pupil, receiving from him my first lesson in Eskimo, and, in return, teaching him English, and introducing him, for the purpose of writing his own language, to the mystery of the A, B, C.

FIRST BAPTISM BY OUR MISSIONARIES IN THE PUNJAB. 141

While those whose privilege it is to be the "Lord's remembrancers" make intercessions on behalf of the cause of Missions, may I request that they forget not the Eskimos, and in particular this young man, Peter, in whom I am now specially interested, that he may be led to a saving knowledge of Jesus; and that then out of the abundance of his heart his mouth may speak to his people " in their own tongue the wonderful works of God!"

FIRST BAPTISM BY OUR MISSIONARIES IN THE PUNJAB. THE first instance of conversion in a Mission is ever an important fact-to the Missionaries who are engaged in the work especially So. It is a gracious recognition on the Lord's part of the labours of the past; it is full of promise as regards the future; and the baptism of this first convert is a deeply-interesting occasion. Our Missionaries at Amritsar, in the Punjab, the Rev. Messrs. Fitzpatrick and Clark, have been thus encouraged; and in the following letter, dated July 6, 1853, Mr. Fitzpatrick makes us partakers of their joy

You will rejoice to hear that we have been thus early privileged to baptize the first convert to the faith of Christ through the preaching of the gospel in this Mission. The service was held on Sunday, the 3d instant, at our school-house in the city; and the congregation consisted of all our native Christians, eleven of the residents, most of our inquirers, and a few of the boys from our schools.

Shamaum (Simeon), the baptized person, is a man of about forty years of age, of superior intelligence, and of a frank and manly character. He heard the word of God for the first time on the 23d of February last, upon the occasion of a visit to his village, three or four miles from Amritsar, by David and me, on our first Missionary tour. He was the Grant'hí-reader of the Grant'h, or Sikh priest-of the village, and was called from his garden to hear what the Sahib had to say. It was a most unpromising place at the time; for the poor villagers were in great excitement, expecting a visit from the deputy commissioner. We collected about twenty together; but I believe not more than three or four remained attentive, and of these Shamaum, then Kaisoa Singh, was especially so. He seemed deeply interested, and asked so many questions, or made so many remarks, that our preaching was at length turned into a conversation with him instead of a general address. He and another were the only persons who read, and we gave them each two Gurmukhi books—part of the Pentateuch, to Exodus xxi., and the Pilgrim's Progress. He accompanied David to the tent, and had one or two interviews with him on the same day afterwards; and at the end it was agreed that David should come again and instruct him more fully. But the man himself did not wait the day appointed. In his desire to know more, he came to the city to see our native Christians, and, after that, continued to visit David three or four times a week, Sunday being one of them, that he might be present at our services. At length, having read the books, he asked permission to stay with David altogether for better instruction. We advised him to

་་

* An engraving of such a reader is given in the "Church Missionary Gleaner " for August 1852, p. 91.

142 FIRST BAPTISM BY OUR MISSIONARIES IN THE PUNJAB.

act very deliberately, setting before him the consequences of such a step, in the probable alienation of his people, and loss of all things worldly; and he did so. He had two or three days to consider again and again what he should do, and I think we had a second or third interview with him; and some four or five days more elapsed before he finally came to reside in the city. At that time his knowledge of the book of Genesis and part of Exodus was remarkable, considering the shortness of time and the few opportunities he had had; and his progress since then has been, as might be expected, yet more satisfactory. We had all along expected that he would become a Christian, for his conduct was so consistent-his spiritual perception and prayerfulness so striking-that we could see no reason to doubt it. He had commenced the work of selfdenial, and the breaking off of evil habits, well. He had reduced his allowance of opium-almost all the Sikhs eat this drug-not by the slow degrees I had, in prudence, advised, but by one-fourth in a month, and had gone through bodily trial in so doing; but last week he was led to look back upon his village and all his former associations, and in so doing suffered for days together severe temptations. He was excited against David, the chief instrument in his conversion, to reproach him as the cause of his misdeeds; but yet he struggled against these feelings, and endeavoured by prayer to overcome them. He was at length successful, and then requested baptism. We all fully concurred in the propriety of admitting him into the Christian fold; and this was my happy privilege on Sunday last.

He is now somewhat depressed in spirit. Satan is not leaving him untried, but is tempting him. We do not, however, doubt his real conversion on the contrary, we believe him to be a true child of God, and look forward to his becoming a very useful member of the Christian church. The name "Shamaum" was preferred by him and David in reference to the words, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace... for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation." I believe the occasion of his baptism was much blessed to many present.

Let us pray for Shamaum, that, "after he has suffered a while," the God of all grace may "stablish, strengthen, settle him." Let us pray that our Missionaries may have holy zeal and wisdom to improve the opportunities for good which are presented to them, and that their numbers may be much increased. The field is a large one. Amritsar is a great resort of strangers, who come to it as the holy city of the Sikhs, and, on the occasion of the great melas, the streets are crowded like those of London, there being collected at such times from 200,000 to 300,000 people. Besides the city itself, there are within a circle of ten miles not fewer than 300 villages, and probably more, some of which contain as many as 4000 or 5000 inhabitants. Beyond, there is, in every direction, an openness to hear. One Missionary, with the catechist David, made a tour in a northerly direction some months ago. They were out sixteen days, during which time they preached in not fewer than twenty-eight towns or villages to 2400 people, the representatives of some 34,000, and distributed 496 books. In places where the gospel had never before been preached,

RASALAMA, THE MADAGASCAR MARTYR.

143 the people were eager to hear and consider what was declared to them. The catechist David, once himself a Sikh, but for the last eight years a consistent Christian, was never wearied of declaring to his countrymen the words of eternal life. The Missionaries state, that on this line of march the population was so dense that they might travel day after day, visiting two or three villages each day; thus instructing daily on an average 200 or 300 persons; or, had they adopted the plan of locating themselves in the midst of one of the more important towns, they would have found themselves in the centre of a population numbering 300,000 or 400,000, all accessible by easy marches.

"The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few." Oh! for the putting forth of earnest prayer that "the Lord of the harvest" may send more labourers!

RASALAMA, THE MADAGASCAR MARTYR.

A RAPID growth in vegetable and animal life is often accompanied by the loss of soundness and vigour of constitution. Hot-house plants grow rapidly, but they do so under artificial influence, and if they were transferred outside, and had to brave the damp, chill air of autumnal mornings and evenings, they would soon wither.

As in vegetable and animal life, so in spiritual life, there is growth. There is growth in the love of Christ, and in the sanctifying power which the gospel exercises on the believing heart. The more rapidly this grows in us the better, for it grows, not as material objects grow, by the increase of parts, but in the blessed influence which it exercises on the character. In that growth, growing up in all things into Him which is the Head, may we all richly participate!

In Missionary work there is also a growth, and that of a twofold character. There is a growth in the spiritual influence exercised on men's hearts and consciences, the whole of which is known only to God; and there is growth in the visible results which are produced. This latter growth might become too rapid, if, while numbers increase, the action of divine life in the hearts of men did not increase with it. Numbers of professing converts might be added to a Mission, but not of the right kind. A great increase of such persons would be very hurtful to Missionary work. He, therefore, who is the Great Head of the church, and whose husbandry faithful Missionary work undoubtedly is, so interposes as to prevent this. He dispenses afflictions, and Missionary work is reared in trial. The trials are of various kinds: very generally they consist in the persecutions to which the converts are exposed from the heathen round. Sometimes they are so numerous and powerful, that, to the eye of man, it would seem as if the work would never be able to sustain them but He who permits the trial affords the needful strength to bear it; and, however oppressed, the work, if genuine, in God's time fails not to revive.

:

In our October Number we referred to one of the most tried Missions of modern times, that in Madagascar. Seventeen years have passed since the Missionaries were compelled to leave that island, during which the native converts have been in the midst of profound trial. For wise pur

144

RASALAMA, THE MADAGASCAR MARTYR.

poses God has suffered them to be so. Satan has been permitted to deal with them as he dealt with Job. Him he harassed in the hope of making him unfaithful; but he found him "stedfast, unmoveable." He hoped, in the same way, to overcome the faith of the Malagassy Christians, and overthrow the hopeful work which had sprung up in a land which he had long ruled over with undisputed power. But he has not succeeded.

After the departure of the Missionaries, the converts continued to meet, as they had opportunity, for mutual exhortation and prayer. On the Sabbath they assembled in lonely places on the mountains, where, amidst the treeless hills and vales, they could see at a distance the approach of strangers. There they could freely sing the praise of their God and Saviour without the fear of being overheard. The copies of the Malagassy Bible, which the Missionaries on their departure had placed in their hands, were a great consolation to them. The "Pilgrim's Progress" had also been translated into Malagassy, and eight manuscript copies, written out by some of their number, remained with them. They taught one another to read, and their numbers, instead of diminishing, increased.

Ten of the number were now seized, and every effort was made to extract from them the names of their fellow Christians. One of them, whose name was Rasalama, being overreached in her simplicity by the deceitfulness of the inquisitors, was induced to mention the names of seven other persons, who were immediately seized and put into confinement. When she learned that their names had been previously unknown to the government she was deeply grieved, and, in her next interview with the officers, expressed herself so strongly as to the injustice of their proceedings, that she was put in irons and beaten. In the midst of her sufferings she continued singing hymns, adding, "My life shall go for my companions." The persecutors then decided she should die. The afternoon before, she was placed in irons of a peculiar construction, consisting of rings and bars, so fastened around the feet, hands, knees, and neck, as to cramp the whole body into a most painful position, forcing the extremities together, as if it were packed into a small case. It is thus the natives are accustomed to bind their bullocks, by drawing the fore and hind feet into one knot, and these irons are from hence called omhy fohy, "the shortened bullock."

The next morning she was led to execution, and still she continued to sing hymns, and to express her joy that she had been brought to know the truth. On passing one of the Missionary chapels, where she had been baptized, she exclaimed, "There I heard the Saviour's words." On reaching the place of execution, she requested to be permitted to kneel down and pray; and in that attitude, as she calmly committed her soul to her Saviour's keeping, she was speared to death by three or four of the executioners, who, standing around her, struck her through the ribs and heart. Her body was left to the wild dogs-her soul fled where persecution could not reach it. Her name, Rasalama, is formed of the oriental word, "Salama," and the usual Malagassy affix to proper names, "Ra;" and it was true of her, according to her name, that she found peace in believing.

Satan mistakes when he supposes that, by compassing the death of the Lord's faithful people, he shall succeed in crushing the spirit of inquiry in a land. "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." This, as we shall see on some future occasion, is remarkably exemplified in the history of the Madagascar Mission.