a great distance at this season. They stay for some weeks, playing at games, and amusing each other. On the Wednesday evening there was a great game at football by the Indian women with clubs. There were several hundred Indians there. Among the chiefs present was Blackstone, the well-known chief of a tribe of Indians at the height of land near Thunder Bay. This chief, some time ago, addressed the Bishop of Algoma at a meeting. But on this occasion he remained silent. Before I left next day, however, he called on me to bid me good-bye. Having got all the Indians seated as conveniently as possible within the Hudson's Bay Company's enclosure, I addressed them, having the catechist, Mr. Peter Spence, as interpreter, who did, I believe, very well. I explained the reason of my visit as Bishop to this quarter. I then explained the presence of ministers and teachers among them. They were sent by Christians in England, who were friends of the Indian. They found their own happiness in the religion of Jesus Christ, and so they were anxious that they should share their happiness. Still they hoped that their presence might be of temporal advantage to the Indians, as well as spiritual, in giving them education, in advising them about their farming and building. I hoped they would learn to esteem it a great advantage to have those by them, showing in everything a good example, and always willing to give good advice when consulted. The Rev. Baptiste Spence spoke at considerable length, with great power and earnestness setting forth the whole Bible story of the existence of sin, of man's necessity from his sinfulness, of God's one remedy-His so great salvation in Jesus Christ. His resounding words were listened to with deep attention, and I doubt not had, for the time at least, great effect. It was some time before they could arrange for replying. At length Cupba (all along), the chief of the reserve at Fort Francis, rose, and spoke. He acknowledged the religion of the white man to be good for him, but their religion came from the same God, and was fitted for them. It had been held by their ancestors, and was loved by them; and they did not wish to leave it-at any rate, they would not first leave it, but would wait for the cthers of their tribe. They did not wish these teachers. They wished the teachers promised by the Government. The Commissioner had told them these were not the teachers promised them; that the Government did not wish them to become Christians, nor the Queen; that indeed they would be glad if they did become Christians, but that they did not put it before them. The teachers promised would simply teach them reading and writing, and not interfere with religion. That it was unjust in God to give them another religion, unless it was sufficient, and force on them a new religion separating them from their ancestors. I replied that what he said was true, there was but one God. The white man and the Indian were to him alike. The white man had not always had the Christian religion, he had been led to adopt it. God only gave one religion. The reason of there being different religions among men was the imperfection and sinfulness of man. God made man perfect. If we look at anything, as God made it, it was perfect; but man is not perfect. Look at any of God's works in nature. Take the sting of a bee. There is an instrument by which objects can be enlarged so that we can see distinctly all about them. If the sting of the bee be looked at through this instrument it is as sharp and fine as ever; but if the finest edge of a razor or any tool made by man were looked at, it would appear rough and jagged. So when man came from God's hands he was perfect; but sin entered, and he became what he isastray in many ways. Believing that there is for man out of this only one way of salvation, we were so anxious to offer it to them. But they must adopt it willingly, by being persuaded in their own mind. It was true that our gracious Queen would be glad for them to be all Christians; it was also true that she would not wish this unless it were their own free choice. And that was just our own feeling, too, notwithstanding all the efforts that were made to teach them about Jesus Christ. We could not see any value in their being Christians otherwise. After mentioning some confirmations and baptisms at Fort Francis, the Bishop concludes: Fort Francis has fallen off in its white population greatly since the stoppage of the canal works, and the pushing on of the railway considerably north of it. Mr. Phair seemed to have the sympathy and support of the residents, but the direct fruits of his missionary labours here are yet small. But Mr. Phair has already had the lesson of waiting God's time. Many a day he laboured amid difficulties and discouragement at Fort Alexander. At length God gave a large harvest. So I trust it may be ere long at Fort Francis, and along the Rainy River. My impression, from all I heard and saw of these river tribes is, that if there was any break of moment in their ranks, the progress of Christianity might be expected to be very rapid. Again and again the Indian saying was, we shall not be the first; but if any went before them it was not unlikely they would follow. Although the Rainy Lake District is so very extensive, and there are 80 many different tribes with special reserves given them by the Government, and though our present Missions on the Rainy River do not but touch the heathen, and have yet but little success, yet Christianity is beginning to tell on the heathen mass from several directions. Heathenism is shaken along the whole line of the north from Islington to Lac Seul, and will soon be replaced by Christianity. Thus Christianity is pressing on the Indians of the Lake of the Woods from the Rat Portage direction, and also across the country from Cross Lake. But unquestionably this process of heathen disintegration will be soon hastened on by the Pacific Railway, and the advent of the white man throughout the country this will bring with it. The Indians will begin to get ashamed of their dances and customs. But the advent of the steam engine and the emigrant brings also its dangers. Vice, ruinous to the Indian, in various forms will receive an impetus. The danger will be that the Indian will not only lose his religion, but lose his self-respect, and contract habits which experience sadly tells us it is almost vain to raise him from. Therefore there is a great call on the friends of the Indian to make use of the present time to bring to him as fully as possible in these parts the blessed Gospel of the Grace of God. THE VICEROY AND THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM AT C.M.S. STATIONS. (1) LORD RIPON AT AMRITSAR. (From the Civil and Military Gazette of Lahore.) N Wednesday, the 10th of November, 1880, after receiving an address from the Municipal Committee in the Town Hall of Umritsur, his Excellency drove to the Alexandra Girls' School, where he was greeted on his arrival with a round of hearty cheering from the boys of the Vernacular schools drawn up outside the building. On his Excellency entering the hall, where, besides the pupils, a number of ladies and gentlemen were assembled, the choir sang God save the Queen," at the conclusion of which a pretty little girl, one of the youngest of those present, came forward, and graciously presented his Excellency with a handsome bouquet, which his Excellency as graciously accepted. An address was then read by Mr. Lewis, the officiating Judge of the Small Cause Court, which was as follows :— MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY,-We, the Native Christians of the Punjab, belonging to and representing all parts of the Province, have assembled here at Umritsar, the head station of the Church Missionary Society in this part of the country, to give your Excellency a hearty welcome, and to express our feelings of loyalty to her Majesty the Queen, our Empress, whom you represent, and grati tude for the manifold blessings we enjoy under the just, enlightened, and beneficent rule of the British Government. The termination of the Afghan war, which has been hailed with pleasure by all classes of her Majesty's Indian subjects, has given the Native Christian community, whose interests, perhaps whose very existence, is interwoven with the continuance and prosperity of the British Government, an especial cause for heartfelt thankfulness and rejoicing. Our community looks up to the British nation as a child does to its father. The remembrance of your Excellency's act of condescension and kindness shown to-day in visiting the Alexandra School, one of our educational institutions, will be cherished by us and our children with feelings of gratitude and pride. It is our earnest desire, that among the many and various peoples over whom your Excellency has been called to rule, your Excellency may always have reason to remember our small but growing community, as one, which in loyalty and faithfulness to the Crown, is second to none among her Majesty's Indian subjects. Our hearts' prayer to the Almighty is, that He may shower blessings upon her Majesty the Queen, our Empress, and bless her rule. May He grant to your Excellency health, prosperity, and a successful career, which may redound to the glory of God and bring lasting welfare to our country! His Excellency the Viceroy replied as follows: GENTLEMEN,-I have to thank you most sincerely for the address you have been kind enough to present to me on this occasion, and I assure you that it has given me great pleasure to accept your invitation to visit this institution to-day, and to receive this address at your hands. You speak of the fair prospects which are once more opened to the Indian Empire by the termination of the Afghan war. I, like you, heartily rejoice that it has pleased God, in His good providence, to bring to an end those military operations which have continued for so lengthened a period, and I earnestly trust that we may now be blessed with a continuance of peace and prosperity, during which it may be possible for me and my colleagues in the Government of India to devote ourselves to promoting to the utmost the welfare of the people of this land. (Applause.) I am peculiarly glad to have met you in this Alexandra School, because the name of the institution recalls to me the fact that on the last day spent by me in England before I left my own country to come here amongst you in this distant land, I was honoured by an interview with that illustrious princess whose name this school bears-the Princess of Wales-at which both she and the Prince of Wales expressed their deep interest in India, and at which his Royal Highness assured me of the agreeable recollections he brought back with him from this country, and how heartily he desired to hear, from time to time, of the welfare and happiness of its people. (Applause.) Gentlemen,-I have been connected now, for more years than it is altogether in some respects agreeable to recollect, with the subject of education in my own land, and therefore I naturally feel a very deep interest in all that concerns the progress of education in India. You are aware that it is the bounden duty of the Government of India to preserve the strictest neutrality in all that relates to religious matters in the country. That is a duty imperative upon us in fulfilment of distinct pledges definitely given, and to which we are bound to adhere. I have never thought, gentlemen, that the strict performance of that duty, both as regards the natives of this country and the various Christian denominations in India, involves in the least degree, on the part of individual members of the Government, any indifference to religious education. (Hear, hear, and applause.) And, for myself, I have always held and maintained at home-and my views upon that subject have undergone no change, though I have come many miles across the sea-1 -that no education can be complete and thorough, if it does not combine religious and secular education. (Loud and continued applause.) I am therefore very glad to have the pleasure of coming amongst you to-day, and of visiting this school-one of the first, though not quite the first, among those which I have seen in India-and I can truly say that I wish this institution, and those connected with it, all possible prosperity. (Applause.) I trust you may accomplish the work which you have set before you, and that, in the words of the motto which I see in front of me, "Your daughters will be as polished corner-stones." (Applause.) If it should please God to aid you in advancing the great work of education in India, you will by your efforts be doing a great service to the people of this country, and you will be carrying out an object which I know her Majesty the Queen-Empress has closely at heart. (Applause.) (2) THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM IN TINNEVElly. (From the Madras Weekly Mail of November 18th, 1880.) Tinnevelly and Palamcottah are just now looking their best. The vast expanse of paddyland, covered with luxuriant paddy of the purest green, is one of the loveliest sights in the whole province. As the party drew near the Collector's house, decorations and words of hearty welcome met the eye on every side. "Welcome the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos," will remain imprinted on the minds of thousands for a long while to come. It was halfpast two in the afternoon when his Grace arrived. A levee was arranged for four o'clock. Besides Mr. Pennington, and Mr. Turner, Assistant Collector, there were present Mr. Snaith, the Judge; Dr. G. T. Thomas, Major Coningham, Superintendent of Police; Mr. R. S. Locke, Deputy Collector; Mr. Martin, District Engineer; Bishop Sargent, the Revs. T. Kember, V. W. Harcourt, and H. J. Schaffter; Colonel Obbard, in command of the detachment of the 26th stationed here; Captain G. A. Phipps, Port Officer of Tuticorin; Mr. R. Thomson, Mr. R. Miller; the Zemindars of Ettiapuram and Sivagiri, gorgeously attired; the Tahsildar of Tinnevelly, and all the principal Native officials of the town and neighbourhood, and the leading residents. His Grace then took a short drive towards Palamcottah, visiting the various institutions connected with the work of the Church Missionary Society, as he came to them. He first called at Bishop Sargent's, where the children of the Boarding Schools were drawn up in lines on either side of the road; and the many banners of various kinds which the children held in their hands gave the whole scene an unwontedly gay appearance. His Grace and party entered the bungalow, greeted Mrs. Sargent and other ladies who were present, heard from Bishop Sargent a few words respecting the work of the schools, and having listened to some excellent singing from the girls, they proceeded to the Boys' Boarding School buildings, where, besides the school-boys, there were assembled several Native pastors, catechists, schoolmasters, and many of the leading members of the Christian congregations in the neighbourhood. Greeting his Grace with hearty cheers, they presented to him the following address : MAY IT PLEASE Your Grace,—We, the Native Christians of Palamcottah and its neighbourhood, beg on behalf of the Native Christian community of the Tinnevelly province, to approach your Grace with feelings of the deepest respect and esteem, and to give you a most hearty welcome to this district. We take the opportunity of expressing our deep sense of the benefits conferred upon this Presidency during your Grace's administration; and particularly we recall to mind your untiring efforts to mitigate the unparalleled distress caused by the famine of 1876-77. We acknowledge with the deepest gratitude your earnest interest in the welfare of all sections of the community, and are convinced of your Grace's gratification at the progress of Christianity in this country, and at the increasing prosperity of the Native Christian Church. Your Grace has unremittingly striven to ascertain and relieve the real wants of the people of this Presidency, and though you are shortly to leave us, and to return to your native land, we feel certain that the vast and varied experience your Grace has acquired in India, will be un ceasingly used for our country's good, and that we shall still have a large share of your interest and sympathy. In conclusion we beg to offer to your Grace our sincere thanks for the honour you have accorded us to-day, and to express our earnest wish and prayer that your Grace and the Ladies Grenville may have a safe voyage to your native land, and that God's choicest blessings may abundantly gladden all your future life. The Governor replied in a few words, expressing his thanks for their hearty welcome and the pleasure it gave him to see them all, and especially to meet their good Bishop once again. He trusted the latter would long be spared to labour amongst them. Passing through the commodious Mission Church, now enlarged to accommodate upwards of 1500 people, his Grace next visited the Training and Theological Institution. Over the entrance to the institution compound was the word "Welcome," and the students of the two departments were ranged in lines by the road leading to the bungalow. His Grace was met by the Rev. T. Kember, Principal, and Mrs. Kember, and the students sang "God save the Queen" as the Duke alighted. After passing along the line, and making a few inquiries concerning the classes and their work, his Grace desired to see the institution and other buildings, and he was conducted to the various class-rooms, in some of which are maps executed upon polished chunam on the wall. These maps excited his Grace's admiration, and a well-merited meed of praise was vouchsafed to the Native master, whose handiwork they were. On returning from the institution, the students, with their banners, large and small, the group of Native masters, and a few visitors on the green lawn between the two fine banian-trees which guard the entrances to the compound, formed as a whole a very beautiful sight. In reply to an expression of thanks by the Principal for his Grace's kindness in coming to visit the institution, the Duke said it had afforded him great pleasure to do so. The students gave a hearty "three times three as the Governor drove out of the compound. Taking the southern road, his Grace proceeded next to the Sarah Tucker Female Training Institution, where the Rev. V. W. Harcourt and Mrs. Harcourt, assisted by Miss Gehrich, are in charge. It was getting dark by the time he arrived. The students sang two or three pieces very nicely. The building was well lighted, and so large a number of young women assembled together for training for future usefulness among the females of their native country formed a pleasing sight, and drew from his Grace expressions of unfeigned pleasure at being able to visit the institution. His Grace was accompanied in this drive by Mr. Pennington, the Collector, Major Hobart, and Bishop Sargent. Brief as was his stay here, his Grace's visit has been a source of much pleasure and gratification to the Tinnevelly community. The following gratifying letter has been forwarded to us from Madras:Madras, Dec. 13th, 1880. The Rev. A. H. Arden, Secretary, C.M.S. MY DEAR SIR,-I accept with much pleasure the books illustrative of the work of the Mission. I have felt much interest in the work of the Church Missionary Society, and trust its efforts to spread among the races of Southern India the knowledge of the Bible, and to lead them into the paths of life, may be rewarded by increasing success-and that its zealous labourers may feel that their labour has not been in I remain, yours very truly, vain. BUCKINGHAM AND CHANDOS. |