which I enjoy, and if I have bread I can manage to live well.

Ko San and I left Miike at one p.m., and passing through Yanagawa, reached Saga at nine o'clock in the evening, just as a heavy rain began, which lasted twenty-four hours. The country between Miike and Yanagawa is again flat, and well cultivated, as is also the country between Yanagawa and Saga. Having said this, it is scarcely necessary to add that it is thickly populated.

The next day, Saturday the 10th, I spent with Yoshidomi San, and in examining candidates for baptism. Yoshidomi San was married last Christmas to Ohatsu, a Christian lady who was trained in Dr. Hepburn's Mission at Yokohama, and he and his new wife are now occupying the preaching-house at Saga. This house is an old building, in a convenient part of the town, with a long front room which serves admirably for preaching. There are also other smaller rooms in which Yoshidomi San and his wife live, and a spare one for me.

On Sunday there was Holy Communion. The communicants were Yoshidomi San, Ohatsu, Ko San, Miyoshi San, and his wife. Six other persons were baptized, viz., Takida, a Government officer, his wife and child, baptized respectively by the names, Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac; Joseph Motome, the younger brother of Mine San, who was baptized last year; Timothy Muta, a young friend of Yoshidomi San; Jacob Watanabe, the schoolmaster, whose school at Taku I visited with John Mudzuka San, on our way back from Saga last year. In the evening there was a full congregation of outsiders, who listened attentively to Ko San and myself. There is no great movement at Saga as yet, but the work is quietly going on, and believers one by one will be gathered in.

On Tuesday I returned with Ko San by a small Japanese steamer to Nagasaki, and resumed the students' classes. These, however, except those which Mr. Andrews is able to take, were soon to be interrupted for a short time by a visit to Kagoshima. Ko San and Morooka San were left to do the preaching at Deshima, and in the city, and I took with me to Kagoshima John Mudzuka San.

We left in a Japanese steamer, built only last year at Osaka. She was a nice steamer for rivers and calm seas, but too small for the voyage from Nagasaki to Kagoshima, which is often very rough and dangerous, more or less, to larger craft. On this occasion the weather was unfortunate. It was fine the day we weighed anchor; but, as night approached, it became stormy, and by midnight the sea was rolling up heavily from the south-east, and bad weather was evidently setting in. The little steamer laboured considerably, and the captain, a Native, found that he would be unable to proceed. He wisely, therefore, turned aside from our proper course to a small bay on the coast of Satsuma, about thirty-five or forty miles south-west of Kagoshima. Here we lay at anchor for two days, not free, however, from peril and anxiety, for during this time a gale was blowing, and the wind, as it came over the hills, and down across the little bay, caused considerable strain on the steamer's cable. Had this parted we should have been on the rocks in a few minutes. The last night that we spent in this position the captain took the precaution of keeping steam up, in case we should lose our anchor. On the third day the gale had passed, but the captain was afraid to put out to sea, as the waves were running too high. This was Friday, and I was anxious to be in Kagoshima by Sunday. I determined, therefore, to travel overland. We landed at a small fishing village, hired a packhorse for our luggage, and for riding when tired, and set off.

The first day our route lay over hills, prettily wooded, and by mountain torrents. The next day, Saturday, part of the journey was through a country cultivated, and thickly inhabited. But everywhere almost in the Satsuma Province there is a wildness and boldness in the scenery quite in keeping with the character of the people. On account of the rugged nature of the country, the roads are bad; there are no roads, properly speaking, only mountain paths, except in the immediate neighbourhood of villages, and consequently pack horses and bullocks are the principal means of conveyance. I was surprised to see how each village of note has its Samurai residents, and thankful that these are giving their minds to industry. I en

joyed the journey greatly, doubtless all the more for the unenjoyable sea experiences that preceded.

We reached Kagoshima on Saturday in good time to make arrangements with Stephen Koba San for the following day's services. These were the Holy Communion service, after morning prayers, with seven communicants; a baptismal service for the baptism of the infant of one of the Christian families; and a preaching service in the evening. At the morning service no less than thirty-five children were present. Stephen Koba San is working very carefully and diligently, both in the day school and among the adults. Buddhists have made great progress in Kagoshima, determined here also, no less than throughout other parts of the empire, to dispute every inch of ground with us. They have built temples, enrolled thousands of followers, and preached zealously against Christianity. For the present they have succeeded in converting *the bulk of the common people to their faith. Our strength is in the Truth of God-veritas prævalebit.

The

After spending two or three days at Kagoshima, John Mudzuka San and I returned by the same steamer to Nagasaki. She had made her way round to Kagoshima on the Sunday afternoon, and as the weather became settled we were glad to avail ourselves of her for a passage home. We brought with us a pupil for the boys' school, and a girl, the daughter of Abraham Yamakura, for Mrs. Goodall's girls' school.

I did not leave home again till the middle of last month, when, during the week in which the senior students were revising for examination, I paid a second visit to Kumamoto for the baptism of a few adults and some children. Mekata San's work has already borne fruit. Perhaps it would be correcter to say that the fruit is the result of work done first by Nakamura, then by Midzu Shina, and then more recently taken up again, and continued by Mekata San. However Paul may plant, Apollos water, but it is God that giveth the increase. To Him, therefore, let us give the praise.

Owing to the expulsion of the Buddhist priests from Satsuma many years ago, many of the inhabitants till recently were not Buddhists.

And, indeed, it is a thing to be most thankful for that now in Kumamoto, hitherto so dark and unpromising, yea, defiantly heathen, there is a Church of the Living God, consisting of 14 adults and 4 children. On my recent visit 12 adults and 4 children received baptism. Of these the following particulars are interesting. One whole family, consisting of husband and wife, the wife's father, and two children, became Christians. This family I have known more or less of since 1866. Grace, who has been with Mrs. Goodall for more than three years for instruction, is an elder sister of the two children mentioned above. Another person is a young man who is Government Inspector of Village Schools. An old man aged sixty-three was baptized by the name of Jacob. A middle-aged man, a nursery. man, who received the name of Peter, had been thinking of Christianity for two or three years past, and had often, during his visits to Yokohama and Tokiyo, to purchase seeds and trees, attended Mission services. He has written to me, since I returned to Nagasaki, to say that if funds can be found to build a small church in Kumamoto, he will gladly give the ground. It would be a great thing for our work there if this offer could be accepted. A church, large enough and good enough for the present, might be built for $500. Kumamoto, from a native point of view, is second in importance to no town in Kiushiu. It is the garrison-town for the southern portion of the Japanese Empire, is the capital of the province of Higo, in the midst of an industrious and numerous pagan population, and a good basis from which to work in the "regions beyond' of Kiushiu. A widow seamstress, an cld friend of Midzu Shina, and her daughter of nineteen years, I baptized by the names of Dorcas and Anna. The only others that I need mention were Luke and his two infant children. Luke is a Native doctor, who was formerly pupil of, and then assistant to Dr. Mansfield, who for some years held an appointment at Kumamoto under the Japanese Government. When Dr. Mansfield left, Mr. Luke Ito began to practise himself. It is in the second story of this man's house that Mekata San is now quartered, and where I also put up for a week. The dispensary, a small low room at the back, but with an indepen

II. Education.-The schools this year are 48 in number. In September of 1879, the average number of boys on the list was 1469, and of girls 1108, a total of 2577. This year the boys number 1602, and the girls 1149, a total of 2751, or 174 in excess of those reported last year. The actual number of children on the lists, in the month of Sept. was 2843.

Ten years ago the schools in this district were 20 in number, with 1130 children on the attendance registers.

The total amount of money expended in connexion with the schools last year was Rs. 12,679.70.

The Theosophists, who visited Ceylon during the year, have succeeded in stirring up a good deal of Buddhist opposition to us in our work both in town and country. It is difficult in some places to get a hearing at all; and in other localities schools have been erected and are carried on quite close to ours, in the hope of inducing the boys to leave us and go to them.

In Augampitiya, especially, the Buddhists have made great efforts to turn us out of the village. They erected a school nearly opposite to ours and drew away about half of our boys; and as it was only a month before the Grant-inaid Examination, we had to suffer a loss on that head in consequence. But we intend, D.V., to "Hold the Fort," and I have little doubt of the result. There is a Native "Punch" published in the island, and in this paper we have been held up to ridicule as three chief devil-priests; that is myself, the catechist of Liyanwala and the Augampitiya catechist. We are supposed to have paid Augampitiya a visit to exorcise the devil, which is causing the opposition to our work. That it is the work of the devil we have very little doubt, and that the Lord will bruise Satan under our feet shortly, we are also certain.

The number of baptisms among the young people of our schools has been ten, and there are several others who are anxious to be baptized, but for various reasons they are kept back a little longer.

Sunday Schools.-The founder of Sabbath schools little thought that the branches of the tree which he planted at Gloucester would overshadow foreign lands. And yet, I suppose, in every

Mission-field Sunday-schools are a recognized branch of Mission work. In this district 46 schools have been conducted, and the average attendance has been 441 boys and 404 girls; a total of 845, nearly one-third of the day-school pupils.

III. Evangelistic.-The Liyanwala catechist reports that five young people in the schools wish to become Christians. The following is the translation of a letter written by one of them to the master of the school :

"Gracious Master,-I know now that the Buddhist religion is false, and that the Christian religion is true. I wish to be baptized, but my parents and influential friends are not willing. I beg that you and the catechist will explain to them the right way and obtain their consent."

Another youth, who had manifested great interest in the Gospel, was very ill with fever, and, while in an almost unconscious state, his parents performed some devil ceremonies, and tied a charmed string about his neck; but as soon as he was well enough he broke it and threw the charm away.

During the year two young men have been baptized, and both of them continue to give proof of their desire to glorify God.

Augampitiya has been a regular battle-field, and the catechist's report is almost plaintive in the account which he gives of Buddhist opposition to our work.

The nature of the district and people may be imagined from a remark made by the catechist in his report. He says, "Within a square mile round about the place where I live, there are no less than thirty devil-dancers, devil-priests, and those who perform incantations (before images of clay to avert the evil influences of the planets). The consequence is that, for even the least sickness, instead of medicine, the people put their trust in devil ceremonies." The catechist further writes: "The Kurugala priest, in the preaching-halls, in the highways, in the houses of the people, in his own temple, has warned the people not to go near the catechist, listen to the Christian religion, nor to send their children to any of our schools. Should any one do so he would be excommunicated." The catechist reports five young persons as inquirers after