these two were adults, and I am thankful to say that the accounts of their death are hopeful.

For the first time since my visit to England I spent the spring here, and besides the Indians I was glad of the opportunity afforded for seeing the Esquimaux. About eighty families came here, and remained for about a week, for the purposes of trade. They appeared willing to be taught, but, from not knowing their language and the want of a competent interpreter, I was not able to do much in teaching them.

It was through untoward circumstances that no missionary journey was made. Such was the scarcity last winter and spring that it could not be undertaken. In November preparations were made for a visit to the Indians of La Pierre's House, but a severe attack of rheumatism prevented me from effecting it.

While feeling deeply the desirableness of the distant tribes being visited annually or biennially, it affords me sincere gratification that the accounts which I receive of them are on the whole good. Many of them are longing for a missionary visit, and ap parently continue steadfast in their endeavours to lead a Christian life. Some of the young men seem to be growing careless, but others are anxious to learn to read, and are endeavouring to do so.

The Christian leaders appear to be on the whole faithful and diligent in their work. A few of them have become more efficient by having learnt to read in their own tongue. But they all feel the want of being better qualified; and I hope erelong to have an opportunity of imparting to them a little more training, and of enabling them to prosecute their work with renewed vigour. I received in November an encouraging letter from one of them. He was encamped between Rampart House and Fort Youcon. He said that he had been exerting himself in trying to tell to his tribe "the glad tidings of Christ's love," and that he intended soon to visit the Indians connected with Fort Youcon: He is desirous of being under training for a while. I hope this may be found practicable.

I was thankful to hear last autumn of a reinforcement of missionaries for this diocese, and for the prospect of a

fellow-labourer among the Tukudh joining me in the spring.

I purpose (D.V.) visiting Rampart House in April to spend over a month there, and hope to see some of the Indians of La Pierre's House en route. If possible I may proceed in the summer on a visit to some of the tribes on the Youcon. The presence of rival furtraders among them is, I fear, calcu lated to prove injurious to some of them from their minds becoming engrossed by the enormous prices paid them for their furs.

The scarcity last winter was unusually severe. Great distress was experienced by many of the Indians. They had to go a great distance in quest of the reindeer, and it was with difficulty they found sufficient food to sustain life. But I am happy to say that there was no fatal result. The produce of their fur-hunting amounted to so little that not a single subscription was received from them.

The work of building a church here is much retarded by the difficulty of obtaining provisions. One man has been at work since the beginning of winter preparing timber for boards, and even for him alone there is a difficulty at present. But we have recently received intelligence of a prospect of a good supply of venison being brought to the fort within a fortnight hence. After that it is intended that another man will be hired to assist in getting boards

sawn.

A beginning was made last spring towards the erection of a church at Rampart House, and I hope more may be done in the course of this winter. Some timber was procured at La Pierre's House, but it was nearly all carried away by the river overflowing its banks in summer.

Translation of the New Testament into Tukudh is proceeding slowly. I have finished only to the end of the Epistle to the Ephesians. The work might be carried on more expeditiously, but I wish to do it thoroughly. I hope to complete to the Epistle of the Hebrews by the end of next month. I do not care to send any of it at present to be printed. A few hymns, &c., have been sent to the Bishop, to be transmitted by him to England to be printed.

The school at present is very small;

there are only six pupils. The half of them are learning in English, the others in English and Tukudh. They make fair progress. There are a few others who are learning both in English and Indian that are at present away with

their relatives at their hunting grounds. It is a great satisfaction to me that they are diligent and persevering in their attempts to learn when away from the Mission.

Srinagar, Nov. 30th, 1880.

This letter cannot be much brighter than my last. The famine, so far as food is concerned, has now quite disappeared, and grain is almost down to its usual price; but though there is much for which we are truly thankful, yet we grieve that more Christian missionary work has not been done. Our flock is indeed a little one, and a weak one, and no fresh numbers have been added

during the past year. Many have inquired, some have received instruction, but I have not seen my way clear, under present circumstances, to baptize any.

During the winter [1879-80] the famine was very severe, and the sufferings of the poor people were increased by the intense cold, which was greater than it had been for many years. We had famine relief works open to the end of March, and at one time over 2000 poor people were employed. We also organized several poor-houses in the neighbouring villages, in which those who could not work-the aged, the sick, and the young-were attended to. A number of poor tailors were employed in making clothes, and some 6400 coats have already been given away, besides numbers of kangris, and quantities of charcoal to burn in them. There was a general distribution of charity once a week to all poor people who were neither employed on the works nor living in a poor-house. At first these assembled at the hospital, and latterly in the Sheikh Bagh near the city. As many as 3360 have been counted at one time. This weekly distribution of money and clothes was discontinued in October last, as food was then much cheaper, the rice harvest being a very abundant

one.

There are now fifty-six children in the orphanage, some of the elder ones having been taken away by their parents to help them in their work now that food is plentiful and trade improv

ing. The Christian Babu and his wife, who were in charge, left us at the close of the summer, and their place is now temporally supplied by Prabhu Dyal, who came to us from Amritsar last year. Mrs. Downes kindly superintends the work, and teaches the children Christian hymns in our little church on Sunday afternoons, where I afterwards give a simple address on some portion of Scripture. Both boys and girls are most intelligent, and we all feel sadly the great need of more Christian influence to be brought to bear upon them; and I do trust that I shall find, during my visit to the Panjab, some suitable Native Christians who will be willing to come in here to help in the work.

On the 3rd of last April I finished the translation of the New Testament, and since that time I have revised for the press the Four Gospels, and have translated the Book of Common Prayer up to the Psalms. I trust the Gospels will be printed during my visit this winter to Amritsar.

As no chaplain was sent here this season I acted, at the request of the Bishop of Lahore, as chaplain to the European visitors.

Mr. and Mrs. Doxey from Multan came into Kashmir in June last, and left again in the October following. He was able to render some help in the hospital and orphanage, and to assist occasionally in the English services, but on account of Mrs. Doxey's illness he was obliged to remain a great part of the time at Gulmarg in the hills. Mr. Hughes, from Peshawar, also paid us a flying visit in the summer.

In my last letter I alluded to Ezek. xiv., and said that pestilence and famine had done much deadly work in this fair valley. Little did I then think that the famine would scarcely have ceased when rumours of war would be heard, but so it is. A disturbance having broken out in Gilgit, H.H. the Maharaja has been sending up as quickly as possible rein

forcements, and there has consequently been a great demand for coolies. At this season of the year the roads are bad and the passes covered with snow, and multitudes of the poor Kashmiris, rather than be forced to accompany the Sepahis, have fled to the jungles and mountains. It was only a few days ago I heard of the death of two who fell down a precipice whilst endeavouring to escape from their pursuers.

During the cold season, when large numbers of coolies were employed on our famine relief works, they were daily addressed by the old catechist, Qadir Bakhsh, when he was able to be present in Srinagar; and on Sundays I received the mates, about fifty, in my own house, and read and explained a portion of Scripture to them. I have several times made short tours into the district, and as I always carried with me a box of medicines and a number of books, and was generally accompanied by the catechist, Qadir Bakhsh, I was able to give medicine to the sick, books to those able to read, and some little help to the very poor;

whilst Qadir Bakhsh always gave an address to the multitude, and afterwards spoke to individuals. At one place 400 people were counted, and at another over 300. In distant parts of the valley I have found people who had been treated by Dr. Downes in the hospital, and who therefore looked upon us as old friends, and not only listened to what we had to say but gave information about us and our work to those standing by. I think the work in the district amongst the villagers much more interesting and hopeful than in the city where vice is so rampant.

There has been a great desire for books and information during the past year. I have obtained numbers of books from Lahore, and of these some have been sold, others lent, and others given away. People ask what our motives and objects are in caring so much for the sick and poor whom so many despise. I do hope and pray we may have more Christian helpers next year. May God, who has graciously given us the means, help us in finding the men!

Bombay, Jan. 1st, 1881. The Hostel.-As in a few days the three years for which the friends of the Society, and my personal friends in England, had guaranteed the expenses connected with the Hostel will be over, it becomes necessary to review the work of the Hostel during these years, so that not only those particular and dear friends, but also the friends and supporters of the Society in general, may know what has been done; and I trust that the Parent Committee will see that the object for which the Hostel was opened as a trial has, in some measure at least, been accomplished, and that they can now take it over.

For the greater part of the year there were ten lads under my charge, the largest number I have had; one of these, George David, from East Africa, has just left, to return to his parents; and in a day or two I expect two fresh boys, so that when the school reopens, on the 4th, there will be in the Hostel eleven-a larger number than ever.

You will remember that in January, 1878, I began with one boarder, and the year closed with five; at the close of 1879 there were nine; and had there not been three withdrawals during the year, the number would have been thirteen at the end of 1880-as many as I could possibly have accommodated in the present house. Since the Hostel was opened, fifteen have been in it. Of the ten in it last year, the first, from the Irish Presbyterian Mission, has passed the B.A. Examination of the Bombay University; the second, a grandson of the Rev. David Mohun, pastor of the C.M.S. congregation at Allahabad, and under-graduate of the Calcutta University, is studying at the Grant Medical College for the Indian Medical Service; one is apprenticed to a mechanic; the rest are in different standards in the Robert Money School. Of the five who have left, one has just passed the University Matriculation Examination, another is employed on the Bombay, Baroda, and Central India

Railway, and is doing well-he writes such nice, grateful letters; the third has joined the Nasik High School-he was getting on well in the R.M. School, but had to leave on account of ill-health.

On Sunday afternoons the senior boys have regularly gone through the Church Catechism, the Confirmation` Service, and the Morning Prayer. The junior ones committed to memory only the Collect for the day. As many as are able take down notes of the evening sermon in English, and afterwards read them to me; this not only necessitates their fixing their minds on the sermon, but also affords them the means of learning how to treat a scriptural subject, which may be of immense use to them should it please the Great Shepherd of Souls to call any of them to His sacred ministry.

On Saturday evenings they have a debating meeting amongst themselves for an hour, which I generally attend as a visitor.

This morning three youths were confirmed; I had prepared four, but the fourth returned home a few months ago, and died of brain fever.

I have had some trouble with two or three of the lads, but the majority of them have given me and their teachers satisfaction; nay, two or three on the other hand, have been a source of comfort by their exemplary conduct, diligence in studies, and by ready and cheerful obedience to the rules of the Hostel. On my last birthday they more than repaid me for all that I have been able to do for them, by collecting amongst themselves, and buying Farrar's Life of Christ." It was a joyful surprise to me to receive the first thing in the morning such a valuable present. It shows that Native Christians are not devoid of gratitude, but do possess, in common with other professing Christians, all the nobler feelings, and when these are educated and sanctified by grace, they are capable of responding to love and sympathy.

You will have noticed that the Hostel has grown every year, both in numbers and efficiency, and is likely to become a success by God's blessing. In connexion with the Hostel, I have to thank publicly Mrs. Barclay Bevan, of Great Amwell, Hertfordshire, who started the Hostel Fund, and has been its indefatigable treasurer for three years; Mr.

and Mrs. Bevan have also contributed liberally; the Misses Hardy - Mrs. Bevan's aunts, and sisters of Viscount Cranbrook who most generously headed the list, one_giving 1007., and the other 501.; Mrs. Babington, wife of the Professor of Botany at Cambridge (she interested some friends at Cambridge, and started an association to aid the Hostel Fund-Mrs. Babington has been the life of it). The Committee includes the honoured names of the Rev. E. H. Perowne, D.D., Master of Corpus Christi College, and Vice-Chancellor of the University (my college tutor), two of the professors, and of some of the leading clergy of Cambridge, one of whom-the Rev. J. Barton, the Society's late Secretary at Madras-is the Secretary of it. There are also on the Committee, undergraduates, to represent different colleges, who have become collectors. This Association raised in 1878, 74l. 17s. 6d.; in 1879, 461. 11s. 6d.; and in 1880, 521. 78. 6d. Even my college servants gave their mite. Mrs. Morrieson, of Medwyn Villa, Tunbridge Wells, and the family of the late Rev. R. T. Noble, my spiritual father, besides several others. Without the aid and co-operation of these friends I could never have carried on the work of the Hostel for these three years.

School. I have continued to teach in the Robert Money School three hours a day, as in the past year, taking Standards 6 and 5, each in two divisions, in Scripture, and Standard 7, Division 1, in Mathematics. One longs to see some of these dear youths come out boldly to make an open profession of their faith in Christ Jesus, as their only Saviour, but I want more faith, more patience, to bide God's time, and earnest pleading for an out-pouring of the Spirit, to bless the reading and teaching of His own Word, which is quietly working its way. A few weeks ago Mr. Carss overheard a conversa. tion between two boys of Standard 6. One of them wanted the other to say or do something; he, in return, reproved him thus: "If we do not act honestly and morally, what is the use of reading the Bible?' One is thankful for this kind of testimony, but should not rest satisfied with it. Boys in this state of mind need heartfelt sympathy. In October last, I offered to Standard 6