Mr. Shackell, Mr. Rebsch, and all those employed in the Orphanage, did what they could for the sufferers, the two former gentlemen helping the native doctor day and night in distributing the medicines. The native Christians, after having done their day's work, would stay up by turns at night to help.

As soon as some of the children got a little better they would ask for their New Testaments, and, weak as they were, they would try to read it. How attentive they were notwithstanding their sufferings, during morning and evening prayers, which were regularly held with them.

Forty-eight of the orphans were dangerously ill of cholera: out of the number, ten girls and three little boys died: it was chiefly amongst the girls. It was a great day of rejoicing when all the orphans were allowed to return back to Secundra. The boys entered the compound singing hymns; it was a beautiful moonlight night, everything looked so peaceful. At the end of August the cholera seemed again to make its appearance amongst our boys. How sad we felt, both not feeling strong; but God hath spared us: only one of the boys died, the others got well.

One of your protegés, Thomas Boyd, was buried last Saturday. He was one of our brightest boys; such a pleasant face, such a happy smile was always playing on his countenance. We shall long miss him. He died of consumption. He did not complain of anything: it was only observed that he looked rather thin, and was therefore sent to the hospital; but he would come every day to play with wooden bricks on our verandah, or look at pictures, or to have a quiet rest. He enjoyed his food and his sago mixed with a little wine every day. We thought that a change of air would do him good, and sent him to Runkutta, where a Christian family is living. He liked the thought of going there, but he only returned from there to die in our midst.

During the cholera time we lost several of our brightest girls: generally stupid girls can bear much more than our bright ones. Just now such a bright little girl, Begum Chando, is lying very ill, and there seems no hope for her recovery. Last Saturday I asked her, "Have you any pain?" She said, "No." When I asked her, "Do you know that you are dangerously ill? Now if you had the choice, would you prefer to get well again, or to die?" She said, "I do not wish to remain in this world: I want to go to Jesus." I am often quite astonished to see how little fear these children have of death: they put such simple faith in their Saviour, that they shall be happy with Him, and so they peacefully fall asleep.

Will you join your prayers with ours that God may send an outpouring of His Spirit over Secundra, that it may become a garden of the Lord where the Lord Himself dwells?

Spared as these girls have been, may they indeed prove to be trees of righteousness of the Lord's planting, and bring forth "pleasant fruits.”

TELUGU VILLAGES.

THE Telugus are a numerous people, and are spread over a large portion of India. They lie along the East Coast between the Tamils to the south, and the people of Orissa to the north, extending from thence far into the interior, over the greater part of the territories

of the Nizam, and in a north-westerly direction, until they touch the Mahratta country. They number, altogether, not less than fourteen millions of people, amongst whom we have had a Mission for twenty-seven years. Its site has been the Krishna district, in which our Missionaries occupy three large and important towns, Masulipatam, Bezwara, and Ellore. We have the following account of a Pariah priest, who, with his wife, brother and children, has lately been baptized

As a priest to the lower orders, he used to carry the dumb idols from village to village, and obtain money and rice, &c., and deceive the poor deluded people by them. As he was going on with his deceitful trade, he once happened to be at Angalore, where we have one of our vernacular schools, and conversed on the subject of religion with the schoolmaster. As he afterwards told me, by this interesting conversation his faith in heathenism was somewhat shaken, and he wanted to know more of this new and living way, and begged the teacher and the people to introduce him to dear Mr. Sharkey, who was at Gudivada. The first conversation he had with Mr. Sharkey made such deep impression upon his mind, he said, that he could not any longer continue as a deceiver and blind guide, to go about with his dumb idols to delude the people. He was invited to Bunder to receive more instruction in the first principles of Christianity. The idols which had once been his favourite gods are now deposited in a Missionary's house. I think he is happy for having cast his lot with us; and, as far as I know, his conduct is satisfactory, and his behaviour towards his fellow-Christians in the settlement good. He and his brother Lutchmudu are both reading in the Colporteurs' training class, which has existed at this station for the last two years.

Bezwara is the centre of a very interesting work amongst a lowcaste people called the Malas. Our readers will find a full account of this people in our "Gleaner" volume for 1866, p. 13, accompanied with an engraving of a group of Mala females; and in our volume for 1865 they will find an account of a Mala headman called Venkiah.

One of their villages, called Raghapuram, is about twenty miles from Bezwara. The work among the Malas, in this part of the district, began at Raghapuram; and our Missionary, Mr. Ellington, tells us that there has been of late a large number of Christians, so that there now remain only three heathen houses in the whole Mala settlement.

Quite recently, thirty-nine persons, at one time, agreed to cast away their idols, and attend our worship on the coming Sabbath. It is gladdening to one's heart to see how our school-room is crowded at every corner on Sundays. Something must be done, and done soon, either to erect a new building, or to enlarge the old one; for the place has become altogether too strait for us. In the house of one of the leading men who have just come over to us, there was, until the other day, a very large earthen pot, which had for a very long period been regarded as their god by the members of the family. I am informed that, years ago, it was

134

HAPPY DEATH OF A SEMINOLE INDIAN.

voice less lifted up in prayer and praise. During the hot month of the past summer, he toiled hard to earn a livelihood for his little family; but suddenly he was attacked with fever, so violent that no medical aid could check its course. During three long weeks he suffered the greatest bodily distress. I visited him often during his sickness, and found him a patient sufferer.

Although it was sad to witness his sufferings, yet I could not help rejoicing in seeing so strikingly displayed in this dark man of the forest the triumphs of the Gospel. Truly I felt, in hearing his earnest prayers, and the confidence which he placed in Jesus Christ, it is not in vain that the Gospel has been preached to the heathen. Once he groped his way in heathenish darkness, ignorant of God, and of salvation through His Son. But having learned the way to God, the hope of eternal life was his sweet comfort. On his pillow lay his hymn-book, which he loved to read and to sing the sweet songs which it contained. I would take it up and commence singing the dear words, in which he would join with the utmost delight.

One day when I told him that a brother minister had come, and that on the coming Sabbath we expected to celebrate the dying love of our Saviour, he burst into tears and wept like a child, requesting me to tell all the brethren not to forget him in their prayers. At his request the brethren held meetings for religious worship at his house, and when they were all singing of Jesus suffering on the cross, he would raise his hands and clap them, so happy did he feel in possessing an interest in that Saviour. On Saturday, the last time I saw him alive, life was fast ebbing away, but he survived until Sabbath morning, when he requested his brethren to come to his house to sing and pray. They went, but before they left, his spirit took its flight.

}

They prepared his grave and coffin, and I preached to the remaining part of the congregation under our arbour. Late in the afternoon, we met at our departed brother's house, to perform for him our last act of kindness. It was a very solemn meeting. I preached from 1 Thess. iv. 13-17, and hope that the truths thus proclaimed to that large and attentive audience of Red men, concerning the resurrection and judgment, together with the solemn circumstances of the occasion, will not be forgotten. The discourse was concluded by recommending the desolate widow and orphan of our deceased brother to the consideration and tender care of of all the Christian brethren present, and after prayer most fervently and feelingly offered by our good chief, Long John, we proceeded to deposit the remains in the grave. After the corpse was placed in the grave every one present showed their last token of respect by dropping a lump of clay into the grave. It was then filled up, meanwhile the whole assembly looking on with the deepest solemnity. When it was finished, the benediction was pronounced, and then all dispersed for their homes, just as the sun had disappeared in the western heavens.

te qebeurd (From the Record of the American Board of Foreign Missions.); road sa 890alli sitt H *#

peal for told bozoqons - ti al 2, elm 99gr

WHEN teaching is followed up by example, then its influence is greatly increased. We have our groups of native Christians in various parts of India, and we are very anxious that they should be as leaven amongst their countrymen, and be so Christian themselves as that they shall christianize others; and that not only for the sake of the heathen around, but for their own sake also; for heathenism, like a putrid body, is always sending forth from itself evil influences, and Christians who live in the midst of these can only protect themselves by being active in communicating their Christianity. This keeps them in a healthy state, and enables them to report the deadening influences around; and thus, while they do good to others, they get good themselves.

We are anxious, therefore, that our churches and congregations in the midst of heathenism should be christianly active, and we rejoice to say that they are becoming so increasingly. The churches in the Tamil country are more or less engaged in this work. They act on the heathen around, and send forth their Missionaries to the Tamil Coolies in Ceylon. The same process is going on amongst our Christians in Travancore: there, slave converts slave, and old congregations raise new ones.

One of the things which told most upon the Tamil Christians, and stirred them up to Missionary work, was setting them an example. This was done by the North-Tinnevelly Itinerating Mission. Instead of fixing themselves at centres, some of our Missionaries went forth itinerating, living in tents, and going from place to place over a large extent of country, sowing the seed. Some of the catechists from the settled congregations went and worked with them, and brought back tidings of what was being done, and the Christians became more and more interested.

Now we have, in Madras town, three Christian congregations. The baptized alone are 680 in number, of whom 318 are communicants. Besides these, there are 691 persons under instruction. They are liberal too, for they contribute to various Christian purposes at the rate of one rupee per annum. It is desirable they should become actively Missionary, and to lead them on by example, t Missionaries who had been in North Tinnevelly had entered upon a new itinerancy around Madras.

the

The district in which they itinerate lies along the coast, and they have been thus enabled to remain in tents much longer than in the interior, where the heat is more oppressive. They have been over a tract of country seventy miles from north to south, with a breadth of from five to twenty-five miles, in which all the villages have been visited within three miles of the sea; and it is supposed that not less than 10,739 have heard the Gospel. They find that they need two

languages for the work, Tamil and Telugu. They have sold 365 tracts, and 65 Scripture portions. Of the tracts, 299 were children's tracte, got up by the Madras Tract Society in a small, neat form, with bright yellow, red and blue covers. There is one tract which, both in this district and in Tinnevelly, is a great favourite, the "Mango Story," or "Young Preacher.

In comparing our present field with that of North Tinnevelly, we find some points of difference, but perhaps more of resemblance. With regard to the general aspect of the country, both here and there we find ourselves on a level plain, studded over with villages: there the monotony was relieved by the majestic line of the western Ghauts, stretching right across the horizon, as we looked out from our tents to the west and north-west: here, the far greater picturesqueness of the villages makes us almost forget that we have lost our favourite mountain range. The trees around each are more numerous, and the foliage more varied. Mango topes, unknown in North Tinnevelly, intersperse their dark rich green with the broader banyan and the more towering elm-like tamarind. The palmyra, though the most frequent, is not, as there, the only representative of its tribe, but is constantly mingled with the more feathery cocoanut and date palms; while here and there the clustering and delicately formed branches of the bamboo add their peculiar richness to the woodland scene, while the larger tanks for irrigation are quite as -common as in Tinnevelly, the smaller village tanks are more frequent, and this, added perhaps to a greater richness in the soil, seems one cause of the luxuriant foliage, and gives to some parts of the country an almost park-like appearance.

"

The people do not seem to differ materially from those of North Tinnevelly. Like them, they are agriculturists, and, upon the whole, simple-minded. There hardly seems to be a larger proportion of them able to read. They show the same activity and energy in what has to do with the supply of their bodily wants; the same apathy, and unbelief in higher things. There is also the same superstition: the village temples are, if any thing, more numerous, and are certainly better built. The red brick gopuram rising above its kindred temple, and that again surrounded by its large high wall, is a common sight among the clustering trees of even the smaller villages. We have not met with the same opposition from Brahmins that we did in North Tinnevelly, though they at times show, pretty plainly that our absence would be more acceptable than our company. Positive rudeness we have endeavoured calmly but firmly to check.. From two classes, we have had a cordial welcome and a willing hearing, not indeed universally, but in the majority of instancos; these are the Pariahs and the Fisher-caste. With the lattor wo have sat down beside their nets and boats on the sandy beach, and often had almost all the little village round us, while we have read of the miraculous draught, or the parable of the net drawn to shore. With the Parials, particularly in some parts of the district, we have had still larger audiences; and when we have sat down in the little verandah of one of their houses, or stood up in their street (always built at a distance from the main village), and told them the story of the prodigal,