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eternally to be remembered. Posterity will pronounce with veneration the name of the Emperor Alexander."

From the same.

Odessa, Quarantine, Dec. 14, 1819. Having been long absent from Russia, and received but little information, especially during the last ten months, respecting the real progress of the Russian Bible Society, I was not a little astonished and encouraged the other day, on receiving a small pamphlet on the success of the Bible cause in Russia, during the year 1818, which the Petersburg Committee has lately published. What glorious results of six years labour are the following: One hundred and seventy-three Bible Societies in the Russian Empire; three hundred and seventy-one thousand six hundred copies of the holy scriptures, printed and printing in twenty-five languages and dialects; of which copies, one hundred and twenty thousand one hundred and five are already in circulation! The receipts of the society have been, 1,361,499 rubles and 2 kopecks; and their expenditure, 1,244,362 rubles and 29 kopecks.

From the same.

Odessa, Dec. 24, 1819.

The Juvenile Association, chiefly composed of scholars belonging to the Richlieu Lyceum, continues to prosper. A second Juvenile Auxiliary is about to be formed in Teraspol, a town about 90 verstes (about 59 1-3 miles) distant, on the banks of the Dniester, among the youth of a large seminary in that place; and yesterday evening I had the pleasure of assisting at the formation of a third Bible Association for the German colonists in the neighbourhood of this city. Superintendent Bottiger opened the meeting by an address in German, illustrative of the object and utility of such institutions. The Archimandrite Theophil, one of the Vice-presidents of the Odessa Society, then spoke in Russ, much to the purpose, and with a degree of feeling which had a very great effect upon all present, who understood him. After this I addressed the meeting for some time, as my weak state of body would allow, on the spiritual needs of the poor colonists, of whom 4572 in the neighbourhood of Odessa, divided into four parishes, or settled in ten villages, are without pastors! Nearly ten thousand in Besserabia, settled in fourteen villages, have only one pastor instead of three among them: three villages in the Crimea are without any spiritual guide at all. Superintendent Bottiger last week examined into the state of the holy scriptures, in two of the villages in the vicinity, and among 275 families he found 70 without a Bible.

The Committee elected, will strive to bring the cause of this Bible society home to the habitations of the colonists, and afford them also an opportunity of contributing their mites to the relief

of each other in particular, and towards the sacred cause of the Russian Bible Society in general.

During the three years of its existence, the Odessa Bible Society has contributed about 12,000 rubles to the fund of the parent society, and brought into circulation 1576 Bibles and Testaments in different languages.

May the blessing of the Most High God accompany the future labours of this society!

From the Rev. Dr. Henderson.

St. Petersburg, Jan. 23, 1820. A soldier, in Odessa, by birth a Lettonian, had heard of the exertions of the Russian Bible Society, and felt a strong desire to possess a copy of the scriptures in his native language. The Committee in that place did not happen to have any copies of the Lettonian New Testament for sale; but a copy had been presented to their library along with other versions, by the Petersburg Committee, and they resolved to appropriate this copy to the use of the soldier. He was accordingly called to attend one of their meetings; and when it was presented to him, he burst out into a flood of tears, and exclaimed, "Thank God! I am now in possession of that blessed book." On being asked what idea he entertained of the word of God, he replied, "I have not only heard from others, but I also know myself that it contains the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and teaches us how we may become the children of God and partakers of eternal life. I will now read it for my own instruction, and tell my comrades of the glorious truths it contains." Who will say what consequences may result from the donation of this single copy of the word of God?

It will be gratifying to your Committee to learn, that a flame of active zeal in the best of causes, is not confined to the genial climate of these southerly regions. If you will not deem the transition too violent, allow me to transport you across the vast and dreary wilds of Siberia, and set you down in Birnasuiskaia, the most northerly town in that government. There, at the utmost verge of Asia, where the inhabitants are enveloped in darkness, and exposed to all the inconveniences of a rigorous clime during the greater part of the year, the same flame has been kindled, and we hope the period is not distant, when the whole of these regions shall be illumined by the life-giving rays of the Sun of Righteousness. At the place just mentioned, a Bible Association has been formed, which has already sent in 1500 rubles to the society. in other parts of the empire, the establishment of new societies continues to go forward. Two auxiliary societies have been recently formed at Smolensk and Kaluga, for the purpose of supplying those governments with the scriptures, and Bible Associations have been established at the following places in the government of Vladimer, at Gorochowetz; in Rjasan, at Ranenburg;

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in Kursk, at Dimitrew, Suge, and Staroi Oskol; in Twer, at Staritza, Wesiezonsk, and Kashen; in Tambow, at Borisoglebsk, Spask, and Elatom. In the government of Volhynia the Bishop has engaged to establish an auxiliary in the course of the present year.

In regard to translations, that into modern Russ is in a state of progress. The translation of the New Testament into the Mordainian language is going forward, and is already put to the press in Kasan. A commencement has been made in the Olentz dialect of the Karelian, and a specimen fowarded to Twer, that it may be compared with the dialect spoken in that government. In the government of Wologa it is proposed to translate the New Testament into the Zirianian language; and the translation of the Gospel of St. Matthew into the Wogulian, is ready for the press. The book of Genesis, as altered from the Hebrew Tartar MS. found in the Crimea, has left the press at Astrachan, and it was resolved by our Committee that copies should be forwarded without delay to all the Committees and correspondents of the society who have any access to the Tartar tribes, that it may be ascertained by which of them the dialect in which it is printed will be most easily understood. The version of the Tartar New Testament, in the Orenburg dialect, is printed as far as the Epistle to the Hebrews, and will be ready for distribution in the course of the summer. The stereotype editions of the Slavonian Bible (the 4th edition of the quarto, and the 10th and 11th of the octavo,) and that of the German Bible, are advancing with all speed, and plates are casting for the Finnish and Esthonian scriptures.

HIBERNIAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY FOR TARTARY AND CIRCASSIA.

The friends who so generously received the Sultan Katte-Ghery, on his late visit to Ireland, and who took so warm an interest in the object of his journey to that country, have published a report of the proceedings of a general meeting held in Dublin, on the 4th of August, 1819, for the purpose of establishing an "Hibernian Missionary Society for Tartary and Circassia." By this report it appears that at the above meeting it was resolved unanimously, "That as the Scottish Missionary Society has engaged to furnish the Sultan Katte-Ghery with four missionaries, in furtherance of his plan, and is now employed in propagating the gospel in parts of Tartary and Circassia, the funds of this society shall, for the present, be transmitted to the treasurer of that body, for the purpose of being applied to the specific object of that association."

INDIA.

Baptism of Ram Narain, and Moonee Ulee, at Chunar.

Mr. Corrie came from Benares to Chunar to baptize two natives, on the 2d of July, when the following impressive scene took place :

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"At ten all the native Christians assembled, with a crowd of Hindoos and Mussulmans; it being understood that two natives were to be baptized. Numbers stood without, for want of room. After the regular service, and an address by me from Isaiah lii. 14, 15, Ram Narain and the Moonshee came forward.

"The Brahmin thus addressed the hearers :- Behold! I declare before all, and let Hindoos and Mussulmans pay attention to my words; I have been on pilgrimage to Jugger-nauth, to Dwarka-nauth, to Budee-nauth, and to the different Teruths; (or pilgrimages) but, in all my travels, I found not the true way of salvation, till I came to this place and heard the gospel; which, by God's grace, has convinced me that this is the only way to happiness; and I truly believe and declare, before Hindoos and Mussulmans, that if they do not embrace the gospel, the wrath of God will abide upon them, and they shall be cast into hell. On saying this, he drew out his brahminical thread, and broke it asunder before the people, saying, 'Behold here the sign of my delusion and then delivered it to Mr. Corrie.

"After him, Moonee Ulee, the Moonshee, thus addressed the people :- Attend, brethren, and hearken unto me: I was a Mussulman, and had spent much of my time in the company of learned men of the same profession. I have studied the meaning of the Korân, and I have paid adoration at the tombs of peers, [saints, or spiritual guides.] In those days, whenever I saw a Christian, my spirit was stirred up within me to slay him: but, on hearing the holy gospels, light has sprung up in my mind, which has increased; and I have been more confirmed in this faith, since I saw the Pentateuch and Psalms. To receive Christian baptism I have come from Delhi. My mind has, moreover, been strengthened and established, by the instructions which I have received from the Rev. Mr. Corrie; and now, before all my brethren present, I embrace this true way of salvation.'

"After this, Mr. Corrie addressed the people from Matt. Xxxviii. 19; and then baptized the two candidates; the brahmin, by the name of Keroul Messech, Only Christ; and the Mussulman, by that of Moonef Messeeh, Eminent Christ.""

GERMANY.

The information contained in the following letter will be found highly interesting to our readers generally, and to the reverend clergy in particular. A similar association might easily be formed in this country, and be productive of the best consequences to the Church of Christ, and lead to a more harmonious union among ministers of different denominations.

DEAR SIR

To the Editor of the Christian Herald.

Agreeably to promise, I will here give you some account of the meeting, or voluntary association of ministers, which, under the

name of "The Ministers' Conference at Herrnhuth," assembles annually, in May or June, at that settlement of the United Brethren (otherwise called Moravians) in Upper Lusatia, Germany. It is strictly, what we might perhaps call in this country, "a conference and prayer-meeting;" the objects being properly to promote, for their mutual edification, a free communication of their experience and views, as Christians and as ministers; beginning and ending with prayer. They desire to become acquainted with, and further each other's endeavours, earnestly to" work out their own salvation," and to "contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints." Questions relating to these subjects, freely offered, are as freely discussed. This is done without entering into the controversies of different denominations of Christians: still less do they propose to interfere in the least in church or civil order, as established by the various governments under which Christians live in the present day. Their great aim is, in fellowship, to "build up themselves in their most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost;" and, at the same time, to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." This has uniformly been the plan and character of this conference, from its commencement in the year 1754; since which, their meetings have been held regularly once every year: and the great Head of the Church has laid an abundant, and apparently ever-increasing blessing upon them.

At first, only a few Lutheran ministers met some belonging to the United Brethren, for the purposes above mentioned. They were soon joined by ministers of Calvinist congregations. A protocol, or record, was kept of the proceedings at their meetings; which, on account of the essays which were delivered in, and inserted, and the letters from distant friends which were addressed to the conference, became more and more interesting, and was afterwards widely circulated in manuscript. By degrees, the number of ministers, and candidates for the ministry who attended, increased; so that for a considerable number of years past, there have assembled as many as seventy, or more, according to the circumstances of war or peace, &c.; their correspondence also became vastly extended. The protocols contain letters from most parts of Germany, from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Holland, France, Switzerland, Prussia, Great Britain, North America, from the German colonists in the Russian dominions, and from some of the missionary stations of the United Brethren among the heathen. Part of the communications addressed to this conference, are from associations of ministers in different countries. Three or four, and sometimes as many as twenty or thirty, or a greater number, have united in writing to them. The associations of ministers have generally given interesting views of the state of religion, in the countries especially where they resided. They also express their opinions freely, as

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