confined exclusively to them; others have caught the hallowed flame, and even parents are found to rejoice in the devotedness of their offspring to this great cause.

At the last anniversary of the American Board of Missions, on the 18th of May, 1836, Dr. Humphrey made a powerful appeal to christian mothers; he alluded to a lamented missionary who had become a martyr; and he related the following circumstance as exhibiting an instance of a state of feeling which he believed to be becoming more and more common, and by which, were it to become universal, the noblest aims of the Board would be more than sustained. The mother of the martyr was a neighbour of his own; and some time before the news arrived of the catastrophe, she had lost her husband, who died suddenly, and left her in charge of a large family. Scarcely had the widowed parent returned from pouring forth her tears over the grave of her protector and guide, when the heart-thrilling intelligence arrived. It had been brought first to himself, and he had been in con sequence requested to bear to her the fearful tidings. "I trembled," said Dr. H., "and as I went, I said to myself, how will this mother, a widow in her weeds, with the tears hardly dry on her cheek from the sudden loss of her husband,how will she-how can she receive this intelligence? I went, and communicated it in the best way I could. The tears flowed freely, it is true, but oh, what a light shone through those tears! Almost as soon as she was able to say any thing, she exclaimed, 'I bless God, who gave me such a son to go to the heathen, and I never felt so strongly as I do at this moment the desire that some other

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of my sons may become missionaries also, and may go and teach the truths of the Bible to those savage men who have drunk the blood of my son.' And now," added the speaker, can any man doubt that the hand of the Spirit of the Lord is in this work, when feelings like these can be kindled in the bosom of a mother under such circumstances? The patriotism of a Roman matron has been chanted in poetry and song from age to age, but what was it, when compared with such feeling as this, and that too on the first annunciation of the ruthless deed of savages, who had destroyed the first-born son of a widowed mother!"

CHAPTER X.

Ceylon.-Church Missionary Society.—Injury_done by the Dutch.-Splendid Procession.-Heathen Ceremonies.— Young Convert.-Beautiful Scenery at Galle.-Completion of a Church at Baddagamme.-Improved State of the People.-The Tooth of Budhu.-Sketch of Samuel, a converted Malabar.—Bishop Heber's Testimony.-Tamul Press at Nellore.-Habitual Superstition of the Cingalese. -Allowance to be made for the unavoidable Ignorance of Adult Heathen.-Trials and Prospects of the Mission.Distribution of Tracts.- United Efforts of different Com

munions.

On the arrival of the Church Missionary Society's agents in Ceylon, in 1818, they gave themselves zealously to their appointed work. The Rev. Mr. Mayor first took up his residence at Galle, and afterwards made an excursion up the river Gindra, and explored the villages on its banks, to a distance of about thirty miles, which led to the establishment

of various schools among them.

At a short dis

tance from the first village at which he stopped, he found the remains of one of the heathen ceremonies called "a devil's dance." "At these meetings," says he, "which always take place in the night, the devil's priest attends, dressed in a red cloak, and accompanied by several tom-tom beaters. Whilst these men are beating the tom-tom, (a sort of drum,) the priest dances before the people, repeats certain incantations, and receives the offerings of money or provisions made by the surrounding throng. The money he is supposed to carry to a certain spot in the Kandyan country, where the devil is said to reside. Persons who are sick attend these meetings, in hopes of being cured; or if their illness be so severe that they cannot be carried from home, the dance is celebrated at the sick man's house."

At another village, about six miles farther, an elderly man applied to him, requesting him to baptize his child; but, on being seriously questioned respecting his knowledge of the Saviour, and the state of his own heart, he appeared to be lamentably ignorant. "The Dutch," says Mr. Mayor, "have done much injury to the cause of christianity in this island, by disqualifying all persons from inheriting property who have not been baptized. In consequence of this law, every one, whether he worship Budhu or the devil, is anxious to be admitted into the christian church by baptism. And you will be shocked when I tell you, that there is scarcely one of the devil's priests who has not been baptized; scarcely one of those who offer sacrifices to the prince of darkness, or prostrate themselves before the image of Budhu, who has

not his name enrolled among the disciples of Christ!"

Of the heathen in the neighbourhood of Nellore, Mr. Knight observes, "This is one of the strong holds of idolatry; as one of the largest temples in the whole district (in which there are said to be not less than a thousand) is here. There are annual exhibitions, such as are described by Dr. Buchanan in his Researches; and I have myself witnessed the procession of a car, where thousands of deluded worshippers were collected together, to prostrate themselves, and pay their homage to a god which could not save. Their prejudices are at present deeply rooted in favour of their ancient customs and superstitions; and the brahmins, in addition to their prejudices of caste and regard for reputation, have all their temporal interests at stake; for if they once renounced idolatry, they would have no means of support.

"With respect to the Roman catholics, the show and parade of their worship and processions greatly attract the attention of this people, and their pretended power of working miracles is admirably calculated to operate on their weakness and credulity. At their festivals, they are said to effect wonders with the ashes of a deceased saint, and numbers flock to them with their maladies and their offerings, by which their funds and their influence are rapidly increased. Indeed the catho

lics and gentoos seem to vie with each other, who shall make the most splendid show; while many look on with careless indifference, or are even amused with what they witness."

Soon after his removal to this station, Mr. Knight opened his own house for preaching, and was

occasionally assisted by the Rev. Christian David, of whom Dr. Buchanan makes honourable mention. He also went out into the adjacent villages, and conversed with the people wherever he could find them in their temples, at their houses, or by the way-side. And, in addition to these exertions, he opened a school for the purpose of instructing boys in reading the holy Scriptures, and had, in a short time, the pleasure of collecting twenty-four pupils, of good capacity, who made pleasing progress in their studies. In the midst of all these exertions, however, the cholera morbus appeared in the district; in consequence of which, his labours were necessarily suspended, the school was broken up, and the state of the natives, under this afflictive visitation, became truly distressing. "The people," says Mr. Knight, "no longer ventured to walk about; the brahmins persuaded them that the devils, which they said were parading the streets, would afflict them with the sickness. The markets and places of public resort were consequently deserted. Numbers of temples were erected in every direction; expensive sacrifices of sheep, fowls, rice, and flowers were offered; and numberless ceremonies and superstitions were resorted to, in order to conciliate the favour of the devil, whom they worship with much dread, or to appease some angry goddess, who they said was displeased with them. Idols were paraded about the streets in grand procession; and piping and drumming were continued at the temples whole nights, for weeks successively; while the crafty brahmins took advantage of the fears and credulity of the people to promote their own interests."

One evening, in returning from Jaffna, he saw,