Foreign Intelligence..

WEST AFRICA-BASHIA.

Conversation between a Missionary and his Scholar Extract of a Letter from the Rev. J. G. Wilhelm, Missionary from the Church Missionary Society.

I LIKE very much to be about children: their liveliness keeps up my spirits, and preserves me from musing on discouraging subjects; and, truly, I know not in what way we could be more usefully employed. I could never think that our labour will be altogether in vain in the Lord. These children are in our Settlement restrained from many sins and evils, to which they would find abundant temptation, and opportunities of committing, if they were trained up among the people of this country, who live in gross ignorance, and in the lusts of their flesh.

It will not be improper for me to communicate to you an instance of some sense of religion, which the Spirit of God, under the assiduous care and instruction of the brethren, Renner and Butscher, has excited in one of our elder boys, the son of a friendly chief, who sometimes declares to me the feelings of his mind. I take the liberty of mentioning one of our conversations, which I noted down as far as I could remember it.

One evening, after I had discoursed with my scholars on 1 John v. 18-21, he said to me," Mr. Wilhelm, if we did always mind this book, (the Bible), and what you tell us, it would make us very happy

"Yes, the more we mind this book, the happier it will make us; for it is the Word of God. If we mind God's word, we mind God himself; and if we mind him, he will also mind us. Jesus Christ calls those who mind his word, his sheep. He will, therefore, be their Shepherd, and will take particular care of them. He says, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never pe rish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hands."

"But," said he, "I do often wrong. My heart is

sometimes hot like fire. Suppose I strive to mind book, it will still often happen that I do wrong, and bring trouble upon my mind"

"That your heart sometimes burns like fire, because you feel that you do often wrong, is a good sign: for it is the work of the Holy Spirit, first to convince us of sin, to shew us that we do often transgress the commandments of God, and therefore deserve to be sent to hell. If you feel that this is your case, it will make you ask, Can I by no means be saved from my sins? What must I do to be saved?' If the fear and trouble of your mind excite such questions in you, then the Bible will become a precious book to you, because it tells you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; for he is the Saviour of sinners who feel that they cannot save themselves. And when you there read what Jesus Christ has done and suffered, to save you and bring you to heaven, it will lead you to love him you will then say, as the Apostle John said, We love him, because he first loved us: you will be very glad that he will be your Saviour: you will pray to him for the forgiveness of your sins; and for his Holy Spirit to sanctify you to his service, to make you hate sin more and more, and to, love that which is good, that which Jesus Christ loves and commands. If the love of Christ leads you to mind his book, and to resist sinful thoughts and inclinations, it will become much easier to you to avoid doing wrong than it is at present, where fear and trouble of mind make you to mind book. But I must not forget to tell you, that even when you love Jesus Christ above all, you will still feel that you are a sinner: you will daily feel your need of his grace and forgiveness; and that more than you can feel it at present. you will find no pleasure in sin: you will abhor it: it will grieve your mind whenever you feel that you have offended. This is the great difference, between those who believe in Jesus Christ and those who believe not in him. When those who believe fall into sins, it is against their will: it grieves their mind to have offended against God: but still they come to God, like children to their father, and seek forgiveness: a good child, who loves his parents, and minds their will, may still now and then do wrong, and offend his parents; but the child will be grieved and troubled about it: it will ask their pardon, and strive for the future to be more careful; and

But

the parents, you know, may sometimes find it necessary to chastise even a good child, but they will not turn it out of their house: and so God deals with his children. But those, who do not believe in Jesus Christ, do not trouble themselves about their sins: they love to sin: they seek their pleasure in sin: they do not strive to mind God and his book."

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"I cannot always pray," said he: "and I am always tempted to do as I see other people do. I want always somebody to speak to me, and tell me what I must do. Suppose I must go again to my father's place, there nobody knows any thing about religion, and if I do not according to our country fashions, I shall get plenty of trouble, and so will all the children in this school. We cannot always be in this school. Suppose I could come to England, I would never return to this country. I would think myself happy if I could spend my life with Christians"

"You must pray that God may give you his Holy Spirit, to teach you to pray; that you may tell to God all that is in your heart, and cast all your care upon him, and believe that he will open such ways for you as he shall find good. If he sees good to let you live among Christians, you may either stay in our Settlement, or he can bring you to other Christians; but you must leave this to his will. If he will try your faith, and make you live among your own country people, he can give you grace, wisdom, and strength to resist sinful practices, and to live a Christian life among them: but you must make up your mind for sufferings in this world; and it is better that you should be troubled by other people, than that your own conscience should trouble you that you have forsaken God because of the fear of man. You should not fear your country people, if God will have you to live among them. You see, we white men came cut into this country, and left the society of Christians, and did not fear to come among you. We are determined to tell you the truth of God, whether you will hear or not; and we do not mind the comtry fshion: people may beat their drum tite whole night, we go not to join their dance: neither should you'

This young man has always proved himself faithful in things that were committed to his trust

The children are, in general, very healthy. Two only,

:

since I have been here, have been seriously ill I took them into my room from the noise and bustle of the rest, and waited on them; and it pleased God to give a speedy success to the means which we used for their recovery. One of the girls broke her leg, and another her arm; and we had likewise the satisfaction of seeing them soon and well recovered. These are great matters of encouragement and thankfulness to us. May the Lord endue us with his Holy Spirit to sanctify us for his service, and to teach us what we must do to glorify his Name, and to promote his cause in this region of darkness and shadow of death! May it please him to bless abundantly our feeble endeavours, to train up our children in his fear and love! And may he bring them to the knowledge and love of his truth and salvation!

WEST AFRICA.-SIERRA LEONE.

Extract of a Letter from the Rev. Leopold Butscher, Missionary of the Church Missionary Society, to the Secretary.

Rev. and dear Sir

Sierra Leone, Nov. 10, 1813.

My last, dated August 2, sent by the Thais sloop of war, I trust you have received. Since that period, myself, wife, and child have enjoyed good health: about a month ago, we moved from the Governor's country seat, to our own house in town.

Mr. and Mrs. Meissner have been very poorly nearly the whole of the rainy season: both, however, are recovering very fast.

The latter end of last, month, I received letters from Brother Renner, mentioning the death of Mr. Meyer, in the month of September.

Some vessels have arrived here lately, from Goree, which brought me intelligence, that Captain Gibson had arrived there in the brig Neptune, from England, with about 30 tons of goods sent by the Society, and consigned to Brother Renner and myself. I am anxiously waiting for his arrival here, especially as the time is now approaching, in which I must leave Sierra Leone for Bramia; and I should indeed have left it already, had it not

been for this: and should the goods not arrive here soon, I shall go without them, rather than neglect the erecting the Gambier Settlement at Bramia, this dry season.

I understand, the smuggling Slave Trade is going briskly on in the Rio Pongas, in spite of all the exertions of his Excellency Governor Maxwell to prevent it. He sent, the other day, an armed schooner to fetch a slave vessel out of the Rio Pongas, but the slave traders began to resist; and the schooner, probably not sufficiently manned for such an attack, was obliged to return without having effected its purpose.

If the English and American Slave Traders are not fetched out of the Rio Pongas by force, I have no doubt but we Missionaries shall meet with greater opposition than ever; and especially myself, in erecting another Settlement; for it appears to me, that they are more determined than ever to carry on that horrid traffic. The other day, all the slave traders, together with the chiefs on the Rio Pongas and its neighbourhood, held a meeting; consulting how they might defend themselves, in case any man of war should molest them in their traffic. This, however, shall not discourage me in erecting another Settlement-if God, who has hitherto upholden us, is with us in mercy, surely the devices of the devil and his apostles cannot overthrow his work. May He grant us more faith, love, wisdom, and perseverance, in the work in which we are engaged! To this purpose I beg you to remember us before the Throne of Grace.

OTAHEITE.

State of the Mission.

We observed, at p. 397 of our First Volume, from the Report of the (London) Missionary Society, that no letters had arrived from the Missionaries who returned to Otaheite from New South Wales. The Directors have since received a letter, dated at Eimeo, near Otaheite, Oct. 21, 1812, signed by Messrs. Henry, Davies, Hayward, Bicknell, Scott, Wilson, and Nott.