Relating principally to the FOREIGN MISSIONS carried on under the direction of the METHODIST CONFERENCE. SOUTH SEA MISSIONS. NEW SOUTH WALES.-A short Letter from MR. MANSFIELD, dated the 18th of August last, refers to copious accounts of the state of the Mission there, which have not yet arrived. In this communication it is, however, generally stated, that the Brethren, with their wives, are all well; and that the Mission is in a state of prosperity. They were anxiously waiting the expected arrival of Messrs. LEIGH, WALKER, and HORTON. From the latter we are happy to state that we have received Letters, dated from Van Diemen's Land, at which place they arrived safe, after a quick and pleasant voyage. At Van Diemen's Land, they found a society in existence, though MR. CARVOSSo had not arrived from Sydney, according to the appointment of the Committee. His delay has been occasioned, we suppose, by the non-arrival of MR. ERSKINE from Ceylon, who has found it difficult to procure a passage. The successful manner in which the Mission had commenced in Hobart's Town, and the neighbourhood, and the anxiety of the people that one of the number should remain, led them, however, to determine that MR. HORTON should remain there for the present. Of the arrival of MR. and MRS. LEIGH, and Mr. WALKER, at New South Wales, we are expecting to be very shortly informed.* The following are Extracts from the Letters received: VAN DIEMEN'S LAND.-MESSRS. LEIGH and WALKER, in a joint Letter, dated Hobart's Town, September 6, 1821, write: THE voyage from land to land was performed in ninety-six days; and both from the captain and the passengers we received the kindest attentions. Every Sabbath-day we were not only allowed, but solicited, to perform the sacred functions of our calling. The seed sown, we confidently trust, will hereafter bring much fruit to the glory of God. We waited upon his Honour the Lieut. Governor, some of the Magistrates, and the respectable inhabitants, who are ali favourable to the cause of Missions. You have appointed one Missionary for the whole colony; whereas there is a field sufficiently large to require ten labourers at the present moment. Considering the present state of the people, that they are as sheep without a shepherd,-that the hearts of many appear affected with the things of God,that a great spirit of hearing the Word is excited in the minds of the people, that a place is already erected which will comfortably accommodate three hundred people,-that a house has been taken for MR. CARVOSso, the rent of which is every day accumulating,-that it is the general voice of high and low, rich and poor, that a minister should be left them at this period,-we have been induced, after having made it a subject of prayer to Almighty God, to comply with the general wish, and to leave a Missionary among them. Hence Brother HORTON is stationed in Hobart's Town, instead of proceeding to New South Wales. Extract of a Letter from Mr. LEIGH, MR. WALKER has been sick nearly the whole of the voyage. For a long time we had little hope of his continuance among us; but since we have been in Van Diemen's Land he has recovered wonderfully. With the blessing of God *This expected intelligence has just arrived, in Letters from MR. LEIGH, dated from Sydney. dated Hobart's Town, Sept. 5, 1821. MR. and MRS. HORTON we leave in this place. Our joint letter will explain this subject. We have furnished his house from the ship as well as we could. Their hopes of being useful to the people are great, and I have no doubt but their remaining will be attended with much good. MRS. LEIGH has borne the voyage very well, and is in very good health. My own health is improved. We long to be in our station in New Zealand. Extract of a Letter from MR. LEIGH, dated Hobart's Town, August 27, 1821. WE cast anchor on the 8th of this month, in Sullivan's Cove, Hobart Town. On the 10th of August, we waited upon LIEUT.-GOVERNOR SORELL, who received us very kindly, and gave us much encouragement to go on in our work. down 2s. 6d. for one of his comrades who was absent; but when he returned to the ship, and heard what had been done for him, he said, "I will give five shillings." On Sabbath evenings we have preached to the people, and on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. On Sunday evenings we have had congregations of between two and three hundred attentive hearers. A place has been rented for some time past. A class has been established, and divine service conducted by a few pious people, who having persevered through many difficulties, and much persecution, continue to this day blessing and praising GoD, for all his mercies towards them. 'The friends who had commenced public worship, had incurred some expense, and as they are poor, and had not made any appeal to the public, we thought it right to assist them; we, therefore, gave notice in our place of worship, that we should make a public collection, the Sabbath evening following, for the purpose of defraying the debt which was upon the place in which they worshiped. We also made a collection in our ship, the Brixton, at which time CAPTAIN LUSK, the Officers, and passengers, gave to this object of charity £3. 1s. This, with the sum collected on shore, has nearly cancelled the debt, and I have no doubt that for the time to come they will be able to clear their expenses. The day after we made the collection on board our ship, one of our sailors said, "he was grieved that we did not ask him for a subscription; he had five shillings in his pocket, which he put in on purpose to give us, and he hoped we should have another collection that he might give it." Another put Of the aboriginal inhabitants of Van THE aborigines of this island are supposed to be the most degraded of any in the known world. They differ from the natives in New Holland in having their heads covered with woolly hair, like the Africans. They procure their food by hunting, and are without any knowledge of arts. They are peaceable towards those who use them well, but revengeful of injuries. Some of them live with Europeans, and conduct themselves well. Several young natives The Governor of this place has given our Society a piece of land on which we may build a chapel. His Excellency observed to me that he thought the spot was too far out of the town, but we might exchange it with some person who had a piece which might be more convenient. The present settlements in this Island, are the following: Hobart Town, Queenborough, Brown's River, and North West Bay, New Town, Humphrey's River, Black Snake, Clarence Plains, Lagoon District, Kangaroo Point, Risdon, Hollow Tree, Pitt Water, New Plains, Carlton River, Coal River, Duck Holes, Jerusalem, Herdsman's Cove, Green Point, Black Bush, Old Beach, Tea Tree Bush, Dromedary Creek, Bagdad, Green Water Holes, Cross March, Jericho, Spring Hill, York Plains, Macquarie River, New Norfolk, Melville, River Clyde, Rivers Plenty and Styx, Stony Hut Plains, and many out<< stations. For all these stations, where there are many souls who are the purchase of the precious blood of the SON of GOD, there are only two Ministers, one at Hobart Town, and one at a distance of 120 miles. I have heard that the Missionaries in New Zealand are going on very well, and that the settlements are in great prosperity. Our friends SHUNGHEE and WYKATOO, with the REV. T. KENDALL, have left Sydney, after a favourable voyage from England, and are now on their way to New Zealand, all in good health, and much pleased with our native land, and the kindness of the people. Diemen's Land, MR. LEIGH writes: have been baptized into the christian faith. With respect to the possibility of the civilization of this race of people I have no doubt. These poor outcasts of men are the purchase of the blood of JESUS CHRIST our LORD, and shall finally know him as their SAVIOUR and LORD. Both the men and women are of a low stature, but have a better appearance than the natives in New South Wales. They have woolly heads: their limbs are small; the thinness of their bodies arises, I conceive, from the poorness of their living. The young men fasten to their woolly locks the teeth of the kangaroo, short pieces of wood, and feathers of birds, which give them a savage appearance. They also draw a circle round each eye, and waved lines down each arm, thigh, and leg, which give them a frightful appearance to strangers. Their colour is as black as that of the African negro. Their noses also are flat, their nostrils wide, their eyes much sunk in the head, and covered with thick eyebrows; they never suffer their hair to grow very long. This they prevent by cutting it off frequently with sharp shells, or pieces of broken crystal. They live in families and tribes, and subsist principally by hunting; but are careful not to increase their number greatly. To prevent this, they have been known to sell their female children. It is believed by many Europeans, that each tribe has a Chief, whose authority is supreme. In the winter the men dress themselves in the dried skins of the kangaroo. The females are clothed in the same kind of garment, with the addition of ruffles, made also of the skin, and placed in front of the garment. The dress is fastened on by a string over the shoulder and round the waist. In the summer season their clothing is useless, and is therefore cast off until winter returns. Their notions of religion are very obscure. However, they believe in two spirits; one who, they say, governs the day, and whom they call the good spirit; the other governs the night, and him they think evil. To the good spirit they attribute every thing good, and to the evil spirit every thing hurtful. When any of the family are on a journey they are accustomed to sing to the good spirit, for the purpose of securing his protection over their absent friends, and that they may be brought back in health and safety. The song may be listened to with pleasure, their voices being sweet, and the melody expressive. WE stated some time ago, that by the removal of some pious persons from New South Wales to Van Diemen's Land, a religious Society there had been raised up. MR. LEIGH has transmitted MR. NOKES's account of this promising commencement, which we hail as introductory to the full diffusion of religious light and influence throughout this rising and important colony, which is daily receiving accessions to its already considerable population. MR. NOKES states : BEING affected by the condition of the people here, I went round the town, on the 29th October, 1820, to invite such as I was acquainted with to assemble at a house in Collin's-street, to hold a prayer-meeting; the number of persons who attended was eight. On the 2d of November we applied to MR. WALLIS, for permission to assemble at his house, in Liverpool-street, who readily complied, saying, it was in a good cause, and that his house was at our service. Here we met with some persecution, stones and bricks being thrown by the mob, who declared they would not allow us to put the town in an uproar. Several persons attempted to annoy us by fighting in part of the house. We formed a class of seven persons, and I encouraged the brethren not to be depressed at the scoffs of man. The congregation increased so rapidly, that the house could not contain the persons assembled. The new year, 1821, commenced with new trials from our enemies, but the Society increased to fourteen. The congregation was about a hundred. I was under the necessity of providing a larger room. I waited on MR. DONN, of Argyle-street, and requested permission to assemble in his carpenter's shop. He was happy to have it in his power to accommodate us; and on the following day we assembled: but singing the praises of GOD was so strange, that the inhabitants annoyed us with stones, bricks, and other missiles. While I was conducting the worship, I expected the building would have been forced in. I waited on the disturbers, and told them I should be under the necessity of applying to his Honour, LIECT.-GOVERNOR SORELL, for protection, being confident that he would support us. From this time we had quietness. The Society increased to thirty-four, and finding the number of hearers still to increase, I requested MR. DONN to enlarge the building; and he did so on a scale to accommodate 300 persons. We then considered it desirable to establish a Sunday-School, for the instruction of the rising generation, but could not procure any books in the Colony. We applied to the Missionaries at Port Jackson for a supply of books, and received a collection of hymn-books, spelling books, and catechisms. As soon as they came to hand we advertised in the Hobart Town Gazette, that a SundaySchool would be opened at the Wesleyan Chapel, Argyle-street, on the 13th of May. At the opening of the School twenty-three scholars attended. In July last I visited New Norfolk, accompanied by MR. BUTCHER. That settlement is twenty-five miles distant from Hobart Town. Divine service was held at the house of MR. ABLE, a respectable settler. The inhabitants of that settlement received us kindly, and assured us they had not heard divine service before for twenty years. A chapel is now erecting there. MISSIONS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. ALBANY MISSION.-Extract of a Letter from MR. W. SHAW, dated Salem, October 12, 1821. My engagements are so multifarious, that I am almost worn down. Owing to the scattered state of the population, my rides are very long; and the sun is sometimes very oppressive. Being alone, I have not time to recruit before I set off on another journey; I am only at home now six days out of fourteen. Besides my regular work, my hands are now full with the concerns of two Chapels one (already commenced) at Salem; the other (the building of which will commence in two or three weeks) at Graham's Town. As we have not active persons with whom these matters can be left, I am obliged to see after all myself; in addition to which, I am working with my own hands, when at home, at our dwelling house: but, I trust, through divine assistance, all these matters will be accomplished in a few months; only I hope we shall not be disappointed in receiving a Missionary from England in a short time, as Graham's Town must be regularly supplied. The inhabitants have subscribed liberally to the Chapel: the Landrost has put his name on my subscriptionlist; and other Gentlemen, are equally favourable. I preach to the Hottentots in Graham's Town regularly; we had six of them at a class-meeting last week. You would have been delighted to see the tears rolling down their cheeks, and to hear them speak their experience, and express their thankfulness for the good word of GOD. I hope my observations respecting Cafferland, at the close of my last letter to the Committee, will not be lost sight of. As we now have a station so far to the east as Lattakoo, it would be greatly to the comfort of the Brethren thus far in the interior, to have something like a chain of two or three more stations, connecting them with their countrymen in Albany: the countries near the coast, which lie between us, are very thickly inhabited. As it regards the affairs of the settlers, it gives me great pleasure to inform you that they are still strangers to many of those miseries which were reasonably anticipated. The kindness of the Government continues to display itself, in a most abundant attention to their various wants. It is true, we have all suffered considerably in consequence of the failure of the last harvest: it was so general a failure in the Colony, that our dependence was almost entirely on foreign supplies; for the old Dutch Colonists never keep a stock of corn by them as a reserve for an emergency. The consequence has been, that we have suffered considerable privation, as it regards bread and flour. My own family have, for the last ten months, had a very scanty supply; but, thank GOD, we have all had plenty of meat and milk,-as much of it as any of the settlers could possibly consume,-nay, even to spare; so that we have had better supplies than the first colonists of New South Wales, who, on the failure of some of their early harvests, had not the resource of hundreds of oxen, and thousands, yea, ten thousands of sheep. I am, however, sorry to have to inform you, that there are evident appearances, in the standing corn, of a blight similar to that of last year. Salem continues to be the most promising settlement in the whole district: this is admitted by all who have seen it. I am engaged during the whole of the few days I am at home, in giving such advices as are necessary to the welfare of the people; working at my own house and garden, and settling disputes, (which, as might be expected, frequently occur,) and preaching and teaching. I have not been without my difficulties. A few individuals I have found to be obstinate and quarrelsome; and I have had some trouble with such, on account of my endeavouring to walk as closely as possible by the established rules of our Connexion; but to counterbalance this, the great majority are a respectful, peace able, and loving people. I thank GOD, who has given me favour in the eyes of our rulers, which is of great advan tage. I hear no tidings respecting the Brethren KAY and BROADBENT, although I am much nearer them than any other of our Brethren; but I have no fear that they will do well, and be useful. I said in my last to MR. TAYLOR, that I knew nothing certain respecting Delagoa Bay. I have, however, since learned some particulars which lead me to think it a very important station for Missionaries. I hope Eastern Africa will not be neglected. The expense of such Missions will never be great; and the probabilities of doing good are, in my opinion, as great as in any part of the world; at least it is a remarkable fact, that the most successful Mission of modern times, has been that among Africans. I allude to our West India Mission. For my part, my heart is set on this people. I hope when our affairs in Albany are in such a state that successors can enter with ease upon the Circuit, that the Committee will then allow me to take up my abode in the midst of an entirely heathen population. MISSIONS IN WESTERN AFRICA. SIERRA LEONE.-Extracts from the Journal of MR. LANE. MONDAY, June 25th, 1821.-About three o'clock this morning, we had a very heavy tornado, such as has not been witnessed in this colony for many years. Several houses are blown down, and many trees. The wood fence which inclosed our yard is blown down, and a large popo tree of ours. Our house remains. I preached at Maroon Town, (or West End,) at seven this evening, from Rom. v. 5. Our country-built chapels require great exertion of voice in order to make our words distinctly heard. They are made of a kind of lath, worked like wicker-work, and clumsily plastered inside with brown mud; the roof is of grass, roughly put on round sticks as they are cut from the tree, without any trimming; the pillars which support the tie-beams are,like the rafters,unpolished, and have the bark on them. After this description of an African temple, it may be conceived that there is nothing in it to act as a conductor of sound. Sunday, July 1st.-At six this morning I preached at Portuguese Town from Isaiah xii., and met the class. The sensible, though artless expressions of this people in relating the dealings of GOD with their souls, are truly delightful. Passed the remainder of this morning in reading, meditation, &c. At two P, M. I preached at Maroon Town, from Gal. iv. 9. I preached at six at the Town-chapel, from Tim. i. 15, to a tolerably large congregation. I hope that some will think the " saying," worthy of their acceptation. After the public service we partook of the memorials of our SAVIOUR's dying love :—they are indeed, Thursday, 28th.-This evening we had our quarterly love-feast; about thirty, or more, spoke of God's gracious dealings to their souls. Several expressed their confidence in GOD, by saying, "Suppose die come to me this night, I glad; GOD makee me get ready, I go to my FATHER;" i.e. If death should call them to-night they would rejoice, because they are prepared to depart, and should go home to their heavenly FATHER. One old man, recaptured from the Portuguese, said, "Tanks be to GOD, he bringee we this country; we sin too much dat time we live in dem Portegee hand; ah! KING GEORGE Sen big ship on a water and takee we from dem, and makee we free; and GOD makce me soul free; dat be two time he makce me free;" and the old man prayed, "LORD blesse KING GEORGE, and give him more crown;" i. e. increase his dominion and power! "Fit channels to convey his love, Tuesday, July 3d.-This evening we held our Quarterly Meeting, which was conducted and concluded in peace. The income proved to be less than the expenditure. Saturday, 14th.-I read Xavier's Life. I see myself to be a very unprofitable servant. Oh! how infinitely far am I left behind in the Christian course by the devoted Xavier! He is indeed a pattern worthy the imitation of every missionary. May I follow him, as he followed CHRIST! Blessed be GOD, we do not labour in vain, nor spend our strength for nought. Tuesday, 17th, at seven, P. M. I preached at Portuguese Town, from 2 Cor. vii. 10. The people here are simple, zealous, and affectionate; and many of them have "their hearts established with grace." Wednesday, 18th. This evening a European came from the chapel with brother HUDDLESTONE, for the purpose of obtaining advice concerning his soul. We heard him relate the various calls which GOD had given him; we advised him, directed him to the "LAMB of GOD who taketh away the sin of the world," and prayed with him. |