I have my eye this moment on thousands of humble happy Christians in England, who never knew the difference between Whig and Tory, and who never exercised their minds on the useless question of Who is in ?-and Who is out? But who, under the shelter of the most excellent of monarchs, and the most incomparable of constitutions, quietly pursue the kindred paths of honest industry and fervent piety, enjoying the real blessings of this world, as well as of that which is to come.

But the distinction of cast, while it represses ambitious exertion, nips in the bud a spirit of improvement in every respect whatever. I suppose the arts of life in the present day, among the natives of India, are the same, without any addition, as they were five hundred years ago. Their system of medicine unim proved, their domestic conveniences unincreased. The clothing and furniture of each cast is fixed by law, as well as the formation and materials of their habitations, at least it is so in the interior of this island; and a deviation from the established rule, with respect to those things, how evident soever the improvement might be visible, would have cost an inferior man, under the old system, his life. We need not wonder, then, at the idleness, and carelessness, and listlessness, and neglecting ignorance, of a people so depressed and counteracted as have long been the people of this country.

In Ceylon, the distinction of cast is purely political, as it is likewise on the coast; and only prevents a religious union among the native Christians, because, from its radical principles, it is averse to union and co-operation of every kind. It is this which makes them sit in different parts of our churches, and maintain a studied distance from each other.

The little animosities and quarrels among some of our Cingalese Christians on this subject, are often a most exemplary reproach to the Christian character. Some time ago, there was a serious disturbance at a church in Palliagodda, a village not far from Colombo, because the women of an inferior cast ventured modestly to cover their naked breasts with a small calico jacket, while attending public worship! The superior cast tore the jackets from off their shoulders, and inflicted the punishment of a severe castigation upon them for their presumption! We have preached in the church many times, and know the consequence to have been, that the inferior cast were prevented from attending altogether.

At another place, called Morotto, within fourteen miles of Colombo, where we have likewise preached to large congregations, a native head-man, of an inferior cast, who was on his way to the church to be married, was grossly assaulted by a party of a higher class, and compelled to flee for shelter for himself and trembling bride, because he had presumed to place a comb in his head, which was an improvement on the fashion of his cast, as used by them a century ago.

It is not long since, that, at Calany, a village about six miles off, the body of a poor dead man was sacrilegiously torn out of his grave, because his surviving friends had exceeded the rules of his cast, in the materials in which he was buried. These cases do not excite so much interest in this country as they would in England, because it is an understood thing, that, with respect to dress, &c. every man ought to keep within the bounds of his

own cast.

These are Christians! The moral state of thousands of such Christians in this island, calls loudly for spiritual assistance. And we hope the day is speedily approaching towards its dawn, when the great and good Shepherd, who laid down his life for these poor perishing sheep, shall, by the progress of his gospel, eradicate every unloving principle from their hearts, and make them all "one fold, under one Shepherd." John x.

The two principal casts in this island, are the Vellalahs and the Chalias. There are many other distinctions besides, but these are the most prominent. It is a controverted point between them, as to which of those has had the highest origin. The Chalias are generally supposed to have descended from some foreigners who emigrated to this country from the neighbouring coast; and the Vellalahs have, on all public occasions, the preeminence and precedence. There are clever, respectable, and excellent men, in both, within the circle of our acquaintance; and, of each, who hold under government, places of great public trust, and of considerable importance.

Our new convert was, I have observed, of the Chalia cast; and for the first few years of his life, being taken from his father's family, lived with the Maha, or principal Vidalon Moodeliar of the Mahabadde, or revenue department, where he conducted himself with great propriety, and gave many indications of an opening mind.

He afterwards lived, at his own request, with the Moodeliar Andries Mendis Wickremanayke; who, perceiving the brightness of his genius, and his ardent thirst after learning, committed him to the care of the late Walpala, Ennancy, a Budhist priest, by whom he was instructed in the various branches of Cingalese literature, and under whom he made rapid progress in the cultivation of his understanding.

His rising and opening talents, together with his determined perseverance in leaving no means untried for the extension of his capacity, and the improvement of his mind, rendered him, while yet a youth, an object of many pleasing expectations, and of much and general admiration.

He had already fathomed the depths of learning which were within his reach in Ceylon; and being impelled by a restless ambition to excel, he made known to his friends his desire and resolution to leave the place of his nativity, and to travel into other countries, in pursuit of literature and the sciences.

At this time, the principal members of the Chalia cast viewed him as a proper person, who, by his extraordinary talents, was likely to raise the reputation of their community; and as he had attached himself to the religion of his forefathers, and was strongly inclined to the Budhist priesthood, they resolved to procure his regular inauguration to that office, and to assist him to pursue his literary intentions; that they might have a priest of their own cast, who would surpass the Vellalahs in knowledge and attainments, if he could not equal them in their pretensions to dignity of birth.

Accordingly, a popular anxiety was aroused in his favour; and by the generous assistance of Peter de Abreu, Rajapaxe, the present Maha Moodeliar of the Mahabadde, he repaired to pursue his studies in the kingdom of Ava, a country which has long been considered the repository of Budhu knowledge.

But his Budhist patrons were not aware that the measures which they adopted were directly calculated to defeat the end they had in view. They were not aware, that in furnishing him with such means of education, they were disqualifying him for the office which he had to perform, and raising him above the Pagan duties which he had to fulfil.

Here, however, we may discover the evident interference of Infinite Wisdom, who often baffles the deep-laid designs of short

sighted men, and causes them to be instrumental in accomplishing measures diametrically opposed to those which they intend to produce.

In the year 1808, he left Ceylon, for the place of his desire; having under him eighteen youths, who accompanied him as pupils, with an eye to the priestly office, and with whom his plan was to colonize, on his return, in some part of Ceylon, and to establish a seminary for the education of Budhist priests of his

own cast.

On his way thither, he landed at Negapatan, and proceeding to Madras, he remained there for about five months; which interval he employed in acquiring a knowledge of the Sanscrit language, which is the parent of most, if not all, of the Oriental tongues, and the learned language of the East. Here, likewise, he became acquainted with the Malabar, which he speaks with great ease.

From Madras he went to Ava, and resided for more than two years at Amenapoora, or, The Eternal City. The inhabitants of that country, who are all of the Budhist faith, have a tradition that they received their religion from Ceylon; and as they far exceed this island in the observance of the rites of Budhu, a priest from Ceylon is always considered as being a superior person, and as having something unusually sacred attached to his character.

Hence all the seminaries of public learning were open to him: and, by his address and talents, he appeared rather as a profoundly learned man, travelling for the purpose of communicating instruction, than as one who was journeying in quest of information. He made the best of this circumstance; and nothing escaped his penetrating eye. He acquainted himself with all their most valuable works; and having applied himself to the study of the Burman and Pali languages, with uncommon industry and great success, he was beheld, even by their most learned priests, as a most astonishing character. And, in consequence of the talent which he displayed, in a controversy with a superior priest of the king of Ava's household, in the royal presence, he was promoted to the dignity of Maha Mayaka, or "A man of high attainments ;" and assumed the name and title of Rajegooroo; or, "The learned Teacher to the King."

The Rev. Mr. Chater, one of the Baptist missionaries now in Colombo, was at this time resident in that country; and he has

often assured us of the great respect which was paid to our convert by the inhabitants. Many of them made him rich presents of cloth, silks, and money, and various other valuable articles, by which he became greatly enriched, and enabled to make a more splendid appearance than the priests in general are able, or indeed permitted to assume.

He continued in Ava nearly three years, at the close of which period he returned to Ceylon, having been laden with honours and presents by the king of Ava, and being rewarded on account of his abilities and learning, by a great collection of most superbly bound books out of the royal library, by the king's express command.

On his arrival in Ceylon, he built a temple near Galle, at a village called Dadala, where likewise he erected a two-storied house, a thing unknown among the Cingalese natives, after the model of some houses which he had seen in Ava. He likewise gilded the spire of the pyramid attached to his temple, in the manner of those in the Burman country; and commenced quite a splendid establishment.

It is well known that the rules of the Budhist priesthood, as delivered by the founder of their religion, forbid any thing like splendour or self-indulgence, or the amassing of riches in the priestly character. But I have been informed, that the headpriest of each class is not under those restrictions in this respect,. by which the commonality is regulated; and hence some of them are opulent beyond conception.

If we bear this in mind, and besides, take into the account, the riches as well as honours which he acquired by his journey to Ava, as well as the ambitious willingness of his cast to support him in all that routine of external show which was calculated to give effect to his learning, and thus to raise him to an eminence, in order to elevate the community to which he belonged; we shall not wonder to find him, on his return to Ceylon, a proud, ambitious, worldly-minded man, and eagerly bent on the acqui sition of honour, and the accumulation of wealth.

For the first four years after his arrival in his native island, he principally resided at his temple in the neighbourhood of Galle, He, however, made frequent excursions to different parts of the island, visiting his brethren, the Budhist priests of his own cast, among whom he enjoyed an eminent reputation for the propriety of his conduct, and the superiority of his acquirements.