December. In January, February, and June, it is nearly a continent of mud. In March, April, and May it is dry and parched; but then there are no roads, and the sun is so fiery hot, that a European cannot expose himself to it without the greatest danger to his health. I have been down there many times, but always when the country was under water. The way of travelling then is this. For about six miles you go in a palankeen, which is a small couch with a wooden roof, carried by four men. When they leave you, you step into a salti, which is a canoe made of the trunk of a sál tree. In that canoe there is not over much room. It is about twenty feet long, and just broad enough for one person to sit down in. At each end there is a man standing with a long pole in his hands. This he puts into the water, which is every where very shallow, and so he pushes the canoe along, the bottom of which frequently touches the ground. If you travel in this way about sixteen miles-through many villages-you at length reach a place called Nursigdarchoke; if you go thirty-five miles, you come to Luckhantipoor; and if you go fifty miles, you come to Khári, which latter village is near the borders of an immense marshy forest called the Sunderbuns, which is the haunt of wild boars, buffaloes; tigers, and rhinoceroses. I tell you the names of these three places because in each of them there is a chapel and a church, and because there and in the neighbouring villages, a considerable number of native Christians live, in all about 200 families. The ground on which the people there build their houses is always raised by them, and the villages and houses in the rainy season almost all look like little islands. The people have scarcely any food but boiled rice and fish. Rice grows very well in that marsby land, where nothing else would grow, and the fish are caught by the women and children in traps which you would take for birds' cages, if you saw them. The people are mostly very poor; their children have scarcely any-many of them no clothing at all. The houses mostly consist of four mud walls, covered with a thatched roof. Some of them, instead of mud walls, have only mats made of split bamboo, and tied to posts by string made of the bark of cocoa-nut trees. Is it not very remarkable that these poor people should have been chosen by God before the rich brahmins, that they might receive the grace of God? Almost all the girls in our school come from this part of the country, and the parents of all of them were once

idolators.

And where are the girls now? We have at present thirteen in our school, which is just north of the Circular Road chapel. There they are living on a pretty large piece of ground, surrounded by four walls. On that ground there is a bungalow (which means a house with mats instead of walls,

and a thatched roof), which is used part of the day as a school-room. In another bungalow the girls sleep, not on the ground, as their parents are obliged to do, but on planks raised about a foot and a half above the ground. On these planks there is a nice clean mat put for every girl to sleep on, and they have in the cold season a good warm sheet to cover themselves with. A third bungalow is occupied by the master, who is a native Christian; the fourth bungalow serves as a kitchen and eating room, where at meal times you might see them sitting on the ground and eating their rice and fish, and whatever else they have, with that spoon and fork which, I dare say, Adam used whenever he dined, I mean with their fingers. Then there is also a pretty large tank (or pond), in which the rain-water collects, and which supplies the children and ourselves, and many other families, with water.

And what do these girls learn? They do not learn English, but their own Bengali language, and in that they are taught to read and to write, as well as cyphering, and I hope soon also singing. They have most of their lessons in our own house, where Mrs. Wenger, their master, and a native Christian woman teach them. The elder girls read very well, and learn their catechism and verses in the bible very readily. They also learn plain needlework and marking. I dare say Mrs. Wenger will some time or other send you a sampler worked by one of them.

When Mr. Pearce had the school, several of the girls became pious; and I have just heard that one who left us in August last to be married, is now a candidate for baptism, and will I hope soon join the church at Khari.

You have many good reasons for helping us to teach or educate these girls: for scarcely any women in this country are ever taught to read. They are married (I mean the heathen girls) when they are eight or nine years old; and when they are married they do not become the friends of their husbands, but only their slaves. They are often beaten and illtreated, and live in all manner of wickedness. But when they are taught to read and understand the bible and other good things, they become much better; and indeed I think they are naturally quite as clever as English children.

I must conclude for this time: meanwhile I would ask you to thank God for the bibles which you have, and for the instruction you receive, and for the gracious Saviour whom you know. I hope you will persevere in your efforts to do good to the poor Bengali children. Thanking you for the love you show to them, I remain,

With Christian affection,

Yours sincerely,

J. WENGER,

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Last sabbath, being the first in the month, we had the high satisfaction of welcoming to the Lord's table seven new members, who, on the previous Wednesday evening, had put on the Lord Jesus Christ by baptism. In my last letter, I believe, I expressed a hope that there were several among us who appeared to have felt the power of divine truth, and were anxiously inquiring what they must do to be saved. We have watched over these persons with many fears, and much prayer. For several months past they have been exceedly desirous of joining the church, but though we hoped well respecting them, we deemed it prudent to keep them waiting for some time longer at length, however, our friends became so well satisfied of their sincerity, that we all felt it to be both our duty and our privilege to receive them. We had been earnestly praying that God would be pleased to honour his own name by adding to his church here, such as shall be saved; and I trust we do, and shall, rejoice over this addition, as an answer to our prayers. Now, we have been permitted to see just as many baptized, and united to the church, as have been removed from it by death, in the course of the past two and a half years.

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Two of the seven are advanced in life (a European, and his wife, an East Indian), and they have for many years attended the means of grace here; but, until lately, they do not appear to have understood and felt the power of the gospel. The other five are young people, who have been brought up, for the most part, among the friends of the Redeemer; they have, consequently, met with but little at present to try their principles. Still, as we hope, they are truly sincere in giving themselves to Christ, we have every encouragement also to hope that He, who has promised grace for every time of need, will sustain and keep them in the paths of truth and righteousness unto the end. You will be pleased to learn that one of them is the son of our beloved native brother Shujaatali, a youth of sixteen, who, I hope, as he grows in years and experience, will prove very useful to the cause of Christ. Two of the remaining four are natives, and two have European fathers but native mothers. All, except one, understand the English language, and are in the habit of attending our English as well as Hindustani services.

There are a few others, who for some time past have been under Christian influence, and have manifested much serious interest in the usual means of grace. So that we have much reason to be grateful, and to feel encouraged by the present pleasing aspect of things among those who compose our usual and stated congregations.

I wish I could say we have equal encouragement among those who are without; but alas! it is quite the contrary. There is not the least symptom of spiritual life discoverable among all the thousands of Hindus and Mohammedans around us: not one do we know who shows any signs of a sincere concern for the salvation of his soul. Hearers, we continue to have many, but oh! where is the understanding mind and the obedient heart?

Somewhat more than a month ago our excellent native preachers, Nainsukh and Suden, in company with brother Hartur (one of Mr. Start's brethren, who was baptized here a short time ago, and is much beloved by us all), set off on a preaching tour up the river Gundhuk. They have travelled sixty or seventy miles, as far as Muzaffarpur, and have visited eighty or more villages. Our brethren write us word that they have been listened to in many of these villages with very great attention, and they hope, in some instances at least, that their hearers were influenced by something better than mere curiosity. May the Lord cause his word to take deep root in the hearts of many!

As Mr. Leslie has now accepted the pastoral charge of the Circular Road church, we can no longer entertain the hope of seeing him back in Monghir. All deeply feel his loss, but we are reconciled to it from the consideration that there is great hope of his being more extensively useful in Calcutta.

Mr. Moore has returned from Bhagulpore, and, I am happy to say, both he and Mr. Parsons are quite well. On the seventh of last month it pleased our all-wise and gracious God to take to himself our afflicted little boy, Ebenezer. He had been worse than usual for more than a month previous, but he was suddenly seized with convulsions on the afternoon of the seventh, and expired in a few hours. This was a painful dispensation to us, but we believe "it is well :" our dear little lamb is now both safe and happy in the bosom of the "good Shepherd."

me in the shape of a page, regularly set up, with the references, &c., below. This page I compare either with Dr. Carey's version, or else (and this I have commenced since we came to the prophets) with De Wette's German translation, the best in the world, as far as I know, except in the passages which refer to the atonement and the divinity of Christ. The margins of such a page are again bestudded with suggestions. Dr. Yates next reads four pages (a form), again considering my previous remarks. In this proof he corrects chiefly the style. When he has seen it, it returns to me for correction. Another proof of four pages is usually the last Dr. Yates sees: I read that also, and a subsequent one, in which I chiefly pay attention to the typographical correctness, which being satisfactory, the proof is ordered for press. This is for the quarto edition. I am also responsible for the correct reprint of it in the octavo form, although I confess that the pundit alone usually reads the eight pages when put together. I only glance over it cursorily, before it goes to press. This, you will acknowledge, is tedious work, though by no means uninteresting. We are now far advanced in Jeremiah. You can easily imagine that sometimes much time is spent over a few verses. Occasionally Dr. Yates and I meet personally, to discuss some particularly difficult passage. Although our progress, in this way, is but slow, yet we hope it is sure; and the work, when completed, will stand for a considerable time. That it will be the final or standard version, I do not expect; for the language is still in a transition state, and forms an awkward medium of expressing true and Christian ideas on religion. When Dr. Carey came, he found the language scarcely so far advanced as the Greek was in the time of Homer. All the literature was of a poetical

nature-and poetry, not like Homer's as to the ideas and the colouring, but like the poorer parts of the Odyssey as to versification. Dr. Carey was the first Bengali prose-writer of any note. Since then the language has made rapid strides; but when it has become thoroughly Christianized it will be something very different, I expect, from what it is now. Take, as an instance, the word rain-bow. The real Bengali word for it means Ráma's bow; but to avoid the heathen term, Christian writers use a word which means cloud-bow, a word which may be justified by passages, I believe, from Sanscrit authors, but which the natives, as long as they are heathen, will not understand so well as they would Rama's bow. A standard version of the bible will, I think, be executed some ages hence, by native Christian scholars: but it is of the highest importance, in the mean time, to supply the best temporary version that can be made.

I may here also mention that all Bengali tracts, printed at our press, pass through my hands; and that otherwise a portion of my time is devoted to the objects of the Calcutta Tract Society.

Then I have to collect the money for our auxiliary society, and to compile its reports; and here I am sorry to say, I find that owing to the instability of Calcutta society, and to the numerous claims upon the liberality of the small charitable public, I have not been able to get much this year-only 1600 Rs. Mr. Biss, our treasurer, has advanced about 1800Rs. Will you kindly, at your earliest opportunity, bring before the committee the important question, how far they are prepared to take upon themselves the charge of the village stations, so as to provide not only the salaries already given to some native preachers, but also those of the rest, their travelling expenses, and the building and repairs of chapels.

My dear young Friends,

It has given me great pleasure to hear that, although Calcutta is distant from Liverpool many thousand miles, yet your thoughts can travel so far, and your affections and efforts extend to the poor children who inhabit this heathen land. I thank you with all my heart for the promise you have made--and I am sure you will not forget it-to do what you can in order that the children of this country may receive instruction such as you receive in your favoured England. In order to give you an idea of the circumstances of the girls, for

whom your contributions are intended, I will tell you a little about them.

First, where do these girls come from? If you look at the map of India you will readily find Calcutta, that large city full of idolatry, where I am now writing. Now supposing you travel from Calcutta due south, you will see that there is a good track of land to be traversed before you reach the sea. It is easy to make this journey on the map, but not quite so easy to make it in the country itself; for it is covered with water, almost entirely, from the end of June to the end of

December. In January, February, and June, it is nearly a continent of mud. In March, April, and May it is dry and parched; but then there are no roads, and the sun is so fiery hot, that a European cannot expose himself to it without the greatest danger to his health. I have been down there many times, but always when the country was under water, The way of travelling then is this. For about six miles you go in a palankeen, which is a small couch with a wooden roof, carried by four men. When they leave you, you step into a salti, which is a canoe made of the trunk of a sál tree. In that canoe there is not over much room. It is about twenty feet long, and just broad enough for one person to sit down in. At each end there is a man standing with a long pole in his hands. This he puts into the water, which is every where very shallow, and so he pushes the canoe along, the bottom of which frequently touches the ground. If you travel in this way about sixteen miles-through many villages-you at length reach a place called Nursigdarchoke; if you go thirty-five miles, you come to Luckhantipoor; and if you go fifty miles, you come to Khári, which latter village is near the borders of an immense marshy forest called the Sunderbuns, which is the haunt of wild boars, buffaloes; tigers, and rhinoceroses. I tell you the names of these three places because in each of them there is a chapel and a church, and because there and in the neighbouring villages, a considerable number of native Christians live, in all about 200 families. The ground on which the people there build their houses is always raised by them, and the villages and houses in the rainy season almost all look like little islands. The people have scarcely any food but boiled rice and fish. Rice grows very well in that marshy land, where nothing else would grow, and the fish are caught by the women and children in traps which you would take for birds' cages, if you saw them. The people are mostly very poor; their children have scarcely any-many of them no clothing at all. The houses mostly consist of four mud walls, covered with a thatched roof. Some of them, instead of mud walls, have only mats made of split bamboo, and tied to posts by string made of the bark of cocoa-nut trees. Is it not very remarkable that these poor people should have been chosen by God before the rich brahmins, that they might receive the grace of God? Almost all the girls in our school come from this part of the country, and the parents of all of them were once idolators.

And where are the girls now? We have at present thirteen in our school, which is just north of the Circular Road chapel. There they are living on a pretty large piece of ground, surrounded by four walls. On that ground there is a bungalow (which means a house with mats instead of walls,

and a thatched roof), which is used part of the day as a school-room. In another bungalow the girls sleep, not on the ground, as their parents are obliged to do, but on planks raised about a foot and a half above the ground. On these planks there is a nice clean mat put for every girl to sleep on, and they have in the cold season a good warm sheet to cover themselves with. A third bungalow is occupied by the master, who is a native Christian; the fourth bungalow serves as a kitchen and eating room, where at meal times you might see them sitting on the ground and eating their rice and fish, and whatever else they have, with that spoon and fork which, I dare say, Adam used whenever he dined, I mean with their fingers. Then there is also a pretty large tank (or pond), in which the rain-water collects, and which supplies the children and ourselves, and many other families, with water.

And what do these girls learn? They do not learn English, but their own Bengali language, and in that they are taught to read and to write, as well as cyphering, and I hope soon also singing. They have most of their lessons in our own house, where Mrs. Wenger, their master, and a native Christian woman teach them. The elder girls read very well, and learn their catechism and verses in the bible very readily. They also learn plain needlework and marking. I dare say Mrs. Wenger will some time or other send you a sampler worked by one of them.

When Mr. Pearce had the school, several of the girls became pious; and I have just heard that one who left us in August last to be married, is now a candidate for baptism, and will I hope soon join the church at Khari.

You have many good reasons for helping us to teach or educate these girls: for scarcely any women in this country are ever taught to read. They are married (I mean the heathen girls) when they are eight or nine years old; and when they are married they do not become the friends of their husbands, but only their slaves. They are often beaten and illtreated, and live in all manner of wickedness. But when they are taught to read and understand the bible and other good things, they become much better; and indeed I think they are naturally quite as clever as English children.

I must conclude for this time: meanwhile I would ask you to thank God for the bibles which you have, and for the instruction you receive, and for the gracious Saviour whom you know. I hope you will persevere in your efforts to do good to the poor Bengali children. Thanking you for the love you show to them, I remain,

With Christian affection,

Yours sincerely,

J. WENGER.