ness. We have not heard from him since, but trust that by this time he is well and strong again. On Wednesday last Dr. Mullens, the future secretary, or joint-secretary, of the London Missionary Society, made his appearance among us. He has been visiting the various stations of the London Missionary Society, beginning at Pekin and coming southward. His visit has been to every one of us a very great pleasure. One thing we of the English Presbyterian Mission, however, regret much, is that his time is so limited that he will not be able to visit any of our country stations, and so will not have an opportunity of seeing our work proper; for, unlike the two other missions, we have no large congregations in Amoy itself. We are well in Amoy. Now, my dear Dr. Hamilton, with kindest regards from Mrs. Cowie and myself to Mrs. Hamilton and yourself, and wishing yourself and family a very happy new year, I remain, Very sincerely yours, HUGH COWIE. LETTER FROM THE REV. H. L. MACKENZIE. Amoy, 27th November, 1865. MY DEAR DR. HAMILTON,-Nearly six weeks have now passed since I came here from Swatow. I had a severe attack of fever there in the beginning of October, and it was judged best that I should come to Amoy for a time to recruit. By God's blessing I have much improved in health and strength since I came here, and am now so well that I look forward to a speedy return to Swatow. My sojourn here has been indeed a pleasant one, helpful and refreshing to soul and body. You can imagine how much I enjoy renewed intercourse with my dear old friends here, and I feel that their kindness has been indeed great. The Lord plentifully reward them for it! The privileges of social prayer with so many of God's dear children, and our meetings for worship in English on the week-day evening and on the Lord's Day -privileges not enjoyed during these few years at Swatow-have indeed been enjoyed. And, moreover, a visit to Amoy and to the stations in the region around is well fitted to encourage and help those engaged in similar work in Tie-Chin. I see here what the Lord has done by means of his servants; how he has gathered in, in many places, companies of believing worshippers from the heathen; how he has helped his Church, so that now it has its own office-bearers, its meetings of Session and of Presbytery, and is carrying on the work entrusted to it to so large an extent by native members ;-and seeing all this, I feel that I ought to thank God and take courage. "The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.” On the first day of this month I attended a meeting of the Amoy Presbytery, held at Baypay. It was to me a most interesting occasion, for it was the first time I enjoyed the privilege of being present at such a meeting in China. There were seven mis. sionaries (five of the English Presbyterian Church, and two of the Dutch Reformed) present, two native pastors, and six native elders. Thus you will see that the greater number of office-bearers present were Chinese brethren. Mr. Talmage was Moderator, and one of the native pastors Presbytery Clerk; and I had the pleasure of being associated with the Presbytery as a minister of the Church at Swatow. You would have been delighted had you but seen how active and intelligent an interest in the proceedings was taken by the Chinese pastors and elders. Important subjects were discussed, and resolutions adopted; and in some instances, when a difference of opinion existed, motions were made and seconded, and the vote taken in due order. There was a considerable audience present, consisting chiefly of assistant preachers and the members in Baypay or near it. A day of special prayer for the raising up and qualifying of native preachers was appointed by the Presbytery, and our Church in TieChin invited to unite with the Church in Hok-keen in this matter. I shall not soon forget my first attendance at a Chinese Presbytery. On the first Sabbath of November I had the privilege of partaking of the Communion in one of the Amoy churches. What made the occasion one of special interest to | land churches at home, the members who me was that the services were chiefly con- have already been baptized, and the candiducted, and the Communion dispensed, by dates for baptism, met, some of these being one of the native pastors. It was indeed from villages at a considerable distance from something new to me to see one of the sons Khi-be. On the Lord's Day there were of China thus taking his place and acting between forty and fifty people present; as a minister of the Church of Christ. I fewer than usual, owing to the sickness of felt bound to give thanks and praise the several of the members. In the afternoon Lord for the grace given to my brother in the Communion was dispensed by Mr. the ministry. Soon may the number of Douglas, and I much enjoyed the privilege such be greatly multiplied! of uniting with the Church at that most interesting and promising station in remembering the Lord and showing forth his death. Truly our mission has a great work to do in all this region; at Khi-be and the region between it and Pechuia on the one hand, and between it and our stations in Tie-Chin on the other; at Baypay and Liong-bun-si, and the country to which they form the appropriate centres for work; then at Anhai and in the Foo city of Chinchew. I rejoice that a field so extensive and so open has been entered on by our mission here; and while pleading, first for reinforcements for an equally or even more extensive field in the Swatow region, I would earnestly unite with the brethren here in their appeal for more labourers. I have on successive Sabbaths gone to the chapel in E-mung-kang and to the four chapels in Amoy. In the latter I saw little that was different from what I had seen here five years ago. It was encouraging to see that the work in E-mung-kang, specially under the charge of our mission, had made such progress, and that now a congregation of about forty or fifty worships in a commodious chapel where the work had but just began some five years ago. While at Khi-be we went to the top of a hill that rises close behind a village; it was interesting to see in the distance a range of hills distinctly visible from Yamtsau and Chin-chung, our northernmost stations in Tie-Chin. The distance between Khi-be and Yam-tsau may be easily travelled in three days; thus we may look forward hopefully to a line of stations being soon, if the Lord will, formed to unite the Amoy and Swatow branches of the mission. A most pleasing testimony to the power of the Gospel in teaching men to love and help each other was afforded at Khi-be in connection with the funeral of the wife of one of the members. Mr. Douglas, Mr. Swanson, and I, attended on the occasion, and it was indeed a pleasing sight when fourteen or fifteen of the mem About a fortnight ago I went, with Mr. Douglas and Mr. Swanson, to visit Khi-be. This station, being the farthest south from Amoy, and the one nearest to our work in Canton Province, is one in which the Swatow Mission has a more special interest. We left Amoy on Thursday forenoon, and by Friday afternoon we were at our destination. The scenery along the route is for the most part very fine, but what interested me most was the situation of Khi-be itself, and the scenery around it. I may well describe it as being beautifully situated in what I may call a lovely Highland strath. The hills, here bold and rocky, there more soft and undulating, are for the most part clothed with wood, while the valley enclosed by them is pleasantly diversified by groves of umbrageous trees and the graceful bamboo, by waving fields of rice ready for the harvest, and by village hamlets finely embosomed among the spreading trees. The view was indeed a pleasing one, and so home-like in its main features. And, far more to my purpose, I am glad that I can speak of resemblances in higher mat-bers met there on that Saturday afternoon ters than those of outward appearance and scenery. On coming within sight of Khibe, one of the objects that caught my eye was the little chapel with its white walls and brown tile roof, built on a wooded spot close by the village. Here, as in our High to assist in the burial, doing all the work that had to be done-carrying the coffin, digging the grave, &c. Since my return from Khi-be, I paid a visit to Chang-chow and Chioh-be. You have already fully heard of the sad desola tion to which Chang-chow has been reduced. | of the site is very considerable, being for To me the sight was indeed a sad one, for the ground alone 1,326 dollars, apart I had seen the beautiful city when it was from legal expenses. The purchase has populous, prosperous, and full of busy just been effected, so that we cannot give throngs in its long lines of streets. Now I found it to be indeed "a wilderness of ruins." Only some eight or ten members remain of a once flourishing church of twenty-four members in connection with the Presbyterian Church there; while the church connected with the London Mission has been quite scattered, and the premises rented by them burned. Dr. Mullens, of the London Mission Society, is here now. We have all much enjoyed his visit, and feel glad that such a man is found for the important work to which he has been called. During my sojourn here I have several times spoken at meetings of the Chinese Christians, eg, at the Presbytery Meeting at Bay pay, at the Monthly Missionary Meeting of the Churches in Amoy, and at Khi-be. It was pleasing to find that I was understood to a considerable extent. This shows that, as regards the dialects spoken, no very great barrier exists to prevent intercourse between the Mission Churches in Hok-keen and in Tie-Chin. With kindest regards, My dear Dr. Hamilton, H. L. MACKENZIE. details as to estimates for building, &c. The next thing needed is a site for Dr. Gauld's hou-e in Satow. For the sake of our mission, for proper attention to the dispensary and hospital, it is most desirable that at least Dr. Gauld should be resident in Swatow. We have tried to get a site for an hospital and for a house in the same lot, but have failed; and as the hospital was the more urgent, we got it settled on its own merits. It is evident, however, that to get a site for a house in Swatow we must receive a larger grant from the Society than has been allowed. The sum of £500 would probably be all absorbed in building alone, and I am not sure that it would be sufficient. Indeed, I think not, if comparison be made with the amount expended by the Baptist Mission in building at Kak-Cheoh, where materials are cheaper than in Swatow. Hence there is nothing for securing a site. A site in Swatow suited for a mission family will not be got, as things are at present, for less than about 1,800 or 2,000 dollars. LETTER FROM THE REV. GEORGE ceeding desirableness in every way of SMITH. Swatow, 10th October, 1865. MY DEAR MR. MATHIESON,-You will be glad to learn that after long waiting and many fruitless efforts, we have at length secured a site for an hospital. It is 70 feet long by 53 feet in breadth. The ground is reclaimed from the tide, and has been filled up this year, and is only now about ready for being built on. There seems good reason for being satisfied with the position, for airiness, conspicuousness, and for its adaptation to the Chinese, while at the same time it gives us another excellent missionary position in Swatow. The cost having Dr. Gauld located in Swatow; and we are equally agreed as to the great disadvantages in our present condition of Dr. Gauld having to take up his residence at Kak-Cheoh. We are aware of the limited resources of our mission, of the large and ever-increasing demands upon its funds; still it would be very bad policy to be placed in a disadvantageous position in carrying on our work, merely for pecuniary considerations, and such policy as we are sure the Committee would not recommend. The reason for delay in thus asking a larger sum for site and building for a house has arisen from the fact that we were try ing by every means we could think of to attended him, and, by God's blessing, he lessen the expense required. too is recovering. On Sabbath last we were privileged to receive by baptism four additional members (two men and two women), as well as Whave, a lost brother restored. Time will not allow of my writing at Since I last wrote you have probably heard from Mr. Mackenzie himself. He has been at Amoy for nearly four weeks, and is recruiting considerably, though not feeling so vigorous as is desirable for returning to Tie-Chew. One of the Baptist length. missionaries (Mr. Ashmore) has been brought very low by fever. Dr. Gauld I am, yours sincerely, GEORGE SMITH. Bome Intelligence. CHURCH EXTENSION. To the Members of the English Presbyterian Church in and around London. QUEEN SQUARE HOUSE, GUILFORD STREET, W.C. 2nd January, 1866. DEAR BRETHREN,-Three years ago our Synod instituted a fund with a two-fold object. It was primarily designed to aid congregations in efforts to free from debt their places of worship, and it was further intended to assist in the erection of churches in populous and important localities. Its efforts in the way of extinguishing debt have been eminently successful. By gifts amounting to £4,201, and by the loan of £3,584, it has called forth. local liberality to the extent of £8,901, and at the present rate of liquidation our churches will soon be free from all burdens-a state of things not more safe than it is seemly; and by the delightful sensation of relief and elasticity which it imparts, holding out the promise of a larger revenue for our Missions, and of greatly augmented energy for all congregational and evangelistic objects. By the other branch of the fund a great stimulus has been given to Church Building. Although this movement has only commenced, gifts from the Central Fund of £2,850, and loans of £1,300, have elicited efforts to the extent of £15,204. In other words, a bounty of 15 per cent. in money actually paid away is adding Nineteen Thousand Pounds' worth of property to the Church, and is supplying to the English community accommodation for upwards of five thousand worshippers. Over and above this Central or Synodical Fund for Church Building and Debt Extinction, the Presbytery of London has found it needful to institute a fund of its own, for the purpose of planting and cherishing in their earlier stages Metropolitan charges. For these there is not only an advantageous opening, but an urgent need on every side of London. The increase of the population is rapidly outrunning the efforts to supply the means of grace, and in that congeries of towns which constitutes the capital it would be easy to enumerate from twelve to twenty, in each one of which a church well equipped, and with an earnest ministry, would form an eminent blessing, influencing minds which in their turn are destined to influence many more. In erecting a church for any such locality we can count on assistance from the Synod's Building Fund; but in a new neighbourhood, still more important than a suitable fabric is an able and attractive ministry; and for the adequate maintenance of such a ministry, during the earlier years of the experiment, and till such a time as a self-supporting congregation is gathered, it is essential that the means be provided. For this latter purpose the plan suggested is a fund of £5,000, payable in subscriptions spread over the next five years. Considering the end to be accomplished, this sum may well be considered as moderate. One member of the Church who has contributed £1,000 to the Church Building Fund of the Synod, has promised £100 a-year for the next five years to the Church Extension Fund of the Presbytery. Such an example, we trust, will find many followers; but the remaining £900 ayear might be obtained in smaller amounts, were 300 individuals contributing in the following ratio:-twenty at £10-£200; eighty at £5-£400; one hundred at £2-£200; one hundred at £1-£100; in all £900. The funds are not rivals. They are correlative and mutually subservient. When planting a church in a new locality a suitable fabric is needful, and certainly not less needful is a minister who can proclaim with faithfulness and power the Gospel of the grace of God. Many such ministers we should like to contribute to this great metropolis, and, if for a short period upheld from without, we believe that there are few localities where they would not soon gather around them an attached and numerous audience. On the other hand, fresh contributions to the Building Fund of the Synod are earnestly desired. Of its promised capital, apart from loans which will come back again, £7,000 have been voted away in absolute grants, viz., £4,200 towards removing the debt of twenty-six churches, and £2,850 towards building six churches and purchasing one. The gap in the fund might be replaced by London alone; for if 165 members of our London congregations have already contributed £9,000, is it too much if from the remaining 4,000 members we hope to receive the £7,000? To either object-if it may be, to both-(the SYNOD'S CHURCH BUILDING AND DEBT EXTINCTION FUND, for BUILDING or freeing from their burdens Churches not only in London but throughout England; or the PRESBYTERY'S CHURCH EXTENSION FUND, for PLANTING Congregations in London) we invite your generous offerings. In the case of many amongst us a subscription will involve effort and self-denial; but it is by special exertions or by actual sacrifice on the part of its adherents that heretofore any great cause has been advanced. And surely the present object is worthy, just as the present opportunity is urgent. A nobler field than London no Church can seek for its labours; and whilst other communities are putting forth strenuous efforts, it behoves us to make our contribution to the evangelization of the metropolis, meeting to the best of our ability the present conjuncture in the history of British Christianity. Subscribers' names will be thankfully received by the Conveners, or the Treasurer, at Queen Square House, Guilford Street. JAMES HAMILTON, Convener of the Synod's Church Building and Debt Extinction Fund. JOHN MATHESON, Convener of the Presbytery's Church T. D. THOMSON, Treasurer for London. |