school-room.

Church at Adelaide.

Os the first Monday evening in the month of August, we had one of the most delightful meetings it was ever my lot to attend. As God had blessed the ministry of the Word during the previous quarter, it was resolved that a church tea-meeting should be held, for the purpose of receiving the new members into the privileges of Christian fellowship, and that the financial position of the church should be laid before the friends on the same evening. With about four exceptions, the whole of the members of the church were present at tea. After tea and devotional services, I delivered an address upon the responsibilities, privileges, and duties of church-membership. The names of sixteen candidates were then read over, and having been proposed for church-membership, each was presented with a quarterly ticket, a copy of our General Rules, and the history of "The First Methodist

Reformer," and the whole were solemnly dedicated to God in praise and prayer. After the solemn spiritual duties of the evening had been discharged, the question of raising the sum of £200 during the present year for the support of the Mission was discussed. The most delightful tone prevailed in the meeting. It I would have done the soul of the Connexion good to have heard all the generous and self-reliant things that were said by the members of the meeting, Suffice it to say, that we all separated resolved to give ourselves more than ever to prayer, and to efforts for the salvation of souls; and further resolved, not only to raise £200 during the present year, but to make the earliest possible arrange ments for entirely supporting ourselves. God is with us, and we believe that we shall prosper. J. MAUGHAN.

July 7th, 1865. SINCE writing my last letter, I have spent some days with my family at the Forts of Taku, which, I am thankful to say, has proved beneficial to my health, as the residence there for a few weeks has been advantageous to the health of my wife and children. Being but a short distance from Tientsin, I have been able to go to and fro, as the claims of duty and opportunities for recreation would allow. I am thankful to say, that though the summer is a very hot one, the health of all foreign residents is good, and our Missionary circle is still unbroken by any serious sickness. We trust that the good Providence of God will still preserve us through this month, which is often the most trying in the whole year.

Peitang is a small town situated at the mouth of a river of that name, and lies about ten miles to the east of Taku. It seems to have declined in importance, as there are some good old buildings and a market-place, which show that it once was more prosperous than now. A large quantity of salt is sent from this place to Taku and Tientsin in small junks, but the people generally seem very poor. My object in visiting the place, however, was to preach the Gospel; and though the day was wet and dirty, I found plenty of eager listeners. The Rev. L. D. Chapin, of the American Mission, accompanied me, and first in a large temple, then in the court-yard of our inn, we were permitted to address large crowds of people. We offered Bibles and religous books for sale, under cost price; and it was amusing to watch the pushing through the crowd of those anxious to obtain a book. Often the purchaser would pass his money from outside the crowd, and his book was passed by a regular succession of hands, some stealing a glance at the inside as they bore it along. During dinner, we were obliged to lock the door of our room, to keep out the book-buyers.

In the village of Sin-ho, we spent a night at a miserably filthy hotel. Here too we opened our Mission; sold many books, to young and old; preached and conversed for about two hours. I believe they would have remained with us all night, had we not given them an unmistakeable intimation that we were in the habit of spending a few hours in sleep every night, and were particularly anxious to do so that night. Though we were up with the sun the following day, a number of people were waiting at the door, with their money to buy books, and eager to hear more of the "good doctrine." We have thus endeavoured to plant and water on new ground. May God give the glorious increase.

You will remember in my last, I mentioned the alarm prevailing at Pekin and throughout this province about the rebels Orders were sent at that time for a large force to be sent up from Shanghai and the neighbourhood to assist in repulsing the enemy, and protecting the Capital. The Fu-tai of Shanghai has sent up, it is said, eight thousand soldiers, who were formerly in service under General Gordon, and who have received foreign drillusing the rifle. Steamers and foreign sailing vessels were chartered to carry them to Taku; and while I was there, I saw about five thousand of the poor fellows land. They are to be sent into the interior, but I am glad to say, there is very little need for them.

We have been permitted to receive two native converts into church fellowship since last I wrote you. They were baptized on the first Sunday in June, at the

small preaching-room east of the river. Many of their neighbours were present, to hear their confession of faith, and the Vows they took upon them to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. A divine influence seemed to rest on the assembly during the whole service. One of them is a builder, employing a number of men; who had felt some difficulty about the Sabbath, as some of his contracts would require him to work on that day, but after due consideration and prayer, he determined to observe this divine institution, and follow the Lord at all times and in all things, whatever might be the cost. The other man is a labourer, at present employed by us as a night-watchman. Both are men in mature life, and give evidence of earnest attachment to Christ and sincere endeavours to walk worthy of their high vocation as Christians. One of those who had applied for baptism, and whom we hoped to receive, when I last wrote you, had some misgivings about uniformly observing the Christian Sabbath, and his baptism, therefore, has been postponed. We hope that all difficulties will soon be removed, and that he will become an earnest Christian.

July 17th. Owing to a combination of unfavourable circumstances, we are constrained to leave our preaching-room outside the east-gate of the city and near the bridge of boats. It is a place of great traffic, and, as a locality, well suited for public preaching, but the room was too uncomfortable and ill-arranged for the purpose. A small open space in front of the door is always occupied by vendors of small wares, who fix their stalls, and cry their goods to our perpetual disturbance. There is no space behind for extending the room, so as to get further away from the noise; neither can we prevent the men from fixing their stalls at our entrance, though nominally the piece of ground was rented by us with the shop. The position and character of the place prevent respectable people! from entering, so that we have concluded to seek another house more saitable to our purpose.

This act of leaving the bridge preaching room, evoked a rather singular manifes

tation of Chinese liberality. Chang-ChiSan, our junior native helper, offered the use of a shop belonging to his father, not very far from the bridge of boats, but in another street. He desires that we will use the place for a year rent-free, and with his father's consent; during which time we may meet with a more suitable house.

This offer, coming from him so spontaneously, and at such a time of need, evinces, along with other unmistakeable proofs, his possession of a truly Christian heart and a sincere sympathy with the cause of Jesus Christ. The room will be very useful to us for a time, and we have accepted the offer of Mr. Chang with gratitude to God.

July 24th. It is often said by those opposed to Missions in China, that we never see any convert become so devotedly attached to Christ, as voluntarily to engage in any disinterested labour for the advancement of His cause. The Missionary strongly feels that such cases are few indeed, in China, but can explain the cause to a great extent; a cause which the opposers of Missions are not able to appreciate. Without attempting, therefore, to refute such an objection by argument, I may give an anecdote bearing on the point. I learnt the fact from a highly respectable Christian gentleman, who has been a few days, and is now, a guest in my house. He was formerly a Christian Minister in America, but owing to a disease in the throat, he has been travelling through different countries for about eight years. Six years ago, he was in the south of China, and visited Batavia. When he had been there some days, he met a Chinaman in the street, who, taking him for a clergyman, said there was a countryman of his very sick, who wished to see a Christian Missionary. As the man spoke English, Dr. Collins thought he might go and see the sick man, and try to do him good. He found the patient in a mean dwelling, and suffering very much. Dr. Collins had a long conversation with him, and found him well acquainted with Christian doctrine. The man said he had come from Canton, where he had been connected with the Christian Church, and that his object in coming to Batavia was to preach the

Gospel to his own countrymen. He had left Canton chiefly through the heavy persecutions he had met with; and though not employed or sent by any Society, he had of his own free-will come to teach Christ to the Chinese. Dr. C. was very deeply impressed with the man's piety and sincerity, and believes he got well and prosecuted his work. I have learnt from the Rev. J. Edkins, B.A., now labouring in Pekin, that a little manual of Scripture texts for every day in the year, which I compiled, has been made useful in one instance. This manual was printed in an almanack prepared by Mr. Edkins, and has been widely circulated. A poor woman in Pekin, who had heard the Gospel, but was, at the time referred to, an invalid, possessed one of these almanacks; and with her daughter, a little girl about twelve years old, committed the daily text to memory. This good practice increased her knowledge of divine things, and induced a habit of reflection on the import of the texts committed to memory, especially during her affliction. One day, the text was "and the idols He shall

utterly abolish." After thinking about these words, the mother said to her daughter, that the little shrine they had in the house, and the paper images which they had worshipped in that shrine, must be idols; that so long as they kept them, they could not pray acceptably to God in heaven. She, therefore, requested her daughter to take down the shrine, with its contents, and burn it. The little girl did this very cheerfully, for she had attended a Christian school, was deeply interested in the religion of Jesus Christ, and had been anxious some time for the idols to be taken out of the house. mother seemed much more comfortable after this destruction of the idols, more earnestly prayed unto the true God, and trusted in him. Since then, the woman has died; and when dying, only the little girl was in the room. Her mother asked her to pray; about this she was timid, but knelt down and prayed to God to save her mother, and take her to heaven when she died. When the girl rose from her knees, her mother was dead, We are devoutly thankful to God for

Her

these fruits of our labours, and sincerely desirous that they, and all who unite with us in church-fellowship, may in their lives glorify our Father in heaven, Our members show continued interest in the means of grace, and though slowly, yet I trust steadily, progress in the Divine life. Earnestly do we long for the day when Christianity shall make itself felt as a vital power in Chinese society, through the members of our Churches. When considering the number of converts to Christianity in such a vast city as Tientsin, compared with the whole population, one is almost dismayed at the fearful contrast. Even supposing every convert to be a sincere Christian, and the whole a compact body of holy agencies, yet what is it, to the dense wide-spread corruption and heathenism. around. Still, according to God's Word, this little Church may be a 66 a little leaven to leaven the whole lump." Independently of the number of native converts, one thing is certain, that Christian truth and ideas are gradually spreading through Chinese society.

J. INNOCENT.

August 7th, 1865.

WE are all feeling this to be an interesting crisis in our holy crusade against the heathenism of this region. It is not so much in the immediate accession of converts that the fruits of our toils appear, as in a variety of occurrences at different points, which being simultaneously disclosed, shew that the fallow ground is mellowing, the scattered seed germinating, and the harvest of golden sheaves approaching. We have rapidly accumulating proofs that the Word of truth is in many directions commanding the regards of the people, and rousing them to a solicitude for the guidance of their feet into the way of life. It is only this day that a man of most pleasing deportment called upon me for a statement of the distinctive features of our religion. He is in business in this place, and comes from a great city six hundred miles away. He told me he had long been very much dissatisfied with his condition, as he felt himself to be sinful in nature, and yet knew not how to obtain a renovation of heart, His most scrupulous observance of temple rites failed to

impart peace of mind and confidence of future salvation. Some friends had spoken to him of the teachings they had listened to in our chapels, and from one he had obtained the loan of a Christian book which had greatly impressed him. He came to me that he might hear some explanation of the things which he had read. I might fill my sheet with incidents of this nature. Rarely indeed do I meet my missionary brethren without hearing of similar cases, the applicants being from places remote and near. A few weeks ago, a stranger was introduced to me at my residence, whose dress and manners proclaimed him a person of good social position. On meeting me, he knelt down, seized my hand, pressed it to his forehead, and thanked me with great fervency for the favour I had shewn him. I asked for an explanation, as I did not remember to have seen him before. He then stated that he was a trader from a distant province, and had arrived at Tientsin on the previous day for the transaction of business. His object in visiting me was to express his gratitude for medicine and books received on a former visit. The medicine, he said, had brought ease to the body, and the books had brought comfort to his mind. He had been dilligently reading the Scriptures, and his answers to my many questions indicated that he had read to profit. Though wrong in some of the conclusions he had drawn, yet he had gathered from the Sacred Book, a clear view of the plan of salvation; and besides endeavouring to acquire light and peace for himself, he had been collecting his friends together for many months to hear the glad tidings of the Gospel. At the close of our interview, he summoned an attendant, who placed before me a present of fruit and confectionery, perfeetly startling to contemplate. Having secured more Christian books, he took his departure for his home, followed by my best wishes and prayers. A similar illustration of the indirect effects of our labours was supplied last week by one of our English merchants. This gentleman has a considerable acquaintance with the Chinese language, and in the prosecution of his business, is brought into extensive intercourse with intelligent natives of

different provinces. In this way he was quite surprised to find a highly cultivated Chinaman turn from questions of commerce to ask him about certain points of Christian doctrine. He found that this man had some books which had been perused with avidity, and he was astonished at the extent of the information he had acquired. The enquirer, in this instance, was also from a very remote part of the country. Turning from these external evidences of progress, to the symptoms of spiritual advancement unfolding in our Churches, we have no less ground for thankfulness. There is an increasing earnestness of desire for the spread of Christ's kingdom, and the rapid giving way of native prejudices augurs well for the future. This is specially manifest in the anxiety avowed for the salvation of wives, mothers, and children. It has proved a hard task to awaken this disposi tion, but the set time seems now to have arrived, and we are permitted to behold what appeared a few months ago as something not to be attained for years to come.

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The success of the Gospel, in its application to the women of China, has been much more marked in Pekin than at this place. Our friends there are gladdened every Sabbath by having as their fellowworshippers a good proportion of females. At a recent meeting of the converts in that city, a converted Mahommedan, who is now very zealous for Christ, remarked that the conversion of the women of China was an object which the Church should earnestly labour for. "O," said he, "if Christian ladies from the west would but come and give themselves to this great work of carrying the gospel to our houses, and seeking by all means to save our women, what might we not expect to see! Leave our women unconverted, and there is little hope for our children, for who does not know that the women are far more powerful in moulding the character of our children than wemen can possibly be." I would that many who might respond to this appeal, had hearts so filled with love for Christ, and love for souls, that they could be seen joyfully giving themselves to so noble a work-a work which, in the dignity it confers, and the joys it brings, makes it a sin and a shame to speak of