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INTELLIGENCE.

NEW ZEALAND.

THE following extracts of a letter from a settler at Marsden's Vale, Bay of Islands, dated April 11, 1825, will be read with a painful degree of interest by the friends of Missions to that country. The situation in which the missionaries and settlers are placed is attended with considerable difficulty and perplexity, though they do not appear to be exposed to any immediate personal danger. The leading chiefs are fully aware it is for their interest to encourage the missionaries to settle among them, and we trust that in due season the labours of those missionaries will not be

in vain.

"Of late we have had many things to try us, many battles to fight, and, through Christ, as many victories to win. On the 6th of March the natives of Wangaroa, the place where our Wesleyan brethren were stationed, took the brig Mercury, a whaler, belonging to Sydney, from the captain and crew. Through mercy, no lives were lost: the captain and crew made their escape in the boats to the Bay of Islands. Had not Mr. White, one of the Wesleyan missionaries, been in the Bay at the time, it is very probable they would not have made their escape so easy. The natives, after stripping the ship of every valuable article, and of part of her cargo of oil, gave her up to Mr. White; but, not content with robbing her, cut her sails and rigging all to pieces; so much so that she was quite unmanageable. On the 7th Mr, White, with the assistance of three of the seamen, who were left behind, succeeded in getting the brig out of the harbour, with the hope of being able to take her to the Bay of Islands, which was about 30 miles distant. But it seems that this unfortunate vessel was devoted to destruction; for, after having sailed with a fair wind, within a few miles of the Heads the wind turned against them, and came on to blow hard; so that, after having passed a dreadful night on board, without a compass, quadrant, or any nautical instrument whatever; without dead-lights, without covered hatchways, without a pump, so completely had the savages stripped the ship; they were obliged to

abandon and leave her to her fate, by taking to their boat in a heavy swell, and near 20 miles from land. Through mercy they reached the land in safety. But here fresh trials awaited them: the natives robbed their boat, and, had not the Lord sent a friendly chief to their protection, it is very probable they would have been murdered. The place where they landed was at the North Cape; the next day they reached Wangaroa in safety. After consulting us, our Wesleyan friends have come to the determination to give up their station, as, from the reports they have made to us, we consider, with them, that, should they stay, their lives would be in danger. Mrs. Turner and family are at Kidde-Kidde. Messrs. Turner, White, Stack, and Hobbs, are going backward and forward, and getting away a few of their most valuable articles. They are hourly expecting the natives to make a rush upon them, to take their property, &c. may the Lord preserve their lives! Mr. White is at present with us, quite worn down it is impossible for me to tell you how much these dear people have suffered. The natives of Wangaroa have often threatened what they would do, as have many times the natives of the Bay, but of late, they have put their threats in execution. The above-mentioned affair has had a great tendency to cast a gloom over all our minds. What will become of us God only knows, but I believe we have nothing to fear in the Bay. The battle is the Lord's; and if we fight valiantly, we cannot but conquer. Pray for us.

"Ah! my dear sir, it is the preached Gospel that is wanted in New Zealand: the people are willing to hear, if people were so willing to preach. I have no doubt but better days are near at hand for New Zealand: the hand of God is very visible here. Oh! pray that a missionary spirit may be poured out on this mission. My dear friend and brother, Mr. Wm. Hall, is just embarked for the colony, on account of ill health. I believe the time is not far distant when the Lord will take him to himself."

CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

WESTERN AFRICA.

The Church Missionary Society have recently sustained the loss of one of their earliest missionaries at Sierra Leone, by the removal of the Rev. G. R. Nylander, who died on the 23d of May. Mr. N. had long suffered from an asthmatic complaint, and his strength was materially reduced by a severe illness in 1824. His

departure appears to have been quite unexpected at the time he was sitting upon the sofa, and conversing with those about him very cheerfully, but a short time before the hour of his departure. appears to have been very mercifully favoured with a sense of the Divine presence; so that he enjoyed great calmness

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and serenity of mind, and regulated with the utmost care every circumstance relative to the disposal of his property and his children. His last end was peace, and his remains were committed to the grave on the following day, in a spot of the churchyard of Kissey chosen by himself for the purpose.

The following extract of his last letter, dated May 5, will be read with peculiar interest.

"I received your letter, of March the 2d, yesterday; and, as we do not know at what hour we may be summoned from the field of labour, I thought it best to send you a few lines in return immediately.

"I have been severely afflicted with great debilities of my poor frame; and am still so weak, that I am not able to attend to any duty. I just manage to walk about my room, which has been the case now about three weeks: however, I live in hopes of getting round again. But how astonishing and mysterious are God's dealings with our mission with respect to others! Mr. Knight died a few nights after his arrival: Mrs. Coney departed a few weeks after him: and, in a day or two, to the great surprise and disappointment of all, Mr. Brooks was conveyed to the grave!

"Mr. Coney, I understand, speaks of returning to Europe; and we cannot say much against it, though we cannot exactly approve of it. And, now, what is all the assistance which you speak of in your last? All our expectations and hopes with respect to Regent, Gloucester, and the Institution, are again thrown to the ground; and we must, as heretofore, cry out again, Send us help-and that, the sooner the better!

"Mr. Raban seems to keep up health and spirits-May the Lord preserve him in them! Mr. Weeks has had attacks of

fever, but is now well. Mr. Pierce is well, and so are all the rest of us, with the exception of Mrs. Pope and myself: Mrs. Pope has been dangerously ill, but is recovering."

In addition to the loss of Mr. Nylander and the persons mentioned in the above extract, Mrs. Gerber has also been taken away, and Mr. Coney has returned to this country. Mr. Raban writes, with reference to these losses, "And now,

honoured Sirs, I need not say, that we are in an afflicted condition. Since the day we landed, we have lost six of our number by death, and four are now about to return. The ways of God are in

the deep, and His footsteps are not known. Yet we know that He changeth not; and we firmly believe, though sometimes strongly tempted to doubt and dismay, that all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth,' toward every one of His ser

vants.

"We feel most deeply these numerous and painful losses; and have no resource whatever, but in his wisdom, power, and faithfulness. It is cheering to our hearts to receive repeated assurances that you bear us in constant remembrance at the Throne of Grace: and we trust that He, who inspires prayer, will also condescend to answer it; if not in the way which we desire, yet in such a way as shall conduce to the glory of His own name.

"I would earnestly pray, that the honoured members of the committee may be endued with much patience, under the repeated and heavy trials with which they are exercised in this mission-that they may be peculiarly directed, by wisdom from above, in all their deliberations with respect to it and that they may, at length, notwithstanding all the threatening appearances which now present themselves, see a rich harvest arising, as the fruit of their long-continued labours in this colony.

INDIA.

The intelligence from the Indian Missions is highly encouraging. Christian education appears to be proceeding with great rapidity. A large addition has been lately made to the number of schools and scholars, particularly in the female department. The Calcutta Committee report that the schools were 29 in number, and the scholars 1917: of these, the English school and four Bengalee schools, with 420 scholars, were under Mr. Perowne-fourteen Bengalee schools, with 1254 scholars, were under Messrs. Deerr and Maisch-and ten female schools were under Mrs. Perowne: by the last advices, it appears that the female scholars had in creased to 350. The Calcutta Committee remark-"At Burdwan, as in Calcutta, no limit but that of means needs be set to the education of children of both sexes."

Mr. Thomason writes, with reference to an examination of these schools,

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"The first class performed uncommonly well. They were examined, chiefly, in Ellerton's Dialogues and the Acts of the Apostles; and their answers satisfactorily shewed that they had not learned them by rote: for the most part, they shewed a good acquaintance with the subjects; and were particularly at home in the parsing of the language "I must not omit to mention their repetition of Watts's Hymns for Children. We had examined them in this excellent book on the Sunday evening, and were all much gratified with their knowledge and improvement. Giving them their choice of the hymns, we heard each boy repeat a whole hymn: one chose the hymn, Praise to God for the blessings of Redemption;' another, The all

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seeing God;' another, The Advantages of early Instruction.' I had never heard a Bengalee repeat these hymns, and was much delighted. The verses were deliberately spoken: and when they were examined in the meaning of the words, and requested to explain the ideas, they were very seldom at a loss; much less so than at any examination which I have before witnessed."

"One thing struck us forcibly, that the Christian youths were decidedly superior to the rest, in their knowledge and apprehension of what they had learned: in cases of difficulty, their hearts suggested the true answers; and they were thus guided through new questions in a manner very different from the heathen youths. On each day, a Christian boy stood at the head of the school.

"On the whole, these youths are making admirable progress: they are prepared for any thing which may be put before them. They begin to taste the pleasures of learning; and have a value for knowledge, as such. At the last examination but one, when I proposed to give the head boys a well-bound book as a prize, the Pundits intimated that they would set no value upon it, for which reason we rewarded them with rupees: but one of the boys of this English class, on being asked what reward he would choose, answered, Any thing by which I may gain knowledge.'

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We regret to add, that Mr. Baily has been obliged to leave Cotym, and return to this country, on account of Mrs. Baily's health: we hope he will soon be able to resume his valuable labours.

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY
IN CANADA.

A Society has recently been formed for promoting Education and Industry in Canada; the object of which is to train up teachers and assist in the establishment of schools of education and industry among the Indians and settlers, in such parts of the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada as are destitute of the means of instruction. The following are among its regulations.

"The plan proposed shall sacredly guard the rights of conscience, and extend equal advantages to all denominations of Christians. The mode of instruction shall be such as the Committee may approve, according to circumstances. In every school that may receive assistance from this society, the reading of the Scriptures, and some useful manual labour, shall constitute parts of the daily exercise of the pupils all shall be required to be strict in their moral conduct, and duly to observe the Sabbath; attending to such religious exercises, and at such places, as their respective parents and guardians may direct. But should this be impracticable, on account of the distance of any place of worship, then all such scholars shall, upon each Lord's day, read and recite those portions of Scripture which are calculated to enforce all the relative and social duties of the present life, and point the way to a happy eternity.'

John Scott, Esq. is treasurer, and the Rev. Thomas Mortimer and Thomas Pellatt, Esq. are secretaries.

The Committee for the management of the unapplied part of a fund collected by the Rev. Thaddeus Osgood in this coun

ry, in the year 1813, for promoting educa'tion among the destitute poor in Canada, ameting to 8007., have paid over the same to the treasurer of this society, in trust, for the purposes of the institution.

We are happy in observing, that attempts are now making for the education and improvement of our fellow-subjects in Canada: at the same time, we could have wished that such efforts had been made rather by enlarging the plan of some institution now in existence, than by forming a new society. For instance, we see no sufficient reason why the Newfoundland School Society might not have been enlarged, so as to extend its benefits, beyond the narrow sphere to which its labours are at present confined, to embrace the whole of the British possessions in North America. The expense of management in these small societies amounts to a very heavy per centage on their annual income. Thus, the rent, salaries, travelling expenses, printing, &c. &c. of the Society just mentioned, amounts to very nearly half the gross sum obtained from subscriptions, donations, associations, and collections at public meetings; and yet it would be difficult to point out any article in which that expenditure could be materially diminished, without producing a proportionate diminution of income. We deem it important also to hint, with reference to the Canada Society, that, if some of those who have been active in its promotion are allowed to take the lead in its management, it must necessarily assume a sectarian aspect.

Notices and Acknowledgments.

We are requested, by the Secretary of the London Hibernian Society, to acknowledge the receipt of Five Pounds for the use of that valuable Institution.

J. R.'s communication arrived too late for this month. If he will favour us with the sequel at an carly period, we will endeavour to include the whole in our next Number.

The long and able Letter of Mr. GORHAM on the Apocryphal Question has anticipated many of the remarks which have been suggested by other Correspondents, or called for by their communications. We observe with great satisfaction, that the cause of the Inspired Volume, as opposed to all human additions, is rapidly gaining ground;— that many, who in the first instance were led, by considerations of expediency, to advocate the circulation of the Apocrypha, have, on mature deliberation, and after clearer information, retraced their steps, and are now supporting the Inspired Volume in its purity.

One Correspondent indeed informs us, that "the Apocryphal portions, partly of Chaldee and partly of Alexandrine origire introduced from the Jewish into the Christian Church, at the very same junctu with the Canonical Scriptures themselves, being intimately combined with them, the only form in which the Scriptures were generally current at the first propag of the Gospel; and that, from that form, or from their originals, they were trarred into whatever versions were made use of by the ancient Christians, whether Aquila's, Theodotion's, Symmachus's, &c."-We doubt the correctness of this statement." It is universally allowed," says Dr. Gray, "that these books were not in the canon of the Jews." Mr. Townley remarks, that" Theodotion has been supposed to be the first person who collected the books of the Apocrypha together," and that "the Apocryphal books were rejected by the Jews, whose particular glory it was, that unto them were committed the Oracles of God." Theodotion's version of the Scriptures was published A.D. 184; and, with reference to some of the Apocryphal books, we are not aware of any satisfactory evidence which can be adduced of their existence at a much earlier period.

The question, however, of their antiquity, or of their excellence, or of their usefulness, is a MINOR question. The one point is, are they inspired or not? Our Correspondent must concede, or rather will unquestionably maintain, that the Apocrypha is NOT inspired. It is, therefore, no part of the Holy Scriptures; and the employing of the funds of the Bible Society in its circulation violates the fundamental laws of the institution: this is still our decided and deliberate opinion, and we cannot therefore listen to either concession or compromise.

The Commentary to which D. J. refers, contains in our judgment abundance of We may perhaps notice his communication at a future period, but it is scarcely expedient at present.

errors.

Mr. SCOTT is by no means singular in considering Samson as in a measure a type of Christ. We do not, however, desire Theognis to bow to his decision, but must at the same time enter our protest against the rash assertion that "a more exceptionable character is not to be found in the sacred oracles, than that of Samson." This position is clearly inconsistent with the Apostle's commendation, Heb. xi. 32. Theognis will do well to read Joseph Milner's Sermon on the character of Samson. with more

We are happy to find that D** considers us as having treated leniency than he deserves. It is a great consolation to discover at any time that

Our failings lean to virtue's side;

but we shall not be at all surprised if, on the very day when this Number appears, the Christian Guardian should be assailed in good round set terms for the self-same article which D** thinks too gentle. At the same time we agree with all D**'s subsequent observations, and especially with his concluding quotation which is most appropriate. Its publication, however, would be painful to the individual and irritating to his friends, and it therefore seems advisable to postpone, if not finally to suppress it.

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