feel a special interest. Our little efforts, when mentioned side by side with the great undertakings of the great societies, appeared, and properly so, almost too small to be observed! We were only one among a thousand; and might say as Saul said to Samuel, "Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?" We felt that for the general public our affairs could have little interest, though we rejoice to know that with our friends it is far otherwise; and we thought it would be better to have a medium through which we might freely communicate with them as well as with our former students, now scattered far and wide through the world, but still retaining a warm interest in each other, and in the Institute. May they, and we, and all our friends ever remember that the blessed Gospel which we believe and teach is in its very nature, and is intended to be in its operation, aggressive,-ever spreading its influence over wider and wider circles. If the bidden guests refuse, the streets and lanes of the city shall yield a company for the marriage feast, and when that company is seated, others from the very highways and hedges must be sought and brought in. The house must be filled; the servants must go out quickly and go to the most unlikely places, and they must not only invite but compel compliance with their message. Is it not one sign that the King will soon come in to see the guests, that the highways and hedges are even now resounding with the tread of His obedient servants? that the most distant lands are receiving the Gospel invitation, and the last to be enlightened parts of the earth being touched with the heavenly beams? Western China, and Central Africa, and territories long plunged in midnight gloom by the double darkness of apostate Christianity, are now receiving the light of life. Our Master said, "This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come."

To endeavour to reach with the glad tidings of a Saviour the dwellers in the regions beyond those already evangelized, is, then, not only the path of obedience, obedience to the command to preach the Gospel to every creature-but it is also an effectual way of "looking for and hasting the coming of the day of God." If we long for "the end" to come, the end of these

wars and rumours of wars, the end of these awful famines in divers places, of these terrible catastrophes that spread death and desolation around, of these pestilences and earthquakes, and persecutions and sorrows of every kind, the end of abounding iniquity in the world, and of love waxing cold in the Church,— let us preach the Gospel, and preach it especially where it is not yet preached, and never has been.

We do not pledge ourselves to issue the paper monthly, because more imperative claims may prevent punctuality to a date, and the interests of the work may at times demand irregularity. We have no editorial secretary, and the general Hon. Secretary has already work enough, to leave little leisure for fresh tasks. Our "Regions Beyond" must therefore be regarded as an occasional paper rather than as a regular periodical. May it be allowed to visit the houses of our friends more as a comet than as a planet, never expected till it makes its appearance, but welcomed with interest when it does show its face?

And may we ask the prayers of our readers, that our pages may always prove, directly or indirectly, a blessing to many, and that so the labour bestowed on them may not be "in vain in the Lord."

THE LIVINGSTONE INLAND MISSION.

THE tidings from the pioneer brethren gone out on this difficult and dangerous mission are on the whole encouraging. So far, their lives have been preserved, and their way opened before them. But the difficulties to be encountered are very great, and the progress of the mission must consequently be slow. Our friends are aware that its object is to penetrate the interior of Central Equatorial Africa, by the Congo River (named by its explorer, Stanley, the Livingstone) and in order to this, to ascend past the thirty-two rapids and cataracts by which the river is broken for 180 miles above Boma, and reach the navigable part of the noble stream, which opens an uninterrupted water-way of 800 miles into the heart of the dark continent.

Messrs. Ström and Craven reached the mouth of the Congo

at the end of February-received much kindness and valuable assistance from some of the merchants of Boma, and after a tarriance there, and at Masooka and Noki and other points, began their toilsome march up the country.

In a letter dated May 6th, Mr. Ström writes:

of

As for Stanley's statements, these are perfectly correct, as far as getting up the Congo is concerned! The natives are most ignorant but selfish people, in our estimation, but in their own, very clever, and particular; and so they are; they are so particular that they will, and must, know all about a white man before they will condescend to speak to him; they are clever, for every obstacle which can be imagined is cast in our way to stay our further progress. For example--three weeks ago we went, accompanied by Mr. Sthe Dutch House (who, indeed, is doing more for us than could have been expected), to a large village, called Noki, where lives the first king with whom we must come in contact. After forwarding the usual gifts, he sent to say that he would hold a palaver with us in an hour. He came. Imagine an old, grey, but curly-headed negro, dressed round his waist with a most beautiful tartan-coloured Indian silk cloth, about four yards long, over his shoulders a strong scarlet cape, bound all round with inch-broad gold lace, and on the back a large lion embroidered in gold (this cape, most likely, cost him to some trader a dozen casks of palm oil); on his head, a long nightcap-shaped hat or bonnet, made by natives, of Banana leaves, cut into fine straw; inlaid all round profusely with leopard's claws. His suite consisted of a dozen followers, mostly sons (almost a fourth part of the females in the village are his wives, thirty-two in number, he told us). These followers are attired in all sorts of tom-foolery, or what they consider grandeur.

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We make our obeisance to this eminent personage, and are then, after much ado, shown into his council-chamber, a rickety old affair, reached by seven steps of a ladder, such as in Europe we make for fowls. The building has many corners, as the natives can only build out in straight lines or squares. At last we were all seated, and let him know our business. He said not a word, but pointed to his throat, implying that he could not speak for thirst. Being relieved in this respect, he came to the decision that, so far as he was concerned, we could pass his domain, but he must first send for the King of Yellalla, to hear if he would like us to come, and if he would accommodate our goods on arriving. Well, when can we get his answer?" "Oh, about full moon," i. e. in about three weeks. Four pieces of cloth make the time much shorter, he would send a messenger at once, and by to-morrow we should have his answer! Morning came; I slept in a hammock, Mr. Craven rolled up in a blanket on the balcony, and Mr. Scott on the floor of the outer chamber, a room about six feet square. A messenger arrived, saying that the king would send his representatives in a day or two, to learn what we wanted, that meaning, "I want something out of you before consenting." We prepared to leave, but a great ordeal had to be gone through! His Majesty and retinue appeared, and must first have gifts; each of his officers materials for a garment or four yards of cloth, before he would promise to

give us carriers, and what their pay is to be is not yet settled. This ended the interview, and we left for Masooka.

Three days after, the Yellalla king sent his adjutant, who at once demanded cloth; I told him that when I was safe 100 miles on the other side of Yellalla with his help for my goods, that I would pay him and his carriers their

wages.

My intention is, with ten men and a canoe, and rope and tackle, to get above some of the falls; at least God sparing us both. Do pray that I may succeed. We shall most likely start the first week in May, as that is the end of the rainy season, and I am told by Mr. S and others, it is very convenient weather to travel in.

I have got a large canoe, for which I gave 127., also salt, fish, and beans; and several men, who are good scullers, from a fishing village, near Emboma. I find we shall have plenty to do, and three or four others also, to establish one or two stations on the river. I hope to get above the Falls, trusting entirely to my Father in Heaven, and if so, we must have three stations. This will be needed not only for the evangelization of the people, but also for our own progress and independence.

We must have a house and station at BOMA, and, at least, one brother who speaks Portuguese, so that constant intercourse can be kept up inland. Then our own canoe must be kept, to go between Bannana and the Yellalla Falls, touching at Boma, and probably at Noki, or thereabout; and it would be wise to have a station near the Falls, where there are plenty of people.

The natives here all trust in Figi, an image which they make for themselves, and which receives a sort of consecration from a medicine man. If they knew they should die to-morrow they would burn everything they possessed, lest it should fall into other hands. The common people are all slaves to their kings, and certainly they require very little; they find their clothes growing on the banana and palm tree, their huts the same, their food costs them little trouble; palm oil, bananas, Indian corn; they have but to cast a seed into the ground and it grows, no digging is required, nature provides for all their wants. They are very degraded, so much so that the son of a king does not succeed his father, who prefers his sister's son, to ensure hereditary succession, this proves what faith they have in the morality of their wives!

You speak about the Kwango, a tributary of the Livingstone considerably north of Ntamo, called by the natives, river of Nkutu. I believe we shall find enough to do for some time in getting above the Falls, in establishing a station or two, and getting them into working order. Here, alone, is work for a dozen Christians, and I believe we shall have the Dutch and Portuguese Catholics to cope with by-and-by. The people on the north side of the Livingstone, near Boma, and about the Lower Falls, are afraid of Europeans getting up. Why? Because they have the trade in their own hands now. It is done through dozens of native exchanges. Each tribe only go a certain distance to their market-places, and their goods are sold or exchanged to the next tribe. Each king levies a tribute from the people for goods sold; and the interpreters have also their commission; then the goods pass through the next tribe, and the same performance is repeated. So they are very wise to keep Europeans away, as all those things will be changed in time. We must get up from

the south side or by water, if at all in peace. Only fighting and bloodshed would get us through on the north; when up above the Falls, on the south side, then we can cross the river and work down by degrees from the interior.

There is war going on among the tribes about Boma now, and communication has been stopped by the kings. Patience and prayer in faith, alone can help one among the natives here. They themselves have great patience; if they come with a cargo of palm nuts to a factory, they will begin to barter by asking a higher price than the buyer is disposed to give. When it is refused they will sit down, begin to cook their meal, have a talk among themselves, and, perhaps, in three or four hours, begin to inquire again if the buyer is disposed to buy. "No!" "All right." I have seen them then spread their matting, go to sleep in the yard all night, and next morning begin bartering again; till at last, seeing it is no use, and that others have sold and get no more, the bargain is made.

I shall always be glad of flour; it is very scarce at all times. It is not used by the natives, and the Europeans are very careful about it. As to our health, God has been gracious. I have had the fever six times, twice very severely; I am still subject to it fortnightly, but please God it will wear off in time. I am not so stout or red as I was. Mr. Craven had one slight attack, and then a very heavy fever, and but for God's mercy and the care of Mr. S―― and his kind wife, we should have lost him. Now he is growing very stout, and has gained 10lbs. since arriving here.

I have felt the Lord my God very near to me in this land, and a help in all my troubles. He, and He only, sustains me. Do not think the Tempter has been far away! No! In my last illness he persuaded me almost that if I did not go home I should die-that I could never live in Africa; that my strength had fled. And in many such like ways he comes, but, praise the Lord, He gives strength. I have no inclination for this world's greatness; no, dear brother, now less than ever. I see too many precious souls perishing around me in ignorance."

As in all hot climates, the specific for the fevers so prevalent is quinine. All travellers should be supplied abundantly with it. Through some oversight, Messrs. Ström and Craven, when attacked, could not get to their stores, and were longer ill in consequence. They were reduced very rapidly, and, owing to the ignorance of the language, in a very comfortless plight, till relief came to them through a visit from a gentleman in the Dutch house, who had some quinine. Mr. Craven gratefully relates,

"The fever lasted four days, but in that time I became as thin as a rake, and too weak to walk across the room. We were both sick together, and the people in the house could not understand English, hence we were almost helpless, and getting neither food nor medicine. However, God did not forget us. A good Samaritan passed that way and took