over, the natives burst out laughing at what I had been saying to them. Since then they have been more thoughtful, and go away as if they had received some ideas.

I have had some blessed answers to prayer since I came here.

A married missionary and his wife are likely to sail in February or March to reinforce this mission, contributions for which should be sent to John Cory, Esq., Cardiff, Treasurer.

CHINA INLAND MISSION.

Our brother MR. CAMERON has made another journey through Kwangtung, Kwang-si, Kwei-chau and Yunnan, Southern and Western provinces of China, with a native helper. The people of Yunnan showed them nothing but kindness, and were anxious for Mr. Cameron to rent or buy a house, and settle among them.

Mr. Nicholl writes from Chun Ching, a city in Sichuen, more than 2000 miles up the great Yangtse Kiang river. He was intending in October shortly to start on another journey further west. He says,

I have just been joined by Messrs. Riley and Clark; they have been kept back some months by the flood current down the river. In the summer, for two or three months this is so strong as to render it impossible to ascend above Ichang. I have been almost a year in this city now, living and working in peace. How deeply thankful we ought to be to God for thus opening this city and province, and enabling us to reach the hill tribes and other people in the west of Sichuen.

Large numbers have heard the Gospel here for the first time, but it makes slow progress compared to opium! I grieve to say there are few houses in this province without a victim to opium-smoking. Men, women, and even boys indulge in this vice. In this city the smokers are as one to three !

Oh! when shall the effect of England's sin against China be rooted out? It won't be when India stops supplying her with opium, for I fear it has too great a hold of China's sons and daughters in all classes of society to be easily thrown aside. The farmer loves it, as it is the best paying crop his ground can produce. The mandarin and his underlings love it, as it affords them splendid opportunities of "squeezing." The merchant loves it, as it is looked upon as the most staple trade in which one can invest his money. And the poor consumer loves it, because it satisfies his depraved appetite.

Last year, after the harvest was gathered, the viceroy of the province published a proclamation prohibiting its growth, but as it was rather late in being put out, no attention was paid to it. At the beginning of the present year another was issued, warning the farmers against mandarins' underlings using the former proclamation as a means of squeezing money from them, and adding that as that proclamation had been issued after the seed was sown, they (the growers) would be allowed to gather the crop as formerly. A few

year,

months ago another was issued by the viceroy similar to that of last but I fear it will have as much weight as the last one. Some time ago I was speaking to a farmer friend about it. I said to him that farmers would not be allowed to cultivate opium this year. He said they did not know yet, but added if our own prefect does not prohibit us, we won't mind the viceroy. I see from the papers that in other provinces they are prohibiting its cultivation. And I suppose that the friends at home will be thinking that it will be put a stop to in China at once. I have not much faith in such statements. I hope in my journey this year to be able to find out in some measure the value of such proclamation.

I believe nothing will ever destroy the power it has got on the people but the Gospel. Governments may legislate and viceroys may issue proclamations, but that won't change men's hearts. The Church of Christ alone can carry the remedy. Oh! that we, as a body, were alive to this fact! Then would prayer be made without ceasing for the poor, proud, benighted Chinese.

MR. DOUTHWAITE of KIU-CHAW (CHEKIANG) writes good tidings of ten Chinese converts baptized by him last September. One was an old man, a vegetarian and a great controversialist formerly, now a learner at the feet of Jesus; another was Henry Taylor's servant, the firstfruits of the province of Honan; another was a young carpenter, converted by means of the medical mission; several are relatives of former converts, and one a very aged woman. Mr. Douthwaite, in a letter to his father-in-law, says, "This makes the number of converts baptized since last September thirty-seven. That may not sound much to you, but to us!"

MR. WHILLER Writes from Tai-Chau, under date of Oct. 5th, that he has settled in that city with Mr. Rudland for the present, studying Chinese. He says,—

The

"Last Lord's day we had the joy of receiving into the Church eight new converts, one of them being a lad of fourteen and another a dear old lady of eighty. Yesterday was a holiday with the heathen here. temples were crowded, the principal object of worship being to ensure a long life. I went out in the afternoon and sold a few books. How I long to be able to preach the Gospel! I am just able to lisp a few words, but the minds of the people are so dark, and the subject so entirely new to them, that it needs to be fully and simply explained "as to a little child." Oh! what a mighty difference there is between speaking for Jesus here and testifying for Him at home where everybody knows something of the Gospel already!

I often think of Harley House and the dear friends there. But for the fact that "the time is short" I would like to have spent several years at the Institute. Many of my fellow-students have left since I did. We are scattered everywhere; happily it is to "preach the Word"! What a grand time that will be when at His call we shall gather around the Master to receive His glorious "well done!" I have just finished reading the 'Approaching End of the Age." How one's heart thrills at the prospect of the near return of the Lord!

66

CHARACTER OF CHINESE CONVERTS.

ONE who has lately returned from a visit to China bears the following interesting testimony to the character of Chinese converts.

"I have never met anywhere in Christian lands Christian men and Christian women of a higher type than some I have met in China. I have never met in any land Christian men or Christian women of finer spiritual experience or of a higher spiritual tone of life. I do not want you to think that they are all like that, but that is my own testimony as to what I have found there. I found in Amoy the elder of a native church, active and diligent in the Lord's work, earning his living by carving those beautiful and exquisite stones for the bracelets which your ladies wear. He had been, years ago, the best carver of idols in the city. Now he goes about preaching Christ.

"I found in one place a theological tutor in one of those colleges for native teachers. He was a man of the highest education and culture. He had been led to Christ by going into a barber's shop kept by a Christian, and this Christian barber makes it a practice, that whoever comes in, he will speak to him of Christ. He spoke to that man of Christ, and he spoke to him of the Judgment Day. What the barber said remained in his spirit, and he could not shake it off, and now, I say, he is theological tutor in that college.

as

"As to the native preachers-well, I have listened to many native sermons, and, of course, I have the great disadvantage of listening through an interpreter. Usually a missionary was kind enough to sit by me and whisper into my ear word by word what was said. I have never heard sermons which impressed me more. There is one of the native preachers I may mention, who is called the Guthrie of North China, and his son also is really a Guthrie too. They are men full of the greatest power, using admirable imagery, and grafting this on to the soundest doctrine-men of as remarkable eloquence as some of your best pulpit orators who can sway men here. These are the fruit gathered in during the last few years of missionary enterprise by a handful of missionaries.

"I went down to Swatau and found there in an hospital a woman who had been brought in for some sickness. She was spoken to in the hospital-by whom? By one of the hospital helpers. That is the principle of a true hospital, when you have in it medical mission work-that every helper in it, no matter what office he has, is a Christian man or a Christian woman. And every helper in that hospital is an out-and-out Christian. This helper spoke to her. The sick woman told her not to say a word about Christ to her again. So

I

it went on for months; still a word was passed now and then. I shall pass over the story and tell you that she is a noble Bible-woman now. What has she done? Her husband would not let her come near him for three years; but she has brought her husband to Christ. She has brought her son to Christ, and she has brought her sister and brotherin-law to Christ. She has eleven of the spoil that she has gathered to Christ. And that is the type of Christian women that you find there in China-that land of which we have such vague notions and of which we think so little."-China's Millions.

NEW ZEALAND.

MR. T. W. SMYTH writes from East Oxford, under date Nov. 6 as follows:

I have now been here upwards of four months, during which time I have preached about thrice every Lord's Day. God has been pleased to give me acceptance among the people, and has, in some measure, blessed my labour. We have about a dozen chapels in connexion with the association, and already I have visited most of them. Here, at Oxford, we have a nice-sized chapel and large population. I preach in the chapel twice on the Lord's day, and once in the schoolroom, about seven miles distant, riding this distance in the interval between the services.

You are aware that Dr. Somerville visited and conducted some special services here. When he left the Y. M. C. A. continued the services in the theatre late on Lord's day evenings. The attendance was very good, and I believe some were led to "see Jesus." I took some part in these services.

The colony is more advanced than I expected to find it. Indeed were it not for the wooden houses and a few other things, one might imagine oneself in some part of England. The climate is healthy, but changeablevery warm in the day, and very cold during the night. We suffer also from the wind, which blows terribly at certain times. A few weeks ago it blew down two chapels here, and left the church unfit for use. Our chapel happily escaped.

Canterbury is a flat province, principally composed of extensive plains. The rivers are numerous, wide, and very deep, though some are narrow and shallow. The deeper ones are bridged over. The others can be crossed, without danger, on horseback, save in time of flood, when they flow very rapidly, sometimes sweeping away the bridges, and doing damage to the country. The greater part of the soil is composed of shingle, and all the stones bear marks of having been water-worn. The uncultivated part of the country is not pleasing. It is covered with a grass known as tussock, the grey colour of which is a great contrast to the lovely green of our English fields. Many term this country a land of milk and honey, and, indeed, both are very abundant. Though some things are reasonable in price, I think living is more expensive here than in the old country.

We have a number of Chinese in this province, but I have not been able

to discover whether there is any one labouring among them. One of them called here yesterday to sell something, and I tried to get into conversation with him, but he did not understand me. I should be very glad of some Chinese tracts. I generally distribute tracts when riding from place to place, and leave some wherever I visit.

Please seek an interest for me with the prayers of the brethren, and believe me, dear Mrs. Guinness,

SELIM ZEYTOON, the brother of the writer of the letter given at p. 83, has returned from his visit to North-West Africa.

He accompanied Mr. Mackenzie on an exploring expedition to Cape Juby, the point on the North-West Coast of the Sahara at which it is in contemplation to admit the waters of the Atlantic to flood a dry river-bed, or winding valley, which leads right up to