1856.] WINTER AT FOrt george, ruUPERT'S LAND. 15 toils over some stiff and unyielding piece of work, very different from the delicate touch of Berlin wool, just think that her toil will yield pleasure to some poor wanderer in the far-off ends of the earth, and realize the moment when the warm flannel shall be transferred as a welcome gift to some poor shivering Indian. But we must give another extract, which again tells of human suffering. On the 17th of January one of the Company's servants, and an Indian, arrived at the Fort from Little Whale River. Amongst other information brought, we received the sad tidings of the sudden death of four members of an Eskimo family last autumn. During my visit in the summer I had the opportunity of instructing them upon several occasions; but little did I think, that, as it was the first, so also it would be the last time of announcing to them the saving truths of the gospel. It appears that the father of the family, a man considerably advanced in years, had been suffering for some time from a wound in his leg, but which was not of such a nature as to cause any apprehension. He had received English provisions from the Company's establishment for some days, and appeared to be recovering his health, when the intelligence was brought from his tent, situated on the rocks at the mouth of the river, that he was dangerously ill. Assistance could not then be sent, as the banks were covered with ice, which rendered it unsafe for a canoe to be placed in the water. On the second day, however, a courageous Eskimo, at the great hazard of his life, most nobly ventured to visit his friend, and accomplished his errand of mercy by paddling his canoe down the river, and going a long distance out to sea, then returning, and running into a small creek near the tent. Upon arriving, he found a far different spectacle from that which he had expected, for the old man was now dead, and near to his body lay that of his sister and of two children. The only surviving human beings were a boy about fifteen years old, and his sister, some years younger, who were thus, in the short space of two days, deprived of their father, their aunt, and two brothers. The cause of the sudden death of these poor creatures is not clearly understood, but it is supposed to have been the eating of some putrid carcases of the whales killed during the summer. One cheering thought connected with this melancholy event is, that these immortal souls, now in eternity, had the glad tidings of a Saviour's dying love set before them during my summer's visit. It may be that a gracious God touched their hearts with the message to which they paid so marked an attention; yet it is sad to reflect that they heard but once of the mercy of a Saviour, and were then suddenly called to appear before Him as their Judge. Oh, how important the lesson thus taught to myself and my brother Missionaries in this country, where opportunities of usefulness are so few, that we should "work while it is day!" May our God bestow the needful grace! And that courageous Eskimo, who risked so much to help his brother in distress, is he not an example? Shall we not do more to save souls? Yet he risked his life to save the body from death, and adventured himself, in a frail canoe, into the midst of the wintry sea. Who, then, is prepared to follow his example, and give himself, his health, and life, to the blessed work of helping those who 16 FUH-CHAU FUH. [FEB. are perishing in heathenism? There are opportunities of Missionary service. They are, like the canoe, waiting some loving heart. and bold hand to embark therein and go forth, though it be on a wintry sea, to help the helpless. Who will go? One of the most interesting features of the Fort-George station is, that it affords opportunity of communicating with the Eskimo nation. Mr. Watkins has residing with him an Eskimo called Peter, whom he has been the happy instrument of bringing to the knowledge of the truth; and Peter, who speaks English well, is very useful to him, as an instructor in the Eskimo language, and as an intrepreter to his countrymen. In March last Mr. Watkins proceeded to visit a post 240 miles northward, where he hoped to meet a considerable number of the Eskimo. He was accompanied by Peter and a party of his people, and two sleds, drawn by seven dogs, carried the Missionary and provisions. This journey occupied sixteen days, amidst extreme cold, piercing winds, and horrid drifts of snow. At the termination of the first day's journey the Eskimo soon housed themselves in igloes, or snow houses. Our Missionary had brought with him an Indian deer-skin tent, but to pitch this was no easy matter. The snow lay four feet deep. First of all, therefore, they had to clear a circular place ten or eleven feet in diameter. To this work our Missionary, assisted by one of the Eskimo women, addressed himself, using his snow-shoe as a shovel; but, his feet being thus deprived of the broad support it gave him, he sank knee-deep in the snow, and in that awkward position he was obliged to work. Meanwhile Peter was cutting down slender pines for tent-poles, and another brought brushwood, which, when the hole in the snow was completed, was spread on the floor to serve as a bed, and piled up against the circular wall of snow around, to prevent its being melted by the heat of the fire. The tent-poles were then placed round the edge of the excavation, their upper ends coming to a point over the centre. On this framework the tent was spread; then dry wood procured, a fire kindled, the blankets spread, cooking utensils and provisions brought from the sled, and our Missionary's house was complete. It had, however, many inconveniences: the smoke caused many tears, and the body of the inmate was far from enjoying an equable temperature, for the front towards the fire was half roasted, while the back was nearly as cold as the snow-heap around. We cannot be surprised if, the next night, the Missionary dispensed with the tent, and took up his lodging in the snow-house. But we must break off, with the hope of telling our readers more in our next Number. FUH-CHAU FUH. THE Rev. Messrs. Cummings and Baldwin, Missionaries of the American Board, have made excursions to Tuong-loh, some eighteen * See our Frontispiece. 1856.] FCH-CHAU FUH. 17 miles south-east from Fuh-chau, and up the river Min, about seventy miles, to Chui-kau, at the "Rapids," the head of tide navigation. Mr. Baldwin's account of these tours exhibits somewhat the feelings of the people in regard to the Missionaries. At Tuong-loh, as soon as their arrival was noticed, the whole bank of the river was lined with noisy children and men, anxious to see the foreigners. So great was the crowd and noise, that they soon abandoned all hope of preaching, or even of distributing books promiscuously. The expedient was to distribute in regular order at the shops and houses, on both sides of the streets. "The first thought of our friends at home doubtless is," says Mr. Baldwin, "Would an excited crowd allow two defenceless men peaceably to do this? Would they not press around, and snatch away the coveted treasure? Such was the case, to a very limited extent. Only two or three volumes were taken without our consent. They pressed about us like bees; and hundreds of hands were raised at once to solicit the possession of the wonderful books. Our right of possession was secured by a firm front, and strong grasp of our property, by our ability to talk to them and give them the reason for distributing in shops rather than in a crowd, and by their characteristic fear of causing trouble. The Chinese still stand in awe of foreigners, even when the latter are placed in the most unfavourable circumstances; and for that class of foreigners to which we belong, they begin to entertain a feeling bordering on respect." Taking a walk afterwards over the plain near the city, he says"We sat down to rest, and were much amused to notice the excessive curiosity and timidity of the country people. They had probably never before seen persons of such strange dress, complexion, and manners. Two aged women at first seemed afraid of us; but when we accosted them in their own language, told them who we were, and our object, their delight seemed greater than their former suspicion and fear. They thought us wonderful and very good people, because we talked with them, and manifested an interest in their welfare. The group soon increased; and we then told them of God, and Christ, and salvation." At another city, one of their addresses was made in the porch of an official establishment, the people standing in front and in the street. Some official attendants assisted them in keeping the congregation quiet, and treated them throughout with marked respect. after us. At one of the villages visited on the second tour, the people, " though exceedingly noisy and inquisitive," and wonderfully eager to obtain books, were respectful and attentive to an address delivered in the public market. After leaving the village, and proceeding near half a mile, "we observed, on looking back, an old grey-headed man running On coming up, he besought us to give him a book, with a look and a manner of earnest importunity seldom witnessed among this people. We could not, and we dared not, refuse. We gave him the best that we had, a copy of one of the gospels in the colloquial. On receiving the gift, he spread out his hands in a manner and with an expression of countenance difficult to describe. Converted into words, his conduct seemed to say, 'You have made me a great present. Words cannot express my thanks to you.' This incident made an impression on us, that many years will not efface from our memories." 18 IBADAN. [FEB. Again, at a place of about ten thousand inhabitants, "the people received us with the most noisy demonstrations of wonder that we have witnessed since residing here. We were enveloped very speedily by a great crowd of men and boys, of all grades, pushing and jostling each other in order to secure a nearer position to the lions of the day." A few trials convinced the Missionaries that they could neither address the people nor distribute books in such a crowd. "A man apologized for the noise, saying, 'Teacher, they have never seen you before." But without this information, our long acquaintance with the primitive manners of this people, as well as our eyes and ears on this occasion, taught us that unmixed curiosity was the sole cause of the confusion. There they were on every side of us, pressing, climbing, shouting. The streets, with the doors and windows of shops and houses, were all filled to overflowing with a dense crowd of men, women, and children, in the highest state of wonder and excitement. If you have any ambition to be an object of admiration, come over, and go with us into the back country. We distributed books in shops and houses on the main streets. It is to the credit of the civility of such a poor people, that they did not take them without our consent." Thus, with but few exceptions, the Missionaries were treated everywhere kindly and respectfully by the people. Though the manner often seemed rude, the intention was kind. "The simple declaration of our peaceful intentions and good wishes, in their own language, was a sure passport to friendliness on their part." [Boston "Journal of Missions.” In an early Number we hope to give some information respecting Fuh-chau from the communications of our own Missionaries. IBADAN. OUR readers, in another paper of this Number, have had their attention directed to the trials of a Missionary in the cold regions of the north. This paper transfers them to very different scenes-to lands which lie close to the equator, where the powerful sun permits not the approach of winter, and claims the regions as his own. There, instead of cold, it is heat in its intensity that prevails; and the Missionary suffers from the superabundance of the very element, the want of which is so severely felt by his brother in the north. There, amidst the heats of Africa, the system becomes enfeebled, and the period of service shortened; and thus, in each Mission field there is room for self-sacrifice; and he who goes, goes with a willing heart to risk his life in service to his Lord. In our last Number we referred to the severe loss we had sustained in the death of a promising young Missionary at Ibadan. Here, again, is a call for help. Hinderer is now alone, and is there no one willing to volunteer in Kefer's place? It is just the time when help is needed.. The work has hitherto been prosecuted without much opposition from the heathen; but now that the gospel is beginning to manifest its power in cases of actual conversion, the enmity of the natural heart begins to show itself. 1856.] IBADAN. 19 The few young converts who have placed themselves under Christian instruction have been severely tried by persecutions from their relatives; nor had there been any abatement of the trial at the date of the last despatches. One young woman, who was in great danger, has at last escaped to Abbeokuta. Two others will probably follow, so soon as they can escape the cruel hands of their persecutors. This, at so early a period of the Mission, when the converts are as yet few, constitutes a very severe trial, and is evidently designed by the enemy to destroy in its germ the infant church. Moreover, the arrangements of domestic life at Ibadan are such as to favour persecution. There is the absolute power which a family father can exercise over all that are his own. The women are much more slaves of the men than at Abbeokuta; and this is calculated to deter them from coming forward unless joined by a sufficient number of men, who are held back by the prevalence of polygamy among all free men; while the slaves have much less liberty than at Abbeokuta, and are mostly confined to the farms. Mr. Hinderer specifies some cases of persecution. Under date of October 6th he says About ten months ago, two young women were severely persecuted by their parents; but as they did not yield, and were already betrothed to heathen men, the parents gave it up until such time as they should be married. Nearly two months ago, that unhappy time arrived for one of them; and, ever since, she and her companion-and, lately, two othershad to suffer dreadfully from their parents and relatives, and the bride no less from her husband and his relatives: and even a priest from Abbeokuta, who came into his house, was allowed to flog her. Pages upon pages might be written about the lies, deceit, and cruelties, practised on these poor girls. The bride especially has been dragged about, week after week, with ropes, from one relative to another, and repeatedly flogged and lacerated. Both she and her companions have stood firm to this day, but their persecutors are not yet tired: we however hope and pray that all this will yet turn out for the furtherance of the gospel. Our position, under these circumstances, is a difficult one; for, in the first place, our number is very small, and therefore more easily overcome by a formidable enemy. In Abbeokuta we had already a large number of both sexes when the persecution began in such earnest. Secondly, in this town the head chiefs have no power over individual families, for each family father has again his master, and that one is perhaps under a greater master; and if I want to bring a case before the chief, this lastmentioned master must be summoned, and he may be so rich in slaves and relatives, as to be more powerful, as regards force, than even the chief, who therefore may be afraid to make any positive demand upon him; for, in fact, in a republic of warriors like this, force is the law. Meanwhile the word continues to be set forth, and meets with willing hearers. As the Missionaries preach in the streets and market-places they are respectfully listened to, and the superiority of their teaching is frankly acknowledged. Thus Mr. Hinderer writes Aug. 10-On an excursion within the Ijebu and Owu road, at one place, |