December 19.-The church, which I have described, was consecrated this day with the usual forms. The congregation was very numerous and attentive, the singing considerably better than at Calcutta, and the appearance of every thing highly honourable, both to the chaplain and military officers of this important station. I had the gratification of hearing my own hymns, " Brightest and best," and that for St. Stephen's day, sung better than I ever heard them in a church before. It is a remarkable thing, that one of the earliest, the largest, and handsomest churches in India, as well as one of the best organs, should be found in so remote a situation, and in sight of the Himalaya mountains. The evening service was very well attended, and this is more creditable, inasmuch, as I have elsewhere observed, all who then come are volunteers, whereas attendance in the morning is a part of military parade.—P. 541. On the 22d of December, the Bishop went with Mr. Fisher to a small congregation of native Christians, to whom, not being able to give them a service on Sunday, he preaches and reads prayers on this day (Wednesday). The conduct of the Indian government, towards those natives who embrace Christianity, is here severely censured, and with the strictest justice. If the presiding powers of India will not facilitate the course of the waters of life, surely they cannot be called upon, by maxims of selfish policy, to impede the vivifying stream; yet this they do, most effectually, by removing converted natives from situations of honour and of confidence. An instance of this is here given, and another occurs at page 526. On Dec. 24, the Bishop confirmed above 250 people, young and old, of whom between forty and fifty were natives converted to Christianity by Mr. Fisher, and on Christmas Day administered the Sacrament to above 200 communicants, out of a very large congregation, in a building calculated to contain 3000 persons. And all this-hear it, ye short-sighted politicians, who would set limits to the progress of the everlasting Gospel-in a place 1000 miles from Calcutta. Is not this an approximation to the fulfilment of the glowing prediction of the Christian Poet? Be these thy trophies, Queen of many Isles ! On these high Heaven shall shed indulgent smiles; Shall Truth divine her tearless victories spread; GRANT-Restoration of Learning in the East. On the 28th, the Bishop commenced a journey soon to lead through a waste howling wilderness" of the most wild and frightful character, where no medical assistance could be procured for several days, and he therefore gladly accepted the services and attendance of Dr. Smith, which were proffered him by General Reynell. On the 29th they arrived in Delhi, the nominal capital of Hindostan, and the residence of that shadow of departed majesty, the Great Mogul. To this fallen sovereign the Bishop was presented on the 31st, and offered among his gifts the very appropriate one of the Arabic Bible, and Hindoostanee Common Prayer, the only offering made at his own charge, it being the custom for the Company to receive all presents and defray all expenses, which is, generally speaking, anything but a profitable exchange. On Jan. 2, 1825, the Bishop confirmed about twenty persons, and afterwards preached, and administered the sacrament---the congregation was numerous, and there were near forty communicants; in the evening also there was a good congregation. On the 3d he left Delhi, and on the 9th, spent the Sabbath at Muttra, where he collected a small congregation of twenty-five persons, six of whom staid the Sacrament, and baptized a few children; certainly as honourably and perhaps even as usefully employed in "tending these few sheep in the wilderness," as when preaching to admiring thousands in a thronged cathedral. On the 12th he met the celebrated convert Abdul Messeeh, of which remarkable character he gives the following simple, candid, and most interesting account : Archdeacon Corrie's celebrated convert, Abdul Messeeh, breakfasted this morning at Mr. Irving's; he is a very fine old man, with a magnificent grey beard, and much more gentlemanly manners than any Christian native whom I have seen. His rank, indeed, previous to his conversion, was rather elevated, since he was Master of the Jewels to the court of Oude, an appointment of higher estimation in Eastern palaces than in those of Europe, and the holder of which has always a high salary. Abdul Messeeh's present appointments, as Christian missionary, are sixty rupees a month, and of this he gives away at least half! Who can dare to say that this man has changed his faith from any interested motives? He is a very good Hindoostanee, Persian, and Arabic scholar, but knows no English. There is a small congregation of native Christians, converted by Mr. Corrie when he was chaplain at Agra, and now kept together by Abdul Messeeh. The earnest desire of this good man is to be ordained a clergyman of the Church of England, and if God spares his life and mine, I hope during the Ember weeks in this next autumn, to confer orders on him. He is every way fit for them, and is a most sincere Christian, quite free, so far as I could observe, from all conceit or enthusiasm. His long Eastern dress, his long grey beard, and his calm resigned countenance, give him already almost the air of an apostle.P. 588. At Agra, though suffering severely from indisposition, and contrary to the advice of his medical attendant, the Bishop preached, and administered the Sacrament, having on the Friday previous confirmed forty persons, half of whom were native Christians and converts of the excellent Corrie. On the 17th he commenced his arduous and perilous journey through the independent states of Western India. His bearers, who at first refused to go beyond the limits of the Company's sway, were induced for a small sum of money to promise that they would follow him to the world's end. Nor is their reluctance to be wondered at-the Bishop could not wholly conceal the perils of the journey from himself. They all say they never heard of such a journey as mine before, and that "neither mountains nor any thing else stand in my way." This is all absurd enough at the present moment; but the recollection of where I am, and the circumstances of convenience and safety under which I have traversed, and am about, if it please God, to traverse regions which are laid down as a terra incognita in Arrowsmith's map of 1816, ought to make, and I hope does make, a strong impression on my mind, of thankfulness to that Great God, whose providence has opened to the British nation so wide and so untried a field of usefulness-and of anxiety, lest we should any of us, in our station, fall short of those duties which this vast increase of power and dominion imposes on us. I am often ready to break into lamentations that, where so much is to do in my own peculiar profession, the means at my disposal enable me to accomplish so little. But I ought to be anxious, far more, not to fall short in my exertions of those means which I have, and to keep my attention steadily fixed on professional objects, in order that, what I cannot do myself, I may at least lead others to think of, and perhaps to accomplish.-Pp. 594, 595. Arriving at Futtehpoor on the 18th, he parted there with his friend Mr. Lushington, of whom he speaks in terms of the most affectionate regard. On the 20th he received a message from the Rajah of Bhurtpore, in whose territories he now was, with a present of fruit, brought by a Vakeel, a man of some rank. Here is incidentally, (page 606,) a noble testimony to the distinguished merit of the eminent historian of Central India, Sir John Malcolm. On the 28th the Bishop arrived at Jyepoor, a city of 60,000 souls, where, on the 30th, he preached and read prayers at the Residency, and christened Colonel Raper's little girl." Shortly after he lost a faithful and attached servant in the soubahdar, an interesting account of whose death is given, Vol. II. p. 17. In this stage of their march they were alarmed by robbers, and actually prepared to meet an attack; happily the alarm was without foundation, and on the 7th of February they arrived in safety at Ajmere, and the day following at Nusseerabad. During my stay at Nusseerabad I was the guest of Brigadier Knox, the oldest cavalry officer now in India, and who has not seen England since he was a boy. His house had as yet been the only place for divine service, but was not nearly large enough for the station. There is a ball-room of sufficient size, but objections had been made to using this as a church also, which I soon obviated, and the place was directed to be got ready for Sunday. On the Saturday preceding I held a confirmation, when I administered the rite to twenty-seven people, the good old Brigadier at their head. On Sunday I had a congregation of about 120, of whom thirty-two staid for the sacrament. This was an interesting sight in a land where fifteen years ago very few Christians had ever penetrated.—Vol. II. p. 36. At Nusseerabad, on the 14th of February, the Bishop's course was arrested by the distressing intelligence of the severe illness of his infant. After a painful mental struggle he determined to proceed, not only fulfilling his original design, but resolving to include Bombay also in his visitation. The reason which led to this determination was, that while he would gain little time by giving up Bombay, the sacrifice of probable usefulness would be very great. Accordingly he proceeded, though with a heavy heart, through the country of the Rajpoots and the Bheels, of whom a most lively description is given, and on the 27th of February, read prayers and preached in the drawing-room at Sir David Ochterlony's house, to a congregation of nearly a hundred. He did not, however, find another opportunity of exercising his clerical functions, till on the 19th of March he arrived at Baroda, in the Bombay Presidency, having on the day before been joined by Archdeacon Barnes, whom he had been acquainted with at Oxford in early life, and found but little altered. Here is a church, a small but convenient and elegant Gothic building, accommodating 400 persons extremely well, and raised at an expense of not more than 10,000 sicca rupees (about 25001.) On Sunday, March 20, he consecrated the church, preached, and administered the Sacrament, and having had an interview on his road with Swaamee Narrain, the Hindoo Reformer, which we regret that we cannot extract, arrived at Kairah, where he was hospitably received by Mr. Goode, the clergyman. Here the Bishop remained from March 26 to April 4, during which time he consecrated the church, a large and solid, but clumsy building -confirmed about seventy persons, and preached both on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Here he received the utmost attention from all the gentlemen of the station, and has left upon record the honourable testimony, that, with the single exception of Meerut, there was no station from which he derived so much pleasure as Kairah. On the 15th he reached Surat, where is a neat and convenient church, which he consecrated on Sunday the 17th, and then embarked on board the Vigilant Company's ship, for Bombay, in the harbour of which the vessel anchored on the 19th about midnight. Here, on the 26th, the Bishop was joined by his wife and elder girl, from whom he had now been separated nearly eleven months. Doubtless on this interesting occasion he realized the full force of his own beautiful lines, written in anticipation of such a meeting : Thy towers, Bombay, gleam bright, they say, Across the dark blue sea; But ne'er were hearts so light and gay As then shall meet in thee! On the 28th he held his visitation, which was attended by the Archdeacon, six Chaplains, and one Missionary, (a confirmation of 120 children having occurred a few days before); and having made excursions to Elephanta and Salsette, in which he was accompanied by Mrs. Heber, set off on the 27th of June, attended by Archdeacon Barnes, on a journey into the Deccan. On the 29th he arrived at Poonah, though seriously indisposed, and on the following night was attacked by dysentery, which kept him pretty closely confined during his continuance there. He however recovered sufficiently to confirm on Saturday about forty persons, and to consecrate the church, and preach a sermon on Sunday to a numerous congregation. But the exertions of Mr. Robinson, the chaplain at Poonah, must be specifically noted in our pages. The church is spacious and convenient, but in bad architectural taste, and made still uglier, externally, by being covered with dingy blue wash, picked out with white. Mr. Robinson, the chaplain, appears to draw very numerous and attentive congregations both in the mornings and evenings; the latter particularly, which is voluntary attendance, shewed as many soldiers nearly as the morning's parade; and there appeared good reason to think not only that the talents and zeal of the able and amiable minister produced the effect to be anticipated, but that he was well supported by the example and influence of Sir Charles Colville and others in authority, Vol. II. p. 209. On the 5th of July the Bishop left Poonah, and on the 10th went to Mr. Baillie's, the senior judge at Tannah, to consecrate the new church there the next day. The building, though small, is extremely elegant and convenient. On the 15th the Bishop and his lady took their final leave of Bombay, with feelings of mingled gratulation and regret. Although we had long looked forward with eagerness to the moment when I should be at liberty to resume a journey which was to take us to Calcutta, and to unite us all once more together, we could not leave Bombay without regret. There were some persons whom we were sincerely pained to part with there. We had met with much and marked kindness and hospitality; we had enjoyed the society of several men of distinguished talent, and all my views for the regulation and advantage of the clergy, and for the gradual advancement of Christianity, had met with a support beyond my hopes, and unequalled in any other part of India. I had found old acquaintances in Sir Edward West and Sir Charles Chambers, and an old and valuable friend (as well as a sincerely attached and cordial one) in Archdeacon Barnes. Above all, however, I had enjoyed in the unremitting kindness, the splendid hospitality, and agreeable conversation of Mr. Elphinstone, the greatest pleasure of the kind which I have ever enjoyed either in India or Europe.-P. 218. Here we are compelled to close our view of this most interesting work, not however because the interest is exhausted; for the account of the Bishop's visit to Ceylon, (where he continued for six weeks,) written by Mrs. Heber, vies in importance of subject and expressiveness of language with any part of the volume. Indeed, it displays throughout a congeniality not only of expression, but of thought and feeling, with the writer's lamented husband, which it is delightful to observe. But for the circumstance of the Bishop being mentioned in the third person, this part of the volume is not distinguishable from the preceding. One extract must be permitted us, not so much for a specimen of the style, as from the interest of the subject to which it refers.-In this island the Bishop confirmed above 300. On our right was the church, a very pretty building, and behind us stood Mr. Ward's house. The whole scene was peculiarly interesting. Here we found two very young men, with their wives and children, separated from all European society by many miles of country, impassable save in two directions, even to palanqueens, devoting themselves entirely to the service of their Maker, in spreading his religion among the heathen, and in the education of their families. The two families, indeed, seem to form but one household, living together in Christian fellowship, and with no other object but to serve their God, and do their duty to their neighbour. I have seldom been more gratified, I may say affected, than by this sight. I am aware how strong a prejudice there exists in many quarters to missions in general; but I felt that if one of their strongest opponents could have witnessed what I then did, and could have informed himself of the |