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be discouraged, they are kindly informed, that the school munshi and the teacher of the school, and all the boys, are acquiring a knowledge of the system; that is, according to Mr. Mather's own shewing, the munshi and teachers of the school consisting of ten boys!! We shall not trouble you with any further remarks on the useful information contained in Mr. M.'s letter, but leave it to your readers to form their own judgment of the noble result of this nobly conducted school.

The friends of education are much indebted to your pages for the valuable and interesting information they often contain, and it is a pity that the respectability of such a publication should be injured by the injudicious communications of some of B.'s correspondents' communications, which seem to be inserted for the sole purpose of supporting a sinking cause, and of shewing a connection between two things, (the progress of the English language and of the Roman Character,) which are entirely separate and independant. BETA will no doubt deny this, but we appeal to public opinion in support of our assertion. Extracts from the article on the progress of the English language, &c. have been given in several European and native papers; but not in one of these have they been produced as evidences of the progress of the Roman Character". On the contrary, in every case which we have seen, these extracts are produced as evidences of the spread of knowledge, through the means of the English language, without the least allusion to the Roman System. Such facts may serve to convince B., and those of his opinion, that the attempt to make the English language and the Romanized System appear subservient to, and dependant upon, each other, is, according to public opinion, unfair and unjust. These hints are thrown out with the hope, that in future the Romanizers will be more cautious in publishing extracts from the letters of their correspondents, and trust they will support their system by making it stand upon its own basis, independantly of the English language. Your's, &c. Γαμμα.

[In order to obviate the necessity of a separate paper next month in reply to the above, we handed it to BETA, who has supplied a few short notes, which are all he thinks necessary.-ED.]

1 It is evidently not intended by this honest correspondent from Lucknow, that this youth could comprehend the meaning of what he read-he could only pronounce, not understand it.

2

I cannot but suspect, that Tauua does not understand the system he opposes, or he would not, I think, make an assertion so opposed to the expressed opinions of Sir W. Jones and most Oriental Scholars, as well as to the admissions of the warmest opponents of the scheme he condemns.

3 гapua is greatly mistaken here. Some excellent men, it is true, vigorously oppose the Scheme. But who expected that it would commend itself to every body; and much more, in so short a time? All who have been long in India, will recollect, that the introduction of the English language was at first as strongly opposed by many who now are its warmest friends, as is now the use of the Roman character. From the late rapid progress of the former object, we may surely with confidence augur the rapid success of the latter, which in the same time has certainly made far greater advances.

My zealous opponent will see, by the application of the Roman scheme to the Shan and Barman languages, as proposed in the present No. ; by its use in the Támul, Karnátika, and other languages of a sister Presidency, as proposed by a Madras Scholar in a paper not yet inserted; and, by the new publications lately advertised in Bengali, Hinduí, and Hindustání, by Mr. P. S. D'Rozario and others, that the system is not yet dead!

We trust that Fapua will favor us with accounts of the progress of English education on his own plan-i. e. independent of the Roman characters. They will give every Romanizer the greatest pleasure.

гapua is both uncandid and unjust in his reflections on Mr. Mather, who by no means throws out any insinuations against other Missionaries, as here

asserted. The fact is, the Government School at Banaras has for many years given money to the youths who attend it--and to give no pice, and make the youths pay for their books, was the "new principle" at Banaras, to which Mr. M. alludes. To this principle being introduced among the scholars, and the charm of novelty being worn away, yauua may attribute the reduction (we hope but temporary) in the number of Mr. M.'s pupils. The introduction of the Roman character into the Assembly's School, in Calcutta ; into Mr. Ellis's, at Chitpore; and several others we could mention, never to our knowledge in the least affected the attendance of pupils. Indeed, while the English language is so popular among the Natives, it would be unreasonable to suppose, that the English character applied to the Native languages-one step at least to its acquisition-would be aught but popular also.

7 My worthy opponent, who is so severe in censuring the supposed mistakes of others, ought to be extremely correct in his own statements. But he is not so here. The Editor of the Bengal Hurkaru and Chronicle-a paper not inferior in editorial talent or extensive circulation to any published in Calcutta, quotes a great part of the very article condemned by yauua, and in doing so, refers in the following terms to one who, like him, had been predicting the failure of the Scheme.

"Our unknown friend, the FRIEND TO INDIA, will find that he has been a little premature in his rejoicing over the anticipated decline and fall of the Romanizing System, which he has denounced as "the Romanizing nonsense, supported only by vanity, indolence, and ignorance of human nature." We republish today from the forthcoming number of the Calcutta Christian Observer, a portion of an article which not only shows that the "nonsense" is spreading; but that, however vain or ignorant of human nature its advocates may be, they are not very indolent; for unquestionably they are sparing no exertions to spread the system of which they approve, and which we consider calculated to facilitate the diffusion of our language-a point of vital importance in the education of the people."—Bengal Hurkaru and Chronicle, September 2, 1835.

Poetry.

[Addressed to a Missionary on his Ordination day.]

"God Almighty bless thee, and cause his face to shine upon thee-that his ways may be known among the Heathen-his saving grace to all nations."

God speed thee on thy way, "my Brother,"

God speed thee on thy way;

Such is the prayer of one who saw

Thy ordination day.

Fear not the foaming deep, "my Brother,"

Fear not the mighty storm;

For he that makes the billows rage

Can speak and all is calm.

Be mighty in his cause, "my Brother,"
Thou art beneath his care,

And think, when disappointments come,
Thou hast a Christian's prayer.

On earth-we meet no more, "my Brother,"
On earth we meet no more;

Oh! may I see thee crowned at last,

On heavenly Canaan's shore.

God speed thee on thy way, "my Brother,"

God speed thee on thy way,

At morning hour-at even tide

I'll not forget to pray.

June 19th, Burlington Street.

P.

REVIEW.

Memoir of John Adam, late Missionary of Calcutta.

In visiting the sleeping places of the pious dead, we experience that singular mixture of feeling so beautifully expressed by the youthful poet,

"I'm pleased, and yet I'm sad."

We look back on the period when those who now lie in all the humility of death at our feet, were glowing with their first love to Christ and the heathen; we see them offer their lives on the altar of Missions, amidst the prayers and tears of the good; we see them borne on the wings of mercy to the scene of their labour, and watch them in their course, shining brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. This we do, in concert with angels, with feelings of high delight and glowing expectation:-then are we glad. Just as the star has reached its altitude, and is shining with undimmed lustre, it is obscured, and we gaze in vain for its re-appearance, but all is still and dark-then are we sad. Again, we stretch the eye of faith to that higher and unclouded atmosphere, to which these lustres have been removed, and see them shining purer and fuller

Proclaiming as they shine

The hand that made them is divine:

again we rejoice. Such were our feelings in visiting the tomb of the dear young man, whose memoir we are now called to notice. Yes, as we gazed upon the tablet which bore the record of his years and death, we shed a tear of sorrow; but it was not as those without hope, for we were enabled, through Him who deprived death of its terrors, and the grave of its darkness, to look up, and see him forming a part of the great multitude which no man can number. As we stood there, we thought-it is but as a dream of the night, since we heard of his devoting himself to the noble cause of Christian Missions, and now he has finished his course-it is but as yesterday, since we had hoped to have our spirits refreshed by his piety, our asperities softened by his suavity, and our love fired by his zeal; but now we must wait for his communion until the morning of the resurrection, when we shall see him, not even as he was here with all his excellencies, but," without spot or blemish, or any such thing." Oblessed morning! how delightful the anticipations connected with its dawning, when we shall see the good in all the perfection of redeemed virtue ! We also heard a voice, saying to us, Go out quickly! "whatsoever thine hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might." But we must turn from thoughts

which the tomb has suggested, to the record of his life, or rather to that train of thought which both have suggested.

In reference to the book we would observe, that leniently as we are disposed to look upon every effort to snatch the memory of departed worth from that oblivion into which the excellencies of so many good men fall for want of biographers, we yet think it a matter deeply to be regretted, that the living should inflict that upon the dead which they, while living, would deem the heaviest of all punishments, viz. to expose their private feelings, their opinions of still living men, the subjects on which they conversed, the books they read, the hours at which they rose and slept, and, above all, in which they held intercourse with God. We doubt very much the propriety of keeping such a record; but we have no doubt as to the impropriety of publishing to public gaze, things which could only have been intended for private personal advantage. By some, we are aware, this is deemed the only fitting way to exemplify the true character of the man :-we call it a breach of confidence on the part of the biographer, and fostering a bad taste in the public mind, already so inquisitive into the arcana of private concerns.

The rage for biography appears to be intense, or rather for a certain cast of biographical productions: "Journals," "Letters," &c.; nor does the disposition to provide fuel for the flame appear to be less prevalent, if we may judge from the immense mass of "Memoirs," "Lives," " Correspondence," &c. which is ever teeming from the British and American press. We wish sincerely that the aliment provided were of a more healthy kind; and that the great design of such productions were more prominently kept in view. It appears now only necessary that an individual should lay his hand upon certain papers and letters, to be constituted a biographer, ushering in his volume by telling us that he thinks it right "to let the subject of the memoir be his own biographer;" which is an intimation, that we are to be favored with letters on the same subject, and at the same date, to a dozen different persons, containing censures on the hospitality of families, the peculiarities of persons, and the prejudices of the writer on every subject, from religion to politics, from cookery to the fine arts. It is not customary for one man, even though he were a second Daniel, to be competent to pass an opinion which is to be received as correct, on every kind and degree of things. An example of this kind occurs to us in the letters of Jacquemont on India, in which the character of the virtuous Lady Bentinck is associated with inuendos which would better comport with the superintendent of a harem, than with one whose ingenuous piety cast around her an influence which will be long felt in female circles in this country. Were we asked, what is our standard of excellence

in biography, our answer would be, In religious biography, the life of the beloved Martyn; in other departments, Middleton's justly celebrated Life of Cicero. We hope, however, that the general feeling which appears to be setting in against this practice will have a tendency to check its progress, and give a healthier tone to every kind, but especially to the "records of good men's lives."

We have one word of sincere regret to offer on the memoir of Mr. A., and it is, that his life should have been compiled without first communicating with his fellow labourers in the field, who could have furnished much valuable information on the subject of his actual labours, of which there is now a great deficiency. We lament this the more, when we remember, that the great design of biography is, or should be, to incite others to the practice of virtue, and the abhorrence of vice, by the exhibition of both, as they were displayed in the characters of those whose lives are recorded. The great design of a Missionary memoir should be to lead others to devote themselves to the great work, not by the exhibition of good intentions, but actual devotedness.

This was a trait in Mr. A.'s life-we cannot say that it is in the memoir. This omission could not spring from want of affection, for that breathes in every page; but for want of information, which might have been abundantly supplied, had it been solicited. With this our censures, if such they be, must terminate on a work, which we admire for the spirit which dictated it, and for many of the statements which it contains. We trust we can say, that its perusal has refreshed and cheered our mind; and while there are things we could have wished had been expunged, our regret was that there was not more of one who had only to be known to be loved. One thing especially delighted us in its perusal : it was the fact of its being a wreath wrought and suspended by the hand of a beloved sister on the tomb of a devoted brother. But we will permit our readers to judge for themselves, by the selections of such extracts as may put them in possession of the leading features of Mr. A.'s life. The following is an account of his early life, and first serious impressions.

"He was born in London on the 20th of May, 1803, and was dedicated by the faith and love of his parents to God in baptism, in the Weighhouse, by the hands of the Rev. J. Clayton. As a child, he was distinguished by firmness, an obstinate independence of spirit, and strong resistance of controul; qualities which, modified and sanctified, were prominent features in his matured character. He possessed strong affections, and his disposition was peculiarly sociable; he delighted in obtaining new friends wherever he could find them. In learning, he was remarkably slow, and it was long before he was able to read with any propriety, or to spell very common words without the most egregious inaccuracy.

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