London Missionary Society has accomplished a great work in this province, which is marked by a general condition of prosperity. In the Christian communities of this Society there are embraced nearly 43,000 natives, of whom 4,418 are church members. An article in The London Chronicle affirms that Travancore stands in the very front rank of well-governed native states, and attributes much of its present prosperity to the influence of Christianity within the province. The maharajahs have been among the best of princes of India. The Society now has over 11,000 pupils under instruction, nearly 3,000 of them being girls. A MOSLEM PROFESSOR CONVERTED. - - An English Church missionary reports the conversion to Christianity of Fashatullah, a remarkable man, of wide learning and a rare linguist, who has been professor for twenty years at the Dav-ul-Islam at Mecca. While at Mecca he accidentally came upon a chapter in a volume which treated of the Bible; and on taking the book to the head of the institution, that he might refute its arguments, that person snatched the book from him, and manifested great wrath at finding that such a volume was in the place. Fashat subsequently left for India, leaving his post at Mecca that he might inquire into the truths of Christianity. He fell in with Rev. Mr. Bambridge at Karachi, and has now for some months been engaged heart and soul in studying the Scriptures. His grasp of the truth has astonished his instructors, who have great hopes concerning the man and his future services as a preacher of Christ. MADAGASCAR. THE TREATY WITH FRANCE. — The text of the treaty between the French Republic and the Queen of Madagascar, which was concluded on the 17th of December last, has come to hand, from which it appears that the statements made in the French Assembly were quite exaggerated, the Malagasy having refused to yield many points insisted on by the French. There is indeed to be a French resident at Antananarivo, who is "to control the foreign relations of Madagascar," but this apparently does not abrogate existing treaties with Germany, the United States, and England. The French forego their claim to an indemnity, although $2,000,000 are to be applied to the settlement of certain French claims. The French are not to interfere with the internal administration of the country. This will leave the people free to receive missionaries from any quarter without interference from Roman Catholic authorities. The Queen is to be represented as ruler over the whole island, save that the Bay of Diego Suarez is reserved for the French. While some terms of this treaty are to be regretted, it is on the whole honorable to the Malagasy, and will put a stop for the present to the outrageous conduct of France in its relation to that island. The London Missionary Society is to be congratulated that it now has free opportunity to continue its magnificent work in Madagascar. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL. Miscellany. Through Masai Land: A journey of exploration among the snowlad volcanic mountains and strange tribes of Eastern Equatorial Africa. By Joseph Thomson, F.R.G.S. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Company. This volume is a decided addition to the number of valuable works relating to the exploration of Africa. The author has already made himself a name, since the expedition which is here reported is the third which he has made to the interior of Africa while as yet but twenty-six years of age. Few expeditions have been undertaken in the face of such difficulties. No African tribes are more warlike than the Masai and the Kwafi, and the story which he gives of these people is exceedingly entertaining. The Masai are described as magnificent specimens of their race, considerably over six feet, with an aristocratic, savage dignity that filled the explorer with admiration. They were fearless and overbearing in manner, and it is a marvel that Mr. Thomson succeeded in passing through their country. He was often obliged to submit to very humiliating ordeals, such as taking off his boots and showing his toes. Their physical development and language indicate that they are not allied with the Bantu tribes. They are in no sense negroes and are regarded as belonging to the Hamitic family. The Masai are divided into twelve principal clans, or sub-tribes, and occupy the region from Mount Kilamanjaro, on the south, to Lake Baringo, on the north. The southerly section has an altitude of from three to four thousand feet above the sea. It is sterile and unproductive, not because of the barrenness of the soil, but the scantiness of the rainfall. In the vicinity of Mount Kilamanjaro, however, there are small areas which are well watered and very productive. The northern section of Masai Land is from five to nine thousand feet above the sea, and Thomson affirms that there is probably not a more charming region in Africa than that lying west of Mount Kenia. Though almost immediately under the equator, it is by no means a tropical region. He found the hoar-frost there and trees and plants of the temperate zone. Though the days were hot, the breezes were refreshing and the nights cool. The Masai believe in a Divine Being and have great faith in witchcraft. Their god is believed to have his home amid the snows of Kilamanjaro. They have no faith in a life after death, and, inasmuch as they regard the burial of a human body as poison to the soil, they throw the dead to the wild beasts without any ceremony. Eastward, between Lake Baringo and Victoria Nyanza, Thompson passed through the Wa-Kwafi tribe, allied to the Masai, but cultivators of the soil and not so warlike. They are spoken of as singularly honest and reliable; so much so that valuable articles might be left in their charge without fear. Proceeding further eastward to Victoria Nyanza, he came upon the region of the Kavirondo, where there was a dense population, the people seem ing unsophisticated and living in the enjoyment of abundance of native products. The volume before us is full of interesting incidents, and not a few "miraculous escapes" are recorded, yet there is an air of truthfulness in the story which leads the reader to feel that the tale is not exaggerated. One marvels, after reading the account, that any person is willing to undergo the hardships and perils of African exploration. It requires a nerve and powers of physical endurance of no ordinary kind. The three caravans which had preceded Mr. Thomson each lost more than a hundred men by violence. Not only man is vile in these regions, but wild beasts are full of ferocity. Mr. Thomson himself took a flight through the air from the horns of an enraged buffalo, and on more than one occasion barely escaped with his life. His volume is of great interest to all lovers of geographical exploration, and it will be of value to any societies or missionaries who may hereafter seek the evangelization of the Masai and Kwafi tribes. The Life of William Carey, D.D.: Shoemaker and Missionary. By George Smith, LL.D., C.I.E. London: John Murray. 1885. The life of Carey is measurably familiar to all who are interested in missions, and yet it is fitting that a better memorial of the great man should be prepared than any which have preceded this volume of Dr. Smith's. Carey was indeed a great man. Leaving the shoe-bench when he was twenty-eight years of age, he became, through the power and grace of God working in him, a mighty agent for the awakening of sluggish churches as well as for the inauguration of a great missionary movement in India. Dr. Smith, by his life of Duff and Wilson and Carey, is giving to the world, in most excellent form, the early history of Christian missions in India. Carmina Sanctorum: A selection of hymns and songs of praise, with tunes. Edited by Roswell D. Hitchcock, Zachary Eddy, and Lewis W. Mudge. New York: A. S. Barnes & Co. An elegantly printed book, containing 746 hymns, with tunes, - a choice selec tion. 1885.] Notes for the Month. - Monthly Concert. - Donations. 155 SPECIAL TOPIC FOR PRAYER. Notes for the Month. For missions within the Turkish Empire: that the supplications of God's people within the empire during their recent special season of prayer may be graciously answered in a rich spiritual blessing: that the native Christians may be sustained under the trials they are now experiencing on account of poverty and the exactions of the government: that war may be averted, and that the persecution of Christians may cease. (See pages 126-128.) ARRIVALS AT STATIONS. Februrary 16. At Constantinople, Rev. I. F. Pettibone and sister; also, Miss Isabella F. Dodd. ARRIVALS IN THE UNITED STATES. February 11. At San Francisco, California, Rev. C. A. Stanley, of the North China Mission. MARRIAGES. March 10. At Watertown, Mass., Rev. William E. Fay, of the West Central African Mission, to Miss Annie M. Kimball, of Watertown. March 11. At Brantford, Ontario, Rev. Walter T. Currie to Miss Clara M. Wilkes, both under appointment to the West Central African Mission. DEATHS. February 24. At Longmeadow, Mass., Rev. Samuel Wolcott, D.D., who was missionary of the January 9. At New York City, Josephine, widow of Rev. William Youngblood. Mr. and Mrs. For the Monthly Concert. [Topics based on information given in this number of the Herald.] 1. A sketch of the West Central African Mission. (Page 136.) 2. The beginnings of the Zulu Mission and its Jubilee. (Pages 131 and 133.) 3. Gross darkness in Mexico. (Page 141.) 4. Converts to Christ in East Central Africa. (Page 144.) 5. A visit at Bihé, West Central Africa. (Page 142.) 6. The Bulgarian war. (Page 144.) 7. Items from Western Turkey. (Page 146.) 8. Two stations of India. (Page 148.) 9. Church dedication in Japan. 10. A mountain parish in Japan. (Page 139.) Memorial Thank-offerings. — Seventy-fifth Anniversary. NEW HAMPSHIRE. Barnstable county. 13 52 Cotuit, Union ch. 9 0022 52 Sandwich, Calv. Cong. ch. Berkshire county. 394 02 13 10 47 61-60 71 Adams, A friend, for a bed in hospital in Tung-cho, in memory of "Neddie," Hinsdale, Cong, ch. and so. Sheffield, Cong ch, and so. Brookfield Asso'n, William Hyde, Tr. Gilbertville, Cong, ch. and so., add'l, North Brookfield, 1st Cong. ch. Spencer, Cong, ch. and so. Essex county. Andover, Chapel ch., to const, H. A. FREDERICK, W. H. NOYES, and A. D. SMITH, H. M. 20 00 62 17 Lawrence, Trinity Cong, ch. Salem, A deceased friend, Essex county, North. Ipswich, 1st Cong, ch. 158 80 Newburyport, North Cong. ch. West Newbury, "A. L. P." Essex co. South Conf. of Ch's. C. M. Amherst, Cong, ch. and so. Goffstown, Cong, ch. and so. Merrimac county Aux. Society. Concord, 1st Cong. ch., to const. LAVINIA B. KELLEY, H. M., 156.80; Andrew S. Smith, 2, Rockingham county. Atkinson, Cong. ch. and so., with other dona., to const. JOB A. Dow, H. M., 41.51; Abigail L. Page, to const. Rev. JAMES ALEXANDER, H. M., 50, Exeter, Nathaniel Gordon, Gilmanton, Kev. S. S. N. Greeley, 11 94 2 00 13 94 17 44 4 17 38 00 Lanesville, Cong, ch. and so. Franklin co. Aux. Society. Albert M. Gleason, Tr. Charlemont, 1st Cong. ch. Hampden co. Aux. Society. Charles Marsh, Tr. Holyoke, 1st Cong, ch. Huntington, 1st Cong, ch. Hampshire co. Aux. Society. Amherst, North ch. and SO., with other dona., to const. Mrs. NELLIE II 24 103 26-114 50 5 00 West Springfield, Park-st. ch. 552 05 S. HARRINGTON, H. M. Hadley, Russell ch. 5,236 13 Soc'y, 5,788 18 Howard, Tr. East Burke, C. A. Harris, 15.00 Chittenden county. Jericho, 1st Cong. ch. 16.00 Franklin co. Aux. Soc. C. B. Swift, Tr. Enosburgh, Cong. ch. and so., to const. Rev. C. L. GUILD, H. M. Orange county. Newbury, 1st Cong. ch. Orleans county. Orange, Cong, ch. and so. East Coventry, Mrs. Phebe H. Plast ridge, Florence, Cong, ch. and so. Northampton, Edwards ch. Benev. South Amherst, Cong, ch. and so. South Hadley, Wm. H. Gaylord, Middlesex county. Concord, Trin. Cong. ch. Everett, Cong, ch. and so. Maplewood, 1st Cong. ch. Marlboro', Union Sab. sch., Chinese class for the Hong Kong Mission, Medford, Mystic Sab. sch., for a Bible-reader in the Harpoot field, Reading, A friend, Waltham, Cong, ch. and so. Winchester, 1st Cong. ch., int. on legacy of D. N. Skillings, Middlesex Union. Townsend, Cong. ch. and so. Norfolk county. Brookline, Á friend, Dedham, M. C. B., for Y. M. C. A. East Weymouth, Cong. ch. and so. North Weymouth, Cong, ch. and so. New Bedford, North Cong, ch. Plymouth county, Marshfield, 1st Cong, ch. Plymouth, ad Cong, ch. Suffolk county. Boston, Mt. Vernon ch., 244; do., Mrs. E. C. Parkhurst, 20; Eliot ch., 230.05; do., A blind widow's two mites, 2; Phillips ch., Mr. and Mrs. Alvan Simonds, to const. C. E. BURNHAM and Mrs. E. L. MCLAUGHLIN, H. M., 200; Central ch. (Jam. Plain), 100, Worcester co. Central Asso'n. E. H. Sanford, Tr. Princeton, Simeon Clark, Worcester, Piedmont Cong. ch., 151.90; G. H. Whitcomb, for Y. M. C. A. hall, Osaka, Japan, 25: Worcester co. South Conf. of Ch's. Amos Armsby, Tr. Saundersville, Cong. ch. and so. Legacies-Cambridge, Bradford, by Russell Bradford, J. Russell 500 00 33 67 4 04 Hopkinton, Eliza W. Jenks, by E. J. Jenks, Ex'r, Lancaster, Sophia Stearns, by W. W. Wyman, Ex'r, Wareham, Edmund N. Thompson, by Mrs. A. P. Thompson, Ex'x in part, Wilmington, Benjamin Buck, by Darius Buck, Ex'r. 1,000 00 15 00 3,092 30 6,500 00-8,037 71 229 44 25.00 Albany, 1st Cong. ch. Bainbridge, A. F. Moses, Brooklyn, South Cong. ch., 100; do., C. H. Parsons, 100, Canandaigua, 1st Cong, ch. Friends, through W. M. Taylor, Northville, Cong, ch. and so. Richford, Cong, ch. and so. South Hermon, Cong. ch. and so. H. Loomis, Ex'r, to const. EDWARD D. TOLLES, H. M. East Hampton, Mrs. Louisa M. Gardner, by Edward Ely, Ex'r, New York, William E. Dodge, 3d instalment by William Jay Hunt, for the Ex'rs, PENNSYLVANIA. Mahanoy City, Welsh Cong. ch. Mount Carmel, Cong, ch. and Sab. sch. Philadelphia, Central Cong. ch., 485.54; I. P. Hubbard, 7.90, Scranton, William R. Storrs, Legacies. Milroy, Mrs. Jane E. Henderson, by Samuel Maclay, Trustee, 5,000 00-5,887 97 6,638 69 4 65 6.00 493 44 35 00539 09 300 00 839 09 Hartford county. E. W. Parsons, Tr. Newington, Cong, ch. and so. Thomaston, Cong. ch. and so. Middlesex co. E. C. Hungerford, Tr. New Haven, United Sab. sch., for a church and schoolhouse at Dahitne, Ahmednagar District, India, 100; United ch., m. C., 12.50; Centre ch., m. c., 5.26, 108 07 16 00 25 00 Bound Brook, A friend, for work among women under Mrs. Eaton in Northern Mexico, East Orange, Grove-st. Cong. ch. 34 00 NORTH CAROLINA. 75 00-258 07 Wilmington, Christ ch. 13.00 |