more than a hundred-fold. There is an almost constant stream of pilgrims then for nearly three weeks, passing our compound at all hours of the day and till long past midnight, and when the festival culminates on the special bathing-day, great numbers flock to the spring, and all day long the sea surrounding it is black with a throng of eager bathers of all ages and both sexes, jostling each other in an indiscriminate crowd, as they vainly try to wash away their sins. During the festival at the temple, every night has its special spectacle, each ending in a procession of the swami round the temple grounds, riding on the back of some one of his especial varhanums, or vehicles, the peacock, the horse, the rat, etc., preceded and accompanied by a brilliant display of fireworks, nautch dances, and recitals by famous singers, with various instrumental accompaniments of lewd, mythological songs. Each night's entertainment is given by some individual or family or caste, as the goldsmiths or the blacksmiths of some one village club together to give the show. The average expense for each night is not less than $60 or $100, and sometimes a single spectacle costs $250, and the income to the temple from the offerings of the crowd is so great that the managers are becoming notoriously rich. 64 Probably the number of those who attend these festivals from sincere religious motives is not increasing, but the wealth and popularity and attracting power of the larger temples certainly are increasing, and the change of motive from a desire to propitiate the deity and secure his favor to a vain delight in brilliant spectacles, or a vile itching for lewd sights and sounds, is scarcely a gain for Christianity. These temples are thus popular and prosperous because the great mass of the people are still heathens, and are well content to remain such, and look upon the Christians as an insignificant minority not likely to amount to anything." Japan Mission. REINFORCEMENTS NEEDED. MR. CARY writes from Okayama that, in the absence of his associates, several of the native pastors have broken down in health, so that at present he is able to do little more than hold the fort. He says: 66 All these drawbacks have been especially perplexing because there ought to have been a forward movement this fall. There are several new places where the people are asking us to commence work, but we have been able to do very little for them. Meanwhile, the Greeks and Romanists are exerting themselves to draw away the persons who are becoming interested in the truth. The former seem to have but little success. The Romanists, however, have just made a change of missionaries, the priest now here being apparently a more talented man than his predecessor; and their work is making considerable headway. They are glad to get any persons who have been previously connected with us. One young man who was excommunicated from the Kasaoka church, for violation of the seventh commandment, went to the Romanists and at once was sent out to do missionary work. "Is our mission to have no reinforcements? I hear that there were over 200 applicants for the United States consulate at Kobe, a post that is already excellently filled. Our mission has some vacant places, offering excellent opportunities to Christian young men. Where are the 200 applicants from whom to make the choice? "Notwithstanding drawbacks, our work is more than holding its own. Meetings are now held in the new church-building, though it will not be dedicated till next month. The audience is gradually increasing. On November I there were nine addi Mr. O. H. Gulick is to be located, for a while at least, at Okayama, but on October 28 he wrote from Fukuoka : — "We have now been for two weeks in this city doing such missionary work as health would permit. Mrs. Gulick has visited the thirteen or fourteen believing women, with one exception, meeting them both in their own homes and at a women's meeting at the home of the pastor last evening. "At a meeting held yesterday at Nokemura, an out-station of this church, five miles distant, there were present 120 children and 100 adults. At this place there lives one of the deacons of the church, a man of prayer and exemplary life, who, though a farmer of humble means and small learning, holds an enviable position of influence and respect among his fellowvillagers. He is one who made his first acquaintance with the gospel while held as a political prisoner in the Kobe prison under sentence for connection with the Satsuma rebellion, which convulsed this island seven or eight years ago. His position and character render this little Nokemura a hopeful spot for evangelistic effort. The bright faces of a hundred well-dressed, healthy, restless, and inquisitive little farmer children was an inspiring sight. It was one of those sights which so often make the missionary in Japan feel that the last place visited is the most attractive and hopeful of any." Notes from the Wide Field. BURMA. THE formal annexation of Burma to Great Britain was proclaimed on January 1. There seem to be few who object to this act and none to oppose. The king, Thebaw, was despised by his people, not for his atrocities, strange to say, but for certain weaknesses, especially his yielding to the wishes of his queen, Soopayah-lat. When Thebaw slew seventy princes and princesses under circumstances of the most revolting cruelty, many of his subjects approved of his course on the ground that such deeds were customary, and that he could not insure his own safety or the peace of the kingdom unless he put out of the way all other possible claimants to the throne. Aside from the king's cruelty, he was grossly intemperate. The British rule in Burma will not be resisted by the people, and will doubtless prove an immense benefit to them. Already a British force occupies Bhamo, only about forty miles from the Chinese frontier, the city which was sacked a little more than one year ago in a conflict between Chinese and Burmese troops. Both from a commercial and a missionary point of view this occupation of Burma by the English is of vast importance, as it not only secures a clear field for operations in the annexed territory, but opens a safe and easy route into the interior provinces of China. AFRICA. UGANDA. Our last news from Uganda was connected with the martyrdom of the three lads and the subsequent good conduct of the young king. The Church Missionary Society has received letters down to July 30 - letters which reached England in eighty-nine days between Rubaga and London, the quickest mail on record. There had been no renewal of the persecutions, and Mr. Mackay writes: We have finished a large hall for church and school. Our work is growing. On Sunday the place is packed. Our weekday school is also so well attended that we cannot do justice to all." On the Sunday previous to the sending of these letters (July 26) there was a congregation of 173 souls, and thirty-five communicants. BISHOP HANNINGTON. Letters from this intrepid missionary traveler have been received, dated August 10, at which time he was some distance north of Mt. Kilama Njaro. It will be remembered that he is seeking a new route from the coast to Victoria Nyanza, and at the time of writing he was about half-way on his journey. He reports excellent health, in spite of many difficulties and trials, and that he has been carried safely through all his experiences. P. S. Since the above was written, a dispatch has been sent from London saying that a native king in the interior has seized Bishop Hannington, and will probably put him to death. There is much reason to fear that the dispatch is true, for the Bishop was well aware that he was to pass through a region full of perils. EXPLORATIONS EAST OF THE TRANSVAAL. — L'Afrique for December reports a journey of the Swiss missionaries in the Transvaal from Spelonken to Delagoa Bay. MM. Berthoud and Thomas left Spelonken on the twenty-eighth of May last, accompanied by eight Magwamba Christians, taking with them a wagon drawn by oxen. After two and a half days they reached the Olifant River, and on the fifth of June the Tabi River. On the eleventh of June they passed a region ruled by a Basuto chieftain. On the sixteenth of June they crossed the Olifant River and passed through a number of Magwamba villages where exactly the same language was spoken as at Spelonken. On the twenty-ninth of June they reached the village of Magoud. From this place they passed by land to Lorenzo Marquez. On their return the two missionaries separated for the purpose of making a better exploration of the region, and going by the more direct southern route, M. Thomas went to Lydenburg by way of Secocoeni's kraal. M. Berthoud expresses the hope that he will be able to prepare soon a complete map of the region between the Transvaal, the Limpopo, and Delagoa Bay. In this connection it is interesting to learn that the Geographical Society of Lisbon has received from an engineer plans for a railroad between Lorenzo Marquez and Pretoria. This engineer, M. Joaquim, gives an interesting description of the region traversed, and of certain important towns on the way, founded by the Boers, and where many elements of civilization are to be found. JAPAN. PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONS. — Under the title of the "United Church of Christ in Japan,” three missionary organizations laboring in the empire—the American Presbyterian, the American Reformed, and the Scotch United Presbyterians are banded together, and in November last held their third general assembly. The churches represented numbered forty-four, with a membership of over four thousand. The meeting was held at Tokio, sixty delegates being present, and at some of the sessions there was an audience of not far from one thousand. A native pastor was chosen moderator of the assembly, and the reports received of Christian work throughout the empire were full of encouragement. The advance in church members within two years has been about seventy per cent. MADAGASCAR. TREATY WITH FRANCE. The announcement of the signing of a treaty of peace by the French and Malagasy plenipotentiaries will be hailed with gladness by the civilized world. The terms of the treaty are not clearly indicated by the telegram which announces the fact that it has been signed, and there is some dispute as to these terms. The authority of the Queen over the whole island is acknowledged, but a French Resident at Antananirivo is to be the medium through which the foreign affairs of the island are to be conducted. The claims of foreigners for losses incurred before, and by reason of, the war are to be paid by Madagascar. From what now appears, no advan tage is given to the Roman Catholics by this treaty, and the English missionaries will be free to prosecute their good work. COREA. A REMARKABLE AWAKENING. - Rev. Mr. Sprague, of the American Board's mission at Kalgan, while on a journey for the sake of his health, has visited Neu-chwang and Mookden - cities nearly four hundred miles northeast of Peking, Mookden being the capital of the province of Leao Tong, the province of China which borders upon Corea. In these two cities the Scotch United Presbyterians have established stations and are doing a good work. The special interest, however, connected with their labors arises from the fact that they are making preparations for entering Corea. Rev. Mr. Ross has translated the New Testament into Corean and prepared several tracts in that language. The following interesting account of recent success among the Coreans is given by Mr. Sprague in a letter dated Neu-chwang, November 2, 1885: It seems that some Corean colonists, possibly partly refugees, have settled in the sparsely settled wooded valleys of Manchuria, about three hundred miles east of Mookden. Mr. Ross sent an evangelist among them with his tracts and some gospels in Corean. These fell into the hands of a leader among them who was an able scholar. After a while this leader came to Mookden and sought out Mr. Ross, being anxious to learn more of this good doctrine. He found the truth and heartily embraced it, and then carried it back to his friends. They readily believed what he taught them. The truth spread like a contagion among them. This leader went again to Mookden to get Mr. Ross to come to baptize the believers. He went, and Mr. Webster went with them. They had great difficulty in reaching this out-of-the-way place, and they were told a part of the road was, dangerous from robbers. One of their servants left them in fear and turned back home. One day they had to go thirty miles with only one residence - a temple — on the road. But after some perils they neared the place, and found they were expected. A watchman gave the notice, The foreigners are coming'; and soon they saw approaching to meet them a great procession of the chief men of the main village, in their best robes, who on meeting saluted them as they would princes, and escorted them to their best house. Great pains were taken to entertain them in the best manner. Nothing was too good to set before them. They literally killed the fatted pig for their distinguished guests. One man carried a bag of potatoes five miles to give them. Then all were gathered together to hear further instruction in the way of worshiping the true God, though many had been studying the Gospels and praying to Jesus for months. It seems a genuine work of God's Spirit in their hearts. Morning, noon, and night they listened to the preaching. Very many were desirous of baptism. After careful examination and many days' acquaintance with these simple believers, Mr. Ross baptized some eighty of them and left scores waiting for further instruction. Twenty more have since received baptism.” BIBLIOGRAPHY. Miscellany. Vahl's Missionary Atlas. - The first two portions of this valuable work were noticed in the Herald for November, 1883, and August, 1884, respectively. We now have Part III,1 devoted to America, and containing six maps (11-16), three devoted to our Northern continent and three to the West Indies and South America. The execution is in the same excellent style with the preceding numbers. We notice a few inaccuracies of detail, yet far fewer than might be expected where personal, local acquaintance cannot be brought to an author's aid. The accompanying volume of descriptive matter has 367 pages. The thanks of all Christian lands are due to the Danish Missionary Society, by which this work is published. 1 Vahl's Missions Atlas, 3 die Hefte, Kjobenhavn, 1885. 2 Forklaring 3 die Hefte af Missionsatlas. 1885. SPECIAL TOPIC FOR PRAYER. Notes for the Month. Importunate supplications should be presented, especially that the Lord of the harvest would send forth laborers into his harvest, in view of the present need of missionary helpers, and of the small number offering themselves for such service. Let not the Day of Prayer for Colleges (Thursday, January 28) be forgotten or neglected. ARRIVALS AT STATIONS. October 14. At Madura, Rev. James C. Perkins and wife, and Miss Mary P. Root, M.D.; also October 21. At Tai-ku, Shanse, China, Rev. J. B. Thompson. November 7. At Foochow, China, Henry T. Whitney and wife. November 28. At Harpoot, Eastern Turkey, Rev. O. P. Allen and wife, Rev. James L. Barton and wife, and Miss Mary L. Daniels. DEPARTURES. December 29. From San Francisco, Miss Linda A. J. Richards, to join the Japan Mission. January 16. From New York, Rev. I. F. Pettibone and sister, and Miss Isabella F. Dodd, to rejoin the Western Turkey Mission. ARRIVALS IN THE UNITED STATES. December 19. At San Francisco, Rev. M. L. Gordon, D.D., and wife, of the Japan Mission. MARRIAGES. October 29. At Tientsin, North China, Rev. Henry P. Perkins to Miss Estella L. Akers, M.D., late of the American Methodist Mission. November 5. At Foochow, Rev. Charles Hartwell to Mrs. Harriet L. Peet. DEATH. December 7, 1885. At Hilo, Sandwich Islands, Mrs. Sarah Joiner Lyman, widow of Rev. David B. Lyman. Mr. and Mrs. Lyman were of the fourth missionary band going to the Sandwich Islands, embarking in 1831, and never visiting their native land during their prolonged lives. Mrs. Lyman was born in Royalton, Vermont, November 29, 1806. A mother in Israel. For the Monthly Concert. [Topics based on information given in this number of the Herald.] I. The success of missions in India. (Page 53.) Memorial Thank-offerings. MAINE. Castine, Mary F. Cushman, 1; Port land, C. A. Brown, 20.51, NEW HAMPSHIRE.- Concord, Moses R. Emerson, 5; Pelham, Mrs. E. W. Tyler, 5, VERMONT. Burlington, Rev. F. T. Perkins, 25; New Haven, A widow's thank-offering, 1; Rutland, Cong, ch. and so., add'l, 8, MASSACHUSETTS.- Ashburnham, Rev. J. D. Crosby, 5; Attleboro', 2d Cong ch., 30; Bernardston, Orth. Cong. ch., 8; Boston, 2d ch. (Dorchester), 160; Rev. W. E. Fay, 5: Clinton, C. L. Swan, 50; Deerfield, "H.," 965: Gloucester, Nancy E. Brooks, 50: Hatfield, "H.," 10: Holbrook, Winthrop ch. (of wh. from Miss S. J. Holbrook, to const. Mrs. B. J. HOLBROOK, H. M., 100), 21 51 10 00 34.00 Seventy-fifth Anniversary. 161.06 Littleton, Friends, 5: Lowell, High- NEW YORK. Brooklyn, Julius Davenport, 774 71 219 00 |