POETRY.

57

MISSIONARY OBSERVER.

GENERAL BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY. ESTABLISHMENT OF A STATION AT CALCUTTA. THE following correspondence furnishes some information of the circumstances which have led to this enlargement of the Society's operations. The arrangements mentioned in Mr. Sutton's second letter, are not to be considered as definitely fixed, as probably in various respects there may be considerable alterations of plans first suggested. One part of the plan, as adopted by the Committee, is the removal of Mr. Brooks from Midnapore to Calcutta ; and his station, of course, will have to be occupied by another missionary.

Cuttack, Aug. 10th, 1841.

My beloved brother,-In my last I spoke of our hopes and prospects in connexion with our labours at Cuttack, and of what we expected to do when our long looked for reinforcement arrived. But now I have to present another view of things, that materially affects us in all respects. In order to put you in possession of the whole case I have simply to premise, that when in Calcutta two years ago, I became acquainted with a pious, active gentlemen in the civil service, named J. W. A—. He was much interested in the Oriya bearers, and a great number of other Oriyas in Calcutta, which P. and I concluded could not be less than 20,000. He was anxious for us to spare two or three of our native preachers to be placed in Calcutta at his expense. These we had not to spare; but I proposed his sending a few promising young men from Calcutta to us, and we would train them up as Oriya preachers, and then return them to Calcutta. This plan, however, for some reason was not adopted. He is on the Committee of the Bible Society, and knows all my negotiations about the Oriya Bible, and since the translation has been assigned to me, he appears to have revolved the matter again in his mind, and the following letter is the result:

"To the Rev. A. Sutton.

"Calcutta, July 8th, 1841.

"My dear Sir,-I have for some time past had it in intention of writing to you on a subject on which I once had some conversation with you, but have been much occupied of late. The subject is that of an Oriya mission in Calcutta. You are yourself aware of the great number of Oriyas, either permanently or temporally resident in Calcutta; and of their mode of living here, in colonies, or communities, apart from the Bengallees, whereby the customs and language of their native province are preserved amongst them. This habit of so living would give great facilities to missionaries labouring amongst these people. Being thus gathered together in communities, congregations would be easily found. I have no idea of the number of Oriyas in Calcutta, but imagine it must be of large amount-so large as to be quite a sufficient warrant for the establishment of a mission on their account.

"I come then to the point. I am willing (as long as the Lord continues me as his steward) to undertake the expense of such a mission, and furnish the means that may be required for the support of the establishment, if only you will furnish the labourers. In the conversation above alluded to, I think you stated, that as the state of your health prevented you from itinerating so much as in former days, you had some thoughts of fixing yourself in Calcutta, and undertaking a mission amongst the Oriyas. Since that time you have undertaken the translation of the Old Testament on account of the Bible Society. It might at present then be the more expedient and convenient for you, under these circumstances, to be fixed at Calcutta; and while carrying on the translations, superintend the Oriya mission. If such be the case, or if any other member of your missionary body be deputed to this work, I shall be ready (as I said before) to undertake the supply of his salary, and all the other expenses of the mission. But should you not be able to spare one of your body as superintendent, you may be able perhaps to spare three or four steady catechists with whom to make a commencement. Not less than three, I think should be sent. I am pressed for time, and cannot write so fully as I would desire. Trusting, nevertheless, that I have been sufficiently explicit, and that after a prayerful consideration of the subject I may hope for a favourable reply,

"I remain, my dear Sir, with christian regards,
"Very truly yours,"

VOL. 4.-N. S.

I

Our

"P. S. Do not reply until you and your brethren have fully considered the matter, and brought it frequently before the throne of grace. Our Counsellor will not refuse his aid." On receiving this letter Mrs. S. and I had no feeling that it was a call for us. language was, "The bounds of our habitation are fixed." Still the matter deserved consideration, and we hoped one of our body might be found to go. I therefore at once lald it before brother Lacey. I thought he seemed reserved, if not uninterested, about the business; but by Mrs. Lacey referring to it once or twice, I found it was on their minds, and I had some hope he might feel disposed to go, though I hardly knew which of us could be best spared. Meantime, I sent a copy of Mr. A.'s letter to Stubbins, and hinted my views about Lacey. At the same time, as I was writing to brother T. in Calcutta, I said in a postcript, "What do you say to our coming and setting up a General Baptist Mission in Calcutta?" The same postman brought in their answers from North and South. T. replied in brief to my inquiry, " Yes: come yourself, we shall be glad of your company." I mention this to show they are not averse to such a measure. The following is a copy of Stubbins' letter:

"My beloved brother Sutton,-I received your affectionate note this morning, and as I feel sure you, as well as every person connected with the mission, must be deeply interested in its contents, I hasten to offer some remarks which have occurred to me on the subject, and can only regret that I am not with you that we might freely canvass it over together.

"I have long felt that the establishment of a suitahle missionary in Calcutta would be an important era in our mission, and fraught with the most beneficial results, even if direct missionary labour among the heathen were left entirely out of the question, as it would secure to our mission and missionaries many facilities which they do not, nor cannot, now enjoy. It would also stamp an importance on our mission in the estimation of the public, and we should secure our share of interest in the liberality of a large and generous christian community: an important desideratum while our funds at home are so low. But hitherto it never appeared to me that the way was open for such a step, either as it respected means, or men; and on that account I have always opposed the measure, or any thing bordering on it, whenever it has been proposed. But now I feel my difficulties, at least with reference to the former, if not, indeed, to the latter also, entirely removed by the apparently direct interposition of divine providence in providing a friend who comes forward so liberally, with all the means in his hand, beseeching us to accept them; and I cannot but think it would be closing our eyes to the leadings of our Divine Master, were we to trifle or parley with so generous an invitation and offer. I think, too, there has been a provision of men, in your having obtained the translatorship of the S.S., and another person having been sent out to take charge of the printing department. By this you will perceive I fix upon you to reside in Calcutta. I do so from a variety of considerations, some of which it might not be prudent for me to mention here, but which, nevertheless, weigh powerfully with me. I may however say, that your present engagements of translation, &c., are of such a nature that you could accomplish them as well there as at Cuttack; and not only so, but you will doubtless frequently require assistance which you could only obtain in Calcutta, and of course to considerable advantage on the spot. It might be an easy matter for you, in connexion with your literary engagements, to superintend native missionaries; and as their work would be chiefly confined to Calcutta, you would have numerous opportunities of labouring yourself amongst the people, that thus all the ends of Mr. A. would be answered without any draw being made on our limited number of missionaries now in Orissa, for I am supposing you to be equally, indeed more useful in Calcutta. In my opinion, brother Lacey's going is impracticable, and altogether out of the question. It is impossible, unless compelled, for him to quit his present important sphere of labour in Cuttack and the surrounding neighbourhood. There is no person at present who could command anything like his influence amongst the people generally, but amongst the native christians in particular; besides which, the christians at Khunditta, &c., do and will demand an attention which you, with your other engagements, in connexion with the distance, would be unable to render.

But it will perhaps be said, if you are to remove to Calcutta you would require to have the press there, even after the printer arrives, to correct the proofs, &c. Be it so. I am doubtful if it would not, all things considered, be a great advantage in every way to have the press there, under such circumstances, as all the work could be as efficiently done, and every thing in the printing department be obtained to great advantage, and save many expensive and not less troublesome journies from Cuttack, and frequently much inconvenience for want of paper, ink, type, and a thousand other things of which you

know better than I. But you will say, What is to become of our large and flourishing asylum? Probably brother and sister Lacey might take charge of that, at least for a time; or Mr. Grant should be stationed at Cuttack, when he could take charge of it, and another missionary, if it were thought desirable, be sent out for Khunditta. But as a considerable time must necessarily elapse before the adoption of such a measure, should it even meet with your approbation, it might be easy in the mean time to make arrangements about the school.

"You say, and I think very properly, that at least the matter should be sent home for the consideration of the Committee. But in an affair of such importance, I would suggest if it might not be well for you first to go up to Calcutta, and make personally such arrangements with Mr. A. as you think best, as of course, before sanctioning such a mea, sure, the Committee would like to have the clearest understanding, and feel themselves standing on safest ground, respecting not only the establishment, but the perpetuity of the mission there."

I then sent Stubbins' letter to Lacey, asking him to give me his opinion of Mr. A's. letter, as I wished to send the whole matter home to the Committee. Lacey's reply was as follows:

"Dear brother Sutton,-After earnest prayer, and deliberate thought upon the subject of your note, I give you my opinion:

"Ist., Can an offer made by that of Mr. A. be entertained at all? If we are engaged in direct communication with the people, in making known the Gospel through the medium of their own language, I think it cannot. It is preposterous to suppose that any of us should see it right to give up the appointment of providence in a way in which our usefulness may certainly be calculated upon, for the mere consideration of some pecuniary allowance, or to save the funds of the Society somewhat.

"2nd., Is the usefulness of any of us so equivocal among the people of Orissa, as to render our removal of little or no consequence to their evangelization and salvation; while at the same time we possess those qualifications which would render us useful in the new situation proposed to be assumed? Should there be one such in our body, I should say he might remove. But would either of our brethren of whom we have conversed (supposing they were willing) possess the kind of talent requisite to occupy the proposed station? I think not; and therefore they should not go.

"3rd., Are the engagements of any one of us of such a character, as that they may either be transferred to others, or conducted in Calcutta as well as in Cuttack, while at the same time he is qualified in every other respect to fill the new situation proposed to be occupied? If such a man exists, he seems to me to be the only person who ought

to move.

"Guided by these simple rules, you will be brought to fix upon yourself.

"The very efficient school you superintend could be conducted by Grant, with some assistance from us, till he and his wife became able to manage it with efficiency. The printing concern could be conducted by you in Calcutta as efficiently as in Orissa, and in some respects with greater advantage, though there would be some disadvantages. Into your other labours of preaching, Grant would glide as he became able. The versatility of your talents points to you alone, of all our body, as the person qualified for the undertaking, in English preaching, agency, superintendence of Oriya evangelists, &c.; and if one of us must go, you are the only person who can be released, and at the same time, the only person able to answer the end of such a removal.

"In making these remarks, I speak apart from all feeling of every description. It would, however, be matter of no ordinary grief to part with you-you with whom I have laboured all my missionary life; and if I spoke the dictates of my feelings I should say, Stay; and let us finish our life and labours together, and here,' not to mention, that an experience, ripened by many years of labour under similarity of circumstances, is an advantage highly to be prized, because, alas! in this land of affliction and death not easily or often obtained. Yours affectionately,

"C. LACEY."

This answer arrived on Saturday, and occasioned us much anxiety, for until late on Friday night, when Stubbins' note arrived, we had no idea of the question returning to us. I spent most of the Sabbath in exercises relating especially to this matter. In addressing our interesting group of children in the morning lecture, the thought of leaving them was inexpressibly painful. Indeed, I had a strong feeling of aversion to consider it possible it might be our duty to go, though there have been other occasions in which we should have received such a question with very different feelings. At length, how

ever, when the whole matter was looked at, beginning with the various calls I have had to that city, the nature of the influence I have acquired with distant societies in England and America, my own habits and talents, as far as I could judge of them myself, the prospect of usefulness there on a larger scale than where I am now, and the hope of promoting the permanent and general interests of our mission, we could not but think there was the hand of providence beckoning us to Calcutta. I therefore wrote again to Lacey, stating that we could not wholly relinquish the matter, and our reasons for thinking at all of the possibility of a removal, and suggesting various difficulties and measures arising out of it. I copy sufficient of his reply to show his sentiments on the subject:"Should you become fully convinced of its being your duty to remove to Calcutta, we should, we could, feel no hesitation in occupying one of your houses for the purpose of managing the schools, either finally, in part, or till Grants' are able to relieve us; and even then I should like permanently to fix down, as to residence, somewhere in that neighbourhood.

"From the resolution passed in our Committee respecting your residence in Calcutta on a former occasion, I do not anticipate any objection to your doing so now; and espe. cially if, in the course of a few years, Brooks should be able to conduct the press independent of your superintendence in Cuttack."

After the receipt of the above, I wrote in reply to Mr. A., stating, that while desirous of accepting his generous offer, we had some difficulties to meet before we could finally decide; and asking his opinion about the necessity of a preliminary visit, and also about guaranteeing to us his proffered aid for a time, say three or four years, that in case of any of those vicissitudes occurring to which India is so peculiarly exposed, we might not be obliged to abandon our undertaking before we could be established in it. Thus the matter rests. I am hourly expecting his reply, but dare not wait any longer lest I should be too late for this overland dispatch.

A few brief items of intelligence is all I have time and space to add.

1. Of the three girls mentioned in my last as candidates, two, viz., Debika and Nilu, have been baptized; the former is, I think, a protegé of Miss Stanger, the latter Miss Ibbotson. Cana stands over for further consideration.

2. The other evening, while sitting in my study, was much gratified by seeing six of our boys making their appearance to talk about their souls. Our lectures to these have been of late much blessed, as well as other means. It is too early to say more of these six at present.

3. Two others were baptized with the girls. One a former scholar in our English boys school, son of Mr. Reynell. The other is a native from the heathen.

4. I have just finished my first volume of the dictionary, viz., English and Oriya, and will send you copies first opportunity. Genesis to Exodus xx. is also complete for the Calcutta Bible Society; and I am now about the Psalms.

To be concluded in our next.

LETTER FROM MR. GRANT TO
MR. PIKE.

The Pekin at Sea, Oct. 20th, 1841. MY VERY DEAR SIR,-Knowing you are anxious to hear from us as early as possible, it is my desire to embrace the very first op. portunity. I have written before, hoping to be able to send, but have been disappointed; but in a few days (God willing) we expect to put in at Madras, as we are little more than 500 miles from that place.

The first Sabbath we were on board, on account of contrary winds, we anchored in Tor Bay at five p.m., where we continued till the following Thursday, when the wind turned in our favour, and bore us forward for some time about nine miles an hour. We soon came within sight of the Strait Point, and towards evening I stood at the stern of the ship to take my last farewell of happy,

Yours, A. SUTTON.

happy England! The land of my birth! my friends and my much-loved home! This at first seemed hard; but when I thought of the object I had in view, of the millions in distant India perishing for lack of knowledge, and of that precious Saviour who laid down his life for me, it no longer was a source of grief, but of joy.

While at anchor in Tor Bay we all recovered from sea sickness, and hoped we should not suffer from that source again; but no sooner was the ship in motion than sickness returned, and we suffered more severely than ever; and I perhaps suffered more than any one, for I was confined to my bed three or four days almost in a state of helplessness.

In my last I told you there was a missionary on board by the name of Morrison, this was a mistake. There is a gentleman