The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-12-24 00:00:00

PAST rospixerrott.

Hmetogow seloc—The paroshial monthly
meriting, In connection with the Church Missionary
Soddy, was held In the sehoolroom, on Monday even.
ing. the 16th inst. As this meeting was made the
occasion of marking the anniversary of the formation of
• special fund, in .14 01 the female agency at Hmsgehow,
the Rev. E. W. Pears, who originally suggested the
fund. and several parishioners of Bt, Peter's, 'Headed
the meeting. After the qpening hymn the Vieer
offered up prayer, and reed 'Rajah xii., following it with
some remark@ on the proper spirit iof & Christian, who,
conscious of God'. mercy to himself, endeevottre to
make His grime known to others. He also spoke of the
mooed topic of the evening - the fend in aid of the
Rangebow mission, deferring a statement of amounts
till the meeting in January, when the collectors' dimmed
year properly closes. —The Rev. G. Mode then ad•
dressed the meeting; end, having offered his hearty
thanhz to those who daring the past teat years had so
kindly wasted him and his colleagues with their wee-
tied sympathy, proceeded to give some account of the
city d flansehow, of its recent history, and of the
nature of the attempt to occupy it am • station of the
Church Missionary Society. The city, shah is three or
four days' Journey from Niece° on the east, and
Bhaeghai oh the north east, is stedittnded by a wall not
leis than twelve mites In circuit. Knows as an Imperial
capital by Marco Polo, six centuries ago, it has since
that time, as • provincial capital, been renowned
U one of the two most splendid cities of China;
the sister city being iinehow. A Chinese proverb
says, that "what Heaven is above the sills
Bushes sad Honchos are, for magnideenos, below.'
In 1860, however; it was taken and pillaged by the
Taiping rebels, and, though they almost immediately
quitted It for other other plunder, It was re-taken by
them in 1862, after a stubborn resistance, and held until
re-captured by the Imperialtest,aided by French officers.
in April, 1864. The remelt of the 11111100.14T0 raptures
and re-eapturee is seen in the frightful desolation of
whole quarters of the thy and square miles of the
enviroos, tied In the destruction of emit numbers of the
original population, whose boom, carefully collected
by the Mandarins after each re-capture, are interred in
oemeteries that cower many acres in the neigh.
boarbood of the walls. Hangohow had bees
visited sines the days of Marco Pole by Lord
Macartney's embassy, and by one or two mis-
sionaries and lay travellers; but, it was not until
after the first treaty of Tisuldn, that visits
by foreigners beldam frequent. In 186 S Bishop Smith,
with his family, accompanied by the Rev. W. A.
Russell, of the Chureh Missionary Society, spent two
or three days in visiting the beautiful lake for which,
armee, other beauties, the city is celebrated, when on
his way overland from Ningpo to Shanghai. le 1869 the
Rev. J. S. Bard on, of the Chan* Missiouary Satiety ,00m
maimed • mission within the walla of Hangehow, but,
deer a eve mouths' residence, during which Use popular
excitement ariemeqnsat on the Wish diameter at the
mouth of the Niko rendered it nearly lapsable to
gain access tolls native., be thought it advisable to
stir" for • time, an American missionary, who bad
made a similar attempt about the same time, having re.
linquished it even earlier than Mr. Burdett. In 1864
the attention of the Rev. G. Mottle was urgently
drawn, by two of his native catechists, to the
situation of Hangahow, and other Mike whale
had recently passed under the heavy yoke of
Taiping rule • and it was suggested that he should avail
himself of the opportunity to preserh the gospel to them,
whilst their recent experienee of the neeleammen of
idoletry, and of the transitory nature of earthly good
-might render them, it was
illased, more aossesible te;
=1 persuasion. Althea oppressed by the
of an already wide of 111111163111117 duty
s round Ningpo, Mr. Mauls and hie colleague' yielded,
ater meth beeitatioe, to the repeated pleadinp of the
ateehists oe behalf of their efilieled ocantrymen ; mad,
caking with him ores of the estuarial" and anothe
t brittiaa native, be made his lira visit to the grim
tlity ia November of that yeerr• Placing the member
sin e&r. es • hoe" which served et awe as readies,
and oseel, he ettamsessed divies mmee ell

Smadays, and daily oostatsoos with the heathen,
who, from the beginning, came freely to enquire and
001 Ten, on religions lona. During the int year Use
missionary waa only abl, to spend &Wrests otosithe at
Hans:how ; but in the autumn of 1865. Ise began to
reside there with his family. As illustrations if the
mode of operation, he rend to the meeting • few
extracts from his diary, oompriring • sample of •
Sunday's employments, some conversation with e
Mudarian's legal secretary touching on the corrupt
Mete of the Chinese criminal warts, end on the oo•
existence in the lewyer's own mind of e. keen and
inquisitive istalleet at the souse time with an &bleat
superstition; sod hotly, e ske'cis of the missionary's
intercourse with • member of • natin bandy of
distinction, who. after several moths' instruction
end probation. woe berthed with Ave other adults, on
Whitsunday, 1886, and hea Seas this been • useful aid
of the mimics, se personal Chinese tea/bar to the
missionary, sad • preacher amoopt his own country.
men. There are at present twelve native communicants
in connection with the Hangohow wisdom • which, sines
Mules return to England for ;vet, has been
In charge of the Esc. J. D. Valentine. About two
hundred persons listened attentively to a lenathemel
address, whieh w.e ihastratad by e large map of
Hesphow city, drawn in the native menus by the
whoohist who int Isouneelled the eatablishment of •
etatiou at that place. The meeting was &coed by the
Vicar with payer and the benedinion ; and • collection
wee made of El 15e. 51. in aid of the Hangebow hind.