The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-16 00:00:00

ASIATIC MISSIONS.

Peers, Octr. 27.—Tae foreign missions here have
twice received from the East news important, if con-
firmed, not merely with regard to the missions them-
selves, but also in a political point of view. The ac-
counts are as yet vague and confused, but the next post
from India or the Levant must contradict or con-
firm theta. The first intelligence was that all the
Chaldean Christians of Koordistan had been converted
to Protestantism. The Episcopal church of America
has for five years had an active mission at Urumca, on
the Persian frontier, in order to convert the Nestorians
and Chaldean?. The English missions have also had a
few missionaries among them, one of whom, Mr. Ras-
sam, is a man of mech talent. The American missions
follow a very sensible plan. They admit all who wish
for instruction into the schools and mission houses, and
content themselves with explaining the Bible and giving
instruction in different branches of useful knowledge,
without in the smallest degree opposing the religious
creeds and habits of their scholars and guests. Many
Nestorian Bishops have from time to time visited the
mission-houses, attended the schools, eaten at the tables
of the missionaries, and lived on the best terms with
them, fur they saw that the Americans did not attempt
to destroy the Nestorian church, but only aimed at im-
proving the clergy, in order that the latter might them-
selvcs be enabled to improve their doctrine and liturgy.
They wished to reform the Church through the Church
itself, and if the tidings we have received are autbentic,
they seem to have succeeded. The consequences will
be, that the foreign missions here will send a reinforce
=tit of Catholic missionaries to Koordistan and Persia,
in order to oppose this unexpected movement. This
intelligence is of political interest, inasmuch as the Ca-
tholic-party necessarily inclines to France,and the Pro-
testant to England, to whatever country the missionaries
themselves beiong. The second intelligence, on the
contrary, is favourable to Catholicism and the French
interest, being a report of the death of the King of
Cochin Chita, Minh Menh, who had persecuted the
Christians, in the bitterest manner, ever since his ac-
cession in 1823, and particularly since the death of the
Vice-King of Camboja, who was favourable to thtm,
and who died in 1827. The wholt history of the Ca-
tholic church in Cochin China is a history of martyrs,
fi!,e,l with accounts of the banishment and execution of.
the priests, the burning of Christian villages, and of a
system of cruel fanaticism, very foreign to the general
character of the Cochin Chinese. The letters of the
Freoch missionaries are full of romantic histories of
flghts and dangers in caves and morasses—of exile
atnorese the barbarous tribes of the mountains, and par-
ticularly of the execution of European and native priests.
Minh Muth appears to have al.vays looked with great
disrdeasure on the ieffuence possessed by the Bishop of
A'lran and other priests over his father, and he ascribed
the subsequent insurrection in Camboja, which put his
government in so much danger, to the Catholics. Ten
years ago he drew up a decalogue, founded on the poli-
tical morality of the Chinese, which he made the State
religion. The missionaries describe him as half insane,
hut the testimony of persecuted enemies is hardly to be
trusted. He passed a great part of his life in cisal and
foreign wars, but he had not talent enough to train his
people to martial enterprises, and he relied chiefly on
foreign aid. He founded a sort of navy, which consisted
chi, fly of a few American vessels, and of two steam-
boats which I e obtained from Calcutta, and which he
hoped to use against his enemies the Siamese ; his land
arrr.y he strengthened by Malays from Celebes, whom
he disciplined to a certein degree. His wars, however.
were always unsuccessful, and ruined his people. Whe-
ther the Catholic party will now obtain the upper hand
remains to be seen, but it is not impossible, for it is the
only element of concord in the miserable country ; and
it is certain t hat the nation was in a much better state
under the infleence of the Bishop of Adran than it was
during the so-called national government of Minh
Mcnh. This inteltgence is as yet very uncertain, and
requires confirmation.—Alljcineine Zeitung.

SAM SLICK'S DIFFERENCE BE-

T\VEEN A SWEETHEART AND A WIFE.

Tuffs triwt be an tverlastin flue country beyond all
doubt, for the folks have nothin to do but ride about and
talk politics. In winter, when the ground is covered
with snow, what grand times they have a slaying over
these here marshes with the gals, or plain ball on the
ice, or gain to quiltin frolics of nice long winter evenings,
and then a drivin home like mad by moonlight. Natur
meant that season en purpose for courtin. A little tidy
scrumtious-looking slay, a real clipper of a horse, a
string of bells as long as a string of inions round his
neck, and a sprig on his back, lookin for all the world
like a bunch of apples broke off at gatherin time, and a
sweetheart alongside, all muffled up but her eyes and
lips, the one lookin right at you, is e'en almost to drive
one ravin, tarin, distracted mad with pleasure, aint it ?
And then the dear critters say the bells make such a
din there's no heatin one's self speak ; so they put
their pretty little mugs close up to the face, and
talk, talk, talk, till one can't help lookia at them in-
stead of the horse, and then whap you both go capsized
into a snow-drift together, skins, cushions, and all. And
then to see the little critter shake herself when she gets
up, like a duck landing from a pond, a chattering away
all the time like a canary bird, and you a haw-hawin
with pleasure, is fun alive, you may depend. In this
way blue-nose gets led on to offer himself as a lover be-
fore he knows where he is. But when he gets married,
he recovers his eye-sight in little less than half no time.
He soon finds he's treed ; his flint is fixed then, you
may depend. She lens him how vinegar is made;
" Put plenty of sugar into the water aforehand, my dear,"
says she, "if you want it real sharp." The lart is on
the other side of his mouth then. If his slay gets up-
shot, its no longer a funny matter, I tell you ; he catches
it right and left. Her eyes don't look up to his'n any
more, nor her little tongue ring like a bell any longer ;
but a great big hood covers her head, and a whappin
great muff covers her face, and she looks like a bag of
old clothes, agoin to the brook to be washed. When
they get out, she don't want any more for him to walk
lock and lock with her, but they march like a horse and
cow to water, in each gutter. If there aint a transmo-
grification, its a pity. The difference between a wife
and a sweetheart is near about as great as there is be-
tween new and hard cider—a man never tires of puttin
one to his lips, but makes plaguy wry faces at Cother.
It makes me so kinder wamblecropt when I think on it,
that I am afearcd to ventur on matrimony at all. I
have seen some blue-noses most properly bit, you may
depend. The marriage yoke is plaguy apt to gall the
neck as the ash-bow does the ox in rainy weather, un-
le
ss it he most particlarly well fitted. You've seen a
yoke of cattle that warn% properly mated ; they spend
eachPullin agin other than in puffin the
load. Well, that's apt to be the case with them as
chooses
n parties, quiltin frolics, and
so on, instead of the dairies, looms, and cheese-house.

The deputation from the Council of the British
Association, and representatives from seve-
ral provincial Medical associations, who had a long
interview with Sir James Graham, at the Home-
office on Saturday last, consisted of George
Webster, Esq., M.D., President; Professor Grant, M.D.,
F,R.S., Hon. Member ; Robert Davidson, Esq., Vice
President ; E. D. Grainer, Esq. ; Henry Smith, Esq.
septimus Read, Esq.; and C. W. Rogers Harrison, Eq.,
Hon. Secretary.