Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-06-01
BRITISH y FOREIGN BIBLE So
ClETY.

say, Chaplain to the Embassy atcen l
stantinuple, relative to the present
state of the Apocaiyptic Churches
constantiaopIe, Jan. 10, 1916.
When last wrote to you, was on
1.-The point OF setting out on a snort ex.
cI,rsIon into Asa Minor , travelling hast
". as | was constrained to do from the !.
circumstances Of my situation the infor-
nation could procure was necessarily
sape RciaI & unsatisfactory ; as, however
Il d str b,ed the few books of the . 'c'ety
which was able to car with mel think
it necessary to give some account OF the
course took. The regular intercourse
lof England with Smyrna, will enable you
to pr 5cure as accurate intelligence OF It's
prese st te as l can pretend to ofe /.
From the conversations | had with the
Greek Bishop and his Clergy. as well as
yarious well informed individuals, | am
led o suppose, that, if the population of
lSmyrna be estimated at 100000 inhabi-
Itants, there are from Is to %, 900 Greeks.
$4,000 Americans, 5000 Catholics, 40
protes tants. and 1000 Jews.
After smyrna, the first place visited
was Ephesus or rather Gas tie site IS not
quite the same} Aiasallck, which consists
Of about 5 poor cottages, found there
but three Christians, two brothers who
KEEP ..Hsall shop, and a gardner. They
a,e all three Greeks, and their i.norance
is lame table indeed. In that place,
which was blessed so long with al Apos.
ties labors aud those of his jealous as
Isistaajs, are Christians who have not SO
lnuch as heard of that Apostle, or seem
.only to recognise the name of Paul as one
in the Caleadar Of their Saints. One of
them, found able to read little, and
left with him the new testament in an
lcient aud modern Greek, which he .ex
lpressed strong desire to read,- and pro
missed me he Wculd not only shdy it
himself, bat lend if to his 9rirndsgin the
Inei- hboring villages. Ny NEXT object
was to see Laodicea in The roao to this,
is Guzel-hisar, a large town, with one
K hurch aud about 700 Christians.
! In conver,ins with the Priests here. !
found them ST. little acquainted with the
BIhle. or even the New testament, in an
entire form, that they had no distinct
i&nowl dye Of The books il contained, be
iyond the four Gospels. but mentioned
lihe.n lrd' criminatelv with various idle
legends aad lives OF Saints.
| have sent thither three copies OF the
,i0dern Greek 1 testament since my re.
turn. About three miles from Laodicea
ms Denl1li. which has been STYLED. but ]
AN lnclined to think erroneuuSly, the An.
Gent tolosse; it is a considerable town.
with about 400 Christians. Greeks and
/ irmenians. each OF whom has Church,
/ regret, however, TO. say. that here ais
the uo>t extravagant tales of miracles, 4
fabulous accounts of Angelsy Saints, and
If ,cs. bad SO usurped the place Of the
ISc'ip uses, as lorenderi it very difficult
to separate,in their minds, divine ruths
iroin human inventions. Ifeit, that here
taat unhappy time was come. when men
should, . turn away their ears from the
l.uth, and be turned unto fables"
had with me some copies of the Cos
Ipeis IN Ancient Greek. which distribut
ed here, a: ia some other places through
which | had passed. Eski-hisar, close
to which are the remains of ancient
Landicea ,contains about fifty poor inhabi
ItaDts, in which number are but two
!, Christians, who live together in small
Il i'll, unhappiiy, neither could read al
Iail, the copy, therefore, of the New les
|tament which INTENDED for this Church
,eft with that of Denizli, the offspTine
Ia d poor remains of Laodicea and Colost
tine prayers of the Mosque are the on,
Drawers which are heard near the ruins o
lhaodicea, on which the threat seems tt
f|haye been fully executed, and its ute
rejection as a Church.
| left it for Philadelphia, now Allah
|shehr. |. was gratifying to find at leas
some surviving fruits of early zeal; an'
here, at least, whatever may be lost 0
he spirit Of Christianity, there is still
1.-THE form CT q Christian Church-thi
has been kept frem the hour of tempta
ton, which came upon all the Christian
,>orld. There are here about 1000 Chris
itians, chiefly Greeks, who, for the mos
oart. speak only Turkish +; there arr
llaepty five places Of pubic whrship, NV
# uhch are large, regular Churches; t
These there is a resident Bishop, witt
It euty inf:rior clergy. A copy of thu
MODERN Greek Testament was received
: lby the Bishop, with great thankfulness
! L on;ttad Alah-shehr. deeniy diSannolnt