Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1837-07-26

- Ut communicate much with the natives.
&c ne present aspect of the station is fu
Re OF encouragement. Mr.. Kincaid is. com
u Pleteiy at home in the language, and the ma
e i've assistants, among whom is Ko ShooI
u again Tor season, are laboriously engaged
r, Beside these, ko Gwa, the deacon, wis
$ and valuable old man, is employed much o
+ ms time very usefully in private converse
II ton throug b the city He had charge o
q the late kings bearers, amounting to severa
e hundred men, and possesses not only large
!, acquaintance, but some influence. Two o.
! three OF the other members are of very re
| spectacle worldly standing, and three youns
: men give promise of becoming useful in the
: ministry. They are studying English
: geography, &c. at the mission house, under
! Mrs. Simons, and two of them will proba
bly, join the school at Tavoy.
All the disciples except two who reside
forty miles off, and one who is often ken
away in attendance upon his sister, a maC
) OF honor IN the palace, are regularly al wor-
ship every Sunday, and attend the concert OF
prayer, and such other meetings as NAV be
appointed.
Ava is great centre to which persons
resort from every part Of Burmah, and its
tributary states. Many Of these come to
the mission for books, not so much to hear
about I" the new religion" as to see white
foreigners, especially ladies. Except Mrs.
Judson, (who Of course was little seen
abroad during the war, and, as the govern
or's widow stated, part Of the time wore the
!ull Burman costume, to avoid molestation,)
no white female has ever been seen here,
till the establishment Of the British Resi-
dency. There they dare not 90 to satisfy
their curiosity, and they flock TO the mission
house, for the ostensble purpose OF obtain
ing tract. During my stay, there were al
ways some in the house, often a complete
throng, staring at everything, feeling every
thing, wondering at everything. Many
have heard that Mr.. Kincaid has globes and
an orrery, and come avowedly to see those
Our mode Of eating is an especial marvel
and we generally ate with many spectators
in the room, or at the door. Such facts, to-
gelher with those have already mentioned
IN relation to tracts, must be remembered by
! the friends OF missions at home, lest they
make very erroneous differences from the
naked facts, reported in our mis- sionary jour
nails. The great stumbling -block with Bur
mans, as with those to whom apostles
preached, is "Christ crucifed." They can
not get the idea of an eternal God; and
that Christ was a man seems to put him on
footing with Gaudama. They bring up
the fact of his being "born of virgin"
Just as infidels do. Thus that glorious doc
trine, which, to such of them as come to
feel the power and guilt of sin, is the sweet
theme that fills their heart with peace, is, to
the multitude, the "hard saying" which they
cannot bear.
Yet are there some prominent encourage
ments at this station. That tracts and books
NAV be distributed from hence to the re-
hottest parts of the empire, is a very impor-
tant circumstance. That they come from
the imperial city, gives them augmented in
huence. That they are frequently taken by
head-men, and principal citizens gives more.
That Government is fully aware of our
missionary efforts, having had Mr.. Kincaid
several times before them, gives the people
an impression that his conduct now is al
least winked at. 1t is ascertained also that
some thirty or forty persons in the city are
so entirely convinced of the truth Of Chris
tianity, as to have forsaken the forms of
Boodhism, and worship in secret, as they
affirm, the eternal God They dare not
come to public worship, and some Of them
not even to the missionary; but they receive
gladly the visits of the native assistants,
and we may hope will yet become decided
! Christians.
AS to the personal safety of the mission
aries, there IS no apparent ground of appre-
tension. The government would not drive
them from the country, much less offer per-
sonal violence. Their late humiliation by
the British, has greatly altered their tone to-
ward white foreigners. 1t is altogether
probable that the threats of the woon-gyees,
and orders TO stop giving books, were intend
ed merely to exempt themselves from blame
; If it should come to the kinp's ears, that
missionaries are giving books, and he should
choose to be angry, they wish to be able to
/ appeal to their record, and show that the
missionaries haves continued in spite of
prohibition. Having forbidden thing, is
often with Burman officers their final meas
ure, after which, having thus thrown off the
responsibility, they are often pleased to see
. their orders disregarded. At present, too,
, the question who shall be the next king, is
t probably one Of engrossing magnitude to
- the rul9rs. 1t is also to us. If certain
= candidate succeed, Beodhsm will revive on
2 every side. If another, federation will prob,
o ably be allowed. Let US earnestly commend
: the result to Him, who exaIteth kings at his
pleasure. If the missionaries should be
= driven away, it would probably be by such
y measures being taken with the natives, as &c
D render a further stay useless. One Of the
Y highest officers proposed, it is said, in late
e conversation respecting the crowds WIZ
came for books, the crucifxion of some s''
: or eight caught so doing, and that they De
f suspended before Mr.. Kincaid's door til
y they rotted away. There is much reason
t to think this was said for mere effect; TO-
4 the speaker is known to be specially indlt
,f ferent to Boodhism.
r. Near Ava are eight or nine hundred
p Catholics, chiefly the descendants of Frencl
k and other prisoners, brought by AlomPr
e, from SYRIAN, at his conquest Of that pIacc,
J. in 1856. They are settled in six small VII
10 lagos, the chief of which is Kyun-ta- GOA
o, which has one hundred houses. In l7o4
u two priests were sent by the Propaganda
h. The troubles Of Europe prevented their re