Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1837-01-18
MISSIONARY.
From the Bap, Missionary Magazine. Jan. 1897
Deputation to Eastern Missions.
JOURNAL OF MR.. MALCoM.
Continued

[Coninued.1
March IA. Monday. The ten days
spent in this city have been much occupi-
ed with the missionaries in hearing state
ments, asking questions, examining &C.
counts, visiting schools, giving advice,
and such other official duties as will recur
at every station. Such matters 30 not be-
long here, and my readers will not expect
to find them in my future journals, though
they form an important part of my du-
ties
The town and suburbs Of Tavoy con-
tains, as am informed by the acting gov
ernor." l,s45 houses, with population Of
9,O45 souls, giving a fraction less than
five 10 a house. Of1hese, about one or
two hundred are Chinese men, generally
married, and, of course, in such cases, to
! Burman females There are also MaIays
Malabars, Mussulmans, &C. Streets are
in good order much shade, vessels built
arrivals and departures This secures
bakers and every convenience.
The province, not including the city,
contains 4,76S houses, and rs, l43 inhab-
itants or rather over five to a house.
There are from thirty to forty criminal
convictions per annum. The revenue is
more than equivalent to the expenditure of
the Company in keeping up its military
and civil establishments, which is said not
to be the case with any other of these pro-
! vinces. The number of priests is esti-
mated at about four hun bred, but many Of
them are probationers. or novlciates, and
constitute the class out OF which SO many
return to common life But few regular
priests, comparatively, abandon their pro-
lesson. OF nuns there are about fifty, of
whom all saw were beyond middle life,
and generally wore the aspect Of mendi-
Giants.
The dialect Of Tavov is a sort of obso-
Iete Burman, scarcely Ineligible to those
who speak the pure language; but no diff
ference exists in writing.
The missionaries at this station are Mr..
and Mrs. Wade, Mr.. and Mrs Mason,
and Miss Gardner. The latter alone and
MIS-. NJ. attend to the Tavovers, and only
in the way of schools, Miss G. having four
schools, under heather teachers, which she
superintends, being not yet familiar enough
with the language to attempt any other
services.
The married missionaries, though
obliged to reside here on account of the
unhealthiness of the Karen frontiers, give
their whole time and attention to that peo-
IpIc. The dry season they spend a.
mong the mountains, sometimes several
months in place, particular at Matah
During the rains viz. from April to Octo-
Der, they remain at Tavoy Here the
brethren devote themselves to the study
of Karen, and the preparing Of books in
that language, while their wives, assisted
by Miss Gardner, attend to boarding.
schools for Karen children.
Public worship in the Burman lam
guage is held every Sunday morning, in
a good and convenisnt chapel, Of ample
dimensions, built without charge to the
mission BY HE English congregation and
other residents, at which the children of
all the day-schools, with their teachers,
are required TO be present. Few of the
, other heather citizens attend seldom
more than two or three and as there ale
! but five native Christians in Tavoy, the
= congregation is very small Some that
4 were baptized here, have gene TO other
places. Worship is a so held every eve
ming at the house Of one of the missona-
y ries, at which the native Christians and
pupils in the boarding -schooIs attend
D. Seven of the soldiers have been baptized,
. but all are now gone, and only gentle
} man in the medical service, and the mis-
{ sonaries form at this time the Baptist
= communion in Tavoy.
Thus. though three missionaries and
y two missionaries wives reside among the
=. Tavovcrs, and speak that language, there
- are no steady, and systematic efforts for
d their spiritual good. Much, however,
has been done in different ways. Vari-
u Gus excursions have been made among
r. them, and tracts have been distributed to
- every house, besides some hundred BIZ
2 bles and TestamentS which have been
} given. But there is certainly great need
= of the direct and systematic services Of
II man who shall devote himself to the Ia
Of voyers.
Y, An additional and cogent reason for
Or this, is the PECULIARLY fthe dialect when
OF prevails in the province, so marked That
ID person who speaks pure Burnan Is
At With great difficulty understood. This
,r difficulty is not felt at all IN reading; so
90 that there is no need Of other books.
IN ITO be Continued