Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1848-08-25
OF MISSIONS.

PROGRESS OF MISSIONS.
AT the monthly Missionary meeting in Boston
on Sunday evening, 9th inst, a letter was read
from DR. Scudder, Of Maduan, giving an account
OF a Missionary tour in the country Of Tondi-
man Rajah, and of several interviews with the
King Of Tondiman, who initiates tho English in
dress, manners and equipage. Among other
languages, he speaks the English quite auently,
though not eighteen years old. He has a very
good English library for English visitors, and a
bungalow, provided with ample accommodations,
for their temporary residence. The King re-
ceived him very graciously at his palace, seated
DR. Scudders daughter at his left hand on the
throne, adorned them with flowers, and sprink-
led their handkerchief with p~orfumed water
He, the same day, called on the Doctor and in
vited Mrs Scudder and her daughters to a ride
with him in an English carriage, while DIR S.
rode with the Kings brother. The Doctor ure-
ed the King to read the English New Testament
in his library, but he said he could not, his Lord
Bishop, who has entire control of bis religious
sentiments, would not permit him. When they
were abou, 10 leave, the King wrote a letter TO
Mrs scudder, urging them TO remain several
days longer. DR. S. thinks thai place, Pootha-
Gotta, favorable for a mission station. During
this tour, Dr. S. preached several times a day
usually, distributed tracts and books, and per-
formed several surgical operations.
Rev. Mr. Hume, Of the Bombay Mission, gives
an account Of a tour made by himself and Mr.
Fairbank, Of the Ahmednuggur Mission, into
the Southern Coucan visiting most of the I'M
poriant places on the coast for two hundred
miles, 10 near the foot Of the Great Mountains.
They were uniformly received with the utmost
kindness by the people. They found every
where an eager desire for books. In no part Of
India, says the writer, is the proportion Of Brah-
minis 80 great, and with few exceptions they are
more or less educated. They were generally re-
spectful and attentive hearers, wherever congre-
cations we're addressed. The villages are rep
resented To be quite superior to other portions
Of the Mahratta country. In the larger villages
schools are supported by Government, giving in
s%truction in geography, grammar, arithmetic,
history, geometry, &C., which must do much to
destroy confidence in Hindooism. Indeed, Mr.
Hume says, we often heard complaints that re-
ligion was on the decline-many Of the temples
were in a ruinous condition. some spoke Of the
neglected idols with pity, others with the great
est contempt.
Rev. Mr. Benjamin, of the Smyrna Mission,
has recently made a tour Of several days jour-
ney into the interior of Asia Minor, during
which he visited Ak Hissar, the ancient Thya-
tIra, where the Apostles planted a church, mem
toned in the Apocalypse. Though beautiful for
situation, Mr. Benjamin says, it surpdssos all the
cities he had seen for miserable houses, which
were built Of mud, and seem ready TO fall down
with the next rain. He found no remains Of
the ancient city Of any interest. An Arminian
priest said there were $50 of his nation in the
city. lie was not aware, til informed by Mr.
b. that the ancient city was mentioned in the
New Testamennt. He admitted that as n Chris
iian he had obligations resting upon him, and
was not prepared to give account of himself TO
his Master, but comforted himself with saying,
A the rest arc like me, | am not alone" On
Sabbath afternoon, a number of Greeks and
Arminians having assembled at his room he read
to them the message of the Savior to the Church
at Thyatira, contained in the second chapter of
Revelations, and explained and applied to them
its solemn annunciatioEs. During this tour MIR
Benjamin found multitudes eager for books.
1t was also stated that a letter had just been
received from Rev. DR. King, who had returned
to his family and his missionary labors, at Ath-
Gus. During his absence of a year, the rage Of
hsi enemies has probably somewhat subsidized;
bnt the reason Of his return was, that from a
change in the Government, his prosecutors had
been superseded by those friendly to DIR X, and
had gone out of the country, having received
appointments to some Office. The editor Of
The Age" too, another of his prosecutors, hav-
ing published an abusive article against one of
the Professors of the College at Athens, had so
excited the indignation Of the students, that they
hsd publicly logged him.
Thus, Providence seems to have prepared the
way for the peaceful return of this Missionary TO
a city where a year ago his life was in imminent
peril. He hopes the time has come when the
preaching of the Gospel will make a deeper i'm
preston upon the hearts of the Athenians than
it has hitherto done.
The remarkable escape from fire Of the Mis-
sion Chapel at Pera, vas also noticed. 1t seems
that while fires are promptly extinguished in
Constantinople, a city Of mosques, and directly
under the eye Of the Sultan, at Pera, not more
than a quarter Of a mile distant, across the
Golden Horn" fremen will work only for pay
and at the late FIRE they had suffered more than
q thousand houses to burn, with but very little
effort TO prevent the destruction, when the Sui
tan having signifed his displeasure that such
dreadful ravages were permitted, the fremen
applied themselves in earnest to extinguish tho
flames, just in time to save the chapel
From Dr. Bridgeman, Of Canton, a letter was
read, dated April 18th, urgently appealing for
more missionaries to be sent TO China. DR. b.
had been sent to Shanghai, to assist the mission
aries Of different denominations in preparing a
translation of the Scriptures, and had been deep.
ly impressed by the immense population Of the
country, and with the Importance Of greatly in
creased missionary effort.
The population of China, he says, may be
safely estimated at four hundred and fifty mill
lions-at least equal to all the rest Of the heath
en- world, and the fact that the same language is
read by this whole multitude, he thinks is a very
strong argument for increasing missionary ope-
~rations-
A SERMON ON DaINKING.-My hearers,
to keep continually dry, always wear an oil
III - a