The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1862-11-20
China,

VIEW OF THE MISSION WORK.-The Rev.
S. Wells Williams, LII. D., for many years
resident in China, and author of one of
the ablest works on that country, in letter
dated Shanghai, June 2, and published in
the ~ Y. Observer, gives the following
summary Of the missionary agencies at work
there:
At Canton there are eighteen missiona-
ries, mostly married; ten or more chapels
are opened within or without the walls, at
which the aggregate Of hearers during a
week is, perhaps, ten thousand. Two hos
pitfalls, five boys and girls schools, and tin
Grating laborers in and around the city i'm
part relief and instruction to many more.
Two stations, at Fuhchau and Shaking,
have opened new communities to the preach
er, and he is heard quietly if not believ-
ingly.
AtSwatan, distant one hundred ard thirty
miles from Hong Kong eastward, there are
four missionaries, two of whom are about
thirty miles in the country, and there re-
moved from intercourse with foreigners,
which retards rather than promotes the work.
They are busy with simply preaching, though
there is one girls school at Double Island.
The people in this region are turbulent and
enterprisng.
At Annoy there are twelve missionaries,
and several stations in the country for TWEEN
ty or thirty miles around, churches built and
schools opened in the town, with chapels in
the out-stations. There are over FIVE hun
dred members of the Churches in the city,
and over two hundred in the country.
At Fuhchau there are twelve missiona-
ries, in and around the city, whose chapels
and churches are continually opened. The
former bitterness of the people is diminish
ing, and the treaties are regarded as COM
pacts which are obligatory on their rulers.
Fuhchau has not been attacked by insur-
gents as the other parts, nor has it ever
had foreign soldiers in or near it, and the
Manchu garrison has not been brought to
see its weakness against them as at Canton;
whichis the preferable experience is not GER
tain. The travel into the interior ia pretty
free, and out-stations are maintained.
At Nlngpo there are thirteen missiona-
ries; schools, churches, and hospital are
among the means of influencing the people,
as well as the preached Gospel, and lately
increased interest is felt in the word. |
heard of several aged women whose hearts
the Lord had opened. When I was there,
month since, the Allies were preparing to
drive the rebels out of the city, in order to
ensure the safety of the foreign settlement,
and there was great Commotion in conse-
quence. These connections bring the two
races together more and more, and perhaps
the friction excites more thought than other
wise would be elected. The people who
could escape from the city on It's capture
fled to foreigners for protection.
At Shanghai there are fifteen missiona-
ries, less number than has been stationed
here for many years past. The excitement
connected with the presence of large bodies
of foreign troops during the last two years,
and the recent threatening progress of the
Marking rebels in the vicinity, has stirred
up the native community, increased their
numbers threefold, and driven in thousands
more from the villages and towns overrun
by them, so that mission labors at Shanghai
have been greatly interfered with. Last
week the church erected by the American
Baptist Mission in 1851, was destroyed by
incendiaries.
LabOrers are also settled at Hankau,
Tangehau and Tientsin, and hospital has
been opened at PekiDg; their total is ten,
and they have encouragement to ask for
more laborers, to commence similar regular
operations as at the older stations. have
not yet enumerated the eight German mis-
sionaries settled near or in Hong Kong, and
the single Englishman at the latter. they
will increase the total of foreign missiona-
ries to about hundred, besides the females
and native inhabitants; and l think have
understated the number, for my data are
imperfect, and some have lately left the
country. These statistics give an imperfect
idea Of the progress made and the work
done; but thirty years ago, there was one
English missionary, Morrison; one Ameri-
can, Bridgman; and one German, Gutzlaff,
in China; and they had only one station,