The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-12-09
FOREIGN ITEMS.


tar Chroaicle of September 18th, mentions an
incident connected with Gen. Prim which al
fords an encouraging view of his character;
During the short visit pail by Gen. Prlm
to AlgeciraS, he found time to accord an IN
terview to three refugees, SenOres Cabrera,
Albania and Hernandez, who have been tor a
long time exied from their native country on
account of their religious opinions. The Gen-
eral received these gentlemen with the utmost
Kindness In reply to their remark, that their
only crime had been, that they did not profess
the Roman Catholic religion, the General said:
From this day forth there shall be liberty In
our country, real liberty; every man shall be
master of his own conscience, and shall profess
the faith which seems best in his own eyes.
You gentlemen, he added, may return to
your country by the first steamer, and you are
at liberty to enter Spain with your Bible I'M
der your arm, to preach Its doctrines,
The authorities at Algeciras afterwards sent
for these gentlemen, and told them they we're
at full liberty to stay and carry on their opera
tons in the town, or to go elsewhere, If they
preferred.
Presbyterian Missions TO- ST. in Brazil.-Our
correspondent recently arrived at Rio Janeiro.
writes cheerfully of the missionary work in
that region. After abiding to the fact that
the Christian laborers in Brazil are successors
of the Huguenots who in 1856, years before
the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, at
tempted to colonize aud evangeze this por
ton of South America, he speaks of the Pc
cular success granted to Presbyterian missions
in Brazil: Our brethren of the Methodist
Baptist, and Episcopal Churches, he says:
have all had trial here, and from one cause
or other, retired from the field, as has also the
American and Foreign Christian Union. But
since our standard was raised here less than
ten years ago by our lamented brother Simon
ton, over two hundred Portuguese speaking
adults have foeked to it and are organized into
four churches in this and the adjoining pro
vince of Sac Paulo. Last Lords day new
seals were added to our ministry In the per
sons of FIVE women who were adjudged faith
full, and as such admitted to the Lords Sup
per- In this little church you may see four
young men who have come from our country
churches to study for the ministry under the
eyes Of our senior missionaries.
Oar bi monthly journal, the Imprensd Erdn-
geticd, will soon enter prosperousy upon It's
fifth year, an age, | believe, unheard of in the
history of Brazilian religious journalism.
Neto York Observer.
Missionary Work in CHINA missionary at
Tentsin, in China, has prepared summary
view of the extent of the Protestant missionary
work in that country. Three hundred and
thirty eight missionaries have labored among
the Chinese Their average term Of service
in China has been near y seven and a half
years. OF the.three hundred and thirty ght
missionaries, one hundred and twenty four are
now in the field.
OF these missionaries, four have labored
from thirty to fifty years, seventeen from TWEEN
ty to thirty years. sixty from ten to twenty
and two hundred and fifty less than ten years.
They have represented thrty-one different So.
cieties, mostly in England and America.
The first two translations of the Bible ap-
peared from the press simultaneously about
the year 1922 There subsequently appeared
what are called DR.. Medhurst' S translation and
DR.. Gutziaff translation. Other versions of
parts or the whole have been issued by Drs
Bridgeman and Culbertson, by the London
Society, by the Baptists, &c. Versions of the
| New Testament In several dialects, have been
published to the number of nine or ten-
| Nearly eight hundred tracts and books have
been published at the different ports, and over
two hundred publications in English relating
TO missions and the missionary work, OF the
hundred on theology, eighteen hymn books,
eight are mathematical works. others on vari-
Gus scientific and literary subjects, school
books, &c There are two printing establish
ments, Methodist at Fuhchow, and PreSbyte.
rian at Shanghai, where movable metallic types
are used, besides large amounts of printing
done from blocks in the Chinese manner
Changes for Good.-The suppression of the
order of the Jesuits throughout Spain and
the Spanish islands, and the proclamation of
religious liberty by the Provisional Govern
ment the consequent opening of chapels for
Protestant worship in Madrid, Seville, and
elsewhere, the activity of foreign and native
friends of the Bible in introducing and circu-
latiDg it, and the divorcing of the public mind
from attachment to priestly connection with
education, are wonderful facts, wrought only
by the great power of God for the triumph of
His truth and kingdom.
The Greek Patriarch and the Pope-The Tu-
Q1,ie gives long account of an interview which
tober, between the Greek Patriarch and four
ENJOYS from the Pope, who had been charged
| by bis Holiness to present to the Patriarch a
ell, to be held in Rome in December, 1863
l.
one of them at once produced the letter, richly
bound in pamphlet form, and stated its pur-
port in a few brief words. The Patriarch did
not take the letter. but motioned the speaker
to put it down. He then explained at some
length the reason why he could not accept the
invitation. He had already, he said, been
made acquainted by the newspapers with the
principles expressed in the letter of convoca e.,
ton; and as they were Numerically opposed
to those of the orthodox Eastern Church. it
was with sincere sorrow that he was unable to
subscribe to them.
Already, in 1S4S, his Holiness had sent
similar invitation, and the Eastern Church had
met it by an encyclical explaining how widely
its principles diffe ed from those of Rome :;
and this explanation had greatly afflicted his
| Holiness, as his reply sufficiently indicated =
As moreover his Holiness does not seem to
have deviated from his principles" added the
Patriarch, and we on our side, thanks be to
God, have not deviated from ours, we have as
little desire to vainly cause him fresh sorrow,
as to open old sores" A discussion then fol.
lowed, in which the Patriarch maintained that
it was not the Greek Church, but the Roman
Church, which had departed from apostolica
doctrine, aud denied the right of the Pope
even to summon an G;umenical Council on
his own authority. At the conclusion of the
interview tie invitation was handed back to
the Papal ENJOYS, who thereupon took their
leave. The report in the 7arQ,ae processes to
give the words of the speakers exactly as they
were uttered. And the Nord says it has eve
ry reason to believe that the report is accu
rate.
Bible for Madagascar first translation
of the Bible for the inhabitants of Madagas-
car was made by the early missionaries, and of
course could not be expected to be free from
imperfections When the edition was exhaus-
ted, English Christians, in order that supe