PART II. for what is said of" the fostering care of the CHAP. II. 1810-11. British and Foreign Bible Society," and of those "seasonable supplies" which animated the hopes and endeavours of all concerned in its benevolent undertaking" for the welfare of British India. 66 At length, after a series of delays and obstructions, arising from causes which it would answer no good purpose now to investigate and expose, the object so long desired and so perseveringly urged by the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society, was happily accomplished. On the 12th of August, 1809, George Udney, Esq. the Rev. D. Brown, T. Thomason,* Dr. Carey, W. Ward, and J. Marshman, met by appointment; and having taken into consideration the Society's Resolution of July 23, 1804, and the several communications which had taken place between its Secretary and the Rev. Mr. Brown subsequently to that period, unanimously constituted themselves a Corresponding Committee, of which George Udney, Esq. should be the Chairman, the Rev. D. Brown the Secretary, and James Alexander, Esq. the Treasurer. The Corresponding Committee, thus definitively organized, proceeded to make such arrangements as the charge which they had accepted appeared to them to require. It was determined at the * By a Resolution on the 2d of January, 1809, the Rev. T. Thomason was nominated to succeed the Rev. Dr. Buchanan, who had returned to England. CHAP. II. 1810-11. meeting in which the formation of the Committee PART II. took place, that measures should be adopted for carrying forward approved translations in the Arabic, Persian, Hindoostanee, and Telinga languages; beside those which were in the hands of the Serampore Missionaries. This determination was followed by a direction to their Secretary to open communications with Tranquebar, Tanjore, Bombay, Cochin and Ceylon; and by a Resolution to hold half-yearly meetings, for the purpose of receiving Reports, and transmitting information to the British and Foreign Bible Society. Such were the indications of wisdom and energy with which the Corresponding Committee entered upon its important career. Its organization was an era in the religious history of India. From that time the operations relative to the translation and distribution of the Scriptures put on a regular form; and proceeded to excite, as we shall have occasion to see, that attention in various directions, which terminated in obtaining for the British and Foreign Bible Society a decided and general support. The interval between the primary meeting of the Corresponding Committee and the first Monday in January, 1810, to which it adjourned, was very advantageously employed in an interchange of communications between the Secretary, Mr. CHAP. .II. 1810-11. PART II. instructed to correspond. The reader will be able to form a judgment of the extent to which encouragement was held out by the Corresponding Committee, in the name of the British and Foreign Bible Society, on perusing the following circular, addressed to the Rev. Dr. John, of Tranquebar. "Rev. Sir, Calcutta, Oct. 2, 1809. "The British and Foreign Bible Society have been pleased to institute a Committee of Correspondence at Calcutta, and have sent out large sums, for the purpose of promoting translations of the Holy Scriptures into the Oriental languages, and for publishing editions of the same. I am directed by the Corresponding Committee to invite your co-operation, and to transmit to you the inclosed minutes. We understand that a Tamul edition of the Scriptures is much wanted, and also that you have at Tranquebar a Tamul press. It is requested that you will be pleased to communicate fully on this subject: first, respecting the need of a Tamul edition of the Holy Scriptures; secondly, respecting the means for carrying it into effect; thirdly, respecting the probable expense, and the number of copies you would advise for an edition. It is particularly requested that you will be pleased to report on this subject in the beginning of December next; and to suggest whatever you think may forward the views of the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Reports of PART II. which will be regularly sent to you. To this, and similar addresses, very gratifying replies were received from the Rev. Dr. John, at Tranquebar, the Rev. C. Pohlé, at Trichinopoly, and the Rev. Messrs. Kohloffand Horst, at Tanjore; all of whom were Missionaries in connection with the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge: they severally expressed their joy and gratitude on being invited to co-operate in so important a a work. "I have received" (says the venerable Dr. John)" your official letter of the 2d ult. with the highest and most heartfelt pleasure, and sympathize fully with the grand and blessed object of the honorable British and Foreign Bible Society; and accept of the invitation of the respectable Corresponding Committee, to unite with them in obtaining that great object, which I will joyfully do, as my poor abilities may permit." "I am very sensible" (says the excellent Mr. Pohlé) "of the honor so kindly intended to be bestowed upon me, in the hope of my compliance with the object of your kind invitation; as also of the great importance of the undertaking, to the glory of God, and the salvation of souls, to be promoted by the knowledge of truth, which is to be conveyed to them from its principal source, the Holy Bible, in their native languages: I shall CHAP. 1810-11. СНАР. 1810-11. emotions of joy and 66 PART II. not fail to offer up my poor prayers to the throne of grace; and if, in that respect, I can be of any use, as also by my advice to my younger brethren at Tanjore, and so can conveniently co-operate with them, I shall readily do it." In like manner, the Rev. Messrs. Kohloff and Horst greet the communication made to them through their senior, Mr. Pohlé. "With the most lively gratitude," (they say,) we adore the loving-kindness and mercy of our dear Lord, who hath disposed the respected Bible Society to afford us their benign assistance for diffusing the divine light of the Holy Scriptures among so many thousands of souls, who are perishing for lack of knowledge. May the Lord crown the pious designs of that worthy Society with the most ample success, and themselves with righteousness, life, and glory everlasting!" The communications with Cochin and Bombay led to information respecting the Malayalim version of the Gospels, on which the Corresponding Committee were afterwards enabled to proceed with effect. It is due to General Macaulay, at that time British Resident in Travancore, and Sir James Mackintosh, Recorder of Bombay, to state, that their co-operation was readily granted, and proved extremely useful. To the former the Society's obligations were much greater than his modesty would allow them to be stated. He took, from the first, the design of printing the Ma |