surrectionary movements had taken place among the Dutch colonists in the interior of the Cape settlements. The diturbances where however soon suppressed by the interposition of the civil authorities and military power. Some of the ringleaders were taken and tried by court martial which has passed sentence of death upon them, and when the ships sailed the execution was expected daily to take place at the Cape Town. - The ship Thomas Grenville arrived at the Cape the 23d Dec., and was to sail again on her voyage to China the 28th. The Minden man of war took a cargo of provisions and live bullocks from the Cape to St. Helena, and left that island the 26th December. Bonaparte continued to reside at the cottage; every thing was perfectly quiet, and provisions of every description were in plentiful supply. The General Stewart, private ship, arrived off the Isle of Wight on the 23d Feb.; she left Bombay on the 8th December, and St. Helena the 4th Jan.-The Sir William Romney and Apollo, extra ships, had arrived at Calcutta, and the Carnatic, regular ship, at Ceylon. The General Stewart had brought dispatches from St. Helena from Sir G. Cockburn. No new occurrence of any interest had taken place in that island. The Claudine private ship arrived in the Downs on Saturday, and the Juliana private ship yesterday. They sailed together from Batavia the 2d November, but parted company off the island of Ascension. The Claudine touched at the Cape the 26th December, and at St. Helena about the 10th January. On the 26th Feb. the dispatches were finally closed at the East India House, and delivered to the pursers of the following ships, viz.-Lady Castlereagh, Capt. G. Simpson; Cambridge, Capt. I Freeman; Coldstream, Capt. J. Coxwell, for St. Helena and China. Passengers per Lady Castlereagh-For St. Helena, Ensign Alex. A. Young. Letters received from St. Helena, of the 20th December, state, that Buonaparte daily rides out, attended by an officer, Capt. Poppleton, of the 53d regiment; but that he is confined to certain limits. He keeps eight horses, with a corresponding equipage. A camp had been formed at a certain distance round him, so that his escape is more guarded against. Some few days previous to the date of these letters, a misunderstanding had taken place between Buonaparte and Bertrand, in consequence of which Gen. Montholon had been appointed grandmarshal, and General Gorgaud master of the horse. Mem.-The sums above mentioned include, in addition to the regimental charge-1st. The expense of Chelsea hoɛpital, half-pay, and widows' pensions.2d. A provision for 12,094 Hessians, amounting to 241,2597, 1s. 3d. in 1730.3d. The sum of 80,0001. for the pay and clothing of the militia, in 1764. This return does not include the numbers and charge of the Irish establishment. An account of stock transferred to the commissioners for the reduction of the national debt, for the purchase of life annuities, pursuant to the 48th George III. c. 142; from the 1st. September THE ASIATIC JOURNAL FOR MAY 1816. ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. To the Editor of the Asiatic Journal. SIR, Whatever difference of opinion may exist as to the expediency of encouraging European missionaries of every persuasion, unacquainted with either the language, the customs, the nature of the religion, or even the astronomy of the Asiatics, to resort to British India, for the purpose of abolishing or subverting the religious rites of Brama, yet no persons can surely object to the promulgation of the Christian religion as practised by the unremitting assiduity, exemplary conduct and indefatigable attention of the learned, pious and industrious society of missionaries at Serampore in Bengal, who have already translated the sacred scriptures into twenty-four different languages, and have ready for the press four other vernacular translations, which could only be effected by men of established abilities, who, by a laudable devotion of the energies of mind, heart and time to the sacred cause, have already sown the good seed, which cannot fail eventually of producing abundant fruit to the benefit of true religion, as well as the cause of morality, industry, and virtue. Asiatic Journ. No. V. An untravelled Englishman is not generally aware that a missi onary in Hindustan without an intimate acquaintance with the languages of Asia, both sacred and colloquial, is somewhat the same as a carpenter without tools, and it is to this ignorance alone, that the late highly respectable Dr. C. Buchanan, and Mr. Martyn, the senior wrangler at Cambridge, were so easily imposed upon by the notorious swindler Sabat, (compared by the former in his Christian Researches to St. Paul,) who has recently published a book in Calcutta, declaring that he only became a Christian to serve his own private viwes, and to shew the fallacy of the Christian religion. It cannot be denied that considerable difficulty of opinion does exist as to the points to start from, in the general introduction of the Christian religion throughout British India. Very many persons consider it as feasible to induce the self-sufficient Brahmin or Pundit (a learned theologian) to conform to the Christian doctrine as the unenlightened Hottentot, while the present Bishop of Calcutta, the learned missionaries of Serampore, and the ever to be remembered VOL. I. 3 H Swartz, incline to the opinion that the Christian character for morarility, temperance and attention to religious duties, should be raised, as an example to others, before an attempt is made to subvert the foundations of a religion, which, however polluted by the artifices of Brahmanical priestcraft, is certainly nearly the same among the better informed, as when Alexander the Great attempted the invasion of India before the Christian Æra. On Christmas day 1814, the congregation in the Cathedral at Calcutta consisted of a bove three thousand persons. The learned Bishop, by his precept and example, has already effected a material change for the better, in the morality of the higher classes of the society in India, while the missionaries, aided by the liberal subscriptions of the European inhabitants, have established schools at the different settlements for the purpose of civilizing the native christians, by teaching them to read the sacred scriptures in their own language as well as English, which was never attempted until lately, although practised by all other classes of heathens to inculcate their own religious tenets from time immemorial. The East India Company are greatly indebted to the learned missionary, Dr. Carey, for many most valuable Treatises on the religion, customs, and jurisprudence of the Brahmanical system; and, by your last number, I see that Mr. Ward has committed to the press at Serampore, a much desired work, explanatory of the Hindu religion, whereby we shall be relieved from the puerile tales. of Jaganath going to his country house, &c. which, in gleanings from Asiatic researches, is stated to be symbolical of the entrance of the sun into the summer solstice, and that the religion of Hindustan is founded on the basis of siderial worship, as was practised even in this country, before the introduction of our most sacred scriptures, which certainly contain the most pure sublimity, beauty, and morality, independent of their divine.origin, of any book that was ever composed. MODERATION. To the Editor of the Asiatic Journal. SIR,-In reply to CLERICUS, Ι beg to state to you, that independently of what provision has been made by the law appointing a Bishop of Calcutta, and regulating his privileges, he is by his consecration, a Bishop, as long as he lives. If circumstances should oblige him to remove from his see, he still would be Bishop of Calcutta, till he resigned his see, or was removed, and another bishop appointed. If he came to England, he would rank as to precedence, above all the English clergy, but below the bishops of the three kingdoms. But as a bishop he would have a right to ordain priests and deacons, and to administer confirmation. During his absence from Calcutta, India would be deprived of the advantage of these two rites, as they can only be performed by persons of the Episcopal order. But some other of his Episcopal functions might be delegated to his archdeacons, chancellor, or commissaries acting in his behalf, and under his authority; such as the superintending the conduct of the clergy, by visitations, &c. The uncertainty of preserving health in the climate of India, would make it a very desirable object to have a Bishop in each presidency, and an archbishop over the whole; as by that provision Bishops might be consécrated in SIR,-I have heard at various times of the princely magnificence, &c. &c. &c. of the present Governor General of India, and the large establishment of his household. A military friend, however, lately arrived from Calcutta, has shown me an actual list, a copy of which I subjoin, and which perhaps, will disappoint the magnificent ideas that I have reason to believe, are afloat on the subject. It is not in my power to say, whether the whole of the establishment as here given, is paid from the company's purse, or whether an exception is made in regard to the lady's maid, the children's, and the room-maidens, &c. &c. As the Countess of Loudon and Moira is coming home, Children's Maid Room Maid Valet Confectioner Footman to Lord Hungerford. Coachman Groom Master Chas. Marcehaux.-Master Laprimaudaye. Mrs. Hooper. Mrs. Harrowey. Mrs. Margt. Lilley, Wm. Brodie. Thomas Gunter, } Alex. Robinson, John Burr. G. Simson, By the way, I have heard that his Lordship has a private Secretary in addition to Mr. Thompson; and you will remark, that there is neither physician or chaplain in the list. For my part, I suspect the said list is given out merely to blind folks on this side of the Atlantic. Yours, GATHERER. For the Asiatic Journal. A BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR Of the late Alexander Dalrymple, Esq. formerly Hydrographer to the ALEXANDER DALRYMPLE, the subject of this memoir, was born on the 24th of July, 1737, at New Hailes, near Edinburgh. He was the seventh son of Sir James Dalrymple, Bart. Auditor of the Exchequer, by Lady Christian, daughter of the Earl of Hadington, a lady of most excellent character, and the mother of sixteen children. Of these, the eldest, Sir David Dalrymple, became one of the Lords of Session, by the title of Lord Hailes, and distinguished himself in the literary world by many excellent and useful writings. James attain ed the rank of heutenant-colonel in the army; Hugh died a captain in the royal navy; and John was repeatedly Lord Provost of Edinburgh. Alexander early conceived a desire to go to the East-Indies, and, in November 1752, through the interest of a relation, he was appointed a writer in the Company's service, and stationed on the Madras establishment. Young Dalrymple was deficient in the common school acquirements. On the prospect of obtaining a writership, he had been put to learn writing and accounts, but he had made only a small progress in either before he was called upon to leave England. At Madras, where he arrived on the 11th of May, 1753, his affairs, for a time, did not appear to be prosperous. The secretary's office, which was the only school where a general knowledge of the Company's concerns was to be learned, required better penmanship than Mr. Dalrymple could produce He was in consequence put under the storekeeper, where nothing worth learning was to be learned, and where he was secluded from the notice of persons in superior stations, and therefore from any chance of advancement. One of his letters of recommendation, however, procured him the liberal and even fatherly patronage of Lord Pigot, who succeeded, in 1754, to the government of Madras; and it is to be presumed that our adventurer must have had qualities of mind and manners which supplied the place of other advantages. Lord Pigot himself taught him to write; Mr. Orme, the historian, taught him accounts; he was now put into the secretary's office, and indulged with access to Mr. Orme's library. A little time only elapsed, before Mr. Dalrymple discovered in all its strength that superiority of mind which had sustained him under his accidental disadvantages. While examining old records for the purpose of qualifying himself for the office of secretary, he discovered that the commerce of the Eastern Islands was an object of great consideration with the Company; and this immediately became the fixed object of his study. |