should, as far as possible, be avoided, together with all fables and endless genealogies, the staple of Indian as well as of Grecian folly, the preaching of the Word should be more clear, more powerful, more profitable, more tending to the godly edifying which is in faith. There is room for improvement here. If this is duly attended to there seems no reason why, in the present dissolution of old beliefs, and the broaching of new speculations, the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ should not meet with the same triumphs in India as it had under similar circumstances in Rome and Greece, where mischievous though futile efforts were made to galvanize ancient superstitions, and to seek to impart to them a show of reason. But a solemn responsibility devolves upon those to whom in this North-West "a dispensation of the Gospel is committed."

SIR R. TEMPLE ON MISSIONS IN INDIA.

HE

K.

very able book lately published, entitled "India in 1880,"* by Sir Richard Temple, which is dedicated by permission to the Prince of Wales, has, in addition to chapters on such subjects as law, revenue, land tenure, irrigation, commerce, public health, science and art, army and navy, education, &c., one chapter with the heading "Religious Establishments and Missions." Its testimony to the value of Missions as an agency for good, and to their success, is important; and some extracts will be useful in many ways to our readers.

After defending the religious establishment maintained by Government for its own servants, Sir R. Temple proceeds to review the voluntary efforts of missionary societies. He begins with the Church of Rome:

:

The Roman Catholic Church has real vitality in India, and counts among its sons, not only Europeans and people of mixed blood, East Indians and Eurasians, but also Natives; many of the Europeans being of Portuguese extraction. Its work is extensive in the three Presidency cities of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay, at all the principal stations civil and military in the empire, and in many rural districts. It has a hierarchy of Archbishops, Bishops and Vicars apostolic, and a numerous priesthood of various nationalities, French, German, Belgian, Dutch, Swiss, Italian, Portuguese, more than English or Irish. It possesses establishments of Lady Superiors, nuns, and sisters. It has cathedrals, churches, chapels, convents, colleges, schools, and orphanages. (P. 166.)

"Nor has Protestantism," he continues, "with its multiform development, been a whit behind in running the good race":

The Church of England is represented by two of its principal religious associa tions, namely the Church Missionary Society and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, both of which, though operating in many countries, have laid in India the scene of their largest operations. The Presbyterian community has contributed the Missions of the Established Church of Scotland, of the Free Church of Scotland, of the American Presbyterians. In effective zeal and ability and in devotion to the cause of Missions, no religious community in Christendom has surpassed the Free Church of Scotland. The Independent community has

India in 1880. By Sir Richard Temple, Bart., G.C.S.I., D.C.L., &c. London: John Murray, 1880.

furnished the London Mission; there are also the Missions of the Wesleyans and the Methodists. The Baptist community was among the ablest pioneers of the missionary enterprise, and continues its exertions. The religious communities of Germany have sent forth several Missions. Every one of these communities has according to its means and resources contributed munificently to the work, and has produced a roll of distinguished missionaries. (P. 167.)

Sir R. Temple is of opinion that "glowing visions floated before the imaginations of pious and enthusiastic men" in the early part of this century which have not been realized. Nevertheless, "a comparison of the statistics of Missions in the past and in the present, and a sober estimate of possibilities, convince the missionary societies that a blessing does rest upon their labours":

It is hardly possible to state precisely the total expenditure incurred by all the Missions in India, but, computed from data of the known expenditure of some of the principal societies, it can hardly be less than 300,0007. per annum. It may even exceed that sum, if the educational grants-in-aid, earned by the Missions under existing regulations, be added. The results, measured by available statistics, are not incommensurate, according to the standard of comparison adopted in secular administration, though they may fall short of the hopes of earnest men. If the total number of labourers of all nationalities, school-teachers, catechists, lay preachers, Native missionaries and others, with the reverend clergy, European and American, at their head, be reckoned up, it will not be less than 5000. The number of Native Christians is not less than 400,000 souls, of whom a fair proportion consists of communicants. To these may be added, as coming under the influence of the missionaries, all the school-children who, though not professing Christianity, attend Mission schools where Christian instruction is obligatory. This addition will raise the total to between 500,000 and 600,000 souls. Nor has the number risen suddenly, and then stood still with tendency to fluctuation or retrogression; it has steadily and gradually moved onwards. A similar result in secular affairs obtained by like resources would not be regarded as otherwise than satisfactory. (P.169.)

He bears hearty testimony to the ability and character of individual missionaries:

That the standard of personal worth, merit, and capacity among the missionaries has been adequately maintained, will be manifest on recalling the names of those who have laboured in India within the present generation-the names of French, Sargent, Caldwell, Speechly, all four of whom have been raised to the office of Bishop; of William Smith, Leupolt, Thomas (of Tinnevelly), Bailey and Baker (of Travancore), Pfander, Welland, Hughes, Clark, James Long, Vaughan, Mullens, Sherring, Wenger, Alexander Duff, John Wilson, Hislop, Nesbitt, Anderson, Murray-Mitchell, and others. Some of these, like William Smith, have become household words throughout large districts as teachers and evangelists. Some, like Pfander, have been distinguished scholars. Some, like Alexander Duff and John Wilson, as authors, as speakers, as authorities upon all Indian questions, have been among the foremost men of their day at Calcutta and Bombay, and have left much posthumous fame. Some, like Hislop, have been cut short in the midst of a career bright with the prospect of usefulness. (P. 170.)

But he does equal justice to the general body of missionaries whose names may be less known and their work less conspicuous :

Many missionaries have done much for Oriental literature and for the enlightenment of public opinion regarding the nature and essence of Oriental religions, thus labouring in the closet and in the chamber, as well as in the schoolroom and in the thoroughfare. Most of them are nowadays engrossed in the administrative business which the ever-widening operations of the Missions produce. They have by elementary instruction to prepare the minds of a large number of simple people for the reception of truth, and to maintain the moral

discipline of the pastorate among large flocks. Thus their leisure and their opportunity for abstruse study are becoming less and less. Nor is the study of the subtle parts of the Oriental religions always necessary, as such matters are beyond the comprehension of the humble classes which form the mass of Native Christians. The qualities most needed for ordinary missionaries are an adequate knowledge of those religious points which can best be argued before Natives of plain minds and of average intelligence, a power of bringing truths home to the hearts of men, and an aptitude for establishing a moral control over multitudes, together with a trained faculty of insight into the mental standpoints of a strange and alien people. It is the consciousness of possessing such qualities that probably induces young men in England to offer themselves for Mission work, and it is in regard to such capacities that they are chosen by the missionary societies. The missionaries do by their proceedings prove themselves to be thus qualified at least, while many of them evince additional qualifications. (P. 173.)

"The character of Natives converted to Christianity" Sir R. Temple declares to be "generally good":

Though they do not possess all the Christian graces that might be desired, still their new religion does exercise a decisive influence on their life and conversation. Though they may not display all the firmer virtues of Christianity they must have some of such virtues, for they must have cast out with an effort many superstitions deeply embedded in their mental constitution, they must have dedicated their thoughts to truth alone, they must have broken some of the ties which are dearest to humanity, they must have borne the reproaches of those from whom reprobation is hardest to bear. Despite many temptations, the instances of apostasy have been very rare. On the other hand, during times of rebellion and danger there have been instances of courageous adherence to the faith notwithstanding the severest threats.

Such difficulties, however, no longer exist for those Native Christians who have been born in the faith and nurtured by parents themselves sprung from Christians. Of these the number is considerable and constantly increasing, especially in Southern India. With them the faith has become hereditary, and is held with some of that pride and tenacity with which Natives cling to everything ancestral. They are beginning to evince a laudable willingness to render their Church selfsupporting, to sustain a Native ministry, and to bear some of the burdens incidental to ecclesiastical organization, according to their humble means. It was the growing need of episcopal authority and supervision for the admission of a large number of Native candidates to the ministry in its several grades, that caused the governing authorities to nominate three missionary bishops in Southern India. There is much in the bright and happy condition of Native Christian villages in Southern India, which makes the names of Tinnevelly and Travancore sound pleasantly in the ear of Christendom, which animates the breasts of all wellwishers with hope and thankfulness, and which is fraught with auspicious augury for the future of the Native Church in India. (P. 172.)

We may also quote a reference to Anglo-Indian opinion regarding Missions :

No doubt some Englishmen in India of long experience and much information dispute the usefulness of Christian Missions, and deprecate the devotion of so many energies and resources to labours which will bear little or no fruit. It does not, however, follow that local English opinion in India is adverse to Missions. For the English in India subscribe considerably to the Missions; appeals to their religious liberality always meet with response; and in proportion to their means they contribute as much as their countrymen anywhere. It is true also that some high functionaries have felt themselves unable to believe in the utility of Missions, and their view ought to be taken into consideration by those who desire to master all the bearings of the case. On the other hand, nothing can be more emphatic than the testimony repeatedly given in favour of the Missions by some of the very first among Anglo-Indian authorities, by such men as John Lawrence, James

Thomason, Bartle Frere, Robert Montgomery, Donald Macleod, and William Muir. (P. 170.)

Lastly, what is the general influence of Missions and missionaries upon the people of India, apart from the direct results of their work in conversions to Christianity?

There is often discussion as to whether the effect of religious Missions in India is good, and if it be, then in what respects. It may be pronounced really excellent, with only such a minimum of drawbacks or abatements as must be incidental to all human arrangements. The Natives will regard the Missions as proving that despite the allurements of temporal success, the temptations of imperial ambition, and the distractions of national life, the ruling race is still devoutly loyal to its own religion. They will expect that a race, which is loyal in this cardinal respect, will be just, faithful, and honourable in all other respects. They feel no jealousy of the attitude thus assumed by the ruling race, seeing that the power exerted is from private societies and not from the State, and that a change of religion from secular motives is contemned as worthless. Thus the reputation of the British nation is raised in their eyes; a fact of moral value and of political moment. The Natives must inevitably perceive some alloy in British virtue; there is much which they think blameworthy in British conduct. It is well that in the religious Missions they should behold something of which the merit is unalloyed, and with which no fault can reasonably be found.

The missionaries themselves display an example the brightness of which is reflected on the nation to which they belong. They are to be heard preaching in every city, and almost in every large town, throughout the empire. They are con siderately attentive to every inquirer and listener. They are held to be among the best teachers and schoolmasters in the country, even at a time when the educational staff of the Government affords a model of organization. They receive heathen children in the Mission schools, not withholding Christian instruction, and yet they retain the unabated confidence of the heathen parents. They are trusted as benevolent advisers by their Native neighbours. They are known as friends in need and trouble, and as being ready to advocate temperately the redress of wrongs or the removal of oppression. In seasons of pestilence and of famine, they have been vigilant in forecasting evil consequences and instant in dispensing aid. They have been among the foremost in the voluntary bands of relief. They have often afforded to the Government and to its officers information which could not have been so well obtained otherwise. They have done much to elucidate before their countrymen and before the world the customs, the institutions, and the feelings of the Natives. They have contributed greatly to the culture of the vernacular languages. Many of them as scholars, historians, sociologists, or lexicographers, have held a high place in Oriental literature, and have written books of lasting fame and utility. They have, with the co-operation of their wives and daughters, accomplished much towards establishing and promoting female education, and have exemplified before the Natives the sphere of usefulness that may be occupied by educated women. They have enabled the Natives to note the beauty of British homes, which shed abroad the light of charitable ministration and diffuse the genial warmth of practical philanthropy. (P. 176.)

This testimony is distinct and emphatic in itself, though not more so than we have had from many other high authorities; but its special value lies in this, that it is an integral part of a book which has not been written with the special object of commending Christian Missions, which will be a standard work of reference for some time to come, and the author of which will be acknowledged to have had, from the unusual variety of his official experience, exceptional opportunities of forming a fair judgment.

MRS. E. HUTCHINSON'S PIGAFETTA.

A REPORT OF THE KINGDOM OF CONGO, AND SURROUNDING COUNTRIES, DRAWN OUT OF THE WRITINGS AND DISCOURSES OF THE PORTUGUESE, DUARTE LOPEZ, BY FILIPPO PIGAFETTA, IN ROME, 1591. Translated from the Italian by MARGARITE HUTCHINSON. John Murray,

1881.

IN the volume of the Church Missionary Intelligencer and Record for 1879 is a review of a very valuable pamphlet, written by Mr. Edward Hutchinson, Lay Secretary of the Society, entitled, The Lost Continent, its Re-discovery and Recovery. The subject of Africa was peculiarly his own, and was handled with remarkable knowledge and perspicacity. Incidental allusion was made in the course of the narrative to an almost forgotten volume, written in cinque cento Italian, by Filippo Pigafetta, Chamberlain to Pope Innocent IX., telling the story of the travels and experiences of Duarte Lopez, a Portuguese. Great interest attached itself to this chronicle, which was contemporary with the brightest period of Portuguese exploring, and a desire was expressed for a modern translation of an obsolete work, known more to librarians than practical geographers. This desire has now been gratified by the labour of an accomplished lady, well known to many readers of the Intelligencer, who has nobly co-operated with her husband in the advancement of geographical knowledge and missionary enterprise.

On the title-page is a translation of the famous passage in Camoens' Lusiad, in which the boastful assertion is made, that the inhabitants of the kingdom of Congo had been converted to Christianity. We give the passage in original, as another proof, if one were necessary, of the falsehood of Roman Catholic Priests, both in past and in present times:

"Alli o mui grande reino está de Congo,
Por nós ja convertido á fé de Christo,
Por onde o Zaire passe claro e longo,
Rio pelos antiguos nunca visto."

We are introduced to the work by a short Preface from the pen of Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, who asks the momentous question, how the Portuguese nation established their authority in Central Africa, how far in the interior it extended, what was the nature of their administrative system, if they had any system at all, and how it came about, that their power wasted away, and the knowledge of these tracts disappeared like a dream, justifying the assertion, that the Continent was lost, and had in these last days to be re-discovered. And it is noteworthy and full of suggestions with regard to the present, that the Roman Catholic Church, which had been established with such outward display, perished also root and branch, as the Mission-system of Rome depended then, as now, on the aid of the secular arm, upon outward show, upon a baptized but unconverted crowd, who were Pagans in heart, and habits, and tribal customs, in spite of the veneer of pseudo-Christianity spread over them. Let Protestant Missions take warning in time, and seek to