ject. The labours of our Missionaries in those parts of India which I have seen, have not as yet produced any great or striking show of converts, but they have undoubtedly been as successful as could fairly be expected considering the short time which has elapsed since the attention of the English Church was called to this new harvest. In the south, the number of native Christians, even without reckoning the Syrian and Romish churches, is great, and has been stated to me on the best authority as between 40,000 and 50,000. And I have myself set on foot a new Mission among the Puharrees, whose different ramifications extend from Rajmahal on the Ganges, through all Central India to the Deckan and the Arabian sea, which already wears a promising appearance, and from which I anticipate, perhaps too sanguinely, very great advantage.

Many thanks for the interesting details which you have sent me of your own pursuits, and of our beloved little flock at Hodnet. I rejoice that you have become acquainted with my excellent and kind-hearted uncle and aunt, whom nobody can know without loving and valueing. Your accounts of the poor old people have carried me back very forcibly (I hardly know whether painfully, or agreeably) to some of the happiest days of my life, though I have never had reason to complain of a want of happiness, and you will much oblige me by remembering me most kindly to some of my bestknown parishioners. May I also request of you to take charge of ten pounds, to distribute next

Christmas among any of the inhabitants who need

it most.

Believe me, dear Blunt,

Ever your sincere friend,

REGINALD CALCUTTA.

Mrs. Heber desires me to send you her kind regards and good wishes.

I write from a small port near the southern extremity of Ceylon, where we are waiting for a fair wind, in order to embark for Calcutta, and where I am happy to steal the first few moments of leisure which have occurred to me for some time, to tell you that we are all three well, that we have received good accounts of our dear little Harriet, and that we are thus far prosperously advanced in our voyage to rejoin her. We left Bombay, where I had been detained much longer than I expected, on the 15th of last month, and had a favourable voyage to this island, of which we have now seen a considerable portion. All which we have seen is extremely beautiful, with great variety of mountain, rock, and valley, covered from the hill-tops

down to the sea with unchanging verdure, and, though so much nearer the Line, enjoying a cooler and more agreeable temperature than either Bombay or Calcutta. Here I have been more than ever reminded of the prints and descriptions in Cook's voyages. The whole coast of the island is marked by the same features, a high white surf dashing against coral rocks, which, by the way, though they sound very romantically, differ little in appearance from sand-stone: a thick grove of coco-trees, plaintains, and bread-fruit, thrusting their roots into the very shingles of the beach, and hanging their boughs over the spray; low thatched cottages scattered among the trees, and narrow canoes, each cut out of the trunk of a single tree, with an out-rigger to keep it steady, and a sail exactly like that used in Otaheite. The people, too, who differ both in language and appearance from those of Hindostan, are still more like the South Sea islanders, having neither turban nor cap, but their long black hair fastened in a knot behind, with a large tortoise-shell comb, and seldom any clothing but a cotton cloth round their waist, to which the higher ranks add an old-fashioned blue coat, with gold or silver lace, and a belt and hanger to match, a fashion which they apparently received from their Dutch conquerors, and which has a very whimsical appearance. The Candians, who inhabit the interior of the island, and whose country, as you know, was conquered by the English about ten years ago, wear a more shewy dress, and one more uniformly Oriental. They are now all tolerably reconciled

to our Government, as well as the Cingalese, or inhabitants of the sea-coast, and their chiefs are rapidly acquiring a knowledge of our language and imitating our customs. We went up with the Governor, Sir Edward Barnes, who as well as Lady Barnes have shewn us much attention and kindness, to Candy, where I preached, administered the Sacrament, and confirmed twenty-six young people in the audience-hall of the late King of Candy, which now serves as a Church. Here, twelve years ago, this man, who was a dreadful tyrant, and lost his throne in consequence of a large party of his subjects applying to General Brownrigge for protection, used, as we were told, to sit in state to see those whom he had condemned trodden to death, and tortured by elephants trained for the purpose. Here he actually compelled by torments, the wife of one of his prime ministers, whom he suspected of plotting against him, to bruise with her own hands two of her children to death with a pestle and large mortar, before he put her to death also; and here at that time no Englishman or Christian could have appeared except as a slave, or at the risk of being murdered with every circumstance of cruelty. And now in this very place an English Governor and an English congregation, besides many converted natives of the island, were sitting peaceably to hear an English Bishop preach! Christianity has made perhaps a greater progress in this island than in all India besides. The Dutch, while they governed the country, took great pains to spread it, and the black

preachers whom they left behind, and who are still paid by the English Government, shew a very great reverence for our Common Prayer, which is translated into their language, and a strong desire to be admitted Members of the Church of England. One excellent man, named Christian David, I ordained last year in Calcutta, and there are several more in training. There are also some very meritorious Missionaries in the island. One of them is the son of our neighbour, Mr. Mayor, of Shawbury, who, together with another Shropshire man, Mr. Ward, has got together a very respectable congregation of natives, as well as a large school, and built a pretty Church, which I consecrated last Sunday, in one of the wildest and most beautiful situations I ever saw. The effects of these exertions have been very happy, both among the Roman Catholic descendants of the Portuguese, and the heathen. I have confirmed, since I came into the island, 360 persons, of whom only sixty were English, and in the great Church at Colombo, I pronounced the blessing in four different languages, English, Portuguese, Cingalese, and Tamul.

Those who are still heathen, are professedly worshippers of Buddh', but by far the greater part reverence nothing except the Devil, to whom they offer sacrifices by night, that he may do them no harm. Many of the nominal Christians are infected

1 The Moodelier of Candy, G. P. G. De Sarum, gave the Bishop a Sermon in the Pali language and Cingalese character, said to have been written by Buddh himself, being one of 17575 he preached in his way betwen Rajmahanoora and Nalundranoora, concerning the state of absorption into the Deity.-ED.