ERRATUM.-In the December Number, page 101, line 15, instead of 500 read 7000.

Price d. or 4d. per dozen. Published by J. GALL & SON, 38 North Bridge, Edinburgh. G. GALLIE, Glasgow. W. M'COMB, Belfast. J. ROBERTSON, Dublin.

HOULSTON & STONEMAN, London.

"Neither shall they learn war any more."-Micah iv. 3. This text was delightfully fulfilled in the island of Raiatea, in the South Seas, some years ago. The Christians there had destroyed the temple of Oro, the god of war, and abolished, as far as they could, his worship in the land, to the no small vexation of the heathen party, who assembled their forces at once, and proceeded to attack them. The poor Christians were greatly dismayed, but committing themselves to God in prayer, prepared for the battle. March 1845.

They hid themselves behind the bushes near the place where their enemies were landing, and being commanded by their leader to make no noise, lay quite still for the word of battle. As soon as it was given, up they jumped, and shouting out, they terrified their foes, who ran in different directions to escape beyond their reach. The Christians pursued, and took many prisoners, all of whom fully expected to be put to death without any mercy. In this,

3

of conduct that no one could eat. At last one of them got up and made a speech, declaring himself won to the new religion by the conduct of the people. Others followed with like words, and the scene was very striking. At last they prepared to separate, but before they did so the Christians engaged in prayer, and the heathen joined in singing with them a song of praise. It was indeed a day of victory more glorious than any arms could ever win, for it was, you see, a victory by love.

however, they were quite mistaken, for,
instead of this, every one that was taken
was led up to the commander very gently,
and there told his life was spared, while a
herald called out, "Welcome, welcome,
you are saved by Jesus, and the influence
of the religion of mercy we have embrac-
ed." In this way they continued to deal
with every prisoner, till at last a very
cruel chief was brought, who trembled
much, and expected only to be murdered.
When he came up to Tamatoa, the con-
quering chief, he cried, "Am I dead?"
No, brother," was the answer, cease
to tremble; you are saved by Jesus!"
After this the Christians ordered a feast
to be prepared, and invited all their ene-
mies to sit down and enjoy the food; but
they were so affected by this strange course | sionary Annual.

Dear children, learn from this to conquer not by anger, but by love, and mark the power of that gospel which can thus teach savage nations to "learn war nó more."-Abridged from the Juvenile Mis

THE FRENCH CANADIANS.-No. I.
TO THE SABBATH SCHOLARS OF GREAT BRITAIN.

MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,-I address this letter to you, because I want you to become acquainted with, and take an interest in, the Roman Catholics of Canada that speak the French language, of whom there are more than half-a-million of souls. It is our duty to send the gospel to all, but there are some persons to whom God has made it more binding upon us to do 80, such as our friends, neighbours, and fellow-subjects, which last is the position that the French Canadians stand in to us. For although Canada once belonged to France, and the forefathers of the French Canadians came from that country, it is now a part of the British Empire, having been given over by the French to us about eighty years since, not long after the famous battle in which the brave General Wolfe was killed, and about which you have no doubt read.

I daresay when Canada was yielded to us, most people were only pleased at the glory that its oonquest added to the British arms,

and how its furs and timber would increase our shipping and commerce; yet there is no doubt, that God, in taking Canada from the French, had the far more important object in view of giving British Christians the privilege of rescuing the inhabitants from the bondage and superstitions of Rome, and making them acquainted with the truth as it is in Jesus.

It is sad to think that British Christians have almost entirely neglected the work which the mercy and love of God gave them the honour and responsibility of doing. It is only about ten years since Missionaries, sufficiently qualified to teach the French Canadians in their native tongue, began to labour among them in a systematic way, and as yet (even that number is an unspeakable blessing) only about 500 souls have been withdrawn from the halfa-million that belong to the Romish Chu ch. There are three missions that have been chiefly instrumental in these conversions, viz. the Grande Signe Mission, supported

THE FRENCH CANADIANS.

principally by Christians in the United States; an Indian Mission at St Francis, aided, until recently, from the same source; and the French Canadian Missionary Society, (with which the writer of this letter is connected) supported by the people of Canada and by British Christians.

I mean in future letters to give you an account of these Missions, and of the religious state of the French Canadians, and the way in which the country was first

discovered by Europeans, and planted as a French colony. In giving you these accounts, I shall have many interesting tales to tell you; and I hope, by the time that I have done, you will all be anxious to do something to send the gospel to the poor benighted inhabitants of this far off land. Your friend and well wisher,

Montreal, Jan. 1845.

STORIES ABOUT MISSIONS. No. III.
THE FIRST PROTESTANT MISSION TO THE SOUTH SEAS.

THE bright fire was blazing in the grate of our nursery, and the neat and tidy appearance of the place told all that saw it that everything was put in order for some special purpose. The rocking horse was moved to one side, the dolls were put snugly into their houses, and skipping ropes, and battledores, and all the playthings were put aside. My mother and Mary, the nurse, had got out their work; the little table was placed in the centre of the room, covered with a very large map, and several objects of interest from the South Seas; the children's chairs were ranged around it; the nice comfortable arm chair put for the good old man, and all the children busy talking about the happy evening they had spent before, and the still greater happiness they were looking for that night. I wonder," said Edward, "what old Mr Olroyd will tell us about to-night;-if he will go on about Balboa, and tell us what became of him, and how he got on, and tell us what islands he found out in the great South Sea." "Oh!" said Louisa, "he is going to tell us no more about that, but about the first Mission that was sent to convert the people living in these islands to God. However, mamma told me all about Balboa this morning, and till Mr Olroyd comes I'll tell you the story. Poor Balboa did not |

66

J. C.

live long after his discovery. Some wicked people laid complaints against him, and his head was cut off, and his property taken from him by the government in the country. Soon after this a great voyager, called Magellan, got six ships from Spain, and set out on a voyage of discovery to the newly discovered seas. He sailed all down here, along the east coast of South America, till he came to these straits at Terra del Fuego, through which he passed, and as you see, come through into the great South Sea. They were then reduced to great distress by disease and famine, and had to devour mice, and when these failed, saw-dust, and at last all the bits of leather they could find about the ship. Still Magellan would not go back, though his men begged hard that he would, and in a few weeks came in sight of these islands marked " Ladrones." The natives paddled out to meet them in their canoes, but proved to be such thieves that Magellan could not let them stay on board a moment. After leaving the Ladrones they came to the Phillipines, where he was at first most kindly received by the simple natives; but as he and his men imposed on the people of one of the islands, and tried to make them pay a tribute, a battle followed, in which many of the Spaniards, and at last Magellan himself, were killed. One of his

officers succeeded to the command, and
went on with the voyage. He visited the
large island called Borneo, and then the
Molluccas; but after this the voyage was
very unfortunate, till at last they got back
to Spain, after sailing 15,000 leagues, and
being absent above three years. Only one
ship out of the six reached the country,
and of 234 officers and men, only 13 sur-
vived to get back to their native land.
The disasters of this voyage and the dis-
tresses the poor men felt, mamma told me,
were truly great and too painful for her to
tell me.
After Magellan, she said, other

great men visited these seas, and discovered many more of the islands, till at last our own Captain Cook set sail in 1774, and discovered nearly all the rest with which we are now acquainted. But there comes Mr Olroyd, and he will tell us all about the matter."

The old man now entered the room, and taking his seat in the chair that was put ready for him, began to ask us through what we had heard before, and what we had just been told; but his story I must tell you at a future time. N. Y. N.

THE NESTORIANS.

LAST year I told you something about at length carried to the distant town of the Nestorians, and the rocky heights amongst which they live. You will remember I stated that they were surrounded by the cruel Koords, who were always trying to get into their country. Well, some months ago they succeeded in doing so, and after climbing up by a fearful pass in the mountains, attacked the poor Nestorians, massacred some thousands of them, and carried many others away captive. Dr Grant, who, you know, visited these people, and was kindly received by them, has written a letter to the children of America, and here is an extract from it about the way in which the Koords treated the poor children.

Mardin, where the little brother was sold for two thousand piastres, or about one hundred dollars. Then his little sister began to cry, to think that she must be parted from her dear brother; for he was all that was left to her in the wide world. The brother, too, cried that he was to see his sweet little sister no more; and they both wept and clung to each other a long time, and would not be parted. So the man returned his slave, and took back his money. Then the little boy was taken away, with his sister, to Diarbekir,—a city of Mesopotamia, surrounded by high walls of black hewn stone, with towers and strong iron gates; and we do not know what has become of them now.

"You have, perhaps, heard that some of the poor captives threw themselves into the river Zab, to escape from the Koords, and were drowned. There was one young woman that jumped into the Tigris, which

I presume you have all heard of the attack which the Koords have recently made on the Nestorians. Perhaps you would like to be told how some of the children have been treated by their hardhearted oppressors. I will mention two or three cases which have come to my know-runs by this city, and thus put an end to ledge.

"Two bright little Nestorian children, a brother and sister,-who had been stolen from their quiet mountain home, torn from parents and friends, and hurried away with hundreds more by the wild Koords,-were

her life, because the cruel Koords tortured her with hot irons to compel her to renounce her religion, and embrace that of Mohammed. And some of these wicked Koords tried to frighten some children to receive the false prophet Mohammed, in