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when I read this account of patient and honourable exertion, battling hard with adversity, I could not help feeling very strongly my own unworthiness, and how deep a thankfulness I owe to God, whose mercy has thus far protected me, and those most dear to me, from the state of dependance, privation, and anxiety in which so many men, my superiors in many respects, are doomed to languish. Heaven grant that I may hereafter make a better use of its blessings!

I was much pleased to hear that my dear wife had been busy in the girls' school. You will, I fear, have a great deal of trouble there; but I am sure you will not grudge it. I have been seeing the two large schools, the Male and Female Orphan Asylum, in which Dr. Bell first displayed his talents for education. The former is very flourishing, under the inspection of the senior Chaplain, Mr. Roy, and both in the progress and health of the boys is superior to the free school of Calcutta. The latter is but ill-conducted under a countryborn female, the widow of a Missionary, who, though a worthy sort of woman, has not talent or energy for her situation. I have also seen a magnificent display of native schools and native converts at Vepery, under the care of two Danes, (Dr. Rottler and Dr. Haubroe) sent out by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. The girls here read better, and hem quite as well as those under Mrs. Wilson's care. They are chiefly managed by Mrs. Haubroe, a young Dane of Tranquebar, who seems an excellent person.

I hold my confirmation to-morrow, and am promised 500 candidates, of whom about 150 will be Tamul; my visitation is on Friday.

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The Chaplains here are a remarkably good and gentlemanly set, and I am greatly impressed with reverence for the worthy old Missionary Dr. Rottler. The weather is very hot, as hot, they say, as it is likely to be here; but I am extremely well. Nobody could be kinder or more considerate than both Sir Thomas Munro and Mr. Hill have shewn themselves. They have assigned me a most comfortable set of tents,-assigned me (what you will be. glad to hear) a surgeon, Mr. Hyne, the deputy assay-master, said to be a very clever and agreeable man, and a young officer, Captain Harkness, by way of guide, and to command the escort, who knows the language and country of Travancore well, besides lending me two saddle-horses, and a small stock of plate, my own being, as they tell me, insufficient for the numbers of which my party will now consist. All this consideration is so much the kinder in Sir Thomas Munro, because he is now much occupied with domestic distress, Lady Munro being about to return to England with one of her children who is ill. Lady Munro is a very lovely woman, and of remarkably pleasing manners; every body here seems to regret most honestly her going away, saying that her whole conduct has been made up of good manners, good heart, and sound solid judgement. I do not know that higher praise could be given to a "Lady Governess."

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I set out on Monday, the 13th, via Trichinopoly, &c., to Travancore. I shall, I am told, find it very hot, but with care, shall run no risk in point of health. There are some beautiful Churches here, the other buildings are less handsome than I expected; the country less green than Bengal, and the climate, at this season at least, considerably warmer. Much as I feel your absence, I cannot repent of having left you behind. No accommodations are to be obtained in the Neelghurry hills, and to take children at this season through Travancore, every body tells me would be madness.

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Poor Dr. Smith! I was shocked to hear of his death, and grieve for his poor widow. Yes, dearest, I am sure you will shew her all kindness. Adieu, dear, dear love! God bless you and our babes.

REGINALD CALCUTTA.

TO MRS. R. HEBER.

Camp near Alumbura, (one day's march from Pondicherry,)
March 16, 1826.

I have had little or no time to keep a journal, but was determined to make a beginning, and now send it to you. I am very well, and am travelling comfortably through a pretty country, in which almost every thing reminds me of Ceylon, (I mean its sea coast.) I have excellent tents and horses, and like my fellow-travellers very well. Sir

T. Munro has written to all the collectors on the

road to assist me in every way, (as was done by the Government of Bengal on my former tour,) and has himself taken great pains to settle every thing for me beforehand. Captain Harkness, the commander of the escort, says he has even directions, in case Mr. Hyne should fall ill, to press the first surgeon, or assistant-surgeon, whom he may find, to accompany me as far as may be necessary. The weather is about as hot as it was in our excursion through Salsette with Mr. Elphinstone. Love to my dear little Emily, and kiss her and her sister for their affectionate father.

REGINALD CALCUTTA.

TO THE RIGHT HON. CHARLES W. WILLIAMS WYNN.

Camp near Chillumbrum, (Carnatic,)
March 21, 1826.

MY DEAR WYNN,

There were, indeed, several reasons which rendered my presence here extremely desireable, and some, which, as being characteristic of the country, may not be uninteresting to you. You are aware of the very considerable number (I believe about 40,000) of Protestant Christians in different parts of this Presidency, the spiritual children of Schwartz and his successors, and all now in union with the Church of England. These people, however, Christians as they are, have preserved very many of their ancient usages, particularly with

regard to caste, which, both here and in Ceylon, is preserved with a fierceness of prejudice which I have rarely witnessed in Bengal, and which divides almost as perfectly a Sudra from a Pariah Christian, as it did the same individuals while worshippers of Vishnu and Siva. The old school of Missionaries tolérated all this as a merely civil question of pedigree and worldly distinction, and in the hope that, as their converts became more enlightened, such distinctions would die away. This effect has not followed; but, on the other hand, some of the younger Missionaries, both Germans and English, have not only warmly preached against caste, but in the management of their schools, and the arrangement of their congregations, have thwarted it as much as possible. They have even done more; having interfered with many ancient forms which are used by these people in their marriage ceremonies and domestic festivities, and which they conceive to be Pagan, while one of them has gone so far as, by way of punishment, to compel a schoolboy of high caste to drink water from the cup of a Pariah. A long complaint of these transactions, written in very good English, and with a long row of signatures, was sent to me by the Vepery congregation some time ago, and I have now many similar statements from different persons and congregations of the South. The difficulty will be to ascertain how far the feeling of caste is really civil, and not religious, and how far the other practices objected to are really immoral or idolatrous. On these topics I am now busily making inquiry, and hope,

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