Immagini della pagina
PDF
ePub

take charge of Gibraltar Chapel, which would occasion him less fatigue than the care of a District. He has been succeeded in this District by Mr. Betts.

York.

Mr. Wilhelm gave the following account of this Station in September:

The people who attend Divine Worship, seem to become more and more attached to me; though most of them were led to a religious disposition, agreeably to the Wesleyan System. They have never invited me to their Meetings in their own Chapel; which, I think, is all the better both for me and for them; for I might, perhaps, prove offensive to some, in not instructing them THERE agreeably to their own regulations: but they attend Public Worship with me, once, at least, on the Lord's Day; and also receive the Lord's Supper at my hands; as well as bring their Infants to me to be baptized; and also such Adults as they take into their fellowship, to be examined, and, if necessary, instructed by me for baptism: of these people I have now 21 men (Discharged Soldiers) and 39 women on the lists as Communicants. Besides these, I have baptized 6 men and about 20 women (not of the Wesleyan Connection), after instructing them for the space of three months. The Holy Communion, however, is very irregularly attended on Easter-Day, I had 58 Communicants; in June, only 27; and in August, 32.

The progress of religion is much hindered, by the people being left at perfect liberty, whether they will keep the Sabbath, or choose to work in their farms and bring burdens home.

At Christmas, Mr. Wilhelm reported, that during the Quarter, though he had not been prevented from having Service every Sunday, he had been unable, from general ill health, to visit either Kent or the Bananas.

Kent.

The Rev. John Gerber's visit to England, and his subsequent return to the Colony with Mrs. Gerber, have been noticed. He greatly regretted that it was rendered necessary for him to leave his Station at a time when the influence of religion began to be powerfully manifested among the people. On the eve of his departure he reported

The attendants on Divine Service have considerably increased: 28 males and females have been baptized and admitted to the Lord's Table: four others, baptized before, have been added: the present number of Communicants is 43, all of whom I believe to be sincere.

[ocr errors]

After Mr. Gerber's departure, W. Tamba visited Kent till the end of May, and made the following Report of this Station:

The people are in the same state as when the Rev. John Gerber left them: one Communicant is dead: Morning Prayer is kept regularly. On Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, our Church is quite full: on Monday, I walk about the town, to visit the sick on Thursday forenoon I examine the School; and, in the afternoon, I meet the Communicants.

The Communicants were reduced to 30, some having left Kent, after Mr. Gerber's departure.

While the Mountain District has been deprived of the valuable services of a devoted servant of Christ, this District has sustained a similar loss by the death of Mr. Thomas Heighway. He reached the Colony on the 9th of last December, and on the 28th proceeded to his Station at York: on the following Sunday he was a good deal exposed to the sun, in an attempt, before Public Service, to enforce the due observance of the Sabbath; and when he afterwards addressed the people who were assembled for Public Worship, he over-exerted himself to a degree which could not fail to excite the apprehensions of his European Friends. In the afternoon he complained of headache, and found it necessary to take some medicine: his indisposition however increasing, he removed to Freetown for medical advice on the following Thursday; but his case, it was soon ascertained, was beyond the efforts of human skill.

Though Satan was permitted to harass him at the beginning of his illness, the temptation remained but a short time; and, afterwards, his mind was sweetly composed, and resigned to the will of God: he remained in a peaceful frame until Monday, Jan. 7; when, about four o'clock in the afternoon, he quietly fell asleep in Jesus.

Mr. Davey thus speaks of his departed friend

He was a man of strong faith, ardent zeal, and fervent prayer. I had the privilege to see much of him at Islington: and, after his arrival, he remained with me a few days at Bathurst, and assisted me in various ways, in the Schools, and addressing the people of this District. His whole soul seemed to be drawn out in a peculiar manner for the eternal welfare

of those, for whom he had left his native country and came out hither to labour.

Mr. Davey adds

I am aware that you need a large share of faith, under all the dispensations of God's providence, with which your Mission in this Colony is exercised, to enable you still to go on, in the great work of sending the Gospel to the miserable children of Ham. Some would have said, long ago, "Give up the post, and labour elsewhere:" but you have been enabled, hitherto, to go on, in humble dependence on an Almighty Arm; and have sent out one Labourer after another, into this unhealthy place. Many of these Labourers have been summoned, at an early period of their residence here, to their eternal home: and some have been ready to say, Joseph is not, and Simeon is not! all these things are against me! yet you, my Dear Sirs, have been upheld under all trials; and, I doubt not, will still be upheld by Him who hath said, Be still, and know that I am God! I will be exalted among the Heathen: I will be exalted in the earth.

SHERBRO COUNTRY.

Stephen Caulker, who conducts the School at the Plantains, reported, in June, that he had then 25 Scholars. Of the business of the School, Mr. Haensel gives the following account:

The School opens at six in the morning, and continues till eight. It commences with Prayers, at which the grown-up Boys attend with the younger: the former say a lesson immediately after Prayers, which has been given them the day before; and then get a lesson again to learn in their leisure time, and to say the following morning: after which they go to their work. The smallest Boys are nine in number: they attend with the older Boys in the morning from 6 to 8, and again from 10 to 4.

The number of Schools in the Colony under the charge of the Government, as before noticed, is 21; that is, 12 for Boys, and 9 for Girls. In these are instructed 659 Boys and 445 Girls; making a total of 1104 Scholars. Thirty-six persons, 22 Males and 14 Females, are employed as Teachers in these Schools. Many of the Scholars are children born in the Colony, of parents long since located.

The very inadequate manner in which the Society has been enabled to provide for the spiritual necessities of the Africans calls for the exercise of much faith. The devoted Servants of God who have given

themselves to this work, have a field of labour around them to which their physical powers are utterly unequal; and perhaps the excitement naturally produced by this state of things may have been among those second causes which have led to too great exertion on the part of those who have learned to feel deeply for the wretchedness of their Heathen Neighbours. Mr. Davey's feelings on this subject are thus expressed in his Report of the District with which he is charged, made to his Brethren at Christmas. He says-

It requires no small share of faith and patience, under the labours more abundant laid upon me, to remember, that for want of assistance I am prevented from giving either the Inhabitants of this or the other Villages in this District, that attention which, as a Messenger, Watchman, and Steward of the Lord, I am enjoined to give, in feeding the Lord's Family, and seeking the sheep of Christ scattered abroad in this naughty world.

Far be it from me, my Dear Brethren, to be the cause of your relinquishing a single post which we already occupy, if it shall be considered by you that our strength is such as to warrant our continuing to labour at it: but I would rather suggest the propriety of conducting a few Stations on an effectual plan, than ineffectually to aim at supplying many. I should rejoice to see every Station of this Colony occupied, and excursions made in the surrounding country: but neither can be done, till we are very much re-inforced in numbers. In the mean time, it is highly important, I humbly conceive, to concentrate our exertions as much as possible: perhaps for want of this, in times past, our efforts have not been so productive as, humanly speaking, they might have been.

Mr. Davey adds

Although it may not appear to be part of my Report, yet I am constrained to notice, with humble gratitude to the Father of all Mercies, the very timely arrival of our dear Brethren on the 9th instant. May their lives be spared, their talents im proved, their zeal employed, and their love abound, to the glory of God! May we, my Dear Brethren, rejoice with trembling, cease from men, and be kept from resting upon the creature! May we look alone to the Lord of the Harvest, not only to send forth Labourers, but also to preserve those Labourers, and make them wise men that need not to be ashamed! May grace be imparted to us all, day by day, to make us stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that it shall not be in vain in the Lord!

**Since the Anniversary Meeting, the Annual Report of the West-Africa Mission, drawn up by the Rev. C. L. F. Haensel, has been received; and is printed in the Appendix, No. II. p. 142.

MEDITERRANEAN MISSION.

Malta.

THE arrival at Malta of the Rev. C. F. Schlienz, the Rev. Dr. Korck, and Mr. John Kitto, together with the departure of Mr. Peter Brenner for this Station, has been already mentioned.

The individuals connected with the Mission at Malta are, besides Mr. Jowett and his family, Mr. Schlienz, Mr. Koelner, Mr. Kitto, Mr. Brenner, and Mrs. Andrews. Mr. Jowett and Mr. Schlienz are occupied in the preparation of Publications; Mr. Koelner and Mr. Kitto in the Printing Office; and Mr. Brenner is designed to assist Mr. Jowett in the secular concerns of the Mission, especially those connected with the Press. The house occupied at Valetta having been found too small for the increasing business of the Mission, another has been engaged, which is large and commodious, very airy and cool, and situated in a quiet street. The Printing Establishment has two large rooms; and accommodation is afforded for all the Members of the Mission.

Mr. Jowett is engaged in a Greek Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle to the Romans. Mr. Schlienz, with the aid of Phares Shidiak, an Arabic Youth, is preparing, in Arabic, a Commentary on the Parables. Ysa Petros has completed, at Jerusalem, an Arabic Translation of the Pilgrim's Progress. Various considerable works are printing in Italian and in Greek: and Arabic Tracts, with a large quantity of Translations, are ready for the Press.

On the subject of Arabic Translations, Mr. Jowett remarks

Arabic, as you will perceive from the demands of our Brethren in Egypt and Syria, is likely to occupy a large share of our attention. Should Providence smile upon our Oriental Translations, I see no limits to our Arabic Works for many years to come: in fact, I see no limits at all. However, I would not indulge a presumptuous spirit: He, whom we serve, alone knows how far it will be good for us to proceed in any of our best-intentioned undertakings: we can only say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that.

The Press did not come into effective operation till January 1825. The following Abstract of its labours for three years, to the end of 1827, has been sent home by Mr. Jowett :

« IndietroContinua »