In connexion with the boarding schools, we have only to add a request, that if the names of boys to be supported at Bombay are transferred to these stations, very particular directions may be given us on the subject, and money sent out accordingly; and a caution, that it be not thought by the christian public at home, from what we have said on this subject, that we need funds for this object of charity, more than for the general purposes of the mission. On the contrary, it is a method of doing good, which, though exceedingly interesting, is necessarily in some degree limited. It must, at least, be proportioned to the extent of other operations. If boys are to be supported in mission families, missionaries and teachers must be supported to receive and instruct them. Build ings likewise must be erected for their accommodation, and various other expenses must be incurred, which will always require more money, than the simple maintenance of the children. We say this from our apprehension that the education of heathen children is so popular a charity, that it may possibly receive a disproportionate patronage. And now, Dear Sir, could we close this letter by giving you the joyful intelligence that not only are the fields ripening to the harvest, but that the reaper already begins to fill his arms, we trust that the tear, which steals into the eye, as we think of our dear native land, would forget to fall, or drop only in gratitude; and while we can say, that there is some seriousness among the boys of our families; that the first fruits of our labours in the Lord continue, generally, to appear well;-that a spirit of inquiry seems more and more to prevail among the heathen around us ;-that the fervency of united prayer begins to warm the breasts of the missionaries of different denominations, as appears in our monthly meetings, and in a daily union of prayer; and that the Lord has been pleased to add one more to our church since we last wrote; one, too, who has already been useful to us as an interpreter and school-master, and who promises to be a blessing to his benighted countrymen-we do rejoice in our work, and bless God, that " to us, the least of all saints, is this grace given, to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." Asking your prayers, and those of the churches, and trusting, that neither you nor they will despise the day of small things, we subscribe ourselves, Rev. and Dear Sir, Your servants in the Lord Jesus. AMERICAN EDUCATION SOCIETY. From the Boston Recorder. To the Patrons and Beneficiaries of the American Education Society. The Directors of this Society, at their quarterly meeting in October, adopted the general rule that each beneficiary, in making application for the continued aid of the Society, shall transmit to the Treasurer his note for one half the sum of the last appropriation which he has received from its funds. This note is to become due within one year after the beneficiary shall have entered on his professional labors, and if not paid by the end of that year, then to be on interest. The principal reasons which led to the adoption of this measure are the following. For some time past there has been a regular diminution in the current receipts of the Treasury; so that of late they are but about one tenth part as much as they were two years ago.This fact may be ascribed, partly to the pecuniary embarrassments of the times, and partly to the confidence indulged, too readily perhaps, that the character and objects of the Society were already so well understood, and regarded with so deep an interest, as to supersede the necessity of new appeals to the public in its behalf. While the funds have been thus diminishing, the number of beneficiaries has been constantly increasing. The prospect that this increase may continue to present claims on the Board, beyond its resources, suggested the obvious necessity either of rejecting a part of these young men, or of requiring them all to refund a portion of what they receive, that it may be applied successively in aid of others, who may hereafter be equally necessitous and equally deserving with themselves. While this measure will require an increase of economy and personal effort from the beneficiaries, and to the most destitute will be a severe trial of their perseverance, the Directors hope it will not, in any case, be attended with insuperable embarrassment. And they are persuaded that pious young men, who shall have been thus furnished with means of pursuing an education, will cheerfully devote the necessary time, after entering on their profession, to restore to the common stock the above proportion of what they have received. It will be understood, however, that if any one chooses not to obligate himself in this manner, he may, notwithstanding, receive one half the usual appropriation. The correctness of the views which led to the adoption of the foregoing plan in October, is confirmed by the more recent state of things. At the meeting of the Board on the 10th inst. they were informed by the Treasurer that the amount in his hands for present use was only $1,446. As no relief to the funds from the proposed repayment of beneficiaries can be expected under several years, it became necessary also to make a reduction of twenty five per cent in the ratio of appropriation. Still, without abandoning the great object committed to their trust, they could not stop short of voting sums, amounting to $2,408. This they did, relying on that generous cooperation of the christian public, which has heretofore furnished prompt assistance in a similar emergency. There is one more subject on which I am requested to express, in this communication, the views of the Directors. In several instances, young men, who had been assisted from the funds of the Society, after trial of a few months, have been found deficient in the qualifications required by the constitution. The Board wish it to be understood, that when any beneficiary is thus deemed unworthy of continued patronage; whatever expenses he may have incurred, in reliance on future aid, they cannot, consistently with their sacred trust, make any appropriation towards such expenses, in addition to what he shall have actually received at the time such decision is made in his case. In behalf of the Directors, LETTER OF DR. PATTERSON. [In the Appendix to the sixteenth Report of the British and Foreign Bible Society, are contained some interesting letters from the Agents of the Society. The following letter of Dr. Patterson, relates to a country of which little is known.] Möttönen, August 8, 1819.. As this is a day of rest, I employ it to give you some account of what has occurred since leaving St. Petersburgh. The place from which I now write you, lies quite in the heart of Finland, about half way between Kuopio and Wasa. The first place at which I stopped was Kexholm, a small town situated at the mouth of the river by which the lakes which extend from Williamstrand to beyond Kuopio empty themselves into the Ladoga lake. The inhabitants consist of Finns and Russians, in nearly equal proportions, and are in general very poor. The Finnish inhabitants of this town and parish can all read ; even the children of five years old can read the New Testament. I had previously suspected that this part of Finland would be found peculiarly destitute of the word of God; and in this parish the Finnish clergyman assured me there were not twenty Bibles to be found, and the people in general are so poor that they cannot afford to buy them even at the moderate price at which they can now be obtained. It is pleasing to learn that these poor people are very attentive to the duties of religion. In every village in the country parts of this parish, the peasants meet on the Sundays,morning and evening, in some house where the Bible, or some religious book is to be found, and listen while one of the number reads to them the words of eternal life. They sing psalms, and pray, and then depart. I promised their worthy Pastor to endeavour to procure him some Bibles for distribution among his poor people. At Konenberg I called upon the worthy Dean, Slottman, whose Deanery runs up the side of the Ladoga, all the way to the Russian government of Olonitz. From this gentleman I got much information about the state of this part of the country, and of which I formerly knew nothing. The people in his Deanery can all read. Here, as in ev ery other part of Finland, this is chiefly to be ascribed to the attention which parents pay to their children. For, although in most parishes they have school-masters, yet it is impossible, from the extent of the country, for parents to send their children to school, and therefore they teach them at home. To assist parents in the work of educating their children, this worthy Dean has introduced circulating schools, which have been attended with singular advantage. The people in the whole of this part of Finland are remarkable for their sobriety, purity, and simplicity of morals. Few crimes are committed, and seldom any of the more heinous kind. They are a simple-hearted people. All they want is the Bible, in order to exalt their morality, and to bless them with the purer joys of religion. The great body of the people in this district are very poor, and, may have, comparatively speaking, but few copies of the Scriptures among them. They could be more easily supplied from St. Petersburg than from any of the Societies in Finland. The Dean begged much that arrangements might be made for this purpose, and also for procuring him a supply of Bibles and Testaments for gratuitous distribution among the poor. Few countries have such strong claims on the liberalality of Bible Societies. All can read, and all are desirous of possessing the Scriptures. I have had many proofs of this on my journey, as I always carry a number of Testaments along with me, which have been received with tears of joy. So grateful were they for them, that, although poor in the extreme, they refused take money from me for lodging and victuals at the post-houses. Bible Societies must indeed prove a blessing to Finland, for without them her inhabitants could never have been supplied with the scriptures. to In the neighborhood of Nyeslott I called on the Rev. Mr. Maconi. His parish has been pretty well supplied with Bibles, even of the older editions ; and he had just received from the Society in Kuopio fifty Bibles and twentyfive Testaments, which were nearly all disposed of. The people in this Parish are in general well informed; fond of reading, and have been supplied with books on various subjects by their worthy vicar. It is truly a pleasure to meet with such a man amidst the wilds of Finland. I spent the best part of a day with him. The next I called on was Dean Cleve, at Randosalm. The parish contains about 1500 inhabitants, and there are very few Bibles to be found among them. The schoolmaster here, has much distinguished himself in erecting Schools in this and the neighboring parish. Here also they have adopted circulating schools with much advantage. The Dean has yet received no copies of the Scriptures for numerous parishioners who are anxious to receive them. I was delighted to find in his lady a pious, well-informed woman, and whose example I hope will be useful in this part of the country. I also visited the Dean of the district, Dr. Bunstorf. It may give you some idea of the state of the parishes in Finland, to mention that his parish is about eighty-six English miles long, and fifty-two broad; on all this extent of country there live only 14,000 inhabitants. This is one of the poorest parishes I have been in. Many are so poor that they seldom can procure pure bread for their families; but mix their coarse flour with the bark of the pine-tree, with straw and with a coarse kind of moss. Last year, which was an unfavourable one, the poor people had scarcely any corn, and lived almost entirely on bark, &c. They are also in a great measure destitute of the Scriptures. The second Sunday after leaving home I spent at a delightfully retired spot called Suonenjoki. I went to the church in the forenoon, and carried a number of Testaments with me to distribute among the people. The clergyman gave away some of them in my presence. To see the tear of joy and gratitude stealing down the manly cheek of the peasant, excited feelings of gratitude in my heart to that God who has counted me worthy to be a dispenser of blessings to others. I felt something of the blessedness of giving. Here they have received no Bibles.The extent of the country lays many difficulties in the way of circulating the Scriptures. On Monday the 2d inst. I arrived in Kuopio. There are some pious people here whose acquaintance I made when I passed the place in 1817, on my way to England, on whom I im mediately called, in order to learn the true state of things. One of them is a bookseller, and who has chosen this line of business for the pious purpose of supplying his countrymen with religious tracts and other religious books, but especially with Bibles. He brings them from Abo at his own expense, a distance of 400 English miles, and carries them about with him to all the fairs, and sells them for five rubles per copy, which makes about five-pence advance for his trouble and the carriage of them. From this pious and intelligent man I learned that the cause of our Lord and Master is prospering in various places, particularly to the north of Kuopio, and extending itself to Karel. Many are inquiring about the salvation of their souls; the awakening in some parts is general, and the consequence is a desire to have the Scriptures, and to read them. The Dean, the Rev. Mr. Ingman, the President of the Society there, agreed to call a meeting of the committee, at his house, on the evening of the 14th. It was pretty numerously attended, and all I proposed to them was unanimously agreed to. Their stock of Bibles and Testaments was immediately divided to all the different parishes; but so scanty was the supply, that for the parish of Kuopio, containing 25,000 inhabitants, only 59 bibles, and about half the number of Testaments could be allotted. It was resolved to write a circular letter to all the Pastors, informing them of the number of Bibles and Testaments they were to receive. A new supply was resolved to be ordered from Abo. It was agreed to call upon the peasantry to take part in the Society, and that more especially, as many of them had expressed a wish to do so. I got from the committee a particular account of the state of the country, and of the parishes which stood most in need of being supplied gratis, with the Scriptures. Almost the whole of Karel was strongly recommended. The people here are, in general, very poor; but, otherwise, quite a superior race. They were described to me as a tall, stout, robust people, remarkable for their primitive simplicity of manners; distinguished for their hospitality, and kindness to strangers; and for cleanliness and neatness in their persons and houses. They possess superior information: and are even looked up to by the rest of the Finns. They are also industrious; but their country, although perhaps one of the most romantic and beautiful in the world, is not productive: all the hopes of the husbandman being often cut off by one night's frost. They have managed to get bibles even to their remote regions; but they are few in number. As the people can generally read they seemed to require, in no ordinary degree, the attention of the Bible Society. It may be necessary here to mention, that at the request, and with the advice of the friends in Abo, I appropriated the money, granted by your Society to the Auxiliary Societies in Finland, to the procuring and keeping up a sufficient stock of Bibles in each of the government towns, from which all the parishes could be easily supplied. This you will observe, secures a constant supply of copies of the word of God for the future. Gratuitous distribution, expense of carriage, &c. must be defrayed out of their own subscriptions.Their income in Kuopio has hitherto been small, and the little they have received has been used for nccessary expenses. If any copies are to be given away gratis, they must receive assistance from abroad, and I promised to apply to you for a little assistance for nine of the poorest of their parishes, all situated in Karel; and which would require about 100 Bibles, and 500 Testaments, to relieve their most urgent wants. This will be only about 50%.; but this is only for the Kuopio government, and does not include that part of Karel over which Dean Slottman is placed, and which is equally destitute and poor, and deserving of attention.If you would give about half of the sum mentioned above, for his district, including Kexholm, you would gladden the heart of many a pious, but poor christian, and cause many thanksgivings to ascend to the Father of mercies. Indeed I have promised to apply to you for assistance; and told them that you would not disappoint their expectations. I shall expect orders from you to send them the required supply by the time I reach Petersburgh. I hope that I need not mention, as an inducement to grant my request, what one of my friends mention ed to induce me to take an interest in the situation of these good people; that one Sunday, at their Parish Church, he examined the scrips of all of them, and found only one which contained bread unmixed with bark. I have no room to tell you any thing about the beauties of this beautifully romantic country. The scenery is the finest perhaps in the world. What renders it so peculiarly delightful, is, the numerous lakes with which the country is covered; and the hundreds of beautiful islands with which they are studded. Here I am in one of the wildest parts of the country, but am happy to have found the divine volume in several places, and to find it used. What discoveries will be made in this respect, on that day when all his elect shall be gathered together, and be caught up to meet the Lord in the air! Then those who have been instruments in putting the Scriptures into their hands, shall reap of the fruit of their labours, and shall rejoice together with those who have been saved by their means. SUMMARY. Foreign Missions. In the Missionary Herald, a work which we would recommend to the patronage of our readers, an appeal is made to the friends of Missions, in behalf of those Missions to the heathen, 'which have been instituted, and hitherto supported, by the liberality of Christians in the United States,' but which are 'now in immediate danger, for want of support.' We hope that this call upon the liberality of the christian public will receive the at tention which it merits. Domestic Missions.-In the nineteenth Report of the Hampshire Missionary Society, the Trustees state that they have 'to notice labors of their missionaries in six of the United States; performed in Maine by the Rev. Messrs. Josiah Peet of Norridgewock, Fifield Holt of Bloomfield, Thomas Williams of Brewer, and Bancroft Fowler of Bangor; in Vermont by Rev. David H. Williston in the northern, and Rev. Philip Spaulding of Jamaica, in the southern part of the state; in NewYork, by Rev. Messrs. Isaac Clinton of Lowville, Joel Wright of Leverett, Mass. and Samuel Parker of Danby, county of Tioga; by the Rev. Royal Phelps in Pennsylvania, south of lake Erie and near the line of Ohio; by the Rev. Messrs. Joseph M. Curtis and William Strong, in Ohio; and by Rev. Asa Brooks, in the county of Lewis, Virginia. To encourage the settlement of christian ministers, which is an object with the Trustees, engagements have in several instances been entered into with them, with the consent of their people, that they should labour as missionaries ten weeks annually, for five years, in the employment of this Society. The holy Bible and other religious books and tracts continue to be distributed. Im. portant aid is given to the establishment and conducting of Sabbath Schools, to the no little benefit of children and youth. Persons are found, and some who hopefully are pious, that do not possess a complete copy of the inspired scriptures. A feeble old man, a missionary relates, who doubtless has seen more than seventy years, and had no means of support but the labour of his hands, came to me, and with an air of meekness and humility requested the favour of a Bible, saying that in his old age he had been brought to an understanding of what the Bible teaches, but that he had not a whole copy of it. A Bible was given him, and after expressing his gratitude with much warmth of feeling, the aged man returned rejoicing, to bis house. The receipts for the year ending August, 1820, amounted to $1590,59 Disbursement for the same time 1180,55 Cash in Treasury 410,04 Ministerial Fund.-In the First Society in Farmington, the sum of $10,000 has been raised by subscription, for a permanent fund. Of this sum, one man subscribed $2,500. Mariner's Church.-In Charleston, S. C. a church is to be built for the exclusive use of seamen. Missionary Church.-In that part of Ohio, called the Western Reserve, measures are taking to fit out a mission to the Indians of the Pawnee nation, up the Missouri. 'It is to consist of two ordained ministers of the gospel, physicians, schoolmasters, farmers, mechanics, together with a brewer and baker, and is calculated to embrace about twenty families. 'The Missionary Church propose to fit out a part of its members in the early opening of next spring. They thankfully receive, and faithfully appropriate any articles of clothing, cloth, yarn, books, medicine, implements of husbandry, or any thing which will tend to the promotion of the general object. The Corresponding Secretary of this society, is the Rev. Joseph Badger. New England Tract Society.-The following are the titles of tracts recently published by this society. No. 108 True Prophecies, 12 pages; 109 The way to Happiness, 4 pages; 110 Affectionate Friend, 16 pages; 111 The two Lambs, 12 pages; 112 Peter and John Hay, 12 pages; 113 Green's Question and |