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DURRETT COLLECTION
Dr."
* 3 * * #* * t * * * ' *
REV, CLAUDIUS 'BUCHANAN/R K"' !
BY REV. HUGH^ PEARSON, M. A.
OF ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE, OXFORD.
IN SOME PARTS ABRIDGED, AND ENLARGED FROM
DR. BUCHANAN'S
Christian Researches in Asia.
PUBLISHED BY THE
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY,
150 NASSAU-STREET, NEW-YORK.
C f *
f
If f
The Memoir of Dr. Buchanan here presented
to the Christian public is that by Dr. Pearson, much
abridged in parts which cannot be of permanent
interest in this country; with the insertion, in the
order of time, of the most valuable portions of Dr.
1 Buchanan's " Christian Researches in Asia," pub-
.': lished by himself, which Dr. Pearson felt eon-
I strained to omit. What is retained from Dr. Pear-
;| son is given in his own words ; except that the
I narrative of Dr. Buchanan's life after his return to
I England is condensed by the American editor into
4 one short chapter, with the addition of some con-
p. \
Pj eluding remarks; and, in a few instances, con-
^ necting sentences have been inserted. The divi-
'! sion of the book into parts has been dropped, and
i| the whole included in consecutive chapters. It is
;"4 believed that every thing of permanent value in
* the Memoir by Pearson is retained, and that the
y additions from the " Researches in Asia " will ren-
der this volume more valuable than the original ;
^ and indee'd, in relation to Eastern missions, one of
| the most instructive and useful works that have
'., been written.
CONTENTS.
Page.
CHAP. I. Early life and education of Mr. Buchanan in
Scotland His singular tour in England Employ-
ment in the law, and serious change in his religious
views Introduction to Mr. Newton From 1766
to 1791, 9
CHAP. II. Mr. Buchanan's wish to enter the ministry
His introduction to Mr. H. Thornton, and ad-
mission atdueen's College, Cambridge From Fe-
bruary to September, 1791, 36
CHAP. III. Commencement of Mr. Buchanan's resi-
dence at Cambridge His studies and correspon-
dence His ordination and appointment to India
From October, 1791, to March, 1796, 54
CHAP. IV. Mr. Buchanan's voyage to India His ar-
rival at Calcutta in March, 1797 Appointment as
chaplain at Barrackpore, and residence there till
November, 1799 Marriage of Mr. Buchanan in
the spring of that year Appointment as one of the
chaplains of the Presidency Institution of the Col-
lege of Fort William, and appointment of Mr. Bu-
chanan as vice-provost, and professor of classics,
in the year 1800, 103
CHAP. V. Progress of the College Official and cleri-
cal engagements of Mr. Buchanan Voyage of
Mrs. Buchanan to England College disputations
6 CONTENTS.
Page
and examinations Orders of the Court of Direc-
tors for its abolition Defence of that Institution
by the Marquis Wellesley ; and by Mr. Bucha-
nan Return of Mrs. Buchanan to Bengal Mr.
Obeck His character and death First series of
prizes offered by Mr. Buchanan to the Universi-
ties and public schools of the United Kingdom
Mr. Buchanan's Sermons at the PresidencyChurch,
on the Evidences of Christianity From January,
1801, to December, 1803, 158
CHAP. VI. Order for the continuance of the College
Annual disputations Translation of the Scrip-
tures at the College Prejudices against the mea-
sure Institution of a fund for widows and or-
phans Salutary influence of the College Mrs.
Buchanan's second voyage to England " Memoir
of the Expedience of an Ecclesiastical Establish-
ment in India" Character of the prize discourses
produced by his donations Mr. Lassar Literary
and moral excellence of the College Proposal of
two prizes of 500 Dangerous illness Death of
Mrs. Buchanan Exertions for the translation of
the Scriptures, 211
CHAP. VII. Departure of Dr. Buchanan from Calcutta
to the coast of Malabar Objects of the journey
Approach to Juggernaut A disaster Sight of
Juggernaut The. temple English residents Fes-
tival Description of the idol Worshippers A
voluntary human sacrifice Expenses of the idol, 257
CHAP. VIII. Tranquebar mission Ziegenbalg Tan-
jore Swartz Kohlhoff Rajah of Tanjore Hin-
doo temples Sunday in Tanjore Order of wor-
ship Sattianaden His sermon Second visit to
the rajah Presents Tritchinopoly Pohle Want
of Bibles Madura Ceylon Cinnamon groves, 280
CONTENTS. 7
Page.
CHAP. IX. Syrian Christians Their origin Condi-
tion at the arrival of the Portuguese Persecution
by the Portuguese Constancy of the churches
in the interior Travancore Chinganoor Ca-
thedral Other churches Syrian clergy Inte- i
resting conference Scriptures Versions Litur-
gy of the Syrian churches Doctrines Metropoli-
tan Letter to Henry Thornton, Esq. 304
CHAP. X. Prophecies respecting the Jews Jerusa-
lem, or White Jews Ancient record on a brass
plate Black Jews Ten Tribes Want of the
Scriptures, especially the Prophets, among the
Jews of the East, 329
CHAP. XI. Romish church in the East Its corrup-
tions Journey to Goa Visit to the Inquisitor
Conversation respecting the Inquisition Dr. Bu-
chanan insists on seeing the interior of the prison
Gains permission Escapes without injury, 352
CHAP. XII. Dr. Buchanan's return to Calcutta State
of the college Prepares a paper of " intelligence,"
which is refused a place in the public newspaper
Plan of " the Christian Institution in the East
for translating the Holy Scriptures " Prepares to
return to England Letter to Lord Minto Sub-
stance of his Memorial to Government Farewell
Sermon Letter to Major Sandys Visits Ceylon
Crosses over to Cochin Arrives at Bombay
Malayalim Gospels Elephanta Sails for Eng-
land, 384
CHAP. XIH. Dr. Buchanan's arrival in England
Seeks for Mr. Newton, but finds him dead Dis-
appointed at not finding his " Christian Institu-
tion " published Account of the adjudication of
his university prizes Character of the sermons
and discourses Their effect Effect of his " Me-
8 CONTENTS.
Page.
moir" of an ecclesiastical establishment Pamph-
lets occasioned by it Finds his daughters well
Visits his mother in Scotland Good news from.
India" Star in the East "Visit to Oxford Se-
cond marriage Life of Swartz Sermon before
the Church Missionary Society Two sermons at
Cambridge on commencement Sunday Health
fails Plan of a journey to Palestine Death of
his wife Effect of this bereavement on his own
mind, 424
CHAP. XIV. Death of Henry Thorn too, Esq. Dr.
Buchanan's death Burial Monumental inscrip-
tion Religious character Gtualifications as a
writer and a speaker Official fidelity Social
virtues, 445
CONCLUSION. Remarks on certain traits of Dr. Bu-
chanan's character, by the American editor, 464
CHAPTER I.
History. Conversion.
It is by no means uncommon in the history of
those who have in any manner distinguished them-
selves- among their contemporaries, to find them
deriving no peculiar honor from their ancestors,
but rather reflecting it upon them. Of the truth of
this observation, an instance is afforded by the sub-
ject of the following memoirs. But if the biogra-
pher of this excellent man is unable to deduce his
descent from the possessors of worldly rank or
talent, an honor which may be unjustly depre-
ciated as it is sometimes unduly prized, he may at
least assert, that his immediate progenitors were
endowed with more than an ordinary share of
Christian piety ; an honop, in his estimation, of a
higher nature ; and a blessing, which, as he pecu-
liarly valued it, was not only a source of pleasing
and grateful recollection, but might not improbably
form one link in the chain of causes which led to
his own distinguished worth and usefulness.
CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN was born at Cambuslang,
10 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
near Glasgow, on the 12th of March, 1766. He
was the son of Mr. Alexander Buchanan, a man of
respectable learning and of excellent character,
who was highly esteemed in various parts of Scot-
land as a laborious and faithful teacher, and who
a few months previous to his death was appointed
rector of the grammar-school of Falkirk.
His mother was the daughter of Mr. Claudius
Somers, one of the elders of the church at Cam*
buslang about the period of the extraordinary oc-
currences which took place in that valley, in con-
sequence of the preaching of the celebrated Mr
Whitfield, in the year 1742, by which, it is un-
questionable, that many were excited to a deep
and lasting sense of real religion. Among this
number was the grandfather of the subject of this
memoir, whose piety was happily exemplified by
his daughter, the mother of Buchanan. By both
these excellent persons he appears to have been
carefully trained, from his earliest years, in reli-
gious principles and habits. He is described, by
one of his surviving relatives, as having been dis-
tinguished from his youth by a lively and engaging
disposition. He is said also to have recollected the
serious impressions which were sometimes made
upon his mind by the devotions of the paternal
roof, and by the admonitions which his grandfa-
ther, from whom he derived his name, and who
seems to have regarded him with peculiar aftec-
EARLY HISTORY. 11
tion, was accustomed to address to him occasion-
ally in his study. And though, as it will afterwards
appear, the instructions and example of these
pious relatives were not immediately productive
of any decided and permanent effect, he must be
added to the number of those who ultimately deri-
ved essential benefit from having been brought up
"in the nurture and admonition of the Lord;"
and consequently, as affording fresh encouragement
to religious parents to pursue a course which has
been so frequently crowned with success, and
which, it may be hoped, is seldom altogether in
vain.
In the year 1773, at the age of seven years,
young Buchanan was sent to a grammar-school at
Inverary in Argyleshire, where he received the
rudiments of his education, and is said to have
made considerable proficiency in the Latin and
Greek languages. He continued at Inverary till
some time in the year 1779, when he was invited
to spend the vacation with his school-fellow, John
Campbell, of Airds, near the island of Mull ; and
in the following year he received an appointment
as tutor to the two sons of Mr. Campbell of Dun-
stafnage, one of whom was, in the year 1803, cap-
tain of the East India Company's ship United
Kingdom. As he had then only just completed his
fourteenth year, the very appointment to such an
office is in itself honorable to his character, and
12 MKMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
his continuance in it during nearly two years may
suffice to show that his conduct proved satisfac-
tory to his employer. About this time he was
again under considerable impressions of a reli-
gious nature, which he communicated to his ex-
cellent grandfather, who carefully cherished them,
and assured him of his prayers. For a few months
he continued in this promising course, spending
much time in devotion amidst the rocks on the
sea-shore near which he was then residing : but
at length his serious thoughts were dissipated by
the society of an irreligious companion, and his
goodness, like that of many a hopeful youth, van-
ished " as a morning cloud, and as the early dew,,;"
nor was it till many years afterwards, that pain-
ful and salutary convictions led him to seek that
God whose eai'ly invitations he had ungratefully
refused.
The residence of Buchanan atDuns'cafnage might
probably have been longer, had it not interfered
with a necessary attention to the progress of his
own education. In the year 1782 he therefore left
the family of Mr. Campbell, and proceeded to the
university of Glasgow; where he remained during
that and the following year, diligently pursuing the
various studies of the place. Whether his academi
cal course was interrupted by the failure of his pe-
cuniary resources, or was the result of deliberation
and choice, is uncertain. It appears only that he
EARLY HISTORY. 13
left Glasgow in the year 1784, and went to the
island of Islay, for the purpose of becoming tutor
to the sons of Mr. Campbell of Knockmelly. In the
following year, from some cause, obviously not un-
favorable to his character, we find him removed to
Carradell in Kintyre, and performing the same of-
fice to the sons of Mr. Campbell of that place. In
the year 17S6, however, Buchanan returned to the
college at-Glasgow ; and a certificate in that year,
from the Professor of Logic, testifies not only that
he had regularly attended upon the public lectures
of that class, but that, in the usual examination and
exercises, he had given commendable proofs of at-
tention, diligence, and success in the prosecution
of his studies ; and that he had behaved with all suit-
able propriety of conduct and manners. At the
conclusion of the academical session he returned
to Carradell, and resumed his employment as a tu-
tor ; in which capacity it is presumed that he con-
tinued until the commencement of the autumn in
the following year; when he quitted his native
country, under very singular circumstances, and
entered upon a project, on which, as it afterwards
appeared, depended the future tenor of his life.
It was the desire of the parents of Mr Buchanan,
from his earliest years, that he should be prepared
for the ministry in the church of Scotland : but be-
ing naturally of an ardent and excursive turn of
mind, he, at the age of seventeen, during his first
14 MK.Mofl! OF Oil. BUCHANAN.
residence in the university of Glasgow, conceived
the design of making the tour of Europe on foot ;
that being the only method of traveling, upon which
his slender finances would allow him to calculate.
His chief view in this romantic project was, doubt-
less, to see the world ; yet not, as he afterwards de-
clared, without some vague and undefined inten-
tion of applying the information which he might
collect during his tour to some useful purpose. It
was not, however, till nearly four years afterwards,
during which, as we have seen, he was diligently
employed in acquiring and imparting knowledge,
that a circumstance occurred, which, though it did
not originally suggest this design, certainly tended
to hasten his departure from Scotland. This was
an imprudent attachment to a young lady, who
happened to be on a visit to the family in which he
was then residing, and who was superior to him-
self in birth and fortune. The affection was mutual,
but the disparity of their rank and station seemed
to form an insuperable barrier to their union. Mr.
Buchanan became in consequence very unhappy,
and in the height of his passion recurred to his fa-
vorite and long-cherished plan of a foreign tour; in
the course of which, with all the sanguine expec-
tation and the inexperience incident to his feelings
and his age, he hoped to advance his fortune, and
returning to his native country, to obtain the object
of his wishes. Strange and unpromising as this pro-
EART.Y HISTORY. 15
ject undoubtedly was, he was eager to accomplish
it. But though his thoughtless ardor reconciled
him to the culpable expedient of deceiving his pa-
rents, he was unwilling to leave them clandestine-
ly. For the purpose, therefore, both of avoiding
any opposition to his scheme, and of relieving them
from uneasiness, he invented a story, which, en-
gaged as he had long been in tuition, seemed by
no means improbable. He pretended that he had
been invited by an English gentleman to accom-
pany his son upon a tour to the continent ; and as
this engagement not only offered some present ad-
vantages, but held out flattering hopes of his future
advancement in life, not inconsistent with their ori-
ginal intentions, his friends consented to the pro-
posal, and permitted him to leave Scotland.
Of this singular expedition, and of his subsequent
history during several years, Mr. Buchanan long
afterwards gave several distinct but consistent nar-
ratives, from which the following account is ex-
tracted : After briefly mentioning the circumstances
which have been previously stated respecting his
education and studies, and the schemes which he
had devised for effecting his departure from his
native country and friends, and his intended travels
upon the continent, Mr. Buchanan suggests the ob-
vious question, How was he to accomplish such a
plan, destitute as he was of pecuniary resources ?
To this he replies, that the greater his difficulties
IS MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
were, the more romantic would his tour appear ;
arid then proceeds as follows :
" I had the example of the celebrated Dr. Gold-
smith before me, who travelled through Europe on
foot, and supported himself by playing on his flute.
I could play a little on the violin, and on this 1
relied for occasional support during my long and
various travels.
" In August, 1787, having put on plain clothes
becoming my apparent situation, I left Edinburgh
on foot with the intention of travelling to London,
and thence to the continent : that very violin
which I now have, and the case which contains it,
I had under my arm, and thus I travelled onward.
After I had proceeded some days on my journey,
and had arrived at a part of the country where I
thought I could not be known, I called at gentle-
men's houses, and farm-houses, where I was in
general kindly lodged. They were very well
pleased with my playing reels to them, (for I
played them better than I can now,) and I some-
times received five shillings, sometimes half a
crown, and sometimes nothing but my dinner.
Wherever I went, people seemed to be struck a
little by my appearance, particularly if they en-
tered into conversation with me. They were often
very inquisitive, and I was sometimes at a loss
what to say. I professed to be a musician travelling
EATILY HISTORY. 17
through the country for his subsistence : but this
appeared very strange to some, and they wished
to know where I obtained my learning ; for some-
times pride, and sometimes accident would call
forth expressions, in the course of conversation,
which excited their surprise. I was often invited
to stay for some time at a particular place ; but
this I was afraid of, lest I might be discovered. It
was near a month, I believe, before I arrived on
the borders of England, and in that time many
singular occurrences befel me. I once or twice
met persons whom I had known, and narrowly es-
caped discovery. Sometimes I had nothing to eat,
and had no where to rest at night ; but, notwith-
standing, I kept steady to my purpose, and pur-
sued my journey.
" Before, however, I reached the borders of
England, I would gladly have returned; but I.
could not : the die was cast; my pride, would have-
impelled me to suffer death, I think, rather than to.
have exposed my folly ; and I pressed forward.
" When I arrived at Newcastle I felt tired of
my long journey, and found that it was indeed
hard to live on the benevolence of others : I there-
fore resolved to proceed to London by water ; for
I did not want to travel in my own country, but
on the continent.
" I accordingly embarked in a collier at North
Shields, and sailed for London. On the third night
Buchanan. ~
18 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
of the voyage we were in danger of being ca'-t
away during a gale of wind ; and then, for the first
time, I began to reflect seiiously on my situation."
During the violence of the storm, as he after-
wards acknowledged to a friend, Mr. Buchanan
felt as if the judgment of God, as in the case of
Jonah, was overtaking him ; but, unlike the re-
penting prophet, no sooner had the tempest of the
elements subsided, than the agitation of his mind
also passed away. He arrived safely in London on
the second of September.
" But by this time," he continues, in one of his
letters referred to, " my spirits were nearly ex-
hausted by distress and poverty. I now relin-
quished every idea of going abroad. I saw such a
visionary scheme in its true light, and resolved, if
possible, to procure some situation, as an usher, or
clerk, or any employment, whereby I might derive
a subsistence : but I was unsuccessful. I lived
some time, in obscure lodgings, by selling my
clothes and books ; for I did not attempt to obtain
any assistance by my skill in music, lest I should
be discovered by some persons who might know
me or my family. I was in a short time reduced to
the lowest extreme of wretchedness and want.
Alas ! I had not sometimes bread to eat. Little
did my mother think, when she dreamed that she
EARLY HISTORY. 19
saw her son fatigued with his wanderings, and op-
pressed with a load of wo, glad to lie down and
sleep away his cares on a little straw, that her
dream was so near the truth ! What a reverse of
fortune was this ! A few months before I had lived
in splendor and happiness ! But even in this ex-
tremity of misery my eyes were not opened. I saw
indeed my folly, but I saw not my sin ; my pride,
even then, was unsubdued, and I was constantly
anticipating scenes of future grandeur, and indulg-
ing myself in the pleasures of the imagination.
ct After I had worn out many months in this mi-
sery, observing one day an advertisement in a
news-paper for a ' clerk to an attorney,' I offered
myself and was accepted. I was much liked, and
soon made friends. I then obtained a bette.r situa-
tion with another gentleman in the law, and, lastly,
engaged with a solicitor of respectable character
and connections in the city, with whom I remained
nearly three years. During all this time I had suf-
ficient allowance to appear as a gentleman ; my
desire for going abroad gradually abated, and I be-
gan to think that I should make the law my profes-
sion for life. But, during a great part of this time I
corresponded with my friends in Scotland, as from
abroad, writing very rarely, but always giving my
mother pleasing accounts of my health and situation."
Notwithstanding the preceding brief observation
20 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
that his allowance from his employers enabled him
to make a genteel appearance, there are various
intimations, in a memorandum-book kept by Mr.
Buchanan, during a part of this period, that he was
frequently a sufferer from the pressure of poverty ;
nor is this to be wondered at, when it is known that
the utmost salary which he received amounted only
to forty pounds per annum. Accordingly, it ap-
pears, from several notes in the account-book
which has been referred to, that he was sometimes
under the necessity of pledging articles of clothing,
and in one instance his watch, for the purpose of
procuring a little ready money ; and even this
painful expedient did not always afford him such a
supply as to prevent him from occasionally record-
ing that he had been obliged to go without a break
fast or a supper ; and once that he had neither
breakfasted nor dined. It must, however, be ac-
knowledged, that while this humble cash account
is chiefly made up of his expenditure upon the ne-
cessaries of life, Mr. Buchanan seems to have
wasted not a little of his scanty allowance on pub-
lic amusements ; among which the theatre fre-
quently occurs, and sometimes debating societies.
From one of the brief memoranda contained in
a pocket-book, from which the preceding circum-
stances are derived, and which are chiefly written
in Latin, it appears that Mr. Buchanan's father died
on the 24th of August, 17SS, precisely a twelve-
EARLY HISTORY. 21
month after his own departure from Scotland.
This event was probably communicated to him by
his excellent mother, and must, it may be reasona-
bly supposed, have awakened some peculiarly dis-
tressing feelings in the mind of her absent son,
conscious as he must have been of the deception
which he was practising upon their unsuspecting
confidence. No symptom, however, of the inge-
nuous shame, which, it maybe hoped, he could not
but occasionally feel for such misconduct, is appa-
rent in his diary. He merely mentions that his
widowed parent had written to him in the spring
of 1789, upon the mournful subject of a monument
to his late father ; to which he replied by a letter
dated the 12th of May, from Florence, which he
despatched on the 25th following. A subsequent
entry notices his disappointment in not again hear-
ing from his mother, whom, amidst all his wander-
ings from the path of integrity and virtue, he evi-
dently regarded with unfeigned reverence and
affection ; while another states the arrival of an
answer from her to a recent letter of inquiry from
himself, which, either from the favorable account
of his parent's welfare, or its salutary influence
upon his own mind, appears to have afforded him
much pleasure.
It cannot, however, be a matter of surprise to
any one who considers the imprudent manner in
which Mr. Buchanan had left his native countiy,
22 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
the deceit which he was practising upon his friends,
the faint prospect which he could reasonably en-
tertain of any considerable success in the world,
and, above all, the pious education which he had
received, to find that the memoranda in question
exhibit frequent marks of his inward perplexity
and unhappiness. Thus, on the 10th of May, 1789,
he records, in Latin, with an emphasis of expres-
sion which evidently proves the depth and sinceri-
ty of the feelings with which he wrote : " I have
lived, I know not how in a state of forgetful ness,
or intoxication to this day !" And on the 15th of
July following, he briefly extends the same painful
confession to that time. Within three days after the
first of these dates, Mr. Buchanan was seized with
a severe attack of fever, during which he observes
that he had experienced, as might very naturally
be expected, most uncomfortable reflections on his
present situation. These, however, appear to have
made no deep or lasting impression upon him, but,
as in too many similar instances, to have vanished
with the temporary alarm which occasioned them.
Accordingly he soon afterwards states that he had
on that morning written part of a letter to his mo-
ther, and with the careless levity which in irreli-
gious and impenitent rninds returns, when they are
relieved from the immediate fear of punishment,
had altered his " plan of death and misfortune, to
* that of fortune and festivity."
EARLY HISTORY. 23
He laments also, that on his recovery he had
broken some salutary resolutions which he had
made during his illness, and adds, with that fretful
and impotent violence which characterizes those
who are irritated rather than humbled by the con-
sciousness of their weakness, and are ignorant of
its only effectual remedy, " I swear I'll do so no
more. O ! that I knew how to persevere in good
resolutions, as well as to make them ! This has
been my failing from my infancy." Who has not
been compelled to make the same humiliating re-
flection, until acquainted with Him of whom the
subject of these memoirs was as yet practically ig-
norant ! without whom we can do nothing, but by
whose gracious assistance the Christian can do all
things !
Among the various notices of his feelings and
engagements, which occur in these memoranda,
there are several, which prove that, amidst the in-
cessant labor of an employment which occupied
nearly twelve hours of each day, Mr. Buchanan oc-
casionally contrived to devote a part of his scanty
leisure to literary pursuits. Unhappily, indeed, he
was at this period so little under the influence of
religion, that the Sabbath was too often spent in
the study of Virgil and Horace ; though at other
times his reading on that sacred day appears to
have been of a graver nature. But the latter hours
of nis evenings, which were not dedicated to amuse-
24 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
ment, seem to have been laudably employed in
storing his mind with classical and general know-
ledge, and occasionally in improving his memory
by artificial rules and practice.
Though the irreligious state, in which Mr. Bu-
chanan was at this time living, led him too general-
ly to neglect public worship, his early habits still
induced him sometimes to enter the house of God,
Upon one of these occasions he appears to have
been much struck with the conduct of a young
friend, who was so deeply alarmed while the
preacher was displaying the terrors of the Lord in
the future punishment of the wicked, that he rose
up, leaving his hat behind him, and walked out of
the church. It is understood that Mr. Buchanan
considered this person as having been afterwards
made spiritually useful to him.
Two short notes in the summer of the year 1789
indicate that there were, even at that period, sea-
sons in which he thought much and seriously upon
his own state, and upon religious subjects; during
which his reflections were sometimes gloomy and
desponding, and resembling " the sighing of the
prisoner" for deliverance; and at others cheered
by a faint and distant hope of one day enjoying,
through the infinite grace of God, the comforts of
religion.
In the following year some traces occur, in the
brief journal from which the preceding circurn-
EARLY HISTORY. 25
stances are extracted, of seriousness in his mind.
He notices a religious conversation with a friend,
and adds, that he had in consequence thought se-
riously of a reformation. He mentions emphatical-
ly a season of private prayer, and his intention of
purchasing a new Bible, when he could afford it ;
and while he confesses, on one occasion, with evi-
dent regret, his disinclination to religion, and al-
leges as one of the immediate causes, or symptoms,
of this evil, the indulgence of morning slumbers, he
observes, on another, that he had declined the in-
vitation of a friend to a visit in the country on the
following Sunday, upon religious principle, though
he did not at the moment distinctly avow it. All
these are circumstances indicative of a mind awak-
ing from the deadly sleep of sin to the life of
righteousness, and introductory to that important
change of sentiment and conduct which was now
approaching.
It is possible, indeed, that some may be at a loss
to understand the meaning of this language, or to
conceive the necessity of any other alteration in the
religious character of Mr. Buchanan, than the cor-
rection of a few venial errors and trifling irregu-
larities, or the supply of certain obvious omissions
in his conduct. The determination of this question
must undoubtedly depend upon the general views
of those who consider it. In proportion as the
standard of practical religion is either elevated or
26 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
depressed, will be the judgment of every one as to
the actual stale, at this period of his life, of the
subject of these memoirs. If slight views are en-
tertained of the evil of sin, of the guilt, misery, and
danger of a sensual and worldly life ; and of the
nature and extent of Christian faith and holiness ;
the moral and religious deficiencies of Mr. Bu-
chanan will certainly appear trivial and unimpor-
tant. But if, as the Scriptures unequivocally assert,
to live in the habitual nesrlect of God, though a
O 7 O
formal acknowledgment of his beino- and attributes
O O
may be professed, is virtual impiety ; to avow the
name of Christian, but to refuse the homage of the
heart to Jesus Christ as a Saviour, is real unbelief;
and occasionally to indulge in wilful sin, though
the external manners may be decent and correct,
is practical ungodliness ; then was it evidently ne-
cessary that a great and radical cJiange should be
effected in Mr. Buchanan's dispositions and con-
duct; then was it essential to his present and fu-
ture happiness that he should " repent and believe
the Gospel."
That this was the conviction of Mr. Buchanan
himself, plainly appears from his own declarations
in the letters from which some preceding extracts
have been made. " Since my coming to London,"
he observes, " until June last, I led a very dissi-
pated, irreligious life. Some gross sins I avoided ;
but pride was in my heart ; I profaned the Lord's
EARLY HISTORY.
27
day without restraint, and never thought of any re-
ligious duty. Thus I lived till within these few
months, exactly three years since my voluntary
banishment from my native country ; three tedious
years ; and for any thing I could have done my-
self, I might have remained in the same state for
thirty years longer. But the period was now ar-
rived when the mercy of God, which had always
accompanied me, was to be manifested in a singu-
lar manner. I had a very strong sense of religion
when 1 was about the age of fourteen ; and I used
often to reflect on that period ; but I had not, I
believe, the least idea of the nature of the Gospel.
It was in the year 1790 that my heart was first
effectually impressed, in consequence of an ac-
quaintance with a religious young man."
Of the person thus briefly mentioned, and of the
important effects which resulted from one remark-
able meeting with him, the following is a more
distinct and detailed account :
" In the month of June last," observes Mr. Bu-
chanan, writing in February, 1791, " on a Sunday
evening, u gentleman of my acquaintance called
upon me. I knew him to be a serious young man,
and out of complaisance to him I gave the conver-
sation a religious turn. Among other things, I
asked him whether he believed that there was
28 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
such a thing as divine grace ; whether or not it
was a fiction imposed by grave and austere per-
sons from their own fancies. He took occasion
from this inquiry to enlarge much upon the sub-
ject ; he spoke with zeal and earnestness, and
chiefly in scripture language, and concluded with
a very affecting address to the conscience and the
heart. I had not the least desire, that I recollect,
of being benefited by this conversation ; but while
he spoke, I listened to him with earnestness ; and
before I was aware, a most powerful impression
was made upon my mind, and I conceived the in-
stant resolution of reforming my life.
" On that evening I had an engagement which I
could not now approve : notwithstanding what had
passed, however, I resolved to go ; but as I went
along, and had time to reflect on what I had heard,
I half wished that it might not be kept. It turned
out as I desired : I hurried home, and locked my-
self up in my chamber ; I fell on my knees, and
endeavored to pray ; but I could not. I tried again,
but I was not able ; I thought it was an insult to
God for me to pray ; I reflected on my past sins
with horror, and spent the night I know not how.
The next day my fears wore off a little, but they
soon returned. I anxiously awaited the arrival of
Sunday; but when it came I found no relief.
After some time I communicated my situation to
my religious friend : he prayed with me, and next
EARLY HISTORY. 29
Sunday I went with him to hear an eminent mi-
nister. This was a great relief to me ; I thought I
had found a physician : but, alas ! though I prayed
often every day, and often at night, listlessness and
languor seized me. Sometimes hope, sometimes
fear presented itself, and I became very uncom-
fortable.
" Going one moi-ning to a bath, I found on a
shelf Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Religion
in the Soul. This book I thought just suited me. I
accordingly read it with deep attention, and prayed
over it. I next procured Alleine's Alarm to the
Unconverted, and dwelt on it for some time. My
religious friend then gave me Boston's Fourfold
State. This I read carefully, and I hope it did me
some good. I now secluded myself entirely from
my companions on Sunday ; and during the week,
the moment business was done, I went home to
my studies ; and have since wholly withdrawn my-
self from pleasure and amusement. In this man-
ner have I passed the seven last months, continu-
ally praying for a new heart, and a more perfect
discovery of my sins. Sometimes I think I am ad-
vancing a little, at others I fear I am farther from
heaven than ever. O the prevalence of habit ! It
is not without reason that it has been sometimes
called a second nature. Nothing but the hand of
the Almighty who created me can change rny
heart."
30 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" About two months ago I wrote my mother
some particulars of my state, and requested her
prayers, for she is a pious woman. In her answer,
written by my sister, is the following passage,
' My mother has heard much of Mr. NEWTON,
Rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, London, and wishes
that you would cultivate an acquaintance with him,
if it is in your power.' "
It was, in fact, to this venerable man that the
letter, from which these as well as some preceding
extracts have been made, was addressed. Nor
must the occasion be omitted of paying a passing
tribute of respect to the memory of that eminently
pious and useful minister of Jesus Christ. The
chosen and highly valued friend of Cowper could
not indeed have been a common or uninteresting
character. He was, in truth, far otherwise. How-
ever a world, incapable of appreciating spiritual
excellence, may be disposed to treat his faith as a
delusion, and his character as enthusiastic, the his-
tory of Mr. Newton will convince the candid in-
quirer that the Gospel is still ct the power of God "
to the conversion and salvation even of the chief
of sinners ; while the unblemished purity, the ac-
tive benevolence, the exemplary fidelity, and the
undeviating consistency of a course of more than
forty years, sufficiently illustrate the holy and prac-
tical tendency of the doctrines which he embra-
EARLY HISTORY.
31
ced ; and prove that the grace which brought peace
to his conscience, and hope to his soul, at the
same time effectually taught him " to live soberly,
righteously, and godly in the world."
The lively and substantial interest which Mr.
Newton took in the situation and welfare of Mr.
Buchanan, is one among many other instances of
the Christian kindness which habitually warmed
his heart. The peraon who was thus addressing
him was at that time an utter stranger. After men-
tioning, therefore, some of the particulars respect-
ing his family, and his early history, which have
been already stated, Mr. Buchanan thus proceeds :
" On the receipt of my mother's letter I imme-
diately reflected that I had heai'd there was a
crowded audience at a church in Lombard-street.
Thither I accordingly went the next Sunday even
ing; and when you spoke, I thought I heard the
words of eternal life : I listened with avidity, and
wished that you had preached till midnight." Mr.
Buchanan laments, however, that this pleasing im-
pression was too soon effaced ; and that, although
he constantly attended Mr. Newton's sermons with
raised expectations and sanguine hopes that he
should one day be relieved from the burthen which
then oppressed his mind, he had hitherto been dis-
appointed. " But," he adds, with genuine humi-
lity, " I have now learned how unreasonable was
32 MEMOIR 0V T>R. BUCHANAN.
such an early expectation : I have been taught to
wait patiently upon God, who waited so long
for me."
te You say," he continues, " many things that
touch my heart deeply, .and I trust your ministry
has been in some degree blessed to me ; but your
subjects are generally addressed to those who are
. already established in the faith, or to those who
have not sought God at all. Will you then drop
one word to me 1 If there is any comfort in the
woi'd of life for such, as I am, O shed a little of it
on my heart. And yet I am sensible that I am not
prepared to receive that comfort. My sins do not
affect me as I wish. All that I can speak of is a
strong desire to be converted to my God. O sir,
what shall I do to inherit eternal life 1 I see clearly
that I cannot be happy in any degree, even in this
life, until I make my peace with God ; but how
shall I make that peace '{ If the world were my
inheritance, I would sell it to purchase that pearl
of great price.
" How I weep when I read of the prodigal son
as described by our Lord ! I would walk many
miles to hear a sermon from the 12th and 13th
verses of the thirty-third chapter of the second
book of Chronicles."*
* The following are the affecting verses alluded to by
Mr. Buchanan : " And when lie was in affliction, he Desought
the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the
EARLY HISTORY. . 33
After apologizing for thus intruding upon one
to whose attention he had no personal claim, Mr.
Buchanan concludes as follows :
" My heart is overburthened with grief, 'and
greatly does it distress me, that I must impart my
sorrows to him who has so much himself to bear.*
My frequent prayer to God is, that he would grant
you strong consolation. To-morrow is the day you
have appointed for a sermon to young people.
Will you remember me, and speak some suitable
word, that, by the aid of the blessed Spirit, may
reach my heart 1 Whatever becomes of me, or of
my labors, I pray God that you may prove success-
ful in your ministry, and that your labors may be
abundantly blessed."
The preceding letter was addressed to Mr. New-
ton anonymously ; but so simply, yet so forcibly
does it describe the state of a penitent, awakened
to a just apprehension of his sin and folly, and
earnestly desiring relief, that it could not fail to
excite in the mind of a man of so much Christian
benevolence, a degree of lively sympathy with the
feelings, and of interest in the welfare, of the
r
God of his fathers, and prayed unto him : and he was en-
treated of him, and heard his supplication."
* Mr. Newton was at this time suffering under one of the
severest domestic calamities.
Buchanan. 3
34 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
writer. His letter, however, being not only without
any signature, but without any reference to the
place of his residence, the only method which oc-
curred to Mi\ Newton of conveying any reply to
him was, by giving notice in his church, that if the
person who had written to him anonymously on
such a day were present, and would call upon him,
he should be happy to converse with him on the
subject of his communication. This intimation Mr.
Newton accordingly gave, and an early interview
in consequence took place between them.
" I called on him," says Mr. Buchanan, in a let-
ter to his mother, " on the Tuesday following, and
experienced such a happy hour as I ought not to
forget. If he had been my father, he could not
have expressed more solicitude for my welfai'e.
" Mr. Newton encouraged me much. He put
into my hands the narrative of his life, and some
of bis letters; begged my careful perusal of them
before I saw him again, and gave me a general in-
vitation to breakfast with him when and as often
as I could."
Of the meeting immediately subsequent to this
first interview no account has been preserved.
That it was mutually pleasing and satisfactory, is
evident from the intercourse which afterwards
took place between them, and which was ultimate-
iy productive of such important consequences.
EARLY HISTORY. 35
" I cultivated," says Mr. Buchanan, " a close ac-
quaintance with Mr. Newton, and he soon pro-
fessed a great regard for me."
The grand subject, which would of course imme-
diately occupy the attention of both, was the reali-
ty and the completion of the recent change in the-
moral and religious character of Mr. Buchanan.
Though the public and private instructions of Mr.
Newton would, from his well known views of Chris-
tian doctrine, incline him to exhibit to the awaken-
ed and trembling penitent the free and full forgive-
ness of the Gospel, he would doubtless urge with
equal solemnity and earaestness the necessity of
ascertaining the sincerity of his repentance, the
genuineness of his faith, and the stability of his re-
solutions of obedience to the divine precepts. That
such was the general tenor of the counsel which
was imparted upon these occasions, plainly appears
from several succeeding letters of Mr. Buchanan;
and though it is to be lamented that those of his
pious correspondent to which he refers are not now
to be found, it is evident, from various traces of
their contents, that they were admirably calculated
to remove the difficulties, and to direct the conduct
of his new disciple.
Thus, in the venerable person to whom the pro-
vidence of God had introduced him, Mr. Buchanan
found an enlightened and experienced guide, a
36 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
wise and faithful counsellor, and at length a steady
and affectionate friend ; while the latter discovered
in the stranger who had been so remarkably JD ad e
known to him, one who displayed talents and dis-
positions which appeared to him capable of being
beneficially employed in the service of their com*
mori Lord and Master.
The change in Mr. Buchanan was radical. It
not only redeemed him from a sinful and worldly
course, but gradually introduced him to a state of
" righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy
Ghost." It rendered him, in short, " a new crea-
ture." He felt the powerful influence of the love
of Christ ; and cordially acquiescing in the unan-
swerable reasoning of the great Apostle, " that if
one died for all, then were all dead," he resolved
no longer to live unto himself, " but unto Him that
died for him, and rose again."
CHAPTER II.
Preparation for the Ministry Aid of Rev. JKr*
J\"eivton and Jtlr. Thornton.
About a fortnight after the date of his first letter,
Mr. Buchanan again wrote to Mr. Newton, for the
PREPARES FOR MINISTRY. 37
purpose of communicating to him a strong inclina-
tion, which he had lately felt, to devote himself to
the ministry.
" Yesterday morning," he observes, " I went to
hear Dr. S . Near the conclusion of the service
I was insensibly led to admire this passage of the
prophet Isaiah, ' How beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the Gospel of peace !' It occur-
red to me, that that enviable office was once de-
signed for me ; that I was called to the ministry, as
it were, from my infancy. For my pious grand-
father chose me from among my mother's children
to live with himself. He adopted me as his own
child, and took great pleasure in forming my young
mind to the love of God. He warmly encouraged
my parents' design of bringing me up for the minis-
try. I particularly recollect the last memorable oc-
casion of my seeing this good grandfather. The
first season of my being at college I paid him a
visit. He lived but five miles from Glasgow. After
asking me some particulars relating to my studies,
he put the following question to me : ' What end
I had in view in becoming a minister of the Gos-
pel V I hesitated a moment, thinking, I suppose,
of some temporal blessing. But he put an answer
into my mouth. ' With a view, no doubt,' said he,
' to the glory of God.' I recollect no other particu-
lar of the conversatioi but this. It made a strong
38 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
impression on my mind, and even often recurred
to my thoughts in the midst of my unhappy years ;
and lastly, I thought of my present profession and
prospect in life. It suddenly came into my mind
that I might yet be a preacher of the Gospel. I
began to consider the obstacles that had hitherto
deterred me from attempting it ; but they appeared
to have vanished.
" These things passed rapidly through my mind.
I wondered that I had not thought of them before.
Your suggestion occurred to me, and I seemed
clearly to perceive the hand of providence in my
not having been articled to the law. I now beheld
it as an unkindly and unprofitable study ; a pro-
fession I never cordially liked, and was thajikful
that I might shake it off when I pleased. These
reflections filled me with delight, and, as I walked
home, the sensation increased ; so that by the time
I entered my chamber, my spirits were overpower-
ed, and I fell on my knees before God, and wept.
"What shall I say to these things 1 At first I feared
this change of sentiment might be some idle whim
that would soon vanish. But when I began to de-
liberate calmly, reason pleaded that the plan was
possible ; and the wisdom and power of God, and
my love to him, pleaded that it was probable. I
thought that I, who had experienced so much of
the divine mercy, was peculiarly engaged to de-
clare it to others. After fervent prayer, I endeavor-
PREPARES FOR MINISTRY. 39
ed to commit myself and my services into the hands
of Him who alone is able to direct me.
" This day I still cherish the idea with delight.
But I am much discouraged when I reflect on my
weak abilities, my slender knowledge, my defective
expression, and my advanced age. I am now four-
and-twenty, and if I prosecute this new desire, I
must return to the studies of fourteen."
At the close of this letter Mr. Buchanan express-
es the lively interest with which he had read Mr.
Newton's narrative of his own life. " I am the per-
son," he says, " out often thousand, who can read
it aright ; for I can read it with self-application.
What a balm to a wounded conscience are your
healing leaves ! To-day I have felt a tranquillity
of mind to which I have been long a stranger. I
trust this peace has a right foundation."
It appears, that upon an early interview with
Mr. Newton, in consequence of the preceding let-
ter, he warmly approved the rising disposition of
his young friend to change his profession, and to
devote himself to the ministry of the Gospel.
" He received me," says Mr. Buchanan, " with
open arms ; and in his family worship remember-
ed me in a very affecting manner, and prayed for
the divine direction in his counsels to me. We then
40 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
passed a considerable time together. He observed
that this was a remarkable season with me, but
that I must leave every thing with God ; that I
must use the means which he had appointed for
those who aspire to his service ; that I must devote
the principal part of my leisure hours to medita-
tion and prayer, and the remainder to the study of
the languages ; that I must persevere in this course
for a considerable time, and then, if it pleased
God, he would open a door to me. ' In the mean-
time,' added Mr. Newton, ' I would advise you to
acquaint your mother with every circumstance of
your situation, and to request, in the first instance,
her advice and approbation.' "
To this suggestion Mr. Buchanan yielded with-
out hesitation, and employed a great part of seve-
ral nights in communicating to his affectionate pa-
rent an ingenuous narrative of his proceedings
from the period of his departure from Scotland to
the present time. At the close of this varied his-
tory, in which he strongly condemns himself for his
past misconduct, he thus expresses himself:
" And now, my dear mother, how are you affect
ed by this account r ( Is your heart ready to wel-
come the return of your long lost son, or does it re-
ject, with just indignation, so much unworthiness ?
Whatever may be your emotions, I pray God, who
PREPARES FOR MINISTRY. 41
has been so gracious to me, to bless this dispensa-
tion to you. The veil which was between us is at
length rent, and I am now in peace ; for, believe
me, I have not enjoyed a day of peace since I left
my father's house. I once thought I would rather
suffer torture than betray my secret ; but ray ' si-
news of iron ' are now become like those of a child.
Nothing less than what I have suffered could have
softened so hard a -heart as mine ; and not even
that, unless accompanied by the power of God."
Mr. Buchanan had no sooner made this disclo-
sure to his excellent mother, than he communicated
the result to Mr. Newton in a letter, which closes
in the following terms :
" My desires of entering the ministry still con-
tinue, and I think increase. Blackstone says some-
where, that to have a competent knowledge of the
law requires ' the lucubrations of twenty years.' I
once had the low ambition of being such a lawyer,
but I am now so impressed with the dignity and
importance of the office of the ministry, that I
would with pleasure sit down to-morrow and de-
vote, not the lucubrations of twenty years alone,
but all my life to it. But, alas ! my present situa-
tion militates much against my wishes. O that He,
who has led me thus far, would graciously direct
my steps !"
42 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
During the three following months Mr. Bu
chanan continued his employment in the law ; di-
ligently and devoutly cultivating the spirit of real
religion, and anxiously revolving in his mind the
practicability of accomplishing his wishes respect-
ing the change of his profession. In the month of
July, however, he addressed another letter to Mr.
Newton, who was then absent from London, in
which he laments, with much humility and feeling,
the painful discoveries which he had been making
in self-knowledge, and the slowness of his progress
in his Christian course. " I have but sipped," he
modestly observes, " at Salem's spring nee fonte
Idbra prolui." He then informs his kind corres-
pondent and friend, that his late letters from Scot-
land had afforded him much comfort. " My mo-
ther," he says, " writes thus :
" The hint you gave me in your last, of your
probably joining the church of England, caused
me, at first, some uneasiness. I hope you will for-
give this. I find now that the difference between
the two churches consists in discipline only, not in
doctrine. I am, therefore, easy in mind, which-
ever way the providence of God may see fit to
guide you. I am happy that you consulted your
Bible, and sought the Lord's direction upon this
occasion. If you cast your burden upon him, he
will direct you aright. Since you were a boy, it
was impressed upon my mind that some time or
PREPARES FOR MINISTRY. 43
other you would be a good man. I own, of late
years, I was beginning to lose my hope, particu-
larly on the supposition of your going abroad. I
thought, this is not God's usual way of bringing
sinners to himself. But the word of consolation
often came in remembrance, -that God is a God
* afar off.' O how merciful has he been to you, and
how merciful to us, in concealing your miserable
situation till grace brought it to light ! I do believe
the discovery a year ago would .... but these
recollections are painful ; therefore I forbear.
What comforting letters have you sent us ! Could
a thousand pounds a-year have afforded an equal
consolation 1 Impossible. It might, indeed, have
tied us down faster to the earth, but it could not
have set our hearts upon the unsearchable riches
that are in Christ Jesus. Your friends in Glasgow
are rejoicing with us : some of them saying, ' Had
the good old people (meaning his grandfather and
mother) been alive, how would this have revived
them !' Among your grandfather's papers I find
the enclosed letter, written by Mr. Maculloch to
him in a time of distress, when the sins of his
youth oppressed .him. Head it with care, and may
God grant a blessing in the perusal."
It was surely with good reason that Mr. Bucha-
nan added, " It is not the smallest of my comforts
that I have such a mother as this ;" who, though
44 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
evidently grieved at his past misconduct, was, as
he afterwards expressed it, " overwhelmed with
joy, that her son, who was lost, had been found."
It appears, by the subsequent part of this letter,
that Mr. Buchanan had a short time before been
introduced, by the. kindness of his friend, to the
notice of a gentleman to whose munificent patron-
age he was afterwards indebted for the means of
accomplishing the prevailing desire of his heart, in
entering upon the ministry of the Gospel in the
church of England. This was the late Mr. HENRY
THORNTON ; who, to talents of a superior order,
and to various and extensive acquirements, devo-
ted during a laborious and honorable course to the
most important duties of public life, united a warm
and enlightened attachment to genuine Christian-
ity ; which, while it formed the basis of his reli-
gious character, not only supplied the rule and the
motives of his general conduct, but prompted him,
in an especial manner, to support with calm and
steady zeal whatever a remarkably sound and vi-
gorous understanding deemed calculated to pro-
mote the glory of God and the present and future
happiness of his fellow-creatures. It was to this
distinguished person that Mr. Buchanan, happily
for himself and for others, was now made known
and recommended. Mr. Newton had been large-
ly indebted to the friendship and patronage of
the excellent father of this gentleman ; and justly
PREPARES FOR MINISTRY. 45
thought that he could not render a more import-
ant service to his young friend, or one which might
eventually be more useful to the world, than by
introducing him to the son ; who, with higher
mental powers, inherited that enlarged and gene-
rous spirit of benevolence which had associated,
in almost every mind, the name of Thornton*
with that of philanthropy and Christian charity.
The liberal education which Mr. Buchanan had
already received, and his advanced age as a stu-
dent, naturally led his friends to wish that it might
be practicable for him to obtain ordination without
so long a preparation as a residence at an English
university for a degree would require. The bishop,
however, to whom an application was made for
this purpose, discouraged any such plan, and it
was accordingly abandoned. It was afterwards
thought that holy orders might be procured for
Mr. Buchanan at an early period, on the condition
of his going abroad ; and Mr. Thornton desired
him to consider whether his health would allow
him to accept the chaplaincy of the colony at
Sierra Leone.. To this proposal Mr. Buchanan,
after requesting Mr. Newton's advice, signified his
cordial assent ; but, for reasons which do not ap-
pear, this design was also relinquished. For a
short time the mind of Mr. Buchanan seems to
have been somewhat depressed by the failure of
these attempts.
* See Cowper's " Charity."
46 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" Notwithstanding," lie says, at the close of the
letter last quoted, " your endeavors in my behalf,
I have little expectation that you will succeed.
Providence, I think, has a few more trials and dif-
ficulties for me to encounter before I am led into
so pleasant a path ; and I know that they are need-
ful to make me more humble."
He felt, too, the absence of his paternal friend
and guide, and looked around among his acquain-
tance for a companion in vain. " I have but one
serious friend," he observes, " and him I only see
once in a week or fortnight. Next to the blessing
of communion with God on earth, must surely be
the society of his children. Yet I shall not com-
plain if I can enjoy the former privilege ; for then,
llle solus turba erit"*
Amidst these discouraging circumstances, how-
ever, Mr. Buchanan assures his venerable corres-
pondent that he was never so truly happy in his
life, having been guided into " the way of peace,"
relying on the direction of divine providence, and
being animated " by ' the hope set before him.' "
But it was not long before the kindness of the
generous patron to whom he had been introduced
opened to him a prospect which his most sanguine
expectations had never ventured to anticipate : in-
stead of any further attempt to obtain ordination
* God shall be my all in all.
PREPARES FOR MINISTRY. 47
for him under his present circumstances, Mr. Thorn-
ton determined to send him to the University of
Cambridge at his own expense ; that he might thus
enter the church with every possible advantage,
and be prepared for a higher and more extensive
aphere of usefulness than any for which he could
otherwise be qualified. This resolution was scarce-
ly less honorable to the character of Mr. Buchanan
than to the liberality of his patron, whose discrimi-
nating judgment afforded no slight presumption in
favor of any one to whom his protection was ex-
tended, and whose penetration was, in the present
instance, amply justified by the event.
Early in the month of September Mr. Buchanan
communicated to his mother, and his friend Mr.
Newton, who was still in the country, the joyful
news of Mr. Thornton's munificent intention. He
had been so much depressed by the failure of for-
mer plans, and the present offer so far exceeded
any hopes which he had indulged, that he was at
first almost tempted to think it a delusion ; but on
Mr. Thornton's assuring him personally of the reali-
ty of the proposal, which he. appears to have origi-
nally made to him by letter, he received it with
those mingled feelings of gratitude and humility
which were the surest pledges that the benevolent
exertions of his patron would not be made in vain.
" I was emancipated," he writes to Mr. Newton,
48 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" from the law a few days ago, and am now will-
ing to enter into the eternal bonds of the Gospel.
I have been endeavoring to arrange my studies, in
some measure, preparatory to my going to Cam-
bridge ; but I find so much to do, that I know not
where to begin. I wish to devote my greatest at
tention to the Bible, and am desirous of adopting
some regular plan in studying it ; but I cannot
please myself, and I am a perfect stranger to the
system which is usually followed. The Bible ap-
pears to me like a confused heap of polished stones
prepared for a building, which must be brought
together, and each of them fitted to its place be-
fore the proportion and symmetry of the temple
appear. I would fain hope that the foundation-
stone is laid with me ; but the raising of the super-
structure appears an arduous undertaking, and the
pinnacle of the temple is quite out of sight, even
in idea. I conjectured that probably the articles
and creeds of the church contain the first principles
of the oracles of God ; and on this presumption 1
have begun to prove all the articles of my faith by
Scripture. Whether I am right in this mode of
study I know not.
" I never felt myself in more need of divine di-
rection than now. When I consider myself so evi-
dently called forth on the Lord's side, my heart is
faint ; and I am apt to say, l Who is sufficient for
these things V I find I am unable to go through
PREPARES FOR MINISTRY; 49
the important studies before me, unless I am led
every step. At present it appears to rne that my
Bole business at the university is contained in one
line of St. Paul, ' to be enriched with all utterance,
and all knowledge ;' or in other words, ' to be elo-
quent, and mighty in the Scriptures ;' which are
said to have been the accomplishments of the
preacher Apollos. But I find that I must attend to
various branches of human learning, for which at
present I have no relish. Alas ! sir, if St. Paul had
sent Timothy and Titus to such a college as this,
they would have complained to him of such a plan.
But he would 'perhaps have answered, as he does
somewhere, ' Till I come, give attendance to read-
ing' ' that ye may know how ye ought to answer
every man.' "
The sentiment expressed in the latter part of the
preceding extract will not appear extraordinary to
those who consider the state of Mr. Buchanan's
mind at this period, and the one great object which
he had in view in accepting Mr. Thornton's offer of
a university education. The same train of thought
occurs in his next letter to Mr. Newton ; and al-
though he afterwards acquiesced, upon principle, in
the usual course of university studies, it may not
he without its use to. develope somewhat more fully
his present dispositions and feelings.
Buchanan. 4
50 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" Permit me," he observes to his first excellent
friend, " to thank you for your letter. It is a mark
of your regard, of which I am unworthy, and has
afiixed a seal to the truth of your interest in my
welfare, which I hope will never be broken. Like
Hezekiah, I spread it before the Lord, but with a
different purpose ; not to avert a curse, but to im-
prove a blessing. The words in Hezekiah's letter
were ' to reproach the living God ;' but the words
in my letter were to assure me that his name is
love ; that he is very gracious, and that I should
serve him with a cheerful heart, I have prayed that
I may be enabled to do so. Your letter is a silent
monitor, which I hope at the university often to
consult. It will, I trust, serve as a counterpoise to
the parade of worldly wisdom, and teach me to re-
verse the motto of the schools, Ubi pliilosoplm-s
ccssat, illic inci'pit tkeologus* Chrysostom was of
your opinion ; he says, o-rov O-OQXJ. QKV, cimtri x.^ trz
ci';9-ga)n-/vf.t I think so too ; but I also think that the
fault is not in the studies, but in the manner of
pursuing them. If a student could wed himself to
the Bible, and court the sciences merely as hand-
maids to her, I think this would do very well ; but
when we are seized by the cacoethes pliilosophanAi,\
* Where the philosopher ends, the theologian begins.
t Where the wisdom of God is, human wisdom will not
be wanting.
* Thirst of philosophy.
PREPARES FOR MINISTRY. 51
and devote ourselves to what Luther calls the idola
carnalium studiorum* our taste becomes vitiated.
Since I received your letter I have seen something
of this.
" I was introduced yesterday to the acquaintance
of a clergyman's son, who has been two years at
college, Cambridge. His father, I understand,
sent him to that college that he might be under the
care of religious tutors. From this account I hoped
to find him a suitable companion ; but I soon dis-
covered that he had no inclination to talk of divi-
nity, or of any thing that bore relation to it. His
whole conversation turned on experimental philo-
sophy and mathematics. I have not seen a young
man so mathematic-mad in my life. During the
whole evening I spent with him, his head was (as
Omicron expresses it) continually wool-gathering
after rhomboids and parallelograms. He assures
me that if I do not study mathematics very dili-
gently, I shall have no chance, at the end of my
course, of obtaining e the honors.' I told him that
I had heard college fame was very intoxicating ;
that perhaps it might be prudent to sip gently of
it ; and that, as for myself, if I could pass my ex-
amination with a mediocrity of applause, I should
be content. He observed that seven hours a day
studying mathematics would be sufficient
* Idolatry of science.
52 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" How much reason is there for that l double
guard of prayer and close walking with God'
which you mention, in order that I may be ena-
bled to pass through this fire unhurt ! It is happy
for me that I am not under my own guidance. It
seems it is necessary for me to be somewhat
' learned in the wisdom of the Egyptians ;' but I
trust it is that I may be able to see and set forth
e the wisdom that is from above ' in a more trans-
cendent light.
" The method you propose for my studying the
Bible approves itself much to my judgment, and
I desire to follow it. I have begun it this day in a
solemn manner. O that my ardor for contemplating
the truths of Scripture may never abate !
" What you say of a daily retrospect of my past
life is an instructive lesson. Is it possible that for
forty years it should have been so with you ? I
fear I shall come far short of this ; and yet how
much reason have I to sing of the mercies of the
Lord all the day long ? Is there any one of his
children who is more indebted to him as the God
of providence and of grace than I am t Who can
' sing of mercy and of judgment ' as I can, when
I remember him from the land of my nativity, all
the way by which I have been led 1 How few are
there who would believe that a man could be found
capable of displaying so extraordinary an act of
munificence as that with which Mr. Thornton is
PREPARES FOR MINISTRY. 53
now honoring me 1 ? Were I possessed of both the
Indies I could scarcely do more for myself than he
is now doing. And how unworthy I am of all this 1
"When I think of these things, it is the grief of my
heart that I cannot more admire and love that gra-
cious Saviour, who has so highly favored me. As
yet I have a very imperfect view of what I have
passed through ; but I trust these things will be
shown me as I shall be able to bear them.
" Mr. Thornton intends that I shall go to Queen's
college ; chiefly, I believe, because he is acquaint-
ed with the President, Rev. Isaac Milner, D. D.
and thinks that circumstance may be advantageous
to me. I am happy to hear so favorable an account
of Cambridge. It will be an encouragement for
me to maintain my ground when I see some around
me who dare to be singular. It shall be my endea-
vor to attend to your advice with respect to my
conduct to my superiors. I shall often pray to be
endued with a meek and quiet spirit ; and endea-
vor implicitly to comply with every rule and every
injunction in the university, for the Lord's sake."
54 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
CHAPTER III.
Mesidence at Cambridge
t
Such were the views with which, in the autumn
of 179 1, Mr. Buchanan was admitted a member of
Queen's college, Cambridge. " The day of my
leaving London," he observes in a letter to his
brother, " was very solemn. It was on Monday,
the 24th of October, exactly four years and two
months since my entering that city. But with
what a different spirit did I leave it, compat'ed
with that with which I entered it ! Had I seen at
that time, in the book of providence, all that I was
about to do and to suffer in that city, I suppose I
should hardly have dared to approach it : but God
wisely conceals from us a knowledge of the future.
" On the morning and evening preceding my
leaving London, I was earnest in prayer for a
blessing on my intended journey and its conse-
quences. One request in particular was, that I
might be favored with the acquaintance of some
pious companions in my studies. To this prayer I
had an early answer. A gentleman set out with
me from London in the same coach for Cambridge.
He studied two seasons at Glasgow, as I did;
then, like me, passed some years in vanity ; and
AT CAMBRIDGE. 65
now comes to the university to qualify himself for
preaching Christ, as I hope I do. This singular
similarity in our circumstances occasioned a hap-
piness of which none but ourselves could partake."
With a modesty and regard to frugality which
reflect upon him much credit. Mr. Buchanan was
at first disposed to enter as a sizer ; but upon the
representations of the tutors, and of the friends to
whom he had been recommended, he determined
on being admitted as a pensioner. In a letter to
Mr. Newton, written soon after his arrival at Cam-
bridge, he very feelingly describes the perplexity
which he had anticipated from the contrariety of
the studies to which he was called, to the prevail-
ing dispositions of his mind. Until he was actually
at college he cherished the hope of being permit-
ted to devote his chief attention to divinity, and to
the mathematics only secondarily. But he found
that the reverse was expected from him ; and that
the excellent friends, to whom his patron had in-
troduced him, were quite as strenuous as his tutors
in representing to him the necessity of complying
with the established course of study in the uni-
versity. Independently of the repugnance which
Mr. Buchanan felt to this plan from the peculiarly
serious frame of his mind at this period, he feai'ed
that by yielding to it he should disappoint the ex-
pectations of the friends who had sent him to
Cambridge, and eventually frustrate the great ob-
56 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
ject which he and they mutually had in view. The
comparatively advanced age, too, at which he en-
tered the university, would naturally tend to
strengthen this apprehension, and to dispose him
to dedicate his time exclusively to theological pur-
suits. The state of doubt and uneasiness produced
by these circumstances affected both his spirits
and his health ; but after stating the reasonings of
his Cambridge friends, and his own feelings and
inclinations, he expressed to his respected corres-
pondent his resolution to follow that course of con-
duct, which, after mature deliberation, should ap-
pear to him to be the path of duty.
In the case of students in general, entering at
the usual period at either university with a view to
the clerical office, however religiously they may
be disposed, there can be no doubt either as to
the duty or the wisdom of devoting their chief
attention to the prescribed studies of the place. A
competent acquaintance with the learned langua-
ges, arid with the stores of historical and ethical
knowledge which they contain ; the principles of
sound reasoning, and the elements, at least, of
general science, are essential to the formation of
an enlightened and able theologian. The basis of
such a character must, indeed, be deeply laid in an
experimental acquaintance with real religion ; and
it were devoutly to be wished that this were
always considered an indispensable qualification
AT CAMBRIDGE. 57
in the candidate for the ministry, and that more
effectual encouragements and facilities were af-
forded in our universities for its attainment. But
if to the spirit of piety be not added the advanta-
o-es which are to be derived from the wise and
C3
temperate pursuit of human learning, there is
great danger that religion itself will suffer in the
hands of those who are thus unprepared to teach,
to defend, and to adorn it. In the present instance,
Mr. Buchanan was already possessed of such a
share of learning as might have been sufficient to
qualify him for the discharge of the ordinary du-
ties of a Christian minister ; but it was obviously
desirable that this should be strengthened and en-
larged by fresh accessions at the seat of science, to
which the providence of God had so remarkably
conducted him. Nor was it long before his judg- .
ment was convinced by the arguments of his
friends, that the very honor of religion required
his acquiescence in such a measure ; and that,
however the appointed studies of the university
might appear to be foreign to the important pur-
pose for which he had entered it, they would ulti-
mately tend in the most effectual manner to pro-
mote it. Among those who concurred in this sa-
lutary advice was Mr. Newton himself; and to
him Mr. Buchanan early in the following year an-
nounced his disposition to yield to their sugges-
tions.
58 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" I think," he observes, " that my way is clearer
than it was, and I hope soon to have little doubt of
my path of duty at college. Your letter helped to
pave the way for me. I have now taken up the
study of the mathematics ex animo, that is, from a
persuasion that God wills it. And for them I have
made a sacrifice of some other studies truly dear
to me. I tried, for a time, to continue them both,
but I found it impossible ; so that now, that por-
tion of the day which I have set apart for divine
things is extremely short, compared with what I
once thought it would be ; and yet I dare not tell
some of my friends here that it is so long."
It will be readily iinagined that Mr. Buchanan
had various difficulties to encounter on commencing
his academical coui'se. He had indeed been re-
ceived by the Vice-President, in the absence of
Dr. Milner, and by the tutors, with much attention
and kindness ; but having been entirely unacquaint-
ed with the mathematics before his entrance at col-
lege, it was only by hard study that he could con-
trive to keep pace with the lectures. " I once
thought," he says, " that I should have been oblig-
ed to acknowledge my inability, and to have fallen
behind, and was wishing for the last day of term
as eagerly as ever truant did for a holiday. How^
ever, I was enabled to keep my ground, and my
difficulties were never known, even to my tutor
AT CAMBRIDGE. 59
This vacation will give me room to have some lit-
tle beforehand ; so that I hope to pass with more
ease and credit through the succeeding terms."
From the time of his coming to college, accord-
ing to the information of a contemporary friend,
Mr. Buchanan was exceedingly regular and studi-
ous, keeping but little company, for the sake, he
supposes, of economy, both as to expense and time.
His situation, too, was at first peculiarly unplea-
sant, from finding scarcely a single companion
whose sentiments and habits were congenial with
his own. His indisposition to general visits even
rendered him the subject of much animadversion.
But from this trial he was shortly relieved by the
praise which he received from his tutor for a Latin
theme, the composition of which, though he had
written nothing in that language for some years,
was pronounced to be superior to that of any other
student. He was in consequence treated with much
additional respect by his fellow-collegians, was al-
lowed to visit them upon his own terms, and even
received several applications to assist them in their
studies, which served as a stimulus to his own ex-
ertions.
No sooner, however, had Mr. Buchanan deter-
mined on the diligent pursuit of his academical
studies, than the wakeful spirit of piety by which
he was animated made him anxious to guard
60 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
against the possible dangers to which such a plan
might expose him. For this purpose he cultivated
the acquaintance of the more serious students at
different colleges ; and at his solicitation they
agreed to meet regularly for the purpose of read-
ing the New Testament, and conversing practical-
ly upon some chapter which had been selected.
Their meetings were begun and ended with prayer.
Mr. Buchanan was also invited to spend an hour
on Sunday evenings at the rooms of one excellent
person,* who has been distinguished during many
years for his active and zealous support of religion
in Cambridge, and to whom a numerous body of
clerical and other students have been successively
>
indebted for the most important instruction and
encouragement during their academical progress.
Of the kindness of this gentleman, and of the be-
nefit which he deiived from his conversation and
example, Mr. Buchanan wrote to more than one
of his friends in terms of the highest respect and
gratitude.
" These engagements," he says to one of them,
" prove something of a counterbalance to the ef-
fects of human learning, and preserve my mind
from being wholly absorbed in philosophy and me-
taphysics. Besides," and the remark affords a strik-
ing proof of the sobriety as well as fervor of his
* The late Rev. Charles Simeon.
AT CAMBRIDGE. 61
? " I have the opportunity, every morning and
evening, of attending chapel prayers, which, of it-
self, I consider a great blessing."
" I often meditate," he adds, " on the vanity of
life, and the insufficiency of the world to confer
happiness. Were I assured of my interest in the
Redeemer, I should long for my departure. What
is there to detain me here % I have no tie to this
world, no earthly possession, no person, if I except
my mother, for whose sake I desire to live, no idol
of any kind. What then should induce me to lin-
ger here, groaning, as I do daily, with sin, and
combating a powerful spiritual enemy ? Nothing
ought to urge me to stay, but a desire to promote
the glory of G-od among men. But this desire is
with me so weak at present, as scarcely to deserve
the name. It is but a spark. This is my unhappi
ness. Yet the goodness of God may, in his own
lime, fan it into a flame."
Such was the resolution with which Mr. Bu-
chanan engaged in the study of the mathematics,
that at the close of his second term he found him-
self inferior to none in the lecture-room. He had,
at the same time, though contrary to the usual cus-
tom, paid equal attention to the classical and logical
lectures ; but very reasonably doubted whether he
should be able to continue the same application to
so many different objects.
62 MEBIOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" Your good sense," he says to one of his cor-
respondents, " will show you, when reflecting on
my present situation, that I have much need of that
wisdom which is profitable to direct. "Weak in spi-
rit, weak in body, and beset by hard study, which
I know by experience to be a weariness to the
flesh, what can I do but commit myself and all my
cares to Him who hath hitherto cared for me, and
will lead me, though blind, by a way I know not 1
By such a way is he now leading me. I know not
whither his goodness is conducting me : I trust it
is to his service : and yet there is such an ocean of
mathematics and abstruse study which intervenes
between me and usefulness in the ministry, that,
like the Israelites, I stand on the sea-shore think-
ing it impossible to get over ; but I think also that
I hear the Lord by his providence, which introdu-
ced me to the studies of this place, say, ' Go for-
ward.' This I am resolved to do till his goodness
illuminate my mind, so that I shall be enabled to
discover the errors (if any) of my path. If any,
did I say ? I know that there are many ; but I
need grace to abandon them when I see them ; I
hope Cambridge University will prove a good
school of Christ to me. I knew little of myself till
T came here."
Notwithstanding his complaint as to the unfa-
vorable effect of his studies upon his devotional
AT CAMBRIDGE. 63
feelings, he occasionally experienced very different
and more pleasing impressions.
" I ought," lie observes, writing to Mr. Newton
not long afterwards, " to thank you for your letter.
There is an indescribable something which per-
vades the whole of it, and seems to intimate that
all is peace and tranquillity within the mind of the
writer. What an enviable frame of spirit does he
possess who walks with God ! About a fortnight
ago a dawn of that light, with which I suppose the
Lord irradiates the souls of those that walk with
him, shone upon my mind, and by its lustre showed
me some things I had not seen before. I prayed
often that this impression of love might not leave
me. But, alas ! it did leave me ; no doubt it was
my own fault. I would walk three times round the
globe to attain it again : but no such great thing is
required of me ; I have only to believe : m<rT/a>,
" After what you have said on the subject of dis-
appointment, I am resolved never to be disappoint-
ed. But it is a resolution which I fear I cannot keep.
Let me pray for grace. If I possessed this foun-
tain, all the streams would be mine ; and among
the rest, the Christian grace of considering nothing
in the providence of G-od a disappointment."
* Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief."
64 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN 7 .
On the approach of the long vacation, Mr. Bu-
chanan had some thoughts of spending a few weeks
at Lynn, in Norfolk, for the benefit of his health,
which had been impaired by his close application
to study.
Mr. Newton had also invited him to pass a part
of the vacation in London ; and in the letter which
conveyed this invitation, an extract from which
Mr. Buchanan communicated to his brother, his
kind friend expressed himself as follows :
" Our acquaintance was providential indeed !
but it is a providence for which I hope ever to be
thankful ; and to account it one of the chief honors
and pleasures of my life, to have been made in-
strumental in bringing you forward. May you be
kept in the mind you express, to prefer ' a grain
of humility to a mountain of gold ;' and you will
be like the tree described in the first Psalm, and
Jeremiah 17, when my head is laid in the dust. I
hear well of you from all quarters."
The relaxation, however, thus proposed, both in
Norfolk and London, as well as the offer of an ex-
cursion with a Cambridge friend, Mr. Buchanan,
with commendable self-denial, thought it most ex-
pedient to decline, and determined on accepting
the indulgence granted him of remaining in college
during the whole vacation.
AT CAMBRIDGE. 65
" It would be very pleasing," he says, " to make
a short tour with a proper companion ; but I think
I could not do it without danger to myself. If I
were somewhat advanced in the Christian life, and
more stable in the way of truth, I perhaps might;
but at present I cannot, I dare not trust the deceit-
fulness of my own heart. In the retirement of a
college I am unable to suppress evil thoughts and
vain wishes ; how then must it be abroad ] Besides,
I find that the art of study is difficult to attain. I
must serve a long apprenticeship to it ere I am a
good proficient. The greatest danger lies in break-
ing the thread of attention. On whatever study my
mind is fixed, iliat study I can with pleasure re-
sume ; but if an interval of a day intervene, my at-
tention is disengaged. I am conscious that I have
lost a day as to that study, and find it irksome to
begin de novo. But if instead of a day, an interval
of a week or month should intervene, it would be
a herculean labor to resume it ; and nothing could
smooth the way but a conviction that the interrup-
tion was from necessity; then, indeed, my duty
would remove the obstacle.
" That you may have some idea of the nature of
my present studies, I shall subjoin the calendar
of a day.
J after 4 to 8, Devotional Studies.
8 to 9, Breakfast and Recreation.
Bnohaimn *?
66 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
9 to 2, Mathematics.
2 to 4, Dinner and Recreation.
4 to 6, Classics.
6 to 7, Engagements, or Recreation.
7 to 9, Classics, or Logic, &c.
9 to 10, Devotional Studies.
10 to J after 4, Sleep."
Few persons would be disposed to think, on
reviewing the preceding distribution of his time,
that Mr. Buchanan had, at this early period of his
academical course, assigned too small a portion to
studies directly connected with his future profes-
sion. This is, however, the reflection which he im-
mediately suggests to his friend ; expressing his
fears, which were certainly groundless, lest his pa-
tron should say that he had not sent him to Cam-
bridge to learn geometry ; and, above all, lest the
science which he was thus diligently pursuing
should not ultimately reward him. It would, in-
deed, he says, be distressing to him to appear un-
qualified for his office as a preacher; " but then I
hope," he adds, u I shall make more commendable
proficiency in my divine studies when I undertake
;lhem. This hope alone enables me to persevere in
any present course."
" I apprehend," continues he, " that a student
should labor as for his daily bread ; not choosing
the study he may like best, for then it would be no
labor, but learning the great lesson of self-denial
AT CAMBRIDGE. 67
by taking up the study he likes least, if it be best
for him. If I can by nine hours' study a day serve
my heavenly Master as faithfully as I served Mr.
D , I think he will give me my hire."
Having received a paternal reply from Rev. Mr.
Newton, he again thus writes to his venerable
friend :
" Rather than you should have a moment's un-
easiness lest the purity of my heart should be taint-
ed by mathematics, I would throw every mathe-
matical book 1 have into the fire. For, compared
with the word of truth, they are as dross to fine
gold. In a certain degree they may be useful, and
to that degree I would desire them ; and I hope to
be led so far, and no farther. At first I disliked
them ; but considering them as a nauseous medicine
which might do me some good, I took them up.
You, too, bade me. After a while they became
more palatable, and at length a pleasing study.
For this I was exceedingly thankful, as they were
in the way of my duty. But now, as I have arrived
at a certain length in them, and have in view very
soon to enter on an important office which requires
much preparation, I think it will be right not to
relinquish them wholly but so to circumscribe
them, and my other academical exercises, as to
afford me a considerable proportion of the day (the
68 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
half, if possible) for ' the preparation of the Gospel
of peace.'
" I do not mean to put this sudden resolution
into practice till I know whether it be right. From
some experience, I know myself to be weak, inju-
dicious, inconstant, changeable. I shall therefore
prosecute my studies as usual, till I hear from you.
Having acquired somewhat of a reputation for my
attention to college studies, if I can preserve it, it
will be a desirable thing ; if not, I cannot help it ;
I willingly sacrifice it to 'a belter name.'
" You do me great honor in the proposal you
have made. I would rather serve you in your old
age than a sceptre-bearing king. But I much fear
that my services at so early a period will be weak
and inadequate. It is like taking a babe out of his
cradle to support the steps of his aged parent.
But I am in God's hands : whatever he sees fit for
me to do, I hope he will incline my heart and
enable me to do it. But as I cannot expect that
he will work a miracle by qualifying me for his
service at once, it is certainly my duty to resort to
the means noio, and pray for his blessing on his
own studies. Surely I ought not to procrastinate.
" You ask me whether I would prefer preach-
ing the Gospel to the fame of learning 1 Ay, that
would I, gladly. "Were I convinced it was the will
of God that I should depart this night for Nova
Zembla, or the antipodes, to testify of Him, I
AT CAMBRIDGE. 69
would not wait for an audit, or a college exit.
There is nothing to be found here to satisfy my
mind. There are indeed many gaudy vanities of
specious appearance, pleasing to my fleshly eye ;
but if I know my own heart, the Lord Jesus is at
this moment more lovely to me than the loveliest
object which the eye can see or fancy paint. And
though I know him not as I could wish, yet is he
precious. He is that pearl which I would willingly
buy at the price of all the laurels which science
ever bore. But I speak this in liis strength. I
wish not to be tried with wealth, honor, or the
applause of men. A laurel' even in preaching the
Gospel might intoxicate my brain, and drown my
humble dependence on God in Lethe. Then, like
Lucifer, should I preach humility ! Lord, my af-
fections are now in thy possession. O, keep them
there !
"You ask me what are my views 1 Dear sir,
what views can I have 1 God has his views con-
cerning me : I have none. He best knows why-he
brought me hither : I know not. Once I used to
think, that as he had wrought so wondrously for
me, he surely meant me for an eminent preacher
of the Gospel. Pride dictated this. I now have no
such high thoughts of myself. I am in some de-
gree sensible, that if I ever serve the Lord at all,
I shall be one of his weakest servants. Nor are
these mere disqualifying speeches. I have reason
70 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
to fear that I am much more deficient than you
apprehend. Nevertheless, with all my defects, I
know the divine power. I have laid my hand to
the plough ; he can make me useful.
" You desire to know whether I would accept
oi'dinatiori before I take my degree, if it could be
procured 1 Yes, without any hesitation, if I thought
it was the will of God. Were I to submit it to our
friends here, they would unanimously dissuade it;
but I do not feel myself at liberty to consult them.
In order to have it in my power to assist you as
soon as possible, I would gladly receive ordination
before the prescribed time ; but in that case I should
desire immediately to alter my plan of study, and
prepare myself a little, who need so much prepa-
ration.
" If my purpose of beginning the studies of di-
vinity be proper and practicable, could you give
me the outline of what you conceive to be best
worthy my attention in primordio ?* Mr. S. I
know, will also be glad to lend me every assist-
ance.
" A new desire of preaching the Gospel has cer-
tainly sprung up in my heart, accompanied by
ideas I do not recollect to have had before. I
hope it is no delusion. As yet it has produced
noble effects on my heart and views. But in a
* As first in order.
AT CAMBRIDGE. ?1
month's time I shall be better able to say whether
it be of God or no."
Though it can scarcely be doubted that con-
tinued and exclusive efforts would have rendered
Mr. Buchanan successful in the competition for
academical honors ; there are but few, perhaps,
who, under all the circumstances of his case, will
not consider him as having piously, if not wisely
judged, in abandoning that flattering pursuit; and
in resolving to devote a larger proportion of his
time to studies more congenial to his taste and
feelings, and more directly subservient to his
ultimate destination.
At the close of the long vacation, Mr. Buchanan
accordingly communicated this determination to
Mr. Newton :
" I fear, however," he says, " that it will be dif-
ficult for me to conceal the change, as I must un-
dergo two examinations next year, which will
abundantly scrutinize my proficiency ; besides, I
have many competitors, who will exult when they
see me halt. But I trust I shall be enabled to make
every necessary sacrifice. What is my fame com-
pared with that of the Gospel '( My desire is, that
my light may so shine before men, that they seeing
my good works, may glorify my Father who is in
heaven."
72 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
The continuation of this letter shows the since-
rity of this profession, and the anxiety which Mr.
Buchanan felt to fulfil it :
" How happy should I be, did I always know
what these good works are. It is strange that I
should err when I have the Bible to direct me ;
but I find that it requii'es much of divine teaching
to apply the general rules of Scripture to particu-
lar cases. For instance, I would gladly know
whether it is the will of God that I should asso-
ciate with my fellow-students more than I do.
Whether I ought to separate myself, or mingle
with them, endeavor to obtain some weight among
them, and correct their manners, and seek oppor-
tunities of speaking for G-od. Some of them, per-
haps, never heard the terms of the Gospel in their
lives. If I were ' wise as a serpent,' I might possi-
bly, under God, entwine some of them in tlie net of
tJie Gospel. Of late this subject has been much on
my mind, and I have been earnest in prayer that I
may be made useful to some of them. At my rooms
they have always acted with the strictest decorum ;
scarcely a faulty word has been spoken ; and I
know not but I might have been a restraint upon
them at their own. My principal reason for resist-
ing their frequent invitations, is a fear lest I should
lose time in idle conversation, or be unawares led
into undue compliances. This latter operated much
AT CAMBRIDGE. 73
with me. I have been surprised that my conduct
did not draw upon me their open reproach. But
the Lord ' tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.'
Last year I was extremely weak, ill-grounded in
the truth, and perhaps should have sunk under
much opposition. During this vacation I trust I have
obtained more spiritual strength ; and perhaps 1
shall soon have occasion to exercise it."
In compliance with his request, Mr. Newton
had recommended several books to Mr. Buchanan
for the commencement of his theological studies.
To this point he therefore next refers :
" I propose to confine myself to three branches
of divinity during the following year ; namely, jhe
Bible, Bishop Pearson on the Creed, and Mr. Si-
meon's Lectures on Revealed Religion. He went
through a course of natural religion last year. My
reason for beginning with Pearson is, because Dr.
Hey gives public lectures on that author, which I
wish to attend, if my college avocations permit."
In addition to the motives which have been al-
ready stated for relaxation in his mathematical
studies, Mr. Buchanan again mentions in this let-
ter the importance of health. " I see," he observes,
" many around me whose usefulness is abridged
by the want of it. Mr. L. and Mr. R. men of abi-
74 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
lity, are both lying by. I begin to think, that if, at
the expiration of my academic course, I have good
health, some knowledge of the Bible r and some
zeal, I may prove as useful as some who have
great abilities, great eloquence, and an asthma !"
The paragraph immediately following contains
the first specific intimation of the important and
interesting sphere of ministerial labor to which
the providence of God was conducting him.
" Mr. and Mrs. G-. passed through Cambridge
lately. Mr. S. and I dined and supped with them.
I hope the conversation of that evening was useful
to me. From hearing various accounts of the apos-
tolic spirit of some missionaries to the Indies, and
of the extensive field for preaching the Gospel
there, I was led to desire that I might be well
qualified for such a department, in case God should
intend me for it. Hence the origin of my three de-
siderata above mentioned scripture knowledge,
some zeal, and good health."
The subject of elocution is that to which Mr.
Buchanan next adverts in this letter :
" I have read many codicils in my time, but I
never read any one with such pleasure as that an-
nexed to your letter. Do you think it possible that
AT CAMBRIDGE. 75
I ever shall be able to preach extempore from the
pulpit ? You know my defect in conversation. I
scarcely know a person of any education who is so
much at a loss in ordinary expression as I am. My
fault is not that of Demosthenes, else there might
be hope of amendment. I have no natural defect
in the organs of speech ; but I can never find apt
words to express my ideas without much premedi-
tation. I have a pretty large stock of words in my
head, but they are seldom used : so that when I
am able to draw some of them out, they appear
quile strange to me. I fancy 1 have some hundreds
which I never used in my life. This partly arises
from our Scottish mode of education reading
much and speaking little ; but chiefly, I suppose,
from my being secluded from society for so many
years. During my residence in London, I lived,
like the Spectator, in silence. My business was to
write, not to speak. Since my coming to Cam-
bridge, I have passed most of my time in silent
study. On an average I suppose I have not spoken
half an hour a day, including both lectures and
conversation. So you see that taciturnity is a dis-
ease in me ; an evil habit of five years' standing.
When a boy I could scold well enough, but 1 do
not think I could scold now. In conversation I am
naturally cheerful, and therefore I must speak,
whether I can do it well or ill : but I ascribe the pa-
tience of my company to my cheerfulness, not to
my diction.
76 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" Though I never mentioned it to you, there
has scarcely been a subject more on my mind,
since providence opened to me a view of the
pulpit, than this of public speaking. I was in hopes
that I should have had some opportunity of im-
provement at Cambridge, but I have none, Mr. S.
regrets that there is no pei'son in Cambridge who
teaches elocution, and he regrets it much on my
account. He has kindly proposed to me to read to
him once a fortnight. This is my only resource at
present. I have liltle advantage from my college
companions. Most of them speak ill, and read
worse. All I can do is to read aloud by myself oc-
casionally. I am persuaded that it would be worth
a student's while to spend two or three hours a
day, for some years previous to his entering into
the ministry, in the attainment of that accomplish-
ment which distinguished the preacher Apollos. I
have often thought how glad I should be if oratory
were introduced into my college-course instead of
mathematics. Mr. Thornton's desires on this head
should be an additional inducement to me to ap-
ply diligently to this study."
Though the peculiar circumstances of Mr. Bu-
chanan's birth and education may account for his
complaint and anxiety upon the subject of elocu-
tion, it is but too notorious, that those who do not
labor under his disadvantages are frequently as de-
AT CAMBRIDGE. 77
ficient, and not . seldom much more so, in this im-
portant accomplishment.
He soon after says to Mr. Newton, " I have been
indulging myself a little in writing a sermon. It is
for Mr. S 's perusal ; that he may be able to
judge of my improvement, if I am spared to write
another next year. It is on the matter and manner
of a preacher of the Gospel : ' And he spake bold-
ly in the name of Jesus.' Acts, 9 : 29. I have just
delivered it to Mr. S . I fear he will think it
a rhapsody ; and what makes it worse, it is twenty-
seven pages long. I fancy that youthful sermon-
writers are generally at a loss how to begin, and
when they do begin, they know not where to stop."
At the close of the term he again writes : " I
have now done with all our lectures, and I am glad
of it. Though I found some things here and there
which flattered the earthly mind, and pleased vain-
glorious reason, yet in all my researches have I
found nothing like ' Come unto me all ye that la-
bor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'
Perhaps your good memory will remind you that
I stole this idea from Archbishop Leighton. Agree-
ably to your recommendation, I am now reading
the Preelections of that good man : and I must say
that I have seldom met with such genuine Chris-
tianity in such a classical dress.
" The college have lately appointed me their
librarian. This is an office rather of trust than of
78 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
emolument. My business is easily done, as I am
only required to give in an account of the state of
the library once a year. Many good divines of the
last century have found a place in it. Halyburton's
life has engaged my attention for a few days past.
His work on the Spirit" (which had probably
been recommended to him by Mr. Newton) " I
cannot find."
The following letter to Mr. Newton, dated May
30, 1793, conveys sentiments and consolations too
interesting to be omitted :
o
" It gives me great pleasure to hear that you
are still supported in health and strength sufficient
for the discharge of your ministerial labors. I hope
that you will continue to be refreshed abundantly
with the divine presence ; and I pray, that as your
body yields to weakness and the infirmities of age,
your spirit may derive new strength from our Re-
deemer's fulness.
" I sometimes find myself indulging a wish that
your experience in your evening hour may be sin-
gularly joyful to you ; and that your death may
preach as powerfully as your life has done. But I
believe self prompts us sometimes to too sanguine
expectations respecting our friends. Let us not
dictate, but wait and see the salvation of the Lord.
He will conduct you in the path most suitable to
his own glory, your good, and our edification.
AT CAMBRIDGE. 79
" We have lately had an illustrious instance of
God's goodness to his children at the hour of death.
Mrs. , of this place, was a woman of eminent
piety, cheerful in disposition, and of elegant man-
ners. She was but twenty-five years of age. I was
introduced to her family about a twelvemonth ago,
and have diligently cultivated her acquaintance
ever since. Soon after her rising from her confine-
ment, she discovered that she was in a rapid con-
sumption ; and in a few weeks the strength of the
malady seemed to forbid all hope of life. Her bo-
dily pains were extreme, so that she frequently
expressed a desire to be with the Lord ; but she
had yet two ties to earth her husband and her
child. The child she was soon enabled to give up,
but the husband this she confessed to be a trial
indeed. However, after strong cries and tears, she
obtained a victory here also. She afterwards re-
covered from a trial of another kind with an ani-
mating faith in her Redeemer's love, and an assur-
ance of the joy about to be revealed. This was on
Sunday morning at five o'clock. In half an hour
after, she intimated that her departure was at
hand. It was now that she experienced the truth
of the promise of dying strength for a dying hour.
For, though unable to speak, yet she discovered
her inward joy by such animation of countenance
as delighted her surrounding friends. And when
her mother and sister spoke to her of her approach-
80 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
ing happiness, her eyes seemed to glisten with
new fire. c What a joyful Sabbath you will have
to-day,' said her sister. Her looks seemed to reply,
' A joyful Sabbath indeed ; an eternal Sabbath !'
In a few minutes afterwards she waved her hand
in token of her abundant entrance into the joy of
her Lord. And like your dear E. C.* she met
death with a smile, which kept possession of her
features until she was consigned to the grave.
" I would not have dwelt so long on this subject,
were it not that my esteem for the deceased was
great.
et Perhaps you would call it affectation, if I did
not tell you that the college have adjudged to me
the first prize for the best Latin declamation on
' the stage.'
" I believe I must pass this summer out of Cam-
bridge. I think of going to London about the be-
ginning of July, that I may have a few lessons in
English pronunciation, in compliance with Mr.
Thornton's desire.
te I have been assaulted of late from various
quarters, both from without and from within ; but
I bless God, that while I pray over the Bible I
am enabled to triumph over my enemies. I delight
in the Bible. When my heart is melted within me,
and my soul sick with the combat between the
* Eliza Cunningham. See American Tract No. 83.
AT CAMBRIDGE. 81
contempt of the ungodly and the remains of my
own pride, then the Bible affords a comfort no
other book can give."
In a similar strain as to his increasing love of
the Holy Scriptures, and in peculiarly strong and
lively terms as to the general state of his mind
concerning religion, he thus writes to the same
correspondent in the month of June following :
" I see you still have a godly jealousy over me,
respecting the bent of my studies. I must make
you easy on that head. I can now inform you that
the attention I pay to the classics or mathematics
is comparatively very little ; so little, that I some-
times fear that (in my present place) I neglect
them too much. And I can further inform you, and
I thank God for enabling me, that the cause of my
being thus lukewarm in these studies, is, that I
may redeem time for studying the Scriptures, the
value of which knowledge I see more and more.
At present I can read the Bible when I can read
nothing else. Some of my other studies are truly a
cross to me."
"What an unquestionable proof of a spiritual
mind in an academical student is such a declara-
tion as this ! He thus continues :
" I dare not tell you what I am, but I can tell
you wha.t I pray for.
Buchanan. O
82 MEMOin OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" I pray that I may be content to be of no re-
putation among men, knowing that if I am truly
wise, I must become a fool among the ungodly ;
that I may patiently submit to indignity and re-
proach for Christ's sake, and that my whole life
may be devoted to his service ; that for this pur-
pose I may diligently improve the talent commit-
ted to me, however little it may be ; and that
when I go forth into the ministry, I may not seek
self, but Christ ; content to he unnoticed, dead to
the censure or applause of men, alive to God and
his concerns, and chiefly solicitous that my preach-
ing (however rude I may be in speech) may be
powerful in awakening souls.
" These are my prayers in 1793, as to the event
of my studies. I trust the Lord that he will keep
me ; that he will put his fear in my heart, that I
may not depart from him.
" You talk to me of academical reputation and
dignity. If I were Regius Professor of Divinity
to-morrow, I would resign the dignity to any man
for a little brokenness of heart. The summit of
my ambition (if I know my own mind) is, to be
daily more conformed to Christ, to be enabled to
follow that great Sufferer, and to rejoice to be
counted worthy to suffer shame for his sake.
te As to my future situation in the ministry, to
which you allude at the close of your letter, that
subject is \ery little in my thoughts. God has done
AT CAMBRIDGE. 83
the greater ; shall he not do the less 1 If he means
me to preach his Gospel, then is the pulpit pre-
pared, and the flock which I must tend. At present
I feel ready to go wherever he pleases to send
me ; whether to India, America, New Holland, or
if there be any other laud more remote. I have al-
ready seen life in various shapes ; and if I have
been enabled to bear with difficulties when without
God in the world, much more when engaged in his
service, aided by his Spirit and supported by his
presence.
" If the Lord will, I should be well pleased to
enter his service under your advice and example.
I hope that the first year I stay with you I shall
learn humility ; the second, humility ; the third,
humility.
." Mz 1 . S. and Mrs. M. beg their love to you ; and
so does he, who is, with great respect and affec-
tion, yours."
The note inscribed by Mr. Newton on the pre-
ceding letter, strongly attests the pleasure with
which he perused it ; nor can it be generally read
without a lively impression of the glowing and de-
voted piety of its author. Two months afterwards
we find him in London, replying to a letter from
Mr. Newton, then in the country, in which his aged
friend, under the painful remembrance of the tran-
sitory nature of earthly enjoyments, though by no
84 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
means in the spirit of disappointment and com-
plaint, had declared that of a happiness which had
subsisted forty years, nothing then remained but
the recollection ; that the years he had passed,
blessed as they had been by the sunshine of pro-
vidence and grace, misrht be numbered with the
O ' O
years before the flood. After dwelling on the war-
fare which he found it necessary to wage between
" spiritual self and carnal self," he says :
" Communion with God, in private prayer, is, I
conceive, the best sti'engthener of the soul ; and
communion with the world is its greatest weakener.
o
The result, then, appears to be this : To dedicate
as much time as possible to acts of communion
with God. But Archbishop Leighton says, that the
desire of this sacred communion grows with its
exercise. Every encouragement, therefore, is held
out to this mode of attack and defence, since plea-
sure and profit conspire to recommend it. Prayer,
then, I must consider as the Christian's palladium,
and as a present reward.
" Surely an hour iu the morning, and an hour in
the evening, is not too much for communion with
God. But as to the season of prayer, I do not
think that some manage this well. They pray early
in the morning, and late at night. This may be ne-
cessary in families engaged in business ; but I
speak of ministers. Do you not think that an hour
AT CAMBRIDGE. ' 8.5
of devotion before we engage in company in the
afternoon, 'would have a tendency to correct and
animate an evening's conversation ?
" Pardon this dissertation on prayer. I really
had no design to trouble you with it when I began
the letter."
To reflections such as the preceding, as solid
and judicious as they are spiritual and instructive,
no serious reader will object. Nor will the follow-
ing account of the death of one of Mr. Buchan-
an's sisters, which occurs in a letter to Mr. New-
ton, from Cambridge, at the close of his second
long vacation, be deemed uninteresting :
" It was about a year and a half ago, on her re-
turn from boarding-school, -that her piety first ap-
peared, though on her death-bed she confessed that
her heart had been inclining toGrod nearly two years
before that time. About three months since she was
seized by a consumption, which has now given her
a happy release from all sin and all sorrow."
A letter still remains, written by Mr. Buchanan
from Cambridge to his dying sister, for the pur-
pose of cheering and supporting her under her
early departure from the world, the piety and fra-
ternal affection of which will sufficiently recom-
mend the following extracts :
86 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" I rejoice to hear that you are about to enter
into the joy of your Lord ; to behold the Saviour
whom you love, face to face ; to be clothed by
him in a spotless robe, and presented to the Father
as an heir of everlasting glory.
" Let me encourage you to pass over Jordan's
flood with a resolute step, undismayed ; let me re-
mind you of the promise of Him to whom the
death of his saints is precious. Let me enforce the
immutable love of your God, and pi-oclaim to you
the truth of your Redeemer. You have already
known him as the way ; on your death-bed you
will find him the truth ; and he will quickly wel-
come you to the gate of Zion as the eternal life.
" My dear sister, be of good cheer; lay hold of
Jesus as the anchor of your soul. Was it ever
heard that any one who fled to him for refuge was
deserted in a trying hour r ( Was it ever known that
he suffered one of his sheep to be plucked out of
his hand ] Has he not said, ' I will never leave
thee nor forsake thee V ' When thou passest
through the waters, I will be with thee;' 'Fear
not, thou art mine.' These are exceeding great and
precious promises, on which you may safely rest.
If your faith be weak, yet waver not. The pro-
mise is to the weak as well as to the strong ; yea,
to all those who can say, ' Thou knowest, Lord,
that I love thee.'
" While you have life, magnify the praises of
AT CAMBRIDGE. 87
Him who hath called you with such a holy calling.
Evince to the world that the Bible is not a cun-
ningly-devised fable. Seek to glorify God in your
death, and assuredly he will give you faith to do
it. Speak from your dying bed of the things of the
kingdom to which you are hastening ; impart your
views of the vanities of life, for the benefit of those
who survive you. Pray that a double portion of
your spirit may rest upon your brother, that he may
gladden your eyes at the last day with a view of
many souls whom he has brought with him to glory.
Leave him such exhortations, encouragements, and
reproofs, as an immediate prospect of heaven may
inspire you to give.
" And now let me conduct you as far as I can,
even to the gates of Jerusalem. Many a song will
be sung, many a harp be strung, on your entrance
into the kingdom of heaven. Who is this that I see
foremost to welcome you 1 Is it not your grand-
father or your father ] My dear sister, what joy is
this ! They, accompanied by a heavenly host, con-
duct you to your Saviour, your King, and youi
God. Then your glory begins ; you are crowned
with honor and immortality. You join in the never-
ending song of ' Worthy the Lamb,' and drink of
the pleasures which are at God's right hand for
evermore."
The preceding pious and animated address did
88 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
not arrive until the relative, for whose consolation
it was intended, was beyond the reach of human
joy or sorrow.
The account, however, which Mr. Buchanan, in
the words of another sister, gives to Mr. Newton
of the last trying scene, is peaceful and encouraging:
"She now," he says, " in faith looked forward
to her rest, and spent much of her time in reading
the Scriptures, and in prayer.
" On the evening of the day she died, she said
to her mother, ' I think that my hour is now come.'
Her mother was surprised at this, as there appear-
ed no visible change in her countenance. She im-
mediately began to pray, and prayed long. Her
mother overheard some of her words. She prayed
' that she might be found in Christ ; that she might
have a title to that covenant which is well-ordered
and sure.' About the conclusion of her prayer
death appeared to be fast approaching. She begged
that the family might come round her bed ; and
then began to exhort them, and to speak to them
of the kingdom of God. Her mother, observing
that her last moment was now at hand, asked her
if she had any thing to say to her brother at Cam-
bridge. ' Yes,' said she ; ' tell him, be sure you tell
him,' (repeating it emphatically,) ' that I die trust-
ing in the Lord Jesus Christ.' She then lifted up
both her hands, and looking up to heaven, commit-
AT CAMBRIDGE. 89
ted herself to the Lord, her eyes streaming with
joy ; which, having done, she sunk on the pillow
and expired.
" The manner of her death," continues Mr.
Buchanan, " has given my mother a comfort in-
expressible.
" I know nothing which has had a greater ten-
dency to animate me in my Christian course than
this triumph of my sister. O were the work done
which my Father hath given me to do, how gladly
should I accompany her !
" I hope you are at present a large partaker of
the consolations of the Spirit. Though I am young,
I know thus much, that without those consolations
there is no happiness. What a blessing, that the
pleasures of holiness begin on this side the grave !"
Early in the year 1794 Mr. Newton made the
first direct proposal to Mr. Buchanan of a voyage
to India. His reply was as follows :
" I request you to accept my thanks for the af-
fectionate letter which I have just now read. I
have only time to say, that with respect to my go-
ing to India, I must decline giving any opinion.
It would argue a mind ill-instructed in the school
of Christ, to pretend to decide on an event so
important and unexpected ; an event which will
doubtless give a complexion to the happiness and
usefulness of every hour of my future life.
90 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" It is with great pleasure I submit this matter
to the determination of yourself, Mr. Thornton, and
Mr. Grant. All I wish to ascertain is the will of
God. I hope that the result of your deliberations
will prove to be his will. Were I required to say
something, I should observe that I feel myself very
ill qualified for the arduous situation in question.
My intimate friends know that my plan of college
study was, to attend more immediately to acade-
mical learning the two first years, and to prepara-
tion for the ministry in the third and last, upon
which I am but now entering. I think that our re-
gard for the glory of God requires us to endeavor
to find a person of acknowledged ability in things
both human and divine, who has already approved
himself such an one as might successfully resist
gainsayers, and prosecute his mission with energy.
A beginner, particularly if he be of slender capa-
city and attainments, will naturally shrink from
such a situation, fearing lest he should tarnish the
honor of his embassy by an unskilful or ungraceful
negotiation.
" On the contrary, if the Lord does with me as
with Jeremiah, and bids a child go and teach a
great nation, it would be vain to plead my incapa-
city, since, if he sends me, he will certainly ' touch
my mouth.' Only I would observe, that in the pre-
sent state of Christianity it would appeal- that as
strict attention ought to be paid to human meant* in
AT CAMBRIDGE. 91
our endeavors to promote the success of the Gos-
pel, as if it were merely a human dispensation.
" I trust that every word of the above is dictated
by a regard to God's honor, and not my own.
" That his honor may be greatly promoted by
the result of your deliberations is the prayer of
" C B ."
The judgment as well as the piety of Mr. Bu-
chanan's reply to this proposal deserves to be no-
ticed, and affords a satisfactory indication of his
qualifications for the important station to which it
refers. The following sentiments expressed in a
subsequent letter are equally pleasing :
" With respect to my going to India, I am still
in a strait between two. Some considerations in-
cline me to stay ; others persuade me to go, as be-
ing far better. Being unable to judge for myself, I
submit it to the divine direction with perfect re-
signation. So gracious is He who ' careth for me '
in this respect, that your determination, whether
for or against my going, will be alike agreeable to
me. I am equally ready to preach the Gospel in
the next village, or at the ends of the earth."
Such was the elevated spirit of piety which ac-
tuated Mr. Buchanan early in this year. As it ad-
vanced, he wrote thus to Mr. Newton :
92 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" We have had Mrs. U and Mr. C 's fa-
mily at Cambridge for a few days. It gives me
great pleasure to see piety gladden with its pre-
sence our leai'ned walls. Pride and superstition
have doubtless built most of our colleges ; but I am
inclined to think . that genuine piety founded some
of them. A solitary walk in such places has a ten-
dency to excite elevated thoughts of God, and of
his goodness to man through successive ages.
" My purpose in troubling you with this letter
was to say that I bear that affection for you a child
beareth to his father, a desire to conceal his faults,
(if he has any) and to magnify his virtues ; that I
hope to be preserved from the snares and cares of
this world, and thereby enabled to adorn that Gos-
pel which you first wished me to profess.
" That you are blessed with health, and stayed
by the comforts of the Gospel in your declining
years, is to me a frequent theme of praise. In phi-
losophy and human science the mind loses its vi-
gor by old age ; but in religion, in divine science,
we are taught to believe that youth will be restored,
and new attainments acquired. Fortunatus ille se-
nex, qui ccdicola vivit."*
It is probable that Mr. Buchanan passed the
greater part of the long vacation of this year at
* Happy the aged man who lives as already an inha-
bitant of heaven.
AT CAMBRIDGE. 93
Cambridge. No letter, indeed, occurs in his cor-
respondence with Mr. Newton from the com-
mencement to the close of that period ; but the
following interesting communication from one of
his most valued friends and relatives seems to con-
firm this conjecture.
" I first became acquainted with him," observes
this gentleman, " at Cambridge, in the summer of
the year 1794. We were almost the only two re-
sidents in our respective colleges of Queen's and
St. John's ; he being engaged in studying for or-
ders, and I in preparing for my bachelor's degree.
I had often heard of him from a common friend,
as being a very distinguished member of a debat-
ing society, called the Speculative, or quaintly
the Spec, consisting of a number of under-gradu-
ates from different colleges, especially Trinity and
Queen's, who used to meet at each other's rooms
to discuss various moral, political, and sometimes
religious questions. He was represented to me as
eminent among the speakers for acuteness and flu-
ency, and for piety of sentiment ; but as a retired
character, who scarcely ever mixed with any other
persons at such social meetings as were usual in
the college.
" We met accidentally in our solitary walks, and
entered into conversation ; which brought on an
interchange of visits. We often walked together
94 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
during the short time after our first meeting that
he continued at Cambridge. I well remember to
this moment a particular conversation which took
place in one of our walks on a fine summer's eve-
ning, and can trace in my recollection some of the
fields through which we rambled, little thinking
that we should ever be so closely united in the
bonds of domestic affection, or that if I survived
him, I should have to drop the tear of hallowed
regret over the grave of a brother.
" He greatly surprised me on that occasion by
strongly condemning the vanity of the pursuits of
ambition, in which I was then hotly engaged, co-
veting too earnestly university honors. I defended
my side, in which self was so deeply concerned,
with much warmth and positiveness ; but when I
was left alone, I could not altogether shake off the
impression which his serious, solemn, and scrip-
tural mode of argumentation had left upon my
mind."
The same learned and excellent person adds,
with reference to this period of Mr. Buchanan's
life : " I remember, in a letter to a common friend,
some remarks on the necessity and efficacy of
faith in the blood of Christ ; and of his hopes that
he had experienced something of it, which were in
a great measure new to us both, and affected me
considerably."
AT CAMBRIDGE. 95
It is pleasing to reflect, that the writer of the
preceding passages, after having succeeded in the
attainment of the highest of those academical ho-
nors of which he was then so ardently in pursuit,
should at no distant period have been led to adopt
the religious views which he once combated ; and
after the lapse of many years, have been permit-
ted again to hold " sweet converse" with him to
whom he first became known under such interest-
ing circumstances, and to contribute to do honor to
his memory as a friend and brother.
We are now approaching the termination of
Mr. Buchanan's academical course. On the 30th
of November in this year he wrote to Mr. Newton
as follows :
" I have just finished my mathematical career.
Previous to taking our degrees, an examination is
held in our respective colleges for the purpose of
ascertaining our success in science, and a prize of
five guineas awarded to the best proficient. This
prize has been adjudged to me. I take no public
honor in mathematics."
He was evidently intent upon an object which
he deemed of far higher importance than the ho-
nors of the university, as the following conclusion
of the letter sufficiently testifies :
" It is said that those who travel heavenwards
D6 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
acquire new strength from the toil of the way :
Iter instaurabit vires. I wish I found it so. I clam-
ber up hill with difficulty. It maybe I have not laid
aside every weight ; or, perhaps, 1 have not used
the proper ' lamp to my path.' If so, it is a
great happiness that the weariness of the way re
proves me.
" To I wish to be remembered, as to
fellow-pilgrims, who in their journey to the holy
land have learned to sympathise with those whose
knees are feeble, and who travel slowly. Perhaps
to some of them, or to you, l the delectable moun-
tains ' are already in view ; if so, ' the shining
ones' are at hand, to conduct you to the holy city ;
where, I hope, ere long, you will meet
" Your very affectionate son, C. B."
In the month of May, 1795, Mr. Buchanan in
formed Mr. Newton, who was now anxiously look
ing forward to his ordination, that he was to tak* 5 -
his degree at the ensuing commencement, that is,
on the 8th of July, and that his ordination studies
would engage his attention for the next two months.
These anticipations were fulfilled ; and on the se-
cond week in September he wrote to his excellent
friend, under whose experienced guidance he was
about shortly to enter upon the important work of
the ministry, in the following terms :
" T had a letter from the Bishop's secretary this
AT CAMBRIDGE. 97
morning. His lordship approves of my credentials.
Thursday next is appointed for the examination,
and Lord's day following for the ordination. I
propose to leave Cambridge on Tuesday evening
by the mail, which will be in town early next morn-
ing ; and I shall proceed to Fulham without stop-
ping, that I may have the remainder of the day
and next morning to myself. So it is not probable
that I shall see you till Monday following.
" I demand your prayers for one who is about to
enter on the ministry. Pray, that when the bishop
lays his hands upon my head, I may devote myself
a martyr for Him who hung upon the cross for me."
In this strong and affecting language did Mr.
Buchanan express the feelings with which he was
about to dedicate himself to the service of his Re-
deemer. It is not often, perhaps, that so deep an
impression of the love of Christ is felt by the can-
didate for the sacred office ; but, though the dis-
position of every one ought to be similar, the case
of Mr. Buchanan was doubtless somewhat pecu-
liar. The steps by which he had been led to the
ministry of the Gospel, and the hints which had
more than once been given of his probable em-
ployment in a foreign country, tended to inspire
him with the purpose and the resolution which he
thus briefly but forcibly described. It can scarcely
be doubted that the diary, in which he had been
Buchanan. '
98 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
accustomed, from the year 1790, to record both the
events of his life and his private reflections, con-
tained a more detailed account of his feelings and
sentiments upon this interesting occasion ; but the
loss of that valuable memorial deprives us of any
farther particulars respecting it, and compels us to
be contented with the simple fact, that after an ex-
amination, which appears to have been more than
ordinarily satisfactory, Mr. Buchanan was ordain-
ed a deacon, on Lord's day, the 20th of September,
1795, at Fulham, by the late pious and excellent
Bishop Porteus. Immediately after this admission
into holy orders, he entered upon his engagement
as curate to Mr. Newton, and continued, during a
few succeeding months, to discharge the humble
and unobtrusive duties which he had previously so
well described.
Early, however, in the year 1796, the friends by
whose Christian kindness and liberality he had
been introduced into the ministry, conceiving that
his talents might be more advantageously employ-
ed abroad, recurred to the plan which had for some
time been more or less in their view, and resolved
to endeavor to obtain for him the appointment of a
chaplain in the service of the East India Com-
pany. Application was accordingly made to a dis-
tinguished director, Charles Grant, Esq. accompa-
nied by such testimonials as amply certified the
qualifications of Mr. Buchanan for the office to
which he was recommended.
APPOINTED TO INDIA. 99
The certificate of the President and Fellows of
Queen's College was transmitted to Mr. Grant by
Dr. Milner, with the following letter, in which the
learned president took the opportunity of bearing
a more particular and decisive testimony to the
merits of Mr. Buchanan :
" Q.UEEN'S COLLEGE, Cambridge, March 8, 1796.
" DEAR SIR, I enclose you the college's testimo-
nial of Mr. Buchanan's good behavior, which is
expressed in general terms : but if it were needful
to be more particular, I could add a great deal.
In my judgment, much may be expected from his
ability, industry, and discretion. He has an un-
common zeal for every thing that is praiseworthy,
and this zeal is tempered and directed by a sound
and well-informed understanding. His good sense
and attainments must procure him respect every-
where. He will be certainly on the watch for op-
portunities to do good. Mr. Buchanan obtained
both classical and mathematical prizes at college.
" I am, dear sir, yours, ISAAC MILNEU.
" To CHARLES GRANT, Esq. London."
In consequence of the various testimonies to his
abilities as a scholar, his attainments as a divine,
and his general character for temperate and well-
directed zeal for the honor of God and the welfare
of mankind, Mr. Buchanan Avas appointed one of
100 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
the chaplains to the East India Company, on Wed-
nesday, March 30, 1796. When introduced to the
Court of Directors, for the purpose of taking the
oaths usual upon similar occasions, he was address-
ed by the chairman, the late Sir Stephen Lushing-
ton, on the importance of his office, and on the du-
ties imposed on a minister of religion in India; and
so lively a recollection did he retain of this unex-
pected but very laudable charge, that he more than
once referred to it in the course of his future life.
He thus mentions the address of the honorable
chairman many years after it had been delivered :
" The venerable baronet observed, that French
principles were sapping the foundation of Chris-
tianity and of social order ; and he earnestly incul-
cated on me the duty of defending and promoting
the principles of the Christian religion by every
proper means. I was much affected by the solem-
nity of the occasion, and by the energy and feeling
with which the address was delivered : and the
subject of the charge itself made a great impres-
sion on my mind, particularly when meditating on
it afterwards, during my voyage."
Soon after the appointment of Mr. Buchanan to
India, he received priest's orders from the Bishop
of London ; and in the month of May went down
to Scotland, in order at once to revisit his family
APPOINTED TO INDIA. 101
and again take leave of them previously to his ap-
proaching voyage to India.
The feelings of both parties upon this meeting
were, it may be readily imagined, of a mixed but
very interesting nature. Nearly nine years had
elapsed since Mr. Buchanan, partly impelled by
disappointed affection, and partly by the flattering
visions of a youthful imagination, had left his native
country and sojourned in a strange land. During
that long interval many remarkable events had oc-
curred. One of his earthly parents was no more;
but he had, like the prodigal, returned to his hea-
venly Father, and by him he had been distinguished
by peculiar marks of kindness and favor. After
having suffered many external hardships and much
inward distress, he had been relieved in no ordi-
nary manner from both, by the providence and
grace of God. Opportunities had been afforded
him, which he had diligently improved, of acquir-
ing the treasures of human science and learning ;
and with a mind thus richly stored, and a heart
deeply impressed with the inestimable value of the
Gospel, he had been called to the work of the mi-
nistry, and had now the prospect of being permit-
ted " to preach among the gentiles the unsearch-
able riches of Christ." The emotions of Mr. Bu-
chanan during his journey to Scotland, under these
remarkable circumstances, must have been pecu-
liarly affecting. While a " new song" had been put
102 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
into his mouth, of joy and thanksgiving, it would
be somewhat damped by the recollection of past
sorrows, the pain of his approaching departure
from his kindred and country, and the anticipation
of future laboi's and trials. The feelings of his wi-
dowed mother and surviving brethren would be
scarcely less chequered by joy and sorrow. De-
lighted as they must have been by the return of
their beloved relative, enriched with divine and
human knowledge, and honored by an appointment
which more than realized their highest wishes and
expectations, the pleasure of their intercourse with
him would be not a little clouded by the thought
of its transient nature, and the prospect of a long,
perhaps, as to this world, a final separation in a far
distant land. Such, we may justly suppose, were
the mutual feelings and reflections of Mr. Buchanan
and his family during his short abode with them at
this interesting period. He appears to have re-
mained in Scotland till the first week in June,
when he returned to London to complete the pre-
parations for his voyage. On the 3d of July he
preached for Mr. Newton at St. Mary Woolnoth ,
and terminated, by a pious and affectionate fare-
well, his short connection with the congregation
of his dear and venerable friend.
VOYAGE TO INDIA. 103
CHAPTER IV.
First four years in India.
Mr. Buchanan left London for Portsmouth on
Saturday the 30th of July, and on the llth of Au-
gust following embarked on board the Busbridge,
East-Indiaman, commanded by Capt. Dobree, and
sailed for Bengal. During the course of his exten-
ded voyage he was diligently employed in acquir-
ing useful knowledge, and in endeavoring to pro-
mote the improvement of his various companions
and fellow-passengers.
The principal subjects of his studies were, pro-
bably, such as bore an immediate reference to the
work of the ministry, and to his peculiar destina-
tion in India ; but the only traces of them which
now remain, consist of some common-place books,
one of which is dated at sea, in January, 1797,
near the island of St. Paul, containing abridg-
ments of chemistry, from Lavoisier , of botany,
from Rousseau and Martin ; of the history of Den-
mark and Sweden, and miscellaneous observations,
-chiefly of an historical nature.
Of his employments, views, and feelings, in the
early part of his voyage, the following letter to
Mr. Newton presents an interesting account;
104 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
"BUSBIUDGE, E.AST-lNDUMAN,
" At sea, off the Canaries, Aug. 27, 1796.
" MY BEAR SIR, I take the opportunity of
writing to you by the Polyphemus, a 64 gun ship,
which, after convoying us safely to this latitude,
returns now to England. We have had a monsoon
all the way. We took our departure from the
Lizard, and in eight days made the island of Ma-
deira ; a shorter passage than the East- India fleet
has ever had. In two days we hope to arrive at
the trade-winds; indeed, the captain thinks we
have them already. About the end of September
we expect to reach the Cape, from which place
you will probably hear from me. I enjoy good
health on board. I was sea-sick for about a week.
Every body pays me much attention. I am in-
structing some in science, some in classical know-
ledge, some in the belles-lettres, and all, I hope,
in Christian truth. I do not expect to be so useful
in preaching sermons to them as in conversation.
The captain supports a very consistent character.
He is the friend of virtue, and I doubt not but he
will continue to arm my endeavors with his power.
All his officers are in proper subjection to him,
and exert their authority in the ship in accommo-
dating me.
" We have more than a dozen officers of the
army going out as passengers. I have some weight
with them ; but there are many divisions among
VOYAGE TO INDIA. 105
themselves. They have been challenging already,
and probably duels may follow.
" We are now about twenty sail. The frigate
L'Oiseau accompanies us to the Cape, and will
probably carry home our letters.
" One day lately an enemy appeared in sight,
and we began to think of an engagement. Then
was the time for examining myself, and learning
what was my object in a voyage to India. Indeed,
unless we have some confidence that the Lord is
with us, our hearts must sink in despair on such
occasions. But where we can believe that He is
leading us out on his own service, we have nothing
to fear from an enemy, or from the dangers of the
sea. On the contrary, the faithful servant must
rejoice that his Lord will come so soon, and lead
him to that rest which he seeks for in vain on
earth.
" When the enemy came nearer they discover-
ed that we had a superior force, and bore away.
" I hope Miss C. and the rest of your house are
happy. They have great advantages, which I trust
they improve. They live in the house of peace and
instruction. They, with you, will, I hope, shortly
inherit your mansion in the skies.
" It is with me as I expected. I feel little differ-
ence in mind, whether navigating the ocean or
sitting quietly in Coleman-street. It would appear
as if I had lost all relish for earthly pleasure. No
106 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
novelty excites my attention. My countenance is
acquiring a grave settled cast. I feel as if nothing
could give joy to my soul but freedom from the
body. And yet being sensible that I may remain
long on duty here, I often inquire of myself how
I am to pass the heavy hours. Perhaps a closer
walk with God, greater activity in his service, and
some species of affliction hitherto unfelt, may at
length unloose my bonds, and give me that en-
joyment of life to which I have so long been a
stranger. I have great hopes indeed from enter-
prising a little in my Master's service, and fighting
with courage for his honor. I shall write to you
from time to time, and acquaint you how it is
with me.
" It will be a remarkable day when you and I
meet in heaven. I dare not say, Sero redeas ;* be-
cause I trust that you are ' ready.' I fear you will
have learnt many a song in heaven before I come.
But let me not despond. What saith the Scripture ?
Ut dies, sic roburJl
" May you be preserved in your old age, so that
your Lord maybe glorified in the ending, as in the
beginning of your Christian life.
" Forgive me all my faults, and believe me to
be, my dear sir, your affectionate son,
" C. BUCHANAN."
* May your arrival be long delayed.
i As thy day is, so shall thy strength be.
AT BARRACKPORE. 107
On the ISth of November, some weeks later
than he had expected, the fleet arrived at the Cape
of Good Hope. On the 10th of December it again
sailed, and reached Madras on the 17th of Febru-
ary ; and on the 10th of March Mr. Buchanan
landed at Calcutta, two days before the completion
of the 31st year of his age.
On his arrival at the capital of the British pos-
sessions in India he was hospitably received by the
Rev. David Brown, and resided for a short time in
his family. He then took a house in Durrumlollah,
where, however, he continued but two months,
being at the end of that time appointed chaplain at
Barrackpore, a military station about sixteen miles
above Calcutta.
By this arrangement, which, however usual ac-
cording to the rules of the East India service, he
does not appear to have anticipated, Mr. Buchanan
found himself placed in a situation by no means
congenial with his taste and feelings, and affording
but few opportunities for the exercise of his mi-
nistry. Barrackpore possessed no place for public
worship ; and divine service was never required
by the military staff to which he was attached.
This unexpected seclusion from active duty,
combined with the influence of an enervating cli-
mate, which he very soon began to feel, and of so-
ciety for the most part unfriendly to religion, pro-
duced in Mr. Buchanan a considerable depression
108 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
of spirits, and even gave occasion to some of his
friends in Europe to attribute his comparative in-
activity on his-anival in India to abatement of zeal
rather than, as the truth required, to causes over
which he could exercise no control.
"When Mr. Buchanan arrived at Calcutta Mr.
Brown was one of the two chaplains of the presi-
dency. He held also the chaplaincy of the garri-
son. Some of Mr. Buchanan's friends in England
conceived that the latter appointment might have
been transferred to him ; or that he might have
officiated at the mission church. As to the garrison,
it appears that motives of delicacy and kindness
towards Mr. Brown, with whom he lived from the
first on the most friendly and affectionate terms,
prevented him from soliciting such an arrange-
ment ; and the mission church was then occupied
by the Rev. Mr. Ringeltaube, a clergyman of the
Lutheran church, who had been sent to India un-
der the patronage of the Society for promoting
Christian Knowledge. No sooner, however, had
Mr. Ringeltaube abandoned this post, as he shortly
afterwards did, than Mr. Buchanan participated
with Mr. Brown the gratuitous labor of the mission
church. It appears also that he occasionally per-
formed divine service in his house at -Barrackpore ;
probably as often as he could obtain an audience.
The following letter will explain the confidential
nature of Mr. Buchanan's intercourse with Mr.
AT BARRACKPOEE. 109
Brown. The former part of it relates to a proposed
measure respecting an evening lecture at one of
the churches in Calcutta, and to the chaplaincy of
Fort William : the latter will exhibit a most inte-
resting and instructive picture of the mind of th
writer, and will throw considerable light on some
of the preceding observations.
" BARRACKPORE, June 9, 1797.
" MY DEAR SIR, 1 have just received yours. I
understood your last very well. I meant to say in
answer, that to levy a contribution for the current
expenses of the lecture would be very painful to
me ; equally so as a contribution for personal sup-
port.
" When I mentioned my idea of gratuity for pro-
fessional duties, it was to explain my delicacy about
pecuniary subscription. I had no allusion to the sen-
timents of others. If I were in your situation, it js
probable that I should do as you do.
" I think the justice you owe your family in an
expensive situation, demands that you be very well
satisfied with the propriety of giving up the chap-
laincy of the Fort, as long as it is agreeable to the
rules of the service that you should retain it ; and
as long as you can perform the service it requires
as well as any other.
" Let us now talk on the subject of your former
letter a little.
1X0 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" I think you speak of yourself with more diffi-
dence, or rather despondency, than you ought.
How do you know that your Thursday evening lec-
ture is not the most useful of all your ministrations 1
And with respect to industry, have you not much
reason to be thankful, that, after a ten years' resi-
dence in this deteriorating country, you feel your-
self so much alive to the ministry of Christ? And
is it not another reason for thankfulness, that you
have been preserved from seeking great things for
yourself? 1 think you very happy indeed, that you
have nothing to do with this world ; but that your
chief work is to make proof of your ministry, as the
Lord shall prosper it. As splendid a crown awaits
him who shall do a little in this country, as him
who shall do much at home.
" It is not probable that you or I shall live long.
"What seek we then ? There is no fame for us here.
There is some reproach, whether we be faithful or
not. So that we lose nothing by being faithful. I
am so young in these things that I do not know
any thing about them. I have only entered the wil-
derness. But I apprehend -much. I would gladly
enter Canaan without encountering ' the greatness
of the way.' Were it the will of God, and were he
to give me faith and strength for it, I would to-
morrow, with great joy, leave this world and all it
offers. Were I sure it would not entangle and de-
stroy me at last, I woald rather stay and endeavor
AT BARRACKPORE. Ill
to do something for God ; but I am not sure of that.
" I often compare myself, in my present exile, to
John, in the island of Patmos. Would that, like
him, I had finished my course, and had only to con-
template ' the new heavens !' But I am a stranger
to suffering c for the word of God, and the testimo-
ny of Jesus Christ.'
" I sigh much for that singleness of mind and
purity of heart, and love to God, which distinguish
the disciple of Christ. And I often wonder whether
it is to be effected by keen affliction in body and
spirit, or by the ' power of the word of God, divid-
ing asunder like a two-edged sword,' or by long
fighting and sorrowful experience slowly teaching,
and ending with a doubt whether I am taught.
" Amidst the multitude of my thoughts, ' the
Lamb that was slain ' is my only hope !
" How frequent is the character of a semi-serious
Christian ! There is a state, in which some have
been held for many years : a state, whose nature
was never rightly understood by those around them,
nor by themselves ; sometimes looking to the word
of God, and sometimes to the world ; sometimes
animated by a zeal to live holily, and sometimes
sinking under a particular sin. From such a state
they have at length emerged ; and shone, in the
evening of life, with a splendor which has dazzled
all around.
" I hope that Mrs. Brown is in good health and
112 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
spirits. Buxtorf came safe up the river. I am sor-
ry to find that that silent critic, the white ant, has
perused almost every page.
" I remain, dear sir, yours very affectionately,
" C. BUCHANAN."
The preceding letter scarcely requires a com-
ment. Who can avoid perceiving in it evident
traces of a generous, a spiritual, and a heavenly
mind ? Who can help lamenting that such a man
should, for a time, have been placed in circum-
stances so unfavorable to the attainment of the
great object which he had in view in accepting an
appointment in India ; or indulging a hope that a
time would come when the providence of God
would open to him a way to greater exertions and
more extensive usefulness ?
Though Mr. Buchanan's retirement at Barrack-
pore did not, however, admit of very active em-
ployment in the duties of his ministry, it afforded
him a valuable opportunity for private study,
which he diligently and successfully improved.
His common-place books, at this period, evince
the same laudable desire of increasing his store of
useful knowledge which we have already wit-
nessed. Some remarks in oro of them prove his
anxiety to fortify himself against the dangers of
worldly society, to which he was then considera-
bly exposed, and to attain the important art of
AT BARRACKPORE. 113
living " in and out of the world at the same time ;" *
of " using this world as not abusing it." Upon
this point he quotes a passage from Mr. Addison,
which appears to express the object he was him-
self endeavoring 1 to attain. " We shall never be
^_j
able," observes that sensible and elegant writer,
" to live to our satisfaction in the deepest retire-
ment, until we learn to live, in some measure, to our
satisfaction amidst the noise and business of life."
Other parts of the same book contain reflections
on the Persian language ; on the improvement of
time ; on the value of Christian friendship; on pu-
rity of conscience ; on the propagation of the Gos-
pel, and on the happiness of heaven.
The following extract of a letter to Mr. Henry
Thornton, dated the 25th of July, 1797, gives a
pleasing view of one important branch of Mr. Bu-
chanan's studies at Barrackpore :
" As the friend of my beginning studies, you will
naturally be desirous to know in what way they
have been continued since my arrival in India. I
am now proceeding in a work which I began when
I last enjoyed retirement, namely, a serious, and, I
may say, laborious examination of the Scriptures
in the original tongues. My inquiries are not so
much philological as practical. The meaning of the
Holy Spirit in Scripture is the ' one thing need-
ful ' for the student, and 1 hope it will be the sub-
Buchanan. 8
114 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
ject of many a joyful &?*&* to me. This severity
of investigation reminds me of my mathematical
vigils. Some have considered that interval at col-
lege as the most useful era in the history of the
mind. It shows what powers of application the
soul possesses on a subject it loves ; even such ap-
plication as Paul recommends to Timothy, who
was engaged in my present studies =v TS-TCK te-Bi.
( Exist, or live in them.'
" This, sir, is a climate which tries the mind like
a furnace. Deterioration seems inherent in Indian
existence. Were God to grant me a peculiar bless-
ing, it would be the habit of industry whilst I re-
main in this country. I have observed, in reading
the 'lives of the good, that the most eminent were
men famed for their industry. I have observed,
too, that few of them had to encounter what Boi-
leau calls the dangerous career of wit and genius.
The wisdom of God is shown in choosing for them
that disposition of mind which is best suited to a
sedulous and humble perusal of his eternal word j
for genius hath ever been a foe to industry.
" I have aMoonshee in the house to instruct me
in the Hindostanee and Persian languages. Not
knowing what may be the purpose of God con-
cerning me, I have thought it my duty to attend
early to the languages of the country, and to the
*" I have found it !"
AT BARRACKPORE. 115
constitution, civil and religious, of the mixed peo-
ple in it."
Amidst this diligent improvement of his retire-
ment at Barrackpore, Mr. Buchanan, however, en-
tered with lively interest into every thing around
him connected with real religion, and embraced
with much warmth of feeling every occasion which
presented itself, either of kindness or of service.
Of this the following extract from a letter to a
lady at Edinburgh, on the death of her son, is a
pleasing and satisfactory proof. It is dated from
Calcutta, December 4, 1797, and was enclosed in
another, in which she was kindly requested, before
she opened it, to prepare her mind for intelligence
which would, at first, deeply affect her, but which
she would afterwards acknowledge had given her
such a theme for rejoicing as she had never before
possessed :
" I had no thoughts of writing to you at this
o o /
time ; but I have news for you from heaven. Your
beloved E. has ' fought the grood figrht : he has
CJ O O '
finished his course ; he has kept the faith.' His
spirit took its flight at 12 o'clock. About three
weeks ago he visited me at Barrackpore, where he
stayed a day or two. He was then in good health.
Our conversation was much on spiritual subjects.
He told me his heart felt the first powerful impres-
116 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
sion of religion when on his passage to this coun-
try ; and that since his arrival God had been very
gracious to him. Finding this country not only un-
favorable to health, but to holiness of life, he had
long deliberated whether he ought not to return to
Europe, and had at length resolved to do so, be-
lieving it to be the will of God. He anticipated
the joy of conversing with those among his friends
at Edinburgh who knew the Lord, and wondered
that he had not ' made more of them ' while among
them. But he has now a better society.
" Next day he returned to Calcutta, and on the
Sabbath following I went down to preach. My
subject was, ' The triumph of the Christian in be-
ing able to submit his soul to the darkest dispen-
sations of God.' On that day your son took the sa-
crament for the second time in this country. On
the evening of the same day the Rev. Mr. Brown
preached, ' On the consolations of the soul which
cordially assents to being justified by faith.' This
was the last sermon your beloved child ever heard ;
and he told me it was sweet to the ear, and inex-
pressibly rich to his soul. On the next day he was
taken ill. Our most able physician here, Dr. Hare,
from Edinburgh, attended him. During that week
we had no apprehensions of his fever being dan-
gerous. Before my return to Barrackpore ~>n Mon-
day last, I passed the morning with him. We then
conceived hopes of his soon being well. He sat by
AT BARRACKPORE. 117
me on the sofa for an hour. We talked about his
passage to his native country ; for the ship was
now ready to sail ; but I perceived that his mind
was dwelling on his passage to the heavenly coun-
try. He spoke much of the consolations arising
from converse with God during sickness. ' How
amazing is it,' said he, ' that the Lord should have
called me to such knowledge and to such grace
before I die ! India has been a happy land to me.'
When I left him, he said he hoped he should be
able to come to church next Sunday. Not hearing
from his brother of his being worse, I did not re-
turn to Calcutta till yesterday. In the evening I
preached, but did not see him in his usual seat.
When I called this morning I found that he had
just entered into rest. His countenance is placid
and serene in death, like the state of his mind be-
fore his dissolution.
" Such, my dear madam, has been the happy
death of your son. You are a happy mother, to
have had such a son ! He has left a noble testimony
to the Gospel in this place ; and his memory will
be long cherished by many. His brother loved him
affectionately, and is inconsolable at his loss. His
conversation and example have been of use to
many. He preached to them in his life, and he
preached to them by his death. Admire therefore
the dispensation of God in leading him to this
country. It was not for evil, but for much good."
118 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" Tuesday, 5. This morning, at eight o'clock, I
committed to the earth the remains of your dear
son. It was a solemn occasion. I was much affected
at seeing so many persons' attend it. Most of them
were only acquainted with his character ; but they
wished to show some respect to the memory of one
of those few who ' wear white garments in this
Sardis.' The Rev. Mr. Brown was chief mourner ;
but yet he rejoiced that the Lord had lent your
child so long to us, and that now ' he had taken
him from the evil to come.' "
Early in the ensuing year he wrote to Mr. Grant
in the following terms :
" CALCUTTA, Feb. 6, 1108.
" MY DEAR SIR, I have now been near a year
in this country, and have not yet had the satisfac-
tion of hearing from you. I wish to know what
you think of my voyage to the East. I seem to
have come out under rather unfavorable auspices.
No feature of my mission is very agreeable. But I
view the whole as the counsel of the Almighty ;
and I know that in his plan there is great beauty,
though I may not perceive it.
" I have passed this last year in military sociely,
or in solitude. And as I shall shortly be station-
ed up the country, I cannot expect any material
change during life. But if I rightly improve the
AT 3\I1UACK.I'ORE.
opportunities I may have, I shall do well. What I
lament most is the effect this inactive life has on
my mind. You will not be surprised if both my
moral and intellectual powers surfer by it. The
climate no doubt has its effect in this hebetation
of the soul ; and I hope I shall recover from it
in time.
" I suffered a long struggle before I could resign
myself passively to my unexpected destination.
But the struggle is now over ; and I view myself
as one who has run his race ; to whom little more
is left to do. I have known some, who, in such a
case, would have extricated themselves with vio-
lence, and sought other labors in the Grospel. But
it will require a very evident interposition of God
indeed to bring me out of this Egypt, now that he
has placed me in it : I shall esteem myself high-
ly favored if I be enabled to pass my days in it
with a pure conscience, endeavoring to do a little
where much cannot be done.
" I take the liberty of enclosing a bill for fifty
pounds for my mother, which I request you will be
so good as to send to her after it is accepted.
" I beg to be remembered to all your family, and
to Mr. and Mrs. Thornton, and remain, dear sir
" Yours, with much respect and gratitude,
" C. BUCHANAN."
Besides the unfavorable influence of the climate
,120 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
upon his health, Mr. Buchanan was, doubtless, dis-
appointed in the silence and obscurity to which his
station at Barrackpore had consigned him, and
which he imagined would be shortly rendered still
more hopeless by his removal to a greater distance
from Calcutta, in the interior of the country. It is
certain, also, that he felt the want of sympathy and
encouragement from some of his friends in Eng-
o o
land. They had very reasonably formed conside-
rable expectations of his exertions to promote the
cause of religion in India; and their distance from
the scene prevented them from being fully aware
of the circumstances which had hitherto retarded
them. Yet, amidst it all, his calm submission to
what he believed to be the will of God, his refusal
to step beyond the prescribed limits of his duty as
a military chaplain, and his pious reference of him-
self and his services to the divine disposal, prove,
that whatever might be his discouragements, his
heart was " right with G-od," and that he was faith-
fully employing the " talent" at that time commit-
ted to his trust.
The history of Mr. Buchanan's first appointment
in India will not be in vain, if it serve to check in
any who may be similarly situated, either abroad
or at home, the too natural disposition to despon-
dency or haste ; and to lead them, in the conscien-
tious improvement of present opportunities, to wait
patiently for farther openings, and in the mean-
AT BARRACKPORE. 121
time to " hope in God ';" and if it tend to abate in
those who may be observing them, any impatience
of their backwardness in fulfilling even just expec-
tations ; and to teach them that charity, which, con-
cerning the substantially pious and sincere, " hopeth
all things."
In July following, by the overland despatch,
Mr. Buchanan wrote shortly to Mr. Grant to the
following effect :
" Lord Mornington has been here near six weeks.
As yet he maintains much dignity in his govern-
ment. He goes regularly to church, and professes
a regard for religion. He has been at Barrackpore
for ten days past. He was surprised when I told
him that we never had divine service there, or at
any other station. He was still more surprised
when he heard there were horse-races here on
Sunday morning.
" The apostolic Obeck is well, and affectionately
remembers all your family. He succeeds to Swartz
in the title to our reverence and esteem. Remem-
ber me to Mr. Thornton, the friend of my studies."
Mr. Obeck, thus favorably introduced, and whose
name frequently occurs in Mr. Buchanan's letters,
was a native of Germany, for many years employ-
ed as steward in Mr. Grant's family during his re-
sidence in India. The piety and fidelity of this good
122 ME3VIO1R OF DR. BUCHANAN.
man were rewarded by the liberal support and
friendly regard of his patron to the day of his death.
Under the same cover he thus wrote to Mr. Si-
meon, of Cambridge :
" I thought to have passed my life near you ; but,
thus it is. You first, I think, proposed a voyage to
me ; but you did not mean to consign me to si-
lence, or to a camp ! We may yet see the wisdom
of God in showing me a path through the mighty
waters. As my health returns, my services may be
called for.
" Remember me to Mrs. B. She alone opposed
my coming to India. Tell her not to triumph. She
has not seen to the end."
Three months after the despatch just detailed,
Mr. Buchanan again wrote at some length to Mr.
Newton. In the former part of his letter he re-
peats, with some additional circumstances, what he
had before communicated 1'especting his situation
and prospects, chiefly with a view to convince his
friends in England, that however desirous he might
be of more effective services in the ministry, the
attempt was, at that time, impracticable. In proof
of this he mentions, that before Sir John Shore,
now Lord Teignmouth, left India, Mr. Brown pro-
cured an order of council that the military in the
garrison should attend at the Presidency church
AT BARRACKPORE. 123
every Sunday morning at six o'clock, there being
no chapel or service in the garrison itself. Strong
opposition was made to this order, on the ground
that the troops would suffer in their health by
marching in the sun. They attended a few Sundays,
but at last the clamor became so violent that the
order was revoked, and the triumph over religion
considered complete. Mr. Buchanan states this cir-
cumstance in order to show how unavailing any
transfer of the chaplaincy of the garrison to him-
self, could it with propriety have been effected,
would have proved as to the great object of his in-
creased usefulness. He adds, however, that when
he was in Calcutta on a Lord's day, he usually
performed service at the hospital ; where, though
there was no regular audience, there was always a
succession of hearers. It appears also by this letter,
that as Mr. Buchanan had no immediate prospect
of being himself placed in Calcutta, he was endea-
voring, and with some success, to improve the reli-
gious views of one of the chaplains of the Presi-
dency, who seemed desirous of discharging his
duty with fidelity.
Mr. Buchanan next adverts to Rev. Dr. Carey,
Baptist missionary, of whom he speaks in terms of
much commendation. His own expectations re-
specting the conversion of the Hindoos were, at
this period, by no means sanguine. Of Dr. Carey,
therefore, he remarks, that he was then chiefly em-
124 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
ployed in laying the foundation of future useful-
ness. " He is," says Mr. Buchanan, " translating
the Bible into the Bengal tongue. This, like
Wickliff's first translation, may prove the father of
many versions." How extensively this anticipation
has been realized, it would be unnecessary to in-
terrupt this narrative particularly to state.
" But," continues Mr. Buchanan, " a rapid spread
of the Gospel is not to be expected in India. You
have heard that Mr. Swartz was useful in the
southern part of Hindostan. It is true. But Mr.
Swartz entered upon the labors of others. .The
Gospel has been preached in that quarter for near
a hundred years past. We may begin here now, as
the Danes began there a century ago. Zeal, and
labor, and the lapse of years, will no doubt produce
the usual fruit. In the revolution of this century
' the dawn ' of the Gospel has appeared in India.
After many centuries have revolved, there may be
a general light.
" But I wish not that any prudential considera-
tions from what lias been, or from what may proba-
bly be, should check the missionary ardor of the
day. Nothing great since the beginning of the
world has been done, it is said, without enthusiasm.
I am, therefore, well pleased to see multitudes of
serious persons,* big with hope, and apt to com-
* This probably referred to the London Missionary So-
ciety.
AT BARRACKPORE. 125
municate ; for I think it will further the Gospel.
Instead of thirty missionaries, I wish they could
transport three hundred. But let them remember
that no man turned of thirty can learn to speak a
r.ew language well. No Englishman turned of
twenty, who is only acquainted with the labials
and dentals of his mother tongue, can ever acquire
an easy and natural use of the nasals and gutturals
of the Bengal language.
" Mr. Swartz, the apostle of the East, is dead. I
wrote him a Latin letter a short time before his
death. I wished to write his life, but they refuse
to send me materials.* Have you heard of the an-
cient Obeck, in Calcutta 1 Mr. Grant will tell you
about him. Mr. Obeck in Calcutta, is like Lot in
Sodom. I asked him one day if he could produce
ten righteous to save the city ] He said he was
not sure he could produce ten, but thought he
could produce five."
It cannot be doubted that both these excellent
men partook too largely of the spirit of the prophet,
who thought that he was the only true worshipper
of Jehovah in a corrupt and degenerate age. It is
at least certain that Calcutta has added greatly,
* Some years afterwards Mr. Buchanan procured the do-
cuments he at this time requested; though other circum-
stances prevented him from making use of them as he had
intended.
126 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
within the last few years, to the number of its
' righteous ' inhabitants ; and not a few in conse-
quence of the labors and example of the subject of
these memoirs.
" My last fever," Mr. Buchanan continues, " pro-
duced a deafness, which is not yet gone. It is very
inconvenient to me ; and Dr. Hare says that it
may remain a long time. The schoolmen say, the
loss of all the senses is death. By the loss of hear-
ing, I certainly feel the loss of the fifth part of life.
When nature takes away one sense, they say, she
adds to the rest. But when disease takes away one,
it injures the rest. At least I think so. I feel that
a sense of infirmity cows the mental powers, and
thereby hinders their exertion.
" When you see Mr. Thornton, tell him I often
think that he has great need of faith to believe the
Scripture, which says, ' Cast thy bread upon the
waters, and thou shalt find it after many days.'
Many days have elapsed, and yet the bread he
threw to me is not returned. Adieu.
" C. BUCHANAN."
The admirable friend and patron to whom Mr.
Buchanan thus alludes, was the reverse of any
thing impatient or unreasonable in his expectations
from others ; and his habit of scattering his benefi-
cence widely and liberally was combined with a
AT BARRACKPORE. 127
spirit of faith which could wait long for the promis-
ed fruit, and in many cases be satisfied with leav-
ing his various work with God. In the present in-
stance, however, he lived to reap, after " not many
days," a rich reward of his labor.
In writing to Mr. Grant, in January, 1799, the
following passage occurs, which, though brief,
shows both Mr. Buchanan's anxiety to promote
the interests of religion in India, and his lively sa-
tisfaction at any public regulations which promised
to be auxiliary to that important object :
" I wrote to Mr. H. Thornton by the Montrose,
on the 8th instant. In that letter I ventured to say
in what way you might probably be of service to
us here. But you will be the best judge of the pro-
priety of the measure ; though perhaps circum-
stances have now a complexion rather different
from what they had when you left the country.
" Your moral regulations of May last are come,*
and not before they were wanted ; they have been
iust published, and are well received. I ought not
to say published. Lord M.'s delicacy induced him
to communicate them by circular letter. They
ought to have been proclaimed from the house-top."
* Referring chiefly to a proclamation against Sunday
horse-racing, and to the erection of chapels at some of the
military stations.
128 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
On the 1st of February, Mr. Buchanan, after in-
forming: Mr. Elliott of the arrival of his eldest son
C3
in India, thus intimates the commencement of the
system which the Governor General was now con-
templating with respect to the junior servants of
the Company :
" Lord Mornington aids us here. He no longei'
leaves it at the option of the young men whether
they will study or not. An examination at the ex-
piration of three years hence is to decide on all
pretensions to new appointments.
" I hope you received the letter in which I
expressed a wish that you would send out all the
periodical works issued in the style of literary re-
views. These are necessary for me. Without them
I know not what books to order for this countiy. I
am constantly applied to by families, religious, mo-
ral, and dissipated, to name books for them. I have
already inundated them with Barruel, Paley, Wat-
son, Wilberforce, and the Pursuits of Literature.
I sit here in secret, and do what I can. A few of
the reviews will not do ; but all will tell me the
truth. Watch the press for me. You cannot do me
a greater favor, or perhaps your sons here more
frood. I want both annual reviews from 1789, the
era of the new philosophy in operation."
A few days after the date of the preceding let-
ter, he wrote to one of Ms Cambridge friends upon
AT BARRACKPORE. 129
a variety of topics connected with their mutual
pursuits, and interspersed with remarks on India.
This letter exhibits the impressive sense which the
writer entertained of the paramount importance of
Christianity, and of the duty of active exertions to
promote the moral and religious welfare of man-
kind on the part of himself and such men as the
college friends to whom he refers. Many of his ob-
servations display both acuteness and elevation of
thought, and much knowledge of the world.
" CALCUTTA, Feb. 4, 1799.
After rallying his friend on his remaining at
college instead of marrying, he expresses himself
thus : " A man advances, perhaps, till he becomes
Bachelor of Arts ; but after that he is retrograde
for ever. Is not this generally true 1 You may per-
haps continue to advance in verbiage, but you will
go back in life. Your endeavors to fulfil the great
purposes for which you were sent into the world
will grow daily more feeble, and your view of those
purposes will at length be uttei-ly lost.
" But whither then shall we go, if you divorce
us from our learned ease ] Why, go to London.
Take a curacy, or take a chapel. Call forth your
learning and put your eloquence to use. Sluice the
fountain so long embanked at college stagnant and
green, and permit the waters to rush abroad, to
fertilize many a plant and gladden the vale. Go
Buchanan. J
130 MEMOIR OF DU. BUCHANAN.
forth and stem the torrent of infidelity with a re-
sistless eloquence ; and let me hear your voice on
the banks of the Ganges. To what purpose have
you labored at Q,uinctilian, if you do not now lift
up your voice and proclaim the glad tidings of the
everlasting Gospel 1 At present I see you and D.
lisping with pebbles in your mouths on the banks
of the Cam. But I hope one day to hear your
thunder from the rostrum. I hope to see you ' wield-
ing at will ' your awful assemblies, and exciting
them with a more than Demosthenic power to re-
sist the invading foe, the new philosophy. I hope
to see you do more. In the more grateful and co-
pious manner of the Roman orator, you will, like
scribes well instructed in the kingdom, bring forth
things new and old to confirm the believing, con-
vince the doubtful, and heal the wounded spirit ;
ever displaying this your great and endless theme,
the power of grace in awakening to life the torpid
soul ; and, in your previous studies, ever sitting by
the fountain of truth, -ZPH^H ptyo-a. iruS-ws, that 'foun-
tain flowing with persuasives,' the Bible : so will
your orations have less of the lamp, and more of
that heavenly fire which alone can make them
profitable to your hearers.
" How astonished you will be that my first pages
to you from Milton's ' remote Bengala ' should be
on such, subjects as these ! You, no doubt, expect-
ed to hear
AT BAKUACKFORE. 131
' Of moving accident by flood and field ;
And of the cannibals that each other eat,
The anthropophagi .'
" But I have not patience with all these subjects.
You must send out some of those fellows who can
write a tour through Wales, or Gogmagog Hills.
They will so astonish you ! Besides, I am not writing
to freshmen. I am writing to the learned. And all
the mirabilia* I could describe to you are already
described in Queen's College library. But I must
make some allowance for the different effects of an
absolute arid a partial view of things. The truth is,
that the traveller who sees new things every day,
sees new things with indifference. The passion of
curiosity is so constantly excited that it loses its
power. The ' nil admirari 't seizes us much sooner
with respect to objects of sense than objects of re-
flection. Besides, where all is new, the mind knows
not where to rest. It cannot embrace all, and it
studies none. This is particularly the case with
many young men just arrived in India. They are
wonder-struck ; they surfer a kind of mental pa-
roxysm ; they ask questions for a while ; but they
find there is no end of subjects of wonder j and at
length they are tired with wondering. The man of
reflection will examine these subjects at his lei-
* Wonder?.
t Nothing more to be admired.
132 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
sure, but the 01 vo\\oi* would no longer wonder, if
the moon were to fall ; they would suppose it was
the way with the Bengal moons.
" The most useful lesson I have learnt from tra
vel is, that the world, or all that is in it, cannot sa
tisfy the soul of man. Many years ago, my chief
ambition, as you know, was to make the tour of
Europe. But how little does this idea appear ! As
a village is the world to a child, so Europe was the
world to me. But Europe is now become a village ;
and the globe itself, which seems to have revolved
under my eye, has no longer its former extent, no-
velty, or importance. My ambition seeks now to
explore new worlds. And were the Deity to gratify
my wish, and permit me to traverse the planetary
globes around us, yet how circumscribed would be
my view, how limited my knowledge ! The solar
system is but a point in the universe ! What then
is natural knowledge r l Like space, it has no limit.
Let us return then to our village, and view its in-
habitant ;
His knowledge suited to his state and place,
His time, a moment; and a point, his space.
And this is equally true, whether you live but a
few years, confined to your native spot, or "live
three ages, ard traverse the world around.
* The multitude.
AT IJARRACKPORE. 133
" This thought casts a transient gloom over sci-
ence and all human knowledge. It is confined and
uncertain, and therefore unsatisfying. It is now
that the mind turns with pleasure from the works
of God to his word. The works of God indeed de-
clare his glory ; but the mind cannot comprehend
them, nor be satisfied with surveying them. But
the word of God quenches the thirst. It is that
fountain which can alone satisfy the capacious soul
of man.
" Infidelity raged here with great violence for-
merly, but it is rather on the defensive now. It was
fashionable for a time to allege that oriental re-
search was not favorable to the truth of Christiani-
ty ; but the contrary is found to be the case. As far
as my own inquiries have gone I can truly say, \ I
have seen the star, and worshipped in the East.' In
the study of eastern history and learning there is
endless proof of the truth of both the Old and New
Testaments.
" I suppose you have heard of the grandeur of
English, life in India. To live in the first circle in
O
India is to live at court. There is nearly the same
dignity of etiquette, elegance of equipage, and va-
riety of entertainment. Every lady is handed to
table according to her rank ; and no grace is said !
" What chiefly astonishes an Englishman (I
should have said a Scotchman) is the profusion of
meat on the tables. We it down to hecatombaean
134 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
feasts. But you will not wonder at this, when you
hear that the price of a sheep is but half a crown.
We have no drinking here ; no bacchanalian feasts.
Wine is a drug. Wherever we go, we expect to
find plenty of claret and Madeira ; and he who
would think it a compliment to urge another to
drink, would be accounted a vulgar fellow, just im-
ported from a military mess-room, or a literary
combination-room.
" Must I say something of the natives 1 Their
general character is imbecility of body, and imbe-
cility of mind. Their moral powers are and have
been for ages in a profound stupor ; and there is
seldom an instance of their being awakened. A
partial attempt, or rather experiment, is now mak-
ing on them by some Christian teachers. The Hin-
doo mind seems at present to be bound by a satanic
spell ; and it will require the co-operation of a more
than human power to break it. But divine co-ope-
ration implies human endeavor. Many ages must
then elapse before the conversion of India is ac-
complished.
" With respect to moral action, the Hindoos pay
as little attention to their own religion as a rule of
life, as the English do to theirs ! Your profession
of the Christian religion is a proverbial jest through-
out the world.
" The Hindoo is born blind ; but you put out
your own eyes. Loose principles and sensual in-
AT BAIIRACKPORE. 135
dulgence first dim them, and then the ' drop serene*
of the new philosophy quenches the orb.
" A residence in this country adds much to the
personal dignity of the European. Here the labor
of a multitude is demanded for the comfort of one :
and it is not so much demanded as voluntarily
given. In no other country can we so well see the
homage which matter gives to mind. Generally,
however, it is but the homage which black pays to
white. This is the grand argument for keeping the
Hindoos in a state of mental depression. The hy-
perborean Scotchman, broiling under a perpendi-
cular sun, needs some lec-amina laborum ;* and the
state of the Hindoo minds is admirably calculated
to take care of our bodies.
" You know the character of the Hindoo super-
stition. It is lascivious and bloody. I know no epi-
thet that embraces so much of it as either of these
two. Of the first I shall say nothing : I shall not
pollute the page with a description of their caprine
orgies in the interior of their temples, nor the em-
blems engraved on the exterior.
" Their scenes of blood are not less revolting
O
to the human mind. Human sacrifice is not quite
abolished. The burning of women is common ; 1
have witnessed it more than once.
" This power of self-sacrifice is given them from
* Relaxation. '
136 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
insensibility of mind, and from that alone. Just as
a child may be persuaded to plunge into danger
which infant reason cannot see, so the Hindoo, of
childish capacity, is persuaded to destroy his exist-
ence, he views neither death not 1 life in their-
true light.
" All comparison, therefore, between the forti-
tude of the Christian martyr and the madness of
the Hindoo is nugatory and absurd."
Some hints in the pi-eceding letter respecting
marriage, imply that Mr. Buchanan was not, at
this time, indifferent to that subject. He had hith-
erto been too much occupied with study, and with
his entrance upon his professional career, to in-
dulge any thoughts respecting it ; but his affection-
ate and social disposition, and the comparative so-
litude in which he was compelled to live, convinced
him of the expediency of entering into the married
state. This important change in his condition took
place on the 3d of April, 1799, on which day Mr.
Buchanan married Miss Mary Whish, third daugh-
ter of the Rev. Richard Whish, then rector o:'
Northwold. in Norfolk.
Upon this interesting event it may be best to
allow Mr. Buchanan to speak, as usual, for himself.
He thus writes to Mr. Newton about two months
after his marriasre :
o
Miss Mary Whish and her elder sister (after-
AT BARRACKPORE. 137
wards married to Major Poole) came out to India
about five months ago with their aunt, Mrs. San-
dys, wife of Captain Sandys, Commissary of stores
in Calcutta. The younger of these ladies was so
much disgusted with the dissipation of India, that
she would gladly have returned single to England.
I did not see her till two months after her arrival.
But we had not been long acquainted before she
confessed that she had found a friend who could
reconcile her to India. I did not expect that I
should have ever found in this country a young
woman whom I could so much approve. Mrs. Bu-
chanan is not yet nineteen. She has had a very
proper education for my wife. She has docility of
disposition, sweetness of temper, and a strong pas-
sion for retired life.
" She is religious, as far as her knowledge goes ;
and her knowledge is as great as, I suppose, yours
or mine was at her age. Our marriage was sanc-
tioned by the approbation of all who knew her and
who knew me.
" I have now been married two months, and
every successive day adds something to confirm the
felicity of my choice, and the goodness of God in.
directing it.
" Mrs. Buchanan has read many of your letters to
me, and hopes you will mention her name in your
next, She is now reading the ' Christian Character
138 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
Exemplified,' published by you, and aspires to the
spirit and piety of the lady whose character it is.
" I still reside at Barrackpore, where it is now
probable I shall remain some years. But I must
take no thought for to-morrow. Years, days, and
hours are not mine. Moments } how sacred !"
In replying to some inquiries of his correspond-
ent, Mr. Buchanan proceeds to mention, what, in
the prospect of continuing at Barrackpore, must
have been peculiarly painful to him, that it was
thought no chapel would be built there, under the
new arrangement relative to that subject, as no
European regiment was, at any time, ordered to
that station. Under these circumstances he men-
tions that he was anxious to take every opportu-
nity of assisting Mr. Brown at Calcutta.
" You will have heard, by this time," he con-
tinues, " the fate of the expedition to Otaheite.
The missionaries, banished by the natives, fled to
Botany Bay. One of them, I "hear, is lately arrived
in Calcutta, from Port Jackson. I hope this South-
sea scheme will not discourage the missionary so-
cioties. They have done no harm : and if they
send out their next mission with less carnal eclat,
and more Moravian diffidence, they may, perhaps,
do some good. Their chief fault was in the selec-
tion of the men.
AT BARRACKPORE. 139
" Lord Mornington is taking measures to send
home all Frenchmen and republicans. I was ap-
plied to lately, in a kind of official way, to give
some account of the Baptist missionaries. It was
asked, What was their object ? How supported ?
Whether they were not of republican principles 1
As I had some good data for speaking favorably
of Mr. Carey, I confined myself to him. I stated
the origin of the Tranquebar mission, and its suc-
cess under Swartz, and I represented Carey as en-
deavoring to do in Bengal, what Swartz did in the
Deccan. He called upon me lately in his way to
Calcutta. He considers himself as sowing a seed
which haply may grow up and bear fruit. He is
prosecuting his translation of the Scriptures. This
is a good work. It will be useful to those Hindoos
who are somewhat influenced by Christian instruc-
tion, and particularly useful to Hindoo children
brought up in Christian schools. I told Mr. Carey
that I thought he could not employ his time better
than in translating the Scriptures. I explained to
him, from sources with which he seemed unac-
quainted, the plan and progress of the Tamulian
Scriptures, and the circumstances attending the
publication.
" And now, my dear sir, pray for us. Under my
Mary's care, I improve in health and spirits."
In the autumn of this year Mr. Buchanan in-
140 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
formed Mr. Grant that he had been recommended
to accept a vacant chaplaincy at Bombay. " Being
altogether ignorant," says he, "of the particulars,
I wrote to Mr. Fawcett, the accountant general
there, (who wishes me to go,) to explain fully to me
the nature of the situation. If it be the chaplaincy
to the Presidency, I shall accept it." He adds :
" There is to be a relief of staff this ensuing Novem-
ber. Whether I shall be included in it, I know not."
It is probable that Mr. Buchanan's inquiry re-
specting the chaplaincy at Bombay proved unsatis-
factory. However this may have been, the provi-
dence of God shortly afterwards introduced him
to a sphere of labor in Calcutta which was equally
adapted to his talents arid his wishes. Towards
the close of the year Lord Mornington appointed
him a third chaplain to the Presidency, and be im-
mediately entered upon the duties of that office.
One of the earliest occasions of public service to
which Mr. Buchanan was called after this appoint-
ment, was in February, 1SOO j when he preached
a sermon at the new church, before Lord Morn-
ington and the principal officers of the government,
on a day appointed for " a general thanksgiving
for the late signal successes obtained by the naval
and military forces of his Majesty and of his allies ;
and for the ultimate and happy establishment of
the tranquillity and security of the British posses-
sions in India."
AT CALCUTTA. 141
This sermon was so highly approved that Mr.
Buchanan received the thanks of the Governor Ge-
neral in council, with a direction that it should he
printed ; and it was undoubtedly a production which,
well deserved that honor. It was founded on the
llth verse of the 21st Psalm : " For they intended
mischief against THEE ; and imagined such a de-
vice, as they are not able to perform :" and con-
tains a luminous and impressive view of the prin-
ciples, progress, and effects of the new French phi-
losophy, to which Mr. Buchanan justly attributed
the awful struggle in which this country was then
engaged. The following passages from this dis-
course show the ability and judgment, as well as
the piety of its author :
" The contest in which our country has been so
long engaged has, in one particular, been of essen-
tial service to her. It has excited a greater respect
for Christian institutions and Christian principles.
A long period of internal tranquillity and security
had induced an indifference about religion which
was rapidly gaining ground, and was making room
for that infidelity which our enemies wished to sub-
stitute. But the critical situation in which the na-
tion was placed, and the dangers that threatened
her, led men to review their principles, and to con-
eider seriously by what means she might be saved.
Hence there is now a growing regard for Christian
142 MEMOIR OF I>R. BUCHANAN.
ordinances. There is now a more genei'al acknow-
ledgment of the providence of God ; more attention
is paid to moral character; more care is taken in
forming the minds of youth j and more ample means
of instruction are afforded to the common people.
" In the anxiety that prevails in the mother-
country about the principles of all who are con
neoted with her, she will naturally be interested to
know what is the state of religion among us.
' How,' she will ask, ' amidst all this revolution of
opinion and practice which agitates the world, is
that distant society affected 1 Are they altogether
free from infidel principles ? And does the public
spirit of the people show itself in combating these
principles, and in maintaining a respect for chris-
tian institutions ?'
" However this subject might have been over-
looked in the infancy of our settlements, it becomes
now a matter of public consequence. The import-
ance we are daily acquiring in the eyes of the
world, and the destructive effects of irreligion in
other countries, make it proper that we should
show that we yet profess the faith of our country,
and that we are yet willing to be accounted a chris-
tian community.
" On this subject we think there can be but one
sentiment. Men of sense and of responsible situa-
tion, who love their country, and who know the
danger of the new principles, will not, we are per-
AT CALCUTTA. 143
suaded, be averse to show this countenance to the
Christian religion. Such example is of the more
consequence, on account of the great number of
young persons who are yearly added to our socie-
ty. These persons are denied those opportunities
of instruction they enjoyed at home ; and they ar-
rive at so early an age, that, in general, their prin-
ciples are formed and fixed here. And when it is
considered that they are hereafter to fill the offices
in the government of the country, and are to be
themselves the guardians of the public principles,
it will certainly appear of consequence that their
minds should be impressed with a respect for those
religious and moral observances on which the fu-
ture safety and happiness of the country depend.
" Scepticism and infidelity are not now so well
received in society as they once were. It was for-
merly thought a mark of superior understanding to
profess infidelity. It was thought a proof of some
learning to think differently from others on reli-
gious subjects.
" But we have now seen, that the most illiterate
and most abandoned of the human race can be
infidels.
" We have also seen, that there is no supersti-
tion more irrational in its effects, no fanaticism
more degrading to the human mind, than the fana-
ticism of infidelity.
" We have further seen the moral effects of in-
144 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
fidelity ; effects flowing directly from it, acknow-
ledging no other source. And after what we have
O O
seen of these effects, we think no man can add to
his respectability in society, either for understand-
ing or for moral character, by avowing himself to
be an advocate for infidelity.
" But we trust that the great body of our socie-
ty is yet animated by Christian principles, and that
they are ready to make common cause with their
country in defending these principles to the utter-
most.
" Some will doubt, and some will disbelieve, but
it is an eternal truth, that the Christian religion is
the rock on which rests our existence as a civilized
nation ; on which rest our social blessings, and our
individual happiness. Take away this rock, and
you give your country to convulsion and endless
disgrace. Built on this rock, she has withstood the
violence of the storms that have so long assailed
her. Secure and tranquil in the midst of the tem-
pest, she stands at this hour firm and impregnable,
while those who built on the ' sands of infidelity '
have been overthrown."
Copies of Mr. Buchanan's thanksgiving sermon
were distributed by order of government in every
part of British India, and sent home to the direc-
tors of the East India Company.
" You may easily conceive," says Mr. Buchanan,
AT CALCUTTA. 145
writing to a friend in England, well acquainted
with the prevalence of sceptical principles at that
period in India, tc the astonishment of men at these
religious proceedings. However, all was silence
and decent acquiescence. It became fashionable to
say that religion was a very proper thing, that no
civilized state -could subsist without it ; and it was
reckoned much the same thing to praise the French
as to praise infidelity."
The importance of this public recognition of
Christianity as the only basis of civil prosperity,
was soon perceived in the increasing attention to
personal religion :
" Our Christian society," adds Mr. Buchanan to
the same friend, " flourishes. Merit is patronized,
immoral characters are marked ; and young men of
good inclinations have the best opportunities of im-
provement."
The same happy effects were thus distinctly sta-
ted by Mr. Brown, in a memorial on the general
state of society in Calcutta, drawn up some years
afterwards for the information of the Society for
promoting Christian Knowledge.
" These solemn acts," observes that excellent
man, " and the public thanksgivings, which took
place for the first time under Marquis Wellesley's
Buchanan. !-'
rfel
146 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
government, awakened a religious sense of things
in many ; and led to an open and general acknow-
ledgment of the divine providence, which has been
highly beneficial to the interests of true religion
and virtue."
On Mr. Buchanan's removal to Calcutta, he thus
resumed the account of his studies and proceed-
ings, in a letter to Mr. Henry Thornton :
" The plan of study I formed about two yeai's
and a half ago has not suffered any material altera-
tion since. I soon, however, discovered the small
value of the Persian and Hindostanee languages to
me, and was contented with a superficial acquaint-
ance with them. My scriptural studies I pursue
with my first purpose, and I hope I shall continue
to pursue them to the day of my death. My gene-
ral studies have been much diversified by corres-
pondence in different parts of India, on subjects
classical, mathematical, and theological. The latter
has been the most laborious and generally the most
pleasant. This subject is often forced upor. me.
But I have seldom permitted myself to defend
Christianity. 1 have usually acted on the offensive,
and attacked infidelity. This is a very unpleasant
"'mode to the infidel. During the last year I received
many anonymous letters, particularly from young
persons, on polemical divinity ; but the correspond-
AT CALCUTTA. 147
ence has generally ended in real names. In conse-
quence, I am often applied to for books, and have
expended much in purchasing valuable works at
our dear market. Small religious tracts are of little
service to those with whom I have to do.
" My public ministrations have been rare, but
perhaps not so rare as from my situation might be
expected. Of the three years I have been in India,
including the number of times I have officiated at
the hospital in Calcutta, and in my own house at
Barrackpore, I have preached on an average once
a fortnight.
" My great affliction since I came to India has
been bad health. I feel a languor of constitution,
and a difficulty of respiration, which no medical
aid has yet been able to remove. This I sometimes
think has taken away one-half of the energy and
usefulness I might have preserved or acquired in a
cooler region. But this also is the dispensation of
God ; and it has added to me that, which else-
where I might not have found."
In a letter, however, to Mr. Newton, about the
same time, Mr. Buchanan observes, " I have en-
joyed better health this year than in any former ;
and I trust that I shall be strengthened and spared
for some service."
During the first six months of the year 1800, the
plan of a collegiate institution had been formed by
148 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
Lord Mornington, (who, in consequence of the
splendid successes of his policy in the Mysore, had
been created Marquis Wellesley,) for the purpose
of promoting the literary improvement of the
younger civil servants of the Company. This im-
portant measure, in the arrangement and conduct
of which Mr. Buchanan was so essentially concern-
ed, he thus mentioned in the month of June, in a
letter to Mr. Grant :
" Lord Wellesley is at present engaged in found-
ing a college for the instruction of the young civil
servants in eastern literature and general learning.
He desired me to draw out a sketch of the consti-
tution of the college, which I did. And now Mr.
Barlow has instructed me to draw up a minute as
a justification of the measure. Lord Wellesley
proposes that Mr. Brown should be the provost of
the college ; and he . is certainly the fittest man in
Calcutta for that office. I had him in my mind
when drawing up the duties of provost. There
will be about eight or ten professors. No promo-
tion in the service, but through the medium of this
institution. The students to remain at college for
O
three or five years. Prizes and honors to be propos-
ed for those who distinguish themselves, and de-
grees to be taken to qualify for certain offices."
Some allusion is made to the subject introduced
AT CALCUTTA; 149 ~
in the preceding extract, in the two following let-
ters from Mrs. Buchanan, which, as they exhibit a
pleasing and faithful picture of a most amiable
woman very early removed from this world, it may
not be uninteresting to insert before we proceed
to a more enlarged view of the college of Fort
"William, or Calcutta.
The first is addressed to Mr. Newton, and is da-
ted Calcutta, June 24, 1SOO :
" DEAR SIR, Mr. Buchanan assures me that
you will excuse the liberty I take in writing to you.
I have long wished to acknowledge the debt I owe
you for your valuable works. They have been
blessed to many, and I trust will be also blessed to
me. But I believe I am still more indebted to you
as the friend, father, and instructer of my beloved
husband ; as such, I must consider you as the in-
strument, under God, of my present happiness.
" You will be glad to hear that Mr. B.'s health
is of late much improved ; but I am alarmed lest
his approaching labors should be too much for him.
We have reason to believe that he will be appoint-
ed a professor in the new college. He himself
wishes to decline it, but his friends do not see how
it is possible, as he has taken an active part in the
institution. It is supposed that he may have his
choice of three professorships, Classics, Mathema-
tics, or the Belles-lettres. I believe his intention is
150 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
to accept of a situation in college, if it be easy j
but. if not, to decline it on the plea of health.
{t Dear sir, I cannot expect to see you in this
world, may I therefore request you to send your
blessing to me and my little gii'l.
" I desire my love to your niece, and remain,
my dear sir, yours, with Christian affection,
" MARY BUCHAJVIAN."
The second of these letters is to Mr. Elliott ;
and while it expresses with equal simplicity the
advancing piety of her own mind, it recognizes the
support which Lord Wellesley was then affording
to religion in Calcutta. It is of the same date with
the former.
" DEAR SIR, Your letter to Mr. Buchanan, in
which you mention our marriage, gave me real
pleasure. And as you expressed a wish that I
should write to you, I take this opportunity to thank
you for your affectionate congratulations. You
have reason indeed to congratulate me. It is the
happiest circumstance in my life that I ever came
to India, where I have been united to one whose
endeavors God has been pleased to bless, in lead-
ing me to some knowledge of the everlasting Gos-
pel. It is a new Gospel to me, and I seem to live
in a new world, differing far more from my old
world than India differs from England. May I re-
AT CALCUTTA. 151
quest your prayers that this good work may be
carried on in my heart, and that it may issue in
honor to my beloved husband, and to his ministry
here 1 He has much to encourage him in the work
of the Gospel. There is an evident change in the
face of the society here, even in the short time,
since I arrived in the country. Lord Wellesley
seems inclined to support the Christian religion by
every means. Vital religion also is increasing. It
seems to be fostei'ed under the wing of that gene-
ral sanction to Christianity which has lately been
given. This is the only place in India where reli-
gion is countenanced. We have now many respec-
table families here in which piety meets with real
encouragement. I remain, dear sir, yours, with
much esteem, MARY BUCHANAN."
By the despatch which conveyed the two pre-
ceding letters, Mr. Buchanan sent another remit-
tance to his mother, to the comfort of whose de-
clining years he was afterwards enabled still more
largely to contribute.
On the ISth of August, 1SOO, the College of
Fort William, which had been virtually in opera-
tion since the 4th of May, was formally establish-!
ed by a minute in council,* in which the Governor
* See " The College of Fort William, in Bengal," pnb-
lished by Mr. Buchanan in 1805.
152 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
General detailed at length his reasons for such an
institution. The important part which Mr. BIT
chanan took in the conduct of that establishment
will sufficiently justify the following brief abstract
of the able and interesting document referred to.
The British possessions in India, said his lord-
ship, now constitute one of the most extensive and
populous empires in the world. The immediate
administration of the government of the various
provinces and nations composing this empire is
principally confided to the Eui'opean civil servants
of the East India Company. Upon them, in con-
sequence, devolve the duties of dispensing justice
to millions of people of various languages, manners,
usages, and religions ; of administering a vast and
complicated system of revenue throughout districts
equal in extent to some of the most considerable
kingdoms in Europe ; and of maintaining civil
order in one of the most populous and litigious
regions of the world. They can, therefore, no
longer be considered as the asrents of a commer-
O ^-
cial concern ; they are, in fact, the ministers and
officers of a powerful sovereign, and must be view-
ed in that capacity, with a reference, not to their
nominal, but to their real occupations. Their edu-
cation should consequently be founded in a general
knowledge of those branches of literature and
O
science which form the basis of the education of
persons destined to similar offices in Europe. To
AT CALCUTTA. 153
this foundation should be added an intimate ac-
quaintance with the history, languages, customs,
and manners of the people of India, .with the Mo-
hammedan and Hindoo codes of law and religion,
and with the political interests and relations of
Great Britain in Asia. They should be regularly
instructed in the principles and system which con-
stitute the foundation of that wise code of regula-
tions and laws enacted by the Governor General
in council, for the purpose of securing to the people
of this empire the benefit of the ancient and esta-
blished laws of the country, administered in the
spirit of the British constitution. Finally, their
early habits should be so formed as to establish in.
their minds such solid foundations of industry,
prudence, integrity, and religion, as should effec-
tually guard them against those temptations and
corruptions with which the nature of the climate
and the peculiar depravity of the people of India
will surround and assail them in every station, es-
pecially upon their first arrival in India. The early
discipline of the service should be calculated to
counteract the defects of the climate and the vices
of the people, and to form a natural barrier against
habitual indolence, dissipation, and licentious indul-
gence : the spirit of emulation in honorable and
useful pursuits should be kindled and kept alive
by the continual prospect of distinction and reward,
of profit and honor ; nor should any precaution be
154 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
relaxed in India which is deemed necessary in
England to furnish a sufficient supply of men
qualified to fill the high offices of the state with
credit to themselves and with advantage to the
public.
An additional motive for such an institution as
was then meditated, was derived from the acknow-
ledged fact, that at this period the eiToneous and
pestilent principles of the French revolutionary
school had reached the minds of some individuals
in the service of the Company in India ; and that
the state, as well of political as religious opinions,
had been in some degree unsettled. An institu-
tion, therefore, tending to fix and establish sound
and correct principles of religion and government
in the minds of the junior servants of the Com-
pany at an early period of life, was the best secu-
rity that could be provided for the stability of the
British power in India.
After discussing the practicability of forming
any adequate establishment in England for the
purpose of duly educating such a body of men as
had been described, and determining that it could
not be obtained otherwise than in India, the Go-
vernor General concluded by declaring, that a col
lege was by this minute in council founded at Fort
William, for the better instruction of the junior
ivil servants of the Company in such branches of
literature, science, and knowledge, as might be
AT CALCUTTA. 155
deemed necessary to qualify them for the discharge
of the duties of the different offices constituted for
the administration of the government of the British
possessions in the East Indies.
The general reasons upon which the Marquis
"VVellesley proceeded in the formation of this im-
portant institution, must be admitted to be charac-
terized by the soundest views of a liberal and en-
lightened policy. Whatever difference of opinion
may exist as to the extent or detailed arrangement
of the establishment, there can scarcely be any as
to the principles upon which it was' founded. The
success, too, of the institution, as will be hereafter
seen, fully justified the wisdom of the original plan,
and reflects the highest honor on its distinguished
author.
The immediate government of the college was
vested in a Provost and Vice-Provost, and three
other officers, to whose notice every pai't of the pri-
vate conduct of the students, their expenses, their
connections, their manners, and morals, were to be
subject. Professorships were established in the lan-
guages chiefly spoken and used in the different pro-
vinces of India, in Hindoo and Mohammedan law,
in the regulations and laws enacted at the several
presidencies for the civil government of the British
territories, in political economy, and particularly
the commercial institutions and interests of the
East India Company, and in various branches of
156 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
literature and science. There was also to be a con-
siderable establishment of learned natives attached
to the college ; some of whom were to be employ-
ed in teaching the students, others in making trans-
lations, and others in composing original works in
the oriental tongues.
The excitements to exertion in the college of
Fort William were of the highest and most effec-
o
tive nature ; and its moral, economical, and reli-
gious discipline, such as was admirably calculated
to promote all that is virtuous, dignified, and use-
ful in civil society. This latter most important
branch of the institution was, in an especial man-
ner, confided to the provost and vice provost, who
were thus honorably introduced to the public no-
tice by its noble founder.
" Fortunately," observes his lordship, " for the
objects of the institution, the Governor General has
found at Calcutta two clergymen of the church of
England eminently qualified to discharge the du-
ties of provost and vice-provost. To the former
office he has appointed Mr. Brown, the Company's
first chaplain, and to the latter, Mr. Buchanan.
Mr. Brown's character must be well known in Engr-
O
land, and particularly so to some members of the
Court of Directors ; it is in every respect such as to
satisfy the Governor General that his views, in this
nomination, will not be disappointed. He has also
formed the highest expectations from the abilities,
AT CALCUTTA. 157
learning, temper, and morals of Mr. Buchanan,
whose character is also well known in England,
and particularly to Dr. Porteus, Bishop of London,
and to Dr. Milner, Master of Queen's College in
the University of Cambridge."
A body of statutes was afterwards compiled and
promulgated by Marquis Wellesley, which regu-
lated the admission of students and professors, the
lectures, exercises, examinations, and public dis-
putations, and every other branch of the college
business. The office of the provost, and, virtually,
of the vice-provost, was expressed in the follow-
ing terms :
" It shall be the peculiar province and sacred
duty of the provost governing the college at Fort
"William, to guard the moral and religious interests
of the institution, and vigilantly to superintend the
conduct and principles of all its members.
" Divine service shall be performed in the col-
lege chapel at such times as the provost shall ap-
point."
Provision was also made by the statutes for ap-
plying the internal authority of the superior officers
of the college, to strengthen and confirm within
our eastern possessions the attachment of the civil
servants of the Company to the laws and constitu-
158 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
tion of Great Britain, and to maintain and uphold
the Christian religion in that quarter of the globe.
The appointment of the superior officers of the
college was notified in a Calcutta gazette extraor-
dinary on the 20th of September, 1800, though
they were not formally admitted to their offices
till the 24th of April following. Towards the close
of the former year an advertisement was publish-
ed in different parts of India, announcing the esta-
blishment of the college, and inviting men of learn-
ing and knowledge, moulvies, pundits, and moon-
shees, to Calcutta, for the purpose of submitting
to an examination, with a view to the choice of
some as teachers in the college. About fifty na-
tives, and subsequently a larger number, were in
consequence attached to it.
Lectures in the Arabic, Hindostanee, and Per-
sian languages, commenced in the month of No-
vember, 1800 ; and the first regular term opened
on the 6th of February following.
CHAPTER V.
Two years in Calcutta College of Fort William jP&-
lic engagements and plans.
"With the commencement of the year 1801 Mr.
Buchanan entered upon his important and labori-
AT CALCUTTA. 159
ous duties as vice-provost and professor of classics
in the college of Fort William. His health and spi-
rits had hitherto been more or less depressed ; nor
was the former likely to be improved by the vari-
ous weighty engagements which now devolved
upon him. A work, however, had at length been
assigned to him, both in the college and as one of
the chaplains of the Presidency ; which, while it
demanded his utmost talents and exertions, deep-
ly interested his feelings, and animated him with
the hope of becoming extensively useful in India.
Early in this year he thus wrote to Mr. Grant:
" Since my last to you nothing of importance
has occurred here. The regulation concerning the
college has been carried into effect, and the insti-
tution has already acquired energy and tranquillity.
We have about a hundred students ; the greater
part of whom promise to distinguish themselves.
There are as remarkable instances of application
here, as I have known at Cambridge. ^
" Both the churches are generally full, particu-
larly in the cold weather. The college chapel has
punkas, which will probably draw a great number
of the townspeople during the hot season. Lord
Wellesley has fitted up a pew for himself in chapel-
" Mr. Obeck breakfasted with Mrs. Buchanan
this morning, and pleased her much with the ac-
count he gave of you and your family for a series
160 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
of years in this country. The old man still retains
his faculties in vigor, and is strong in body. His
office at present is the distribution of four or five
hundred rupees a month to the poor. The cold
meat of college supports a great number of poor
Portuguese and English.
" Some of the college students have already
made most distinguished proficiency in the oriental
languages. By the statutes they must be able to
hold public disputations in these languages on a
given subject. Ten of the first proficients go out
the first year, and twenty the second. The spirit of
emulation, of interest, and of fame, is excited in a
very remarkable degree. No impropriety of con-
duct is known. All is silence, and study, and deco-
rum. They all dine in the college hall, in the pre-
sence of the professors.
" There are some instances of a serious spirit of
religious inquiry among the students.
" Lord Wellesley wants some persons of distin-
guished ability in science and classics to superin-
tend in college, and thinks, properly, that they
should, if possible, be clerical men.
" Mr. Brown is in a precarious state of health at
present ; and I have never been strong. No such
field is any where to be found for learning and
piety as that which Calcutta at this time exhibits."
In the month of June following Mr. Buchanan
AT CALCUTTA. 161
thus resumes his account" of the two subjects of
Indian intelligence most interesting to himself, the
church and the college, in a letter to Mr. Grant,
and announces Mrs. Buchanan's approaching re-
turn to England :
" Our church continues in much the same slate
in which I described it to be in my last. We have
had an addition of some communicants, chiefly
from college. The church thins a little always in
the hot months of May and June. Lord W. has
proposed to use punkas and tatties ; and it is pro-
bible that we shall have recourse to them next
season.
" The college still goes on with spirit and. ener-
gy. Some of the students will leave it, and enter
on the service in December, 1801, (this year.) I
see clearly that all our future professors and ex-
aminers will be taken from among those who have
been students. It is with the greatest difficulty
that we can find in the whole service examiners in
the various languages who have confidence to face
the students. So that we have been obliged to take
our examiners from among the professors, which is
rather contrary to the statutes."
Mr. Buchanan appears to have detained this let-
ter till after the 3d of July, on which day the first
public examination of the college students took
Buchanan. 1 1
162 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
place. The name of his young friend, Mr. -William
Elliott, appeared at the head of the first class in
the Persian and Hindostanee languages, and in
Nagree writing, and in the first class of Arabic.
Mr. Buchanan speaks also of the good conduct and
distinguished proficiency in the languages of some
other young men as being above all praise. He
then adverts to the health of Mrs. Buchanan, who
since her return from Pulo Penang had experien-
ced a return of her consumptive complaint, which
made it necessary for her to try the effect of her
native air. " Should her health," he adds, " be re-
stored, she will return to India, after a short resi-
dence with her family."
Accordingly on the 25th of July, 1801, Mrs. Bu-
chanan embarked for England, taking with her
their eldest daughter, Charlotte, and leaving the
youngest, Augusta, then not quite six months old,
with Mr. Buchanan. Her voyage was stormy, and
otherwise perilous and painful ; but she reached
her native country in safety on the eighteenth of
February, 1802.
She was the bearer of a letter to one of Mr. Bu-
chanan's friends, in which he mentions that the re-
gular attendance of the greater, number of the stu-
dents on divine worship, and still more decisive
proofs of serious impressions among them, had
given him new ardor and new hope that the col-
lege of Fort William would prove a religious as
well as a literary blessing to many of them.
AT CALCUTTA. 163
Mr. Buchanan then observes in reply to a sug-
gestion of his correspondent, whether he might not
have attempted to preach to the Hindoos, that, in-
dependently of various other impediments, it was
inconsistent with the rules prescribed to him as a
chaplain of the Company ;* but that, although he
had not converted any natives, he had been honor-
ed as the instrument of the conversion of souls in
India, and had seen some of them die in the faith.
The friend to whom Mr. Buchanan was writing
had also hinted that some of his English corres-
pondents were disappointed at so seldom hearing
from him. To this he thus satisfactorily replies :
" I had such a numerous body of friends and ac-
quaintances, literary and religious, in Scotland and
in England, that I found it was in vain to attempt
a correspondence with them all in my infirm state
of health. I have therefore scarcely written to any
one but to yourself, Mr. Newton, and Mr. Grant.
I have less time now than ever ; and even my let-
ters to you will be less frequent. The chief labor
of the churches is devolving fast upon me. My re-
ligious correspondence in India is greater than at
* It must be remembered that a considerable change with
respect to religion has taken place in India since the period
to which this observation refers, and that what was then a
subject of the most jealous suspicion, is now regarded with
more liberal and Christian feelings.
164 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
any former time. The whole direction of the col-
lege lies with me ; every paper is drawn up by me ;
and every thing that is printed is revised by me.
In addition to this, I give Greek and Latin lectures
four days in the week during term ; and I must
visit and receive visits on an average twice a day.
" You desired me to sav something in self-de-
/ o
fence, else I should not have given you the above.
I am yet an unprofitable servant, very unworthy
the lowest place in my Master's vineyard ; and I
am supported chiefly, at times by the feeble hope
that the Lord, who works by any means, will be
pleased to work even by me."
From the time that Mr. Buchanan removed to
the presidency he generally preached at one or
other of the churches in Calcutta once, and some-
times twice, on the Sabbath. It appears also, from
a book of memoranda, in which he briefly noticed
his engagements during the five most active years
of his residence in India, that he occasionally
preached the weekly evening lecture, which had
been established by Mr, Brown. In writing to a
friend at Cambridge, Mr. Buchanan observed that
the congregations at the new church were more
numerous than those at St. Mary's, more elegant,
equally critical, and perhaps not less intelligent.
To address such audiences with acceptance and
effect must consequently have demanded much la-
AT CALCUTTA. 165
borious preparation. At the mission church the
congregations were chiefly composed of those who
simply sought Christian instruction and edification.
Of the general tenor of his discourses at both
places, some idea may be formed from the preced-
ing view of his character and sentiments. A few
notices of the subjects of his preaching occur
among the memoranda just referred to. The fol-
lowing are some of them : " The inward witness to
Christianity," from 1. John, 5 : 10. " The barren
fig-tree," at the close of the year 1801. " In Adam
all die," on the Easter following. " The second
Adam." " Jairus." " On knowledge." " We
preach Christ crucified." " The second advent."
" Abraham seeking a country." " St. Paul at
Athens." "If then ye be risen with Christ, seek
those things which are above." These are indeed
but scanty memorials of Mr. Buchanan's labors in
Calcutta as a preacher. Some specimens, however,
of his sermons will hereafter be adduced.
Scarcely more numerous 1 or detailed traces re-
main of the other great branch of his employment,
as vice-provost and classical professor in the col-
lege of Fort William. Although Mr. Brown, as the
senior chaplain of the presidency, accepted the
office of provost, and in both capacities was zealous
and indefatigable in his endeavors to promote the
interests of religion in Calcutta, the superinten-
dence and practical government of the college rest-
166 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
ed upon Mr. Buchanan. Occasional notices occur
iu these imperfect records, of the books in which,
he lectured during different terms, as well as of his
sermons. Homer and Virgil Longinus and Demos-
O ' O
thenes, Terence and Juvenal, Livy, Horace, and
Xenophon, are among the authors enumerated as
occupying the attention of the students of Fort
William. Independently of his lectures in these
and other classical writers, Mr. Buchanan's me-
moranda notice frequent communications with
Lord Wellesley and the council of the college
upon points of internal discipline and arrangement,
the composition of various public orders, letters,
and other papers and documents, the revision of
college essays and books connected with the insti-
tution, and attendances at the terminal examina-
tions, disputations, and subsequent distribution into
classes of the students.
The time necessarily employed in these multi-
plied labors, in maintaining a correspondence in
India and Europe, and in visits of ceremony, friend-
ship, or charity, and among the latter some are
mentioned to the Orphan and other schools in and
near Calcutta, will suffice to prove, that no sooner
were these opportunities of active service and use
fulness presented to Mr. Buchanan, than he em-
braced them with a degree of ardor, dilio-ence,
O 7 O '
and perseverance, which reflects the highest honor
on his principles and his- practice.
AT CALCUTTA. 167
It will not, however, be a subject of surprise to
those who are aware of the high standard by which
such men as Mr. Brown and Mr. Buchanan are ac-
customed to measure their obligations, to find that
neither of them was satisfied with his endeavors to
fulfil them. We have already had proof of their
mutual anxiety upon these important points. And
we have now to witness another of a still more in-
teresting nature, in a reply of Mr. Buchanan to a
communication from Mr. Brown, who was then at
Chandernagore, where he had been residing some
months for the benefit of his health. This valu-
able testimony to the pastoral feelings of both is
as follows :
" CALCUTTA, Nov. 29, 1801.
" MY DEAR SIR, I received your letter last night.
I envy much the zealous affection which animates
your mind, and would gladly go up to Chanderna-
gore also, to obtain the same. Old Mr. Newton,
when in the country, used to think that London
was Sardis ; but when he came up to town, he
found there a great assembly walking in white ; and
so he joined them. I have thought more seriously
in Calcutta than ever I did at Barrackpore. But
what I have been (at any period of my life) is so
little like what I would wish to be, that I cannot
contemplate it without remorse. I do not know
that I ever had what Christians call ' zeal.' I recol-
168 MEMOIR OF DH. BUCHANAN.
lect that I expected it would grow when I entered
the ministry ; but I had scarcely entered the minis-
try, and preached a few times, when I was sent to
this country.
" I never knew, as you do, what it was to preach
profitably and zealously for a season. That is a
work I have to begin ; and how to begin it I know
not. I need an unction from on high, which I
anxiously look for ; and yet in looking for this, 1
look for that which I never knew as most have
known it.
" One thing urges me sometimes to press for-
ward with hope ; and that is, that all I hear and
all I say appears to me to be so very unlike what
it ought to be, that I imagine something better
might be attempted. And yet were the Spirit in-
deed to descend, we cannot expect that God, who
worketh by natural means, should suddenly add
the eloquent mouth and new powers of memory
and understanding. The holy skill of preaching ap-
pears to be the fruit of long experience and con-
verse among G-od's people. And in Calcutta, as in
every other place, the able minister of the New
Testament can only be made by nightly and wake-
ful meditation, patient study, and prayer producing
self-denial.
" It appears to me that it was never intended
that the Grospel should flourish in the heart and
mouth of any minister who did not make it the
AT CALCUTTA. 169
* one thing,' the sole point of heartfelt recurrence.
But when it is made so, I can easily conceive how
the tender plant grows a great tree with spreading
branches and refreshing fruit. Then, no doubt,
even a mind naturally barren bears exuberant
ideas, and is constantly forming lively images ; and,
though the mouth be rude in speech, the full heart
becomes vocal, and utters the ' word in season.'
" Whether either of us will be able thus to make
the Gospel the ' one thing,' time will show. ' He
that warreth,' ought not to ' entangle himself with
the affairs of this life.' But do we war ? Time
enough for the soldier to disencumber himself
when he begins to fight. It is easy to throw off a
college ; but it is very difficult to take up the
church. But when the church spirit appears, it will
soon conquer the college.
ct The grand question is, ought not means to be
used to mature that spirit which we desire ? We
read ' that a good soldier of Jesus Christ entangleth
himself not with the affairs of this life, that he may
please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier ;'
or, as Guyse explains it, 'he must not follow any
civil calling, unprofitable reading, or unnecessary
relaxation, to entangle his thoughts and swallow
up his time;' (superintending a college is a civil
calling, Latin and Greek is unprofitable reading,
and lying in bed after five in the morning is unne-
cessary relaxation;) 'but his whole time, words,
170 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
thoughts," and actions must be employed, like a
soldier's, on his calling, that he may please Him
who hath chosen and authorized him to fight.'
" How far, in what manner, and in what particu-
lars, St. Paul would obey the spirit of this passage,
were he in your situation or mine, I really cannot
tell. Were he here, he woulot be warring. After
we have warred for some time, we also shall know.
' O that I knew the will of God in this matter,'
saith Augustine ; * but I am not worthy to know
his will. This ignorance is the fruit of my back-
sliding.'
" One thing seems probable, that no sudden suc-
cess will appear from any sudden change of our
style of address or manner of preaching. It arises
usually from the impression of private chai-acter
and manner of life. Private character alone will
confirm the public sermon. The holy life of the
minister is the good alterative among men.
" As to myself, it is my only desire to be of some
service to the church of Christ before I die ; and
I would gladly seize any means, by change of situ-
ation or otherwise, which would enable me to do
so. As to this world, there is no object (if I know
my own heart at all) -which I have in view ,- nei-
ther of family, of fortune, of situation, of leaving
this country, or continuing in it. I have chiefly to
complain of a languid and heartless constitution,
both in body and mind, which makes me to bear
AT CALCUTTA. 171
easily with all things, and to have little pleasure in
any thing. This loss of energy and life has been
occasioned partly by a continued course of ill
health, partly by the untoward circumstances in
my situation since I arrived in the country, but
chiefly by the natural contagion of unchristian
manners.
" I am, however, at this time more independent
of society I dislike, than at any former period since
my arrival in India ; and I hope to be yet more so.
Whether by resigning college appointments, se-
cluding myself from the world, and preaching
twice a week, I should be of more service than by
maintaining a public situation, is a question I can-
not answer. What may be impossible and impro-
per now, may be possible and proper hereafter.
" However, the chief consideration at present is
the state of the heart. How is the soul with God ?
I endeavor by prayer to restore it daily, relying
(though feebly) on the aid of the Mediator, won-
dering sometimes that I am not worse, oppressed in
spirit at a view of the past, and hoping for better
days.
" I shall ever be ready to accede to any plan you
can suggest for the furtherance of our ministry.
You say you ' long to launch out into the fulness
of Christ.' So do I. But these words are too apos-
tolic for me at present. In order to launch forth
like * * * I should need not onry a new effusion
172 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
of the Holy Spirit, but those natural abilities which
generally accompany such an effusion, in order to
make it useful. Circumstances seem to admonish
me, that the c still small voice,' and not ' the rush-
ing mighty wind,' is my province in the Gospel.
What another school than Calcutta would have
produced, I know not. But I shall be blessed, if
grace be given unto me to do what good I can,
consistently and steadily in my various situations.
Unhappily, collegiate avocations usurp much of my
time. But let us beware of repining at the neces-
sity of spending time in this way, till we become
confident that, were all our time at our own dispo-
sal, we should spend it in a better.
" I earnestly pray that we may both be rightly
directed in our labors in this vineyard, that we may
see some fruit in others, and enjoy the comfort
ourselves of faithful ministers of the Gospel. I think
better days are at hand.
" In this hope I remain, my dear sir, very affec-
tionately yours, C. BUCHANAN."
It is not among the least interesting circum-
stances relative to this exquisite letter, that it ex-
hibits both its author and the friend to whom it
was addressed, in a country which at that time pos-
sessed no ecclesiastical superior, amidst multiplied
engagements of the most honorable and useful na-
ture, and under the pressure of infirm health in an
AT CALCUTTA. 173
enervating climate, earnestly occupied, not in de-
vising some method of relieving themselves from
the burthen of their employments, in framing plau-
sible apologies for the indulgence of ease and in-
dolence, or in schemes for the attainment of wealth ;
but affording mutual examples of self-inquiry, re-
proaching themselves with the lukewarmness of
exertions which some, perhaps, had already ac-
counted excessive ; and exciting each other to more
animated and abundant labors in the service of
their Lord and Master. Yet such is the impressive
sense which every faithful minister of the Gospel
entertains of his obligations and his duties, of the
love of Christ and the value of souls, of the uncer-
tainty of opportunity and life, and the approach of
an eternal world, that while many who observe
him may imagine that he is indulging in self-com-
placency and satisfaction in the review of his ex-
ertions, he is in fact humbling himself before God,
and in the confidence of private friendship, at the
recollection of his numerous deficiencies.
How well Mr. Buchanan understood the nature
of true pastoral zeal, together with what he justly
calls f the holy skill of preaching;' how highly he
estimated both, and how perfectly he was acquaint-
ed with the means by which they may be cultivated
and beneficially exercised, is evident from his dig-
nified and eloquent observations upon those im-
portant points. They can scarcely be read without
174 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
producing a powerful conviction that personal pie-
ty, of a vigorous and exalted character, must form
the basis of any reasonable hope of success as a
preacher of the Gospel ; that it is " tlie heart of the
wise," which must communicate persuasion to his
lips ; and that it is the " doctrine and the life coin-
cident," which can alone be expected to constitute
the divine art of winning souls to God.
The humility which breathes throughout the
whole letter, the disinterestedness of the writer's
views, the ardent desire which he expresses of
more decisive usefulness, and the obscure intima-
tion of a purpose, which was gradually becoming
more definite and mature, of endeavoring more
effectually to promote the extension of the Re-
deemer's kingdom in the East, cannot fail to be
observed by every thoughtful reader ; and while
they serve to illustrate the character of Mr. Bucha-
nan, and the principles which he professed, are
well calculated to excite others to the imitation of
such an example.
A few days after the date of the preceding letter,
Mr. Buchanan wrote to Mr. Grant as follows :
" Mr. Brown and his family have been on the
river for their health for five or six weeks past.
Our churches during this cold season are more
crowded than I ever saw them before. Even on
Wednesday evening there are a great number,
AT CALCUTTA. 175
and good is done. Some of the students attend on
that evening. Their presence warms the heart of
old Mr. Obeck. They know and visit him. ' How
would Mr. Grant rejoice,'* he sometimes says, 'to
see these things !' The pillars are removed, and a
number of additional seats made, to accommodate
the many who come."
On the 20th of January, 1S02, it appears, by a
brief memorandum, that Mr. Buchanan, in taking
his usual evening's exercise, suffered a severe fall
from his horse. "He came down," he .says, "at
full gallop, and I was thrown over his head and
stunned. He seemed to tumble over me. Mercy !
mercy !"
Though Mr. Buchanan complained for several
weeks of the effects of his fall, he was sufficiently
recovered to preach, yet not without much weak-
ness and pain, the next evening.
During the whole of this month Mr. Buchanan
was employed in making various arrangements
preparatory to the anniversary of the commence-
ment of the college on the 6th of February. On
that day public disputations were held in the Per-
* For the history of the mission church, and of the pecu-
liar interest which Mr. Grant would feel in its prosperity,
the reader is referred to the " Memorial Sketches " of Mr.
Brown.
176 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHAI\ 7 AN.
sian, Bengalee, and Hiridostanee languages, in the
presence of the supreme council and many other
distinguished persons ; the prizes and honorary re-
wards adjudged at the preceding examinations
were distributed, and a speech was delivered by
Sir George Barlow, the acting visiter in the ab-
sence of Marquis Wellesley ; in which, after ex-
pressing his satisfaction at the zeal and ability of
the officers and professors of the college in the dis-
charge of their public duties, and at the distin-
guished proficiency of many of the students, as
well as their exemplary conduct, he observed that
,the establishment of the college had already excited
a general and most beneficial attention to oriental
languages, literature, and knowledge ; and avowed
his conviction, that by diligently availing them
selves of the advantages afforded by the institution,
the students would enjoy the animating prospect
of being eminently useful to their country, by aid-
ing it in fulfilling the hia;h moral obligations attend-
o o o O
ant on the possession of its Indian empire ; on the
discharge of which the prosperity and permanence
of that empire must equally depend.
The various occupations, however, of Mr. Bu-
chanan did not induce him to forget his friends in
Europe. Early in the year 1S02 his income being
now considerably augmented, he, with that filial
piety which marked his character, authorized his
mother to draw upon his agents for the sum of
three hundred pounds annually.
AT CALCUTTA. 177
With Mrs. Buchanan, whose arrival in England
has been mentioned, he maintained a frequent cor-
respondence. In one of his letters he gave her an
interesting sketch of his early life, some circum-
stances of which he does not appear to have pre-
viously communicated to her, and which he observ-
; ed might form a good commentary on Isaiah 42 : 16.
" I will bring the blind by a way that they knew
not, I will lead them in paths that they have not
known : I will make darkness light before them,
?nd crooked things straight. These things will I
do unto them, and not forsake them."
Having brought down his history to the time at
which he was writing, he concludes with the fol-
lowing reflections on his present views and pur-
poses, the piety, beauty, and affection of which can-
not but be generally admired :
" Such, my dearest Mary, has been my varied
life, and such the wonderful providence which has
watched over me during so long a period. I pray
that, now I am settled, I may be enabled to show a
heart fixed on my Saviour, and on the ministration
I of his word. I feel that nothing in this world can
; afford me any delight equal to what I hope to find
' in the labor of the everlasting Gospel. No fortune
or rank in life can ever, I think, give any solid
comfort to my soul : nothing but heavenly draughts
can quench my thirst.
-.i Bucliauau. 12
-i'
178 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" My infirm constitution admonishes me not to
expect to enjoy lite, as some speak, and I am
thankful for every barrier which God erects against
my taking up my rest in this wilderness. Let, us
then, my dear Mary, live for the day, seeking that
heavenly peace which is always attainable. We
have learnt from our past experience, that c our
times are in HIS hands,' and we shall confess at the
end that ' He hath done all things well.'
" 1 feel a deep sense of the importance of my
present situation, and of the necessity of using the
tal?nt committed to my charge ; the uncertainty of
having such an useful sphere of action much long-
er, or my health continued, or my reputation sup-
ported ; these things excite me to greater exertions
while it is called ' to-day.'
" The society of religious people here pray that
I may be enabled to do something for the Gospel.
I am now in better health than formerly. My spi-
rits are more alive. My desires after a regular life
increase, and I trust my hopes in the Gospel will
be fulfilled. You, my beloved wife, can now pray in
faith : a sense of religion has visited you. Che-
rish it as the life of your soul. Esteem it the pearl
of great price, far exceeding in value the joys of
your family, or the wealth of the Indies. I know
that gay society at home will impede your progress
for awhile, but these difficulties are useful in prov-
ing and trying us, and bringing us forth like gold
AT CALCUTTA. 179
purified in the five. It is not preciseness of exter-
nal conduct, but communion with God in prayer
which forms the Christian's character. If you con-
tinue to approach the throne of grace with as much
earnestness as you used when on the great waters,
you will gradually arrive at a holy state of mind,
pure satisfaction of soul, and inexpressible delight
in the contemplation of the Gospel. Christ will be
formed in you, and you will begin to learn the
breadth, arid length, and height, and depth of his
unsearchable riches.
" All you have to do is to give your testimony to
the truth of real religion, when opportunities shall
be afforded, in modesty and simplicity; alleging
that the Gospel is not info?-m, but in power ; and
that we must all suffer a change of heart before
we can enter the kingdom of God. This is the
truth which 1 maintain in my preaching, and it is
found to be the only effectual doctrine to reach the
hearts of men."
The close of this truly interesting letter affords
a most substantial proof of the practical influence
of Mr. Buchanan's principles, and of the sincerity
of the religious professions and purposes which
precede it :
" By the last ships I sent four hundred pounds
to Mr. H. Thornton, being the amount of his ex-
pense on my own account at college for four years,
180 MEMOIR OF OR. BUCHANAN.
at one hundred pounds per annum. He never ex-
pected that I should repay him, but God has put it
in my power, and therefore it is my duty.
" I told him I only sent it back to the fountain
from whence it would probably soon flow again in
some act of benevolence.
" I also told him that I meant to devote five hun-
dred pounds for the support of a young man at the
university, of religious character and good ability,
who might be in poor circumstances, and whom
he, or Mr. Newton, or Dr. Milner, president of
Queen's college, should select. At the same time
I remitted an order on Messrs. Boehm & Co. to
Mr. T. for paying the sum of [25 per annum, by
half yearly instalments, for this purpose : and I ex-
pressed a wish that the young man might prove an
honor to the Gospel, and become an useful laborer
in his Master's vineyard.
" While it is in my power, I wish to do some
good thing for the G-ospel of my blessed Lord. 1
may soon be called hence. May I be able to de-
vote my heart to his glory while I stay !
" May we be grateful stewards of God's bless-
ings, so abundant and unlooked for ! And may we
continue daily to remember the wonderful way in
which we have been led from our early years to
this day!"
Various motives might have suggested to many
AT CALCUTTA. 181
men, possessed of lucrative appointments, the pro-
priety of restoring to a patron the sum which might
have been expended in preparing them for their
stations. Such a step, however, might not have
been distinguished by promptness, and still less by
any act of spontaneous liberality. In both these
respects the conduct of Mr. Buchanan was of a
very elevated and generous character. It was but
a short time that he had enjoyed an abundant in-
come ; he had already two children, for whom he
could as yet have made but very little provision;
he was affording a liberal allowance to his mother ;
his own health was precarious, and that of his
wife was subjecting him to the expense of a voy-
age to England, with a view to her return to In-
dia ; the principal source of his emoluments was of
an uncertain nature, and had, in fact, though then
unknown to him, been already considerably dimi-
nished. Gratitude, however, to his earthly bene-
factor, and love to his divine Lord and Master, in-
duced him, notwithstanding many plausible mo-
tives at least to defer his purpose, at once to dis-
charge a debt of kindness, and to fulfil a truly
hristian design ; and under these impressions he
communicated to Mr. Thornton the arrangement
v/hich has been already detailed. The sense which
that gentleman entertained of Mr. Buchanan's con-
duct was probably expressed in a letter to him-
182 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
self: but the only memorial of it which remains is
in the following letter to a mutual friend :
" LONDON, Dec. 24, 1802.
" DEAR SIR, I called at your house the other
day, and if I had met with you I should have in-
formed you of the letter which I have received
from Mr. Buchanan. He remits in it five hundred
and twenty pounds ; of which four hundred is in-
tended as a repayment to myself of the four years'
allowance which I made to him at college, and the
remaining sum is to be applied in a manner which
he directs. He moreover gives me a letter to a
house in London, desiring them to pay me an an-
nual sum for four years, for the education of such
young man for the ministry as I, Mr. Newton, and
Dr. Milner may select.
" I am not quite clear whether Mr. Buchanan, at
the time of writing the letter, was apprised ot all
that diminution of his income which the orders sent
out from hence for suspending the institution of the
college will produce ; and I feel some doubt, on
this account, whether either to take or to keep the
four hundred pounds. I shall thank you for any in-
formation on this point which you may possess ; as
well as for the mention of any promising young
man for education at college, with a view to the
ministry of the church. I would also request you
to take some occasion of expressing to Mr. Bu-
AT CALCUTTA. 183
chanan the satisfaction which I felt at this mark of
integrity, or of something more than integrity, as I
ought to term it, in his conduct. It has raised him
in the opinion both of myself and others, and it will
not, as I am persuaded, be one of the acts of which
he will repent whenever he may come to die. For
my own part I shall always hold that his children
will have some claim upon me in consequence of
the return of this money, in the event of their fall-
ing into pecuniary diiFiculties ; and Providence, I
am well persuaded, is wont to provide for those
who, without robbing or neglecting their own
household, avoid the common eagerness to lay up
for them.
" I am, dear sir, yours sincerely,
"H. THORNTON."
It may be satisfactory to add to the preceding
letter, that Mr. Buchanan's liberal offer was ac-
cepted ; and that a young man, approved by the
three friends to whom the selection was referred,
was afterwards supported during the usual term
of residence at the University of Cambridge ; who
is now filling with ability and credit a very useful
station in the church.
While the members of the college of Fort Wil-
liam were zealously and successfully occupied in
the prosecution of their labors, the Governor Ge-
neral in council, on the 15th of June, 1802, receiv-
1S4 MEMOIR OP DK. BUCHANAN
ed with the utmost concern the commands of the
Court of Directors for the immediate abolition of that
important institution. On the 22d following, Lord
Wellesley communicated this despatch to Mr. Bu-
chanan, who, in common with every other friend
of the college, deeply lamented this unexpected
determination ; and directed him to consider of a
reply to the reasons upon which it was professedly
grounded. The Governor General was at all times
fully competent to the defence of his own measures,
though he might, and probably did, avail himself of
the talents and information of those around him
upon every great question. It is sufficient to ob-
serve that, in a letter* to the chairman of the Court
of Directors, dated the 5th of August, 1S02, cha-
racterized by the same ability which had distin-
guished his minute in council, Marquis Wellesley
submitted to the Court a general view of the prin-
ciples by which his conduct had been regulated re-
lative to the establishment of the college, and of
the measures which he had pursued on, what his
lordship termed, the present " most painful and
afflicting occasion."
In directing the immediate abolition of the col-
lege of Fort William, the Governor General ob-
served, the letter of the honorable Court appeared
to acknowledge with approbation the liberal and
* See " The College of Port William," p. 65.
AT CALCUTTA. 185
enlightened spirit of the institution, the just prin-
ciples on which it was founded, and the important
ends to which it was directed. The objections
stated by the Court against the continuance of the
establishment were apparently confined to its ex-
pense, and to the pressure of that charge on the
present circumstances of the Company's finances
in India. The first object therefore of Lord Wel-
lesley was, by a minute detail of facts, to convince
the Court that the expenses already incurred on
account of the college had not been more consider-
able than was required by the magnitude of the
objects proposed by the institution,- that those
expenses had been actually defrayed by new re-
sources destined to that express purpose ; and that
provision had been secured for defraying the future
current expenses of the college, without interfer-
ing with any other branch of the public service,
and without diminishing the scale of their com-
mercial investments.
It appeared, however, to be manifestly the inten-
tion of the Court of Directors that some establish-
ment for the better instruction of the civil servants
at each of the presidencies should subsist in India
the outlines of which had been traced in their let-
ter to the Governor General. His lordship, there-
fore, next proceeded to compare the actual ex-
pense and ascertained benefit of the institution
then subsisting at Fort William, with the probable
186 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
expense and probable benefit of the seminaries by
which the Court intended to supersede that insti-
tution. The result of this comparison was stated
to be, that the necessary effect of the latter plan
would be to involve the expense of a triple esta-
blishment for every branch of study alike requi-
site at each of the three presidencies, which must
equal, and would probably exceed, the total current
charges, on the highest estimate, of the college of
Fort William.
The Governor General further directed the par-
ticular attention of the court to the benefits already
derived to their civil service from the operation
and effect of the system of study and discipline
constituted and enforced by the college of Fort
William. The general progress of the students, his
lordship declared, in the oriental languages and li-
terature, had exceeded the most sanguine expecta-
tions of the examiners, who had always been se-
lected from the ablest oriental scholars actually at
Calcutta, and whose voluntary aid had been afford-
ed to support the discipline, and to improve the
course of study and the mode of instruction pur-
sued in the institution. A spirit of emulation had
been excited among the students, as unexampled
in its scope and ardor, as it was propitious to the
future government of India. The institution had
already corrected many of the defects which Lord
Wellesley had found in the younger branches of
AT CALCUTTA. 187
the civil service upon his arrival in India, and had
reclaimed to industrious and laborious pursuits
many of the junior servants who were disposed
to pursue courses of a contrary tendency. That a
general disposition to economy and regularity then
prevailed among the students ; that principles of
due subordination had also been established among
them with the happiest success ; and that the
young men then composing the body of the stu-
dents at Fort William afforded the most auspicious
hope that the local administration of India, for se-
veral years to come, would be amply provided with
instruments properly qualified to accomplish all
the purposes of a wise, just, and benevolent go-
vernment.
Though these and other considerations might
o o
have induced the Governor General to suspend the
execution of the order for the abolition of the col-
lege, and to refer the question to the further plea-
sure of the court, the peculiar character and spirit
of its commands, and the nature of the institution,
seemed to require their immediate execution. To
this his lordship accordingly proceeded ; but in ful-
filling this painful duty a most serious and difficult
question arose with regard to the time when the
abolition of the college should take effect. The de-
termination of this question involved principles so
deeply affecting the welfare, future prospects, and
just expectations of the students, and also the con-
188 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
sideration due to the situation of the professors and
teachers, and of the numerous learned natives at-
tached to the institution, that Lord Wellesley felt
himself compelled to declare that the abolition of
the college of Fort William must be gradual ; and
that the institution should not terminate previously
to the 31st of December, 1S03, when the great
body of the students then attached to the college
would have completed the course which they had
so successfully commenced. His lordship finally
observed, that he had been paitly induced to pro-
tract the existence of the institution, from the hope
that his preceding representation might prove the
means of inducing the Court of Directors to review
their late orders, and to restore to their civil ser-
vice in India the inestimable advantages which
CJ
must be destroyed by the destruction of the college,
and to suffer it to remain unaltered until he should
have the opportunity of reporting in person to the
court the condition and effects of the institution,
and of submitting to them such details as might
enable them to exercise their final judgment on
the whole plan.
In the spring of this year Mr. Buchanan receiv-
ed letters from his wife, whose health appeared to
be considerably restored by her visit to her native
country, announcing her intention of leaving Eng-
land in the month of January. " This," said he,
in a letter to the friend in whose familv she had
AT CALCUTTA. 189
resided some months during her visit, * c was joyful /
intelligence to me. In two or three months hence,
O '
I may he blessed with seeing: her agfain. When she
- O O
mentions her affectionate intimacy with your fa-
mily, she writes in tears. But I see evidently that
it is the Gospel union which so powerfully awak-
ens her heart in speaking of the happiness of her
residing with you. I expect that she will do good
in Carmarthen, and I hope she will do good in
Calcutta. She comes out to a promising scene of
joy ; to see her little Augusta, now grown up a
healthy and talkative girl ; calling out for mamma
for two years past in vain. And she comes out to
many who love and respect her, and to some who
have learat during her absence to love ' the excel-
lent of the earth.'
" I have now a house in the country, about three
miles from Calcutta, 'on the banks of the river,
where she may sleep occasionally, and retire from
company. I spend three or four solitary evenings
every week in Garden Reach. The change of place
and air refreshes me for the labors of the succeed-
ing day. Augusta and I play together in the groves,
and then return by water to Calcutta. A gentle-
man leaving India sent me his boat as a present to
Mary when she comes out. I find the river air very
'salutary and renovating, and perhaps she will find
it so too. But our pleasures at Clapham or on the
Ganges are transitory. May they be so tempered
190 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
with prayer as to prepare us both for the pleasures
of that ' other country,' where there will be no se-
paration, and where the inhabitants will never say,
' I am sick !' Mrs. B. mentions the circumstances
of your illness with a lively concern mingled with
a sensation of pleasure. Her hours passed by your
sick couch were delightful. Providence hath well
ordered her steps. It may be, indeed, that I shall
never see her ; or that I shall contemplate her de-
parting spirit for a short time in her emaciated
frame. But then God hath made with her a cove-
nant well ordered and sure ! Thus it is with my
house. And this is my joy. Thus God hath blessed
our short sojourri together ; and the end will be an
eternal song of glory to his redeeming love !"
Though the fears which Mr. Buchanan express-
es with so much tenderness and piety as to the
probably short period of his reunion with his wife
were but too well founded, it is pleasing to reflect
that he was gratified by again seeing her in India.
She embarked on board the Carmarthen in the
month of February ; and, as Mr. Buchanan had
anticipated, the piety of her mind was displayed
during the voyage by her endeavors to promote
the religious improvement of two young ladies,
one of whom had been placed under her protec-
tion. Mrs. Buchanan had a more favorable voyage
than in returning to Europe, and arrived safely al
Calcutta on the 24th of August.
AT CALCUTTA. 191
The remainder of the letter, from which an in-
teresting passage respecting Mrs. Buchanan has
just been extracted, is occupied with the import-
ant subject of the college of Fort William ; in
which, though some things occur similar to those
which have been already stated from the public
letter of Lord Wellesley, many additional facts and
sentiments are contained, more particularly with
reference to Mr. Buchanan himself, which it may
be proper to insert.
" You say," he continues, " that you hear the
college is abolished. It has been long abolished in
London, but it still exists here, in greatei spirit
and utility than ever ; and it must continue to ex-
ist (though perhaps under a different name) as
long as the British empire reigns in India. To
send a young man adrift in the upper provinces,
without any knowledge of the languages, and with
out any official preparation, is now utterly impos
sible. The good sense of young men themselves
would deprecate it. Every one here sees that the
body of civil servants educated these three years
in the college of Fort William will by and by gov-
ern India. Many of them are already approaching
to the most responsible situations. The body of
juniors that follow, if left in their native ignorance,
will be held in comparative contempt, and must
ever feel the injustice done to them.
192 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" The directors wish the institution to be called
a seminary, and then they will support it. I have
no objection to the name, provided that the young
men are taught ; and they must be taught in future.
You might as well think of abolishing the schools
o o
in London, as abolishing schools in Calcutta. Thus
much then has been effected by the institution of
the college. Education has been proved to be use-
ful in India. Of the students who have just left
college, only eight out of thirty have contracted any
debt. Many of them have saved money ; a thing
unheard of in India, and by the old civil servants
accounted impossible. This is the point to which
the public attention is turned. The reign of na-
tive money lenders is now at an end. But a school
or seminary directed by native moonshees, and des-
titute of the high and respectable jurisdiction of
learned and religious men, would never be able to
effect this desirable purpose. The authority and
the honors of a college are alone competent to re-
strain a body of young men of good families and
flattering prospects in this luxurious and deteriora-
ting country. That ever such an objection as that
of expense should have been urged by the direc-
tors appears to me unaccountable. The expense,
whatever it has been, is now amply liquidated ;
and in a manner more favorable to the interests of
the Company than if the sum had been paid into
their treasury ; with some advantage of health, of
AT CALCUTTA. 193
morals, and of learning, and with some coercion of
the native ascendancy, which has ever been deemed
the bane of the British administration in India.
" Satisfied, however, with the good which has
been done by the institution, we wait submissively
for the period of its regular dissolution ; which
will be in December next. Even were it to con-
tinue in its present state, or in one yet more im-
proved and respectable, I should not desire to bear
a part in it. I have weak health. My heart seeks
to be disengaged from collegiate labors, and to find
rest and refreshment in the one spiritual work of
the everlasting Gospel. Fortune or fame cannot
add an hour's happiness to my present existence ;
but they may interrupt it. I feel a secret pleasure
in the purpose of the directors to abolish the col-
lege, as it respects myself ; but I feel at the same
time that its continuance under other men would be
favorable to my evangelical labors in this country.
" In perfect confidence, therefore, that God will
order all things aright, in time, manner, and event,
I implore the direction of his Spirit to improve
1 the passing day.' My chief source of despondency
at times is the want of fellow-laborers, of learned
and serious men, in this vineyard, where there is
so numerous a body of well educated young men.
" I would willingly at this moment give 50,000
rupees for two religious and respectable young
men established in the church of Calcutta, and ca-
Buchanan. "*
194 MEMOIR OF DK. BUCHANAN.
pable of conducting the studies of the college Fore-
seeing where we were likely to fail, I took early
measures to procure such from home, both by ad -
dressing Lord Wellesley and by writing myself.
But we have not succeeded. But this also is direct-
ed by an all- wise providence ; and he will accom-
plish his glory by any means."
The number of Mr. Buchanan's correspondents
was this year increased by the return to Europe
of Major Sandys, who, in a season of severe domes-
tic affliction, had been led to search the Scriptures
for consolation ; and to whom the preaching of Mr.
Brown and Mr. Buchanan had been blessed as the
means of bringing him to the knowledge of the
Gospel, from the proud holds of philosophical in-
fidelity. To this gentleman, with whom Mr. Bu-
chanan afterwards maintained an uninterrupted and
affectionate intercourse, he wrote, in the month of
June, as follows :
" I suppose you will have seen all your friends
by this time, and settled your plans. I am anxious
to know how you find yourself after a year's resi-
dence in England. "We do as usual in Calcutta.
Serious religion appears to increase. Mr. Obeck is
yet alive, but declining fast. He begs his blessing
on you, whom he calls ' a young man,' and wishes
you a long Christian life. You are quite forgotten
by the gay world here, even by those who used to
AT CALCUTTA. 195
feast with you sometimes. Those who are always
asking me about you are the poor people who
knew you but half a year.
" . . . . and .... are laboring at their docks
and accounts, thinking often of England, and some-
times of another world.
" The whole settlement is at present in agita-
tion, giving Lord W. a public entertainment. The
hawk as usual on the steeple looks down in amaze-
ment at the bustle. It costs sixty thousand rupees.
" .... is sick. He has had many attacks. She
seeks comfort at church ; and he begins to think,
perhaps, that he can obtain it no where else.
ts But your interest in all these Calcutta matters
will weaken every month. That the Gospel is ho-
nored will be to you the most welcome and the
most interesting news. Adieu, my dear Sandys."
The following is an extract from a second letter
of Mr. Buchanan to Major Sandys, dated early in
September :
" Your letter from St. Helena I have just re-
ceived by Mrs. Buchanan, who arrived there the
day after you had sailed. Mary is much improved
in health, and greatly matured in spiritual know-
ledge, strength, and grace, which is the chief theme
of my happiness. Her missing you was a keen dis-
appointment at the moment. But she soon reflected
196 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
that God had ordered it for wise and gracious pur-
poses, and then she submitted She opened your
letters to me which she found at Major Green tree's.
These letters astonished her beyond measure. She
thought that you had yet been a man of the world,
(for she had not heard that your affliction had been
sanctified to you,) but behold she found you to be a
child of God ; your understanding illuminated with
knowledge, and your heart expanding with love,
hope, joy, zeal, and all the charities. She lamented
that she had no Christian near her to whom she
might, in pious confidence, communicate the happy
news. So she disburdened her heart by writing a
letter to me.
" I was rejoiced to find by your letters that the
Gospel is still glorious in your view, and that the
world and its vanities had not obscured the hea-
venly vision. May this happy state be ever yours
without alloy or reverse, but such as may be neces-
sary to confirm, and strengthen, and perfect you in
the inner man."
By a letter of the same date as the preceding,
Mr. Buchanan communicated to Mr. Elliott an af-
fecting but consoling account of the death of his
son, who, in consequence of his distinguished pro-
ficiency in oriental learning, had been appointed by
Marquis Wellesley secretary to an embassy to
Arabia ; but who, after having fulfilled with great
AT CALCUTTA. 197
ability the duties of his mission, fell a victim to a
fever in that country, and as a mark of peculiar
honor, was interred in the garden of the Imam of
Senna.
To the same friend Mr. Buchanan again wrote
in the course of the month, as follows :
" Your letter by Mrs. Buchanan I received about
a month ago, since which time no ship for Europe
has sailed. I thank you for the ' Christian Obser-
ver.' You wish me to furnish some papers for it.
Mr. Thornton wrote to me on the same subject ; but
I answered him that my present avocations will not
permit it. A period of leisure may perhaps soon be
granted to me. But this is not the only objection to
my furnishing you with the life of Mr. Swartz. He
left no papers ; and those persons are now removed
\vho could give the best information. He also de-
precated posthumous praise ; and was in constant
dread of fame. He concealed often from Mr. Obeck
(his only friend at one time) his favored seasons
from on high.
"Mrs. Buchanan is quite surprised to find so
much vital religion amongst us. My responsibility
in college is greater at present than formerly ; but
the answer of the court will determine many
points ; and as far as relates to myself, they can-
not help determining them to my satisfaction.
" We are carrying on a successful war against
198 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
the Mahrattas, fighting against them in three differ-
* o o o
ent quarters, and obtaining three victories at the
same time. The Hindoos are happy that Jugger-
naut, their famous place of worship, has fallen into
our hands, for our imposts will not be so gi'eat as
those of the former possessors of the adjoining
district."
The occasional notices which have occurred in
Mr. Buchanan's letters respecting the pious and
excellent Mr. Obeck, have probably excited a wish
in the minds of most readers to know something
of the closing scene of his life, as well as some far-
ther particulars of his character. In the month of
May Mr. Buchanan thus wrote to Mr. Grant :
ct The departure of the aged Obeck appears to
be at hand at least he thinks so, and bids me im-
part to you his blessing while his understanding
remains. He was carried into church last night,
(Wednesday's lecture,) but was so much revived
by the service and view of his brethren that he
walked out with assistance. His only food a? pre-
sent is bread dipped in wine.
11 Under this decay of body his mind is more vi-
gorous than ever. He has, within this last year, as-
sumed a very intrepid tone in rebuking sin, and
remonstrating with the lukewarm, and in defining
a holy life in India. But he has great joy among
*
AT CALCUTTA. 199
the true disciples, and his spiritual comforts have
of late been abundant."
Towards the end of the month of August follow-
ing Mr. Buchanan thus describes to the same
friend the progress of Mr. Check's decline :
" The good Obeck is yet alive ; but his loins are
girt for the heavenly journey. He is confined to his
room, and cannot attend church. But the church
attends him. He listens with delight to the voice
of praise in the adjoining building on the Sunday
and Thursday evenings.
" We have arranged all his temporal affairs to
his satisfaction. He has given us his text for his
funeral sermon ; in preaching which, I fear my
spirits will fail me. It is difficult to speak of the
deceased father to the surviving children."
This venerable man was now very fast approach-
ing his end. Early in September he felt a presenti-
ment that he should not live to the close of that
month ; and accordingly, on the 24th, Mr. Buchanan
thus announced his death to his respected friend
and benefactor :
\
" The aged Obeck has at last departed. For
some weeks before, he almost daily expected his
dismission. He had no spiritual conflict at his last;
200 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
hour, but manifested constantly peace, joy, and
high assurance. He was sensible to the last ; and
when he could not speak, he testified his exultation
of soul by pressing ardently to his breast his fellow-
aints. He left to you and your family his solemn
blessing. I send you a paper containing some no-
tice of his death.
" Just before Mr. Check's death I preached his
dying sermon in the mission church, from these
words : ' The time of my departure is at hand. I
have fought a good fight, I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up
for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord
the righteous Judge shall give me at that day ; and
not to me only, but unto all them also who love his
appearing.'
" Mr. Brown will preach his funeral sermon next
Sunday evening."
Of what Mr. Buchanan styles Mr. Check's dy-
ing sermon it may not be uninteresting to many
readers to insert an extract ; both as it contains a
pleasing and animated sketch of the life and cha-
racter of that exemplary Christian, and as it may
afford a specimen of the spirit of Mr. Buchanan's
preaching upon such occasions.
" This excellent man does not speak of mani-
festations and visions of glory, which have some-
AT CALCUTTA. 201
times attended the death of good men ; hut he ma-
nifests a calm, rational* and placid spirit, founded
on the basis of an immovable faith, yet accompa-
nied by such ardor of expression, and by such an
assurance of hope, as would abash philosophy
itself.
" He has none of those doubts which are often
found on a death-bed. He has not those fears and "
misgivings of conscience which the unstable and
careless Christian often experiences. He has none
of those fearful forebodings which harass the soul
of the despiser of religion in his last hour. He is
a stranger to that gloomy despair which ofte.i
haunts the soul of the man who has passed through
life the slave of ambition or the votary of pleasure.
No, Ms last moments are the happiest of his life.
His ambition through life has been to obtain ' that
honor which cometh from God ;' and his pleasure
has been, in serving God with his whole heart ; in
loving his neighbor as himself; in forgiving his
enemies ; and in praying for those who persecute
and despitefully use the professor of the Gospel
of Christ.
" Do you inquire on -whatfaitk these good works
and this holy disposition were founded ! Let me
express to you his faith, collected chiefly from his
own words :
" ' I am a sinner, saved by the mercy of God in
Christ. By nature I am impure and unholy. Nothing
202 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
in me, no merit of mine, could make me the object
of God's distinguishing grace. But I believed the
word of God, and I was enabled to offer up my
prayers at an early age, that he would open my
understanding and lead me to a knowledge of his
truth. And his promise was fulfilled to me, (as it is
fulfilled to every serious inquirer,) ' Ask, and it
shall be given unto you ; seek, and ye shall find.' By
degrees the mysteries of the Gospel were opened
to my view. I beheld myself a lost and undone
soul, lying with a multitude in a world of wicked-
ness ; subject to the just wrath of God. But I at
the same time heard of the offer made to a perish-
ing world by the Saviour Christ. I beheld the
whole world overwhelmed by a flood of sin and
misery, and the ark of redemption floating on the
waters. Every page of the Gospel showed me that
there was no salvation but by the ark Christ ; that
his atonement on the cross was the only atonement
for my past and future sins ; that his gracious Spirit
influencing my soul was the only preservative from
my evil passions and from an ensnaring world ; and
that his mediation alone procures our access to
God, and warrants an answer to our prayers.
" ' Thus,' said he, ' the perusal of the word of
God was blessed to my soul. I received it in its
plain and obvious meaning ; and I have had a con-
stant experience of its truth through my past life.
It has been a light to my steps and a lantern to
AT CALCUTTA. 203
my paths. Its peculiar doctrines appear now all
light and glory to my soul. I know that the denun-
ciations of God against the despisers of his Gospel
will be expressly executed ; and I know that his
promises of glory to the righteous will be fulfilled
in a way that " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither hath entered into the heart of man ;" and
the anticipation of this glory is to me unutterable.
My prayer at ray last moments is, that this power
of the Gospel may be felt more and more at this
place ; that the blessing of God may rest on this
church j that the ministers may labor in the word
with zeal and faithfulness ; and that the hearers
may receive the word preached with meekness and
affection ; that so the testimony of the Gospel may
prevail, and the church of Christ may begin to
flourish in this dark corner of the world.
" 1 1 leave,' said he, ' my blessing on this church.
" c As to my numerous family, I leave them with
scarcely the means of subsistence ; but I leave
them dependent on that gracious providence which
has supported me from youth to age, in a state of
apparent poverty and yet possessing abundance.
I leave my children to God as to a surviving Father,
who will care for them as he hath cared for me,
and will, I trust, bless my instructions to the salva-
.tion of their souls.
!t ' As to myself, my hope is in heaven. The pro-
mises of God are in a manner already fulfilled to
204 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
me. His truth and faithfulness are demonstrated
to my soul. By his mercy " I have fought the
good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept
the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a
crown of righteousness, which the Lord the right-
eous Judge shall give me at that day ; and not to
me only, but unto all them also who love his ap-
pearing.'
" Such, my brethren, are the sentiments, the ex-
pressions, and the heavenly hope of this good man.
He now lies on his death-bed in the house adjoin-
ing this church, and endeavors to join the praises
of the congregation with his feeble voice. He could
even now confirm every sentiment respecting him
which I have uttered ; and he could confirm them
with an energy and eloquence of which I am in-
capable.
" Who is there in this assembly who is not ready
to say, ' Let me also die the death of the righteous ;
and let my last end be like Ms T "
In the same month in which the preceding ser-
mon was preached, Mr. Buchanan was called to
perform a similar office on occasion of the death of
Mr. Archibald Edmonstone, of the board of trade,
who left behind him a noble testimony to his faith
in the Gospel. " His last words," says Mr. Bu-
chanan, in mentioning the event in a letter to a
friend, " were these, ' Blessed be the God and Fa-
AT CALCUTTA. 205
ther of our Lord Jesus Christ, who through his
abundant mercy hath begotten me again unto a
lively hope, through the resurrection of his Son
Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance in-
corruptible, undefined, and that fadeth not away.'
These words his brother has directed to be en-
gi-aven on his tomb."
The manner in which Mr. Edmonstone, who
then filled one of the most confidential situations
under the Presidency of Bengal, and is celebrated
for his oriental learning, classical taste, and culti-
vated understanding, described Mr. Buchanan's
funeral sermon on his brother, is too honorable to
him to be omitted. It occurs in a note from Mr.
Edmonstone to his friend Captain Baillie, profes-
sor of the Arabic language and of Mohammedan law
in the college of Fort William, and is as follows :
" Sunday, Sept. 11, 1803.
te MY DEAR B , I am returned from hearing
a most affecting and impressive discourse, delivered
by Mr. Buchanan with a degree of feeling that
does honor to his heart, on the occurrence of last
week. I am anxious that Mr. B. should know how
grateful I feel for this high tribute of respect to the
memory and virtues of a beloved brother, and J
therefore entreat you to express to Mr. B. my sin-
cere gratitude for this distinguished mark of his
regard for him. Tell him that he has afforded to
206 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
my mind a real consolation, and that I trust I shall
ever after be the better for the affecting and forci-
ble manner in which he has held forth to imitation
the example of a life of true piety and virtue. Fur-
ther, I request that you will convey to Mr. B. my
earnest wish (if it be not improper) that he will
allow me to transcribe his discourse, both for the
purpose of retaining it for my own use and benefit,
and of transmitting a copy of it to those in Europe
who will indeed need the consolation for such an
irreparable loss which so distinguished a testimony
to the merits of a son and a brother is calculated to
afford. Never does a clergyman appear more con-
spicuously respectable than when he combines
with the public duties of his calling the offices of
humanity and consolation ; and never while I live
will the memory of Mr. B.'s solemn and eloquent
discourse on this melancholy occasion, nor the gra-
titude and respect for him which it has excited, be
obliterated from the mind of your ever affectionate
" N. B. EDMONSTONE.
" To Captain Baillie."
It was in the summer of this year that Mr. Bu-
chanan first thought of proposing certain subjects of
'prize composition, connected with the civilization and
moral improvement of India, to the universities of
the United Kingdom. With this laudable in-
tention he waited on the Governor General, and
AT CALCUTTA. 207
having obtained his lordship's approbation of the
plan, he, on the 20th of October, despatched letters
to the vice-chancellors and principals of the univer-
sities of Oxford and Cambridge, of Edinburgh,
Glasgow, St. Andrew's, and Aberdeen, to the pro-
vost of Trinity college, Dublin, and to the head
masters of Eton, Westminster, and the Charter
House schools, containing the following proposals :
For the best essay in English prose on " the best
means of extending the blessings of civilization
and true religion among the sixty millions, inhabi-
tants of Hindostan, subject to British authority ;"
in each university, one hundred pounds. For the
best English poem on " the revival of lettei's in the
East," sixty pounds. For the best Latin ode or
poem on " Collegium Bengalense," twenty-five
pounds ; and the same sum for the best Greek ode
on l< Ttvt<r&co 9 at.''* The sum of fifty pounds each
for the best Latin and Greek poems was offered to
the successful candidate at each of the public
schools.
No less a sum than sixteen hundred and fifty
pounds was thus appropriated by Mr. Buchanan to
this benevolent and patriotic purpose. The unusual
nature and munificent extent of his offers induced
some to suppose, either that they were not made
simply at his own suggestion and responsibility,
* " Let there be light."
208 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
or that be must have been actuated by motives of
ostentation and vanity. With respect to the propo-
sals themselves, they undoubtedly originated solely
with Mr. Buchanan, and were supported exclu-
sively by his own liberality. He was ever a man
of a large and generous mind, fertile in devising
plans of usefulness, and prompt in seizing tbe first
opportunity of executing them. He was anxious to
extend in this country the knowledge of the cha-
racter and effects of the great collegiate institution
which he had been called to superintend ; and the
recent victories of our armies in the Peninsula
having enlarged and confirmed our eastern empire,
he was desirous of awakening and directing the
minds of his countrymen at home to the duty and
the opportunity of promoting the moral and politi-
cal welfare of our fellow-subjects in India. Publi-
city and inquiry were therefore his great objects ;
publicity, not as to bis own character or fame, foi
this he knew might have been far more certainly
obtained by more obvious and less costly means,
but as to the great and philanthropic design which
he had in view ; and this induced him to endeavor
to interest in his plan even the higher forms in our
public schools. The result of his liberal proposals
must be reserved to the period of their reception
and success in this country.
In the month of November following Mr. Bu-
o
chanan first communicated his thoughts on the ex-
AT CALCUTTA. 209
pediency of an ecclesiastical establishment for Bri-
tish India, in letters to the archbishop of Canter-
bury, and to the rest of the episcopal bench, having
previously submitted them to Marquis Wellesley.
The reply which he received from the late Bishop
Porteus confirmed and encouraged him in his de-
termination to bring that important subject fully
before the public.
It was in the course of this year also that Mr.
Buchanan obtained the sanction of the Governor
General to the building of a new church in Cal-
cutta. But the extensive plans of Lord Wellesley
respecting the college, and other political concerns,
prevented the execution of this design.
A few circumstances which occur in Mr. Bucha-
nan's letters to Mr. Grant and Major Sandys to-
wards the end of this year, may here be added.
To the former he thus wrote in October and De-
cember:
" The venerable Obeck had not been dead many
weeks, when his old friend Mr. Gericke', that valu-
able man, took his departure also. The church at
Madras is in great affliction ; for there is no one to
fill his place. Letters have come to us for help.
But we can give none. I do not know what ac-
quaintance you may have with that mission ; but
attention to it appears to me highly important in
the present state of things. If there were any mis-
Buchanan. 14
210 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
sionary like-minded withGericke within your reach,
we could from Calcutta add something to his sala-
ry, if that be desirable."
To Major Sandys Mr. Buchanan wrote as fol-
lows :
" We are passing through an eventful season in
India. The order of the day is victory, and the
Mahratta power is at length destroyed. The whole
peninsula is now under British dominion. I have
taken advantage of the crisis, in endeavoring to
excite our universities at home to plead the cause
of eastern civilization.
" Mary improves in health daily. She has no
sanguine wish to return to England ; and it is a
subject on which I never think. My health conti-
nually bids it, but nothing else. Providence will in
due time unlock every difficulty, and make our
purpose and duty clear."
The character of the audience usually assem-
bling at the presidency church has been already
noticed. It has also been observed that, a few years
previous to this period, the spirit of infidelity or of
religious indifference was lamentably general in
our eastern capital j and the infection still remained
among some, who, from neglected education, or
the influence of circumstances and habits peculiar-
ly unfriendly to Christianity, were scarcely aware
of the nature of religious sentiment and feeling
AT CALCUTTA.. 211
Among other subjects, therefore, of discourse
more directly suited to those who acknowledged
the great truths of the Gospel, Mr. Buchanan occa-
sionally addressed those who doubted of its divine
authority ; and the perspicuity and force with which
he stated its various evidences tended materially
to extend and confirm the conviction of its truth.
The importance of such discourses is much height-
ened from the consideration of their probable effect
on the minds of the numerous young men who as
yet continued to be assembled from the three pre-
sidencies at the college of Fort William, and who
might be justly expected to carry with them to
their different stations, throughout India, those
sound principles of Christian faith and practice
which they had heard thus ably and eloquently in-
culcated.
CHAPTER VI.
Two years' further residence in Calcutta The Col*
lege Translations of the Scripttires Extensive de-
signs of ^l8ef^dnes9.
The college of Fort William, according to the
regulation of Lord Wellesley, in obedience to the
212 MEMOIR OF DE. BUCHANAN.
decision of the Court of Directors, was to close on
the 31st of December, 1803. It was, however, a
very gratifying circumstance to the friends of that
institution, that on the 3d of January, 1S04, a des-
patch announced to the Governor General the de-
termination of the court that the college should for
the present continue on its original footing. The
business and examinations of the students accord-
ingly proceeded in their usual train, or rather with
additional spirit.
" An example of idleness," says Mr. Buchanan
in a letter to a friend, " is a rare thing. The ap-
pointments to the service continue to be made ac-
cording to the college list, that is, according to
merit."
The annual disputations in the oriental languages
were held this year on the 20th of Septembez', in
the presence of the Governor General, accompa-
nied, as usual, by the principal officers of the pre-
sidency, with the addition, on this occasion, of So-
liman Aga, the envoy from Bagdad. The subjects
of the disputations were, " the Shanscrit, as the pa-
rent language of India," in Hindostanee ; " the figu-
rative sense of the poems of Hafiz," in Persian ;
'" the utility of translations of the best works extant
in the Shanscrit into the popular languages of In-
dia," in Bengalee ; and, in Arabic, " the importance
AT CALCUTTA. 213
of the Arabic to a grammatical knowledge of the
Persian language." A declamation was afterwards
pronounced in Shanscrit, for the first time, by one
of the students, which was followed by a speech in
the same language by Rev. Mr. Carey, the mode-
rator and professor.
Prizes were at the same time awarded for the
best English essays on " the utility of the Persian
language in India," on " the progress of civiliza-
tion in India under the British government," and
on " the decline and fall of the Mohammedan em-
pire in India." Honorary rewards of books were
also adjudged to the best proficients in the Greek
and Latin classics, and in the French language.
The several compositions of this year were after-
wards published in the third volume of the " Pri-
mitise Orientales."
In the speech with which Marquis Wellesley
closed the proceedings of the day, his lordship de-
clared that in each successive year the standard of
comparative merit had been progressive in the
highest classes of the college, and expressed his
cordial satisfaction at the proficiency and good con-
duct of the students.
" The observance of all the statutes," said his
lordship, " is equally essential to the interests and
honor of the students ; nor is their duty confined
merely to the diligent pursuit of the prescribed
214 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
course of study. The intention of the statutes is
not only to provide instruction in the oriental lan-
guages, and in the several branches of study im-
mediately connected with the performance of offi-
cial functions, but to prescribe habits of regularity
and good order. My principal purpose in found-
ing this institution was, to secure the junior ser-
vants of the Company from all undue influence in
the discharge of their official functions, and to in-
troduce them into the public service in perfect
freedom and independence, exempt from every
restraint, excepting the high and sacred obligations
of their civil, moral, and religious duty."
In the course of the year 1S04 several circum-
stances occurred, connected with Mr. Buchanan
and the college of Fort William, which will be
best introduced by a few extracts from his letters.
He thus wrote to Major Sandys in the month of
February :
" We are much the same in church, state, and
college, as when you left us ; only, in respect to
myself, my various labors have increased, are in-
creasing, and, I fear, will not be diminished.
" I am literally left alone in many matters of a
public nature, particularly in a battle now fighting
(the worst I have yet had) with Mussulman and
Hindoo prejudices against translations of the Scrip-
tures. Their clamor has assailed the government
AT CALCUTTA. 215
Lord Wellesley and Mr. Barlow are neuter; but
the old civil servants fan the flame. A folio vo-
lume would not detail the particulars ; but I trust
you will soon hear of the good effect. In the mean-
time I am growing infirm in body, and long for
more holy employ than that of hewing wood only
for our future sanctuary in India. I know that
what is doing is useful ; but spiritual comforts do
not accompany the occupation in the degree I de-
sire and look forward to, when I have peace from
public conflict."
The particular circumstance to which Mr. Bu-
chanan probably referred in the preceding extract,
was a memorial which about this time was ad-
dressed to the Governor General in consequence
of the following subject having been proposed,
among others, for discussion by the students of the
college, at the annual disputations which have been
just mentioned : viz. " The advantage which the
natives of this country might derive from transla-
tions, in the vernacular tongues, of the books con-
taining the principles of their respective religions,
and those of the Christian faith."
There certainly appears to be no ground of of-
fence to the natives of India in the foregoing thesis.
A Christian might rather have objected to' it as pla-
cing his most holy faith too much upon a level with
heathen and Mohammedan error. A memorial
216 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
was, however, addressed t'o the Governor General
on the part of the Mohammedan moonshees, and of
a number of the Mussulman inhabitants of Calcutta,
remonstrating against this supposed infringement
of the toleration afforded to them by the British
government. In reply, Marquis Wellesley signi-
fied to the memorialists that although he perceived
no principle of an objectionable tendency in the
foregoing thesis, yet, with a view to prevent all
apprehension on the part of the natives, he had
prohibited the intended disputation upon that
subject.
Some years afterwards this incident was ap-
pealed to on the part of the Bengal government in
support of some measures tending to discourage or
suppress the exertions of missionaries. Upon which
occasion Mr. Buchanan observed* that the memo-
rial probably originated in the suggestions of some
individuals at that time connected with the govern-
ment and the college, who appeared to entertain a
degree of morbid tenderness for the religious feel-
ings of the natives.
These gentlemen had from the beginning been
hostile to a most important work which had been
carrying on in the college : viz. the translation of
the Scriptures into the oriental languages by na-
* See his "Apology for promoting Christianity in In-
dia," p. 103,
AT CALCUTTA. 217
tives and Europeans. So great was their jealousy
on this subject, that there existed a kind of com-
promise between the friends and the opponents of
this salutary measure, that if the Bible were print-
ed for Christians, the Koran should be printed for
Mohammedans. It i-s to this honorable contest
that Mr. Buchanan refers in the letter last quoted ;
and, happily for the interests of Christianity, he
was decidedly successful. Within the following
year a commencement was made in the translation
of the Scriptures into several languages. The first
versions of any of the Gospels in Persian and Hin-
dostanee which were printed in India, issued from
the press of the college of Fort William.*
Of these and other translations of the Scriptures
then projected and undertaken, only a very incon-
siderable part was executed at the public expense.
The sole charge incurred by the college in the de-
partment of sacred translation was for the Gospel
of St. Matthew in Persian and Hindostanee ; with
this exception, the extensive' biblical works succes-
sively announced from this institution was carried
on at the private expense of those members of the
college, amongst whom the provost and vice-pro-
vost held the first rank, and others, who deemed
it to be of the highest importance to promote the
diffusion of sacred literature in Asia.
* Dr. Carey's 2d edition was issued as early as 1803.
218 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
A second occurrence in this year marked an im-
proved state of moral feeling in Calcutta, and par-
ticularly illustrates the salutary influence of the
college of Fort William. It is thus mentioned by
Mr. Buchanan in a letter to Major Sandys, in the
month of August :
" The institution of a civil fund for widows and
orphans agitates this service at present. The old
gentlemen wish to include black illegitimate chil-
dren. The junior servants, who are now or have
been in college, almost with one voice exclaim
against a measure which they conceive would have
a tendency to sanction vice, and to countenance an
illicit connection with native women. The ques-
tion is now referred to the vote of every individual
in the service. In the meantime one of my old
scholars has written a letter to the service ; in which
he complains of their violation of the divine law,
and requests them to revert to the principles of
honor and chastity. Mr. M is in the Governor
General's office, and is supported by the young
school, by all the college, by the Governor Gene-
ral, and by all the friends of revealed religion. Ca-
ricature prints, exhibiting the mover of the subject,
with a black child in his arms, pleading its cause
in full assembly, while a black dye behind urges
him forward ; and various other devices mark the
popular question, and promise to brand the immo-
AT CALCUTTA. 219
ral practice. It is said that the affliction and shame
of the old service are extreme ; and that they exe-
crate the college and its fruits, and hope that the
Court of Directors will now see how unfriendly it
is to ancient institutions ! .
" What the result as to the fund will be I know
not."
This, however, Mr. Buchanan stated to the pub-
lic in the following year, in some remarks on " The
College of Fort William." " The contest," he ob-
serves, t! was maintained for a considerable time,
by printed correspondence, and the fund was at
length established without the opprobrious clause.
But a few years ago," adds Mr. Buchanan, " any
man who should have ventured to resist such a
measure on the ground of religious or moral pro-
priety, would have become the jest of the whole
service. He must be an entire stranger to what is
passing in Bengal, who does not perceive that the
college of Fort William is sensibly promoting an
amelioration of the European character as well as
the civilization of India."
The activity of Mr. Buchanan's mind respecting
objects which he deemed important~to the interests
of morals and religion, may be collected, not only
, from the preceding circumstances, but from various
hints in his correspondence and diary.
220 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
Thus, at the close of the letter from which the
foregoing extract was made, he says, " I have al-
ways some plans relating to church or college in
his excellency's hands ; and generally in arrear.
But when he does take them up, it is with the pro-
per attention." A memorandum also occurs in the
same year, in which Mr. Buchanan notices a con-
sultation which he had lately held with Sir George
Barlow on a public thanksgiving, probably on ac-
count of the victorious termination of the Mahratta
war, on the subject of a cenotaph for those who
had fallen in battle, and respecting an order for the
better observance of the Sabbath.
Amidst his various labors, however, the domes-
tic trial with which Mr. Buchanan had been already
exercised, was renewed by the reappearance, early
in the summer of this year, of alarming consump-
tive symptoms in Mrs. Buchanan. In the course of
the autumn she became so ill that her life was for
a short time despaired of; and on her partial re-
covei-y, being strongly urged to proceed a second
time to Europe, she at length very reluctantly con-
sented.
Preparations were accordingly made for this
purpose, and in October Mr. Buchanan briefly
mentions in his diary that he had been on board
the Lady Jane Dundas to look at Mrs. B.'s cabin.
She did not, however, leave Calcutta till the 22d of
January following, when Mr. Buchanan accompa-
AT CALCUTTA. 221
tried her and her youngest daughter to the ship at
Kedgeree ; and on the 25th the fleet sailed for
Madras, leaving him once more to return to a soli-
tary home, full of tender but melancholy musings,
hoping almost " against hope " for some favorable
effect from her voyage, but rather endeavoring to
prepare his mind for a contrary result. His memo-
randa testify the warmth of affection with which he
again followed Mrs. Buchanan, by frequent notices
of the letters which he wrote to her weekly, and
sometimes almost daily, and of which it is much to
be regretted that not a vestige remains.
It was at the anxious period which immediately
preceded her departure from India, that Mr. Bu-
chanan resolved to employ a part of the very limit-
ed leisure which his ministerial and collegiate du-
ties allowed, to prepare a work which had long
been the subject of his thoughts, and the import-
ance of which is now universally acknowledged.
This was what he afterwards entitled, " A Memoir
of the Expediency of an Ecclesiastical Establish-
ment for British India."
The design of his " Memoir" was indeed, as he
afterwards declared, first suggested to him by the
late excellent Bishop Porteus ; who had, he said,
" attentively surveyed the state of our dominions
in Asia," and had expressed his " conviction of the
indispensable necessity of an ecclesiastical esta-
blishment for our Indian empire." He was encou-
222 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
raged also, as he added, " by subsequent commu-
nications with Marquis Wellesley, to endeavor to
lead the attention of the nation to this subject."
The manuscript of this work was transmitted to
England in the spring, and published in the au-
tumn of the year 1S05.
Before we proceed, however, with the conside-
ration of his te Memoir," it will be proper to recur
to the prizes proposed by Mr. Buchanan to the uni-
versities and some of the public schools of the Uni-
ted Kingdom. They were accepted in the summer
of 1804 by the several bodies to which they were
offered, with the exception of the university of
Oxford; by which they were declined, on the
ground of certain objections in point of form. The
prize compositions were directed to be delivered
to the respective judges towards the end of the
year ; and early in the following spring the prizes
were awarded to the successful candidates. Of the
compositions which were thus honored, the greater
number were afterwards published, as well as a
few others which had proved unsuccessful. In the
university of Cambi-idge the prize for the Greek
ode was adjudged to Mr. Pryme, of Trinity col-
lege ; and at Eton to Mr. Rennell, afterwards Fei-
low of King's college. At the same distinguished
school Mr. Richards obtained the prize for the best
Latin verses on the college of Fort William.
la Scotland three Latin poems were also pub
AT CALCUTTA. 223
lished by Mr. Mac Arthur, Mr. Adamson, and Dr.
Brown, of which the two former were thought
worthy of the prize by the universities of Glasgow
and Aberdeen. The composition, however, which
reflected the highest honor on its author, and on
the occasion which called it forth, was the English
poem on " the restoration of learning in the East,"
by Charles Grant, Esq. then Fellow of Magdalen
college, Cambridge. The poetical talents, the clas-
sical and oriental learning, the elevated sentiments,
and the rich and varied command of language dis-
played in this prize composition, attracted general
admiration ; and tended materially to promote the
design which the proposer of the subject had in
view, by directing the public attention to the revi-
val of learning on the banks of the Ganges, and by
exciting it to the duty and the privilege of improv-
ing the condition of the degraded natives of Hin-
dostan. and of spreading- throughout our oriental
empire the blessings of literature and religion. A
^second poem on this subject was published at the
request of the examiners, by the Rev. Francis
Wrangham, of Trinity college.
Essays on " the best means of civilizing the sub-
jects of the British empire in India, and of diffusing
the light of the Christian religion throughout the
eastern world," were published by the Rev. Wil-
liam Cockburn, Fellow of St. John's college, and
Christian Advocate in the university of Cambridge,
224 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
to whom the prize was assigned ; by Mr. Wrang-
ham, who with laudable zeal engaged in the prose
as well as in the poetical competition ; by Dr. Ten-
nant, then lately returned as a military chaplain
from India ; and by Messrs. Mitchell and Bryce, to
whom the prize was respectively adjudged by the
universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen.
These essays were, with one exception, the pro-
duction of studious and speculative men, whose at-
tention was probably first directed to the subject
by Mr. Buchanan's proposal to the learned bodies
of which they were members. Whilst it could
scarcely, therefore, be expected that they should
suggest any detailed practical arrangements for the
civilization and instruction, of the natives of Hin-
dostan, they exhibited considerable historical and
political research, together with enlightened and
benevolent views of the duty of Great Britain to
promote the important objects submitted to their
discussion, and concurred in recommending the
adoption of certain direct means for diffusing the
blessings of Christianity in India. They possessed
the additional merit of contributing to bring before
the public inquiries tending to ameliorate the moral
and religious condition of our oriental empire.
The utility of the labors of missionaries, and the
establishment of schools, was recognized by seve-
ral of the writers last mentioned. The considera-
tion, however, of an ecclesiastical establishment
AT CALCUTTA. 225
was reserved for Mr. Buchanan himself; whose
" Memoir" upon that subject was intended to point
out the expediency of such a measure, " both as
the means of perpetuating the Christian religion
among our own countrymen, and as a foundation
for the ultimate civilization of the natives."
The first part of (.his work exhibited the very in-
adequate state of the clerical establishment in India
at that period, for the great purposes of the instruc-
tion and religious communion of our resident coun-
trymen. In the second pai't, after describing in just
and forcible terms the pride, immorality, and bi-
gotry of the Mohammedans, and the vices, enormi-
ties, and barbarities of Hindoo superstition and
idolatry, Mr. Buchanan discussed at some length
the practicability and the policy of attempting t(?
civilize and improve them. In this part of his work
he exhibited the character of the Hindoos in a dif-
ferent point of view from that in which they had
been generally regarded. He asserted that their
apathy is extreme, and that no efforts, to instruct
them, except such as> partook of a compulsory na-
ture, ought to be considered as attended with dan
ger to the British government ; that their prejudi-
ces are daily weakening in every European settle-
ment ; that they are a divided people ; that they
are less tenacious of opinion than of custom ; and
that to disseminate new principles among them is
by no means so difficult as it is frequently repre-
Buchanan. 15
226 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
sented. In obviating objections founded on the
supposed impolicy of civilizing our Indian sub-
jects, Mr. Buchanan, however, advanced to higher
ground :
" The progressive civilization of India," he ob-
serves, " will never injure the interests of the East
India Company. But shall a Christian people, ac-
knowledging a providence in the rise and fall of
empire, regulate the policy of future times, and
neglect a present duty, a solemn and imperious
duty, exacted by their religion, by their public
principles, and by the opinion of the Christian na-
tions around them 1 Or can it be gratifying to the
English nation to reflect that they receive the riches
of the East on the terms of chartering immoral su-
perstition V
The appeal was unanswerable, and produced a
corresponding impression upon the public mind.
The third part of Mr. Buchanan's memoir strong-
ly confirmed his arguments as to the practicability
of his proposed plan, by a view of the progress
already made in civilizing the nations of Hindostan.
Many interesting facts were here stated relative to
the existence of Christianity in India from the ear-
liest ages, and particularly respecting the native
Christians on the coast of Malabar, who, notwith-
standing the accounts given of them by a few
AT CALCUTTA. 227
learned men, were now, for the first time, promi-
nently introduced to the knowledge of the English
public. The labors of the Danish missionaries,
Ziegenbalg and Grundler, and of the apostolic
Swartz, were also commemorated ; and the laud-
able and truly Christian addresses of King George
I. and Archbishop Wake to the former excellent
men were exhibited as models of imitation to po-
litical and ecclesiastical governors of the present
day.
An appendix to the memoir contained a variety
of important information on the superstitions of the
Hindoos, tending powerfully to correct the erro-
neous opinion so commonly entertained of them at
this period, as a mild, humane, and inoffensive race.
Such was briefly the nature of the novel and in-
teresting work which Mr. Buchanan transmitted to
England in the year 1805, for publication. It was
calculated, from the peculiar subjects of which it
treated, to excite general attention, and to provoke
both discussion and animadversion.
It had long been an object of anxiety to the su-
perintendents of the college of Fort William to
obtain a version of the Scriptures in tJie Chinese lan-
guage. After many fruitless inquiries, they in this
year succeeded in procuring the assistance of Mr.
Lassar, a native of China, and an Armenian Chris-
tian, whose name is now well known as a learned
223 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
professor of that language. Mr. Lassar arrived at
Calcutta in a commercial capacity, and having met
with some difficulties, he became known to Mr.
Buchanan, who, appreciating his talents, gene-
rously liberated him from his embarrassments, and
engaged him at a stipend of three hundred rupees
per month, to devote himself to the translation of
the Scriptures, and to the instruction of a Chinese
class, formed of one of the elder and three of the
junior members of the missionary establishment at
Serampore. The expected reduction of the col-
lege rendering it inexpedient that Mr. Lassar
should be attached to that institution, this stipend
was afforded for about tlrree years at the sole ex-
pense of Mr. Buchanan. To his liberality, there-
fore, must be chiefly ascribed the progress which
has been made in that quarter towards supplying
the vast empire of China with a translation of the
sacred volume into its own extraordinary language.
The name of Mr. Buchanan appears in the year
1805 in the list of members of the Asiatic Society.
He had probably been elected previously to that
period, and if he did not contribute to the curious
and valuable " researches " of that learned body, it
was not so much from any want of interest in their
labors, as from the pressure of his various employ-
ments, which allowed him only to devote his leisure
to inquiries which were exclusively of an ecclesi-
astical and religious nature.
AT CALCUTTA. 229
Two letters to one of his friends in this year con-
tain proofs of the paternal anxiety with which Mr.
Buchanan watched over the progress of the stu-
dents of Fort William. The weekly reports of the
different professors as to the proficiency of their
classes were delivered to him every Saturday.
Their representations, whether favorable or other-
wise, were by him communicated to the college
council, and ultimately through them, or himself,
as their organ, to the Governor General. Mr. Bu-
chanan mentions several instances of the beneficial
effects of this watchful superintendence in stimula-
ting even those who would otherwise have re-
inained incorrigibly indolent to diligence and exer-
tion. In a few cases the discipline which had been
originally announced was firmly and impartially
enforced ; sometimes, but very rarely, by absolute
removal from college, and the consequent loss of
promotion in the service ; at others, by the kind
intervention of Mr. Buch.anan with the Governor
General, in cases which admitted of apology or
excuse, by permission to retire, and an appoint-
ment which sufficiently marked the circumstances
of inferiority in which the neglect of college duties
had issued. Upon one such occasion Mr. Bucha-
nan thus writes :
" It would have given me great satisfaction to have
been able to send you such gratifying letters as I
230 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
have often written, and am now writing, to various
families in England, Scotland, and Ireland, respect-
ing their sons who have passed a long period in dili-
gent study, acquired honors, and then lucrative
appointments. But it has been ordered otherwise.
Perhaps all will be well. Poor . . . ." (speaking
of a student who had lately died,) " had certainly
been cherishing solemn and serious purposes the
fortnight before his death ; and he no doubt died
the child of many prayers may yet prove
himself to be the child of religious parents. Their
case, however, speaks loudly to us who are fathers,
teaching us to walk with humility and fear before
God, committing our children to him in prayer
and tears, and with much wrestling for a blessing
on them when they depart from us. The world
says, { He who hath children hath given pledges
to fortune.' The Christian knows how this is to be
translated."
Upon the general subject of religion in Calcutta
Mr. Buchanan gave the following encouraging ac-
counts to one of his correspondents :
" We have had divine service at the mission
church, lately, for the settlement. The punkas
make it very pleasant ; but it was found to be too
small for the auditory, many families going away
every Sunday morning, seats being in general oc-
cupied an hour before service.
AT CALCUTTA. 231
" " You will be glad to hear that still per-
severes in listening to sacred things, as do many
other young political servants whom you do not
know. The demand for religious books, particu-"
larly of evangelical principles, has been very great
these two last years. Messrs. Dring told me they
had sold an investment of fifty Svo Bibles in the
course of three months "
In a subsequent letter he says : " On account of
the increase of our congregations we are about to
O CJ
have two morning services on Sunday, the first at
seven o'clock, in the old church, and the second at
the usual hour of ten, at the new. This is very
agreeable to a great majority. Only Mr. Brown
and myself will officiate at the old church. We
shall of course (at least I shall) continue to offi-
ciate as usual at the new."
About this time Mr. Buchanan thus mentions to
a friend and relative the mixed nature of the con-
gregations in Calcutta :
" We have some of all sects in our congrega-
tions ; Presbyterians, Independents, Baptists, Me-
thodists, Armenians, Greeks, and Nestorians. And
some of these are part of my audience at the Eng-
lish church.
" I must lie down awhile and dictate to an ama-
nuensis, for it is very hot. The thermometer is to-
day near 110.
232 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" used in former life to prosecute all
he took in hand with enthusiasm. He thought no-
thing done right if riot done with all his might. So,
O O O 7
' perhaps, it is in his religion and private life. He is
actuated by a pure, genuine enthusiasm. Eternity,
he says, has opened to his view, and he would save
the souls of men. We shall judge him by his icorks
a few years hence.
" When the Hindoo had laid down the pen, and
I had got up from my couch, he asked me what
kind of a thing a Methodist was. I told him that it
was a Christian man in the little isle of Britain, who
prayed too much, and was ' righteous overmuch !'
The lad stared, and said, how can that be 1 So it is,
said I ; behold that man, (pointing to 's pic-
ture,) who is reputed a Methodist in England, and
is a subject of ridicule on account of his excessive
godliness. ' Among us,' replied the Hindoo, ' he
would thereby acquire the more reverence and
veneration.' "
At the close of one of the preceding letters Mr.
Buchanan expressed his fears as to the result 01
some public measures concerning which he had
formed sanguine expectations ; but not long after-
wards he wrote in a more animated, and, as before,
in a prophetic strain.
" The war seems to be now near its close ; and
it will probably be followed by a long reign of
AT CALCUTTA. 233
peace in India. Having obtained complete domi-
nion over it, we shall then bless it with the word
of life ; and Christ will be once more glorified in
the East."
The fourth annual disputations in the oriental
languages in the college of Fort William were held
o o o
this year in the month of February, in the presence
of Marquis Wellesley and the superior members
of the government. Upon this occasion it was main-
tained in Hiridostanee, that " the oriental languages
' O C
are studied with more advantage in India than in
England, and with greater advantage to the public
service." And in Persian, that that language is of
more utility in the general administration of the
British empire in India than the Hindostanee. In
addition to declamations in Bengalee and Arabic,
one was pronounced for the first time in the Mah-
ratta language. In the speech which Lord Welles-
ley delivered after the distribution of the prizes
and honorary rewards, his lordship observed that
the general zeal, industry, and spirit of study in
the college had not declined, notwithstanding the
contraction of the sphere of emulation and compe-
tition by the separation which had now taken place
of the gentlemen of the establishments of Fort St.
George, (Madras,) and Bombay.
" Since the last meeting," continued his lord-
ship, " the promotion of oriental knowledge in the
British service in India has proceeded with in-
234 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
creased success by the progress of the studies and
labors of the gentlemen of this college.
" The attention also of the officers and students
of the college appears to have been successfully
directed to those important objects of discipline,
regularity, and good order, which formed an essen-
tial part of my recent admonitions from this place.
" The most eminent and brilliant success in the
highest objects of study will prove an inadequate
qualification for the service of the Company, and
of our country in India, if the just application of
those happy attainments be not secured by a so-
lid foundation of virtuous principles and correct
conduct."
In consequence of the reduction in the extent of
the college of Fort William, referred to in the pre-
ceding speech, the Governor General thought it
expedient, by a minute in council, dated the 30th
of April, 1805, to declare that the duties at present
committed to the provost and vice-provost of the
college might be performed in future by one offi-
cer only, with the designation of provost. His ex-
cellency, however, deemed it to be proper, in con-
sideration, as he was pleased to express it, " of the
highly meritorious and useful services rendered to
the college by the present provost and vice-provost,
Mr. Brown and Mr. Buchanan," to postpone the
adoption of this arrangement until a vacancy should
AT CALCUTTA. 235
occur in one of those offices, provided that the ho-
norable the Court of Directors should be pleased
to sanction the continuance of the allowances to the
provost and vice-provost until that time.
By the same minute the Governor General re-
scinded that part of the original regulation of the
college by which pensions were to be eventually
granted to certain of its officers, including the pro-
vost and vice-provost, until the farther pleasure of
the Court of Directors should have been received.
Mr. Buchanan, believing that "good men in Eng-
land were yet in ignorance respecting the purpose
or effects of this institution," compiled in the spring
of 1805, and transmitted, together with his Eccle-
siastical Memoir, to this country, where it was pub-
lished towards the end of the year, a treatise enti-
tled " The College of Fort William in Bengal."
o o
The volume contains the official papers and the li-
terary proceedings of the college during its first
four years ; the public examinations in regular se-
ries, with a list of the students who had entered on
service, and a register of those who had obtained
degrees of honor ; a catalogue of works in the ori-
ental languages and literature, published by mem-
bers of the college since its commencement ; the
names and offices of those who had borne any part
in the conduct of the institution ; and some remarks
by the editor on the primary establishment of the
college, and on the operation of its first four years.
236 " MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
In these remarks, Mr. Buchanan, after noticing
the necessity and importance of such an institution,
which had been proved by its triumph over the
most powerful and systematic opposition, observes
that the publication of a hundred original volumes
in the oriental languages and. literature in the term
of four years, is no inconsiderable proof of the
flourishing state of the college as a literary insti-
tution. That was, however, but one of its subordi-
nate objects.
Towards the end of the year 1804, and the com-
mencement of the following year, a considerable
degree of opposition to the doctrines inculcated by
Messrs. Brown and Buchanan had been manifested
by two or three of the other chaplains of the Presi-
dency. Mr. Buchanan was in consequence induced
to preach a series of discourses on the doctrinal
articles of the church of England. These sermons
were of a very superior order, and were produc-
tive of a corresponding effect in checking the cla-
mor which had given birth to them.
In prosecution of the design which Mr. Buchanan
had conceived of effectually exciting the public at-
tention to the obligations of Great Britain to pro-
mote the religions welfare of its oriental dominions,
and which he had already partially executed by the
proposal of his first series of prizes, and the publi-
cation of his own " Memoir;" he on the fourth of
June, 1805, addressed to the vice-chancellors of the
AT CALCUTTA. 237
universities of Oxford and Cambridge the proposal
of the following subjects of prize composition :
" For the best work in English prose, embracing
the following subjects :
" I. The probable design of the Divine Provi-
dence in subjecting so large a portion of Asia to
the British dominion.
" IT. The duty, the means, and the conse-
quences of translating the Scriptures into the ori-
ental tongues, and of promoting Christian know-
ledge in Asia.
" III. A brief historic view of the progress of the
Gospel in different nations since its first promul-
gation ; illustrated by maps, showing its luminous
tract throughout the world ; with chronological no-
tices of its duration in particular places."
The candidates were permitted to prefix such
title to the proposed work as they might think pro-
per ; and the munificent prize offered by Mr. Bu-
chanan upon this occasion to each university was
the sum of five hundred pounds. He directed that
the prizes should be determined on the fourth of
June, 1807, being the anniversary of the birth of
our venerable sovereign ; " whose religious exam-
ple," Mr. Buchanan added, te had extended its in-
fluence to that remote part of his empire."
The letters conveying intelligence of these very
233 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
liberal offers were received towards the close of the
year. They were soon afterwards accepted by both
universities ; and the spring of the year 1807 was
appointed as the period for the delivery of the
prize compositions to the judges who were to de-
termine their merits.
A few days subsequent to the date of these pro-
posals to the English universities, and not long be-
fore the departure of Marquis Wellesley from Ben-
gal, Mr. Buchanan communicated to his lordship
his wish to be absent from Calcutta during four
months, for the benefit of his health, which his re-
sidence and labors in India had considerably im-
paired ; and for the purpose of proceeding to the
coast of Malabar, with a view of obtaining infor-
mation relative to certain religious objects, which
were particularly specified in his letter, and will be
hereafter fully detailed.
With this request the Governor General signi-
fied officially his ready compliance, together with
his entire approbation of Mr. Buchanan's intended
journey. It was added that the governments of
Fort St. George and Bombay would be requested
to afford him every assistance, as well in the pro-
gress of his journey, by the accommodation of the
dawk bearers, or other conveyances of government,
as in the prosecution of his inquiries on the coast
of Malabar.
While Mr. Buchanan was preparing for this im-
AT CALCUTTA. 239
portant and interesting journey, he was, for the
present, prevented from fulfilling his intentions by
a serious illness, the approach of which he first per-
ceived on the 13th of August. He was well enough
to meet Lord Wellesley at dinner the next day,
and on the two following complained only of weak-
ness and languor. On the 17th a decided attack
of fever came on ; and on the 19th danger was ap-
prehended by his physician.
Of this alarming illness a brief but remarkable
memorial has been preserved in the hand-writing
of Mr. Brown, who appears to have attended and
watched over his valued friend and coadjutor with
fraternal anxiety and affection. The feelings and
sentiments of Mr. Buchanan at this trying season,
as described in the paper alluded to, are such as,
while they may surprise a certain class of readers,
will appear to better judges to be the genuine effu-
sions of a pious mind alive to the apprehended so-
lemnities of a dying hour.
On the evening of the 20th of August Mr. Bu-
chanan spoke much to his friend of his state and
views ; said that he had been looking for his hope
in the Bible, and that he had found it in the 51st
Psalm, and in the history of the penitent thief upon
the cross. He at the same time gave directions to
Mr. Brown respecting the college, his papers, and
his affairs. The next day Mr. Buchanan was still
more strongly impressed with the idea that he
240 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
should not recover. Under this persuasion, he men-
tioned the place in which he wished to be interred,
made some observations respecting his books, and
desired that his sermons might be published after
the arrival of his " Memoir" in India.
Mr. Buchanan next adverted to his experience
and views as a Christian ; declared his entire renun
ciation of his own merits as any ground of accept-
ance with God, lamented his unprofitableness, and
spoke of himself in terms of the deepest humility.
He then again referred to the church and to the
college, and suggested various hints respecting
both. After this he recui'red to his present feelings
and circumstances. He expressed his fear of living,
and his desire of being received as the least and
lowest of the servants of God. He was anxious to
glorify him by his death, and prayed to be pre-
served from the enemy at the last hour, that he
might not do or say any thing to weaken the testi-
mony he had borne to the truth in that place.
There was nothing, he said, upon earth, for which
he had a wish, besides his wife and children ; that
she was much before him in experimental know-
ledge, and had been twice on the wing to leave the
world ; (he knew not, alas ! that she had in fact al-
ready taken her flight !) that his children would be
brought up in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord ; that if sent to Scotland, they would be in
the heart of Sunday-schools and of true religion ; or
AT CALCUTTA. 241
that in England the . . .'s, and other friends who
feared God, would take care of them. After thus
speaking of his children, Mr. Buchanan alluded to
a painful letter which he had lately received from
ona of his correspondents ; and lamented what he
considered his unkindness in forbearing to encou-
rage him during the labors of the last five years.
He then expressed a hope that his death would
prove useful to two persons whom he particularly
named.
On the morning of the 22d Mr. Brown, on en-
tering his sick chamber, found him still fixed in his
opinion that he should die, and opening his spiri-
tual state to another Christian friend. He then took
a review of the way in which the providence of
God had led him from his earliest years ; and gave
hi.s friends a brief sketch of his history : the roman-
tic project of his youth ; his residence in London ;
his conversion to the faith and practice of a real
Christian ; his career at Cambridge ; his voyage to
India; and his comparative banishment during the
first three years of his residence in that country.
At this critical period, Mr. Buchanan observed, his
call by Lord Wellesley to the chaplaincy of the
presidency, and the subsequent establishment of
the college, had given him an important work to
perform ; that his preaching, indeed, had been un-
satisfactory to himself; but that his spiritual labors
and opportunities in college, though desultory, had
Buchanan. 16
242 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
often afforded him comfort. He added, says Mr.
Brown, " that I must preach," probably intending
his funeral sermon, " though he felt himself un-
worthy to choose a text ; yet that it must be from
these words, ' Being justified by faith, we have
peace with God.' "
"After praying earnestly," continues Mr. Brown,
" for some time, he lay quite still, and then with
great tranquillity and satisfaction said, ' What a
happy moment ! Now I am resigned ; now I de-
sire not to live. I am unworthy of this.' He then
spoke of his hope, and said that he could only be
saved by grace."
After this conversation Mr. Buchanan mentioned
his wishes concerning his funeral and monument,
and spoke of his departure from the world as a
happy deliverance from the evils which he foresaw
he should have to encounter if he were to return
to Europe. Alluding to his intended journey, which
his present illness had prevented, he said, " I am
now about to travel, not an earthly journey, but still
to c unknown regions of the Gospel.' I shall now
pass over the heads of old men laboring usefully
for Christ ; and at this early period be advanced
to see what c eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man,' and
behold discoveries of the glory of Christ, c God ma-
nifest in the flesh,' who hath come to us, and kindly
AT CALCU1TA. 243
taken us by the hand. He will lift us out of the
deep waters, and set us at his own right hand. I
once saw not the things I now see ; I knew not the
Gospel. Now I pray that the little I have known
may be perfected, and that God would complete
his work on my soul."
Mr. Brown adds that his apparently dying friend
was almost continually praying, in a humble, sub-
missive, patient, and fervent tone, for mercy and
grace through Jesus Christ ; and, with the apostle,
that God might be glorified by his life or death.
Such is the interesting and instructive memorial
which remains of this alarming illness of Mr. Bu-
chanan. While it demonstrates the excellence and
the solidity of the principles which could thus sup-
port him, it must surely excite in the mind of every
reader a conviction of their value, and an earnest
desire to possess the same consolation in a season
of similar trial.
Of the progress of his recovery nothing is parti-
cularly recorded. The fever appears gradually to
have subsided ; and on the 4th of September he
was so far restored as to be able to remove to Bar-
rackpore for change of air, and afterwards to Sook-
sagur, about forty miles above Calcutta. The re-
membrance, however, of his illness, and the im-
pressions which an anticipated death-bed had made
upon his mind, instead of being obliterated, as in
too many instances, by returning health, were ever
244 MEMOIR" OF DR. BUCHANAN.
afterwards cherished and retained. The scene was,
perhaps, intended to prepare him for the painful
trial which was approaching ; and both, as we shall
shoitly perceive, produced the happy effect of
quickening him in his Christian course, and of ren-
dering him even more zealous and unwearied in
the service of his heavenly Master.
One of Mr. Buchanan's first exertions of reco-
vered health was in writing the following reply to
a pious man, who appears to have been known to
him during the early part of his residence in Eng-
land, and to have been employed as a humble
preacher of the Gospel. It was found among the
papers of the late Mr. Henry Thornton, to whom
it had probably been sent by the person to whom it
was addressed, for the purpose which the letter it-
self will explain. The Christian kindness and hu-
mility which it breathes sufficiently authorize its
insertion.
CALCUTTA, September 3d, 1805.
" MY DEAR FRIEND, I received your letter by
Mr. B about five years ago, and in consequence
took him into my house for some time. The young
man is in the army, and conducts himself, I hear,
with propriety. I am sorry to find that my answer
to your letter on that occasion has never reach-
ed you.
" A few days ago I received your letter of the
AT CALCUTTA. 245
4th of November, 1S04, by Mr. Taylor, a mission-
ary to India. In that letter you mention that you
are still poor ; and, what is better, that you preach
the Gospel to the poor. After so long an interval,
it gives me great pleasure to learn that you are yet
found faithful, and that in the midst of your poverty
you have found the c unsearchable riches.' Your
heavenly Father knoweth best what is good for
you ; and he hath, no doubt, led you hitherto in
that narrow and peculiar path which was suited to
your state, and necessary for the advancement of
his glory.
tr 1 have, on the other hand, been led in a broader
road and a more dangerous way. If I have been
preserved, if I am yet, in any measure, faithful in
dispensing the G-ospel, and in promoting by va-
rious means the interests of Christ's kingdom, it is
mercy ; far more distinguished mercy, as it appears
to me, than that which has been manifested in you.
The Gospel is not without its witness even in this
place. The company of the faithful is increasing,
and the opportunities of publishing the good tid-
ings are multiplying.
" I enclose to you a note on my agents in Lon-
don for fifty pounds. I should send you more if I
thought it would do you any good. If you should
want more, ask Mr. Henry Thornton for it, and I
will repay him.
" I was much pleased with your account of your
246 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
aged father. I think, on the whole, you have reason
to be thankful that your family are so well disposed
of in the course of years and worldly revolution.
It seemeth good to providence to keep you all in a
strait estate ; and that is the general dispensation
to God's favored people.
" That you may be blessed yourself, and continue
to be a blessing to others, is the prayer of,
11 Dear sir, your sincere friend,
"C. BUCHANAN."
During the temporary retreat of Mr. Buchanan
at Sooksagur for the re-establishment of his health,
he was diligently employed in Hebrew, Syriac, and
Chaldaic studies, with various accompaniments of
rabbinical and other commentators. In the midst,
however, of this occupation, he was interrupted by
the afflicting intelligence of the death of Mrs. Bu-
chanan. This distressing, though in some measure
expected event, had taken place on the 18th of
June, on board the East-India ship in which she
was returning to England, off the island of St.
Helena. Of Mr. Buchanan's feelings upon this
mournful occasion, as well as respecting his own
late illness, the two following letters will afford an
affecting and truly interesting picture. The first is
to his friend Colonel Sandys :
" SOOKSAGUR, near Calcutta, Oct. 22, 1805.
" MY DEAR SANDYS, I have been at this place
AT CALCUTTA. 247
for some time past, in the hope of getting a little
strength. I was visited by a fever about two
months ago, and was despaired of for a day or
two. But the prayers of the righteous were offer-
ed up, and ray days have been prolonged. It was
with a kind of reluctance I felt myself carried back
by the refluent waves to encounter again the
storms of this life, for I had hoped the iight was
done. Although unprofitable has been my life, and
feeble my exertions, yet I was more afraid of the
trials to come, if I should" survive, than of depart-
ing to my rest, if it was the will of God. I had
made a disposition of my fortune to Mary and her
pious purposes, (for she too had undertaldngs in
view,) believing that she would be much more use-
ful than I could. My first care on my convales-
cence was to write to her an account of that event.
In a few davs afterwards the Calcutta Indiaman
*/
arrived from St. Helena, and brought me the news
of my dear Mary's decease ! Before she went away
I perceived that her affections were nearly wean-
ed from this world ; and she often said that she
thought God was preparing her for his presence in
glory. She was greatly favored in her near access
to God in prayer; and she delighted in retirement
and sacred meditation. She was jealous of herself
latterly when she anticipated the happiness of our
all meeting in England, and endeavored to chastise
the thought. *-
248 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" Her sufferings were great, but she accounted
her consolations greater j and she used to admire
the goodness of God to her in bringing her to a
knowledge of the truth at so early an age. It was
her intention, had she lived to reach England, to
have gone down with her two little girls to visit
you ; saying, c We shall behold each other as two
new creatures.' You had been accused to her of
being too peculiar, and she wished to see what
was amiss.
" When she found her dissolution drawing near,
she solemnly devoted her two little girls to God,
and prayed that he would be their Father, and
bring them up in his holy fear, and preserve them
from the vanities of this evil world. She said she
could willingly die for the souls of her children ;
and she did die in the confident hope of seeing
them both in glory.
" Having had it in contemplation to follow my
dear Mary to England next year, I had let my
house at G-arden Reach to Sir John D'Oyly. I
had also sold my furniture, horses, &c. previously
to my proceeding to Malabar. But in the mean-
time I fell sick ; and now that I have recovered, I
mean to defer my journey to the coast till the new
government be settled. Sir George Barlow is at
present up the country ; Mr. Udny is deputy-go-
vernor. Both of them ai*e warm supporters of re-
ligious improvement in India, and I trust they will
AT CALCUTTA. 249
do good. They know nothing of my ' Memoir,'
nor any one else but Mr. Brown.
" The B.'s here are affectionately concerned in
my recovery, and pay me every attention in their
power. I do not know whether I shall go to Eng-
land next year or not ; I am now a desolate old
man, though young in years. But my path will, I
doubt not, be made ' clear as the noon day.'
" By your late letters I see that you are ' flour-
ishing like a palm-tree.' How often have you
passed the palm-tree in India, without comparing
it to the righteous man !
tc My dear Mary's name and character was lat-
terly well known among the excellent of the earth ;
and her memory has left a fragrance for years to
come."
Mr. Buchanan then mentions the lamented and
unexpected death of the Marquis Cornwallis, who
had lately arrived to resume the government of the
country, which had been already so signally bene-
fited by his former administration :
" The body," he observes, of this illustrious no-
bleman, " had no honorable interment ; neither a
clergyman to read the office, nor a coffin to put it
in. Thus ended his earthly name and greatness.
G-od promised to Jacob, as a temporal blessing, that
his son Joseph ' should close his eyes.' It is indeed
250 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
a blessing to have a righteous son or daughter to
hallow our remains in death. May you have that
son, and I that daughter !
" Yours affectionately,
" C. BUCHANAN."
The second of the two letters relative to the
death of Mrs. Buchanan is to another friend, who
well knew her worth, and sincerely sympathized
with Mr. Buchanan under his loss.
" SOOKSAGUR, 2-1 th Oct. 1805.
" MY DEAR SIR, Your l&tter of March 18th, of
this yeai-, addressed to my dear Mary, arrived here
about a month ago. A few days afterwards I re-
ceived the account of her death.
" You will rejoice to hear that, when she was
preparing to leave India, she considered herself as
preparing for another and better country than
England.
"She enjoyed latterly much communion with
God in prayer ; and often, when she came out of
her closet, the gleam on her countenance evinced
her peace and acceptance. The words of some
hymn to her Redeemer were often on her lips.
You, I believe, knew enough of her to make you
consider this portrait of her last days to be true.
She died at the age of twenty-five. She considered
that the period of her sufferings (only, she said.
AT CALCUTTA. 251
three or four years) was very short, and wondered
at the goodness of God in so early calling her to
his glory. She lamented that she could never be
' made perfect by suffering ;' and therefore viewed
the end of her probation with great comfort, and
latterly with joyful anticipation. She expressed
and felt strong affection towards you and your
family. In the last page of your letter to Mrs. Bu-
chanan, you remind her of the promise, ' Be thou
faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of
life.' These words were prophetic. You wrote
them on the ISth of March; and on the 18th of
June, three months after, she, I trust, received the
crown.
" I have been at this place for some weeks past,
in the hope of acquiring a little strength after my
late illness. I am now perfectly well, and propose
to return to Calcutta to resume my public duties
in a few days.
" During the period of my retirement I have
been chiefly employed in researches in the He-
brew and Syriac Scriptures. I happily met with
some valuable Syriac volumes on my way up hi
ther. While I was thus engaged, the news of
Mrs. Buchanan's death arrived ! I found some con
solation in writing a few lines to her memory in
the Hebrew, Syriac, Greek, and Latin languages-,
which I inscribed on a leaf of her own Bible : tha
best monument that I could erect ; for her body
was buried in the deep.
252 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" I sometimes think that, had I my two little
girls to play with, I should be happy, even in this
dreary land. My chief solace is in a mind con-
stantly occupied ; and this is the greatest temporal
blessing I can expect, even unto the end. I could
relate to you scenes of tribulation and keen perse-
cution in regard to others and to myself: but these
could give you no pleasure, and I wish not to think
of them.
" How little do you all know of Calcutta, or of
what is doing or has been done here ; as little even
as of the court of Pekin !
" Of the many letters you wrote to us during the
two last years I think we received only two. My
next to you, if I live to write another, will proba-
bly be from Tcywobane.
" I remain, my dear sir, very affectionately yours,
" C. BUCHANAN."
The disapprobation with which the extensive
nature of the college of Fort William had been
viewed by the Court of Directors, had long prepar-
ed its superintendents to expect a reduction of its
establishment. Anticipating, therefore, the suspen-
sion of that department in it which had hitherto
been instrumental in promoting translations of the
Scriptures into the oriental languages, they were
anxious to make some provision for the continua-
tion of these important works. With this view,
AT CALCUTTA. 253
they resolved to encourage individuals to proceed
with versions of the Scriptures by such means as
they could command ; purposing, at the same time,
not to confine this encouragement to Bengal, but
to extend it to every part of the East where fit in-
struments could be found. Mr. Buchanan particu-
larly determined to devote his influence, as vice-
provost of the college, in aid of the translations
then in the hands of the missionaries at Seram-
pore, and to endeavor to excite the public interest
in their favor. For this purpose, early in the year
1806, he drew up " proposals for a subscription for
translating the -Holy Scriptures " into fifteen ori-
ental languages ; containing a prospectus of Indian
versions, and observations on the practicability of
the general design. To these proposals, composed
chiefly from materials furnished by the missiona-
ries, their names were subscribed ; and in the
month of March copies were distributed liberally in
India and in England ; in this country to the Court
of Directors, to the bench of Bishops, to the univer-
sities, to Lord Teignmouth, as President of the
British and Foreign Bible Society, and to some
other public bodies, as well as to many private gen-
tlemen. In India, copies were transmitted to nearly
the whole of the principal civil and to many of the
military officers in the Company's service, from
Delhi to Travancore ; to many of whom the mis-
sion at Serampore was previously unknown. Mr.
254 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
Buchanan obtained permission at the same time
to send the proposals, in his official character as
vice-provost of the college, free of expense, to all
parts of the empire ; and he accompanied them in
most instances with letters, which amounted to
about one hundred, from himself.
It was plainly implied in the proposals, that the
undertaking would enjoy the countenance and sup-
port of the college ; and it was doubtless on this
ground that the concurrence of the public was
principally obtained. That expectation was accord-
ingly expressed in the following terms :
" Our hope of success in this great undertaking
depends chiefly on the patronage of the college of
Fort William. To that institution we are much in-
debted for the progress we have already made.
Oriental translation has become comparatively
easy, in consequence of our having the aid of those
learned men from distant provinces in Asia, who
have assembled, during the period of the last six
years, a,t that great emporium of eastern letters.
These intelligent strangers voluntarily engage with
us in translating the Scriptures into their respective
languages ; and they do not conceal their admira-
tion of the sublime doctrine, pure precept, and di-
vine eloquence of the word of God. The plan of
these translations was sanctioned at an early pe-
riod by the most noble the Marquis Wellesley, the
AT CALCUTTA. 255
great patron of useful learning. To give the Chris-
tian Scriptures to the inhabitants of Asia is indeed
a work which every man who believes these Scrip-
tures to be from God will approve. In Hindostan
alone there is a great variety of religions ; and
there are some tribes which have no certain cast or
religion at all. To render the revealed religion ac-
cessible to men who ' desire ' it, to open its eternal
sanctions and display its pure morals to those who
1 seek a religion,' is to fulfil the sacred duty of a
Christian people, and accords well with the humane
and generous spirit of the English nation."
Another passage of the document from which
the preceding extract is taken, announced in India
the formation and the proffered friendship of the
British and Foreign Bible Society, as furnishing
material encouragement to the proposed undertak-
ing. Thus accredited and patronized, the address
from the missionaries at Serampore was advertised
in the government gazettes, and published through-
out India ; and such was the approbation with which
it was received that in a short time the sum of six-
teen hundred pounds was subscribed in aid of the
intended translations.
The communication of the proposals in question
to the British and Foreign Bible Society was made
by Mr. Buchanan in the month of March. He at
the same time recommended that a sermon should
256 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
be preached before the Society, " on the subject of
oriental translations ;" and with the zeal and libe-
rality which had now so frequently marked all hia
proceedings, requested " that the reverend preach-
er would do him the honor to accept the sum of
fifty pounds on delivery of a printed copy of the
sermon to his agents in London, for the college of
Fort William, in Bengal." This proposition was
at first acceded to by the committee of the Society ;
and the Rev. John Owen, one of its able and inde-
fatigable secretaries, was requested to become the
preacher. It was, however, upon reconsideration,
unanimously agreed, that, as the measure did not
fall strictly within the professed object of the So-
ciety, and might open a door to practical irregula-
rities, it would not be expedient to sanction its
adoption. The generous offer of Mr. Buchanan
was, in consequence of this decision, respectfully
declined.
A similar proposal was transmitted by Mr. Bu-
chanan to the Vice-Chancellors of the universities
of Oxford and Cambridge, that two sermons should
be preached before each of those learned bodies,
on the translation of the Scriptures into the orien-
tal languages, by such persons as the universities
should appoint ; accompanied by a request that
each of the four preachers would accept the sum of
thirty guineas, on the similar condition of the deli-
very to his agents of a printed copy of the sermon
AT CALCUTTA. 257
for the college of Fort William. These additional
offers to the universities were in each case accepted.
In the course of the preceding year Mr. Buchan-
an received from the university of Glasgow, of
which he had been formerly a member, a diploma
conferring upon him the degree of Doctor in Di-
vinity, and afterwards received a similar honor from
the university at Cambridge.
CHAPTER VII.
Tour on the Malabar Coast Juggernaut Female
Sacrifice.
Dr. Buchanan was now again looking forward'
to his long projected journey to the south of the
peninsula. On the 12th of March, 1806, he thus
wrote to a friend in England :
te I proceed to Malabar in a few weeks. My
delay has been chiefly occasioned by the difficulty
of my resigning appointments and offices here,
where there is no one to receive them. And even
now, if I get off fairly, I shall wonder.
Buchanan. 17
253 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
" I still continue in my purpose of going home
about the end of this year. So that I shall possi
bly see you and your family once more."
On the 22d of March Dr. Buchanan obtained
leave of absence from the government for six
months, together with renewed assurances of the
countenance and assistance formerly promised ; but
his preparations for his journey were again inter-
rupted by a return of ague and fever. This attack
was, however, less serious and of shorter duration
than the former j so that at the end of the month
he was able to wait upon the Governor General,
who kindly offered to accommodate him with one
of his tents for his intended journey to the coast.
During the month of April Dr. Buchanan conti-
nued his preparations for his approaching absence ;
attended an examination of the Chinese class at
Serampore, and made arrangements for the per-
formance of his clerical duties. His last sermon,
previously to his departure, was from the beautiful
.address in the Revelation of St. John (chap. 3 : 7-
13) to the church at Philadelphia, which he pro-
bably considered as in some respects appropriate to
that at Calcutta. Dr. Buchanan spent several of
the days immediately preceding his journey with
Mr. Udny, who appears to have entered with
much interest into his views for the promotion of
Christianity in India. The late learned and la-
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 259
merited Dr. Leyden had at one time proposed to
accompany Dr. Buchanan in his tour ; but this
plan, though it would doubtless have proved mu-
tually agreeable and beneficial, was finally aban-
doned.
The design of this extensive and laboi-ious jour-
ney cannot be better explained than in the words
of Dr, Buchanan, in his " Christian Researches in
Asia :"
" In order to obtain a distinct view of the state
of Christianity and of superstition in Asia," he says,
" the superintendents of the college had, before
this period, entered into correspondence with in-
telligent persons in different countries, and from
every quarter (even from the confines of China)
they received encouragement to proceed. But, as
contradictory accounts were given by different wri-
ters concerning the real state of the numerous tribes
in India, both of Christians and natives, the author
conceived the design of devoting the last year or
two of his residence in the East to purposes of lo-
cal examination and inquiry.
" The principal objects of this tour were to in-
vestigate the state of superstition at the most cele-
brated temples of the Hindoos ; to examine the
churches and libraries of the Romish, Syrian, and
Protestant Christians ; to ascertain the present
state and recent history of the Eastern Jews ; and
260 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
to discover what persons might be fit instruments
for the promotion of learning in their respective
countries, and for maintaining a future correspon-
dence on the subject of disseminating the Scrip*
tures in India."
Such were the important views with which Dr.
Buchanan entered upon his intended journey. It
is no disparagement to travels undertaken from
motives either of personal curiosity or of public
utility, to assert that the tour which Dr. Buchanan
was meditating, derived, from its disinterested and
sacred objects, a peculiar degree of dignity and
value. If our great philanthropist, Howard, was
justly eulogized by a late celebrated statesman for
his indefatigable and self-denying exertions in " tra-
velling over land and sea," not to gratify his taste
or to extend his fame, but " to remember the for-
gotten, to attend the neglected, and to visit the
forsaken," it is not too much to say, that although
the labors of that eminent person were more vari-
ous and continued, it required, in a man of infirm
and precarious health, like Dr. Buchanan, a degree
of zeal and resolution to enter upon his projected
journey which reflects upon him the highest honor.
And although in each case the love of God and of
man was the prevailing motive, the object of the
one was, in proportion to its extent, as much more
important than the other, as inquiries into spiritual
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 261
wants with a view to their relief are more weighty
than those which concern temporal necessities, and
as interests of eternal duration are more momen-
tous than any which are bounded by the narrow
limits of time. It must be remembered, too, that,
with the exception of the accommodations afforded
him by the kindness of the Governor General, and
the hospitality of the British residing at the different
stations through which he passed, Dr. Buchanan's
extensive tour was undertaken exclusively at his
own expense.
On the 3d of May Dr. Buchanan left Calcutta on
his way to the south ; and on his arrival the same
day at Fulta, forty miles below that city, he wrote
to Colonel Sandys as follows :
" MY DEAR SANDYS, I am thus far on my jour-
ney to Malabar. I propose to visit Juggernaut first,
and hope to be there early in June, when the grand
festival of the Rutt Jattra takes place. Sir George
Barlow has been so good as to lend me some of the
Governor General's small tents, so that I shall tra-
vel very comfortably. My inquiries, you know,
have a threefold aspect, Hindoos, Jews, and Chris-
tians. The bands of infidelity and superstition are
loosening fast, and Calcutta is by no means the
place it was when you were here.
" I have heard this morning that the fleet from
England, which went to the Cspe, is expected at
262 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
Madras every day, as one of the ships is already
arrived. In this fleet your friend Mr. Martyn is
passenger. Mr. Jeffries has been appointed to act
as my substitute in the new church in my absence,
which will be about six or eight months, if, indeed,
I should ever return ; for my rente is full of danger
and difficulty to one infirm as I am. With some
view, I trust, to the glory of God, I have purposed ;
but it is He who must dispose of me and my ob-
jects as shall seem to him best.
" I remain, my dear Sandys, very affectionately
yours,
te C. BUCHANAN."
Dr. Buchanan, from the time of his arrival at
Juggernaut, kept a regular journal of his tour, from
which we now extract the narrative of his visit to
the temple of that prince of idols as given by him-
self in his " Christian Researches."
" BCDDIUJCK in Orissa, May 30, 1806.
" We know that we are approaching Jugger-
naut (and yet we are more than fifty miles from
it) by the human bones which we have seen for
some days strewed by the way. At this place we
have been joined by several large bodies of pil-
grims, perhaps two thousand in number, who have
come from various parts of northern India. Some
of them, with whom I have conversed, say that
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 263
they have been two months on their march, travel-
ling slowly, in the hottest season of the year, with
their wives and children. Some old persons are
among them who wish to die at Juggernaut. Num-
bers of pilgrims die on the road, and their bodies
generally remain unburied. On a plain by the river,
near the pilgrims' caravansera at this place, there
are more than a hundred skulls. The dogs, jackals,
and vultures seem to live here on human prey.
The vultures exhibit a shocking tameness. The ob-
scene animals will not leave the body sometimes
till we come close to them. This Buddruck is a
horrid place. Wherever I turn my eyes I meet
death in some shape or other. Surely Juggernaut
cannot be worse than Buddruck."
" In sight of JUGGERNAUT, June 12.
" Many thousands of pilgrims have accom-
panied us for some days past. They cover the road,
before and behind, as far as the eye can reach. At
nine o'clock this morning the temple of Jugger-
naut appeared in view at a great distance. When
the multitude first saw it they gave a shout, and fell
to the ground and worshipped. I have heard no-
thing to-day but shouts and acclamations by the
successive bodies of pilgrims. From the place
where I now stand I have a view of a host of peo-
ple like an army encamped at the outer gate of
the town of Juggernaut, where a guard of soldiers
264 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
is posted to prevent their entering the town until
they have paid the pilgrim's tax. I passed a devo-
tee to-day who laid himself down at every step,
measuring the road to Juggernaut by the length of
his body, as a penance of merit to please the gods."
" Outer Gate of JUGGERNAUT, June 12.
" A disaster has just occurred. As I ap-
proached the gate the pilgrims crowded from all
quarters around me, and shouted, as they usually
did when I passed them on the road, an expression
of welcome and respect. I was a little alarmed at
their numher, and looked round for my guard. A
guard of soldiers had accompanied me from Cut-
tack, the last military station, but they were now
about a quarter of a mile behind with my servants
and the baggage. The pilgrims cried out that they
were entitled to some indulgence ; that they were
poor, they could not pay the tax ; but I was not
aware of their design. At this moment, when I
was within a few yards of the gate, an old Sanyas-
see, (or holy man,) who had travelled some days by
the side of my horse, came up and said, ' Sir, you
are in danger ; the people are going to rush through
the gate when it is opened for you.' I immediately
dismounted, and endeavored to escape to one side ;
but it was too late. The mob was now in motion,
and with a tumultuous shout pressed violently to-
wards the gate. The guard within seeing my dan-
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 265
ger, opened it, and the multitude rushing through,
carried me forward in a torrent a considerable
space, so that I was literally borne into Jugger-
naut by the Hindoos themselves. A distressing
scene followed. As the number and strength of
the mob increased, the narrow way was choked up
by the mass of people, and I apprehended that
many of them would have been suffocated or
bruised to death. My horse was yet among them.
But suddenly one of the side-posts of the gate,
which was of wood, gave way and fell to the
ground. And perhaps this circumstance alone pre-
vented the loss of lives. Notice of the event was
immediately communicated to Mr. Hunter, the su-
perintendent of the temple, who repaired to the
spot, and sent an additional guard to the inner
gate, lest the people should force that also; for
there is an outer and an inner gate to the town of
Juggernaut ; but both of them are slightly con-
structed. Mr. Hunter told me that similar acci-
dents sometimes occur, and that many have been
crushed to death by the pressure of the mob. He
added, that sometimes a body of pilgrims, consist-
ing chiefly of women and children and old men,
trusting to the physical weight of their mass, will
make what he called a charge on the armed guards,
and overwhelm them ; the guards not being willing,
in such circumstances, to oppose their bayonets."
266 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" JUGGERNAUT, June 14.
" 1 have seen Juggernaut. The scene at
Buddruck is but the vestibule to Juggernaut. No
record of ancient or modern history can give, I
think, an adequate idea of this valley of death ; it
may be truly compared with the ' valley of Hin-
nom.' The idol called Juggernaut has been consi-
dered as the Moloch of the present age ; and he is
justly so named, for the sacrifices offered up to him
by self-devotement are not less criminal, perhaps
not less numerous, than those recorded of the Mo-
loch of Canaan. Two other idols accompany Jug-
gernaut, namely Boloram and Shubudra, his bro-
ther and sister ; for there are three deities worship-
ped here. They receive equal adoration, and sit on
thrones of nearly equal height."
" This morning I viewed the temple ; a stu-
pendous fabric and truly commensurate with the
extensive sway of ' the horrid king.' As other tem-
ples are usually adorned with figures emblematical
of their religion, so Juggernaut has representations
(numerous and various) of that vice which consti-
tutes the essence of his worship. The walls and
gates are covered with indecent emblems, in mas-
sive and durable sculpture. I have often visited the
sand plains by the sea, in some places whitened
with the bones of the pilgrims ; and another place
a little way out of the town, called by the English
the Golgotha, where the dead bodies are usually
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 267
cast forth, and where dogs and vultures are ever
seen.* 1
" The grand Hindoo festival of the Rutt Jattra
takes place on the ISth inst. when the idol is to be
brought forth to the people. I reside during my
stay here at the house of James Hunter, Esq. the
Company's collector of the tax on pilgrims, and su-
perintendent of the temple, formerly a student in
the college of Fort William ; by whom I am hos-
pitably entertained, and also by Capt. Patton and
Lieut. Woodcock, commanding the military force.
Mr. Hunter distinguished himself at the college by
his proficiency in the oriental language. He is a
gentleman of polished manners and of classical
taste. The agreeable society of these gentlemen is
very refreshing to my spirits in the midst of the
present scenes. I was surprised to see how little
they seemed to be moved by the scenes of Jugger-
* The vultures generally find out the prey first, and begin
with the intestines ; for the flesh of the body is too firm for
their beaks immediately after death. But the dogs soon re-
ceive notice of the circumstance, generally from seeing the
Hurries or corpse- carriers returning from the place. On the
approach of the dogs the vultures retire a few yards and
wait till the body be sufficiently torn for easy deglutition.
The vultures and dogs often feed together, and sometimes
btgin their attack before the pilgrim be quite dead. There
are four animals which are sometimes seen about a carcass,
the dog, the jackal, the vulture, and the hurgeela, or adju-
tant, called by Pennant the gigantic crane.
268 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
naut. They said they were now so accustomed to
them they thought little of them. They had almost
forgot their first impressions. Their houses are on
the sea-shore about a mile or more from the tem-
ple. They cannot live nearer on account of the of-
fensive effluvia of the town. For, independently of
the enormity of the superstition, there are other
circumstances which render Juggernaut noisome
in an extreme degree. The senses are assailed by
the squalid and ghastly appearance of the famish-
ed pilgrims, many of whom die in the streets of
want or of disease ; while the devotees with clot-
ted hair and painted flesh are seen practising their
various austerities and modes of self-torture. Per-
sons of both sexes, with little regard to conceal-
ment, sit down on the sands close to the town in
public view, and the SACRED BULLS walk about
among them and eat the ordure*
" The vicinity of Juggernaut to the sea probably
prevents the contagion which otherwise would be
produced by the putrefactions of the place. There
is scarcely any. verdure to refresh the sight near
Juggernaut ; the temple and town being nearly en-
compassed by hills of sand, which has been cast up
in the lapse of ages by the surge of the ocean. All
* This singular fact was pointed out to me by the gentle-
men here. There is no vegetation for the sacred bull? on the
sand plains. They are fed generally with vegetables from
the hands of the pilgrims.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 269
is barren and desolate to the eye ; and in the ear
there is the never-intermitting sound of the roar-
ing sea."
" JUGGERNAUT, June 18.
" I have returned home from witnessing a
scene which I shall never forget. At twelve o'clock
of this day, being the great day of the feast, the
Moloch of Hindostan was brought out of his tem-
ple amidst the acclamations of hundreds of thou-
sands of his worshippers. When the idol was placed
on his throne a shout was raised by the multitude,
such as I had never heard before. It continued
equable for a few minutes, and then gradually died
away. After a short interval of silence a murmur
was heard at a distance ; all eyes were turned to-
wards the place, and, behold, a grove advancing !
A body of men, having green branches or palms
in their hands, approached with great celerity. The
people opened a way for them ; and when they had
come up to the throne they fell down before him
that sat thereon and worshipped. And the multi-
tude again sent forth a voice ' like the sound of a
great thunder.' But the voices I now heard were
not those of melody, or of joyful acclamation ; for
there is no harmony in the praise of Moloch's woi'-
shippers. Their number indeed brought to my mind
the countless multitude of the Revelations ; but
their voices gave no tuneful hosannah or hallelujah ;
270 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
but rather a yell of approbation, united with a kind
of liissing applause.* I was at a loss how to ac-
count for this latter noise, until I was directed to
notice the women, who emitted a sound like that
of whistling, with the lips circular and the tongue
vibrating : as if a serpent would speak by their or-
gans, uttering human sounds.
" The throne of the idol was placed on a stupen-
dous car or tower about sixty feet in height, rest-
ing on wheels which indented the ground deeply,
as they turned slowly under the ponderous ma-
chine. Attached to it were six cables, of the size
and length of a ship's cable, by which the people
drew it along. Upon the tower were the priests
and satellites of the idol surrounding his throne.
The idol is a block of wood, having a frightful
visage painted black, with a distended mouth of a
bloody color. His arms are of gold, and he is
dressed in gorgeous apparel. The other two idols
are of a white and yellow color. Five elephants
preceded the three towers, bearing towering flags,
dressed in crimson caparisons, and having bells
hanging to their caparisons, which sounded musi-
cally as they moved.
" I went on in the procession close by the tower
of Moloch, which, as it was drawn with difficulty,
' grated on its many wheels harsh thunder.'t After
* See Milton's Pandemonium, book x.
t Two of the military gentlemen had mounted my ele-
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 27]
a few minutes it stopped ; and now the worship of
the god began. A high priest mounted the car in
front of the idol, and pronounced his obscene stan-
zas in the ears of the people ; who responded at in-
tervals in the same strain. ' These songs,' said he,
' are the delight of the god. His car can only
move when he is pleased with the song.' The car
moved on a little way and then stopped. A boy of
about twelve years was then brought forth to at-
tempt something yet more lascivious, if peradven-
ture the god would move. The ' child perfected
the praise ' of his idol with such ardent expression
and gesture, that the god was pleased, and the
multitude, emitting a sensual yell of delight, urged
the car along. After a few minutes it stopped
again. An aged minister of the idol then stood
pliant that they might witness the spectacle, and had brought
him close to the tower ; but the moment it began to move,
the animal, alarmed at the unusual noise, took fright and
ran off through the crowd till he was stopped by a wall.
The natural fear of the elephant lest he should injure hu-
man life was remarkably exemplified on this occasion.
Though the crowd was very closely set, he endeavored in
the midst of his own terror to throw the people off on both
sides with his feet, and it was found that he had only trod
upon one person. It was with great concern I afterwards
learnt that this was a poor woman, and that flie fleshy part
of her leg had been torn off. There being no medical per-
son here, Lieut. Woodcock with great humanity endeavored
to dress the wound, and attended her daily ; and Mr. Hun-
ter ordered her to be supplied with every thing that might
conduce to her recovery.
272 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
up, and with a long rod in his hand, which he mov-
ed with indecent action, completed the variety of
this disgusting exhibition. I felt a consciousness
of doing wrong iu witnessing it. I was also some-
what appalled at the magnitude and horror of the
spectacle ; I felt like a guilty person on whom all
eyes were fixed, and I was about to withdraw.
But a scene of a different kind was now to be pre-
sented. The characteristics of Moloch's worship
are obscenity and blood. We have seen the former ;
now comes the blood.
" After the tower had proceeded some way, a
pilgrim announced that he was ready to offer him-
self a sacrifice to the idol. He laid himself down
in the road before the tower as it was moving
along, lying on his face, with his arms stretched
forwards. The multitude passed round him, leav-
ing the space clear, and he was crushed to death
by the wheels of the tower. A shout of joy was
raised to the god. He is said to smile when the
libation of the blood is made. The people threw
cowries, or small money, on the body of the vic-
tim, in approbation of the deed. He was left to
view a considerable time, and then carried by the
Hurries to the Golgotha, where I have just been
viewing his remains. How much I wished that the
proprietors of India stock could have attended the
wheels of Juggernaut and seen this peculiar source
of their revenue."
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 273
" JUGGERNAUT, June 20,
" Moloch, horrid king, besmeared with blood
Of human sacrifice, and parents' tears,"
MILTON.
" The horrid solemnities still continue. Yes-
terday a woman devoted herself to the idol. She laid
herself down on the road in an oblique direction,
so that the wheel did not kill her instantaneously,
as is generally the case, but she died in a few
hours. This morning as I passed the place of skulls
nothing remained of her but her bones.
" And this, thought I, is the worship of the Brah-
mins of Hindostan ! And their worship in its
sublimest degree ! What then shall we think of
their private manners and their moral principles !
For it is equally true of India as of Europe. If you
would know the state of the people, look at the
state of the temple.
" I was surprised to see the Brahmins, with their
heads uncovered in the open plain, falling down in
the midst of the Sooders before ' the horrid shape,'
and mingling so complacently with ' that polluted
cast.' But this proved what I had before heard,
that so great a god is this that the dignity of high
cast disappears before him. This great king recog-
nizes no distinction of rank among his subjects.
All men are equal in his presence."
liucluioaii. 18
274 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" JUGGERNAUT, June 21:
" The idolatrous processions continue for some
days longer, but ray spirits are so exhausted by the
constant view of these enormities, that I mean to
hasten away from this place sooner than I at first
intended. I beheld another distressing scene this
morning at the place of skulls ; a poor woman ly-
ing dead, or nearly dead, and her two children by
her looking at the dogs and vultures which were
near. The people passed by without noticing the
children. I asked them where was their home.
They said c they had no home but where their mo-
ther was.' O, there is no pity at Juggernaut ! no
mercy, no tenderness of heart in Moloch's king-
dom ! Those who support Ms kingdom err, I trust,
from ignorance. * They know not what they do;*
" As to the number of worshippers assembled
here at this time no accurate calculation can be
made. The natives themselves, when speaking of
numbers at particular festivals, usually say that a
lack of people (100,000) would not be missed. I
asked a Brahmin how many he supposed were pre-
sent at the most numerous festival he had ever wit-
nessed. ' How can I tell,' said he, ' how many
grains there are in a handful of sand ]'
" The languages spoken here are various, as
there are Hindoos from every country in India, but
the two chief languages in use by those who ara
rosidont are the Orissa and the Telinga. The bor-
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 275
der of the Telinga country is only a few miles dis
tant from the tower of Juggernaut."
" CHILKA LAKE, June 24.
" I felt my mind relieved and happy when
I had passed beyond the confines of Juggernaut. I
certainly was not prepared for the scene. But no
one can know what it is who has not seen it. From
an eminence on the pleasant banks of the Chilka
Lake (where no human bones are seen) I had a
view of the lofty tower of Juggernuut far remote ;
and while I viewed it, its abominations came to
mind. It was on the morning of the Sabbath. Ru-
minating long on the wide and extended empire
of Moloch in the heathen world, I cherished in my
thoughts the design of some Christian institution,
which, being fostered by Britain, my Christian coun-
try, might gradually undermine this baleful idola-
try, and put out the memory of it for ever."*
" Before proceeding to show the happy effects
of Christianity in those provinces of India where it
* The annual expenses of the idol Juggernaut, presented
to the English government, are, by the official accounts,
69,616 rupees, or 8,702 pounds sterling; including 36,115
rupees for expense of the table of the idol, and 10,057 for
wages of his servants, among whom are the courtezans
kept for the service of the temple. Mr. Hunter informed
me that the three " state carriages " were decorated this
year (in June, 1806) with upwards of 200 pounds sterling
worth of English broadcloth and baize.
276 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
has been introduced, it may be proper," says Dr.
Buchanan in his narrative, " to notice in this place
that other sanguinary rite of the Hindoo supersti-
tion, the Female Sacrifice."
He proceeds to present in detail a statement of
" the number of women burned alive on the fune-
ral pile of their husbands within thirty miles round
Calcutta in six months, from " April 15 to October
15, 1804," the total of which is " one hundred and
fifteen. The following account," he adds, " will
give the reader some idea of the flagitious circum-
stances which sometimes attend these sacrifices :
" CALCDTTA, September 30, 1807.
" A horrid tragedy was acted on the 12th instant,
near Barnagore (a place about three miles above
Calcutta.) A Koolin Brahmin, of Cammar-hattie,
by name Kristo Deb Mookerjee, died at the ad-
vanced age of ninety-two. He had twelve wives*
and three of them were burned alive with his dead
body. Of these three, one was a venerable lady,
having white locks, who had been long known in
O ' O
the neighborhood. Not being able to walk, she
was carried in a palanquin to the place of burning,
and was then placed by the Brahmins on the fune-
ral pile. The two other ladies were younger; one
* The Koolin Brahmin is the purest of all Brahmins, and
is privileged to marry as many wives as he pleases.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 277
of them of a very pleasing and interesting counte-
nance. The old lady was placed on one side of the
dead husband, and the two other wives laid them-
selves down on the other side ; and then an old
Brahmin, the eldest son of the deceased, applied
his torch to the pile with unaverted face ! The
pile suddenly blazed, for it was covered with com-
bustibles ; and this human sacrifice was completed
amidst the din of drums and cymbals, and the
shouts of Brahmins. A person present observed,
1 Surely if Lord Minto were here, who is just come
from England, and is not used to see women burn-
ed alive, he would have saved these three ladies.
The Mohammedan governors saved whom they
pleased, and suffered no deluded female to commit
suicide without previous investigation of the cir-
cumstances and official permission.
" In a discussion which this event has produced
in Calcutta, the following question has been asked,
WHO WAS GUILTY OF THE BLOOD OP THE OLD LADY ?
For it was manifest that she could not destroy her-
self. She was carried to be burned. It was also al-
leged that the Brahmin who fired the pile was not
guilty, because he was never informed by the Eng-
lish government that there was any immorality in
the action. On the contrary, he might argue that
the English witnessing this scene daily, as they do,
without remonstrance, acquiesced in its propriety.
The government of India was exculpated, on the
278 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
ground that the government at home never sent
any instructions on the subject ; and the Court of
Directors were exculpated because they were the
agents of others. It remained that the proprietors
of India stocks, who originate and sanction all pro-
ceedings of the Court of Directors, were remotely
accessary to the deed.
" The best vindication of the great body of pro-
prietors is this : that some of them never heard of
the female sacrifice at all ; and that few of them are
acquainted with the full extent and frequency of
the crime. Besides, in the above discussion it was
taken for granted that the Court of Directors had
done nothing towards the suppression of this enor-
mity ; and that the Court of Proprietors have
looked on without concern at this omission of
duty. But this, perhaps, may not be the case. The
question then remains to be asked, Have the Court
of Directors, at anytime, sent instructions to their
government in India to report on the means by
which the frequency of the female sacrifice might
be diminished, and the practice itself eventually
abolished 1 Or have tlie 'proprietors of India stock,
at any time, instructed tlie Coiirt of Directors to at-
tend to a point of so mucli consequence to tlie charac-
ter of the Company and the honor of the nation ?
" That the abolition is practicable has been de-
monstrated, and that too by the most rational and
lenient measures ; and these means have been point-
ed out by the Brahmins themselves.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 279
" Had Marquis Wellesley remained in India, and
been permitted to complete his salutary plans for
the improvement of that distant empire, (for he did
not finish one half of the civil and political regula-
tions which he had in view, and had actually com-
menced,) the female sacrifice would probably have
been by this time nearly abolished. The humanity
and intrepid spirit of that nobleman abolished a yet
more criminal practice, which was considered by
the Hindoos as a religious rite, and consecrated by
custom, I mean the SACRIFICE OF CHILDREN. His
lordship had been informed that, it had been a cus-
tom of the Hindoos to sacrifice children, in conse-
quence of vows, by drowning them, or exposing
them to sharks and crocodiles ; and that twenty-
three persons had perished at Saugor in one month,
(January, 1801,) many of whom were sacrificed in
this manner. He immediately instituted an in-
quiry into the principle of this ancient atrocity,
heard what natives and Europeans had to say on
the subject, and then passed a law, ' declaring the
practice to be murder, punishable by death.' The
law is entitled ' A Regulation for preventing the
Sacrifice of Children at Saugor and other places,
passed by the Governor General in Council on the
20th of August, 1802.' The purpose of this regu-
lation was completely effected. Not a murmur
was heard on the subject, nor has any attempt of
the kind come to our knowledge since. It is im-
280 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
possible to calculate the number of human lives
that have been saved by this humane law of Mar-
quis Wellesley. Now it is well known that it is as
easy to prevent the sacrifice of women as the sa-
crifice of children. Has this fact ever been denied
by any man who is competent to offer a judgment
on the subject 1 Until the supreme government in
Bengal shall declare that it is utterly impracticable
to lessen the frequency of the immolation of fe-
males by any means, THE AUTHOR WILL NOT CEASE
TO CALL THE ATTENTION OF THE ENGLISH NATION
TO THIS SUBJECT."*
CHAPTER VIII.
Christian Researches Tanjore Ceylon,
Dr. Buchanan proceeding towards Madras, was
seized with a partial relapse of fever ; but being
restored by the blessing of providence on the kind
attentions of the natives into whose hands he had
* It is gratifying to add, that laws have since been enact-
ed prohibiting female sacrifice in British India, though it
continues in other parts of India with scarcely diminished
frequency.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 281
fallen, he arrived at that city, and the capital of that
presidency, on the 31st of July. He then proceeded
to Tranquebar, where he dates from Ziegenbalg's
church, August 25th. Of his visit to this spot, con-
secrated by the memory of the first Christian mis-
sionaries to India, and of his subsequent arrival and
discoveries at Tanjore, he has given, in his t{ Re-
searches," the following narrative :
et The first protestant mission in India was
founded by Bartholomew Ziegenbalg, a man of
erudition and piety, educated at the university of
Halle, in Germany. He was ordained by the learn-
ed Burmannus, bishop of Zealand, in his twenty-
third year, and sailed for India in 1705. In the se-
cond year of his ministry he founded a Christian
church among the Hindoos, which has been ex-
tending its limits to the present time. In 1714 he
returned to Europe for a short time, and on that
occasion was honored with an audience by his ma-
jesty George I. who took much interest in the suc-
cess of the mission. He was also patronized by the
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, which
was superintended by men of distinguished learn-
ing and piety. The king and the Society encou-
raged the oriental missionary to proceed in his
translation of the Scriptures into the Tamul tongue,
which they designated ' the grand work.' This was
indeed THE GRAND WORK ; for wherever the Scrip-
282 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
tures are translated into the vernacular tongue, and
are open and common to all, inviting inquiry and
causing discussion, they cannot remain ' a dead let-
ter.' When the Scriptures speak to a heathen in
his own tongue, his conscience responds, ' This is
the word of God.' How little is the importance of
a version of the Bible into a new language under-
stood by some ! The man who produces a transla-
tion of the Bible into a new language, (like Wick-
liff, and Luther, and Ziegenbalg, and Carey,) is a
greater benefactor to mankind than the prince -who
founds an empire. For the ' incorruptible seed of
the word of God ' can never die. After ages have
revolved, it is still producing new accessions to
truth and human happiness.
" In the year 1719 Ziegenbalg completed the
Bible in the Tamul tongue, having devoted four-
teen years to the work, and the same year entered
into his rest. After he had finished his course, he
was followed by other learned and zealous men,
upwards of fifty in number in the period of an hun-
dred years, among whom were Schultz, laenicke,
Gericke, and Swartz, whose ministry has been
continued in succession in different provinces unto
this time. The following are extracts from the jour-
nal of the author's tour through these provinces :
" TRANQUGBAR, Aug. 25, 1S06.
" Tranquebar was the first scene of the protest-
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 283
ant mission in India. There are at present three
missionaries here superintending the Hindoo con-
gregations. Yesterday I visited the church built by
ZIEGENBALG. His body lies on one side of the al-
tar, and that of his fellow-missionary, GUTJNDLER,
on the other. Above are the epitaphs of both, writ-
ten in Latin and engraved on plates of brass. The
church was consecrated in 1713, and Ziegenbalg
and his companion died in two years after. They
laid the foundation for evangelizing India, and then
departed, ' having finished the work which was
given them to do.' I saw also the dwelling-house
of Ziegenbalg, in the lower apartment of which
the registers of the church are still kept. In these
I found the name of the first heathen convert re-
ceived by him, and recorded in his own hand-writ-
ing in the year 1707.
" In Ziegenbalg's church, and from the pulpit
where he stood, I first heard the Gospel preached
to a congregation of Hindoos in their own tongue.
The missionaries told me that religion had suffered
much in Tranquebar of late years from European
infidelity. French principles had corrupted the
Danes, and rendered them indifferent to their own
religion, and therefore hostile to the conversion
of the Hindoos. ' Religion,' said they, ' flourishes
more among the natives of Tanjore and in other
provinces where there are few Europeans, than
here or at Madras ; for we find that European ex-
284 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
ample in the large towns is the bane of Christian
instruction.'
" One instance of hostility to the mission they
mentioned as having occurred only a few weeks
before my arrival. On the 9th of July, 1756, the
native Christians at Tranquebar celebrated a jubilee,
in commemoration of the fiftieth year since the
Christian ministers brought the Bible from Europe.
The present year, 1806, being the second fiftieth,
preparations were made at Tranquebar for the se-
cond jubilee on the 9th of last month ; but the
French principles preponderating in the govern-
ment, they would not give it any public support ;
in consequence of which it was not observed with
that solemnity which was intended. But in other
places, where there were few Europeans, it was
celebrated by the native Christians with enthusiasm
and every demonstration of joy. When I expressed
my astonishment at this hostility, the aged mis-
sionary, Dr. John, said, ' I have always remarked
that the disciples of Voltaire are the true enemies
of missions, and that the enemies of missions are,
in general, the disciples of Voltaire.' "
" TANJORE, Aug. 30, 180G.
" On my entering this province I stopped an
hour at a village near the road ; and there I first
heard the name of SAVARTZ pronounced by a Hin-
doo. When I arrived at the capital I waited on
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 285
Major Blackburne, the British resident at the court
of Tanjore, who informed me that the rajah had
appointed the next day at 12 o'clock to receive my
visit. On the same day I went to Swartz's gar-
den, close to the Christian village, where the Hev.
Mr. Kohloff resides. Mr. .Kohloff is the worthy
successor of Mr. Swartz ; and with him I found
the Rev. Dr. John and Mr. Horst, two other mis-
sionaries who were on a visit to Mr. Kohloff.
" Next day I visited the rajah of Tanjore, in
company with Major Blackburne. When the first
ceremonial was over, the rajah conducted us to the
grand saloon, which was adorned by the portraits
of his ancestors ; and immediately led me up to the
portrait of Mr. Swartz. He then discoursed for a
considerable time concerning that ' good man,'
whom he ever revered as ' his father and guardian.'
The rajah speaks and writes English very intelli-
gibly. I smiled to see Swartz's picture among
these Hindoo kings, and thought with myself that
there are many who would think such a combina-
tion scarcely possible. I then addressed the rajah,
and thanked him, in the name of the church of
England, for his kindness to the late Mr. Swartz,
and to his successors, and particularly for his re-
cent acts of benevolence to the Christians residing
within his provinces. The missionaries had just
informed me that the rajah had erected ' a college
for Hindoos, Mohammedans, and Christians ;' in
286 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
which provision was made for the instruction of
' ^ fifty Christian children.' His highness is very de-
sirous that I should visit this college, which is only
about sixteen miles from the capital. Having heard
of the fame of the ancient Shanscrit, and Mahratta
library of the kings of Tanjore, I requested his
highness would present a catalogue of its volumes
to the college of Fort William ; which he was
pleased to do. It is voluminous, and written in
the Mahratta character ; for that is the proper lan-
guage of the Tanjore court.
" In the evening I dined with the resident, and
the rajah sent his band of music, consisting of eight
or more vinas, with other instruments. The vina,
or been, is the ancient instrument which Sir Wil
liam Jones has described in his interesting descant
on the musical science of the Hindoos, in the Asi-
atic Researches, and the sight of which, he says ;
he found it so difficult to obtain in northern India.
The band played the English air of c God save the
King,' set to Mahratta words, and applied to the
Maha Rajah, or great king of Tanjore. Two of
the missionaries dined at the resident's house, to-
gether with some English officers. Mr. Kohloff
informed me that Major Blackburne has promoted
the interests of the mission by every means in his
power. Major Blackburne is a man of superior
attainments, amiable manners, and a hospitable dis-
position ; and is well qualified for the important
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 287
station he has long held as English resident at this
court.
" On the day following I went to view the Hin-
doo temples, and saw the great black butt of Tan-
jore. It is said to be of one stone hewn out of a
rock of granite, and so large that the temple was
built around it. While I surveyed it I reflected on
the multitude of natives, who, during the last hun-
dred years, had turned away their eyes from this
idol. When I returned I sat some hours with the
missionaries, conversing on the general state of
Christianity in the provinces of Tanjore, Tritchino-
poly, Madura, and Palamcottah. They want help.
Their vineyard is increased, and their laborers are
decreased. They have had no supply from Germa-
ny in the room of Swartz, Isenicke, and Gericke ;
and they have no prospect of further supply, except
from the Society for Promoting Christian Know-
ledge ; who, they hope, will be able to send out
English preachers to perpetuate the mission."
" TANJORE, Sept. 2, 1806.
" Last Sunday and Monday were interesting
days to me at Tanjore. It being rumored that a
friend of the late Mr. Swartz had arrived, the peo-
ple assembled from all quarters. On Sunday three
sermons were preached in three different langua-
ges. At eight o'clock we proceeded to the church
built by Mr. Swartz within the fort. From Mr
2S8 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
Swartz's pulpit I preached in English from Mark
13 : 10, ' And the Gospel must first be published
among all nations.' The English gentlemen here
attended, civil and military, with the missionaries,
catechists, and British soldiers. After this service
was ended, the congregation of Hindoos assembled
in the same church and filled the aisles and porch-
es. The Tamul service commenced with some
forms of prayer, in which all the congregation
joined with loud fervor. A chapter of the Bible
was then read, and a hymn of Luther's sung. After
a short extempore prayer, during which the whole
congregation knelt on the floor, the Rev. Dr. John
delivered an animated discourse in the Tamul
tongue, from these words, ' Jesus stood and cried,
saying, if any man thirst, let him come to me and
drink.' As Mr. Whitefield, on his first going to
Scotland, was surprised at the rustling of the leaves
of the Bible, which took place immediately on his
. pronouncing his text, (so different from any thing
he had seen in his own country,) so I was surpris-
ed here at the sound of the iron pen engraving
the palmyra leaf. Many persons had their alias in
their ha,nds writing the sermon in Tamul short-
hand. Mr. Kohloff assured me that some of the
elder students and catechists will not lose a word
of the preacher if he speak deliberately.* This,
* It is well known that natives of Tanjore and Tra-
vancore can write fluently what is spoken deliberately.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 289
thought I, is more than some of the students at our
English universities can do. This aptitude of the
people to record the words of the preacher ren-
ders it peculiarly necessary ' that the priest's lips
should keep knowledge.' An old rule of the mis-
sion is, that the sermon of the morning should be
read to the schools in the evening, by the catechist,
from his palmyra leaf.
" Another custom obtains among them which
pleased me much. In the midst of the discourse
the preacher sometimes puts a question to the con-
gregation, who answer it without hesitation, in one
voice. The object is to keep their attention awake,
and the minister generally prompts the answer him-
self. Thus, suppose that he is saying, ' My dear
brethren, it is true that your profession of the faith
of Christ is attended with some reproach, and that
you have lost your cast with the Brahmins. But
your case is not peculiar. The man of the world is
the man of cast in Europe, and he despises the
humble and devout disciple of Christ, even as your
Brahmin contemns the Sooder. But, thus it hath
been from the beginning. Every faithful Christian
must lose cast for the Gospel ; even as Christ him-
self, the Forerunner, made himself of no reputa-
tion, and was despised and rejected of men. In
like manner you will be despised ; but be of good
They do not look much at their ollas while writing. The.
fibre of the leaf guides the pen.
1 Q
Buchanan. A
290 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
cheer, and say, though we have lost our cast and in-
heritance amongst men, we shall receive in heaven
a new name and a better inheritance through Jesus
Christ our Lord. He then adds, * What, my be-
loved brethren, shall you obtain in heaven ]' They
answer, ' A new name and a better inheritance,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.' It is impossible
for a stranger not to be affected with this scene.
This custom is deduced from Ziegenbalg, who
proved its use by long experience.
" After the sermon was ended I returned with
the missionaries into the vestry or library of the
church. Hei'e I was introduced to the elders and
catechists of the congregation. Among others came
Sattianaden, the Hindoo preacher, one of whose
sermons was published in England some years ago
by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
He is now advanced in years, and his black locks
have grown gray. As I returned from the church
I saw the Christian families going back in crowds
to the country, and the boys looking at their ollas.
What a contrast, thought I, is this to the scene at
Juggernaut ! Here there is becoming dress, hu-
mane affections, and rational discourse. I see here
no skulls, no self-torture, no self-murder, no dogs
and vultures tearing human flesh ! Here the chris-
tian virtues are found in exercise by the feeble-
minded Hindoo, in a vigor and purity which will
surprise those who have never known the native
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 291
character but under the greatest disadvantages, as
in Bengal. It certainly surprised myself, and when
I reflected on the moral conduct, upright dealing,
and decorous manners of the native Christians of
Tanjore, I found in my breast a new evidence of
the peculiar excellence and benign influence of
the Christian faith.
" At four o'clock in the afternoon we attended
divine service at the chapel in the mission garden
out of the fort. The Rev. Mr. Horst preached in
the Portuguese language. The organ here accom-
panied the voice in singing. I sat on a granite
stone which covered the grave of Swartz. The
epitaph is in English verse, written by the present
rajah, and signed by him, ' Serfogee.' In the even-
ing Mr. Kohloff presided in the exercise in the
schools, on which occasion the Tamul sermon was
repeated, and the boys' ollas examined.
" In consequence of my having expressed a
wish to hear Sattianaden preach, Mr. Kohloff had
given notice that there would be divine service
next day, Monday. Accordingly the chapel in
Swartz's garden was crowded at an early hour.
Sattianaden delivered his discourse in the Tamul
language, with much natural eloquence, and with
visible effect. His subject was the e marvellous
light.' He first described the pagan darkness, then
the light of Ziegenbalg, then the light of Swartz,
and then the heavenly light, f when there shall be
292 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
no more need of the light of the sun, or of the
moon.' In quoting a passage from Scripture, he
desired a lower minister to read it, listening to it
as to a record ; and then proceeded to the illustra-
tion. The responses by the audience were more
frequently called for than in the former sermon.
He concluded with praying fervently for the church
of England. After the sermon I went up to Sattiana-
den, and the old Christians who had known Swartz
came around us. They were anxious to hear some-
thing of the progress of Christianity in the north of j
India. They said they had heard good news from
Bengal. I told them that the news was good, but
that Bengal was exactly a hundred years behind
Tanjore.
I have had long conversations with the mission-
aries relating to the present circumstances of the
Tanjore mission. It is in a languishing state at this
moment, in consequence of the war on the conti-
nent of Europe. Two of its sources have dried up,
the royal college at Copenhagen, and the Orphan
house at Halle, in Germany. Their remaining re-
source from Europe is the stipend of the Society
for Promoting Christian Knowledge ; whom they
never mention but with emotions of gratitude and
affection. But this supply is by no means commen-
surate with the increasing number of their churches
and schools. The chief support of the mission is
derived from itself. Mr. Swartz had in his life-time
If
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 293
acquired a considerable property, through the kind-
ness of the English government and of the native
princes. "When he was dying, he said, ' Let the
cause of Christ be my heir.' When his colleague,
the pious Gericke, was departing, he also bequeath-
ed his property to the mission. And now Mr. Kohl-
off gives from his private funds an annual sum ;
not that he can well afford it; but the mission is
so extended that he gives it, he told me, to pre-
serve the new and remote congregations in exist-
ence. He stated that there were upwards of ten
thousand protestant Christians belonging to the
Tanjore and Tinavelly districts alone, who had
not among them one complete copy of the
Bible ; and that not one Christian perhaps in a
hundred had a New Testament ; and yet there are
some copies of the Tamul Scriptures still to be sold
at Tranquebar ; but the poor natives cannot afford
to purchase them. When I mentioned the designs
of the Bible Society in England, they received the
tidings with very sensible emotions of thankfulness.
Mr. Horst said, ' If only every tenth person were
to obtain a copy of the Scriptures, it would be an
event long to be remembered in Tanjore.' They
lamented much that they were destitute of the, aid
of a printing-'press, and represented to me that the
progress of Christianity had been materially retard-
ed of late years by the want of that important aux-
iliary. They have petitioned the Society for Pro-
294 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
moting Christian Knowledge to send them one.
They justly observed, If you can no longer send ua
missionaries to preach the Gospel, send us the means
of printing the Gospel. The Tranquebar mission
and the Madras mission have both possessed print-
ing-presses for a long period ; by the means of
which they have been extensively useful in distri-
buting the Scriptures and religious publications in
several languages. The mission press at Tranque-
bar was established by Ziegenbalg. From this
press, in conjunction with that at Halle, in Germa-
ny, have proceeded volumes in Arabic, Syriac,
Hindostanee, Tamul, Telinga, Portuguese, Danish,
and English. I have in my possession the Psalms
of David in the Hindostanee language, printed in
the Arabic character ; and the History of Christ in
Syriac, intended probably for the Syro-Romish
Christians on the sea-coast of Travancore, whom a
Danish missionary once visited both of which vo-
lumes were edited by the missionaries of Tranque-
bar. There is also in Swartz's library at Tanjore
a grammar of the Hindostanee language in quarto,
published at the same press ; an important fact
which was not known at the college of Fort Wil-
liam when Professor Gilchrist commenced his use-
ful labors in that language."
" Tanjore, September 3, 1806.
" Before I left the capital of Tanjore the rajah
HRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 295
was pleased to honor me with a second audience.
On this occasion he presented to me a very strik-
ing likeness, painted by a Hindoo artist at the Tan-
jore court. The missionary Dr. John accompanied
me to the palace. The rajah received him with
much kindness, and presented to him a piece of
gold cloth. Of the resident missionary Mr. Kohloff,
whom the rajah sees frequently, he spoke to me in
terms of high approbation. This cannot be very
agreeable to the Brahmins ; but the rajah, though he
yet professes the Brahminical religion, is no longer
obedient to the dictates of the Brahmins, and they
are compelled to admit his superior attainments in
knowledge. I passed the chief part of this morn,-
ing in looking over Mr. Swartz's manuscripts and
books : and when I was coming away Mr. Kohloff
presented to me a Hebrew Psalter, which had been
Mr. Swartz's companion for fifty years ; also a brass
lamp which he had got first when a student at the
college of Halle, and had used in his lucubrations
to the time of his death ; for Mr. Swartz seldom
preached to tlie, natives ivitlwut 'previous study. I
thought I saw the image of Swartz in his successor.
Mr. Kohloff is a man of great simplicity of man-
ners, of meek deportment, of ardent zeal in the
cause of revealed religion and of humanity. He
walked with me through the Christian village close
to his house ; and I was much pleased to see the
affectionate respect of the people towards him ; the
296 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
young people of both sexes coming forward from
the doors, on both sides, to salute him and receive
his benediction."
" September 4, 1806.
" Leaving Tanjore, I passed through the woodu
inhabited by the collaries (or thieves) now human-
ized by Christianity. When they understood who
I was, they followed me on the road, stating their
destitute condition in regard to religious instruc-
tion. They were clamorous for Bibles. They sup-
plicated for teachers. '"We don't want bread or mo-
ney from you,' said they, ' but we want the word
of God.' Now, thought 1, whose duty is it to attend
to the moral wants of this people 1 Is it that of the
English nation, or of some other nation 1"
" TRITCHINOPOLY, September 5.
" The first church built by Swartz is at this place.
It is called Christ's church, and is a large building,
capable of containing perhaps two thousand peo-
ple. The aged missionary, the Rev. Mr. Pohle,
presides over this church, and over the native con-
gregations at this place. Christianity flourishes ; but
I found that here, as at other places, there is a
' famine of Bibles.' The jubilee was celebrated on
the 9th of July, being the hundredth year from the
arrival of the messengers of the Gospel. On this
occasion their venerable pastor preached from
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 297
Matt. 28 : 19 ; ' Go ye therefore, and teach all na-
tions, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' At this
station there are about a thousand English troops.
Mr. Pohle being a German, does not speak Eng-
lish very well ; but he is reverenced for his piety
by the English ; and both officers and men are
glad to hear the religion of tlicir country preached in
any icay. On a Sunday morning I preached in
Christ's church to a full assembly, from these
words, ' For we have seen his star in the East, and
aj;e come to worship him.' Indeed what I had
seen in these provinces rendered this text the most
appropriate I could select. Next day some of the
English soldiers came to me, desiring to know
how they might procure Bibles. ' It is a delight-
ful thing,' said one of them, ' to hear our own reli-
gion preached by our own countryman.' I am in-
formed that there are at this time above twenty
English regiments in India, and not one of them
has a chaplain. The men live without religion,
and then they bury each other. O England, Eng-
land, it is not for thine own goodness that provi-
dence give tli thee the treasures of India !
" I proceed hence to visit the Christian churches
in the provinces of Madura and Tinavelly."
" The friends of Christianity in India have had
it in their power to afford some aid to the Christian
298 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
churches in Tanjore. On the 1st of January of the
present year (1S10) the Rev. Mr. Brown preached
a sermon at Calcutta, in which he represented the
petition of the Hindoos for Bibles. A plain state-
ment of the fact was sufficient to open the hearts of
the public. A subscription was immediately set
on foot, and Lieut. General Hewitt, commander in
chief, then deputy governor in Bengal, subscribed
66250. The chief officers of government and the
principal inhabitants of Calcutta raised the sub-
scription in a few days to the sum of 61000 ster-
ling. Instructions were sent to Mr. Kohloff to
buy up all the copies of the Tamul Scriptures, to
distribute them at a small price amongst the na-
tives, and to order a new edition to be printed off
without loss of time."
On the 14th of September at Madura, where
Dr. Buchanan lt passed three days among its ruins
and antiquities," and which he says is " a fine sta-
tion for the Gospel," he addressed a letter to Mr.
Grant, chiefly occupied with the state of missions
supported by the Society for Promoting Christian
Knowledge, which he had visited. Passing through
Ramnad Pooram, he then visited the island of
Ramisseram, " the Juggernaut of the south," and
from thence crossed to Ceylon. His notices of that
island embrace passages of his journal, written at
Columbo, eighteen months latei', as he was return-
ing from Calcutta to England.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 299
" JAFFNA-PATAM, in Ceylon, Sept. 27, 1806.
" From the Hindoo temple of Ramisseram I
crossed over to Ceylon, keeping close to Adam's
bridge. I was surprised to find that all the boatmen
were Christians of Ceylon. I asked the helmsman
what religion the English professed who now gov-
erned the island. He said he could not tell, only
that they were not of the Portuguese or Dutch re-
ligion. I was not so much surprised at his igno-
rance afterwards as I was at the time.
" I have had the pleasure to meet here with
Alexander Johnstone, Esq. of the supreme court
of judicature, who is on the circuit ; a man of large
and liberal views, the friend of learning and of
Christianity. He is well acquainted with the lan-
guage of the country and with the history of the
island ; and his professional pursuits afford him a
particular knowledge of its present state ; so that
his communications are truly valuable. It will be
scarcely believed in England that there are here
protestant churches under the king's government
which are without ministers.
" In the time of Baldasus, the Dutch preacher
and historian, there were tliirty-two Christian church-
es in the province of Jaffna alone. At this time
there is not one protestant European minister in
the whole province. I ought to except Mr. Palm,
a solitary missionary, who has been sent out by the
London Society, and receives some stipend from
300 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.-
the British government. I visited Mr. Palm at his
residence a few miles from the town of Jaffna. He
is prosecuting the study of the Tamul language ;
for that is the language .of this part of Ceylon, from
its proximity to the Tamul continent. Mrs. Palm
has made as great progress in the language as her
husband, and is extremely active in the instruction
of the native women and children. I asked her if
she had no wish to return to Europe, after living
so long among the uncivilized Cingalese. ' No,'
she said ; ' she was all the day long happy in the
communication of knowledge.' Mr. Palm has taken
possession of the old protestant church of Tilli-
pally. By reference to the history, I found it was
the church in which Baldseus himself preached (as
he himself mentions) to a congregation of two
thousand natives; for a view of the church is given
in his work.
" Most of those handsome churches, of which
views are given in the plates of Baldaeus's history,
are now in ruins. Even in the town and fort of
Jaffna, where there is a spacious edifice for divine
worship, and a respectable society of English and
Dutch inhabitants, no clergyman has yet been ap-
pointed. The only protestant pi'eacher in the town
of Jaffna is Christian David, a Hindoo catechist
sent over by the mission of Tranquebar. His chief
ministrations are in the Tamul tongue ; but he
sometimes preaches in the English language, which
. CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 301 i
he speaks with tolerable propriety, and the Dutch
and English resort to him. I went with the rest to
his church ; when he delivered extempore a very
excellent discourse, which his present majesty
George III. would not have disdained to hear. And
O
this Hindoo supports the interests of the English
church in the province of Jaffna. The Dutch mi- .
Bisters who formerly officiated here have gone to
JP&atavia or to Europe. The whole district is now
inr the hands of the Romish priests from the college
<}f Goa, who, perceiving the indifference of the
English nation to their own religion, have assumed
quiet and undisturbed possession of the land. And
the English government, justly preferring the Ro-
mish superstition to the worship of the idol Boodha,
thinks it right to countenance the catholic religion
in Ceylon. But whenever our church shall direct
her attention to the promotion of Christianity in
the East, I know of no place which is more worthy
of her labor than the old protestant vineyard of
Jaffna-patam, The Scriptures are already prepared
in the Tamul language. The language of the rest
O < i CJ O
of Ceylon is the Cingalese or Ceylonese."
" COLOMBO, in Ceylon, March 10, 1808.
" I find that the south part of the island is
in much the same state as the north, in regard to
Christian instruction. There are but two English
O
clergymen in the whole island. ' What wonder,'
302 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
said a Romish priest to me, e that your nation
should be so little interested about the conversion
of the pagans to Christianity, when it does not even
give teachers to its own subjects who are already
Christians ?' I was not surprised to hear that great
numbers of the Protestants every year go back to
idolatry. Being destitute of a head to take cogni-
zance of their state, they apostatize to Boodha, as
the Israelites turned to Baal and Ashteroth. It ;s
perhaps true that the religion of Christ has nevorj
been so disgraced in any age of the church as it
has been lately by our official neglect of the pro-
testant church in Ceylon.
" In returning from the country I passed through
the groves of Cinnamon, which extend nearly a
mile in length. Ceylon is believed by some of the
Easterns, both Mohammedans and Hindoos, to have
been the residence of the first man, (for the Hin-
doos have a first man and a garden of Eden as
well as the Christians,) because it abounds in ' trees
pleasant to the eyes and good for food,' and is
famous for its rare metals and precious stones.
' There is gold, bdellium, and the onyx-stone.'
The rocky bridge which connects this happy island
with the main land is called Adam's Bridge ; the
lofty mountain in the middle of the island, every
where visible, is called Adam's Peak ; and there
is a sepulchre of immense length which they call
Abel's Tomb. All these names were given many
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 303
ages before the introduction of Christianity from
Europe. The cinnamon trees love a sandy soil.
The surface of the ground appeared to be entirely
sand. I thought it wonderful that the most valua-
ble of all trees should, grow in luxuriance in such
an arid soil without human culture. I compared
them in my rnind to the Ceylon Christians in their
present state, who are left to flourish by themselves
under the blessing of heaven, without those exter-
nal and rational aids which have been divinely ap-
pointed to nourish the church of Christ."
" COLOMBO, March 11, 1808.
" I have conversed with intelligent persons on the
means of translating the Scriptures into the Cinga-
lese language. The whole of the New Testament
has been translated, but only three books of the
Old Testament. But even this portion has been
translated almost in vain, for there is no supply of
books for the use of the people. I reflected with as-
tonishment on the fact that there are, by my com-
putation, 500,000 natives in Ceylon professing Chris-
tianity, and that there should not be one complete
copy of the Holy Scriptures in the vernacular
tongue. Samuel Tolfry, Esq. head of a civil de-
partment in Columbo, is a good Cingalese scholar,
and is now engaged in compiling a Cingalese dic-
tionary. I proposed to him to undertake the com-
pletion of the Cingalese version, which is easily
304 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
practicable, as there are many learned Cingalese
Christians in Columbo. He professed himself ready
to engage in the work provided he should receive
the sanction of the government. I mentioned to
him a conversation I had had with General Mait-
land, and his favorable sentiments on the subject;
and added, that a correspondence would be imme-
diately commenced with him from Calcutta con-
cerning the work, and funds apportioned for the
execution of it. Alexander Johnstone, Esq. who is
now in Columbo, has furnished rne with his senti-
ments on the best means of reviving and maintain-
ing the protestant interest in Ceylon. Did his pro-
fessional avocations pei'mit, Mr. Johnstone is him-
self the fit person to superintend the translation
and printing of the Scriptures. It is a proof of the
interest which this gentleman takes in the progress
of Christian knowledge, that he has caused Bishop
Porteus' Evidences of Christianity to be translated
into the Cingalee tongue, for distribution among
the natives."
CHAPTER IX.
Syrian Christians in India.
Dr. Buchanan having returned from Ceylon to
the continent in October, 1S06, his " Christian Re-
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 305
searches " give the following highly interesting facts
respecting the numerous Syrian clmrcJies in India .
" The Syrian christians inhabit the interior of
Travancore and Malabar, in the south of India ; and
have been settled there from the early ages of
Christianity. The first notices of this ancient people
in recent times are to be found in the Portuguese
histories. When Vasco de Gama arrived at Cochin,
on the coast of Malabar, in the year 1503, he saw
the sceptre of the Christian king ; for the Syrian
christians had formerly regal power in Malay-ala.*
The name or title of their last king was Beliarte;
and he dying without issue, the dominion devolved
on the king of Cochin and Diamper.
" When the Portuguese arrived they were agree-
ably surprised to find upwards of a hundred Chris-
tian churches on the coast of Malabar. But when
they became acquainted with the purity and sim-
plicity of their worship they were offended. ' These
churches,' said the Portuguese, ' belong to the
pope.' ' Who is the pope V said the natives ; ' we
never heard of him.' The European priests were
* Malay-ala is the proper name for the whole country of
Travancore and Malabar, comprehending the territory be-
tween the mountains and the sea, from Cape Comorin to
Ca.pe Illi or Dill}'. The language of these extensive regions
is called Malayalim, and sometimes Malabar. We shalj
use the word Malabar, as being of easier pronunciation.
Bur.lianau. 20
306 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
yet more alarmed, when they found that these
Hindoo Christians maintained the order and disci-
pline of a regular church under episcopal jurisdic-
tion ; and that for thirteen hundred years past they
had enjoyed a succession of bishops appointed by
the patriarch of Antioch. ' We,' said they, ' are of
the true faith, whatever you from the west may be ;
for we come from the place where the followers
of Christ were first called Christians.'
" When the power of the Portuguese became
sufficient for their purpose, they invaded these
tranquil churches, seized some of the clergy, and
devoted them to the death of heretics. Then the
inhabitants heard for the first time that there was a
place called the inquisition ; and that its fires had
been lately lighted at Goa, near their own land.
But the Portuguese, finding that the people were
resolute in defending their ancient faith, began to
try more conciliatory measures. They seized the
Syrian bishop Mar Joseph and sent him prisoner
to Lisbon : and then convened a synod at one of the
Syrian churches called Diamper, near Cochin, at
which the Romish archbishop Menezes presided.
At this compulsoiy synod one hundred and fifty
of the Syrian clergy appeared. They were accused
of the following practices and opinions : ' That they
had married wives ; that they owned but tico sacra-
ments, baptism and tlie Lord's supper ; that they
neither invoiced saints, nor worshipped images, no?
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 307
believed in purgatory : and that they had no othei
orders or names of dignity in the church than bishop,
priest, and deacon.' These tenets they were called
on to abjure, or to suffer suspension from all church
benefices. It was also decreed that all the Syrian
books on ecclesiastical subjects that could be found
should be burned ; ' in order,' said the inquisitors,
' that no pretended apostolical monuments may re-
main?
" The churches on the sea-coast were thus com-
pelled to acknowledge the supremacy of the pope :
but they refused to pray in Latin, and insisted on
retaining their own language and liturgy. This
point they said they would only give up with their
lives. The pope compromised with them : Menezes
purged their liturgy of its errors : and they retain
their Syriac language, and have a Syriac college
unto this day. These are called the Syro-Roman
churches, and are principally situated on the sea-
coast.
" The churches in the interior would not yield
to Rome. After a show of submission for a little
while, they proclaimed eternal war against the in-
quisition ; they hid their books, fled occasionally to
the mountains, and sought the protection of the
native princes, who had always been proud of their
alliance.
" Two centuries had elapsed without any parti-
cular information concerning the Syrian Christians
303 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
in the interior of India. It was doubted by many
whether they existed at all ; but if they did exist,
it was thought probable that they must possess some
interesting documents of Christian antiquity. The
author conceived the design of visiting them, if prac-
ticable, in his tour through Hindostan. He pre-
sented a short memoir on the subject in 1305, to
Marquis Wellesley, then Governor General of In-
dia ; who was pleased to give orders that every fa-
cility should be afforded to him in the prosecution
of his inquiries. About a year after that nobleman
had left India, the author proceeded on his tour. It
was necessary that he should visit first the court
of the rajah of Travancore, in whose dominions the
Syrian Christians resided, that he might obtain per-
mission to pass to their country. The two chief ob-
jects which he proposed to himself in exploring the
state of this ancient people were these : First, to
investigate their literature and history, and to col-
lect biblical manuscripts. Secondly, if he should
find them to be an intelligent people, and well ac-
quainted with the Syriac Scriptures, to endeavor
to make them instruments of illuminating the
southern part of India, by engaging them in trans
lating their Scriptures into the native languages
He had reason to believe that this had not yet been
done ; and he was prepared not to wonder at the
delay, by the reflection how long it was before his
own countrymen began to think it their duty to
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 309
make versions of the Scriptures for the use of other
nations.
" PALACE OF TRAVANCORE, Oct. 19, 1806.
" I have been now a week at the palace of Tri-
vanduram, where the rajah resides. A letter of in-
troduction from Lieut. Colonel Macaulay, the Bri-
tish resident at Travancore, procured me a proper
reception. At my first audience his highness was
very inquisitive as to the objects of my journey.
As I had servants with me of different casts and
languages, it was very easy for the Brahmins to
discover every particular they might wish to know
in regard to my profession, pursuits, and manner
of life. When I told the rajah that the Syrian chris-
tians were supposed to be of the same religion
with the English, he said he thought that could not
be the case, else he must have heard it before ; if
however it was so, he considered my desire to visit
them as being very reasonable. I assured his high-
ness that their Shaster and ours was the same, and
showed him a Syriac New Testament which I had
at hand. The book being bound and gilt after the
European manner, the rajah shook his head and
said he was sure there was not a native in his do-
minions who could read that book. I observed that
this would be proved in a few days The dewan
(or prime minister) thought the character something
like what he had seen sometimes in the houses of
310 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
the Sooriani. The rajah said he would afford me
every facility for my journey in his power. He put
an emerald ring on my finger, as a mark of his
friendship, and to secure me respect in passing
through his country ; and he directed his dewan to
send proper persons with me as guides.
" I requested that the rajah would be pleased to
present a catalogue of all the Hindoo manuscripts
in the temples of Travancore to the college of Fort
William in Bengal. The Brahmins were very averse
to this ; but when I showed the rajah the cata-
logues of the books in the temples of Tanjore,
given by the rajah of Tanjore, and those of the
temple of Ramisseram, given me by order of the
rannie (or queen) of Ramnad ; he desired it might
be done : and orders have been sent to the Hindoo
college of Trichoor for that purpose."*
" CHINOANOOR, a Church of the Syrian
Christians, Nov. 10, 1806.
" From the palace of Travancore I proceeded
to Mavely-car, and thence to the hills at the bottom
of the high ghauts which divide the Carnatic from
Malay-ala. The face of the country in general, in
the vicinity of the mountains, exhibits a varied
* These three catalogues, together with that of the rajah
of Cochin, which the author procured afterwards, are now
deposited in the college of Fort William, and probably
contain all the Hindoo literature of the south of India.
CHKISTIAX Hi SEARCHES, oil
i
scene of hill and dale and winding streams. These
streams fall from the mountains and preserve the
vallies in perpetual verdure. The woods produce
pepper, cardamoms, and cassia, or common cinna-
mon ; also frankincense and other aromatic gums.
What adds much to the grandeur of the scenery in
this country is, that the adjacent mountains of Tra-
vancore are not barren, but covered with forests of
teak wood the Indian oak, producing, it is " said,
the largest timber in the world.
" The first view of the Christian churches in this
sequestered region of Hindostan, connected with
the idea of their tranquil duration for so many
ages, cannot fail to excite pleasing emotions in the
mind of the beholder. The form of the oldest
buildings is not unlike that of some of the old pa-
rish churches in England ; the style of building in
both being of Saracenic origin. They have sloping
roofs, pointed arch windows, and buttresses sup
porting the walls. The beams of the roof being
exposed to view are ornamented, and the ceiling
of the choir and altar is circular and fretted. In the
cathedral churches the shrines of the deceased bi-
shops are placed on each side of the altar. Most
of the churches are built of a reddish stone, squar-
ed and polished at the quarry and are of durable
construction, the front wall of the largest edifices
being six feet thick. The bells of the churches are
cast in the founderies of the country ; some of
312 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
them are of large dimensions, and have inscriptions
in Syriac and Malay-alim. In approaching a town
in the evening, I once heard the sound of the bells
among the hills ; a circumstance which made me
forget for a moment that I was in Hindostan, and
reminded me of anotJier country.
" The first Syrian church which 1 saw was at
Mavely-car : but the Syrians here are in the vici-
nity of the Romish Christians, and are not so sim-
ple in their manners as those nearer the mountains.
They had been often visited by Romish emissaries
in former times : and they at first suspected that I
belonged to that communion. They had heard of
the English, but strangely supposed that they be-
longed to the church of the pope in the West.
They had been so little accustomed to see a friend,
that they could not believe that I was come with
any friendly purpose. Added to this, 1 had some
discussions with a most intelligent priest in regard
to the original language of the four Gospels, which
he maintained to be Syriac ; and they suspected,
from the complexion of my argument, that I wish-
ed to weaken, the evidences for their antiquity.*
| * ' You concede,' said the Syrian, ' that our Saviour spoke
jin our language ; how do you know ill' From Syriac ex-
pressions in. the Greek Gospels. It appears that he spoke
Syriac when he walked by the way (Ephphatha,) and when
I he sat in the house (Talitha Cunri,) and when he was upon
i the cross (Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani.) The Syrians were
pleased when they heard that we had got their language in
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 313
Soon however the gloom and suspicion subsided ;
they gave me the right hand of fellowship in the
primitive manner ; and one of their number was
our English books. The priest observed that these last were
not the exact words, but 'Ail, Ail, lamono sabachthani.' [
answ.red that the word must have been very like Eli, for
one said, ' He calleth for Elias.' ' True,' said he, ' but yet it
was more likely to be Ail, Ail, (pronounced II or Eel,) for
Hil, or Hila, is old Syriac for vinegar ; and one thought he
wanted vinegar, and filled immediately a sponge with it.
But our Saviour did not want the medicated drink as they
supposed. But,' added he, ' if the parables and discourses of
our Lord were in Syriac, and the people of Jerusalem com-
monly used it, is it not marvellous that his disciples did not
record his parables in. the Syriac language, and that they
should have recourse to the Greek 7 ?' I observed that the
Gospel was for the world, and the Greek was then the uni-
versal language, and therefore Providence selected it. ' It
is very probable,' said he, ' that the Gospels were translated
immediately afterwards into Greek, as into other langua-
ges ; but surely there must have been a Syriac original.
The poor people in Jerusalem could not read Greek. Had
they no record in their hands of Christ's parables which
they had heard, and of his sublime discourses recorded by
St. John after his ascension V I acknowledged that it was
generally believed by the learned that the Gospel of St.
Matthew was written originally in Syriac. ' So you admit
St. Matthew 1. You may as well admit St. John. Or was one
Gospel enough for the inhabitants of Jerusalem 1 I con-
tended that there were many Greek and Roman words in.
their own Syriac Gospels. ' True,' said he, ' Roman words
for Roman things.' They wished, however, to see some of
these words. The discussion afterwards, particularly in re-
ference to the Gospel of St. Luke, was more in my favor,'
314 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
deputed to accompany me to the churches in the
interior.
" When we were approaching the church of
Chinganoor, we met one of the cassanars, or Syrian
clergy. He was dressed in a white loose vestment
with a cap of red silk hanging down behind. Be-
ing informed who he was, I said to him in the Sy-
riac language, ' Peace be unto you.' He was sur-
prised at the salutation ; but immediately answered,
' The God of peace be with you.' He accosted the
rajah's servants in the language of the country to
know who I was ; and immediately returned to the
village to announce our approach. When we ar-
rived I was received at the door of the church by
three kasJieeshas, that is presbyters, or priests, who
were habited in like manner in white vestments.
Their names were Jesu, Zecharias, and Urias,
which they wrote down in my journal, each of
them adding to his name the title of JcaskeesJia.
There were also present two skumsTianas, or dea-
cons. The elder priest was a very intelligent man,
of reverend appearance, having a long white beard,
and of an affable and engaging deportment. The
three principal Christians or lay elders belonging
to the church were named Abraham, Thomas, and
Alexandros. After some conversation with my at-
tendants they received me with confidence and af-
fection ; and the people of the neighboring villages
came round, women as well as men.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 315
" The sight of the women assured me that I was
once more (after a long absence from England) in
a Christian country. For the Hindoo women, and
the Mohammedan women, and in short all women
who are not Christians, are accounted by the men
an inferior race ; and, in general, are confined to
the house for life, like irrational creatures. In every
countenance now before me I thought I could dis-
cover the intelligence of Christianity. But at the
same time I perceived, all around, symptoms of
poverty and political depression. In the churches
and in the people there was the air of fallen great-
ness. I said to the senior priest, ' You appear to
me like a people who have known better days.'
' It is even so,' said he ; ' we are in a degenerate
state compared with our forefathers.' He noticed
that there were two causes of their present decay,
' About three hundred years ago an enemy came
from the West bearing the name of Christ, but
armed with the inquisition, and compelled us to
seek the protection of the native princes. And the
native princes have kept us in a state of depression
ever since. They indeed recognize our ancient
personal privileges, for we rank in general next to
the nairs, the nobility of the country ; but they have
encroached by degrees on our property, till we
have been reduced to the humble state in which
you find us. The glory of our church has passed
away ; but we hope your nation will revive it again. 1
316 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" I observed that ' the glory of a church could
never die, if it preserved the Bible.' ' We have
preserved the Bible,' said he ; ' the Hindoo princes
never touched our liberty of conscience. We were
formerly on a footing with them in political power;
and they respect our religion. We have also con-
verts from time to time ; but in this Christian duty
we are not so active as we once were : besides, it is
not so creditable now to become Christian in our
low estate.' He then pointed out to me a Nam-
boory Brahmin, (that is, a Brahmin of the highest
cast,) who had lately become a Christian, and as-
sumed the white vestment of a Syrian priest. ' The
learning too of the Bible,' he added, ' is in a low
state amongst us. Our copies are few in number,
and that number is diminishing instead of increas-
ing ; and the writing out a whole copy of the sacred
Scriptures is a great labor where there is no profit
and little piety.' I then produced a printed copy
of the Syriac New Testament. There was not one
of them who had ever seen a printed copy before.
They admired it much ; and every priest, as it came
into his hands, began to read a portion, which he
did fluently, while the women came around to hear.
I asked the old priest whether I should send them
some copies from Europe. ' They would be worth
their weight in silver,' said he. He asked me whe-
ther the Old Testament was printed in Syriac as
well as the New. I told him it was, but I had not
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 317
a copy. They professed an earnest desire to obtain
some copies of the whole Syriac Bible, and asked
whether it would be practicable to obtain one copy
for every church. ' I must confess to you,' said
Zecharias, ' that we have very few copies of the
prophetical Scriptures in the church. Our church
languishes for want of the Scriptures.' But he add-
ed, ' the language that is most in use among the
people is the Malayalim, (or Malabar,) the verna-
cular language of the country. The Syriac is now
only the learned language and the language of the
church : but we generally expound the Scriptures
to the people in the vernacular tongue.'
" I then entered on the subject of the transla-
tion of t7ic Scrijjtures. He said c a version could
be made with critical accuracy ; for there were
many of the Syrian clergy who were perfect mas-
ters of both languages, having spoken them from
their infancy. ' But,' said he, ' our bishop will re-
joice to see you, and to discourse with you on this
and other subjects.' I told them that if a transla-
tion could be prepared, I should be able to get it
printed, and distribute copies among their fifty-five
churches at a small price. ' That indeed would give
joy,' said old Abraham. There was here a murmur
of satisfaction among the people. If I understand
you right, said I, the greatest blessing the English
church can bestow upon you is the Bible. ' It is
so,' said he. ' And what is the next greatest ?' said I.
318 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
' Some freedom and personal consequence as a
people :' by which he meant political liberty. ' We
are here in bondage like Israel in Egypt.' I ob-
served that the English nation would doubtless re-
cognize a nation of fellow-christians, and would be
happy to interest itself in their behalf as far as our
political relation with the prince of the country
would permit. They wished to know what were
the principles of the English government, civil and
religious. I answered that our government might
be said to be founded generally on the principles
of the Bible. 'Ah,' said old Zecharias, ' that must
be a glorious government which is founded on the
principles of the Bible.' The priests then desired
I would give them some account of the history of
the English nation, and of our secession from their
enemy the church of Rome. And in return I re-
quested they would give me some account of their
history.
" My communications with the Syrians are ren-
dered very easy, by means of an interpreter whom
I brought with me all the way from the Tanjore
country. He is a Hindoo by descent, but is an in-
telligent Christian, and was -a pupil and catechist
of the late Mr. Swartz. The Rev. Mr. Kohloff re-
commended him to me. He formerly lived in Tra-
vancore, and is well acquainted with the vernacu-
lar tongue. He also reads and writes English very
well, and is as much interested in favor of the Sy-
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 319
rian Christians as I myself. Besides Mr. Swartz's ca-
techist, there are two natives of Travancore here
who speak the Hindostanee language, which is fa-
miliar to me. My knowledge of the Syriac is suffi-
cient to refer to texts of Scripture ; but I do not
well understand the pronunciation of the Syrians.
I hope to be better acquainted with their language
before I leave the country."
" RANNIEL, a Syrian Church, Nov. 12, 1806.
ct This church is built upon a rocky hill on the
hanks of the river, and is the most remote of all
the churches in this quarter. The two kasheesJias
here are Lucas and Mattai (Luke and Matthew.)
The chief lay members are Abraham, Georgius,
Thoma, and Philippus. Some of the priests accom-
pany me from church to church. I have now visit-
ed eight churches, and scarcely believe sometimes
that I am in the land of the Hindoos, only that I
now and then see a Hindoo temple on the banks
of the river. I observed that the bells of most of
the churches were within the building, and not in
a tower. The reason they said was this. "When a
Hindoo temple happens to be near a church, the
Hindoos do not like tbe bell to sound loud, for they
say it frightens their god. I perceive that the Syri-
an christians assimilate much to the Hindoos in the
practice of frequent ablutions for health and clean-
liness, and in the use of vegetables and light food.
320 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
tc I attended divine service on Lord's day. Their
liturgy is that which was formerly used in the
churches of the patriarch of Antioch. During the
prayers there were intervals of silence ; the priest
praying in a low voice, and every man praying for
himself. These silent intervals add much to the so-
lemnity and appearance of devotion. They use in-
cense in the churches ; it grows in the woods
around them ; and contributes much, they say, to
health, and to the warmth and comfort of the church
during the cold and rainy season of the year. At
the conclusion of the service a ceremony takes
place which pleased me much. The priest (or bi-
shop, if he be present) comes forward, arid all the
people pass by him as they go out, receiving his
benediction individually. If any man has been
guilty of any immorality, he does not receive the
blessing ; and this, in their primitive and patri-
archal state, is accounted a severe punishment. In-
struction by preaching is little in use among them
now. Many of the old men lamented the decay of
piety and religious knowledge, and spoke with
pleasure of the record of ancient times. They have
some ceremonies nearly allied to those of the
(I reek church.
" Tne doctrines of the Syrian christians are few
in number, but pure, and agree in essential points
with those of the church of England : so that, al-
though the body of the church appears to be iguo-
CHRISTIAN RESEA11CHES. 321
rant, and formal, and dead, there are individuals
who are alive to righteousness, who are distinguish-
ed from the rest by their purity of life, and are
sometimes censured for too rigid a piety.
" The following are the chief doctrines of this
ancient church :
" 1. They hold the doctrine of a vicarious atone-
ment for the sins of men by the blood and merits
of Christ, and of the justification of the soul before
God 'by faith alone' in that atonement.
" 2. They maintain the regeneration, or new birth
of the soul to righteousness, by the influence of the
Spirit of God, which change is called in their books,
from the Greek, the metanoia, or change of mind.
" 3. In regard to the trinity, the creed of the Sy-
rian Christians accords with that of St. Athanasius,
but without the damnatory clause. In a written
and official communication to the English resident
of Travancore, the metropolitan states it to be as
follows :
te We believe in the Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost, three persons in one God, neither confound-
ing the persons nor dividing the substance, one in
three, and three in one. The Father generator, the
Son generated, and the Holy Ghost proceeding.
None is before or after the other ; in majesty, ho-
nor, might, and power, co-equal ; unity in trinity,
and trinity in unity.' He then proceeds to disclaim
the different errors of Arius, Sabellius, Macedo-
Buchiinan. - *
322 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
nius, Manes, Marcianus, Julianus, Nestorius, and
the Chalcedonians ; and coiicludes, 'That in the
appointed time, through the disposition of the Fa-
tiier and the Holy Ghost, the Son appeared on
earth for the salvation of mankind ; that he was
born of the Virgin Mary, through the means of the
Holy G-host, and was incarnate God and man.'
" In every church, and in many of the private
houses, there are manuscripts in the Syriac lan-
guage : and I have been successful in procuring
some old and valuable copies of the Scriptures and
other books, written in different ages and in dif-
ferent characters."
" CANDE-NAD, a church of the Syrian Christians,
November 23, 1806.
" This is the residence of Mar Dionysius, the
.metropolitan of the Syrian church. A great num-
ber of the priests from the other churches had as-
sembled, by desire of the bishop, before my arrival.
The bishop resides in a building attached to the
church. I was much struck with his first appear-
ance. He was dressed in a vestment of dark red
silk ; a large golden cross hung from his neck, and
his venerable beard reached below his girdle. Such,
thought I, was the appearance of Chrysostom in
the fourth century. On public occasions he wears
the episcopal mitre, and a muslin robe is thrown
over his under-garment ; and in his hand he bears
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 323
the crosier, or pastoral staff. He is a man of high-
ly respectable character in his church, eminent for
his piety, and for the attention he devotes to his
sacred functions. I found him to be far superior in
general learning to any of his clergy whom I had
yet seen. He told me that all my conversations
with his priests since my arrival in the country had
been communicated to him. ' You have come,' said
he, ' to visit a declining church, and I am now an
old man : but the hope of its seeing better days
cheers my old age, though I may not live to see
them.' I submitted to the bishop my wishes in re-
gard to the translation and printing of the Holy
Scriptures. ' I have already fully considered the
subject,' said he, ' and have determined to super-
intend the work myself, and to call the most learn-
ed of my clergy to my aid. It is a work which will
illuminate these dark regions, and God will give
it his blessing.' I was much pleased when I heard
this pious resolution of the venerable man ; for I
had now ascertained that there are upwards of
200,000 Christians in the south of India, besides
the Syrians, who speak the Malabar language. The
next subject of importance in my mind was the
collection of useful manuscripts in the Chaldaic
and Syriac languages ; and the bishop was pleased
to say that he would assist my inquiries and add to
my collection. He descanted with great satisiac-
tion on the hope of seeing printed Syriac Bibles
324 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
from England, and said they would be ' a treasure
to his church.' "
Of the preceding account of Dr. Buchanan's first
visit to the coast of Malabar, the following letter
to Mr. Henry Thornton comprises a brief but ani-
mated sketch, which, notwithstanding the repeti-
tion of a few particulars, will not, it is presumed,
prove uninteresting to any :
" COCHIN, December 24, 1806.
" DEAR SIR, In August or September last I ad
dressed a letter to you from the pagoda of Sering
ham, near Tritchinopoli. Since that period I have
visited Ceylon, and many places in southern Coro-
mandel and in the province of Malabar. I passed
a week at the palace of the rajah of Travancore,
who aids me very liberally in all my pursuits. The
Brahmins and present minister had taught the
young man (he is only twenty-five) to oppress the
Christians. But he promises milder treatment in
future. This favorable change is produced by the
exertions of Colonel Macaulay, the resident, who,
I am happy to say, is much alive to the interests
of religion.
" From the sea-coast I proceeded into the inte-
rior of the country, to visit the ancient Syrian chris-
tians who inhabit the hills at the bottom of the great
mountains of Malayala. The weather was cool and
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 325
pluasant. The country is picturesque and highly
cultivated, diversified with hill and dale and wind-
ing streams. These streams fall from the moun-
tains, and preserve the vallies in perpetual verdure.
The Christians received me courteously, seeing I
travelled in some state, escorted by the rajah's ser-
vants. But when they found my object was to look
into their books and religion, they surveyed me
with doubtful countenance, not well understanding
how an Englishman could have any interest in the
Christian religion. And the contrary was only prov-
ed to them by long and serious discussion, and by
the evidence of facts which for the first time came
to their knowledge. But when their doubts had
been dispelled, they sent deputies with me, who
introduced me to all the other churches. No Eu-
ropean, or even Romish priest, had ever, as they
told me, visited that remote region. There are no
Romish churches in its vicinity, and the rajah gives
no permission to Europeans to travel into the in-
terior of his country.
" The Syrian is still their sacred language, and
some of the laymen understand it ; but the Malay-
alim is the vulgar tongue. I proposed to send a
Malayalim translation of the Bible to each of the
churches ; and they assured me that every man
who could write would be glad to make a copy for
his own family. They also agreed to establish
schools in each parish for Christian instruction,
326 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
which are to be under the direction of the four
chief elders of each parish, and in which the Bible
in the vulgar tongue is to be a principal class-book.
" Their doctrines are not, in essentials, at vari-
ance with those of the church of England/ They
desire an union, or at least such a connection as
may be practicable or desirable for the better ad-
vancement of the interests of Christianity in India.
" As to manuscripts, I have succeeded far be-
yond my most sanguine expectations.
" It had been supposed that the Roman Catholics
had destroyed in 1599 all the Syrian books. But it
appears that they did not destroy one copy of the
Bible; and I have now in my possession some MSS.
of the Scriptures of a high antiquity. The collation
of these with our Western copies is very interest-
ing. There are some other MSS. which were not
condemned by the synod of Menezes. I have also
found some old Hebrew MSS. biblical and his-
torical.
" It is sufficiently established by the concurrence
of oral tradition with written records, that the Jews
were on this coast before the Christian era.
" I propose to send home some Syrian youth to
England for education and ordination, if practica-
ble. And I take with me to Bengal a Malayalirn, a
Syrian, and a Jewish servant. They will, however,
be but nominal servants. I should have engaged
them as moonshees ; but I see there is no college
now in Bengal.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 327
" The Roman Catholics here were at first very
jealous of my attention to the Syrians. The Romish
bishop, however, who is a bon vivant* perceiving
that my chief object was to diffuse the Scriptures
among the people, began to think that it might be
politic in him to circulate them among his people
too, and to please the English rather than the in-
quisition. Colonel Macaulay thinks the bishop will
adopt the measure the moment we seriously pro-
pose it. He lives in some state, and fires a salute
of eleven guns on occasion.
" Cochin is rich in Hebrew literature, and I am
purchasing what is to be sold.
" The rajah of Cochin has followed the example
of the rajahs of Travancore, of Tanjore, and the
ranny of Ramnad, and Ramisseram, in giving me
catalogues of the Shanscrit books in the temples. I
hope the Coorga rajah will do the same.
" This opening of the pagodas is a new scene in
India. Mr. Swartz was the remote instrument. He
opened the rajah of Tanjore's heart; and the rajah
of Tanjore opened the pagodas, those chambers of
imagery, the emblem of the heart.
" The rajah of Tanjore wishes me to visit him
again. If practicable, I shall open a correspondence
with him.
" I propose to leave this coast in a fortnight, and
* Good liver.
328 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
proceed to Bombay, from whence I shall probably
go across to Benares, and thence down to Calcutta
by the Ganges.
" Having arrived at the extreme boundary of my
tour, and accomplished its object, I thought it
would be acceptable to you to have some short no-
tices of it. Be pleased to tell Mr. Newton that I
am well. I wrote him a long letter from Tanjore.
It is with pleasure I see that, amidst the agitations
of the world, he is tranquil, and at peace, and near-
ly arrived at the haven where he would be. Mar
Dionysius, the bishop of the Syrians in the moun-
tains, has somewhat of Mr. Newton's manner and
appearance ; only that the bishop has a venerable
long beard, which reaches below his girdle, and
through which you may see a large gold cross beam-
ing at intervals. He is now seventy-eight years of
age, amiable in his temper, and devout according
to his knowledge.
" I read at this place, in Hayley's third volume,
Cowper's correspondence with Mr. Newton, and
was pleased to see the name of the good man ho-
nored.
" I remain, dear sir,
" Very sincerely yours,
" C. BUCHANAN."
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 329
CHAPTER X.
few 8 in Jndta.
"We proceed to give, from the pen of Dr. Bu-
chanan himself, the results of his " Researches "
respecting the Jews in India.
" There are three remarkable prophecies con-
cerning the Jews :
1. u ' The children of Israel shall abide many
days without a king, and without a prince, and
without a sacrifice, and without an image, and
without an ephod, and without teraphim.' Hosea,
3:4.
2. " ' The Lord shall scatter thee among all peo-
ple, from the one end of the earth even unto the
other,' Deut. 29 : 64 ; and yet ' the people shall
dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned amongst the
nations.' Numbers, 23 : 9.
3. " ' Thou shah become an astonishment, a pro-
verb, and a by-word among all the nations whither
the Lord shall lead thee. Among these nations
thou shalt find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy
foot have rest.' Deut. 28 : 37, Go.
" The first of these prophecies is very remarka-
ble ; for whoever heard of a nation ' abiding many
330 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
days ' without its civil and religious polity, and sur-
viving its political existence 1 The very assertion
seems to involve an absurdity. Did the Egyptians,
Chaldeans, Greeks, or Romans survive their civil
and religious polity 1
" The second prediction is not less singular than
the former ; for if the Jews were to be received
among the nations of the earth, why should ihey
not ' be reckoned with the nations V Would any
man, in a remote age, venture to foretell that there
was a certain nation which, in the ages to come,
would be received and tolerated by all other na-
tions merely to be persecuted ]
" But the third prophecy is such as must afford
a contemplation to infidelity to the end of time.
The Jews were to become ' an astonishment, and
a proverb, and a by-word among all nations,' be-
cause they shed the blood of the Saviour of the
world. Now it is not surprising that Christians
should reproach them for such a crime. But how
should we expect that they would be ' trodden
down of the heathen world ' who never heard of
such a Saviour 1 Behold the Hindoo at this day
punishing the Jew without knowing the crime of
which he has been guilty !
" These three prophecies have been manifestly
fulfilled ; arid if we had no other evidence, this ia
sufficient to prove ' that there is a God, and that he
hath made a revelation to man.'
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 331
" There is a fourth prophecy concerning this
people which will shortly be accomplished. The
prophet Hosea, after foretelling that the children of
Israel should abide many days without a king, adds
these words : ' Afterward shall they return and
seek the Lord their God, and David their king;
and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the lat-
ter days." Hosea, 3 : 5.
" The question which is now in the mouth of
every Christian, is that which was asked in the vi-
sion of the prophet Daniel on the same subject :
' How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?'
Daniel, 12 : 6. When shall the ' indignation against
the holy people be accomplished 1 ?' Daniel, 11 : 31 ;
that they may ' return and seek the Lord their
God, and David their king.'
" To Daniel the prophet, and to John the evan-
gelist, was given a revelation of the great events
of the general church to the end of time. Daniel
foretells that the Christian church shall be oppress-
ed by the persecuting powers for ' a time, times,
and the dividing of a time.' Daniel, 7 : 25. The
same period he assigns for the accomplishment of
the indignation against the holy people Israel.
' One said, How long shall it be to the end of these
wonders ? And I heard the man clothed in linen,
which was upon the waters of the river, when he
held up his right hand and his left hand unto hea-
ven, and sware by Him that liveth for ever, that it
332 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
shall be for a time, times and a half; and when he
shall have accomplished to scatter the power of
the holy people, all these things shall be fulfilled.'
Daniel, 12 : 7. Now the same form of words is
used in the Revelation of St. John to express the
duration of the papal and Mohammedan powers.
Oppressed by them, the church of Christ was to
remain desolate in the wilderness ' for a time, times,
and half of a time.' Rev. 12 : 14. Every one who
is erudite. in sacred prophecy will understand that
this great period of Daniel and St. John commen-
ces at the same era, namely, the rise of the perse-
cuting powers, and that its duration is 1,260 years.
" Here then are three great events hastening to
their period the extinction of the papal dominion ;
the subversion of the Mohammedan power ; and
1 the accomplishment of the divine indignation
against the holy people,' or the return of the people
of Israel ' to seek the Lord their God, and David
their king.'
!t Our blessed Saviour has not left an event of
this importance without notice. ' The Jews,' saith
he, ' shall be led away captive into all nations ; and
Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the gentiles,
until the times of the gentiles be fulfilled.' Luke,
21: 24. What these ' times of the gentiles' are, our
Lord has explained in his subsequent revelation to
St. John. ' The court which is without the temple
is given unto the gentiles ; and the holy city shall
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. _ 333
they tread under foot forty and two months ;' or, in
prophetical language, at a day for a year, 1260
years. Rev. 11 : 2.
" The apostle Paul has also recorded this event.
1 1 would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant
of this mystery, that blindness, in part, is happened
to Israel, until the fulness of the gentiles be come
in ; and so all Israel shall be saved.' Rom. 11 : 25.
The fulness of time for the conversion of the gen-
tiles will be come in, when the Mohammedan and
papal obstructions are removed. Such events as
the fall of the pope in the West, and of Moham-
med in the East, both of whom persecuted the
Jews to death, will probably be the means of
awakening the Jews to consider the evidences of
that religion which predicted the rise and fall of
both.
" But the grand prophecy of the apostle Paul
on this subject, is that which respects the conse-
quence of the conversion of the Jews. ' The re-
ceiving of the Jews,' saith he, ' what shall it be
to the world but life from the dead ?' Rom. 11 : 15.
*J \s
Dispersed as they are in all countries, and speak-
ing the languages of all countries, they will form a
body of preachers ready prepared ; and they need
only say, c Behold the Scriptures of God in our
possession ; read our history there, as foretold three
thousand years ago, and read the events in the an-
nals of nations. We are witnesses to the world,
334 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
and the world to us. Let the whole race of man-
kind unite and examine the fact.' 'All ye inhabi-
tants of the world and dwellers on the earth, see
ye, when the Lord lifteth up an ensign on the moun-
tains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.'
Isaiah, IS : 3. Thus will their preaching be to the
world ' life from the dead.'
" But if the conversion- of Israel is to take place
when the papal and Mohammedan powers have
fallen, (and who does not see that these events are
near at hand 1) it might be expected that some
signs of conciliation between Jews and Christians
would now begin to be visible. And is not this the
fact 1 Christians in all countries begin to consider
that ' the indignation against the holy people ' is
nearly accomplished. Many events declare it. The
indignation of man is relaxing. The prophecies
have been fulfilled regarding it. The great crime at
Calvary has been punished by all nations ; and we
now hear the words of the prophet addressing us,
c Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your
God ; speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry
unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her
iniquity is pardoned.' Isaiah, 40 : 1. This is the di-
vine command. And behold, christians begin now,
for the first time, to ' speak comfortably to Jeru-
salem.'
" While the author was in the East, the state of
the Jews, who are dispersed in different countries,
CHRISTIAN UESEARCHES. 335
frequently occupied his thoughts. He had heard
that they existed in distinct colonies in certain parts
of India ; that some of them had arrived long be-
fore the Christian era, and had remained in the
midst of the Hindoos, to this time, a distinct and
separate people, persecuted by the native princes,
from age to age, and yet not destroyed ; ' burning,'
like the bush of Moses, and ! not consumed ;' and
he had a strong desire ' to turn aside and see this
great sight.' His mind was impressed with the con-
viction that their preservation, in such a variety of
regions, and under such a diversity of circumstan-
ces, could be only effected by the interposition of
divine providence, which reserved them, thus dis-
tinct, for some special and important purpose. And
since the period of time for the accomplishment of
this purpose was considered by many to be fast ap-
proaching, he wished to hear the sentiments of the
Jews from their own lips, and to learn their actual
impressions as to their present circumstances and
future hopes.
" In his memorial respecting the Syrian chris-
tians, presented to Marquis Wellesley, the author
also noticed the existence of an ancient colony of
Jews on the coast of Malabar, particularly at Co-
chin ; and as this place had recently become a part
of the British empire, by conquest from the Dutch,
Lord William Bentinck, then- governor of Madras,
who had received letters from the supreme govern-
336 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
ment, was pleased to direct the civil officer, who
had charge of the department of Cochin, to afford
him every aid in the prosecution of his researches.
His first tour to Cochin was in November, 1S06,
and he remained in the country till February, 1807.
He again visited it in January, 1808. He has only
room here to introduce a few notes from his Jour-
nal."
" COCHIN, Feb. 4, 1807.
" I have now been in Cochin, or its vicinity, for
upwards of two months, and. have got well ac-
quainted with the Jews. They do not live in the
city of Cochin, but in a town about a mile distant
from it, called Jews' Town. It is almost wholly in-
habited by the Jews, who have two respectable
synagogues. Amotig them are some very intelligent
men, who are not ignorant of the present history
of nations. There are also Jews here from remote
parts of Asia, so that this is the fountain of intelli-
gence concerning that people in the East; there
being constant communication by ships with the
Red Sea, the Persian GJ-ulf, and the mouths of the
Indus. The resident Jews are divided into two
classes, called the Jerusalem, or White Jews, and
the ancient, or Black Jews. The White Jews reside
at this place. The Black Jews have also a syna-
gogue here ; but the great body of that tribe inha-
bit towns in the interior of the province. I have
now seen most of both classes. My inquiries refer-
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 337
red chiefly to their antiquity ', their manuscripts, and
their senti?nents concerning the present state of their
nation.
The Jerusalem, or White Jews.
" On my inquiry into the antiquity of the White
Jews, they first delivered to me a narrative, in the
Hebrew language, of their arrival in India, which
has been handed down to them from their fathers ;
and then exhibited their ancient, brass plate, con-
taining their charter and freedom of residence
given by a king of Malabar. The following is the
narrative of the events relating to their first arrival :
" c After the second temple was destroyed,
(which may God speedily rebuild !) our fathers,
dreading the conqueror's wrath, departed from Je-
rusalem, a numerous body of men, women, priests,
and Levites, and came into this land. There were
among them men of repute for learning and wis-
dom ; and God gave the people favor in the sight
of the king who at that time reigned here, and he
granted them a place to dwell in, called Cranga-
nor. He allowed them a patriarchal jurisdiction
within the district, with certain privileges of nobi-
lity ; and the royal grant was engraved, according
to the custom of those days, on a plate of brass.
This was done in the year from the creation of the
Buchanan. **
333 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
world 4250, (A. D. 490,) and this plate of brass we
still have in possession. Our forefathers continued
at Crangarior for about a thousand years, and the
number of heads who governed were seventy-two.
Soon after our settlement other Jews followed us
from Judea ; and among these came that man of
great wisdom, Rabbi Samuel, a Levite of Jerusa-
lem, with his son, Rabbi Jehuda Levita. They
brought with them the silver trumpets made use of
at the time of the Jubilee, which were saved when
the second temple was destroyed ; and we have
heard from our fathers that there were engraven
upon those trumpets the letters of the ineffable
Name. There joined us also from Spain and other
places, from time to time, certain tribes of Jews
who had heard of our prosperity. But, at last, dis-
cord arising among ourselves, one of our chiefs
called to his assistance an Indian king, who came
upon us with a great army, destroyed our houses,
palaces, and strong holds ; dispossessed us of Cran-
ganor, killed part of us, and carried part into cap-
tivity. By these massacres we were reduced to a
small number. Some of the exiles came and dwelt
at Cochin, where we have remained ever since,
suffering great changes from time to time. There
are amongst us some of the children of Israel
(Beni-Israel,) who came from the country of Ash-
kenaz, from Egypt, from Tsoba, and other places,
besides those who formerly inhabited this country.'
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 339
" The native annals of Malabar confirm the fore-
going account in the pi'incipal circumstances, as do
the Mohammedan histories of the later ages ; for
the Mohammedans have been settled here in great
Eumbers since the eighth century.
" The desolation of Cranganor the Jews de-
scribe as being like the desolation of Jerusalem in
miniature. They were first received into the coun-
try with some favor and confidence, agreeably to
the tenor of the general prophecy concerning the
Jews ; for no country was to reject them : and after
they had obtained some wealth, and attracted the
notice of men, they were precipitated to the lowest
abyss of human suffering and reproach. The reci-
tal of the sufferings of the Jews at Cranganor re-
sembles much that of the Jews at Jerusalem, as
given by Joseph us.
" I now requested they would show me their
brass plate. Having been given by a native king,
it is written, of course, in the M^alabaric language
and character ; and is now so old that it cannot be
well understood. The Jews preserve a Hebrew,
translation of it, which they presented to me : but
the Hebrew itself is very difficult, and they do not
agree among themselves as to the meaning of some
words. I have employed, by their permission, an
engraver at Cochin, to execute a fac-simile of the
original plate, on copper. This ancient document
340 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
begins in the following manner, according to the
Hebrew translation :*
" ' In the peace of God, the King, which hath
made the earth according to his pleasure. To this
God, I AIRVI BRAHMIN, have lifted up my
hand, and have granted by this deed, which many
hundred thousand years shall run, I, dwelling
in Cranganor, have granted, in the thirty-sixth year
of my reign, in the strength of power I have grant-
ed, in the strength of power I have given in inhe-
ritance, to JOSEPH R ABB AN'
" Then follow the privileges of nobility ; such as
permission to ride on the elephant ; to have a he-
rald to go before to announce the name and digni-
ty ; to have the lamp of the day ; to walk on carpets
spread upon the earth ; and to have trumpets and
cymbals sound before him. King Airvi then ap-
points Joseph Rabban to be ' chief and governor
of the houses of congregation (the synagogues) and
of certain districts, and of the sojourners in them.'
What proves the importance of the Jews at the
period when this grant was made, is, that it is
signed by seven kings as witnesses. ' And to this
are witnesses, king Bivada Cubertin Mitadin, and
he is king of Travancore. King Airle Nada Mana
* The original is engraved on both sides of the plate, the
fac-simile forms two plates. These, with the Hebrew trans-
lation, are now deposited in. the public library at the uni-
versity of Cambridge.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 341
Vikriin, and he is the Sawiarin. King Veloda Nada
Archarin Shatin, and he is king of Argot.' The
remaining four kings are those of PalgatcJicry, Co-
fastri, CarMnatli, arid Varachangur. There is no
date in this document, further than what may be
collected from the reign of the prince and the
names of the royal witnesses. Dates are not usual
in old Malabaric writings. One fact is evident, that
the Jews must have existed a considerable time in
the country before they could have obtained such
a grant. The tradition before mentioned assigns
for the date of the transaction, the year of the cre-
ation 4250, which is, in Jewish computation, A. D.
490. It is well known that the famous Malabaric
king, Ceram Perumal, made grants to the Jews,
Christians, and Mahommedans during his reign ;
but that prince flourished in the eighth or ninth
century.
The Black Jcios.
" It is only necessary to look at the countenance
of the Black Jews to be satisfied that their ances-
tors must have arrived in India many ages before
the White Jews. Their Hindoo complexion, and
their very imperfect resemblance to the European
Jews, indicate that they were detached from the
parent stock in Judea many years before the Jews
in the West, and that there have been intermarria-
342 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
ges with families not Israelitish. I had heard that
those tribes which had passed the Indus have as-
similated so much to the customs and habits of the
countries in which they live, that they may be
sometimes seen by a traveller without being recog-
nized as Jews. In the interior towns of Malabar I
was not always able to distinguish the Jew from
the Hindoos. I hence perceived how easy it may
be to mistake the tribes of Jewish descent among
the Affs;hans and other nations in the northern
o
parts of Hindostan. The "White Jews look upon
the Black Jews as an inferior race, and as not of a
pure cast ; which plainly demonstrates that they
do not spring from a common stock in India.
" The Black Jews communicated to me much
interesting intelligence concerning their brethren,
the ancient Israelites, in the East ; traditional in-
deed in its nature, but in general illustrative of
true history. They recounted the names of many
other small colonies resident in northern India,
Tartary, and China, and gave me a wi'itten list of
sixty-five places. I conversed with those who had
lately visited many of these stations, and were
about to return again. The Jews have a never-
ceasing communication with each other in the East.
Their families indeed are generally stationary, be-
ing subject to despotic princes, but the men move
much about in a commercial capacity, and the same
individual will pass through many extensive coun-
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 343
tries ; so that when any thing interesting to the
nation of the Jews takes place, the rumor will
pass rapidly throughout all Asia.
" I inquired concerning their brethren, the Ten
Tribes. They said that it was commonly believed
among them, that the great body of the Israelites
are to be found in Chaldea, and in the countries
contiguous to it, being the very places whither they
were first carried into captivity ; that some few fa-
milies had migrated into regions more remote, as
to Cochin and Rajapoor, in India, and to other
places yet farther to the East ; but that the bulk
of the nation, though now much reduced in num-
ber, had not to this day removed two thousand
miles from Samaria.
" Among the Black Jews I could not find many
copies of the Bible. They informed me that in
certain places of the remote dispersion their
brethren have but some small portions of the Scrip-
tures, and that the prophetical books were rare ;
but that they themselves, from their vicinity to the
White Jews, have been supplied, from time to
time, with the whole of the Old Testament.
" From these communications I plainly perceive
the important duty which now devolves on chris-
tians possessing the art of printing, to send to the
Jews in the East copies of the Hebrew Scriptures,
and particularly of the prophetical books. If only
the prophecies of Isaiah and Daniel were publish-
344 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
ed among them, the effect might be great. They
do not want the law so much. But the prophetical
books would appear among them with some no-
velty, particularly in a detached form, and could
be easily circulated through the remotest part
of Asia.
" I have had many interesting conferences with
the Jews on the subject of their present state ; and
have been much struck with two circumstances,
their constant reference to the DESOLATION of
Jerusalem, and their confident hope that it will be
one day REBUILT. The desolation of the Holy
City is ever present to the minds of the Jews,
when the subject is concerning themselves as a
nation ; for, though without a king and without a
country, they constantly speak of the unity of their
nation. Distance of time and place seems to have
no effect in obliterating the remembrance of the
desolation. I often thought of the verse in the
Psalms, ' If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my
right hand forget her cunning.' They speak of Pa-
lestine as being close at hand, and easily accessible.
It is become an ordinance of their rabbins in some
places, that when a man builds a new house, he
shall leave a small part of it unfinished, as an em-
blem of ruin, and write on it these words, Zecher
Lachorckan, i. e. In MEMORY of the DESO-
LATION.
" Their hopes of rebuilding the walls of Jerusa-
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 345
lem the third and last time, under the auspices of
the Messiah, or of a second Cyrus before his com-
ing, are always expressed with great confidence.
They have a general impression that the period of
their liberation from the heathen is not very re-
mote ; and they consider the present commotions
in the earth as gradually loosening their bonds. ' It
is/ say they, ' a sure sign of our approaching re-
storation, that in almost all countries there is a ge-
neral relaxation of the persecution against us.' I
pressed strongly upon them the prophecies of Da-
niel. In former times that prophet was not in re-
pute among the Jews, because he predicted the
coming of the Messiah at the end of ' the seventy
weeks;' and his book has been actually removed
from the list of prophetic writings, and remains to
this day among the Hagiographa, such as Job, the
Psalms, the Proverbs, Ruth ; but he now begins to
be popular among those who have studied him, be-
cause he has predicted that the final ' accomplish-
ment of the indignation against the holy people '
is near at hand. The strongest argument to press
upon the mind of a Jew, at this period, is to ex-
plain to his conviction Daniel's period of 1260
years ; and then to show the analogy which it bears
to the period of the Evangelist John, concerning
the papal and Mohammedan powers, with the state
of which the Jews are well acquainted.
" I passed through the burial ground of the
346 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
Jews the other day. Some of the tombs are hand-
somely constructed, and have Hebrew inscriptions
in prose and verse. This mansion of the dead is
called by the Jews, Beth Haiim, or ' The House of
the Living!'
st Being much gratified with my visit to the Jews
of Malabar, and desirous to maintain some commu-
nication with them, I have engaged a very respect-
able member of their community to accompany
me with his servant to Bengal, and to remain with
me in the capacity of Hebrew moonslicc, or teacher,
until my return to England. Observing that in the
houses of the White Jews there are many volumes
of printed Hebrew, mostly of the fifteenth and six-
teenth centuries, which are rarely met with in Eng-
land, I have employed MisraJd, that is the name of
my moonshee, to collect some of the most va
luable.
" At the beginning of the following year, (1S08)
the author visited Cochin a second time, arid pro-
ceeded afterwards to Bombay, where he had an op-
portunity of meeting with some very intelligent
men of the Jewish nation. They had heard of his
conferences with the Cochin Jews, and were desi-
rous to discuss certain topics, particulai'ly the pro-
phecies of Isaiah ; and they engaged in them with
far more spirit and frankness, he thought, than their
brethren at Cochin had done. They told him that
if he would take a walk to the bazar in the suburb,
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 347
without the walls of Bombay town, he would find
a synagogue without a Sephcr Tora, or Book of the
Law. He did so, and found it to be the case. The
minister and a few of the Jews assembled and
showed him. their synagogue, in which there were
some loose leaves of prayers in manuscript, but no
Book of the Law. The author did not understand
that they disapproved of the Law ; but they had
no copy of it. They seemed to have little know-
ledge of the Jewish Scriptures or history. This only
proved what he had been often told, that small
portions of the Jewish nation melt away from time
to time, and are absorbed in the mass of the heathen
world. Nor is this any argument against the truth
of the prophecy, which declares that they should
remain a separate and distinct people ; for these
are mere exceptions. Conversions to Christianity in
the early ages would equally militate against the
prediction taken in an absolute sense.'
" The tribes of Israel are no longer to be inquired
after by name. The purpose for which they were
once divided into tribes was accomplished when
the genealogy of the Messiah was traced to the
stem of David. Neither do the Israelites them*
selves know certainly from what families they are
descended. And this is a chief argument against
the Jews, to which the author never heard that a
Jew could make a sensible reply. The tribe
348 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
of JudaJi was selected as that from which the
Messiah should come ; and behold, the Jews do
not know ^|}Jl^c1l of them are of tlic tribe of Judaft !
" AVhen the author mentioned that it was the
opinion of some that the ten tribes had migrated
from the Chaldean provinces, he was asked to what
country we supposed they had gone, and whether
we had ever heard of their moving in a great army
on such an expedition.
" It will be easy perhaps to show that the great
body of the ten tribes remain to this day in the
countries to which they were first carried captive.
If we can discover where they were in the first
century of the Christian era, which was seven hun
dred years after the carrying away to Babylon,
and again where they were in the fifth century, we [
certainly may be able to trace them up to this
time.
" Josephus, who wrote in the reign of Vespa-
sian, recites a speech made by king Agrippa to
the Jews, wherein he exhorts them to submit to
the Romans, and expostulates with them in these
words : ' What, do you stretch your hopes beyond
the river Euphrates ] Do any of you think that
your fellow-tribes will come to your aid out of
Adiabene ? Besides, if they would come, the Par-
thian will not permit it.' Jos. de Bell. lib. ii c, 23.
"We learn from this oration, delivered to the Jews
themselves, and by a king of the Jews, that the
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES 349
ten tribes were then captive in Media, under the
Persian princes.
" In the fifth century, Jerome, author of the Vul-
gate, treating of the dispersed Jews, in his Notes
upon Hosea, has these words : { Unto this day the
ten tribes are subject to the kings of the Per-
sians, nor has their captivity ever been loosed.'
Tom. vi. p. 7. And again he says, ' The ten
tribes inhabit at this day the cities and mountains
of the Medes.' Tom. vi. p. 80.
" There is no room left for doubt on this subject.
Have we heard of any expedition of the Jews
' going forth from that country, since that period,
like the Goths and Huns, to conquer nations V
Have we ever heard of their rising in insurrection
to burst the bands of their captivity 1 To this day,
both Jews and Christians are generally in a state of
captivity in these despotic countries. No family
dares to leave the kingdom without permission of
the king."*
Mohammedanism reduced the number of the
Jews exceedingly : it was presented to them at the
point of the sword. We know that multitudes of
Christians received it ; for example, ' the seven
churches of Asia ;' and we may believe that an
equal proportion of Jews were proselyted by the
* Joseph Ernin, a Christian, well known in Calcutta
wished to bring his family from Ispahan ; but he could not
effect it, though our government interested itself in his
behalf.
350 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
same means. In the provinces of Casbmire and
Afghanistan some of the Jews submitted to great
sacrifices, and they remain Jews to this day : but
the greater number yielded, in the course of ages,
to the power of the reigning religion. Their coun-
tenance, their language, their names, their rites
and observances, and their history, all conspire to
establish the fact.^ We may judge, in some de-
gree, of the number of those who would yield to
the sword of Mohammed, and conform, in appear-
ance at least, to what was called a sister religion,
from the number of those who conformed to the
Christian religion, under the influence of the inqui-
sition in Spain and Portugal. Orobio, who was
himself a Jew, states in his history that there were
upwards of twenty thousand Jews in Spain alone,
who, from fear of the inquisition, professed Chris-
tianity, some of whom were priests and bishops.
The tribes of the Affghan race are very numerous,
and of different castes ; and it is probable that the
proportion which is of Jewish descent is not great.
The Affghan nations extend on both sides of the
Indus, and inhabit the mountainous region com-
mencing in western Persia. They differ in lan-
* Mr. Forster was so much struck with the general ap-
pearance, garb and manners of the Cashmirians, as to think,
without any previous knowledge of the fact, that he had
been suddenly transported among a nation of Jews. See
Forster's Travels.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 351
guage, customs, religion, arid countenance, and
have little knowledge of each other. Some tribes
have the countenance of the Persian, and some of
the Hindoo ; and some tribes are evidently of Jew-
ish extraction.
" Calculating then the number of Jews who now
inhabit the provinces of ancient Chaldea, or the
contiguous countries, and who still profess Juda-
ism ; and the number of those who embraced Mo-
hammedanism, or some form of it,, in the same re-
gions ; we may be satisfied ' That the greater part
of the ten tribes, which now exist, are to be found
in the countries of their first captivity.'
" On the author's return to England he found
that a society had been instituted for the conversion
of the Jews ; and he was not a little surprised to
hear that some Christians had opposed its institu-
tion. He was less surprised at this, however, when
he was informed that objections had been brought
against the society for the circulation of the Bible.
It is possible to urge political arguments against
Christianity itself. Such a spirit as this does not
seem entitled to much courtesy ; for it springs di-
rectly from this assumption, that the Bible is not
from God, or that there is something greater than
truth."
352 .MEMOIR OF DR. BUCUANAN.
CHAPTER XI.
Popery in India Inquisition at Goa.
In connection with the preceding results of Dr.
Buchanan's first tour on the coast of Malabar, we
give his own sketch of Popery in India, and parti-
cularly of his visit to the Inquisition at Goa, made
after he had left Calcutta for his native land.
" In passing through the Romish provinces in
the East, though the author had before heard much
of the papal corruptions, he certainly did not ex-
pect to see Christianity in the degraded state in
which he found it. Of the priests it may truly be
said that they are, in general, better acquainted
with the Veda of Brahma than with the Gospel of
Christ. In some places the doctrines of both are
blended. At Aughoor, situated between Tritchino-
poly aud Madura, he witnessed (in October, 1806)
the tower of Juggernaut employed to solemnize a
nominally Christian festival. The old priest Jose-
phus accompanied him when he surveyed the ido-
latrous car and its painted figures, and gave him a
particular account of the various ceremonies which
are performed, seemingly unconscious himself of
any impropriety in them.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 353
" While the author viewed these corruptions in
different places, and in different forms, he was al-
ways referred to the inquisition at Goa, as the foun-
tain-head. He had long cherished the hope that he
should be able to visit Goa before he left India.
His chief objects were the following :
" 1. To ascertain whether the inquisition actual-
ly refuse to recognize the Bible among the Romish
churches in India. 2. To inquire into the state and
jurisdiction of the inquisition, particulai'ly as it
affected British subjects. 3. To learn what was
the system of education for the priesthood ; and 4.
To examine the ancient church libraries in Goa,
which were said to contain all the books of the first -
printing.
" He will select from his journal, in this place,
chiefly what relates to the inquisition. He had
learnt from every quarter that this tribunal, for-
merly so well known for its frequent burnings, was
still in operation, though under some restrictions
as to the publicity of its proceedings, and that its
power extended to the extreme boundary of Hin-
dostan. That, in the present civilized state of Chris-
tian nations in Europe, an inquisition should exist
at all under their authority, appeared strange ; but
that a papal tribunal of this character should ex-
ist under the implied toleration and countenance
of the British government ; that Christians, being
subjects to the British empire, and inhabiting the
Buchanan. 23
354 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
British territories, should be amenable to its power
and jurisdiction, was a statement which seemed to
be scarcely credible; but, if true, a fact which
demanded the most public and solemn represen-
tation."
" GOA, Convent of the Augusiinians, Jan. 23, 1808.
" On my arrival at Goa I was received into the
house of Capt. Schuyler, the British resident. The
British force here is commanded by Colonel Adams,
of his majesty's 78th regiment, with whom I was
formerly Veil acquainted in Bengal.* Next day I
was introduced by these gentlemen to the viceroy
of G-oa, the Count de Cabral. I intimated to his ex-
cellency my wish to sail up the river to old Goa,i
(where the inquisition is,) to which he politely ac-
ceded. Major Pareira, of the Portuguese estab-
lishment, who was present, and to whom I had let-
* The forts in the harbor of Goa were then occupied by
the British troops.
t There is old and new Goa. The old city is about eight
miles up the river. The viceroy and the chief Portuguese
inhabitants reside at new Goa, which is at the mouth of the
river, within the forts of the harbor. The old city, where
the inquisition and the churches are, is now almost entirely
deserted by the secular Portuguese, and is inhabited by the
priests alone. The unhealthiness of the place, and the as-
cendency of the priests, are the causes assigned for aban-
doning the ancient city.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 355
ters of introduction from Bengal, offered to accom-
pany me to the city, and to introduce me to the
archbishop of Goa, the primate of the Orient.
" I had communicated to Colonel Adams, and to
the British resident, my purpose of inquiring into
the slate of the inquisition. These gentlemen in-
formed me that I should not be able to accomplish
my design without difficulty, since every thing re-
lating to the inquisition was conducted in a very
secret mariner, the most respectable of the lay
Portuguese themselves being ignorant of its pro
ceedings ; and that, if the priests were to discover
my object, their excessive jealousy and alarm
would prevent their communicating with me, or
satisfying my inquiries on any subject.
" On receiving this intelligence I perceived that
it would be necessary to proceed with caution. I
was, in fact, about to visit a republic of priests ;
whose dominion had existed for nearly three cen-
turies ; whose province it was to prosecute here-
tics, and particularly the teachers of heresy ; and
from whose authority and sentence there was no
appeal in India.*
* I was informed that the viceroy of Goa has no authority
over the inquisition, and that he himself is liable to its cen-
sure. Were the British government, for instance, to prefer
a complaint against the inquisition to the Portuguese gov-
ernment at Goa, it could obtain no redress. By the very
constitution of the inquisition, there is no power in India
that can invade its jurisdiction, or even put a question to it
on any subject.
356 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" It happened that Lieut. KLempthorne, com
roander of his majesty's brig Diana, a distant con-
nexion of my own, was at this time in the harbor.
On his learning that I meant to visit old Goa, he
offered to accompany me, as did Captain Sterling,
of his majesty's 4Sth regiment, which is now sta-
tioned at the forts.
" We proceeded up the river in the British re-
sident's barge, accompanied by Major Pareira,
who was well qualified, by a thirty years' residence,
to give information concerning local circumstances.
From him I learned that there were upwards of
two hundred churches and chapels in the province
of Goa, and upwards of two thousand priests.
" On our arrival at the city* it was past twelve
o'clock : all the churches were shut ; and we were
told that they would not be opened again till two
o'clock. I mentioned to Major Pareira that I in-
tended to stay at old Goa some days ; and that I
* We entered the city by the palace gate, over which is
the statue of Vasco de Gama, who first opened India to the
view of Europe. I had seen at Calicut, a few weeks before,
the ruins of the Samorin's palace, in which Vasco de Ga-
ma was first received. The Samorin was the first native
prince against whom the Europeans made war. The empire
of the Samorin has passed away ; and the empire of his
conquerors has passed away ; and now imperial Britain ex
ercises dominion. May imperial Britain be prepared to
give a good accoun> of her stewardship, when it shall be
said unto her, " T/iou mayest be no longer steward."
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 357
should be obliged to him to find me a place to
sleep in. He seemed surprised at this intimation,
and observed that it would be difficult for me to
obtain a reception in any of the churches or con-
vents, and that there were no private houses into
which I could be admitted. I said I could sleep
any where. I had two servants with me, and a tra-
velling bed. When he perceived that I was serious
in my purpose, he gave directions to a civil officer
in that place to clear out a room in a building
which had been long uninhabited, and which was
then used as a warehouse for goods. Matters at
this time presented a very gloomy appearance ;
and I had thoughts of returning with my compa-
nions from this inhospitable place. In the mean-
time we sat down in the room I have just men-
tioned to take some refreshment, while Major
Pareira went to call on some of his friends. During
this interval I communicated to Lieut. Kemp-
thorne the object of my visit. I had in my pocket
' Dellon's Account of the Inquisition at Goa;'*
and I mentioned some particulars. While we were
conversing on the subject, the great bell of the ca-
* Monsieur Dellon, a physician, was imprisoned in the
dungeon of the inquisition at Goa for two years, and wit-
nessed an auto da fe, when some heretics were burned, at
which time he walked barefoot. After his release he wrote
the history of his confinement. His descriptions are in ge-
neral very accurate.
358 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
thedral began to toll ; the same which Dellon
observes always tolls before day-light on the morn-
ing of the Auto daFe. I did not myself ask any
questions of the people concerning the inquisition ;
but Mr. Kempthorne made inquiries for me : and
he soon found out that the Santa Casa, or Holy
Office, was close to the house where they were then
sitting. The gentlemen went to the window to
view the horrid mansion ; and I could see the indig-
nation of free and enlightened men arise in the
countenances of the two British officers, while they
contemplated a place where formerly their own
countrymen were condemned to the flames, and in-
to which they themselves might now suddenly be
thrown, without the possibility of rescue.
"At two o'clock we went out to view the churches,
which were now open for the afternoon service ;
for there are regular daily masses ; and the bells
began to assail the ear in every quarter.
" The magnificence of the churches of Goa far
exceeded any idea I had formed from the previous
description. Goa is properly a city of churches ;
and the wealth of provinces seems to have been ex-
pended in their erection. The ancient specimens
of architecture at this place far excel any thing
that has been attempted in modern times in any
other part of the East, both in grandeur and in
taste. The chapel of the palace is built after the
plan of St. Peter's at Rome, and is said to be an
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 359
accurate model of that paragon of architecture.
The church of St. Dominic, the founder of the in-
quisition, is decorated with paintings of Italian
masters. St. Francis Xavier lies enshrined in a
monument of exquisite art, and his coffin is enchas-
ed with silver and precious stones. The cathedral
of Goa is worthy of one of the principal cities of
Europe ; and the church and convent of the Au-
gustinians (in which I now reside) is a noble pile
of building, situated on an eminence, . and has a
magnificent appearance from afar.
" But what a contrast to all this grandeur of the
churches is the worship offered in them ! I have
been present at the service in one or other of the
chapels every day since I arrived, and I seldom see
a single worshipper but the ecclesiastics. Two
rows of native priests kneeling in order before the
altar, clothed in coarse black garments, of sickly
appearance and vacant countenance, perform here,
from day to day, their laborious masses, seemingly
unconscious of any other duty or obligation of life.
" The day was now far spent, and my companions
were about to leave me. While I was considering
whether I should return with them, Major Pareira
said he would first introduce me to a priest high in
office, and one of the most learned men in the place.
We accordingly walked to the convent of the Au-
gnstinians, where I was presented to Josephus a
Doioribus, a man well advanced in life, of pale vis-
360 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
age and penetrating eye, rather of a reverend ap-
pearance, and possessing great fluency of speech
and urbanity of manners. At first sight he pre-
sented the aspect of one of those acute and pru-
dent men of the world, the learned and respectable
Italian Jesuits, some of whom are yet found, since
the demolition of their order, reposing in tranquil
obscurity in different parts of the East. After half
an hour's conversation in the Latin language, dur-
ing which he adverted rapidly to a variety of sub-
jects, and inquired concerning some learned men
of his own church, whom I had visited in my tour,
he politely invited me to take up my residence
with him during my stay at old Goa. I was high-
ly gratified by this unexpected invitation ; but
Lieut. Kempthorne did not approve of leaving me
in the hands of the inquisitors. For judge of our
surprise when we discovered that my learned host
was one of the inquisitors of the holy office, the se-
cond member of that august tribunal in rank, but
the first and most active agent in the business of
the department. Apartments were assigned to me
in the college adjoining the convent, next to the
rooms of the inquisitor himself; and here I have
been now four days at the very fountain-head of
information in regard to those subjects which' I
wished to investigate. I breakfast and dine with
the inquisitor almost every day, and he generally
passes his evenings in my apartment. As he con-
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 361
siders my inquiries to be chiefly of a literary na-
ture, he is perfectly candid and communicative on
all subjects. '
t! Next day after my arrival I was introduced by
my learned conductor to the archbishop of Goa.
We found him reading the Latin letters of St.
Francis Xavier. On my adverting to the long dura-
tion of the city of Goa, while other cities of Euro-
peans in India had suffered from war or revolution,
the archbishop observed that the preservation of
Goa was ' owing to the prayers of St. Francis Xa-
vier.' The inquisitor looked at me, to see what I
thought of this sentiment. I acknowledged that
Xavier was considered by the learned among the
English to have been a great man. What he wrote
himself bespeaks him a man of learning, of origi-
nal genius, and great fortitude of mind ; but what
others have written for him and of him has tarnish-
ed his fame, by making him the inventor of fables.
The archbishop signified his assent. He afterwards
conducted me to his private chapel, which is deco-
rated with images of silver, and then into the archi-
episcopal library, which possesses a valuable collec-
tion of books. As I passed through our convent, in
returning from the archbishop's, I observed among
the paintings in the cloisters a portrait of the famous
Alexis de Menezes, archbishop of Goa, who held
the synod of Diamper, near Cochin, in 1599, and
burned the books of the Syrian Christians. From
302 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
*4
the inscription underneath I learned that he was
the founder of the magnificent church and convent
in which I am now residing.
" On the same day I received an invitation to dine
with the chief inquisitor, at his house in the coun-
try. The second inquisitor accompanied me, and
we found a respectable company of priests and a
sumptuous entertainment. In the library of the chief
inquisitor I saw a register, containing the present
establishment of the inquisition at Goa, and the
names of all the officers. On asking the chief inqui-
sitor whether the establishment was as extensive
as formerly, he said it was nearly the same. I had
hitherto said little to any person concerning the in-
quisition, but I had indirectly gleaned much infor-
mation concerning it, not only from the inquisitors
themselves, but from certain priests whom I visited
at their respective convents ; particularly from a
father in the Franciscan convent, who had himself
repeatedly witnessed an Auto da Fe."
" GOA, Augustinian Convent, Jan. 26, 1808.
" On Sunday, after divine service, which I at-
tended, we looked over together the prayers and
portions of Scripture for the day, which led to a dis-
cussion concerning some of the doctrines of Christi-
anity. We then read the third chapter of St. John's
Gospel in the Latin Vulgate. I asked the inquisitor
whether he believed in the influence of the Spirit
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 363
there spoken of. He distinctly admitted itj con.
jointly however, he thought, in some obscure sense,
with water. I observed that water was merely an
emblem of the purifying effects of the Spirit, and
could be but an emblem. We next adverted
to the expression of St. John, in his first Epis-
tle : ' This is he that came by water and blood,
even Jesus Christ : not by water only, but by
water and blood :' blood to atone for sin, and
water to purify the heart ; justification and sanctifi-
cation : both of which were expressed at the same
moment on the cross. The inquisitor was pleased
with the subject. I referred to the evangelical doc-
trines of Augustin, (we were now in the Augustin-
ian convent,) plainly asserted by that father in a
thousand places, and he acknowledged their truth.
I then asked him in what important doctrine he
differed from the protestant church 1 He confessed
that he never had a theological discussion with a
protestant before. By an easy transition we passed
to the importance of the Bible itself to illuminate
the priests and people. I noticed to him, that after
looking through the colleges and schools, there ap-
peared to me to be a total eclipse of scriptural light.
He acknowledged that religion and learning were
truly in a degraded state. I had visited the theolo-
gical schools, and at every place I expressed my
surprise to the tutors, in presence of the pupils, at
the absence of the Bible, and almost total want of
364 MEMOIR OP rife. BUCHANAN.
reference to it. They pleaded the custom of the
place and the scarcity of copies of the book itself.
Some of the younger priests came to me afterwards,
desiring to know by what means they might pro-
cure copies. This inquiry for Bibles was like a ray
of hope beaming on the walls of the inquisition.
" I pass an hour sometimes in the spacious li-
brary of the Augustinian convent. There are many
rare volumes, but they are chiefly theological, and
almost all of the sixteenth century. There are few
classics, and I have not yet seen one copy of the
original Scriptures in Hebrew or Greek."
" GOA, Augustinian Convent, Jan. 27, 1808.
" On the second morning after my arrival I was
surprised by my host, the inquisitor, coming into
my apartment clothed in black robes from head to
foot ; for the usual dress of his order is white. He
said he was going to sit on the tribunal of the holy
office. ' I presume, father, your august office does
not occupy much of your time.' * Yes,' answered
he, ' much. I sit on the tribunal three or four days
every week.'
" I had thought, for some days, of putting Del-
Ion's book into the inquisitor's hands ; for if I couid
get him to advert to the facts stated in that book, I
should be able to learn, by comparison, the exact
state of the inquisition at the present time. In the
evening he oame in, as usual, to pass an hour in
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 365
my apartment. After some conversation I took the
pen in my hand to write a few notes in my journal;
and, as if to amuse him while I was writing, I took
up Dellon's book, which was lying with some others
on the table, and handing it across to him, asked
him if he had ever seen it. It was in the French
language, which he understood well. ' Relation de
o o '
1'Inquisition de Goa,' pronounced he, with a slow
articulate voice. He had never seen it before, and
began to read with eagerness. He had not proceed-
ed far before he betrayed evident symptoms of un-
easiness, He turned hastily to the middle of the
book and then to the end, and then ran over the
table of contents at the beginning, as if to ascertain
the full extent of the evil. He then composed him-
self to read, while I continued to write. He turned
over the pages with rapidity ; and when he came
to a certain place, he exclaimed, in the broad Ita-
lian accent, ' Mendacium, mendacium !'* I request-
ed he would mark those passages which were un-
true, and we should discuss them afterwards, for
that I had other books on the subject. ' Other
books !' said he, and he looked with an inquiring
eye on those on the table. He continued reading
till it was time to retire to rest, and then begged to
take the book with him.
" It was on this night that a circumstance happen-
* It is false.
366 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
ed which caused my first alarm at Goa. My ser-
vants slept every night at my chamber door, in
the long gallery which is common to all the apart-
ments, and not far distant from the servants of the
convent. About midnight I was waked by loud
shrieks and expressions of terror from some per-
son in the gallery. In the first moment of surprise
I concluded it must be the AJguazils of the holy
office seizing my servants to carry them to the in-
quisition. But, on going out, I saw my own ser-
vants standing at the door, and the person who had
caused the alarm (a boy of about fourteen) at a lit-
tle distance surrounded by some of the priests, who
had come out of their cells on hearing the noise.
The boy said he had seen a spectre, and it was a
considerable time before the agitations of his body
and voice subsided. Next morning at breakfast the
inquisitor apologized for the disturbance, and said
the boy's alarm proceeded from a ' phantasma ani-
mi,' a phantasm of the imagination.
"After breakfast we resumed the subject of the
inquisition. The inquisitor admitted that Dellon's
descriptions of the dungeons, of the torture, of the
mode of trial, a'nd of the Auto da Fe were, in gene-
ral, just; but he said the writer judged untruly
of the motives of the inquisitors, and very unchar-
itably of the character of the holy church ; and I
admitted that, under the pressure of his peculiar
suffering, this might possibly be the case. The in-
quisitor was now anxious to know to what extent
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 367
Dellon's book had been circulated in Europe. 1
told him that Picart had published to the world ex
tracts from it, in his celebrated work called ' Reli-
gious Ceremonies ;' together with plates of the sys-
tem of torture and burnings at the Auto da Fe. I
added that it was now generally believed in Eu-
rope that these enormities no longer existed, and
that the inquisition itself had been totally suppress-
ed ; but that I was concerned to find that this was
not the case. He now began a grave, narration to
show that the inquisition had undergone a change
in some respects, and that its terrors were miti-
gated.*
*" The following were the passages in Mr. Dellon's narra-
tive to which I wished particularly to draw the attention of
the .inquisitor. Mr. D. had been thrown into the inquisi-
tion at Goa and confined in a dungeon ten feet square,
where he remained upwards of two years without seeing
any person but the gaoler who brought him his victuals, ex-
cept when he was brought to his trial, expecting daily to
be brought to the stake. His alleged crime was, charging
the inquisition with cruelty, in a conversation he had with
a priest at Daman, another part of India.
" ' During the months of November and December I heard
every morning the shrieks of the unfortunate victims who .
were undergoing the question. I remembered to have heard,
before I was cast into prison, that the Auto da Fe was gen-
erally celebrated on the first Sunday in Advent, because on
that day is read in the churches that part of the Gospel in
which mention is made of the last judgment; and the in-
quisitors pretend by this ceremony to exhibit a lively em-
blem of that awful event. I was likewise convinced that
there were a great number of prisoners besides myself, the
368 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" I had already discovered, from written or print-
ed documents, that the inquisition of Goa was
suppressed by royal edict in the year 1775, and
profound silence which reigned within the walls of the
building having enabled me to count the number of doors
which were opened at the hours of meals. However, the
first and second Sundays of Advent passed by without my
hearing of any thing, and I prepared to undergo another
year of melancholy captivity, when I was aroused from my
despair on the llth of January by the noise of the guards
removing the bars from the doors of my prison. The Al-
caide presented me with a habit, which he ordered me to
put on, and to make myself ready to attend him when he
should come again. Thus saying, he left a lighted lamp in
my dungeon. The guards returned about two o'clock in
the morning, and led me out into a long gallery, where I
found a number of the companions of my fate drawn up
in a rank against a wall. I placed myself among the rest,
and several more soon joined the melancholy band. The
profound silence and stillness caused them to resemble sta-
tues more than the animated bodies of human creatures.
The women, who were clothed in a similar manner, were
placed in a neighboring gallery, where we could not see
them ; but I remarked that a number of persons stood by
themselves at some distance, attended by others who wore
long black dresses, and who walked backwards and for-
wards occasionally. I did not then know who these were;
but I was afterwards informed that the former were the
victims who were condemned to be burned, and the others
were their confessors.
"'After we were all ranged against the wall of this
gallery, we received each a large wax taper. They then
brought us a number of dresses made of yellow cloth, with
the cross of St. Andrew painted before and behind. This
is called the San Benito. The relapsed heretics wear an-
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. " 369
established again in 1779, The Franciscan father
before mentioned witnessed the annual Auto da
Fe, from 1770 to 1775. ' It was the humanity
other species of robe, called the Samarra, the ground of
which is gray. The portrait of the sufferer is painted up-
on it, placed upon burning torches, with flames and de-
mons all round. Caps were then produced called carror.has,
made of pasteboard, pointed like sugar-loaves, all covered
over with devils and flames of fire.
" ' The great bell of the cathedral began to ring a little be-
fore sunrise, which served as a signal to warn the people of
Goa to come and behold the august ceremony of the Auto
..ia Fe ; and then they made us proceed from the gallery
one by one. I remarked as we passed into the great hall,
that the inquisitor was sitting at the door with his secretary
by him, and that he delivered every prisoner into the hands
of a particular person who is to be his guard to the place
of burning. These persons are called Parrians, or god-
fathers. My godfather was commander of a ship. I went
forth with him, and as soon as we were in the street, I saw
that the procession was commenced by the Dominican
Friars ; who have this honor, because St. Dominic found-
ed the inquisition. These are followed by the prisoners, who
walk one after the other, each having his godfather by his
side and a lighted taper in his hand. The least guilty go
foremost : and as I did not pass for one of them, there were
many who took precedence of me. The women were mixed
promiscuously with the men. We all walked barefoot, and
the sharp stones of the streets of Goa wounded my tender
feet, and caused the blood to stream ; for they made us
march through the chief streets of the city : and we were
regarded every where by an innumerable crowd of people,
who had assembled from all parts of India to behold this
spectacle; for the inquisition takes care to announce it
long before, in the most remote, parishes. At length we ar-
Bueliaiian. 24
370 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
and tender mercy of a good king,' said the old
father, ' which abolished the inquisition.' But im-
mediately on his death the power of the priests
rived at the church of St. Francis, which was, for this time,
destined for the celebration of the act of faith. Ou one
side of the altar was the grand inquisitor-arid his counsel-
lors, and on the other the viceroy of Goa and his court.
All the prisoners are seated to hear a sermon. I observed
that those prisoners who wore the horrible carrochas came
in last in the procession. One of the Augustin monks as-
cended the pulpit, and preached for a quarter of an hour.
The sermon being concluded, two readers went up to the
pulpit, one after the other, and read the sentences of the
prisoners. My joy was extreme when I heard that my
sentence was not to be burnt, but to be a galley slave for
five years. After the sentences were read, they summoned
forth those miserable victims who were destined to be im-
molated by the holy inquisition. The images of the here-
tics who had died in prison were brought up at the same
time, their bones being contained in small chests covered
with flames and demons: An officer of the secular tribu-
nal now came forward and seized these unhappy people,
after they had each received a slight blow upon the. lireasl
from the Alcaide, to intimate that they were abandoned.
They were then led away to the bank of the river, where
the viceroy and his court were assembled, and where the
faggots had been prepared the preceding day. As soon as
they arrive at this place, the condemned persons are asked
in what religion they choose to die ; and the moment they
have replied to this question the executioner seizes them
and binds them to the stake in the midst of the fa?gots.
The day after the execution the portraits of the dead are
carried to the church of the Dominicans. The heads only
are represented, (which are generally very accurately
drawn: for the inquisition keeps excellent limners fof the
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES 371
acquired the ascendant under the queen dowa-
ger, and the tribunal was re-established, after a
bloodless interval of five years. It has continued
in operation ever since. It was restored in 1779,
subject to certain restrictions, the chief of which
are the two following, ' that a greater number of
witnesses should be required to convict a criminal
than were before necessary ;' and ! that the Auto
da Fe should not be held publicly as before ; but
that the sentences of the tribunal should be execu-
ted privately within the walls of the inquisition.'
" In this particular fhe constitution of the new
inquisition is more reprehensible than that of the
old one ; for, as the old father expressed it, ' Nunc
sigillum non revelat inquisitio.'* Formerly the
friends of those unfortunate persons who were
thrown into its prison had the melancholy satisfac-
tion of seeing them once a year walking in the pro-
cession of the Auto da Fe ; or, if they were con-
demned to die, they witnessed their death, and
mourned for the dead. But now they have no means
of learning, for years, whether they be dead or alive.
The policy of this new code of concealment appears
to be this, to preserve the power of the inquisition,
and at the same time to lessen the public odium of
its proceedings in the presence of British dominion
purpose,) surrounded by flames and demons ; and under-
neath is the name and crime of the person who has been
burned." Relation de I'lnquisUimi de Goa, chap. xxiv.
* The inquisition is now secret.
372 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
and civilization. I asked the father his opinion con
cerning the nature and frequency of the punish-
ments within the walls. He said he possessed no
certain means of giving a satisfactory answer ; that
every thing transacted there was declared to be
' sacrum et secretum.'* But this he knew to be
true, that there were continually captives in the
dungeons; that some of them are liberated after
long confinement, but that they never speak after-
wards of what passed within the place. He added,
that, of all the persons he had known who had been
liberated, he never knew one who did not carry
about with him what might be called ' the mark of
the inquisition ;' that is to say, who did not show,
in the solemnity of his countenance, or in his pecu-
liar demeanor, or his terror of the priests, that he
had been in that dreadful place.
" The chief argument of the inquisitor to prove
the melioration of the inquisition was the superior
humanity of the inquisitors. I remarked that I did
not doubt the humanity of the existing officers ; but
what availed humanity in an inquisitor'? he must
pronounce sentence according to the laws of the
tribunal, which are notorious enough ; and a re-
lapsc.d heretic must be burned in the flames or con-
fined for life in a dungeon, whether the inquisitor
be humane or not. But if, said I, you would satisfy
* Sacred and secret.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 373
my mind completely on this subject, ' show me the
inquisition.' He said it was not permitted to any
person to see the inquisition. I observed, that mine
might be considered as a peculiar case ; that the
character of the inquisition and the expediency of
its longer continuance had been called in question ;
that I had myself written on the civilization of In-
dia, and might possibly publish something more
upon that subject, and that it could not be expected
that I should pass over the inquisition without no-
tice, knowing what I did of its proceedings ; but at
the same time I should not wish to state a single
fact without his authority, or at least his admission
of its truth. I added, that he himself had been
pleased to communicate with me very fully on the
subject ; and that in all our discussions we had been
actuated, I hoped, by a good purpose. The coun-
tenance of the inquisitor evidently altered on re-
ceiving this intimation, nor did it ever after wholly
regain its wonted frankness and placidity. After
some hesitation, however, he said he would take
me with him to the inquisition the next day. I was
a good deal surprised at this acquiescence of the
inquisitor, but I did not know what was in his mind.
Next morning, after breakfast, my host went to
dress for the holy office, and soon returned in his
inquisitorial robes. He said he would go half an
hour before the usual time, for the purpose of show-
ing me the inquisition. The buildings are about a
374 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
quarter of a mile distant from the convent, and we
proceeded thither in our manjeels* On our arrival
at the place, the inquisitor said to me, as we were
ascending the steps of the outer stair, that he hoped
I should be satisfied with a transient view of the
inquisition, and that I would retire whenever he
should desire it. I took this as a good omen, and
followed my conductor with tolerable confidence.
" He led me first to the great hall of the inquisi-
tion. We were met at the door by a number of
well dressed persons, who, I afterwards understood,
were the familiars and attendants of the holy office.
They bowed very low to the inquisitor and looked
with surprise at me. The great hall is the place in
which the prisoners are marshalled for the proces-
sion of the Auto da Fe. At the procession described
by Dellon, in which he himself walked barefoot,
clothed with the painted garment, there were up-
wards of one hundred arid fifty prisoners. I tra-
versed this hall for some time, with a slow step, re-
flecting on its former scenes, the inquisitor walking
by my side in silence. I thought of the fate of the
multitude of my fellow-creatures who had passed
* The manjeel is a kind of palankeen common at Goa:
It is merely a sea cot suspended from a bamboo, which is
borne on the heads of four men. Sometimes a footman runs
before, having a staff iu his hand, to which are attached
little bells or rings, which he jingles as he runs, keeping
time with the motion of the bearers.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 375
through this place, condemned by a tribunal of their
fellow-sinners, their bodies devoted to the flames
and their souls to perdition ; and 1 could not help
saying to him, ' Would not the holy church wish, in
her mercy, to have those souls back again, that she
might allow them a little further probation V The
inquisitor answered nothing, but beckoned me to "
go with him to a door at one end of the hall. By
this door he conducted me to some small rooms,
and thence to the spacious apartments of the chief
inquisitor. Having surveyed these, he bi'ought me
back again to the great hall ; and ' I thought he
seemed now desirous that I should depart.
" ' Now, father,' said I, ' lead me to the dungeons
below ; I want to see the captives.' ' No,' said he,
' that cannot be.' I now began to suspect that it
had been in the mind of the inquisitor, from the be-
ginning, to show me only a certain part of the in-
quisition, in the hope of satisfying my inquiries in
a general way. I urged him with earnestness, but
he steadily resisted, and seemed to be offended, or
rather agitated, by my importunity. I intimated to,
him plainly, that the only way to do justice to hia
own assertions and arguments regarding the pre-
sent state of the inquisition, was to show me the
prisons and the captives. I should then describe
only what I saw ; but now the subject was left in
awful obscurity. ' Lead me down,' said I, ' to the
inner building, and let me pass through the two
376 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
hundred dungeons, ten feet square, described by
your former captives. Let me count, the number of
your present captives and converse with them. I
want to see if there be any subjects of the British
government to whom we owe protection. I want
to ask how long they have been here, how long it
is since they beheld the light of the sun, and whe-
ther they ever expect to see it again. Show me the
chamber of torture ; and declare what modes of
execution or of punishment are now practised
within the walls of the inquisition in lieu of the
public Auto da Fe. If, after all that has passed, fa-
ther, you resist this reasonable request, I shall be
justified in believing that you are afraid of expos-
ing the real state of the inquisition in India.' To
these observations the inquisitor made no reply,
but seemed impatient that I should withdraw. ' My
good father,' said I, ' I am about to take my leave
of you, and to thank you for your hospitable atten-
tions, (it had been before understood that I should
take my final leave at the door of the inquisition,
after having seen the interior,) and I wish always
to preserve on my mind a favorable sentiment of
your kindness and candor. You cannot, you say,
show me the captives and the dungeons ; be pleased
then merely to answer this question, for I shall be-
lieve your word : How many prisoners are there
now below in the cells of the inquisition V The in-
quisitor replied, ' That is a question which I cannot,
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 377
answer.' On his pronouncing these words I retired
hastily towards the door, and wished him farewell.
We shook hands with as much cordiality as we
could at the moment assume ; and both of us, I be-
lieve, were sorry that our parting took place with a
clouded countenance.
" From the inquisition I went to the place of
burning in the Carn-po Santo Lazaro, on the river
side, where the victims were brought to the stake
at the Auto da Fe. It is close to the palace, that
the viceroy and his court may witness the execu-
tion ; for it has ever been the policy of the inquisi-
tion to make these spiritual executions appear to be
the executions of the state. An old priest accompa-
nied me, who pointed out the place and described
the scene. As I passed over this melancholy plain,
I thought on the difference between the pure and
benign doctrine which was first preached to India
in the apostolic age, and that bloody code which,
after a long night of darkness, was announced to it
under the same name ! And I pondered on the
mysterious dispensation which permitted the minis-
ters of the inquisition, with their racks and flames,
to visit these lands before the heralds of the Gospel
of peace. But the most painful reflection was, that
this tribunal should yet exist, unawed by the vici-
nity of British humanity and dominion. I was not
satisfied with what I had seen or said at the inqui-
sition and I determined to go back again. The iu*
378 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
quisitors were now sitting on the tribunal, and I had
some excuse for returning ; for I was to receive
from the chief inquisitor a letter, which he said he
would give me before I left the place, for the Bri-
tish resident in Travancore, being an answer to a
letter from that officer.
{t When I arrived at the inquisition, and had as-
cended the outer stairs, the door-keepers surveyed
me doubtingly, but suffered me to pass, supposing
that I had returned by permission and appointment
of the inquisitor. I entered the great hall, and went
up directly towards the tribunal of the inquisition,
described by Dellon, in which is the lofty crucifix.
I sat down on a form and wrote some notes, and
then desired one of the attendants to carry in my
name to the inquisitor. As I walked up the hall I
saw a poor woman sitting by herself, on a bench by
the wall, apparently in a disconsolate state of mind.
She clasped her hands as I passed, and gave me a
look expressive of her distress. This sight chilled
my spirits. The familiars told me she was waiting
there to be called up before the tribunal of the in-
quisition. While I was asking questions concerning
her crime, the second inquisitor came out in evident
trepidation, and was about to complain of the intru-
sion, when I informed him I had come back for the
letter from the chief inquisitor. He said it should
be sent after me to Goa, and he conducted me with
a quick step towards the door. As we passed die.
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 379
poor woman I pointed to her, and said to him, with
some emphasis, ' Behold, father, another victim of
the holy inquisition!' He answered nothing. When
we arrived at the head of the great stair he bowed,
and I took my last leave of Josephus a Doloribus
without uttering a word.
o
" The foregoing particulars concerning the inqui-
sition at Goa are detailed chiefly with this view :
that the English nation may consider whether there
he sufficient ground for presenting a remonstrance
to the Portuguese government on the longer conti-
nuance of that tribunal in India ; it being notorious
that a great part of the Romanists are now under
British protection. ' The Romans, 'says Montesquieu,
' deserved well of human nature, for making it an
article in their treaty with the Carthaginians, that
they should abstain from sacrificing their children to
their gods.' It has been lately observed by respect-
able writers, that the English nation ought to imi-
tate this example, and endeavor to induce her allies
' to abolish the hitman sacrifices of the inquisition ;'
and a censure is passed on our government for their
indifference to this subject.* The indifference to the
inquisition is attributable, we believe, to the same
cause which has produced an indifference to the re-
ligious principles which first organized the inquisi-
tion. The mighty despot who suppressed the inqui-
* Edinburgh Review, No. XXX11. p. 449.
380 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
sition in Spain was not swayed probably by very
powerful motives of humanity, but viewed with
jealousy a tribunal which usurped an independent
dominion ; and he put it down on the same princi-
ple that he put down the popedom, that he might
remain pontiff and grand inquisitor himself. And
so he will remain for a time, till the purposes of pro-
vidence shall have been accomplished by him. But
are we to look on in silence, and to expect that fur-
ther meliorations in human society are to be effect-
ed by despotism, or by great revolutions 1 ' If,' say
the same authors, ' while the inquisition is destroy-
ed in Europe by the power of despotism, we could
entertain the hope, and it is not too much to enter-
tain such a hope, that the power of liberty is about
to destroy it in America ; we might even, amid the
gloom that surrounds us, congratulate our fellow-
creatures on one of the most remarkable periods in
the history of the progress of human society, the
FINAL ERASURE of the mqidsitionfrom the face of the
earth.' 1 It will indeed be an important and happy
day to the earth, when this final erasure shall take
place ; but the period of such an event is nearer, I
apprehend, in Europe and America, than it is in
Asia ; and its termination in Asia depends as much
on Great Britain as on Portugal. And shall not
Great Britain do her part to hasten this desirable
time 1 Do we wait, as if to see whether the power
of infidelity will abolish the other inquisitions of the
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 381
earth 1 Shall not we, in the meanwhile, attempt to
do something, on Christian principles, for the honor
of God and of humanity 1 ? Do we dread even to ex-
press a sentiment on the subject in our legislative
assemblies, or to notice it in our treaties 1 It is
surely our duty to declare our wishes, at least, for
the abolition of these inhuman tribunals, (since we
take an active part in promoting the welfare of
other nations.) and to deliver our testimony against
them in the presence of Europe.
" This case is not unlike that of the immolation
of females ; with this aggravation in regard to the
latter, that the rite is perpetrated in our own terri-
tories. Our humanity revolts at the occasional de-
scription of the enormity ; but the matter comes
not to our own business and bosoms, and we fail
even to insinuate our disapprobation of the deed. It
may be concluded then, that while we remain silent
and unmoved spectators of the flames of the widow's
pile, there is no hope that we shall be justly affected
by the reported horrors of the inquisition.*
" Goa will probably remain the theological school
to a great part of India, for a long period to come.
It is of vast importance to the interests of Chris-
tianity in the East, that this source of instruction
should be purified. The appointed instrument for
* The Lord be praised, thnt, even before Dr. Buchanan's
appeal reached Britain, this horrible inquisition was abo-
lished.
382 MKMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
effecting this is the Bible. This is ' the salt which
must be thrown into the fountain to heal the waters.'
There are upwards of three thousand priests be
longing to Goa, who are resident at the place, or
stationed with their cures at a distance. Let us
send the holy Scriptures to illuminate the priests of
Goa. It was distinctly expressed to the author, by
several authorities, that they would gladly receive
copies of the Latin and Portuguese Vulgate Bible
from the hands of the English nation.
In concluding the narrative of his " Christian
Researches," Dr. Buchanan says, " the author has
found his mind frequently drawn to consider the
extraordinary difference of opinion which exists
among men of learning in regard to the importance
and obligation of communicating religious know-
ledge to our fellow-creatures. And he has often
heard the question asked by others, What can be
the cause of this discrepancy of opinion 1 For that
such a difference does exist is most evident ; and
is exemplified at this moment in some of the most
illustrious characters for rank and learning in the
nation. This is a problem of a very interesting
character at this day, and worthy of a distinct and
ample discussion, particularly at the seats of learn-
ing. The problem may be thus expressed : ' What
power is that which produces in the minds of some
persons a real interest and concern in the welfare
of their fellow-creatures ; extending not only to
CHRISTIAN RESEARCHES. 383
the comfort of their existence in this world, but to
their felicity hereafter ; while other men who are
apparently in similar circumstances as to learning
and information, do not feel inclined to move one
step for the promotion of such objects V The latter,
it may be, can speculate on the philosophy of the
human mind, on its great powers and high dignity,
on the sublime virtue of universal benevolence, on
the tyranny of superstition, and the slavery of ig-
norance : and will sometimes quote the verse of the
poet,
" Homo sum : humani nil a me alienum puto :"*
but they leave it to others, and generally to the
Christian in humble life, to exercise the spirit of
that noble verse. This is a very difficult problem ;
and it has been alleged by some that it cannot be
solved on any known principles of philosophy.
" It can only be solved by the practical 7'egard
paid to the last charge of HIM ' who ascended up
on high :' Go, teach all nations. Hence proceeds the
new and extended benevolence, greatness of mind,
and pure and heavenly charity, which distinguish
that man whose heart has been impressed by the
grace of God. How solemn his sense of duty !
How ardent to declare the glory of his Saviour !
His views for the good of men, how disinterested
and enlarged ! It is but too evident that all our
* I am a man, and have the claims of humanity.
3S4 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
speculations concerning a divine revelation, and
the obligation imposed on us to study it ourselves or
communicate it to others, are cold and uninterest-
ing, and excite not to action, ' until, through the
tender compassion of God, the Day-spring from on
high visit us, to give light to them that sit in dark-
ness ;' to humble our hearts at the remembrance
of our sins against God, and to affect them witt; a
just admiration of his pardoning mercy."
CHAPTER XII.
Closing labors in India Meturn to England,
Dr. Buchanan, having completed his first and
principal tour on the Malabar coast, sailed from
Cochin on the 6th of February, 1S07, and arrived
safely at Calcutta on the 15th of March. On his
return he found that the College of Fort William,
which had flourished nearly seven years, during
which period it had been productive of the most
important benefits both to the service of the East
India Company and to Oriental learning and reli-
gion, had been reduced within very narrow limits
on the first of January. The offices of Provost
and Vice-Provost were abolished, and the profes-
sorships restricted to three : viz. the Hindostanee,
AT CALCUTTA. 385
Bengalee, and Perso-Arabic ; it being intended
that the students should only be attached to it, on
an average, for a single year.
The public letter of the Court of Directors which
conveyed this order was dated in May, and reach-
ed Calcutta in December, 1806. On its arrival Mr.
Brown, deeply impressed with the importance of
the moral discipline which had hitherto been ex-
ercised in the College of Fort William, and which
was now superseded, felt it to be his duty to sub-
mit his sentiments upon the subject to the Gover-
nor General, and accompanied his representations
with the offer of continuing to superintend the in-
stitution, and, if that were deemed necessary, to
officiate without salary.
In making this communication to Sir George
Barlow, Mr. Brown referred to his highly esteemed
colleague, Dr. Buchanan, as follows :
" I particularly regret that there should be a
necessity for any material change during the ab-
sence of the Vice-Provost, without his concurrence
or knowledge, from consideration of his having,
throughout, so eminently devoted his superior ta-
lents, with the utmost zeal and by every exertion,
for the benefit of the public service in the success
of the college. In his absence I take it upon me
to communicate faithfully my thoughts, and to sub-
mit them, with respect and deference, to the consi-
deration of the honorable the Governor General."
Buchanan. 25
386 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
Sir George Barlow, on receiving the represen-
tation and offer of Mr. Brown just referred to, ex-
pressed himself deeply struck and gratified by his
philanthropy and disinterestedness, and assured
him that " he should consider of his proposal." No
farther notice of it, however, appears to have been
taken ; but the new modification of the college
immediately took place, and the offices of Provost
and Vice-Provost were accordingly abolished.
The labors, the influence, and the income of Dr.
Buchanan were, in consequence of this arrange-
ment, materially diminished. The reduction of the
former was not only grateful to his taste and incli-
nation, but necessary to his health ; while that of
the latter affected him only as it tended to abridge
his means and opportunities of usefulness. The
subject occurs but once in his various correspon-
dence with his friends, and is then stated merely
as a matter of information, in which he did not
seem to be particularly interested.
His grand object was the yiromotion of Ckj-isti-
anity in India. This' he had kept steadily in view
during the period of his Vice-Pro vostship ; for this,
as we have already seen, he made some provision
when anticipating its abolition ; and it was in pur-
suance of the same important object that he under-
took the extensive journey through which we have
lately accompanied him.
During his voyage, or immediately after his re-
AT CALCUTTA. 387
turn to Calcutta, Dr. Buchanan had drawn up a
paper, under the title of " Literary Intelligence,"
containing a sketch of his proceedings on the coast
of Malabar, which he was desirous of publishing
both at Madras and Calcutta, for the information
of those who were interested in the promotion of
Christian knowledge in India. To the great sur-
prise, however, of Dr. Buchanan, and of many of
the most learned and respectable persons at both
Presidencies, it was not thought expedient to per-
mit such a publication to be inserted in the govern-
ment gazette. It was, in consequence, printed and
circulated in a different form ; and, without pro-
ducing any of the ill effects which some had antici-
pated, it conveyed intelligence which was as grati-
fying to the friends of learning and religion in In-
dia as the same information afterwards proved to
persons of a similar character in England.*
Of the several objects of Dr. Buchanan's tour, it
was stated to be one, to discover fit instruments for
the promotion of learning, and for the dissemina-
tion of the Scriptures in India. It may now be ob-
served, that it was in the course of his journey that
* The " Literary Intelligence " appears, however, to have
been admitted into the Bombay Gazette, by which means it
reached Europe. It was afterwards published in England
by the late Bishop Porteus. See Dr. Buchanan's Apology
for Promoting Christianity in India, p. 87 ; and Owen's
History of the British and Foreign Bible Society, vol. i.
p, 320.
388 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
be first thought of a plan which might effectually
accomplish that object. The reader will probably
recollect the meditation of Dr. Buchanan on the
banks of the Chilka Lake, where, on the morning of
the Sabbath, while reflecting on the painful scene
which he had just witnessed, with the lofty tower of
Juggernaut still in distant view, he conceived the
design of a " CHRISTIAN INSTITUTION " which might
gradually counteract, and at length extinguish the
idolatry of the Eastern world. The historian of the
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire informs us
that he first conceived the thought of his elaborate
and eloquent work amidst the ruins of the capitol. It
was an association of a more sublime and sacred na-
ture which suggested to Dr. Buchanan the design
of the institution, the general plan of which he then
briefly described. Soon after his return to Calcutta
he employed himself in digesting and arranging its
form and constitution : its title was, " The Christian
Institution in the East, or the College for translat-
ing the Holy Scriptures into the Oriental Tongues."
It was dedicated to all good men, to be an instru-
ment in their hands of extending the knowledge
of revealed religion by the translation of the holy
Scriptures, and was placed under the immediate
patronage of the Archbishop of Canterbury, as
President of the Society for the Propagation of
the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and of the Society for
promoting Christian Knowledge. One of its sub
AT CALCUTTA. 389
ordinate objects was to print small tracts on certain
branches of art and science, fitted for popular use
and improvement.
The various instruments of the institution were
next enumerated, comprising the venerable bishop
of the Syrian church in Malayala ; the British and
Danish missionaries throughout India ; Judah Mis-
rahi, a learned Jew of Cochin, engaged by Dr. Bu-
chanan as a translator of the New Testament into
Hebrew; Professor Lassar for the Chinese lan-
guage ; and the late Rev. Henry Martyn, with two
learned coadjutors, natives of the East, for the Per-
sian, Arabic, and Hindostanee languages. With the
exception of Mr. Martyn, who arrived at Calcutta
during the absence of Dr. Buchanan, he stated that
he had visited all the before-named persons at their
respective residences, and had informed himself as
to their abilities and principles.
It was not intended to form an expensive esta-
blishment ; but that a professor should be stationed,
as a literary agent of the college, in each of the prin-
cipal provinces of the East, to study a particular lan-
guage, to collect information, to correspond with
the society at home, to compose and to print books,
aad to instruct the natives in printing. The literary
agents were in general to be paid for wark done ;
that is, for translations or for printing previously
agreed for and faithfully executed. Care was also
to be taken that, in cases where translations of the
2
I
390 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
Scriptures should be intrusted to the members of
any paiticular sect, their exclusive tenets should
not find admission into the work.
Dr. Buchanan proposed that the name of the in-
stitution should not be derived from any church or
sect in Europe, but from the religion itself, the
knowledge of which it was intended to diffuse ; and
that the instruments which it would recognize in
promoting this great design should be of all nations.
He next observed that, in order to secure its re-
sources from failure, and that there might always
be a copious supply of fit persons for the work, it
was expedient that the institution should possess
an organized body in England, and that its establish-
ment should be sufficiently respectable to attach to
it men of rank and learning. The college of the
Propaganda at Rome owed its efficiency and per-
petuity chiefly to its liberal establishment.
Dr. Buchanan grounded the necessity and im-
portance of this Christian institution upon a view
of the present state of the Brahminical superstition
at the chief temples of the Hindoos, and particu-
larly at Juggernaut ; and in order to convey to his
readers in England some idea of the spirit and ef-
fects of the religion of Brahma, he added some ex-
tracts from the journal of his visit to that place.
Provision was made for the transmission of co-
pies of every work published by the institution in,
India to certain libraries in Great Britain ; and it
AT CALCUTTA. 391
was stated that thirty-one volumes had accordingly
been forwarded by the packet which conveyed the
work in question. It was added that Dr. Buchanan
would for the present continue to superintend the
affairs of the institution.
Such is the outline of the college for Oriental trans-
lation conceived by Dr. Buchanan. His intention,
in short, was to establish a British Propaganda,
which, in proportion to the extent of its objects,
should be superior to that at Rome, the fame of
which still survives in Asia. Objections would pro-
bably have occurred to different persons with re-
spect to some of the provisions of this institution ;
and it was obviously never considered by its author
as incapable of alteration and improvement. Its de-
sign and general plan were undoubtedly excellent,
and would probably have been received with much
approbation.
Upon its original formation,* Dr. Buchanan pro-
posed to the Baptist missionaries at Serampore, as
extensively engaged in translating the Scriptures,
that they should accordingly associate, merely in
that character, with other fellow-laborers in differ-
ent parts of India; that the missionary pursuits,
properly so called, and the individual establish-
ments of each society, should remain peculiar and
private, as before ; but that the translators of the
* See his Apology for promoting Christianity in India,
p. 70.
392 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
Scriptures should act in concert, and maintain an
amicable correspondence with each other, under
the general direction of the superintendent, who
would be responsible for the views and proceed-
ings of the institution at lai-ge. The intention of
this proposal was clearly not to supersede the me-
ritorious labors of the Baptist missionaries ; but
to render them more effective, by incorporating
them in one great and comprehensive plan for the
same important object, and by rescuing their ope-
rations from the appearance of any thing private or
sectarian, and investing the united labors of the
learned translators throughout India with a more
public and national character.
It may readily be imagined that the society at
Serampore might feel some hesitation, and even
reluctance, in acceding to this proposition, after the
publicity which Dr. Buchanan had given to their
extensive plan of Oriental translation ; and it was,
perhaps, expecting too much, that they should
voluntarily abandon the " vantage ground " which
they were thus occupying. However this may be,
the Baptist missionaries declined the proposal ; an<
the name of " the Christian institution " was in con-
sequence but partially assumed. The other branches
of which it was intended to be composed, includ-
ing, besides those already named, one of the most
distinguished Oriental scholars of the present age,
the late learned arid lamented Dr. Leyden, who
AT CALCUTTA. 393
undertook the translation of the Scriptures into the
several dialects of the Malayan Archipelago, were
generally associated, after Dr. Buchanan's depart-
ure from India, under the superintendence of the
late Rev. Mr. Brown.
The " Christian Institution " was, however, car-
ried but very imperfectly into execution. On the
arrival of the manuscript in England, though it was
printed in pursuance of Dr. Buchanan's instruc-
tions, some of his friends, to whom the work was
communicated, conceived that its publication was
inexpedient, and might even produce consequences
injurious to the general cause of Christianity in In-
dia. Under these impressions they took upon them-
selves to suppress the publication of the work, more
especially as Dr. Buchanan had announced his in-
tention of returning to this country in the course of
the following year. Their determination was doubt-
less guided by a sincere desire to promote the great
object of his labors ; and it will be seen that he
acquiesced in their judgment.
It is gratifying to reflect that, though this noble
and magnificent design was never carried fully in-
to effect, the mere proposal and publication of a
scheme of so much benevolence, and calculated to
effect benefits so rich and extensive for the heathen
world, had a tendency to enlarge and elevate the
views of christians, and was doubtless a means of
essentially promoting the cause of Christianity in
the East.
394 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
In the course of the ensuing month Lord Minto
who had long been expected, arrived as Governor
General in Bengal. In a letter to Colonel Macau-
o
lay, on the 17th of August, Dr. Buchanan notices his
lordship's good example, and attendance on divine
worship, and his attention to himself. " He wishes
me," he adds, " to communicate fully with him on
all the subjects which he knows have long engaged
my attention."
Dr. Buchanan's next letter to Colonel Macaulay
is dated September 15th, and contains some inte-
resting notices respecting his intended journey over-
land to Europe, and the progress of the Malayalim
translation of the Scriptures. It refers, however,
at the close, to a painful subject, which is after-
wards more fully explained.
" MY DEAR SIR, I had the pleasure to receive
the copies of your correspondence with government
regarding the discipline of the churches. Every
additional letter you write on that subject is an
additional pin to the tabernacle.
" If I should go by Persia, I am prepared to spend
twelve thousand rupees in presents. But I hope
to be able to travel by the route of Bussorah, Mo-
sul, and Aleppo. I proceed to Bombay in the
Metcalfe, Captain Isaacke, who will sail from this
place about the I Oth or 15th of the next month,
October. If practicable, he will set me down at
Cochin. If not, I shall first arrange matters at Bom-
AT CALCUTTA. 395
bay, and then come down to Goa (which I wish
much to visit) and to Cochin.
" I am greatly obliged to you for your letter of
the 2d of August, containing Colonel Capper's sen-
timents on a journey through Persia and Armenia.
His remarks are highly interesting, and may be
useful to me hereafter. I am more afraid of the
French than of the Persians.
" Within the last few days arrived your eight
packets of the holy Gospels, translated into the
Malayalim language. They have been contempla-
ted with mingled affection and admiration by the
missionary corps. David Grant is now employed
in reading them through, and prefixing the titles to
the books, and numbering the chapters in English.
People wonder here at this rapid fruit of my visit
to Malayala. But yours is the praise, not mine.
"As we have no fount of Malayalim types ready
cut in Bengal, I mean to take the MS. with me to
Bombay, and to have it printed there under the
superintendence of Sir James Mackintosh.
" The translators may take their rest now for a
little while. Until we can ascertain the accuracy
of the translation of the Gospels, we need not pro-
ceed to the Epistles. You may therefore settle ac-
counts with the translators. I request you will thank
them in my name for what has been done, and in-
form them that I expect they will shortly resume
their operations.
396 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" I am on the eve, I fear, of a rupture with this
government. The cause is the Gospel. They are
endeavoring to restrain the exertions of the mis-
sionaries in Bengal. I have not yet interfered ; and
I trust it will not be necessary, for I love peace
and not war, particularly at the moment of my
leaving the country. But I shall do my duty, and
leave the event to G-od.
" I am, my dear sir, yours sincerely,
'" C. BUCHANAN."
On the 22d of September Dr. Buchanan wrote
to his two daughters. The following passage from
his letter alludes to their lamented mother in a pe-
culiarly affecting manner :
" I am now about lo quit India, and to go home
to see you. I propose to leave Calcutta in the course
of next month. If I find it dangerous to go home
o o
over-land, I shall proceed from Bombay by sea. I
shall pi'obably sail over those waters where your
dear mother lies. Do you not know that at the re-
surrection of the dead she will come forth with a
' glorious body ?' Though it be ' sown in dishonor,
it is raised in glory.' Of this you may read in the
Bible and in the burial service. Your mother will
come forth with a ' glorious body ;' for she was a
good woman, and remembered her Creator in the
days of her youth. Perhaps I shall die too before I
reach England. You ought therefore to pray that
AT CALCUTTA. 597
God would preserve my life, if it be his will, (for I
desire to do his will in all things,) that I may see
you, and show you the affection of a father, and re-
ceive the affection of daughters, and lead you on-
ward with myself to that happy state whither your
mother is gone before you."
It is gratifying to reflect that this affectionate
and pious father was permitted to realize the de-
lightful prospect which he thus anticipated. The
following extract is from a letter to Colonel Macau-
lay, dated October 12 :
" The attack I announced to you in my last has
not been yet made. I wish you were at my side
during the storm. I have friends, but they are not
soldiers. I am the forlorn hope, and yet I have not
twelve men. Nay, more, my friends tell me I shall
certainly be killed.
" The assault however must be made, but whe-
ther by silent escalade at the midnight watch, or
by heavy and hot battery at noon-day, I have not
yet determined. I think the latter. You shall hear
in a letter dated on or about the 1st of November,
me vivente, et Deo volente." *
Not long after his return from the coast of Mala-
bar, Dr. Buchanan preached a series of discourses
* If I live and the Lord will.
398 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
in the Presidency church, on the subject of the
Christian prophecies ; which proved so acceptable
to some of the congregation, that they expressed a
wish that he would permit them to be printed ; ob-
serving that, as he was about to return to Europe,
they hoped he would bequeath these discourses, as
a parting memorial, to his friends. To this request
Dr. Buchanan acceded, and accordingly made pre-
parations for their publication. These sermons re-
lated chiefly to the divine predictions concerning
the future universal propagation of the Gospel, and
were intended to excite the public attention to that
important subject, as well as to animate and encou-
rage those who, from the purest motives, were la-
boring to promote the knowledge of Christianity in
India. Nothing could be more legitimate or lauda-
ble than such a design, conducted as it was by Dr.
Buchanan, not in the spirit of violence and fanati-
cism, but of calm discussion and reasonable and
benevolent exertion. On transmitting, however, an
advertisement to the government gazette, announc-
ing the intended publication of his discourses, Dr.
Buchanan was surprised to find that the insertion
of it was refused, and that an order had been issued
to the printers of the other newspapers, forbidding
them to publish the obnoxious notice. Shortly after-
wards he received a letter from the chief secretary
to the Presidency, desiring that he would transmit
the manuscript of his sermons on the prophecies for
AT CALCUTTA. 399
the inspection of government. To this unexpected
demand Dr. Buchanan gave no immediate answer.
It had long been the subject of painful observa-
tion to him, that on the departure of the Marquis
Wellesley, during whose administration the spirit
of promoting learning and religion in India had
been general and ardent, a directly contrary dispo-
sition was maiiifested, as if it had been previously
restrained by his presence. This first appeared un-
der the administration of Sir George Barlow, and
had been acquiring strength ever since. Lord Minto
had now assumed the supreme government ; and
as several measures were adopted which appeared
to Dr. Buchanan to operate very unfavorably for
the interests both of learning and religion, he deem-
ed it his duty, befoi'e he quitted Bengal, to address
a memorial to his lordship, in which he particularly
directed his attention to the character and tendency
of those measures ; and, in so doing, explained his
reasons for declining to comply with the wishes of
government respecting his sermons on the prophe-
cies. The memorial was introduced to Lord Minto
by the following letter :
" To the Right Honorable Lord Minto, &c. &c. &c.
" My LORD, I beg leave respectfully to submit
to your lordship some particulars regarding the pre-
sent state of the Christian religion in Bengal, which
I have thought it my duty to communicate for your
lordship's information at this time.
400 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
" I trust you will do rne the justice to believe
that it is with the utmost reluctance I trouble your
lordship with a letter on such a subject so soon af-
ter your entrance, on this government, when, as yet,
few, if any of the circumstances noticed in it can
have come to your lordship's knowledge.
" I have no other view in soliciting your atten-
tion to them, but the advancement of learning and
religion. Perhaps no one has addressed your lord-
ship on the subject since your arrival ; and there
are certainly many particulars, regarding their pre-
sent state, which it is of importance your lordship
should know.
" Being about to leave India, I feared lest I should
hereafter reproach myself if I withheld any thing
at this time which I conceived might be useful, par-
ticularly as I have been farther encouraged to ad-
dress your lordship by your known condescension
in receiving any communications which ai'e honest-
ly intended.
" I have the honor to be, my lord, with much
respect, your most obedient humble servant,
" C. BUCHANAN.
" CALCUTTA, Nov. 9, 1807."
The memorial which accompanied the preceding
letter, and which was published some years after-
wards* by Dr. Buchanan, in his own vindication
* See his Apology for Promoting Christianity in India,
AT CALCUTTA. 401
and defence, evinces, as it has been well observed,
" the temperate firmness of a man, who, knowing
that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation,
is neither ashamed to profess nor afraid to defend
it." It is introduced by a statement of the circum-
stances which have been just mentioned as having
led to this address to the Governor General. Dr.
Buchanan gave full credit to the officers of his lord-
ship's government, of whose conduct respectiag the
Christian religion he complained, that they were
acting according to the best of their judgment ; but
adds, with much force and propriety of expression,
" not to promote Christianity may, in certain cir-
cumstances, be prudent; but to repress Christian-
ity will not, I think, in any case, be defended."
In reference to the charge that the missionaries
applied abusive epithets to Mohammed, Dr. Bu-
chanan says, " The successful method of preaching
is by argument and affectionate address ; and I pre-
sume this has been their general method during
the fourteen years of their mission. At the same
time Christian teachers are not to speak with 7'eve-
rence or courtesy of Juggernaut or Mohammed ;
they must speak as the Scriptures speak ; that is,
of false gods as false gods, and of a lying prophet
as a lying prophet. The Mohammedans apply abu-
sive epithets and vulgar curses to the idolatry of the
Hindoos and to the faith of Christians ; and these
epithets are contained in books : the government
Buchanan. 26
402 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
might, on the same principle, have been assailed
with the petitions of Christians and Hindoos against
the Mohammedans.
The complaint, however, of the Mohammedans
produced various restrictions on the proceedings of
the missionaries, which were defended on the plea
that the public faith had been pledged to leave the
natives in the undisturbed exercise of their religions,
If by not disturbing the natives in the exercise of
their religion it is meant that we are to use no
means for diffusing Christianity among them, then,
observed Dr. Buchanan, " this pledge lias been vio-
lated by every government in India, and has been
systematically broken by the East India Company
from the year 169S to the present time. The char-
ter of 1698 expressly stipulates that they shall use
means to instruct the Gentoos, &c. in the Christian
religion. Nor in this is there any thing at variance
with the pledge in question. It is a very different
thing to apply arguments to the mind and violence
to the body; to civilize and humanize, to address
the understandings and affections of subjects, and
to interfere with their superstitions by compulsory
acts.' s
As to his discourses on the prophecies, he had, at
the opening of his memorial, professed that he would
willingly transmit them to the perusal of the Go-
vernor General, and that he should be happy to re-
ceive such observations on them as his lordship's
AT CALCUTTA. 403
learning and candor might suggest ; but he de-
clined submitting them to the opinion and revision
of the officers of government, especially as " it
would be a bad precedent. I would not," he says,
" that it should be thought that any where in the
British dominions there exists any thing like a civil
inquisition into matters purely religious.
" It is nearly two months," he adds, " since I re-
ceived the letter from government on this matter,
and I have not yet communicated my intentions. I
now beg leave to inform your lordship that I do
not wish to give government any unnecessary of-
fence. I shall not publish the prophecies.
{t At the same time I beg leave most respectfully
to assure your lordship that I am not in any way
disappointed by the interference of government on
this occasion. The supposed suppression of the
Christian prophecies has produced the consequence
that might be expected. The public curiosity has
been greatly excited to see these prophecies ; and
to draw the attention of men to the divine predic-
tions could be the only object I had in view in no-
ticing them in the course of my public ministry.
Another consequence will probably be, the prophe-
cies will be translated into the languages of the
East, and thus pave the way, as has sometimes
happened, for their own fulfilment."
Dr. Buchanan closed his memorial with entreat-
ing Lord Minto, in case any circumstance should
404 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
afford a pretext for renewing the attempt to sup
press the translation of the Scriptures, that the
Chinese translation, in which he felt peculiarly in-
terested, might at least be spared ; and with of-
fering any farther evidence or explanation of the
facts asserted in his letter which his lordship might
require. This offer, however, Lord Minto did not
condescend to accept. He did not even honor Dr.
Buchanan with a single word of reply. Instead of
considering the memorial as a communication in-
tended to inform his lordship on subjects with which
he was likely to be unacquainted, he viewed it as
disrespectful to his government, and transmitted it,
by the very fleet which conveyed Dr. Buchanan
himself to England, to the Court of Directors, ac-
companied by a commentary, of which Dr. Bucha-
nan remained perfectly ignorant till some years af-
terwards ; when, with many other documents rela-
tive to Christianity in India, it was laid upon the
table of the House of Commons, and thus at-
tracted his notice. The Bengal government, how-
ever, not having thought proper to pay any atten-
tion to his memorial, Dr. Buchanan deemed it to
be his duty to transmit a copy of it to the Court of
Directors, which he did immediately before his de-
parture from Calcutta, accompanied by a letter, in
which he expressed his hope that some general
principles on the comparative importance of reli-
gion in political relations in India, might be estab>
AT CALCUTTA. 405
lished at home, and transmitted to our Eastern go-
vernment for their guidance. Dr. Buchanan con-
cluded his address to the honorable court byre-
calling to their notice the solemn charge which he
had received about eleven years since from their
chairman, the late Sir Stephen Lushington, the te-
nor of which has been already stated. " In obedi-
ence to these instructions," observes Dr. Buchanan,
" I have devoted myself much to the advancement
of the Christian religion and of useful learning
since my arrival in India ; using such means as I
was possessed of, and directing the opportunities
which have offered to the accomplishment of that
object. I am yet sensible that I have fulfilled very
imperfectly the injunctions of your honorable court.
It suffices, however, for my own satisfaction, if what
I have done has been well done ; that is, with ho-
nesty of purpose and with the sanction of truth. In
my exhibition of the religious and moral state of
British India I might have palliated the fact, and
' presented a fair picture where there was nothing
but deformity ; but, in so doing, I should not have
done honor to the spirit of the admonitions of your
venerable chairman now deceased. And however
grateful it may be for the present moment to sup-
press painful truths, yet as my labors had chiefly
reference to the benefit of times to come, I should
not, by such means, have conciliated the respect
of your illustrious body twenty years hence."
406 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
Under these impressions Dr. Buchanan request-
ed that the court would be pleased to investigate
fully his proceedings with respect to the promotion
of Christianity in India, that the company at large
might be enabled justly to appreciate them ; and
that he might be encouraged (if it should appear
that encouragement were due) to prosecute an un-
dertaking which seemed, he said, to have com-
manded the applause of all good men, and which
had certainly commenced with omens of consider-
able success.
The preceding letter to the Court of Directors
was not published with the memorial to the go-
vernment at Bengal, nor does it seem to have been
noticed by the court. Neither of those addresses,
however, though unacknowledged at the time, was
unproductive of effect. In Bengal a more favorable
disposition on the part of the government towards
the promotion of Christianity shortly afterwards
appeared; and the reply of the Court of Directors
to the representations of the Governor General in
council, though not friendly to Dr. Buchanan, was
strongly marked by those enlightened and liberal
views which he had been so anxious to see estab-
lished for the guidance of our Indian governments.
The favorable change which took place in the
conduct of the Bengal government towards the mis-
sion at Serampore, is, however, chiefly to be as-
cribed to the memorial presented by the mission-
AT CALCUTTA. 407
aries themselves to the Governor General in coun-
cil ; which, when published a few years afterwards
in this country, excited general admiration.
The painful transaction which has now been
detailed was nearly the last of a public nature in
which Dr. Buchanan was engaged in Calcutta. The
time was now approaching for his second and final
departure from that city. Accordingly, in the month
of November, he preached his farewell sermon to
the congregation at the mission church, from the
words of St. Paul to the Philippians, chap. 1 : 27,
" Only let your conversation be as becometh the
Gospel of Christ ; that whether I come and see you,
or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that
ye stand fast in one spii'it, with one mind, striving
together for the faith of the Gospel.'*" From this ap-
propriate and interesting passage Dr. Buchanan
delivered a discourse remarkable for the import-
ance of the practical truths which it enforced. After
an introductory view of the origin and progress of
the church at Philippi, Dr. Buchanan considered
the two particulars of which the parting request of
the apostle to his favorite converts consists. The
first respects the holy practice which they were ex-
horted to maintain.
" Without a highly moral conversation," observ-
ed Dr. Buchanan, t: a congregation of Christians
* O O
cannot be said to have substance or being ; for faith
408 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
without works is dead. Unless the world see some-
thing particular in your works, they will give you
no credit for your faith ; or rather, they will not
care what your faith may be. In such circumstances
your faith will give them no trouble. But when
' wonderful works ' appear, they will begin to ask
what * power hath produced them.' In this very
epistle the apostle calls the Christians at Philippi
1 the sons of God,' and the ' lights of the world ;'
and he expresses his hope that their conduct would
be correspondent with these noble and distinguish-
ing appellations."
" Now," continues Dr. Buchanan, " when this
light shineth to the world, even the light of a holy
life and conversation, it will be manifested by these
two circumstances : First, it will not be agreeable
to some ; and, secondly, some will misrepresent
your motives, or attach to your conduct an evil
name, accusing you of hypocrisy or of unnecessary
strictness. And if no man allege any thing of this
kind against you, if the worst of men make no de-
rogatory remark on your conduct, then may you
doubt whether you are walking in the steps of the
faithful servants of Christ. They all were marked
out by the world, as being in a greater or less de-
gree singular and peculiar in their conduct, as
persons swayed by other principles and subject to
other laws. If these things be so, you will perceive
how little concerned you ought to be about the
AT CALCUTTA. 409
praise of man, or the honor which cometh from the
world."
Dr. Buchanan then proceeded to the second part
of the apostle's exhortation ; and, in urging the
duty of " striving for the faith of the "Gospel," he
observed, tc this will appear strange to nominal
Christians, both preachers and hearers. But when
once a man's heart comes under the influence of
the grace of God, he will discover (perhaps in old
age for the first time) that it is his duty, and it will
be his pleasure, to promote the faith of the Gospel
by every way ; by his means, by his influence, by
his exhortation, by his example. Every true disci-
ple of Christ, however humble his situation or pe-
culiar his circumstances, will find opportunities of
doing something for the faith of the Gospel. And,
indeed, the poor often enjoy means of usefulness
which, from many causes, are denied to their su-
periors."
Dr. Buchanan next directed the attention of his
hearers to the apostle's rule for the successful pur-
suit of this great object, " that ye stand fast in one
spirit, with one mind that they should preserve
unity, unity in the faith and in the church ; and
then noticed the nature of that faith for which chris-
tians ought to strive. The sermon was concluded
by a faithful and solemn exhortation to the young
and to the old, to those who doubted as to "the
true way," to the sinner and the saint, to strive to
410 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
. obtain, and, having obtained, to adorn and recom*
mend the faith of the Gospel. " It only remains,"
added Dr. Buchanan, " that I implore the solemn
benediction of God on this congregation.
O <J
" I pray that the word of Christ may * run and
be glorified ' amongst you ; that from this place, as
from a fountain, streams of truth may flow far and
wide ; that you may be ever blessed with wise and
learned instructors, c able ministers of the New
Testament,' who shall take delight in dispensing
the word of life and in tending the flock committed
to their care ; and, finally, that the honor of your
church may ever be preserved pure from any stain,
that ye may uphold a conduct ' blameless and
harmless,' as examples to men, as ' the lights of the
world ;' striving together, with one mind and in
one spirit, for the faith of the Gospel."
Such was the simple but impressive strain in
which Dr. Buchanan took leave of the congregation
which contained the greater proportion of religious
persons in Calcutta. His farewell at the Presi-
dency church was probably of a different nature,
though characterized by the same pastoral fidelity
and practical wisdom. There were, doubtless, some
in each congregation from whom he would regret
to be separated, and many who would lament his
departure. Mr. Brown would particularly feel the
loss of his able and affectionate coadjutor and friend,
with whom he had taken " sweet counsel" in the
AT CALCUTTA. 411
house of G-od, and had shared the burthen and the
heat of many a laborious day. Of the sentiments
entertained by this excellent man respecting his
learned and valuable colleague, the following brief
extract from a confidential letter to his brother,
written just as Dr. Buchanan was on the eve of his
departure from Calcutta, will be a sufficient testi-
mony :
" I know no man in the world who excels him
in useful purpose, or deserves my friendship more.
Perhaps there is no man in the world who loves
him so much as I do, because no man knows him
so well. Further, no man I believe in the world
would do me service like him. We have lived to-
gether in the closest intimacy ten years, without a
shade of difference in sentiment, political or reli-
gious. It is needless to add, without ajar in word
or deed. He is the man to do good in the earth,
and worthy of being metropolitan of the East."
The private and unaffected nature of the letter
from which the preceding passage is extracted, the
well known simplicity and integrity of the writer's
character, and the perfect competency of his testi-
mony, render this warm and energetic tribute to
the merit of his friend peculiarly valuable. To se-
parate from such a colleague must have been a
subject of sincere regret to him. But, with this and
a few other exceptions, Dr. Buchanan's ties to In-
dia were neither strong nor numerous. The society
412 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
of Calcutta is necessarily fluctuating. One of the
most important branches of his employment no
longer existed : he had laid the foundation of a
o
great work for the promotion of Christianity in
India, which he could in future more advantage-
ously forward and defend in his native country ;
and thither he felt attracted by the associations of
early and maturer life, by filial duty, and paternal
affection. For this return, therefore, after making
a variety of arrangements to ensure the continuance
of the works carrying on under what he considered
to be the " Christian Institution," more particularly
of the Chinese class at Serampore, he at length
prepared.
On the 27th of November Dr. Buchanan left Cal-
cutta, and reached Fulta the next day ; and from
this place he wrote to Colonel Sandys as follows :
" DEAR SANDYS, I am thus far on my way to
Europe. I sail in the Baretto to Goa, to look into
the inquisition there and examine the libraries.
Thence I proceed to Bombay.
" A few days ago I received your letter of the
2Sth of May, 1S07, dated from Northwold, contain-
ing the signatures of the little girls. They write
very well, and have made a flattering progress in
their education. I am much obliged to you for your
particular account of the two children, which is
very correct, I believe, and very pleasing. Being
RETURN TO ENGLAND. 413
long estranged from them, and hearing none con-
verse about, them, I seldom think of them now com-
paratively ; but when we meet again I suppose we
shall fall in love.
" You observed, in some of your late letters,
that you heard I was likely to be married again. It
so happens that I have not once thought of it. It is
possible that I may marry some time after my arri-
val in England ; but yet I would avoid it, for some
reasons : it is a subject I think not of.
" Instead of love and marriage, I am engaged in
war and fightings. I have been obliged to address
this government publicly on its hostility to religion
and to its progress in India. All Calcutta wondered
what step government would take. In the midst of
this strange scene I paid a farewell visit to them
all, and left every creature, from the Governor Ge-
neral to the pilots, on good terms.
" I have now finished my labors, and pray that
God may bless them.
11 1 have been down here for eight days, waiting
the despatch of the ship. The Calcutta people have
not been uninterested in my late contention with
the government ; and I hear some of them have
called a ship by my name since I came down here.
The ' Christian Institution in the East ' is unknown
in Calcutta to this hour, though active in its ope-
ration. " Yours affectionately,
" C. BUCHANAN."
414 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
The ship in which Dr. Buchanan sailed left Sau-
gor on the 9th of December ; but no memorial of
his voyage occurs until the 23d of that month, when
he wrote to Mr. Brown as follows, from Columbo,
in the island of Ceylon :
Cl Ceylon again ! In crossing the Gulf of Manaar
we encountered a gale and put into Columbo. I
had requested the captain to touch here when I left
Calcutta, and now he was obliged of necessity. I
have been well on board and well treated. Many
causes for thankfulness as usual. The Adele was
taken by the Russell the day before we came up to
her, and we had parted convoy. In the Gulf of Ma-
naar we were about to throw over our cargo when
the gale abated.
" On my arrival here many of the chief persons
waited on me. From my having touched last year
at so many Dutch settlements, I found all the fami-
lies knew me. I have only been here three days,
having arrived on Monday last, and the ship pro-
ceeds on her voyage on Friday. I have some
thoughts of letting her go, and following at my lei-
.. sure ; for I find there is something for me here to
do. What a field for English, Dutch, and Cingalese
preachers in this fertile and renowned land !
" I propose to proceed straight to Cochin from
this place. Sir James Mackintosh is on the Malabar
coast, I hear, witlr his family. Two Bombay civil
RETURN TO ENGLAND. 415
servants now here wish me to travel by land from
Cochin to Goa. They have been judges and collec-
tors for fourteen years on that coast, and allege
they know more about the Christians than any other
persons in India. They complain much of the un-
due influence of Goa, exercised sometimes cruelly
on all Christians who are not Catholics. Mr. B. car-
lies me out to-day to his country house, to visit
some of the Cingalese Christian churches.
<->
" My affectionate regards to all your family."
By the date of his next letter Dr. Buchanan ap-
pears to have left the Baretto, in which he original-
ly embarked from Calcutta, and to have exchanged
that ship for the Canton ; from which, on the 26th
of December, he thus wrote off Cochin to Colonel
Macaulay :
" I had flattered myself with the hope of being
landed here, but the commander of the ship cannot
wait, and I am disappointed. He has engaged to
put me down at Goa, where I propose to re-
main some time, and from whence I shall write to
you particularly. I left Calcutta on the Sth inst.
and touched at Columbo, where I staid some days,
and found flattering assurances of support in our
evangelizing plans for that island. There is less
prejudice there than in the Company's settlements.
This is the third time that I have visited Ceylon ;
416 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
so that the people begin to think I have some seri-
ous design against them.
" In my last I believe I informed you that I was
standing in the breach. I have now the pleasure to
announce that the battle has been fought. Lono-
o o
consultations were held how to proceed : it was at
last decreed that I should be permitted to depart
in peace.
" I have the copy of the Malayalim Scriptures
with me, and mean to print when at Bombay : five
thousand copies will suffice for a beginning, I
suppose.
" I hope to see you before I leave India ; but I
do not know at this moment where or how. May all
our resolves and purposes be acceptable to the di-
vine will !
" Mr. Johnstone, judge at Columbo, will furnish
me with some important official documents relating
to the state of Christianity in that island. The Go-
vernor was absent ; but Major Mai dam 1 (Lord Lau-
derdale's son) came to inform me that he would re-
turn in two days, if I would stay to see him. I could
not stay ; but I communicated to him that, if he
would give to the Cingalese translation of the
Scriptures his countenance, I would give money ,
and Judge Johnstone would find instruments. Mr,
J. is an excellent Cingalese scholar himself."
Notwithstanding the disappointment of which
RETURN TO ENGLAND. 417
Dr. Buchanan expressed his expectation at the
commencement of the preceding letter, we find
him two days afterwards safely landed at Cochin,
and under the roof of his friend, Colonel Macaulay
He thus writes to Mr. Brown :
" COCHIN, Dec. 28, 1807.
" On the 24th, Christmas eve, we left Columbo,
crossed the Gulf of Manaar on Christmas-day, and
arrived here on the 27th, yesterday. I found all my
Jews and Christians in fine health and spirits, and
highly gratified at my unexpected arrival. I reside
with Colonel Macaulay. After passing some time
in these regions he accompanies me up the coast,
by land, through all the Christian territories, as far
as Cananore, perhaps Mangalore, whence I pro-
ceeded by sea to Goa.
" The Jews have lately had a meeting about the
prophecies ; and I am about to call another San-
hedrim on the subject before I go. It is a strange
event.
" I am happy I have visited this place a second
time. May God direct all these things to his own
glory and to the good of men ! I have need of
watchfulnes t s and prayer. Much lies before me ere
I leave India yet, if ever I leave it.
" Tell H. that the poor Jews, blipd, lame, and
halt, are come this morning, exclaiming, as usual,
'Jehuda Ani,' I wish I could impart a. better
Buchanan, 4*
418 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
gift than silver or gold. The Rajah of Travan-
core has desired I will visit him. I do not know
-what to do. The Rajah of Cochin has offered to
come over to see me. Ambassadors from the Syrian
Christians are expected to-morrow."
On the 2d of January, 180S, Dr. Buchanan left
Cochin, accompanied by Colonel Macaulay, on a
second tour upon the coast of Malabar. On the 14th
he wrote to Mr. Brown, from Tellicherry, an inte-
resting account of their progress ; and his next let-
ter to that esteemed friend is dated " Goa, 25th
January, from the great hall of the inquisition." It
contains an account of his bold and interesting vi-
sit to that metropolis of the Roman Catholic reli-
gion in the East, similar to that already inserted
from his " Christian Researches."
The suggestion in the published extracts from
his journal, as to the pi'opriety of an interference
on the part of the British government with that of
Portugal, for the abolition of the dreadful tribunal
of the inquisition, had been happily anticipated, but
did not render his animated appeal upon that sub-
ject superfluous ; while his inquiries relative to
the moral and religious state of the, Romish and
Syro-Romish churches on the coast of Malabar led
to efforts to . disseminate the holy Scriptures, for
the instruction and illumination of that numerous
end long-neglected body of Christians.
RETURN TO ENGLAND. 419
" In two hours after leaving the inquisition,"
says Dr. Buchanan, in his letter to Mr. Brown, " I
reached New Goa. The alarm of my investigations
had gone before me. The English came to inquire
what I had seen and heard, and I told them all. I
staid a day or two with them, and embarked in a
pattamar (an open boat) for Bombay. The wind
was contrary, and I was ten days on the voyage.
I touched at three different places on the Pirate
coast ; Gheria, the celebrated fort of Severndroog,
&c. One day we were di iven out to sea, and in con-
siderable danger. At length, however, on the 6th .
of February I reached Bombay."
On his arrival at this Presidency Dr. Buchanan
was kindly received by Govt 'nor Duncan, and
took up his abode at the house 01 Mr. Forbes. He
experienced the utmost civility from the principal
persons of the settlement, and was particularly gra-
tified by the attentions of Sir James Mackintosh.
" I passed five hours," he observes, in a letter to
Colonel Macaulay, tf with Sir James in his library.
It is uncommonly numerous and valuable. He is a
friend to religion, and professes a desire to support
me in all useful plans for India."
Dr. Buchanan had taken with him to Bombay
the manuscript translation of the four Gospels into
the Malayalim language, which had been completed
by the Syrian bishop and his clergy, and transmit-
ted to Colonel Macaulay, intending to print it at
420 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
his own expense, an excellent fount of types hav-
ing been recently cat at that place. Governor
Duncan, however, and others, expressing their
wish to contribute to the design, it was left in the
hands of Mr. Money and Mr. Forbes, with instruc-
tions regarding the appropriation of the funds ; and
they were authorized to pay all expenses necessa-
rily incurred in translating the Scriptures into the
Malay alim language.
" It would take a fortnight," writes Dr. Buchan-
an to Colonel Macaulay, Feb. 27, <! to detail what
passed during my fortnight at Bombay.
"1 have taken my passage in the Charlton, and
have secured the first officer's cabin, which is large
and commodious, for myself and Master Drum-
mond. We havf ten ladies on board, and Dr. Pou-
get, of Surat, a man of information.
" Your friend, Ribeymar, the chief inquisitor, re-
ceived me very kindly, and made a feast on the last
day but one of my stay, at which were present the
whole staff of the Santa Casa. He said he would
answer your letter. The ' thieveless errand' I had
to visit the inquisition a second time, was to in-
quire whether the chief inquisitor had written his
letter.
" I did not touch at Cananore or Mangalore. I
was afraid of losing the inquisition and my passage.
" On my arrival in England I shall not fail to
give you some account of affairs, if I mix with men,
RETURN TO ENGLAND. 421
which I much doubt ; for I am tired of fighting,
and sigh for quiet and retirement.
ct I remain, my dear sir, very sincerely yours,
"C. BUCHANAN."
It may be satisfactory to add, that the letter
from the chief inquisitor to Colonel Macaulay, above
referred to, strongly expressed his respect for that
gentleman, and the pleasure which he had received
from Dr. Buchanan's visit, notwithstanding the
freedom of his inquiries and observations.
In another short communication to Colonel Ma-
caulay, about the same time, Dr. Buchanan men-
tions a pleasing mark of kindness which had been
shown him by one of his friends at Calcutta, and
informs him of a proposal which he had made rela-
tive to one of the most stupendous and interesting
objects of curiosity in India.
" Mr. Speke has sent a beautiful large quarto
Bible after me, as a keepsake. He had heard that I
had complained of my sight in reading small print
at night. And this is my last communication with
the learned of Calcutta. Hoc Deus fecit*
" I have put them on restoring Elephanta at
Bombay. I found the cavern and figures in a state
of progressive annual dilapidation. Mr. Money has
taken up the -subject warmly. If government does
not execute it, I have proposed a subscription, with
* This God has done.
422 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
Jf
a promise of five hundred rupees as soon as the
work shall commence under a scientific superin-
tendent. I have left a memorandum of the subjects
of improvement and i-e-edification, according to my
idea. T have a reason for wishing that the Trinity
in Unity at Elephanta may remain while this lower
world exists."
Dr. Buchanan thus adverts to the same extra-
ordinary remains of antiquity, in writing to Mr.
Brown :
"I have visited Elephanta; a more wonderful
work than the pyramids of Egypt. But the works
of Providence are yet more wonderful ; at least,
so I should esteem them ; for, in every region and
in every clime the loving-kindness of God is mag-
nified in my experience. May his grace also be
magnified in me ! My love to all your family."
On the 13th of March the Charlton arrived off
Point de G-alle, from which place Dr. Buchanan
again wrote a few lines to Mr. Brown.
" I had intended," he says, " to have published
my letter to the archbishop of G-oa at this place.
But if we do not go on shore I shall have no oppor-
tunity. I shall therefore publish it at home.*
* On his arrival in England Dr. Buchanan found it un-
necessary to publish this letter, the inquisition at Goa hav-
ing been abolished.
RETURN TO ENGLAND. 423
" I have extensive commissions for sending good
books and Bibles to Bombay, Malabar, and Ceylon..
For, if they have no preachers, they must read.
" All is well on board this ship, and I hope some
good will be done.
" With unfeigned prayers for the best of spirit-
ual blessings on you and your family,
" I remain my dear sir, very affectionately yours,
" C. BUCHANAN."
To Colonel Macaulay Dr. Buchanan wrote the
next day as follows :
" MY DEAR SIR, We have just arrived at this
place, and see the Bengal fleet ready to sail ; so
that I have only time to bid you farewell. We staid
three days at Columbo, one of which I passed with
General Maitland at Mount Lavinia. After long
and interesting conversations he was pleased to
promise that he would recommend to his majesty's
government ' an ecclesiastical establishment for the
island of Ceylon.' By the next despatch he will
send me, under cover to the bishop of London, co-
pies of all the papers I wanted relating to the eccle-
siastical state of the island for the last two centu-
ries. He has agreed to support the translation of
the Scriptures into the Cingalese language. I re-
sided with the honorable Mr. Twisleton, whom 1
found well disposed to second all my views. Mr.
424 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
Heywood did more. I think he is disposed to be
zealous as a pastor to his people. I shall corres-
pond, I hope, with both. They are surprised at
the Governor's full acquiescence in the above im-
portant measures. I hope he will not retract.
" I received your letters for your brother, which
I hope to deliver into his hands. I am much obliged
to you for your introduction to him.
" The fleet is now under weigh for St. Helena.
Farewell. C. BUCHANAN."
" H. C. Charlton, Point de Galle
March 14, 1808."
CHAPTER XIII.
Mesidence in England after Ms ttelnrn from India,
When Dr. Buchanan arrived in England, as
might have been expected, he immediately direct-
ed his steps to the dwelling of his dear friend, Mr.
Newton ; but, alas ! this venerable man was not
there to salute him he had been buried for
more than seven months. His first feelings, there-
fore, on reaching London, were of the mournful
kind.
IN ENGLAND. 425
Having calculated much upon the effect of the
memoir of the " Christian Institution '"' which he
had transmitted to England that it might be pub-
lished, he made his second call to Cadell, his book-
seller ; but here again he was disappointed ; for it
now appeared that his friends, to whom he had
communicated the document, had judged it inex-
pedient, in the excited state of the public mind re-
specting India, to publish it ; and had taken upon
themselves the responsibility of withholding it from
the press. Although he acquiesced in their act, yet
it was evidently no small disappointment to Dr. Bu-
chanan that this paper had not been put into the
hands of the public.
Having arrived on his native island, he could not
repress his desire to make every consideration of
business or friendship give way to his filial piety.
Learning that his aged mother still lived, he has-
tened to Scotland to perform his duty of honoring
her who gave him birth ; and who, on account of
her piety and good sense, was in all respects de-
serving the affection of her son. From Glasgow,
while on this visit, he writes, " I preached in the
English church here to a crowded auditory. The
Presbyterians came to hear me, notwithstanding
the organ."
After his return from Scotland he visited Mr.
Cecil, who was now in a low state of health. Dr.
Buchanan, in giving an account of this visit, in a
426 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
letter to a friend, says : " Notwithstanding his
weakness, he seems to feel a singular pleasure in
hearing me talk on Oriental subjects, and the diffu-
sion of the Gospel generally."
He was greatly delighted with the apparent ef-
fect which his prizes had produced. The premium
of c500, which he had given to the University of
Oxford, was adjudged to Hugh Pearson, the author
of this memoir.
In Cambridge some circumstances occurred to
prevent a decision. Doctors Milner, Jowett, and
Outram, had been appointed judges ; and of all the
compositions sent in, they were of opinion that not
one deserved so magnificent a prize. But, a few
days after the prescribed time had expired, they
received a piece, by the Rev. J. W. Cunningham,
which they unanimously preferred to all the rest ;
and to which the examiners would, without hesi-
tation, have adjudged the prize, had it been pre-
sented within the limited time ; but, as the matter
stood, they did not feel authorized to do so with-
out the special permission of Dr. Buchanan. This
being a case of delicacy, he did not think proper
to make any decision on the point ; but as the uni-
versity were unwilling to resume the consideration
of the subject, he offered to bear the expense of
printing Mr. Cunningham's essay.
Two sermons were preached at Cambridge, by
the Rev. Francis Wrangham, of Trinity College,
IN ENGLAND. 427
and the Rev. John Dudley, of Clare Hall, pur-
suant to the proposal of Dr. Buchanan, on the
" Translation of the Scriptures into the Oriental
Languages." Two sermons were also preached
on the same subject before the University of Ox-
ford, by the Rev. Dr. Barrow, of Queen's College,
and the Rev. Edward Nares, of Merton College ;
all of which were published.
The authors of all these discourses insisted on
the duty of translating the Scriptures into the lan-
guages of the East ; and all maintained that it was
obligatory on Great Britain to attempt, by every
wise and rational method, to promote the know-
ledge of Christianity in India.
The " Memoir" on the expediency of an Ec-
clesiastical Establishment in India, produced a
powerful sensation. The subject was to many en-
tirely new, and at the same time was regarded as
very important. Before his return to England, a
hostile spirit towards the author had been enkindled
in the minds of many, who considered the whole
enterprise as fraught with danger to the English
possessions and power in the East. It is a remarka-
ble coincidence, that at the very time when efforts
were made in India to impede the translation of
the Scriptures into the dialects of the country, and
to restrain the efforts of missionaries there, a formi-
dable attack, from the same spirit, was made in
England, with a view to check the ardor which had
428 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
been infused into the minds of multitudes in favor
of both these interesting objects. This attack was
commenced by a pamphlet entitled, " A Letter to
the Chairman of the East India Company on the
Danger of Interfering in the Religious Opinions of
the Nations of India ; and on the Views of the Bi i-
tish and Foreign Bible Society as directed to India."
This pamphlet, though published anonymously,
was afterwards avowed by Thomas Twining, Esq.
a senior merchant of the Bengal establishment.
And he declared his intention of bringing the sub-
ject before the Court of Directors. The Bible
Society was ably vindicated from the charges
brought against it, by the Rev. John Owen, one of
its secretaries ; and the great work of diffusing the
Bible in India had able advocates in the lamented
Rev. Andrew Fuller, Rev. Robert Hall, Dr. Adam
Clarke, and others.
The prejudice and alarm which had been excited
by Mr. Twining's pamphlet was increased by the
publication of two pamphlets by Major Scott War-
ing, who inveighed with great violence of language
against the Bible Society, the Baptist missionaries
in Bengal, and against the " Memoir " of Dr. Bu-
chanan. But the friends of religion in England
were not inactive nor unsuccessful in checking
O
this rising spirit of jealousy and hostility, occa-
sioned by these intemperate publications.
This controversy, however, did not terminate
IN ENGLAND. 429
here. In the year 1808 it was renewed by the pub-
lication of a pamphlet entitled, " A Vindication of
the Hindoos from the Aspersions of the Rev. C.
Buchanan, M. A. with a Refutation of his Argu-
ments for an Ecclesiastical Establishment in Bri-
tish India. By a Bengal Officer." This extraordi-
nary publication was distinguished by the bold
avowal, that the Hindoo system little needs the
ameliorating hand of the Christian dispensation to
render its votaries a sufficiently correct and moral
people for all the useful purposes of civilized so-
ciety. This military author bent all his force to
prove the excellence of the moral and religious
doctrines of the Hindoos, and to defend the moral
Character of the Hindoos themselves. But with
great pretensions, and some partial knowledge
of the state of affairs in India, he betrayed much
local ignorance, and manifested a total disregard
of the practical influence of the Brahminical reli-
gion, and a total deficiency in all enlarged views
and genei'al reasonings.
The friends of the propagation of Christianity in
the East again came forward and vindicated the
cause of Christianity and of missions. The venera-
ble Bishop Porteus wrote some remarks on Mr.
Twining's pamphlet, which were published anony-
mously ; and in which, in a strain of animated and
well-directed irony, he defended the measures of
the British and Foreign Bible Society, and what
430 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
the bishop termed " Dr. Buchanan's invaluable
Memoir."
Next appeared Mr. Cunningham's essay " On
the duty, means, and consequences of introducing
the Christian Religion among the native inhabit-
ants of the British dominions in the East." This was
a part of the work which the author had submitted
to the University of Cambridge, as a candidate for
Dr. Buchanan's prize ; of which some account has
been given. The main argument of this able and
elaborate essay was founded on the malignant and
pernicious nature of the Hindoo superstitions.
Mr. Cunningham's essay was followed by the
prize dissertation of the Rev. Hugh Pearson, which
contributed in no inconsiderable degree to enlight-
en the public mind on this momentous question.
One other work remains to be noticed, of singu-
lar excellence and authority, entitled, " Considera-
tions on the practicability, policy, and obligation
of communicating to the nations of India the know-
ledge of Christianity." This was the production of
Lord Teignmouth ; who, together with the princi-
ples of Christian piety and benevolence, brought to
the consideration of this weighty subject that cor-
rect and extensive local knowledge and practical
wisdom and experience which were the result of
the high stations he had occupied in India.
The important services of one periodical publi-
cation, in ably and effectually pleading the cause
IN ENGLAND. 431
of Christianity, ought not to pass unnoticed. It will
be readily understood, that reference is made to
the CHRISTIAN OBSERVER.
Dr. Buchanan found his two daughters well, and
go grown that he could scarcely recognize them.
It was not long after his arrival in England be-
fore he received some gratifying communications
from India, in a letter from his friend, Rev. Mr.
Brown. Governor Minto, in his speech, delivered
at the public examination of the students of Fort
William College, Feb. 21, 1S03, spoke in terms of
high commendation of their progress in Oriental
literature ; and especially gave high praise to the
proficiency, in the Chinese language, of the Baptist
missionaries at Serampore. " I must not omit," said
his lordship, " to commend the zealous and perse-
vering labors of Mr. Lassar, and of those learned
and pious persons associated with him, who have
accomplished, for the future benefit, we may hope,
of that immense and populous region, Chinese ver-
sions, in the Chinese character, of the Gospels of
Matthew, Mark, and Luke ; throwing open that
precious mine, with all its religious and moral trea-
sures, to the largest associated population in the
world." To which Mr. Brown added, that Lord
Minto now patronized all the translations of the
Scriptures into the Eastern languages, and had
himself become a subscriber to some of those which
were then in the press at Serampore.
432 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
In a letter to Mr. Brown he writes : " People
imagine that I am meditating war. Nothing is far-
ther from my thoughts. I am at present reading
the Bible, and studying some sermons for poor peo-
ple. I stand remote from the world. I do not even
know whether the Court of Directors pays my fur-
lough allowance. But on this and other subjects I
shall be able to say more after I have been a year
in the country.
" The Chinese printing" (sent to him by Mr.
Brown) " is very admirable. You are cheaper too
than I was when I gave four annas for every cha-
racter. The arrival of Mr. Thomason will brighten
your prospects. I told Mrs. M. her prayers would
bring good men.
tf Mr. B. here is very useful as an evangelist. I
shall enclose to you an account of the death of his
daughter, aged 14. He lost four children in a year,
and preached nobly to the hearts of his large con-
gregation during the whole period. So you see good
men have their trials on the banks of the Severn,
as well as on the Ganges.
" You will regret to hear that Henry Kirke
White was first proposed to Mr. Thornton," (mean-
ing for Dr. Buchanan's benefaction to some student
at the university,) " and," for reasons which do not
appear, " was rejected."
On the 26th of February he preached his sermon
IN ENGLAND. 433
entitled, " The Star in the East,'',-., This was the
lirst of those well- directed ahd-isuceessful efforts
which Dr. Buchanan made,/, : ..after, ; hisi /arrival in
England, to enlighten and arouse the public mind
in regard to the great object which had so fully
occupied his attention in India. This sermon was
preached in the parish church of St. James, Bristol,
for the benefit of the Church Missionary Society.
The effect, when delivered from the pulpit, and
when issued from the press, was great and salu-
tary. No modern sermon, perhaps, has produced a
greater effect. The high encomium of Sabat, alas !
was not verified by the event ; but none but God
can read the heart. The most promising blossoms
are often nipped, and the most sanguine hopes dis-
appointed. Thus it was in the days of the apostles,
and thus it has been ever since.
Dr. Buchanan now paid a visit to the University
of Oxford, and expresses himself well pleased with
the cordial reception which he received from many.
The object of the visit was in subservience to his
one object of pursuit ; he wished to look into the
public libraries, and especially to examine the Ori-
ental manuscripts deposited there. In this venera-
ble seat of learning Dr. Buchanan spent ten days,
receiving many civilities from the masters and fel-
lows of colleges.
He also paid a visit to Hertford College, insti-
tuted by the East India Company, for the study of
Buchanan. "&
434 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
the Oriental languages. Of this institution he says.,
o o
" I returned yesterday from Hertford College, with
which I was much pleased. Of course it owes its
present efficiency to a wise selection of professors.
Dealtry alone would do honor to any institution."
In August, 1809, Dr. Buchanan visited Scarbo-
rough, where he preached to crowded and admiring
audiences ; and it was earnestly desired by many,
that as he had now relinquished all thoughts of re-
turning to India, he should exercise his ministry in
this place.
It was here that he became acquainted with the
interesting family of Mr. Thompson, of Kirby Hall,
of which he had heard much, and with which he
soon formed a close alliance; for, in February,
1810, he was united in marriage to his second wife,
the daughter of Mr. Thompson. He was attracted
to this lady by her eminent piety, her active bene-
volence, and her filial duty and affection. This con-
nection, for a while, fixed his residence in York-
shire ; and while he remained at Moat Hall he
performed the duties of a pastor to the parish of
Ouseburn. His friends at Bristol, however, were
solicitous that he should return and occupy Wei-
beck chapel. The friend who first introduced him
to this chapel, finding him eminently qualified to be
a preacher in a city congregation, formed the plan
of building a chapel for him in one of the western
parishes of London. This scheme met with his en-
IN ENGLAND. 435
tire approbation : owing, however, to some unfore-
seen impediments, the design was not carried into
effect.
On occasion of the king having reached the fifti-
eth year of his reign, Dr. Buchanan preached seve-
ral sermons ; which were published and widely
circulated, and greatly admired. They were enti-
tled, " Jubilee Sermons."
In this year he received again communications
from Rev. Mr. Brown, representing India as in a
tranquil state, and even prosperous. Mr. Brown, in
his letter, dwelt with delight and energy on the ex-
ertions of Henry Martyn and his associates.
He also received a letter from Mr. Kolhoff, at
Tanjore, informing him that Mr. Horst had been
engaged in collecting materials fur the life of Mr.
Swartz, agreeably to his request, and had about ten
sheets of written notes ; which he would have de-
spatched by this opportunity, had he not discovered
several important omissions which he was desirous
of supplying. He also informed him of the agree-
able fact, that the Court of Directors had granted
seven hundred pagodas, in addition to their for-
mer five hundred, to aid in supporting protestant
schools.
It has been stated that Dr. Buchanan desired to
write the life of Swartz ; and indeed he had it
much at heart to exhibit to the Christian commu-
nity the character of this eminent and successful
436 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
missionary, and had commenced the work, when
he heard that another had undertaken it.*
On the 12th of June, this year, Dr. Buchanan
preached the anniversary sermon before the Church
Missionary Society. It was a grand occasion ; and
the sermon was every way suitable to such an oc-
casion ; and something of its impression on the au-
dience may be inferred from the fact, that the col-
lection amounted to nearly 66400. The text was,
" Ye are the light of the world." This sermon was
also published and widely circulated, and read with
interest and profit on both sides of the Atlantic.
His next public service which deserves to be
particularly mentioned, was his two sermons preach-
ed, on commencement Sunday, before the Univer-
sity of Cambridge. Speaking of them himself, in a
letter to a friend, he says, " I preached for three
quarters of an hour in the morning, and above half
an hour in the afternoon. There was the most so-
lemn stillness. The church was crowded.
" The Tuesday following the bishop of Bristol
came up to me in the senate house, and thanked
me for the discourses, and expressed a hope that
they would be published. Others did the same.
Dean Milner, who is vice-chancellor, informed me
soon afterwards, that he thought himself authorized
to grant the imprimatur of the university for their
* The life of Swartz has been since written by the Rev,
Hugh Pearson, the author of this memoir.
IN ENGLAND. 437
publication ; and I am preparing them for the press
accordingly. I mean to publish important matter
as an appendix."
These discourses were entitled, " The ERAS OP
LIGHT," founded on Gen. 1 : 3, "Let there be
light." They are admirable sermons, highly ani-
mated and instructive. He makes three eras of
Gospel light. The first, when the Gospel was pub-
lished throughout the world by the apostles ; the
second, the era of the Reformation ; and the third,
our own times.
In speaking of this last he says, <c Christianity
hath again, after a lapse of many ages, assumed its
true character as the ' LIGHT of the world.' We
now behold it animated by its original spirit, which
was to extend its blessings to ' ALL NATIONS.' The
Scriptures are preparing in almost every language,
and preachers are going forth into almost every
clime. Within the period of which we speak men
have heard the Gospel in their own tongue where-
in they were born." In India, throughout many of
its provinces ; in different parts of Africa ; in the
interior of Asia : in the western parts of America ;
in New Holland ; in the isles of the Pacific Sea ;
in the West Indies ; and in the regions of Green-
land and Labrador; Malays, Chinese, Persian?,
and Arabians, begin now to hear, or read in " their
own tongues the wonderful works of God."
Dr. Buchanan, before he concluded these dis-
438 MEMOIR OP I>R BUCHANAN.
courses, addressed to an audience not much accus-
tomed to hear plain evangelical truths, thought it
his duty to give his emphatic testimony to the ne-
cessity and reality of that spiritual change incul-
cated in the Scriptures. " This change of heart,"
says he, {t ever carries with it its own witness ; and
it alone exhibits the same character among men of
every clime. It bears the fruit of righteousness ; it
affords the highest enjoyment of life which was
intended by G-od or is attainable by man. It inspires
the soul with a sense of pardon and acceptance
through the Redeemer. It gives peace in death,
and sure and certain hope of the resurrection unto
eternal life !"
Upon his first visit to Cambridge, after his return
from India, he presented to the public library of
the University twenty-five valuable Oriental manu-
scripts, which he had collected on the coast of Ma-
labar, principally biblical, written in the Hebrew,
Syriac, and Ethiopia languages.
In February, 1811, Dr. Buchanan had a slight
paralytic stroke, affecting his voice and his right
hand. As the spring approached his illness did not
disappear but continued ; and his physicians pro-
nounced the disease to be a nervous weakness : for
$ie removal of which a cessation from study was
necessary.
Not wishing to remain unoccupied and useless,
he now projected a journey to Palestine ; which,
IN ENGLAND. 439
while it might be a means of restoring his health,
would furnish the opportunity of collecting much
important information respecting the religious state
of that interesting country. His chief object, as he
expressed it, was, to make inquiries respecting the
churches, the Scriptures, and the translation of the
Bible into the languages of the nations. But when
lie formed this noble plan he was not conscious of
tne debilitated state of his constitution. The jour-
ney was therefore never undertaken. By the advice
of his physicians he now tried the waters of Bux-
ton ; and it was while using these waters he com-
posed and preached his pleasing sermon, entitled*
" The waters of Bethesda ;" which was also given
to the public through the press.
Though Dr. Buchanan's health continued to de-
cline, his mental powers remained unimpaired ; and
the following passage from a letter, dated Kirby
Hall, April 13, 1812, gives a delightful intimation,
of the heavenly state of his mind. " I am now seek-
ing the comfort of the holy Scriptures and theiv
promises, and love to contemplate Augustine and
Luther. I look forward to nothing in this life but
these two things, repentance with bitter tears for past
sins, and joy in the Holy Ghost. These two bless-
ings I am encouraged to look for, for they are pro-
mised to sinners ; they are the ' gifts to the rebel-
lious.' In the meantime I pray to do the will of
God, and to use my voice, my pen, or my feet, as
440 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
he wishes me, while these members have any
strength for his service."
Thus was God evidently preparing him for an-
other sore domestic bereavement, which, by the
workings of his inscrutable providence, he was now
called to endure.
After the birth of a son, which did not live, his
wife seemed to recover well from her confinement;
but these favorable appearances were of short du-
ration : she was called away by her Father in hea-
ven. Concerning this event, Dr. Buchanan, in writ-
ing to a friend, April 1, 1813, says :
" Long before her last illness, my dear Mary had
frequently contemplated the probability of her dy-
ing in early life. Her delight was to talk of things
heavenly and spiritual ; and her studies were al-
most entirely religious. Her spirits seemed to have
been much chastened by personal and by domestic
suffering ; and her affections were gradually losing
their hold of this world. After her last confinement
her heart appeared to be devoted to God in a par-
ticular manner.
" She seemed to enjoy prayer and religious con-
verse in a high degree, notwithstanding her indis-
position and high fever. We mutually expressed
the hope of devoting ourselves to the service of
God, for the time to come, more affectionately and
actively than we had done in time past. She look-
IN ENGLAND. 441
ed forward certainly to the comfort of enjoying
more the life of a saint on earth, but I do not think
she expected so early to be a saint in heaven.
" On the night previous to her death she sat on
the couch in my study. She begged I would
give her the Bible, and a little table, and a candle,
She read one of the Psalms very attentively ; the
46th, beginning, " God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble." And when I took
the Bible out of her hand, finding it open at that
Psalm. I read it to her, as a portion of our even-
ing religious exei'cise.
"On the morning of the day on which she died,
after I had kneeled by her bed-side, as usual, and
prayed with her, and had left her, she desired her
maid to read a hymn to her. She began one, but
said, ' It is a funeral hymn.' She replied, ' A fune-
ral hymn will suit me very well.'
" About an hour after she was brought to my
study, and took her seat in the arm-chair. About
one o'clock her father and mother came to visit
her. After her father had staid some time, he and
I went out in the carriage for an hour, while her
mother remained with her. On our return her mo-
ther took her leave, and I accompanied her down
stairs to the carriage. On my coming up, my dear
Mary had just got up from her chair, and walked
over to the couch with a quick step, assisted by her
nurse. I immediately supported her in my arms
442 MEMOIR OF 0R. BUCHANAN.
Slight faintings succeeded, but they were moment'
ary. She complained of a pain near her heart. On
my saying, I hoped it would soon be over, she re-
plied, " O no, it is not over yet ! What is this that
has come upon me 1 Send for mamma. After a few
minutes' struggle she sat up in the couch with much
strength ; and looking towards the window she
uttered a loud cry that might have been heard at a
considerable distance. She then drank a little wa-
ter ; and immediately after drinking, without a
groan or a sigh, fell upon my breast. I thought she
had only fainted ; but her spirit that moment had
taken its flight.
" Thus died my beloved wife. She was ready
for the summons. She had long lived as one who
waited for the coming of the Lord. Her loins were
girded, her lamp was burning, and the staff was in
her hand ; she had nothing to do but depart."
About this time Dr. Buchanan heard of the death
of two of the most excellent men who ever visited
India, Rev. Mr. Brown and Henry Martyn. His
remark, in a letter to a friend, is : " These good
men have ascended up on high in the vigor of age
and life. Let us aspire to follow them, and join the
assembly of the first-born !" His own heart was too
much in heaven to grieve unreasonably for the de-
parture of his pious friends. His attachment to
his wife seems to have been very tender, but the
IN ENGLAND. 443
stroke had no other effect than to wean him more
and more from the world. Among his " Private
Thoughts " we find the following :
" My first emotions of thankfulness (when I could
seek subjects of thankfulness) were, that her last
trial was so short. It was given me to witness for
my soul's health, I trust ; and it was awful indeed,
but it was short.
"I suffer chiefly from the reflection, that I did
not commune with lier more frequently and directly
on the state of her soul. God ordained her personal
and domestic sufferings to mature her for her ap-
proaching change. Mature in my heart, blessed
Saviour ! this affliction, and enable me to obey the
new commandment, ' that ye love one another.'
This love, exercised towards a wife or child, ac-
quires a double force ; natural affection co-operat-
ing with spiritual love."
Under another date he adds : "I am now ena-
bled to pray three times a day ; and am not, as
usual, drawn hastily from my knees. I have long
prayed for a spirit of grace and supplication, and
now the Lord hath been pleased to give it by means
that I did not expect.
" The chief petitions of my heart have been :
" That God would strike the well of my affec-
tions, and cause the waters to flow :
" That I might open my mouth in the cause of
God. Hitherto my lips have been locked up in a
444 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
torpid silence. There is indeed much that is con-
stitutional in this taciturnity ; and my late nervous
indisposition has greatly increased it. Like Hooker,
I can scarcely look my children or servants in the
face. I have prayed that this unaccountable weak-
ness may be removed ; that I may become vocal
for God at all times arid in all places ; that I may
look earnestly into the eyes and countenances of
men, and seek anxiously their salvation ; that I
may never forget the agonizing looks and power-
ful voice of my dear wife in the struggle of death.
" That I may learn to seek the glory of God as
the fii-st object of my conversation in the world,
and to pray earnestly for the conversion of all men.
Let me look on every person whom my eyes be-
hold with benevolence, loving my neighbor as my-
self, and utter a mental prayer for that person,
' May this be a vessel of mercy prepared unto
glory !'
" That the Spirit of grace and supplication may
never depart from me ; and that God may hear
my morning, noontide, and evening supplication,
during every day of my pilgrimage. That I may
fix my love, hope, and affections on God, and ob-
tain that fellowship which I learn, from Scripture,
is attainable by men in the present state. Amen."
FUNERAL OF MR. THORNTON. 445
CHAPTER XIV.
JJr. BiicJianan's j&eatfu Character. Conclusion*
One of the last public acts of Dr. Buchanan's
life was the sad duty of attending the funeral of
his most excellent and highly esteemed friend,
HENRY THORNTON, Esq. In the following letter to
Colonel Macaulay, this event is noticed :
" BROXBOURNE, Thursday, Jan. 19.
" MY BEAR FRIEND, On my return from York-
shire" this morning, where I have been for a fort-
night on a visit to my family, I found your letter
of the llth inst. lying on my table.
" The first intimation I had of Mr. Thornton's
illness was on Monday last at Carleton Hall Work-
shop. On my arrival here I found your letter, and
one from Mr. John Thornton confirming the pain-
ful intelligence. I was just going to sit down to re-
quest that he would communicate to his uncle my
feelings on the occasion, and my request to go to
town to visit him, if he had. strength to see me,
when, casually looking into the paper, I found that
he had died on Tuesday. All I can now do is to
attend the funeral of this good man, my earliest
and most particular friend and benefactor. I have
requested Mr. John Thornton to let me know on
446 MEMOIR OF DP.. BUCHANAN.
what day the funeral takes place. In case of mis-
take, will you have the goodness to mention to me
the time and place, and I shall go out early in the
morning and return in the evening, as my present
work will not permit me conveniently to be absent
a night,
" I desire to thank you most unfeignedly for
your kindness to the two Cochin Jews.
" With kindest regards to Mrs. M. I am very af-
fectionately yours, C. BUCHANAN."
It was upon the solemn and affecting occasion
thus referred to, that the author of these memoirs
met Dr. Buchanan for the last time. A crowd of
other friends, distinguished by their talents, rank,
and piety, united in lamenting the loss of the emi-
nent person around whose tomb they were assem-
bled. Amidst that mourning throng, it will readily
be believed by those who recollect his obligations
to Mr. Thornton, as well as his just appreciation
of the various excellencies of his revered friend,
that no one shed more sincere tears over his grave
than Dr. Buchanan. Doubtless he then felt, as
he seemed to feel, in common with a multitude
of other persons, that another of those ties by
which he had been linked to this world was de-
stroyed. The writer of these pages remembers,
with sensations of melancholy yet pleasing regret,
the peculiarly holy and heavenly strain of conver
FUNERAL OF MR. THORNTON. 447
sation with which Dr. Buchanan cheered and edi-
fied his friends on the evening of that mournful
day, and on the morning of his return into Hert-
fordshire ; little thinking that it would be the last
opportunity of their enjoying that privilege.
Of this short and affecting visit to Clapham, the
following interesting anecdote has been communi-
cated by a friend at whose house Dr. Buchanan
took up his abode :
" He was relating to me," observes this gentle,
man, " as we walked together from the church-
yard where we had deposited the mortal remains
of Henry Thornton, the course he was pursuing
with respect to the printing of the Syriac Testa-
ment. He stated that his solicitude to render it
correct had led him to adopt a plan of revision
which required him to read each sheet five times
over before it went finally to the printer. The par-
ticulars of the plan I do not very distinctly remem-
ber. It was, however, something of this kind : he
first prepared the sheets for the press ; when the
proof was sent, he read it over attentively, insti-
tuting a comparison with the original, and looking
into the various readings, &c. A revise was sent
O *
him, which he carefully examined, making correc-
tions. This was submitted to Mr. Yeates. When
it came from him he read it again, adopting such
of his suggestions as he thought right. When
448 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
the printer had made the requisite corrections he
sent a fresh revise, after being read, to Mr. Lee,
and re-perused it when it came from him. A third
revise was then procured, which he again examin-
ed before it was finally committed to the press. I do
not know that I am precisely accurate in this state-
ment, but it was something of the above description.
" While giving me this detail, he stopped sud-
denly and burst into tears. I was somewhat alarm-
ed. When he had recovered himself, he said, ' Do
not be alarmed. I am not ill ; but I was completely
overcome with the recollection of the delight which
I had enjoyed in this exercise. At first I was dis-
posed to shrink from the task as irksome, and ap-
prehended that I should find even the Scriptures
pall by the frequency of this critical examination ;
but, so far from it, every fresh perusal seemed to
throw fresh light on the word of God, and to con-
vey additional joy and consolation to my mind.' "
How delightful is the contemplation of a servant
of Christ thus devoutly engaged in his heavenly
Master's work, almost to the very moment of his
transition to th'e divine source of light and truth
itself!
The pious and elevated frame of Dr. Buchanan's
mind is evident from another incident which occur-
red at this time.
In passing through London, on his return to
FUNERAL OF MR. THORNTON. 449
v
Broxbourne, he spent a few hours with a friend
whom he had met upon the solemn occasion of the
preceding day. In the course of their conversation
his friend observed, how affecting was the conside-
ration of the removal of so many great and good
men, whom they had lately had occasion to lament,
in the prime of life and in the midst of their use-
fulness. To this observation Dr. Buchanan replied,
" So long as they were still on earth, and the divine
will was not known, it was our duty fervently to
pray for their recovery and lengthened life ; but,
when once that will has been discovered by the
event, we should rejoice and praise God that he"
has received them to himself, and hasten to follow
them to his heavenly kingdom." It was not long
before he himself afforded another illustration of
this remark, which, though not urifrequently made,
was peculiarly characteristic of that spirit of calm
and habitual submission to the will of God, and of
lively faith in the realities of an eternal world, by
which he was distinguished.
The extreme severity of the weather had excited
some apprehensions in the minds of many as to
the probable effect of Dr. Buchanan's exposure to
it during some hours of the preceding day. He did
not, however, appear at the time to have suffered
by it, and reached Broxbourne on the 25th of Ja-
nuary in safety.
On the 1st of February he wrote to Mrs. Thomp-
Buchanun. 29
410 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
*
son informing her of the solemn scene at which he
had lately been present, describing the numerous
and respectful attendance at the funeral of Mr.
Thornton, and expressing his earnest desire to fol-
low him to the same blessed inheritance.
This was the last communication of Dr. Bucha-
nan to his distant friends. The time of his depar-
ture was now fast approaching. He continued, how-
ever, his Christian undertaking to the last. On his
return from Yorkshire he had proceeded with the
preparation of the Syriac version of the Acts of
the Apostles, and had advanced, on the day pre-
ceding his death, to the twentieth chapter, in which
the zealous and affectionate apostle, in his address
to the elders of Ephesus, expresses his conviction
of his final separation from his friends, in these re-
markable words : " And now, behold, I know that
ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the
kingdom of God, shall see my face no more." The
chapter which thus closed the labors of Dr. Bu-
chanan, and in which he seemed to bid farewell to
every earthly association, was but too prophetic of
the event which was about so shortly to take place.
Of his few remaining days, and of his sudden re-
moval to that higher world, for which he had long
been ripening, the following letter to the Rev. Mr.
Kerapthorne, from his confidential servant, who
was his only attendant in Hertfordshire, though
unavoidably inadequate to the anxious wishes of
HIS DEATH. 451
his friends, affords a minute and faithful ac
count :
" BROXBOURNE, Feb. 12, 1815.
" REV. SIR, In case of your not having been
made acquainted, through the public papers, with
the decease of Dr. Buchanan, I feel it my duty to
write to you on the subject.
" The doctor's state of health, as you may have
understood, had improved during his residence
here up to the time of his late visit to Yorkshire ;
but the fatigue of that journey, probably added to
an attendance, in a week after his return, in bad
weather, at the funeral of Mr. Henry Thornton,
brought on an apparently slight indisposition, which
the doctor himself, I believe, considered merely a
cold. On Thursday last, however, while making a
morning's call on some of the neighbors, he was
taken with something of a fainting fit, which passed
off without his considering it of consequence enough
to require medical assistance. As the sickness came
on again towards evening, I took the liberty to dis-
obey his orders, and to send for the medical gentle-
man whose skill had so much appeared in the im-
provement of the doctor's health in the preceding
months. This gentleman was with him about nine
o'clock in the evening, and did not express any ap-
prehension of danger. Dr. Buchanan retired a little
past ten, saying he was better ; and, as he expected
to get a little sleep, wished me not to disturb him
452 MEMOIR OF DU. BUCHANAN.
to take the second medicine till he rung the bell.
About half-past eleven, sitting on the watch for the
summons, I fancied I heard something of an hic-
cough ; which induced me to enter the chamber,
and to inquire if he was worse. He signified he was
worse. On which I instantly alarmed the family
and sent for assistance ; and then returned to the
bedside, where he appeared laboring under a spasm
in the breast. He intimated a wish for me to hold
his head ; and in this posture, without struggle or
convulsion, his breath appeared to leave him ; so
that before twelve, by which time Mr. Watts, the
printer, Mr. Yeates, and a few other neighbors
were with me, we were obliged to conclude that
our excellent friend's spirit had joined the glorified
saints above. I should have mentioned that, on re-
turnino- home in the morning after the fit, Dr. Bu-
O O '
chanan seemed lame on the left side ; but, as it
went off, he did not think it of any consequence.
I have reason to think it might be a third attack of
paralysis. The medical man, on coming after his
dissolution, said it did not surprise him. A letter
was immediately forwarded, by express, to com-
municate the melancholy intelligence to my mas-
ter's family in Yorkshire ; from whence some one
is hourly expected. Mr. Macaulay was also written
to, and Mr. Simeon at Cambridge. On Saturday
Mr. Babington, the member for Leicester, came
down, and approved of the precaution and arrange-
HIS DEATH. 453
ments taken immediately after his departure ; both
as to putting seals on the drawers, study, &c. &c.
" With the greatest respect, I beg to subscribe
myself, Rev. Sir, your most obedient faithful ser-
vant, T. VAUX."
Such was the sudden summons by which, on the
9th of February, 1815, in the 49th year of his age,
this eminent servant of God was called to his hea-
venly rest. To himself it could scarcely be said to
be unexpected. The debilitated constitution which
he brought from India, and the repeated shocks it
had subsequently sustained, led him habitually to
regard his continuance in life as extremely uncer-
tain and precarious ; while his various afflictions,
personal and domestic, had tended to withdraw his
thoughts and affections from the world, and to fix
them on spiritual and eternal objects. We have seen
that in fulfilling the important engagement which
terminated his earthly course, he evidently appear-
ed to be working while it was called " to-day," and
to be constantly anticipating the near approach of
" the night" in which he could no longer work.
Of his habitual preparation for the hour of his de-
parture, no one can entertain a doubt who has
marked the scriptural foundation of his faith, and
the unquestionable evidences of its sincerity in the
long and uniform tenor of his truly Christian career.
It might, perhaps, have been desirable, both for
454 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
himself and for others, that some interval, however
short, had been vouchsafed ; in which this " good
and faithful servant " of his Lord might have had
an opportunity of -renewing his repentance, of tes-
tifying his faith, of perfecting his patience, of puri-
fying and exalting his chanty, of bidding a more
solemn and express farewell to " things seen and
temporal," of preparing more deliberately and de-
voutly for an immediate entrance upon " things
unseen and eternal." Such an interval, however,
so precious to the generality of mankind, and usu-
ally so important, the divine wisdom did not see fit
to grant to the subject of these memoirs. Neither,
indeed, can it be said to have been necessary. The
readers of the preceding narrative have already
observed Dr. Buchanan in India, upon what he
believed would prove his death-bed ; and they have
witnessed the deeply penitent, yet resigned and
peaceful frame of mind which he then exhibited.
Such, as we are evidently authorized to conclude,
only of a mature and heavenly nature, would have
been his testimony and his feelings, had he been
allowed again to express them. In the absence,
however, of any such opportunity, we must be con-
tented to recur to that scene ; and, together with
the recollection of his subsequent " work of faith,
and labor of love, and patience of hope," endeavor
to enter into the full meaning of the following brief
sentence, which occurs amidst a few other " pri-
HIS CHARACTER. 455
vate thoughts," and in which its author appears
plainly to have anticipated the probability of some
final stroke, which should impede the exercise of
his faculties, and prove the pi'elude to his depart-
ure. " If," said he, " my mind and memory should
be affected by illness of body, I shall look to my
head, Christ. I am but a member." From any
painful infliction of this kind Dr. Buchanan was
mercifully spared ; and, after having paid the last
sad tribute of affection to the friend and benefactor
of his early years, was removed almost contempo-
raneously and reunited to him and to other kin-
dred spirits of the "just made perfect," in regions
where sickness and sorrow, change and sepai-ation,
are for ever unknown.
In consequence of a wish he had expressed to
Mrs. Thompson, not long before his death, the re-
mains of Dr. Buchanan were removed from Brox-
bourne to Little Ouseburn, in Yorkshire, and depo-
sited near those of his second lamented wife. A
monumental inscription, written by the Rev. W.
Richardson, of York, records in plain but expres-
sive language the leading particulars of his life and
character.*
In reviewing the history of Dr. Buchanan, our
attention must be first directed to his religious cha-
racter. It was this which originally introduced him
* See the end of the volume.
4,56 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
to our notice, and by this he was principally dis-
tino-uished throughout his benevolent and useful
o o
career. The deep and solemn impression of reli-
gion, which, through the grace of God, was made
upon his mind in his twenty-fourth year, formed
the commencement of a life devoted to the service
of Chi'ist. We have traced the effects of this great
spiritual change in the course of his studies at the
University of Cambridge, during his various labors
in India, and his continued exertions after his return
to Britain. Amidst these diversified scenes and en-
gagements, an energetic conviction of the infinite
importance and value of the Gospel, and a lively
sense of his own obligations to that grace which
had made him effectually acquainted with its bless-
ings, were the commanding principles which actu-
ated his conduct.
Those who know little of real Christianity may,
perhaps, attribute his earnestness and activity in
religion, as they would that of the great apostle
himself, to enthusiasm, zeal for proselytism, or the
love of fame. But the whole tenor of this narrative
sufficiently proves that no corrupt, weak, or worldly
motives swayed his mind. The great object to
which he devoted his life engaged him in an un-
ceasing contest with the principles and the preju-
dices of those whom a regard to his worldly inte-
rest would have led him carefully to conciliate;
and, though his benevolent exertions undoubtedly
HIS CHARACTER. 457
procured him many valuable friends, few men of
such sober and practical views, and of such genu-
ine philanthropy, have gone through a greater va-
riety of " evil " as well as of (t good report." With
still less justice can the activity of Dr. Buchanan
in the great labor of his life be ascribed to a con-
troversial or innovating spirit. He was, on the con-
trary, disposed, both by constitution and principle,
to avoid rather than court opposition ; while, dur-
ing several years, the langor of declining health
was continually urging him to self-indulgence and
repose.
Amidst such powerful inducements to a very dif-
ferent line of conduct, it is scarcely possible not to
perceive that Dr. Buchanan could only have been
actuated by pure and disinterested motives. The
love of Christ and of the souls of men, and a fer-
vent desire to be the instrument of imparting to
others that unspeakable blessing which he had him-
self received, were in reality the springs both of his
public and private exertions. These were the prin-
ciples by which he was animated, and which sup-
ported him with equanimity and patience amidst
labor and reproach, infirmity and sorrow, and even
rendered him joyful in tribulation.
Combined with these motives, Dr. Buchanan
possessed a spirit of lively and vigorous faith, which
substantiated " things not seen," and led him to
think and act under a strong impression of their
458 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
truth and reality. He was therefore eminently a
practical man. Though inclined by natural taste
and the habits of a learned and scientific education
to indulge in speculative pursuits and pleasures,
the strength of his faith and the ardor of his love
towards objects of spiritual and eternal concern,
rescued him from their fascination, and taught
him to account all knowledge and all occupation
vain and unimportant, compared with that which
tended to render himself and others " wise unto
salvation." Hence, from the period at which the
religious necessities of his own countrymen in India
and the moral state of its benighted native inhabit-
ants first impressed his mind, the life of Dr. Buchanan
exhibits a continued series of strenuous, self-denying,
and disinterested efforts to supply the deficiencies
and to ameliorate the condition which he lamented.
For the accomplishment of this great purpose
he was admirably qualified, both by natural and
acquired advantages. Sagacious and observant,
calm and persevering, resolute, yet mild and cour-
teous, he took a penetrating and extensive survey
of the various objects around him ; and, omitting
points of inferior consideration and importance,
fixed his attention on the grand and prominent fea-
tures by which they were distinguished. The tem-
per also and habits of Dr. Buchanan were pecu-
liarly calculated to soften the asperities and to re-
move the prejudices of opponents, to treat with
HIS CHARACTER.
459
men of every rank upon their own grounds, and to
engage them in promoting the great objects which
he himself had in view; while the comprehensive-
ness of his mind and the munificence of his dispo-
sition enabled him both to conceive and execute
designs of no ordinary difficulty and magnitude.
We have accordingly seen, in the course of these
memoirs, that, by the publication of authentic do-
cuments and convincing statements, by the proposal
of magnificent prizes, by the active exercise of his
influence with those who respected and esteemed
him, and by personal exertions, which included a
journey of more than five thousand miles, amidst
many difficulties and dangers, he endeavored to ex-
tend and perpetuate among the European popula-
tion of India the national faith and worship ; and, un-
moved by the obloquy of opponents, and by the want
of cordial assistance on the part of some who might
have been expected to support and cheer him, la-
bored unceasingly to diffuse among millions, im-
mersed in the thickest darkness, "the light that
leads to heaven."
The qualifications of Dr. Buchanan, as a writer,
were peculiarly suited to the task which he had un-
dertaken. Bold, perspicuous, and decisive ; he is
distinguished in all his works by the accumulation
and display of new and striking facts, connected, for
the most part, by brief, pointed, and sententious ob-
servations. Even in his' writings which are more
460 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
strictly theological, he adopted a similar plan ; sel
dom pursuing a long train of reasoning, but laying
down certain undoubted facts, truths, or principles,
and arguing from them directly and practically to
the conclusions which he had in view. The style,
however, of Dr. Buchanan, though in general sim-
ple and unambitious, was, as we have more than
once had occasion to notice, frequently dignified
and eloquent.
His delivery was slow, but impressive, and
though far from being studied, was yet pleasing and
persuasive. His sermons were often doctrinal,
but more frequently practical and experimental ;
and generally interesting, either from the historical
or parabolical form, or from the simple, yet ener-
getic and affecting style in which they were com-
posed. So far as mere popularity of manner is
concerned, he may not be considered as entitled to
much distinction. But if success be admitted as
any test of merit, he must be allowed to rank high
as a preacher. Both in India and this country he
was honored as the instrument of converting many
from " the error of their way," and of instructing
and edifying others in the faith of the Gospel.
Preaching was not, however, that by which Dr.
Buchanan was chiefly distinguished. His peculiar
excellencies, as a public character, were of anothei
kind, and are to be discerned in his enlarged and
truly Christian philanthropy, in the extent and
HIS CHARACTER. 461
acknowledged importance, utility, and disinterest-
edness of his plans, and in the boldness, generosity,
and ability, with which he labored to accomplish
them.
Of his fidelity, diligence, and activity, in the ful-
filment of his official duties, the conduct of Dr.
Buchanan, as Vice-Provost of the College of Fort
William, is a striking and satisfactory instance.
During his residence in India, independently of his
acknowledged value as a public servant, he was,
according to the memorialist of his excellent col-
league, " beloved and admired by many of every
rank for his fine abilities, and for the estimable
qualities of his heart ;" and, after his return to this
country, his uninterrupted labors in the cause of
Christianity, amidst accumulated infirmities and
sorrows, equally secured him the respect and es-
teem of all who are capable of appreciating pure
and exalted virtue.
Dr. Buchanan, however, sought not " honor from
men." His faith enabled him to "overcome the
world," and rendered him comparatively indiffer-
ent to its applauses and its frowns. He lived
" As ever in his great Task-master's eye ;"
and appeared on all occasions supremely anxious to
fulfil his appointed duties, and to hasten towards
the heavenly prize. " He carried about with him,"
observed one of his intimate friends, " a deep sense
462 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
of the reality of religion, as a principle of action ;
and, from various conversations which I recollect
with him, I could strongly infer how much he la-
bored to attain purity of heart." His last common-
place book contains various proofs of his simple,
devoted, and progressive piety. Observations occur,
chiefly founded upon passages of Scripture, on the
great doctrines of the Gospel, particularly on faith
in the atonement, on divine grace, on holiness, on the
love of God and of our neighbor, on humility, on
communion with God, and on the world of spirits.
One brief extract, entitled " A general Topic of
Prayer," may serve to show the practical piety and
the humble and subdued disposition of its author.
" Let us," says this excellent man, " endeavor to
seek happiness and contentment in our own place
and condition, not looking abroad for it. Let 113
seek and expect it in existing circumstances; con-
tented with little domains, little possessions, a little
dwelling ; that we may prepare for a less house, a
smaller tenement under ground."
If we descend to the more private features of his
character, the reader of his memoirs must be struck
by his patience under protracted weakness and suf-
fering, and his submission to the will of God under
frequent and severe privations of domestic and
personal happiness, and by his extraordinary libe-
rality and diffusive charity. Of the more remark-
able instances of these virtues, sufficient notice has
HIS CHARACTER. 463
been already taken ; but Dr. Buchanan was cor-
dially and habitually generous ; and, independently
of those munificent acts which were unavoidably
public, the writer of this narrative has met with
many other instances, scarcely less noble, of which
the world never heard ; while, in addition to his li-
beral support of various Christian institutions which
adorn our country, there were, no doubt, numerous
exertions of piivate benevolence which were utter-
ly unknown.
His social virtues require only to be mentioned.
His invariable kindness and candor, his forbear-
ance and readiness to forgive, together with all the
charities of domestic life, are excellencies which,
though happily too common to be much dwelt
upon, will long live in the recollection and regret
of his family and friends. And among all who can
justly appreciate distinguished worth, geniune pie
ty, and enlarged and active philanthrophy there
can surely be but one opinion that Dr. Buchanan
was " a burning and a shining light," and a signal
blessing to the nations of the East. We may, in-
deed, safely leave his eulogy to be pronounced by
future generations in Great Britain and Hindostan,
who will probably vie with each other in doing
honor to his memory, and unite in venerating him
as one of the best benefactors of mankind ; as hav-
ing labored to impart to those who, in a spiritual
sense, are " poor indeed," a treasure.
464 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
-" Transcending in its worth
The gems of India."
But if it were possible that men should forget or
be insensible to their obligations to this excellent
person, he is now far removed from human censure
and applause ; his judgment and his work are with
God : his record is on high, and his witness in
heaven. He has " entered into peace," and will
doubtless stand in no unenvied lot !t at the end of
the days ;" when " they that are wise shall shine as
the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn
many to righteousness as the stars for ever and
ever."
CONCLUSION.
(BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR.)
The dispensations of divine Providence towards
Dr. Buchanan, from his youth, were very remark-
able, and seem to have been specially directed to
prepare and qualify him for eminent usefulness in
propagating the Gospel in the East.
Naturally, he was endued with a mind of uncom-
mon vigor and fertility ; his genius was, indeed,
CONCLUSION. 465
romantic, and in some degree eccentric ; but this
very defect of character was overruled by Provi-
dence to draw him out from his native obscurity,
and to bring him into an intimate friendship with
those excellent men, the Rev. John Newton, and
Henry Thornton, Esq. by whose counsel and effec-
tual aid he was prepared to occupy a very important
place in the church. The former was, in all re-
spects, a spiritual father to him ; and, as long as he
lived, acted the part of a wise and faithful friend,
who, by his deep acquaintance with experimental
religion, and thorough knowledge of evangelical
truth, was qualified to be, to an ardent young man,
a counsellor of inestimable value. And certainly
he did watch over him with a truly paternal solici-
tude, and no doubt bore him on his heart daily at
the throne of grace. A young and ardent Christian
could not easily have found a safer and a more
affectionate guide, if the whole world had been
searched.
The latter was disposed and qualified to be an
efficient friend and helper in all things in which
money and influence were needed. By his liberali-
ty and disinterested friendship, Mr. Buchanan, in
addition to the learning which he had acquired in
Scotland, was enabled to obtain a finished univer-
sity education at Cambridge. It is a fact confirmed
by experience, that a man's qualifications for use-
fulness in high and important stations, requiring
Buchanan. 30
466 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
much vigor of mind arid large mental resources,
must have an important relation to his early disci-
pline and training. Had Dr. Buchanan, as he and
his friends at first wished, entered the ministry
without going through the university, he, no doubt,
would have been a useful minister, and would have
had several more years for his public work ; but he
never could have filled the station which he did so
honorably in India ; and he never could have exer-
cised that influence over the public mind by his
writings which has been attended with results so
momentous and felicitous.
The fact that Dr. Buchanan was brought into
the ministry in the established church of England,
doubtless greatly enlarged the sphere of his exer-
tions in the East. By reason of this he had access
to a field, to which, as a dissenter, he could have
had none j and by reason of which he was able to
exercise a powei-ful influence over the universities,
and over even the dignitaries of the church at
home.
The zeal, exertion, and success with which Dr.
Buchanan labored to awaken the attention of the
Christian public to the duty and importance of pro-
pagating Christianity in India, have never yet been
duly appreciated. Before his writings dispelled
the darkness of prejudice which prevailed among
those high in authority, it was deemed not only im-
politic, but highly dangerous to the British posses-
CONCLUSION. 467
sions in the East, to make the least attempt to dis-
turb the inveterate prejudices of the Hindoos,
which had been increasing for ages. All their su-
perstitious rites and customs, however bloody or im-
pure, it was thought necessary to leave unmolested.
This delusion, the writings of Dr. Buchanan, and
other men of talents, were the principal means
of dispelling; and the open door at the present
time for missions in British India, is doubtless
owing, in no inconsiderable degree, to his exertions.
It is, indeed, wonderful that he should have been,
able to take views, so large and comprehensive, of
the great harvest which, by successive acts of divine
Providence, was opening and ripening in the East.
And not only did he perceive the work which was
to be done, but he had the sagacity to discern the
means and facilities requisite for its performance.
The variety and extent of his labors show not only
the abundant fertility of his mind and his extensive
benevolence, but also his profound wisdom. When
the millions of India shall become Christian, and the
other Eastern nations be converted unto God, we
believe that few names will be more highly honored
and revered than that of Dr. Buchanan.
If we seek to ascertain the secret of his extraor-
dinary success, and how he was able to accomplish
so much in so short a time, we shall find the solu-
tion in the ^purity and, elevation of Jiis Christian
motives, and the unity and. simplicity of the end to
468 MEMOIR OF DR. BUCHANAN.
which he directed all his energies. Wherever he
is, the same zeal for the propagation of the religion
of Christ appears to animate him. This unity of
purpose and purity of motive was remarkably dis-
played when a student in the university. Indeed,
it would be difficult to find in evangelical biography
a nobler triumph of Christian principle over literary
ambition. Here was self-denial of an uncommon
kind, and in the exercise of which he found few
even among his Christian friends disposed to en-
courage him. The pious Newton alone approved
his deliberate purpose to sacrifice the honors which
he might have obtained, for the sake of making a
thorough preparation for the sacred and important
office for which he 'was a candidate. His whole
correspondence during his residence at Cambridge,
furnishes the most satisfactory evidence of his jea-
lousy over himself, lest an attention to human learn-
ing should damp his zeal, or retard his progress in
personal religion ; and evinces the depth and purity
of that principle of piety which had been implanted
in his heart.
The same disinterested spiiit he carried with
him to the ministry. His object was not where he
might find a situation where he could spend his
days in ease, affluence, and honor or how he might
rise to a dignified station in the church ; but when
he saw a way open for his employment in the
East, he cheerfully resigned all his prospects of
CONCLUSION. 469
preferment in his own country, and embraced the
offer of going as a chaplain to India. And while
resident in that country he pursued but one object.
All his studies, and exertions, and plans of promo-
ting learning, and the translation of the Scriptures,
were in exact subserviency to the grand design of
propagating and extending Christianity in the East.
Though his plans were great, and required the
co-operation of many to accomplish them ; yet
were they not impracticable, but devised with a
full foresight of the means requisite to carry them
into effect. And he possessed a remarkable talent
for bringing into requisition the instruments which
the exigence required. To fertility of invention he
added not only energy in the execution, but great
versatility of mind, by which he could accommo-
date himself to new and unexpected circumstances.
That Dr. Buchanan was in some things too san-
guine, and saw new and important events through
a medium somewhat discolored by an ardent mind
and vivid imagination, cannot be denied. This led
him sometimes to represent things in such a light
as to excite too high expectations, which have riot
been fully realized. But this very ardor, and, if it
.may be so called, enthusiasm, was necessary to the
successful prosecution of the great objects which he
Had in view. No man has ever achieved any. thing
very great without some good degree of this ardor ;
and when it is, as in his case, guided by pure mo-
470 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
tives and elevated aims, it is a precious gift of God
to qualify some men for great enterprises.
Two of the most prominent traits in Dr. Buchan-
an's character were courage and enterprise. The
latter has already been sufficiently noticed ; and,
as an evidence of the former, we would refer to his
visit to Goa, and to the interior of the prison of the
Inquisition. Perhaps there is not on record in his-
tory an example of courage more cool, deliberate,
and determined. It was that species of courage
which arises from the consciousness of an upright
intention, and confidence in the presence and over-
ruling providence of God.
But with all Dr. Buchanan's genius, learning,
enterprise, and zeal, he could not have accom-
plished what he did, if he had not been a man of
incessant indefatigable, diligence. His whole course
was one of activity and exertion, steadily directed
to one great object. When his health was so debi-
litated by the climate of the East that it was neces-
sary for him to return home to England, it might
have been supposed that he would have 'ceased from
his labors, and sought repose for his declining years ;
but no such thought occupied his benevolent mind.
His exertions for the best interests of India were
undiminished, and even more successful than when
in that country. Providence seems to have directed
his return to his native country for the very pur-
pose of using him as an instrument to enlighten the
CONCLUSION. 471
public mind, and to exercise an extensive influence
over men of the first order of intellect, and filling
important stations, in favor of the East.
His public discourses before the universities,
and that before the Church Missionary Society, not '
only produced a salutary effect when delivered, but
were widely circulated in print, and gave an addi-
tional impulse in favor of Eastern missions, which
has been powerfully felt on this side the Atlantic ;
and that impulse, instead of gradually ceasing, has
gone on accumulating force ; and will go on from
strength to strength, until it shall bear down all op-
position.
Some of Dr. Buchanan's unaccomplished plans
manifest as much wisdom and enterprise as those
which he was enabled to carry into effect. It was
his settled purpose to return from India by land
for no other purpose than to collect information
respecting the religious state of the people ; and
especially of the remnants of Oriental Christian
sects who still inhabit that extensive region. But
he was prevented from executing his purpose by
the belligerent state of the people through whose
territories he must have passed. It was, however,
with evident regret that he relinquished this dan-
gerous journey. And after his return to England,
when his health had received a very serious shock
by a paralytic stroke, he still had the courage and
enterprise to project a journey into Palestine,
472 MEMOIR -OF DR. BUCHANAN.
Syria, Asia Minor, &c. which journey was planned
simply with a view to the propagation of the Gospel.
In this cherished plan he was also disappointed.
His health was entirely too feeble for the hard-
ships of such a journey.
There is yet one trait in Dr. Buchanan's charac-
ter which it would be unpardonable not to bring
conspicuously before the public. And although it
is fully manifested in the regular course of the pre-
ceding narrative, yet it seems proper to turn the
attention of the reader pointedly to it, because it
may be considered as rare, even in the character of
sincere Christians. We refer to his extraordinary
and princely munificence. Seldom has the world
had the opportunity of contemplating a character
so perfectly exempt from avaiice, and exhibiting a
generosity so pure and disinterested. If Dr. Bu-
chanan had been a man of ample fortune, or had
been in the way of acquiring enormous gains in
India, it would not have appeared so singular that
he should bestow so many large sums of money to
promote the extension of Christianity in India.
But when we consider that he went out a poor
young man; and while in the East had no other
income than from his office as chaplain, and for 3
time as vice-chancellor of the College of Fort Wil
liam, and that he had a family of his own, for whom
no permanent provision had been made, we can-
not but think that his various munificent donations
were a rare example of Christian beneficence.
CONCLUSION. 473
Here, also, will be the proper place to remark
on that delicate sense of moral propriety which led
Dr. Buchanan, at an eai-ly period after he was set-
tled in India, to refund, to Mr. Thornton the whole
sum which that gentleman had so generously ex-
pended in supporting him at the university. The
return of this money was not expected, nor desired ;
but so nice was the sense of justice in Dr. Buchan-
an's conscientious mind, that he felt it to be obliga-
tory on him to pay this debt ; and thus has fur-
nished an example worthy of imitation by other
young men who have been aided in a similar man-
ner. But not content with merely paying his debts,
he felt it to be incumbent on him to bestow as
much, or even more, for the support of some pi-
ous and promising candidate for the ministry at the
university.
HisjiUal piety, also, is worthy of all praise and
of universal imitation. Before he left his native
country for India he took a journey to Scotland,
to visit his aged mother. And when it was in his
power, he remitted a considerable sum of money
to her ; and finally, out of his moderate income,
gave her, as long as he lived, an allowance of <s300
per annum. Though long life in the land of Ca-
naan is no. longer the reward of filial piety ; yet
we believe that an equivalent is still promised, and
that God often rewards the pious son who " honors
his father and mother," with prosperity in all his un-
474 MEMOIR OP DR. BUCHANAN.
dertakings. Dr. Buchanan, on his. return from
India, finding that his mother still lived, undertook
another journey to Scotland, breaking away from
all his other friends and engagements, to show his
respect and affection for his aged surviving parent.
Upon a review of Dr. Buchanan's life, we are of
opinion that he may safely be recommended to
those whom providence has called to take a lead in
missionary efforts, as furnishing a conspicuous and
admirable example of wisdom, energy, industry, per-
severance, and disinterestedness, in the promotion of
the kingdom of Christ among the heathen. This
volume, we trust, therefore, with the biography of
Brainerd, Pearce, Martyn, Carey, and others, will
be the means of elevating the views and giving
impulse to the pious feelings of many a youthful
mind. There is no stronger encouragement to
benevolent effort than observing the efficacy which
God has graciously given to the example of such a
man as David Brainerd, who spent his life in the
deepest obscurity, in the dark bosom of the forest,
among the untutored savages ; but his memory is
now embalmed, and he being dead, yet speaketh.
May some of the same blessed fruits attend the
reading of this memoir of Buchanan ! English
literature is now rich in evangelical biography;
and the stock is increasing every day. How would
Dr. Buchanan have rejoiced to behold what our
eyes now see, of the wide-spread harvest in the
CONCLUSION. 475
East already white, and only waiting for the reap-
ers to enter in and gather precious sheaves. But
he foresaw the scene which.is now presented ; and
not only beheld it, but sowed an abundance of seed
which since his death has sprung up." What more
suitable termination, then, can we give to this
volume than to repeat the exhortation of our Lord,
" Pray ye the Lord of the harvest to send laborers
into his harvest ; for the harvest is plenteous, but
the laborers are few."
MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS.
In sure and certain hope
of a blessed resurrection unto eternal lifo f ,
was deposited here the mortal body of
MARY,
the beloved wife of the Rev. Dr. CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN,
of Moat Hall,
find youngest daughter of Henry Thompson, Esq. of Kirby Hall)
who died on the 23d day of March, 1813,
in the 36th year of her age.
By the grace given unto her, this excellent woman
adorned by her conduct the doctrine of the Gospel.
Sincerity, honesty, and simplicity
were the characters of her mind, and she
delighted to serve God,
" who desireth truth in the inward parts."
Exercised by personal and domestic suffering, she was
early weaned from the love of the world :
Her affections were set on things which are above,
and she was enabled to overcome the world ;
for she was born of God.
"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and
this is the victory that overcometh" the world,
even our faith." 1 John, 5 . 4.
Close by her side lie her two infant children,
CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN,
aged three days,
born 28th December, 1810.
And his infant brother,
who lived and died the 27th Fob. 1813.
Thrice happy infants!
That saw the light, and turned their eyes aside
From our dim regions to the eternal Sun.
Sacred to tlie Memory of
CLAUDIUS BUCHATVAN, D. D.
Late Vice-Provos'lTof the College of Fort William in Bengal,
whose eminent character as a Christian,
, zeal for the cause of his. God and Saviour,
and unwearied endeavors to promote it in the earth,
deserve to be had in everlasting remembrance,
He -was a native of Scotland,
but edUqated at Queen's College, Cambridge.
During. the twelve years of his abode in India,
"his spirit was .stirred in him,"
while he beheld millions of his fellow-subjects,
under a Christian government,
as sheep without a shepherd, and perishing
for lack of knowledge.
To excite the attention of the British nation to this sad spectacle,
he devoted his time, his talents, and a
large portion of his income.
By his " Christian Researches," and other
- valuable publications,
he. pleaded the cause of 'neglected India, iior pleaded in vain;
Britain was roused to a sense of her duty,
and sent forth laborers to the harvest.
Though gentle and unassuming,
be was bold and intrepid in this work of faith and labor of lovej
and exhibited mental vigor to the last,
amidst great bodily debility and severe affliction.
la social and domestic life lie was holy and exemplary,
full of mercy and good works :
Yot in lowliness of. mind, he renounced all dependance upon
-the excellencies which others saw and admired in him,
and looked, for eternal salvation through the
obedience unto death of Christ.
He departed this life, February 9, 1815, aged 48,
at Broxbourne, in Hertfordshire ;
where he was superintending an edition of the Syriac Scriptures}
and was buried near the remains of his amiable wife,
whose virtues he has recarded on the adjoining Gtoac.
" They were lovely and pleasant in their lives,
and ill their death they were not " long " divided."
THE END.
Pear son^ Rev* Hugh 17
EV5269 U&moirs of Rev* Cl?udius
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THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
