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f .•
/
HISTORY OF THE MISSIONS.
OF
'She Jftee ffihtiKk of ^coUani ' ,
IN INDIA AND AFRICA.
BY THE
REV. ROBERT HUNTER, M.A.,
FORMERLY MISSIONARY AT NAGPORE.
WITH PREFATORY NOTE
BY THE REV. CHARLES J. BROWN, D.D., EDINBURGH.
LONDON:
T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW;
EDINBURGH; AND NEW YORK,
1873-
/ 1
PREFATORY NOTE.
CAN imagine the question suggesting itself, why,
if any note of recommendation were to be
prefixed to this History of our Missions, it
should not have been written by the Mis-
sionary, still spared with us, whose judgment, on all pos-
sible accounts, is entitled to carry, and does carry, such
pre-eminent weight. Certainly no one can read even a
small part of the volume without finding its merits to be so
great, and its fitness to awaken interest in our Missions to
manifest, that Dr Duff, had other reasons not stood in the
way, would, with his whole heart, and in the strongest
terms, have commended the work to public attention.
It will easily occur to the reader, however, that Dr Duff
might naturally shrink from eulogizing a work in which
his own career necessarily occupies a prominent place.
The volume having been thus placed in my hands, I
only wish that I were able to commend it more effectually.
From the regard I have these many years enter-
tained for the author's high Christian character, com-
bined with rare learning and genius, I anticipated, on
hearing that he was engaged with a history of our Missions,
a work of value. But my anticipations have been far more
IV PREFATORY NOTE,
than realized. The book is one of rivetting interest. No
cold statistics, no wearisome enumerations, -no compilations
from forgotten documents, are here, but a graphic and
rapid, yet thoroughly careful and reliable, story of a grand
Mission work, embracing a lengthened period, extending
over a considerable portion of the heathen world, interwoven
with events of the greatest importance in the history also
of the Church at home, and stamped throughout with
traces of the Lord's glorious and gracious hand.
I anticipate for the volume a wide circulation. It
will supply an important desideratum in connection with
our Missions. Furnishing their friends and supporters
with an invaluable permanent record of their history from
the first, it will thus, and otherwise, tend powerfully to
stimulate and deepen their prayerful interest in them. And
it cannot fail to endear them also to friends of Christian
Missions in other branches of the Church, who may not
hitherto have happened to become much acquainted with
them.
CHAS. J. BROWN.
PREFACE.
BRIEF continuous history of the Free Church
Missions in India and Africa has long been felt
to be a desideratum; and about a couple of
years ago, friends deeply interested in the
evangelization of the heathen world, and whose judgment
was deserving of the utmost respect, applied to the writer,
inviting him to undertake the volume which now, with
all humility, he sends forth. The primary authorities
on which the greater part of the narrative is based are the
Reports of the Scottish and Glasgow Missionary Societies ;
the successive series of the Missionary Record, from its origin
in May 1838 to the present time; the Scottish Christian
Instructor ; with various other works. Sundry facts in the
early part of the volume were taken from " Brown's History
of the Propagation of Christianity since the Reformation ;"
and for portions of the geographical descriptions, obligation
is acknowledged to Thornton's " Gazetteer of India." When
unable to obtain proper details of important events, published
imperfectly at the time, or not published at all, the writer
sought information, and with success, from more than one
Vi PREFACE,
of his missionary fathers or brethren.* Certain geographical
scenes and historical incidents he describes with the autho-
rity of an eye-witness, and he has uniformly expressed
opinions with a freedom which he would not have ventured
to employ had he not lived for a considerable period (eight
years and four months) on Indian soil, and as one of the
agents in a Free Church mission.
Some explanation is required regarding the method, or
rather methods, of spelling oriental words adopted in the
work. In India, two rival systems, that of Dr Gilchrist,
and that of Sir William Jones, have long contended for the
mastery, and have managed between them to reduce the
spelling of Eastern words to a chaotic state. Dr Gilchrist,
caring nothing whether he spelled oriental words philosophi-
cally or unphilosophically, provided only that home leaders
pronounced them with some approach to accuracy, had no
scruple in inserting two vowels where the oriental languages
had but one, if two were needful to keep the untravelled
Englishman out of error. On this system, Ettirajulu becomes
Ettirajooloo, and in the latter form will be correctly pro-
nounced. Sir William Jones, with a sterner adherence to
philosophy, assigned a letter in the Roman character, with
or without a diacritical point to each oriental sound. t
* No mention will be found in- the volume of Lai Behari De's baptism. The
writer could find no record of it made at the time. Quite recently, however, \it has
learned that Lai Behari, then a distinguished student m the institution, was admitted
to the Church by the Rev. Dr Thomas Smith, not long after the latter gentleman re*
turned from the Cape in December 1842. Lai Behari's subsequent history will b6
found in the body of the volume.
t On his system —
a is pronounced like a at the beginning and end of America,
a' ,, a in far or in star.
i ,, i in sit.
i' „ i in police.
Some missionaries spell on the one system, others on the
other ; and the author has shrunk from introducing unifor-
mity, knowing that it could not be attained without altering
the aspect of many familiar words. A little reflection will
enable the home reader in any case to ascertain on which
of the rival systems a particular word is spelled, and to
pronounce accordingly.
The best thanks of the writer are due to the Rev. Dr
Charles Brown for his very kind prefatory note. They are
due also to Mr Robert Young of the Foreign Mission Office,
ioT his self-sacrifice in forbearing to develop his excellent little
publication on the Foreign Missions of the Free Church
into a larger volume, though requested to do so by many
friends, and awaiting instead the appearance of the present
work.
Finally, deep gratitude must be expressed to various
gentlemen in the India Office in London for the exceeding
courtesy with which they met the author's application for
information on certain specific points respecting the results
of the recent Indian census. The following carefully pre-
pared answer to his queries, forwarded to him by Charles
C. Prinsep, Esq., at the request of the Under Secretary of
u is pronounced like u in full,
u in rule.
ey in whey,
ui in guile,
o in stone.
ow in cow.
The other vowels and dipthongs require no explanation. — Asiatic Researches^
vol. I. Stevenson's Mahratia Oramma^ (i843)» PP. 4-9- Dr Duff's treatise on
" The Representation of Indian Alphabets in Roman Character,*' Caicuita Christian
Observer^ vol. m., 1834 ; also reprinted in a separate volume, along with someoth^
papers, under the editorship of Monier Williams, of Oxford University. Londop,
Longmans, 1859.
VIU
PREFACE.
State for India, and bearing date 5th April 1873, is of
special value : —
STATEMENT sicowing the population according to the recent census
OF 1871-72 OF THE FOLLOWING PROVINCES AND TOWNS OF BRITISH INDIA.
British India.
Taken from
Census of 1871-72
as reported.
Taken from
Administration
Report of 1871-72
(latest received.)
India,
Ceylon (census of 1871),
Madras Presidency, ...
Central Provinces, ...
Bombay Presidency (estimated,,
Madras City,
Bombay City,
Poonah City,
Nagpore City,
Kamptee, ...
Seetabuldee,
Chanda Town,
Bundara Town,
Chindwara Town. ...
«
t2,405,287
31.173.577
9,224.82s
13,983,998
^ ^,397,552
) No returns
5 as yet.
X
85.661
50,930
18,706
13,383
9^185
It is the wish and prayer of the author that the present
humble volume, notwithstanding its imperfections, may,
with the Divine blessing, be helpful in increasing the in-
terest felt in Foreign Missions, and may lead to more earnest
supplication and increased effort for the evangelisation of
the heathen world.
ROBERT HUNTER.
* Cannot be given ; all returns not yet received.
t Taken from Board of Trade Returns. A British Colonial possession not under
Indian administration.
X Estimate as per Census of 1864 — 816,562.
\ Not showa ; probably included with Nagpore.
CONTENTS.
SECTION I.— HOME OPERATIONS.
CHAP. PAGE
I. THE SCOTTISH CHURCH IN ITS SLEEP AND IN ITS
AWAKING ...... I
II. A MISSIONARY SOUGHT AND FOUND . . .II
III. A DARK PROVIDENCE OVERRULED FOR MUCH GOOD . 1$
IV. THE DISRUPTION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES . . 20
V. SHALL THERE BE RETREAT ? . . . .2$
VL ARRANGEMENTS SINCE THE MUTINIES . . .39
SECTION IL— CALCUTTA.
I. INDIA, AND ESPECIALLY BENGAL . . .46
II. THE FIRST CAMPAIGN . . . . .54
IIL THE INSTITUTION IN NEW HANDS . . .71
IV. THE YEARS PRECEDING THE DISRUPTION . . 76
V. THE DISRUPTION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES . . 80
VI. EXCITING SCENES . . . . .88
VII. SORROW AND JOY— NATURAL DEATHS AND SPIRITUAL
BIRTHS ....... 96
CONTENTS.
CHAP.
VIII. THE MISSION AFTER DR DUFF'S TEMPORARY RECALL TO
EUROPE ......
IX. THE MISSION AFTER DR DUFF's RETURN TO CALCUTTA
X. THE MISSION AFTER DR EWART's DEATH
XI. THE MISSION AFTER DR DUFF's FINAL DEPARTURE
XII. THE MISSION AFTER DR MITCHELL'S ARRIVAL
104
114
SECTION III.— MADRAS.
I. THE PLACE AND PEOPLE .
II. THE FOUNDATIONS LAID .
III. SPLENDID FIRST FRUITS .
IV. THE DISRUPTION PERIOD .
V. THE LONGED-FOR TIME OF REAPING
VI. THE CHARTER X>F FEMALE EMANCIPATION
Vn. A CHEQUERED NARRATIVE
VIII. THE MISSION AFTER THE DEATH OF ITS FOUNDER
IX. FRESH APPOINTMENTS ....
149
160
163
167
172
185
195
SECTION IV.— BOMBAY.
I. THE MAHRATTA COUNTRY AND ITS PRESENT CAPITAL . 202
II. THE SOJOURN AT BANKOTE AND HURNEE . . 205
III. TRANSFER OF THE MISSION TO BOMBAY , . . 209
IV. THE BOMBAY INSTITUTION AND ITS EARLIEST FRUITS . 212
V. THE DISRUPTION AND ITS EFFECTS . . .221
VI. FROM THE RETURN OF DR WILSON . . . 226
VIL AFTER MR NESBIT'S DEATH .... 24O
CONTENTS,
XI
SECTION v.— POONAH.
CHAP.
I. tOONAH IN ITS PALMY DAYS
II. A SEED " IN WEAKNESS SOWN " .
III. AFTER THE DISRUPTION .
IV. FATHER AND SON COADJUTORS IN THE MISSION
V. AFTER THE MUTINIES
VI. AFTER MR MITCHELL'S DEATH
VIL SATTARA . . .
Vlli. THE RURAL MISSION AT INDAPORE AND JAULNA
251
266
270
276
280
282
SECTION VI.— NAGPORE.
I. THE PLACE AND PEOPLE ..... 289
II. THE COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS . . . 292
III. THE CASTE STRUGGLE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES . . 298
IV. FALL OF THE NAGPORE KINGDOM . . . 3IO
V. LAMENTATION AND WOE , . . . • 317
VL THE MISSION AFTER THE DEATH OF ITS FOUNDER . 32I
SECTION VII.-MISSIONS TO THE WILD TRIBES.
THE SANTHAL MISSION.
I, THE PEOPLE ....
II. COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS .
. 330
xu
CONTENTS,
THE GOND MISSION.
CHAP.
I. THE PEOPLE AND THE DISTRICTS THEY INHABIT
II. COMxMENCEMENT OF THE WORK .
THE WARALI MISSION ....
PAGE
334
336
SECTION VIII.— CAFFRARIA.
I. SOUTHERN AFRICA AND ITS INHABITANTS
II. TAKING POSSESSION
III. WAR
IV. SEPARATION
V. AGAIN WAR
VI. THE INTERVAL OF PEACE
VII. THE LAST AND GREATEST WAR
VIIL AFTER THE RESTORATION OF PEACE
IX. A *' PROPHET " AND HIS TIMES
X. MR Stewart's report on the missions
XI. THE settlement ON THE TOLENI
XII. THE NATAL AND GORDON MISSIONS
CONCLUSION
ALPHABETICAL INDEX
338
343
347
350
353
356
359
362
365
370
374
376
378
381
SECTION I.
HOME OPERATIONS,
CHAPTER I.
THE SCOTTISH CHURCH IN ITS SLEEP AND IN ITS
AWAKING.
[HURCHES, like individuals, are accustomed to
sleep, when their energies have been exhausted
by arduous labour and strong excitement. After
the great Reformation struggle, which in one form
or other lasted nearly two centuries, had come
at length to a close, all the churches which had been en-
gaged in it, fatigued by their protracted exertions, sunk
into lethargy.* The Church of Scotland, among the rest,
* Before the lethargy now spoken of had become fully established, evangeHstic
efforts of an interesting character were put forth in connection with the ill-fated
•* Darien Scheme.'*
When the colony to Darien was first set on foot, two ministers, Messrs James and
Scott, were sent out, but of these one died on the passage, and the other soon
after landing. The council wrote home asking that the vacancies might be promptly
filled, and in 1690 the Commission of the General Assembly "missioned" Messrs Alex-
ander Shields, Francis Borland, Archibald Stobo, and Alexander Dalgleish, to pro-
ceed to the new colony and look after the Scotch settlers ; besides which, they were
particularly enjoined to labour among the natives for their instruction and conver-
sion. In 1700 the Assembly sent them a letter, in which the following sentence occurs :
-^" The Lord will, according to His promise, make the ends of the earth see His sal-
vation, and we hoi>e will yet honour you and this Church from which you are sent to
carry His name among the heathen." Mr Dalgleish died like a predecessor on the
passage, and owing to the irreligion and licentiousness of the settlers, the other
ministers did not effect much either for them or for the Indian aborigines. Dr
M'Crie's Memoirs of Veitch and Bryson, pp. 236-241, Acts of Assembly, 1700.
Edinburgh Christian Instructor, 1819, pp. 476-478.
2 HOME OPERATIONS.
no sooner found that under God the glorious revolution
of 1688 had terminated, for the time at least, her struggles
and her sufferings, than she flung herself down to seek
repose, and sunk ere long into a slumber so profound that it
looked the image, and seemed as if it would terminate in the
reality, of death. With some brief and partial awakings, that
sleep continued for about a century. There were those who
whispered in the ear of the slumbering Church, as in that of
an ancient prophet, " What meanest thou, O sleeper ? arise
and call upon thy God," but no very audible response was
elicited.
During the time of fitful and partial awaking already spoken
of, some little evangelistic work was done, but it diminished
instead of increased as time wore on, till finally the duty of
extending the Redeemer's kingdom ceased to be discharged,
and its binding obligation, though nominally acknowledged,
was virtually denied.*
Though it is not true in nature, it is so in human his-
tory, that the darkest hour is generally the one just before
the dawn, and so it proved in the case now under con-
sideration.
In Divine providence, the French Revolution rudely dis-
turbed the slumbers of the Church, and when in 1792 and
1793, t^c terrible atrocities perpetrated by the Jacobin faction
showed the depth of cruelty of which unregenerate man is
♦ An abstract of these efforts is given in the preface to the Missionary Record for
July 1839 to December 1841. That preface bears date ist December 1841. Omitting the
measures designed to assist continental or colonial Churches, they are the follovring:
— " The establishment of corresponding missionary boards at Boston in 1732, at New
York in 1741, at New Jersey in 1754, the school at Lebanon [Connecticut] for raising
missionaries to the Indian tribes, and for which in 1767 the Church ordered a general
collection which amounted to upwards of ;^25oo ; . . the sending out many" [were
there really many ?] " missionaries to foreign parts, among whom were the celebrated
Brainerd and Kirkland, who laboured with such success among the Oneyda, Seneca,
and Tuscorora Indians, the endeavours made in 1774 to enlighten the barbarous
tribes of Africa by means entirely parallel to those we are now employing for India —
viz., raising of native teachers who had been led by the Spirit of God to desire the
work — ^these, and many similar things that might easily be specified, demonstrate that
our fathers understood full well the obligations of missionary duty."
The paragraph here quoted, which was evidently designed to make the most of
the Church s efforts during the eighteenth century, is followed by an admission
that a time succeeded during which it became indifferent to missions, a melancholy
fact too well supported by evidence to permit of its being denied or explained
away.
ORIGIN OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETIES. 3
capable, even when he talks of universal brotherhood, and
stands forth as the nominal advocate for freedom, the long-
protracted lethargy of the Scottish Church was all but brought
to an end. She began to arouse herself, though unable for
a time to resume her old activity.
The strong reaction in favour of vital religion produced
by the operation of the Spirit of God at the time, and in the
circumstances now described, was accompanied by a consi-
derable outburst of the missionary spirit, an element in which,
with all their zeal, the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries had
been somewhat deficient. Two societies started into life in
the northern part of the island, both destined to do good
in the world. They were called the Glasgow and the Scot-
tish Missionary Societies. The Glasgow Missionary Society
was founded on the 9th February 1796, the venerable Dr
Robert Balfour being its first secretary. One destined to
be afterwards very prominent in its management, Dr John
Love, was then in London acting as secretary to the London
Missionary Society, which had been formed during the
previous year.
The Scottish Missionary Society was begun, like the sister
association, in February 1796, and the first meeting in Edin-
burgh, which was under the presidency of the celebrated Dr
Erskine, was in March of the same year. Soon afterwards it
sent out circulars throughout the country, which excited much
discussion, and led to the transmission of three overtures to
the General Assembly of 1796, one from the Synod of Fife, a
second from the Sjmod of Moray, and a third from an indi-
vidual called WiUiam M*Bean. The overture from the Fife
Synod ran thus : —
'* That the Assembly consider of the most effectual method by
which the Church of Scotland may contribute to the diffusion of the
gospel.'^
That from the Synod of Moray was thus worded : —
•* That it be recommended to such members of the Synod as shall
4 HOME OPERATIONS,
attend the next General Assembly, to use their influence and endeavours
for promoting an Act of Assembly for a general collection throughout
the Church, to aid the several societies for propagating the gospel among
the heathen nations. "
That signed William M*Bean was in the following terms : —
" It is humbly overtured to the General Assembly of the Church of Scot-
land, that in respect a very laudable zeal for spreading the gospel to
heathen countries has appeared both in Scotland and England, the
Assembly should encourage this most important and desirable object by
appointing a general collection over the Church, or adopting whatever
other method may appear to them most desirable. "
The evangelical party wished the three overtures to be
discussed separately, but the moderates combined them, the
evident intention being that, the discovery of legal or other
difficulties in the way of making the collection proposed in
two of them, might be pleaded as an excuse for ignoring the
obviously unobjectionable proposals of the third. It was in
connection with these overtures that the celebrated mis-
sionary, or rather anti-missionary, debate took place in the
Assembly of 1796.
Mr George Hamilton, minister of Gladsmuir, stood forth
as the mouth-piece of those who, though nominally friendly,
were really hostile to missionary enterprise.
** To spread abroad," he said, " the knowledge of the gospel among
barbarous and heathen nations seems to be highly preposterous, in so
far as it aifticipates, nay, it even reverses, the order of nature. Men
must be polished and refined in their manners before they can be pro-
perly enlightened in religious truths. Philosophy and learning must, in
the nature of things, take the precedence."
There follows next, as might be anticipated, a panegyric
on the "simple virtues" of the untutored Indian, "virtues,'*
it may be remarked, which, however prominent they may be
in the pages of novelists, do not bulk at all so largely in the
descriptive narratives of those who have been much brought
in contact with the red men of America. Of course, how-
ever, Mr Hamilton knew the untutored Indian solely by
report After the eulogy on his "virtues" already com-
mented on, the anti-missionary speaker thus proceeded —
(391)
THE ANTI-MISSIONARY ASSEMBLY, $
** But go — engraft on his simple manners the customs, refinement,
and may I not add, some of the vices of civilised society, and the
influence of that religion which you give as a compensation for the dis-
advantages attending such a communication will not refine his morals
nor ensure his happiness."
As will be remembered, Mr Hamilton had indirectly
made the important admission, that while in his view it
would be out of place to send the gospel to a rude heathen
people, it would, to say the least, not be objectionable that
its claims should be commended to a land, if any such
existed, which had already made some progress in philo-
sophy and learning. But as he goes forward, he, in forget-
fulness of consistency, withdraws this concession. Speak-
ing of a country like that now described, he says —
** But even suppose such a nation could be found, I should still have
weighty objections against sending missionaries thither. Why should
we scatter our forces, and spend our strength on foreign service, when
our utmost vigilance — our unbroken strength — is required at home.
While there remains at home a single individual without the means of
religious knowledge, to propagate it abroad would be improper and
absurd."
He was very much against the proposal that a collection
should be made for foreign missions, saying —
" For such improper conduct censure is too small a mark of disappro-
bation ; it would no doubt be a legal subject of penal prosecution. *
Of course he did not wish the discredit of standing forth
as an open enemy of missions, and therefore finished —
* * Upon the whole, while we pray for the propagation of the gospel,
and patiently await its period, let us unite in resolutely rejecting these
overtures. "
The well-known Dr Carlyle of Inveresk seconded Mr
Hamilton's anti-missionary motion. Readers will under-
stand, without any explanation, the amount of spiritual
weight which a minister of the Carlyle type was likely to
bring to any cause which he espoused. Dr Hill, the mode-
rate leader, framed a motion more decorous than Mr
Hamilton's, but still on the same side ; and the two, being
combined together, were carried by a majority of 58 to 44.
(891) 2
6 HOME OPERATIONS.
The motion on the evangelical side, which was thus nega-
tived, was couched in the following mild terms —
"The Assembly appoint a Committee to take the subject of the
overtures into consideration, and to report to next Assembly. "
But mild as it was, it had in the eyes of the moderate
party this fatal defect — that it all but pledged the Church to
action, while they wished to do nothing. It is worthy of note,
also, that 102 seem a small number to have voted on a
question so momentous as whether the Saviour's express
commands to make disciples of all nations were or were not
to be ignored (Brown's "History of Missions," vol. ii., p.
475). As Dr Hetherington mentions in his history, the Mr
Hamilton who made the anti-missionary speech in 1796
was afterwards honoured with the degree of D.D., and
elected to the Chair of the Assembly.*
Every Church should, in its corporate capacity, be a mis-
sionary Church, and no one has a right to delegate its duty in
this respect to societies ; but if Churches are unfaithful to their
trust, societies which discharge it for them are entitled to the
warmest thanks of Christians, and after the melancholy
debate of 1796, the hopes of the pious portion of the
Scottish community centred in the new societies formed in
the early part of that year. These were unsectarian in their
constitution, and were supported both by Christians inside
and outside the Established Church. Each rendered good
service to the evangelical cause.
When the Glasgow Society came into existence on the
9th February 1796, Dr John Love, as already stated, was in
the English metropolis, acting as secretary to the London
Missionary Society, but he settled in Anderston parish
in the year 1800, and from that time on to his death, which
* In 1852, the Nagpore missionaries were requested by a young Indian officer to
address his servants on the claims of Christianity, which accordingly they did. The
gentleman in question was said to be a grandson of one of those who figured most
prominently in opposition to missions in the Assembly of 1796. How little did
the grandfather foresee that in a few years a lineal descendant of his would make
such a request I
THE GLASGOW MISSIONARY SOCIETY. J
occurred in 1825, he was one of the chief men in the Glas-
gow Association.
The Society's first efforts were directed towards the
country near Sierra Leone, two portions of which were
successively occupied ; but in the one case the agents
despatched failed to fulfil the expectations formed of them,
and in the other the unhealthiness of the climate soon
carried them off by death. The next attempt was made in
the direction of the Foulah country, in the interior of Wes-
tern Africa, the London and Scottish Missionary Societies
both co-operating in the enterprise ; but this effort also
ended in failure.
After these heavy discouragements the Glasgow Society
attempted nothing independently for many years, but con-
fined itself to raising funds and distributing them among
other missionary bodies.
On the 1 6th June 1819, there occurred that earthquake
in Cutch, which has been rendered classical by the promi-
nence given it in LyelFs "Principles of Geology ;" and next
year the constituents of the Glasgow Society, pitying the
poor people exposed to the danger of being swallowed up
alive in such catastrophes, memorialised the Committee to
send out a mission to the banks of the Indus. The matter
was so nearly assuming a practical form, that in the same
year (1820) Dr Love penned a pamphlet commending the
proposal, but difficulties arose which prevented its being
carried out.
At length the attention of the directors was turned to
Southern Africa. When Cape Colony was taken by the
British from the Dutch, they found that their predecessors
had set up a Presbyterian establishment there, which could
not easily be displaced. It was, however, deemed politic to
supply vacancies in its ministry as they arose from Scotland
instead of from Holland; and about 1820, the Rev. Dr
Thorn', one of the leading men in the Cape establishment,
was despatched to Scotland for a supply of ministers. He
8 HO.\fE OPERATIONS.
communicated with the directors of the Glasgow Missionary
Society, then in quest of a sphere in which they might com-
mence operations, and strongly urged on them the claims of
Cafifraria. They were convinced by his arguments, and
resolved to send out agents immediately to that region.
On the 29th May 1821, the Rev. W. R. Thomson and
John Bennie were designated as missionaries to Caffraria.
On the 5th March 1823, the Rev. John Ross was set apart
to the same field.
Similarly, the Scottish Missionary Society sent out
labourers to the Sussoo country in West Africa, to Russia,
to India, and to Jamaica. To the West of India were
despatched in succession the Rev. Donald Mitchell, who
survived but a short time, the Rev. John Cooper, the Rev.
Alex. Crawford, the Rev. John Stevenson, the Rev. James
Mitchell, afterwards of Poonah, with the Rev. Robert
Nesbit and the Rev. John Wilson, both, as is well known,
subsequently of Bombay. The Rev. James Mitchell was
ordained in August 1822 ; the Rev. Mr Nesbit on the 13th
December 1826'; and the Rev. John Wilson on June 24,
1828.
Whilst the Scottish Missionary Society was engaged in
sending to the Bombay Presidency men destined ultimately
to achieve great results there, events were already in train
for bringing the Church of Scotland in her corporate
capacity into the field. So early as 18 18, a celebrated
Scottish minister, the Rev. Dr Inglis, in Church policy a
"moderate," but in other respects with strong leanings
towards evangelism, had begun to revolve in his mind the
Church's duty with respect to the heathen world. Year by
year the theme occupied an increased measure of his atten-
tion, till at length, in 1824, he felt constrained to lay his
views on the subject before the General Assembly.
In May of that year (1824) the Assembly took into con-
sideration certain overtures which had been addressed to it,
regarding the evangelisation of the heathen world. After a
INDIA SUGGESTED AS A MISSION FIELD, , Q
lengthened explanation on the subject, from the Rev. Dr
Inglis, the following motion was unanimously adopted : —
" That the Assembly approve the general purpose and object of these
overtures, appomt a Committee to devise and report to next Assembly
a specific plan for the accomplishment of that object, and reserve for
the consideration of next Assembly the means of providing the requisite
funds, by appointing an extraordinary collection, as well as by opening
a public subscription, for the accomplishment of that pious and benevo-
lent object." *
Of this Committee, the convener was Dr Inglis, to whom,
under God, great credit is due for the happy result to which
the debate led. It was the high character which he bore
for piety, candour, and sound judgment, and the relation in
which he stood to both parties in the house, which procured
for foreign missions a hearing which, perhaps, they would
not have otherwise received j nor should it be forgotten
that, as evangelism had been slowly but surely gaining
ground during the quarter of a century and more which had
elapsed since the anti-missionary Assembly of 1796, the
repetition of the melancholy spectacle then presented had
become morally impossible.
The same year (1824) an important memorial arrived
from the East, bearing date Calcutta, December 1823, and
signed by Mr, afterwards Dr Bryce.t It urged the Church to
establish a mission in Calcutta, and ultimately proved of
* The General Assembly had, the day before, carried an equally unanimous motion
in favour of home missions. Instead of home and foreign missions being antagon-
istic, their interests rise and fall together.
t In explaining how this gentleman came to be located in the Indian capital,
it is necessary to glance back for a moment at an event, or rather series of
events, which occurred in 1813. During that year, the East India Company's
charter, which as usual had been granted only for a period of twenty years, re-
el uired renewal, and petitions flowed into Parliament from various quarters, ui^ng
it to extort fresh concessions from the Leadenhall Street magnates. At the
suggestion of the elder Dr M'Crie and Sir Henry Moncreiff, father of the pre-
sent baronet, the Scottish Church put in a claim to have a Presbyterian chaplain
appointed at each of the Indian Presidency seats. Reporting this occurrence,
Dr Horace Hayman Wilson finishes a sentence of his Indian History (the con-
tinuation of Mill's great work) with the memorable words, '* The majority of the
British resident in India being Scotch, and of the Presbyterian communion."
Though his startling statement was somewhat exaggerated, yet it was not very
far beyond the truth. The appointment of a Presbyterian chaplain at each of the
Presidency seats was therefore conceded, and Dr Bryce was the representative
of the Scottish Church in Calcutta, in December 1823, the date to which we have
come.
10 HOME OPERATIONS.
historic importance, for it powerfully turned the attention of
the Church to India, the most eligible missionary field* we
hesitate not to say, in the whole world. But to. return to
Dr Inglis and his committee. In May 182 5, they reported
their opinion to be —
" That, in the first instance, at least, it would be desirable to make
one or other of the British provinces in India the field of labour ; that
it would be desirable to establish, in the first instance, one central
seminary of education, with branch schools, in the surrounding country,
for behalf of the children of the native population, under the charge of
a head master, who ought to be an ordained minister of our National
Church, and not less than two additional teachers from this country, to-
gether with a certain number of additional teachers, to be selected by
the head master, from those natives who had previously received the
requisite education ; that the head master ought to embrace opportu-
nities, as they occur, to recommend the gospel of Christ to the faith
and acceptance of those to whom he finds access ; that, with this view,
he ought to court the society of those natives more especially who have
already received a liberal education, and, if encouraged by them, ought
to put into their hands such tracts illustrative of the import, the evi-
dences, and the history of the Christian faith as may be sent to him for
that purpose, under the authority of the General Assembly, and ought
also to preach from time to time in the hearing of such persons, or
others who may be induced to attend him, either in the hall of the
seminary over which he presides, or in such other convenient place as
may be afforded him."
This report was penned by Dr Inglis, and met with the
high approval of the Assembly. In 1826 a pastoral address
was issued, Dr Inglis being its author, which powerfully urged
the claims of foreign missions.
That year an effort was made to obtain a general collec-
tion, no one having taken the odium of repeating the menace
of a legal prosecution, so pointedly insisted on in 1796.
If, as is fair, one measures the amount of missionary zeal
diffused at any period throughout a church by the contribu-
tions which its members make for the heathen world, then
the Church of Scotland, as it was in 1826, must be denied
all but the most moderate amount of commendation. A
collection, as has been already stated, was made, to which
it must now be added that the result was as follows : —
" Out of more than 900 parish churches and $5 chapels of ease, col-
^'r:^^' DR CHALMERS AT ST ANDRE WS^ 1 1
- lectioitt were made in no more than 59 parish churches and 16 chapels ;
that the subscriptions amounted in extraordinary donations to about
£300, and the annual contributions to about ^90 " !
The collection, in short, had been a failure. By the next
year, however (1827), considerable improvement had taken
place, and it was found that the time had come for search-
ing out a missionary.
CHAPTER 11.
A MISSIONARY SOUGHT AND FOUND.
To understand how it was that a missionary was nearly
ready, and might, if sought for, be found, at the very time
when the Church was anxious to commence operations in
Calcutta, it is necessary to go back to that well-known event
in the history of Dr Chalmers, when the great divine, to
the astonishment of not a few, and with the heavy censure
of some, allowed himself to be translated from the pastorate
in Glasgow, which he had filled with such distinction, to
what the public thought the much less influential position of
Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy in St Andrews*
University. But ** wisdom is justified of her children," and
the results which flowed from the sojourn of Dr Chalmers
in the Fifeshire University, could ill have been spared by
Christendom. One great service which he rendered in his
new situation — and a service it was which, perhaps, no
other person in Scotland was so competent to perform —
was, that " in a series of lectures in the Town Hall, he
popularised the history and objects of missions, and ren-
dered that one of the most fashionable themes which had
been nauseated before." One of the first among the students
to come under the spell of Dr Chalmers' master-mind was
John Urquhart, who, with his immediate friends, founded
a small and half-private missionary society among the
12 HOME OPERATIONS.
Students. Of this association the secretary was Robert
Nesbit, whilst the librarian was Alexander DufF. During
the session of 1824-25, the small society was developed
into the more general association, called the St Andrews'
University Missionary Society.
When the Church had fully resolved to send out a mis-
sionary, Dr Inglis and the Missionary Committee sought
assistance from the theological professors and ministers of
the Church in finding a suitable candidate for the very re-
sponsible office. Among others who received a letter on the
subject was Principal Haldane, of St Andrews' University,
who thought Alexander Duff, then within a year of licence,
the most qualified of all the students to undertake the found-
ing of a mission, and urged him to allow himself to be
nominated for the duty. Mr Duff was, however, unwilling
to allow his name to be brought forward, feeling diffident
of his ability rightly to discharge so great a trust About
a year afterwards, when he was on trials for licence, a
second application was made to him, this time by the Rev.
Dr Ferrie, of Kilconquhar, Professor of Civil History, who
had received a letter on the subject from a member of the
Foreign Mission Committee. Thus a second time solicited,
Mr Duff viewed the matter in all its bearings, and, after
serious and even agonising thought, sought and obtained a
conference with Dr Chalmers : and finally, having received
a satisfactory answer to a question which he put with regard
to the amount of liberty he should have to carry out such
methods of operation as might commend themselves to his
mind, he intimated his acceptance of the call offered him by
the committee.* The appointment was confirmed by the
* Dr Duff was bom on the 35th April 1806, at the old farmhouse of Auchnahyle,
since replaced by a more modem building, about a mile from the little village of
Pitlochrie, in the parish of Moulin, in the uplands of Perthshire. Towards the end
of the i8th century a considerable religious awakening took place in the parish of
Moulin, then under the spiritual care of the Rev. Dr Stewart, afterwards of the
Canongate Church, Edinburgh. Among those who came_ under very serious im-
pressions was the elder Mr Duff, who did all that was in his power for the spiritual
Denefit of his distinguished son. The latter once wrote — '* Into a general know-
ledge of the objects and progress of modern missions I was initiated from my earlie "
youth by my late revered father, whose catholic spirit rejoiced in tracing th6
THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND S FIRST MISSIONARY, 1 3
Assembly of 1829, and on 12th August of the same year
the Church of Scotland*s first missionary to the heathen
world was ordained in St George's Church, Edinburgh, the
Rev. Dr Chalmers preaching and delivering the subsequent
address with his wonted ability and fervour.
On the 30th July Mr Duff had been united in marriage
to the daughter of the late W. Drysdale of Edinburgh, Dr
Inglis officiating on the interesting occasion, and about the
middle of October the bridegroom and bride went on board
the Lady Holland, East Indiaman, at Portsmouth, and sailed
for the distant land, to the evangelisation of which their best
energies were in future to be consecrated.
Speaking of a vessel which had departed for the East, a
poet says —
" On India's long expecting strand
Her sails were never furled."
And his language is painfully appropriate to the ill-fated
Lady Holland. On the night of Saturday, 13th February
1830, she struck on the desolate and uninhabited Dassen
Island, about thirty miles to the north of Cape Town. In
the good providence of God, Mr and Mrs Duff, with the
remaining passengers and the crew, succeeded in reaching
the shore,* but the vessel herself became a total wreck.
triumph of the gospel in different lands, and in connection with the different branches
of the Christian Church. Pictures of Juggernaut and other heathen idols he was
wont to exhibit, accompanying the exhibition with copious explanations well fitted
to create a feeling of horror towards idolatry, and of compassion towards the poor
blinded idolators, and intermixing the whole with statements of the love of Jesus."
The future missionary received his education at the parish school of Kirkmichael,
twelve miles from Moulin, then under an excellent teacher. Next he attended the
Perth Academy, and finally gained a scholarship in the University of St Andrews,
where he highly distinguished himself. His forte was classics, and he kept at the
head of his Greek and Latin classes. At the end of his arts' curriculum, he took the
degree of M.A. — {Friend 0/ India^ Dec 31, 1863.) One of his teachers at the Uni-
versity was the profound classical scholar, John Hunter. Another of them. Pro-
fessor Alexander, said in the Assembly of 1842 that he had the honour of having
Dr Duff under his care as a student at the University of St Andrews, and he then
gave high promise of future eminence. Yet another of them. Principal Haldane,
spoke of the honour he felt in having him as one of his pupils. It was when attend-
ing the Moral Philosophy Class in 1823-1824 that he first became a student of Dr
Chalmers. On finishing his arts' curriculum, he entered the Divinity Hall of St
Mary's College. His farther career is traced in the ordinary narrative.
* Mr, afterwards Sir Henry Durand, so distinguished for intellect, courage,
administrative ability, and Christian character, was also on board the Leuly Holland
at the time of her shipwreck.
1 4 . HOME OPERA TIONS.
Everything Mr Duff had brought with him from his native
land, including 800 distinct works, and sadder still, his
manuscripts, which once lost could never be replaced,
perished in this catastrophe, the single exception being a
" Bagster's Comprehensive Bible and Psalm Book," which
owed its preservation to the fact that those kind friends who
had given it to the missionary at parting had considerately
packed it in a stout leather covering. As he stood in soli-
tude musing on that wild and barren strand, he saw, in the
remarkable providence which had befallen him, an intima-
tion divinely conveyed that henceforth he should not allow
even the study of books and literary composition to inter-
fere with his supreme attachment to the Bible, or mar the
singleness of aim with which he devoted himself to the
evangelisation of that great land for which he desired to
labour so long as his life continued. The new vessel in
which he proceeded on his way had well-nigh foundered in
a storm off the Mauritius, and was finally dashed ashore in
a cyclone at the mouth of the Ganges. Thus early was the
Church made aware that ** perils in the sea " are a charac-
teristic of missionary as they were of apostolic voyaging.
Notwithstanding all the dangers and difficulties which Mr
and Mrs Duff had been called to encounter during their
protracted voyage of between seven and eight months, they
reached Calcutta on the evening of Wednesday, 27th May
1830, though, in those days of slow postal transmission of
intelligence, it was long before their safety was known to the
Church at home.
Reserving all notice of Mr Duff's operations in Calcutta
to a subsequent portion of the volume, we continue the
narrative of proceedings at home. Nothing quickens mis-
sionary zeal more than to know that the campaign has
actually been commenced ; and when the Scottish Church
felt that in its corporate capacity it had unfurled the
standard of the Cross in, or, as it believed, near the
Indian capital, the difficulty of obtaining funds was con-
INCREASE OF THE MISSIONARY SPIRIT, 1 5
siderably diminished. In May 1831, or about a year after
Mr DufF had reached Calcutta, a colleague was ordained to
proceed to his assistance — we refer to the Rev. W. S.
Mackay. In 1833, Dr Inglis communicated the joyous
intelligence that a third missionary might be appointed, as
the committee might now calculate on an income from all
sources of ;^ 12 00 a year. In the reply which came from the
East there was found the remarkable sentence — " Oh, do
not fix on ;^i2oo a year as your maximum. Put down
;^ 10,000 a year as your minimum, and from that rise up
indefinitely without fixing any maximum at all." When the
letter containing this notable sentence was handed about
among the members of the Home Committee for perusal,
one of the most respected of their number was so astonished,
that on the margin he made the following entry with his
pencil : — " What ! is the man mad ? Has the Indian sun
turned his head ?" — {Free Church Missionary Record, 1867,
p. 154.) The ;^io,ooo were never reached in pre-Disruption
times, but the Free Church had not proceeded far on its
career before it attained that annual revenue permanently.
The increase of funds intimated by Dr Inglis enabled the
Church to appoint a third missionary to Calcutta — the Rev.
David Ewart. He was ordained in July 1834. With his
departure for the East a well-defined period of the Home
Church's missionary history comes to an end.
CHAPTER III.
A DARK PROVIDENCE OVERRULED FOR MUCH GOOD.
July 1834, as has already been stated, was the date of Mr
Ewart's ordination. In that very same month and year,
though the Church did not know it till afterwards, the first
missionary was lying on a sick-bed at Calcutta, grievously
1 6 HOME OPERATIONS,
afflicted with one of the formidable diseases of the East —
Indian dysentery. In the providence of God his life,
though for some time in serious peril, was ultimately pre-
served, but a peremptory medical mandate required his
temporary return home to recruit his shattered constitution.
He therefore prepared to return as Mr Ewart made ready
to go out. What seemed a heavy calamity was soon, how-
ever, found to be a blessing in disguise, for his efforts while
at home greatly aided in arousing the Scottish Church to
some faint appreciation of the grandeur and importance of
the work to which she had set her hand in the East, and con-
stituted quite an epoch in the history of Scottish missions.
The efforts now spoken of were inaugurated by a magni-
ficent oration, which he delivered in the Assembly of 1835.
We have heard members who were present speak of the great
effect which it produced, one sober-minded minister telling
us how it affected him to tears. Of course those who were
absent were anxious to have the speech at once published,
though a printed oration can never give an adequate idea of
spoken eloquence. An edition of 10,000 copies was con-
sequently struck off, and was exhausted in a few months,
and a second one speedily followed. It was subsequently
reprinted along with other addresses in 1850. Soon after
its delivery in 1835, its author received from Marischal Col-
lege, Aberdeen, the degree of D.D.
With the rise of a missionary spirit in the Church of Scot-
land, the societies formed in 1796 were of less utility than
formerly. If the pious people who in that year united to send
missionaries had entertained the faintest hope of inducing the
several denominations in their corporate capacities to seek
the evangelisation of heathendom, they would in all proba-
bility have deemed it unnecessary to form societies at all.
When the Church of Scotland commenced its Indian mission
in 1829, it drew from the societies some of the subscribers
who belonged to the Establishment. When the United
Presbyterian Church set up missions of its own, which it
BREAK UP OF THE SOCIETIES. IJ
did in January 1835, it similarly carried away some of the
Dissenting subscribers, whilst the breaking out of the
Voluntary controversy rendered it now difficult for those
who remained to act in perfect harmony. The palmy days
of the societies were evidently over. One result of this
altered state of things was that, with the cordial consent of
the directors of the Scottish Missionary Society, the Rev.
Messrs James Mitchell, Robert Nesbit, and John Wilson
were transferred to the Establishment in the month of
August 1835. Thus, in a single day, the Indian mission-
aries of the Scottish Church became doubled in number.
Moreover, the Church was represented now not at one Pre-
sidency merely, but at two. Bombay was provided for as
well as Calcutta, and Madras only was neglected. Before
1836 had far run its course an effort was made to supply
this manifest want, and Mr Anderson, whose soul had been
so fired with reading Dr Duff's Assembly speech that he was
constrained to devote himself to the evangelisation of India,
was accepted as missionary to Madras. He was ordained
on the 13th of July.
In December 1837, the Glasgow Missionary Society was
divided into two sections, the one holding and the other
rejecting the Establishment principle. The former was
called the Glasgow Missionary Society, adhering to the
Church of Scotland, and the other the Glasgow African
Missionary Society. The missionaries, catechists, teachers,
and converts were asked to choose to what section of the
old association they would adhere, and an amicable division
was made of the property at the several stations.
It was a melancholy circumstance that, while Dr Duff was
able to bring intelligence of great and good work done
among the young men of Calcutta, no similar work had yet
been found practicable among the other sex, who were
doomed by tyrannical prejudice to remain in ignorance, it
being declared criminal for them to acquire knowledge. A
Christian officer of the Bombay army — Major St Clair
1 8 HOME OPERATIONS,
Jameson, a brother of the late Sheriff Jameson — was so
impressed with the necessity of attempting, on however
small a scale, to alter this sad state of things, that in 1838
he formed the Ladies' Society for Female Education in
India.
With the spirit of enterprise now prevailing, the Church
could not think of resting satisfied with transferring mis-
sionaries from the charge of one committee to another, or
of commencing such societies as that for the benefit
of the females of India, or even of occupying a new and
important station like Madras. It felt also the need of
strengthening the missions already begun. In 1837 there
appeared a pamphlet, entitled " Statement of Reasons for
Accepting a Call to go to India as a Missionary." It was
from the pen of the Rev. John Macdonald, then a minister
in Chadwell Street, Pentonville, London, and son of the
Rev. Dr Macdonald, of Ferintosh, so well known and highly
valued as the apostle of the Highlands, or the apostle of
the North. It was Dr Duff who had pressed on him the
claims of the heathen world. He departed in the fall of the
same year for Calcutta, there to find work, influence, and a
grave. In July 1838 the Rev. John Murray Mitchell, who
had been a distinguished student at Marischal College, was
ordained to Bombay; Robert Johnston, on the 5th Sep-
tember of the same year, to Madras; the Rev. Thomas
Smith, in May 1839, to Calcutta ; and the Rev. John Braid-
wood, on the 6th August 1840, to Madras. Mr Braidwood
was specially the missionary of the students of theology in
Edinburgh. Meanwhile the Glasgow Society continued its
labours in Caffraria, though from the limited means at its
command, it was only at comparatively remote intervals
that it was able to send a missionary forth ; but imme-
diately after it had been severed into two portions, the
section of it adhering to the Establishment despatched
the Rev. William Govan, who was ordained on the ist
July 1840, with instructions to found a seminary for the
DR DUFFS FIRST HOME CAMPAIGN, I9
CafFres. The number of missionaries sent out by the
Church of Scotland between 1835 and 1840 will show
how remarkably the evangelistic spirit was gaining power.*
Under God the prime mover in this much-needed revival
had been Dr Duff, whose exertions for India had been
very great Her had addressed seventy-one presbyteries
and synods, as also hundreds of congregations, besides
repeatedly preaching or speaking in London and other
centres of influence in the South. Finally, by dint of great
energy, he in four months penned the largest of all his
works — ** India, and Indian Missions" — in which, after
giving an account of the system of Hindooism, especially
as it exists in Bengal, and penning the most moving appeals
in favour of the evangelistic enterprise, he, in an appendix
to which the future historians of India will eagerly turn, gives
an extremely interesting account of the first four brilliant
years of the Calcutta mission. This work issued, he again
bade adieu to his Church and his native land, and, crossing
the ocean without any of those perils which he had been
called to encounter during his first voyage, safely reached
Calcutta in May i840.t
• Another indication of this was the issue of a new series oii\it Missionary Record^
a quarto, costing 3d., or if stamped 4d. per number, which enabled the Church to
present the missionary intelligence received from abroad in more detail than for-
merly. The last number of the old series was published in April 1839, the first of
the new in July of the same year.
t After Dr Duff's departure the mission funds slightly retrograded. There were
collected —
Between ist August 1838 and 20th May 1839, £sA37i is. lod.
„ „ 1839 „ 1840, /5241, 14s. lod.
„ „ 1840 ,, 1841, £a^>9o, OS. od.
„ 1841 „ 1842, ;£4i58, OS. od.
'-Missionary Report for 1840, p. 340.
20 HOME OPERATIONS.
CHAPTER IV.
THE DISRUPTION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.
It is now universally admitted that an event of world-
wide importance occurred when, on the memorable i8th of
May 1843, the doors of St Andrew's Church, Edinburgh,
were suddenly flung open, and several hundred members of
Assembly marched forth, thus severing their connection
with the Establishment, once almost the idol of their hearts.
Many considerations which, had they been aware of them,
would have furnished a certain amount of consolation in
the anxious circumstances, were then unknown to the
spiritual heroes. To one of these it is now needful to allude.
The seceding party had not been informed what course
would be adopted by the missionaries when the Church,
whose ambassadors they were, became severed into two.
The Convocation, which met in September 1842, appointed
a Provisional Committee to communicate with them, the
Rev. Charles Brown being its convener, and a letter was
despatched on the 2nd May 1843, "in prospect of the
disruption of the Church, which is now inevitable." Care-
fully abstaining from any effort to bias the conscientious
decision which the Scottish ecclesiastical ambassadors to the
Jews and Gentiles might form, the committee, with remark-
able prescience of the future, stated that it would still be
one of the chief objects of the Church, when disestablished,
to maintain, and there could scarcely be a doubt largely
increase, her missions abroad. When the Disruption oc-
curred, the Rev. Dr Brunton, convener of the Foreign Mis-
sions' Committee, first of the united Church, and now of
those who remained, in the Establishment, also sought the
adherence of the missionaries, honourably abstaining, how-
ever, from any attempts unduly to bias their decision. In
those days there was no railroad through the Egyptian
MISSIONARIES PRONOUNCE FOR FREE CHURCH, 21
desert, and none in India, nor did the electric telegraph
to the East exist to flash questions and answers to and fro
almost with the rapidity of thought. Both parties had to
exercise patience, not merely for weeks but for months, and
during some time the Free Church Missionary Record came
out with extracts from Duffs " India, and India Missions,"
and other publications, instead of with intelligence from
himself and his colleagues. Had the reason of the
silence not been known, it would have appeared ominous,
but the true explanation was not far to seek. Friends dis-
tant about a quarter of the circumference of the world did
not know that a Disruption had occurred, and therefore they
sent their letters to the old quarter. At last replies came
from the nearest of the Indian stations — Bombay and
Poonah — stating that all the missionaries there adhered to
the Free Church. Subsequent mails brought in letters from
Calcutta, from Madras, and from CafFraria, conveying the
adherence of all the missionaries there. That the Jewish
missionaries had come to the same decision was known
before, so that at length it became possible to announce, as
was done at the Assembly of 1844, that all the Church's mis-
sionaries, both Jews and Gentiles, as well as the agents of
the Glasgow Missionary Society in Caffreland, had decided
on casting in their lot with the Free Church. Successes of
a remarkable character, however, are almost sure to increase
the responsibilities which have to be met, and the accession
of the missionaries necessarily involved a heavy drain on
the finances of the infant Church, already compelled to face
an outlay of the most colossal proportions. The sum total
in the mission treasury was then but ;^327. It is a wonder
there was so much, for the day on which it had been fixed
that the first collection for India should be made had not
yet arrived, and the ;^327 had come from some thoughtful
friends of the Church and its operations abroad, who had
wisely resolved not to wait for the time of the collection, but
to send in their money at once. The faith was great and
(391) 3
22 HOME OPERATIOhS.
noble which led the Church, in humble dependence upon her
Divine Head, to pledge herself to maintain, and, if possible,
to extend her foreign missions — and that at a time when
churches, manses, schools, everything — ^had to be replaced
at home.
There were heavy losses of property in India, though not
for a moment to be compared with those in Scotland, in
consequence of the Disruption. The Calcutta buildings and
library — the former raised chiefly through Dr Duff^s powerful
influence, and the latter generally believed to have been a gift
to himself personally — had to be surrendered ; so also had the
recently-completed premises at Bombay. We entertain the
strong conviction, that in all disruptions of churches or so-
cieties, the property which has been accumulated by the joint
efforts of the members should be divided between them, in
place of being given to one party only ; and that no Church
or no individual should accept anything to which there is not
a moral as well as a legal claim* Had such a division as was
proposed by the Free Church been adopted by both parties
at the Disruption, the Calcutta and Bombay missions would
not have lost everything as they did. The Madras mission
had no buildings of its own in that city in 1843 > i^ therefore
escaped losses like those which took place at the sister
presidencies. Thus happily situated, it did to the Church
at home a thoughtful and most generous deed. It raised
funds for its entire maintenance from friends in or near
Madras, and, casting its support on these, cost the home
Church not a farthing during the first year after the Dis-
ruption.
The missionary zeal and devotedness of that Church were
now to be shown in another way, and the promise redeemed
that not merely should the existing stations be maintained,
but that, if possible, there should be an increase of their
number. In the year 1842 (we think it was), a lady of
deeply Christian character, then at Jaulna, in the Nizam's
country, lay on a sick bed, and in near view of the eternal
CAPTAIN HILL S GREA T GIFT, 23
world. She wished a large sum of money to be devoted to
the establishment of a mission in Central India, the spiritual
destitution of which she had with much sorrow observed.
Soon afterwards she breathed her last, and was with the
Saviour to whom her supreme affections had been given. Her
husband, Capt. Hill, had it in his power to carry out or to set
aside the request of his dying partner.* What a worldly man
would have done in the circumstances no one can well
doubt, — he would have ignored the suggestion which had
been given. Very different, indeed, was the conduct of Cap-
tain Hill. Himself deeply pious, and very deeply interested
in the evangelisation of India, he, though not wealthy, im-
mediately took steps to offer ;^25oo, in three per cent,
consols, to the evangelical body which he believed would
be the most likely to establish an efficient mission in
Central India. Though himself a member of the English
Church, yet his sympathies were unsectarian, and having
been struck with the energy of the Scotch missionaries, and
the success which had attended their exertions, he resolved
to give the Christian denomination which had sent them
out the first offer. He entered into correspondence on the
subject with the Rev. Dr Wilson of Bombay, who laid the
proposal before the Committee, himself supporting it strongly.
They being also in its favour, communicated it to the- Church
at large in the Missionary Record ior September 1842. It was
already decided that the location of the proposed mission
should be the Nagpore country, either at Kamptee or
Nagpore.
Before the proposal had been considered, the Disruption
took place, and Captain Hill had to consider to which
section of the now dissevered Church he should renew his
offer. Observing that all the missionaries whose efficiency
he had noted went with the Free Church, he, as was natural,
deemed it the best entitled to receive his bounty, and, fear-
ful as were the financial responsibilities which it had to face
* Free Church Missionary Record, 1858, p. 127.
24 HOME OPERATIONS,
at home, it, before 1843 had passed away, with admirable
faith accepted the offer made to it, and proceeded imme-
diately to establish a Nagpore mission,
A missionary was soaght and found in the person of
the Rev. Stephen Hislop, who, in 1844, when he was
offered the Nagpore appointment, had just completed his
theological course.* So soon as Dr Wilson intimated the
appointment of Mr Hislop to Nagpore, Captain Hill trans-
ferred to the Free Church Committee the sum which he had
so generously offered, ;^25oo, adding interest from the very
day when he had commenced correspondence with the
Church on the subject. This brought the amount up to
;^2674 15s. 2d. of stock. t Only the interest was to be ex-
pended, not the principal.
Almost immediately afterwards a notable advance was
made in another quarter. In 1844, the Glasgow Missionary
Society offered its Caffrarian stations to the Free Church.J
The transfer was sanctioned by the General Assembly of
1844, and the missions were handed over with much cor-
diality on both sides, and entirely free from debt. When
this change in the relations of the Caffre missionaries took
place, the Glasgow India Association on behalf of Female
Education'in South Africa forbore to dissolve, determining,
I ♦ Mr Hislop was born at Dunse, in Berwickshire, on the 8th of September 1817.
He received his elementary education in his native town. Subsequently he became
a student at the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, where he attained con-
siderable distinction. His theological training was commenced at the latter seat of
learning, and was completed, after the Disruption, at the New College.
t In the letter handing this munificent sum over, Captain Hill says : — " Now is my
mind at ease respecting the final appropriation of this money. I thank the Lord that
from the time He put it into my heart to place the money at your disposal for a mis-
sion in these parts, I have had much peace of mind. I was assured that the desire
came from God ; and His grace has supported me throughout, and enables me to say,
* All things are of Thee, O Lord, and of Thine own have I given Thee.' "
It may be added that Captain Hill subsequently rose to eminence in his profession.
Left by some mismanagement in the second Burmese war, in the town of Pegu, iso-
lated from the rest of the British army, the place was siurounded by the enemy, to the
number, it was believed, of 8000, when, putting himself at the head of 400 Europeans
and a few natives, he gained four victories over the semi-barbarian besiegers, and suc-
ceeded in holding the place till it was relieved. He is now Major-General Sir William
Hill, and resides in London, where he is zealously engaged in promoting Christian
female education in India, his deep interest in that country having remained with him
during every part of his long and honourable career.
X In 1847, the stations of the Glasgow African Missionary Society were transferred
to the United Presbyterian Church.
A FINANCIAL CRISIS. 2$
on the contrary, to maintain and even extend their opera-
tions as the condition of the other sex advanced. The
Free Church, soon after accepting the Caffre missions,
thought of superadding to them a station at Capetown, and
about February 1846, the Rev. WilUam Gorrie, and in
April of the same year, the Rev. Ebenezer Miller, were
ordained missionaries to Capetown. Thus energetically did
the Free Church push forward her operations abroad no less
than at home, in the year immediately succeeding the
Disruption.
CHAPTER V.
SHALL THERE BE RETREAT?
The recent movements had been somewhat too rapid for
the funds of the Mission. At the end of the financial year
1844, the Committee had a balance on hand of ^(^48^0,
15s. lo^d. By 1845 it had diminished tO;^i433, 7s. 2d.
In 1846 there was a deficiency of ;^39, 19s. 6d., which,
increasing with appalling rapidity, became jCs^S^y ^4^- 2d.
in 1847. To meet this highly unsatisfactory state of things,
the General Assembly enjoined that there should be a col-
lecting week, during which ;^i 0,000 should, if possible, be
raised, the surplus, after paying the debt, being appUed to
form the nucleus of a fund for supplying mission buildings
at the several stations, as well as supporting native cate-
chists and preachers. The collecting week in July, with
some donations from England, produced ;^55oo, which
removed the immediate difficulties of the Committee ; but
as the causes from which these had arisen still remained in
potent operation, they again almost immediately returned.
In March 1848, it became known that the revenues of the
Home and Foreign Mission, taken together, would fall
short of the expenditure by nearly ;^5ooo. In the emer-
gency, the Free Church ladies made a great effort, and
26 HOME OPERATIONS.
raising the ;^5ooo, gave ^3000 to the Foreign Missions
Committee, which cleared off all their debt except about
^300. But if nothing further were done it was manifest
that the relief would be only temporary. In their report to
the Assembly of 1848 the Committee showed that, while
their ordinary revenue seemed to have settled down at
^7300, their fixed annual expenditure, exclusive of casual-
ties and buildings, was ;^97oo, leaving a yearly deficit of
^2400.* Retrenchment in these circumstances being
inevitable (unless, indeed, the income could be largely
increased), the Acting Committee had proposed to discon-
tinue the Caffre Missions, especially broken up as they were
by the War, but the General Committee, at a meeting held
on the 29th February, had refused to sanction the arrange-
ment. It had also been proposed to transfer the Cape
Mission to the Colonial Committee. This last measure
was one so natural that it was likely to meet with general
acceptance ; but, the thought of sacrificing a mission of long
standing like the Caffrarian one, was one evidently not to be
lightly entertained. Before any Foreign Mission field then
occupied should be abandoned, a year of grace was given,
extending from the Assembly of 1848 to that of 1849,
during which it was hoped that there might be a great
increase in the revenue of the mission. The collection that
year was what it was meant to be — an extraordinary one —
and, with a donation of ;^iooo, it was sufficient to meet
the current expenditure for the year. But it was felt
• The revenue of the Foreign Mission Fund from the Disruption to 1848 stood
thus :—
For the year ending March 1844, ;^ 6,402 17 o
„ „ 1845,.... 7.282 7 9
„ „ 1846,.... 7,356 14 3
>t ., 1847,.... 7,333 18 7
„ „ 1848, 10,023 O II
of which, however, ;C3ooo was a special donation from ladies connected Mrith the
Free Chiu-ch. Excluding this exceptional gift, the income for 1848 was £^o1^, os.
xid. Thus it will be perceived that the income had settled down at a few tens or
hundreds of pounds above ;C7ooo per annum. The fixed annual expenditure, on
the contrary, exclusive of casualties and buildings, was ;^9756, os. 4d., and there
was a consequent annual deficit, even excluding the charge for interest, of between
two and three thousand pounds. — Free Church Missionary Record ^ 1847-1848,
P' 475-
DR duff's recall. 2J
to be doubtful whether the advance made in circum-
stances fitted to call forth unwonted exertions could be
expected periodically ; and if it could not, then the crisis
averted for the time would speedily return. It had been
prudently resolved to give the Assembly's Commission autho-
rity to examine how the Foreign Mission finance then
stood. The result being still unsatisfactory, the Commission
directed the Committee to prepare a scheme for a reduced
expenditure, suitable to its probable income, and submit
their plan to next General Assembly. At the Assembly of
1849, consequently, the Committee officially reported that
the dates at which the three most recent missions were
first noticed in their minutes were as follows : — Nagpore,
6th October 1843; the Glasgow Society's Missions, 17th
May 1844 ; and the Cape Missions, 30th June 1845. The
Committee left it to the Assembly to decide which of these
should be abandoned. The transference of the Cape Mis-
sion to the Colonial Committee was easily agreed to, but
the Assembly could not find in its heart to abandon either
CafFraria or Nagpore.* After the matter had been debated
at length, the heroic and Christian resolve was made not to
go back a step, but to take some new method of increasing
the income.
On the lamented death of the Rev. Dr Chalmers, which took
place on the 31st May 1847, private friends in this country
began to sound Dr Duff as to whether he would accept the
vacant chair of theology if elected to it by the Church. He
discouraged the idea to the uttermost, and for about a year
not much was heard of it. At the end of that period, how-
ever, it arose anew, and this time very publicly. During
the autumn of 1848 it was discussed by Presbyteries,
Synods, and ultimately by the Commission of Assembly. A
considerable majority were in its favour, though a formal
* At this crisis more than one of the missionaries or assistant missionaries pre
posed temporariKr or permanently to reduce their incomes, in the hope of somewhat
aiding the Church in its financial embarrassments.
28 HOME OPERATIONS,
decision could not be arrived at until the Assembly met in
May. The home proceedings, of course, were speedily
reported in India, and alarm was expressed mainly by those
who did not know Dr Duff's devotion to the great cause to
which he had consecrated his life, and addresses from all
quarters poured in upon him, deprecating the step he was
about to be invited to take.* In these circumstances he
thought it expedient to address a letter to his missionary
colleagues, asking their counsel, when they, without mutual
consultation, yet without a dissentient voice, advised him to
decline the chair, but to yield to a unanimous request sent
him by the Committ,ee that he would return home for a
period on a purely missionary enterprise. This advice coin-
cided exactly with Dr Duff's own convictions of duty, and
in a letter to Dr Tweedie, dated March 6, 1849, ^^ nega-
tived the proposal about the theological chair before it
could go before the Assembly, but intimated his acceptance
of the Committee's invitation to return temporarily, and,
if possible, communicate an impulse like that of 1835
to Foreign Missions. He asked and received permission
before returning to visit the leading Indian stations, that he
might understand their needs.
Leaving Calcutta for Southern India early in April, he
wrote from Madras on the 26th. Visiting the principal
mission stations to the south, such as Tranquebar, Nega-
patam, Tanjore, Trichinopoly, Madura, Tinnevelly, and Tra-
vancore, he wrote from Trivandrum June 26th. Crossing
to Ceylon, he visited Colombo and other mission stations
there ; and leaving Point de Galle on July 26th, reached
Calcutta on 6th August. After effecting several arrange-
ments there, he left on 5th October 1849 for Northern
India, visiting all the missions at the principal stations as
he went along. His journey extended. as far in a northerly
• Among those who sent strongly- worded addresses of respect and aflfection,
were students of the instituiion, converts not merely of the Free Church but of
p(her missions, the East Indian community, &c. &c.
RAJAHGOPAUL IN THE ASSEMBLY, 29
direction as Kotghur, on the Sutlej, forty miles beyond
Simla. He spent a week with the late Sir Henry Lawrence
at Lahore, where he obtained information of all kinds
regarding the Punjaub. On the 31st December, he left by
boat Ferozepore on the Sutlej, and in about a month after-
wards the Rev. Dr Wilson, by pre-arrangement, met him at
Sehwan, in Central Scinde, and escorted him by the way of
Hydrabad (not the one in the Deccan, but that near the
Indus), the Run of Cutch, Goozerat, and Surat, to Bombay,
which he left by steamer on the 17th of March 1850,
reaching Southampton on the 23d April.
That year the missionary element was very prominent in
the Supreme Court of the Free Church. Not merely did
Dr Duff make more than one of his great speeches, but Mr
Anderson of Madras addressed the house, as did Rajah-
gopaul from the same presidency seat, and Mr Nesbit, from
Bombay. Rajahgopaul, as was natural, attracted great
notice. The Editor of the WitnesSy commenting on the
appearance which the Hindoo stranger made in the Assem-
bly, said —
" One of the most remarkable speeches which has been made in the
Assembly was that by the young Indian convert and minister, Rajah-
gopaul. When we saw him present himself to the overwhelmingly
large Assembly, such was the impression made upon us by his diminu-
tive figure that we felt he was about to attempt what was utterly beyond
his physical powers. The impression was heightened by his slim build,
and dark and somewhat sickly countenance. But he had not spoken
two minutes till this impression was completely dispelled. All that
appeared to us, judging with the eye of a European, as defects in his
appearance,* were speedily forgotten in* the force of his oratory. His
features began to glow with animation, a wondrous power seemed to
pervade and breath through all his frame, and his tones rang clear and
full through the remotest comer of the great hall. Nor did we less
admire his intellectual power.*'
This Assembly had not to hear a discouraging financial
report from the Foreign Missions Committee, as its three
predecessors had done. There had been raised during the
year no less a sum than ;^i2,328, iis. id., or about ;^5ooo
above the average, the moving power which had led to this
30 HOME OPERATIONS,
encouraging result having been the desire to make sure that
no reason might remain for suppressing a mission. Besides
the ordinary revenue, Mr Anderson had raised ;^8ooo for
the mission buildings in Madras, making upwards of
;£■! 5,000 in all.
Still it was felt that if this advance were to be made per-
manent, there must be an alteration in the mode of raising
funds. So early as 1847, the Committee appear to have
been revolving in their minds some plan more productive
and stable than that of a mere annual collection, for in their
report presented to the Assembly in that year they say —
"Your Committee cannot conceal their apprehension that their
present difficulties arise from a cause which, under the existing arrange-
ment, is likely to be of permanent operation, and that they can only be
effectually removed by an equally permanent organisation for increasing
their annual revenue."
On his way home, Dr Duflf, in meditating on the subject,
made up his mind that the only eflfective plan was that of
congregational associations, with a regular staff of col-
lectors, and regular quarterly subscriptions. This plan,
therefore, he earnestly pressed on the Foreign Missions
Committee. But as, at first, many were opposed to it, on
the ground that it might interfere with other existing organi-
sations, he urged that a Synod of the Church might be se-
lected for an experiment, on the success or failure of which
future operations might be made to depend ; and named
that of Perth, as it contained within its bounds Highland
and Lowland districts, with specimens of every variety of
population — civic and rural, agricultural, pastoral, and
manufacturing. To this suggestion the Assembly of 1850
agreed — the details of the scheme, with its requisite work-
ing machinery, being left to Dr Duflf and those who might
follow him, aided by the light which experience might impart.
He commenced operations on the loth July 1850, in the
Free Church of Blairgowrie— that of the Rev. Robert
Macdonald, now of North Leith — being assured that from
FOREiGN MISSION ASSOCIA TIONS. 3 1
him he would meet a hearty welcome ; then, going from
congregation to congregation, until he had exhausted the
whole Synod, he persuaded every one, without exception, to
enter into the associational plan. After his return from
Perthshire, in November, Dr Duflf addressed the Commis-
sion of Assembly, and by an array of statistical and other
statements satisfied it that, while the plan was eminently
successful as regarded Foreign Missions, it in no way
interfered with the prosperity of any other scheme.
Continuing the work during several successive years, he
visited most parts of Scotland, extending his journey to
the Orkney and Shetland Islands, and almost everywhere
inducing the majority of the ministers and congregations to
adopt the associational plan.
The Assembly report for 1852 mentioned the formation
of 150 associations; that of 1853, 354; 1854, 404; 1855,
407 ; 1856, 436 ; 1857, 498 ; 1858, 548 ; 1859, 552 ; 1865,
565 ; and 1872, 616.
The system has in most respects worked admirably, the
sum raised by an association in any locality being, as a rule,
three or four times as much as the old collection produced,
and now the scandal of microscopic giving to the foreign
field is mainly confined to the minority of congregations
which still depend upon the old collection.* In this
* How great that scandal in some cases is, the subjoined statistics will show.
In addressing the Assembly, which met in May 1866, Dr.DufF gave the result of
an elaborate investigation made by Mr Braidwood with respect to the rate of giving
to Foreign Missions prevalent in the Free Church.
"There are/' he said, "in the Free Church of Scotland 848 churches and 72
mission stations In the 848 charges in connection with the Free Church at
present — leaving out stations— the membership is 247,472 Of the 848
congregations of the Free Church, .... 6 charges, containing 2733 members,
have contributed above 5s. each member ; 17 charges, containing 7569 members,
have contributed from 3s. to 5s. each member ; 21 charges, containing 9094 members,
have contributed from 2s. to 3s. each member ; 50 charges, con|ainmg 19.176 mem-
bers, have contributed from i7d. to 2s. each member ; 55 charges, containing
17^986 members, have contributed from 13d. to i7d. each member ; 47 charges, con-
taining 13,822 members, have contributed from iid. to 13d. each member ; 78
charges, containing 21,327 members, have contributed from gd. to iid. each member;
88 charges, containing 28,029 members, have contributed from 7d. to 9d. each mem-
ber ; X19 charges, containing 32,407 members, have contributed from 56. to 7d. each
member ; 126 charges, containing 34,753 members, have contributed from 3d. to sd.
each member ; 79 charges, containing 22,327 members, have contributed 2d. and a
fraction each member ; 72 charges, containing 15,848 members, have contributed id.
kc:
iIki
Coi I
tllC ;
satic
lectc-
futiin
that (>
and h<
popuLi'
manufar
AN UNRIGHTEOUS LA W ASSAILED, 33
measure was being discussed, which had long been urged by
the missionaries, as demanded alike by justice and the
highest interests of Christianity in Asia. In the Hindoo
kingdoms of the East, there was no proper comprehension
of the rights of conscience ; and any one leaving the Brah-
manic faith was punished for the so-called crime by being
deprived of his ancestral property. We are inclined to
think that the Mohammedans can never have allowed this
law to be enforced against them, but that, though yet more
intolerant themselves, they must have protected Hindoo
converts to the Koran from all effective persecution on the
part of their former co-religionists. It was different with
the British. They for a time enforced the Hindoo intolerant
enactment, though many of them must have felt qualms of
conscience on finding themselves made the instruments of
persecution. About the year 1830, the Rev. Dr Wilson, of
Bombay, began to agitate for the abolition of the enactment
now mentioned, and he ultimately stirred up the rest of the
Bombay missionaries on the subject Shortly after he com-
menced his operations, an able pamphlet on the subject was
drawn up for the Bengal missionaries by Dr Duflf, assisted
by Rev. W. H. Pearce, of the Baptist union. Mr Stewart,
of Madras, addressed the Church Missionary Society on the
same question, and Lord Bexley directed the attention of
the Board of Directors and the Board of Control to the
subject Lord Ellenborough considered that the Govern-
ment in India could do all that was requisite. It was
understood that instructions were sent out to Lord William
Bentinck^ requesting him to provide a remedy for the evils
complained of, and he, nothing loth — for he was a man of a
troe reforming spirit — put an end to the intolerant law,
though not in the best possible way, by a clause which, in
1832, he inserted in the Bengal code. But, unhappily, this
left matters as before in Calcutta city, which was under the
Jurisdiction of her Majesty's Supreme Court, as were also
Mactaui and Bombay, besides which the governors of
34 HOME OPERATIONS,
the two latter presidencies, if in their power, failed to do
their duty, by imitating the enlightened example of Lord
William Bentinck. By Act No. XXI. of 1850, the Earl of
Dalhousie, with his Council, abolished the intolerant law by
providing that —
**So much of any law or usage now in force within the territories
subject to the Government of the East India Company as inflicts on any
person forfeiture of rights or property, or may be held in any way to
impair or affect any right of inheritance, by reason of his or her
renouncing or having been excluded from the communion of any religion,
or being deprived of caste, shall cease to be enforced as law in the
Courts of the East India Company, and in the Courts established by
royal charter within the said territories."
As some of the natives of Madras and Calcutta were
clamouring for the repeal of this righteous enactment, the
Synod of Perth, after hearing an address from Dr Duff,
sent an overture to the Assembly, galling its attention to
the subject, and the Assembly very cordially petitioned
the Legislature firmly to maintain the new regulation.
The Hindoo opposition soon after died away, and permanent
gain was achieved to the great cause of religious liberty.
In 1853, when the subject of renewing the East India
Compan/s charter was before Parliament, Dr Duflf was
examined before a committee of the House of Lords on the
practical working of law and justice in India, especially in
Bengal, and on the whole subject of Indian education.
His evidence on these important topics, extending to a
considerable length, was published in the Parliamentary
Blue Book issued at the time.
The last year that Dr Duflf was at home. Sir Charles
Wood (now Lord Halifax) issued an exceedingly enlightened
educational despatch, which will render his name immortal,
and ultimately place him on a pedestal of honour, from
which some of the now celebrated Indian warriors will be
displaced. It is believed, on what may be reckoned good
authority, that the influence of Dr Duflf tended in no slight
degree to procure the issue of this statesman-like despatch ;
THE CELEBRA TED EDUCA TION DESPA TCH, 3 5
that, moreover, before it was drawn up, he was consulted in
regard to some of the more important points on which it
was meant to touch, and supplied some of the most valu-
able materials which it embodies. The despatch in question
dealt with Indian education both in its higher and in its
lower grades. With respect to the former, it established a
university at each of the presidencies on the model of the
celebrated London one, granting them the power of confer-
ring degrees. With these universities, which, it should be
understood, are not teaching, but, like the University of
London, examining bodies, the government colleges, where
instruction is actually communicated, were at once affiliated.
But, as fairness required, the affiliation did not stop there.
It extended to high-class seminaries and institutions, by
whomsoever taught. On this point the despatch descended
to particulars.
Sec. 37. " Those which, like the Parental Academy, are conducted
by East Indians, Bishop's College, the General Assembly's Institution,
Dr DufTs College, the Baptist "College at Serampore, and other institu-
tions under the superintendence of different religious bodies and mis-
sionary societies, will at once supply a considerable number of educa-
tional establishments, worthy of being affiliated to the universities, and
of occupying the highest place in the scale of general instruction.**
The senates of these universities were not to be composed
simply of State officials, but to these were to be added men
unconnected with Government, who had shown an interest
in education.
Sec. 34. " The additional members should be so selected as to give
all those who represent the different systems of education which will be
carried on in the affiliated institutions — including natives of India, of all
religious persuasions, who possess the confidence of the native commu-
nities — a fair voice on the senates.'*
At the same time, pecuniary aid was to be given to others
than the State schools, the Government simply buying good
secular education from any teachers who might be able to
produce the article, at the same time forbearing to take
cognisance of their religious faith.
36 HOME OPERATIONS,
Sec. 52. ** We have resolved to adopt in India the system of grants-
in-aid, which has been carried out in this country with very great
success."
Sec. 53. "The system of grants-in-aid which we propose to establish
in India, will be based on an entire abstinence from interference with
the religious instruction conveyed in the schools assisted."
The writer is of opinion that the action of Government
with regard to public education should be regulated by the
circumstances of each individual country, and he strongly
holds the view that the scheme sketched in the educational
despatch of 1854 exactly met the case of India. He thinks
that it was wise to affiliate the Free Church institutions to
the Indian universities, and to accept the grants-in-aid.
Towards the end of 1854, Dr Duff considered that the
home work, on account of which he had agreed temporarily
to leave India, was well-nigh accomplished. But before
returning, he felt it his duty to respond to pressing invita-
tions which had reached him from different parties in the
United States and Canada. Accordingly, about the end of
January 1854, he sailed from Liverpool, and, after a very
tempestuous voyage, safely reached New York on the 15 th
February. As might have been anticipated, his reception
was of the most gratifying character. One, writing after the
missionary had been some little time in America, uses the
following language : — " From New York to Washington, and
thence by Pittsburgh and Cincinnati to St Louis, and thence
by Chicago and Detroit to and through the Canadas, and
by the way of Boston back again to New York, his route
has been a constant ovation." A scene witnessed on this
tour was so remarkable that it must be presented to the
reader. It occurred while Dr Duflf was at Washington, and
was thus described by an eye-witness : —
" By the invitation of the senior chaplain, the Rev. Henry Slicer, and
at the request of several members of both Houses («>., of Congress), Dr
Duff preached in the Capitol last Sabbath forenoon (March 19, 1854).
As early as nine a.m. groups of anxious hearers might be seen assembling
on the lawn, and long before the appointed hour every seat was occu-
pied, and every passage and hall within hearing filled to overflowing.
DR duff's AMERICAN VISIT. 3/
Among the congregation I noticed the President and his lady, the
Speaker of the House, several of the heads of departments, and a large
representation of both Houses of Congress, and the literati and profes-
sional men of the city and district. I saw there also several mhiisters
and laymen who had travelled from Georgetown, Alexandria, Baltimore,
Philadelphia, and New York, to hear the gospel from the lips of this
minister of Christ Rarely, indeed, are Christ's ambassadors favoured
with such a congregation. But the preacher saw neither literati nor
legislators, senators nor president. An assemblage of dying sinners
was before him, and a dispensation of the gospel was committed to him.
To convince them of sin, and to make a full offer of God's salvation,
was his business. His message from God unto them was, * Friends and
brethren, I dare not compromise this matter with your consciences ; I
must wash my hands of the blood of souls.' This evidently was his aim."
Before Dr DufF left the Western Continent, there were
put into his hands, as a testimony of personal affection and
esteem, about jQ^ooo for mission buildings in Calcutta,
while soon after his return the University of New York
conferred on him the degree of LL.D.
It was Dr Duff's intention to proceed at once to India on
his return from America, but serious affection of the nervous
system, produced by the mental exertion he had put forth
and the exciting scenes through which he had passed,
necessitated his taking a season of rest. He was sent to
the shores of the Mediterranean, whence he made a trip to
Palestine, and finding himself by the autumn of 1855 suffi-
ciently recruited to return to the East, he sailed for India,
and, landing at Bombay, went by the way of Poonah and
Nagpore to Calcutta, which he reached on the i6th Feb-
ruary 1856. The elaborate statements which he furnished
respecting the condition of all the Free Church stations
which he had visited, mainly constituted the report to the
Assembly of 1856.
The important results which flowed from Dr Duflf's second
visit home, have led us to give a prominence to it even in
this brief narrative. Had we space, we should also give
some details regarding the home work of other missionaries,
whom loss of health compelled, under medical advice, to
repair for a season to their native country. All of them
(891) , 4
38 HOME OPERATIONS,
assisted, so far as their time and strength would admit, in
various ways ; and in cases where mission buildings were
required at the several stations, they had to thank friends
in the home Church for aiding them liberally, even when
local claims were great and pressing.
In 185 1, the first medical missionary went out to India,
his destination being Calcutta. In 1856, Dr Paterson was
designated to Madras, and the sending forth of skilful
medical men, to labour side by side with the ministerial
brethren, has ever since been regarded as a duty never to
be forgotten.
It would be tedious to mention here the new missionaries
sent forth by the Free Church from time to time ; they will
find mention more appropriately in the succeeding portions
of the work. Only when some important home result flowed
from their nomination, shall we take note of their appointment.
This rule, however, does not excuse us from mentioning
that, in 1852, the Ladies' Society sent out Mr and Mrs
Fordyce to Calcutta, in 1856, they were compelled to
return, Mrs Fordyce being ordered home, and the work
being such as a gentleman could not undertake alone. On
revisiting Scotland, Mr Fordyce went through a large portion
of it, under the auspices of the Ladies' Society, advocating
female education in India. About the same time, he
started the Eastern Females' Friend^ a small periodical, to
support the cause which he had at heart. Through his
untiring advocacy, the income of the society largely increased,
and much greater prominence than before began to be
given to this very important department of evangelistic
duty. An essential part of the original programme of the
mission was the raising up of native preachers, who should
carry the gospel to their countrymen, and who might be
expected to be a cheaper, and, in some respects, a more
effective agency than foreign missionaries from Europe. By
1857, several of these had completed their studies, and it
became an object to decide what their precise sphere of
THE MISSIONARY CONFERENCE OF l^6l, j^
labour should be. The Assembly, on the suggestion of the
Foreign Mission Committee, adopted, we think wisely, the
suggestion that native congregations should be organised
without delay, and should be encouraged to call native
pastors. This and the next Assembly also took steps to
have lay* teachers appointed to the several institutions.
Some difference of opinion was excited as to whether it was
expedient to affiliate the institutions to the Indian uni-
versities commenced in 1857, but the general opinion
seemed to be in its favour.
CHAPTER VI.
ARRANGEMENTS SINCE THE MUTINIES.
There is no need here to describe the appalling year 1857.
Though the Indian mutinies for a time proved a serious
impediment to the work in India, yet they were overruled
to produce this good effect, — that they turned the attention
of the Church powerfully to the degraded moral condition
of India. The mission funds had been ia debt at the
Assembly of 1857, before the mutiny at Meerut could
become known, jQ^o^^. In that of 1858, the increased
interest in Indian affairs, produced by the calamities in the
East, had enabled the committee to pay it off, and even
then left them some funds in hand.
The evening of Wednesday, 20th November, and the
whole of Thursday 21st, 1861, were profitably occupied
with a missionary conference, one good result of which was
that, whereas before it met there was a difficulty in supply-
ing some vacant places in the East, volunteers for the work
sprung up after it had sat. At the conference desires were
expressed in favour of more direct preaching to the heathen
* The word lay is in some respects an objectionable one, but it is difficult to find
another term, and we use it, therefore, for convenience sake.
40 HOME OPERATIONS,
masses, especially by the native ministers, and an impulse
was given to the formation of such rural missions as have
since sprung into existence. Even before the conference,
one of these had been commenced at Mahanad, in Bengal,
by the Calcutta missionaries.
In addition to the Monthly Record, a quarterly paper had
for some years been published, but it was discontinued in
1862. That year steps were taken to originate a fund for
the widows and orphans of missionaries. Donations and
legacies were solicited for it, but in April 1868, the com-
plaint was uttered that none had been received.
Efforts were at the same time made to give a new impulse
to the Church's missionary periodicals. The Record, as
published for seven years after the Disruption, was of
quarto size, and so much on the same model as that which
for some time previously had been issued by the united
Church, that the two could without difficulty be bound
together. In 1843, the Free Missionary Record co^i three-
pence unstamped, and fourpence stamped, as its prede-
cessor had done. In December 1848, its circulation was
between 14,000 and 15,000. In July 1846, the price was
reduced to three-halfpence unstamped, and twopence-half-
penny stamped. It was well conducted, and it was not
creditable to the friends of missions that this reduction in
price failed permanently to increase the number of the
subscribers, which, indeed, slightly retrograded, instead of
going forward. In August 1850, the quarto was exchanged
for the octavo size, which the publication has since retained,
and instead of being confined as before to a record of what
was doing in the purely missionary branches of the Church's
operations, it now embraced them all. The circulation of
the quarto, during 1850, had averaged a trifle under 13,000
copies monthly. Of the first number of the octavo, 30,000
copies were struck off. As, however, the copies of a first
number printed are no proper criterion of what the perma-
nent sale will be, it is more important to notice that, in
THE RECORDS. 4 1
1 85 1 and 1852, between 30,000 and 40,000 were disposed
of monthly, a great increase on the circulation of the old
quarto. The editors were Messrs Nixon, Wilson, and
Lumsden, who discharged their important trust well. Still,
as a rule, it is expedient that there shall be but one respon-
sible editor to a publication, and the Assembly of 1853
requested the Rev. Dr Wylie to undertake the superin-
tendence of the Record, In the preface to the volume for
1855-6, p. iv., he mentions that when his aid was solicited,
the periodical was going down at the rate of 500 copies a
month, and that its continued existence was in peril. In
1854, the circulation was between 21,000 and 22,000 copies.
— Missionary Record, 1853, 1854, pp. 293, 294.
In the preface to the volume for 1856-7, it was mentioned
that it had risen during the previous- year 2300 — namely,
from 18,260 to 20,560. At the end of 1861, Dr Wylie
resigned, and was succeeded by Mr Mackenzie of Dun-
fermline, who retained it till his lamented death in June 10,
1869. In 1.86 1, the effort was made to issue the Record as
a weekly periodical, at a penny a number, but it was found
expedient speedily to resort to a monthly issue only. One
disadvantage attending the weekly publication was, that
the numbers became soiled or lost, and were not all forth-
coming to be bound at the end of the year. In 1866, the
Record had a circulation of 30,000; in 1867, 31,000; in
1S68, 33,500; and in 1871, 34,000. These high numbers
are eminently creditable to the present editor, the Rev.
Norman L. Walker.
Under the able management of Mr William Dickson, the
Childref^i Missionary Recordhzsior many years had a wonder-
fully large and increasing circulation. In May 1846, 30,000
of it were sold ; in February 1847, 3S>ooo ; in 1849, about
40,000 ; in 1852, 39,000; in 1868, 46,000 ; in 1871, 53,000.
When the Disruption took place, the missionaries felt
very sorry to bid adieu to the Rev. Dr Brunton, who had
treated them with great kindness and consideration while
42 HOME OPERATIONS,
he was their official superior. After the separation in 1843,
Dr Gordon was convener of the Free Church Foreign
Mission Comniittee, and retained the office till 1846. . Then
Dr James Buchanan followed till 1847. Subsequently, Dr
Tweedie undertook the responsible trust, and continued to
discharge it with admirable zeal and devotion for the long
period of fifteen years.*
After Dr Tweedie-s departure, Dr Hanna held office for a
short time, but was not able to continue in it, in conse-
quence of his literary engagements, and the Assembly of
1863 unanimously resolved to invite Dr Duff home to
assume the permanent convenership. The members were
not at the time aware that the health of that very eminent
missionary was just about to fail, and that he was on the
eve of being medically advised to quit Calcutta finally. The
invitation, therefore, reached him at a very opportune time ;
and having, after a severe mental struggle, accepted it, he
returned home, first, however, visiting most of his brethren
in India and Africa, to learn the state of the several missions
before he became their official head. Between the resig-
nation of Dr Hanna and the arrival of Dr Duff in the
autumn of 1864, Dr Candlish temporarily acted as convener.
The salary offered Dr Duff was ;^4oo per annum ; but a
small annuity, afterwards to be spoken of, sufficing for his
moderate wants, he, in April 1865, generously proposed to
resign the income attached to the convenership, and dis-
charge the duties of the office gratuitously. The Assembly
of 1865 unhesitatingly demurred to the proposal, feehng
that Dr Duff was acting far too generously; but he was
firm on the point, and was finally allowed to carry out the
act of self-sacrifice on which he had resolved.
♦ The Rev. W. K. Tweedie was ordained, in 1832, minister of the Scottish Church,
London Wall. Four years later he was translated to the South Church, Aberdeen.
He and the late Rev. A. D. Davidson, D.D., were considered to be unquestionably
the best preachers then in the city. In 1842 Dr (then Mr Tweedie), was translated
to the Tolbooth Church, Edinburgh. He died on the 24th March 1863, after a short
but excruciating illness. Notwithstanding the bodily pain he suffered, his end,
spiritually viewed, was perfect peace. The name of no purely home minister of the
Free Church is so thoroughly identified with foreign missions as that of Dr Tweedie.
FEMALE EDUCATION. 43
At the time when the Assembly of 1863 invited him
home, the funds were again somewhat in debt, but the
ladies made a special effort to clear oflf arrears, and not
hand him over an embarrassed exchequer on his assuming
the responsibilities of office.
In turning attention to the arrangements from time to
time made for the direction of the missions, grateful men-
tion should be made of the services rendered by the late
Mr Henry Tod, W.S., who for many years was secretary to
the committee ; so also must deep obligation be expressed
for the valuable and painstaking labour of Mr Robert Young,
the Association Secretary, who from his youth up has given
his best powers to the mission.
In 1864, a number of ** old Indians" met in Edinburgh
during the Assembly week, and founded a society for sup-
plying religious ordinances to Europeans in our Eastern
empire. Dr Kenneth Macqueen, the virtual originator,
became the first secretary, and the Rev. Mr Fordyce,
formerly of Calcutta, is now its highly efficient commis-
sioner at Simla, whence, partly by itineracy continued during
six months in the year, and partly through the publication
of a religious periodical called the Mountain Echoes^ he
exerts very extensive influence in India.
Till 1865, there had been two ladies' societies — one for
India, and the other for Africa, the latter drawing its chief
support from the West of Scotland, while the former did
so from the country generally. In 1865, the two societies
were formally amalgamated together, and the united asso-
ciation thus formed was declared an integral part of the
foreign mission, doing for the female part of the population
in India and Caffraria what the ordinary operations accom-
plished for the stronger sex. Next year, the hon. secretary
of the society proposed that an effort should be made to
induce every female communicant in the Free Church (and
he estimated their number at 130,000) to join the society,
44 UOME OPERATIONS.
paying each one shilling a year. This would raise ;^65oo,
or treble the former revenue.
In 1864, it was calculated that, from the Disruption till
that period, the Tree Church had raised for foreign missions
no less a sum than ;^356,247, os. 4d.
So long ago as the time when Dr Duff was passing as a
student through the divinity classes in St Andrews' Univer-
sity, it struck him as a want that there was no professorate
of missions. — {Missionary Record, 1866-7, p. 149.) In a
letter of his to Dr Gordon, published in the Missionary
Record for 1844, p. 126, he reverted to the subject. In the
Assembly Report for 1862, the proposal was again mooted,
but it was not till 1865 that practical steps were taken for
hs realisation. The Assembly of the last-mentioned year
unanimously approved of it, and appointed a committee
to make the necessary arrangements. Dr Duff was of
opinion that not merely should there be va professorship of
evangelistic theology, but that a missionary institute should be
combined with it, of which the professor should be the official
head. Through his exertions, ;;^i 0,000 were contributed in
1866 by fourteen or fifteen gentlemen to endow the chair.
The voice of the Free Church, speaking through its presby-
teries, unanimously designated Dr Duff for the proposed
office, and, on the very cordial invitation of the Assembly
in 1867, he accepted it, refusing, however, to draw any
income from it, but giving over the money designed for
himself to the proposed Missionary Institute. In March
1868, a letter was received from Professor Piatt, of Berlin,
asking information regarding the professorship and institute,
and mentioning that in all probability something on the
model of them would speedily be attempted at the Prussian
(now the German) capital.
At the earnest suggestion and recommendation of Dr
Duff, the Assemblies of 1866 and 1867 empowered the
Foreign Mission Committee to raise a large fund for erect-
ing mission buildings at the several stations in India and
MISSION BUILDINQS, 45
Africa; and on the 17th March 1868, the committee issued
a special appeal on the subject. After careful calculation,
the sum required was fixed at ;^5o,ooo. The first effort
was made in Glasgow, where one hundred subscribers gave
among them ;^i 0,000. One headed the list with ;£'iooo,
six followed with ;^5oo each, eight with ;^25o, and so on.
By the Assembly of 1870, ;^3o,ooo had been promised, of
which ;^i 6,304 had been actually paid. The ;^5 0,000 had
not been completed by April 1873.
How vast the growth of missionary feeling within the
limits of Scotland since the anti-evangelistic debate in the
Assembly of 1796!
SECTION II.
CALCUTTA.
CHAPTER I.
INDIA, AND ESPECIALLY BENGAL.
lONTINENTAL INDIA, measured from the
northern extremity of the Punjaub to Cape
Comorin in the south, is about 1830 miles
long. Its breadth from Kurrachee in the west
to the eastern extremity of Assam, is about the same. A
line drawn 1830 miles south from Edinburgh, would reach
the commencement of the Sahara, and another of the same
length, east slightly north from the Scottish capital, would
extend to Revel, in the Gulf of Finland. The area of India
is about 1,558,254 square miles (Blue-Book No. dZ^ year
1870). That of Europe, excluding the semi - Asiatic
countries of Russia and Turkey, is about 1,500,625 square
miles, so that the area of India is somewhat greater
than that of Europe with Russia and Turkey omitted. The
population was long ago estimated by the Rev. Dr Wilson
of Bombay at 200,000,000, and recent researches have
shown that his estimate, once believed too high, is beneath
rather than above the truth. There are 240 millions of
inhabitants, if not more, in India.
ARYANS AND TURANIANS. 47
The ethnology of the country is interesting. To under-
stand it our readers must first obtain clear ideas of. the
meaning attached to the terms Aryan and Turanian. At a
period of very considerable antiquity, say not less than 1700
years before the Christian era, there seems to have lived in
or neg,r Bactria a nation from which the Brahmans, the
Medes, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Teutons,
the Celts, the Sclavonians, and some other races ultimately
sprung, and the several peoples now spoken of are closely
akin,* It is this ancient nation and its modem branches
that ethnologists denominate Aryan. It became settled and
semi-civihsed while yet the other nations were wandering
hordes. To the latter was applied the name Turan, signi-
fying in Sanscrit swift, hence a nomad. Modem ethnologists
have adopted the term, and are accustomed to call most of
the non-Aryan and non-Semitic Asiatics Turanian. The
Turanians are nearly identical with the Mongolians of earlier
writers, with this exception, that the Chinese now figure as
a race by themselves, in place of being ranked as a mere
sub-division of the Mongolians.
The aborigines of India entered it at a very remote
period of antiquity, apparently in two streams — one, from
the north-west, proper Turanian, and akin to Tartar ; and
the other, from the north-east, an overflowing from China. t
* Their languages are still allied to each other both in words and in grammatical
inflections. Thus the Sanscrit word for ten is dahaj while all know that the corre-
sponding term in Greek is deka : the Mahratta tnoMoos or tnanooshyn^ meaning a
many reminds us of English ; hora signifies an houTy not merely in Latin but in
Sanscrit, while the seventh^ in the former language septimus^ is in the latter
sapHmi. Similarly the inflexions are akin, thus—
SANSCRIT. GRBEK.
Singular x. dadi-mi dido-mi
2. dadi-si dido-s
3. dadS*ti dido-ti
Dual X. dad-vas
2. dat-thas dido-ton
3. dat-tas dido-ton
Plural I. dad-mas dido-mes [dido-men ?]
2. dat-tha dido-te
3. dada-ti dido-nti
-^Bo^fs Comparative Grammar^ Vol. 11. (1845), p. 673.
t With regard to the importance of the latter stream, see Mr W. W. Hunter's
" Comparative Dictionary of the Languages of India and High Asia." London :
Trubner. z868, pp. 20, 22, 28.
48 CALCUTTA,
In our view, there probably was a second influx of Tura-
nians, who' conquered some of the first comers, and reduced
them to all but a servile state. Those thus subdued now
constitute the Mahars — the Mangs,&c., of Bombay, the Dheds
of Surat, the Pariahs of Madras, the Shanars of Tinnevelly,
the Chandalas of Bengal, and other outcasts, now occupying
the very lowest position in Hindoo society. A portion of
the aborigines, however, refused to subinit to the invaders,
and fleeing to the jungles and mountains, succeeded in per-
manently maintaining their independence. These are
the wild tribes, about 200 in number. * Some of the best
known of them are the Gonds, the Khoonds, the Koles,
and the Santhals. The conquering section of the Turanians
ultimately underwent a fate only less hard than that which
they had inflicted on the aborigines. At least twelve
or fourteen centuries before the Christian era, a section of
the Aryan nation left Bactria, and entered India. They
occupied first a part and then the whole of the Punjaub.
Pushing forward step by step during the succeeding cen-
turies, they at last held all the country north of the
Nerbudda. After a long halt there they passed the river as
conquerors, and finally succeeded in establishing their
domination over the Turanians, who till then had been
masters in the land. Elated by this success, they refused to
intermarry or even eat with their predecessors in India, and
constituted three castes of their own — the Brahmans or
sacred order, the Kshatriyas or warriors, and the Vaisyas
or merchants, while their immediate predecessors, of
Turanian descent, were placed beneath the rest, and called
Sudras. Finally, the Brahmans, apparently at a compara-
tively recent period, manufactured shasters or portions of
shasters, professedly divine, which alleged that Hindoo
caste, the offspring, it will be observed, of military conquest,
was of religious origin ; or to be more specific, that the
* See Hunter's *' Comparative Dictionary of the Languages of India and High
Asia," p, 2.
THE INDIAN CASTES AND RACES. 49
Brahmans came out of the mouth of God to instruct men ;
the warriors from His arms, to defend them ; the Vaisyas
from His stomach, to feed them ; and the Sudras from His
feet, to serve them. The outcastes, whether living as the
lowest class in settled society, or maintaining their inde-
pendence in mountains and forests, were considered as
beneath even that servile race who * came out of the feet of
God.' What their origin was the Brahmans, so far as we
know, have not been obliging enough to explain. For
about ten centuries — or from 300 B.C. to 700 a.d. — the
Buddhists contended manfully, and for a long time with
thorough success, against this gigantic system of exclusive-
ness and priestcraft, but being driven out of India about
the latter date, they left the field to their rivals, and the
caste system became thoroughly dominant, and attained &
strength of which even at this day it has been but partially
divested, though it has not succeeded in permanently
enforcing its worst laws, owing to the establishment first of
Mussulman and then of Christian rule in the land. The
Mohammedan conquest of India was made about eight cen-
turies ago, and the Moslem population in its four sub-divi-
sions of Sheiks or disciples (mostly low caste Hindoo
converts), Syuds, or men at least nominally descended from
the " Prophet," Moguls (chiefly Tartars and other Tura-
nians), and Pathans (Aryan AfFghans), now constitute at
least one-fifth portion of the whole population in India,
though till lately they were erroneously estimated at only an
eighth.
To turn now to Bengal proper. The word is a very
ambiguous one. It may mean the Bengal Presidency,
which till a few years ago extended from the mouth of the
Ganges to the eastern boundary of Aflfghanistan, or it may
signify that most fertile land, flat as a carpet, which consti-
tutes the delta of the magnificent Ganges and Brahma-
pootra rivers with the parts adjacent.
The Bengalee race was never more graphically described
5X) CALCUTTA,
than by Lord Macaulay in the following brilliant pas-
sage : —
"The physical organisation of the Bengali is feeble even to effe-
minacy. He lives in a constant vapour bath. His pursuits are seden-
tary, his limbs delicate, his movements languid. During many ages he
has been trampled on by men of bolder and more hardy breeds.
Courage, independence, and veracity are qualities to which his consti-
tution and his situation are equally unfavourable. His mind bears a
singular analogy to his body. It is weak even to helplessness for pur-
poses of manly resistance, but its suppleness and its tact move the
children of sterner climes to admiration, not unmingled with contempt.
All those arts which are the natural defence of the weak, are more
familiar to this subtle race than they were to -the Ionian of the time of
Juvenal or to the Jews of the darkest ages. What the horns are to the
bui&lo, what the paw is to the tiger, what the sting is to the bee, what
beauty, according to the old Greek song, is to woman— deceit is to the
Bengali. Large promises, smooth excuses, elaborate tissues of circum-
stantial falsehood, chicanery, perjury, forgery, are the weapons, offen-
sive and defensive, of the people of the Lower Ganges. All these
millions do not furnish one sepoy to the armies of the Company, But
as usurers, as money-changers, as sharp legal practitioners, no class of
human beings can bear a comparison with them. With all his softness,
the Bengali is by ho means placable in his enmities, or prone to pity.
The pertinacity with which he adheres to his purposes yields only to the
immediate pressure of fear. Nor does he lack a certain kind of courage
which is often wanting in his masters. To inevitable suffering he is
sometimes foimd to oppose a passive fortitude, such as Stoics attri-
buted to their ideal sage. A European warrior, who rushes on the
battery of cannon with a loud hurrah, would shriek under the surgeon's
knife, and fall into an agony of despair at the sentence of death. But
the Bengali who could see his country overrun, lus house laid in ashes,
his children murdered or dishonoured, without having the spirit to
strike one blow, has yet been known to endure torture with the fnrmness
of a Mutius, and to mount the scaffold with the steady step and even
pulse of Algernon Sidney."
There is a certain dash of caricature in this description ;
and yet it is so close to reality that if we were asked to point
out an epithet entirely unsupported by fact, we should fail
to do so. It is needful, however, to explain that Macaulay
uses the word Bengalee in a very restricted sense. He
means by it not a native of the Bengal presidency in general,
but an inhabitant of the parts near the mouth of the Ganges,
and he, moreover, not of Mussulman but of Hindoo descent.
Bengalees, using the word in this limited sense, are the most
THE HINDOOS AND MUSSULMANS OF BENGAL. 5 1
unwarlike of men. In the thirteenth century they allowed
the Mohammedan General, Bukhtiyar Khil'ijy to conquer
their country in one single campaign, and then went placidly
on as a down-trodden race for 555 years more. Even then
it was not they, but the handful of British in that region, who
rose in arms against the Mussulman domination, and for the
liberty which they now enjoy the Bengalee Hindoos are
indebted to our countrymen. Some consequences, inte-
resting in a missionary point of view, flow from the facts
now mentioned. Having emancipated' instead of enslaved
the Bengalee Hindoos, we have warrant for expecting that
they will be more ready to examine the claims of our reli-
gion, than if our political relations with them had been of
a contrary character. The Mussulmans, again, we should
expect to manifest great prejudice against our faith, arising
from the fact that to the old feud, which began at least as
early as the crusades, has been added a new cause of quarrel
— in other words, they do and must feel annoyed that
having, when first we came to Bengal, found them ruling
there, we smote their dominion dowij. Another conse-
quence, important in its missionary bearing, follows natu-
rally from the long and firmly-established Mussulman rule
in Bengal — namely, that special difficulties have there been
found in obtaining the attendance of caste girls at school,
from the retirement in which the female part of the com-
munity are kept. The Hindoos, we believe, to some extent
at least, borrowed the practice of secluding females from the
Mussulmans, adopting it either from the desire of imitating
their masters, or with the view of sheltering their wives and
daughters from Moslem outrage. To use a mathematical
expression — as a rule, the seclusion of women in any portion
of India is in the direct ratio of the strength possessed by
the Mohammedans in that region ; and since the submis-
sive Bengalees bowed their necks more thoroughly and for
a longer time than the other Hindoo races to the iron yoke
imposed on them by the followers of the ** Prophet," the
52 CALCUTTA.
difficulties in the way of female education were necessarily
found greater there than elsewhere. There was just one
counteracting circumstance — proximity to the seat of the
Supreme Government necessarily tends to the disintegration
of all obsolete customs, whatever the causes from which
they may originally have sprung.
The census for 187 1, if the information regarding it sent
home by the correspondent of the Times, under date Cal-
cutta, August 13, 1872, and published in the number of
that paper for September 11, is correct, will reveal some
startling and wholly unexpected facts. In the Administra-
tive Report for 187 1, the population under the Lieutenant-
Governor of Bengal — in other words, that resident within
Bengal proper, Behar, Orissa, Assam, andTenasserim, was esti-
mated at 42,680,000. This number the census is expected
to raise to 66,856,859 ! thus adding about the population
of England and Wales at a single stroke of the pen. Almost
as startling is another statement, that the Mohamme-
dans in the districts east of Calcutta amount to above
21,000,000. If this be confirmed, then, as before stated, the
ordinary estimate, that the Indian Mussulmans constitute no
more than one-eighth of the entire population, must be con-
siderably modified.
To turn now from Bengal to Calcutta. This very
important city, the capital, not of India simply, but of Asia,
has grown up with mushroom rapidity. In 1700, certain
villages occupying the site of the present city were trans-
ferred to the British, in return for a present made to a son
of the Emperor Aurungzebe. One of these villages, con-
taining an old temple of the goddess Kali or Cali, gave
name to Calcutta.
Whilst the population of the Indian provinces has gene-
rally been found popularly under-estimated when a proper
census has been taken, it has been exactly the reverse with
the Indian cities. The population of Calcutta proper was
wont to be estimated at between 600,000 and 700,000, or even
CALCUTTA CITY, 53
more. The census of last year makes it 447,601. Of these,
291,194 are Hindoos; 133,131 Mohammedans; 21,356
Christians — European, East Indian, and Native ; the rest
consists of Jews, Greeks, Armenians, Chinese, Parsis, and
"Asiatics." The total number of Hindoo males able to
read and write is 65,215, or i in 3 ; and of Hindoo
females, 4,497, or i in 23 — the corresponding numbers as
regards Mohammedans being 14,011, or i in 7 ; and 896,
or I in 41. It is proper to add that the above aggregate of
447,601 includes only the population of the city of Calcutta
proper within the old Mahratta ditch, and under the juris-
diction of the Supreme Court. Were the densely-peopled
suburbs included, as in the case of most of our home cities,
the sum total would stand at 892,429. Howrah alone, on
the opposite side of the river, has now a population of
about 100,000.
The Rev. John Robson, giving his first impressions of the
city as he saw it in 1868, speaks of the European quarter as
consisting of splendid buildings, broad streets, spacious
squares, and a magnificent esplanade. In painful contrast
with this was the native town, which was miserable and
squalid in the extreme. The religious aspect of the city
he also describes as quite peculiar. The Pundits of
Benares call it the Christian city, and this, he says, is the
idea which its first appearance would suggest.
** Symbols of idolatrous worship," he adds, " are absent, and idola-
trous temples few and obscure. Nearly all the prominent religious
buildings are churches, most of them designed for the European popu-
lation, which in, this, as in everything else, seems to knock the
natives into the background. Large and powerful educational
institutions, idol temples, neglected and decaying, and a few small
native churches — such are the types of the present state of missions in
Calcutta." — Free Church Missionary Record^ 1868, p. 127.
It must, however, be remembered that this description
applies to the year 1868, and not to 1830, when our narra-
tive commences.
(301) 5
54 CALCUTTA.
To some it may appear astounding that the native part
of what has been proudly designated " the city of palaces "
should consist of edifices so exceedingly humble as those
described in the quotation by Mr Robson. All wonder
will, however, cease if it be correctly apprehended that
India — which, if her splendid resources were properly
developed, would be one of the very richest countries on
the globe — is at present extremely poor. There are wealthy
natives within her borders, but the mass of her people are
indigent. The average income of the natives is about a
seventh part of that possessed by our countrymen here ; *
or to be more specific, if the average income of the British
at home, estimating 4^ to a family, is about ;^i23, is. 6d.,
then that of the Hindoos is a trifle under ;^i8.t There is
not a rich heathen country existing at present. Compared
with Christian lands, they are all miserably poor, and when
they receive the gospel, they will find it bring along with
it temporal prosperity in this world no less than the promise
of the life to come.
The facts now mentioned regarding India, and its most
populous province, will be found to have a more or less
direct bearing on the history of the missions, to which,
without further delay, we now must return.
CHAPTER II.
THE FIRST CAMPAIGN.
The circumstances in which the Church of Scotland
first came to the resolution of embarking in her corporate
• We have founded this opinion, partly on observation and partly on the fact that,
speaking broadly, whilst thirty millions of British pay >f 70,000,000 of imperial taxes,
the same number of Hindoos pay only ;^ 10,000,000, or a seventh as much.
t Mr Dudley Baxter, in 1867, calculated the income of Britain at ;^ 82 1,379,000,
which, allowing 4I to a family, a more accurate estimate than the common one, 5,
would amount to the sum for each stated in the text.
DR DUFF DE VISES HIS CELEDRA TED PLAN. S 5
capacity in a mission to Bengal, and the appointment of the
Rev. Alexander Duff as her first missionary, have been de-
tailed in the earlier portion of the work. We pass now in
imagination to Calcutta, where Mr and Mrs Duff landed on
the evening of 27th May 1830, safe, and in comparative
health, notwithstanding that they had been between seven
and eight months on the voyage, and during that period had
been wrecked, not once but twice.
The Assembly of 1 82 9 had resolved, among other missionary
operations, to found an institution for higher education,
and they had named as the place where they wished it
located the province of Bengal ; not in the city of Calcutta,
but somewhere within an easily accessible distance from it,
leaving entirely to Mr Duff's discretion everything concerning
the subject-matter to be taught, the system of tuition, the media
of instruction, the organisation and discipline, &c., &c. Dr
Inglis' plan, adopted by the Assembly, of commencing an in-
stitution, was, we believe, a very wise one, but the latter could
never have become powerful if placed, as was wished, outside
of Calcutta. At no place except the Eastern metropolis
itself did a sufficient desire for a high education exist, to
furnish pupils enough for such an institution. Mr Duff, with
the sagacity of genius, soon found this out, and as the re-
sult of many inquiries, succeeded in at last convincing the
Committee at home that he acted wisely in setting aside the
instructions he had received as to placing the institution in a
provincial part of Bengal, and in commencing it where alone
it could be successful — in the capital. Another great rock
was now in mid-channel, past which he must successfully
steer, if the institution were to reach the haven of extensive
influence to which it was intended that it should arrive. To
speak without a figure. The locality for the institution
being now settled rightly, it was requisite next to make no
mistake as to the language in which the higher instruction
was to be communicated, for if mistake were committed, the
seminary would fail, at least for many years, to rise into
5 6 CALCUTTA,
power. What language, then, should be used in the insti-
tution ? Bengalee, would be the natural answer ; but those
acquainted with India know that a great error would have
I been committed, had the institution been simply a vernacular
I one. The Bengalee was then an uncultivated language,
I with a trifling literature. Besides, the acquisition of it not
I being the road to wealth, most parents would not have cared
to send their children to learn it, or if they had, they would
^ have taken them away at the age of 1 2 or 13, and despatched
\ them elsewhere to study English. Then, should Sanscrit
be used for communicating the higher knowledge to Hindoo
[ boys, and Arabic and Persian for those of Mussulmans, as
[ Government officials and learned orientalists urged ? If so,
) then for years, if not even permanently, the institution would
have fallen into the hands of bigoted Pundits and Moulavis,
[ who would have rendered it useless for Christian purposes.
Only on one condition could it become powerful and really of
1 importance for Christian ends, — that condition was, that the
' language taught in it should be English. Again Mr Duff
• was right in his decision. It was marvellous that a missionary
so young and inexperienced should have found his way amid
advices the most contradictory to conclusions so sound as
these. It can be attributed only to the sagacity of genius,
[ acting on its own convictions, after fervent prayer for the
divine direction.
M It is right, however, to remark , that, while the English
► language was chosen as affording the most effectual medium
for communicating a knowledge of the higher departments
of literature, science, and Christian theology, the vernacular
tongue was from the first regarded as alone available for
imparting an elementary education to the mass of the people.
The former, or English, was declared to be the fittest
medium of distribution to the highly-educated few, and the
latter, or Bengalee, the only adequate medium of distribu-
tion to the ordinarily-educated many. Accordingly, that
THE INSTITUTION OPENED. 5/
the pupils might be able to turn their acquirements to good
account for the enlightenment of the many, a Bengalee de-
partment was, from the very outset, conjoined with the
English, and all the pupils were constrained to give a due
proportion of their time and attention to the former as well
as the latter.
The plan of operations settled, no time was lost in taking
action, and a tolerably-sized hall in an old building in the
central part of the native town was hired as a school-room. It
had once been occupied as a Hindoo college, and afterwards
used as a chapel by native Unitarians, or rather Vedantists.
Rammohun Roy, the celebrated Hindoo reformer, had pro-
mised his assistance in obtaining pupils to commence with,
and on Monday, 12th July (1830), a note was sent to him,
stating that it would be a favour if he would send the young
men he had spoken of on the morrow. He fulfilled his en-
gagement, and at the appointed time five appeared. The
nature of the intended school was explained to them, and
they went away highly satisfied. On Wednesday, about 20
more arrived, and, after a conference with the missionary,
departed also favourably impressed. On Thursday, 80 more
came, and as there was room in the building hired for no
more than 1 20 at a time, it was unnecessary to wait for an
increase of candidates. Next day, however, the plan re-
solved on required modification, for 200 more pupils ap-
peared, and put forth the most moving importunity not to
be turned away. What, in these circumstances, could be
done ? If the senior classes were to meet at one portion of
the day, and the junior ones at another, then 240 instead
of 120 could be accommodated. To reduce the candidates
to this number, it was intimated that only written applica-
tions for admission would be attended to, and that none
would be enrolled as pupils who did not promptly pay for
books and bind themselves to stay at the school a rea-
sonable length of time, so as to profit by the instruc-
58 CALCUTTA.
tions communicated. 250 complied with these conditions,
and by alternating the classes, room was made for them
all.*
The institution was opened on Monday the 2d August,
1830. There was at first no college department, the most
advanced youths — about 40 in number — being able to do
no more than spell words of two syllables ; but with the high
genius for teaching possessed by the Church of Scotland's first
missionary, and on the intellectual system on which he acted,
as practised by Mr Wood of Edinburgh, and afterwards more
fully by Mr Stow of Glasgow, but considerably modified,
so as to adapt it to oriental ways and habits, the progress
r of the pupils was extremely rapid. One-third were above
the age of 20, and one-fourth were Brahmans. It was a
critical moment in the history of the institution when 100
New Testaments were, after explanation, put into the hands
of the scholars, but only three or four left in consequence.
^ The first passage read was the Lord's Prayer, which was
afterwards daily offered up for some time at the opening of
i
\ .
* As it was really an astounding phenomenon that Hindoo parents should entrust
their children in large numbers to an instructor who made no secret of his intention
to convert them to another faith, it is interesting to inquire into the motives which
induced them to act in a manner which at first sig;ht seems so unaccountable. In
> India, offices requiring* a knowledge of English m those who fill them are much
\ better paid than those of which the duties can be discharged by natives acquainted
only with their vernacular. No caste in India are more intellectual, and none more
ambitious, than the Brahmans. When English began to be taught in the Hindoo
I college, a number of Brahmans and other high-caste parents sent their children, but
f •,. many could not afford the fee, being exceedingly poor. ^ This was the class which
\ furnished so many and so ea^er applicants for admission into the Calcutta institution,
/ and in taking what an impartial spectator would call a most perilous step, they would
reason in such a fashion as this: — "The education gratuitously offered in the new
^ school may at last procure for our sons much more lucrative appointments than if
k they knew only Bengalee ; and as for the peril of their apostatising from Hindooisra
and becoming Christians, — why, there is little likelihood of their doing anything so
• * foolish and smfuL" Thus much for the parents, but the sons from the first occupied
higher ground. Partly sharing the worldly views of their fathers and mothers,
they had also more worthy aims. A Hindoo boy, from 12 to 15, especially of the
Brahmanic caste, possesses a deep love of knowled^fe for its own sake. Whilst an
average English boy cares for little but play at the time of life spoken of, his oriental
compeer gives his most earnest attention to study ; but it is painful to be obliged to add
* that often, on reaching a somewhat more advanced age, he plunges into vice to an
V extent which deadens his intellectual as well as his moral powers, and the boy who
at 15 had keen intellectual tastes, is stupid and uninteresting at 25. Notwithstand-
f ing this discouraging circumstance, Hindoo youths are extremely interesting pupils
to teach, and in many ways gratify the heart of every missionary who has them
y under his charge.
PLACE OF THE BIBLE IN THE INSTITUTION, 59
the institution, till the pupils were far enough advanced, in-
tellectually, to follow an extemporaneous prayer. The
* Prodigal Son ' followed next, and then the 13th chapter
of ist Corinthians. Lastly, the New Testament, and after
a time the whole Bible was systematically studied.*
• It may be of good service to record Mr Duff's own statement of his use of
the Bible as a class-book, in his work on " India, and India Missions/' upwards of
30 years ago : — *' Here must we state, once for all, that while from the very first the
Bible itself was thus made a school and class-book, it was so made distinctly,
avowedly y and exclusively ^ for religious and devotional exercises, with the view of
bringing all the faculties of the soul into contact with the life and spirit and
quickenine influence of Jehovah's holy oracles ; and never, never for the parsing,
syntactical, and sundry other grammatical exercises which, we fear, is but too com-
mon. We know of none more likely to lower the Bible from its unapproachable
eminence of sacredness, as *^ the Book^' * the Book of books:* and we have never
ceased, and, through God's blessing, never will cease, humhiy but resolutely to lift
up our solemn protest against it. We would not wish on this subject, any more than
on any other, to advocate an untenable, or impracticable, or dangerous extreme.
We would pray, on the one hand, to be delivered fropa the Pharisaic idolatry which
would hold up to the nations the very papyrus or parchment on which the words of
inspiration are written, exclaiming, ' Behold the Book ! fall down ye before it and
worship it ;' instead of crying aloud, ' Behold your God revealing Himself through
the medium of His Written Word ; fall ye down and worship before Him.' So, on
the other hand, we would pray to be delivered from the Sadducean latitudinarianisra
or indifference which would strip the written Word of all its sacredness, by mingling
it up with the parsings, construmgs, correctings, trappings, ferular visitations, and
all the other irreverent bustle of pedagogal gymnastics. On the frontispiece of their
Bible the Jews were wont to inscribe, in flaming characters, the exclamation of fear and
astonishment extorted from Jacob by the vision of Jehovah at Bethel—^' How dread-
ful is this place ! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of
heaven 1' On which the great Owen most appropriately remarked, 'So ought we
to look upon the Word with a holy awe and reverence of^the presence of God.' But
if any scheme could be devised more cunning than another, by which, under the
semblance of honouring and magnifying it as a school-book, we could succeed in di-
vesting the perusal and contemplation of it of a// ' holy awe and reverence ' of God's
presence, it is the very practice which has now been reprobated — reprobated, not so
much from abstract considerations as from painful experience of its most blight-
ing effects. If the Bible is to be made a school and class-book — and rather,
infinitely rather, let us decide on the banishment of grammars, and geographies,
and all popularised excerpts consecrated exclusively to science and the muses,
from our schools, than suffer it to be dislodged by the ^reat anti-Christian con-
federacy from its throne of rightful supremacy in wieldmg the sceptre over the
entire educational realm ; — if the Bible, we say, is to be made a school and class-
book, let it not be evacuated of its divine significance, by being turned into com-
mon use, for testing the rules and laws of every self-elected dictator in the ancient
domain of speech. Let it not be lowered from its regal dignity to dance attendance
and serve as a humble vassal at the outer portals of knowledge. Let it be ever
maintained in the right ascension of its sacredness — the meridian altitude of its
spiritual power. Let it be gratefully studied as the Book of Life : let it be joyfully
consulted as the chart of heaven : let its holy oracles be listened to with profoundest
awe : let its cheering revelations be welcomed and hailed as the brightest rays from
* the ancient glory : ' let its statutes, testimonies, and righteous judgments be im-
plicitly submitted to as the unchanging ordinances of the King of kings ; and then,
and then only^ will that best of books— the Bible— be allowed to promote the grand
design for which it was by Heaven bestowed. Then, and then only, will it be duly
reverenced — the God who gave it duly honoured— the myriads of young immortals
trained in educational seminaries duly quickened and edified, — fortified for the vicis-
situdes of time, and ripened for the hosannahs of eternity."
6o CALCUTTA.
The more intellectual of the youths were in ecstacies
of delight on account of the new world of knowledge
which was opening before them, and the head teacher was
the same that the Lord had so manifestly prospered his
way.* This joy was summarily checked one morning when
the missionary, reaching the loved scene of his labours, saw
a beggarly array of empty benches staring him in the face,
in place of the animated countenances from which he had
expected to receive a greeting. Only about half-a-dozen
pupils were in the school in place of the hundred and more
whom he had calculated on finding assembled. On asking
for an explanation, one of the pupils drew out from beneath
his dress a copy of that highly-orthodox Bengalee paper,
* Here it is proper to npte how another difficulty had been overcome. At first,
no school-books could be had except those published by the Calcutta School Book
Society ; and from these all knowledge of a religious character had been systemati-
cally excluded. Now, it must be obvious that the very young — those who knew
not the English alphabet, or knew no more than the alphabet of their mother-tongue
— could not read a portion of the Bible either in English or Bengalee. What, then,
was to be done ? Were these to be left wholly without religious instruction until
they had advanced so far as to be able freely and intelligently to peruse the Scrip-
tures ? If so, a year or two might intervene, and, so far as reading was concerned,
hundreds, in the course o( time, might quit the institution as ignorant of divine
truth, and as much inunersed in heathen darkness, as when they entered it. What,
then, was to be done ? What was the remedy ? If there were any, how was it to
be applied ? Here is Dr Dufif's own account of the matter, as contained in his
work on " India, and India Missions" : — "The remedy devised was simple, and, as
the result proved, efifective. It consisted in the compilation of a progressive series
of three new elementaiy school-books, entitled 'English Instructor, 'No. I., II., and
III., each consisting of two distinct divisions or parts, which might be denominated
the cotnmon and the religious. The Jirst part was composed of appropriate lessons,
of the most miscellaneous character, — partly original, partly selected, and partly al-
tered, abridged, or compiled from the contents of pre-existing school-books. Into
this division all manner of topics were introduced, calculated to- arrest the attention,
excite the curiosity, and summon into vigorous exercise the conceptive and other in-
tellectual faculties. Here, too, all orthographical, etymological, syntactical, and
prosodial exercises were carried on with the most boundless freedom, — without any
risk of jarring with that solemnity of feeling which the very name of Deity ought ever
to inspire, — without dislocating any doctrine of faith, or linking it with grotesque, in-
congruous, or painful associations, — without trenching by a single intrusive move-
ment on any one province of sacredness. The second division in each number of
the series was devoted exclusively to religious topics. These portions were read,
not for the purpose of grammatically mastering" the English language, but for the
sake of gathering up the doctrines and precepts, warnings and promises, examples
and lessons therein taught, exhibited, or enforced. They were treated, therefore,
purely as means instrumentally designed to awaken the conscience and variously
influence and impress the heart. Thus, by the separate perusal of a small portion
of each division daily, there arose a happy combination of lingual and literal acqui-
sition, and of those nobler exercises which tended to promote moral and religious
improvement." Here it may be added that, ever since, these " Instructors " nave
been used as class-books in the Central Institution and Branch schools, as well as
in most of the other mission English schools in Bengal.
THE CHUNDRIKA AND ITS TEACHING. 6 J
the Chundrika (or moon-effulgence), established a year
or two before, to defend the burning of widows alive.
The school, it appeared, had received notice in its columns,
apropos of the discovery which had been made, that some
of the pupils were fast losing faith in Hindooism, owing to
the instructions which they had been receiving. Parents
were therefore ordered to withdraw their children from the
school, under pain of excommunication by the Dhartna
Sabha* or Holy Synod, of which the distinguished editor
was himself secretary. If any should disregard this warning,
and still go to the school placed under a ban, then the case
might be met by the hoisting of a yellow flag upon the
building, to warn passers by of the moral plague that raged
within. The appearance of the empty benches, hitherto an
enigma, was now at once explained, and the only question
which remained for solution was the practical one. What was
to be done ? The missionary wisely resolved to do nothing,
and, after intimating that he would go on with the institu-
tion if half-a-dozen, or even one, attended, he placidly pro-
ceeded with the lessons as if nothing had happened. A
few of the missing youths reappeared in the afternoon, and
in little more than a week all but three or four had returned.
The Chundrika^ of course, thundered out a new anathema ;
but its effects were far inferior to those produced by the
former effusion, and at last the most furious philippic which
it could send forth did not perceptibly affect the institution.
It rose rapidly into eminence : the first examination, which
was held at the end of twelve months from its opening, was a
great success \ and Lord William Bentinck, who was then
Governor-General, declared some time afterwards that it
had " produced unparalleled results."
Towards the close of 1831 the Rev. William Sinclair
Mackay arrived from Europe as a second missionary. t This
* The Dharma Sabha had been instituted shortly before, to defend Sutte^, and
contained within its membership most of the influential Hindoo gentlemen in
Calcutta.
t William S Mackay was born at Thurso, in Caithness, in the year 2807. His
62 CALCUTTA,
relieved Mr Duff of a portion of his daily labour in the in-
stitution, and enabled him to throw himself more fully into
a great variety of religious and philanthropic operations, all
bearing on the temporal and spiritual welfare of the natives.
The Tract and Bible Societies occupied much of his time
and attention. His papers, written at that time on the most
approved mode of representing Oriental alphabets in Roman
characters, have been again and again reprinted in India
and England ; and he had his full share, both theoretically
and practically, in the discussions which paved the way for
Lord Macaulay's famous minute, and Lord William Ben-
tinck's decisive decree in favour of Anglicanism and against
Orientalism. Another series of operations commenced soon
after Mr Duff's arrival, and was carried on parallel with
those formerly described.
In 182 1 the Government had founded a Sanscrit College
for the sons of Brahman s, with two wings attached for
the instruction of other natives in the English language
and literature, mainly with the view of raising up a body of
qualified scholars who might translate selected portions of
European literature and science into the learned languages
of India, in which alone it was thought that such knowledge
could or ought to be conveyed to the higher and more in-
fluential classes, while it considered itself precluded from
introducing Christianity. The result was that many of its
young men, taught by their English education to despise
Hindooism, assumed without inquiring that Christianity
would, if examined, prove equally vulnerable. They became
Deists, nay, many avowed themselves Atheists, while some
cast off all the restraints of moral obligation. In August
1830, soon after Mr Duff's arrival, he succeeded in inducing
college education was obtained at one of the Aberdeen Universities, where he held
a high place in the prize list. Subsequently he went to complete his studies at St
Andrews, where he came under the magnetic influence of Dr Chalmers. When he
arrived in Calcutta, towards the end of 1831, he was not much above twenty-four
years of age. Dr Duff and he had been fellow-students in St Andrews before either
sailed for India. Thus he was one of the St Andrews group of students of whom
so many became missionaries.
EXPLOSION OF BIGOTRY, 63
a number of these to agree to attend a weekly course of lec-
tures on the Evidences and Doctrines of the Christian
Faith. The Rev. Mr Dealtry, a Church of England chap-
lain, afterwards Archdeacon of Calcutta, and last of all
Bishop of Madras, with the Rev. Messrs Hill and Adam, of
the London Missionary Society, agreed to take part in the
course. The place of meeting was to be the lower room
of Dr Duff's house, which was conveniently situated in the
heart of the native town, near the Government College.
The first part of the course, to consist of lectures on the
Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion, was under-
taken by Mr Duff; but by mutual agreement Mr Hill
delivered the first or introductory lecture, and at that time
there never was a second. A violent outburst of bigotry
on the part of the Hindoo community constrained the
directors of the college to turn their attention to the events
then in progress, and these worthies issued an edict for-
bidding the students, on the pain of their high displeasure,
to attend the lectures, though what right they had to in-
terfere in the matter it was difficult to perceive. The
European press soon made them ashamed of their tyran-
nical order, and it was rescinded, but not until it had
produced remarkable results. The young men, forbidden
to go to the lectures, proceeded to set up debating societies
among themselves, where (and we honour them for it)
no one was required to argue against his conscientious
convictions. Mr Dufif was a constant visitor at these
gatherings, and was greatly struck by what he saw and
heard. He thus speaks on the subject : —
" To a British-bom subject the free use in debate of the English lan-
guage by these olive-complexioned and bronze -coloured children of the
East, on their own soil, and at the distance of thousands of miles from
the British shores, presented something indescribably novel, and even
affecting. Nor was the effect at all diminished, but rather greatly
heightened, when ever and anon, after the fashion of publi<r speakers in
our own land, the sentiments delivered were fortified by oral quotations
from English authors. If the subject was historical, Robertson and
Gibbon were appealed to ; if political, Adam Smith and Jeremy Ben-
64 CALCUTTA,
tham ; if scientific, Newton and Davy ; if religious, Hume and Thomas
Paine ;* if metaphysical, Locke and Reid, Dugald Stewart and Brown.
The whole was frequently interspersed and enlivened by passages cited
from some of our most popular English poets, particularly Byron and
Sir Walter Scott. And more than once were my ears greeted with the
sound of Scotch rhymes from the poems of Robert Bums. It would
not be possible to pourtray the effect produced on the mind of a Scotch-
man, when, on the banks of the Ganges, one of the sons of Brahma, in
reviewing the unnatural institution of caste in alienating man from man,
and in looking forward to the period in which knowledge by its trans-
forming power would make the lowest type of man feel itself to be of
the same species as the highest, clearly gave utterance in an apparent
ecstacy of delight to these characteristic lines : —
* For a' that and a' that.
It 's comin* yet for a* that.
That man to man the world o'er
Shall brothers be for a' that.*"
Not merely debating societies, but newspapers, with the
young Bengalees as editors, came into notice. We have
already had occasion to mention one periodical, the Chund-
rikuy the organ of the ultra-Conservative party of Hindoo
religionists, but with that paper the young illuminati were at
daggers drawn. Their organs were two, the Gyanafieshun^
in Bengalee, and the Inquirer^ in English, while an inter-
mediate party, the Vedantists, who, perceiving the absurdities
of the easily-refuted Pooranas, on which modem Hindooism
is founded, fell back on the less vulnerable ancient Vedas,
addressed the public through means of the Coumudee, The
severely orthodox Hindoos looked on the Liberals with
intense hatred, and a single spark might at any time pro-
duce an explosion.
Youthful imprudence was ere long to supply that spark.
On the evening of the 23d August 1831 a considerable
number of the young illuminati took their way to the
family house of their friend, Krishna Mohun Banerjee,
editor of the Inquirer, Though he was not at home they
♦ A bookseller in the United States of America, who had heard that there was a
party among the Bengalees likely to purchase the " Age of Reason," sent a large
supply out. When a ship brought a thousand of them to Calcutta they were sold
at the beginning for one rupee a copy, but the demand for them ultimately became
so great that five rupee; instead of one were ultimately asked and obtained.
A UNIQUE DRAMA. 65
had no scruple in taking possession of the room in which
they had been accustomed to meet for discussion. The
presence of that knot of congenial spirits, one and all of
revolutionary tendencies, coupled with the absence of the
more sober-minded editor, was not unattended with peril to
Hindooism ; and as their enthusiasm was gradually raised
to the pitch for action, they unanimously resolved to commit
what was held to be the unpardonable sin by partaking of
beef. A roasted portion of what was believed to be the
unhallowed food being ordered from the bazaar, they each
and all ate a portion of it, and were engaged in this fearful
work when the editor returned home. Young Brahmans,
as most if not all of them were, do not generally like beef
the first time they taste it, which was probably the reason
why some of the unclean substance remained when the
repast was finished. How to dispose of this uneaten
remnant was of course a question, and some impulsive
spirit in the company solved it too summarily, on the spur
of the moment, by seizing the beef in his hand and letting
it fly into the compound or courtyard of a highly orthodox
Brahman who lived next door. The holy man was within
his residence when the projectile descended, and if he
entertained any doubt as to its character he was at once
enlightened by the exegetical remark with which its flight
was accompanied, " There is beef ! There is beef ! "
Aroused by the ominous sound, which boded that, according
to caste law, his premises were hopelessly defiled, he rushed
forth at the head of his servants and violently assaulted the
editor and his friends. The young men did not attempt
to defend what they had done, but made an apology for the
past, promised amendment for the future, and hoped that
the irate Brahman might now feel satisfied. Need it be
added that this expectation was wholly disappointed. Their
conduct was soon noised abroad through Calcutta, and it is
not to be wondered at, that wherever the outrage was re-
ported great excitement followed, and the determination
66 CALCUTTA.
was evinced once for all to grapple with the unbelieving
crew, and reduce them to obedience. The relatives of
the editor were ordered to expel him from the parental
abode, unless he humbly recanted his errors and engaged
never more to use his pen against his ancestral faith. It is
very creditable to him that he refused to make the required
recantation, and preferred to be ejected from his home at
midnight and encounter personal risk from the excited mob
in the street. As his friends had most of them broken
caste by putting the unclean thing to their lips, they too
were pretty severely dealt with by their relatives, urged on
by the more bigoted Hindoos.
All parties in Calcutta watched with eager interest the
progress of the strange drama now described, and among
others Mr Duff, who was of opinion that the persecuted
young men might, in their distress, examine the claims of
the gospel with a candour which they probably would not
have manifested had the course of their lives run more
smoothly. He therefore asked a mutual friend to bring
Krishna Mohun to his house. The young Brahman came,
on which the missionary expressed deep sympathy with him
in the sufferings which he had endured, and, after gaining
his confidence, succeeded in convincing him that as a
professed inquirer after truth, he was bound to search into
and candidly examine the claims of Christianity, and that
he was not warranted in setting it aside unless he first
proved its evidences to be unsatisfactory. Krishna then
made so favourable a report to his youthful friends and fol-
lowers respecting this first interview with the missionary, that
they resolved to hold weekly meetings at his house for
religious instruction and discussion ; but before farther
arrangements were quite completed new trials had first to
be encountered. On the 28th September, Krishna had to
depart hurriedly from his new abode to escape personal
assault, though about a month had elapsed since the beef
affair, and now not a Hindoo in all Calcutta dared to give
DR DUFF AND THE UNBELIEVERS. Cj
him shelter, so that he had no resource left but to take up
his residence in a European lodging-house. Next evening
Mr Duff went thither to pay him a visit, and found him
surrounded by his friends, who were joining him in de-
nouncing popular Hindooism, and vowing that in future
they would proceed to greater lengths against it than they
had done in the past. In their present state of isolation
and distress they hstened to the European visitor while he
showed them that the great European reformers, Luther,
Calvin, Knox, and others, constructed as well as destroyed.
They, as Bengalee reformers, must do the same if their
exertions were to be really beneficial to their countrymen.
Finally, after much reasoning and many appeals, they were
persuaded to attend at his house, for a weekly lecture, on
Tuesday, and seek religious instruction, opportunity also
being afforded for subsequent discussion. This second
course Mr Duff had to undertake single-handed, and carry
it on from beginning to end without assistance or co-opera-
tion on the part of any other. At first from forty to sixty
came, most of them behaving very well, while a small
minority were proud, forward, rude, boisterous, and often
grossly insulting. Besides the youths, for whom the lectures
were primarily designed, other Hindoos in considerable
numbers, as well as East Indians and Europeans, attended
to witness the unwonted spectacle. The first series of lec-
tures and discussions was regarding the initial truth of
all religion — the being of a God. His attributes were next
established, after which followed the evidences of natural
and then of revealed religion ; and, last of all, a full state-
ment and exposition of the doctrines of the Christian faith,
with earnest appeals to the conscience.
One of the most forward and reckless of the young men
who attended the lectures was called Mohesh Ghose. When
he came to them in November 183 1, he did not really
expect to receive any religious benefit from what he heard,
but he believed he would have the opportunity of exposing
68 CALCUTTA. , . .'
what he considered to be the irrational and superstitious
fallacies of the missionary. Step by step, however, he
found himself driven from Atheism and from Deism, first to
a general acknowledgment of Christianity, and then, through
the special working of the Spirit of God, to the accept-
ance of the gospel with his heart. He was baptized on tlie
26th August 1832, but, strange to say, not by his spiritual
father, but by an Episcopal clergyman, with whom he had
not previously had any connection, whilst in the first pub-
lished statement of his conversion he did not make those
acknowledgments which justice, no less than gratitude,
required of the deep obligations under which he lay to the
Presbyterian missionary. For this omission, however, he
subsequently apologised, with expressions of deep regret, in
the columns of the Calcutta Christian Observer*
Krishna Mohun was present when the sacred rite was
administered, and, in commenting on the incident in the
Inquirer^ he wrote in a spirit so different from that which
of old had animated him, that it was evident he was now
himself a Christian. Shortly afterwards he was baptized by
Mr Duff, in his lecture room, amid a dense crowd of natives,
East Indians, and Europeans, and has ever since been a
pillar of the native Church pf India, and the author of
several able and masterly works alike in English and Ben-
galee. After some time he was led, from circumstances,
to connect himself with the Church of England, of which
he became an ordained clergyman and professor in Bishop's
College. Before conversion he was a Kulin Brahman.+
* Of this periodical, which for upwards of thirty years rendered great and im-
portant service to the cause of evaneclical Christianity in India, there were at the
outset three joint editors — Mr Duff naving charge of the general department for
original articles, &c., Mr Hill of the review, and Mr Gogerly of the intelligence de-
partment.
t There are grades of dignity in the Brahmanic caste, the Kulins occupying the
very apex of the pyramid. So high are they supposed to be, that it is deemed a
great honour for a Brahmin girl to obtain one of them for a husband, a foolish fancy
of which many Kulin scoundrels take cruel advantage by marrying indefinite num-
bers of young women ail over the country, of course obtaining, if possible, a dowry
with each, and then quartering themselves for long periods of time on father-in-law
after father-in-law with as little shame as the professional mendicants in the streets.
HIGHLY IMPORTANT BAPTISMS. 69
When he led the phalanx of unbelief, he owed his position
as leader among the young illuminati to the strength of his
intellect, and he is so thoroughly master of the English
tongue that when he pens an article in a quarterly re-
view no one would ever suppose that it was written by a
Hindoo.
Early one morning, about the beginning of December
1832, another of the young men, Gopinath Nandi by name,
entered Mr Duff's study, and, sitting down, remained quite
silent for about a quarter of an hour, as if burdened with
some great grief. At length gaining utterance, he asked,
"Can I be saved? Shall 1 have the privilege of being
called a son of God, and a servant of Jesus Christ ? Shall
I be admitted into the holy family ?" " Believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ," was the reply, " and thou shalt be saved."
Before the interview terminated, the burden was removed,
and Gopinath was rejoicing in. his Lord and Saviour. He
was soon after admitted into the Church of Christ by bap-
tism, Mr Duff administering the ordinance. A year or two
afterwards, Gopinath proceeded to the north-west provinces,
and there became a distinguished and successful missionary
of the Cross.* These baptisms being the first of the kind
which had ever occurred in India, produced a profound
sensation alike in the native and European communities.
By that time, Atheism had almost, if not altogether, disap-
peared from among the young men, and Deism was much
less rampant than formerly. Not merely had three been
baptized, but many who still remained nominally Hindoo,
with more or less straightforwardness acknowledged the
claims of Christianity. Of these, however, some were after
a time admitted into the Church of Christ by baptism.
About the beginning of 1833, Mr Duff commenced two
courses of lectures — one for converts and others whose
objections to the Bible he had been enabled previously to
♦ In 1833, a pious officer at Futtehpore, in Upper India, set up a school at that
station, and applied to Mr Duff for a teacher. Gopinath was sent, and laboured
in the north-west till his death. We shall meet with him again in the history.
(891) 6
70 CALCUTTA.
remove, and g. second for those less advanced. A Bengalee
service was also instituted soon afterwards, and other means
were taken for accomplishing the ends contemplated in the
establishment of the mission. It received extension also in
a remarkable way. Soon after Mr Duff's arrival in Calcutta,
the late Rajah Rammohun Roy, introduced him to a family of
wealthy zemindars (landowners), consisting of four brothers,
with the family name of Chaudri, who lived happily together
on their ancestral estate at Taki, forty-five miles east of
Calcutta, Visits paid by some of these to the Calcutta
institution, and subsequent intercourse with Mr Duff, led to
their making a request that he would found a school at
Taki on the same model as that in Calcutta. After a visit
to the place, in which he received a right princely welcome,
he agreed to the proposal, and suggested a site for the con-
templated buildings. The Chaudris, by a legal instrument,
bound themselves and their heirs to pay the main charges of
the schools, amounting to about ;^3oo a year, at the same
time leaving to Mr Duff the whole management of the educa-
tion. The institution was opened with due ceremony on
the 13th June 1832. In the second year of its existence, great
floods swept away about 50,000 natives in Lower Bengal, and
fearful pestilence completed the work of destruction. The
school suffered severely, but it rose again into power when
the calamities terminated. — {Missionary Record, 1838-39, pp.
81, 109, and 132.) Quite early in the history of the mission,
one of the secretaries of the supreme government wrote —
** How numerous are the instances in which visitors to the General
Assembly's celebrated academy have caught the spirit of the plan, and
been induced, on their return to their respective districts, to form the
nucleus of similar institutions ! "
In 1833, the first fruits of the institution in the conversion
of souls were reaped with great gladness, a young man,
called Anundo Chunder Majundar, having on that day
been admitted into the Christian Church.* Not long
* Anundo, in 1834, accompanied Mr Groves to England, and, on returning to the
£ast, became a catechist of the London Missionary Society. He died in 1841.
MESSRS MA CJCA Y AND £ WART. 7 1
afterwards, other converts were obtained from the institu-
tion. But we must not anticipate.
As a rule, the first four years of a mission are a sowing
rather than a reaping time, and the campaign now described
stands quite alone for the brilliance of its results. But just
when past successes were most vividly inspiring hope of
new and yet greater victories, an unexpected and afflictive
providence terminated the campaign. Oftener than once,
during the currency of the events now described, Mr Duffs
health had threatened to break down under the load of his
manifold labours and anxieties,* and finally, towards the
end of July 1834,^ he was ordered home at two days' notice
to save his life, then in imminent danger, and departed,
leaving his colleague, Mr Mackay, in sole charge of the
mission.
CHAPTER III.
THE INSTITUTION IN NEW HANDS.
Before 1834 closed, another missionary had arrived from
home — the Rev. David Ewartf Though the absence of
Mr Duff was necessarily an incalculable loss to the mission,
yet the institution continued to flourish in the hands of
Messrs Mackay and Ewart. Mr Mackay was a man of
modest, retiring character, exquisite taste, a fine balance of
mental faculties and varied accomplishments. The earthly
tenement in which these qualities were enshrined was, how-
ever, from the first feeble, and the trying cUmate of Bengal
soon broke it down. The Rev. David Ewart, when he first
went to India, was a young man of ruddy complexion, and
* To his manifold missionary and other labours was superadded, for a twelve-
month, the charge of the Scotch Church, after Dr Bryce had left on furlough for
Scotland, and before the arrival of Mr, now Dr, Charles.
t Mr Ewart was born 24th September 1806, at the farm of Uppier Balloch, in the
parish of Alyth, and within a mi!e of the town of Alyth. He was afterwards a
student at St Andrews along with Messrs Duff and Mackay.
72 CALCUTTA.
with a physical frame which enabled him to undergo great
fatigue. Punctual as clockwork, he might be seen day by
day proceeding to the institution, in which his chief duty
lay, prepared to labour with untiring energy, and a patience
and good temper that never flagged, great qualities for
keeping an institution going in India, or any other land.
On the 7th March 1835, the Governor-General, Lord
William Bentinck, whose reforming ardour had not been
exhausted by the great measure which will for ever im-
mortalise his name — the abolition of Suttee — initiated an
important revolution in the attitude of Government towards
sound education in India. Hitherto the patronage of the
Government had been almost exclusively confined to schools
and colleges designed for the inculcation of so-called oriental
knowledge, which in the main consisted of false science
and false religion. But a first step was taken to altering
this state of things when, at the date mentioned above,
the Governor-General declared that —
** The great object of the British Government ought to be the promo-
tion of European literature and science among the natives of India, and
that all the funds appropriated for the purpose of education would be
best employed in English education alone."
At that time, be it observed, the funds given for the pro-
motion of education were unhappily very limited, so that it
was needful to make a choice among the competing systems
of education ; and Lord William chose that which was likely
soonest to produce great results. His decree, it need scarcely
be pointed out, was well fitted to give a fresh impulse to the
educational operations of the Calcutta mission.
One institution which this decree at once called into life
was the Medical College, with a full staff" of professors,
whose prelections were to be in English, with, however, a
vernacular department for humbler practitioners. This was
founded on the ruins of the medical class, previously con-
ducted chiefly for Mohammedans, through the medium of
Arabic. A very interesting point connected with its
THE CASE OF D W ARK AN A TH BHOSEi 73
establishment is thus told by the Friend of India for
December 31, 1863 : —
** The most striking practical proof of the great social changes set in
motion by Dr Duff is seen in the history of the Medical College. Dr
John Tytler kept a medical school, in which he taught the natives
anatomy from models of the human body. Dr Duff declared that a
thorough English education dispelled the prejudices which Dr Tytler
recognised, and challenged him to try the experiment on his own highest
class. To the Government deputation which questioned the class on
the subject, the first student, a Brahmin, said he had no objection to
touch a dead body when studying anatomy. The rest of the class
agreed, and the battle was won by the establishment of the Medical
College."
The words used by the Brahmin with regard to the idea of
his caste being defiled by touching a dead body for scientific
purposes were: "Oh, that's all prejudice, prejudice!" —
Missionary Record^ 183 7-1 841, p. 236.
In 1837, a remarkable baptism occurred — thatDf Dwar-
kanath Bhose, a pupil in the institution, about seventeen
years old. Dwarkanath, having been suspected of leanings
towards Christianity, was thrown into a palanquin and taken
to his father's country house, two days' journey from Cal-
cutta, where iron chains were put upon his legs to prevent
his escape. Some time afterwards he was released, and,
returning to school, applied for baptism. A second time he
was carried off, but again escaped. An attorney's letter was
sent demanding his surrender, but no notice was taken of
it. Two or three days subsequently, when he was out in a
carriage with Mr Ewart, the horse was thrown down by a
band of ruffians, and Dwarkanath carried off. Legal pro-
ceedings were taken in consequence, in which effective
assistance was gratuitously rendered by Mr Leith, barrister,
and Dwarkanath was ultimately released. He was baptized
on the 1 8th February 1837.*
On the 17th February 1838, the Rev. John and Mrs
* After Dwarkanath had completed his literary education, he entered the Medical
College of Calcutta, and so highly distinguished himself, that he was chosen as one
«)f four students to be sent to London by the Bengal Government, for the purpose ol
tinishing, under the best professors existing, their medical education. On returning,
he became a member of the native Free Church congrc^gatiun in Calcutta.
74 CALCUTTA,
Macdonald arrived to the assistance of the mission.* Mr
Macdonald was a man of great and even stem fidelity to
principle, the terror of open sinners and of inconsistent
Christian professors, but prized exceedingly by those to
whom religion was all in all. Though feeling the necessity
of having secular subjects taught, and taught well, in the
institution, yet personally he desired, as a minister of the
gospel, to confine himself to the one great theme, and
employment of a congenial character was found for him in
the theological department of the institution.
His services in the mission were soon highly indispensable;
for in 1838, Mr Mackay's health so utterly gave way, that
when by medical advice he took ship for Van Dieman's
Land, neither he nor his friends had much expectation of
his surviving the voyage.
In 1839, two very remarkable baptisms took place in
connection with the mission. They were those of Mahendra
Lai Basakf and Khoilas Chunder Mookerjee. % When Ma-
* John Macdonald was bom in Edinburgh on the 17th February 1807. His
father was at that period minister of the Gaelic Church in the Scottish capital, but
was subsequently translated to Ferintosh, in a fragment of Nairnshire, everywhere
surrounded by Ross-shire districts. There he made such wide-spread efforts for the
evangelisation of the Celtic population, that he came to be designated the apostle of
the North. The son was educated at King^s College, Aberdfeen, whete he highly
distinguished himself, the most notable of his intellectual achievements being that
he gained the Huttonian prize, which constituted him what in the South wou!d be
called the senior wrangler of his year. He was licenced on 6th January 1830. In
October 1830, he took charge of a small Scottish congregation then worshipping in
Chadwell Street, Pentonville, London, and on the 17th March 1831 was ordained
its pastor. Coming under the powerful spell of Dr Duft's eloquence during the visit
of the latter to London, his missionary leanings became known, and he was in con-
sequunce invited by the General Assembly's committee to go to Calcutu. Accept-
ing the call he, on the 19th December 1837, left for the East in a ship called the
Marion.
t Mahendra was born in September 1822, and entered the institution abput 1831.
Soon after he was removed to the Hindoo college, but was ere long permitted to
return again to the institution. In 1838, he came under powerful religious impres-
sions, which became known to his friends, and led to his being deprived of his
books and plied with the exhortations of interested Brahmins. All was, however,
without avail. Then it was said that, at the suggestion of a very near relative, his
" friends" tried to seduce him into vice, well knowing that this would imfit him for
being admitted into a holy religion. The disreputable plot failed, and, as men-
tioned in the text, he was at length baptized. Mahendra possessed great intellect.
He was the gold medallist of his year at the institution, and some new demonstra-
tions which he made of Euclid's problems elicited the warm commendation of Pro-
fessor Wallace, who then filled the mathematical chair in Edinburgh University.
X Khoilas was a native of Kulahasho village, twenty-four miles westward of Cal-
cutta. He was bom in 1821. His father was a Kulin Brahmin. He entered the
MAHENDRA AND K HOI LAS, 7$
hendra came seeking baptism, his father did all in his power
to induce him to return home. At first he admitted him to
be above sixteen ; but on learning that in that case he had
an indisputable right to judge ipx himself, he altered his
statement, and reduced the age to fifteen years and some
months. No legal proceedings were attempted, and Ma-
hendra was baptized on the 8th March 1839.
Khoilas first came to the Mission-house in April 1839.
His friends hacj been taking him to some idolatrous cere-
mony, with which he felt that he must have nothing to do,
on which he suddenly escaped from them on the road, fled
to his spiritual instructors, and asked for baptism. His
native friends could not for a long time induce him to leave,
till at length, in the simplicity of his heart, he believed two
baboos, because " they were educated men and had English
manners," and went with them to his father's house, on their
solemn promise that they would bring him back in an hour
or two. The result might have been conjectured. He was
carried off as a prisoner and kept in captivity three months
in a house far away from Calcutta. But he remained firm
during this trying period, and at last escaping again to the
Mission-house, was publicly baptized in the hall of the insti-
tution in August 1839.
Soon afterwards a young Brahmin, called Chundra Kumar
Roy, asked baptism. He was about eighteen years of age,
but not possessed of much mental ability.
On Sunday, i8th August 1839, the Rev. Thomas Smith
(now the Rev. Dr Smith, of Cowgatehead) reached Cal-
cutta;* and towards the end of the same year, Mr Mackay
was again back at his post, with his health considerably
recruited, f
institution in X833. He was not so much able as gentle, tractable, and attentive to
his studies.
* On the 8th March, Mr Smith was ordained by the Presbytery of Edinburgh—
Dr Duff, who was then at home, presiding and officiating on the occasion. The
very eloquent sermon and addresses then delivered were published, by request,
under the title of *' Missions the Chief End of the Church."
t Mr Mackay, when he was in Van Dieman's Land, made a very favourable im-
pression on the governor, Sir John Franklin, ultimately destined to become a martyr
^6 CALCUTTA,
CHAPTER IV.
THE YEARS PRECEDING THE DISRUPTION.
In May 1840, Dr Duff returned in recruited health from
Scotland. Larger buildings having by this time been
obtained through his exertions while at home for the in-
stitution, it was no longer under the restraint as to num-
bers which it had originally been, and in place of 300 there
were now 800 pupils in attendance. By January 1841 they
increased to 870.
The reforming governor, Lord William Bentinck, was no
longer in India, and his successor. Lord Auckland, had not
approved of his predecessor's educational decree, but had
made a retrograde movement, which, for the time at least,
arrested the severance of the Government from oriental error.
A series of letters, strongly deprecating this reactionary step,
was addressed to its noble originator by Dr Duff, and led to a
warm and even vehement discussion between the advocates
of Orientalism and Occidentalism, which ended by the adop-
tion of some practical measures that went far to neutralise
the force of the Governor-General's unhappy decree.
In 1840, Miss Laing arrived from Europe as the agent of
the Scottish Ladies' Society for promoting Female Education
in India, commenced the year before. An orphan refuge
for girls had been begun on a humble scale a short time
before by Mrs Charles, wife of the Rev. Dr Charles, then
of science in the polar regions. He also so sained the hearts of the colonists, that
they wished him to remain among them as their pastor, but he felt that his proper
sphere was Calcutta, where there was in progress what he believed to be " the most
important work now carrying on on the earth." Ho-left Hobart Town on December
i3» 1839- . On his return voyage, he was shipwrecked on the coast of Orissa, about
twenty miles south of False Point, on the evening of February 15, 1840. " For
myself," he wrote, " I looked upon death as inevitable. To me, though not in that
form, the prospect had long been familiar, and then, as ever, my chief regret was
that I had done so little for Christ, and given so much of my heart and time to the
world." At length a native vessel, of eighty or ninety tons, picked the crew and
passengers off the wreck, and ultimately transferred them to a British ship, which
brought them to Calcutta.
SIEGE OF THE MISSION HOUSE, yj
senior Presbyterian chaplain at Calcutta. The girls now
spoken of were given in charge to Miss Laing, and more
having been sent her, another lady, Miss Saville, was sent
from home to her assistance, arriving on nth December
1842.
It was an extremely gratifying circumstance that an effort
should have commenced for the small section of the Cal-
cutta females who alone were accessible at that time to
missionary effort. Meanwhile, the institution was producing,
under the operation of the Divine Spirit, the results which
had been contemplated in its establishment. News came
from Futtehghur, in the north-west provinces, that baptism
had been administered there to a young man called
Kalichum Dutt, who had been for four years in the institu-
tion ; and some time afterwards more spiritual fruit was
gathered, and this time, it is gratifying to add, by those who
had sown the seed. On the 2d November 1841, a young
Brahmin of 18, Jagadishwar Bhattacharjya, who had for
some time been applying for admission to the Church,
appeared at the Mission-house. His relatives, as is usual
on such occasions, tried by moving entreaties to shake his
resolution to become a Christian, but the inquirer, though
naturally soft and yielding, was firm as a rock in adhering to
his purpose. Next day the matter was noised abroad over
Calcutta, and the day being one marked by an unusual
conjunction of the planets, and therefore, in the opinion of
the astrologers, sure to be attended with some great cala-
mity, excitement arose, and violence was attempted.
Thousands surrounded the Mission-house in a state of rage
and fury, so that Dr Duff had to apply to the police for a
protective force. In these circumstances, it was found
necessary to baptize Jagadishwar at once, to show the
assailants that he was finally lost to Hindooism. At one
o'clock, consequently, he was led out into the institution,
and the younger boys being dismissed, while the elder ones
were retained, he was solemnly baptized on making a pro-
78 CALCUTTA,
fession of his faith, and throwing down, in presence of all the
spectators, his poita or sacred thread, a symbol designed to
indicate that he flung from him all the caste privileges no
less than the faith of Brahmanism When the pupils, on
being dismissed, all concurred in reporting that the deed
was done, the mob besieging the Mission-house melted
away, and quiet was in consequence restored. Only about
' sixty pupils were removed from the institution in conse-
quence of this baptism, and a few weeks sufficed to restore
it to its pristine strength.
On Wednesday, 19th January 1842, another Brahman,
Prasanna Kumar Chatterji, was admitted into the Christian
Church.
On Sabbath, 3d July 1842, at the ordinary evening ser-
vice at the institution, Madhab Chandra Basak, a young
man of the same standing as Jagadishwar, was baptized,
after passing through the dreadful ordeal common on
such occasions. An interesting fact connected with this
case was, that about a hundred native students from the
higher classes of the institution, from the Hindoo College,
or from other seminaries, were present at the administration
of the sacred ordinance, and behaved most decorously.
Notwithstanding what had occurred, there were sixty more
candidates for admission into the institution next day,
being the first Monday of the month, when fresh names
are enrolled. Madhab was not long a member of the
Church on earth. He died on the 17th February 1843,
of consumption, at Kishnagur, whither he had been
sent for change of air. Jagadishwar and Prasanna, who
had gone with him to take care of him, watched over him
with affectionate care, till he no longer required human
kindness.
About the same time word came that the Rev. Mr
Bowley, a Church of England missionary at Chunar, on the
Ganges, had baptized a young man, formerly a pupil in the
General Assembly's institution. This was at least the third
BRANCH INSTITUTION AT TAKI. 79
known instance in which pupils of Dr Duff's had received
the sealing rite in the upper provinces. Facts of this
kind, which afterwards became more numerous, require to
be taken into account in estimating the success of the
institution.
Not merely were there new accessions to the native
Church, but there were within its fold aspirants to the
ministry, and on the loth March 184-2, Mahendra and
Khoilas, after a searching examination, were set apart as
full catechists.
Though the completion of the new buildings had given
an impulse to the institution, so that its pupils had risen to
900 on the roll, with 700 in daily attendance, yet it was
resolved to push forward into the country districts, espe-
cially as spheres were required within which Mahendra and
Khoilas might labour for the Redeemer. In the early part
of 1842, Ghospara, the residence of the head of the re-
markable sect of the Karta Bhojas, or worshippers of
the Creator, on the left bank of the Ganges, about
thirty miles above Calcutta, was, after much inquiry
and a personal survey of the locality, selected by Dr Duff
for occupation, and by January 1843, ^^^ premises which
had been erected were ready for the commencement of
operations. About the same time means were taken to
occupy Culna.* It will be remembered that the mission
already had a school at Taki. To manage this more effi-
ciently a teacher, then unordained, was despatched from
home. This devoted labourer, Mr, now the Rev. Mr Fyfe,
* Culna is about fifty miles north from Calcutta, on the right bank of the
Hooghly. It contains about 30,000 inhabitants. It derives importance from being
the port of Burdwan, the outlet by which rice and other grain, cotton, &c., are
exported from that fertile district. About 1842, the Church of England sent a mis-
sionary thither, but in 1841 removed him to the district of Kishnagur, where a
remarkable movement had taken place among the Karta Bhoja» ; and the Culna
premises, by an arrangement with Dr Duff, were sold to the Scottish mission The
Glasgow Ladies' Association bought them, designing them to be a station for
Mahendra. Till he was ready to occupy it, Mr Chill, a European brought up in
India, was to commence operations there. It may .seem strange that a Ladies' Asso-
ciation in Scotland should so actively interfere in Bengal mission work ; the reason
was, that the Association had generously agreed to support Mahendra, while the
Church of St Stephen's, Edinburgh, with equal liberality, undertook for Khoilas.
80 CALCUTTA.
Still remains in connection with the mission. The ordained
labourers were all at their posts, Mr Smith, who had been
compelled by ill health to leave on December 17, 1841, for
the Cape of Good Hope, having returned on the 13th
December 1842, and all was proceeding smoothly and satis-
factorily as the mission neared the crisis of the Disruption.
CHAPTER V.
THE DISRUPTION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.
As has already been stated, all the ordained missionaries of
the Scottish Establishment seceded with the party who at
the Disruption became the Free Church. The hope was
entertained that there might be an arrangement about an
equitable division of the property at Calcutta, Bombay, and
other stations, but law was insisted upon, or rather, the repre-
sentatives of the Established Church thought it equitable to
take everything that they could claim by mere technicalities
of law, and strip their adversaries as bare as possible. The
mission, therefore, lost the Calcutta buildings, for which the
money had been obtained mainly through the earnest
pleadings of Dr Duff when at home ; nay, more, the library
and philosophical apparatus had to be surrendered, though
with good reason believed by Dr Duff to have been in-
tended by the donors as a personal gift to himself. It is
not, however, buildings, books, or apparatus which consti-
tute an evangelistic agency, but human souls, and Mr Fyfe,
with all the other teachers, cast in their lot, as did the entire
mass of the pupils, with the retiring missionaries. Miss
Laing took the same side, and on the ist November, had
to give up all the original orphans, while her assistant,
Miss Saville, sided with the Establishment, and was at once
promoted to fill the office vacated by her principal.
DISRUPTION TRIALS, 8 1
On the 13th August 1843, ^ disruption took place also in
the Calcutta Presbyterian Church, Dr DufF, his colleagues,
and many of the members, withdrawing from its com-
munion, and taking steps to form an organisation of their
own. All the jiative converts left with their spiritual in-
structors. Everything had to be begun anew, and unless
vast energy were put forth, the disruption crisis would prove
also the disruption catastrophe.
The first step was to apply for the temporary use of a
large room in which divine service in English might be
commenced; and the Freemasons' Hall was at first
obtained for the purpose,* and there, by Dr Duff preaching
in the forenoon, and Mr Macdonald in the evening, the
Free Church of Calcutta was inaugurated.
But the Masons, with little respect for the rights of
conscience, soon ejected the congregation from it by a
majority of one vote. An application was next made to
Government for one of the side-rooms connected with
the Town Hall, which elicited an evasive reply. At this
the managers of the Parental Academic Institution (now
the Doveton College), established and supported by the East
Indian community, generously came forward, and offered
the use of their hall, which was cheerfully accepted. A site
was obtained at the corner of Wellesley Square, near the
* This inauguration was rendered memorable by the baptism of a convert, who
has since proved an eminent minister of Christ — tlie Rev. Behari Lai Singh. His
father, a Kajput by birth, had come from Central India and settled in Calcutta. He
had two boys, who were both sent for education to the institution. There, along
with general studies, they acquired a thorough knowledge of the Bible. The elder
of the two left the institution for the North-west, and falling in with a Church of
England missionary, was by him baptized. The younger, BehaH Lai, among other
exercises, wrote a remarkable essay on the Evidences of Christianity. Having
obtained the appointment of head-master of a Government school in Jubbulpoi e, on
the Nerbuddan, with a handsome salary, he went thither to occupy his new charget
intellectually convinced of the truth of Christianity, but without heart-conversion to
God. There, through the blessing of the Holy Spirit, his head knowledge was
turned into heart convictions. He, therefore, resolved to resign his situation and
come to Calcutu for Christian baptism and further instruction, though distinctly
warned that while a student in the mission he could only obtain subsistence allow-
ance, which did not exceed a tenth part of his salary in Jubbuipore. In the face of
this warning, however, he determined to come. On the morning of Sabbath, 13th
August, he arrived at the Mission-house ; and on the evening of that day, in the
Freemasons' Hall, Mr Macdonald had the joy of administering to him the sealing
ordinance.
82 CALCUTTA.
Government Mohammedan College, and after ;^iooo had
been paid for it, ;^26oo remained as the nucleus of a
building fund. Mr Macdonald officiated as temporary
pastor. The missionaries would have addressed themselves
with equal vigour to the task of obtaining new mission pre-
mises, had they been able to convince themselves that the
Establishment would not on any terms consent to their
retention of the former buildings, but to the last they
refused to believe that the liberal proposals of the Free
Church on the subject would be sternly refused. At length,
a letter which reached Calcutta on January 22, 1844,
dashed all their hopes on the subject, and let them know
that they were face to face with perhaps the greatest diffi-
culty they had ever had to encounter in the East. Native
houses, as a rule, are bamboo and mud huts, while the
great houses of wealthy natives are family mansion-houses,
which, as a rule, they will on no account let to Europeans ;
and where to obtain a building to accommodate nearly 1000
pupils it puzzled the missionaries to know. Yet no edifice
less than this would suffice, for at the examination held a few
days before, the roll — which was always expurgated on the
ist of each month, every scholar who had been absent
during the whole of the previous month without satisfactory
explanation being remorselessly struck out — had on it 893
names in the school, and 36 in the college department — or
929 in all. Happily it was vacation time, and thus a few
precious days were given to look out for new school rooms.
Not merely the missionaries and converts, but the senior
pupils hunted up and down the native city, in the hope that
the uninhabited mansion of some baboo (native gentleman
or nobleman) might be found to let or to sell. At last,
after long and tantalising disappointment, a huge pile of
building in the form of a square, in the aristocratic Nim-
tollah Street, excited hopes, and these grew bright when
it became understood that the proprietress, a widow whose
husband had become bankrupt, occupied only the Zenana
NEGO TIA TIONS FOR NE W PREMISES. 8 3
or female apartments attached as a wing to the square, and
could, if she pleased, without detriment to herself, let the
square building itself, which was on a scale of sufficient
magnitude to accommodate looo pupils. The widow, through
her only son, who was wont to come to Dr Duff on friendly
visits, and was favourable to the letting of the house, was
led to feel that it would be for her pecuniary advantage
to consent to the proposals made to her, but her guru^ or
family priest, and other Brahmans soon put evil suggestions
into her mind. Might not, said they, the Europeans eat
beef within the building, and thus hopelessly defile it ? Of
course they might, and probably would. For this, there-
fore, and other reasons, she suddenly changed her mind,
and after saying that she would let the premises, said next,
with yet more decision, that she would not The mis-
sionaries were greatly cast down on receiving this intelli-
gence, but they consoled themselves by purchasing a very
eligible site in the same street, which had then unexpectedly
come into the market, for permanent premises, though, of
course, this would not satisfy their present necessity. To
their surprise and gratification, a letter was received from
the widow's European man of business, who was led to take
an interest in the matter through the late excellent Mr R.
Rose, a tried friend of the mission, stating that the lady had
again changed her mind, and that she was willing to let the
square building on condition that no beef should be eaten
therein, that she should be allowed to remove the sacred
mud floor of the temple part of it, and leave the vacuity to
be filled up by the missionaries anyway they pleased. A
deed of lease for five years was prepared ; and early next
morning Dr Duff, with Mr Rose and the man of business,
hurried to the house, — the widow, behind the purdah,
authorising her mark to be annexed to the deed, and Dr
Duflf signing it in behalf of the mission. With deep thank-
fulness to the Disposer of all events, they closed with her
offer. It was now felt that, for the time at least, the crisis
84 CALCUTTA.
was at an end. The heathens of the old bigoted party were
greatly depressed in spirits on finding that the institution
was, after all, to go on, whilst the pupils, actual and pro-
spective, were proportionately elated.
On Monday, the 4th March 1844, the institution opened
with teachers, monitors, and 791 pupils present on a roll of
upwards of 1000, only it was now in NimtoUah Street, and
not, as previously, in Comwallis Square. Nor was the
library entirely destitute of books. Friends, European and
native, had made donations collectively amounting to about
1 100 volumes, whilst a Hcrschell's ten-foot telescope, also
presented to the mission by Mr Stewart, son of Dr Stewart,
formerly of Moulin, Dingwall, and the Canongate, Edin-
burgh, became the nucleus of a fresh set of apparatus.
The Disruption affected most of the branch stations, as
well as the central institution and church. Khoilas and
Mahendra had gone to occupy Ghospara in June 1843,
before the news of the Disruption had reached India.
Some time afterwards, the St Stephen's congregation of the
Established Church claimed, and in November 1844 ob-
tained, the buildings there, the two catechists being with-
drawn. An arrangement was come to, by which the Free
Church was allowed to retain Culna, the one fragment of
salvage from the great Disruption wreck. Taki it was beyond
the power of the Establishment to meddle with, belonging
as it did to Hindoo zemindars, and not to the mission.
Shortly after the Disruption, the baboos, finding the place
very unhealthy for European teachers, removed the school
to Baranagur, the seat of their town residence, a populous
suburb on the Hooghly, north of Calcutta. After the
transfer, it contained 200 scholars. The teacher, Mr
Fyfe, was a devoted man, and, in 1844, he applied to be
received as a candidate for the ministry. In that year, also,
Jagadishwar Bhattacharjya, Prasunna Kumar Chatterjee,
and Lai Behari De, made a similar application.
In May 1844, there appeared the first number of the
BAPTISM OF FIVE JE WISH CONVERTS. 8$
Calcutta Review^ a quarterly which has continued till now,
discussing Indian affairs with an amount of knowledge
which our home quarterlies are not in circumstances to
rival.*
On the last Sabbath of July 1844, Gobindo, a young
man who had for years previously been a student in the
institution, received the sealing rite, and on December 8th of
the same year, high hopes were raised by the admission into
the Church of five Jewish converts. A man of that nationality,
called Isaac, had been brought into intercourse with Captain
Roxburgh, a member of the Church of England, and subse-
quently of the Free Church. In this way, some desire was
awakened in his mind to inquire into the truth of Christi-
anity. Eventually he was led to apply to the missionaries,
bringing three others of the same nationality along with him.
Isaac himself was a rabbi ; another, of patriarchal age and
aspect, was called Abraham ; a third was a young man named
Joseph ; a fourth was Joseph's wife, and the daughter of
old Abraham. It was soon arranged that they should come
every Sunday morning to Dr Duff's house, and bring along
with them as many more of their race as could be induced
to attend. In point of fact, about a dozen, on an average,
were wont to come in for biblical instruction. The first
grand object was to search the Scriptures, and prove from
them that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah promised to
the fathers. The varied processes by which this examina-
. * The projector of the Calcutta Revteiv was the celebrated Indian historian, Mr
(now Sir John) Kaye. After the publication of two or three numbers, he was
obliged to leave India in bad health. Dr Duff, who, before it was actually started,
had a^^reed, on certain conditions with regard to its friendly bearing towards
Christianity and Christian missions, to be a regular contributor, now became sole
editor, and he continued to retain the arduous and responsible office till he left India
in 1849, when he was succeeded by Mr (afterwards Dr) Mackay. Dr Mackay
c >mposed beautifully, but his health was at all times feeble, and finding that he was
unable to bring out the numbers with perfect punctuality, he resigned, and was
succeeded by Mr (now Dr) Thomas Smith, who held the editorship for some
years. The missionaries powerfully supported Christian truth in the Review^ while
that important organ of public opinion was in their hands. It was a high compli-
ment to their talents when it was temporarily given over to them, and, indeed, out-
side the senatus of a university, it would not be easy to find in the same institution
three men associated together, who in succession were adjudged worthy of editing a
first-class quarterly review.
(391) 7
86 CALCUTTA,
tion was carried on cannot be detailed here. Suffice it to
say that, after a time, the first four that came were led to
rejoice that in Jesus Christ they had found the true Messiah,
the Redeemer of the world. And believing in Him with the
whole heart, they were by Dr Duff, on the evening of the day
already referred to, joyfully admitted into the Christian
Church. The rabbi then held up his infant daughter for
baptism, and would have presented also his little boy, had the
child not been carried off from his house by a mob of ruffian
Jews, and retained, so that a writ of habeas corpus was
necessary for his recovery. In 1848, two of the converts,
Abraham and Isaac, died within a few days of each other.
And nothing could well exceed the strength of their faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, and the triumphant
joy of their exit to be for ever with Him in glory.
The first examination of the institution in Nimtollah
Street was felt to be of much interest, on account of the
danger so recently escaped. Owing to its distance from the
European part of the city, and other reasons, it was held in
the Town Hall, on Friday, 27 th December 1844, when,
excluding about 200 from Baranagur, there were upwards of
1 200 present, there being on the roll of the central institution
1257 — namely, 1142 in the school, and 115 in the college
department, with 21^^ in that of Baranagur. The average
attendance in the central institution during the year had
been 910 ; the greatest number present at any one time, 988.
The day after the institution was opened, 1019 were actually
present. These were splendid statistics, and were all the
more remarkable that they were reached at so early a period
after the Disruption.
Shortly before this. Sir Henry Hardinge, the Governor-
General, in Council had issued an order of a very enhghtened
character, designed at once to give an impulse to the cause
of education in Bengal, and obtain for the public service
more efficient agents than had hitherto been possessed.
Till this time, in selecting young men to fill official situations,
A LIBERAL ENACTMENT ILLIBERALLY TREATED. Z^
even the alumni of the Government colleges had been
thoughtlessly, if not even designedly, overlooked ; whilst the
case was worse with the most distinguished students in the
missionary institutions. Sir Henry, feeling the injustice and
impolicy of this arrangement, enjoined that for the future,
when a situation had to be filled up, and there were a
number of candidates for it, preference should be given to
those who had received a liberal education. The conductors
of non-governmental institutions were, at the same time,
invited to send in lists drawn up according to a prescribed
form, of the most deserving young men under their care,
that, after proper inquiry, these might rank with the best
alumni of the Government schools and colleges as eligible
candidates for public situations. Nor was it simply to high
and well paid offices that this order was to refer. If a man
who could read, and a second who could not, applied
together for the same humble post under Government, then,
other qualifications being equal, the reader was to be pre-
ferred. Complaints were made by the missionaries of the
manner in which subordinates, jealous of their influence as
educationists, prescribed such subjects for examination as
would necessarily put students in an institution like Dr
Duff's at a serious disadvantage, and how they succeeded in
rendering the gazetting system, conceived with such liberality
and fairness, a dead letter. That the complaints of the
missionaries were well founded, was publicly admitted by
the home authorities. In Sir Charles Wood's celebrated
education despatch, published in 1854, the following frank
admission is made : —
Sec. 74. " We shall not enter upon the causes which, as we foresaw,
have led to the failure of that part of the resolutions which provided for
the annual submission to Government of lists of meritorious students.
It is sufficient for our present purpose to observe that no more than
forty-six persons have been gazetted in Bengal up to this time, all 0/
whom were students in the Governmeftt colleges.^' [The italics are ours.]
The gazetting system was consequently abolished. Had
it been impartially worked, it would have been of great value
88 CALCUTTA.
not simply to the educated natives, but to Government;
and great discredit attaches to those who accorded, even to
the alumni of Government colleges, only a fraction of their
rights, and denied to the pupils of the great missionary
institutions every atom of the justice which was their due.
CHAPTER VI.
EXCITING SCENES.
The missionaries had looked forward with eager joy to the
time when Khoilas and Mahendra would stand forth as
heralds of the Cross to their countrymen, and their first
efforts for the conversion of souls were in all respects
encouraging. It pleased God, however, to summon His
servants to another sphere than that for which their earthly
instructors had designed them. Early in 1844, Khoilas*
health had begun to give way, and in the month of March,
of the same year, an attack of cholera so thoroughly
prostrated him, that he expected to go, and, losing all fear
of death, repeated the first verse of the hymn beginning —
" The hour of my departure's come.**
Though he nominally recovered, the disease left his consti-
tution so shattered, that he fell into an atrophic decline.
When death visibly drew nigh, he manifested perfect tran-
quillity of soul and firm faith in his Saviour ; and finally, at
one in the morning of the 26th February 1845, "without
a sigh, a struggle, a movement of any sort in his attenuated
bodily frame, his spirit quietly departed unto the Lord.'*
The Rev. Mr Macdonald, of Calcutta, wrote a memoir of
him, in which he expresses the confidence he had in the
thorough Christian character of this native disciple.
Less than two months more saw the gifted Mahendra on
his deathbed. He was cut off by cholera on the 26th
THE BARREN FIELD YIELDS FRUITS. 89
February 1845. During his brief illness, his brain was
affected and his mind wandered, but even then salvation by
Christ and missionary work among his countrymen were
the subject of his incoherent speeches. During intervals of
calmness, he gave most satisfactory evidence of his faith,
often repeating, ** I am not afraid to die ; oh, no. I know
in whom I have believed. I am ready to die — to die with-
out any regret — resting on my Saviour ! " *
If 1845 was marked by such mournful events as the deaths
of Khoilas and Mahendra, exciting incidents of another
character were to render it for ever memorable.
It is almost a rule in the Church of Christ that, when the
followers of the Redeemer become exceedingly impressed
with the barrenness of the spiritual field they cultivate, and
are driven to prayer on the subject, plants of grace are just
about to spring up. On January 20, 1845, Mr Macdonald
wrote lamenting that out of all the pupils actually attending
the institution during the previous year, not one had been
baptized, the young man admitted into the church in July
having ceased to be a student five years before. He had no
suspicion when he penned this lament that within a few hours
a great and exciting drama of conversions from tlie institu-
tion was just about to begin. The day after Mr Macdonald
wrote his letter, Guru Das Mitra, one of the most promis-
ing among the pupils, came to the Mission -house as an
inquirer, and was shortly afterwards baptized. Next a case
of conversion with romantic accompaniments, occurred in
connection with the mission. A young man — called Umesh
Chandra Sirkar, a student in the institution, whose father was
dewan, or chief counsellor of a rajah — had secret leanings
towards Christianity ; and when about sixteen years old, he
began to teach his " wife," or rather the girl betrothed to
• The high mathematical ability of Mahendra has already been mentioned. Nor
was this all. He distinguished himself in logic, metaphysics, theology, &c Indeed,
he had a mind capable of grappling with any subject He was, moreover, an excel-
lent teacher, but, above all, he was a real missionary of the Cross. Bengal lost much
when it lost Mahendra.
go CALCUTTA.
him, and who was now about ten years old. This required
to be done in a covert manner, for female education among
the higher classes was then looked upon as a crime. The
young couple sat up secretly till one or two o'clock in the
morning, engaged in study, she being the pupil and her
betrothed husband the teacher. Presently, through the
instrumentality of these instructions, the young girl became
a convert, and now a good reader in Bengali On perus-
ing that portion of the " Pilgrim's Progress '* which speaks
of the flight of Christian from the City of Destruction, she
felt that her own and her ** husband's " case was mirrored
forth, and proposed that they should forthwith escape from
the heathen household in which they lived to Dr Duff's
residence, as at that time there was no Mission-house. The
husband hesitated for a little, but finally consented to the
project Hindoo females are so fenced round in the East,
that for a time the pair could not obtain the opportunity
for departure which they sought. At last on a great festival
day, which happened to be the Sabbath, when friends
were off their guard, Umesh and his wife succeeded in
effecting their escape. Both stood firm against all efforts of
the relatives, and the rajah, who visited Dr Duff''s house in
state, to induce them to return home ; and Sir Lawrence
Peel, cousin of the statesman, perceiving the falsehood of the
affidavits which represented the young couple as detained
against their will by the missionary, refused a writ of habeas
corpus. They were baptized by Dr Duff in his house on
April 27, 1845, to prevent the violent assault which was fully
meditated and planned had they been taken to the church.
On Monday, May 5th, a young man, called Bykanta
Nath, came for baptism, and was sent by Dr Duff to Mr
Thomas Smith's house for protection, as it was farther from
the native city. The brother came soon afterwards, and,
says Mr Smith —
" Such a scene as ensued I never witnessed before, and such a day, I
trust, I shall never be called to pass again. The ingenuity and deter-
THE FULL TIDE OF BLESSING, 9 1
mination of Brajanath (the heathen brother) were beyond anything I
could have conceived. With the exception of a few minutes that he
threw himself down on the floor, and fell asleep from perfect exhaustion,
he never ceased, from five in the morning till seven in the evening, to ply
his brother with all manner of arguments and solicitations. Blandish-
ments, reproaches, and threats, arguments and abuse, he used with a
d^^ee of rhetorical effect which our greatest orators might well envy."
All, however, was without avail ; Bykanta stood firm. The
same scene was repeated for two hours next morning, but
again without result. Then, in the absence of Mr Smith at
the institution, the brother persuaded Bykanta to see his
aunt, who was in a palanquin outside the gate, being afraid
to enter for fear of caste defilement, and who, it was repre-
sented, had eaten nothing since she left home. All this of
course was a plot, and no sooner did the young man sit
down on the side of the palanquin than he was forced into it
and carried away. A Dr Balfour, then at Mr Smith's, with
Jagadishwar and a servant, followed to prevent the seizure,
but they were overpowered by about thirty natives, and had
the mortification of witnessing the young man carried off.
A writ of habeas corpus was obtained, but to render the law
without effect the brother against whom it was issued and
the convert were removed to the house of a wealthy baboo,
where every effort was made to pervert the conscience or
corrupt the morals of the young man with the view of pre-
venting his being baptized. He came nobly through this
trying ordeal, and it becoming dangerous, with the writ
of habeas corpus in force, to keep him permanently in con-
finement, there was no help for it at last except to let him
return to the mission.
Whilst Mr Smith was hunting one evening for Bykanta, he
went into the house of a Brahman of his own acquaintance,
and wished to be conducted to the residence of a pupil
called Banko Behari Basu, living in the vicinity, who had
reported that he had held an interview with the missing
convert, whom he found in his house crying and in chains.
The domestics of the Brahman soon returned, not with
92 CALCUTTA.
intelligence as to where Banko lived, but with himself.
On seeing him Mr Smith, merely for the sake of saying
something till he could take him out and speak with him
privately, put the question —
" * Well, Banko, are you not afraid to come out on so dark a night ? '
* Oh, no,' was his reply. * What,* said Mr Smith, * are you not afraid
that I should take you and make you a Christian ? You know your
countrymen always say that we make Christians by force/ * It is to
be a Christian that I wish,' was his earnest reply. * I am a Christian.
I do not want to have anything more to do with Hindooism.* * What,'
said the Brahman, * you leave Hindooism ? You leave our religion ?
Why will you do that?* * Because,* said he, *your religion is full of
idolatry, and superstition, and wickedness.* "
Of course the Brahman forthwith reported all this to an
uncle with whom Banko was staying, his father and mother
being dead, on which the youth was summoned into the
presence- of his relatives, and informed that he must either
abjure Christianity or quit the house for ever. He chose
the latter side of the alternative, went to Mr Smith's,
obtained shelter, and on -Wednesday the 13th May was
baptized by Mr Ewart. On Sabbath, the i8th, another
student, Harish Chandra, came forward, and was bap-
tized on the 25 th by Mr Macdonald. Finally, on Saturday,
31st May, a young man, Benemadab, who had been
removed from the institution about three years before,
presented himself as a candidate for the sacred rite. He
was baptized on the ist July. Thus, before 1845 was half
finished, no fewer than seven young men from the institu-
tion had either been baptized or were just about to be so.
One does not require either to wonder or complain that
great excitement arose in Calcutta, and the cry of Hindooism
in danger was raised. The seven were looked upon as the
normal products of the teaching in the institution, while it
was alleged, and it must be confessed with justice, that a
great many more of the young men were Christians in heart,
and were restrained only by fear from soliciting baptism.
In every street, in every bazaar, wherever a knot of Hindoos
gathered to converse, the recent baptisms were the subject
A BABOO COMES TO THE FRONT. 93
of conversation. All missionaries were bad, the Free
Church ones were worst of all, and as for Dr Duff, no un-
cultivated savage, no beast of prey, was more to be dreaded.
In the alarm that prevailed all sects and sections of the
Hindoo community, the stiffly orthodox Dharma Sabha, the
Vedantist Brahma Sabha, that founded by the late Rammo-
han Roy, and the Tattwabodhini Sabha, yet more remote
fronh popular Hindooism, all made common cause. Meet-
ing after meeting took place, and numerous schemes were
discussed for preventing further baptisms. At length a pro-
ject was set on foot which, it was believed, would buttress
Hindooism, and render it less vulnerable to the assaults of
the Free Church or other missions. There was in the
Indian community a baboo, the venerated Muti Lai Sil,*
believed to be what worldly people call " worth " half
a million sterling. A son of this gentleman had been
at the Hindoo College, but being made to stand up on a
form for some petty offence, his father thought this an
insult to himself — the semi-millionaire — and wished the
teacher reprimanded. Not succeeding according to his
desires, he withdrew the pupil from the college, and set up a
seminary of his own. Wishing to put it in charge of men
who would abstain from introducing any Christianity into
it (one might be even a full millionaire without being deeply
read in Church history), he selected the Jesuits of St Xavier's
College as people who could be thoroughly trusted in such
a matter. Eight short months saw a rupture between the
allies. Sil charged the Jesuit fathers with violating their
engagement not to teach Romanism to the pupils, and,
with the promptitude of a Bismarck, turned them out. It
was hard to supply the lack of efficient service which this
act of discipline produced, and the seminary fell to a low
ebb. A gentleman of such public spirit and unimpeachable
orthodoxy was clearly the very person whom the crisis re-
quired, and accordingly when it was intimated at a public
* This word is pronounced like the Enj^lish one, ual.
94 CALCUTTA.
meeting that the baboo, Muti Lai Sil, would come to the
rescue of endangered Hindooism, the plaudits which arose
were loud and long. Sil undertook to give up a spacious
mansion near the Free Church institution for the establish-
ment of an anti-missionary college, whilst for its current
expenses, when it started, he would subscribe what would
come to about ;;^5oo annually. He would be gratified if
they would name the new seminary Sil's ^Free College.
They would not. Great as Sil's doings had been, there
were others worthy of all honour too. Some present at
the meeting had promised a clear donation of ;;^iooo, be-
sides monthly subscriptions. They were not disposed to
sink their names in that of SiL On hearing this that
gentleman gave way, and consented that the new college
should be called the Hindoo Charitable Institution. Nay,
more, till the confederates were ready to act with efficiency,
he would transfer his seminary (the ex-Jesuit one) to the
building which he had given up, and would take in addi-
tional pupils till the whole number amounted to a thousand.
He would give a donation to it of ;;^3 0,000, and an annual
contribution of ;;^i2oo. (Thunders of applause.) The
transfer was made on Monday, the 2d June 1845, and Sil's
Free College, or Sil's College, was inaugurated in presence
of the Rajahs Radhakant Deb and Bahadur, with other
Calcutta magnates. Then all the force of the Hindoo
sabhas (synods and societies), and of Hindooism generally,
was brought to bear on the parents of the pupils attending
the Free Church and other missionary seminaries, to compel
them to withdraw their sons and send them to SiPs. After
many parents had succumbed their boys still held out, but
finally most of them were either intimidated, or in some
cases literally starved, into a surrender. As the rise or fall
of the barometer indicates the character of the weather pre-
vailing, so the increase or decrease of the pupils in attendance
on a mission seminary affords a wonderfully correct idea of
the amount of anti-evangelistic feeling in the native com-
THE FINALE AT LEAST FOR A TIME. 95
munity at any particular time, and we are astonished to find
that the daily attendance fell only about 300. On the 7th
of May there were 916 present, and on the 31st 618, but
most of those withdrawn were from the highest or most
advanced classes. Still what may be called the mission
barometer was correct in its indications. It unequivocally
pointed to very serious storm, but still storm which would
pass away before long. At a meeting of all the pupils in
the hall of the institution, Dr Duff told them to inform their
parents, guardians, and neighbours that no diminution of
numbers would make them desist from their labours, and
that they might as well wait till the great Ganges rolled
away and became dry land, as wait till they closed the insti-
tution. A few years later the Friend of India had an article
drawing attention to the state of the institution opened
under Sil's auspices with such a flourish of triumphs. Hap-
pily for its permanence the donations had been funded
and yielded interest, but the annual contributions had
rapidly diminished as time rolled on. Teachers had re-
quired to be dismissed through want of funds to con-
tinue to pay them, and yet the sight of their dismissal
had not brought new subscribers or elicited actual money
from the old. If the Friend was right — and we never saw
any contradiction given to its allegations — the monthly
subscriptions from the whole of Calcutta — the wealthiest
city, it may be mentioned, in Asia — amounted to seven
rupees, while the collector who went round with the book
received eight for his services. In short, if we may be per-
mitted to present the matter algebraically, the total monthly
contributions to the college, stated in rupees, amounted to
minus one.
Meanwhile the Free Church institution was recovering
its strength. At the examination of 31st December 1845,
1049 were on the roll, of whom 76 were in the college de-
partment Four months previously the convert Prasanna,
formerly a Kulin Brahman, but who, happily for his minis-
96 CALCUTTA,
terial prospects, was the " husband of one wife," succeeded
in carrying that one wife off from her village in a boat, she
having been hitherto detained by her relatives against both
his will and her own. On the 2d June she and the wife of
another convert, Gobindo, were baptized together ; but if the
Church was thus increased, it had about a couple of months
previously sustained a diminution, Benemadab and Harish,.
two of the seven converts of 1845, having been perverted
to Romanism, being the only converts ever so perverted.
This untoward event quickened the desires which had before
been felt for the erection of a converts* home, and in the
course of three days, contributions, on personal application
by Dr Duff, to the amount of upwards of 10,000 rupees
(^1000), mostly from Christians unconnected with the Free
Church, were obtained for the purpose. The building was
ready for use about May 1847. Except the two perverts
all the others baptized were true to their professions, and on
26th May 1846 four of them, Jagadishwar, Lai Behari De,
Prasanna, and Behari LaI Singh were appointed catechists,
as one stage of progress towards the holy ministry.
CHAPTER VII.
SORROW AND JOY — NATURAL DEATH AND SPIRITUAL BIRTHS.
For sixteen years from the time that Dr Duff had gone
forth as the first of the Church of Scotland's missionaries to
the East, there had not been a single death among the or-
dained European labourers at any of the Indian stations.
In the ordinary course of providence this very favourable
state of things could not be expected to last much longer,
though only the omniscient Disposer of all events knew who
would be the first to fall.
On the morning of Wednesday, 25th August 1847, the
DEATH OF THE REV, MR MACDONALD, 97
Rev. Mr Macdonald, of Calcutta, went to the institution in
his usual good health and buoyancy of spirits. His prayer
for the conversion of the pupils, always fervent, was this
time, as reported by Dr DufF, peculiarly solemn. The same
evening he had a faint attack of fever, and in consequence
remained at home from the institution next day. In the
evening the fever returned upon him more strongly, and then
for some little time subsequently, while tolerably well during
the day, he was sleepless at night, and occasionally slightly
delirious. Besides fever, he complained of a dull pain in
his head, which rendered consecutive mental operations im-
possible. On Tuesday, 31st, he seemed a great deal better,
and, rising from his bed without assistance, walked into
his study, and sat down at the table to enjoy the morning
breeze. Soon after he began to feel drowsy. The doctor,
when he came, recommended him to encourage this inclina-
tion, and requested Mrs Macdonald to get the Venetians
shut, and keep everything perfectly quiet. To the surprise
of his friends, who to this time had never suspected serious
danger, what supervened was not sleep but coma. When
the medical man returned at noon, his practised eye enabled
him speedily to discern the real state of his patient, and,
giving strong remedies, and calling in fresh professional
assistance, he did everything in his power to ward off the
fatal result. But he found all his efforts vain, and at four
in the afternoon communicated the sad intelligence that the
case was hopeless. Two hours previously to this, Mr Mac-
donald had become wholly unconscious, and showed no
signs of life except heavy, stertorous breathing. At five
minutes after the midnight which ushered in Wednesday the
I St September, the heavy breathing ceased, and, **with a
look holy, peaceful, and serene," lie passed away. On
the following Sabbath his funeral sermon was preached by
Dr Duff, to a deeply solemnised audience. The praise of
Mr Macdonald of Calcutta is in all the Churches. He was
a most devoted man of God, faithful and fearless in carryirg
98 CALCUTTA,
out his convictions of duty, and yet not morose, as many
worldlings who held aloof from him thought, but with a
joyous and even playful spirit He left behind him a widow
and seven children, for whose temporary support a fund was
raised.
Mr Macdonald's remarkable prayer for the conversion of
the pupils has already been noticed. The day after it was
presented, Mr Ardwise, at that time teacher of the Barana-
gar school, came to the Mission-house, bringing with him
three students — Prankristo Ganguly, Kalidas Chakrabarta,
and Surja Kumar Mukerji, all Brahmans, who, after long
deliberation, had resolved to apply for baptism. Surja
failed in the hour of trial, but Prankristo and Kalidas nobly
passed through the terrible ordeal to which they were sub-
jected by their relatives. In the afternoon of the same day,
a fourth pupil of the Baranagar school, called Jodu Nath
Baneijya, a Brahman like the others, arrived at the Mission-
house, and stood firm against all efforts to induce him to
return home. On Sabbath, the 5th September — the one
on which funeral sermons were being preached for Mr Mac-
donald — Dr Dufif baptized the three Brahman converts,
along with an up-country Sudra, 27 years of age, in presence
of the congregation which assembled in the evening, sorrow
and joy being thus strangely commingled, as, indeed, they
ever are in the Christian life.
These baptisms, with one which occurred about the same
time in connection with the Established Church of Scot-
land's mission, galvanised the languishing confederacy into
fresh life.
On Sabbath, 19th September, a meeting was held to con-
cert measures to stay the further progress of conversion.
About 2000 attended* including Hindoos of all shades of
thought, from the venerable men of ultra-conservative ten-
dencies, who sighed for the * good old times,* when widows
were burnt alive, agreeably to the holy shasters, to young
Bengalees, who, when it could be slily done, ordered a
GREAT OUTBURST OF WRATH, 99
beefsteak and champagne at Wilson's or Spence*s, and
having thus really finished their own castes beyond the pos-
sibility of redemption, then thanked Gk)d that they were not
wicked like those Christian converts who broke caste from
conscientious motives. All Calcutta discussed the same
questions as those which had been debated at the meeting,
and various measures were publicly or privately suggested,
one of them, which clearly emanated from a very practical,
rather than a very pious mind, being to hire bludgeon-men
(a too common Bengalee practice), and beat Dr Dufif nearly,
if not quite, to death, — the evening fixed on being that of
Sunday, when it was known that he would be returning in
the dark through some narrow crooked lanes, from the in-
stitution, where he always preached on Sabbath evening.
The friends of the distinguished missionary counselled him
to take care how he walked out, especially after dark, whilst
he himself wrote to a well-meaning and influential baboo,
stating that he would go out as freely as ever, whether by
night or by day, in discharge of his ordinary duties ;
showing how silly it was to think that even if the Hindoos
succeeded in murdering him, his martyr death would be ad-
vantageous to their cause ; and proposing a public discussion,
as the claims of the two faiths could be settled only by
argument and not by clubs. The baboo deemed discretion
the better part of valour ; but an Irishman called Tuite, who
had figured at Waterloo, seems to have felt his military and
national instincts revive on finding that a contemplated
battle was likely to fall through for want of a combatant,
and not reflecting on the tremendous responsibility which
in the sight of God he assumed, intimated his intention of
heading the anti-Christian confederacy. A deputation was
sent to Dr Dufl", challenging him to a private discussion.
He, however, very properly insisted that the discussion
should be public, and offered for the purpose the great hall
of his institution, which was conveniently situated, and was
capable of accommodating one thousand hearers. To this
100 CALCUTTA,
his Opponents were at first averse, but finally they jrielded the
point To prevent a confused rambling over many subjects
without hope of reaching a definite result, it was arranged that
Dr Duff should deliver a series of weekly lectures on the
evidences and doctrines of revealed rehgion, announcing the
subject a week beforehand, so that all might come fully pre-
pared with their objections. After every one had spoken,
Dr Duff was to conclude with a general reply. For upwards
of two months these lectures and discussions were regularly
carried on amid crowded audiences. Gradually one after
another of the native champions, being fairly silenced, gave
up attending. At last the European leader himself disap-
peared ; and Dr Duff, finding himself left in possession of
the field, wound up earlier than he had anticipated with a
concluding lecture and appeal. It is satisfactory to add
that the Irishman subsequently sent Dr Duff a letter, ex-
pressing regret for the part he had acted in the an ti- Christian
crusade just described. It may also be added that, not-
withstanding the outpourings of profanity and blasphemy on
the part of some of the native speakers, these lectures and
discussions did a vast deal of good. For a time, at least,
they cleared a grossly foul irreligious atmosphere : atheism,
materialism, and many other anti-Christian isms were driven
from public view into their darksome hiding-places ; while
the faith of the sincere was strengthened, and the convictions
of the timid and wavering greatly confirmed.
Before the close of the year another deeply interesting
case of baptism occurred. Shib Chunder Banerjya, a Brah-
man of the highest caste, was a student of the Hindu
Government College. He had got hold of a New Testament
when very young, and was so struck with the beauty of its
teaching, and so impressed, that, when a heathen boy of 13,
he repeated the Lord's Prayer in his devotions, instead of
the Hindu prayers, all unknown to his idolatrous relatives.
He had convictions of sin, but these passed away, and
he turned and fought against Christianity. Though a student
SHIB CHUNDER BANERJYA. lOI
at the Hindu College, however, he attended a class in Dr
DufPs house on Sabbath mornings, intended for young men
like himself, and by this, Shib Chunder experienced the re-
turn and deepening of convictions of sin, — he came to feel
himself lost^ — his language was, " I am a lost man ; Chris-
tianity may be true, and I may be saved ; if it is not, I am
no worse ; / am lost; I will inquire/' Singularly enough,
in his father's house he found some Christian works — how
they came there he never knew — Doddridge, Romaine,
Searle. He used, on returning from Dr Duff's class (which
he attended without the knowledge of his heathen relatives),
after partaking of the family meal, to shut himself up in a
carriage that stood unused in his father's courtyard. There
he spent the day in meditation, prayer, and reading — study-
ing his Bible and the above-named books. As the day de-
clined, he emerged from his place of concealment and set out
for the institution, the doors of which were always open long
before the Sabbath evening lecture began. Sometimes an
hour or two would be spent in prayer and reading of the
Word, wandering from room to room, and pouring forth
the agonising desires of his heart to God for pardon and
light Then came the lecture, from which he always derived
profit. Finally he went home (after such a Sabbath-da/s
exercise as is not often known even in a Christian land),
encouraged to go on, though yet nominally a heathen. At
length peace and light came : Shib Chunder was baptized
towards the close of 1847, and ever since has held on his
way devotedly, earnestly, consistently. He is a powerful
and impressive speaker. Holding an important office under
Grovernment, he unremittingly devotes all his spare time
and strength to the blessed work of evangelising his
countrymen.
The examination of Mr Laing's orphanage, which took
place on 7 th December, showed how thoroughly it had re-
covered from Disruption losses. After the original orphans
were surrendered, only five girls remained. Now, however,
(891) 8
I02 CALCUTTA,
there were 36 — all boarders. Besides this, a day-school
had been estabhshed for East Indian and Hindoo girls, and
had been connected with the orphanage. On the evening
of the examination day, seven of the orphans, all giving
credible evidence of conversion, were baptized. One was
a Jewess, the other six were Hindoos.
Despite the Tuite controversy, 1848 opened hopefully.
Readers may remember that in 1845, a young man, Surji,
who was then seeking baptism, gave way in the hour of trial.
He returned in January 1848, and was admitted to the
Church on the 26th of that month. He stated that he had
not conformed to Hindooism while living among idolaters.
During 1848, the mission developed in various directions.
Early in the year it occupied a new station at Bansberia [pro-
perly Bangsabari], seven miles beyond the town of Hooghly.
The Tatwa-bodhini, or Vedantist society, had a school there ;
but a financial crisis in Calcutta compelled them to sell it,
and the mission, through the exertions of Dr Duff (assisted
by Mr Rose), became the purchasers. It derived importance
from having in its immediate vicinity a holy place called
Tribeni, visited at one season of the year by about 50,000
pilgrims. Mr Chill, and Jagadishwar, were sent thither,
Messrs Fyfe and Prasanna having gone shortly before to
Culna, while Behari Lai Singh became attached to the Free
Church congregation in Calcutta.
Before the middle of the year five more orphans were
baptized from Mr Laing's institution, twelve within eight
months. The importance of this institution to the mission
was very great, and the loyalty of the young men (Kulin
Brahmans and others) in choosing as partners nominally low
caste, but really well educated, girls from, the boarding
school, rather than maidens of long pedigree, crass ignorance,
and idolatrous belief, shows the sincerity with which these
youths had embraced the Christian faith. Shortly after-
wards, or to be more specific, on Saturday, loth June 1848,
a young man from the institution, Dinanath Adhya by
THE CALCUTTA FREE CHURCH. IO3
name, who was awakened by a discourse of Dr Duflf's, in
the text " My son, give me thy heart," came to the Mission-
house, and after being subjected by his relatives to the
usual ordeal, was baptized on Sabbath the i8th.
Sunday, the 13th August, was a day worthy of being
for ever remembered by the mission. It was the fifth anni-
versary of the Calcutta disruption, and was signalised by
the opening of the Free Church which that event necessi-
tated. The congregation which had all along been charac-
terised by a liberality well nigh unparalleled, had been sub-
jected to severe trial in connection with the building of the
church, but this now only enhanced the thankful rejoicing.*
On Sabbath, ist October 1848, a purely Bengalee churcli
was commenced under the pastorate of Mr Ewart. The
vernacular was exceedingly acceptable to such members as
Khoilas' and Mahendra's widows. Some of Miss Laings
senior girls, many of the pupils . from the institution, with
other Hindoos, more or less regularly attended. On the
loth November 1848, the mission was strengthened by
the arrival of Mr and Mrs Sinclalrj the former having been
appointed to succeed Mr Macdonald. The pupils under the
charge of the mission had increased during the year. In
1847 the average on the roll of the institution had been
1066 j in 1848 it was 11 54, besides which there were about
200 (three-fourths of them Brahmans) at Culna, 200 at
Bansberia, and 150 at Baranagar, or about 1700 in all,
not taking into account Miss Laing's orphanage, and a
school founded by Mrs Ewart for Jewish and Armenian
* The purchase for ;^xooo of a site for the Free Church has already been men-
tioned. After noble subscriptions to the building fund had been obtained, the
erection of the edifice commenced. By January 1846 it was far advanced towards
completion, when the roof fell in with a terrible crash, crushing the pillars of poor
Indian brick which supported it, and totally pounding them to dust. Examination
showed that the walls had been so injured by the wrench which they had received,
that they required to be taken down and the building commenced anew at an in-
creased expense, about equal to that at which the estimate had been made for its
first erection. On the second plan an iron roof was put on the walls, requiring no
pillars for its support, and finally, the church was opened at an' expense first and last,
of about ;£x3,ooo. Mr Macdonald was the temporary pastor for three years, after
which Mr Mackail took its spiritual, oversight.
104 CALCUTTA,
girls. The attainment of these great results had been facili-
tated by the fact, that the excitement which marked the
latter part of 1847 ^^d been succeeded by profound apathy,
it being a law of social life, that a calm succeeding a tem-
pest is as deep as the previous storm was severe.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE MISSION AFTER DR DUFF*S TEMPORARY RECALL TO
EUROPE.
The movement for the recall of Dr Duff to fill the theo-
logical chair, left vacant by the death of the great Dr
Chalmers, the decided rejection by the missionary of the
tempting invitation, his* consent to return home on a
temporary enterprise of a solely missionary character, and
the routes by which he journeyed to obtain full acquaintance
with the wants of the several mission stations, have already
been narrated in the home section of this volume. It is
unnecessary to repeat them here, and we proceed at once
to the narrative of occurrences in the Calcutta mission dur-
ing the period which we have now reached.
It commenced hopefully on the 26th April 1849, just
after Dr Duffs departure for the south of India. Mr Smith
baptized a Brahman called Chandra Kanta Chuckerbutty,
and on the 2d May, admitted into the church a low caste
native, Ishwar Chandra Sircar, whose daughter, a little girl
of six or seven, was placed in Miss Laing's orphanage.
Ishwar died a few months afterwards. Dwarkanath Das
Basu, once a pupil of the institution, and then a student of
medicine in London, where he was baptized, on his return
became a communicant in the Calcutta Free Church.
Shortly after* the events now spoken of, when Dr Duflf
had returned from Ceylon, and previous to his de-
CHIN SURAH OCCUPIED, I OS
parture for the Punjaub, an important step forward was
taken by the occupation of Chinsurah, formerly the capital
of the Dutch possessions in Bengal* On the 20th August
1849, ^^ opened the chapel generously given over to
the Free Church by the London Missionary Society. At
the communion held in connection with the opening
service, there were twenty-five participants. Next day an
English school was opened by him, when 350 promising
youths ^at once presented themselves for admission. At
first Mr Fyfe took charge of it, leaving Culna where he had
laboured immediately before to Prasanna, but in August
1850, the Rev. Ebenezer Miller arrived from Capetown to
become its superintendent.f The development of the
Chinsurah school or institution was extremely rapid. So early
as the time when the Assembly Report for 1849 ^^^ penned,
it had about 600 names on the roll. At all the stations
taken together, there were then 2300.
The same year (1849), Banku Behari Basu, Baikanta
Nath De, Uma Charan Ghosh, Dinanath and Guru Das
Mitra, all five converts of the mission, addressed a letter
to the Presbytery of Calcutta, expressing their desire to
study for the ministry, and were accepted as probationary
catechists.
In the early years of a mission, an individual baptism is of
so much importance that, even in a brief sketch like the
present, it requires to be recorded ; but after admissions
• Chinsurah is situated about twenty-five miles north of Calcutta, on the right
bank of the Hooghly, that is, the same bank as that on which Culna and Bansberia
stand. Chinsurah and Hooghly, the latter at one time the capital of the Portuguese
territory in Bengal, really constitute but one town with about 50,000 inhabitants.
The London Missionary Society had cultivated it for about fifty years, but with so
little fruit, that towards the end of 1848 they intimated their intention of occupying
it no more. The chapel, costing ;^iooo, chiefly raised on the spot, was offered by
the London Missionary Society to the Free Church as a gift, on condition that the
pure Calvinistic doctrines, agreeably to the terms of the title-deed, should ever con-
tinue to be preached in it, but Dr Duff recommended that, as a very small return
for so much kindness, ;^i5o contributed by the home Society to the edifice, should
be refunded. This accordingly was done.
t Scarcely had Mr Miller reached his destination, when he was subjected to a
Tery heavy trial ; his wife, a highly gifted lady, having been cut off by cholera
within forty-eight hours of their arrival at Chinsurah. Some short poems which she
wrote shortly l^fore, showed at once her powers and her piety, and made one feel
that she might have done much for India had she been spared in life.
I06 CALCUTTA,
into the Church grow more numerous, the significance of
each one— viewed in its relation to the progress of the work
— becomes less. In future, then, we shall only record those
specially interesting or important. In 1850, a Kulin
Brahman, Shyama Charan Mookerjee, was admitted into
the Church. He aimed at supporting himself honourably
by iron-founding, to which he was then serving an appren-
ticeship. On 17 th October of the same year, a Brahmanee,
called Priya, Guru Das Mitras*s wife, was baptized; on
29th December, a Mussulman, named Muhammad Bakar,
and early in 185 1, another convert from the same faith,
called Ele Bua, were admitted to the Church. The educa-
tional statistics of the mission on January 6, 185 1, stood
as follows : —
The Calcutta Institution on the roll . 1328*
Chinsurah 740
Bansberia 204
Cuhia 200
2472
Mrs Ewart's female school for Jewesses, Greeks,
and Armenians + . . . . 104
Miss Laing's, about .... 60
Jagadishwar's wife's, about ... 20
In Behari Lai's " pay-school" . . . 154—338
Grand total . . . 2810
In looking at these figures, the large numbers to which
* This high number is the more remarkable that not long before the Hindoos had
been excited about four conversions which took place in connection with the London
Missionary Society's institution at Bhowanipore, in the south of Calputta — an insti*
tution, it may be remarked in passing, framed on the model of Dr Duft's. They had
in consequence been discussing whether some method might not be adopted of
receiving back into caste any Christian converts who might wish to re-enter Hindoo
society. The period will come, though we think it is not vet very near, when the
way back into caste will be made extremely easy. The probable effect of this inno-
vation will be the very opposite of what those half-liberal Hindoos who advocate it
expect The reform will strike a mortal blow at caste, instead of reviving its power.
For every one who walks back into caste, a hundred at least will ning off its
trammels, being encouraged to do this from knowing that they may remain outside
in freedom as long as they like, and yet be welcomed back with open arms whenever
they are pleased to return.
t A little incident connected with Mrs Ewart's school is worthy of being mentioned
here.^ The Bible, it need scarcely be stated, was used in the classes. On account
of this, the chief rabbi anathematised the school, with the effect of making the young
Jewesses withdraw. Mrs Ewart was informed that they would be sent back if she
would not require them to read the New Testament. She felt that the demand was
one which she dared not grant, and stood firm. By and by the rabbi himself gave
way, and wished his own two granddaughters to be placed under her tuition.
BAPTISMS, 107
Chinsurah has already attained are very notable, and a point
which the figures will not reveal is worth attention — the extent
to which the converts of the mission were becoming helpful
in its operations. When these statistics were published,
Prasanna was at Chinsurah, Jagadishwar at Bansberia, and
Lai Behari De, without European aid at Culna. On 12 th
November 185 1, the three senior catechists just named
were licensed to the ministry, after passing a very satisfactory
examination.
Some months previously (on Wednesday, July 185 1), Mr
Mackay had baptized two young men, called Bhabun Mohan
Basu and Ramchandra Basu, cousins, and both pupils from
the institution. The missionaries in Calcutta, with fine
brotherly feeling, used as a rule to take baptisms in turns, the
minister of the Free Church also for this purpose being re-
garded as one of the fraternity; and on 6th August, Mr Ewart
admitted into the Church a learned Mussulman, rather past
the meridian of life, called Maulavi Abdulla. The importance
of this latter case will be apparent when it is mentioned that
a Maulavi among the Moslems holds the same position and
exerts the same influence as a clergyman, or perhaps even a
theological professor among ourselves. On 28th December
185 1, Mr Ewart baptized a Brahman, aged upwards of twenty,
called Samacharan Bhatturjya, with a Sudra, the latter com-
paratively uneducated. Mr Mackay, writing in July 1852,
says that, including children, there had been seven baptisms
during the week. The only one of these which requires
special notice is that of two young men, Chandra Kant
Mitra, and Khoilas Chandra Ghosh. Khoilas was the
first fruit of Jagadishwar's missionary life. On September
I, another Khoilas (Khoilas Chandra Kundu) was baptized.
He was one of the most distinguished pupils in the institu-
tion, and his mother — a real woman — preferred her natural
aflfection for him to her reputation with her co-religionists,
broke her caste, took up her residence, with the welcome
approval of the missionaries, along with her son, and was to
I08 CALCUTTA.
him a loving mother as before. Only one case of the same
nature had previously occurred since the commencement of
the mission. On 26th .December 1852, a first year's college
student, Golab Chandra Biswas, was baptized, and some of
his fellow-pupils came to see his admission into the Church,
clubbing together to pay the hire of conveyance for the
purpose.
Here we must interrupt the narrative of accessions to the
Church, to mtimate some changes in the European agency
of the mission. In 1852, the Ladies' Society for Female
Education in India took the opportunity of Miss Laing's
temporary return home to recruit her health, to carry out a
design which had been talked of years before, of sending out
a married missionary. Mr and Mrs Fordyce arrived in that
year to take charge of the female orphanage. On the 29th
December of the same year (1852), a breach in the ranks of
the European labourers was made by the death of the Rev.
David Sinclair, after a very brief illness.* As Mr Mac-
donald's removal was speedily followed by baptisms, so on
the very day of Mr Sinclair's decease, a young man applied
for admission to the Church, and was shortly afterwards
received. Mr Sinclair's place in the Calcutta mission was
supplied by the Rev. Thomas Gardiner, who reached the
Indian capital on the 29th May 1853, accompanied by the
Rev. John Milne, formerly and subsequently of Perth, the
latter having been sent out to take charge of the Calcutta
church, which ill health had some time previously caused
Mr Mackail to resign. Just before their coming, there had
• Mr Sinclair was a man of very decided ability, who, during his student days at
the divinity hall, had his mind firmly made up to offer himself as an Indian mission-
ary. He was appointed, as we have already mentioned, to Calcutta, to succeed the
sainted Mr Macdonald. There he laboured with all conscientiousness till within a
few days of his death. For some months previous to his removal, it was manifest
that his constitution was undergoing a change. He became suddenly and remark-
ably stout, but as this was attended oy an increased instead of a diminished capacity
for work, it was regarded as a hopeful sign. Presently, however, his breathing
became affected, and he was in consequence confined to his house. Three weeks
later, at the age of thirty years and nine months, his spirit passed away. An
extremely serene and i>eaceful expression remained on his features after his departure.
Mr Mackay was of opinion that disease of the heart, followed by dropsy of the upper
part of the chest and neck, was the cause of di.- solution.
MORE SPIRITUAL FRUIT. IO9
again been numerous and important accessions to the
Church. From Barisberia had come two inquirers, Shrinath
Ghosh and Kumar Raya, who were baptized, as were also
Gour Chandra Sheeb and Brajanath Mitra, selected from
various applicants connected with the Calcutta institution.
The case of Brajanath was specially interesting. His father
was a lineal descendant of the former Rajah of Calcutta,
and as such received a pension from Government. It was
a very anxious day at the mission when Brajanath sought
and found shelter within it, and the ordeal to which he was
subjected by his father and his other relatives was un-
wontedly severe. But, supported apparently by divine
grace, he passed through it successfully. Soon after the
arrival oif Messrs Gardiner and Milne, a young man, Ishan
Chandra Ghosh, was baptized. Mr Smith, on Wednesday
the 8th of June, admitted two Kayasts (of a respectable
Sudra caste) into the Church, and on Sabbath, 12th, imme-
diately after the induction of Mr Milne, Mr Gardiner
administered the sealing rite to Barada Prasad Chakrabutti,
a young Brahmin. On Wednesday, 6th July, Mr Milne
baptized a young man, Mudhu Sudan Singh, nephew of
the Rajah Radhakant Deb, the head of the Hindoo orthodox
or bigoted party, making nineteen in all since the commence-
ment of the year — an unprecedented number. On 7 th De-
cember, Rajendra Chandra Chandra, the gold medallist of his
year in the Calcutta institution, was baptized. More than
twelve months before, he had become a medical student.
Some of our readers may possibly remember seeing him sub-
sequently during a visit which he paid to this country.
With his admission into the Church, the harvest of souls
from among the young men of the institution intermitted foi*
eight months, though two of the girls from the orphanage
were added to the congregation on 8th March 1854. The
fruits which had been reaped had anew excited the alarms
of the heathen party, and, less feeble than of old, they
supported an opposition institution called the Hindoo
no CALCUTTA.
Metropolitan College, which, with affiliated branch schools,
rose in the early part of 1854 to have 11 00 names on the
roll, and all of paying pupils. Independently of the ex-
clusion of Christianity, one popular feature about this
establishment was that it charged much lower fees than the
Government college. But notwithstanding these efforts to
damage the mission institution, the latter lost no more than
260 pupils, and had still more than 1000 on its roll ; nor
was it long before it again recovered its numbers.
After the eight months' lull in the admissions into the
Church from among the young men, a new series began,
and continued with little intermission to the end of the
year. The following was the list given up to November 8 : —
1. Bishnu Charan Ch^tturjya, baptized August 16, 1854,
2. R^j Krishna Banurjya, August 23.
3. Kamini, wife of Jadunath Banurjya, August 27.
4. Prasanna, wife of Shib Chandra Bannerijya, October i,
5. Jadunath Chatturjya, October 15.
6. Ishan Chandra Mukharjya, October 22.
7. K^darnath De, October 31.
8. Kali Padwa Chattarjya, November 8.
All but No. 7 were of the Brahmanic caste. Nos. 3 and 4 were
Brahrainees, the wives of converts, and Nos. i and 2 were Kulins. No.
7 was the first fruit of Chinsurah to Christ
The series of important baptisms did not cease with the last
in this list. That of Ommur Nath Pul, an ex-pupil of the
institution, took place on 26th November 1854, followed
after a brief interval by those of Nabin Chandra Ghosh, Ishan
Chandra Sircar, and Jogindra Nath Basu, succeeded soon
afterwards by another unnamed. Jogindra was brought
before the magistrates, but was allowed to go where he
pleased. The six last baptisms now mentioned were all
from Chinsurah, a fact which is worthy of special attention.
Some are of opinion that the establishment of institutions
like the Calcutta one for the evangelisation of Indian cities
is a much less effective method of spreading the gospel
than preaching in the streets of those cities. From the year
1798, on for half a century, devoted missionaries had
THE ZENANA SCHEME, III
preached in the streets of Chinsurah without apparent
effect, whilst an institution was blessed to gain, within little
more than a tenth of that time, a whole cluster of important
baptisms. The writer strongly holds that no system has
been found equal to the institution one for dealing with the
caste hierarchy of the Indian cities, the chief successes of
preaching having been among the outcaste aborigines,
whether subdued as the Pariahs, the Mahars, and the
Shanars, or nearly independent, as the Coles and the San-
thals. The 850 pupils who were on the roll at Chinsurah
on 1 8th December 1854, were, in our view, a more hopeful
sphere than a fluctuating street assembly for the operations
of a mission.
Not to interrupt the series of baptisms, we omitted to
mention the laying of the foundation-stone of new and per-
manent mission buildings, which took place on Thursday,
27th July 1854, in presence of a great concourse of natives,
and the arrival from home, on 15th January 1855, of
the Rev. Mr Pourie, a new labourer appointed to the
mission,* but as a few months later Mr Mackay had to
return home temporarily, a second time in bad health, the
gain was more apparent than real in the number of Euro-
pean labourers. Loss of health also compelled Mr Miller
of Chinsurah shortly afterwards to pay a brief visit to Aus-
tralia.
The year 1855 was signalised not merely in the history
of the Calcutta Free Church Mission, but in that of India
itself, by the successful commencement of what is now
popularly called the zenana scheme. Zenana is the Bengal
word for what the Mohammedans of Turkey call the harem
— the apartments in which women are secluded. The
zenana scheme proposed to induce native grandees to allow
♦ Mr Pourie was born at Kirktown of Newtyle, Forfarshire, about twelve miles
from Dundee, on the oth October 1824. He was converted through the instrumen-
tality of the Rev. Mr (afterwards the Rev. Dr) Roxburgh. He distinguished
himself at the New College. He was ordained by the Presbytery of Glasgow on
38th November 1854.
112 CALCUTTA,
European or native Christian governesses to enter those
virtual prison-chambers, and give their inmates as much
religious and secular instruction as the head of the house
would tolerate. The subject had, from time to time, led to
inquiry on the part of the friends of native improvement
So long ago as 1840, the Rev. Thomas, now the Rev. Dr
Thomas Smith, wrote an article in the Calcutta Christian
Observer^ recommending what in its essential features was
the zenana scheme. Chiefly with a view of testing its
practicability, he issued a series of queries to Mrs Wilson,
of Agurpara, the lady who is believed to have done more
than any other for female education in Bengal. But so
inveterate was the hostility to female education among the
higher and better classes of natives, that no effectual steps
could then be attempted. English education, however, as
Dr Duff had long before predicted, was rapidly and power-
fully preparing the way for its realisation.
For nearly fifteen years no practical response was elicited
to Mr Smith's formal proposal, till at last, in the early part
of 1855, Mr Fordyce adopted it, and with assistance from
its author, unexpectedly succeeded in putting it in practical
operation. So early, indeed, as in his report for 1853, pub-
lished soon after the beginning of 1854, Mr Fordyce had dis-
tinctly alluded to the subject. In the report for 1854, issued
early in 1855, he intimates the commencement of the zenana
scheme, and, wonderful to tell, on the satisfactory principle
that the native gentlemen who availed themselves of the
services which the governesses rendered should pay the
greater part of the expenses. In the report for 1855, i^ is
said that the scheme has " hitherto been a successful experi-
ment." At the General Conference of the Bengal Mis-
sionaries, held in Calcutta in September 1855, Mr Fordyce,
on the 7th of the month, submitted a paper in which he
mentioned that the realisation of the zenana scheme had
commenced, and that it had succeeded admirably these six
months. The conference, in their resolution passed after
ORDINATION OF NATIVE CONVERTS, II3
hearing this paper, recorded their conviction that the
scheme was entitled to " hearty support," and that it was
"capable of large extension, at least in Calcutta." Early in
1856, the failure of Mrs Fordyce's health compelled her
husband to return home.*
Up to the beginning of July, the year 1855 was unfruit-
ful in baptisms, but soon afterwards a Kulin Brahman called
Banerjya or Banerjee, was baptized, after undergoing the
usual ordeal. Other baptisms of less importance followed
ere long.
The passing of the Education Act of 1854, mentioned at
more length in the home section of the work, was of course
marked with great joy and thankfulness by the missionaries,
who eagerly waited for the regulations on which grants-in-
aid were obtainable. Before many months elapsed it was
understood that the Government would bestow its aid not
to supersede, but to supplement voluntary effort, and that
probably nothing would be given to Calcutta city, as it was
believed that education of all kinds could be carried on
efficiently there without pecuniary assistance from the civil
authorities.
On 9th September 1855, an event, long looked forward to
with eager interest, was, in the providence of God, permitted
to occur ; three native converts, Jagadishwar, Prasanna, and
Lai Behari De, were ordained to the office of the holy
ministry.
♦ In a pamphlet called *' Christianity in India," being a speech delivered by Mr
George Smith, editor of the Friend of India^ at a meeting in 1864 of the Ladies'
Society for Female Education in India, Mr Smith says : — " But it is the chief glory
of your society, that the Rev. Mr Fordyce, when your agent, was die first to form
and develop the now famous zenana mission."
In a footnote Mr Smith adds :— " In his 'Brief Review of Ten Years' Missionary
Labour in India,' Dr Mullens speaks of Mr Fordyce as having * endeavoured to set
on foot zenana schools,' and declared that the effort proved somewhat premature.
I was cognisant of the first dawn, and subsequent realisation of the plan, and must
in justice declare, that so far from being premature, Mr Fordyce worked the plan
most successfully, to the moment of his departure from India, and left it in charge
of his trained agent, so that it continued till the accomplished Mrs Mtdlens brought
all her precious experience to bear upon it. Her daughter and other ladies, mar-
ried and unmarried, carry it on in Calcutta, and Lady Frere has introduced it into
Bombay.— y^r^tf Church Missionary Record^ Augi*st 1864, pp. 583, 584.
1 14 CALCUTTA,
CHAPTER IX.
THE MISSION AFTER DR DUFF's RETURN TO CALCUTTA.
Late on the evening of Saturday, i6th February 1856, the
Rev. Dr DufF reached Calcutta, having landed some time
before at Bombay, and crossed India byway of Mahabalesh-
war and Sattara, Poonah and Nagpote, Mirzapore and
Benares. A kind providence had watched over him on his
journey, which had not been quite free from peril ; for in-
stance, to the north of Sattara, a pair of bullocks, drawing a
covered cart with Dr Duff inside, rolled with it and him
over a small precipice, by which considerable bodily injury
was sustained. About the same time the Rev. J. S.
Beaumont, ordained on December ii, 1855, arrived to
the assistance of the mission, and it was possible for Mr
Smith to be spared for a little and go home, on the invita-
tion of the committee, on furlough, after about seventeen
years* service. This was the first instance of a practice
which should be universal, namely, to invite a missionary
temporarily home after a certain number of years service,
without waiting till his health actually breaks down. Whilst
the majority of the Free Church labourers expect more
from their institution work than they do from their ordinary
street preaching, they are always glad to address themselves
to the latter, when other engagements will permit, and for
upwards of two years Mr Smith and the catechist, Sheeb
Chunder, had been accustomed to go out to a village near
Calcutta, and preach to the people there every Lord's-day.
On Mr Smith's departure for Europe, Mr Gardiner took his
place, and prosecuted the work with much spirit. The
same year (1856) a church was opened at Tribeni; it cost
about £so, raised chiefly by Dr Bruce's congregation in
Edinburgh. About 200 or 250 natives came to the in-
augural services. About the same time it was resolved to
DR DUFFS LABOURS OUTSIDE THE INSTITUTION, II5
open a station for a purely vernacular mission, at the large
village of Mahanad, about twelve miles in a straight line
north-west of Chin surah and Bansberia.*
In September 1856, ill-health compelled the Rev. Mr
Ewart for a season to leave India, after twenty-two years
unbroken and very laborious service. But the head of the
mission was in himself a hostt
Early in 1857, first Mr MaCkay, and afterwards Mr Smith,
* There was speedily such a pressure brought to bear upon the missionaries, by the
villagers of Mahanad, to induce them to set up an Enghsh school, that one had at
last to be established, in which, however, fees were demanded. By the end of 1858
it had ninety-two pupils.
f On his return to Calcutta early in 1856, the directors of the Doveton College
(founded and supported by the East Indian community), of which he had been pre-
viously the visitor, wished him to accept the honorary office of patron. To this he
strongly objected, on the ground that that dignity had always before been held by
one of the great officers of State, such as the late Lord Metcalfe, and that it would
be incongruous were it now to be accepted by an humble missionary. To this the
decisive reply of the East Indian representatives was, that he had conferred on their
institution and community generally, ampler benefits than all the great men put
together had done. They therefore pressed him to accept of the office as a token
of their personal respect and gratitude. At last Dr Duff yielded, and the proceed-
ings of the East Indian body, at the time of his fina) departure, abundantly proved
that in his hands the trust had been no sinecure.
About the same time Lord Canning, who had just before succeeded the Marquis
of Dalhousie, appointed Dr Duff a member of the committee charged with the re-
sponsible task of preparing a draft constitution and regulations, as also a course of
studies for the Calcutta university, about to be established in consequence of the
educational despatch of 1854. Of this committee Sir John Peter Grant, then a mem-
ber of the Indian Supreme Council, and now Governor of Jamaica, was president.
Having already, in his evidence before the House of Lords, in connection with the
educational despatch, recommended the establishment of Indian universities, DrDuff
MOW threw himself heart and soul into the duties which had devolved upon the com-
mittee. From his long experience of Oriental education, his counsels and sugges-
tions were received with deference, and, being usually adopted, in whole or parr,
stamped their impress on the results ultimately reached. At his instance, and in
consequence of his persistent advocacy, the committee, by a majority, recommended
that among the subjects of examination for university degrees which should be
deemed compulsory, the department of ancient history should include that of the
Jews as well as of the Greeks and Romans — in short, the Old Testament historv ;
and that among the optional studies for examination, should be comprehended the
arguments in support of revealed religion, as presented in " Paley's Evidences " and
" Butler's Analogy.** The admission of these important topics was sanctioned by
the Indian government, and finally confirmed by the authorities at home.
When, soon afterwards, the university of Calcutta was established, Dr DufF was
nominated one of the fellows, and a member of the Senate ; he was several times
chosen as President or Dean of the Faculty of Arts ; and during the whole subse-
§uent period of his residence in India, was annually elected a member of the
yndicate, or small governing body of the university. In this latter capacity he was
enabled to.exert an influence nearly all potent, in choosing proper text-books in the
different branches of study for degrees, and in the literary and philosophic depart-
ments. One noteworthy triumph m this direction^ was his selection of a series of
standard works, which, being adopted by all affiliated colleges and their feeders,
tended without any direct interference to banish from native institutions an immense
amount of trashy and even vicious productions, and to substitute in their place sound
and wholesome works on literature and philosophy. The importance and beneficial
tendency of such a result on India, can scarcely be over-estimated.
Il6 CALCUTTA,
returned to Calcutta. The former was sent to Chinsurah
to supply the place of Mr Miller, who had been compelled
to leave again in bad health for Australia, and who died on
the passage of cholera. Shortly before this, or, to be more
specific, on the i8th November 1856, Mr Fyfe had been
licensed to the ministry.
In March 1857, the mission premises, which had been
for some time in process of erection in Nimtollah Street,
were opened, though not quite finished, in order that ;£^25o
a year, paid for the spacious native mansion occupied since
1844, might be saved at as early a period as possible. It
was a really magnificent structure, and had cost about
;^i 5,000, raised by Dr Duff, when at home, in nearly
equal proportions from friends in Scotland, England, and
America.
Soon afterwards the young Maharajah Scindia, aged about
twenty-seven, who had an enlightened Brahman minister,
and a still more enlightened Christian resident, the late
Colonel MTherson, visited the institution, and was so taken
with it that the Rajah and the premier resolved to set one
of the same kind up on returning to Gwalior.* Some years
previously the Ameers of Scinde had similarly visited the
institution.
In May 1857, Dr Duff's institution for high caste girls
began. The orphans at Miss Laing's were boarders, but
the establishment now commenced was, by way of advance
on the zenana system, a high caste girls' day school. A
Brahman in Nimtollah Street gave an apartment in his
own house for the purpose, and stood tolerably well against
the persecution to which he thus subjected himself at the
hands of the intolerant party. Miss Toogood, who had been
a zenana teacher, took general charge of the school, and a
Pundit connected with the institution devoted his spare
hours to her assistance — teaching in the school, and visiting
* Scindia behaved exceedingly well during the mutinies. His fidelity to us was
beyond all praise. . Had he gone against us, and Joined Nana Sahib, a Mahratta
like himself, the whole of the Mahratta race might have risen.
THE MUTINIES AND REBELLION. 11/
the homes of the pupils, to mitigate or remove the still
strongly cherished prejudices of the mothers and other aged
female relatives. Conveyances were provided to take them
to and from school, a measure which led to their numbers
being immediately doubled. In. the face of many and great
difficulties the school continued to prosper, notwithstanding
the essentially Christian character of its education, till it
acquired a fixed and permanent footing.
A baptism in May 1857 is interesting, from the fact that
it was performed by Lai Behar De at Culna. The neophyte
was a pupil of the school at that station.
Just before the massacre broke out a very interesting
experiment was tried at Chinsurah. Mr Mackay wrote : —
** I came here to witness our first experiment in taking fees. We
fixed them at the low rate — low even for Bengal — of 6d. monthly.
520 scholars paid. The highest two classes are not to be charged."
At the examination of 24th December 1857, it was men-
tioned that the imposition of fees, with the opening of
government schools in the vicinity of the Chinsurah institu-
tion, had reduced the latter to about 500 pupils on the roll.
A seventh youth had meanwhile been baptized there.
It is scarcely necessary to remind the reader what sort
of a year 1857 was. When the news of the massacres at
Meerut and Delhi reached the Indian capital, and when it
began to be whispered about that the large force of Bengal
sepoys in the vicinity of Calcutta, aided by the Mussulmans
of the city, had planned an effort to destroy the Europeans
in one day, a panic arose among our countr)nnen. They
began to repair to places of safety, armed themselves
with muskets, swords, and other weapons, and prepared to
sell their lives as dearly as possible if it came to the worst.
The house of Dr Duff was in the heart of the native city,
and therefore peculiarly liable to be attacked, yet, though
rumours of fresh plots and threatened attacks were daily cir-
culated, he would not quit it to seek a place of greater safety,
and a gracious providence watched over his life. On another
(391) 9
Il8 CALCUTTA,
day nearly every family in Chinsurah, Hooghly, and Bandel
fled for shelter to cantonments, yet Mr Mackay, with his wife
and family, all of them bowed down with sorrow owing to
the death of one of the household, remained at home,
nearly if not quite unconscious of the fact that the rest of
the Christian community had fled. Next day two European
soldiers entered the house, and, laying down a couple of
muskets, enjoined Mr Mackay to defend himself and his
family if necessity arose ; but he believed the alarm ground-
less, and that night slept soundly and in peace. The
disarming of the native troops soon afterwards restored
confidence. As the political cyclone went on, Dr Duff"
penned a series of letters on the subject to the convener of
the Foreign Mission Committee.* These, written in the
midst of the excitement caused by the arrival of one item
of disastrous intelligence after another from the agitated
upper provinces, were subsequently collected and given to
the world, under the heading, " The Indian Rebellion : its
Causes and Results." A Series of Letters by the Rev. A.
Duff; D.D., LL.D., Calcutta. London, 1858.
Evangelistic work went on even during the depth of the
mutinies and the accompanying rebellion. On the 23d of
June (1857) Mr Gardiner baptized a young man amid the
Calcutta panic and the din of Juggernath's festival. But
* When the tidings of the mutiny at Meerut, immediately followed by the capture
of Delhi, with the attendant massacres, first reached home, the mass even of the
thinking population in this country, having no conception on how insecure a founda-
tion our Indian empire then rested, entirely failed to appreciate the magnitude of
the crisis. The case of Madeline Smithy whose trial was in progress in Edinburgh,
almost entirely occupied the attention of the Scottish public, who seemed scarcely to
have a thought left for the life-and-dcath struggle then in progress in the East. Even
when the second series of telegrams had arrived, bringing fourteen days' later intelli-
gence, and opening with the ominous announcement, *' the mutiny continues to
spread among the troops of the Bengal army ; 30,000 sepoys during the past fort-
night have deserted their colours," the generality of men cried *' Peacf, peace,"
when there was no peace : and even the leading journal of the empire attempted to
allay anxiety by assuming that the 30,000 revolted sepoys had very few of them any
mtention of encountering us in battle — all that they mtendeii to do was to disperse
peaceably to their village homes. In these circumstances, the letters of Dr Duff,
which exhibited the peril in its full magnitude, and pointed out that day by day the
outbreak more nearly approached the proportions of a great Mussulman rebellion,
had no slight influence in dissipating the false security that prevailed, and making
it plain that Britain must put forth all her strength if she wished to retain possession
of her Indian empire.
THE MUTINIES AND REBELLION, I IQ
the mission had much to contend with during those eventful
years. One minor difficulty was, that it could scarcely pay
its way. Many of its most liberal supporters, men who had
done much for the material and moral welfare of the natives,
had been ruthlessly murdered ; the charitable had a channel
for most of their available means in the necessity of feeding
and clothing the European fugitives from the upper pro-
vinces, all of them for the time being destitute, and some
more or less desperately wounded ; while, finally, a few
people illogically and unjustifiably resolved to give nothing
more to missions on account of the murderous deeds which
the unconverted Mohammedans and Hindoos had per-
petrated. Among the fugitives from the upper* provinces
was- the Rev. Gopinath Nandi, who gave his spiritual father
a most harrowing account of the sufferings he and his family
had endured. First they had suffered insults and injuries
at the hands of the disloyal villagers, and next had been in
the fair way of becoming martyrs for the Christian faith
when they fell into the hands of an upstart Mussulman
Moulavi, then wielding the power of life and death at Alla-
habad. Their destruction, it is believed, was imminent, when
the appearance of the gallant General Neil, at the head of a
small European force, so alarmed the Mussulman persecu-
tors that, without taking time to immolate Gopinath, they
made a precipitate flight. In 1857 the health of Miss Laing
was so afi'ected by the scenes among which she was com-
pelled to live that she resigned the orphanage, of which Mr
and Mrs Pourie took charge. Some time later Mr Pourie
succeeded Mr Milne in the pastorate of the Free Church, a
similar cause having necessitated his return home. Mr
Pourie's induction took place on the 14th November 1858.
That year also the health of Mr Thomas Smith failed, and
he was ordered permanently home, as was Mr Gardiner in
May 1859.
When the first examination of Dr Duft's high-caste girls'
school was held — which it was in the house of a leading
120 CALCUTTA,
Calcutta baboo— there were sixty-two on the roll. Besides
European ladies and gentlemen, several of the native nobility
and gentry were present. A Kulin Brahman gave seventy-
two rupees for scholarships, and another native seventy-five
rupees as a subscription to the school.
On 29th December 1858, Dr Ewart again reached Cal-
cutta from home.
It was a remarkable proof of confidence in the Christian
missionaries, as well as in the permanence of British rule in
the East, that even while the struggle with the mutineers
and rebels was still in progress, important baptisms took
place. Of the neophytes then admitted to the Church,
some were students in the institution, some were wives or
other relatives of former converts, two were heathen teachers
in the branch schools, one was an old playmate of Lai
Behari De, and, stranger and more satisfactory still, another
was a Mohammedan Moulavi, joint proprietor of one of the
Calcutta mosques.
The native Christian agents of the mission were unhappily
reduced in number about this time, ill health and the great
demand for educated natives thinning the ranks both of the
probationary and of the full catechists. About two years
previously, there had been nine native aspirants to the
ministry — namely, one probationer, Behari Lai Singh; six
full catechists — i. Guru Das Mitra; 2, Dinanath Adhya;
3, Baikantha Nath De ; 4, Bhagabati Charan Mukerjya ; 5,
Kali Das Chakrabarti ; and 6, Sheeb Chunder Banerjya ;
and two probationary catechists — Gobinda Chandra Das,
and Ishan Chandra Banerjya. Of these the probationer,
Behari Lai, was in Europe for his health.* Guru Das Mitra
had been obliged to go to the north-west also in quest of
* We have heard, on good authority, that Behari was a devoted and successful
labourer while in the Calcutta mission. After returning to India, he, with the
sanction of Dr Duff and his brethren, was engaged as mi<;sionary to the English
Pfesb^terian Church, and went under their auspices to Rampore Bauleah, the capital
of Rajshahye, on the Ganges, about 122 miles north of Calcutta. The duties of his
responsible office there he has well discharged from the date of his appointment till
Jlpw.
THE NATIVE CHURCH, 121
health, but had not resigned his office. Dinanath Adhya
had resigned, and been appointed a deputy magistrate, on a
salary of 200 rupees a month, more than three times as
much, if we mistake not, as he had from the mission. Kali
Das. had resigned, and accepted secular employment.
Bhagabati had resigned on account of ill health, and died
soon after at Benares of hemorrhage, produced by the
rupture of blood vessels in his lungs. Sheeb Chunder had
resigned, and accepted secular employment, not, however,
from failing interest in ministerial work, but from a high-
minded and commendable desire to preach the gospel from
an independent position, and free of charge to the mission.
He has since conscientiously carried out this resolve. The
only full catechist remaining actually in the service of the
mission at the time referred to was Baikantha Nath De.
The two probationary catechists, however, did so still, and
the three ordained native ministers. There were, in addi-
tion, various Christian converts teaching in the different
schools, of whom at least three were desirous of coming for-
ward as catechists. The resignations now spoken of, though
painful, were not, we think, an unmixed evil. We doubt
whether the Church at home would be able to support an
indefinite number of native Christian agents in the East ;
and if some, after mature and prayerful thought, consider
their vocation to be secular, rather than spiritual, their sup-
port of ordinances, and their personal efforts for Christ,
ought within a certain time to aid materially in building up
self-sustaining native churches — an achievement the import-
ance of which it were difficult to over-estimate.
The depth of one's piety may at times be tested by his
contributions to religious objects, and, in this point of view,
it is well worthy of note that in 1859 Rajendra, the medical
practitioner, sent ;£2o donation to the fnission. Apropos
of the question of finance, it should be mentioned that fees
had for some time been introduced into the mission schools,
with the exception of those designed for girls, and with the
122 CALCUTTA,
exception also of the college department in the Calcutta
institution. The sum was small — four annas, or sixpence
per month; but it must be remembered that the pupils,
though mostly of high caste, were generally poor, and the
competition of non-Christian seminaries with the institution
was exceedingly severe. In 1859, Bansberia received a
grant-in-aid from Government of about 150 rupees a month,
or about ;^i8o a year. Early in that year, a "lay"
European teacher had arrived from Europe on an engage-
ment to labour for three years ; and on 29th April i860,
Mr Fyfe was ordained to the ministry.
Not long afterwards a dreadful blow came upon the mis-
sion. On Saturday morning, the 8th September i860, Dr
Ewart was seized with cholera, and on Sabbath the 9th,
at 4.30 P.M., he fell asleep in Jesus. Next morning, Miss
Don, a young lady who had been sent out to teach in Mrs
Ewart*s school, arriving in March i860, and who had been
vigorously engaged in her duties there on Saturday, was
seized with the same fell disease, and after lingering on till
Thursday afternoon, also expired. Dr Ewart's talents,
though good, were not very brilliant ; but his modesty, his
quiet, unobtrusive piety, his loving spirit, his untiring exer-
tions for the welfare of all with whom he was brought in
contact, and especially the natives of India to whom he had
been sent, greatly endeared him to all who knew him.*
During the time that the terrible disease — cholera — had him
in its grasp, he was, as Mr Macleod Wylie writes, ** most
fatherly and affectionate." "At the funeral, also," Mr Wylie
adds, " mourning was real."
Lai Behari De, speaking of Dr Ewart in 1856, when,
after twenty-two years continuous labour, he was temporarily
going home for health, said that he remembered him in
1834 when he came from Scotland —
* The writer thinks it may be well to mention that he once boarded for sereral
months in the same house with Dr and Mrs Ewart, and had ample opportunity of
witaessing their high missionary character.
THE LOSS OF DR EWART. 123
" A stout and sturdy young man, robust, and ruddy, the very image
of health itself." ** Ever since David Ewart joined the mission," Lai
went on to say, ** he has worked on at the rate of six hours, and some-
times seven hours, daily. Willingly would I delineate to you the
features of his character, his exhaustless patience, his unfailing kmdness,
his boundless charity, thinking no evil, hoping all things, believing all
things, enduring all things, his honesty, his plain downrightness, if I
may be allowed to use the expression. Willingly, too, would I pourtray,
if 1 could, the overflowing kindness of his heart ; that which impelled
him, by a sort of intuitive benevolence, to assist the poor student
with food, clothing, and books, to weep with those that wept, and
rejoice with those that rejoiced. I have seen him sit up all night at the
bedside of a sick student. I have seen him fan that student with his
own hand, attending on him and nursing him as if that native lad
were his only son. I have seen that stout-hearted Scotchman — a man
of genuine Scotch stalwartness — weep like a child in grief at the death
of a favourite scholar and convert. I have seen him at all seasons
wending his way through our gulleys to the home of a sick or troubled
scholar. I have found him on the bank of the Ganges, there adminis-
tering consolation to a pupil then on the borders of eternity." — Free
Church Missionary Record^ Jan. I, 1857, p. J 26.
The Bengal mission lost a vast deal when it lost Dr Ewart.
CHAPTER X.
THE MISSION AFTER DR EWART*S DEATH.
At the examination of the Calcutta institution, held at the
close of i860, Sir Bartle Frere, the representative member
for the Bombay Presidency in the Supreme Council of
India, and afterwards Governor of Bombay, was in the
chair. He eulogised the plan of the institution, and the
way that plan had been and was then carried out.* Among
some baptisms which occurred in 1861, one was that of a
■ * An American missionary from the Madras Presidency, who visited the institution
some months subsequently, gave a lively account of what he witnessed. The classes
were numerous— Thus in the 21st there were 250 bright little fellows. Some other
points which he noted are, we believe, peculiar to Calcutta. One was that most of
the pupils wore shoes (European, not native ones, he means). Yet more remark-
able, scarcely one scholar had a sectarian mark on his forehead. This would have
been regarded in Madras as a renunciation of Hindooism, and could the whole
pupils have been transported bodily to that presidency seat, people there would have
taken them for a company of professing Christians.
124 CALCUTTA,
young man educated in a goverament college, who had
bought a Bible for the express purpose of refuting it ; but
the self- evidencing power of the Word of God was such that
his careful study of it resulted in his conversion. He was
baptized on the 20th January 1861. Chinsurah had been
somewhat barren of spiritual fruits for two or three years,
but the Spirit of God again graciously visited it early in
1 86 1, and baptisms anew took place. In the Assembly
report of 1862, the number of pupils under instruction
in the central and branch stations of the Bengal Free
Church Mission stood at the amazing number of 3577.*
On 17th March 1861, Lai Behari De was inducted into the
pastorate of the Bengalee native Church in Cornwallis
Square ; but, on the other hand, about the same time Dr
Duflf had to mourn over the death of one of his earliest
converts, the Rev. Gopinath Nandi,t the native missionary
so nearly martyred during the mutinies and rebellion of
1857, and of whom Dr Duif said, that he loved him as
his own soul.
At the examination of 23d November 1861, Colonel
(afterwards Sir Henry) Durand presided. He was at that
time Foreign Secretary to the Indian Government. Imme-
diately afterwards, the high-caste girls' school was examined.
Colonel Durand and Sir Bartle Frere giving admirable and
encouraging addresses. The girls' school, since its com-
Males. Females. Total.
* In Calcutta, 1512 an J723
,, Chinsurah, 700 80 780
„ Bansbcria,. ...... 323 45 368
,1 Culna^ 227 95 322
„ Mahanad,, 201 83 284
3063 514 3577
t After tranquiUity was restored in Upper India, Gopinath returned to his station
at Futtehpore. In March 1861, he had an attack of a dangerous internal malady to
■which he had long been subject. A surgical operation naving been proposed, a
friend asked him if he had any arrangements to make, as the doctor said the opera-
tion was a very delicate one, and in most cases proved fatal. On this he ad(k;d a
codicil to his will. ** I am not afraid to die," he said ; " I can trust that Jesus whom
I have often preached to others." The operation proved fatal, and early next
morning, the 23rd November 1861, his spirit passed away. After the death of Gopi-
nath Nandi, the Rev. Krishna Mohan Banerjee was the only survivor of the con-
verts of 1832.
DR DUFF^S LABOURS AND INFLUENCE. 125
mencement five years previously, had attained to a state of
high efficiency, and maintained an average of about sixty
pupils.
On the ist February 1862, the Rev. Dr Mackay, who
had been Dr Duff's companion in labour from an early
period, was compelled by ill health once more to leave for
Europe. This time he was destined to see the East no
more. His constitution had been shattered beyond the
possibility of recovery. He died in September 1865, i^
humble dependence on the merits of his Saviour. On his
departure the only European labourers left were Dr Duff*
and Mr Fyfe at Calcutta, with Mr Beaumont at Chinsurah.
Help from home was, however, at hand. On 15th Feb-
ruary, just a fortnight after Mr Mackay left Calcutta, the
Rev. Kenneth Sommerled Macdonald, ordained by the
Presbytery of Abertarff on the 8th of the previous month,
The reputation of Dr Duff continually brought him into very important work of
a missionary character outside the institution. Take the following as a notable
instance of what has now been stated :— In 1859, the Bethune Society (called after
the Hon. Mr Bethune, JLaw Member of the Supreme Council, and President of the
old Government Board of Education, and designed to commemorate the valuable
services he had rendered to the cause of education and native improvement gene-
rally) had, from various causes, greatly declined. This was the principal literary,
philosophical, and scientific society of the educated natives, Hindoo and Moham-
medan. A vacancy having taken place in the presidency of the Society, its directors,
supported by the unanimous vote of its members, showed their confidence in Dr
Duff by pressing him to accept the vacant office. Dr Duff made it a condition of
hisxomplying with their request, that they should abrogate or modify one of their
fundamental rules, which seemed adverse to religion. He sought liberty for himself
and others fully to introduce the subject of natural theology, as well as to make re-
spectful allusion, as circumstances might suggest, to the historic facts of Christianity,
and to the lives and labours of those men and women who had been its advocates m
the world. All this being cordially assented to, he accepted the office he was invited
to fill, on which the society immediately revived, and rapidly rose into importance.
It was, on his suggestion, divided into six sections for the more vigorous prosecu-
tion of important departments pf research. Its meeting^ came to be attended by
the very elite of European and native society, who took part, not merely as hearers,
but as speakers. One of the six sections was designed for prosecuting the chief
subjects of what has been called the science of sociolo^ ; another, female education,
&c. The essays, papers, and discussions on these topics helped, so far as the natives
were concerned, to prepare an easy way for subsequent more extensive efforts in
the same direction. The remarkably able and free discussion on female education
did much to break down the icy barriers which had impeded progress in that direc-
tion. A digest of the proceedings of the first two years of Dr DufFs presidentship,
with specimens of essays, &c., has been published in a handsome octavo volume.
Many native rajahs and other leading men, though not members, often attended,
and were invited to address the Society. Among these was the Rajah of Benares,
who was then a member of the Govern or- General's Legislative Council. So struck
was he with wliat he saw and heard, that on his return to the sacred city he called
together a public meeting of the inhabitants, formed a society on the model of the
Bethime one, and became its first president.
126 CALCUTTA.
reached his destination, accompanied by Mr Gilbert
Grange Ross, to succeed Mr Thomson, whose term of
office had expired.
The baptisms about this period presented an interesting
feature. Not merely had it to be recorded that A or B, a
pupil from the institution, was baptized, but that the Chris-
tian teacher of this or that branch school had arrived at
Calcutta, bringing with him a senior pupil, or possibly more
than one, for baptism. Then, again, it had to be stated
that some wife, seized by her relatives when her husband
was baptized, had managed to rejoin him, despite all efforts
to keep her back.* Another fact, and one of much signi-
ficance, is that young widows showed themselves more
ready than other Hindoo women to embrace the truth.
Hindooism not merely forbids a woman to marry, and, if
she is a Brahmanee, suggests that she should bum herself
alive, but it assigns to her the most menial offices, and
makes her the despised drudge of the family. Nor must it
be forgotten that the so-called widow may be a little girl,
who has never seen her husband except at a distance, and
whose connection with him has been simply betrothal
When light penetrates into the recesses of Hindoo house-
holds, the widow-drudges will in increasing numbers become
Christians, their first attraction to the foreign faith being
that it emancipates them from the bondage in which they
are enthralled by their own. As bearing on this subject,
take the following remarkable narrative : — On the evening
of Sabbath, 6th June 1862, a young man appeared at the
mission, guiding thither a widow of fourteen. They stated
that they had come from Mahanad. Jagadishwar's wife,
formerly one of the pupils in Miss Laing's Orphanage, had
* The missionaries very properly proceed on the Scripture rule that baptism does
not divorce a convert from the wife married when both were in heathenism. The
convert is exhorted to wait, and wait, and yet again to wait, without marrying
another : and in 1862, Dr Duff mentioned it as the experience of the Bengal mission
that in every case the wife sooner or later managed, despite all opposition, to join
or rejoin her husband, virtually using the speech of Ruth when cleaving to Naomi
— •' Whither thou goest I will go, and whither thou lodgest I will lodge ; thy people
shall be my people, and thy God my God.**
MORE FRUITS, \2J
instructed her at the Mahanad girls' school When she
was thought too old to go thither any longer, she was com-
pelled to desist from attending ; but on being removed, she
managed to write for Christian books. The gospels and
some tracts were in consequence sent her, and apparently
proved the means of her conversion. The young man who
had consented to act as her guide felt that by this step he
had so deeply compromised himself that he was likely to be
subjected to very bad treatment if he returned, and he made
up his mind to go back no more. He had a severe ordeal
to sustain from his relatives when they came, but he stood
firm, and was baptized on the nth June 1862. The girl
and the wife of one of the Christian teachers received the
sealing ordinance together by the hand of Jagadishwar, on
the 6th July of the same year.* That month and the next
there were no fewer than ten baptisms, either at Calcutta or
at the branch istations. One of the cases was specially
interesting. It was that of a young man of twenty-five,
Lucky Narayan Bhose, brought up at a government school
at Howrah, and who, having a situation on the railway, was
able to support himself by his own exertions. He had
begun to teach young men before his baptism. On re-
turning after the rite had been administered, he found his
house barred against him, the title-deeds of it stolen, and his
neighbours, and even his wife, set against him. After all
private means of obtaining redress had been taken without
eiFect, he was obliged to apply to the magistrate, who at
once did what justice required in the case. Besides those
baptized, there was an applicant for the sealing rite fi*om
Mahanad, who, though he stood firm against the impor-
tunities of his friends, and would not return with them, yet
was so affected by their violence that he went into hysteri-
cal convulsions. In his weakness he sought relief in
prayer.
In Mr Mullens' statistics, published in 1852, and in those
* When a girl came up for baptism she was placed in the female Orphanage.
128 CALCUTTA.
issued ten years later, the converts of the mission still resi-
dent in Calcutta stood as follows : —
Calcutta Free Church. — In 1852, communicants, 27 ; native
Christians, 87. Converts added in ten years, 64. In 1862, com-
municants, 84 ; native Christians, 196.
On 1 6th October 1862, the Rev. Mr Don was ordained
by the Free Presbytery of Glasgow, and leaving soon after-
wards for Calcutta, with Dr Robson as medical missionary,
arrived at his destination before the close of 1862. At the
examination with which that year concluded, there were
1530 on the roll— 183 of them in the college department
The hero of Magdala, Sir Robert Napier, then a member of
the Supreme Executive and Legislative Councils, presided,
and the following year Lady Elgin, wife of the Governor-
General, visited the institution. Her ladyship came in
state, with the vice-regal carriage and outriders. In a
country so respectful of rank as India, such a visit as that
now described is unquestionably helpful to a mission.
About 1 86 1 an arrangement had been come to with the
missionary committee at home, by which they consented to
pay ;^6oo a-year to the Calcutta Central Institution, and
thus set free the local funds for the extension of the work
in the villages. In 1863 it was resolved to make Mahanad,
founded six years before, the centre of very systematic opera-
tions. The country for twelve miles around it was, there-
fore, carefully surveyed by Dr Duff, and was considered to
have about 130,000 inhabitants. It was resolved to plant
schools under Christian teachers as nearly as possible four
miles distant from each other over this area. Nay more, it
was sought to a certain extent to subsidise the indigenous
heathen schools on this essential condition, that their teachers
consented to introduce the mission school text-books in
place of the wretched works they had formerly placed in the
hands of their pupils, as well as agreeing in other ways to
allow the missionaries a measure of control over their ope-
rations.
DR DUFF^S LAST DAYS IN BENGAL. 129
Whilst these arrangements were in progress, Dr Dud's
health completely broke down, and he was pronounced
permanently unfit to continue his "labours in the Indian
plains. That very formidable disease, tropical dysentery,
had driven him from Calcutta in July 1834; in identically
the same month of 1863, it necessitated his departure again.
He had thought of retiring to a hill station, like Darjeeling,
but the Church justly considered that he could be of far
more use in Edinburgh than there, and sent him, as already
mentioned in the first part of this work, a unanimous and
pressing invitation to return home. After a great mental
struggle, he, in consequence of the decidedly adverse medical
judgment, consented to quit the East and accept the office of
Convener of the Foreign Missions Committee ; and having
staved off the immediate danger to life, by a voyage in the
China seas and Indian archipelago, then prepared to wind up
his affairs in Calcutta and return home. After visiting Madras
and Bombay, he, on the 20th December 1863, finally quitted
Calcutta, among a shower of letters and addresses from all
classes of the native and European communities, testifying
to the affection and respect in which he was held. Some of
his converts travelled 180 or 200 miles, with the express
object of bidding him adieu. An incident which occurred
on the eve of his departure will show the potent effect
which a few simple words from him were capable of pro-
ducing in the Christian society which had known his man-
ner of life. At a special prayer meeting held before his
departure, he mentioned that six places had been selected
in the Mahanad district as centres of operations. Each
school would cost about 4000 rupees, of which the govern-
ment would probably pay one half. Might not six gentle-
men give ;£^2oo a-piece, ;£'i2oo in all, and allow the schools
at once to be proceeded with ? On the Saturday following
two gentlemen sent in their names for ;£'2oo a-piece, two
more came forward soon afterwards, and a telegram sent
after Dr Duff before his vessel could get out of the river
130 CALCUTTA.
told him that a sixth had been obtained. Leaving him to
proceed homewards via the Cape of Good Hope,* we put
on record the testimony of an able Christian gentleman, as
to the influence the Church of Scotland's first missionary-
had been divinely enabled to exercise throughout India,
during the period that he resided within its borders.
A letter dated Serampore, December 18, 1862, addressed
originally to the Friend of India, and reprinted in the Free
Church Record iox March 2, 1863, stated that the writer,
a Free Church elder, had come from Scotland nine years
before, somewhat prejudiced against Dr Duff's system of
operations, but that personal observation had since made
him become strongly in its favour. He proceeds : —
** If a system is to be judged of by only such results as can be ex-
pressed by statistics, then I assert that the educational system has made
more converts from Hindooism properly so called, than the other. If
it be judged of by its actual results in the character of the converts, in
their influence on heathenism, in their value to the growing but yet
future civilisation of the country, and in that impalpable but, to my
mind, plain preparation of Hindu society for a national Christianity of
its own, like the preparation of the ancient world in the first three
centuries, before the secular power became Christian, then I declare
that there is no comparison between the value of the educational over
the evangelising system. So strongly do I feel on this point, and so
much stronger does daily experience make my conviction, that I should
wish to see every white educated missionary sent to the Hindoos and
Mohammedans proper of India a teacher, with the view of raising
native preachers, and indirectly leavening society, rather than a wayside
or even parish preacher, speaking daily to the people in their own
tongue. In a word, I consider the principles of Dr Duffs system
almost perfect for Hindooism as it is, and for the building of a native
Church of the future."
After mentioning one or two details in which he considers
the institutional system susceptible of improvement, he thus
proceeds again : —
** I have had peculiar opportunities, during nine years, for watching
and helping on the progress of education in India, and for studying its
♦ From Cape Town Dr Duff proceeded eastward through the colony, visiting the
Moravian and all oiher mission stations ; our own missions in Caffraria, the French
mission in Basuto land beyond the great Orange River, and entering Natal from the
north, returned from Durban by steamer to Cape Town. The experience thus
acquired of South African missions has now been turned to good account in his office
as Convener of the Foreign Mission Committee.
APPRECIATION OF HIS CHARACTER AND WORK, I3I
past history. As a university examiner for four out of seven years, I
have reason to know well in what position it is in Bengal ; and I say
this, that whatever may be Dr DufTs claim to the reverence and grati-
tude of the Church, whose most illustrious missionary he is, his title to
the gratitude of the government and people of India, for his influence
on education, is far greater. With a full knowledge of the facts, with
a personal knowledge of them for nine years, I declare that all that is
good, useful, and healthy in education in Northern India, for the past
thirty years, is due to him. Had he not been a missionary at all, he
would have done more for the conversion of India by this influence,
than many missionaries. In this aspect— and I speak the cold language
of fact — Dr Duff has been a greater benefactor to India than any man
I can name. He and the system with which his name is identified, have
left their stamp on the most critical period, embracing more than a
generation of Indian history."
After the departure of Dr DufF, a gentleman raised among
the friends of our missionary a sum of money which he
would have offered as an absolute personal gift, had he not
feared from his knowledge of Dr Duff's character that it
would not be accepted. He therefore permanently invested
it in name of trustees, under the designation of the " Duff
Memorial Fund," the interest of it to be given to the illus-
trious evangelist while he lives \ and when at length that event
shall arrive which all wish may yet be very long deferred,
then it is to be appropriated in all time coming to the benefit
of disabled missionaries, or in aiding in the support of
widows and children of missionaries, whose lives have been
spent in the cause. With other money raised in Calcutta
in memory of its distinguished missionary, four handsome
university scholarships have been estabhshed bearing his
name, two to be bestowed on pupils from the Free Church
Institute, one on those of other denominations, and one on
an alumnus of the Government Colleges. The Bethune
Society also contributed ;^2oo for a full-length portrait of
their former president. The final departure of Dr Duff
naturally constituted an epoch in the history of the Bengal
mission.
132 CALCUTTA.
CHAPTER XI.
THE MISSION AFTER DR DUFF'S FINAL DEPARTURE.
The mission, under its new management, was not long in
obtaining tokens of the Divine favour, though a portion of
the fruit reaped sprung from seed sown during the previous
period, or at the out stations. The Missionary Record for
April 1864 intimated six baptisms. One, Jodu Nath Das,
was a brother of Lucky Nath Das, and was a third convert
within twelve months from Mr Macdonald's visits to Howrah.
Another was the poor Brahman youth, driven temporarily
out of his mind by the violence of his relatives ; and the
other four were an illustration of what probably will become
common yet — the baptism of groups of friends. This grati-
fying spectacle was witnessed at Mahanad on the 24th of
January 1864, there being there and then admitted to
the Church four young men — Ramchundra Das, aged
27, head master of a government school, his brother and
cousin, and a convert from Mohammedanism, a friend and
associate of the other three. Some months later, a very
promising youth, Behari Lai Chandra, was baptized. When
his proclivities towards Christianity had manifested them-
selves at home, he had been put in confinement by his
father and other Hindoos, and he had such difficulty in
escaping that when he presented himself at the Mission-
house it was almost in a state of nudity. He offered him-
self as a candidate for the ministry, as did also another
convert called Kally, who had been baptized some time
before. Shortly afterwards a girl, Kalyani, was baptized.
Her case was specially interesting. She was the first fruit
of Dr Duff's caste-girls' school, and her instructress, the
new teacher, Mrs Ch^tturjya, was herself the first female
convert of fhe mission. On Saturday evening, 3d Septem-
STRUGGLES. 1 33
ber 1864, there arrived from Culna three candidates for
baptism, Pana Lai Basu, aged 19; Kumish Behari Basu,
aged 17; and Monshur Ghose, 16^. Their mothers and
friends came down and made efforts, though vainly, to
induce them to return home.
"'One Sabbath evening,' Mr Fyfe writes, 'one of them struck her-
self with bricks and made the blood flow profusely from her forehead
and temples. She seized her son frantically, and called for a knife to
cut her own throat, so that I was obliged to send for a palkee and order
her friends to take her away. She has been back several times, but has
been quieter than she was the first time.' "
Scarcely any young man is baptized without having been
first informed that his mother is dying or will kill herself
whenever she hears that the rite has been administered. It
is extremely rare, however, for the most dreadful threats to
be even partially fulfilled. The case mentioned by Mr Fyfe
is one of a very exceptional character. The first impulse
of a kind heart is to say, do not baptize any youth whose
relatives so acutely feel the apostacy of one they love from
their ancestral faith. To which the reply is, that first it
would not be right to do what is asked. The human con-
science is so infinitely important that one must not violate
its dictates even at the bidding of a mother. And, secondly,
it would not be expedient. Once let it be known that female
demonstrations could prevent a reception into the Church,
and the wily and selfish priests would take care that not
even one baptism would in future occur. On every occasion
they would order up battalions of females, with instructions
to flourish knives, and say that they would sacrifice their
lives unless the baptism were stayed. In this, as in all
other cases, the path of duty, even when it cannot be trod
without exquisite pain, is the path of safety, and no one is
warranted to turn from it, at the bidding of expediency, to
the right hand or the left. The surrender of one of the
Mahanad converts, Kumedhi, was demanded in a lawyer's
letter, and intimation was made that if he were not at once
(891) 10
134
CALCUTTA.
given up, application would be made for a writ of habeas
corpus. In these circumstances Kumedhi's baptism was
delayed a week. By that time it was inferred that the
lawyer's threat was a mere brutum fulmen^ which might
with safety be ignored ; the young man was therefore bap-
tized without further delay on the i8th September 1864.
Scarcely were these three Culna baptisms over than three
other youths appeared from the same place on the same
errand. Two were at once admitted into the Church, while
the baptism of the third was delayed owing to a threat of
application for a writ of habeas corpus in his case.
** * It was/ says Mr Macdonald, 'actually taken out, but not served,
as I understand, because the counsel or attorney engaged by them (the
natives), in considering the case in connection with the recent cases in
Bombay and the Punjaub, came to the conckision that there was no
hope of success, and consequently advised his clients to proceed no
further. The young man was then baptized.* "
Shortly after these joyous events one of another character
tried the faith and the fortitude of the missionaries — the
destruction of a great portion of the mission buildings, both
in the metropolis and the out stations, on the 5th October
1864, by a cyclone.*
By the prompt and liberal response of the home Church
to an appeal on the subject, issued by Dr Duff in name of
the committee, money was obtained to repair the damage
done by the cyclone. One most interesting discovery
which came out in connection with the cyclone was that
there were baboos now so enlightened, in one respect at
least, that they were willing to give up the idol halls in
* Happily we have scarcely any experience here as to what a cyclone means, the
heat being \oti moderate and the rotation of the earth not rapid enough in our lati-
tude to create a genuine British cyclone, though the feeble remains of some which have
originated in the Carribean Sea occasionally visit our shores. The word cyclone,
from the Greek #Cj)«cXof, a circle, was coined by Mr Piddington, of Calcutta, in
1848, in lieu of the naturalised Spanish term hurricane. It was meant to express
what before had been discovered by other observers, that the dreadful storms which
devastate certain regions in the warmer latitudes are rotatory in their movement.
Unhappil3r the Bay of Bengal is one of their chosen seats, and it is to be feared that
at uncertain intervals the mission buildings at Calcutta, and perhaps at Madras,
will be damaged by cyclones.
SATISFACTORY FINANCE. I3S
their houses for the temporary accommodation of Christian
schools. How astonishing that men of such good sense did
not take the opportunity to bundle out their idols once and
for all !
At the end of 1864, Sir John Lawrence, then Viceroy of
India, presided at the examination. Never had any of his
predecessors done so.
We mentioned some time ago the introduction of fees
into the institution and branch schools. Those had gradu-
ally increased, till in the mission report to the Assembly in
1865, it was stated that those in the central institution
amounted to nearly ;£iooo a year, and those in Chinsurah
to jQs^Zi los., besides about ;^20 for a small preparatory
school. In fact, Chinsurah was almost self-supporting.
The natural effect of the fees was, of course, to reduce the
number of pupils, yet there were 3135 remaining. Sixteen
adult baptisms had taken place during the year, two of them
being those of students from the highest class in the institu-
tion. The number baptized since the commencement of
the mission had been upwards of 170, most of whom, if
living, still remained connected with the Church. The
deacons' court of the native congregation intimated that
;^i22 had been contributed during the year, and they re-
solved, from 1st July 1865, to declare the congregation self-
supporting, and take no more money from Scotland. It was
believed that there was not a native church in all India
which raised so much per annum for Christian purposes.
Baboo Vishnoo Chandra Chattuijya deserves great credit
for having been the chief agent in bringing this satisfactory
state of things about
In June 1863, a youth called Hem Nath Bhose, a few
months short of 16, had sought baptism. A writ of habeas
corpus was taken out by the relatives against Dr Duff and
Mr De. The judge did not examine the youth to ascertain
whether or not he had discretion, but gave him up to his
father. In July 1865, he again returned to the Mission-
136 CALCUTTA.
house, and on the i6th of that month was baptized. The
father attempted to stop the administration of the ordinance
by alleging that his son was a person of bad character, but
no credit was given to his statements. As there had been
discussions on this case in the newspapers, a great crowd
assembled to witness the baptism. They attempted to carry
off the neophyte, but failed. When the rite was about to
be administered, shouts and yells, with cries of " Haribol " *
arose, both from the back benches in the church, and from
the crowd outside; but a heavy shower of rain just then
coming on and clearing the street, the service was completed
in comparative peace. Complaint was made against those
who had disturbed the public worship, and a reward was
offered for their detection.
At the baptism of a young man called Behari Lai Bhose,
a student in the first year's college department, which soon
afterwards took place, ten girls from the orphanage were
brought into the church to help the psalmody. Among
'other baptisms which soon afterwards occurred, one was
that of a widow of 18 or 19, but looking older on account
of the hardships she had undergone. A few months later
another widow, this one aged 48, was baptized.
A lecture on Jesus Christ, delivered on the 5th May 1866,
by the Baboo Keshub Chandra Sen, the head of the
progressive party of the Brahma Sumaj,t having in it
passages in which our holy faith was referred to in a friendly
manner, the conservative Brahmas proceeded to assail the
* Haribol, literally, Say Han, that is, Krishna.
t The leading divisions of the Hindoo Shastras are the Vedas and the Pooranas ;
the former being very ancient, while the latter are comparatively modern. Both
are pantheistic, but the Pooranas, from their gross idolatry, are by far the more
vulnerable of the two. Hence the more enlightened Hindoos at Calcutta and other
centres of modem thought are becoming a little ashamed of the Pooranas, and not
yet being willing to embrace Christisuiity, fall back on the Vedas, and call them-
selves Vedantists. They are not very candid in the use of these ancient bodies, for
they rationalise awav any statement in them which they do not like. The modern
Vedantist sect in Calcutta was founded by Rammohun Roy, and is generally called
the Brahma Sabha ([pronounced Brahma Subha], or Sumaj, from Brahm, not the
first person of the triad, but a certain abstraction, destitute of qualities, believed to
be in a manner the essence of God. About the date to which our history has come,
the Sabha, or Society, had broken into two or three — the old men bemg, as was
a»tura\, more conservative than the younger ones. The latter were under the
CONTROVERSIAL LECTURES, 1 37
doctrine of Jesus, evidently in dread of its further advance
in the community. A gentleman of eminent talent and ac-
complishments — Baboo Grish Chandra Ghose — announced
and delivered a lecture on what he called the decline of
Christianity. The lecture being long, there was no time to
reply to it at the close ; but Dr Robson at once announced
that he would do so next evening, in the hall of the Free
Church Institution, which he did. Mr Macdonald intimated
and delivered a second lecture on the Testimony of Baboo
Grish Chandra Ghose, an enemy, in favour of Christianity"
and against deism. Grish's lecture opened the columns of
both divisions of the Brahma Sumaj to letters on the subject,
and thus the discussion was profitably prolonged. The
excitement was kept up by two baptisms. The one was
that of a Brahman of the Bhattacharjya class, aged i8, who
had been several years in the institution, having learned
English after with difficulty obtaining his father's consent to
do so, the worthy Bengalee saying that our language was
" an unclean tongue, an unholy study, that will lead to your
corruption and ruin/* The young man now spoken of was
baptized by Mr Don on the 5 th August 1866. The other,
though baptized in connection with the London Missionary
Society, had obtained his Christian knowledge in the Free
Church Institution. The practice of replying in the Hall of
the Free Church Institution to attacks on Christianity made
elsewhere, has been continued since with manifold advan-
tages to the cause of truth.
One of the largest and wealthiest villages in the Mahanad
district is Akhna. In it is a flourishing girls' school, and a
zenana one, with about 20 in attendance, for adult females.
Half-a-dozen of the zenana pupils expressed their desire to
embrace Christianity. On this becoming known, their
leadership of the well-known Keshub Chandra Sen, who derived, it cannot be doubted,
from the Bible, and not from the Vedas, his two doctrines of the fatherhood of God
and the brotherhood of man. Edward Irving had become famous by introducing
the expression, "The fatherhood of God," into a prayer, long before Keshub stood
forth as a religious teacher.
138 CALCUTTA.
relatives, of course, took means to prevent their carrying
out their conscientious convictions. Two of the females,
however, escaped and sought shelter in the mission, — an
exploit in the case of timid and high-born dames who had
never left the secluded precincts of the zenana, of unprece-
dented boldness and courage. Both of them were young
widows* Their ages were respectively 16 and 20. Their
names were Biraji Bosu and Bidhumukhi Bosu. Both were
baptized on July 29th, 1866.
One of the most formidable obstacles which retard the
progress of Christianity in India is the separation of members
of families, necessitated by the caste system. This being
so, it is a matter of the deepest thankfulness when cases
occur in which a whole family are brought, one after another,
into the Church. Such a case occurred in connection with
the Bengal mission. The baptism of the baboo Lucky
Narayan Das, from Howrah, with the loss and recovery of
his wife, have been already recorded. All his family were
within a few years subsequently converted to Christ. Lucky
himself said —
"On the 17th August 1862, I was baptized; my wife on the 4th
January 1863 ; and then my youngest brother, Jodu Nath Das, on
the 6th December 1863 ; and my neighbour, Lucky Monie Mittra
(widow), on the 23rd July 1865."
Baikanta Nath Das, the last of the family, was admitted
into the Church on the 15th July 1866. When it becomes
common for households of caste Hindoos to come into the
Christian Church, leaving no member outside in heathenism,
the triumph of the gospel will not be much longer delayed.
In April 1867, the Rev. J. Pourie, pastor of the Calcutta
Free Church, was obliged to leave that city under medical
advice for Australia, where he died the same year.t
♦ See page 126.
t The liberalitv of the Calcutta Free Church had been almost, if not altogether,
unparalleled. The membership is not large, and yet between Augtist 1843 and
31st August 1863 it raised ^62,308. The pastor's stipend was ;C6oo, and in 1863 a
manse was beine built which was expected to cost A3000 or £4,000. There was a
fund called the furlough and sick-leave fund, which amounted Xa£^^oot and also a
THE REV. DR MURRAY MITCHELL. 1 39
About October 1867, word reached home that Lai Behari
De had resigned the pastoral charge of the Bengalee Church,
and entered the Government Education Service ; that when
Dr Robson's term of service expired he would not renew it,
but would take a situation under the Government, or com-
mence private practice ; that Mr Fyfe would soon require
temporarily to return home on account of his health ; and,
finally, that the health of Mr Pourie, the pastor of the Free
Church, had hopelessly broken down. It was perceived
that another crisis in the history of the mission had arrived.
In the emergency, the Rev. Dr Murray Mitchell, at the
request of the Foreign Missions Committee, resigned his
pastoral charge at Broughty Ferry, and proceeded tempo-
rarily to Calcutta, leaving Southampton with Mrs Mitchell
by the first mail steamer in December 1367, and arriving
early in the following year,
CHAPTER XII.
THE MISSION AFTER DR MITCHELL*S ARRIVAL.
The intellect, scholarship, refinement, and long missionary
experience of Dr Mitchell rendered him the most fitting
person that could be found to aid the Bengal mission in an
emergency, and he went forth prepared to give assistance in
any department of the work in which his services might be
most required. Just before his arrival, the Calcutta Church
had been filled up, the congregation having preferred
promptly calling Mr Don, one of the missionaries, to sending
home instructions to look out for a pastor. "'*' Dr Mitchell
retiring fund and a widows' and orphans' fund. No symptoms had appeared of
diminished zeal. During the years 1862-63, ;^374o, 8s. had been raised, of which
;^2338 had been contributed to the mission.
* The liberality of this church still continued. When Mr Pourie was absent from
ill health in Australia, his attached flock gave him his full salary, which had been
raised some time previously to between ;^7oo and ;^8oo. In 1871, it was stated that,
since 1844, it had raised ;C85»ooo. It had also three Sabbath schools, with 37
teachers and 335 pupils.
I40 CALCUTTA.
when he came, therefore, gave his main strength to the
mission.
It had some weeks before sustained serious losses from a
second cyclone, in various respects more destructive than that
of 1864. The buildings at the branch stations had some of
them suffered considerably, and those in Comwallis Square
had also been partially injured
"All the masonry of our institution," wrote Mr "FyiQ, "stood the
storm well, except a little observatory on the roof, which is so much
damaged that it must be taken down altogether. We will not think of
rebuilding it. Some of the doors were smashed in pieces, and many of
the windows destroyed."
Dr Mitchell did not confine his labours to Calcutta, but
made extensive missionary tours in Bengal, the Santhal
country, Nagpore, the North-West Provinces, and the Pun-
jaub. He and Mr Don also, as members of the Calcutta
University, exerted their influence and gave their suffrages
in favour of such a course of education as they believed best
for the intellectual and moral training of the students. They
aided in carrying, by a majority of one, the retention of
"Abercromby on the Mental and Moral Sciences " against
some gentlemen in the University Council, who wished it
expelled from the list of text-books for examination. Dr
George Smith, of the Friend of India, powerfully supported
the missionaries with his pen in this struggle.
In 1869, the Christian Vernacular Education Society
intimated their intention of taking up as "a circle of
schools" the adult night ones established at Mahanad.
This was to be done, not by superseding the native system,
but by furnishing improved books and systematic inspection.
In 1869, there were thirteen adults baptized in connection
with the mission. At the examination which concluded the
operations of that year. Sir Richard Temple presided. In
1870, the baptisms were under average, being only five,
but in the mysterious working of the Spirit of God, there
are ebbs and flows in the number of admissions to the
Church in each Indian mission. Two of the five were
POSITION OF THE MISSION, I4I
Mussulmans. A young man, Selin-u-Din, employed as an
evangelist, having betaken himself to secular employment,
Kh urban Ali, one of the five new converts, was appointed
his successor.
Mr Beaumont of Chinsurah,* and Mr and Mrsi Fyfe,t
having been compelled by ill health to return to Europe,
first the Rev. James Robertson, and subsequently the Rev.
John Hector, were appointed to Bengal, and arrived, the
former in the fall of 1871, and the latter early in 1872. J
In July 1 87 1, Dr Mitchell baptized Adwaito Charan, a
" native doctor," that is, one who had received a fair medical
education through the medium of his own Bengalee. It was
thought that he would in all likelihood assist Dr Templeton
in the San thai mission. A few months later baptism was
administered to a young Mussulman, Sultan Hossein, who
was the son of a man of high position at the Court of
Lucknow while a Court was still there, but who died while
** Sultan" was very young.
But we must hasten to a close. In the Assembly Report
for 1872, it was stated that the Bengal mission had 2967
pupils. There were 137 in full communion with the native
Church. The operations 'of the mission were superintended
by a large committee on the spot, with the Rev. J. D.
Don as chairman, and as many as twenty "laymen"
members. Mr Robertson having examined the orphanage
and found two or three girls comparatively advanced in
knowledge, bethought him of establishing a normal class,
and educating them as teachers. Eight are now in the
normal class. Lord Northbrook, in his inquiries with
* Mr Beaumont, with the sanction of the committee, subsequently transferred his
services to Poonah.
t Mrs Fyfe died shortly afterwards of paralysis. She had devotedly laboured
thirty years with her husband in the East.
X The Rev. James Robertson was ordained by the Free Presbytery of Turriff, on
8th June 1871, and the Rev. John Hector by that of Aberdeen, on the 14th December
1871. The former sailed for Liverpool on a8th September 1871, with Dr Templeton»
of the Santhal mission, and the latter on the 26th February 1872. The steam vessels
in which they embarked belonged to the Messrs Smith of Glasgow, to whose honour
it should be mentioned that they made a handsome reduction in the passage money.
. 1
142 CALCUTTA.
respect to the state of education in Calcutta, visited several
of the seminaries, and, among others, our own institution.
Early in 1872, Mr Macdonald, after ten years' service in
the East, returned on furlough to his native land. In addi-
tion to his labours in preaching and teaching, he had used
the literary gift which he possessed in editing two periodicals,
as well as several English classics, including Reid's " Inquiry
into the Human Mind," The classics were designed for
the use of schools.
No one, we think, can read the foregoing narrative without
perceiving that through every vicissitude the mission has
been making way. Even in severe trials there has been
much to encourage. One of the heaviest afflictions it has
ever had to undergo has been the acceptance by some of its
native agents of secular employment. Yet how much good
these may yet be able to effect in the several spheres
which they fill may be judged of from the three following
instances : —
The Rev. Lai Behari De, formerly pastor of the native
Church at Calcutta, is now attached to the Hooghly College
in the immediate vicinity of Chinsurah. He has established
a Presbyterian service in English for the Europeans and
natives. At the opening, on ijth Febmary 1872, forty
attended, the majority being East Indians, with a good
sprinkling of Bengali native Christians and a few Europeans.
We should have preferred that the service had been in
Bengalee, as a native convert is ** debtor," in the Scriptural
sense, to his own heathen countrymen first. But we are
glad to welcome missionary efforts in any direction.
Sheeb Chunder Banerjya, it may be remembered, resigned
his situation as catechist 4n 1859, but resolved to continue
preaching without receiving salary from the mission. In
both respects he has done as he said. The only income he
has since had for spiritual work was from a strange source.
In 1850 a native, called Mookerjya, had been baptized
hy Dr Mackay. In November 1865, he employed Sheeb
THE EFFECT OF SCATTERING ARBOAD, I43
Chunder, then in the Government service, as an evangeHst,
undertaking, if he resigned, to provide his entire support
Mookerjya was in partnership with a Mr Clark, their firm
being called that of Messrs Clark and Mookerjya. — Free
Church Missionary Record for March 1867.
Sheeb Chunder* is still in the Government service in the
financial department, and having to accompany the Gover-
nor-General to Simla, he lately wrote in these terms to the
Rev. Dr Thomas Smith, who, as our readers will recall, was
for a considerable time his associate in village preaching : —
**By grace I am saved, by grace I am fed, by grace I work at my
desk ; for every, even the least mercy of a temporal kind, I am indebted
to the free grace of God in Christ Jesus my blessed Lord. '* Of his
official duties, he says that they are ** invested with a sacramental value,
because the Holy Spirit alone helps me to do my work, not as men-
pleasers, but as a service to the living God," He adds, " I have the
exceeding high privilege of ministering to a temporary congregation of
natives, brethren of different denominations. Every Lord's day we
have service both in Bengalee and Hindoostanee, I do not, of course,
administer the Lord's Supper to my temporary flock. One week my
esteemed friend, Mr Fordyce, doestnat for me."— -^r^^ Church Mission"
ary Record, 187 1, p. 199.
Not merely acceptance of secular employment, but ill-
hfealth has sometimes removed the mission converts from
Calcutta. Among those who departed on this account was
Kali Das Chakrabutti.
The dry air of the upper provinces, which is much less
deleterious to the human frame than the muggy atmosphere
of the Gangetic delta, restored his health. Now he is
located at Bhawalpore, a half-independent state, ruled over
by a branch of the Scindian Ameers. There he has estab-
lished a school attended by about 130 boys, for whose use
he has published two small books in the Bhawalpore dialect,
one in the Hindi and the other in the Persian character.
* He is generally called Banerjya, but we prefer terming him Sheeb Chunder.
Among ourselves, the first name is, as every one knows, the Christian one, and the
second the surname ; but the Hindoos adopt a different system. As a rule, when
there are three names, the first is the youth's own, the second is his father's, and the
third is that of the family or clan. We may be wrong, but we interpret the name
which has suggested these remarks to mean, Sheeb, son of Chunder, of the Baner-
jya clan.
144 CALCUTTA,
He behaved also with true Christian philanthropy during a
recent famine. As we learn from the Missionary Record
for January 1872, he recently wrote in warmly affectionate
language to his spiritual father, Dr Duff. It is not simply
in Calcutta, — it is in Bengal, the north-western provinces, the
Punjaub, indeed, all over India, that one must look for the
converts, and the old pupils of the Calcutta mission.
The foregoing being only a sketch, the labours of the
missionaries in connection with the central institution and
its branches have been chiefly noted. But it would be
doing great injustice to them and their converts, to suppose
that these labours were confined to the institution and
its branches. From the first, Dr Duft's view on the sub-
ject was, that when the educational staff was sufficient in
number, one half the missionary's time and strength should
be devoted to institution work, and the other half to
miscellaneous mission work, according to the varying
tastes, predilections, or aptitudes of the several agents. At
times the supply of labourers admitted of the scheme being
fully carried out. At other times, from ill-health or tem-
porary absence, or death, it could only be partially realised.
But, from first to last, by most of the missionaries, a vast
deal of miscellaneous evangelistic work was accomplished, in
the way of holding private classes for religious instruction,
on week days and Sabbath days, preaching in the Institu-
tion Hall or in bungalow chapels ; lecturing to the educated
natives ; visiting for evangelistic purposes various localities
in the native city or country districts in the neighbourhood
of Calcutta, or making itinerating tours into the interior
during the long vacations ; preparing Christian school books,
religious tracts, translations of religious works, &c. ; while
by native teachers, catechists, preachers, and ordained
ministers, the gospel has been extensively proclaimed
through large and often far-distant zillahs and villages, to
hundreds of thousands of all classes, alike Mohammedan
and Hindoo.
SECTION III.
MADRAS.
CHAPTER I.
THE PLACE AND PEOPLE.
[HE Madras presidency is inferior in importance
only to that of Bengal. Its greatest length,
which is from north-east to south-west, is
about 950 miles, while its greatest breadth,
measured at right angles to the former line, is about 450.
It has 1727 miles of coast, an enormous amount for its area,
but unhappily there is everywhere a notable absence of
good harbours.
By the census of 1872, so far as the exact details have as
yet been ascertained, the population of the Madras presi-
dency was 31,250,000, nearly as great as that of the United
Kingdom. The leading Hindoo races are the Tamuls and
the Teloogoos.
The Tamuls are undoubtedly of Turanian descent. They
have a certain affinity to the Tartars, and a language of
Beloochistan, the Brahui, in many points resembles the
Tamul. The Gond tongue does so likewise, and there can
be no question that the Tamuls once extended much
farther north than at present, and that they were gradually
forced southward by the Brahman Aryan invaders. They
now occupy the east side of India, from a few miles north of
146 MADRAS.
Madras city, to near Cape Comorin. They have overflowed
also into Ceylon, and extend over the whole northern and
eastern portions of that island. Living so far south, they
are the darkest coloured of the great Indian races, indivi-
duals being occasionally met with not very distinguishable in
hue, or even in thickness of lips, from some negroes ; but
even in such exceptional cases, there is no danger of con-
founding the two races, one unmistakeable distinction be-
tween them being the long straight hair of the Tamulian,
as contrasted with the woolly-like natural curls of the negro.
Perhaps one-fifth of the Tamul-speaking people are Pariahs,
an aboriginal race, which, submitting to the caste Tamu-
lians, were by them thrust down to the very base of the social
pyramid. These Tamul Pariahs have shown a remarkable
aptitude for what may be called domestication. Multitudes
of them become servants to Europeans, and no Hindoo
seems so much at home among pots, pans, kettles, and
other culinary utensils, as a Tamul Pariah. Associating as
those Pariahs do largely with Europeans, and speaking as
many of them do either broken or tolerably good English,
they are fast coming under the influence of Christianity, and
at no very remote period will, we hope, come over to it,
not as now individually or by families, but in masses. The
caste and no-caste Tamulians are together no fewer than
ten or twelve millions.
The Teloogoos are allied to the l^amuls in race, but differ
from them physically to a greater extent than one would
expect who knows how much they are akin. The Teloo-
goos are more handsome than their Tamul brethren ; in-
deed, it is wonderful how many men of fine features one
sees among them, and that, be it observed, though they are
of Turanian descent, and allied to Tartars. Their language
is melodious in sound ; their country is north of that occu-
pied by the Tamuls ; their numbers may be from ten to
thirteen millions.
MADRAS CITY. I47
When first the British began to mingle in the politics of
the Coromandel country, they found that the governing
authority was in the hands neither of Tamuls nor of Teloo-
goos, but of Mussulmans. There, as elsewhere, we smote
the Mohammedan tyranny down, and emancipated the
Hindoos from their oppressive sway. In offering the gospel
then to the latter, we appear before them in favourable cir-
cumstances; whilst, on the contrary, the Mohammedans,
even if they had no religious quarrel with us, have this cause
of alienation, that they cannot forget the mortal injury which
their political power suffered at our hands.
To speak next of Madras city. Its situation is a very
unfavourable one for a maritime capital, from the unhappy
circumstance that it is destitute of a proper harbour, and to
make one would be exceedingly difficult, if not even imprac-
ticable. Hence ships which visit the city require to lie in
the open roadstead, some distance from the shore, and ever
and anon haul up their anchors, or even cut their cables
and stand out to sea, when a tempest from the north-east
threatens to heave them ashore. Madras grew up originally
under the sheltering ramparts of Fort St George, which is
still kept in good repair. The fort is on the shore, north and
north-east of the city, which, measured from the northern
extremity of the fort, extends along the margin of the ocean
southward about 9 miles, with an average breadth inland,
at right angles to this line, of 2J, increased in one place to
3f miles. The area is considered to be about 30 square
miles, or about a fourth that, of London; but this large
expanse is not closely set with houses — it has within it
numerous gardens and other open spaces. The population
was for some time officially estimated at 720,000. Whilst,
however, as already stated, conjectures as to the population
of the several Indian provinces generally fall beneath the
truth, guesses as to the number of inhabitants in the cities
as a rule, exceed it, and the Madras Administration Report
148 MADRAS.
for 1 86 2- 1 863, gave the following as the population of the
city:* —
Europeans and IndoEuropeans . . . 16,368
Native Christians^ 21,839
Hindoos, 325,678
Mussulmans, ...... 63,886
Total, . . . 437,771
—Parliamentary Blue Book, No. 68, for 1870.
If the Europeans and the East Indians be omitted, then
the inhabitants of Madras are mainly Tamuls, Teloogoos,
and Mussulmans. The two former races profess Hindooism,
and are in caste nomenclature Sudras, dominated over by
the lordly Aryan Brahmans. The latter, however, were
long in reaching Southern India, and do not even yet
swarm there as they do in places less remote from their
primeval seats. When the late Mr Hislop went temporarily
from Nagpore to Madras, one of the features in the latter
place which greatly struck him was the comparative fewness
of Brahmans in the streets. Those astute men seem to have
made a considerable blunder in their method of dealing
with the Southern presidency seat. They have hitherto
looked on it as a place of no peculiar sanctity, whereas
they should have declared it an extremely holy spot, and in-
vited Brahmans thither from all quarters to keep the Sudras
from being led away to Christianity. We trust that it is
now too late for them to think of correcting the error. The
Mohammedans of Madras reside chiefly in a part of the city
called Triplicane, which runs from the fort southward, and
therefore parallel to the sea coast, from which, however, it
is separated by a bend in the river Koom. Excepting
only Calcutta, there is no more important spot in India for
the establishment of a great mission than Madras.
* See the Carnatic Telegraph for November 26, 1862, or the overland summary
of the Bombay Gazette for X2th December 1863.
THE REV. JOHN ANDERSON, 1 49
CHAPTER 11.
THE FOUNDATIONS LAID.
The impassioned eloquence of Dr Duff during his first visit
to his native land had stirred up such an interest in his educa-
tional system of operations in the East, that an ardent desire
arose for the establishment of " institutions" on the model of
the Calcutta one at the other presidency seats. There being
already missionaries at Bombay, it was easy to take imme-
diate action there ; and, as we shall afterwards see, a school
of Dr Wilson's, commenced in 1832, was removed to the
fort and opened on a larger scale, with the view of develop-
ing it into an "institution." Then the turn of Madras
naturally came, but, of course, little could be done till first
a missionary was sought and found. The influence of Dr
Duff's great speech in the Assembly of 1835 had, however,
told powerfully on the mind of a licentiate of the Church,
then living on the banks of the Nith, near Dumfries, and
the afterwards renowned John Anderson had consecrated
himself to evangelistic work in India.* He was prepared
to undertake the conduct of the Madras mission, and being
ordained in St George's Church, Edinburgh, on July 13th,
1836, left soon afterwards for his destination.
Before proceeding to his own proper sphere, he visited
Calcutta to see the working of the institution there. He
arrived at the Bengal capital on the 27 th December 1836,
and received hospitality from the Rev. Mr Mackay, who,
during Dr Duff's absence in Europe, was head of the mis-
sion. He finally reached Madras on the 22nd February
1837. At that time he was in his 32nd year, a period of
♦ John Anderson was born at the farm of Craig, in the parish of Kirkpatrick-
Durnam, in Kirkcudbrightshire, on the 23d of May 1805. He distinguished himself
iighly at the University of Edinburgh. When in his 22nd year, he gamed a prize for
the best Latin poem on Hannibal's passage of the Alps, though four students, ulti-
mately de>tined to be profcs^iors, were in his class, and either were or might have
been competitors.
(301) 1 1
ISO MADRAS.
life considerably more advanced than that at which most of
the Free Church missionaries have proceeded to the East,
but this was a decided advantage to any one going to com-
mence operations in a new and untried sphere.
The germ from which the great Madras institution ulti-
mately developed was already in existence when Mr
Anderson first reached that presidency seat. In June 1835
the Rev. Messrs Bowie and Lawrie, Scotch chaplains at
Madras, had founded what was called St Andrew's School,
the name being probably taken from that of the so-called
patron saint of Scotland. On Mr Anderson's arrival this
school was placed under his care, and, removing it to the
native city, he re-opened it on the 3rd of April 1837, with an
attendance of fifty-nine pupils.* In doing so, he made no
secret of his intention to aim at the conversion of the
pupils to Christianity, and let it be distinctly known that
this was the very purpose the Foreign Mission Committee
had in view in sending him and his brethren out. His first
circular is an extremely straightforward document ; and if,
when conversions took place in the school, some of the
natives professed to feel amazed, as if some strange thing
had happened, they certainly could not in justice complain
that they were left without previous warning of what was
likely to occur.
" ' It is/ said the circular, * the wish of the committee of the Indian
mission to establish a school at each of the three presidencies as the
most important stations in India for the advancement of their object.'
" The object is simply to convey, through the channel of a good
education, as great an amount of truth as possible to the native mind,
especially of Bible truth. Every branch of knowledge communicated is
to be made subservient to this desirable end. The ultimate object is
that these institutions shall be a normal seminary, in which native
teachers and preachers may be trained up to convey to their benighted
countrymen the benefit of a sound education, and the blessings of the
gospel of Christ. "
Despite the unfurling of the Christian flag thus conspicu-
• There had once been 150, but the admission of a Pariah, whom the School Com-
mittee (to their honour be it said) had refused to expel, had brought it down cou-
siderably. — Madras Native Herald {or October 9, 1847, p. 2.
THE CASTE STRUGGLE, I5I
ously, the zealous and efficient teaching of Mr Anderson
began to produce its natural effects, and by December 22,
1838, the attendance of pupils had advanced from 59 to
277. The course of an Indian mission school, like that of
true love, never yet did run smooth, and presently rocks
appeared in mid-channel, and rapids presented themselves
with broken water, so that the faithless were tempted to
doubt whether the former placidity of movement would
ever return. To speak less figuratively, scarcely had the
mission began to make progress when troubles arose. The
first was caused by a renewal of the old caste struggle.
Two Pariah boys had found their way into the school under
false colours, and when they were discovered some of the
caste youths and their friends wished the expulsion of the
intruders. Mr Anderson could not in conscience comply
with their request, and about 100 of his pupils in conse-
quence left. Ten of these were received into the Native
Education Society's* School, the European Committee of
which — who evidently fell into the error of supposing caste
and worldly rank the same* — stating that they deemed it
right to afford an asylum " when the feelings of a boy were
shocked by his being associated with persons of an inferior
class of life." The caste struggle was more severe than it
would have been had the intolerant heathen party not
obtained European countenance ; but Mr Anderson finally
achieved the victory, for in a few months the places of the
boys who had left him on the Pariah question were supplied
by new comers, whilst the committee of the rival school was
partly broken up by the secession of four eminent Christians
from its ranks. His triumph struck a blow at the caste
system in Madras, from which it has never recovered.
When a missionary feels himself embarked in a caste
* By caste law men of the highest rank, unless by birth Hindoos, are on the level
of Pariahs, if not even lower, and the humblest Sudra should be above associating
with tie Governor-General of India. Mr Anderson was as much a Pariah as the
boys whose expulsion was demanded, so also were the European members of the
Native Education Society's Committee.
152 MADRAS,
Struggle in which he dare not j-ield, it is good policy for
him to begin operations in another quarter, provided he be
strong enough in men to act with effect in two places at
once. It wonderfully helps to keep him in good spirits, and
make him feel that his Divine Master's work is going forward
in his hands, if when a door is partially closed against him
in his first sphere, he can so arrange that one shall be flung
wide open for him in a second. Mr Anderson perceived
this, and when, to his sorrow, the Madras school suffered on
account of the struggle about the Pariah boys,* he looked
out for another locality at which he might establish a school
and commence operations. But before any effective action
could be taken, it was needful that a colleague should come
to him from Scotland. It was destined that he should not
wait long for this coveted boon.
On the 24th January 1839, the Lady Flora Indiaman
cast anchor off Madras, and Mr Anderson boarding her and
hastening into her cabin, there met and gave a hearty
welcome to his old college friend, Robert Johnston, who
had come as a second missionary.! Independently of this
affection for each other, begun at home, diversity of tempera-
ment rendered them admirably fitted to work together in
harmony. Mr Anderson was the Luther, and Mr Johnston
the Melancthon, of the Madras mission. The Rev. Mr
Braidwood, of Madras, in the memoir of them which he
wrote after their deaths, happily designated them "true
yoke-fellows in the mission field.**
The coming of Mr Johnston so much strengthened the mis-
sion that it was resolved to push forward and occupy a new
station. Conjeveram was the place selected for the purpose.
Conjeveram, or the golden city, sometimes called the
Benares of the South, lies about forty-two miles south-west of
* See note to page 151.
t Robert Johnston was bom at Craigieburn Wood, near Moffat, on the i6th
December 1807. He was licenced by the Presbytery of Edinburgh in the year 1835,
became a home missionary at Wallaceiown, Ayr, m July 1837, and was ordained
DJissionary to Madras on the sth September 1838 —Free Chinch Missionary
AWar//, 1852-1853, p. 260 ; Braidwood's **Tnie Yokefellows," p. 17.
CONJEVERAM AND CHINGLEPUT, I53
Madras. It is said by one of our missionaries to remind a
Scotchman of Kirkcaldy, the reason being that its main
street, which, moreover, constitutes the chief portion of the
place, is about three miles in length. There is an upper or
great, and a lower or Httle, Conjeveram. At the former is
a Sivavite temple, dedicated to the god Yagambar, and said
to have connected with it about a hundred dancing girls.
At the latter is a Vishnuvite one, sacred to Vurdarajulu.
The ordinary population of the two Conjeverams, taken
together, is under 20,000, a number, however, which at the
great annual festival in May is so swelled by devotees from
all quarters, that it reaches from 100,000 to 200,000.
On the 29th of May 1839, Mr Anderson boldly opened a
Christian school at this great focus of idolatry, while the
great annual festival was going on. In default of a better
place, he had to commence operations in one end of the
collector's stable. When he began, he had only eight or
ten scholars, but by the end of two months, the pupils had
increased to forty, all of whom paid a considerable fee.
First fever and then cholera prostrated the devoted mis-
sionary, and for a time it looked as if the Conjeveram enter-
prise would cost him his precious life. In the good provi-
dence of God, however, he was ultimately restored to health.
When he first introduced the Bible into the Conjeveram
school, some influential natives begged that the step he was
taking might be delayed for a year, but he wisely declined
acceding to their request, knowing full well that if he
granted the delay sought, the difficulty of ultimately doing
what was right would during the interval have increased,
instead of diminishing.
Shortly afterwards, W. A. Morehead, Esq., set up a school
at Chingleput, which before long he, with the approbation
and concurrence of the native committee, gave over to the
mission {Madras Native Herald for 1847, pp. 32, 33). Chin-
gleput is situated about thirty-five miles from Madras, on the
great southern road to Trichinopoly. It has a fort of some
154 MADRAS.
celebrity in the history of India, " with a rampart and ditch
two miles in circumference. The latter is wide and deep,
and is constantly filled with water, which during the. rainy
season expands to a spacious lake *' {Madras Almanac for
i^39» P' 407)' Chingleput is a zillah, or what in English
we should call a county town. Thornton, in 1857, esti-
mated the population of the zillah at 583,462.*
In August 1840, the mission received another school, one
at Nellore, with property nearly sufficient for its mainten-
ance, the donor being Dr Cooper, the gentleman by whom
it was originated. It was then taught by Mr Paezold, who
was brought down for three months to Madras, and initiated
into the method of teaching pursued in the parent institu-
tion. While Conjeveram, Chingleput, and even Madras
itself, were in the Tamul country, Nellore was a Teloogoo
town. At the time when the mission commenced opera-
tions there, it was believed to have about 20,000 Hindoo
inhabitants, with a considerable number of Mohammedans.
It was about 100 miles north of Madras, and is capital of a
zillah containing, in 1857, 935,690 inhabitants.
On the 8th of March 1841, a branch school was established
at Triplicane, the Mohammedan suburb of Madras, and
designed chiefly for Moslem youth. Its teacher was Mr
Whitely, who for many years subsequently was a very effi-
cient agent of the mission.
On the 15th January 1841, just before the opening of the
Triplicane branch school, the Rev. John Braidwood, who
had been ordained on August 6, 1840, as a missionary to
Madras, arrived with Mrs Braidwood in the Lady Flora, One
of the first departments of mission work with which he and
his partner became associated, was an early effort in favour
of female education. The details are worth putting on
* Speaking of the circumstances in which the operations of the Madras mission
were commenced at Conjeveram and Chingleput, Mr Anderson said — " Had it not
been for the struggle about caste in our institution in 1838, the Comeveram school
would never have been started, nor probably that at Chingleput. The difficulty at
the centre gave occasion to the estabfishment or adoption of these schools." —
-^a^ras Native Herald lot October 9, 1847, p. 5.
FEMALE EDUCATION, 155
record. In 1839, Major St Clair Jameson offered a prize
of ICO rupees for the best essay written by a youth in each
of the three missionary institutions on the subject of native
female education, and the best method of elevating the con-
dition of the Hindoo women. Some of the abler youths
in the Madras institution resolved to compete for this prize,
and in the first ardour of their temporary enthusiasm at-
tempted to teach their wives and other female relatives, but
meeting with opposition from the ladies whom they designed
to instruct, they soon gave up the task in weariness or
despair. Discussion, however, and essay writing on female
education in 1839 and 1840, prepared the way for action at
a not very remote period. When Mr and Mrs Braidwood
first arrived, they lived in the part of Madras called Roya-
pooram. While there some girls, including a few of caste,
were induced to attend at their house for instruction ; but
on their removing to Black Town to be nearer the institu-
tion, the incipient girls' school had to be temporarily given
up, and exciting events, to be detailed in the next chapter,
prevented its immediate resumption. (See Madras Native
Herald^ October 21, 1848, pp. 227-229).
CHAPTER in.
SPLENDID FIRST FRUITS.
When Mr Anderson had laboured for nearly four years
without visible fruit in the conversion of souls, one of the
pupils, a Teloogoo youth called Ettirajooloo was confined
to his house, in order to prevent his continuing to attend
school. He wrote to Mr Anderson in the following terms :
— " Because I have felt the sweetness of the Almighty's
word, I wish to know what I am to do to be saved." He
earnestly entreated the missionaries to pray for him that he
might be allowed to return to school and receive baptism^
156 MADRAS.
Before this case came to an issue two others had arisen.
They were those of the now celebrated P. Rajahgopaul and
A. Venkataramiah.
Rajahgopaul was a Sudra of the respectable Moodeliar
caste. He was about eighteen years of age, and had been
inquiring for more than a year. On his applying for bap-
tism, Mr Anderson asked if he was prepared to give up his
mother, his sisters, and his all for Christ On his replying
that he was, " Well," said Mr Anderson, " I am prepared to
give up my school for you." — Free Church Missionary
Record^ October 1855, p. 61.
To give some details next regarding Venkataramiah. In
the south of India is a caste called Chatanees, which
technically considered is Sudra, yet is deemed one of much
respectability. Some of the Chatanees are said to be mag-
nificent looking men, and are known by a peculiar fillet
which encircles their brows, no less than by their well-
stamped features. It was to this caste that Venkataramiah
belonged. He was grandson to the registrar of the petty
court. Hearing, in 1839, that a missionary, the Rev.
Robert Johnston, eminent for his mathematical attain-
ments, had just arrived from Scotland, he resolved to
embrace the opportunity of prosecuting the study of the
science just named, steeling his mind and heart all the
while against the religious teaching with which the scientific
lessons might be accompanied. He knew neither the
necessities and aspirations of his own soul nor the power of
the truth with which he was about to be brought in contact,
and in about a couple of years after entering school he was
a candidate for baptism. He and his companion, Rajah-
gopaul were by far the most intelligent and interesting
pupils belonging to the first class in the institution. — Free
Church Missionary Record^ 1862-3, pp. 1-3.
When the relatives received intelligence that Rajahgopaul
and Venkataramiah had applied for baptism, they, as was
natural, came to the Mission-house, and for two hours — from
THE FIRST THREE CONVERTS. 1 57
9 to II A.M., did all that was in their power to induce them
to return home. Mr Anderson said that their appeals to
the youths and to him were more trying to flesh and blood
than anything he had ever before witnessed, and their look
of despair and their silence when the young men remained,
as they did, firm, " might have moved a heart of stone to
pity them." The relatives then applied to the chief
magistrate, J. H. Bell, Esq., stating of course falsely that
the youths were forcibly detained, on hearing which Mr
Anderson at once proceeded with them to the police office,
that Mr Bell might question them as to whether or not they
were free. On being asked where they wished to go, they
without the least hesitation replied that they desired to go
with Mr Anderson, and were permitted to do as they said.
Rajahgopaul and Venkataramiah were baptized by Mr
Anderson on the evening of Sabbath, June 20th, 1841.
Both being of the Tamul race, their admission to the sealing
ordinance was the commencement of a Tamul church in
connection with the Madras mission.
But where all this time was Ettirajooloo ? Still kept
away from school and more strictly guarded than before,
but yet having his communications with the outer world so
far open that he obtained intelligence of the baptisms. At
last he managed to make his escape, and arrived at the
Mission-house with the marks of the scourge upon his face.
He was baptized by Mr Anderson on the 3rd of August
1 841, and thus the foundation of a Teloogoo no less than
of a Tamul church was laid.* — Free Church Missionary
Record, 1852-3, p. 32.
It need scarcely be added that the institution and the
branch schools suffered severely in consequence of these
baptisms. " We are reduced," said Mr Anderson, " to a
handful,'* and in making this intimation, he simply stated
what was the sober truth. 400 scholars were scattered, of
* Mr Anderson said of Ettirajooloo — " He is quite the delight of us all— he is so
modest, humble, and simple, and full of desires for souls, especially for the lambs.**
158 AfADRAS.
whom 100 could read the Bible, and readily follow an
English discourse. Only 30 or 40 remained. In the tem-
porary destruction of the institution, a heathen school,
called after its founder, Patcheappah's, rose into power, and
about 70,000 Hindoo inhabitants of Madras petitioned
Lord Elphinstone to establish a High School and Univer-
sity. Were the converts worth purchasing at so tremen-
dous a cost? They were undoubtedly. As Mr Anderson
well said, " A school ceases to be missionary, if men shrink
from the thing they have been seeking and desiring, and
the Churches of Christ have been praying for." — Madras
Native Herald iox October 9, 1847, P- 6.
When Mr Anderson saw the young men, for whose
spiritual and temporal welfare he had travailed, scattered
here and there, and knew how slight was the probability of
some of them at least ever returning to the institution, he
conceived the happy thought of starting a periodical for
their benefit, and commenced the Madras Native Herald,
It was published fortnightly, the price being six rupees a
year, paid in advance. By the end of 184 1, it had obtained
more than 200 subscribers. It was carried on for many
years, and not merely gave minute details regarding the ever-
varying phases of the mission history, but advocated Chris-
tian truth and assailed idolatry in the most vigorous manner.
It also afforded a considerable stimulus to the Christian
converts, and other advanced pupils of the institution, by
publishing their essays and discussions in its pages. Many
of our readers have doubtless in former years perused with
no slight interest the Madras Native Herald,
The institution was not long in recovering from the
shocks it had sustained through means of the recent bap-
tisms. By November 20, 1841, there were again about 100
youths in daily attendance, on a rdU of 1 20 ; and when, on
the 6th January 1842, the annual examination took place,
278 pupils were present — only sixteen fewer than on a
previous occasion twelve months before. At this examina-
FRESH BAPTISMS. 1 59
tion Sir Edward Gambier, the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court, presided, as he had done two years previously, and
vigorously defended the missionaries from the charge of
having in any way dealt unfairly with the natives in aiming
at their conversion.
About the same time offers came from the St George's
(Rev. Dr Candlish's) and the New North (the Rev. Chas.
Brown's) congregations, to undertake the support of the
first three converts, who now, it should be added, were
looking forward to the ministry.
On Sabbath, 8th May 1842, another baptism took place.
It was that of a young man from the institution called
Soobaroyan, a Moodelly, eighteen years of age, who was a
friend of Ettirajooloo's, and had doubtless been partly
influenced by his example in seeking admission into the
Church. Before the rite was administered, he had stood
against the most passionate entreaties of his father to return
home — nay, he had been acquitted of a frivolous charge
brought against him in a court of law by his unnatural
parent, with the view of preventing him from becoming a
Christian. Yet, notwithstanding these proofs of sincerity,
he was finally decoyed away by his relatives, and was lost
to the mission.
In July of the same year, S. P. Ramanoojooloo, a
Naidoo, who had long appeared very near the kingdom of
heaven, was brought to a decision through means of a so-
called accident by which his arm was broken. He was of
more mature age than some of the converts, being about 24
when he asked for baptism. The ordinance was administered
on 1 6th July 1842. Expectations were entertained that he
would render good service to the Christian cause, for he
had already done valuable work as teacher of the Conje-
veram school, besides writing a prize essay entitled,
" Woman as she is in India." Two days after his baptism
the shrieks of his mother so affected him, that to comfort
her he returned home, declaring, however, that he had no
l6o MADRAS.
intention of renouncing Christianity. Rather more than a
fortnight afterwards, Soobaroyan returned to the Mission-
house, but soon again departed as before.
The baptisms of 1842 were by no means so detrimental
to the school attendance as those of 1841 had been. When
the examination of the institution took place on the sth
January 1843, the total number of pupils under charge of the
mission was between 500 and 600, though these were not
so far advanced as those who had been in attendance before
the shattering of 1841. At this examination, Sir Edward
Gambier was again present, whilst the chair was occupied
by the Governor of Madras, the Marquis of Tweeddale, who
brought the Marchioness with him and remained three hours,
manifesting unaffected interest in all that took place, and,
by that interest, encouraging the missionaries to go for-
ward in the trying but glorious work in which they were
engaged.
CHAPTER IV.
THE DISRUPTION PERIOD.
At the Disruption the three Madras missionaries, as has
already been stated, ceased to be connected with the Scottish
Establishment, and cast in their lot with the Free Church.
It now became an advantage to them that they had hitherto
conducted their operations almost exclusively in hired
buildings, as it prevented such a loss of property as had to
be sustained by their brethren at Calcutta and Bombay. In
conjunction with the financial board, they gave noble assist-
ance to the Church with which their convictions went, by
relieving its sorely-burdened finances of their maintenance
for a year. During that period they were paid from local
funds, contributed to the extent of about 15,000 rupees
— ^JSoo sterling — by those who admired the fidelity to
FEMALE EDUCA TION, 1 6 1
conscience and the spirit of self-sacrifice which characterised
the Disruption heroes. One subscriber's name requires
special mention— A. F. Bruce, Esq., commenced contri-
buting at the rate of 3000 rupees (;^3oo) annually ! to the
mission.
The same year, 1843, was notable in another respect,
namely, for the commencement, in very hopeful circum-
stances, of female education under the supervision of the
Free Church labourers. The discussions on this subject
carried on in 1839 and 1840, and Mr Braidwood'a effort in
1 84 1, have already been noted. When the discussions now
spoken of took place, there was not one caste female in
any Bible day-school in Madras {F, C,M,R,, 185 1, 1852,
p. 306). In May 1843, ^ communication was received by
the Madras labourers from those who afterwards became the
Free Church Ladies' Society for P'emale Education in India,
offering help, and expressing the wish that a beginning
were made in the great work which they were associated
together to promote. Mr Anderson, at the time, thought the
project impracticable {Madras Native Herald^ 1847, p. 10);
but through the wives of two of the East Indian teachers, he,
in September 1843, made the attempt, and was unexpectedly
successful. True, the commencement was on a very small
scale, only five pupils having been present on the day of
opening.* On May i8th, 1844, there were 17 native caste-
girls in attendance at Madras, and seven in Triplicane, which
Mr Anderson called "an encouraging number!" Evidently
he had no conception, at that early period, of the great and
rapid development which female education was soon to
attain, under the auspices of the mission. Soon, however,
an omen of future success presented itself, for in 1844 the
*One pie — that is, half-farthing per day — was eiven to all who came in time, and a
second to such as excelled in diligence, and books were bestowed gratis (/' . C. M.
R.f 1854, 1855, p. 262). Some object to any payment, direct or indirect, in such
cases ; but, in the opinion of the writer, a temporary recourse to such expedients is
perfectly legitimate, and in practice it has worked well, having aided in overcoming,
more quickly than would otherwise have been possible, the great difficulties attendant
on ihe first efforts made for female education.
1 62 MADRAS,
Hindoos themselves began to set up schools for the educa-
tion of native girls.
On Friday, 29th March 1844, a Jaina* Brahman, Vis-
wanauthan, aged 17, was baptized,t and on the subsequent
Saturday, and again on Monday forenoon, Calastree and
Arjunun came seeking admission into the Church, but both
after a time gave way. Neither had received the sealing
ordinance. On Friday evening, the 12th of July of the same
year, S. P. Ramanoojooloo returned to the mission, bringing
with him his wife, Aleemalummah, and, openly confessing
. the apostacy of which he had been guilty, was readmitted to
the Church. Mrs Braidwood gave special attention to the
instruction of Aleemalummah, as well as to that of Mary,
an interesting native Christian girl. On Wednesday, 28th
August 1844, Arjun, already mentioned, who had come
to the mission the morning before, was baptized, but secretly
departed again the same evening. A work of grace having
for some time appeared to be in progress in the hearts of
Aleemalummah and Mary, already mentioned as receiving
special instruction, the former was baptized on the last
Sabbath of the year 1844. She was the first female convert
from Hindooism received by the missionaries into the Church,
and was about 20 years old. Some fruits were almost imme-
diately afterwards obtained from Triplicane branch school
— ^Appasawmy, a Naidoo youth of 19, receiving his instruc-
tion there, who had solicited baptism the previous April,
but again drawn back, having again appeared, and this time
been admitted into the Church.
The mission had now become so strong that it could
stand events like those just recorded without such heavy
• ITie Jainas are a sect of Indian religionists whose tenets are akin to those held
by the Buddhists. They are tender of animal life. Their architecture is elaborately
ornate. Many of the native Indian bankers are Jainas.
t Viswanauthan did not ultimately fulfil the expectations which his baptism had
excited. On the ist October 1848, he burst a blood-vessel when returning from the
church, and was in avenr humbled frame of mind. The missionaries showed him
much kindness, yet in Januarjr 1849, a few months after his recovery, he secretly
ieft the mission and went to reside with a Roman Catholic priest at Rayapooram,
though he had been studying for the Free Church ministry.
A SOWING TIME. 1 63
losses as those which took place in 184 1. At the examina-
tion which took place on 7 th January 1845, 39^ pupils were
present, whilst in all the schools taken together there were
no fewer than 840 on the rolls. Sir Edward Gambier, the
Hon. Justice Burton, and Bishop Spencer were present, and
spoke in a manner befitting the Christian gentlemen which
they were.
On 13th November 1845, Mr Anderson wrote, "We have
had no conversions this year, but much outward prosperity."
To home readers the conjunction of ideas may appear strange,
but there is in reality a close logical connection between
them. Sowing and reaping times alternate in an Indian
mission. While all is tranquil, the pupils steadily increase
in numbers, and much precious seed is sown in their minds.
Then, in God's good time, reaping comes. Some promising
student, giving evidence that he has become the object of
Divine grace, seeks and is granted admittance into the
Church. On this being noised abroad, the parents of the
scholars become alarmed, lest the example should prove
contagious, and hurry their sons away. The numbers in
the institution greatly fall, and of those who are withdrawn,
some of the most advanced never return. Those alternate
periods of sowing and reaping are known in every mission,
and a faithful labourer, while doing all in his power to sow
precious seed during the time of much outward prosperity,
when baptisms are withheld, at once longs for and dreads a
time of reaping.
CHAPTER V.
THE LONGED-FOR TIME OF REAPING.
The -'outward prosperity'* mentioned in the previous
chapter; went on till about the middle of 1846, without any
conversions from among the heathen to bring it to a close.
164 MADRAS,
Not that during the interval, the mission had been without
tokens of the Divine favour. About six Europeans had been
awakened under the preaching of the Word in English ;
early in 1846, Rajahgopaul, Venkataramiah, and Ettirajooloo
had been licensed as preachers; and during 1845, ^^ less
than ;^36oo had been subscribed to the mission by friends
in India, ;£i6oo of it for schools, and ;^2ooo for a building
fund.
Still there was reason for sorrow and humiliation, for there
had not been native baptisms. An alteration in this re-
spect was now, in the goodness of God, to take place.
On the 8th of April 1846, a young man called Ponumbalum
appeared at the Mission-house, having walked thither
no less than thirty-five miles. His convictions in favour of
Christianity were of long standing. Ten years before,
when he was only fourteen, he had sought ^baptism from the
Rev. Mr Winslow, but, with other boys, had been carried off
by a heathen mob. Five different times did his relatives
put forth all their efforts to induce him to return home, but
he stood firm as a rock, and was admitted into the congre-
gation on the 17 th of May. Four days previously, two other
youths, Ramanoojum and C. Sungeeve, were received into
the Church on the 3rd of June, and a fourth, R. Soondrum,
on the 17th. A few months later, three others appeared,
Davanaygum, Govindoo, and Ragavooloo, and on the lotli
September a fourth, called S. R. Soondrum — making eight in
all.
One of these eight, Ragavooloo, was a Brahman, and the
Hindoos, feeling that the loss of a young man belonging to
the sacred caste would be a considerable blow to their faith,
induced the relatives to apply for a writ of habeas corpus
against Mr Anderson. The result which followed was as
gratifying to the supporters of missions as it was disappoint-
ing to the Brah manic party. Sir William Burton, the judge
who tried the case, showed that the one object which a
Aa/'/fas corJ)us writ was designed to serve was to set the
DlSCJiETION AND NOT AGE, 165
person, in whose favour it was sought, free from illegal
restraint. He was simply allowed to go where he pleased,
provided he possessed discretion to be trusted to take care
of himself. The legal phrase, age of discretion, was not a
good one, for it was not so much age, as the actual attain-
ment of discretion, which the court had to ascertain before
deciding that a youth was entitled to be his own master.
In England the law allows a child of fourteen to appoint its
own guardian, and there was even a case in which the court
refused to deliver one less than fourteen to its father. There
was reason to believe that Ragavooloo, though of srhall
stature and juvenile aspect, was seventeen years of age,
though his relatives declared him only twelve. A circum-
stance which threw doubt on the statements of the family
was, that no horoscope had been produced, though one must
have been made at a Brahman boy's birth.*
The judge having ascertained by personally questioning
him, that he was possessed of discretion enough to be
allowed to live where he pleased, asked him where he
wanted to go, on which he replied, to Mr Anderson.
Means were then taken to enable him to carry out his wish,
which it was very difficult to do in the face of the riotous
Hindoo mob, some three or four thousand strong, the
majority being Brahmans. In vain did the police attempt
to clear the street in front of the court-house to let the
people out ; the multitude simply shifted their ground, and
that not so much from fear of the official authorities, as from
the variation, in their own opinion, as to the door by which
Ragavooloo would come out. It was manifest that when
he did make his appearance, the Brahmans would attempt
to seize him, and he was therefore kept in the court-house
till a late hour in the evening. As even then there were
* It was pretty plain that no such complaint would reouire to be made in any
future case. Any one who knows India, would at once be aware that in other
habeas cor^tts prosecutions instituted to prevent the baptism of Brahman youths,
horoscopes would uniformly be produced, though whether they were old and gen-
uine, or had been manufactured a few days previously to deceive the court, would
always require careful scrutiny.
(891) 12
1 66 AfADRAS.
no signs of dispersion, a coach was so placed at the sheriff's
office as if possible to draw off the attention of the populace,
while Mr Anderson's own vehicle was being drawn up in an
adjacent enclosure, which communicated with the court-
house. The Rev. Mr Braidwood, the deputy sheriff, the
chief constable, and Ragavooloo, entered this latter con-
veyance, and the shutters of it having been closed on all
sides, the coachman received orders to drive to the mission.
Before, however, he had emerged through the gateway into
the street, the mob became aware of the manoeuvre in pro-
gress, and made a rush at the vehicle, with the object of
seizing the horse's head. On this the coachman caused the
animal to rear, plunge, and then set off at full gallop, the Brah-
mans and others running behind, shouting and throwing
stones. The coachman was struck repeatedly, but he re-
solutely kept his seat and did his duty to the last. When the
coach entered the mission enclosure, a body of police,
stationed there for the purpose, closed the gate, and remain-
ing inside, prepared to defend the place against assault.
Afterwards the deputy sheriff was escorted back to his office,
and the R-ev. Mr Anderson conveyed in safety from the
court-house home. The mob gradually dispersed, and
before long the storm had been succeeded by a calm. On
Wednesday, 23rd September 1846, Ragavooloo was bap-
tized, along with three other youths, Davanagum, Govin-
drajooloo, and S. R. Soondrum.*
The eight baptisms now reported greatly stirred up the
heathen, who, however, failed to remove more than 300
* It is painful to add, that Ragavooloo showed himself an unstable convert, and
having, in August 1847, been taken into court a second time, under a writ of habeas
cotfust he, after a fifteen minutes' interview with his father, granted him by the
juage, elected to return to his heathen home. This choice, painful as it was to the
missionaries, confirmed, instead of invalidating, Sir William Burton's exposition of
the law, as to the right which a young man possessing discretion has to judge for
himself as to where he should reside.
Ragavooloo, who had eaten with Christians, could not be re-admitted into caste.
He was, in consequence, compelled to remain without position in the Hindoo com-
munity, now a tool in the hands of the Brahmansfor attacking the mission, and now
going thither himself aiid confessing how little his spirit was at ease. Ultimately
ne returned to his Christian instructors.
VVOJ^A- OF GRACE AMONG THE GIRLS. 16/
pupils from the schools. They, at the same time, sent a
memorial to the Court of Directors, wherein they begged
that they might be saved from " the fangs of the mission-
aries," the plain meaning of which was, that the court
should prevent parents sending their children to such schools
as they pleased, and aid in coercing young men who had
lost faith in Hindooism, into professing to believe what they
deemed untrue. Of course the court could not possibly
have granted the wishes of the intolerant memorialists, and
the petition was void of effect.
At a communion which occurred soon after the eight
baptisms, twenty-one natives sat down at the table, fifteen
of them, including a female, being converts of the mission.
The same year (1846) three of them, Messrs Venkataramiah,
Rajahgopaul, and Ettirajooloo, were licensed as preachers,
and on December 15, the institution was removed to new
premises on the esplanade, affording better accommodation
than those previously occupied.
• 1846 had been a notable year in the history of the mis-
sion; 1847, ii^ the providence of God, was destined to be
quite as remarkable.
CHAPTER VI.
THE CHARTER OF FEMALE EMANCIPATION.
In February 1847, two of the first class in the girls' school
at Madras, Unnum and Mooniatta by name, came under
conviction of sin through means of direct appeals made by
Mr Anderson to the consciences of the pupils. The same
effect was produced next month on two others, called
Venkatlutchmoo and Yaygah, and shortly afterwards on a
fifth girl, called Mungah. On Wednesday, the 7 th of April,
Unnum and Mooniatta, hearing that they were to be married
(of course without any reference to their own feelings) to
1 68 MADRAS.
heathen men, became convinced that if they foiled to carrj-
out their religious convictions now, they would probably
never be permitted to do sa They therefore took refuge
in the Mission-house, and, in the circumstances, were gladly
received.* That same evening Unnum's grandmother,
Ummariee Ummah, was sent for, and came. She was a fine
grey-haired old Moodeelly, and having herself some leanings
towards Christianity, was with little difficulty persuaded to
place her granddaughter, and indeed herself, under the
guardianship of the missionaries.t The youngest of her grand-
sons consented to do so likewise, while the two elder went
off to avoid eating " Pariah rice." By Pariah they meant
European, Europeans, as already stated, being on the Hindoo
system Pariahs, or, if it be possible, even something lower.
Mooniatta's mother, Jyalanda, accompanied by other rela-
tives, arrived on Thursday in a half-frantic state, and having
failed to induce the daughter to return home, and remain
contented to be an idolatress, applied in forma pauperis for
a writ of habeas carpus against Mr Anderson. That same
Thursday there arrived two of the other girls — ^Yenkat-
lutchmoo and Yaygah — an act of wonderful courage on their
part, as heathens — armed with stones, sticks, and iron bars
— ^were already in front of the Mission-house, and were
restrained only by the presence of the chief magistrate and
the police from proceeding to open violence. Next day
(Friday) there was another arrival — that of Mungab. The
first pair — Unnum and Mooniatta — ^were 1 amul girls ; the
three who followed — Venkatlutchmoo, Yaygah, and Mungah
— were Teloogoos. J The ages of the five ranged from eleven
* On the 29th January T847, ^^^ many days before the case of the girls b^an. Mr
Anderson was married to Miss Margaret Locher, originally from Switzerland. She
came out to India in 1845, sent by the Ladies' Society of the Scottish Establishment.
Next year she joined the Free Church.
t Unnum's grandmother was baptized on the 9th January 1848, and received the
name of Sarah.
X Before the coming of the five girls, there were already in the Mission-house, with
the sanction of their guardians, three others — viz., a native Protestant girl of twelve,
called Mary, a Roman Catholic of the same age, named Ummanee, and a child of
Sfven, Shunmoogum, who had been placed under Mr Anderson's charge by Sir
William Burton. With the'five new comers, there were eight in all.
THE CASE OF AfOONlATTA. 1 69
to thirteen years. All had been in the girls' school more
than two years, and some of them more than three. Each
had for more than a year been studying the gospels in
English, having previously read them in her own language.
The trials of the three Teloogoo girls from their relatives
were moderate, and they had little difficulty in standing
their ground.
Of course, the events which have just been related pro-
duced great excitement throughout Madras, and struck what
to the short-sighted might appear a fatal blow at the cause
of Christian female education. Of 170 girls who had been
in the school before Unnum and Mooniatta came seeking
baptism, only three — two Hindoos and a native Protestant
— returned on the morrow (Thursday). On Friday no more
than one came, and on Saturday even that one, terrified
apparently by the loneliness of the place, stayed away. By
the end of the same week, the attendance of girls at Tripli-
cane had fallen from a hundred to thirty-eight, and the
schools of all the other missions had suffered severely. The
costs had been heavy, but if in providence all went well, the
gain would be much more than worth the price paid for its
attainment. Under God, everything would depend on the
result of the legal proceedings in the case of Mooniatta.
Jyalanda, her mother, obtained the writ which she sought.
It was directed against Mr Anderson, and required him to
appear on the 20th inst., bringing with him Mooniatta.
The demand was of course met with cheerful obedience.
When the day came, a horoscope was presented on the part
of the mother, to prove that her daughter was only seven
years eight months and twenty-seven days old ; but the
judge saw good reason for believing the horoscope forged,
and forming the opinion that Mooniatta was — what she
appeared to be—somewhat more than twelve years old. He
intimated that, by the English law which was administered
in the Madras Supreme Court, the girl was entitled to go
where she pleased, provided that she possessed sufficient
I/O MADRAS.
discretion to make a choice. To decide whether or not she
possessed the discretion spoken of, and whether the desire
to become a Christian was a youthful whim or a fixed
resolve, he proceeded publicly to question her in the follow-
ing fashion : —
** * Whether,' asked Sir William, ' do you wish to go to Mr Anderson's
or to your mother's ? * Af. — * I like to go to Mr Anderson's.'
*• Sir W. — Now consider. Ansi^'er truly. You were bom to your
mother, your mother suckled you at her breast, she carried you about
when you were a litde child, she gare you food and clothes, she put you
to a good school ; now, what is the reason that you wish to leave her,
and go to another place ? * M. — * If I go home, they vrill force me to
worship idols made by men ; they have eyes, but they see not ; ears have
they, but they hear not ; a month have they, but they speak not. I
wish to go to a place where I can be saved.' "
Being fiirther questioned as to her religious belief, she
was answering very satisfactorily, when her brother suddenly
seized her first by the hand, and then by the back of the
neck, making her scream with terror. The chief magistrate
and half-a-dozen others forced him after a struggle to quit
his hold, and he was committed to prison for contempt of
court This terminated the proceedings for the time being,
and the court broke up, after it had been intimated that
the decision would be postponed till the 3rd May, that Sir
Edward Gambier, the Chief-Justice, might have an oppor-
tunity of forming an opinion on the important question
involved.
When the 3rd of May came, Sir Edward Gambier, who
had privately questioned Mooniatta for about three-quarters
of an hour, with the view of testing whether or not she was
possessed of discretion, concurred with Sir William Burton
in declaring her entitled to go where she pleased, on which
she, without hesitation, decided to return with Mr Anderson
to the mission. Some weeks subsequently, Mooniatta's
mother and brother, at the instigation of some influential
Hindoos, who again were doubtless counselled, or at least
instructed, by European lawyers, applied to Sir Edward
Gambier for a new writ of habeas corpus in the case, found-
GREAT LEGAL VICTORY. I /I
ing their demand on the statute of George III., chap. 142,
sect. 12, which provides that the rights of fathers of families,
according to the Hindoo law, shall be regarded. Both
judges, however, considered that Mooniatta's case had been
properly decided on English law, the Hindoo code not being
in force within the limits of the Supreme Court, except in
the case of contracts and inheritance. The writ was there-
fore refused. The view taken by the Madras judges in
the Mooniatta case was confirmed a few months later by
the decision of the Chief-Justice of Calcutta in that of
Radhakant Dutt*
The decision of the Madras judges in Mooniatta's case
was of incalculable importance to the cause of missions. It
was the very charter of Indian female emancipation.
But to return to the narrative. The five girls who came
to the Mission-house in the exciting circumstances described,
were carefully, instructed for another six months, and then
publicly baptized by Mr Anderson on the 20th October.
Unnum was named Joanna ; Mooniatta, Ruth ; Venkat-
lutchmoo, Lydia; Yaygah, Rachel; and Mungah, Elizabeth.
It is very difficult for a missionary to resist the sometimes
pressing requests of his converts that they may be allowed
to assume Christian names, instead of those by which they
have hitherto been known, yet it is impossible to avoid
feeling a certain measure of regret that the name of Mooni-
atta should have been suppressed after that young but
heroic confessor had made it celebrated through the length
and breadth of India.
Those who had predicted that the coming of the five
• If some readers are of opinion that twelve is a very early age for Hindoo girls to
separate from their relatives with the view of seeking baptism, they should give due
weight to two facts not universally known, and even when known apt to be for-
gotten. The first is, that orientals are physically and mentally precocious, and that
a Hindoo girl of twelve is as far advanced as an English one of fourteen, it not even
more. The second is, that Hindoo girls are married at so early an a^e : and when
they go to live in their husband's houses, are so certain to be denied libertv of con-
science, that if they are not allowed to seek baptism at or soon after the age of
twelve, they, in most cases, will never be permitted to do it for the whole remainder
of their lives
172 MADRAS.
girls to the Mission-house would strike a heavy, if not even
a mortal blow, at the great cause of female Christian educa-
tion, were proved by the event not to possess the penetra-
tion of seers. By tiie 9th of July, twenty-three girls had
come back to the Madras, and fifty to the Triplicane school;
and on 23rd December 1847, the examination day, there
were actually present 118 from Madras and 99 from
Triplicane.
CHAPTER VII.
A CHEQUERED NARRATIVE.
Writing on August 14, 1847, Mr Anderson mentions the
baptism of three young men — Narasimayah,* a Brahman
of 20 ; Humoogum, a youth of 17 ; and Ramasawmy, an
orphan lad of 13, the admission of the last named to the
Church being sanctioned by his heathen protector.f
In the Assembly Report for 1848 it was stated that the
native congregation at Madras consisted, including children,
of thirty-four souls, of whom twenty-four were communi-
cants. By this time there was just as much apathy among
the Hindoos as the year before there had been excitement
Hence the numbers in attendance at the schools rapidly
increased. In the Assembly Report they figured as about
900, more than 250 of them being caste girls ; by August
15th they had risen to 11 00, 300 of them girls of caste ; by
October 15th there were 11 50; and in April 1849 there
were 1322 in daily attendance, 273 of them girls.
On the 15th of that month Mr Anderson, whose healtli
for the two or three years previous had been declining, was
* About a year subsequently a Brahman convert of the same name, we presume
this one, was cut off from the Church.
t Writing on November 13, a few months afier these were received, Mr Anderson
said — " During the last six years I have baptized twenty-five souls directly from the
Hindoos of different castes ; three h^ive gone bnck in that time to their relatives and
their gods ; six of the twenty-five had been caaie females."
THE 25 7W BORDERERS, 1 73
under the necessity of embarking for Europe. He took
with him one of the converts, Rajahgopaul, whose deep
piety and modesty were such that he was not likely to be
spoiled by the attentions which he was sure, to receive in
Europe. Mrs Anderson nobly stayed behind to look after the
female converts of the mission. Dr DufF and Mr Hawkins
had arrived from Calcutta a few hours before, and Dr Duff
and Mr Braidwood stood on the shore till the Rev. Mr Ander-
son, the Rev. Mr Johnston, Rajahgopaul, Mr Hawkins, and a
lady had been conveyed through the surf in a Masoolah boat
and put on board the steamer. Mr Johnston soon after-
wards returned to act as head of the mission, whilst its
energetic founder sojourned for a time amid the bracing
atmosphere and the Christian society of his native land.
The Rev. Mr Johnston, writing on November 14, 1849,
stated that no conversions of which he and his colleague
knew had taken place in the institution for more than two
years ; but information was received that two young men
who had received their first impressions in the institution
had been baptized, the one at Bombay and the other at
Belgaum. The second of these, Sabapauty by name, with
the sanction of the Rev. Joseph Taylor, of Belgaum, who
had admitted him into the Church, came with his wife,
Ummanee, to place himself under the charge of the Madras
mission. On their arrival they were received into Mr
Braidwood's house. Nor had the missionaries, during the
two years of barrenness now mentioned, been without
tokens of the Spirit's presence. Far from it. A work of
grace had been begun through their instrumentality among
the 25th Borderers, a European regiment then stationed at
Madras. Nor were they by any means labouring fruitlessly
among the natives. There was granted them a precious
sowing time that they might in due season reap. Numbers
increased both in the institution and branch schools when-
e^'er the alarms caused by baptisms had had time to subside.
On July 9, there were 1 200 in all the schools, of whom 430
174 MI ADR AS.
were at ^ladras and 305 at Triplicane. Three (mt four
moDths later there were 1400, and in the report to the
Assembly in 1850 they were esdmated at between 1600
and 1700.
The Home Committee had strongly feh the necessity of
sending out a new missionary to rehere Messrs Johnston
and Braidwood, now sorely overtasked, bat none could be
promptly obtained. In the emergency, they requested the
Rev. Stephen Htslop, of Nagp<M^ temporarily to proceed
to Madras, if his own sense of duty, guided by local know-
ledge, permitted him to take the step. He, in consequence,
left Nagpore with his wife and his two children on the 15th of
April 1850, and reached Madras on the i8th of May. The
spiritual barrenness which for some time had existed was
now passing away, more than one inquirer appeared, and
on 26th June 1850 a Teloc^oo youth called Moodookrish-
num was baptized. The loss of pupils which resulted was
only about eighty.
While Mr Anderson, with his spiritual son Rajahgopaul,
was at home, his heart was all the while with the Madras
mission, and on the 12th December 1849 he issued a cir-
cular,* asking ^2000 to be added to ;;^30oo already raised
on the spot for the enlargement of the mission premises.
Further consideration showed that not ;;^2ooo but ^3000
would be needed — namely, ;;^i5oo to provide suitable
accommodation for the male converts, and an equal sum
for the eleven girls. The response which these appeals
* Some (acts mentioned by Mr Ander>on in this appeal possess much interest.
He said that since 1841 thirty-six Hindoos hai been converted through the instru-
mentality of the institution, though six had been baptized by other missions. Since
1844, fifteen female converts had been baptized. About a hundred Europeans had
apparently received spiritual blessing since the Disruption through the instrumentality
of the Madras labourers. During thirteen years ;Ci6,ooo had been subscribed to the
mission by Christians of all denominations, £(>ooo of it since the Disruption. The
money received from home had been ^^10,000, £6000 of it since the same date. In
a letter from Venkataramiab, of date December 14, 1849, it was mentioned that the
Eledged income of the subscribers to the schools was about 6ouo rupees per annum,
ut the actual expenditure was twice as great. We may add that some time before}
in answer to an appeal from Mr Anderson, a Glasgow Ladies' Society agreed to raise
£^%, or half salary of a native probationer in Madras, the remainder to be raised m
India.
DEATH OF MR JOHNSTON, IJ^
elicited showed the interest which Scotland felt in the
mission with which Mr Anderson was connected. Instead
o^;^3ooo> ;^3ioo were promptly obtained, though a great
effort was in progress at the same time permanently to raise
the annual revenue of the Foreign Missions Committee.
On Saturday, 19th October 1850, Mr Anderson and Rajah-
gopaul embarked at Southampton for Madras, and reached
their destination on Sabbath morning, the ist of December.
With them was Mrs Anderson's sister, Mrs Locher, sent-
out by the Ladies' Committee, but who was scarcely more
than four months in Madras before she died of cholera.
At the examination of the female schools, held on Friday,
20th December 1850, Sir William Burton came spontane-
ously and took the chair, while at that of the institution, on
7 th January 1851, the Right Hon. Sir Henry Pottinger,
Governor of Madras, was for the first time present, and
remained an hour and a half. There were then 1800 pupils
connected with the mission, 439 of them caste girls, though
most of the latter were very poor ; 633 were actually pre-
sent, 235 of them from Triplicane ; 86 were Mohammedans.
When the examination of the female schools took place,
Ruth (formerly Mooniatta) was about to be married, and
Sir William Burton left for her 100 rupees to enable her to
furnish her house.
On 17th February 1851, Mr Johnston, who had for some
time been in a consumption, was taken with spitting of
blood from the lungs, followed by a severe and more
alarming attack in the evening. By advice of his medical
attendants he sailed for Europe on the 22nd of the same
month, being then so weak that he had to be hoisted on
board the steamboat in a palanquin.* He was destined to
see India no more. Partly to supply his place the Rev.
James Drummond came out, arriving on the 24th May, but
♦ Mr Johnston rallied considerably, as most missionaries do, during the homeward
voyage, but he could not maintain the strength gained, and, after the usual improve-
ments and relapses which mark the progress of coasumption, he quietly fell asleep in
Jesus in the house of Lady Foulis, in Edinburgh, on the 22nd March 1853.
176 MADRAS.
his constitution was found unaclapted to the climate, and,
having been oftener than once laid up with fever, he had, by
medical advice, permanently to quit India within six months
of his landing. Before it was known that this would be the
case, Mr Hislop, with the sanction of the Home Committee,
and his colleagues at Madras, had quitted the southern
presidency seat in May 185 1, to return to his much-loved
station of Nagpore.
The native preachers, Venkataramiah, Rajahgopaul, and
Ettirajooloo were now becoming almost as helpful as Euro-
pean labourers could have been to the mission. They were
preaching to large audiences of their countrymen Sabbath
by Sabbath. Three years before this Rajah's audience
was stated to be about 150. Now there were between 300
and 400, 200 and more being adults. Next we read that,
on 19th October 185 1, adding together the audiences at
Madras and Triplicane, the one addressed by Venka, the
other by Ettiraje, Rajahgopaul catechising, there were
nearly 800 present, the great majority being idolaters
belonging to all castes from the Brahman to the Pariah.
By September 1852, there were 1000 ; a year later, iioo ;
by the end of 1853, ^^^^ > ^^^ ^X ^^^ termination of 1855,
2000. But we anticipate. So early as 1848, the three
native brethren had conducted the Thursday evening ser-
vice with the Borderers, and that with much acceptance.
Having thus made full proof of their gifts, they, on the 12th
December 185 1, were ordained native missionaries to the
heathen.
Between May and October of that year, there were
several baptisms. Two were native girls — Aleemaloo, aged
13, and Streerungum, in her 13th year. One was a Teloo-
goo youth in his i6th or 17th year. All three had some
trials to undergo from their relatives, but went through them
nobly. There followed next a man of 35, Tachamenon,
who, twelve years before, had been a student in the insti-
tution. He had a good situation in the Sudr Adawlut (or
EFFICIENCY OF THE MISSION, 1 77
Supreme Court of Judicature), and with his wife was bap-
tized. The female school at Madras was not affected as
much as might have been expected by the baptism of the
two girls. It fell only from 170 to 140. The father of Sun-
geeve, a convert, was soon afterwards baptized.
The exceeding efficiency of the mission at this period
was shown by the fact mentioned in connection with the
examination of December 22, 185 1, by the Madras *S^^<r/«-
/t?r, namely, that while the pupils on the rolls of the several
mission schools amounted to nearly 2300, ** the Government
High School, with all its special recommendations and pro-
spects, numbers a handful of scholars scarcely increasing."
Making every allowance for the fact that the fees in the
Government school were high for a poor people like the
Hindoos, whilst the mission schools were at that time free,
nothing but great teachmg ability and Christian zeal could
have enabled the Free Church labourers and their Euro-
pean, East Indian, and native assistants, so completely to
distance their rivals. Alas I that very zeal was wasting
away the agents, and, in February 1852, Mr Braid wood was
compelled by failing health to return temporarily to Britain,
while Mr Anderson was believed to have heart complaint,
and fears were entertained that at any moment he might
fall down in presence of his friends. New labourers were
urgently required, and it was matter for thankfulness that
they were obtained. On the 26th July 1852, the Free
Presbytery of Edinburgh ordained the Rev. Robert B.
Blyth and the Rev. Alexander B. Campbell to Madras, and
the new labourers, sailing in the screw steamer Indiana on
the 15th September, reached Madras on the 27th November,
and at once threw their whole souls into the work of the
mission. Much that the missionaries saw during the first
few weeks of their residence in India must have impressed
them deeply.* For instance, when on December 22, the
* One peculiarity of Indian academic life seems greatly to have struck Mr Blyth
He says :— " More than once when I have threatened to keep in a class wnich had
178 JiAD£AS.
frt^mlr.Tition of the femak: schools w^s LeJd ai Madras, 25
buZock bandvcs (caniares or ligrt carts 1, ea^di freighted
woh girls, arrired from Tiiplicane — a spectaoc even more
rtwsurkaiAc than that of the van xnd omnibns loads of chil-
dreii Dov so frieqaectlj met with in connection with school
treats at home: A few dajrs later the new misskmanes
would not fail to note that at the examinatioQ of die insd-
totion the chav was occupied by the GoremoTy Sir Henry
Potdnger. A few months later, a beantifbl little incident
occurred in connection with the mission. On the 26th
A{ml 1853, Mary Aime, a prot^ of & William Barton's,
was married to a young but steady and promising convert,
call Moodookrishnum. Sir William and Lady Barton asked
permission to be present at the marriage feast, and were^
of coarse, joyfully admitted. £ight}'-three sat down. In
the course of some remarks which he made cm the occasion.
Sir William used the following language : —
" I rejoice to be present on this ocxaaon. Every time I have been
in this hall, it has suways been with a feeling of pecoliar pleasure. I
have been present at your examinations, I have been here at baptisms
and other services, and now I am present on this fesdve occasion. I
have always felt my heart greatly elevated by the communion I have
enjoyed in this place. It is so difierent from the society of the world.
We cannot but expect trials and sorrows on earth, but such hours as
these are like green spots in the wilderness, and remind one of the
intercourse of another and holier world. May God shower down His
best biasings on all your labours."
Mr Campbell, in a letter which he wrote on nth Octo-
ber 1853, stated that he had recently been brought to
death's door, having been affected with incipient inflamma-
tion of the heart In anticipation of losing his life at so
early a period of his residence in the East, he yet in no
degree felt regret that he had become a missionary.
**IIow few ministers at home," he moralised, "during a long life-
time, have ten or twelve really anxious souls concerning whom they have
not been giving sattffaction, and to impose upon them another hour or half-hour of
tuition, I have found the proposal so generally palatable to the offenders that it
had to be abandoned, for the simple reason that instead of being, as was intended,
an Infliction, which it is very widely thought to be in Scotland, it was hailed as a
boon."
BAPTISMS, 179
good hope that God has begun within them an imperishable work of
grace ! Crowded into the brief period I have been here (scarcely a
year), I have seen as many souls gathered from among the heathen ;
and to behold such a triumph of the word and work of God, is it not
enough to make one for ever grateful that he was permitted to take a
part in the work of such a glorious harvest day ? "
During the period referred to, seven baptisms had taken
place in one single evening ; natural affection, however,
subsequently led one of these then admitted to return to his
relatives. Of the remaining five, who were all baptized on
the i8th September 1853, Abdool Khader, an Arab, aged
25, had for twelve years been connected with the schools,
and was now a monitor at Triplicane ; Kanacaswamy, aged
20, Coopaswamy, 19, and Parthasarathy, 20, were all Hindoo
youths from the institution ; while the fifth, Elminalee, aged
13, was one of the best girls in the first class of the female
day school. Abdool brought with him his wife, Abassibee,
and her little niece, Zenobee ; the former was a bigoted Mus-
sulmanee. "She," said Mr Anderson, "fights hard fqr the
Prophet, but he [her husband] has great hopes of succeeding."
On Sabbath the 13th November 1853, about a month
after the date of Mr Campbell's letter, there were three
more baptisms — those of R. M. Bauboo Naidoo, one of the
best monitors in the Triplicane school, and two Teloogoo
youths of nineteen — Soobrayaloo and Parthasarathy.
Writing on 13th December 1853, Mr Anderson said —
" We have fifteen native families now — seven living in the Mission
house, and eight out of it."
When on the evening of the first Sabbath of 1854 the
communion was held, forty-three native converts sat down.
There were, besides, four at Nellore, and four now with
other missiens — in all fifty-two.
On the 26th January 1854, the Rev. James Miller Macin-
tosh — who had been ordained on the 13th, and had sailed
from Southampton on the 20th, of the previous December
— arrived to the assistance of the mission.
Baptisms still went on. On the 14th May 1854, no fewer
l80 MADRAS,
than eleven converts were admitted to the Church simul-
taneously. One of these was Abassibee, the wife of Abdool
Khader, a bigoted Mussulman, it will be remembered,
only eight months before. Another was a Mohammedan —
Abdool AH, teacher of the girls' school at Nellore. Other
two were Chingleput girls, who, when the missionaries
declined to take them along with themselves to Madras,
spiritedly set off alone, and, after travelling thirty-five miles,
arrived at midnight. One of them was a Tamul girl, called
Devanee, and the other a sensitive and shrinking Marathee
caste girl, called Yana Baee. There were also four other
pupils from Mr Anderson's boarding school. There was a
Malayalim pilgrim on his route to Benares, who, after visit-
ing his relations in the native Church, went no farther on
his way to the so-called sacred place. There was a Mood-
elly youth from a heathen school, but of the whole eleven
none was in one respect so remarkable as the youth Naga-
lingum. He had been brought up in a heathen school, but
Christian books, though felt to be dangerous, were used,
those of heathen manufacture being so miserably poor.
One passage which he had to read in course was that in
Psalm 115, which denounces idolatry, the one, we mean,
beginning, "Their idols are silver and gold, the work of
men's hands." He was so impressed that he cried out in
the class — " I will be a Christian," on which the heathen
teacher administered a round of castigation to the whole
class by way of eradicating any proclivities towards apostacy
from Hindooism with which they might secretly be possessed.
By April 1854, Nagalingum's convictions had become so
mature that he fled to the mission, and was baptized, as
already mentioned, with other ten converts on the 14th
May. He was heir to property worth about ;^7ooo, and
being but fourteen years of age, was not likely to be given
up by his heathen friends without a struggle. Some months
after his admission to the Church, a writ of habeas corpus
was taken out against Mr Anderson by Naga's relatives.
ANOTHER LEGAL TRIUMPH. l8l
The reason why they had not done so earlier was, that they
waited till Sir William Burton should b6 absent, and the
Chief- Justice, Sir Christopher Rawlinson, should return from
the hills, that they might ascertain by experiment whether
the discretion doctrine was simply an idiosyncrasy of the
former gentleman, or really English law. The result dashed
all their hopes. Mr Anderson appeared in Court with
Nagalingum, without waiting for the issue of the writ
against him, on which Sir Christopher questioned Naga just
as Sir William Burton would have done, and finding him
possessed of discretion, allowed him, though only a little
above fourteen, to go where he pleased.* This case recalls
former ones at Madras, and apropos of them, it may be
remembered, that when Nagalingum's case occurred,
Ragoovoloo was living in charge of the mission, and Moon-
iatta, now the wife of Appaswamy, a divinity student, looking
forward to speedy license, was the mother of two children.
On 9th June 1854, the Free Presbytery of Madras re-
solved to ask the Foreign Mission Committee's permission
to take four students of divinity on trials for license, and
admit other six young men as divinity students. Soon
afterwards, two native Romanists were baptized. Both had
been pupils in Protestant schools, the former in that of the
Church of England at Trichinopoly, and the latter in that
of the Free Church at Kamptee. Of three medical students
— Appiah, Rotundo Vailoo, and Veerabuthrum — who had
some little time before been mentioned as inquirers, one
Rotundo Vailoo, it was stated, had been three years in the
school at Nagpore [Kamptee ?].
The s^me year (1854), while Abdool Khader was preach-
ing to his former co-religionists, the latter eked out what was
wanting in their arguments by throwing brickbats, t even
♦ It may be remembered that in the case of Hem Nath Bhose, Dr Duff and Lai
Behari De were denounced from the bench by Sir Mordaunt WcHs for receiving a
young man considerably older than Nagalingum, and who at Madras would have
been allowed to go where he pleased. Surely fresh legislation is needed to remove
these anomalies.
t In i860, a Mussulman inquirer, called Mustapha, then soliciting baptism from
(301) 1 3
1 82 MADRAS.
while they were inside the mission premises. It was needful
to check this method of pnxredore at the outset, and one of
the rioters was punished with a month, and a second with a
(palter of a jrear s imprisonment The excitement at Trip-
licane temponuily increased the audience of both the native
missionaries, so that at that station, on one Sabbath, 1271
were present, and at Madras 1657. Adding 300 for Nelloie,
where Ettirajooloo had for some time before been labouring,
nearly 2000 natives must have heard the gospel from the
lips of the native missionaries that Sabbath-day.
On the last Sabbath of 1854, Venkataramiah baptized two
natives— one a heathen, and the other a Romish woman ;
and when the same evening the communion was ad-
ministered, there sat down at the sacred table ninety-five
persons, of whom sixt\--two were natives, male and female.
In December of the same year, there were 2381 pupils in
the several schools of the mission. 300 of them Moham-
medans. At the examination of the institution, held on the
5th January of the following year, the chair was occupied
by the Governor of Madras, Lord Harris. Six da}'s later,
the Rev. William Moffat, who had received ordination on
the 28th November 1854, arrived to the assistance of the
mission. Permission having been given to license the four
divinity students whose case had been laid before the home
Committee, Messrs J. Frost, S. Ramanoojum, R. Soondnim,
and C. Appaswamy, were, early in 1855, admitted to the
status and responsibilit}- of probationers in connection with
the mission.
About the same time three young men, perfect strangers
to the Madras labourers, suddenly came seeking baptism:
They stated that they had travelled for the purpose 200
miles. They were of good caste, and spoke their native
the Madras brethren, was told by his brother that had he know-n b*-forehand his
design of going to the mission, then " rather than we would have allowed you to
become a Christian, we would have chopped you in pieces.** A Large section of the
Mussulman community, in every country which they inhabit, are as remorselessly
intolerant as this ferocious youth.
DEATH OF MR ANDERSON. 1 83
language — the Tamul — well They received the boon which
they sought, the ordinance being administered at the same
time to a female convert from Romanism.*
In the month of March 1855, it became known to Drs
Lorimer and Blacklock, Mr Anderson's medical attendants,
that the revered founder of the mission, who had for some
time been in bad health, and of late had been seized by re-
mittent fever, was rapidly nearing his end. The colleagues
of the dying missionary requested Dr Lorimer to intimate
to him that in all human probability his dissolution was ap-
proaching. " I thank you, beloved friend," was the reply,
" for making so simple and direct a statement. It ndakes
me lean on the Lord entirely, and love my heavenly Father
more, Jesus my Saviour, the mission and all in it, and my
loving and faithful wife. I feel that the mission will never
want men to labour, or means, or converts, or institutions.
People of all denominations will support it, for the Lord has
His hand here." Then, meditating a little longer, he said,
"And so we shall ever be with the Lord." "The redemp-
tion which is in Christ Jesus."
For two or three days after he lingered on in great weak-
ness, counselling those around him, and consoling them in
the prospect of his removal. Then after his strong frame
had struggled awhile with death, release was granted, and
on Sabbath, 25th March 1855, his spirit was with the
Saviour whom he had loved so well. His loss was mourned,
not merely by his colleagues and his converts, or even by
the Church which had sent him forth, but by every one who
cared for the evangelization of India, and knew to what
extent that one object had occupied all his energies. Nay,
the heathen themselves, who at times had so bitterly op-
posed him, knew how great was his worth, and could not
but feel regret when he passed away.
* There is a difference of opinion among missionaries as to whether converts from
Romanism should be re-baptized. It will be perceived that the Madras brethren
administered the rite anew, not acknowledging the validity of what had been pre-
viously done.
184 AfADRAS.
" I was told latdy," said Mrs Anderson, " that eren the heathen
mothers were telling their children that the benefactor of the Hindoos
had died. They all understood that he loved them, for his heart was
open to every one."
In a funeral sermon for him, preached by the Rev. Thomas
Clark, then of Bombay, now of Odessa, that keen and ac-
curate observer of character speaks of a Saturday afternoon
and evening he once spent in the Free Church Mission at
Madras, and the evidence he then had of the " rich spiritual
endowments of our missionary, in all their astonishing
variety and magnitude." On that, as on other Saturday
evenings, the whole converts of the mission were assembled
for social intercourse, and mental and moral improvement.
At Mr Anderson's request, one after another stood up and
dehvered his sentiments on some important topic connected
with the work at Madras, while, as Mr Clark says —
" In the midst of the speakers Mr Anderson sat, ejaculating a word
better than that employed by the speaker here, correcting a sentiment,
at another time adding an illustration, and anon giving a mead of
judicious praise, all accomplished with such tact, being dropped, as it
were, parenthetically, so as seldom to stop the orator, scarcely even to
embarrass him, and with such love and b^uning joy as stimulated these
youths to unbare their touched spirits freely and fully. This was a great
discipline ; and on the next day, which was the Lord's, each went forth
into the byeways and centres of concourse to their countrymen, fortified
and encouraged to proclaim boldly the doctrine of Jesus Christ."* —
Oriental Christian Spectator, '855, pp. 146, 147.
It will afford some evidence of the estimation in which
Mr Anderson was held by the Europeans in the East, when
it is mentioned that between the time of the Disruption and
that of his death — or rather till the end of 1854, about three
months before his death — there were contributed to the
Madras mission no less than 199,022 rupees, or in sterling
money, nearly ^^20,000.
SALAY STREET, 1 8$
CHAPTER VIII.
THE MISSION AFTER THE DEATH OF ITS FOUNDER.
When Mr Anderson died, four ordained European mission-
aries remained to carry on the work. Two of these, Messrs
Blyth and Campbell, had been less than three years in India,
whilst the other two had been only a few weeks. There was
hope, however, that Mr Braidwood * would soon arrive from
home.
One of the recent converts, Soondrum Moorthy by name,
had an uncle who took a leading part in a gathering of
bigots at Salay Street, and signalised himself by parodying
Christian worship. Soondrum, after a time, went back to
this man, and was induced by him to seek restoration to
his former status in the Hindoo community. This originated
a caste controversy like that described in our Calcutta nar-
rative, a minority wishing to make the way back into Hin-
dooism easy, while the great mass of the pundits and the
people stood stiffly to the teachings of the Shasters on the
subject, and would by no means consent to take an erring
sheep back again into the fold. The missionaries were very
desirous to set up a preacKing-hall in or near that same
Salay Street, where the camp of the enemy was pitched.
In June 1855, Venkataramiah baptized four young men,
one if not two of them being Brahmans. Two inquirers
also presented themselves, — Paramasiven,tfrom the Govem-
* In an appeal issued by Mr Braidwood while at home, it was stated that "the
sum of ;^64oo altogether would place the mission on a permanent and effective
footing as to buildings." In a subsequent communication he added that there were
required — i, a mission-house, to accommodate two European missionaries, with a
house for converts attached to it ; 2, an institution for males, serving at once the
ends of an infant college, a normal seminary, and a school for boys ; 3, an institu-
tion for females ; and, 4, a preaching-hall. The estimated cost of the whole was
;£^930o ; but when what Mr Anderson had raised at home, and the contributions
from India were deducted, the sum was reduced to ;^3ioo. — Missionary Record^
August 1854, pp. 14, 15.
t The case of Paramasiven was interesting. He w.is the third son of
late Sudr Ameen (chief native judge), at Chingleput, a worthy man, who kept his chil-
dren from idolatry, and sent them to the mission school. He had studied the Bible,
though not connecting himself with the Christian Church.
r ?6 ICJLZS^Li.
tnenr rliga: Scficiu iz Mlidrssi. .mi: r-i^igia2r. from Nellofe.
Hicherto 2Z. ^ jLiL.vg : ;it z:im. rre qcr-garnn^ !iad been bgpdird
ar iLKiras. bur wfien. rie nor nse -jccarr^i it was resohred
rrrar tac nte yirwrif be jcnmrisacr-d e ±e inqrErcf s own
y;f*7riiL. As nrigbc bave besi i.TTirrra^gd. rie nrst case in
tzj^ new IbcalicT wss 2> trric^ <nLe. A joong man. called
Vgr garaiTicgTm,, was r-csrsd irrnr) tbe MssEOOrboose at
VcLLcrre. dt Xessts M - ifirrf-^ sii jzc EuTzrajooucxx Applica-
tiod bein^ made to loe m5ty'i>tn t e , cbe joadi was
sTTTmoEed a> tbe cntrfrerrr 'caart-hoasel As he was pio-
fecmrg tbfifTer wicri hs scirinal zistnctor. the populace
attempted to seize fmn, bet rriiTed. diocgh their attacJt was
Tcry determined and rkiient- He witnessed a good coo-
iessuxi in me coazt-hoase, and was scbseqaendr bapdzed
at Veflore. He was die &st coaTett oc the Madras missioii
who reoeiTed the spaTfng cyrffnance away from the central
station. Soon after die yocnh now miaidoned came as an
inqairer, Tattiah and h^ wife, the f<Kmer aboat 20 years
of ^^ followed his example, bat gave war when trial be-
came severe. The heathen were forkxis, and threatened an
attack <Hi the Mission-house. Till biptians l^ccHne common
at the oat-stations, there will be always more excitement
and danger of riot when they take place there, than at the
leading centres of cirilisation.
The death of Mr Anderson, and the exertions of Mr
Braid wood at home, had stirred the Charch up to send out
considerable reinforcements to Madras. On the 1 6th Octo-
\}CT 1855, the Rev. Alexander Macallum, and on the next
month the Rev. John G. Cooper, were ordained to Madras.
Mr Macallum reached his destination on Sabbath, 2nd De-
ccml^cr 1855, Mr Cooper on Saturday, the 29th of the same
month, and Mr Braidwood himself on Monday, 28th January
1856. Never was the mission before, and never has it
since, been so strong in men as it was after their arrivaL
There was a possibility now of commencing fresh depart-
ments of missionary work, and Mr Blyth, proceeding to
A MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 1 87
Chingleput, remained there for a considerable time training
certain of the converts, sent to him for the purpose, for
evangelistic work in the villages. Soon after Mr Anderson's
death a school to which the mission had been pledged was
commenced at a place called Goodoor, ninety miles north
of Madras, and t\yenty-two south of Nellore, but it had
ultimately to be discontinued for want of funds. In June
1856 the village of Wallajahabad, thirty-eight miles south-
west from Madras, was occupied, Major Brett having given
a house and " godowns," with 200 rupees annually, at the
same time expressing the wish that they would begin a
school. His desire being gladly acceded to, there were soon
a hundred boys in attendance. A girls' school was then
started, and had speedily twenty-six pupils. In 1856 also,
Mr Huffton, who had been nineteen years a labourer in con-
nection with the mission, was directed to conamence a female
school in a purely native part of Madras. He did so, and
though he gave no fee, but, on the contrary, made the girls
pay for their books, he had soon twenty in attendance. At
the examination of the institution, held at the end of 1855
or the beginning of 1856, Lord Harris had presided, and
the following year the chair was occupied by that fast friend
of the mission. Sir William Burton. Some time before this
Jatter event Dr Paterson, son of the "missionary of Kil-
many," had arrived at Madras, sent out partly by the
Medical Missionary Society and partly by the Free Church
Committee, but, on the other hand, Mr Moffat had about
the same time to return home, so that the number of the
Free Church labourers was not really increased.
In all parts of India there was more or less of severe trial
in 1857, the year of the mutinies, whtn the natives were not
sure whether the British Government in the East would
continue or pass away. Before it had far advanced the
Chetties, a bigoted caste of nativesjj)ulled down the new
preaching hall then being erected in their neighbourhood,
and which was to cost the mission not ^300, as originally
1 88 , MAD J? AS.
expected, but £S^o. The hall, however, was ultimately
built. Then Abdool Khader, the Arab convert, returned
to his people. First his wife was seduced away from him
and married to a Mohammedan, and finally he himself
was induced to depart. He re -embraced Islam on the
loth June, about a month after the mutinies at Meerut
and the proclamation of a Mohammedan emperor at DelhL
Madras was mercifully spared from the massacres which
took place almost through the length and breadth of the
Bengal Presidency, though apprehensions were entertained,
especially with regard to a possible rise of the Triplicane
Mohammedans,* during their great annual festival of the
Mohurrum. The mission was obliged for a time to inter-
mit its preaching in the portion of Madras inhabited by the
exciteable followers of " the Prophet."
Baptisms went on as usual during the mutinies. For
instance, on Sabbath, 12th July, when the danger to India
was about the greatest, Chinnamah, Lady Foulis' late ayah
(nurse), was baptized by Venkataramiah, receiving the name
of Eliza Foulis Anderson. So also were Krishna Raj 00, a
Vishnuvite, from Trevandrum, Mungah, now Elizabeth
Stark, and Bayee, now Jane Laughton, the two last being
girls from Mr Anderson's boarding school. One of these,
however, Jane Laughton, died a few days subsequently of
intermittent fever. On November 29th a young Moodelly,
called Saganathen, was baptized by Mr Campbell. It was
a remarkable testimony of the confidence which was reposed
in the missionaries, even during the years of the mutinies,
that, at the examination of the institution which took place,
again under the presidency of Lord Harris, on the i6th .
* Lord Harris, the Governor of Madras, took the best precautions he could
against this very possible, not to say probable, contingency. Mr Braid wood thus
describes the arrangements which were adopted :— " Six troops of horse artillery are
ready to dash upon the insurgents if they dare to show themselves ; the volunteers,
cavalry, and infantry, raised from among the Christian inhabitants, keep watch
night and day ; a body of mariners and seamen assist in garrisoning Fort St George ;
the European troops here patrol the streets with loaded muskets ; and a war steamer
is lying off the roads ready to hurl its 64 pounders into Triplicane, the great Moham*
medaji suburb.'*
ADVERSE LEGAL DECISION, 1 89
December 1857, it was stated that on the rolls of all the
schools taken together there were 2555 pupils, of whom
240 were Mohammedans.
Next year (1858) the Rev. Mr Cooper proceeded to the
assistance of the Nagpore mission. Soon afterwards word
was brought that three Chetties, Appavoo, Patcha, and
Narayan, who had been baptized about three years b'efore,
and who had been advised, in May 1857, to return to their
village, Poothor, about a hundred miles from Madras, had
set up a school, and were teaching it with zeal and energy.
On 20th July 1858, Rajahgopaul was called to be pastor
of the Madras Native Church.
" *Many of the native converts,' says Mr Braid wood, 'would have
preferred a European pastor, both because it was through this instru-
mentality they were brought to the knowledge of the Saviour, and
because they found it so much easier to pay their respect there than to
any one of themselves, however eminent in gifts and graces,* "
Then there was the perplexity about the almost equal
claims of Rajahgopaul and Venkataramiah. The latter had
the more powerful intellect, while the former was the softest
and most winning, and on him the choice fell.
We have not space to record all the applications for bap-
tism which took place in connection with the mission,
but prominence requires to be assigned to one case —
that of a Chetty called Narrainswamy. The young man
having taken refuge in the Mission - house, stood firm
against all the efforts made by his friends to induce him to
depart. A writ of habeas corpus was then applied for and
granted. The young man believed himself to be 16,
whilst the relations maintained that he was only 13, and
the judge, Sir Christopher Rawlinson, the same who had
allowed Nagalingum to go where he pleased, declared that
the recent case of Alicia Race, decided by Lord Campbell,
had extended the parental authority to 14, and left the time
between that and 21 a debatable ground. Believing the
relations' statement that the youth was only 13, he directed
igO MADRAS,
him to be restored to his father. This decision was a great
blow to the mission from its bearing not so much on the
case of boys as of girls. No caste girl is allowed to be at
school till she is 14, and she is sure to be denied liberty of
conscience at home. At a missionary conference held at
Ootacamund, those present expressed the wish that an Act
were passed, declaring that boys should be free to receive
baptism after 14, and girls after 12. The latter age may
appear very young, but it must be remembered that the
nations of the East are far more precocious than the races
inhabiting colder regions, girls in India often being mothers
at, or even a little earlier than 13. If not allowed to be
baptized at 12, they, will, in all probability, be under the
control of a husband immediately afterwards, and will neyer
be allowed to enter the Church at alL
In 1858, a panic connected with conversions having
arisen, the central female school in Madras was scattered.
A side school was then set up in the locality from which
most of the scholars were drawn, to recover the runaways.
At the end of the year there were sixty in attendance.
Considerable changes occurred in 1858-59 in the European
agency of the mission. Before the middle of 1858, the Rev.
Mr Blyth was compelled to return home, and was ultimately
declared incapable of resuming his labours in India. • On
5th April 1859, Mr Macintosh had similarly to return, and,
as it proved, permanently. Towards the close of 1858, Mrs
Anderson had to leave temporarily for Europe ; and tjiough
Mr and Mrs Moffat returned from home on the .25th
November 1858, the former died from congestion of the liver
on the 3d August 1859, and his afflicted partner came
back to her native land. In death the Rev. Mr Moffat was
able to repose his soul upon the Saviour, and his colleagues,
greatly mourned his loss.
Amid these vicissitudes, however, the work of the mission
steadily made way, some events of considerable interest
occurring about this time. Our readers will not have for-
NA G A LING UM AND R UTHNUM, 1 9 1
gotten the youth Narrainswamy Chetty, given up to his
father by Sir Christopher Rawlinson. Contrary to all caste
law, the youth, after the purgations and washings of a day,
was admitted to the, family table. After all, however, the
Chetties, though proud of their social dignity, are only,
according to Hindoo notions, low caste Sudras. Brahmans
would probably have been more particular. About a year
afterwards, Narrainswamy, being now, even by his relatives*
admissions in court, upwards of 14, returned to the mission.
It was not only in his case that the stringency of caste
law was relaxed. About the end of March 1859, Nagalin-
gum went back to his grandfather's house to see whether he'
would be allowed to live there as a Christian. For a time
he was kindly received, even though Chevgidroyen, his
elder cousin, had a few days previously gone to the
Mission-house as an applicant for baptism. By and by,
however, Naga found that liberty of conscience was being
gradually denied him, and he again returned to his spiritual
fathers. His temporary presence among his heathen rela-
tives was not without benefit to the Church. He had
diffused a favourable feeling towards Christianity throughout
the minds of several among those with whom he had asso-
ciated, and this was one reason why he had been unable
permanently to remain at home. All missionaries will be
delighted when the relaxation of caste law renders it pos-
sible for converts to remain at home, and prevents those
painful separations in families which heathen intolerance
now necessitates when conversions take place in India.
Just before Naga's return home, a very remarkable case
had begun. In the middle of March 1859, his youngest
cousin, a youth called Ruthnum, wished to be received into
the Mission-house, with the view of his receiving baptism.
As it was impossible to prove him more than 14, it was
felt that he could not be permitted to remain, after Sir
Christopher Rawlinson's late decision, so he had to return
to his relations. They, speedily perceiving his leanings
192 MADRAS,
towards Christianity, had him removed from Madras, and
sent to a place some hundred miles off, in the south of
India, Not long afterwards, he reappeared at the Mission-
house, quite drenched with sea water, and again begged to
be taken in. On being asked how he had travelled and
why he was so wet, he told a thoroughly romantic and
quite trustworthy story. He had escaped from the village
and managed to elude those who started in pursuit of hira,
on one occasion successfully concealing himself in one side
of a town while they were in the other. On reaching
Pondicherry, he had pledged his gold earrings, and with the
money thus obtained, hired a catamaran (a native raft made
of three logs of wood tied together), and boldly launching
with it on the ocean, sailed 100 miles to Madras, being
for the fifty hours of his adventurous voyage without sleep
and without fresh water. His arrival took place the day
after Mr Moffat's death, and helped to relieve the sadness of
that period of bereavement. But what was to be done with
Ruthnum now that he had come ? It would have been very
hard to send him away again. It was, therefore, resolved ^
at all hazards to grant his request. No legal proceedings
followed, and he was baptized.*
On 3rd March 1859, the evangelistic hall, designed as a
preaching station among the heathen (the one which the
Chetties pulled down when it was in process of erection),
was opened, and on the 6th June of the same year, the
foundation stone of the "Anderson Church" was laid.
♦ It is painful to add that Ruthnum's steadfastness was not what might have
been expected from the resolution and enterprise which so wonderfully characterised
the commencement of his Christian career. Following the example of his relative,
Nagalingum, he after a time visited home, designing while there still to carry out
his religious convictions. Subsequently he returned again to the mission. Several
such visits to his relatives were paid, and then in i86x, in place of seeing himself,
Mr Campbell received the following letter : —
"Dear Sir, — 1 have made up my mind to stay with my people altogether, con-
sequently I must bid and take from you a farewell separation. For all your
unwearied kindnesses to me, accept my gratitude and esteem. Farewell.
"I am,
" Yours affectionately,
"C. Ruthnum."
—Frt* Church Missionary Record^ 1862-1863, p. 51.
CHOLERA. 193
Hitherto the English worship had been held in the hall of
the institution. There were at that time no fewer than
thirteen weekly vernacular services in connection with the
mission, besides the daily ones at Dr Paterson's dispensary.*
At the public examination of the female schools in Decem-
ber 1859, Mr Campbell showed how open the door now
was for the education of the Madras girls, and a generous
civilian present at once intimated that he would give ^i<^
a-month to set up a new female school. The pupils in it
from the first paid for their books, and gave a small fee
besides. The same generous civilian soon after promised
;^io more a-month on hearing that the want of that sum
would necessitate the extinction of some vernacular schools
in the mission.
The Rev. Mr Blake having been ordained to Madras on
14th December 1859, reached his destination on 8th Feb-
ruary 1 860. Mr Houston, a European teacher, arrived from
home about the same time ; but losses counterbalanced
these gains. Soon afterwards, Mr Braidwood was ordered
home — it was feared permanently — and bereavement again
was sent upon the mission.
In i860, cholera — no unusual circumstance — broke out
among the pilgrims assembled at the Conjeveram festival ;
and as they dispersed, they carried the disease wherever they
went, making wholesale slaughter along their whole line of
route, t It reached Wallajahbad, where Mr Frost, who was
then just about to receive ordination, nobly refusing to
♦ In the report read by Mr Campbell at the examination of the institution on
20th November 1859, ^^ ^^^ mentioned that, though a monthly fee was now exacted,
yet on the rolls of all the schools were 268^ pupils — namely, 1924 boys and 761 girls.
565 pupils studied -at the central institution. Dr Paterson mentioned that there
had been 6000 new patients at the dispensary during the year. The native com-
municants in Rajahgopaul's church were 87.
t The experience of London in 1866 almost definitely showed — what had been sus-
pected before — that the most potent cause of cholera m a year when the atmosphere
favours a development of the disease is the drinking of impure water. As bearing
on the subject of the Conjeveram outbreak, it is remarkable that Mr Campbell of
Madras, in his letter of nth July, says — •* We had no rain for upwards of six months,
and the state 0/ the tanks and wells was dreadful in the extremey It may be
added that the imm^se masses of pilgrims, partly ignorant, partly contemptuous, of
sanitary law, destroy the water of every snallow river near which they encamp,
which IS one main reason why cholera is so contitiually found in their train.
194 MADRAS.
desert his post, died of the disease on the nth July
i860.
On 9th September, Mustapha, a Syud, or descendant .of
the " Prophet,*' was baptized.
That same year, as Mr Campbell mentioned, the pice
system was abolished in all the female schools, and without
affecting the attendance. In fact, at the end of the year
there were 809 on the roll of all the girls' schools. Dr
M*Queen said that the effect of the change of system was
simply to bring girls from higher grades of society than
before, as if the better classes *' had scorned to participate
in a gratuitous benefaction.'*
At the exaniinatipn of the female schools at the end of
1 86 1, Lady Denison, wife of the Governor of Madras, was
in the chair. At the examination of the institution. Sir
William Denison himself would have presided, had he not
been prevented by ill health. In his absence, the Chief-
Justice, Sir CoUey Scotland, took the chair. The pupils in
all the schools were 2473 ; there were 132 teachers. From
December i860 to November 1861, Rs. 4810. 10. 11, or
more than a thousand rupees above last year's receipts, and
an equivalent to a quarter of the whole expenditure of the
mission — the salaries of the European labourers excepted^ —
had been paid for fees. In many of the schools, the charge
had been raised from eight to twelve annas a month.
On the 15th January 1862, the Rev. Mr and Mrs
Campbell were obliged to leave on a temporary visit to
Britain, the health of Mrs Campbell having suffered very
severely from her residence in the East.
Soon afterwards, a great trial was sent upon the Madras
mission. Mr M*Callum had for some time been in poor
health, complaining chiefly of debility. He was advised to
seek rest for a time at Bangalore station, on the table land
of Southern India, and started for the purpose on Tuesday,
June loth. On the night of the nth, he became alarmingly
ill, it is believed of apoplexy, and died at the house of Mr
CHRISTIAN PROPRIETOR OF A TEMPLE, I95
Rice, of the London Missionary Society, half an hour after
his fatal seizure. Mr Houston, one of the Madras mission
teachers, had accompanied him on his journey, but could
do nothing to alleviate his sufferings. He had laboured
with his whole soul for the good of India, and left behind
him a great blank in the mission when he died.*
CHAPTER IX.
FRESH APPOINTMENTS.
When the intelligence of Mr M*Callum's death reached
home, Mr Campbell felt it his duty at once to return for a
time to Madras. A new missionary, and one of signal
ability — the Rev. William Miller — was ordained by the
Presbytery of Edinburgh on the 22nd October 1862, and
accompanied Mr Campbell to the East Mr James Houston,
the teacher, having laboured for three years in the mission,
resigned in 1863 from ill health, and Dr Carslaw, M.D.,
was appointed his successor.
In the early part of 1863, a decision of the Supreme
Court gave Nagalingum the whole of his property, amount-
ing to between ;£2o,ooo and ;£30,ooo. Two-thirds of the
money were to be paid at once, and the remaining third
on his grandfather's death. By this verdict, oddly enough
Naga became the undoubted proprietor of the temple and
god in his native village, about six miles from Madras.
The temple was of granite, and the ** god " about the size of
* Mr M 'Galium was of mature age when, in November 1844, he entered the Univer-
sity of Edinburgh. He gained a prize or two while there, but was not what is some-
times called a prize-man. When at the New College, he was president of the Mis-
sionary Society. He, Mr Campbell, and Mr Blyth, offered themselves together to
the Indian work. But at first Mr M 'Galium was forbidden by his medical advisers
to go to the East. On this he became a missionary for Dr Tweedie's congregation
in the Lawnmarket of Edinburgh, having before been an elder in Pilrig congrega-
tion. He often preached to crowds on the Castle Esplanade. Referring to the Lawn-
market, he said— "I go to my work as joyously as the Australian to his diggings.
I like my Master, and I love my work." The features in his character were "great
simplicity, integrity, love, and true unfeigned faith in the Lord Jjsus." — Missionary.
Record, October 1862. .
196 MADRAS.
a man. A deputation from the leading inhabitants waited
upon him, requesting him to make them a present of the
temple and idol; but at Mr Campbell's suggestion, he
resolved to do nothing rashly, and intimated that he would
take time to consider his decision.
In 1863, Ettirajooloo resigned his situation at Nellore.
When Mr Campbell saw the Madras mission again in good
hands, and in a prosperous condition, he returned home to
complete his furlough ; and his wife's health being such that
she was for ever prohibited from returning to Madras, he very
reluctantly terminated his direct connection with the mission.
Mr Blake being then at Nellore, there was for the next
eighteen months only one ordained European labourer — Mr
Miller — and he new to India. In intimate alliance with
him, however, was Dr Paterson, the medical missionary,
assisted by Caleb, a native baptized on 17th June 1855, and
another convert. The members of the financial board also
rendered assistance, it being their practice to visit the
dispensary week about, and there confess their Saviour.
The native converts also rendered aid. Two of them —
Bauboo, now a native preacher, and his friend, Paramasiven,
a divinity student — between them carried on a monthly
periodical, called the Lamp of Life, Bauboo also intimated
his intention of introducing the zenana scheme into Madras.
Whilst singlehanded, Mr Miller had also to grapple with
financial difficulties, the revenue of the mission no longer
sufficing for its expenditure. Among the measures of re-
trenchment which he carried out, was the discontinuance of
the Madras Native Herald as a " periodical." It involved
a loss of ;£^3o annually, which could not be spared. He
intimated his intention of bringing it out again as an occa-
sional paper, when facts or incidents connected with the
mission required to be made known. The Herald ceased
to appear statedly at the end of 1863. By the end of 1864,
owing to the retrenchments which Mr Miller had carried
out, the mission was free of debt, though it had been heavily
DR PATERSON, 1 9/
burdened when he arrived from home. Before the end of
1863, two missionaries — the Rev. W. Stevenson and the
Rev. John Macmillan — had arrived to his aid. But in 1863
the, health of Mr Blake necessitated his finally quitting the
tropics.* The services of a European missionary not sent
from home were for a time obtained, the Rev. Mr Metzger,
a German, formerly connected with the Basle mission, on
the Malabar coast, having accepted the charge of Chingle-
putt to supply the place of Pararnasiven, who had resigned.
Being an adept in the native languages, he devoted a great
part of his time to itinerant preaching.
When Mr Blake was obliged, from ill health, to quit
Nellore, first Rajaligopaul, and afterwards Venkataramiah,
took charge of it. There were then about twenty com-
municants, with several baptized non-communicants. Rajah
while there baptized several people.
We have not yet given the prominence to the labours of
Dr Paterson which their importance deserves. He was a
very effective medical missionary. About the early part of
1865 he and Mrs Paterson gained access to the interior
of native households, from which ordinary Europeans are
excluded. The subsequent year he had fifteen young men
in his class training for dispensaries. The class was unsec-
tarian, and its students were drawn from all Christian deno-
minations. By 1870 he had sent forth twelve educated
natives to be medical missionaries in their own districts,
and diffuse abroad the benefits they had received.
At that time he had two dispensaries, one in Blacktown,
the other at Royapooram. The average daily attendance
was 120, and during the year no fewer than 43,000
* Mr Stevenson was ordained by the Free Presbytery of Perth on the evening of
the 4th, and Mr Macmillan by that pf Aberdeen on the evening of the loth, October
1863. They sailed together for Southampton on, 4th November of the same year.
Mr, with Mrs Blake, reached home, via the Cape, about the end of 1864. Subse-
quently Mr Blake became a missionary to the Maories, and is now in a pastoral
charge in New Zealand.
t In 1871, the state of Mrs Metzger's health compelled her husband to leave
India. In doing so, he intimated that he would probably enter the service of the
Protestant Church of Wurtemberg.
(891) 14
198 MADRAS,
persons were directed to the Physician of Souls. There was
also a small hospital, into which fifty-three natives had been
admitted during the year. Worn out with his toils, Dr
Paterson left India in 187 1, and died soon after reaching
home. Dr William Elder was appointed his successor.
Our readers may remember various cases mentioned in
connection with the Calcutta mission in which widows,
specially degraded by heathen custom, showed a greater
disposition than other females to embrace the truth. In
this point of view, a case which occurred at Chingleput is
worthy of record. A young woman, called Runganayaghee
or Rungam, about 19 years of age, applied for baptism at
that station on the 9th April 1867, and after enduring a
certain ordeal from her relatives, which she met with firm-
ness, was then passed on to Mrs Anderson at Madras.
Before the end of 1867 a distinguished student of Aber-
deen University, Mr George M. Rae, ordained on June
28th, arrived from home. Early in 1868 Mr Miller had
temporarily to return to Europe. He delivered a very effec-
tive address in the Assembly, and before 1869 had far
advanced was again at his post in India.
In 1 87 1 Mr William Ross, a third year's divinity student,
was sent out to India to supply a vacant teachership and
professorship of mathematics in the Free Church Institu-
tion. He was despatched on the understanding that he
should complete his studies in India, and be licensed
and ordained by the local Presbytery. Dr William Elder,
already mentioned, accompanied him to the East. They
sailed from Plymouth on the ist October, in the Messrs
Greens' new steamer Viceroy,
The same year a generous friend gave ;£iooo to the
library of the institution, and the Home Committee added
a grant of ;^ 100 to build a room for its accommodation.
When, at the close of 187 1, the examination of the day
and boarding schools took place. Lady Napier, wife of the
Governor, presided, whilst another distinguished personage
FEES, 199
of the same surname, Lord Napier of Magdala, was among
the visitors. Eight schools were then sustained by the mis-
sion, with an attendance of 784 girls. ;£ii4 had been
received in fees during the year. Sixteen girls, all native
Christians, had passed the Government examination for
female teachers' certificates, and the name of one of these
appeared in the highest grade. In the early part of 1872
Mrs Anderson resigned the boarding-school on account of
indifferent health, but as she will continue to reside in
Madras, her services will still be available to the mission
cause. Miss Jane Sloan has been appointed her successor.
In 1869 and 1870, sometime after Mr Miller's return
from Europe, he penned a series of remarkably interesting
letters, published in the Missionary Record, in which he gave
minute details regarding the institution, and his manner of
life in Madras. He stated that the 300 pupils who were in
the institution some years ago have now developed into
800 in 21 distinct classes. In the lowest school there
are about 300 Hindoo to 60 Mohammedan pupils. • So
little love for learning have the Mohammedans that the
fees imposed upon them have not been heightened for
years, while those in the Hindoo classes have been regu-
larly increased. In the Mohammedan classes they are two
annas a month (an anna is about ijd.). In the Hindoo
classes, again, three or four times that amount is cheer-
fully paid. In the months of January and July, when alone
converts are received into the upper school, there are always
numerous applications for admission ; only some of which
can be attended to for want of room. In the upper school,
one portion of the senior department of the institution, there
are nominally five classes, but as one of these is divided
into three portions, there are, properly speaking, eight. Mr
Miller contrasts the school department as it was in 1870,
when he wrote, with its condition seven years before —
** About which time it was that the institution, after a considerable
interval of decay, began that progress towards a good position in the
community, and a powerful influence upon it, which has continued ever
200 MADRAS,
since. * It is only the school department,' he proceeds, * that can be
fairly compared with the state of matters seven years ago, for there
existed no college classes at all until a year or two after that date. . . .
At the time referred to the fee was a uniform one of four annas — that
is, 6d. a month, with an entrance fee for each new pupil, on his admis-
sion, of double that sum. The proceeds of both together were less, on
the average, than ninety rupees, or £f) a month, since payment was
neither very universal nor very regular. Since then the fee has been
repeatedly raised, especially in the higher classes. In a portion of the
lower schools it is not yet more than double what it used to be, or is.
monthly ; but as the classes rise the fee goes up to is. 6d., 2s., 3s., and
in the college department to 58. — that is, 24 rupees a month. Thus,
even in the upper school, it stands at six times, and in the college at
ten times, what could be obtained seven years ago. There has been a
corresponding rise of the admission fee, and altogether the £g has risen
now to about £^o, or, in round numbers, instead of contributing £100
a year to its own support^ the institution contributes £^00. . . . As
years pass it may be hoped that farther steady progress will be made in
this direction. But even what has been attained is gratifying, especially
since such a point has been reached already that these fees, together
with the grants obtained from Government, meet all the expenses of
the institution, except the salaries of such European missionaries as are
employed in it.' "
That the working of the college department may be un-
derstood, it is necessary to understand the constitution of
the Madras University. The University of Madras was
called into existence in 1857. It consists of a Chancellor,
Vice-Chancellor, and Fellows ; the last numbering at present
nearly 60, and containing representatives of every class of
educated men, natives as well as Europeans. Various
missionaries are fellows. The body of fellows is denominated
the Senate. There are four examinations — the entrance, or
matriculation one ; the first examination in arts ; the degree
examination for B.A. ; and the M.A. examination. Few
go forward to these higher trials of scholarship. It is for
the lowest of the examinations — the matriculation one —
that the highest of the school classes in the Free Church
Institution are preparing. Many of those who are successful
in this first trial of strength give up study and go into active
life ; others enter the classes in the college department of the
institution, which are affiliated to the University, and are
considered an integral part of it. In these advanced classes
they prepare for the higher examinations.
CHRISTIAN TEACHING. 201
Since the institution of universities at the several presi-
dency seats, the missionaries have had to encounter a new
and very formidable difficulty. The examinations for the
universities, not even excepting the first or matriculation
one, are really severe, — in this respect resembling those in
the University of London, on the model of which the
Indian universities were framed. Hence, the young men
are so preoccupied with intellectual toil and ambition, that
less spiritual fruit is reaped from among them than formerly,
though the Bible is as steadily and as zealously taught as
ever it was. Would it, then, be expedient to dissever the
institution wholly from the University — abandon intellectual,
ambition, and be contented with moral and spiritual fruit ?
Assuredly not, we would say. It is Mr Miller's opinion,
that if this course were adopted, only a few children would
remain as pupils in the institution, and in consequence it
would cease to exert any powerful influence on the com-
munity.
The missionaries, we think, are acting wisely in leaving
the institution still affiliated to the University, and teaching
the Bible, as they and their predecessors have uniformly
done, with conscientious and loving zeal. That, even under
the new and more onerous conditions, they are meeting with
a large measure of success, in their endeavours to commu-
nicate Scripture knowledge, was recently evinced in a
gratifying manner by an incident which occurred. A Mr
Cator having liberally given prizes for Christian knowledge,
to be competed for in Madras, natives were, of course, at a
disadvantage compared with Europeans and East Indian
youths. Yet the pupils of the Madras Free Church Institu-
tion gained three of the ten prizes, and eight out of forty-four
certificates of merit They were the only natives who were
successful in the competition.
It was a great day for the whole southern portion of India
when Mr Anderson founded the Madras mission.
SECTION IV.
BO MBA Y.
CHAPTER I.
THE MAHRATTA COUNTRY AND ITS PRESENT CAPITAL.
|OMBAY, Poonah, Nagpore, Sattara, Indapore,
Jaulna, Bankote, and Hurnee — names which
it will be needful to bring before the reader as
the narrative proceeds — are all in the Mahratta
country. The region now spoken of constitutes a triangle,
of which the base runs along the shore of the Indian Ocean,
from about the mouth of the Taptee on the north, to Goa
on the south, while the apex falls inland about 50 miles
beyond Nagpore. The region is naturally divided into two,
distinguished from each other by well-marked characteristics.
All who have studied the map of India know, that nearly
parallel to the western coast of that country, and not many
miles distant from it, there runs a gigantic chain of moun-
tains. This great basaltic range the natives call the Syha-
drees, while Europeans denominate it the Western Ghauts,
interpreting Ghaut to mean mountain, whereas its primary
signification is, mountain-pass. The narrow strip of broken
territory between the Ghauts and the sea, is called the
Concan, while the table-land above them, sloping away
south-eastward towards the distant Bay of Bengal, receives
the name of Deccan.
THE M AH R ATT A RACE, 203
The Mahratta-speaking population of India number at
least 10,000,000. Ethnologically viewed, the term Mah-
rattas, in our opinion, includes three races. The first are
the Mahars, who are taller and stronger than the ordinary
Mahrattas, and are (we agree with Dr Wilson in considering)
the remains of a once very powerful aboriginal tribe, now,
however, subdued. The second race, higher than the
former in dignity, is the ordinary Mahratta one, consisting,
its royal families not excepted, of Sudras, or low-castes.
They are not, as a rule, handsome. They look plebeian in
features, and are about the colour of a cup of tea or coffee
after the cream has been put in. The third and highest
race is the Brahman one, which is exclusively Aryan, whereas
there is reason to believe that the Mahrattas, and yet more
the Mahars, were originally Turanian. The prowess in
battle of the Mahrattas of all kinds is indisputable. Under
their great leader, Seevajee, they flung off the Mohammedan
yoke under which, like the rest of the Hindoos, they had
for centuries groaned ; and, having done so, they attempted
next to grasp the empire of India for themselves. Having
struggled for it first with the Mohammedans, they did so
next with ourselves, and at the commencement of the 19th
century it was still undecided which of the contending
powers would succeed in grasping the sceptre. It was a
blessing of inconceivable importance to India that the divine
decision w^s in favour of the British ; for, considering that
Mahratta rule was a frightful sort of tyranny, one shudders
to think of the consequences which would have resulted to
India, had it fallen into Mahratta hands. Nana Sahib
was a Mahratta, born at Kurwar, 24 miles from Sattara; and
in the year 1858, Mr Aitken, then a missionary in the latter
city, wrote that he never met with a Mahratta, except his
own pupils, who censured anything which the Nana had
done. As in other cases, we would now point out the mis-
sionary bearing of the political facts presented above. In
Bengal, as already mentioned, the British did not strike
204 BOMBAY.
down a kingdom ruled by Hindoos, but emancipated the
people of that race and faith from Mussulman tyranny. The
same thing happened at Madras. At Bombay, however, it
was diflferent In that presidency, and the regions adjacent,
we met the Mahrattas in battle when their power was great,
and their ambition at its highest, and smote their empire
down. In presenting our religion for their acceptance, then,
we do so in unfavourable circumstances, inasmuch as we
were first their rivals and then their conquerors, and the
triumphs of the gospel may be expected to be less rapid in
the west of India than in most other parts of the country.
Another unfavourable circumstance is that, as Mr J. M.
Mitchell says in his "Life of the Rev. R. Nesbit" —
"Missions were commenced in Western India about 50
years later than in Bengal, and a full century later than in
Madras." For these and other reasons which might be ad-
duced, the Bombay missionaries have had a sphere of special
difficulty. There is, however, one counteracting circumstance,
namely this, that if, as we believe, female seclusion in India
is of Mohammedan more than Hindoo origin, then,
reasoning d priori, a vigorous Hindoo race, who were not
very long under the Mohammedan yoke, and who ultimately
cast off that yoke by their own unaided exertions, will not
probably seclude their females so much as the Tamuls and
Teloogoos of Madras, and, above all, as the Bengalees of
Calcutta ; hence, female schools will be found more prac-
ticable at Bombay than at the other presidency seats.
To limit our attention now to Bombay city. The island
so named is more naturally fitted to be a capital than either
Calcutta or Madras, its chief drawback being that its area
is too small for the population upon it, and therefore house
rent goes up, and up, and up, till it reaches a fabulous
height, with the result of huddling the people together and
causing a heavy death-rate. The population of Bombay by
the census of ist February 1864, as given in the Parliamen-
tary Blue Book, No. 68 for 1870, was as follows : —
BOMBAY CITY AND PRESIDENCY, 20S
Europeans, 8,415
Indo-PIuropeans, IjSqi
Native Christians, I9>903
Jews, 2,872
Africans, 2,074
Chinese, 358
Parsees, 49>20 1
Brahmans, 30,604
Buddhists, 8,021
Bhatia, 21,771
Hindoos, 523.974
Lingayat, 1,598
Mussulmans,.. 145,880
816,562
The Bombay presidency contains 13,983,998 inhabitants.
The city, in addition to being the head of the presidency
which bears its name, is admirably situated for operating
upon Africa, Arabia, and the countries up the Persian Gulf
Despite the disadvantages against which the evangelist has
there to contend, it is an exceedingly important and desir-
able mission field.
CHAPTER II.
THE SOJOURN AT BANKOTE AND HURNEE.
In or immediately before 1822, the Scottish Missionary
Society resolved to commence operations in the west of
India, influenced by the consideration that while there were
upwards of eighty labourers in th^ presidencies of Bengal
and Madras, no more than six were stationed within that of
Bombay. Their first missionary was the Rev. Donald
Mitchell, who arrived in January 1823,* but died about
* Mr Donald Mitchell had already passed through unusual and varied experience.
The son of a Scottish minister^ he had contemplated himself embracing the sacred
prufession, but while at the Divinity Hall he beean to depart from the Confession of
Faith, and ultimately sank into Socinianism. Abandoning the further prosecution
of his theological studies, he sought and obtained a commission in the East India
Company's service. In the providence of God his regiment was cantoned at Surat,
where the European missionaries of the London Society were the means of leading
him back to evangelical truth. Never till now had he experienced its power
206 BOMB A Y.
eight months subsequently. Shortly before his lamented de-
cease, there arrived three others labourers, the Rev. Messrs
John Cooper, James Mitchell,* and Alexander Crawford,
the little band being increased not long afterwards by the
coming, on the 17th February 1824, of the Rev. John
Stevenson. All these missionaries were married, and thus
they had female assistance from the first in carrying on their
work. The intention had been that they should per-
manently settle in Poonah, the proper Mahratta capital, but
the Government would not hear of such a proposal. They
thought that it might dangerously excite the Brahmans
and other Mahrattas who had engaged in a struggle
for supremacy with the British only seven years before.
Thus baffled, the missionaries felt it to be a question
where they should go. They thought of Bombay, but to
a certain extent that field seemed pre-occupied, there having
been there an American mission from the end of 18 14
or the beginning of 18 15, and one belonging to the Church
of England from 1820. They therefore turned aside to the
much less promising sphere of the Southern Concan. Two
stations within the region just named were soon after
occupied, the one at the town of Bankote, about sixty miles
south of Bombay, and the other at Hurnee, fourteen miles
still further south. After acquiring the language, the
missionaries preached t© the adult native population, for
whose benefit also they composed and circulated tracts.
Perceiving the wretched character of the heathen verna-
cular schools, they sought, if the teachers would allow it,
to improve them, and by 1827 had under their nominal
upon his conscience. Resigning his commission and returning home, he
completed his studies, and then offered himself to the directors of the Scottish Mis-
sionary Society for evangelistic work in India. He was, Dr J. Murray Mitchell
thinks, the first person seriously to turn the attention of the directors to the para-
mount claims of India. — Life of Mr Nesbit^ pp. 63, 64
• James Mitchell was bom in the year 1800, in the vicinity of Stirling. Removing
thence to Leith, he became connected with the congregation of the well-known Dr
Colquhoun, where, especially in the Sabbath-school, his attention was directed to
the claims of missions. Against the remonstrances of his relatives he resolved to
devote himself to the work, and, after receiving a considerable measure of academic
training, was ordained in August 1822, as a missionary to India.— J^r^^ Church
Missionary Record^ June 1866, pp. j, 2.
VERNACULAR SCHOOLS. 20/
control eighty distinct schools, with about three thousand
pupils, a certain proportion of them being Brahmans. Nay,
more, some few girls came along with the boys ; and by the
15th March 1824, the announcement was made to the
Society that the missionaries were taking measures to erect
"a school-room solely for the reception of girls." By 1827,
wonderful to relate, the female pupils exceeded 300. The
boys' schools were found almost valueless for direct Christian
ends. It is quite easy to explain why this should be so.
Nine-tenths of all the heathen teachers in India so de-
cidedly prefer their pockets to their creed that they would
feel no scruple at all in handing over their schools to a
missionary, allowing him to teach Christianity or anything
else that he pleased, provided that they were employed as
his assistants, their department being to train the pupils in
arithmetic and the mechanical art of reading. The bargain
is an excellent one for the missionary, provided he do not
take over a greater number of schools than he and his
Christian agents can efficiently control. If he be too
ambitious in this respect, then heathen dominates over
Christian influence in his schools, and the Hindoo teacher
has the better of the bargain. Eighty schools were too many
for four men properly to superintend, and therefore it was
that they rendered the mission little direct service. Indi-
rectly, however, they did an immensity of good. They
taught the Government of Bombay, what it did not know
before, that even in remote districts, native teachers and native
pupils, many of both being Brahmans, would, if courteously
invited, place themselves under European superintendence,
fearing no evil. The lesson being turned to good account,
the Government set up vernacular schools of its own in
many of the Mahratta villages.
On the 4th June 1827, the Rev. Robert Nesbit* took
* Mr Nesbit was born at the village of Bowsden, in the county of Durham, on
the 22nd of March 1803. His father, a small farmer, was elder in a Presbyterian
Church. The son came under the influence of Dr Chalmers' fervid oratory while
he was at St Andrews, but it was not till he became tutor in the family of Mr
208 BOMBAY,
ship at Portsmouth, to proceed to the assistance of the
mission. He arrived in Bombay on September 1 9, and soon
afterwards proceeded to the Southern Concan, where, being
an admirable linguist, he, in the incredibly brief space of
three and a half months, began to talk Marathi, so as to be
pretty well understood.
The comparative ineligibility of the thinly-peopled and
rugged Concan as a field of operations, continued to be felt,
and as, after all, two weak missions were not sufficient to
preoccupy a city so important as Bombay, the Scottish
evangelists resolved to despatch one of their number thither,
and on the 26th December 1827, Mr Stevenson was sent
to this new and promising field.
On February 13, 1829, the mission received a splendid
reinforcement by the arrival of the Rev. John (now the Rev.
Dr) Wilson, in himself a host, accompanied by the first Mrs
Wilson.* After remaining for some months in the Southern
Concan, he removed in November of the year he came out
to Bombay. Other events had signalised 1829. There had
been admissions to the Church both from among the Hin-
doos and the Portuguese; but, on the other hand, Mr
Crawford had been compelled by ill health to return to
Europe.
In December 1827, the Bombay Tract and Book Society
was founded at that presidency seat on a catholic basis, and
in 1830 Mr Nesbit composed for it a tract called the True
Atonement, which in 1855 had passed through twelve
Groves of Exeter, that he formed the resolution of destining his life to foreign mis-
sions. He had been licensed by the Presbytery of Caithness before going to
Exeter, and after returning he offered himself to the Scottish Missionary Society,
and being accepted, was ordained by the Presbytery of St Andrews on the 15th
December 1826.
* John Wilson waa born in Lauder, and taught for a time in the school of Horn-
dean. He was ordained one of the Scottish Missionary Society's agents in
Western India on the 34th June 1828. On the 13th of August in the same year, he
was married to MisK Marijaret Bayne, daughter of the Rev. Kenneth Bayne of
Greenock. On the 30th, the Wilsons embarked for London at Newhaven, the
(iranton pier, we believe, not then being built. On the 14th September they
commenced their voyage to India. With the exception of a wild and perilous
night, during which their vessel was in danger of being flung ashore, in Table Bay,
during a south-easterly gale, their voyage to India was not unpleasant.
MR WILSON SETTLES IN BOMBAY. 2O9
editions, and has since gone through a great many more.
It has been translated also into Guzerathi. Deeply evan-
gelical as Mr Nesbit's little tractate is, and admirably
adapted as it has proved to the native mind, it has already
effected much good, and its career of usefulness is not yet
nearly run.
At the end of 1830, Mr Cooper removed with his family
to the Neilgherry hills, mainly for the sake of his wife,
then in very feeble, health. The lady derived comparatively
little benefit from the measure, and before long she gra-
dually sunk and died. Soon afterwards sickness compelled
her husband permanently to return home. Some of our
readers may have known him many years later, as the
United Presbyterian minister of Fala, on the south-eastern
boundary line of Midlothian.
Messrs Mitchell and Stevenson having preached to the
people of Poonah in the year 1829, and been well received,
Mr Stevenson removed thither about 1831 j and on the 8th
August of the same year, Mr Nesbit, under medical advice,
joined him there, the dry atmosphere of the old Mahratta
capital being more healthful than the hot muggy air of
Humee. When it was found that Poonah was really open,
and that the missionaries were likely permanently to retain
their footing there, the operations at Bankote and Humee
were allowed to come to an end.
CHAPTER HI.
TRANSFER OF THE MISSION TO BOMBAY.
The scene now shifts to Bombay city, to which, it will be
remembered, Mr Stevenson had been despatched sometime
before. Thither went also Mr and Mrs Wilson on the 26th
November 1829, having first visited Bankote and other
places. They had already made such progress in the
2IO BO.\fBAY,
Mahratta language, as to be able to use it with some effect
The linguistic powers of Dr Wilson are now universally
known. Immediately on reaching the Western presidency
seat, he began to converse with the natives and preach to
them, besides taking measures for the establishment of
schools. In 1830 he commenced to issue an exceedingly
valuable monthly periodical in English, called the Oriental
Christian Spectator, Only a few years have elapsed since
it came to an end.* In the Oriental Christian Spectator
for July and August 1 831, he reviewed a work by "Elisaeus,"
translated by Mr C. F. Newmann, on the History of Vartan,
and the religious wars among the Persians. In this re-
view he made some strictures on the Parsee doctrines,
which led to a controversy between him and some professors
of that faith. His researches into Parseeism were ultimately
to assume large proportions, and lead to important results.
It was not only with the Parsees that he entered into friendly
controversy — he did so also with the Hindoos and the
Mohammedans. To the former he addressed his First and
his Second Exposure of Hindooism, the former penned in
1832, in reply to Mora Bhutt Dandekara, while the latter,
of which a copy now lies before us, bears date Bombay,
October 1834. The amazing literary activity of Mr Wilson
at this period of his career, will be apparent when it is
mentioned that, at the end of the " Second Exposure," the
following works from his pen are advertised (independently
of the First Exposure in Marathi, and the Second in English
and Marathi : — " The Rudiments of Hebrew Grammar in
Marathi," price four rupees bound, but sold at half price to
native Israelites ; " Idiomatical Exercises, illustrative of
English and Marathi," five rupees; second edition of a
** Lecture on the Vandidad Sade (the Scripture of the Parsees),
delivered to the people of that faith on the 19th and 24th
June 1833," price one rupee stitched ; and finally, ** A Refu-
* A complete series of the Oriental Christian Spectator \iov\^ be a boon to any
library in the country. So far as the writer's obser>'ation has extended, there »
not one in the splendid British Museum collection.
FEMALE EDUCA TION. 2 1 1
tation of Mohammedanism, in reply to Haji Muhammad
Hashim," price half a rupee stitched, or one rupee bound.
Besides these literary efforts, Mr Wilson had made extensive
tours in the Concan Deccan and other places, all this
having been effected within the first six years of his residence
in India.
Meanwhile his partner in life had been the reverse of
idle. In addition to assisting her husband by writing in the
Oriental Christian Spectator^ and in other ways, she had
been successful in her efforts to promote female education.
On the 29th December 1829, she opened a small female
school A quarter of a year later she had fifty-three scholars,
and in yet another quarter of a year she had six schools,
with 120 pupils. In 1832 the girls under her charge
amounted to 175. In July 1833, a message arrived from
home, which, had it been obeyed, would have terminated
the enterprise so hopefully begun — the directors of the
Scottish Missionary Society, alarmed by the diminution
of their pecuniary resources, having ordered the curtailment
of operations, including the dismissal of all the pupils in
the schools. The injunction was not acted upon, and in
January, 1834, Mrs Wilson's girls amounted to about 200.
Her cqadjutor in setting up, and for a time maintaining
the female schools, had been Mrs Mitchell of Bankote, who,
however, died at Dhapuli on the 17 th January 1832. Mrs
Wilson herself, not long afterwards, lost her health, and
finally entered into her rest on the 19th April 1835. A
memoir of her from the pen of her distinguished husband,
has made her talents and her moral worth known to the
Church at large.
As already mentioned,.in August 1835, the Rev. Messrs
James Mitchell, R. Nesbit, and John Wilson, were, on their
own application, amicably transferred from the Scottish
Missionary Society to the Church of Scotland, and the
second period of the Presbyterian Mission in Western India
came to an end.
212 BOMBAY.
CHAPTER IV.
THE BOMBAY " INSTITUTION" AND ITS EARLIEST FRUITS.
The great success which had attended the Church of Scot-
land's Institution, founded by Dr Duff at Calcutta, had
created the desire, both at home and in India, that a
seminary or school and college of the same kind should
be begun, with as little delay as possible, at the other pre-
sidency seats.
So early as 1832, some pious European gentlemen in
Bombay had set up in the mission premises in the fort an
English school, which " Mr Wilson undertook to organise
and superintend." On the ist December 1835 it was trans-
ferred to the Church of Scotland, and was at first deno-
minated the Scottish Mission School. On the return of Mr
Nesbit to Bombay, on the 7 th February 1837, after an
absence from India, for the recovery of his health, of two
years and a month, he took a house in the fort, constituting
in reality a portion of the same building as that in which
the school was accommodated. His health was not yet
re-established, and in the hope of improving it, as well as
effecting missionary results in another quarter, his friends
some months later sent him to Ceylon, to found a Presby-
terian Church in the island. Returning properly recruited,
in February 1838, he was now able to labour with full
efficiency. In November of the same year the Rev. John
Murray Mitchell, a distinguished graduate of Marischal
College, arrived from Scotland, having been ordained just
after completing his theological curriculum. The arrivaJ of
these labourers rendered it possible to organise the school
on a more extended basis than at first, and it became known
as the General Assembly's Institution.
Ten days after the Scottish school was estabUshed by Dr
Wilson, in December 1835, a Parsee boy, apparently be*
PARSEE INQUIRERS. 2 1 3
tween 13 and 14 years of age, was enrolled as a scholar,
giving his name as Dhanjibhai Nauroji. On the 12th Feb-
ruary of the subsequent year (1836) another youth of the
same nationality became a pupil, and was entered in the
catalogue as Hormasdji Pestonji. These were not the only
Parsee boys at school, but of all who were in attendance
they are the most worthy of mention. On the 13th October
1838, a teacher in the institution, Mr Thomas Smith by
name (of course not the Calcutta missionary), addressed a
letter to Dr Wilson, in which he expressed his belief that
Dhanjibhai was already in a state of grace, and intimated
that the young Parsee was desirous of baptism. A series of
conferences with the inquirer himself convinced Dr Wilson
that the favourable opinion given of his spiritual state was
correct, but still no action was taken during the long period
of eight months, so anxious was the missionary, on more
accounts than one, to proceed cautiously in a matter of
such delicacy. At last the movements of two other Parsee
young men rendered it impossible further to delay the crisis.
Framji Bomanji and Hormasdji Pestonji were bosom friends,
and coming, apparently about the same time, under the
influence of the truth, they had agreed, after communicating
their state and feelings to Dr Wilson, to request that they
might be baptized together. Man proposes, but God dis-
poses j and instead of the close friends entering the Church
in company, and remaining permanently linked together in
the bonds of Christian affection, they were destined to be
severed, apparently never to meet again in the world. When
the announced intention of Hormasdji's family immediately
to remove from Bombay, taking him along with them, ren-
dered it necessary for the friends at once to carry out the
step they had resolved on, Hormasdji succeeded in reaching
the Mission-house, while Framji fell into the hands of his
caste people, and was never allowed to see his instructors
any more.
When Dhanjibhi heard what had taken place, he felt
(391) 15
214 BOMBAY.
that he had not a moment to lose if he wished to retain the
hope of receiving baptism, and he too fled to the Mission-
iiouse. The Parsee community of Bombay now became
greatly excited. Though their faith was one vulnerable at
a hundred points, yet they had laid the flattering unction
to their souls, that no young Parsee, however carefully
instructed in Christianity, would ever think of forsaking
Zoroastrianism. Now that they had been rudely unde-
ceived, they, or at least a large number of them, gave way
to blind fury, and, casting off" even the pretence of respect-
ing freedom of conscience, showed themselves prepared, if
needful, to use violence both to the converts and their
instructors. On Monday, 30th May 183$, they made an
effort to carry off" Hormasdji from Dr Wilson's house, but
the domestics, the Mahratta teachers and others, hearing
the noise, rushed to the rescue, and prevented the outrage
being completed. Foiled in this endeavour, the defeated
party went off", but immediately afterwards returned with a
policeman to arrest Hormasdji on a ridiculous charge, said
to be disapproved even by the relatives, that he had carried
away some of the family jewels. This eff"ort proved equally
abortive with the last. Dhanjibhai also was compelled
to pass through exceedingly trying scenes. His friends,
accompanied by a messenger of the Parsee Panchdyit (San-
hedrim), came in quest of him, and required him to retiu"n
with them, but neither tears, lamentations, nor entreaties
could shake his firm purpose to be a Christian. On Wed-
nesday evening, ist May, he was baptized, after making a
profession of his faith, and laying upon the table his Kusti,
or sacred thread, the badge of his caste. Hormasdji, at
the same time, declared himself also a Christian, and laid
his Kusti aside, though his baptism was deferred till Sab-
bath, the 5 th of May.
Legal proceedings had meanwhile been commenced
against Dr Wilson. When threatened with violence, he
had informed his intended assailants that the constitutional
NOBLE CONDUCT OF DHANJIBHAL 2 1 S
method of procedure was for them to appeal to the law,
and, taking him at his word, they had filed affidavits before
the Supreme Courts, and obtained two writs of habeas
corpus, the one requiring Dhanjibhai, and the other Hor-
masdji, to be produced before the Chief Justice, that it
might be ascertained whether they were under illegal re-
straint. Counter affidavits were immediately prepared on
the part of the missionaries and their friends, to show
that the Parsee youths had all along been free to return
home if they pleased. The writ requiring the production
of Hormasdji was ultimately cancelled, but that relating
to Dhanjibhai went to proof. The first appearance in
Court was on the 6th of May, the proceedings on that
day closing with the declaration that, till the case ended,
Dhanjibhai might go where he pleased. On being ques-
tioned by the judge as to what his intentions were, he,
in the face of all that was powerful, wealthy, venerable,
or dangerous among his countrymen arrayed against him,
modestly, but firmly, declared his intention of going
with Dr Wilson. The missionary just named soon after
came out of the Court, accompanied by the two Parsees,
and entered his carriage. On seeing him the mob became
excited, and some of the Zoroastrians caught the wheels
of the vehicle and attempted to prevent it from starting ;
but, mainly owing to the exertions of several European
gentlemen who were present, the endeavour failed. When,
at length, the conveyance moved off, the baser part of the
Parsees ran behind it, shouting " seize, kill," while the more
respectable of the caste, feeling ashamed of such conduct,
held aloof.
When the case again came before the Court, which it did
on the 1 6th of May, the police were on the alert, and the
military had received orders to be in readiness, if their ser-
vices should be required. Happily, however, the tranquil-
lity on this occasion remained unbroken ; and when Dhan-
jibhai a second time stood nobly true to his convictions, he
2l6 BOMBAY.
was finally allowed to go where he pleased. This time Dr
Wilson and he were able to return to the Mission-house in
comparative safety.
The Parsees had already resolved to take other steps,
with the view (of course, certain to be disappointed) of pre-
venting future conversions. The first of these was a per-
fectly legitimate one, namely, to withdraw the youths
belonging to their caste, if they could induce the parents to
listen to them, from Christian seminaries, and send them to
Zoroastrian schools, which they proposed to establish.
Their second resolve was one which would not have been
adopted by them, had they understood the great and sacred
principle of religious liberty. It was to prepare and send
off a petition to Government, which, when it appeared and
was read, came popularly to be termed the Anti-conversion
Memorial. Its prayer was that there should be some restraint
put on the establishment of mission-schools ; that no mis-
sionary should tamper with the faith of a child under 21
years of age [16, it should be mentioned, is the age which
Hindoo law considers that of majority] ; and,
" Further, that if any person after the age of 21 years shall become
a convert to the Christian or other faith, he shall not be capable of
exercising any power or control over his wife or children, and also shall
be liable to provide a reasonable sum for their maintenance, and also
shall forfeit all right and title to inherit the family or ancestral property
of his parents, except such portion thereof as may be bequeathed to
him by will, and that the provisions of the Act may be guarded by
proper penalties, to be enforced in any court of justice in India."
It was a satisfactory circumstance, that out of a population
of about 250,000 peoplie then resident in Bombay, only 21 15
signatures could be obtained to this intolerant petition.
Its fate might have been predicted beforehand — the Bombay
Government, to which it was addressed, would not lend its
countenance to persecution. The only unsatisfactory part
of the answer returned to the memorialists was one in which
it was intimated that consideration would be given to the
request that missionary movements might be restrained,
DR Wilson's PARSER RESEARCHES, 217
especially at sacred places; but, happily, the Supreme
Government put all right by declaring that ** his Lordship
in Council cannot deem it to be necessary or proper to pro-
hibit the resort of missionaries to any places to which other
British subjects may without offence have access." *
The legal proceedings now described, and the failure of
the anti-conversion memorial, had a great and lasting effect
on the minds of the Parsees, the Hindoos, and other orien-
tals, not in Bombay merely, but throughout India. They
gave them a first lesson on the principles of religious
liberty.
Of course a heavy price was paid for the advantages
gained. For many years not a single Parsee boy entered
the institution. Of 284 pupils in attendance, all but 50
were taken away, and those who remained were almost ex-
clusively Christians. The vernacular schools also felt the
violence of the storm, and friendly intercourse which had
begun with the Government students came, for a time at
least, to an end. Yet we hesitate not to say, that the
advantages gained were worth even this heavy price.
Though the possibility of Dr Wilson's acting on the
Parsees by scholastic means was for the time being at an
end, yet his pen continued free. The sermon which he
preached, from the text Isaiah xlv. 5, 7, 8, on occasion of
Dhanjibhai's baptism, is of a very remarkable character,
and the notes on Parseeism with which it is illustrated are
so amazingly learned, that it has been doubted whether a
single Parsee could be found who knew as much of Zoroas-
trianism as Dr Wilson put into the tiny volume containing
his sermon. Nor is this his only work on the Parsee faith.
He published a much larger volume on the subject in 1843.
This most elaborate and valuable production attracted the
notice of the "Institut" of France, and led to its author
obtaining an honour accorded to very few ministers of any
* The answer of the Supreme Government was communicated to the memorialists
in a letter signed, " W. R. Norris, secretary to Government. Bombay Castle, xoth
April 1840."
2l8 BOMBAY.
Church^that of his being elected F.R.S., or fellow of the
Royal Society of London, he having before for some years
been President of the Bombay branch of the Royal
Asiatic Society. But we must not anticipate.
In addition to the two Parsees, two Armenians and a
Roman Catholic were admitted to the Church in the year
1839. The institution was beginning to recover from the
shock it had sustained through means of the Parsee bap-
tisms. On the 30th January 1840, there were again 146
upon the roll, with an actual attendance of 100. Early in
that year the missionaries were gladdened by a visit from
Dr Duff, then on the way from Europe to his own sphere of
labour. On the 6th April Mr Aitken arrived from home as
a lay-teacher. Soon aifterwards, a Persian Armenian, for-
merly a Zoroastrian, was admitted to the Church.
The Irish Presb>'terian Synod having come to the resolu-
tion of commencing operations among the natives of India,
chose, mainly at Dr Wilson's suggestion, the peninsula of
Kattiwar, in Guzerat, as the sphere for their labours. When
the Rev. Messrs (James) Glasgow and Kerr, the two mission-
aries sent out, arrived at Bombay, Dr Wilson received them
with his wonted cordiality, and kindly promised to escort
them to their destination. While they were all at Rajkote,
in Kattiwar, on the 9th August 1 841, Mr Kerr was attacked
by jungle fever. Dr Wilson was seized with the same
dangerous malady four days later. Mr Kerr died on the
29th August, while Dr Wilson was for a long time in immi-
nent danger, but ultimately, in the good providence of God,
recovered. The heathen servants who had accompanied
the missionary deserted him in his distress, being afraid of
taking the infection ; but Dhanjibhai, regardless of peril to
himself, nobly remained to minister to his spiritual father.
Captain Le-Grand Jacob also, the acting political agent in
Kattiwar, showed great kindness. Dr Wilson reached
Bombay on the 28th September, and had very shortly after-
wards to sustain, like his colleagues and others in the
HORMASDjfS DAUGHTER RECOVERED. 2l9
mission, a fresh trial, for in October, Miss Anna Bayne, his
wife's sister, was removed by death.*
Notwithstanding all this, the work made progress. A
trifling grant from home enabled the Bombay labourers to
extend their operations among the interesting Beni-Israel,
who were estimated at 5000, 7000, or 8000 in number; two
scholarships were founded in the institution ; a girl from the
boarding-school was baptized; two female teachers had
arrived from home ; and the mission buildings, for which
funds had been raised partly in Scotland and partly in
India, were fast advancing, and promise was given of their
speedy completion.
An event of very considerable importance to the cause
of missions, happened in the early part of 1843. When
Hormasdji became a Christian, his wife remained with her
caste people, who prevented her husband from seeing hfer,
and ultimately married her to another man, though it is
believed that her affections still remained with Hormasdji.
His infant daughter Bachoobai, had also been kept back
from him, but now that she was growing up into girlhood,
her father and the missionaries very properly resolved to
attempt her recovery. An application was made to the
Supreme Court for a writ of habeas corpus^ and the judges,
as was expected, ruled without a shadow of hesitation, that
the child should be given to her father. The Parsee news-
papers were furious at the decision. Whilst writing of it and
the previous verdict, Mr Nesbit said —
"The Parsee and every other native community are now made
aware of two great laws affecting the interests of converts to Christi-
anity.
" I. Every person of sufficient age to judge for himself (the term is,
I believe, fourteen years), is allowed without any legal penalty to follow
his own choice in matters of religion.
** 2. A father, by changing his religion, does not forfeit his claim to
• On the 2Sth June 1839, Mr Nesbit was married to Miss Hay Bayne, sister of
the first Mrs Wilson, who nad come out as a female teacher. She was a gifted and
highly pious lady, as was the Miss Anna Bayne, whose death has now been
recorded.
220 BOMBAY.
the jjuardianship of his children. A third law was announced from the
bench, although delay has unhappily frustrated its actual exemplifica-
tion in this particular case. Marriage is not dissolved by what may be
termed the apostacy of one of the parties. If they be pleased to dwell
with each other, no third party is allowed to interfere.
A very interesting episode in the history of the Bombay
mission, now requires to be told. When Dr Wolflf visited
Abyssinia, he and Mr Isenberg persuaded an influential
native of that country to send two of his sons to Bombay
for instruction. The names of the young men were Gabru
and Maricha Warke. Arriving in April 1837, they were
placed under the charge of Dr Wilson, in whose house they
lived for four years and eight months. Possessed, as they
were, of great intellectual ability, they made rapid progress
in their studies, though they had not heard a word of
English till about the time that they departed from their
native land. Now that Dr Wilson was about to return for
a season home, he thought that the time had come for
sending the Warkes back to their native country, where,
from their intellect, their knowledge, and the evidences of
piety they exhibited, he hoped they might be able to do
much good. It was arranged that they should accompany
him as far as Aden in Arabia, and remain there till a vessel
could be met with, sailing to the Abyssinian coast.
Another pupil of the institution, it was planned, should
go with Dr Wilson on the homeward voyage. This was
Dhanjibhai, who, having offered himself, and commenced
his studies for, the ministry, now desired to finish them at
the New College in Edinburgh. These arrangements were
carried out. On the 2nd January 1843, Dr Wilson left Bom-
bay to proceed to Europe, taking with him Dhanji and the
Abyssinians. The latter were left at Aden, whilst the rest
of the party continued their journey to the west. On their
route they visited Palestine, Dr Wilson making numerous
observations there and elsewhere, both on the places
and on the several peoples inhabiting them, which were
afterwards published in his excellent " Lands of the Bible. **
BAPTISM OF NARA VAN SHESHADRI. 22 1
After finally quitting the soil of Asia, the travellers pursued
their way to Constantinople and Pesth, and, in the good
providence of God, reached Scotland in safety on the 23d
September of the Disruption year.
CHAPTER V.
THE DISRUPTION AND ITS EFFECTS.
The adherence of all the Bombay missionaries to the Free
Church involved, as at Calcutta, the loss of valuable mission
buildings. Those in process of erection at the western
presidency seat were being roofed in, when the event which
severed them from the missionaries took place, thus dashing
from them the cup of anticipated pleasure, when it was
almost at their lips.*
The Rev. Dr Stevenson, now a government chaplain in
Bombay, adhered to the Establishment, but the four ruling
elders in his congregation, with sixty out of the seventy-five
communicants, disapproving of this step, applied temporarily
for ordinances to the Free Church missionaries, and sent
home money for the passage out of a permanent pastor.
On the evening of Wednesday, 13th September 1843, a
great and joyous event took place. We refer to the bap-
tism of a Mahratta Brahman, Narayan Sheshadri, a dis-
tinguished pupil in the institution, and who has since proved
himself to be one of the most valuable converts ever given
to an Indian mission. Next day the Brahmans of the city
met, and resolved to excommunicate all parents who should
in future send their sons to the institution. A certain
* Writing on Jun€ 16, 1843, regarding the expected loss of the mission premises
at Bombay and Calcutta, Mr Nesbit said :— " Sad it is that so much vahiable pro-
perty should fall into the hands of those for whom it was never desiened. But faith
listens to the ancient narrative, and stills and stays the mind. ' What shall we do
for the hundred talents which I have |^ven to the army of Israel ? ' Apd the man
of God answered, Jehovah is able to give thee much more than this."
222 BOMBAY.
tragic element was soon after mingled with the joy felt on
account of the late addition to the list of converts.
Narayan had a younger brother, a few months above twelve
years of age, " one of the sweetest and most intelligent
boys," Mr Nesbit said, ** that I have ever seen." This boy,
whose name was Shripat Sheshadri, but was sometimes
called Dada as a name of endearment, was known to share
his elder brother Narayan's religious views, and was there-
fore put under restraint by his father. He escaped to the
Mission-house, where shelter was given him, though he was
not deemed as yet quite a fit subject for baptism. TTie
father seemed disposed to let him remain, but, urged by his
caste people, he was at last induced to apply for a writ of
habeas corpus against Mr Nesbit. The result was, that on
3d November, by order of the Court, Shripat was given up
to his father. Considering his youth, the decision is in no
respect a wonderful one, but there can scarcely be two
opinions as to the want of acquaintance with the human
soul shown by the puisne judge. Sir Erskine Perry, in
declaring, as he did, that the religious convictions oi a boy
of twelve were " not worth a farthing." When the sentence
was pronounced, and Shripat heard that he was to be sur-
rendered, he suddenly rose up, and with tears in his eyes,
addressing the judge, asked. But am I to be compelled to
worship idols? To this puzzling question no answer was
returned.
The restoration of Shripat to his father stirred up a
curious caste difficulty which was not settled for years.
Having eaten in the Mission-house, he had lost his Brah-
manic caste, and eminent expounders of the Hindoo feith
were consulted as to whether there was any method of re-
storing him to his former status. According to the Hindoo
law when fairly interpreted, there was no such method, and
so the vast majority of the pundits felt and said. A small
minority, however, felt how awkward it would at times
prove for caste interest if any one who ate forbidden food,
CASE OF SHRIPAT SHESHADRI, 22^
or what was the same thing, unobjectionable food with for-
bidden people, were allowed no place for repentance, but
were left an outcaste for life. They fraternised with the
father and Shripat, and a schism threatened to arise among
the Mahratta Brahmans all over Western India. Despite
plain indications of an approaching explosion of wrath on
the part of the orthodox, the liberals still held upon their
way. They feasted one company of Brahmans after ano-
ther in the hope of changing their views ; and one of their
number, at the suggestion of the rest, took means for the
ceremonial puri^cation of the youth, who had been carried
to ** the sacred city " of Benares for the purpose. It is
understood that up to this period he had continued to avow
his Christian convictions, and refused to be "purified." But
ultimately he seems to have consented to the process, and
the ceremonies were actually carried out. The last act of
the drama had not, however, yet come, for such an outburst
of rage took place against the liberals when it was known
that the heretical deed had actually been done, that they
were obliged summarily to retrace their footsteps and admit
that they had grievously err^d.* Not merely was Shripat
thrust out of caste anew, but his father, who had eaten with
him, shared the same fate. The case of the erring liberals
then came up for consideration. They were let oflf more
easily than was expected, because they were somewhat too
powerful to render it expedient to drive them to extremity ;
besides which then: judges felt that they had^not been suffi-
ciently watchful over their own caste purity, but many of
them had eaten with one who had eaten with another, who
again had eaten with a third who had eaten with one of the
proscribed. They therefore contented themselves with
* When it was decided that Shripat could not be readmitted to caste, and that alt
who had acted on the contrary belief must receive punishment, the bigoted party
whose opinion had thus been endorsed by the highest authorities were much elated
with their triumph. They made great illuminations, causing lamps of clarified
butter to be lighted in all the temples. '* No such joy," said a native paper, ''was
experienced by Brahmans, even when Vishnoo, having become incarnate as a fish,
rescued the Vedas from the hands of Shunkasoor."
224 BOMBA Y.
requiring their delinquent brethren to confess . their fault
and swallow water in which an idol had been washed, and
the right foot of a Brahman or two had been dipped. Still
a scapegoat (metaphorical, we mean, not literal) was neces-
sary; and one was found in the person of that rash or
misguided Brahman who had purified Shripat. For him
potions, besmearings, ablutions, many and frightful, were
prescribed. He, knowing that it would be at his peril if he
dared to reclaim, had no resource left, except with as good
a grace as he could muster to submit to the discipline.
When Shripat became somewhat more advanced in years,
he might, without further interference, have returned to the
mission, but the compliance with idolatrous practice to
which he had yielded after his surrender, had so affected his
moral and spiritual nature, that he had lost all desire
to become a Christian, and he returned to his spiritual
instructors no more.
In September 1844, Mr Henderson, a professor in the
Elphinstone College at Bombay, a Government educational
institution from which Christian teaching was excluded,
feeling dissatisfied with the results which he saw produced
by the secular education which alone he was allowed to
communicate, resigned his professorate, and was on appli-
cation received into the mission as a teacher on about half
the salary which he had formerly enjoyed. He stated that
the young men he had left were nearly all sceptics, and were
most of them disaffected to the British Government. The
remarkable conscientiousness which Mr Henderson showed
is beyond all praise. He began his labours in the mission
on 2d January 1846.
As the institution was partially recovering from the shock
which it had sustained in consequence of Narayan and
Shripat*s cases, the female schools received a similar blow,
owing to the baptism of a girl, aged 14, called Maina. She
had been asked to take part in some idolatrous ceremony,
and had nobly refused to do it. When she applied for
ORDINA TION OF DHANJIBHAI, 22 5
baptism her caste people made every effort to induce her to
remain in heathenism, but all in vain. She afterwards
rendered great service to the mission. About the same time
a widow of the Parwari caste was baptized with her little
boy, nearly two years old.
In April 1845, the Rev. J. Garden Fraser, who had been
ordained by the Presbytery of Edinburgh on the 23d January
previous, arrived at Bombay to be pastor of the Free
Church. It will be remembered that the erection of a
building, and the provision of a stipend for the minister, had
been resolved on when the Bombay disruption took place.
The work had been prosecuted with great ardour, and till
Mr Fraser came the missionaries had conducted the services
in the Free Church congregation.*
In April of the same year the Abyssinian youths returned
for a season from their country to Bombay.
In 1846, Mrs Seitz, a Christian lady, offered her gratui-
tous services to the mission as a female teacher. Her offer
was thankfully accepted. The boarding-school, with an
orphanage for girls, then in its infancy, was put under her
care, and through her untiring exertion soon reached vigo-
rous maturity.
On the nth December of the same year, Dhanjibhai
was ordained a missionary in Canonmills Hall, Edinburgh,
Dr Candlish preaching and presiding on the occasion to an
immense concourse of people. That month, also, Hor-
masdji was licenced by the Presbytery of Bombay. It had
admitted one of the mission teachers, Mr Henry Pitt
Cassidy, to the same spiritual office on the 5th of August.
On 29th December 1846, a pupil of very interesting
character, Bala Gopal Joshi, was received into the Church.
Bala was a Mahratta Brahman, who commenced his edu-
* So early as October 31, 1843, Mr Nesbit was able to intimate that 0558 rupees,
or taking in the Sustentation Fund, desip;ned to last two years, x7,ooo or 18,000 rupees,
had been subscribed for the Bombay Church. The eround, it was afterwards stated,
cost about 13,000 rupees, of which about three-fourths were given by one gentleman,
Mr M'CuIIoch, of the house of Ritchie, Stewart, & Co. In addition to his contri-
bution to the site, he subscribed also 5000 rupees to the Church.
226 BOMBA \\
cation at Poonah under the superintendence of Mr James
Mitchell and Mr Wazir Beg, but afterwards removed to
Bombay to enjoy a scholarship in connection with the insti-
tutioa There he came much in contact with Mr Murray
Mitchell, who treated him with great kindness. It was
thought best to send him to Poonah to be baptized, partly
that he might produce an impression upon his former asso-
ciates there, and partly to avoid casting back again the
Bombay institution, which was now recovering its numbers,
and had even obtained a Parsee pupil, the first since 1839.
CHAPTER VI.
FROM THE RETURN OF DR WILSON.
On February 14, 1847, Mr J. Murray Mitchell, who had been
a short time in Europe, returned to Bombay. Dhanjibhai
arrived a few days later, and Dr Wilson on the 8th November.
About this time the Bombay Tract Society recommended
that tracts should in all cases be sold instead of given away.
The change which was produced on the aspect of the whole
publications themselves, when it was found needful to make
them attract purchasers, was truly wonderful, and all the
missions from Bombay to Nagpore which adopted the prac-
tice of selling instead of distributing tracts were loud in
praise of the reform. Mr Mitchell, and, indeed, the Bombay
Missionaries in general, had a great deal to do with the
Tract Society.
During the year 1847 only two baptisms took place in
the mission. One was that of a girl, Lakshmi, from Mrs
Seitz's boarding-school.
Early in 1 848 Professor Henderson and Dr Wilson, when
visiting the island of Salsette, were attacked by bees, and
almost stung to death. That identical species of bees Dr
DEATHS IN THE MISSION. 22J
Wilson had previously seen in Palestine. It is a most for-
midable creature, and is probably the hornet of Scripture
which drove the Amorites out of their old possessions. —
(Exod. xxiii. 28, Deut. vii. 20, Joshua xj^iv. 12.)
Early in 1848 Mrs Nesbit, who had for some time been
wasting away with consumption, became so alarmingly ill
that it was needful that she should go on a sea voyage. It
was too late. She died on the i8th May, her husband, who
had accompanied her, seeing her mortal remains committed
to the deep, and then proceeding homewards for a season
to recruit his health.
On 5th July Hormasdji was ordained, and, considering
the tenacity of purpose shown by the Parsees, it is remark-
able that a few days previously a Zoroastrian, with his wife
and child, had solicited baptism. They came from Yezd, in
Persia, where a remnant of the Parsees, saved from Moslem
massacre, still keep their sacred fire burning. The in-
quirers had two children, one of whom, a girl, was placed in
Mrs Seitz's boarding-school. During this, as during the
preceding year, there were but two adult baptisms.
Early in 1849 Professor Henderson was compelled, by ill
health, to return to Europe. He died of epilepsy at Barn-
staple in May 1850, his valuable services in connection
with the institution having continued for little more than
three years.
On the 1st March 1849, Gabru and Maricha Warke re-
turned again to Abyssinia. They sailed from Bombay in an
Arab vessel. They were very kindly received by King
Wobi, who gave them presents, including two lions, a favour
never granted to a subject before.*
* In November 1851 Dr Wilson intimated that the two Abyssinians had a school
with Afteen pupils in their native land. In 1854 Gabru returned, by request of Dr
Wilson, for a snort time to Bombay, after six years' absence. He stated that there
were then sixty boys in the school.
In the report of the Bombay mission, presented to the General Assembly of 1869,
allusion was made to the services rendered to the British expedition to Abyssinia
by Gabru and Maricha Warke, then recognised councillors of the Prince of Tigr^.
*' These services/' it was added, "have been warmly acknowledged by the illustrious
leader of that expedition. Lord Napier of Magdala, in his telegrams and despniches
addressed to the authorities in England and in India, and which have already
228 BOMBAY,
In February 1850, a girl, called Suggunie, a pupil of the
French boarding-school, was baptized.
At the examination of the institution, on 15th March
1850, the numbers were as follow : —
Hindoos, Ill
Mohammedans, 9
Parsee, I
Israelites and Jews, 19
Romanists, &c., 108
248
Pupils in Marathi and Guzerathi boys' schools, . . 433
Girls' schools, . . 545
1226
On the 26th of May 1850, Dr Wilson baptized an African
girl called Yesima, whose case was interesting. She had
been rescued, when an infant, from an x\rab slaver, and
had been brought up first in the school for destitute girls,
and afterwards under that so well conducted by Mrs Seitz.
The same year the mission obtained a very valuable acces-
sion to the number of its converts in the person of Mr
Vincente Avelino de Cunha, a young man of Portuguese
descent, formerly a Romanist, but who, becoming a Free
Churchman from conviction, sat down at the communion
table for the first time on the nth August 1850. He had
been three years in the institution, partly as a teacher and
partly as a pupil* At the succeeding examination he read
past before^ the eye of the public." The following is another testimony in the
same direction. It is from an able and interesting work, entitled " The Campaign
in Abyssinia/* by R. E. Shepherd, Esq , M. A., Special Correspondent of the Times
0/ India : — " Fortunately for himself and for us, Prince Kassa rejected the overtures
made to him from Egypt and Turkey, determining to stand by the English. How
far he may have been induced to do so by the two Tigreans educated at Bombay«
Maricha Warke and his brother Gabru, and how much the nation owes to Dr
Wilson on that account, it is impossible to say. The belief that, in connection with
the campaign in Abyssinia. England owed more to the Free Church of Scotland's
Missionary Institution in Bombay than it does to any institution in the Presidency,
the Government itself, and the commissariat department not excepted, was enter-
tained by not a few."
• The Portuguese were our European predecessors in the empire of at least the
sea-coast along a great part of Western and Southern India. The seat of their
dominion being at Goa, in the Concan, it naturally fell to the Bombay missionaries
to deal with tliem, and it is interesting to note that they and the Irish Romanists in
India are at feud, the Portuguese wisely claimin|: some sort of ecclesiastical inde-
pendence, and the Irish there, as everywhere, bemg the blinded slaves of the Pope.
SCHOLARSHIPS. 229
^n ess^y criticising " Hume's Treatise on Miracles/' which
contained reasoning of so powerful a character as quite tp
amaze Major Le Grand Jacob, who was then presiding. The
same year a young Brahman, called John Sham Rao, for-
merly a pupil in the Free Church Institution at Bombay, w^§
baptized by the Canara missionaries.
In 1850 also, Mr M. Mitchell published a little \vork of
great utility, called " Letters to Indian Youth on the Evi-
dences of the Christian Religion, with a ^rief Examination
of the Evidences of Hindooisip, Par^eeism, and Zoroas-
trianism." Dr Mitchell recently found the volume now
spoken of used in many schools in the Bei^al Presidency.
It would be found of interest in this country, a,nd residers
would learn a good deal from it, especially from ^he chap-
ters on the Hindoo, Mohammedan, and Parsee feiths.
The Bombay institution had in various respects to en-
counter more formidable obstacles than the sister estab-
lishments at the presidency seats. About 1850, howeyert
one of these impediipents was rendered less for^iidable^ the
reason being, that the Government begap to demand feei^
from the pupils in its college, as had long been done fit
Calcutta and Madras. Stijl, they were fixed very low. Iq
all parts of India a Government scholar }ias patronage ai)4
other advantage^ denied those, though in some cases ^bler
students, who ^e^ instruction at the h^ndi^ of the mission-
aries ; ^nd if ^e manifests any considerable amount of
talent or diligence, he easily obtains a scholarship for his
support. Again and again the missionaries felt constrained
to ask their friends to found scholarships in the several in-
stitutions. Nowhere was the necessity greater than in
Bombay; and, about this time. Captain Davidson gave
;;^ioo to found a scholarship, and Major Le Grand Jacob,
Major Purves, and others, subsequently followed the good
example set.* The institution also was removed to better
* Even after the exertion^ of these kind friends, the Bombay mission in February
185a had but ^27 a-year for scholarships, against £joo per annum in the Govem-
(391) 16
230 BOMBAY,
premises — no unimportant change, for in such a climate, to
work in small badly ventilated rooms, is detrimental in no
. slight degree to both pupils and teachers. A considerable
advance on the numbers in attendance now took place,
chiefly in consequence of the favourable circumstances just
detailed.*
On 4th May 1851, Mr Nesbit arrived at Bombay from
Europe, within two days of the third anniversary of his
departure. The institution, as already mentioned, had been
removed to better premises, but there was little doubt that
rents would rise year by year over Bombay island, already
too limited in extent for its continually increasing inhabi-
tants, in which case there was no guarantee that sooner or
later the mission might not have to pay so large a sum for
a hired building, as to render it ruinous to continue in it
longer, t It was therefore wisely resolved that application
should be made for assistance, to erect premises which
should be the property of the Church, and independent of
all fluctuations in rental. Mr Nesbit, when at home, having
on the 5th June 1850 obtained the committee's sanction to
the project, issued an appeal, in which he stated that the
buildings lost at the Disruption cost ;^8ooo, but though no
sum was formally indicated, he evidently expected a much
smaller amount for the humbler edifice which was to supply
its place. ;^3ooo were obtained, though to complete this
ment College. It is a wonder that, in these circumstances, the former was still able
to obtain pupils at all.
* At the examination in the early part of 1851, the numbers on the roll were as
follow: —
Hindoos, 142
Mohammedans, 7
Parsee i
Israelites and Jews, 23
Christians, Romanists, Armenians, and Protestants, 105
Total in the Institution, 278
In the Marathi and Guzerathi Boys' Schools, 392
Do. do. Girls' Schools, 554
1224
Dr Wilson compared the statistics of the schools as they were when he returned
from Europe, in the beginning of November 1847, and again in May 1851 : —
Nov. 1847. May 1851.
Institution, . . 253. Institution, . . . 278.
Total, . . . 1 135. Total, . . . 1224.
Hindoos in the institution, 90. Hindoos in the institution, 142.
THE CASE OF SAL 23 f
sum he had been compelled to stay in Europe, after he would
fain have been back in India. A subscription had, mean-
while, been set on foot in Bombay to supplement this fund,
and had been successful, though the comparatively limited
society connected with the Free Church then had, since the
Disruption, subscribed 60,000 rupees for congregational and
other purposes, besides liberally supporting the mission.
On 3rd November 1851, Dr Wilson was able to intimate
an important addition to the Church, being that of an Indian
Portuguese convert from Romanism, called Louis Caetano.*
He had obtained four of the minor orders in the Popish
College of Rochelle, in Goa, and had a brother and an uncle
Romish priests. Mr Vincent de Cunha, the former Por-
tuguese convert, was going on well, and had made consider-
able progress in his studies for the ministry. Mr Peyton,
now of Portsoy, was a divinity student with him; Mr Narayan
Sheshadri had been licenced on the 23rd September 185 1,
and the probationer, Mr Cassidy, having some time before
become a Baptist, no longer retained his direct connection
with the mission. Among the interesting pupils at the in-
stitution were three Chaldean Christians from Mesopotamia.
In the report to the Assembly of 1852, it was stated that
there were 13 1 7 pupils in charge of the mission, of whom
302 were in the institution. Of the 302, 158 were Hindoos.
The girls under instruction were 559. That year, 1852,
was a notable one in the mission history, from a legal con-
test which took plac^ while it was in progress for the great
cause of reHgious liberty. The teacher of the mission
school at Colaba was a Hindoo, called Vithu or Wittoo
Satwaji, who had abandoned idolatry, and though unbap-
tized, had leanings to Christianity. He had a daughter
called Sai, who had reached the age of between fourteen or
fifteen, without having been married or even betrothed to
any heathen. On Wednesday, 26th May 1852, a large band
* Subsequently to this, in 1855, he set up a school in Goa, which was attended by
thirty -five pupils.
232 BOMBAY.
of Vithu's caste people lawlessly entered his house, and
threatening him with death if he interfered, carried o& his
daughter, Sai, to marry her against her and her father's
will to an idolatrous Hindoo. By the assistance of the
police, Sai was recovered, and to render her abduction more
difficult, she was placed under Mrs Seitz's care. Next the
grandmother of Sai, prompted, there can be litde doubt, by
Brahmanic priests, applied to Sir Erskine Perry for a writ of
habeas carpus^ making allegations which, it is almost unneces-
sary to add, broke down when put to proof. The Chief-
Justice said, " The only point appears to be, the girl being
fourteen years of age, to ask her where she wishes to go."
After some legal fencing this was done, when she promptly
elected to go with her father, and returned with him to the
mission. It will be perceived that the age of freedom, which
was sixteen when the case of Shripat Sheshadri had been
tried before the same judge, had by 1852 been lowered to
fourteen. On i8th July 1852, Sai was baptized. An
orphan of seventeen, called Sakhu, who for some time had
been in the boarding-school, was baptized about the same
time.
Some are disposed to sneer at the little result produced
by missionary exertion in India, but it is remarkable that,
in every part of that vast country, the priests are not con-
temptuous, but fearful of the missionaries and their work. It
might be supposed that in the Mahratta country, where,
from various causes already explained, there has been less
advance than in some other regions in India, the Brahmans
would look with complacency on the defences which idola-
try possesses against Christian assault, but in reality it is
the reverse. Just before the Sai case went into the law-
court, Mr Nesbit mentioned a remarkable utterance by a
great champion of Hindooism, called Gungadhur Shastree
(Shastree it may be mentioned, signifies learned in the
Shasters).
** Hindooism," said Gungadhur, "iV sick unto death ; lamjullyper-
A MOHAMMEDAN CONVERT. 233
sutukd that it must perish; still, while life remains, let us minister to it
as we best can. I have written this book " (one in defence of Hindoo-
ism) " that it may prove a useful medicine. And if it be so fated, then
possibly the patient may even yet recover."
Other races besides the Hindoo one were becoming af-
fected through Christian teaching. The Rev. J. M. Mitchell,
writing in 1852, mentioned that during the last twenty years,
the " Beni-Israer* of Western India had risen from gross
idolatry to something like an intelligent acquaintance with
the Word of God, though there had been no actual con-
versions to Christianity from their ranks.
The Mohammedans, who, as a rule, did not condescend
to patronise even Government schools, but remained proud
of an ignorance which was daily making them fall lower and
lower in the social scale, and putting the Hindoos over their
heads, had not been much affected by Christianity, yet
solitary conversions from their creed were ever and anon
obtained. On 2Sth July 1852, a very interesting Moslem,
called Haji Ghulam Hyder [Hiji means one who has made
a pilgrimage to Mecca, or some other "holy place"], was
baptized. The neophyte altered his name, and made it
Haji Ghulam Mashiah, meaning Haji, the servant of the
Messiah. He was the first-fruits of Scinde to Christ, the
means of his conversion having been Dr Wilson's preacliing
in that region when he went thither to meet Dr Duff. The
Bombay missionaries, it may be mentioned, have all along
made longer and more frequent preaching tours than their
brethren at the other presidencies, who have had a larger
sphere at head-quarters among the English-speaking natives,
and not only the case of Haji, but several others, show that
these tours have been spiritually blessed. Men who heard
the gospel in remote villages followed the preacher to
Bombay, or sent sons to be instructed by him, or in other
ways showed that the Word addressed to them had not been
without effect. Take the following example. In 1838, the
Rev. Dr Wilson, accompanied by Dr Smyttan, made a
234 BOMBAY.
tour to A junta, preaching in the village. A young man,
called Manaji, was impressed, though he took no steps at
the time to act upon his convictions. A long time subse-
quently, however, he removed to Bombay, and, after re-
maining for about two years in the Mission-house, was
baptized with his infant child on 12th December 1852. In
the year before his baptism, Dr Wilson and he had journeyed
to Ajanta, where they succeeded in persuading Manaji's
wife to repair to Bombay, bringing with her her fovu- children,
her two youthful sons-in-law, and a nephew. Of the four
children, three were girls, and two of them being of suitable
age to enter Mrs Seitz's boarding-school, were placed there,
that they might receive instruction. Soon after his baptism,
Manaji was temporarily despatched to the province of
Khandesh, that he might set up a Bible stand at a fair.
In speaking of the influence exerted by the mission on
the country districts, it should be mentioned, that while
about half the pupils in the institution belonged to Bombay
and its neighbourhood, the other half were drawn from all
the provinces of the presidency, or even, like the Abyssinians
and Chaldeans already mentioned, from foreign lands.
Rays from the light displayed at Bombay have entered
Persia, Arabia, and even remote Africa.
On the ist October 1852, the erection of the permanent
mission premises was begun. The institution had shortly
before been removed to a building near the site of the con-
templated edifice, the effect being an increase of about 70
on the number of the pupils. At the end of 1852, 1413
young people were receiving instruction from the mission.
There were 33 native communicants, and 24 baptized adhe-
rents, with several children of converts not baptized. Seven
native adults had received the sealing rite during 1852, or,
counting from the Assembly of 1852 to that of 1853, eight.
The latter was the largest number which had been received
in any one year hitherto since the establishment of the
mission.
AfR NESBITS TEACHING, 235
When Mr Clark passed through Bombay on his route to
Agra, he visited the institution, and in a letter dated 4th
March 1853, gave the following graphic account of Mr
Nesbit^s teaching : —
" Mr Nesbit's class of senior lads was indeed a wonder to look upon.
All races — ^native and immigrant were there — ^Jew, Mussulman, Hindu,
Parsee, and Portuguese, in their distinct costumes, and nothing could
be more exciting than the way in which Mr Nesbit played off one
against the other — Parsee confounding Hindoo or Mussulman, Mussul-
man both, while Jew cut short the argument of all three, and became a
victim in turn to the Scripture logic of his opponents. Our missionary
guided all this, and his voice rose amid all this intellectual and moral
affray, at every moment, in the mild accents of Christian conviction,
shooting many a powerful shaft, and counselling all by the spirit of
wisdom, unconquerable temper, and gentle irony which shone through
all the discourse. Nothing could match the keenness of the native
features during the exercise, and for this reason above all, that the
results of every lesson point to a terrible crisis in their lives, if followed
out, and it is ever threatening to be so.*'
On the 29th April 1853, Ramchandra, a Mahratta properly
so called,* was baptized. He was about 20 years of age.
Another interesting case of conversion took place soon
afterwards. It was that of a Milanese Italian, called Signor
Enrico Antongini, who for some time had been in a mer-
cantile office in Bombay. Brought up in Popery, he had
been led to see the errors of that system, and wished to
renounce them. He sat down with the Presbyterian con-
gregation on the 7th October 1853, having come to the
conclusion that its method of administering the ordinance
more nearly conformed to Scripture precedent than the
system of kneeling which he saw to be the practice in
some other quarters.
Just before this, on the 6th September, the native Church
had sustained a severe blow in the death of Bala Gopal,
baptized in 1846. Bala possessed great intellect, as evinced
by the fact of his having carried off the highest bursary in
• The Mahrattas were originally kunbees (farmers), dhungurs (shepherds), or other
Indian castes, but having distineuished themselves above their compeers, even to
the extent of seating at least half-a-dozen of their number on as many thrones, they
denied their lowly origin, and professed to belong to the Kshatriya, or warrior
caste.
236 BOMBA Y.
the Grand Medical College. He was studying there, not
with the view of entering on private practice, but with the
intention of becoming a medical missionary ; but it was not
the will of God that he should be allowed to render service
of this description. He died possessed of firm faith in Jesus,
and in perfect peace. Great lamentations were made for
him, and his funeral was attended not only by members and
pupils of the Free Church mission, but by representatives
from the several Christian denominations in Bombay.
About the end of 1853, the mission had another heavy loss
to sustain in the resignation, from ill health, of Mrs Seitz,
who for many years — and, if we mistake not, from first to
last, gratuitously — had conducted the boarding-school with
great efficiency. Her pupils — at least, the senior ones —
knew English almost as well as their native tongue, and
could sing beautifully, Mr Cassidy having been their in-
structor in the latter department of effort. On Mrs Seitz's
resignation, her oldest scholar, Maina, who had been miwried
in the previous January to Mr Vincent le Cunha, took her
place.
About the same time the institution was favoured with a
visit from the Rajah of Dhar, a petty Rajpoot state, Which
strangely enough remained unswallowed up by the powerful
Mahratta sovereignties in the vicinity. The Dhar Raja was
about 26 years of age. He expressed himself as much
gratified with what he had seen, and gave a donation of
500 rupees to the institution.
About this date, also, a young Chaldean Christiati, called
Antonius Gabriel, from Merdin, in Mesopotamia, renounced
Popery, and was received into the communion of the native
Church.
We have not for some time had occasion to mention Mr
Dhanjibhai. Dhanji had gone to Surat, about 154 ftiiles
from Bombay, no doubt partly influenced by the fact that,
next to Bombay, Surat has the greatest number of Parsee
inhabitants of any city in India. Not finding proper access
MR BABA PADMANJL 2yf
to his former co-religionists, he addressed himself to the
outcaste Dheds, who, in the Guzerat province, correspond
exactly to the Mahars and Mangs of the Mahratta country,
and the Pariahs of Madras. He established veinacular
schools for their benefit, and, though they did not tnuch car6
for education, yet persuaded some of them to send th6ir
children. In 1852, 130 boys and 20 girls were under in-
struction. On the 30th April 1854, Mr iDhanjibhai reaped
the first-fruits of his labour among the outcastes, having on
that Sabbath baptized two Dheds, namely, a teacher and a
pupil in one of the schools. Another pupil would have
been admitted at the same time, had not his relatives carried
him off. The Dhed teacher baptized was called Bhan4
Ruttan, and the pupil Devla Ruttan.* In addition to his
labour among the Hindoo outcastes, he was engaged, along
with Dr Wilson, Hormasdji, and other missionaries, in
making a jubilee revision of the Guzerathi Bible. Guzerathi,
it should be mentioned, is the language which for some
centuries back has been the vernacular one to the Indian
Parsees.
In the Assembly Report for 1854, it was mentioned that
there were 348 pupils in the institution, 525 in the boys'
Marathi and Guzerathi schools, and 486 girls — total, 1354.
On the 3rd September 1854, Mr Baba Padmanji, aged 23,
the most distinguished pupil in the institution, received
baptism at Belgaum. He had commenced his education
there, after which he had removed to Bombay to the Free
Church institution to carry it on. On receiving baptism,
which, as stated, was administered at Belgaum, he returned
to the presidency seat and became of great value to the Free
Church mission. It was remarkable that even the native
community, the ranks of which he had deserted, admitted
him to be a young man of high moral character. The same
month the mission was strengthened by the arrival from
* Other baptisms took place in connection with these schools in after years, and
it is to be regretted that they had ultimately to be given up for want of funds.
238 BOMBAY.
Agra of the Rev. Thomas Grieve Clark, who had received a
call to the pastorate of the Free Church, which had beea
vacant for the two years preceding, during which time the
missionaries had supplied its pulpit. The induction took
place on Friday, 6th October 1854, and on Wednesday the
I ith, and the following week, the Rev. Narayan Sheshadri
was ordained a missionary. When licenced, Mr Nesbit had
borne a high testimony to his worth, saying of him — " It
was touching to think that we could not recall to mind a
blot or backsliding in any part of his course.'*
1855 was a very eventful year in the history of the mis-
sion. It opened well, for on the 7th January Dr Wilson bap-
tized a convert from Mohammedanism, with a young Hindoo,
and the three children of the latter. Another joyous event
followed -soon afterwards, for on the 13th April the classes
were transferred to the new buildings which had been
erected for the institution. They had cost about ;^6ooo,
and were of capacity enough to accommodate 800 pupils.
Unhappily, 8000 rupees of debt still remained upon them.
During the year immediately preceding, there had been
baptized 1 2 adults with 5 children, and there were now of
old and young about 100 in the native Church.
On the 7 th July, Dr Wilson baptized a man called Ismail
Ibrahim the first Bohora,* so far as was known, who had
ever embraced Christianity. He was about 46 years of age.
On the 31st of March 1855, Mr Nesbit was united in
marriage to Miss Marion Marshall, eldest daughter of Claud
Marshall, Esq., of Greenock, but death speedily dissolved
the union. On Thursday, 26th July of the same year, Mr
Nesbit had continued his labours in the institution till 5
P.M., the usual hour for the dismissal of the college division.
* Every one who has been in India is quite familiar with the aspect of the Moham-
medan pedlers called Bohoras, whom he has seen times without number unfolding
their baskets and exhibiting their wares to the feminine portion of the household,
and habitually asking for each article two or three times as much as they expect or
are entitled to receive. They are generally looked on as an intensely worldly class
of men, and though continually in contact with Christians, are yet little disposed to
embrace Christianity.
DEATH OF MR NESBIT, 239
He had not felt very well during the afternoon, but he did
not anticipate serious danger. Though he knew it not,
cholera in a malignant form had seized him, and after a
night of terrible agony which barely left him the ability to
express his undiminished trust in the Saviour, his immortal
spirit at ten next morning passed away. About 400 Euro-
peans and a great crowd of natives attended his funeral,
and, says a spectator —
" To see the children and those of extreme age crying at the grave
was a day never to be forgotten : natives of all classes, Hindoos,
Parsees, and Mohammedans, without distinction, all shed tears, nay,
even cried loudly ovct the dust of their departed friend and well-
wisher."
No wonder, for a more loving spirit than Robert Nesbit,
especially in his later years, it would have been difficult any-
where to find. His conscientiousness, too, was very notable,
as was his insight into the human heart. Hormasdji
Pestonji once took Mr Nesbit for a god on account of what
appeared the infallible rectitude of his judgments, and was
not convinced of his mistake till the fancied divinity
charged him with a fault which he was conscious he had
not committed. The missionary whose loss was deplored
was, while he lived, the best of all the European missionaries
in Western India as a Mahratta speaker, his pronunciation
being faultless. On this point the Rev. Narayan Sheshadri
gave emphatic testimony. He said —
" I, myself a Brahman, do not remember a single word during so
many years that he mispronounced. It was just the other day the
Pundit of our institution told me that if Mr Nesbit spoke Marathi from
within a screen, even Brahmans from without would not be able to
detect that a foreigner was speaking."
Only four months and a day elapsed between the removal
of Mr Anderson at Madras and that of Mr Nesbit at
Bombay.
Just before Mr Nesbit's death, the female boarding-
school had been placed in charge of Mr and Mrs Nesbit,
and his widow resolved to remain and carry on the work
which she had begun.
240 BOMBAY.
CHAPTER VII.
AFTER MR NESBIT*S DEATH.
The place of Mr Nesbit was supplied, so far as a new-
comer could fill it, by the arrival of the Rev. Adam White,*
who, with Mrs White, reached Bombay early in 1856.
They came at an interesting period of the mission's history.
During the year 1855, no fewer than 18 adults and 7
children had been admitted into the native Church,t which
now contained 126 persons — namely, 55 in full communion,
42 baptized adherents, and 29 unbaptized children of con-
verts, with wards and catechumens of the mission. Soon
after Mr White's arrival, there occurred the baptism of
Ganpat Rao Raghunath, aged 18, a Parbhu, a very respect-
able Sudra caste, and who, moreover, had been the inc^t
distinguished pupil at the late examination of the institu-
tion. Nor was it long before Mr White was called to be an
actor in one of those exciting scenes of which'so many tove
occurred in connection with our missions in the East
At the end of April 1856, while Dr and Mrs Wilson mert
absent at Mahabaleshwar, during the school vacation, four
Parsee youths, students in the Elphinstone Institutioin ^(thc
Government college or seminary in Bombay, visited Mr
White, seeking religious instruction. After repeated interviews
had taken place with these interesting youths, they sent a joint
letter to Messrs Wilson and White asking for baptism. . They
were admitted into the Mission-house on Monday, i6th Jime.
Great excitement of course arose among a people so jealous
• Mr Adam White was bom in Aberdeen on the igth May 1829. He distin-
guished himself highly at the Grammar School of his native city, and afterwards at
Marischal College. He was ordained a missionary in the Free West Church, Aber-
deen, on the 29th November 1855, and sailed with Mrs White for Bombay on the 4th
Jantiary 1856.
t One was a t^rahman, Vasadeva Pant, aged 28, from the small state of Sawamt
Wadi. He was baptized by Narayan Sheshadri on the loth September 1855.
FJiOFESSOB ARDASEER FRAMJEE, 24 1
of apostacies from their ranks as the Parsees, and the most
pertinacious efforts were made to persuade the young men
to leave. Violence, it is believed, would have been re-
sorted to, had not several native policemen, under the
guidance of a European constable, kept watch over the
house night and day. After a time, three of the youths
gave way, but the fourth, Bairamji Kersasji, remained firm,
and was baptized on the 31st August. On resuming his
attendance at the institution, he required for a time to be
escorted by a policeman. It was a satisfactory circum-
stance that in this new contest with the Parsees, the Hin-
doos and even the Mohammedans were said mostly to
sympathise with the xxussion. When the excitement of the
Parsees had so far subsided that they were able to reflect
calmly on the occurrence which had taken place, they were
puzzled to know how students, brought up at an institution
from which religion was carefully excluded, could have
become friendly to Christianity, and they, in violent letters
to the native newspapers, denounced Mr Ardaseer Framjee,a
Parsee Professor in the Elphinstone institution, as the cause
of the mischief. According to them he had violated the
injunction which prohibited him from teaching Christianity
to the pupils. When the Government learned that these
charges were being made, they very properly ordered an
inquiry. The result was most gratifying. Not merely were
the statements that Mr Framjee had taught Christianity
proved without foundation, but the principle was laid down
that it was not any violation of duty for a teacher to give
simple explanations of such portions of British classics read
in the school as referred to Christianity. This concession the
mission had long been fruitlessly seeking to obtain. All the
Parsee boys, excepting one, were removed from the institu-
tion, and the wonder is that even one was allowed to remain.
Baptisms in a mission often come in clusters, with inter-
vals of greater or less continuance between ; and on the 6th
July, not long after the Parsee gain, Dhanjibhai baptized
242 BOMB A Y,
a lad of 1 8, called Rama Kalgan, and about the same time
Dr Wilson baptized a girl called Sakhu. Again, on the
26th, the same distinguished missionary baptized one of his
servants. On the 17th October, Dr Wilson wrote that a few
days previously a young man of a very important Moham-
medan family had come to the Mission-house seeking bap-
tism. His name was Sayad Husan Medinyah, — Sayad, as
already explained, signifying that he was a descendant of
the " Prophet," and Medinyah that he came from Medina.
His relatives, fearing for their personal safety if the excited
multitude in the mosques should hear what had taken place,
concealed the loss of the youth, and Dr Wilson asked and
obtained the presence at the Mission-house of a European
constable and a native policeman in plain clothes. But,
wonderful to relate, the Mohammedans behaved with fair-
ness. They took the perfectly legitimate course of bringing
up their ablest controversialists to argue with the convert ;
and when the efforts of these Moulavis failed they gave the
matter up, and allowed the young man to receive the seal-
ing rite. On Sabbath, 9th November, Dr Wilson baptized
two important natives — one a Seikh, Khan Singh, from the
Punjaub, and the other a Mussulman moonshee (teacheJ of
languages), named Ashraf Khan. Finally, another Parsee,
Shapurji Edalji, who had come and gone once before, re-
appeared at the Mission-house, and this time remained.
These successes, of course, told on the institution and branch
schools, and at the examination, held on the 12th Decem-
ber, there were on the roll 212 in the English department,
being loi less than during the previous year. Adding the
vernacular schools, there were still left with the mission
1068 pupils. It is a wonder there were so many, for the
recent excitement had made the natives found several
schools of their own.
On the 7th December, a few days before this examina-
tion, the Rev. James Wardrop Gardner, with Mrs Gardner,
arrived to the assistance of the mission. He was not long
MOSLEM AND PARSER BAPTISMS, 243
in India before he saw some of the difficulties with which
missionaries have to contend. On i6th January 1857 a
venerable Mohammedan Sayad, came seeking baptism.
Some excitement in consequence arose, bigots having pre-
sented themselves to try and induce the wife to desert her
husband. They were unsuccessful, but the risk of their
proceeding to violence was so considerable that additional
protection had to be obtained for the Mission-house.
Loss of health compelled the Rev. Mr Murray Mitchell
to leave, on the evening of the i6th January 1857, for his
native country.
On the 8th February 1857 Sayad Husan, the Moham-
medan already mentioned, and the Parsee, Shapurji Edalji,
were baptized. Both were students in the same class of
the Elphinstone Institution, and both had for their teacher
Ardaseer Framjee. The plan of keeping the Parsee boys
away from the Free Church Institution, and sending them
only to places where the Bible was not taught, had evidently
failed to keep them from Christianity. Many of the Parsees
fathers had, however, become a good deal modified from
what they or their predecessors had been twenty years
before. On May 26, 1857, a Parsee brought his two sons
to Dr Wilson, and asked him to instruct them in Chris-
tianity, undertaking, at the same time, to provide for their
support while they were at their studies. Dr Wilson, it
need scarcely be added, accepted the trust, only amazed
that it had ever been made. But soon afterwards there
was evidence that such friendliness to Christianity was rare
in the community from which he came. A young Parsee
having taken refuge in the Mission-house with the view of
embracing the gospel, was induced to return home on a
solemn promise made by his relatives that if he did so he
would be allowed to attend school, but, as might have been
anticipated, the missionaries saw him no more.
About the end of 1857, whilst the excitement about the
sepoy mutinies was still very great, Dr Wilson baptized a
244 BOMB A K.
woman called Yelabai, mother-in-law of one of the conYerts,
Gourabai, a pupil of Mrs Wilson's female schools, and
Maniram Motiram, a Marwadi,* the first of his caste who
has received the sealing rite. A few months later a Syrian
Catholic t convert, called Mr Michael Joseph, was admitted
to the communion. After four other baptisms, the particu-
lars of which need not be detailed, the Native Free Church
at Bombay consisted, on the 24th December 1858, of 83
communicants, or, including adherents, of 161 souls.
About the 17 th December 1858, Mr White started for
Nagpore ; and on 20th January 1859 the Rev. Mr Aitken,
of Sattara, arrived at Bombay.
The native Church had in it much spiritual life. Its
members were taking steps to erect a fabric of their own for
the worship of God, with two manses for native pastors. Of
the 3550 rupees raised for the purpose, 2450 rupees, to be
paid by instalments, came from the native brethren. Euro-
pean aid had, however, largely to be solicited, as the total
cost of the buildings, it was estimated, would be about
30,000 rupees. On the 24th July 1859, the Rev. Dhanjibhai
Nauroji, Mr Baba Padmanji, and Mr Bapu Masd^ were
elected elders. It was a remarkable proof how completely
O^^te feeling had gone down, that Bapu, though originally
a Mahar, was elected almost unanimously. At that tiqie
Dhanjibhai was editing a Guzerathi and Narayan She^hadri,
a Mahratta periodical.
Not long afterwards the leanings towards Christianity
of a Parsee youth, called Merwanji, being observed by hii^
relatives, they removed him to Surat, to be out of the
way of the Bombay missionaries, but, meeting with the
Irish brethren there, he made known his case to them, and
was baptized by one of them, the Rev. Dr Glasgow. The
mention of the Irish brethren naturally recalls Dr Wilson's
* Marwadis, as their name implies, come from the province of Marwar, in Raj'
pootana* They are the great bankers of India.
t For many centuries there has existed on the coast of Malabar a small Syrian
colony. The Romish missionaries have led a number of these Syrians to Popery.
LOSS OF AMBROU MISSION HOUSE. 2^$
journey to Guzerat in 1841, to introduce them when they
first came out to their sphere of labour. A similar journey
was made by him in 1859, to introduce the United Pres-
byterian brethren, Messrs Shoolbred and Steele, to their
appointed sphere of exertion in Rajpootana. On this
journey he found two former pupils of his, one English
translator and reporter of news to his Highness the Gui-
cowar, and the other educational tutor to his brother.
Towards the end of 1859 Dr Murray Mitchell was again
at his post in the mission. In January i860 the Rev. Mr
Carlyle, late of Brechin, arrived to take charge of the
European Church, the Rev. Mr Stothert came on the nth
February as an additional missionary, and a short time
afterwards Mr Dewar arrived as teacher. Great changes
had taken place in India since Mr Mitchell had left it two
years before, and he especially remarked on the alienation
from the Europeans shown by the natives on account of
the war of races which for some time had prevailed.
Soon after this Dr Hugh Miller, an excellent elder in the
Bombay congregation, undertook to raise ;£'25oo for the
native Church and manse schemes already mentioned ; and
James Burns, Esq., of Glasgow, promised to contribute
;£'5oo, on condition that the buildings were opened free of
debt
Among the baptisms which occurred in i860, was that of
a man called Rama MuUari, aged thirty-four, first hospital
assistant at Dhapuli, who with his daughter, a nice intelli-
gent girl of seven or eight, was admitted into the Church in
April of that year.
Though in most respects Bombay is placed more favour-
ably for a capital than either Calcutta or Madras, yet, as
before mentioned, it has one great disadvantage, that being,
as these are not, an island, and an island of very limited
area, rents rise very rapidly, as population increasingly
crowds into the small space. In 1861, the Mission-house
at Ambroli had to be given up, the rent demanded for it
(891) 17
246 BOMBAY.
being now £$0 a month = ;f 360 a year. Great sorrow was
felt by Dr Wilson on quitting it, after he had resided there
for thirty-one years. But the work of Christ still proceeded.
In October 1861, Dr Wilson stated that, since the com-
mencement of that year, twelve adults and two children had
been baptized. Several of these were females, and two
were Rajput men.
On the 23d January 1862, Mr Joseph Dewar, the teacher,
died when he had been less than two years away from home.
He left a widow and child to deplore his loss.
At the Assembly of 1862,* there were in the institution
421 pupils — 301 studying through the medium, of English,
and 1 20 through that of the Indian languages. There were
in Kalyan no studying English and Marathi; the district
vernacular boys' schools had 233 ; the girls were 433. In
all there were about 1200 pupils. The native Church had
87 members, and there had been baptized since the com-
mencement of the mission, 115.
Our limited space will not, as a rule, permit us to give
the details of each convert's work, but room must be forced
for a notable enterprise performed by Mr Mikhail Joseph, a
native of Bagdad, but led to the truth in connection with
the Bombay mission. This man made a daring journey
through that focus of Moslem bigotry — Arabia, visiting
Mokha, Sana, and even Mareb, the last mentioned place
believed to have been the seat of the Queen of Sheba, who
visited Solomon. Mikhail sold on this tour no fewer than
243 copies of the Scriptures.
In the Assembly Report for 1864, it was mentioned that,
during the previous twelve months, ten persons had been
added to the native Church. Four were females from the
boarding-school, one was a young man from the institution,
and several were Mohammedans. Moslem converts are
always both difficult and important to obtain ; and for the
* In 1857, bad health had compelled Mr Clark to return to Europe ; and in x86t,
the same cause necessitated the resignation of his successor. Rev. Mr Cailyle.
RURAL MISSIONS. 247
encouragement of those called to labour among that un-
tractable race of men, it may be mentioned that, in the
opinion of Dr Murray Mitchell, effete Mohammedanism
disappears and gives way to Christianity faster than exploded
Hindooism or Parseeism. — Free Church Missionary Record^
i860, p. 199.
In the years 1865 and 1866, an effort was made to use
the native preachers and catechists for more systematic
aggression on the heathenism of the village population and
the wild tribes. A catechist, with his young wife, was sent
to Rutnagherry, in the Southern Concan, not far from the
place where the Scottish mission had first been established.
Mr H. Bruce Boswell, of the Civil Service, kindly undertook
to provide for their support while he continued at the
station. The Parsee convert, Shapurji Edalji, was sent out
towards the close of 1865 to commence a mission among
the Waralis. Further details with regard to the latter enter-
prise will be found in a subsequent part of the volume.
For some time previously, a catechist had laboured at
Mahabuleshwar, an Indian sanatorium on the Western
Ghauts, between 4000 and 5000 feet above the sea level
Mahabuleshwar means ** lord of great force," and is not
misnamed, for all around the hills are broken up into an
endless succession of perpendicular cliffs one or two thou-
sand feet high. The rainfall is 300 inches during the year.
There are about eighty European residents. The catechist
superintends a small vernacular school.
In 1867, new buildings were completed for the female
boarding-school. Whilst at home, Mrs Nesbit had raised
for the purpose ;£'30oo. The Government gave ;£'25oo.
The same year a great friend and benefactress of the female
schools — the second Mrs Wilson of Bombay — died, greatly
lamented by a wide circle of Europeans and natives who
had known her worth. When, in 1868, her distinguished
husband had completed his fortieth year of missionary
life, the community in Bombay commemorated the event
248 BOMB A Y.
by a cordial demonstration. A subscription was made, of
which it was designed that so long as he lived he should
enjoy the interest, while afterwards it should be employed
to found a philological lectureship. The amount contributed
was 21,000 rupees. The Right Hon. Sir Seymour Fitz-
gerald, Governor of Bombay, presided, being on the right
of Dr Wilson, while on his left was Sir Richard Couch, the
Chief-Justice. Among the subscribers were Churchmen and
Dissenters, Roman Catholics, Hebrews, Hindoos, Parsees,
and Mohammedans. A religious tone pervaded the meet-
ing. It should be mentioned, that when in 1857 the
Bombay University was founded, Dr Wilson was one of the
original fellows named in the Act of Incorporation. He
took a leading part in framing and revising the bye-laws
and regulations for the government of the University, and
for the arrangement, extension, and balance of the studies
to be prescribed. He had from the beginning been
examiner in Sanscrit, Persian, and the vernacular languages;
had been a member of the Syndicate since its proper work
commenced, and for nearly six years head of the Faculty of
Arts as dean, and since September of the previous year vice-
chancellor. It was stated by one of the speakers that Dr
Wilson had enjoyed the respect of every successive governor
of Bombay from Sir John Malcolm to Sir Seymour Fitzgerald.
The native church edifice for which the subscriptions had
been made, was opened for divine worship on Sabbath, 28th
February 1869. Dhanjibhai preached in the morning in
Hindustani, and afterwards baptized a woman. Narayan
preached in the evening in Marathi. A collection was taken
at each diet of worship, and amounted to 500 rupees.
On 6th July 1869, the Rev. William Stephen was ordained
by the Free Presbytery of Aberdeen a missionary to Bombay;
and on Friday, the 23d of the same month, he left Glasgow
for his destination in the City ofAmoy, being a free passenger,
though the proprietors, Messrs George Smith & Sons, were
not members of the Free Church.
DR WILSON MOD ERA TOR OF ASSEMBL Y. 249
An interesting baptism was soon after intimated. A
pupil, called Jayakar, had highly distinguished himself in
the college department of the Free Church institution at
Bombay. He then entered on the study of medicine ; and
obtaining what was called a travelling fellowship— that is,
a fellowship designed to support him in England if he
wished to continue his studies there — he came to this
country, and entered the Royal College of Surgeons in
London. Returning to his native land as Dr Jayakar, he
was baptized at Ahmedabad by Mr Wallace of the Irish
Presbyterian Mission, and wrote intimating the gratifying
fact to Dhanjibhai and Dr Wilson. Early in 1850, there was
another important baptism. There was a Brahman who
had been a pupil in the Free Church institution for seven
years, and was almost embracing Christianity while pursuing
his studies. Fear of his friends, however, held him back ;
and on leaving for the Northern Concan, he was still nomi-
nally a heathen. But the ministrations of the Free Church
catechist then connected with the Warali mission was
blessed to him, and he was baptized by Dr Wilson. Soon
afterwards, Dr Wilson departed for Scotland to recruit his
health, by a temporary sojourn in the bracing atmosphere of
home. The Church having conferred on him the highest
honour it had in its power to bestow, by placing him, in
1870, in the chair of the General Assembly, he mentioned
various interesting facts in his Moderator's speech. Bombay,
he stated, had not had the same pecuniary grants from
home as some other stations. The two Abyssinian youths
were now recognised counsellors of Prince K^ssk of Tigre.
The services which they had rendered to the British army
under Lord Napier of Magdala had been publicly acknow-
ledged, and were of great importance, though they could
not be particularly specified. Other pupils from Abyssinia
were at present under his care. From the Lake Country,
near the remote sources of the Nile, Dr Livingstone had
brought him young men to Bombay, who, after receiving
2SO BOMBAY.
icstmctioo, had been bopdxed. FinaDfytiiejr had left India
for Afiica vith Dr lii iug s lo pe .
Dnrii^the abscnceof Dr Wilson, Mr Dhanjibhai annoonced
a bapdsm of great importance. It was that of a young man
mbose £aher was president of the Tbeistical AssodatioD
of Bombar, the eqniralent of the Calcatta Biahman Snmaj.
His first religions impressions were produced dirongh h^
connection with a native, who used to read the Scnptnres
and ofler np prajer in his iamilT, bot who to the last
remained unbapiized. Dr Charles Biown^s work on ^ The
Gloryof Christ," was also of ose to him. He was to proceed
immediately to England to compete for a Civil Service
appointment
Towards the end of 187 r, Mr Stothert was obliged tem-
porarily to retom to Scotland in bad health, whilst Dr
Wilson departed for the East, desirous while life and strength
remained to labour, as for more than forty eventful jeais he
already had done, for the evangelisation of India.
SECTION V.
POONAH.
CHAPTER I.
POONAH IN ITS PALMY DAYS.
|OONAH becomes first traceable in history in a.d.
1604. In that year the city and the districts
adjacent, were given as z.jaghire^ or royal grant,
free from tribute, to a Mahratta called Malolee,
the donor being the rajah or sultan of Ahmednugger, then
an independent state. When the Ahmednugger kingdom
broke up, the grant of Poonah was continued by the Mo-
hammedan rulers of Beejapoor, into whose hands that por-
tion of India had passed. The grandson of Malolee was
the celebrated Seevajee, who threw off the Mussulman yoke
and founded the Mahraita empire. In 1673 the bold
chieftain took Sattara, which, in 1698, became the seat of
the Mahratta government Oriental dynasties generally
lose vigour in three generations, and Saho, the grandson of
Seevajee, was a man of little energy or ability. Nominally
the second, but really the first, in what modem politicians
would call his Ministry, was a functionary called Peishwa or
leader, and in 1749, Balajee Rao, an astute Brahman, who
then filled the office, played " mayor of the palace " to his
feeble master, as the French Pepin did to the last of the
252 POOXAH.
Merovingian kings. In other words, the Peishwa succeeded
in inducing Saho to transfer to him all the power of the
state, the peishwaship, moreover, being formally declared to
be hereditary in his family. This amazingly short-sighted
arrangement being made, the imbecile monarch died, and
his descendants were kept in nominal dignity, but really
imprisoned at Sattara, while each of the successive Peish-
was obtained from his caged sovereign the permission to
reign in his name, which was tantamount to saying in his
stead. The first of the really supreme Peishwas transferred
the seat of government to Poonah, which, in consequence,
became the most important city under Mahratta sway. A
great contest took place in 1803 between the Mahrattas
and ourselves, for the empire of India, and the struggle was
renewed in 18 17. From the latter of these dates, Poonah
has been directly under British authority, the last of the
Peishwas, who acted to our government most treacherously,
having been defeated in batde, and then hunted up and
down Western India as a fugitive, till at length he sur-
rendered, on being promised a magnificent pension. He
ultimately died at Bithoor, on the Ganges, near Cawnpore,
after adopting the infamous Nana Sahib as his son and
heir.
Poonah was supposed to have had a population of about
150,000 during the palmy days of the Peishwas. It has
not so many now. The general opinion is, that during the
period to which the succeeding narrative refers, its inhabi-
tants may have amounted to about 100,000. The Peish-
was, as already mentioned, were Brahmans, hence the sacred
order constitute a large proportion of the Poonah popula-
tion. This, coupled with its former celebrity, makes it a
place of great importance. Nor are Brahmans and Mah-
rattas the only dignitaries. Situated as it is, 1823 feet above
the sea level, and with spurs from the Western Ghauts in
its immediate vicinity, to which retreat can be made when
the heat becomes unpleasant in the city, Poonah is one
FIRS T PRE A CHING A T POONAH. 253
of the sanataria of Bombay, and is often visited by Euro-
peans from the Western presidency seat, not excepting the
governor himself. Apart from these birds of passage, the
European population of Poonah is very considerable, from
the fact that there must always be there a garrison suffi-
ciently large to prevent any rise in arms on the part of those
admirers of the " good old times," who might wish to try
anew the pleasant paths of conquest and plunder.
These and other considerations show that Poonah was
a place suitable for the establishment of a powerful mission,
and which the Christian Church did well to occupy at the
earliest practicable date.
CHAPTER II.
A SEED " IN WEAKNESS SOWN."
As already mentioned, the Scottish Missionary Society had
from the first conteriiplated making Poonah the centre of
its operations in India, but had been prevented doing so
by the Government, which feared that the Brahmans would
not endure the heralds of the cross at the old seat of Mah-
ratta supremacy. For about six years then, after the com-
mencement of the work in the Concan, the labourers there
considered Poonah a forbidden spot, but at length, in 1829,
Messrs Mitchell and Stevenson ventured thither, and, con-
trary to expectation, were exceedingly well received. The
common people heard them gladly, and though, as was in-
evitable in that nest of Brahmans, the lordly caste at times
sought to lower or to drive the audiences away from hearing
the seductive voices of the western preachers, the Sudra
Mahrattas took their own way in the matter, and remained
to hear what the Padrees ♦ had to say. As in the case of
* Padree is a word borrowed originally from the Portuguese, who, as is well
known, use it for the Romish priests, Father A. or Father B. The Hindoos have
given the term a more extended signification, and apply it to all missionaries and
other ministers.
254 POONAH.
the village schools, the Government showed a praiseworthy
readiness to act on any new enlightenment which it might
receive, and it no longer objected to the establishment of
a mission at Poonah.
Sometime after Poonah was taken by the British, our
Government in 182 1 set up within it a Sanscrit College,
which none but Brahmans were permitted to attend. The
commissioner who instituted it stated —
" That he had not taken any measures towards the introduction of
any branches of European science, but had endeavoured to direct the
attention of the college principally to such parts of their own skasiras
as are not only more useful in themselves, but will best prepare their
minds for a gradual reception of more valuable instruction at a future
time." — Missionary Record, January 1843, p. 176.
Such was the opinion which the Government entertained
as to the opposition the Poonah Brahmans were likely to
oflfer to the introduction among them of even the most
homeopathic dozes of true science.
To this hotbed of bigotry, Mr Stevenson proceeded in
1830, to lay the foundations of a mission. Whether or not
he made progress in breaking up the fallow ground in the
native field — a sphere was open to him among his own
countrymen, for Poonah was the largest military station in
the whole presidency. He succeeded, shortly after his
arrival, in bringing together a congregation of Presbyterian
soldiers.
On the 8th August 1831, Mr Nesbit, by medical advice,
left Humee to join him, and on arriving, shared with him
not merely the missionary but the pastoral work.
In 1832 Mr Stevenson set up a school, which, however,
was transferred to the Government a few months subse-
quently. Even after this change, it for some time bore
marks of its missionary origin, by having religious instruc-
tion communicated to the pupils. Mr Nesbit spoke very
disparagingly of the converts of the mission, many of whom
also he said had apostatised. Encouragement came to the
missionaries, however, from a quarter from which they had
THE REV, JAMES MITCHELL SETTLES IN POONAH, 25$
not expected it, for the European soldiers, among whom
they laboured, highly appreciated their ministrations, and
in 1832 an awakening occurred among them, almost reach-
ing the proportions of a home revival. In 1833 sickness
drove Mr Stevenson from Poonah to Calcutta, and on his
return in May in that year, Mr Nesbit was compelled to go
to Bombay for medical advice, with regard to a painful
affection apparently in the ear, but really, as afterwards
appeared, in the throat ; a discovery which explains the
mystery why it was always aggravated after preaching.
For sometime previously he had been unable to use his
voice, and had been shut up to employ his pen more and
more in the service of the mission.
Soon after Mr Stevenson's return from Calcutta he termi-
nated his direct connection with the mission, and entered
the service of the East India^ Company as a chaplain.
In 1834, also, Mr Nesbit was obliged by the affection of
his " ear," which, despite surgical treatment, still continued,
to go to recruit his physical frame at the Cape of Good
Hope. Though absent from Poonah, he still in eflfect
preached there, for a short time previously he, at the request
of the European congregation, had published a volume of
excellent sermons, well fitted both to commend and to vin-
dicate the truth.
The reason for occupying the Southern Concan having in
large measure ceased when Poonah became accessible, and
the mission being compelled to make a choice between the
two, as it was not strong enough in men to occupy both,
Mr James Mitchell proceeded to Poonah to supply Mr
Nesbit's place, and the Southern Concan was abandoned.
Mr Mitchell was of a more hopeful temperament than Mr
Nesbit, and though he could not work more faithfully, yet
he did so more cheerfully than his talented predecessor had
done.
In 1835, as already stated, Mr James Mitchell, and the
other agents of the Scottish Missionary Society in Western
256 FOONAH.
India, transferred their services to the Established Church.
The change did not in any way affect the operations of the
mission.
When Mr Nesbit returned from the Cape of Good Hope,
he settled at Bombay, and it was not till January 1839 that
he again saw Poonah. On visiting it at that date, he was
agreeably disappointed to see the progress which had been
made during the interval. The small native Church had
begun to increase considerably, and a commencement had
been made of an English school, the nucleus of the present
institution. Converts, servants, inmates of the poorhouse,
teachers of schools, pupils, and strangers, gathered for the
Mahratta service, constituted a large congregation, and he
records that he never before had spoken to one with so
much freedom and delight. The first and most trying
period of the Poonah mission was indeed over. A realisation
had taken place of the promise or prophecy —
** The heavenly dew shall nourish
The seed in weakness sown ; '*
and whilst the Government were afraid to give the inhabi-
tants of Poonah the boon of European science, the mission
had boldly, and with an encouraging measure of success,
bestowed on them the greater blessing of Christianity.
Though Mr Mitchell taught with much zeal in the school,
yet he had a great love for vernacular preaching. One
place where he successfully exercised his gifts in this respect
was the poorhouse, from which, first and last, he reaped
no inconsiderable fruit. So early as 1839, we find among
three baptisms recorded as having taken place on Sabbath,
loth November of that year, one from the " poor asylum."
The next year (1840) Mr James Aitken, an unordained
teacher, was sent out to assist Mr Mitchell. He reached
Bombay on the 9th April. Besides Messrs Mitchell and
Aitken, another agent was in connection with the mission —
Mr W. Drake, who was stationed at Indapore,* 84 miles
* At that time Indapore was supposed to contain about 6000 inhabitants. A Mr
THE ZENANA SCHEME ANTICIPATED, 2$y
E.S.E. of Poonah. Including his pupils, there were in con-
nection with the mission no fewer than 15 schools — 11 for
boys and 5 for girls. The average attendance in the former
was about 500, and in the latter about 90 — 590 in all.
In a letter by Mr James Mitchell, of Poonah, published
in the Missionary Record for 1842, p. 152, there is a fore-
shadowing of something very like the zenana scheme. He
says —
** Mrs Mitchell has lately begun visiting in the families of some of the
girls and others. A few days ago she had rather an interesting inter-
view with the females of one of the chief pundits in Poonah, a man of
the highest rank, both as a Sirdar (nobleman) and a Brahman. They
were so taken with the interview that the pundit called yesterday to ask
her to repeat the visit. I hope that thus my long-cherished views, of
female missionaries carrying the gospel into the bosoms of the families
in the higher as well as the lower grades of society, are about to be
realised. May the Lord be with us, and give us wisdom and discretion
in the attempt."
The foundations of the Poonah mission had been securely
laid, and a considerable part of the superstructure reared,
before the testing period of the Disruption.
CHAPTER III.
AFTER THE DISRUPTION.
The Disruption made little difference on the Poonah
mission. The whole establishment — agents, converts, and
pupils, with Messrs Mitchell and Aitken at their head —
simply went over to the Free Church, and as there was no
property to lose,* were able, without unpleasant controversy,
to proceed with their work as before. On July 17th, 1844,
Mr Aitken received ordination, and on 28th January 1845,
Price had established schools in and around Indapore, before Mr Drake's arrival.
Mr Drake, in 1842, had four schools in that neighbourhood, in as many villages,
with 100 pupils in all.
• In an appeal issued in 1850, the Rev. Mr Nesbit said, "The mission premises
at Poonah, tne gift of private liberality on the spot, to the extent of about £,\^oo,
have hai>pily not been affected by the Disruption."
2S8 POONAH.
Miss Joanna Shaw arrived from Europe, as assistant to her
sister, Mrs Mitchell, who was superintendent of the female
schools. In 1845, Mr Aitken, who found the dry air of the
Deccan too stimulating, had to remove to the moister climate
of Bombay, and soon afterwards to make a temporary return
to Europe. From the Assembly report we learn that no
baptisms had taken place during the year 1 844-1 845, but
tliat the schools were flourishing. There were in the
English schools about 125
5 Marathi boys* schools „ 365
5 Marathi girls' „ ,, no
Indapore „ ,, 160
760
A year later there were about 200 at Indapore, or 800 in
all It will be observed that the expression is " English
schools," in the plural There were two of them — one in the
bazaar, among the population brought a good deal in con-
tact with the English, and who therefore felt some faint
desire to acquire our tongue ;* and the other in the native
city. Great advantage would have been reaped from an
amalgamation of the schools, had that been possible, and
one was tried soon afterwards, but it was premature, and
the old arrangement had for a time to be reverted to. In
the infancy of English education in a Hindoo city, the com-
modity requires almost to be carried to the doors of the
recipients, else they will not trouble themselves about it
It is not till the demand for our language becomes extensive
and strong that a bazaar and a city school can be combined
without a serious reduction in the attendance.t As we could
have known, without being told it, the numbers at the bazaar
school were greater than those at the city one. Yet the
city school was, in some important respects, the more im-
portant one ; for, ist, it was attended chiefly by Brahmans,
* The bazaar was called the Camp bazaar, or the Sudder, that is, the chief bazaar,
and was about a mile from the city. The population was ver^ mixed and migiatory.
t When the two English schools were temporarily united m 1845, their aggregate
number, 125, was reduced to 90.
RURAL MISSIONS, 259
while the bazaar pupils were mostly low caste camp fol-
lowers ; and, 2nd, the students in the city school belonged
to the permanent population, whereas those in the bazaar
one were here this year and gone the next. At the Assembly
of 1845,* there were in the Poonah native Church 20 adults
and II baptized children. That year the Governor of
Bombay, Sir George Arthur, presided at the examination, as
he had done once before, and expressed himself highly
gratified with the system of education pursued, and the re-
sults which had been attained. Several baptisms took place
about this time, besides which a native Romanist was ad-
mitted to the communion. Even in Poonah, the very seat
of the old Mahratta Peishwas, there were, in the bazaar at
least, Tamul-speaking people, mostly belonging to that
domesticated race— the Madras pariahs. The Romanist,
who we presume was at first a Tamul pariah, was employed
to teach a vernacular school, using his native tongue, and
his sincerity was evinced by his accepting 10 rupees a month
as teacher, when he might possibly have obtained 15 or 20
as a gentleman's servant. Soon afterwards, Wazir Beg, then
the most important native teacher the mission possessed,
was offered the head mastership of Dharwar Government
school, with 100 rupees monthly of salary, but declined the
offer.
At this time we find in Mr Mitchell's arrangements a
quiet anticipation of what are now termed rural missions.
For instance, in 1846 he had the convert Shewanath located
at a village called Kotrur. A second one, Appa, was at
Little Kondwa, two miles from Poonah, teaching a school
with twenty children. Gopalla, the younger of two Brah-
* It is always interesting to the student of human progress to see how historic
scenes repeat themselves, and that in different regions of the world. Readers will
remember how poor students of the Reformation period, and Luther himself among
the number, had to beg bread from door to door, to aid in their support whilst they
Erosecuted their studies. The same scene is reproduced even yet in Poonah- In
is report for 1845, Mr Mitchell mentions the very interesting uict that some of the
Brahman boys literally beg for support whilst under instruction, calling at the houses
of a certain number of their richer caste people about dinner*time, and obtaining a
little rice from each. The scanty supplies of nee thus obtained keep them in food for
the whole day, and leave them free to devote a number of hours to their lessons.
26o POONAH,
man converts baptized a little before, was directed to com-
mence operations at a place a mile further off, whilst the
other Brahman still remained as a pupil in the English
school.
We have already had occasion to mention an act of self-
sacrifice on the part of Mr Wazir Beg, teacher of one of the
English schools. Whereunto such devotion in the interests of
the mission tended it required no diviner to forecast. He
applied for baptism, and on Friday, i8th September 1846, sent
off a very interesting letter to his father, who was messman of
H.M. 22nd Regiment, then in Bombay, intimating what was
about to take place. Next day, with Wazir Beg's concur-
rence, the fact of the intended baptism was intimated in the
school, and in consequence soon became mooted abroad in
the city. His friends and relatives assembled and attempted
by entreaties and denunciations to shake his resolution.
One man, in the true spirit of the Mussulman faith, de-
clared that whatever the consequence, he would murder
him if he embraced Christianity, and then, with oriental
infirmity oi purpose, failed when the time came to cany out
his nefarious threat. Another man, learned and respectable,
told him that but for the English Government he should
have lost his head instantly, and that he, the said learned
man, would have been the first to demand such an execu-
tion, a fact probably correct, but most discreditable to the
Mussulman religion. On the Sabbath, the intended bap-
tism day, the ** faithful," especially of the rougher sort,
presented themselves in numbers at the Mission-house, and
finally the father made his appearance from Bombay, having
posted up to Poonah on receiving the letter. Wazir Beg
was persuaded to return temporarily home, and would,
doubtless, for ever have been prevented from receiving bap-
tism had not the magistrate, on being appealed to, inquired
into the case, and finding that illegal restraint was being
exercised, set the convert at liberty. He was baptized at
II A.M. on Thursday, 24th September. It is satisfactory to
BAPTISM OF WAZIR BEG, 26 1
add that the Mussulman father behaved in a proper manner
to his son after his baptism, giving him such of his clothes
as had been left at home, and a valuable gold watch and
chain which he had some time before presented to him ;
and, wonderful to tell, the Mussulmans did not afterwards
mob him as he was going and coming to school. Wazir
Beg, at the time of his admission into the church, was about
22 years old. His talents were of a high order. He was a
good Persian scholar, had attended a little to Arabic, and
lately begun Greek. His whole education had been
received at the mission school in Poonah, where he had
been first a pupil and then a teacher. The schools suf-
fered less than might have been anticipated from Wazir
Beg's case. There were 130 pupils before it happened, and
107 after, but the pupils taken away were those most
advanced in their studies.
Of the other baptisms during the year 1846, two claim'
special notice. One was that of Bala Gopal, mentioned at
length in connection with Bombay. Bala had been for three
years a pupil in the Poonah mission school when, in Octo-
ber 1845, he accompanied Mr Murray Mitchell to enjoy a
scholarship there. It was thought well that he should be
baptized at Poonah, that he might set a good example to his
old class-fellows, and also might save the important Bombay
institution from the shock which, in all probability, it would
have received had the news been spread abroad that an-
other of its Brahmanic pupils had been baptized. The
second case was that of a Parsee called Rustomji Nauroji,
who was in gaol, by sentence of a court-martial, and had to
be brought to church from the prison for the purpose of
having the rite administered. His baptism and that of Bala
Gopal took place on Sabbath, 27th December 1846. That
year was one of death at Poonah. Mr Mitchell wrote in
August 1846 that in the two months previously the cholera
had cut off about a third of the population.
An interesting point connected with the girls' day schools
(301) 18
262 POONAH.
was this — that there were in them pupils from the best
Brahmanic families. We do not think any one would have
ventured to anticipate this when first the capital of the
Peishwas became the seat of a mission. The boarding-
school girls, again, were either outcastes or children de-
serted by their parents, but notwithstanding this, the estab-
lishment of such a school was a great advantage for the
pupils being brought up in a Christian way, and having no
contact with heathenism, were many of them led to the truth
and baptized. For instance, on May ii, 1847, Mr Mitchell
intimated the baptism of a boarding-school girl called Giiji,
about 14 or 15 years of age. The native church now con-
sisted of 24 communicants, 6 of whom were employed
in the work of the mission. Some time afterwards, there
was an election of elders in the native church, and Mr Cas-
sidy, an Indo-Briton, and Wazir Beg and Vitoba, native
converts, were regularly ordained to the oversight of the
native church, which, towards the close of 1848, had 28 in
full communion. Mr Cassidy was teacher of the bazaar
English school, and Mr Wazir Beg of the city one. In
July 1849, the former contained 90 pupils and the latter 50.
As a specimen of the devotion to mission work which one
of these elders, Mr Cassidy, exhibited, it may be mentioned
that when, in 1849, the local funds were so inadequate to
the support of the schools that it was seriously proposed to
give some of them up, and simultaneously with this, the
foreign mission finances of the home Church were so
seriously embarrassed that the question was mooted whether
it might not be needful to abandon either Nagpore or Caf-
fraria, Mr Cassidy * came generously forward and oflfered for
the year between July 1849 and July 1850 to accept 50
instead of 150 rupees a month. . About the former of these
dates, he thus wrote to Mr Mitchell —
*'My mother and I have been thinking of thd proposal to give up
* In 1851, Mr Cassidy having adopted Baptist views, ceased connection with the
Free Church mission.
THE '' DAKSHINA'' REMODELLED, 263
the African mission, and find that we may live at a much less expense
than we do now. We can afford to give £\oo this year for that pur-'
pose, from June 1849 to J""^ 1850. ;^50 will be quite sufficient for
our maintenance. . . . Should be we able, we shall assist still further to
support our brethren in Africa. There is nothing which has so much
distressed us as this proposal. Should it be carried out, I shall never
feel happy with any amount of salary. "
On 24th July 1850, it was recorded that during the by-
gone year Mr Cassidy had subscribed;^! 50 to the mission.
The Indapore branch of the operations was now flourishing.
There were there 350 pupils ; the Government had given
the use of a school house, while the Paiet (mayor or pro-
vost) of the village of Limgaum, a man called Shivaram,
had been baptized.
From the report to the Assembly of 1850 we learn that
between 1836 and that time 42 adult baptisms had taken
place in connection with the mission. Deaths and removals,
however, had prevented the communicants from rising
above 29.
Whilst the successive Peishwas were in their glory at
Poonah, they were in the habit of annually dispensing a
dakshina or gratuity to their caste people, the Brahmans.
In some years this ill-advised expenditure amounted to
^£30,000 sterling. When our Government obtained the
country it continued the dakshina, though ,on a reduced
scale, paying away only about 30,000 rupees, or ;;^3ooo
sterling a year. The money was given nominally for the
encouragement of learning, by which was meant Sanscrit ;
but it produced little result even in the study of that tongue,
owing to the fact that a Brahman, who had once become a
recipient of the gratuity, continued to be a pensioner year
by year to the end of his life. In most instances, of course,
the oriental love of indolence overcame him at once when he
found himself with an independent salary for life, and in too
many cases he at once ceased to study Sanscrit, or anything
else. It was supposed that the Government, the members
of which were too astute not to see this scandal', only re-
264 POONAH,
quired a gentle pressure to be put upon them by the more
enlightened natives to induce them to remodel the dakshina.
Towards the end of 1849 that pressure came from some
enlightened and aspiring young men, chiefly old scholars of
Mr James Mitchell's. These petitioned the Government
for permission, on certain conditions, to share in the annual
money distribution, given nominally for the encouragement
of learning. They wished that it might be dispensed to
those who produced the best original works in Marathi, or
the best translation from that language into English, though
they were so tender of vested interests that they desired
the recipients of the dakshina to enjoy it as long as they
lived, and that change should be gradually introduced
as the present incumbents died out. Need it be added
that the Brahmans of the old school, though treated with
such tenderness, stood aghast at a proposal so dreadful
as that Government patronage should be transferred from
drones to working bees ! They threatened to excommuni-
cate the young men if they did not at once withdraw the
petition they were preparing, and the youthful literati were
obliged to obey. It is in circumstances like these that the
value of a free press most markedly shines forth. The
newspaper editors got hold of the suppressed petition, and
published it with strongly favourable comments, and before
long the Government, thus informed of the state of affairs,
granted the prayer of the unpresented petition, and re-
modelled the dakshina* This narrative affords one out
of many illustrations which might be brought forward, that
the mere statistics of the baptisms from an institution gives
no adequate criterion of the amount of influence it is exert-
ing on the community and on legislation.
The influence of the mission was observable in another
way. Of the converts who acted as subordinate agents,
three — Narayan Keshawa, Gopal Keshawa, and Appa Nasi-
* In 1852 no fewer than sixty-nine vernacular works, though most of them, it
must be confessed, translations, were handed in by competitors for a share in the
remodelled doAshina.
A BHEEL CHIEF. 26$
kar — were converted Brahmans j and in 1852 Mr Mitchell
mentioned that all the Brahman converts in connection
with the Free Church in Bombay, and the American mission
at Ahmednugger, were originally from Poonah, and that
the former had received their first Christian instruction, if
not even their first impressions, in one of the Poonah mis-
sion English schools.
In 1850, a chief of the predatory tribe called Bheels,
aged 16 or 17, who derived a revenue from a number of
villages, into the full possession of which he was to come
in about two years, was brought to Poonah for education
in the Government College, his hereditary karbarie, or
manager of the estate, who, moreover, was his cousin,
accompanying him to the city. They were placed in
charge of Mr Wazir Beg, who had leave to give them what
instruction he pleased, and who possessed such influence
over them that they attended his daily family worship, and
even at times accompanied him to church.
Soon afterwards, if not even as early as this, the mission
had a European congregation of between 200 and 300,
mostly soldiers, with about thirty communicants. Mr James
Mitchell and his coadjutors felt it difficult, nay, even im-
possible, properly to attend to all the varied departments
of effort carried on in connection with the Poonah mission,
and in the early part of July 185 1, the Free Presbytery of
Bombay resolved tp send relays of its Presidency members
to render assistance at Poonah. Mr J. Murray Mitchell
was the first to go thither. The arrangement now men-
tioned continued for many years, and, while effective for its
primary object, it carried with it this further advantage, that
when the strength of the Bombay labourers became worn
out through the exhausting nature of the climate in which
they ordinarily resided, the drier and more bracing atmo-
sphere of Poonah again recruited their energy.
In June 1852 a young Brahman, long in the Poonah
institution, and for some time employed as a monitor, was
266 POONAH,
baptized by the American labourers at Sattara, another
proof, if indeed another were needed, of the great and
growing importance of the educational work carried on by
the Poonah mission.
CHAPTER IV.
FATHER AND SON COADJUTORS IN THE MISSION.
On August 10, 1852, the Rev. William Kinnaird Mitchell
was ordained a missionary to Poonah, where his father had
so long laboured, and, with Mrs Mitchell, reached the old
Mahratta capital on the 20th January 1853. There was
need for an increase of Christian agents, for unbelief was
alarmingly prevalent among the alumni of the Government
College, whose education had rendered them too enlightened
to believe in Hindooism, while it had left them wholly
ignorant of the claims which can be brought forward on
strong evidence in favour of Christianity. The youths of
intellectual vigour, but sceptical tendencies, who swarmed
in Poonah, were only a few of them natives of the place \
the city, being in a manner a university seat, drew the ablest
and most ambitious young men from all the Mahratta coun-
try, and it was a noble work to lead them, so far as man
could do it, in the direction of religious truth. At this time
the English congregation already mentioned had become
yet larger and more influential. It afforded a noble
sphere for Christian effort. Writing on 9th May 1853,
Mr Kinnaird Mitchell said that the* day previously about
400 soldiers belonging to the 78th Regiment had been pre-
sent at the morning service, making, with others, about 450
present, while in the evening there were about 150.
Towards the end of the year the Rev. James Mitchell
iras compelled to repair to Europe for the restoration of his
FEMALE DEVOTION TO CHRIST. 267
health, which had suffered from thirty years' arduous labour
in India, and the Rev. J. Murray Mitchell proceeded to
Poonah temporarily to occupy his place. The departure
for a time of Mr James Mitchell evoked the warmest feel-
ings of respect and affection for him from all the converts,
the pupils, and the friends of the mission.
In December 1853 Mr Wazir Beg* was licenced a
preacher. On the 27th January following he opened a
Hindustani school for Mohammedans in the city. About
forty boys joined it, a large number, considering; the peculiar
difficulty everywhere found to induce Mohammedans to
consent to receive education, especially if imbued with
Christianity.
On Sabbath, 16th July 1854, Mr Murray Mitchell baptized
a middle-aged woman, called Jijibai, of very respectable
caste, but not of much intelligence. For a time, Mr
Mitchell hesitated to administer the sealing rite, op accoupt
of the limited knowledge the inquirer showed pf the histo-
rical portion of the Bible. But his scruples were overcome
by the affection she showed for Jesus. " I know nothing,**
said she ; '* I am as dull as a clod^ but I clasp the feet of
Jesus, I clasp them to my breast.*' Her husband was a
Christian, having been baptized in 185 1. It is the practice
of Hindoo families while they work to relieve the tedium pf
their occupation by singing ; their ditties on such occasiops
are always grossly idolatrous, and sometimes morally offen-
sive. Mr Mitchell requested her husband to write down
verbatim the words which she now sung, and he related
that they were these : —
** To my poor house a stranger has come,
Even King Jesus, the darling of heaven,
« I run to bid Him welcome.
* About a year afterwards Mr Wacir Beg visited Scotland. He ultimately joined
the United Presbyterian Church, and is now, we believe, in Australia. He lately
published an excellent book on Presbyterian ism, and we were j^lad to perceive,
from a donation of his, if we rightly remember, o( £$ to the Poonah mission, that he
had not forgotten the institution in which he had received the great boon of a reli^
gious education.
268 POONAM.
** With gods of stone what more have I to do I
I clasp my Saviour's feet ;
My soul clings to Jesus.
" The Lord of all is my Father now,
Jesus is my brother now,
I shall not want.
*' Since I clasped Thy feet to my bosom,
Rich, rich am I, O Jesus !
Oh, leave me never I "
When the examination of the mission school was in pro-
gress in 1854, Lord Elphinstone, the Governor of Bombay,
entered unsolicited, and remained a full hour, taking deep
interest in the proceedings. Whilst explaining that his visit
was in no respect official, he yet personally expressed his
warm wish for the prosperity of the Poonah and the other
institutions designed to spread the truth.
The same year two very interesting baptisms took place.
One of the most courageous Christian officers in India was
Brigadier Mackenzie, who with his talented lady has done
much to spread the gospel in the East Having been one
of the heroes and prisoners in Afifghanistan, during our
disastrous occupation of that mountain region, he had many
acquaintances and friends quite outside the Indian empire.
Among others there was a Persian, or Kuzzilbash,* called
Aga Mohammed Khan, whom the brigadier placed in
charge of the Poonah mission about the year 1850. Four
years later the Aga was baptized, and his wife, formerly a
bigoted Mussulmanee, but now giving good evidence of her
having received the truth in the love of it, was admitted
into the Church along with her husband in November 1854.
The ancestors of Aga Mohammed had been high in the
service of Nadir Shah, when that ferocious conqueror wag in
the zenith of his fame.
Under Mr Murray Mitchell's auspices, the institution
*• The Kuzzilbashes of AfTghanistan were followers of the celebrated Persian con-
aiieror, Nadir Shah. Most of them were, to a certain extent, on the British side
uring^e Affghan struggle.
PJiOGRESS. 269
wonderfully flourished. In 1855, he mentioned that there
were now in it 250 pupils. It was, therefore, unpleasantly
crowded. Adding those from the vernacular schools, there
were altogether about 900 pupils under instruction. In the
fall of 1855, the Rev. James Mitchell again returned to
Poonah. While at home, he had issued an appeal* for funds
to supply some of the wants of the mission. ;^iooo were
asked for additional buildings, between ;^4oo and ;^5oo
for apparatus, and from twenty to thirty scholarships at
jQ^, I OS. each per annum. Though of what was sought
only a portion was at the time obtained, yet his visit home
proved an aid to the Poonah mission. t A new source of
income about this time became available, though at first it
was but of trifling amount ; in other words, most of the
vernacular pupils began to pay fees. None could yet be
exacted from the students of English in the institution,
because the pupils in the Government College paid none,
and had the benefit of eighty scholarships.
At the examination of the Poonah institution, at the end
of 1855, both the Revs. Dr Duff and Wilson were present.
Dr Dufl" spoke for an hour and a quarter an address
described as well fitted to conciliate and impress the
audience, which was one of a very interesting character,
consisting as it did of the elite of the Government College
youth, all the native professors who knew English, and the
mission pupils. .
On the 24th of February 1856, regular Marathi preaching
in the city in a large room was begun, and a commodious
hall fitted for the institution was rented from a high
Brahman — a wonderful thing to occur in such a focus of
caste pride as Poonah. The boarding-school was also
flourishing. Mr Kinnaird Mitchell mentioned that the
* In the apoeal, Mr Mitchell mentioned that of the zoo,ooo inhabitants, more than
30,000 were Brahmans.
t When Mr Mitchell left home, £63,^ had been collected for btiildines, and eight or
ten scholarships of £j^ zos. each annually had been obtained. The number was
afterwards increased to twelve.
270 POONAH,
girls were occupied about an equal time in lessons and at
work, and regularly took a walk across the beautiful plain
before the mission premises under the care of their matron
and peon.* They are kept in constant employment, as
several ladies — some of them from a distance — send orders
to be executed in school. At the ladies* bazaar, the speci-
mens of crochet and sewing were approved, and, what was
better, purchased.
In November 1856, Mr Mitchell baptized two adult
women, both of good caste, and about the same time the
missionaries were greatly gratified to learn that the magis*
trate, Mr Duncan Davidson, had prohibited the cruel and
superstitious practice of hook swinging throughout the
Poonah coUectoiatc.t
About the end of 1856, the mission sustained a loss by
the return to Europe by medical orders of the Rev. W.
Kinnaird Mitchell, and that with little hope of his ever
being able to return to India. The Rev. James Wardrop
Gardner, ordained on October i, 1856, was sent out in his
room*
CHAPTER V.
AFTER THE MUTINIES.
Everywhere in India, during 1857! and 1858, there was
an uprising of the adherents of the false faiths in that land
against Christians. As a specimen of the disposition tfaea
* The word peon is very difficult to translate. In fact, there is n« eonrespondinc
term in the English language. Peons are petty native officials, who wear belts as a
badge of their connection with Government, or with some respectable autlumty.
Policemen, beadles, and janitors, are all peons in the East.
t A coUectorate, it should be mentioned, is about the size of an En^sh county, or
shire.
X In connection with the mutinies, it maybe remarked, that the 78th Highlanders*
who did good service in protecting Calcutta, and fought with great bravery in all
General Havelock's battles, had shortly before been attendants on the mission
Church in Poonah. General Havelock himself, though a Baptist, was n hearer of
Mr Mitchell's for several years when at Poonah, and communicated with the
Presbyterian ZQw^f zziXxon.— Missionary Record ^ Feb. 1858.
PERSECUTION OF A NATIVE PREACHER. 27I
prevalent to maltreat the professors of our holy religion, the
following incident deserves record : — A convert of the
Bombay mission, called Mr Ramachandra, being originally
from the Deccan, found the relaxing air of the Concan
hurtful to his health, and removed in consequence tempo-
rarily to Poonah, where he taught a class in the institution,
besides preaching in the streets. A number of young men
returning from a Government office found him engaged
in the latter duty, and attacked him, pulling him about and
casting him again and again on the ground, launching at
him all the while the most abusive language. They were
even heard to say that could they find him by himself
without any protection, they would kill him ontright. Hap-
pily there appeared at this critical moment constables, who
not merely rescued Ramachandra, but arrested some of his
assailants, and took them to prison. The head of the city
police, a Parsee, was, as Mr Mitchell gladly acknowledged,
most anxious that all connected with the mission should
receive adequate protection. A native preacher, it should
be added, is much more likely to be assaulted when he is
labouring alone than when he has the companionship of a
European missionary.
In the report to the Assembly of 1859, it was mentioned
that there were 856 pupils in the Poonah schools, that four
adult baptisms had taken place during the year, and that
the native Church now consisted of forty-five members. At
the end of the year. Lord Elphinstone was again at the exa-
mination, and this tim€ gave the prizes away. There were
then 289 names on the roll of the institution.
In one of the early months of i860, Mr James Mitchell
was again ordered home. Before departing, he, on the 13th
May, baptized no fewer than thirteen converts. Three
were girls from the boarding-school, and the rest inquirers
either from the general population, or from the poor asylum.
As on the former occasion, the Rev. Dr J. Murray Mitchell
supplied his place at Poonah.
272 POONAH.
The mission had led the way in female education, but by
this time the natives themselves were more and more
decidedly engaging in the work, and one of the Poonah
Sirdars (noblemen), Moro Rughoonath Dhumdherrey, Esq.,
handed over a school to the superintendence of the Free
Church agents, whilst continuing to pay its expenses.*
With this addition, the female scholars in charge of the
mission were, at the examination on Friday, 31st August
i860, 187. All castes were admissible, though at that time
there happened to be no outcastes in the schools. The
pupils were chiefly Brahman and Marathi girls, with a few
Mussulmanees.
Mr MitchelFs great ability as a teacher told on the mis-
sion, as it had done on the previous occasion, and on the
26th October i860, he was able to intimate that there were
about 440 studying English in the institution, more than
two- thirds of them Brahmans. Upwards of 100 more
were learning Marathi. A school at Indapore was peti-
tioned for by the inhabitants — the former one having been
abandoned ; and so eager were the people for it, that they
intimated their willingness to pay fees, as did the Mussul-
mans of Poonah, if a Hindoostanee school were set up.
Even without these additions, the mission had then under
its charge about 800 pupils, there having been an increase
of between 200 and 300 since Mr Murray Mitchell's arrival
from Bombay, a few months before. By the Assembly of
1 86 1, the pupils were 976. The female scholars had in-
creased to fully 250, being an augmentation of sixty during
the previous year.
On November 5, Dr Murray Mitchell admitted to the
Church a man and his wife. The wife was the Ayah (seiyant)
* The female schools of the mission were then six in number, viz. : —
Pupils.
X. The Orphanage and Boarding School in the mission ** compound," 34
3. One day school in the Sudder Bazaar, containing • • • 35
'5
X87
3, 4, and 5. Three schools in the city, Z03
6. More Kughoonath Dhumdherrey 's school.
INTERIOR OF THE INSTITUTION. 2/3
of a lady, and had visited England. The man, Premdas,
was a Gosavi (religious mendicant), aged apparently about
46, and who had numerous disciples, whose minds must
naturally have been affected by the departure from Hin-
doo! sm of their teacher. Three boarding-school girls had
shortly before been baptized.
About this time a party of visitors having gone to see the
institution, one of their number, a lady, gave a graphic
description of what she witnessed. The building, as she
learned, had once been the dwelling of the chief officer of
the court of the Peishwa, and when once she and her com-
panions had made their way along the dark and narrow pas-
sage into the hall, they found the latter spacious enough.
A row of pillars ran down the centre, supporting the ceiling,
both pillars and ceiling being carved in the most elaborate
style, in a dark wood of high polish. This contrasted finely
with the white-washed walls and the white dresses of the
boys, who were ranged in two or three rows along the whole
length of the building. The intelligence they showed was
very remarkable. On a question being asked by one of the
party as to the caste of the boys, Dr Mitchell addressing
*the class, said — ** Let all the Mussulmans stand up.'* One
or two stood up. " Let all who are not Brahmans stand
up." Again a very few got up. ** Now, let the Brahmans
stand up," whereupon nearly the whole sprung to their feet,
seeming to think it a very good joke.
On the 28th September 1862, a girl called Ramee, aged
twelve, from the boarding-school, died. She had been
found by the police abandoned, in a very neglected state,
at a place called Kandala, about eighty miles from Poonah.
The. police, who believed that she had been stolen from her
parents, not knowing where to send her, gave her to the
missionaries. She was at first afraid to look any one in the
face, but by and by, encouraged by kindness, she gave her
narrative, which was a painful one. She had been in the
hands of gypsies, who, finding that she was not 'an apt
274 POONAM.
enough scholar for their purpose, branded and then aban-
doned her. The Juvenile Missionary Association in Dr
Tweedie*s congregation, at the suggestion of Mrs James
Cunningham, undertook her support She seemed after
a time to come under the influence of divine grace, and was
baptized in the early part of 1862, but before the end of
the year, she became a great sufferer from boils, and finally
died, as already mentioned, on the 28th September.
On the nth January 1863, Mr James Mitchell baptized
four natives. One of these was a blind man, of Mussulman
extraction. Another was a Kunbi cultivator, a third was
a woman also of the Kunbi caste, who took refuge in the
Mission-house, having on her way thrown her household
gods into a well.
The sphere among the young Brahmans of Poonah had
now become so great and important, that it was necessary
that further aid should be sent from home, and Mr John
Small, who for four years ' previously had been teacher ot
the Free Church school at Aberuthven, having been ap-
pointed to the Poonah institution, left Gravesend in the
Windsor Castle on the 27th July 1863. He reached
Poonah on Wednesday, 7th December.
On 7th September 1864, a young man called Krishna,
of the Goundi or Mason caste, was baptized. He had pre-
viously stood against the efforts of his female relatives and
others to shake his resolution. With their tears, loud
outcries, falling at the feet, tearing of hair, &c., in short, such
a spectacle as deeply affects a European missionary,
Krishna was but little moved, believing it to be in the main
hypocritical acting, " That it was so in this case," says Mr
James Mitchell, " seemed very evident ; for when they found
that, notwithstanding all their waitings, he (Krishna) stood
firm, they changed their tactics and poured on him all the
imprecations and curses they could devise." His wife and
child were taken from him as a punishment for his embrac-
ing Christianity.
DEATH OF REV, JAMES MITCHELL, 275
At the annual examination of the girls' schools, Lady
Frere, wife of Sir Bartle Frere, Governor of Bombay, was
present, as were his Highness the ex- Ameer of Scinde, the
sons of Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, the Hon. Jugannath
Shunkersett, and other influential natives. The mission
had then one female boarding and six day schools, with an
aggregate of 310 pupils. In the former were twenty-three
boarders and seven day scholars. Formerly Mrs Mitchell
was the superintendent, but now Mrs Gardner had taken her
place.
On 1 2th March 1865, Mr Mitchell baptized two people.
The case of one was interesting. He was originally of the
Kayasta (writer) caste, a very respectable one in India,
and containing among its members, Chundu Lai, then prime
minister of the Hyderabad State. He had become a Gosavi
(a religious monk and mendicant), but becoming disgusted
with this mode of life, had again betaken himself to secular
employment. He was about thirty-five years of age when
he was baptized.
One source of support for the female schools at Poonah
arose from boxes of fancy work sent out by the Ladies*
Society and other friends at home. These were forwarded
alternately to Poonah and Nagpore, or were shared between
the two ; and at one of the sales — that held towards the end
of 1865— Sir Bartle and Miss Frere, with the stafif of the
former, came and made purchases. ;^24o were realised.
About the same time the Rev. Mr with Mrs Angus arrived
at Bombay, on his road to Poonah, where, however, in
providence, it was ordered that he should supply a vacancy
instead of adding another to the number of the ordained
missionaries.
In 1866, the long missionary career of Mr James Mitchell
came to a close. He expired on the heights of Matheran
on the 28th of March, after a short illness.
" lie died," says the Rev. Dr Wilson, •* in the full exercise of all his
mental and spiritual faculties, and in the possession of perfect rest and
276 POONAH.
peace in Jesus, and joy in the salvation of his God. Mrs Mitchell, his
eldest daughter, Dr Fraser, and Mr Small were present with him when
the solemn event occurred, and they were all (jreatly comforted by wit-
nessing the triumph of his faith in the Redeemer."
Mr Mitchell was the oldest of the missionaries. He was
about sixty-six when he died ; and with the exception of
two short visits home, had laboured in India continuously
for the long period of forty-three years. Though his talents
were not remarkable, yet his perseverance in labour, his
amiability, and his devoted piety, won all around him, and
sincere regret was expressed by many, from Sir Bartle Frere,
Governor of Bombay, downwards, when the news arrived of
his death. A forecast of this sorrow was given when he was
compelled to go temporarily home in 1853. A correspon-
dent thus wrote of him —
**His praise is on all sides around. It is quite astonishing to find
one who long occupied, in several respects, a critical and difficult post
all alone, and evidently was never afraid to raise his testimony on behalf
of the highest principle, universally esteemed and beloved. His down-
right candour made all respect him, even in rebuke, and his warm heart
made him a bosom friend of many through the presidency, but especially
in and around Poonah. The native congregation look on him emphati-
cally as a father, and many were the tears shed at his departure. ..."
CHAPTER VI.
AFTER MR MITCHELL'S DEATH.
After the death of Mr James Mitchell, Mr Gardner became
the head of the Poonah mission, with Mr Angus, recently
arrived, and Mr Small, an unordained missionary teacher.
A girl — Savitri — soon afterwards baptized from the board-
ing school, took the name of Margaret Mitchell, in grateful
remembrance of Mrs James Mitchell, who had been very
kind to her ; whilst another, who had been found standing
solitary and helpless in the mission ** compound" in i860,
and who, from her wild, gipsy-like character, had been called
GRAMTS'IN-AID, 2/7
Topsy, after the negress of that name in Mrs Beecher
Stowe's well-known fiction, " Uncle Tom's Cabin,'* was, at
her own request, called Maria Cunningham — Maria, after
Mrs Murray Mitchell, who placed her in the school, and
Cunningham, in gratitude to Mrs James Cunningham of
Edinburgh, who had sent her support. Of three baptisms
(not from the boarding school) which took place soon after-
wards, two were interesting from this circumstance, that the
man Bapoo was a Mahratta, properly so called, and con-
nected with the noble family of Shirakay, and his wife
Gunga, with the royal house of Bhonslah.
Before the end of 1866, Government had begun to give
grants to the educational operations of the mission, a boon
which might have been expected to be bestowed some
years before. The sums paid were —
Rupees.
Anilas.
Central Institution .
2419
Mussulman School .
53
8
City Marathi School .
109
Camp Marathi School
46
Total . . . 2627 8
Or about £262, 14s. 6d. sterling. Nothing was bestowed
on the female schools ; in fact, nothing had been asked, for
it was felt to be useless, unless certain Government rules
for grants-in-aid first underwent modification. Though
unassisted, the girls' schools were doing a good work, and
elicited the comm^dation of Miss Carpenter when she
visited them in company with Sir Alexander and Lady
Grant. The boarding-school was very helpful to the Church,
nine of the elder girls being communicants, and acting in a
manner befitting their profession. A woman who had
received her first religious impression when in the service of
Lady Grant, was admitted to the Church by baptism, Sir
Alexander and Lady Grant, with Miss Carpenter, being
present on the interesting occasion.
On Sabbath, 4th November 1866, a session was formed
(891) 19
278 POONAH.
for the native Church, Dr Wilson having previously come
to Poonah for the purpose of ordaining elders. Those set
apart on the occasion were the Rev. Mr Gardner, the Rev.
Mr Angus, and Mr Bapu Bhairava. The last named is the
only one of the three who has not yet been introduced to
our readers* notice. He was an old man of seventy-five, a
sub-overseer and account keeper of the Poonah Camp Pool's
Asylum. He died next year, "calling on the name of
Christ, and saying he was going home."
In June 1867, the Rev. James Patcrson, a Free Church
minister, who had been shortly before appointed harbour
missionary in Bombay, visited Poonah, and addressed
the pupils assembled for a religious service or Sabbath-
school on the Lord's-day morning. Mr Paterson suggested
that the addresses should be continued, if possible, a variety
of speakers being secured. The suggestion being acted on,
Dr Young spoke on Sabbath morning, July 7, and Colonel
Field on the 14th. The novelty of an officer of high rank
coming to address the students drew together a number of
young men from the Government College no less than from
the mission institution, to whom the Colonel spoke with
great power and faithfulness. On the 21st, Captain Jacob
made the address, on the 28th Colonel Phayre, the Quarter-
master-General, and Colonel Kirby the week afterwards.
The Rev. Narayan Sheshadri was to appear next, and then
several officers were to take their turns. Other missions
might well imitate this simple but highly promising method
of laying the truth with effect before the opening minds of
the Hindoo youths.
Soon afterwards, loss of health compelled Mr Gardner
of Poonah to pay a temporary visit home, from which he
returned in 1869. Messrs Angus and Small had carried on
the work with energy in his absence ; and the latter, having
turned his thoughts towards the ministry, was studying with'
the view of his becoming a missionary. His ordination
took place in St Andrew's Church, Bombay, towards the
THE OLD MISSION HOUSE TAKEN DOWN. 2/9
close of 1869, his "trials " having been sustained with high
approbation, especially his Marathi discourse, on which
high encomiums were passed for its simplicity, its idiomatic
purity, and the excellent pronunciation with which it was
delivered.
About the same time a mournful but inevitable adieu had
to be paid to the old Mission -house. There the native
Church had been cradled, and nurtyred in its infancy, till
now it had grown up to the goodly stature of possessing
about eighty communicants. For more than thirty years,
also, the English congregation had met within the same
building, and had contracted hallowed associations for the
place in which they had assembled. Still there were
reasons for bidding it adieu ; so after there had been a
communion in the native congregation, presided over by the
Rev, Baba Padmanji, who had recently been elected its
pastor ; and after a second service — one with the English
congregation — had concluded with the intimation that there
would not be any more preaching there, the house was
finally vacated. Soon the pickaxe and tlie hammers were
at work upon the walls, and the process of demolition
began. When the thatch and cloth ceiling were removed,
and the daylight streamed in, it then became apparent that
it had not been abandoned a day too soon, and that those
who had for some time back been afraid to enter it were not
without justification for their fears. The cracked and
gaping walls, and the broken joists and rafters, showed that
it would have been a tempting of providence to have
remained any longer. A grant was obtained from the home
Church to aid in the erection of a more substantial building.
The new Mission-house was not long in being put up.
When completed, it was occupied by Mr and Mrs Gardner.
The new ^hurch, which was erected chiefly by means of
contributions from friends in India, was opened for public
worship on January 1, 187 1.
In June 187 1, a pupil in the English school, called
280 POONAH.
Digambar, a milkman by caste, sought baptism, his rela-
tives and friends behaving in the way of which the earlier
history of the several missions furnishes so many painM
instances, but which, it was hoped, was becoming rarer with
the increase of enlightenment in the land. A short time
afterwards, Mr Baba baptized a sepoy.
That year, the Poonah mission sustained two serious
losses : Mrs Angus, whp had admirably discharged her re-
sponsible duties as the wife of a missionary, but had been
sent to her native land to recruit her shattered health, died
at Rothesay on the 26th September, and Mr Gardner, who
had again been ordered to Europe, was so worn out by his
labour in India that he was not likely to be again in a state
to labour with effect in that land. On finding that he would
be unable to return, the Rev. Mr Beaumont of Chinsurah,
temporarily at home as an invalid, volunteered to transfer
his services to the Poonah mission, and his offer being
thankfully accepted by the Committee, he, with his wife,
sailed for Bombay on 6th February of the ensuing year.
Mrs Beaumont subsequently took charge of the boarding-
school, to which, during many years, Mrs Gardner had ren-
dei-ed most effective service. In the Assembly report for
1872, the pupils of the Poonah mission were set down at 434.
Who, when the Peishwas were in the height, of their
glory, and the Mahratta confederacy had, in the opinion of
some, a better prospect than ourselves of obtaining the
sovereignty of India, would have dared to forecast the
establishment, the progress, and ultimately the gratifying
success of the Poonah mission ?
CHAPTER VII.
S ATTARA.
The town of Sattara is situated in the Deccan, a little east
from the Syhadree hills, about 115 miles in a straight line
THE SATTARA MISSION. 28 1
south-east from Bombay, and 55 south from Poonah. It was
the capital of Seevajee and his immediate successors till the
first of the independent Peishwas get up his court at
Poonah. The town of Sattara is not large. It lies in a
valley dominated by the fort, which is on the summit of an
adjacent hill. On the death of the last Rajah in 1848
without lineal descendents, the principality was held to
lapse to the British Government. Then a claimant started
up, and made great efforts here and in India to obtain the
sovereignty, but all in vain. We saw him received at Nag-
pore by the Rajah at a torch-light procession, in which there
was a march of horses, some with silver and some with
golden trappings, whilst the howdahs or seats on the backs
of the elephants shone resplendent with crystal. But, not-
withstanding all this display, the small British fort crowning
Seetabuldee hill remained grimly silent, and would not by
thundering forth a salute acknowledge the claimant king.
Sattara was occupied by Mr Aitken about the year
1850. He had some difficulty at times in raising money to
carry on his operations, the European population being too
small to furnish him with adequate supplies. Indeed, he
was generally dependent on friends at a distance, and at one
time received pecuniary assistance for his evangelistic work
from Sir Henry Havelock, and at another from Mr (now Sir
Bar tie) Frere. The whole labour of a school containing
200 pupils for the most part devolved on himself.
This school was for years held in a house so low that Mr
Aitken's head nearly touched the roof, while the temperature
occasionally stood at 1 1 5'. An effort was made to obtain a
large building capable of accommodating 1000, which had
been a residence of the late prime minister of the Rajah,
but it was resolutely refused, that it might not be " polluted
by a filthy beef-eater." In August 1852, however, Rajaduya,
a youth whom the late Rajah of Sattara wished to adopt as
his heir, came in great state to see the exaniination of the
school. The British Commissioner advised him to become
282 POONAH.
a pupil, which he did, and then, beef-eating notwithstanding,
the building so long refused was given, and that at the
extremely moderate rate of ;;^i5 per annum.
Towards the end of 1858, when it became evident that
the health of Mr Hislop would speedily necessitate his tem-
porary return to Europe, steps were taken to supply his place
for a season. It was thought that the best method of
meeting the difficulty would be to send Mr White to Nag-
pore, bringing Mr Aitken to Bombay to supply his place,*
and abandoning Sattara as a Free Church station. The
arrangement was carried out, and Sattara was given up. We
ar« not aware that Mr Aitken baptized any natives during
the years in which he laboured there. The popular belief
was that he demanded too high a standard from applicants
for the sacred ordinance, and that they, becoming ultimately
tired of waiting, asked and received baptism from other
missions. No work done for Christ is ultimately abortive,
and it cannot be doubted that there were and must have
been permanent results from the temporary Sattara mission.
CHAPTER VII r.
THE RURAL MISSION AT INDAPORE AND JAULNA.
Our own view is clear and decided that, for an attack on
the caste hierarchy of the great Indian cities, street preach-
ing has been found comparatively powerless, and that no
method of evangelistic operations has in efficiency ap-
proached the ** institution '* system. But India being
an agricultural, and not a commercial, much less a manu-
facturing country, the cities are proportionately far fewer in
number, and, with a few exceptions, are smaller in popula-
tion that those of Britain, so that the list of places in which
♦ Mr Aitken's connection with the Free Church mission ceased in October 1868,
and hs died in India in 1870.
A RURAL MISSION PROJECTED. 283
a powerful institution can exist (outside of Lower, Bengal at
least) is very limited. The great mass of the Hindoos, then,
must be evangelised by preaching. Though it is, of course,
impossible to state spiritual results in mathematical formulae,
yet founding our view on past experience, we believe it an
approximation to the truth to say that the power of an
efficiently conducted " institution " is in the direct ratio of
the size of the city in which it exists, while the influence of
preaching, as tested by the number and character of the
baptisms, is in the inverse ratio of the magnitude of the
town or village in which the gospel has been proclaimed.
In other words, preaching has been more successful in the
towns than in the cities, in the villages than in the towns,
and in the hamlets tenanted by the wild tribes than in the
villages. Again, while the success of the institutions has
been mainly among Brahmans, or, at the least, Sudras of
respectable position, that of preaching has been greatest
among the despised outcastes, whether subdued and thrust
down to the lowest part of Hindoo society, or still wild
among the woods and hills.
When, therefore, it was resolved to establish a mission in
which preaching, specifically so called, should be the para-
mount method of operations, the locality judiciously selected
was among towns and villages, so much so that it was
called, though not with perfect accuracy, "rural/* There
had for a long time been, and there still continues to be, a
mission of the very kind contemplated, that of the Ameri^
cans at Ahmednugger, in the Deccan. The brethren there,
who at first gave prominence in their arrangements to educa-
tion, afterwards completely altered their system, and directed
almost their entire energies to preaching. In the Mis-
sionary Record ioT January 1861 there was a letter from Dr
J. Murray Mitchell, who, in company with Narayan Shes-
hadri and two other converts, had just visited the Ahmed-
nugger mission, on occasion of the jubilee of the American
Board and was much struck by the sight, 300 out of the
284 POONAH,
400 and more* converts of the mission having come from
the villages where they lived to take part in the celebration.
Dr Mitchell expressed the strong desire that a similar mis-
sion could be set up in the villages near Poonah. In the
winter of 1 861-1862 he visited Jaulna, where two of the
native agents of the Bombay Free Church Mission had
laboured for several months, and found some fruits of their
exertions still remaining t — {Free Church Missionary Record^
1863, p. 222). In a subsequent letter, dated January 23,
1862, he said that a serious error, he thought, had been
committed in allowing the work at Indapore and Jaulna to
be interrupted, and stated that Mr Narayan Sheshadri would
soon proceed to one or other of the stations just mentioned
with the view of recommencing operations. Evidently Dr
Mitchell was the prime mover in the revival of the mission
over which the Rev. Narayan Sheshadri % now presides. In
1862 also, Indapore was selected as the first seat of the
mission, and in the month of May operations were actively
commenced. § A vernacular school was set up, to which
Mahars, after some demur, sent their children, and a col-
porteur, Hira Singh, was sent to sell Testaments and tracts.
Once a month Narayan preached to the British engineers
and labourers employed on the railway at some distance
from Indapore. After eight months' advocacy of female
education, he next established a female school Three
months after it was begun thirty-five were in attendance,
all girls of caste. Narayan, in addition to taking the
religious part of the teaching in the ordinary school,
instructed also between sixty and eighty children of the
♦ " The converts," Dr Mitchell says, "are above 400, and of late theirntunber
has been rapidly increasing. The influence spreads among the lowest castes, but is
hardly perceptible among the middle and upper classes."
t One of these, Mr Haldane Jenwick, was sent to Jaulna as early as the autumn
of 1855, and was supported by Christian officers at the station.
X We remember with affection and esteem Narayan Sheshadri when we had
Christian intercourse with him at Bombay many years ago, and, as before stated,
believe him to be one of the most valuable converts which God has ever given to any
Indian mission.
i It was estimated that by this time Indapore had increased to 10,000 inhabitants.
RURAL MISSION AT INDAPORE AND JAULNA. 28$
lower classes from the Word of God, in two ragged schools
which he had set up. A rich Hindoo merchant soon after-
wards paid for the establishment of a second female school.
Two catechists, the one Premdas and the other the colpor-
teur Hira Singh, were sent to labour in and around Jaulna.*
. In 1863, Rawji Mulhari, a trained apothecary, who had
served under Government for many years, and who, with
his whole family, was baptized by Dr Murray Mitchell,
was engaged by Mr Sheshadri as a native medical mis-
sionary for Indapore and Jaulna. Indapore was divided
into five districts for preaching purposes. In 1863 the
baptism of a middle-aged Brahman, called Madhoo Rao
Rajaram, was reported. He was originally of the immoral
sect of Shaktas, or worshippers of the goddess Devi. In
1864 Hira Singh's wife was received into the Church.
Narayan reported that he was in the habit of keeping the
week of prayer requested by the Evangelical Alliance. So
utterly has he flung from him the fetters of caste pedigree
that, speaking of the " higher" and the lower classes, he
says — " I use this word for the sake of convenience, I
myself acknowledge no such distinction." At the first
Christian marriage which took place in the mission, about
400, including the leading inhabitants, were invited to be
present, and came, when Narayan showed them how much
of British prosperity was to be traced to the honour acceded
in our land to woman. An Anglo vernacular school was
soon after set up in Indapore.
Twice a year Narayan visited Jaulna, and found it more
disposed to receive the truth than Indapore. In 1865 there
were in the Church at Jaulna twenty-one in full communion,
two suspended, twenty-three baptized children, and about
twelve in the class of catechumens, That at Indapore, at
• Jaulna is a cantonment 235 miles S W of Nagpore* a"d 2»o N.E. of Bombay
The military force located there, which is under British officers, is designed to serve
(or, if need be, to control) our ancient friend and^Uy the Nizam of Hyderabad. The
population of Jaulna fluctuates according to the number of troops at the time there.
In the native city of Jaulna there are about zo,ooo people, and at Khaderabad,
two miles S. W. of the cantonment, about 7000 more.
286 POONAH,
the same time, consisted of ten members in full communion,
eight baptized children, one suspended, and eight unbap-
tized children, wards of the mission.
On a visit to Jaulna in August 1863, Narayan baptized
thirteen adults and five children, and on a second one, half
a year later, eleven adults and five children. On the latter
of these tours he asked contributions from some Europeans
to enable him to set up schools at certain places along the
line of route, and at Jaulna itself he wished to establish a
school for the benefit of the converts, few of whom were
able to read, or if they were too old to learn, at least for
their children. Most of the converts, he stated, belonged
to the lowest of the low, by which he meant that they were
Mahar or Mang outcastes. The appeal was successful, and
the normal school which he sought to establish was begun.
It having been apparently urged upon Mr Narayan firom
home that he should, if possible, try to make the several
stations self-supporting, he said that if he were aided five
years from the time he wrote — the end of 1865 or the
beginning of 1866 — he might perhaps by that time succeed
in doing so. His wife, he mentioned, understood farming,
and, having secured a field, and entertaining expectations
of obtaining two or three more, she had given him 75
rupees {£t, ios.) in one year for missionary purposes, and
45 (;^4> IOS.) the next The Church at Jaulna had by this
time increased to sixty-two souls.
In about four years from the first foundation of the mis-
sion Mr Narayan became popular with the natives of Inda-
pore. He was elected president of a charitable committee,
and of a general library. Obtaining philosophical instru-
ments from Scotland, he made use of them in lecturing to
the people, and found them considerably to aid him in
reaching their hearts. Another method which he employed
of spreading the truth is worthy of adoption in other parts
of India. Premdas had some poetic genius, which he used
for the cause of the Redeemer, composing Christian hymns
RURAL MISSION A T INDAPORE AND JA ULNA, 287
and afterwards setting them to native tunes. There was in
connection with the mission a blind man who had a sten-
torian voice, as also had his wife. The Christian party,
musically led by this couple, were wont to march through
Jaulna, Khaderabad, and other places, singing Premdas'
hymns, while some of their number accompanied the vocal
effort with four-stringed instruments, cymbals, and a drum.
No money was taken, though some was offered, lest the
party might be mistaken for ordinary street "musicians.
By the end of 1867 the Jaulna native congregation had
116 members and adherents, eighty-eight of them in full
communion. Twenty-three adults had been received dur-
ing the year. Eleven of the 116 were from the Roman
Catholic Church. As a large number of the converts had
no hereditary right in the villages in which they resided,
Mr Narayan thought it would be expedient to found for
their use a Christian village. The Nizam's Prime Minister,
the enlightened Sir Salar Jung, was favourable to the pro-
ject, and granted land to be rent free for twenty-five years.
The site chosen was on a most elevated spot, visible from
afar. The village was to be built on sanitary principles.
Its name was to be Bethel, and pecuniary aid, it was stated,
would be required to enable its founder to sink half-a-dozen
wells, erect a good church, a manse, two school-houses, one
for boys and the other for girls, an inn for strangers to
dwell in, a market shed, an industrial shed, and construct
macadamised roads bordered with trees. It was proposed
that the natives should build houses at their own expense,
but ;£iooo were asked from the committee for the purposes
now mentioned. They having their funds pledged to other
enterprises were unable to grant Mr Narayan's request.
The children in the Scottish Sabbath schools were, however,
appealed to, ;^4oo being solicited from them to build two
school-houses and dig a well. They responded with their
wonted enthusiasm, and raised ;^42o in place of ;£400.
In 1871, the Rev. Sidoba Bapuji Misal, an ordained
288 POONAH.
missionary of the American Mission in Western India, was
engaged by Mr Sheshadri entirely on his own responsibility^
and was stationed at Oomrawuttee.* Finding his support
burdensome, Mr Narayan wished the Committee to under-
take it, which they did, but at the same time they expressed
the hope that the native brethren would do all in their
power "to develop the resources of the native Church in
the direction of ministerial support" The Indapore and
Jaulna mission has been managed with admirable fertility of
resource, devotion, and success ; and if the varied plans of
its conductor have at times had to be cut down, or even set
aside, it must be remembered, that to an extent not easily
understood in the East, the several Church Committees
feel difficulty in raising, within a small country like Scotland,
and from a people who mostly feel difficulty in meeting the
wants of their own households, the sums required to carry
on Christian operations in their own and in many other
lands. Not the wish of the Foreign Mission Committee,
but the limitation of the funds in their hands, circum-
scribes their operations. Were the means at their command,
they would gladly take steps at once to enter all the open
doors existing around the several mission stations in the
great and necessitous Indian land.
* Oomrawuttee is a town — a great cotton mart. It was into this place that great
qua itities of money poured during the American war, of which, if report is to be
believed, some natives made so bad a u<;e, that they haid silver instead of iron wheels
constructed for their carts to gratify their love of display 1
SECTION VI.
N AGP ORE.
CHAPTER I.
THE PLACE AND PEOPLE.
jEASURED in a straight line, Nagpore is 390
miles N.E., slightly E. of Poonah j and one is
apt to leap to the conclusion, that being so
much further into the interior than that upland
city, it must occupy a position very elevated above the sea,
and be semi-European in climate. A glance at the map ot
India will instantly dissipate such an illusion. It will be
perceived that the watershed for Western and Central India
runs along the summits of the Western Ghauts, which are
on an average but 45 miles from the Arabian sea ; and all
the rivers flow S.E., descending from near Poonah, more or
less in the Nagpore direction, till finally they are lost in the
distant Bay of Bengal. While Poonah, as mentioned before,
is 1823 feet above the sea-level, Nagpore is no more than
930. It is remote from the great centres of European en-
lightenment, being, if the measurement be made in mathe-
matically straight lines, 440 miles from Bombay, 565 from
Madras, and 605 from Calcutta. Situated not far from mid-
way between the three presidency seats, it was from the first
perceived that, when the time for holding a Presbyterian
290 NAG PORE.
Synod in India arrives, Nagpore is probably the spot where,
for the first year at least, its sittings will take place.
In many maps of India not yet withdrawn from circula-
tion, a large territory figures in their central portion, with
"Berar'' printed across it in capital letters. Of this king-
dom, Nagpore is made the capital. This geographical
arrangement has, however, been obsolete for a great many
years. When an Anglo-Indian uses the word Berar, he
means, not the Nagpore country, but a cotton-growing
territory west of it, with Ellichpore for its capital
The region ruled over by the late Nagpore king, or by
Gond chieftains, at least nominally in vassalage to him,
was 368 miles long, by 278 broad, and included an area of
76,432 square miles. It was about 2^ times as large as
Scotland, and considerably exceeded in extent England
and Wales. The most civilized portion of the territory was
divided into five soobahs or provinces : — i, Deogur below
the Ghauts, capital, Nagpore j 2, Chanda, with a capital of
the same name; 3, Wain-Gunga, capital, Bundara; 4, Deogur
above the Ghauts, capital, Chindwara; and 5, Chutteesgur,
with its chief town Raepore. Besides these settled provinces,
there were numerous fiefs, many under semi-barbarian Gond
chiefs. The largest of these was Bustar, an unexplored
region covered with jungles, in which it was suspected that
human sacrifices still lingered. By our Mussulman prede-
cessors a large portion of the Nagpore country was called
Gondwana, or the region of the Gonds. The advent of the
Mahrattas was a comparatively recent event — it took place
only between one and two hundred years ago. Now, the
mass of the inhabitants in all the five settled provinces, ex-
cept that of Chutteesgur, are Mahrattas. In 1825, a census
was taken, and the relative proportion of the several races
was found to be these : — Hindoos of the Brahmanic faith,
2,120,795; Mussulmans, 58,368; Gonds, 291,603. It is
supposed that there are now 4,650,000, or even four and
three quarter millions.
NAGPORE AND ITS VICINITY. 29 1
Nagpore city is not more than 150 years old. It was,
until lately, the capital of the Eastern Mahrattas, but since
its annexation to the British empire, it has become the chief
city of the Indian ** Central Provinces." It is shaped like
the bow of a ship with the bowsprit still adhering, the latter
being formed by a long suburb which projects from it on
its north-eastern side. It is so thickly planted with trees
that on some sides one travelling past it might mistake it
for a forest, — indeed, but for the occasional glimpse of a
house or a temple peering through the umbrageous foliage,
even a somewhat keen observer might fall into this illusion.
It is, or at least used to be, filthy, even for an Indian city —
all sanitary law being systematically set at defiance. A
census of Nagpore, made some years ago, fixed its popula-
tion at 1 1 1,231, 2^ per cent, of them Mussulmans. West of
Nagpore a mile and a half, and separated from it by a large
tank, there rises the two-topped hill of Seetabuldee, me-
morable for the gallant and ultimately successful defence
which a small British and Sepoy force made there on the
26th November 181 7, against the Arabs, aided finally by
hosts of Mahratta cavalry, treacherously instigated by our
nominal friend and ally, Appa Saheb, then Nagpore king,
to attack and destroy the British, in a time of profound
peace between the two governments. The Europeans at
Nagpore do not live in that capital itself, but at Seetabuldee.
The Mission-house was on the slope of the hill facing the
city. Kamptee and Seetabuldee were British territory at a
time when the whole region round was under native rule.
The mass of the British and sepoy troops designed, while
the Nagpore kingdom stood, to protect, or if need arose,
to control the Rajah, were located, not at Seetabuldee, but
ten miles north-east, at a place called Kamptee. That mili-
tary cantonment stretches from north-west to south-east,
along the right bank of the Kanhan River. Its population
fluctuates according to the number of regiments which at
any particular time happen to be there. On the 7 th April
292 NAGPORE.
1837, when the forces were above the average, the inhabi-
tants of Kamptee and the villagers connected with it were
stated at 41,659 souls, exclusive of a fluctuating population
of 1410, and of 5000 persons from the country, who were
supposed to attend the weekly markets.— ^/^it/w* Report;
also Free Church Missionary Record {ox 1843, p. 67,
On looking, before experience was obtained at the ad-
vantages and disadvantages of Nagpore as a mission field,
it was needful first to make a distinction between the ex-
ceptional spots, Kamptee and Seetabuldee on the one hand,
and the rest of the territory on the other. At Kamptee,
and a portion of Seetabuldee, the Hindoo races with which
the mission would necessarily be brought in contact were
the Tamuls and Teloogoos, who, in Southern India, had
been found so susceptible of Christian enlightenment, while
everywhere else the race to be encountered would be the
Mahrattas, who, chiefly from political causes explained in
the first chapter on Bombay, have everywhere shown them-
selves backward in receiving the truth. To the diflSculties
at Bombay, Poonah, Sattara, and elsewhere, would inevit-
ably be superadded others of a character not experienced
by the brethren at the stations just mentioned, namely, that
the ruling power was in the hands of a heathen instead of
a Christian Government, and it was very questionable
whether liberty of conscience would be granted, if any
inquirer, important enough to be a sensible loss to Hindoo-
ism or Mohammedanism, should seek admission into the
Church of Christ.
CHAPTER 11.
THE COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS.
The circumstances in which the resolution was formed to
occupy Nagpore, have already been detailed in the early
WRECK OF A GERMAN MISSION. 293
portion of this volume. The Rev. Stephen Hislop, the first
missionary, was ordained in Dr Candlish's church, on Thurs-
day, September 4, 1844. He and Mrs Hislop (the latter
called before her marriage Miss Erasma Hull), left South-
ampton in the Great Liverpool steamer, on the 3rd Novem-
ber 1844. They reached Bombay in safety on the 13 th
December, and accompanied by Mr Murray Mitchell, ap-
pointed by the Presbytery of Bombay to be their escort,
arrived at Nagpore on the 13th of February 1845. Their
route had been via Poonah, Ahmednugger, Aurungabad,
and Jaulna; a distance, if allowance be made for the
occasional tortuousness of the roads, considered to be about
580 miles. The gentlemen performed the greater portion
of it on horseback. Many friends welcomed them on their
arrival, and among others Captain Hill, the generous founder
of the mission. Three German artisans, Messrs Bartels,
Apler, and Voss, then at Kamptee, became assistants to
Mr Hislop. The two former had been saved when their
companions perished in the wreck of an agricultural
mission.*
Messrs Apler and Voss were sent to Seetabuldee, with
instructions, if possible, to make it a basis of operations
against Nagpore city. Their first efforts were not encourag-
ing. Most of our readers must have seen a representation
* The occurrence briefly mentioned in the text was of a very tragic character.
About the end of Z84Z, six Germans went out to India, under the. auspices of the
late Pastor Gossner of Berlin, to found an agricultural mission colony among the
Gonds of Oomercuntuk, upwards of 200 miles north-east from Nagpore. They
reached their destination on the 26th February 1842. On the 25th March, a village
for which they had negotiated was transferred to them by the natives. They pro-
ceeded next to build a house, cultivating at the same time the fields which they
had acquired. They were thus engaged in the middle of June, when the rainy
season set in. Their house was not sufficiently far advanced to keep out water, and
disease broke forth among them. Four out of the six died, within five days of each
other. Among those who thus perished was Mr Losh, the one ordained agent of
the mission, and the only member of the party who had any knowledge of the
country. The two survivors, Messrs Bartels and Apler, made their way to ^ubbulpore,
about 156 miles north-east of Nagpore. Afterwards, on the kind invitation of Cap-
tain Hill, they set out for Kamptee, which they reached on the 4th February 1843.
Ultimately, with the sanction of the Home Committee, they were associated with
the Nagpore mission. Meanwhile a third German, Mr Voss, had arrived to reinforce
the original party, and he also, finding the agricultural mission abapdoned, sought
a connection with the Free Church and Mr Hislop.— -^rr«f Church Missionary
Record, 1847 48, pp. 513, 5x4- ^^
(801) 20
294 NAGPORB.
of the ten incarnations of Vishnoo. Nine of these are con-
sidered as already past, while the tenth is still to come.
Some Brahmans and other Hindoos in Nagpore city and
elsewhere, having formed the opinion that the tenth advent
was immediately to be expected, broke their castes in pre*
paration for the happy event, and from the Kalki avatar or
incarnation which they waited for, they were termed
Kalankees. The orthodox Hindoos considered their views
as to the tenth advent erroneous, and their procedure in
breaking their castes sin of the worst kind, and, in conse-
quence, persecuted them considerably. It was just when
the excitement was about the greatest, that Messrs Apler
and Voss appeared upon the scene, and in the crass ignor-
ance of the nature of Christianity then prevailing in the city,
they too were dubbed Kalankees, and were supposed to
aim at breaking castes, in preparation for the tenth avatar.
Mr Voss returned from the city on one occasion, with the
marks of four large stones upon his hat; these, it need
Scarcely be added, had been flung at him by members of
the orthodox party. In such circumstances it was deemed
prudent for the German brethren to forbear entering the
city for a time. Mr Bartels, who had been located at
Kamptee, had a much more tranquil sphere. He was given
the oversight of the small Tamul congregation, and the
superintendence of the educational operations of the mission
in Kamptee. It is necessary here to explain how these
originally begun.
When Mr Hislop first reached Kamptee, he found there
a small Christian school, conducted on an unsectarian basis
by a committee of officers. These gentlemen considered
that the object for which they had commenced the school
would best be served by transferring it to the mission,
handing over along with it the building in which it was held.
Before the committee took this decisive action they very
properly sent a circular to those who had contributed to the
erection of the original building, but failed to find among
OPERA TIONS A T ICAMPTEE, 29S
them a dissentient voice as to the propriety of the measure
which they recommended. The original edifice speedily
becoming too small for the school under its new manage-
ment, was ultimately converted into a house for the teacher,
and the mission built adjacent to it a new and larger one in
which the school has ever since been conducted. Mr
Bartels, as already mentioned, was requested to take charge
of the Kamptee school when first the mission received it,
and did so cheerfully, but alas ! his labour in it soon ter-
minated. He died on the i6th August 1845. The im-
pression made on Mr Voss by the fatality which seemed to
track the footsteps of the Germans in Central India was
such that it told on his physical and mental health. H^ left
Nagpore for a mission in the Himalayas, and had ultimately
to return to Europe. Only Mr Apler now remained with
the Free Church mission.
In default of other teachers Mr Hislop obtained from
Bombay a highly-educated and able, but, unhappily, a non-
Christian Hindoo called Sakharam Balkrishna, to conduct
the secular teaching, while he himself gave his best efforts
to the religious department. There were at this time
fifty- seven scholars, some of them Europeans or Indo-
Britains, but the great majority Hindoos. He ministered
at the same time to Europeans, and was divinely enabled
to do spiritual good to a young officer in the cantonment.
Still, as the population of Kamptee was, properly speaking,
foreign to Central India, and as, moreover, it almost
totally changed every third year, Mr Hislop felt that he
must direct his main efforts to Nagpore and the Mahrattas,
and in anticipation of his speedily leaving Kamptee, the
financial board of the mission paid 400 rupees to buy out
of the army a pious corporal called Mr Liddel, who wished
to be employed as a Christian teacher. The Kamptee school
was put under his charge, and it was to accommodate
him that the old building was converted into a residence.
By this time the Kalankee storm had blown over, and on
296 NAGPORE,
the 2nd of May 1846, Mr Hislop, "with much fear and
trembling, but yet looking to the Head of the Church, who
disposeth all things for the advancement of His cause,"
opened a school in the city of Nagpore. The premises
obtained were in the chief street — that which had in it the
Rajah's palace. Commenting on this fact a few years later,
a not very friendly Resident said complainingly, " You have
taken the bull by the horns." There was no possibility or
wish to deny that such had been the case ; but all things
considered, the boldest policy is, as a rule, the safest in
dealing with half-civilised Asiatics — the smallest symptom of
timidity is generally fatal to an enterprise. When the school
was first opened, 30 boys entered their names as scholars,
and before long there were 70. A few wished to learn
English, but the great majority cared for nothing but
Mahratta. Sakharam, whose native language was Mahratta,
removing from Kamptee, took the secular part of the instruc-
tion in the Nagpore school, while Mr Hislop communicated
the religious knowledge. He still visited Kamptee statedly
to conduct religious services, and at one of these, on the
4th June 1846, baptized his Tamul servant Mahankali,
and Veerapa or Veeraswamy, servant of a Christian officer,
Colonel Wynch. Both were Tamul Pariahs. Till Mahan-
kali came under the power of the truth, he never thought
of acquiring the art of reading ; but on becoming a
Christian, he set to do so with great ardour, that he might
read the Word of God himself, instead of being dependent
on others for information as to its contents. Both Mahan-
kali and Veerapa remained permanently in connection with
the mission.
A few months later, Mr Hislop took up his vigorous pen
to expose the proceedings of the British authorities in
choosing for the day when the Rajah was to be formally
saluted a heathen festival called the Dusserah, when the
king appeared, not in a civil, but in an ecclesiastical capa-
city, going forth in state to worship a tree. No improve-
FIIiST FRUIT OF THE EASTERN MAHRATTAS. 29/
ment resulted from Mr Hislop's efforts, but matters re-
mained unchanged till the fall of the Nagpore monarchy
left no king to salute.
The present writer was ordained in the Free West
Church, Aberdeen, on the 2 2d October 1846. Sailing from
Southampton on the 3d January 1847, ^^ reached Bombay
on the 14th February, and Nagpore on the 27 th March.
It was arranged that he should be placed, not at Kamptee,
but with Mr Hislop at Seetabuldee, that he might operate
on Nagpore city.
On Sabbath, the 25th July, Yadoji, ex-patel — that is, ex-
mayor — of the village or small town of Vishnoor, on the
Wurda river, 70 miles west of Nagpore, was baptized at
Kamptee in' presence of the English congregation. His
first religious impressions had been produced by reading a
tract called the First Book for Children, and they had been
deepened on a visit paid to him by Messrs Hislop and Apler
during the school vacation at the end of 1846. Yadoji was
the first fruit of the eastern Mahrattas to Christ.
At the examination of Kamptee school on the 24th
August 1847, there were 104 on the roll. Some were Euro-
pean or East Indian girls, for whom an industrial depart-
ment had been provided. At the end of 1847, there were
still 104, of whom 93 were in attendance — viz., 19 girls and
74 boys. There were 11 Europeans, 5 Mussulmans, i
Parsee, and 63 Hindoos. Only 18 had been a year at
school. That year there was a "mission tour with a tent to
Chanda, about 85 miles south of Nagpore.
On Sabbath, 26th March 1848, Apaya, a Teloogoo Pariah,
and Perumal, a Tamul Pariah who took the name of Ben-
jamin, were baptized at Kamptee. Apaya afterwards ren-
dered the mission great service as colporteur. About
fourteen months subsequently, Benjamin, falling sick, was
coerced back into heathenism through the maltreatment he
received from one of his relatives. On recovering, he
compromised matters with his conscience by becoming a
298 NAGPORR.
RomanUt. On* the 28th May 1848, a Tamul Pariah,
Ramaswamy, or David, was baptized.
On the 1 8th May 1848, Mr Hislop was bitten by a mad
dog. When one who has sustained an injury of this sort
has the part affected carefully cauterised, hydrophobia
scarcely ever results; but there is always the possibility
that some of the poison may still be left in the wonnd,
and it is not till at least six weeks have passed away without
any symptoms showing the approach of the appalling disease
that the sufferer can feel himself again safe. It was a
weary time of waiting, and the depression natural in the
circumstances was in no slight degree increased by a mourn-
ful event which occurred during the interval One day, the
excellent assistant-missionary, Mr Apler, was proceeding to
the city, where he was tn the habit of preaching d^dly in the
streets, though sometimes maltreated by the people. He
unexpectedly observed that he was to a trifling extent
spitting blood, and thought that though no danger was in all
likelihood to be apprehended, yet it might be prudent to
avoid exercising his voice in public that day. He there-
fore returned home. That faint spitting of blood arose
from inflammation of the lungs, which speedily became very
fierce, and terminated his earthly existence on the 27th
May. His wife left soon afterwards, and then there was not
at Nagpore one survivor of the unhappy German mission.
CHAPTER III.
THE CASTE STRUGGLE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.
A NUMBER of the best scholars in the Nagpore school were
Mahratta Brahmans, some of whom had become consider-
ably shaken in their heathenism by the Christian training
which they had received. Side by side with these sat two
boys from Seetabuldee, whose fathers, now members of the
THE CASE OF BAB4 FANDURANG, Z99
Church, had (Hriginally been Tamul Pariahs. Thip awAil
fact came to be known by sundry jaew comers a$ yet ^^-png
in their heathenism, and in the pride pf their casjte purity
they made the demand that the ''Pariahs'' .^ould be
expelled. The mission, of course, firmly declined apceding
to their wish. On this they left school, and had they done
no more than this, their bigotry would hare inflicted littie
damage, and the matter would soon have been forgottien.
But, on departing, they communicated the intelligence t#
the city Brahmans that there were " Pariahs** in ihe Ni^gpore
school, and a ukase in consequence came forth ^oin the
chief priests, ordering the immediate withdrawal of all the
Brahman pupils. It was impossible in the backwaxd state'
of Nagpore society to jesist this mandate, and the Brahman
youths who did not care whether there veve Pariahs in the
school or not, were forced away« though there was no other
place where they could nbtain European knowledge.
After a time, one of the BraJunans, rcoiLoyed from instrucr
tion^^Baba Panduismg, a youth aged fourteen yie§r$ and
eight months'^iesolved to return la 5diH>ol, cost whaA the
step might Of caste prejudice he lia4 none, br in heart
he was a Christian, and he believed that not even his
earthly father had any right to doom him to ignorance at
the bidding of a sel^h heathen priesUiood. He resumed
attendance at school, and would not cease it, even at tbe
bidding of his father. Being puit in confinement at hooQie
and cruelly treated, he considered that he had no resource
but to seek shelter at the Mission-house, avow his Christian
convictions, and solicit that he might be baptized. His
father was sent for, and given every opportunity oi per-
suading him to return hom;e,. but he was not permitted to
itse violence. Baba stood ftrm against all endeavours to
indnce him to leave, and plainly stated his intention of
soliciting admission into the Church. On this the father
complained to the Rajah, and the Rajah to the acting
Resident, by whom the youth's immediate surrender was
300 NAGPORE.
demanded. Mr Hislop wrote explaining the circumstances
in which Baba had come, and pointing out that he would
in all probability be ill-treated if he returned to the city. A
second demand came for his surrender, which was now
stated to be required by existing treaties, one of which made
the king absolute over his subjects, and another stipulated
that his " discontented subjects *' should be given up. A
promise was, however, given in this second letter that the
British Resident would interpose for his protection. Not-
withstanding this the youth, who, on being given up, wit-
nessed a good confession before the Brahmanic and other
dignitaries of the city, was placed in confinement by the
Mahratta Government, no time, however remote, being
mentioned for his release, and the opinion of some among
the natives was that he would be imprisoned for life. An
appeal was taken to the Governor-General in Council, but
without eflfect ; and it was understood, though not definitely
known, that the Court of Directors also approved of all that
had been done by the local authority at Nagpore. Failing
other means of redress, the aid of public opinion was next
invoked, and very successfully. Both the religious and the
secular press of India took up the case warmly ; and Baba
was written out of his place of confinement on the iioth
day from the time of his incarceration. On being released,
he almost immediately reopened communication with the
mission, though after a time it became manifest that he had
suffered considerable moral injury during his confine-
ment.
If the interpretation put upon the letters of the acting
Resident, and almost universally concurred in by the mis-
sionaries, was correct, then there would be no possibility of
admitting any Christian convert from Nagpore into the
Church, unless, indeed, he were one so unimportant that no
one thought of complaining against him to the native autho-
rities. It was questionable whether, in these circumstances,
it was worth while to continue the operations in Nagpore
DEATH OF YADOJI. 30 1
city, since, though sowing there was permitted, reaping was
prohibited under heavy penalties.
So completely were the camp followers in Kamptee and
Seetabuldee severed by language, and even in sympathy,
from the Mahrattas of Nagpore, that the former were not
perceptibly affected by the case of Baba Pandurang ; and
on the 19th November 1848, a Teloogoo carpenter (Cot-
tingam, an objectionable name changed to Jacob), who
worked in the Seetabuldee arsenal, was baptized, his mother
and sister uttering threats, happily not carried out, of taking
their lives whenever they heard that the baptism was com- -
pleted. A few days subsequent to this new accession to the
Church, Yadoji, the first Mahratta convert, went, with the
sanction of the missionaries, to his village to escort his
wife, who now professed her willingness to live with him,
to Nagpore. He caught fever in passing through the
jungle, and arrived in a dying state. Access to his own
house was denied him, and he died m a cowshed, after
testifying his faith in Christ. His last request, that his
remains might be buried like those of a Christian and not
burnt in the Hindoo fashion, was disregarded. He was
burnt, and his ashes were thrown into the Wurda river,
which runs past Vishnoor.
At the second examination of the Kamptee school, which
was held on Saturday, 3d February 1849, there were on the
roll 119 pupils, 20 of them girls ; 108 were present on the
examination day.
The notoriety which the case of Baba Pandurang gave to
the fact that two boys originally of Pariah descent were in
Nagpore school, rendered it impossible for the Brahman
pupils to return as they wished, while it was a point of
honour with the mission not to ask the two obnoxious youths
to withdraw ; it was felt to be a matter of duty to retain them
at whatever cost. A method, however, was suggested by a
native friend interested in the case, of postponing to a more
convenient season the remainder of the caste struggle. A
302 NAOPORE,
school was set up, on the 15th February 1849, in Sectabuldee,
a place which, on other grounds, it was desirable to occupy so
soon as it could conveniently be done, and the ex-^Pariahs,
finding it much more convenient for them to go thither than
to walk an additional mile and a half to Nagpore, spontane-
ously transferred themselves to the new school, on which the
chief Brahman and other high caste pupil$ returned to the
Nagpore seminary. By and by, when the two boys became
somewhat more advanced in their studies, they were re-
quested to return to Nagpore. When they reappeared, all
the senior pupils knew perfectly what th^y were, and a single
rash word would have commenced a new ca^te stni^le.
But tranquillity remained unbroken, because no pupil had
the courage or the imprudence to say, "There are the
Pariahs."
On Sabbath, nth March 1849, Shrawan, the teacher of
the Seetabuldee school, was baptised. He was of the
the Mahratta Kunbi, or cultivator caste, and in some mea-
sure supplied the place of the deceased Yadoji, wbo wa$
also a KunbL
On the morning of Sabbath, and September 1849, ** the
ordinary morning meeting for communicating instruction to
the heathen pupils, the passage of Scripture taken up ia
course having suggested the importance of female education,
the missionary who was conducting the service made some
strong remarks on the subject A young man present ex-
claimed that if a girls' school were established, fais %\%V^
would attend. After further addresses from the missionaries,
the school was opened on the loth September with &ve
pupils, no payment, direct or indirect, having been* made to
them for attending. By dint of desperate effort, the number
was soon after got up from five to eighteen ; but Nagpore
being in all respects half, if not even a whole, century
behind the presidency seats in enlightenment, the schoc^
never rose into power. A romantic incident, however, took
place in connection with it during the first twelve months of
LULLOO BAL 303
its existence. One day l^e teacher was suipriscd to find
two girls of rank, about ten years old, present themselves
for admittance. One was sister of the principal queen, and
was called LuUoo Bai. She was much lighter in colour than
the generality of Mahrattas. The other girl was her cousin,
and was of somewhat darker tint. Both showed great
ardour in the pursuit of knowledge ; and had they been
allowed to remain a few months, would have made solid
acquisitions. But as soon as the matter became noised
abroad, bigoted relatives, as might have been anticipated,
exerted a pressure to have the two girls removed from
school ; and after LuUoo and her relative had been with-
drawn, and had again returned tvro or three times, tiiey
finally came no more. It was stated that Lulloo had been
allowed a private tutor for a few days after her removal, to
wean her from the pursuit of knowledge, of which she was
so fond. Before leaving, she solved what all had felt to be
a mystery-^the reason why she had been sent to school.
Her sister, the chief queen, felt the absence of knowledge
of the outward world which there was in the Zenana, and
the enforced ignorance produced by the arrangement which
forbade females, even oif the highest rank, to acquire the
elements of reading, and therefore asked her sister Lulloo
as yet too young to be put in confinement, to become a
scholar in the school, and then returning to the palace to
repeat all she was taught, and all that she heard and saw.
This incident affords an illustration of the transcendent boon
which the zenana system, when it becomes extensive, will
prove to the secluded females of India.
On nth April 1850, the native Church at Kamptee
contained twenty*eight members, and that at Seetabuldee
fifteen, with several adherents at both places. On the
fitteenth, Mr Hislop left Nagpore with his wife and children
to proceed to the assistance of the Madras mission, and he
was absent till the 28th May 1851. The mission agency
was further teduced by the death of Mr Liddel, the Kamptee
304 NAGPORE.
teacher, on the 19th August 1850, so that the only advance
which could be made during the year was the opening of a
new vernacular school in the Aditwari district of the city.
This increased the aggregate number of the scholars ; and at
the examination of the Nagpore and Seetabuldee schools,
held on 14th December 1850, and presided over by Brigadier
M'Leod, there were on the roll 216 pupils, of whom there
were present — boys from Seetabuldee, 1 1 ; girls, 9 ; in all,
152 ; of whom 35 were studying English and 117 Marathl
Adding in the Kamptee pupils, there were 310 in all.
In November 185 1, Major (afterwards Sir Henry) Durand
came to act for a short time as Resident at Nagpore. He
at once commenced the most friendly relations with the
mission, and, though pressed for time, occupied the best
part of two days in visiting the several schools in the city,
concluding by presiding on 13th November at the examina-
tion. 310 pupils were present, the number having been in-
creased by the commencement of a new Mahratta school in
the Budhwari district of Nagpore.
When the missionaries were returning from their annual
mission tour, which this year had been to the British canton-
ment of Ellichpore, in Berar, west of the Nagpore country,
they fell in, according to previous arrangement, with one of
their native agents, a Tamul Christian called Samuel Hardy,
who was selling tracts through the villages, and making some
notes of the population of the several places, as an aid to
ftiture operations. Having stated that he had met with im-
wonted opposition, and that a storm against him seemed
gathering, he was directed to cease asking any statistical
questions, so that if a battle had to be fought for him, it
should be on one simple issue, namely, the liberty to sell
tracts. A few days later one of the missionaries, then
teaching in Seetabuldee school, a quarter of a mile from the
Mission-house, received a message to come home imme-
diately, as Samuel had been brought in between two armed
men as a prisoner. On obeying the summons^ he found
ARREST OF SAMUEL HARDY. 30S
that the one man had a musket conspicuously displayed,
whilst the other bore in his hands a sword and shield. After
all that had happened in the case of Baba Pandurang, the
duty was clear of risking a great deal rather than losing
Samuel. The missionary, after sending an express for his
colleague, stood between the men and the city to which they
were going, and informed them that Samuel was not one of
the Rajah's people, but was a British subject, who was at that
moment standing on a fragment of British soil, and that it
was illegal to remove him against his will from the Indian
empire into a foreign state. The awe which a white f^ce
inspires among southern Asiatics is quite remarkable ; and
instead of the men presenting their arms and rushing past,
as they could easily have done, they held up their hands
like children, and implored that they might be allowed to
take their prisoner to the city — a request which, of course,
was met by a resolute negative. This dead lock continued
for nearly three quarters of an hour, at the end of which
time Samuel said that he had made a promise to go with the
men, and wished to fulfil it. " Why did you make such a
promise ? " it was asked. " Because I should not have been
brought to the mission if I had not given it." This, of
course, totally altered the circumstances of the case. High
approval was expressed of that Christian principle which
when it has sworn to its hurt, " changeth not f and the
men were told that they might march their prisoner to the
city, only the missionary would accompany them as advo-
cate. Just then his colleague arrived, with the intention of
taking the same ground as to the illegality of removing a
British subject from British soil, when he was informed of
the promise, and said he too would go as advocate. It
would have been no great hardship to have walked to the
city, but there are times when a little ceremony is valuable
in the East, and the bullock carriage was ordered out, that
there might be at least a trifling show of dignity. The
animals got in motion at their usual deliberate pace, the
306 NAGPORE.
armed men with the prisoner walking alongside, and a group
of native Christians, gradually increasing in number, accom-
panying the procession. On reaching the court where the
case was to be tried, a polite message was sent requesting
the presence of the magistrate, who had gone home for a
time, but he did not make his appearance. At last a visit
was paid to his abode, when, on hearing the nature of the
case explained to him, he said that it was evidently one too
important for him to try, and asked us to go to the Vakeel
(native ambassador), then in the palace. The bullocks were
yoked again, and presently drew up at the palace-gate. A
polite message was sent, asking the Vakeel to meet us in
the street. He wished the interview to be in the palace,
which, unless in very unusual circumstances, an ordinary
European is not allowed to visit Thus invited, the mis-
sionaries entered. On reaching the lobby they were asked
to take off their shoes, a request which was courteously but
firmly declined, Mr Hislop explaining that the Europeans
having removed one article of dress — their hats, and the
Mahrattas one article — their shoes, the members of both
nationalities were now on a footing of equality ; but if the
British were required to remove a second article of dress,
they then degraded their nation beneath the Mahratta
power, whereas no true Briton admitted his nation to be
inferior to any one inhabiting the world. The Mahrattas,
after remaining obstinate for a time, gave way upon the
shoe question, and on meeting the Vakeel, who stood with
all the palace dignitaries around him, Mr Hislop pleaded
for liberty of conscience with such consummate skill, that
Samuel was given up, the missionaries becoming bail for
his appearance if he were again required. Nay, more, liberty
was obtained to sell tracts through the length and breadth
of the Nagpore country. Mrs Hislop, and a pious officer
who happened to call just after the bullock carriage had de-
parted for the city, waited in painful anxiety till the result
should be known, and became very uneasy when hour after
MR MANSEL, 30/
hour passed without any intelligence how tnatters were pro-
ceeding. At length the whole party, with the exception of
the armed men, were seen returning, and much thankfulness
was felt when the great success which it had pleased God to
grant was reported. Next morning both the Vakeel and
Mr Hislop communicated to the British officiating Resident
what had taken place, but all having been directly settled
the evening before, there was nothing left for the British
representative. Captain Elliot, to do, except to comment,
which he did in a friendly spirit, on the arrangements which
had been made.
On the 2oth February 1852, a sepoy called Veeraswamy,
a Teloogoo by nation, was baptized. He had once been a
turbulent man, but the transformation which divine grace
made upon him was great and notable.
A circular having been sent to the mission requesting in-
formation as to instances of British connection with idolatry
at Nagpore, that efforts for their removal might be made
when the East India Company applied for the renewal of
its charter in 1853, Mr Hislop took the frank course of
mentioning to Mr Mansel,the Resident, what practices would
require to be noticed in the reply sent to the circular, on
which that gentleman, with great good feeling, intimated
his intention of discontinuing some of the methods of coun-
tenancing idolatry to which exception had been taken. He
soon after presided at the examination of Nagpore and
Seetabuldee schools, held on 14th December 1852. The
establishment of two new Mahratta schools had considerably
increased the aggregate of the pupils under instruction.
There were now 531 on the roll, or adding in the Kamptee
scholars, 611.
On Wednesday, 6th July 1853, Pahar Singh, a Rajpoot,
a high caste in the Hindoo community, the word literally
meaning the sons of kings, Baba Pandurang, who had
already suffered so much for the sake of Christ, and Ram-
swami, one of the advanced Nagpore pupils, originally of
308 NAGPORE.
Pariah descent, but whose intellect and conscience had
been greatly developed by the instruction he had received,
were admitted into the Christian Church.
The principles laid down in the case of Baba Pandurang
were all but universally believed to preclude the possibility
of receiving any other pupil from the Nagpore English school
who might ask shelter in the Mission-house with the view
of obtaining baptism, and there can be no question that the
spectacle of the imprisoned youth struck terror into the
pupils. At length, however, one of them, Ganu Lingapa,
aged 17, whose father, a Teloogoo, long settled among the
Mahrattas, was of the builder caste, felt that he could no
longer restrain himself from seeking baptism, even though
the application might lead to his immediate incarceration.
An interview was therefore sought with Mr Mansel, who
kindly promised to advise the Rajah to grant his subjects
liberty of conscience, and meanwhile sanctioned the re-
ception of Ganu into the Mission-house. The interview with
Mr Mansel took place on the 29th July 1853, and when
the missionaries returned home they found the youth had
already taken the decisive step, his anxiety being such that
he had not waited to hear whether or not there was a pro-
bability that liberty of conscience would be granted. His
relatives were immediately sent for, and hour after hour they
made every effort to induce him to return home, but when
evening came he still remained firm. As soon as it became
dark, a riot, though not of formidable magnitude, took place,
but the police being sent for induced the excited people to
return home. Next morning the Vakeel, the same who
had yielded liberty of conscience in Samuel's case, was
asked, and promised, on the part of the Rajah's government,
that the Mission-house should be protected till a decision
was come to as to whether or not the King would grant the
liberty of conscience which the Resident had strongly
recommended him to concede. During the night, after
the first riot, it was needful to take precautions against an
<>
THE MISSION HOUSE ATTACKED, 3O9
attack during the hours of darkness, and, indeed, a person
was detected skulking through the shrubs about midnight to
see whether or not vigilance was maintained, but being imme-
diately challenged he withdrew, and all went on peacefully
till morning. Ganu had slept but little, and was now
physically worn out, notwithstanding which he stood again
hour after hour against the efforts made by his caste people
to induce him to leave, till at length, about 2 p.m., the sad
apprehension began to be entertained that unless he could
obtain repose he would probably after a few hours give
way. As the sun was within an hour of setting, another
and more formidable riot began, there being then about
350 people surrounding the house. Two hundred of these
were in front, and the remaining 150 at one of the sides.
It was the latter party which broke into uproar. Stones,
some of them of magnitude, were hurled, the glass which
occupied the upper half of the door was smashed to
pieces, and the woodwork attacked by the mob, whose in-
tention clearly was to effect an entrance. As it was evident
that they could force their way in very speedily, it was
deemed the most prudent course to go out, the sight of
white faces often quelling a riot. When the missionaries
presented themselves they were attacked, but the native
Christians heroically fought a battle in their defence, and
shielded them temporarily from injury. Yet the protection
would have been but momentary had it not been that Ganu
Lingapa at that instant finally gave way, and, with the
remark, pronounced in sorrowful tones, " They are killing
master," departed from the house. He attempted to keep
out of the mob, but was captured and taken to the city.
The leaders in the riot were native police in British pay,
sepoys in British pay, and city people, to whom there came
a message, though not really, the writer believes, from the
palace, stating that it was the Rajah's orders that the
Mission-house should now be attacked. A policeman and
two sepoys were imprisoned for their share in this outrage,
vwi) 21
3IO NAGPORB,
and the Nagpore Government being held responsible for
having broken its promise to protect the Mission-house,
had to send its Ambassador in broad daylight and pay
down I GOO Nagpore rupees, about £2^^^ damages as an
atonement for what had been done. After the necessary
repairs on the house had been effected, and presents had
been given to the native Christians who had rendered
assistance, and some of whom had been hurt in the riot,
the rest of the money was used for the public operations
of the mission. Between two and three years afterwards
Ganu Lingapa had a secret interview with Mr Hislop, and
" made known his unabated desire to follow Christ," but he
was cut off by cholera on the 25th April 1856, before he
had taken practical steps to carry out his design. There is
reason to believe that, despite his fall, in circumstances of
exceeding trial, he was a true Christian.
On 2nd November 1853 three natives were baptized.
One, Bal Dewa, was a Rajpoot, a proteg^ of Brigadier
Mackenzie. All were British subjects, and therefore they
had not to encounter the formidable difficulties in the way of
those inquirers whose less happy lot it was to reside under
heathen rule in Nagpore city.
CHAPTER IV.
FALL OF THE NAGPORE KINGDOM.
On the nth December 1853, Raghojee Bhonslah, the
Rajah of Nagpore, died, and as he had no lineal de-
scendants, and, it was said, no near relatives, and had,
moreover, refused to adopt a son, his country was con-
sidered to have lapsed to the paramount power ; and was
declared an integral part of the British dominions. The
lower six-sevenths of the people acquiesced in, if they did
MR HISLOP ALL BUT MURDERED. 3 1 1
not even desire, this arrangement, which shielded them from
upper class tyranny; but the remaining seventh, constituting
the Brahmans, the Mahratta nobility, and other influential
classes, were, as might have been anticipated, opposed to
what had been done. The country had before belonged to
the British, but they had set up the late Rajah when he was
a boy, and, to give him dignity, had brought from Calcutta
and handed over to him the Nagpore crown jewels, which
had been taken in war. The extinction of the native
dynasty led to no excitement of any consequence, but
when, as a consequence of that event, steps were taken, on
the nth October 1854, to remove the jewels back to Cal-
cutta, a riotous mob assembled before the palace, and when
Mr Hislop was passing through it alone he was mistaken
for one of the officers sent to bring the jewels away, was
assaulted, and all but murdered. As he was lying on the
ground almost at the last gasp, whilst a ferocious mob still
continued to maltreat him, sarcastically shouting all the
while, " Take the jewels, take the jewels,'' an old pupil, now
grown to manhood, in the providence of God, happened to
pass, and, recognising his revered teacher, explained to the
people the mistake of identity which had been committed,
on which most of the assailants seemed to feel regret for
what they had done. But a small remnant, chiefly Mussul-
mans, seemed disposed to complete the murder, on which
the young man, running to a native military officer a few
feet off, obtained a small number of sepoys, whom he
brought to the scene of action. On their arrival the
ruffianly Moslems precipitately fled, showing that, like
assassins in general, they were as cowardly as they were
cruel. Then a palanquin being procured Mr Hislop was
put into it, and, escorted by natives with drawn swords, was
successfully conducted past the palace, and taken out of the
city to the Mission-house. The aspect he presented when
carried home, none who witnessed it will ever forget. On
his head were ten deep gashes, while all over his body were
312 NAGPORR.
bruises ; and the white dress he had worn was everywhere
so saturated with blood, that it was only from a small part
beneath the knee that its original colour could be inferred.
The native doctor called in to shave the head of the appa-
rently expiring sufferer fainted at the sight, and it required
European nerve to do what was requisite in the case. Had
he not naturally possessed a strong constitution, it is im-
possible that he could have survived.
During Mr Hislop's confinement to a couch, owing to the
injuries received in the riot, the examination of the Nagpore
and Seetabuldee schools was held on the 24th November.
At that time the numbers on the roll, including those at
Kamptee, were 725. Five hundred were present at the
examination ; of those only 200 could be admitted at one
time, for want of room, so that the remaining 300 had to
remain outside. In the vacation which followed, the mis-
sionaries visited the Puchmaree hills and Chindwara, after-
wards to become the sphere of the Gond mission.
On the 17th of May 1855, the writer of this work had, by
medical order, to leave Nagpore for Europe. The oppor-
tunity was embraced of issuing an appeal for funds to erect
a building sufficiently large to accommodate the Nagpore
and Seetabuldee pupils. The fall of the Mahratta Govern-
ment having removed the hesitation, which till that time had
been felt, to erect a structure which a law forbidding baptisms
might at any time render useless for mission purposes,
;^i2oo were now asked for the purpose, and, as pre-
viously mentioned, were promptly obtained. Miss Barclay
of Edinburgh having given the whole amount
On 2nd March 1856, Mr Hislop baptized two women,
one Teloogoo and the other Marathi; the latter was Shrawan*s
mother.
On a mission tour, undertaken at the commencement of
1857, he spent a Sabbath at a village called Borgaum, the
patel of which had been known to the mission for some
years. This man was stated to have renounced idolatry,
s
A TTEMPTED MASSACRE. 3 1 3
and to have been followed in this respect by many in his
village, but he had not moral strength to break his caste
and ask for baptism. The next Sabbath was spent at a
village called Mitpanjura, where Ganpat Gir, an old pupil
of the mission, was pateL The case of this youth was very
remarkable. He had been adopted by a religious celibate,
whose wealth he inherited, on condition of remaining un-
married, and professing that type of Hindoo monkery
which his spiritual father held and propagated. In heart
Ganpat Gir was a Christian, who had in his house, and used
often to read, the books he used when \t the Nagpore school,
with other works which he had purchased from the mission,
but he had not moral strength to resign his pecuniary for-
tune, and renounce his provostship, for the sake of carrying
out his conscientious convictions. Would that the grace
of God would visit those two men.
Mr Hislop was at his post during the dreadful mutinies
and rebellion which will ever make the year 1857 memor-
able. On Friday, the 12 th June, a Mohammedan called
Fyze Buksh, long known and highly respected by the mis-
sionaries, came to Mr Hislop under cover of the night, and
advised him to send away his wife and family, as a massacre
of the Europeans was intended by his co-religionists on an
early day, though which it was he could not tell, as they
distrusted him and kept him in as much ignorance as they
could. The day was really the Wednesday following, and
the massacre was to be carried out by a combination of
up-country sepoys in the British regiments and the Mussul-
mans of the city. A regiment deep in the plot, having had
a hypocritical offer which it made to march at once against
the mutineers, held as genuine and accepted, it was needful to
anticipate the time when its departure would take place, by
hastily moving forward the massacre from Wednesday to
the Saturday preceding. The time was fixed for midnight,
and the signal was to be the ascent of three fire balloons
from the city. Mr Hislop had not failed to communicate
314 NAG PORE.
to the British authorities the intelligence he had received of
the plot, but as no one knew the time when the massacre
was to take place, there was danger that even yet the
nefarious deed might be carried out. In the providence of
God, however, two faithful sepoys of low caste, from
Southern India, betrayed the plot ; at, nay, even beyond
the eleventh hour, in the literal sense of the term, when the
European natives were already in their beds, sleeping, as
usual in that climate, with open doors, and the assassins,
chiefly Mussulmans, were at their posts, and only watched
for the ascent of the balloons to begin the work of mas-
sacre. Mr Hislop was then at Kamptee, whither he had gone
to be ready to preach on the morrow, but Mrs Hislop, and
her littie girls, had like the rest of the Europeans to escape
up Seetabuldee hill, and shelter themselves behind the can-
nons of the small fort The few artillerymen present hav-
ing by this time loaded the guns, and standing, prepared for
action, the mutineers were too cowardly to proceed with
their nefarious scheme. Had the Europeans at Nagpore
been destroyed, Hyderabad in the Deccan was, it was
stated, ready to have risen, in which case the whole Mad-
ras presidency would soon have been in flames. Bombay
would probably have imitated the bad example, and it
might have been needful for our forces, when they arrived,
to reconquer India instead of Bengal. It was an event of
world-wide importance, that the intended massacre at Seeta-
buldee was discovered and prevented when within an hour
of its accomplishment that Saturday night.
The writer having resigned on 3rd September 1857, the
Madras mission was requested to send aid to Mr Hislop,
as Mr Hislop had given it assistance some years before. It
did so, and the Rev. John Cooper was despatched per-
manently to Central India. He reached Nagpore in 1858.
ShorUy after his arrival, Mr Hislop had temporarily to re-
turn home to recruit his health. Before leaving he, on the
igih September, baptized no fewer than seven converts.
THE REV, ADAM WHITE. 315
One was a Brahmanee girl, Baba Pandurang*s wife ; another
was wife of Virapa, one of the first two converts of the
mission ; two were Mahratta kunbis cultivators (the caste
of Yadoji and Shrawan), and one was a Rajpoot, called
Anand Singh. In November 1858, a Mahratta Brahman
youth, called Narayan Vithul, who had been for many years
a pupil in the city school, and whose father, while the native
Government lasted, was what might be called its Chancellor
of the Exchequer, came for baptism. After a time he went
back to heathenism, but in i860, again returned to the
mission.
That Mr Cooper might not be left alone during Mr
Hislop*s absence in Europe, the Rev. Adam White was
requested to proceed to his assistance from Bombay. He
did so, arriving on Thursday morning, 13th January 1859;
but a few months later, a change of sentiment, with regard
to the propriety of administering the sealing rite to infants^
led to his being re-baptized by Colonel Miller, then with
his regiment in Central India. This step ultimately severed
Mr White's direct connection with the Free Church mission.*
Mr Stothert was sent from Bombay to occupy his place.
Shortly before this Syed Imam Kureem-Ood-Deen, a
Mohammedan from Southern India, had been baptized
by Mr Cooper. He was then employed as an assistant in
the Seetabuldee school. Among other baptisms which took
place at this period, one was a sister of Anund Singh, the
Rajpoot. They, with another of the same family, were
orphans, placed by a pious officer, Major Arrow, in charge
of the mission.
* On leaving Na^pore, Mr White marked out for himself a district in the Syha-
dree Hills, around Poorundhur, in the Poonah collectorate, which he made his
centre of operations. There, about twenty miles south-east from Poonah city, he
laboured during the four succeeding years, with exemplary zeal, till on the 16th
May 1864, he was cut off by cholera, caught when ministering to the pilgrims dying
of that disease at Sassoor. A widow and five children were left to mourn his loss.
" Not slain by fanatics," said the Times of India, *'nor cut off by those who are
supposed to hate a missionary, but a martyr to his own self-devoted love to the
bodies and souls of the natives of this country ; Adam White, the pure and the
single-eyed, has passed away to his rest. He has given up his life, as he gave up
all, to the great cause of India's regeneration."
3l6 NAGPORB.
Mr Hislop left Britain in the fall of i860, and in due
time safely reached his destination. Some time after his
arrival, Mr Stothert returned to Bombay, after having been
about two years in Central India. Mr Hislop said of him —
** I know no missionary in India who has, within the same period,
made greater attainments in the languages of the East. He has ac-
quired a good knowledge of Maratbi, Urdu, and Sanscrit."
On the 20th November 1861, about a week before his
departure, Messrs Baba Pandurang and Ramswami
Venkatachellum were licensed by the Presbytery of Bom-
bay, which met at Nagpore for the purpose ; in other words,
the three Nagpore missionaries were sufficient to form a
quorum of the Presbytery, and execute business.
The advance made between 1852 and 1862 may be esti-
mated from the fact that, whereas in the former year the
mission had under its charge 39 native Christians, 16 of
them communicants, in the latter one it had 138 native
Christians, of whom 47 were communicants. Not even in
the narrative of the first years of the mission's history were
we able to find space for every baptism, and now when
these are beginning to multiply in a gratifying manner, our
record of them must be even more imperfect.
On 7th May 1862, Mr Temple (now Sir Richard Temple),
brother of the present Bishop of Exeter, arrived as Commis-
sioner, which is a modest term for what at home we should
call governor, and the Hindoos would designate Rajah of
Nagpore, and the Central Indian provinces generally. One
of his first measures was to rescind an unhappy regulation
made in 1855, proscribing Mahratta, the language of the
province, and substituting Hindoostanee, the Mussulman
language, in its room. The people were naturally very
grateful for his restoring (what it was really an act of
great tyranny ever to deprive them of) the use of their
native tongue in the courts of law. Little or nothing had
been done for the education of the province till Mr Temple's
arrival, but he at once took steps to discharge the duty of
MR \,N0 W SIR RICHARD} . TEMPlfB. 3 1 /
the Government in this respect ; and finding that from the
fact that the annexation of Nagpore was still a quite recent
event, the desire for English, nay, for any kind of knowledge,
was as yet very limited, and that there was no scope for two
seminaries of a high order, he resolved to allow the mission
to occupy the field, and gave a money donation to extend
its operations. A warm personal friendship sprung up
between him and Mr Hislop. The only school Mr Temple
felt it right to set up was a normal one for the training of
teachers.
On 1 8th January 1863, the Nagpore female school, which
for want of accommodation and other causes had become
extinct, was reopened. Twenty-six pupils were learning
Marathi under Mrs Hislop, while at Seetabuldee thirteen
were acquiring Tamul and English under Mrs Cooper.
About the beginning of August 1863, Mr Hislop baptized
a Bengalee, whom he had visited in prison two or three
times a week for seven months before.
CHAPTER V.
LAMENTATION AND WOE.
To comprehend how the mournful event which we are now
approaching occurred, it is needful to go back to some
incidents which took place many years previously. In
December 1847, as the missionaries were proceeding, during
the month of annual school vacation, on a preaching tour
to Chandah, they observed at Takulghat, about twenty
miles south of Nagpore, a circle of large unhewn stones,
with a detached stone outside facing the East. Further
examination then, and on another occasion soon to be
mentioned, revealed that there were about ninety-six such
circles, some single, others double, all close together, and
spread over an area of about four square miles. Whilst
3l8 NAGPORE,
they were looking at the circles, a group of Hindoos hap-
pened to pass, and the senior missionary, pointing to the
antiquities, put the question, ** What are these?" "Who
knows ! " said one of the Asiatics, and that knot of people
passed on. The next that came up were a party of holy
men, apparently on pilgrimage. "What are these?" said
the missionary again, pointing to the circles. " God knows ! "
was the leader's reply, and that batch of people passed on.
These answers not being deemed exhaustive of the inquiry,
application was made about two years subsequently through
the Resident to the Rajah, for permission to dig in the
centre of some of the circles. A favourable answer being
returned, excavations were made towards the close of
January 1850, and there were found iron spear-heads and,
still more interesting, an iron vessel like a frying-pan, with
two rings for handles, and inside a mosaic work formed of
pieces of tile, and enclosing what seemed to be the remains
of extremely antique ashes of the dead. The hostility of a
petty native official at Takulghat having prevented the
excavations from being as complete as had been intended,
it was felt that they should be resumed at some future time,
but the pressure of mission work caused more than thirteen
years to elapse before anything further was done.
At last, in 1863, Mr Hislop, who was then on very
friendly terms with Mr Temple, the commissioner, applied
to him on the subject, and it was agreed that new excava-
tions should be made in name of a society called the
"Antiquarian and Scientific Society of the Central Pro-
vinces," which had been inaugurated at Seetabuldee the
month before. Accordingly, on the 3rd September 1863, Mr
Hislop accompanied the commissioner to Boree, about
three miles from Takulghat. On the 4th, the two rode
over on horseback to the circles, and saw the new excava-
tions commenced. When the time for returning to Boree
approached, it was arranged that Mr Temple should go
alone, while Mr Hislop remained behind to collect and
DEA TH OF MR HI SLOP. 3 1 9
classify some antiquities which had been found,* and to
examine a native school (not belonging to the mission) at
Takulghat, after which he would ride back to Boree, and
he hoped in time for an eight o'clock dinner. A few
minutes after the stipulated hour, instead of Mr Hislop
appearing, a horse of the commissioner, which had been
lent him for the day, came cantering up to the Boree camp
without a rider, and alarm being in consequence excited,
parties with torches were sent in quest of the missing mis-
sionary. They looked for him along the road, and not
finding him, went on to Takulghat. On learning in that
village that Mr Hislop, after examining the school, had
mounted the horse and cantered oflf in the direction of
Boree, the probability of a fatal accident having occurred
forced itself upon their attention, and on coming to a
swollen stream which crossed the road, they proceeded to
explore it carefully. It was not long before they discovered
in the channel the body of the missionary lying under about
three feet of water. Lifting it from its lowly resting-place,
they took it on to Bore^. Medical aid was instantly pro-
cured from the camp of the commissioner, and every effort
made to restore animation, but without success. Indeed,
it was painfully apparent from the first that the case was
hopeless ; for Mr Hislop must have been submerged at half-
past seven, or a quarter to eight, and it was not till after ten
that he was discovered, t
* The Rev. Dr Wilson of Bombay considers the remains, as did the late Mr Hislop,
to be of Scythian origin, and the former even ventures to date them. He assigns
them to that inroad of the Scythians into Western Asia which continued for twenty-
eight years, as stated by Herodotus. [See his paper on the subject read before the
Society].
t No eye saw him perish, but inquiry showed pretty clearly how the mournful
catastrophe must have taken place. On the left hand of the road from Takulghat
to Boree, and at no great distance from it, runs a river, which is joined by a minute
tributary about a mfie from Takulghat, and two from Boree. This tributary has a
deep channel, yawning open in the midst of cultivated fields. Ordinarily it is quite
dry, or has in it a mere driblet of water ; but after rains, it becomes a deep and
rapid stream. Moreover, when the adjacent river is in flood, it sends a backwater
into the channel of the small tributary, and renders the latter formidable enough. No
rain had fallen at Takulghat on the 4th September whilst Mr Temple and Mr Hislop
were together, and it was with considerable surprise that the former found, as he
rode up to the tributary in the afternoon, that instead of being, as it had been in the
morning, a harmless nil, it was now a formidable abyss ot water from fifteen to
320 NAGPORE,
He was admirably adapted to be the pioneer in an evan-
gelistic enterprise, and rendered good service to the cause
of Christ in Central India. The estimation in which he was
held by the Church, and the shock which his sudden death
caused, were evinced by the very handsome subscription
made for his widow and children of above ^^4000 from
friends in India and at home. It is worth mentioning
that Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, who had been his fellow-pas-
senger when he was returning from Europe in 186 1, sub-
scribed 500 rupees to the testimonial. It should be added
that when Mr Hislop was on evangelistic tours, and when his
mind required relaxation to keep it in tone, he made a
number of scientific discoveries, especially in geology, which
gave him a high reputation not merely in India, but m
Europe.*
It was a dark and mysterious providence which made a
nameless backwater on an Indian river, itself unknown to
eighteen feet broad, and ten feet in depth, rain having evidently fallen somewhere in
the vicinity. On making this discovery, Mr Temple, with proper thoughtfulnessi
placed a man at the point of danger to put Mr Hislop when he came on his guard
against entering the water, and conduct him to a ford some distance up the stream:
but, as is too frequently the case with Orientals, the person was not at the post of
duty when the critical moment came- Vl^en thus Mr Hislop rode up in black night,
there was no one to warn him of danger, and with his usual fearlessness, he rode
into the water, thinking the depth to be as trifling as he had seen it to be in the
morning. Examination showed that the horse must have been totally submerged.
In all probability it then plunged and threw its rider, after which it succeeded in
reaching the bank. Mournful to tell, Mr Hislop seems at one time to have reached
the bank also, but vainly, for his corpse held with tenacity handfuU of grass. The
officers of the Humane Society in London have discovered that the notion about a
death-grasp in the drowning is a popular myth. As a rule, the hand of a person
perishing in the water relaxes its hold as unconsciousness approaches ; and if it was
different in the case of Mr Hislop, the probable reason is to be looked for in the
abnormal energy of his character. Floods in the East, it should be added, often fsill
as suddenly as they rise, and while there were about ten feet of water in the channd
at the time that the searching party first crossed it, there were but three less than
two hours subsequently when uie body was found.
* When the news of Mr Hislop's death reached Britain, the writer was invited by
a friend to be present at the next meeting of the Geological Society. When the
meeting closed, several members very kindly expressed their sorrow for Mr Hislop's
loss. Among those who did so were Sir Charles Lyell, Mr Leonard Homer, and
Dr Falconer. In February 1864, Professor Ramsay, in his presidential address, gave
an obituary notice of Mr Hislop, though not a fellow of the Geological Society, an
honour, we believe, not till that time bestowed on any except Hugh Miller, though
of late it has been repeated in the case of Mr Babbage, and possibly one or two more.
There is a Nagpore mineral called Hisloptte ; several fossils have appended to them
the specific name Hislopi, while one has Hislopianus ; and if it were possible that
the Church which sent the first Nagpore missionary forth should ever forget him, the
geological world would not allow his name to die.
NE IV LABOURERS. 32 1
fame, the means of summoning such a man to his rest.
But the Divine arrangements are ever marked by infinite
wisdom and love. " Even so, Father, for so it seemed good
in Thy sight."
CHAPTER VI.
THE MISSION AFTER THfiT DEATH OF ITS FOUNDER.
When Mr Temple intimated his intention of aiding the
mission institution with Government money, Mr Hislop very
strongly urged the Church to send out a European teacher to
it without delay ; and, in the providence of God, it happened
that the gentleman (Mr William Young), appointed on ac-
count of his representation, was the first effective assistance
which Mr Cooper received from home when he was left alone
in the mission.* The Rev. James Dawson was soon after-
wards appointed to succeed Mr Hislop, and being ordained,
on the 6th October 1864, by the Presbytery of Edinburgh,
sailed from Southampton on the 27th October. A second
teacher having been applied for, Mr John Dalzielf was
appointed, and sailed in the steamer of the 1 2th November.
In 1864, a female orphanage was set up, for the support
of which boxes of ladies* work have since been repeatedly
sent by kind friends in this country.
In 1864, Samuel Hardy, the same young man whose
release from the heathen officers was narrated in an earlier
chapter, returned to Seetabuldee, and was employed 6y Mr
Cooper as a catechist in connection with the mission. He
speaks Tamul, Teloogoo, Marathi, and Hindustani, and, not-
withstanding his European name, is of the Tamul race.
On Friday, 31st December 1864, Mr Dawson and Mr
* Mr Young was for five years pupil teacher in the Free Church school of Insch,
and for two years subsequently was in the Free Church Normal Seminary of Edin-
burgh. He left Southampton on the 37th January 1864.
t Mr Dalziel was formerly teacher oi a subscription school at Buclclyvie.
322 NAGPORE,
and Mrs Dalziel all arrived in safety. They had travelled
370 miles by rail, and 160 more by the ordinary country
vehicles. The first missionaries had to ride most of the way
to Nagpore on horseback. The construction of the rail-
way for 170 miles made it much more accessible. Nor was
it only 170 miles that the railway was designed to extend.
Measures were then being taken to bring it to Seetabuldee.
A piece of land on which five houses had been built by one
connected with the work, as the nucleus of a Christian
village, had been given over to the mission in 1855. Now it
was purchased for a railway terminus, compensation being
given for the destruction of the so-called "village," or rather
hamlet, and those who were thus displaced erected a second
"village," nearer Nagpore than the first The party from
Europe arrived just in time to be present at a feast given by
C. Bernard, Esq., of the Civil Service, to the native Chris-
tians. At this feast 150 sat down to a sumptuous repast,
about 30 European gentlemen and ladies being present as
spectators. Last year a similar feast had been given by R.
M. Brereton, Esq.
The year 1864 was one of great success in the mission.
Including converts from Romanism, there were no fewer
than 32 adults received into the Church, and 19 children.
One was a Mahratta woman, Bajibai, widow of a Christian
teacher, who had been associated with the mission almost
from its commencement, but died in the faith of the gospel
in March 1864 : the rest were mostly Tamulians connected
with Southern India, who had come temporarily to the Nag-
pore country with officers, or as camp-followers of the
regiment. One was himself a Sepoy, another was a girl,
aged 14, of Mohammedan parentage, who had been placed
by an officer interested in her under Mrs Cooper's care, her
father having died and her mother married again. Several
of the other converts were connected more or less with
the camp. The case of a man called Pandurang, baptized
at Seetabuldee on July 29th, 1864, claims more special
BAPTISMS, 323
notice, from the bearing it had on the evangelisation of the
Mahratta-speaking population. The Mahars and Maugs,
subdued aborigines, now at the base of the Hindoo social
system through the whole Mahratta country, would, if they
were wise, lose no time in revolting in mass against the
system which oppresses them ; and the day, we trust, is not
very far distant when they will actually do so. Any symp-
toms of a tendency in Mahars and Mangs to come over to
Christianity is, therefore, a fact which may ere long become
profoundly significant. In the fall of 1863, as Mr Cooper
was about to escort Mrs Hislop to Bombay, six Mahars
from the village of Dapewada, 16 miles off, appeared at See-
tabuldee to ask for baptism. Only one, Dasru, the Kotwal
of the village, was deemed fit for the rite, and it was ad-
ministered to no more than him. The means of his conver-
sion had been a New Testament and religious tracts, which
he had obtained from the colporteur of the mission.
Pandurang was another Mahar from the same village, where
the gospel was evidently showing a tendency to root itself.
Dasru was afterwards engaged as a colporteur.
The succeeding year there were also somewhat numerous
baptisms, one of them very important. The one was that
of a monitor in the Kamptee schools — a Kanoji Brahman,
aged 18, called Jankey Persad. The father, a venerable
and stately looking old man, for three hours attempted to
shake his resolution, but in vain. Till a late hour crowds
of angry and boisterous acquaintances beset the school-
house, and were only deterred from violence by the fear of
losing their situations or their pensions if they created any
disturbance in the cantonment. He was baptized on Sab-
bath, 12th Febniary 1865. After the service was ended, a
number of European friends (officers and others) shook him
very warmly by the hand, congratulating him on the noble
stand he had made, and urging him to constancy in his new
profession. Another baptism deserves mention — that of a
kayat (a writer-caste) called Jugalkeshore, from that great
324 NAGPORE..
citadel of heathenism — Nagpore city. The preaching of
Samuel Hardy was what first, under God, induced him to
turn his attention to the truth. Mr Dawson baptized him
on the 22nd January 1865. Of two baptisms on 19th March,
one was that of a Mahratta Hindoo.
When soon afterwards Mr Temple decided that the Go-
vernment should commence a normal female school, the
mission was applied to for a lady superintendent and a staff
of teachers.
On Sabbath, 21st May 1865, Arjun, a third Mahar from
Dapewada, was baptized.
Baba Pandurang, who for upwards of two years had been
in charge of a mission-school set up before Mr Hislop's death,
in the town of Chindwara, was now at Nagpore. John
Chumpa, baptized about i860, afterwards became teacher
of the Chindwara school. Mr Cooper, Mr Dawson, Baba
Pandurang, and Samuel Hardy, did what they could to
spread the gospel in Nagpore city, and writing in 1865,
Baba said —
'* Nagpore is not the Nagpore of 1845, when the first missionarjr
arrived here. The days of strong prejudice have nearly vanished.*'
A short time afterwards, he was taken with severe illness,
apparently, by the description, cholera, and was supposed
to be dying, but was able to trust his soul thoroughly to
Christ in the prospect of dissolution. He received much
loving attention from the native Christians, and ultimately,
with the Divine blessing, recovered.
A few months later the movement among the Mahar
cultivators at Dapewada, now increased to seven, showed
unmistakable symptoms of spreading among the Mahars
of the neighbouring places. One of these, which now ob-
tained a Christian representative, was Borgaum, we presume
the village (for there are two in the vicinity of the same
name) of which the patel had so long given up idolatry,
and which is no more than 3^ miles north of Dapewada.
NE W EDUCA TIONAL POLICY, 325
While these baptisms were in progress, Mr Dawson admitted
a young man called Mohun Lall, aged 18, a Sudra of the
Lodi caste, who had been, till the excitement about Jankey
Persad arose, a pupil in the Kamptee school, into the
Church at that station. His companion, Ramchurn, had
before been baptized. Ramchurn being a Rajpoot, an
effort was made by his caste people to prevent his carrying
out his convictions, and when, on Friday, i8th August
1865, he took refuge with Mr Ramswami, one of the native
preachers, an angry mob surrounded the house, and would
have proceeded to violence had not the arrival of the police
restored order. On the Sabbath following, he was baptized.
The Kamptee school was flourishing under Ramswami's
superintendence. There were 175 upon the roll.
That same year Mr Cooper had to exercise discipline on
some of the senior native Christians who had been dis-
turbing the peace of the congregations of Kamptee and
Seetabuldee, after which harmony and brotherly love were
restored.
In 1867 the Chief Commissioner officially thanked the
two European teachers in the Nagpore institution, Messrs
Young and Dalziel, and also Mr Cooper, a favourable
report on their services having been made to him by the
Director of Public Instruction.
In 1868 a German missionary, Mr Lohr, came out from
Europe to seek a sphere of labour, and was directed to the
Satnami Chumars, an aboriginal people in the district of
Chutteesgurh (the Thirty-six Forts), the most easterly and
least civilised province of the late Nagpore kingdom, thus
removing the excessive isolation, in that direction especially,
of the Free Church mission.
So long as Mr Temple was at Nagpore the Government,
it will be remembered, set up no seminary of its own for
boys, excepting only a normal one ; but in 1868, after his
departure, a new policy was introduced, and it was con-
sidered right that the inhabitants of Nagpore should have
(391) 22
326 NAGPORE.
their choice between a Christian school on the one hand,
and one or more of a purely secular character. The autho-
rities there, therefore, with the sanction of the supreme
government, set up two Anglo-vernacular schools. As the
demand for English education was still very limited in the
city, there were not enough students of English to fill three
schools. The mission institution consequently suffered, and
will continue to do so for a time, until the increasing de-
mand for English will furnish scholars for all the three.
Meanwhile Mr Cooper has done rightly in refusing to ele-
minate the Christian element from the mission school
That must be preserved in unimpaired integrity whatever
vicissitudes may arise.
At an old provincial capital called Bundara, forty miles
east of Nagpore, and containing 13,000 or 14,000 inhabi-
tants, a native Church had sprung up, and on a mission
tour at the end of 1868, the communion was dispensed to
twelve people, mostly natives, in the house of Mr De
Rebella, formerly teacher of the mission school in Kamptee.
The widow of Venkat Rao, one of these converts, was after-
wards employed as zenana teacher under the auspices of
the London Society for Female Education in India.
Not long afterwards the mission sustained a severe loss
in the death of John Chumpa, who had been a most self-
sacrificing and valuable labourer.*
The departure of Mr Dawson, in 1867, to commence the
Gond mission, having made a blank in the list of Nagpore
agency, the Rev. David Whitton was ordained to the station
by the Free Presbytery of Arbroath, on the 13th July 1869.
Mr Dalziel, the teacher, also was seeking license, and
aspired to become a missionary.
In 1870 failing health compelled Mr Cooper, under
medical advice, to return for a season home. In 1872 he
returned again to Central India.
* We are sorry to find it stated that in April 1869 the Rev. Baba Pandurang^, and in
March 1870 the Rev. Ramswami VenkatacheUum, ceased connection with the mi&sion.
PRESENT STATE OF THE MISSION. 327
Among the interesting baptisms which have taken place
within the last four years, in connection with the Nagpore
mission, may be mentioned those of Naganna, now Simon,
a sepoy, like the former, of the 7 th Madras Native Infantry,
baptized in 1868 ; a pupil of " Anundi Bai's girls' school''
(a day one); with four children from the orphanage, in
1871.
Last year (1872) there were 528 pupils in connection
with the mission. The year before there were about forty-
three girls in the boarding-school, with twenty-six in the
day-school — in all, sixty-nine. Mrs Young, wife of one of
the teachers in the institution, sad to tell, had died, and her
husband, with three children, had returned home. The
native Christian village on the new site has been com-
pleted. Mr Cooper, as already mentioned, has returned
after his necessary sojourn at home, and there is much
that is hopeful for future progress in Central India.
SECTION VII.
MISSIONS TO THE WILD TRIBES.
THE SANTHAL MISSION.
CHAPTER I.
THE PEOPLE,
|EFORE entering on the specific subject of the
Santhal mission, a few remarks on the hill
and jungle tribes of India in general may not
be out of place. These tribes, as already men-
tioned, are properly the oldest inhabitants of the country.
In one very important respect they ard markedly superior
to the dwellers on the plains ; they are, as a rule, truthful,
while the ordinary Hindoos, with a few honourable excep-
tions, are mendacious to an extent of which none but those
who have had long personal experience of them can have
the faintest conception. The wild tribes of the jungles and
hills have never been converted either to Hindooism or
Mohammedanism. Their religion is a simple fetichism, with
a tendency to stain itself, where opportunity is afforded,
with the crime and infatuation of human sacrifice. They
have no 'caste, no hierarchy, no grudge against the British
for native dynasties overthrown, and, humanly speaking, may
be expected to enter the Church in large numbers, like the
THE WILD TRIBES. 32^
Shanars of Tinnevelly and the Karens of Burmah, races of
a very similar kind. But the tincture of Christianity which
nominal converts will possess will be very slight, unless
vernacular schools for combined religious and secular teach-
ing be set up in the several villages or hamlets where the
gospel is received.
There is an important political reason why earnest efforts
should be made immediately to evangelise the wild tribes.
If, as is by no means improbable, they are brought over
without very much delay in mass to nominal Christianity,
then in the event of new mutinies or rebellions occurring,
every range of hills would be inhabited by men with similar
sympathies to our own, and would constitute a secure basis
of military operations, for holding, or it might even be,
recovering our position on the plains. Not that we would
wish to hold India by force, if its people desired our depar-
ture. If the time should ever arrive that India stood in the
same relation to us as, prior to 1866, Venetia did to Austria,
or as the Ionian Islands did to Britain just before we cut
them- adrift in i860, it would be a folly and a crime to think
of retaining it by force. But partial outbreaks might occur
even when, as at present is the case, the majority of the
people were in our favour, and therefore it is needful to
look at the country with a militaiy as well as a missionary
eye.
As already mentioned, there are about 200 distinct
mountain and jungle tribes in India, though they fall natu-
rally into two great groups, and apparently only two —
namely, those with a Tamul and those with a Chinese
affinity.
The Santhals seem to belong to the second of these
divisions. When Dr and Mrs Murray Mitchell visited their
country they made numerous interesting observations on
their aspect and manner of life.
"Physically,** says Mrs Mitchell, "the Santhals are a fine race.
They are of a good height, well and Jrmly built, and broader-shouldered
. 330 MISSIONS TO THE WILD TRIBES.
than the Bengalees, and are more manly-looking. They have not the
delicate features, however, nor the intellectual expression of either Ben-
galees or Mahrattas, and they are by no means so fair as the latter. The
curse of early marriage does not exist among them ; neither does poly-
gamy. The women are not caged and shut up in zenanas, like their
poor sisters in Bengal. They are bright, and frank, and happy-looking,
though I cannot say they are handsome, and, of course, are a little like
savages.
"They are intensely superstitious, and believe in bhoots or spirits
(rather demons), who are supposed to reside chiefly in trees. They
have some vague idea of a great Being who is beneficent and good, but
with him, because it is so, they have little or nothing to do. The
bhoots are capricious and revengeful, and ever on the watch to do them
hurt, therefore it is needful to propitiate them, and all the rites and
ceremonies are performed in honour of the malignant beings. Their
worship is entirely one of fear." — Missionary Record , 1871, p. 182.
We should have conjectured that their religion was one
of fear even had we not been told. The less civilised the
nation or tribe, the farther is it from conceiving the glorious
and consoling truth that God is love.
CHAPTER 11.
COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS.
The San thai mission was an offshoot from the great Cal-
cutta one, though being at a much greater distance than
Chinsurah, Culna, Mahanad, or such places from the central
station, and being, moreover, specifically designed to benefit
a jungle and hill tribe of unsubdued aborigines, it is better
to give it a place of its own in the history.
When at home, Dr Duff, in his missionary addresses
throughout the country, had often drawn attention to the
aboriginal tribes of India — their numbers, their characteris-
tics, and the importance of efforts to evangelise them. In
1849 he visited the Shanars of Tinnevelly, and in 1858-9
the Karens of Burmah, with a view of noting the missionary
operations carried on amongst them. At a later dat^, in a
THE SANTHAL MISSION, 33 1
communication which appeared in the Misswnary Record^ he
says —
"Most of the cold season of 1 861-1862 I spent among the' Koles
in Chota Nagpore,* accompanying the chief commissioner, ColoneL
Dalton, in his rounds through the district. Part of the cold season of
1 862-1 863 was spent among the Santhals in the hill region between
Chota-Nagpore and Rajmahal on the Ganges, making inquiries with a
specific view towards the ultimate establishment of a mission among
them. Several members of the Free Church in Calcutta were willing
liberally to support such a mission.''
Application was then made to the Foreign Mission Com-
mittee to undertake operations in the Santhal country, but
want of funds prevented them from complying with the
invitation. The matter, therefore, languished for a time.
But by and by the increase of fees in the Calcutta institu-
tion disengaged money which before had not been available
for the extension of the operations, and the Rev. Dr
Murray Mitchell was requested to visit the Santhal country
and collect information. He did so in the cold season of
1868-9, and reported favourably. He found the villages in
which the Santhals lived cleaner than those occupied by the
Hindoos. He considered that the Santhals and Koles
together might amount to about four millions, and added
that the rate at which the work was making progress among
the Koles might be judged of by the fact that on one Sabbath
he witnessed 94 baptisms, and on the next 64. A member
of the Free Church of Calcutta who had extensive tea
plantations in the neighbourhood of that country, offered to
contribute jQi^o annually if the contemplated mission were
actually set on foot.
In these encouraging circumstances the Home Committee
resolved to take action, and sent out the Rev. Archibald
Templeton, M.B., who, in ' addition to his theological
acquirements, had qualified himself as a medical practi-
• This is not the Mahratta Nagpore, the seat of the Free Church mission, but a
district about 350 miles further eastward. Chota is Hindostanee for little, and the
general belief is that Chota Nagpore simply means Little Nagpore, but there is
reason to think that the word is properly Chutia, and not Chota.
332 MISSIONS TO THE WILD TRIBES.
tioner. It was resolved that the centre of operations
should be near Pachamba. In its vicinity is a small town
for the numerous mechanics and officials sent out from
Britain in connection with the East Indian railway. The
route to it from Calcutta is through the colliery district —
Raneegunge, and then on to Bancoorah, the latter station
having for a few months prior to the mutinies been the seat
of a mission under the Rev. Mr Stevenson, now of Pultney-
town. The sacred mountain of Parisnath, a great place of
Jaina pilgrimage, is not far from the seat of the mission.
Dr Templeton took up his residence at Pachamba on
15th December 187 1. He has not yet been long enough
there to render it needful, with our limited space, to enter
into further details respecting his work.
THE GOND MISSION.
CHAPTER I.
THE PEOPLE AND THE DISTRICTS THEY INHABIT.
The Gonds are an aboriginal race w^ho have seen better
days. In the second century of the Christian era, they were
known beyond the limits of Asia, if, as Dr Wilson of Bom-
bay thinks, they are the people described by Ptolemy in his
geography as the Gondalou
** A glance," says Dr Murray Mitchell, *' shows the difference be-
tween Gonds and Hindoos. The nose of the Gond is flatter and
broader, very seldom prominent ; the ear is longer, the lips thicker, the
mouth wider, the beard and moustache more scanty ; complexion a
little darker. There is certainly not much beauty in a Gond face, but
the expression is not unpleasing."
Their language has a certain affinity to Tamul, and, like
Tamul, is of the Turanian group of tongues. During the
time when the Mogul empire was flourishing, the province
THE GONDS, 333
afterwards called Nagpore, or at least, a great part of it,
was termed Gondwana, meaning the country of the Gonds,
from its being in the main inhabited by that people.
There had been four important Gond states north of the
Godavery, with one south of that river, but gradually the
Mussulmans succeeded in overthrowing most of them, whilst
the Mahrattas, when they managed to establish themselves
in Central India, completed the work which the Moham-
medans had begun. So recent was the suppression of the
Gond sovereignty near Nagpore itself, that the last Rajah
of that race, or rather a descendant of his, was a pen-
sioner of the late Nagpore Mahratta king. The personage
in question had become a Mohammedan, but the great
mass of the Gonds still retained their primeval faith. It
was of an extremely nebulous character, consisting of the
worship of stones and particular trees, and apparently of
demigods, though how many, no one can exactly tell. If a
circle be described around Nagpore city, with a radius of
eighty miles, it will not enclose much except what is Hindoo ;
but immediately beyond the circle, on the north-east and
south-east, will be extensive districts inhabited chiefly by
Gonds. They are all very far behind in civilisation, but
there are great differences among them; the wildest, who,
it is suspected, at a very recent period perpetrated the
crime of human sacrifice, being in Bustar, a couple of hun-
dred miles south-east of Nagpore.
The most accessible of the Gonds are those of the north.
An excursion to their country was made by the Nagpore
missionaries in the winter of 1854-55. — Free Church Mis-
sionary Record iox 1867, pp. 26, 50.
The country round Nagpore itself is a table land about
900 feet above the sea, sloping gradually south-east, towards
the remote Bay of Bengal. The province of old was called
Deogur below the Ghauts. Between forty and fifty miles
north of Nagpore, the traveller encounters the Ghauts re-
ferred to — a long connected trappean ridge, running east and
334 MISSIONS TO THE WILD TRIBES.
west, to get his bullock carriage and carts up which is the
work of a great many hours. Once far enough inland, to
lose sight of the Ghauts, which have proved such a deten-
tion, the traveller finds himself on what looks a low plain,
but is really a table-land, more than a thousand feet higher
than the first. In short, he is in the old Nagpore province
of Deogur above the Ghauts. The capital of the latter
region is Chindwara, eighty- two miles north of Nagpore,*
and 2 IOC feet above the level of the sea. About forty miles
west of Chindwara is the magnificent sandstone range of
the Puchmaree Hills, jagged like Spanish sierras, a great
Gond region.
CHAPTER II.
COMMENCEMENT OF THE WORK.
Towards the close of 1865, Mr Dawson of Nagpore, writ-
ing to the convener, intimated that a mission to the Gonds
was about to commence, and that Samuel Hardy would go
as pioneer and explorer. Leaving his wife and five children
temporarily under the care of his brother, he set out on
Thursday, the 7th December 1865, for Chindwara, which
was designed to be the headquarters of the mission.
Chindwara contains a population, by the census of 1867,
of about 10,000, of which, however, only 360 are hill
tribemen. But in the district, which Dr Mitchell compared
in size to a Scotch county, there are 128,252 Gonds, or
about three-eighths of the entire population. Within a
radius of six miles from the town of Chindwara, there are
about seventy villages, with an aggregate of 10,000 inhabi-
tants, about 4500 of them Gonds.
* Thornton's Gazetteer^ usually very accurate, and to which we have been In-
debted for a number of the geographical facts in this volume, is not correct in its
statements regarding^ the position of Chindwara. It says that the town just named
is eighty-two miles south of Saugor, and 167 north of Nagpore. It should havebeeo
167 south of Saugor, and eighty-two north of Nagpore.
THE GOND MISSION. 3 3 S
In 1866 the Rev. James Dawson became the head of the
Gond mission, Samuel Hardy acting as his second in com-
mand. In 1867, Samuel's horsekeeper, and the wife and
child of the latter, were baptized at Chindwara. Though
to a certain extent the first fruits of the Gond mission, yet
they were not properly speaking Gonds, but Mahars. Mr
Dawson and his companion make long tours from Chind-
wara, which they perform on horseback, buffaloes carrying
their tent and furniture. On these tours they preach in the
villages, sell tracts and Scripture portions, and use every
means in their power of spreading the gospel. On a tour
in 1867, which lasted twenty-seven days, i8s. were received
for the Scripture portions and tracts sold, though we should
conjecture that the principal purchasers were the Hindoos
proper, the Gonds being unable to read. Next year, on a
tour of six weeks, £2, 12s. 9d. were similarly obtained. In
1868 a Teloogoo lad, called Rangaswamy, was baptized by
Mr Dawson. During the period when he could not travel,
he commenced a house to house visitation of Chindwara
town, whilst Mrs Dawson set up a small girls' school with
eight in attendance. In November 1869, the mission was
visited by Dr Murray Mitchell of Calcutta, who stayed ten
days, and before departing, wrote two most valuable letters
regarding the Gonds and the missionary operations com-
menced for their benefit. He showed the importance of
labouring to evangelise them, amounting as they do to per-
haps one and a half millions, or with some allied tribes, even
two millions. He gave a vivid sketch of the missionaries
as they appear in their travels, saying that Mr Dawson, who
had hardly bestrode a horse before coming to India, is now
quite an equestrian, and speeds over hill and plain, " as if
to the manner born." " So does excellent Samuel Hardy,
whose humble looking tattoo " (pony) " is always ready for
its duty." Both Mr Dawson and Mr Hardy had by this
time acquired Gondi, and found it make way for them to
the hearts of the people. When not on more lengthened
336 M/SSIONS TO THE WILD TRIBES,
tours, they were accustomed to go forth in the morning to
visit the villages, in one direction from Chindwara, retui-n-
ing in the evening. The same process was repeated in
another direction next day, and so on, till in a month the
labourers had gyrated round the entire area of the district
marked out for occupation. It was sought also to establish
schools, but the Gonds were found very backward in a])-
preciating the value of education. In 187 1 there were under
charge of the mission twenty-four baptized adherents, of
whom sixteen, mostly Hindoo, had been admitted on pro-
fession of their faith.
Mr Dawson's labours in connection with the language
have been most praiseworthy. On the tour of 1854-55, and
subsequently, Mr Hislop had made a collection of words,
idioms, &c., and remarks on the Gond people, which were
published shortly after his decease by his generous friend.
Sir Richard Temple. This was almost the only aid Mr
Dawson had in acquiring GondL Yet, in 1872, his literary
works in connection with it were as follow : —
I. Two Papers published by the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1870,
which together form an outline Grammar and small Vocabulary in Gondi.
2. The Gospel of John in Nagri (Sanscrit) Character, 1869. 3. The
Book of Genesis in Roman character, 1870-72. 4. The Gospel of
Matthew in Nagri, 1872. 5. The Gospel of Mark in Nagri ; and 6. Some
materials for a larger grammar and dictionary.
The Church will look with eager interest to the future
development of the promising Gond mission.
THE WARALI MISSIOISr.
On the 22d December 1834, the Rev. Dr Wilson and Dr
Smyttan, then visiting Umargaum, in the Northern Concan,
fell in with men of uncouth appearance, who called them-
selves Waralis, and were ascertained to be representatives
of a wild jungle tribe. The gentlemen were interested to
THE WAjRALI MISSION, 33f
know more of them, and on 9th January 1839, Dr Wilson,
Mr James Mitchell, and Mr Dhanjibhai — the last-named
member of the party being then unbaptized — left Bombay,
with the express intention of visiting the Waralis in their
jungles. Travelling via Damaun, they soon reached the
country of which they were in quest, and found much to
interest them in the condition of its rude inhabitants. The
peculiarities of the WaraUs were afterwards described in one
of a series of papers on the wild tribes of Western India,
contributed by Dr Wilson to the Missionary Record in the
year 1841, and in a volume which he more recently published
on the evangelisation of India.
Towards the end of 1865, it was proposed to send as a
missionary to the Warali tribe the Parsee convert, Shapurji
Edulji, then awaiting license as a probationer; and in
April 1866, he took his departure for the Northern Concan.
Shapurji found the Waralis in a state of deplorable mental
feebleness and ignorance. He stated that they could count
no farther than twenty, and that even in this extremely
limited effort at computation they made blunders. — Free
Church Missionary Record^ January 1866, p. i.
After a survey by Dr Wilson, Mr Stothert, and Dhanjibhai,
the seat of the mission was temporarily fixed at $anjan,
where the directors of the Baroda Railway Company gave
a bungalow at a nominal rent. It was believed, however,
that when another station was opened at a place called
Col wad, on the sea coast, nine miles south from Sanjan, it
would be found a better centre. — {Free Church Missionary
Record^ September 1866, p. 1-3). In July floods drove
Shapurji from Sanjan to Oomergaum.
On Monday, 29th August 1866, Dr Wilson set out to
visit Shapurji in the jungle. The latter was then alone, but
in October of the same year he was joined by a medical
catrchist, a Marathi teacher, and a colporteur. The Warali
mission ^as since gone on, though as yet with inconsiderable
success.
SECTION VIII.
CAFFRARIA.
CHAPTER I.
SOUTHERN AFRICA AND ITS INHABITANTS.
IHE aspect presented by the southern portion of
the great African continent, on maps at least,
is familiar to even the humblest tyro in geo-
graphy. The land rises from the great waste
of waters formed by the commingling of the South Atlantic,
the South Indian, and the Southern oceans, terrace appear-
ing behind terrace, till table lands of considerable elevation
are reached. Lying on the other side of the equator, it is
winter in that region when it is summer with us, and summer
there while we have winter, the periods of spring and
autumn being similarly reversed.* It is not so generally
known as it should be, that the table lands, and even the -
deserts of hot countries, are not at all unhealthy places to
dwell in, the intensely pure and dry atmosphere imparting
to most people, and above all to those of sensitive nerve,
* The hottest time of the year is the last half of January and the first half of
February. In the month of February there are almost always heavy rains, which
maybe called the latter rains, in contradistinction to others occtirring in '* spring^**
or, to speak more specifically, about the zoth September. In the ordinary hot dayi^
which are but few, the thermometer does not rise above eighty degs. Two or three
times in winter the hill-tops have snow upon them, but only for a few days. In
upwards of thirty years, Mr Laingof Burnshill only once saw snow on the lowlands*
and it vanished the same day on which it fell." — Frt* Church Missionary Record^
z86z, 1862, pp. 276, 977,
HOTTENTOTS AND CAFFRES. 339
an elasticity, a capacity for labour, and in some cases even
a faint ruddiness of tint, all of which are totally wanting in
the inhabitants of steaming tropical deltas. Hence, unless
where decaying vegetable matter creates intermittent or
other fevers, the upland portions of South Africa are health-
ful for European settlers. Many years ago we cut out of a
newspaper a paragraph exhibiting the mortality among our
soldiers at the several stations throughout the world garri-
soned by the British army. The deaths among a thousand
soldiers in Britain were sixteen in a year, whilst Cape Town
had but ten, and the eastern frontier of Cape Colony only
nine, the last-named district being at that time the most
healthy region in the world occupied by the British army.
When our predecessors the Dutch first gained dominion
in South Africa, they found that the native inhabitants of
the districts earliest settled were of the Hottentot race. As
their knowledge extended, they became aware that another
tribe, or series of tribes, comprising the people now called
Caflfres, occupied the region more to the eastward, and were
in many respects superior to their Hottentot neighbours.
When we supplanted the Dutch in the government of the
Cape, and, imitating the annexation policy of our prede-
cessors, proceeded to spread abroad in the land, we soon
became acquainted with the Caffres, in war as well as in
peace.
Neither the Hottentots nor the CafFres are of the proper
negro race, which is believed to extend no farther south
than to the Tropic of Capricorn. Both, however, have the
woolly hair of the ordinary negro. Why the Caffres should
be so superior to the Hottentots is an ethnological puzzle.
Some — taking into account the undoubted fact that there is
a good deal of Arab blood among the aristocracy of Mada-
gascar — suppose that the Arabs may have made their way
also to Caffraria, and by intermarriages, improved the Caflfre
race. In favour of this view may be adduced the remark-
able fact that the Caflfres practise the rite of circumcision,
340 CAFFRARIA.
and make ceremonial distinction between things clean and
unclean. In the opinion of others, these observances are
of indigenous origin, and did not come, directly or indirectly,
from the Arabs, or any other Semitic people. If so, then
the fact must be accepted that it is possible for a race of
semi-negro organisation to manifest intellect of an order
which we are too apt to consider as the exclusive possession
of the Aryan and Semitic families of mankind.
The word Caflfre, Kaffir, or Kafir, is evidently of Moslem
introduction. It signifies infidel, and is the contemptuous
term applied by Mussulmans to all who are not believers
in the so-called Arabian ** Prophet." The name by which
the Caffres designate themselves is Aman-Xosa, meaning the
people of Xosa, while the Hottentots are similarly called
Aman-Ibranana, the people of Ibranan. The word Aman-
Xosa has been transformed by European lips into Amakosa.
The Caffres' own tradition is that they came originally from
the north, an opinion, we should think, quite consistent with
fact. — Free Church Missionary Record^ February 1848, pp.
33o» 331-
As^a people, they are tall and muscular. When not
pressed by want of food, or excited by the presence of an
enemy, they are indolent. Woman is degraded among
them, being bought ^nd sold. They support themselves
partly by agriculture, but chiefly by the produce of their
herds of cattle. They have no towns, but live in small
hamlets, or kraals, consisting on an average of about seven
families each. These kraals are in some favourite spots so
numerous, that there may be a population of seven or eight
thousand, within an area of perhaps ten square miles. —
{Free Church Missionary Record^ 1845-6, pp. 45, 46). Their
huts are circular, like beehives.*
* ** We have visited,** says Mrs Dalziel, writing in 1870, " a number of Caffre huts.
. . They are exactly like bee-hives. The hut of a young couple we visited was
twenty-five feet across, a good wooden table in the centre, where the fire is lighted
when they have one, a wooden bed-frame with bedding, &c. Round by the walls
were boxes with white covers over them, two stands for books, a looking-glass, some
pictures on the walls, *' British Workman's Almanac," &c., the walls spotted with
hiue paint, one chair ^and a stand for dv&l\e&. It was wonderful compared with some I
CAFFRE LANGUAGE AND CUSTOMS, 34!
As a specimen of the Caffre language, take the first three
verses of Mark's gospel, which run thus : —
** Ver. I. Inggualo yindaba-ezilungileyo zika-Yezu Kristu un-Nyana
l<a-Tino. 2. Dzhe gobubaliweyo gu- Yesaya isandu-lelo, esiti, Bonake !
dayituma ingelosi yam pambi Kobuso, bako, eyabueca inthela yako,
Isandi sodandulukayo ebugxwayibeni, Manikeniyin-gulugo inthlela,
yenrKosi, nenz' inthlela zayo zilungi. — Free Church Missionary Record,
1844, pp. 251, 252.
The religious state of the heathen Caffres is in some
respects without a parallel. They have not in all their
country a single temple or a single idol. It is a matter of
dispute whether or not they acknowledge a Supreme Being.
No doubt could arise on the subject if they had any proper
worship, and the uncertainty which exists is not to their
credit. As is generally the case with those who disbelieve
or but faintly acknowledge God, they are very superstitious.
They are always afraid of being bewitched, and act with
great inhumanity to any one whom they suspect of having
done them this great injury. As the sequel will show, they
are very prone to be deluded by false prophets. So are
they also by rain-makers. It is more satisfactory to find
that they have at least a faint belief in immortality, as
shown by the fact that when their cattle die they bum the
fat and bones, in the hope that the fumes ascending from
the sacrifice may be grateful to deceased heroes, who, it is
believed, occasionally become hungry and require to be thus
fed. — Free Church Missionary Recordy 1854-1855, p. 256.
Circumcision is performed, not on the 8th day as among
the Jews, or in the 13th year as among the Arabs, but
between 18 and 24.
It is followed by a period of lawlessness and immorality,
the neophytes living for four months in temporary huts
which they erect, and being permitted to do exactly what is
right in their own eyes.
In 1848, the Rev. Mr Govan of the Lovedale seminary
have seen, but at the best bad— no chimney, no windows. . . Sometimes holes in
the wall for light, oftener not even that, only the door. „ . . The little children
naked, the elder ones nearly so." — Free Church Missionary Record, 187X, p. 54*
V891) 23
342 CAFFRARIA,
Stated that the shores of Caffraria, from the colony to Natal,
extended nearly 400 miles, that the Natal country was about
200, and that Caffre-speaking tribes stretched along the
coast for some hundred miles further — how many, he did
not know. He understood that messengers from a tribe
near Delagoa Bay who came asking for a missionary spoke
the Caffre tongue. Including the Zulus of Natal, he esti-
mated the numbers known to use this form of speech at
500,000.
In missionary and other letters from Caifraria, the word
Fingo or Fengu perpetually occurs, and the question is fre-
quently asked — Who are the Fingoes ? A very clear answer
is returned by the Rev. Dr Stewart of Lovedale. The
Fingoes, as we learn from him and others, are a people of
Caffre descent, who originally lived northward from most of
the other tribes claiming the same affinity. Their power being
broken in war by the conquering and cruel chiefs Chaka and
Mazilikitse, they were compelled to flee to the south and
seek an asylum with the rest of their- countrymen. The
latter, with great want of political foresight, considered that
it would be for their advantage to reduce the refugees to the
position of a servile people, which accordingly they did.
When, in 1835, a war was in progress between the Caffres
and the British, the Fingoes, galled by the ill-treatment they
had received from their so-called brethren, sided with the
British, and were in consequence both set free and allowed
to settle in the British territory. The political occurrences
now mentioned were sure to carry with them these conse-
quences, among others, that the Caffres, using the term now
in its special sense, would be difficult to evangelise, as they
would be sure to be prejudiced against the gospel, which
they would regard as the faith of the conquerors who had
humbled them, whilst the Fingoes would be more disposed
to embrace the truth, as they would look at Christianity as
the religion of those who had broken their fetters and set
t\itm free.
EARLY EFFORTS, , 343
CHAPTER II.
TAKING POSSESSION.
So far as is known, the first missionary who ever set foot in
Caffraria was a Dutch physician called Dr Vanderkemp,
sent out with Dr Kircherer and other pious men by the
London Society in 1798. The doctor, however, did not find
a suitable place for a station, and returning to the vicinity
of Algoa Bay, he founded a Hottentot settlement at a place
called Bethelsdorp. — {CampbeWs Travels in South Africa^
3rd Edition, 1815, Advertisement, p. i; also p. 70, &c.)
After a long interval, the same Society sent forth Mr Joseph
Williams, who visited Caffraria in April 1816, and settled
there with his family in June of the same year. His career
was short, for he died in August 1818. After his decease, a
Christian meeting was kept up by one of his converts called
Unstikana, in a small kraal or hamlet, for nearly two
years, till June 1820, when the place of Mr Williams was
supplied by the arrival at Igwali of Mr Brownlee, with his
family. This new lg.bourer, though he went out under the
auspices of the London Missionary Society, was a Scotch-
man from Clydesdale. In the month and year already
mentioned — June 1820 — he formed the station of Chumie,
on one of the tributaries of the Chumie river, about nine
miles north by east of the place where the Lovedale semi-
nary now stands.
In our narrative of home operations we have mentioned
the providential circumstances which ultimately induced the
directors of the Glasgow Society to send a mission to Caf-
fraria. A few additional details may here be superadded.
In 1820, Mr W. R. Thomson, then a divinity student whose
studies were nearly completed, had agreed, when licensed,
to proceed to the Cape and become pastor to a small
344 CAFFRARIA,
colony of Scottish emigrants soon to sail from the Clyde in a
ship called the Abeona, As the small sphere he was about
to occupy would be insufficient to furnish him with full
employment or adequate pecuniary support, the Glasgow
Society, about September 1820, invited him to undertake on
his arrival to give a portion of his time to evangelistic work
among the Caffres, which he readily consented to do.
Meanwhile, the Abeona, which had gone on in advance,
was burnt in mid-ocean, and, sad to tell, the greater part of
the emigrants perished either in the flames or in the sea.
It was then decided that Mr Thomson should go out solely
as a Caffre missionary, and on the 23rd January 182 1, he
and Mr Bennie were " set apart " (not ordained) in Albion
Street Chapel, Glasgow — the Rev. Mr M'Lean's. Mr
Bennie was then in his 26th year. Mr Thomson was after-
wards sent forward to London for ordination, whilst Mr
Bennie accompanied him to Africa unordained. Sailing from
Gravesend on the 29th April 1821, they arrived at Chumie
on the 15th November of the same year, and obtained a
warm welcome from Mr Brownlee.* — Edinburgh Christian
Instructor, vol. xx. (182 1), pp. 765, 766.
Speaking of the contented ignorance in which the people
then dwelt, a missionary, Mr Robertson, said —
"In 1 82 1, the people were very deeply plunged in ignorance, so
much so that the young children had to be bribed with presents before
they would come to school ; while in hiring themselves out, the
people were content with buttons or beads for their services, and they
would barter their cattle for the same trifling things." — Free Church
Missionary Record^ 1872, pp. 50, 5 1.
In July 1822, seven natives, six of whom had received
their first religious impressions under Mr Williams' ministry,
applied for baptism. Five of them, with seven children,
soon afterwards received the sealing ordinance. The mis-
sionaries were in the habit of naming those whom they
admitted to their fellowship after their friends and patrons in
the West of Scotland, and before the Caffre church had
* Not long after this, the Wesleyans also commenced operations in Caffraria.
REINFORCEMENTS, 345
advanced beyond the state of infancy, it had in it a Robert
Balfour, a John Love, an Elizabeth Love, with a Mary
Ann and Charles Henry.
On March 3rd, 1823, the Rev. John Ross received ordina-
tion from the Presbytery of Hamilton, having been licensed
by them shortly before. He soon afterwards left for Caf-
fraria, taking with him a small Ruthven printing press. He
arrived at the frontier in December 1823, and on the ist
January 1824, a Presbytery was formed, consisting of Messrs
Thomson and Ross, ministers ; and Mr Bennie, elder.*
In 1824, soon after the coming of Mr Ross, the mission
felt itself strong enough to occupy a new station, and did so
at a place called Inchra, which was named Lovedale, after
the Rev. Dr Love, of Glasgow. As we shall afterwards see,
it is not the present Lovedale. Messrs Ross and Bennie
were located at Inchra, while Messrs Brownlee and Thom-
son remained at the Chumie.t Ere long there were fourteen
candidates for baptism at the Chumie, and seven at the
Inchra.
About the beginning of 1826 one of the converts, Robert
Balfour, became a missionary teacher, as did a second one,
Charles Henry, soon afterwards ; and two natives, Joseph
Williams and John Bums, were baptized.
In December 1827 the mission was splendidly reinforced
by the arrival from home of Mr and Mrs M^Lachlan, Mr
and Mrs Chalmers, Mr and Mrs M*Diarmid, and Mr Weir,
with his mother, Mrs Weir. J
In 1828, Mr Ross and Mr M^Diarmid commenced a new
* Ultimately, Mr Bennie received ministerial ordination from th« Presbytery thus
formed.
t Soon afterwards Mr Brownlee resigned Chumie to the care of the agents sent
out by the Glasgow Society, and himself, removing to the banks of the Buffalo,
formed a station on the spot which now constitutes the site of King William's
Town.
X Mr M'Lachlan went out as an ordained missionary connected with the Old
Light Burghers, Mr Chalmers as a catechist from the Relief Church, and Messrs
Weir and M'Diarmid as missionary mechanics or elders connected witl? the Church
of Scotland. The severe indisposition of Mrs M'Lachlan soon afterwards compelled
her and her husband to return home. He ultimately went to North America. —
Glasgow Missionary Society Quarterly Intelligence, 1838, pp. 4, 5.
346 CAFFRARIA,
Station at a place on the Kat river, called by them Balfour.
Soon afterwards they were driven from it by war. When
peace was restored Mr Thomson, in 1829, ceased his direct
connection with the mission, and settled as a minister at
Balfour, which was now within the colony, and had been
converted into a Hottentot settlement.
May 1830 saw the commencement of Pirrie station, at a
place called Quarkwebe, on a tributary of the Buffalo river.
The eastern side of the Amatole hills, visited, as it is, by
clouds from the South Indian Ocean, receives much rain,
and is therefore well watered and fertile, while the more arid
western side is dry and scorched. Pirrie is on the eastern
or well-watered side, and is situated on the edge of a forest.
When Pirrie was founded there was then a large Caffre
population in the vicinity.
On June 6th of the same year (1830) a station was
founded at a place on the east bank of the Keiskamma
river. It was called — after the Rev. Dr Burns, minister of
the Barony parish in Glasgow — Burnshill. The station is
situated on the face of a ridge, around the base of which
the Keiskamma pursues its very winding course. It is one
of the most beautiful spots in Caffraria. Almost opposite
the station is a magnificent valley called the Amatoli, with
ranges of hills on either side. On one of these, south-west
from the station, the British, during one of the early Caffre
wars, built a fort called Fort Cox, which was allowed to go
into decay on their quitting that region at the end of the
war. The kraals of the great chiefs Sutu and Sandilli were
also in the immediate vicinity. — {Missionary Record^ Jan.
1843, p. 184.) Messrs Chalmers* and M'Diarmid were the
founders of Burnshill, and the first missionaries who laboured
at the station. — Free Church Missionary Record^ 1867,
P, 250.
On the 31st August 1830, the Rev. James Laing was
* On 3rd May 1832, Mr Chalmers was ordained, and he figures in future as the
Rtv. W. Chalmers.
THE WAR OF 1 835. 347
ordained to Caffraria, and reached his destination before
the end of the year.
In July 1 83 1, Mr Ross went to labour at Pirrie station,
with which his name has ever since been identified — Free
Church Missionary Record^ 185 2-1 853, p. 5.
On 8th July 1832, six females were baptized at Chumie.
There were then seven communicants there.
On August 24, 1834, a somewhat remarkable baptism
took place — that of a Caffre called Vimbe, named John
Muir, after the Rev. Dr John Muir. He afterwards became
useful as a native schoolmaster. He was the son of a
sorcerer, and when baptized could repeat the whole of the
Shorter Catechism in Caffre, a translation of it having even
thus early been made by the Scottish labourers.
If it was a very hopeful circumstance that the foundations
of a Caffre Church had been made in the conversion of
several natives, there were still many discouragements tend-
ing to occasion the missionaries anxiety. The men, as a rule,
treated their preaching with indifference, and the women
with bitter hostility; nor were their lives always safe among
the ignorant and suspicious people, who as yet had neither
learned to respect their motives nor appreciate their personal
worth.
CHAPTER HI.
WAR.
Towards the close of 1834 some cattle belonging to the
Caffres strayed within the colonial territory, where they
began to graze. Being seized by the military, they were re-
captured by the Caffres, who, however, had two men killed
in the fight, and a chief wounded. This so irritated them
that on the 22nd December (1834), without warning given,
they rushed into the colony, plundering and murdering the
34^ CAFFRARIA,
settlers wherever they were found When they had glutted
their revenge they then returned to Caffraria, carrying with
them immense spoiL War, of course, followed immediately
on the part of the Colonial Government, supported from
home. The missionaries remained as long as they could at
their posts, but finding their lives in danger, they were under
the necessity of taking their departure for the colony, being
protected on their perilous journey by an escort of soldiers
kindly furnished them by the British authorities. They had
left behind all their property, estimated at about ;;^iooo
value, besides the mission buildings, calculated at ^^750
more. Though the suddenness of the Caffre inroad which
commenced the war had enabled the savages at first to
achieve successes, yet before long they began to suffer
severely in the contest, and before 1835 was at an end were
glad to sue for peace. It was granted them without their,
being deprived of territory, and the boundary line between
Caffraria and the colony remained, as it had done since
1 81 9, the Great Fish river. Up till this rime the Fingoes
had been in slavery in Caffraria, but in the war of 1835
multitudes of them, taking the opportunity to recover their
liberty, gave assistance to the British, and at the conclusion
of hostilities Sir Benjamin D'Urban settled a great body of
them within the British territory, a measure as politic as it
was just. As the Fingo language, with the exception of a
few words, was identical with that of the Caffres, the mis-
sionaries had no difficulty whatever in holding communica-
tions with them, and ministering to their spiritual wants.
When the Scottish labourers returned to their stations,
which they did before the end of 1835, they found that the
buildings which they had erected had been occupied alter-
nately by the Caffres and the English, and were in a sad
state of dilapidation. At Chumie and Burnshill the windows
and furniture had been broken, while the premises at Love-
dale and Pirrie had been burnt.
The situation of Lovedale having beef\ found inconvenient.
LOVED ALE FOUNDED, 349
the missionaries embraced the opportunity which the de-
struction of the buildings there afforded, of removing the
station to a more eligible spot on the banks of the Chumie,
where water for irrigating the land might be obtained. The
new station is about 650 miles in a north-easterly direction
from Cape Town, and about forty from King William's Town,
the small but growing capital of British Caffraria. It is
situated on the right or west bank of the Chumie, above its
junction with the Keiskamma, of which it is the principal
tributary. The Chumie there is a perpetual stream. Mrs
Dalziel, writing in 1870, says that the Lovedale buildings
" are prettily nestled among the grassy hills, reminding us
of Moffat." It lies west of Burnshill, the distance between
the two having been variously estimated at fifteen, sixteen,
eighteen, or twenty miles. Lovedale is at least thirty miles
west of Pirrie.
Some time before the war, C. E. Stretch, Esq., the
Colonial agent, had commenced a watercourse to supply
the station and fields at Burnshill. After peace was re-
stored the useful public work was completed by Caffres
employed by and working under the superintendence of the
missionaries.
In 1836 a new station was commenced at a place called
Iggibigha, a name unfamiliar to most of our readers, from a
cause to be stated in our next chapter. On 14th July 1836,
the Rev. Nr Niven, ordained on the 2nd February 1835 by
the Relief Presbytery of Glasgow, arrived at Chumie as
a new labourer in connection with the mission. On the
31st December 1837, Tente, son of the chief Gaika, was
baptized.
350 CAFFRARIA.
CHAPTER IV.
SEPARATION.
When the separation of the Glasgow Missionary Society,
in December 1837, took place, the Rev. Messrs Bennie,
Ross, and Laing, missionaries, and Messrs M'Diarmid and
Weir, catechists, adhered to the section of the old associa-
tion which approved of the Establishment principle, while the
Rev. Messrs Chalmers and Niven sided with that which
held "voluntary" sentiments. For some time afterwards
the missionaries met in one Presbytery, asid never alluded
to the points on which they differed j but at length, about
1842, they ceased to unite in this common action, and their
separation was complete. They still, however, continued
to entertain the most friendly feelings for each other. When
they parted, the stations commenced and carried on by
their joint efforts were divided among them, Lovedale,
Pirrie, and Bumshill being given to the Established party,
and Chumie and Iggibigha to the Dissenters.
About the year 1839, a church was erected at Burnshill.
It was of a very humble character, being formed of rough
and mostly unhewn stone, with a clay floor and thatched
roof. About March of that year there were 1 1 communi-
cants there. Not long afterwards Mr Bennie thus wrote
regarding the appearance of his pupils : —
** Have you seen on your right about 30 young lads and boys, seated
along the wall, with their karries at their feet, while they are themselves
clad in sheepskin or ox-hide harasses ? Some of them have their heads
also adorned with tufts of birds* feathers, or the tails of wild animals ;
and not one is in danger of mistaking a bonnet or cap for his own — for
they have not among them any such article. You will observe that not
more than seven or eight of these lads have books, and yet they are re-
ceiving instruction. The other three rows also, you will perceive, are
girls or young women, and among them about twenty have books. You
are perhaps surprised at the general appearance of my scholars — that
THE REV. WILLIAM GOVAN, 35 I
they are rather red than black from the ochre painting ; * and you are
probably asking yourself whether I have not influence enough to induce
them to discontinue such a practice. I have no wish to plead the usq
of red ochre, and will only say, by way of apology, that, like many
others, they are not easily dissuaded from following the fashion.'* — Mis-
sionary Record^ 1 839-1 841, p. 219.
For a long time it had been felt by the Home Committee
and by the missionaries, that means should be taken to im-
part to the Caffres an education superior to the very elemen-
tary one they had hitherto received ; and to meet this want,
the Rev. William Govanf was despatched from home with
instructions to found a seminary at Lovedale. The seminary
was designed to accomplish several objects of importance.
It would be a suitable place for the education of the mis-
sionaries' own children ; it would teach the Europeans and
the Caflfre boys to associate together, and regard each other
with mutual respect ; and, finally, it would raise up from
among the latter native teachers and preachers, as did the
"institutions" in India.
Mr Go van opened the seminary on the 21st July 1841,
with eleven natives and nine children of English extraction,
the latter being mainly sons of missionaries, either of the
Glasgow or of other societies. The European and native
students were placed in identically the same classes, and
competed together day by day. The result which ultimately
appeared is well worthy of record. So long as the repre-
sentatives of the two races remained boys, they were almost
equal in mental power, as was shown by the fact that the
prizes gained by the members of each race were almost
* The heathen Caffres and Fingoes (the latter even more than the former) are in
the habit of painting their bodies with a pigment of red cla;^stone and fat, and their
garments very soon partake of the contents and colour of ihis mixture. Besides this,
they adorn their arms, and sometimes also their ankles, with rings of brass wire,
which they carefully keep in a bright state. Of old, garments of ox-hide were com-
mon, but now cotton and woollen blankets, ornamented with white buttons, have
extensively come into use. The men generally go bare-headed, while the women
have a handkerchief over their hair. Some of the latter have adopted European
attire, even coming out on grand occasions in crinoline. Both men and women are
fond of using umbrellas. — Free Church Missionary Record y 1862, 1863, pp. aoi, 202.
t Mr William Govan was licensed on i6th June 1840. He was ordained by the
Presbytery of Glasgow on azst July of the same year. He reached Lovedale early
in January 1841.
352 CAFFRARIA,
exactiy proportioned to the members of that race then in
the class ; but subsequently it was ascertained, that when the
boys grew up to manhood, the superiority of the Europeans
became very marked.
The natives were now more friendly than they had been
during the earlier years of the mission, and somewhat more
disposed to profit by the instructions they received. For
instance, when Mr Govan arrived, a chief, named Botman,
shook hands with him, and he found that the individual in
question was in the habit of attending church.
In September 1842, Miss Thomson arrived from home
as a female teacher. The same year, Notas, wife of John
Muir, and Nokas, wife of Tente, were baptized. On August
30th, 1843, the Presbytery o^ Cafifraria met at Lovedale,
under the moderatorship of Mr Laing, and unanimously
resolved to adhere to the Free Church.
In March 1844, we find Mr Laing preparing materials
for a Caffre periodical, to be called the Jkwezi, or "Morning
Star," and baptizing three converts, one a young man firom
the institution.
Some little time afterwards, a case occurred which showed
that the gospel implants aspirations after freedom in persons
of either sex, and whatever be the race from which they
have sprung. Hena, a daughter of the great chief Gaika,
was placed in the charge of her brother Makema, who sup-
posed he was quite warranted — as, indeed, he was, by Caffre
custom, though not by the divine law — in selling her in
marriage to the highest bidder, without any reference to her
own inclination. But Hena had become a Christian. She
felt that the Scripture forbade her to be yoked to a heathen
and polygamist, and therefore flatly refiised to be disposed
of in the manner Makema thought best for his interests.
Finally, with the assistance of the missionaries, she vindi-
cated her liberty.
The gospel was evidently beginning to be felt as a power.
It was awaking consciences, it was loosening the arbitrary
TRANSFERENCE TO THE FREE CHURCH, 353
power of chiefs and other men in authority, and yet
heathenism was in some respects so rampant, that Mr Bryce
Ross considered the period from 1838 to 1846 the dreariest
in the history of the Caffre missions. — Free Church Mis-
sionary Record^ 1864, 1865, p. 749.
CHAPTER V.
AGAIN, WAR.
In 1844, as already mentioned, the Caffrarian stations of
the Glasgow Missionary Society were transferred, with the
cordial approval of all parties concerned, to the Free Church.*
In the report of the Foreign Mission Committee, presented
to the Assembly of 1845, it was proposed to extend the
missions, by commencing operations at Cape Town. Soon
afterwards Mr Gorrie was ordained to Southern Africa. He
was in that portion of the world when nominated for the
appointment, and was to have been ordained there, but
difficulties arising, he was brought home for the purpose.
A colleague for jiim was found in the Rev. Ebenezer Miller
of Rotterdam. The station of these two labourers was de-
signed to be Cape Town, for which they left in the summer
of 1846. t Scarcely had the Free Church taken over the
* When the CaiTrarian missions were transferred to the Free Church, the agency
stood as follows : —
I. Lovedale seminary. —Rev. William Govan, tutor in the seminary; Mr Richard
Ross, assistant ; Jacob, native schoolmaster, normal class.
II. Lovedale mission. — Rev. James Laing, missionary ; Mr James Weir, catechist
and mechanic ; Robert Balfour, native catechist.
III. Bumshill.— Rev. John Bennie, missionary; Mr Alexander M'Diarmid, cate-
chist and mechanic ; Charles Henry, native catechist ; Robert Craig, native school-
master; and John Beck Balfour, native schoolmaster.
IV. Pirrie. — Rev. John Ross, missionary ; Joseph Williams, native catechist :
Thomas Hoe, native catechist ; Miss Thomson, female teacher.- /^r(?^ Church Mis-
sionary Record^ March 1845, p. 45.
t Ever since the time of the apostles, as already remarked, occasional " perils in
the sea" have ever been associated with the evangelistic enterprise ; and this ex-
perience fell to the lot of Messrs Miller and Gome, on their voyage to the Cape.
On the night of July 15, 1846, while the vessel containing the missionaries was off
Poole in Dorsetshire, and beating forward in a thick mist against an unfavourable
354 CAFFRAR/A,
Glasgow Society's Mission in South Africa, when public
attention became powerfully turned to that region of the
world, owing to the breaking out of a new Caffre war.
Causes of irritation between the native chiefs and the Colo-
nial Government had been frequent, and of late had con-
siderably increased. The natives often made raids into
British territory for the purpose of cattle -lifting, and repri-
sals followed as a matter of course. Treaties were formed
between the Government and the paramount chiefs. The
chiefs declared that these treaties were badly observed by
the Government, while it again maintained that the breach
of faith came from the chiefs. When once the train was laid
in the mutual animosity between the two races, a spark
made it explode. An axe had been stolen by a Caffre, and
an individual of that race was arrested as the alleged cul-
prit. On this his countrymen rescued him, the scuffle re-
sulting in the loss of one on either side, on which the British,
in April 1846, declared war. Sir Peregrine Maitland was at
that time Governor of Cape Colony, and Colonel Somerset
commander of the forces on the frontier.
wind, suddenly a great and loud concussion took place ; and the captain, running
into the cabin, called to the passengers to get on deck, as the vessel had struck, and
was likely to go down. Hastening up, they could dimly discern through the dark-
ness, the fog, and the drizzling rain, that their ship and another one were in collision.
The bow of each kept driving at the other, and crash followed crash in quick suc-
cession, as the vessels rose and fell on the waves. Neither, however, foundered ;
and after they had remained in contact, from 10.30 p.m. till half an hour after mid-
night, the effort to separate them proved successful, and, in the good providence of
God, the missionaries' vessel safely reached Cowes- Harbour, in the Isle of Wight,
though seriously damaged, even to the breaking asunder of her iron anchor stock,
and otherwise beating marks of the terrible night-combat in which she had been
engaged.
As the Cape mission was not allowed permanently to strike root, we may at once
finish its history here. After the damage produced by the collision had been re-
paired, Messrs Miller and Gorrie's vessel made a fresh departure from the shores of
Britain, on the 4th August 1846, and after a voyage of seventy-three days, cast
anchor in Table Bay, on the 15th December. Mr Hawkins of Calcutta had been at
the Cape shortly before, and with characteristic liberality, had left ;£2oo for the
mission from himself, with a promise, if possible, to raise ;^iooo more from his
friends in India. The missionaries opened a day and Sabbath school. The former,
commencing with twenty or thirty, soon rose to eighty children, and the latter to
w, of whom 225 were in actual attendance. Before June 26, 1848, thirteen adults
had been baptized. When the financial crisis, which commenced in the Free Church
missions in 1847, reached the culminating point, and retrenchment became abso-
lutely necessary, the operations at the Cape, by direction of the Assembly of 1849,
were transferred to the Colonial Committee. Mr Miller was then appointed mis-
sionary to Chinsurah, twenty-five miles above Calcutta, and Mr Gorrie to CafTreland.
In February 1851, the connection of Mr Gorrie with the mission ceased.
RETREAT OF THE MISSIONARIES, 35$
Towards the end of March the missionaries, being assured
that hostilities were inevitable, prepared to seek safety
within the colony. On the 25th of the same month, ac-
cordingly, Mrs Govan, Mrs Laing, as also Miss Smith and
her pupils, left Lovedale for Balfour, which was within the
colonial lines. Just after their departure, Mr M*Diarmid
and his family arrived at Lovedale from Burnshill, Mr
Bennie's household having previously entered the colony.
Soon aftenvards Mr Ross came in from Pirrie, having been
exposed to some danger on his journey. His family and
Miss Thomson followed in a waggon. Messrs M*Diarmid
and Ross had remained so long at their posts, that they
could remove only a portion of their property when the hour
of departure came. Lovedale was no safe asylum for the
refugees from the remote stations, and accompanied now by
Messrs Govan, Laing, and Weir, they continued their retreat
till they reached Balfour, and rejoined the ladies, who, as
was right and proper, had preceded them in flight. Burns-
hill and Pirrie were soon afterwards burnt by the Caffres,
while Lovedale was converted into a fort, and occupied
with British troops. Our forces at the commencement of
the war had advanced beyond Lovedale, but they were
compelled to fall back upon that station, which they reached
on Saturday, i8th April. When word of this was brought
to Balfour, the missionaries and other refugees received
orders to go for protection into Fort Armstrong, two miles
off. It stands upon a rocky, and on a considerable part
of its circumference precipitous peninsula, formed by the
Kat River. The order was obeyed on Friday the 24th. It
had not been issued a moment too soon, for next night,
Saturday, the Caffres attacked the fort, in the hope of carry-
ing off the cattle sheltered there. They were unsuccessful,
and retired after an hour's fighting. Mr Laing purposed
remaining there during the war, to look after the spiritual
interests of the Lovedale and Burnshill converts and
catechumens, who were on the Kat River about eight miles
356 CAFFRARIA,
off. Most of the other missionaries and their families fell
back on Fort Beaufort; Mr Bennie repaired to Graaf
Reynet, within the colony ; Mr Ross to Algoa Bay ; whilst
Mr Govan, believing that the war would be a long one, paid
a temporary visit home, resigning meanwhile his connection
with the mission. The war was not so protracted as had
been anticipated, and on 5th November, all the missionaries
who were refugees within the colony, excepting Mr Bennie,
who was detained by family affliction, returned to their
stations. Lovedale was still in possession of the mihtary,
and in consequence of this, the seminary could not for a
time be re-opened. When Mr Ross returned to Pirrie, he
had at first to reside in a native hut.*
CHAPTER VI.
THE INTERVAL OF PEACE.
The war ultimately gave a new sphere and new security to
the mission. Previous to the breaking out of hostilities in
1846, the country around Lovedale, on the west side of the
Chumie, was occupied chiefly by Gaika Caffres ; after that
event it was possessed in the main by Fingoes, of whom
from one to two thousand were near enough the station to
be regularly acted upon by the missionaries. For reasons
already mentioned, the Fingoes were more likely to listen
to the Bible than the ordinary Caffres.
Another favourable circumstance was, that the Christian
• In 1839 a station had been formed at a place called Kweleha, on the coast,
seventy or eighty miles east by south from Pirrie. It was situated in a pretty valley
through which the Kweleha, a fine rivulet of excellent water, flowed. The spot
seemed the very picture of rural solitude and seclusion.— iT/w/^warr Record^ Janu-
ary 1843, p. 184. Two native converts, John Muir and Thomas Hoe, were sent
to occupy it, and the missionaries were to visit it at times. When the war broke out
it was destroyed, and the native labourers attempted to return to the colony, but
failing to do so, they made their way eastward to Natal, where John Muir subse-
quently became an agent of the Wesleyan Missionary Soc'icXy.— Missionary Record,
1853, 1854, p. 120 ; 1869, pp. 174, 175.
THE SCATTERED CHURCH MEMBERS RETURN, 35/
governor of Cape Colony, Sir Peregrine Maitland, issued a
proclamation eminently favourable to the missionaries. *
A large fort — Fort Hare — was built on the Chumie op-
posite Lovedale, and a frontier town — Alice — sprung up in
its vicinity, within a mile of Lovedale. Lovedale was now
on the colonial side of the border, and Burnshill and
Pirrie in that part of Caffraria just made into a province of
the British empire.
When the war broke out in 1846, there were at the four
stations fifty-eight native communicants, nine candidates for
baptism, and fifty-five children and young persons who had
been baptized in infancy, but had not yet been admitted to
full communion. These were dispersed by the war, but a
good many of them gathering at its close, and others being
added to them, Dr M*Farlane of Renfrew, writing on Feb-
ruary 4, 1848, estimated the number of communicants at
the three stations at about seventy.
In that year a proposal was made by the Acting Foreign
Mission Committee to discontinue the Caffre missions,
broken up as they had been by the war ;t but the general
* The Government notice on the subject of future operations was thus worded :—
"Whereas the proclamation of the a^rd December 1847 defines the future condition
and rule of the Kafirs in ' British Kaffraria,' and the Kafir chiefs have submitted
thereto, all missionaries are invited to return to their missions ; and that no misunder-
standing or misconception may arise, Her Majesty's High Commissioner gives notice
that the land of their mission stations shall be held from Her Ms^jesty, and not from
any Kafir chief whatever. Every facility will be given, and evezy aid afforded to the
missionaries conducive to the great objects in view — namely, conversion to Christian-
ity and civilisation ; and these laudable gentlemen may rely upon the utmost support
and protection the High Commissioner may have it in his power to afford " {^Free
Church Missionary Record^ July 1848, p. 474). There was great wisdom in the
course of policy announced in this proclamation. Even though regarding the matter
primarily from the governmental point of view, the commissioners evidently felt that
there was no cheaper method of defending the eastern portion of Cape Colony than
that of encouraging missions to the Caffres. As the influence of the gospel extended,
cattle-lifting, one of the chief causes of Caffre wars, would necessarily diminish ; and
if unhappily hostilities did break out, they would be conducted even by half-Chris-
tianisea natives with an amount of humanity which could not be looked for at the
hand of ordinary heathen Caffres.
t The Free Church missionaries in the country had personally lost Jis^S^ 9s- 3d.,
whilst Mr Govan had lost mpwards of ;Cioo. The public losses to the mission had
been ;^xo69, 7s. 8d-, including £,y^^ i6s- ad., the estimated damage to Lovedale
seminary. Of the latter, however, the Government paid ;£i88, zis. izd. At that
time, the Rev. Messrs Ross, Bennie, and Laing had but £t\<30 a year of salary, and
Messrs Weir and M'Diarmid, £,<^.
(391) 24
358 CAFFRARIA,
committee, as already mentioned, set aside the proposal,
and the Assemblies of 1848 and 1849 took other and better
methods of making * the income and expenditure of the
mission meet.
In 1848, about no pupils were receiving instruction at
Lovedale under a native catechist, called Jacob, and fifty
under Miss Harding. There were thirty-seven communicants
of various nations. The candidates for baptism amounted
to eleven. On 17 th July 1849, Lovedale seminary was
reopened, the Government, through Colonel George Mac-
kinnon, the chief commissioner, having, on the 20th De-
cember 1848, promised ;^ioo a year to it, when it was
sufficiently repaired to permit of its again being available
for educational operations, and £,\2 per annum to each
native teacher whom it might send forth. In February
1850, Mr Govan, who had left Britain in October 1849,
arrived to take charge of it as before. When the war
broke out, there were in it twenty-six pupils; when the
second session — that of 1850 — commenced, there were
twelve natives and twelve Europeans — twenty-four in alL
About the end of 1849, ^ small church had been built by
the missionaries in the infant town of Alice, no aid from
home being solicited for its erection. It was specially
designed for Enghsh preaching. Mr Calderwood, formerly
a missionary under the London Society, was made commis-
sioner for the district of Victoria, in which Lovedale was
situated, and gave great assistance to those with whom he
had formerly been more directly associated. At Bumshill,
Mr Bennie, one of the first two missionaries, was so dis-
abled and discouraged on account of the hardships he had
been called to endure, that he asked and obtained leave of
absence for two years to labour in the colony, relieving the
committee meanwhile of the burden of his salary. He did
not return when his leave expired, having found an im-
portant sphere in the colony, which he occupied during the
THE GREAT WAR, 3S5
remainder of his life.* After his departure, Mr M'Diarmid
was for a time left alone at Burnshill.
A branch station was soon afterwards established at
Sitela, on the Chumie, about three miles from Lovedale.
In 1849, the missionaries obtained from Government a
grant of twenty acres below, and seven above, a watercourse
at Lovedale, for the endowment of the seminary, and Miss
Harding, ten acres under water ^ for the promotion of edu-
cation. About two acres of the land were enclosed as
garden ground, and the pupils set to work upon it. On
June 13, 1849, Mr Laing, then at Lovedale, mentioned that
there were there at that time forty-four members, besides
baptized children, in the Church. Of these nineteen were
Fingoes, three were Hottentots, and the remainder Caffres.
On 15th March 1850, Mr Bryce Ross, the eldest son of Mr
Ross of Pirrie, was ordained by the Presbytery of Glasgow,
and soon afterwards left for his destination.
CHAPTER VIL
THE LAST AND GREATEST WAR.
The Caffres, and especially their chiefs, had never been
able to reconcile themselves to the forfeiture of territory
which followed on the war of 1846. The chiefs had, more-
over, a matter of personal complaint in the curtailment of
their authority over their clansmen. For instance, when, as
heretofore, they proceeded to appropriate the goods of any
person who might be denounced by a sorcerer, the man
applied to the British commissioner, whose protection was
readily accorded him, if he seemed really innocent of crime.
• From a notice in the Missionary Record^ we learn that the Rev. John Bennie
died on oth February 1869, apparently from the bursting of a blood-vessel in his
lungs. He had laboured from 1850 at Middlesburgh, in the Cape Colony, to a large
congregation, consisting of Hottentots, Caflfres, Fingoes, Mantatees, and Bechuanas.
The CaPf Argus spoke of him as a *'good Cafire scholar, and a most indefatigable,
useful missionary.*'
360 CAFFRARIA,
The sorcerers, of course, saw in this exercise of British
justice an influence which was certain sooner or later to put
an end to their credit with the community ; they therefore
cast in their lot with the disaffected chiefs. Thieves, also,
and others who felt that they flourished best in times of
anarchy, sighed for the advent of political commotion ;
and then, when the thunderstorm was about to burst, a
"prophet" arose. This young man, Umlanjeni byname,
whose character was made up of fanaticism and imposture
commingled in unknown proportion, took means to esta-
blish his credit with the Caffres by pretended visions, inter-
views with the dead, miracles, and prophecies. Then,
when his ascendency was well secured, he counselled his
followers to slaughter their dun-coloured cattle, and pre-
dicted a war which would end in the destruction of the
white foreigners, and the enrichment of all who had pos-
sessed faith enough to put their cattle to death. Umlan-
jeni was of the Tslambie tribe, and the British commis-
sioner responsible for the peace in that quarter of Caffraria
thought it high time to put the seer under arrest The latter,
however, managed to escape, which was held to be a new
proof of his omnipotence. The great Gaika chief, Sandilli,
repaired to the wondrous youth for counsel, and followed
the evil advice which he received from that worthy. To be
more specific. Sir Harry Smith, the hero of Aliwal, then
Governor of the Cape, had summoned the chiefs to meet him
at a conference designed to remove causes of irritation, and
Sandilli was persuaded by the " prophet " purposely to stay
away. After attempts to bring him to act in a more friendly
manner had failed, he was deposed, a price of ^£500 being
put upon his head (a very harsh and impolitic measure), and
Sutu was appointed chief in his room. Soon afterwards, in
December 1850, the Gaikas attacked an unarmed patrol,
and, of course, easily overcame it, and followed up the
easily purchased success by falling without warning on the
military village of Victoria, and slaughtering the inhabitants
A BATTLE SEEN, 36 1
with exulting and wanton barbarity. It was an almost
useless formality after this for the British to declare war,
since war in truth had begun already. The whole resources
of the colony were not at the disposal of the Governor on
this as on former occasions. Many of the Dutch boers
hung back when called to arms. The Hottentots, who in
previous wars had been on the British side, were divided in
opinion how to act, and a large section of them, though
professing Christianity, sided with the Caffres.
The Free Church missionaries obtained early intelligence
of what was about to happen, and took means for their pre-
servation. Mr M*Diarmid of Burnshill, who was particu-
larly exposed to danger, his station being in the immediate
vicinity of Sandilli's residence, escaped with his family to
King William's Town, as did also Mr Ross of Pirrie and his
household.* The buildings at Burnshill and Pirrie were
shortly afterwards burnt. The brethren at Lovedale, oc-
cupying as they did a station within the British territory,
were able to retain their place during the war, though it was
found necessary to put the seminary in a posture of defence.
For a long period its occupants had to remain on guard
every night, and looking from their place of refuge as from
a watch-tower (it occupies a commanding position), saw
blazing villages reddening the sky. On the 21st January
1 85 1, a battle was fought under their immediate eye. It
proved a sanguinary one, and when it ended, seventy dead
Caffres, with a number of wounded, were seen upon the field.
When the Rev. Bryce Ross reached Southern Africa, he
found the way to Lovedale, his intended station, impas-
sable, and with his wife temporarily took up his residence
* This was the ftfth time that Mr Ross had been driven from his station by war.
The trials and dangers through which he had had to pass were indeed remarkable.
Once when smallpox was raging, and the chief Sandilli had established quarantine,
Mr Ross having ventured to travel was attacked, and was ordered to look at the
sun, which is in Caffraria the token of instant death. ^ "The most unfounded tales,"
he once wrote, "are in circulation among them. It is said that Mr Laing brought
the measles here in a red handkerchief, that he wrote to me that he had killed many
at the Keiskamma, and I must kill the people here ; that I have smeared all the seats
in the church with the measles ; that I am killing the people, for though I do not go to
them, Mrs Ross goes." — Caffrarian Messenger, p. 145 ; Quart. Intel. No. vi., p. 4.
362 CAFFRARIA.
at King William's Town, which he reached on the 20th
August 185 1. None of the Lovedale Church members,
and only a few of those who were not, joined the CaflEres in
this war. During its continuance the missionaries found
work to do, partly among refugee natives, and partly among
the European soldiers sent out to take part in the campaign.
Mr Ross laboured with Mr Brownlee at King William's
Town, Sir Harry Smith's head-quarters. Mr Laing was at
Fort Cox, and the rest of the missionary party were at
Lovedale, where, on the 20th July 1851, Mr Govan re-
opened the seminary, though not yet for boarders. It was not
till the 20th July 1852, that boarders were again admitted.
Even while the war was in progress the work of grace went *
on among the natives. Thus, Mr Laing, writing on the 8th
April 1 85 2,- was able to speak of twenty-one candidates for
baptism, of whom nine were to be baptized on the Sabbath
following. Their names were Meitje, Tseu, Christian,
Lumkee, Milosse, Felita, Hlouga, Tibone, and Leah. Four
were men, and five women. Five were Caffres and four
Fingoes. Early in 1853, an elder (Tehuka) from among
the Caft'rcs, and another (Jacob Pinda) from the Fingoes,
were elected by the members of the native Church.
CHAPTER VHL
AFTER THE RESTORATION OF PEACE.
The war terminated in 1853, and its prime movers, the
Gaika Caffres, having been worsted in the contest, were
compelled to remove from the Amatola districts, of which
they had hitherto been the chief occupants, to a flatter and
more treeless country seventy miles further eastward, which,
if they rose in arms again, they would find less adapted for
their peculiar method of warfare than the territories from
THE FINGOES. 363
which they had been ejected. The region thus vacated was
afterwards in large measure settled with Fingoes, in reward
for the services which they had rendered to the British
during the struggle. Thus, while the inhabitants of the
Burnshill district prior to the war were Caffres proper, after
that event they were chiefly Fingoes.
Just before the hostilities commenced, the Gaikas were
estimated at nearly 40,000, and of these probably from
12,000 to 15,000 were within six or eight miles of the Free
Church stations, and were visited and instructed by the mis-
sionaries. After the war, the most westerly portion of the
region assigned to the Caffres was at least ten or twelve
miles east of Pirrie, and Sandilli's residence was no longer
in the vicinity of Burnshill. Before the struggle, there had
been seven adult native members of the church at Burns-
hill, who were scattered during the commotion. Just after
it closed, there were at home 22 adult native members,
with 37 baptized in infancy, and 7 catechumens. These
were from 22 families. A day school at the station, taught
by Miss Helen Ross, had 46 in attendance. At Lovedale
there were 88 church members, with 28 catechumens. The
last 10 baptisms which had gone to make up the 88 may
be mentioned in detail, as an illustration of mission work in
Caffraria. They took place on Sabbath, 4th September
1853. The names of the converts were Quaintsha, Nobuto,
Balu, Mary Pin da, Piet, Tukuta, Nimazera, Patoshe, Mal-
eina, and Razile. Three were Caffres and seven Fingoes.
Two — Quaintsha and Piet — were men, and the remaining
eight women. There is something noteworthy here. The
Fingoes were the oppressed tribe, and the CafFrarian
women the oppressed sex. Observe how large the propor-
tion of converts from these, and how few from those of
whose domination they had reason to complain. Note also
that the Caffrarian missionaries are so anxious not to baptize
unworthy characters, that they keep applicants for admission
into the church long in the class of catechumens. As our
364 CAFFRARIA,
space will not admit of our giving the details of almost any
other admissions to the church, it may here be mentioned
that from the reoccupation of the several stations baptisms
in large numbers (on one occasion there were nineteen
together) from the catechumen class, a large proportion
being these of women and Fingoes, have taken place at
not remote intervals. These have occurred specially at
Lovedale and Burnshill, the latter station having been put,
in 1855, u^der the charge of Mr Laing, who for some time
previously had been stationed as missionary pastor at Love-
dale.
On the 31st August 1853 an out-station was opened at a
spot on the left bank of the Chumie, about six miles north-
east from Lovedale. To this was given the name Macfar-
lane, from the Rev. Dr Macfarlane, of Renfrew, who had
acted as the medium of communication between the Foreign
Missions Committee and the Caffre missionaries till his
lamented death, shortly before the establishment of the
station designed to commemorate his worth.* Mr M*Diar-
mid was located there. He had not long to wait for the
fruits of his labours at Macfarlane, for on the first Sabbath
of 1854 a notable baptism took place, that of Ubizo, the
wife of a Fingo chief named Mabanhla, on whose invitation,
with the sanction of Government, the station had been
set up.
In March 1854 the Lovedale Church rose suddenly to a
membership of 160, in consequence of receiving a whole-
sale addition of 53 communicants, being the greater part of
those formerly resident at Birklands, under the pastoral care
of the Rev. Henry Calderwood. Of the 53, 22 were men
and 31 females. More office-bearers were required to look
after the new comers, and on Sabbath, 30th July 1854,
Manxoi was ordained an elder and Bola a deacon.
When, in March 1855, tranquillity had been sufficiently
• In x8ss tl»e statistics of Mdcfarlane out-station was as follows : — Native Church
members. 9 ; catechumens, 7; attending day school, 30: evening school, 11. On
»oih April 1856 a native called Jonas Daniel was ordained an elder.
5/^ GEORGE GREY. 365
restored in Caffraria to admit of Burnshill being again
occupied, Mr Laing removed thither, taking with him about
thirty families of native Christian Caffres. He lived six
weeks in a tent, and six more in a Fingo hut, holding
meetings sometimes within and sometimes without the
roofless church.
In 1855, Sir George Grey, then Governor of Cape Colony,
proposed that an industrial department should be added to
the Lovedale seminary. The suggestion was acted upon.
Pecuniary assistance having been obtained from Sir George,
as well as from friends in Africa and at home, four masters
of trades — namely, a carpenter, a mason, a waggon-maker,
and a blacksmith — were appointed, and apprentices assigned
to them, with suitable workshops. The Government paid
the trade-masters, but did not in any way interfere with the
ordinary management of the seminary. Manifold benefits
resulted from the arrangement, but unhappily it was not
continued to the same extent after Sir George Grey had
returned home. The only disadvantage which ever arose
from the close alliance of the Government and the mis-
sionaries was that some CafFres obtained plausible ground
for saying — " Our country has been taken from us by white
men. The missionaries are only government agents."
CHAPTER IX.
A " PROPHET " AND HIS TIMES.
It was an evil omen for Caffraria that in 1857 there started
up another "prophet," and he more extravagant in his
counsels and his predictions than his predecessor had
been. This man, Umlakaza by name, had the senseless-
ness and effrontery to advise the Caffres, on a certain day, to
366 CAFFRARIA.
slaughter not simply their dun-coloured cattle, but all their
herds and flocks, promising that if they did so then the sun
would next morning rise in two halves, and would proceed
to do battle for them in the heavens. Soon afterwards the
sky would fall and crush the unbelievers, leaving none but
the faithful alive. Then the earth would open, and the
slain animals, instinct with new life, would rise out of it,
whilst following in their rear would be discerned all bygone
generations of the Caffres, aroused from the sleep of ages.
The test of faith prescribed by the "prophet" was indeed a
severe one, for, next to himself, the CafFre loves his herds
and his flocks. They have descended to him from his fore-
fathers like heirlooms in a family ; besides which, they con-
stitute almost his whole means of subsistence. Notwith-
standing all this, the great mass of the Caffres in many
localities slew the domestic animals, not allowing even a fowl
to live. Next morning the faithful were early astir, and places
were sought on the summits or the ridges of hills that the
first glimpse might be caught of the divided sun and the
bestial and human resurrection. To the disappointment ol
all, the luminary of day came up in his old integrity. He
climbed the steep ascent of heaven without showing any
disposition to do battle. There was no heaving of the
earth — no processionary march of cattle or of men, but
only an unwonted stillness, since now, for the first time
during unnumbered centuries, neither the lowing of cattle
nor the bleating of sheep was anywhere heard. Clearly
some mistake had occurred — the prophet should have said
not sunrise but noon. So noon was anxiously waited for.
It came in due time, but did not bring with it any abnormal
appearances. Probably sunrise must somehow have got
substituted for sunset. When the latter came faith might
have its reward, and fast gathering anxiety be dispelled and
forgotten. When, at length, sunset did arrive, and brought
with it neither the celestial nor the terrestrial signs which
had been expected, the confidence of the Caffres posted on
THE ''prophet'' UMLAKAZA, 367
the hills, for the time at least, gave way, and yells of despair
arose. One man slew his children, and then put an end to
his own existence. Another upbraided his chief for having
given him such evil counsel, and then falling upon his spear
died. Ere long multitudes were flocking to the colony to
beg for subsistence, and many before reaching it perished
of hunger. Yet not a few of the survivors, recovering from
their despair, maintained that the prophet was right after
all — what prevented his predictions from being punctually
verified was the unbelief prevailing among a portion of his
countrymen. This, and this only, had delayed the expected
resurrection. In these circumstances the faithful felt them-
selves warranted in plundering those who had criminally
disregarded the counsel of the seer, and the unbelievers
found themselves in such danger that they were glad to
escape across the frontier into British territory. Our
Government of course gave them hospitality, and they
were allowed permanently to settle in the districts called
the Reserve.* — Mr Shepstone in Free Church Missionary
Record^ 1857-8, p. 197 ; 1870, p. 248.
But, to return to matters more directly relating to the
mission. On the 3rd August 1857 the Rev. Richard Ross, a
son of the venerable missionary bearing that surname, arrived
from Scotland, whither he had gone about eleven years
previously to seek a high literary and theological education.
His friend, Mr Templeton, accompanied him. Writing
about the end of 1857, Mr Govan said that when he first
came out (in 1831) there were only about eleven native
members in the Lovedale Church ; now there were about
240. Then the attendance at divine service was small, and
most of those who did come were clad either in karosses or
in blankets daubed with red paint ; now, with scarcely an
exception, all were decently clad. By May 28, 1858, there
were 250 church members at Lovedale, who had subscribed
* Though the events recorded in the foregoing narrative at first only indirectly
affected the mission, yet they told on it uliiinately, by leaving a country empty, and
producing the Transkeian Fingo migration.
368 CAFFRARIA,
J[^\lo towards the erection of school-houses in the district.
Some time previously the native Christians at Burnshill had
subscribed j[,^\^ 14s. gd. to aid the repairs necessary at
that station.
In May 1858, the Presbytery of Caffraria issued an appeal
soliciting assistance to render the Lovedale seminary more
effective. They wished a printing press to be sent out with
some one who could work it properly. They desired, also,
another ordained missionary, that they might be strong
enough in men to introduce into the seminary a college
department, specially with the view of training natives for
the ministry. Finally, they solicited for the educational
institution, already oftener than once named, a permanent
endowment. The appeal, which was circulated in Scotland
in 1859, with the sanction of the Finance Mission Com-
mittee and the Assembly, was but partially successful. A
printer with a superior printing-press was sent out, and was
soon at work, the Rev. Bryce Ross taking the editorial
department of the mission work, and starting a small
monthly magazine, chiefly in Caffre, but with a few pages in
English. No new missionary was sent, nor was an endow-
ment furnished. Some time afterwards, however, the
brethren in Caffraria took a step which will be pretty certain
sooner or later to endow the seminary more handsomely
than Scotland could afford to do. They obtained for it
700 or 800 acres of land not far from the frontier capital,
Alice. Who can so far look into futurity as to tell us what
the value of that land will be at each successive decade of
years? In December 1862, the appeal was again circulated,
;^20oo or ;;^3ooo being solicited partly to meet the obliga-
tions arising from the land purchase.
One encouraging circumstance connected with the Caffra-
rian baptisms was this, that among those admitted to the
Church were near relatives of chiefs. For instance, in 1859
Mr Laing spoke of the appearance of a son of a chief,
caJJed Zibi, as a candidate for baptism, and recorded that
NATIVE SUBSCHIPTIONS. 369
he was the fifth of Zibi*s children who had either received,
or applied for, the sealing ordinance. The father himself
had been shortly before described as holding the plate at a
collection, though not himself a Christian.
In 1859, there were at the several stations 1754 native
Christians, of whom 406 were communicants. By i86t,
the communicants had increased to 577, a sixth of whom
had been added during the previous twelve months. A
transfer of Church members from Lovedale to Burnshill
largely took place in 1859, the reason being that land was
more easily obtainable at the latter than at the former
station. By 3rd October of that year the Burnshill commu-
nicants had risen to 100.
The native CafTre converts merit no slight praise, on
account of their liberality. In the Assembly Report for
1859, it was mentioned that their contributions during the
twelve months previously had amounted to ;^304, 9s. 3 id.
Soon afterwards, Mr Richard Ross, having expressed his
anxiety to build extension churches, to be used partly for
preaching and partly as schools, jQi'jo were subscribed for
the purpose at Lovedale. At the opening sermon of a
church at Gaga, or Renfrew Gaga, a small native hamlet, two
or three miles north-west of Lovedale seminary, ;;^93 were
collected, or, when stock was taken into account, ;;^io9.
Once more, when in 1862 a church was built on the hillside
for the use of the Burnshill congregation, of the ;^iooo
which it cost, fully ^^500 were contributed by natives.
In 1862, a monthly periodical, called the Indaba^ or News,
and printed two-thirds of it in Caffre and a third in English,
was commenced under the editorship of the Rev. Richard
Ross. 550 copies of it were sold.
Manifestly Christianity and civilisation were at length
rooting themselves in the land.
370 CAFFRARIA.
CHAPTER X.
MR STEWART'S REPORT ON THE MISSIONS.
Early in 1861, Mr James Stewart, a divinity student of the
Free Church who had nearly completed his theological
curriculum, made a proposal to the Foreign Missions Com-
mittee to commence a station in some portion of the new
territories opened up by the discoveries of Dr Livingstone.
The committee were unable to entertain the proposal, unless
on the condition that the funds required to carry it out
came from sources distinct from their ordinary revenue.
On this private friends stepped forward, and raised money
enough to send Mr Stewart out for a preliminary explora-
tion. In 1 861, he met Dr Livingstone on the Zambesi, and
inquired into the condition of the tribes in that part of Africa,
but ultimately it was found inexpedient to commence opera-
tions there. On this Dr Tweedie requested Mr Stewart,
before returning home, to visit the sevenJ Cafifrarian stations,
and report upon their condition. He did so, reaching
South-Eastem Africa about the end of May 1863.
Lovedale was then, as it is now, the largest and the most
important of the Caflfrarian stations. In 1863, Mr Richard
Ross was the resident missionary. There were connected
with the station five substantial^ stone churches. Of these
the central one cost ;^5oo, while the other four, which lie
from four to ten miles from it, cost about ;^35o each. The
whole sum contributed to the mission during the seven
years previous had been nearly ;^2ooo, ;^i75o of it by the
people themselves. This tendency to self-help is a splendid
feature of the Caffre missions. The average attendance
through the Lovedale district was 965. The communicants
were 345 ; the adults baptized during the year, 49 ; the
children, 48 — in all, 97 ; the candidates for baptism or for
full communion, 95. When Mr Stewart preached in Love-
MR STEWARDS VISIT. 37 1
dale church nearly 500 were present. The one side of the
building was occupied by the men and the other by the
women, an arrangement, it may be mentioned, which the
Ritualists have introduced into many of the English congre-
gations. Connected with the Lovedale Free Church were
nine schools with 400 scholars, mostly receiving very ele-
mentary instruction. The cost of the schools was ;£^204,
none of it from home, but all coming from the funds of the
local congregation, or from Government grants.
The Rev. William Govan was principal of the seminary,
and besides a general superintendence of the whole, also
taught classics, and others of the higher branches; the
Rev. Robert Templeton took the boarding department,
besides teaching mathematics and arithmetic, while Mr S.
Colquhoun gave instruction in English. The average
number of lads instructed, or boarded and instructed, had
varied from 100 to 130. At the time of Mr Stewart's visit
there were 105, 78 of them boarders. One-fourth of the
boarders were Europeans. Of the day scholars, some came
for intellectual instruction, and others for industrial training.
The Government gave ;£25o per annum to the seminary,
and it was understood that this sum was to be raised to
;^45o, a blue-book report upon it having commended it
highly. £s^S — being £i1S ^^^ ^^^^ of three teachers —
are sent from home, with a small assurance premium.
At Burnshill Mr Stewart found the average attendance
at church about 300, and that at the outstations 450, or
750 in all. The communicants were 203; the baptisms
during the previous year had been 20 adults, with 26
children — in all, 46. Six schools were in operation, with
about 200 pupils. The central one had 76 actually present,
and was for those parts of superior character, while the
others were of humble pretensions.
When he visited Pirrie, he found that the church attend-
ance was about 200, while the out-stations had about an
equal number. There were thus 400 in all. In the schools
372 caPfraria,
were about 120 children. The monthly and church-door
collections amounted to £z^ ^ y^^u*. Excepting only the
salaries of the missionaries, the station had received from
external sources no more than £^2 in thirty years, and it
had sent back jQ^ to the Lancashire Distress Relief Fund.
;;^i6 annually were raised in the district for education, the
Government supplying other ;^5o. The Government
grants, however, were to be withdrawn from all schools
beyond the Chumie river, and Bumshill, Pirrie, and Mac-
farlane would collectively lose ;^2oo a year.
On the 15 th March 1864, Dr Duflf reached Lovedale,and
during the next fortnight made himself thoroughly acquainted
with the work there, and at the other stations.
Towards the close of that year, a church of wattle and
daub, 40 feet in length by 16 in breadth, was opened
at Knox, a small out-station of Pirrie, called after Henry
Knox, Esq., one of the directors of Uie Glasgow Society.
It was erected solely by the natives.
The Rev. Mr Templeton having soon afterwards resigned
his situation, the Rev. Mr Stewart, M.D., was appointed his
successor, and being ordained on the ist February 1865, by
the Free Presbytery of Glasgow, proceeded shortly after-
wards to his destination. Mr Colquhoun, a lay teacher,
also having retired at the expiry of the time for which he
had been engaged, Mr Bennie, the son of a formar mis-
sionary, was appointed in his room. The Lovedale semi-
nary had by this time become of great importance. In 1866
it was stated that it had acquired considerably above
^12,000 of property, including what it had received from
the Government If ^^2500 more were raised at home, the
seminary might be considered as endowed, and would in
future be self-supporting. Towards the aid of 1866, there
were se\-entY )x>uths in att^idance, thirty-seven £iirc^)e9ns
and thirty^three nadve& Bumshill ajid the oth^ stations
were feeders to it Dr Stewart s medical skill has been ot
much service to the missiocL In 1869 an old Hottentot
ON " SQUARING THE CIRCLE^' 373 .
servant, called Catharine Eckhard, who seems to have ob- • v v*.
tained her first religious impressions in the house of the poet
Pringle, but who, for nearly thirty years, had been Mrs
Govan's servant, and " a sort of established fact " in con-
nection with the seminary, died. It was found that she had
made a will bequeathing her property, amounting to about
;^3oo, to form bursaries at Lovedale for native students,
Hottentots, CafFres, and Fingoes.
On the 20th January 1869, Dr Stewart read a paper be-
fore a missionary conference, on a native ministry for Africa,
treating, with great ability and judgment, of such delicate
matters as the status and salaries of Caffre preachers.
Soon afterwards he took up the subject of native huts, and
showed the importance of attempting to induce the Caflfres
" to square their circle ; *' a feat, he remarked, which had
hitherto been found almost as difficult as the mathematical
problem of similar designation. Other topics of a kindred
character subsequently received consideration. The com-
mittee having enjoined certain alterations in the working of
the Lovedale seminary, designed to render it, if posisible,
yet more efficient in a missionary point of view, Mr Govan
did not see his way to approve of the changes recommended,
and adhering to his opinion, even after he had on invita-
tion come home to hold a conference with the committee,
he partly on this account, and partly because of increasing
years, resigned his place in the mission. Dr Stewart was
appointed his successor in the principalship of the seminary.
It had in it by this time what in India would be called a
college department. It had, moreover, a hbrary of 4500
volumes, continually recruited from Mudie's and other places
at home. The books were made available, not merely for
the missionaries, but for the general public, within a radius
of from fifty to eighty miles around Lovedale.*
* Major Malan (grandson of the well-known Caesar Malan), who lately visited
Lovedale seminary, reported on it most favourably, and gave ;^50 to its funds.
;^iooo are required for the extension of the buildings, the boarders having risen to no
fewer than 300.
(891) 25
374 CAFFXARIA.
At the commencement of 187 1, Dr Stewart began the
first Caflfre newspaper, for which, however, the support of
subscribers at home was solicited, till those in Caflfraria
rendered it self-supporting. The price to home subscribers,
including postage, is 4s. per annum.
When the jubilee of the CafFrarian missions — established,
it will be remembered in 1821 — was held in 187 1, great joy
was felt by the 2000 natives and the 1000 and more Euro-
peans present. Papers were read and speeches made, and
all felt that within the previous half century God had done
great things for His servants, and had besides given them
encouraging prospects of future success.
A few months after the jubilee, one of the patriarchs in
the mission, the Rev. James Laing, finished his course.
He died of bronchitis on the 28th January 1872, greatly
lamented by his colleagues and by the natives, with whom
he had been brought in contact during his long and Chris-
tian career.
CHAPTER XL
THE SETTLEMENT ON THE TOLENI.
In 1865 Sir Walter Currie proposed to Government that
Kreli, one of the chiefs, deported to the east after the war
of 1850, should be removed from the country which he then
occupied, beyond the Bashie. Kreli felt by no means dis-
posed to fall in with the arrangements proposed, but quietly
sounded his fellow chiefs as to whether they would aid
him in resisting, if forcible means were adopted for his
transference. Next the Home Government, which was
thoroughly sick of Caffre wars, sent out instructions that
Kreli should remain undisturbed, and that the territory east
of the Kei, part of which was to have been occupied by
Europeans, should be given back to the natives. On this.
THE TOLENL 375
as was natural, Sandilli thought that something good might
be in store for him, but on hearing the new distribution of
lands intended, he would have nothing to do with it, and
the share designed for him was oflfered to the Fingoes.
They gladly leaped at the offer, and a Fingo emigration
began from Fort Beaufort, Victoria, Queenstown, and
British Caffraria, to the ** Transkeian territory," by which
was meant the region east of the Kei. The emigration
drew away many church members from the several stations,
and it became a question whether it was right to allow them
to depart, without any one accompanying them to look after
their spiritual welfare. A mission to the Transkeian territory
was therefore resolved upon, the Free Church and the
United Presbyterian labourers agreeing to undertake it as
a joint enterprise. The Rev. Bryce Ross went as the Free
Church representative, his thorough acquaintance with the
language (he was bom in Caffraria) rendering him admirably
fitted to head an expedition into a new and unexplored part
of the country. To supply his place at Lovedale, so far as
a new comer would do it, the Rev. James Robertson was
ordained and sent out from home. A few ladies in Edin-
burgh raised ;^iooo to commence the mission. By the ist
February 1866, Sir P. Wodehouse, governor of the Cape,
estimated the number of Fingoes who had crossed the Kei
at 40,000, and the emigration still went on. The Fing6
station was called the Toleni, from the Toleni River on
which it was situated. By 1867 there was a ready-made
native congregation there of 1 20 members. A missionary
deputation, including the Rev. Messrs Govan and Tyo
Soga, had an interview with Kreli, and obtained liberty
from him to select a site for the mission, and in 1868 the
Rev. Richard Ross finally left Lovedale to settle permanently
in the Transkeian region.
376 CAFFRARIA.
CHAPTER XII.
THE NATAL AND GORDON MISSIONS.
On July 1 6, 1867, the Free Church adopted a mission in
the Natal colony, in charge of the Rev. James Allison.
The Zooloos, among whom he laboured — a tribe now of
world-wide reputation, from their connection with Colenso
— ^are a branch of the Caflfre race. Mr Allison has met
with much success among them; and in 1868, he was able
to intimate the baptism of thirty-six converts in a single day.
On 6th October 1869, he sent forth from Pietermaritzburg,
the capital of the Natal colony, thirteen native evangelists
to return to their own country of the Baramputana, and
spread the gospel among their fellow-countrymen.
On 19th October 1870, the Amaswaze chief, Sikwetshi,
accompanied by upwards of a hundred of his leading men,
came to Pietermaritzburg to get a farm transferred to them
which they had purchased for ;£i2oo from a Dutch boor.
Twenty acres of this, including the right of grazing, cutting
firewood, drawing water, &c, were then given over by a
formal grant to the Free Church for missionary purposes.
Philip Bhujang, a catechist of the Natal mission, was after-
wards settled on the chiefs estate. Before the Assembly of
1872, 425 in all had been admitted into the Church in con-
nection with the Natal mission.
In February 1868, the newspapers narrated a so-called
accident by which, in the mysterious providence of God,
the Hon. J. H. Gordon, a grandson of the distinguished
statesman, once premier of Great Britain — the Earl of Aber-
deen — lost his life while prosecuting his studies at Cam-
bridge. Two or three years before his lamented death, he
had, it appeared, entertained the thought of a Christian
mission to British Caflfraria; and in all probability, had his
iife been spared, would have carried out the enterprise in
THE GORDON MISSION. 377
person. With sound motherly and Christian instinct, Lady
Aberdeen felt that the best memorial of the gifted and
pious son so suddenly snatched from her, would be the
establishment of a Gordon mission in the region to which
his heart had so often turned. She communicated on the
subject with Dr Duflf and the Free Church Foreign Mis-
sionary Committee, and finally handed over jQ6ooo to be
vested in trustees as a permanent endowment, for the pro-
posed Gordon station in Caffraria. The Convener and two
others of the Foreign Mission Committee, with three
members of the Aberdeen family, were associated as a small
managing committee for carrying out the provisions of the
trust. At first, it was thought that the best place for the
new station would be the Transkei territory (Free Church
Missionary Record^ 1869, pp. 151, 152). But Natal after-
wards seemed a more eligible region. The Rev. Dr Dalziel,
whose attainments were very great, was ordained in 1870
to be the head of the Gordon mission, and left the same
year for Africa with Mrs Dalziel, the latter being a daughter
of the late Rev. Dr Lorimer of Glasgow. We have oftener
than once quoted from her vivid description of what she
saw on her first journey in Africa. In 1872, Dr Dalziel
had an offer of a church at Port Elizabeth, with a salary of
;;^5oo a year, but, as might have been anticipated, he
unhesitatingly rejected the offer, feeling himself called not
to the pastorate, but to evangelistic labour among the
heathen. The Free Church, and many beyond its pale,
will watch with eager interest the future development of the
Gordon mission.
CONCL USION.
[HE obligation incumbent upon the Church of
Christ to prosecute Foreign Missions rests
upon the commands of the Divine Redeemer.
Had efforts in this direction been wholly abor-
tive, allegiance to Him would still have necessitated their
continuance.
But blessed be God, they have not been a failure. True,
from before the memory of the present generation, a succes-
sion of men have arrived from countries in which missions
are being carried on with reports of the complete uselessness
of the enterprise. Especially has this been the . case with
regard to India. How can these erroneous statements be
accounted for? Simply through the force of human preju-
dice. When an officer, on returning from the East, prefaces
his disparagement of missions with the remark — " I have
been thirty years in India," his auditors naturally assume
that his unfavourable opinion is founded on long observa-
tion. In most cases, it is nothing of the kind. As a rule,
the critics of missions never, during their whole thirty years'
residence in the East, once condescended to look at the
interior of a mission, and they know a great deal less on the
subject than those who look up to them as authorities.
Not being themselves Christians in heart, they are pro-
foundly indifferent to evangelistic work.
Men feeling the power of the gospel on their own con-
sciences, never when abroad let pass the opportunity of
visiting a mission; and these not merely give favourable
reports, but aid the operations in progress with handsome
TESTIMONIES TO MISSIONS. 379
contributions in money. We take a couple of testimonies
from observers of the trustworthy t)rpe : —
Sir Richard Temple (Mr Hislop's friend), in a State paper
presented to Parliament, says that mission schools are popu-
lar, because of " the kindness, the courtesy, the patience,
and the aptitude of the missionaries for the instruction of
youth." He says also that the " self-denying, irreproachable
demeanour of the missionaries of all denominations, and
the spirit of Catholic charity evinced by them, produce a
deep impression on the minds of Orientals, and raise our
national character in the estimation of the natives." — Free
Church Missionary Record^ 1868, pp. 126, 127.
Major-General Sir Arthur Cotton also bore the following
emphatic testimony in their favour when speaking at a mis-
sionary meeting in Oxfprd : —
** I am always glad to bear testimony, as a man of forty years* know-
ledge of India, and not personally connected with missions, as to their
progress in India. I have traversed India from Hurdwar to Cape
Comorin, and have had many opportunities of visiting the missions, and
I would first express my confidence in the missionaries generally as
true men of God, faithful, earnest, and able men ; many of them of
first-rate talents and energy, preaching the gospel in great simplicity.
With respect to the progress of the "work I must state my conviction
that the missionaries generally are disposed to underrate the advance
they have made. I compare the case with that of soldiers in the heat
of battle ; they often think themselves hard pressed, and are doubtful
of the event, when a man overlooking the field sees plainly that they are
making steady and sure progress, and gaining ground at every effort. I
was once advancing with a column against an entrenched position of the
enemy, marching in the Engineers' post on the right of the leading
company of the column, when it came into my mind to observe particu-
larly the behaviour of the men, and I saw them moving exactly as if on
parade, not a man hastening or slackening his pace, or fidgeting to fire,
though the fire was getting very hot, and the men were dropping every
moment. Then I felt sure that no enemy could stand before them.
Just so I look upon the missionaries in India, and however much they
may be discouraged by many partial failures, and disappointments, and
innumerable difficulties, I see plainly the solid progress they are making,
as proved in many ways." — Free Church Missionary Record ^ 1868,
pp. 125, 126.
The Brahmans, too, and others interested in the main-
tenance of Hindooism, take, it is important to state, exactly
380 CONCLUSION.
the view of Sir Arthur Cotton. In place of holding with
those Europeans who are indifferent or hostile to the work
that nothing has been effected, they, as a rule, despondingly
admit that a great deal more has been done than the mis-
sionaries are aware of, and believe the ultimate fall of
Hindooism and the triumph of Christianity to be inevitable.
We share their opinion. Our belief is that Protestant
Christianity in India has advanced more rapidly than the
gospel did in the first centuries ; that its progress has been
quicker than that of Brahmanism when in conflict with the
aboriginal faiths, and that it has made way faster than either
Mohammedanism or Romanism in the East* What has
disguised and dwarfed the appearance of magnitude which
the Indian Church would otherwise have been admitted to
possess has been the tremendous extent of the land to be
subdued. Viewed absolutely, native Christians are a com-
paratively numerous body ; looked at relatively to the
millions of nominal Hindoos and Mohammedans, they
appear few indeed. But the power of Christianity will be
incalculably under-estimated if it be supposed that the
number of baptisms which have already taken place fairly
measure the standing which it has within our Eastern
Empire. From every mission rays of influence have gone
forth which have more or less affected even the remotest
villages in the country. Though believing that the ultimate
fall of Hindooism is yet centuries remote, and that Moham-
medanism will long linger after Hindooism has passed away,
yet we are strongly convinced that the mortal blow, from
which the former great system of error is destined ultimately
to expire, has already been struck.
* For an effort to prove these propositions, see the British and Foreign Evan-
gelical Review^ for October 1870, pages 70Z to 719.
INDEX.
Abassibeb, 179, x8o, 188.
Abdool Khader, 170, 188.
Abeona Emigrant Vessel, Burning of,
344-
Aberdeen, Earl and Countess of, with
their family, 376, 377.
Aborigines of India, 48, 338-337.
Abraham, a Jewish Convert, 85, 86.
Abyssinian Converts, 220, 225, 227, 249.
Adamj Rev. Mr, 63.
Adwaito Charan, 141.
Africa, Southern, 339, &c.
Western, 7, 8.
Aga Mohammed Khan, a68.
Ahmednuggur, American Mission at,
283.
Aitken, Rev. James, 303, ai8, 256, 257,
258, 280 282.
Aleemalummah, 162.
Alice, the Capital of Victoria Province,
in South Africa, 357, 358, 368.
Alicia Race, Case of, as tried by Lord
Campbell, 189.
Allison, Rev. James, 376.
Amakosa, 340.
Amatole Hills, 346.
AmatoH Valley, 346.
Anand Singh, 315.
Anundo Chunder Majundar, 70.
Anderson, Rev. John, 17, 29, i49-z84.
Mrs, i68, 199.
Church, 192.
Anglicanism v. Orientalism, 63.
Angus, Rev. Robert and Mrs, 275, 3761
378, 380.
Anti-Conversion Memorial, 316.
Apaya, 397.
Apler, Mr, 293, 295, 297, 298.
Ardwise, Mr, 98.
Arjun, 324.
Armenians, 103, 218.
Armstrong Fort, 355.
Arrow, Major, 315.
Arthur, Sir George, 359.
Aryans, 47.
Associations, F. M., 30-32.
Auckland, Xiord, 76.
Avatars of Vishnoo. 294.
Baba Padmanji, Rev., 337, 244, 279.
Baba Pandurang, Rev., 299-301, 307,
324, 326.
Bsiboo Vishnoo Chandra Chatturjya, xy^,
Grish Chandra, 137.
Baboos, 134.
Baika Nath De, 105, 120, 121.
Bal Dewa, 310.
Bala Gopal Joshi, 225, 235, 261.
Balfour, Dr, 91.
Rev. Dr Robert, 3, 345.
Station, in South Africa, 346.
Banko Behari Basu, 91, 92, Z05.
Bankote, 205, 206-209.
Bansberia, 102, 122.
Bapu Masda, 244.
Baranagtir, 84, 86, 98, 103.
Bartels, Mr, 293-295.
Battle Scene, 361.
Bauboo, 179, 196.
Bayne, the Misses, 208, ai8.
Beaumont, Rev. J. S., 114, Z35, 141,
280.
Beef-eating, 65, 83, 281.
Bees, 226, 227.
Beg, Rev. Waxir, 226, 259^ 360, a6i,
262, 265, 267.
Behari Lai Singh, Rev., 8i [Note), 96,
102, X20.
Bell, J. H., Esq., 157.
Benemadab, 93> 196.
Bengal and the Bengalees, 49, 50, &c.
Bengalee Church, 103, 128, 135, 137,
141.
Beni Israel, 219, 233.
Bennie, Rev. Mr., (sen.), 8, 344, 345,
3SO, 356-359.
Mr 0"°'). 372'
Bentinck, Lord Wm., 33, 61, 72.
Bernard, C, Esq , 32a.
Bethune Society, 125 {Note), 131.
Bexley, Lord, 33.
Bha^abati Charan Mukerjya, zao, 121.
Bhujang, Philip, 376.
Bible in Education, 59.
Blacklock, Dr, 183.
Blake, Rev. Alex., 193, 196, 197.
Blyth, Rev. Robert, 177, i86, Z90-196
382
INDEX.
Bohora Convert, a^8.
Bombay City and rresidenqn viii., 304,
ao6, &C.
Institution, axa, 230, &c
Tract and Book Society, 208,
836.
— University, 948.
Bordererst the 35th, 173.
Borland, Rev. Francis, z {Note).
Bowie, Rev. Mr, 150.
Bowley, Rev. Mr, 78.
Brahma Sabha or Sumaj, 93, 136.
Brahmans, 48, 49, 65, 148, 921-224, 379,
380, &c.
Baptized, vi., 68, 74, 107, zzo,
Z37, a2z, 264, 265, 967, &c.
Braidwood, Rev. John, z8, 3Z, 32, Z52,
„ 154, '55» *^*' l^ ^7^'J'^h '^^' ^93-
Brainerd, Rev. Mr, 2 (Note).
Brajanath, zoQ.
Brereton, R. M., Esq., 322.
Brett, Major, 187.
Brown, Rev. Dr Charles J., 20» 950.
his Congregation, isg.
Brownlee, Rev^^r, 343, 345, 362.
Bruce, A. F., Esq., z6z.
Rev. Dr's, Congregation, zx4.
Brunton, Rev. Dr, 20, 4Z.
Bryce, Rev. Dr, ^ 7Z.
Buchanan, Rev. Dr James, 42.
Buddhists, 4^
Bundara, viii^ 326.
Burns. Jas., "Esq., 245.
Bumshill, 346, 348-3501 355. 357» 358,
361. 363* 368, 369. 37'-
Burton, Sir William, Z63, Z64, Z68-Z7Z)
i7S» 178. i8z, Z87.
Bykanta Nath, 90, 91.
Cabtano, Louis, 23Z.
CafTraria and the Caffres, 339, 340, 34Z.
CafTre Missions, 8, z8, 2Z, 24, 25, 26, 27,
Wars, 347-349. 354-356» 359-362.
Calcutta, 9-z8, 22, 52, 53-144.
Christian Observer, 68.
Free Church, 8x, 82, Z03, X38,
Review t 85.
University zxs*
Calderwood, Rev. Henry, 35^ 364.
Campbell, Rev. Alex. B. and Mrs, Z77-
Z79, Z92, Z93-Z96.
Lord, 189.
Candlish, Rev. Dr, 49, 225.
his Congregation, Z59.
Canning, Lord, 115.
Cape Mission, 25, 27, 353, 354.
Capitol, The American, 36.
Carlyle, Rev. Pr, of Inveresk, 5.
Carpenter, Miss, 277.
Carslaw, Dr, Z95.
Cassidy, Rev. Henry Pitt, 225, 23 x,
262% 363.
Caste, 48, 49, X5X, zs6, Z90, Z91, Z97,
229-224, 98, 299.
Catamaran, Vovage on a, z^3.
Catechists, Full and Probationary, 12a
Cator, Mr, 2oz.
Chaldean Christians, 231.
Chalmers, Rev. Dr Thomas, ZZ-Z3, 27.
—— Rev. W., 345, 346, 350.
Chaplains, Presbyterian, 9.
Charles, Rev. Dr and Mrs, 76.
Chaudri Family, the, 70.
Chetty Caste, Z87, Z89, Z9Z, Z92.
Childreyfs Missionary Record, 4Z.
Chindwara, 324, 333, 334.
Chingleput, Z53, 154.
Chinsurah, 105, zzo, zzz, zx6, zz7, X24.
Cholera, Z05, 122, Z75, Z93, 239, 26Z.
Christian Vernacular Education So-
ciety. Z40.
Chumars, 32^.
Chumie Station, 345, 347, 348.
Chumpa, John, 324, 326.
Church of Scotland, m its sleep, z, 2.
in its awaking, 3. 3, 8, z6.
Chutteesguhr, 325.
Circumcision among the Caffres, 34Z.
Clark, Rev. Thomas, Z84, 235.
Concan, The Northern, 336, 337.
The Southern, 206-309
Conclusion, 378.
Conferences (Missionary), 39, Z90.
Conjeveram, zs2, Z53, Z93.
Convocation of A.D. Z843, 20.
Cooper, Dr, zs4.
Rev. John, of the Concan, 8,
206-209.
Rev. John G. and Mrs, of
Madras and Nagpore, z86, Z89, 3141
32Z, 322, 324-^27.
Cotton, Sir Arthur, 379.
Couch, Sir Richard, 248.
Crawford, Rev. Alexander, 8, 3o6,
308.
Culna, 70, 84, Z03.
Cunningham, Mrs James, 377.
Cutch, Earthquake in, 7.
Cyclones, Z4, Z34, Z35, Z40.
Dakshina at Poonah, 363, 364.
Dalgleish, Rev. Alexander, z (Note).
Dalziel, Mr John, 33Z, 333, 335*
Rev. Dr and Mrs,. 377.
Dai>ewada, 323, 324
Darien Scheme, z {Note),
Dasru, 323.
Davidson, Captain, 229.
Mr Duncan, 270.
Dawson, Rev. James, and Mrs, 321,
324. 335. 336-
Dealtry, Rev. Dr, Bishop of Madras, 63.
Denison, Sir William, and Lady, Z94.
Dewar, Mr Joseph, 246.
Dhanjibhai Nauroji, Rev., 2Z3-2i8,320k
335, 236, 237, 244, 248, 250, 337.
INDEX.
383
Dharma Sabhai <iz, 93.
Dheds, 48, 237.
Dinanatn Adhya, 102, 103, 105, 120, X2i.
Discretion entitling to liberty of con-
science, 164, 165, 170, 189.
Disruption, The, 20, 80, 81, x6o, x6if
221, 277.
Don, Rev. John D., 128, T37, 1^9, 140.
Doveton College, 81, 115 {Noti),
Drake, Mr, 256.
Drummond, Rev. James, 175, 176.
Duff, Rev. Dr Alexander, vii., 12, 13,
14, 15, x6, 17, x8, 19, 21, 22, 27, 28-
37, 42, 44, 54-71, 76-105, XX4-X31, X44,
149, 173, 269, 330, 331, 372, 377.
Rev. Dr s, caste girls* school, 1x6,
11^ I20, 124, X32.
Mrs, 13, X4.
Durand, Sir Henry, X3, 124, 304.
Dusserah Festival, 296.
Dwarkanath Bhose, 73.
Das Basu, X04.
Eastern Females' Friend, 38.
Eckhard, Catherine, 373.
Education Act, 113.
Elder, Dr William, X98.
Elgin, Lady, 128.
EUenborough, Lord, 33.
Elphinstone, Lord, 158, i68, 27X.
English Language in the East, 63*
Enrico Antongini, 235.
Erskine, Rev. Dr, 3.
Ethnology of India, 47, 48.
Ettirajooloo, Rev. S., 155-157, X64,
167, 176, x86, 196.
Ewart, Rev. Dr David, 15, 71, 72, 92,
107, 120, 122, X23.
Ewart's, Mrs, Girls' School, 103, xo6,
"5.
Fees, 117, 199, 269.
Female Education, 17, x8, 43, 102, X54,
161, 211, &c.
Ferrie, Rev. Dr, of Kilconquhar, X2.
Financial Crisis in the Missions, 25-30.
Fingoes, 342, 348, 356, 362, 363.
Fitzgerald, Sir Sevmour, 248.
Fordyce, Rev. John, and Mrs, 38, 43,
108, X12, 113.
Fort St George, 147.
Foulis, Lady, 188.
's Ayah, x88.
Framjee, Ardaseer, 241.
Framji Bomanii, 213.
Franklin, Sir John, 75, 76 {Note).
Eraser, Rev. J. Garden, 225.
Frere, Sir Battle, and Lady, 113, X23,
275, 276, 281.
Friend of Indian 95, 140.
Frost, Mr Joseph, 182, 193, 194.
Fyfe, Rev. William C, 79, 80, 84, 102,
105, X16, 122, 125, 134, 141.
Fyze Buksh, 3x3.
Gabru Warke (see Warke).
Gaikas, 352, 356, 360, 362, 363.
Gambier, Sir Edward, x6o, X63, X70.
Ganu Lingapa, 308-310.
Ganpat Gir, 313.
Gardiner, Rev. Thomas, and Mrs, xo8,
XO9, XT4, X18, X19.
Gardner, Rev. James Wardrop, and
Mrs, 270, 276-280.
Geology, 320.
Ghospara, 79, 84.
Glasgow African Missionary Associa-
tion, I'j, 24.
Ladies' Association for Female
Education in South Africa, 24.
^— Missionary Society, 3, 6-8, x6,
X7, 24, 27.
—— Rev. Dr James, 218, 244.
Gobinda Chandra Das, 120, 121.
Gobindo and his Wife, 85, 96.
Gogerly, Rev. Mr, 68.
Gonds, 48, 145, 293 {Note\ 332-334.
Goodoor, 187.
Gopinath Nandi, Rev., 69, X19, X24.
Gordon, Hon. J. H., 376.
Rev. Dr Robert, 4X, 42.
Gorrie, Rev. William, 25, 353, 354.
Govan, Rev. William, x8, 341, 351, 352,
3SS> 3S6» 358, 362, 367* 371, 373,
375.
Grant, Sir Alexander, and Lady, 277.
Sir John Peter, X15.
Grants-in-Aid, 36, X22, 200, 247, 3x7,
^ 321, 3$8, 359. 365. 372.
Grey, Sir George, 365.
Gungadhur Shastree, 232, 233.
Guru Das Mitra, 89, 105, xo6, 120,
X2X.
Habeas Corpus, Writs of, 86, 90, px,
i34» i3S» 164, X65, x66, X68-X71, x8o,
x8x, 189, 215, 219, 222, 232.
Haldane, Rev, Principal, X3.
Halifax, Lord, 34, 35, 36.
Hamilton, Rev. George, of Gladsmuir,
4-6.
Hanna, Rev. Dr William, 42.
Harding, Miss, 358.
Hardinge, Lord, 86, 87.
Hardy, Mr Samuel, 304-306, 32X, 324,
335» 336.
Harish Chandra, 92, 96.
Harris, Lord, 182, X87. 188.
Havelock, Sir Henry, 270, 281.
Hawkins, Mr, 173, 354,
Hector, Rev. John, X4x.
Hem Nath Bhose, 1^5, x8x {Note).
Hena, daughter of Gaika, 352.
Henderson. Professor, 224, 226, 227.
Hetherington, the Rev. Professor, 6.
Hill, Rev. Dr, 5.
Rev. Mr, 63.
Sir William, 23, 24, 293.
Mrs, 22, 23.
384
INDEX.
Hindoo College, 58, 63.
Metropolitan College, Z09, zio.
Hislop, Rev. Stephen, and Mrs, 24, 174,
176, 292, 293-321, 323, 324.
Hormasdji Pestonji, 213, 214, 219, 227,
237.
Homer, Mr Leonard, ^20 {Note).
Hornet of Scripture, The, 226, 227.
Horoscopes, 165, 169.
Hottentots, 339.
Houston, Mr, 193, 195.
Howrah, 127, 132, 138.
Huffion, Mr, 187.
Hunter, Prof. John, 13.
Rev. Robert, 297, 312, 314.
MrW. W.,47, 48.
Humee, 205-209.
Huts, Caffre, 340, 341, 373-
Idol halls, 134, 135.
Iggibigha, 350.
Indaba, the^ 369.
Indapore, 256, 257, 272, 284-288.
India and Indian missions, Dr DufTs,
19, 21, 59, 60.
statistics of, viii., 46.
ethnology of, 47*49.
poverty of, 54.
Inglis, Rev. Pr, 8, 9, zo, Z5.
Inheritance, law of; 33, 34.
Inquirer newspaper, 64.
Institution system, 55-61, 282, 283.
Irish presbyterian missionaries, 2x8.
Isaac, 85, 86.
Ishan Chandra Banerjya, Z20.
Jagadishwar Bhattacharjya, Rev.,
77. 78, 84, 96, Z02, 107, ZX3.
Jainas, the, 162.
James, Rev. Mr, z {Note).
Jamieson, Major St Clair, Z7, z8, Z55.
Jankey Persad, 323, 325.
Jaulna, 28^-288.
Jayakar, Dr, 249.
Jeejeebhoy, Sir Jamsetjee, 275, 320.
Jews, baptism of, 85, 86, xo2.
Jijibai, 267.
Jodu Nath Banerjya, 98.
Johnston, Rev. Robert, z8, zsa, Z73-
X75-
Joseph, Mr Mikhail, 246.
Jung, Sir Salar, 287.
Kalankbes, 294.
Kalichurn Dutt, 77.
Kalidas Chakrabarta, 98, z2o, Z2z, Z43.
Kalyani, X32.
Kamptee, viii., 29Z-297, 30Z, 303, 304,
,,307. 3i4» 323. 325.
Karta Bhoja sect, 79.
Kassa, Prince, 249.
Kaye, Sir John, 85.
Kerr, Rev. Mr, 2x8.
Xeshub Chandra Sen, 136.
Khoilas Chunder Mogkerjee, 74, 75, 79,
88,89.
Khoilas' widow, Z03.
Khoonds, J]^
Kirkland, Rev. Mr, 2 {NoteY
Kircherer, Dr, 34.
•, Dr,
Knox station, 372.
Koles, 48.
Kreli, 374, 375.
Krishna Mohun Banerjee, Rev., 64-69,
Z24.
Kulin Brahmans, 68, xo2, zo6, zzo, Z13.
Kuzzilbashes, 268 {Note).
Kweleha station, 356.
Ladibs' Society, zo8.
Lady Holland £ast Indiaman, Mrreckof
the, Z3, 14-
Laing, Rev. James, 346, 347, 350, 352,
353. 355, 3S6f 357» 359. 361, 362, 364,
368, 374-
Miss, 76, 80, zox, X03, zz6, ZZ9, za6,
Z27.
Lai Behari De, vi., 96, Z07, ZZ3-120,
Z24, X39, Z42.
Lands of the Bible, Dr Wilson's, 220*
Lawrence, Sir John (now Lord), Z35.
Lawrie, Rev. Mr, X50.
Le Grand Jacob, Major, 3x8, 229.
Leith, Mr, barrister, 73.
Liberty of conscience, 2Z9.
Livingstone, Rev. Dr, 249, 370.
Locher, the Misses, z68, Z75.
Lohr, Mr, 325.
Lorimer, Dr, X83.
Losh, Rev. Mr, 293 {Note).
Love, Rev. Dr John, 3, 6, 7, 345.
Lovedale, 345, 348-350, 35Z, 353, 355,
357-359. 361, 362-365, 367-373-
Lucky Narayan Bhose, Z27, 138.
Lulloo Bai, 303.
Luther's early life, a parallel to, 259.
Lyell, Sir Charles, 320 {Note).
Macallum, Rev. Alex., z86, Z94, 195.
Macaulay, Lord, 49, 50.
Macbean, Mr William, 3.
M'Crie, Rev. Dr., sen., 9 {Note).
Macdiarmid, Mr and Mrs, 345, 346, 350,
Macdonaid, Rev. Dr, of Ferintosh, 18,
74*
Rev. John and Mrs, x8, 74, 8z, 89,
"5.
92, 96, 97, 98, zo^.
Rev. Kennetn Sommerled,
X32-142.
Rev. Robert,^©.
Macfarlane, Rev. Dr, of Renfrew, 364.
station, 364.
Macintosh, Rev. T. Miller, Z79, x86, zgo.
Mackail, Rev. Mr, zo8.
Mackay, Rev. Dr. W. M., zs, 61, 62, 71,
72, 74-76, 85, X07, Z15, zz6, zz8, X25.
Mackenzie, Brigadier, 268, 3Z0.
INDEX.
385
Mackenzie, Rev. Mr, of Dunfermline, 41.
M'Lachlan, Mr and Mrs, 345.
Macleod, Brigadier, 304.
Macmillan, Rev. John, 197.
M'Pherson, Colonel, 116.
M 'Queen, Dr Kenneth, 43.
Madhab Chandra Basak, 78.
Madras city, viii., 147.
high school, 177.
mission, 17, 18, 21, aa, 89, Z49-30X.
native church, 157, 17a, 179, 193.
Native Herald^ 158, 196.
presidency, viii., 145.
university, aoo.
Mahabuleshwar, 247.
Mahanad, Z15, 126, 107, xa8, ia9, 130,
137. 138, 140.
Mahars, 48, 203, 283, 286, 323.
Mahendra Lai Basak, 74, 75, 79, 88, 89.
*s widow, 103.
Mahratta converts, 235, 277.
country and people, 202, 203.
Maina, 224, 225, 236.
Mangs, 48, 286, 323.
Mansell, Mr, 307, 308.
Mareb, the residence of the Queen of
Sheba, 246.
Maricha (see Warke).
Marriage, 126.
Marwadis, 244.
Massacre at Nagpore planned, 313.
Maulavi (Mohammedan) baptized, 107.
Measles, 361.
Medical college, 72, 73.
missions, 38 (see also Paterson,
Dr).
Merit fostering order, 86.
Metzger, Rev. Mr, 197.
Miller, Rev. £benezer, and Mrs, 25,
105. "6, 353, 354.
Dr Hueh, 245.
— — Rev. William, 195, 196, x97-aoz.
Milne, Rev. John, 108, 10^, 1x9.
Misal, Rev. Sidoba Bapuji, 287.
Missionaries, the Scottish, all adhere to
the Free Church, ax.
Missionary conferences, 39, X90.
Missions, professorship of; 44.
Mitchell, Mrs, of Bankote, axz.
— — Rev. Dr John Murray, and Mrs,
18, X39, 14X, 206, 212, 226, 229, 333,
a43, 261, 265, 267-269, a7i-a85, 393,
330» 331. 334, 335-
his life of Rev. R. Nesbit, 204, ao6.
Rev. Donald, 8, aos, ao6. •
Rev. James, 8, 17, 206, 209, 21X,
253-276.
Rev. W. Kinnaird, 266, 269, 270.
Moffat, Rev. Wm., 182, 187, 190.
Mohammedans, 51, 52, 147, 154, x8i,
X82, 233, 246, 247, 260, 261, 313, 314,
380.
Mohammedan converts, 106, X07, &c.
Mohesh Ghose, 67, 68.
Mohun Lall. 325.
Mohumim festival, z88.
Moncrieff, Sir Henry, sen., 9 {Note),
Mookerjya, 142.
Mooniatta, Ruth, x67-z7a, X75.
Morehead, W. A., Esq., X53.
Mountain Echoes, 43.
Mudhu Sudan Singh, 109.
Muir, Rev. Dr John, 347.
Mr John, 347.
Mullens, Rev. Dr, and Mrs, 1x3, X27,
X28.
Mutinies, 39, XX7-X20, 187, 188, 3x3, 314.
Nagalingum, x8o, 189, X9t, X95, 196.
Nagpore, viii., 22, 23, 24, 27, 289-292.
lapse of, 3x0, 3XX.
Chota, 33X.
Nana Sahib, 203.
Napier, Lady, X98.
Lord, of Magdala, xa8, 337.
Narrainswamy Chetty, 189,- igt.
Natal mission, 376, 377.
Nellore, X54, X97, &c.
Nesbit, Rev. Robert, 8, xa, X7, 207, 208,
209, 21 X, aax, 222, 227, 230, 332, 338,
239. 240, 254, 255, 256, 257.
— — the first Mrs, 2x9, 227.
— — the second Mrs, 238, 239, 247.
NimtoUah Street, 86, zx6.
Niven, Rev. Mr, 349, 350.
Nixon. Rev. Wm., 4X.
Northbrook, Lord, X4Z.
Oriental Christian Spectator, 2x0,
Orientalism v. Anglicanism, 6a.
Pachamba, 33a.
Padmanji (see Baba^.
'* Padree," from Padre, 253.
Pahar Singh, 307.
Pandurang (see Baba).
Parental Academic Institution} 8r.
Pariahs, 48, X46, 15X.
Parsees, axa-3x8, 3a6, 337, 340, 241,
34^, 344, 261, 27X.
Patcneappah's School, X58.
Paterson, Dr, 38, X87, X93, X96-X98.
Rev. James, 278.
Pearce, Rev. W. H., 33.
Peel, Sir Laurence, 90.
Peishwas, the, 251, 253, 363.
Perry, Sir Erskine, 322, 233.
Persad, Mr Jankey, 333, 335.
Persecution, 27X.
Pice System, X94.
Pilgrimages and Cholera, X93, 3x5
{Note).
Pirrie, 346, 347, 350, 353, 355-35 7» 3^«»
„ 363. 371. 372.
Ponumbalum, 164.
Poonah, 206, 207, 209, 25I-253.
Mission, 253-280.
Sanscrit College, 254.
386
INDEX.
Portuguese in India, 32S.
Pottinger, Sir Henry, 173.
Pourie, Rev. Mr, xxx, 1x9, X38, X39.
Prankristo Ganguly, 98.
Prasanna Kumar Cnatteiji, 78, 84, 95,
96, X02, 107, X13.
Pringlc, Thomas, the poet, 373.
** Prophets," Caffrarian, 360, 365-367.
Purves, Major, 239.
Radhakant Dutt, Case of, 171.
Rae, Rev. George M., X98.
Ra^avooloo, X64-166.
Rajah of Nagpore, 299, 300, 308, 309,
31X.
Bahadur, 94.
Radhakant Deb, 94, X09.
Rajahgopaul, Rev. P., 29, X56, X57, 164,
X67, 174-176, 189, 193, 107.
Rajeudra Chandra Chandra, X09, X3x.
Ramanoojooloo, S. P., 159, 162.
Ramchurn, 325.
Ramee, 273, 274.
Rammohun Roy, 57. 70.
Ramsay, Prof., 320 {Note).
Ramswami Venkatachellum, 307, 325,
326.
Rawlinson, Sir Christopher, x8i, X89,
191.
Record {Missionary) of the Established
Church, 40.
of the Free Church, 40, 4x.
** Red " Caffres, 351.
Rents, 245, 246.
Robertson, Rev. James, 375.
Rev. Mr, X41.
Rev. Mr, 344.
Robson» Dr, 137.
Rev. John, 53.
Rose, Mr, 83, X02.
Ross, MrWm., X98.
Miss Helen, 363.
Rev. Bryce, 353, 359, 36X, 368,
375*
Rev. John, 8, 345, 347, 350, 353,
3SS. 356, 3^7. 361.
Rev. Richard, 367, 369,
Roxburgh, Captain, 85.
Rugoonath, 240.
Russia, 8.
Ruth. See Mooniatta.
Ruthnum, 191, 192.
Rutnaghcrry, 247.
Rural Missions, 259, 282-288.
Sax, Case of, 232, 235.
St Andrews' School, Madras, X50.
UniversityMissionary Society, 12.
Salay Street, Madras, 185.
Sanrlilli, 346, 360, 363, 374.
Sanjan, 337.
Santhals, 48, 328-332.
Satnami Chumars, 335.
Sattara 352, 380-289.
. 370-
Saville, Miss, 77, 80.
Savads baptizea, 242, 343, &c.
Scholarships, X3x, 339.
School Books in Calcutta, 60.
Scinde, £x- Ameers of, xx6, 375.
Scindia, xx6.
Scotch Presbyterians in India, 9 {Note),
Scotland, Sir CoUey, X94.
Scott, Rev. Mr, of Darien, x {Note).
Scottish Missionary Society, 3, 8, 17,
305-2x1, 353-256.
Seetabuldee, viii , 391, 302, &c
Seikh, a baptized, 342.
Seitz, Mrs, 225, 232, 236.
Selling Tracts, 226.
Shanars, 48.
ShapuHi Edalji, Rev.,^ 343, 347, 337.
Sheeb Chunder Banerjya, 100, xox, 1x4,
120, X2I, X42, 143.
Sheshadri, Rev. Narayan, 23x, 223, 33T,
238-240, 283-288.
— — Shripat, 222-224.
Shields, Rev. Alex., x {Note).
Shoolbred, Rev. Mr, 245.
Sikwetshi, 376.
Sil's College, 93, 94, 95.
Sinclair, Rev. David and Mrs, xoa, xo8.
Sitela, 359.
Slaves, 228.
Small, Rev. John, 274.
Smallpox, 361.
Smith, Dr George, of the Friend of
Indiut XI 3, 140.
Messrs George and Sons, 248.
Rev. Dr Thomas and Mrs, x8, 75,
80, 85, 90, 9x, 92, X04, X09, XX3, XX4-
xx6, xxo.
Sir Harry, 360, 362.
Spencer, Bishop, X63.
Steele, Rev. Mr, 245.
Stephen, Rev. Wm., 248.
Stevenson, Rev. Dr John, 8, 2o6<409,
221, 253-255.
Rev. George, of Pulteneytown,
332
Rev. W., X97.
Stewart, Rev. Dr James, 342, 370-^72.
Rev. Dr, of Moulin, X2 {Note).
Stobo, Rev. Mr, x (Note).
Stothert, Rev. Richard, 245, 250, 315,
316, 237-
Stow, Mr, of Glasgow, 58.
Sultan Hossein, X41.
Surja Kumar Mukerji, 98.
baptism of, 102.
Suttee, 6x.
Sutu, 346.
Taki, 70, 79, 84.
Takulghat, Scythian remains at, 3x7-
319-
Tamuls, 145-248, i$4i 168, 292, &c.
Tatwa-bodhini Society, X02.
Taylor, Rev. Joseph, of Belgaum, X73.
INDEX.
387
Teaching and Preaching, 220, izz, 333,
334, 282, 983.
Teloogoos, 145-148, XS4, 155, 168, 29a.
Temple and God adjudjged to a Native
Christian, 1^5, 196.
Temple, Sir Richard, 140, 316, 317, 321,
^ 324», 325. 379. ^
Tempieton, Mr, 367, 371, 372.
Rev. A., M.B., 331, 332.
Tente, Mr, 349.
Thorn, Rev. Dr, of Cape Colony, 7, 8.
Thomson, Rev. W. R., of Caffrana, 9,
343. 344-
Miss, 352.
Tiyo Soga, Rev., 375.
Tod, Mr Henry, W.S., 43.
Toleni, ^^^^ 375.
Toogood, Miss^ zz6.
Transkeian Migration} 367 {NofeX 374.
Tnbeni, X14.
Triplicane, 148, 162, z88 {Noti\ &c.
Turanian Race, 47, 48, 145.
Tweeddale, Marquis and Marchioness
of, 160.
Tweedie, Rev. Dr, 42, 195, 370.
Tytier, Dr, 73.
Uma Charim Ghosh, 105.
Umesh Chandra Sirkar, 89, 90.
Umlakaza the Caffre " Prophet," 365-
367-
Umlanjeni, a Caffre " Prophet,'* 360.
Unnam, Joanna, 167, z68, 169, 171.
United I^esbyterian Church, z6, Z7.
Unstikana, 343.
Urquhart, Mr John, zz.
Vandrrkbmp, Dr. 343.
Vandidad Sade, The, 2x0.
Vedantism, 57, 93, Z02, Z36.
Venkat Rao's widow, a zenana
teacher, 326.
Venkataramiah, Z56, Z57, Z64, 167, Z74,
Z76, z82t z88, Z89, Z97.
iayman, 9
Venkatlutchjnoo, Lydia, Z67-Z7X.
Vernacular schools, 307.
Vimbe, 347.
Vincente Avelino de Cunha, 2281 2291
33z> 236.
Voss, Afr, 293, 294, 995.
Walkbr, Rev. Norman L., 4Z.
Wallace, Professor, 74 {J^ote).
Waralis, 247, 336» 337-
Warke, Messrs Gabru and Maricha,
220, 225, 227, 228, 249.
Weir, Mr, 345, 350, 353-
White, Rev. Adam, 240, 244, 3Z5.
Whitton, Rev. David, 326.
Widows, Hindoo, Z26, Z27, Z38, Z98.
Wild tribes of India, 328-337.
Williams, Rev. Joseph, 343.
Wilson, Dr Horace Ha
{Note).
Mrs, of Aeurpara, zza.
the first Airs, 208, 2zz.
the second Mrs, 247, 347.
Rev. Dr John, 8, Z7, 23, 24, 29,
33, 149, 208-220, 226-250, 269, 3x9,
336, 337- ,„
Rev. Dr Wm., 41.
Winslow, Rev. Mr, Z64, .
Wood, Mr, of Edinburgh, 58.
. Sir Charles. — See Halifax,
Lord.
Wylie, Mr Macleod, Z22.
Rev. Dr, 4z.
Yadoji, 207, 30Z.
Yaygah, Rachel, Z67, z68, Z7Z.
Young, Mr Robert, vii., 43.
— - Mr William and Mrs, 32Z, 325,
Zambbsi River, 370.
Zenanas and the Zenana Scheme,
zzz, zza, ZZ3, Z37, Z96, 257, 303.
326.
Zibi, a Caffre Chief, 368, 369.