the conversions made, to the doctrines preached by the missionaries, so much as to the circumstance of these native women having married Europeans, and being cast off by their own people. I have taken some pains to collect the scattered notices of conversions mentioned in his tour; and have found both points fully confirmed,—the small number of the converts, and their being persons already rejected from their own religion. Thus, at Buxar, mention is made of one convert of Mr Corrie, widow of a sergeant, and another of Mr Palmer's, of the same character.* Again, at Agra, we have a small congregation, consisting of about twenty individuals, also formed by the Archdeacon:† but a few pages after, we find all the native Christians of that district described as descendants of Europeans. At one place he speaks of two converts; § in another he says, "this is the third or fourth Christian of whom I have heard, as dispersed through the hilly provinces."T But it is not difficult to collect sufficient acknowledgments from this writer and eye-witness, of a total failure in the Indian Church missions. In one place, he writes to Sir W. Horton, that "instances of actual conversion to Christianity are very rare." Again, in a letter to Mrs Douglas, he says, that "certainly very few have as yet embraced Christianity;" ;"** and, on another occasion, he admits that barely sufficient Indians and Mussulmans have become Christians, to show conversion possible.†† But, it has been remarked, that Bishop Heber looked towards the south, as the great seat of Protestantism in India; and was wont to say, as his chaplain relates, "There is the strength of the Protestant cause."§§ So confirmed was he in this idea before he visited the country, as to send regarding it, what must be called exceedingly exaggerated accounts, *Vol. ii. p. 334. ¶ Ib. p. 257. † Ib. p. 339. Ib. p. 342. § Ib. p. 10. tt Ib. p. 284. "You are over to England. For instance, he thus writes:all aware of the considerable number (I believe about 40,000) of Protestant Christians in different parts of the Presidency, the spiritual children of Schwartz and his successors."* Now, hear a passage, from a letter written eleven days later, "The number is gradually increasing, and there are now in the south of India about two hundred Protestant congregations, the numbers of which have been sometimes vaguely stated at 40,000. I doubt whether they reach 15,000; but even this, all things considered, is certainly a great number."† And certainly it is a great number, and, I have no hesitation in saying, very much too great; as I shall at once proceed to show you. Those missions were established in 1706, consequently had been in existence a hundred years; but dating them only from the time of Schwartz, they had been at least 56 years in what may be considered their most flourishing state. Schwartz enjoyed very peculiar advantages; he became a favourite of the reigning prince, the Rajah of Tanjore, whose nephew and successor, the present Maha Rajah Sambogi, he instructed, although the prince never embraced Christianity, he was often his mediator with the British Government, twice he saved Tanjore, and, on several occasions, levied the tribute of rebellious provinces; and being a man of excellent character and exemplary life, the prince used to tell him, that he wished him to make Christians of all his subjects, so as to reform them, if possible, from their wicked practices. These were very great advantages, and they are acknowledged as such by the Bishop, who says that Schwartz did more than any other person who has been in India. And what was his success? He is said to have converted seven thousand natives;§ and as I think you will see, that these missions have been in a state of decay, rather than of improvement, since his death, *Vol. iii. p. 444. † Ib. p. 460. † Buchanan, p. 77. Memoir of the Rev. H. Martyn, 1825, p. 327. § Heber, ibid. you will perceive what a farther diminution must be made of the 15,000 Christians. The Bishop, towards the close of his life, for he died during the visitation, went to that part of India, and has given us an exact report of what Christians he there found. He came, therefore, to Tanjore, the head-quarters of Schwartz, where no Bishop had ever been before, and confirmed all those who were ready for that rite. The number of these was fifty, and the number of communicants in the whole congregation was fifty-seven.* Thence he proceeded to Trichinopoli, another most important mission, and the number for confirmation was eleven! Instead, then, of the 40,000—instead of the 15,000, to which that number was subsequently reduced-in two of the most populous places where Schwartz laboured in person, and was succeeded by the heads of the mission, were found eleven, and fifty Christians to be confirmed! Now, make any estimate of the population you please,-make any proportion for the number of Christians in other places, and it will be difficult to suppose that they were any thing like 15,000. The Bishop himself acknowledges, that so far from these missions being in progress,—so far from the number of Christians daily increasing so far from considering it the spot whither to look for the prospects of the Protestant religion-they are in a state of dilapidation and decay. "The missions, however," he thus writes, 66 are in a state which requires much help and restoration; their funds, which were considerable, have been much dilapidated since the time of Schwartz, by the pious men (but quite ignorant of the world) who have succeeded him; and though I find great piety and good will, I could wish a little more energy in their proceedings at present."‡ But we have another very important document on this head, which is the report of a formal visitation, sent to examine * Letter by Kohloff, the Missionary, ib. vol. iii. p. 495. P. 499. The Chaplain reckons them at fifteen. sup. p. 24. ↑ Vol. iii. p. 455. 66 Report," " into the state of those missions. The report is signed by Kohloff and Sperschneider, who were at the head of the mission in the years from 1820 to 1823. The report states that there are twelve native congregations, and that each of these congregations consists of from five to twelve villages; so that we have the state of religion in 111 villages. Now, what do you think is the number of Christians in these hundred and eleven villages? Why, in 1823, they are given as 1388! So that, the number first stated at forty thousand, then at fifteen thousand, is, by the report of the missionaries themselves, reduced to thirteen hundred and eighty-eight! And these missions, observe, were founded between 1730 and 1744. But it appears from these reports, that between 1820 and 1823, there was an increase of 83, so that some improvement, at least, had taken place. But, by comparing the returns of baptisms with those of deaths, within that period, we find an excess of 74 births over the deaths, and consequently, the number of persons who joined the congregation in four years, was 9; and, in fact, the same report, in another place, speaks of nine adult baptisms in that interval.* Here, then, is a mission, considered by the Bishop as the strongest part of the Protestant force in India, which had been founded more than a hundred years, and had flourished fifty or sixty from the time of the man who had done marvels worthy of the Apostolic age; and the result of all, at the end of this period, is a congrega Report of P. C. K. Soc." Lond. 1825, p. 110. Christians is stated The number of The nine converts are thus distributed :-in 1820, three; 1821, one; 1822, one; 1823, four. The number of baptisms thus given, would, according to the ordinary rules of calculation, give nearly the same resuit as to the numbers of the congregation,—that is, about 1650. tion of little more than 1300 Christians, in a population of one hundred and eleven villages, with an excess of births over deaths of 74 in four years; while the augmentation by conversion from heathenism is at the rate of nine in four years, or an average of two in every year! I ask you if this is a flattering picture of the prospects or rather progress of the Gospel, preached as it has been there? But I must not conclude the account of this mission without observing, that the visitors, at the same time, expressed their regret, that the mission should be in such a dreadful state of decay. They acknowledge, that the number of converts in these four years was indeed small, but that, considering the difficulties and disadvantages to which the Christians of that country are exposed, the increase is worthy of notice.* They complain too, of serious abuses; observing that, at Vatistergoody, the children are badly instructed, to such an extent, that all hopes of having worthy Christians must cease, till an improvement takes place; and that some Christians yet live in a state of bigamy; that at Serfajeerasahpooram they practise heathenish customs; that at Manickramam they are in the lowest state of religious ignorance; that at Tarasaram, and Kawastalam, neglect of religion is so scandalous, that it has been found necessary to excommunicate several families.† I could bring much to confirm this view of the sad decay in these missions; but I beg simply to refer you to the 20th Report of the Missionary Register, in which we read of bitter disappointments. One missionary, at Tranquebar, expresses a wish, that he could communicate any instance of conversion wrought by God's grace, and a regret at "the slow progress, which till now has appeared, in the ancient and venerable missions on the Coromandel coast." And another complains * Ib. p. 103. Ib. p. 4-8. Bishop Heber likewise complains of the dissensions between the pastors and their flocks, and of the tyrannical and fanatical conduct of the former, to. iii. p. 444. P. 153. |