schools, and expressed much pleasure in the progress of the children; and announced on the occasion, his intention of giving a benefaction to the society of 200 rix-dollars, and directed that the children should have a dinner provided at his expense. | among them is, that the Gospel was planted in Hindoostan by the apostle Thomas. Landing at Cran. ganore, or Chenganoor, from Aden in Arabia, he was well received by Masdeus, king of the country, whose son, Zuzan, he baptized, and afterwards ordained deacon. After continuing some time at Cranganore, he visited the coast of Coromandel, and preached the Gos pel at Melapoor, and finally at St. Thomas's Mount, near Madras, where he was put to death. His tomb long remained an object of veneration. Dr. Buchanan entertained a decided opinion, that we have as good authority to believe that the apostle Thomas died in India, as that the apostle Peter died at Rome. The ground for a Christian Institution has been cleared, and the building is expected soon to commence. Some pieces of land, contiguous to the mission premises, have also been purchased, which will be found of great advantage. The Printing Department is coming into action; a second press has been obtained; several pieces, in Cingalese and in English, have been printed; St. Matthew's Gospel, of Mr. Lambrick's version, has been circulated, and he was about to put to press either the Book of Genesis or the Acts of the Apostles. COTYM, a village on the Malabar coast, Hindoostan, about 18 m. from Allepie : including a small circuit, it contains about 1000 houses, and is in the midst of a very populous country. The labours of the missionaries here are principally devoted to the spiritual good of the Syrian Christians on this coast, of whom it is necessary to premise some account. tell P a That Christians existed in India, in the 2d century, is a fact fully attested. The Bishop of India was present, and signed his name at the council of Nice, in 325. The next year Frumentius was consecrated to that office by Athanasius, of Ni Alexandria, and founded many churches in India. In the 5th cen- e tury, a Christian bishop, from Antioch, accompanied by a small colony of Syrians, emigrated to India, and settled on the coast of Malabar. The Syrian Christians enjoyed a succession of bishops, appointed by the patriarch of Antioch, from the beginning of the 3ds century, till they were invaded by the Portuguese. They still retain the Liturgy anciently used in the churches of Syria, and employ in their public worship the language spoken by our Saviour in the streets of Jerusalem. The first notices of this people, in modern times, are found in the Portuguese histories. In 1503, there were upwards of 100 Christian churches on the coast of Malabar. As soon as the Portu guese were able, they compelled the churches nearest the coast to The Syrian Christians, otherwise called St. Thomas's Christians, inhabit the interior of Malabar and Travancore, in the S. W. part of Hindoostan. They extend from N. to. S. 150 or 200 m., and in breadth 40 or 50. Between 50 and 60 churches belong to this ancient branch of the Christian Church, which has preserved the Syriac Scriptures, in manuscript, from Christ and the apostles; and, unconnected with the rest of the Christian world, has stood for ages, amidst the darkest scenes of idolatry and persecution. The tradition rest c port ers e handize any an specta acknowledge the supremacy of the Hos Pope; and in 1599, they burnt all Last the Syriac and Chaldaic books and records on which they could lay as their hands. The churches which eft were thus subdued, are called the Syro-Roman Christians, and, with the converts from other tribes, form a population, of nearly 150,000. Those in the interior race would not submit to Rome; but, after a show of union for a time, fled to the mountains in to 1653, hid their books, and put themda selves under the protection of the native princes, by whom they have been kept in a state of depression. These are called the Syrian Christians. About 10,000 persons, with 53 churches, separated from the Catholics; but in consequence of the corrupt doctrines and licentious manners of their associates, they i have fallen from their former state, and very few traces of the high character which they once possessed, can now be discovered. A With regard to the actual number of these people, it is difficult to arrive at any exact conclusion. It in appears, however, most probable, as well from the reason of the case, as from the accounts of Anquetil, Du Perron and others, that they were a much more numerous body of people in former times than they are at present. They now themselves reckon up 88 churches belonging to their body, of which 55 have maintained their independence of the Roman Pontiff. According to the most accurate estimate that can be formed, the number of families belonging to these 55 churches amounts, at the lowest computation, to 13,000; the majority of these are poor, and support themselves by daily labour; others employ themselves in merchandize and agriculture. Though many among them are most highly respectable, especially those of the class termed Tarragan, yet there are none who can justly be styled men of property; there are very few indeed among them possessed of property to the amount of 5000 rupees. The number of officiating priests, commonly called Catanars, is 144. These are wholly supported by the offerings of the laity, on festival days, and on the administration of the occasional rites of the Church, which, for the most part, afford but a very scanty support; and in very few instances do the monthly offerings received by a Catanar exceed five rupees. They are generally of the best families, and consequently upon their character, as to morals and information, depends, in a great degree, that of the districts in which they reside. The Syrian Christians are, in themselves, awfully sunk and degraded. The total disregard of the Sabbath, the profanation of the name of God, drunkenness, and, to a considerable extent, especially among the priesthood, adultery,are very prevalent among them. In 1806, this people was visited by the late Dr. Buchanan, who presented their case to the public, in his Christian Researches, since which much has been done to meliorate their condition. He commenced a translation of the New Testament into the Syrian language, which has been completed and published since his death, and copies sent to each of the churches. Some account of other means adopted for their welfare remains to be given. Colonel Munro, the Company's' resident in Travancore, having erected a college at Cotym, for the education of the Syrian priests, wished to place an English clergyman on the spot. Accordingly the Rev. Benjamin Bailey proceeded, under the Rev. Mr. Mead, of the Till the end of 1818, at which time Mr. Fenn arrived, Mr. Bailey was the only missionary resident at Cotym; and the number of his occupations prevented his making so much progress in the arrangements of the college as he wished, and, consequently, this accession was of great importance. In Dec. 1819, the missionaries wrote: "The year has been an anxious one. The departure of the late resident depressed our spirits at its commencement; and a constant succession of events, perplexed in their connexion, and important in their consequences, has kept our minds on a continued stretch, and occupied much of our most valuable time; while they have been as a dead weight upon our spirits. The efficiency of the missionaries, in the past year, has therefore been small." Of the College they say:-"The number of students receiving instruc tion is 25; their studies are the with Mrs. Bailey, overland to Travancore, and they were fixed at Co-L. M. S. tym about the beginning of 1817. All the measures planned by Col. Munro were cordially approved by the Syrian clergy, and aided by them so far as it had been practicable, to carry the arrangements for their accomplishment into effect. For the translation of the Syrian Scriptures and Liturgy into Malayalim, the vernacular language of the country, a number of learned Catanars were assembled by the Metran; and at this period they had advanced in their labours as far as the First Book of Samuel in the Old Testament, besides the Books of Psalms, Proverbs, and part of Isaiah; and in the New, to the Epistle to the Philippians. The execution of this work was superintended by the Rev. Mr. Bailey, and the expense of it was borne by the Calcutta Aux. B. S. The College also was committed to the charge of Mr. Bailey, for whom a house was erected adjoining that institution. In the course of 1818, her High-Syriac and the English; 3 of the ness the Rannee of Travancore students are surpassed by very few presented the College with 20,000 of the catanars in their knowledge, rupees, which were laid out in of the Syriac. Their progress land; besides a previous gift of 1000 the English is small; the pronun rupees, for erecting a chapel, and ciation they are gradually acquir furnishing the buildings of the Col-ing, and 6 or 7 of them can read lege. She also annexed to it a any book with tolerable ease: betract of land in the neighbourhood yond this, their knowledge of the of Quilon, at least 7 m. in circum- language can scarcely be said to ference, with several subsidiary extend. Besides the students, there grants, in order to render it pro- are 18 children receiving instrucductive; and, lastly, appointed a tion in English. The difference of monthly allowance of 70 rupees these from the students consists in from the state, for the support of their having received no ordinaa hospital, to be attached to the tion, by which the students are ircollege. The Rajah of Cochin, revocably set apart to the clerical also, emulous of her Highness's office." There was also a school bounty, presented 5000 rupees for at this time in Cotym, the scholars the benefit of the Protestant mis- of which varied from 30 to 50 in sions; the whole of which was ap-number; and another on the colpropriated by the resident to the lege property in Calada, having support of the southern mission, 16 scholars, the instruction being in 200 COUT such kald men the E with derived enter, Breeded to 1 aired the and c success $ being a 4. then confined to Malayalim. In | ciency of types for the printing of the whole Scriptures, in little more than a quarter of a year. Besides the correctness and beauty of his types, noticed by Colonel Newall, he afterwards so reduced them in size, that they could be printed at one-half of the cost of the old types. A permanent reduction in the The number of catanars now mar- expense of printing also took eried is nearly 30. Another fa- place, involving another interesting rls vourable circumstance is, the plea- circumstance in connexion with pasure with which the metropolitan Mr. Bailey. The printer, sent ed and several of his clergy have re- from Madras, was dismissed. In ceived Mr. Bailey's present of the the mean time, a youth, adopted ere English Liturgy in their native some years ago by Mr. Bailey as a tongue. Of their own accord, some destitute orphan child, had acquired que of the catanars have read it in their the art of printing sufficiently to churches. There are, besides, other succeed as head printer, to which marks of improvement; as a grow-office he was appointed on a salary wing decorum in the house of God, of 7 rupees per month. This little &c." incident added singularly to the completeness of Mr. Bailey's work in the edition of the Malayalim Scriptures. The translation was entirely his own-the types were formed by himself from the very mould-and the printing was executed by an orphan boy, reared up by his charity. Through subsequent years the missionary work was prosecuted with energy and effect. The translaestion of the Scriptures proceeded in the Malayalim, and preparation was made for printing them. Hopeless of any thing better, at least for a long time to come, Mr. Bailey, without ever having seen a type-foundry, or its apparatus of any kind, and eager to get some portion of the Scriptures and some us other works respectably printed, as soon as possible, set himself to endeavour to form his own types, with such aid as he could find from books alone, and from common workmen. He had recourse chiefly to the Encyclopædia Britannica; and, with the instructions which he derived from this and another smaller work or two, a common carpenter, and two silversmiths, he succeeded so completely, that he 1 sent a specimen of his types, in print, to the Resident, who much admired their beauty and correctness, and complimented Mr. B. on his success. Mr. Bailey counted upon being able to prepare a suffi About this time Mar Athanasius, a metropolitan from Antioch, paid a visit to the Syrian churches. At the time of his arrival, the retired metropolitan, Philoxenus, had resumed his pastoral cares, in consequence of the death of Dionysius, who had succeeded him the Malpan Philip had been appointed successor to Dionysius; but the return of Philoxenus to his labours, for a time at least, was thought necessary. Over these metropolitans, and the whole Syrian church, Athanasius assumed uncontrolled authority, as having been deputed by the patriarch of the mother church of Antioch, and commenced a series of violent measures. He endeavoured to persuade the catanars to renounce their allegiance to their metrans-denied the validity that they could be visited but seldom, and then not without consi. derable labour and difficulty. It was therefore deemed advisable to remove the schoolmasters from thence, and to place them in some of the more populous districts nearer home; and this has been accordingly done in two or three instances. of the metrans' title, and the orders which they had conferred-insisted, if he were acknowledged, on their being stripped of their robes, and resigning their cross and pastoral staff and excited such a tumult, by his proceedings, as compelled the resident, Col. Newall, to remove him from the country. This event has, as might have been expected, in some degree affected the interests of the mission; but it appears, from recent accounts, that its effects are gradually subsiding. Petitions for schools having been presented by the heathen popula tion around us, some schools have been opened in the vicinity of Cot tayam, with the prospect of much good; many petitions were pre The college, which, on Mr.sented, but they could not all be Fenn's departure, was placed under attended to, as the mission funds Mr. Doran's superintendence, con- would not allow of more schools tains 47 students, who are divided being established." into 6 classes. In consequence of the general disorder which had arisen from Mar Athanasius's proceedings, many of the students had left the college, and Mr. Doran had supplied their places with boys from the grammar-school. It appears, from the list of schools, that, while most of them have kept up their numbers, several, which used to be well attended, are now almost deserted. The schoolmas ters are, however, continued; and there is no reason to doubt but that the people will send their children again, after a time. In such schools as have continued to be well attended, the attention of the schoolmasters has been regular and several of them, though hea thens, have given considerable sa tisfaction by their diligence in teaching the catechisms and other religious books. The press, which continues un der the superintendence of Mr. Bailey, is still in active operation. CRANBERRY, a town in the central part of New Jersey, from N. to S. betes. Canted tive 3 to 1 est of th The greater part of the boys in the grammar-school having been transferred to the college, the proficiency of the boys in this school is not great; the whole number is about -70, of whom some are day-scholars from Cottayam, and some heathen children. After giving an account of their studies, Mr. Baker adds "On the Sabbath, the larger boys attend the English service in the college chapel, while the smaller boys go to one of the Syrian churches in the village; and the whole receive religious instruction in the afternoon." The parochial schools are 29 in number, and con- In May 1746, the Rev. David tain 770 scholars; of these 445 are Brainerd removed from Crossweeks Syrians, and 325 are heathens. to this place, with the whole body "Many of the former schools," of the Indians under his care, says Mr. Baker, "were very thinly and in less than 12 months they attended; and this, added to the had cleared about 40 acres of land. total failure of contributions from Here he continued till March 20th, the churches, has led to the neces- 1747, when, owing to the ravages sity of giving up some of them; be- of pulmonary consumption, his sides being thinly attended, several labours, as a missionary, were ter were so inconveniently situated,minated, and he bade farewell to kenin cole, a of sa 4 chur ich con in 18 et Socie sisting varded an educ |