here called Ponnas, who have been | Gate, and no corpse must be carborn in the country, or have emi ried towards a city or town where grated from Assam or Hindoost'han. the Governors usually reside. The Burmans also embrace the profess-banks of the Aiyawotte, are not seion. The order is highly respect-lected for the performance of funeed, but not esteemed so sacred as ral obsequies, like the banks of the that of the priesthood. Ganges, neither are its waters reThe medical department is pe-garded as possessing any sacred culiarly subject to the control of qualities, nor are they in the least superstition. Its influence is often degree the object of superstitious seen in the collection of medicinal reverence. The business of the roots, the method of compounding priests at funerals, is, to recite medicines, and the time and man- some portion of their sacred books, ner of administering them. Of and to receive presents; but it is books which treat of the nature of not customary for them to take any diseases, the virtues of medicinal other part in funeral ceremonies, roots and plants, the art of com- unless at the incineration of their pounding them, and their specific own order, in which they render qualities, they have a considerable personal assistance. number. Shops of drugs and medicine are in full proportion to the wants of the public. With surgery, however, they are wholly unacquainted. (To be continued.) To the Editors of the Am. Bap. Magazine. BUSINESS BEFORE THE BAPTIST GENERAL CONVENTION IN THE UNITED STATES. Messrs. Editors, the communication in your last I WAS exceedingly interested in Number, signed, "A Layman." It breathes a truly missionary spirit, and exhibits an ardour for the advancement of the cause of Christ, which it would be most desirable to behold every where diffused throughout our churches. Their funeral solemnities are conducted with decency. The manner of disposing of the dead is ei'ther by incineration or burial. The former is esteemed the most honourable. The corpse is inclosed in a coffin, ornamented with gold leaf or otherwise, according to the means of the friends of the deceased, and, followed by the mourners dressed in white, is borne to the public place of interment, (which is without the city or town) the procession being usually preceded by the music of wind instruments and drums, and the presents intended for the priests who may be invited on the occasion. The presents usually consist of pieces of cotton cloth, sugar cane, and fruits of various kinds. On their arrival at the place of incineration, fuel is placed under the coffin, the moveable ornaments being first taken away, and the corpse is consumed, The business of the Convention after which the bones are interred.is of two kinds, Missionary and Infants and criminals are buried, Educational. Our Missions are of as well as the poorest part of the two descriptions. 1st. Foreign, and community. All funeral proces 2d. Western or Domestic; that is, It has also led me to reflect somewhat upon the concerns which will of course come before the Convention at its approaching Triennial meeting. I have endeavoured to | arrange them so far as possible in one view, for my own instruction, and I send my thoughts to you, with permission to insert them, if your pages should not be occupied with matter which you may consider more important. those which are employed among sions must pass out of a city by a Our Foreign Missions are in Bur- not very well defined powers. mah and in Africa. From both of What they have done I know not, these it is expected that interesting as I believe their doings have never intelligence will be presented, their been made public. To the Comcondition and prospects fully devel-mittee in and about Boston, I have oped, and the exertions necessary perceived some additional powers for their further prosecution clearly have since been granted; and in stated. The Western Mission at this part of the country, I am hapCarey has been frequently present-py to observe, some improvement is ed to our notice through the medi- apparent. I have heard of Churchum of your pages. Of the Station es and Societies, in Maine and at Valley Towns, I know almost Massachusetts, who are doing well. nothing. The religious publica- But I do not see any thing like such tions of the day, and yours, Messrs. a general movement on the subject Editors, among the number, have as the cause imperatively demands. scarcely told us enough to keep in recollection the fact, that such a Mission existed. From the letter of a Layman," and I presume he must be acquainted with the facts, I fear that the Missionary Treasury is, to say the best of it, exhausted. To awaken the public to exertion, I can conceive no measure more promising of success than a full exhibition of the wants and the present condition of the Stations. Sometimes I have attributed this diminution of exertion to a want of interest in the cause of Missions. But having seen how promptly Societies have been formed wherever proper solicitations have been made, I am convinced that this supposition must be erroneous. I do believe that funds, to any reasonable amount, might be raised from our denomination in this country, if missions were prosecuted vigorously, and the proper means used to bring our churches into action. This can only be done by a regular course of systematic exertion. It is a work of labour; and without labour, persevering, pains-taking labour, it cannot be accomplished. The business evidently demands, that one or two men should devote their time exclusively to it, assist But I think it must be evident to every one of your readers, that some new arrangement of the Missionary concerns of the Convention is imperiously demanded. For several years we have been rather worse than at a stand. No new Missions have been originated, and some of those once flourishing seem to have faltered. At the first meet ing of the Convention, our pros-ed by as many agents as may be pects were very nearly as flattering as it regards Missionary effort as at present, and much more so as to pecuniary resources. The American Board was established but a few years before the General Convention; and whilst every year since has added to their means and to their exertions, ours on the contrary, we regret to state it, seem to have moved retrograde. This was perceived, I believe, at the last Triennial meeting, and an effort was made to effect some new arrangements. Several committees in different parts of the United States were appointed, with some deemed necessary. The Corresponding Secretary at least should have nothing else to do, and a competent support should be at once provided for him. He should be the general and the active Superintendent of our whole Missionary Concerns, and his whole physical and moral energies should be consecrated to the work. With one hand he should direct our Missionaries abroad, and with the other he should sustain and elevate the spirit of Christian benevolence at home. Here is surely enough to call for one whole man, and a man of no common foresight and no ordinary efficiency. This subject will, I trust, call for the deliberate attention of the Convention. But besides this, it has appeared to me that the present organization of our Missionary System is susceptible of some improvement. It is now vested, if I mistake not, in a Board of Managers, consisting of 38 persons from different parts of the United States. This Board holds, or is expected to hold, a full meeting annually; but a very small quorum, I believe of five persons, transacts all the business in the interim. This making so few persons a Board, always seemed to me a bad arrangement. They are the Board as truly as the whole 38, and are as independent as the full meeting; and yet the whole Board is considered responsible for their acts; acts over which it is evident the majority could have no manner of control; for they are never informed of the meetings, and are so far off, that to attend them would be impossible. It has occurred to me that a Committee, appointed by the Board from themselves, with limited and accurately defined powers, responsible to the Board, and reporting to them in full all their doings, liable to be removed at its pleasure would be a much more efficient and suitable arrangement. There is one other consideration which is worthy of regard. It seems evident that the Missionary operations should all be conducted by one Board. At present, the Western Missions are under the superintendence of the Board at Washington, while the Foreign are conducted by a Committee in Boston. When the same Treasury is to be drawn upon, and drafts to be made out by bodíes 500 miles apart, there is a constant liability of interference. Besides, the present arrangement, as must be evident, is doubling the labour, and rendering it impossible that the work should be done as well as by one Board. It seems then, important, that some plan should be adopted whereby the whole Missionary concern should be consolidated, and placed in the hands of men who can devote to it the labour which it requires, and who reside in some place where the channel of communication is open and free, both to the Eastern and Western world. I have, however, been delayed longer on this branch of the subject than I at all intended, and I have said what I at first did not intend. I will now turn to the Educational concerns of the Convention. The Educational concerns of the Convention are now all concentrated in the Columbian College in the District of Columbia. This Institution originated in the design to establish a Theological Institution for the Baptist Denomination. An Institution was established in Philadelphia, with the express direction of the Convention, "that no expenses should be incurred faster than funds were provided to meet them." This Institution was subsequently removed to Washington, and became merged in the College, for which, in 1821, a charter was obtained. By this charter, the Convention surrendered the College into the hands of a Board of Trustees, reserving to itself the right of nominating the persons from whom the choice should be made. This is the connecting link between the College and the Convention, and in virtue of it, the Trustees have made reports of their proceedings to the Convention, and made exhibits of the state of their pecuniary arrange ments. The College has prospered as a literary Institution even beyond the hopes of its friends. Its number of students has been large and increasing. Its officers have been evidently laborious and successful instructers; and the testimony to the progress of their pupils, by some of the ablest men in the nation, is such, as to entitle them to the confidence of the Convention and of the public. The philosophi- || Convention without delay." This cal apparatus attached to the Col-transfer has doubtless before this lege is, we understand, worthy of time been made, and we presume comparison with that of any of our older institutions. the Convention will feel a peculiar satisfaction in devoting this donation to the use of the Columbian College. In looking back to the Report of the Trustees made to the Convention in 1823, I have been gratified to observe, that the pecuniary concerns of the College were in so favourable a condition. I regretted exceedingly to see it stated, that "the multiplicity of the Treasurer's labours prevented him from bringing up his accounts to the present date." The Convention meets only once in three years; and it is most surely the business of the Treasurer to be prepared at least on that occasion. If his labours were too great to allow of his On the contrary, there have been writing, and posting books, this several sources from which the revmight have been done by a clerk.enues of the College must have conBook-keeping is a simple business.siderably augmented. Funds to a Figures have a definite language, considerable amount have been rethe language we suppose always in-ceived for the endowment of 1st. tended to be spoken, and always easily understood by financial men. But passing this informality, the Board inform the Convention, "it is certain that the accounts will not vary essentially from the following estimate. Gross expenses of the whole establishment, $70,000. Debt, $30,000. In uncollected subscriptions due the College, upwards of $20,000. Notes due the Treasurer, about $5000. Bank Stock, $7,500. Due College from the Convention on account of Beneficiaries, $6000. Total due the College, $38,500 which is $8,500 above the debts of the Institution. Now if we only suppose $11,500 of the $20,000 subscribed to have been paid, the Institution must be in effect clear of debt. I observe also, that up to the period of the Report of the Trustees, the tuition money received from students was sufficient to meet the salaries of the existing faculty. Since that time, although the President has entered upon his duties, and thus the expenses of instruction have been somewhat augmented, yet as the number of students has so considerably increased, there can be from this source no very considerable deficiency. But I observe in the Report of the Agent to the same Convention, that he had secured to the Convention two good houses in Washington, worth $10,000, by appropriating to their purchase all the avails of his salary and services for years. "These he purposed to deed to the APRIL, 1826. The Presidency; 2d, The Professorship of Ecclesiastical History; 3d, The Professorship of Languages and Biblical Criticism; and 4th, The Professorship of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy. Now as each of these funds must, as soon as it is commenced, become more or less productive, as they are of course invested in some suitable stock, the expenditures for instruction must be somewhat lessened, and the surplus may be applied to the liquidation of the debts. How much may have been received since, we have not observed; but we notice (in the Number for June, 1823,) that about $2,600 have been acknowledged as received by the Agent for the Professorship of Languages, and about 2,300 for that of Eeclesiastical History. Besides these, there have been some subscriptions solicited for the general purposes of the Institution, and some Agents employed to solicit. To what extent these have succeeded, we are unable to ascertain. But it would seem from these data, 16 which an active and intriguing man if the financial concerns of the In- || as well as I can describe, the evils stitution have been managed with ordinary prudence, that its funds must now be in as favourable a state as they were at the last meeting of the Convention. With these prospects, under the fostering hand of the Convention, we should hope that the Columbian College will soon rise to eminence among our literary institutions. We hope that the Report of the Trustees at the next meeting will justify these ex-be in our power. pectations of the public. These difficulties have suggested to many of our wisest brethren, the idea of having the second article of the Constitution so altered, that all members of the General Convention shall be appointed by State Conventions. These have been formed in most of the United States, and are already in successful operation. To have delegates sent in this manner would be attended with many and manifest advantages. The State Convention could always bear, with trifling exertion, the expenses of its delegation, and thus a more general attendance might be expected. Those who attend would each, in fact, represent the feelings of that portion of our churches by whom they were delegated. The General Convention would thus become a strong bond of connexion between all the different portions of our denomination scattered over this widely extended country, and would bind them together in, it may be hoped, indissoluble union. The General Convention being thus composed of delegates from the State Conventions, and the State Conventions of delegates from Associations, and these last of delegates from hurches, it would be the heart to the whole system, and might send a pulse of healthy influence to every church and to every individual in the land. The arrangement of combination would then be perfect, and we should unite, in the purposes of benevolence, the whole feeling Another subject of equal importance will probably be at this time agitated. It is the Constitution of the Convention. This Corporation is formed, as is well known, by delegates from Missionary and Education Societies, who contribute to its funds. It has been doubted by some of our most judicious men, whether this was the best method of fixing the representation. It is certainly very unequal in its operation, and is very far from collecting with certainty the united wisdom of our brethren. The funds of almost any individual society are small, and to send a delegate from a remote State would frequently exhaust its whole contributions for the year. Thus from the remote States, it could scarcely be expected that any, or at most but one or two delegates would be present, and these would represent a society of 25 or 30 individuals, instead of the whole State from which they come. But to illustrate the practical effect of the present system, it will be sufficient to refer to the Minutes of the last Convention. There were present in all but 51 delegates. Of these, 14, that is, five more than appeared from all New-England, and nearly one third of the whole body, resided in the District of Columbia. Now if we proceed upon the principle that taxation and representation shall be proportioned to each other, this arrangement is most manifestly un-in our country. just Your readers will imagine, I have detained your readers, |