THE BURNING OF THE TANJORE.. gun. It is dreadful to think about, but such is the fact, and already much human blood has flowed, and many Kaffirs been destroyed. The Mission stations are very painfully placed with this dreadful war. But a short time ago they were rejoicing that their beautiful settlements were bearing the appearance of prosperity, and that the bad effects of the former war were passing away. Mr Freeman visited many of them on his late journey amongst them. He saw their neat chapels, pretty gardens, and well-cultivated fields. He heard the people sing God's praises amid those lovely scenes. Ile spoke to the fine Kaffir children, and was delighted with their bright looks, noble bearing, and ready answers. The war has now passed over these spots, and swept away the chapels, gardens, and fields. Many of the dear children and the women have been killed, and the whole routed and dispersed. It was easy work to put the order upon paper to destroy the Kaffis; but, oh it has made many hearts bleed, and has thrown a great hindrance in the 43 way of the work of God, to carry out the order. I have told you all this about the Kaffir war, dear children, not to make you hate Sir Harry Smith, or blame any body else concerned in this war, because these have only acted as they thought best for the good and peace of the colony, and as many men of the world will quite approve. But I have told you all this— 1st. To give you all a horror of war, and help you to grow up, resolving that when you are men and women, you will do all you can to aid in the promotion of peace throughout the world. 2dly, To excite in you sympathy, and draw from you prayers, in behalf of the Missionaries, and, above all, the poor suffering Kaffirs, and especially the dear children like yourselves; and 3dly. To fill you with gratitude to God for still preserving your own land in peace, and still sparing you your happy homes and kind friends and Christian teachers, while in his all-wise Providence he permits the poor Kaffirs to be deprived of theirs. MISSIONARY ADVENTURES. crew, a pleasant company, and an ample JUST 31 years ago, in May 1820, there sailed from London a vessel called the Tanjore. It was bound for India, and had on board Missionaries and others going out to Ceylon and Southern India. The Missionaries were Mr and Mrs Hoole, and Every morning and evening they had Mr and Mrs Mowat of the Wesleyan Mis- worship together in Sir Richard Oxley's sionary Society; and Mr and Mrs Brown-cabin; every Sunday they had preaching ing of the Church Missionary Society. by one of the Missionaries in turn, when Besides these there were several other pas- the weather was fine, on deck. Three sengers, amongst whom were Sir Richard times on the voyage they broke bread and Oxley, chief justice of Ceylon, and two drunk wine in remembrance of Christ, and Buddhist priests. A fair wind, a fine on they sailed all happy and united, God day, a new ship, a clever captain, a good smiling on them, and the fine open sea 44 THE BURNING OF THE TANJORE. around filling them with great thoughts of Missionaries, and crew, all did their best, His majesty and love. but they soon found their exertions would be of no avail, and that the ship must be left to burn. Nothing can be more dreadful than to be in a burning ship at sea, far from land and all human help. The wood and tar make it burn very fast, and often the cargo helps on the fire. There is no way in such a case but to get into the boats and try to escape. This was accordingly thought of. But what do you think were their feelings when they found the long boat already in flames? There were two other boats, but both were very small, and the Captain told Mr Hoole they could not hold the company. However, they were their only hope, and were accordingly lowered into the sea with as much speed as possible. The captain and men behaved very well. They first lifted the two ladies into the bigger boat, and then helped in all the passengers. It just held them, but sank very low in the Bright days do not, however, last always; and on leaving the Cape they met a tremendous gale, the ship rolled about, and cracked and groaned amongst the angry waves, and all on board began to look for a speedy and fatal ending of their voyage. God, however, heard their prayers, the vessel weathered the storm, and they reached Ceylon in safety. Here they left the Chief Justice and some other passengers, weighed anchor again, and once more, on Sept. 6th, stood out for sea. Ceylon, as you know, is a beautiful island. Its groves of cinnamon, its splendid woods of Palmyra palins and lofty cocoa-nuts, with its lovely hills and valleys, make it one of the most beautiful isles of earth. The missionaries were delighted with its scenery, and Mr Hoole still lingered on the deck as the evening closed in, unwilling to lose any of its beauties so long as the departing day-water with their weight. Then the captain light would let him gaze upon them. The day had been very hot, and now, as the dusk came on, a fearful thunder storm gathered and broke upon the sea in awful fury. Flash succeeded flash so quickly that the passengers could read upon deck by their light; the thunder rolled and cracked like the firing of heavy artillery, and the rain poured down in torrents. Mr Hoole looked up and saw a very black cloud with a bright spot in the centre, coming towards the ship; presently there came a flash of light which seemed to set all the ship in a blaze, accompanied with a loud cracking and a great noise. One of the passengers who was reading on the deck was knocked down, and two seamen on the forecastle struck dead. The lightning had struck the ship, and in a moment the cry rose, 'Fire Fire in the hold! Fire below! The cargo was on fire. It was a dreadful announcement, not a moment was to be lost, all hands set to work to put out the flames. Passengers, and the crew got into the second. It was feared it could not take them all, but it did; and, though both boats were now so laden that the least swell of the sea, or gust of wind, might have sunk them both. The people were most thankful that so far, none had been left behind in the burning ship. How dreadful it would have been to have been left in that burning ship! It was now about nine o'clock at night. So hurried had they been, and so rapidly had the flames proceeded, that no time had been allowed for any one to go down and get a supply of clothes or food. Many of the passengers had been called out of their hammocks; and had no time to dress. The kind sailors gave them all the clothes they could spare, and they did their best to help each other to keep warm. It was an awful time; the rain still came down in torrents. The night was pitchy dark, and only lighted up by the vivid lightning, and the burning ship. Fortunately the sea was very still, or they would have been upset. They now uninhabited and desolate country, and with such a rocky coast that they dare not approach it. About 7 o'clock they saw a native vessel lying at anchor in the distance, and with great exertions reached it. The natives at first seemed unwilling to have anything to do with them; but when they understood all about them they kindly took them on board, helped them to dry clothes, and gave them food. They told them that they were not far from Trincomalee, where there was a Wesleyan Missionary station, and engaged to take them there. They soon weighed anchor, but night set in before they reached the place. Another fearful thunderstorm came on at night, but it passed off without doing them any injúry. began to try to get as far away from the ship as possible. She had a deal of gunpowder on board, and they were afraid she might soon blow up. Her sails too, being still up and wet with the rain, would not burn, and every now and then the wind gave a gust and drove her nearer to them. To get away from her, however, was no easy thing. To their distress they found that one of the boats had no rudder, and that there were only three oars in the two boats. They found a few pieces of wood at the bottom of one of the boats, and with these, and by throwing a rope from one boat to the other that had the rudder, they managed to get along a little. They had a couple of compasses with them and a few candles, one of which they kept lighted to see which way to steer, and so made for In the morning they sailed again, and in land. There were 48 people in the two a few hours were in sight of Trincomalee. boats, and all, excepting the two ladies, The wind would not let them enter the took their part in rowing and steering, and harbour, but a boat was sent in to let the baling out the water. About ten o'clock people know of their condition, and a manthey saw the masts of the ship fall over,of-war lying there soon sent her boats to and the vessel seemed burned to the water's bring them all on shore. edge. After some time, the rain gave over, and they began to make better way; and when the sun rose, to their great joy they saw land a-head. It proved, however, an You may think how thankful they were to God, when they found themselves safe from the dangers of the sea, and once more amongst kind friends. ST DOMINGO. THE following letter was written sometime ago by a gentleman in St Domingo, to his little boys in England; but as it gives a very good account of that island, and is just as true now as when written, I have thought it well to print it for you. It is taken from the Juvenile Missionary Herald for 1847; a very good little work. HAYTI, Dec. 25. MY DEAR BOYS-I want to write a letter to you a letter on this Christmas day, Such a Christ if the heat will allow me. and stormy, and the roads are muddy, ing so numerous, after a time they rose and people are holding up their umbrellas, against their masters, slaying multitudes of with large handkerchiefs over their mouths, them, and committing dreadful cruelties. and heavy cloaks upon their shoulders, The masters struggled mightily to regain making all haste home to their firesides. their power, but the slaves achieved their But, alas for me! there is not a fire- freedom. They then formed themselves place in the house nor a pane of glass into a republic, and appointed a president, in the town! The breeze is sweeping with ministers of state, two houses of through every room, and we sit in the parliament, and a large army; they formed draughts, getting our hot brows cooled, and laws very much like those of France, only looking out upon the trees. These, unlike they enacted that "no white man, whatever yours, are coverd with more beautiful foli- be his nation, shall ever set his foot upon age than you ever saw. There are the the territory of Hayti under the title of shady tamarind trees, with their small green master or proprietor." They changed the leaf, and their nice fruit; yonder the cocoa name of the island to Hayti, which, in the tree, with such bunches of nuts; and old Indian language means mountainous. close beside it the large tender green-leaved You cannot wonder at their making this plantain, loaded with fruits which the law, when you consider how much they had people boil for their dinner. Further on suffered from the white men. It was well are the orange trees, some with yellow they did not pay them back completely, by oranges, which look tempting, but which I throwing them and their families into know to be sour; others, with sober col- slavery. But another law says: "There oured green ones, which I know to be cannot exist slaves on the territory of the sweet, for I have knocked down several. republic; slavery there is for ever When the people take the trouble to gather abolished." them and bring them to your door, then The saddest thing about the people is, they give you three hundred for a shilling. that they have no true knowledge of Christ But where is this land? you are inquiring. and of his religion. Without that it is imIf Henry the map-maker has made a chart possible that they should ever be great or of my voyage, you will see it at once in the good. They followed the ceremonies of form of a large island to the eastward of their masters, which were those of the Jamaica. It was one of the first and larg- Roman Catholic church. But they are est islands which Columbus discovered in little better than idolatrous. Indeed, the new world. He called it Hispaniola, the old superstitions of their fore-fathers or Little Spain. It was afterwards called have more influence over them. Some of St Domingo, from the name of its principal the richer people keep priests for themtown. As I have been travelling at sun-selves, such as are now found among the rise through its tranquil valleys, I have savages in Africa; and, among the lower often thought of the long centuries of peace class, the heathen dances are quite common. which must have reigned there before men I saw one of these one night after it was from Europe defiled it with their crimes; dark. There was a number of people sitbut soon after it became known, the ting in a circle. One man had a rude French and Spaniards, greedy of gain, stole drum which was laid on the ground, while men from Africa, and brought them hither he rode astride upon it, and beat it vioas wretched slaves. These slaves were at lently with sticks. It is exactly like the one time half a million in number; they one you have, which was brought from were poor, ignorant, and degraded, but be-Fernando Po. To this the men and women A MISSIONARY THOUGHT FOR CHILDREN. danced with hideous gesticulations. Some MAN-Jesus, thou Son of God! 47 Could you have helped joining in these petitions? O that the poor people had known the full meaning of their words! But perhaps Jesus saw some true desires among them. I afterwards learned that the man who read these prayers had sent to a missionary for a Bible, and that he often read passages in public. He obtained, also, a copy of Wesley's Sermons in French, of which he read some parts also. They are very polite, and willing to hear anything you wish to say to them, even although it be against their superstitions, in which they have little confidence after all. After knowing how much the people need instruction, you would be delighted to see a nice little school kept by Miss Harris. The children are very neatly and tastefully dressed when in school, but as soon as they get home, so hot is this country, they are glad to get all their clothes off save a little shirt. I was much amused the first time I saw the little boys running about in that style almost they moment after the had escaped from the school. I gave them a parting address yesterday, and they promised to write to me and sign all their names, which are very grand, such as Diogenes, Voltaire, and Semiramis. You see my paper is quite done. How glad I shall be to see you again; meanwhile, dear boys, farewell. Your affectionate Father, C. M. BIRRELL. Children's Poetry. A MISSIONARY THOUGHT FOR CHILDREN. I saw a little child at play, Beside a glassy pool, Where soft the dancing sunbeams lay Upon the waters cool. I saw him cast a little stone Into that peaceful tide, And watch the wavelets, one by one, |