zeal. Some of the boys of the school are also engaged in this work. I look

we can elevate the wives and mothers, if necessary we could afford to let all others go. May God bless this work.

The wife of the native helper who labors at Ekiz Olook, conducts a weekly prayer meeting for the females, which is well attended. This meeting has often been attended by Armenian women, who wonder what a woman has to do with prayer. The work in the hamlets around Kessab is going on encouragingly. Several women at Ekiz Olook have commenced to read. The school is flourishing. The native helper resides permanently at Kessab, but goes to E. O. Wednesday morning and returns Thursday afternoon, goes again Saturday afternoon, returning Monday. He found this arrangement hard at first, but he is now getting used to it and is happy in it. His family remains mostly in Kessab for the sake of the work there. A teacher takes care of the school. Beyond, that is south of Ekiz Olook, is a small village of twelve or more houses, called in Turkish, Bagcheghaz, where the gospel is now preached regularly, and several persons declare themselves openly Protestants. At another small hamlet in that direction, occasional labor is expended. At the little clump of houses near the road to Antioch, about half an hour this side of Kessab, I have engaged a good old man to labor this winter. He will teach the children and as many of the men and women as can be induced

to attend his instructions out of the Scriptures.

At Antioch, Mr. Morgan says, there is nothing of special interest. He hopes soon to open a small book-store, in the charge of the native helper. From Bitias accounts are encouraging. "Tarsus, which I was obliged to deprive of its preacher last summer, is now again asking for a laborer." Reference is again made, as in a former letter, to the wide field around Antioch, the great amount of labor and care which devolves upon the missionary, and his urgent need of an associate.

CONSTANTINOPLE.

LETTER FROM MR. GOODELL, DECEMBER 27, 1856.

THIS brief letter from Mr. Goodell mentions various incidents connected with the

missionary work at Constantinople which will be noticed with interest. A paragraph in which he speaks of the abundant reason they have to be grateful" for the great magna charta which secures liberty of conscience for all who dwell under the shadow of the Ottoman Porte," and of the advantages they derive from it, has already appeared in the Journal of Missions.

Nestorians at Constantinople.

Some weeks before the date of the letter, several Nestorians were found at Constanti"Among them

nople needing assistance.

was John, the famous preacher at Geog Tapa." He was taken on the Sabbath "to see the great congregation and hear the Turkish preaching," and Mr. Goodell writes:

The native brethren and sisters at Hass keuy became much interested in him, and with great alacrity contributed to his relief and to that of his fellow sufferers. They listened with great apparent delight to his account of the work of God among the Nestorians and he appeared to be much encouraged by what he saw of the reformation here, in the organization of evangelical churches, a phase of the work which was entirely new to him. To see converted Turks, and to hear a real live Turk publicly and with great earnestness preach the glorious gospel, made John's very face to shine, and he verily thought "that the kingdom of God should immediately appear." While he was here, he found some thirty or forty of his countrymen living in various khans in the city, all of whom were rejoiced to learn from him, that they could change their civil relation from the Armenian to the Protestant community, and could attend a church the services of which they could understand, and which were much more in accordance with the sim

plicity of their own worship, than the Armenian ritual. Since his return to Persia, some thirty more Nestorians have been found at the arsenal, all of whom seem grateful for the privilege of attending our Turkish services on the Sabbath.

We have now Turkish preaching at four different places every Sabbath day. Two Mussulmans, of some distinction, were recently baptized at Bebek. One of them was from the ancient Philippi, and, strange to say, his young wife and her mother have recently joined him. I have more or less of the Mussulman population of the city to hear me nearly every Sabbath.

Progress-Additions to the Church.

Our place of worship in Constantinople is already quite too small, and we are now enlarging it to its utmost capacity. We are also engaged in securing a place of worship at Samatia, and another at Balat, both of which places are within the walls of the city itself, and at each of which there is already a nucleus for a church organization; for some of our brethren and sisters "were born there," and are still living there. Mr. Pettibone will probably reside in one of the places, and Mr. Trowbridge in the other.

It

in the Armenian church here, precisely at the hour of my service. As the Armenians at the capital, both preacher and hearer, understand Armenian much better than Turkish, it is difficult to see what the object could be, except to prevent people from coming to our chapel. It was said, that he preached evangelically; and that on one Sabbath, he preached not only at the same hour, but from the same text I did, and moreover divided his subject precisely in the same way. As I preached the same sermon on the previous Sabbath in Constantinople, it is supposed he must have had a reporter there to take notes; for my treatment of the subject was not such as an Armenian bishop would naturally fall upon. But, however this may be, "Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice."

LETTER FROM MR. BLISS, JANUARY 16, 1857.

Progress at Marsovan and Baghchejuk.

MR. BLISS naturally feels a deep interest in Marsovan, his former station, and in the commencement of his letter mentions some facts respecting that place which had recently come to his knowledge. He then speaks of a visit to Baghchejuk and of the good work of grace which is going forward there

The last report of the Marsovan station spoke of a promising religious movement outside the ranks of the Protestants. The result of that movement was

just what might have been expected. It spread quite extensively till it came to the test of rather sharp persecution; but when ecclesiastical rulers began to summon the followers of the new doctrines into their dread presence, and to command them to give up their books under penalty of being disowned by their parents and being dismissed from employment by which they earned their bread; and when these threats, in a number of cases, were put in execution, one portion of the newly awakened turned back, while another portion were led to take a more open and decided stand on

the side of the truth. The result was the addition of thirteen names to the Protestant roll. Most of them are heads

of families, substantial men, intelligent mechanics. The whole aspect of the work in Marsovan is promising. So many and pressing are the calls for labor there, that we have recently, in answer to Baron Hohannes' earnest entreaty, sent on a native brother from this place, to help him in the work. The place of worship now in use, though one of the largest rooms in all Marsovan, is quite too strait for the audience. They much need a church edifice.

I have lately returned from a visit to Baghchejuk.

The scenes witnessed there-religious conversation on every man's tongue; frequent meetings characterized by most earnest and solemn attention; and new cases of religious awakening and conversion reported from time to time-strongly remind one of an American revival. The coffee shops, those notorious haunts of the careless and the worthless, are turned into bethels. Even there the word of God is publicly read, and the voice of prayer is heard. All this is in a place where but yesterday, as it seems to us, no man dared, by word or sign, to intimate any fellowship with Protestant doctrine or Protestant men; and where the few whose hearts God had touched, were obliged to go out into the forests, on the mountain's side, to hold communion with each other and with the Master, in social prayer; and were followed even then by enemies armed, and determined (as has since been confessed) to put them to death if they were found. Some of these men now preach the gospel which they once sought to destroy. Such evidences of the power of the divine Word and Spirit may well put fresh courage into our hearts, if at any time they become faint.

SMYRNA.

ceived to the church at Smyrna, and Mr. Dodd communicates some interesting particulars respecting the individuals. Two were Armenians,-one an old man of sixty, the other a young married man, named Hagob, "of quite a respectable family and engaged in a profitable business." To him, since he joined the Protestant community, several months since, "the truth has seemed to be as cold water to a thirsty soul. He has seemed to receive it as fast as he heard it, his heart being opened, as was Lydia's, from the first. He is likely to be a strong and useful Christian."

An Albanian Convert.

Of the third individual, who seems to give promise of much usefulness, Mr. Dodd writes:

He is an Albanian by birth, named Christophor, and we hope the Lord has called him to be useful in his vineyard. He was born and brought up on the shores of the Adriatic, in the ancient Illyricum. At the age of sixteen, he went to the university at Athens, where he spent six years, after which he was nearly ten years in government employ. ment at Trieste, whence he came hither nine months ago. He was brought up in the Greek faith; but while at Athens, his education not agreeing well with belief in such superstitions, and knowing nothing more reasonable, he became an infidel, a deist, and so remained dur ing his academical course. While at Trieste, however, his conscience did not let him rest. His soul was feeling after something better than cold theism. He began first to read Greek theological writers, hoping to find some reason for their faith, but could not. The books were filled with abstractions. He then turned to Roman Catholic writers, and searched them, but found them still more unsatisfactory. At last, after years of melancholy, he found Protestant books, and reading them, began to hope that he had secured some food for his hungry soul. When he came here, he was pretty well satisfied as to the authority

1857.

THREE new members had just been re

doctrines, and soon after deliberately and seriously determined to adopt the

Protestant faith. This was before seeing the face of a missionary, or conversing with an evangelical Christian. He soon came to see Mr. Ladd, had many conversations with him, began to attend our service, and after several months, desired to make a public profession of his faith and be admitted to the ordinances of Christ's house. After some delay, and a full examination, being well satisfied of his piety, we received him last Sabbath.

For several months he has expressed a strong interest in the salvation of his people, the Albanians; desiring missionaries to be sent to them, and expressing a readiness to accompany them in any capacity in which he could be useful, though he is now profitably and honorably employed in the Austrian consulate here. These missionary desires have seemed to grow upon him, affording no little evidence that it is the call of God. They have lately taken the definite form of a desire to prepare himself to translate the Scriptures for the Albanians. There is no version in the ordinary language of that people, and yet they are much like the Bulgarians in their desire to hear the word of God for themselves. Christophor is perhaps peculiarly adapted to such a work. Having a good university education, by which a naturally strong mind has been trained to habits of study, which habits he has kept up since, the addition of a theological course would prepare him for great usefulness in that or some other department. After correspondence with the Constantinople station, it has been determined to send him to that place to pursue theological

studies.

Syria Mission.

BEIRUT.

DEATH OF REV. ELI SMITH. THE readers of the Herald have already learned that Mr. Smith, of Beirût, whose health had long been feeble, has been called away from his very valuable labors, as a mis

sionary of the cross and a translator of the Bible for the millions who use the Arabic language, to higher joys and higher service. The mission mourns; the Christian community of the world is afflicted; for not only has a good man been removed from earth, but a work which seemed, to human view, of the utmost importance, is interrupted; a translator of God's word, whose place it will be by no means easy to supply, has been removed in the midst of his labors, and when many were looking with the deepest interest for the completion of his most valuable work. But God himself has taken him, and he makes no

mistakes. Over all the interests of his word and his work on earth he watches, and for all he will provide.

Letter from Mr. Ford.

It is remarkable that no extended communication in regard to Mr. Smith's sickness and death has been received at the Missionary House from the Syria mission. Some notice of his life and labors, and a letter from Mr. Dwight, of Constantinople, respecting him, will be found in the Journal of Missions for this month. Mr. Ford, of Beirût, in a line dated January 24, accompanying the annual report of the station, says:

We must allude to the great change which has taken place since the date of the report, whereby we are bereaved of the chief pillar in our station, not to say in our mission. We are sorely smitten; but it is the Lord, and we know that all is right. In making this great breach, God is assuredly calling upon the church and the Board to come up to his help by sending forth new laborers. Mr. Smith filled, substantially, the place of two men, one a translator and editor, one a preacher and general missionary; and his place cannot be made good in the mission even by two, were they sent. We seem likely to be much straitened

for some time to come. We have no doubt the Committee are fully alive to the wants of the field and the work, nor do they need an appeal from us; but we cannot do less than refer to this, now more imperative necessity, which must make itself felt far and wide.

We are not without evidence that this solemn providence has impressed many minds in our community, and recalled