LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

We give our readers an abstract of an account, lately published by this Society, of the state of their mis'sions.

In OTAHEITE are twelve missionaries, two of them have wives. These persons have continued to instruct the natives in that and some neighboring islands, notwithstanding many discouraging circumstances which they have had to encounter. Their labors among the adults," it is said, "have not been so useful as they wished; yet their endeavors to instruct the children and youth are more promising."

In SOUTHERN AFRICA, Dr. Vanderkemp and other missionaries have labored with success. The settle ment called Bethelsdorp, at which the doctor has resided, has lately flourished. It contains about 600 persons, whose civilization and religious improvement are said to be advancing. The neighboring Caffres discover a growing desire for relig. ious instruction. It is the purpose of Dr. Vanderkemp to leave Bethelsdorp to the other missionaries, and to attempt a mission more in the interior of Africa, or in the island of Madagascar.-The missionaries at Orange River are busied in teaching the people to build houses, and cultivate the soil; as well as in instructing them in the gospel of Christ. Seventeen persons had been baptized. The natives had suffered from the small pox; but the introduction of vaccination promised to eradicate that disease. The mission to the Namaquas is said to go on well. Mr. Kicherer has charge of the Dutch church at Graaf Reinet, where he has an opportunity of preaching to a great number, not only of the colonists, but of the natives.-When the news of the abolition of the slave trade reached the Cape, the joy was great; and a public day of thanksgiving was observed.

In ASIA, several missions have been begun. At Vizagapatam, Messrs. Cran and Desgranges are employed in instructing the heathen. They have begun to translate the Evangelists into the Telinga language. They have also printed catechisms, &c. in

that tongue, in which work they are aided by a converted Bramin. They preach every Sunday to the Europeans in the fort; and superintend some large schools of native children, which they have established. In the Tinevelly district, Mr. Ringletaube is engaged in visiting the small congregations of Christians scattered over the country, and occasionally in instructing others. He has acquired great skill in the Tamul language. Mr. Vos, formerly a minister of Ceylon, is appointed to the Dutch church at Negapatam, where he enjoys an opportunity of being useful among the native inhabitants. Two mission. aries are on their way to the country of the Birmans, and one to Seringapatam; and two are employed in the island of Ceylon. Another missionary, Mr. Morison, reached China, which was the place of his destination, in September, 1807.

Although Mr. Frey, who formerly labored among his countrymen, the Jews, under the patronage of this society, has withdrawn himself from their connexion, they have determined to continue their endeavors for the benefit of that once favored race. Ministers are engaged to preach to them; and essays, written by Mr. Ewing of Glasgow, and other tracts, have been published for circulation among them.

In AMERICA, Mr. Pidgeon labors as a missionary among the inhabitants of New Carlisle, in New Brunswick.

In the WEST INDIES, two missions have been begun; one at Tobago, where Mr. Elliott, the missionary, is permitted, on many of the estates, to preach to the Negroes, not a few of whom,it is added, have shewn a great readiness to receive instruction :and another at Demarara, of which an account is given in our present Ibid.

number.

MISSIONS OF THE UNITED BRETHREN.

From the periodical accounts of these missions, lately published, it appears that they were in general progressively advancing.

The total number of Christian Es

quimaux at the three settlements, formed by the brethren on the coast of LABRADOR, was, towards the close of the last year, about 230. A variety of interesting particulars respecting them we are at present obliged to omit, for want of room.

The settlement near the CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, at Bavianskloof, or, as it is now called, Gnadenthal, flourishes greatly. The congregation consists of 547 persons; besides whom there are about 300 Hottentots residing at the settlement, and under religious instruction. One of the missionaries thus writes-" What we lost in Governor Jansen, God has given us again in Lord Caledon : when we called upon him, he assured us of his friendship and good will to our mission." His Excellency proposed to the missionaries to form a second settlement, at a place which he offered to grant them, urging the benefit which would attend the extension of their labors among the Hottentots. The missionaries agreed to send two of their number to reside at the place pointed out by Lord Caledon, until they should learn the pleasure of their brethren in Europe, by whose determination their measures must be finally guided. On the 18th of February, 1808, his Excellency visited Gnadenthal, in company with Lord Blaney and a general officer, and inspected the whole economy of the settlement. The Hottentot children welcomed him by singing some verses, which seemed to afford him pleasure: he expressed surprise at their sweet and musical voices. A party of the men then approached, and one of them stepped forward and addressed his Excellency in a short speech, ex

pressive of joy at his safe arrival and his condescension in visiting the settlement; and of the fervent prayers of the Hottentot congregation, that God would bless him, and enable them to be faithful and obedient. Lord Caledon thanked them, and assured them of his favor and protection. In the evening, he and his suite went to church; and next morning he took leave, with many expres. sions of kindness and good will.

We must defer, till another oppor. tunity, any farther extracts from these accounts. Ibid.

MISSION TO TARTARY.

Letters from Karass have been received, dated in January last. Mr. Brunton, the superintendant of the mission, was recovering from a severe illness; but he had lost his wife, who, in November last, died of an abscess in her lungs, full of the faith and hope of the Gospel. Since last July,a considerable number of the following tracts had been circulated. 1. Advice of a Friend to a Mohammedan, in 52 pages 8vo. 2. The Principles of the New Testament, in 14 pages 8vo. 3. Letter in Defence of St. Paul's Apostleship, in 7 pages 8vo. 4. A Catechism, in 56 pages 8vo. 5. St. Matthew's Gospel, in 50 pages folio. These tracts had excited much attention and inquiry among the people, and some hostility among the Mohammedan doctors. They had prohibited the people from reading them; but this had only led to their more eager perusal. The Gospel of St. Matthew seemed to be much prized, and well understood.

THE public have been repeatedly Informed of my design to compile a large and complete Dictionary of the English language; and most men of learning are probably apprised of the opposition manifested, in various parts of the country, and especially in the eastern part of New-England, to this attempt at improving the lexicography of our language. The unabating zeal displayed, on this subject, by various remarks and strictures published in the Anthology, indicates a spirit of enmity very unusual; the motives of which I will not attempt to explain. If honest, the men who possess them evidently manifest more zeal than knowledge or discretion. It is not improbable that many gentlemen mistake my views and the tenor of the remarks, which I have made on the English philological works which are now used in this country; if so, some explanations are due to the public, and required by a decent regard to my own reputation. But as the spirit displayed in the Anthology renders it necessary for me to withhold all communication, with the conductors of that work, I beg leave to trouble the readers of the Panoplist, with a few observations in explanation of the motives by which I have been actuated, and in vindication of my conduct, principles, and designs.

The principal charges against me, may be comprehended in these particulars-That I have indulged too much freedom in censuring the works of many men, of unquestionable erudition, and of established reputation in philology; and that I have displayed great zeal in pressing my own publications upon my fellow citizens.

In regard to the first charge, I can say most sincerely that if I have ever violated the rules of decorum in my strictures upon authors, it is a subjeet of much regret ; for nothing is more abhorrent to my feelings, and

repugnant to my principles. I really thought that in the preface to my Compendious Dictionary I had treated Dr. Johnson, bishop Lowth, and other English authors with a due degree of respect; having uniformly expressed my high opinion of their erudition, and having censured Mason, for the contemptuous manner in which he speaks of Dr. Johnson. In my letter to Dr. Ramsay, I have also censured Mr. Horne Tooke for the severity of his remarks on the same author. I have attempted to point out many errors in the works of those distinguished authors, and to prove the errors, by numerous examples and authorities. In the view of many learned men, these proofs appear amply sufficient for the purpose. In the view of others perhaps the proofs are not sufficient, for it would be very extraordinary that no differences of opinion should exist on this subject.

One thing is certain, that in whatever I have alleged, I have been actuated by a firm belief of the truth of my assertions; and, on a review of what I have written, aided by further researches, I can now declare my be lief that, far from exaggerating the errors and defects of the English dictionaries and grammars used in our country, I am persuaded that my representations come very much short of the truth.

In addition to what I have said on the works of Lowth, Johnson, Varro, Vossius, Junius, and Skinner, I will now mention the Hebrew Lexicon of Parkhurst. I have no doubt that the sense of Hebrew words has been generally understood; but a great number of Hebrew words which are treated as radical, are compound or derivative, and a multitude of words are arranged by Hebricians, under roots with which they have no connexion.

Equally erroneous and defective are the Latin and Greek Lexicons, in assigning words to their radicals. I

have made no enumeration of these errors, but in the dictionaries of Ainsworth, Schrevelius, and Johnson, probably, not one word in fifty is traced to its radical signification.

In making these representations, I am persuaded my motives are pure and honorable. They spring not from vanity, or a disposition to depreciate the learned labors of other men. My real motive is to justify to the world my design of publishing a new work, I hold it to be very improper to tax the public with the expense of a new publication, without offering to the purchaser, as a compensation, real and valuable improvements. It is a common prac tice for men, for the purpose of acquiring fame or money, to make books by selection, without the merit of erudition, or the toil of research; and there may be cases, especially in regard to school books, in which the practice, if not commendable, is at least not very censurable. There are other instances in which men of very superficial attainments, aided by good taste and judgment, acquire more celebrity, as well as property, than authors of ten times their erudition,

In my contemplated Dictionary, I design to offer a new illustration of the origin and progress of language; altogether different from any thing that has yet appeared. I offer this in confidence, not that my work will be perfect, but that the fruits of my investigations will be a valuable acquisition to the republic of letters; and not to the English nation and their descendants only, but to most of the nations of Europe. After making due allowance for the partiality of every author for his own productions, I am persuaded that the improvements I contemplate, will ap pear to deserve encouragement, and to be an ample equivalent for the expense of a new work. These are my real views-such and no other are my motives.

To the importance of such researches as I am making, different persons will attach different ideas. In my own opinion, no researches into the origin of arts, or the history of man and his improvements are unimportant; much less, in,

quiries into the origin and history of his noblest art. But I have learnt that this subject is intimately con nected with the history of nations; and not only ancient authors, sacred and profane, but the origin and migration of nations, may be illustrated by an investigation into their languages.

This explanation will, I trust, ob. viate the censure I have incurred, by endeavoring to spread the circulation of my school books. The small books I have published furnish my only means of subsistence, while I devote my time exclusively to literary studies. Some of them at least have been well received; I gratefully acknowledge this reception; but I wish not the public to give currency to any book of my composition, unless the purchaser believes it to be as good as any other of the kind, and finds himself indemnified for the purchase in the value of the book.

Having relinquished a lucrative business, for the purpose of pursuing a favorite study; and finding my means inadequate to the great expenses of the undertaking; having a numerous family and an aged father, bending under the weight of four score and eight years, looking to me for support; I am bound by all the ties of duty, affection, and humanity, to seek for such patronage as is due to my honest exertions. I seek only the fruits of honest labor, which for eight and twenty years, has been unceasingly devoted to the best interests of my fellow-citizens.

I am happy to find, that many enlightened men in this country who are best acquainted with my views and my designs, are disposed to render me all the services in their power. Equally gratifying is it, that the Eclectic reviewers in England, have spontaneously expressed their readi ness to aid me in my undertaking.

The prospectus of my work, inserted below, has been sent to the principal towns in the Northern States, for the purpose of procuring aid from such gentlemen of talents and property, as may have the disposition and the ability, to afford me encouragement. If I should meet with the necessary aid from this proposal, I shall prosecute the work

with diligence and satisfaction. If not, I shall either abandon the undertaking, or apply to the liberality

of English gentlemen for the neces sary means to enable me to accomplish the work I have begun.

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

In this Work, the Compiler attempts the following objects.

1. To comprehend all the legitimate words, in the English Language, common and technical, with perspicuous and discriminating definitions, exemplified by authorities, in all cases in which authority is deemed necessary to vindicate the use of a word, or illustrate its signification. This article includes the new terms in chemistry, mineralogy, geology, botany, and zoology.

2. To contract the size of the work within the smallest compass that is consistent with the comprehensive ness of its design; and by reducing the price considerably below that of Johnson's larger work, to render it more accessible to men of small property. 3. To exhibit the true orthography and pronunciation of words, according to the most approved English practice.

4. To explain obsolete words, found in ancient English authors. These words will constitute a separate department of the work.

5. To deduce words from their primitive roots, and exhibit the affinity of the English Language with va. rious other Languages. This part of the work will be new, and will offer results singularly novel and interesting; unfolding the connexion be. tween the languages of the principal races of men, consisting of the Assyrian stock in Asia and Africa; and of the Celtic and Teutonic, in Europe.

IT is believed this work will form three large Octavo Volumes, which, well printed on fine paper, cannot be afforded at less than twelve or fifteen dollars. The compiler has already devoted about five years to the execution of this work, and about the same time will be necessary to com

plete it. Specimens of the work have been exhibited to Gentlemen of the first literary attainments in NewYork, N. Haven, Boston, Salem,

BY NOAH WEBSTER, JUN, ESQ.

Newburyport, Portsmouth, and several other towns; and the gentlemen, while they differ from the compiler, as well as from each other, as to the propriety of some parts of the scheme of minor consideration, have unanimously expressed their appro bation of the General Design, and their readiness to give it all the encouragement in their power.

As the execution of this work, laborious beyond any thing, of a litera ry kind, hitherto undertaken in the United States, must occupy a large portion of the compiler's life, to the exclusion of other employments; and as the expenses to be incurred during this period, which cannot be less than fifteen thousand dollars, will exceed his own pecuniary resources, he is advised to offer to gentlemen of property and liberal views of the value of this undertaking, a Prospec tus of the work, and invite a subscription to aid him in this arduous design. As the exact price of the work cannot yet be determined, it is proposed that gentlemen, disposed to patronize the undertaking, should advance a part of the price, which may be either five dollars or ten, at the option of each subscriber, and receive a copy of the work, when finished, neatly printed and bound, at the lowest retail price, deducting the money advanced. The compiler, on his part, stipulates to complete the work, as speedily as the nature of the design and his own health will permit, and deliver the books to subscribers at some bookstore in the principal town in the state where the subscribers respectively reside; of which place due notice shall be given in the public prints.

NOAH WEBSTER, jun.