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The following extracts are from the last chapter of the book, and are given as the re sults of Mr. Townley's reasonings and state

ments.

It has appeared, in the course of the investigation, that the author, as is evinced by the general tenor of his book, has almost entirely lost sight of the concurrence of divine and human agency in the work of evangelizing the heathen. The consequence of which bas been, that by exclusively meditating on the inability of the merely human agent, he has arrived at the exceedingly erroneous conclusion, that there is no possibility "of making real converts to Christianity among the natives in India?'

The author has argued that the Hindoos will not embrace the Gospel, because of the persecutions to which a profession of Chris. tianity would expose them; which argument is contrary, both to scriptural views of God's all-supporting grace, and to fact; many Hindoos having been enabled actually to undergo the persecutions referred to.

He has represented the Hindoos as a people sui generis, and incapable of conversion, because of their peculiarities; which is a virtual denial of the sufficiency of God's blessing to render the labours of his servants successful, and proved to be untrue by the several conversions which have actually taken place.

He has ridiculed the proposed plan of the Rev. Mr. Ward, to impart instruction to Hindoo girls, comparing it to the follies of Don Quixote. This plan, we have seen, has actually succeeded; and there are already up. wards of seven hundred Hindoo girls enrolled as scholars.

He has gone the fearful length of asserting, that there is hardly a chapter in the whole Bible, which, if presented to an unconverted Hindeo, would not prove to be calculated to impede his reception of the Gospel; and, as it regards the Hindoos, virtually putting the Bible into the Index Expurgatorius, he has labored to his utmost to discourage the circulation of the Sacred Scriptures in India.

He has condemned a number of translations of the Sacred Scriptures, which he has never read; he has made no allowances for the necessary imperfections attending versions in their early stages; and has laid down the strange principle, that Indian versions of the Sacred Original ought to be written in "fine poetry, a flowery style, and a high stream of eloquence."

He has, in one part of his book, intimated that a missionary ought on no account to give up his professional undertaking, on account of any discouragement he might meet with, however formidable; notwithstanding which he himself has actually abandoned the work in which he was engaged; and, in other parts of his book, suggests that all other missionaries ought to copy his example.

He has asserted, as one of his fundamental positions, that there is no possibility of convert ing the Hindoos to any sect of Christianity, and then has pointed out, that above half a million of Hindoos have professed the Roman Catholic form of Christianity, and several @

thousands have professed the creed of Protestant Christians.

He has represented the interests of the Roman Catholic religion as quite desperate; and at the same time has pointed out one station, in which alone between three and four hundred Hindoos are yearly baptized into the Catholic communion; and stated that, with a suitable reinforcement of missionaries, this number might be increased.

He has stated, that the Jesuit missionaries, his official predecessors, upon their first arriv al in the country, announced themselves as European Brahmins. come for the do ble purpose of imparting and receiving knowledge from their brother Brahmins in India. This gross imposition and criminal violation of the truth, the Abbé likens to the conduct of St. Paul himself; quoting the well known text, "I became al things to all men," as a proof in point.

He has argued that the substantial, yea, extravagant idolatry of the Hindoos, ought not to be opposed, and needs only to be pruned of such excrescences as are monstrous! And, in harmony with this sentiment, he has returned unfeigned thanks to the Brahmins, for the honor they have done him by inviting him to go in and join them, during their acts o worship in the idols' temple! He has, in a word, avowed, that he himself became almost a Hindoo.

He has, by his assertion, that all the labors of Protestant missionaries "have terminated in nothing," virtually impugned the numer ous printed reports and publications issued periodically by the Church Missionary Society, the Baptist Missionary Society, the London Missionary Society, and other respecta ble bodies of associated Christians; and virtu ally ascribed falsehood to the testimony of numerous devoted missionaries, and other individuals, of acknowledged probity, on whose communications these reports and publications are principally founded.

The wisdom of the Royal Letter, and of the subsequent contributions from the various parishes of Great Britain, amounting to five and forty thousand pounds; the propriety of the operations of the British and Foreign Bible Society, with respect to India; the propriety of the Mission College established in Calcutta, by the late bishop of that city; and of the efforts made for the evangelization of India, by the numerous missionary societies, of all denominations, in Europe and America; and of the active efforts and liberal subscriptions of European residents in India: all these does the Abbe Dubois, with a boldness suited to a better cause, venture virtually to deny.

He has asserted that the Hindoo children go to the schools opened by Europeans for their instruction, influenced by the sole object of obtaining a knowledge of the English lan guage; when, in point of fact, in nine-tenths of the schools in Bengal, the English language has not been taught.

The Abbé has, in one part of his book, represented the Moravian missionaries as so appalled by the difficulties which presented themselves, that they had not the heart even to make an effort for the conversion of the Hindoos; and in another part of his book, he

represents the Moravian missionaries as having made the best possible effort for the conversion of the Hindoos, by preaching to them the gospel in all its unadorned simplicity.

He has represented that the Hindoos are inaccessible, incapable of acquiring new ideas, in a state of everlasting reprobation, and that their conversion is an utter impossibility; when, in point of fact, many thousands of them have professed the Christian faith, and there is a native missionary society at Serampore, the committee of which is composed almost entirely of converted natives.

even now

He has represented that, for a long period, all missionaries who have arrived in India, have discovered, upon their arrival, that they had previously been deceived; and that the hopes indulged in Europe, of converting the Hindoos, vanish,after an entrance upon the actual work;-a representation which is disprov ed by the writer's own experience.

He has, in one part of his book, represented the Bibles and tracts circulated by the missionaries, as having produced a very unfavorable excitement of mind among the natives; and in another part of his work, he states that these Bibles and tracts are perused by no one, and are above the comprehension

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From a recent volume of Travels, by "A Field-officer of Cavalry."

I WILL not quit Bombay, although so well known a capital, without noticing one striking peculiarity connected with it; and that is, the evident general opulence, industry, and independent manners of the native inhabitants, so far beyond what I have seen in any place belonging to the Presidency at Madras. There are more natives actually riding in their carriages, than Europeans; and many of the very best and most comfortable houses are the property of the former. The principal and most respectable among them, are also occasionally invited to the European parties and amusements; nor do they seem to be treated by our countrymen with their usual ridiculous pride and hauteur. The most respectable class of all is certainly that of the Parsees, with two or three of whom I became slightly acquainted, and was pleased with their appearance and manners, so far removed from the usual Indian meanness and servility. Of the present Governor of Bombay, as a gentleman and man of enterprise

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and talent, it would be difficult to speak in terms too high: he is generally, I may almost say universally, esteemed and admired by all who know him: nor can any one gifted with the most moderate share of penetration, pass ten minutes in his society, without feeling the superiority of his understanding, as well as remarking that easy politeness, and gentlemanly freedom of manner, which is alike distant from repulsive haughtiness and unbecoming familiarity. So desirous is he of picking up what information he can collect from all with whom he converses, that his acute and pertinent questions at times almost press themselves forward into a kind of ingenious cross-examination, and require care and collectedness of mind to answer satisfactorily: but his gentleness of manner, and at the same time, evident wish to oblige, easily reconcile his hearers to this slight shade in him, if indeed, i. his situation, it can be considered as any shade at all.

ALEXANDER LEITH ROSS.

A LATE number of the Literary and Evangelical Magazine contains a memoir of Alexander Leith Ross, drawn from a Review of his life, in the Edinburgh Christian Instructor, for Nov. 1822. As the example of this young man, in connexion with his success as a scholar, must greatly encourage all, whose duty it is to acquire foreign languages, and may hence be of great use to the missionary and the translator of the Scriptures, we shall, by means of selections and abridgments, give a brief view of his character and acquisitions.

ALEXANDER LEITH Ross was born in Aberdeen, in 1797. He was the only son of Dr. James Ross, senior minister of that city. By the death of his mother, when he was between four and five years old, he was cast on the care of his father alone. He attended the grammar school of Aberdeen, and enjoyed, at the same time, the advantage of a private tutor, Though his health was delicate, his progress was very respectable. Especial care was taken that he should not be pushed forward beyond what he could completely master. At the age of fifteen he entered Marischal college. He there gained the first prize in Greek. At an early age, he discovered a fondness for natural history, and gradually formed a considerable museum. His progress in mathematics and other sciences was entirely satisfactory. But he formed a decided predilection for the languages.

At the age of sixteen, the Review of Sir William Jones' Persian Grammar in the Eclectic, turned his attention to oriental literature. With no assistance but this Grammar and Richardson's Persian and Arabic Dictionary, he prepared himself for an extensive course of reading in the Persian language. While he was going through the natural philosophy class, he began the study of Hebrew. In 1817, he entered on the study of divinity; and in the year following, he was

engaged by professor Stuart to teach the two Greek classes in the college, to which he voluntarily added a third. In this occupation, he met with distinguished success and acceptance. He early entered on the study of the Chinese language, and pursued it with great eagerness. Having mastered the Latin and Greek, and several of the oriental languages, he next entered on those of modern Europe. The French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and German, were an easy acquisition.

In the year 1817, he made a tour in Holland, Flanders and France; and another in 1820, in France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany. Of these he kept journals, which are said to be very interesting. The fatigues which he underwent in the last of these tours, were so great as to overcome his constitution. He caught a severe cold in Germany. As he was returning home, the coach was overturned near Chatham, and he sustained a severe injury. He reached home in a very exhausted state, where he languished about six months, and died on the first of April 1821, when twenty-three years of age.

This extraordinary young man might be said to have known seventeen different languages, besides many others of which he had only a superficial knowledge; and all of these, except Latin and Greek, were acquired in the short space of seven years! Such progress in knowledge is well-nigh unexampled. But it ought to be observed, that his mind did not seem to be a mere store-house, where learning was laid up, without order and arrangement: nor was this wonderful youth a mere prodigy of memory, such as we have sometimes heard of. His faculties appear to have been all in due proportion, and well balanced. Of this, sufficient evidence is afforded by the following extracts from the Diary of his studies.

"1817. Jan. 18. I have been looking at Hindustanee lately: it is very similar to Persian. Indeed a person who is well grounded in Persian and Arabic, may also say that he is master of Hindustanee and Turkish. Some of the sonnets of the Hindoo poet, Souda, are really very pretty, and have much of the fire and energy of Hafiz, the famous bard of Schiraz, though they want that elegance and simplicity which so much distinguish the writings of the Persian poet.

"Jan. 23. I have now almost finished the first book of the Gulistan of Sady, in the original Persian. He is an excellent moral writer; and from all the numerous stories which he gives in his works, he never fails to draw some moral conclusion. Take his works as a whole, he is one of the most elegant and pleasing of Persian writers. A person must know Arabic before he can peruse his works with any pleasure, as he blends this language frequently with his native Persian. His style is simple and unaffected, and, at the same time elegant in a high degree. Near the end of the first book of the Italia Liberata of Trissino, a scene occurs which resembles much the genius of Ferdusi's poetry, &c.

"March 3. I have carefully read Marshman's Dissertation on the Chinese Language

and I find that the acquisition of it, is by no means so formidable, as I have been led to imagine. Indeed, Mr. Marshman says, in the conclusion of his work, that instead of the most difficult, it will be found amongst those most easy of acquisition. A good deal, it is evident, must depend on a knowledge of the two hundred and fourteen keys, of one or other of which every word of the language is compounded. After these are perfectly mastered, and a knowledge of about thirty prepositive and auxiliary characters is acquired, the language lies open to the student. The Chinese language is more adapted to speak to the understanding and the eye, than to the ear; and a sentence in the written character of China, may possess a considerable degree of force, on account of the expressive na. ture of the character, which loses its beauty in a great degree, by the disadvantage of the translation. Thus the Chinese character expressing to inquire, is compounded of two characters, signifying a door and the mouth -literally, mouth-door.

"April 16. I have now gone over Lumsden's Persian Grammar, in two volumes, folio, and Gladwin's Persian Munshee. have also read twice the Poeseos Asiaticæ Commentarii, by Sir William Jones. All suceeeding writers have borrowed from Sir William.

"April 25. I have read in Hebrew the whole book of Joshua, and have now begun Judges. I have read a chapter of the Hebrew Bible, and of the Greek New Testament regularly before breakfast, for a considerable time, and hope, by adhering to this plan, to get through, in time, the whole Bible. My studies in Persian have been directed to Hafiz of late. I read some odes every day if possible. In Italian I have been reading a translation of Paul and Virginia; and in Greek the Anabasis of Xenophon, which I have nearly finished. In Latin I have read a book of Cicero De Natura Deorum, and am busy at present with Virgil.

"Nov. 21. This day was employed in reading Tasso, (Gerusalemme Liberata,) and the Persian translation of the New Testament by the Rev. Henry Martyn, printed at Petersburgh; which, from what have read of it, appears to be very elegant, and far superior to what we find in Walton's Polyglot. Part of my time was also devoted to the Greek.

"1818. Feb. 21. Read the 24th chapter of first Samuel; continued the Greek exercises; read upwards of fifty lines of the Iliad. The time that remained before breakfast was occupied with the Estelle of Florian. The greatest part of the forenoon was spent in reading the odes of Hafiz; the remainder was devoted to Tiraboschi and a few odes of Horace. In the afternoon I resumed the study of the Chinese, and finished the elementary characters, which, I think, I have now mastered pretty accurately. I intend, however, to write them over very frequently, to impress them more strongly on my memory. The whole of the evening was devoted to Homer, and the Greek grammar."

The diary of studies is followed by a num ber of pages of illustrations of Scripture from the Persian, and from ancient traditions and

eastern customs. Next is a neatly written essay, On the Literature of the Arabs, and the influence which it had on that of Europe. Then follows an Account of the Wonders of Creation, a work originally written in Arabic,by Zechariah Al Carvini. The next article in order, is Verbal Resemblances between the Oriental Languages and those of other na tions. The following are extracts from this work.

"Sira and Syr, (Icelandic,) signify Lord.
Sar, (Hebrew,) a Prince.

Tsar, (Russian) title of their Prince.
Sar or Sir, (Persian) Head, Chief.
Zelp, and, with a Greek termination,
Epos, signifies the Sun.

Sira or Syr, name given to the Supreme Being in some Runic monuments.

Sirr, Arabic, any thing pure, excellent, also incom-
prehensible, mysterious.
Sunya, Sanscrit, the Sun.
Khur, Persian, The Sun.
Κυρος Greek, 3

Karn or Kern, Arabic,

3

Kerne, Tigri in Abyssinia, SA Horn.
Kepas, Greek,

Karn, in Arabic, and Charn in Gaelic, the Top of a
Hill.

Tundur, Persian, Thunder.

Dokhter, Persian,
Dochter, Scotch,
Shal, Persian, Shawl.
Kamis, Arabic,

Daughter.

Chemise, French, A Shirt, or inner garment of men." Camicia, Italian,

The Reviewer remarks, that in these Resemblances, the young writer quotes sixtysix different languages and dialects!

We have room for but one of the extracts taken from the Journals kept by Mr. Ross, of his Tours on the Continent. It presents a very striking picture of a Dutch village.

"This little village [Broek] is the most remarkable thing we have yet seen in Hol. land: every corner of it is kept as clean as it is possible to make it, and the streets are paved with bricks of various colors, which are arranged in the most fanciful figures imaginable. Broek exhibits the Dutch character in perfection. The inhabitants are generally opulent; and here they live separated from the world, and having scarcely any intercourse with society. They have no wish but to continue always in the same state of indolence and inactivity. All the windows that look into the little streets, if indeed they can be called streets, (for a carriage is never allowed to enter them, lest they should be made dirty,) are covered with blinds or closed up by window-shutters. Every house has two doors, one of which is opened only on three occasions, a birth, a death, or a marriage; and no stranger is ever allowed to see the inside of these singular hermitages. With great difficulty we procured access to the garden of one of the principal inhabitants, which we minutely examined. In every direction we found canals, the banks of which were covered with flowers, &c. The trees in the village are cut in the form of fans, and into various other fantastical shapes. In one little garden we observed the boxwood cut into the shape of tables, foxes, peacocks, &c. The doors of one of the houses was finely gilded, and richly embossed. Mr. Ogg told us that a clergyman, who had been but a short time settled in the village, found, to his regret,

the number of his auditors gradually diminish, till at last but a few remained. He redoubled his application to his sermons, and made them as perfect as he could; but all to no purpose. Finding his endeavors to bring back the people ineffectual, he at last asked one of the deacons, what detained his parishioners from church, where, in former times, their attendance used to be so regular? The deacon replied, Our former clergyman always took off his shoes when he went to the pulpit, and if you follow the same plan the people will soon return. The remedy was used, and proved effectual."

It does not appear that Mr.Ross's first promise was very extraordinary. It is then a very interesting question, How did he acquire, in so short a life, a degree of knowledge that would be thought great in an old man? The biography as reviewed does not formally take up this question. A hint, however, is given in the beginning, which throws some light on it. Young Ross doubtless had acquired a passion for learning. The Diary of Studies proves this. His mind was continually excited, and carried all its force into every study. This is the true secret of rapid improvement. Under this excitement the stu. dent will press on with untiring alacrity, and be surprised at his own progress. It is the remark of the Reviewer that "He [Ross] had a strong passion for almost every useful species of reading, and allotted stated hours for every occupation. He acquired, also, the two excellent habits of early rising, and of copious writing. Of this latter habit, the manuscripts he left behind him furnish a striking proof. Besides those inserted in the "Remains," there are among his manuscripts, Fragments of Natural History, two small volumes-Extracts from Hyde's Religio Veterum Persarum-Miscellaneous Fragments, containing the Chinese Decalogue, the names of the Hindoo Constellations, and Days of the Week, the names of the Persian and Attic Months, and Collections on the affinity between Latin and Greek, and between the two languages and Sanscrit-several volumes and sheets of Translations from the PersianPersian Idioms, a large volume, the commencement of a work alphabetically arranged -Selections from the Gulistan, in Persian and English, with notes, apparently the beginning of a work intended for publicationseveral volumes, with Translations and Analyses from Greek Authors. He had also translated, (with the exception of a few of the last pages,) from the German, Professor Bouterwek's volume on the History of Spanish Literature. This he intended to publish with notes of his own.”

On the whole it may be said, that a passion for learning-order and method in studyand indefatigable industry, combined, were the cause of the wonderful attainments of this lamented young man. But these were not his highest praise. He made no parade of his learning; he was meek, modest and unob. trusive; and never exhibited his astonishing stores of knowledge, unless when drawn out by his company. It is recorded of him, as unequivocal evidence of an amiable disposition, that "acquaintances of his own standing,

not only heard of and witnessed his decided superiority without envy, but seemed to take pleasure in speaking well of him, and in adding always another wreath to his increasing honors."

In short, Mr. Ross was a decided and zealous Christian. The following expressions of his religious sentiments and feelings are adduced by the Reviewer in evidence.

"May all my studies and pursuits be directed from above."

"As this day has been set apart for humiliation and prayer, on account of the funeral of our beloved princess Charlotte, I thought it proper to limit my studies to the Hebrew Bible and Greek Testament. May her early and melancholy death make a lasting impres sion on my mind May I also be ready; and, when I am called hence, may I be able to exclaim, "Even so, come Lord Jesus."

He thus writes at Geneva. "May that gracious Being, who has hitherto extended over me his protecting arm, still continue to preserve me from the danger to which I may be exposed; prevent me from being seduced by the corrupting influence of foreign manners; and grant me a happy meeting with those friends whom absence has rendered doubly dear unto me! Blessed be his name that I have the privilege of drawing near to him in prayer; and that I have the delightful assurance that he will never forsake those who trust in him."

At Potsdam he says, "This day is the communion in Aberdeen I could have wished to be present on that interesting occasion. May the everlasting Father strengthen the hands of his ministering servants; and may both they and their flocks derive much consolation from the solemn services in which they are engaged! May this be a day of the right hand of the Most High; and may both pastors and people be washed in that blood which was shed for the remission of the sins of many.

"As one proof (says the Reviewer,) of bis decision as to personal character, we reckon it of importance to mention, that, from principle, he was never at a theatre in his life, though he was on some occasions urged to go. His doctrinal opinions were those held by the Protestant Reformers, to whose excellence he bore distinct testimony." -He was also a warm friend to the cause of Christian charity, and held in admiration the sublime object of the Bible Society.

POWERFUL AGENCY OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

Extracted from Irving's Orations. IT may be proper to remark that, in the following paragraphs, the writer uses the phrase divine constitution, as synonymous with the Christian religion. His object is "to show, by three several instances, upon the largest, broadest scale," the perfect sufficiency of this religion "to regenerate the most benighted and the most brutalized of mankind."

Our first instance is taken from the origin and first plantation of our faith in the most

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