is that spirit from the midst of the darkness, that raises a louder voice, his horrors greater than those of the common damned? Is he not an irreligious teacher of youth or children? A thousand of his pupils surround him. They pour their execrations on his head; a thousand tongues exclaim, "O that you had set us pious examples, that you had taught us sound principles, that you had led us in the way of life. We trusted in your science; we followed your steps, and we are ruined for ever." What would be the fate of the mariners should the compass prove false, or the pilot betray his trust on a stormy coast ? Should the system of nature be deranged, and the lights of heaven, unbalanced from their orbits fly," what could save a falling universe? Not less terrible to the moral system are the effects, when the seminaries of science are poisoned by the vice or infidelity of their instructors and students. When the lights of the country are darkness, how dismal is that darkness? Such instructors instead of resembling the Star of Bethlehem, are the agents of that baleful dragon in the heavens, who tore away a third part of the stars, and hurled them down to the earth. Knowledge when it ceases to be useful is not knowledge; it is art, it is cunning, it is guile, it bites like a serpent; it stings like an adder. Seminaries, which pervert the benevolent designs of their founders, ought to assume other names. They are not colleges; they are not shools of the prophets; they are not seminaries of science, but they are baleful meteors, shedding plague and death on the nation ; they are dens of vice and the pandemoniums of the world. The Editors do not pledge themselves for the correctness of every sentiment in the above Essay; but they cheerfully submit the whole to the consideration of the candid public. For the Panoplist. Praise ye the Lord, mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars! Psalm cxlviii. A SURVEY of the progressive stages of vegetation, from the bud and blossom to the ripened fruit and falling leaves, irresistibly impels the mind to the adoration of the Supreme Being as the source of all good. There is not a mind so insensible, there is not a heart so callous, that a view of the extending branches, of the distending bud, of the expanding leaf and blossom, but above all, of the ripening fruit, does not swell it with the praises of the Most High. Well might the great apostle to the Gentiles exclaim, "By the things which are made are clearly seen even his eternal power and godhead." The inspired psalmist, the Lord of glo. ry, and the eloquent Paul of Tarsus, taught their followers the tender mercies of heaven toward the sons of men by directing their attention to the beauty and riches displayed in the vegetable kingdom. It has long been a subject of astonishment to the writer, that the rich carpet of nature, beautified by all the tints of the dissolving sun-beam, ren dered fragrant by every "sweet scented" blossom, and bespread with the golden harvest, could be so heedlessly trampled on by stupid mortals without at tuning their minds to a single strain of devotion. This astonishment ceases on reflecting that untaught man is but a barbarian: it is but a short time since even our philosophers have been attracted to the study of plants. Youth, emphatically styled the flower of life, is the age appropriate to the study of botany; but what young man can take comfort in studying a science, in the ele ments of which he has not previously been indoctrinated. And how can youth be indoctrinated in elements without teachers and elementary books of instruction? Thanks to the patrons of Har. vard University, New-England is no longer destitute of an estab. lishment for regular botanical instruction or of an able profes. sor to teach the elements of the science: Thanks to our countrymen, Dr. Barton, the student in botany is no longer destitude of an elementary guide to conduct him by simple and easy steps to the revels of Flora: The writer of an elementary trea tise, whose aim it is to teach the untaught, should carry with him through his book a recollection of all the difficulties he had to surmount in his noviciate. This Dr. Barton has happily done in his Elements of Botany. In many places to the adept he may seem diffuse to the student he seems clear without redundancy. There is one excellence in the style of Barton's Elements of Botany, which, infused into all elementary treatises on science, would add much to their utility: it is a precision of language, which conveys neither more nor less than was intended by the author. The student however, who sees much to admire and praise, discovers one material* defect, which a new edition only can remedy. A work, which has been well received in America, which has been reprinted in England, and which has been translated into French under a special order of the empress of Russia, the public might readily expect, would undergo a new edition enlarged by the author. The defect alluded to Dr. Barton apologized for in his preface Vegetable physiology, or the philosophy of botany, a subject highly interesting and truly important, has not received attention preportionate to its merits, RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. COPY OF A LETTER FROM THE REV. W. CAREY, TO THE REV DR. MILLER, OF NEW YORK, DATED Calcutta, Nov. 30, 1809. I RECEIVED yours, sent by favor of brethren Gordon and Lee, and beg you will accept my thanks for it, and the volume which accompanied it. It gives me great pleasure to receive, at any time, a letter from you. The letter which you enclosed, giving an account of the remarkable work of divine grace in a neighboring town, has created much interest here; and has, I believe, occasioned many thanksgivings to God for his mercy. Though we cannot boast of any rapid success attending the publication of the word in this country, yet we cannot refrain from rejoicing in the gradual spread of the sacred leaven. The progress of the kingdom of our Redeemer has been slow, and, like the growth of vegetables, insensible, yet it has been real; and when the present state of the interest of religion is compared with its state any preceding period, at a reasonable distance, the difference is evident; and furnishes us with an occasion to praise God for what he has accomplished, and to look forward to him with earnest expectation and hope, that he will complete all that his promises hold forth to our view. There are now in Bengal, five churches constituted, and furnished with pastors, besides five more places in Bengal and Bohon, where the word of God is regularly published by evangelical clergymen of the church of England; and two more situations where churches are not yet formed, occupied by brethren belonging to our Mission. In all these churches there have been additions during the present year In Calcutta, the Lord has done great things for us We have been enabled to erect a decent place of worship,70 feet by 38, without including the veranda,or portico, which is thirty two feet wide, through the whole length, making the whole building a square of 70 feet, each side. The congregation is increasing; I think it amounted,last Lord's day,to nearlytwo hundred persons. There are now about fifty persons in this city, who are in full communion. I think the total of persons in all our churches in India, who are in full communion, amounts to about 140. Several collateral circumstances, also, which can be estimated by those alone who are on the spot and are acquainted with the state of society here, contribute much to my encouragement; among others, I might mention the great proportion, of those persons to whom the gospel has been effectual, who are usu ally included under the general term, "Portugueso." Some of these persons spring from the illicit connexion of Europeans with the native women; others are the descendants of Portuguese, more or less intermixed with people of other nations by marriage, or illicit connexions. A great number of those who are the illegitimate offspring of Europeans, have had a decent education, and some of them a liberal one; those descended from the Portuguese, are in general ig. norant, and their education has either been very confined, or altogether neglect ed; they are also mostly of the Roman Catholic persuasion. All these persons are well acquainted with the current lan. guages of the country-they being, in • I speak by guess about the width of each part, but know the whole to be 70 feet. VOL. II. New Series. deed, their vernacular languages; they also form a series of connecting links be tween Europeans and the natives of the country. The work of God in Calcutta, has been chiefly among this class of per sons; and thus a great number who were neglected as the dregs of society, (par ticularly the catholic Portugueso,) are brought to declare themselves on the side of the gospel. I, however, calculating upon the ture progress of the gospel in this country, expect that a goodly number of persons will be raised up from these people, who will publish the gospel among the natives to much greater advantage than Europeans can ever be expected to do, and probably with greater success Already two of the Armenian natives have been called by this church to the work of the ministry; and I hope in a reasonable time to see others, (besides those called from among the Hindoos of whom there are now three persons called to the gospel ministry,) engaged in the same glorious cause. The translations of the word of God into the Oriental languages, are still going forward. The whole Bible is printed in Bengalee. The New Testament in Sungskrit and Oorissa--the poetical books and part of the prophets in Oorissa nearly two thirds of the New Testament in Hindosthanee--and nearly half of it in Mahratta The printing is also going forward in Chinese, and the languages of the Seeks. The translations are well advanced in several of these, and two or three other languages. In short, we have great reason to bless God that he has assisted us thus far, and to look for his support and assistance to the end. I am, very affectionately, yours, W. CAREY, OTAHEITE. IN consequence of a serious war, which had broken out at Otaheite, the greater part of the missionaries had thought it necessary to retire to the neighboring island of Huaheine, where they had been Four received in a friendly manner. missionaries had been left at Otaheite, but were expected soon to follow the others. The war, it was thought, would end in the total overthrow of Pomarre's Ch Obser. Jan. government. CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. A MISSION has been established among the Namaquas, which is said to proceed favorably; and the surrounding 3 Z 570 Account of various Missions. KARASS stands on the east side of the fargest of the live mountains, called Beshtaw, in about 45 degrees north latitude, and 61 degrees east longitude from London The missionary settlement is surrounded with two double fences with a ditch between, and the whole defended by a guard of six Cossacks. In consequence of being thus secured, it has not suffered such losses from bands of robbers this season (1809) as in former years. At present there are ten dwelling houses or distinct families in the settlement, and the number of inhabitants young and old, that properly belong to it, forty three souls. The double fences include a piece of ground about 270 feet square on the declivity of the east side of one of the Beshtaw mountains, the gardens and other inclosures are pretty extensive. Little or no grain has yet been sown. The chief articles raised are potatoes, tobacco, cabbages, green peas, &c. Agricultural labor in this climate is severe for the constitutions of Englishmen. They are unable to support the fatigue, which it requires, for any length of time, without bringing on weakness and disease. As there are few good tradesmen on the lines of Caucasus, and as the Russians and Tartars are able to bear fatigue without inconvenience, the missionaries are likely to support themselves by mechanical trades. Watch mending would be a very profitable business, because there are plenty of watches in the country and but few to keep them in repair. There is not a watch maker in the whole country except an Armenian, and he knows nothing of the business. As good potters' clay is found near Karass, pottery would prove very advantageous A hatter likewise would do extremely well, as the materials for making fine hats can easily be procured. About 7 days journey from Karass lies the Else or Sonna country, through which runs the Ager discharging itself into the Black Sea This country contains upwards of 50 villages, some of which are considerable towns Latli con [May, tains 900 houses built chiefly of stone and lime. The greater part of the people are free; and at the same time a number of villages are at the disposal of chiefs. The whole sopulation is computed at two hundred thousand. The country is said to be very healthy, and abounds in wood of every kind The Sonnas are professed christians. They believe in oue God and in Jesus Christ, as their only Savior and King They pray that God would bless them for Christ's sake, they baptize their children 4 or 5 days after they are born by washing them all over the body. In their churches they have images, some of which they say were produced by the power of God in a miraculous way In one church they have the image of a horse. When they swear they wish that they may be turned to the left at the day of judgment should their oath be false. They observe fasts and kill cattle to feed the poor, when they repent of their sins. They observe the Sabbath in a religious way, and have a number of priests who are allowed to marry. In their churches they have a number of large books, which the priests read, but do not pretend to explain. The services consist mostly in singing and prayer. The priests wear long garments, richly ornamented with gold and silver When they pray, they look toward heaven with uplifted hands. They look on the preservation of christianity among them as a miracle It is evident the Sonnas are Greek christians, and they probably once belonged to the Georgian church The Sonna country is very fruitful. The men and women cat together and both wear long hair. Some of them keep siaves, but the greater part of them disapprove of the practice, and dread lest it should bring calanities upon their nation. They inoculate their children with the small pox on the crown of their head Other tribes are the Abazas, and Abazichs, formerly christians, but now chiefly Mohammedans. The Lesgiz also are a numerous tribe. Ch. Ob. Feb. WHEN we consider, say the missiona ries in their Journal, March, 1809, the number of children gathered from among the heathen; the number of adults, that have been baptized; the printing and circulating of a vast number of tracts, and particularly of the gospel by Matthew in the native language; the inquiry that prevails, and the suspicions of the truth of Mohammedism, that have been excited; the alarm of the chiefs; the apparent disposition of whole nations to receive the christian religion, produced by our conversation and the reading of our tracts; and especially our almost SOCIETY FOR MISSIONS TO AFRI- FROM an address of Feb. 1. of the society for missions to Africa and the East, instituted by members of the established church in England, it appears that they are making commend able exertions to diffuse christianity among the natives of the western coast of Africa, and that they have favorable prospects of making some remuneration to Africa for her wrongs endured in consequence of the inhu man traffic in human blood, now abol ished. A grammar and several catechisms have been published in Susoo and English. Two settlements are formed on the Rio Pongas. Four Lutheran ministers, the Rev Messrs. Renner, Butscher, Barneth, and Wenzell, occupy these settlements on a mission from the society to the Susoos. They receive under their care the children of the natives, of whom they have a considerable num ber, several of them children of the neighboring chiefs. Rev. Mr. Nylander supplies the place of chap. lain to the colony of Sierra Leone. The society has lately undertaken the establishment of a settlement at the bay of islands in the northern part of New Zealand. Two artisans, one a carpenter and ship builder and the other a flax dresser and twine spinner, have sailed under the care of Rev. Mr. Marsden, chaplain of New South Wales. The Society has established a mis. sionary seminary in England under the direction of the Rev. Thomas Scott,rector of Aston Sanford, Buckinghampshire. Two Lutheran min. isters and one Englishman are preparing for their future labors under his superintendance. Africa contains 150 millions of inhabitants, and Asia 500 millions, all with few exceptions heathens or followers of Mahonict. DOMESTIC. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, O Presented and approved, April 3, 1810. I recounting to the brethren of the Society, at their annual meeting, the transactions of the past year, it would rejoice the hearts of the directors, to be able with truth to announce the rapid progress of the gospel in every quarter to which their labors have extended. But though they cannot boast of an event so grateful to the lovers of the precious Redeemer, they have cause to believe their efforts have not been altogether fruitless. The constant attendance, the serious and solemn attention visible among the Tuscaroras, and the earnest zeal and anxious solicitude for the conversion of their brethren, testified by the believing part of the nation, are favorable symptoms, and presages, we hope, of the eventual success of the Mission Notwithstanding the reluctance of the Missionary to trust in appearances, which frequently prove fallacious, he is constrained to acknowledge in a late communication, that the word of the liv ing God has, in some instances, reached the hearts of both white people and Indians. No additions, it is true, have been made to the church among the Tuscaroras, by baptism, during the ministration of Mr. Gray. Applications for admission to the ordinance, have not been wanting; but these were deservedly rejected, as arising from mistaken ideas of the ordinance, and of the subjects prop er to receive it. A willingness to accept of baptism at the hand of the Missionary, steady atten dance at church, and a disposition to break off from gross sins, were deemed sufficient qualifications for the ordinance, by those ignorant or misguided persons. In a few individuals lately, a better spirit has discovered itself. As these appear to be actuated by better motives; by a deep sense of their undone condition, and a conviction of the necessity of a Sa vior's righteousness, they have claims better authenticated; and after receiv ing the necessary instruction, and affording satisfactory evidence, by their life and conversation, of the reality of a sav doubtless be admitted to a participation ing work of grace on their hearts, will in the sacred ordinances of the Gospel, and contribute to the increase of the church among the Tuscaroras. The erroneous spirit formerly prevalent among that people, the Missionary humbly trusts, the Lord has rebuked, and is now spread |