are frequent in the rains, or rather agues; perhaps arising from the number of rice-fields which are full of water. But the country agrees better with my health than England did: I never was better in my life.

'We have no fear of beasts, though there are many buffaloes, hogs, and tigers in our neighbourhood. Tigers seldom attack men, but commit dreadful devastation among cattle; except those of the Sunderbunds, a very large forest near the sea, where there are no cattle; there they seize men. Serpents are numerous; and some so mortal that the patient never survives two hours, and often dies in five minutes; but they give us no concern, or very little. Crocodiles no man minds: I have one in a pond about ten yards from my door, yet sleep with the door open every night. The whole country is one large valley or plain, without a hill ten feet high, unless made by art, or a single spring of water. The Ganges and Berhampooter run quite through it; each of them about three miles wide upon an average, though in many places ten, with large inhabited islands in the middle; and these branch out into some hundreds of rivers more, many as large as the Thames. Major Rennel's map, or ra her atlas, of India, will give you a very just idea of the geography of this country; and Sonnerat's voyage will furnish you with the best epitome of Hindu mythology extant: allowing for the different writing of names in different dialects, he has related the whole in a very just and impartial

manner.

'The language is very copious, and I think beautiful. I begin to converse in it a little; but my third son, about five years old, speaks it fluently. Indeed, there are two distinct languages spoken all over the country, viz., the Bengali, spoken by the Brahmuns and higher Hindus; and the Hindostani, spoken by the Mussulmans and lower Hindus, which is a mixture of Bengali and Persian. I intend to send you soon a copy of Genesis, Matthew, Mark, and James, in Bengali; with a small vocabulary and grammar of the language, in manuscript, of my own composing, to which you will afford a place on one of the shelves in your library. I have written to the society to stop my allowance, as I am amply provided for: perhaps it might be acceptable to Mr. Thomas to continue his a little longer on account of his debts.

'I cannot say much about myself. I intend to send my journal soon; but it only relates to myself, or very little to other things. However, I may express my hope, nay, I may say confidence, that God, who has so astonishingly made our way plain and clear, will bless the word to the conversion of many, and thus crown the wishes of the praying ministers and people in England.

'At present, being incapable of preaching, I can say nothing of success; but my heart is engaged in the work, and I know that God can convert the most obstinate and superstitious, and has promised to do it. This is the foundation of my hope, and in this confidence I engage in the work. Adieu,

'Affectionately yours, W. CAREY,'

SECTION II.

JOURNAL CHRISTIAN SOCIETY-LANGUAGE, &C.

'Aug. 16-24. Nothing worth recording passed. I feel too much sameness to be spiritual. If I were in a more spiritual frame, the holy war would be carried on in my soul with greater vigour, and the fresh discoveries of sin would cause new hopes, new fears, and new struggles; but when I am at ease, it is like a calm at sea, where there is a contrary current: I not only get no ground, but am insensibly carried back.

"The last of these days was Lord's-day; I spent it in reading to and praying with my family. Towards evening I went out, when the workmen who have built the works came to me, and said that, as I was to begin making indigo to-morrow, it was much their wish that I would make an offering to Kally, the goddess of destruction, that I might have success in the work. This Kally is the most devil-like figure that can be thought of: she stands upon a dead man ; her girdle is strung with small figures of human skulls, like beads upon a bracelet; she has four arms, and her tongue hangs out of her mouth below her chin; and in short, a more horrible figure can scarcely be conceived of. I took the opportunity of remonstrating with them upon the wickedness and folly of idolatry, and set my face as much as possible against

their making any offering at all, and told them that I would rather lose my life than sacrifice to their idol; that God was much displeased with them for their idolatry, and exhorted them to leave it and turn to the true God. But I had the mortification of seeing, the next day, that they had been offering a kid ; yet I doubt not but I shall soon see some of these people brought from darkness to the marvellous light of the gospel.

'25. Had some little spirituality, but much interrupted through the carelessness of our head man. Had some sweet wrestling and freedom with God in prayer. These seasons are but of short duration, but they are little foretastes of heaven. O may God continue them long, and frequently thus visit my soul !

27. Nothing new. My soul is in general unfruitful; yet I find a pleasure in drawing near to God, and a peculiar sweetness in his holy word. I find it more and more to be a very precious treasure.

28-30. Nothing of any importance, except, to my shame, a prevalence of carnality, negligence, and spiritual deadness; no heart for private duties; indeed every thing seems to be going to decay in my soul, and I almost despair of being of any use to the heathen at all.

'31. Was somewhat engaged more than of late in the things of God; I felt some new devotedness to God, and desire to live entirely to him and for his glory. O that I could live always as under his eye, and feel a sense of his immediate presence! This is life, and all besides is death to my soul.

'Sept. 1-Oct. 1. During this time I have had a heavy and long affliction, having been taken with a violent fever. One of the paroxysms continued for twenty-six hours without intermission, when providentially Mr. Udney came to visit us, not knowing that I was ill, and brought a bottle of bark with him. This was a great providence, as I was growing worse every day; but the use of this medicine, by the blessing of God, recovered me. In about two days I relapsed, and the fever was attended with a violent vomiting and a dysentery; and even now I am very ill, Mr. Thomas says, with some of the very worst symptoms. On the last of these days it pleased God to remove, by death, my youngest child but one; a fine engaging boy of rather more than five years of age. He had been seized with a fever, and was recovering ; but relapsed, and a violent dysentery carried him off. On the same day we were obliged to bury him, which was an exceedingly difficult thing. I could induce no person to make a coffin, though two carpenters are constantly employed by us at the works. Four Mussulmans, to keep each other in countenance, dug a grave; but though we had between two and three hundred labourers employed, no man would carry him to the grave. We sent seven or eight miles to get a person to do that office; and I concluded that I and my wife would do it ourselves, when at last a servant kept for the purpose of cleaning, and a boy who had lost caste, were prevailed upon to carry the corpse, and secure the grave from the jackals. This was not owing to any disrespect in the natives