"In addition to these studies, the class has been required to write original themes once in two weeks. "In regard to the number of students, the average of daily attendants has been but seven. This, I am sorry to add, has been owing in part to the misconduct of some who were formerly connected with us. At the commencement of the present term, three, who were members of the seminary at the close of the last, were dismissed for improper conduct, and one left of his own accord. There are at present besides the assistant, one Karen, and four Taling students. The Toungthoo was obliged to return home some time since, but expects to be present again at the opening of the next term. The preaching assistants, as formerly, have attended the recitatious on the Epistles four times in the week, but have not been so general nor so constant in their attendance as heretofore. “In addition to the daily morning and evening devotions of the school, the instructor has appropriated one evening in each week to special religious exercises with the students, and to familiar conversation on miscellaneous topics; chiefly such as are connected with their studies and with their character as theological students. These meetings seem to have been attended with useful results; and may it be our fervent prayer continually, that by these and other means the Lord will raise up many of this people to become efficient ministers of the word among their countrymen." The following is a report of the Maulmain High School for the year ending December, 1839. "During the past year considerable changes have taken place in the school, some of the larger scholars having left, and others taken their place. The number has gradually increased. There were present to-day 31 boys and 13 girls, making 47 in all; and they form a more promising selection than at any previous examination. "The course of study has been nearly the same as formerly stated,-reading and writing, both English and Burmese, and translating from one language into the other, geography, arithmetic and grammar. Most of the scholars, on entering the school, were ignorant even of the alphabet, and now, with the exception of a few who have lately entered, almost the whole school can read with more or less fluency, and their writing-books exhibit various degrees of proficiency in penmanship. "The religious instruction of the scholars has been particularly attended to,-and in addition to the two young men who were formerly baptized, three promising lads have been lately admitted into the church, and several others are requesting the same privilege." The members of the school at Amherst (about 40) are from the first families in the place, and attend with much regularity. Of the Eurasian school, the number of members on the list was 47 boys and 35 girls, 82; in regular attendance 35 boys and 33 girls, = 69. The whole number of pupils in all the schools was about 300. Printing Department.-The table below exhibits the amount of printing at Maulmain in 1839. Statement of Printing in 1839. Burman Scriptures: No. Cop. Bible, from 1st Samuel to Isaiah, 38th chap., 400 pp. 4to., 5,000 800 4,000,000 Total amount of printing at Maulmain, from the beginning, 61,965,000 pp. The total number of pages issued from the depository, during the year 1839, was only 1,399,176, distribution being limited chiefly to British Burmah. The operations of the printing department in 1840 were mostly restricted to the quarto revised edition of the Burman Bible, the last sheet of which was committed to the press Oct. 24, 1840. The following extracts from a letter of Mr. Judson, dated Dec. 28, 1840, furnish gratifying evidence of the faithfulness and ability with which the revision of this invaluable translation has been executed. "The revision of the work has cost me more time and labor than the first translation. I have availed myself of the latest and best exegetical works in the department of biblical criticism, especially the German, and have spared no time to select and incorporate, in the new edition, the most approved results of the labors of European and American philologists. "In the first edition of the Old Testament, I paid too much regard to the critical emendations of Lowth, Horsley, and others. In the present edition, I have adhered more strictly to the Hebrew text. In my first attempts at trauslating portions of the New Testament, above twenty years ago, I followed Griesbach, as all the world then did; and though, from year to year, 1 have found reason to distrust his authority, still, not wishing to be ever changing, I deviated but little from his text, in subsequent editions, until the last; in preparing which I have followed the text of Knapp, (though not implicitly,) as upon the whole the safest and best extant; in consequence of which, the present Burmese version of the New Testament accords more nearly with the received English. "As to the merits of the translation, I must leave others to judge. I can only say, that though I have seldom done any thing to my own satisfaction, I am better satisfied with the translation of the New Testament than I ever expected to be. The language is, I believe, simple, plain, intelligible; and I have endeavored, I hope successfully, to make every sentence a faithful representation of the original. As to the Old Testament, I am not so well satisfied. The historical books are, perhaps, done pretty well; but the poetical and prophetical books are, doubtless. susceptible of much improvement, not merely in point of style, but in the rendering of difficult passages, about which the most eminent scholars are not yet agreed. "I commend the work, such as it is, to God, to the church in Burmah, and to my successors in this department of labor, begging them not to spare my errors, and yet not prematurely to correct a supposed error, without consulting the various authors which I have consulted, and ascertaining the reasons of my position; and especially not to adopt a plausible correction, in one instance, without inquiring whether it is admissible and advisable in all parallel and similar passages. "In prosecuting the work, I have derived valuable aid from several of my missionary brethren, especially from br. Wade formerly, and br. Jones, now of Bangkok,-latterly from the brethren Mason, Comstock, and Stevens. Of several hundred suggestions that have been sent me from different quarters, I have sooner or later adopted by far the greater part, though in many cases with some modification. Nor ought I to forget my native brother, Moung En, my faithful fellow-laborer for many years, even before the present revision was begun, one of our most judicious and devoted assistants." Rangoon Mission. RANGOON (Burman).--E. L. ABBOTT, preacher, Mrs. ABBOTT ; Ko Thah-a, native preacher; Tong Byou, Moung Yé, Shway Weing, native assistants. MAUBEE (Karen).-De Poh, Moung Koo, Moung Mway, Oung Bau, Pah Yoh, native assist ants (as reported the previous year). Out-stations, Pantanau, Pegu, Bassein. 2 stations and 3 out-stations; 1 preacher and 1 female assistant, = 2.-1 native preacher and 3 native assistants, = 9. Mr. and Mrs. Abbott reside temporarily at Sandoway, in Arracan, but devote their efforts chiefly to the promotion of the Rangoon mission. Near the close of 1839 (Nov. 4), Mr. Abbott visited Rangoon, in company with Mr. Kincaid, by special invitation of the Rangoon viceroy. They saw most of the Rangoon church-members while there, and held repeated worship with them. They generally appeared well, but of some they "stood in doubt." Only 14 of the church remain in that town and vicinity. "At Maubee and in the surrounding villages several of the assistants had spent their time in preaching from house to house, attending funerals and conducting meetings on the Sabbath. A few cases (four) of backsliding had occurred. One individual would probably be exscinded; the others appeared penitent. A large number of converts were anxious to be baptized." "The Pantanau church were walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost, and very many in the surrounding villages were turned unto the Lord during the year." "The young chief at Bassein was as active as ever, -his house a bethel, and many from the neighboring and the distant villages resorting to him, to learn to read and how to worship God." He is the only one who had been baptized in all that region, but the assistants, who had visited there, supposed that from 600 to 1,000 were then decidedly Christians. Messrs. Abbott and Kincaid were visited at Rangoon by many Karens, six or seven of whom they examined as native assistants. These assistants had from 20 to 60 families under their care, and were pastors as well as preachers, but not having been ordained, could not administer the ordinances. But "one settled design appeared to engross all their thoughts and their wishes, the spread of the gospel and the salvation of their countrymen." In Feb., 1840, Mr. Abbott left Maulmain for Arracan, and on his arrival at Sandoway, sent Tong Byou and Moung Yé to Bassein, to inform the Karens of his coming, and to invite them to visit him. Moung Yé returned with 31 in April, and Tong Byou with as many more in May. Others arrived at different periods, some with a desire to be baptized, and others to obtain religious books. During the following months Mr. Abbott had a school of 50 students, and many others sought admission to it who could not be received. Most of these were preparing to become assistants in the mission, and had come from six to twelve days' journey to obtain instruction and baptism. Twenty-six were baptized prior to May 10, and the whole number from the time of Mr. Abbott's arrival till September 5, was 51. The boarding-school was closed about the first of September. Thirty of the scholars had been previously dismissed on account of the prevalence of fever and cholera. Five of the students died. Those who remained made rapid progress in their studies, and appeared all to be sincere followers of the Lord Jesus. The following extracts are from a letter of Mr. Abbott, dated Sandoway, May 19, 1840. Having spoken of the expenses of his school and of his design to employ 18 assistants, in Burmah and Sandoway, whom he had already selected, and was expecting to assign their locations, he says,-"Nearly all these assistants are now at the head of large congregations of Christians, and are, in fact, pastors, except in administering the ordinances." "As to how many Christians are in Burmah, I dare not tell what I think. There are baptized at Maubee 323, at Pantanau 48, and in Bassein 27. The last are scattered over a region of several hundred miles, and are principally heads of villages, and leaders of Christian congregations. As to the entire number of nominal Christians, some of the assistants think there are 4,000, but as I have no data on which to found an estimate that is satisfactory, I can give no opinion." Ava Mission. Of the church at Ava no recent information has been received. An account of the labors of Mr. and Mrs. Kincaid, who belong to this mission, will be given in the report of the Arracan mission. Tavoy Mission. TAVOY.-J. WADE, F. MASON, preachers, and their wives; on a visit to this country, C. BENNETT, preacher and printer, MRS. BENNETT, 6. Out-stations.-Mata, and 7 other villages. 9 native assistants. MERGUI.-L. INGALLS, preacher in Burman, D. L. BRAYTON, preacher in Pgho Karen, and their wives, = 4. Moung Tha Zau, Burman assistant, Sau E-pau, Karen assistant, = 2. 2 stations and 16 out-stations; 4 preachers, 1 preacher and printer, 5 female assistants, 20 native assistants. = 10. Mr. and Mrs. Hancock left Tavoy in September, and are on their return to this country, on account of Mrs. Hancock's ill health. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are expected to return to the station before the close of the year. The labors of the Tavoy missionaries have been similar to those of previous years. Excursions were made during the dry season to Ye, Mata, &c., by Mr. and Mrs. Wade, and to the southern stations by Mr. Mason. The rainy season was spent at Tavoy in teaching, preaching, and the preparation of books. The churches have generally enjoyed a good degree of prosperity, continuing steadfast in the faith, and receiving some enlargement, yet manifesting less engagedness than at some former periods. "As to the state of piety in the Mata church," Mr. Wade writes in July last, "we must say of it as we have to say of every church where there is no special revival; the members generally remain steadfast, but there is too great a want of vital piety. They are like trees in time of drought, which bear some fruit, but not so plenty, nor of so good quality, as in better seasons." Schools.-The school at Mata for the dry season was taught as heretofore by Mrs. Wade. "It contained 50 pupils, and was very interesting, as the pupils are becoming more and more intelligent every year. The study of the Scriptures, together with daily instruction, appeared to make an abiding impression on their minds." All who were baptized there, had been members of the school of that and former years. Mr. Wade had a daily catechetical class. There was also a Sabbath school, for children and adults, in which Mr. W. conducted the Pgho department, and Mrs. W. the Sgau. The boarding school at Tavoy, in charge of Mrs. Wade, during the rainy season, contained 30 or more pupils. The first class, which numbered 18, was composed partly of the assistants and school-teachers, who were taught daily by Mr. Mason and Mr. Wade in the Scriptures. All the scholars were church members except a few of the youngest. The day school consisted of children of Burman Christians in Tavoy, and a few others, and was taught by Mrs. Mason. The following table exhibits the state of the churches and schools connected with the Tavoy station for the year ending July 1, 1840. Translations and printing.—Mr. Mason has continued the revision of the New Testament, to which he devotes more time than to the original translation; in which also he is assisted by Mr. Vinton of the Maulmain mission. The precarious state of Mr. Wade's health forbids much sedentary labor. The amount of printing executed in Sgau and Pgho, as reported for the year ending July 1, 1840, was of Total amount of printing at Tavoy, 68,500 Issued in 1839-40, 5,211 cops., or 810,562 pp. The operations of the press are now suspended, but immediately on the return of Mr. Bennett. Mr. B. will fount of reduced Karen type, and another of reduced 5,988,000 will be recommenced carry out with him a Burman, which have been prepared with much care under his superintendence during his late sojourn in this country (1). A large body of the Karen population are able to read, and are importunate for religious books. At Mergui Mr. Ingalls, besides preaching and conducting a bible class on the Sabbath, holds a meeting every evening in the week, and during the day preaches in the zayat to all who will attend. Excursions are also made by him and Mr. Brayton, who is more especially devoted to the Pgho department, into the Karen settlements in the province, with great encouragement. Preachers and school-teachers are stationed at several of these places; and at Kabin a Karen association of churches was organized, during a meeting of days in Feb., 1840, to be convened annually. Several schools are taught; those at Tavoy are boarding-schools. 24 of the pupils are church-members, aud 9 or 10 are engaged in the study of the Scriptures. The table below is compiled from the report of the station and Karen out-stations, for the year ending July 1, 1840. The churches at Mazau and K'mak-kah were formed the last year. Our last intelligence from the station was of September, at which time there was evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit at Mergui and in the jungle. In the latter were many inquirers, and one of those who had been excluded from the Mergui church, Moung Pokesee, was subject of deep repentance, and would probably be restored. Recapitulation of the Burman and Karen Missions. Siamese Department.--J. T. JONES, C. H. SLAFTER, preachers, R. D. DAVENPORT, preacher and printer, and their wives. Chinese Department.-W. DEAN, J. GODDARD, preachers, and their wives; Keok Cheng, native assiataut. MACAO (China).-J. L. SHUCK, preacher, Mrs. SHUCK. 5 preachers, 1 printer and preacher, 6 female assistants, = 12. 1 Chinese assistant. Mr. and Mrs. Jones left this country for Siam on the 12th of January. Mr, and Mrs. Goddard arrived at Bangkok, from Singapore, October 16. Mrs. Reed, * As given in last Report. |