have, to the acquisition of the language | cultivation over the plains which lie and to instructing the heathen. Creece. COMMUNICATION OF MR. PASCO. The following communication has been received from Mr. Pasco, late missionary of the Board at Patras. Mr. P., it will be recollected, returned to this country in the latter part of 1839, in consequence of protracted ill health. His personal acquaintance with missionary labors in Greece, adds interest to the views here presented, which are, of themselves, worthy of serious consideration. Patras as a missionary station. Since the notice of the failure of the missionaries' health at Patras, which appeared in the Magazine for August last, I have feared that the station might by some be regarded as unterable. Such a decision would in my opinion be premature. Undoubtedly a climate differing so widely from ours will be found to be decidedly deleterious to some constitutions. But it is not so to all. Men from other countries, engaged in secular affairs, reside there without the sacrifice of health. Much care is indeed indispensable to its preservation, especially during the process of acclimation; but with an incessant vigilance in adapting the modes of life to the peculiarities of the climate, there is in general a good degree of safety. Nothing, perhaps is more eminently adapted to lay one open to the destructive influences of a foreign and insalubrious climate, than severe labors and excessive cares. Missionaries are less able than men in secular employments, to hold these matters under their control. Sometimes their labors and cares are unavoidably oppressive. If under such circumstances a missionary's health fails, we should not be surprised, nor led too hastily to conclude that the spot must be quite abandoned. Instead of turning us away from the prosecution of the benevolent object for which the enterprize was commenced, it should urge us to inquire whether it may not be possible, by our prayers and efforts, to alleviate somewhat of his cares, and to furnish him with increased facilities for carrying forward his arduous labors. The importance of maintaining the station at Patras will not be overlooked. The climate, so far as it is affected by any occasional malaria, is undoubtedly improving with the rapid extension of on each side of the town. The location of Patras, has, from a very remote period, given it importance as a place of business. Though entirely desolated during their revolutionary struggle, its population is now not far from 8000. Of the extent of its foreign commerce, some idea may be gained from the fact, that England, France, Russia, Prussia, Austria, Spain, Holland and Denmark, have either consuls or viceconsuls resident there. It will always be the emporium of the north western portion of the Morea, and the provinces which lie on the Gulf of Corinth, and along the coast to the north of it. No place on the western coast of Greece can furnish so great facilities for an extensive intercourse with the people of the interior. Some idea of these facilities may be gained from the account of the distribution of the scriptures there, during the three years past. It would be tedious to specify the multitude of towns and villages from which the applicants came. Encouragements to labor-Distribution of the Scriptures—Interest manifested— A Greek convert. If it is still asked, is there encouragement that our efforts will be of any avail ?--I would reply, very much. It cannot be thought to be a light thing, that during one year (1839) five thousand and fifty volumes, consisting of copies of the new testament, and portions of the old, were distributed among those who are famishing for the bread of life. These volumes were put into the hands of such as are able to read, and for the most part, of such as solicited them of their own accord. Many villages received at the hands of the missionary the first copy of the scriptures ever known among them, in the language which they understand. Destitute of other religious books, and passionately fond of reading as the people generally are, can there be any doubt that these volumes will be read? With the scriptures, there have also been distributed many thousand pages of religious tracts. These too, are read with avidity. It may not be fully known till the last great day, what fruits have been, or may be produced by the seed thus scattered. Could our brethren at home witness the earnestness with which the people often ask for the scriptures, and observe their deep feeling while they listen to a direct application of the most solemn der God, our recovery much to the faithfulness of this man. After we were taken sick he left us not, by day nor by night, until he too was completely exhausted and sunk down under the burden of his accumulated labors. He was very sick for many weeks." Corfu-Spirit of the missionary cnterprize. It was with much regret that I learned that Mr. Love's health obliged him to remove from Patras. But with what experience I have had of the climate, I cannot feel the slightest doubt of the wisdom of that measure. Perhaps it will appear to have led to another and interesting field of labor. Corfu is an important place for missionary effort on account of its facilities for reaching the neighboring Al own population. A wide door seems to be open in that direction. May God grant the speedy restoration of our dear brother's health, and the fulfilment of the encouraging prospects of useful truths of religion to their hearts and consciences; could they hear some of the countrymen say at the close of their interview with the missionary, "No one ever spoke to us of these things in this way before; we have not had the bible to read; we do not know our duty; and now what shall we do?" they would not, I am sure, wait for further encouragement to do what is in their power to send the precious word of God to bless these dwellers among the mountains. Encouragements of a similar nature have been met with among nearly all classes. Many evidences have been gained of the influence of divine truth on the minds of individuals. Inquiry has been excited. Hopes have been raised in reference to some, of which it would be premature, or perhaps impossible, for the missionary fully to communi-banians, as well as for the sake of its cate to the public. Sometimes his hopes are blasted. An individual who has been the subject of many prayers, and who has seemed to give evidence of piety, may prove, after all, to have deceived himself, and his religion be-ness which have already begun to come vain. And then light breaks in again from another quarter. God has not left himself without witness. In a letter from Mr. Love, dated July 2, 1840, there is mention made of a case of hopeful conversion which occurred in Sept. 1839. The individual* Ivery well remember. Before I left Patras he had frequently called at the mission house, and expressed himself very friendly to us and our efforts. But for several reasons there seemed to me to be The missionary enterprize is emibut little hope of his being brought nently a work of faith-"Neither is to the obedience of the truth. Still he he that planteth any thing, neither he was in many respects interesting. that watereth, but God who giveth the The patient endurance and Christian increase." The responsibility and fidelity of br. Love seem to have been privilege of spreading the gospel blessed to his conversion. Br. Love among all nations, belongs to the serwrites of him thus, "He proves to be vants of Christ. Such is the divine a most useful and devout disciple of appointment. The precious seed is to Christ. A more lovely example of be borne forth and scattered in faith. temperance, self-denial, faithfulness Fervent effectual prayer is to mingle and Christian zeal, I rarely ever wit-with all our efforts. "In due season nessed. His soul seems filled with love to Jesus and his poor perishing fellow countrymen, and he ceases not to warn them, and to beseech them to be reconciled to God." His Christian affection for the mission family was strikingly developed during their distressing sickness, the last winter. In reference to this, br. Love writes: "Perhaps we owe, un cheer him in that new sphere of labor. I trust it will not be long before he will be comforted by the accession to the mission of a fellow-laborer.* I trust also, that the period is not far distant when there shall be again in Patras, some one to instruct the inquirers in the way of salvation, and to distribute the scriptures to the multitude who in those regions are still destitute of that precious treasure. we shall reap if we faint not." The Lord of the harvest holds in his own power the gracious influences on which success ultimately depends. It should be enough for the encouragement of those whose instrumentality he is pleased to employ, that "every man shall receive his own reward ac * Rev. R. F. Buel of Hamilton, N. Y.. has been accepted by the Board, as a missionary to * Apostolos,-mentioned in Mr. Love's let-Greece, and is expected to sail, early in the ter, page 7, Jan. no. spring. cording to his own labor." To stop, | measures against us, to which we have therefore, at the incipient stages of our been exposed. Every means within efforts, and demand sudden and signal our reach has now been employed, and success as the condition on which we can leave the matter with greater alone we can be encouraged to pro- composure in the hands of God. We ceed, would be contrary to the spirit are confident the Lord, whom we of the missionary work. Wherever serve, will take care of us, and increase there is a door opened to us of the us on every side. Lord, it is suitable for us to strive to make known the glorious gospel of the blessed God, confidently resting on the efficiency of the Holy Spirit to make it effectual to those who shall be heirs of salvation. That such a door is opened for us in the "regions of Achaia," no one who has attentively examined the subject can doubt. We are able, with the divine blessing, to carry to them a boon of unutterable value. They perish without it. The love of Christ constrains us, and his command urges us to hasten to their relief. God forbid that we should be negligent or shrink from our responsibility. The appeal from this country to the Senate of Hamburg-Its probable effectProgress of the cause-Four churches constituted-Persecutions-Success in Denmark-Baptisms. near Let me now give you a brief sketch of the further success with which the Lord continues to favor us. My journey to the south has been in every way successful. I got through everywhere without being arrested, formed new and interesting connections, and organized four new churches, at the following places: Othfresen near the Hartz mountains, Bitterfelds Leipsic, Baireuth in Bavaria, and Marburg in Hessia; these four churches have together 30 members, through whose zeal in the good cause the truth may be spread far and wide. My visit to Stuttgart, where I remained several days, will, I hope, be attended with much good to the church there. I had to put many things in order, in reference to discipline, a point not easily understood, and far more difficult to Practice. My exhortations were received and acted upon in a kind spirit. About seventy members, in all, had been received into the church by baptism, and there are prospects of future increase. The little band at Bitterfelds has already been exposed to severe persecution, which rages at present to such a degree that the lives of some of our The documents to which you allude,* brethren are in jeopardy. The church in your letter of Oct. 22, have arrived, here have in consequence appointed and been handed in by Mr. Cuthbert, meetings for special prayer on behalf of accompanied by as strong a note from our afflicted brethren, and to-morrow, that gentleman as the case would ad- Lord's day, we intend to gather for mit of. But Mr. C. has little or no them what we can, and send it for hopes of obtaining a concession for us; their temporal relief. In fact the spirit all be expects is, that no notice will be of persecution begins to kindle in sevtaken of us, and I think Mr. C. is cor-eral places. Our brethren at Jever rect in this expectation. An interview with the Senator at the head of the police a few days ago, proved that the same hostile feeling against us prevails still in the Senate. The application from your government, is, however, in every respect valuable, and though it may not procure for us all we could wish, it will probably stop those cruel The documents here referred to, consist, among others, of letters addressed to Mr. Bleecker, Chargé d'Affaires at the Hague, and to Mr. Cuthbert, U. S. Consul at Hamburg, asking for such a representation of the facts in the case, to the Senate of Hamburg, as they might feel authorized to make, from their official station. have been much annoyed, and in Eastfriesland a kind of general war has been proclaimed against us. The news from Denmark is most gratifying: br. Munster of Copenhagen, has organized a church at Ålborg, and baptized several new converts on Langeland island, since I was there. The church at Copenhagen is flourishing; it has already thirty-two devoted disciples of Christ as members. Both the brethren Munster are entirely engaged in missionary labor, and we have just printed 40,000 Danish tracts, *See Mr. O.'s letter p. 10, Jan. uo. that their hands may be filled with the good seed, to be scattered far and wide. The mission in Denmark is so highly interesting that a detailed account has been drawn up, and will be forwarded as soon as possible. Let me in conclusion recommend all the infant churches to your earnest intercessions before God, and to the prayers of all our sister churches in America. Other Societies. American Board of Commissioners for TOUR THROUGH NORTHERN SYRIA. We give below some extracts from the journal of a tour through the northern parts of Syria, by Mr. W. M. Thomson, as contained in the Missionary Herald, for January. The object of the tour is stated in the journal. Departure from Beyroot. still in repair and use, overhanging the deep blue sea, and winding zigzag up and down this projecting nose of lower Lebanon, the mighty ramparts of rock on either side of the furious little Dog river, rearing their dingy gray heads to the clouds, the extraordinary figures chiseled in the live rock, clad in ancient mail, and covered over with inscriptions in the arrow-headed character, the houses and mills, the bridge, and the aqueduct creeping along the perpendicular cliffs all these things combine with sea and sky and mountains high and wild, to One of the last acts of our general meet-form an interesting and romantic spot. ing [at Beyroot] directed Mr. Beadle, Doct. Van Dyck, and myself to visit, with as little delay as possible, northern Syria as far as Aleppo, and collect the information necessary to guide us in the selection of a new mission station. To fulfill this appointment we left Beyroot at ten o'clock this morning, [May 7th, 1840,] and after seven hours' easy riding, have pitched for the night upon the sandy bank of Nahr Ibrahim. With far less noise, disputing and confusion than is usual on such occasions, we got into marching order, and in three and a half hours reached Nahr el Kelp, where we stopped to rest and dine. The road to this place is not altogether devoid of interest. Through sandy Assoor, with its wide spreading sycamore trees, along the south wall of the city, by the high castle Keshshash, whose cement is said to be lime mixed with eggs and oil, the path leads you under the green hill, Ashrefeeyeh, to an old ruin, one of the thousand places where St. George killed the dragon. In twenty minutes you cross Nahr Beyroot, on a good stone bridge, and soon after, emerging from the rich mulberry orchards, you begin to wind around the deep bay where the shipping rides at anchor during the stormy months of winter. The steep declivities of Lebanon soon shut down close to the sea, and after passing Nahr el Maut (river of death) and Nahr Ant Elias, you come to the celebrated pass of Nahr el Kelp. This is doubtless the river Lycus of the ancients, and there are hereabouts many things to interest the traveller. The old Roman road, This has been an important and difficult pass in days of old. Hence the ancient conquerors have desired to have their deeds on record here. The Persian inscriptions have faded away, so as to be mostly illegible, but the Roman and Saracenio are quite perfect. The scenery of this place never tires, and for the twentieth time I wandered about quite enchanted. The country above, also, becomes even more wild and romantic, especially near the caves of Nahr el Kelb, which are situated two hours from the mouth of the river. But as we have not time to visit these curiosities at present, I will do for you what I did to my travelling companions, read a description of them written four years ago: which follows Morning on Lebanon-A family scene. While spending the hot months of summer at Brummana, Mr. Hebard and myself devoted a day to rambling over this goodly mountain; and to me it was a delightful excursion. We were early abroad, just as Lucifer, bright harbinger of morning, rising from his dreary couch, sat like a blazing diamond on the hoary head of Lebanon. We quickly despatched our little work of preparation, sipped our hot coffee, and sallied forth for the day's adventures. How surpassingly beautiful is the rosy dawn in Syria. From the moment when the advanced rays of the sun begin to paint the modest blush upon the dusky cheek of night, until the king of day comes forth from his chamber in the full majesty of his rising, there is one incessaut change from it belongs. The patient was a young mobeauty to beauty, yea, from glory to glory.ther, dangerously ill of a fever. She was The whole horizon glows like burnished stretched on a mat, and covered with a gold, revealing the rocks and crags and thick lehaf, (coverlet.) Her head rested lofty peaks of Lebanon throughout its whole upon a hard pillow, though it is difficult to extent. Every point seems touched with understand how she could rest with a silliquid fire, gleaming in seven-fold fervency, ver tantoor, as long and as large as a speakwhile the whole western slope, to the very ing trumpet, projecting from her forehead base, falling into the dark shadow of her like the unicorn's horn in his majesty's lofty summit, lay in deepest contrast to the escutcheon. Notwithstanding this extraorliving light above and beyond. Who can dinary appendage, there was much more behold, and not adore. It is God's own of the melancholy than the ridiculous in temple, and yonder comes his bright mes- her appearance, and I could not look upon senger to call a sleeping world to prayer. her face, emaciated and forlorn, without an "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; aching heart. How long have you been let us kneel before the Lord our maker. sick? "Fifteen days," cried half a dozen Let us come before his presence with voices all at once. What medicine have thanksgiving, and shew ourselves glad in you taken? "Nothing." What! fifteen him with psalms. For he is the Lord our days in a fever and take nothing? "We God, and we are the people of his pasture, are poor, have no medicine, and a doctor and the sheep of his hand." was never seen in this village." With some difficulty I found means to administer a little medicine, and promising to call on my return, took leave amidst a shower of oriental prayers and compliments, of which the poorest peasant has as rich a store as the pasha himself. Feeble are the glimmerings of hope. Parched with thirst, they place by her side a jar of water cold as ice. If she wants, or does not want, they give her grapes, hard bread, and olives, and urge her to eat. All the friends crowd around the sick couch; the women chatter and scream, and the men fill the room with a dense cloud of tobacco smoke, while there is not one comfort to refresh the wretched invalid. Here is one of a thousand " scenes in Lebanon," true to the very letter. Think of it, ye that pine and fret at nothing, and be quiet and thankful. Our morning's ride furnished us with another and very different exhibition of God's handy work. The cool wind loaded with the condensed vapors of higher Lebanon rushed down the mountain side, dashing and bursting, bounding and retreating from perpendicular cliffs, filling up deep vallies, and then pouring over the surrounding ridges, like any other fluid. Thus these dark volumes rolled headlong towards the plain, until meeting the warm air of the sea, they appeared to hesitate, then stop altogether, and vanishing into thin air, ascend to the cooler regions above, where re-appearing they were seen hurrying back towards the snowy summits of Sunneen. This process of decomposing and recomposing clouds, and their marching and counter-marching to the command of contrary currents of air, is witnessed very frequently on Lebanon. In the mean time we had left Brummana guarded by forests of pine, and embosomed in mulberry orchards, and after wandering among the hills for an hour, had reached a house by the way-side, in which was a sick woman whom I had promised to visit. The house was respectable for the mountains, and the exterior wore the appearance of greater comfort than is usually seen. The oxen, however, were stabled at the door, rendering ingress and egress' rather critical. The interior was one large dark room, with several pillars of rough stone to support the roof in the centre, but there were no partitions of any kind. Two or three young families seemed to acknowledge this as their home; and their bedding, cast off clothes, cooking and eating apparatus, with the remnants scattered about the floor, left no reason to question the fact. The whole was sufficiently clean and neat to be fashionable in the rank and class to which Caves of Nahr el Kelb. In a little more than two hours from the sea we reached the caves of Nahr el Kelb. Out of the mouth of the first cave rushes a large part of the river, and having no boat we could not explore it. A few rods higher up the valley, and thirty or forty feet above the first, is the second cave. The entrance to this is about fifteen feet high, and the same in width. This tunnel runs under the mountain in a straight course for eighty paces, and then descends into an abyss of water. Several side passages lead in different directions, but all terminate in the same abyss. On the west of the main entrance is a parallel passage, of about the same dimensions as the other, with which it communicates by a large door-way. This second tunnel turns round to the west, and unites with the lower cave, at the mouth of the river. If you strike or jump on the bottom of the caves, you are startled with the hollow sound beneath, and feel disposed |