ings are made to those who have no posterity to feed them, and who would otherwise be hungry, angry ghosts, working mischief on all and sundry. Not only abundant offerings are made, but very numerous plays and processions; and in no place is it better kept than in Chin-chew. For this cause I avoided that month; and I was

agreeably surprised to find the general feeling of the people very much improved, indeed quite friendly. Is not this an answer to the prayers offered for the newlybegun work in that populous city?

PILGRIMS TO AN IDOL'S SHRINE.

The good feeling shown was the more remarkable as the streets were crowded early and late with the pilgrims (I may call them) to the shrine and grave of an idol surnamed Kwoh, and commonly called " Sacred King Kwoh." He lived several centuries ago, and does not seem to have done anything remarkable during his life; but after death he was worshipped, and his worship has become more and more wide, till now in the Chinese eighth month (in which his birthday falls) there is a crowded pilgrimage to his birth-place, about twentyfive miles inland from Chin-chew. The devotees come from all parts of the province, and even from foreign parts where Chinese emigrants are found. At the birthplace the great objects of reverence are his grave and a large temple raised to his honour, from which all his temples and shrines over the country must be supplied anew with incense if his powerful aid is still to be afforded. The road going and coming was crowded with these pilgrims, many in chairs, but the vast majority on foot, carrying flags, large and small, and images and shrines of the "Sacred King Kwoh" in immense variety, some in large highlyornamented chairs, borne on the shoulders of several bearers, and preceded by State

last mail steamer was starting, I was just arriving from Chin-chew, and so lost the opportunity of writing. It was the most rapid visit I ever made to that city, for Mr. Cowie and I left Amoy in the boat on the Friday morning and reached Anhai the same afternoon; and while Mr. Cowie spent the Sabbath at Anhai, I went on to Chin-chew. I started (of course with a chair) early on the Saturday, and so had the whole of the afternoon for streetpreaching in the city. That Sabbath was the first that had been spent by a missionnary in the city. All my previous visits were on week-days, because we need to economise our Sabbaths for meeting with the little Christian congregations; but now in the city there is a small company meeting on the Lord's-day for worship. On this occasion there were four young men who, of set purpose, kept both forenoon and afternoon worship with us. One of these is an old inquirer who used to come to Anhai, but who, having moved to a village near Chin-chew, had ceased to come to worship. Since the Chin-chew chapel was opened he has again become decidedly impressed. The other three live within the walls, but do not seem to have much impression. This is a small beginning, but it is a beginning; and I learned that in general there are eight or nine in all who keep the Sabbath, or at least observe the Sabbath worship, but on this occasion three or four men who usually come from the village of Sin-chan were absent for some cause. Since returning to Amoy I have learned that they continue to come, and umbrellas, like high mandarins; smaller have somewhat increased in number. We ones carried by two men, and the great prohope soon to move to a more commodious portion by one; some held by both hands house, as we have several in our offer. It like a tray, others slung on the breast, or was two months since my former visit to sitting in the pouch, which almost every the city, as I purposely avoided going in Chinaman wears in front; others carried the Chinese seventh month, which one in one hand, or worn on the head like a might call "All Souls' Month," as it is helmet. In some cases the shrines were dedicated to the worship of the spirits of made in the form of miniature temples. the dead in general, and very special offer- Those going towards the "sacred grave,"

as they call it, were carrying these images wrote a few months ago; its colloquial to visit the principal image at the original name I despair of making comprehensible temple; while those returning carried back to British eyes; but in the reading style it not only these old idols, augmented, as it is Hong-nai, or the "Great Rapids." On were, with a fresh blessing, but numerous the former occasion, as they were preaching new images for their friends, with quanti- to a large crowd, the northern soldiers, ties of incense and innumerable flags, with wondering what the crowd was about, led the name of the god upon them, some of them (without any violence) to the mancloth, many of paper, not only carried in darin's office. They sent in their explanatheir hands, but stuck in their bundles and tions, and the mandarin (a near relative of in their hair. On a small scale such things the governor-general) sent out a message are done at the birthdays of other idols, that the soldiers were to apologize for disbut at none nearly so extensively as in turbing them, and that no obstacle was to honour of this one. Yet, of course, many be put in the way of their preaching as of the people laugh at these rites, and there much as they pleased; so the affair had is a common proverb which says "The quite a beneficial effect. We hope to be white-eyed god benefits those who are unable to have the place frequently visited, as connected with him;" for his own rela- it is the most important town near Chintives, who are numerous in the region chew (you will look in vain for it in the round the "sacred grave," are very poor. maps), and is easily reached by water. And it is said that the numbers who now go are not quite so great as a few years ago. Neither on the road nor in the city did I meet with any annoyance from them, unless you would count as such the not unfrequent expression of the idea (evidently quite in good faith) that the foreigner was taking part in the pilgrimage, a misconception which of course I very easily corrected!

RETURN TO AMOY.

On the Monday I left the Chin-chew chapel before daylight, but had to wait awhile at the south gate till the signal-gun, as usual, gave notice to open the city gates. Within, crowds of the returning pilgrims were waiting, among whom we had opportunities of speaking a little; and when the outer gate was passed, we found hundreds already waiting to pass in, and to get through the city on their way to the "grave." In somewhat less than six hours we reached Anhai, and as the tide was full, the boat afloat, and a good north wind blowing, we were back in Amoy a good while before dark, having made the journey from Chin-chew to our house in Kolongsoo in eleven hours and a half.

NATIVE HELPERS ARRESTED-A HAPPY

TERMINATION.

While at Chin-chew I learned that our helpers there had paid two more visits to the busy town on the river about which I

PERSECUTIONS.

You will see from a letter to Mr. Matheson that the persecuted Christians near Khi-boey have been again barassed, and that the consul is making renewed representations to the Chang-chew authorities for them. Just a few weeks ago similar troubles broke out in the case of some members of the London Missionary Society, in a village on Amoy Island, a few miles from the town, and also at a station of the American Mission near Tung-an. On the representations of the British and American consuls respectively, the tau-tai of Amoy took prompt action, with very good results; but he has no authority in the Chang-chew district, and he is said to be a man of more enlightened views than the mandarins usually are.

REQUEST FOR PRAYER IN BEHALF OF
BACKSLIDERS.

While prayer is made for those who are persecuted, let not those be forgotten who are tempted in other ways. I grieve to say that not a few who were warm at first are growing colder, and that we have lately had one or two very distressing cases of discipline.

OUR MISSION WORK ONLY THIRTEEN, not
TWENTY, YEARS OLD.

By the way, I observe that in the Occasional Paper for July, the mission is spoken

PERSECUTION-THE

SPIRIT OF

MEEKNESS EXEMPLIFIED.

At the village of Kio-lai, near Khi-boey, there is some new trouble among the Christians, of whom you heard some eight months ago. On that former occasion our consul made application to the Chinese

of as having been carried on "nearly FRESH twenty years." But it should be remembered that for about three years at first Mr. Burns was at Hong Kong and Canton, in work of which our own mission can of course show no trace; and also that about three years more of Mr. Burns's work, and all Dr. Young's work, consisted in assisting authorities, and speedy justice was prothe other missions at Amoy before he began any work which is now formally connected with our mission, namely, the station at Pechuia; so that the history of our own special Amoy-Swatow-Formosa Mission may be said to date from 1854, while ever since that date far the greater part of Mr. Burns's work has been carried on in such places that the fruits have been reaped by other missions, leaving us simply the record of the work done.

Believe me, yours as ever,
CARSTAIRS DOUGLAS.

LETTERS FROM THE REV.
H. COWIE.

VISIT TO ANHAI,

mised; but the case has, notwithstanding, lain over unsettled till now. In consequence, the more immediate neighbours of these same Christians were emboldened to annoy them in many ways, and also to cut down their trees, and otherwise plunder their property. All this was borne with the most exemplary patience, and not only was no complaint made, but the subject was studiously avoided, so that it only came to our knowledge incidentally. Mr. Swinhoe, the consul, is just now applying again to the Chinese authorities on the matter, and we trust this time with a more satisfactory result. Last Sabbath I was at Khi-boey, and was glad to find that there were no fresh outrages. Indeed the conduct of our brethren in one particular seems to have rather astonished, and, in a measure, favourably impressed the neighbours. One party who was prominent in this more recent persecution had himself got into trouble in another quarter; and all took it for granted that our three friends would join with this man's enemies, and so have their revenge. Their forbearance, therefore, took the village by surprise, as being the growth of a philosophy higher

than man's.

H. COWIE.

WALK TO LIONG-BUN-SEE-PREPAREDNESS
FOR THE GOSPEL BY THE WAY.

Amoy, 11th Oct., 1866. MY DEAR MR. MATHESON,-A fortnight ago I passed the Sabbath at Anhai, and saw much to encourage me. One important feature of this church is, that, opening as it does on the main business street, a good audience can be had at almost any time. In our village stations, on the other hand, such is only the case on marketdays; and at several of them there is no market sufficiently near to bring a crowd to the chapel-door. Now at Anhai I opened the chapel-door one Saturday morning, from a little after nine o'clock till near two o'clock, and all the time there was an attentive audience fluctuating from twenty Amoy, 27th Oct., 1866. to fifty; and such an opportunity for proMY DEAR MR. MATHESON,-Of the two claiming the truth is to be met with there Sundays since last mail, the first I passed daily. Another encouraging feature is the at Liong-bun-see, and the second at Pechuia. very considerable number of inquirers. On the former of these, in going to LiongThough considerable delay may be prudent bun-see, I walked early in the morning before receiving them into church fellow- from Yu-boey-kio, having passed the Saturship, there they are as regular worshippers day night there. The walk between these of the one true God. You have, I believe, been fully informed already regarding our students for the office of preachers, so that I shall say nothing about them at present.

two places is the most beautiful that occurs in the round of our stations. The first half of the way lies through a long, narrow glen, shut in on both sides by richly

SUDDEN DEATH OF TWO PECHUIA

MEMBERS.

wooded hills, the bright autumn hues being agreeably relieved by the more sombre and homelike fir-tree. By this road we gradually ascend to the more bare and open Pechuia congregation were suddenly called

Last week two of the members of the

uplands, and so on to Liong-bun-see, which is our most thoroughly Highland station. away. One of them you will best recogNear the top of this glen lies a village, in nize as the mother of Lam-san, who was for a considerable time Dr. Carnegie's passing through which I was surrounded by what seemed to be the entire popula- medical assistant in the Chinese hospital, tion, urging me to "explain the doctrine" She had been ailing slightly for several to them. After addressing a few sentences days, but seemed quite well on the morning to them, I desired to proceed on my way; breakfast as usual, but it was remarked of the day she died. She partook of but this they would by no means hear of until I promised to return in the after- that at morning worship she was in a noon, when I would be at leisure to speak peculiarly earnest and solemn frame of to them. This I did, and found them exmind, and addressed ber family in an unpecting me, and ready to listen to what I usually serious way, as if her mind had had to say. I mention this as an instance some dim premonition of the coming change. of the general interest so widely spread in A few hours afterwards she had passed the Bay-pay district and neighbourhood, of away to a brighter world. The other was which we so often make mention. This I Bek-sai, a barber by trade. For some time he had been residing in Amoy. On consider a most important result of our labours, and one not indicated at all in a the morning of Friday last he went as numerical statement of our membership, usual to morning worship in the Sin-ko-ya but yet destined, under God's blessing, to Chapel, near which he lived. be fruitful in future converts. I look upon then perfectly well; but on his way this state of things as the Spirit's preparahome after worship he suddenly fell down tion of the naturally barren soil, that it in the street, and immediately expired, promay receive the seed of life as into good bably from heart disease. ground. earnest, simple, consistent Christian, and it was through him that Thian-khe-one of the most able and promising of our students-received his first impressions of the truth.

A KIRK SESSION AT LIONG-BUN-SEE.

From the brethren at Liong-bun-see I received a petition, signed by all the male members, to be presented to the Presbytery, begging to be allowed to elect elders and deacons, and so constitute an independent congregation, instead of being as formerly, an out-station of Bay-pay. The Bay-pay elders also expressed a wish to the same effect; and, accordingly, the Presbytery, which met on Wednesday last, at Chioh-bey, granted the desired permission, and appointed one of the native pastors and one of ourselves to attend to the matter on a given day. The reasons which render it inconvenient for the Liongbun-see affairs to be managed by the Baypay office-bearers are that the former is very much isolated, there being no business or other intercourse between the two places, and that the members either belong to the village itself, or come from places still farther removed from Bay-pay.

He was

He was an

CANDIDATES FOR BAPTISM.

Yesterday I carefully examined eight applicants for baptism at E-mung-kang, most of them very promising. Some of them will, I trust, be received at the approaching Communion on Sunday week, but we are to have one more meeting with them before deciding. Next mail will also, I trust, bring you word of several baptisms at Bay-pay, as also at Anbai.

MEETING OF PRESBYTERY.

At the meeting of Presbytery there was no business of special importance. A day of prayer for the outpouring of the Spirit and the revival of the Churches was appointed. A committee was also appointed to revise the hymn book, and specially with a view to preparing one book to be used by our American brethren and ourselves, the

missions.

MORE LABOURERS URGENTLY NEEDed.

I cannot close my letter without again reminding you of the urgent need of an addition to our numbers here, and beseeching your most earnest endeavours to send us one more missionary as soon as possible. There is at present an urgent necessity, to which we must yield, of setting up immediately at least one or two new stations, although our strength is inadequate for the proper working of those already existing, and the ramifications of our work are daily extending. Then, as to Formosa, let me entreat you to remember Dr. Maxwell, who is bearing the burden and heat of the day uncheered by help or companionship. Dr. Maxwell is a man who will work to the full extent of all his powers, and beyond it; so that there is reason to fear that unless help comes to him soon, his health will give way. Our petition, then, is, one missionary more for Formosa immediately, and one for Amoy. Believe me, very sincerely yours, HUGH COWIE.

collections at present in use varying a convenient of all situations for our purpose. little; and also to confer with the London I cannot help remarking that we have been Mission brethren, in order, if possible, to singularly favoured of God in the matter of agree upon one hymn-book for all the three suitable localities for the prosecution of our work in Takao. The hospital may contain at a pinch ten or eleven patients, but eight is the normal number, and with that number of men it has been filled, since the opening, three or four weeks ago. It was just in time, for since then, from great distances, north, south, east, and west, I have had patients coming for medic 1 assistance who could not have been treated at all without hospital premises, in which they might be under my supervision. You may be at a loss to understand how patients can come from the west to Takao! If you look at the map you will see the Pescadore Islands lying near the middle of the Formosa Channel. I have at this moment in hospital a patient who came from the Pescadores directly to seek medical aid at the chapel. The Pescadores are in close commercial relations with Southern-and, indeed, with the whole ofFormosa, and anything in Takao becomes quickly known in the scattered islands of the Channel. I have had five serious operations on the eye during the last fortnight, and there are others waiting. The most of those operated upon receive considerable benefit, and so the name of the Gospel work is spread abroad. This, to my view, is even of more importance than the possible good to be effected amongst the patients themselves. The latter is but a narrow view of the scope of a medical missionary's labours.

LETTER FROM DR. MAXWELL. THE MEDICAL MISSION WORK-OPENING

OF A HOSPITAL.

Takao, Formosa, October 20, 1866. MY DEAR MR. MATHIESON,-Since Mr. Swanson left me, I have entered upon another phase of my own proper work as a medical missionary, for I trust the brethren of our Mission Committee are always keeping this in mind-that medical work in connection with the spreading of the Gospel message is my proper work, and the work for which, by education and liking, I am, by God's grace, best fitted, and which, to the utmost of my ability, I intend to press in the prosecution of my missionary

course.

EVANGELISTIC LABOURS-NEED OF HELP.

The cold season is now coming upon us, and my brethren and myself are making arrangements for evangelistic labours in the country round. The converts already received go steadily forward, I think, in the right way, and there are some other inquirers of whom we have a good hope that the Lord is dealing graciously with their souls.

I have opened a small hospital in Now, more than ever, the Committee connection with the mission. The hospital must feel the necessity of giving some meapremises are exactly opposite the chapel, sure of completeness to our mission staff separated only by the breadth of a narrow by the appointment of a brother who can streetway, and are therefore in the most administer ordinances and supervise the