"English; and which is the worst, is only ¢ 66 adapted to mercantile uses, so as to have no "words in it expressive of science or of religious "things; that in order to remove this great impediment, a very troublesome preparatory task " is absolutely necessary, viz. to teach them first the language in which they can receive in"struction that as God has been pleased to "bless his endeavours in learning the language, " he has for about two months past began to "enter into a conversation with the natives, and " has been visited by several of them, Heathens "and Mahometans, some being inhabitants of "Cuddalore, and others out of the country: "that their discourses have been hitherto only "about general points, and it would require time "to bring any of them to a sincere desire and "love of truth, because these people are not only timorous and slavish, but likewise exceedingly deceitful, so that great circumspec"tion is necessary to discover their true designs, so many and so great indeed are the impedi"ments to be surmounted by the natives of that country, before they can resolve sincerely to "embrace Christianity, that had he no other 66 strength to depend on but his own, he should "despair of success: but as he knows that God's grace is sufficient for those that rely upon it, he resigns himself, and trusts the success of "his labors in the mission to the blessing of his "Providence, and the conduct of the Holy "Spirit." The Danish Missionaries at Tranquebar,besides several short letters, refer to their larger one, acknowledging, with great thankfulness, the Society's liberality in furnishing them with books, and write word " that it has pleased God to take to himself their dear colleague, Mr. Christian "Frederic Pressier, after twelve years labour in a faithful discharge of his functions, whose "death, however, had been happily repaired by "the arrival of three new Missionaries, Messieurs Obuch, Kolhoff, and Wedebroeck. They fur"ther inform the Society that the Church there was augmented last year with 609 persons, viz. At Tranquebar In the country adjacent 135 474 609 r an encrease that they had never had before "in any one year: that the Portuguese congregations consist at present of 285 persons, including 36 adult persons, and children bap"tized last year. That to the Malabaric congregation at Tranquebar, there are added 94, 29 children, and 65 adult Heathen, who together with the former members, make up "1003 souls. That in the country their encrease "has been by 474 persons, viz. ❝. 84 baptized children "358 Pagans, and "32 Papists coming over to our Church. So that the whole congregation amounts to 1892, and there have been christened from the beginning of the Mission 4610 souls. "That their fellow-labourers of the Malabarians, are at present three senior, and three junior catechists, with two deaconnesses, who "have their respective employments at Tranffquebar. That the schools are a more especial "part of their care, and besides those children "that frequent them from abroad, they have fonownie 64 boys, and y Ci 42 girls in the Malabarian school, and "19 boys, and "15 girls in the Portuguese schools, making in all 140, who are lodged, dieted, "and clothed by the goodness of their benefactors, taught by eight masters and two mis"tresses, and because their lodgings are too straight, they have begun to erect another "spacious building, which they hope to finish "next year. That in the printing press the "historical books of the Old Testament, in the 66 66 Portuguese language, are entirely finished, "three copies whereof they have sent over for the Society's acceptance; that the founder of printing letters, an European, died on the 6th of re September, 1738, after having served the "Mission many years in that quality; they add "that the political affairs of the kingdom of "Tanjore have had some influence on those of "religion, which they hope, by insensible steps, 66 may providentially make way for the destroying "the Heathen idolatry, and establishing Christi"anity; that they continue to cultivate their "correspondence with the Dutch settlements, "who confer many favors on the Mission. That "Baron Van Linholf, governor of Ceylon, has "set up a printing press at Columbo, where "the New Testament is translated into the Singalean language, and is now in the press; "that the author of this praiseworthy undertaking has published two small books in that 66 language, copies of which they have presented "to the Society, one containing the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the ten Command"ments, the other the abridgement of the Pro"testant Confession and Creed, designed for such as are about to learn Christianity, and go to the Communion. That they have sent to the Governor a large quantity of the books "of Moses, and other historical books of the "Old Testament, printed there in the Portuguese language, and also to Batavia 150 copies of "the same books for the use of the Portuguese "congregation there, which is numerous that "they labor much, and pray for nothing more " than that every tongue may confess that Jesus "Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, "and that all the undertakings of the Society to "that end may be attended with success. "To all these letters, particular answers have "been sent in the name of the Society, by the "Colchester, Capt. Micklefield, and the Cæsar, Capt. Cumings, in the former of which em"barked in the year 1739, Mr. John Zachariah "Kiernander to succeed Mr. Sartorius in the "Mission at Cuddalore, being recommended by "the learned Mr. Professor Frank, at Halle, in Saxony, where he had been for some time preceptor, and afterwards inspector of the Orphan " House. "Mr. John Philip Fabricius, and "Missionaries from the college at Denmark, for Tranquebar. "The Society have also sent the salaries to "their Missionaries at Madras and Cuddalore, together with the books, the printing and writing paper, and all other things that were desired by them or their brethren at Tran quebar, over and above their usual presents: "these goods, including the article of foreign "silver for the service of the whole Protestant "Mission in the East Indies, were packed up "in 13 chests or parcels, and shipped on boad E |