INDIA.

Extracts of Letters from Mr. Carey to a Friend in Edinburgh. Sept. 27, 1804. THE means afforded of spreading gospel light, by dispersing the word of God and pamphlets, have been great, and the exertions of our friends very generous and though the light struck up be but as a spark, it has glanced upon very many. Yet, from a calculation made a few days ago, it appears that it will require the expenditure of a sum not less than 250,000/. sterling, to furnish every twelfth person in Bengal with a New Testament, at the cheapest rate that we can print them: What then must we say of the whole of Hindoostan and the surrounding countries? The prospect on one side almost sinks our hopes; but the promise and faithfulness of God encourages us to go on. "The earth must be filled with the knowledge of the Lord." This knowledge must be conveyed by the word of his grace, published and preached. Compared with the greatness of the work, the means are but small; and, perhaps, three-fourths of those means which God has committed to his church are withheld, by the influence of custom, preconceived opinions of church government, timidity, conformity to the world, luxury, covetousness, or other evils; perhaps few feel, as they ought, the sin of not devoting ALL their talents, inЯuence, and substance to the Lord.

8th Feb. 1805. The second edition of the New Testament is getting forward. We skipped over Luke, Acts, and Romans, intending to print 10,000 copies of these three books to give away, where a whole New Testament might be improper. We are now in the first episde to the Thessalonians; and of the 10,000, Luke is nearly finished. The ten first chapters of Matthew are printed in Mahratta, at Dr. Hunter's press; Matthew, and part of Mark, in Hindostanee; and the third volume of the Old Testament, Job and the second edition of the Psalms to Psalm 136, are printed. The New

Testament is nearly all translated into Mahratta and Oareea; and a gentleman is translating the New Testament into Malay.

Extract of a Letter from Mrs. Marshman, Wife of one of the Mission

aries.

"As it is the desire of our brethren to spread the gospel as widely as possible, they mean, as often as any brother can be spared from home, to place him out, after he has learned the language, at the distance of 50 or 100 miles; putting him at the same time into a little way of business, whereby he may employ a number of the natives, and at the same time make known to them something of the blessed way of life. Thus brother Chamberlain is stationed at Cutwa, about 100 miles up the river. We bought him a piece of ground, built him a bungalow, and put him into the cloth way. He employs a number of weavers, gives them a little money in hand; they find every thing, and make the cloth at their own houses; when done they bring it home, and receive the rest of the money; with which we supply him from Serampore.

"My first business in the morning is to see that the children (forty or forty-five in number) are bathed and dressed fit for the day. At seven, the writing-school commences; at eight, worship and breakfast; at nine, school begins again, and continues till the bell rings for dinner, at half past one; at three, school again, which ends at half past five; and by the time every thing is put in order, tea is ready; and after tea, worship immediately. By the time all is over, and the children are in bed, it is generally nine o'clock; after which time is my holy. day, to read, write or work. But I am often so overcome with fatigue, and the scorching heat of the day, that I feel neither will nor power to do any thing at all; and when I sit down to. converse with you, it is with a weary body, a stupid soul, and dim eyes. But I am sure of having all my faults lightly passed over, and all covered with love." Evan. Mag.

To lessen in some degree this destruction of the human race, inoculation was introduced, by which the mortality of the disease was prevented, as far as it respected those, who submitted to the operation.

But as the benefit of inoculation cannot be extended to society, as is observed by a popular writer, by any other means than by making the practice general; while it is confined to a few it must prove hurtful to the whole. By means of it the contagion is spread and is communicated to many, who might otherwise have never had the disease. Accordingly it is found that more persons die of the Small Pox now than before inoculation was introduced; and this important discovery, by which alone more lives might be saved than by all the other endeavours of the faculty, is in a great measure lost by its benefit not being extended to the whole community. Dr. Heberden in his observations on the increase and decrease of different diseases observes, that he examined carefully the bills of mortality, and comparing the destruction occasioned by the Small Pox in Great Britain before and since inoculation, reluctantly was brought to this melancholy conclusion, that at the present period, the proportional increase

of deaths from this disease was as five to four.

Hence it would appear that inoculation has done a great injury to society at large, and the difficulty of extending it generally so as to convert it truly into a public benefit is attended with almost insuperable difficulty. For, to make a law, that inoculation shall be general and periodical, appears both cruel and arbitrary, where security of life cannot be given to all; and is what no government, grounded on the basis of general liberty, would venture to adopt.

But through the kindness of Divine Providence the means of obviating all these difficulties and dangers have at length been placed within our power, by the invaluable discovery made public by Dr. Edward Jenner, that the Cow Pock, which has never been known to prove fatal, effectually secures the constitution from the attacks of either the natural or inoculated Small Pox.

The following annual statement of deaths by the Small Pox within the London bills of mortality, in the present century, has lately been published by the Jennerian Society of that city.

A. D. 1800

(deaths 2409

1461

27

1579 1173

622

Vaccination was introduced into Vienna in 1801. Its effects in decreasing the deaths by Small Pox are evident from comparing the deaths since that period with those of the preceding years. In 1800

1801

1802

1803

835 died of Small Pox. 164

61

cheer. The Emperor Joseph II. added greatly to the advantages of his people, by infusing and directing a spirit of activity, of industry, and of commercial adventure among them. Arts and letters are in esteem; and especially music and engraving; in which Austria and Bohemia have produced excellent professors. Letters, properly speaking, enjoyed but a small period of liberty, and that was during the reign of Joseph II.

Essay on the Jews of the Austrian monarchy. By the same author. This part of our author's labours is the most interesting, as it contains various plans for rendering the Jews useful to the community.

The general principle adopted by M. R. is, that the state, which admits Jews to the privileges of citizenship, has a right to exact from them all the duties, which belong to that station and his conclusion is, that so long as this people are suffered to evade the occupations of agriculture, trades, and regular commerce; so long as they are permitted to pursue their vagabond 'irregularities, usury, and traffic; so long will they be miserable as a people, and a dead weight on well organized states. It is truly remarkable, that all the endeavours of the Emperor Joseph, whether by persuasion, encouragement, or even by constraint, effected nothing. Their number in the Austrian territories is estimated at 422,698. At Lemberg, the country of the author, they are so greatly

increased, as to form one sixth part Eclectic Review. of the population.

The advantages of God's presence with his people in an expedition against their enemies : A sermon preached at Newbury, May 22, 1755, at the desire and in the audience of Col. Moses Titcomb, and many others enlisted under him, and going with him in an expedition against the French. By John Lowell, a. M. pas. tor of a church in Newbury. Newburyport. E. W. Allen. 1806.

The Messiah's reign; a sermon preached on the 4th of July, before

RUSSIA.

COUNT Potocki has lately pub. lished, in 1 vol. 4to. a History of the Primitive Inhabitants of Russia, with a full explanation of their local cus toms and national traditions, illustra tive of the Fourth Book of Herodo tus. It is the result of researches and travels continued during twenty years; and is explanatory of the Mosaic history, concluding with a commentary on the tenth chapter of

Genesis.

A committee of censure is es tablished at Petersburgh over the press, composed of three members and a secretary, receiving together salaries, which amount to 5370 rou bles. If a writer thinks they have treated him with injustice, he can appeal to the supreme direction of studies. The censors have not the power to suppress a work on account of some reprehensible passages; but it is their duty to point them out to the author, that he may correct them; but they are forbidden to make the correction themselves.

A splendid embassy is about to be sent from the Russian government to China, from which great advanta ges, both commercial and scientific, are expected.

The emperor has granted to the Jews the privilege of educating their children in any of the schools and universities of the empire; or the es. tablishment of schools at their own expense. Christian Ob.