MISSIONARY OBSERVER.

ORDINATION OF MR. GRANT,

As a Missionary to Orissa. Appointment of Mr. Brooks, with Mrs. Brooks, Mrs. Grant, and Miss Derry, to missionary engagements.

THE solemn and impressive services connected with the public designation of Mr. Grant, took place at the General Baptist Chapel, Stoney Street, Nottingham, on Tuesday, June 1st. The day was fine, and the number of persons from the surrounding Churches was very considerable. The spacious chapel was filled in every part. On the platform, in front of the pulpit, were Mr. and Mrs. Grant, Mr. Brooks, who is appointed as a missionary printer, Mrs. Brooks, and Miss Derry, with several of their relatives and friends; besides the ministers who were engaged, and the students of the General Baptist Academy.

Mr. Hunter, one of the pastors of the Church, gave out the hymns, which had been printed for the occasion. After singing the first hymn, Dr. Alliot, of Nottingham, read the Scriptures and prayed. An introductory discourse was delivered by Mr. Goadby; the usual questions were proposed to the young minister by Mr. T. Stevenson of Leicester; the answers to which were clear, satisfactory, and highly impressive, and were heard, as their tears evinced, with the deepest interest by the whole assembled throng. Mr. Pickering, the venerable senior pastor of the Church in Stoney Street, offered the designating prayer; and was joined by the pastors then present in the imposition of hands. Mr. Pike, of Derby, the Secretary of the Society, then delivered a suitable charge to Mr. Grant, and concluded the service with prayer. These services, as a whole, were replete with the highest and best religious interest. Sentiments of joy and hope seemed to pervade every heart; and the parents and friends of most of the devoted band who were present, and who necessarily felt deeply at the sort of bereavement they were shortly to experience, apparently participated with others in the holy christian joy of the occasion. The services of this morning will be long remembered by the multitude favoured to be present at them.

One thing only in connexion with them is to be regretted, and that is, that the day on which they were held was the time of the Midland Conference at Hugglescote. But the sub-committee at Nottingham, appointed to arrange for these services, felt themselves unable to select any other day that would be equally eligible.

On the previous Sabbath, the annual sermons were preached at Stoney Street and Broad Street chapels, by Mr. Butler, of Heptonstall Slack, Dr. Alliot, and Mr. Edwards, of Nottingham. A public tea meeting was held on Monday afternoon, at the school-rooms of Stoney Street chapel; on the evening of the day of the ordination, a spirited public missionary meeting was held, when Mr. Alderman Heard presided, and addresses were delivered by Messrs. Butler, Peggs, Grant, Pike, Goadby, &c.

On the following Monday evening, June 7th, the friends in Leicester, of the Friar-lane, Dover-street, and Archdeacon-lane Churches, held a united missionary prayer-meeting, for the purpose of especially commending Mr. and Mrs. Brooks to the care and blessing of God. They were present; and as they were members of the Church in Archdeacon-lane, the meeting VOL. 3.-N. S.

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was held in that place of worship. There were 400 or 500 persons assembled. The pastors of the respective Churches, with two lay brethren, engaged in prayer. The meeting was solemn, chastened, and happy.

The missionaries were to embark at Portsmouth, on Thursday, the 17th

of June.

TO THE DEPARTING MISSIONARIES.

Written on the day of their ordination.

Go from your native shores- we dare not stay ye;
Go from the land where kindred spirits glow:
Might ardent prayers, or friendship's tear detain ye,
Brethren and sister's, we would bid you go.

Go o'er the rolling waves, the happy hope possessing,
That God can bear you to your port in peace;
Oh fear not while the tempest's round you raging,

For he can land you where the storm shall cease.

Go to the sultry clime, where heathen gloom is spreading
Its dark'ning horror on the world around,

Where superstition's cruel power is reigning,

And scenes of woe and wretchedness abound.

Go to the tainted shores, with Moloch's altars streaming,
And there the banners of the cross unfurl;

Those bloodless banners which must soon, high gleaming,
The powers of darkness from their strong hold hurl.

Go, join the heroic band, who distant far are toiling,

Mid'st India's scorching plains, 'neath India's burning sky,
That India's sable race may now enjoy the blessing,
Purchased by him who intercedes on high.

Go christian friends-home, country, friends won't stay ye,
Constrained by Jesus' self-devoting love;

Our warmest, strongest hopes and prayers attend ye,
Our thoughts to distant climes shall often rove.

Go much-loved friends,-on earth the pangs of parting
Full often rend the sympathetic heart;

But in the world to which we're all aspiring,
We hope to meet-to meet and never part.
Derby.

G. P.

MISSIONARY ANNIVERSARIES.

GOSBERTON.-The annual missionary services were held in the General Baptist chapel here, on Wednesday, May 19th. Mr. Goadby, of Leicester, preached in the afternoon; and in the evening the interests of the mission were advocated by brethren Everard (the minister of the place); Hoe, of Spalding; Yates, of Fleet; and Goadby. Collections, £5, 15s. 7d.

SUTTERTON.-A public missionary meeting was held in this place on Thursday, May 20th. The speakers were Messrs. Everard, Goldsworthy, (the minister of the place,) Yates, and Goadby. Several young persons in the school had been engaged with collecting cards, and an improved feeling was manifested. Collections, &c., unknown to the writer.

FLEET.-Sermons were preached at Fleet on behalf of missions to the heathen, on Lord's-day, May 23rd, by Messrs. Green, of Norwich; and Goadby. A large and interesting missionary meeting was held on the fol

lowing evening. Mr. Yates presided. Mr. K. Sanby, Treasurer, reported the previous contributions. Resolutions were moved or seconded by Messrs. Butters, of Spalding; Peggs, of Bourne; Edwards, of Long Sutton (Independent); Goadby, Green, and Taylor, of Sutton St. James. Collections, &c., considerable, though the exact amount is not known to the writer.

LONG SUTTON.-On Lord's day, May 23rd, the annual sermons on behalf of the General Baptist Missionary Society, were preached in this place by Messrs. Peggs, of Bourne; and Goadby, of Leicester. The public meeting was held on Wednesday, May 26th, in the British school-room. There was a good attendance. The good cause was earnestly advocated by Messrs. Burdit, Yates, Peggs, Edwards, Goadby, Taylor, and a Wesleyan minister. The collections, &c., were liberal. Our friends here pulled down their meeting-house on Monday, May 24; and are now erecting a more commodious and elegant structure on the same site.

BOSTON.-Two sermons were preached in the General Baptist Chapel, High Street, by Mr. Mathews, the pastor of the Church, on behalf of the Mission. The public meeting was held on Tuesday evening, May 25. Mr. Mathews presided. Messrs. Peggs, Brisco, (P. B.) Yates, Goadby, and Watts, (Indep.) pleaded for the evangelization of the heathen. It was announced that £10 more had been realized this year than the preceding. The addition of wings to this chapel, for the purpose of staircases to the galleries, and the erection of side galleries, have greatly improved the internal and external appearance of this handsome gothic structure.

BOURN. The annual sermons on behalf of our Missionary Society were preached in this place on Lord's-day, May 23rd, by Mr. Burditt, of Long Sutton. The public missionary meeting was held on Thursday evening, May 27th; Mr. Peggs presided; and effective and appropriate addresses were delivered by Messrs. Stocks, of Broughton and Hose, Yates, and Goadby. Though the Wesleyan Methodists of Bourue held their missionary meeting at the same time, a circumstance on some accounts to be regretted, it is pleasing to add, that the interest of this meeting was sustained; and though the congregation was somewhat smaller, the collections were larger than on former years.

GUNGA DHOR'S ADDRESS.

(Extracted from a letter from Mr. Stubbins.)

WHILE Gunga Dhor was here last Sunday night, Mrs. S. requested him to write a line to christian friends in England, but especially to the Barton Church. I translate it, but have not room for any remarks.

"To all my dear brothers and sisters generally, in England, but especially at Barton, your loving brother Gunga Dhor, sends numerous christian salutations and entreaties. Through the abounding grace of God by you, I and my fellow-country men have received the word and instruction of life; but that all your work may be perfected in the presence of the Father, taking the name of Christ, pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit, because God will hear the prayers of the righteous, and according to his own will will grant their requests. If you would send out more missionaries it would be to our country as a supreme gift; for all are, as it were, lost in a

wilderness."

EXTRACTS FROM A LETTER FROM bibles, tracts, &c., is on a par with the lib

MR. STUBBINS.

On the 9th of December, 1840, I started on a tour which lasted three weeks, and most of it had never before been visited, at least by an Oriya missionary. It extended about 100 miles, nearly south of Berham pore. I enjoyed several opportunities very much. I was particularly struck with a remark one day made, viz., "If this religion you preach be true, and God has designed it for all, why was it not made known to us before?" The inquiry I thought seemed very natural, and led me almost to reproach christians at home, who have so long been blessed with the Word of Life, that they had not long long before exerted themselves to send the Gospel to India; and now that they have sent it, are so tardy in furnishing it to that extent which is needed. I remember seeing a piece in the "Friend of India' newspaper, which says in substance, that "during the last three years, in the western provinces alone, more than two and a half laks of rupees, or £25,000, have been devoted to the erection of temples, and other buildings, calculated to give permanency to the idolatry of the country. These sums are independent of the very large outlay la. vished on the greater and minor, the national and family festivals which so thickly crowd into every year. Of the expense of these it is scarcely possible to form any cor. rect estimate, except we assume, that they exceed the expense of the building by tenfold. But the expenditure of more than 80,000 rupees a year in the erection of temples, may well lead the christian philan. thropist to regret that the contributions of the natives to the erection of superstitious structures should so far exceed, as it does, the sum which is expended annually in the efforts made by all the christian societies to introduce the pure light of divine truth into those provinces; and it may possibly lead our missionary societies to redouble their efforts, till no district shall be left without at least one missionary, and his native coadjutors, to bear witness to the truth. How can these societies suppose that they have fully availed themselves of the opening which has been made in this vast country for the introduction of the Gospel, when forty-seven years after the first mission was planted, more than half the districts in Bengal and the western provinces, are without a single missionary." Alas! this affecting statement applies not merely to the western provinces, but to a lamentable extent to India generally. I feel very doubtful if the liberality of christians in the cause of Christ, taking every religious society of missions,

erality of Hindoos in the cause of Hindooism. May we not hope for a better state of things?

During the tour, I met with several very large and attentive congregations; and on several occasions deep convictions of the falsehood of idolatry, and the truth of christianity, were evidently produced. I attended also several large markets, where we preached, and distributed the word of life, to from 1500 to 3000 people. Last Sunday, for instance, I attended one where there were at least 3000; and on the following day, Monday, another near forty miles distant from that, where we met from 1800 to 2000. Many go from a distance of thirty miles round to attend, so that they are most admirable opportunities for doing multum in parvo-preaching and distributing books to persons from hundreds of villages which we could not possibly visit. During one week I attended four similar markets.

I do not know that ever my feelings were more shocked by the implacable and unmerciful nature of Hindooism, than one day when I visited the native village of my dear fellow-labourer Pooroosootum, who was with me. He was evidently respected very much by many of his old companions in folly and sin. His mother, too, seemed very affectionate; but it appeared to me to be more assumed than reality, with a desire to obtain something from him. When he first embraced her, she immediately went and changed her clothes, which had been rendered unclean by his touch. He was not allowed to go into the house, but slept in the verandah, where his mother served out his food on leaves sewed together, taking great care at the same time not to touch him; and when leaving he made her a present of a new brazen vessel, but was obliged to set it down on the ground before she would take it. His wife, too, was there very ill with fever; but not one of them would render her the least assistance, or even touch her. I talked to her very seri. ously, but it seemed to be of very little use. However, when I saw her serving her son out in the verandah, I think I made her a little ashamed, and she told him to come into the house, but he would not go, for he said if he went she would throw all the rice and handies (earthern vessels in which they cook, fetch their water, &c.,) out of the house, and fast all night, and the next morning would wash the house, clean it all over with cow-dung, &c. Pooroosootum showed me a large mountain near, in which was a cave, where he and another used to perform their superstitious austerities.

In about a fortnight's time, I and my