encouraging event. Other families have not been less disposed to render our situation as pleasant and profitable as possible. Dined to-day with Mr. Werry, the British Consul, who assured us of his assistance, while we remained at Smyrna, of letters to respectable gentlemen in Palestine, and in other countries, if we have occasion for them. Mr. Werry has been consul in this city for twenty-four years, and his observations upon the climate, the customs, and the government, are peculiarly interesting, and of great consequence to us in the prosecution of our researches in Asia.

Thus far the Lord hath prospered us. A ray of light already dawns upon our path. Everlasting praise to our Lord and Redeemer for his repeated smiles upon our feeble efforts. May we be enabled to meet every affliction with Christian boldness, and with unshaken reliance upon "the great and precious promises."

We design to take a retired room, and to prosecute our studies without interruption. In the mean time, we may converse with a few, whose spiritual state we may hope to be instrumental in improving, and may distribute Bibles and religious tracts in the different languages of the east.

With gratitude for the special favours which we have received from the Prudential Committee, and with an earnest request for a remembrance in their prayers, we subscribe ourselves, your brethren in the Lord, P. FISK,

NORTHERN ASIA-ASTRACHAN.

Scottish Missionary Society.

L. PARSONS.

A letter has been received from Astrachan, dated November 2, 1819, which after a favourable report of the health of the missionaries and their families, and a satisfactory account of their employments during the preceding month, contains the following interesting notice respecting Derbent, a sea-port town of Persia, in the province of Daghestan, on the west coast of the Caspian Sea.

"On the 16th ult. an Armenian called on us, who last autumn received a number of Persian and Tartar Testaments to send to a relation in Derbent. There he found many Persians who at first gladly received them, but after having kept them for a time, brought them back of their own accord, whilst others were compelled to do so by their Effendies and Mollahs, who threatened to kill them, if they persisted in reading such books. Some, however, refused to comply with the mandates of their priests, and were determined, at all events, to know the contents of the books before they returned them. These came frequently to the Armenian, and asked many questions concerning Jesus, who, they said, was in the New Testament called the Son of God, a doctrine which they could not comprehend. However the consequence was, that

the Armenian soon got all the Testaments off his hands; and lately informed his friend here, that if he had a thousand copies he could dispose of them all, and requested him to endeavour to send him a fresh supply. I accordingly gave him ten copies of the Persian Testament, five Tartar Testaments, and a few copies of the book of Genesis, and thirty-five tracts in the Arabic and Persian languages. The same Armenian told us, that in the town of Derbent, there are no Russian priests, but that the Armenian priests are permitted to celebrate their marriages, baptize their children, and bury their dead; and that Russian priests come once a year (generally at Easter) to give the sacrament to the military, and such other Russians as reside there. He also said, that in the course of the year, the Armenians in Derbent have baptized three Persians and a Jewess. Do not these accounts, even allowing that the Armenian told them to the best advantage, point out Derbent as a place which ought to be visited by some of us, as soon as practicable?"

The missionaries also state,-"From the extract of a minute which we inserted in our last report, you would learn, that our dear fellow-labourer Mr. Glen, had resolved to go to Karass, and reside there during the winter, and that Mr. Jack was to remain here to supply his place. He accordingly left this place on the 8th ult. and we are happy at being able to inform you that he reached Karass in health and safety on the 19th, and met with a most cordia! reception from our brethren at that station.

The number of books circulated in the last month, was 39 Persian Testaments, 8 Tartar Testaments, 10 copies of Genesis, 1 copy of the book of Psalms, and 83 tracts.

ORENBURG.

A letter from Dr. Ross, dated Orenburg, October 26, 1819, contains journals of several excursions which he made to the Kirghisians, in company with W. Buchanan, during the months of September and October. In these visits he had frequent opportunities of addressing the Kirghisians, and was often listened to with apparent respect and attention; but the total want of sincerity which so generally prevails amongst them, makes it difficult to judge of the real influence which such conversations produced on their minds.

We regret to add, that by the same letter it appears, that all the Kirghisians have been ordered away from the neighbourhood of Orenburgh during the winter, to a distance of at least eighty or ninety versts. Ed. Ch. Instructor.

RUSSIA.

Correspondence of the British and Foreign Bible Society.

From the Rev. Dr. Pinkerton.

Odessa, Quarantine, Dec. 13, 1819.

Let us now hear how the labours of these three learned and pious prelates (speaking of the translators of the gospels into

Modern Russ*) have been received by their clerical brethren in different parts of the empire. Anatolius, Archbishop of Minsk, expresses himself on the subject, in his letter to the Committee, as follows:-"Though the Slavonian language of our church books be very near the Russian, yet there is still much, even in the very gospels, which remains unintelligible to many persons, on account of their not being accustomed to the Slavonian phraseology; and from this cause the sacred truth could not have its full effect on the hearts of the readers. This obstacle is now taken away. May this new fruit of the labours of the Bible Society become a token of the renewed grace and power of God unto the salvation of the Russians!"-Ambrosius, Bishop of Kursk, expresses himself thus :-"This important phenomenon on the horizon of the Russian church, worthy of the golden age of the most pious of the Russian monarchs, resembles the rising dawn which shall precede that glorious day of light when all men shall read the word of God, and when the simple, and even children, to whom in particular the words of eternal life are addressed, shall understand; but for whom until now this sacred spring has been almost sealed up by the antiquity of the language. May the Almighty prosper this auspicious commencement, and bring the work to a blessed termination."

Eugenius, Archbishop of Pskoff, one of the most learned of the Russian prelates, says, "The utility of this version is evident and sure, not merely for the common people, but also for the clergy themselves, their instructors. The earnest desire of many, for a long time past, for its appearance, is a proof that it will tend to the still further dissemination of the divine word in the hearts of believers."

The Archbishop of Archangel observes-" In this translation, the excellency and riches of the Russian language appear pure and easy to be comprehended; it explains the Slavonian text; and hence the utility which must arise from it unto all who desire to walk in the way to eternal salvation, is most evident. Now the Russian also may read the gospel of Christ in the Russian language, and clearly and purely understand the whole counsel of God set forth in His word: and, having understood it, he may rejoice in his salvation." Such are the sentiments of some of the Russian Bishops on reading the gospels in their native tongue : nor are the joy and gratitude of the laity less evident for this invaluable gift. Reserving further examples of these to some future occasion, I shall only add an instance which I have found in the sheet of Monthly Extracts, published by the Moscow Committee: "Yes," says a distinguished individual, "we will pray to God that he may send his help from on high to the translators of the other books of the sacred scriptures into the Russian language. The work is great-its utility is inexpressible-it forms an epoch * Michael, Metropolitan of Novogorod and St. Petersburgh. Seraphim, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomda.-Philaret, Archbishop of Twer and Kashin.

eternally to be remembered. Posterity will pronounce with veneration the name of the Emperor Alexander."

From the same.

Odessa, Quarantine, Dec. 14, 1819. Having been long absent from Russia, and received but little information, especially during the last ten months, respecting the real progress of the Russian Bible Society, I was not a little astonished and encouraged the other day, on receiving a small pamphlet on the success of the Bible cause in Russia, during the year 1818, which the Petersburg Committee has lately published. What glorious results of six years labour are the following: One hundred and seventy-three Bible Societies in the Russian Empire; three hundred and seventy-one thousand six hundred copies of the holy scriptures, printed and printing in twenty-five languages and dialects; of which copies, one hundred and twenty thousand one hundred and five are already in circulation! The receipts of the society have been, 1,361,499 rubles and 2 kopecks; and their expenditure, 1,244,362 rubles and 29 kopecks.

From the same.

Odessa, Dec. 24, 1819. The Juvenile Association, chiefly composed of scholars belonging to the Richlieu Lyceum, continues to prosper. A second Juvenile Auxiliary is about to be formed in Teraspol, a town about 90 verstes (about 59 1-3 miles) distant, on the banks of the Dniester, among the youth of a large seminary in that place; and yesterday evening I had the pleasure of assisting at the formation of a third Bible Association for the German colonists in the neighbourhood of this city. Superintendent Bottiger opened the meeting by an address in German, illustrative of the object and utility of such institutions. The Archimandrite Theophil, one of the Vice-presidents of the Odessa Society, then spoke in Russ, much to the purpose, and with a degree of feeling which had a very great effect upon all present, who understood him. After this I addressed the meeting for some time, as my weak state of body would allow, on the spiritual needs of the poor colonists, of whom 4572 in the neighbourhood of Odessa, divided into four parishes, or settled in ten villages, are without pastors! Nearly ten thousand in Besserabia, settled in fourteen villages, have only one pastor instead of three among them: three villages in the Crimea are without any spiritual guide at all. Superintendent Bottiger last week examined into the state of the holy scriptures, in two of the villages in the vicinity, and among 275 families he found 70 without a Bible.

The Committee elected, will strive to bring the cause of this Bible society home to the habitations of the colonists, and afford them also an opportunity of contributing their mites to the relief

of each other in particular, and towards the sacred cause of the Russian Bible Society in general.

During the three years of its existence, the Odessa Bible Society has contributed about 12,000 rubles to the fund of the parent society, and brought into circulation 1576 Bibles and Testaments in different languages.

May the blessing of the Most High God accompany the future labours of this society!

From the Rev. Dr. Henderson.

St. Petersburg, Jan. 23, 1820. A soldier, in Odessa, by birth a Lettonian, had heard of the exertions of the Russian Bible Society, and felt a strong desire to possess a copy of the scriptures in his native language. The Committee in that place did not happen to have any copies of the Lettonian New Testament for sale; but a copy had been presented to their library along with other versions, by the Petersburg Committee, and they resolved to appropriate this copy to the use of the soldier. He was accordingly called to attend one of their meetings; and when it was presented to him, he burst out into a flood of tears, and exclaimed, "Thank God! I am now in possession of that blessed book." On being asked what idea he entertained of the word of God, he replied, "I have not only heard from others, but I also know myself that it contains the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and teaches us how we may become the children of God and partakers of eternal life. I will now read it for my own instruction, and tell my comrades of the glorious truths it contains." Who will say what consequences may result from the donation of this single copy of the word of God?

It will be gratifying to your Committee to learn, that a flame of active zeal in the best of causes, is not confined to the genial climate of these southerly regions. If you will not deem the transition too violent, allow me to transport you across the vast and dreary wilds of Siberia, and set you down in Birnasuiskaia, the most northerly town in that government. There, at the utmost verge of Asia, where the inhabitants are enveloped in darkness, and exposed to all the inconveniences of a rigorous clime during the greater part of the year, the same flame has been kindled, and we hope the period is not distant, when the whole of these regions shall be illumined by the life-giving rays of the Sun of Righteousness. At the place just mentioned, a Bible Association has been formed, which has already sent in 1500 rubles to the society. In other parts of the empire, the establishment of new societies continues to go forward. Two auxiliary societies have been recently formed at Smolensk and Kaluga, for the purpose of supplying those governments with the scriptures, and Bible Associations have been established at the following places: in the government of Vladimer, at Gorochowetz; in Rjasan, at Ranenburg;