437 Poetry. THERE'S NOTHING LOST. There's nothing lost. The tiniest flower That perfume, borne on zephyr's wings, "Twill scatter gladness round her head. There's nothing lost. The drop of dew Will seek its home of ether blue, And fall again as pure and blest, There's nothing lost. The seed that's cast A green and glorious tree be found; Seek shelter from the heat at noon, There's nothing lost. The slightest tone And make the saddened heart rejoice. And cause that troubled heart to break. There's nothing lost. The faintest strain The harp that swells with love's own words May thrill the soul with deepest power, When still the hand that swept its chords. LETTER FROM REV. J. O. GOADBY TO THE SECRETARY Berhampore, near Ganjam, July 27th, 1859. We have the wet season .now in earnest. For several days the rain has been falling with but little intermission, consequently the roads around us-excepting wellmade ones-are in a very poor state. Between Berhampore and Madras_they are very bad On this account I am writing earlier that the letter may have two or three days extra for its journey to Madras. Sometime ago your kind letter of sympathy came to hand. It went round by Calcutta, or I might have received it before the one containing the saddening news of my beloved father's decease arrived from home. This was a mercy. Accept my dear brother my warmest thanks and those of my beloved wife for the above-mentioned letter of condolence, which you may rest assured was not the less valuable when we remembered you had suffered the same loss. In imagination my dear father still lives in the midst of his family, and although from almost every quarter I have received intimnation of his decease, I find it very difficult to realize his sudden departure. But he is gone and now rests from his labours. My earnest prayer is, that I, by the grace of God, may be enabled to do as much for dark Orissa as he did for enlightened England. Towards the end of last month brother Bailey and I paid a visit to the car festival of Jaganath at Pooree. The Cuttack committee had thought it advisable to hold a special conference at Pooree during the festival, that we might come to some definite conclusions respecting the fresh edition of the Oriya new testament. As the hot season had scarcely concluded, and the rains commenced, it was a peculiarly trying time for travelling. We left Berhampore on Monday evening, June 27, by Palky, for Rumbah, Arrangements had been made for getting a boat at the above-mentioned place, and then proceeding by water-crossing the Chilka Lake-to Manikpatna, taking our palkys with us, and then procuring bearers, direct to Pooree. We hoped to have reached the "Holy City" by Wednesday morning. Our desires, however, were not gratified. We reached Rumbah on Tuesday morning early. At first we concluded to breakfast on the boat, but as the former was realy and the latter not, we partook of our meal in the Bungalow. At nine o'clock we had got our palkys on board and commenced crossing the lake. In the cold season a very pleasant journey, but in the hot far from pleasant. The scenery on the borders of the lake is most enchanting. Rocky islands rise out of its waters, and others hilly, are clothed with verdure from the water's edge to their summit. The borders of the lake are woody, and dotted here and there with villages, buried in the shade. Native boats may be seen sailing in every direction with their stiff mat sails, supported by strong bamboos, and laden with rice and other produce. Thousands of flamingoes, sea gulls, and other large birds, enliven the passage. In fact, while sailing across, L, for the first time, truly realized I was in India. After getting our palkys on board we pushed off, and the wind being favourable, hoisted sail. I was much amused with the boats; they are of a very rude construction. I suppose the forefathers of this people, thousands of years back, used the same patterns. The stern and stem are both alike, and as broad as one's back, so there is not much chance of them cutting through the water at an extraordinary rate. You have no shelter from the heat excepting your palky, and in the middle of the day that is hot enough for anything. Sometimes a shelter is made with a spare sail, but this affords but little protection from the sun or heat, which in the middle of the day is intense. While the sun was low we found ample shade in the shadow of the spread sail, but as the day advanced we had to leave it and take to our umbrellas, and as the wind increased, these had to be cast aside for our palkys, or any other place available. In the forepart of the day we passed several boat loads of poor pilgrims in the charge of a proud Pundah or pilgrim hunter. Brother Bailey, as we passed within hailing of one, had a little chat with the Pundah, asking him where he was going, where he was taking the pilgrims, &c. The Pundah tried in vain to vindicate his conduct, and to show that it was through his great mercy to the poor deluded sons and daughters of Orissa that he was leading them to the shrine of Jaganath. Our boatmen laughed at him, and the pilgrims in spite of his frown, could not hide their merriment when they saw him mastered in the conflict. He CONTRIBUTIONS. threatened to thrash them all round, but it was in vain, they would laugh. My heart felt very sad as I saw the poor creatures being led to eternal destruction by one of satan's successful emissaries. Several of them had come hundreds of miles, and in all human probability would never see their homes again, but friendless and moneyless leave Pooree and die by the way side. "Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another God" Towards three in the afternoon we had reached the middle of the lake, the wind was steady and strong, but the heat was intense. I was at the time almost driven distracted with prickly heat, and dare not go out of the wind. Brother Bailey got into his palky, the motion of the boat not suiting him. The lake was rough, and we pitched and rolled in grand style, and he found in the heat within, a counter irritant. I, however, dare not enter mine. The heat from the sun was bad enough, but the prickly heat was much worse, so I was compelled to keep | 439 outside and shelter myself as well as I could, which, I assure you, was very scantily. The wind was too high to admit of the shade from an umbrella, and I had to be satisfied with the little the spread sail afforded. The bottom of the boat was hot, the top was hot, the palky was hot, everywhere was hot; and a burning eastern sun was shining overhead. My face and hands were burnt to such a degree that the pain was unbearable. Brother Bailey fared a little better, but he was pretty well scorched. The day, however, had an end, a storm concluded it; and we had to put into shore, as we saw the storm coming some hours before, and mooring the boat, waited until it had passed over. We were 14 miles from our destination, and had no other prospect of getting there but by being pushed along with poles by the boatmen at the rate of 14 miles an hour. The wind was contrary. We had about an hour's sleep after the storm had passed over, and then got the man to start again. It was then 11 p.. (To be continued.) Foreign Letters Received. BERHAMPORE.-W. Bailey, August 15th. | CUTTACK.-J. Buckley, July 22d, Aug. 10 -J. O. Goadby, July 27th. CUTTACK.-W. Brooks, August 2nd. -W. Hill, Aug. 16th. Contributions RECEIVED ON ACCOUNT OF THE GENERAL BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY, From September 20th to October 20th, 1859. Subscriptions and Donations in aid of the General Baptist Missionary Society will be thankfully received by Robert Pegg, Esq., Derby, Treasurer, and by the Rev. J. C. Pike, Quorndon, near Loughborough, Secretary, from whom also Missionary Boxes, Collecting Books, and Cards may be obtained. REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS AT THE SPECIAL MEETING, Held in Friar Lane Chapel, Leicester, on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 1859, FOR THE Extension of the General Baptist Gonnexion. AT the Annual Association held in Mary's Gate Chapel, Derby, in June last, this case was submitted from one of the churches-" Can any means be devised for improving and extending our Denomination ?" The Association judging that the subject involved in the above question would require more time than could be afforded at an Association, it was resolved :- -"That a meeting of ministers and other members of the churches be held in Leicester on the day after the next Midland Conference, to consider the best means of improving and extending our Denomination; and that the Leicester ministers be a Committee to convene the meeting and arrange the order of the deliberations." The Leicester Committee met, and having selected subjects for papers to be read and the writers of them, forwarded a Circular to the churches of the Connexion by post, with a programme of the business, requesting them to take the matter into early consideration, and appoint their ministers and other friends to attend. The subjects of the Papers to be read were as follow: 1st. "The comparative progress of the General Baptist Denomination." 2nd. "Hindrances to our progress." 3rd. "The adaptation of our present Home Missionary System to the accomplishment of its objects." 4th. "Lay Agency, with special reference to the further efficiency of our Local Preachers." Conversation to follow the reading of each paper. At nine A.M. a Devotional Meeting was held in the body of the chapel, the Rev. T. STEVENSON, of Leicester, presiding; when several brethren engaged in humble and fervent supplication to the God of all grace, through the Son of his love, for the out-pouring of the HOLY SPIRIT upon us, and upon all men. |