month is to be paid to my unmarried sisters Sarah and Matilda Williams share and share alike so long as they remain unmarried and live virtuously or to one or either of them that may so remain unmarried or to the survivor so long as she will not depart from the path of virtue, but in the event of the marriage or death of my said wife Caherine Matilda Williams and my said maiden sisters Sarah and Matilda, I request that the said sum of Company's rupees thirty out of the said income be appropriated through the medium of the Baptist Chapel at Lall Bazar to the cause of Mis sions particularly towards the maintenance of preaching the Word of God.

But in the event of my said wife Catherine Matilda Williams becoming a widow a second time and being left unprovided for, the said allowance of Company's rupees thirty a month is to revert to her, upon the conditions herein before stated.

I also desire that my Executors hereinafter named will after payment of the above-noted stipend of Company's rupees thirty per mensem, reserve in hand all surplus rent or rents accruing from the said two houses towards meeting the disbursements of repairs, taxes, etc., of the said two houses as also to provide for the payment of the said stipend in the event of the houses remaining unlet, as far as these funds will permit.

Fifthly.--[This clause is omitted as it details certain legacies to domestics only and does not concern the family or the Church].

But these last four legacies are not to be paid until my Executors hereinafter named are enabled to do so from accumulations of funds in their hands.

Lastly. I do hereby nominate and appoint Mr. Julien Louis Carrau and Lewis Mendes both of Calcutta to be joint Executors to this my last Will and Testament hereby revoking all former Will or Wills by me at any time heretofore made and do declare this to be my last Will and Testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the 11th day of January in the year of our Lord Christ one thousand eight hundred and forty-two.

Extract from the Will of Mr. L. Mendes of Bentinck Street, Calcutta:

And I hereby devise and bequeath the house in Gree Babu's Lane, No. 6, and the Company's paper for rupees eight hundred, which I hold as Executor of the Will of John Adolphus Williams to the Deacons for the time being of the Lall Bazar Baptist Chapel,

to hold upon the Trusts declared by the Will of the said John Adolphus Williams, and etc.

(Sd.) L. MENDES,

Mr. J. L. Carrau had died at Hope Town in May 1873.

It will be seen from the foregoing Will what the terms and conditions were under which the widow and the maiden sisters of Mr. J. A. Williams were to get the monthly stipend of Company's rupees thirty (30). Well, Mrs. Catherine Matilda Williams married Mr. John Vallis, junior, in June 1844, after which, in accordance with the will, the allowance passed on to the two unmarried sisters. She died on the 17th March 1854. Then Miss Matilda Williams died on the 29th January 1860 after which the allowance passed on to the sole surviving sister, Miss Sarah Williams, who died on the 24th February 1863.

This last "life-tenant" having passed away the Church became entitled to the allowance thereafter in accordance with the Will. It was intended that the Church should first be paid the allowance and then the surplus between that and the actual rent realized kept in hand to meet repairs, taxes, etc., so that the Church might get the allowance even when the house was empty. This arrangement, however, was deviated from frequently and the allowance has at times been withheld when the funds have not permitted or the house has been empty. In fact at one time the allowance was not paid for several years. However, all things considered it was a gracious Providence that inclined the Testator to make this provision for the Church, which is more or less of a certainty towards the Pastor's support.

Mr. Lewis Mendes, from whose Will an extract is given above, died on the 22nd May 1876. At that time the Officers were called Elders, and none were designated Deacons. The consequence was that two of those Elders had to formally be appointed

as

Deacons. The first one SO appointed was Mr. Thomas Anstin, who was appointed on 28th June 1876. As Mr. Mendes had used the plural-Deacons a second had to be appointed and Mr. F. P. Lindeman was so appointed on the 10th July 1876.

The affairs of the Estate were subsequently made over to the Administrator-General of Bengal in whose hands they have been for years and the allowance has been received for some years past without interruption.

It will be noticed from the Will that the house has not been left to the Church, but only the allowance of thirty rupees. This point has been raised more than once SO that the Church might know for certain whether if the property were sold the proceeds of the sale would come to it or not, because, if the latter, the Church might fund those proceeds, and thus realize more than thirty rupees a month by the investment. To settle the matter finally a reference was made by the Administrator-General to Counsel towards the end of 1906 at the request of the Church and the following is an extract from the opinion he expressed in reply:

"In the event of a sale, the Church authorities in my opinion would have no interest in the sale proceeds beyond a charge of the Rs. 30 a month upon them and would not be entitled to have the sale proceeds made over to them."

This opinion finally settled the point involved and the Church had no alternative, but to accept it. It is however, very thankful to receive the allowance of Rs. 30 as regularly as it does and cannot be too thankful to the Testator for this provision in his Will by which the Church has benefited more or less for over 45 years.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

THE PASTORATE OF THE REV. JOHN ROBINSON.
(25th March 1868 to 1st June 1876.)

PORTRAIT OF THE REV. JOHN ROBINSON.

BEFORE giving the details of the events of this period it will be necessary to give a brief biographical sketch of Mr. Robinson.

He was the son of the Rev. William William Robinson, the former Pastor of this Church, and was born at Batavia on the 11th December 1819, while his father was laboring in that mission field. He up to Bengal with his father in the early part of 1825 when the latter had to

came

relinquish his work in the Eastern Islands. He received his education at Serampore. He was baptized in the Lall Bazar Chapel by his father on the 29th December 1833, when he was only 14 years of age. On the 26th December 1845, he was ordained to the Ministry in the Lall Bazar Chapel, his father being present on the occasion, having come from Dacca for the purpose. For several years he was Pastor of the Native Church at Serampore. He was appointed Marriage Registrar of Serampore on the 18th February 1856 and held the post of Bengali Translator to the Government of Bengal from the 18th January 1853.

When the Rev. James Thomas died in July 1858, Mr. Robinson offered his gratuitous services to the Church whenever he might be required, provided the Church sent up a Native Preacher to take his Bengali service at Serampore.

He proceeded on leave to England on the 8th June 1864, and left England to return to this country on the 18th September 1865 arriving in Calcutta on the 3rd November following. While in England he had married Miss Annie Grant at Scarborough on the 9th September 1865, who is alive at the present time in Scotland. She was his fourth wife.

When Mr. Sale resigned the Pastorate at the beginning of 1868, he suggested to the Church to apply to Mr. Robinson and he would probably be willing to undertake its oversight. Mr. Robinson consented, but no letters are on record. Being Bengali Translator to Government as stated above he was able to assume the Pastorate gratuitously.

For some time prior to his formally severing his connection with the Church his health was very poor and the Church had to depend on others, but on the 1st June 1876 he finally resigned the Pastorate and on the 21st December following, a testimonial and addresses were presented to him and to Mrs. Robinson in recognition of their services to the Church for eight years.

Mr. Robinson, however, remained on in Calcutta and at vari