36

THE STORY OF THE LALL-BAZAR BAPTIST CHURCH.

That cold season was remarkable for its gaieties. Lord Minto s arrival had given a new impulse to public amusements and there was a continuous succession of Balls and Masquerades. At one of the Fancy Balls, at which the Governor-General was present, some gentleman thought fit to amuse the company by personating Dr. Marshman and went about the Ball Room with a subscription paper under his arm, habited just like Dr. Marshman. In the description given of the entertainment by one of the few Calcutta papers then published it was announced that among other amusing characters there was "a pious missionary soliciting subscriptions and that it was gratifying to remark that his paper had been so well filled." By this effort the deficit was considerably reduced but the money was soon exhausted. The missionaries, however, were determined not to allow the progress of the work to be suspended for want of funds, so they advanced the sums which were requisite from time to time from their own resources.

VIEW OF THE EAST FACE OF GOVERNMENT HOUSE, CALCUTTA, AS IT

WAS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE 19TH CENTURY.

We read accordingly that on the 16th December 1807. Dr. Carey wrote that the Chapel had been erected and covered in and he added: "the building is 70 feet square and will have galleries on three sides."

In the meantime the attendance at the old room continued to increase.

As to the Armenians and the Portuguese in the Chitpore Road they could only assemble and have worship among themselves. They greatly felt the hardship of being deprived of the Bengalee preaching, so in December 1807 they submitted a petition to the Governor-General (Lord Minto) in Council as below:

"We the undersigned Armenian and Portuguese inhabitants of Calcutta humbly beg leave to represent to your Lordship that in consequence of our not sufficiently understanding the English language we are prevented from receiving Christian instruction at the English Church and are therefore deprived of the greatest blessing on earth. We therefore humbly entreat your Lordship to grant us liberty to have Divine worship in the Bengalee language, which we well understand, at the small Chapel, erected on the premises belonging to Mr. Petruse, an Armenian Christian, in Chitpore Road, Calcutta and we further beg leave to entreat that the Brethren of the Protestant Mission at Serampore may preach to us in this language, as we know of no other Ministers to whom we can apply for Christian instruction in this language.” Although this petition was signed by over 30 persons, yet on the 8th January 1808, the Government replied under the signature of Thomas Brown, Chief Secretary, declining to let them hold the Bengalee service in the small Chapel in the Chitpore Road !!

In January 1808 the missionaries inserted the following remark in their Circular Letter: "The Chapel is not finished as yet, the collecting of the sums subscribed advances but slowly, which considerably retards the work. We regret this as there seems an increasing disposition to hear, the present place being often full and sometimes crowded."

In February 1808 they recorded:

"The attendance at the old room continues numerous and serious. The Chapel is advancing, although slowly. We expect the galleries will be errected (sic) in a few days."

As the private room in Cossitollah became more and more thronged with hearers the erection of the Chapel had to be pushed forward with redoubled vigor and this could only be done by the missionaries making further advances so that the progress of the work might not be suspended for want of funds.

On 20th April 1808, Dr. Carey wrote: "The cause of Christ is going on in an encouraging manner at Calcutta. The Chapel is nearly finished."

In October 1808 the missionaries wrote: "The opening of the new Chapel is anxiously looked for by many."

On 10th November 1808, Mr. Chamberlain after having spent two days at Serampore and one at Calcutta, wrote to Dr. Ryland: "I was much rejoiced to see what God hath wrought in the latter place. I have preached there more than once, in 1803, to 3 or 4 people, and now behold a full room, and, oh, what is more encouraging, a goodly number, who have put on the Lord Jesus Christ and are not seeking their own, but the things pertaining to the Kingdom of Christ." Before the Chapel was opened, that is in November 1808, Krishna Pal removed to Calcutta there is a large field for missionary exertion."

"where

The opening service was fixed for Sunday the 1st January 1809 and Rev. W. Forsyth of the London Mission having expressed a wish to conduct the evening service on that happy occasion he was permitted to do so, while Dr. Carey took the morning service and preached to a numerous audience from Psalm 84: 1-How amiable are the tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts!" It seems to have been a solemn and impressive day, the desire of Dr. Carey and his colleagues being thus at last accomplished. The Rev. William Robinson referring to the event as late as July 1849 was able to say that that interesting day was still fresh in his memory.

Thus, after many unforeseen and unexpected difficulties the chapel was erected the centenary of which has now come. A

THE EARLY EFFORTS TO ERECT THE CHAPEL AT CALCUTTA. 39

sketch of it as it looked on 1st January 1809 is given in the frontispiece, from which the reader who knows the Chapel will be able to see at a glance the difference in its appearance at the present time.

Hallelujah Praise ye the Lord.

CHAPTER VI.

SOME OF THE SUBSCRIBERS TO THE BUILDING FUND.

A paragraph in the Petition drawn up by Dr. Marshman in 1807 makes the following statement: "A subscription was set on foot by a number of gentlemen, who subscribed as follows:

(N. B.-The distinction between " "Esq." and "Mr." is in the original document.)

A few remarks will now be made about each of the above gentlemen as far as possible in the order in which they stand.

1. J. H. HARINGTON.

He was a member of the Civil Service and a good Christian man. He entered that service as a writer on 1st August 1780. At the time he gave this donation he was one of the Puisne Judges of the Sudder Dewanny and in 1811 he was made Chief Judge. It