perusal of which administered great relief to him under his sufferings. At another important station a depôt has also been opened, and the Scriptures have been sent from it to Jerusalem, Tyre, Sydon, Tripoli, and Damascus. Many demands are reported to be made for the Arabic Bible, and Mr. Barker had the pleasure of supplying 78 out of 80 boys belonging to an Arabic school, with the book of Psalms in the Arabic language at ten paras a copy. During the course of the year Mr. Barker has made two tours in Asia Minor and Syria, the interesting journal of the former has arrived, and it appears that Mr. Barker has had the happiness of making arrangements for future operations, and of removing various prejudices which had been entertained against the Society. He received a pleasing assurance from one of the British Consuls, who assisted him in various ways, that the Scriptures thus distributed were read. Of his latter tour the journal has not yet reached this country in consequence of a dangerous illness which his labours in an unhealthy country had brought on. In the course of it, however, 500 copies were disposed of, and he writes word that at one of the depôts, which had been opened, 800 copies had been sold in two months.

"In the Persian language the Pentateuch has been completed by Mirza Jaffier, in the revision of which Professor Lee is engaged, while the translator is advancing with the historical books. Ofthe progress of Mr. Robertson's labours, under the patronage of the College at Calcutta, no intelligence has been received by your Committee during the past year. Feeling, however, that it will form an epoch in the history of Persia when a version of the Old and New Testament shall begin to be known generally in that country, and that to produce such a version no ordinary exertions and talents will be required, they have not hesitated to engage another translator, who will co-operate with Professor Lee; and it is

hoped by a combination of labour to produce the work in an acceptable form. In a letter received from a Missionary it is observed: "In our journies we have frequently met with Persians who were partly acquainted with the New Testament, and ardently desired to read the Old Testament, stating, we cannot remove into a new house unless we have found its foundation to be strong. Let us have the Old Testament that we may see whether the Gospel is well founded upon it."

Your Committee in the next place call your attention to the gratifying Reports received from CALCUTTA, BOMBAY, MADRAS, and CEYLON. At Calcutta, as is observed in the Report, " it has been a year of expansion and enlargement." Three new and important Auxiliary Institutions have been formed at Benares, Cawnpour, and Merut. Did time permit, your Committee would gladly make copious extracts from their respective Reports as printed in the Appendix to that of Calcutta, As it is, they must content themselves with simply stating that 11,000 copies of Bibles, Testaments, and single Books, have been sent from Calcutta to these infant Societies.

The Hindoostanee Testament, by the assistance of the Rev. Principal Mill, has been printed as far as the Acts. Mr. Bowley's Hinduwee Testament is now completed, and it is observed that testimonials have been received of the acceptableness and utility of the single Gospels of this work already circulated, The Book of Genesis in Hindoostanee is about to be published separate, it having been much approved; and it is also mentioned, that the demand for the single Gospels in Bengalee, for the use of schools, is so great that a large impression of the Gospels and Acts is ordered, instead of completing the whole of the New Testament as had been before determined. The name of Dr. R. Heber, Bishop of Calcutta, appears among the patrons of the Calcutta

Auxiliary. "This accession to the cause is (as is stated) in every respect most valuable. With the aid of his Lordship's counsel and influence, the object of the Society must be essentially promoted. Its character also will be better appreciated, and will commend itself more and more to the community."

The Bible Association existing at Calcutta, as noticed in your last Report, continues its appropriate labour, and there is reason to think that by its exertions the city is well supplied with Bibles through all its streets and lanes. That it might not want the means of prosecuting its important labours, your Committee have with pleasure voted for its use 500 Bibles and 1000 Testaments. In a letter announcing the arrival of them, the Rev. Mr. Thomason writes, Every thing indicates progress. Oh when will the spirit be poured out from on high, that the little one may become a thousand. May God in mercy hasten the day!'

From SERAMPORE a letter has been received, ex. pressive of the warmest gratitude for the grants made to the translation fund, as recorded in your last Report.

In the Sixth Report of the BOMBAY Auxiliary, you will rejoice to hear it stated that the Old Testament as well as the New, in the Goojurattee language, is now completed. And the Missionaries write, "Nearly the whole of the numbers, amounting to about 6000, are gone among the people. Few days pass without some one calling for parts of it, and we frequently have persons from villages at a considerable distance applying for Testaments. When out among the people, (the writer adds,) I am frequently called to explain parts to them. They often ask who was Jesus Christ-Who were the Apostles-Who was Matthew, John, &c. ?" Information having recently arrived that the stock of printing paper was nearly

exhausted, 100 reams have been placed at the disposal of the Missionaries at Surat.

in

The Portuguese Scriptures sent to Bombay have many instances proved very acceptable.

Satisfactory reasons are assigned in the MADRAS Report, for no communication having been sent from that quarter last year; and it is judiciously observed, "These circumstances will evince to the supporters of the Society that the exertions of the Committee and their associates cannot be measured solely by the results of any particular year."

The version of the Scriptures in Malayalim, under the superintendence of the Rev. B. Bailey, had proceeded, at the time of publishing the Report, to the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. It is, however, in contemplation to print the four Gospels without waiting for the completion of the whole, as, according to the information given by Mr. Bailey, the Metropolitan of the Syrian church, his clergy, and the whole body of Syrian Christians, are very anxious for some part of the Scriptures to be printed in their native language; and he adds, "I am persuaded that many thousand copies would instantly be thankfully received." The Syriac Bible has been completed, under the superintendence of Professor Lee, and copies will be shortly sent out. The version in the Malayalim dialect for the Northern parts of Malabar had been advanced, at the time the translator, the Rev. T. Spring, left Madras, to the end of the Epistle to the Romans, and is esteemed a valuable addition to the stock of Biblical Literature. The revision of the Tamul New Testament, under the care of the Rev. Mr. Rhenius, of the Church Missionary Society, is proceeding slowly indeed, but with the greatest care. The Rev. Mr. Gordon, a Missionary of the London Missionary Society, who is stationed at Vizagapatam, in the heart of the provinces, where the Teloogoo is spoken in its greatest purity, has presented a trans

lation of Isaiah in that language, which, added to the manuscript version of his colleague, the late Rev. Mr. Pritchett, affords the Madras Committee a hope that they shall eventually find the means of completing a version of the Teloogoo Scriptures more perfect than any which has been hitherto published. A translation of the Pentateuch into the Carnatica by the Rev. W. Reeve, another Missionary of the latter Society, who has been long resident at Bellary, has been presented, and has obtained the necessary testimonials from the members of the Sub-committee of Translation.

After stating the progress in several works, many useful remarks are made in the body of this Report to the imperfections attendant upon first versions, and the benefits, notwithstanding, which arise from their circulation; observations which it is hoped will operate as a timely rebuke to those who seem to demand nothing less than absolute perfection at the hands of modern translators.

The printing of 1000 copies of the Old Testament in the Tamul language has proceeded as far as the Prophets. The work has been carried on at the press of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge; 2500 New Testaments and 2500 Gospels and Acts are printing at the press of the Church Missionary Institution, and your Committee cannot help for a moment rejoicing in the concord so manifestly sabsisting between these two Societies and your own. The Branch Societies and Associations in connection with the Madras Auxiliary continue in a prosperous condition. Their Reports, as given in the Appendix to the Madras Report, are of a satisfactory character. Considerable portions have already appeared in your Monthly Extracts. In a letter from the Secretary of the Madras Auxiliary, the writer, after mentioning the observable change now taking place in the minds of the natives, with regard to their former superstitions, and after lamenting their deplorable ignorance, observes, "that