Taylor to superintend a version of St. Matthew into the Guzrattee and Mahratta; and proceeded to turn their attention to certain other of the many dialects which prevail from Cape Comorin to Mozambique and the African coast."

America advanced in the good work, in an increasing number of Bible Societies; but the destitution of the Scriptures in many of the states was found to be appalling. The importance of a "National Society," therefore, was felt to be desirable, to enable the friends of the Bible to concentrate their energies with the greater effect in the production of the Scriptures. On this subject, Dr. Elias Boudinot addressed "the American public," and so prepared the way for its establishment the following year.

Considerable depression in trade was experienced through the kingdom during this year; yet the thirteenth Anniversary of the Bible Society was celebrated with thanksgiving for the Divine blessing on its labours. One of the principal charms of the Meeting was the vigorous and impassioned address of Dr. Mason, Secretary of the American Bible Society, expressing his ardent hope that the two nations might never again be brought into conflict, but be for ever united in enlarging the Kingdom, and in spreading the religion of Jesus Christ!

THE FOURTEENTH YEAR OF THE SOCIETY, 1817-1818. CHRISTIAN benevolence, which originated the Bible Society, designed that it should bless every nation, and enrich every class of mankind. This grand ob

ject we see nobly advancing in the progress of the Institution; and it will be necessary only to refer generally to the great transactions of this year, to discern in them the gracious hand of Divine Providence.

The United Netherlands Bible Society, in this its third year, was sustained by Auxiliaries in Rotterdam, Utrecht, Amsterdam and the Hague, favoured with the patronage of the king, and other members of the Royal family. Brunswick and Hanover were favoured in a similar manner.

The Prussian Bible Society, and the Danish Society succeeded in their useful work; and Iceland was blessed with the Bible by the labours of Dr. Henderson. Similar zeal was active and successful in Sweden and Norway, so that 100,000 copies of the Scriptures were in the hands of the public by its Anniversary in April, 1817.

Russia proceeded majestically in the Bible cause. On its fourth Annual Meeting, held in the Hall of the Taurian Palace, July 7, 1817, Dr. Henderson says, "I was struck with the sight of a group of graduated monks and professors from the Newsky Monastery, and a number of military officers, high in rank, who appeared in another direction. Representatives of most of the nations for whom we are preparing editions of the Scriptures; such as Russians, Armenians, Georgians, Greeks, Moldavians, Finns, Poles, Esthonians, Livonians, Germans and French were assembled to take part in the ceremony, and listen to the interesting details of the publication of the Word of God in their respective languages.

Among others I observed two learned Russians, who have spent fifteen years at the Academy in Pekin, and are masters of the Chinese and Mandshur languages. The scene naturally led my mind to that beautiful passage in the Prophet Isaiah :- Behold, these come from far; and, lo, these from the North and the West; and these from the land of Sinim !'

"Of the efficiency of the Society, in the prosection of its object, the preparation and distribution of the Holy Scriptures-some conception may be formed by the interesting facts-that, within four years after its establishment, the Society either published, or was engaged in publishing, not fewer than fortythree editions of the sacred Scriptures in seventeen different languages, forming a grand total of 196,000 copies; and, that preparations were making, at the close of that year, for stereotyping the Scriptures in five different languages; versions were going forward into the common Russian, Tartar and Carnelian languages; and measures were adopting for procuring translations into the Turkish-Armenian, and Buriat-Mongotian; and, when it is added, that within a month after the Anniversay, sixteen waggon-loads of Bibles and Testaments were dispatched from the capital for different parts of the Empire, we see demonstrated the effective exertions of this enterprising Institution.”*

Among the cantonal Swiss Societies, that of Bâsle retained the lead; and both astonished and delighted the friends to the circulation of the Scriptures.

But, while the Bible cause was making this pro* Owen's History, pp. 282, 285.

gress on the Continent, including many Catholics among its most cordial friends, the Court of Rome becamed alarmed; and the Pope issued a Bull, addressed to the Archbishop Gnezen, the Metropolitan of Poland, against the Bible Society; but the Emperor Alexander being then at Warsaw, Dr. Pinkerton laid the case before him, and he gave his sanction to the immediate formation of the Polish Bible Society.

Still the Papal opposition was continued, in a monitory Brief to Archbishop Stanislaus, the Catholic Metropolitan of Russia, for having recommended the Bible Society; but this Bull failed, as the other had in Poland. Bible Societies were, however, thus prohibited in Austria and Bavaria; and that in Hungary was broken up by an Edict, dated December 23, 1815. That Edict states:-"His Sacred Majesty has been graciously pleased to ordain, that care be taken that printed copies of the Bible be not circulated gratis, or at a low price, by foreign Societies, in His Majesty's Hereditary dominions, nor the establishment of Bible Associations allowed." This impious edict was promoted by a "Declaration" of the archbishops and bishops of Hungary.

There were, however, some Catholics of eminence even among the priests, who were yet zealous for the Scriptures, in Bavaria, Suabia and the Rhenish Provinces; and especially Leander Van Ess, a Catholic professor in Switzerland, who made an approved translation of the New Testament.

Valetta, the capital of Malta, was an important depôt, from which many copies of the Scriptures, in

French, Italian, modern Greek, Arabic and Armenian, were brought into circulation; and many of the modern Greek New Testaments were circulated by the Bishop of Yanina, among his own people, and at Candia, Cyprus, and Rhodes.

Calcutta and its dependencies continued to receive liberal supplies from London; so that new editions of the Scriptures were carried forward in the native languages by the Calcutta Bible Society. By this means it became really "the medium of distributing the Holy Scriptures among the more Eastern Islands and nations of Asia." St. Petersburg aided this Society in sowing the seed of eternal life in Armenia, Persia and Tartary.

Madras and Bombay co-operated in this good work; and a depôt was established at Bombay, furnished with Bibles and Testaments in various languages, English, Gaelic, Portuguese, French, Dutch, German, Spanish, Danish and Italian; Hebrew, Greek and Latin; Arabic, Syriac, Ethiopic, Armenian, Persian, Hindoostanee, Malay and Chinese.

The Colombo Bible Society persevered in its operations; the Baptist and Wesleyan missionaries in Ceylon, completing the Cingalese New Testament. But it is not possible here to detail the labours of others. "Such benefactors," Mr. Owen remarks, "were the Rev. Mr. Thompson, at Madras; the Baptist Missionaries at Serampore; and those of the London Missionary Society at Canton and Malacca. It is impossible to contemplate the various undertakings of the Serampore Missionaries, and the zeal and disinterestedness with which they pursued them,