Mississippi:-Messrs. Hitchcock and Orr, to the mouth of the Arkansaw, and thence up that river, to join the Rev. Messrs. Finney and Washburn, as assistants at the Arkansaw station; and Messrs. Wood, Howes, and Dyer, to the mouth of the Yazoo, and thence up that river, to the seat of the Choctaw mission, to act as assistants at one or both of the stations in that nation.

The Rev. Alfred Wright, lately returned from the south, took his leave of the Corresponding Secretary at Salem, 10th May, to proceed on horseback, circuitously, for purposes of agency, through New-York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, to Elliot, or the new station on the Tombigby, as an associate with the Rev. Mr. Kingsbury, in the Choctaw mission.

On the 6th of April, Mr. James Garrett sailed from Boston, for Pondicherry, on the Coromandel coast, to join the American missionaries in Ceylon. He is to superintend the printing business, having served a regular apprenticeship to that art, and been ap proved for his piety, industry, ability and discretion. From Pondicherry it is only two days sail to the district of Jaffna, where the missionaries reside.

The following letter from the Rev. Joshua Dean, to the Corresponding Secretary will speak for itself.

Groton, Tompkins Co. N. Y. April 19, 1820.

Rev. and Dear Sir,-We have just been called to witness a very interesting scene. Brother Orr has left us. Yesterday morning he bid us a long farewell; and, in company with Mr. Wood and his wife, he started for the Arkansaw, to spend his days as a missionary among the natives of the wilderness. Four or five days past have been such as were never witnessed by this people before. I could not have anticipated an event, that would have produced such a deep and general excitement of feeling. The scene indeed, in itself, was not so grand and imposing, nor associated with so many affecting considerations, as those, which you have had opportunity to witness in your town and vicinity, where numbers have embarked on the mighty ocean to carry the glad tidings of the gospel to nations living in the remote corners of the earth-in Asia, and the islands of the east; but I trust it was marked with no less ardour of feeling, nor less sincere aspirations to heaven. To us, who have never been permitted to witness scenes of this kind,-to us, remote from cities and the ocean, and living in the new and retired part of the country, what passed among us was accompanied with circumstances of peculiar interest, and gave an impulse to our feelings, which I hope will long continue.

Mr. Orr as he saw no chance to get away this spring, had concluded, according to the provision in your letter, to get ready by. fall. Viewing the matter in this light, he thought it best to procure a school for the summer. Accordingly, he took a journey

for this purpose into Pennsylvania; but not succeeding, he returned on Wednesday last. The following was observed by us as a day of fasting and prayer; and in time of forenoon service Mr. Wood and his wife, accompanied with her father, the Rev. Mr. Williams of Greenfield, Saratoga Co. arrived. On coming out of meeting they expressed the sore disappointment they had felt, in hearing that Mr. Orr was from home; but their feelings were soon changed in finding him on the spot, and in having him introduced to them. In a few minutes he was presented with your second letter, informing him of the alteration in your arrangements, and that Mr. Wood was to call and take him on. By this unexpected course of things, Mr. Orr was taken by surprise. He, however, at once concluded to go, and to get in readiness with the least possible delay, and yesterday was fixed on as the day for their departure.

At the close of the afternoon service, the congregation was informed of the arrival and presence of our missionary friends, and that brother Orr was soon to join them, for the purpose of spending his days in missionary labours, among the natives of the wilderness. God had, by exciting the church to more than usual engagedness in religion, and by granting some drops of his mercy on the congregation, prepared the people to receive this intelligence with no ordinary interest. It touched their hearts. Their feelings became at once deeply enlisted in the cause. The bare statement of the subject was sufficient to make them yield to the claims of the poor heathen. They agreed on the spot, to convey, at their own expense, the missionaries and their baggage to the head waters of the Alleghany river, where they would take boats for Pittsburgh. It was announced that a collection would be taken up the next Sabbath, and the people were requested to make out a box of clothing for the use of the Indian school. From the scarcity of money, many seemed to say, silver and gold have I none, but of such as I have, I will give.

What gave additional interest to the day, was the commencement of a liberal subscription to the constitution of a charitable society, then submitted by a committee on a plan somewhat new. It comprised a field, flock, females, labourers or mechanics, and boys' department. Subscribers to the first gave such amount of grain, or the use of such a piece of ground, as they might name; -to the second, sheep, or the keeping of sheep;-to the third, yarn, spinning, weaving, &c. &c.-to the fourth, the annual avails of such a number of days' work, as they might name; to the fifth, the product, in whole or in part, of such a piece of land as the parents of the boys might allow ;-the whole to be disposed of by a committee, and applied to domestic and foreign missions, &c.

A meeting was held last Monday, when Mr. Orr took his farewell of the church. After a discourse and prayers in which he, and those going out with him, were commended to the care of the

great Head of the church, he read the 20th chapter of the Acts, and then addressed his brethren, the singers, and the congregation in the most solemn and impressive manner. All were affected. Tears streamed from every eye. A more solemn and affecting time was never witnessed here. It was a trial to him to part with his dear Christian friends, with whom he had taken sweet counsel, and walked to the house of God in company. He stated, that he was about to leave them probably never to see them again; but he felt that he was called by the providence of God; and it was by divine strength that he hoped to be carried through. It was also trying to his Christian brethren to have him leave them. He was loved by them all; and never was he so endeared to them as on that occasion, and never before were they so fully impressed with his worth. But they rejoiced, that he was thus willing to give up all for Christ, and that he felt so devoted to the best of causes. They viewed it as a favour, that God had prepared and disposed one of their number to engage in so noble and so self-denying an employment.

On his concluding this address, he took by the hand, his companions in missionary labours, and entreated them to receive him as a brother-one that was willing to go with them to the ends of the earth. His remarks, as well as those of Mr. Wood, in reply, were appropriate and affecting, and both bespoke the ardour of their attachment to each other and their union of feeling and purpose in regard to the work before them.-After a very solemn address from Mr. Wood, and another from Mr. Williams, Mr. Orr received from each member of the church, the parting hand, as a token of sincerest attachment to him, and as a pledge of the continuance of their prayers in his behalf.

The whole proceedings took a deep hold of the feelings of the people; and made them feel more sensibly, the obligations they were under to do something for the salvation of those, who were perishing for lack of vision. The time was short, but they exerted themselves to do something for the mission. The females were busy in making clothes for Indian children, and in getting Mr. Orr in readiness. More than $30 in money were collected; $100 in cloth, articles of clothing, and bedding for the mission; which, together with presents to the missionaries, and the expense of conveying them to the Alleghany river, amounted to not less than $200. More could have been collected, had time allowed. All were ready to do something; and even children were anxious to part with their garments to send to the Indian children in the mission school.

Yesterday morning Mr. Orr took his leave of his aged parents. He was their youngest child.-Their hearts were bound up in him. After singing and prayer he addressed his parents, sisters, and other relatives and the people who were assembled. It was a melting scene. His advice was deserving to be held in lasting

remembrance, and was delivered with a feeling, which the occasion was fitted to inspire. Many will be eager to preserve his parting words, and to profit by them. To the aged parents, the act of parting with their son was trying, but they would not keep him back. It was to them a comforting thought, that he was willing to give up all for Christ;-and they felt it to be an honour, that God had called their dear son to engage in missionary labours among the heathen.

What has passed before our eyes will long be remembered with delight. I trust its salutary effects will long be felt among us. I am not without the belief, that it will strengthen and extend the missionary spirit in the place,-that we shall now view with deeper interest, the movements that are made for the salvation of a world;-that we shall pray with greater importunity for the furtherance of the gospel, and for the blessing of heaven on those, who have gone forth as the heralds of the cross,-and that we shall be more ready to lend our aid to promote the objects of the Board. Nor am I without hope, that it will be the means of deepening that seriousness, and that attention to religion, which have for a season prevailed. The hearts of many were refreshed by the presence of our missionary friends from Greenfield; and we view it a favour that they were sent this way. Mr. Williams tarried till the missionaries departed. His kind labours among my people will not be forgotten. It was Mr. Orr's request, that I should write and inform you that he had started. His whole time was taken up in making preparation, and he left without finding any time to write.

I remain affectionately yours, &c. J. DEAN. Rev. S. Worcester, Cor. Secretary, &c.

P. S. Mr. Orr received your third letter on Monday. The time was so short that we had no time to have collections in neighbouring towns. The people in Homer collected in clothing about $30 in one forenoon. The missionaries stayed last night in Genoa, where $12 were collected in the evening. I gave them a paper stating the wants of the Board, accompanied with a request to the friends of missionaries in places where they might stop, to lend assistance. $4 89, of what was collected here was from our Female Charitable Society.

From the Pittsburgh Mercury.

THE OSAGE MISSION.

The missionary family organized at New-York, on the 17th April last, by the Board of the United Foreign Missionary Society, arrived at this place on the 10th instant, on their way to the Osage Indians, on the Arkansaw river. They were received with cordiality; and during their stay among us, were treated with affectionate attention by Christian friends, who rejoiced to

see them on their way to the poor benighted heathen, for whom we are daily praying that "the Lord would give to his Son, the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession."

The contributions made by the citizens of this place, for aiding this mission, were very liberal, and probably, much more than what the Board at New-York could have anticipated, when they addressed us on this subject. The articles contributed, were such, as were important to the missionary establishment, and a great proportion of them furnished by the manufacturers of this city. The amounts collected by different individuals, who took an active part in this mission, are as follows:-by Rev. Joseph M'Elroy, $20 50:-by Rev. Elisha P. Swift, $320 00:-by Rev. Francis Herron, $848 05:-by collection in the first Presbyterian church on Sabbath night, $21 30.-Total $1209 85.

From the amount of the above contributions, it is obvious, that Christians among us have felt a lively interest in the object of this mission. The same disposition has been displayed in all the intervening places between this city and New-York.-The donations from the churches in New-York and Philadelphia, and the contributions that have been forwarded to them from different towns through which they have passed, plainly discover, that Christians are awake to the heart breaking necessities of the poor Indians; and we hope and pray, that such a disposition will be increased an hundred fold, and may extend to the bosoms of thousands, who have no Christian feeling for the children of the wilderness.

The object of this mission is to introduce the arts of civilized life, as well as the Christian religion among the Osage Indians; and by this means, to extend to them the same advantages we enjoy. This is the first effort of the Board of the United Foreign Missionary Society, composed of the Presbyterian, Dutch Reformed, and Associate Reformed churches, to send the gospel among the heathen; and we can, with pleasure, state, that all such missionary establishments among the Indians, are aided by the general government in the erection of suitable buildings for school houses, and the support of teachers in the instruction of Indian children. It would doubtless be policy in the government to pursue and extend this kind of benevolence toward our red brethren; and we hesitate not to say that it would not cost them the one half to civilize and Christianize them, that it has done to wage war with them, tending to their destruction.

The missionary family embarked on the 24th inst. in two keel boats procured and equipped in this place-they will carry about 20 tons each. Their purchases from manufacturers in this place, in addition to all donations, were nearly 3000 dollars, for which they furnished a draft on New-York. A respectable number of citizens and Christian friends, accompanied them to their VOL. VII.

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